Consciences from being violated and you cannot be miserable O how calm and quiet as well as holy and heavenly would our lives be had we learnt but this single Lesson to be carefull for nothing but to know and do our duty and to leave all effects consequents and events to God The truth is 't is a daring boldness for silly dust to prescribe to infinite wisedom and to let go our work to meddle with Gods he hath managed the concernments of the world and of every individuall person in it without giving occasion to any one to complain for above this five thousand years and doth he now need your counsell Therefore let it be your onely businesse to mind duty Aye but how shall I know my duty take a second memoriall II. What advice you would give to another take your selves e 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Epictet c 33. Simp. p. 158. The worst of men are apt enough to lay such burthens on other mens f Mat. 3.4 shoulders which if they would take them upon their own they would be rare Christians e. g. The very outcry of those that revile Godliness who deal by the miscarriages of Professours as the Levite by his Concubine quarter them and divulge them even they expect that those which make a strict profession of Religion should be beyond exception blameless and they even they scorn those that make any defection from their professed strictnesse And on the other side those that are holy they expect that even graceless persons should bear reproof receive instruction and change the course of their lives In middle cases then between these extreams what exactnesse will serious Christians require where the byas of their own corruptions doth not misguide them David was twice g 2 SaÌ„ 12.5 6 7 2 Sam. 14.4 1â— surprised to pass sentence against himself by remote parables wherein he mistrusted not himself to be concerned wherein this rule 's too short add a third III. Do nothing on which you cannot pray for a blessing Where prayer doth not lead repentance must follow and 't is a desperate adventure to sin upon hopes of repentance Every action and cessation too of a Christian that 's good and not to be refused is sanctified by the word and h 1 Tim 4.5 6. prayer It becomes not a i Eph. 5.3 4. Christian to do any thing so triviâ—l k 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Athanas qu. ad Antioch p. 361. q. 77. that he can't pray over it and if he would but bestow a serious ejaculatory prayer upon every occurrent action he would find that such a prayer would cut off all things sinful demurr all things doubtfull and encourage all things lawful Therefore do nothing but what you can preface with prayer But these rules are all defective I 'le therefore close with an Example that 's infinitely above defects IV. Think and speak and do what you are perswaded Christ himselfe would do in your case were he upon the earth The heathen they proposed unto themselves the best examples they l 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Epictet c. 51. Simpl. p. 282. had and therefore let us follow the best of m Mica 4.5 ours There are many rare examples in n Heb. 13 7. Scripture but we may say of them as 't is said of most of Davids Worthies whose highest commendation was with this diminution o 2 Sam. 23 19 23. they attained not unto the first three I propose therefore neither great nor small but the King of Saints p Rev. 15 3. it becomes a Christian rather to be an Example q 1 Pet. 2 12.15 1 Thes 1.7 then to follow one But by imitating of Christ you will come as near as 't is possible to the first three for your fellowship shall be with the Father with his Son Jesus Christ r 1 John 1.3 through the spirit of holiness who alone can teach you what it is to abide in Å¿ 1 John 2.27 Christ who was and is and ever will be our absolute copy t Heb. 13.8 O Christians how did Christ pray redeem time for prayer u Mar. 1.35 6.16 Lu. 6.12 John 11.42 How did Christ preach out of whose mouth proceeded no other but gracious words w Luke 4.22 that his enemies could not but admire him x John 7.46 at what rate did Christ value the world who did taught to renounce it y Mar. 10 21-27 what time did Christ speÌ„d in impertinent discourse who made their hearts burn within them whom he occasionally fell in company with z Lu. 24.17 32. How did Christ go up and down doing a Acts 10.38 good to man and always those things that were pleasing to b John 8.29 God Beloved I commend to you these four memorials to be as so many scarlet c Josh 2.18 21 threads upon every finger of the right hand one that you may never put forth your hand to action but these memorials may be in your eye 1. Mind d Acts 9.6 duty 2. What 's anothers duty in your case is e Rom. 2.21 yours 3. What you can't say the Blessing of the Lord be upon it do not meddle f Psal 129.8 with it But above all as soon forget your Christian name the name of a Christian as forget to eye Christ g Psal 123.2 and what ever entertainment you meet with from the profane world h John 15.18 c. remember your Exemplar i 1 Pet. 2.21 22 23. and follow his steps who did no sin neither was guile found in his mouth who whâ—n he was reviled reviled not again when he suffered he threatned not but committed himself to him that judgeâ—h righteously What must and can Persons do Towards their own CONVERSION Ezek. 18.32 Wherefore turn your selves and live yee THe words are part of that serious Exhortation begun in the 30. ver Repent and turn your selves from all your transgressions continued in the 31. ver Cast away all your transgressions and make you a new heart and a new spirit and concluded in this verse Wherefore turn your selves c. In the former part of the verse the Lord saith I have no pleasure in the death of him that dyeth I had rather men should come to the knowledge of the truth and be saved then die in their sins and perish through their impenitency Wherefore or therefore turn your selves The Exhortation in these words is back'd with a reason of great yea the greatest strength viz. Life turn and live that is ye shall live comfortably here and happily for ever hereafter There be four Propositions deducible from these words 1. That man is turn'd from God 2. That it's mans duty to turn unto God again 3. That the Lords willingness that men should rather live then die should be a strong Argument to move them to turn 4. That those who do turn shall live I shall wave all those
but the drooping distressed Christian also questioneth all this because of the deceitfulness of the heart Alas the Scripture tells us that the heart of man is desperately wicked and deceitfull above all things o From Jer. 1.9 The Papists cavils the drooping Christian doubts who can know it and if the heart of man cannot bee known how can wee say wee beleeve or love God For this consider these four things 1. Another man cannot know it I cannot certainly and infallibly know whether another man be sincere or what his heart is for it is the prerogative and excellency of God to bee 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one that knows the hearts of all men Act. 1.24 2. A wicked mans heart is so wicked and there is such a depth of wickedness in his heart that hee cannot come to the bottome of it 3. If a man cannot know all the secret turnings and windings of his heart yet hee may know the general scope and frame of his heart 4. If hee could not do this of himself yet assisted by the spirit of God which all beleevers have received hee might know the frame bent scope inclination of his own heart Thus far the first proposition that a man may know that hee hath sincere faith in Christ and love to God Now wee proceed to the second 2 Proposition which shews the connexion between grace and glory Second Proposition is this that there is an infallible connexion between justifying faith unfeigned love and eternal glory The Apostle tells us of some things that may bee called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 6.9 things that accompany salvation Having or containing Salvation that are contiguous to salvation that the one toucheth the other this must bee proved for else though I know I do beleeve and love God sincerely to day I can have no infallible assurance of salvation because this may bee lost before to morrow or before I dye Now this I shall indeavour to prove by these three following particulars 1 From the verity of Gods promises 1. The undoubted verity of Gods promises proveth an inseperable connexion between sincere grace and eternal glory Faith is the eye of the soul with it through a promise as through a perspective-glass can the soul have a view of Heaven and glory What greater certainty or security can a man have than the infallible promise of that God who is truth it self who will not deny his Word but the same Love and free Grace that moved him to infuse Grace into thy heart and to make the Promise will move him also to give the thing promised Joh. 3.16 God so loved the world that hee gave his onely begotten Son that whosoever beleeveth on him should not perish but have everlasting life Joh. 5.24 Hee that beleeveth hath everlasting life Hee hath it in the Promise hee hath it in the first-fruits Rom. 8.23 But wee our selves also which have the first-fruits of the Spirit The Jews by offering their first fruits did testifie their thankfulness to God for what they had received and hopes of the full crop in due time Hee hath everlasting life then it must not end Mark 16.16 Hee that beleeveth and is baptized shall bee saved Hee that beleeveth not shall bee damned As certainly as the unbeleever shall be cast into outer darkness so certainly shall the beleever be partaker of the glorious Inheritance of the Saints in Light The Promise is as true as the Threatning Act. 16.30 31. There you see a poor convinced wounded sinner under the load of guilt that had a sight of his lost undone deplorable condition coming to the Apostles and speaking after this manner Yee men of God yee servants of the Lord if there bee any way for mee who have been so great a sinner that have done enough ten thousand times over to damn my own soul if there be any certain way to avoid damnation I beseech you tell mee if there be any means by which I might certainly be saved as you pitty my sinful soul my bleeding heart my wounded conscience tell mee what it is declare it to mee What is the Apostles answer Beleeve on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved The Apostles speak not doubtingly perhaps thou shalt be saved perhaps thou mayest be damned If thou get Faith it may be thou mayest get Heaven Alas what relief peace satisfaction would this have been to his wounded conscience But they speak peremptorily beleeve and thou shalt be saved So that prove thou that thou hast Faith and these Scriptures prove thou shalt have salvation The Connexion therefore will not be questioned if I beleeve I shall be saved this God hath promised but shall not a beleever lose his Faith in Christ and lose his Love to God for the Remonstrants grant that a beleever qua talis as a beleever cannot fall away not come short of glory but qui talis est Hee that is a beleever may fall away totally and finally and so cannot have assurance of salvation because hee hath no assurance that hee shall persevere in his beleeving and state of grace To this I oppose these places of Scripture 1 Thes 5.23 24. And the very God of Peace sanctifie you wholly and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body bee preserved blameless therefore preserved from Apostacy which is exceedingly blame-worthy till when till the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ is this a prayer and not a promise yea it is a prayer indited by the Spirit of God and hath a promise following it if you will read on Faithful is hee that calleth you who also will do it Here the Apostle that had the Spirit prayeth for perseverance and the Apostle that had the Spirit promiseth perseverance Certainty then of perseverance doth not make men careless in the use of means not prayers needless by praying a man obtains the thing promised and the certainty that hee hath by the promise of obtaining puts life into his prayers Phil. 1.6 Being confident of this very thing that hee which hath begun a good work in you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 denoteth more safety than 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will perform it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will finish it will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ 1 Pet. 1.5 Kept garrisoned by the power of God through Faith unto Salvation Joh. 10.28 30. 1 Cor. 10.13 But will with the Temptation make a way to escape therefore they shall persevere for to enable the beleever to persevere in all tentations is to make a way to escape the destruction and hurt the tentation tendeth to God doth promise this absolutely Jer. 32.38 40. And they shall bee my people and I will bee their God and will make an everlasting Covenant with them that I will not turn away from them to do them good but I will put my fear into their hearts that they shall not depart from mee They shall not forsake God because God will not
inward enlargements that he comes off from his knees with a vicimus vicimus When he shall go to Worms to own the truth of Christ though all the tiles upon the houses were devils Of these Prayers and Practices and such like we may say as Protogenes of a curious Line none but Apelles could draw this none but the Spirit of God could enlarge and enable to do this 3. When we feel and find our hearts after duty silled and fraighted with spiritual joyes and heavenly comforts when our soul is like a Merchants ship returned from the Indies loaden as deep as it can swim with all variety of Spices and precious Commodities When we have such inward ravishings that our heart is a little Heaven fill'd up to the brim with joy as our Saviour prayed for us Joh. 15.11 Enjoying that joy unspeakable and full of glory 1 Pet. 1.8 Heaven antidated or Heaven before-hand when we have that joy which is the earnest of Gods love 1 Cor. 2.9 10. Eye hath not seen nor ear heard neither have entred into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared in this life for them that love him but God hath revealed them to us by his Spirit This joy is not only the fulfilling of Christs Prayer but also the fruit of the Spirit Gal. 5.22 When the King had brought his Spouse into his Bride-chamber after her prayer he ravishes her heart with joy Cant. 1.4 When David had been at Prayer Lord lift thou up the light of thy Countenance upon me Then comes that rapture Thou hast put gladness in my heart more than in the time that their Corn and Wine and Oyl encreased Psal 4.6 7. When we have greater joy after duty than Worldlings have after Harvest which is their greatest joy gaudium messis is messis gaudiu The joy of their harvest is all the harvest of their joy which this Worlds Earth-worms are likely to enjoy Luk. 16.25 Son remember that thou in thy life-time receivedst thy good things saies Abraham to Dives 4. When our activity in duty is constant like the motion of the fire in its Orb which Philosophers tell us is perpetual My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all times Psal 119.20 The Spirit dwels in us as his Temple 1 Cor. 6.19 The body is the Temple the Soul the Late the Affections the Strings the Holy Ghost the Musician who in all our duties makes melody in our hearts Eph. 5.19 Where the Ship is alway sayling the Wind is alway blowing and we are sure that sayling comes from the Wind if the Wind lies still the Ship lies still is becalmed 1 Cor. 3.17 Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 freedom and liberty are opposed to three things 1. Necessity 2. Co-action 3. Restraint Now the Spirit of God sets our heels ut aiunt our hearts at liberty not only from necessity co-action but also restraint Setting at liberty is freeing us from imprisonment and giving freedom to go whither we will The Spirit admits us to that liberty which is 1. The purchase of Christ Gal. 5.1 2. The Priviledge of our filiation Rom. 8.21 Per nomen libertatis non tantum intelligo a peccati carnis servitute manumissionem Sed etiam fiduciam quam concipimus ex adoptionis nostrae testimonio convenit cum Rom. 8.15 Calv. in 2 Cor. 3.7 The glorious liberty of the Sons of God The Spirit makes us act as it self Nescit tarda molimina spiritus sancti gratia Ambr. 2 Cor. 3.6 The Spirit quickneth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 makes lively Rom. 8.2 As the Spirit of life frees us from the law of sin and death so from the Law of sloth and deadness Object But some poor soul cries out Woe is me I am undone I find none of this Spirit in me I am none of those fixed Stars about the Aequinoctial that move many Millions in an hour but a slow-paced Planet that finishes not his course in many years whose motion is so dull that not discernable Sure I am cast out of the firmament of Gods favour and shall be a wandring Star to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever Jude v. 13. Answ It is the misery of Ministers that they cannot speak of the experimental sublimities of some but others are presently desponding and despairing I would not for a world quench the smoaking flax or break the bruised reed Mat. 12.20 Yea I would with all my soul put the lambs in my bosome which cannot go or but slowly and gently lead them that are with young Isa 40.11 I speak this to them that are upon the staves of Jacobs Ladder in their ascending to heaven to be a loadstone to draw them up not a milstone to drag them down But to answer more appositely 1. I intend it in opposition to them who live in a course of sin yet now and then in a duty do feel a flâ—sh of joy and thereupon presume of their good estate and not to those who with Zachary and Elizabeth walk in all the Commandments and Ordinances of God blameless Luk. 1.7 and yet do not obtain this constant favour 2. I lay it down a positâ—ve sign and inclusivè that those and all those that have constant activities though differing for the altitudes and degrees may be certain of the Spirit as those that have Trade winds from Port to Port may be sure they sail by the wind or as those thâ—t have the Organ medium and object rightly disposed may be sure they see Bellarmine tells a story of an old man that alwaies arose from duty with these words Claudimini oculi mei claudiminiâ— nihil enim pulchrius jamâ— videbitis Be you shut O my eyes be shut for I shall never behold any fairer Object than Gods face which I have now beheld But not a negative sign exclusivè as if those that repent of sin meditate on the Promises poure out Prayers walk with God wait on Ordinâ—nces who have it not were cast-awaies I am confident many that lye wind-bound in the harbour shall in due time get to the Haven 3. There are four things belong to a Christian 1. A habit 2. An Act. 3. Degrees of that Act. 4. Sense of all these He may have the three first and yet want the sense of them A ship may sail and yet the Mariner not sensible of it 4. There is no Rule but hath some Exception no Experience in one Believers heart but a contrary Experience may be found in anothers Various are the workings of Gods Spirit in the heart he blows when where how he pleases Joh. 3.8 He is called seven spirits Rev. 1.4 because of his various influences He doth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 blow in a duty if the ship be ready but to shew he is agens liberrimum he will sometime suspend his Act and leave the common Road. To conclude this take this counsel Stay
debauched watchmen who having drunk sufficiently one day say they will do as much to morrow and more too and so had their drinking matches and rantings from day to day The third Use is of Discrimination 3. Vse to discover who is clean and who unclean in respect of falls and relapses and to put a difference between the holy and prophane which is the proper work of a faithful Prophet to some we are to open the door of hope to some to shut it Ezek. 22. â—6 1 Joh 5 17. every sin is not a sin to death every disease not the Plague every Ulcer not a Leprosie 1. There are some who have fallen into foule sins and they think their case desperate because of the greatness of their sins but their sin is not the sin against the Holy Ghost because not committed after light taste partaking of the Holy Ghost c. but in the days of their ignorance as Paul once some fall fouly after conversion as Peter but not deliberately maliciously and both these may be the spots of children they see the plague in their heart feel the smart these have foul scabs 1 Kingâ— but they go to Jordan and wash go to the fountain opened for sin and uncleanness and then though their sins be as scarlet Esay 1. they shall be as white as snow though red like crimson they shall be as white as wooll 2. There be some Relapses through humane infirmity which are truly bewailed this is not the sin against the Holy Ghost neither Come into the Camp I pronounce such clean For 1. there is no raw flesh of pride and presumption in them 2. All is turned whi e by true repentance it is a scab Lev. 13.4 5 6 14. and but a scab 3. It is but skin-deep the heart was not tainted 4. It standeth at a stay These four signs shew it to be no Plague of Leprosie such are not to be shut up or put out of the Camp And God as he pardoneth iniquity transgression and sin so he promiseth to heal and pardon their backeslidings Hos 14.4 Jer. 3.22 3. But there are others that make a trade of sin drink up iniquity like water Deut. 24.19 20 that add Drunkenness to thrist and fall and rise and rise and fall they lapse and relapse and slide away as water shall I say such shall have peace No what peace to such so long as their sins remain the wrath of the Lord and his jealousie shall smoak against that man and he shall blot out his name from under heaven Call not this a Scab this is the Plague of Leprosie this is more then skin-deep Lev. 13.10 11 14 15. Psal 68.21 this doth not stand at a stay here is proud raw flesh this is an old sore thou must out of the Camp thou art unclean God will wound the head of his enemies and the hairy scalp of him that goeth on still in his trespasses I shall to conclude give a few short Directions to prevent Falls and Relapses but cannot now enlarge upon them 1. Watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation This is the old and great receit Mat. â—6 41 and daily experimented with every ordinary Saint probatum est watch in prayer watch after watch when alone watch when in company especially against ill Company and all occasions of sin 2. Keep conscience tender and shun the first motions and occasions of sin if thou find thy self given to appetite put a knife to thy throat is the wise mans counsel if to wine look not on the glass if to wantonness come not neer her corner the consecrated Nazarite must not only forbear the wine but the grape and not only the juyce but the husk and kernel of it Num. 6.4 3. Take heed of having slight thoughts of sin as to say as long as it is no worse it is the first time it is but now and then a great chance when I meet with such company and many have such foolish pleas and so play at the mouth of the Cockatrice Den till they are stung to death Deut. 29.19 4. Of having light thoughts of Gods mercy I shall have peace I shall have mercy when I do but ask At what time soever will save me we can't out sin the mercy of God when sin abounds grace superabounds c. The Lord faith he will not spare such nor be merciful to them 5. Take heed of reasoning from Gods temporal forbearance to eternal forgiveness Eccles 8.11 12. Because sentence is not speedily exâ—cuted against an evil doer his heart is fully set in him to do evil but though a sinner do evil an hundred times and his days be prolonged c. yet it shall not be well with the wicked at last 6. Take heed of presuming of thy own strength I can and I mean to repent I can when I will and I will when time serves Qui promittâ—t poenitenti veniam non promittit peccâ—nti poenitentiam I trust I am not so bad that God hath not given me over many have gone further then I why may I not repent at last hour 7. Take heed of a mock-repentance saying I cry God mercy God forgive me I sin daily and repent daily when I have sworn or been drunk I am heartily sorry Is not this repentance I answer no Repentance is quite another thing the burnt child we say dreads the fire Thou hast smarted for suretiship and hast repented of it thy friend comes again and desires thee to be bound with him once again thou replyst I have paid dear for surtiship already I have repented of my folly I have resolved to come into bonds again no more no not for the best friend I have thou art importuned by many arguments but peremptorily refusest urge me no more I have vowed and resolved against and have made an oath I would never be taken in that fault again Now I believe thee that thou hast truly repented of suretiship why dost thou not thus when thou art enticed unto sin again why dost thou not say I have smarted confessed bewailed been heartily sorry for my former folly now speak no more of it Psa 119.106 Psa 119.115 I have sworn and will perform it to keep Gods commandments Away from me ye wicked I must keep the Commandments of my God This would be somewhat like true repentance But take heed of a mock-repentance lest as true repentance meets with a true pardon thy mock-repentance should be answered with a mock-pardon as Tertullian excellently saith There be some that say saith he their heart is good De Paenitent they fear God grieve for sin though yet they fall into sin they can salva side metu peccare c. sic ipsi salva venia in gehennam detrudentur dum salvo metu peccant They can live in sin nevertheless notwithstanding their faith and repentance and God can damn them nevertheless notwithstanding
r ght God punishes Children for the sins of their Parents Exod 34.7 aye but those children have been 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 partakers certainly by aprobation it may bee by imitation God punishes servants for the sins of their Masters Gen. 12.17 but sure the servants were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 partakers by consulting it may bee by executing God punishes Wives for the sins of their Husbands Gen. 20.18 but those Wives were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 partakers still by admitting by induring God punishes Ministers for the sins of the People Ezek. 33.8 but then those Ministers are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 partakers sure enough by not instructing by not reproving still the Justice of God is vindicated 2. Hence bee informed what piety and strictness and watchfulness is more especially required of those that have the care of others e.g. Kings and Parents and Masters and Magistrates and Ministers they should bee exemplary in godliness They have curam animarum and therefore they should have curam anima they have care of other mens souls and therefore they should look well to their own The want of this was her crime and complaint Cant. 1.6 They made mee the keeper of the Vineyards but mine own Vineyard have I not kept Oh those that are keepers of Vineyards had need to have special care of their own Vineyard 3. Hence take an account why the wicked of the world do so hate the godly and reproach and revile them it is this They will not bee partakers of their sins they will not commit them neither will they connive at them and this is the reason why the world hates them Ahab hates Michaiah and himself gives the reason because hee reproved him 1 King 22.8 I hate him hee never speaks well of mee Herod hates John Baptist because hee reproves him No wonder that Ministers of all kinde of men in the world are most hated the case is plain because they are reprovers Godly Ministers are wicked mens reprovers and wicked men are godly Ministers reproachers 1 Pet. 4.4 They think it strange you run not with them to the same excess of riot speaking evil of you 4. Here is matter of reproof and humiliation this day for our want of watchfulness in this kinde Oh which of us can say that wee are free from the guilt of other mens sins Every man may cast this bur of reproof and lamentation at his own conscience and there let it stick Parents every one ah my childrens sins Masters ah my servants sins Ministers ah my peoples sins Rulers ah my subjects sins Oh let us deeply mourn for want of relative holiness and more frequently and fervently pray that prayer Lord forgive mee my other mans sins 2. The second Use is of Exhortation and Caution together Is it so That it ought to bee every mans care not to partake of any mens sin Oh Christians let mee intreat you then to be very mindful of this duty bee perswaded beloved and the Lord perswade you to be tenderly careful and watchful that you do not partake of other mens sins These are infectious times and places that wee live in and multitudes there are that catch diseases and distempers from others but let mee tell you Christians that bodily diseases are not half so catching as sin is sin is an infectious contagious pestilential plague that spreads mightily in the world Oh take heed take heed that the guilt of other mens sins do not one day lye upon your conscience and bee put upon your account Let mee enforce this counsel in the words of our Apostle here and and they are very weighty and Emphatical Vers 21. I cha ge thee before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the Elect Angels that thou observe these things without preferring one before another and amongst the rest this is one That thou bee not partaker of other mens sins Give mee leave to prosecute this in these three particulars 1. By laying down some Arguments to press this Caution and Exhortation 2. By pointing at what sins especially you must not partake of 3. By shewing you how you may so mannage the business and order the matter as not to bee partakers of other mens sins What are the Antidotes against this Infection 1. To lay down the Arguments 1. Consider you have sins enough of your own you have no reason to partake of other mens it is cruel to add affliction to your bonds Jesus Christ had no sins of his own and therefore hee could and did bear ours hee did take all mens sins though hee did not partake of any mans sins all were his by imputation Isa 53.6 Hee hath laid upon him the inquities of us all but none were his by perpetration and participation It is not so with us alas wee have sins enough of our own Man Woman thine own pride will damn thee if thou dost not repent and thine own hypocrisie and formality and worldliness and hardness of heart thou hast no need to take the sins of others said the Daughter of Zelophehad our Father died in his own sin Numb 27 3. aye that is enough to kill a man and damn a man his own sin 2. Consider It is a most monstrous sin it is a most dreadful sin to partake of other mens sins The Apostle speaks of committing iniquity with greediness Ephes 4.19 Sirs there is no such greedy sinning as this for a man to lick up and swallow down and devour other mens sins Naturalists tells us that Serpens Serpentem devorans sit Draco If a Serpent swallow down another Serpent it becomes a Dragon Oh Christians this sin of devouring other mens sins it is a Dragon-sin a Monstrous-sin a Dreadful-sin a Devilish-sin and therefore take heed of it 3. Consider If you partake of other mens sins you shall certainly partake of other mens plagues Rev. 18.4 Come out of her my people saies God namely from Babylon that you be not partakers of her sins that so yee receive not of her plagues See Prov. 13.20 A companion of fools shall be destroyed not only fools shall be destroyed but a companion of fools shall be destroyed if you sin with them you shall suffer with them and you shall suffer more because of them Read that Luke 16.27 28. And the rich man said I pray thee Father Abraham that thou wouldest send Lazarus to my Fathers house for I have five Brethren that hee may testifie unto them lest they also come into this place of torment Why would not hee have his Brethren to come to Hell to him Divines determine not out of any love to their souls there is not that charity to bee supposed in Hell Oh but because the sight of them and company of them would increase his torment This will bee the schreeking and howling in Hell among damned souls one to another oh woe worth the day that ever I saw thy face or that ever I saw thy face thou hast brought mee hither and thou hast brought
pure take heed of infectious places and infectious practices and infectious company Antid 3. Pray against them pray against prophaneness pray Augustines prayer Lord deliver mee from other mens sins Antid 4. Mourn for them mourn for the sins of the Nation and mourn for the sins of thy Relations for the sins of thy Brethren in their obstinacy that they will not bee reformed Christ came to sinful Jerusalem with weeping eyes and with a mourning heart oh Jerusalem David mourned for the wickedness of the times that hee saw Psal 119.136 Many walk saies Paul of whom I tell you weeping Thus did Gods people of old free themselves from National sins and particular mens sins When they could not bee reformers they turned mourners Jer. 13.17 And see how prevalent this is with God these mourners are the onely people to deliver a Nation or at least to deliver themselves from the sin and plagues of a Nation when God makes an overflowing scourge to pass through Ezek. 9.4 On the other side not mourning for the sins of others makes us adopt and espouse the sins of others Dan. 5.22 Antid 5. Reprove them Ezek. 3.17 18 19. If wee would not partake of the sins of others wee must reprove the sins of others Lev. 19. Ezek. 33.7 8 9. So the Apostle saith expresly Ephes 5.11 intimating that you do certainly approve them if you do not reprove them Reprove Heresie Blasphemy Drunkenness Oaths Sabbath-breaking Uncleanness and every sin you hear or see committed The Ravisht Virgin under the Law Deut. 22.25 was to cry out in this case God takes silence for consent As there is a holy silence to Gods Correction Aaron held his peace so there is a sinful silence under mans corruption Eli held his peace also Aarons silence was a good silence but Ely's silence was a naughty silence wee must bee silent under Gods correction but wee must not bee silent under mans corruption Levit. 5.1 Therefore saith St. Paul Reprove them the best way to avoid fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness and to free a mans soul from the guilt of other mens sins is to reprove them that is the Antidote against this infection Thus the Ephesians practised as St. Paul preacht St. Paul does not more advise them to this duty than St. John does commend them for this duty Saies the Holy Ghost there in Apoc. 2.1 2 3. compared together hast born and yet hast not born Gods Correction mans corruption I know thy patience and how thou canst not it is no breach of patience to bee impatient against sin and sinners But now beloved because this sword of Reproof is a very dangerous weapon if it bee not rightly handled an edge-tool that wee must bee marvelously chary how we meddle with There is required therefore a great deal of skill and prudence and wisdome and watchfulness to a right and successful managing of this duty Eccles 12.11 Hee that would fasten this nail of Reproof in the conscience of his offending Brother had need bee a very wise man Yea as I remember I siod Pelus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Every one can finde fault and reprove another for the same but to do it discreetly and seasonably and successfully requires a great deal of wisdome and to this end I shall give you these Rules Reproof is double 1. Ministerial and by way of Authority and Fraternal by way of Charity And here wee come to the second case viz. Reproof 1. Hee that reproves another must bee very careful that himself bee faultless and blameless as much as may bee otherwise hee is not acting his Charity but bewraying his Hypocrisie Thou that teachest another Rom. 2.21 22. This is Hypocrisie saith Christ Matth. 7.3 4 5. And here there are two things coucht in this 1. A man must bee faultless in reference to sin general as much as may bee that will reprove another The snuffers of the Sanctuary under the Law were of pure gold and it behoves that man that will bee a snuffer in Gods house to correct others to amend others and reprove others to bee very upright and circumspect in all things and then he may admonish with the greater Advantage Authority Efficacy Let the Righteous smite mee saith David c. Psal 141.5 A man of a strict and severe life and religious and righteous conversation carries a kinde of a Majesty and Authority along with him at which the guilty consciences of guilty sinners cannon but recoil as Herod did to John Baptist Mark 6.20 Though John had reproved him and touched him to the quick v. 18. And then 2. A man must bee blameless in reference to that sin hee reproves especially else in healing his Brother hee doth but stab himself if thou reprovest Pride in others and art proud thy self Covetousness and art covetous thy self Drunkenness and art a drunkard thy self thou dost but like David in Nathans Parable pronounce the sentence of thine own condemnation Rom. 2.1 But here I must enter one Caution none is exempted from this duty for unfitness no this thou oughtest to have done and not to have left the other undone 2. As hee must take heed that himself bee faultless so hee must be sure that his Brother bee faulty For otherwise it is not to reprove him but to reproach him and so instead of doing a Christian duty a man commits a devilish sin hee becomes an accuser of the Brethren instead of a Reprover of the Brethren Gal. 2.11 And here are likewise two things considerable 1. It must bee a truth that thou reprovest him for 2. It must bee a sin that thou reprovest him for 1. It must not be a conjecture or imagination or jealousie or rumour or hear-say that 's ground sufficient for Reproof for all these may be false and the Rule of Charity is quisquc praesumitur esse bonus nisi constat de malo but verily the guise of the world is far otherwise wee deal with our Brethren as the persecuting Pagans did with the Primitive Christians put them into Lions skin and into Bear skins and then bait them and tear them to peeces Alas the poor Christians were harmless meek Lambs but they disguised them and so abused them Thus 't is now Christians are apt and ready to put their poor Brethren into I know not what kinde of monstrous ugly shapes of their own imagining and devising or else of other mens traducing and reporting and without more ado they fall soul upon them This is not to imitate our Saviour Isa 11.2 3 4. Not from rumours but with righteousness and equity as God said in destroying of Sodome so should we say in reproving our Brethren Gen. 18.21 I will go down and see 2. It must bee a breach of some command Affirmative or Negative directly or reductively either the omission of that which is good or the commission of that which is evil wee must bee Cato's not Momus's As the Pharisees so Christ Mat. 19.3 So here is it lawful
affections indeed most times are first wrought upon we are so sensual by nature When thou art once gotten into their hearts then press them with weighty Arguments drawn out of Scripture argue with them about the folly of sin See how Job handles the matter with his wife about murmuring and impatience against God Iâ—b 2.10 What shall wee receive good at the haâ—d of God and not evil Let them know that all the waies of God are pleasant waies and all his paths are peace Prov. 3.17 That the path to Heaven is a most sweet path to walk in Shew them the beauty of Christ the glory of Christ draw aside the curtain and unvail the mysteries of free-grace before their eyes Let them behold the Image of that blessed Saviour pourtrayed in Scripture As the Spouse did to the Daughters of Jerusalem run over all the excellencies of Christ and then conclude Hee is alâ—ogether lovely This is my Beloved Cant. 5.16 and this is my Friend O Daughters of Jerusalem Tell them what experience you had of the blindness nakedness miserableness of your own condition formerly when you were as they are now that you then thought of Religion as they do that it was but a peevish foolish unnecessary strictness Tell them how the case is mended with you how admirably through mercy 't is altered 3. Let your conversation be very exemplary so that what you perswade may be strongly confirmed by your own Example Both vice and vertue are learned by Presidents Alexander in his manners and gate did imitate his Master Leonides as long as he lived Hieron ad Laet. p. 56 57. Nihil in te in patre suo videat quod si fecerit peccet Let thy childe behold nothing in thy walking which if followed may prove sinful Be an example to others of holiness Id. P. 101. that they may not offend by the authority of thy Name Though thy precepts be short and concise let thine actions exemplifying those precepts be constant and perpetual Max. Tyr. dess 15. Deny your selves sometimes in the injoyment of lawful things which may not be expedient before Carnal Relations when you are upon this work Let Wives saies the Apostle Peter 1 Pet. 3.1 2. win their husbands by their holy conversation Walk so meekly so obediently so winningly by an amiable deportment that a wicked drunken husband may see the picture of grace in the life of a wife and may be forced to confess that grace of a truth dwelleth in her 1 Cor 7.16 Many times the unbeleeving husband may be saved even in this sense by the beleeving wife vice versâ David profest that he would walk in his house with a perfect heart Psal 101.2 As the water follows the finger in the Clay so may thy example lead them on to the things of God There is a secret reverence and awe upon the hearts of others when any in the family do walk worthy of the Gospel unto all well pleasing Fourthly and lastly After thou hast used all these fore-mentioned directions which lye couched in the bowels of these words in the Text my hearts desire is that Israel may hee saved For if he did heartily desire their good as he profest then he would use all good means proper and proportionable to that end But then hee adds his prayer to God for the same purpose and so must thou follow the example of our holy Apostle Alas all thy instructions without prayer will do no good Go to God to sanctifie all and to perswade their souls that you have a most single and sincere aim at their everlasting salvation Pray apart for them and if the condition of thy Relations will admit pray with them and therein couch some sweet reflections upon their souls Elijah when he was in prayer with company cries out 1 King 18.37 O Lord hear mee that this people may know that thou art the Lord God Joh. 17.20 18.1 Our blessed Lord also in that heavenly prayer to the Father makes most sweet and ardent mention of his Disciples who were present with him Job 1.5 Job he sacrificed for his children he sent for them and sanctified them and offered burnt offerings according to the number of them all To teach us to pray for children distinctly one by one Abraham he begs of God Gen. 17.18 Prov. 31.2 Oh that Ishmael might live in thy sight and Bathshebah shee calls Solomon the Son of her vows Austin was the childe of Monica's prayers and tears Ask counsel of God as Manoah did Iudg. 13.8 that he would be pleased to teach you what you must do with your children Beg of God wisdome and direction that he would order providential seasons for their good let that be your great request in secret Oh that such a childe such a servant might be pull'd as a firebrand out of the fire Iude 23. and brought home to God Should ye have the wisdome of Angels if God do not come in to your help all your labour will be in vain Cry out with the poor man in the Gospel Lord have mercy on my Son Mat. 17.15 for he is sore vexed for oft-times he falleth into the fire and oft into the water sometimes into one sin sometimes into another whereby his soul incurs fearful and terrible dangers Commend thy childe to God whom thou hast begotten to death and damnation unless wonderful mercy interpose it self Sprinkle him with the holy water of melting tears beg of God that he may be delivered from the wrath to come by his Almighty Arm. Petition earnestly for the pardon of those sins for the rooting out that spiritual wickedness which thou hast been the means to propagate Pray it out fast it out weep it out before God Such Devils go not out without fasting and prayer Now I shall make some brief Application of the whole and so conclude Use 1. In the first place hence we learn the diffusive nature of holiness 2 King 4.3 it is like the widows Oil that filled all the vessels of her neighbours He that is holy is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 like unto God himself for communicatâ—veness as well as for purity in his small degree and measure The language of a Saint is Come let us sing praise Psal 95.1 2. let us come before his presence with thanksgiving Come yee Isa 2.3 and let us go up to the Mountain of the Lord to the house of the God of Jacob and he will teach us of his waies c. Use 2. To reprove such as do not perform their utmost that do not improve their skill and endeavour to the height in this excellent work Every childe is born an heir of Hell and wilt thou use no means to deliver his soul from death and to pull him out of the jaws of the Devil Oh thou ungodly Father that like Gallio takest no care in this matter God will require the blood
leave them Ezek. 36.27 And I will put my Spirit into you and cause you to walk in my statutes and ye shall keep my Judgements and do them As absolute as was the Covenant with Noah that hee would not drown the world Isa 54.9 10. Besides as God doth make conditional Promises of Pardon and Salvation to those that beleeve and repent so hee doth promise to give the condition Ezek. 36.25 26 27. And herein is one special difference betwixt the Covenant of Works and the Covenant of Grace for God promised happiness to man under the Covenant of Works if hee persevered in yeelding perfect Obedience but did not promse to keep him from departing from him So that a conditional promise is sufficient security where the condition is certain and doth not infer the uncertainty of the Promise but where the condition is doubtful These places also prove the constancy of Grace that it shall not be lost 1 John 3.9 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 differt ab 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Simpliciter accepto Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin doth not make a trade of sin cannot sin so as by sin totally and finally to fall for his seed remaineth in him Whilst the Papist and Arminians have indeavoured to bite asunder the Golden Chain whereby Grace and Glory are linked together This place of Scripture hath broke their teeth Bellar. Tom. 4. de Justif. lib. 3. cap. 15. Bellarmine acknowledgeth that this is the hardest place of Scripture for him to answer in all the Book of God Joh. 4.14 it is set forth by a well of water springing up to everlasting life A beleever is born of incorruptible seed 1 Pet. 1.23 An Hypocrite like a stake hath no root and therefore may be plucked up but a real beleever hath grace rooted in him and therefore like a tree rooted in the earth stands fast If it be objected no man can certainly bee assured of Salvation because God hath no where made a particular promise to any person by name and nothing is to be beleeved with a Divine Faith but what is expresly contained in the Word of God Hee hath not said Thou Cornelius shalt bee saved To this is answered That all particulars are contained under the Universals If all men be rational creatures and Cornelius be a man wee must conclude that Cornelius is a rational creature How will they prove that there is an infallible certainty that every particular person shall come to judgement For God hath not said and thou Cornelius shalt come to judgement In the commands that are given to all men that they shall not commit Adultery How will they prove that this reaches every particular man for where hath God said Thou Cornelius shalt not commit Adultery Thus this is proved from the infallibility of Gods Promises Secondly 2. From the prevalency of Christs prayers The prevalency of Christs intercession for those that do beleeve and love God doth demonstrate the inseparable connexion between Grace and Glory For wee know that what Christ prayeth for shall be granted Joh. 11.42 And I know that thou hearest mee alwaies * Certo certius concludere nobilicet Christi preces nunquam rejectum iri Armin. oâ—at de sacer Christi p. 17. Arminius layeth it down as a certain truth that Christs prayers are never rejected Now Christs prayers for beleevers are not conditional Father if their Faith fail not let them bee saved but Christ prayeth that their Faith might not faâ—l and that they may bee saved Christs Intercession doth not exclude the conditions of Faith and Perseverance but is that wee may beleeve persevere and so infallibly bee saved Luk. 22.32 I have prayed that thy Faith fail not And Arminians grant this prayer of Christ to be absolute praying not for Peters salvation if hee should persevere but praying that hee may persevere Neither is this prayer peculiar for Peter excluding the rest for though hee mentioneth Peter yet hee speaketh to all and of them all Simon Simon Satan hath desired you 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that hee may sift you as wheat and when he should be recovered from his fall he should strengthen his Brethren whereby it is manifest that Christ had respect unto the perseverance of the rest as well as to Peters And the like Intercession Christ makes for all that should beleeve as appeareth from the 17th of Joh. which was not a prayer only suitable to the condition and cases and exigencies of the Apostles at that time but a pattern of his interceding now in Heaven So much * Continet illud caput 17. Joh. perpetuum canonem precum intercessionis quas Christus patri offert in caelis quanquam enim Christus adhuc in terra existens illam precationem recitaverit tamen ad statum illius sublimem in caelis pertinet proprie describi voluit ut perpetuo nobis esset in terris solatio Armin. orat de Sacerd. Christi pag. 17. Arminius grants Joh. 17.15 I pray that thou wouldest keep them from evil therefore from Apostacy the greatest evil Not that they should be free from persecution but from being overcome by persecution that it may not separate them from him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Article shews the evil to be specially sin and Satan Vers 20. Neither pray I for these alone but for them also which shall beleeve on mee through their word And hee prayeth for their glorification vers 24. Father I will that they also whom thou hast given mee be with mee where I am Christ then as to his Divine Nature was in Heaven a proof that hee was God That they may behold my glory which thou hast given mee 3. From the inabâ—lity of all things to separate betwixt Christ and a beleever Thirdly The inability of all things that may set themselves to make a breach and separation between God and the gracious soul doth demonstrate an inseparable connexion between grace and glory Famous is that place to this purpose in Rom. 8.35 37 38. Where the Question is propounded by the Apostle whether any thing shall separate betwixt God and his People and hinder their Salvation and the Apostle saith No Where observe these particulars First The Interrogation Who shall separate that is none shall For thus an Interrogation is a strong Negation p Mat. 23.33 Heb. 2.3 Interrogatio negantis Secondly Here is a particular application of this to individual persons not only Beleevers or Elect in general Who shall separate us Thirdly A particular enumeration of those evils that might threaten this separation tribulation persecution c. And whereas some assert their own wills may be the cause of their Apostacy and that not mentioned in the Text. It is not said their own wills shall not separate them I answer it is included when it is said no other creature except they will exempt mens will from the Creation Fourthly His glorying and triumphing
The Goliah and Holophernes who being once slain the Philistims and Assyrians will soon be routed Throw the head of this Shebah over the wall and the enemy will retreat shamefully 4. Never enter the field without thy Second Fight under the Shield as well as under the Banner of thy General In other fights the General flyes to the Battel upon the wings of his Army but here the Army flyes upon the wings of their General This is done by Faith and Prayer Thus David conqueâ—ed Goliah 1 Sam. 17.45 and the Philistims 2 Sam. 5.19 23. Fight alwayes upon thy knees Let Moses be praying while Josuah is fighting Exod. 17.11 Mâ—y not Christ take it ill if thou carry thy self as if thou meanest to steal a victory before he know of it 5. Put on keep on stand in and exercise thy Spiritual Arms Ephes 6. v. 10. 18. That only is Armour of Proof never any girds it on but may boast before the Victory Allude to 1 Kings 20.11 never any fought prosperously without it It 's our mettal as well as our weapon Neither Earth nor Hell can stand against this Artilery of Heaven Let not Satan find thee disarmed lest he leave thee dispoyled There is no fighting with carnal weapons against a spiritual Enemy You may as well beat the Devil with a sword or spear as conquer sin by the power of Free-will or with moral and worldly Arguments They are but paper bullets and paper walls the scorn not the Terrour of Hell though useful in some cases Remember withal there are no Arms for thy Back-parts 6. With some Lusts fight like the Parthians flying 1 Cor. 6.18 and 2 Tim. 2.22 This is but an honourable retreat and warlike stratagem Jos 8.15 Judg. 20.32 Youthful Lusts are like the Basilisk or like a Burning-glasse in the Sun that may not be looked on 2 Sam. 11.2 with other Lusts fight like the Romans charging home 7. Entertain no Parley with thy Enemy This cost all mankind dear at first Gen. 3. vers 1. 4. It 's dâ—ssloyal looks like a confederacy and is very dangerous Come not into Jaels tent sleep not in Dalilah's lap talk not with Joab lest he smite thee under the fifth Rib. Sin and Satan are too cunning Sophisters for us to dispute withal He in a manner gives up his Cause that will plead it with the Devil The best Answer to Satan's Suit is a round and churlish denyal Zach. 3.2 Matth. 4.10 Jude vers 9. Parleying is a kind of faint denyal and draws on this impudent Suiter 8. Take advantage by every thing that befalls thee in this Spiritual Warfare Eye thy reserves The Captain of thy Salvation is both thy Vanguard and thy Rereward and will be thy Reward Thou gainest thy Husband as David did his wife by conquering these Philistims and while thou art fighting for him he is weaving thy Crown 2 Tim. 4.7 8. Eye thy Fellow-souldiers those Worthyes of the Heavenly David that are both Militant and Triumphant Heb. 12.1 Example is very forcible Yea take advantage by thy very Foyâ—s to be more humble charitable dependent watchful and courâ—gious Let not the Enemy gain the field after Conquest by a back-blow of Pride This Antiochus gains often more by flattery then by force Dan. 11.21 22. It 's honourable for Christ to say well done c. but dangerous for Satan to say well done and safe for thee to say poorly done when thou hast done thy best Despise thy self when others admire thee and be assured that self-admiration is the most dangereus Devil in the World Especially improve Advantages prudently when thou hast thy Enemy on the hip yea on the ground fall with all thy weight upon him give him no Quarter lest thou meet with the doom of Ahab 1 Kings 20.42 and of the Israelites Numb 33.55 56. Here as one notes well Learn Wisdom of the Serpents-Brood who never thought they had Christ sure enough though they had him in the Grave Matth. 27.64 Remember it 's thy highest Wisdom first to discern next to improve the Spiritual Contrarieties that act in thy own bosome He is the wisest man that knows himself and he the strongest man that conquers himself This alone is the true Israelite who by conquering himself doth in a pious sense overcome both Heaven Earth and Hell Gen. 32.28 What Faith is that which except we have in Prayer we must not think to obtain any thing of God James 1.6 But let him aske in Faith FOr the Connexion of these words with the former since they will not give much light to the Question I am to handle and the time will hardly permit things more necessary to be spoken I shall wholly wave or very briefly speak to The Subject I am to speak to is to show what is meant here by asking in Faith or what Faith that is which who so hath not must not or hath no reason to expect to receive any thing from God God may bestow his mercies where and on whom he pleaseth but is no way engaged by promise to bestow any mercy on such an one that asketh not in Faith It is not said that such an one should not expect any great matters from God but not any thing at all the least mercy is greater then he hath any reason to think he shall receive not only he shall not receive Wisdom spoken of vers 5. but not any thing Wisdom he may get as Achitophel did and many other things without praying in Faith or praying at all but for Divine Wisdom or for any blessing from God he may think what he will but if the Apostle may be thought worthy to advise him he would not have him think to receive any thing except he ask and ask in Faith Therefore it much concerns us to know what is meant by asking in Faith since the want of it makes our Prayers of none effect if we pray without it we may pray but you cannot justly expect any return of your Prayers except it be as of an arrow shot up to Heaven upon your own head to your wounding Of this Question I shall speak very plainly as the Lord shall enable me in the evidence and demonstration of the Spirit Comparing Spiritual thingâ— with Spiritual things Some may make it to imply more to ask in Faith then to ask with Faith or that it is more to be in Faith then for Faith to be in us To be in Love is more then to love and when it is said Revel 1.10 that the Apostle was in the Spirit it showes that not only he had the Spirit and was filled with it but there were great overflowings and a superabundance of the Spirit This the Apostle seems to call James 5.15 the Prayer of Faith as if their Faith rather prayed then they as St. Paul speaks It is not I but the Grace of God in me when Faith rather may be said to act us then we to act Faith But I suppose those high degrees of
Father am I thy Enemy God argues thus with the Jews Deut. 32.6 III. We are to believe that whatsoever we ask of God in Prayer is according to his will 1 John 5.14 The poor doubting Soul will say then I dare not pray for the recovery of my child since I know not whether it be the will of God it shall recover or no. I Answer Thine asking what God hath decreed not to give makes not thy Prayer sinful but thine asking what he hath forbid thee to desire for the will of Gods Decree is not the rule for us to walk by but the will of his Command Deut. 29.29 If what we pray for be such as is lawful and good for us to desire though God should tell us by a Prophet that he would not grant it yet we might lawfully pray for it and be blamelesse for so did David 2 Sam. 12. nay though God should send us word by a Prophet that we should dye and not live yet we might pray and not only be blamelesse but successful for so was Hezekiah nay though God should forbid us to pray yet since he commands us to pray in his Word we may pray and be heard for though God bid Jacob let him go yet he wrestled on and obtained the blessing and Moses though God bid him let him alone yet Moses did not let him alone and prevailed So then to ask things according to the will of God is to ask nothing that is unlawful to ask as for one to pray that God would prosper us in evil wayes this is to ask what is not according to his will I say you are to pray for noâ—hing that is any way unlawful to be desired Now it is not enough that the thing it self be lawful to be desired but the end for which we desire it must be lawful for if we desire lawful things for unlawful ends we ask amisse James 4.3 The end why we desire such a mercy must be such as God approves of by his Word as well as the thing it self To desire gifts of Edification for ostentation though according to the Will of God as to the thing desired yet as to the end it is abhominable As concerning the matter of our Prayers we are to believe as hath been said so as to God we are to believe several things Indeed scarce any of his Attributes but some way or other we are to act our Faith upon in Prayer but I shall choose some few on which the eye of Faith is especially fixed in Prayer The first is Gods Omniscience for else we shall be at a great losse I. If we believe not this how can we be assured that God hears our Prayers For 1. In respect of the number of Prayers there being Millions of Prayers put up at the same time to God if he be not Omniscient how is it possible he should hear all if any should not be heard how knowest thou that thine is not the Prayer that is not heard 2. In respect of the Secrecy of Prayer for except God know our hearts he cannot know our prayers for it is the heart that prayes the tongue only speaks Orat mens lingua loquitur 3. If God knew not the heart the poor soul who pray'd with sighs and groans that cannot be expressed should find no acceptance when the hypocrite that speaks much and means nothing shall be heard for his much babling 4. The Saints ask such things that require infinite Knowledge and Wisdom to do for us for when we desire God to make us to know him it requires more wisdom than for us to teach an Infant the Mathematicks So we desire God to cure us of our spiritual distempers alas they are so various so contrary so deeply rooted in our Natures we are such froward unruly Patients that it requires infinite Wisdom to heal us for when God goes to cure our Pride by afflicting us then our impatience is increased That which is the cure of one corruption increaseth another 5. If we believe not Gods Wisdom and Omniscience we cannot acquiesce in Gods answer of Prayers for we may suffer but not acquiesce in Gods answer of Prayers II. We are to believe Gods Providence that he rules and orders all things Whoso thinks that all things are ruled by second Causes by the Power and Policy of men or by the Stars or chance they will not Pray at all or go to God meerly as a refuge We shall pray to God but trust to our selves or to medecines when we are sick and to our food when we are well We may be confident we shall be delivered but we shall not at all trust that God will deliver us To strengthen our Faith in this we must know That those things that seem to be least within the compass of Providence are wholly guided by it 1. Things Natural God makes the Sun to arise and the Rain to fall Mat. 5. Gives to every seed his own body 1 Cor. 15. 2. The smallest things they escape not Providence God numbers the hairs of our head Mat. 10.30 3. Things casual Pro. 16.33 That which we call Chance medley is providential as to God The man 1 Kings drew a Bow at a venture and yet God directed it to an hairs breadth 4. The Counsels of men yea against God yet are ordered by the determinate Counsel of God Acts 2.23 5. Things most unruly The raging Sea goes so farre and no further by Gods decree the roaring Lion cannot destroy a Swine not afflict nor tempt a Saint without Gods leave Job 1. Luke 22.32 The wrath of man as well as the rage of the devil is ordered and restrained by the Wisdom and Power of God Psal 66. 6. The skill and inventions of men Isa 28.27 28. 7. Sin it self whether of Omission or Commission as silence and discord in Musick serves to make the Harmony sweeter III. Gods Omnipotence is to be believed else we will stagger through unbelief This was that in which the eminency of Abrahams faith did appear Rom. 4.21 and of the Centurion's Matth. 8. and Christ farre more blames them that question his Can than his Will for he doth not so much as reprove the Leper Matth. 8. but so sharply reproves him Mar. 9. hat he makes him weep because he said If thou canst he saith If thou canst believe to show that we cannot believe if we do not believe Gods Power We doubtless are generally faulty this way though we are ashamed to own it as you may see by this instance If we have two children sick the one whose death would be farre more afflictive to us hath some cold or some other small distemper the other of some mortal disease and given up by Physitians thou prayest for the recovery of both but for which of those two recovery art thou least confident is it not of his who is most sick and why so but because thou questionest Gods Power or Providence If thou shalt say my sins are
so great God will not hear my prayers and heal my child for if indeed that were the reason of thy fearing that God will not hear thee thou wouldst rather feâ—r it as to thine other child since his death would be more afflictive Now the Saints have more reason to strengthen their Faith in the Omnipotence of God in Prayer than wicked men for because the things worldly men desire need not Omnipotence to do A creature may do what they desire except God will withdraw his common Providence for one that is worth an hundred thousand pounds can make a poor man rich and some Medicines in an ordinary way of Providence have vertue to cure many Diseases But the things the people of God desire cannot be done but by Omnipotence Eph. 1.19 IV. We must act our Faith upon his Goodnesse and Bounty for we must not only have high thoughts of Gods other Excellencies but of his Goodness also of his abundant willingness to do us good and loathness to afflict us for surely he never afflicts us but in case of necessity 1 Pet. 1. If need be you are in many tribulations When he afflicts us he only gives us necessaries but when he bestows mercies he gives us not only for our necessity but richly to enjoy When we go to a Covetous man for mony he parts with every penny as with a drop of bloud for us to think God parts so with his Mercies that he is hard to be intreated and that he is an hard Master either for work or wages are thoughts utterly unworthy and shamefully dishonourable to the Goodnesse of God If thy child whose finger if it should but ake thine heart akes should think thou grudgest him every bit of meat he eats thou wouldst think him a wretched child unworthy of thy tender affections and must it not be farre worse in thee to have such thoughts of God since tam pius nemo tam pater nemo Was it so great a grief to Peter to have Christ question his love John 21.17 though he had given but sad testimony of his Love but lately and can it choose but much offend God for thee to question Gods Love to thee nay his Goodness in it self when God hath given thee no cause of either Mal. 2.1 We should go to God with as much confidence of his Love and readiness to do us good as the child doth to the tenderest Parent as we do to the dearest friend we have in the whole world and much more abundantly If we do not believe that the goodness of God is as much above the goodness and love of our dearest friend as we account his Wisdom and Power above our friends we have unworthy thoughts of that Attribute which God hath most abundantly manifested and would have most glorified and the love our friend bears us is but a drop from and of that Ocean that is in God Doubtless God loves his enemies more then we love our friends he loves us more if we love him then we love our selves or him Surely God loves the weakest Saint on earth more than the highest Angel in heaven loves him for when God saith that he So loved the world it was such a Sic there was no Sicut for it it might not be said as the Angels loved God Ah we deal unworthily with God in having base low thoughts of his goodness he hath little deserved it at our hands he that hath done such wonders and miracles of Mercies for us and hath promised to do more Say that every mercy is too great for thee to receive but say not that any is too great for God to give Surely surely God is more willing to give than we are to receive mercies But you will say If God be so willing to bestow mercies why doth he not bestow them without prayers and such importunity I Answer God doth not thus because he is not willing but because we are not fit for Mercies for God waits to be gracious The tender Mother had rather give her child Cordials than bitter Pils but her child is sick By our Prayers we make not God more willing but we become more prepared for Mercies for our Prayers exercise and so strengthen grace and strong grace weakens and mortifies corruption and then we are fit for mercies God only stayes while he may blesse us indeed as Jabez phraseth it One that is in a Boat and pulls a Rope whos 's other end is tied to a Rock pulls not the Rock to the Boat but the Boat to the Rock so our Importunities move not God but us But you will say when we pray for others this reason holds not for their graces are not encreased by our praying for their deliverances from misery or danger or the Church from persecution I Answer It is true but our Prayers add to our reward for God is in goodnesse as Sathan is in badnesse and much more abundantly whereas whâ—n Sathan hath a Commission and intends to do some mischiefe he as oft as he can engageth Witches to put him upon doing that which he intends to do howsoeveâ— that he may involve them in the guilt as if they themselves or that he had not done it if they had not put him upon it So God that the Saints may have the reward of the good he doth to others as if they themselves had done it or as if God would not have done it wiâ—hout their Prayers puts them upon praying for those Mercies for others which he will do howsoever Esay 59.16 III. The Third Object of Faith are the Promises and there are three kinds some to Prayer some of Prayer some to the Person praying We are to act our Faith upon all but for brevity sake for I am forced to Contract I shall answer but one Objection The poor Soul will say I do not believe I have any Interest in the promises therefore I cannot pray in Faith I Answer To obtain the Mercies included in a promise it is not requried that we should believe our Interest in it but the truth not that God will perform to us but to those to whom it belongs though you do not believe it belongs to you for the promises made to Graces are made to them that have them not to them that believe as for example the promises made to Faith are made to them that have Faith though they believe not that they do believe and that poor Souls doubt that God will never make good any promise to them proceeds not from any doubt of Gods veracity or faithfulnesse but of their own unworthinesse and non-interest in them IV. The fourth and main Object of Faith which our Faith must eye in our Prayers is Christ in whom all the Promises are yea and Amen who hath reconciled the Person and Attributes of God and concerning Christ we are to believe I. The great love God bears to Christ which is doubtlesse greater then to the whole Creation for to which of the
Angels said he at any time Thou art my beloved in whom I am well pleased Gods Love to Christ is not only greater but diffusive for the Love that God bears to Christ is as the oyl that was poured upon the head of Aaron which ran down to the skirts of his garments so the Love that God bears to Christ terminates not in the Person of Christ but is communicated to all that are his As Haman to shew the great hatred he bore to Mordecai would not bound his malice on the person of Mordecai but would destroy the whole Nation So God thought it too small a Testimony of his Love to Christ to be well pleased with Christ for so he is with the Angels but he is well pleased in Christ with the whole World I mean all Nations We must believe this or we cannot expect any favour for his sake His Love to Christ is so great that his Love to Christ is greater then his hatred to sinners so that any sinner may be reconciled and accepted through Christ God came to reconcile God and sinners not God and sin As one who desires the King to be reconciled to such a Traytour doth not desire him to be reconciled to the Treason but to the Traytour II. We are to believe the fulnesse of Christ's satisfaction and the greatnesse of the value and efficacy of the death of Christ for if Justice be not satisfied we have no Throne of Grace but a seat and Barr of Justice to come before The Blood of Christ hath a pacifying purifying purchasing perfuming reconciling satisfying justifying virtue It pacifies Gods wrath it reconciles and justifies our persons it purifies our Nature it perfumes our duties it purchaseth our inheritance III. We are to believe the efficacy and infallible successe of Christs Intercession The fulnesse of Christs Intercession is in this that he doth three things for us all that we stand in need of according to what was Typified by the High-Priest for he did three things 1. He sprinkled the blood upon the Mercy-seat hereby an attonement was made as to our sins they being pardoned 2. He went in with Incense hereby our duties were perfumed so God is said to inhabit the Praises of his People and to dwell in thick darknesse i. e. in the the thick smoke of the Incense 3. He had the Names of the Tribes engraven on his breast or heart Christ pleads the love he bears to his People Three places the names of the Saints are written in out of either whereof nor men nor Devils can blot them out viz. in the Book of Life on the palms of his hands and on the heart of Christ I may add the fourth thing the High-Priest did when he entered into the Holy Place viz. he went in with all his rich Priestly Garments to shew we should be clothed with the rich Robes of Christs Righteousnesse for what the High-Priest did he did not in his personal but in his publick capacity Now the efficacy of his Intercession was not only from the wonderful Love God bore to Christ from the unparalleld Interest Christ had in the Father by these means we may expect all acts of favour but we have Justice on our side for favour is an arbitrary thing therefore Christ is our Advocate 1 John 2.1.2 he presents our case not by way of Petition but by way of pleading for Advocates do not petition but plead So then Christ doth four things as to our Prayers 1. He endites them by his Spirit he perfumes them by his merit then he presents our Prayers and Persons for we have accesse through him Ephes 3.12 and then superadds his own Intercession his blood crying louder then our sins and better things then our Prayers IV. We are to believe and improve this truth viz. that the Father exceedingly delights to honour Christ and hereby God wonderfully honours Christ by pardoning and receiving into favour such Rebellious sinners as we are for his sake by forgiving any thing for his sake A sinner cannot please God better then by coming with confidence for pardon for his sake If we come for pardon or mercies and our Confidence ariseth from our low thoughts of the number or sinfulnesse of our sins or of Gods hatred of sin or our ability to satisfie Justice or deserve Mercy our Confidence is desperate impudence and arrogance but if purely from the high esteem we have of the incomprehensiblenesse of Christs satisfaction and of Christs Interest in Gods Love and of the Fathers delight to honour Christ such Confince is pretious and acceptable with God and whosoever hath it may go with as much freedom and assurance of favour as if he had never sinned with as much as Adam in his Innocency or the Angels in Glory Alas we do not believe or not improve these truths for if we did we might have any thing for Christ hath Interest enough in God to bear us out and procure any Mercy V. We are to believe improve and obey Christs Command viz. in John 14.13 14 16 23. the former truths give us great hope but this strong Consolation for though such a great Person had never so much interest in some other great Person with whom we had to do yet without a Commission from him we might not go in his Name but Christ hath not only given us leave but a Command and now it is not an arbitrary thing we may do or not do but we must do This is the Incomprehensible goodnesse of God that what is for our good he commands us that not only we may be put on the more to obtain what is good for us but that it may be an act of obedience and so we may be rewarded for procuring our own happinesse So much for the things we are to believe now for the manner of believing 1. We are to believe these things of God and Christ with an Historical Faith 2. With a Faith of Recumbency we are to rely upon the Power Wisdom and Goodness of God and upon Christs Interest in God c. 3. Saints are by way of duty but not by way of a necessary Condition of obtaining whatsoever they ask to believe with the Faith of assurance of obtaining whatsoever we pray for By Faith here in the Text is not meant that we must without any doubt or wâ—vering believe that we shall receive in kind whatsoever we ask even the very thing we pray for 1. The Leper was cured though he prayed with an if thou wilt 2. Those in disertion should put up no acceptable Prayers since they have not Faith of assurance of obtaining 3. Christ when he comes at the day of Judgment he shall not find this Faith on the Earth Luke 18.8 and yet vers 7. it is said God will hear those Prayers 4. The Apostle forbids this Faith vers 7. therefore it is not the Faith here commanded for then it should run thus you must believe you shall receive the thing you ask
for but if you do not you must noâ— many more arguments may be brought to prove this but these shall suffice besides what shall be sâ—id in the Positive handling this Question viz. What Faith is required as to our believing absolutely and undoubtedly in kind the very thing we ask which I shall Answer in several Propositions I. When we ask Temporal blessings as we ought we are bound to believe we shall receive them as we ask them for our Prayers for Temporal things should be spiritual as to the end and moderate as to their measure and conditional as to their effect upon us i. e. if it be for our good now since our desires are to be Conditional and Gods Promises of Temporals are Conditional we must not absolutely believe we shall receive what we ask a Conditional promise cannot be a foundation for an absolute Faith II. Our Faith and Confidence of obtaining the thing we ask should proceed pari passu should be as strong to the event as it is to the Conditions If we are very confident what we ask is for the glory of God or our good we must be as Confident that we shall have it for as we are to put no Condition to absolute Promises since God hath put none so we are to add no more Conditions to Conditional Promises than God hath put and upon those Conditions we are as fully to rely upon Gods performance as upon his performance of absolute Promises III. Though we cannot nor ought not certainly to believe the obtaining the thing we ask if it be Temporal by virtue of the Promise yet by virtue of an immediate assurance God may give us of receiving the very thing we ask we may and indeed cannot chuse but expect it We read of Gods dealings so with several of his Saints with Mr. Fox and many others IV. As for Spiritual blessings they are of four sorts 1. Of Edification as gifts such as speaking with Tongues and Prophesying in the Primitive Church and the gifts of Preaching and Praying now or 2. Of Consolation as assurance and the Comforts of the Spirit the Priviledges of the Kingdom of God as Peace and Joy in Believing 3. Of Sanctification as Grace and Glory for the former the same rules as belong to Temporals belong to these but for Saving Grace as our Prayers ought not to be Conditional since we are sure it is for our good and the glory of God for us to be holy so our Faith ought not to be conditional but absolute and particular that God will give us Grace and Glory if we sincerely and fervently ask it 4. Yet though I should believe that God certainly will give Grace nay and all other things if good for me yet my not believing that God will give me Grace doth not null mine interest in the Promise but only my Comfort nor shall it hinder Gods performance though it hinders our expectation of receiving V. Though we are not absolutely to believe we shall receive Temporal blessings or those of consolation or edification yet that we do not more confidently expect the performance of such Prayers in kind proceeds generally from our not believing and improving the Power and goodnesse of God and the great Interest Christ hath in God and the rest that I have spoken of for generally we are more confident that the thing we pray for is good for us then we are that we shall have it VI. We may be as confident that the restoring of our selves or our relations to health or deliverance of them out of danger is for our good as they in our Saviours time who prayed to him for these mercies were VII As the case stands between Justifying Faith and assurance so the case stands as to our receiving and our expecting the answer of our Prayers in kind 1. As we may and shall have all the Promises that are made to Faith made good to us though we do not believe that we have Faith and by Consequence do not believe they shall have them made good to us so when we pray for those things God hath promised to those who love or fear God or walk uprightly though we do not believe we have that fear or love or that we walk uprightly if we have those Graces we shall receive the Promises made to them 2. As there are two kinds of assurance one which comes from the Testimony of our own spirits when upon serious examination of our selves we find that we do believe the other which comes from the Testimony of the Spirit of God witnessing with our Spirits So there are two kinds of assurance of receiving the thing we ask one which proceeds from our believing and improving our believing the Power and goodnesse of God and Christs Interest in God and Gods delighting to honour Christ by giving the mercies we ask in his name the other from Gods immediate assuring us that we shall receive the very mercy we pray for 3. As the immediate Testimony of the Spirit comes with more evidence then the Testimony of our own Spirits so the immediate assurance that God gives that we shall receive the things we pray for is clearer and fuller then that which we have by our relying upon the Power and goodnesse of God or to speak more properly we do more fully rely upon the goodnesse and Power of God when God doth immediately enable us so to do then when we work out this Confidence by our own endeavours assisted by the ordinary concurrence of the Spirit 4. As it is not our sin to want the immeâ—iate Testimony of the Spirit so it is not our sin not to have this particular assurance of receiving what we ask These Parallels may be far more enlarged and will hold as I think in all particulars The Use of this is 1. For Consolation to all that love and fear God for thy not believing God will grant thy Prayers shall not hinder thy Prayers from being accepted and granted for although if thine unbelief were built upon thy not believing Gods Power or goodnesse to do what thou prayest for would hinder thee yet since thy diffidence proceeds from thy not believing that thou art such an one as the Promises are made to such thine unbelief shall not make the promise of God of no effect 2 Tim. 2.13 In the 11 and 12 verses the Apostle saith if we are dead with Christ not if we believe we are dead with Christ we shall live though we do not believe we are dead if we are dead it shall not hinder for if we believe not God is faithful 2 Tim. 2.13 for suppose one dyes and leaves such an one a Legacy though he to whom the Legacy is left doth not know of any such Legacy yet the Executor will not therefore not give him the Legacy nay though he will hardly believe it when he tells him yet he will keep it and give it him so the Legacies that Christ hath left to the Saints though
it i. e. by the feet of Trust and is (w) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Et exaltabatur Celsus ab alto infra se cernens Hominum genus Sil Ital. safe As safe as a man judgeth himself to be when got into an high Tower well fortified and fears not the sharpest or swiftest darts that can be shot against him Safe as the chicken Take themselves to be when hous'd under the (x) Ut pulli sub alis gallinae Covert of their Dam's wing Psal 46.1 Or safe as the manslayer is from the pursuit of the Avenger when Lodg'd in a City of Refuge Thus when a man Trusts in God he doth sweetly acquiesce and repose himself in Gods bosome troubles himself no more casts no Jealous thoughts about his Condition Thus David resolves I will lay me down in peace and sleep for thou Lord makest me to dwell in (y) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Confidenter safety or in Trust Psal 4.8 2. A Stedfast well-grounded Hope Trust and Hope are Gemini Twins born together bred up together Hence often conjoyn'd in Scripture Thou art my Hope (z) Ps 71.5 O Lord God Thou art my Trust from my youth and Blessed is the man that (a) Jer. 17.7 Ps 119.42 43 49. Trusteth in the Lord and whose Hope the Lord is Hence the Septuagint usually render the word put for Trust as also in the Text 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Ar. Mont. and divers others Sperate Hope ye in the Lord. Hope then is that Fidus Achates the Faithful Companion of Trust Now in this Hope there are two things 1. An holy and confident expectation and looking out after Gods gracious presence Trust believes and Hope expects To enjoy what God has promised Thus the Prophet Isa 8.17 I will wait upon the Lord and I will (b) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Et expectabo eum Look for Him Hope looks and looks out as expecting Gods Appearing Not as Sisera's mother once did who looked for a victorious Success and expected that her son should have returned a triumphant Conquerour richly laden with spoils and Booty when as the wretch lay (c) Jud 5.28 bleeding at the foot of Jael Nor like those sinful miserable people who (d) Jer. 8.15 looked for peace but behold no good came No such a vain groundless Hope draws a Blush into the cheek and Covers the face with Confusion But this is an Hope which makes not (e) Rom. 5.5 Ashamed whose earnest expectation shall assuredly end in sweet fruition 2. An humble and constant wayting on Gods Leisure Looking out and wayting on God both put together (f) Mic. 7.7 Therefore I will look unto the Lord I will wait for the God of my salvation my God will hear me Faith gets up to the Top of it's watch Tower looks out sees whether Relief be coming But suppose None appears in Kenne Suppose Help defer'd Yet now it wayts and tarries Gods time Faith knocks at Heavens Gate No Answer from within Faith knocks Again still there is silence However Faith concludes my God will Hear yea and Answer too But 't is fit I should wait his Time (g) Hab. 2.3 The vision is for An appointed time but at the end It shall speak and not lie though it tarry I must and will wait for it because it will surely come It will not Tarry Thus David My (h) Ps 62.5 Soul wayt thou only upon God or keep thou silence unto God for my expectation is from Him David when he shuts his mouth opens his ear wayts and listens what God will say and concludes Contra Gentes The Lord will in His own Best Time speak peace Psal 85.8 3. An Humble Holy and undaunted Confidence Thus Solomon In the fear of the Lord in the filial awful Reverential fear of God there is strong (c) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fiducia fortitudinis Confidence and his children shall have a place of Refuge Prov. 14.26 This Holy Confidence is Nothing else but Faith peg'd up to it's Ela. A Confident Soul moves in an higher Orb then other Saints leadp up the Van of the Militia of Heaven As Patience is nothing else but Hope Lengthned so Confidence is nothing less then Faith strengthned the very Spirits the meer Elixar of Faith which carries with it 1. Christian Courage and * Beatus ille qui undique petitus firmius stetit qui exhausit Daemonis pharetram nec concedit imo ne de gradu quidem tantisper motus est Nic. Fortitude opposite to Carnal fear and despondency of Spirit (d) Isa 12.2 Behold God is my Salvation I will Trust and not be afraid for the Lord Jehovah is my strength (e) Ps 112.7.91.5.46.1 2 3. He shall not be afraid of evil tidings His Heart is fixed trusting in the Lord. Thus David undauntedly The Lord is my Light and my Salvation whom shal I fear The Lord is the strength of my life of whom shall I be afraid Psal 27.1 His Confidence in God quite extinguisht in Him all base sneaking fear of man Ps 56.4 2. Christian boldness and Adventurousness opposite to Cowardice Holy Confidence steels the Heart of (f) Mark 15.43 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Joseph of Aramathea to go in Boldly to Pilate and to beg the Body of Jesus This was that enabled David to encounter Goliah that made him dare to take a Bear by the teeth yea and a Lion by the Beard 'T is for sluggards to say there 's a Lion in the way Prov. 22.13 But let a Believer that makes God his Trust but once Know his Duty It is enough he will with a * Invictus ad labores fortis ad pericula rigidus adversus voluptates duâ—us adversus Illecebras Ambros Couragious and undaunted mind cheerfully undertake it and commit both himself and the success to God Acts 4.13.19 20.22 21.13 Jer. 7.7 8 9. Dan. 3.17 18. Est 4.16 Heb. 10.34 to 40. 3. Holy and Humble Boasting opposite to sinful Concealing of what God hath done for us A Believer that dares not Boast of Himself or riches of any thing within that has no Confidence in the flesh yet dares (g) Psal 44.8 boast of his God In God we boast all the day long and praise thy Name for ever Thus the Church challenges the eyes and ears of All that were round about her saying Lo this this is our God we have waited for him and he hath saved us Isa 25.9 III. The Effects of an holy Trust and they are such as these 1. Fervent effectual constant Prayer Thus in our text Trust in him at all times ye People pour out your hearts before him Psal 62.8 while Joshua is in the Vally conflicting with Amaleck Moses gets him up into the Mount to (h) Ex. 17.9.11 Ps 86.1 2. 1 Joh. 5.14 Psal 18.2 3. Pray Moses knew full well That as Prayer without Faith is but a beating of the Air so Trust without praier
which God knows is but for a moment All these enjoyments can neither make me better nor wiser not render my life more safe and comfortable not sanctifie our souls nor satisfie our desires Therefore saith faith I will trust in God only whom I can never trust too much not in the creature which I can never trust too little II. In times of sadness afflictions wants sufferings miseries when the hand of the Lord is gone out against us and he greatly multiplies our sorrows When he breaks us with breach upon breach and runs upon us like a Giant when his Arrows stick fast in us and his hand presseth us sore when he sows Sackcloath on our skin and defiles our horn in the dust When we are fain to eat ashes like bread and to mingle our drink with weeping Now now is a time for a Saints trust to bestir it self to purpose In this storm and tempest wherein the waves mount up to heaven and go down again to the depths Faith sits at Helm and preserves the soul from shipwrack Faith takes this Serpent by the tail handles it and turns it into an harmless wand yea into an Aarons rod budding with glory and immortality Faith encounters this seeming Goliah of Affliction grapples with it not as a match but as a vanquisht Underling Let misery dress her self like the cruellest Fury come forth guarded with all her dismal attendants sighs groans tears wants woes Faith sets its foot on the neck of this Queen of fears insults and triumphs over her When the heart and flesh are apt to fail when soul and spirit are apt to sink and swoon away Faith draws forth its Bottle and administers a reviving Cordial In a word in a Sea an Ocean a Deluge of trouble amidst all storms winds tempests yea an Herricane of sorrows and miseries Faith knows where and how to cast Anchor According to that of our Saviour 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * Ne perturbetur commoveatur 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let not your Heart be Troubled so Troubled as a ship tost in a Tempest ye Believe in God Believe also in me Faith is that great Antidote Cordial Panacea Catholicon Heal-All of all Diseases This is That that makes a Believer Live in the midst of Death But more particularly in This Tempestuous Condition Faith doth these three Things 1. It warily avoids some dangerous Rocks and Quicksands 2. It heedfully looks to it's Bottom in which it sails 3. It accurately observes it's Compass by which it steers I. There are some Rocks Shelves Quicksands like Scylla and Charybdis against which in such a dark Condition the Soul is apt to split it self These Faith avoids with utmost Care and They are Six 1. Distracting distrustful carking corroding heart-dividing heart-stabbing Cares Faith according to the Apostles o Phil. 4.6 command 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is carkingly Careful for nothing but in every thing by Prayer and supplication makes it's requests known to God True indeed a Believer is not may not dares not be slothfully negligently careless of his Body Estate Relations Affairs particular calling Rom. 12.17 Faith knows that He that endeavours not by honest prudent diligent care and foresight To p 1 Tim. 5.8 provide for his own is worse than an Infidel And yet Faith is far from All carking Cares such as distract the Head and q Matth. 6.25 c. divide the Heart from other and Better Things Faith takes no thought for its life what it shall eat neither for the Body wherewith it shall be cloathed Faith leaves that to God who feeds the Sparrows and clothes the Lillies 'T is for Gentiles and unbelievers to cry out solicitously what shall we eat or what shall we drink or wherewithal shall we be cloathed My Heavenly Father knows that I have need of all these Things It belongs to him to provide 'T is his work I leave it with him All that r 1 Pet. 5.7 Care I cast upon him He doth and will care for me I may not must not saith Faith speak against God as did the ſ Psal 78.19 20. Israelites saying Can God furnish a table in the Wilderness As he hath given waters can he give bread also can he provide flesh for his people 2. Carnal Counsel using unlawful and Carnal Confidence Trusting in Lawful means Say not when God pursues t Hos 14.3 Ashur shall save you and you will ride on horses In sickness Faith will not run first to the Physician That was Good u 2 Cro. 6.12 Asa's great sin 'T was Holy David's great failing to say though but in his Heart Nothing better for me then to escape into the Land of the w 1 Sam. 27.1 Philistins Alas poor David to what a shift art Thou now driven what to the uncircumcised Philistins Is it because there is not a God in Israel Oh thou wilt quickly find this starting Hole to be only a going out of Gods Blessing into a warm Sun To think by Sinning to avoid suffering is by saving the finger to make way for a stab at the heart To pursue and obtain Deliverance by unlawful wayes is to fish with and lose an hook of Gold and only to catch a Gudgeon To preserve the Body but to destroy the Soul 3. Stinting and limiting the Holy one of Israel to this or That particular means way time and manner of Deliverance so as to say if God help not this way Nothing will do If not now never Faith remembers This was the Israelites God provoking Sin They x Psal 78.41 limited the Holy One of Israel Thus Naaman 2 Kings 5.11 Behold saith he I Thought He will surely come out and stand and call and strike and No other way will serve Him He thought Thus and Thus But the man was no less blind than Leprous He was at once both proud and vain in his Imaginations and He shall know that the Almighty will not sail by his Narrow Compass nor dance as I may so say after his Pipe God hath more wayes to the wood than One and alwayes more than many out of it though we at present see them not God hath Extraordinary means to bear up when Ordinary ones fail God can turn poysons into Antidotes Hindrances into Furtherances destructions themselves into Deliverances Has Elijah no meat rather than fail The devouring y 1 King 14.6 Ravens shall be his Caterers Is Jonah in danger of Drowning rather than sink a z Jon. 2.10 Whale shall have commission to be both His ship and Pilot too to set him safe on shore Faith knows that an Almighty God can work with yea and without above contrary to means and doth on purpose many times stain the pride and glory of some means that seem most probable that we may observe and adore his wise Providence in finding out and blessing the use of others more unlikely that we may prefer his Jordan before our Abanah 4. Impatient fretting murmuring
holy duties but when we bring them along with us it is a sign we little mind the work we go about 3. It is a spiritual disease the soul hath its diseases as wel as the body the unsteady roaving of the mind or the disturbance of vain and impertinent thoughts is one of those diseases Shall I call it a spiritual madness or feavor or shaking palsie or all these You know mad men make several relations and rove from one thing to another and are gone off from a Sentence ere they have well begun it Our thoughts are as slippery and inconsistent as their speeches therefore what is this but the frenzy of the soul What mad Creatures would we seem to be if all our thoughts were patent or an invisible notary were lurking in our hearts to write them down We run from Object to Object in a moment and one thought looks like a meer stranger upon another we wander and run thorough all the World in an instant Oh who can count the numberless operations and workings of our mind in one duty What impertinent Excursions have we from things good to lawful from lawful to sinful from ordinarily sinful to down-right blasphemous Should any one of us after he hath been some time exercised in duty go aside and write down his thoughts and the many interlinings of his own prayers he would stand amazed at the madness and light discurrency of his own Imaginations Or shall I call it the feavorish distemper of the soul Aegri somnia is a Proverb in feavors men have a thousand fancies and swimming toys in their dreams and just so it is with our souls in Gods Worship We bring that curse upon us spiritually which corporally God threatned to bring upon the Jews I will scatter you to the ends of the earth We scatter our thoughts hither and thither without any consistency the heart in regard of this roving madness is like a runnagate Servant who when he hath left his Master wandreth up and down and knoweth not where to fix or like those that are full of distracting business that cannot make a set meal but take their diet by snatches 4. It argueth the loss and non-acceptance of our Prayers you are in danger to lose your Worship at least so much of it as you do not attend upon and truly to a man that knows the value of that kind of traffick this is a very great loss You that are Tradesmen are troubled if you happen to be abroad when a good Customer cometh to deal with you the Ordinances of God are the Market for your souls if you had not been abroad with Esau you might have received the blessing and gone away richly loaden from a Prayer from the Word and the Lords Supper but you lose your advantages for want of attention Allowed distractions turn your Prayers into sin and make them no Prayers when the soul departeth from the body it is no longer a man but a Carkass So when the thoughts are gone from Prayer it is no longer a Prayer the Essence of the duty is wanting What is Prayer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Damascene defined it The lifting up of the heart to God Many have prayed without words but never any prayed without lifting up or pouring out the heart If a man should kneel and use a gesture of Worship and fall asleep no doubt that man doth not pray This is to sleep with the heart and the words uttered are but like a dream have but a sleight touch of reason in them a meer drowsie unattentive devotion the soul is asleep though the eyes be not closed and the senses locked up Can we expect that God should hear us and bless us because of our meer outward presence We are ashamed of those that sleep at a duty and this is as bad or worse they may sleep out of natural infirmity as weakness age sickness c. But this doth more directly proceed from some sleightness or irreverence Well then with what face can we expect the fruit of that Prayer to which we have not attended It is a great presumption to desire God to hear those requests a great part whereof we have not heard our selves if they be not worthy of our attention they are far more unworthy of Gods * Cypr. de Orat. Domin Cyprian or Ruffinus or whoever was the Author of the Explication of the Lords Prayer in Cyprians Works hath a notable passâ—ge to this purpose Quo modo te a Deo exaudiri postulas cum te ipse non audias Vis Deum esse memorem tui cum rogas cum ipse tui memor non sis Thou art unmindful of thy self thou dost not hear thy self and how canst thou with reason desire the blessing and comfort of the duty which thou thoughtest not worthy thine own attention and regard I would not willingly grate too hard upon a tender conscience it is a Question that is often propounded Whether wandring thoughts do altogether frustrate a duty and make it of none effect And whether in some case a vertual attention doth not suffice There is an actual intention and a vertual intention The actual intention is when a soul doth distinctly and constantly regard every thing that is said and done in a duty And a vertual intention is when we keep only a disposition and purpose to attend though many times we fail and are carried aside this Aquinas calleth primam intentionem out of the Scripture we may call it The setting of the heart to seek the Lord 1 Chron. 22.19 Now what shall we say in this Case On the one side we must not be too strict lest wâ— prejudice the comfort and expectation of Gods people when did they ever manage a duty but they are guilty of some wandrings It is much to keep up our hearts to the main and solid requests that are made to God in Prayer But on the other side we must not be too remiss lest we incourage indiligence and careless devotion Briefly then by way of answer There is a threefold distraction in Prayer distractio invita negligens voluntaria 1. There is distractio invita an unwilling distraction when the heart is seriously and solemnly set to seek God and yet we are carried besides our purpose for it is impossible so to shut doors and windows but that some wind will get in So to guard the heart as to be wholly free from vain thoughts but they are not constant frequent allowed but resisted prayed against striven against bewailed and then they are not iniquities but infirmities which the Lord will pardon he will gather up the broken parts of our Prayers and in mercy give us an answer I say where this distraction is retracted with grief resisted with care as Abraham drove away the fowls when they came to pitch upon his Sacrifice Gen. 15.11 It is to be reckoned among the infirmities of the Saints which do not hinder their Consolation 2. There is
distractio negligens a negligent distraction When a man hath an intention to pray and express his desires to God but he prays carelesly and doth not guard his thoughts so that sometimes he wanders and sometime recovers himself again and then straies again and is in and out off and on with God as a Spaniel roveth up and down and is still crossing the waies sometimes losing the company he goes with and then retiring to them again I cannot say this man prayeth not at all or that God doth not hear him but he will have little comfort in his Prayers yea if he be serious they will minister more matter of grief to him than comfort and therefore he ought to be more earnest and sedulous in resisting this infirmity that he may be assured of audience Otherwise if his heart be not affected with it in time by degrees all those motions and dispositions of heart that are necessary to prayer will be eaten out and lost 3. There is distractio voluntaria a voluntary distraction when men mind no more than the task or work wrought and only go round in a track of accustomed duties without considering with what heart they perform them this is such a vanity of mind as turneth the whole prayer into sin Secondly The causes of this roving and impertinent intrusion of vain thoughts 1. Sathan is one cause who doth Maxime insidiari orationibus as Cassian speaketh lye in wait to hinder the Prayers of the Saints when ever we minister before the Lord he is at our right hand ready to resist us Zech. 3.1 And therefore the Apostle James when he biddeth us draw nigh to God biddeth us also to resist the devil Jam. 4.7 8. Implying thereby That there is no drawing nigh to God without resisting Sathan When a Tale is told and you are going about the Affairs of the World he doth not trouble you for these things do not trouble him or do any prejudice to his Kingdom But when you are going to God and that in a warm lively affectionate manner he will be sure to disturbe you seeking to abate the edge of your affections or divert your minds Formal Prayers patterd over do him no harm but when you seriously set your selves to call upon God he saith within himself This man will pray for Gods Glory and then I am at a losse for the coming of Christs Kingdom and then mine goeth to wrack That Gods Will may be done upon earth as it is in heaven and that minds me of my old fall and my business is to cross the Will of God he will pray for dayly bread and that strengtheneth dependance for Pardon and Comfort and then I lose ground for the devils are the * Eph. 6 12. Rulers of the darkness of this World He will pray to be kept from sin and temptation and that is against me Thus Sathan is afraid of the Prayers of the Saints he is concerned in every request you make to God and therefore he will hinder or cheat you of your Prayers if you will needs be praying he will carry away your heâ—rts Now much he can do if you be not watchful he can present Objects to the senses which stirs up thoughts yea pursue his temptations and cast in one fiery dart after another therefore we had need-stand upon our guard 2. The natural levity of our spirits man is a restless creature we have much a doe to stay our hearts for any space of time in one state much more in holy things from which we are naturally averse Rom. 7.21 When I would do good evil is present with me 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Oh consider this natural feebleness of mind whereby we are unable to keep long to any Imployment but are light fethery tossed up and down like a dryed leaf before the wind or as an empty Vessel upon the waves 't is so with us in most businesses especially in those which are Sacred the Apostle biddeth us pray without ceasing and we cannot do it whilest we pray he is a stranger to God and his own heart who finds it not daily this is an incurable vanity though we often repent of yet 't is not amended a misery that God would leave upon our natures to humble us while we are in the World and that we may long for Heaven the Angels and blessed Spirits there are not troubled with those things in Heaven there is no complaining of wandring thoughts there God is all in all they that are there have but one Object to fill their understandings one Object to give contentment to their desires their hearts cleave to God inseparably by a perfect love but here we are cumbred with much serving and much work begets a multitude of thoughts in us Psal 94.11 The Lord knows the thoughts of men that they are but vanity When we have summed up all the traverses reasonings and discourses of the mind we may write at the bottom this as the total sum here is nothing but vanity 3. Another cause is practical Atheism we have little sense of things that are unseen and lye within the vail in the World of spirits things that are seen have a great force upon us offer it now to the Governour saith the Prophet Mal. 1.8 God is a far off both from our sight and apprehension senses bind attention if you speak to a man your thoughts are setled and you think of nothing else but in speaking to God you have not like attention because you see him not Exod. 32.1 Make us gods to go before us Aye that we would have a visible God whom we may see and hear but the true God being a Spirit and an invisible Power all the service that we do him is a task performed more out of custome than affection in a slight perfunctory way 4. Strong and unmortified lusts which being rooted in us and having the Soul at most command will trouble us and distract us when we go about any duty each man hath a mind and can spend it unweariedly as he is inclined either to Covetousness Ambition or Sensuality for where the treasure is there will the heart be Matth. 6.20 set but the Covetous man about the World the Voluptuous man about his pleasures and the ambitious man about his honours and preferments and will they suffer their thoughts to be taken off surely no but set either of these about holy things and presently these lusts will be interposing Ezek. 33.31 their heart goeth after their Covetousness the sins to which a man is most addicted will ingross the thoughts so that this is one sign by which a man may know his reigning sin that which interrupts him most in holy duties for when all other lusts are kept out Sathan will be sure to set the darling sin a work to plead for him if a man be addicted to the World so will his musings be if to mirth and good chear and vain sports his thoughts will be taken up
withdraws his grace we lose our life and seriousness as meteors hang in the air as long as the heat of the Sun is great but when the Sun is gone down they fall as long as the love of God and the work of his Grace is powerful in us we are kept in a lively heavenly frame but as that abateth the Soul swerveth and returneth to vanity and sin We read Acts 16.14 15. that the Lord opened the heart of Lydia so that she attended to the things that were spoken of Paul attention there beareth somewhat a larger sense then we now consider it in namely a deep regard to the doctrine of life yet this Sense of fixedness of spirit cannot be excluded go to God then pray him to keep thy heart together he that hath set bounds to the Sea and can bind up the waves in a heap and stop the Sun in its flight certainly he can fasten and establish thy heart and keep it from running out 2. Meditate on the greatness of him before whom we are 't is of great consequence in duties to consider whom we take to be our party with whom we have to do Heb. 4.13 in the Word God is the party that speaketh to us thou shalt be as my mouth Jer. 15.16 as if God spake by us 2 Cor. 5.20 't is God speaketh and the Heathen King of Moab shewed such reverence that when Ehud said I have a message to thee from God he arose out of his seat Judg. 3.20 so in prayer you have to do with God you do as really minister before him as the Angels that abide in his presence Oh if you could see him that is invisible you would have more reverence * Omnino nos oportet orationis tempore curiam intrare caelestem illam utique curiam in quâ rex regum sedet in stellato solio circumdante eum innumerabili ineffabili beatorum spirituum exercitu ubi ipse qui viderit quia majorem numerum non invenit millia ait millium ministrabant ei decies centena millium assistebant ei quanta ergo cum reverentiâ quanto timore quanta illuc humilitate accedere debet è palude sua procedeus repens ranuncula vilis quam tremebundus quam supplex quam denique humilis sollicitus toto intentus animo majesti gloria in praesentia Angelorum in consilio justorum congregatione assistere poterit vilis homuncio Bernard de quatuor modis orandi A man that is praying or worshipping should behave himself as if he were in Heaven immediatly before God in the middest of all the blessed Angels those ten thousand times ten thousand that stand before God Oh with what reverence with what fear should a poor worm creep into his presence think then of that glorious all-seeing God with whom thou canst converse in thoughts as freely as with men in words he knoweth all that is in thy heart and seeth thee thorough and thorough if you had spoken al those things you have thought upon you would be odious to men if all your blasphemy uncleanness worldly projects were known to those that joyn with us should we be able to hold up our heads for blushing and doth not the Lord see all this could we believe his inspection of the heart there would be a greater awe upon us 3. Mortifie those lusts that are apt to withdraw our minds he that indulgeth any one vile affection will never be able to pray aright every duty will give you experience what corruption to resist what thoughts are we haunted and pestered with when we come to God God requireth Prayer that we may be weary of our lusts and that the trouble that we find from them in holy Exercises may exasperate our Souls against them we are angry with an Importunate beggar that will not be satisfied with any reasonable terms but is alwaies obtruding upon us every experience in this kind should give us an advantage to free our hearts from this disturbance the whole work of Grace tendeth to Prayer and the great Exercise and Imployment of the Spiritual life is watching unto Prayer Ephes 6.18 and that Prayer be not interrupted 1 Pet. 3.2 4. Before the duty there must be an actual preparation or a solemn discharge of all Impediments that we may not bring the World along with us put off thy shoos off thy feet saith God to Moses for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground surely we should put off our carnal distractions when we go about holy duties Gird up the loines of your minds saith the Apostle Peter 1 Pet. 1.13 an allusion to long garments worn in that Country 't is dangerous to come to Prayer with a loose heart My heart is fixed saith David O God my heart is fixed Psal 57.7 that is fitted prepared bended to Gods Worship the Soul must be set put into a dexterous ready posture Claudatur contra adversarium pectus soli Deo pateat ne ad se hostem Dei accedere tempore orationis patiatur Cyp. lib. De Oratione Domini There must be a resolved shutting of the heart against Gods enemy lest he insinuate with us and withdraw our minds 5. Be severe to your purpose and see that you regard nothing but what the duty leadeth you unto 't is the Devils policy to cheâ—t us of the present duty by an unseasonable interposition Sathan beginneth with us in good things that he may draw us to worse what is unseasonable is naught watch against the first diversion how plausible soever 't is an intruding thought that breaketh a rank in this case say as the Spouse Cant. 3. I charge you that you awake not my Beloved till he please such a rigid severity should you use against the starting of the heart if Sathan should at first cast in a thought of blasphemy that would make thee quake and shake therefore he beginneth with plausible thoughts but be careful to observe the first straglings * Est praeterea optimum ad attendendum remedium si imagines rerum irruentes non solum non advertas non excutias non examines sed ita te habeas quasi eas non aspicere digneris nam ipsum ad vertere examinare istas cogitationes evagari est jam adversarius aliquid à nobis extorsit c. Jacobus Alvarez yea be not diverted by thy very strivings against diversions and therefore do not dispute with suggestions but despise them nor stand examining temptations but reject them as blind Bartimeus regarded not the rebukes of the People but cryed the more after Christ or as Travellers do not stand beating back the Dogs that bark at them but hold on their course this is to be religiously obstinate and severe to our purpose Sathan contemned hath the less advantage against you when he is writing images upon the fancy do not vouchsafe to look upon them A Cryer in the Court that is often commanding silence
disturbeth the Court more than they that make the noise So disputing with our distractions increaseth them they are better avoided by a severe contempt 6. Bring with you to every holy Service strong spiritual affections our thoughts would not be at such a distance from our work if our affections were more ready and more earnestly set it is the unwilling Servant that is loath to stay long at his work but is soon gone could we bring our selves more delightfully to converse with God our hearts would hold our minds close and we would not straggle so often as we do therefore see you do this or you do nothing I was glad saith David when they said unto me come let us go into the House of the Lord Psal 122.1 Were we of this frame of spirit many directions would not need Now what should hinder us from being thus affected Are not the Ordinances of God the special means of our communion with him And the throne of grace the very porch of heaven Can we be better than in Gods Company pleading with him for our souls good and waiting for his blessing Therefore let us be glad and rejoyce in his presence and you will not easily find such out-strayings of mind and thought 7. Remember the weight and consequence of the duties of Religion that is a cure for slightness you are dealing with God in a Case of life and death and will you not be serious With what diligence and earnestness doth an Advocate plead with a man in a Case wherein he himself is not concerned either for the life of another or the inheritance or goods of another * Si cum sublimi homine non dicam pro vita salute nostra sed etiam pro alicujus lucri commodo supplicamus totam in cum mentus corporis aciem defigentes de nutu ejus trepida expectatione pendemus non mediocriter sormidantes ne quid sorte ineptum incongruum verbum misericordiam audientis avertat quanto magis cum illi occultorum omnium cognitori pro imminenti perpetuae mortis periculo supplicamus c. Cassian Col. 23. c 7 and wilt not thou plead earnestly with God when thy soul is in danger when it is a Case of Eternal life and death as all matters that pass between God and us are Certainly if we did consider the weight of the business the heart would be freed from this garish wantonness if Christ had taken thee aside into the Garden as he took Peter James and John and thou hadst seen him praying and trembling under his Agonies thou wouldst have seen that it is no light matter to go to God in a case of the salvation of souls though thou hast never so much assurance of the issue for so Christ had the frequent return of Christian duties maketh us to forget the consequence of them In hearing the Word be serious it is your life Deut. 32.46 Hearken unto the words of the Law for this is not a vain thing because it is your life thy everlasting estate is upon tryal and the things that are spoken concern your souls every act of communion with God every participation of his grace hath an influence upon Eternity say therefore as Nehemiah in another case Nehem. 6.3 I am doing a great work I cannot come down Can you have a heart to mind other things when you are about so great a work as the saving of your souls 8. Let every experimental wandring make you more humble and careful If men did lay their wandrings to heart and retract them even every glance with a sigh the mind would not so boldly so constantly digress and step aside all actions displeasing are not done so readily therefore it is good to bewail these distractions do not count them as light things * Haec omnia nonnullis qui sunt crassioribus vitiis involuti levia atque a peccato paene aliena videntur scientibus tamen perfectionis bonum etiam minimarum rerum multitudo gravissimâ— est Cassian Col. 23. cap 7. Cassianus speaking of these wandring thoughts saith The most that come to worship being involved in greater sins scarce count distraction of thoughts an evil and so the mischief is encreased upon them It is a sad thing to be given up to a vain mind and such a frothy spirit as cannot be serious therefore if we do soundly humble our selves for these offences and they did once become our burden they would not be our practice * Hooker on Acts 2 37. One saith that Huntsmen observe of young dogs that if a fresh game come in view they leave their old sent but if soundly beaten off from it they kindly take to their first pursuit the application is easie did we rate our hearts for this vanity and pray against the sins of our prayers with deep remorse this evill would not be so familiar with us 9. A constant heavenliness and holiness of heart if men were as they should be holy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Pet. 1.14 In all manner of conversation In solemn duties good and proper thoughts would be more natural and kindly to us they that live in a constant communion with God do not find it such a tedious business to converse with him if they have any excursion of thoughts it is in their daily work and the offices of the common life which they are ever seasoning with some gracious meditations and short ejaculations When they are in duty they are where they would be constant gravity and seriousness is a great help to them Men allow themselves a lawless liberty in their ordinary conversations and then in Prayer they know not how to gather up their hearts such as men are out of prayer such they will be in prayer We cannot expect that pangs of devotion should come upon us all of a sudden and that when we come reaking from the world we should presently leap into a heavenly frame 10. The next remedy is frequent solemn meditation If the understanding were oftner taken up with the things of God and our thoughts were kept in more frequent exercise they would the better come to hand There is a double advantage comes to us by meditation 1. The soul gets more abundance of heart-warming knowledge and therefore will not be so barren and dry which certainly is a cause of wandring Psal 45.1 My heart inditeth a good matter and then my tongue is as the pen of a ready Writer A man that boyleth and concocts truths in his heart hath a greater readiness of words and affections There is a good treasure within him Mat. 12.35 out of which he may spend freely * Gobbet of Prayer one expresseth it thus He thâ—t hath store of gold and silver in his pocket and but a few Brass farthings will more readily upon every draught come out with gold and silver than brass farthings So he that hath stocked his heart with holy thoughts will not find carnal musings so
rife and frequent 2. By use a man gets a greater command over himself When we constantly leave the thoughts at random and never lay restraints upon them it is in vain to think we shall keep them in order when we please fierce Creatures are tame to those that use to command them Every Art is difficult at first as Writing Singing Playing upon an Instrument but we get a facility by use and exercise Yea not only a facility but a delight in them and those things that at first we thought impossible by a little practice grow easie Certainly * Pro. 11.29 the way of the Lord is strength to the upright and the more we set our selves to any good thing the more readily and prepared are we for it How must we in all things give Thanks 1 Thess 5.18 In every thing give thanks for this is the will of God concerning you THE more comprehensive any mercy or duty is the greater they are There are three duties here together which the Apostle exhorts to all which have a kind of universality annexed to them of which my Text contains one Psal 126.6 Psal 97.21 1. Rejoycing We must rejoyce evermore for even holy mourning hath the seed of joy in it which the soul finds by that time it s over if not in it Though not in the heretical sense of Euchiâ—eâ— and Messaliens Chrys Orat. 2. de orand Deum 2. Prayer Pray without ceasing We must be ever at least in a holy disposition to this duty when we do it not actually Praier is the wall that compasses the City there must be no gap in it It is as the Sun in the Firmament it must alwaies keep its round 3. Thanksgiving In every thing give thanks c. Observe in the words these two parts 1. A Duty enjoyned 2. A Reason annexed I. In the Duty note four things 1. The matter of it thanksgiving 2. The object of it implied God 3. The performers of it Believers for to them he writes 1 Thes 1.1 2 3. 4. The extent of it in every thing It is pleasing and acceptable unto God Bez. in locum Vel ista per anthypophoram dicta sunt Id. ibidem Illud autem 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 referendum non ad gratiarum tantum actionem sed ad preces Grot. Annot in locum Comment in 1 Ep. ad Thess Doctr. II. In the Reason we have three things 1. The ground of the duty it is the will of God the revealed will of God the rule of all obedience 2. The manner of declaring Gods will to us in this behalf it is the will of God in Christ Jesus it is a Gospel duty Christ Jesus was the Prophet and Messenger of it it 's sutable to the minde of Christ it 's accepted of God in Christ and for Christ Lastly Christ himself was a pattern of it This is the will of God in Christ Jesus 3. The specially Application This is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you Mr. Calvin doth excellently shew the sweet harmony between these three duties how one helps the other but I cannot insist on that The lesson then which the holy Ghost would have us learn in the Text is thus sum'd up It is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning Christians that in every thing they give thanks that they be thankefull as our word is more proper to our purpose For though we have nothing of our own that good is to give God but thanks yet neither do we properly give him that 1 Cor. 4.7 1 Chro. 29.14 Philip. 2 13. seeing both our giving and the right manner of doing it even in thanksgiving is of the Lord. Our continual praying shews that we are alwaies beggars and our continual thanksgiving shews us alwaies debtors Our thanks then indeed is the rebound of mercy heavenward whence it came and a holy reflexion of the warm sun-beams of Gods benefits shining on us That which I principally aim at in the pursuance and pressing of this Truth is not only to speak somewhat to it in the nature necessity and excellency of it but to the extent of it as a special Case How Christians may be said to give thanks in every thing and why 1. Who are properly concerned in this duty Quere 2. Why and upon what grounds are Christians bound to give thanks in every thing 3. How and in what manner are Christians to give thanks in every thing 4. How in afflictions and why 5. How shall we bring our hearts to give thanks to God in every thing Who are or ought to be thankfull Quere 1 The Lord hath a return and tribute of praise due to him from all Ans creatures Psal 148. David names animate and inanimate creatures and bids them sing Hallelujah as if all the world were but one consort of musical Instruments tuned to Gods glory But he looks for it principally from men and Angels From all men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 1.20 21. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. It is charged as an inexcusable sin uncapable of any Apology upon natural men that when they knew God they glorified him not as God neither were thankefull Upon which place Beza brings in Galen a heathen man praising and blessing God not with sacrifices and sweet incense but acknowledging and proclaiming the Wisdom Power and goodnesse of God c. I write this saith he as a Hymn and account it the true worship of that God The law of Thankfulnesse is written upon the hearts of very heathens as may be proved at large not only from Heathen instances but Scripture also as the Philistims when they had taken Sampson and killed Saul Judg. 16.24 1 Sam. 31.9 Dan. 5 23. and Belshazzar who praised the gods of silver and gold brasse iron wood and stone c. which although it be enough to shame unthankfull Christians yet it signified little for all wicked men though they have cause yet they have no heart to this work at least not often nor at all as it should be Some are so curious as to enquire whether reprobates in hell have not cause to give thanks that their torments are lesse then the merit of their sins and for that the justice of God is glorified in the inflicting of them but this is forrain to our case The persons engaged and most bound to this duty are the Thessalonians that believed and all the faithfull upon the same account Now howbeit all the service we perform to God both mediate and immediate worship Polanus the duties of both Tables yea and the whole work of our Christian obedience in a holy conversation be but a return of thankefulnesse unto God yet Thanksgiving in the Text and Doctrine Thankfulnesse described is taken more strictly for a particular part of Gods worship distinct from Prayer of which he spake immediatly before which sometimes includes praise and thanks too By which we render due
the best grains of Corn and then sell the rest sometimes they falsifie their weights Hos 12.7 He is a Merchant the ballances of deceit are in his hand But he who makes Religion his businesse is regulated by it in the Shop he is just in his dealings he dares not hold the Book of God in one hand and false weights in the other he is faithfull to his neighbour and makes as much reckoning of the ten Commandements as of his Creed 4. Religion hath an influence upon his marrying He labours to graft upon a religious stock he is not so ambitious of parentage as piety nor is his care so much to espouse dowry as virtue * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrys In a word he seeks for a meet help one that may help him up the hill to Heaven this is marrying in the Lord. That marriage indeed is honourable a Heb. 13.6 when the husband is joyned to one who is the Temple of the Holy Ghost 1 Cor. 6.19 Here is the man that makes Religion his businesse who in all his civill transactions is steered and influenced by Religion Religion is the universall ingredient 5. He who makes Religion his businesse is good in his calling and relation relative grace doth much grace Religion I shall suspect his goodnesse who herein is excentricall some will pray Character 5 and discourse well but it appears they never made Religion their businesse but took it up rather for ostentation than as an occupation because they are defective in relative duties they are bad husbands bad children c. If one should draw a picture and leave out the eye it would much eclipse and take from the beauty of the picture to fail in a relation stains the honour of profession He who makes Religion his businesse is like a Star shining in the proper orbe and station wherein God hath set him Character 6 6. He who makes Religion his businesse hath a care of his company he dares not twist into a cord of friend ship with sinners Psal 26.4 I have not sat with vain persons Diamonds will not cement with rubbish 'T is dangerous to intermingle with the wicked least their breath prove infectious Sin is very catching Psal 106.35 36. They were mingled among the heathen and learned their works and served their Idols which were a snare unto them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Epictetus if you mingle bright and rusty armour together the rusty will not be made bright but the bright will be made rusty He who makes Religion his businesse likes not to be near them whose nearnesse sets him further off from God and whose imbraces like those of the Spider are to suck out the precious life The godly man ingrafts into the communion of Saints and hereby as the Siens he partakes of the sap and virtue of their grace he who makes it his businesse to get to Heaven associates only with those who may make him better or whom he may make better Character 7 7. He who makes Religion his businesse keeps his spirituall watch alwayes by him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. He watcheth his eye Job 31.1 I have made a covenant with mine eyes When Dinah was gadding she was defiled Gen. 34.1 When the eye is gadding by impure glances the heart is defiled 2. He who makes Religion his businesse watcheth his thoughts least they should turn to froth Jer. 4.24 How long shall vain thoughts lodg within thee What a world of sinne is minted in the phancie a child of God sets a spy over his thoughts he summons them in and captivates them to the obedience of Christ 2 Cor. 10.5 3. He who makes Religion his businesse watcheth his passions passion is like gunpowder which the Devill setting on fire blowes up the soul Jonah in a passion quarrels with the Almighty Jonah 4.1 9. He who is devoted to Religion watcheth his passions least the tyde growing high reason should be carried down the stream and be drowned in it 4. He who makes Religion his businesse watcheth his duties Matth. 26.41 Watch and pray First he doth watch in prayer the heart is subject to remisnesse if it be not dead in sinne it will be dead in prayer a Christian watcheth least he should abate his fervour in duty he knows if the strings of his spirituall Violl slacken Col. 3.16 he cannot make melody in his heart to the Lord. Secondly he doth watch after prayer as a man is most carefull of himself when he comes out of an hot bath the pores being then most open and subject to cold so a Christian is most carefull when he comes from an Ordinance least his heart should decoy him into sinne therefore when he hath prayed he sets a watch he deals with his heart as the Jews dealt with Christs sepulchre Matth. 27.66 They made the sepulchre sure sealing the stone and setting a watch A good Christian having been at the word and Sacrament that sealing Ordinance after the sealing he sets a watch 5. He who makes Religion his businesse watcheth his temptations Temptation is the scout the Devill sends out to discover our forces 't is the train he layes to blow up our grace Satan ever lies at the catch he hath his depths Rev. 2.24 his methods Ephes 4.14 his devices 2 Cor. 2.11 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he is continually fishing for our souls and if Satan be angling we had need be wâ—â—ching He who makes Religion his businesse is full of holy excubation he lies sentinell and with the Prophet stands upon his watch-tower Hab. 2.1 Solomon saith of a virtuous woman her candle goes not out by night Prov. 31.18 the good Christian keeps his watch-Candle alwayes burning 8. He who makes Religion his businesse every day casts up his Character 8 accounts to see how things go in his soul Solomon saith know the state of thy flock Prov. 27.23 a man that makes Religion his work Lam. 3.40 Seneca is carefull to know the state of his soul before the Lord brings him to a tryall he brings himself to a tryall he had rather use the looking-glasse of the word to see his own heart than put on the broad spectacles of censure to see anothers fault he playes the Critick upon himself he searcheth what sinne is in his heart unrepented of and having found it out he labours by his tears as by the water of jealousie Numb 5.22 to make the thigh of sinne to rot He searcheth whether he have grace or no and he tryes whether it be genuine or spurious he is as much afraid of painted holinesse as he is of going to a painted Heaven He traverseth things in his soul and will never leave till that question whether he be in the faith be put out of question Here is the man making Religion his businesse 2 Cor. 13.5 he is loath to be a spirituall bankrupt therefore is still calling himself to account and wherein he comes short he gets
that our Religion may not be a dull languid lethargick principle but may render us fit and prompt for all the actions of a spirituall life And now this life of Religion the case supposeth the person to have who needs advice and then you 'l quickly perceive that there be two things in danger 1. The life of Religion in a religious person 2. The life of a religious person and so the case doth resolve it self into these two Queries 1. What should believing Christians do to support the life and vigour of Religion in their souls when they want the ordinary means of publick Ordinances and are indangered by the leavening society of wicked men 2. How should they preserve their lives among persecuting enemies without hazarding the life of their Religion For the clearing of and directing in this case I shall now premise some Propositions fit to be taken notice of Prop. 1. It cannot be expected that any Rule should be given according to Scripture whereby both the one and the other life may be certainly secured for many times Gods providence brings us into such circumstances that if we are resolved that come what will wee 'l keep our Religion we must lose our lives and if we are resolved to keep our lives though with the hazard or shipwrack of our Religion we must then part with our Religion and perhaps our lives too 2. There can be no certain and infallible course propounded whereby the life of the body may be secured with the losse of Religion though Devil and world bid fair and promise we shall live and do well if we will part with our Religion yet they are not able if willing to make good their promise so long as there be so many thousand wayes to death besides Martyrdome and this is the purport of that threatning expression Mat. 16.25 Whosoever will save his life shall lose it not only that eternall life which is the only true life but even this temporall life as many relations tell us 3. The life of Religion in the soul is that which by Gods blessing and our spirituall care and industry may be infallibly secured in any place among any persons in any condition I do not say the outward exercise of Religion but that which is the life and principle of Religion in the soul may be preserved Force and violence may deprive those that are religious of opportunities to meet together and pour forth their Common prayers and supplications to God and publikely sing forth the praises of God and hear the great truths of the Gospell preached unto them nay they may be hindred from speaking with their mouthes either to God or for God as many of the Martyrs have been gagged but all the force and violence in the world cannot take away that which is the principle and life of Religion unlesse we our selves betray and cast it from us nor can they hinder the prime and principall acts and exercises of Religion All the world cannot hinder you or me from having good thoughts of God from sanctifying the Lord God in our hearts from trusting in hoping in rejoycing in the goodnesse and mercy of God through Jesus Christ from making holy melody in our hearts and such musick as shall be heard beyond the sphears though he that stands at our elbow knows not a word we speak so that true Religion both in the principle and prime exercises of it may be infallibly secured insomuch that he who can rend the heart out of the body cannot tear Religion out of the soul 4. His soul cannot be quickned with the life of the Religion of the Gospell who is not in heart perswaded that the securing the life of Religion in his soul is hugely more his concernment than the preserving of the life of the body Yea his Religion is built on a sandy foundation who hath not seriously considered that for ought he knows his Religion may cost him his life and hath not brought his soul to an humble resolution to lay down his life rather than let go his Religion thus much is clearly imported in that passage Luk. 14.27 28 c. Which of you intending to build a tower sitteth not down first and counteth the cost c 5. The society of good men and enjoyment of Gospell Ordinances is of speciall use to preserve quicken and enliven the principle of Religion in the soul they are to Religion in the soul what food is to the naturall life of the body and therefore the Ordinances in the Church are compared to breasts of consolation Isa 66.11 The great design of God in appointing Gospell-Ordinances is that by the help and assistance of those gifts and graces which he bestows upon his Ministers the souls of those who are estranged from him should be brought home to the owning and acknowledging of the truth and that those who have returned to the Lord should be more and more affected with a sense of divine goodnesse and their dependance on the Lord for all they have and hope for and indeed if preaching and reading and praying and every other Ordinance both in publike and in private do not aim at and intend this great end the begetting or actuating and stirring up the life of Religion in our souls then are they what some would fain perswade us vain uselesse troublesome things If thy coming to Church to hear a prayer or a Sermon be not by thee designed and do not in the even tend to make thee better to love God more loath sin more and value the world lesse and resolve more heartily to obey the Gospell thou hadst as good have been in thy bed or shop as in the Church and if in preaching and praying we that are Gods mouth to you and your mouth to God have any other design than to stir up in your souls good thoughts of God affectionate workings of heart towards a loving tender-hearted father zealous and hungring desires to do the will of God and expresse our love by obeying his commandments I seriously professe I should think my self much better imployed to be working in a Coblers stall or raking in the kennell or filling a dung cart than preaching or praying in a pulpit and let those who do not intend these great ends know that ere long they will finde they had bettter have been imployed in the most debasing drudgery than in the outward work of God with sinister and unworthy ends These things premised the case resolves it self into these particular questions 1. What should beleeving Christians do to support the life of Religion in their souls when they want the ordinary food of publick Gospel-Ordinances 2. What should such do to preserve their outward concernments among persecuting enemies without hazarding their Religion In answer to the first question take these Directions 1. Let such humbly reflect upon their former sleighting despising and abusing the means of grace which now they want it is the usual method of God to
doth conclude him an hypocrite when he built the Temple and was the Jedidiah the beloved of the Lord. 6. Nor is it every degree of tendency to hypocrisie that denominates Caution 6 a man an hypocrite and brings him under the condemnation to have his portion with hypocrites For there is the seed of this as well as of all other sinnes in the heart Ier. 17.9 and the holy Prophet Jeremy cries out the heart is deceitfull c. he meant his own heart as well as others and Solomon the wisest man gives this advice keep thy heart Proverbs were experiments his own and David the devoutest saith all men are lyars all deceitfull and there are the remains of hypocrisie in the best the reign of it is only in hypocrites hypocrisie may have its presence but not predominance in the sincerest children of God Thus you see what doth not conclude an hypocrite though it come very near 2. Now I shall shew what cannot cleer and acquit a man from an hypocrite though it proceed very fairly and very farre which makes it so difficult to discover this leaven of the Pharisees hypocrisie 1. It doth not acquit and discharge a man from this charge of hypocrisie That they hear the Word with some delight that they believe with some faith so did the stony ground Matth. 13. That they take some pains for it so did they Joh. 6. That they perform some duties in obedience to it so did Herod Mark 6. That they are morall and without blame in some things outwardly Matth. 19. so was the young man That they are zealous against some publick corruptions so was Jehu That they have illumination and excellent knowledg by a common work of the spirit so have the Devils Judas and those apostates Heb. 6. That they had some sweet tasts and relishes from the Word imbraced so had they in Heb. 6. and no doubt Ananias and Saphira had Nor doth this acquit them and set them out of danger that they have some serious cares and fears about their salvation so had Felix so had the sinners in Zion they were afraid Isa 33.14 fearfullnesse hath surprized the hypocrites they were afraid of dwelling with devouring fire and everlasting burnings Judas and Spira had fears to purpose Rom. 8.15 and the spirit of bondage is but a common work of the spirit if it rest there in Pharaoh there was fear but no sincerity in the Devils fear but no penitency nor is it some reluctancy against sinne by an awakened conscience Herod had so and Pilate had so Baalam so nor many desires of good Baalam desired to die the death of the righteous The five Virgins desired Oyl there be the desires of the sloathfull that even kill them desires like the turning of a door upon hinges Pro. 26.14 never the farther off Desires of the wavering man Iam. 1.6 7. the double-minded man when a man hath some mind to grace Aug. in Confess but more to lust as Augustine that prayed for grace and chastity but his heart secretly prayed the while not yet Lord. There may be powring out of prayers as the Ninevites Ionah 3.8 they cried mightily they powred forth a prayer when thy chastening was upon them Esa 26.16.17 and yet they brought forth but wind When he slew them then they sought him Psa 68.34 36. and they returned and enquired early after God neverthelesse they did but flatter him with their mouth and lied to him with their tongues c. Nor is it some hopes Matth. 25. Job 8.13 Luk. 18. If all this cannot save a man from the guilt of hypocrisie and portion of hypocrites what shall If these come short of Heaven where shall they appear that come farre short of them Oh then who can be saved Streight is the gate and narrow is the way that leads to life Luk. 13.24 Phil. 2.12 and few find it Salvation work is to be wrought out with fear and trembling Beware then of the leaven c. How then may we know how it is with our souls whether we are in the number of hypocrites and tending to their portion whether this deluding destroying predominating damning leaven of hypocrisie be in us Sign 1 1. A loving of the world and the things of the world the lust of the flesh 1 Ioh. 2.15 16. the lust of the eye and the pride of life this is a fearfull evidence of hypocrisie for it is inconsistent with and destructive of the love of God Matth. 22.37 and the loving God above all things is the very essence the summa totalis of sincerity and whatsoever contraries this is the very essence of hypocrisie I know there be many subterfugies and evasions and it is an hard matter to convince men that they love the world in St Johns sense But if a man make these lusts of the eye of the flesh and pride of life honours riches carnall and sensuall pleasures his aym his interest his chief delight If the heart and affections be let out to these things immoderately If the sweetest freest thoughts of the soul be let out to them either about the getting enjoying or desiring or admiring or advancing them If the activity and indeavours of the soul bend and are imployed chiefly this way though there may be many excellent performances expressions affections yet the leaven of the Pharisee is there and sours all and all the rest is but in hypocrisie This leavened all Baalams pretences divinations all his goodly expressions and professions both to God the Angel and men that he would do nothing speak nothing but what God would have him as much as to say he would be upright and sincere Iude 11. yet still he looked after the reward Balacs promotion this was the errour of Baalam he followed the wages of unrighteousnesse and this leavened all Judas his hearing and conversing with Christ his over-officiousnesse Some conceive from Judas his kissing Christ in the garden c. that he was more than ordinarily familiar and officious about him and made more pretences of love and service to him but he appeared a painted sepulchre an hypocrite he loved the wages of iniquity it was the world and hypocrisie were predominant in him and now he is gone to his own place the place and portion of hypocrites he was as it were out of his place or in an others place all the while before and this leavened all the Pharisees almes fastings prayers professions and pretences Luk. 16.14 they were covetous saith one Evangelist and they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God Ioh. 12.43 saith another and that is in effect they loved the favour of men more than the favour of God in short they loved the world 1 Ioh. 2.16 Mat. 6.24 1 Cor. 7.27 30. and the love of the Father was not in them There can be no serving God and Mammon if we cannot moderate and temperate
in her prayers for his Conversion say Aug. Conf. Chirographa tua ingerebat tibi Lord these promises were made to be made good to some and why not to me I hunger I need I thirst I wait here is thy hand-writing in thy Word and in the last Sacrament I had thy Seal affixed to it I am resolved to be as importunate till I have obtained and as thankfull afterwards as by Grace I shall be inabled being convinced I am utterly lost and undone if thou hearest not the desires of the humble in this particular Psal 10.17 and if thou dost hear and grant I am so well acquainted with my self and mine own heart that I have nothing to glory in but I shall wholly glory in the Lord and I do resolve and believe I shall to eternity celebrate and magnifie the riches of the glory of thy Grace Thy promises are the discovery of thy purposes and vouchsafed as materials for our prayers and in my supplications I am resolved every day to present and tender them back to thee every day and if thou wilt have regard to them there and appear to be a God of truth to my soul a poor creature that hath long feared to burn in hell for hypocrisie will be made secured and made happy for ever I am resolved to wait upon thee and to cast my soul upon thee in this way and thou hast assured me thou art a God of judgement thou didst promise in judgement thou knewest what thou didst in making such promises and thou wilt be a God of judgement thou knowest when and where to make them good and thou hast pronounced Blessed are all they that wait for thee Isa 30.18 Aug. Confes Impossibile a filium tantarum lacrimarum perire and on thee I will wait and for this blessing I will hope and look Oh beloved if there be but such an heart in us and such wrestlings as Ambrose told Monica a soul of such prayers and tears should not perish I could have added much more but if these Characters and Directions be carefully observed you will beware of and shall escape the leaven of hypocrisie And that you may be carefull to observe them Consider 1. That the purging out this leaven is the great care and business of a Christians life this will afford him fear and trembling work to his dying day this till it be done makes the gate so streight and the way so narrow to life that few finde it Matth. 7.13 and if it be done renders all the service of Christ ever after an easie yoak and a light burden Matth. 11.30 2. This if it be done gives us actual possession of the Kingdome of God in grace which consists of righteousness and peace Rom. 14.17 and joy in the Holy Ghost and administers an assured and abundant entrance into the everlasting Kingdome of our Lord Jesus Christ in glory 2 Pet 1.11 3. This will prevent the Devils everlasting insulting over us is this the end of all thy praying and hearing c. and defying me nay upbrayding Christ as a learned and holy man feared I have him I have gotten him from thee for all thy blood thy Miracles Basil thy Gospel thy wooings thy beseechings thy knocking 's and strivings of thy Spirit for all thy illuminating them and making them taste of the powers of the world to come I have cousened thee of them at thy very gates of heaven and by my devices shipwrackt them in the very mouth of the haven Oh I would not give the Devil occasion to upbraid and insult thus against Christ at the last day for the world Basil And this would prevent consciences gnawing and galling to eternity What are all my desires my seekings and knocking 's prayers fasts Sacraments hearing in season and out of season waiting at the posts of Gods house early and late Have I forsaken so many sins denied my self so many contents and pleasures subdued so many lusts born so many scoffes suffered so much in my body and estate and all for hell at last This would be the hell of hell and all this may be prevented if we would beware of the leaven of hypocrisie and seriously observe those Characters and carefully practice those Directions 4. Consider the means you have long had and yet do enjoy Gods admirable forbearance and patience a powerfull Ministries incessant labours and paines an awakened consciences clamour◠and warnings a danger and evils if you be negligent intolerable a reward if you observe the beware in the Text eternal and inconceiveable your life short and uncertain your death appointed most certain and you know not how near the world and the lusts thereof even those that feed and foment hypocrisie passing away 1 Ioh. 2.17 and that now is the accepted time 2 Cor. 6.2 now is the day of salvation And if you were ever serious in your lives now be so and if ever God spake to your hearts and consciences the Lord in mercy speak this Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees What must Christians doe that the influence of the Ordinances may abide upon them 1 CHRON. 29.18 O Lord God of Abraham Isaac and Israel our Fathers keep this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of thy people and prepare their heart unto thee IN the preceding Chapter we have Davids Oration or if you will his Sermon the design of which was to excite the people to a contribution for the erecting of a Temple and promoting the publike worship of God It begins ver 2. of that Chapter and is continued to the 6th verse of this Chapter This Sermon was effectuall upon the auditory David had the happinesse which the best Orators and most powerfull Preachers often want not onely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he not onely spoke what was in it self perswasive but did actually perswade his hearers to comply with his design The effect thereof is expressed ver 6 7 8. they offered and which was the marrow and fatnesse of their offering they offered willingly Though will worship be the worst service of all other yet those that serve God willingly are the best worshippers and therefore David in this Sermon commends such service to his son chap. 28. ver 9. And thou Solomon my son know thou the God of thy father and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing minde None serve God with a perfect heart but those who serve him with a willing minde to such a temper were the people wrought by this powerfull exhortation ver 9. with a perfect heart they offered willingly to the Lord. Hereupon David much affected with his successe in this affair David the King also rejoyced with great joy his soul being now upon the wing he flies to God by prayer and therewith concludes his Sermon The prayer consists of petition and thanksgiving both of them not conformed to any
Falls of Godly and Wicked 79. Family sins 177. Family Instructions 195. Family Duties 202. Faults How to bear with others Faults 401. How to correct them 204. Fight Against sin how to bee managed 331. Flesh What meant by Flesh and Spirit 84. G God Alwaies justified by Good men 455. Why hee doth not hinder sin 167. How hee is manifested to us 417. 418 Wee must not limit him 452. Hee can do no wrong 455. His Goodness 21. 340. 421. 435. His justice in punishing 174. His power 434. Good Moral Good and evil eternally distinguished 89. Grace all from Christ 679. Growth in it 318. Truth of it not dâ—â—rees to bee examined p. 319. Gentleness To be observed in Reproofs 208. H. Hand What meant by right Hand 40 41. Excellency of it 43. Heart Must be narrowly watched 58 93. 165. And much laboured withall 684. Health the proper time for working out Salvation 119. Holiness is communicative 214. Christ the pattern of it 24. Hope Nature of that Christian Grace 430. From Creatures vain 565. Hospitality 287. Humility the souls ballast 454. Makes us thrive 21. Makes good men have the worst thoughts of themselves 663. Hypocrisie what it is 657. Why compared to leaven ibid. Danger of it 659. Six signs of it 666 c. How to cure it 671 672 c. Motives to use those means 675. I. Impatience 452. Inconstancy in all things 255. Indeavours not vain before Conversion 28 29. Inequality between men inconsiderable 254. Intercession of Christ its power 311. Justice An exact and easie Rule of it 249. Rules for it in Trade 260 c Advantage must not be taken of mens ignorance 263. It must be mixt with Charity 275. Gods Justice in punishing 174. Injury How it must be prosecuted 4â—4 L. Law It is six fold 324. When Lawful things undo us 562. How wee may know that wee abuse them 564 c. Do not all that is Lawful 264. Liberty What Liberty Gods Spirit gives 518 c. How to deal with others in matters of Liberty 258. Love It will put Life into us 506. The best preservative against the least sin 88. In the Will and in the Appetite 221. To God and Christ how distinguished 222. What is it to Love Christ 222. Twelve Characters of it 224. Do all out of Love to God 22. False Love 237. Want of Love to him the greatest sin 238 c. Brings the greatest punishment 240. Motives to Love him 241 c. How to inflame our Love to him 244 c. How to increase the flame 247. M. Marriage 579. Misery Of a sinner 360 c. Of those that love not Christ 240 368 Ministry Difficulty of that Imployment 118. Meditation Two benefits of it 477 Makes the Efficacy of Ordinances continue 682. Morning Morning thoughts to be observed 54. Mortification A continued Act. 63. Mourn For the sins of others 179. Moderation What it is 382. The Rule of it 384. In what things to be used 388. How towards good things of this life 389. How towards the evil 394. Towards persons 397. In Civil matters Actively 397. Passively 401. In Religious Negatively 405 Positively 408. Reasons to inforce this duty 412 c. N. Neighbour Duties toward him much to bee regarded 266. O. Obedience It must be compleat 59 62 63. Occasions Of sin to be avoided 56 95. Omniscience Of God to be beleeved in prayer 338 c. His Omnipotence also 340 434. Opinions Moderately to be contended for 408 409. Original sin 84. 104. Ordinances To be frequented 203 686. Their vertue from Christ 621. What wee must do to make their Efficacy abide 679. What we must avoid for that end 688. P. Parents Must instruct their children 195. They must command them to obey it 197. Persons Must not be respected 184. Pleasure Pleasant things dangerous 57. Power of God 434. No Power to convert our selves 27. Threefold Power 26. Men can do more than they do 28. Poor A stock to be made for them 298. Prayer Necessity of it 102. For our Relations 213 214 For Charity 296. Why God hears wicked men sometimes 336. Wicked men are bound to pray 336. Why God will not give without prayer 341. To pray in Faith what 335 337 c. How for temporal things 345 c. How for spiritual 346 c. To be made with an eye to Christ 435 343. Distraction in Prayer 468. Danger of careless thoughts in Prayer 463 c. Answer of Prayer makes a mercy sweeter 493. Do nothing but what you can pray God to bless 24. Praise Incourages to do well 205. Prosperity A time for Trust in God 439. How it must be done 440 c. Propriety In Goods and Lands lawful 289. Promises To be beleeved in Prayer 342. A ground of our trust 435. They quicken the soul 507. Providence of God 339 437. Prudence in avoiding sufferings 640. Q. Quickening What it is to Quicken 500. Means of spiritual Quickning 504. Ten Quickning Considerations 509 c. R. Rashness In making vows to be avoided 591. Reason It must alwaies govern 98. Rational Arguments to be used 212. Recreation to be moderate 579. Regenerate Not without conflicts 325. Relation Study to save our Relations 190. Gods Relation to us a ground of trust 435. Religion A Christians business 573. Wherein it doth consist ib. seq When it is our business 577. How to make it so 583 c. Sweetness of it 584. When promoted by vows 592 c. And how 596. To be secured above all things 638 How to preserve it among enemies to it 640. It bindes the duties of the second Table upon us 267. How to converse with men of a different Religion 646 647 c. Repentance when it is true 81. Madness to defer it 19. Reproof Sin to be Reproved 179. Discovers beloved sins 52. How to manage it 2â—0 201 208. 398. Qualifications of a Reprover 180. Of a Reproof 182 183 c. 649. What must be Reproved 181. Win the affections of those you Reprove 212. Season of Reproof is to be marked 182 c. 280. Resolution against beloved sins 55. Revenge not to be taken 265. Rewards great incouragements 206. Riches not to be confided in 272. S. Scruples not to be cherished 17. Self-Knowledge How excellent 91 244. To be got in Solitude 54. And in Sufferings 55. Self-denial of great advantage 628. Salvation Of our friends should be laboured 190. Strife al ouâ— it 37 38 504 505. Sensual ty 569. Security 571. Sick Instruction to Sick persons of great advantage 112. How to be dealt withall 113. The same method improper for all 115 Errours which they are subject to 116 117. Sin to be killed 42. Never to live again ibid. It is from ouâ— selves 44. Ugliness of it 91. Why expressed by the parts of our body 45. Of Belâ—v d Sins 46. Whence they proceed 47. 12 Marks to discover them 50 c. Nine Helps to subdue them 55. Smallest Sins to be avoided 73 328. 331. Means against its first rising 88 c Take heed of beginning of Sin 107. In our children as well as selves 198. Eight waies of becomming guilty of other mens Sins 163. Five devilish sins 164. Sin how to be cured by Revulsion 101 Sloth three-fold 500. Ten Remedies against Spiritual Sloth 504 c. Eight Questions to Slothful Christians 314. Spirit the witness of it 318 521. We may know that we have Gods Spirit 313. What to walk in it 85. When activity is from Gods Spirit 416 c. Superiours must uphold their authority 193. How to be reproved 210. Superfluities to be cut off 297. Sufferings how prudently to be avoided 646 c. Or couragiously to be indured 631. c. T. Temper of body may incline to sin 46 47. Temptations how to be resisted 94 96. Thanksgiving due to God continually 480. Specially from his children 481 c. The grounds of it 482 c. For every thing 484 c. For afflictions 486. The reasons of that 487 c. How to obtain this frame of Spirit 491 492 c. Thoughts a conscience to be made of them 463. Time care to be had of it 575. Trouble inward and outward meet sometimes together 364. Whence it arises 365 c. To live among the ungodly a great Trouble 633 c. Truth not all equal 408. Trust what it is to Trust in God 428 Effects of it 431. Obâ—ect of Trust 432. Grounds of Trust in God 439 450. V. Verbs Active Verbs how sometimes used 26. Unthankfulness several sorts of Unthankful men 495 496. The evil of this sin 497. Vows the nature of them 588. Whether lawful to make them 589. When they are useful in Religion 592 c. How they promote it 596 c. Danger of breaking them 604. They must bear some proportion to mercies 605. W. Way A four-fold Way 503. Weakness very great in us unto good 27. Word of God the best weapon 85 99. Worldly-mindedness hinders its operation 689. Moderation in our words 397. Watchfulness necessary in doing our duty 504. Against our enemies 33 580. Worship how to conceive of God in it 416 c. He is tender of it 462. We must worship him in Christ. 423. Zeal Consistant with Moderation 407. FINIS