sence and reason as would affright any carnall heart yet he hath withall such sweetnings to mingle with them as maketh them very passable to all whom he leads through them Egypt the bondage of it he can make tolerable The Wildernesse the intricacies of it he can make a plaine way through Canaan the high Wals and strong enemies thereof even the children of Anack whose very sight strikes terrour he can make conquerable to his Christ and to his seed Onely take heed of suddennesse of sudden judgement Men that are apt to be sudden are as liable to deceit and commonly are deceived especially in abstruse and difficult cases he that will give sentence at first dash without weighing the matter thoroughly and the severall circumstances of it may easily erre in judgment and an error herein is of no small concernment there cannot be a worse and more dangerous mistake There are two sorts of persons very prone to be sudden in the judgement they passe on spirituall things and their own estate in spirituall things The weak and dark Christian who is ready still through his fear which ever accompanies weaknes darknes to conclude all against himselfe and the slight and superficiall Christian who never thoroughly looked into spirituall things nor hath been well versed in the deceits about them he is apt to take the likenesse and appearance of every thing for the thing it selfe and to conclude all for himselfe with as great confidence as the other thrusts all from himselfe with over-much diffidence The former lay any promise before him he will say it belongs not to him bring him to any tryall he is presently cast Try his Faith alas there is nothing but unbeliefe to be found in him Try his love it is but a naturall affection Try his obedience it is but forced by the command Try his uprightnesse why there is nothing more deceitfull then his heart The latter he is in a clean contrary posture Mention any promise he can presently lay hold oâ— it it belongs to him and he can suck a great deale of sweetnesse out of it Speak of Faith why he hath it he knowes that he is undone without Christ and that he is the only way to life such as believe on him shall be saved and him hath he trusted with his soul Tell him this Faith must be wrought by God why he knowes that no man can work it himselfe it is the gift of God Tell him it must be a spirituall Faith hee knowes that too every grace is spirituall Name any thing else so soone as you have spoke it he hath it Speak of love either to God or the brethren his heart will presently witnesse to him that he doth love both God and the brethren and it is a sincere love not for any by-ends in one kind or other Come to obedience he holds sound there too he obeyes the will of God at least in desire and endeavour he performes duties he strives against his corruptions nay and hee doth not this in in a legall way as thinking to be saved hereby hee knowes he must be saved by Christ alone by Faith in him and for his heart though he faile in many things yet hee blesseth God that it is u right and he knowes God is mercifull to pardon his failings and accept of his integrity So that he hath no cause to feare or trouble himselfe about any thing for he is sure what ever may befall him here it will be well at last and so he is at rest Now both these are commonly mistaken The former for the promises many times belong to such a soule though hee cannot apply them and hee may have true faith and true love and true obedâ—ence though he cannot see it The seed may bee sown in him and grow up in him though hee know not how and so cannot acknowledge it and he is not to be blamed for not acknowledging it for how can he till hee know it nor for suspecting it but only for such a sudden and positive determining of the contrary which hee hath as little if not lesse ground for then for his suspition And for the latter The promises doe seldome belong to such a person The promises doe not so easily meet with and melt into our spirits as such kind of language implyes and for his Faith his love his obedience his uprightnesse they may be but of the stamp of nature and if they should meet with such tryals and blasts as God hath generally appointed and doth usually prepare for his they would soon discover themselves Now marke the danger of each The former loseth his peace his comfort The latter his soule if hee be deceived and both by the same miscarriage their forwardnesse and suddennesse in judgement the one determines for himselfe the other against himselfe upon their own imagination and apprehension before they have the thing laid before them and opened to them which they should judge or the light held to them by which they should judge The one determines against his Faith The other for his Faith and yet neither knowes what Faith is and they both doe it by their own reason which is no true light to discern or judge spirituall things by It were a more modest and sutable action for either to bewaile their own ignorance with a sence of their need of understanding and determining this thing and to pray and wait for light and help from him by whom it is cleerely discerned and who can make it discernable unto them FINIS THE Spirituall Practise OF CHRISTIANS IN The Primitive Times Wherein Are contained the sweet goings forth of life in the soule which is enstated in Christ and in the sweetnesse and clearnesse of the GOSPEL HAving laid down the tryall of a Christian in the fore-going Treatise it may not be amisse to adde somewhat concerning the Practise of a Christian as it was cast in upon reading the Episte to the Ephesians or some part of the Rule whereby their practise was squared which in that Epistle resolves it selfe into these foure streames 1 To suck in the sweetnesse of the Gospel 2 To admire God and Christ who have been at the great cost to purchase and prepare this feast of fatnesse and sweetnesse for the soule 3 To walk worthy of this his his goodnesse And 4 To stand upon our guard that wee bee not driven from it from enjoying the sweetnesse of it from honouring God with it This is the path whereinto Christians then were led and wherein they walked 1. To suck in the sweetnesse of the Gospel to be ever seeding upon Christ to be ever delighting in that glorious state and in those glorious priviledges God hath bestowed upon us in Christ and this is to bee done two wayes I. By considering the mercies and priviledges we have in Christ As First we have redemption pardon of sinne in him we are bought from our captivity and misery by his blood we are washed from
A Touchstone or Tryall OF FAITH BY The Originall from whence it springs and the Root out of which it grows Held out By way of EXPOSITION of the 12 and 13 verses of the first Chapter of Iohn's Gospel and of the six former verses of the third Chapter which treat expresly about this point Intended Not for the disquiet of any but for the eternall Rest and Peace of all to whom the Lord shall please to make it usefull thereunto To which is added The Spirituall Practise of CHRISTIANS in the Primitive Times LONDON Printed for Giles Calvert at the Black Spread-Eagle at the West end of Pauls 1648. To the Reader READER IF thou hast any leasure from partaking in or exclaming against the bitter contentions of this present age which have eat out most mens content in themselves and their pleasingnesse to others Here are some serious considerations proposed to thee as thou wilt one day acknowledge when thine eyes come to be fully opened It is high time to look out after some other place and certainty of entertainment there when this earth by its continuall shaking and cracking under us doth so often threaten that it will not long support us There is no true security for us but by Faith in Chrisst he is the only Rock and there is no stepping thither but by Faith there is no certainty but by an assured knowledge of the truth of this Faith whereof there are so many and such accurate cheats that it is not possible to discern the difference without through sifting and scanning The Devill that great cozouning merchant hath all kinde of counterfeit wares which hee paints and guilds that he may put off for true He hath grosser ware for the grosser sort whom he can content with any thing but more refined stuffe for such as look more narrowly into things Men that are openly vaine and prophane yet can hardly bee beaten off from it but that they love God and have such a Faith as will carry them to heaven though they doe not live so strictly as others yet they believe in Christ and that is it God looks after This deceit thou seest through oh stricter soule but know withall the Devill hath more curious counterfeits wherein there is the exact proportion of the thing resembled all but the life and power yea he is cunning also in imitating the life and power of every thing he hath a resemblance of that too for those that will not otherwise be content to keep them from attaining the truth and substance which if they were not thus deceived by him with the similitude of they would not cease to pursue Thou art confident thou art not deceived so are all that are deceived the Devill could not deceive thee with that which is false if he did not withall work in thee a perswasion that it is true What will it hurt thee to try and try thoroughly Nay surely it will much advantage thy very confidence After tryall thou mayst be confident upon knowledge now thou art confident but upon supposition and if thou shouldest at last prove mistaken thou wouldest have too much time to befoole thy selfe and bewaile thy confidence thou wilt be more angry that thou wert pressed no further to tryall then thou art now offended that thou art pressed so much to it Thou art but a Traveller in this world and yet thou wilt look after a sure title in these transitory things oh look that there be not a flaw in thy title to thy true inheritance And if thy spirit be seriously bent towards this employment here perhaps the Lord may administer to thee some help and direction or furnish thee better some other way when he shall see good The way of tryall here propounded is certaine though somewhat difficult yea indeed altogether impossible without the help of Gods Spirit And yet what sweeter safer truer direction can be given to us poore weak empty creatures who are nothing who can doe nothing then to fly to him who is able to do all things to issue out that power to us and manage it in us whereby the thing we desire may be effected and to waite quietly upon him in our present uncertaine condition till he shall please to do it rather then patch up a satisfaction of our own And this way of tryall is not any invention of mine but it is plainly represented in these Scriptures from the mouth of Iohn and Christ referring the tryall of Faith to the birth and of the birth to the Spirit as thou mayst more fully see in the Discourse it selfe to which I now leave thee to make what use of it the Lord shall direct thee Thine in what the Lord pleaseth Isaac Pennington A Touchstone or Tryall OF FAITH JOHN 1. VERS 12. 13. But as many as received him to them gave he power to become the sonnes of God even to them that believe on his Name Which were born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God THis sweet and soaring Evangelist having glanced at the excellency of our Lord Christ in his relation to God being his Word his presence and onenesse with God vers. 1. in his influence upon all things he gave them their being vers. 3. he gave them their life too for it was first in him and his life containes all that light that man at any time receiveth either naturall or spirituall either from and through the creatures in at the windowes of his own sence and reason or more immediately from the Spirit of God into his own spirit vers. 4. Having thus given a generall and pithy description of him who was to be the maine subject of his discourse he comes in the next place to speak of his fore-runner and what of Christ might be learned from him He describeth this fore-runner 1. By his mission he was sent from God hee did not goe of his owne head but God bid him goe 2. By his name His name was John vers. 6. 3. By the end of his comming it was for to be a witnesse to testifie somewhat from God unto the world 4. Concerning what he was to witnesse It was concerning that light he had spoken of that came into the world and shined in the darknesse uncomprehended by the darknesse that this was the light indeed 5. To what end he was to witnesse this that all through him might believe that by his meanes men might universally come to acknowledge this light and to cast themselves upon it to lead them unto life vers. 7. In vers 8. he removes a mistake which might arise in men minds concerning this end He was not that light but to beare witnesse of that light as if hee had said do not mistake he was not this light himself he came not to that end to be the light but only to give in a testimony from God concerning the light to tell men which was it that men might not have
makes a sonne and therefore those that want the spirit of sonnes we say they are unnaturall God should beget unnaturall children if he should not endue them with a sonlike Spirit He could not be a true Father beget a true child unlesse he begat his own spirit in him There can be no life of a sonne no voyce of a sonne no motion of a sonne without the spirit Rom. 8. 9 26. Sonship and the spirit are knit together Gal. 4. 6. Because yee are Sonnes God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Sonne into your hearts crying Abba Father It belongs to the Father both to beget and cherish a sonlike spirit in his son God hath undertaken for his as well that they shall be sons and daughters as to be a Father to them 2 Cor. 6. 18. He will beget in them and poure out upon them such a sonlike spirit that neither he nor they shall be ashamed of the relation 3. A sonlike inheritance Such an one as becomes such an heir what God now possesses he must inherit if he be his son his heir it is his priviledge what power wisdome goodnesse glory c. God now enjoyes he must have when he is grown up to it Rom. 8. 17. This all that receive Chriâ—t must have from and with Christ all this God hath given unto Christ and he giveth it all with himselfe so that take him and take all Quest But what is this same receiving of Christ who are those persons that receive him how may we know them Answ. The next words tell you It is them that believe on his Name The name of Christ is his power to save to bring men out of their misery and wretchednesse unto this This light comes to lighten men out of their darknesse into it selfe and who ever lay hold on him he fetcheth them out who ever is fastened unto him cannot abide in darknesse but must come out with him Now to believe on his name is to fasten on this power of his faith is that glue which makes the soule in whom it is stick and cleave to Christ and any such soules he fetcheth them out of the clutches of the Devill presently and from amiddest that power of darknesse under which they lay and giveth them this priviledge to become sons of God Act. 26. 18. Quest But how may we know those who believe or how come these persons to believe and receive him before others his own they receive him not how comes it about that these receive him Answ. That is resolved in the following verse vers. 13. they have a new principle of life put into them which inclines them so to doe Which were born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God These persons come to it by a new birth they come not to faith by the powers of nature but they are new born before they believe They have a new seed of a new life put into them out of which faith growes and from which it fetcheth its ability to act Now concerning this birth that we may not be deceived about it he shewes first what it is not whence it doth not proceed and then what it is whence it doth proceed It is not a birth of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God 1. Not of blood Blood may import that instruction in Religion and disposition towards Religion which a man receiveth from his Parents There is a veine of Religon runnes along with the blood and there is a kind of naturall inclination in all persons towards Religion both which meeting together with some addition of instruction will carry a person very farre in Religious practises This was the Religion of the Iewes generally what they drank in from their parents and were accustomed to by their education that they were very strict in the observation of And this is the root of most of the Religion at this day in the Word Turkes Papists yea Protestants generally suck in their Religion with their blood indeed they all pretend to a power of God and strive to make up a kind of satisfaction to themselves one way or other whereas the ground-work whereupon they build is rotten But this is not the true birth man in the naturall way of generation cannot convey it Abraham did not thus convey it to Isaac but he was a sonne by Promise it is not the blood of Abraham through which the Faith of Abraham runnes 2. Nor of the will of the flesh The will of the flesh being distinguished from the will of man denoteth the corrupt part with the desires thereof which also doth operate and has a power to produce a birth in Religion though not the true birth This will of the flesh may work a twofold way either in ones selfe or in others and either way may effect a great change in the person in the reference to Religion though not the true one First There is the will of the flesh working in a mans selfe when a man for by-ends as vaine-glory profit quietnesse sake or any such like thing taketh up the profession and practice of Religion this is from the flesh from a corrupt principle when a man takes up Religion not from a pure conviction of conscience not for Religions sake but because it suites with such and such by-ends of his tends to advantage him in this or that respect Thus the Pharisees took up most of their practises out of a desire of honour and gaine and it hath beene observed and known of many in former times that they have been Puritanes on such termes as these to obtaine a wife to please their friends to encrease their custome and the like And thus are many things maintained among us at this day which the light that is abroad would quickly and clearly dispell only corrupt ends keep them alive And thus a man may be born anew as it were a great change may be made in him and he appeare a new man to all that behold him when as it is indeed but the working of the flesh his prosecuting some corrupt ends of his own which maketh him thus forward and zealous in Religion Secondly There is this corrupt part or will of the flesh not only working in a mans selfe but in others also and that is when other men for corrupt ends of their own strive to bring on persons specially such as may be more easily led to such and such practises in Religion and to zeale in such and such particular things Thus the Pharisees did bring the people into many practises for their own corrupt ends and thus were the poore Proselytes born they were brought into a way of Religion by the Iewes who took great paines to effect it but made them ten times more the children of hell then they were before And this we shall see will be the case of many poore soules at last who have followed