can binde and he should take no care to effect this would it not be interpreted as a sleighting of his friends kindnesse Is it a small matter that God passeth over his Almighty power by promise to us and bids us make it as sure to our selves as we can by faith and we neglect this leaving the Writings of the promises unsealed on our hearts Secondly our obedience and comfort are strong or weak as our faith is on this principle First our obedience that being a childe of faith partakes of its Parents strength or weaknesse Abraham being strong in faith what an heroick act of obedience did he perform in offering up his Son his faith being well set on the Power of God he carries that without staggering which would have laid a weak faith on the ground No act of faith more strengthens for duty then that which eyes Gods Almighty power engaged for its assistance Go in this thy might said God to Gideon have not I call'd thee as if he had said Can I not will I not carry thee through thy work Away goes Gideon in the faith of this and doth wonders This brought the righteous man from the East to Gods foot though he knew not whither he went yet he knew with whom he went God Almighty But take a soul not perswaded of this how uneven and unstable is he in his obediential course every threat from man if mighty dismayes him because his faith not fixt on the Almighty and therefore sometimes he will shift off a duty to comply with man and betray his trust into the hands of a sorry creature because he hath fleshly eyes to behold the power of man but wants a spiritual eye to see God at his back to protect him with his Almighty power which were his eyes open to see he would not be so routed in his thoughts at the approach of a weak creature Should such a man as I flee said good Nehemiah Nehem. 6.11 He was newly come from the throne of grace where he had called in the help of the Almighty verse 9. O God strengthen my hands And truly now he will rather die upon the place then disparage his God with a dishonourable retreat Secondly the Christians comfort increaseth or waines as the aspect of his faith is to the power of God Let the soule question that or his interest in it and his joy gusheth out even as blood out of a broken vein It is true a soule may scramble to heaven with much ado by a faith of recumbency relying on God as able to save without this perswasion of its interest in God but such a soule goes with a scant side-winde or like a ship whose masts are laid by the board exposed to winde and weather if others better appointed did not tow it along with them Many feares like waves ever and anon cover such a soule that it is more under water then above whereas one that sees it selfe folded in the armes of Almighty power O how such a soule goes mounting afore the winde with her sailes fill'd with joy and peace Let affliction come stormes arise this blessed soule knows where it shall land and be welcome The Name of God is his harbour where he puts in as boldly as a man steps into his own house when taken in a shower He heares God calling him into this and other his attributes as Chambers taken up for him Isa 26. Come my people enter into thy Chambers God calls them his and it were foolish modesty not to own what God gives Isa 45.24 Surely shall a man say in the Lord have I righteousnesse and strength that is I have righteousnesse in Gods righteousnesse strength in his strength so that in this respect Christ can no more say that his strength is his owne and not the believers then the husband can say my body is my own and not my wives A soule perswaded of this may sing merrily with the sharpest thorne at its breast so David Psal 57.7 My heart is fixed my heart is fixed I will sing and give praise What makes him so merry in so sad a place as the Cave where now he was he will tell you verse 1. where you have him nestling himselfe under the shadow of Gods wings and now well may he sing care and fear away A soul thus provided may lie at ease on a hard bed Do you not think they sleep as soundly who dwell on London-bridge as they who live at White-hall or Cheap-side knowing the waves that roare under them cannot hurt them Even so may the Saints rest quietly over the floods of death it selfe and feare no ill SECT 3. Vse 1 Is the Almighty power of God engaged for the Saints defence surely then they will have a hard pull the Saints enemies I mean who meddle with them that are so far above their match The devil was so cunning he would have Job out of his trench his hedge down before he would fall on but so desperate are men they will try the field with the Saints though incircled with the Almighty power of God What folly were it to attempt or sit down before such a City which cannot be block't up so as no relief can get in the way to heaven cannot In the Churches straitest siege there is a river which shall make glad this City of God with seasonable succours from heaven The Saints fresh-springs are all from God and it is as feasible for sorry man to stop the water-courses of the clouds as to dam up those streams which invisibly glide like veins of water in the earth from the fountain-head of his mercy into the bosome of his people the Egyptians thought they had Israel in a trap when they saw them march into such a nook by the sea-side They are entangled they are entangled and truly so they had been irrecoverably had not that Almighty power which led them on engaged to bring them off with honour and safety well when they are out of this danger behold they are in a wildernesse where nothing is to be had for back and belly and yet here they shall live fourty yeares without trade or tillage without begging or robbing of any of the Neighbour-nations they shall not be beholden to them for a penny in their way what cannot Almighty power do to provide for his people what can it not do to protect them against the power and wrath of their enemies Almighty power stood between the Israelites and the Egyptians so that poor creatures they could not so much as come to see their enemie God sets up a dark cloud as a blinde before their eyes and all the while his eye through the cloud is looking them into disorder and confusion And is the Almighty grown weaker now a dayes or his enemies stronger that they promise themselves better successe No neither but men are blinder then the Saints enemies of old who sometimes have fled at the appearances of God among his people crying out Let
doest not go up to heaven and pry into Gods secrets but heaven comes down to thee and reveals them Again he will ask the Christian what was the time of his Conversion Art thou a Christian will he say and dost thou not know when thou commencedst now keep the Plains content thy self with this that thou seest the streams of grace though the time of thy Conversion be like the head of Nylus not to be found God oft comes betimes before grosse sins have deflowered the soule and steals into the creatures bosome without much noise In such a case Satan doth but abuse thee when he sends thee on this errand you may know the Sun is up though you did not observe when it rose Again what will become of thee saith Satan if God should bring thee into such an affliction on trial when thou must burn or turn or when all thy outward estate shall be rent from thee no meal in the barrel no money in the purse darest thou have so good an opinion of thy selfe as to think that thy faith will hold out in such an houre of temptation It thou hast but half an eye Christian thou mayest see what Satan drives at this is an ensnaring question by the feare of future troubles he labours to bring thee into a neglect of thy present duty and indispose thee also for such a stare whenever it falls If a man hath much businesse to do on the morrow 't is his wisdom to discharge his minde thereof when composing to sleep lest the thoughts thereof break his rest and make him the more unfit in the morning The lesse rest the soule hath in God and his promise concerning future events the lesse strength it will finde to beare them when the pinch comes When therefore thou art molested with such feares pacifie thy heart with these three plain Conclusions First every event is the product of Gods Providence not a sparrow much lesse a Saint falls to the ground by poverty sicknesse persecution c. but the hand of God is in it Secondly God hath put in caution he will never leave thee nor forsake thee He that enables thee in one condition will in another God learns his servants their whole trade Grace is an universal principle At the first moment of thy spiritual life suffering grace was infused as well as praying grace Thirdly God is wise to conceale the succours he intends in the several changes of thy life that so he may draw thy heart into an entire dependance on his faithful promise Thus to try the mettal of Abrahams faith he let him go on till his hand was stretch't forth and then he comes to his rescue Christ sends his disciples to sea but stayes behinde himself on a design to try their faith and shew his love Comfort thy self therefore with this though thou seest not thy God in the way yet thou shalt finde him in the end Secondly Satan perplexeth the tender consciences of doubting Christians with obscure Scriptures whose sense lies too deep for their weak and distempered judgements readily to finde out and with these he hampers poor soules exceedingly indeed as melancholy men delight in melancholy walks so doubting soules most frequent such places of Scripture in their musing thoughts as encrease their doubts how many have I known that have look't so long on those difficult places Heb. 6.7 Heb. 10.26 which passe the understanding as a swift stream the eye so that the sense is not perceived without great observation till their heads have turned round and they at last not able to untie the difficulties have fallen down into despairing thoughts and words of their own condition crying out O they have sinned against knowledge of the truth and therefore no mercy remains for them who if they would have refreshed their understandings by looking off these places whose engraving is too curious to be long pored on by a weak eye they might have found that in other Scriptures plainly exprest which would have enabled them as through a glasse more safely to have viewed these Therefore Christian keepe the Plaines thou mayest be sure 't is thine enemy that gives thee such stones to break thy teeth when thy condition calls rather for bread and wine such Scriptures I mean as are most apt to nourish thy faith and cheere thy drooping spirit When thou meetest such plain Scriptures which speak to thy case go over where it is fordable and do not venture beyond thy depth Art thou afraid because thou hast sinned since the knowledge of the truth and therefore no sacrifice remains for thee See David and Peters case how it patterns thine and left upon record that their recovery may be a Key in thine hand to open such places as these mayest thou not safely conclude from these this is not their meaning that none can be saved that sin after knowledge Indeed in both those places it is neither meant of the falls of such as ever had true grace nor of a falling away in some particular acts of sin but of a total universal falling away from the Faith the doctrine of it as well as seeming practice of it Now if the root of the matter were ever in thee other Scriptures will first comfort thee against those particular apostasies into which thou hast relapsed by sweet promises inviting such to return and Precedents of Saints who have had peace spoken to them after such folly and also they will satisfie thee against the other by giving full security to thy faith that thy little grace shall not die being immortal though not in its proper essence because but a creature yet by Covenant as it is a childe of Promise Thirdly Dark Providences From these Satan disputes against Gods love to and grace in a soule First he got a commission to plunder Job of his temporal estate and bereave him of his chilchildren and then labours to make him question his spiritual estate and sonship his wife would have him entertain hard thoughts of God saying Curse God and die and his friends as hard thoughts of himself as if he were an hypocrite and both upon the same mistake as if such an afflicted condition and a gracious state were inconsistent Now Christian keep the Plaines and neither from this charge God foolishly for thine enemy nor thy self as his Reade the saddest Providence with the Comment of the Word and thou canst not make such an harsh interpretation As God can make a streight line with a crooked stick be righteous when he useth wicked instruments so also gracious when he dispenseth harsh Providences Joseph kept his love when he spake roughly to his brethren I do not wonder that the wicked think they have Gods blessing because they are in the warme Sun Alas they are strangers to Gods counsels void of his Spirit and sensual judging of God and his Providence by the report their present feeling makes of them like little children who think every one loves
hazard of his own life with Goliah O it is a bloody sin It is the wombe wherein a whole litter of other sins are formed Rom. 1.29 full of envy murder debate deceit malignity c. and therefore except you be resolved to bid the devil welcom and his whole train resist him in this that comes before to take up quarters for the rest CHAP. X. Of pride of Grace SEcondly pride of grace This is another way Satan assaults the Christian 'T is true grace cannot be proud yet 't is possible a Saint may be proud of his grace there is nothing the Christian hath or doth but this worme of pride will breed in it The world we live in is corruptible and all here is subject to putrefie as things kept in a rafty muggish room subject them to mould It is not the nature of grace but the salt of the Covenant keeps and preserves the purity of it in heaven indeed we shall be safe But how can a Saint be said to be proud of his grace Then a soule is proud of his grace when he trusts in his grace Trust and confidence is an incommunicable flower of Gods Crown as Soveraign Lord even among men it goes along with royalty Set up a King and as such he expects you should give him this as the undoubted Prerogative of his place and therefore to seek protection from any other is as it were to set up another King Judg. 9.15 If indeed you anoint me King over you then come and put your trust under my shadow therefore when a soule puts his trust in any thing beside God he sets up a Prince a King an Idol to which he gives Gods glory away Now it doth not make the sin lesse that it is the grace of God we crown then if it were a lust we crowned 'T is idolatry to worship a holy Angel as well as a cursed devil to make our grace a god as well as our belly our god nay rather it addes to it because that is now used to rob him of his glory which should have brought him in the greatest revenue of glory certainly the more treasure you put into your servants hands the greater wrong to you for him to run away with it I doubt not but David could have borne it better to have seen a Philistine drive him from his throne then a sonne an Absalom But how can or may a Saint be said to trust in his grace First by trusting to the strength of his grace Secondly by trusting on the worth of his grace Indeed a professed trust in grace I conceive cannot stand with grace but there is an oblique kinde of trust or that which by interpretation may savour of it Satan is slie in his assaults SECT I. First of the first to trust in the strength of grace is to be proud of grace This is opposed to that poverty of spirit so commended by our Saviour Matth. 5. by which a man lives in the continual sense of his spiritual beggery and nothingnesse and so hath his recourse to Christ as the poor to the rich mans door knowing he hath nothing at home to maintain him Such a one was Paul not able to do any thing of himself he is not ashamed to let the world know that Christ carries his purse for him Our sufficiency is of God yea after many years trading this holy man sees nothing he hath got Phil. 3.13 I count not my self to have apprehended he is still pressing forward ask him how he lives he 'll tell you who keeps house for him I live yet not I Gal. 2.20 as ask a beggar where he hath his meat cloathes c. he 'll say I thank my good Master Now Satan chiefly labours to puffe the soul up with an over-weening conceit of his own ability as the readiest means to bring him into his snare Satan knows 't is Gods method to give his children into his hands when once they grow proud and self-confident Hezekiah was left to a temptation 2 Chron. 32.31 to try him Why God had tried him to purpose a little before in an affliction what needs this O Hezekiahs heart was lift up after his affliction It was time for God to let the tempter alone a little to foile him probably now Hezekiah had high thoughts of his grace O he would never do as he had done before and God will let him see what a weak creature he is Peter makes a whip for his own back in that bravado Though all should forsake thee yet will not I. Christ now in meer mercy must set Satan on him to lay him on his back that seeing the weaknesse of his faith he might be dismounted from the height of his pride All that I shall say from this is to entâ—eat thee Christian to have a care of this kinde of pride You know what Joah said to David when he perceived his heart lift up with the strength of his Kingdom and therefore would have the people numbered The Lord God adde unto thy people how many soever they be a hundred fold but why doth my Lord the King delight in this thing 2 Sam. 24.3 The Lord adde to the strength of thy grace a hundred fold but why delightest thou in this why shouldest thou be lift up is it not grace shall the Groom be proud because he rides on his Masters horse or the mud wall because the Sun shines on it mayest thou not say of every dram of grace as the young man of his hatchet Alas Muster it is borrowed nay not only borrowed but thou canst not use it without his skill and strength that lends it thee O beware of this let not those vain thoughts lodge in thee left thou enter into temptation It is a breach a whole troop of sins may enter at yea will except speedily fill'd up First it will make thee soon grow loose and negligent in thy duty 'T is sense of insufficiency keeps a soul at work to pray and heare as want in the house and hutch holds up the market no man comes thither to buy what he hath at home Vp saith Jacob go down to Egypt for corne that we live and not die Thus saith the needy Christian Up soul to thy God thy faith is weak thy patience almost spent ply thee to the throne of grace go with thy homer to the Ordinances and get some supplies Now a soule conceited of his store hath another song Soul take thine ease thou art richly laid in for many dayes Let the doubting soule pray thy faith is strong let the weake lie at the breast thou art well grown up nay 't is well if it goes not further to a despising of Ordinances except they have some more courtly fate then ordinary such a passe were the Corinthians come to 1 Cor. 4.8 Now ye are full now ye are rich ye reign like Kings without us I pray observe how he layes the accent on the particle now now ye are rich as if
he had said I knew the time if Paul had been come to town and newes spread abroad in the City that Paul was to preach you would have flock't to hear him and blessed God for the season but then you were poor and empty now ye are full you have got to a higher attainment Paul is a plain fellow now he may carry his cheere to a hungry people if he will we are well apaid And when once the heart is come to this 't is easie to judge what will follow Secondly this trusting to the strength of grace will make the soule bold and venturous The humble Christian is the wary Christian he knows his weaknesse and this makes him afraid I have a weak head saith he I may be soon disputed into an errour and heresie and therefore I dare not come where such stuffe is broach't lest my weak head should be intoxicated the confident man he 'll sip of every cup he fears none no he is stablish't in the truth a whole team of hereticks shall not draw him aside I have a vain light heart saith the humble soule I dare not come among wicked debautch't company left I should at last bring the naughty man home with me but one trusting to the strength of his grace dares venture into the devils quarters Thus Peter into the rout of Christs enemies and how he came off you know there his faith had been slain on the place had not Christ founded a retreat by the seasonable look of love he gave him Indeed I have read of some bragging Philosophers who did not think it enough to be temperate except they had the object for intemperance present and therefore they would go into Taverns and Whore-houses as if they meant to beat the devil on his own ground but the Christian knows an enemy nearer then so which they were ignorant of and that he need not go over his own threshold to challenge the devils He hath lust in his bosome that will be hard enough for him all his dayes without giving it the vantage ground Christian I know no sin but thou mayest be left to commit it except one It was a bold speech of him and yet a good man as I have heard If Clapham die of the plague say Clapham had no faith and this made him boldly go among the infected If a Christian thou shalt not die of spiritual plagues yet such may have the plague-sores of grosse sins running on them for a time and is not this sad enough therefore walk humbly with thy God Thirdly this high conceit of the strength of thy grace will make thee cruel and churlish to thy weak brethren in their infirmities a sin that least becomes a Saint Gal. 6.1 If any one be overtaken you that be spiritual restore such a one with meeknesse but how shall a soul get such a meek spirit It follows considering thy self lest thou also be tempted What makes men hard to the poor they think they shall never be so themselves Why are many so sharp in their censures but because they trust too much to their grace as if they could never fall O you are in the body and the body of sin in you therefore feare Bernard used to say when he heard any scandalous sin of a Professour Hodie illi cras mihi He fell to day I may stumble tomorrow SECT II. The second way a soule may be proud of his grace is by resting on it for his acceptance with God The Scripture calls inherent grace our own righteousnesse though God indeed be the efficient of it and opposeth it to the righteousnesse of Christ which alone is called the Righteousnesse of God Rom. 10.1 Now to rest on any grace inherent is to exalt our own righteousnesse above the righteousnesse of God and what pride will this amount to If this ware so then a Saint when he comes to heaven might say This is Heaven which I have built my grace hath purchased and thus the God of Heaven should become tenant to his creature in Heaven No God hath cast the order of our salvation into another method of grace but not of grace in us but grace to us Inherent grace hath its place and office to accompany salvation Heb. 6.9 but not procure it This is Christs work not graces When Israel waited on the Lord at Mount Sinai they had their bounds not a man must come up besides Moses to treat with God no not touch the Mount lest they die thus all the graces of the Spirit wait on God but none come up to challenge any acceptance of God besides faith which is a grace that presents the soul not in its own garments But you will say what needs all this where is the man that trusts in his grace Alas where is the Christian that doth fully stand clear and freely come his off his own righteousnesse he is a rare Pilot indeed that can steere his faith in so direct a course as not now and then to knock upon this duty and run on ground upon that grace Abraham went in to Hagar and the children of Abrahams faith are not perfectly dead to the Law and may be found sometimes in Hagars armes witnesse the fluxe and refluxe of our faith according to the various aspect of our obedience when this seems full then our faith is at a spring-tide and covers all the mountains of our fears but let it seem to wain in any service or duty then the Jordan of our faith flies back and leaves the soule naked The devils spight is at Christ and therefore since he could not hinder his landing which he endeavoured all he could nor work his will on his person when he was come he goes now in a more refined way to darken the glory of his sufferings and the sufficiency of his righteousnesse by blending ours with his this doctrine of Justification by faith hath had more works and batteries made against it then any other in the Scripture Indeed many other errours were but his slie approaches to get nearer to undermine this and lastly when he connot hide this truth which now shines in the Church like the Sun in its strength then he labours to hinder the practical improvement of it that we if he can help it shall not live up to our own principles making us at the same time that in our judgement we professe acceptance only through Christ in our practice confute our selves Now there is a double pride in the soule he makes use of for this end the one I may call a mannerly pride the other a self-applauding pride First a mannerly pride which comes forth in the habit and guise of humility and that discovers it self either at the soules first coming to Christ and keeps him from closing with the promise or afterward in the daily course of a Christians walking with God which keeps him from comfortable living on Christ First when a poor soul is staved off the promise by the sense
that thou canst not as thou usest lift up thy heart from earthly to spiritual duties They were intended as helps against temptation and therefore when they prove snares to us there is a distemper on us If we waxe worse after sleep the body is not right because the nature of sleep is to refresh if exercise indisposeth for work the reason is in our bodies So here Secondly when thy diligence in thy particular calling is more selfish possibly thou hast wrought in thy shop and set close at thy study in obedience to the command chiefly thy carnal interests have swayed but little with thee but now thou tradest more for thy self and lesse for God O have a care of this Thirdly when thou canst not bear the disappointment of thy carnal ends in thy particular calling as thou hast done thou workest and gettest little of the world thou preachest and art not much esteemed and thou knowest not well how to brook these The time was thou couldest retire thy self into God and make up all thou didst want elsewhere in him but now thou art not so well satisfied with thy estate rank and condition thy heart is fingering for more of these then God allowes thee this shews declining children are harder to be pleased and old men whose decay of nature makes them more froward and in a manner children the second time then others labour therefore to recover thy decaying grace and as this lock grows so thy strength with it will to acquiesce in the disposure of Gods Providence CHAP. IV. A word of counsel for the recovery of declining grace WE come now to give a few directions to the Christian how to recover decaying grace Enquire faithfully into the cause of thy declining The Christians armour decays two wayes either by violent bartery when the Christian is overcome by temptations to sin or else by neglecting to forbish and scoure it with the use of those means which are as oile to keep it clean and bright Now enquire which of these have been the cause of thy decay It is like both concurre First if thy grace be weakened by any blow given it by any sin committed by thee there then lies a threefold duty upon thee towards the recovery of it First thou art to renew thy repentance It is Christs counsel Rev. 2.5 to Ephesus Repent and do thy first works where it is not only commanded as a duty but prescribed as a means for her recovery as if he had said Repent that thou mayest do thy first works So Hosea 14.2 The Lord sets back-sliding Israel about this work bidding her take words and turn to the Lord and v. 4. he then tells her he 'll take her in hand to recover her of her sins I will heale their back-slidings a repenting soule is under promise of healing and therefore Christian go and search thy heart as thou wouldest do thy house if some thief or murderer lay hid in it to cut thy throat in the night and when thou hast found the sin that has done thee the mischief then labour to fill thy heart with shame for it and indignation against it and so go big with sorrow and cast it forth before the Lord in a heart-breaking confession better thou do this then Satan do thy errand to God for thee Secondly when thou hast renewed thy repentance forget not delay not then to renew thy faith on the promise for pardon Repentance that is like purging physick to evacuate the peccant humour but if faith come not presently with its restorative the poor creature will never get heart or recover his strength A soule may die of a fluxe of sorrow as well as of sin faith hath an incarnating vertue as they say of some strengthening meats it feeds upon the promise and that is perfect converting or rather restoring the soule Psal 19.7 Though thou wert pined to skin and bones all thy strength wasted yet faith would soon recruit thee and enable every grace to perform its office chearfully Faith sucks peace from the promise call'd peace in beleeving from peace flowes joyes Being justified by faith we have peace with God Rom. 5.1 and v. 2. We rejoyce in the hope of glory and joy affords strength The joy of the Lord is our strength Thirdly back both these with a daily endeavour to mortifie those lusts which most pevail over thy grace Weeds cannot thrive and the flowers also when grace doth not act vigorously and freely conclude it is opprest with some contrary lust which weighs down its spirits and makes them lumpish even as superfluous humours do load the natural spirits in our bodies that we have little joy to stir or go about any businesse till they be evacuated and therefore ply this work close it is not a dayes work or two in the yeare like Physick at spring and fall nothing more vain then to make a busle as the Papists do at their Lent or as some unsound Professours among our selves who seem to bestir themselves before a Sacrament or day of Fasting with a great noise of zeal and then let those very lusts live peaceably in them all the yeare after No this is child-play to do and undo thou must mortifie daily thy lusts by the Spirit Rom. 8.13 Follow but this work conscionably in thy Christian course making it thy endeavour as constantly as the labouring man goes out every day to work in the field where his calling lies to watch thy heart and use all means for the discovery of sin and as it breaks forth to be humbled for it and be chopping at the root of it with this axe of mortification and thou shalt see by the blessing of God what a change for the better there will be in the constitution of thy grace thou who art now so poor so pale that thou art afraid to see thy own face long in the glasse of thy own conscience shall then reflect with joy upon thy owne conscience and dare to converse with thy self without those surprizals of horrour and feare which before did appale thee thy grace though it shall not be thy rejoycing yet it will be thy evidence for Christ in whom it is and lead thee in with boldnesse to lay claim to him while the loose Christian whose grace is over-grown with lusts for want of this weeding hook shall stand trembling at the door questioning whether his grace be true or no and from that doubt of his welcome Secondly if upon enquiry thou findest that thy Armour decays rather for want of scouring then by any blow from sin presumptuously committed as that is most common and ordinary rust will soon spoil the best armour and negligence give grace its bane as well as grosse sins then apply thy self to the use of those means which God hath appointed for the strengthening grace if the fire goes out by taking off the wood what way to preserve it but by laying it on again First I shall send thee to the Word of
THE CHRISTIAN IN Compleat Armour Or a TREATISE OF THE Saints War against the Devil wherein a Discovery is made of that grand enemy of God and his People in his Policies Power Seat of his Empire Wickednesse and chief design he hath against the Saints A Magazin open'd FROM Whence the Christian is furnished with Spiritual Armes for the battel help't on with his Armour and taught the use of his Weapon together with the happy issue of the whole Warre The First Part. By William Gurnall Minister of the Gospel at Lavenham Imprimatur EDMUND CALAMY LONDON Printed for Ralph Smith at the Bible in Cornhill near the Royall Exchange 1655. Gurnalls CHRISTIAN ARMOVR I. P. To my Dearly Beloved Friends and Neighbours the Inhabitants of LAVENHAM My Dear Friends SOlomon saith The desire of a man is his kindenesse and a poor man is better then a liar Prov. 19.22 If you be of his minde I dare promise these Notes which I here devote to your service a kinde acceptance at your hands You will finde me to be the poor man by the mite I present you with but the hearty desire of your eternal happinesse from which it comes will I hope clear me from being the liar I never could be so serviceable to you as many Ministers are to their people having been with you in much weaknesse and still it is the good pleasure of God I should be staked down to a short tedder of strength and other abilities I have reason therefore that I may though not recompence that want yet expresse my deep sense thereof to croud the more love into the little I can do for you And truly my heart is enlarged to you and to God for you If any thing makes me loath to be gone into another world which my dropping house bids me above many prepare for it is not the least to think I shall leave no more of you walking in the way to eternal life and you who are on your way thither in no closer Gospel-order for your mutual help and comfort in your journey yea while I am among you little do you think how much of your poor Ministers life lies at your mercy If I should measure my life by the joy of it as indeed who doth not Then in some uprightnesse I can say with Paul I live as I see any of you stand fast in the Lord and die as I see others stand fast in their sins not to be moved with all the entreaties of the Gospel which have wooed you And why my dear friends should not the life of your soules be much more precious in your own sight then mine But I forbear I would not willingly be thought as some husbands are to be kinder to you abroad before strangers then I am at home What I present you with in this Treatise is a dish from your own table and so I hope will go down the better You cannot despise it though the fare be mean except you will blame your selves who chose the Cook I cannot be earnest with others to bestow so much time as to read over these plain Sermons lest it should be to their losse it were but to call them from gathering sheaves in the more fruitful labours of others to glean a few eares and those but thin also in mine yet with you my people I may be a little bold Physicians say the mothers milk though not so weighty as anothers if no noxious humour be tasted in it because natural is more proper for the childe then a strangers And I think it would not be an errour if I should say it held in the milk which the Minister gives to his flock A people conscienciously lying at the breasts of their own Minister if the milk he gives be wholesome may expect the blessing of God for their nourishment though it has not so much lusciousnesse to please the curious taster as some others Well whatever these Sermons were some of those few spirits which you found in hearing will be missing in the reading of them It is as easie to paint fire with the heat as with pen and ink to commit that to paper which occurres in preaching There is as much difference between a Sermon in the Pulpit and printed in a book as between milk in the warme breast and in a sucking bottle yet what it loseth in the lively taste is recompenced by the convenience of it The book may be at hand when the Preacher cannot and truly that 's the chief end of printing that as the bottle and spoon is used when the mother is sick or out of the way so the book to quiet the Christian and stay his stomack in the absence of the Ordinance He that readeth Sermons and good bookes at home to save his paines of going to hear is a thief to his soul in a religious habit he consults for his ease but not for his profit he eats cold meat when he may have hot He hazards the losing the benefit of both by contemning of one If the Spouse could have had her beloved at home she needed not to have coursed the streets and waited on the publick O what need we offer sacriledge for sacrifice rob God of one duty to pay him another He hath laid our work in better order one wheele would not interfere with another if we did more regularly A chief part of Davids Arithmetick of numbring our dayes lies in that which we call division as to cast the account of this our short life so as to divide the little whole summe thereof into the several portions of time due for the performing of every duty in An Instrument is not in tune except it have all the strings and those will not make good musick if the Musician hath not wisdome to cause every string to speak in its due time The Christian is not in tune except he takes in all the duties of his place and calling neither will the performance of them be harmonious in Gods eare if every one be not done in its proper season O my friends labour not only to do the duty of your place but that duty in its own place also Heare when you should hear Know your rime for closet and time for shop and when your retiring houre comes a few minutes now and then spent in taking a repetition of what formerly you heard shall not I hope another day be reckoned with your lost time The Subject of the Treatise is solemn A War between the Saint and Satan and that so bloody a one that the cruellest which ever was fought by men will be found but sport and childes play to this Alas what is the killing of bodies to destroying of soules 'T is a sad meditation indeed to think how many thousands have been sent to the grave in a few late yeares among us by the sword of man But far more astonishing to consider how many of those may be sent to hell by the sword of Gods wrath 'T is
concerning some truth or promise but then hath a spiritual eye which the Christlesse person wants and so is darknesse And this darknesse cannot be enlightened but by its union with Christ which is exprest in the following phrase But now are ye light in the Lord. As the eye of the body once put out can never be restored by the creatures Art so neither can the spiritual eye lost by Adams sin be restored by the teaching of men or Angels It is one of the diseases which Christ came to cure Luke 4.18 'T is true there is a light of reason which is imparted to every man by nature but this light is darknesse compared with the Saints As the night is dark to the day even when the moon is in its full glory This night-light of Reason may save a person from some ditch or pond great and broad sins but it will never help him to escape the more secret corruptions which the Saint sees like atomes in the beams of spiritual knowledge There is such curious work the creature is to do which cannot be wrought by candle-light of natural knowledge Nay more where the common illumination of the Spirit is superadded to this light of nature yet that is darknesse compar'd with the sanctifying knowledge of a renewed soule which doth both discover spiritual truths and warme the heart at the same time with the love of truth having like the Sun a prolifical and quickening vertue which the other wants so that the heart lies under such common illuminations cold and dead He hath no more strength to resist Satan then if he knew not the command whereas the Christians knowledge even when taken Prisoner by a temptation pursues and brings back the soul as Abraham his Nephew out of the enemies hands which hints the third Thirdly the Christlesse state is a state of impotency Rom. 5. When we were without strength Christ came to die for the ungodly What can a disarm'd people that have not sword or gun do to shake off the yoke of a conquering enemie Such a power hath Satan over the soule Luke 11.21 he is call'd the strong man that keeps the soule as his Palace If he hath no disturbance from heaven he need feare no mutiny within he keeps all in peace there What the Spirit of God doth in a Saint that in a manner doth Satan in a sinner The Spirit fills the heart of his with love joy holy desires feares so Satan fills the sinners heart with pride lust lying Why hath Satan filled thy heart saith Peter And thus fill'd with Satan as the drunkard with wine he is not his own man but Satans slave Fourthly the state of unregeneracy is a state of friendship with sin and Satan If it be enmity against God as it is then friendship with Satan Now it will be hard to make that soule fight in earnest against his friend Is Satan divided will the devil within fight against the devil without Satan in the heart shut out Satan at the door sometimes indeed there appears a scuffle between Satan and a carnal heart but it is a meer cheat like the fighting of two fencers on a stage you would think at first they were in earnest but observing how wary they are where they hit one another you may soon know they do not mean to kill and that which puts all out of doubt when the prize is done you shall see them making merry together with what they have got of their Spectatours which was all they fought for when a carnal heart makes the greatest bussle against sin by complaining of it or praying against it follow him but off the stage of duty where he hath gained the reputation of a Saint the prize he fights for and you shall see them sit as friendly together in a corner as ever Vse 1 First this takes away the wonder of Satans great Conquests in the world when you look abroad and see his vast Empire and what a little spot of ground contains Christs subjects what heaps of precious souls lie prostrate under this foot of pride and what a little regiment of Saints march under Christs banner perhaps the strangenesse of the thing may make you ask Is hell stronger then heaven the armes of Satan more victorious then the Crosse of Christ No such matter Consider but this one thing and you will wonder that Christ hath any to follow him rather then that he hath so few Satan findes the world unarm'd when the Prince of the world comes he findes nothing to oppose the whole soule is in a disposition to yield at first summons and if Conscience Governour for God in the creature stands out a while all the other powers as will and affections are in a discontent like mutinous souldiers in a garrison who never rest till they have brought over conscience to yield or against its command set open the City gate to the enemie and so deliver traiterously their conscience prisoner to their lusts But when Christ comes to demand the soul he meets a scornful answer Depart from us we desire not the knowledge of the most High We will not have this man to reign over us With one consent they vote against him and rise up as the Philistines against Samson whom they call'd the Destroyer of the countrey Ye will not come unto me saith Christ O how true are poor sinners to the devils trust They will not deliver the Castle they hold for Satan till fired over their heads Pharaoh opposeth Moses on one hand and Israel cry out upon him on the other Such measure hath Christ both at Satans hand and the sinners That which lessened Alexanders Conquests was he overcame a people buried in barbarisme without armes or discipline of war and that which heightened Cesars though not so many he overcame a people more warlike and furnish't Satans victories are of poor ignorant gracelesse souls who have neither armes nor hands nor hearts to oppose but when he assaults a Saint then he sits down before a city with gates and bars and ever riseth with shame unable to take the weakest hold to pluck the weakest Saint out of Christs hands but Christ brings souls out of his dominion with a high hand in spite of all the force and fury of hell which like Pharaoh and his hoste pursue them Vse 2 Secondly this gives us a reason why the devil hath so great a spite against the Gospel Why because this opens a magazine of armes and furniture for the soule the Word is that Tower of David Cant. 4.4 built for an Armourie wherein there hang a thousand bucklers all the shields of mighty men Hence the Saints have ever had their armour and the preaching of the Gospel unlocks it As Gospel-light ascends so Satans shady Kingdom of darknesse vanisheth Rev. 14.6 there one Angel comes forth to preach the everlasting Gospel and another Angel followes at his back verse 8. crying Victoria Babylon is fallen is fallen The very first
will he say thou playedst the hypocrite zealous but serving thy self here wandring there nodding a little further puft up with pride and what wages canst thou hope for at Gods hands now thou hast spoil'd his work and cut it all out into chips Thus he makes many poor soules lead a weary life nothing they do but he hath a fling at that they know not whether best pray or not heare or not and when they have prayed and heard whether it be to any purpose or not Thus their souls hang in doubt and their dayes passe in sorrow while their enemy stands in a corner and laughs at the cheat he hath put upon them as one who by putting a counterfeit spider into the dish makes those that sit at table either out of conceit with the meat that they dare not eat or afraid of themselves if they have eaten lest they should be poisoned with their meat Quest But you will say What will you have us do in this case to withstand the cavils of Satan in reference to our duties First let this make thee more accurate in all thou doest 't is the very end God aimes at in suffering Satan thus to watch you that you his children might be the more circumspect because you have one over-looks you that will be sure to tell tales of you to God and accuse thee to thy own self Doth it not behove thee to write thy Copy faire when such a Critick reades and scans it over Doth it not concern thee to know thy heart well to turn over the Scriptures diligently that thou mayest know the state of thy soule-controversie in all the cases of conscience thereof when thou hast such a subtile Opponent to reply upon thee Secondly let it make thee more humble If Satan can charge thee with so much in thy best duties O what then can thy God do God suffers sometimes the infirmities of his people to be known by the wicked who are ready to check and frump them for them for this end to humble his people how much more low should these accusations of Satan which are in a great part too true lay us before God Thirdly observe the fallacy of Satans argument which discovered will help thee to answer his cavil the fallacy is double First he will perswade thee that thy duty and thy self are hypocritical proud formal c because something of these sins are to be found in thy duty Now Christian learn to distinguish between pride in a duty and a proud duty hypocrisie in a person and an hypocrite wine in a man and a man in wine The best of Saints have the stirrings of such corruptions in them and in their services these birds will light on an Abrahams sacrifice but comfort thy self with this that if thou findest a party within thy bosome pleading for God and entering its protest against these thou and thy services are Evangelically perfect God beholds these as the weaknesses of thy sickly state here below and pities thee as thou wouldest do thy lame childe how odious is he to us that mocks one for natural defects a blear eye or a stammering tongue such are these in thy new nature Observable is that in Christs prayer against Satan Zech. 3.3 The Lord said unto Satan The Lord rebuke thee is not this a brand pluck't out of the fire As if Christ had said Lord wilt thou suffer this envious spirit to twit thy poor childe with and charge him for those infirmities that cleave to his imperfect state he is but new pluck't out of the fire No wonder there are some sparks unquencht some corruption unmortified some disorders unreformed in his place and calling and what Christ did for Joshuah he doth uncessantly for all his Saints apologizing for their infirmities with his Father Secondly his other fallacy is in arguing from the sin that is in our duties to the non-acceptance of them Will God saith he think'st thou take such broken groates at thy hand Is he not a holy God Now here Christian learn to distinguish and answer Satan There is a double acceptance There is an acceptance of a thing by way of payment of a debt and there is an acceptance of a thing offered as a token of love and testimony of gratitude He that will not accept of broken money or half the summe for payment of a debt the same man if his friend sends him though but a bent six pence in token of his love will take it kindly 'T is true Christian the debt thou owest to God must be paid in good and lawful money but for thy comfort here Christ is thy Pay-master send Satan to him bid him bring his charge against Christ who is ready at Gods right hand to clear his accounts and shew his discharge for the whole debt but now thy performances and obedience come under another notion as tokens of thy love and thankfulnesse to God and such is the gracious disposition of thy heavenly Father that he accepts thy mite Love refuseth nothing that love sends 'T is not the weight or worth of the gift but the desire of a man is his kindnesse SECT IV. A fourth wile of Satan as a troubler is to draw the Saint into the depths of despair under a specious pretence of not being humbled enough for sin This we finde singled out by the Apostle for one of the devils fetches We are not ignorant saith he of his devices 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his Sophistical reasonings Satan sets much by this slight no weapon oftener in his hand where is the Christian that hath not met him at this door here Satan findes the Christian easie to be wrought on the humours being stirr'd to his hand while the Christian of his own accord complains of the hardnesse of his heart and is very prone to believe any who comply with his musing thoughts yea thinks every one flatters him that would perswade him otherwise 'T is easier to die that soul into black which is of a sad colour already then to make such a one take the lightsome tincture of joy and comfort Quest But how shall I answer this subtile enemy when he thus perplexeth my spirit with not being humbled enough for sin c Answ I answer as to the former labour to spie the fallacy of his argument and his mouth is soon stop't First Satan argues thus There ought to be a proportion between sin and sorrow But there is no proportion between thy sins and thy sorrow Therefore thou art not humbled enough What a plausible argument is here at first blush For the major that there ought to be a proportion between sin and sorrow this Satan will shew you Scripture for Manasseh was a great sinner and an ordinary sorrow will not serve his turne He humbled himself greatly before the Lord. Now saith Satan weigh thy sin in the balance with thy sorrow art thou as great a Mourner as thou hast been a sinner so many
commonly made of the Christians wood First he tempts to sin and then for it Satan is but a creature and cannot work without tooles he can indeed make much of a little but not any thing of nothing as we see in his assaulting of Christ where he troubled himself to little purpose because he came and found nothing in him Though the devil throws the stone yet 't is the mud in us which royles our comforts 'T was in vaine for the Philistines to fall on Samson till his lock was cut take heed therefore of yielding to his enticing motions these are the stumbling block at which he hopes thou'lt break thy shins and bruise thy conscience which once done let him alone to spin out the cure Indeed a Saints flesh heals not so easily as others drink not of the devils wassel there is poison in the cup his wine is a mocker look not on it as it sparkles in the temptation what thou drinkest down with sweetnesse thou wilt be sure to bring up again as gall and wormwood Above all sins take heed of presumptuous ones thou art not out of the danger of such Sad stories we have of Saints falls and what follows then Take him Jailor saith God Deliver such a one unto Satan and if a Saint be the Prisoner and the devil the Keeper you may guesse how he shall be used O how he will teare and rend thy conscience Though that dreadful Ordinance is not used as it should be in the Church yet Gods Court sits and if he excommunicate a soule from his presence he falls presently into Satans clutches Well if through his subtilty thou hast been overtaken take heed thou stayest not in the devils quarters shake the viper off thy hand ply thee to thy Chirurgeon green wounds cure best but if thou neglectest and the winde get to it thy conscience will soon fester Ahab we read was wounded in battel and was loath to yield to it it is said he was held up in his chariot but he died for it when a soule hath received a wound committed a sin Satan labours to boulster him up with flattering hopes holds him up as it were in his chariot against God what yield for this afraid for a little scratch and lose the spoile of thy future pleasure for this O take heed of listening to such counsel the sooner thou yieldest the fairer quarter thou shalt have Every step in this way sets thee further from thy peace A rent garment is catch't by every naile and the rent made wider Renew therefore thy repentance speedily whereby this breach may be made up and worse prevented which else will befall thee SECT II. 2ly study that grand Gospel-truth of a souls justification before God acquaint thy self with this in all its causes the moving cause the free mercy of God Being justified freely by his grace the meritorious which is the blood of Christ and the instrumental faith with all the sweet priviledges that flow from it An effectual door once open'd to let the soul into this truth would not only spoil the Popes market as Gardner said but the devils also when Satan coms to disquiet the Christians peace for want of a right understanding here he is soon worsted by his enemy as the silly hare which might escape the dogs in some covert or burrough that is at hand but trusting to her heels is by the print of her owne feet and sent which she leaves behinde followed till at last weary and spent she falls into the mouth of them In all that a Christian doth there is a print of sinful infirmity and a sent by which Satan is enabled to trace and pursue him over hedge and ditch this grace and that duty till the soule not able to stand before the accusation of Satan is ready to fall down in despair at his feet whereas here 's a hiding place whither the enemy durst not come the clefts of the rock the hole of the staires which this truth leads unto When Satan chargeth thee for a sinner perhaps thou interposest thy repentance and reformation but soon art beaten out of those works when thou art shewen the sinful mixtures that are in them whereas this truth would choak all his bullets that thou believest on him who hath said Not unto him that worketh but unto him that believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly his faith is imputed for righteousnesse Get therefore into this tower of the Gospel-Covenant and rowle this truth as she that stone on the head of Abimelech on the head of Satan SECT III. Thirdly be sure Christian thou keepest the Plains Take heed that Satan coop thee not up in some straits where thou canst neither well fight nor flie Such a trap the Egyptians hoped they had the Israelites in when they cried They are entangled they are entangled There are three kindes of straits wherein he labours to entrap the Christians Nice Questions obscure Scriptures and dark Providences First he labours to puzzle him with nice and scrupulous questions on purpose to retard the work and clog him in his motion that meeting with such intricacies in his Christian course which he cannot easily resolve thereby he may be made either to give over or go on heavily therefore we have particular charge not to trouble the weak heads of young Converts with doubtful disputations Sometimes Satan will be asking the soul how it knowes its election and where he findes one not so fully resolved as to dare to own the same he frames his Argument against such a ones closing with Christ and the promise as if it were presumption to assume that which is the only portion of the Elect before we know our selves of that number Now Christian keep the Plains and thou art safe 'T is plain we are not to make Election a ground for our faith but our faith and calling a medium or argument to prove our Election Election indeed is first in order of divine acting God chooseth before we beleeve yet faith is first in our acting We must believe before we can know we are elected yea by believing we know it The Husbandman knowes 't is Spring by the sprouting of the grasse though he hath no Astrology to know the Position of the Heavens thou mayest know thou art Elect as surely by a work of grace in thee as if thou hadst stood by Gods elbowe when he writ thy name in the book of life It had been presumption for David to have thought he should have been King till Samuel anointed him but then none at all when thou believest first and closest with Christ then is the Spirit of God sent to anoint thee to the Kingdom of Heaven this is that holy oyle which is poured upon none but heires of glory and 't is no presumption to reade what Gods gracious purpose was towards thee of old when he prints those his thoughts and makes them legible in thy effectual calling here thou
man is an unserviceable creature he can do his God no service acceptably spoiles everything he takes in hand like one running up and down in a shop when windows shut doth nothing right It maybe writ on the grave of every sinner who lives and dies in that state Here lies the man that never did God an hours work in all his life Secondly Darknesse is uncomfortable in point of enjoyment be there never such rare pictures in the roome if dark who the better A soul in a state of sinne may possesse much but enjoyes nothing this is a sore evil and little thought of One thought of its state of enmity to God would drop bitternesse into every cup all he hath smells of hell fire and a man at a rich feast would enjoy it sure but little if he smelt fire ready to burn his house and himself in it Thirdly Darknesse fills with terrours fears in the night are most dreadfull a state of sin is a state of fear Men that owe much have no quiet but when they are asleep and not then neither the cares and fears of the day sink so deep as makes their rest troublesome and unquiet in the night The wicked hath no peace but when his conscience sleeps and that sleeps but brokenly awaking often with sick fits of terrour when he hath most prosperity he is scared like a flock of birds in a corn-field at every piece going off He eats in fear and drinks in fear when afflicted he expects worse behinde and knows not what this cloud may spread to and where it may lay him whether in hell or not he knows not and therefore trembles as one in the dark not knowing but his next step may be into the pit Fifthly sin leads to utter darknesse utter darknesse is darknesse to the utmost Sin in its full height and wrath in its full heat together both universal both eternal Here 's some mixture peace and trouble paine and ease sin and thoughts of repenting sin and hopes of pardon there the fire of wrath shall burn without slacking and sin run parallel with torment hell-birds are no changelings their torment makes them sin and their sin feeds their torment both unquenchable one being fuel to another Secondly let us see how it appears that such as are under a state of sin are under the rule of Satan Sinners are call'd the children of the devil 1 John 3.10 and who rules the childe but the Father they are slaves who rules the slave but the Master they are the very mansion-house of the devil where hath a man command but in his own house I will go to my house Mat. 12.44 As if the devil had said I have walk't among the Saints of God to and fro knocking at this door and that and none will bid me welcome I can finde no rest well I know where I may be bold I 'le even go to my own house and there I am sure to rule the roste without controul and when he comes he findes it empty swept and garnished that is all ready for his entertainment Servants make the house trim and handsom against their Master come home especially when he brings guests with him as here the devil brings seven more Look to the sinner there is nothing he is or hath but the devil hath dominion over it He rules the whole man their mindes blinding them All the sinners apprehension of things are shaped by Satan he looks on sin with the devils spectacles he reads the Word with the devils comment he sees nothing in its native colours but is under a continual delusion The very wisdome of a wicked man is said to be devillish James 3.15 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or devil-like because taught by the devil and also such as the devils is wise only to do evil He commands their Wills though not to force them yet effectually to draw them His work saith Christ ye will do You are resolved on your way the devil hath got your hearts and him you will obey and therefore when Christ comes to recover his throne he findes the soule in an uproare as Ephesus at Pauls Sermon crying him down and Diana up We will not have this man reigne over us what is the Almighty that we should serve him He rules over all their members they are call'd weapons of unrighteousness all at the devils service as all the armes of a Kingdome to defend the Prince against any that shall invade The head to plot the hand to act the feet swift to carry the body up and down about his service He rules over all he hath Let God come in a poor member and beseech him to lend him a penny or bestow a morsel to refresh his craving bowels and the covetous wretch his hand of charity is withered that he cannot stretch it forth but let Satan call and his purse flies open and heart also Nabal that could not spare a few fragments for David and his followers this churle could make a feast like a Prince to satiate his own lust of gluttony and drunkennesse He commands their time when God calls to duty to pray to hear no time all the week to be spared for that but if the sinner hears there is a merry meeting a knot of good fellows at the Ale-house all is thrown aside to wait on his Lord and Master calling left at six and sevens yea wife and children crying may be starving while the wretch is pouring out their very blood in wasting their livelihood at the foot of his lust The sinner is in the bond of iniquity and being bound he must obey He is said to go after his lust as the fool to the stocks Prov. 7.22 The pinion'd malefactour can assoon untie his own armes and legs and so run from his Keeper as he from his lusts They are servants and their members instruments of sin even as the Workman takes up his axe and it resists not so doth Satan dispose of them except God saith nay See here the deplored condition of every one in a state of sin He is under the rule of Satan and government of hell What tongue can utter what heart can conceive the misery of this state It was a dismal day which Christ foretold Matth. 24. When the abomination of desolation should be seen standing in the Holy place then saith Christ let him that is in Judea flee into the mountains But what was that to this they were but men though abominable these devils They did but stand in the material Temple defile and deface that but these display their banners in the soules of men pollute that throne which is more glorious then the material heaven it self made for God alone to sit in They exercised their cruelties at furthest on the bodies of men killing and torturing them here the precious soules of men are destroyed When David would curse to purpose the enemies of God he prayes that Satan may be at their right hand 'T
labour for the saving knowledge of God in Christ whom to know is life eternal Are you young Enquire after God betimes while your parts are fresh and memory strong before the throng of worldly cares divert you or lusts of youth debauch you The feet of those lusts which have buried millions of others in perdition stand ready to carry you the same way if preventing grace come not and deliver you out of their hands by seasoning your mindes with the knowledge of God This morning-draught may prevent thy being infected with the ill savours thou mayest receive from the corrupt examples of others Nay how long thy stay may be in the world thou knowest not see whether thou canst not finde graves of thy length in the burial place and if thou shouldest die ignorant of God and his Law what would then become of thee The small brush and the old logs young sinners and those that are withered with age meet and burn together Or if thou shouldest stay a while longer here may be because thou wilt not learn now God will not teach thee then Or if thou shouldest in thy old age get acquaintance with God yet 't is sad to be sowing thy seed when thou shouldest be reaping thy sheaves learning to know God when thou mightest be comforting thy self from the old acquaintance thou hast enjoyed with him Are you old and ignorant Alas poor creatures your life in the socket and this candle of the Lord not set up and lighted in your understanding your body bowing to the dust and nature tolling the passing bell as it were and you like one going into the dark know not whither death will lead you or leave you 'T is like the infirmities of age make you wish your bones were even laid at rest in the grave but if you should dye in this condition your poor soules would even wish they were here again with their old burdens on their back aches and diseases of old age are grievous but damned soules would thank God if he would blesse them with such a heaven as to lie in these paines to escape the torments of the other O bethink you before you go hence the lesse time you have the more diligence you must use to gain knowledge we need not be earnest one would think to bid the poor prisoner learne his book that cannot reade when he knows he shall be hang'd if he read not his neck-verse 'T is not indeed the bare knowing the truths of the Gospel saves but the grosse ignorance of them to be sure will damn soules Are you poor It is not your poverty is your sin or misery but your ignorance where the true treasure lies Were you Gods poor rich in knowledge and faith you were happy Eccles 4.13 Better is a poor and wise childe then a foolish King who will no more be admonish't yea so happy that did the Princes of the world understand themselves aright they would wish themselves in your clothes how ragged soever they are rather then be in their own robes there are better making for you in heaven which you shall put on when theirs shall be pull'd off to their shame It will not then trouble you that you were while in the world poor but it will torment them that they were so rich and great and so poore to God and beggarly in their soules Are you rich Labour for the knowledge of the most high Solomon had more of the worlds treasure then a thousand of you have and yet we finde him hard at prayer tugging with God for knowledge 1 Chron. 1.10 All these outward enjoyments are but vaginae bonorum as afflictions are vaginae malorum I am afraid many men think themselves priviledged by their worldly greatnesse from this duty as if God were bound to save them because rich Alas Sirs there are not so many of you like to come there I must confesse it would make one tremble to think what a small number those among the great ones that shall be saved are summed up into Not many great not many rich Why so few saved Because so few have saving knowledge O the Atheisme the ignorance the sottish barbarisme that is to be found even in those that the world applaud and even worship because of their lands and estates who yet are not able to give any account of their faith A poore leather-coat Christian will shame and catechize a hundred of them If heaven were to be purchased with house and lands then these would carry it away from the poore Disciples of Jesus Christ they have their hundreds and thousands ly by them for a purchase alwayes but this money is not currant in heavens exchange This is life eternall to know thee and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent Quest But how may an ignorant soule attaine to knowledge Answ First Be deeply affected with the ignorance Some are blind as Laâ—dicea and know it not Rev. 3.17 As Ignorance blinds the minde so pride is a blind before their ignorance that they know it not These have such a high opinion of themselves that they take it ill any should suspect them as such these of all men are most out of the way to knowledge they are too good to learne of man as they think and too bad to be taught of God The gate into Christs Schoole is low and these cannot stoop The Master himselfe is so humble and lowly that he will not teach a proud Scholar Therefore first become a foole in thy owne eye A wiser man then thy selfe hath confessed as much Prov. 30.2 3. I am more brutish then any man and have not the understanding of a man I neither learned wisdome nor have the knowledge of the Holy When thou art come to thy selfe to owne and blush at the brutish ignorance of thy minde thou art fit to be admitted into Christs School If they be ashamed then shew them the patterne of the house Ezek. 43.10 Secondly be faithful with that little knowledge thou hast Art thou convinced this is a sinne and that is a duty Follow the light close you know not what this little may grow to We use to set up our children with a little stock at first and as they use it so we adde The Kingdome of God comes of small beginnings God complains of Israel they were brutish in their knowledge Jer. 10.14 he doth not say brutish in their ignorance had they sinned because they did not know better this would have excused à tanto but they did that which was brutish and unreasonable as their worshiping graven images notwithstanding they knew to the contrary That man shall not excel in knowledge who prostitutes it to sinne Job 36.12 If they obey not they shall perish by the sword and shall die without knowledge A candle pent up close in a dark lanthorn swailes out apace and so doth light shut up in the conscience and not suffered to come forth in the conversation Those Heathens that are charged
that ye are of mine elect ones which will stand you more in stead at the great day then all this SECT II. A second Priviledge is when God honours a person to suffer for his truth this is a great Priviledge Vnto you it is given not only to beleeve but to suffer for his sake God doth not use to give worthless gifts to his Saints there is some preciousnesse in it which a carnal eye cannot see Faith you will say is a great gift but perseverance greater without which faith would be little worth and perseverance in suffering this above both honourable This made John Carelesse our English Martyr who though he died not at the stake yet in prison for Christ say Such an honour 't is as Angels are not permitted to have therefore God forgive me mine unthankfulnesse Now when Satan cannot scare a soul from prison yet then he will labour to puffe him up in prison when he cannot make him pity himself then he will flatter him till he prides in himself Affliction from God exposeth to impatience for God to pride and therefore Christians labour to fortifie your selves against this temptation of Satan how soon you may be called to suffering work you know not such clouds oft are not long arising Now to keep thy heart humble when thou art honoured to suffer for the truth Consider First though thou doest not deserve those sufferings at mans hand thou canst and mayest in that regard glory in thy innocency thou sufferest not as an evil doer yet thou canst not but confesse it is a just affliction from God in regard of sin in thee and this methinks should keep thee humble the same suffering may be Martyrdome in regard of man and yet a fatherly chastising for sin in regard of God none suffered without sin but Christ and therefore none may glory in them but he Christ in his own we in his God forbid that I should glory save in the Crosse of Christ Gal. 6. This kept Mr. Bradford humble in his sufferings for the truth none more rejoyced in them and blessed God for them yet none more humble under them then he and what kept him in this humble frame reade his godly letters and you shall finde almost in all how he bemoans his sins and the sins of the Protestants under the reign of King Edward It was time saith he for God to put his rod into the Papists hands we were grown so proud formal unfruitful yea to loath and despise the means of grace when we enjoyed the liberty therof and therfore God hath brought the wheele of persecution on us As he look't at the honour to make him thankful so to sinne to keep him humble Secondly consider who bears thee up and carries thee through thy sufferings for Christ Is it thy grace or his that is sufficient for such a work thy spirit or Christs by which thou speakest when call'd to bear witnesse to his truth how comes it to passe thou art a sufterer and not a persecutour a confessour and not a denier yea betrayer of Christ and his Gospel This thou owest for to God he is not beholden to thee that thou wilt part with estate credit or life it self for his sake If thou hadst a thousand lives thou wouldest owe them all to him but thou art beholden to God exceedingly that he will call for these in this way which has such an honour and reward attending it He might have suffered thee to live in thy lusts and at last to suffer the losse of all these for them O how many die at the Gallowes as Martyrs in the devils cause for felonies rapes and murders Or he might withdraw his grace and leave thee to thy own cowardise and unbelief and then thou wouldest soon shew thy self in thy colours The stoutest Champions for Christ have been taught how weak they are if Christ steps aside Some that have given great testimony of their faith and resolution in Christs cause even to come so near dying for his Name as to give themselves to be bound to the stake and fire to be kindled upon them yet then their hearts have failed as that holy man Mr. Benbridge in our English Martyrol who thrust the faggots from him and cried out I recant I recant Yet this man when re-inforc't in his faith and indued with power from above was able within the space of a week after that sad foile to die at the stake cheerfully Qui pro nobis mortem semel vicit semper in nobis vincit He that once overcame death for us 't is he that alwayes overcame death in us And who should be thy Song but he that is thy strength applaud not thy selfe but blesse him 'T is one of Gods Names he is call'd the glory of his peoples strength Psal 89.17 The more thou gloriest in God that gives thee strength to suffer for him the lesse thou wilt boast of thy self A thankful heart and a proud cannot dwell together in one bosome Thirdly consider what a foule blot pride gives to all thy sufferings where it is not bewailed and resisted it alters the case The old saying is that 't is not the punishment but the cause makes the Martyr we may safely say further it is not barely the cause but the sincere frame of the heart in suffering for a good cause that makes a man a Martyr in Gods sight Though thou shouldest give thy body to be burnt if thou hast not an humble heart of a sufferer for Christ thou turnest Merchant for thy self Thou deniest but one self to set up another runnest the hazard of thy estate and life to gain some applause may be and reare up a monument to thy honour in the opinions of men thou doest no more in this case then a souldier who for a name of valour will venture into the mouth of death and danger only thou shewest thy pride under a religious disguise but that helps it not but makes it the worse If thou wilt in thy sufferings be a sacrifice acceptable to God thou must not only be ready to offer up thy life for his truth but sacrifice thy pride also or else thou mayest tumble out of one fire into another suffer here from man as a seeming champion for the Gospel and in another world from God for robbing him of his glory in thy sufferings SECT III. A third priviledge is when God flowes in with more then ordinary manifestations of his love then the Christian is in danger of having his heart secretly lift up in pride Indeed the genuine and natural effect which such discoveries of divine love have on a gracious soule is to humble it The sight of mercy encreaseth the sense of sin and that sense dissolves the soule kindely into sorrow as we see in Magdalen The heart which possibly was hard and frozen in the shade will give and thaw in the Sun-shine of love and so long all pride is hid from the creatures eye Then saith God
Pauls was in which they suffered so much losse and this indeed very often he obtains in such a degree that by his violent impetuous temptations beating long upon the Christian he makes him throw over much precious lading of his joyes and comforts yea sometimes he brings the soul through stresse of temptation to think of quitting the ship while for the present all hope of being saved seems to be taken away Thus you see what we wrestle with devils for We come to Application SECT IV. Vse 1 This is a word of reproof to foure sorts of persons First to those that are so far from wrestling against Satan for this heavenly prize that they resist the offer of it In stead of taking heaven by force they keep it off by force How long hath the Lord been crying in our streets Repent for the Kingdome of Heaven is at hand how long have Gospel-offers rung in our ears and yet to this day many devil-deluded soules furiously drive on towards hell and will not be perswaded back who refuse to be called the children of God and choose rather the devils bondage then the glorious liberty with which Christ would make them free esteeming the pleasures of sin for a season greater treasures then the riches of heaven 'T is storied of Cato who was Caesars bitter enemy that when he saw Caesar prevail rather then fall into his hand and stand to his mercy he laid violent hands on himself which Caesar hearing of passionately broke out into these words O Cato cur invidisti mihi salutem tuam O Cato why didst thou envie me the honour of saving thy life And do not many walk as if they grudged Christ the honour of saving their soules what other account can you give sinners of rejecting his grace Are not heaven and happinesse things desirable and to be preferr'd before sin and misery Why then do you not embrace them or are they the worse because they come swimming to you in the blood of Christ oh how ill must Christ take it to be thus used when he comes on such a gracious ambassage may he not say to thee as once he did to those officers sent to attach him Do you come out against me as a thief with swords and staves If he be a thief 't is only in this that he would steal your sins from you and leave heaven in the room O for the love of God think what you do 't is eternal life you put away from you in doing of which you judge your selves unworthy of it Acts 13.46 Secondly it reproves those who are Satans instruments to rob soules of what is heavenly Among thieves there are some ye call Setters who enquire where a booty is to be had which when they have found and know such a one travels with a charge about him then they employ some other to rob him and are themselves not seen in the businesse The devil is the grand Setter he observes the Christian how he walks what place and company he frequents what grace or heavenly treasure he carries in his bosome which when he hath done he hath his instruments for the purpose to execute his designe Thus he considered the admirable graces of Job and casts about how he might best rob him of his heavenly treasure and who but his wife and friends must do this for him well knowing that his tale would receive credit from their mouths O friends ask your consciences whether you have not done the devil some service of this kinde in your dayes Possibly you have a childe or servant who once look't heaven-ward but your brow-beating of them scared them back and now may be they are as carnal as you would have them or possibly thy wife before acquainted with thee was full of life in the wayes of God but since she hath been transplanted into thy cold soile what by thy frothy speeches and unsavoury conversation at best thy worldlinesse and formality she is now both decayed in her graces and a loser in her comforts O man what an enditement will be brought against thee for this at Gods bar you would come off better were it for robbing one of his money and jewels then of his graces and comforts Thirdly it reproves the woful negligence most shew in labouring for this heavenly prize None but would be glad their souls might be saved at last but where is the man or woman that makes it appear by their vigourous endeavour that they mean in earnest what warlike preparation do they make against Satan who lies between them and home where are their armes where their skill to use them their resolution to stand to them and conscionable care to exercise themselves daily in the use of them Alas this is a rarity indeed not to be found in every house where the Profession of Religion is hang'd out at the door if woulding and wishing will bring them to heaven then they may come thither but as for this wrestling and fighting this making Religion our businesse they are as far from these as at last they are like to be from heaven They are of his minde in Tully who in a Summers day as he lay lazing himself on the grasse would say O utinam hoc esset laborare O that this were to work that I could lie here and do my day-labour Thus many melt and waste their lives in sloth and say in their hearts O that this were the way to heaven but will use no means to furnish themselves with grace for such an enterprise I have read of a great Prince in Germany invaded by a more potent enemy then himself yet from his friends and Allies who flock't in to his help he soon had a goodly Army but had no money as he said to pay them but the truth is he was loath to part with it for which some in discontent went away others did not vigourously attend his businesse and so he was soon beaten out of his Kingdome and his coffers when his Palace was rifled were found thrack't with treasure Thus he was ruined as some sick men die because unwilling to be at cost to pay the Physician It will adde to the misery of damned soules when they shall have leisure enough to consider what they have lost in losing God to remember what means offers and talents they once had towards the obtaining of everlasting life but had not a heart to use them Fourthly it reproves those who make a great busle and noise in Religion who are forward in Profession very busie to meddle with the strictest duties as if heaven had monopolized their whole hearts but like the Eagle when they tower highest their prey is below where their eye is also Such a generation there ever was and will be that mingle themselves with the Saints of God who pretend heaven and have their outward garb faced and fringed as it were with heavenly speeches and duties while their hearts are lined with hypocrisie whereby they deceive
others but most of all themselves such may be the worlds Saints but devils in Christs account Have not I chosen twelve one of you is a devil And truly of all devils none so bad as the professing devil the preaching praying devil O Sirs be plain-hearted Religion is as tender as your eye it will not be jested with Remember the vengeance which fell on Belshazzar while he carowsed in the bowles of the Sanctuary Religion and the duties of it are consecrated things not made for thee to drink thy lusts out of God hath remarkably appeared in discovering and confounding such as have prostituted sacred things to worldly ends Jezabel fasts and prayes the better to devoure Naboths vineyard but was devoured by it Absalom was as sick till he had ravish't his fathers Crown as his brother Amnon till he had done the like to his sister and to hide his treason he puts on a religious cloak and therefore begs leave to go and pay his vow in Hebron when he had another game in chase and did he not fall by the hand of his hypocrisie of all men their judgement is endorst with most speed who silver over worldly or wicked enterprises with heavenly semblances of this gang were those 2 Pet. 2.3 concerning whom the Apostle saith Their damnation slumbers not and those Ezek. 14.7 8. to whom God saith I the Lord will answer him by my selfe and I will set my face against that man and will make him a signe and a Proverb and I will cut him off from the midst of my people and ye shall know that I am the Lord. Vse 2 Secondly try whether they be heavenly things or earthly thou chiefly pursuest certainly friends we need not be so ignorant of our soules state and affairs did we oftner converse with our thoughts and observe the haunts of our hearts we soon can tell what dish pleaseth our palate best and may you not tell whether heaven or earth be the most savoury meat to your souls and if you should ask how you might know whether heaven be the prize you chiefly desire I would put you only upon this double trial First art thou uniforme in thy pursuit Doest thou contend for heaven and that which leads to heaven also Earthly things God is pleased to retaile all have some none have all but in heavenly treasure he will not break the whole piece and cut it into remnants If thou wilt have heaven thou must have Christ if Christ thou must like his service as well as his sacrifice no holinesse no happinesse If God would cut off so much as would serve mens turnes he might have customers enough Balaam himself likes one end of the piece he would die like a righteous man though live like a wizzard as he was no God will not deal with such pedling Merchants that man alone is for God and God for him who will come roundly up to Gods offer and take all off his hands One fitly compares holinesse and happinesse to those two sisters Leah and Rachel Happinesse like Rachel seems the fairer even a carnal heart may fall in love with that but holinesse like Leah is the elder and beautiful also though in this life it appears with some disadvantage her eyes being blear'd with teares of repentance and her face furrowed with the works of mortification but this is the Law of that heavenly countrey that the younger Sister must not be bestowed before the elder We cannot enjoy faire Rachel Heaven and Happinesse except first we embrace tender-eyed Leah Holinesse with all her severe duties of repentance and mortification Now Sirs how like you this method Art thou content to marry Christ and his grace and then serving a hard Apprenticeship in temptations both of prosperity and adversity enduring the heat of the one and the cold of the other to wait till at last the other be given into thy bosome Secondly if indeed heaven and heavenly things be the prize thou wrestlest for thou wilt discover a heavenly deportment of heart even in earthly things whereever you meet a Christian he is going to Heaven Heaven is at the bottome of his lowest actions Now observe thy heart in three particulars In getting in using and in keeping earthly things whether it be after a heavenly manner First In getting earthly things If Heaven be thy chief prize then thou wilt be ruled by a heavenly Law in the gathering of these Take a carnal wretch and what his heart is set on he will have though it be by hook or crook A lie fits Gehazi's mouth well enough so he may fill his pockets by it Jezabel dares mock God and murder an innocent man for an acre or two of ground Absalom regnandi causâ what will he not do Gods fence is too low to keep a gracelesse heart in bounds when the game is before him but a soule that hath heaven in its eye is ruled by heavens law he dares not step out of heavens road to take up a crown as we see in Davids carriage towards Saul Indeed in so doing he should crosse himself in his own grand design which is the glory of God and the happinesse of his own soul in enjoying of him upon these very termes the servants of God have refused to be rich and great in the world when either of these lay at stake Moses threw his Court-preferment at his heels refusing to be call'd the son of Pharaohs daughter Abraham scorned to be made rich by the King of Sodom Gen. 14.22 that he might avoid the suspicion of covetousnesse and self-seeking it shall not be said another day that he came to enrich himself with the spoil more then to rescue his kinsmen Nehemiah would not take the taxe and tribute to maintain his state when he knew they were a poor peeled people because of the fear of the Lord. Doest thou walk by this rule wouldest thou gather no more estate or honour then thou mayest have with Gods leave and will stand with thy hopes of heaven Secondly doest thou discover a heavenly Spirit in using these things First the Saint improves his earthly things for an heavenly end where layest thou up thy treasure doest thou bestow it on thy voluptuous paunch thy hawks and thy hounds or lockest thou it up in the bosome of Christs poor members what use makest thou of thy honour and greatnesse to strengthen the hands of the godly or the wicked and so of all thy other temporal enjoyments A gracious heart improves them for God when a Saint prayes for these things he hath an eye to some heavenly end If David prayes for life it is not that he may live but live and praise God Psal 119 175. When he was driven from his regal throne by the rebellious armes of Absalom see what his desire was and hope 2 Sam. 15.25 The King said to Zadock Carry back the Ark of God into the City if I shall-finde favour in the eyes of the Lord he will bring
walk in the Name of our God and what is it to walk in the Name of our God but to fight under the banner of his Gospel wherein his Name is displayed by giving an eternal defiance to sin and Satan If a Captain had not such a tie on his souldiers he might have them to seek when the day of battel comes therefore Christ tells us upon what termes he will enroll us among his disciples If any man will be my disciple let him deny himself and take up his Crosse and follow me He will not entertain us till we resign up our selves freely to his dispose that there may be no disputing with his commands afterwards but as one under his authority go and come at his word Secondly perseverance is necessary because our enemy perseveres to oppose us There is no truce in the devils heart no cessation of armes in our enemies camp If an enemy continue to assault a City and they within cease to resist it is easie to tell what will follow The Prophet that was sent to Bethel did his errand well withstood Jeroboams temptation but in his way home was drawn aside by the old Prophet and at last slain by a Lion Thus many flie from one temptation but not persevering are vanquish't by another those that at one time escape his sword at another time are slain by it Joash was hopeful when young but it lasted not long Yea many precious servants of God not making such vigorous resistance in their last dayes as in their first have fallen foully as we see in Solomon Asa and others Indeed it is hard when a line is drawn to a great length to keep it so streight that it slacken not and to hold a thing long in our hand and not to have a numbnesse grow in our fingers so as to remit of our strength therefore we are bid so often to hold fast the Profession of our faith but when we see an enemy gaping to catch us when we fall me thinks this should quicken us the more to it Thirdly because the promise of life and glory is setled upon the persevering soule the crown stands at the Goal he hath it that comes to the end of the race To him that overcomes will I give not in praelio but in bello not in a particular skirmish but in the whole war Ye have need of patience that after ye have done the whole Will of God ye might receive the promise Heb. 10.36 There is a remarkable accent on that henceforth which Paul mentions 2 Tim. 4.7 8. I have fought a good fight henceforth is laid up for me a Crown of righteousnesse Why was it not laid up before yes but having persevered and come near the Goale being within sight of home ready to die he takes now surer hold of the promise Indeed in this sense it is that a gracious soul is nearer its salvation after every victory then it was before because he approacheth nearer to the end of his race which is the time promised for the receiving of the promised salvation Then and not till then the Garland drops upon his head Here we may take up a sad lamentation in respect of the many Apostate Professours of our dayes Never was this spiritual falling sicknesse more rise O how many are sick of it at present and not a few fallen asleep by it These times of warre and confusion have not made so many broken Merchants as broken Professours where is the Congregation that cannot shew some who have out-lived their Profession not unlike the silk-worm which they say after all her spinning works her selfe out of her bottome and becomes at last a common flie Are there not many whose forwardnesse in Religion we have stood gazing on with admiration as the disciples on the Temple ready to say one to another as they to Christ See what manner of stones these are what polished gifts and shining graces are here and now not one stone left upon another O did you ever think that they who went in so goodly array towards heaven in communion with you would after that face about and run over to the devils side turn Blasphemers Worldlings and Atheists as some have done O what a sad change is here It had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousnesse then after they have known it to turne from the holy Commandment delivered unto them 2 Pet. 2.21 Better never to have walk't a step towards heaven then to put such a scorn and reproach upon the wayes of God Comparationem videtur egisse qui utrumquo cognoverit judicato pronunciûsse eum meliorem cujus se rursu◠esse maluerit Tertul. de poenit Such a one who hath known both what a service Satans is and what Gods is then to revolt from God to the devil seems to have compared one with the other and as the result of his mature thoughts to pronounce the devils which he chooseth better then Gods which he leaveth And how is it possible that any can sin upon a higher guilt and go to hell under a greater load of wrath These are they which God loaths He that hates putting away disdains much more to be himself thus put away If any man draw back my soul shall have no pleasure in him Heb. 10.38 The Apostate is said to tread upon the Son of God Heb. 10.29 as if he were no better then the dirt under his feet Well he shall have treading for treading God himself will set his foot upon him Psal 119.118 Thou hast troden down all that erre from thy statutes and who think you will be weary soonest he that is under foot beares the weight of the whole man upon him To be under the foot of God is to lie under the whole weight of Gods wrath O pity and pray for such forlorn souls they are objects of the one and subjects of the other though they are fallen low yet not into hell now and then we see an Eutichus raised that hath fallen from such a height And you that stand take heed lest you fall SECT IV. Secondly A soul void of divine armour cannot persevere What this divine armour is I have shewen and the Apostle here doth in the several pieces of it The sanctifying graces of Gods Spirit are this Armour One that hath not these wrought in him will never hold out to passe all the stages of this Christian race to fight all the battels that are to be fought before victory is to be had Common gifts of the Spirit such as illumination conviction sudden pangs and flushing heats of affection may carry out the creature for a while with a goodly appearance of zeal for God and forwardnesse in Profession but the strength these afford is soon spent Johns hearers mentioned John 5.35 got some light and heat by sitting under his burning Ministery but how long did it last Ye were willing to rejoyce for a season They were very
own Thus do thou consider what thou standest engaged to thy worldly credit profit slavish feare of God and selfish desire of happinesse and when thou hast allowed for all these see then what remaines of thy feare of God love to God c. if nothing thou art nought if any the lesse there be the weaker Christian thou art and when thou comest to be tried in Gods fire thou wilt suffer losse of all the other which as hay and stubble will be burnt up SECT V. Every soule clad with this Armour of God shall stand and persevere Or thus true grace can never be vanquish't The Christian is borne a Conquerour the gates of hell shall nor prevail against him He that is borne of God overcometh the world 1 John 5.4 Mark from whence the victory is dated even from his birth There is victory sowen in his new nature even that seed of God which will keep him from being swallowed up by sin or Satan As Christ rose never to die more so doth he raise soules from the grave of sin never to come under the power of spiritual death more These holy ones of God cannot see corruption Hence he that believes is said in the present tense to have eternal life At the Law that came foure hundred years after could not make void the promise made to Abraham so nothing that intervenes can hinder the accomplishing of that promise of eternal life which was given and passed to Christ in their behalf before the foundation of the world If a Saint could any way miscarry and fall short of this eternal life it must be from one of these three causes 1. Because God may forsake the Christian and withdraw his grace and help from him Or 2. Because the believer may forsake God Or lastly because Satan may pluck him out of the hands of God A fourth I know not Now none of these can be First God can never forsake the Christian Some unadvised speeches have drop't from tempted soules discovering some fears of Gods casting them off but they have been confuted and have eaten their words with shame as we see in Job and David O what admirable security hath the great God given his children in this particular First in Promises He hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee Five negatives in that promise as so many seals to ratifie it to our faith he assures us there never did or can so much as arise a repenting thought in his heart concerning the purposes of his love and special grace towards his children Rom. 11.29 The gifts and calling of God are without repentance even the believers sin against him their froward carriage stirs not up thoughts of casting them off but of reducing them For the iniquity of this covetousnesse I was wroth and smote him I hid me and was wroth and he went on frowardly in the way of his heart I have seen his wayes and will heal them Isa 57.27 28. The water of the Saints failings cast on the fire of Gods love cannot quench it Whom he loves he loves to the end Secondly God to give further weight and credit to our unbelieving and mis-giving hearts seals his promise with an oath See Isa 54.9 10. With everlasting kindnesse will I have mercy on thee saith the Lord thy Redeemer this is as the waters of Noah unto me for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should not return over the earth so have I sworn that I will not be wroth with thee Yea he goes on and tells them The monntaines shall depart meaning at the end of the world when the whole frame of the heavens and earth shall be dissolv'd but his kindnesse shall not depart neither shall his Covenant of peace be removed Now lest any should think this was some charter belonging to the Jewes alone we finde it v. 17. setled on every servant of God as his portion This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their righteousnesse is of me saith the Lord. And surely God that is so careful to make his childrens inheritance sure to them will con them little thanks who busie their wits to invalid and weaken his conveyances yea disprove his will if they had taken a bribe they could not plead Satans cause better Thirdly in the actual fulfilling these promises which he hath made to beleevers to Christ their Attourney As God before the world began gave a promise of eternal life to Christ for them so now hath he given actual possession of that glorious place to Christ as their Advocate and Attourney where that eternal life shall be enjoyed by them for as he came upon our errand from heaven so thither he returned again to take and hold possession of that inheritance which God had of old promised and he in one summe at his death had paid for And now what ground of feare can there be in the believers heart concerning Gods love standiog firme to him when he sees the whole Covenant performed already to Christ for him whom God hath not only called to sanctified for and upheld in the great work he was to finish for us but also justified in his Resurrection and Jayle-delivery and received him into heaven there to sit on the right hand of the Majesty on high by which he hath not only possession for us but full power to give it unto all believers A second occasion of feare to the believer that he shall not persevere may be taken from himself He has many sad feares and tremblings of heart that he shall at last forsake God The journey is long to heaven and his grace weak O saith he is it not possible that this little grace should faile and I fall short at last of glory Now here there is such provision made in the Covenant as scatters this cloud also First the Spirit of God is given on purpose to prevent this Christ left his mother with John but his Saints with his Spirit to tutour and keep them that they should not lose themselves in their journey to heaven O how sweet is that place Ezek. 36.27 I will put my Spirit in you and cause you to walk in my statutes and ye shall keep my judgements and do them He doth not say they shall have his Spirit if they will walk in his statutes no his Spirit shall cause them to do it But may be thou art afraid thou mayest grieve him and so he in anger leave thee and thou perish for want of his help and counsel Answ The Spirit of God is indeed sensible of unkindnesse and upon a Saints sin may withdraw in regard of present assistance but never in regard of his care as a mother may let her froward childe go alone till it get a knock that may make it cry to be taken up again into her armes but still her eye is on it that it shall not fall into mischief The Spirit withdrew from Samson and he fell into the