sparke wits ripe heads experience and abilities Implore still the same sad hand of the spirit to suppresse them from pearking up you shall finde it will not quite leave you till death but be not discouraged It had the birthright first and birth-rights hold long Iacob had recovered the right of birth when Isaac blessed him yet it was five hundred yeares ere he got possession in the meane time Iacob was a prisoner and slave in Egypt a pilgrim in the wildernesse and in Canaan no Lord over Edom till David and other Kings subdued it But seeing it was Iacobs by promise he got it at last and so shalt thou at death though the whiles thou be held down mightily by thy enemy as Hannah with Peninnah Trust God that neither thy owne corruption within nor yet the world and error of the wicked without with all their carnall jollity shall pluck thee from thy sincerity That which hath beene the bane of thousands zealous Ministers Magistrates Gentlemen Courtiers Citizens Lawyers Students and others yet shall not be thine if thou wilt cleave to God! Oh! beware lest Satan conspiring with thy carnall heart disguise thee not and make thee a time-server When thou seest so many of thy time and parts education disposition kindred and family still to be left to their cavills descants and the streame of unmortified reason loathing and scorning to stoop to the conditions of Christ either to doe for him or to suffer Oh! be thankefull and thinke thy state happy whom God pulled as a legge out of a Beares jaw or a brand out of the fire and consider how much better it is to beare now and then a squib for thy Religion then to bee made a booty to the Divell for thy revolting Thus much for this and the rest of the uses belonging to this doctrine Now I must not forget my promise beloved and by so fit an occasion I must answer a question and that is this Answer to a maine quaere May not carnall reason in Quest 1 any case be used If not Whether carnall policy be unlawfull Answ Yes As appeares by the particulars 1. Politicke and crafty shifting how farre may policy be admitted with safety of conscience and in what particulars For the first carnall reason if convinced so to be for sometime lawfull policy may seeme to be carnall and yet is not is simply unlawfull As may appeare by these particulars First politicke shifting with an officious lye or an handsome sudden evasion though against truth Thus the midwives made a lye to avoid the murther of the Israelitish women True it is the Lord covered it in mercy because the scope and end was holy and tending to charity and it said the Lord built them houses yet not for their lying but for their mercy The like I say touching the woman that concealed Ahimaaz and Ionathan saying They were gone over the brooke when they were in the Well So Rahab hid the spies and is commended for it Heb. 11. but not for her lye saying that they were gone I say not that they ought to have discovered them nor doe I say it is easie to answer the question what should be done in that or the like cases the Lord keepe us from straits and from horned occasions and hard exigents which are both waies difficult but I say these things are not lawfull we leave the dispensation and issue of such things to God to whom only mercy and pardon belongs when the soule hath offended by a kinde of necessity But to affirme that God may be or is pleased by a lye or needs it were horrible Now then if a shift or a lye for a good end a weighty and holy end yet cannot be maintained as warrantable what shall those carnall shifts be counted which wicked men use to conceale themselves when their owne lewdnesse hath brought them into straits As Ieroboams wives policy to disguise herselfe going to the blinde Prophet and making herselfe another because she feared Ahija for her Idolatry So Sauls disguising himselfe when he went to the witch and making himselfe another lest else his wicked purpose had been defeated And the like may be said of the ordinary lyes and mannerly shifts used to serve mens owne turnes when there is either a denyall of a truth or affirmation of a falshood As when a servant for some respects doth answer shiftingly to any that shall call for his Master and aske whether he be within or at home and shâ—ll either deny it or further adde he is gone to such a place being yet false of which sort are infinite other tricks in common use among men and counted veniall toyes as in promising to goe to such a place to doe such a thing to come to a friend no limitation set downe and yet faile c. Secondly politicke closenesse darkenesse 2. Politicke closenesse and neutrality and reserved neutrality to go no further in Religion then we can come off faire and make our own retreat safe without endangering of our selves in any kinde obeying the commands of men by disobeying God This is a reall falshood of heart and practice which we call temporising comming from a base deceitfulnesse of the spirit to God-ward and is a deserting of God and his cause yea though it be through feare or frailty as Peters deniall and the revolt of many that suffered in time of persecution But much more when either no danger or not so great is to be feared Sutable whereto is that cunning temporising that lookes at the displeasing of men more then God Gal. 2. as when Peter at Antioch ate meates forbidden by the ceremony as confessing an abrogation and yet when there came Jewes thither he withdrew and abstained from them to avoid quarrelling 3. Politicke carnall equivocations and reservations Thirdly politick reservation of conscience in the actuall committing of an evill As in Queene Maries time many would goe to Masse with their bodies pretending to keepe their consciences entire and undefiled Sutable whereto is the practice of our Jesuits in their equivocations whether in their oathes or other actions when they sweare in word but say they reserve themselves mentally unsworne and meant it not or by some trick of exception which they suggest to themselves viz. That such a one went not this way pointing to their sleeve or that they were not in such a place of company meaning to betray it to others c. 4. Politicke selfe-love Fourthly politicke indirectnesse of course swerving from providence and duty for a mans owne indemnity as when David fearing the Philistins who discovered him to be their enemy and distrusting Gods protection let his spittle fall downe upon his beard and scrabbled upon the doores 1 Sam. 21.13 so that he was thereupon taken as a mad man by Achish and so escaped So the Papists have a trick which they call good guile much what the same when we call an honest theefe or
His assistance shall be sufficient till judgement breake forth into victory Onely here may be a question why the Lord suffers such stops ignorances weaknesses feares and discouragements to abide in his poore servants so long Quest and yet lets them alone when he might remove them sooner Answ God hath speciall reason to delay his worke I answer The time is not yet come he will doe it after he hath well disciplined and yoked them to his owne way humbled them in the particular insight into their owne corruption basenesse and insufficiency of themselves and caused his power all that while to appeare to them which at the first could not so have appeared if he had prevented all such trouble at once But there is a time present for Gods sufficient grace to stay them from revolts and extremities and there is a time to come for Gods perfiting grace to set them free then shall they looke backe and see reason in all this way of God See Joh. 13.9.10 When Peter was averse to Christ in the offer of washing our Saviour tells him What I doe now thou knowest not but hereafter thou shalt 2 Cor. 12. A secret hand shall uphold thee the whilest but after shall discover the reason of all Now I come to some use briefly Vse 1 This first instructs Gods deare servants about the preciousnesse of their priviledges Instruction and that in two respects First it teacheth them what Branch 1 oddes there is betweene such as the Lord hath honoured with the grace of vocation above others Assisting grace of God the roote of manifold priviledges to a beleever Doth the Lord thus apply himselfe to such as are out of his covenant Doth he so prevent them at first or doth hee after so follow them up and downe as the nurses eie attends the feeble Infant for feare of shrewd turnes When their rebellious spirits cavill winde out of his armes and roll backe to their dungeon doth he clapse them more strongly Doth he take it to concerne him to doe so for his honour No surely and yet as the case stands with them he knowes they must sinke except he pitty them But he is free and bound to none save to whom he bindes himselfe therefore he speakes to the one and to the other very differently To his owne that golden promise belongs The Lord will dry up Euphrates to make a way for his scattered ones some thinke it concernes the returne of the Jewes miraculously as once through the red sea Esay 28. But to the other that fearefull speech There shall be a line upon line precept upon precept here a little and there a little Why That they may turn back spue fall and rise no more Blessings he meanes shall turne curses to enemies to condemne them But crosses and offences shall turne releases and eases to the other Oh! fearefull is the state then of the one happy of the other Well might it be said Luke 4. of Naaman There were many lepers in the dayes of Elisha but onely Naaman to whom he was so sent As Lysias told Paul he was faine to buy the liberty of a Citizen of Rome with a great summe which Paul was borne too for nothing Tell it thy soule in secret how few have I seene God compassionate and shew a tender heart unto when they have fought against mercy How hath he suffered them to roll to their dunghill Rev. ult His eie hath not pittied them but he hath said He that formed them will shew them no mercy let the wilfull be more wilfull and the caviller fulfill his measure let the carnall have is owne way stumble and fall and rise no more at the stumbling blocks of his owne iniquity Ezek. 14. If he will needs depart let him goe Joh. 6. Did our Saviour pull those time-servers which followed him for the loaves backe againe when they revolted and pickt a quarrell with him No surely he let them go But to his Disciples he said Will ye also go He was loath to part with them Oh! what should more prevaile to affect the hearts of al Gods people who have met with assisting grace then this experience Hath hee dealt so with all sorts as with you As Moses pressed the children of those Israelites that survived their fathers Did ever God so speake to man Deut. 4.33 as he hath to you and yet lived So say I Doth God no more for you then for all sorts Then account him but a God in common But hath hee even when you have beene at last cast suddenly caused light to appeare turned the low wheele uppermost brought light out of darkenesse and spread a table in a dry barren land This he hath not done for all If you have found the winde thus suddenly to turne Oh acknowledge it What if it had not beene so If God had not beene so on your side Surely the floods had prevailed and drowned you If he have made those waters walls to you Psal 123.5 which have beene gulfes to others is it no more then he ought you Or did you wade out of your owne strength Did your owne hand sustaine you Will yee play the Pelagians now in this kinde and ascribe this escape to the lot of your better judgement honesty labour and prevention then others Is there roome for such scurfe here Or may free will presume to bee named the same day with the assisting grace of God Those innumerable difficulties and dangers of shipwracke which thou hast avoided could thy owne wisdome and will shunne them No let thy soule breake out into admiration at this freedome of mercy now as at first and confesse Not to me Lord but to thy selfe give the glory Thou hast done it for thy name and to get thee glory else it had beene undone for ever they and I were digged out of one rocke Esay 63.3 and their prerogative was as great as mine Who am I that thou shouldest reveale thy selfe to me and not to the world That which put the difference was the grace that separated us being all of one rocke of one masse And secondly Assisting grace following prevention is a bottome of sound experience to a poore soule See Rom. 5.10 it should instruct Gods owne servants to gather experience Branch 2 from hence for all their life Is there such a golden firme chaine betweene one part of vocation and another Is assisting grace so tied to preventing and perfecting grace to both that nothing can sever them How much more then is sanctifying grace tyed to the grace of calling Tell me then poore soule hath the Lord done so great a favour as to make thee one of his own inspite of Selfe Satan and the world to redeeme reconcile and justifie thee to count thee his beloved his secret one Could nothing keepe thee from vocation and faith What then shall stoppe thee from heaven and life from perseverance and perfecting thy holinesse in the feare
an union with him and all his graces Faith in the promise of the ordinance will as well give thee a spirituall savour in Christ sacramentall as ever it did in thy reconciliation Both being planted upon a word of God whereto the Sacrament is an inseperable and sure seale Let carnall reason judge of a Sacrament and what will it make of it A peece of bread a cup of wine She beleeves no more then she sees What wonder A man may draw water out of a deepe well without a bucket as easily as a carnall man can gather sap or savour out of the Sacrament except Christ be his wisdome and righteousnesse Spiritualnesse in the first promise tasted by faith gives a relish to the soule in all other parts of the word And so I might speake of each part of sanctification Faith onely can get a spiritualnesse out of each promise of God to purge the soule of her corruptions To guide her in her way To answer her doubts her feares her objections To support her in her crosses and straits To season her blessings and to preserve her unblameable untill the day of her salvation A carnall man savours no more of these then a dog savours a chip for he wants that whereby such priviledges are spiritually revealed Shee harkens not to the word as the Pilot neglected Paul Act. 27. But Paul had the revealing of the safety of the ship which the Pilot wanted and therefore slighted the Pilots judgement farre more then he could doe Pauls Sixthly I exhort thee to savour spirituall things Savour spirituall things and to be able to prove thou dost so and that thou art made truly wise for spiritualnesse Quest How may I prove it Answ By these few markes First such Sermons Ordinances Ministeries as savour most of spirit and life affect and ensue such as savour of flesh and basenesse forme and carnall reason reject and detest Read and heare the word with seeking out the true scope and true savour thereof prying into it as the Cherubins into the mercy seat not resting in the barke and surface Blesse God for any wisdome to weigh and judge aright of holy things and their difference cleave to a spirituall worship of God and abhorre a carnall serving of God Heare the word with humility faith attention obedience for to the humble and trembling at his word God reveales wisdome Psal 25. Esay 28. Prepare thy selfe reverently to the sacraments with faith repentance love and hunger whatsoever savours of flesh as pride pompe ease self-ends world pampering of the body suspect it not to be from God Learne with Paul 2 Cor. 5. to accept Christ according to spirituall not carnall respects It is death to the spirit to be carnall or the flesh to be spirituall but to the spirit it is life Rom. 8. Secondly love simplicity It is a companion of spiritualnesse 2. Love simplicity get the one and the other will follow Affect not a subtill overreaching close and worldly-wise conversation It will justly cause Gods people to suspect thee Let not a double winding shifting heart and practice be found in thee either to God or man-ward Wisdome I dislike not seasoned with grace and meekenesse but carnall and politique wisdome of the world abhorre we are called Protestants Professors bee not ashamed to be according to our name let us be without welt or gard not bordering upon defence of evill or cavilling against the reproofes of the word Be not simple onely in point of Religion but also among the Religious Be not ashamed of God or of Gods faithfull ones for their meannesse Better is he that walketh in his simplicity then he that perverts his way and is a foole Condescend to meane things Rom. 12. Gods pretious ones come out of cottages yea sometime caves and dens of the earth Thirdly labour for heavenly mindednesse Phil. 3. Col. 3.2 3. Labour for heavenly mindednesse Our conversation is in heaven Let your affections be above where Christ sitteth Resurrection of the soule with Christ and an holy activenesse of spirit with fruitfulnesse is a steppe to the soules ascension with Christ and converse with God This world full of carnall occurrences of profits pleasures companies earthly courses and delights will make the most savoury Christian forget himselfe without great grace Be armed therefore against this temptation Know these things well and behold them aright they are nothing happinesse is not in them they promise but keep not touch use them therefore as if thou usedst them not as wings upward not as clogs let them be as water and grace as oyle which will swimme aloft passe through them as that fresh river is said to goe through the salt sea without taste or brackishnesse If grace bee chiefe shee will be a true moderator betweene these things and the world but if the world be chiefe shee will so bribe and bewitch thee that the best things will lose all savour and welcome in a short time 4. Preferre the words verdit Fourthly heare the word before the judgement of reason in all the promises and governments of God personall or publique Censure not God as unrighteous It came from God that Absolon should preferre the judgement of Hushi that he might overthrow both him and Achitophell Say of carnall reason as he did the judgement of it is not good in case And when Achitophell hath counselled then call for Hushi and say I dare not trust carnall reason Is there never a Prophet of the Lord Baals Priest are too pleasing to be faithfull in this case So much for spiritualnesse 5. Be wise in all thy course Lastly bee wise in thy whole course Quest How shall I try it Answ If first thou have the properties of a man truly wise As first to chuse the one thing necessary To discerne betweene things that differ To be ready for the hardest To make safe thy retreat Secondly true wisdome is planted in Gods feare Eccles last Deut. 4.6 Thirdly shunne the waies of error to discerne betweene the way of the foole and the wise Col. 1.9 Fourthly practise wisdome both in deliberation for God and in determination Psal 119.57 More fully be wise for thy soule and selfe Matth. 6.23 Redeeming the time Ephes 5.18 Project and plot savourly seasonably and wisely for God and his glory and ends Rom. 8. Savour the things of God and be wise for God are all one in the Greeke word Use all watchfulnesse against all enemies especially spirituall Marke 13.34 Meddle with our owne businesse finding still enough to doe at home 1 Thess 4.12 2 Thess 3.10 else we be inordinate and busiebodies as Peter Joh. 21.21 Be sure in all cases of doubt to cleave to things holy pure of good report Phil. 4.8 A comprehensive rule Of two morall evills chuse not the lesse but abhorre both Of two evills the one of sinne the other of sorrow chuse the latter though great rather then the former though lesse Rom.
knave who is not altogether so bad as others and say thereby they doe great matters both for publique and private good ends 5. Formall policy Fifthly formall policy when men proforma as they call it or for their fee will plead a bad cause or having beene retained on the one side will afterward speake for the other which is the sinne of Ambodexters Sycophants and flatterers who speake on both sides for their vantage 6. Politicke prophanenesse Sixtly politick prophanenesse as Achitophel who for the making way for his Masters purpose plaid the traytor against his liege besides the horrible impieties committed against God 7. Politicke Religion Seventhly politicke Religion which I touched before when men devise out of their own brain a way to devotion as if Gods course were insufficient as for perswading of chastity to debase marriage under virginity To teach men diligent use of the means by overthrowing the absolutenesse of Gods decree as if these two were incompatible To provoke men to liberality to begging Friars by affirming Christ himselfe was a beggar To draw people to punctuall confessing of sinne by enjoyning auricular confession To avoid loosenesse of lust by commanding penances and fasts beside the word To put an hereticke to silence by falsifying a text as one of the Fathers to stop the mouth of the Manichees affirming two contrary principles of good and evill out of 2 Cor. 4.4 answers it thus In whom God the true God hath blinded the eies of the unbeleevers of this world transposing the Genitive cases and marring the sense so putting out both Gods eies to put out one of the Divells 8. Politicke blanching So to maintaine a carnall point with blanching it over with many rules and caveats which rules will never be observed but the evill will soone bee done as in point of scandalous games and pastimes a meere fetch to maintaine either pride in our owne abilities as if wee saw more then common folke or to establish carnall liberty Is not this to chuse to be nought with much adoe rather then to sit still and bee honest Goodnesse rather desires to bee innocent with jealousie then guilty with distinctions And thus I might bee endlesse I conclude what ever reason is carnall and what ever proceeds thence word or deed is earthly sensuall and divelish And so much for answer to the first question The second question arising hence is this whether any policy and Quest 2 wisdome may be used by Christians What policy may be used though perhaps there may be some appearance of humane mixture in it Whereto I answer that in some cases it is lawfull for a Christian to use such policy although perhaps to some simple minded ones it may be thought subtilty for the matter rests not in the judgement of men who are ready to censure whatsoever they cannot comprehend but what the word alloweth For hee is allowed not whom man but God himselfe approveth Rom. 2. end And it is an error in many weake ones that under pretence of simplicity of conversation which God expressely requireth of us 1 Cor. 1.12 they cry out of all policy as circumvention and subtilty True it is this wicked world is full of shifts and subtilties and sometimes Gods people themselves are too much given to breake their bounds as I have already shewed but yet we must neither condemne the righteous nor justifie the wicked The Scripture it selfe affords us examples and proofes of the lawfulnesse hereof Matth. 10.16 our Saviour tells his Disciples he sent them forth as sheep in the midst of wolves and therefore wills them to be wise as Serpents and innocent as Doves so farre as simplicity and purenesse will admit policy is not onely lawfull but also necessary both for the honour of the truth and the safeguard of the godly their names estates and persons God himselfe justifies policy as also for the countermining and opposing of Satans wiles and policies and the malicious plots of his instruments And the Lord himselfe doth justifie it For not onely in extraordinary cases as the borrowing of the Egyptians jewells and gold that they might robbe them by their sudden departure But also in an ordinary way he allowes policy For he taught Ioshua policy Chap. 8. to use a stratageme and circumvent the men of Ai by dissembling a flight and David 2 Sam. 5.23 bidding him to go against the Philistins by a way unlooked for And sundry patternes we have in Scripture of the practice hereof with commendation The respects therefore wherein it is lawfull must rather be understood by us then the thing in generall condemned and they are these First when it repugneth not to a word of God Upon what tearmes it is lawfull manifest or by just consequence deducted For whatsoever is against the word cannot bee well done with all the colouring in the world As for a man in any case to speake a direct untruth or deny a flat truth cannot but repugne to the word But in some cases to conceale a truth Esay 8. or forbeare the deniall of an untruth agrees well with the word Secondly when policy trencheth upon charity and is against mercy compassion love good report justice and honesty Phil. 4. As Paul saith Finally brethren whatsoever is just good of good report that ensue and the God of peace be with you Thirdly when it is against the glory of God and the honour of his name as of our profession and the Gospel Doe all saith Paul Col. 3. to the glory of God the Father In this respect as I take it some of the chiefe Martyrs imitated them Heb. 11.38 who refused to be delivered when they might not simply unwilling to be safe but lest their escape might possibly be an occasion of insulting to the enemy and an imputation to their cause and a reproach to them for deserting the truth whereas perhaps setting this regard aside some private persons might have fled to one City being persecuted in another For nature it selfe seekes her owne safety and it is a sinne to bring needlesse trouble upon our selves Fourthly when the using of such policy stands not with the peace of a mans private spirit and conscience although perhaps it be erroneous in that particular Rom. 14. The reason is because whatsoever is not of faith is sinne not onely against knowledge but without knowledge For as in the former respect it is most horrible to goe against the light though the world should judge it never so glorious and goodly as Rom. 3.8 although good should come of it so when the thing is either done against light or doubtfully though in it selfe the policy may be lawfull yet to the doer it is unlawfull and a snare as we see in the cases of some weake Christians that because they did but doubtingly cast a little frankincense into the Idolls fire without any purpose of worship for the safeguard of their lives although at the
the grace of redemption and the grace of creation be sutable things holding alike in nature But that they are not For in the creation the Lord could not but impart himselfe to the creature according to that bounty and goodnesse of his excellent nature without any difference But in the grace of redemption Branch 1 it was farre otherwise of reason For first he had all mankinde at an infinite advantage by their fall and might communicate himselfe so farre and no further then himselfe pleased Justice was now offended and therefore it was free for him to destroy all and it was infinite mercy to save any Prisoners and guilty ones use not to give law to their Judges but take Branch 2 law from them And secondly although if the Lord had thought good he might have extended this grace full as farre as the offence reached yet all things considered viz. That the Lord meant by occasion of this fall to manifest himselfe to the creature in a further degree then he had done and to glorifie himselfe far more in his Attributes therefore to limit God to our conceit and proportion in this kinde were to crosse and contradict his wisdome and ends as lesse wise then our owne But it will be objected Object If Christ the second Adam were as truly in stead of the whole nature of mankinde to save as Adam was to destroy we should infinitely wrong the extent of his satisfaction if we made it more unable to save then Adams sinne was to condemne forasmuch as the Apostle saith The gift is above the offence Rom 5.15 Now then if the sinne of mankinde were so imputed to Christ as the sinne of all mankinde to Adam what should hinder the universality of this grace I answer Answ Christ was no such large subject of imputation of all grace as Adam was of sin And the Apostle even in the same place where he affirmes the gift to be above the offence yet compareth All condemned in Adam to Many saved by Christ All and Many differ much Verse 19. So that we must know that the imputation of sinne to Christ was onely such an imputation of sinne as concerned the elect only for if the sinnes of more had bin imputed surely more had bin saved then the elect And so Christ should have added to the number of the elect and bin a Lord not a servant to election as a mediator nor a foundation of executing it but a cause of morall swasion to apprehend the truth and embrace the good which is offered them I demand why doe not all pertake it one as well as another For if there be such free will in them to receive it what lets them from it who would willingly balke heaven who might goe thither or who would not shun hell if his shunning desire would serve the turne Deut. 4. Is there not a naturall selfelove in all to wish well unto themselves and to avoide the contrary if that were sufficient If any shall say the strong lusts of some dazle their light and oppresse the freedome of their will from accepting the offer then I answer how can that be called sufficient grace which is faine to give place unto prevailing corruption That is onely sufficient which is effectuall to overcome and oversway the will not which is compelled to yeeld and give place to the prevailing corruption of the will which it meets withall What a dishonour is that to grace not to be able to effect her owne ends but to be overcome by corruption Grace doubtles if it be sufficiently offered to all that are enlightned would sufficiently cast downe and subdue the strongest holds and highest thoughts of resistance set up in the soule against it and so would save all without contradiction as being an invincible principle as much above the power of sinne as God is above the creature Either therefore this universall grace doth convert all who receive it which none is so absurd as to affirme being contrary to sense and common experience or else it must needs be denied to be sufficient and powerfull to doe that which it intendeth And therefore of necessity there must needs be another grace confessed as necessary for the effecting of that which this universall grace cannot attaine unto and that is that soveraigne and free grace of the spirit which peculiarly workes in the elect not an aid and concurring succour to their free will but that grace of willing freely which they want wholly and that strength to subdue rebellion and unbeleefe which no enlightning grace alone can reach I say it must be a peculiar grace of conversion which worketh both the will and the deed and is so effectuall that no strength either of sinne or the gates of hell can prevaile against it Thus much I thought not unfit to say for the explication of the point enough a popular audidience for the ground of a sermon leaving deeper discourse to Treaties for the nonce Vse 1 Now for use let it be serious exhortation to all sorts to concurre with most humble Exhort To confesse the Soveraignty of Gods Grace lowly and equall hearts with this absolute soveraignty of Gods will and pleasure in the dispensing of his owne grace where when and how farre himselfe listeth Princes alway love to maintaine their owne unlimitednesse and Prerogatives above their subjects and doe not like it that any subject should make scrutiny into the secret of their soveraignty How much more should sinfull dust and ashes beware of prying into and descanting upon the Prerogative of heaven And because this Branch 1 argument is a large field I must distinguish it into severall heads First then Cavill not beware that wee nourish not a cavilling heart against God in this behalfe Gamaliel advised his fellowes wisely to beware lest they went against the edge with God in the persecuting of the Apostles Act. 5. least perhaps saith he ye be found fighters against God As if he should say if ye should pull God against ye by opposing his Ministers ye should make a good bargaine of it and repent ye at leasure How much more then should we beware of snagging and snarling at Gods secrets which doe more immediately touch his Crowne and dignity then any thing and trench upon his glory and Attributes which are pretious and which hee will not give to another Esay 42. Learne we this that secrets are for the Lord our God let him alone with them revealed things are for us Such is the base pride of our forlorne spirits that when wee have most deepely implunged our selves into the premunire of God then we can least of all beteame him the acknowledgement of our misery and least stoop under his mighty hand nay then doe we feele a rebelling and recoyling spirit against God in fighting against his Soveraignty John 8.33 Much like those Jewes who when they were under the most deepe bondage of the Romans their enemies yet
with others worse then her selfe pleads her civility innocency of life good parts devotions and moralities if God ferret her out of this burrow she will annexe and apply her selfe to Christ after a fashion for aide and entrench her selfe within her duties teares good affections zealous performances good opinion of others if this fort be battered shee will still betake her selfe to her seeming selfe-deniall in many things forfeit of her will of sundry lusts pleasures bad company and redeeme selfe with some forfeit of selfe Shee will not bee pulled out of her Castle of selfe-conceit nor give up her counterfeit sufficiency and treasure within for any withour one bird in hand is worth two in the bush Till at length custome and confirmed error doe so harden her that she will sooner part with her life then her false happinesse or resigne up her bulwarkes and City to Christ and his besieging Army In such a case what must the Lord doe See Deut. 29.19 The siege of God to such a soule Surely either give her quite over as impregnable and raise his siege or else resolve to put her to the uttermost straights that can be Sometime by blasting her best blessings and with some deadly disease taking off the edge of worldly content making her soule to loath dainty meate or putting a surfet and fulsomenesse into all which she enjoyes that she cannot taste them or letting in a veine of vengeance into conscience convincing her that all is not well so that nothing can comfort her Job 33.14.15 she is Gods enemy an hypocrite an unbeleever wants the promise lives without God in the world never was humbled broken denyed her selfe never was lost nor forsaken and therefore never was out of her owne bottome to live in another stocke and roote of Christ When the Lord mixes himselfe really with crosses with terrors with law or Gospell to convince the soule either of sinne or righteousnesse then she begins to feele a straight and to be at a losse else she is merry and so long as she hath one ragge to cover her filthinesse one penny in her purse one crust to gnaw upon one shred to hang by Revel 3.18 she will be cloathed rich full and compleate Christ shall never heare of her It must be an hard besetting with a narrow straight which strips her and robbes her of her selfe-sufficiency Therfore Elihu Iob Cap. 33. under that one instance of sicknesse sweetly compares the state of an unregenerate person before straights come with the estate when they are upon him Before saith he God speakes once and twice by promises and by blessings but man heares like the Adder with a deafe eare she makes wash-way of patience word conscience and all But when the Lord afflicts both Conscience and body at once the one with terrours and affrightments in the night when men should sleepe the other with a consumption in his parts so that his bones sticke out and clatter his soule loathes dainty meat his moisture is spent and the buriers and mourners gape for him Then in this straight if an interpreter come and declare his righteousnesse and set him at liberty he shall be welcome Why Oh because God hath asswaged his pride and tamed him so that whereas before he was too high for any man to talke with now being on the rack you may have him at any termes and willing to come to any conditions Surely so it is in any other kinde of straight whereby the licentious spirit of man is subdued and scared while that lasteth the man is in a quite contrary frame to that he was in at liberty Reason 1 And what reason may be given hereof viz. Why the soule is best in case to deale withall under an exigent then otherwise I answer First a straight calls in and limits the spirit which before went at large and no compasse would hold it It brings the heart into bounds The sicke bed is narrrow the sicke conscience is upon strict termes with God whereas health and security make men wilde Job 39.9 like the Roe or wilde Asse Who shall yoake an Unicorne to the plow But the Lord having a man upon the hip can make him stoope to it The very she Asse when she is in her monthes may bee a taken in a pit Jerem. 2.14 cannot rise and runne away she is in a straight her big body will not suffer her to escape Now whomsoever the Lord converts he will narrow their course and bring them to a short Reason 2 account till then there is no talking with them Secondly by an extremity the Lord makes the creature understand his power over it and that it hath a superior to controll it whereas before it acknowledged Reason 3 no Lord or controller but it selfe Thirdly it abases and pulls downe the error of the heart and the selfe-love of it which presented all things in a false view to it and removed all feare and suspicion farre off so that as Paul without the law was jolly and alive so is this living without any bands or chaines Now under a straight it reflects upon it selfe some sad notions of feare sinne guilt wrath judgement so that the case is much changed Fourthly it abases the pride of the heart conceit of it Reason 4 selfe rebellion against God and makes it crouch as knowing there is no fighting against necessity This Elihu calls Gods hiding of our pride Straights will take away the bubbling and pride of a wretch and force him to an humblenesse yea they will hold downe the spirit to a patience and bearing long so that the Lord may take leasure to doe that which a free heart and jolly in sinne could not attend unto before a Sermon of an houre long was irkesome Now with Saul at Damascus gates it takes law and saith what wilt thou have me to doe Fiftly it bores an eare into Reason 5 the soule which before had none it pierces the heart and makes it apt to heare yea swift tractable and teachable saying speake Lord for thy servant heares Sixtly it provokes diligence painefullnesse and unweariednesse Reason 6 in using of meanes As Ninivee under Ionas arrest which before lay in a bed of ease sloth and sottish carelesnesse Seventhly it makes Reason 7 the heart glad of any one word of hope possibility of remedy and promise of mercy Eightly it breakes the heart and melts it to heare that Reason 8 the Lord will encline toward it being so low brought as it is Ninthly Reason 9 it causes a marveilous esteeme of mercy sets a wonderfull terrible hiew upon sinne and a precious marke upon forgivenesse causes the soule to forget all her vanities former objects in respect of that she would have Oh! Naamans disease seemed now hideous a cure precious all his honour and favour at home is forgotten for the time Tenthly it causes the Reason 10 soule to be glad of remedy from whomsoever be he never so base mean
washing in Jorden The third gerall The third and last point out of this verse I will propound by answering a question briefly Object arising out of the former doctrine For it may bee demanded seeing that not the waters themselves were the cause of effecting this cure upon Naaman but the power of God onely in and by them To what end did the Prophet so presse upon him the washing in Jorden and why had it been so heynous a contempt for him to have neglected this charge Answ Why God useth outward means to convey grace viz. To stop mans devices The answer is double First in respect of the necessary concurrence of the water to the instrumentalnes of Gods working Secondly in respect of a signe or ratification of the promise in the heart of Naaman To open both these in a word For the former it is alway the course of God to worke by meanes and instruments sensible and bodily when hee hath to doe with us men of a bodily and sensible nature As in the duty of prayer though the worke thereof is properly spirituall and holy and the Lord can tell our hearts as well as our tongues yet it is his will that we offer it up by the instrument of outward speech orderly set sensible Take unto you words say Hosea 13.2 receive us graciously So though the power of regeneration stand not in speech but in the Holy Ghost yet the Lord will not so worke immediately but by the ministery of man to man hee hath ordained to convey his spirit into the heart And the reason is plain for else what a door should be set open to the fantasticall spirit of man to vent his owne speculations and conceits without any warrant from God Who would not frame to himselfe revelations of the Spirit and devise new inventions of serving God How doe Anabaptists boast of their owne fancies How doe they despise the ordinary calling of Ministers and preaching and thrust forth themselves by the instinct of their owne spirit as if they were some great persons How do Papists devise new worships as that Masse of theirs which is nothing else save a masse of many ingredients added by sundry of their Popes or masters of ceremonies and those many Sacraments of theirs whereof not one print of Gods appointing appeares in all the Scriptures If this be done by them against the expresse will of God what would they have attempted if they had been left unto themselves How infinite would they then have been Therfore the Lord wil have all that look for any worke of his Spirit to attend the means closely and reverently and only by through them to expect for blessing If God please to unite his grace only to them ordinarily may it not well beseeme us to tye our attendance and observation of his power in and by them This is one cause why the Lord would not extraordinarily convey himselfe to the Eunuch to Cornelius Acts 8. Acts 10. Acts 9. to Saul at Damascus save by the intermediall instruments of Peter Philip and Ananias our spirit is alway in our extremities for either wee runne to our fancies conceits sloath and ease contemning the meanes or else when meanes must be used we fall to idolize them both which the holy Ghost abhorres Another reason is in respect of Naaman himselfe who was a novice Reason 2 It was the will of God to heale him by faith in a promise Why are signes sacraments used by the Lord for the effecting of spirituall things viz. to assure our weak faith Now because that was a difficult object for him to settle upon the Lord appoints him this outward and reall signe of the waters to prop up his faith by and to settle his inner spirit by the externall sense As if he should say Goe thy wayes I will heale thy leprosie beleeve me and if that be unlikely to thee loe I give thee a signe even the waters of Jorden that as verily as thou shalt drench thy selfe therein so verily will I by my spirit heale thee Occupy thy selfe in obeying of me and loe I will be present with thee to put thy weake heart out of doubt concerning thy cure This was alway the course which the Lord tooke with his old Church whensoever he promised any blessing or deliverance unto them Judg. 6. 7. 8. Thus Gedeâ—n a man inexpert in warre was faine to be strengthned by the fleece both dry and wet and by the dreame of a barley loafe by one of the Midianites yea the Lord never revealed any purpose of his to the Prophets concerning either the publique or any special person but he strengthned it by some outward signe suting the thing and affecting the sense Thus when the Lord meant to rend tenne Tribes from Rehoboam and give them to Ieroboam 2 King 12. Ahijah the Prophet is sent to teare his garment into twelve pieces and to give him tenne and keepe two A very reall resemblance And that young Prophet to strengthen his denunciation against the same Ieroboam Cap. 13. and his idoll at Bethel told him two signes one present viz. the falling out of the ashes from the broken Altar of sacrifice the other to come Iosiahs poluting those high places by burning the bones of the Priests upon them So Esay strengthens Hezekia in the newes of his recovery Esay 37. by that famous signe of the Sunnes going backe tenne degrees And so when Ahaz refused the signe Esay 8. the Prophet gave the Church one touching the deliverance from Rezin to wit the conceiving of a Virgin some two or three hundreds of yeares after even with a sonne whoâ—e name should be Emanuel Infinite it were to speake of Ezekiels bricke pourtraying the siege of Jerusalem the hole in the wall by which he convayed away his stuffe Ieremies basket of figges the best and worst that could be eaten to describe the difference betweene the Jewes in Babel and the rebels at Jerusalem The like was Agabus his taking Pauls girdle and the very false Prophets Zidkijah and Hananiah affected the like course in their hornes and yokes Even so the Lord did teach his people by many bodily ceremonies cleansing of leprosie by the Priest and washing by outward sacrifices and the like And by those many resemblances of the blood of the Paschall Lamb sprinkled and the flesh of it eaten as also by Manna the Rocke gushing forth with water Also by the cutting off the foreskin of the male he made the Lord Jesus and the power of his death and crosse to bee knowne sacramentally although but darkly in his Church And now under the New Testament although the worship be more spirituall Sacraments excell common signes yet the course is the same True it is Sacraments exceed signes in their efficacy yet agree with them in this generall kinde of outward signifying or strengthning the soule by signes For what else doth the Lord
God beseech him to helpe thee with faithfulnesse in the search else thou wilt end as thou beganst not to spare thy self but desiring that the spears point which pierced Christ sides might let out the thoughts of thy heart in this kinde or rather that the sword of conviction may open the bowells of it and shed them to the ground doe not this work when thou art otherwise occupied and hast other businesse to doe thou shalt finde this work enough alone if not too much for thee and doe it by frequent meditation which is nothing else save making the truth of God thine owne and that which thou canst not finde thy selfe guilty of at one time or perhaps capable of or able to lay to heart to abhorre or to finde sweetnesse in the doing of goe to it another goe on where thou leftst praying God thou maiest not be new to beginne and thou shalt finde that at another time the second or the third thou shalt obtaine it Thou shalt not repent thee of thy labour in thus preventing and cutting short that enemy which would else have prevented and cut thee off from grace only resolve of this that till the Lord hath grounded thee in the truth of this doctrine a principle of practicall Catechisme it is impossible for thee to thrive in grace or use of meanes Further pressing of the triall Say therefore thus to the Lord Thou knowest the paines of thy servant in the use of meanes thou knowest how poorly I have thriven under them how little my faith my comfort my obedience is how ready I am to deceive my selfe in that I seeme to have to take up my rest therein that so I may not be molested any longer but soke my selfe in the dregges of my ease and will not to stirre one inch off my owne ground Now Lord if thou wilt be pleased to shew me whâ—t hath done me all this hurt I should infinitely blesse thee I am not so foolish I thanke thee as to trade for religion and yet crosse mine owne ends in wilfull holding any evill within my bosome which should deprive mee of my hopes I am willing to be informed and heare of the worst yea to unbottome my selfe of my old rotten mixtures and false grounds for the bettering of mine estate rather then to sleep in death and lie down with them in the dust Lord therefore now before my heart bee hardened in custome and security blesse mine examination to the true ends which it serves for Here I thought to have ended the use but there comes one objection to my minde Object Do all see this Selfe who are truly converted which must be answered For some will say You make a great discourse of this Self What think you Are there not many Christians truly converted to God who never discerned this disease as you have described it and yet are unfeigned and true converts and beleevers Answ 1 I answer you 2. or 3. wayes First hoping that their Quaere proceeds not from self-cavilling The grace of election working a greater measure of humiliation and tendernesse in some poore soules who want this knowledge supplies this want sweetly but from simplicity thus Many poor soules have through mercy obtained from the Lord a great measure of brokennesse of heart humblenesse of spirit more then the common sort of Professors either have or seek and by this means their helpes in both publique and private being few and their discouragements many the Lord beholding them in the grace of his election supplies all wants by his owne Spirit keepes them hungry abases them in the sense of their many infirmities puts in a spirit of perpetuall jealousie over themselves and works them to a marveilous plainnesse of heart to loath all falshood as they can discerne it and so perfects the work of faith in them secretly farre otherwise then in such poore creatures might bee expected of these I say that although perhaps they heare not so much discourse of the name and dangerous markes of Selfe yet they feele the realnesse of it within themselves and are better acquainted with it then many who heare more of it And these persons if it should please the Lord to bring that home in doctrine use and admonition unto them which I have spoken would be formost in acknowledging and blessing God for such truth and make better use of it then the most doe Answ 2 Secondly I answer Satan and corruption in these last daies doe conspire to withold many subtill wise and carnall worldlings from embracing the truth then ever and as all Arts so this art of Selfe serving into the truths of God by the counterfeiting and deceiving of men is grown rife and perfect Satan more prevailes with this subtill world then ever Ephes 4.14 therefore needs the more exact and carefull countermining Thirdly the Spirit of God under constant meanes workes leasurely and therefore corruption is not cast out all at once but by long discipline and discovery of it by the word and in the multitude of helpes such as Answ 3 God be thanked have beene enjoyed in sundry places much rankenesse hath growne as a canker in a faire apple in the spirits of many Professors as pride selfe-conceit and prejudice which the Lord hath justly punished as I noted in the reasons with a spirit of fulsomenesse and furfet hardnesse of heart and difficulty of perswasion so that in these daies that old tendernesse and selfe-deniall which possessed the spirits of most Christians is rare to finde Much need therefore of urging this doctrine in these our daies Much more need therefore there is of this doctrine to be urged in these dayes that such as are the Lords and yet held under this snare may be pulled out and saved and those who are not may be left therein because they would not receive the truth in the naked love of it Lastly to end this use this I adde That although the Lord should Answ 4 have called home many without any former knowledge of Selfe in any great measure yet I doubt not but when they do come to a better view of it they will both mend their former bottomes see cause to trust God and glorifie his grace in Christ more then ever before and also looke to themselves in the course of their sanctification the more watchfully lest this enemy should hurt them more in that then it did in the matter of their first conversion However I see no cause why the more cleare discovery of the will and way of God should seeme superfluous because God had his number when the light shined not so cleerly And so much for answer to this question We may discover it by these marks First by the true humbling of the soule A proud heart will have her will to die for it Because pride hath high thoughts and must be satisfied as Rabel with children or else shee dies And her daughters having lost their children by
By base and lewd custome it hath contracted an habit of a contrary quality Base custome hath marred right reason which is saplesnesse and unsavourinesse of minde which she gathers up in the world by the base customes of it seene and heard and so lickes up scurfe as the Spider doth venom or the sinke gathers dregges daily False prejudices and misperswasions are imbred in the soule by this meanes I say by the error of the wicked those false opinions which the common multitude have taken up put on as a garment against Gods cleare truth These are carried from hand to hand as wares in a market by Traders and Chapmen and they wax more defiled by the carrying For why Principles of truth being naturally loathed and abhorred by men of corrupt and perverse mindes and will they muse as they use they report them as they like them and so breed in each others mindes hatefull thoughts and conceits of them as of God himselfe and his Attributes Religion and all the mysteries of it the lovers of it the power and practise the administrations of God his worship and ordinances As Hemlocke or Cockle seed multiplieth by shedding on the ground so the Dice-play of men as Paul calles it Eph. 3. doth infect the degenerate world and increaseth till as a leaven it hath sowred it through and festred it to the heart as a canker As a leafe of paper all over written on both sides neere and close admits nothing else to bee written in it without confusion so the minds of worldlings being wholly possessed with the scurfe of lewd opinions in these matters admit no interlinings of truth but abide erroneous It is said by Matthew that it was given out by the Scribes and Elders that Christ rose not againe Mar. 28. end but was stollen away by his Disciples and that error passeth for currant to this day So do errors in Gods matters root settle among the ignorant and unstable The strength of false principles which corrupt time hath raked on heapes to harden her selfe against the puritie of Truth Acts 13.8 Exod. 7.11.12 are as those Inchanters were to Pharaoh and as Elimas to Sergius Paulus to avert them and detaine them Custome makes errour to bee thought truth fore-stalles it and takes up the roome of it so that it can subsist no where Reason 3. The soule thus doubly infected is chained by Satan with Reason 3 her owne bands insomuch that as he entred into Iudas by the sop Satan rules strongly in the soul by carnall reason so doth he into the soule by both these traytors And being entred imbarkes himselfe more strongly against the evidence of all divine truth infusing his errors and lies into the soule as first he did into Eve when hee drew her from the simplicity of obedience He enlarges carnall reason exceedingly and puts into the soule most unsanctified and erroneous thoughts against all truth and savour of goodnesse Hee puffes up the minde with conceitednesse and pride setting her up with him in his throne so that she becomes wiser in her owne opinion as Tyrus in Ezek. then Daniel yea then seven men who can give a reason so that shee waxes impudent and refractory in her owne way so that there is more hope of a fool then of her Oh! saith Satan thou maist well stand upon it Exod. 28.3 As hee falsly so here truly Much carnall reason makes thee mad for thou art counted a jolly wise fellow indeed worth ten of these poore Puritans pitty that an hundred of such should beare downe such an one as thou Oh! this addes drunkennesse to thirst and makes folly mad so that as the Adder she stops both eares against the charme of truth be it never so powerfull through pride and prejudice Reason 4. Lastly the Lord leaves all such to Satans blind-folding The Lord infatuates carnal men justly and Reason 4 to their owne perversnesse whereby they are sealed up to their delusions because they hardned themselves against the naked truth would not beleeve it nor yeeld up this strong fort of carnall reason to the obedience of Christ the Lord suffers them to be led captives to their owne erroneousnesse denies them grace to looke in and reflect upon themselves to see by what an unsound principle they are led yea carried to hell and some are justly given up from a carnall sense to a reprobate sense that they pride themselves in their shame ridiculous unsavorinesse and cursed misprisions of truth so that the corruption of carnall reason grows from an error to a confirmed disease and to an habit of wilfulnesse and rare it is to see such subdued and captivated to the obedience of Christ In all these foure respects it appeares to be no wonder that carnall reason should hold off the soule from cleaving to the truth or judging aright of the matters of God So much for reasons I come to the use Vse 1 And first this should be use of examination to all sorts to try themselves about this taint and corruption of carnall reason Examination Convâ—ction of carnall reason by many particulars Ere I proceed to any more uses of either admonition comfort terror or instruction let this be weighed that it may appeare who are the parties of whom I speake I have said enough before in those instances which I named and need adde no more yet because the matter is weighty take two or three more and goe to work narrowly for no disease is so dangerous so incurable Instance 1 If God would lend us his heifer to plow withall or cause us to reflect our own corruption upon our selves Naturall savour how happy were it Perhaps by this meanes God might pluck off this cover of darkenesse from our faces Esay 25. Try thy selfe by this first viz. Thy naturall carnality and savor Thou knowest what it is not to savor and relish meate and drinke in a deepe cold what it is to love or not to savor this or that dish of meate The selfe same discover in Gods matters Canst thou relish a bargaine a game at cardes and dice any base talke of the world though never so long any idle tale Carnall reason described by the savour thereof or gigge of a geering gibing wit or any merry conceit and discourse or matters of the belly backe purse and commodity I say canst thou judge perfectly how these taste But if thou come into a religious company where there is speech of a promise of faith the sacraments any mystery of Religion any commands or threats of God then thou feelest that the savor of these is as the taste of the white of an egge without salt It is a wofull signe of a carnall wretch that hath no salt of God in his Spirit to season him Marke 9.50 Luke 14. ult but is still saplesse and dry infatuate and unsavory Thou hast lost the comprehension and savor of God and art as a
flattery of superiors Oh! there is a slavishnesse in some mens spirits that so they may bee taken up with their betters they will forfeit their Religion they will lose God rather then the company and countenance of the great An eight is base ease and formality Ease and formality of profession it is an Idoll universally received and spit out of the mouth of carnall reason the Masse as we say bites not A ninth is pollicy Equivocation when men equivocate with their owne conscience for their safety sake as those in Queene Maries time who would come to Masse to spare their skin and now adayes what dare not men doe to save a living Here perhaps it might be expected that I should say somewhat about Jesuiticall equivocations But if men of their owne side might be heard speake against them Papists against Papist I need say nothing Josephus Bâ—rnes for sundry of them have written in the open disclaiming of such villany It is sufficient Mâ—lderus Episcopus Antwerp that in such equivocations the heart thinkes one thing by reservation and speakes another and that to deceive What is lying if this be not And whereas they say that is for lawfull evasion I answer it is indeed for evasion but that which is by a lying way cannot be lawfull A Papist is asked art thou a Priest He answers no hee reserves this not a Priest of Baal or not a Priest to utter it to thee herein is a lye both for matter and manner for matter in that he utters for manner in that he means that is to deceive They object the whole proposition made both of the expression and suppression is true I answer That only which is expressed is the proposition which is a lye not that which is concealed if that were uttered the whole were true but so there were no cosenage To thinke a truth which in word they gainsay is a lye A lye properly respects another by declaring his minde by words which serve to that end no man is said to ly to himselfe but to another If I should say the fire is not hot meaning by an heate externall or a man is no reasonable creature meaning as an Angel are not here lyes Hee that denies denies whatsoever is contained under the sense of that he denies He therefore that so answers and sweares is perjured and so all sound Divines affirm Let what tricks be used that can be God takes the oath not as he intends it who makes it but as he who takes it oaths must go according to the common use of men To sweare is to call God as witnesse in things doubtfull but who doubts whether a Priest be a Priest of Apollo Truth is an act of righteousnesse not to be esteemed by conceits but words See Jerem. 9.8 2 Cor. 4.2 It is objected they maintaine not such answers alway but for uses to shunne danger death c. I answer that which is nought must never be done He that saith I saw not such a Priest reserving in his minde at Rome or Venice doth not qualifie his lye because he doth it to himselfe onely another cannot apprehend his mixture or limitation Such therefore are of Saint Iames his double minded ones It is objected that which is concealed is but onely a desperate thing not contrary to that which is uttered I answer yet it is a lye for if I affirme that of Plato which is only true of Socrates it is a lye yea this is a double lye because it is under the colour of simplicity Againe an oath is the end of all strife Heb. 6.16 But by these oaths controversies are never ended but endlesly multiplied they object the judge is incompetent or they are asked of things under the seale and secret of confession but then we must not lye but shunne such a judge or deny to answer for what is so false but may be made good if we may reserve what we list A written lye borrowes no truth from him that reads it nor a spoken lye by him that heares it a lye it is because it is so in the writer and speaker Truth must be to us as David was to his souldiers worth tenne thousand of them so worth our life goods liberty and all The speech of a woman I will not therefore deny a truth lest I should die but I will not lye lest I be damned Tell me what lawes could bridle lyers if this course were lawfull How foolish were the Martyrs who lost their life for want of this trick Whose testimony should be currant in Court These equivocators object the lies of the midwives Abraham David Rahab c. But one sinne excuses not another When 1 Sam. 16. the Prophet said he came to sacrifice he was not asked the question he spake the truth but not all neither needed he Christ seemed willing to goe further but did not and why Because he was disswaded by others Other examples which they bring are not words which require a reservation to cleare them from a lye but have an entire truth in them being aright understood The conclusion is the trade of equivocation is divellish Ambition A tenth is affectation of honour and preferment for which it is easie to lose a good conscience hee that can lose a little pompe may purchase a great deale of peace So also to end schisme and singularity these and such like Schisme and singularity are oyle to this flame of this corruption cut these off intercept these succours and through mercy this carnall reason may be starved and vanish for lack of nourishment and fewell But I insist no longer let this serve for the fourth branch and so for the whole use of Admonition A fourth use may be confutation of Popery It is a meer dunghill raked Vse 3 together by carnall reason Confutation of Popery All the world itcheth to goe after them Those that fear God should say as Peter answered Christ Joh. 6. Will ye Instance 1 also goe after them No Lord thou hast the words of eternall life Alas men are weary of spirituall worship when they have carnall The Divell and his eldest sonne know well the complexions of carnall people and when the Gospel hath beene preached twenty yeare together yet people will long after the garlick and onions of old Religion and carnall reason with her taile sweepes downe a great part of the starres of heaven we doe but gugge and tire most men with our preaching of selfe-deniall and faith Alas one carnall Popish fellow would draw more after him then tenne Preachers As one saith The Divell never shed drop of bloud for us yet he boasteth that he can have ten to one more at his beck then Christ Popish Embassadours have puld away abundance of London professors to their Masse they stablish their throne upon these two pillars of pompe and devotion both carnall and by their Circe her cup have made drunken the Princes Peeres people of
the earth from the highest to the lowest Those divelish devices and pretences of theirs their antiquity universality visibility without interruption of succession their consent Their goodly shewes rich vestments ceremonies golden Temples Altars Images and Crucifixes their allegation of Fathers patching up old garments with the shreds of mans testimonies have set such a flourish upon their Religion in the eies of fooles that they have infinitely scrued themselves into the affections of our libertines and carnall Protestants Eccles 7.26 I have touched this point in one sermon before I will here be short As Salomon saith of the harlot so say I of all their painted Religion Hee whom God hateth shall bee catcht by her And it is just that so many in this land are left to tickle after this Religion of theirs The Lord leaves them to be deluded hereby because they never cared to receive the truth to bee gulled with pebles because they loathed Pearles And when error hath gotten once into the entralls and bowells it pleaseth so well and is so rooted that they hardly returne to their former diet any more Gen. 8.12 The Dove cared not for the strait Arke when as once the face of the earth was dry and gave hope of large liberty The onely soile for Popery are the loose moulds of carnall reason There she rootes and prospers besides this they mightily insinuate themselves by carnall reason in another kinde Their great promotions and preferments which they profer to their adherents doe mightily prevaile with ambitious mindes and hath drawne aside many pregnant wits Another trick of carnall policy in Popery is this That they have alway Instance 2 found Sinons and factors among our selves to bring in the Trojan horse among us under pretence that our Religion and theirs our ceremonies and theirs doe not so differ but that wise Cassandrian spirits and men of moderation might reconcile them together In opposition whereof one of our worthies wrote his Reformed Catholique and shewed that notwithstanding their blanchings we must be as irreconciliable with them as light and darkenesse To this end was that cursed Interim in Charles the ninth and Luthers time even to eate out the marrow of the Gospel and to choake all that were unsound at heart The like to which was that Possiack Synode in France and still to this day doe they keepe their possession among us by the mediation and negotiation of such agents of theirs who abhorring the power of truth uphold Popery by their distinctions and by consorting and complying with the Papist to the uttermost that he may be pleased whosover is wronged And thus the cause of Christ from age to age loseth ground and Popery enlargeth it selfe as the sea incroaching upon the shore As our worthy Martyr Iohn Rogers once told those Anglo-Germane exiles if they still resolved to maintaine this Popish Pandora and not to establish pure worship abandoning their trash and formalities all would goe to wreck so wee finde it Instance 3 And thirdly herein they concurre with carnall reason that from her they borrow helpe and assistance to their Religion as if God needed such art and skill of man to further his designes As for example To provoke men to mortification from the world they exhort them to renounce commerce with men and betake themselves to a Cloyster To draw men to chastity they perswade them to vow abstinance from marriage Sundry penances they lay upon the bodies and purses of men which though God never appointed yet they say it is impossible otherwise to prevaile against the invincible sensuality of men Spirituall mortifyings being so difficult that they see few will apply them they are compelled to devise carnall and such as border upon the flesh And indeed they want not the example of many of the Fathers who often stretch a joynt and goe against the expresse Scripture when they would perswade any difficult duty by advising policies of their owne to eke out the infirmity as they thinke and penury of divine perswasions As Origen notwithstanding all his Allegories of the text yet made a grosse and literall construction of that text concerning Eunuches making himselfe one corporally for the desire he had of virginity But such tricks and devices of men the Lord abhorres I confesse that himselfe for a time permitted a pedagogy under the law when the light of truth was dimme consisting of such carnall rites and abstinences clensings and humiliations but withall he confined them to their space and period and meant not to have his Gospel and the cleare sunneshine thereof to bee darkned with such blinde devotions of superstitious brains No Gods art is able to invent waies often times more efficacy then such as these which indeed have a shew of Religion in not satisfying the flesh but are brought in to oppose the power of Christ Col. 3. ult who is a stronger man to cast out Satan then he is to hold his possession But Satan will never cast out Satan for then could not his kingdome endure I conclude therefore upon these grounds that till carnall reason and religion can be reconciled which is as hard as to yoke the Unicorne to the plow Popery and Christian Religion cannot stand together So much for this third use Vse 4 A fourth use from hence is Terror and Reproofe to all that doe and resolve to abide under the banner and conduct of carnall reason Terror to all that cleave to carnall reason Brethren behold not your owne basenesse onely in some few pranks of carnall reason as in devising of excuses and shifts to defend thy sinne or in rejecting Gods counsells and commands or in cavilling against the promises But take this mirror of thy cursed nature thy perverted and degenerate reason and see what an ugly hiew thou art of in the sight of God a very naturall idiot is not more yrkesome unto thee and unfit for thy service through his perverted braine and crosse foolishnesse then thou by this depravednesse and reason of understanding hast made thy selfe yrkesome and odious to God and unmeet for his service Consider of it sadly although some reliques of reason are left in thee for thy naturall and civill courses and ends yet in the maine respect and in that wherein thou wert more excellent then all creatures and barest Gods image about thee I meane holy reason and pure understanding in divine matters and for heaven thou art most wretchedly debaucht of all other Reason was set up in thee by thy creation as a Queene in her throne with her Scepter in her hand furnisht with all excellency to conceive and judge affect and savour Gods righteousnesse and will abhorring all other But by old Adam lo she is fallen into the hands of theeves who have rifled robd her of her best jewels she hath not lost a few spangles ornaments of her attire and dresse but is deposed from her royall estate and the sway she bare over all
hee will save and some whom he will not Oh! we may well conceive what wrath and rage it worketh Reason 6 Lastly we know wrath is a short madnesse now mad men put no difference betweene any If a King should come in a mad mans way he would strike him as soone as a beggar So doth Selfe defeated She puts no difference between God and men She will sometime chuse men to whet herself on sometime God himself She curseth her luck and bad fortune the weather if too wet too dry too hot or too cold her ill lot and successe her ill market her enemies any thing that comes in her way what wonder then if she spare not Gods Minister yea God himselfe She lusteth after envy as Saint Iames saith and out of an ill custome and habit growes to be as old with God as with men if hee crosse her she knowes not she is not capable of subjection So much for reasons of the point Amplification The godly themselves so farre as led by Selfe rage if disappointed Nay more that which I have said of hypocrites may be verified in measure and with limitation even of the godly so farre as they are unmortified and led by this Spirit of Selfe though not totally yet in any particular case of error and delusion so farre as they forsake the promise and goe to worke by their owne conjectures and strength as in zeale and prayers wherein a good man may rest too much upon himselfe no doubt the Divell and their corruption feasts them but too much as one said he never seemed so zealous as before God mortified his owne spirit but after he found prayer another gates worke But when the Lord separates the pretious from the vile and shewes them the vanity and wanzingnesse of their owne principle it becomes as the very sting of an adder onely the the ods is an hypocrite is fretted with such a distemper Yet with difference from hypocrites as commonly makes him no better but the regenerate is wholesomely smitten by God to cause him with shame and sorrow to abhorre hmselfe and to crouch and runne under the wings of a better friend who can give him content from a better fountaine and of a more lasting nature Object But here comes an objection to be answered How comes it to passe then there being so many unsound and hollow ones in the world never more then now as appeares by their grosse and foule revolts how is it that we see them so joviall and merry still and heare of so few discontents and troubles in their lives or deaths Answ Selfe doth not rage till defeated To which I answer That the reason thereof is because they have no defeates Selfe in her quietnesse and jollity rages not but when shee meets with affronts either by disappointments or by terrors of the Law convincing and slaying the soul The soule in this case is abased and cast down either wholesomely as by a step to humiliation or else slavishly then she shifts and goes forward in a rotten course But Self rageth neverthelesse Or else recovers her selfe againe by her own subtility Note the difference In such as God will save the discovery of this Selfe and the subtilty thereof shall humble the conscience and worke a kindly change by degrees but yet Selfe and corruption will rage and rebell being loath to give place But as for the rest both Selfe and conscience together may not rage because the Law hath not put an enmity betweene them still they hold in together as body and members incorporate in each other and not divorced This by the way But marke The Lord doth not alway blesse the word to worke a defeat of Selfe in every hypocrite or unregenerate person neither doe all such meete with such defeats Ezek. 14. Rather the Lord suffers such justly to stumble at the blocks laid in their owne way by themselves As they chose error and delusion so the Lord leaves them to Satan to be more deluded 1 King 22. and so they fall as Ahab by his false Prophets because being taught the truth soundly they have preferred their owne ease and liberties to it Selfe may want defeats being given over by God to delusion and hardning Nay more the Lord suffers many such and it is a common thing in these declining dayes to be so farre from meeting with defeats that rather they are habited in their waies erring by necessity seeing no danger They are inchanted so with this cup of Selfe that it hath cast them into a deepe sleepe and they are as one asleepe in the toppe of the mast no buffetings will startle them out of their course And it were well with some that this were all For the uncleane spirit returnes into many Matth. 12. and imbarkes himselfe in them more strongly then before defiling them with such lusts as they lye open unto specially and bringing them into such a confused perplexity some by their uncleannesse some by intemperancy some by their open prophanenesse that they never outgrow it but goe on with wasted and seered consciences to their dying day without remorse Although such as belong to God shall return even by these unwelcome batterings for the Lord saw that else their fusty savour and taste would never have gone out So much for answer to this objection This doctrine falls point blanke upon many of us brethren to shame Vse 1 us for our distempers And first Terror let it bee Terror to all such as walke with this cursed heart of wrath impatience and discontent Wrathfull and discontented persons reproved daily and Branch 1 hourely carrying it as hot coales in their bosome and yet through habit never burnt not marking it in themselves Oh wofull creature Is Naaman here so blameworthy being an heathen and defeated of his will for his rage and distemper What shall become of thee then who art in continuall wrath and vexation Not in a fit as Paul calls it Ephe. 4.29 but as it were in a falling sicknesse Truly brethren Because raging in coole bloud I wrong Naaman to make him the text of such a commentary I tremble to thinke how many present themselves here duly at the worship of God who yet in their usuall course are never quiet neither in themselves nor with others They are as I may say steept in vinegar rarely shall you finde them other then froward waspish envious bitter and distempered and yet no defeat appeares to heat their bloud as here in Naaman they are so in very coole bloud out of the surquedry of their wickednesse they are alway distempered because wicked There is no peace saith my God to the wicked More like Nabals then Naamans Esay 57. ult of whom his owne servants could say he was so wicked that no man might speake to him As the Apostle in Rom. 1. describes those heathen Romans full of all wickednesse as a toad is full of
can digest any gobbets But I have held you too long Here even abruptly I am compelled to breake off reserving the rest to the next occasion Let us pray c. The end of the Tenth Lecture THE ELEVENTH LECTVRE Still continued upon this thirteenth VERSE VERSE XIII And his servants came neere and said unto him Master if the Prophet had bidden thee doe some great thing wouldest not thou have done it How much more then when he saith unto thee Wash and be clean VERSE 14. Then hee went downe and dipped himselfe in Iorden c. 2 Kings THE last Sermon beloved in our Lord and Saviour wee entred into this thirteenth Verse and as you know opened divided and handled the coherence of it then came to the first of the three generalls in the Verse concerning the duty of servants faithfulnesse The ground whereof with reasons proofes and explication of the grace of faithfulnesse when wee had finished we beganne with the first use of Terror against all unfaithfull servants both in their entrance and practise Vse 2 Now I proceed to the use of Reproofe and that belongs to such servants Reproofe Religious servants failing in their faithfulnesse are blame worthy as though in profession Religious yet in their particular relation to their Masters walke as if they had a dispensation cleave not closely to faithfulnesse nor to the commands of their superiours as if God from heaven spake unto them If thou love me bee faithfull in thy service As it was once when the Gospel came among bondslaves they tooke it as if a flag of defiance had beene set up to proclaime liberty to them from their Masters pretending that if they beleeved in Christ they were freemen from the Law of God much more from men insomuch that Paul was faint to blow a trumpet of retreat to their defiance Ephe. 6.5.6.7 1 Tim. 6.1 and to fetch them under line againe Even so it is here with many of our servants if once religious they abuse this colour to make them libertines how carelesse about their businesse slacke negligent spending and wastefull are many such If they make their conditions The pranks of many such servants what liberties doe they covenant for How doe they under covert of hearing the word take courage to themselves to spend daies after daies in their journeies companies and private affaires to the detriment of their Masters They seeke not the honour of the Gospel by their double subjection and faithfulnesse nor procure a freedome from their Masters good will requiting their diligence but that they have they will extort it as a due belonging to them So saucy and checkmate with their Masters if religious so scornefull and rebellious towards the ignorant as thinking them too meane for their service so full of tart answers and taunting speeches so censorious uncharitable unthankefull for kindenesses boasting of their owne gifts above theirs as if they were fitter to rule their Masters then they them disdainfull to their fellow servants curious about their provision and diet as that they open the mouthes of the bad to wish servants rather ignorant and carnall then such and all by their hypocriticall shews of that which is not in them for were they in truth that they goe for their hearts would rather be on their right hand then their left they would rather bee jealous of themselves wary lest any thing should appeare in them repugning to subjection and faithfulnesse labouring by their uttermost selfe-deniall to winne credit to the Gospel by their humble harmelesse and painefull service this is according to God the other is base and fleshly and commonly where a servant is faithfull the Lord so honours their faithfulnesse Gen. 39 4. that even as Putifar seeing Iosephs fidelity betrust them with their matters above all their fellowes whereas these are lesse trusted then any and if they have been trusted by such as knew them not they have bewraied themselves to be of a bastard brood often running away when their turne is served and leaving Religion in the lurch and to suffer through their basenesse To these I say no more repent in time dishonour not the truth of God by your lewdnesse I have seene few of this straine but they proved lewd hypocrites and openly debauched in time Therefore prevent the Lord by serious amendment before hee pull the visor from your faces and make your nakednesse to appeare to all that behold you that so some amends may be made to that truth of God which you have dishonoured when as all shall see that you were arrant varlots such as Religion can receive no blemish from And so much for this second use of Reproofe Let a third use then brethren be an use of examination Examination for all servants Vse 3 who would approve themselves to God to try themselves in this point of faithfulnesse Quest But how shall I try it Foure rules of Triall Answ By these foure or five Rules First no true faithfulnesse must bee beside the word but fetch her warrant stampe from thence Whatsoever is from any other is sinfull There is a wicked and base faithfulnes in the world as we see in the rash attempts of many desperate servants who to approve themselves to carnall Masters rush themselves into such dangers as they neither have power to overcome nor calling to undertake 2 Sam. 23.15.16 See that example of Davids servants who to demerit their Master and to publish their valour undertooke two or three of them to breake through an host of enemies to fetch him water An ungrounded attempt in them and a worse motion in David as appeareth after in his shaming himselfe for tempting God and powring that out for a drinke offering which was the purchase and price of the pretious lives of men Here seemed great loyalty but it was a will service not an obeying in the Lord. So many servants pickthankes to indeere themselves with their proud Masters affect to drinke healths in honour to them and whosoever refuses to pledge them they are ready to give him the stab to defie him and challenge him into the field These are double diligently faithfull which service a good Master should abhorre as to hot and to heavy Rule 2 Secondly good faithfulnesse must not much lesse be contrary to a word for that is doubly irregular Such was that faithfulnesse which both Paul pleaded for So those Ziphites 1 Sam. 23.20 1 Sam. 22.9 2 Sam. 13.28 1 Sam 28.7 and when the rest abhorred Doeg and his Edomites performed to satisfie his bloudy demand in slaying those hundred eighty Priests of the Lord Also that treacherous obedience imposed by a desperate Master and fulfilled by Absolons servants in the bloudy murther of Ammon Not unlike whereto was the faithfulnesse of those servants of Saul in directing him to a witch Such is the service of those necessary mischiefes who hang about the sleeves of vitious prodigall gentlemen or
effect Now till the one be severed from the other and the soule see cleerly what troubles it looke what is spoken is as water spilt upon the ground For what availes it to lay an outward plaister upon a soule sicknesse or to give spirituall counsell to a worldly sorrow and a carnall malady When the body is eased then the soul still remaines in her distemper and never complaines There is many one that being rid of shame poverty enemies bad husband or wife never complaine after Againe oftimes there is a true speciall disease and yet through the distemper of the spirits by melancholy 3. Unstablenesse c. the soule is not capable of counsell through unsettlednesse and ficklenesse which till physicke have removed the soule cannot apprehend or retaine counsell Againe some are so weake and feeble minded that they through long custome in their greefes cannot well tell how to beginne or proceed in the mentioning of their estate Others have confused legall terrors so that all is not well with them and yet they cannot directly say why Perhaps they have beene indirecty wrought upon by some afflictions upon them in their bodies children wife or name and this hath pinched them so farre that their consciences are toucht and give in some reason against them from their owne guilt and sin yet not in a kindely sort from the word convincing them and killing corruption or leaving them in case to heare of any remedy Others are distempered in spirit yet not from within but without the Divell mixing himselfe with their fancy and thoughts and so causing a distemper in the frame of their soules as by hideous temptations about the Godhead the Scriptures the Ordinances the Providence of God c. And sometimes by heating the fancy he disturbeth the will with base desires and the sensuall appetite with odious lusts when yet the soule of it selfe is no cause hereof in speciall Some are troubled for their corrupt natures Others for some peculiar corruptions or evills inward or outward Some are dâ—stempered about their Evangelicall disposition either about the condition of faith the truth of it the measure of it or the roote whence it commeth or else the worke of faith it selfe the long delay between the one and the other the holding under of their spirit by feares by the difficulty of beleeving by the hiddennesse of Gods decree by the freedome of the spirits working by the feare of death ere the promise bee received by casting the unlâ—keliâ—ood of ever beleeving or of casting out some lust that dogges them or of finall persevering Others are troubled about the truth of grace Others the measure Others the recovery of it after their revolts In such a multitude and variety of diseases had not he need to be one of a thousand who should discerne wisely the speciall case of a distempered spirit Especially when perhaps the spirit it selfe cannot cleerly judge of her own The applying of remedies hard And secondly when the malady is perceived yet the application of the remedy and the beating in of resolution and satisfaction is not so easie The cure of diabolicall temptation is contrary to the cure of our owne corruption He that should urge a poore soule to attend the one or to shake off the other suddenly might destroy it There are peculiar remedies according to the diseases one salve and counsell cannot heale all sores oftimes there is necessity of staying a man in an extremity who yet may not be comforted Againe the objections of an unsatisfied spirit are not easily answered although perhaps the remedy be knowne Want of experience or of tendernesse or as the case may be of courage and boldnesse or too much haste or delay in applying remedy or want of some speciall apt Scriptures to terrifie or such promises or examples as might specially comfort are out of minde and finally the Lord is not present with every counsell and so the cure waxes tedious the patient impatient the counsellor weary and discouraged So much for the Reasons Now I come to the Uses Vses And first I would beginne with one or two generall ones the one touching the dealing with naturall distempers The other touching the duty of inferiours when they are called to treate with their betters For Naamans distemper much what was a carnall moodinesse and rage And the servants who encountred it were inferiours yet prospered in their attempt because qualified for the purpose In the first respect let it be Instruction 1. Instruct 1. Branch Anger must be pacified with meekenesse 1 Pet. 2.23 Prov. 26.5 to all who have to deale with distempered passions that they requite not evill with evill Let the same minde be in us which was in our Lord Jesus of whom Saint Peter saith When he was reviled he reviled not againe when he suffered he threatned not but committed himselfe to him that judgeth righteously And the like hath beene the practice of all Gods Saints except in some cases we be compelled to answer a foole according to his foolishnesse lest he encrease in his pride and rage and so grow to implacablenesse Thus Ipta handled those proud Ephramites who would be answered with no reason Judg. 12.4 but shewed that they came with proud and disdainfull hearts to speake desperately in their wrath An exception When hee saw them more enraged with his equall answers he fell to blowes and cooled their courage with slaying two and forty thousand of them And the truth is none but dogged hearts and treacherous spirits will be incensed by softly speeches For the Lord hath appointed it as a quencher of the cause of wrath Pride and Selfe are the matter and cause of this distemper and that which kills these kills the effect Mildenesse and love will shame pride and put it to confusion and when an angry man sees his wrathfull face and sparkling eyes in a quiet glasse he is astonished and afraid of himselfe but if he see himselfe in another which is like himselfe he is enraged to try who shall shout furthest in the Divells bow None save a Iudas will be provoked with mildenesse And therefore it is just that such should be left to the fruit of their owne hands to reape as they sow But usually it is otherwise and so have the Saints practised Not onely such as have stood in feare of the angry as it stood Abigail upon to please David with faire words and with kinde presents 1 Sam. 25. because she saw him armed to make havoke but even such as had power to revenge themselves Thus Gedeon when he could have served those Ephramites as Ipta after did yet he chose rather to appease them by faire speech Alas saith hee Judg. 8.3 you shall not need to grudge me this victory for what is my strength and prowesse to yours And who knowes not Ephraim to be chiefe of the tenne tribes Or what is the whole vintage of Abiezer to the after
the old and new Testament For tell me why hath God so furnished his word with such stories of his power and greatnesse transcending our reason and our thoughts as much as the heavens doe the earth Esay 55.8 but that our soules might be filled with his excellency And thinke nothing too hard for such a God to doe If he have dried up the sea Jorden stopped mouthes of Lions raised up the dead and fed six hundred thousand men and women without corne or flesh of beasts made water gush twice out of a rocke give a woman of ninety years old power to conceive c. doth he not deserve to be set up above carnall reason Doth he not deserve at our hands more then a faint fulsome grant with Martha thou canst doe all things Doth he not deserve a peculiar faith for this and for that for raising this dead man now at this time For quickning this dead heart at this instant by this Sermon For softning this hard heart For converting this soule to God Oh! how justly reproveable must such a villany needs bee And surely this let me adde if it be so base an evill in respect of the dishonour to God must it needs bee so in respect of the mischiefe which it causes unto our selves Did ever any man hate his owne selfe doth he not love and cherish his owne flesh What an unnaturall evill then is this which chuseth rather here with Naaman to perish with the holding of a carnall will and conceit then by denying it and clasping to the word to be happy for ever Sure that which is so derogatory to God and so unnaturall to our selves must needs deserve sharpe reproofe Fourthly it must needs be a reproveable evill which doth so desperately Reason 4 trench upon all the Attributes of God Power Truth Mercy Justice Providence and Alsufficiency Which questions all cavills against all so that the doctrine before handled viz. That carnall reason is a maine enemy to all the matters of revealed truths is a full reason of this doctrine that it is justly reproveable Other sinnes seeme to undoe the acts of God as his morall commands But this undoes the Lord himselfe in a sort in those things wherein God is himselfe so that either God must not be God a promise must not be a promise Christ must be no Christ no satisfaction no redemption or else carnall sense must perish Both in strict tearmes cannot stand together God hath testified himselfe in his word admirable in this one attribute viz. Providence for his Churches good in the greatest straits Who reading the strange passages of that one deliverance in Esters time Esters story how God concurred just with each circumstance of time of occasion as then to cause the Kings sleepe to depart when Mordecai was in greatest perill and reproach Then when the banquet was prepared that all other opportunities should bee fore laid to oppresse Haman and to exalt Mordecai If a man would compile a story according to his owne wish for the demonstration of Providence could hee frame a more punctuall one Read Ezra's story Daniels Iosephs doth not a naked hand of God appear in them And yet carnall reason would say That if there were windowes in heaven God could not now save his Church as hee hath done in their times in Elija's Elisha's and others What is this but to limit the holy one of Israel to our owne measure of working And so I may say of all other his Attributes Nay carnall reason is such a deepe gulfe as is able to swallow downe the greatest evidence that ever God gave to the world of himselfe both his Godhead and Attributes which is the sending of the Lord Jesus in the flesh into the world to walke live suffer and dye for the salvation of the Elect What can so secure the soule of the truth of Gods nature persons and realnesse in all his promises as this to cause the eternall God to be personally one with our mortall flesh Might not the holy Ghost Heb. 1.1.2 say That this way of God hath greater demonstration in it to stablish a beleeving soule then all that ever were besides And yet what use makes carnall reason hereof Doth it not turne all to a meere story without any ground-worke of faith or perswasion We thinke that the exhibiting of Christ concerned the Jewes who saw him and if wee had lived with him as they we should have abhorred to distrust him as they Why Did not God give them full assurance of himselfe by his Sonne Read Act. 17.38 Had not they as cleere proofes out of the Prophets that he was and none save he could bee the Messia and yet their carnall reason did so abhorre him to be their Messia that they hated him to the death Justly then may I conclude that this sinne is a reproveable one So much also for reasons I proceed now to the Use If this evill be so reproveable it is pitty it Vse 1 should want her due and escape terror or reproofe Terror to sundry The first Neuters Atheists and Epicures and ignorant ones reproved Pitty that any should justifie the wicked against God! Let them therefore come in the dint of this reproofe who are grossest in this kinde Neuters and Atheists who if they do not obstinate their spirits to thinke of all Gods matters and the frame of Religion according to their carnall sence yet are as deeply careles of rejecting and bearing it down by the stream of the word as Gallio was carelesse of the Apostles and their opposites How many are there who like them in Peter mocke at the Scriptures threats and terrors of it 2 Pet. 3. saying Where is the promise of his comming Lo all things are still as they were wont to be the times seasons affaires of men and course of the world therefore wee thinke the world will endure alway Oh ye Atheists One yeare with God is as a thousand and a thousand are as one day Do ye judge the comming of Christ by that which befalls in the space of forty or fifty yeares of one mortall life Doe not all things decay and cannot the Lord shake the powers of heaven and restraine the influence of the upper bodies from the lower at his pleasure But of this saith Peter they make themselves wilfully ignorant that all things were made of nothing and shall returne to nothing they perswade themselves that they ever were and so shall continue Such a seminary there is and such a tale of scurfe here among us even of practicke Atheists who are led by sense as brute beasts that me thinkes I feele my spirit sinke and faile within me when I should scare them out of their dens These are those prophane Swine who although they rise not up openly to desie God and his word and threats yet like sensuall Epicures void of all understanding they live in a profession of infidelity onely differing from Pagans in that they carry
of great wealth I shall dye a beggar Neither will fall to pillaging and breaking open granaries to serve my turne nor rise up against the rich as lately some did in some parts of this Country and were justly executed Conclusion of the Use Lastly in generall be we armed by this doctrine and admonition against the common sway of the age to beleeve as we see They say of the dampe in Colepits that if it come it will cause the candle to burne blue Simil. and thereby the workemen haste them to the mouth of the pit presently lest they be choaked This world is the Colepit this dampe is the carnall Religion of it the candle burning blue is the infection of mens understandings and wills when therefore we see this infection to have tainted most mens hearts and the power of goodnesse decaying then let us be warned looke to our lives ere we be choked with the error of the wicked and let us runne to the pits mouth and desire to bee haled up to the open aire let us goe to the Word and Testimony and as David did Psal 73. ere he was quite stifled let us goe into the Sanctuary and lay this carnall religion in the ballances of it and we shall find it too light and such as is reprobate silver for both weight and substance and then we shall cling to a more sure word of the Prophets and Apostles shining in a darke place 1 Pet. 1.20 which doing we shall doe well and so not bee reproved or rejected So much for this third Vse 4 Fourthly let this be Information to all who would shunne this bitter reproofe of God to bee well advised how they enter upon Religion with a sound judgement about the nature thereof Marke and learne this as all common thinges for the most part goe by sense and rationall grounds So Gods matters goe by contraries Logicke and Philosophy reach not comprehend not Gods mysteries Religion is not against sense or reason for then why should Paul 1 Cor. 15. urge the Atheist by similitudes of naturall things to grant spirituall convincing him of the resurrection by naturall experience of the corne rotting ere it live And so by others But it s above it and therefore resists it rules of art and reason faile here Reason saith of nothing comes nothing God saith I create the fruit of the lips peace even of nothing Yea of nothing comes every good thing He that denies himselfe and is nothing shall be my Disciple Other vertues goe by addition Gods by subtraction God counts the things that are not as if they were The principles of Divinity are not as sense is The Lord Jesus himselfe truly eternall yet truly mortall God cannot dye and yet they killed the Lord of life Christ a very man and no person but a nature By death to conquer death is a senslesse thing in reason Flesh consumed to dust yet shall bee made againe the selfe same body Reason attempts great things by great instruments The Lord uses the poorest and silliest Reason would say the richest make most rich Religion tells us As poor and yet making many rich As having nothing yet possessing all things That a poore company of fishermen should conquer the world which Alexanders army could not That Babes should understand mysteries which wise men cannot That the King of all the world should ride upon an Asse c. How absurd are these notions But to be principled in these senslesse truths irrationall principles what a wonderfull advantage is it to a poore soule in her first entrance upon Religion How will it prepare the heart to beare downe reason and flesh To thinke the better of truth by how much it crosses reason most To beare troubles and crosses meekely because by how much lesse they promise any happinesse by so much the rather they performe it So much for this use of Instruction Lastly let this point bee use of comfort to all Gods people who Vse 5 cleave to the word Consolation Close cleavers to Gods promise are in a blessed state or else soone recover their sliding foote from this common error For if carnall reason be so reproveable then is living by faith commendable The Lord shall one day cause thy light to breake forth poore soule who in all the forenamed respects lookest more to Paul then the Pilot to the word then the world and her Religion Thou livest here as a dispised creature as one of Gods fooles thrust up into a corner as a candlesticke throwne up and downe the house who wert wont to hold out the candle to the house of God Be of good cheere if thou be content to be as God will have thee and to teach thine owne soule in stead of teaching others if thou be one who wilt thrust thine eyes blindefold into Gods bosome and see no further then he hath light for thee take courage to thy selfe Mica 6 9. Psal 37. one day it shall be better and the Lord shall bring forth thy righteousnesse as noon day He shall take thee from among the crokt pots and restore thy doves silver wings as bright as before waite the whiles be doing the thing which is good When the Lord shall come in flaming fire against all that have set up their crest against him and bee a swift witnesse against them then shall he refine his Levy with this fire of triall Mal. 3.3.4 Reve. 3.14 2 Thes 1. Heb. 10.37 and by this day or night rather of tentation which he hath spread over the face of the earth if thou hold the word of his patience he shall bring thee forth of the Colepit And then shall hee be admired by them and in them that beleeve because abandoning themselves the word was received by them in that day I say cast not away thy confidence it hath great recompence of reward But what should I need to comfort thee who carriest the matter of comfort within thee So much for this use also and for the whole doctrine be spoken as also of the first thing which arises out of the attempt it selfe of these servants c. THE THIRTEENTH LECTVRE Still continued upon this thirteenth VERSE VERSE XIII And his servants came neere and said unto him Father if the Prophet had bid thee doe some great thing wouldest thou not have done it How much more then when he saith unto thee Wash and be clean VERSE 14. So he went downe c. 2 Kings I Have in the last Exercise Beloved as you may remember finisht the attempt of the servants being the second generall of the Verse Now we proceed in order to the third viz. The arguments which they use to perswade their Master to obey the message The third generall viz. The arguments The first whereof is the ease of obeying I told you there were foure of them I come to the first that is of greatest weight let us note it wel And that is that
and set a price upon the promise as a pearle above price 2. In divers points Secondly the Lord makes it an easie worke by setling the promise upon the soule and that by sundry workes For first it doth pull up all hedges and fences which stopt the soules course standing between the soule and her harmes he puts her out of feare and sets her out of danger removes Lions of supposed difficulty out of her way as malice of Satan dismaying error of the wicked deterring and selfe distempers which disquiet her with doubtings wee know if a man would goe the next way to a place and avoid dirt and bad way hee must have a guide to lead him by the fields to pull up gaps barres and stops which done the traveller hath great ease So the Lord deales for his he suffers them not to travell tediously to heaven that is the portion of hypocrites who undoe as fast as they doe and are ever new to beginne but to his owne he gives sweet ease in his way If a man should hold our enemy for us and binde him by strength it were as we say five of the seven we might easily beat him Thus our Lord Jesus bindes Satan and difficulties that the soule might get the better of him and goe forward without awcknesse Luke 12. selfe-love or hypocrisie Secondly the Lord makes the promise easie by presenting to her all the good things of it as Canaan was seene easily by Moses when the Lord shewed it unto him and so sets the soule in a sweet course Deut 34.1 2 3 4. Wee know by experience when once a man gets the savour and smack of an object he goes roundly A Tradesman having tasted the reall sweet of his returne and a scholar of his booke take small thought to goe through stitch Paul in that place to the Corinths tells us that the Lord hath diffused the savour of his truth into him and by him to others An hypocrite is puzling after it all his life time 2 Cor. 2.14 but is so poisoned with the more welcome savours of his pleasures gaine and lusts that he falls short of the grace of God and as it is Heb. 12. Esau came short of the blessing Iaacob came just in the way of it and failed not And this savour differs from the decaying and wanzing taste of temporaries it abides in the soule and causes it to be restlesse till it possesse what it savours It is as leven sowres the whole lumpe of minde will affections Thirdly and lastly it doth authorise enable and carry the soule as under a safe convoy into the promise So that without the toile of the wicked it holds on cheerfully in all those meanes which she must use as prayer meditation conference hearing so that she uses not these at had I wist hit they or misse they but as ordinances under the blessing of God which shall not returne in vaine As Esay speakes Esay 55.9.10 The snow and the raine returne not in vaine to him that sent them but cause the earth to bring forth corne to the eater and seed to the sower So shall my word saith the Lord not faile of its scope but to doe that for which I sent it And sithence the Lord Jesus speakes no words in vain but with the promise addes the performance therefore the soule heares it so takes and findes it so even as the command of Christ to the sicke of the palsey Be thou cleane clensed him forthwith So then if the Lord will have it so sweet and easie a worke who shall let it Who shall disanull it So much for the Reasons I proceed to the Use Vses Let this first teach us to put a difference between persons who professe to seeke heaven Whatsoever the world thinkes Instruct 1 that all are alike the matter is nothing so I may say of them as the holy Branch 2 Ghost speakes of the Jewes in Esters Ester 9.14 time when Hamans plot was broken Grace is easie to them that are bred for it that to the Jewes was a day of gladnesse and rest from all their troubles feasting and ease but to their enemies the contrary So I say to all plodding ones and hypocrites the Lord gives as much toile and more for hell as the godly for heaven it is their lot Eccles 2.26 and the portion of their cup They would never come within the condition or suburbes of mercy but the others lot is fallen into a goodly heritage Psal 16. It is with them Simil. as it is with two men carried into a field wherein there lies an hidden treasure The one is left to seeke to dig to harpe upon the place by conjecture and so findes it a bootlesse worke Matth. 13.44 The other is carried to the placâ— pointed by the finger and there he digges and findes it A Scholar in the University that hath a generall wit for learning will thrive and get it although but poorely maintained when another kept there upon costy tearmes wanting such a spirit shall plod in vaine Matth. 13.11 It is only theirs to whom it is given to whom by covenant it belongs even such as renouncing themselves wholly resigne up themselves to him who can only make it easie and sweet The elder brother was as near his fathers elbow as could be and alwaies with him yet it was the lot of the yonger a prodigall turned to his father to eat of the fat calfe to have the ring robe and shooes put on him it was easie for him to be happy when his father would beteame it him as his lot Judg. 14. When Sampsons friends are kept from the riddle how hard is it in seven daies to hit upon it But when they plowed with his heifer how easily they finde it out and come to him saying What is more sweet then hony And what more strong then a Lion When the two Apostles Peter and Paul preached to the Jewes how they pressed upon them the offer of salvation because by vertue of the covenant they were to have the first refusall Read two places Act. 2. Peter tells them To you and to your children out of Gods free love the promise belongs and the powrings out of the spirit and to as many as the Lord our God shall call And so in the 13. of Acts To you brethren the Jewes at Antioch is preached by this man forgivenesse of sinnes It was a great honour though they had not the grace to see it And so much more to all under the condition of faith the promise belongs although to such as are under the condition of their own strength it shall be a meer toile and bondage So much for the first instruction Instruct 2 A second serves to untie a knot in the seeming contradiction of Scriptures Quest Grace is called by name of a yoake how then easie Some presenting unto us a marveilous ease in the yoke of
prejudice therefore they put him in minde of it and as in the next point we shall heare doe rectifie him in that error But for the present the argument coucht secretly is this â—f thou lovest and esteemest the Prophet really obey him and bee ruled by him thou wouldest have done any thing he should bid thee because of the honour thou barest him Doe so still if thou love him obey his counsell This their argument breakes it selfe into two parts First into a ground of reason Secondly into the reason following upon it The ground is Thou esteemest and honourest Gods Prophet The reason therefore take his loving counsell Of both these in order in handling this second argument if God will The cleering of the ground Touching this ground of Naamans esteeme of Elisha because I doubt not but many will cavill about it let me first cleere it and then come to the point Some will say then what wonder if so strange and miraculous a cure of a desperate disease as Naamans was did attract extraordinary affection and cause a desire of gratification But that 's nothing to our love to Gods Minister which if it be sound must arise upon better bottome But to that I answer two wayes First though Naaman of himselfe was carryed as an ordinary man yet the Lord having the ordering now of his whole course bred as well good affections to the Prophet and to God his owne glory and worship as it bred gladnesse of the cure So that even in this love of his being in the bud may be discovered a seed of that which after brake out when hee was healed We read of the like example Joh. 9. of a poore blinde creature who no sooner was healed by our Saviour of his blindenesse but his affections of love brake out strangely towards him shall we thinke that because the occasion hereof was his cure therefore there was no more in it save a meer carnall humour No if we read the 37. and 38. verses we shall see what fire this sparkle brought forth when our Lord Jesus had met him and enlarged him with more grounds to love him upon better reason But secondly I say it were well if even we having deeper and stronger bottomes to build our affections upon to Gods Minister were carryed with no lesse demonstration then he was of which more in the Use shall be spoken And whereas it s objected that now his servants rather tax him for his want of present love to the Prophet then commend him for the former I answer what wonder if so weake a man were so easily transported in his passion from his former affection First it was God who suffered it for his humiliation And secondly how many who thinke themselves to stand upon surer ground in their love to the Minister yet upon farre lesser occasion then Naamans even meer tetches and pritches very toyes and conceits can alienate their love from the Prophet of God and that both more deeply then Naaman and without repenting thereof which yet he presently did So that the truth is we have no such cause to cavill against this point nor to disdaine to take Naaman to bee our example rather it were well if wee would prove as good Scholars as hee is meete to set us to Schoole The point then is Doctrine The esteeme of Gods Minister ought to be precious The esteeme and love of heart wherewith wee embrace the Minister of God ought to be singular If the Prophet say they had bidden thee do some great thing wouldest thou not have done it Sure it must bee great affection which should so easily cause a man to doe great things Whether we understand their words in relation to his obedience to any charge which the Prophet should have put upon him for the cure of his disease or in relation to his readinesse to beteame the Prophet a deep gratification for his labour both must needs argue love and esteeme If the Prophet had told thee thou must goe barefoote on pilgrimage many miles or fought some battell of great hazard or the like wouldest not thou have adventured thy selfe to get thy disease cured If the Prophet should have required at thine hands some rich recompence talents of silver costly apparrel the most curious presents that could be wouldest not thou have freely granted them How much more then when he saith unto thee Wash and be cleane So then Naamans love wee see runnes in a strong streame a small thing should not part him and the Prophet he would doe great things for him rather then faile let but the Prophet command a taske or aske a reward and what would not hee doe Nay freely unasked unexpected So that the point is plaine That the affection which Gods Minister if the faithfull Minister of Christ deserves at our hands is and ought to be singular and pretious This point first I will prove by Reason then by Scripture and so come to Use The first Reason is the charge of God It s eternall and cannot be infringed I enter not now upon the strickt question of Tithes my Text reacheth onely to the singularity of loyalnesse and love and that other Reason 1 argument is at large handled by others but I say of the Ministers patrimony Note as of the Princes it is eternall and unalienable without horrible sacriledge God hath both in the old and new Testament most cautiously provided that the Minister should never be forsaken How frequent are those speeches with Moses Deut. and Josh 18.6 1 Cor. 9.12.13.14 Forsake not the Levite all thy dayes The Lord hath not given him a portion among his brethren but the Lord himselfe is his portion These Leviticall phrases are of eternall right Thou shalt not muzle the mouth of the oxe saith Paul out of Moses he that serveth at the altar must live upon it If we afford you spirituall things is it much if we reap your temporall Did those Ministers of God who were inspired with extraordinary gifts by the holy Ghost without their owne toile and industry speake thus who because they freely received might freely give and shall it not much more bee verified of them that serve at the altar of the Gospel whose labours cost a greater price of paines and charge to furnish And because these Texts do trench rather upon the fruits of love then the affection it self How were the Galathians affected to Paul Did they thinke their eyes too deare for him to pull out and give him Are not the very feet of them beautifull who bring glad tidings of peace and good things Did not those Galathians receive Paul as an Angel of God Gal. 4.15 Would not they have imparted to him not onely their goods but even their very soules And what wonder Are they not his joy and crowne Are they not as his wife Are not their soules dearer to him then the bodies of men can be to a Physitian Doth hee not love them
and his labour is with God if then for conscience he seekes their welfare and counts it his crowne if they obey Esay 49.4 its equall and righteous that they requite love for love duty for duty That they set his crowne upon his head by their faithfull obedience The businesse concernes themselves very sadly for the Minister preaches not comforts not exhorts not for his owne ends but for theirs If then he be for them and not himselfe shall they be able to answer it if they be not for their owne soules Alas what shall the discouragement they afford to the Minister hurt him Shall it not redound to them See Heb. 13.17 That were smally to their comfort He is from God and as in the stead of Christ doing his Embassage As Ieremy speakes to those rebells Chap. 44. Lo I am before you you may answer me as you will But know that he who sent me will not be so easily answered 2 Pet. 1.16 he will pay ye home for your rebellion If the Minister be bound to follow God and not cunning devises and fables of his own head and must give a strict account thereof to his Master Woe be to them that perceive not nor lay to heart What a solemne account will lye upon them if they dispise that message which he delivers upon such tearmes He hath saved his soule but thy bloud shall be upon thine owne head True love then is judicious see 2 Cor. 5.14 and as in all other things so in this she is loath to offer any measure to the Minister which she is loath God should offer herselfe Reason 3 Thirdly love is marveilous tender He then that loves his Minister is very sensible of that griefe and discontent which must needs smites his heart when he sees his labours slighted 1 Cor. 13. especially if he be a man wholly set to seek Gods ends in preaching A good heart will say I warrant you it stings the heart of him who teaches us soundly to behold in us slight acceptance Oh this will breed bad bloud This will load him with sorrow and he hath no whither to goe for ease but to him who set him on worke And the Lord will take his wrongs to heart and count them his owne and that will prove sad for us Oh! let us not provide so ill let us not cut downe the onely prop we stand on let us condole him in his heavinesse and remove the cause of it that so his heart being joyed may procure a good errand to heaven in our behalfe and bring downe a blessed answer from God unto us Reason 4 Fourthly love is given to esteem highly of that which it loves unites it and strengthens it selfe in the object delighted in she sets it up in her heart exceedingly and good cause why for love proceeds from some convinced amiablenesse and worth in the thing loved and that reflects backe honour and esteeme Now if it be so then love of a Minister will breed honour to him under God neither under his worth nor above it but sutable to it contrariwise if there be small or no love what will the answer be Tush what is he He is but a man as others yea and perhaps a weake one a man of passions and frailties So then marke A lovelesse heart despiseth a Minister shames him is as rottennesse to his bones thwarts the doctrine makes all that behold him in the mirror of such people to thinke they have a Minister of like disposition to themselves else for shame they would not be so base I conclude then true love will devise with her selfe what will grace and magnifie the Minister and his labours and finding that nothing will do it so much as the obeying of his voice they will force and compell themselves out of the meer nature of their love to obey him to the uttermost cost it them never so much the setting on as face answers face in water Proverb so doth the life of an hearer who loves his Minister answer his labours Love must needs destroy it selfe if it should disesteem her object therefore she honoureth that as she would support herselfe So much for Reasons This point first affords Terror to all basely minded men who live Vse 1 in the utter hatred and scorne of their Ministers thwarting Terror Two or three Branches vexing and crossing them to the uttermost in stead of obeying Such as Jer. 44.16 openly tell him The word of God which thou spakest unto us we will not heare it Such as live at open defiance with the Minister asking Shall this fellow reigne over us No Shall we be tyed to his girdle We scorne it Let us cast his cords from us Psal 2.12 What Lord shall controll us Our tongues our spirits and wayes are our owne Shall he teach us to marry to buy sell keep company use our liberties Shall he come among us to forestall our pleasures our wills and lusts They that live at open defiance with their Ministers are odious Cannot wee tell as well as he what is good for us He serves us and lives upon us and shall we maintaine our servant to be in our tops Oh base wretch He is thy servant for thy good but made so by God not a slave but a free honourable Minister of reconciliation not to serve thy humours but to controll them And as I said before then they will runne and ride and lay their purses together nay set on all the mastives of the Country against them to worry them out But oh wofull creatures Reproach of Ministers shame and spots of assemblies you need not to hunt them out Read but that in Mica 2.6.7 and there you shall finde God himself will doe it for you You say prophesie not But I say Ezek. 3.26 they shall not prophesie unto such lest they take shame I will not suffer their faces to be covered with such confusion as to be plagued with such I will rid them from among such and carry them to a people that love them As for these haters of them when as once their shepheards are gone I will come in among them and worry them that worried these And I will let in a flood upon them of woe when my Noa's are taken into mine Arke That which they sought for revenge of my Minister I will inflict as a revenge upon them and when they see themselves left to be consumed by those lusts of theirs which they scorned to be rooted out by him then they shall roare for very anguish some here under penury rags shame diseases and impenitency some in hell but then one houre of a faithfull Minister shall not be given them if they had the world to give for it Beware lest seeing the fearefull examples of vengeance in Scripture for contempt of the Minister besides daily experience of the sudden end of scorners and persecutors will not draw you from your trade God make you examples for
when it appeares to come from falshood and mixture of our owne ends with the truth we utter See it in 1 King 22. When all those flattering Baals Priests brought in their verdict to Ahab very plausibly Iehoshaphat smelling their pretence to please Ahab could not rest quiet but asked is not here a Prophet of the Lord to enquire of None but a perverted man by his blinding self-love would hearken to them because he beleeved that which he desired Therefore on the contrary sincerity must needs carry with it the powerfull perswasion of all other Now if so then ought it to take most place with men whom it concernes What did so carry the silly ignorant multitude in the darkenesse of Popery after the persons and devotions of the Regulars Fryers and Monkes from the counsel and ministery of their Secular Priests Oh the wonderfull opinion of their sincerity and sanctity of life and doctrine and the apparant basenesse and rottennesse of the Secular Clergy Not that the one was one whit holier then the other neither barrell better herring but so it was that the one lived in their Cells and Cloysters wherein all their villany was covered from the sight of men they blinded the people by their coorse fare apparell poverty and counterfeit sincerity being double iniquity the other sinnes brake out more openly in the sight of the world and made them most odious and so did the other after the light had discovered it for then all men saw them so much the more vile by how much they had lurked and lyen hid so long under their covert of shame To end the Reason Except men bee mad and besotted those Arguments shall prevaile most with them which are in themselves most effectuall not those which savor of the contrary to wit falshood and dissimulation And thirdly sutable to the nature of sincerity and falshood is the nature Reason 3 of man to whom sincerity or falshood is applyed Take it thus We doe by nature marveilously distaste all truth whether it concerne the shunning of evill or the doing of good But let it but appeare to such persons that those who perswade them to the one or from the other that they doe it for any other ends save Gods they are thereby more ready to catch at somewhat which may strengthen them in their naturall opposition to good or inclination to evill And by this they are strengthened in their course But if this their colour be washt off and that it appeare that they are sincerely counselled from God then either it secretly drawes the heart to embrace it or if not yet it stoppes the mouth from all shuffling and just cavill against it And this is a great matter So naturally doth sincerity prevaile with the spirit of such as are not soked and sapped in their sinne willing to be gulled nay to gull their owne conscience that although it doe not for the present convince yet afterward it prevailes when the seed under the dry clod is moystned by some showre of affliction or worke of conscience and put case it never should as we see Davids could not with Saul save for the present yet will it and that justly leave such an one altogether inexcusable The issue is therefore they are monsters in kinde whom sincere counsell perswades not at all nay enrages them the more both against counsell and counsellor Fourthly and especially therefore such counsell deserves to prevaile Reason 4 because it outshootes carnall reason in her owne bow they who out of the sincerity of their spirit strive to give counsell to others doe in a sort beare downe their carnall reason by the practice of selfe-deniall Now what is more strong to beat that downe which most resists gracious counsell then when he that gives counsell reads a lecture to another of that which himself hath first practised True it is if Gods matters might bear sway with men according to their worth as the perswading men to beleeve repent and be saved What should need to be laid in the ballance with them to enforce obedience But now the question is not so much touching the things themselves or the divine grounds whereupon they infallably rest no nor the assured profit which they carry to the receivers These all are undoubted but alas That which must be looked at is the disproportion and uncapablenesse of the receiver blinded with prejudice forestalled by error ill custome infidelity sensuality In these respects Gods counsells unto flesh and bloud are as the Camel or a Cable to a needles eye so that there must bee collaterall and by-waies used to draw such Hence came Iohn Baptist the Lord Jesus the Apostles of Christ with so strange spirits not only of gifts but of self-deniall of humility of sincerity and such other gifts of attraction and perswasion to beleeve those divine truths they urged All that heard them perceived that they sought not a Kingdome to themselves but made way for God Truth and Heaven the diet the apparell of Iohn the lowlinesse of Christ that he had not so much as a bird or a fox nest or hole of the earth to hide himself in the Apostles kept no money in their girdles but had their labour for their paines this countermined carnall sense in her owne element and gave unspeakeable evidence to the counsells they gave that they were to be followed because they practised what they spake and so convinced the very sense of the hearer and let in as a needle the thred the light and life of truth into the soule by beating downe that which resisted else had it been easie for men to reply Tush these men seek themselves but now your mouth is stopped And these Reasons may suffice Vse 1 To proceed to some Use The first may be of Instruction To wit what course is to be taken about the setling of cases controversial Instruction Judgement of controversall truthes must be chiefly ascribed to the most sincere counsellors either for doctrine or practise when there is endlesse contention in the Church about them and when the Scriptures yeeld not so punctuall assent or at least their verduict is depraved and mistaken by men of contrary mindes Surely in such cases let their counsell bee taken who out of question were men of most sincere and incorrupt practise such as were farre from seeking their owne ends honour repute wealth or welfare these may be thought to bee the most entire witnesses to the truth because they had the least corrupt affections to bribe and defile their judgement they were the cleanest boxes and sweetest vessels to preserve the truth of God in without weof or tang of their owne look what came from Iohn Who these are and how to be tried Christ or his Apostles is most unquestionably best counsell if there be any expresse text of Scripture extant about it we may buy and sell upon their counsell because most sincere If there be not as it is to be noted
victory against the Syrians or to the Shunamite or to Manoa and his wife concerning a sonne Judg. 13. I say these required as firme an assent of faith as any of the generall Hence it is that usually Christ effected no particular miracle but he required faith to beleeve it to the full If thou beleevest nothing is impossible Did not I say to thee If thou canst beleeve Martha thou shouldest see the power of God John 11.40 So that Naaman here in the promise of healing was tyed to a punctuall closing and casting himselfe upon the promise as well as we are in the more spiritual and generall And in this respect this Text is a sure ground of Doctrine to us because if even promises onely for present use and of lesse importance required such faith much more doe those require it which are of perpetuall nature and far greater consequence And so much shall serve to answer the doubt Now I proceed to Proofes and so to the clearing of the truth by reason and answer of some questions and so to Use For the Proofes first take that place Eph. 4 21. If ye have learned and knowne the Truth as it is in Jesus Marke how the holy Ghost prevents the carnall mistake of Promises They must not be taken up as our wit serves or to make up our own ends but as they lye in the way and scope of God and as the truth is in Jesus This is a mystery to a lazy carnall base heart which construes promises as men that interpret Statutes to their owne ease and ends No Jesus his truths will not submit to us but we must come to them and beleeve as the truth is in Jesus What that is shall appeare after Another Text may be that in Rom. 12. the last But Put ye on the Lord Jesus c. He compares the Promise and Christ to apparrell as well he may both for warmth and ornament and faith to the putting on of our apparrell Now we know apparrell be it never so fit yet if it be put on wrong it will neither warme nor become the body If that which should cloath the legs or feet should be applied to the head if that which should bee put on the hippes or thighs be put upon the shoulders what an uselesse and preposterous cloathing will it prove Even so if the promises of God be misapplied and mis-put on they will doe us no pleasure our worke will prove but unprofitable 1 Pet. 4.11 and ridiculous That which the Apostle speakes of the due preaching of the promises and the whole word may be applied to our hearing and beleeving them viz. That wee preach the words of God as the words and so we must beleeve them even as they lye and as they are without our mixtures qualifyings distinctions stretchings or straitnings We must take the promises as God offers them God made a promise to Paul Act. 27. That he would give him all the soules that were with him in the Ship Paul beleeved God but how Surely that all in the Ship should abide therein so that when some would have gone out Paul boldy tels them That except they abode in the Ship they could not be safe Why Because the promise must be beleeved as it imported and not as it was construed by them Paul understood the contents of it and therefore told them the promise was no promise except it were taken according to it to the purpose and meaning of God in it God bids Noah build an Arke promising safety by it How doth Noah goe to worke Gen. 6.14 Doth hee build an Arke at his owne pleasure Doth hee make it of what forme and scantling he lists Doth he pitch it within and not without No he construes the promise of safety in the Arke according to it the meaning of the promise was I will save thee by mine Arke but I will have it such an one as I appoint else I will not save thee by it Just so doth the Lord to us He will save us by his Promise by his Word Baptisme But hee will have both beleeved according to that which himselfe hath put in them and not according to any carnall Popish or self-sense of our own There was a promise of protection to Israel by the pillar of cloud and by the pillar of fire by day and by night But how Num. 10.34 According to the meaning of it viz. That they must watch closely both the standing still or the removing of them both They durst not goe on when they stood still nor pitch when they removed And so the promise of conduct being aright taken became most usefull to them It was the promise of God to heare his peoples prayers in the old Testament but they who praied were to pray according to it that is looking toward the Temple though they were never so far off as Ionah in the whales belly Daniel in Captivity See also David Ps 27.2 I have called upon thee looking towards thine Oracle meaning the Holy of Holies the best part of it because there stood the Arke of Gods presence and the Mercy-seat upon it To conclude the summe of all is Gods promises must be beleeved according to all that God offers the soule in them neither more nor lesse But now ere we proceed to Use a question here offers it selfe Quest What meane you by this phrase According to a promise And in what particulars doth it consist For answer whereto this I say that Answ 1 it consists in two things First Accordance of a promise stands in two things in the due qualification of persons to the promises Secondly in the due accordance of promises to persons For the first as all may not medle with each promise so some may medle with none at all Promises and they warpe accord not For why They are unqualified for them and that may be in two regards The each more grosse the other more narrow Touching the former know this Not one prophane companion who can boast and say I have got a promise may apply a promise for a promise must also get thee There is no peace to the wicked and therefore no promise We apply no salves no bands to a bleeding wound For why The bloud would beare it off 1. In accordance of persons to promises and marre it as fast as it s laid on Thou hast no sense or need of any promise for that belongs onely to such as want The Law and the reward of doers belongs to thee no promise at least not of the Gospell In this case beleeving is like to marrying Not each party is a meet one for every wife or husband but those who are apt each for other Who laughs not at a Scullion or Cooke All sorts may not beleeve promises or house-keeper that burnes in love with the Lady or mistresse of the house Or at a Student or Preacher whom none but a great woman of nobility or honour
so mistakes and misconstrues must either deceive himselfe in looking for more or defraud himselfe in looking for lesse then the promises containe in them What a continuall vexation is it then to erre about the extent of those things wherein to erre is above all other errors most dangerous and remedilesse Many more reasons might bee added but the substance thereof will occurre otherwise Vse 1 I proceed to the Uses First this point is Terror to all in generall who doe not beleeve the whole body of truth according to it selfe Of Terror Branch 1 without the which promises cannot possibly be construed aright Now alas Truths of God must not be taken by tradition and prejudice but from the whole body of truth beleeved as Gods what a common error is this Who beleeves or deducts promises from the rocke of truth as marble pillars digged out of the whole quarry Men take the whole truth of God for the most part from the tradition of men from the interpretation of others which is no other save upon trust as their Parents Masters or teachers have instil'd it into them and I grant its meet to be so at first for so those Samaritans John 4. at first harped upon the truths preacht by Christ by the information of the woman But they did not rest there till by her they were drawne to heare him speake himselfe and then they told her plainly that they resolved their faith not into her report but Christ himself It is with many of us as with Papists who use the Church to bee the principle of their faith whereas she should onely be a guide an informer and directresse It s not to be doubted but the Church is the preserving and sustaining pillar of truth in point of guiding the soule to the truth for had not the Church nursed us taught and train'd us up where had we been But this must not be enough to stablish us except we meane to disguise our selves and bewray our sandy foundation when tempests and troubles shall try what is in us no we must put a difference betwixt our drawing to the truth and our beleeving the truth and never rest till the bright morning starre of the Word the Lord Jesus hath risen in our hearts who will cast such a through light into them as shall shine from East to West Matth. 24. and enlighten us in all truth yea lead us into all truth by his Spirit Churches judgement must guide us principle us in the truths of Scripture that Spirit I meane which assists his word in the hearts of all humble and teachable ones This will cause us not to take here a shred and there another such a command or such a promise as pleases us not knowing what to make of the rest but to set open our whole hearts unto the whole truth the whole body thereof that it may enter into us possesse and dwell in us plentifully in every part it will present to our eyes that God of truth speaking in his word and piercing thereby into the very marrow and bones dividing the thoughts and carrying the soule into the streame of that excellency of his whereby we may be convinced of his truth it will shew us the truth of the written word in the eternall word of the Father full of Grace and Truth the way the truth and the life in whom who so beleeves to salvation doth also beleeve all and every truth which ever came out of his mouth and wee shall no more doubt of that then of Christ himselfe in whom all truth is established and gathered as the whole verge of a garment into one knot so that as no man bids us to prove that its day light when the Sunne shines so wee shall need no proofe or demonstration of any particular part of the word having embraced Christ that eternall word of God into our bosomes because he brings all his truths with him and having himselfe fulfilled that one great promise of his incarnation and redemption hath also in that made good all the other promises and made them Yea and Amen to the praise of his glory Oh therefore The Spirit of Christ must be our first planter of truth in the soule how wofull is the condition of such as forsake this way of faith and goe to dig pits which will hold no water boasting that nothing shall ever pull them away from the truth no feares persecutions change of times and I know not what away with thy vain brags If thou hast not first planted thy selfe upon Jesus the body of truth thy particular knowledge of truths will vanish of it selfe for he who gathers not with Christ scatters but how much more when thy slight building shall be shaken with crosses and enemies Therefore gaster your selves from such frothy bottomes as will deceive you get truth first planted in your soules with the love of it for some reall and maine good which it hath done you Terrour to all Popish and blinde maintainers of truth upon error and opinion and when Christ shall have brought his truth with the saving comfort of it into you it will hold your hearts close to it never to goe from it it shall keepe your hearts and mindes in the knowledge of God it shall discover to you that rich hoord of promises which are hid in Christ out of whom they are but as the sound of many waters and vanish as fast as they come This will teach us a rule of conceiving truth aright This will scatter all mists of error darkenesse mistakes from the minde and purifie the heart by the obeying of the truth as Saint Peter speakes 1 Pet. 1.22 2 Pet. 1.19 yea it will be a light shining in a darke place and guiding the feet into the way of peace Abhorre then a patched confused knowledge of truth destitute of the truth in Jesus as thou wouldest abhor and loath utter blindenesse and arrant ignorance it selfe in the highest degree For indeed setting aside the shew of it it s but cousen germane to it who abhors not a misbeleeving Turke or Jew as a very infidell Who loaths not an Hereticke Papist Pelagian or a Schismaticke as we doe misbeleevers Yea in some respect worse because they are so leavened that it is easier to draw a Pagan not prejudicate to the faith then such It s true that the other have more of truth in them then the other But they doe so corrupt confound and misapply truths they maintaine not truth in the accord and the harmony of truth therefore they hold truth rather to overthrow truth then to establish it and in effect are greater enemies to the promises and to the truth in Jesus then they can seeme friends to some kindes of truth whatsoever their abettors and patrons would or can speake in their defence So much for this first Secondly and more particularly its terror to all audacious and impudent Branch 2 spirits of hypocrites Of
beleeving ones and seale the soule of such a one through the faith of the word to a true ingrafting into Christ Affectation to allegorize the Scriptures a dangerous course and the new Birth Constantine the great and good Emperour being a leper and told that nothing else could heale him save bathing of his body in the bloud of infants ript out of their mothers wombe abhorred the speech of it as counting the remedy worse then the disease That which hee did mercifully in forbearing doe thou religiously in embracing The bloud and water flowing out of the pierced sides of the Lord Jesus and washing thy soul by faith sacramentally is only able to heal thy leprosie to make so perfect a cure as shall never need to be repeated Naaman and thou need nevere be washed the second time if once throughly cured and in truth it was this bloud which made Naamans cure so perfect Apply thy soule to it therefore to make a perfect cure in it better then all thine owne patcht and halfe cures Looke not at the outward water alone looke at the power and vertue of him whose bloud onely can heale both the water from her cursed barrennesse to make it fruitfull and seasonable seed of life and thy soule by water from guilt power and eternall curse due unto it Christ in the water is the power of it one droppe of his sides issuing out water and bloud is the efficacy of the Sacraments Mix all with faith to cleanse thy soul to purge thy leprosie it s shed to thine hand and powred out by himselfe most willingly for thee If thou refuse it thou art guilty of shedding it but not by beleeving and applying it Numb 19.4 No legall cleansings of the leper by Aaron can equall it he sprinkled the bloud and ashes of a Cow Christ sprinkles with his owne he often Christ once for ever he imperfectly so that the leprosie might returne Christ fully never to returne Hâ—â— 8.15 If then the bloud of an heifer could purge by ceremony a polluted body how much more shall this bloud of the eternall Covenant cleanse thy conscience from dead workes to serve the living God But beware thou do not goe and wash in Jorden with lesser faith then Naaman did doe as much for thy soule as he for his body else thou separatest the things which God hath united and destroyest the power of the Sacrament and the purpose of God for thy regeneration yea the very creature of water shall rise up in judgement against thee in the day of judgement for that it closed with Christ inseparably in his Ordinance but thou most prophanely didst warpe from him by thy unbeleefe So much also for this third Branch and for the second Doctrine and so for this Lecture Let us pray c. THE ONE AND TWENTIETH Lecture continued upon the 14. VERSE VERSE XIV Then Naaman went downe and washed himselfe seven times in Ioraen and behold his flesh came againe as the flesh of a little child and hee was cleane Then he returned and stood before the man of God c. The second head The cure of Naaman WEE noted Brethren two lesser Observations in the end of the last Lecture out of this last part of the verse viz. The successe of Naamans obedience Now leaving them and the expression of the cure wee come to the cure it selfe And saith the Text he was cleane No intermission of time passed between his washing and cleansing both went inseparably together The â—â—ine poinâ— flowing hence which we have reserved to this Exercise is That Gâ—ds promises are alway as good in the performing as in the making if not better for so falles it out with Naaman here The Prophet promised him cure of his Leprosie by washing himselfe And lo now he is as good as his word he washes and is cleane in body This is as much as was promised But moreover as appeares by the sequell he proves a cleane soule also and this was an over-plus to the promise It is a light thing for the Lord to heale his body except hee heale himselfe And in this respect I may well say as I said before That Gods cures are perfect indeed all perfect gifts are from above and all that are from thence are perfect to purpose Ere I come to handle the point this I would premise Brethren how fitly this point followes the other to make the heart and life of a poore beleever comfortable The former point told us that promises must bee interpreted aright and not mistaken not restrained but beleeved according to the utmost extent of the promiser But then comes in a doubt Though I enlarge them in their full reach yet God may restraine them to the shortest size True if thou stretch them upon thy carnall tentors But take them according to the word as indeed thou shalt not need to make them better then God hath made them and then this point will tell thee to thy comfort that God will performe whatsoever hath gone out of his mouth to the uttermost nay perhaps cast in such an over-plus as was neither promised nor looked for The Text is president enough for it if there were no more So that even in the entry upon the point we may set a starre in the margent and for our better encouragement both to beleeve and in beleeving to waite patiently may say these two points carry very sweet newes from heaven to a poore empty and hungry soule both that he will have it beleeve to the uttermost and when she hath so done God hath in store for her as much performance yea and much more then shee hath faith But let us come to the point The order I will observe in the point shall be this First I will prove it by Scripture Secondly by reason Thirdly I will cleare a maine doubt about the Doctrine And so lastly come to the Uses and first of the first Concerning which this I may say That the whole Booke of God Doctrine Gods performances alway as good if not better then his promises is nothing else but a very Theatre and open Stage wherein the Lord acts his part of performing of promises And not so alone But so curious the Spirit of enditing the word is in every Chapter and Verse lest the reader should spy any flaw or crack in the performance of promises that it steppes out of his tracke oft-times to reconcile and equall each performance to her owne promise And this both in the maine promise of Christs exhibition and in all secondary promises whether generall and concerning the soule of the whole Church and each member of that body or personall and temporary promises concerning this and that person And the greater distance there seemed betweene making and keeping of promises the more curious regard hath the Holy Ghost to expresse Gods keeping touch when his time was come For example Proofes and Instances God had promised to Abraham that
to be more usefull for the present and therefore chuses a performance in his owne kinde which shall bee an hundred fold more gaine to the soule then the other 2 Cor. 12.3 4. Paul being sorely buffeted not for sinne but to prevent it prayes instantly to God to remove it The Lord seeing that performance not to be proper for the end of his buffeting continues it yet hee breakes not promise for he ministers grace sufficient to uphold him under it Verse 9. By this meanes he attaines his end to humble Paul and moreover teaches him to desire to live under desertion and infirmity sometimes that so he might get that experience of Gods strange upholding of him in the want of feeling which before hee had found under feeling By this meane though irksome to the flesh to want the use of graces and gifts the Lord traines him to a sober use of his revelations and to renounce himselfe so farre under buffetings as to chuse rather to bee as the Lord would have him then as himselfe chose to be The use of this qualification is this The use of this limitation Both to coole our spirit of selfe-love which is ready to appoint God his way of performance as also to teach us wisedome to apply our selves to the best good of a performance rather then to the performance it selfe Gods people looke more at the good of a performance then the bâ—re performance of a promise to ascribe this honour to God that he better knows how to make good a promise to us then wee can chuse And therefore not by and by to cry out against God for not performing it because our turnes are not served But rather by our defeat to search into the cause and to see whether God and we looke the same way or no If we doe not we may bee long enough ere we be satisfied or honour God in his faithfulnesse If we will tie God to performe one promise and the Lord meanes to performe another we shall be farre to seeke Say we therefore thus Lord teach me to looke out what the promise is which thou aimest to make good Faithfull I am resolved thou art but that stands not in serving my turne but in serving thy selfe upon me Since thou doest all things well I doe but wait to see thy way for it is best and shall curb my spirit and give me best content because it tends to make mee more experienced more humble and at last thankfull to thee for that good which thy selfe meantst me which is infinitely better then that which I fancied So much for the first Limitation the second In generall promises to the Church the time of performance must be left to God and why The second limitation may be this In promises concerning the welfare of the Church in generall except the Lord tye himselfe punctually to a time of redresse or deliverance we must conceive of Gods performances indefinitely without prefixing a time or period of our own For in such it is enough for the quitting of Gods faithfulnesse that he performes really although he leave the time when to his owne wisedome We look that Gods love in hearing us for such performances should trench upon his wise providence but that ought not to be In such cases it behoves us to distinguish upon promises In such as touch the soule and life of a beleever usually except some speciall thing hinder the soules beleeving and the promises performance goe together as for the strength against a lust for quickning up of any grace or gift for sanctifying of any ordinance But not so in the publicke promises The reason is because the Lord may have a predominant way of his owne to barre present performance He doth neglect the speciall good of them who pray for a more universall good of his owne either because the sinnes of his enemies by whom hee uses to scourge his Church See Gen. 15.16 are not come to the highest pitch and so it will not bee most for his glory to punish or suppresse them yet or because the provocations of his Church and the sins thereof are not yet purged throughly nor brought to the lowest point These respects may hinder speciall reliefe of some present miseries restraints and persecutions of his people There is wee say in the motion of every planet a straight motion comming from the Planet herself and a backward motion of the first mover So is it here the motion of a promise is retrograded and retarded by the wisedome of the first mover The grand promise of the Lord Jesus his incarnation was indefinite and in the bosome of God when to fulfill it one thousand two or three thousand might have brought it forth as well as foure yet providence reserved it to the end of the fourth thousand Gal. 4.4 And when that fulnesse was come nothing could stop the fulfilling of that which yet before that time no prayers no expectation of the Church could hasten Then and not till then Instances of the point he that would come came and tarried not So also wee that live in this age conceive our selves to be pitcht under the fourth viall under which wee are warranted to wait for the revealing of Gods wrath and the ruine of the Beast But for us hereupon to limit God to owne time and period seaven or ten or fifteene yeares whatsoever we may suppose by probabilities and to determine God to our own season is most bold and presumptuous For God hath as well a way of his revenge and scourging of particular Churches for their infidelity and unfruitfulnesse as he hath of fulfilling his maine promise Sure we are his Word will prove true within the Terme of this Viall But to bound the space and duration of it we may not That the Jew shall be called and the Gospel generally preached ere the end come and that the Lord Jesus shall even in this world expresse himselfe to be the Lord and King of his Church and set up his Throne visibly upon their reall ruines who not waning braines can or dare deny it And yet who if he have braines dare punctually determine it within so or so many yeares The use of this qualification is most pretious and weighty viz. The use of this second limit Wee must not taxe Gods administrations That in our prayers and services of the time be they ordinary or extraordinary wee lash not out through our ungrounded zeale and passions to presse the Lord to our time in redressing the miseries of his Church in punishing his enemies reforming abuses or restoring comforts to her mourners Slacken no whit of thy zeale but let it still be carried within bounds and goe eaven pace with Gods time and be limited by that condition And moreover let it curb our querulous and discontented spirits which being full of griefe for the upbraiding and insulting Peninna's 1 Sam. 1. over the perplexed Hanna's and
a mercifull and skilfull Physitian Tell me now what man or woman is there living who having such a cure of such a Physitian would or could or hath the heart to turne away from him like a blocke insensible and â—naffected wâ—th such a favour There is no such man breathing I thinke But this is common if any get such a rare cure all is too little to make recompense though he should sell himselfe to his shirt he hath no power to do other he thinkes the same evill would take him then If he see that no reward will fasten upon the Physitian but he will needs bestow it freely the more his purse is discharged the closer his heart is knit his affections are up in armes his tongue is loosed Oh! what love is this what moved his heart thus to me what a man of men is he what admiration have I him in O how I love him what is there which I would not do for him run ride spend for him suffer for him expose my selfe to any hazard maintaine his quarrell by any weapon O how he commends him in all companies and blazeth his name farre and wide till he have raised up as great fame abroad as reputation at home Aske him why he doth so he will answer That I am I am under God by him I was a dead man worse I could not be he hath restored mee to health and I am better I thinke then ever I was and therefore I must alway count him my preserver I remember in the Roman story I have read of a certaine spectacle upon the Circk or Theatre of Rome where among other sports condemned persons were to fight for their lives with wild beasts it fell out so that a man before time passing through the wildernesse met with a lyon And looking for no other then death fell downe for feare An illustration of the point But the poore Lion approached to him with much moane and held out his foote to the man which foot of his by reason of a thorn or some such like thing sticking deep therein had so rankled and swell'd that it was like to hazard the lyons life The man with all his Art and skill fell to his Surgery and so wrought that he pull'd out the thorne out of the Lyons foote by the rootes The poore beast feeling her aile and danger gone fawnes upon the poore man and makes all the love that a dumbe creature could possibly to him leads him out of the forrest and there leaves him and sets him at liberty It was the lot of this lyon after to be taken and to be sent to Rome for a present and it was the worse lot of the man to commit a great Robbery and being condemned to the Theatre to fight what lyon must be brought forth to fight with this man but this lyon The man all amort and despairing of life this preserved lyon knowes his Surgeon comes to him fawnes upon him again and by no meanes could be pull'd from the mans side and embraces but to bring the man to mind of the cause he puts forth his foot heal'd of the thorne The people defeated of their expectation turn'd their sporting humour into admiration asking the caytiffe the reason of so marvellous an accident The man publiquely opens the history as it were wrought whereupon cruelty being turn'd into astonishment pity they decreed a statue to be set up in the Market place for eternall memory of the fact of a Lyon embracing a man over the Lyons head with this title Behold a Lyon the saviour of a man over the mans head Behold a man the Physitian of a Lyon I have beene too long but the workes of God are not to be neglected I would but shew you the spirit of a cure even in a dumbe creature what then is it in a reasonable But what comparison is there betweene either and the spirit of cure in the spirituall soule and conscience converted Oh! no tongue can utter it onely we may admire it Proofes of the Doctrine 1 In examples Examples in our Saviours story we have many of the spirit of bodily cures How many did our Saviour cure of whom it is said he was faine to charme them from telling it abroad yet they could not but so much the more blazed it to make him famous Others were no sooner healed but arose and ministred unto him others could not so part with him but followed him But one of all others will best serve our turne and that is the blind man Joh. 9. Ioh. 9. who though he had but poore seede sowne in him of any faith as appeares after yet from this spirit of the cure of his blindnesse did strange things magnifyed Christ call'd him a Prophet wondred that those who had their eyes should not know him when the enemies of Christ like hornets came about his eares to deface the miracle and the doer of it yet strong was the spirit of this cure in the man that he could not endure their malice though he knew their spite and rage and the danger of it as well as his parents yet he would not spare them an inch What saith hee 12 13 14 15 16. verses Will ye be his Disciples That were fitter for you then to smother such a miracle From the beginning of the world to this day was it never heard of that any opened the eies of the blind Oh! how it affected him Surely it might have become one of his strongest Apostles thus to have defended him But the spirit of a cure and the love of such is stronger then death at least then Excommunication And when the Lord Jesus met him he added the spirit of a better cure and of conversion These hints I have given you for familiar explication of the nature of that I speake of But to leave these let mee come to the Doctrine it selfe to ground it out of the Word to give you a few Reasons and so come we to Use 2. Grounds of the Scripture Ier. 2.2 3 4. For the first of these read Jerem. 2.2 I remember thee and the kindnesse of thy youth and of thine espousals when thou wentest after mee in the wildernesse c. He speakes of that first marriage love which passed betweene himselfe and his people who tooke it kindly that God had brought them out of Egypt bondage and the red Sea and made a song of his mercies and were found of him so many at least as knew him aright Noting that this first love is as precious to God as early fruits of the spring apples peares plums pease or the like are to the taste of man as being the most pure and dainty of all Zach. 12.10 And that which Zachary in Ch. 12.10 calls the spirit of grace compassions and mourning is sutable hereto by which the grace of God uttered it selfe in those who were converted as we see it fulfilled in the Church Act. 2. who
questions Prayers confessions and the like who doth not wish himselfe in their case except it be some errant blocke who discovers his brutishnesse all are ravisht to see such early beginnings The Lord knowes the fittest way to worke upon men Sooner will a young novice by his active spirit of the cure stir up others then some solid and grave Disciples because the spirit of the one is more stirring active and drawing than the other Fourthly there is in the cure of the soule converted to God Reas 4 such an irresistible power and impotencie From that irresistible power of Grace in the soule especially in the first turning home of it that there is no choaking quenching or damping of it It resembles her originall Seed leaven mustard-seed are things of an active and encreasing nature Leaven in a little while will sowre all the lump Hence are those expressions of the Saints Thy Word was in mee as coales of fire in my bosome Can a man carry them there and not be burnt I would have kept in thy words saith David but such was the nature of them that they would not be concealed I had no rest nor peace till I had uttered them to Congregations Peter could not hold Christ in his bosome till he had uttered himselfe to Nathaniel That woman of Samaria had fire in her bosome when she went to tell her kindred citizens the news of Christs discourse The love of God workes in the breasts of his Saints as it first wrought in his owne he having conceived it once could not cease till it had discovered it selfe to poore sunken Adam and hee would rather chuse to make his onely Sonne a Masse shame then he would not expresse it Even such is the same love having once wrought in them it is as the new wine in the caske which must have vent or else it will breake It is like Josephs affection to Benjamin all must be had out from him Gen. 45.14 and he must utter himselfe to him and fall upon his neck with a kisse and teares The newer any thing is the more forcible So is it with love The Apostle hath a sweet word to expresse it The love of Christ constraines us 2 Cor. 5. The word signifies 2 Cor. 5.14 gathers us up together as a beast hemmed in a Pinfold hath an appetite after liberty so the spirit of love finds it selfe straitned till it breake out And 1 Cor. 13. love is bountifull and working 1 Cor. 5. full of affection hopeth all things endureth all things and the like The fifth God is the God of order and loves sutablenesse of Reas 5 Age and Temper youth naturally is hot and full of expressions God is the God of order it is comely for young ones to be so their lusts were so before grace therefore grace must be so also I restraine not this heat to meere youth for if God do convert elder ones as Naaman there is a spirituall youth or first age even in them also grace at the first is most operative be the yeares what they may be but especially when grace falls upon tender yeares as for the most part that is the season ere the soule be sapped in lewd customes then it quickens those hot spirits which it meets with to singular expressions Reas 6 Lastly by this spirit the Lord provides matter and argument of convincement For the due convincement of such as after may wax luke-warme and loose and inward checke for time to come if at any time his people shall revolt from this grace of first conversion The Lord knowes our mold and fashion just Psal 103. We seem at our first setting forth to the journey so trimme and so prepared that no troubles nor difficulties shall daunt our resolution But by that time wee have travelled a while what with the ill way what with ill weather bad successe and what with our owne weary and crazie spirits within we waxe unto ward and stagger whether we should goe forward or no. The Lord knowes how many waies this first spirit of the cure flagges and wanzes in us sometimes the abundance of iniquity causes the love of many to waxe cold this degenerate formall world is ready to quench our spirit the presidents of many zealous and painfull professors who are turned drunkards uncleane worldlings Epicures and sinfull wretches 2 Pet. 3. ult do shake us The errour of the wicked puls us from our stedfastnesse feare of some men flattery of others but especially a cursed heart on the one side giddie presuming venturous on the otherside slavish fearfull and distrustfull distempers us so that although we keep from grosse evils yet we are far from that frame of zeale closenesse and watching which we have found onely peace from Now when it falls out thus and that crosses debts ill marriage care of children and other disguisements come upon the necke of the other then is the Lord faine to step in and take us to taske to upbraid us and cast us in teeth with our first spirit of cure our early first love sweet affections covenants humble feare watchfull care diligent paines zealous spirit Luk. 23.31 What was this done in the greene tree and shall it not be done in the dry What shall first beginnings shame thee Didst thou begin in the spirit if yet thou didst so and wilt thou now end in the flesh Oh! is there not enough in that never dying spirit of an immortall hope of salvation to carry thee on in thy poore course with equalnesse of affection Say the edge be a little blunted what is metall gone too is the steele worne out of the backe That first spirit of sound joy in God should by this day have bred in thy belly a welspring of water flowing to eternall life Oh! for shame strengthen the weary hands Heb. 12.13 and feeble knees and correct the crooked that it turne not out of the way Thus the Lord charmes a declining spirit by an experiment of her owne and brings her backe with sorrow and shame to her former temper So much for Reasons Use 1 Now for Use first is the spirit of a true Convert thus zealous for God This then teacheth us a difference of cures and that all are not alike for there are many to be sure farre from this temper and frame of spirit Instruction with an item Not every cure hath such a stroake in the soule of a man thus to change qualifie and act his spirit to and for the Lord. And all to teach us to try our spirits and to be afraid to rest in any base counterfeit cures which afford none of this life and operation Who doth not now a dayes boast himselfe to have gotten this through cure Counterfeit cures very common in the world true cures rare If once baptized and professe the Gospell it is treason in these dayes to put a difference betweene men Alas yee poore wretches