the worke wrought and not chieflie respected the inward affection of the worker had he required onely the ceremoniall action of sacrificing and not the spirituall conformitie of the heart to his will why he had not need to desire sacrifices of them nor expected supplie from their hands as appeareth in that sacred anti royall contestation of God with his people about the question of his worship Psal. 50. I will not reproue thee for thy sacrifices sâ—ith God or thy burnt offerings that haue not beene continually before me I will take no Bullocke out of thine house or Goates out of thy folds For all the beasts of the forrest are mine and the beasts on a thousand â—ils I know all the sowlâ—s on the Mountaiâ—es and the wâ—ld bâ—asts of the fiâ—ld are mine If I be hungrie I will not tell theâ— for the world is mine and all that therein iâ— Will I â—ate the flesh of Bâ—ls or drinke the blood of Goatâ—s Nay if we consider God in his absolute soueraignty and essentiall glory euen that is true of the most sanctified works of Gods child which is in Iob. 35.7 If thou bâ—â— righteous whâ—t 〈…〉 or what receiueâ—h heâ— at thine hand and that of Dauid Psal. 16.2 My weâ—doing extendeth not vnto thâ— For what can that little sparke of holinesse in vs which doth first too proceed from him and is onely darkened in ouâ— corruptions adde vnto that infinite Gâ—ory and 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 that no man can attainâ— vnto with which he hath incomprehensiblie liâ—n â—ncompassed froÌ„ alâ—terniâ—y Only iâ—pleâ—seth him of his infinit goodnesse and out of a gratious desire of our saluation to accept our sincerity though mixâ— with imperfections and to crown his owne graâ—â—â— in vs 〈◊〉 then shall appeare the bare outwardnes of hollowhearted Christians If the heart bee wanting what magnificence or glory of outward seruices shall be able to dazle his sight whose eyes are ten thousand times brighter then the Sunne and sees cleaâ—ely our inmost thoughts Wherewith shall we come bâ—foâ—â— th◠〈◊〉 or what shall we offer vnto him Will the Lord be pleased with ten thousands of rams or with ten thousand riuers of Oilâ— Shall we giue our first borne for our transgression euen the fruite of our bodie for the â—inne of our soule No though weâ— gaue all that wee had to the poore and our owne bodieâ— to bee burnt nay if it were possible that by our meanes we could vindicate the soules of all men now liuing from the iawes of eternall death yet all would profit vs nothing except our harts be first purged by faith pure from an euill conscience and possest of a sound and constant loue to God his word his honour his truth and seruants Let this then be the conclusion to this point Though a man were a moral Saint an Angell amongst the Phrisees absolute in all other perfections yet without the inward power of grace to giue them life he is but a spectacle of commisâ—ration to Angels to meÌ„ euen as that body is which adorned with sundry other exquisite beauties wanteth eye-sight the chiefest grace that nature hath in that kind to bestow Or as a cunning Organist skilful in the outward touch of his instrument yet without wind inspired cannot possibly strike the care or please the heart with any mâ—lodious noise so though his actions be flourished ouer with a faire tincture of outward religiousnesse and he exact in morall honesty yet without the breath and life of grace infused there can be no true spiritual harmony in his affections woâ—ds or conuersation thâ—t either will beget sound ioy and spirituall delight in the soule or be pleasing in the â—ares of almightie God You see then beloued in Christ Iesus that the performances of outward duties of religion euen the best sâ—â—h as are Prayers hearing the word of God recâ—iuing the Sacraments almes-deeds and the like though they bee good in themselues commanded of God necessarie to be done of euerie Christian yet if they be diuided from inward sanctification and sinceritie of heart are so farâ—e from putting vs into possession of true happines that they are odious and abominable in the sight of God I told you in the beginning if you remember that besides outward righteousnesse the formall hypocrite may beleeue for a time and therefore by the inward though more generall and infeâ—iour working of the Spirit may haue a temporarie faith begot in him and this faith may bring forth some fruits and some kinds of inward graces But that all this comes short of saluation appeares in the parable For there the hearer compared to the stonie ground which I call the formall hypocrite is one of the reprobate hearers vpon whom the word is not the power of God to saluation As for those fiue degrees added out of the sixth to the Hebrues of which I told you the formall hypocrite may be partaker it is manifest out of the same Chapter that they come short of the state of grace For a man but so furnished may not onely fall bâ—cke to a worse and more ordinarie state of a râ—probate but euen to the depth of all impietie and apostasie He may not onely haue his measure of inward illumination all his lighter ioy and comfort in Gods word quite extinguisht but become a wilfull and malicious scorner of true godlinesse He may not onely grieue and quench the spirit but hee may tread vnder foot the Sonne of God count the bloud of the Testament as an vnholy thing and despite the very Spirit of grace so that it may be impossible that hee should be renewed againe by repentance In the last place I told you that besides all these the formall hypoâ—rite might entertaine a perswasion of his being in the state of true happinesse and so with contentment and securitie walke in the path that leads to eternall death but how weak and false the reasons and motiues to this perswasion were I haue before largely deliuered It remaines therfore that I should now lay downe certaine markes and properties of difference betwixt the state of formall hypocrisie and sauing grace but I must referre a large prosecution and distinct treatise of them to some other place and time Yet at this time by the grace of God I shall deliuer so much that any man that will deale faithfully with his owne conscience and follow me with attention to the end may in some good measure be informed whether hee lie yet in the shadow of death or liue in the light of grace Some difference then first may arise out of the distinction of the degrees and workings of faith Which that you may better conceiue you must remember three sorts of faith Historicall Temporarie Sauing or Iustifying faith Historicall faith is not only a knowledge of the word of God but also an assent of the heart to the truth of it And this is of two sorts either Infused which is wrought in vs by the illightning spirit of
and falshood whose fâ—et are not swift to run after mischiefe vanitie and leaud companions That â—itteth not in the seate of the scornefull That is that confineth not himselfe to the chaire of iniquitie that confirmeth not himselfe in his malice and hardnesse of heart that doth not make a mooke of sinne and iest with the sacred word of God that doth not direct the poisonous arrow of a spiâ—â—full tongue euen at the apple of Gods own cie his dearest Saints and seruants That with the scorner doth not dare the highest maiestie of the Almightie to whet his glittering sword and take hold on iudgement to put on his habergeon of righteousnesse and the garments of vengeance for clothing saying as it is Isai. 5.19 Let him make speed let him hasten his worke that we may see it and let the counsell of the holy one of Israel draw neere come that we may know it Thus farre his forbearance of sinfull actions Now followes his practise in actions of pietie But his delight is in the Law of the Lord. That is the whole doctrine diuinely inspired is the very ioy of his heart and delight of his soule It is sweeter vnto him then hony the hony combe It is more pretious vnto him theÌ„ gold yea then much fine gold It is more worth vnto him then heauen and earth And when the heart is once enkindled with loue there the imagination embraceth with dearest apprehension the thoughts are impatient of any other obiect all the powers of the soule are vnited in a strong endeauour for the attainment The whole mind must needs be possest with meditation If he delight in the Law of the Lord hee must needs meditate therein And this feruencie of the heart cannot possible be enclosed within the compasse of the breast it will spread it selfe in speech and actions As is plaine Psalm 37.30 The mouth of the righteous will speake of wisedome and his tongue will talke of iudgement The reason followes For the Law of his God is in his heart And Psalm 119 167. My soule hath kept thy testimonies for I loue them exceedingly And this loue delight meditation and exercise in the Law of God of this happie man is not as a morning cloud and as the morning dew before the Sunne but like the light of the Sunne that shineth more and more vnto the perfect day It is not for a start for feare for restraint for reputation for aduantage or to couer the terrors of conscience for a while with a few flashes of deceiueable comforts out of some misapplied promises in the word of God but it is out of a free resolution and with vndaunted constancie day and night But giue me leaue I beseech you before I proceed to the explication of the rest or deduction of Doctrines from these particulars to propose vnto you this generall Doctrine which hath his strength from the body of the Psalme and the maine scope of the spirit of God There is in the booke of God proposed and offored vnto vs an happinesse standing in opposition to all the vaine felicities which ancieÌ„t Philosophers deuisde out of their deep speculations or prophane men frame out of their corrupt affections not consisting in pleasures riches honours greatnes in ciuill honesty formall hypocrisie or the whole possibility of nature but in supernaturall grace and the blessed consequents The whole book of Ecclesiastes Salomons sacred retractations is a large and sound demonstration of this Doctrine Salomon was sonne vnto the worthiest king that euer swayed scepter vpon earth and he was predecessor in the royall line vnto the Sonne of God and so matchlesse for nobility if true happinesse had consisted therein He was king of Ierusalem the lady of the world the perfection of beauty and the ioy of the whole earth Hee gaue siluer as stones and gaue cedars as the wild figtrees that grow abundantly in the plaine He built him houses and planted Vineyards He prouided him men fingers and women fingers and the delights of the sonnes of men Whatsoeuer his eyes desired he with held it not from them and withdrew not his heart from any ioy For wisedome and vnderstanding hee had a large heart euen as the sand that is on the sea shore It speculatiue knowledge hee excelled the wisedome of all the children of the East and all the wisedome of Egypt Hee was able to discourse from the cedar tree that is in Lebanon euen vnto the Hyssope that springeth out of the wall In wisedome of politie and gouernment there was none like vnto him before him neither after him shall arise the like vnto him So that Salomon was the most fit and absolute man that euer liued both for ability in vnderstanding abundance in possession and desire in searching to take an exact measure and the â—tmost extent of the worth and sufficiencie of all creatures and to raise from them the best contentments they could possiblie afford Yet when he had wearied himselfe in the variety of passages of this life and in the book of Eâ—clesiastes becomes a publick penitentiary to the whole Church and to all posterity see his iudgement he vtterly disauowes and disclaimes them all as miserable comforters as meere shadowes and dreames wherin there is no more matter of sound comfort then there is light in the greatest darknesse or taste in the white of an egge He saies of laughter thou art mad and of ioy haâ— is this that thou doest And whereas wisedome and knowledge are the most incomparable treasures this transitorie world hath he saith that in the multitude of wisedome is much griefe and hee that increaseth knowledge increaseth sorrow And of these and all other things vnder the sunne yea and if to the glory of all created natures were an addition of ten thousand excellencies that neuer man saw or enioyed hee hath pronounced of them all in respect of true happinesse and diuided from the grace and feare of God and a sanctified heart that they are all vanity And if he had staied there it had beene well that argues but a passiue imperfection and a weakenesse of being in the things themselues but they are vexation of spirit Nothing in themselues yet full of power and actiuity to inflict vengeance and vexaâ—ion vpon the spirit of a man The spirit of a man being sound in sincerity and seconded with a good conscience is able to beare out his infirmities and all the miseries incident to his nature It is able to passe by with a resolute and contented patience the lying imputations of the prophanest malice It is able by the grace of God to encounter with the terrors of death and the fearefulnesse of the graue yea to endure with a gratious humility euen the prâ—sence of God and Angels at that great day But a wounded and an afflicted spirit who can beare If the eye bee darke how great is that darkenâ—sse If the spirit of a man which should refresh all the faculties of
occurrents obseruable with deuotion and reuerence for the good of the soule haue no great power to worke vpon them sacred times or daies of affliction are not wont to make any such impression or to breed extraordinary stirrings and motions in them Let iudgements blast or mercies blesse a kingdome let Gods word find smooth and euen way or rubs and opposition let prophanenesse be countenanced or sinceritie cherished he takes no thought so he may sleepe in a whole skinne and keepe entire his worldly comforts his thoughts continue heauie dull and formall Hee may conforme and consort with the times in his outward gestures words and actions but ordinarily his thoughts admit no change saue onely so farre as his priuate temporall felicitie is endangered by publicke iudgements or enlarged by showers of mercies and blessings from heauen I cannot enlarge this point at this time only I will giue one instance in their difference of thoughts vpon the Sabbath day The Sabbath day is as it were the faire day of the soule wherein it should not onely repaire and furnish it selfe with new spiritual streÌ„gth with greater store of knowledge grace and comfort but also feast with it heauenly friends the blessed Saints and Angels vpon those glorious ioies and happie rest which neuer shall haue end Euery child of God therefore which hath alreadie a reall interest in that eternall rest makes not only conscience of doing his owne waies seeking his owne will speaking a vaine word on that day but also in some good measure makes it the very delight of his heart the loue and comfort of his inward thoughts so that he may consecrate it as glorious to the Lord. He doth not onely giue quiet and cessation to his body from worldly businesse and works of his calling but also empties his head and disburdens his thoughts of al earthly cares that so they may wholly and entirely intend the holy motions of Gods Spirit and spend themselues in godly and extraordinarie meditations fitting the feast day of the soule and the Lords holy day This is the desire longing and endeuour of his heart thus to sanctifie the Sabbath and if at any time he be turned awrie from this vprightnesse by companie or his owne corruptions he is after much grieued and vext with it repents and praies for more zeale conscience and care for the time to come But the formall hypocrite howsoeuer he may on that day forbeare and abstaine from his ordinarie sinnes labours sports and idlenes howsoeuer he may outwardly exercise and execute all duties and seruices of religion though indeed more of custome and for fashion then with heartie and true deuotion nay he may haue other thoughts on that day but onely so farre as the bare solemnitie of the time and the greater Presence can alter them yet I dare boldly say it no formall hypocrite no kind of vnregenerate man can possibly make the Sabbath his delight as is required Isai. 58.13 And which is presupposed to make vs capable of the blessings following in the same place Then shalt thou delite in the Lord and I will make thee to mounâ— vpon the high places of the earth feed thee with the heritage of Iacob thy father for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it He cannot for his life sequester his thoughts at all not euen on that day from worldlinesse and earthly pleasures to diuine and sacred meditations Doe what hee can he cannot beate and keepe them off from worldly Obiects they will not leaue their former hants or be restrained from plotting or pleasing themselues with weeke-day businesses Lord it is strange that the soule of a man so noblely furnished with powers of highest contemplation being so strongly and sensiblie possest with consciousnesse and conceit of it owne immortality and hauing the restlesse and vnsatisfied desires of it wide capacity neuer fild but with the Maiestie of God himselfe and the glory of an immortall crowne should be such a stranger to heauen the place of it birth and euerlasting abode that vpon that day whereon as vpon the golden spot and pearle of the weeke the Lord hath stamped his owne sacred Seale of institution and solemne consecration for his owne particular seruice and speciall honour yet I say vpon that day it cannot settle and continue it owne thoughts and motions vpon those vnmixed and blessed ioyes and the way vnto them without which it shall bee euerlastingly miserable and burne hereafter in that fierie lake whose flames are fed with infinite riuers of Brimstone and the endlesse wrath of God for euer and euer Now I pray you tell mee when wee shall haue raigned hereafter many millions of yeeres in heauen what thoughts will remaine of this little inch of time vpon earth When we haue passed thorow a peece of eternitie where will appeare the minute of this miserable life and yet our thoughts and affections are so glued vnto the world as though eternitie were vpon earth and time only in heauen You are men capable of worthiest and highest eleuations of spirit I beseech you resume this meditation at your leisure methinks it should be able to breed thoughts of a far more noble and heauenly temper then ordinarilie arise and are nourished in the hearts of men But to follow my yurpose Certaine it is not the best vnâ—egenerate men can endure an entire and exact sanctification of the Sabbath it is not a Iubilie to their hearts and the ioy of their thoughts for they cannot abide to haue their minds stay long in a feeling meditation vpon spirituall affaires vpon the examination of their former life the state of the other world the sleights and tentations of Satan the day of death the tribunall of heauen and such like For though the best of them may haue a persuasion of their being in the state of grace as I haue largely proued heretofore yet sith it is wrongly and falsely grounded it cannot abide the search and touchstone Hence it is that of all things they loue not to bee alone They may please themselues well enough in solitarinesse vpon some priuate businesse for the more profound plotting and contriuing worldly matters for a more free but filthie exercise of the adulteries of the heart and contemplatiue fornication to feed vpon dull and fruitles melancholie to let their thoughts wildly range and runne riot into a world of imaginations to diue into the mysteries of nature or depths of State but to be alone onely for this purpose that the mind may more fully and immediately worke vpon the spirituall state of the soule and impartially inquire into the conscience they cannot they will not endure it and therefore commonly cast themselues into one knot of goodfellowship or other that they may merrily passe away that time for an houre of which the time of grace being once expired they would giue ten thousand worlds yet shall neuer bee able to purchase it againe But Gods children when they are alone haue inward
malice most sauage and vile that is discharged vpon the body or good name of the dead so I would haue also a charitable conceit follow the soule of the departed so farre as spirituall wisdome a good conscience diuine truth the glory of God the safetie of the soules of the liuing will giue leaue But no further Thirdly neither doe I mislike or condemne Funerall Sermons I could rather wish that as the death of his Saints is precious in the sight of God so that it might be glorious in the eyes of men I could rather desire that the iust prayses and true sincerity of the child of God were published euen by some Seraphicall tongue that both the glory of his graces might passe along and shine bright to all posterity and that such a fire of zeale for imitation might be enkindled in the hearts of all the hearers especially the present occasion making their minds more capable of persuasion that they passing thorow the same course of holinesse might at length be made partakers of the same happinesse with the Saints of God Only in these cases I would haue that spirituall discretion truth and conscience vsed that neither the godly be iustly grieued and offended the wicked heartned and hardened in their courses false conceit of happines nor the faithfulnes and sincerity of the ministery disgraced and scandalized Thus farre I haue laid open vnto you the state of formall hypocrisie in which may concurre immunity from notorious sinnes all naturall and morall perfections admirable variety of learning policy and all other acquired ornaments of the mind an outward performance of all duties of religion some measure of inward illumination a resemblance and shadow of the whole body of true regeneration and a persuasion as you haue now last heard of being in state of grace Euen thus farre a man may goe in the profession of Christian religion and yet be a stranger from the power of faith and from the life of godlinesse I now come by reasons and arguments to disable it in those points which haue not beene touched for challenging any interest in the true happinesse of a man And first to proue that a performance of outward duties of religion without the power of grace vpon the soule and an vniuersall sanctification in all the faculties thereof cannot produce any sound comfort in the heart or acceptation with God My first reason is that Principle generally receiued with all schoole Diuines and very sound and Orthodox in true Diuinity The iniquitie defect or exorbitancie of any particular of one circumstance maketh an action euill but an absolute integritie of all concurrents is required to make a good worke acceptable to God comfortable and profitable to a Christian The end must be good the glory of God the action it selfe in it owne nature must be iust warrantable the circumstances honest and seasonable the meanes direct and lawfull the fountaine the hart sincere and sanctified If this last be wanting especially though otherwise it be neuer so gloriously conucied neuer so wisely managed of neuer so goodly a shew to the eyes of the world yet it is not only mard and defaced and no action of grace but odious and abominable in the sight of God The Moralists by the light of nature saw a truth proportionable to this euen in the actions of vertue The truth and worth wherof they did censure and esteeme not by the bare outward action but by the inward free and independent vprightnesse of the mind And therefore to an action truely vertuous they required a resolued knowledge an irrespectiue and aduised freedome of spirit a constant and easie habit of the mind an entire loue to the fairenesse of vertue So that whatsoeuer honest actions sprung from passion humour scare respect ambition or the like they accounted vertuous and good onely by accident and occasion not inwardly and essentially whereupon they hold that many great and honourable atchieuements of ancient Worthies amongst the Heathens howsoeuer they were admirable in the eyes of men and beneficiall to the publicke State for sometimes out of some sudden eleuation of spirit or pang of vaine-glorie they were euen prodigall of their liues and blood for the good and deliuerance of their countrie yet to the authours and actors themselues they were not the true workes of vertue but of ambition and a desire of immortall fame It is euen so in the higher actions of grace and religion Besides the outward performance God requires sinceritie of heart and truth in the inward parts to make them gratious and acceptable And howsoeuer otherwise they may purchase them a name amongst men prosperity in the world some lesse torment in hell and procure good vnto others yet except they proceed from a faith vnfained and a pure conscience to the Christians themselues in respect of all heauenly happinesse they are fruitles and vnprofitable My second proofe is out of the 5. of Matth. Except your righteousnesse exceed the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisies ye shall not enter into the kingdome of heauen The outward righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisies was famous in those times and much admired So that if God did not principally respect the heart if that were not true in the 16. of Luke That which is highly esteemed amongst men is abomination in the sight of God they might not onely haue carried away the garland for piety on earth but haue iustly seemed to haue beene the onely heires to a crowne of immortality in the heauens For besides their forbearance and protestation against grosser sinnes Murther Theft Adulterie Idolatrie and the like they were frequent and solemne in prayers fastings almes-deeds and that with farre greater strictnesse and deuotion then the religious actions of formall hypocrisie are performed in these times of the Gospell Besides I doubt not but many of them were persuaded that their way was the way of life and that they were in the state of true happinesse And yet for all this except wee exceede their righteousnesse the speech is peremptorie we shall not enter into the kingdome of heauen For we see in the 23. of Mat. what a chaine of curses out of the mouth of our blessed Sauiour did iustly draw them into the bottome of hell Thirdly this truth is manifest out of the Doctrine of the Prophets Esai 1 Mich. 6. Hag. 2. Psal. 50. and many other places Whence ariseth this conclusion That the principall and holiest exercises the most solemne and sacred actions of religion without sinceritie and sanctification of heart are but as the cutting off a Dogs necke and the offering of swines blood Their sacrifices oblations and incense Their nâ—w Moonâ—s their Sabbaths and solemne feasts were things commanded by Gods ownâ— mouth yeâ— where they were performed with impure and propâ—ane hearts he telâ— them that his soule hated them that they were a burthen vnto him and that he was wearie of them For if the Lords contentment had finally rested in