that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him Wherefore by our love to our neighbour we may know what love dwelleth in us how we love God and whether God dwelleth in us If we be in this gracious condition that God hath set his love upon us we cannot then lose this principall grace of Faith which is the bond of Gods love to us and we cannot fall quite away from God because a Eph. 4. 30 we are sealed with the Spirit of God into the day of Redemption The sixth reason is grounded upon the merits and intercession of Christ This is a strong reason so to stablish our Faith that it shall never be overthrown for by the merit of his blood we are redeemed out of the captivity of sin and Satan this was an infinite price which Christ paid for our redemption whereby also we are freed from the curse of the Law and from the condemning power of sin because we are made one with Christ by Faith If therefore we can be brought again under the same bondage and slavery or under the same curse or condemnation of sin which we shall be if our union with Christ can be broken then we shall have but little benefit by our redemption and Christ hath paid that great price for us to little purpose also we are not then perfectly made free but are still the servants of sin But Christ hath finished the whole work of our Redemption the eternall son of God hath made us free sin hath therefore no more power over us and the Devil cannot prevail against us to break that union which is between Christ and us by Faith Wherefore this consideration will much strengthen our Faith against all opposition and adversary power that if we are redeemed by Christ and made free by him our state and condition is firm and sure it cannot be removed for Christ will loose none of those whom he hath bought with so great a price and made free by his own power and for whom he hath made intercession to his Father If our Faith should fail then Christs intercession for us must fail we shall then lose Christ and all the benefits that come by him we shall lose all true comfort in this life and eternall blessednesse in the life to come If we conceive thus meanly of the merits and intercession of Christ it is blasphemy in the highest degree The seventh reason for the stability of Faith is drawn from the nature of saving grace which is in corruptâ—ble seed and planted in our hearts by the Holy Ghost whereby there is a new creation wrought in us for Peter saith b 1 Pet. 1. 23 that we are born again not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible by the Word of God which liveth and abideth for ever Our first birth is of corruptible seed which is mortall and fadeth away like the flower of the field but our Regeneration or second birth comes from an immortal principle which cannot decay but continueth for ever This Birth is wrought by the Spirit of God and it hath a spirituall life by Faith in Christ which can never dye though it may lye gasping for a time through some violent temptation or sore tryall For if God begins to work a Work of Grace in us he will not leave it untill it be finished From hence we may draw great consolation to our selves in the apprehension that we are weak in grace for though we finde but the beginnings of our Regeneration wrought in us God will not leave his own Work imperfect Though we cannot perform our duties and services to God as we ought yet God will accept the will for the deed in Christ if it proceeds from a faithfull heart and though we find but some parts of true repentance wrought in us as to our own apprehension God will go on in his Work of Reformation untill there be a through change wrought both in soul and body to newnesse of life If Faith or any other spirituall grace be weak in us it will grow stronger it will increase and continue because the Holy Ghost will water his own seed which he hath planted with his spirituall dewes from above The last reason for the confirmation of our Faith is this because the holy Ghost doth dwell in our hearts by faith and where he doth settle his habitation there he will abide for ever If our hearts are purified by Faith in the blood of Christ then we are the spirituall Temple of God and the Holy Ghost will dwell there according to this of Paul c 1 Cor. 3. 16 Know ye not that ye are the Temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you Thus saith John d 1 John 4 15. Whosoever shall confesse that Jesus is the Son of God God dwelleth in him and he in God The holy Ghost is that true Comforter whom Christ hath sent from the Father to be with every Member of his Church to dwell with them to be in them and to abide with them for ever and where he is there no grace can be wanting If we injoy his comfortable society he will then lead us into all truth for he is the Spirit of Truth no erroneous Doctrine shall infect our souls but we shall rightly understand the wayes of God and be able in some measure to walk in them He will protect us in all dangers he will comfort us in all our sorrowes he will uphold our faith against all assaults and temptations and will give us strength of grace to hold out and persevere in all our tryalls unto the end Wherefore grieve not this holy Spirit by whom we have so much comfort in all conditions of life and by whom we are sealed unto the day of redemption who will confirm and stablish us in the Faith of Christ that we may continue stedfast untill we shall come to live and reign with our blessed Saviour Jesus Christ for ever in heaven The Conclusion of this Treatise NOw for the Conclusion of this Work I do earnestly request every Christian Reader to enter into a serious consideration with himself which way the thoughts of his minde are chiefly bent and upon what he doth set the Meditations of his heart that he may know whether his way be steered towards heaven or not for they do neâ—rest affect his soul and plainly shew what is his chiefest joy and delight If his thoughts are too much set upon the vanities of the world then his heart cannot be Faithfull towards God and there will be no place in his soul to receive that true comfort which otherwise he might have in the sweet fruition of God by his pious and devout Meditations Also if he delighteth to ruminate upon his carnall pleasures or upon any other evill concupiscence or to call to remembrance with approbation his former iniquities he doth sin over again those former sins and doth defile his precious soul with uncleannesse and pollutions
affections with holy desires to imbrace him z Psal 24. 7 and to set open the gates and doores of our souls that this King of glory may come in and dwell with us for ever If we do sincerely from the heart desire such a glorious King and such a bountifull Inhabitant to make his perpetuall abode with us then we must presse hard upon him and importune him earnestly with our frequent and fervent Prayers to abide and dwell with us a Gen. 19 2 3. The two Angels that came to Sodome refused to tarry all night with Lot upon his first intreaty but when he pressed greatly upon them they turned in unto him and entered into his house and he made them a feast and they did eat and then they preserved him from the burning But behold b Revel 3. 20 Christ standeth at the door of our hearts and knocks if we hear his voice and open the door he will come in to us and will sup with us we shall sup with him O the happinesse of that soul that doth hear the voice of Christ when he calls and doth open his heart unto him when he knocks either by the Ministery of his Word by the motions of his Spirit by afflictions troubles crosses or by any other meanes whatsoever But if we will intertain Christ we must have no corrivall with him for God and Mammon Christ and Belial cannot dwell together Thus saith Christ c Luk. 26 13 Ye cannot serve God and Mammon for no man can serve two masters Also thus saith Paul d 2 Cor. 6. 14 15 What communion hath light with darknesse and what concord hath Christ with Belial e Mat. 10 37. If we love father or mother son or daughtor more then Christ we are not worthy of him If the affections of our hearts are carried after the riches preferments and pleasures of this world or after any darling sin then Christ will not dwell there and we lose the comfortable and blessed Presence of the eternall Son of God and the fulnesse of all his excellencies and rich endowments for that which is nothing else but vanity and vexation of spirit Wherefore now we may Meditate comfortably on God through Jesus Christ our Saviour for the terriblenesse of his Majesty is clouded with the vail of his goodnesse the severity of his justice is sweetened with his mercy and tender compassion Christ hath taken our souls out of the hand of Gods justice and hath put them into the hand of his mercy where they shall be kept for true blessednesse to all eternity If his greatnesse doth affright us his goodnesse will allure us if his justice doth drive us from him his mercy and love will draw us to him for by Christ we have a neer relation to God himself either as his servants by grace or as his children by adoption in both which respects our Meditations of him will be exceedingly delightfull to us So likewise if we fix our thoughts upon Christ though his excellencies and dignities are far above the reach of our humane capacity yet by faith we do apprehend him to be our Redeemer and our Advocate now at the right hand of God his Father in the highest heavens and therefore our Meditations of him cannot but ravish our souls with heavenly joy and spirituall consolation in the assurance of our Redemption and of our Atonement with God and also in the hope of our eternall salvation and to be heirs of the kingdome of heaven which he hath purchased for us with his own blood How to Meditate on the Holy Ghost THe Holy Geost is the same spirituall Essence and Being with the Father and with the Son coequall and coeternall with them both but as the Deity is distinguished into three Persons the holy Ghost proceedeth from the Father and from the Son and he is the third Person in the sacred Trinity Christ doth prove that the holy Ghost proceedeth from the Father in these words a Iohn 15 26 But when the comforter is come whom I will send unto you from the Father he shall testifie of me That he proceedeth from the Son is manifest by this of Paul b Gal. 4. 6 And because ye are sons God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts crying Abba Father John also the beloved Disciple of Christ maketh it plain that the holy Ghost is the third Person in the holy Trinity by these words c 2 Joh 5. 7 There are three that bear record in heaven The Father the Word and the holy Ghost and these three aâ—e One. The Prophet calls him d Isa 11. 2 The spirit of Wisdome and understanding the spirit of counsel and strength the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD e Heb. 9. 14 He is the eternall spirit of God from whom nothing can be hidden according to this of David f Psal 139 7 Whither shall I go from thy Sptrit or whither shall I flee from thy presence Christ calleth him the Spirit of truth g Ioh 14. 16 7. And I will pray the Father and he shall give you another comforter that he may abide with you forever even the Spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive John calls him h Rev. 11. 11 the Spirit of life because by the power of his grace de doth quicken our hearts and revive us when we are dead in our trespasses and sins Paul doth also call him i Rom. 8. 15 16 the Spirit of adoption to witnesse to our spirits that we are the children of God If we fix our Meditations on the holy Ghost as he is in his Divine Essence and Being or as he is one of the three Persons in the sacred Trinity we shall be confounded in these deep mysteries of the Trinity in Unity and Unity in Trinity but if we Meditate upon him according to his proper Office as he is a Comforter or according to his severall operations in our hearts we shall then find much comfortable matter for our hearts to Meditate upon which will minister heavenly and spirituall consolation to our poor souls First therefore we must consider that the proper Office of the holy Ghost is to be a comforter to us in all our afflictions and sufferings for we are dayly exposed to many tribulations and calamities either for the profession of the Name of Christ for the triall of our graces or for our correction when we lye in sin without repentance which would easily swallow us up if we had not some true comforter to support and comfort us in them k 1 Pet. 2. 1â— 1 There is also an host of sinfull lusts in us that war against our souls which do dayly assault us with strong temptations and we are round beset with perills dangers and spirituall enemies which continually threaten our downfall and ruine and do seek to hinder our salvation But above all we are sometimes wounded in our
incline the will or else we cannot receive it All heavenly gifts and spiritual graces come from God which the Father is sometimes said to give according to this of James Å¿ Jam. 1. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and cometh down from the Father of lights Sometimes also the Sonne is said to give them for thus saith the Apostle t Eph. 4. 8. when he ascended up on high he led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men that is he gave not onely places of dignity and of authority to some in his Church but also he gave them all spiritual indowments of grace meet for their several places and functions But these heavenly graces are properly wrought in our hearts by the holy Ghost how and when he pleaseth We must therefore crave his help we must wait his time and attend upon the means until he shall be pleased to work grace in us and we must resolve without delaies or excuses u Heb. 3. 7. to accept of grace even that very day when God doth offer it and not to grieve his good Spirit by refusing the sweet tender of grace or by losing any opportunity wherein God may be glorified by this heavenly work of grace in us Wherefore Ps 8. 4 5. be not thou like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear which will not hearken to the voice of charmers charming never so wisely but when any means of grace is offered or when thou feelest a good motion in thy heart be ready to imbrace it for that is Gods call and then Christ knocketh at the door of thy heart x Rev. 3. 20. as he did at the door of the Laodiceans if thou dost presently open unto him he will come in to thee and will sup with thee and thou shalt sup with him but if thou deferrest it until the morrow thou knowest not whether he will knock again or not O what a bountiful and gratious guest dost thou lose if thou wilt not open thy heart when the Spirit of Christ knocks there either by the preaching of his Word by holy inspirations by his blessings by afflictions or by any other means whatsoever If thou belongest unto him thou wilt know his knock thou wilt know his voice thou wilt make hast and prepare the best rooms in thine affections to give him entertainment and thou wilt clear away all the filth of thy sins by faith and true repentance that he may come into a clean heart that nothing may displease or discontent him for he comes not to lodge with thee a night or two as a stranger or to sojourn with thee a moneth or a year and then to leave thee y Eph. 3. 17. but he will dwell in thy heart by faith z Joh. 14. 23 and will abide with thee for ever by his holy Spirit When he is come he will furnish his rooms with his own furniture he will perfume them with his own merits so that whatsoever issue from thence shall be a sweet savour well pleasing and acceptable to God he will also beautifie and adorn all the faculties of thy soul with spiritual and heavenly graces he wil heal and cure al thy spiritual diseases he will be a Prophet to thee to teach and instruct thee in the wayes of godliness he will be thy High-priest to make intercession for thee and to present thy prayers and oblations unto God his Father also he will be thy King to rule in thy heart with his scepter of righteousness and to subdue all the enemies of thy salvation Christ will feast thee at his own table with bread of life water of life and with heavenly Manna which are precious dainties and spiritual food for thy soul to feed upon and thy heart will rejoice and be glad in him Thou shalt also injoy a Gal. 5. 22 23. the fruits of his Spirit which are love joy peace long-suffering gentleness goodnes faith meekness temperance and all that belong unto thee shall partake of the riches of his goodness and of his blessings b Ps 24. 7. Let thy gates therefore stand open that the King of glory may enter in and be thou as ready to receive him with all joy and gladness of heart c Luc. 19. 6. 9. as Zachaeus was to receive Christ when he was in the flesh who brought salvation to his House Be not thou like the spouse in the Canticles d Cant. 5. 2â— who would not rise out of her bed of security to open the door of her heart to her beloved but suffered him to stand knocking and calling until his locks were wet with the drops of the night Now if thou hast any care of thy souls health study and meditate how to observe the times and means of grace and how to improve them to the glory of God and to thine own spiritual gain Canst thou observe the times and seasons of the year for the fruits of the earth and hast thou no care to take the opportunities that God gives thee for grace learn of the marriner who will hoyse up sail when the wind serves for him and when God offers thee grace do thou raise up thy heart and affections to receive it If thou refusest his gracious goodness to thee herein it is no wonder if thou art barren of true vertue and piety if thy soul be without spiritual comfort in thy sorrows and afflictions and it is no marvel if thou art fruitless in all good works If thou wilt make the true gain of thy time thou must diligently attend to the holy ordinances of God thou must thankfully receive his mercies and blessings thou must bear the Cross of Christ with patience and with meekness submitting thy self with all humbleness of spirit to the will and pleasure of God Also thou must repent of holy duties omitted as well as of sins committed and howsoever God shall deal with thee at that very time make an holy use of it for the glory of God and for the comfort of thy soul If the devil hath deluded thee with false pretences or hath lulled thee asleep in his bed of security so that thou hast slighted the means of grace and hast vainly spent thy precious time without any spiritual or heavenly gains thou must labour with all Christian diligence to recover it again which thou maist do by the gracious help and assistance of the holy Ghost herein for thou hast no ability in thy self to get out of these dangerous snares of the devil or to redeem the time that thou hast lost To conclude if thou dost desire to make the true gain of the time of grace thou must strive to remove out of thy heart whatsoever doth displease or dishonour God and whatsoever may hinder the operations of the holy Ghost and the current of grace to thy heart For if thy mind is carried after the love of the world after vain pleasures or sinful delights and if thou dost
our lives will be much the harder Time is not gained but lost which we spend without some fruits of grace and godliness which indeed is the true gain of time and therefore we should seek unto God while he may be found c Isa 55. 6. we should call upon him while he is neer otherwise though we seek him he will not be found and though we call upon him he will not answer nor be intreated Thus saith the Apostle d 2 Cor. 6. 2 now is the time acceptable now is the day of salvation But we have just cause to bewail our condition for the corruption of our nature doth so weaken us and the power of our spiritual enemies doth so prevail against us that we cannot break through such strong opposition as they make to hinder this holy work of grace in us I he devil doth cunningly disswade us from it the world doth strongly allure us to follow still the vanities of it and our own flesh doth dayly intice us to carnal pleasures and delights so that we can finde no time to make our peace with God or to improve the means of grace to his glory and to our own comfort Though we do sometimes strive against our sins yet we cannot overcome them or if one sinne be subdued another is ready to rise up against us also though we cannot actually commit a sin yet we may commit it in our sinful desires to it in a sinful remembrance of it in consenting to it or in suffering it to be done when by our place and authority we might hinder it We have also just cause to bemoan our selves for though we do labour for grace and do use all means for it to the best of our power and yet we cannot attain unto it Though it be thus with us yet we must still continue our best endeavours to oppose all the enemies of our salvation and we must still use the means of grace and wait upon God until he shall please to work grace in us by his Spirit also we must pray unto him with a faithful heart that by the omnipotent power of his grace e and by the rod of his strength which is the Word and Sprit he would make us able to overcome our corruptions by seasoning our hearts with grace to subdue the power of our sins by repentance to improve our time to the glory of God and also to break through the snares of the devil the world and the flesh Then God will so bless us in our pious indeavours that we shall prevail against all opposition and adversary power not by our own strength but by the might and power of Jesus Christ our gracious Redeemer f 2 Cor. 12. 9. whose grace and favour is sufficient for us and whose strength is made perfect in our weaknesse under whose banner we fight these spiritual battels for the honour of his great name Of Christ our Redeemer IF it be so that Christ is our Redeemer and hath wrought our redemption with his own blood and hath purchased for us a new Covenant and an everlasting inheritance in heaven as formerly in part hath been shewed also if we have all our strength and power from him against our spiritual enemies without whom we cannot stand against them nor break through the bands of death to injoy that heavenly inheritance which he hath prepared for us we must then know who Christ is what is the nature of his Person what is his power and strength and how he was qualified for this great work that we may have a sure ground to confide in him and to rest upon him as our Redeemer and onely Saviour Also we must know how he hath satisfied the justice of God for our sinnes how he hath conquered death hell and the devil and what price he hath paid for our ransom for without this heavenly knowledge and faith to apply it to our selves vve can dravv no comfort to our souls from Christ neither can vve have any good assurance that vve are freed from the curse of the Lavv that the justice of God is satisfied for our sins that sin hath no condemning power over us that the sting of death is taken away and that we are reconciled again unto the favour of God God hath revealed these deep mysteries to us in his holy Word that the meditations of our hearts may be enlarged upon them for our instruction and edification and for the comfort of our souls as God shall give light to our understandings by his blessed Spirit But as the Prophet saith a Is 53. 8. Who can declare his generation which was from eternity for Christ our Redeemer is the onely begotten Son of God b Joh. 1. 18. who is in the bosom of the Father and was promised and expected since the beginning of the world And when the fulnesse of time was come that God had appointed for his incarnation c John 1. 14 the Word was made flesh for d Heb. 2. 16 he took on him the seed of Abraham and personally united to his Divine nature a true humane body e Luc. 1. 31 32. of the seed of the Virgin Mary f Mat. 26. 38 which was indued with a reasonable soul and the holy Ghost did so sanctifie her wombe that he was born without sin either original or actual And though the humane nature of Christ was taken into his Deity whereby this union was never to be dissolved yet either nature had their whole properties and operations remaining still unconfounded and therefore he was true God and true man g Heb. 2. 17 like unto us in all things h Heb. 4. 15. sin onely excepted and those two natures made but one person in Christ i Mat. 28. 18 to whom God the Father hath given all power in heaven and in earth so that he commandeth and over-ruleth al created power whatsoever God did also give him three honourable offices that he might be every way fit to be our eternal Mediatour between God and us for God ordained him to be a Prophet to teach and instruct us to be a Priest to make intercession for us and to offer such a sacrifice to God for our sins as he would accept and to be a King to rule and govern his Church and also to rule in our hearts by his Spirit Christ being thus qualified hath fulfilled for us and in our nature whatsoever the Law did require of us and his righteousness is imputed to us by faith for our justification that no guilt of sinne might cleave to us in the sight of God When Christ did execute that part of his priestly office which was the offering up of his body a sacrifice for us no heart can conceive and no tongue can express the bitter torments which he suffered both in his soul and in his body to satisfie the justice of God for our sinnes and to purchase our freedome and redemptition out of the captivity
Christ shall be received up to eternall glory The Saints that then arose out of their graves were forerunners of this generall resurrection This was a dreadfull sign to the cruell Jews who had imbrewed their hands in the blood of Christ for the same Jesus whom they crucified shall be the Supream Judge at that day before whom they must appear to answer for this their bloody fact It may also be a terrible warning to all wicked men that are defiled with innocent blood and that live in profanenesse and sensuality fulfilling their sinfull lusts without any remorse of conscience or holy desire to be reclaimed from their wicked wayes and without any care to make their peace with God by faith in Christ and by true repentance for a time will come when they must answer the rigour of Gods justice for all their crying sins and hainous abominations Wherefore enter into a serious consideration with thy self how thou art prepared and fitted for thy grave If thou hast lived to the world to the flesh to the devill or to thy self thou art in a sad and lamentable condition for the grave cannot keep thee from judgement but must open her mouth h Jona 2 10 like Jonahs Whale at the sound of the last Trumpet and it will deliver thee up even as it sound thee If thy grave receive thee an hypocrite a blasphemer a swearer an unclean person or the like it will deliver thee up to judgement all polluted with the guilt and filth of the same sins i Job 20. 11 If thy bones are full of the sins of thy youth they will lye down with thee in the dust and they will cleave fast to thee when thou shalt rise again How canst thou then stand before the Tribunall seat of God and before all his glorious Angels and blessed Saints if thou art in this sinfull condition And how canst thou endure the rigour of his justice and the severity of his judgement If this consideration were well imprinted in thy heart it would make thee afraid to go on in a way of sin without repentance But such as have lived to the Lord shall dye in the Lord and shall sleep quietly in their graves as in their beds k Mal. 3. 17. for they are the Lords Jewels and he keeps them in these cabinets untill the day that he shall make up his Jewels Wherefore if we have any interest in Christ by faith his blood will cleanse us from all our sins his righteousnesse will make us accepted in the sight of God and he will account us as his jewels and then Christ will sanctifie the grave to us l Isa 57. â— We shall enter into Peace we shall rest in our beds walking in his righteousness Thus comfortably shall we enter into the grave if we have an holy assurance by the witnesse of his Spirit to our spirits that we dye in the Lord and then our resurrection will be with unspeakable joy and comfort to us Of the Buriall of Christ THough Christ dyed a most shamefull and ignominious death yet he had honourable buriall according to the manner of the Jews a John 19. 40 41. For Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus two honourable men among the Jews begged leave of Pilate and took down his body from the Crosse and wrapped it in linnen cloathes with spices and laid it in a new sepulchre which was hewen out in a rock wherein was never man yet laid and they rolled a great stone to the doore of the sepulchre But the chief Priests and Pharisees thought him not safe enough and therefore to prevent his resurrection as they thought b Mat. 27. 64 65. they got leave of Pilate to make the Sepulchre sure Then they sealed the stone and set a watch about the Sepulchre yet notwithstanding at Gods appointed time he did rise again from the dead by the power of his Deity which was not separated from his humane nature though he were now dead c Psal 16. 10. for God would not suffer his holy One to see corruption d 1 Cor. 15. 44. and his naturall body was raised up a spirituall and glorified body But what comfort can we draw from Christ now he is dead Can we have any benefit by him as he is now buried It is true which Christ said e John 6. 63 It is the Spirit that quickneth the flesh profiteth nothing Though we can draw no comfort from the body of Christ as it is now in the grave yet by his eternall Spirit which ever liveth we may receive great benefit and much spiritual consolation by the death burial of our Saviour Christ For by faith we may draw vertue and power from thence to kill that body of sin which by nature is in us and to bury it with Christ that the new man of holinesse and righteousnesse may be quickned and raised up in us for it is not enough to mortâ—fie and kill this body of sin but we must also bury it and every member of it with Christ that no sin though it be never so profitable or pleasing to our nature may gather strength to over-power us or to bring us again into subjection that â—very base lust should reign over us to make us slaves unto sin It is true that sin will still dwell in us but the Spirit of Christ will make us able by the vertue of his death so to kill the power of it that it shall not have dominion over us Grace worketh our sanctification by degrees and we cannot expect perfection of holinesse untill we come into the Kingdome of Heaven Now if we will bury our sins in the Sepulchre of our blessed Saviour we must not onely forbear the actuall committing of sin but we must quite loose the delightful remembrance of it for if we do still retain with approbation a sinfull remembrance of our former sins we do then keep them above ground and unburied and they will be odious in the sight of God though the act of sin be mortified in us f Rom. 6. 3 4 5. If we are baptized into Jesus Christ we are baptized into his death and therefore we are buried with him by Baptisme into death that the body of sin might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve sin but should walk in newnesse of life If we be thus buried with Christ then the sweet perfume and precious odours of his merits will take away the stench and noisomnesse of our sins from the Lord our God Wherefore by faith we shall draw a new principle of grace from Christ to be crucified with him to live and dye in him to be buried with him both in the act and in the delight of sin g Col. 3. 1. and to rise again with him in an holy and sanctified life and we shall be continually with him to have our communion and fellowship with him for every member of his mysticall body will be where he is in
thy getting get understanding This is a speciall meanes to come to the true way of holy and devout meditation Sixthly We must dayly practice this religious duty and if we learn to meditate upon our selves what our state and condition is whether it be of nature or of grace it will bring us to the meditation of spirituall things Though it be a very hard matter for a true childe of God to meditate upon heavenly things for his own benefit and comfort yet by use and exercise we may attain unto it and the sweetnesse that we shall find in it will by degrees bring us to delight in this pious duty h Phil. 3. â—0 For by this meanes we shall have our conversation in heaven though we live upon earth and we shall enjoy heaven and heavenly happinesse in some part while we live in this world for if we be frequent in our meditations on the Kingdome of heaven i 2 Cor. 1. 12 the grace of God will make our conversation in this world to be in simplicity and godly sincerity The seventh Direction is to choose such times and such places as are most fitting and most convenienient for this holy duty that we be not interrupted by any occurrence of worldly occasions but that our mindes and our hearts may agree and go together in our meditations The fittest time for this religious service is when God is pleased to give an inclination of will and to move our hearts thereunto by his holy Spirit which time we ought not to let slip nor to lose this opportunity which he tendereth to us because it is the time for grace of his own choosing and the time which he will accept If we take this time and set it apart to imploy our selves in this holy service he will then inlarge our hearts for it he will direct us in it and he will graciously assist us with his Spirit to conceive aright of those things whereon we do intend to meditate As we must be free at that time from all incumberances by our affairs so we must retire to such a place where we may be solitary and private that our hearts may wholly intend our meditations A solitary field is a fitting place to ruminate upon the works of God k Mat. 6. 6. Our closet is most convenient to meditate on the Law of God If we choose such times and places we may freely delight our selves with heavenly and spirituall contemplations Lastly we must prepare our hearts for this pious duty by faithfull prayer that God will be pleased to aid and assist us herein with his blessed Spirit to raise up our affections to enlighten our understandings and to purge and cleanse our hearts from all sinful thoughts worldly cares and from every evill concupisence that we may fully devote our selves to the meditation of heavenly things that this holy service may be performed to the glory af God to the increase of our spirituall knowledge to the strengthening of our faith and confidence in God to carry us on cheerfully through all the troublesome chances and changes that are incident to this life for our holy Meditations will lift up our hearts and affections above all worldly cares and above all the crosses and sorrows that we shall meet with here upon earth Holy Meditation is the prerogative onely of a true Christian AMong many Prerogatives that a true believing Christian hath above all other men this is not the least that he can raise up the Affections of his heart to heavenly contemplations by the power of the Spirit of grace that is in him whereas unregenerate men cannot attain to this high degree of true Christianity by all the meanes that art or nature can afford them for their Meditations reach but to the notions of the brain and are practised onely by the outward man which can yield them no spirituall consolation because they have not the power of grace to move the affections of the heart to heavenly things which only can minister sweetness true consolation to an afflicted soul and to a troubled conscience to give them good hope and assurance of the grace and favour of God and of the pardon and forgivenesse of their sins Carnall men set their mindes and affections upon carnall delights voluptuous men do dayly study how to satisfie their souls with unprofitable pleasures and worldly minded men set their hearts upon covetousness and upon the pomp and vanity of this present world These and the like kinde of men are so pressed down with the burden of sin and they are so encumbered with worldly cares and sinfull delights that they have no power to mount up toward heaven in their affections and no hearts fit for Divine contemplations because they have no interest in Christ and therefore they can have no spirituall light to discern aright of heavenly things But a true believing Christian hath the light of Gods Spirit to give him spiritual understanding he hath strength of grace to withstand all spirituall lets and hinderances and to raise up his affections above all earthly things with the wings of faith he can mount up above all the blocks and impediments that the divell or wicked men can cast in his way to depresse his spirits and to keep down the cogitations of his heart from pious and devout Meditations It cannot be denied but that the dearest of Gods servants cannot sometimes perform this religious Duty as they should because they do often finde the flesh to war against the spirit a Rom. 7. 21 23. as Paul did and that they are so yoked with their unregenerate part that when they would do good either for the glory of God or for the comfort of their own souls evill is present with them which doth disturb the peace of their consciences the quiet of their mindes and the freedome of their spirits and doth also stop the sweet influence of comfort that should come to their souls but especially they are hindered in their Meditations which is a Duty meerly spirituall and cannot be performed but by the spirit yet through Christ they get the victory and they will break through all opposition because b Rom. 7. 22. they delight in the Law of God and in heavenly contemplations after the inward man and their mindes will be set at liberty to serve him c Rom. 7. 25. though with the flesh they do sometimes serve the law of sin If we have given up our names unto Christ and are listed in his roul to fight under his banner we must look for continuall conflicts and combates with our spirituall enemies which dayly seek to ruine our souls by hindering us in our Religious duties but we are sure to have comfort in Christ and power from him to prevail against them and to get the conquest over them all if we can raise up our hearts to contemplate his Omnipotent power his infinite Wisdome and his wonderfull care of us Sometimes
we have conflicts with pleasure and plenty sometimes with afflictions and penury with sin and temptations with pain and sicknesse and with the terrours of death all which for a time may hinder the freedome of our spirits that we cannot compose our thoughts nor settle our hearts for holy Meditations but we shall recover our selves again by the power of Christ whose Grace is sufficient to hold us up against all opposition whatsoever and to set our hearts in such a frame as is fitting for the performance of this holy Duty Wherefore d Eph. 6. 11 12. seeing we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities against powers against the rulers of the darknesse of this world and against spirituall wickednesse in high places we must put on the whole armour of God that we may be able to stand against the wiles of the devill e 2 Cor. 10. 3 4. Though we walk in the flesh we do not war after the flesh for the weapons of our warfare are not carnall but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth it self against the Knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ The same power that pulleth down the strong holds of sin in us and the sinfull imaginations of our mindes will also raise up the affections of our hearts to devout and pious Meditations of the heavenly and spirituall things The more free we keep our hearts from worldly cares and our mindes from sinfull thoughts the fitter we shall be for this holy Duty the better we shall perform it and we shall reap the more comfort by it But unregenerate men are not acquainted with this spirituall armour they have no power against their spirituall enemies they have no weapons fit for this warfare for untill they are brought out of their naturall condition into the State of grace have interest in Christ by faith they are so clogged with their worldly affairs so wedded to earthly vanities and so intangled with the corruptions of their nature that there is no room in their hearts for any holy contemplations and they have no grace that can give them strength to fight against the allurements of the world the intisements of the flesh and the cunning stratagems of the devill How dreadfull it is to Meditate on God NOw prepare thy heart and all the faculties of thy soul by those former Directions and by prayer to meditate on a Neh. 1. 5. Psal 47. 2. Dan. 9. 4. the great and terrible God who in himself is infinite in Majesty and eternall in glory and the great Creator of heaven and of earth whose Essence and Being is incomprehensible for thou canst not but stand confounded at the consideration of his greatnesse which the blessed Angels are not able to comprehend Wherefore empty thy heart of all sinfull cogitations and lay aside all thy worldly cares that thou maist freely set thy minde upon God to contemplate with all fear due reverence something of his excellencies and greatnesse so far as God hath revealed himself and according to the measure of that heavenly knowledge which he hath given thee let thy Meditations of these things be guided with good understanding and let them be bounded with Christian sobriety lest thou be swallowed up in the depth of this infinite and incomprehensible Ocean Let thy faith regulate thee in thy Meditations for what thou canst not comprehend thou art bound to believe because thou dost deal with the hidden things of God b Joh. 5. 6. who is Truth it self Thus meditate with dreadfull reverence on the high and mighty God for as he is infinite in his Essence so he is also infinite in all his Divine Attributes Wherefore content thy self with what he hath revealed in his Word and by his Works and do not curiously search into those things which are not yet to be known but are sealed up in his own secret counsell untill he shall be pleased hereafter to reveal them c 1 Sam. 6. 19. The Lord smote the men of Bethshemesh with a very great slaughter because they looked into the Ark of the Lord which was not lawfull to any save onely to Aaron and his sons Beware then that he smite not thee if thou presumest to look further into his secret counsells than Christ hath revealed If we duly consider the transcendent majesty and glory of God it will cast great dreadfullnesse into our Meditations for it will dazel the eye of our understanding far more than the brightnesse of the Sun beames can dazel the eyes of our bodies which may strongly move us to a dreadfull fear and reverence of him d Job 37. 22 for as Elihu said to Job with God is terrible majesty Also Job speaketh thus of God to his three friends e Job 13. 11. Shall not his his excellency make you afraid and his dreadfall upon you f Gen. 28. 17. How dreadfull saith Jacob is this place and it was because God was there Thus saith the Lord of hosts by his Prophet g Mal. 1. 14. I am a great King and my Name is dreadfull among the Heathen h Heb. 12. 21. When God gave the Law at Mount Sinai the sight was so terrible that Moses himself said I exceedingly fear and quake i Exod. 34. Moses did earnestly desire to see the face of God to whom he gave this answer that no man could see him and live but yet to satisfie his request and to shew him in part what a terrible and glorious God he was he told Moses that he should see some piece of his glory but he added that it was needfull he should hide himself in the hole of a rock and be covered with Gods own hand for his defence while God in some measure of his Majesty did passe by in his glory And when he was past God took away his hand and suffered him to see his hinder parts onely which was notwithstanding most terrible to behold k Dan. 7. Daniel also did see in a vision the Majesty of this great and terrible God which is recorded in the sacred Scriptures to teach us thereby what a Prince of Majesty is and how dreadfull in his judgements when he is offended Now consider what maketh it so dreadful to Meditate on God it is not onely the consideration of his incomprehensible and Divine Essence or the transcendent glory of his sacred Majesty or his infinite Power whereby all creatures all principalities and powers are under his subjection but also the consideration of the frailty and weaknesse of our nature and the vilenesse of our condition by reason of our many sins wherewith we have offended him and justly incurred his high displeasure and have deserved his wrath and fury to be poured out upon us whereby we stand in continuall fear of his judgements and of the severity of his justice For
will still molest and trouble us and there is no evill in our afflictions and sufferings because the nature of them is changed into Fatherly chastisements which conduce to our good and not to our hurt Also we may draw great consolation from our Adoption if we Meditate upon the right which we have thereby to all the promises of God to all his holy Ordinances to all his blessings to whatsoever is good for us or we stand in need of and also to an heavenly inheritance after this life is ended If we consider the mercies of God to us in Christ they will afford us matter enough of comfortable Meditations for if we search the Scriptures m Zech. 13. 1. we shall find a fountain of mercy that God hath opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for nucleannesse wherein we may wash away all the guilt and stains of our sins if we can apply the streames thereof to our hearts by faith this Fountain is the blood of Christ which the holy Ghost here meaneth n Joh. 4. 10 In Christ we shall finde water of life to refresh our panting souls when we are in any distresse or lye languishing under the sense of our sins o John 6. 48. 58. Christ is also the bread of life whereof if we eat by faith we shall live for ever p Col. 3. 11 Thus Christ is made all in all to us by faith q 1 Cor. 1 13. for he is made unto us wisdome and righteousnesse and sanctification and redemption His wisdome will teach us the way of truth it will guide us in it and it will dispose of all things for our good His Righteousnesse is a garment of salvation to us his Spirit of grace will inrich us with all heavenly endowments to lead an holy and sanctified life and conversation Also r Psal 103 3 4 by his redemption all our iniquities are forgiven all our spirituall diseases are healed our life is redeemed from destruction and we are crowned with loving kindnesse and tender mercies Let us consider also for our further comfort in our Meditations on God Å¿ Eph. 3. 17 that Christ the eternall son of God doth spiritually dwell in our hearts by faith and he doth not come to lodge with us as a guest or to sojourn there for a time and then to be gone from us but he cometh to abide and to dwell with us for ever he hath taken up his habitation there and our faith will cleave so close to him that he will never depart from us neither will he suffer us to depart from him We read that Ittai the Gittite one of Davids worthies would not leave the King when he fled from his son Absalom but he answered the King in this manner t 2 Sam. 15 21 As the Lord liveth and as my lord the King liveth surely in what place my Lord the King shall be whether in death or life even there also will thy servant be Thus close doth our faith cleave unto Christ for it will not suffer us to leave him neither will he leave us but our faith will be still with Christ both in life and in death O happy is our condition if we have such an Inhabitant in our hearts if Christ hath setled his abode there he wil execute his Priestly Office to make intercession to his heavenly Father for us u 1 Pet. 2. 3 and he wil make us a royall priesthood to offer up ourselves and our prayers unto God and to present unto him our spirituall sacrifices and oblations our thanks and praises for blessings and mercies received and a broken and contrite heart for sins committed which sacrifices God will not refuse Christ will also execute his Propheticall Office in our hearts to teach and instruct us the right way to true holinesse and godlinesse of life and conversation and how to attain unto eternall salvation in the life to come So likewise Christ will rule and reign in our hearts as King by his Spirit of grace to order and govern us in all our wayes and actions to over-rule and subdue all the Spirituall enemies of our salvation to protect and keep us from all perills and dangers to provide for us what is needfull for our good and also to comfort us in all our sorrowes and in the anguish of our souls to keep us out of the power of the devill at the hour of death and u 2 Tim. 4. 8 to give us a crown of righteousnesse which he hath laid up for us at the day of his appearing Here is yet more matter of comfort to be drawn from Christ in our Meditations of him when he doth spiritually dwell in our hearts and that by faith we do injoy his sacred society for he doth cloth us with his own Righteousnesse for our justification and he doth endow us with the graces of his Spirit for our sanctification that through him we may be able to overcome the world the flesh and the devill and so to over-power the corruptions of our nature that our sinful lusts and the evill concupiscence of our flesh shal not have dominion over us x Rom 8. 16 and his spirit will bear witnesse with our spirits that we are the children of God Christ will also put a spirituall light into our understanding to discern the things of God which a naturall man cannot do and to know our own condition from whence we are fallen and how to be recovered he will give us grace upon the sight and sense of our sins to be truly humbled for them to repent and turn to the Lord for he delighteth to dwell with those that are of a broken and a contrite heart according as he speaketh by his Prophet y Isaiah 57 15 Thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity whose Name is holy I dwell in the high and lofty place with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite ones Christ will also change the perversenenesse of the will to put it into a frame of conformity to the will of God and he will take off the immoderate affections of our hearts from all earthly things and will raise them up to heavenly contemplations to study holinesse of life to love that which Christ loveth to delight in his Commandments and in his Ordinances and to practise with a willing minde all holy duties which he requireth both to God and to our neighbour in Publick and in private at home in our families and to others upon all occasions Then we shall find heavenly joy and spirituall consolation when we set our hearts to Meditate thus on God in Christ Wherefore the consideration of these great benefits and comforts which we have by Christ should be strong and prevalent motives to us to prepare our hearts to receive him to inlarge our
consciences with the guilt of sin which is a burden heavier than we can bear Thus saith the wise man l Prov. 18. 14 A wounded spirit who can bear We can have no true comfort in these or the like afflictions but what cometh from the holy Ghost and no hope of succour or relief in our distresses without him if our spirits are wounded he onely can apply the true Balm of Gilead to cure them This Balm is the blood of Christ which is an universall Remedy to cure all the spiritual diseases of our souls and none but the holy Ghost can apply it to our hearts by Faith Also if the holy Ghost doth not refresh us with the comforts of grace and with the assurance of the love and favour of God we shall be ready to sink under the great weight of our calamities and miseries But we may draw comfort enough from the holy Ghost in what sad condition soever we be for he will sweeten the bitternesse of all our sufferings with true peace of conscience and tranquility of minde in the assurance of the pardon of our sins he will sanctifie all our afflictions and sorrowes with saving grace that they shall be for our good and will witnesse to our spirits that we are in grace and favour with God through Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour Also he will give us strength and courage to suffer any thing for Christ and for righteousnesse sake and likewise heavenly wisedome rightly to use every part of the whole armour of God to defend our selves from all our spirituall enemies and to beat back or quench all the fiery darts of the divell that his temptations and evill suggestions may not wound our souls to the death Lastly he will perfect all with the gift of perseverance so that we shall be able to stand fast in the day of tryall and we shall have assured hope of conquest and victory in all our conflicts and combates here and to be crowned with immortall glory hereafter Now let this be the desire of our souls and the Meditation of our hearts to draw comfort from the holy Ghost when we are afflicted troubled or any way perplexed with grief of heart sorrow of spirit or anguish of soul which we may do if we know that no outward comforts can support us without God and therefore we do not rest and rely upon them but do seek to the true comforter by earnest and faithfull Prayer in all our necessities which is a sure means to draw comfort from him when we want it Also if we be truly sensible that we do want his gracious assistance to carry us on cheerfully through all the difficulties and dangers that we shal meet with in this world upon our humble supplications to him he will return us a comfortable answer as shall be best for us So likewise if the guilt of our sins doth stick close unto us or if we possesse our former iniquities by a sinfull remembrance of them so that we are truly humbled in the sight and sense of them and that our hearts are touched with a godly sorrow for them the holy Ghost will then come with spirituall consolation to comfort our poor souls with an holy assurance that all our sins are washt away in the blood of Christ by faith Lastly we may draw comfort from this spiritual fountain by our pious and devout Meditations of him for then he will give us a sweet taste of his heavenly graces to comfort us in all conditions of life and he will give us spirituall joy in the midst of all our afflictions also he will unite us unto Christ by Faith and will seal our Redemption to us by his blood whereby we shall enjoy eternal felicity for ever O what sweet Meditations may we draw from this heavenly Comforter in all the sadnesse of our hearts Thus we may Meditate on the holy Ghost as he is the true comforter of our souls we come now to consider of his Divine Operations from whence we may also draw much profitable and comfortable matter for our holy Meditations And for our better understanding herein this eternal spirit of life is set forth in the holy Scriptures by severall resemblances to shew in what manner and how variously he worketh in our hearts that our Meditations may be ordered accordingly First the holy Ghost is resembled to a dove for when Christ was baptized m Mat. 3. 16 he descended in the similitude of a dove and rested upon him which was to shew his spirituall anointing to his Office of Mediatorship and to set forth the true nature of Christ how humble and and meek he was how innocent and harmlesse how loving and how ready and willing he was to do good to all These dove-like qualities were poured upon Christ above measure that we his members might receive the same in some measure from him by the holy Ghost for he will put all the faculties of our souls all the affections of our hearts and all the parts of our bodies into a new frame he will change the corruptions of our nature into an holy temper of proud and haughty minded he will make us lowly and meek of hatefull and malicious he will make us loving and courteous to all he will so season us with sanctifying grace throughout that our evill disposition shall be changed into a gracious condition This spirit of truth will bring us an Olive leafe n Gen. 8. 11 like Noahs dove to let us know that though we be in the midst of troubles dangers or distresses yet we shall be preserved and delivered and though we be troubled disquieted or perplexed in our mindes yet at the last we shall have peace tranquillity spirituall joy and comfort Now by this resemblance of the holy Ghost we may examine our selves what purity and holinesse he hath wrought in us what meeknesse of spirit what patience under the crosse what love to God and to our neighbour and how far we are sanctified in all the affections of our hearts in all the parts of our bodies also how much the corruptions of our nature are weakned in us and how far we are changed from that which is sinful to newness of life if we can finde these Operations of the holy Ghost in us they wil afford us profitable matter for our hearts to meditate upon to the glory of God and for the comfort of our own soules Secondly some of the operations of the holy Ghost are set forth unto us by the resemblance of that o Exod. 13 21 pillar of a cloud which went before the children of Israel by day when they marched out of Egypt to guide them the right way that God would have them go toward the Land of Canaan This pillar did also protect and defend them from their enemies it kept the scorching heat of the Sun from them and it cooled and moistned the earth with sweet and comfortable dewes which was a great refreshing
to the people of God in their march through that hot Countrey We are by nature under the spiritual bondage of sin and Satan which is far worse than the Egyptian bondage was to the Israelites and we have no means to be brought out of it but by an almighty power and if God doth deliver us yet we are so ignorant of the way to the heavenly Canaan that we cannot set one step toward it except the holy Ghost doth put a spiritual Light into our understanding to teach and instruct us in the right way to heavenly happinesse And because we shal meet with many spiritual enemies so long as we march thorough the wildernesse of this world the holy Ghost will so protect and defend us that they shall neither hurt our souls by their power nor keep us out of Canaan by their subtilty or malice He will guide and direct us into all holy duties he will give us holy desires and true endeavours to do the will of God and to walk humbly before him in this present world Also the holy Ghost doth protect us from the heat of Gods wrath by working faith in us to lay hold upon the merit of Christs death for the pardon of our sins and by conferring grace for the sanctification of our lives So likewise he doth refresh and comfort our fainting spirits with the sweet dewes of heavenly consolations and he doth mollifie and soften our obdurate and stony hearts with those influences of grace that descend from him that we may p Joel 2. 28 Gal. 5. 22 23. be fruitfull in all good works This holy Spirit doth also quench the fire of sin which otherwise would inflame the whole man with sinful lusts And lastly the holy Ghost doth purge and cleanse the soul from the filth of sin as water washeth away the filth of the body This doth God promise by his Prophet q Zech. 36 25. I will pour clean water upon you and you shall be clean from all your filthinesse and from all your idols will I cleanse you Wherefore we ought seriously to ruminate upon these operations of the holy Ghost for we cannot find the right way to the heavenly Canaan by all that nature or humane learning can afford us we cannot over power our spiritual enemies by our own strength we have no holy desires and no ability in our selves to any thing that is good nothing that is in our power can keep us from the wrath of God and we have nothing that can refresh and and comfort our afflicted spirits But here we shal find that the holy Ghost wil be our guide to this heavenly Country he wil be our Protector against all adversary power and he wil be a true comforter to us in all our sorrowes and upon all occasions in all conditions of life He will bring us unto Christ and wil firmly unite us unto him by faith r 1 Cor. 10. 1 2. for as the ancient Fathers were all under the cloud and all passed thorough the sea and were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea so we are baptized unto Christ by the holy Ghost that our sins may be washed away in his blood and that we may be sanctified by this spirit of grace to live in true holinesse and righteousnesse all our dayes If we can thus Meditate on the holy Ghost it wil be exceeding profitable and comfortable to our souls Thirdly the holy Ghost is resembled to the pillar of fire that conducted the Israelites by night out of Egypt toward the Land of Canaan Now we must consider that such as are the properties of fire such are some of the operations of the holy Ghost in our hearts Fire is the most pure Element and purifies all other elements it doth naturally mount upward it is bright and shining and giveth light to all dark places It doth also warm and comfort every part of our bodies and it is the most active of all the other elements it purifies the gold and burnes away the drosse Thus it is with the holy Ghost for he is essentially pure in himself and purifies every soul from dead works into which he comes he wil not suffer any unclean lust or evill concupiscence to have dominion where he dwelleth and he wil raise up the cogitations of the minde and the affections of the heart to mount upwards in heavenly contemplations Also whereas by nature Å¿ 1 Cor. 2. 10 11. we cannot receive the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishnesse unto us neither can we know them because they are spiritually discerned God hath revealed them to us by his Spirit for the holy Ghost wil put a spiritual light into our hearts to discern the deep things of God he wil also inflame our affections with an holy zeal to the glory of God and will make our love fervent to the truth So likewise the holy Ghost wil melt our hard and stony hearts and make them tender and gracious flexible and yielding to every holy duty And whereas our hearts are naturally bound up in unbelief and heavy and sluggish to any thing that is good t Psal 119. 32. the holy Ghost wil so inlarge them that with all cheerfulnesse of spirit and willingnesse of minde we shall run the way of Gods Commandements Wherefore now if we have found any of these operations of the holy Ghost in our hearts we shal be in some measure purified and refined from our sins and pollutions we shall have some of the drosse of our corrupted nature consumed and the heavenly graces of the Spirit of God wil shine forth in the integrity of our lives and conversations Also we shall have some spiritual light to guide our darkned understandings in the knowledge of God and of his wayes some fervency in our Prayers some love to the truth and some holy zeal to the true worship and service of God we shal delight in his Law we shal study to do good works and it will be the desire of our hearts and the comfort of our souls to Meditate day and night in the Commandements of God If these Operations of the holy Ghost which are resembled to these two pillars cannot easily work upon us if these cannot raise up our affections to heavenly contemplations and to be forward and ready to every good duty in the service of God then surely we are exceeding dull and stupid and we have great need to pray earnestly that the holy Ghost will be pleased to come with his unresistible power and break our hard stony hearts and molifie this extreme obduracy that is in them with his suppling grace that so we may more easily take the impression of his sanctifying grace in us Consider further that these two pillars which did lead the Israelites out of Egypt were a visible sign of the presence of God with them to conduct them in the way to Canaan to protect and defend them from all their
trees untill we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads The holy Ghost doth also seal the New Covenant and all the gracious promises of the Gospel to our hearts by faith k Joh. 3. 33. and if we receive his testimony we do set to our seal that God is true Why then do we not rest upon them why is our faith shaken with every gust of temptation and with every little trouble that cometh nere us Are we so weak in faith that every blast of affliction shall blow us down Why are we so doubtfull of our salvation that we are ready to let go our hold on Christ when we look upon our dayly slips and failings that are caused by the subtility of the devill by the inchantments of the world and by the allurements of our carnall lusts We do not consider that we are sealed with the holy Ghost unto the day of Redemption And when we suffer afflictions or tribulations we do not consider that they shal not hurt us for we have the seal of God in our foreheads and he wil sanctifie all our sorrowes for our good whereas to the wicked they are the beginnings of those eternall torments which they shal suffer hereafter for ever Here we may find sweet consolation in all conditions of life for if we are loath to leave this world and those possessions which we do here enjoy let our hearts and mindes be raised up to meditate upon that inheritance and those possessions which Christ hath purchased for us by his blood which we shal enjoy in heaven for we have the seal of the holy Ghost for the truth of it and then we shal be willing to leave these vain and earthly riches and we shal earnestly desire to enjoy those heavenly and durable treasures which are there laid up for us If the foundation of our faith be shaken this seal of the holy Ghost will settle it sure The Lord knoweth them that are his The Covenant of Grace is confirmed to us by this seal and we may faithfully rest upon it for all the promises of God therein contained shall be performed in their season Our spirituall enemies our crosses and tribulations and death it self cannot hurt us because we have this seal of the holy Ghost for he will take away the print of the devils seal which by nature is upon our hearts and wil stamp his own image in the room l Rev. 9. 4. 5 But those men that have not the seal of God in their foreheads lye open to all the judgements of God to be tormented as with the torment of a Scorpion when he striketh a man Lastly the Holy Ghost is resembled to winde for when he hath any great work to do in us he will come with power to rectifie our stubborn wils our obdurate hearts and rebellious affections he will come like a rushing winde to make us quake and tremble before him and to beat down all the strong holds of sin that our hearts may be prepared to receive him and that he may freely work his own work in us Thus he came upon the Apostles m Act. 2. 2 3 with a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty winde and filled all the house where they were sitting and then he gave them the gift of tongues to speak the language of every nation whither he should send them and he gave them all spirituall graces and abilities fit for that Office and function whereunto he had called them Secondly he is resembled to wind because his Operations are free to himself and he is no way necessitated in his workings for he worketh in every one when and how he pleaseth Thus said Christ to Nicodemus n John 8. 3. The winde bloweth where it listeth and thou hearest the sound thereof but canst not tell whence it cometh and whither it goeth so is every one that is born of the spirit Gods election is of free grace not of works o Gen. 4. 4. he had respect to Abell and to his offering but he refused Cain and his offering p Rom. 9. 11 13 15 20. God did choose Jacob and rejected Esau the children being not yet born for thus saith God to Moses I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion We are as clay in the hand of the potter cannot he make of the same lump one vessel unto honour and another unto dishonour Shall the thing formed say unto him that formed it why hast thou made me thus Thus saith the Lord by his Prophet q Isa 45. 10 Wo unto him that saith unto his Father what begettest thou or to his mother what hast thou brought forth r Jer. â—8 6. for we are in Gods hand as the clay is in the potters hand So likewise Å¿ 1 Cor. 12. the holy Ghost bestoweth his gifts diversly some have one gift some another some have more and some have lesse none but Christ had a fulnesse of all gifts and t John 1. 16 of his fulnesse have all we received and grace for grace As there is great diversity in the gifts u 1 Cor. 12. 6. so there is as great in the operations of the holy Ghost and yet all proceed from the same Spirit for God worketh all in all Thirdly the holy Ghost is resembled to winde because he doth blow away the chaff and vanity of our sinfull inventions and idle cogitations that our mindes may be the better fitted and prepared for heavenly contemplations and for the worship and service of God Now to bring all this home in particular to thy self consider what comforts and benefites thou dost enjoy by the holy Ghost both as he is the true comforter whom Christ sent down from the Father to abide with thee for ever and also by his holy operations according to those severall resemblances and then thy meditations of him will be comfortable to thy soul He will be a carefull Father to provide for thee he will be a wall of defence round about thee he will dull the sense of all thy pains and torments that thou maiest the better bear them as he did to the three children in the fiery furnace and to some of the holy Martyrs in their torments Though thy sufferings are above humane strength yet he will give thee strength of grace to bear them contentedly for he will raise up thy heart u Heb. 11 20 to look to the recompense of reward which God will give thee in heaven of his own free love bounty and goodnesse Also if the crosse lieth long upon thee and thou canst not get it removed by thy earnest supplications yet thou needest not be out of hope for the heavenly comforts of the holy Ghost will never fail thee but will still bear thee up against all the boysterous billowes of temptations and sorrowes Though thy whole life be a life of misery yet the
end shall be comfortable to thee according to this of David x Ps 37. 35 37 38. Mark the perfect man and behold the upright for the end of that man is peace But though the wicked are in great power spreading themselves like a green bay tree yet they shall be destroyed together and their end shall be cut off If we have these benefits and comforts and much more by the operations of the holy Ghost we must then study how to be thankfull to him for his goodnesse and how to expresse it by our conformity to his will and by our ready obedience to his holy motions Also we must have recourse unto him by fervent prayer for what we want as it may stand with his good pleasure to grant But we must take heed with what heart and with what affections we make our addresses unto him for if there be any secret or darling sin lurking in us he will easily find it out he can search into the most secret corners of our hearts and nothing can be hidden from his all seeing eye If our hearts are more set upon carnall pleasures or worldly profits than to meditate on his gracious operations and how to enjoy him he will soon discover our hypocrisie and it will stop the current of his graces to our hearts but if he findeth truth and sincerity in our inward parts he will then plentifully bestow his heavenly gifts and graces upon us for he will give us more meeknesse of spirit more patience in our troubles more comfort in our sorrowes and more grace to cleanse and purge away the leprosie and filth of our sins Also he will put our hard and stony hearts into a gracious condition fit to receive the print of his own image to seal unto us the assurance of our salvation No duty then in the service of God can be hard to us if we are guided by this eternall Spirit and nothing that we suffer can be bitter to our souls if this heavenly comforter hath made his abode in our hearts In the last place we must consider that no saving and sanctifying grace can be wrought in us but by the holy Ghost and we can discern nothing of the deep things of God for our comfort if we have not a spirituall light from him he worketh faith in us to unite us to Christ and to make application to our selves of the merit of his sufferings for our redemption he works repentance to assure us of the pardon of our sins and to manifest the power of Christs death and resurrection in us by the mortifying and killing of the power of our sins and by the quickening of us up unto newnesse of life The holy Ghost worketh our filiall love to God our hope in his promises our Christian patience in bearing the crosse with a meek and a contented minde our Christian fortitude and courage in all our spirituall combates and tryalls and our constancy to hold out untill we have obtained victory He gives us the assurance of our justification the sanctification of our lives ability to pray unto God and to meditate on him as we ought and he worketh the renovation of the whole man in us These heavenly graces are as so many precious jewells to adorn our souls that we may be all glorious within y Psal 45. 13 like Solomons Queen to be espoused unto Christ for if we be decked with these ornaments of grace and cloathed with the righteousnesse of Christ to cover the shame and the deformity of our sins then God will accept of our persons and of our offerings and will hereafter wed us to his own Son Wherefore when we come into the presence of God to partake of his Divine Ordinances or to perform any holy service unto him we must humbly crave the assistance of the holy Ghost to give us understanding hearts and sanctified affections and to put an holy zeal into our prayers and Meditations that they may mount up above all earthly things and ascend up to the throne of grace where they shall be heard and graciously accepted z Acts 7. 30 32 33. When Moses perceived that God was in a flame of fire in a bush he trembled and durst not behold untill he had put off his shoes from his feet because the place where he stood was holy ground So likewise a Josh 5. 13 14. though Joshua was so valiant as to withstand a man of war that stood over against him with his sword drawn in his hand yet when he understood that he was the captain of the host of the Lord even God himself he fell on his face to the earth and did worship and losed his shoe from off his feet because the place whereon he stood was holy Thus we ought to appear before God with fear and trembling and to come with all due reverence into his Presence when we perform any holy duties unto him also to put off all our filthinesse and to put on the righteousnesse of Christ by faith because we come into an holy place where God himself is present who will not suffer any unclean thing to come near unto him If we can thus Meditate on the holy Ghost we shall find much sweetnesse and comfort in our Meditations Now let thy heart Meditate freely on this blessed Comforter with an holy devotion and pure affections when thou art in any sorrowfull or afflicted condition or when any anguish of spirit doth seize upon thee for true consolation is no where to be found but onely in him Let thy heart also ruminate upon those severall resemblances of the holy Ghost which will help thine understanding to discern how he worketh in thy heart to purge thee from thy corruptions to instruct thee in the wayes of godlinesse to confirm thee in the Truth to change thy sinfull disposition into a sanctified condition to seal the assurance of thy Redemption to thy soul to blow away all vain and sinfull cogitations out of thy minde and to give thee all spirituall abilities meet for a Christian warfare in this life that thou maist have a Crown of righteousnesse in the life to come How to Meditate upon the Works of God IF we consider and look well upon the works of God in the Creation of the Heavens and of the Earth how he hath beautified and adorned the Heavens with innumerable glorious bodies and replenished the Earth with all varietie of Plants and fruitfull trees and with all kindes of living Creatures both great and small also how he hath filled the bowels of the Earth with rich and precious mineralls and the seas with fishes of all kindes we cannot then but admire the Omnipotent Power the infinite Wisedome the transcendent glory and the wonderfull Goodnesse of God the great Creatour who hath made them all for our use and service and that he might be glorified by them This consideration will help our understandings in the knowledge of God and to raise up our hearts
in the effecting of it k 1. John 4 14. The Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world And Christ himself doth testifie that the Father sent him for this end and purpose l John 5. 36 37 For the works saith he which the Father hath given me to finish the same works that I do bear witnesse of me that the Father hath sent me And the Father himself which hath sent me hath born witnesse of me For a voice came from heaven when he was baptized saying m Mat. 3. â— This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased The Son also assumed our nature both soul and body n Heb. 2. 17. For he was like unto us in all things o Heb 4. 15 sin onely excepted he was every way fully qualified to be our Mediator and Redeemer he became our surety and he paid the debt that we did â—ow to the justice of God for our sins by his death and by the price of his blood The holy Ghost also rested upon him at his baptisme p Heb. 1. 9. and anointed him with the oyl of gladnesse above his fellowes q Col. 1. 19 that in him should all fulnesse dwell r John 1. 16. and of his fulnesse have all we received and grace for grace God hath made him the head of his Church and the holy Ghost doth convey all saving graces from him to all the Members of that mysticall body VVherefore if we are elected unto salvation and do belong unto Christ by the Election of grace the holy Ghost will at some time or other work sanctifying grace in us and will unite us unto Christ by faith that so we may have a modest and sober assurance of our Redemption by him and of our reconcilement into the love and favour of God Why then do we not seek to be ingrafted into Christ for our Redemption Why do we continue still in a voluntary captivity and bondage whereas we may be set at liberty Why are we still exiles and banished from the presence of God whereas we may be brought again into his favour Why do we not seek hs face and the light of his countenance seing all true felicity and happinesse consisteth therein Å¿ Psa 16. 11 and seeing at his right hand are pleasures for evermore and why are we so backward in seeing the kingdom of heaven Alas we have not a true sense of our own miserable slavery we do not feel the burden of our sins we do not see how the devill doth tyrannize over us how he doth beguil us with a seeming pleasure and profit in sin for he will not let us see the greatnesse of the losse that we sustain by it nor the bitternesse of the torments that will follow after it beside those temporall sorrows that it bringeth upon us in this life Thus the devill bringeth us into security and into a dead sleep of sin and doth so stupifie all the faculties of our souls that we have no sense of our spirituall misery and by this means he leadeth us into a dangerous way that tendeth to no other end but to the perdition and destruction of our souls Also we are so delighted with the vanities of this world that we think of no other happinesse than what we do now injoy or if there be any other heaven than this upon earth we will be directed to it by the guidance of our own corrupted will and not by the Spirit of God for the devill would perswade us that nature can finde out a readier and an easier way to heavenly felicity than by Christ Thus we are hindred and kept back by the delusions of the devill by the alluring vanities of the world and by the deceitfulnesse of our own hearts that we cannot come unto Christ for our Redemption and to make our peace with God through faith in him and to have an holy assurance of it by our sound and true repentance Wherefore it doth now plainly appear that we have no power or ability in our selves to come unto Christ we must be taught of God or else we cannot find the way he must draw us or else we cannot come to Christ For thus saith Christ himself t John 6. 44 No man can come unto me except the Father which hath sent me draw him God doth sometimes draw us unto Christ u Hos 11. 4 as he drew Ephraim with cords of a man with bands of love he will give us a Spirituall light by his Spirit to finde the way he will kindle an holy zeal in our hearts and affections to walk in it and he will inflame our desires that by grace we may come to Christ our Redeemer Gal. 3. 24 Sometimes God doth bring us unto Christ by the Law as our Schoolmaster with a rod in his hand by terrifying us with the threatenings of the Law if that be not sufficient then he will make us feel the smart of his rod by afflictions crosses and tribulations God doth also send his Ministers x 2 Cor 5. 20 as his Ambassadors that by the Preaching of the Gospel they might win us unto Christ and to be reconciled unto God Christ doth also sweetly draw us unto himself as the head draweth the members of the body and as the bridegroom draweth his spouse Thus saith the Spouse to her beloved y Cant. 1. 3 Draw me we will run after thee Christ doth also lovingly invite us to come unto him and to make us the more willing to come he doth allure us by his gracious promises z Mat. 11. 28 Come unto me all ye that labour and are hâ—avy laden and I will give you rest Thus also he saith by his Prophet a Isa 55. 1 2 3 Ho every one that thirsteth come ye to the waters and he that hath no mony come ye buy and eat yea come buy wine and milk without money and without price hearken diligently unto me and eat ye that which is good and let your soul delight it self in fatnesse Incline your ear and come unto me hear and your soul shall live How could Christ expresse his love more freely to a poor sinfull soul than now he doth what will move us to come unto him if this free tender of grace cannot But to the end we may be quite without excuse and that the love of God may abundantly appear unto us the holy Ghost doth likewise draw us unto Christ by giving us a true sight and sense of our sins by shewing us the means how we may be freed from the guilt and from the condemning power of sin by working faith in us to apply to our selves the merits of Christs blood and his righteousnesse for our justification and by working us into newnesse of life by the sanctification of the Spirit It doth now plainly and evidently appear that our sins have set us at a farre distance from God according to this of the
But in the Redemption of man Christ Jesus the second Person in the sacred Trinity laid aside all his celestiall and heavenly glory which was his due from his first incarnation and from eternity and came down from his Throne of Majesty in heaven and humbled himself to the meanest condition of life here on earth and to the basest and most accursed death even to the death of the crosse that he might Redeâ—m us from the lowest degree of misery and advance us to the highest degree of happinesse even above the blessed Angels in heaven This will be exceeding great joy and comfort to us if we have an holy perswasion of our Redemption by faith in Christ for hereby we have a near relation unto God being made his sons by adoption in Christ and then our souls will so delight in him that nothing will will be hard to us that we shall suffer for his sake and nothing will be too dear for him that he shall require and it will be the desire of our hearts to do his will and the joy of our souls to be joyned nearer and closer unto him also we shall willingly part with our dearest sins rather than our sins shall part us from our God This holy perswasion if it be well grounded will make us fear no adversary power and our spirituall enemies shall not daunt us for we will flee unto Christ as our best refuge in all our troubles and sorrowes we will crave his protection in all our perills and dangers for he is our Redeemer and our Saviour he is the Rock of our salvation in whom we must trust he will give us strength of grace to endure our tryalls to fight his battels and to stand for the truth against all opposition We may safely rest upon Christ and put our confidence in him for comfort and succour when any calamity doth oppresse us for help and deliverance when any spirituall enemy doth assault us for he will be our hiding place in times of danger and our comfort in all our sorrowes and afflictions k Eph. 1. 20 21 22. For God hath set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places farre above all principality and power and might and dominion and every name that is named noâ— onely in this world but also in that which is to come and hath put all things under his feet and gave him to be the head over all things to the Church Wherefore let the consideration of all these benefits which we have by our Redemption stir us up with all care and diligence to perform that duty and obedience which we owe unto Christ and to expresse all filiall fear and reverence all love praise and thankfulnesse to him for our Redemption which Work neither God nor man could effect for us but onely Christ who was both God and Man The time of grace GOd is the sole Disposer of Time and he keeps that precious Jewell in his own Cabinet to give to the sons of men what time he pleaseth and he appointeth every one to improve their time for the gaining of the grace and favour of God and of those things that do conduce to the kingdom of heaven and not to spend it vainly sinfully and licenciously To some he giveth more time and to some lesse and all must imploy it to the glory of God and to the good of his neighbour God doth measure out our life by time and some have a longer measure than others and this measure is dispensed to us by moments for we cannot recall the time that is past and we do not injoy the time that is to come so that we have onely the time that is now present which is but a moment and when one moment of time is gone God doth give us another until the measure of time that God hath allotted us be fulfilled If we look upon an hour-glasse we shall see how swiftly one grain of sand runneth after another and so continueth untill all be run out Thus it is with the moments of our life one moment followeth swiftly after another which God would have us duly to consider that we may not waste our time in vain things but imploy it to that end for which God gave it and that is to the working out of our own salvation that God may be honoured and glorified thereby and therefore about whatsoever we spend our time if it doth not conduce to that end it is but lost and vainly spent God hath given us a time for all our necessary occasions here upon earth that all things may be done in their season For as the Preacher saith To every thing there is a season and a time to every purpose under the heaven â— Eccles 3. 1 2. A time to be born and a time to dye a time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted and we do observe the times and seasons of the year when to till the ground and when to sow our seed when to reap our harvest and when to gather in the fruits of the earth The Coelestiall Bodies know their times as the Psalmâ—st saitâ— b Psal 164 19. He appointeth the Moon for seasons the Sun knoweth his going down Also the fowles of heaven and the birds in the air have their times appointed for thus God upbraideth his own people by his Prophet c Jer. 8. 7. The Stork in the heaven knoweth her appointed times and the Turtle and the Crane and the Swallow observe the times of their coming but my people knoweth not the judgement of the Lord. We are wise enough to know our times for earthly things but we have no care to observe the times of grace how and when we may gain the grace and favour of God that he may accept of our persons and of our holy oblations that we offer unto him and also when we may obtain from him the saving and sanctifying graces of his most blessed Spirit The time of our life is the generall and longest time of grace that God hath given us wherein we should seek his gracious acceptance of us in Christ and wherein he doth work grace in the hearts of all his Elect by his Spirit Now if we measure this time of grace by the length of our dayes accoâ—ding to the course of nature or according to the health and strength of our bodies or by our own foolish fancy that measure is very uncertain for who knoweth whether his dayes shall be many or few Are we not dayly subject to casualities and to sudden death if we be strong and have our health to day we may be weak and sick to morrow though we dream of long life yet it is but a dream for we have no assurance of it If we thus measure the time of grace we shall put it off with delayes untill God doth suddenly bereave us of all time But we must measure out our dayes by the Rule of Gods Word and then we
shall see d Gen. 47 9 that our dayes are few and evill as Jacob said unto Pharaoh and holy David will tell us e Psa 144. 4. that man is like to vanity his dayes are as a shadow that passeth away also f Psal 39. 5. that our dayes are as an hand-breadth and our age is as nothing before God And in another Psalm he saith thus g Psal 103. 15 16. As for man his dayes are as grasse as a flower of the field so he flowrisheth for the winde passeth over it and it is gone and the place thereof shall know it no more Thus saith holy Job h Job 7. 6. 7 My dayes are swifter than a weavers shuttle and are spent without hope O remember that my life is winde If our life be winde how soon then is it gone how little then is the time of grace and yet upon this little moment dependeth our eternall happiness for when this life is ended there is no more time for grace or to seek the favour of God Wherefore it is extream folly to lose any part of this precious time without some gain of grace or to spend it to any other end than to the glory of God then much more to waste it in sinfull pleasures to the great dishonour of his Name and to the destruction and losse of our own souls Though we be in the State of Grace yet through the corruption of our nature and the frailty of our unregenerate part we are subject to many slips and failings and sometimes we do so dangerously fall that God will hide his face from us and eclipse the bright beames of his gracious countenance for a time so that we shall have no sense nor apprehension of his Grace and favour to us and the fruits of his Spirit will seem to us to be withered and dryed up But God hath his speciall times of grace when he will be found of us and when he will graciously accept us and will manifest again the fruits of his holy Spirit and his sanctifying graces shall again shine forth in us when God hath wrought his own work in our hearts and hath humbled us for our sins with his rod he will then call to us saying i Psal 27. 8. Seek ye my face and our hearts must presently answer with David Thy face Lord will we seek for to answer presently to Gods call is the time of gracious acceptation thus saith David I acknowledged my sin unto thee and mine iniquity have I not hid I said k Ps 32. 5 6. I will confesse my transgressions unto the Lord and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin For this shall every one that is godly pray unto thee in a time when thou mayest be found Also when we seek with all faithfull diligence unto the Lord in our tribulations and sue unto him with all our hearts we shall find him gracious and propitious to us as the Lord himself saith by his Prophet l Jer. 29. 12 13 14. Then shall ye call upon me and ye shall go and pray unto me and I will hearken unto you And ye shall seek me and finde me when ye shall search for me with all your heart and I will be found of you saith the Lord. But the holy Ghost sets down a more particular time of grace m Heb. 3. 7 13. To day if ye will hear his voice harden not â—our hearts and he giveth this reason lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulnesse of sin for God doth call to us every day by some meanes or other to seek his face and his favour Wherefore we must not put off the time of grace untill the morrow for as James saith n Jam. 4. 14 Wâ— know not what shall be on thâ— morrow For what is our life It is even a vapâ—r that appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away It is now plain and evident that the principall time of grace is when God is pleased to offer it and when he doth give us the means to attain unto it for God keeps the gift of grace in his own power to give it to whom and when he pleaseth and except God doth offer it we cannot receive it The very first desires of seeking grace is Gods free offer of it to us for he doth incline the will and works those holy desires in our hearts by the operation of his own Spirit Sometimes the holy Ghost doth work them in us upon the true sight and sense of our sins and thereby moves us to make our peace with God by true repentance according to this of the Prophet o Isa 55. 6 7 Seek ye the Lord while he may be found call ye upon him while he is near Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon The holy Ghost doth also work thus in our hearts upon the sense of our wants and necessities and upon the sense of our afflictions and tribulations to humble our souls before God that our hearts may be prepared to seek his love and favour by fervent prayer Thus saith the Prophet p Isa 26. 16. Lord in trouble have they visited thee they powred out a prayer when thy chastening was upon them If we do duly consider these thiogs and ponder well upon them in our hearts it will teach us highly to prize that time which God doth lend us here in this life for the gain of Grace that hereafter we may attain to eternall happinesse in the kingdom of heaven also not to refuse any offer of Grace that God shall make unto us First because oâ—r time is short and momentany and we know not how long we shall enjoy it Secondly because our little time is transitory and passeth swiftly away and we cannot recall one moment that is gone Thirdly because it is the time which God hath appointed for Grace and the time of his gracious acceptation Fourthly because the eternall salvation both of our souls and bodies dependeth upon this short time of our life Lastly if we lose any opportunity of grace that God doth give us we shew great unthankfulnesse to God and we know not whether he will give us another opportunity for it Wherefore we should not spend our time idly or unprofitably but we must with all care and diligence improve it to those ends for which God hath given it to make our calling and election sure by faith in Christ to make our peace with God whom we have offended and to regain his love and favour when we have lost the apprehension of it by our sins Many heavenly comforts we shall finde if we listen to Gods call and receive Grace when he doth offer it First God will be found of us if we seek him with pure affections and in the uprightnesse of our hearts Secondly he
will hear our supplications and prayers if they proceed from a true sense of the want of what we pray for Thirdly he will succour and comfort us in our sorrowes and distresses if we cry unto him in the true apprehension of our own misery Lastly such is the goodnesse of God that he will incline our will and put holy desires into our hearts to seek the light of his countenance when we are prepared for it by true humiliation and sorrow for our sins for then he will hear our prayers he will grant our requests and will graciously accept us though our sins had formerly moved him to hide himself from us Consider further that the principall meanes of grace is by Jesus Christ our Saviour by whose righteousnesse we are justified by whose grace we are sanctified and by the merite of whose blood we are saved so that without Christ we can neither come into grace and favour with God neither can any sanctifying and saving graces be wrought in us to make us capable of salvation Now God hath appointed the sincere Preaching of his Word to be a special meanes to reveal Christ perfectly and fully to us and to work faith in us whereby we are knit and united unto Christ from whom all other sanctifying and heavenly graces do plentifully flow and they are conveyed to us by the operations of the holy Ghost Thus saith the Apostle q Rom. 10. â—7 Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God and it bringeth in with it all other spirituall Graces For the Word of God containeth in it whatsoever is needful to salvation and there is no grace but we may attain to it by this meanes if the holy Ghost doth accompany the administration of it to bring it close to our hearts God hath also other meanes which he useth for the working of grace in us and to bring us home when we go astray from him for every blessing that we receive every affliction that he sendeth and every motion of his Spirit that we feel is a call from God and a meanes that conduceth to the gain of some grace or other His blessings should stir us up to glorifie God with our praises and thankfulnesse r Rom. 2. 4. his goodnesse should lead us to repentance and his love to us should binde us to love him again also the sorrowes and miseries that we suffer in this life should teach us godly sorrow for our sins and patience under the crosse they should humble us and bring us to true repentance and newnesse of life so likewise every motion of his holy Spirit should move us to obedience and to conformity of will to the will of God and the dayly experience we have of Gods care over us should teach us to confide in God and to rest and depend upon him in all conditions of life whatsoever These and the like means God doth use to quicken up those graces that lye languishing in us and are as dead to our apprehension and also to make us seek unto him for his grace and favour which is sufficient to support us in all our tryalls and distresses These heavenly motions of the holy Ghost is Gods still voice which should make deep impression in our hearts because he doth thereby immediatly from himself reveal his will and pleasure to us what we ought to do to which holy inspirations we ought to yield our willing obedience though it be irksome to our nature and crossing the unregenerate part of our will as to repent and to leave a darling sin which we have long nourished in our bosomes This is a time when we may gain the grace and favour of God if we are ready to listen to this voice and cheerfully to obey it Wherefore this ought to be our care to imbrace any meanes or opportunity that God shall tender to us for grace because it is Gods time of grace and he will second his own time and his own meanes with a blessing if we imbrace it but if we will be feasting when we should fast and pray or rejoicing when we should mourn and weep we do then discover too much disobedience and rebellion against the will of God Now we ought to examine our selves how we have profited under the meanes of grace how the Word of God hath wrought upon our hearts and affections what heavenly graces have been wrought in us by it or by any of Gods holy Ordinances and what spirituall comfort we have found by them Also we ought to examine what thankfulnesse we have returned to God for his blessings what sorrow of heart we have had for our sins how we have been humbled under the crosse what reformation of life Grace hath wrought in us how we have obeyed the holy motions of Gods Spirit and how we have been ravished in soul with earnest desires to do the will of God If we have lived long under a powerfull Ministery and yet have gained little or no knowledge of Christ and of the truth and no faith or saving grace is wrought in us by the power of it we have then lost so much time of grace and we have not improved the meanes of grace to our best advantage nor to the right end as God hath appointed which is to gain grace for the spiritual good of our souls Wherefore let these be the Meditations of our hearts how to improve the time and the meanes of Grace to the right end that we may be found good stewards and profitable servants to our Lord and Master Jesus Christ by that gain which we shall make of grace in this little stock of time which he hath given us in this life For the more time and the more meanes of grace we do enjoy the more fruits of grace we must bring forth or else we shall be unprofitable servants If we improve our time for grace as we ought we shall gain the love and favour of God in Christ our hearts will be seasoned with all spirituall graces and our conversation will be in heaven while we live here upon earth for we shall live a gracious and a comfortable life now and a glorious and blessed life hereafter Also let this be the true desire of our souls to redeem the time of grace that we have lost and to improve the meanes of grace to more profit that the fruits of it may appear in our obedience to Gods Commandements in our zeal to the true worship and service of God and in our care to walk in all piety and vertue which we may the better do if we daily addresse our selves to God by faithfull prayer for the gracious assistance of his holy Spirit herein In the last place we must consider that though God doth give us time and meanes for grace yet we cannot attain unto it without the speciall working of the Spirit of grace in us for he must put a spirituall light into our understandings he must open our hearts and
from the Lords own mouth that it is the property of a good shepheard t Ezec. 34. 3 4 to feed the flock to strengthen the diseased to heal the sick to bind up that which is brokâ—n to bring again that which is driven away to seek that which is lost and to protect his flock from the danger of the wolf Isaiah did prophesie thus of Christ u Isa 40. 11 He shall feed his flock like a shepheard he shall grather the lambs with his arm and carry them in his bosome and shall gently lead those that are with young This tender care Christ hath over every lamb and every sheep that belongeth to his fould If we are then his sheep u Ioh. 10. 3 4. we know his voice we will hear it we will follow him and obey his voice Thus saith David x Iâ—sal 23. the Lord is my shepheard I shall not want If the Lord be our shepheard then surely our shepheard is the Lord Iehovah under whose shadow we shall be preserved and from whom we shall receive all sweet consolation and refreshing Thus saith the Lord by his Prophet y Eze. 34. 23 And I will set up one shepheard over them and he shall feed them even my servant David which is Christ the Lord. Fourthly Christ is resembled z Rev. 2 2. 2. to the tree of life which did bear twelve manner of fruits and yielded her fruit every moneth and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the Nations Now then a Cant. 2. 3. if we sit down under the shadow of this tree we shall find great pleasure and delight we shall be preserved from the heat of Gods wrath we shall be refreshed thereby in the scorching heat of afflictions and fiery tryals and under this shadow the burning heat of our sinful lusts will be cooled and asswaged If we feed upon the fruit of this tree by faith which is the body of Christ crucified upon the Cross and his blood powred out it will be sweet and pleasant to our spiritual tast b Iohn 6. 5â— for it will â—e the bread of life to make us live for ever c Ioh. 4. 14. and his blood will be a fountain of living water which will spring up in us unto euerlasting life The leaves of this tree are his gracious promises which will heal and cure all the spiritual diseases and wounds that our sins have made in our souls if we do apply them to every particular wound by faith Lastly Christ is resembled to a bridegroom and then the whole Church of God and every true believer is his spouse and his bride That is that which Iohn the Baptist said d Iohn 3. 29 He that hath the bride is the bridegroom which he then spake of Christ Now there is a wonderful joy and rejoicing between the bridegroom and the bride and the Prophet expresseth Gods rejoicing over his people by this mutual joy that is between them e Isa 62. 5 As the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride so shall thy God rejoice over thee Who can describe the perfect love of Jesus Christ to his spouse who can declare the loving affections of the bridegroom towards his bride what excellent benefits doth he bestow upon her of his own bounty and grace without any of her deservings though she hath many spots blemishes yet he will not forsake her but will sanctifie her and make her holy chast and pure fit to be his spouse being adorned with his own ornaments of grace This doth evidently appear in that excellent song of Solomon where the admirable love of Christ to his spouse is expressed and also the intire affection of the Church unto him This is Christ our gracious Redeemer and these are some of the heavenly comforts that we shall enjoy by him if we can imbrace him by faith as our blessed Saviour and bridegroom of our souls We may now draw much comfortable matter from these several resemblances of Christ for the strengthning of our weak faith and for the supporting of our drooping spirits also they will afford us excellent matter for our instruction to teach us how to demean our selves towards him and where to find true comfort in time of need If we are branches of this vine we shall draw grace and vertue from him to make us fruitful in all good works to walk uprightly before God and to live comfortable in what estate or condition soever we be If Christ be our head we will be directed by him in all our wayes we will seek unto him for protection against all our enemies for preservation from all casualties and dangers and for deliverance out of all our troubles also that we may receive from him some influence of spiritual grace without which we cannot move one step toward heaven If Christ be our shepheard then we must be harmless and meek as his lambs our ear must be open to his voice we must follow him and none but him f Psa 2. 2. 3 for he will make us to lye down in green pastures he will lead us forth beside the waters of comforts and will bring us forth in the paths of righteousness and will also plentifully provide for us though his rod of correction or his staffe be upon us yet they shall be for our great benefit and consolation So likewise if we can shroud our selves by faith under the shadow of this tree of life it will greatly refresh our souls and we may find cure for all our spiritual diseases by applying the promises of the Gospel and the merit of Christs sufferings to our selves by faith But above all if we can feed upon the blessed fruit of this tree by faith in the hearing of the Word preached in the worthy receiving of the Lords Supper and in our devout and zealous meditations on Christ crucified for us it will nourish us up to eternal life Lastly if we are betrothed unto Christ by faith he will then rejoyce over us to do us good he will make us pure and holy and will hide all our deformities of sin under the robe of his own righteousness out of Gods sight and will adorne us with his own spiritual and heavenly graces that we may be lovely in his sight and fit to be wedded unto him for ever hereafter in the Kindome of heaven We are also bound by vertue of this our union to love Christ with pure affections to honour him above all and to keep our selves from spiritual fornication thaâ— the may delight in us to do us good and never to leave and forsake us The consideration of these things is well worthy our serious and devout meditations because hereby we shall the better know Christ our Redeemer and we shall draw neerer into communion with him who is the fountain of all true consolation and the onely meritorious cause of our salvation by that redemption which he hath wrought for us This knowledge of
Christ is above all humane wisdom and therefore g 1 Cor. 2. 1 2. Paul came not to the Corinthians with excellency of speech or of wisedome to declare unto them the testimony of God For he determined not to know any thing among them save Iesus Christ and him crucified Wherefore if we can gain this heavenly knowledge by our studies and meditations of Christ we have enough to make our soules gracious here and eternally blessed hereafter Of Christs Prophetical Office NOw we come to the several offices of Christ from whence we may draw some profitable matter for our instruction and for our comfort And in the first place God ordained him to be a Prophet according as the Lord said unto Moses a Deut. 18. 18. I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren like unto thee and will put my words in his mouth and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him This is that great prophet of the Lord Christ Jesus who had not his Prophetical gift by divine revelation as all the Prophets had but it was inherent in him and he had it from his own divine nature and by his own power and therefore he needed not that any thing should be revealed unto him Christ gave some manifestation of this his office by way of prophesie b Luc. 21. for he foretold the destruction of the Temple c Luke 19. 43 44. the great desolation that should shortly come upon Jerusalem d Lu. 21. 25 and also the signs which shall be before the day of Judgement likewise he foretold e Mat. 20. 18 19. what should be done to himself in his passion f Mat. 26. 34 and how shamefully Peter should deny him and not a word that proceeded out of his mouth could fall to the ground but must be fulfilled in due time because g Joh. 14. 5 he that was the Truth did speak it He h Joh. 2. 24 25. did know the secrets of every mans heart he knew who believed in him and who did not and also what mischief his enemies intended against him for nothing could be hidden from him Christ hath given some glimps of his Prophetical gift to his Ministers to foresee the judgements of God that will fall upon a Nation or people if they are above measure sinfull and will not be reclaimed nor brought to repentance but Christ by his own preaching hath now put an end to the gift of Prophesie ordinarily If it be so that every word which Christ hath spoken must be fulfilled how ought we to fear and tremble at his threatnings how careful should we be to make our peace with him by sound repentance and turning unto God before he puts in execution what he hath threatned also how comfortable are his promises which in their time shall be performed if we rest upon them by faith how can any affliction or sorrow tire if we rest upon a promise of succour from Christ and how can we despair of our salvation if we do believe that Christ hath perfectly wrought our redemption and hath made our peace with God his Father Also if it be so that Christ doth see by his divine nature into the secrets of all hearts we ought to be vigilant and careful to keep our hearts cleansed and purified from the guilt of sinne into the blood of Christ by the dayly renewing of our faith and true repentance that no darling sin may be cherished there for he can see it and find it out But this was not the chief end that Christ did intend in this his office for he was anointed by the holy Ghost at his Baptism to preach the Gospel of peace according to this prophesie of him i Isa 61. Luc. 4. 18. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek he hath sent me to bind up the broken hearted to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to them that are bound to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord c. Christ did execute the part of his Prophetical office in the whole course of his Ministry and k Mat. 7. 28 29. the people were astonished at his doctrine for l Luc. 4. 32 his word was with power and he taught them as one having authority His whole doctrine was pure and divine it was directed to the manifestation of his heavenly Fathers will and to the regulating of our sinful lives according to Gods commandements which he comprehended in this short sum m Mat. 22 37. 39 Thou shalt love the Lâ—rd thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind and thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self Christ did rightly interpret the moral Law and freed it from the false glosses of the Pharisees for whereas that commanded onely external obedience to the commandements according to their interpretation of them as not to kill not to commit actual adultery and the like n Mat. 5. his doctrine addeth internal observation as not to speak angry words to our neighbours hurt not to lust and the like And whereas the ceremonial Law commanded to offer up a sheep or an oxe for our sins the doctrine of Christ doth instruct us to offer up a broken and a contrite heart that our sins may be washed away in the blood of Christ by faith and to purpose and resolve the reformation of our sinful lives Christs doctrine tended wholly to the perfect service of God to draw our minds from the vanities of this world and to set our affections upon the Kingdom of heaven Also it tended to the depression of our spiritual pride to the mortification of our sinful appetites and to the stiring up of our heavenly cogitations to peace of conscience tranquillity of mind purity of body and the comfort of our soule in brief his doctrine did contain whatsoever is necessary to salvation for he did reveal the whole counsel of God As the doctrine of Christ was divine and heavenly so his whole life and conversation was exactly sutable thereunto for it was most upright and holy and a lively table wherein was expressed the perfection of his doctrine This may teach all the Ministers of his word to frame their lives according to the purity of their doctrine that their good example may confirm their doctrine and be a pattern for others to follow Christ doth still execute this part of his Prophetical office in his Ministers by the preaching of his Word and the vertue and power of his Spirit doth also joyn with their continual preaching to make it powerful for edification and instruction and effectual to salvation Wherefore our hearts and affections must be sanctified and seasoned with grace and our eares must be spiritually bored when we come to hear the Word of God preached and we must faithfully pray that his Spirit would accompany the
conceive no hope of forgivness without Christ for Christ onely must procure our pardon and bring us again into the love and favour of God Of Christs Kingly Office GOd did likewise ordain Christ to be a King according as he spake by David a Ps 2. 6 â— I have set my King upon my holy hill of Sion Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee The Angel also that was sent to the Virgin Mary told her b Luc. 1. 31 32 33. that she should conceive in her womb and bring forth a Son and should call his name Iesus who should be great and should be called the Son of the highest and the Lord God should give unto him the throne of his father David and he should reign over the house of Jacob for ever and of his Kingdome there should be no end But Christ came not to be a temporal King upon earth but to be a spiritual and heavenly King to over-rule and subdue all the enemies of his Church and to rule and reign in the hearts of all his elect by his Spirit for thus he saith of Pilate c Ioh. 28. 36 My Kingdome is not of this world Notwithstanding he did shew some apparant signs of his regal power and authority when he was upon earth d Mar. 8. 27. for he stilled the boysterous winds and raging seas by his command e Mar. 5. he cast out devils by his own authority f Mat. 28. 6. he triumphed victoriously over death hell and the devil by his resurrection from the dead g Act. 1. 8. and by his glorious ascension up into heaven Christ was a King from eternity h Col. â— 18. and God made him the head of his Church at his ascension in the same nature as he was our Mediatour God and man to preserve and defend it from all adversary power and to rule and govern it by his word and spirit in righteousness and in truth Thus doth Christ still execute his Kingly office by setting up his Kingdome of grace in our hearts by restraining the power of the devil and by giving us a gracious ability to stand against all his temptations and wicked suggestions Also Christ by his regal power in us doth weaken and beat down the power of all our sinful lusts and evil concupisence and of whatsoever rebelleth against his Spirit and he boweth our will by the powerful operation of the holy Ghost to yeild him ready obedience as our King and Governour and so to prepare us by the vertue and power of his grace that at length he may bring us to his eternal Kingdom of glory Christ is i Eze. 7. 22 23 that highest branch of that cedar spoken of by the Prophet who came of that holy line by succession from Adam to Abraham and so to David and then to the Virgin Mary and he was of the same nature with that tree but without sinne him did God crop off by his death and did plant it again at his ascension upon an high mountain and eminent when he made him the head of his Church which became a goodly cedar by the promulgation of his Gospel under whose boughs every true Believer shall have protection from dangers comfort in their tribulations and refreshment for their dejected spirits and sorrowful souls none are exempted from Christ but all fowl of every wing both Jew and Gentile shall dwell in the shadow of the branches of this cedar they shall be comforted and protected k 1 King 19 4 5 6 7. as Elijah was from the rage and fury of Iezebell when he sat under the Iuniper tree they shall be preserved from eminent dangers l Judg. 4. as Deborah was from Siseraes great host m Dan. 6. 22 and as Daniel was from the Lions and as many more of the servants of God have been preserved in their greatest perils Iohn calls this goodly cedar n Rev. 22. 2. the tree of life whose leaves are for the healing of the Nations for they have a soveraign vertue to heal and cure all the spiritual diseases of our souls if we can rightly apply to our selves by a true faith the promises of the Gospel and the merits of Christ crucified for us We need not then fear the power or malice of our spiritual enemies or the dangers that are incident to us in this life if we can shroud our selves under the shadow of this tree Here is great consolâ—tion for our poor souls against the condemnation of sinne the fierceness of Gods wrath the fear of death and against the devil who hath the power of death because Christ is our King our head and a tree of life to us to comfort us in all our miseries to strengthen us against all the assaults of the devil to cure us of all the wounds that sinne hath made in our souls to shelter us from the wrath of God and to bring us to eternal life Though o Rev. â—8 16 Christ be King of Kings and Lord of Lords and hath the command over all created power and principalities yet when he was in the flesh he did vail the glory of his Deity with our nature and laid aside his regal power and authority p Phil. 3. 7 8 and made himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of a servant he humbled himself and became obedient unto death even the death of the Cross and the more he suffered the more did his innocency appear and the greater was his honour in the conquest that he got over all his enemies that he might strengthen us in our sufferings with assured hope of a glorious victory over all our spiritual enemies though sometimes we may be foyled by them and also to comfort us in all sadness of spirit and in whatsoever we shall suffer for his Names sake It is no dishonour to us to be made like unto Christ our head though it be as he was in the lowest degree of his humiliation when he was made the scorn of men q 2 Tim. 2. 12. for if we suffer with him we shall also reign with him he hath gone before us in the same steps to make the rugged path of afflictions plain and smooth to us r Jam. 4. 7. If we resist the devil with the shield of faith Christ our King will make him flie from us If we cease not to labour and strive against our sins and corruptions though our natural strength cannot overcome them yet Christ will give us strength of grace in his good time to subdue them for he will not suffer any enemy to overthrow his Kingdome of grace if once it be planted in our hearts but he will keep and defend it from the spoilers and though the devil doth take advantage of our sins and thereby seeketh to root out that spiritual seed of grace which is in us yet he shall never prevail for it is grounded upon an immortal foundation which cannot
be overthrown it may be shaken with his boistrous and violent temptation but it shall never be cast down because our faith is built upon a sure rock which is Christ Iesus our King and head If sorrows and crosses breaks in upon us which we could not prevent nor avoid we need not fear for we shall see the salvation of Christ either in our strength and patience to bear them meekly or in our deliverance out of them or else he will sanctifie them to our good We need not cark and care for the things of this life but when we have done our best indeavour in an honest and lawful calling we must leave the event and success to God which peculiarly belongeth unto him and then he will have a care of us Å¿ Deut. 8. 3. for man liveth not by bread onely but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord. t Luc. 12. 24 God feedeth the young ravens when they cry unto him then much more will he feed us for it is part of his Kingly office to provide all things that are needful for those that belong unto him Shall not the head provide for the members of the same body and shall not Christ provide for us who have neerer relation to him by faith Now try and examine thy self search into thine own soul to see if Christ hath set up his scepter of righteousness in thy heart to bear rule in thine affections to regulate thy crooked and perverse will and to bring unto his subjection whatsoever resisteth or rebelleth against the Spirit of grace If thou dost find the fruits of sanctifying grace in thee then make a further scrutiny to see unto what measure of grace thou hast attained What corruption hath it mortified in thee what strong holds of sinful lusts hath it beaten down how is the body of sinne dismembred and weakned how strong is thy faith to rest and depend upon Christ in all difficulties and dangers canst thou joyfully bear the scandal of the Cross canst thou meekly bear the loss of thy friends of thy liberty or estate for his sake hast thou faith and patience to suffer afflictions persecution sword or famine for him and canst thou resist unto blood if Christ thy King shall call thee to it then it is an evident sign that his Kingdome of grace is well established in thy heart and hereafter thou shalt have a large inheritance in his Kingdome of glory Pet. 1. 10 Wherefore give all diligence to make thy calling and election sure that thou mayest be invested into his Kingdome of grace here which will bring thee hereafter to eternal blessedness in the Kingdome of heaven Now set thy mind and the meditations of thy heart upon Christ as he is thy King and resolve with an holy resolution to submit thy self to his rule and government to be directed by him in all thy wayes and to expres thy thankfulnes to him for his great care of thee who by his divine providence disposeth all things for thy good If troubles and calamities follow thee like the billowes of the Sea Christ will calm them if they are ready to overwhelm thee then even then will Christ take thee by the hand u Mat. 14. 31 as he did Peter upon the sea and will keep thee from sinking If God looks angerly upon thee for thy sinnes Christ will appease his wrath and make intercession for thee If death looks upon thee with a grim countenance and is ready to bereave thee of thy soul and to expose thy body to the worms yet know with holy Iob x Iob 19. 25 that thy Redeemer liveth also y Luc 6. 22. that he will give his Angels charge to carry thy soul up into Abrahams bosom and at length he will raise up thy body out of the dust and will make it a glorious and incorruptible body fit to live and raign with him for ever Thus and much more will Christ do for all those that have any relation to him by faith or that belong to his spiritual Kingdom for the honour of his great Name and for the eternal good of his Church Of the Passion of Christ. VVHen Christ had finished his Prophetical office in his Ministry and had wrought so many miracles as seemed good to his divine wisdome the time was then come that he must offer up a sacrifice to God for our redemption which was his whole humane nature soul and body for our sins then a Rom. 4. 25. God delivered him up to the power of the devil and into the hands of his enemies for our offences because the guilt of all our siâ—nes was charged upon him For before this very time neither the devil nor his deadly enemies had any power against him this was the time which God had decreed in his secret counsel that Christ should submit himself to their malice and power that the work which God had sent him to do might be finished and when that work was perfectly wrought then God delivered him out of their power by his resurrection and ascension Wherefore we ought to prepare our hearts for holy and devout meditations upon the Passion of Christ which was most bitter to his humane nature because the wrath of God was poured out upon him for our sins and the powers of darkness were let loose against him like so many wolves to worry this immaculate Lamb of God or like so many fierce mastifes against the Lion of the Tribe of Iuda but the innocency of Christ did carry him through his whole Passion and by his own power he overcame the sury of all his enemies though they were permitted to torment and torture him at their pleasure even to the death Christ suffered nothing for himself but it was for all those that were of the election of grace the guilt of whose sins he did take upon himself and to pay their debt to satisfie the penalty of the Law for them by his death and the justice of God by the merit of his blood also it was to cloth them with his own righteousness that they might be justified in the sight of God Therefore let no circumstance of his Passion pass without due consideration b Lam. 1. 12 Behold and see if there be any sorrow like unto his sorrow which was done unto him wherewith the Lord hath afflicted him in the day of his fierce anger How was the perfection of beauty stained How was the Sun of righteousnesse clouded How was the bright morning starre darkned How was the Lord of glory contemned blasphemed scorned and spightfully used How was perfect holiness and innocency accused rejected condemned cruelly tormented and most shamefully killed And how was Truth it self despised and troden under foot Can we think upon his Passion without tears and mourning if we belong unto him Can we ruminate upon it and not accuse and condemn our selves who were the cause why he suffered these things and much
God that doth purge our consciences from dead works to serve the living God Also Iohn saith g Rev. 1. 7 that the blood of Christ the Son of God clenseth us from all sinne so that no spots no staines no guilt of sinne shall cleave to our souls to our condemnation and as he in himself according to his divine nature was infinite so the price which he paid at his Passion for our redemption was of infinite worth and the benefits that we receive by him are likewise infinite If we are clensed from the guilt of all our sins by the blood of Christ then the sting which sin hath put into all things that we possesse is taken away and we may comfortably use them to the glory of God and Christ by his resurrection and ascension hath sanctified them to us for our good riches shall not make us proud or ambitious nor steal away our hearts from God want and penury shall not make us repine or murmur against the providence of God to make us forsake him but all things shall work together for our good death shall not be terrible but advantage to us and we shall sleep quietly in our graves until the general resurrection because no guilt of sinne will lie down with us in the dust to follow us unto Judgement Though sinne hath wounded our souls i Mal. 4. 2. yet if we fear his Name the Sun of righteousness shall arise with healing in his wings to cure it for k Luc. 10. 34. Christ like the good Samaritan will pour in wine and oyl to clense and heal it Though sinne doth sometimes over-power us yet Christ by vertue of his death will subdue and kill it in us and by the power of his resurrection he will quicken us up to newness of life and he will make our unruly passions and sinful desires to be tributary and servants to us by the power of his Spirit and of his sanctifying grace l Iosh 9. 23. as Ioshua made the Gibeonites hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of God Lastly m 1 Thes 1. 10. Christ hath delivered us by his Passion from the wrath to come and from all the punishments that are due to us for our sins Christ did not begin his Passion until he had fulfilled all righteousness in his life and doctrine that the Law required though his whole life was a life of suffering and of sorrow But when he knew that the time was at hand when he must offer up his body a sacrifice to God for the sinnes of the world n Mat. 26. 21 he told his disciples that one of them should betray him into the hands of his enemies o Joh. 16. 32 that they all should be scattered from him and also what he should suffer in his Passion notwithstanding he did not shrink from it but did willingly undertake it because it was his Fathers will to have it so Wherefore he did arm himself with divine patience and meekness to suffer whatsoever was appointed in Gods decree should be put upon him and he prepared himself by prayer for that great work This is to teach us to submit with all meekness of spirit to the will of God in all our sufferings how to prepare our selves for them and how to demean our selves in them God hath appointed every man some work to do and when one work is finished he hath another ready for him for God requires that we should be diligent and painful in our callings frequent in holy duties and industrious in his vineyard p Mat. 20. 6 The good Housholder in the Gospel rebuked those that did stand all the day idle q Eze. 16. 49 Idlenesse was one of the sins of Sodom which brought down fire and brimstone from heaven upon it This is one of the properties of a good wife r Pro. 31. 27 that she looketh well to the wayes of her houshold and eateth not the bread of idleness God doth not appoint to every one their work alike for Paul had more work appointed him than any of the Apostles Å¿ 2 Cor. 11. 28. for the care of all the Churches came dayly upon him Abraham had harder work to do when he was to offer up his onely Son to God than any of the Patriarchs If God appointeth much work he will give time to doe it if his work be hard strength and ability to go thorough with it Wherefore if God shall call us to any hard service which is not pleasing to our nature or may seem impossible to humane strength we ought not to consult with flesh and blood what to do but to be obedient to the will and pleasure of God though we can expect no outward help nor support in it for if we rest upon God he knoweth how when to make us able to perform what he commandeth and to bear what he layeth upon us If we believe that God will assist us in his own work we shall set upon it with good courage and Christian fortitude That we may the better do any work that God commandeth we must prepare our selves for it by faithful prayer and then rest upon the assisting grace of God with stedfast hope that he will both help us in it and will bless and prosper our indeavours to his glory and to our comfort Thus we should do every day in the works of our calling but chiefly on the Lords day when we should spend our whole time in his worship and service Now let our hearts faithfully meditate upon the Passion of Christ and upon every particular that he suffered for our sakes and then we shall find the bitterness of it for the wrath of God was in every part of his sufferings and followed him from place to place even to mount Calvary until divine justice was fully satisfied for all our sins then we shall imbrace him with hearty affections and our souls will rest comforted in the assurance of our redemption thereby of Christ's Agony in the garden THe hour is now come when Christ must pay the whole debt to God his Father which he did undertake for us now is the time when the justice of God must be satisfied for our sinnes now doth God deliver up his dear Son to the powers of darkness now doth he cloud the bright beams of his glorious countenance from him and leaves him to himself to encounter with the devil because be saw the guilt of all our sins upon him and now doth the devil take a double advantage against our dear Saviour and with all his power and malice he doth fiercely set upon him in a single combate thinking now to prevail because God did seem to discountenance him and also because there was sin and that very great which was laid to his charge for the guilt of all the detestable and abominable sinnes of all the elect of God was imputed to him and the devil knew how odious and
he smote him with his sword and he died n 2 Sam. 13. 28 29. Thus treacherously did Absalom kill his brother Amnon when he invited him to a feast in his own house The Disciples did little think that Judas betrayed his Master when he came and saluted him with a kiss but Christ knew it who is the searcher of all hearts and none but he could know it for he knew what he had done with the Rulers what compact and bargain he had made with them and what he did further purpose and intend to doe and therefore he said unto him o Luke 22. 4◠Judas betrayest thou the Son of man with a kisse Thus saith a reverent Divine It is a special cunning of the devill and it is full of danger to put a smiling and an alluring countenance upon his baits as he doth by his temptations of profit and gain which like unseen bullets wound and kill before they are discerned or like the viper that putting us to no pain brings us into a pleasing slumber of security which endeth in the dead sleep of death and condemnation For prosperity and worldly allurements hide hostility under the pretence of friendship and makes us love the weapons that hurt us and to refuse the meanes whereby we may be cured and these make conquest not onely of our power and strength but also of our hearts wills and affections and they retain us in a voluntary servitude having no desire to come out of this pleasing bondage or to recover our liberty though the meanes be offered to us This is the policy and subtle cunning of the devil to beguile poor soules with such fair pretences for in their smiles and fawnings he doth secretly attempt their ruine and destruction Consider further p Mat. 10. 1 8. that when Jesus sent forth his twelve Disciples to preach he gave unto them all power against unclean spirits to cast them out to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease to cleanse the lepers and to raise the dead they had freely received these gifts of him and therefore they should freely dispense them Judas had the same power and received the same gifts with the rest of the Disciples but because his heart was not seasoned with sanctifying grace though he did cure others yet he could not cure himself and though q 1 Cor. 9. 29. he did preach to others yet he himself was a cast-away he had the gift of preaching but not the grace of preaching he had faith to work miracles but not the grace of faith unto justification and to rest and confide in Christ for his salvation These gifts of the holy Ghost are sometimes given to unregenerate men and yet they are no whit neerer to the Kingdome of Heaven Wherefore let no man rest secure of his salvation because he hath such excellent gifts for except the holy Ghost doth conferre sanctifying grace with his gifts they will not be effectuall to salvation We may have the gift of prayer of temperance of continency of patience and of all morall vertues and yet if we have not the grace of prayer that we can pray in faith and the grace of all other vertues as being the fruits of faith they will not be acceptable to God nor profitable to us for the salvation of our soules Wherefore if God hath given us the gifts of his Spirit and the meanes of grace we ought to use his gifts to his glory and to improve the meanes of grace for the sanctifying of his gifts unto us that we may 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to eternal life Let this be our dayly study and constant care to inrich our soules with true saving grace and then the devill cannot so easily undermine us and we shall be so watchful over our wayes that no iniquity shall cleave to our souls For if the devill can fasten any one sin upon us he will soon link another sin to that and will draw us on from sin to sin untill they make a strong chain which will pull us down into the pit of destruction unlesse we break every link of this chain with true repentance Also if we be thus watchful it will keep us from security and from presuming upon our own strength in times or places of danger r Psa 119. 37. and we shall turn our eyes from beholding vanity and refuse the false favours which the world doth promise us for the fear of God will be alwayes before our eyes and then we may be confident ſ Psa 91. 11 that God will give his Angels charge over us to keep us in all our wayes lest at any time we dash our feet against a stone or least we stumble at those blocks which the devill layeth in our way t Mat. 26. 41. Christ hath commanded us to watch and pray that we enter not into temptation u Eph. 6. 13. and he hath given us spiritual armour and weapons of defence which we must take unto our selves that we may be able to resist in the evill day Let us learn u Psa 58. 5. the wisdome of the Serpent by stopping our eares against their charming perswasions and by suspecting most their malicious attempts when with greatest shew of love they smile and fawn upon us We must now consider by the example of Judas that unlesse the Spirit of God doth accompany the use of all his holy Ordinances we may outwardly partake of them but we shall not inwardly be edified by them neither shall we find any spiritual consolation in the use of them because there is no efficacious working of the holy Ghost in our hearts the outward man may be affected for the present but the inward man cannot be edified for there will be no illumination wrought in the understāding to conceive rightly of heavenly things no true conformity in the will to the will of God no holy zeal in the heart and affections and no pious Reformation will be wrought in the life and conversation x 2 The 〈◊〉 2. All men have not faith as saith the Appostle all men do not profit by the meanes of salvation and all men are not edified by the preaching of the Word of God We may joyn with the Congregation in hearing in praying in singing of Psalmes some shall receive comfort and instruction others shall receive no benefit thereby we may also partake with them in the Lords Supper and we may feed our bodies with the outward Elements in that Sacrament but we shall never feed and nourish our souls to eternal life with that spirituall Grace which is signified by them except our hearts are prepared to receive it through the sanctification of the Spirit we may eat and drink the Bread and Wine but we cannot eat and drink the Body and Blood of Christ but onely by faith our souls may languish and starve for want of heavenly food and nourishment if the milk of Gods word and this spirituall food
be not conveyed to our hearts by faith as it iâ— to the ear and to the hand by the Minister also if the holy Ghost doth not give us a spirituall appetite to it that our heartâ— may spiritually feed upon it it will not be the sweet savour of life unto life unto us but rather the savour of death unto death If the devill can bereave us of the benefites that come by the meanes of Grace and make us lose the opportunity of it and can keep us from the true knowledge of God and of his Son Jesus Christ as he did Judas he will then lead us on in a sinful and wicked course of life until he doth bring us to eternal perdition Thus by degrees he brought Judas from infidelitie to hardness of heart after he had taken possession of him until at last he fell into despair and became his own executioner for his damnable treason against his Lord and Master for presentlie after he hanged himself y Act. 1. 8. he burst asunder in the midst and all his bowels gushed out Thus did God give him his just reward for his horrible sin and impiety against Christ and yet he was one of his Disciples and had as much means of grace as the rest had and also as many common and external gifts of the Spirit as they had and did see the great works that Christ had done And thus will God shew his justice and judgements upon impenitent and notorious offenders that are so hardned in their sins that no meanes of Grace can bring them to Repentance Now examine thy self thou that dailie seest the wonderful works of God if thou canst look beyond nature and see his power and wise providence in them if thou canst discern the finger of God when great men are brought down and men of low degree are exalted also if thou canst see how God will bring to pass his own designs against all opposition of wicked men and that he can discover the hellish plots and maginations of the Devil and his instruments z Plal. 7. 15. and will make them fall into the same pit which they have digged for others a Esth 1. 10. as he did unto wicked Haman If thou seest these and the like things come to pass thou must believe that it is the work of God for his own glory and the good of his Church Peter did see the great works of Christ he did believe that they were wrought by the power of his divine nature Judas did also see the same works but he could not discern the divinity of Christ in them If thy condition be like unto that of Peter that thou canst see a divine power in the great works that are wrought here upon earth and that God by his wisdom and providence can dispose of all the troublesome chances and changes that happen here either in Church or State to his own glory to the good of his people and to the confusion of his and their enemies then thou doest rightlie understand the waies of God by a spiritual illumination that is in thy heart But if with Judas thou canst no discern Gods divine power in his works on earth to over-rule all adversarie power b Psal 2. 2. though they rage in fury and take counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed then thine understanding is blinded and thou liest open to all kind of dangers and distractions of mind Search again into thine own heart thou that livest where the Gospel of Christ is sincerely preached and his holie Sacraments rightlie and duly administered and examine thy self with what affections thou doest come to those holie Ordinances of God what grace is wrought in thee and how thy faith is strengthened by them how much sin is weakned and how thy life is reformed Also examine what spiritual life thou hast what fruits it doth bring forth what care thou hast to nourish it by thy profitable hearing of the Word of God and by thy worthy receiving of the Lords Supper if thou canst give a good account that thou hast spent thy time profitably and hast improved the means of grace to the best advantage then thou art a faithful servant to thy Lord and Master Jesus Christ as Peter was But if this heavenlie food will not please thy palate it cannot nourish and comfort thy soul because thou hast some secret corruptions or some beloved sin that keeps the sweet influence of grace from thy heart and then thou wilt reap as little benefit by the Word of God and by his holie Ordinances as wretched Judas did though he heard Christ himself preach to him Surely God doth still send down this heavenlie Manna blessed be his holie name for it and thou maiest gather it for the nourishment and comfort of thy soul if thou wilt but if thou canst find no spiritual sweetness in it thy taste is not then spiritual but it is dulled with worldly cares or sinful pleasures which must be purged out of thy heart by the blood of Christ before thou canst with Peter take pleasure and delight to hear the words of Christ c John 6. 68 which are the words of eternall life and before thou canst make it the joy of thy heart to meditate on the Statutes of God How canst thou hazard thy life for Christ as Peter did and for the truth of his Gospel if thou art not well instructed and a good proficient in his School And how canst thou live a spirituall life to God if thy heart hath not sucked vertue and power from Christ by faith who is the fountain of this water of life and of this coelestial food to nourish thee up to everlasting life Look now a little upon Peters zeal for his Masters safety he resisted those that came to apprehend him d John 18. 10 11. and smote the high Priests servant but Christ cured the wound and rebuked Peter for it because his zeal was not well grounded for he did endeavour to hinder him in the work which God had appointed him to do concerning mans redemption and therefore Christ said unto him The cup which my father hath given me shall I not drink it This may teach us to drink willingly any cup of affliction that our heavenly Father shall give us for it must needs be good and profitable to us if we receive it from God as from the hand of our Father Also that holy zeal or fervency of spirit in Gods Cause is a duty which he requireth and his servants do practise it yet it must be regulated according to knowledge and to the glory of God for blind zeal will lead us into many errours Davids zeal was rightly regulated e Psal 119. 139. My zeal saith he hath consumed me because thine enemies have forgotten thy words f Num. 25. 11 12. Such was the zeal of Phinehas in the matter of Zimri and Cozby which turned away the wrath of God from the
use the power of Angels for his defence nor his own Divine Power to keep him from their fury and rage for though by the power of his word they were smitten to the ground yet he suffered them to rise again and he did voluntarily put himself into their hands to lead him away whither they would Thus meekly did Christ submit to his Fathers will for he was not of Elijahs fiery spirit m 2 Kings 1 who called for fire from heaven which consumed two captains and their fifties whom king Ahaziah sent to apprehend him The Disciples that were at Cesarea besought Paul with many teares not to go up to Jerusalem because Agabus had Prophesied that there he should be bound and delivered into the hands of the Gentiles yet Paul would not be perswaded but lâ—ke a true Disciple of Christ he answered them thus n Acts 21. 13. What do ye mean to weep and to break mine heart for I am ready not to be bound onely but also to dye at Jerusalem for the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ Look also upon the admirable mildenesse of Christ who gave these friendly and familiar words to that wicked traitor when he came to betray him o Mat. 26 50 Friend Wherefore art thou come And again he said p Luk. 22. 44. Judas betrayest thou the Son of Man with a kisse These milde and gracious words might have mollified his obdurate heart and touched his conscience with remorse if q Rom. 1. 28 God had not given him over to a reprobate minde This is to teach us meeknesse of spirit when our supposed friends prove treacherous and when our kindnesse is spitefully rewarded for we are commanded by Christ himself r Mat. 5 48. to blesse them that curse us to love our enemies to do good to them that hate us and to pray for them that despitefully use us and persecute us As Christ gave us this in precept so likewise he gave it us by his own example But this Doctrine is unpleasing to our corrupted nature and we cannot hear it unlesse Christ doth endow us with his Spirit of meeknesse By the example of these two Disciples we may examine the condition of our own hearts whether there is the seed of grace in us to make us faithfull to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ that we can stick close to him with Peter whatsoever we shall suffer for his sake or the seed of hypocrisie which reacheth onely to the profession of his Name when there is no opposition against it and when it may stand with their own profit and advantage for troubles and persecution will make an hypocrite forsake Christ and hope of lucre will make him change his profession of him as it did Judas We may also learn from hence That to live in a religious family is not sufficient to make a good servant and to injoy the meanes of grace is not sufficient to mak a faithfull Disciple of Christ except the holy Ghost doth change the heart and affections from their sinfull condition to an holy conformity to the will of God Wherefore let this be the Meditation of our hearts to expresse the truth of our graces by our faithfulnesse unto Christ in all our sufferings for him Also so to live in a religious family and so to improve the meanes of grace that some gracious operations of the holy Ghost may be seen upon our hearts and affections by the purity of our lives and conversations What Christ suffered under Caiaphas VVHen Christ was apprehended they brought him bound to Caiaphas the high Priest as if he had been a Malefactor where he was examined a Mat. 26. spit upon buffeted smitten derided and most spitefully used they sought false witnesses against him but found none that did agree one with another notwithstanding he opened not his mouth to complain or to clear his own innocency that this prophesie of him might be fulfilled b Isa 53. 7. He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter and as a sheep before her shearers is dâ—mb so he openeth not his mouth His own Nation the Jews did offer those blasphemous indignities to him for they were ever a rebellious and stiffe-necked people c Ezech. 2. which made the Lord so much and so often to complain of them by his Prophets and they were still maliciously bent against them because they rebuked them of their sins and rebellions against God whereby we may see how neer it comes unto God himself when his own People and they that professe his Name prove disobedient and rebellious to him But they could find no fault with Christ d Joh. 8. 46. they could not convince him of any sin there was no guile ever found in his lips he did miraculously feed the hungry he cured the diseased he cleansed the lepers he cast out the devils he observed the Ceremonies of the Law and paid his tribute unto Caesar and yet their rage and malice against him was full of cruelty because he laid open their grosse hypocrisie and condemned their vain traditions and because he discovered the unfaithfulness of their hearts and the evil of their wayes Such was the wilful blindness of their Rabbies that they would not know Christ nor acknowledge him to be the Messiah that was promised though his doctrine was most pure and powerful and his life sutable thereunto though he had wrought many great miracles among them and though most of their prophets had so plainly fore-told of him which was fulfilled in their dayes for they stumbled at his low condition of life and could not see the excellencies and great worth that was in him Though the wicked Jews did use opprobrious words and blasphemous speeches against our sweet Saviour and though they did disdainfully abuse him and unjustly sought matter against him by false witnesses that they might accuse him before the Romane Governour to put him to death yet he did shew divine patience and gave not the least word of offence to his enemies notwithstanding they did thus strongly provoke him to it If we doe well consider this it will teach us by the example of our gracious Saviour how to demean our selves when we are under the like sufferings Also it will keep us humble minded and lowly not to be puffed up with spiritual pride as the high Priest was for then we shall give the devil great advantage against us he will blind our understandings that we cannot rightly discern that which is holy and just and he will infect our hearts with hypocrisie so that others shall be seduced and beguiled by our outward shew of godlinesse whereas there is no sincerity in our hearts and at last our feigned holinesse will be discovered e 2 Tim. 3. 5 because we content our selves with a form of godliness and regard not to have the power of it in our lives and conversations Who were so proud of their outward holiness as the Scribes and
Pharisees Who were greater hypocrites and did deceive more with their seeming sanctity than they And who were more cruelly and maliciously set against Christ Gods Annointed than they Wherefore we ought to be very careful to keep down that high mindedness which we are prone unto if we are in any eminent place of authority in Church or State or if we have any gifts or endowments of the Spirit above other men f 1 Pet. 5. 5. for God resisteth the proud and giveth grace unto the humble lest hereupon the divel draw us into his snares to dissemble with God in the profession of his Name and also with men in our dealings with them We ought therefore to look well to the integrity of our hearts g Psal 51. 6. for God will be well pleased if he findeth truth and sincerity in the inward parts though there may be weaknesses and failings in the performance of our duties to him Hence it was that Christ did commend Nathanael because there was no guil found in him Now look upon thy beloved Saviour for thy instruction and behold how meekly the Lamb of God standeth among those ravenous wolves who sought to devour him Doth not thy conscience tell thee that the guilt of thy sins was as fewell to kindle their rage and to maintain the fire of their fury against him wert not thou some part of the occasion that he suffered such disgrace such ignominy and such blasphemous reproaches as were cast upon him If thy sins had no relation to Christ in his sufferings thou canst have no benefit thereby if thou dost not firmly believe that the guilt of thy sins was imputed unto Christ and that he suffered for thy sake as well as for all the Elect of God his righteousnesse cannot be imputed to thee his sufferings will profit thee nothing and thou canst have no good assurance that thy sins are washt away in his blood i Ezech. 18. â— but thou hast eaten the sower grapes and his teeth were set on edge thou hast committed the trespasse and he hath suffered the punishment that by his stripes thou maist be healed Wherfore thou hast no means to be justified by the righteousnesse of Christ and to have the remission of thy sins by the merit of his blood but by faith in him if thou canst apply him to thy self also without faith in Christ the wrath of God cannot be turned away from thee and thou canst not comfortably rest upon his promises for thy salvation Christ doth here teach thee meeknesse of spirit when thou art unjustly accused spitefully reviled and shamefully used he doth also teach thee patience when thou art in trouble or in any necessity for he suffered farre more in thy nature to be an example to thee of meeknesse and of patience and to sanctifie all thy sorrows and sufferings to thee Wherefore let not thy love to him be abated because of his troubles but rather increase it the more because he suffered for thy sake and for thy good also let not thy confidence in him be weakened because he is now going to Golgotha which is an uncomfortable place to flesh and blood and be not thou disheartned if thou must go the same way and must follow him in the same steps and to the same place for Christ is gone before to sanctifie both the way and the place to thee and to take away the bitternesse of all thy troubles and crosses and therefore if thou wilt not go up after him to Mount Calvary thou art not worthy to ascend up into heaven to him Wherefor labour for Christian fortitude and an holy resolution that when troubles sorrowes or calamities do come upon thee thy minde may not be dismayed with fear nor thy heart faint with grief if thou must drink of these bitter waters of affliction for his sake Consider now k Mar. 14 62. that Jesus plainly told the high priest that he was the Christ the Son of God and that they should see the Son of Man sitting on the right hand of power and coming in the clouds of heaven whereupon the indignation of the high priest was such that he rent his clothhs he accused him of blasphemy and judged him to be worthy of death His proud spirit could not endure to hear such great things of so poor and silly a man as he conceived Christ to be but he was transported beyond the bounds of sound judgement with a kinde of blinde zeal or rather with furious hatred against Christ for he would not believe his report though he had declared himself so plainly to him according to this of the Prophet l Isa 53. 1. John 12. 38 Lord who hath believed our report and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed This Prophesie of Christ was at this very time fulfilled for now he was brought into such troubles and into such danger of his life that none believed what the Prophets had reported of him or what he did speak of himself his Divine Power was clouded from them he was as a man not able to help himself and his own Disciples staggered in their faith of him at this time This doth often shake the faith of the best of Gods servants when they see the rage of the wicked the perills and dangers that do round beset them and no power appearing to deliver them because God doth not reveal the strength of his arm for their help and succour May we not now justly admire at the incredulity that was in the high Priests heart and at the blindnesse of his understanding who would neither believe the words of Christ nor understand the ancient Prophesies which he knew were then to be fulfilâ—ed concerning the Messiah that was promised which did exactly agree with Christ and could agree with no other but the saying of the Prophet was fulfilled in him m Isa 6 9 10. Go and tell this peoplâ— Hear ye indeed but understand not and see ye indeed but perceive not Make the heart of this people fat and make their â—at 13. 14 15. eares heavy and shut their eyes lest they see with their eyes hear with their eares and understand with their hearts and convert and be healed n Zecha 11. 13. The Prophesie that he should be sold for thirty pieces of silver and that a potters field should be bought with that money was fulfilled before his eyes and yet he would not believe Also Isaiahs Prophesie of Christ was fulfilled at that very time o Isa 53. 3. for then he was despised and rejected of men they hid their faces from him and esteemed him not and yet he would not believe He could not be ignorant what great works Christ had wrought and how powerfull his Preaching was and yet he would not believe but rather this did increase his malice and fury against him The Priests and Elders expected a temporall king to deliver them out of their subjection to the Romanes
ignominy and such blasphemies to be cast upon him and if he could not deliver himself then Peter would bring himself into many perils and dangers if he did acknowledge that he was one of his Disciples and the Priests and Elders would use him far worse than they did his Master Also if Christ had not some way or other offended though Peter did not know it the Priests and Elders would not be so cruellie bent against him These or the like suggestions the Devil did probably cast into Peters mind to increase his fears to weaken his faith and to overthrow that confidence which he had in Christ Thus the sting of that old Serpent went along with the words of a silly damosel which Peter did not suspect and they entered so deep into him that they poysoned his heart with unbelief and made him to denie that he was a follower of Jesus and also he began to curse and swear that he knew him not b Luk. 22 31 32. though Christ had told him that Satan desired to sift him as wheat and that he should thrice deny him before the Cock did crow which was to make him the more watchful over his words and the more careful of himself yet he did dangerously fall from his dear Lord and Master and he had not recovered himself if Christ had not prayed for him that his faith might not fail for he knew that Peter was not able by his own power to withstand such a strong temptation but would be shamefullie foyled in it though he was so confident of his own strength When Peter was in this fearful condition by his great sin through the cunning of the Devil Christ did graciously look back upon him and touched his heart with his Spirit c Mark 14. and made him remember the crowing of the Cock which was the token of remembrance that Christ gave him Then Peter knew how heinously he had sinned and then also he presently went out from that wicked companie to avoid further occasions of sinning and wept bitterly which was a true Testimonie of the sorrow of his heart because he had so grosly denied his dear Master Here we may discover the frailty of the flesh though we be in the state of Grace if God doth not still uphold us with the power of his Grace For our passions will over-power us our sins will prevail against us and every temptation of the Devil will make us let go the Anchor of our Hope in God if we had not the benefit of Christs prayer that our Faith fail not in these our spiritual conflicts Here also we may see what deep impression sudden fear will sometimes make in our hearts for it will sink our Spirits and take away all humane Strength and Courage Thus it was with Josephs Brethren when they found their Mony in their Sacks mouth d Gen. 42. 28. for their heart failed and they were afraid The Canaanites were not able to stand before the Children of Israel e Denr 11. 25. because the Lord did lay the fear of them and the dread of them upon all the Land Sudden fear will also shake the very foundation of our faith and of all other spiritual Graces that are in us as it wrought upon Peter at this time This is an humane Passion that all men are subject unto but a good Conscience and a watchful Eye are the best preservatives against it For as the Psalmist saith f Psal 53. 4 5. The workers of iniquity are in great fear where no fear is because the guilt of their sin lieth upon their Consciences Here also we may discover the policy of the Devil who putteth his Hook into such plausible and harmless Baits as do give us no occasion to suspect any hurt or danger whereby we are easily brought under his power if we have not the assistance of Gods holy Spirit to escape them Wherefore we have great cause to stand continually upon our watch and to suspect our own strength and to be careful what we speak and what we hear what we do and what we see done what steps we tread and what company we come into for there might be much danger where we see no appearance of it Let Peters example keep us from presuming upon our own strength lest God doth permit the Devil to winnow us as Wheat that we may know how weak we â—re without the power of his Grace and to make us afraid of falling into temptations This fear is not slavish but it is an holy and a true filial fear which will keep us from all occasions of sin whereby God may be dishonoured and it will bring us to an holy care how to walk circumspectly before God in all Piety and Godliness it will also restrain us from all sinful desires and put us forward to the practise of all holy duties From hence also we may draw sweet Consolation to our Souls though the measure of our Faith and of other Graces be but smal for the Devil can do nothing without leave and permission from God who will not give him power against us above our strength but will restrain him from effecting that which his malicious will doth intend and purpose for our hurt He may be permitted to sift us with his temptations as he did Peter he may bring troubles and afflictions upon us as he did upon Job but he shall never overthrow our Faith nor quite bereave us of Hope for God will so order and dispose of our sufferings that they shall procure our good either to purge us from some corruptions that we cherish or else to make us keep more close to our God and this is our great comfort That Christ hath Prayed for us that our Faith might hold out to the end though the combat we fight be very difficult and dangerous and our strength very weak Afflictions and Crosses will try our patience Scorns and Reproaches will try the meekness of our spirits Want and Penury will try our trust and confidence in the providence of God anguish of Soul for sin will try our Faith and Hope in Christ want of answer to our praiers will try the fervencie and faithfulness of them and the fear of persecution or torment will try our constancie and perseverence in the truth If we find anie Grace weak in us Christ will make it stronger if we sue unto him for it by our faithful Praiers For the Spirit of Grace rested upon him that Grace might plentifullie flow down to all that have interest in him by Faith g Psal 13. 3. 2. Like the precious Oyntment that was poured upon Aarons head which went down to the skirts of his garments If this be our Condition that we are daily subject to divers temptations which of our selves we can neither prevent nor overcome we must then keep close to our gracious Saviour and Redeemer who onlie can keep us from them or preserve us in them h 1 Cor. 30. 13.
and he will not suffer us to be tempted above the strength of our Faith but will with the temptation also make a way to escape that we may be able to bear it i Psal 37. 244 Though we fall we shall not be utterly cast down For our Lord Christ holdeth us with his hand and he will raise us up again by true repentance as he did Peter If the floud-gates of sorrows are set open upon us if the fear of troubles or the fear of death doth surprize us Christ will stop those sloud-gates and will comfort us at the hour of death or else he will give us an eye of Faith not to look upon them with a sad and heavie heart but to look up above them to that coelestial happiness which he hath prepared for us which no eye hath seen no tongue can express and no heart can conceive and to wait patientlie for it until Christ our ever blessed Redeemer shall reveal it to us which will be but in part in this life by Faith but fullie and perfectlie in the life to come according to everie mans capacitie Also if the Devil doth aggravate our sins and sers them before us in a multiplying Glass to the breaking of our hearts with godlie sorrow and to the anguish of our Souls which will make us shed many bitter tears for them as Peter did then Christ will look graciouslie upon us and will give us a double measure of true consolation by the assurance of the pardon and forgiveness of them We may further learn Instructions by Peters fall that if we give way to any sin the Devil will easily draw us unto higher degrees of sinning as he did Peter For at the first he did but simply deny Christ then he denied him with an oath k Mat. 26. 74. And at last he began to curse and to swear that he knew not the man and therefore we must be very careful to nip sin in the bud lest it lay us open to the Devils tyranny or stop the current of grace to our hearts whereby we shall not be able to recover our selves but rather we shall fall away more and more from God Sin is a spiritual gangrene to the soul which will eate into all the faculties of it if it be not in time cut off and killed by faith in the death of Christ and by true Repentance There is so much of the unregenerate part in the best of Gods servants as that they sin daily and the Devil is ready to take advantage upon every sin but he cannot easily fasten his sting upon their sins because they are not glued so fast to their hearts but that they may easily remove them wheras his sting will soon take hold of any sin that is rooted in us either by custome or by delight to wound our souls even to the death If we sleight the least sin it will bring us on to greater and if we be careless of small sins they will bring us to a custom of sinning which will quickly beget an habit of sin in us which is a fit ground for the Devil to work upon to keep us from returning unto God and to plunge us deep into the gulf of sin unless Christ in his abundant mercy doth touch our hearts with his Spirit to let us see from whence we are fallen and doth also give us grace to repent and return to the Lord and then we shall keep a more diligent watch over our selves for the time to come If we look upon our selves in Peter we shall see that we also are subject to the like delusions of the Devil we are as ready to deny Christ and to fall away from God as he was and the fear of trouble persecution or danger for Christ will prevail as much with us as it did with him to make us renounce our Profession and the Truth of the Gospel and to bring us to the brink of perdition but Christ will not suffer us to fall into that bottomless pit but will look upon us in mercy as he did upon Peter The Devil did delude Peter with vain hope that by this means he should escape the trouble and danger that might come upon him if it were known that he was a Disciple of Christ for thus he brought him into the ready way to lose the grace and favour of his Lord and Master Jesus Christ and into the way that leadeth to eternal destruction Thus also doth the Devil delude us if we trust him for he will promise all worldly wealth and earthly pleasures and will give to some a large portion of them in part of payment but in the end he will pay them with wormwood and gall which will be more bitter to them than Peters tears were unto him When we think our selves most strong then we are soonest overcome and when we presume most upon our own strength then we give the Devil the greatest advantage against us In prosperity we think our selves so strong that we cannot be shaken we are then secure and able to stand unmoveable against any opposition l 1 Cor. 10 22. but let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall For alas we know not the wiles of Satan we cannot conceive how many wayes he hath to deceive us What way shall we then take to escape these wiles and deceits whereof the world is full by his means There is a deceitful tongue against which David thus prayeth m Psal 120. 1. Deliver my soul O Lord from lying lips and from a deceitful tongue There is also a bag of deceitful weights which is alwayes seconded with a false tongue as the Lord speaketh by his Prophet n Mic. 6. 11 12. Shall I account them pure with the wicked ballances and with the bag of deceitful weights For the rich men thereof are full of violence and the inhabitants thereof have spoken lies and their tonguâ— is deceitful in their mouth The wise man telleth us o Prov. 14. 36. of a deceitful Witness p Prov. 23. 6. and that the dainties at a rich mans table are deceitful meat because they will easily intice us to gluttony Also q Prov. 27. 6. that the kisses of an enemy are dâ—ceiâ—ful for they proceed from a false heart Who can discover the deceitfulness of his own heart or the delusions of his own fancy Every sinful lust and evil concupiscence doth delude us the world is full of deceit to beguile us wicked men have their wiles to vex the godly and such as are simple in heart r Num 25. 18. as the Midianites vexed the Children of Israel with their wiles whâ—rewith they beguilâ—d them in the matter of Peor and in the matter of Câ—zby If we will be well fenced from these delusions which come from the Devil Å¿ Eph. 6 11. we must put on the whole Armour of God â—nd then we shall be able to stand against them all This holy Armour will
also defend us from all the delusions of worldly vanities and of our own sinful lusts howsoever the world the flesh or the Devil shall tempt us for it will preserve and keep us from the evil of their temptation Consider now that God who can bring good out of evil and can make all things work together for the good of his servants made Peters fall to be a means of exceeding great good unto him for thereby he did see the weakness of his Faith to keep him from presumption also unsuspâ—cted dangers to keep him from security he did see the malice and subtilty of the Devil to make him more careful and watchful over himself and he was the better able by his own experience to comfort and strengthen his brethren in their slips and falls but above all it made him love Christ his dear Lord with more intâ—re affections and to stick closer unto him for the time to come and to be more couragious in his cause Thus God turned the evil which the Devil intended for Peters hurt and made it conduce to hâ—s great good and thus also will he turn away the evil of our sins and of our temptations and the evil of our sorrows and sufferings and will make them advance his own glory and to be profitable to us if we can bath our sins in our penitentiall teares as Peter did Now we come to consider more fully how the divell went to work to make Peter fall so fearfully surely the instruments which he used were but the high Priests servants the words which they spake to Peter were of no great consequence they were neither threatning nor terrifying which in themselves could not so much afright him neither was it onely the sudden fear of danger or those wicked suggestions of the divel though they did work much upon him to make him doubt of the Deity of Christ now he saw him so contemptibly used of the Priests and Elders that made Peter fall so dangerously for he was in more danger of his life but a little before and yet he was not daunted but the divell knew that Peter was of an hot fiery spirit and violent in his passions which would easily make him say he knew not what and therefore he did chiefly work upon them which would transport him beyond the bounds of his reason and understanding and also beyond the bounds of grace and godlinesse All that went before were but as engines of warre which he fitted and prepated for this great battery By his suggestions he did undermine Peters faith and confidence in Christ to make way that fear might take the greater hold upon him that so he might by degrees bring him to such an hight of passion as should over-power his reason understanding faith and all spiritual grace that was in him and thus he brought him to deny to forswear and to abjure his dear Saviour even with execrations whom he knew to be now about the great work of mans salvation When Jesus was transfigured upon Mount Tabor t Mar. 9. 6. Peter spake he wist not what for sudden fear carried him beside himself Also when Jesus shewed his Disciples what he should suffer at Jerusalem u Mat. 16. 21 22 23. Peter began to rebuke him for it for he was carried beyond the bounds of modesty and sobriety with a preposterous zeal and a secret pride which the divell did stir up in him Thus was the violence of Peters passions the immediate cause of his downfall because they did exceed moderation and were not regulated according the holy will of God Thus also did the devill go to work with us to bring us to perditiou first he will set upon us with his subtile wiles and delusions then he will labour to undermine our faith and trust in God by his evill suggestions and wicked stratagems that we should not wait upon God for his help and succour in our distresses that we should not depend upon his Providence for relief and comfort in our wants and necessitiâ—s and that we should not rest upon him and upon his mercy in Christ for our salvation If all this will not serve his turn to bring us to confusion then he will assault us with feares and doubtings to disquiet the peace of our consciences he will frighten us with troubles and dangers for the profession of the Truth he will make us doubt of the Wisdome of God to direct us in all our affairs that we may trust to our own Wisdome with our God he will make us doubt of his power to deliver us when we are in any straits as he did Peter to make us trust to secondary meanes without God or else to use unlawfull meanes for our safety and he will make us doubt of the mercy and love of God when we feel the smart of his rod or the anguish of our spirits for our sins to make us think that God hath forsaken us that he hath cast us out of his favour and that there is no hope of comfort for us that so he may bring us into despair How was holy Job terrified with these doubts and feares in his afflictions Job 7. 13 25. when his bed did not comfort him his couch did not ease his complaint and when his soul chose strangling and death rather than his life thus it was also x Psal 77. with Asaph and others If all other meanes fail then the divell will work upon our passions and personall infirmities and he will kindle such a fire there as will devour our reason and understanding as will mislead our zeal and the affections of our hearts and will carry us beside our selves and beyond the limits of Piety and goodnesse If he meeteth with such men as will give way to their passions he will easily inflame them with fury and rage beyond all moderation or else heâ— will drive them down into discontent and despair which is very hardly recovered But by the wisedome of the Spirit of God we shall discover and escape his wiles and delusions by the power of grace we shall withstand his wicked suggestions by vertue of a good conscience we shall stand upright in the fear of troubles and dangers y Rom. 1. 1. 20. and the strength of our faith in Christ will carry us on cheerfully through all afflictions crosses and sorrowes and it will confirm our trust and confidence in God so that we shall find this of David to be true z Psal 22. 4 5. They that trust in the Lord shall be delivered out of all their troubles and shall not be confounded a 2 Kin. 1â— 5. Hezekiah was delivered from Senacheribs great Army because he trusted in the Lord. If Peter had trusted in his Lord and Master Christ Jesus whom he knew to be the Son of God he had never fallen so dangerously as he did Faith will also bring us to the true fear of God which will enable us to over-power and
suppresse the violence of our passions though we be naturally inclined thereunto Lastly Faith will strengthen us against all doubtings and distrust when Gods corrections are upon us b Heb. 12. 6 7. for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth and he scourgeth every son whom he receiveth If we endure chastening God dealeth with us as with sons Thus saith Eliphaz to Job c Job 5. 17. Behold happy is the man whom God correcteth therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty Why then should we mistrust the love and favour of God when we are under his visitation Why do we not put more confidence in his power to defend us more trust in his care to preserve us and more hope in his promises to save and deliver us from our enemies and out of troubles and dangers Wherefore if we do piously meditate upon these things it will be a great strengthening to our Faith and exceeding comfortable to our souls in all our temptations sorrows and sufferings Consider in the next place that as Christ appointed the crowing of the Cock to be Peters remembrancer of his sin so likewise God in much mercy hath many waies to put us also in minde of our sins and to call us to speedy repentance for them which we ought with all care and diligence to mark and observe If God doth forbear and suffer us to go long unpunished for our offences d Rom. 2. 4. his goodnesse herein should lead us to repentance But if he doth give us any check of conscience or layeth any affliction upon us they are as so many warnings to make us remember our sins with grief of heart and to bring us to repent of them that we may escape the evill which otherwise our sins would bring upon us But when the holy Ghost doth touch our hearts as he did Peters he will work with unresistible power to make us think upon our sins with godly sorrow with true contrition and compunction of spirit with hatred and detestation of them he will make us confesse and acknowledge them before God and earnestly to crave the forgivenesse of them by Faith in Christ and to have an holy assurance of it by our true and sound repentance But if we remember our former sins with delight and approbation we sin them over again and this remembrance is sinfull and it proceedeth from our corrupted nature and not from grace which will never bring us to forsake them or to repent of them When Peter came to himself and remembred his unthankfulnesse to his Lord and Master and did see from whence he was fallen he was wounded to the very soul and presently went out to seek a place where he might ease the grief of his heart with his bitter teares Consider now with all pious devotion how dangerous it is and what advantage we give the divell if we reiterate any sins as namely swearing lying uncleanness drunkennesse Sabbath-breaking or the like for it will fasten the guilt of that sin closer to our souls which will not be removed without bitter teares but will press us down to the pit of destruction Consider also that great and crying sins require loud cryes deep sighs and grones and many teares which we cannot pour forth untill we do abandone all our wicked and lewd companions and all former occasions that did intise or provoke us thereunto and untill Christ doth look upon us and touch our hearts with his Spirit to let us know that he doth take notice of them e 1 Cor. 16. 13. We should therefore watch and stand fast in the faith that we depart not from Christ but support our faith with stedfast hope and assurance that he will stablish us with his free Spirit never to fall away from him totally and finally But thou wilt say as sometimes Peter did that though thou shouldst dye with Christ yet thou wilt never deny him nor forsake him but do not trust too much to thine own strength though thou art in the State of grace for if Christ doth not uphold thy faith the power of Satans temptations will prevail against thee thine own heart will deceive thee and the devill will be too cunning for thee f Ezech. 33. 31. Thou maist honour Christ with thy lips and yet in heart thou maist deny him for if the power of a Christian life goeth not along with thy outward profession thou dost then dishonour his holy Name dost forsake Him in thy heart If there be such unfaithfulnesse in thee to Christ thy Saviour and if there be such hypocrisie hidden under a fair profession then every rumour of trouble or danger for Christ every alluring vanity and every delightfull sin will make thee turn aside from him g Psal 78. 57. like a deceitfull bow because thy heart is not well seasoned with grace to make thee stand firm and stedfast unto Christ and to his truth against all opposition If this be thy fidelity to thy Saviour and if thou dost repose so little confidence in him then surely he will not regard thee though thou dost howle and call unto him day and night when thou art in any distresse or misery The Lord complaineth of his own people h Hos 7. 14 that they had not cryed unto him with their heart when they howled upon their beds for they did still rebell against him Wherefore let there be truth and sincerity in thy heart that thy heart and thy tongue may go together in thy Prayers in thy vowes and in all thy services to God and man let thy heart and thy hand go together in thy almes to the poor and in all thy works of charity for if thy heart be not faithfull to God thy best services and duties cannot be accepted Also keep thy heart closely knit to Christ by faith and then he will cast an eye of mercy upon thee as he did upon Peter if at any time through humane weaknesse or upon the violence of any passion or strong temptation thou shalt fall away from him Thy heart is that which Christ requireth for thus he saith by Solomon My son give me thy heart i Prov. 23. 26. give not thy heart therefore to the pleasures and vanities of the world nor to carnall lusts and delights but onely unto God Now Meditate seriously upon all the circumstances of Peters fall and thou wilt find thy self likewise subject to the like provocations and to the like frailties and failings and learn instruction thereby not to be secure because dangers and temptations do every where attend thee and not to presume upon thine own strength for that will not preserve thee but labour to be well rooted in the truth and well grounded in the faith and love of Christ and then no spirituall enemy shall prevail against thee and the cunning stratagems of the divell shall not hurt thee no fear of perills and dangers shall make thy faith in Christ to fail and no afflictions or troubles shall
pain or trouble But wilt thou give so much way to thy passions as to dishonour God thereby is thy minde so much set upon vain pleasures as if no sorrow could come upon thee Did Christ bear his crosse and dost thou think to go free Dost thou not know O fainting soul how to measure thy strength â—f thou dost measure it by the common measure of mature thou wilt find it too weak to bear thee up against those crosses afflictions or temptations which thou shalt meet with in this life but if thou dost measure it by the measure of the sanctuary and by the grace of Christ that is in thee thou wilt then perceive what strength thou hast to bear the crosse for thy strength lyeth not in the wealth or in the arm of flesh but in thy faith in Christ and in the graces of his Spirit If thou hast but a little faith and a small measure of grace thou hast then but little strength and courage to encounter with the assaults of the devill with the troubles and vexations of this world and with the discomforts of sicknesse but art easily surprised with every temptation and sinfull lust and as easily overwhelmed when the waves ef affliction come upon thee Wherefore when thou art upon thy bed of sicknesse or in any distresse and misery complain not of thy strength of body if that be weak and faileth but look to the strength of grace that is in thee o 2 Pet. 3. 18. for grace may grow and increase though the strength of thy body doth decay or is spent and grace will uphold thee from sinking even in the bitter pangs of death and it will make thee to hold on constant to the end in all thy sufferings Consider in the next place that Christ hath appointed his crosse to be the badge of every true Christian which he must wear for the honour of his Lord and Master Thus saith Christ p Mat. 16 24. If any man will come after me let him deny himself and take up his crosse and follow me Also Paul saith q Acts 14. 22. That through much tribulation we must enter into the Kingdom of God Christ giveth this badge to some for the tryal and the manifestation of his graces in them that he may be glorified thereby to others for their humiliation and to bring them to repentance for their sinnes he doth exercise others under the crosse to conform them unto himself in his sufferings and to make them bear it contentedly Also he gives this badge to some to keep them from security and to prevent their backslidings from God for by these tryals and afflictions he doth alwayes intend the good of his servants and not their hurt Where this mark is truly imprinted there will grace appear and the fruits of it will break forth in their conformity to the will of God in their faith and patience under afflictions and in their rejoycing in the crosse of Christ This was the Apostles joy r Acts 5. 41 that they were counted worthy to suffer shame and rebuke for the Name of Christ And this was Pauls glory Å¿ Gal. 6. 1 for saith he God forbid that I should glory save in the crosse of our Lord Jesus Christ by whom the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world For such is the tender and indulgent care of Christ toward those that wear his livery that though they are put into the fining pot of affliction there to have their drosse and corruptions purged and refined yet he will not suffer them to receive any detriment thereby but he will bring them forth purer gold than they were before Wherefore learn to carry the crosse of Christ in thy heart expect it daily and resolve to bear it willingly when God shall be pleased to lay it upon thee and then thou wilt not feel it so heavie as it is in its own nature also imprint the remembrance of his passion in thy minde thereby to mortifie all thy worldly lusts and sinfull desires This cognizance will tell thee what inheritance thou hast in Christ if thou dost duly examine thy heart when thou art under the crosse how thou hast glorified God by thy faith and patience how much thou art refined from thy corruptions how much nearer thou art brought unto Christ in thine affections to love him to confide in him to delight in the sweet fruition of him and to meditate on his goodnesse and love to thee If thou canst finde such fruits of thy crosse and that in the midst of thy sorrowes thou canst say with holy Job t Job 13. 1â— Though he slay me yet will I trust in him then be confident that Christ hath set his own stamp upon thy heart he will know thee for his own he will hide thee under the shadow of his wings he will provide for thee in all thy necessities and upon all occasions and all the powers of darknesse shall not be able to raise his stamp or the impression of it out of thy heart or to separate thee from Christ Mark further and consider it well that there were some that followed Christ all that dolorous way to Mount Calvary who could not refrain from teares and u Luk. 23. 27 28. sorrowfull sobs but bewailed him and lamented when they saw his dolefull and sad condition and they were chiefly women to whom Jesus turning said Daughters of Jerusalem weep not for me but weep for your selves and for your children Whereby he did graciously instruct them how to fix their mourning upon the right object that their teares may proceed from a principle of grace not to mourn for him because he did suffer no more than what was appointed by his heavenly Father and he did bear it in obedience to his will also he did undertake no more than he was well able to undergoe and no more could be laid upon him than was decreed in his Fathers counsell for the redemption of man But Christ would have them weep and mourn for their sins which brought the wrath of God upon themselves and upon their children for there were grievous judgements which would shortly come upon them Also Christ did intimate to them that their sins and the sins of their children were a great part of the cause why he suffered such contumelies and so much cruelty both by the Jews and by the Gentiles that they might be freed from the guilt and from the punishment of them Consider now that Christ doth give them two speciall reasons why they should weep and mourn for themselves and for their children First because of the great desolation and finall destruction that was shortly after to come upon that famous and renowned City and upon the whole nation of the Jews wherein they and their children should suffer very great calamities therefore Christ did tell them u Lu. 23. 29 That the dayes were coming in which they should say blessed are the barren
blasphemous words and cruell torments upon the crosse even to the pouring out of his very heart blood to purge and cleanse us from the guilt and from the filth of all our sins and that he suffered whatsoever the malice and power of the devill could inflict upon him and also that for the time his Divine nature did refuse to minister comfort to his humanity in these his bitter torments what thankfulnesse then do we ow to our dear Saviour for his wonderfull love to us What can be too dear for him that did account nothing too dear for us what duty what reverence and fear do we ow unto him who hath paid so great a price for our redemption Our best expressions of love and duty are no way answerable to that which Christ hath deserved and which we are Sound to perform unto him yet if they come from a willing minde and from a sincere heart Christ our Saviour will accept them and out of his fulnesse will supply what is wanting in us and God will be well pleased with it for his sake Here is much matter of heavenly comfort for us if our hearts can devoutly Meditate upon it and receive it Our life may be full of misery and our hearts full of sadnesse and perplexity our faith may be so weak that we can have no apprehension of the love and favour of God and our spirits may be so cast down that we cannot raise them up towards heaven we may be pressed with troubles crosses and sorrowes beyond our strength and the light of Gods countenance may be so eclipsed that we can see no token of his grace and favour to sweeten the bitternesse of our sufferings and to support us under the pressure of them but we are ready to faint and to cast off all hope of relief and comfort b Psal 42. 11. but for all this we need not fear our souls need not be disquieted within us for if we wait on God he will be our present help he will be our God and he will not forsake us The brightnesse of his countenance may be darkened for a few hours as it was with the Sun at this very same time c Mal. 4. 2. but the Sun of righteousnesse will again appear to us with healing in his wings then we shal see the salvation of the Lord if we can look up with the eye of faith to our sweet Saviour who was brought to a lower degree of spirituall desertion in the apprehension of his humane nature thn we can be and yet he found a return of the gracious aspect of his Fathers countenance toward him whereby he hath sanctified and sweetned whatsoever can betide us to sink our spirits or to shake our faith and confidence in God If our ear is spiritually bored to hear those dolefull and lamentable words which our Saviour uttered upon the crosse when he was ready to yeild up his Spirit to God his Father and yet apply them to our selves by faith we may then draw vertue and power from them to strengthen our faith and to support our hope in the assurance of his love that he will not bring us to so low a degree of spiritual desertion because our weaknesse will not bear so great a tryall but will make us to hold out to the end by the Almighty power of his eternall Spirit Now learn O my sorrowful soul so to imprint the crucifying of thy dear Saviour in thy heart by faith that thou maist draw grace and vertue from thence to crucifie all thy corruptions and the evill concupiscence of thy flesh that thine affections may not be carried after worldly vanities that thine eyes may not delight to gaze upon obscene spectacles that thine eares may be dull to unsavory speeches but swift to hear words that tend to edification and that thy tongue may have no motion to utter any thing that is dishonourable to God or hurtfull to thy neighbour d Gal. 6. 14. Thus by the power of Christ crucified the world shall be crucified to thee and thou unto the world if thou dost truly believe that he was crucified for thee because it will dull the edge of thine affections to all earthly things it will work in thee an hatred and detestation of all sinfull pleasures and thou wilt dayly labour and e Col. 3. 9. Eph. 4. 22. strive to mortifie the old man of sin that hath had his habitation in thy bosome above these threescore years In thy first creation thou wert a lovely creature beloved of thy God without spot or blemish in soul or in body thou wert beautified and adorned with all graces and holy vertues reverenced and obeyed of all other creatures here upon earth and the celestiall orbs did cast no evill aspects upon thee but now thou art deformed with sin thou art polluted in all the faculties of thy soul and in all the parts of thy body for thou art spiritually blinde naked and void of all goodnesse thou art deaf and dumb to heavenly things thou art lame and impotent and canst not walk in the paths of righteousnesse also thou art so bent and bowed to the earth that thou canst not raise up thy heart toward heaven and so full of spirituall diseases and infirmities that there is no sound part in thee But this is thy comfort O my soul that the blood of thy crucified Redeemer which was spilt upon the crosse will take away all thy deformities of sin and will heal all thy spiritual diseases and his righteousnesse will make thee lovely in the sight of God If this be our condition by nature if we are thus deformed with the guilt of sin that cleaveth to our souls by our fall in Adam and if we have no meanes to regain our first happinesse in Adams first innocency but by Christ and to be cleansed from all our sins but by his blood then our chief care must be how to injoy Christ and how to have this great benefit by his blood If we are ingrafted into him by faith we shall injoy him in his whole nature as he is God and Man we shall partake with him in all his excellencies and graces he will work a new creation in us by his Spirit and a thorough change in all the faculties of our souls and in all the affections of our hearts that no sin shall cleave to our souls for our condemnation for he will also nail the the guilt of all our sins to his crosse upon which he shed his most precious blood to make an attonement for them all He will also take away the stains and filth of our sins by his sanctifying grace and holy Spirit and will put upon us the robe of his own righteousnesse which will cover all our deformities and will make us amiable and lovely in the sight of God By the merit of Christs blood our sins shall never be laid to our charge by the power of his death we are made able
and sought opportunitie to betray him unto them Then he stirred up the chief Preists and Elders against him who out of malice and envie did persecute him and falslie accuse him before Herod and Pilate because the people did so much resort unto him Pilate condemned him out of fear and flattery to keep his grace and favour with Caesar and to please the people for he thought he did it for Caesars honour The Souldiers crucified him for a reward and to make a spoil of his garments Thus they are all the devils instruments to put the immaculate Lamb of God to a most shameful and cruel death for their own wicked ends But God did over-rule them all by his gracious and wise providence and made all their purposes and actions to serve for the furthering of his most loving and merciful end which was decreed from eternitie From hence we may draw sweet meditations for our comfort upon the power and goodness of God who can and will over-rule the power of the devil and of all wicked men and will so dispose of all their plots and devices which they intend for the hurt of his servants that they shall all serve for his own glorie and for their good he can frustrate their wicked intentions and can bring about his own end to effect his own work by them God hath this provident care of his people that whatsoever their enemies do maliciously intend or devise against them shall be brought to nought or else he will make it serve for their advantage and gain Though our enemies be as strong as c 1 Sam. â—â— Goliah was and though we are as unfit to encounter with them as David was to fight with that great Gyant yet if we put our confidence in God as David did and keep close unto him by faith in Christ he will direct a stone to beat out their brains And though they be as cunning and as subtile d 2 Sam 17 as Achitophel was yet God can confound them in their own craft and policy Mark now and consider it well how God in justice did revenge the treachery and cruelty that was used in betraying and in murthering of his dear and onely Son and how he brought their wickednesse upon their own heads for Judas was given up to a reprobate minde e Mat. 27 5 and immediatly after he hanged himself God did severely punish the whole nation of the Jews for this most horrible fact and laid the innocent blood of his Son upon them and upon their posterity which doth stil rest upon them because they did wilfully without cause and out of malice shed it Pilate also was soon after cast out of Caesar's favour and banished into France and the Devil was hereby quite vanquished and overcome so that now he hath no power to hurt the meanest of Gods Saints Thus will the Lord deal with all those that have their hands stained with the blood of his Anointed ones and with all such as are Actors in any wicked Design They may hide their counsels in the dark yet nothing can be hidden from God for he hath an All-seeing eye to discover what they go about and he will bring the evill of their doings upon themselves or upon their children Wherefore have thou no hand in the blood of Gods servants and partake not with the wicked in their evill designes for the guilt of their sins will cleave to thee and God will not suffer it to go unpunished for if thou art partaker of other mens sins thou shalt also partake with them in their punishment Therefore f Eph. 5. 6 7. Paul adviseth the Ephesians not to be partakers with wicked men because the wrath of God cometh upon the children of disobedience for their sins God calleth his people out of Babylon saying g 1 Rev. 18. 4 Come out of her my people that ye be not partakers of her sins and that ye receive not of her plagues But it is a blessed thing to partake with the children of God in his holy Ordinances in all holy duties h 2 Cor. 1. 5 7. and in the sufferings of Christ Because we shall also partake with them in the consolation that is by Christ Thus the servants of God should mutually joyn together in the worship and service of God that they may also mutually have the benefit and comfort of those services here and also partake together with them of the glory that afterwards shall be revealed Of the penitent Thief NOw we come to consider that Christ was crucified between two thieves according to this of the Prophet a Isa 53. 12 He was numbered with the transgressors one of them had no remorse of conscience nor grief of heart for his offences but began to rail upon Christ to revile him and blasphemously to taunt him saying b Luk. 23. 39. If thou art Christ save thy self and us But the other was touched by the holy Ghost with a godly sorrow and a relenting heart for his sins and did freely confesse that they two did justly and deservedly suffer death for their offences but he did justifie our beloved Saviour for his blameless innocency and he rebuked his fellow saying Fearest thou not God seeing thou art in the same condemnation Then he turned to Christ to implore his mercy and made this short and sweet Prayer to him Lord remember me when thou shalt come into thy Kingdom To whom Christ immediatly gave this gracious Answer Verily I say unto thee This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise Surely these gracious words of Christ did much mitigate and asswage the sorrowes of his perplexed minde and much eased the bitternesse of his torments and this blessed Promise gave him good assurance that after his present sufferings and pains he should injoy rhe blessed society of Christ in the heavenly paradise For as Faith wrought in his heart a true contrition to Repentance and opened his mouth to make a good confession of his sins and to vindicate the innocency of Christ from the aspersions of his fellow Malefactour and also to present his humble request unto Christ his Lord for some gracious rememberance of him so no doubt it sealed such an holy assurance of future happinesse to his sorrowfull soul and wounded conscience that he did stedfastly believe the promise and faithfully lookt for the performance of it whereby his fainting Spirits were much comforted and the cruell torturings of his body which he suffered were sanctified and sweetned to him Here set the Meditations of thy heart upon the free love and mercy of Christ to poor sinners he choseth whom he will and whom he will he refuseth his gifts of grace are free his love and favour is not necessitated to any c Gen. 25. 2â— There were twinnes in Rebâ—ccas wombe d Rom. 9. 13. God loved the one and he hated the other Two men may be in one bed God may take the one and he may leave the
resurrection whereof the earthly Paradise was but a shadow i Psal 16. 1. 1. This blessed place is in the presence of God where we shall have fullnesse of joy and it is at Gods right hand where there are pleasures for evermore k Exod. 34. 6. Thus is Christ abundant in goodnesse and in truth if we have but little comfort in this short time of our life yet when we come to the end of our dayes we shall have fulnesse of joy in the Paradise of God together with Christ our Saviour for evermore Wherefore though this life be full of vexations and troubles the meditation and hope of heavenly happinesse which we shall hereafter injoy to all eternity will sweeten the bitternesse of all our momentany afflictions and tribulations Now comfort thy self O penitent sinner if thou art so cast down in the apprehension of thy sins that thou darest not come into the presence of God in regard of Divine justice l Luk. 18. 13. or lift up thine eyes unto heaven with the poor Publicane to crave what thou wantest or desirest because thou hast justly incurred his high displeasure by thy manifold transgressions yet be not disheartned faint not but come cheerfully to Christ with true faith and firm confidence to be received for he will open a Fountain to thee from whence all Divine mercy floweth and thou wilt find him alwayes ready and willing to accept of thee make thy condition therefore truly known unto him put up thy prayers and supplications to him and though thou desirest but a drop of comfort yet he will give thee abundant consolation in what thou sufferest and much more than thou desirest By the example of this Malefactor we may draw holy Meditations upon the Divine Nature of true faith for our instruction and comfort for it looketh beyond the eye of reason and above the reach of nature it maketh us evidently to apprehend that which our reason or naturall capacity cannot shew us and it will make us believe in hope even against hope that which is impossible to nature and incredible to humane reason This miserable sinner had no reason to believe in Christ and to confide in him for his salvation for we do not read that ever he heard his preaching or saw any of his miracles but he saw him now ready to dye an ignominious and cursed death upon the crosse and he heard him thus reviled m Mat. 27. 39. If thou be the Son of God come down from the crosse Also he heard him mocked in this manner by the chief Priests and Elders He saved others himself he cannot save if he be the King of Israel let him come down from the crosse and we will believe in him He trusted in God let him deliver him now if he will have him for he said I am the Son of God Though these and the like blasphemous words were spoken in derision against him which were sufficient in all reason to keep back this Malefactor from trusting in him yet the holy Ghost did so work upon his heart that he did faithfully believe that Christ was the Son of God that he was the King of Israel that he had saved others and therefore he could save him also which made him to apply himself to Christ for comfort and for his salvation and in his addresses to him he came with all modesty and humble submission he gave him all due honour and reverence as much as he was then able to expresse and then he made this humble suite and supplication to him and no sooner was his request made but it was granted because Christ did see truth and sincerity in his heart and integriry in his expressions We may observe from hence for our instruction and consolation that the holy Ghost can work the conversion of a sinner either without meanes or by contrary meanes he doth sometimes work very strangely upon the will and upon the affections of the heart for Christ was now preached by his deadly foes out of scorn and mockery n Phil. 1 15 as there were some in Pauls time that did preach Christ even of envy and strife others of love and good will yet the Spirit of God did so enlighten the understanding of this sinfull man and did so work upon his will and so seasoned his heart with saving grace that he received holy instruction thereby and what the enemies of Christ did speak in his disgrace he did apply it to himself to confirm him in the truth of his Divinity which made him stick close to him by faith when he was in the lowest degree of his humiliation his faith made him rest upon Christ and upon his promise above the strength of nature and contrary to all humane reason If he had seen the glory of Christ in his transfiguration upon Mount Tabor and if he had seen some of his great miracles or had heard his Divine Doctrine and powerful Preaching his faith had not seemed so great but now he did see him onely upon Mount Calvary nailed to his crosse as the worst of Malefactors are and rejected of his own nation so that to the outward eye he appeared nothing else but a pitiful spectacle of woful misery and yet this penitent sinner did expresse an admirable faith in the pangs of a cruell and violent death though his faults had been intolerable in his dissolute life for nothing but faith could move him to honour and reverence Christ now he was in this sad condition and to sue unto him to be remembred in his Kingdome By the eye of his faith he did see in Christ more than humane meeknesse and patience in his sufferings undaunted courage above the strength of nature to go thorough with all constancy those torturings and torments which with all cruelty and malice were inflicted upon him and he did see some glympse of Divine mercy in him when he heard him pray so graciously for his persecutors and tormentors and for those that put him to death In the last place ponder well in thy heart upon the mercifull answer of Christ to this penitent Malefactor Verily I say unto thee To day thou shalt be with me in Paradise whereby he did shew his power to forgive sins upon earth Thus he said to the sick of the palsie o Mar. 2. 5â— 10. Son thy sins are forgiven thee and hereby also he did shew that he had power to dispose of heaven at his own pleasure p Mat. 28. 18. for all power was given to him both in heaven and in earth therefore he did assure this Petitioner that though his body did now suffer the torments of a cruell death yet his soul should live and presently injoy a most happy and blessed condition in the Paradise of God and in the mansions of heaven to all eternity which place q John 14. 2. Christ hath prepared for his servants We shall meet with labour and toil troubles and crosses in this
6â— Before I was afflicted saith he I went astray but now have I kept thy word Also he saith g Psal 23. 4 Thy rod and thy staffe they comfort me and then he concludes thus h Psal 94. 12 Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest O Lord. This exhortation the wise man giveth i Prov. 3. 11 12. My Son despise not the chastening of the Lord neither beweary of his correction for whom the Lord loveth he correcteth even as a Father the son in whom he delighteth k Heb. 12. 11. But no chastening for the present seemeth joyous but grievous neverthelesse afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousnesse unto them which are exercised thereby Wherefore we must not measure the love of God by the outward blessings which we injoy nor his displeasure by the crosses which we suffer Consider now that none could ever claim greater priviledge from afflictions and sorrowes than the Virgin Mary and none was ever more to be honoured upon earth than she for she did bear Christ the only Son of the eternal God in her blessed womb who had the command of all creatures in heaven and in earth and who was the fountain of all true consolation and she injoyed the comfort of his sacred society many years and yet she had her cares she had her sorrowes her whole life was full of afflictions wants and necessities she was put to great extremities when Christ was born soon after she fled into Egypt for the safety of her Sons life she lost him three dayes at Jerusalem and at that time she sought him with a sorrowfull heart But above all behold and see how her soul is now pierced thorough with grief for she must now lose his gracious company for ever she now beholds him upon the Crosse she seeth how his tender body is rent and torn with the thornes and with the whip how his hands and feet are nailed to the Crosse as if he had been a notorious malefactor and she hears the revilings and blasphemies that were uttered against him in a most shameful spiteful manner which was enough to break her sorrowfull heart but especially she did see his very heart blood gush out of his side which was pierced with a spear This was the wofull and lamentable condition of the blessed Virgin at this time but Christ gave her inward comfort and strength of faith answerable to the greatnesse of her sorrowes which did uphold her heart from fainting and her soul from sinking This may be the condition of any of Gods servants they may be oppressed and pressed down with temporall miseries they may drink deep in the bitternesse of them but yet they are freed from the curse that was upon them and there is nothing in them to hurt their souls for that is taken away by these sufferings of Christ which makes the burden of them more easie that they may bear it with a willing minde When our afflictions are thus sanctified we shall find the fruit and benefit that comes thereby to be very sweet and profitable so that we shall have good cause to rejoice under them for as our sorrowes and sufferings do abound so also grace shall superabound l 2 Cor. 1. 5. and as the sufferings of Christ abound in us so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ Consider yet further that as the holy Virgin was continually exercised under the Crosse and had her share in common calamities so likewise she had her particular cares of want and scarcity for her condition of life was but mean and her livelihood was but small therefore she was now like to be left destitute of all comfort relief and succour But Christ her beloved Son takes care of her he provides as well for the maintainance of her body as for the comfort of her soul and commends her to John his beloved Disciple m John 19. 26 27. Woman saith he to his Mother behold thy Son and to John he said Behold thy Mother And from that hour John took her unto his own home and provided for her during her life Thus was the blessed Virgin trained up in the school of affliction and sorrow to keep her from spirituall pride though she were honoured and blessed above all other women and that her minde should not be drawen away after the pomp and vanitis of the world but still to bear Christ in her heart as sometimes she did bear him in her wombe It was also to free her from all earthly cares that the meditations of her heart might be alwayes heavenly and that the desire of her soul might be to be with Christ This care Christ will have to provide whatsoever is needfull for all those that belong unto him for he best knoweth what is good for us and he will not suffer us to want if we put our trust in him We need not carke and care for the transitory things of this life which are given to the wicked as well as to the godly We need not distrust the wise Providence of God but we may confidently rest upon Christ for he will support and comfort us in our tribulations and will provide for us in our wants and necessities troubles and sorrowes may come upon us losse of Parents Children or Friends will come and casualties may happen in our estate which we would neither foresee nor prevent these and the like will imbitter all the comfort and content that we can finde in this world but if we belong unto Christ we shall never lose him neither can any thing bereave us of the sweet consolation that we shall finde in him This we may believe to be true that our crosses and sufferings in this life may be better for us then to injoy all earthly pleasures and delights Moses refuseth to be called the son of Pharaohs daughter chosing rather to â— Heb. 11. 35 25 26. suffer affliction with the people of God than to injoy the pleasures of sin for a season esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward o Heb. 12. 12 Then lift up the hands which hang down and the feeble knees Let not outward crosses or afflictions too much seaze upon thee but by faith have respect unto the recompence of the reward and raise up thy Meditations to Spirituall things set the affections of thy heart upon Christ and him crucified which will make thy life comfortable here and will bring thee to reign eternally with him hereafter Now we must learn how to draw true consolation to our souls from this eternal Fountain of comfort when outward calamities or anguish of spirit doth overpresse us Our worldly preferments our natural endowments humane learning or common grace cannot reach this Fountain the well is deep and nothing can reach it but true Faith which is the onely bucket to draw this water of comfort from Christ which will refresh
now broken down which was between the Jew and the Gentile and that Christ was as freely given to the one as the other and the merit of his blood was as effectuall for the salvation of the Gentile as it was for the Jew if he were truly received by faith The vail being now rent the Gentile hath free accesse to the Mercy-seat which did typifie the Throne of grace by Christ Long before this God did choose some to be the first fruits of the Gentiles as namely Eliezâ—r of Damascus in Abrahams family Rahab of Jericho Ruth the Moabitesse and Naaman the Syrian with many more Secondly God did hereby shew that now there was an end put to the sacrifices of the Ceremoniall Law because the true Paschall Lambe was slain of whom these sacrifices were but types and shadows and that the Ceremoniall Law was now abrogated c Joh. 4. 22 23. and the true worship and service of God was not confined to Jerusalem or to the Temple but now God might be worshipped in any other place so that it be in spirit and in truth Thirdly we may see the free mercy and goodnesse of God to the Jew and also to the Gentile d Acts 15. 10. for by the death of his Son he hath cased the Jew of the great burden of Ceremonies which neither they nor their fathers were able to bear by putting an end to the Ceremoniall Law and he hath brought the Gentile within the Covenant of grace and hath admitted him into the most holy place for the vail of the Temple which before kept him out is now rent asunder God hath also sanctified every place where he is truly worshipped and served with a pure and upright heart and hath given us as great Priviledges in Christ as he gave to his ancient people the Jews Fourthly by these miraculous signes and wonders God did convince his people of the hardnesse of their hearts and of their wilfull blindnesse who would not see the fulfilling of their ancient Prophesies in Christ nor believe that he was that Messiah which was promised though they could object nothing against it Wherefore their hearts did not relent for their great impiety but the earth and the stony rocks were more sensible than they If we are thus hardned in our sins and thus blinded in our understandings it is a fearfull sign that we are given up to a reprobate minde Fifthly we may hereby see how God made the senselesse creatures to honour his Son at his death though both Jew and Gentile did most spitefully dishonour him in his life Christ honoured his Father while he was living and his Father honoureth him now he is dead by these great wonders and by the Testimony of the Centurion and others who seeing what came to passe said e Mat. 27. 54. Truly this was the Son of God Thus will God honour those that honour him by a vertuous and godly life or by their sufferings in his cause for he will make their innocency to appear and will manifest the truth of their Profession to the honour of his own Name and he will give them immortall glory in the life to come Wherefore if thou art in place of authority honour God by executing judgement and justice without exception of persons if thou art rich honour him in the right use of them and with works of mercy to the poor and needy if thou art poor be content with thy condition If thou hast children honour God in their good education teach them the fear of the Lord and let thy verteous life and good conversation be an example of piety to them Also if thou hast a family command thy children and servants to keep the way of the Lord to walk in his Statutes and to do righteously that the Lord may bring a blessing upon thee and upon thy house If thou art under the crosse honour God with thy patience hope and confidence in him whatsoever thy condition be honour him with thy thankfulnesse Sixthly God doth give us to understand by the trembling of the earth and by the renting of the rocks how powerfully the holy Ghost doth sometimes work upon our hearts at our first conversion to bring us to repentance f Acts 9. as he did at the conversion of Paul g Acts 16. and at the conversion of the Jailor and of diverse others for though our hearts be naturally as stupid and dull to any thing that is spirituall and heavenly as a lump of earth yet when the holy Ghost works upon them with his Almighty power he will make them quake and tremble and he will put a new Principle of grace into them whereby they shall be changed into a gracious condition and their natural dull and stupid properties shall be made active and ready for every holy duty And though our hearts are by nature as hard as any stone and no way capable of any gracious and heavenly impression yet the Spitit of God will break them in pieces and will mollifie and soften every piece to make it tender and flexible to the will and pleasure of God Wherefore if thou dost find this dulnesse in thine understanding this earthly mindednesse and this stupidity in thine affections that thou hast no will to serve thy God also if there be such obduracy in thy heart that thou canst not lament and mourn for thy sins and thy heart cannot melt into sighing and tears for thy transgressions and if there be such unbelief in thee that thou canst not apply any promise of mercy to thy self and canst have no hope nor assurance of the pardon and forgivenesse of thy sins upon thy repentance and turning unto God then make thy condition known to thy Saviour Christ in all meeknesse of spirit and he will put an holy light into thy understanding by his Spirit he will sanctifie thine affections and season them with grace he will take away thy hard heart of unbelief and will make it more sensible of thy miserable condition and will fit and prepare it for a deeper impression of grace Lastly God doth shew by the opening of the graves that there shall be a generall resurrection of every mans body at the last day when they must appear before the judgement seat of God to give an account of whatsoever they have done in the flesh Though our bodies are lockt up in the grave for thousands of years and though their dust and ashes are scattered abroad with the winde to the utmost parts of the earth yet at the last every grave shall be opened and shall deliver up her dead and every grain of dust shall be gathered together that every man may have his own body to deliver up his account before the great and dreadfull Judge of heaven and earth to receive the just reward of their works the wicked to be thrust down with the devils into everlasting burnings for their evill deeds and for their unbelief but such as belong unto
a spirituall manner because Christ will draw him to himself by his Spirit Thus is Christ also present with us by his grace and holy Spirit to assist and support us to teach and instruct us in what condition soever we be There is the same relation by faith between Christ and us as is between the head and the members and we shall injoy the comfort of this blessed relation by our heavenly Meditations of him for then by his Spirit he is present with us to teach us some heavenly instructions for our edification which we ought carefully to practice that he may be honoured thereby There is no time or place but we may take occasion to Meditate something on Christ for the good and comfort of our souls either as he is our Mediator and Redeemer or as he is our Prophet to teach and instruct us our high Priest to present our Prayers and oblations to God or our King to rule and govern us by his Spirit If we Meditate upon his passion upon his death and buriall he will shew us how low he did humble himself to advance us and it will much comfort us in our afflictions and sorrowes and also it will fit and prepare us for death and for the grave that we may as willingly lye down in the grave where we shall rest in peace as we take our rest and sleep in our beds By these and the like Meditations of Christ we shall injoy his sacred society by his Spirit and he will make us feel true consolation thereby But if we Meditate upon the Exhortation of Christ we must raise our affections up to the highest heavens for there he sitteth at the right hand of God above all principalities and powers and then he will shew us how victoriously he triumpheth over all his enemies and that he hath subdued all the enemies of our salvation to teach us to fear and reverence his sacred Majesty to perform all dutifull obedience to his Commands and to submit to his rule and government And because he is our Advocate with the Father we may come boldly to him in all our wants troubles and necessities Also faithfull Prayer is another speciall means to injoy the comfort of this happy relation and Communion which we have with our Saviour Christ in all conditions of life and upon all occasions whatsoever to give us comfort in all our distresses strength of grace against temptations protection in all dangers and deliverance out of all troubles If our Prayers proceed from a faithfull heart they cannot return without a blessing for they will open Christs rich treasury and whatsoever is there we shall have so much of it as is good for us This kind of prayer will yet reach higher for it will so prevail with Christ that he will open his heart to us and conceal nothing from us that may conduce to an holy and sanctified life here and to the injoyment of eternall blessednesse hereafter If we dayly converse thus with Christ in our Meditations and Prayers we shall have our conversation with him in heaven though we live in a vale of misery here upon earth Now then examine thy self what communion thou hast had with thy dear Saviour hath he walked with thee in the field as he did with Isaack in his Meditations Hath he travelled with thee in the way as he did with the two Disciples as they went to Emmaus Went he into a strange land as he did with Joseph into Aegypt or was he in prison with thee as he was with him and with the Apostles Hast thou had his company in thy bed-chamber or in thy closet as David had Was he in the dungeon with thee as he was w th Jeremiah Hast thou had his company when thou hast been among spoilers as Daniel had among the Lyons and as Paul had when he was in the Lyons mouth And hath he been with thee upon thy sick-bed as he was with Hezekiah Then surely thou hast received some blessing from him then thou hast learned holy instructions of him how to bear thy crosse without murmuring and how to endure thy sufferings with meeknesse of spirit Then also thou hast learned how to pray zealously how to live piously how to fix thy trust and confidence on him and how to set thine affections upon him by the plentifull experience which thou hast had of his goodnesse to thee that so thou maist dye in his love and favour Examine thy self also what sin thou hast killed and buried for if thou dost leave thy sins because thou hast not ability to continue still in them thy sins do leave thee but thou dost not leave them and they are not buried with Christ in his Sepulchre for thou retainest still the remembrance of them with delight and approbation and if thou hadst ability and opportunity thou wouldst be as vicious still as ever thou wert before For unlesse faith had sealed thy union with Christ thou canst have no power from his death to mortifie thy corruptions or to bury thy sins with him neither canst thou live unto righteousnesse and true holinesse Consider in the last place what subtile policy was used to make the Sepulchre sure that the body of Christ might not be stoln away and to prevent his resurrection from the dead for they sealed the Stone and set a watch about the Sepulchre But God did hereby make the truth of his resurrection the more evident to the great comfort of his children and servants but to the perpetuall shame and confusion of his enemies and of such as will not believe it For Gods Decree must stand and nothing can prevail to frustrate his determinate Councell Whatsoever wicked men do vainly imagine or contrive God will bring to passe what he hath decreed for his own glory This is great comfort to the servants of God that are under tyrannicall pressures and can see no means how to be delivered out of their slavery for God will bring about his own purposes and will be honoured in their deliverance to the shame and rebuke of all their enemies Consider also that those malicious Jews could not but be convinced in their consciences that Christ was the Son of God by those strange wonders which they saw at his death and yet they still spit out their blasphemies against him though he were dead and in the presence of Pilate they term him a deceiver Thus it is with wicked men when they are given up to a reprobate minde for there is no end of their wickednesse against God and no end of their malicious and mischievous practises against his servants and against all that professe his Name A brief Summe of the Humiliation of CHRIST CHRIST was in the bosome of the Father from eternity where he was cloathed with fulnesse of Majesty and Glory in the highest heavens and had the Dominion and power over all things both in heaven and in earth but when he was to undertake the Work of our Redemption
up thy spirit thou fainting soul for Christ hath redeemed thy body from the grave and thy soul from death by his Resurrection he hath conquered all the enemies of thy salvation sin hath no condemning power over thee death is advantage to thee hell is lockt up from thee and the Devill himself cannot go beyond his commission for thy hurt Though the world doth frown upon thee h Joh. 16. 33 and thou findest tribulation here yet be of good chear and lift up thy head for Christ hath overcome the world and he will sanctifie all thy tribulations to thee Thou livest here subject to shame and reproach to diseases of body and sorrow of spirit and to all miseries and calamities but death will put an end to all thy labour and travell the grave will refine thy body from all imperfections and diseases and thy resurrection will bring thee to thy reward which is laid up for thee in heaven If the powers of darknesse set themselves in array against thee if the terrours of death assault thee fear not but keep close to the Resurrection of thy Saviour by faith he hath overcome them all and will also subdue them unto thee i Eph â— 30. If thou art a member of his body of his flesh and of his bones thou must be made conformable to him as to thy head as well in his glory as in his shame as well in his resurrection as in his death and buriall If the crosse must try thy strength he will not tire thee with a greater burden than thou art well able to bear If pain or sicknesse brings thee near unto death the faithfull hope of a joyful resurrection will greatly refresh and comfort thy soul for though thy soul must be parted from thy body yet neither thy soul nor thy body shall be parted fuom Christ but thou shalt rise again out of the dust with a spirituall and immortal body to be joyned unto Christ thy head for ever Now think on these things with holy affections and they will minister heavenly comfort to thy soul when thou art in any perplexity of minde or body Consider now to whom Christ appeared after his Resurrection it was first to holy Women who in their pious devotion and love to him came to imbalm his body with spices and sweet odours then he appeared to his Disciples at sundry times and also to many Brethren that they all might be well confirmed in the truth of his Resurrection and of his Deity to comfort them in their sorrowes to uphold them in their sufferings to strenthen their faith against all persecutions and bloody tryals and to be able to strengthen others in the Doctrine of the Resurrection Thus did the holy Apostles testfiie that they had seen the Lord Jesus after he was risen to confirm their Doctrine of his Resurrection But Christ did not appear to any wicked or ungodly men for they could neither believe it nor understand it nor receive any comfort or benefit by it because they have no spirituall eye to discern his glorified body but chiefly because they have no relation to him as their Saviour Christ doth appear to us at this day by his Spirit when he doth manifest to us the truth of his Resurrection by his Word and doth give us grace to apply it to our selves for the confirmation of our faith in the Resurrection of our bodies at the last day But chiefly Christ doth appear to us when by faith we draw vertue and power from his Resurrection to rise from the death of sin to the life of grace when we can raise up the affections of our hearts from earthly and worldly cares to heavenly contemplations and when we can with the wings of faith mount up above the sinfull delights and pleasures of this life and above all the calamities and tribulations that we shall meet with here upon earth to have our conversation in heaven and can draw comfort to our selves in all our sorrowes and miseries from the hope of our resurrection There will also be a day of resurrection to the wicked which will be most sad wofull and miserable to them for they shall not rise with purified and glorified bodies but with filthy ugly and unclean bodies all besmeared with the guilt of sin which will make them odious to look upon and they have no covering to hide their sins but onely the Divels liverey which is a guilty conscience that they may be known to whom they belong For there is no place and no inheritance in heaven for such unclean monsters but they shall be thrust down into the lowest hell to partake with the devil and his angels in their everlasting torments which is the reward of all wicked men for their evill works Of CHRISTS Ascension up into Heaven VVHen Christ had fully instructed his Apostles after his Resurrection in those things which concerned the Kingdom of Heaven and had taught them how to plant his Church here upon earth he was taken up in the sight and view of them all and ascended up into heaven where he sitteth at the right hand of God in fulnesse of Majesty and glory until he shall come again to judge both the quick and the dead whereby Christ is now become our eternall Advocate with the Father to make intercession for us and he is also our eternall high Priest to present our Prayers and oblations to God At his Ascension he carried up our humane nature with him into heaven and hath advanced it above the Angels and above all Principalities and powers also Christ hath taken possession of that heavenly Inheritance which we shall hereafter injoy for he keeps it for us Wherefore now let the thoughts of our hearts be raised up in our holy Meditations to contemplate the transcendent glory of Christ now he is at the right hand of the Father that we may firmly confide in him and have a longing desire to be with him to injoy that place of true blessednesse a John 14. 2 which he hath prepared for us in his Fathers house Also let all our Prayers and sacrifices proceed from an upright and a believing heart that they may be such as Christ will present to his Father for us and then we may confidently believe that God will graciously receive them Here is also great comfort for us that though we sin dayly through humane frailty or through the corruption of our nature b 1 John 2. 1 2. that we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation for our sins who will intercede for us and will present the merit of his blood unto him in full satisfaction for all our sins whereof we may have an holy assurance by faith and true repentance If we do faithfully believe that we have such an high Priest and such an Advocate in heaven why do we give our selves liberty in sin to displease him Why do we cherish any darling sin
the sanctifying graces of his holy Spirit may season our hearts and affections to walk before him in holinesse and purenesse of living all our dayes Wherefore now our afflictions and troubles which are part of this curse are sanctified to us and made salubrious and wholesome for our good and the evill of punishment which we suffer is taken away by the merit of his sufferings and the nature of them is changed into fatherly chastisements to correct us for our sins that we may walk more obediently before God or else they are to try the truth of our graces for the honour of God that gave them Fourthly this is another great Advantage and Gain that we have by Christ which unregenerate men cannot finde that he hath also freed us from the dominion of sin for though sin will dwell with us so long as we live in the flesh yet the strength and power of sin is weakened and killed by the vertue and power of that grace which Christ hath given us by his death The best of Gods servants do often complain how the unregenerate part in them doth sometimes prevail against the Spirit which makes them groan under the burden of their corruptions as holy David and others have done Paul also found this to be true for thus he saith e Rom. 7. 18 19. I know that in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing for to will is present with me but how to perform that which is good I finde not for the good that I would I do not but the evill which I would not that I do And he had no power but onely from Christ to be freed from this dominion of sin and therefore he cryeth out saying f Rom 7. 24 25. O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord for he found this Benefit and Gain by Christ for saith he g Phil. 1. 21. To me to live is Christ and to dye is gain or else we may read it thus For Christ is to me both in life and in death advantage This is not the gain which natural men look for they seek after the gain of riches the gain of honours and the gain of worldly preferments they look not after spiritual gain they do not esteem of vertue and godliness piety towards God is out of request with them though it be the true gain and most to be desired Fifthly that we may get this spirituall gain of Godlinesse which is the advantage onely of a true Believer Christ doth wash us in the Laver of his righteousnesse and therefore he bestowes all sanctifying and saving graces upon us to purifie us from the silth and pollutions of our sins For Christ doth unite us unto himself by Faith whereby we are cloathed with his righteousnesse and have all the benefits that come by the merite of his blood then faith drawes in with it all other sanctifying graces to make us compleat and perfect in Christ to beautifie and adorn our souls that we may lead a vertuous and pious life in the right way of true holiness h 1 Pet. 2. 2 Christ doth also give us an holy desire to the sincere milk of the word that thereby we may grow in i 2 Pet. 3. 18. grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we are brought into the favour of God k Rom. 3. 24 by whose grace love we are freely justified through the Redemption that is in Jesus Christ l Eph. 2. 8. by whose free grace also we are saved through faith in Christ Saving grace was one of the special gifts that Christ gave after his Ascension according to this of Paul m Eph. 4. 7. But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ n Heb. 13 9. Wherefore if our hearts are stablished w th grace we shal not be carried about with diverse and strange doctrines but we shall stand firm in the Faith and in the truth of our Profession and our hearts will be purged from dead works Sixthly we have this great Advantage by Christ above all other men o Gal. 4. 5 6 7. that by him we receive the adoption of sons and thereby we injoy all the Priviledges that belong to sons for God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into our hearts crying Abba Father and we are made heirs of God through Christ Wherefore p Heb. 4. 16. in him we may come boldly unto the throne of grace by Prayer that we may obtain mercy and finde grace to help in time of need For God will have a fatherly care of us to protect us in all dangers to provide whatsoever is good for us and to comfort us in all our sorrowes and distresses q Psal 9. 9. Isa 25. 4. Thus was God a refuge and a shield of defence to David and to other holy men in their troubles and afflictions If his rod of correction be upon us it will be in love r Heb. 12. 6. as a father chasteneth his son that he may receive us as his sons and though we feel his visitation sharp Å¿ Lam. 3. 31 yet he will not cast us off for ever for t Eph. 4 30. we are sealed unto the day of Redemption u Heb. 6. 12. that we may through faith and patience inherit the promises u 1 Pet. 1 4. as heirs to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not away reserved in heaven for us Lastly Christ hath sealed the Covenant of grace to us with his own blood whereby we are freed from the strict keeping of the legal Covenant of Works and Christ will perfect with his own righteousnesse whatsoever is wanting in us to the fulfilling of the Law if we endeavour the best we can with an upright heart to do the will of God and then God in mercy will accept of our imperfect obedience for his sake This new Covenant which Christ hath procured for us will admit of the obedience of Christ for us and also of our true repentance for our sins which the legal Covenant would not because it required perfect and personal obedience to every tittle of the Law both in thought in word and in deed By vertue of this new Covenant x Jer. 31. 33 34. God is our God and he will forgive all our iniquities and will remember our sins no more upon condition that we believe in Christ y Heb. 12. 24. who is the Mediator of this Covenant and that with our faith we joyn piety and new obedience Christ hath also given us his Sacraments whereby this Covenant is sealed to us if we do worthily partake of them but of this Covenant and also of the Sacraments I have written more fully in another Treatise Now Meditate with an holy devotion upon all these Advantages which every
true believer hath by Christ in this life above all other men that have no interest in him by faith and examine thy self hereby what thou hast gained by him If thou hast used the blessings of God and his good creatures soberly and temperately to his glory and not to pamper or cherish any sin to dishonour him thereby and doest return thanks unto God for them with a sincere heart because he is the sole giver of all things that thou injoyest then Christ hath taken away the curse that was upon them and hath made them blessings to thee which thou maist freely use to thy comfort otherwise thou canst finde little comfort in them Also if thou dost truly believe that thy sins were imputed unto Christ and hast an holy assurance hereof by the dayly renuing of thy repentance for thy dayly sins then thou maist be fully perswaded that the guilt of sin which was a burden to thy conscience and did cleave close to thy soul is taken away and that Christ hath nailed it to his crosse whereby thou art freed from the curse of the Law and from the condemnation of sin This consideration will much comfort thee when thou art under the crosse for the evill of punishment that was in thine afflictions is taken away it being part of the curse and thou art but chastised for thy good and not punished for thy hurt Examine thy self yet further what thou hast gained by Christ for if thou canst over-power thy corruptions by the strength of grace and canst leave thy sins before they leave thee and that the remembrance of them is bitter to thy soul and doest dayly strive with a true purpose of heart to newnesse of life then thou hast an evident sign that Christ hath taken away the dominion of sin in thee z Ezek. 36. 25. and hath poured clean water upon thy soul to purifie cleanse thee from all thy filthines Also if thou dost find the fruits of the Spirit of sanctification that thou hast an holy desire to the means of grace and a faithful endeavour to grow stronger in grace that thy heart may be stablished in the truth and thy Faith firm to uphold thee in thy sufferings and tryalls then thou hast gotten great gain and much Advantage by Christ But if thou art perswaded of thine Adoption by Faith in him thou canst not conceive how great thy gain will be for whatsoever a childe can desire of a loving Father thou mayest expect much more from God nothing shall be too dear for thee nothing shall be hurtfull to thee and nothing shall be concealed from thee that may be profitable and advantageous to the salvation of thy soul Let us consider now that our hearts may ruminate well upon it for our great comfort what honour we have by being made the sons of God a 1 Sam. 18. 23. When Sauls servants came to perswade David to be the Kings son in law he gave them this answer Seemeth it to you a light thing to be a Kings son in law seeing that I am a poor man and lightly esteemed How great then is the honour and how highly to be esteemed for a poor wretched captive to be made the Son of the eternall and everliving God to have such a Father to come to in all our necessities such a Refuge in all our distresses such a Protectour against all our enemies and to be heir to such an Inheritance as is incorruptible and eternal which Christ hath reserved for us in heaven Wherefore we should be holy and undefiled in our conversations as becometh the sons of such a Father we should not walk stubbornly before him but in filial fear and reverence obeying his holy will and commands with filial love and submitting to his rod and corrections as a childe ought to submit to his Father If our services are thus performed to God he will then be a tender and a gracious Father to us If we have this Gain by Christ in this life what is the gain of the whole world to it What is all earthly honour to the honour of a true Christian and yet most men covet and desire that gain and that honour and they neglect the true Gain and the true honour of a Christian which is chiefly to be desired b Mat. 16. 26 What is a man profited saith Christ if be shall gain the whole world and lose his own soul If we injoy Christ we have a rich Patrimony we can want no comfort whatsoever shall betide us in soul or in body in goods or good name he will repair all our losses in Adam with his abundant righteousnesse he will also repair all our losses in children servants or estate either in this life c Job 42 10 as he did unto Job or else in the life to come in a more plentifull manner Christ will likewise furnish us with all spiritual abilities to encounter with the enemies of our salvation to stand firmly for the truth and for a good conscience and to endure the tryall of our faith love hope and patience and he will make perfect whatsoever is wanting or imperfect in us d 2 Cor. 12. 9 for his grace is sufficient for us and his strength is made perfect in weaknesse his love and his care of us doth most shine forth when we do most a base and humble our selves and when we do acknowledge our unworthinesse of it In the last place we should Meditate with all thankfulnesse upon the great benefit that we have by the Covenant of grace which Christ hath sealed for us with his blood for we may faithfully believe and comfortably expect that God will perform his condition expressed therein to us though we cannot perfectly perform our conditions to him also that he will purifie and cleanse us from all our filthinesse e Jer. 32. 40. and will put his fear in our hearts that we shall not depart from him Wherefore let not the failings and frailties of the flesh discomfort us nor weaken our faith and confidence in the goodnesse of God to us in Christ for the flesh will rebell against the spirit and the corruptions of the unregenerate part will sometimes breake out upon us to dash and hinder our comfort in this gracious Covenant Therefore Christ hath ordained the two Sacraments to seal this Covenant to our souls for the better confirmation of our Faith f Gal. 3. 26 27. For if we are baptized into Christ by Faith we have put on Christ we are members of his Church and this Covenant is sealed to us g 1 John 1. 7 and the blood of Christ hath cleansed us from all sin If age or sicknesse or any thing else beside sanctifying grace doth keep us from sinning against God this is not the true purging away of sin nor the regeneration and renewing of the holy Ghost because the evill concupisence of the flesh and the sinful desires of the minde will remain strong and
with Christ and hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus that he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindnesse toward us through Christ Jesus b Eph. 4. 23 This renovation in the spirit of our minde is wrought in us by the holy Ghost through Christ for he was anointed with the holy Ghost for this end and purpose that by him we might be raised up from the death of sin to a spirituall life of grace according to the signification of his Name for as he is Christ he is Anointed of God and as he is Jesus he is the Saviour of the world to save us from our sins and to work salvation for us whereof we are not capable untill we have a spiritual life wrought in us Thus saith the Spouse of Christ c Cant. 1. 3. Thy Name is as oyntment poâ—red forth A precious Oyntment hath many excellent vertues d Psal 104. 15. for it maketh a chearful countenance it comforteth and strengtheneth all the parts of the body it healeth all diseases and it sendeth forth a sweet savour when it is poured out which refresheth and comforteth all the senses Thus is Christ to every true believers soul he is the Anointed of God as saith the Psalmist of him e Psal 45. 7. Thou lovest righteousnesse and hatest wickednesse therefore God thy God hath anointed thee with the oyl of gladnesse above thy fellowes f Act. 10. 38 for he was anointed with the holy Ghost and with power First by the power of his holy unction Christ doth put a spiritual light into our understanding by his Spirit that we may see how to walk in the paths of godlinesse and truth according to this of old Simeon g Lu. 2. 31 32. that God had prepared him to be a light to lighten the Gentiles and to be the glory of his people Israel h Psal 97. 11 Light is sown for the righteous and the comfort and gladnesse of it for the upright in heart This Prophesie was fulfilled in Christ i Isa 2. 9. The people that walked in darknesse have seen a great light they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death upon them hath the light shined k Eph. 5. 14 Wherefore awake thou that sleepest in fin and arise from the dead and Christ shall give thee light If we want this heavenly light we must needs wander and go astray from God and we have no means to obtain such a light but by Christ It is sin that hath brought this darknesse and this spiritual death upon our souls and none but Christ can take it away This is the beginning of our spiritual life when we have some light to discern the spirituall things of God for the good of our souls Secondly Christ is the food and nourishment of our souls to preserve this spirituall life in us whose flesh we must spiritually eat and whose blood we must spiritually drink by faith in the hearing of his Word preached and Sacramentally when we come to his holy Table or else we have not this spirituall life in us l John 6. 48 53. I am that bread of life saith Christ which came down from heaven who so eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood hath eternall life and I will raise him up at the last day for my flesh is meat indeed and my blood is drink indeed Wherefore if our souls do hunger and thirst after this heavenly food and do earnestly desire to be refreshed and fully satisfied therewith it is an evident sign that there is a spiritual life in us for Christ doth freely offer himself to every empty soul that can feed upon him by Faith in his Word or in his Sacraments But if our desires and the affections of our hearts are taken up with the love of this world and of earthly vanities it s no marvell if we have no hunger nor thirst after Christ and that we feel so little want and need of him Thirdly the blood of Christ is the true balm to heal and cure all the diseases and wounds that sin hath made in our souls it is like m Lu 10. 34 the good Samaritans wine and oyl for it hath a cleansing and an healing vertue There can be no wound so deep in the soul and no ulcer so festered but this precious Oyntment will cleanse and heal it if it be rightly applyed by faith and true repentance for repentance layeth open the wound by true confession and faith applyeth the remedy to it and then repentance giveth us an holy assurance that we shall be cured This is the way and the means of recovery when our souls are sick of any spirituall disease and also to preserve that spirituall life which is in us Lastly when the heavenly graces that flow from Christ are poured out upon our soules they will greatly refresh and comfort our spirits in all sadnesse of heart and they will so persume all our actions and services which we perform unto God that their sweet savour shall ascend up unto him that he may smell it and graciously accept of us and of our offerings n Gen. 8. 21. When Noah offered burnt offerings to the Lord after the floud the Lord smelled a sweet savour and accepted his sacrifice and blessed him exceedingly Wherefore if our souls are perfumed with grace they will so perfume all our holy oblations which we offer up to God that he will in mercie accept them for his Sonnes sake o I rev 5. 8. But the sacrifices of the wicked are an abomination to the Lord and they stink in his nostrils because they proceed from a corrupt and unclean heart which is not perfumed with grace how much â— Eccl. 10. 1 more when he bringeth them with a wicked mind â—o 21. 27 Sin is like dead flies in the ointment of the Apothecary which causeth it to stink for sin maketh us odious in the sight of God Wherefore take heed with what heart thou comest into the presence of God and that thou bringest no oblation to him with a wicked mind but first purifie thy heart from sinne by faith in the bloud of Christ and see that thy soul be perfumed with sanctifying grace and then come and offer thy gift and God will accept it But if there be any sin in thy bosome unrepented of or any iniquity in thy heart which thou seekest to hide from God then he cannot smell a sweet savour of thy prayers of thy praises and thanksgivings or of any duty which thou performest to him to make it accepted because thy heart is not upright before God Now we must examine our selves what spiritual life we have by Christ and we must know how he is our spiritual life if we will have any comfort thereby First q 1 Joh. 2. 20 If we have this holy unction from Christ which was poured upon him above measure that
it might run down to every member of his mystical body which was typified by r Psal 133. 2. that pâ—ecious ointment which was poured upon Aarons head and ran down to the skirts of his garments so that we have a spiritual light to discern the things that belong to our peace then Christ hath wrought this life in us by his holy Spirit for in the state of nature we were dead to any thing that is heavenly f 1 Cor. 2. 14 and we could not receive the things of the Spirit of God because they are spiritually discerned Secondly if our soules can feed upon heavenly food and if we can expresse all other actions of a spiritual life as to walk in the paths of holinesse to speak the pure Language of Canaan and to have our conversation in heaven while we live here upon earth we may then be fully perswaded that there is a spirituall life in us for so long as sin reigneth in our mortall bodies and untill there be a new creation wrought in us we are spiritually dead to every good work and we can expresse no actions of a sanctified life Thirdly if our souls are cleansed from the guilt of sin in the blood of Christ and if the filth and stains of our sins are washed away in the Laver of Regeneration by his sanctifying grace and covered under his righteousnesse that they appear not to the dishonour of God or to the hurt of our neighbour and that we delight not in any sin but do study and endeavour to serve and please God with a sincere heart and pure affections it is a sure evidence that Christ hath quickned and raised us up from the death of sin to the life of grace Lastly if our duties and services to God proceed from a clean and a purified heart which is sanctified and perfumed with the graces and merits of Christ then God will smell the perfume of them to accept of our persons and of our holy offerings because the Spirit of Christ is in us Thus we may know to our great comfort if we narrowly look into our condition what spirituall life we have and that we have it onely from Christ and by him Wherefore now if thou desirest to live spiritually by Christ thou must faithfully believe that he hath taken away that spiritual death which by nature was upon thee for thy sins and that he onely can give thee this spirituall life for as he hath vanquished and overcome the power of death both spiritual and temporal so he can give a spiritual life as well as a temporal to whom and when he pleaseth This spiritual life thou must have from him if thou canst make a particular application of him to thy self by faith that he is thy Saviour and thy Redeemer for he hath then breathed into thee the Spirit of grace which hath wrought this spiritual life in thee though at the first thou canst feel no power of it without this application of Christ to thy self thou canst draw no comfort from him and he will profit thee nothing It did much comfort Job in his greatest misery when he did thus apply Christ to himself t Job 19. 25 27. I know saith he that my Redeemer liveth whom I shall see for my self If thou canst bring thy heart to close thus with Christ he will give light to thine eyes food to thy soul balm for thy diseases and comfortable refreshing for thy languishing spirits But if thou art still dead in thy sins and hast no spiritual life in Christ thou canst then feel no comfort by him for what good can light do to a dead man What benefit can he have by the daintiest food What can the best medicine profite him And what sense hath he of the best perfume But if thou doest live in Christ and he in thee thou shalt partake with him in his fulnesse of all spiritual graces u Col. 1. 19 for it pleased the Father that in him should all fullnesse dwell u John 1. 16 And of his fulnesse have all we received and grace for grace Now consider further that Christ is the meritorious cause of this spiritual life x Tit. 2. 14 for he gave himself freely and voluntarily to be an oblation and a sacrifice for us to redeem us from all iniquity and from whatsoever we are lyable unto by reason of sin to wit from the guilt of sin from the dominion of sin from the curse of the Law from the bondage of Satan from the terrours of death and from eternall condemnation Also by the power of his resurrection he hath subdued and overcome death hell and the grave that we might be raised out of the grave of sin to live a spiritual life to God in Christ Christ hath wrought our redemption by his active and passive obedience to the will of God whereby we are justified in his sight for he hath taken our life out of the hand of Gods justice where we had no hope to injoy it and hath put it into the hand of his mercy where we are sure through Christ to have the comfort of it here and the happinesse of it hereafter Though we must passe by the gates of hell before we can injoy the sweet consolation of this spiritual life and though we must bring our selves so low in our humiliation and in mortifying of our sins and corruptions as if we were ready to be thrust down into hell yet God will then give us a spiritual life in Christ to support us he will then raise us up to newnesse of life by the sanctifying grace of his Spirit that our spiritual life may appear and that we may be made fit to injoy Christ for ever in the Kingdom of heaven This is the first main end of the passion of Christ that we may be redeemed by the merit of his blood Secondly Christ is the efficient cause of our spiritual life for as we have our justification by the merit of his blood so we have our sanctification by the same blood and these two cannot be separated but must go together for we have no sure evidence that we are justified in the sight of God but by the sanctification of our lives The Act of our justification is wrought at once as soon as we are ingrafted into Christ by Faith but our sanctification must be a continued Act so long as we live in the flesh for the best of Gods servants have so many spots and stains of sin in them that they have dayly need to pray to be every day purified and cleansed with the blood of Christ and to be dayly renewed with the graces of his Spirit This is the second main end why Christ gave himself to be an oblation for us that he might purifie us to be a peculiar people to himself according to this of Paul y Tit. 2. 14 Christ gave himself for us that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purifie unto himself
upon his Throne of mercy ready to receive us If our faith doth reach no further than to the knowledge of Christ what he is in his divine nature and what he is by incarnation or to his glorious excellencies and dignities as he is the Mediatour of the new Covenant or to the work of mans redemption as he is the Redeemer of the world it is but the bare notion of faith which is not effectual enough to bring us to eternal happinesse Unregenerate men may know and believe thus much of Christ by the letter of the Gospel and yet never be brought into the state of grace by Christ because they have not the grace of faith in their hearts to apply these things to themselves The devils did know who Christ was they knew the purity of his nature and what power he had over them and yet they continued devils still Wherefore we must not rest in the bare notion of faith but if we will believe unto salvation we must then f John 13. 8 9. As Paul and Silas said to the Jaylor Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ we must rest upon him and put our whole confidence in him for our salvation also we must apply him and all his excellent dignities to our selves that we may be well perswaded of our redemption by him and that we are invested into the Covenant of grace by our union with him and that we shall hereafter injoy the perfection of true happinesse If our Faith can reach thus high and lay such hold upon Christ by their particular application of him then let our condition be what it will we shall be happy while we live more happy when we dye and most happy after death for no afflictions or sorrowes of life and no violence or extremity of sicknesse in death shall be able to take this happinesse from us and after death we shall be out of the reach of all our enemies for Christ by whom we have this happinesse will not suffer us to loose it but by the grace and power of faith we shall still draw all spiritual comfort from Christ to our souls to make us truly happy in this life and everlastingly happy in the life to come This is the grace and power of true faith to apply particularly to our selves whole Christ God and Man and as he is our Prophet our high Priest our King our Mediator and Redeemer and then how mean soever our condition be he will make us happy in it and will crown us with everlasting happinesse hereafter for where this Faith is wrought there the holy Ghost will abide for ever and that soul must needs be happy that intertaineth him g Eph. 1. 13. For after that we have believed in Christ we are sealed with that holy Spirit of Primise unto the day of Redemption this Spirit of promise is the earnest of our inheritance which Christ hast purchased for us Consider further that by this means we are neerly joyned unto Christ h Eph. 3. 17. For Christ dwelleth in our hearts by Faith This spirituall union with Christ is more firm and close than the union of the members of the natural body is with the head or the union of the branches is with the vine for nothing can separate us from Christ but he will keep us by his Almighty power unto salvation If we be in this blessed condition nothing can hurt the well-being of our souls but all things shall work together for our good What comfort and what happinesse can we want if we injoy Christ His grace will carry us on cheerfully through all the discomforts that we shall meet with in this life his blessings will be upon all that we injoy and he will give us the fulnesse of happinesse in the life to come Though we be in Christ yet we shall meet with many sorrowes troubles and vexations in this life which will cloud the sense of this our fâ—licity for we have here but the beginnings of that blessed and happy condition which in the life to come shall be perfected and confirmed to us for ever in Christ Wherefore we ought seriously to meditate and study how to injoy Christ who is the true happinesse of our souls and though we have but a taste of this heavenly consolation yet it will sweeten the bitternesse of all misery and as we dayly grow in grace so we shall dayly finde more comfort by our assurance of the fruition of our future felicity in heaven Also the more we grow in grace the more we shall grow out of love with this world because we shall the better see the vanities of it and the more we shall grow in love with vertue and true piety which will bring us to this happinesse and to injoy it to all eternity Concerning our Iustification THe true knowledge of this high Principle of Religion what it is to be justified in the sight of God and how it is wrought in us by the holy Ghost is of great concernment to every true Christian and it doth minister exceeding much comfort to him in the assurance of the pardon of his sins and in the hope of his salvation Now we are justified not for any inherent righteousnesse that is in us nor for any foreseen works we are able to do nor for any grace that is wrought in us but as God doth elect us of his own free grace and love so he doth also freely justifie us First a 2 Cor. 5. 19. by not imputing our sins and iniquities to us Secondly by not inflicting the condemnation of sin upon us Thirdly by imputing the righteousnesse of Christ to us by faith Fourthly by pronouncing and declaring us to be just in the Court of heaven and by witnessing the same to our consciences by his holy Spirit and lastly by his gracious acceptation of us This is our Justification and thus we may be perswaded of it for God hath set up his seat of Judgement in every mans conscience so that when we remember our sins if our conscience doth absolve us by our faith in the righteousnesse of Christ and in the merit of his blood it is a sure evidence of our justification in the sight of God but if it doth condemn us then it will binde us over to answer for our selves at the last and general judgement when it will bring bitter accusations against us and witnesse terrible things against our poor souls for conscience is the highest witnesse next under God The ground of our justification is Gods free grace to us by Faith in Christ who hath taken upon himself the guilt of our sins whereby they are imputed to him and his righteousnesse is imputed to us so that now God doth account us just and righteous because we have no guilt of sin and are cloathed with the righteousnesse of Christ and therefore he will absolve us from all our sins and from the punishment that is due to us for them and he will
iniquity of our sinnes unto Christ our Saviour and of his free grace to account us just by the imputation of his righteousnesse to us through faith So likewise hereby we have the adoption of sonnes and all the priviledges that do belong unto sonnes These are such benefits and such comforts as none can conceive but such as doe injoy them and none can injoy them but by Christ and there is no way to have them by Christ but onely by a true and a lively faith in him Secondly by faith we are invested into the Covenant of grace and all the gracious promises that are contained in it doe belong unto us also by faith we have great comfort and hope in all other the promises of God whether they concern this life or the life to come for we believe the truth of his word and his ready will to perform what he hath promised and though his promises are sometimes impossible to nature and above humane reason yet faith gives us ability to rest upon them because we believe that he is faithful that hath promised and able to perform his word Thus saith Solomon Blessed â— 1 Kings â— 50. be the Lord that hath given rest unto his people Israel according to all that he hath promised there hath not failed one word of all his good promises which he promised by the hand of Moses his Servant The promises of God are limited to the condition of faith and obedience and though they are above our capacity yet we may confide in them for he will perform them in his due time b Rom. 4 18 19 20. God made a promise to Abraham that his seed should be as numerous as the starres in the firmament when he was about an hundred yeares old and yet betâ—g not weak in faith he staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief but against hope he believed in hope that he might become the father of many Nations and he was fully perswaded that what God had promised he was able also to perform c Heb. 11. 11 Sarah through faith received strength to conceive seed though she were barren and past age and she was delivered of a child because she judged him faithful who had promised If we do thus rest upon the promises God in all conditions of life and in all the chances and changes that can happen to us it will fit and prepare us to receive them contentedly at Gods hands But the special servants of God may be so over-pressed with the extremity of afflictions that they are ready to distrust the truth of Gods Word and to waver in their assiance and confidence in him if he delayeth to perform his promise and to help them This was Asaphs case who thus complained d Psal 74. 8 10. Is his mercy clean gone for ever doth his promise fail for evermore But he doth presently check himself and acknowledge that it was his infirmity thus to distrust the goodnesse of God Thus saith Peter e 2 Pet. 3. 9. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise for he will remember to perform it when his time is come that it will make most for his glory and for our good Wherefore f Heb. 6. 12. we must wait patiently upon God and then we shall inherit the promises g Eph. 1. 13. for by faith we are sealed with that holy Spirit of promise that we may confidently rest upon God and upon the truth of his Word Wherefore if we are well acquainted with the Scriptures we shall find many promises of grace to strengthen our faith when we are under any temptation to comfort our soules when we are in any anguish of spirit or under the pressure of any crosse or calamity And when we have found a promise that will suit with our present condition then to make use of our faith to lay hold upon it to apply it to our selves and to rest firmly upon it though it be above hope for God can and will assuredly perform it to our great consolation If God doth deferre the performance of it longer than we expect yet we must patiently wait upon him for when he hath wrought his own work in us for his own glory and our good he will not then delay to perform it a moment longer Thirdly by faith we shall receive much profit and comfort by Gods holy Ordinances without which our services to God cannot be performed according to his will The preparation of the heart to the profitable â—earing of the sacred Word of God is by faith h Act. 15. 9. because hereby our hearts are purified and cleansed from all sin in the bloud of Christ that no guilt of sin may cleave to our soules and consciences to stop the current of grace to our hearts and to hinder the free working of the Spirit of God upon our affections by the ministry of his word that it cannot take root in us for our edification and instruction to convince us of our errours to reprove us for our sinnes and to comfort us in all sorrows and sadnesse of heart It is faith that makes our hearts good ground fit to receive the seed of Gods Word that it may take deep root in us to fructifie and bring forth much fruit to the glory of God What comfort can we have by the Word of God if we doe not hear it with hearts purified from our corruptions by faith how can it profit us if there be not an holy preparation to receive it that the holy Ghost may imprint it in our hearts to be a word of power in us unto salvation and to be the Savour of life unto eternal life and how can it be fruitful in us to the reformation of our lives if our hearts are not seasoned with faith i Rom. 10. 17. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God and then it is a special meanes which the spirit of God useth to convey spiritual knowledge to the understanding holy desires to the will to study and endeavour to a godly life and also true consolation to the soul So likewise our hearts are prepared by faith to the worthy receiving of the Lords Supper for as we doe refresh our bodies with the Bread and Wine so our soules are refreshed and comforted by our spiritual feeding on the body and blood of Christ by faith Also faith will put an holy zeal into our prayers to make them fervent and effectual to prevail with God to send us a gracious answer in his good time Thus saith our Saviour Christ k Mar. 11. 24. What things soever yee desire when yee pray believe that ye receive them and yee shall have them O what comfort might we find in our prayers when we are in want sorrow or in any necessity if we did pray with zealous affections and did faithfully believe that our petitions are granted before we receive them then we would wait upon God until he is
Davids delight to Meditate on the Law of God because he found great sweetnesse in it f Psal 119. 163. How sweet saith he are thy words unto my taste Yea sweeter than hony to my mouth If we had Davids spiritual palate g Isa 58. 13. we should delight in the Lords Sabbath as he saith by his Prophet we should delight to hear his Word to come to his holy Table to meditate on his Law and to practise all holy duties to the honour and glory of his Name Also if we do set our selves to Meditate on the strength and power of his grace we shall finde that Faith will give us sufficient power against all our spiritual enemies hope will uphold our Faith in the promises of God when it is weak patience will make us bear our afflictions and tryalls with a willing minde holy zeal will make our Prayers effectual to prevail with God to grant what we desire or what is better for us and constancy will make us continue in well-doing unto the end that we may receive that recompence of reward which God of his infinite goodnesse hath promised As Faith is the Mother of all other spiritual graces so it will alwayes go along with every particular grace to make it the more effectual and powerful to help us in time of need Now we know the quicknesse of our spirituall taste by our delight in holy duties and in the Ordinances of God and we may know the strength of grace by the fruits and effects of it according to the nature of every particular grace also the truth of every grace that is in us will appear and that it is a fruit of Faith if the power of Faith goeth along with it How to increase Faith EVery man hath not alike measure of Faith he that iâ— weakest in Faith may be made stronger and he that is strong in Faith may yet have more for it is a spiritual and heavenly grace which will grow and increase if it be spiritually watered by the holy Ghost Christ did find a great Faith in the Woman of Canaan and in some others a Mat. 15. 28. O woman saith he to her great is thy faith but he did often reprove his Disciples for the weaknesse of their Faith and thus he said in particular unto Peter b Mat. 14. 31 O thou of little faith wherefoer didst thou doubt Peters doubting made him ready to sink as he walked upon the waters unto Christ and it did discover the weaknesse of his Faith and confidence in Christ as if he could not give him power to walk upon the waters as he did This is the condition of many of Gods dear servants that when they see perills and dangers ready to fall upon them and no means either to escape them or to be delivered from them then fears and doubtings will rise in their mindes to discover the weaknesse of their Faith and to make them distrust the providence of God to doubt of his Fatherly care of them and of his Almighty Power to save them For sometimes their Faith may be so weak that it cannot mount above their humane capacity they cannot see the wisdom and power of God to be far above the reach of their reason and understanding When God seeth such weaknesse in our Faith he will tenderly visite us and will give us hope by some manifest signes to strengthen our faith against all our fears and doubtings Though our faith be weak yet if it be true it is saving it is growing and it is lasting Faith is saving because it doth unite us unto Christ with an unseparable union who is the rock of our salvation and by whom onely we must be saved c Act. 4. 11 12. Christ is that stone which was set at nought of the builders which is becâ—me the head of the corner Neither is there salvation in any other for there is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved Also we may grow in faith First d 1 Pet. 2. 2. if we desire the sincere milk of the Word as new born babes desire the milk of the breast that we may thereby grow in the knowledge of God and of his Son Jesus Christ If the word of God be purely Preached without the mixture of erroneous doctrine it is the seed of grace which God soweth in our hearts by his Ministers and he will water it with his Spirit to make it increase and fructifie that we may grow in grace until we come to a full stature in Christ if we do hear iâ— with sanctified hearts and pure affections Secondly we may greatly increase our faith in Christ if we do spiritually feed upon his body and blood when we come to the Lords Table which is the true food of our souls and the heavenly nourishment of that spirituall life which we have in Christ by Faith and the oftner we do thus feed at the Lords Table the more we cherish this spiritual life and the more we increase our Faith and make all other saving graces the stronger in us Thirdly prayer is a speciall meanes for the increase of our Faith for we have the beginnings of Faith from God the increase of it also and the stablishment of it is from God and we must beg it of him by our Prayers and supplications or else we cannot obtain it Thus said the Apostles unto Christ e Lu. 17. 5. Lord increase our Faith Also thus said the Father of the dumb childe unto Christ f Mar. 9. 24 Lord I believe help thou my unbelief God is ready to hear the Prayers of his servants but specially when they make such petitions as he is willing to grant which are such as do make most for his own glory and nothing can advance the glory of God more than when they crave the increase of their Faith without which they can glorifie God in no services which they perform unto him for without faith it is impossible to please God and so consequently to honour him in any holy duty which he commandeth Fourthly Faith will grow and increase by our dayly Meditation on the Truth of Gods Word how faithfully he hath performed all his Promises how ready and how able he is still to perform them if we can rest and depend upon them by Faith If we consider that God is immutable and omnipotent in his own Essence that he is Truth it self that he will not alter whatsoever he hath decreed in his secret Counsel and that he will perform all that he hath promised in his Word it will greatly strengthen our Faith and uphold our trust and confidence in God when any difficulties or dangers presse hard upon us which otherwise would shake the foundation of our faith Fifthly the dayly experience which we have of the power of God and of his goodnesse to us in all conditions of life whether we be in prosperity or in adversity in health or in
sicknesse under the crosse or under the buffetings of Satan this will much increase our Faith and confirm our hope and confidence in God g 1 Sam. 17. 37. This consideration made David bold to encounter with Goliah that great Gyant because God had formerly delivered him from the paw of the Lyon and from the paw of the Bear and therefore he would now deliver him from that uncircumcised Philistine We should make the same use of the former experience that we have any way had of the goodnesse and mercy of God to us to strengthen our faith and affiance in God when we are in any distresse and can see no means to give us any hope of safety or of deliverance Sixthly if we be of low esteem in our own eyes and poor in spirit to walk humbly before God in a true sight and sense of our unworthinesse and of our emptinesse of grace and goodness then God will give us more grace more holy zeal and he will make us rich in faith h 1 Pet. 5. 5. for God resisteth the proud and giveth grace to the humble Thus we may have more strength of Faith from God because he will deal like a tender father with these that know their own weaknesse to supply their wants with a gracious increase of their Faith i Isa 42. 3. for he will not break the bruised reed nor quench the smoaking flax neither will he require of the weak so much as of these that are strong in Faith and whatsoever he requireth of them he will give such abilities of grace as shall make them able to perform it Lastly if we desire to have our Faith increased we must take heed that we give no liberty to sin for that will weaken our Faith it will stop the influence of grace to our hearts and hinder the free operations of the holy Ghost in us How can we confide and trust in Gods mercy and goodnesse when we have deserved his wrath and displeasure for some sin that doth over power us without repentance How can grace be strong in us if sin doth still reign in our mortall bodies There can be no increase of Faith if sin be strong in us If God is pleased to try our faith or any other grace that is in us as he did Abrahaâ—s Faith Josephs chastity and Jobs patience we shall be found very weak if our conscience can accuse us of any sin that is not mortified and subdued in us Wherefore now if thou art conscious of the weakness of thy Faith by thine inability to resist any temptation or provocation unto sin by thy wavering and doubting in the true performance of Gods Promises if they are above thy capacity and by thy perplexed fears when troubles or dangers are ready to seize upon thee thou must not look upon thine own deservings except iâ— be for thy humiliation for thou must know that God did not make his gracious promises for thy sake though they were made for thy good but God made them to thee for the sake of Christ in whom was the perfection of all merit k 2 Cor 1. 20 and in whom all the Promises of God are yea and Amen so that if thou art in Christ thou hast no cause to question the performance of any of Gods promises Also for the increase of thy Faith meditate piously upon those former directions and then have recourse by Prayer to thy blessed Saviour and he will uphold thy Faith against all adversary power that shall oppose it But if thou art not in Christ no promise of grace belongs unto thee and thou canst finde no comfort therein How to esteem of Faith THough it be sufficient highly to prize and esteem of true justifying Faith if we do duly weigh and consider those excellent benefits and comforts of Faith formerly set down to make us happy here in this life and eternally blessed in the life to come yet the great worth and esteem of it will further appear by these following considerations which the holy Ghost hath set down in the sacred Scriptures First the holy Ghost hath set severall high commendations on it as a thing of great price a 2 Pet. 1. 20 for by Peter he calls it precious Faith because it is grounded upon the righteousnesse of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ and because we do injoy Christ himself by it We must needs therefore esteem it as a most precious Jewell because God will bestow it upon none but such as are his dear children and elected unto salvation Holy David was a great King renowned for his honour riches and valour he was victorious in all his battels and he prospered in all his enterprises yet his faith and hope was in none of these b Psal 7. 1. but his trust was in the Lord. He did slight all his earthly greatnesse and did count himself happy onely by his faith in God for thus he saith c Psal 40. 4 Blâ—ssed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust But some have no regard to fix their faith on God for they put their confidence in the arm of flesh in the multitude of their Host and in the strength of their Chariots and Horsemen these have no ground for their faith to rest upon but what this world can afford them which they will finde to be vain and like a broken reed no way able to save them Hadadezer trusted in his Chariots and Horsemen d 2 Sam. 8. 4 but David smote him with a very great slaughter and took from him a thousand chariots because he trusted in the Lord. e 2 Chro. 14. 9. Zerah the Ethiopian put his trust in his numerous Army which was a thousand thousand but the Lord overthrew them before King Asa The faith that worldly men have in their riches and in their greatnesse is not this faith which is so precious and so much to be esteemed for their faith is grounded upon worldly strength and it reacheth no further than humane reason can carry it no marvell then if it do deceive them in the end But the Faith of a true Christian is fixed upon Christ and upon no other object who is a sure rock to rest upon and it reacheth up to heaven even to God himself and it will fetch down help and succour comfort and consolation from him upon all occasions when we need it Jude calls it f Jude 2â— most holy faith because it maketh us holy in the sight of God by putting upon us the righteousnesse of Christ and because by it as it hath relation unto Christ our Prayers and all other our services to God are holy and acceptable to him Wherefore seeing Faith is so precious that God will bestow it upon none but upon his own children and so holy that it maketh all our services to God to be holy we ought to esteem it as a pearl of great price and to keep it as a most precious Jewell Secondly we
can they hate any thing that is wicked and sinfull because it is so agreeable to their nature and they have no grace to check their corrupted nature for loving that which God hateth and hath forbidden whereas a regenerate man will find that the Spirit of grace which is in him will give him a secret check if his unregenerate part doth take pleasure and delight in any thing that is sinfull for he must not conform himself to the fashion of the world The sense of faith may be lost BY faith in Christ we injoy the light of Gods countenance and his assisting Grace which is our greatest comfort in all misery and distresse and so long as we do injoy that we are sensible of our faith and we feel the comfort of it but when God doth hide his face from us and withdraw his assisting grace it is the greatest trouble that can betide us it takes away the comfort of faith from our soules and leaves us in a sad and sorrowfull condition in our apprehension because the support of our Faith is clouded from us God doth sometimes withdraw himself from his dear servants and doth suffer them to loose the sense of their Faith for a time to make them prize it the more and to be the more careful of it this God will also do by laying his rod of correction heavy upon us if he seeth that we watch not carefully over our Faith that we are carelesse in the use and exercise of it that we sleep in security or lye dead in our sins without repentance or if we abuse his love and goodnesse to us for then he will leave us to our selves to let us see our own weaknesse without his assisting grace Upon these and the like occasions the devill will be ready to take his advantage to assault us with his temptations to make us doubt of the love and favour of God when afflictions presse sore upon us also to aggravate our sins or else to hide them out of our sight as he did David's sin of adultery if by any means he can to keep us in unbelief or without repentance that we may not recover the sense and comfort of our Faith for his main drift is at last to drive us into despair It is a cunning policy of the devil and full of danger if he can keep us from the sight and sense of our sins that we should not confesse them and lay them open before God with a truly humbled penitent heart that so by ouâ— repentance we may have an holy assurance of the paâ—don of them For then wil our Faith break forth as thâ— Sun out of a cloud to warm and refresh our souls with spirituall consolation for we cannot lose the habit of Faith though the sense of it may be taken from us for a time Sometimes God himself will sift and winnow us as wheat to cleanse us from our chaffe to keep us from spiritual pride and to humble us for our sins Thus he sifted the house of Israel as he saith by his Prophet a Amâ—s 9 9 For lo I will command and I will sift the house of Israel among the nations like as corn is sifted in a five yet shall not the least grain fall upon the earth Though God doth sometimes deal thus rigorously with us and doth leave us no hope to support our Faith yet not the least grain of his corn shall fall upon the earth but our Faith shall recover her strength again It is onely sin that makes a separation between God and us according to this of the Prophet b Isai 59. 2. But your iniquities have separated between you and your God and your sins have hid his face from you that he will not hear c Cant. 5. It was sin that caused Christ withdraw himself from his Spouse because she would not open to him when he knocked but when he was gone and past she was in a wofull and comfortlesse condition Nothing can so much afflict us as the losse of our heavenly Fathers love and nothing can shake our Faith so much as when our souls are perplexed because in our own apprehension God is either become our enemy or else he hath quite forsaken us How did Job complain in his great afflictions d Job 30. 27 28. My bowels boiled and rested not I went mourning without the Sun My skin is black upon me and my bones are burnt with heat my harp also is turned to mourning and my Organ into the voice of them that weep Holy Davids Faith was brought to so low a degree by the sense of the burden of his sin and by the apprehension of the displeasure of God for it that he cryed to the Lord saying e Psal 38. 4 6 21 23. Forsake me not O Lord O my God be not far from me make haste to help me O Lord my salvation And again he thus cryeth unto God in the bitternesse of his soul f Psal 143. Hear me speedily O Lord my spirit faileth hide not thy face from me lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit g Psal 13. â— 2. How long wilt thou forget me O Lord for ever How long wilt thou hide thy face from me How long shall I take counsel in my soul having sorrow in my heart dayly How long shall mine enemies be exalted over me Surely David had at this time little or noâ— sense of Faith to trust and depend upon God These and the like are the dolefull complaints of Gods children when they are overwhelmed with sorrowes or feel any spiritual desertions in so much as they cannot receive comfort until the holy Ghost who is the true Comforter doth give them some assurance of the grace and favour of God Wherefore it is evident that our Faith may be so strongly assaulted with sorrows and grief of heart that we are not able to hold out but are ready to sink under the pressure of our misery because it will take away the sense of our faith which must uphold us but specially when the guilt of sin lyeth upon the conscience for that will bring us to such an apprehension of a spiritual desertion that we can feel no comfort in God for the time for it will stop the current of all true consolation to our afflicted spirits which we cannot have but by Faith in Christ and nothing will take impression in us to comfort us so long as we are under the guilt of sin but these or the like uncomfortable complaints will be ready to be uttered that God hath quite forsaken us that there is no hope for us in Christ and we cannot believe that there is any salvation for us because our sins are so many and so grievous If we are thus afflicted and perplexed in mind that feares and doubtings of salvation trouble us because our Faith is so weak that we cannot discern it this will give us great satisfaction and