A CABINET OF CHOICE JEVVELS OR A Box of precious Ointment Being a plain Discovery of or what men are worth for Eternity and how 't is like to go with them in another World Here is also a clear and large Discovery of the several rounds in Jacob's Ladder that no Hypocrite under Heaven can climb up to Here are also such closs piercing distinguishing and discovering evidences as will reach and suit those Christians who are highest in Grace and spiritual Enjoyments and here are many Evidences which are suited to the Capacities and Experiences of the weakest Christians in Christ's School And here Christians may see as in a Glass what a sober Use and Improvement they ought to make of their evidences for Heaven and how in the use of their gracious evidences they ought to live First upon the free grace of God Secondly upon the Mediatory righteousness of Christ Thirdly upon the Covenant of Grace With several other Points of grand Importance c. By Thomas Brooks formerly Preacher of the Gospel at St. Margarets New-Fishstreet Brethren give diligence to make your calling and election sure 2 Pet. 1.10 Examine your selves whether ye be in the faith prove your own selves know ye not your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be reprobates Or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unapproved or rejected Omnis anima est aut sponsa Christi aut adultera Diaboli Austin London Printed and are to be sold by John Hancock at the first Shop in Popes-Head-Alley in Cornhil at the sign of the three Bibles or at his Shop in Bishops-Gate-Street near great St. Hellins 1669. To the Right Worshipful Sir John Frederick Knight and the Lady Mary Frederick his pious Consort To Mr. Nathaniel Herne and Mrs. Judith his vertuous Wife All confluence of blessings both for this Life and for that which is to come from the Father of Mercies and God of all Consolations Honoured and Beloved in our Lord Jesus THough I croud your Names together yet I owe more than an Epistle to each of your Names but the Loâ—d having made you near and dear one to another more wayes than one I take the boldness to present this Treatise to you jointly Here is nothing in this Book that relates to the Government of Church or State The design of this Treatise is to shew what men are worth for Eternity and how it is like to go with them in another World Granctensis tells of a woman that was so affected with souls miscarryings that she besought God to stop up the passage into hell with her soul and body that none might have entrance O anima Dei insignita imagine desponsata fide donata spiritu c. Bern. O divine soul invested with the image of God espoused to him by faith c. There are none of the sons of men but bear about with them precious and immortal souls that are more worth than ten thousand thousand worlds if the soul be safe all is safe if that be well all is well if that be lost all is lost The first great work that men are to attend in this World is the eternal safety and security of their souls the next great work is to know to be assured that it shall go well with their souls for ever And these are the main things that are aimed at in this Discourse The soul is the better and more noble part of man upon the soul the Image of God is most fairly stampt the soul is first converted and the soul shall be first and most glorified the soul is that spiritual and immortal substance that is capable of union with God and of communion with God and of an eternal fruition of God Plato though a Heathen could say That he thought the soul to be made all of eternity and that the putting the soul into the body was a sign of great wrath from God Each living corps must yield at last to death Pindarus And every life must leese his vital breath The soul of man that only lives on high And is an image of Eternity The Romans when their Emperors and great Ones died and their bodies were buried they caused an Eagle to mount on high thereby to signifie the souls immortality and ascent He gave good counsel who said Play not the Courtier with your soul the Courtier doth all things late he rises late and dines late and sups late and repents late A Scythian Captain having for a draught of water delivered up his City cryed out Quid perdidi quid prodidi What have I lost what have I betrayed So many at last will cry out What have I lost what have I betrayed I have lost God and Christ and Heaven and have betrayed my precious and immortal soul into the hands of divine Justice and into the hands of Satan Who these men are that will at last thus cry out this Treatise does discover I have read that there was a time when the Romans did wear jewels on their shoes Most men in this day do worse for they trample that matchless jewel of their souls under feet and who these are this Treatise does discover One well observes Chrysost That whereas God hath given many other things double two eyes to see with two ears to hear with two hands to work with and two feet to walk with to the intent that the failing of the one might be supplied by the other but he hath given us but one soul and if that be lost hast thou saith he another soul to give in recompence for it Now who those are whose souls are in a safe estate and who those are whose souls are in danger of being lost for ever this Treatise does plainly and fully discover Psal 15. Psal 144.15 To describe to the life who that man is that is truly happy in this world and that shall be blest for ever in the other world is the work of this ensuing Treatise The grace of the Covâ—nant in us is a sure evidence of Gods entring into the Covenant of grace with us To be in a gracious state is true happiness but to know our selves to be in such a state is the top of our happiness in this world A man may have grace and yet for a time not know it 1. Joh. 5.13 The child lives in the womb but does not know it A man may be in a gracious state and yet not see it Psal 77. Psal 88. he may have a saving work of God upon his soul and yet not discern it he may have the root of the matter in him and yet not be able to evidence it Now to help such poor hearts to a right understanding of their spiritual condition and that they may see and know what they are worth for another world and so go to their graves in joy and peace I have sent this Treatise abroad into the world Will you give me leave to say First Some men of name
that is sins own work and not ours but he sayes Let it not reign in you for when a King reigns the Subjects do â—s it were actively obey and embrace his command whereas they are rather patients than agents in a tyranny a regenerate mans will riseth against his sin even then when he is worsted by sin and led captive by sin A Tyrant is obeyed unwillingly the wills of his subjects rise up against his commands and if his power were not superior to their wills they would never obey him Sin is no King but a Tyrant in the souls of the Saints and therefore their wills so far as they are renewed can't but rise against it O Sirs remember this for ever that the molesting vexing and tempting power of sin does not speak out its dominion for sin may molest and vex and tempt as an enemy where it doth not rule and reign as a King as you see this day in many Nations of the earth there are many enemies that do molest vex and tempt the subjects of those Nations who yet are far enough off from having any rule or dominion over them but then sin is in dominion when it commands in the heart as a King in his Throne or as a Lord in his house or as a General in his Army freely boldly universally cheerfully and when the soul doth as freely boldly universally and cheerfully subject it self to sins commands where men commonly yield up their wills and affections to the commands of sin there sin reigns and this is the case of every unregenerate man but where the will does commonly make a stout opposition to sin there it reigns not now this is the case of every regenerate man That Prince cannot truly be said to reign in that Kingdom where commonly he meets with stout opposition So 't is here A sincere Christian makes it the great business and work of his life above all other things in this world to make all the opposition he can against his lusts and is throughly resolved to die fighting against his sins as Pietro Candiano one of the Dukes of Venice died fighting against the Nauritines It is a harder thing to fight with a mans lusts than to fight with the cross Augustine with the weapons in his hand Aâ— Caesar said in a battel he fought against one of Pompey's sons at other times I fought for honour but now I fight for my life so a sincere Christian fights against his sins as for his life Castellio's opinion was vain viz. That men are of three sorts some unregenerate some regenerating and others regenerated and that these last have no combat betwixt flesh and spirit which is quite cross to Scripture Rom. 7 14-24 Gal. 5.17 c. and contrary to the experience of all Saints in all the ages of the world But Thirdly When a man is usually peremptory in his sinnings in the face of all reprehensions and arguments that tend to disswade him from sin Prov. 29.1 Jer. 5.3 4. 44.15 16 17. then sin is in dominion when the constant bent of the heart is inflamed towards sin and when the desires of the soul are insatiably carried after sin and when the resolutions of the soul are strongly and habitually set upon sin Hos 2.6 7. then sin is in the Throne and then it reigns as a King when God hedges up the sinners way with thorns yet the sinner will break through all to his sin when life and death heaven and hell glory and misery are set before the sinner Deut. 30.15 19. 11.26 27 28.29 yet the sinner will be peremptory in his sinnings though he lose his life his soul and all the glory of another world then sin reigns But Fourthly When men ordinarily habitually commonly are very careful studious and laborious to make provision for sin then sin reigns Rom. 13. ult Make no provision for the flesh to fulfil the lusts thereof or as the Greek has it David in an hour of temptation once made provision for his lusts 2 Sam. 11.14 15. but this was not his course his trade c. Make no projects for the flesh or cater not for the flesh when a mans head and heart is full of projects how to gratifie this lust and how to satisfie that lust and how to fulfil t'other lust then sin reigns then 't is in its throne Jam. 4.3 Ye ask and receive not because you ask amiss that ye may consume it upon your lusts Both the Law of God and nature requires me to make provision of raiment food and physick for my body and for theirs that are under my charge but it may cost me my life my estate yea my very soul to make provision for my lusts Such as ask amiss shall be sure to ask and miss he that would make God a Baud to his lusts may ask long enough before God will answer of all affronts there is none to this of making God a servant to our lusts Hos 2.8 and where this frame of spirit is there sin is in dominion He that abuses mercies to serve his lusts fights against God with his own weapons as David did against Goliah and as Benhadad did against Ahab with that very life that he had newly given him such a soul like the waters of Jordan will at last certainly drop into the dead lake But Fifthly When sin is commonly habitually sweet and the soul takes a daily pleasure and delight in it then it reigns as you may see by comparing the Scriptures in the margenâ— together Joh 20.12 13. Prov. 2.14 Amos 6.13 Zeph. 3.11 2 Thes 2.12 when a man daily takes as joyful contentation and satisfaction in his lusts and in walking after the wayes of his own heart as he does in his highest outward enjoyments oâ— in his nearest and dearest relations then certainly sin is in dominion Such men as can go constantly on in a way of wickedness meerly to delight and content the flesh such men are certainly under the power and reign of sin Many of the Heathens who knew what rational delights were scorned sensual delights as inferior to them These will one day rise in judgment against many of the Professors in our dayes I know there is no real pleasure or delight in sin if intemperance could afford more pleasure than temperance then Hiliogabalus should have been more happy than Adam in Paradise yea if there were the least real delight in sin there could be no perfect hell where men shall most perfectly sin and most perfectly be tormented with their sins Heark Scholar said the Harlot to Apulciuâ— 't is but a bitter sweet that you are so fond of Pâ—â—â—rh When an Asp stings a man it doth at first tickle him and make him laugh till the poyson by little and little gets to his heart and then it pains him more than before it delighted him 'T is so with sin it may tickle the soul at first but it will pain
and a murtherous or adulterous heart is worse than a murtherous or adulterous act c. And therefore true grace makes head against heart-sins against spiritual sins against the most inward secret sins against those very sins that lye not within the reach of reason or the Sword of the Magistrate or the piercing eye of the most knowing or observing man in the World but are only obvious to an omniscient eye But now carnal men as they make little of outward sins so they make nothing of heart-sins of spiritual sins If they are not drunkards nor swearers Matt. 19 16-27 nor extortioners nor whoremasters nor cursers nor cheaters nor oppressors nor lyars nor persecutors if they are good negative Christians then they think themselves very good Saints and in a very fair way for heaven and that no man can say Black is their eye when their hearts are as full of evil thoughts and secret lusts as Ignorance Atheism unbelief pride envy discontent anger formality hypocrisy indifferency lukewarmness deadness and hardness c. as the Sun is full of light or as Hell is full of darkness Restraining grace common grace only makes head against gross enormities against palpable vanities as you may see in the Scribes and Pharises but saving grace makes head against heart-sins against spiritual sins Common grace is all for washing the outside but Saving grace is for washing the inside as well as the outside Common grace is only for washing the feet and the head but Saving grace is for washing both feet head and heart Look as in a dark night we can only see those stars that are of the greatest magnitude Matth. 23. John 13.9 10. so by the star-light of natural Conscience the natural man can only see those sins that are more great and gross Natural convictions can reach no further than natural light but spiritual convictions reach to the most inward secret spiritual and undiscernable sins Certainly that is a sincere heart a heart more worth than gold that smites a man for inward sins as well as for outward sins for sins done in a corner as well as for sins acted upon the house top for spiritual sins as well as for fleshly sins for sins against the Soul as well as for sins against the body for sins committed in a Closet as well as for sins committed on the most publick Stage Certainly that trouble and grief that springs from heart-sins from spiritual sins from secret sins bears a more immediate relation to the holiness of God who only observes them and is offended by them and so is a most sure and infallible evidence of saving Grace and of the work of the spirit in power upon the Soul When open commissions do humble and abase the heart and secret inclinations to sin do even break and burst the heart asunder then the heart is certainly sincere with God A Christian will readily grant that his God is a good God and that Jesus Christ is the chiefest of ten thousand and that the Gospel is a glorious Gospel and that the Promises are precious Promises and that the Ordinances are blessed Ordinances and that the lively communion of Saints is the Sweetest communion in all the world But yet he will say I have such a proud heart such a hard heart such a flight heart such a carnal heart c. and I am so vexed and molested with sinful motions and with sinful imaginations and with sinful inclinations and with Atheistical risings and with private murmurings and with secret unbelievings and that in despite of all my conflictings and strivings and prayings and mournings and sighings and groanings and complainings that I am oftentimes even weary of my life And if this does not speak out Christ within and grace within and the Spirit within such a Soul I know nothing O friends remember this once for all viz. That the main Battle the main warfare of a Christian lyes not in the open field it lyes not in visible skirmishes but his main quarrels and conflicts are most within and his worst and greatest enemies are them of his own house they are them of his own heart A little grace at first conversion may reform an ill life but it must be a great deal of grace that must reform an ill heart A little grace may make a man victorious over outward gross sins but it must be a great deal of grace that must make a man victorious over inward sins secret sins spiritual sins heart-sins yea a through conquest of these sins will hold a man play all his dayes But Sixthly He that abstains from sin he whose heart rises against sin he that sets himself against sin because of the evil nature of sin 2 Cor. 7.1 I have read of the Ermin that she will rather dye than be got into the dirt to defile her beautiful skin And rather than Joseph will defile his beautiful soul by defiling his Masters bed he will to a dirty Dungeon He had rather that the Irons should enter into his Soul Psal 105.18 than that sin should enter into his Conscience He had rather that his chains should eat into his flesh than that sin should pollute his soul Isa 59.1 2. Amos 3.6 Acts 5.39 because of that vileness and filthiness that is in sin he certainly has a principle of Grace a seed of God in him He who refrains from sin and whose heart rises more against sin because of the purity of the Law which forbids sin then because of the severity of the Law which condemns sin is certainly under the power of renewing Grace of saving Grace Psal 119.140 Thy word is very pure therefore thy servant loveth it 't is only pure Grace that can inable a man to love the Word for its purity The Apostle to set forth the formidable evil that is in sin expresses it thus Rom. 7.13 That sin might appear to be sin He could find nothing more evil and odious to express it by than it self Sin is so great an evil that it cannot have a worse Epithet given it Paul can call it no worse than by its own name sinful sin Had the Apostle said that sin might appear to be a snare a Serpent a Viper a Toad a Plague a Devil a Hell c. he had said much but yet not enough to set forth the transcendent evil that is in sin and therefore he calls it sinful sin All other evils are but outward they only reach the name the body the estate the life but sin is an inward evil a spiritual evil an evil that reaches the precious and immortal Soul and therefore is the greatest evil Death puts an end to all other troubles viz. poverty sickness disgrace scorn contempt crosses losses c. but sin is so great an evil that death it self cannot put an end to it Eternity it self shall never put a stop a period to this evil of evils All outward evils can never make a man the subject of Gods
present or absent we may be accepted of him The Apostles made it their ambition to get acceptance in heaven riches and honours and gifts and arts and parts c. may commend us to men but 't is only grace that commends us to God and that renders us lovely in his eyes 12. Grace will eternalize your names grace will perfume and embalm your names Heb. 11.2 By faith the Elders obtained a good report Ver. 39. And these all having obtained a good report through faith received not the promise Nothing raises a mans name and fame in the woâ—ld like grace A man may obtain a great report without grace nothing below grace will perpetuate a mans name Acts 6 5 3. The seven Deacons that the Church chose were gracious men Act. 10.1 2 3 4 22. and they were men of good report they were men well witnessed unto well testified of as the Greek word imports Act. 9.10 20. compared with Chap. 22.12 Cornelius was a gracious man and he was a man of good report among all the Nation of the Jews Ananias was a gracious man and he was a man of a good report Gaius and Demetrius they were both gracious men and they were men of good report witness that third Epistle of John How renowned was Abraham for his faith and Moses for his meekness and Jacob for his plain-heartedness and Job for his uprightness and David for his zeal and Joshua for his courage Heb. 11.4 Psal 112.6 Prov. 10.7 Holy Abel hath been dead above this five thousand years and yet his name is as fresh and fragrant as a Rose to this very day Grace will make your names immortal The righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance The memory of the just is blessed but the name of the wicked shall rot Wicked men many times out-live their names but the names of just men out-live them when a gracious man dies he leaves his name as a sweet and as a lasting scent behind him his fame shall live when he is dead According to the Hebrew the words may be read thus The memory of the just shall be for a blessing the very remembring of the just shall bring a blessing upon them that remember them When a gracious man dies as he carries a good conscience with him so he leaves a perfumed name behind him Grace is the image of God the delight of God the honour of God the glory of God grace is the purchase of Christ and the birth of the Spirit and the pledge of glory grace is the joy of Angels the glory of man and the wonder of the world what 's the body without the soul what 's the cabinet without the jewels what 's the Sun without light what 's the fountain without water what 's Paradise without the Tree of Life what 's Heaven without Christ That 's a soul without grace Now every gracious soul sees a real internal excellency beauty and glory in grace and accordingly it is carried out in its desires after it it sees such an innate excellency beauty and glory in that faith wisdom humility meekness patience zeal self-denial heavenly-mindedness uprightness c. that sparkles and shines in such and such Saints that it many times strives with God in a corner even to sweat and tears that it may be bedecked and inriched with those singular graces that are so shining in others O that I had the wisdom of such a Christian and the faith of such a Christian and the love of such a Christian and the humility of such a Christian and the meekness of such a Christian and the zeal of such a Christian and the integrity of such a Christian c. O that my soul was but in their case I don't covet their riches but their graces Oh that I had but those graces Oh that I had much of those graces that sparkles and shines in the hearts and lives of such and such Christians I see a beauty and glory upon Sun Moon and Stars yea upon the whole Creation but what 's that to that beauty and glory that I see stampt upon grace And this fires his heart with desires after grace But Eighthly No man can sincerely desire all grace every grace or the whole chain of graces but he that has true grace 2 Pet. 1.5 6 7 8 9. Vain men when they are under some outward or inward distresses may to serve their present turns desire in a cold formal customary way patience or contentation or meekness or hope or faith c. but they don't nor can't whilst they are wicked whilst they are in their natural estate Act. 8.19 to 25. whilst they are in the gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity sincerely desire every grace especially those particular graces that are most opposite to their master sin to their darling lusts to their constitution sins to their complexion sins to those particular lusts that are to them as dear as their right eyes or right hands Austin before his conversion he was much given to whoredom and he would often pray Lord give me continency but not yet Lord give me continency but not yet he was afraid lest God should have heard him to soon as himself confesseth Wicked men would be very sorry if God should take them at their words and in good earnest answer the cold and lazy desires of their souls If when the drunkard in a good mood should desire sobriety God should take him at his word he would be very angry or if when the unclean person should desire chastity continency God should answer his desires he would not be very well pleased if when the covetous person should under some pangs of conscience desire a free a charitable a noble generous spirit God should take him at his word he would be sorely displeased The same may be said of all other sorts of sinners but now a real Christian though he be never so weak yet he seriously desires every grace he is for every link of the golden chain of graces he finds in his own heart sins that are contrary to every grace and therefore he desires every grace that he may make head against every sin and he finds his heart and life so attended and surrounded with all sorts and kinds of temptations that he earnestly seriously and frequently desires the presence and assistance of every grace that so he may be temptation-proof yea victorious over every temptation and he sees and feels the need of every grace to fill up every place station and condition wherein the Lord has set him and therefore he begs hard for every grace and he sees a beauty and a glory and an excellency upon every grace and therfore he desires every grace as well as any one single grace which no hypocrite or prophane person in the world does But Ninthly No man can sincerely and seriously desire grace for gracious ends and purposes but he that has true grace in his soul Joh.
magnificent ones noble ones glorious ones wonderful ones O Sirs there are some Saints that are magnificent in grace noble in grace glorious in grace wonderful in grace Now this is certain if grace be the true reason why we love any then the more excellent the more magnificent any are in grace Psal 15.4 the more highly we shall prize them and the more dearly we shall love them and the more abundantly in our hearts we shall honour them Look as grace rises higher and higher in the same person so we shall rise higher and higher in our love to the same person Dan. 9.23 John 21.20 Daniel was greatly beloved and Iohn was singularly beloved and why but because they were more eminently gracious than others were Where there is most grace there God is most honoured and there Christ is most exalted and there the Spirit is best pleased and there Religion is most adorned and there Satan is most dethroned and there the world is most conquered and there sin is most subdued and there duties are most exactly performed and therefore there the gracious soul can't but love best and most There are some that seem to love such and such godly men whose judgments are weak and light little and parts low and grace small who yet look with a squint eye an envious eye upon every Sun that outshines their own upon every ones graces and excellencies that are more sparkling than their own Though pride and envy have received their deaths-wound at the souls first conversion yet they are not quite slain in a believer there is an aptness even in real Saints Luk. 7.16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23. to grudge and repine at those gifts graces and excellencies in others that outshine their own John's disciples muttered and murmured because Christ had more followers and admirers than John and that spirit that lived in John's disciples is still alive to this very day This is and this must be for a lamentation Well Sirs look as the fairest day hath its clouds the finest linnen its spots the richest jewels their flaws the sweetest fruits their worms so when many precious Christians are not themselves when they are in an hour of temptation when their corruptions are up and their graces down they may and too often do Num. 11.29 envy and repine at those graces excellencies and abilities that do over-cast cloud Heb. 12.15 darken and outshine their own The best of men are but men at the best and there is still those bitter roots of pride vain-glory self-love envy c. remaining in them that occasions their hearts to rise and swell yea sometimes to cast disgrace upon those excellencies in others that themselves want As that great man that could not write his own name Eusebius speaks of him in his Ecclesiastical Histâ—ry c. and yet called the liberal Arts A publick Poyson and Pestilence This spiritual disease is mostly to be found among Christians that are got into some of the highest forms in Christianity take your ordinary common Christians and they commonly rejoyce most where they see most grace And so do your Christians in a higher form too when they come to themselves and to make up their accounts and have wept over those cursed roots of bitterness that are so apt to be sprouting out Now there is no greater argument that our grace is true and that we do love others for grace sake than our loving them best that have most grace though they have but little of the world A pearl is rich if found on a dunghil though it may glister more when set in a ring of gold so many a poor believer is rich in grace and precious and glorious in the eye of Christ and should be so in ours though like Job he sits upon a dunghil though in the eyes of the world he may seem to glister most when adorned with riches honour and outward pomp If grace be the true reason why we love any person then the more grace that person hath the more we shall love him A godly man loves all that are godly but he loves them most that excel most in the power purity and practise of godliness c. But Sixthly and lastly True love to the Saints is constant 't is permanent John 13.1 15.12 c. 1 Cor. 13.8 Love never faileth Heb. 13.1 Let brotherly love continue 'T is a love like that of Christ's who loved his to the end 1 Joh. 4.16 He that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him Our love to our brother must not only lodge with us a night and away but we must dwell in brotherly love Look as our love must be sincere without hypocrisie so it must be constant without deficiency that love was never true that is not constant true love like the pulse will still be beating it will still be working and running out to the person beloved true love will not fawn upon a Christian when high and frown upon him when low it will not kiss him upon the throne and kick him upon the dunghil The grounds and causes of their love are constant viz. God's commands their spiritual relations and the truth of grace in their souls and therefore their love can't but be constant Prov. 17.17 Christian friendship makes such a knot that great Alexander cannot cut c. A friend saith Solomon loves at all times and a brother is born for adversity Euripides hit it when he said That a faithful friend in adversity is better than a calm Sea to a weather-beaten Mariner He that truly loves will love in adversity as well as in prosperity in storms as well as in calms in winter nights as well as in Summer dayes he that sincerely loves the Saints he will love them as well when men frown upon them as when they smile upon them as well when men strike them as when they stroke them as well when men cast them down as when they lift them up as well when men cry Crucifie them crucifie them as when they cry Hosanna Hosanna to them Consalvus a Spanish Bishop and Inquisitor wondred how the Christians had that Commandement Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self so indelibly printed in their hearts that no torture could blot it out and make them confess and betray one another or cease from loving one another Hieron I have read of one Ursinus a Christian Physician who being to suffer Martyrdom for the Gospel of Christ began to waver and faint which when Vitalis a holy man saw he stept to him and though he knew it would cost him his life yet he thus comforted and encouraged him saying What have ye been heretofore so industrious to preserve mens bodies and will you now shrink at the saving of your own soul Be couragious fear not c. For which faithful counsel he also was condemned to death and suffered accordingly Ruth 1. A true friend is neither
and diligent guard about them that nothing may pass in or out that may be either displeasing provoking or grieving to them But Fourthly The word signifies to keep as a man keeps his life Job 10.12 Thy visitation hath preserved here is Shamar my life Now with what care with what diligence with what labour with what watchfulness do men labour to preserve their natural lives what a guard what a watch do men daily set about their lives the same they should set about their hearts But Fifthly Men should keep their hearts as they keep a rich treasure of money or jewels or plate Now to preserve a rich treasure what locks what bolts what bars All our spiritual riches are in our hearts A good man may say with Bias omnia mea mecum parto all my goods I carry about with me what chains are made use of Our hearts are jewels more worth than all the Kingdoms Crowns and Scepters of this world There are few men that know how to value a God a Christ a Gospel a Covenant of grace a Heaven or their own hearts as they should What are mountains of gold and rocks of pearl to the heart the soul of man The heart is that pearl of price for which a man should venture his all and lay down his all O then what a guard what a watch should a man continually keep upon his heart The heart is Camera omnipotentis Regis the presence chamber of the King of heaven and upon this account it becomes a Christian alwayes to keep a guard upon his heart he keeps his heart best who keeps it as his choisest treasure c. But Sixthly Men should keep their hearts as a fond father keeps his only child the fond father will still keep his child within doors he will still have him under his eye and in his presence that so no hurt no harm may befal him day or night Our eye should be still upon our hearts or else they will give us the slip and play the wantons with us But Seventhly Men should keep their hearts as Lovers keep the love-tokens that are mutually sent one to another they love to be often a looking upon them and a thinking of them and a talking of them and will be sure to keep the strictest and the strongest guard upon them So a Christian should still be a looking upon his heart and a thinking upon his heart and a speaking of his heart either of the badness of it or of the wants of it and a keeping of the strictest and strongest guard upon his heart But Eighthly A man should keep his heart as a man keeps his house when he is afraid and in danger of being robbed by thieves in the night O! how wakeful and watchful and active will a man now be but what 's a man's house to his heart A mans heart is in ten thousand times more danger than his house and accordingly his guard should be most about his heart But Ninthly A man should keep his heart as men keep their gardens that are full of choice rich rare ripe fruits and dowers Now what care cost and pains men are at to keep such gardens you well know And O that you did but every day more and more experimentally know what it is to spend your greatest care and pains about your hearts which are Christ's garden his bed of spices where all graces flourish Cant. 4. ult Tenthly and last A man should keep his heart as spruce men and women do their fine cloaths O they won't endure a speck a spot upon them 'T is your wisdom and O that you would more and more make it your work to keep your hearts from all sinful specks and spots Let not others be more careful to keep their outsides clean than you are to keep your insides clean for what are clean cloaths to a clean heart 'T is better to go to heaven in ragged cloaths with a clean heart than to go to hell in fine cloaths with an unclean heart Doubtless that man that makes it his business to keep his heart as men keep dangerous Fellons or Traitors or as soldiers keep their Garrisons or Castles when closly besieged or as the Priests and Levites kept the Sanctuary of God or as a man keeps his natural life or as a man keeps a rich treasure or as a fond father keeps an only child or as Lovers keep their love-tokens or as a man keeps his house when he is in danger to be robbed or as a man keeps his pleasant garden or as spruce men and women keep their fine cloaths that man is doubtless a true Nathaniel a man that has a work of God past in power upon his soul yea that man whose sincere desires and whose gracious purposes and fixed resolutions and faithful endeavours is to guard and watch his heart according to the particulars we have now hinted that man without a peradventure is a gracious man and one that has the root of the matter in him and shall be happy to all eternity Look as no man can hear as he would and should nor pray as he would and should nor believe as he would and should nor repent as he would and should nor walk as he would and should so no man can keep his heart as he would and should but if a man makes it his great business and work to keep his heart to watch his heart to reform his heart to better his heart he is accepted of God and shall be blessed for-ever 'T is one of the greatest and cleerest evidences of grace for a man to make it his greatest business work and concernment in this world to keep his heart alwayes in a gracious frame Cant. 5.2 2 Kings 22.19 2 Chron. 32.26 James 5.11 Eccles 5.1 2. Col. 3.1 2. 2 Cor. 7.11 to keep his heart alwayes in a wakeful frame in a watchful frame in a tender frame in a believing frame in a repenting frame in an humble frame in a patient frame in a serious frame in a heavenly frame and in a jealous frame for the more gracious the heart is the more suspicious it will be Satan has a strong party a numerous party an old party a subtil party in all our hearts and therefore it highly concerns us to watch our hearts with a holy jealousie O Sirs God hath never said Above all keepings keep your Shops or above all keepings keep your Estates or above all keepings keep your Flocks or above all keepings keep your Bags or above all keepings keep your Friends or above all keepings keep your Bodies or above all keepings keep your Names or above all keepings keep your Conversations but he hath said above all keepings keep your hearts Look Fron. lib. 2. as the heart is the fountain of natural life and if it fail life fails and therefore it is strongly secured with ribs about it it is guarded in a castle of flesh and bones so is the soul the fountain
ever before him Godly sorrow will every day follow sin hard at hells Look as a wicked man in respect of his desire and will to sin would sin for ever if he should live for ever so I may say if a godly man should live for ever he would sorrow for ever After Paul had been converted many years some think fourteen you shall find him a mourning and lamenting over his sins Rom. 7. An ingenious child will never cease mourning till he ceases from offending an indulgent father Though sin and godly sorrow were never born together yet whilst a believer lives in this world they must live together And indeed holy joy and godly sorrow are no wayes inconsistent Psal 2.11 yea a godly man's eyes are alwayes fullest of tears when his heart is fullest of holy joy c. A man may go joying and mourning to his grave yea to heaven at the same time But now the sorrow the grief of wicked men for sin 't is like a morning cloud or the early dew or the crackling of thorns under a pot or a Post that quickly passeth by or a dream that soon vanisheth or like a tale that is told c. their sorrowful hearts and mournful eyes soon dry up together As you may see in Esau Ahab Pharaoh and Judas but the streams of godly sorrow will last and run as long as sin hangs upon us and dwells in us 1 Cor. 15.9 I am the least of the Apostles that am not meet to be called an Apostle because I persecuted the Church of God Psal 25.7 Remember not the sins of my youth nor my transgressions David prayeth to the Lord not only to forgive but also to forget both the sins of his youth and the sins of his age David remembred all his faults both of former and of later times David was well in years when he defiled himself with Bathsheba and this he remembers and mourns over Psal 51. And 't is very observable that God charged his people for to remember old sins Deut. 9.7 Remember and forget not how thou provokedst the Lord thy God to wrath in the wilderness Repentance is a grace and must have its daily operation as well as other graces witness the very covenant of grace it self Ezek. 16.62 63. I will establish my covenant with thee and thou shalt know that I am the Lord that thou mayest remember and be confounded and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame when I am pacified towards thee for all that thou hast done Certainly a true penitent can no more satisfie himself with one act of repentance than he can satisfie himself with one act of faith or or with one act of hope or with one act of love or with one act of humility or with one act of patience or with one act of self-denial Godly sorrow is a Gospel-grace that will live and last as well and as long as other graces 't is a spring that in this life can never be drawn dry Sixthly Godly sorrow is a divorcing sorrow it divorces the heart from sin it breaks that ancient league that has been between the heart and sin It is an excellent saying of Austin He doth truly bewail the sins he hath committed who never commits the sins he hath bewailed there is a strong firm league between every sinner and his sin Isa 28.15 18. but when godly sorrow enters it dissolves that league it separates between a sinner and his sin it sets the soul at an everlasting distance from sin The union between the root and the branches the foundation and the building the head and the members the father and the child the husband and the wife the body and the soul are all neer very neer unions yet that between a sinner and his sin seems to be a neerer union Observable is the story of Phaltiel 2 Sam. 3.14 15 16. You know when David had married Michol Saul injuriously gave her to another but when David came to the crown and sent forth his Royal commands that his wife should be brought to him her husband dares not but obey brings her on her journey and then not without great reluctancy of spirit takes his leave of her But what was Phaltiel weary of his wife that he now forsakes her O no he was enforced and though she was gone yet he had many a sad thought about parting with her and he never leaves looking till he sees her as far as Baharim weeping and bemoaning her absence Just thus stands the heart of every unregenerate man towards his sins as Phaltiel's heart stood towards his wife But when the springs of godly sorrow rise in the soul the league the friendship the union that was between the sinner and his sins comes to be dissolved and broken in pieces Hosea 14.8 All godly sorrow sets the heart against sin he that divinely mourns over sin can't live in a course of sin when of all bitters God makes sin to be the greatest bitter to the soul then the soul bids an everlasting farewel to sin now the soul in good earnest bids adieu to sin for ever O Sirs ☜ this is a most certain Maxim to live and die with that either a mans sins will make an end of his mourning or else his mourning will make an end of his sin for he that holds on sinning will certainly leave off mourning no man can make a trade of sin and yet keep his heart in a mourning frame but he that holds on mourning for sin will certainly leave off the trade of sin holy grief for sin will sooner or later break off all leagues and friendships with sin Isa 59.1 2. As sin makes a separation between God and a man's soul so godly sorrow makes a separation between a man's soul and his sin All holy mournings over sin will by degrees issue in the wasting and weakning of the strength and power of sin nothing below the death and destruction of sin will satisfie that soul that truly mourns over sin But now though you may find an unsound heart sometimes a lamenting over his sins yet you shall never find him a leaving off his sins Pharaoh lamented over his sin crying out I have sinned Exod. 9.27 10.16 the Lord is righteous and I and my people are wicked And again Then Pharaoh called for Moses and for Aaron in haste and he said I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you But though you find him here lamenting and complaining over his sin yet you never find him leaving or forsaking of his sin So Saul could cry out he had sinned but yet he still continued in his sin he acknowledged that he did evil in persecuting of David and yet he still held on persecuting of him An unsound heart mourns over sin and yet he holds on in a course of sin he sins and mourns and mourns and sins and commonly all his mourning for sin does but the more imbolden him
but with Benhadad to recover of one disease and die of another it is but to take pains to go to hell If a Ship spring three leaks and only two be stopped the third will sink the Ship or if a man have two grievous wounds in his body and take order only to cure one that which is neglected will certainly kill him 'T is so here if a man that has divers lusts fighting against the life of his precious soul shall only mortifie and slay some of them the rest will certainly destroy him and all his pains in subduing some of them will be lost I have read of a devout man who had amongst many other vertues the gift of healing unto whom divers made resort for cure among the rest one Chromatius being sick sent for him being come he told him of his sickness and desired that he might have the benefit of cure as others had before him I cannot do it said the devout person till thou hast beaten all the Idols and Images in thy house to pieces O that shall be done said Chromatius here take my keys and where you find any Images let them be defaced which was done accordingly to prayer went the holy man but no cure was wrought O saith Chromatius I am as sick as ever O I am very weak and sick It cannot be otherwise replyed the holy man nor can I help it for certainly there is one Idol more in your house undiscovered and that must be defaced too True sayes Chromatius there is so indeed there is one all of beaten gold it cost 200 l. I would fain have saved it but here take my keys again you shall find it locked up fast in my chest take it and break it in pieces which done the holy man prayed and Chromatius was healed The moral of this story is this We are all spiritually sick full of wounds and putrified sores Christ our spiritual Physician tells us that if we will be cured we must break off our sins by repentance Now this we are willing to do in part but not in whole we would fain keep one Dalilah one darling beloved sin but it must not be there must not be one sin unrepented of we must repent as well for our Achans as our Absaloms our Rimmons as our Mammons our Davids as our Goliahs our covert as well as our open sins our loved as well as our loathed lusts our heart abominations as well as our gross transgressions our Babe iniquities as well as our Giant-like provocations our repentance must be universal or 't will be to no purpose Herod turned from many evils but would not turn from his Herodias Mark 6.18 19 20 and that was his ruin Judas his life was as fair and as free from spots and blots as the lives of any of the Apostles no scandalous sin was to be found upon him only that golden Devil covetousness was his sin and his everlasting ruin his Apostleship Preaching working of Miracles hearing of Christ and conversing with him c. was to no purpose because of that Serpent he kept in his bosom which at last stung him to death If a man lives in the practise of any known sin the union between sin and his soul is not dissolved and if that union be not dissolved Christ and his soul was never united and therefore such a person can never be saved Saul spared Agag and the Witch of Endor whom he should have destroyed and so lost his Crown his Kingdom and his Soul which was saddest of all Gideon had seventy sons Judg. 8.13 and but one bastard and yet that one bastard destroyed all the rest The Jewish Rabbins report that the same night that Israel departed out of Egypt towards Canaan all the Idols and idolatrous Temples in Egypt by lightning and earthquakes were broken down So when a man truly repents all the Idols that were set up in his soul are cast down But Secondly God has so connexed the duties of his Law one to another that if there be not a conscientious care to walk according to all that the Law requires a man becomes a transgressor of the whole Law according to that of Saint James Chap. 2.10 Whosoever shall keep the whole Law He who prevaricates with God as to any one particular commandement of his his heart is naught stark naught and he is guilty of all he hath no real regard to any of the commandements of God that hath not a regard to all the commandements of God c. and yet offend in one point is guilty of all the bond of all is broken the authority of all is slighted and that evil disposition that sinful frame of heart that works a man to venture upon the breach of one command would make him venture upon the breach of any command were it not for some infirmity of nature or because his purse will not hold out to maintain it or for shame or loss or because of the eye of friends or the sword of the Magistrate or for some sinister respects and might the breach of any other of the commands of God serve his turn and advance his ends he stands as strongly prest in spirit to transgress them all as to transgress any one of them He that gives himself liberty to live in the breach of any one command of God is qualified with a disposition of heart to break them all every single sin contains virtually all sin in it He that allows himself a liberty to live in the breach of any one particular Law of God he casts contempt and scorn upon the authority that made the whole Law and upon this account breaks it all And the Apostle gives the reason of it in Verse 11. For he that said do not commit adultery said also do not kill now if thou commit no adultery yet if thou kill thou art become a transgressor of the Law Not that he is guilty of all distributively but collectively for the Law is copulative there is a chain of duties and these are all so linked one to another that you cannot break one link of the chain but you break the whole chain All the precepts of the Law are as it were a string of pearls strung by the authority of God now break this string in any place and all the pearls fall to the ground No man can live in the breach of any known command of God but he wrongs every command of God and this at last he shall find to his cost without sound repentance on his side and pardoning grace on God's But Thirdly One sin never goes alone Cain's anger is seconded with murder Gen. 4.6 8. Ahab's covetousness is attended with bloudy cruelty and Jeroboam's rebellion with idolatry and Judas his thievery with treason I might give instances of this in Adam and Eve and in Lot Abraham Noah Jacob Joseph 1 King 12. Job David Solâ—mon and Peter c. but a touch on this string is enough one
Men of publick spirits shall never die as Jehoram did undesired and unlamented Men of publick spirits lye most open to snares temptations and oppositions c. This all sober Christians well understand and therefore they can't but pray hard for such The names the lives the liberties the estates and all the concernments of men of publick spirits alwayes lye nearest their hearts who lye neerest to the heart of Christ Men of the greatest name and of the greatest renown and that have had the greatest stock of prayers going for them all the world over have been men of publick spirits But Sixthly and lastly When Christians of publick spirits come to dye their publick spiritedness and general usefulness will be no small comfort and cordial to them Nehemiah was a man of a publick spirit and accordingly he pleads it with God Think upon me Neh. 5. ult See Chap. 13.22 O my God for good according to all that I have done for this people This was that which sweetned death to Hezekiah I beseech thee O Lord to remember now how I have walked before thee in truth 2 King 20.3 Acts 13.36 and with a perfect heart and have done that which is good in thy sight And when David had served his generation he fell asleep Sleep is not more welcom and sweet to a labouring man than death is to him who has made it his business his work sincerely and faithfully to serve his generation Such Magistrates 2 Tim. 4.7 8 9. John 17. Ministers and Christians who have made it their business according to their different measures faithfully to serve their generation have found the King of terrors to be but the King of desires to them when death to men of narrow selfish spirits hath been like the hand-writing upon the wall Dan. 5.5 6. very terrible Many score Instances might be produced out of History to evidence this Take one for all Henry Beauford that rich and wretched Cardinal Bishop of Wâ—nchester and Chancellour of England a man swallowed up in self interest in the Reign of Henry the Sixth when he perceived that he must dye Acts and Mon. fol. 925. and that there was no remedy O! how terrible was death to him and O! how did he murmur and fret and vex at death that his riches could not reprieve him till a further time For saith he wherefore should I die being so rich if the whole Realm would save my life I am able either by policy to get it or by riches to buy it Fie upon death saith he will not death be hired will money do nothing I might instance in men of a higher rank but then I should exceed the bounds of an Epistle The second sort of men that my self and all others are bound 1. Highly to prize 2. Cordially to love And 3. Greatly to honour Are men of charitable spirits men of merciful spirits men of tender and compassionate spirits The Hebrew word for godly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies merciful to note that the godly man is the merciful man and the merciful man is the godly man Loving kindness is an ingredient unto godliness The godly man is frequently called Chasid gracious or merciful it notes one that hath obtained mercy goodness grace piety and benignity from the Lord and that is pious kind The Italian form of begging is Do good to your selves gracious and merciful to others Though charity bounty is the most compendious way to plenty and giving to getting and scattering to encreasing and layings out to layings up Prov. 11.24 There is that scattereth and yet increaseth Ver. 25. The liberal soul shall be made fat and he that watereth shall be watered also himself Yet how few in our dayes do honour the Lord with their substance Prov. 3.9 Mic. 4.13 how few look a this as a duty to consecrate any part of their gain unto the Lord or of their substance to the Lord of the whole earth Most men now carry it as if God himself had last his propriety and as if there were no rent-penny due to his poor But yet some there are who have liberal hearts and open hands Deut. 15.11 some there are who do open their hands wide to the poor and needy Now here give me leave to say Mat. 25. Prov. 31.8 9. That these 1. Discharge their consciences in the duty of charity 2. These rightly improve the talents of mercy with which they are intrusted 3. These treasure up a stock of prayers Job 29.13 2 Tim. 1.16 both for themselves and theirs the blessing and the prayers of them that were ready to perish will come upon them and theirs 4. These evidence the liveliness of their faith James 2.17 Even so faith if it hath not works is dead being alone Ver. 18. Yea a man may say thou hast faith and I have works shew me thy faith without thy works and I will shew thee my faith by my works Ver. 26. For as the body without the spirit is dead so faith without works is dead also 5. These take the surest way the readiest course to assure their own souls of Gods eternal favours and mercies to them 1 Tim. 6.17 Charge them that be rich in this world Ver. 18. That they do good that they be rich in good works ready to distribute willing to communicate Ver. 19. Aeterna vitae vera vlta Aug. Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come that they may lay hold on eternal life Charitable Christians are as wife Merchants happy Usurers parting with that which they cannot keep that they may gain that which they cannot lose 6. These take the surest way to draw down more outward mercies upon themselves The fountain is not diminished Pedagog 3. c. 7 Clemens Alex. but augmented by giving water to the thirsty The widows oyl did increase by running we do not lose but increase our mercies by imparting of them for God's honour and the comfort and benefit of others Luk. 6.38 Give saith Christ and it shall be given to you good measure pressed down and shaken together and running over shall men give into your bosom The Jews more large and loose garments so that they could bear away much in their bosoms Hence this expression into your bosom The meaning is That the Lord will largely reward the beneficence of his people yea that he will so reward them that they shall perceive that they are rewarded Honour the Lord with thy substance Prov. 3.9 10. so shall thy Barns be filled with plenty and thy presses shall burst out with new wine God will certainly bless their substance who honour him with their substance The Jews at this day Godw Heb. â—ntiq 27.7 though they are not in their own Countrey and though they have not a Levitical Priesthood yet those who will be reputed Religious amongst them do distribute the tenth of their increase to the
lay a stumbling block before the blind this were to delude poor souls Ezek. 13.22 v. and to make them glad whom God would not have made glad yea this is the high-way the ready way to make them miserable in both worlds The rule or evidence that every Christian is to measure himself by must be neither too long nor too short but adequate to the state of a Christian that is it must not be so long on the one hand as that all Christians cannot reach it nor yet so short on the other hand as that it will not reach a true Christian but the rule or evidence must be such as will suit and fit every sincere believer and none else Some Christians are apt to judge of themselves and to try themselves by such rules or evidences as are competent only to those that are strong men in Christ and that are grown to a high pitch of grace of holiness of communion with God of spiritual enjoymenâ—s and heavenly attainments and sweet and blessed â—avishments of soul and by this means they come to conclude against the works of the blessed spirit in them and to perplex and disquiet their own souls with needless fears doubts and jealousies others on the other hand are apt to judge of themselves and to try themselves by such things rules or evidences that are too short and will certainly leave them short of heaven as a fair civil deportment among all sorts and ranks of men a good nature paying every man their dâ—e charity to the poor Mat. 23. Luke 18 9 10 11 12. v. Isa 1.2 3 4 5. a good name or fame among men yea happily among good men outward exercises of Religion as hearing praying reading fasting or that they are good negative Christians that is to say that they are no drunkards swearers lyars adulterers extortioners oppressors Sabbath-breakers persecutor c. Phil. 3.4.5 6 v. Gal. 6.3 Isa 33.14 Thus far Paul attained before his conversion but if he had gone no further he had been a lost man for ever and by this means they flatter themselves into misery and are still a dreaming of going to heaven till they drop into hell and awake with everlasting flames about their ears And oh that all that preach or print read or write would seriously lay this to heart some in describing the state of a Christian shew rather what of right it should be than what indeed it is they shew what Christians ought to be rather than what they find themselves to be and so they become a double edged sword to many Christians But The fourth Maxim or Consideration FOurthly consider Where there is any one grace in truth there is every grace in truth though every grace cannot be seen Look as a man may certainly know a wicked man by his living under the reign and dominion of any one sin As they say of the cardinal vertues Virtutes sunt inter se connexa The vertues are chained together so we may say of the graces of the Spirit c. Mark saith Chrysostom 't is not working of miracles casting out of devils but love to our brethren that 's the infallible proof of being a Disciple though he does not live under the power of other sins because there is not any one sin mortified in that man that hath any one sin reigning in him and that does not set himself in good earnest against it as his greatest enemy So when a Christian can but find any one grace in him as love to the Saints for grace sake for godliness sake he may safely conclude that there is in him all other graces where there is but one link of this golden chain there are all the links of this golden chain Joh. 13.35 By this shall all men know ye are my Disciples if ye love one another He doth not say if ye work miracles if ye raise the dead if ye give eyes to the blind or ears to the deaf or tongues to the dumb or feet to the lame but if ye love one another There have been many yea very many precious Christians who have lived and died with a great deal of comfort and peace from the application of that Text to their own souls 1 John 3.14 We know that we have passed from death to life because we love the brethren Sincere love to the brethren is a most evident sign of a Christians being already passed or translated from death to life observe the Apostle doth not say we think we have passed from death to life but we know we have passed from death to life nor he does not say we conjecture we have passed from death to life but we know we have passed from death to life nor he does not say we hope we are passed from death to life but we are assured that we are passed from death to life that is from a state of nature into a state of grace because we love the brethren for ever remember this when all other evidences have failed many gracious Christians and all other Texts of Scripture have afforded them no comfort here they have anchored here they have found rest for their distressed souls and upon this one single planck this one evidence they have swam safely and comfortably unto the haven of eternal happiness Every real Christian hath in some measure every sanctifying grace in him as a child so soon as it is born is a perfect man for integrity of parts and entireness of limbs though not for bigness and bulk of body so every regenerate person at the very first hour of his conversion 1 Thes 5.23 John 3 5 6 7 8. Chap. 1.16 Psal 45.13 The new creature hath all the paâ—ts and lineaments as in the body there is a composition of all the elements and a mixture of all the humours he is in part renewed in all parts all the habits of grace are infused into the soul by the Spirit at once at first conversion the soul is bespangled with every grace though every grace is not then grown up to its full proportion or perfection so that where there is one grace in truth there is every grace in truth that soul that can truly and seriously conclude that he has any one grace in him that soul ought to conclude that there is every grace in him Such as diligently search the Scripture shall find that true blessedness Mat. 5.3 4 5 6 c. Every child of God hath all the graces of the spirit in him radically though not gradually happiness and salvation is attributed to several signs sometimes to the fear of God sometimes to faith sometimes to repentance sometimes to love sometimes to meekness sometimes to humility sometimes to patience sometimes to poverty of spirit sometimes to holy mourning sometimes to hungering and thirsting after righteousness so that if a godly man can find any one of these in himself he may safely and groundedly conclude of his salvation and justification
times of great afflictions temptations desertions fears and doubts a very great aptness and proneness in Christians to expect strange means rather than right means and new means rather than old means and invented means rather than appointed means to build their faith upon somthing beside the Word or that is without the compass of the Word rather than upon the plain and naked Word it self being in this very like to many weak crazy distempered and diseased Patients that are more ready to fancy every new Medicine and new Doctor they hear of and to be tampering with them than to expect a recovery by going through a course of Physick prescribed by the Physician that best understands their diseases and the most proper and effectual means for their recoveries You know when Naaman the Assyrian came to the Prophet Elisha to be cured of his Leprosie he only sent out a Messenger to him who bid him go and wash seven times in Jordan and his flesh should come again unto him and he should be clean 2 Kings 5.10 but Naamans bloud rises and his heart swells and he grows very wrath and all because he did not like the means prescribed by the Prophet and because he thought in his own heart that the Prophet would have used more likely means to have wrought the cure ver 11 12. So many Christians when they lye under great agonies and sore perplexities of soul and are encouraged to act faith upon the promises and to rest their weary souls upon the Word of grace they are ready to think and say that these things these means will never heal them nor comfort them nor be a relief or support unto them unless the Lord does from heaven by extraordinary Revelations Visions Signs and Miracles confirm his promises to them and hereupon they make light of the blessed Scriptures which are the springs of life and the only bottom upon which all our comforts peace and happiness is to be built yea they relinquish that more sure word of prophecy which shines as a light in a dark place 2 Pet. 1.19 Certainly the acting of faith on the precious promises and the cleaving of the soul unto those blessed truths declared in the Gospel of grace is the most sure ready and compendious way of obtaining a blessed assurance Eph. 1.13 and a full establishment of heart Com. on Gen. cap. 38. in all sound solid and abiding joy and peace and therefore Luther though as he confesseth he was often tempted to ask for Signs Apparitions and Revelations from heaven to confirm him in his way yet tells us how strongly he did withstand them Pactum feci cum Domino Deo meo c. I have saith he indented with the Lord my God that he would never send me Dreams Visions Angels for I am well contented with this gift that I have the holy Scripture which doth abundantly teach and supply all necessaries for this life and that also which is to come Certainly Austin hit the mark when he prayed Lord let thy holy Scriptures be my pure delights in which I can neither deceive or ever be deceived Certainly the ballance of the sanctuary should weigh all the Oracles of God decide all and the Rule of Gods Word be the square and judge of all O Sirs dare you venture your souls upon it that the blessed Scriptures are false that they are but a Fable dare you stand forth and say if the Scriptures be not a lye let us be damned for ever and ever dare you stand up and say we are freely contented that the everlasting worm shall gnaw on our hearts for ever and that our bodies and souls shall for ever and ever lye burning in infernal flames if the Scriptures prove not at last a cheat a deceit a meer forgery and imposture Now if you dare not thus to say and thus to venture then peremptorily resolve to be determined by Scripture in the great concernments of your precious souls They that would take their parts in promised comforts they must follow the voice of the Word and subscribe to the sentence of conscience following that Word If the Word approve of thee as sound and sincere with God assuredly thou art so for that rule cannot err If the Word saith that thy heart is right with God thou must maintain that Testimony against all disputes whatever Never enter into dispute with Satan or thine own self about thy estate but by taking and making the Scripture the judge of the controversie when fears rise high you say you shall never have mercy bâ—t dotâ— the Word say so The Lord never gave himself to me but doth the Word say so Never was any as I am but doth the Word say so I cannot see nor conceive nor think that the Lord hath any love for me but doth the Word say so yea doth not the Word say That his thoughts are not as your thoughts nor his wayes as your wayes Isa 55.8 9. But as the heavens are higher than the earth so are his wayes higher than your wayes and his thoughts than your thoughts I have not that peace and joy that others have therefore the Lord intends no good towards me but doth the Word say so Oh but if my inside were but turned outward good men would loath me and wicked men would laugh at me but doth the Word say so Oh but my heart was never right with God but doth the Word say so Oh but that which I have taken all this while for saving grace is but common grace but doth the Word say so Oh but the face of God is hid from me my Sun is set in a cloud and will never rise more but doth the Word say so Oh but Satan is let loose upon me and therefore God hates me but doth the Word say so yea doth not the Word tell you That those who have been most beloved of God have been most tempted by Satan Witness Christ David Job Joshua Peter Paul c. Oh but I am afflicted so as never was any before me but doth the Word say so Oh let the Word have the casting voice and not thine own frail distempered reason Oh don't only hear what sin and Satan and thine own heart can say against thee but hear also what the Word of the Lord Jesus can say for thee Let the Word of the Lord be judge on both sides and then all will be well I know that the impenitent and unbelieving person that lives and dies without grace in his heart and an interest in Christ shall as certainly be damned as if I saw him this very moment under everlasting burnings because God in the Scripture has said it Mark 16.16 John 3.18.36 Rev. 21.8 Rom. 2.4 5. 1 Cor. 6.9 10. Gal. 5.19 20 21. Heb. 12.14 And I know that the holy humble true penitent believing self-denying and sin-mortifying Christian shall be as certainly saved as if at this very time I saw him in an actual
mens souls they are blessed He that sees an absolute necessity of the righteousness of Christ to justifie him and to inable him to stand boldly before the throne of God he that sees his own righteousness to be but as filthy rags Isa 64.4 to be but as dross and dung Phil. 3.7 8. He that sees the Lord Jesus Christ with all his riches and righteousness clearly and freely offered to poor sinners in the everlasting Gospel he that in the Gospel-glass sees Christ to be made sin for them that knew no sin that they may be made the righteousness of God in him 2 Cor. 5 21. He that in the same glass sees Christ to be made wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption to all those that are sincerely willing to make a venter of their immortal souls and eternal estates upon him and his righteousness and he that sees the righteousness of Christ to be a most perfect pure compleat spotless matchless Some take hungering and thirsting here litterally comparing of it with Luke 6.21 Others understand the words morally by hungering and thirsting they understand a moral hunger and thirst which is when men hunger and thirst for justice and judgment to be rightly executed Psal 119.5 10 20 131. Judg. 15.18 1 Chron. 11.18 Psal 42.1 2. infinite righteousness and under these apprehensions and perswasions is carried out in earnest and unsatisfied hungerings and thirstings to be made a partaker of this righteousness and to be assured of this righteousness and to put on this righteousness as a royal robe Isa 61.10 he is the blessed soul and he that hungers and thirsts after the righteousness of Christ imparted as well as after the righteousness of Christ imputed after the righteousness of sanctification as well as after the righteousness of justification he is a blessed soul and shall at last be filled The righteousness of sanctification or inherent righteousness lyes in the spirits infusing into the soul those holy principles divine qualities or supernatural graces that the Apostle mentions in that Gal. 5.22 23. These habits of grace which are severally distinguished by the names of faith love hope meekness c. are nothing else but the new nature or new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness Eph. 4.24 He that hungers and thirsts after the righteousness of sanctification out of a deep serious sense of his own unrighteousness he that hungers and thirsts after the righteousness of sanctification as earnestly as hungery men do for meat or as thirsty men do for drink or as the innocent person that is falsly charged or accused longs to be cleared and righted or as Rachel did for children or as David did after the water of the Well of Bethlehem or as the hunted Hart doth after the water brooks he that hungers and thirsts not after some righteousness only but he that hungers and thirsts after all righteousness he that hungers and thirsts not only after some grace but all grace not only after some holiness but all holiness he that hungers and thirsts after righteousness out of love to righteousness he that hungers and thirsts after righteousness from a sight and sense of the loveliness and excellency that there is in righteousness Phil. 3 10-15 he that hungers and thirsts after the highest degrees and measures of righteousness and holiness Psal 63.1.8 Jer. 15.16 he that primarily chiefly hungers and thirsts after righteousness and holiness he that industriously hungers and thirsts after righteousness and holiness he that ordinarily habitually constanly hungers and thirsts after righteousness and holiness Psal 119.20 My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all times By judgments we are to understand the statutes and commandments of God Mark that word at all times Bad men have their good moods as good men have their bad moods A bad man may under gripes of conscience a smarting rod the approaches of death or the fears of hell or when he is Sermon-sick cry out to the Lord for grace for righteousness for holiness but he is the only blessed man that hungers and thirsts after righteousness at all times and that hungers and thirsts after righteousness according to the other forementioned short hints he is certainly a blessed man heaven is for that man and that man is for heaven that hungers and thirsts in a right manner after the righteousness of justification and after the righteousness of sanctification But I do truly hunger and thirst after righteousness therefore I am blessed and shall be filled c. Twelfthly A godly man may argue thus Such as are truly and graciously merciful are blessed and shall obtain mercy Mat. 5.7 Micha 6.8 Luke 6.36 August de civit Dei 9.13 Mercy is a commiserating of another mans misery in our hearts or a sorrow for another mans distress or a heart-grieving for another mans grief arising out of an unfeigned love unto the party afflicted Or more plainly thus Mercy is a pitying of another mans misery with a desire and endeavour to help him to the uttermost of our ability The Hebrew for godly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chasid signifies gracious merciful The more godly any man is the more merciful that man will be Blessed are the merciful that is blessed are they that shew mercy to others out of a deep sense of the mercy of God to them in Christ Blessed are such who shew mercy out of love to mercy out of a delight in mercy blessed are such as shew mercy out of love and obedience to the God of mercy blessed are such as shew mercy to men in misery upon the account of the image of God the glory of God that is stampt upon them blessed are such as extend their piety and mercy not only to mens bodies but also to their precious and immortal souls Soul-mercy is the chief of mercies the soul is the most precious jewel in all the world it is a vessel of honour 't is a spark of glory 't is a bud of eternity 't is the price of bloud 't is beautified with the image of God 't is adorned with the grace of God and 't is cloathed with the righteousness of God such are blessed as shew mercy to others from gracious motives and considerations viz. 'T is free mercy that every day keeps hell and my soul asunder 't is mercy that daily pardons my sins 't is mercy that supplies all my inward and outward wants 't is mercy that preserves and feeds and cloaths my outward man and 't is mercy that renews strengthens and prospers my inward man 't is mercy that has kept me many times from committing such and such sins 't is mercy that has kept me many a time from falling before such and such temptations 't is mercy that has many a time preserved me from being swallowed up by such and such inward and outward afflictions Such as shew mercy out of a design to exalt and glorifie
earth Rom. 7.22 23. do carry about with them a body of sin and death they have in them a fountain of original corruption and from this fountain sin will still be arising bubling and a boyling up as the scum in a pot over the fire but mark as in wine or honey or water though scum and filth may arise yet the wine the honey the water will be still a purging and purifying it self and a working and casting it out so though sin though corruption though spiritual filth may and too often doth arise in a gracious heart yet there is a spring of grace a spring of living water in him John 4.14 All resistance of sin in a Scripture phrase is called conquest for in the resistance of it there is as much love shew'd to God as in the conquest of it though there be not so much power seen there is a holy cleansing and purifying disposition in a regenerate person that will still be a working and casting it out But now mark in men of impure hearts and lives the scum doth not only arise but it seeths and boyls in Ezek. 24.12 She wearied her self with lyes and her great scum went nâ—t f râ—h out of her notwithstanding all the threatnings of God and all the judgments of God upon her yet her scum and filthiness boyled in though God boyled Jerusâ—lem in the pot of his judgments yet her scum and filth stuck to every side of her wicked mens scum and filth doth not only arise but it also seeths and boyls in and mingles together with their spirits but so doth not the scum and filth that rises in a gracious heart a Sheep may fall into the mire but a Swine delights to wallow in the mire But Fourteenthly A godly man may argue thus Such as sin hath not a dominion over are not under the Law but under Grace Rom. 6.14 But sin hath not a domiâ—ion over me therefore I am not under the Law but under grace Sin may rebel in a Saint but it shall never reign in a Saint Look as those beasts in that Dan. 7.12 had their dominion taken away though their lives were spared and prolonged for a season and a time so when Christ and grace enters into the soul they take away the dominion of sin though they do for a time spare the life of sin To prevent mistakes premise with me briefly these few things First Rom. 7. that in every regenerate man there are two men an old man and a new man or if you please flesh and spirit Secondly The old man the fleshly part will incline the soul and byass the soul as well to sins against the Gospel as to sins against the Law and to great sins as well as to small sins witness Noah's drunkenness Lot's incest Assur's oppression David's murder and adultery Solomon's idolatry and Peters blasphemy Thirdly The old man the fleshly part is as much in the will as in any other part of the regenerate man and therefore when he falls into hainous sins he may fall into them with consent delight and willingness so far as his will is unrenewed 1 Thes 5 22. Though a real Christian be chang'd in every part yet 't is but in part and imperfect Fourthly The old man the fleshly part is in a regenerate mans members as well as in his will and therefore they may be exercised and imployed in and about those sins they have consented unto Fifthly High sinnings do waste and wound the conscience of a regenerate man and lay him open to the sore rebukes of God and call for great repentance and fresh and frequent applications of the bloud of Christ These things being premised a Question may be propounded viz. Quest What does the dominion of sin import and wherein does it consist Now to this considerable question I shall give these eight following Answers First Sin is in dominion when it hath the absolute and soveraign commaâ—â— of the soul when it hath an uncontradicted power when it hath such an authority in the soul to command it as a King doth his subjects or as the Centurion did his servants Mat. 8.9 For I am a man under authority having soldiers under me and I say to this man go and he goeth and to another come and he cometh and to my servant do this and he doth it Now when sin has such a universal and easie authority and command over the whole man body and soul as that it can use them in the service of sin when and where and how it pleaseth then sin is in dominion where there is a peaceable Eph. 2.2 3. uncontrouled willing universal subjection of the whole man unto the commands of sin there sin reigns But Secondly Sin is in dominion when in a course when ordinarily there is a quiet free willing and total yielding of subjection to the authority Law and command of sin Mark 't is a full possession a plenary delight and a constant content in sin Rom. 6.13 14 15 16. that speaks out the reign and dominion of sin Dominion of sin imports a compleat and universal resignation of the whole will and man to the obedience of it That man that is wholly addicted and devoted to the wayes of sin that man is under the reign of sin that man whose whole heart is universally married to his lusts that man is under the dominion of his lusts when a man does as freely cheerfully universally and readily obey his lusts Eph. 2.3 1 King 21.25 Micah 7.3 A man may be subjects as a captive in this or that particular tyranny of sin who is not obedient as a servant to all the government of sin for that takes iâ— the whole will and an adequate submission thereof to the peaceable and uncontrouled power of sin Rom. 7.15 19 23 as a child does his father or a wife her husband or a servant his Master or a subject his Prince then sin is in dominion when a man sins with greediness when with Ahab he sells himself to work wickedness when he commits wickedness with both hands when he gives himself up or over to all uncleanness and filthiness when he freely and voluntarily resigns and surrenders up his body and soul to the obedience of sin then sin reigns then it keeps the throne where the dominion of sin is erected there it sits in the heart as a King in his Throne and gives forth its Laws and commands to the soul and body and those commands are listned and consented to approved and delighted in c. A subject can't in a course more freely willingly universally and cheerfully obey the commands of his Prince than a sinner doth in a course freely willingly universally and cheerfully obey the commands of his lasts and where ever this sad temper of spirit is there is sin in dominion But now mark The Apostle as Chrysostom and Theodoret observe on Rom. 6.12 doth not say Let not sin tyrannize for
it at last with a witness I have read of a Gallant addicted to uncleanness who at last meeting with a beautiful Dame and having injoyed his fleshly desires of her he found her in the morning to be the dead body of one that he had formerly been naught with which had been acted by the Devil all night and left dead again in the morning so that the Gallant 's pleasure ended in no small terror And thus 't is doubtless with all sinful pleasures What sin is there so sweet or profitable that is worth burning in hell for or worth shutting out of heaven for c. But Sixthly When men commonly take part with sin when they take up arms in the defence of sin and in defiance of the commands of God the motions of the spirit and the checks of conscience then sin is in dominion he that readily resolvedly and habitually fights sins battels is sins servant and without all peradventure under the reign and dominion of sin Look as we groundedly conclude that such men are under the reign and dominion of that King that they readily resolvedly and habitually take up arms to fight for so when the inward faculties of the soul and the outward members of the body do readily resolve and habitually take up arms to fight for sin then and there sin is in dominion as you may plainly see by consulting the Scriptures in the margent Rom. 6.19 20. Eph. 2.2 3. Titus 3.3 but where the soul readily resolvedly and habitually strives against it conflicts with it and makes war against it there 't is not in dominion there it reigns not as you may see by comparing the Scriptures in the margent together Rom. 7.23 24. Gal. 5.17 Rom. 8.13 That man that can truly appeal to God and say Lord thou that knowest all hearts and things thou knowest that there is nothing under the whole heavens that I am so desirous and ambitious of as this that my sins may be subdued that my strongest lusts may be mortified and that those very corruptions that my nature constitution and complexion is most inclined to may be brought to an under That man that can appeal to God and say O Lord what ever becomes of me I will never be reconciled to any known sin yea Lord though I should perish for ever yet I am resolved to fight against my sins for ever Let God do what he will against me I will do all I can against my sins and to honour my God that man is not under the reign and dominion of sin But Seventhly When sin commonly rises by opposition then it reigns Look as grace when it is in the Throne it rises by opposition 2 Sam. 6.22 I will yet be more vile Mark 10.47 Act. 4.6 to the 34 5.40 41 42. 48. And many charged him that he should hold his peace but he cryed the more a great deal Thou son of David have mercy on me so when sin is in the Throne it rises higher and higher by opposition As the more water you cast upon Lime the more fiercely it burns so when sin is in its reign and dominion it flames out the more by opposition witness the Jews malice and envy against Christ which when it received but a little easie gentle check by Pilate Mark 15.12 13 14. they cryed out so much the more Crucifie him crucifie him A man that is under the reign and dominion of sin is like the Rainbow the Rainbow is never on that side of the world that the Sun is but wheresoever it appears it is in opposition against the Sun if the Sun be in the East the Rainbow is in the West c. Where sin has the Throne it will still rise higher and higher by opposition reprove a swearer for swearing and he will swear so much the more yea many times he will swear that he did not swear when indeed he did and so it holds in all other vices that the sinner is given up to 'T is said of Catiline that he was a compound and bundle of warring lusts and vices the same may be said of all others where sin is in dominion But Eighthly and lastly If the Lord Jesus Christ hath not dominion over you then sin has certainly dominion over you Rom. 6.17 18. Christ hath no dominion over that soul that sin hath dominion over and sin hath no dominion over that soul that Christ hath dominion over Christ and sin cannot have dominion over the same soul at one and the same time Christ's dominion is destructive and inconsistent with sins dominion c. Quest But how shall I know whether the Lord Jesus Christ hath dominion over my soul or no How shall I know whether the Lord Jesus Christ be my Lord or no For if I can but groundedly conclude that Christ is my Lord then I may very boldly safely and undoubtedly conclude that sin is not my Lord but if Christ be not my Lord I may more than fear that sin is certainly my Lord. Ans Sol. Canst thou truly say in the presence of the great and glorious God Psal 139.23 24. Psal 26.2 Jer. 11.20 17.10 Prov. 17.3 1 Thes 2.4 that is the tryer and searcher of all hearts that thou hast given up thy heart and life to the Rule Authority and Government of Jesus Christ and that thou hast chosen him to be thy Soveraign Lord and King and art truly willing to submit to his dominion as the only precious and righteous holy and heavenly sweet and pleasant profitable and comfortable safe and best dominion in all the world and to resign up thy heart thy will thy affections thy life thy all really to Christ wholly to Christ and only to Christ Canst thou truly say O dear Lord Jesus other Lords viz. the world the flesh and the devil have had dominion too long over me Isa 26.13 but now these Lords I utterly renounce I for ever renounce and do give up my self to thee as my only Lord beseeching thee to rule and reign over me for ever and ever O Lord though sin rages and Satan roars and the world sometimes frowns Josh 24.15 and sometimes fawns yet I am resolved to own thee as my only Lord and to serve thee as my only Lord my greatest fear is of offending thee and my chiefest care shall be to please thee and my only joy shall be to be a praise a name and an honour to thee O Lord I can appeal to thee in the sincerity of my heart that though I have many invincible weaknesses and infirmities that hang upon me and though I am often worsted by my sins and overcome in an hour of temptation yet thou that knowest all thoughts and hearts thou dost know that I have given up my heart to the obedience of Jesus Christ and do daily give it up to his rule and government and 't is the earnest desire of my soul above all things in this world
all fears and doubts objections and temptations But Sixthly and lastly Consider there is a great deal of grace and mercy in Scripture peradventures Exod. 32.30 1 Sam. 9.6 1 Kings 20.31 1 Tim. 2.25 as you may easily see by comparing the Scriptures in the Margent together Scripture peradventures ought to keep down despair and raise our hopes and our hearts to know that God is favourable and that sin is pardonable and that mercy is attainable and that Hell is avoidable is no small comfort to a poor doubting trembling Christian And as there is a great deal of grace and mercy in Scripture peradventures so there is a great deal of grace and favour in Scripture may-be's as you may see by comparing these Scriptures in the Margent together Now if Scripture-peradventures 1 Sam. 14 6. 2 Sam. 16.12 2 Kings 19.4 Isa 37 4. Ezek. 14 11. Amos 5 15. Zeph. 2 3. Dan. 4.27 and Scripture may-be's afford so much support relief and comfort to your souls as indeed they do then doubtless probabilities of grace of an interest in Christ of going to Heaven and of being saved ought very much to support relieve cheer and comfort the hearts of all those that have such probabilities A gracious soul may say when he is lowest and weakest Well though I dare not say that I have Grace yet I have a peradventure for it and though I dare not I cannot say I have an interest in Christ yet if I have a may-be for it I ought to bear up bravely and comfortably against all fears and doubts yea and to take the comfort and the sweet of all those blessed probabilities of grace of an interest in Christ and of being saved and of all the peradventures and may-be's that are scattered up and down in the Book of God and with Hannah to walk up and down without a sad countenance 1 Sam. 1.18 The Twelfth Maxim or Consideration TWelfthly Consider that t is a Christians greatest Wisdom and highest concernment to take the most commodious time for the casting up of his spiritual accounts If I would know what I am worth for another World and what I have to shew for the inheritance of the Saints in light then I am to take my heart when t is at best and when I am most divinely prepared and fitted for this great service then to enter upon it T is no wisdom for a man to go to see his face in troubled waters or to look for a Pearl in a puddle There are some particular times and seasons in which t is no way safe nor convenient for a Christian to enter upon the tryal of his Spiritual estate Times of desertion and temptation are rather times and seasons for mourning watching restling and seeking of God than for judging and determining of our conditions As first when the body is greatly distempered 2. When the Soul is greatly tempted by Satan or sadly deserted by God 3. When the Conscience is so deeply wounded by some great falls as that the Soul is filled with exceeding great fear terror and horror it is with many poor Christians in this case as it hath been with some who have been so struck with the fear and horror of death before the Judg that though they were good Schollars and able to read any thing yet fear and horror hath so surprised them that when their lives have been at stake and the Book hath been given them to read they have not been able to read one line one word So many of the precious servants of Christ when they have been under wounds of Conscience and when they have been filled with fears terrors and horrors they have not been able to look up to Heaven nor read their evidences nor turn to the breasts of the Promises Psal 40.12 Psal 77. Psal 88. Job 23.8 9. nor call to mind their former experiences nor behold the least glimpse of Heavens glories No man in his wits if he were to weigh gold would weigh it in the midst of high winds great storms and horrible tempests which would so hurry the ballance up and down this way and that that it would be impossible for him to weigh his gold exactly Now the tryal of our spiritual estates is like the weighing of gold Job 31.6 Dan. 5.27 for we are all to weigh our selves by the ballance of the Sanctuary God himself will one day weigh us by that ballance and if we hold weight when he comes to weigh us we are safe and happy for ever But when he comes to weigh us in the ballance of the Sanctuary if we shall then be found too light it had been good for us we had never been born when Belshazzar saw the hand-writing upon the wall his countenance was changed Verses 5 6. and his thoughts troubled and the joynts of his loyns were loosed and his knees smote one against another but what was all this to an everlasting separation from God and to those endless easless and remediless torments that such must endure 2 Thess 1.7 8 9 10. who when they are weighed in the ballance shall be found too light A man that would weigh gold to a grain The candle will never burn clear whilst there is a thief in it sin indulged in the conscience is like Jonah in the ship which causeth such a tempest that the Conscience is like a troubled Sea whose waters cannot rest or it is like a more in the eye which causeth a perpetual trouble while it is there must weigh it in a quiet still place And so a man that would make an exact tryal of his spiritual estate he must take his Soul when t is most serious quiet still and composed he must take his heart when it is in the best frame and most disposed to solemn and weighty work There are some times which are very unapt for a gracious person to sit as Judg upon his Spiritual estate and to pass sentence upon his own Soul The best Christians under Heaven do meet with divers inward and outward changes sometimes the light shines so clear that they can see things as they are but at other times all is dark and cloudy and tempestuous and then they are apt to judg themselves by feeling and new representations and not according to the truth O Sirs remember this once for all that times of inward or outward distresses are best for Praying and worst for judging If a man will at such times pass sentence on himself or his estate as a Judg he will certainly judg unrighteous judgment for then the Soul is not it self and is very apt and prone to take Satans work for his own and to side with him against it self yea and then usually it will see nothing it will think of nothing it will dwell upon nothing but what makes against it self 4. When God exercises a man with some exceeding severe and unusual Providences when God steps out of his ordinary way
of Dispensations in his dealings with a man When God sets a man up before all the world as a mark to shoot at as he did Job Now a poor Christian is ready to doubt and conclude Job 7.20 c. 16.12 Surely the Lord has no regard of me he has no entire love for me his heart is not certainly towards me seeing all these sore tryals make so much against me but here the poor Christian is mistaken as Jacob once was Gen 42.36 And Jacob their Father said unto them Me have ye bereaved of my children Joseph is not and Simeon is not and ye will take Benjamin away all these things are against me Gen. 45.5 6 7 8 9. But Jacob was out for all those things made for him and for the preservation of the visible Church of God in the World Certainly all the afflictions that befall the people of God Rev. 3.19 Heb. 12.5 6. are but his love-tokens As many as I love I rebuke and chasten and therefore those Christians are miserably mistaken that take them for testimonies of his wrath and effects of his disfavour O Sirs what can be more absurd displeasing and provoking than for a Christian to make that an Argument of Gods hatred that he intends for an instance of his love and yeâ— Christians are apt thus to act It is observable the Apostle reckons affliction amongst Gods honoraries and tokens of respect Judg. 6.12 13. Exod. 17.7 Phil. 1.29 For to you t is given saith he not only to believe but also to suffer Which saith Father Latymer is the greatest promotion that God gives in this world Job 7.17 18. Job when he was himself could not but admire at it that God should make such an account of man and that he should so magnify him and dignify him as to think him worthy of a rod a whiping as to think him worth a melting Prov. 1.32 Psal 73.5 Eccles 9.1 2. and trying every morning yea every moment T is certain that great prosperity and worldly glory are no sure tokens of Gods love and t is as certain that great troubles and afflictions are no sure marks of Gods hatred and yet many poor Christians when the waters of affliction rise high and are ready to overflow them O how apt are they to conclude that God hates them and will revenge himself upon them and that they have nothing of God or Christ or the Spirit or Grace in them Or 5. Lam. 1.16 When the Spirit the Comforter stands afar off and witholds those special influences without which in a common ordinary way a Christian cannot divinely candidly clearly and impartially transact with God in order to his own peace comfort and settlement Or 6. When either a Christians evidences are not at hand or else they are so soiled darkned blotted and obscured as that he is not able to read them Psal 88. Job 33.10 It is an old saying that Melancholia est vehiculum Daemonum In the German proverb Luther sayes it goes for currant Caput Melancholicum diaboli Balneum The melancholy head is the Devils bathing place Or 7. When a Christian is extreamly opprest with melancholy Melancholy is a dark and dusky humor which disturbs both Soul and body and the cure of it belongs rather to the Physitian than to the Divine It is a most pestilent humor where it abounds one calls it Balneum Diaboli the Devils Bath t is a humor that unfits a man for all sorts of services but especially those that concern his soul his spiritual estate his everlasting condition The Melancholy person tyres the Physitian grieves the Minister wounds Relations and makes sport for the Devil There are 5 sorts of persons that the Devil makes his Ass to ride in triumph upon viz. the ignorant person the unbelieving person the proud person the hypocritical person and the Melancholy person Melancholy is a disease that works strange passions strange imaginations and strange conclusions It unmans a man it makes a man call good evil and evil good sweet bitter and bitter sweet light darkness and darkness light The distemper of the body oftentimes causeth distemper of soul for the Soul followeth the temper of the body A Melancholy spirit is a dumb spirit you can get nothing out of him Mat. 9.28 29. It is no more wonder to see a Melancholy man doubt and question his spiritual condition than it is to see a child cry when he is beaten or to hear a sick man groan or to hear a drowning man call out for a boat You may silence a Melancholy man when you are not able to comfort him Whilest Nebuchadnezzar was under the power of a deep Melancholy he could not tell whether he was a man or a Beast Melancholy is the mother of fears doubts disputes and discomforts and a deaf spirit you can get nothing into him Now of all the evil spirits we read of in the Gospel the dumb and the deaf were the worst darkness sadness solitariness heaviness mourning c. are the only sweet desirable and delightful companions of melancholy persons Melancholy makes every sweet bitter and every bitter seven times more bitter the melancholy person is marvellously prone to bid sleep farewel and joy farewel and meat farewel and friends farewel and Ordinances farewel and duties farewel and Promises farewel and Ministers farewel and his Calling farewel and t is well if he be not even ready to bid God farewel too Melancholy persons are like Idols that have eyes but see not and tongues but speak not and ears but hear not Melancholy turns truths into Fables and fables into truths it turns fancies into realities and realities into fancies Melancholy is a fire that burns inwards and is hard to quench Now if a Christian be under the power of natural or accidental Melancholy his work is not now to be a trying his estate or a casting up of his accounts to see what he is worth for another world but to use all such wayes and means as God hath prepared in a natural way for the cure of Melancholy for as the Soul is not cured by natural causes so the body is not cured by spiritual Remedies Now in the seven cases last mentioned a Christians work lyes rather in mourning self-judging self-loathing self-abhorring and in repenting and reforming and in fresh and frequent exercises of Faith on the Lord Jesus on his Blood on his Promises and on his free rich sovereign and glorious Grace â—hat is displayed and offered in the Gospel and in a patient waiting upon the Lord in the use of all holy and heavenly helps for deliverance out of his present straits tâ—yals and exercises then in falling upon that great work of casting up his spiritual accounts and of searching into the Records of glory to see whether his name be Registred in the Book of Life or no. O Sirs when poor Christians are bewildered their proper work is to cast themselves upon the
won the man So when sin hath lost the will it hath lost the man The will is the heart My Son give me thy heart is My Son give me thy will the will is the Fort-Royal of the Soul t is that strong hold that stands out stoutest and longest against all the Assaults of Heaven when the will is won all is won the Castle is won the heart is won the man is won when the will is won A mans judgment and reason may say I ought tâ—â—â—rn from sin and his Conscience may say I must turn from sin or it will be bitterness in the end and yet the work not done nor the Soul won but when the heart sayes the will sayes I will turn from sin then the work is done and the man is won Where reason saith these lusts ought to be subdued and the Conscience saith these lusts must be subdued and the Will saith these lusts shall be subdued Psal 65.3 As for our transgressions thou shaâ—t purge them away there is a saving work upon the Soul When the will ceases to sin as Ephraim said to his Idols Get you hence what have I any more to do with you then the work of God is begun in power upon the Soul A universal willingness to be rid of all sin speaks the heart to be sound and sincere with God the enmity that Grace works in the heart against sin is against the whole kind t is against all sin as well profitable and pleasurable sins as disparaging and disgracing sins and as well against small sins as agâ—inst great sins true Grace strikes at root and branch at head and members at father and son A true Israelite would not have one Canaanite left in the Holy Land he would have every Egyptian drowned in the Red Sea of Christs bloud Psal 119.104 I hate every false way Psal 139. ult Search me O Lord and see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting Saving Grace makes a man as willing to leave his lusts as a Slave is willing to leave his Gally or a Prisoner his Dungeon or a Thief his Bolts or a Beggar his rags But now take a man that is in his natural condition and he is as unwilling to part with his sins as Abraham was to turn Hagar and Ishmael out of doors Ambrose reports of one Theotimus that having a disease upon his body the Physician told him That except he did abstain from intemperance drunkenness uncleanness c. he was like to lose his eyes his heart was so desperately set upon his lusts that he answered Vale lumen amicum Farewel sweet Light then he had rather lose his eyes than leave his sins So they in Micha 6.6 7. do make very large offers for a dispensation to live in their sins They offer Calves of a year old they offer thousands of Rams and ten thousand Rivers of Oyl yea they offer their first born for theiâ—â—â—ansgressions the fruit of their bodies for the sin of their souls Sinners hearts are so glued to their lusts that they will rather part with their nearest dearest and choicest enjoyments than part with their sins yea when they are put hard to it they will rather part with God Christ and all the glory of another world than they will part with some base bosom lust witness that young man in the Gospel who went away sorrowful because he had great possessions Matth. 19.21 22. Look as a man leaves his Wife and Children Gen. 21.11 Matth. 19 21 22. 2 Sam. 3.15 16. Augustin in his youth before his Conversion prayed thus I said indeed with my lips Lord give and yet in my heart I was too willing to give longer day and could have said Lord pray not yet I was even afraid lest thou shouldst hear me too soon and too soon heal and subdue my corruption for me Aug. Con. his Countrey Estate and Trade with tears in his eyes and sorrow in his heart so does an unregenerate man leave his lusts with tears in his eyes and sorrow in his heart Very observable is the story of Phaltiel David had Married Michol Saul injuriously gave her to another when David came to the Crown and was able to speak a word of command he sends for his wife Michol her Husband dares not but obey he brings her on her journey and then not without great reluctancy of spirit takes his leave of her But what was Phaltiel weary of his Wife that he now forsakes her O no he was forced to it and though she was gone yet he cast many a sad thought after her and never leaves looking till he sees her as far as Bahurim weeping and bemoaning her absence And just thus t is with carnal and unregenerate men who though for fear or some other reasons they shake hands with their sins yet they have many a longing heart after them they part but t is upon a force they part and yet they are very loath to part asunder Look as the Merchant throws away his goods in a storm because he cannot keep them so carnal â—en in times of sickness and distress or in times of horror and terror of Conscience or when death the King of terrors knocks at their doors or when they see Hell gaping to devour them and God as a terrible Judg standing ready to pass an eternal doom upon them then they are willing to cast overboard their usury their drunkenness their Swearing their Cursing their Lying their Flesh-pleasing c. but not out of any hatred to their lusts but out of love to themselves and out of fear of being damned c. for could they but enjoy their sins and Heaven too sin and they would never part But now were there no danger no wrath no hell no damnation no seperation from God attending sin yet a gracious Soul would be heartily willing to part with all sin and to be rid of all sin upon the account of the vile nature of sin upon the account of the defiling and polluting nature of sin of all things in the World sin is the most defiling thing it makes us red with guilt and black with filth t is compared to a menstruous cloath Isa 30.22 which of all unclean things in the Law was the most unclean as some observe and upon this very account a gracious soul would be willingly rid of it Secondly A constant habitual willingness to be rid of all sin is an infallible evidence of the truth of grace in the Soul 't is not a transient willingness to be rid of sin when a man is either under some outward trouble or some inward distress that speaks out the truth of saving grace but a permanent lasting and abiding willingness to be rid of sin does Pharaoh in a fit in a fright when Thunder and Hail and Frogs and Flies were upon him was then willing to let Israel go but when his fright was over and the Judgments removed he grew prouder
they remained with loud cries and tears to testify their remorse for offending him and shall we make nothing of offending those weak Christians that are the price of Christs bloud and the travel of his soul the Lord forbid Besides our venturing upon the appearance of evil may prove a great temptation to weak Christians not only to venture upon seeming evils but also to venture upon real evils doubtless many weak Christians have been drawn to apparent evils by observing others to venture upon the appearance of evil 'T is commonly seen that when strong Christians will adventure upon appearing evils weak Christians will be emboldned thereby to commit real evils 1 Cor. 8.8 9 10. But meat commendeth us not to God for neither if we eat are we the better neither if we eat not are we the worse But take heed lest by any means this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to them that are weak For if any man see thee which hast knowledg sit at meat in the Idols Temple shall not the Conscience of him which is weak be emboldned to eat those things which are offered to Idols When the weak shall see men of knowledg communicating with Idolaters in their Feasts their Consciences will be emboldned and confirmed in their old Superstition about those Idols which they were beginning to leave returning now a fresh to a more reverent esteem and service of them than ever c. O friends as you would not offend the weak as you would not tempt the weak keep off from all shews and appearances of evil c. But Sixthly Christians venturing upon appearing evils will exceedingly harden and encourage wicked men to commit real evils 'T is very natural and customary with wicked men to make use of the appearing infirmities of the Saints as excuses and Apologies to bear them out in their greatest enormities and wickednesses Why did not such and such knowing eminent Christians do thus and thus and we have gone but one step beyond them and is that so great and hainous a crime they have been playing and sporting themselves about the pit and we are but slipt or stept into the pit They have been sitting and bibbing with such and such company and we have but taken two or three merry cups more than ordinary in the same company and is that so great a sin c. O Sirs As we should walk wisely towards those that are without 1 Thess 4.12 Jude 22. so we should walk compassionately towards those that are without Of some have compassion making a difference Jer. 9.1 Did not Jeremy wish that his head were waters and his eyes a Fountain of tears that he might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of his people Did not Samuel mourn for Saul 1 Sam. 15.25 Luke 19.10 Luke 10 30-35 Phil. 3.20 Levit. 19.17 1 Sam. 17.34 Gen. 31.40 Did not Christ weep over Jerusalem Did not the compassionate Samaritan bind up his wounds pouring in Oyl and Wine who fell among Thieves in his going from Jerusalem to Jericho Did not Paul weep over those that were enemies of the Cross of Christ Yea shall we shew pity and compassion to an Ox or an Ass that is fallen into a Ditch Nay shall David rather venture upon a Lyon than lose a Lamb Shall Jacob rather endure heat by day and cold by night than neglect his Flock Shall Moses fight with odds rather than the Cattle shall perish with thirst Nay shall Xenocrates a Heathen shew compassion to a poor Sparrow that being scared and pursued by a Hawk flew into his bosome for succour c. And shall not we have that compassion on poor sinners precious and immortal Souls as to abstain from the appearance of sin which may more wayes than one prove so exceeding prejudicial to them c. Jer. â—â— 50 Wicked men are wonderful prone to watch for the Saints haltings Christians are lights upon a high Hill yea they are Stars in the Firmament of the Church and therefore every mans eye is upon them and if wicked men can but discern the least indecency the least appearance of any excentrick or irregular motion O how readily will they let fly against God and the Gospel against Religion and against all that have a Profession of Religion upon them Now the honour of God and the credit of the Gospel should be so dear and precious in the eyes of every Christian that he should rather chuse to dye than to venture upon the least apparition of sin whereby the honour of God may be clouded or the credit of the Gospel impeached or eclipsed or the Soul of a poor sinner endangered or worsned both the least sin and the least appearance of sin must be avoided and prevented the Cockatrice must be crushed in the Egg else it will soon become a Serpent the very thought of sin if not thought on will break out into action action into custome custome into habit and then both body and Soul are in the ready way of being irrecoverably lost Camerarius tells us a sad story of two Brothers who walking out in the evening and seeing the Element full of bright spangling Stars one of them being a Grasier wished that he had as many Oxen as there were Stars in the Firmament then said the other Brother If I had a Pasture as big as all the World where would you keep the Oxen he answered In your Pasture What said the other whether I would or no Yes said his Brother The matter was very light 't was but a little evil or an appearing evil but it fell out very heavily for presently they fell to words and then drew one upon another and in the close killed one another O friends as you love the lives of sinners and as you love the Souls of sinners keep off from all appearance of evil But Seventhly Other precious Saints have abstained from all appearances of evil witness Joseph Paul Daniel c. but lately cited And to these let me add that great instance of Augustine who retracted even Ironies because they had the appearance of evil And so the Primitive Christians would not let up Lights and Bayes at their doors though for this they were persecuted as enemies to the Emperour Tertullian because the Temple and the doors of Idolaters were wont to be thus garnished 2 Sam. 24.21 22 23 24. And so David refused to take the Threshing floor and Threshing instruments and Oxen c. of Araunah as a gift but would needs buy them at a price and this he did partly out of a Divine nobleness and partly to avoid the very shew of Covetousness Now why has God left all these famous Presidents upon Record but on purpose to encourage his Saints in all Ages to abstain from all appearing evils as well as from all apparent evils Certainly God looks that we should so eye the best the highest the worthyest and the exactest examples as that we
Oppressor no Defrauder c. A formal Professors obedience to Divine Commands does principally lye in negatives he considers not so much what the Command requires as what it prohibits and he pleases himself rather in abstaining from evil than in doing of good in being outwardly reformed than in being inwardly renewed he thinks it enough that he turns from sin though he makes no Conscience of turning to God If you ask him concerning affirmative Commands there you will find him speechless Ask him art thou holy art thou humble art thou heavenly art thou sincere art thou a Believer dost thou set up God as the great object o thy fear dost thou love God with a superlative love is the Sabbath of the Lord a delight unto thee c. Now here you strike him dumb he looks upon the neglect of these things as no sins Isa 8.13 Psal 18.1 Isa 58 1â— because they are not such scandalous sins as the others are Remember Sirs sinful omissions many times leads to sinful commissions as you may see in the Angels thaâ— fell from Heaven to Hell and as you may see in Adam who fell from his highest glory into a woful gulf of sin and misery But Fourthly If your obedience spring from Faith then you will endeavour to obey God in the Spirit of the Command as well as in the letter of the Command In every Command of God there is an intra and an extra one part of Christs Law binds the Flesh and another part binds the Spirit Thou shalt do no Murther Matth. 5.21.22 Verse 27 28. there is the letter of the Command Thou shalt not be angry with thy Brother without a cause there is the Spirit of the Command Thou shalt not commit Adultery there is the letter of the Command Thou shalt not look upon a Woman to lust after her there is the Spirit of the Command The Pharisees of old did not look to the Spiritâ—ality of the Law but only to the Letter of the Law they rested wholly upon an outward conformity to the Law when their hearts were full of Hellish lusts they were all for the outside of the Law they regarded not the inside of the Law they were all for washing of Platters and Cups and for beautifying of Tombs like an Adulteress Matth. 23.23 Phil. 3.6 Rom. 7.9 Could a man come up to all affirmative and negative Precepts in his outward conversation yet if he were not spiritual in all these his obedience would be but as a body without a Soul The Pharisees rise high in their outward obedience and yet Christ clearly and fully convinces them that they were wretched Adulterers and Murderers though they were not guilty of any such outward crimes c. whose care is to paint and set a fair face upon a foul matter they were all for paying Tythe of Mint and Annise and Cummin but they regarded not the inside of the Law they omitted the weightier matters of the Law viz. Judgment Mercy and Faith While Paul walked by the letter of the Command he was blameless in his own account but when he came to walk by the Spirit of the Command then sin revived and he dyed Friends there are the more general duties of Religion as Hearing Praying Reading Receiving Fasting Repeating Discoursing c. Now these all lye in the very letter of the Command and there are the more inward and spiritual duties of Religion as the exercise of Faith fear love hope joy patience contentation humble submission and chusing of God and cleaving to God and delighting in God and admiring of God and exalting of God and following hard after God and holy Meditation and Self-examination c. Now all these lye in the very spirit of the Command Now in the exercise of these more spiritual duties our fellowship and communion with God mainly lyes In the more general duties of Religion an hypocrite may manifest the excellency of his gifts but in the more spiritual duties of Religion a sincere Christian doth manifest both the excellency and efficacy of grace Mark an unsound heart looks no further than to the bare letter of the command to bare hearing and bare praying and bare preaching and bare fasting and bare giving and bare receiving and bare suffering he looks no further than to that part of the command which only binds the flesh or outward man and if he does but observe that in the gross he thinks he hath done marvellous well like a melancholy man that matters not what melody and harmony he makes so he does but touch the strings of the instrument But now a found a sincere Christian he looks to the Spirit of the command and if he does not come up to that in sincere desires in gracious purposes in fixed resolutions and in cordial endeavours he can have no peace no rest no quiet no comfort O Sirs as ever you would see God and enjoy God another day you must labour not only to obey the letter of the command but also to bring your hearts to the sincere obedience of the Spirit of the command This is a very close piercing distinguishing and discovering sign But Fifthly If your obedience springs from faith then you will labour not only to obey God in the matter but also in the manner of the command not only in the substance of the command but also in the circumstance of the command God requires the manner as well as the matter and God looks upon that work as not done that is not done in a right manner Did not the Lord command sacrifice and did not Cain offer sacrifice Gen. 4.5 and yet God had no respect to him nor to his offering because his sacrifice was not offered up in a right manner his offering was not offered up by a hand of faith he offered his offering but because he did not offer himself as an offering to God his offering was rejected by God A work may be materially good Luther that is not formally and eventually good and this was Cain's curse How frequently did God command the Jews to pray Isa 1.15 and yet he plainly tells them When you spread forth your hands I will hide mine eyes from you yea when you make many prayers I will not hear He commanded them to sacrifice and yet he saith To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices Verse 11. and all because they did not manage their prayers nor sacrifices in a right manner their hands were full of bloud and their hearts were full of sins and their lives were full of lewdness and therefore all their services were vain oblations yea an abomination to God An unfound heart looks no further than to the substance of the command if he has heard and prayed and fasted and read and repeated and given alms and received the Lord's Supper he strokes himself and blesses himself and hugs himself and thinks all is well and so he looks no further But now a sound
sincere Christian he looks to the circumstance as well as the substance to the manner as well as to the matter of the command when he prayes he labours to pray fervently earnestly Jam. 5.17 18. he labours to get his heart into his prayers when he hears he will hear with attention and intention of spirit when he walks Mich. 6.8 1 Pet. 2.12 3.1 2 3. 1 Thes 2.10 2 Cor. 1.12 Psal 110.3 he endeavours to walk wisely humbly faithfully fruitfully circumspectly exemplarily winningly convincingly blamelesly when he obeys he desires and endeavours to obey freely willingly cheerfully O Sirs if we pray and pray not fervently if we hear and hear not fruitfully if we obey and obey not willingly if we shew mercy Isa 58.13 and do it not cheerfully if we sanctifie the Sabbath and not with delight all is worth nothing all will come to nothing Mark there are some circumstances accessary some necessary some wherein the being and some wherein the well being of a duty doth consist and if you abstract these from them the duty is worth nothing take away fervency and humility from prayer take away faithfulness and fruitfulness from hearing and take away willingness and delight from obedience and all will be worth nothing God regards not only the matter but the manner Criton the Papist could say That God loved better Adverbs than Nouns not to pray only but to pray well Non bonum sed bene agere Not to do good but to do it well is the great wisdom of a Christian what is the Sun without light or the fountain without water or the body without the soul or wood without fire or a bullet without a gun or a Ship without a rudder no more are words in prayer without the spirit of prayer God looks more at the manner than at the matter of your prayers And let thus much suffice to confirm the first particular But Secondly That obedience that springs from faith is an obedience that is only grounded upon the Word of God the Commands of God Ps 119.4 5. Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently O that my wayes were directed to keep thy Statutes Isa 8.20 To the Law and to the testimony if they speak not according to this word it is because there is no light in them Mat. 5.18 For verily I say unto you till heaven and earth pass one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the Law till all be fulfilled John 10.35 If he called them Gods unto whom the word of God came and the Scripture cannot be broken Chap. 12.48 He that rejecteth me and receiveth not my words hath one that judgeth him the word that I have spoken the same shall judge him in the last day 2 Tim. 3.16 17 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine fâ—r reproof for correction for instruction in righteousness that the mâ—n of God may be perfect throughly furnished unto all good works Now the reasons why that obedience that springs from faith is an obedience that is only grounded upon the Word of God the Commands of God are these five And the first is drawn from the supremacy and soveraignty of God who alone is to prescribe to man his duty he is our great Lord and Master he is our Lord and Law-giver Isa 33.22 For the Lord is our Judge the Lord is our Law-giver the Lord is our King James 4.12 There is one Law-giver who is able to save and to destroy who art thou that judgest another Now by the Laws of this Lord and Law-giver we must square all our actions Look as it would be very absurd in a servant to do that work which he thinks meet and not what his Master commands so 't is as absurd for men to think that God will accept of this or that at their hands when they can't plead his superscription and authority for what they do God will one day say to such Who hath required this at your hands Isa 1.12 O Sirs you must lay the command of God as a foundation for what you do or else all your buildings though never so glorious will certainly totter and fall in all you do you must be able to say Thus saith the Lord or else after you have done your best you may be undone for ever But Secondly God's promise and blessing is only annexed to God's command he that will have the sweet of the promise and the blessings of heaven he must look that his obedience be bottomed upon divine commands in holy actions 't is not thy performance nor thy grace nor thy warmth nor thy zeal but the command and the promise that is annexed to it that will bear thee out Gal. 4.28 Heb. 6.17 therefore we are called children of the promise and heirs of the promise The children of God in all their obedience should still keep an eye upon the command of God and the promise of God as ever they would run the race that is set before them Heb. 12.1 But Thirdly Our obedience must be grounded and bottomed upon a divine command because of that great corruption pollution blindness and darkness which is upon our minds and understandings which would carry us to what not if we were not to steer our Christian course by divine commands Col. 2.20 21 22. The Apostle condemns those things which had a shew of humility and great mortification because they were not bottomed upon a divine command and Christ condemned many practises of the Scribes and Pharisees because they were not bottomed upon a divine command As you may see by comparing the 6 15. and 23. Chapters of Matthew together But Fourthly Our obedience must be bottomed upon a divine command because else we can never be able to bear up our hearts comfortably couragiously confidently and resolutely under all the afflictions Psal 44 9 ult Ezek. 28.12 22. oppositions temptations persecutions and discouragements that we meet with in the wayes of the Lord and in doing the work of the Lord. All the Messages that the Prophets delivered were still grounded upon a divine command Acts 4.19 20. 5.29 Thus saith the Lord and this steeled their spirits in the work of the Lord this made them resolute and undaunted in the midst of all the afflictions and oppositions that they met with And so 't was a word of command that raised the spirits and encouraged the hearts of the Apostles in the work of the Lord in the face of all the oppositions threatnings and buffetings that they met with from the civil powers You know Absalom layes his bloudy command upon his servants as their highest encouragement to that bloudy work of killing his brother Amnon 2 Sam. 13.28 Now Absalom had commanded his servants his Assasines saying Mark ye now when Amnons heart is merry with wine and when I say unto you smite Amnon then kill him fear not have not I commanded you be
O what sweet communion what delightful communion what high communion what commodious communion what Soul-satisfying Soul-ravishing Soul-filling Soul-contenting communion with God does he then enjoy When the Child walks wisely and obedientially before his Father what sweet and delightful converses and communion is there between the Father and the Child but if the child walk foolishly stubbornly rebelliously disobediently the prudent Father will carry it severely strangely frowningly and at a distance though his heart be still full of love to his child and though he won't disinherit him yet he wont be familiar with him The application is easie c. Seventhly To keep down the body and to bring it into subjection to the soul 1 Cor. 9.27 But I keep under my body and bring it into subjection By spiritual exercises the Apostle d d subdue his flesh to the obedience and discipline of the spirit in former times they had several exercises as wrestling and running for the prize Now such as were slow pursie unweildy and lazy were cashiered they would not admit such to be of their society or company who wrestled and run for the prize Them that were admitted to those exercises kept their bodies at an under and did not pamper their bodies with dainties and delicates To these the Apostle alludes of idleness there comes no goodness when the spirit is not acting in that which is good that the flesh may be kept under the flesh will take an advantage to be very active in those things that are evil that the spirit may be kept under the flesh is like an unruly beast which through rest idleness and high feeding grows wild and masterless Now the only way to tame this beast is to work him hard so the way of wayes to keep the body under is to keep up the soul as much as may be in the full exercise of holiness and obedience such as have most pampered their bodies Deut. 32.13 14 15 16 17. Jer. 5.7 8 c. Rev. 3 16 17 18. have been the greatest enemies to their own souls and how many are there this day that pamper their bodies but starve their souls that adorn their bodies but defiles their soul that trick and trim up their bodies with gold and silver and silks whilst their souls are naked of all grace holiness and goodness like the Laodiceans of old The body it self if you set too high a price upon it will make a cheap soul a man may be as happy in Russet as in Tissue and he is certainly an unhappy man whose outside is his best side our bodies are but dirt handsomly tempered and artificially formed we derive our pedigree from the dust and are a kin to clay and therefore we need not scruple the keeping of it under by holy exercises and by all wayes of Gospel-obedience c. Eighthly To the profit and advantage both of sinners and Saints 1. To convince sinners to silence sinners and to stop the mouths of sinners let but one man that walks wisely humbly circumspectly convincingly exemplarily blamelesly come into a Town a Parish a Family made up of drunkards swearers Sabbath-breakers whore-masters c. and his holy walking will convince them and condemn them 1 Pet. 2.12 15. Chap. 3.13 16. 2. To the profit advantage and encouragement of the Saints The strict exact walking Christian provokes the slight loose Christian to mend his manners and to order his steps and conversation aright and the lively active Christian puts the dull heavy sluggish Christian to a blush and spurs and quickens him up to a more lively walking with God and the warm flaming zealous burning Christian puts heat and warmth into the cold formal frozen Christian and the free liberal bountiful Christian provokes others to be free noble and liberal for the supply of the necessities of the Saints 2 Cor. 9.1 2. Chap. 8.1 2 3 4 19 20 c. The ninth and last though not the least end is the honour and glory of the great God God's grace is the spring and God's glory is the end of all a Christians obedience God's glory is the ultimate end Rom. 14.7 8. Phil. 1.20 21. the primary end the universal end the Sea to which all a Christians actions like so many Rivers move and bend 'T is true many poor low mean base ends may creep into a Christians performances but here mark 1. They are disallowed 2. They are loathed and abhorred 3. They are resisted and striven against 4. They are lamented and mourned over 5. The gracious soul would willingly be rid of them if a Christian might have his choice he would never be troubled with any base end any more Beloved you must alwayes distinguish between a mans setled and his suggested ends a mans setled end may be one things and his suggested end another thing Now for ever remember this That the great God alwayes makes a judgement of men according to their setled ends according to the universal frame of their spirits and not according to those ends that may be suggested to them by the world the flesh or the devil It is in this case as it may be with a man that shoots at a mark he aims aright at the mark but his elbow may meet with a jog which may carry the arrow quite another way than what he intended or as it is with a man that is sailing to such a Haven or to such a Harbour he steers a right course by his Compass but the winds blowing contrary and the Sea running high he is forced into such a creek or such a Harbour which he never intended c. Is it requisite for the clearing of the sincerity of our hearts Qu. that we have a continual eye to the glory of God in every action we do First Ans You must distinguish between an actual aim and intention and an habitual aim and intention For the first an actual aim and intention of the Spirit in every particular action that a man doth to the glory of God is utterly impossible whilst we carry about us with a body of sin and death The Angels and spirits of just men made perfect do thus actually aim at the glory of God in all they do but 't is a work that will be too high and too hard for us whilst we are here in a polluted estate This was so high a mark that Adam mist it in his innocency no wonder then if we often miss it in our sinful state and condition But Secondly There is an habitual inclination in us in every action we do to aim at the honour and glory of God though there be not the actual intention of the spirit in every action we do it is with us as with a man travelling towards a Town or City he thinks in the morning to go to such a Town such a place where he purposes to lye the first night and therefore sets forth towards it and though he doth not think of this every step
for all the duties that they have hindered Judg. 16.28 Sampson pleads hard with God that he might be avenged on the Philistines for his two eyes and so doth the gracious soul plead hard with God that he may be avenged on his bosom lusts on his complexion sins which have put out his two eyes which have so blinded him that he has not for a long time been able to see God or Christ or the things that belong to his external internal or eternal peace The next of kin in the Law was alwayes the avenger of bloud and to him it appertained to hunt after the murderer to bring upon his head the innocent bloud that he had shed if therefore we will shew our selves brethren or sisters of Christ or any thing of kin unto him we must even be the avengers of his bloud upon bosom sins upon complexion sins for for them as well as others was his bloud shed O Sirs what bosom sin is there so sweet or profitable that is worth a burning in hell for or worth a shutting out of heaven for surely none This a gracious soul seriously weighs and accordingly he sets himself against the Toad in his bosom against his darling sins against his complexion sins But now unsound hearts are very favourable to bosom sins to complexion sins they say of them as Lot of Zoar Gen. 19.20 Is it not a little one and my soul shall live And as David once said concerning Absalom 2 Sam. 18.5 Deal gently for my sake with the young man even with Absalom beware that none touch the young man Absalom Ver. 12. And the King said is the young man Absalom safe Ver. 29. An unsound heart is as fond of his bosom sins 2 King 5.18 of his complexion sins as Jacob was of his Benjamin or as Jeha was of his calves or as Naaman was of his Idol Rimmon or as Judas was of bearing the bag or as Herod was of his Herodias Acts 19. or as Demetrius was of his Diana or as the Pharisees were of devouring widows houses Mat. 23. and of having the uppermost seats in the Synagogues and of being saluted in the market places with those glorious titles Rabbi Rabbi The besotted sinner is most engaged to his bosom sins his complexion sins and therefore 't is as bitter a thing as death for him to part with them Mich. 6.6 7. he had rather part with burnt-offerings and calves of a year old he had rather part with thousands of Rams and with ten thousand Rivers of oyl yea he had rather part with his first-born than with his bosom sin Job 20.12 13. he is ready to give the fruit of his body for the sin of his soul Let God frown or smile stroke or strike lift up or cast down promise or threaten yet he will hide and hold fast his bosom sin let God set life and death heaven and hell glory and misery before him yet will he not part with his bosom sins let God wound his conscience blow upon his estate leave a blot upon his name crack his credit afflict his body Jer. 20.3 4. write death upon his relations and be a Magor-missabib a terror to his soul yet will he not let go his darling sins An unsound heart will rather let God go and Christ go and heaven go and all go than he will let his darling lusts go But now a sound Christian a throuhgout Christian he sets himself most against the Dalilah in his bosom against the Benjamin the son the sin of his right hand A sincere Christian looks upon bosom sins upon complexion sins as the most God-provoking sins there are no sins so provoking to Gods jealousies and justice as bosom sins he looks upon bosom sins complexion sins a the most dangerous sins he looks upon bosom sins complexion sins as the worst thing in all the world he looks upon bosom sins complexion sins as more ugly and horrid than the devil himself or than hell it self he looks upon bosom sins as the great make-bates between God and his soul and between his conscience and his comfort Isa 59.1 2. Lamen 3.8 44. he looks upon bosom sins as those enemies that have provoked God often to turn a deaf ear to all his prayers he looks upon his bosom sins as so many Judas's that have often betrayed him into the hands of the devil he looks upon his bosom sins as the waters of Marah that has imbittered all his mercies he looks upon his bosom sins as the only things that have often clouded the face of God he looks upon his bosom sins as dead flies in the box of precious ointment that spoyls all and accordingly with all his might he sets himself against them 1. He fights most against these 2. He weeps most over these 3. He watches and aâ—ms most against these 4. He prayes most against these 5. He resolves most against these And 6. He layes the axe of repentance most to these c. But pray Sir before you close up this Chapter lay down some sure and infallible evidences of the goodness graciousness and happiness of their estates and conditions who are but weak in grace who are but babes of grace that so they may have their portion satisfaction support and consolation as well as others Ans I shall endeavour to do it and therefore thus Sixthly True desires of grace is grace true desires after Christ and grace and holiness is grace he who does sincerely desire to believe he does really believe and he that does sincerely desire to repent he does really repent and he that does sincerely desire to obey the Lord 1 Pet. 2.3 4. 2 Chron. 30.18 19 Mat. 7.8 Psal 42.1 2. Psal 63.1 c. and to fear the Lord and to serve the Lord he does really obey the Lord and fear the Lord and serve the Lord. It is the first step to grace for a man to see his heart void of grace and it is the first degree of grace for a man to desire grace Mark all true desires of grace have the very nature and truth of grace in them As there is true fire in a spark as well as in a flame and true water in a drop as well as in a stream and true light in a beam as well as in the Sun and true gold in the very filings of gold as well as in the whole wedge of gold the least of any thing partakes of the nature of the whole Isa 55.1 2. 65. 1. John 7.37 True desires of grace argues a state of grace and salvation Psal 38.9 Lord thou knowest all my desire my groanings is not hid from thee Mat. 5.6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled or as the Greek runs after the participle of the present tense they that are hungering and thirsting intimating that where ever this is the present disposition of mens souls they are blessed
Hebrew runs Any way of pain or of grief or of provocation that is any course of sin that is grievous or provoking to the eyes of divine glory A real Saint can neither allow of sin nor wallow in sin nor be transformed into the image of sin nor mix it self with sin 'T is possible for a sincere Christian to step into a sinful path or to touch upon sinful facts Gal. 6.1 Prov. 16.17 and now and then in an hour of temptation to slide to trip and to be overtaken unawares but his main way his principle work is to depart from iniquity As a true traveller may now and then step a few steps out of his way who yet for the main keeps his way keeps the road or as a Bee may now and then light upon a thistle but her main work is to be gathering at the flowers or as a Sheep may now and then slip into the dirt or into a slow but its main work is to be grazing upon the mountains Certainly O soul if sin be now thy greatest burden it shall never hereafter prove thy eternal bane God never yet sent any man to hell for sin to whom sin has commonly been the greatest hell in this world God has but one hell and that is for those to whom sin has been commonly a heaven in this world That man that hates sin and that daily enters his protest against sin that man shall never be made miserable by sin Sin in a wicked man is like poyson in a serpent it is in its natural place it is delightful to a sinner but sin in a Saint is like poyson in a man's body it is offensive and the heart rises against it and is carried forth to the use of all divine Antidotes whereby it may be expelled and destroyed nothing will satisfie a gracious soul but the heart bloud of his lusts Now he shall never be damned for his sins whose heart is set upon killing his sins Seventeenthly Such a poor soul that dares not say that God is his God or that Christ is his Redeemer or that he has a work of grace upon his heart yet can say with some integrity of heart before the Lord that if God and Christ grace and glory holiness and happiness were offered to him on the one hand and all the honours pleasures profits delights and carnal contents of the world were offered him on the other hand he had infinitely rather ten thousand thousand times chuse God and Christ grace and glory holiness and happiness than the contrary Certainly such a soul has true grace in him and a saving work past upon him for none can freely seriously habitually resolutely chuse God and Christ grace and glory holiness and happiness as their summum bonum chiefest good but such who are really good 1 John 4.19 Deut. 7.6 7 8 9. 26.17 18 19. Look as our love to God is but an effect of his love to us We love him because he first loved us so our chusing of God for our God is but an effect of God's chusing us for his people we chuse him because he first chose us Such who in their serious choice set up God and Christ above all other persons and things such God will certainly make happy and blessed for ever God never did nor never will reject those or damn those who really chuse him for their God and for their great all The greatest part of the world chuse their lusts rather than God and the creatures rather than Christ Luke 12.21 they chuse rather to be great than gracious to be rich in this world than to be rich towards God to be outwardly happy than to be inwardly holy Mat. 10.42 to have a heaven on earth than to have a heaven after death and so they miscarry for ever That soul that with Mary has chosen the better part that soul with Mary shall be happy for ever every man must stand or fall for ever as his choice has been But Eighteeenthly Canst thou truly say in the presence of the great and glorious God that is the searcher of all hearts Psal 139.23 24. that thou hast given up thy heart and life to the rule authority and government of Jesus Christ and that thou hast chosen him to be thy Soveraign Lord and King and art truly willing to submit to his dominion as the only precious and righteous government and as the only holy and heavenly sweeâ— and pleasant profitable and comfortable safe and best dominion in all the world and to resign up thy heart thy will thy affections thy life thy all really to Christ wholly to Christ Isa 26.13 and only to Christ Canst thou O poor soul look up to heaven and truly say O dear Lord Jesus other Lords viz. the world the flesh and the devil have had dominion too long over me but now these Lords I do heartily renounce Isa 33.22 I do utterly renounce I do for ever renounce and do give up my self to thee as my only Lord beseeching thee to rule and reign over me for ever and ever O Lord though sin rages and Satan roars and the world sometimes frowns and sometimes fawns yet I am resolved to own thee as my only Lord and to serve thee as my only Lord and my greatest fear by divine assistance shall be of offending thee and my chiefest care shall be to please thee and my only joy shall be to be a praise a name and an honour to thee O Lord I can appeal to thee in the sincerity of my heart Psal 65.3 Rom. 7.23 that though I have many invincible sins weaknesses and infirmities that hang upon me and though I am often worsted by my sins and overcome in an hour of temptation yet thou that knowest all thoughts and hearts thou dost know that I have given up my heart and life to the obedience of Jesus Christ and do daily give them up to his rule and government and 't is the earnest desire of my soul above all things in this world that Jesus Christ may still set up his Laws in my heart and exercise his dominion over me Now certainly there is not the weakest Christian in all the world but can venture himself upon such an appeal to God as this is and without all peradventure where such a frame and temper of spirit is there the dominion of Jesus Christ is set up and where the dominion of Christ is set up there sin has no dominion for the dominion of sin and the dominion of Christ are inconsistent and therefore such a soul is happy and will be happy to all eternity But Cant. 8.5 Acts 11.21 22 23 Psal 71.16 Isa 61.10 Nineteenthly That man that will venture his soul upon Christ and that will lean upon Christ and cleave to Christ with full purpose of heart and that will cleave to his bloud and cleave to his righteousness and cleave to his merits and satisfaction in
the rewards of man with a hundred other things may be very prevalent to reform the life to regulate the outward conversation and to keep that in some due decorum and yet all these things will be found too weak too low to change the heart to reform the heart to mend the heart to purifie the heart Acts 15.9 To this great work there are principles of a higher nature required Purifying their hearts by faith 'T is not a guard of moral vertues but a guard of saving graces that can keep the heart in order to reform the heart to keep the heart in a gracious frame is one of the best and hardest works in the world Prov. 4.23 Keep thy heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life The Text is about matter of life and death The words are mandatory for all counsels in Scripture carry in them the force of a command In the words you have two things observable 1. A duty enjoyned Keep thy heart with all diligence 2. The reason or motive inforcing it For out of it are the issues of life In the duty there are two things considerable 1. Here is the subject matter the thing that is to be done and that is Keep thy heart This duty is charged upon all in peremptory and undispensable terms 2. Here is the manner how it must be done and that is With all diligence Keep The Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Natsar to keep hath various significations but the main is to keep in safe custody we should keep our hearts as under lock and key that they may be alwayes at hand when the Lord shall call for them c. Thy heart By the heart the we are not to understand that particular vital member of the body that in common speech we call the heart Heart is not here taken properly for that noble part of the body which Philosophers call the primum vivens c. ultimum moriens the first that lives and the last that dies But by heart in a metaphor the Scripture sometimes understands some particular noble faculty of the soul sometimes the heart is put for the understanding Rom. 1.21 Their foolish heart was darkned that is their understanding was darkned sometimes 't is put for the will and affections Mat. 22.37 So Prov. 23.26 Deut. 10.12 Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind that is with thy will and with all thy affections The will is the chiefest power of the soul as the heart is the principal part of the body Mat. 8. and it commands all the affections as the Centurion did his servants Job 27.6 sometimes 't is put for the conscience 1 Joh. 3.20 If our heart condemn us God is greater â—han our heart and knoweth all things that is if our conscience condemn us justly then our case must be assuredly sad because God knows much more by us than we know by our selves and can charge us with many sins that conscience is not privy to Psal 19 12. sometimes 't is put for the memory Psal 119.11 Thy word have I hid in my heart that is in my memory So Luke 2.19 But here 't is taken comprehensively for the whole soul with all its powers noble faculties and endowments together with their several operations all which are to be watched over With all diligence or as the Hebrew runs With all keeping The Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Shamar signifies Cato Cicero Seneca Socrates and others have laid down excellent rules for the government of the outward man but n one for the government of the heart to keep with watch and ward A Christian is to keep a perpetual guard about his heart A Lapide notes that the Hebrew word is borrowed from military affairs We should keep our hearts as soldiers keep a Garrison with watch and ward Lavater jumps with him and tells us that the word Shamar is taken from a besieged Garrison begirt by many enemies without and in danger of being betrayed by treacherous Citizens within in which danger the soldiers upon pain of death are commanded to watch Junius reads the word thus Keep thy heart Supra omnem custodiam above all keeping So Hierom reads Prae omni custodia above all keeping keep thy heart that is keep keep watch watch c. So Rhodolphus reads it Prae omni custodia and so we read it in the Margin of our Bibles And the Syriack reads it in the same manner that our English doth Cum omni cautione with all caution and wariness we are to keep our hearts O what guards and double guards O what watches and double watches should men put upon their hearts These words keeping keep import both a universal watchfulness over the heart and a diligent watchfulness over the heart and a constant watchfulness over the heart and thrice happy are those persons who keep such a watch upon their hearts A man is to keep his eye and keep his mouth and keep his feet but above all keeping he is to keep his heart 'T is a duty incumbent upon every Christian to keep his own heart Keep thy heart Thy self thou mayest make another thy Park-keeper or thy House-keeper or thy Shop-keeper or thy Cash-keeper or thy Horse-keeper or thy Nurse-keeper but thou must be thy own Heart-keeper Keep thy heart with all diligence some understand this of all kind of watchfulness The Hebrew word is applyed to several sorts of keeping As First It is applyed to those that are the keepers of a prison Gen. 39.21 22 23 So Job 7.12 where dangerous Fellons or Malefactors are to be looked to that they don't break away 1 King 20.39 Keep this man so Joseph was made the Keeper of the prison The Hebrew word is the same with that in Prov. 4.23 Now O â—ow diligent how vigilant are men in looking after their prisoners even so should we be in looking after our hearts c. Secondly It signifies to keep as men would keep a besieged Garrison Hab. 2.1 or City or Castle in time of war So 't is used in that Hab. 2.1 Now what strong guards what watchful guards do men keep up at such a time A gracious heart is Christ's Fort-royal Now against this Fort Satan will imploy the utmost of his strength art craft and therefore how highly does it concern every Christian to keep a strong guard a constant guard about his heart But Thirdly It signifies to keep as the Priests and Levites kept the Sanctuary of God the Temple of God and all the holy things that were committed to their charge So the word is often used by the Prophet Ezek. 44.8 15 16 c. The Temple and all the vessels of the Temple were to be kept pure and clean and sweet Our hearts are the Temples of God the Temples of the holy Ghost and therefore we should alwayes keep a strong
when I had the greatest and loudest call that ever I had to have stood by him and to have given my testimony for him And thus Peter casting up all these circumstances and aggravations together and meditating seriously on them he went out and wept bitterly Another famous instance of this you have in Paul Act. 26.10 11. In these two verses the Apostle layes down no less than eight aggravations of his sins and all to greaten and heighten them that his soul might be the more ashamed and humbled in him c. First That they were not the worst but the best of men viz. Saints that they were not sinners but Saints that they were not drunkards swearers adulterers murderers oppressors Sabbath-breakers but Saints Saints by calling Saints by their high holy calling Saints by profession Saints by a Gospel-conversation The Saints have I cast into prison Secondly To cast a man into prison for theft for murder for perjury is no iniquity I but sayes he many have I cast into prison for professing the name of Jesus of Nazareth O! 't is dreadful to persecute men meerly for professing of Christ and yet this I did though their profession and practise went together though they lived as they profest though I had nothing against them but in the matters of their God yet upon that very single account did I persecute them Thirdly If it had been but one or two or three or five or ten Saints that I had persecuted the matter had not been much O but they were a great number many of the Saints did I cast into prison I have been a cruel ravening wolf that have suckt the bloud not of a few but of many of the precious lambs of Christ I have neither spared nor pitied any sex but have broken into every house haling and dragging both men and women to prison Act. 8.3 As for Saul he made havock of the Church entring into every house and haling men and women committed them to prison Fourthly Though he had cast them into prison yet if he had given them but some liberty in a prison as Joseph had Act. 9.1 2. and as others have had and as himself once had when he begot Onesimus in his bonds Philemon v. 10. and when Onesiphorus oft refreshed him and was not ashamed of his chain 2 Tim. 1.16 c. or as the primitive Christians had the matter had not been so great O but I kept them closs prisoners Many of the Saints did I shut up in prison I shut them up from friends from relations and from all comfortable accommodations and thus he further aggravates his sin Fifthly If he had rested there if he had proceeded no further the matter had not been so bad O But I gave my voice against them to put them to death My heart and my hand was not only against them but my tongue also if I could not kill them with my hand I was ready and willing to kill them with my tongue if the casting voice fell upon me I would be sure to give it against them I never wanted a word to do them a mischief if they wanted a word instead of a knife to cut their throats I would be sure to lend them one Sixthly He rises yet higher for he does not only severely punish their bodies but he does what he can to damn their souls I compelled them to blaspheme like that Italian who first made his enemy deny God and then stabb'd him and so at once murdered both body and soul As there is no love to soul love so there is no cruelty to soul cruelty and as there is no mischief to soul mischief so there is no murder to soul murder and yet in this murder had Paul a hand 'T is sad to compel a man to bear a burden beyond his strength to lye in chains to forsake his own countrey c. but 't is infinitely more sad to compel a man to sin to the least sin but saddest of all to compel a man to blaspheme And yet this I did sâ—yes Paul c. Seventhly He yet further aggravates his sin by his madness by his exceeding madness against the Saints in those words And I was exceedingly mad against them He was mad with rage and wrath he was exceedingly mad with passion and fury against the dear Saints of God mad men think madly and mad men speak madly and mad men act madly against those they are mad with and so did he against the Saints The Alcoran saith That God created the Angels of light and the Devils of the flame Certainly as God's children are children of the light so Satan's children are furious children wrathful children children of the flame children of madness and such a one was Paul c. Eighthly and lastly I did persecute them to strange Cities them I did not kill I did scatter I forced them to leave both house and home them whom God had joyned together I put asunder I made the husband run one way and the wife and children another way and all of them glad to hide their heads in a corner And thus you see that true penitents in the confession of their sins do cloath their sins with the highest aggravations imaginable A penitent in his confession of sin cryes out O! the sparing mercies the preventing mercies the succouring mercies the supporting mercies the renewed mercies the delivering mercies that I have with a high hand sinned against O that clear light O that free love O that Gospel grace O those bowels of mercy that I have sinned against O the fatherly corrections the dreadful warnings the high resolutions the serious protestations the frequent vows and promises that I have desperately sinned against O the checks of conscience the rebukes of conscience the lashes of conscience the wounds of conscience and the frequent motions of the spirit and strivings of the spirit that I have sinned against c. But now wicked men confess their sins slightly carelesly triflingly they are careful and skilful to hide their sins to cloak their sins and to extenuate and lessen their sins and with the unjust Steward for an hundred to set down fifty Luke 16.6 All wicked men do commonly flatter themselves that either their sins are not sins when indeed they are or that they are not great and grievous sins when indeed they are or that they are not so great and grievous as other mens sins are when indeed they are more grievous and hainous than other mens sins are so far are they from aggravating of their sins the truth is wicked men are so far from aggravating of their sins that they are still extenuating of them and that by fathering of them sometimes upon their constitutions sometimes upon bad company sometimes upon their callings sometimes upon Satan and sometimes upon chance as they call it c. But no more of this enough is as good as a feast Sixthly The true penitent confesses his sins humbly sorrowfully In
turning from sin shall find no more sweetness in that grand promise of pardon Prov. 28.13 than devils or damned spirits do Look as one sin unforgiven will as certainly undo and damn a man as a thousand so one sin unforsaken will as certainly undo and damn a man as a thousand The true penitent is as willing to turn from all his sins as he is willing that God should pardon all his sins But Eighthly and lastly There is in every penitent a sincere hatred of sin a universal hatred of sin Psal 97.10 Ye that love the Lord hate evil Prov. 8.13 The fear of the Lord is to hate evil True hatred is to the whole kind Arist Amos 5.15 Hate the evil and love the good Psal 119.104 Through thy precepts I get understanding therefore I hate every false way Ver. 128. Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right and I hate every false way Ver. 113. I hate vain thoughts but thy Law do I love Ver. 163. I hate and abhor lying but thy Law do I love True hatred is universal 't is of the whole kind he who hates a toad because it is a toad hates every toad he that hates a serpent because it is a serpent hates every serpent he that hates a wolf because 't is a wolf hates every wolf he that hates a man because he is holy hates every man that is holy and so he that hates sin because it is sin hates every sin and therefore he can't but turn from it and labour to be the death and ruin of it Holy hatred is an implacable and an irreconcilable affection you shall as soon reconcile God and Satan together Christ and Antichrist together heaven and hell together as you shall be able to reconcile a penitent soul and his sin together A true penitent looks upon every sin as contrary to the Law of God the nature of God the being of God the glory of God and accordingly his heart rises against it he looks upon every sin as poyson as the vomit of a dog as the mire of the street as the * Pliny saith that the very trees with touching of it would become barren menstrous cloth which of all things in the Law was most unclean defiling and polluting and this turns his heart against every sin he looks upon every sin as having a hand in apprehending betraying binding scourging condemning and murdering of his Lord and Master Jesus Christ and this works him not only to refrain from sin but to forsake it and not only to forsake it but also to abhor it and to loath it more than hell it self The penitent soul will do all he can to be the death of every sin that has had a hand in the death of his Lord and Master he looks upon the sins of his body to be the tormentors of Christ's body and the sins of his soul to be the tormentors of Christ's soul to be those that made his soul heavy to the death and that caused the withdrawings of his father's love from him and that forced him in the anguish of his soul to cry out Mat. 27.46 My God my God why hast thou forsaken me And this raises up in him a universal hatred of sin and a universal hatred of sin alwayes issues in a universal turning from sin Now these eight arguments do sufficiently prove that a true penitential turning is a universal turning a turning not from some sins but from all sins But some may be ready to object Object and say Sir this is a hard saying who can hear it who can bear it John 6.60 who shall then be saved for if a man repents not unless he turns from every sin then there is not a man to be found in all the world that repents for there is not a man in all the world that turns from every sin that forsakes every sin c. 1 King 8.46 For there is no man that sinneth not Prov. 20.9 Who can say Job 9.30 31. Psal 130.3 2 Chron. 6.36 Job 14.4 Psal 51.5 Ponder upon these Scriptures c. I have made my heart clean I am pure from my sin It is a question that implyes a strong denial Who can say it and say it truly that he is pure from his sin surely none He that shall say that he has made his heart clean and that he is pure from his sin sins in so saying and commonly there are none more unclean than those that say they have made their hearts clean nor none more impure than they that say they are pure from their sin Eccl. 7.20 For there is not a just man upon the earth that doth good and sinneth not These words in their absolute sense are a full testimony of the imperfection of our inherent righteousness in this life and that even justified persons come very short of that exact and perfect obedience which the Law requireth James 3.2 For in many things we offend all or as the Greek has it we stumble all 'T is a metaphor taken from Travellers walking on stony or slippery ground who are very apt to stumble or slide This Apostle was worthily called James the just and yet he numbers himself among the rest of the sanctified ones that in many things offended all The Apostle does not say in many things they offend all but in many things we offend all We that have more gifts than others we that have more grace than others we that have more assurance than others we that have more experiences than others we that have more preservatives to keep us from sin than others even we in many things offend all nor the Apostle doth not say in some things we offend all but in many things we offend all the Apostle speaking not of the singular individual acts of sin but of the divers sorts of sin nor the Apostle does not say in many things we may offend all but in many things we do offend all 1 John 1.8 If we say that we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us The Apostle does not say if thou sayest thou hast no sin thou deceivest thy self as if he spake to some particular person only but if we say we have no sin we deceive our selves nor the Apostle does not say if ye say ye have no sin ye deceive your selves as if he intended weak or ordinary Christians alone but if we say we have no sin we deceive our selves we Apostles we that in all grace and in all holiness and in all spiritual enjoyments exceed and excel all others even we sin as well as others He that is so ignorant and so impudent so saucy and so silly as to say he has no sin sins in saying so and has no sincerity no integrity nor no ingenuity in him Ver. 10. If we say we have not sinned we make him a lyar and his word is not in us As much as in us lyes we make
shall be dealt with Mat. 24.5 But Secondly No hypocrite under heaven is totally divorced from the love and liking of every known sin there is still some secret lust or other Job 20.12 13 14 which as a sweet morsel he rowls under his tongue and will not spit it out every Hypocrite tollerates some evil or other in himself and takes liberty to transgress An Hypocrite will make hard shift to daub up his conscience and to secure himself from the checks thereof After once the bag was committed to Judas his custody after once he was chosen into that sweet office he quickly put conscience out of office It was a strange conceit of the Cerinthians and those Caini or Cainiani as they are called by some that honoured Judas the Traitor as some divine and super-humane power and called his treason a blessed piece of service that he knowing how much the death of Christ would profit mankind did therefore betray him to death to save the race of men and to do a thing pleasing to God Irenaeus Aug. de haeresi and never left stealing and licking his fingers whilst there was any money in his bag to finger Herod knew much and heard John Baptist and had some temporary affections and did many good things Mark 6.20 But yet 1. He kept Herodias his brother's wife Mark 6.17 2. He took away the life of John the Baptist Mark 6.27 3. He sets Jesus Christ at naught and rejected him Luke 23.11 As fair as Herod seemed to carry it yet he lived in a known notorious sin and unjustly murdered the messenger of God and mocked and rejected Jesus Christ as a vile person Some sin or other alwayes reigns without controul in an hypocritical heart As they say of Witches that they have one familiar or another that still sucks them An Hypocrite alwayes reserves one nest-egg or another in his heart or life for Satan to sit and brood on Jehu did many brave things but yet he kept up the worship of his golden calves Naaman promises high but yet he is for bowing in the house of Rimmon The Pharisees were very devout but yet they loved the praises of men and the uppermost seats in the Synagogues There is never an hypocrite in the world but will do what he can to save the life of his sin though it be with the loss of his soul O Sirs Satan can be contented that Hypocrites should yield to God in many things provided they will be but true to him in some one thing for he very well knows that one sin lived in and allowed gives him as much advantage against the soul as more Satan can hold a man fast enough by one sin as the Fowler can hold the bird fast enough by one claw Satan knows that one sin lived in and allowed will marr all a mans sweetest duties and services as one dead fly will marr the whole box of precious ointment and as one jarring string will bring the sweetest musick out of tune 'T is said of Naaman the Syrian Eccl. 10.1 that he was a valiant man and a victorious man and an honourable man 2 King 5.1 and a great favourite with his Prince but a Leper So it may be said of many Hypocrites they have such and such excellencies and they perform such and such glorious duties but they live and allow themselves in this or that sin Mat. 7.21 22 23. and that marrs the beauty of all their services Satan knows that one sin lived in and allowed will as certainly damn a man as many as one disease one ulcerous part may as certainly kill a man as many Satan knows that one sin lived in and allowed Lev. 31. will render a man as unclean in the eye of God as many If the Leper in the Law had the spot of leprosie in any one part of his body he was accounted a Leper although all the rest of his body were sound and whole So he who hath the spot of the leprosie of sin allowed in any one part of his soul he is a spiritual Leper in the eye of God he is unclean though in other parts he may not be unclean The Schoolmen say that if a sow do but wallow in one miry or dirty hole she is filthy and certainly that soul that doth but wallow in any one sin he is filthy in the eye of God Satan knows Heb. 13.4 It is most true that the Heathen man saith Qui habet unium vitium shabet omnia he that hath any one vice viz. reigning hath all others with it Seneca de benef l. 5. c. 15. that one sin lived in and allowed will as effectually keep Christ and the soul asunder as many as one stone in the pipe will as effectually keep out the water as many Satan knows that one sin lived in and allowed will make way for many as one thief can open the door to let in many more Satan knows that one sin lived in and allowed will as certainly shut the soul out of heaven as many one enemy may shut the door upon a man as well as many and what difference is there between that man that is shut out of heaven for living in many sins and he that is shut out of heaven for lâ—ving but in one sin One sin lived in and allowed will arm conscience against a man as well as many If there be but one crack in the honey glass there the wasp will be buzzing One sin allowed and countenanced will spoyl the musick of conscience one sin lived in and allowed will make death as terrible and as formidable to the soul as many one hand-writing upon the wall made King Nebuchadnezzar's countenance to change Dan. 5.5 6. and his thoughts to be troubled and the joynts of his loyns to be loosed and his knees to be dashed one against another Now all this Satan knows and therefore he labours mightily to engage Hypocrites to live in the allowance of some one sin O Sirs remember that as one hole in a Ship will sink it and as one stab at the heart will kill a man and as one glass of poyson will poyson a man and as one act of Treason will make a man a Traitor so one sin lived in and allowed will damn a man for ever one wound strikes Goliah dead as well as three and twenty did Caesar one Dalilah will do Sampson as much mischief Suetonius as all the Philistines one wheel broken spoyls all the whole clock one vein's bleeding will let out all the vitals as well as more one bitter herb will spoyl all the pottage Gen. 3. 1 Sam. 14.33 Josh 7. Jonah 1. by eating one apple Adam lost Paradise one lick of honey endangered Jonathan's life one Achan was a trouble to all Israel one Jonah was lading too heavy for a whole Ship So one sin lived in and allowed is enough to make a man miserable for ever One milstone will sink a man
upon all your graces and gracious evidences as favours given you from above as gifts dropt out of heaven into your hearts as flowers of Paradise stuck in your bosoms by a divine hand A man should never look upon his graces or his gracious evidences Of thine own saith David have we given thee 1 Chron. 29.14 but should be ready to say these are the jewels of glory with which God has bespangled my soul 1 Cor. 4.7 What hast thou that thou hast not received What gift what grace what experience what evidence hast thou that thou hast not received All the light and all the life and all the love and all the joy and all the fear and all the faith and all the hope and all the patience and all the humility c. that thou hast with all the evidences that arise from discovery of those graces are all grace gifts they are all from above Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above Jam. 1.17 and cometh down from the father of lights Look as all light flows from the Sun and all water from the Sea so all temporal spiritual and eternal good flows from heaven All your graces and the greatest excellencies that are in you do as much depend upon God and Christ as the light doth upon the Sun or as the Rivers do upon the Sea Joh. 15.1 2 3 4 5. Psal 87.7 or as the branches do upon the root All my springs are in thee all the springs of comfort that I have communicated to my soul and all the springs of grace that I have to quicken me and to evidence the goodness and happiness of my spiritual estate and condition to me they are all in thee When a Christian looks upon his wisdom and knowledge it concerns him to say Here is wisdom and knowledge I but 't is from above here is some weak love working towards Christ but 't is from above here 's joy and comfort and peace c. but these are all such flowers of Paradise as never grew in natures garden Now when a Christian looks thus upon all those costly Diamonds of grace of glory with which his soul is bedeckt he keeps low though his graces and gracious evidences are high Where this Rule is neglected the soul will be endangered of being swell'd and pufft It was a great saying of a very worthy man that is now with God viz Mr. Fox That as he often got much good by his sins so he often got much hurt by his graces Dear hearts when you look upon the stream remember the fountain when you look upon the flower remember the root when you look upon the Stars remember the Sun and when ever you look upon your graces then be sure to remember Christ the fountain of grace else Satan will certainly be too hard for you Satan is so subtile so artificial and so critical that he can make your very graces to serve him against your graces conquering joy by joy sorrow by sorrow humility by humility fear by fear and love by love if you don't look upon all your graces as streams flowing from the fountain above and as fruits growing upon the Tree of life that is in the midst of the Paradise of God Therefore when one of your eyes is fixt upon your graces let the other be alwayes fixt upon Christ the fountain of grace 1 John 16. Of his fulness have all we received and grace for grace Here they eye their graces and the fountain of grace together So Paul I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God Gal. 2.20 who loved me and gave himself for me Paul eyes Christ and his graces together so Peter eyes Christ and his graces together Lord John 21.15 thou knowest â—hat I love thee So those Worthies of whom this world was not worthy they eye Christ and their graces together Heb. 12.2 Looking unto Jesus the Author and finisher of our faith 2 Cor. 5.17 Though grace be a new creature a noble creature a beautiful creature an excellent creature yet grace is but a creature Col. 1.17 Phil. 4.12 13. Cant. 4. ult and such a creature that is strengthned maintained cherished and upheld in your souls in life and power in beauty and glory by nothing below the spiritual internal and glorious operations of Christ Col. 1.10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God Ver. 11. Strengthned with all might according to his glorious power unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness Now when ever you look upon grace as a lovely beautiful creature O then remember that might and glorious power of Christ by which this creature is preserved and strengthned Christians your graces are holy and heavenly plants of Christ's own setting and watering and will you mind the plants more than that noble hand that set them 'T is Christ alone that can cause the desires of his people to bud and their graces to blossom Isa 58.11 35.6 7. and their souls to be like a watered garden green and flourishing and therefore let the eye of your souls be firstly mostly and chiefly fixt upon Christ But The third Proposition is this When you look upon your graces in the light of the Spirit it highly concerns you to look narrowly to it that you don't renounce and rejecty our graces as weak and worthless evidences of your interest in Christ and of that eternal happiness and blessedness that comes by Christ The works of grace saith my Author which consists in those divine qualities of holiness and righteousness Grotius in Rom. 8.16 c. Gal. 5.22 â—â— is a sure Mark a blessed character whereby men may know whose children they are even as the Spartans or Lacedemonians of old are said to know what stock and linage they were of by a mark that was made upon their bodies by the head of a Lance or Speer I readily grant that you must not trust in your graces nor make a Saviour of your graces but yet you ought to look upon your graces as so many signs and testimonies of the love and favour of God to your souls What certainty can there be of Election Remission of sin Justification or Glorification if there be not a certainty of your Sanctification and Renovation if that perswasion that is in you ahout your grace or sanctification be false then that perswasion that is in you concerning remission of sin predestination justification and eternal salvation is false This highly concerns all them to consider that would not be miserable in both worlds I know many cry up Revelations Impressions Visions yea the visions of their own hearts and speak lightly and slightly of the graces of the Spirit of sanctification of holiness as evidences of the goodness and
sense of his integrity and the evidence he had of his own uprightness his own righteousness Job 27.5 Till I die I will not remove my integrity from me Ver. 6. My righteousness I hold fast and will not let it go my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live Job was under great afflictions sore temptations and deep desertions now that which was his cordial his bulwark in those sad times was the sense and feeling of his own uprightness his own righteousness the sense and feeling of the grace of God in him kept him from fainting and sinking under all his troubles So 1 Joh. 2.3 Hereby we know that we know him if we keep his commandments c. In these words two things are observable First that where there is a true knowledge of Christ there is an observation of his commandements Secondly that by this observation of his royal Law we may know that our knowledge is sound and sincere He speaks not of a legal but of an evangelical keeping of his commandements A conscionable and serious endeavour to walk in a holy course of life according to God's will revealed in his Word is a most certain mark or evidence that we have a saving knowledge of God and that we are his children and heirs of glory Such who sincerely desire and unfeignedly purpose and firmly resolve and faithfully endeavour to keep the commandements of God these do keep the commandements of God evangelically and acceptably in the eye of God the account of God So ver 6. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk even as he walked Here you may observe two things First that by faith we are implanted into Christ Secondly that we discover our implantation into Christ by our imitation of Christ Such as plead for sanctification a an evidence of justification don't make their graces causes of their implantation into Christ or of their justification before the throne of Christ but they make them testimonies and witnesses to declare the truth of their real implantation into Christ and of their being justified before the throne of Christ So 1 Joh. 3.14 We know we are translated from death to life because we love the brethren The Apostle makes this a great sign of godliness to love another godly man for godliness sake and the more godly he is the more to love him and to delight in him Now mark this love of our brethren is not a cause of our translation from death to life for the very word translated supposeth such a grace such a favour of God as is without us but a sign of our translation from death to life But of this I have said enough already as you may see if you will but read from page 189. to page 200. of this Book But The most ordinary and safe way of coming to assurance is the discoursive way in which a believer from the fruits and effects of grace infers he hath the habit and from the habit concludes his jâ—stification adoption and as this is a way least subject to delusion so it is also most suited to a rational creature whose way of acting is by discourse and argumentation The sixth Proposition is this There are many scores of precious promises made over to them that believe to them that trust in the Lord to them that set him up as the great object of their fear to them that love him to them that delight in him to them that obey him to them that walk with him to them that thirst after him to them that suffer for him to them that follow after him c. Now all these scores of promises are made for the support comfort and encouragement of all such Christians whose souls are bespangled with grace But now if we may not lawfully come to the knowledge of our faith love fear delight obedience c. in a discoursive way arguing from the effect to the cause What support what comfort what advantage shall a sincere Christian have by all those scores of promissory places of Scripture Doubtless all those scores of promises would be as so many Suns without light as so many springs without water as so many breasts without milk and as so many bodies without souls to all gracious Christians were it not lawful for them to form up such a practical syllogism as this is viz. The Scripture doth plainly and fully declare that he that believeth feareth loveth obeyeth c. is blessed and shall be happy for ever But I am such a one that doth believe fear love obey c. therefore I am blessed and shall be happy for ever Now although it must be granted that the major of this Proposition is Scripture yet the assumption is from experience and therefore a godly man being assisted therein by the holy Ghost may safely draw the conclusion as undeniable O that you would seriously consider how little would be the difference should you shut out this discoursive way betwixt a man and a beast if a man should assent to a thing unknown through an instinct and impression and should to one who asks him a reason of his perswasion be able to return no other answer but this I am perswaded because I am perswaded But The seventh Proposition is this That the Scripture giveth many signs and symptoms of grace so that if a man cannot find all yet if he discover some yea but one he may safely conclude that all the rest are there he who hath but one in truth of the forementioned characters in this book hath seminally all he who hath one link of the golden chain hath the whole chain Look as he who hath one grace in truth hath every grace in truth though he doth not see every grace shining in his soul so he that hath in truth any one evidence of grace in his soul he hath virtually all And O that all weak dark doubting Christians would seriously and frequently ponder upon this Proposition for it may be a staff to uphold them and a cordial to comfort them under all their fears and faintings But The eighth Proposition is this Without the light of the holy Ghost our graces shine not our graces are only the means by which our condition is known to us Rom. 9.2 the efficient cause of this knowledge is the Spirit illustrating our graces and making them visible and so helping us to conclude from them 1 Cor. 2.12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world but the spirit which is of God that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God Our graces our sanctification as well as our election vocation justification and glorification are freely given to us of God and the Spirit of God is given as well to discover the one as the other to us Mark the things freely given us may be received by us and yet the receit of them not known to us therefore the Spirit for our further
heart Ver. 23. Nevertheless I am continually with thee thou hast holden me by my right hand Ver. 24. Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel and afterward receive me to glory Ver. 25. Whom have I in heaven but thee and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee Ver. 26. God is the strength or rock of my heart and my portion for ever Ver. 28. It is good for me to draw near to God So the Church in that Micah 7. When God had hid his face from her Ver. 7. When she sate in darkness Ver. 8. When she was under the indignation of the Lord. Ver. 9. When the righteous man was perished and there was none upright among men Ver. 2. And when her enemies rejoyced insulted and triumphed over her Ver. 8. ver 10. Yet now even now she keeps up in her soul very high precious and honourable thoughts of the Lord. Ver. 7. My God will hear me Ver. 8. When I fall I shall arise when I sit in darkness the Lord shall be a light unto me Ver. 9. He will bring me forth to the light and I shall behold his righteousness I might give you twenty more instances but enough is as good as a feast Dear Christians when your graces are not transparent when your evidences for heaven are blotted and when the face of God is clouded O then keep up in your hearts high precious and honourable thoughts of God and Christ and of his Word and wayes Acts 27.20 c. When your Sun of righteousness is set in a cloud when great darkness is upon your spirits when all Moon-light and Star-light of your graces and gracious evidences fails you Psal 22.3 yet then say with David Thou art holy O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel and with Ezra Thou hast punished me less than mine iniquities deserve Ezra 9.13 Neh. 9.33 and with Nehemiah Howbeit thou art just in all that is brought upon us for thou hast done right but we have done wickedly and with the Church The Lord is righteous Lam. 1.18 In the darkest night and under your deepest soul-distresses say Well if I perish if I should miscarry for ever yet I will maintain and keep up in my heart high and precious and honourable thoughts of God and Christ Say well though my graces are obscured and my evidences for heaven are blurred and soyled yet I shall to my last breath say the Lord is good and his Word is good and his wayes are good yea though he should slay me yet I will trust in him Job 13.15 and entertain noble and glorious thoughts of him This is the way of wayes to have your graces cleared and strengthned your evidences brightned your comforts restored and your assurance confirmed But The twelfth Proposition is this viz. That it is the great duty and concernment of Christians to keep the evidences of their gracious and happy condition alwayes bright and shining Christians should make conscience of blurring and disfiguring the golden characters of grace in their souls The least character of grace in the soul is more worth than all the gold of Ophir yea more worth than ten thousand thousand worlds Eph. 4.30 Psal 51.11 12 and therefore every gracious Christian should be marvellous careful that he does not by wilful omissions or sinful commissions cloud dim or darken the least character of grace such as blot or lose their evidences for heaven they lose the comfort of their lives in this world Satans master-piece is first to work Christians to blot and blur their evidences for glory by committing this or that hainous sin and then his next work is to rob them of their evidences for glory that so though at the long run they may get safe to heaven that yet Jacob like they may go halting and mourning to their graves Satan knows that whilst a Christians evidences are bright and shining a Christian is temptation-proof Satan may tempt him but he can't conquer him he may assault him but he can't vanquish him Satan knows that whilst a Christians evidences for heaven are bright and shining no afflictions can sink him nor no opposition shake him nor no persecution discourage him nor no outward wants perplex him and therefore he will use all his power and policy all his arts crafts and parts to draw poor Christians to blot and blur their evidences for glory Satan knows that a man may lose one friend and easily get another lose his Trade in one place and soon get a Trade in another place lose health and get it lose an estate and get an estate c. But if he loses his evidences for heaven he knows it will cost him many a prayer and many a sigh and many a groan and many a tear and many a sad complaint before he recovers his lost evidences and therefore his grand design is to plunder a Christian of his evidences for heaven O Sirs keep but your evidences for heaven alwayes bright and shining and then heavy afflictions will be light and long afflictions will be short 2 Cor. 4.16 17 18. and bitter afflictions will be sweet and then every evidence fainly written in your hearts will be a living comfort to you in a dying hour When the tokens of death are upon your bodies and you shall see the lively characters of grace shining in your souls Luke 2.29 you will then cry out with old Simeon Lord now let thy servant depart in peace and with the Spouse Make hast my beloved Cant. 8. ult and be like to a Roe or to a young Hart upon the mountains of spices Rev. 22.20 Phil. 1.23 and with the Bride Come Lord Jesus come quickly and with Paul I desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ When a man's evidences for heaven are either lost or blotted and blur'd then he will be ready to cry out wiâ—h David O spare me yet a little that I may recover strength before I go hence and be seen no more Isa 38.3 and with Hezekiah to turn his face to the wall and weep There are four things that above all others a Christian should labour to keep 1. Christ 2. His own heart 3. The Word 4. His evidences for heaven bright and shining But The thirteenth Proposition is this viz. It is the high concernment of every Christian either when he is in the dark or when his graces shine brightest and when his evidences for heaven are clearest and his springs of comfort rise highest then to have his heart and the eye of his faith most firmly fixt upon these three royal Forts or these five Cities or refuge It must be granted that though our graces are our best jewels yet they are imperfect and do not give out their full lustre they are like the Moon which when it shines brightest hath her dark spots and therefore a Christian had need have his eye his heart fixt upon the five following royal Forts
of spiritual life 2 Cor. 7.1 1 Thes 5.13 c. and runs invisibly through all the body Fountains were to be kept pure by the Roman Laws of the twelve Tables and the heart that is the spring and fountain of all actions is to be kept pure by the Laws of the great God Men keep the heart principally from hurt because every wound there is mortal O that men were as wise for their souls God's eye is mainly upon the heart The heart well guarded and watcht keeps all in security Alexander was safe while Antipater kept the watch so all within that little world Man will be safe while the heart is strongly guarded The heart is the fountain the root the store-house the primum mobile the great wheel that sets all a going and therefore above all keepings keep your hearts 'T is a foolish thing to watch the out-works and leave the Fort-Royal without a guard so 't is a foolish thing to watch the out-works the eye the ear the tongue the hand the feet though these must all be watcht and to leave the heart which is a Christians Fort-Royal without a guard Omnia si perdas animam servare memento If all things else must needs be lost Yet save thy soul what e're it cost He that makes it his business to watch and weep and sigh and groan most over his own heart he doubtless is in a gracious estate he that makes it his work his daily work his greatest work 3 John 2. his work of works to keep a continual guard upon his heart he certainly is in a blessed estate he that lamentingly cryes out O that my soul did but prosper as my body O that my inward man were but in as good a frame as my outward man O that this proud heart were but more humble O that this hard heart were but more softned O that this carnal heart were but more spiritual O that this earthly heart were but more heavenly O that this unbelieving heart were but more believing O that this passionate heart were but more meek O that this slight heart were but more sericus O that this blind heart were but more enlightned O that this dull heart were but more quickned O my heart my heart when wilt thou be better O my God my God! when shall my heart be better O bring it into a gracious frame and for ever keep it in a gracious frame He that thus lamentingly cryes out of his heart he certainly has an honest heart and will be happy for ever O Lord my memory is weak and my utterance is bad and my understanding is dark and my gifts are low and my affections are flat and my temptations are strong Psa 39 22 23 24 and my corruptions are prevalent but thou who art the great heart searcher thou knowest that I would fain have my heart in a better temper I had rather have my heart brought into a gracious frame and kept in a gracious frame than to have all the riches of the Indies than to be an Emperor yea than to be King over all the earth If it be indeed thus with thee thou art blest and shalt be blest for ever 2 Cor. 8.12 For if there be first a willing mind it is accepted according to that a man hath and not according to that he hath not I know the Apostle speaks this in point of alms but 't is applicable to the case in hand and to a hundred other cases God measures his people not by their works but by their wills if their wills be to be more holy humble heavenly and to have their hearts alwayes in a most gracious frame then they are accepted of God for every good man is as good in the eye of God in the judgment of God and in the account of God as he would be Not long before famous Mr. Banes died some friends that were with him in his Library which was an excellent one fell a commending of it I saith he there stand my books but the Lord knows that for many years lost past I have studied my heart more than Books O no Minister to him no Scholar to him who studies his heart more than his books nor no Christian to him who studies his heart more than his day-books or more than his Shop-books or that studies his heart more than his counting-house or that studies his heart more than a good bargain c. That man is for heaven and heaven is for that man who makes it his greatest business in this world to watch his heart to guard his heart the hypopocrite looks most to externals but the sincere Christian looks most to internals the hypocrites main watch is about his lips but a sincere Christians main watch is about his heart the hypocrites main work lyes without doors but the sincere Christians main work lyes within doors All know that know any thing that both nature and grace begin at the heart but art begins at the face A painter doth not begin a picture at the heart a picture hath but a face but an outside And as nature begins at the heart but art at the face so grace begins at the heart but hypocrisie at the face at the outside of Religion Every man is that really that he is inwardly Rom. 2.28 29. He is not a Jew which is one outwardly neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh but he is a Jew which is one inwardly and circumcision is that of the heart in the spirit and not in the letter whose praise is not of men but of God Certainly that man that makes it his great business to watch his heart and to keep his heart alwayes in a gracious frame that man is a gracious man 'T is true our hearts are like our watches seldom got to go well and when they do go well how hard a work is it to keep them going well The motions of our watches are not constant sometimes they go faster and sometimes they go slower and often they stand in need of mending Though in these and many other respects our hearts are like our watches yet if we make it our grand work to keep a constant guard upon our hearts and our main design in this world to have our hearts brought and kept in a gracious frame our spiritual estate is good and we shall be happy for ever c. In my other Writings there are variety of special evidences which the Christian Reader if he please and if need require may make use of in order to the further clearing up of his gracious estate and therefore let these twenty suffice at this time And thus much for this Chapter c. CHAP. III. Now in this Chapter I shall treat of sound saving repentance of repentance unto Life yea of that Evangelical repentance that hath the precious Promises of remission of sin and salvation running out unto it My purpose at this time is not to handle