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A11845 The bearing and burden of the spirit wherein the sicknesse and soundnesse of the soule is opened, and eight cases of conscience cleared and resolved for the setling and comforting of perplexed consciences / by John Sedgwick ... Sedgwick, John, 1600 or 1601-1643. 1639 (1639) STC 22149.3; ESTC S4896 93,717 382

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more pleasing such is the incongruity of spirituall services with carnall hearts and if that any joy and delight bee in them at all it is but false and vanishing Sixthly a Christian doth performe duties constantly such men have everlasting spirits in serving God and though there may be pawses and certaine cessations by reason of some intervenient accidents yet a totall and finall cessation in duty cannot overtake Christians grace in truth never dieth unto duty but holds out unto the very last in beleeving obeying and praying whereas an hypocrite according to his false and vanishing principles is mutable and inconstant in duty according to that speech Will Iob 27. 10 the hypocrite delight himselfe in the Almighty will hee alwaies call upon God sometimes hee may doe it but at all times he neither can nor will pray Seventhly a Christian doth act all required duties discreetly and wisely I meane with the observation of the rules and requisites and methods which wisedome it selfe doth declare unto men in and for the performance of duties such will principally doe those duties which are sutable and proper to themselves and falling in their relations and conditions and that within their owne orbe whereas hypocrisie wanders from its owne nest and doth prey abroad in other mens families but not at home in their owne families such will manage duties mooving on-ward in a just proportion they spend not all the time in duties of faith and duties of charity alone but so doe one act of godlinesse that they may doe another also one businesse doth not put by another with them as it doth with hypocrites who in doing of some duties hinder themselves in other in a word such are seasonable in doing duties though no time bee unseasonable for Christian duties yet all duties must not bee performed at all times Christians must heare when God requires them to heare and pray when God requireth them to pray Psal 1. 3. they must bring forth all their fruit in the season of it whereas the service of hypocrisie is fruit out of season such as are formall will bee comming to Church when others are going from Church they will pray when they should heare and reade when they should pray which maketh their service the sacrifice of fooles Eccles 5. 1. 4. That in the doing of Christian duties the bent of the heart is both observed and accepted of God you cannot forget the counsell of David unto Salomon Know thou the God of thy Father and serve him with a perfect heart and a 1 Chron. 28. 9. willing minde for the Lord searcheth all hearts and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts if thou seeke him hee will bee found of thee out of which place we gather that God doth behold the heart in duty and him that prepareth his heart to seeke him though he be not cleansed according to the 2 Chron. 30 19 20. purification of the Sanctuary shall bee accepted with him view well the sincerity of your performances and let it cheare you against your weaknesses 5. That Christians under weaknesse of performances must have an eye unto Christ who appeares for them in Heaven presenting all services done unto the acceptation of his Father learne to know that what we cannot do perfectly Christ did it for us his active obedience being imputed to us and though duties come from us in much weaknesse yet Christ makes up our duties as well as our persons a sincere heart must act duties a gratious God must accept duties a mighty Redeemer must present duties the Angell had a golden Censor and much Rev. 8. 3. incense that he should offer it with the prayers of the Saints upon the golden altar wee know that the acceptation of a Christians best services is in Christ alone and it is no life in our duties that can make them meritorious with God yea and it is no impotency in duties which can cause God to reject them if we by faith betake our selves to Christ In Christ there is sufficiencie of merit to cover all our selfe-blamed indispositions and to gaine the acceptance of all our sincere though weake performances CASE VI. Of fruitlesse endeavours MAn looketh for wages when hee hath done his work and if duty and service proove successelesse that hee finde no returne or recompence at all this is not a little grieving and sadding unto the Spirit we heare Christians thus complaining I have along time waited upon God in service I have beene conversant with him in his Ordinances many a Sermon have I heard many a Sacrament have I received I have humbled my soule before him in prayer and teares and fasting and I alas can find no returne of my prayers I cannot get any thing at Gods hands my corruptions are yet within mee I am still where I was and am no better and can doe no more then formerly my abilities are as little and my comforts as few as ever surely all is not well with mee and all is not even betwixt God and my soule how goeth his promise along with mee seeing I finde no performance to mee here the soule is musing and doubtfull To ease the soule under this distresse I shall propose these things 1. That no man shall doe the least service for God which shall be in vaine unto himselfe God is a good Master as hee sets us about the best worke so Mal. 1. 10. 1 Cor. 15. ult he will give us the best wages no man shall serve God for nought wee see that God taketh it ill when the Jewes charged him with neglect and irrecompence for their serving of him Mal. 3. 13 14 15. 2. That want of present wages must not dishearten Christians in the doing of their duties up and be doing and trust God for wages service and progresse in duties belongs to us their rewards and recompences belong to God wee must doe our part and not bee wearie in well-doing for in due season wee shall Gal. 6 9. reape if we faint not the husband-man is to plow the land and to sow the corne if he expect the harvest and so Christians must first doe their duties of hearing and praying and reading if they will have Gods wages 3. That unto our present doing we must add waiting and expectation Our eyes waite upon the Lord till he have mercy Psal 123. upon us saith David if beggars will not stay they loose their almes and if Christians will not waite they may loose their grants and why should wee not waite in all Gods promises there is such a truth which shall be performed and hee hath made many pretious promises unto waiting for the performance of his promises None shall bee ashamed that waite on mee Esa 49. 23. David waited upon God and hee enclined to him and heard his cry Psal 40. 1. 4. That the Lords answers of good shall at length recompence and equall all the services and patience of man how ever for
of their unworthinesse they stand in their owne light Satan hereby taking advantage against them This I finde to bee a maine master-peece of Satans cunning that before a man is convinced of sinne hee maketh him so full and rich and worthy that hee cares not for the merits of Christ or the mercy of God he will not beg but buy a place in heaven Laodicea was rich and increased with goods and had need of nothing not knowing that shee was wretched and miserable and poore and blind and naked Rev. 3. 17. The Corinthians did so shine in their owne opinions and were in such selfe credit that they were rich and full raigning as kings but when a mans eyes are opened to see the sinnefullnesse of his sinnes then hee makes him very poore and his unworthinesse to bee such and so great that it is not for him to thinke of heaven or mercy or Christ a great temptation under which lieth lurking a white divell To relieve the soule in this case I shall propound these few considerations 1. That if unworthinesse were a sufficient ground to keepe men of from divine favour and eternall happinesse none of all the sonnes of men could ever bee saved for all have sinned and by sinne made themselves unworthy of mercy 2. That there is no subjective worthinesse antecedently required unto justification and salvation God well knew the unworthy condition of Israel when hee made them his people entering into the Covenant of life and peace with them Ezek. 16. can you conceive that there was any inherent worthinesse in them that did lie weltring in their owne blood beggars are not worthy of almes traitors are not worthy of pardons nor sinfull men worthy of Christ or mercy Luke 15. 21. and why should we dreame of having a requisite worthinesse of our owne if man had any thing in him he were altogether unfit to come in unto the free offer of grace we see the invitation is made to the monie-lesse and merit-lesse Christian Esa 55. 1. 3. That though worthinesse be not in the streame yet it is in the fountain and though there bee no subjective worthinesse in men yet there is an objective worthinesse in Jesus Christ which is tendred to sinners by grace and accepted by faith there is enough in Christ to make our persons lovely and acceptable to God without whom if we had all selfe-worthinesse wee should remaine in Gods eyes most unworthy persons This is my beloved Sonne in whom I am well pleased saith the Father Mat. 3. 17. 4. That notwithstanding mans owne great unworthinesse Assurances for acceptance under unworthines there is enough to assure him of divine acceptance for First Mercy in God is full and free it hath enough in it selfe to incline it selfe to gratious pardons and favourable acceptances God doth blot out transgressions not for mans sake but for his owne sake Esa 43. 25. Secondly mans chiefest selfe-worthinesse is to see his owne unworthinesse and to be humbled for it certainely such Esa 64. 6. Luk. 15. 21. as have base low esteemes of themselves and can dwell upon the guilt and merit of their owne sinnefullnesse judging themselves to hell for it such Phil. 3. 7. as can with Paul disclaime from all worth in themselves and doe see in all their parts and gifts and performances an inability to engratiate them with God such as can in the best of conditions and after the best of performances bewaile their weake expressions of duty acknowledging themselves to be most unprofitable Luk 17. 10. servants needing the mercy of a God and the merit of Christ these I say are men of the greatest worthinesse with God according to the old truth hee paies best for Heaven that seeth hee hath nothing at all to pay for Heaven Thirdly an unworthy sinner may plead out the Covenant of grace with God and the freenesse of the tenders of his mercy I know no man that can or doth more admire and magnifie divine mercy then a sinner truly sensible of his owne unworthinesse I know none more desirous of mercy then such I know none will be more ready to accept of Heaven and favour out of freenesse of grace then such I know none to whom the offer of salvation purchased by Christ is made but such and what now doth hinder them from comming in unto God pleading with him after this or the like manner Gratious Lord I am here before thee for mercy and for thy Christ I see in my selfe nothing worthy thee or thy Christ for I am wholy sinnefull if thou now wilt receive mee for thine owne and pardon mee my sinnes out of thine owne free grace and for the merit of thine onely Sonne alone thou shalt shew thy selfe a gratious God indeed O Lord that which draweth mee in unto thee for grace is thine owne free grace thou gavest mee the word and hope of comfort and therefore I durst not stand out Lord loe heere I am before thee without all confidence in my selfe O let it be unto mee according to the freenesse and richnesse of thy mercy refuse mee not though I am unworthy to be called thy sonne 5. That too much standing on selfe-unworthinesse is many times an argument of secret pride and opinion of merit men would faine bee some body with God and doe something for Heaven Lord how willing is man to have a finger in his owne salvation and to be at the least a co-adju●or with Christ in the office of his Redemption when as in truth it is mercy alone that must doe all and such are most in the way of comfort that referre their spirituall condition unto mercy setting up and advancing the free favour of God as the onely cause of their spirituall estate 1 Cor. 15. 10. tell mee sadly and seriously thou troubled soule if thou hadst more goodnesse in thee if thy graces were more perfect in thee and thy services had beene or could bee better performed by thee then thy hopes and assurances could and would rise within thee then thou couldest have confidence and settlement within thee yes and what is this I pray thee but the spice of pride and secret dependance on merit what wilt thou looke upon thy selfe and within thy selfe and draw out principles of salvation from thy selfe how art thou onely beholding to grace and to Christ for thy salvation when thou thus porest and priest into thy selfe if thou wilt be a cause of thine owne good thou must bee a ground of thine owne glory and if thou wilt bring thy penny thou wilt make thy selfe joynt purchaser with Christ tell mee O Christian hadst thou all thy desired qualifications would they or can they equall the favour of God and durst thou to stand upon this so as to build thy eternall welfare on it bee perswaded out of this vaine and empty conceit of thine and cease further to perplexe thy soule under the thoughts of thine unworthinesse God indeed lookes not out