we look to them that no blemish bee cast upon them So should wee doe with the Name of God Goe to the Isle of Shittim c. they cast the Commandments of God behinde their backs the Heathen saith God would not doe so they kissed the threshold where Dagon was So deale with Gods Name let no blemish betide it but deale with it as with a holy thing The least staine of sinfull distemper doth not become the Name of God you respect a holy thing so doe the Name of God Thirdly as we should acknowledge this worth so labour to set it out that others may see it as occasion shall be offered when any honour may come to it thereby expresse the beauty of the vertues of God that they may be observed holy things are not to be kept secret when opportunity serves Let your light so shine saith the Text that men may see the good in you So whatever we see in the Name of God as we should keep it from blemish so we should set it out in the glory of it A man should hold out the light of the Gospell not hide it under a bushell shew as much of God as we can that men may say God hath been here indeed that a mans word should be like Gods Word that indites them How doth the heart behave it selfe in the putting up of this Petition Quest First this behaviour of the soule doth mainly appeare in two things Answ First it heartily desires in all things that it shall doe that it may lift up the glory of God now this we doe when in all things we have or doe there is a disposition for the furtherance of Gods praise All our life should be like a lanthorne to convey light to others so the heart should desire that in all things Gods glory should be furthered that we may doe nothing but we might further Gods glory by it Silver and gold are fit to stamp the Kings image upon so a mans practice should be good mettle to instamp Gods glory upon not as painted windows to hinder the light but to rebound the light The Text saith Herod did not give God the glory the voice of God and not of man he tooke the glory of God to himself and did not give it to God There be som kinde of glasses will reflect a mans image so there should be a conveying of glory from our selves to God Look as it is with a ball the falling of it makes it rebound so it should be with our hearts they should rebound Gods glory when it falls upon us This is a great skill The Soule should have nothing but whereby God might be honoured Any sinfull course blemisheth Gods glory any priding of a mans selfe furthers not Gods glory but the soule should desire that in all God might be acknowledged and glorified When doth the soule doe this Quest When the soule labours Answ that in all things something more then humane excellencie may appeare For if any thing of a mans own be discerned wee fall short of Gods name in every action Such should be our dispositions that something more may bee seen then a base meane shadow This is a skill in preaching and praying there should be more in all then humane discovered as parts gifts and the like If nothing appeare but selfe the Name of God is deprived of what it should have As Paul said Doe I speake as a man But he demonstrated the Spirit in him it should be discovered what I doe that God works it that he might have all the honour of it God the Author of all should have the glory of all we talk of this and that and say let him be glorified but we doe it not in our conversations What be the severall works of the heart in doing this Quest that it may appeare God is the Author of all and the honour is due to him The acts of the heart are two Answ whereby it sets forth the glory of God First in all services a man should not be quiet in his affections and endeavours till he comes to the highest pitch that is Gods glory All actions are in the way one towards another as a payre of stayres one goes from another and above the other A man should goe higher and higher till Gods glory mounts and surmounts them all As a Minister first studies to teach the people that they may bee informed but why informed that they may appeare to be Christs and that Gods grace may appeare in their conversations the soule never rests till it be here A man goes to prayer in his Family and why so that he may shew God in his courses The servant sends for his wages and so is gone and where is God all this while This should be our desire that in all our actions God may be discovered to bee the Author and to have the honour of all Secondly the soule must be sure not to goe beyond Gods glory as thus a Minister preacheth that the people may be instructed and he be honored as well as God this is to be above God A man prayes to honour God and that it may be knowne he is a glorious professour thus A man is above God as a Bird steps from one bough to another till it come to the highest and then it flyes away So we step up to Gods glory and goe beyond it wee would have God glorified to glorifie us but this is hypocrisie to have God honoured that we may be secretly base This is the deepest dishonour to God and he will be revenged of them one day and pluck his praise out of their bowels The three Wise men would not stay till the star stood and went no further So where the statre of Gods glory goes let us goe and not stay till we come thither and when we are there goe no further This is the carriage of the heart Phil. 1.20 that in life and death God may be honoured and exalted Looke as it is with a workman that makes a peece of curious worke we doe not give the honour to the toole but to the Work-man so God should receive the honour of all and from all Secondly as the soule should make God discovered by himself so hee should desire that God might bee acknowledged by others as wee our selves expresse it and that appeares in two particulars First that they might imbrace the excellencie of God Matth. 5.16 Let your light so shine before men why so not that they may see you but that they may see your good workes that is God in your good workes and glorifie him Doe not thinke I would have others see my good parts gifts and the like but only that they may see God in them The Fisher desires that the fish would see the bait not him So hee that angles for the soules of others doth not desire that others may see him but the grace of God An Apprentice doth not stand
for my sinnes past are sufficient for him to suffer and satisfie for my sinnes present and to come Thirdly the sinner stands justified not for any thing in himselfe but by the mercies of the LORD JESUS CHRIST Now then gather up all and the thing is cleare if our Saviour suffered for all sins and this being infinite is sufficient to pacifie all his wrath due to my sins past present or to come And if a man is not justified of or by any thing of his own but from CHRIST from this I argue by what death is my sin remitted by the death of CHRIST and have not I the whole death of our our Saviour to satisfie Yes for that death that suffered for my sins past suffered for my sins present or to come the death CHRIST suffered for all sins Now this death of CHRIST is applyed to the soul at the first act of beleeving in the LORD CHRIST therefore my sinnes past present or to come are remitted at the first act of beleeving That remission of sins that leaves no condemnation to the party offending is the remission of all sinnes for if there were any sin remaining a man is still in the state of condemnation but justification leaves no condemnation Rom. 8.1 There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Argn. 2. Thus it is evident there is no condemnation to those that are in CHRIST therefore there is full remission of all sins past present or to come to the soul at the first act of beleeving If the remission of all sinnes be not at once Arg. 3. it is either because my faith cannot lay hold on it or because there are some hinderances but a man by the hand of faith can lay hold on all the merits of CHRIST the Word can reveale all the Sacraments seale and confirm the pardon of all and then there is no inconvenience for it makes the soul more carefull of a command Psal 130. If thou shouldest enter into judgement with us who were able to abide it but there is mercy with thee that thou mayest be feared Forgivenesse makes a man yeeld faithfull obedience then it is cleare that the forgivenesse of all sinnes past present or to come is made to the soul at once at the first act of beleeving First because CHRIST dyed for all and that is all applyed at once Secondly justification leaves a man without condemnation Thirdly there are no hinderances for my faith is able to lay hold on all the merits of CHRIST and the Sacraments able to confirm all therefore all the sinnes of the Elect whether past or present or to come are pardoned at once in CHRIST But then why do we pray for daily forgivenesse of sins It seems needlesse thus to do Quest if they be pardoned already what need we pray daily for the forgivenesse of them This is one of Bellarmines chief holds But I answer First if a man do beleeve Answ yet he prayeth for more faith Secondly we intreat the Lord that he would be pleased to renew this repentance write over and renew this our evidence of the remission of our sinnes and more and more confirm it to our selves this a man doth though he have faith Thirdly that he would be pleased to continue this his evidence Fourthly that he would make it increase and be more strong This a faithfull man craves Lord saith the soul that my sinnes may not only be pardoned and the evidence of it sealed to my soul but that the evidence may be more and more increased Whether doth this act of beleeving leave any frame Quest or put any disposition into the soul First Answ our justification which we call forgivenesse findes nothing in us or any thing done by us by which we come to be justified when we are said to be justified by faith or are not said to be justified for faith that is popery but by faith we lay hold on Christ by whose merits we are justified as a man is said to live by his hands not that he eates them but by the labour of his hands he gets money which buyes his meat which nourisheth him So a mans sins are not forgiven by vertue of beleeving but only thus because faith as an hand laies hold on this as a man gets a prey by his hand so we get this prey by the hand of faith faith doth not make a man just before God for God might condemne us for the imperfection and weaknesse of our faith but it layes hold on him who justifies Secondly forgivenesse or justification leaves no gracious frame upon the soul but it is only a legall and judicial forgiving of a man a pronouncing of the soul believing acquitted As a man that is arrested the surety paying all the debt the law is frustrate and hath nothing against that man and he is pronounced acquitted by the law but this acquitting doth not make a man any honester That of the Proverbs He that justifies the wicked and he that condemneth the righteous they both are abomination to the Lord. Not to make a man honester then he was but to account him so and justifie him when he is not You see then this leaves no stamp upon the soul this cuts the throat of many a mans comforts here is the maine difference between justification and sanctification justification is not for any thing in a mans self neither leaves any stamp but sanctification proceeds from some ability in the soul and leaves him holy Thirdly though the act of beleeving doth not put grace into the soul yet wherever this is there will be another work and bring grace into the soul For we forgive others THis is made an argument to prevaile with God we beseech God to forgive us because we forgive others as if we should say if we forgive others forgive thou us but we forgive others therefore Lord forgive us as though first we could forgive others before God forgive us Hence the question drawes on namely Whether is the soule able to forgive trespasses to others before the Lord forgives its trespases Quest No our forgiving others doth not goe before our owne forgivenesse Answ God must first forgive us before we can forgive others because it is a work of grace to doe this as God requires and it comes from a gracious disposition of soule which God must put into us before we can do it But now sanctification follows justification as a man should say a tree bringsforth fruit from the sap in the root But this is used as a cause Quest for we forgive others because we forgive others therfore forgive us it seems then to be a cause of our justification No Answ it is a fruit and effect to make way for the conveyance of the assurance of it it makes us not to be just but dedares us to be just Every reason propounded by the word because doth not imply a cause as I prove fire
Apostle Looke as an ague that is pretty well over-past it lies in the bones and if he that hath it drinke cold water it growes extream and hot by force of opposition So that man that lay lurking before the Word comes and it layes a man flat and it slayes him utterly vers 13. Sinne by the command became out of measure sinfull Looke as it is with a damme the damme stops and the streame swels by force of opposition so the Law stops the streame of sinne and corruption and now it growes exceeding violent Therefore they that have been under good meanes and breake are out of measure shamelesse in their sinfull proceedings this damme that stops makes this sin greater thus the Law of GOD is a Law to a proud heart The Law is not to blame but the heart Secondly the LORD will not suffer the soul to have the power and assistance of the Spirit which formerly he hath had but le ts sin and it grapple till he breake sinne all to peeces Many a time the LORD leaves the soule and will not let it have that power that formerlie it had What can a soul fall Quest No. GOD takes not away his hand Answ but yet he shall not feele it as a man if he stirre not the wheele it will not goe his hand is on it all the while but doth not stirre it therefore it goes not So GOD leaves a man to himselfe though for the while he doth not give him that force whereby he may gaine-say a temptation This befell David LORD Psal 57. take not thy holy Spirit from me that is when God would not helpe David but let him make his part good with the temptations I doubted not but David had grace enough if GOD would have quickened it in him Hezekiah had wisdome enough but GOD left him Thus the LORD is said justly to leade a man into temptation Now wee pray that he would take away all snares that he would not suffer the Word to provoke us but to direct us that we may not be left to our owne strength and that wee may overcome all our spirituall enemies But deliver us from evill HEre observe that though GOD would doe nothing against us yet we are not able to deliver our selves from our owne corrupt hearts What is meant by evill Quest Not so much trouble Answ or punishment but sinne Now in sin are three things First the breach of the Law Secondly the guilt a man gets by this breach and so is liable to this punishment Thirdly the vigour of sinne whereby it rules over the soule Now the former we pray against in the fifth Petition because we stand guilty of the breach of the Law therefore wee pray that God would not enter into Judgement with us And thirdly wee pray here against the power of sinne and that is in three particulars not only in regard of the guilt of it but that the Lord would keep us from the power of it First sinne would be a commander over the soule It is the King Satan is the Gaoler it hath a Kingly Soveraigne Authority and would rule over us sinne is often compared to a King his servants are they to whom they obey Sinne is a Master at least it would be and is so in every naturall soule and it would bee so in the godly The law of life saith the Apostle hath freed mee from the law of death Rom. 8.2 Sinne gives Parliament-Lawes to the Soule and Edicts and as the Centurion bade one servant goe and hee went and another come and he comes so doth sinne say Pride saith it is my pleasure you should be proud therefore I will have you proud and snappish c. Sayes anger I will have you spleniticke and rage Sayes the soule then I will and it shall be done Thus sinne sets up it selfe as a supreame Soveraigne in the soule Hence a proud heart saith I will that I will let GOD say what hee will tell not mee of Lawes it is my minde It is your proud heart sets you Lawes and you yeeld to them Now we pray that GOD however sinne bee in the Soule yet that he would snub and curb it that it may bee an underling in the Soule and daily subdued Secondly as sinne doth and desires to set up a master-like rule and a supreame Soveraign Lord like dominion So sinne carries the soule and sometimes separates the soule from GOD whereas the command of GOD should be a guide to us and take place in our hearts this Rebell it takes up Armes resists stands in defiance against the rule of the Spirit Hence come all these phrases they forsook God resisted GOD and turned their backes to his commands What saith pride shall I bee a slave that the Word should awe mee and snub mee I will never yeeld it while I live I will dye first This is a Devill that drawes you from GOD and will carry you to Hell Rom. 7.23 that is the meaning of this place Sinne carries a man captive that when the soule sees it selfe so ruled by him a gracious heart would teare it selfe off if it could but a naturall man is a slave to sinne sinne gets head and so the soule dares not affect any good in another nor labour for it in it selfe Thirdly sinne leaves a kinde of blemish and staine upon the soule after the commission of it There is a kinde of jeering to the heart and a cunning wrong of the soule hence the Scripture calls it the excrement of naughtinesse c. though the act of sinne be gone yet there is a blemish on the Soule Peter after his denyall of CHRIST was averted from CHRIST So a man after sinne shall finde himselfe dull to any good and prone to any evill This is the staine of sinne when a mans arme is put out of joynt besides the fall there is a bruise So after a man hath broken the Commandements of the LORD the LORD unjoynts him hee is more awake to any good then ever Galath 6. If any man bee unjoynted by sinne So that of the Romanes they wound their owne soules This sinne doth now these wee pray against partly against the power of sinne partly against the authority of sinne partly against the staine of sinne But deliver us from evill To deliver from evil implyes three things First wee pray that the LORD would prevent all those occasions and struglings and distempers of sinne that trouble us these wee pray against to wit that hee would take off these distempers whereby sinne would lay siege against the Soule that hee would remove those things that would remove us from him This is that wisdome promiseth Prov. 6.21 Shee will keepe and walke with them that walke with her and shee will keepe him from the way of the wicked woman Sinne is like a Harlot therefore the LORD is pleased to expresse it after that manner Now it is the mercie of the LORD that he will