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A84690
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The spirit of bondage and adoption: largely and practically handled, with reference to the way and manner of working both those effects; and the proper cases of conscience belonging to them both. In two treatises. Whereunto is added, a discourse concerning the duty of prayer in an afflicted condition, by way of supplement in some cases relating to the second treatise. / By SImon Ford B.D. and minister of the Gospel in Reading.
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Ford, Simon, 1619?-1699.
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1655
(1655)
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Wing F1503; Thomason E1553_1; ESTC R209479
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312,688
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666
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their own vileness and a gracious boldness in the presence of the Lord. David never prayes more boldly then when he acknowledgeth his own unworthinesse 2 Chron. 29. And 't is remarkable how bold Abraham was and yet how much humility he manifested in one chapter Gen. 18. 27 30 32. 5. That the worthiness in which we are to expect acceptance from the Lord is not in our selves but in the Lord Jesus so that although in our selves we have cause to hang down our heads yet in him we may lift them up with confidence We cannot plead we are worthy but we may plead Father though we are not worthy yet he is worthy for whom thou shouldst do this Father thou canst not be just I confess to me if thou do not punish my sinnes but thou canst not be just to Christ if thou do not pardon them Thou art not just to me if thou do not reject my person and prayers but thou art not just to Christ if thou do not accept them 'T is no wonder the Priesthood of Christ is every 1 John 1. 9. Rom. 3. 25. 26. where made the ground upon which we are pressed to this boldnesse As in the places before quoted Heb. 4. 15 16. 10. 20 21 22. 2 Against the present unfitness and indisposedness of thy heart in prayer and the unsutablenesse upon that account of thy prayers to his greatnesse majesty and holinesse another hindrance fortifie thy self by considering 1. That although it be thy duty to strive against and grieve for and labour by all possible means to quicken thy selfe from that dead and dull frame of spirit yet thy Father knowes how to pity and pardon invincible distempers of spirit and defects in prayer especially when thou groanest under them Psal 103. 13. As the Father pitieth his children so the Lord pitieth them that fear him Now a Father will look upon the good will of a child that offers at the performance of a service to him beyond his strength and accept it with pity to and compassion upon his weaknesse God accepts in this case the will for the deed and according to what a man hath not according to what he hath not 2. That our boldnesse and confidence in prayer is injurious to Christ if we lay any of the weight or stresse of it upon our own performances Because our prayers were never intended for such means as procure acceptance by their own efficacy but mreely as means sanctified by God to conveigh to us what God gives upon the account of Christs purchase So that if I put any prevalency upon mine own prayers when never so excellent or make the imperfections of them a ground of distrust I wrong Christ 3. That Jesus Christ is an High-Priest consecrated by God for this very purpose to take away the iniquity of my holy things Exod. 28. 38. This was typified in Aarons plate of pure gold upon his forehead wherein was written Holinesse to the Lord which he alwayes wore before the Lord to signifie that he was to bear the iniquity of their holy things whose offerings he presented And thus Jesus Christ stands before the Lord with a plate of pure gold even the perfection of his owne righteousnesse and merits upon his forehead and in them is written Holinesse to the Lord upon the account whereof the Saints may bee assured of the acceptance of all their services as holy Compare this with Apoc. 8. 3 The Angel of the Covenant is there represented standing at the Altar with a golden censer and much incense a golden holy nature in which there was no sinne and much incense of merit which hee offers with the prayers of all Saints upon the golden Altar of his divinity before the Throne 3 Against the guilt of sin another hinderance consider 1 Forgiven sinnes are no sinnes in the account of God Therefore saith God I will blot out your iniquities as a thick cloud Isai 44. 22. The cloud when it is scattered by the wind and Sun hinders no influences from the heaven upon the earth Neither doe the sinnes of Gods people hinder any entercourse between God and the soule when God is once reconciled unto them againe The Lord is said also to put away the sins of his people as far as the East is from the West Psal 103. 12. to cast them into the depths of the Sea Micah 7. 19. to blot them out so as to remember them no more Isai 43. 25. So that though sinne should be sought for yet there shall be none Jer. 50. 20. 2. That we have an Advocate to plead with God that hath satisfied for them and therefore can answer all objections in that behalfe 1 Joh. 2. 1 2. 3. The neglect of prayer under the guilt of sinne will harden the heart and alienate thee the more from God The longer a child keeps out of the fathers sight after a fault the more he dreads it 3 Study promises Those are the great charter of a Christian what God hath promised I may boldly aske O never be beaten from that plea. All thy present discouragements are but Satans tricks and querkes by which he endeavours to baffle thee out of thy pleas and claims to make thee urge promises faintly and doubtingly and if he can do that be gets an imcomparable advantage upon thee When I have an honest mans promise if he seem to act contrary thereunto I will never leave urging his promise till I have obtained what I desire come to God and say Lord I confess hadst thou not promised I should not have dared considering mine own unworthiness to have opened my mouth before thee but seeing I have a promise I will never hold my peace I will not be daunted out of my suit by any possible discouragements If thou canst not shake off thine own promises and merciful engagements I am resolved thou shalt not shake off me 4. Be frequent in thy converses and familiarity with him Acquaint thy self with God A man that is shy of asking of a friend at first sight growes more acquainted by use and custome of acquaintance 'T is Eliphaz his good counsel Job 22. 21. Acquaint now thy self with God i. e. by familiar converse and it followes Thou shalt lift up thy face to God ver â—6 This will make thee bold to come to God in prayer 5 Study God in Christ more and take heed how at any time thou viewest God out of him I have given you some light touches before of the improvement of Christs name in prayer for the attainment of spiritual boldnesse I shall here enlarge in some few things more which do not so properly relate to the particulars which occasioned those touches and so require a distinct consideration 1 Study God in his Engagements to Christ in thy behalf That he shall have the full power of all the Treasures of God whence any particular souls wants may be supplyed Treasures of Grace Isai 11. 2. and these for his people The
loves thee Did he ever crush any soul under his feet that he did not kick into hel at last And no wonder if Satan when hee hath the command of all the Ports and Advenues of the soul wil let it receive no intelligence but what he pleaseth and use it to such daily objects as augment its Terrors if he raise such mists as hinder it from discerning any thing distinctly 4 Partly by taking the work out of the Spirits hand as sometimes he doth the Lord permitting it also for secret Reasons of his own And hereof I shal shew you some instances by which you may judg of his dealing in other the like cases 1 Many times the Spirit stirrs up the soul to examine its growth in and improvement of grace possibly upon occasion of some late notable delays and to endeavour a recovery of lost strength a quickning of what is ready to dye This motion being from the Spirit thus far now Satan takes it up and from felt barrennesse and deadnesse stirs up the soul farther to enquire afresh whether ever that were true grace that is now so barren whether such a tree had ever any life that manifests so little growth 2 Many times the Spirit sets home the consideration of some affliction and puts the soul upon enquiry why the Lord thus contends with it Now comes in Satan and alters the Question and puts the soul upon the enquiry Whether such afflictions may stand with Gods love or no 3 Many times the Spirit stirs up to repentance and recovery from grievous falls Satan takes up this work and puts the soul upon questioning whether ever it had any grace seeing there is yet in the heart a liableness to such great corruptions This I touched before Thus you see whence the terrors that surprize Saints after conversion and Assurance do arise and so the Thesis cleared from mistakes Proceed we now to the Application of it CHAP. XXXVI Saints convinced of folly in giving way to troubling thoughts after conversion and Assurance I. THerefore for Application 1 Hence the Saints of God may see how little Reason or Warrant they have to justifie themselves in admission of sâ—ulfetters after conversion but especially after Assurance 1 Will a man think it were a discreet act in himself to be afraid of every leaf that stirs and startle at every reed that shakes A wise man when he is in quiet possession of what he enjoyes will see good Authority ere he will be dispossessed upon any pretence whatsoever The Divel never brings a true Authority for the disturbance of any Saints peace I am bound to take notice of no Authority in matter of inward trouble and peace but that of Gods Spirit My Conscience is his Throne and I cannot answer it unto God if I permit Satan to usurp it I ought to be able to discover that counterfeit and oppose him though he come as an Angel of light how much more when he comes like a Prince of darknesse 2 What account can I give to the Spirit of God the Comforter for resigning so slightly the Garrisons of strength the grounds of gracious Assurance which he hath put into my hands Saints must make as much conscience of parting with their comforts without sufficient cause as of embezelling any thing else with which God intrusts them Friends we are accountable for our Comforts and therefore it will concern us not to be easily cheated of them They are precious things The joy of the Lord is our strength Nehem. 8. 10. If we betray our strength by losing our comforts how shall we answer the robbing God of so much service as he may lose from us thereby 3 How shall we answer the mischief that may accrew to others who used in troubles and distempers of mind to have recourse to our counsels and experiences See Job 4. 2 3 4 5 6. If I must not prodigally throw away my estate nay if I must labour with my hands that I may have to give the bodily food to him that needeth Certainly I must even in meer charity to others endeavour to maintain that spiritual joy which is their refreshment CHAP. XXXVII The way how to discard them THis also gives a standing Rule to us concerning the entertainment of soul-terrours after Conversion and Assurance If they have no warrant from the Spirit of God then why wilt thou entertain so much as a conference with them I think uncomfortable thoughts ought to be cast out without dispute as blasphemous and atheistical suggestions in some cases Q. But how far and in what cases may it be be lawful to reject such thoughts as tend to the questioning of Assurance formerly received without dispute For it seems the case of blasphemous and atheistical suggestions and these we are now speaking of differs very much Those being at first blush by any soul competently enlightned to be discerned to be contrary to the expresse word of God and so matters out of all dispute these it may be pretending ground from the Word and being in their own nature such as I am allowed to dispute A. It is true there is some difference between the matter of the suggestions themselves but yet as to mee and my case they may be in effect the same For I may by a preceding Assurance from the Spirit of God be as much ascertained that I am a child of God as I am that there is a God or concerning any other fundamentall point of Faith So that I may be very well allowed the same way of proceeding in the one case which I am prescribed in the other And I conceive I may doe so in these cases 1. When the present Doubts or Disputes concerning my condition are not handed to me in the way and method of divine motions Gods usuall way of putting the soul upon enquiry concerning its own condition to such as enjoy Ordinances being under the administration of them If therefore without any such ground whether from the private working of my own thoughts or from such injections as I can give no account of I begin after assurance to fall a questioning mine own condition I may wel fear the hand of Satan is in this and I may silence them for the present as coming to trouble my peace without a warrant As if an Arrest should be laid upon me out of the ordinary way of Law I may defend my self by force or escape by sleight and the Law will judg me in so doing to have done no more then what I might lawfully do 2 When the present Dispute concerning my state and condition is imposed upon me under such circumstances as render it unlikely to be managed candidly cleerly and impartially so that there is no likelyhood but it should rather end in confusion and further disturbance then peace and solid satisfaction If I should be provoked to dispute with an adversary concerning such or such a point at a time when I am not furnished with such helps