thoughts and intents of the heart the Power of GOD is with his Law to search for the King all vaults and dungeons and nothing is hidden to the eye no more then the earth to the Sun Sinnes of great consequent euils or lesse small sinnes in mens esteeme and great still and crying hidden from man and open to his view granted or defended carrying color or condemned by the world Old ones or new in a word The Law inquires vpon sinne according to the Anomaly of it not onely the circumstances And this was our Sauiours chiefescope in that holy Sermon Math. 5.6 7. Chapters correcting those base limitations of the Law which the Pharises made tying men onely to a grosse literall sence Thirdly in her aggrauating power whereby she enlarges sinne by her Circumstances causing it thereby to seeme the more odious and setting the worse colours vpon it as because such a person committed it a publique man against such light when he needed not from meere malignity of spirit in the midst of blessings against mercy Gospell vowes couenant c. which I do not speake as if all sinnes were alike but because all are sins and culpable Fourthly in her Purity The Law doth not go to tell the soule of each sin but sets the Mirror of Gods purenesse before her that she may according thereto discerne and iudge of sin good and bad â—rue and euill Truth wee say is a Rule of her selfe and her contraries There is a secret purenes in the Law whereby the soule discernes an euill in things which the world sees none in and againe sees none in some wherein an hypocrite sees much For the former A soule that hath cleer and thorow light in himselfe is a Law to himselfe in some things of specialty and accuses it selfe for the departing from the pure manner ends ground and measure which GOD requires as sometime in the keeping of Sabbath in vse of liberties in speech or silence in doing or abstayning hath a Law within him not so much what this morall precept bids or forbids as what the purenesse of it imports So that looke what sorts most with will flesh case or the inclination of nature she suspects yea euen in doubtfull cases yet withdrawes for safety rather then ventures vpon termes of her owne abhorres appearances as well as substance of euill And as in matters of God so in matters of men this Purenesse Rules the case when perhaps no Law is at hand as Phil. 4. Finally brethren whatsoeuer is Holy whatsoeuer pure honest of good report c. An heart enlightned can better iudge by this Rule then any thing sooner espies what is honest sauoury then any other can dâ— yea and by this casts off al those base additions oâ— man which want a word and therefore although they carry a shew of holines yet are base copper coine both makers and creatures as Col. 2.23 beeing far from pleasing GOD for lacke of a word to carry his purenes into them This I thought good to speake of the lâ—ght of the Law to giue a taste of the rest for a wise Reader will guesse at the Lyon by the paw Onely one thing I would adde that â— of these latter things I would craue the Reader to make vse of in the fourth Article of the third part so far as it may serue for vse of Christian direction and so I shall there spare this labor Q But is all this light requisite for a soule which seekes conuiction or may lesse serue A. I answere I do name these as helpes to serue the worke of the Law in conuncing not to forestall the worke of the Spirit The more sound light the soule hath the better howbeit God is free to worke in what way and measure hee please It s one thing to say what light the Law can afford to some and doth toward conuiction another with what degree it may please the Lord to bee content to worke Hee can vse these helpes or perhaps the sight of originall sinne to abase a wretched heart with greater light or lesse may serue him as hee pleaseth But the truer the light the sounder the Conuiction The Lord doth in this case as the state of the soule best admits sometimes keeps away exceeding light in all these lest the sule should lye opprest vnder her burden culling out some sinne with due circumstances of vilenesse and shame to bring the soule vpon her knees in a most kindly manner Hee nis or bound heerein Q. How doth the Law present the Penalties with light to the soule A. To adde so much here as may make vp that of the third Article this I say That the Lord shewes the like power authority and efficacy of light in these as the other He takes away all distinctioÌ„ of veniall mortall from a man presents himselfe to him in his full iustice of reuenging al sin without exception remoues all cauills and subtill extenuations of punishment aswell as of sin makes all sin appeare mortall to the soule without Christ veniall with him Tells the soule Deferring of punishment is no remoouall of it That some sins go before some follow after but all meet earlyer or later in iudgement Eccles 12.1 2. 1. Tim. 5.24 That all sinnes deserue all punishments That the least cost the Lord Iesus his blood and he that beleeues it not shall pay for it in hell That God doth indifferently hate and punish all Tribulation and anguish is to ech soule that sinneth Cursed is euery one There is no lying hid from Gods eye no shift or euasion besides fayth and Repentance No amity or Combination of sinners no ioyning hand in hand no counsel can preuaile against God who hath all penalties and executions in his hand to worke by That the Court of God is not as the Popes no Relaxations Commutations of penance Dispensations to bee had there That the hauing our hell heere is no Release or Heauen for heereafter but if wee haue not had heere wee shall there haue all if we haue had heere we shall there haue the full summe of punishment without Christ And by this the Lord prepares the sinner for conuiction following in a far deeper measure as in the point of terror shall appeare Q. How doth the Lord reueale originall sinne to the soule A. To adde a little of this also to the third Article the Lord doth this many wayes First by the speciall termes of his Word Secondly by comparison of actuall sins Thirdly by the properties of this originall Touching the 1. the Lord is in no one thing so emphatical as in the names hee giues to this poyson He calls it The Old man Rom. 7.1 2 Rom. 7.7 Rom. 7.23 24 25. Gal. 5.17 Rom. 8. â— The flesh Lust Concupiscence The law of the members The Law of sin reigning in the members The Old husband who hath the wife in subiection The body of death and the like Which affectionate termes sought for the nonce
voice and as much as our matter We should labour to be so honest in our way sinceâ—e louing faithfull tender to soules denying our selues and hauing a sensible stampe of conuiction in our selues that wee might not wrong the Word we teach It is not the rolling of speech our lowd words but sincerity and simplenesse of our scope that must preuaile as Paul saith 2 Cor. 4.2 3. Oh tell men 2 Cor. 4. â— Deut. 29. If any heare the Words of this Law and blesse themselues with peace Gods wrath shall smoke against such Doe not blanch doe not dawbe with bad morter sow no piâ—lowes but rather pluck off mens mufflers and vizors and cry as those Boanorges did Awake oh dead slothfull suotill heart Bee not beaten off from this by the peoples vnthankfulnesse and repining plow we with Gods heifer and he shall teach our tongues this logique Study we our selues first then the Scriptures and the Spirit of conuincement shall follow vs wh ch the wâ—â—ld shall not resist We shall be a sweet sauor to God in all Eze. 33.3 4 1 King â— 224 both who are saued and who perish if we doe thus else we shall pay for their blood Suffer no Sycophant to disswade vs as hee did offer to Michaiah Though the wicked will say Wee are informed and haue plowed with other mens heyfers and we â—eâ—er speake well to them yet in the end faithfull witnesses shal be honoured Secondly the people must bee warned to shake off their Branch 2 lets of conuiction Let the righteous smite you it shall bee as balme The poore man whose impostume was let out by an enemy fared better by him then by all his Physicians Hunt out those three enemies before and adde a fourth of selfe-loue It is an Adder which will not heare the voice of the charmer The sweetnesse of vsury pleasures lawfull liberties ease will be as a Delila to keep off the least conuiction of the Law How can I want such a sinne Who can prooue such a gainfull lost to be so sinfull Surely he will sting thee with it as Delila did Samson when the sweet is past who now so enchants thee and then most of all when thou cryest The bitternesse of death is past Againe thinke not cch pâ—ng or glimpse of light or holding of a truth to be conuiction For so the Deuill will betray thee if euer thou be called to suffer Nay in thy ordinary course thou wilt confesse a Christ but deny him before a Papist Thou wilt say Thy soule is more worth then the World but stake it for a groate Conviction is no opinion but the ouerpowring of the Conscience If the truth bee no stronger then the Soules resistance there is no Conuiction The Martyrs gaue their blood for Transubstaâ—tiation Which they had neuer done had they not seene and beene conuinced of the issue of it Thirdly Examine â—hâ—y selfe about this weighty worke of the Law that thou maist hope to go on more safely Try it by these markes First By the loue of a conuincing Ministery and loathing of the contrary Secondly A cleering of God and the righteousnesse of his Law call thy selfe the slaue sold under sin As he to Achan Giue glory to God! Hug the Chirurgion that lanced thee Thirdly Shame and confusion for sin Dan. 9. The Publicane durst not looke vp Peter bids Christ depart for he was vtterly confounded at the power of Christ Thus they in Ezra 10. vnder the raine of Heauen so thou vnder this showre Rom. 6 21. What fruit Fourthly By thy thanks to God 1 Cor. 14.25 God is in you of a truth Fifthly Vnder thy confusion till God raise thee vp Habac. 3. let rottennesse enter into bones that peace may be in the day of trouble Crust not ouer thy sore waxe not weary of this work of God as most doe A man once throughly shamed and confessing is hardly after defiled Lastly let it end in true consternation of soule and terror for thy sin of which we are to speake Q. What is the second worke of Conviction A. The second is of the whole soule callâ—d terror and bondage For when the former worke of conuiction hath prevailed it works thus that such a soule is as vnder an arrest and seeing it selfe this sinner this cursed one hee is thereby killed and the spirit brought into terror and bondage And this the Lord sees meet to adde to the former for else as a dog with his chayne loose so the conscience runs riot with the worke of bare knowledge of sinne But if the dogge be fastned to his chayne hee is vnder custody And this is that which is so oft spoken of in Rom. 7. when Paul saith When the Law came I dyed Meaning in spirit and conscience That selfe of iollity ease and security which sinne afforded was nipt and quasht and in stead of it a sad item giuen to the soule taking away the taste of her morsels mixing the gall of aspes with her drinke and stinging her as an Adder and stabbing her to the heart as a sword for her conuinced villanies yea and none more then this body of death which still dogges her and wounds her as fast as she licks her selfe whole with all her duties or abstinences and works and shifts proouing her a slaue sold vnder misery and shewing her a nature a world of sinne and woe to beare downe all her morality and hypocrisie An heart vnder this bondage cannot be stild with Rattles the Spring comes so fast that there is no stopping it by the wit of man till a stronger streame turne it backe The like speech is that Sinne by the Law slew mee Hee meanes not any mortification but hee touches vpon that point of the iolâ—inesse of a sinner who that sinne might bee out of measure sinfull prides himselfe in his estate This pride the law resists le ts out the rankenesse of it and abases it with terror of hel and wrath And that in so great measure of times that when God leaues them from hope they wickedly bereaue themselues of life And yet this is not grace but in the elect a seed of it without which the Lord were no more fit to treat with them about saluation then a Smith to meddle with a wild horse but when hee hath cast him hee can handle him at pleasure This worke in Scripture is called the Spirit of feare or Bondage not bondage to sinne but by it whereby as they who are prisoners vnder chaynes doe lye in sorrow and horror without escape or hope so doe these Their spirit is enslaued to feare their conscience to guilt accusation to the whip of wrath and iustice yea crusht downe to Hell by the torment of such a spirit as cannot sustaine it selfe for the restlesse anguish thereof Q. Seeing this point of legall terrour is one of the maine points of this first Part tell me how many things make for the vnderstandâ—ng of it A. Three things especially First
to make God the Father the most free and soueraigne worker and applyer of this deliuerance to the soule For what else should it profit vs that hee hath deuised such a way as Christ and such meanes as the Gospell beleeued except hee tooke it vpon him to possesse the soule of it also And the Holy Ghost is frequent in Scripture to proue GOD the Father to be the onely free agent in this worke calling him the begetter of vs of his owne free will Iam. 1.17 Phil. 2.13 Heb. 10.23 the worker of both will and deede in vs of his owne good pleasure the faythfull beginner and finisher of his owne worke Especially that it is neyther of the willer or runner Rom 9.16 Ioh. 6.44 but meerely of his mercy that we be called effectually No man can come to Christ except God draw him God is as soueraigne in his applying as in the finding out of this way And why Surely because as in the way so in the working the soule to it hee seekes his owne glory and the deepe riches of his grace to bee magnified and himselfe to be adored in the ioynt meeting of his iustice mercy power and truth in one that through IESVS CHRIST praise may be giuen to GOD the Father and that as all things are from him Col. 3.17 and by him Rom. 11.36 so they all may bee to him and to the prayse of his glory This point well weighed would leade vs as by a thred through each branch or Article of this second part with light and sauour when we conceiue the Lord Iesus himselfe onely as a Seruant of this souereigne will of GOD who is therefore called Gods Christ 1 Cor. 11.3 read 2 Cor. 3. vlt. when we conceaue the offer of Grace his the benefits offred his yea and not onely fayth but also the conditions of it an humble and hungring soule his gift his preparations and so throughout all this second part looke vpon GOD as that free principle in whose meere will it is to enlarge or restreine the heart of a man as he sees good A point of speciall consequence and properly belonging to this place 2 Cor 5.17.18 hee beeing at the root of all and beeing in Christ reconciling the world to himselfe not imputing the sinnes till which great worke be effected this deliuerance is not effected in vs. And therefore Psal 32.1 the Lord is sayd to impute no sinne and 2 Cor 5.21 to make vs his righteousnes And although I refer the point of Imputation to the second Article of Christ as presupposing his merit of necessity yet for the Worker it s properly a consequent of this Article God doing all his workes perfectly and as I said freely for the attaining of his owne ends in vs that he who boasteth might boast of the Lord. Q Doeth this point tend to any vse A. Yea and that such as I wish euery good hearer and reader of the points following to lay it to heart For first this will teach vs to conceaue in what sence the Lord doth offer vs his Christ command vs to beleeue and promise to ease vs if we hunger mourne be poore in spirit To wit that he is farre from intimating any power or will in vs to concurre with him in any the least of these or to ascribe ought to him that willeth or runneth But rather to shew what those excellent graces are which he freely worketh in all whom hee will saue Hee for his honour sake will effect all these meanes in whomsoeuer hee hath appointed to the end it selfe of Redemption Sweet is that place 2 Thess 1.9 10. That he may be admired in all such as beleeue because they haue receiued our word in that day He saith not that al they may be admired who haue themselues beleeued but he admired in them For what Surely not for their working grace in themselues but for the works sake of God that hath wrought it Secondly this will helpe vs to iudge who those parties are in all likelyhood whom God wil concurre with assist in the vse of meanes tending to deliuerance Such is the base slauery of man that he distrusts him sooner in no one thing than in that wherein God offers himselfe to the soule As in Manoa's example and Gedeons appeares Iudg. 13.22 6.13 Oh saith a fearefull heart God is free and need not worke saue wheâ—e he list and therefore he is bound to none and I feare he will worke in 100. ere he worke in me Oh poore wretch hath hee not shewed his will in whom hee will worke Euen in those that seeke his end more then their owne in the vse of meanes If thou knowing what God only aymes at in all his Redemption viz. the glory of his rich grace and all his holy Attributes and not at thine or my saluation for our ends shalt yet goe to worke heere thine own way then know God neuer did or will crosse his owne ends nor blesse any such as set vp other ends of their owne against with or aboue his But this followeth soundly That all such as in meanes vsing doe fixe their eye vpon Gods purpose and abase themselues in the sight of their owne sillinesse to reach such a thing as deliuerance is and adore his free souereigne working as the onely able effecter hereof all such I say as thus worke with God and vnder God may know that the Lord will assist them for why he assists and seconds his owne way in them who seeke his glory aboue their owne saluation And although he be so free that he is tyed to none yet I say with reuerence hee tyes himselfe graciously to such as doe seeke him not themselues for else should he contradict his owne ends which is blasphemous And this point I desire to be marked For whoso they are who will not see this truth of Gods free working for his owne glorious ends I affirme its vnauoidable but either they must most murmuringly and repiningly reiect the way of God to Heauen as contrary to flesh which is the greatest signe of a castaway or else mixe themselues their wits wisedome policy and deuices in the getting of heauen with Gods grace and mercy and so make Christ onely a Stalking horse to their owne parts and to serue themselues Thirdly this point doth most liuely instruct vs how wee may so goe to worke in the vse of meanes as our owne Conscience may not accuse vs for taking Gods office of freedom and souereignty out of his hands It troubleth many to instance in one particular how they should so goe to worke in hearing praying and Sacraments for the attayning of the Condition of faith that is mourning and hunger c. that they might not seeke faith vpon their owne termes They see the Word full of promises of ease and comfort to such as do mourne and they would gladly seeke Heauen in Gods way onely they cannot see how a condition to faith can
behold this sin in the cloake which God once put vpon it Numb 25.9 died in the blood of 24000. men and women durst he thinke it a trick of youth So originall sin is thought but our nature and that which cannot be auoyded we may pity it but we cannot blame it No but you must repent of it and get Christ to couer and pardon it else it wiâ—l blame and damne you But to returne if wee would behold this cloake dyed in the blood not of so many thousands but millions both of Heathens and Christians durst we make a But of it Take heed of such boldnesse If any aske how I answer As a man begets a man so hee begets a bad one If any question it how the generation of the body can taint the soule I answer By the taint of the spirits flowing from the power of generation man not onely begetting a body of man but a man in respect of that habitude of or unto the soule which habitude being poizoned the soule is also poizoned therewith If this bee too darke for any to conceaue let this be enough that whatsoeuer the manner of conueiance bee the curse of God is ineuitably settled vpon both the generall and particular nature of man I deny not but the Lord doth mercifully stop the excesse of this ouerflow so that it is confined from some measure of outrage in some more then others which is to be confessed a speciall indulgence and prouidence of God â—â—e man to man should be as a wolfe but still in the most morall courteous and ciuill natures their corruption dwelleth and they are as farre from the true image of God as the furthest as appeares by this that a Publicane may as soone bee brought home as a Pharise and â—ooner Therefore there is no difference hee in Q. What vse learne we hereof Vse 1 A. First sharp reproofe to such as soder vp this fearefull ruine by any outward accomplishment which makes them glorious in mans eye and to blind themselues willingly from seeing their abomination before God If many true turned to God hauing liued vnder good meanes Ministers education yet haue beene deeply humbled by the cursednes of their nature because they neuer â—elt theÌ„selues humbled for it what shall be their case who haue nothing to commend them saue outsides of ingenuity morality gentlenesse or better breed and parts then others hauing neuer beheld the misery of their owne spirit and frame This world is now so full of debauchednesse that wee may be glad of such in our common dealings but such may haue cause to bee glad of themselues Rather let them read that in Act. 17 All are of one blood or seed Oh proud heart boast not of thy selfe aboue another lest those very clothes of thy pride defile thee and make thee worse Say thus I may bee learneder ciuiler then another but worse then another and if I thinke my selfe better it s because I am worse This should make euen the greatest Ionas 3. to come downe and licke the dust and call corruption and wormes their brother and sister till grace haue separated the precious from the vile Vse 2 Secondly it teaches that if the Lord exempt any from this leauen and infection compt it peculiar grace for hee is tyed to none hee hath all at vantage all hauing sinned Oh that the free goodnesse of God in Christians should make any difference where so little was It should turne all pride of man into deep astonishment and praise especially wonder at this freedome that when all other respects are alike one age temper birth two lying in one wombe as Iacob and Esau two at mill two in one bed in the field yet one should be taken the other refused nay perhaps the worser viciouser baser partie of two of ten the most despized in a family taken the likelyer and better reiected that grace should put honor vpon one and shame vpon others As Pharaos butler and baker being in one crime yet differing in Pharaos fauour As those two theeues in the same iust condemnation Thirdly let all Pharises learne to take this razor and cut the combe of their owne conceitednesse When one and the same misery shall bee laid vpon the proudest hypocrite and the â—rofanest Publicane whom the one scorned in respect of himselfe when one hell and iudgement belongs to both the Lord putting no difference because neither of their hearts purified by faith nay when the yonger brother a base spendâ—hrift vpon his meer submission without any worke wrought of desâ—ruing at his fathers hands shall be accepted and pardoned oh what ground of selfe deniall and humiliation oâ—ght this to be Q. But perhaps this misery is not of it selfe so deepe but there is way sufficient for man to escape it A. No possibility to manward out of himselfe to eâ—cape Art 5 Hee lyes forlorne of himselfe vnder the confusion of his misery As a prisoner lying in a dungeon with chaines being vnder sentence of death He is vncapable of any way offred him therefore much lesse able to embrace it No manner of feeling of it seâ—fe fearing of danger or hope of rescue Nothing in nature art education nothing of worth or congâ—uity nothing from selfe or other men or Angels to helpe out of this desperate ruine Nay when a remedy is â—ffered nothing in any naturall freedome of will concurring with the meanes can doe it Nay the grace it selfe of God imparted to the soule cannot worke it selfe to the meriting of a pardon if weakened by sin except the same freedome of mercy should still tye it selfe thereto Nay no elect childe of God can out of himselfe procure the least desert of acceptance if separate from Christ so much as for himselfe much lesse another See Psal 49.1 Sam. 2.95 Iob 4.18 Iob 14.4 Q. Is there any thing to bee added for the proofe of this our inabilitie to deliuer our selues from this misery A. This being taken as it must be for graÌ„ted that all offeÌ„ces committed against infinitenesse are infinite in their guilt and therefore Iustice cannot with safety of her selfe chuse but require the offence at the hands of the sinner both by holding him vnder guilt and punishment accordingly how can it bee imagined that there should bee any thing in a finite sinning nature to procure her peace at the hand of an infinite wronged Maiesty It s true that a Prince may at the instance of an equall yea inferior pardon a treason although no satisfaction bee made because the offence was but finite But to thinke so of God were blasphemous Againe let the reader looke backe into the third Article and see what is said of the spirituall penalties inflicted vpon man for sin If they be true that is if man bee both so insensible of his woe so vncapable of the way which God hath deuised to redeeme him so opposite and rebellious against it so well satisfied in that his Hell as if an Heauen who can thinke
in our hearts that we do truly and sauingly see whatsoeuer the former fiue Articles said of sin consenting to all That they are true Chap. 1.24 Saint Iames saith A foole seeing his face goeth and forgetteth him Beware wee doe not so but if euer wee would come to the mirror of the Gospell in which we behold the face of God plainly let vs make way to it by S. Iames his Glasse Diuide not the things which GOD hath put together Although the Law haue no Christ in it yet the Maker of it vses it as a Schoole-dame to him Let her then point at euery lâ—tter in the Crosse-row and rip vp euery error and distemper Gal. 3 2â— do not abuse the rule nor crooke it wilfully as Pharises to mistake the sence to hide to descant vpon and to diminish or excuse any euill but let it be the Lords light set vp for the ends that follow Detaine not this part of the Word in vnrighteousnesse lest thou neuer come to the next step but perish in a twilight for want of a cleere discouery Wee are loth to bee informed of that which when we know wee are loth to renounce Grace begins at the roote of enlightening Examine thy selfe in thy vprightnesse heerein Secondly it layeth open the vnspeakeable iustice of God in suffering such darkenesse to spread ouer the world for so many ages and still in many nations who sit in the valley of darknesse Wee haue many trauellers into those Indian parts who in the beholding of the faces of sauages should tremble to thinke that the Lord for so long should not regard their ignorance when yet hee suffred a great part of the other Asia Affrike and all Europe to see light Oh poore wretches what can the dimme light of common conscience helpe to discouer darknesse how merry are they in assured destruction and how should it yerne the hearts of Christians to behold them As for the state of thousands vnder the gouernement of Protestant Kings who hauing Baptisme end the Bible in English yet neuer had the blessing of a searching Ordinance what shall wee ascribe it to saue the wrath of GOD vpon a woefull Nation kept and content to bee kept in darknesse because their workes are euill Both the leaders and the ledde must fall into the ditch The last vse thereof may bee instruction to teach vs how deepe a blindenesse is cast vpon the soule in poynt of discerning her owne sin and danger Nothing is further off then the reflex of our owne corruption vpon conscience nothing more teadious then to bee it formed of sin in the kinde Hee that comes to tell vs what we are is our deadly enemy and many professors haue gone many miles to get them a Preacher whom they haue persecuted when hee hath taught them the mystery of iniquity in themselues their priuy pride hypocrisie spirituall wickednesse of vnbeliefe ignorance and loue of the world but especially their old Adam placking their mufflerâ— from them and laying them naked and awake to their owne conscience Oh! it is the ioy of the vnregenerate man when hee can make himselfe beleeue hee is not the man hee yet knowes or may that hee is Ier. 1â— Alas sinne lyes deepe and Who can gage the deceit of the heart sâ—ue onely the Lord and the spirit of the Law which diuides betweene the spirit and the soule Therefore how should this teach vs both Ministers and people to loath all generalities and to learne the Law in the true sence and the through-enlightning of it It is a foolish speech of some who desire that they might fall into some grosse sinne to humble them by But howsoeuer the Lord awaken some by the lowd cry of their foule sins as drunkennesse blasphemy or the like surely that which is likest to preuaile with the ciuill and morall sort is the enlightening of the tenth CoÌ„mandement For they can wash off actuall sinne which colours as fast as they offend laying good against euill but when the spring of their cursed nature appeares which runnes vpon them continually I say then this body of death will doe it Rom. 7.24 Q What is the second worke of the Law A. This conuiction which I call the second worke of the Law is twofold partly concerning the iudgement and partly the soule or whole man the former I call simple conuiction the latter conuiction with terror Touching the difference whereof note well When once the soule is throughly enlightened if the Law proceed in her worke she comes to apply her light to this conuincing of the soule and first by causing the conscience to ioyne against it selfe and to say Thou art the man this differs from light be it neuer so particular because it is light with application to the soules selfe in speciall Againe hauing been thus conuinced in conscience I am this sinner if the Law still worke it proceedes to the second degree of conuincing Which is not onely an application of sinne to her selfe but a due yeelding of the soule to lye vnder the bondage and feare of punishment belonging to such a sinners wofull estate A man may heare and not so much as bee enlightned Hee may haue great light and yet neuer bee conuinced in conscience Hee may bee conuinced and yet neuer bee duly held vnder any true bondage as wee see in Saul and others But the Law workes all Q. What then is this worke of Conuiction by the Law A. It is the second worke of the Ministery of the Law by the efficacy whereof the soule beleeues her selfe to bee that which she knowes to wit this sinfull and cursed one A most powerfuâ—l worke yet no other then the poore Minister of GOD enabled by the auâ—hority of the Law may and doth performe For why when the poore soule sees that the LORD hath reacht her out the Key of light to see the wonders of his Law to â—o idle endes but that hereby she might go further and apply it to her selfe confessing her selfe to be â—he party what hath she to do saue to let all other guilty ones passe and to passe sentence vpon her selfe confessing She is this miserable sinner Neyther can any thing hâ—nder this proceeding except it be a lewd heart that is vnwilling to put her necke in the coller and so detaines the truth â—ight of the Law in vnrighteousnes But if the Law can preuaile this light shall prooue beleeuing and conuiction See Ephe. 5.13 where the Apostle sayth The light doth argue or conuince For that disputes thus That soule which is thus sinfull and cursed is truly miâ—erable and so abydes of her selfe But I am thus sinfull and cursed Therefore c. The assumption is conuiction The conclusioÌ„ is terror ConuictioÌ„ argues so strongly against her selfe that she reflects the light of the Law vpon her conscience making it her accuser and Iudge and stopping the mouth of the heart from gaynsaying or kicking against the pricks Thus was it with Paul
serue the turne No. The Iudge calles the witnesse reades the confession sends out the Iury who bring in a verdict against him And how then Oh! then he is conuinced and cannot deny but grants I stole it my Lord I brake the house I shed blood Thus the Lord deales heere will not let the sinner alone but dogs him with his light dost not remember the time the place the odiousnesse of such a villany Canst thou deny it Spâ—acâ—â—ruth and shame the Deuill I know thou hast no power to dâ—ny confesse it then and discharge thy conscience giue God the Glory Oh! when the Lord meanes to go through y to worke hee will suffer no lust no sloth or falshood to kâ—â—pe â—ffâ—â— es ule from her light But will she nill she in shall not onely almost but altogether be conuinced Now to brâ—â—g the light and the soule close together is the great wisedome of the Spirit in the Ministery of the Law Sometimeâ— he first insinuates into the heart by slight and cunning â—nd traps the soule ere it be aware in his net Thus Nathan comes vpon Dauid with a parable of another matter that hee might the more freely speake his minde and haâ—ing so wound in falles vpon him vnauoydably Thou art the man Secondly Sometimes hee takes the soule napping in the midst and heate of her sin while the sent is fresh Thus hee dealt with Saul would not suffer him to lye three or foure tymes ouer First I haue obeyed Secondly These were reserued for sacrifice the rest slayne Thirdlâ— I feared the people c. None of his tricks would serue What then meanes the bleating of sheepe and lowing of Oxen Can dead cattell bleate and low He tooke him in the manner So thirdly by contesting with conscience and vrging her to speake truth vpon her experience Rom. 6.21 What fruit had ye of those things whereof ye are now ashamed c. Now in all these insinuations the life of the conuincing Law is vnspeakably forcible especially the Lord presenting himselfe and speaking to a soule willing to learne A second course is Violence and Necessity when no other course will serue This the Lord doth both by his Threats apart and sometimes by the Addition of some workes Thus when Saul would hardly yeeld to Samuels words hee falls vpon him thus The LORD hath rent thy kingdome from thee c. this rent him from his base Colours So that sometime the subtillest hypocriâ—e must cry cut GOD hath gone beyond him Thus Iosh 7. No way to get out the sacrilegious thiefe but violence The Lord therefore causes the lot to be cast and first finds out the Tribe that he was of This would not search him Next hee casts a second for the Family in grosse neyther could this preuaile The third time he knocks at his Fathers doore that would not serue The last lot lights vpon Achaus necke And then My sonne confesse c. Iosh 7. But before there was no conuincing him So the Lord is fayne to cast a diâ—ect lot vpcn mens consciences so closely to sting them that they are forced to cry out and can forbeare no longer I am a man the lot is falne vpon mee Thus was it with him who was pulled out from his fellowes for want of his wedding garment Math. 22.12 Thus God dealt with the crazy consciences of those brethren of Ioseph they were fayne to bee arrested vpoâ—â—â—ew and cry as theeues bound and cast into prison threatned as spies ere they were meet to be conuinced for felling Ioseph and then they could say Gen. 42.21 This is because we heard the voyce of our brother in the pit and would not pitty him Thirdly the Lord sometimes is fayne to circumuent a sinner in his owne course and to bring forth the long-concealed markes of his sinne to his face Gen. 28 2â— bidding him deny if he dare Thus Tamar dealt with Iuda in his hypocriticall seuerity If I must needs bee burnt sayth she then goe carry him these tokens his Cloake Staffe and Signet asking whose they are and then Oh she is more righteous then I I instance not in these as if they were close examples of this kinde but to shadow out the truth So also sometimes by crosses Thus Manassâ—â— is sayd to bee taken in the bushes 2 Chro. 33.1 meaning that when God hampered him with sorrow and affliction he began to come home to himselfe So the prodigall And truly without such helpe the Word workes but little in these dayes in which the Spirit of Grace and mourning is streightned And lastly Ier. 31 1â— sometime by patience and long-suffring strange delyuerances great blessings euen in the worst estate the LORD workes some conuincement as Rom. 2.3.4 and thus Saul in a pang was conuinced by Dauids innocency Come againe 1 Sam. 24 19. Who will meet his enemy and let him goe And that poore blynd wretch ver 17.25.27 Iohn 9. by his cure when yet hee felt no mercy These I giue as a tast to shew how the Lord pierces the dead lazy and subtill heart of such as hauing knowledge yet else would vanish away in their owne misery By these aime at the rest Q. What vse make ye hereof ere we go to terror A. Very weighty Vse 1 First of sad mourning for the daies we are in in which this spirit of the law seemes to be lost euen as the Arke and Ephod were in the daies of the second Temple Oh It is heauy to ponder how few consciences are rowzed vp and gastred from their dregs vnder Ministeries of 7.10.20 yeeres But still the same men and change no colour We dreame that we shall one day meet with it as if it were some others error not ours that our hearts are so lockt vp but alas wee are closely imbarkt in a secure ease and as that woman who notwithstanding her vile life yet scorned and flouted away the conuincing of Christ till he pierced her to the quick Oh let vs looke to it in time in Gods feare Iohn 4.10 Tremble to thinke how thick conuiction is sowne and how thin it comes vpâ— Doubtlesse if conuiction must bee the picklock the body of people are fast locked vp in their sins men giue good words as Nephtals but as light and feathery as euer When Oh Lord shouldst thou say shall that showre come that shall fetch vp the graine of my light from vnder my dry clod Alas dayes of law conuiction are past long agoe we are for nothing but promises If wee should goe onely by sence wee might cease preaching And sure a good Minister should tremble to preach many promises seeing so little conuiction Admonition both to Ministers and people Vse 2 First to Ministers that they pray striue for the Spirit Branch 1 of conuiction It s Gods gift And one chiefe part is to be Ministers of the Spirit not the letter the maner of our dispensation is more then our
The difference Secondly The nature the effects and end of it Thirdly The extremitiâ—s or abuse of it Q What is the difference of it from the former legall workes A. The worke of enlightning casts out ignorance the worke of conuincing resists deadnesse and insensiblenesse But this third of consternation or terror resists that pride and iollity of a sinner ouerbearing himselfe and lifting vp himselfe in his sinne without checke or remorse And this latter is of all other the most proper worke of the Law to tame and beate downe the lofty heart of man setting vp a Law to it selfe to walke as it listeth without law or feare Q. What is the nature of it A. It is a presenting more or lesse of the wrath and penaâ—ties due â—o sin vnto the whole man by the conscience for the casting of it downe at the feete of God Marke these heads First It s a presenting for the dead bare letter of the ten Commandements cannot doe this by any magicall power No it s the worke of the Powerfull Ministery of the Law which can doe it The Lord who put the former gift or conuiction into it puts this also of subduing and casting downe into â—his Law Ministery Although in appearance it be weake yet God setting it on worke with the authority of his Spirit with power to carry his errand into the soule it shall be able without feare or flattery to doe it and to doe that which no Law of Princes can effect euen to flait and gaster the conscience Lawes of men are absent but this law is pâ—esented by God to the soule From him it first came and by him it was giuen in terror and earth quakes by strong Angels to master the proud heart of man and is still pronounced and presented to the same vpon the mount Ebal of the legall Ministery in the open assembly as it came therefore from God so it is supported in her power by God and serues for his vse in all places to arrest and cast downe all sinners and carry them to prison vnder sentence at the Iudges pleasure Secondly It doth present the wrath and penalties of sinne especially Till these come sinne is at peace Euen as while the Iudge is reading his Commission or giuing his charge or calling a Iury or hearing the crime debated but when the thiefe sees more that hee hath power to giue oath take euidence and verdict and pronounce sentence of death presenting the messengers of it to the eare the knife the hatchet the fire the halter then his courage comes downe The law in her Ministery is this voice of God and Iudge of a sinner Rom. 4.15 therefore called the Ministery of the letter the messenger of wrath the Law of sinne and death Rom. 8.2 Not of the wrath of a man against a man but of God against a sinner not able to kill the body but to cast body and soule into hell This law curseth from Gods mouth euery stale sinner soked in his lees Cursed be euery one that abides not in all things to doe them cursed from God be euery lyer swearer adulterer hypocrite worldling Desolation and destruction tribulation and anguish be vpon euery soule that sinnes high and low without baile or main prise and if God curse cursed they are and who shall blesse them It is no curse of a sinne vpon a sinner no Popes curse with booke bell and candle which yet made Kings to tremble and made them as blacke as soote in the opinion of fooles no not the curse of a father which may turne to a blessing as Iacobs did to Simeon and Leui but the curse of the eternall God whose wrath is the messenger of death and blasteth indeed wheresoeuer it lighteth and whatsoeuer resists it This wrath I say marke well in the penalties of it temporall spirituall and eternall the law presents to a sinfull soule Temporall in this life Leu. 26.24 2 Cor. 15.6 read Deut. 29. setting God against the soule in all hâ—r course walking contrary to her because she hath walked so to him vexing her withall aduersity and suffering nothing to goe currant either in one kinde or other marriage crosse children cursed state vntoward successe naught God against me in all Spirituall and farre worse penalties in the soule deserting it and leauing it to her owne impenitency security hardnesse obstinacy which is Gods curse vnder seale Lam. 3.65 as a Baylif holding vnder arrest euen till hell eternall at death euen a separation from the presence of God and a tormenting of it for euer in hell in the fulnesse of this wrath which indeed is the dying the death and yet neuer dead without hope ease or remedy Thirdly Ceazing vpon the whole man by the Conscience for as the law is the worker so the conscience is the immediate obiect of this wrath God hath made it the lawes obiect created it with a marueilous power of sensiblenesse aboue all parts to record and to apprehend all sin and wrath for it if God had not so ordeined it could neuer receiue into it selfe so infinite wrath of Gods Iustice as now it can It exceedes the apprehension of any the tendrest part when it s stung with an Adder scalt with water or boyling oyle burnt with fire cut with a sword the sence of conscience ceazed with this wrath of God is vnspeakeable and cannot be vttered by man it cannot enter into man that feeles it not to conceaue the sting and vexation of conscience being thus wounded for sinne in which it s differenced from all other consciences eitheâ— first Ignorant erroneous and superstitious conscience not fearing or fearing amisse Secondly defiled conscience dallying with God halfe conuinced and halfe whole hypocritically feeling God in some of his Law but preuailing by subtilty against the rest that so it might shunne the dint â—hereof Thirdly Seared and hardned conscience which by long rebellion and resistance of the Law hath got the mastry of the Law and is waxen senslesse and vselesse forgetting her office I say these are cursed neither shall they auoid the dint of this law at the length earlier or later their dog shall awake one day and howeuer they sleep yet 2 Pet. 2.6 Their damnation sleepes not Onely this conscience of which Salomon speakes Who can beare the load of it this wounded conscience differs from all these and is the obiect of the Law thus presenting wrath to it that by how much the more it seemes in worse case then the other three yet by this feeling of God she might in due time prooue better then the best of them And I say conscience is so the next obiect that yet the whole man thereby partakes of this wrath As Iob speakes of himselfe Thy feares are vpon mee day and night The arrowes of the Almighty stick fast in me Thou scarest mee with dreames and visions no rest in my flesh for thee And chap. 33. My bones clatter and stick out all dainty meat is
cast Besides the Lord lothes to worke vpon a soule in the heat of her lust first he will frame her to his discipline ere he bestow any grace vpon her And rarely doth the Lord honor any bold reuolting sinner during his course till first he haue stopt him some time from it So then terror first turnes edge and gets within and ouergoes a sinner in his way as Zara ouertakes Phares in his hasty issue out of the wombe The vse briefly that so I may be short in the maine vse when I come to it is first not to imagine all restraints from euill to be grace try them first God intends them for good but they are as farre from mortification as a trembling or Lyon-couchant is from a dead one The vilest harlot that Rosamund in her vault was actually kept from her vncleannesse as well as chast matrones but her heart was as before her principle was vncleane still Not the loue of good but lothing of euill restraines legally For the time Iudas was so far from his pieces that hee chuzes to hang himselfe rather then to fall to his trade And therefore restraint onely is not to be rested in howbeit God where he meanes to proceed sauingly doth restraine wholesomely if we could iudge but seeing this is a secret trust not our selues or others heerein till the Lord hath by this step trained vs further Reioice for the least degree as I confesse in such a loose debaucht age restraint of some yong drunkards would seeme high Religion its better to haue the halfe loafe then no bread but follow the Lord in the sauor of his law to a setting a true principle of purenesse and grace and loue to renue change thee Rom. 12.9 and to forsake sin with a true abhorring as hell Q. What is the second effect of this legall consternation A. Vnsetting and shaking the prison walles of rotten peace in a sinfull soule I say false secure peace which it takes to her selfe and pleases her selfe in iâ— when God debarres her of all sound peace Esay 57 vlt. This is a fertile sield to walke in but I will be short A sinners life is his rotten peace both without a law by reasoÌ„ of his hurrying on froÌ„ sin to sin without leasure to call himselfe backe and selfeloue pleasing himselfe in the sight of his eies and the ioy of his heart with or vnder a law by sundry practizes colours 1. By nouzling himselfe vnder flattering meanes such as are quiet and safe sow pillowes threatning no disturbance 2. Withdrawing from stirring ones and resisting them and expelling them as Ahab did Eliâ—a and Micaiah his two enemies that neuer spake good to him 3. If conuiction assault yet holding it off with obstinate error or profanenesse and colouring with halfe yeelding and shew of consent the heart being rotten The Law of God fights against all these hauing once the soule vpon the hip vantage of terror doth cleare the deluded bribed iudgement stabbes the heart for her long rottennesse and rest in it rends off and sweepes down with the hand and besome of the law all the paper walles and copweb deuices she had spun and vtters it selfe both to her selfe others in deep detestation against the. All that league of a rotten heart with sin self hell danger Esa 28.18 the Lord batters against the hard stones of terror that it may be dasht in pieces And so for the time it holds except the soule shake it off therfore at the worst is infinitely better then all old peace A iust warre is to bee preferred to vniust peace alway and the hardest day of terror to a mans conscience for all his old rex is better then the sweetest he euer had in euill and the pleasures of it Oh his companions his excuses colours and deceits are reuealed to be hellish the curtaine now is opened and he sees them all meer Paint of an harlot to keep him in a spirituall fornication Hee is now so farre from peace that he sees hell gaping vpon him to deuoure him for his sweet pleasures Let the vse be treble First Iudge thy selfe if thou be not yet come thus far that thy false peace is broken off by the law thou art in wofull case the man thou wert wont Oh how few other doe we meet within our Ministery MeÌ„ will do much to be well thought of by other men but take no pâ—ins for the Ministry of Gods law to hunt out their soothing hollow loue of themselues alas why do ye spend time to nouzle your selues in self-loue which ten times might be better spent in bringing ye out of conceit with your selues and abhorring your rotten league that so the Lord might begin to thinke well of ye But men cannot abide to be thought ill of what doe ye thinke amisse of them Euen as the life of banquerouts is to set a good face on it and borrow what they can get and brace it out with their wealth and go braue in apparell till ruine come so heer men occupy with a stock that is none of theirs and yet scorn to haue their states suspected but are as good as the best of all others Oh false peace will bring ye to ruine at last That ye would catch at ye shall neuer get but that ye do so shun ye shall for euer meet with vtter shame with God and men and destruction to your selues Secondly Labor for this worke of the law to pull ye down and bewray your false peace try your selues by this that now yee cry out of all dawbers with vntempered morter false prophets and preachers of peace together with that Arch-false prophet of self-loue and cling to the faithfull and count their wounds Balme as for your owne vainties they haue caused ye to forsake mercy Lastly Let not this be enough that yee are brought thus far till Christ haue wholly expelled that strong man who rules and lockes vp the house in peace and till he bring in a true bottome of peace into yee by sprinkling ye with his blood that speakes better things then that of Abel When this Sherif comes he will fetch out all dwellers in the house and breake open all happy are they to whom the law brings this writ of eiection especially if the other Sherif of the Gospel bring in a new and a sound peace Q. What is the third effect of the Law A. The Spirit of bondage of which see Rom. 8.15 Heb. 2.15 Heb. 12.12 Ye are not come to mount Sinai to those terrors smoke which made Moses himself to say I quake for feareâ— hell speakes of the first condition vnder the law they were past a Taskmaster and Schoolemaster and were come to mount Sion and to the liberty of the first borne c. But heer he intimates how they came by it Now this differs as much from meer feare as a passage differs from an act The Lord ayming by this to
Should not we be so if wee saw a blind idiot in his kind He is alyue That is as the wise man sayth of the foole Hee casteth firebrands and arrowes and sayth Am not I in sport The life of sinne is not only the committing it for so it may be in stealth but when he is at liberty to it none to controll him when he may lye cog and sweare be drunken vncleane leading others with him to Hell and none say What dost thou This is the crowne the life the iollity of a sinner to play his parts without rebuke or remorse Ease quiet and security in euill is Satans kingdome both while hee can barre out all light of the Law from the soule and when hee can barre out the soule from it Then hee playes Rex in the soule and keepeth the house shut holdes possession in peace The comming of the Law into such a conscience is as the approach of a Sheriffe with a writ of Eiectio firmae to driue a man quite out of his possession And if wee liued in place where to see the wofull reuell and riot which the Diuell keepes in men who are alyue in their sin it might be a sight little better then hell And although the Word reformes not all where it is yet if it bouâ—d not men from that bold ioility in sinne there would be no liuing in a Common wealth Vse 2 The vse of it is the very scope of this first part Euen to all who would be truly moulded by the truth thereof in the feare of God to looke to themselues and take in kindly and readily this point of the sword into the bosome of their soule that this speare may let out the water and blood of it I meane that quiet iolly and secure heart in sinne which holdes it as with cordes to be content to be slaine and to go into captiuity For as it fared with Iehoiakin Ier. vlt. vlt. because he was content to giue vp himselfe to bondage the Lord long after lifted him out and made him a Prince so the way which the Lord takes with a sinner to lift vp his head is to cast him into this thraldom Therefore I say apply all these sixe points home to thy heart that the next part may preuaile the better when this hath gone as farre as she can To none but to left ones not in a wood or a Labyrith but in this legall conuiction to none but to desolate ones forlorne fatherlesse stript and cut off from God and hope plunged into vtter selfe despaire can this next part of the Catechiseme bring comfort Not for any worthines in it but because a secure heart resting in her peace and security cannot sauour it Abhorre then first to stand out in Rebellion put vp thy weapons and fight not against God whose naked arme is against thee Abhorre secondly a dead blockish sensual heart not affected or mooued with this voice aske thy soule If the Cedars and hills shall tremble and melt Esay 64.1 and thy hard heart shall stand still insensible Abhorre thirdly a presumptuous heart which hauing heard of some hope abuseth it to forestall the Lordes worke and sayth Deut. 29. yet I shall haue peace The wrath of the Lord shall smoke against such Abhorre fourthly all meanes of Satan which might turne off quite or dash and quench this worke Yeeld not to the impossibility of recouery runne not into despaire take not thought for thy sweet sinne God will make thee no loozer dispute not against the hardnes of yeelding the length of it the feare of destroying thy selâ—e or that God wiâ—l neuer restore thee Let not melanchâ—ly suâ—prize thee besoâ— thee especially beware lest the Reâ—urre of thy â—usts and the Deuils creame in a Lordly dish do not snare theâ— to runne out of GODS blessing into thy old warme sunne after three or foure yeeres to thy old drunkennesse riot Ale-house companions ill counsell former lusts sculke not into corners to ease thy selâ—e of this yoke let God that put it on hold it on his time tâ—l he haue truly tamed thee â—f it seem long know there is cause But to be weary of God to shake off his yoake in coole blood is to cast him off quite nd cleane he will put on a yoke of iron vpon such Let I say this be admonition against what-euer might crosse this worke Let it teach vs to pity the loose and â—olly in sin Oh! Vse 3 they make eyther worke for hell or if God recal them for the Law for their chaines must be hereby encreased and they shall meet with a Iailor that will handle them accordingly Oh! heare counsell betimes the counsell of Minister husband wife parent Master friend yea child or seruant to yeeld to GOD at the first that so thy yoke may bee the easier Obiect But perhaps I may escape it for all are not so yoked Ans Such as subtilly seeke to scape this net except God let them go quite shall bee most hampered And yet wee tye not the LORD to one measure of dealing many vnder constant meanes haue waded more easily through this gulfe and Lydia and Zachee were not so deeply wounded because the LORD meant to make shorter worke but vnder ordinary meanes the LORD more or lesse holdes his course I end therefore thus with exhortation Bury not the worke of this Spirit vnder these clods of flesh streighten not this spirit of conuiction Beg of God that by all these sâ—xe stayres thou mayst fall lower and lower till thou art brought to the Earth Heere is no place for freewill for ciuility or the Religion of a Pharise in almes mercy to the poore good nature good duties all these lands vanish in Gods Map of misery when God is pulling the conscience vpon her knees Happy thou if when the Law seemes to haue done working in the world it begins to slay thee so that by all these sixe steps as Eutychus from the Loft thou mayst be taken vp as dead Aske of thy selfe When LORD shall my laughter light frothy merry quiet heart be met with throughly Not to say onely True it is there is small cause any of vs should be proud for so thou mayst and be as proud still but to meete with the Beare and Lyon indeed and be afraid of deuouring There is difference betweene a face chalked ouer and the palenesse of one that hath lyen vnder a quartan a tweluemoneth Lye vnder this worke and suffer affliction say I see the LORD is in earnest Hell is no painted fire the ease of a sinfull course differs from that little-ease of the Law I am in a streight I know not whither to turne mee No wealth friends credit marriage honor eating sleepe play or Musique can helpâ— now Away now all old companions the Lord hath layd sorrow vpon my soule such as no tales or Iigs can put by my meate is now mingled with Gall and GOD seemes to forsake mee wrath Hell and
horror are vpon mee my nights are wearisome my daies miserable As one in a Forrest lost sees twenty deathes before him by wildring by thirst by wilde beasts but no escape so do I fare not knowing what weapon conscience will vse to deuoure me Chuse rather to bee thus for the killing of thy flesh then at liberty to the death of thy soule And wayt in this estate vpon GOD till he cause light to breake out which in a word I will adde in the next Question and so end this part Q. But what is this toward conuersion A. True If God should so leaue the soule But heere marke the connexion of this to the second part following The Lord where he meanes to saue keepes not the soule alway in this anguish but causes some vpholding of his secret spirit to keepe vp the soule of him whom hee will saue from vtter extremity This he doth by shewing of them a dore of hope in the wildernes as he sayth in Hosee 2.15 causing some glimpse a farre off to appeare to them as a crâ—uis of light in a prison-wall as to consider that GOD hath had a gracious meaning to 1000s whom he hath thus humbled that by Hell lies the way to Heauen that GOD delights not in this course if the Rebellion of the heart did not require it that GOD doth that which the soule shall not know till after he meanes to make CHRIST sweet precious and welcome not as Hony to a full Laodicean stomacke he begin to lay some ground of mortification which in the due time the Gospell shall perfect See that in the 10. of Ezra the second verse There is hope concerning this thing also Iona. 3.9 Who can tell whether GOD will repent So in Acts. 2. How were those murtherers of Christ stayd by that the Apostles told them And yet they had not felt the promise But by such glimpse of the Gospell which GOD requires to be ioyned with the Law the LORD keepes his from reuolt to old base lusts whatsoeuer come of them from a despayre of mercy and vndoing themselues or from a careles dissolutenes which end goeth forward And hauing so vpheld them by the chin from sinking for a time he doth let in light by such degrees as hee sees them meetest to beare and to keepe them low from waxing bold and venterous till at length he settle them vpon his promise as in the next part shall appeare Q. I partly conceyue you howbeit this cloze of the first part beeing weighty open it a little and first what reasons are there why GOD vseth this method A. First to keepe the soule from extremityes of presuming or despayring of which see in Article sixe both being dangerous rocks the one separating the meanes from the end running to their old liberties and yet hoping to fare well the other separating the â—nd from the meanes after all their humblings yet thinking there is no mercy for them See Ier. 2.25 the Lord by this light at a creuis holds vp the soule from both Secondly Hee encourages such to beare the yoke of the law as otherwise for the tediousnesse of it would shake it off Thirdly Hee deales according to the capacity of their weakenesse because they cannot beare much terror he eases them and because they dare not hearken to much comfort at once Esay 63.9 he giues them a little at once in the former shewing himselfe a pittifull God who delights not in the misery of any poore soule vnder his lode or to adde sorrow in the latter a wise GOD to feed with a few crummes when morsels will not goe downe and to refresh with drops when draughts cannot bee digested Fourthly Hee doth it for the honour of his owne worke of calling hee hath promised to call those whom hee hath chozen which hee should not doe if hee left them in these briers Numb 14.15 Moses tels the Lord If hee should leaue his people in the Wildernesse the Nations would say Because hee could not bring them into Canaan hee left them there So this is a strong cause And lastly by this hope he shewes them that he is as able to giue them his full promise and the effect thereof sound peace as he can stay them vp from sinking when they are at so low an ebbe of casting downe Not to speake of the method that God takes with his to begin early to reueale himselfe to them in his smaller prouidence and susteinings that they may learne to trust him the better for euer after euen in the greatest Q. By what meanes doth he worke it Ezra 10.2 read the place A. By presenting to them duly the sight of a possibility to get out of their terror That hee deales not in Afflicting his as with the wicked Esay 27.7.8 Did he afflâ—ct them as those who afflictâ—d them He will doe it in measure That he abhorres excesse in his terrors Esay 64.12 Wilt thou refraine thy selfe and hold thy peace still and afflict vs very sore So chap. 63.15 Where are thy rollings are they quite restrained Psal 44.22 23. Wilt thou alway bee angry Forget to shew mercy No hee answers himselfe Esay 57.16 I will not contend for euer nor bee alwaies wroth for the Spirit should faile before mee and the soules which I haue made That he barres none from him who barre not themselues 2 Chron. 15.2 That there is a necessity of afflicting them with such tedious terrors or else he delights not in it Read Esay 57.17 18. For the iniquity of his couetousnesse I smote him the went on frowardly in the way of his heart viz. till then I haue seene his waies and I will heale him c. That hee hath not done this to destroy but to humble for alas Esay 27.3.4 if hee meant so What are the bushes to his consuming fire And all these he doth cause them to digest and stay themselues by and fasten vpon in more or lesse measure to keepe them from extremity causing terror to decrease and hope to succeed as we see in his course with Iob as tedious as it was Iob 32.40 in sending Elihu and chap. 40.1 2 3. in speaking himselfe for the proportion both doe agree Q. Iâ— this hope grace or can any such bee said to beleeue it A. No hope is the fruit of faith this hope goeth before faith Yet it is such as the Lord enableth to vphold them betweene the horrours of the Law and the grace of the Gospell the LORD being as truly in his way with them whom hee will bring home euen in the first seed and beginning as in the perfitings thereof if wee knew assuredly who they were See Acts 15.18 Q. What are the markes of this hope A. Such as these First In the entrance it is very weake and staggering betweene feare and hope very doubtfull Ionas 3.9 Who can tell It s a great hazard Onely as it is in Gold-weights the least straw will cast them so heere it
of present helpe himselfe stepped forth to helpe it out he of duty the Lord of meere goodnesse but thus he did found out a way to set man vpon dry land againe out of the gulfe and depth of misery so that the one was not so hidious as this is precious and gracious Q. More particularly what do they conteine A. A sweet view of the chiefe parts of this Redemption First the first hidden and secret eternall Workeman of this deliuerance and that is God the Father In whose bosome this depth lay before all worlds who fore-seeing this ruine and his endlesse Iustice against sinne yet purpozed not to abandon all grace out of his heart towards desolate man but to retaine some still in the bottom of his wisedome good pleasure And note that this appeared not at first yet it was there then and appeared after This is the cause why GOD the Father is heere called our Sauiour and why he is said to Saue vs in ver 5. viz. as in 2 Cor 5.17 he is said to Reconcile vs not by meriting it but by first and originall ordaining it as the first agent in the working of the Trinity the deuizer of this Saluation and of the Lord Iesus the meriter of it Now marke this act of God is described by a double argument The first is the impulsiue cause set down by three words Kindnesse Loue Mercy Whereof the latter interprets the former Kindnesse and Loue noting the remainder of that Goodnesse of Creation as if the Apostle should say The sin of man could not root out this goodnesse so as to take it from God but still he had a bottomlesse goodnesse and kindnesse left in himselfe But the third word Mercy addâ— to them both q. d. The Lord imparted himselfe to Adam in this goodnesse of his ere hee was fallen but hee shewd him no mercy for hee needed none But beeing become miserable Lo he addes mercy to goodnes and enlarges his first kindnes and loue by a second compassion pity respecting him now in his blood and misery in which he exceeds the former as much as the Sun at noonetyde doth the rizing mercy being the perfection of loue The second argument is from the deniall of contraries Not by workes of righteousnes c. The summe is this eternall mercy was free in the conception of it The LORD foresaw not who should in time embrace this mercy nor left it in a middle doubtfull vncerteinty who should and who not suspending his pleasure vpon mans will but he did out of the freedome of grace and mercy when as yet no good in vs was foreseene much lesse actuall when no naturall or supernaturall goodnes was to bee seene in vs euen then hee saued vs because he would so doe Q. What is the second branch of this description A. The instâ—umentall meriting cause of this saluation set forth in those wordes when this loue appeared and againe vers 6 Which he shed abundantly through Iesus Christ our Sauior Note the sweet phrase which Paul delights in to stile both the Father and Christ our Sauiours the latter flowing from the former Now in this point note first he sayth It appeared As we see the like word Chapter second verse 11. The summe is whereas it had bin impossible for man or Angel euer to haue diued into the depth of this mercy Lo the Lord caused it to appeare in the fulnes of time and brake open this sealed fountaine of his bosome by the manifesting thereof in his Sonne for no man at any time hath seene the Father but the onely begotten Sonne of GOD comming out of his bosome hath reuealed him And which is this Appearer who made mercy appeare in himselfe Iesus Christ our Sauior It must bee so that howsoeuer mercy was hidde in the Father yet it could not appeare but by Iesus our Sauior he truly God and man in obeying suffering must bring iustice to kisse this mercy by appeasing that infinite anger of the Father for sinne and performing such a righteousnes for man as might afford a sufficient satisfaction to GOD in his vttermost iustice Christ and none else could thus do or suffer none else may satisfy he himselfe without all this both obedience and blood could not doe it none of his loue or prayers or pouerty but Iesus our Sauiour in this his full payment as a surety and a Sacrifice of blood could saue vs Q. All this is euident but what else addeth the Apostle to make vs this description of deliuerance A. The third point is the obiect vpon whom this blessing is bestowed intimated in these words Towards man and saue vs and shed on vs c. By which as he implieth that Man in his misery the selfe same man that fell froÌ„ God to hell was the obiect of mercy so the Number of all those to whom the Lord doth sauingly appeare in this mercy of his electioÌ„ in Christ are the ful obiect of mercy al that mercy can bestow The Church of Christ is she who is the sole and equall obiect of Christ all he did and suffred was not for the reprobate Ephe. 5. but the Elect these he redeemed gaue him selfe for that he might make them a peculiar spouse to himselfe without spot or wrinkle as he sayth to the Ephesians in plainer termes Q. And what are those excellent things which IESVS our Sauiour hath purchased doth this Text mention them A. Yea verie fully and that both in generall speciall For the first he sayth he saued vs. Which is as if hee had sayd he restored and set vs in as good an estate as we lost and quit vs as fully of all our misery as euer old Adam did plunge vs into it If hee lost vs Christ saued vs if hee betrayd vs to bondage He redeemed vs if he brought vs to vtter hatred He reconciled vs if he condemned vs Christ forgaue vs hee did deliuer vs in a word from all sinne and curse and layd a plaster on vs full as broad as the sore Rom. 5. Yet this must bee added that Not as the offence is so is the gift For in Adam wee were so made the Image of GOD that we lost it presently but the second Adam so saued vs pardoned and reconciled vs as neuer to be lost neuer to bee cursed neuer condemned the second time And more yet Adam was not created to any happinesse saue immortality vpon earth in a created righteousnesse We to an vncreated Vnion and Communion with God in Heauen in the presence of God This in generall More particularly the words heere are three Saued vs Regenerated vs Renewed vs. By the first of them vnderstand the negatiue part of this deliuerance viz. from what he freed vs Sinne Law Satan Wrath Death Iudgement By the latter two the positiue good things purchased vs. First by RegeneratioÌ„ and Renewing he meanes all those graces which concerne our estate in the grace of Iustification standing in
be vrged of vs without our owne labour and will be accessary which if it be what doth our doctrine of the condition differ from Popery and her dispsitions I answer The reason of this darknesse is because men cannot be beaten from this that in seeking these conditions they must seek first their owne good and welfare This is the maine ayme of most hearers if they haue faith they are sure to scape hell and if they haue the conditions of faith wrought faith will follow hence the condition is so laid at by people euâ—n as men couet mony for wares for their vse But poore soule tell me if this be thy ayme wherein differest thou from a drunkard or swearer Is any man so forlorne as not to desire to dye the death of the righteous Oh say men but drunkards vse not the meanes and wee doe I answer Yes now all sorts vse means none are so vile but they will be religious but I will grant thee it Is the question whether thou be lesse ill then such or whether thy ayme bee sound in seeking the condition or no! If so then I say thou in ayming finally that it may goe well with thee differs not in kinde from such an one No the honest soule sets vp God in his own way of Christ in his owne ends the glory of all his attributes that he may be admired in working faith in such a wretch the freedome of his working that in all these her owne thoughts affections and zeale might stinke as Peters nets did when Christ so strangely had fished for him and the truth is her scope is as much to abhorre her selfe and looke into an higher cause as thine is to get Heauen for thy selfe She seeks the glory of His wisedome power mercy and freedome who sought out such a deliuerance workes it in her and all that concerne it faith and the conditions of it the thought of the Asses is turned to the thought for the Sonne shee sees that diuine purity and excellency in being Gods instrument to these ends that she looses her selfe and all in the meditation thereof and suffers the Lord to saue her while her soule is set to adore him in his owne ends as most precious And setting this ayme aside her seeking the condition of faith is but as a morall worke with her sauoring of her selfe Some will alledge Doe ye thinke euery weake beginner to bee so holy as to preferre Gods glory to his owne Saluation I answer No not all but I take them to be in forwardnesse to it and not farre from it And secondly I say it s one thing to aske such a question of a weake beginner who would perhaps stagger at it another thing to say what God workes in such a one although he know it not For sure it is such is Gods worke in his as to conuince them by experience that all seeking of grace for a mans owne happinesse is poore seeking for the present till God worke better and all seeking for selfe must be from selfe and by selfe But when the boate is tyed to the ship of Gods glory shee needs no more rowing of herselfe then the boate doth it s enough for her that she is set vpon such a streame and tyed to such a ship as can carry her of it selfe and drowne all her owne welfare in the Lord. Sweet was that speech of honest Mophibosheth of Zilha Yea let him take all 2. Sam. 13.30 forasmuch as my Lord the King is come home in peace The losse of his owne lands was forgot in Dauids happinesse The greater pity that he should so requite an innocent but howeuer he fared at Dauids hands doe thou so and try if the Lord can faile thee Oh say thus Lord so farre am I from seeking the condition of faith for faith and my selfe that I desire to say If Lord thou see that a broken heart mourning brokennesse pouerty of spirit yea faith it selfe may tend to the glory of the working them in me Oh worke them Eâ—se Lord what ioye should I find in them as they come from my selfe What were Heauen it selfe if it were not to glorify thee there Lord I would desire to haue none rather then in hauing all to want an heart to admire thee in thy wayes of mercy and truth or cease to be rauisht with the sight of thy glory For without this its impossible but eyther I must mixe my stuff with thinee or which is worse fret and rage at the freedome of thy working And his I desire may bee weighed and so much for this first Article Q. What is the second Article of this second part A. That the onely happy meane and instrument ordeind by GOD for the foundation of his election and the purchasing or making good this his purpose of deliuerance was the Lord Iesus the eternall Word of the Father made Emanuel Ephes 1.3 GOD with vs. No other name vnder Heauen is giuen to saue vs by way of mediation or instrument but he Act. 4.12 And this Iesus eternally intended to the Church the LORD in the fulnes of time sent into the world to make open declaration of this worke Rom. 3.25 God set him forth as a Propitiation that all might see the saluation of God And although it be needlesse for vs to descant whether the Lord out of his deepe wisdome could haue found out any other way but this to saue vs yet this we may say that seeing this is the Lordes way it behooues vs to thinke it the best Nay seeing we cannot conceiue any other way in congruity how an infinite offended Maiesty could bee satisfied saue by an equall person and payment to his iustice it were an infinit derogation to his wisdome and predestination to thinke that this was not the onely way not onely which is but which could be deuized to this end For seeing a greater and fuller could not be what iniustice were it for God to put that vpon his Sonne which might haue bin put vpon an inferior mediator Therefore the Scripture runs vpon it as the onely necessary and full way as Rom. 8.3 When through the infirmity of flâ—sh the Law could not saue God sent his Sonne c. Now as hee was that onely full necessary way so yet he could not effect this satisfaction by euery act or suffering of his Not his incarnation or vnion onely not some reproaches or some act of his offices as Prophet or King or Priest no not some effusion of blood but such an one as the powring out of his soule to death euen that accursed death must effect it because till there was a full content giuen to iustice mercy was locked vp from discouering it selfe Read Esay 53.12 Esay 53. vlt. Now as without this last and chiefe worke nothing could helpe vs neyther miracles teares preaching or praying so all the acts and preparations of his life standing in order and respect to these are ioyntly meritorious and
accompt the Lord Iesus found to be no trifle but reall so doth he take his righteousnes and compts it ours that it might really be ours Accomptants of summes of money if they differ and cannot set things straight fall to an esteeming of what is owing and so at length by not imputing a summe which yet may be due or by imputing a summe as payd which perhaps is doubtfull grow to a full end And that which moueth them heerto is Peace So heere the Lord inclining to make peace with the soule esteemes not a debt which yet is one and esteemes that payde which is not Peace makes him to impute that to vs which yet another payd and we could not Sâ—e texts 2. Cor. 5.17 Psal 32.1 Rom. 5 c. And this imputation is a reall finall discharge neuer to be questioned no hole can be picked in it by any enemy Q. For shortnes sake proceed to the vse A. It is most weighty First to teach vs to renounce our Vse 1 selues for if we be iust by imputing of the Righteousnes of other what shall become of our owne As once a Philosopher handled a Gallant that boasted of his great Lands in Athens he shewed him a Map asked him where they lay so in this Mâ—p of Gods iustification all our abilities must vanish we know full summe of debt payd needs no imputation t may plead acqâ—iâ—tance Come to the Lord for his roial worke his Fiat without any thing empty base that thou maist concurre with him in that he seeketh the Glory of his grace in his Son Come as Mephibâ—sheth a limping cripple to Dauid When I was a dead dog my Lord accepted me 2 Sam. 1â— 2 Sam. 2â— As poore Abigail sent for to be a Queene sâ—yd Let me be an handmayd to wash the feet of thy seruants Shee knew meere marriage to a King would make a Queene without bringing any thing And thus doing thy vnworthines shall not hurt thee but help on this robe vpon thy bare shoulders Come thus to the Lord say Here Lord is a naked wretch Put on the Lord Iesus vpoÌ„ me I haue no clothing to hinder thee thou bidst me put him on Rom. 13. vlt. but Lord do thou fit him for me in particular for my soule for my sin against my curseâ— and â—hen take him Lord put him on me also reckon him to me accompt with me in him and make me his righteousnes as thou madest him my sinne and I shall compt it as reall as if I had it of my owne Vse 2 Secondly let it stablish and comfort euery beleeuer against all his feares Oh! it cannot sinke into a poore soule priuy to all her defilements that the Lord should euer pardon or accept her The daily and hourely obiects of her sinnes are before her But remember imputation is not a taking of all sin out of thee at once that must abase the heart as it abased thy Surety but a not imputing it vnto thee Latimer preaching to King Edward told him that once a King of England had a cupbearer who bringing him a cup of wine by error let it fall at his foot The King offended with his rashnes asked him if that were not ill done He suddenly answered No if it please your Grace if you thinke so Euen so in this our blessednes stands not in our want of sinne but in the Lord not imputing it The bush burnt but the wonder was that it was not consumed The Lord imputes not thy sinne couers it takes away the condemning power imputes not the actuall offences thereof to thee He lookes at his owne Image in thee in al thy duties prayers there is thy dunghill his pearle he beholds that which is his couers that which his thine not to make thee bold but thankful humble If thou haue a cup of precious wine thou sayst not to thy freind Pledge me in water though thou haue put more water then there is wine into it Thou esteemest it by the better part Hold this and thou mayst say with Paul Rom. 7. I my selfe delight in the Law of GOD and not I but sinne in mee though else he sayd Oh wretched man that I am who shall deliuer mee Thus much of this fifth branch or spring of saluation drinke of this brooke and thou shalt indeed Esay 12.3 draw water out of the wells of saluation I haue binne larger heere because it is the chiefe of the seuen more briefe of the rest Q What is the fifth branch of this Article and wherein stands it A. The Conquest of Christ For notwithstanding all this satisfaction of Christ thus performed yet if it had beene possible for any enemy to haue preuented him of the effect of it that he could not haue ouercome all enemies and death it selfe his whole worke had beene frustrate But this could not be for he rose againe from the dead and gaue a full being to the merit of his satisfaction Conceaue the point in three estates of Christ briefly First Before Secondly At. Thirdly After his death In the first respect though the Lord Iesus his flesh was not exempt from mortality and infirmity but subiect to all through our sinne yet euen vnder all these through his whole life hee conquered in suffring for hee endured no more then him pleased before the time of his death no enemy had power ouer him to surprize him by any casualty by any other death or at any other season then himselfe would In Luke 4. wee read that his owne citizens Led him vp to the brow of the Hill to haue brkeo his necke Oft were Officers sent to take him stones cast at him vpon the Sea hee was subiect to the violence of the waues none of these had power to fasten vpon him hee went thorow the midst of them and thorow a thousand deaths without casualty It was prophecied of him Esay 43. â— The fire should not burne him nor waters deuoure him till his houre was come to suffer that death and onely that which GOD had layd out for him And then nothing could hinder Secondly at death although as our Mediator he must needs drink that cup which his Father gaue him yet he was a conqueror euen then too and aboue any enemy Iudas Act. 2.24 the Priests and Pilate could doe no more then himselfe was willing to yeeld to his Father in No man takes away my life from me Ioh. 10.18 I lay it downe my selfe Hee yeelded to those that tooke him euen when hee had cast them to the ground as a Conqueror And therefore by the Vnion of his Godhead euen in that houre and power of darknesse when his life was taken from him and they looked to haue had all their will on him all the Infernall powers assaulting him at once by reason of the wiâ—hdrawing of his Diuine Nâ—ture and the wrath of God yet euen then hee gaue them the greatest foile of all and in death ouercame him
all the members the power of this satisfaction that it might worke Faith in those that want it and confirme it in those that haue it Esay 53. vlt. The Prophet adâ—eth this to the powring out of his soule that he prayed for the transgressors And S. Iohn giues him the name of our Aduocate with the Father for this cause that the Church may enioy the fruit of his death continually And the Au hor to the Hâ—brewes saith That hee euer liueth to make intercession for vs. The High Priest vnder the Law appeared once a yeere with blood in the Holy of Hoâ—ies to bring forth a generall reconciliation but the Lord Iesus for euer And as the ends hereof are many to wit to present the prayers of his people vnto God to hoâ—d them close to his Father and keep them in hâ—s loâ—e to couer their daily offences and continue their iustification and acceptance to vnite them one to another and to protect them from enemies so especially to blesse the Ministery of his Gospell for the breeding Faith â—n the soules of the elect by the preaching of this his blood and death As we may see clearly in Iohn 17. that Heauenly chapter where all these are described Marke then it is not enough for the Lord Iesus to procure the price of our peace but he plyes the Father with it and offers vp by his eternall Spirit the merit and valour of his satisfaction for the effectuall drawing of the hearts of his people to beleeue the Gospell His blood is the seed of the Church for what wete Word Sacrament but tor him but that which doth cherish this seed and giue a body to it in the consciences of men is the application of it by this intercession More fully thus As by fulfilling all righteousnesse the Lord Iesus hath pleased the Father and is so gracious to him that hee grants him whatsoeuer hee asketh so doth Iesus to the vttermost improoue this fâ—uour and applieth the comfort thereof to all his that they may vnderstand how powerfull and preuayling hee is to obtaine whatsoeuer hee desireth And hence it is that till his Ascension the Comforter could not bee sent but after when hee prayed then came hee and brought to mind and sealed to the hearts of the Disciples whatsoeuer they had heard preached before So that when wee see the preuayling power of the Word and Sacraments in the weake Ministery of flesh what shall we ascribe it vnto but the power of this applying worke of our Aduocate who conueyes sauor of life of brokennes of heart faith and Regeneration thereby into the soules of his And in this respect h is the Key of his Fathers bosome and fountaine to vnlocke and set it open beeing sealed before for Iudah and Ierusalem to wash in as Zach. 13.1 Q. What be the vse heereof A. As it is singular for all vses to the Church in generall and all the liuely members thereof in all Concernements of it whatsoeuer as acceptance of their prayers beeing perfumed with the sweet incense heereof protection of their persons safegard against enemies sustentation of their soules in grace perseuerance and the like so especially that which wee read Heb. 10.19.10.21 Seeing by the blood of Iesus wee haue a liuing way made vnto vs by his flesh Let vs draw neere with a pure heart in assurance of faith Oh! it should bee as a welspring of Saluation for euery dry soule to come vnto euen in the greatest barrennesse deadnes and feare of heart that the merit of Christ should not belong to it Doe but consider this Aduocateship of Christ continued foreuer for thee Iesus Christ yesterday to day and for euer Heb. 13.8 to this end that the Gospell and the preaching of the promise might bee liuely Heb. 4. pearcing and powerfull to diuide the ioynts and marrow and to create in thy soule the fruits of the lips which is peace If thou hadst the Kings Sonne for thy Aduocate to the King for some suite wouldst not thou thinke there were life in it Therefore go not to the Word and Sacrament any more with a dead and sadde heart as if there were nothing in them saue an outside of mans voice and efficacy to perswade behold a Christ in them who by his applying power conueyes into them strength sauor perswasion and grace that his poore people may not heare his Word as a dead letter or receaue the Scales as dumbe elements but as diuine ordinances assisted with the Spirit of Christ and therefore able to breed faith in the soule and truly to carry it into the streame of his Satisfaction What is the vsuall complement of most people in their hearings and vse of meanes but this That the Minister is vneffectuall to them they heare with small light or quickening of heart The promise they grant to be faythfull and the Sacrifice of Christ full of merit but they are so to such as mixe them with sayth Why poore soule doth the Lord so offer thee Christ in his Gospell as if he lefâ— it to thee to shift for faith Is not faith his gift who gaue Christ Diuide not the things which God hath put together Deceaue not thy selfe in the condition of faith and assure thy selfe the Lord Iesus will giue thee both meat and appetite the obiect of his righteousnes Reâ—e and fayth to beleeue it also He is Alpha and Omega the author and finisher of our faith Heb. 12.2 and hee doth liue for euer with GOD to make good his Satisfaction to his people by giuing power to his word to breed faith that as it cannot be without it so it may subsist in it and our faith might not rest in man but in God Vse 2 Secondly let all such bee exhorted to deny their owne strength conceits hopes or feares and as oft as they go to the Word remember it is a Word of reconcilation And therefore looke vp to this grant Master of Requests and apply the worthines of this Prayer to thy poore empty soule say thus The cause of my vnbeleeuing hearing is my little respect to him who hath the Key of all grace if I could looke vpon him and say Lord Iesus conuey some part of thy Fathers fountein into my heart deriue it by a channell for then once into me Oh thou shouldst find the Spirit of perswasion to reuiue yea to fill thy soule in thy Vse 3 hearings Yea lâ—t all the faithfull Ministers of God coÌ„fort themselues in their weakenesse and defects of preaching in their deadnesse of heart to the worke of Faith in the little successe of their labors in the wofull hardnesse of heart in the people the Lord Iesus by his Spirit of intercession holdes them as his Candlesticks in his right hand hee doth as those two oliues Zach. 4 assist his Lamps and drop in this oyle of gifts and grace vpon them hee doth make them as Paul Zach. 4.5 able Ministers of Reconciliation that by them and out of
their nothing hee may create the fruit of the lips peace and he well vphold Gospell Ministery and the power of both in the midst of the enemies and although they be neuer â—o fâ—râ—â—us yet Mica 2.7 His Spirit shall not be streightned but his Word shall still bee good to such as walke vprightly And of these two Articles seuen Branches so much Q. What is the third Article of the second Part A. That the act of God the Father imput ng rhe merit of the Actiue and Passiue righteousnesse of our Satisfier to a sinfull soule is the true formall and being cause of his Iustification Q This Doctrine of Imputation is somewhat darke to me Rom. 4 6. 2 Cor. 5.17 therefore explane it and first the phrases vsed by the Holy Ghost for somâ—time he speakes of Imputing somewhat sometime of not imputing and againe in one place hee speakes of Imputiâ—g righteousnesse sometime of Imputing Faith to righteousnesse Rom. 4.5 Cleare these termes A. By the terme of not imputing Sinne and not imputing Righteousnesse he intimates in how many respects Châ—ist hath holpen vs to wit both to forgiuenesse in the one being made sinne for vs and to acceptation in the other by clothing vs with his righteousnesse yet so as by both Actiue and Passiue righteousnesse iointly not seueraâ—ly considered Conferre Psalm 32.1 with 2. Cor. 5.17 where both couering sinne and reconciling are made the effects of not imputing sinne By the second phrase we must conceaue one thing to bee meant For its familiar with Paul to vse these two phrases for one thing namely imputation of Faith and of righteousnesse Not that faith can in any sence be our righteousnes but because Christ apprehended by faith is the same thing with Faith it selfe in the Scripture Besides we know faith must euer concurre with imputation in the act of it and therefore the Holy Ghost honors it with the name of being imputed to righteousnesse That Faith must needs so concurre note three things in this worke First God enables the Soule to beleeue on the Lord Iesus by the promise and the spirit thereof Secondly the Soule yeeldeth and consenteth Thirdly God casteth heereby this righteousnesse thus beleeued vpon the Soule and imputes it to pardon and life Faith then alway concurres with imputation the life wherto may be said of iustification which it were blasphemy to ascribe to faith seeing its God that iustifieth but yet Faith is still said to iustify because of her necessary concurrence The which Phrase is tropicall the instrument being put for the principall agent Otherwise in proper speech alas How shall poore faith apprehend in the soule an infinite righteousnesse except we take it thus that God by faith as his owne instrument doth conuey all the obiect of Christ at once into vs And this I would haue the Reader to marke for two causes The first to decide that Question so much demanded whether faith apply Christ in each of his merits particularly or no To which I say that it is the worke of God the Father to proportion the merits of Christ Iesus in particular to the soules need its God the Father who accepts the merit and therfore he onely can proportion it Poor finite faith though it know neuer so much of the particular merit yet cannot do it because the merit is infinite Faith onely hearing the offer of God already reconciled and appeased by this merit to be freely tendred to her receaues this tender as God makes it that is all the Lord Iesus made by God to the soule wisedome righteousnesse and what else soeuer So that whether wee comprehend the thing offred or no it s no materiall if we beleeue the offer to be truly made to vs we receaue it in the kind wherein God bestowes it and in a word when we cannot comprehend it the Lord comprehends vs. So that faith is casting of the soule vpon the offer of Christ from the Father giuing him all at once in all his good things which the Spirit reueales and the more the better yet faith is not in this most to bee admired for particular applying each benefit but for her accepting of what the Lord hath couched in the offer that is whole Christ Secondly I say this answer is to be noted against a Schismaticall opinion of some that hold the Act of Beleeuing to be that which God accepts to iustification A dangerous conceit which makes Christ a meer seruant to faith and vnder the colour of ascribing honour to faith takes away all Christs preeminence For although this opinion exclude not Christ wholly from the reckoning yet in the act of iustifying it onely giues all to the worke of faith And they say As the act of Adams sin condemned him so the act of our faith iustifies vs. But the Paralell is foolish and absurd Adams sin might condemne himselfe and vs but our faith can neither saue ours nor our selues of it selfe that which it saues vs by is the obiect and merit which it apprehends and that by the act of Gods imputing it to vs. Q. You seeme to make imputation an act of Gods free grace but the word is vsed as an act of iustice for Paul saith To him who worketh righteousnesse is imputed by debt A. I answer Paul there opposing Iustification by works and iustification by Faith Rom. 4.4 5 for the more curâ—ant expression vseth one word in both cases but very improperly For it s as if a man should say to his debtor Pay me an hundreth pound and I will impute it as an whole discharge This we know is no proper speech for in such a case its small thanke to him to impute that for which hee is bound to giue acquittance so that imputing properly is gracious For it is such an act of God as comming betweene our beleeuing and his iustifying doth not legally take any discharge of debt from vs but doth graciously impute that which is not ours as if it were ours for the making of vs guiltlesse and accepted Q I conceaue you somewhat better Howbeit I still see that imputation is of such a thing as is our owne really why then not as well of a thing inherent viz. a righteousnesse of our owne as the Papists dreame A. Because these two haue a winde difference viz. to be really made ours and to be from or inherently in vs. The righteousnesse of Christ imputed cannot iustify vs except it be ours how be it it is so not because it comes froÌ„ within vs but because it s cast vpon vs and in a word it s not first in vs and then imputed but first imputed and then made ours Q. But can meere imputation make a thing really ours A. Yea. Nothing can be more reall then imputation The imputing of a man is reall when he imputes an vncertain and vndue payment as if certaine and due and this is good and firme among men 2 Sam. 19.19 23. Dauids not imputing Shemei's rayling
quckening worke of the spirit of which more in the third part and the last is Glorification Q Let vs proceed to the opening of their seuerall natures and vses breefly so farre as serueth for our purpose A. It were endlesse to wade into all onely to shew the realnesse of them and the vse of them to the soule that it may see how richly Christ is offred to the soule I will touch euery one of them The first of them is Vocation See texts Esay 55.5 Rom. 8 30.1 Cor. 1.2 Now this calling is a worke of the Spirit issuing from election whereby whom the Lord hath chozen to be his he brings to know it And that by the voyce and call of the outward word and inward spirit cryâ—ng to their soules thus Come out of her my people and returne to me Come out from thy former corrupt estate of sinne subiection to Satan curse misery lewd customes error of the wicked hell and returre to that blessednes which thou hast lost So then calling is that whole workmanship of GOD whereby he pulles the soule from a bad estate to a good be it longer in working or shorter darker or cleerer easier or harder it s the drawing of it from darknes to light Act. 16.18 That from whence it s drawne is an vnregenerate estate That whereto is faith Between these thee whole work of God is calling Q. Can you not breefly summe vp the parts of it A. Yes it may bee conceaued to stand in these two parts Eyther the preparing worke of calling or the finishing The former is that by which the Lord finding the heart vncapable of a promise brings it and prepares it to be such an one as may see it selfe capable and vnder condition of beleeuing such an one as may beleeue For as for the opinion of such as imagne that GOD breeds faith all at once without preparing the heart they ouerthrow that grace in respect of a soules triall of her selfe and in respect of Gods Glory which they would seeme to magnify And they strengthen the hand of sinful men in their error thinking there is no difference betweene men al may beleeue in Christ This by the way The latter is that by which the Lord doth finish the worke of faith and power which is the Condition of the Gospell without which no man can partake any of the priuiledges following Note For it succeeds the condition of the Law and in stead of Do this fayth Beleeue this and liue Note well these termes Preparation is the condition of faith and faith the condition of the couenant Q. What are those preparatiues A. Partly legall partly Euangelicall in a word when the Spirit of God by both leaues such an impression in a troubled soule vnder the spirit of bondage of which in part that it comes by the sight of the Gospell to so much hope as workes the heart to mourning and brokennes to desire of mercy to esteeme it and to bee nothing in its owne eyes in comparison of it together with diligent vnweariednes till it haue obteyned it All which are the preuentions and assistance of the spirit of calling drawing the soule home to God by the steps and degrees that the soule is capable of Q. And what is the finishing worke A. That wherein Calling is perfected and wherein true conuersion of the soule begetting of it and bringing of it home to God for all these are the same doth consist For when the soule thus prepared sees that the promise belongs to her and she may and must beleeue it then the spirit stampes this gift of faith vpon the soule to receaue and tak it to her selfe from the promise Q. Passe by the vse of this now because wee shall come to it in the last Article and proceed to the second A. The second is Vnion Which is the first benefit in order I meane for else all are together in respect of the soules title and right to Christ and this oppozeth the cutting off of the sinner from GOD and all influence and Communion with his grace and by faith so bringeth the soule vnto God that its vnited made one and incorporated againe into him by the flesh of Christ vnited to his Godhead as Article 2. And it s the worke of the Spirit of Christ making the Lord and the soule one spirit and causing the soule to partake by vertue thereof all that power of this both in priuiledges and graces which follow And therefore I set it in the forefront of the rest for its sure the soule can no more receaue ought from God till it bee one with him by Christ then Christ could merit any thing for vs till the Deity and flesh were really vnited no more then the body and soule can impart or receaue to or fro till they be one See texts Eph. 5.31 32. Ioh. 17. often In all which its euident that till wee bee one with God in Christ wee are without him in the world the Lord abhorring all relations that want vnion But if once vnited then he is in vs wee in him Eph. 2.2 Iohn 1â— vlt. hee dwels in vs we in him as an inhabitant in his house and the soule in the body he is one with vs he is marryed to vs Hosc 2. Eph. 5. and we are his spouse and therefore hence issâ—â—th â—ll vertue vigor anâ— power into vs that is meete for our support eyther earthly or spirituall till our vnion bee perfected in glory To this that belongeth that is sayd we are ingrafted into him as a scien into a stocke which fetcheth all her nourishment thence As the two Seales of Baptisme and the Supper doe tipifie there being no possibility of the Communion of the latter without the vnion of the first Q. Proceede to the third Benefit A. The third is Iustification which is the second benefit of the poore beleeuer opposite to the estate of her guilt and punishment by sinne by which the soule stands in a full and perfect pardon of sin quietnesse and peace toward God through his discharging her from all guilt and punishment and esteeming her as fully cleared and acquitted therefrom as if she had neuer offended See texts Rom. 8.30 Rom. 5.18 Q. Why say you fully and perfectly can wee be perfect in this life A. No but for speciall cause to difference the benefit of Iustification from Sanctification the one being Christ made ours wholy for we cannot else stand before God except perfect by our selues or another the other in part our Sanctification being in this life imperfect But of this in second Article see more Q Seeing wee ayme onely at a view of the Article and cannot discourse about euery thing goe to the fourth and so wee will conclude all with the vses afterward together A. The fourth is Reconciliation which is oppozed to our estate of enmity and brings vs into amity and fauour with God as Eph. 1.5 Paul calls it our acceptation and belouednesse with
God and it follows our forgiuenesse and absolution for then we returne to our former esteeme and beauty in the eyes of God our flesh returning as the flesh of a child and we stand before the Lord as fauourits finding accesse to him going in and out before him all former treachery being forgotten And this addeth to the other Princes oft pardon their Subiects as Dauid did Absalom and grant them their liues but because they suspect them they suffer them no more to see their face but the Lord hauing as great power to purge the heart as to pardon the offendor admits euery iustified one to bee his friend and to finde fauour in his sight clothing him with the robe of righteousnesse Hos 14.2 and calling her beloued which was not beloued Q. What is the fift Benefit A. Adoption which is a worke of the Spirit Eph. 1. following the former and is contrary to that taint of our blood and bastardy which sinne brought upon vs. Adam was the Sonne of God Luke 3 vlt. by fall hee lost it and became a bastard stript himselfe of his birthright of his royalties of the dignity of a Sonne of the Lordship ouer the Creation and of the inheritance of immortall life and so brought all his seed into the same Premunire or rather Outlawry Now Adoption is the enfranchisment of the soule into her former estate of Sonneship againe being deliuered from the spirit of bondage Gal. 4.6 for as a man takes one not his owne child to be his child changing the name into his owne and so setling vpon him the dignity and liuelihood of one descended from his loynes so doth the Lord heere hee restores a sinner to his blood and to his former right of Sonship his dominion ouer the creatures and coheireship with Christ the Sonne and Lord of all It is the fruit of the former For hauing receiued vs to fauour he doth as a Prince reconciled to a trayterous Son he restores him to the right and inheritance of his crowne and so the Lord not restores onely to an old but settles the inheritance of a Saint vpon him Ephe. 1.5 See also Gal. 4.5 Rom. 8.15 a farre better then Adam lost Eph. 1.20 Rom. 5.15 Q What is the sixt Benefit A. Redemption and its a worke of the Spirit opposite to the estate of thraldome and seruitude vnto sinne and by it to feare of conscience wrath death and iudgement Satan and his infernall crue for it buyes out and sets the soule in a new and sure state of libertie free to righteousnes and to serue him all our dayes without bondage beeing delyuered from the feare of all enemies Ghostly and bodily From hence issues an heart enlarged to God and so fearing and seruing him Rom. 7.6 Col. 3.14 as fearing nothing else nor yet seruing in the old letter deliuered from the ordinances of Moses the traditions of men the bonds imposed vpon conscience vniustly Hence issues also a right to the Protection of God and his Holy Hand ouer vs and ours against the treachery and violence of open or secret enemies begun in this life and ending at the resurrection the day of our full redemption when we shall fully enoy the fruit of that conquest of Christ who ouercame all enemies Deuill men sinne death and the graue neuer any more to be assaulted Hence also much more issueth the dutie of Seruice to God and renouncing of our owne abhorring our owne selues not speaking doing thinking our owne words 1. Cor. 6.20 worke thoughts but the Lords because wee are not our owne but bought with a price that all should bee at the Lordes command So that in two things viz. Deliuerance from enemies and Restoring vs to the place of seruants this Redemption consists See texts Eph. 1.7 Eph. 4.30 1. Cor. 1.30 Rom. 7.25 Q. What is the seuenth benefit A. Regeneration as it concernes the purging of our corrupt nature from the Image of old Adam and a renuing of it according to the Image of him who created vs in all light of mind and holines of heart And this is opposite to the former priuiledges which consist in the imputation of fayth and are wholy without vs Bâ—t this is the worke of the Spirit of Christ 2. Pet. 1.3 wrought in all whom he hath begotten to God whereby also he puts into them the nature and properties of God 2 Pet. 1.2 and changes them from bad to good This is called in Scripture the new man Colos 3.10 the new creature 1. Cor. 5.17 the Renouation of the Holy Ghost Tit. 3.5 6. the workmanship of God made to good workes Eph. 2.10 the Râ—nuing of the Mynd and the spirit of it Eph. 4.24 Rom. 12.2 of the which in the third part of the Catechisme wee shall entreat Heere onely we point at the benefits in their distinct natures Q. What is the eighth benefit A. Sanctification not much differing from the other saue onely as the replenishing of a vessell with new precious liquor differs from the clensing of it from the old lust and vnsauorinesse and sweetening of it that it may be capable of better See textâ— 1 Thess 4.4 Rom. 8.30 Ezek. 36.26 27. 1. Cor. 3.30 Ezech. 37.28 In which we see it to be the worke of the Holy Ghost in all beleeuers making them partakers in each part mind soule and body of his holines It consisteth in 2 things the first the killing power of the Crosse of Christ The second the quickening power of his resurrection both sealed vp in the baptisme of the Spirit whereby we are ingrafted and implanted into the similitude of them both The former is vsually called Mortification which is the worke of the Spirit 1. Iob. 1.7 applying the second effect of the death of Christ to the soule For hauing in IustificatioÌ„ applyed the condemning power of this death and thereby taken away the guilt and accusation of sin now it addeth the second which is the disabling power thereof and the vanquishing thereof both these are the effects of his crosse vpoÌ„ which he both tooke away the guilt dominion of sin We know that if the Law haue once passed sentence vpon a malefactor it will easily send him to execution This killing power therefore is not onely a turning of the heart from sinne but a making sure worke with it that it returne no more than hee whose head is cut off can do any more hurt The latter is called Vâ—uification or that power of CHRIST that quicking spirit 1. Cor. 15.45 whereby the Holy Gospell applyes the power of the Resurrection to the soule not onely giuing it a bare life of Grace but a liuely life thereof quickning vp the edge the spirit of the inner man to the power of godlines and to the life of GOD in all the powers of the soule in sincerity according to her measure See texts for these For the former See Rom. 6.7 8. Gal. 5.24 Gal. 6.14 Col. 3 5. For the latter Rom.
told them of a sonne for how could this and that stand together Nay wait vpon God and presse vpon him by prayer to performe his promise vpon this condition Elisha being to forgo his Master asked him that his spirit might be doubled vpon him Elia told him it was hard to grant howbeit if he saw him at their parting he should Now what did Elisha did he start from him Could any thing deuide him No he would be sure to keep the condition of the grant and so did For seeing Elia to ascend he cryed My father my father the Horsemen of Israel and the Chariots thereof and so in taking vp the cloake of his Master hee receaued his Spirit doubled Oh that this wisedome were in vs Rather the sinne of our hearers is after they haue spent a great part of their life in getting the condition they are so farre from heartening themselues to beleeue that God will perfect the worke of faith with power that they are ready to float betweene these two the Condition and the Performance If they be vrged to beleeue they fly to the condition saying yea if I had the condition but I am farre from mourning c. If they be vrged to the condition then they answer yea if I could beleeue as if these were works of our owne not the Lords rather the one contrary to the other then agreeable I end therefore with this caueat Let not the Deuill deceaue thee about thy condition and then hold what thou hast and let nothing so beguile thee as to deny Gods grace and so doing plead with the Lord humbly that he would not frustrate thy hope of which hee hath giuen thee such a pledge and in his best seasoÌ„ he wil assuredly answer thee Q. Now come to the latter branch What is it to cast the soule vpon a promise or to beleeue A. It is the last worke of the Calling Spirit of GOD wherby an humbled sinner doth cast himselfe vpon this Word of God Be reconciled come and drinke come and I will ease you or the like offer will charge or promise of God for pardon and life This point is of all others the chiefe and therefore I choze to refer it to this place as the vse of all that hath beene spoken ioyntly considered for wee know a fiuefold cord is not easily broken and yet no one twist thereof might well bee spared Fiue diuers grounds haue beene handled in this second part First God the Father our enemy hath cut off his plea and found out our deliuerance Secondly The Lord Iesus accordingly hath satisfied the iustice of God that mercy might haue free course by the procuring of a righteousnes Thirdly God the Father accepts this for a poore sinner as if hee in person had satisfied and therefore offers it to the soule most vnfeignedly without hooke or crooke Fourthly He offers him not nakedly but with all his rich furniture to draw the soule to fasten vpon him Fifthly He offers him to each poore member of his Church there to dwell for euer both in grace and Glory Now conclude I demand what one linke of all this chaine were not strong enough to draw the heart to settle it selfe vpon it And yet I must say this That the Word promise of God is the immediate thing which faith relyes vpon although strengthened with all the rest A little therefore of the nature of this promise Q. How many things are required to this consideration A. Two in generall The one to gage the promise and offer of God as a mariner would sound the depth of the Sea lest his ship should be on ground to see whether it be able to beare the weight of the soule or no and answer all her distempers and feares fully The second if it appeare that it is able to susteine it then to rely and cast it selfe vpon it confidently for her owne pardon and saluation Q. How shall the soule rightly gage the depth and strength of the offer and promise which it cannot reach A. Although the mariner cannot himselfe by his owne fadom touch the bottome of the Sea yet by his line and plummet hee can sound it as well as if hee could reach it with his hand and so fasten his Anchor vpon it so heere the plummet and cable of the Word wherein this strength and depth lyes will helpe vs to find it out so farre as may serue our turne The hand of fayth touches the depth of mercy conteined in the offer by the direction of the Spirit in the Word which tells vs what is contained therein Q How many things are conteyned in it A. Many things of which by the way I gaue a touch in Article three but heere I will open further Looke thither and see what I sayd of the freedome and Simplicity of the offer Now adde more touching the nature of the Word of promise which is Gods expression of the offer at the full Three things then the soule must looke at to bottome it selfe vpon the promise of Reconciliation and deliuerance First The wisedome of the Lord. Secondly The strength Thirdly The faythfulnes all which as sure grounds the Lord hath hidden in the promise of mercy to a poore sinner that is vnder the condition Q. What is the first the wisedome of GOD in the promise A. I may say of it as the Holy Ghost sayd of Salomon when hee called for a Sword to cut the Child All Israel sawe that God hath put the spirit of wisedome into him to doe iustice So God hath shewed all wisedome in the promise to settle the soule And that in two respects first of himselfe secondly of vs In respect of himselfe because in reuealing his heart of loue to the soule onely heerby and no other way he teacheth vs that he who is God onely wise 1 Tim. 1.17 could in the depth of his counsell find out no other way so wise and sufficient as this to ground the soule in sure peace towards him Christ and the promise in him was that which seemed the wisest of all wayes in the thought of God especially to vs vnder the Gospell See Heb. 1.1 After sundry wayes the Lord spake to our Fathers in darke times as dreames Vrim visions but now by his Sonne and Word the engrauen forme c. Note how this course is called the best and wisest and holdingest of all as hauing more in it then all the rest Oh! we would thinke in our shallownes that one from the dead Angels or reuelations were better But wisedome it selfe hath pitcht vpon this way all things considred as the wisest of 〈◊〉 Secondly in respect of vs For it is suche way as callâ—â— vs to fayth a promise hauing relation to beleeuing it without wch it cannot profit vs. Now if it bee without vs how wâ—â—e a way is it to quash and dampe our base spirit of Selfe-conceit and selfe endeauor and to abase our pride that he who boasteth might boast in the
hinder or crosse it No it ended the strife and scared away all the traytors Oh! beware then that thou crosse not the Lord in his promise to make him a lyer Q. These are strong grounds How should the soule rely on them Are there any directions for this A. Fayth should in these respects doe these things First shee ought to ponder well and muse vpon the promise Secondly be thorowly conuinced thereby in her heart of all these grounds Thirdly she should cleaue close to the promise against all obiections Fourthly she should humbly and wholy obey and consent to the promise And lastly she ought to plead the promise and improoue it to her owne peace Q. These are sweete duties What is the first of them A. To ponder a promise Pondering is when a man lifts any thing to esteeme what weight it beares so ought fayth to doe with the promise And that in these three kinds First to marke it Men giue no heed to Gods promises they lye hid in the Word and are made no otherwise of then as other common passages It is long before an hearer remember one of forty till some crosse driue them in as with an hammer and then perhaps he remembers some one A fearefull sinne read Esay 8.8 Ahaz slighted the promise of GOD the Prophet tels him Is it not enough for yee to slight a Prophet but God in a Prophet not marking what he promises Lo I will therefore make a promise to my Church and it shall bee marked A Virgin shall conceaue a Sonne c. Lo the cause of vnbeliefe in many is their giddinesse they are so full of froth that holy promises are as a vaine thing to them as the Law was a vaine thing in Hse 8.12 And the Word to them in Iames Doe the Scriptures speake in vaine noting the wildnesse of the heart and how the foole hauing seene this glasse forgets the Lords face Oh! the giddinesse of minde euen the wild-goose chase of the most of vs in hearing promises But beware Heb. 2.1 that ye set suâ—h a marke vpon a promise and offer of God that it may be the fayrest flower in the garden of God in your eyes The eye of the soule must guide the heart in beleeuing Set a starre vpon the margin of a speciall promise Buy that booke that culs out promises of note in this kinde Euen as euery spoonefull put into a full vessell runnes ouer though the vessell bee sound so heere looke therefore that your vessels bee empty also if ye would marke the promise lest GOD bee speaking in your cast and yee bee not aware I speake to you of my owne Congregation not without cause lest the precious promises ye haue heard leake out and this of Reconciliation in Christ and the offer of it The second is Musing of a promise chewing vpon the end of it as the cleane beast hauing obserued some of the choyce texts of Gods offer or promise annexed dwell vpon it â— the heart is the arme which must weigh a promise duely Therefore it s sayd of Mary She pondred the Angels words in her heart So did they Iona. 3.9 Oh! if God turne from his anger we shall not perish but liue in his sight This is the taking of Gods perswasions and allurements and benefits offred vs in the promise into our consideration as the Merchant Math. 12.44 he went aside and hid the pearle nourishing the gaine of mercy pardon heauen as a child would hold a sweete thing vnder the palate It is the putting of Gods cords rags vnder our armeholes that the Spirit may draw vs out of our dungeon with ease Oh! this is a riddle to men Many will marke for the time present who can not bee brought further but sticke at the birth and haue no strength to bring forth The common answer is Oh! wee cannot meditate No for the diuell knowes if ye could doe so yee might meete the Lord to settle you vpon the promise Let them whom this concernes weigh it well lest they lay heapes vpon heapes and dye of thirst Rid your soules of other scurffe get matter of promises about yee separate your selues Prou. 18.2 for this is a part of Gods worship and cannot bee done in the workes of our calling the throng of other businesse The Lord blesse this to vs And lastly make the Word of the promise familiar by frequency get it by heart till it be eazy As a man hauing many friends yet hath some one hee makes his bosome friend to whom he powres out his whole heart as Ionathan Dauid did 1 Sam. 20.41 So did Dauid make the promise his Counceller and companion Ps 119.24 And so should we do As if a man that hath a suit or a crazy body will powre out all into the bosome of a Surgeon or Doctor of Phisicke he will hide nothing but tell them his whole heart Oh! wee boast that the Minister of God knowes least of our minde But if we deale so with Gods promises we are like to fare worse Oh how seldome are our doubts and feares powred into the bosome of this companion How would it stay vs and speake to our hearts In the feare of God let not the offer and promise of God be strangers to vs. Q. What is the second worke of the soule A. To bee conuinced of whatsoeuer hath beene sayd of the wisedome strength and truth of God in offring and promising pardon to a sinner See Ioh. 16.9 The Gospell shall conuince the heart of righteousnes This followeth the former Due weighing will cause the soule to see the whole heart and meaning of God in a promise and to bee vnder the authority and euidence thereof Else no beleeuing Heb. 11.1 fayth is called an euidence and demonstration as light at midday conuinces the eye of it selfe So heere the soule must see God nakedly in his promise as in a mirror see 2 Cor. 3. last Ver. As the virgin is conuinced that her husband is the man aboue all other layde out for her As it s sayd of Laban Gen. 24.57 when hee saw how matters stood betweene the seruants message and Rebeccas affection sayd Wee can say neyther more nor lesse against it for this thing is of the Lord. This grace is the worke of the Spirit making the soule to begin to thinke Surely I am the partie whom GOD meanes for I haue the condition wrought and I see hee is plaine and hath no subtilty but is as he seemes hence a secret insinuation of heart arizes I may bee the soulâ— whom GOD will pardon for whom should hee meane but such a one as I Open it a little by the like At the Assises when prisoners are examined by the Iudge the euidences are called forth to declare against theÌ„ for thâ—ft or murder now when they are sworne and witnessed the Iudge telles them they are but dead men Why The Iudge saw them not rob or kill No but he lyes vnder thâ— conuiction of
remember that Iesus Christ Hob. 13.8 is yesterday and to day and the fame in the order of his grace for euer Otherwise the sodering with the Lord shall cause ye much sorrow and yet you must come backe this way when all is done Thirdly let this be admonition to all poore soules or others Vse 3 who would obteine this grace to rely vpon the promise of the Gospell to pardon and peace both abhor all let of this grace and vse all meanes to get it The first among other lets let these be auoyded first take heed of resting in deuout complaints of the want of fayth For although there is an holy complayning of Gods people as we see Esay 63.15 where the Church laments her hard heart in the Lords bosome asking Where are thy bowels c yet sure it is the common trade of complaynts come from a corrupt heart of ease loth to be informed and searched to the quicke Good complaynts made in season to such as can ease vs from the depth of a broken heart is a great friend to faith but counterfeict complaynts are the greatest lets thereof Therefore in stead of our compaints let vs do as Ester did at Mordecai his request Mourne sayth he and spare not but rest not there in any conditions of fayth Rest not in the handmayd but goe to the Lord and his promise to end the question And so did Ester Ester 4.16 5â— she complayned of her weaknes but rested not in that but went to the King saying If I perish I perish and so found the Golden Scepter held out to her The second let is Take heed of Sloth and ease when the Lord hath brought thee within sight of his promise consult not with sloth which slayes the soule but looke vp to the Lord for assisting grace to hold on the vse of meanes and so to finish his worke Thus Gedion hauing begun to pursue Zeba and Zalmunna would not stoppe his course nor the worke of GOD by reuenging them of Succoth and Penuel Iudg. 8 7. but first dispatcht one thing and then returned to the other Most wise in this was Eliezer when the question was about his stay for Rebecca ten dayes No sayth hee seeing the Lord hath prospered me Gen. 24.56 hinder me not And so preueâ—ting danger of delay carried her away with him instantly So the merchant in the purchase of the pearle If in any good thing then aboue all in this dallying is dangerous The Apostle 2. Cor. 6.2 hauing pressed the receyuing of the offer dwels vpon this for hee sayth This is the accepted time and day of Saluation It is the diuels Maygame to see men make shipwracke in the Hauen Doe not by a lazy heart with the Lord Act. 24.25 as Felix did with Paul speaking of the iudgement day put him to another time which neuer came Few there be but haue their season from God take heed of dallying with it lest God deny it or an heart when thou perhaps wouldst haue thy heart neuer so open Our nature is to seeke grace most when its most out of season But that is Gods season to deny Mat. 25.9 Pro. 1.28 Q. Are there any more lets in this vse of admonition A. Yea the third is ouermuch filling of our hands with the delights of this earth as lawfull liberties pleasures wealth credit Farmes Oxen Wife posterity These are as the Sea-eatings of the banks downe and destroying all See Luke 14.18 It is as if a man a drowning should hold his gold so fast that hee cannot take hold of a pole to saue his life or as if ones hand coud not receiue a pearle being full of nut-shels Come to fasten vpon the promise empty-headed hearted and handed Oh that the deuill did not bleare mens eyes with this vnder the colour of lawfulnesse What although yee might win the world if ye lose your soules They may be lost aswell by winning it in an excesse of liberty as against conscience If ye haue shot the gulfe take heed ye be not drownd in a shallow Obserue thy selfe and thou shalt finde that when thou goest from an eager pursuit of thy beloued vanities for so are liberties if abuzed as all the wotd is vnsauory so especially the promise of Reconciliation If thou wilt sauor that well let all other Phil. 3.18 euen the best blessings be as drosse to it Q. What else A. Especially take heed lest a worse thing Heb. 12.15 euen a roote of bitternesse spring not vp to defile thee Goe not to the doctrine of Reconciliation with a surfet of any priuy lust which thou wouldst not gladly know and forgoe for the promise For this will so defile thee that whatsoeuer commeth in the way thereof will be defiled Read Ioh. 3.19 in the end They hated light because their workes were euill they would not be rid of them Nothing marres Gods bargaine so much as the presage that it will cut off our lusts You that read this in Gods feare weigh it In my poore experience I haue seene this euill that many professors some by a peeuish spitefull preiudicate heart to be won by no meanes others by the pride in gifts selfeloue others their vncleane dallyings loosenesse in company others and the most by the thorne of couetuousnesse haue choked most fayre hopes of fayth but these haue kept the heart in warping One such gourd to the pottage one such dead fly in the oyntment marres all The diuell can with one lust chase away ten graces So it is when the heart is enclined to bee vaine in talke curious in toyes and fashions but aboue all when it is surfeited with hollownesse and vses it selfe to speake or doe as Balaam did Num. 23. who would beare himselfe out to make conscience but in alâ— a rotten heart followed him to his ruine This bitter roote is discerned two-waies First when its naturallest of all vices as we know Twichgrasse and May-weede will ouergrow the soyle that is giuen to it Secondly the oft returne of the same sinne after the seeming departure of it Read and ponder that of the end of him whom the vncleane spirit cast out once returned to with seuen times more strength and looke vp to God against it Q. Is there any more A. The last at the least which I will touch is vnwillingnesse to submit to Gods way of beleeuing I discourage none but warne onely Men looke God should wayt vpon vs and fill vs with goodnesse while wee are ydle if our hearts can be in frame and as we would God shall haue our good word but we are loth to bee too farre downe But learne to know the Lords way and yeeld humbly to it in vse of meanes and be not our owne caruers Those that saile vpon the Sea are vp in the cloudes and downe in the depths suddenly Get an heart to trade with the Lord according to his way And as it is fearefull to be alway dead and not
by faith in me Note the phrase Iustification is much ascribed to faith As Act. 13.38 Rom. 5.1 Rom. 3.25 but heere sanctification also So Act. 15. Hauing purified their hearts by faith 1. Pet. 1.22 And Saint Peter Hauing purified your harts by faith to the obedience of the Gospell Yea the Apostle Paul Ephes 1.13 seems to make faith to bee the instrument of the spirit sealing the soule After ye had beleeued ye were sealed by the spirit of promise faith attending the Spirit in beleeuing the promise it selfe doth further attend also the seale of it and applies both to the soule The reason is because although the seale is aboue a word yet it 's by a word and with it and not else Q But here it a great scruple how faith should be the apprehender of both these at once viz forgiuenesse of sinne and renuing of the soule For who sees not how wide a difference there is betweene receauing a thing without vs as imputation of righteousnesse and a thing really inherent in our natures as the image of God and renouation A. I grant the point needeth due consideration yet as the Lord shall guide me I will endeauour to answer it And seeing the truth hereof is as cleere in the Scripâ—ure as any one therefore the manner thereof wil the better be found out To this end note that faith being the instrument of the spirit in both the acts of regeneration I meane reconciling and renuing doth of necessity attend the worke of the spirit in both If then it be true which I sayd that the spirit reades a lecture of the Couenant to the Soule according to the whole purpose thereof then needes must faith do likewise euen follow the direction of the spirit in applying them equally to her selfe for faith is as the eye of the handmaid to the Mistres that is do that which the spirit suggesteth and takes all which the Lord offers her euen the Lord Iesus at once and wholly If the spirit say take Christ both for pardon and sanctification lo it takes him for both together of the former there is no doubt Let vs see for the latter Eph. 1.18 the Apostle prayes that the eyes of the mindes being enlightned by faith they might ver 19 20. see the exceeding powerfull and mighty worke of the Lord Iesus in them that beleeue that is whaâ— hee can doe by the power of his death and resurrection So in Eph. 3. end he praies that they might haue Christ dwel in their harts by faith that so they might comprehend his length and depth that is take him as hee is to the soule and haue the knowledge of him that passeth all knowledge beeing filled with his fulnesse So that faith takes the Lord Iesus in his fulnesse that shee might bee compleate in him both for mercy and sanctification So if we looke Ioh. 17. vlt. As thou O Father art in mee and I in thee so thy loue may be in them and I in them Marke Christ is not onely offred to the elect to be for them in pardon but to be in them to dwell to rule to comand to exercise power ouercorruption and for gouernment to bee as a soule in the body to act guide and beare sway in them as the branches in the vine out of which they wither so that the promise offers Christ both for vnion of reconciliation and also Communion and influence of grace In both which she takes him for he is not diuided a pearle is little worth being broken Now then looke how the hand of the Prophet was vpon the Kings in shooâ—ing so is the hand of the Spirit vpon the soule in beleeuing and as the hand of the writer vpon the learner to frame it his way so is the spirit vpon faiths hand And as the wax takes all the whoâ—e print of the seale so doth faith of the promise by the hand of the spirit So that although its certaine that nothing is more vnlike than the things themselues which faith applies in the manner of apllication the one taking a grace onely imputed and resting onely in the act of God casting forgiuenesse vpon the soule without any addition of inherent goodnesse to it the other taking Christ as infused and dwelling in the powers of the soule yet this puts no difference vpon the apprehension of faith seeing with one hand and one act both the Lord offers them the Spirit ioynes them the soule beleeues them The spirit is that which doth order these two benefits and settles them vpon the soule and in the soule but faith with one hand and act doth receiue them according to the seuerall vse and seruice as the spirit pleases to apply them It pleases the law to conveigh a Copy-hold by Court roll and a free hold by other conveyance of writing seale deliuery and possession but the same hand takes the copy and receaues the liuery and season So heere Q. What doth faith in the application of this Gift of Reneuation or the new creature A. Two things It workes the heart to be renued by an argumentation See 2. Cor. 5.14 For the loue of Christ constraineth vs because wee thus iudge c. Marke faith iudges the matter aright and passes a sound verduict vpon it If Christ haue so loued vs how should our soules earne toward him in all conformity to his blessed nature faith is in this as in all other respects a deepe Logician shee argues for God strongly shee brings euidence vnanswerable for him that as a she carries about her the marke of a diuine cause beeing the most Divine worke of God that ever hee did since the Creation above all the gifts of Adam and ayming at a better end so she carryes also strong reason to move the soule to bee like to her workeman and to resemble his holy nature The word constreine vs signifies such an hemming in as of the beast in a Pound or Pinfold that is put into it and câ—nnot get out by any euasion so doth faith controll the heart that it cannot wind out must needs yeeld to bee as hee who hath imputed his righteousnesse to forgiue her that is righteous and holy The very savour and instinct of faith tends to holinesse she serves to abandon nature to set vp holines in the soule As she settles an imputed holinesse to iustifie from Christ so she cannot rest till she her selfe partake it within Such things as are alway lying among sweets cannot chuse but resemble and sauour thereof Faith comes from the divine breath of God and is his gift therefore cannot degenerate but as riuers flow from the sea and runne thither so doth faith come from God and returnes to him shee sins not till shee haue so pleaded for God that she haue drawne the heart to sauor him in his holinesse And secondly by infusion She is the Tunnel of the spirit to convey the renuing of the holy Ghost into the soule As the hand of the workman
God Rom. 12. so also our liuing righteously holily and soberly in this present life sometime our seruing him in feare all our dayes sometimes the hauing of a good conscience Act. 25.1 and lastly Iam. 3.13 the holding out of a good conuersation See Matth. 5.16 So 1 Pet. 3.2 that seeing the good conuersation c. Read also Eph. 5.8 2. Pet. 3.11 What manner of conuersation c. Q. What meane you by this word onely our open carriage in the view of the world A. No but the round or wheele of our whole life within or without towards God or man As appeares by that in Heb. 13.5 let the course be without couetousnesse by which hee doth not onely condemne open oppression or vsury but the wheele of the thoughts affections and endeauours of couetousnesse Q. How many things are to bee considered in the opening heereof A. Two things first the Circumstances secondly the Substance of this conuersation Q. How many circumstances belong to it A. Some concerne the persons who must lead this conuersation some the conuersation it selfe Q. What are the former A. That this conuersation bindes all sorts equally to the good behauiour without prescription or exception and that in mens seuerall estates conditions relations Estates as in prosperity or aduersity Iob 1. Thou speakest like a foolish woman Shall wee serue God for good and not for euill Conditions as in each trade or calling each common respect of sexe age each condition of degree inferiour superior each sexe whereto adde all other regards as time place publike or priuate occasions and accidents be falling as either alone or with others at home abroad and the like Lastly relations as Masters seruants parents children husbands wiues Magistrates Subiects our selues or strangers within our roofes and so of the like A maine and great enclozure at once cutting off the infinite obiections and cauills arising from such personall respects Some would exempt themselues by their greatnesse as our common speech imports they are very good folkes for so noble or so rich or in such place Why thy place puts vpon thee so much the greater seruice Others pretend their meannesse as if the Lord ouersaw them as motes in the Sun so many poore seruants in great houses thinke that the Sabboth and religion is for their Masters as for them they shall bee passed by So some ignorant people alledge this new learning is for Schollers and so young ones excuse themselues by their greenenesse old ones by their feeblenesse c. But as this nett of obedience is strong enough for Lyons so the mashes of it are small enough for flyes Q. What are the latter A. Three Order Proportion and Beauty Q. What is the order of good conuersation A. That the chiefe and maine seruices of God bee preferred before the meaner in time and in priuiledge In time thus that first religious course be attended then worldly If a man should paint the body of a man and set his heeles vpward how disguised were it So for vs to go and moile our selues all day long and then at night with a dead heart and a drouzie spirit to fall to prayer oh how wofull This is out of order and a setting of cart before the horse since that should haue been first done and the belly attended after Mat. 6.32 first seeke the kingdome Secondly order of honour That is when two seruices met which cannot both be done at once that the lesser giue place to the greater Except necessity or mercy do hinder which is no breach of duty but an omission onely for the time and a returne vnto it in season And in this point a good conscience is the best interpreter Q. What is proportion A. When there is a sutablenesse betweene duty and duty In the members of the body when some one for the part exceedes the proportion of that part or of the other parts there is a disguizement As when the head is bigger then an head should be or bigger then other parts which should exceed it for example when men in their zeale exceed the rules of wisdome and are too hot and eager or when they are exceeding zealous for religion and the Sabboth but extreame cold and remisse in point of iustice and righteousnesse and keeping touch with men Secondly when there is no sutablenesse of harmony as in the body if one member bee comely another deformed â—he face comely the back crooked it 's a blemish So here when there is good behauiour between couples abroad but great oddes at home when men haue very good gifts to speake but very bad to practise none better in compassion to the poor none worse in matters of conscience toward God in their calling marriage or vse of libertie Abner was a very good Captaine to Saul but an adulterer Ioab to Dauid but a murtherer So the Prouerbe runneth hee is no mans foe saue his owne but loue must begin at home and issue to others Q. What is Beauty of conuersation A. As in the body beauty and amiablenesse ariseth from the good temper and fit coherence of parts so in conuersation beauty is that grace which ariseth from the giuing to each qutie her due respect not onely doing it but looking how as Rom. 12. the Apostle tels vs let him that giueth do it in simplicity hee that ruleth with diligence he that sheweth mercy with cheerefulnesse Eccles 8.1 wisedome makes the face to shine It is not the bare doing but the due tempering of it with the right quallity that sweetens it And where this due manner is generally obserued it makes the whole conuersation beautifull and sauory yea sets a lustre vpon it These three may serue for a taste of the rest Q. Now come to the substance of Conuersation To what heads may they be referred A. To these three especially Either those graces which do qualifie a good conuersation Or those subiect things wherein conuersatioÌ„ consists or the obiect which conuersatioÌ„ looks at Q. What are these graces of conuersation A. Some are generall qualifications of grace concerning euery part of conuersation one and another others are speciall gifts of the spirit seuerally belonging thereto as the actions of life requires Q. What are the generall A. To giue a tast of all by some of the chiefe they are either graces of quality or quantity the former seruing to the due manner the latter the due measure of holy conuersation And of the former sort are these I speak of som of the chief 1. Wisdome 2. Simplicity 3. Sincerity 4. Integrity 5. Faithfulnes of I doe which a word for opening of their natures remembring that not here write treatises but onely a view of things at largehandled in the ministry Q. What is Wisedome A. A grace of the soule whereby it draweth the sanctified knowledge of the mind to the particular vse of her conversation as occasion is offered Col. 3.16 And it is a determing of generals to specialls both of actions
and circumstances according to Christian rules of which see Phil. 4.6 Finally brethren whatsoeuer is pure good of good report c. Also it s a grace teaching him that hath it to keep a decorum in religions and outward conuersation as knowing what his person cōdition wil beare or refuse Lastly how to carry himselfe in the vse of things indifferent without excesse or defect how to vse Christian policy with simplicity purenes of conscience Q. What is Simplicity A. It is a grace of a renued soule looking at truths in the naked nature apprehending and iudging of them without all mixture or corruption of fleshly conceit and wisdome and accordingly desirous to be informed of them as they are and to loue embrace and ensue them accordingly neither looking at the right hand or left I feare that as Satan tempted Eue so he tempt and lead you from the simplicity of the Gospell Q. What is Sincerity or Vprightnesse A. It is a grace of the Soule looking at the actions of Conuersation in respect of their right and true ends and therefore as it oppozeth al hypocrisie which is to do good with a squint look and mixture of our owne ends of credit gaine ease or content so it doth good with a pure ayme at Gods glory the honest discharge of duty and the good of others so as a man may haue good conscience in all things See 1. Cor. 1.12 and Act. 26.1 Iob 1. he abhorred to be an hireling This is called perfection viz. of parts not degrees Q. What is faithfulnesse A It properly respects the due manner of conuersation that it be holy and approouing what is accepted howbeit properly it hath a respect to opposition For as we say of a good and faithfull seruant wee dare trust him with vntold gold meaning although we see them not so this grace is such an honesty as puts God in security not to reuolt from him or warp notwithstanding baytes to allure or terrors to discourage or dangers to deferre either by threats error of the wicked collapsed times or provocations from our own false hearts Reu. 2.13 and Reu. 3.8 Thou hast kept my word and not denyed Mat. 25. Well done good and faithfull seruant It 's also taken for sincerity Act. 16.15 Q. What is integrity and what grace of the soule is it A. An equall and whole vprightnesse of it towards all the Commandements of God without partiality or taking exception Psal 119.6 When I haue respect vnto thy commandements It is contrary to that halting of spirit with God and patchery of a false heart whereby it affords God a maymed sacrifice in some duties forward that come on the right side but such as finde not fauor in our eyes reiecting them Q. What are the Graces of quantity or measure A. They may be referred to two Prosperity and Constancy Q. What is Prosperity A. A grace of the soule compounded of many in a word the welfare of a soule in respect of degrees and measures of grace And it hath three parts first Rootednesse secondly Fruitfulnesse thirdly Growth Rootednesse of the soule is a grace contrary to staggering and slightnesse whereby it is both grounded wel in knowledge for direction of life and setled in grace for full purpose and resolution of obedience See that of 1 Cor. 15. ult unmoveable So elsewhere the word of stablishing and setlednesse in the grace of the Gospell is used Also 11.23 That with full purpose of heart they would cleave to the Lord. Secondly Fruitfulnesse is a grace issuing from rootednesse whereby the soule is abundant in the worke of God and full of the fruits of weldoing The contrary is barrennesse and emptinesse when the soule scants the Lord in his due as if he were an hard Master The effect of it is to auoid unprofitablenesse in the knowledge of our Lord Iesus 2 Pet. 1.8 Read for this grace 1 Cor. 15. ult The third is the fruit of both to wit Groth and encrease For as wee see it to be in trees when they are once well fastned in the earth rooted we looke they should beare fruit and then that in so bearing they waxe and grow in height and bredth and fruite so is it here Groth is a grace of the soule by which it encreases by due steps degrees to that fulnesse of the measure of Christ according to the proportion of the part Ephe. 4.15 Pet. ult Luk. 8.8 And it commonly is the effect of the meanes of grace blessed to the beleeving soule as 1 Pet. 2.2 Now then of these three stands Prosperity which is the spirituall gladnesse and laughter of the thriving soule 3 Iohn 2. Thy soule prospereth that is apparently is fat and well liking in goodnesse as those three children Dan. 1. and as we say the corne and hops laugh upon the ground and poles that beare them And it is a grace of the soule rooted fruitfull and growing whereby it beareth marke in the sight of all Act. 15.23 that it goes well with i◠to Godward and is cheerefull full of health vigor and contentment saying thus What I am I would be and wish no better Q. What is Continuance A. A grace of measure in the soule whereby it gives not in nor is faint or weary in weldoing and its contrary to staggering sloth and ease It hath two branches the first is firmenesse and resolution in the truth Col. 4 12. The other respects the course or wheele of conversation and it is either a going on and on from duty to duty with strength and purpose Psal 119.57 and long-breathednesse Psal 84 7. and Heb. 12.1 Run the race with patience set before thee taking alwayes in good part thicke and thin and not fainting in affliction and troubles Or else it is small Perseverance the fruit of the former for by a continuing in well-doing Rom. 2.7 and accounting each day a peece of our journey home at length we attaine the end of our hope and the issue of our faith and combat This grace hath the honour of all the rest not because the rest are inferiour to it but because it hath the lot above all the rest to stand next to the doore of salvation and to let in the soule thither See Mat. 24.13 14. Revel 2.10 And thus much of the Graces qualifying good conversation generally Q. What are the particulars that immediately helpe conversation A. All the sanctifying graces of the spirit of God according to the peculiar use they have in conversation as some are more proper for one use some for another and all for some or other Thus faith is a grace for the just to live by to God in the world hope is a grace to beare up in streights patience in an affliction thankfulnesse in blessings moderation in lawfull liberties innocency and righteousnesse in the common life of men love generally helpes all in a word each grace doth more or lesse serue for the enabling of the soule
to a well a bearing of it selfe towards God man or selfe Of these I speake no more onely I would adde one thing That graces of the spirit serve not onely to take up the residence within and no more but mightily to strengthen the soule to all spirituall or externall conversation see that Col. 1.11 Strengthned by the might of his power unto all long-suffring with joyfulnesse and well pleasing c. Hence it is that Eph. 6. Paul reckons up speciall graces of the spirit as the compleat harneis of a Christian I will open this by a similitude I told yee that Conversation is like a wheele Note then As in a Wheele there be three parts the nave the spokes and the round so here the nave is compared to the spirit of regeneration or the new creature of which in Article 1. the spokes are these graces I have named issuing from the nave and fastned to the round for as these staves doe unite the strength of the nave to the round and carry the strength thereof to each part of the wheele which else would breake and split in sunder so these graces of the spirit of Christ are the staffe of our life and the very support of our conversation and wheele of our course As for example Take away knowledg from the use of our liberties faith from the Sacraments or Word love from visiting the sicke mercy from almes where shall these parts of conversation become And thus much of this first part of the substance of conversation in graces Q. What is the second part of the substance hereof A. It is the consideration of the Subject who is to lead this conversation that is the regenerate person Now looke what the severall instruments are by which a Christian doth and must ordinarily converse those are the subject in which it stands and therefore had neede to be accordingly qualified Q. What are they and how many A. Three Thoughts Affections and Actions Q. What are the Thoughts and what rules are there for the frame of their conversation A. Thoughts are the first movers in the soule and from them issueth either good or bad life see Pro. 4.23 so our Saviour That which defiles a man comes from within as evill thoughts Mat. 15.19 They are the master-wheele If a man be envious and malicious Psal 36.4 his thoughts devise mischiefe upon his bed if the course be covetous the thoughts first set them on fire they pierce them through with cares 1 Tim. 6.10 So in the rest Therefore it being granted that we speake of the new Creature who hath purified already his soule to obedience let these rules serve to frame his commonwealth of thoughts aright First let our continuall care be to keepe the through-fare of the soule free from them as by pardon of them Acts 8.22 so by purging of them daily from that vanity prophanenesse disorder endlesnesse and other sins thereof which makes the conversation vaine 1 Pet. 1.18 Eph. 4.24 put off the old man of deceitfull lusts Secondly Iere 4.14 Mica 6.5 labour to season thy imagination and the doores of thy sences eyes and eares with holy meditations of God his Church his Will and Promises Psal 1.2 In the Law of God he meditates day and night Psal 19. ult Let the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be alway acceptable Thirdly watch over these thoughts as men doe for theeves and aske whence they come and whither they will ere they passe yea keepe the whole prison the streighter for the sake of thy thoughts because if the ringleaders breake loose all the rest follow them Pro. 4.23 And the doore of the thoughts had neede be kept as well as the tongue Psal 141.3 yea and keepe in holy thoughts that they goe not out as fast as they come in Eze. 46.9 So fourthly attend seriously upon holy objects to fixe the imagination upon good things Esay 26.3 which is the way to beat off the swarme of these flyes Above all looke to the maine worke of Renuing and let all thy springs be in the Lord Psal 87.7 even the root of thy whole conversation which is the spring of thy thoughts and this will cause the branches and streames to be holy and cause thee to dwell upon meditation and to be heauenly minded Q. How is the wheele of Affections to be guided A. The Affections are the wheeles of the soule indeed anâ— upon them the soule is either hurried to evill or led to good Little doe most men thinke how they are carried by these their passions by each object Sometime by love by joy by hope on the right hand otherwhiles by feare by sorrow by anger pitty or the like rare is that man who venters not upon the sea of conversation with the broken barke of Affections It may be said of them as of that ancient Where they doe well none better where ill none worse Heathens were faint to abandon them quite the Stoicks I meane for the pudder they found by them and to deny all affection and so put out their eyes and cut off their hands and feete for feare of offending them But the Scriptures afford more grace than so therefore first weigh well how hardly the best escape the violence of them Note how Dauid disguizeth himselfe suddenly in swearing Nabals death vpon his defeate 1. Sam. 25.13 Ioh. 18.10 how soone Malchus his eare is smitten off by Peter in his passion how soone fire from heauen is sent for by the discontenâ—ed disciples Luk 9.54 So also Dauids rashnesse to Nathan 2 Sam. 12.5 which he must needes blush for So by the beholding of Bathsheba how soone was a fire kindled but long in quenching How suddenly Iosh 7. did the babilonish garment fire the heart of Achan The newes of Absoloms death pierce and disguise Dauid 2 King 5.20 Not to speake of Gehazi his sudden following Naaman Felix his hope of a bribe from Paul the disciples excesse of sorrow vpon a word speaking by Christ that foolish pity of Ahab vpon the men of Benhadads errand the extreame feare of the women vpon the Angels words All these Cloudes of witnesses shew the vnbridlednes of the passions and therefore should prepare vs with earnestnesse to preuent them Secondly yet note how affections are as soone vp in armes if the heart be well seasoned and stablished with grace How soone was Peter mooued with holy feare vpon the draught of fishes Luk. 5.8 How easily was the poore blind man rayzed vp in the depth of loue to the Lord Iesus how soone was sorrow wrought in the hearts of three thousand murtherers at once by Peters preaching how presently was compassion mooued in Peter and Iohn toward the cripple Act. 3.4 how quickly was zeale stirred vp in Phineas against Zimri and Cosbi Numb 25.11 and so may bee said of the rest Thirdly therefore let vs nourish the fire of the holy Ghost kindled in vs in our first regeneration and apply it
daily to the shaming purging out and consuming of these lusts Gal. 5.24 Bring them as the heifer in sacrifice to the hornes of the altar and binde them thereto that they breake not loose And call vpon the Lord for his spirit that the arrowes of the Almighty may be in vs and the power of Christs death might be as venom to giue these lusts the deadly blow and bane and to drinke vp the sin of these affections in vs Let it seriously smite our hearts and let our affections take reuenge vpon vs forth Corruption of our affections Let vs not excuse our selues for our nature for that defends a lesser sinne by a greater for what can be more wofull then when sinne by custome hath hardned vs to a nature Remember wee how hideous effects these wild beastes haue wrought in our liues I say our wealth our inordinate loue our mirth our sorrow feare and indignation How might Dauid with sorrow haue recorded his distemper against innocent Mephibosheth 2 Sam. 19.29 Hezekiah his great ioy and iollity in the comming of those Embassadors Esay 39.2 and the truth is the greatest woe and repentance which euer betided vs in our life may well be fathered vpon our passions Some bringing themselues by them to needles suits of Law pursuits of enemies losse of their estates fines imprisonments a brand of reproach among men as not to be liued with and if not so yet a continuall bondage of spirit and vnfitnesse to any good either to calling prayer bearing of our crosses or family and marriage duties and all by our inordinate passions Fourthly let vs apply the merit and looke at the example of the Lord Iesus in all the whole conuersation of his affections how holy was his zeale against those defilers of the Temple Mat. 21.12 his loue to that young mans forwardnesse Mat. 23.13 hatred of those hipocrites the Scribes and Pharisees sorrow for our sinnes in the garden cheerefulnesse in conuerse withall sorts to winne theme weeping for Lazarus pity to the poore widdowes dead only sonne Luk. 7.13 Oh! the sauor of his example and merit of his affections who as hee abhorred all stupor of heart so neuer faulted in the euennes temper measure of them either in the defect or excesse should rauish vs and excite vs if true members to purchase the like we should euen conceiue holy heate of spirit before these rods Fifthly when we haue got these good affections learne wee to take a due marke of the right obiects of our affections and that will shame vs when by loosing or mistaking our right marke we doe fasten them basely and indirectly Our anger is to good to be set vpon carnall reuenge it will serue to be imployed about Gods dishonour Ephes 4.26 our loue is too good for base lusts mony and pleasures Psa 118.1 it is made for the Lord and for his Saints Psal 16.2 Our hope of a vaine Paradise heere is better set vpon heauen 1 Cor. 15.19 and so might I say of our sorrow that it best befits sinne our owne and the times If we would thus direct our affections they would start backe when other obiects lay clayme to them Lastly let our maine direction be to get our soules settled in peace in the sweete assurance of our Reconciliation with God and that we know the worst that can befall vs that no sinne sorrow or enâ—my can depriue vs of that crowne and this peace will calme vs and rule our spirits that neither feare nor hope shall much vnsettle vs but we shall possesse our soules in patience in the midst of all distempers As a wicked heart casts vp mire and dirt like the Sea so the affections of the godly are calme and quiet and the wheele of the Conuersation goes on in a most wel ordered manner And so much for these Q. What rules giue you for the third of actions A. Herein wee can giue no particuler rules because they are infinite but bring the generall rules to particular and incident occasions Therefore for the ordering of this conuersation let those foure vsuall golden rules direct vs that wee as neere as we can look to first our grounds secondly to the due manner Thirdly the true measure fourthly the right ends of our actions Touching which the lesse may serue because they trench vpon some former rules Q. Touching the first what is it to be grounded A. To be sure we haue a word to shew for our warrant either in doing or not doing or suspending for although the action may proue bad in the form which is good in the nature of it yet that which is bad in the ground and nature cannot be possibly well done For without knowledge the heart is naught Pro. 19.2 2 Pet. 1.19 Now the word will passe censure vpon it either directly or by consequent and therefore we must attend to this light especially in darke places And if wee cannot informe our selues alone through ignorance we must make it a booke case and aduise by all meanes with other for truth lyes deepe sometimes This is a maine ground and is exceedingly transgressed I wil not here insist vpon them as go against light because the godly abhorre it while they are themselues but euen of them many sorts faile 1. Some wil do many things vpon custome and taking your grounds for granted when yet they haue none These are to be informed that they may know themselues to do well as well as do that which is good without thank 2. Others do many things in the twi-light hit they misse they not vpon assured ground not considering that as well that which is done without faith is sin as that which is against it 3. Many take vp grounds onely in their generality and faile in the particular determining of the generall to their occasion and so sometime exceed sometime limit the word whereas they should go according to the word closely in the extent of it Thus many limit the 2. commandement to grosse idolatry of Pagans securely go on in your own idolatry wil-worship as the Papists Others take their own preiudice deuotion good meanings to be good grounds as blind people And lastly others corrupt the ground by false glosses these sundry waies 1. By adulterating the word both of rule and example in scripture and making it sound as they list This is to crooke the rule and then work by it thus those Pharisees 2. By corrupt error of mens traditions as in 1 Pet. 1.18 receaued from the father alledging Vox populi vox Dei but it is not a common cry can ground an action 2. By Satans cunning and dice-play as he dealt with Eue ye shall not dye Gen. 3.4 Thirdly the imposture of our owne hearts easily beleeuing it lawfull which we eagerly desire and so bribing the iudgement to giue in a false verduict to deceiue vs as the messenger that went for Micaia 1 King 22. and as a bribed iudge will
couert for their hollownesse bearing the world in hand that they beleeue loue God feare him are very renewd ones and new Creatures yet cast dung in the face of God and religion liuing still vnreformed in their conuersation What thinke ye to bleare the eyes of men because they cannot gage your hearts hath not the Lord once for all said it By your fruits ye shall know them Doe men gather Grapes of thornes or Figs of thistles can a rush grow without mire Can a man vnrenued in his course still an old man walke with God in an holy conuersation And who so walks in a rotten one can he be a new creature Oh! if yee be such new creatures if ye haue slaine the Agag of old Adam What meane the bleating of the sheepe and lowing of the oxen how is it that your tongues your marriages families liberties companies haue shaken off Gods yoke where is your inward or outward conuersation with God either in the life of faith or of communion and duty where is your integrity and sincerity Oh! that yee would no longer cast dung into the face of God and cease to blaspheme him before prophane ones Psa 50.20 Why take ye the Word of God into your mouthes and eares hating to be reformed Why doth this generation swarme so in these dayes of powerlesse profession hauing a forme of godlinesse but hating to be reformed This easie religion of yours shall one day scare ye ye shaâ—l wish your portion might fal into the lot of Sodom and Gomorra and such as neuer knew God! Hell shall be seuen times more hot for ye then others and when yee shall cry Haue not wee preached and professed thy Name the Lord shall answer Depart from me ye workers of iniquity Consider this ye that forget God! think that ye see the Lyon of the tribe of Iuda rending hypocrits in peeces with more fiercenesse than Publicans and then conclude with Dauid He that prayseth me glorifies me To him that orders his Conuersation aright thou wilt shew the saluation God Who would not then see this saluatirn thou in the meane season walke in this conuersation Vse 3 Thirdly it should be Vse of Instruction to all Gods new creatures to bethinke them of their worke and to stirre up the grace of God bestowed upon them in their renuing Oh! the dayes we live in are not for such a conversation as is here laid out Since the Scriptures taught this the world hath found out a breadth in Gods narrow scarse is the image of it to be seene any where in the world At Church men seeme to give way to heare it and will not deny it but still they hold their owne course the Minister cannot follow them up and downe their houses their marquets and businesse to see what conversation they lead and being left to themselus the law of a new creature is forgotten they know a farre easier way to walke this is an hard way beset with thornes they have no joy in it Oh! hast thou received the spirit of renewing into thee Then the yoke of God is easie and his burden is light Cast off thy owne mixtures doe not pullbacke thy shoulder desire no more ease then others of Gods people have felt It s Gods way the way that Abraham Isaac and Iacob David Peter Paul walked the way which Iesus Christ himselfe hath chalked out if it be tedious it is so to thy old man to whom thou art no debtor thou art redeem'd from him and his old conversation thy thoughts affections members tongue feet fences are not thine owne except thou be the old mans still but his that thou mightst now serve in the newnesse of the spirit not the oldnesse of the letter Therefore be not thine owne take some time goe into thy closet and parlee with thy soule whose am I if old Adams still the Lord requires no such cost at my hands as this no man can yeelde to this conversation that is not renewed I were a foole to bereave my selfe of my lusts and liberties if I be no new creature But am I one truely then I must walke in all this conversation uprightly and entirely though never so weakly Lord Iam. 3.13 read it let it finde favour in mine eyes let it not seeme tedious thou canst make it easie and sweet let mee trust thee but to divide the things and remove those bounds which thou hast ioyned and pitched and no good man none but an hypocrite durst ever seperate Lord let me not do it Lastly Let it provoke each good heart to seeke to excell in Vse 4 this fruit of a new creature Now in this dead time in which it is out of date wherein rather it s a reproach and burden to walke thus then otherwise yet let us labour to excell when even wise Virgins some of them remove this image of â—od into the back-roomes of their heart and suffer it not to rule their spirit as formerly but serve the Lord as the time will suffer not as the rule of conversation teaches oh now beare witnesse to the Lord and dance before the Arke of this his truth and if this be to be vile be more vile trust God for credit and parts and employments and content of life and cleave to the conscience of conversation And if it be hard in such a world to hold out this power of religion beg first of the Lord that he would direct thee diminish not Ier. 19.13 Ps 119.133 nor adde to his rule but deny thy selfe say Lord the worke is great it is not in man to order his way doe thou O Lord order it for me All thy Disciples are regulars and no seculars although no Papists and therefore let not me walke as a Masterlesse person but by rule Shall Jesuits teach their novices such exact obedience and cannot the Lord teach it thee yes if thou wilt sit at his feet and learne If all that I haue said will rauish thy heart with this frame of God and make thee cry out with the Queene of Sheba beholding the order of Salomons household and conuersation 1 Lin. 10 4 5 6. Oh! how happy are those thy seruants who dayly stand before thy face to see thy wisedome Oh! but a greater than Salomon is here and an order of far greater buty Oh that it could beat thee out of concelt with the disorder of thy old course in which thou neuer foundest peace but confused and let it vrge thee in thy vtter inability hereunto Pfal 119. Psa 143.5 to goe to God with Dauid and pray Direct me Oh Lord in the paths of thy Testimonies Lead me into the good way and let thy good Spirit conduct mee into the land of righteousnesse send forth thy light and truth shew mee the view and order of this conuersation make it sweet to my mouth as honey and let thy Angel of the Couenant go before and guide mee by the Piller of fire and Cloud
perfect freedome yea meate and drinke Ier. 31.33 Eze. 36.27 according to that Ierem. 31. I will write my Law in their hearts and cause them to walke in my Statutes that is put strength of mine owne into them to agree with my Rule and stoope to my Scepter Kings command their people but serue themselues upon their strength cannot put any into them but Christ is serued by his owne Q. What hath he done for vs as our Prophet A. His Prophecy commeth yet neerer to the matter in hand for although all that I have said be to be supposed ere the Law can direct vs yet the actuall worke of direction issueth from his Prophecie And first by a Declaring and secondly by a Reuealing Worke. The Declaring worke is a witnessing to the soule that he is the true Lord and Comman-of his People Esay 55.4 that he rules his law as by his scepter that all his Preisthood and merit ends in his kingdome and obedience that it is his honour that all knees bow to him and that they kisse the Sonne that hee is the obiect of it through whom the Father is honoured that true Liberty stands not in hauing our wil but in putting on this yoke and who so doth otherwise deceives himselfe But secondly by his Reuealing worke by this hee directs the soule and sets the steps of it as Luk. 1.79 in peace by this he vses the tenor of his Law to be a liuely finger to point out duty for euery occasion and to frame the soule to draw his Law to euery need and vse in the life according to that 1 Ioh. 2 20.27 Ye haue an vnction from the Holy one who telleth you all things And in Esay 30.21 Their eares shall heare a voyce behinde them saying This is the way walke in it This is a Revealing with direction by which the soule sees the vse of Christ in euery Commandement and is led on by him as her Guide thereby as if an Oracle should speake from heauen Esay 55. A Leader and Commander to his people vers 4. And thus a Christian may see how the Commandements of the Morall Law are the directions of Christ and how he is the Law-giver of the soule in them all and till this bee conceiued it is no wonder if we account them as a strange thing Hos 8.12 But by this meanes familiar Q. I conceiue now how Christ hath made his Law a direction to godly life now come to the directions themselues what are they A. They concerne either God himselfe in the 1. Table as his inward worship of feare confidence and setting him vp to be our God alone in the first Or our outward reasonable seruice and worship of him in pure manner in the second Or our faithfull abearing our selues in all holinesse in such actions of common life as are not immediate worship in the third for I referre oathes and vowes to the second which I desire wise Readers to thinke of or the set day of our Worship vpon one day of seuen since the eighth day was turned into Gods day or the Christian Sabbath and that in the fourth Or else our neighbour and our selues in the other six Subiection to all Superiority in the fifth Maintaining his pretious life as being better than all that follow in the sixth Of his Chastity in the seuenth His Estate in the eighth His Name in the ninth The tenth forbidding not onely that Concupiscence which reaches to the detriment of our neighbor but vnder that as most sensible to vs all that wicked propension and bent of nature before actuall sinne whereby originally we are prone to all vnâ—ustice and impiety and intemperance Concerning which as hauing said enough in the second Arâ—icle of Conuersation and it being no part of my purpose to repeat what hath been written by so many learned faithful Writers I omit to say any more only contenting my selfe to lay downsome briefe rules how the Law is to be conceiued the Minister of Christ for righteousnesse and so to conclude the Article with breefe vses Q Mention then some of these Rules A. First that all the Lawes of Christ must be vnderstood to be of another manner of force and authority than the Lawes of men euen the greatest for they are limited with exceptions in all kindes and doe but reach to the outward man and penalties thereof But these doe reach to the conscience and they binde the inner man God whom wee haue to doe with seeing the soule in her vtmost retirednesse as a thing naked Heb. 4.13 and his word being pure as himselfe and piercing betweene the ioynts and marrow Heb. 4.12 and therefore there he sets vp his Throne and there is no evasion from him Secondly Let vs know that his Commands are not idle things and arbitrary which we may obey at our curtesie or if not yet God is as a weake King for whom his Subjects are too strong as Ioab and Abisâ—ai for David but reall Lawes from an authority that both knowes offenders and can punish them yea which accurseth all transgressours and will not hold them guiltlesse Heb. 12. ult a consuming fire as the manner of his uttering them Exod. 20. in earthquakes and thunder shewed and therefore be we afraid to provoke him and yet he is a God able to gratifie his obedient ones in ample manner even to a thousand generations and it s not to be neglected that both kind of sanctions are expressed in so short a view Thirdly obserue that the commands of the second Table are the edicts of the same God whose the first are Iam. 12.11 and therefore in which the Lord takes himselfe as much either honoured or not as the first which I speake lest any should cavill and thinke that 1 Sam. 2.25 If man sinne against man a man may iudge but if against the Lord who shall entreat to be meant of morall offences No but onely of common discurtesies and offences or breaches which are in mens power to release For even those sinnes of Eli's Sonnes were against women and yet he tels them the Lord tooke them as against himselfe So that although men be the object of the second Table yet not the last into which the morrall offence is carried and therefore it is not in man to release any more of it then his owne damage the rest the Lord onely can remit as the sinne is of equall guilt so the forgiver must be of equall power Fourthly the Law must be alwayes understood according to the scope even as every other part of the Word as promises and threats Wee must not rest in the bare letter and so destrow the life and spirit of the Law How shoud ten words include all our conversation except the letter of the Law be enlarged to the meaning of the Law-giver The Law then rests in the true intent of it Therefore as for all Pharisaicall licentious or prophane wretches who doe limit this Law and acknowledge no more
without wearinesse Q. Are all these equall in excellency A. No as the Lord hath planted such a light in the Sunne as giues light to all inferiour Planets so hath he giuen to the Ministry of the Word an eminency aboue the rest so that therefrom as the begetter of faith and grace doth issue all ability and strength to other ordâ—nances The Moone may helpe a traueller when the Sunne is absent yet shee hath but a borrowed light therefrom So haue other ordinances of the Sacraments prayer conference and the like their foyson from the Word preached which I speake not to diminish the rest for all haue their speciall vse and each of them with the word are aboue it onely the Sacraments in their sealing property and priuate duties in their peculiâ—r familiarity although if comparison be made the Word preached hath the preheminence Rom. 10.14 See Numh. 29. where the chiefe ordiâ—ances are vrged Q. What vses serue these for A. As I said for the builning vp and preparing the soule for euery good worke and the perfecting of sanctification in the feare of the Lord 1 Cor. 6.1 Q. I would heare them named and distinguished A. It is not the purpose of this view to make common places of any thing which as many others haue excellently performed the seuen treatises especially so to omit them I desire my reading Auditors to reuiew those seueral Scriptures vpon which all these haue beene at large handled as the Doctrine of fasting vpon Mat. 6.6 of publike thanksgiuing vpon Lament 3 23. of hearing aright vpon Esay 55.3 of the Sacraments vpon 1 Pet. 3.21 by the way and largely vpon 1 Cor. 11.28 of experience vpon Lament 3.27 of watchfulnes Mat. 24 42. And so of Communion and assembling Psa 133. and Heb. 10.25 To giue euen a little of these Sermons would fill the booke which is now much fuller than I meant yet for the desire of your good somewhat of fiue or sixe of the chiefe their nature and vse in the helping to godlinesse And first to distinguish them They are either priuate or publike and both these sorts are equally either ordinary or extraordinary Being wee with the latter and they are either fasting or thanksgiuing Q. What is Fasting A. A solemne ordinance of God attended with rest and abstinence wherein the Church lawfully assembled to heare and pray doth powre out her soule in selfe-affliction and supplication with importunity for the turning away of some great present or imminent sinne and danger Q. And what is Thankâ—giuing A. A sollemne ordinance of God wherein the Church lawfully assembled powres out her selfe in prayses and thanks for some rare blessings and deliuerances And let this also bee vnderstood of priuate in both extraordinary kinds termes being obserued Q. And what are the publike ordinary A. The Word read and preached with prayer and the administration of Baptisme and the Supper Q. What are the priuate ordinary A. Prayer family duties reading the word meditation conference and the like Q. What is the Word preached A. It is a publike eminent ordinance wherein the Minister lawfully deputed doth distinctly and soundly read the Word giue the sence ground the Doctrine and conuincingly apply it by instruction reproofe confutation and exhortation Q. What is the Sacrament of Baptisme A. The former Sacrament of the New Testament wherein by due application of water to the infant all Christ is sealed vp to the soule for regeneration Q. What is the Sacrament of the Supper A. The second in order in which by due giuing and receiuing of bread wine the Lord Iesus is wholy giuen and taken by the beleeuing soule to be nourished to eternall life Q. What is priuate Payer A. A lifting vp of the heart to God in the name Iesus Christ in confession and supplication for the pardon of sinne the granting of all good things and acknowledging of mercies already receiued Q. What is Meditation A. A serious reuiuing of these truths we haue heard or the administrations of God towards vs or others that both mind and heart being seasoned with the sauour thereof we may be furthered thereby to duty Q. What is Conference A. A wise and louing laying together by two or more of such things as concerne the glory of God and our spirituall edifying for mutual information quickning I ayme in these descriptions rather at the good then the humour and conceit of my reader and that by way of digression and by these let the rest be aymed at Q. Now that which you most ayme at being to show how all these make for the groth of the soule in godlinesse let mee heare you treat of it in particuler A. I will giue a view of some of the chiefe and so hasten to end with vse First for that of hearing the Word bee sure thou hast true right to the blessing of it This Article of the meanes belongs onely to the new creature to further him in his course else the word cannot build thee except first it haue begot thee See 1 Pet. 2.3 If ye haue tasted how gracious the Lord is then come to the Word to grow by it Else it will poison thee if thou bee impure nothing is pure Eph. 4 22.23 .. If ye haue knowne the truth as it is in Iesus then come and put off c. Secondly prize and couet it Prize it as that word which hath beene the seed of immortality and glory vnto thee It will be no hard worke to prize it if thou haue found it so in the former vnto thee For this experience will send thee to the Word with all reuerence and esteeme saying where shall I finde such treasure as here It is my life and the food thereof no Market can afford that ware that the Word offereth if thy heart be not lost in profits and pleasures froth and ease but prizeth aboue all things the grace of an holy conuersation surely that word will be precious that directs to it This made Dauid thinke himselfe in a store house and treasury when he came to the Word because it serued to order all his matters Now if it bee precious it will be couetâ—d hungred after attended with al heed yea snatcht with violence as precious things are 1 Pet. 2.2 Couet and eagerly tugge at the Word as the child at brest Sleepe not wander not gaze not but attend the Gates and Posts of Wisedome and Vnderstanding if thou lookest they should preserue thee Thirdly come from an holy course and practise when thou commest to heare Come not from thine owne course of wrath world selfe purge these first 1 Pet. 2.1 and so come Repent of all old sinnes of heauing thy triflings and dallyings with the Word thy base mixtures and come from a good course and so the Word shall send thee backe to it with more strength and grace than thou camest Who is he that eates the sauoriest meale The idle sluggish one No the strong laborer toyled worne
with work he feeds hard and goes to his work better then he came from it To him that hath shal be giuen Fourthly deny thy selfe and thy own wisedome partialities preiudices of man of gifts of ordinances if the Lord will haue the Minister forget all his one for Gods ends and for euidence of conuiction how much more thou Oh! come without thy selfe and say Speake Lord for thy seruant heareth Incline mine eare to heare and to be meeke teachable simple as the babe Esay 55.4 and remember if the Lord haue giuen thee all to be thine Cephas Paul Apollo do not thou say onely one is thine Set the Lord aboue man gifts and thy owne depth be a foole that thou mayst be wise Fifthly beleeue God 1. See and ponder Mic. 2.7 the end That in his Word this direction to be life is to be found search the Scriptures Iob. 6. for therin ye looke to haue eternall life let nothing come betweene thee and it and lot vpon it as thy portion for thy vse against thy lets Secondly That he can guide his Word peculiarly to doe thee good and speake to thy soule though thou bee but one of many hearers The Lord Iesus that great Steward of Gods prouisions hath giuen in charge to his steward Luk. 12.42 to giue thee thy demensum whether weake or strong milke or meate correction and instruction for crosses or blessings be thy need what it will hee will finde out for euery member of his houshold Thirdly mixe the word with faith beleeue it obey it feare it see God true in it in al his promises charges and threats and stand ready to catch that part of it which is thine as the tradesman stands ready with his mould to catch the molten mettall to frame his vessell looke not at omens wants but bring thy owne that when any thing falles from God thou maist catch it vp for thy vse Be humble and tremble at it Esay 28.7 and 66.5 weaned from the brests Striue not so to catch at shadowes to bring away al each pretty speech that thou forget to carâ—y away thy owne due which is euer the best part of the Sermon for thee As he said to his sonnes I leaue you my Kingdome but looke to find it to you as you are to it so I say come to the Word with your wants and mixe it with faith and it shall bee so vnto you Lastly depart from hearing as well apaid well fed keepe your charge loose it not in the ayre of the world carry it with you into each part of the world but let nothing rob yee of it and so musing of it after applying it to occasions which are many and going to it againe with reuiewing that is past wait still for more take forth a new lesson dayly haue an eare to heare where God hath a tongue to speake loose not one vnder another 2 Ioh. 8. and so sanctifie all with praier and I see not but in spite of Satan the hearing of the Word may especially helpe thee on to an holy course Q. Giue also some direction about the Sacraments A. The former of them is Baptisme To omit all other take these few notes about it First as it should teach all that bring their infants to dedicate their Children to God by prayer when they bring them to this sceale so especially let all others that solemnly attend the Sacrament there recall to mind how the Lord hath been aforehand with them in like sort euen hanging his badge vpon them when they were cut off and knew it not let them now being hearers of the Couenant fetch from it the sealing power of it to assure their soules that the Lord meanes them well beleeuing that in this Lauer the Lord Iesus was conueyed to them not one for a matriculation into visible Communion but for effectuall Calling them to be the sonnes and daughters of the Almighty Let it by faith carry their fearfull weake hearts into the assurance of Gods Couenant that pardon and adoption is theirs union and ingrafting is theirs and into the Baptisme of the holy Ghost and fire which is the new Creature and the grace thereof And secondly Let them hold the Lord sure to them in this Couenant by this seale as a Corporation would hold their liberties by the Kingâ— Broad Seale And when the Deuill fils thee with doubts â—bout thy Conuersion the condition of faith the beleeuing in the promise strength to a godly life flye to thy Baptisme as thy vttermost assurance and say If the Lord werâ— found of an Infant that could not seeke him and gaue me hâ—â— seale that he would saue mee what will hee doe now I seeke him faithfully Can he now turne from me who first sought mee No except I despise his cognizance and runne from him When thou lookest vpon his Rayne-bow in the Clouds thou fearest no floud any more but Baptisme is better 1 Pet. 3.18 it 's Gods Arke which by water saues thee from perishing by the waters of Gods wrath rest thy soule in an holy quiet and secure right and title to all which the Lord giues his Church in Christ of which part 2. Artic. 5. Remember that the Spirit by faith doth as really dip and drench thy soule with his pure water Ezek. 35.25 to rinse away thy guilt blemish and câ—rse of sinne and to quicken thee vp to the life of the new creature in righteousnesse as by his Ministers hand hee dips thee into and tâ—kes thee out of the water Know that Gods Ordinances are no vaine things as Saint Iames of the word so I say of this Seale Doth the Scripture speake in vaine So doth Baptisme seale in vaine No they are Tunnels by faith to powre into the soule regeneration Touching Infants what God is able to blesse Baptisme vnto in them I say not this I say that as Baptisme doth them no good by faith so yet it settles vpon the elect ones the reals of Christ Adoption and Holinesse and the fruit of Election though neither onely seeing they may dye before it nor necessarily for they may enioy it after but yet really to so many as or when as it seemes good to the Lord of it to vse it to that end And let vs beleeue that the poorer this Iorden is in respect of that Popish Ahana and Pharfar and the stronger shall be the spirit of God in it to cause thy flâ—sh to returne as a little childes that thou maist be cleane Marke then if one great stop in a Christians conversation stands in distrust about the truth of his estate in both parts of Gods Couenant how can that which secureth the heart of it chuse but be a singular helpe to faith and godlinesse Q. How is the Supper such an helpe A. Thus First the soule knowing that God doth sustaine her by the same whereby he begat her doth vpon this Baptisme receiued with holy confidence goe to the Lord for her due nourishment by and
in him Saying thus Oh Lord I am thine save mee Psal 119.94 Of thee I am who art made vnto me not onely Righteousnesse but Sanctification with growth and encrease in it I come therefore to plead my right in all humility If I had neuer come to birth or to the light I had so bin at an end but seeing thou hast not denied me the life of a child of thine doe not leaue mee to shift but Lord bring mee vp at thy cost and let mee haue my portion from thy Table and my daily bread from thy hand And as a good Parent thinkes it little to keepe the life of his childe that it sterue not but hee allowes all things for comfort as well as neede if hee be able that it may liue and prosper and grow vp and be like in him and enioy what hee hath to giue it when the due time is come so O Lord deale thou much more with thy seruant in Grace till Glory My Baptisme I already enioy in the death and life of Christ to make methine O Lord let also his Bloud Grace and Spirit run in the veines of my soule to strengthen me in the inner man with all long-suffering and well-pleasing and ioyfulnesse all grace of thy new Creature let it be mine As thou art in the Father so let mee bee thine as thou art Gods let mee be Christs dwell thou in mee and let mee dwell in thee by thy Spirit and grow vprighter stronger and holier while I haue a day to liue Let thy Sacrament of the Supper nourish mee also to eternall life Secondly Prepare thy soule to this feast of the mountains Esay 25. as oft as thou commest which must be oft 1 Cor. 11.29 30. and come not without thy feast Apparell And let this be one Rule vnto thee Doe not catch vp this Robe on the sudden but weare it daily betweene Sacrament and Sacrament Thy father is a King who can beteeme and maintaine thee to weare thy best clothes each day of the weeke and make thy Friday better than the poore mans holiday That faith in the Lord Iesus thou walkest or wouldest come with to the Supper liue by it daily Christ is the same in the promise and the Seale That Repentance thou walkest with to the Sacrament practise it daily better is a Souldier taken out of a Garrison than new prest That broken heart thou wouldest faine haue in the searching and lamenting of thy sinnes nourish daily he that in a great frost would keepe the yee thin must keepe it broken euery day So thou thy soule-issues lest thine heart harden That desire thou hast after Christ Sacramentall or wouldest nourish in the promise daily hunger and thirst each houre after him else it will not be with thy soule as with thy body that many hungry meales will make the next a glutton but rather thy emptinesse will make thee senselesse of it If thou wouldest not thinke it a burthen to doe thus Oh how sweet should preparation to the Supper bee to thee which now is tedious Thirdly Being thus come to the Supper set thy faith on worke say thus I know no Deuill in hell can seuer Iesus Emanuell my meat and drinke from these Elements but his Word hath vnited them for euer Why oh my soule hath the Lord care of Bread and Wine Or is it that by Sacramentall vnion with them as sensible he might vnite himselfe with me spiritually and really in this Seale of his that my impatient worldly dead distrustfull heart might bee purged and I filled with the Lord Iesus my Food and Restauratiue in all graces of Regeneration and that in a full festiuall manner Lord if I by vnbeleefe doe not no diuill can diuorce thy Christ Sacramentall from me Fourthly Seeing him there thine take him eat and drinke him and enioy him let thy soule apply him to thee for that thou lackest and hee serueth that is to supply thy wants where the hedge is lowest with thee to pare off thy superfluous part to fill vp and supply thy decayes and voydnesse I meane such gifts or graces as concerne thee either in thy particular calling or in thy generall beware thou doe not streighten this feast bring not thy owne browne bread in thy pocket scant not his bounty but take it as hee offers it by so much the more meet for him to giue by how much more thou unworthy And how much this feast seemes in thy eye to come short of Popish Masse-Christ for they giue him to God and take none of him from God by so much the more let it be to thee a spirituall Banquet of all refined Wines and fat things and if thou canst feed with the Saints thou needst care for Papists whom if thou didst sup with they would robbe thee of thy drinke which were to choke thee with thy meat Fifthly Lest thou shouldst stagger about thy right and part herein remember the end of the Sacrament is to rid thee of this feare For why it is Gods seale to the Couenant of his Grace to make thee his Sonne and Daughter and to sanctifie thee it s his vttermost security for any outward one nay it s his Instrument of conveying the greatest measure of his Spirit vnto thee Distrust him not in his cheefe euidence As a man when hee hath sealed up deliuered his writings and giuen vp the possession of all to thee can doe no more so this is Gods vttermost evidence whereby he hath made Iesus thy Sanctification and grouth in it as sure as heauen can make it Sixthly Hauing so receiued it liue by him depart as one well satisfied enlarge him both for number and measure of grouth to all parts of thy life all estates graces duties And in the strength of this Cake and Water 1 King 19.6 7. goe to thy iourney euen 40 dayes till thou come to the Horeb of heauen hold this thy comfort by prayer and watching and till thou come to a new bait liue vpon this and from one to another till thou grow to thy measure And so doing who can deny the Supper to be a cheefe helpe to goodnesse Q. May the like be said of the rest either publike or priuate as reading singing of Psalmes conference prayer meditation if yea then shew how and first of prayer A. For Prayer in a word to touch it and gather one or two eares out of an haruest of matter let me be conceiued to speak of it in each kind sauing due respects for breuity sake First then Retaine this heauenly ordinance of God in that due esteeme which the Lord hath graced it with for all ends both of humiliation and supplication The Lord and thy soule by experience doe know it to bee the key of all the coffers oâ— God and that High Priests liuing way made by the bloud of Christ whereby thou hast accesse daily yesterday to day and euer the oftner the welcomer to the holy of Holies to the seat of Mercy
Maintaine and hold this right and Title of thine Thinke not that this Spirit of Grace and Supplication is spent though thou see not God so clearely in it for all ends as thou desirest yet giue it not ouer thy sinne hath bound thee in cheynes but Prayer is not bound rather it bindeth the Lord by promise to thee The eare of God is not heauy that hee should not heare Hee is not as a man that he should be distracted by multitude of praying Suppliants at once a thousand to him are as one and one as a thousand Beware of Atheisme in this kinde Secondly Goe in the Lord Iesus by a promise hauing thy wants in a readinesse and thy faith on wing let not thy course in praying issue from a formall platforme though I iudge not any man for reading a prayer but a liuely feeling and humble pinching of soule for thy Necessities Thirdly shake off all extremities of a corrupt heart by faith which must hold thine eye fixed upon thy Mediator by his Spirit vpholding thy faintnesse and groning within thee against all thy presumptions commonnesse dulnesse deadnesse coldnesse and beseech the Lord to stirre thee vp to pray as he shall suggest vnto thee by the present occasion well digested either for the Church others or thy selfe Tye thy selfe to no punctualnesse but as the holy men in Scriptures have done so let confession sometimes goe before or follow prayer and either of both thankesgiuing Come not to the Lord with either an heart moyling and lowring with discontent without faith or bold and ventrous without humiliation but let both haue their due weight If thou wouldest be heauenly in prayer first abase thy selfe as a worme dust and ashes yea as Master Bradford hell and the sinke-hole before the Lord who is heauen and holinesse if the Lord haue any speciall draught for thy net he will put thee out of conceit with thy owne Art and thy selfe as Peter was when hee had toiled all night and catcht nothing Emptinesse is the onely raiser of our minds in prayer Oh! how hard is it to get and then secondly by faith be quickned to wait for 〈◊〉 â—nswer these two will fill thee with heauenly affections and rid thee of thine owne inuentions manner and ends Fourthly Adde these meet qualities of Prayer viz. fervent importunity as one whom God cannot bee rid of till thou speed and frequency as hauing sped well already If in prayer thou finde little stirring know it is not because Prayer is not Gods Ordinance but he would try whether forme and the worke done bee not aboue spirit and faith in thee if they be not persist and goe against the edge of thy owne deadnesse resting in that measure gladly which the Lord sees best for in this case thou wilt pray oftnest as 2 Cor. 12.10 Fifthly and aboue all come not to pray with any tainted knowne sin I say not onely grosse but euen secret and close through a lazy heart loth to cast them off or a loose heart louing them better than the things thou prayest for lest the Lord iustly leaue thee to be wearisome to him and thy selfe Cast out thy wrath and earth and disdaine and censures and vncharitablenesse yea let thy praying awe thee against them ere thou pray that it may arme thee when thou hast done Til prayer become thy familiar friend bring thee into acquaintance with God for a supply of wants pardon of daily sinnes helpe for all duties of conuersation And so looking vp to thine Aduocate for a couering of thy weakenesse this duty shall be a speciall helpe to godlinesse vnto thee Touching the Lords Prayer I send my Reader to the speciall Treatises thereof Q. Adde somewhat of meditation and leaue the rest A. Touching this Ordinance I may call it the high-way to all good conuersation yea I may say it 's as the smoke of the sacrifice in which the Angell Iudg. 13.20 went up to heauen in I set it not aboue prayer but magnifie it to set an edge vpon people who will not know it And surely if that be an helpe to God which both takes away lets and both in the act and effects of it is so admirable iudge what an helpe meditation is Tell mee then first what are the cheefe lets to grace in them who otherwise want not knowledge Surely either giddinesse of mind or vnsavourinesse of spirit The former like a sieve out of the water loseth all it gets suffers nothing either truths heard or workes seene to abide long in the heart But Meditation settles them in the Spirit that they leake not out Heb. 2.1 Thus the life of a thousand Sermons of mercies and occasions is preserued In stead of the latter it seasons the heart with the sap the life the savour of good things They are not heaps upon heaps leauing vs a thirst but we drink of them digest them and make our soules merry with them Euen as an enuious man so long chewes the cud of his malice in his bed till hee haue het his heart and deuised reuenge so is meditation a reall grace on the contrary and whetteth vpon the promises and works of God till it be fired with the love of them Againe it makes the meaning view scope and order both of particular doctrines and the whole frame of Religion to become our owne And lastly wee come hereby to the ease of practice the fruit hereof Experience so that if once we haue found crosses to doe vs good wee feare not when new ones approach if wee haue felt the gaine of a Sabbath we get a delight therein in a word whatsoeuer is easie it becomes sweete and therefore if this be worth somewhat to find the yoke of God easie and his burthen light as to say the truth it is the vpshot of goodnesse well may wee then say Meditation is a diuine helpe to a good course Oh! how it s to bee lamented that men know it not they get no matter to chew vpon they seperate not themselues to it thinking they may meditate while they â—e at worke they doe not curbe their wild and wandring hearts from other obiects and so this piece of Gods Worship is irkesome vnto them Thus much for a tast of some of the priuate Q. But are the extraordinary helpes so too A. There need be the lesse question of that because as their nature is more solemne so is their vse if they be attended accordingly And first that of Fasting Of which I say this that if wee esteeme that receit aboue all which doth cure a disease that no other medicine could then surely fasting deserues account Our Sauiour tels vs This kinde of Diuels goeth not out Mar. 9.29 saue by fasting and prayer that is all the ordinances of God are effectuall but this aboue all for this end Wherefore briefely whither we bring the Churches or our owne cases either sinnes or sorrowes before the Lord to be done away Let vs first arme
third part of the Catechisme such a conuersation also which is rare to finde such as no Pharise or hypocrite shall bee euer able to reach because hee neuer felt or tasted how good the Lord Iesus is How should Simon kisse anoynt wipe the feete of Iesus without his forgiuenesse Hee had little to forgiue and therefore little loue he made a dinner to Christ in courtesie but kissed him not nor anoynted him Looke vp to God now and see in what this whole view of the Catechisme stands Surely by the way of sinne and the Law to carry thee to fayth in the Lord Iesus The scope of this Treatise weigh well 1 Tim. 3. vlt. that the truth of Iesus may lead thee to an holy conuersation this is Christ Iesus the mystery of Godlinesse to feele such perswasion of vndecaying sweetnesse and such presence of this perswasion of loue as might tell thy deerest lusts Rom. 6.21 What fruit haue I had of ye yea make thee stinke before them as he sayd of Dauid that thou mightst bee Christs seruant for euer and that hee might pray reade meditate heare doe suffer obey in thee in his strength walke in all holy conuersation Endeauor it then and the more thou hast toyled with thine owne hands and skill and catcht nothing the more fall downe in the deepe experience of thy vtter nothing those nets of thine owne which thou hast sacrificed so long vnto lay them by and see the vanity of them saying Lord depart from me a sinfull wretch Cast thou out Lord on the right side of the Shiâ— Thou that hast all the fish in the lake at command to bâ—ing â—hem together all duties the whole worke of Conuersation to go through with ease and delight O Lord Iesus do thou all my workes in me Esay 26.12 Secondly to this end be admonished not to rest onely Vse 3 in this that thou hast fayth suppose it be true except also thou haue learned the truth of fayth as it is in Iesus As thou hast receaued from the Lord Iesus so walke Remember to stirre vp that spirit of Christ in thee which was once giuen thee let it not lye dead in thee I dispute no questions 2 Tim. 1.14 how farre the abilities of the regenerate reach in point of concurrence with the Grace of the Spirit I dare not thinke that the Spirit puts the reyne out of his owne hand and sway into ours or that he is euer tyed to worke in vs he may desert vs for a time to abase vs much lesse that our principle is actiue from vs as our selues It s enough that he as our actiue principle must worke the will and the deed in vs and do all for vs and that he hath betrusted vs with such an instrumentall ability and influence from himselfe as is endued with fitnes to this Holy conuersation and more then so hath giuen vs the hand of faith to iogge his arme continually to assist vs binding himselfe by promise till wee giue him ouer not so forsake vs in his assistance if we will plead our liberty Oh happy they that can he will not be wanting to vs If when we sought him not he found vs and finding Esay 65.1 reconciled vs to himselfe by his death how much more shall he by his life saue vs and giue vs the hand to helpe vs ouer this great hill of conuersation that so wee reape the fruit of holines eternall life Oh let vs put forth our soules to this worke It is the workeman that must make the Sawe to cut Rom. 5.9 10 Rom. 6.22 by framing it to such a power and cut with it when he hath done Both are his yron cannot make it selfe sharpe alone and beeing sharpe cannot cut alone nor apply it selfe to the wood or stone so heere yet remember he that hath put an instrumentall power into ours soule to obey hath also created the life of fayth in vs to stirre this arme of the Spirit to draw this Sawe ouer our wood and stone that wee may 〈…〉 performe obedience Oh that any who euer sought the Lord for fayth should hang it vp till it rust and neuer set it on worke by prayer selfe deniall and diligence Let vs not bee of the mind of them who thinke themselues safe if once they haue fayth they doubt not but she will set her selfe on worke whether wee be sleeping or waking No no he that will not saue thee for thy obedience will yet saue thee by it and he that doth neyther of both for thee will yet do neyther without thee but he will so bow thy soule to a sweet liberty of loue and delight to obey and to such a confidence in his promise to be enabled yea such a perswasion within thy selfe to encourage that beeing mooued and acted thou shalt act and worke together with his grace thy owne saluation Be not wanting then to such a principle of life and motion in thee Vse 3 Lastly watch to thy selfe duly and dayly and to this worke of conuersation and way that God hath chalked out for thee Do as those Numb 9.19 who attended the watch of the Lord day and night ready vpon the least wauing of the Cloud or fire from the Tabernacle to remooue and vpon the first rest hereof to stand still As the Apostle neuer thinkes himselfe to haue pressed a duty well when he vrges to pray or read or heare or bee armed except hee adde this too Watch thereto Eph. 6.18 1. Pet. 5.8 1. Cor. 16.13 So say I Obey and watch to it walke with GOD in this wheele of thy course and watch to it be aware of each turne of the wheele each duty occasion liberty seruice else it will be in vaine to know it if thy loines bee not girt and thy lampe alway burning to it If GOD haue once purged thy foule heart and seasoned it for thee keepe it so he did it not with much adoo that thou shouldst vndoo it all at once by thy ease and sloth world pleasures wearinesse and the like Let the wise Virgins take heed of nodding in this night of the age we liue it Let them watch to their worke let them see how they grow downeward in rooting and setlednesse vpward in fruitfulnesse skill ease and experience resolution and full purpose of heart to cleaue to God And by so doing wee shall watch to the comming also of our Lord Iesus to translate vs from this our poore walking with him to be with him and to be rid of all our clogs which hinder vs from so doing and goe from this our doing Gods will as it is in heauen to doe it in Heauen Neuer was greater cause for vs to long for this comming then in these times wherein not only we are letted by Satan and the world from our duties I meane the seruice of the time and the grace of our conuersation Oh how well shall it be the when not onely Goates and Sheepe shall for euer be parted but the sad carriage and strangenesse of sheepe to sheepe bee both forgiuen and remoued where Luther and Zuinglius as one sayd where Cranmer and Hooper where Ridley and Sandeâ—s shall accord for euer in perfect amity Come Lord Iesus come quickly Amen Giue God the praise FINIS LONDON Printed by I. N. for SAMVEL MAN dwelling at the signe of the Swanne in Pauls Church-yard 1632.
loathsome and he is chastned with paine in the multitude of his bones his life abhorres bread his flâ—sh is consumed his soule drawes neere the graue v. 19 20 21 22. Oh thus body and soule by sympathy must stoop vnder wrath when God frownes all parts haue sinned and all must smart Psal 39.11 When thou art angry for sin man is made as a garment moth-eaten The Lord Iesus himselfe could not escape it his soule was heauy to death he sweet drops of blood he thought God quite gone from him And yet this at the worst is better then any other of the three I spake of And this we haue seene and daily do in men in spite of these hardned times the Lord breakes in vpon some and makes the sins of youth and age before them Oh that we could see the fruit of it after To this I adde The Lord doth this more or lesse in the soule I purposely say so because God is not tied in his course to any set measure hee can restraine or enlarge as hee pleaseth Many vnder a good Ministry or teaching hauing little felt this way of God doubt of their humiliatioÌ„ but if they can prooue that the Lord hath hidden the violeÌ„ce of terror by long frequent trayning that heere there the Lord hath reuealed himselfe more or lesse to them with fruit to be desired let it not trouble theÌ„ More vsually the Lord deales thus with soked sinners that they might vomit the morsels which they haue long taken in that by this course their change might be more apparant and for euer these markes of God might abide in their flesh to awe and bridle them yet I say God is not tyed I haue noted greater terrors in the choisest educations as the case hath stood then in openest Profanenesse Fourthly and lastly I say the act of this law is in all this to cast downe the soule at the feet of God For as I said there is in nature an intolerable bearing vp of a mans selfe in his estate a priding of himselfe boldnesse boasting of his sinne he is so farre from being ashamed that till the Law come home to him thus he is aliue read Rom. 7.9 that is iolly iocant meâ—râ— as the foole that casts arrowes darts and saith Am not I in sport A sinners Crowne is not his bare sin in corners and by stealth that his woe his law but his crown is his liberty of spirit in it to doe what he list to run ride talke practise to drinke sweare lye coozen and no man controll him This is to be aliue note the phrase and to say My selfe am my owne my tongue my own I am bond to none see Ioh. 8. ver 33 a free man to go and do as I list as he said liberty is to liue as a man list The crown of a drunkard or adulterer is to reuell and tosse and defile himselfe without feare as the Pope who may carry innumerable soules to hell with him and who shall say What dost thou Now I say this iollity and boldnesse and pride in sin the Lord in his Ministery of the law resists and that he doth when by all I haue spoken hee pulles downe this sinner vpon his knees cast his crown in the dirt dismounts him as he did Saul from his palfrey Act. 9. and the desperate Iaylor in his profanenesse and cruelty Act. 16.27 and those killers of Christ Act. 2. saying Lord what wilt thou haue me to doe Oh then hath wrath ceazed vpon the soule when it hath killed this iollity and let out this pleurisy out of it And hence it s cald the sacrificing knife sharper then any two-edged sword the killing letter Rom. 7.11 that which slew Paul not by mortification but by shedding the blood and bowels of sins iollity to the ground Oh when God comes thus into the conscience lo all is turned vpside down now I feel the vilenes of my pride now the wrath of God is vpon me for my couetousnesse now I feele this fire in my bones this sting of a serpent now I feele what it is to dare heauen and to liue like a masterlesse hound in the world â— King 22.25 Oh when that is verified which Micay told Zidkia Thou shalt be glad in that day to run from chamber to chamber to hide thee then thy pushing hornes thy scorne and pride shall be farre from thee When the Lord shall make him that durst act his parts vpon any stage now not to know what ground to stand vpon to become as if a mans body should hang in the ayre vnsusteined restlesse in it selfe not to be able to weild himselfe for the anguish confusion and agonies of a wounded spiriâ— Oh then the law hath done her part indeed and tamed former liberty and iollity in euill Examples are not wanting hereof in al places where this great Minister the law hath become But in the vse I shall apply it Q. And what secondly are the effects hereof vsually A. Among others these three apparantly First Stoppage of a course in euill openly SecoÌ„dly Inward vnsettling of a rotten peace Thirdly Holding downe the soule vnder bondage The first stopping in a course of euill This differs fâ—â—â— that effect of Prouidence whereby the Lord doth limit the number and measure of sin in the wicked for the preseruation of peace ande ciuill society for though that be a diuine work yet it s not the immediate worke of the law but either a Prouidence without a word or else by the generall power of the Word restraining sin but this is a speciall kind of restraint issuing from the work of the Law for the good of the soule so restrained And it is a lothsomnes of the soule finding no ioy in old courses beholding them with repenting and yrking of thoughts wishing them vndone and abhorring to returne to them through the terror of conscience being vnder this whip of the Law When horror lay vpon Saul Act. 9. his letters in his pocket and commission from the Priests and trade it self of pursiuantship was bitter no more of that for the present As the ague stirring the diseased humors makes that stomack loath a Partridge which before could haue eaten resty bacon so heer this terror makes the sweetest sin lothed which before deuoured all And although this be not grace yet the Lord is laying a beginning therof heerby in the soule which in due season may come to somewhat I remember a pretty speech of an Heathen in one of his Epistles who being sicke dare do as while he is well who then guzzles or is vncleane or railes or is couetous That is much truer of this soule sicknesse in which the stomack hath more list to vomit then to eate Now the reason of this worke is because while the soule is in her hurry shee hath no care to heare God speaking to her she is so busie with her trade that all is spoken as it were in her