their graces then in their infirmities This were wisdom to pick out that which is praise worthy 1 Cor. 11.1 and be followers of them as they are followers of Christ Every fool and base spirit can imitate the worst part in men what a sordid criticism was it in him that read over Homer onely to find out his faults A wise generous spirit will observe what is honourable and excellent Phil. 4.8 and set up that for his standard and exemplar You take notice of the Saints falls but why do ye not take notice also of their rising again You see their sins but why are ye blind to their repentance their tears their broken bones their self-judging their restless inquietude of spirit till God be reconciled to them Their infirmities were but few their graces many their infirmities rare their graces habitual Here 's work Christian for your imitation Your would have Abrahams riches oh labour to get Abrahams faith you would be like David in honour be like him in holiness you would have Elijah's power to call down fire from Heaven labour to possess Elijah his zeal his courage his prayerfulness This is excellent study the graces you see in other men not their infirmities 4. Lastly Consider your sins will be never the less because other mens infirmities are great He that maketh light of sin because the Saints have their infirmities to be sure is no Saint himself and his corruptions are no longer infirmities but allowed presumptions Take a third Caution Insult not over the Saints of God A third general Caution because of their infirmities For consider 1. Thou seest their infirmities their failings thou seest not what they cost them Little dost thou know what broken bones what sharp corrections what bleeding Souls what buckets of tears they pour out before the Lord Ps 73.22 because of their corruptions Oh! wretch that I am c. How do they shame themselves before the Lord for their failings So foolish was I and so ignorant and like a beast before thee they cannot find language bad enough to revile themselves withall in Gods presence Surely if thou didst know what the Saints infirmities cost them thou wouldst reflect upon thy self and be ashamed and smiting upon thy brest cry out with self-abhorrency oh wretch that I am I have sinned as these servants of God have done but I have never mourned as they have done I have sinned as David but I have not repented as David I have denied Jesus Christ with Peter but I have not with Peter wept bitterly my heart hath been a fountain of sin but my head hath not been a fountain of tears I have been viler in Gods eyes then ever they were but I was never so vile in mine own eyes as they have been The Saints infirmities are their afflictions but my corruptions have been my delight God be merciful to me a sinner What cause have I to mourn rather then to insult and censure Secondly Turn in upon thy self and thou shalt find more cause of judging thy self then thy brother He hath his weaknesses thou hast thy wilfulnesses He his failings sometimes thou thy gross falls possibly every day He is surprized by a temptation thou goest forth to meet temptation Yea to tempt temptation to tempt the devil to tempt thee Yea thou thy self art a tempter to others sinning and causing others to sin and so doest the devils work c. and dost thou judge thy brother Thou hypocrite Matth. 7.5 cast first the beam out of thine eye and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brothers eye Vtimur perspicillis magis quam speculis Sen. What is the mote of infirmity to the beam of Presumption Be more in thy looking glass and thou wilt have less use of thy spectacles Thirdly Know this oh man who ever thou art that in the very act of judging thy brother thou condemnest thy self Thy censures of thy brothers infirmities are so many aggravations of thine own wickednesses If his mote sinck him so deep in thy judgment Matth. 7 2 how deep will thy beam sinck thee in Gods With what measure thou metest it shall be measured to thee again Take heed and prepare not stripes for thine own back God wil not judge his people for their infirmities but God will judge thee for thy presumptuous sins yea Rom. 2.1 2. God will judge thee for judging thy brother and wo unto thee when God cometh to judge thee Luke 19.22 Dost not thou fear God seeing thou art in the same condemnation Ex ore tuo c. out of thine own mouth thou shalt be judged thou wicked servant Fourthly It is much more honourable to mourn with the Saints and to mourn for them then to judge and censure them Their infirmities are their burden a burden the Lord knows which they are not able to bear by sympathy and compassion thou mightest help to bear their burden by reproach and censure thou addest to it a cruelty which in a lesser model God doth severely threaten Zech. 11.15 And thus much for the Cautions in general In particular this doctrine may administer Caution to the Saints themselves Cautions to the Saints 1. Caution First Although corruptions in the Saints be but infirmities yet let even the best of Gods Saints learn To Mourn for their Infirmities To Watch over their Infirmities To Pray against their Infirmities There is a secret deceit in our hearts and Satan sets on the temptation Considerations against security under infirmities What need I be troubled and sollicitous about my corruptions They are but infirmities and the best of Gods Saints have their infirmities and many greater then mine be upon this very accompt many grow secure and are at ease in Zion Nay but consider 1. Cons 1 Such reasonings and discourses are no good-signs when sin takes sanctuary under infirmitie it is to be suspected of more then infirmity I know Satan is busie the heart deceitful ut sup but such discourses yeelded to and rested in may justly cause a man to fear his heart is not sound with God Secondly Cons 2 Consider Infirmities in the Saints are of the same nature with the lusts of wicked men It is sin though it be not reigning sin and this is enough to break a gracious heart to consider thus with it self my corruption is my infirmity indeed I but not such an infirmity as a dim eye or a palsie hand or a lame foot c. They are but natural defects my pride my passion my love of the world these are sinful distempers they do but prejudice the body these defile my Soul And look what ever may be said of sin in general as that it is a transgression of Gods Law a contrariety unto Gods Nature a contradiction to Gods Will A practical blasphemy against his Name and Attributes the rape of his mercies the date of his justice the challenge of his
Haec sunt quae homines faciunt invitos mori 2 Cor. 5.2 3 4. Woe is me that I sojourn in Mesech and have my habitation in the tents of Keder the Septuagint render it Woe is me that my pilgrimage is prolonged Wicked men their lusts are so far from making weary of the world that there is nothing makes them so unwilling to die They would fain live for ever here that they might sin for ever But under the burden of Corruption it is that the Saints groan die they would that they might sin no more Other advantages there are which God makes of the remainders of Corruption in the godly but these may serve for a taste You may enlarge in your own meditations by all which God expounds and fulfills Sampsons riddle to them Out of the Eater comes meat and out of the strong comes sweetnesse God maketh oyle of these scorpions and antidotes of poyson The Lord keep us from turning these antidotes into poyson Jude 4. this grace of God into lasciviousnesse this Doctrine of free grace into occasions and snares for the flesh this were to imitate the Devil not to imitate God God bringeth good out of evill the Devill brings evill out of good So it is with wicked men that which they call infirmity exposeth them to temptation 2 Tim. 3.13 and is an encouragement to them to sin evil men and seducers grow worse and worse deceiving Evidence 5 and being deceived A fifth evidential difference is this the Prophets and servants of God notwithstanding their sinful distempers are very serviceable in their generations Moses notwithstanding his Anger of what a choyce influence amongst the people How oft did he stand in the gap to turn away the wrath of God Job notwithstanding his fits of jmpatience of what use He was eyes to the blinde feet to the lame The poor mans Advocate in the gate to plead his cause David for all his slips surprises what a Reformer what an admirable Ruler in his Kingdome In his Family Psal 101. per totum sic in â—aeteris Thus Elias a man subject to passion and yet what service did he do for God for his generation wicked men while full of lusts are an uselesse generation good for nothing Mat 5.13 as our Lord saith of unsavoury salt but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men They are serviceable neither to God nor man like the withered vine of which you cannot make a pin to hang a vessel on they are of no support or service meer Cumber-grounds they are and the place where they live longs for a vomit to spew them out Their sins are reigning sins and they are meer slaves to their corruptions Tit. 3.2 3. serving divers lusts and pleasures Gods children though they have their decayes and feeble times yet are like the living vine which brings forth fruit to make glad the heart of God and man This speaks nothing in them but humane frailty A sixth and last differentiall note 6. Signall Difference Gods dear and precious servants though full of infirmities yet they are a praying people full of weaknesses but full of prayer too Of Saul it is said As soon as ever converting grace took hold of his heart Acts 9.11 Behold he prayeth This is the eminent instance in the Text. Elias had his passions but Elias was a mighty man in prayer he could shut and open heaven at his pleasure He could do what he would with God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in praying Rom. 12. he prayed the righteous pray and are fervent in prayer their very infirmities set them a praying to pray down their passions and to pray out their sinful distempers Carnal persons are full of passions but empty of prayers they can swear but they cannot pray they can curse but they cannot pray say prayers possibly they may as they call it but they cannot make prayers they may say Our Father c. but they have not the spirit of adoption to cry Abba Father to pour out their souls to God in child-like supplications and importunities Yea some there be that instead of making prayers are more ready to Curse prayer tantum non to blaspheme the spirit of prayer in the children of adoption This evidences them to be under the power and command of sin And now to apply our selves and the Text The Application to the particular occasion to the sad occasion before us the death of our dear and Reverend brother Mr. Walter Roswel I told you in the entrance that besides the two former acceptations of the word passions sc natural affections and sinful perturbations there was a third acception of the word namely as it denoteth more specially the affection of wrath sudden and irregular Anger And this the best of Gods Saints and servants have not been without Numb 20.11 Moses whom before you saw defective in faith at another time you may behold excessive in his passion He smiteth the rock when he was but to speak to it and his anger maketh him double his stroke He smote the rock twice He revileth the people when he should have convinced them hear ye Rebells And offended as it seems at his Commission he hardly forbeareth to murmur must we bring water out of this rock MVST WE And thus while he smiteth water out of the rock he striketh fire out of his own heart Behold and tremble Numb 12.3 The meekest man upon the face of the earth is transported into passion and his passion hurrieth him into such indecencies Numb 20.12 that hereupon God denieth him entrance into the land of Promise The Israelites whom he brought out of Egypt could not enter in because of their unbelief and Moses himself must not enter because of his Anger Rom. 11 3â— How swift and severe was God in this Censure how unsearchable are his judgements and his wayes past finding out David was under a very sinful passion 2 Sam. g 4. when he would have the people numbred all the rational and religious dissuasives which Joab the then Generall of his army did use could not allay the storm nor divert him from his sinful purpose Nothing can stand before the flame of his passion Psal 4. The Kings word prevailed against Joab though that flame consumed seventy thousand of his Subjects vers 16. Nor was that the onely instance of Davids distempered anger there was a time when the same fire had devoured and burnt down an whole innocent family to the ground 1 Sam. 25.22 cum 18. for the unnaturalnesse of a Churlish Master had not the wisdom of a prudent Governesse timely intervened The Disciples of our Lord because the Samaritans did not entertain Christ according to their expectations Luke 9.53 Ver. 54. although the Holy Ghost seems to make some apology for the refusal his face was as if he would go to Jerusalem they break out into Passion and fire presently must
soul and his doxologie together THANKS BE TO GOD FOR JESVS CHRIST And yet let us follow Elias a step or two further with Elishah his servant Paral. 14 2 Reg. 1.6 Elias went up to heaven in a fiery Chariot our Brother was carried up in a burning fever or rather he ascended up into glory in the triumphant Chariot of victorious assurance of the love of God in Jesus Christ Rom. 8.37 Lastly Paral. 15 Elijah let fall his mantle upon his servant Elishah who followed him in his ascension both with his eye and voyce My Father my Father 2 Rings 2.12 the Chariot of Israel and the horsemen thereof This good man let fall the mantle of blessings and prayers upon his dear Friends and Relations that stood crying about him in some such kind of phrase My Father my Father c. a blessing suitable to the state condition of every stander-ly And thus this servant of Christ made his LAST Will and Testament if I be not mistaken his ONLY Will Testament of Praise and Prayer praising God and blessing men And thus much for the Parallel between Elijah and our Reverend Brother I come now to the second thing propounded for the just vindication of our Brother of the truth it self and that is to shew you That the affection of Anger rightly qualified and managed is of singular use and advantage in the life and work of a Christian especially of a Minister of the Gospel which ought in no wise to be branded with the usual scandal of choler and passion I make no question the false prophets and their seduced proselytes stuck not to blast the holy Prophet in my Text with the same reproach a furious man a man of an intemperate and unbridled spirit that valued not mens lives but in his anger would not stick to call down fire from Heaven to destroy an hundred men at a time c. The very meek Spirit of God records it here in my Text that he was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of like passions with us and yet without any disparagement to his memorial in the land of the living To which end let me 1. in general put you in mind of this viz. That the passion of anger with other affections in nature at what time the person in whom they are is regenerate they do change their nature and become regenerate too and being baptized with the blood and spirit of Jesus Christ they receive Divine impressions and so pass into the catalogue of gracious affections and dispositions and become instruments of exceeding honour and service in the hand of Jesus Christ Jam. 3.17 who is pleased to make use of them in his own work ex gr WIT regenerate becometh Heavenly wisdom LOVE sanctified Gal. 5.6 Faith working by Love becomes an active principle in the hand of Faith FEAR besprinkled with the blood of Christ becomes a notable Andidote and prefervative against sin Hate I not them that hate thee c. Psal 139.21 HATRED spiritualized an holy Antipaethy with any thing or person contrary to God COVRAGE sanctified by the Holy Ghost Zach. He that is as David shall be like an Angel of God is turned into a kind of Angelical fortitude And thus to be short PASSION born again of water and the spirit becometh the grace of Zeal and holy jealousy for God and for the interest of Jesus Christ Anger sanctified is that to the affections which edge is to the instrument which varnish is to colours which wind is to the sails of a ship judgment is the ballast but zeal is the full gale it is as mettle to the horse it is the activity of every grace every affection red hot for Jesus Christ Cant. 8.7 which much water cannot quench neither can the floods drown it In a word passion refined and spiritualized is every faculty of the Soul acting to its height for the glory of God The zeal of thy house hath eaten me up Psal 69 9. To be short Sanctified anger in the Saints of God is not that which the world takes it to be a short madness Psal 31. Furor ira brevis but a grace of the Spirit of God yea it is a compound and temperament of all graces acting in summo gradu in the height of intention for the promoting of the concernments of Christs Kingdom I told before that Elijah was an useful man though he was subject to passion I shall tell you more now He was therefore so useful BECAVSE he was subject to passion his anger and passion being sanctified made him so abundantly active for God and the reformation of the publick worship doctrine and ordinances in his generation had he wanted his passion he had wanted some of his zeal for God And so it was with our worthy brother deceased That which an idle wanton loose luke-warm generation of professors as well as prophane persons for the palliating of their own hypocrisie and Gallio-like-indifferency in matters of religion called passion and choler in him was in deed and in truth nothing but his zeal and courage and activity for Jesus Christ which truly did even consume him Alas in this apostate generation all things have lost their proper names the Devil appears in Samuels mantle Satan in the form of an Angel of light and sin puts on the habit of vertue that it may deceive the more safely Thus Luke-warmness and cursed neutrality in religion passeth abroad for meekness and sweetness of Spirit Carnal Policy for Christian Prudence Cursed Compliance with the lusts of men for moderation and command of a mans spirit sic in coeteris While zeal and fidelity to the truth ordinances and government of Jesus Christ heare ill in the world and suffer all the odium and scandal that a reviling world and the venemous wit of malice can heap upon it Truly the earth is not able to bear their words And therefore Jam. 2.14 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 you that fear God be instructed and take heed how ye became Judges of evil thoughts that ye do not judge perversly according to your own corrupt thoughts or according to the corrupt thoughts of the men of the world whose judgment is totally perverted by carnal interest and vile affections Take heed Isa 5. ye do not call good evil and evil good put light for daokness and darkness for light and so condemn the generation of Gods Children and bless the proud whom the Lord abhorreth And thus having premised thus much in general concerning anger and passion in the Saints Because indeed even where this affection is sanctified it is not sanctified quite through but may have even in the best of Saints and without question in this servant of Christ had some mixtures of the old corrupt nature troubling and distempering it sometimes which makes the Saints go mourning and sighing within themselves and wishing to be dissolved and to be with Christ Let me come
the heart is more offended at the Law because it crosseth corruption then at corruption because it crosseth the Law it is more then infirmity Gracious souls justify the Law but condemn their lusts Rom. 7.12 Verse 14. the Law is holy and the Commandement is holy and just and good all the fault they find is with themselves I am carnal sold under sin they have good thoughts of the law it is good it is spiritual but they cannot find any word bad enough for themselves I am a wretch c. this is infirmity indeed It is good when men study to bring up their hearts to the Rule not labour to bring down the Rule to their hearts Gods children would feign have their lives as strait as the Law Psa 119.5 Oh that my wayes were directed to keep thy Satutes carnal people would willingly have the Law as crooked as their lives Ezek. 18. The wayes of the Lord are not equall This is an hard saying Joh. 6. who can bear it Lastly Seventh note when Corruption gets ground and growes more impetuous and head-strong from time to time it is then more then infirmity when sin fortifieth it self and can make resistance against whatsoever doth oppose it it is Reigning sin sin then in the foul is as Rex in Regno as a King in his Kingdome strengthening and securing its throne against all opposition Corruption in the Saints is upon the losing-hand infirmities will grow more and more infirm as distempers in the body when a man is upon recovery Object Then are not my corruptions infirmities will some poore soule be ready to object for they grow stronger and stronger and not weaker and weaker my sinful passions and distempers get ground of me I do not get ground of my passions Answ To this I answer I. It is not usuall for them that lye under the power and command of their lusts to make such complaints they of whom lust and corruption gets ground seldome say so they study apologies ut supra not aggravations Such poor Christians therefore that thus object against themselves are not easily to be believed 2. It is true Satan may roare most when he is cast out the last pangs of dying beasts are strongest and so it may be with a dying lust But observe a few things 1. Many times the poor believer saies his corruptions grow when onely indeed he growes more sensible of his corruptions when light groweth and grace groweth and corruption growes more burdensom this doubting Souls call the groweth of corruption the new Convert complains he hath more corruption then ever when onely he sees corruption more then ever and is more sensible of corruption then ever Witness this that the poor Soul is more impatient now of the least corruption then formerly it was of the grossest acts this is certain the more burdensome corruption groweth the more ground it loseth 2. Doth thy displacency against corruption grow Dost thou hate thy corruptions more then ever thy self for them Whilst thou saiest corruption growes dost thou dislike thy corruptions more then ever Christian thou gettest ground of corruption corruption doth not get ground of thee A Tyrant may grow more oppressive and more impetuous but he growes more burdensom and more intollerable Why all this while he is upon the losing hand he loseth ground in the hearts of the people Let him think himself never so secure he is upon the declining hand he is afalling So it is with sin the more it is hated the weaker it groweth Thirdly Doth thy watchfulness grow Thou grow more vigilant more jealous of thine own heart More afraid of thy self Dost stand at a greater distance from temptation shunning the appearances and occasions of sin Corruption gets no ground of thee but thou of Corruption Fourthly Doth thy opposition grow As corruption and temptation growes stronger in thy apprehension dost thou make stronger resistances dost thou fortifie more against temptation Dost pray more and more fervently Art thou more and more active in the dutie of mortification Corruption iâ— a looser Fifthly Doth Christ grow more precious to thee Dost thou see more need of Christ More beauty and excellency in Christ not onely for pardon of sin but for power against sin Not only for justification but for sanctification Not onely as a fountain of happiness but as a fountain of holiness And dost thou go out in his strength against thy corruptions labouring with the Apostle to know the power of his Resurrection 〈◊〉 3.10 and the fellowship of his sufferings that thou mayest be conformable to him Fear not Christian thy God and the God of thy fathers hath given thee treasure in thy ack Care concupiscit adversus spiritum si non spiritus adersus carnem faciunt adulâ—â—e ium â—ug â— Gal. 1.5 7. It is a blessed thing when corruption drawes out grace when as the flesh lusteth against the spirit the spirit lusteth against the flesh Behold whilst thou mournest and complainest that corruption gets ground the truth is Grace gets ground of Corruption Sence of corruption is a grace and displicency against corruption is a grace and watchfulness is a grace and opposition against sin is a grace and precious thoughts of Christ a grace Now if corruption be an occasion to exert these graces it is grace that gets ground of corruption and not corruption of grace A second general Caution A second general Caution Take heed of making the Saints infirmities your encouragements in sin For first They are not for our imitation but our admonition Ut sup use 1. make not the infirmities of the godly Cur non ego Salvian patrons of your wickedness Say not in your hearts why not I Why may not I be drunk as well as Noah And commit adultery as well as David 2. There is no such folly in nature was there ever any so sottish as to imitate other mens deformities in nature or misfortunes in the world Did ye ever hear of any man so mad as to put out his eyes because another man was blind Or to throw away his riches because other men are poor Was ever any man yet heard to say And why may not I sit upon the dungh-hil as well as Job Or lye at the rich mans door begging as well as Lazarus Why may not I dwell in the wilderness as well as John the Baptist And not have whereon to lay my head as well as our Saviour Alas Alas that this folly should onely befal the sons of men onely in spirituals in soul-concernments This is a lamentation and shall be for a lamentation 3. There be in the Saints of God things more worthy of imitation then their infirmities There was meekness in Moses patience in Job holiness in David zeal for God in Elijah c. In a word there are Graces in Gods children as well as corruptions Oh! how much more noble and excellent is it to imitate the Saints in