care not to encrease their knowledge The more we know of God the more we shall trust him The more we know of a man that we have bonds from that he is an able man and just of his word we shall trust him more and the more our security upon his promise and bond is encreased so the more we know of God as he hath revealed himself in his Word and his voluntary Covenant he hath made with us and performed in the examples of Scripture the more we know him the more we shall trust him And this must be a spiritual knowledge not onely a bare naked reading but it must be spiritual like the truth it self We must see and know spiritual things in their own light to know them by their own light is to know them by the Spirit You know the Spirit dictated the Scripture to the Prophets and Apostles the Spirit did all they wrote as they were acted by the Spirit Now the same Spirit must inform our understanding and take away the vail of ignorance and infidelitie I say the Spirit must do it we must know spiritual things in their own light Therefore a carnal man can never be a good Divine though he have never so much knowledge an illiterate man of another calling may be a better Divine then a great Scholar Why Because the one hath onely notional knowledge discoursive knowledge to gather by strength of parts one thing from another Divinity is a kind of Art and as far as it is an Art to prove one thing by another so a natural man may do wonders in it and yet know nothing in its own spiritual light That is the reason the Divel himself knowes nothing he is a spirit of darknesse because he knowes nothing spiritually and comfortably therefore as there must be humility and faith for our stablishing so there must be spiritual knowledge It is said here that God stablisheth us the same God that stablisheth us must give us faith whereby we are stablished and he must give us knowledge Beg of God that he would vouchsafe us his Spirit when we read the Scriptures beg of God that he would open our understanding by his own Spirit that as there is light in the Scriptures so there may be in us You know an eye must have light before it can see the light light is full of discovery of things in it self I can see nothing except there be light in my eye too there must be a double light so there must be a Spirit in me as there is a Spirit in the Scripture before I can see any thing God must open our eyes and give us spiritual eye-salve to see and then the light of the Scripture and our light together is suficient to found a saving faith as stablishing faith on What is the reason that a Christian stands to his profession though he be weak when the greatest learned men in the world flinch in persecution The knowledge of the one is spiritual and heavenly he hatht ligh in him the other hath no divine spiritual light when light is ioyned with light the light in the soul with the light in the Scripture it makes men wondrous confident To this end labour to be acquainted with Gods Word study the Scriptures and other Treatises of that kind that you may be able to hold fast the truth that it be not wrung from you upon any occasion And in reading it is a good course to observe the main principal undeniable truths such Dogmaticall truths as are clear and evident and to lay them up and oft make queries to our selves Do I understanst this or no Yes I do this I know is true build on it then and bottom the soule upon it And so if it be matter of promises these promises are undeniable true I will stay my soul upon them And so when we meet with plain evidences in the Scriptures that crosse our coruptions that meet with our known sins then consider of those places as Jewels and lay them up that you may have use of them as occasion serves All things have not an equall certainty in Scripture to us some things we may have an implicite faith in but the main we must have a clear apprehension of There are some things that concern Teachers more to know then others by reason of their standing in the Church it is sufficient that in preparation of mind we be ready to imbrace further truths that shall be discovered but in fundamentall truths it is not so we must have our hearts stablished upon them that as they are certain in themselves so they may be certain to us And often let us examine our selves Would I die in this and for this would I stand in the defence of this against any this will make us make much of so much truth as we know and labour to grow in truths in that kind And take no scandal to hear that any shrink from the profession of the truth and the maintaining of it that are of great reputation Was Christ the worse for Judas betraying of him and for Peters denying of him was Paul's truth the worse because he had many enemies Elymas the sorcerer and others Is the truth the worse because there are many that have carnall outward dependance that seeme to shrink when they should stand out The truth is not the worse it is the same truth still truths are eternall in themselves and in the good they bring if they be believed The Word of God endures for ever it is not variable as man is and therefore be not discouraged though men discountenance it remember whose truth it is for whose good it is given the Word of God it is a soul saving truth And retain the truth in love Love is an affection with which we should receive the truth or else God will give us over to uncertainties They in 2 Thess. 2 10. had the truth but because they received not the Love of the truth therefore God sent them strong delusions that they should believe a lie O how lovely is the truth The certainty of our estate in Christ the glorious priviledges that come by him that the gifts of God are without repentance that God looks on us not for foreseen faith or works but such as he had decreed to work himself How comfortable how lovely are these truths being the Word of God notwithstanding some seek to shake them These very truths should be retained in love And indeed the truth is not in its own place till it be fixed in the heart and affections and in a good conscience which S. Paul makes likewise the vessel of the truth and those that care not for that they make shipwrack of the truth And what truths you know labour to practise and then you shall be stablished If any man do the will of my Father saith our Saviour Joh. 7. 17. he shall know of the Doctrine whether it be of God
A Learned COMMENTARY OR EXPOSITION UPON The first CHAPTER of the Second Epistle of S. Paul to the CORINTHIANS BEING The Substance of many SERMONS formerly Preached at Grayes-Inne London By that Reverend and Judicious Divine RICHARD SIBBS D. D. Sometimes Master of Catherine-Hall in Cambridge and Preacher to that Honourable Society Published for the Publick Good and Benefit of the Church of CHRIST By Tho. Manton B. D. and Preacher of the Gospel at Stoake-Newington near London Vivit post funera virtus Psalm 112. 6. The Righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance 2 Pet. 1. 15. Moreover I will endeavour that you may be able after my decease to have these things alwayes in remembrance LONDON Printed by J. L. for N. B. and are to be sold by Tho. Parkhurst at his Shop over against the Great Conduit at the Lower end of Cheapside 1655. RIC SIBBS S THEOL D AVL KATHARINAE CANTAB MAG NEC NON HOSPITIO GRAI AS CONCIONIBVS Aetat Suae 58. The Portracture of the Late Reverend and Iudicious divine Richard Sibbs D D Mr. of Katharine Hall in Camb and sometimes Preacher to that honble Society of Grayes-Inn London Printed for Nich Bourne at the South entrance of the Royall Exchange 1655 To the Reader Good READER THere is no end of Books and yet we seem to need more every day there was such a darknesse brought in by the Fall as will not thoroughly be dispelled till we come to Heaven where the Sun shineth without either cloud or night for the present all should contribute their help according to the rate and measure of their abilities Some can onely hold up a Candle others a Torch but all are usefull The Presse is an excellent meanes to scatter Knowledge were it not so often abused all complain there is enough written and think that now there should be a stop indeed it were well if in this scribling age there were some restraint Uselesse Pamphlets are grown almost as great a mischief as the erroneous and prophane Yet 't is not good to shut the door upon industry and diligence there is yet room left to discover more above all that hath been said of the Wisdome of God and the riches of his grace in the Gospel yea more of the stratagems of Satan and the deceitfulnesse of mans heart meanes need to be encreased every day to weaken sin and strengthen trust and quicken us to holinesse Fundamentals are the same in all ages but the constant necessities of the Church and private Christians will continually enforce a further explication as the Arts and sleights of besieging and battering encrease so doth skill in fortification if we have no other benefit by the multitude of Books that are written we shall have this benefit an opportunity to Observe the various workings of the same Spirit about the same truths and indeed the speculation is neither Idle nor unfruitfull There is a diversity of gifts as there is of tempers and of tempers as there is of faces that in all this variety God may be the more glorified The Pen-men of Scripture that all wrote by the same Spirit and by an infallible Conduct do not write in the same stile In the Old Testament there is a plain difference between the lofty Courtly stile of Isaiah and the Priestly grave stile of Jeremiah In Amos there are some marks of his Calling in his Prophecie In the New Testament you will find John sublime and Seraphicall and Paul rational and argumentative 't is easie to track both by their peculiar phrases native elegancies and distinct manner of expression this variety and manifold grace still continueth the stones that lye in the building of Gods house are not all of a sort there are Saphires Carbuncles and Agates all which have their peculiar use and lustre some are doctrinall and good for information to clear up the truth and vindicate it from the Sophismes of wretched men othets have a great force and skill in application Some are more Evangelical their soules are melted out in sweetnesse others are sons of Thunder more rouzing and stirring gifted for a rougher strain which also hath its use in the art of winning soules to God 't was observed of the three Ministers of Geneva that none thundred more loudly than Farell none piped more sweetly than Virett none taught more learnedly and solidly than Calvin so variously doth the Lord dispense his gifts to shew the liberty of the Spirit and for the greater beauty and order of the Church for difference with proportion causeth beauty and to prevent Schisme every member having his distinct excellencie so that what is wanting in one may be supplyed by another and all have something to commend them to the Church that they may not be despised as in several Countreys they have several Commodities to maintain traffique between them all we are apt to abuse the diversity of gifts to divisions and partialities whereas God hath given them to maintain a communion in the Churches Vestment there is variety but no rent varietas sit scissur a non sit All this is the rather mentioned because of that excellent and peculiar gift which the Worthy and Reverend Authour had in unfolding and applying the great Mysteries of the Gospel in a sweet and mellifluous way and therefore was by his hearers usually termed The sweet dropper sweet and heavenly distillations usually dropping from him with such a native elegancie as is not easily to be imitated I would not set the gifts of God on quarrelling but of all Ministeries that which is most Evangelical seemeth most usefull the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of Prophecie Rev. 19. 10. 't is spoken by the Angel to disswade the Apostle from worshipping him you that preach Jesus Christ and him crucified and risen from the dead have a like Dignity with us Angels that foretell things to come your message is the Spirit of Prophecie As if he had said This is the great and fundamental truth wherein runneth the life and the heart-blood of Religion The same Spirit is breathing in these discourses that are now put into thy hand wherein thou wilt find much of the Comforts of the Gospel of the sealing of the Spirit and the constant courses of Gods love to his people fruitfully and faithfully improved for thy edification Let it not stumble thee that the work is posthume and commeth out so long after the Authours death it were to be wished that those who excell in publick gifts would during life publish their own labours to prevent spurious obtrusions upon the world and to give them their last hand and pollishment as the Apostle Peter was carefull to write before his decease 2 Pet. 1. 12 13 14. But usually the Churches treasure is most encreased by Legacies as Elijah let fall his Mantle when he was taken up into heaven so Gods eminent servants when their persons could no longer remain in the World have left behind them some
a hair cannot fall from my head without his providence much lesse can the disposing of my calling which is a greater matter therefore I will seek his glory and frame my self and courses answerable to the will of him by whose will I am in this place Men have not their callings onely to get riches and to get preferment those are base ends of their own to serve themselves God placeth us in our particular callings not to serve our selves but to serve him and he will cast in those riches honour preferment dignity and esteem so much as is fit for us in the serving of him in our places The other party in the inscription from whom the Epistle is is Timothy our Brother HE sends his Epistle from Timothy as well as from himself This he doth to win the more acceptance among the Corinthians by the consent of so blessed a man as Timothy was who was an Evangelist Unitie by consent is stronger And there is a natural weaknesse in men to regard the consent and authority of others more then the things themselves And indeed if God himself in heavenly love and mercy condescend to help our weaknesse much more should all that are led by the Spirit of God We are subject to call in question the truths of God therefore he helps us with Sacraments and with other means and allurements and although that be truth that he saith yet because he would undermine our distrustful dispositions by all means he useth those courses So S. Paul that they might respect what he wrote the more as from a joynt spirit he writes Paul and Timothy our Brother It was an argument of much modestie and humility in this blessed Apostle that he would not of himself seem as it were to monopolize their respect as if all should look to him but he joyns Timothy with him so great an Apostle joynes an inferiour There is a spirit of singularity in many they will seem to do all themselves and carry all themselves before them and they will not speak the truths that others have spoken before them without some disdain As a proud Critick said I would they had never been men that spake our things before we were that we might have had all the credit of it Oh no those that are led with the Spirit of God they are content in modestie and humility to have others joyned with them and they know it is available for others likewise they will respect the truth the more And thus far we yield to the Papists when we speak of this whether the Church can give authority to the Word of God or no. In regard of us the Church hath some power in regard of our weaknesse but what is that power It is an inducing power an alluring power a propounding power to propound the mysteries of salvation but the inward work the convincing power is from the Evidence of the Spirit of God and from the Scripture it self All that the Church doth is to move to induce and to propound this quoad nos it hath some power in the hearts of men The Church thus far gives authority to the Scriptures in the hearts of men though it be an improper phrase to say it gives authority for as the men said to the woman of Samaria Now we believe it our selves not because thou toldest us c. The Church allures us to respect the Scriptures but then there is an inward Power an inward Majestie in the Scriptures and that bears down all before it Again here is a ground why St. Paul alledged humane authority sometimes in his Epistles and in his dealing with men because he was to deal with men that would be shamed the more with them Any thing that may strengthen the truth in regard of the weaknesse of those with whom we have to deal may be used in a heavenly policy One of your own Prophets saith St. Paul Tit. 1. towards the end And so in the Acts of the Apostles he quotes a saying out of an Atheist Timothy our Brother Brother he means not only by Grace but by calling As we know in the Law and other professions those of the same profession are called before Brethren So Timothy was St. Pauls Brother not only by Grace but by calling and two bonds binde stronger Here is a treble bond Nature Grace Calling They were men they were fellow Christians and they were teachers of the Gospel therefore he saith Timothy our Brother Timothy was an Evangelist yet notwithstanding it was a greater honour to him to be a Brother to St. Paul then to be an Evangelist an Hypocrite may be an Evangelist but a true Brother of St. Paul none but a true Christian can be All Christians are Brethren It is a word that levels all for it takes down the Mountains and fills up the Vallies the greatest men in the World the mountains if they be Christians they are Brethren to the lowest and it fills up the Vallies the lowest if they be Christians are Brethren to the Highest howsoever in worldly respects they cease in death as personal differences and differences in calling they all cease in death All are Brethren therefore he useth it for great respect St Paul was a great Apostle Timothy an inferiour man yet both Brethren Timothy our Brother To the Church of God at Corinth VVE have seen the persons from whom Paul and Timothy Now here are the persons to whom To the Church of God at Corinth Corinth was a very wicked City as where there is a great confluence of many people there is a contagion of many sins of the people and yet notwithstanding in this Corinth there was a Church For as Christ saith No man can come to me except my Father draw him so where the Father will draw who can draw back Even in Corinth God hath his Church he raiseth up a generation of men a Church which is a company of creatures differing as much from the common as men do from Beasts And yet such is the Power and Efficacy of the blessed Gospel of Salvation having the Spirit of God accompanying it that even in Corinth a wretched City this Word and this Spirit raised up a company of men called here by the name of a Church and Saints And such power indeed hath the Word of God with the Spirit not only in wicked places but in our wicked hearts too Let a man have a world of wickednesse in him and let him come and present himself meekly and constantly to the means of Salvation and God in time by his Spirit will raise a new frame of grace in his heart he will make a new Creation As at the first he created all out of nothing order out of confusion so out of the heart which is nothing but a Chaos of confusion of blindnesse and darknesse and terror there is a world of confusion in the heart of man God by his creating Word for his Word of the Gospel is creating as well
communion in duties one to another one prayes for another there is a mutuall entercourse of duty and those that truly believe the communion of Saints do truly practise the duties belonging to that blessed society that is they one pray for another I meane here on earth here we have a command here we have a promise here we have mutuall necessities I have need of them and they have need of me we have need one of another In heaven there is no such necessity yet there may be as Divines grant a generall wish for the Church because the Saints want their bodies and because they want the accomplishment of the elect Where there is want of happinesse there will be a generall desire that God would accomplish these daies of sin but for any particular necessities of ours they cannot know them Abraham hath forgotten us and Israel knows us not There is a communion of Saints and this blessed communion and society trade this way in praying for one another God commands that we should pray one for another Every Christian is a Priest and a Prophet now the Priests duty was to pray and the Prophets duty was to pray Now as the Priest carried the tribes on his brest onely to signifie that he had them in his heart and that he was a type of Christ who hath us in his heart alway in heaven to make intercession for us so in some sense every true Christian is a Priest he must carrie the Church and people of God in his heart he must have a care of others he must not onely pray for himself but for others as he himself would have interest in the Common prayer Our Father as Christ teacheth us Not that a Christan may not say My Father when we have particular ground and occasion to go to God but Chrst being to direct the Church of God he teacheth us to say Our Father there is therefore a regard to be had by every true Christian of the estate of others The reason is Gods Children sometimes cannot so well pray though they have alway a spirit of prayer that they can groane to God yet in some cases they cannot so well pray for themselves as in sicknesse Affliction is a better time to pray in then sicknesse for affliction gathers and unites the spirits together it makes a man more strong to pray to God but sicknesse distempers the powers of the soul it distempers the instruments that the soul works by it distempers the animall spirits which the understanding useth they are inflamed and distempered and confused Now the spirits that are the instruments of the soul being troubled with sicknesse sicknesse is not so fit a time for a man to pray for himself though God hear the groanes of his Spirit as David saith My sighs are not hid from thee yet notwithstanding it is good at this time to send for those that can make a more distinct prayer though it may be they be great Christians therefore saith-Saint James James 5. 13 14. Is any man afflicted let him pray is any man sick let him send for the Elders of the Church and let them pray for him not that he is not able to pray for himself but let them help by joyning together with him to God And the prayer of faith shall save the sick and the Lord shall raise him up Nay I add more for the illustration of the point it is so true that God regards the prayers of one for another that he regards the prayer of weak ones for grand ones great Christians are helped by mean ones yea Pastors are helped by the people St. Paul a man eminent in grace and place a grand Christian and for place an Apostle yet he was helped by the prayers of the weak Corinthians so that a weak Christian in grace and place may help a greater Christian then himself both in grace and in place Parents are helped by the prayers of their Children Magistrates by those that are under them the rich are helped by those that are poore the Ministers by the prayers of the people You helping by your prayers The prayers of the people prevail for the Ministers for though there be a civill difference which shall all end in Death yet notwithstanding in the Communion of Saints there is no difference A poore man may be rich in faith as St James saith and one may have as much credit in the Court of heaven as another As St. Austin saith well God hath made the rich for the poor and the poor for the rich the rich to relieve the poor and the poor to pray for the rich for herein one is accepted for another St. Paul stands much upon the vertue and efficacy of the prayers of the Corinthians for himself a great Apostle And so in Rom. 15. I beseech you for the love of Christ and for the blessed work of the Spirit strive by Prayer together with us As ever you felt Christ do good to you and as ever you felt the efficacy of the Spirit strive with God wrastle by prayer for me and so in every Epistle he begs their prayers And Ministers need the prayers of people to God as well as any other or rather more for as God conveys much good to others by them so Satan malignes them more then other men Aime not at small nor great but at the King of Israel pick out him so the Devill aimes not at small nor great but at the Guides of Gods people at the Leaders of his armie I will smite the Shepherd and the sheep shall be scattered Therefore pray for them that they may have abilities that they may have parts and gifts and that they may have a willing mind a large heart to use them that they may have successe in using them that they may have strength of the outward man that they may have protection from unreasonable men Pray for us that we may be delivered from unreasonable and absurd men 2 Thessalonians 3. Absurd men for none but absurd men will wrong those that God conveys so much good by as he doth by the Ministery it is their lot to be vexed with such men oft-times and therefore pray for us What is the reason of this that mean Christians may help great Christians by their prayers God will have it thus great Christians have not the Spirit of prayer alike at all times though it be supposed they have it yet the more help there is the more hands are put to the work the sooner it is dispatched As in the removing of a burden the more joyn together the sooner it is remoed and so in the drawing of any thing the more hands the speedier dispatch So when we would draw blessings from heaven the more prayers there be that offer violence to God the more we draw from him If it be a judgment that hangs over our heads the more there be that labour to put away the judgment
he is a Conquerour he hath a Kingdom in himself others have Kingdoms out of themselves and in themselves they are slaves he is such a King as hath a Kingdom in himselfe he hath peace and joy and rest from base affections and terrour of conscience Is not he a King that is a Lord and Master of all things A Christian is Master of prosperity he conquers it he can make it serve his turn to be thankfull to God to be ready to distribute he is Master of adversity I can want and I can be abased I can do all things through Christ that strengtheneth me saith blessed Paul He is an omnipotent King in some sense he can do all through him that strengthens him He hath conquered the King of fears death that that makes the greatest Monarch in the world to shake and tremble a Christian can think of with comfort He can think of Gods wrath with comfort appeased in Christ stenched with his blood he can think of the day of Judgment with comfort that then his Saviour shall be his Judge and that he shall stand at the right hand of God He can think of afflictions with comfort he is sanctified to all things and all things are sanctified to him and all things shall work for his good nothing shall be able to separate him from Gods love to him in Christ neither things present nor things to come That which amazeth the Belshazzars of the world and makes their knees smite one against another as that hand-writing did him that which makes others quake to think of a revenging God before whom they must appear and answer for all their miscarriages and their neglect of precious time and abuse of their places they can think of with joy and comfort He hath conquered himself and his own heart he can subdue the carnal part of him and bring it under the Spirit all others though Kings if they be not Christians are slaves to some reigning lust or other He is a King likewise in regard of possession which is a second thing which makes a Christian an excellent person as he is a great Conquerour so he is a great possessour for All is yours saith the Apostle things present and things to come life and death afflictions and crosses and all is yours How to help him to heaven things present are his comforts are his if they be present afflictions are his to purge him and to fit him for heaven things to come are his heaven is his and terrours to come all serve him Even evil things are his in advantage and successe though in disposition they be not his but have an hostile disposition in them they are all over-power'd by the love of God And Christ the King of heaven and earth over-rules all to the good of his And so all good things are his though not in civil possession but as far as the great Governour of all things sees fit what a King is this and therefore the word is not too great to say a Christian is a King he is indeed the most excellent person in the world And he hath likewise a Kingly spirit that is he doth things with love and freedome of spirit that others do upon compulsion for he hath the royal Law of love as the Apostle saith written in his heart what is that the royal Law of love is this when a man doth that which he doth from love and from a Princely spirit when he is not compelled that which others do not at all or by force is wrung from them he doth out of a Princely spirit that is in him because his spirit is enlarged and anointed by the Spirit of God to every good work These things might be enlarged but a taste of them is sufficient and they are very useful to raise our hearts to consider that there is another manner of State then the world thinks of there are spiritual and excellent Kings and Priests and this will stand by us when all other excellencies will fail All flesh is grasse and as the flower of the grasse but this dignity this anointing which we have by the Spirit and by the Word of God it endures for ever and abides to all eternity Now not to go on in more particulars but to make some Use of this Surely this is true in some degree of every Christian that he is a Prophet to discern of things that differ and he hath a supernatural heavenly light answerable to the things a spiritual light to judge of spiritual things And he is a Priest to stand before God continually And he is a King by conquest by possession by qualification I say this undoubtedly is true of all spiritual persons that are anointed As it is said of Saul that when he was anointed he had another Spirit so God never makes a Christian but he gives him the Spirit of a Christian Gods calling is with qualification it is not a meer titular anointing but there is another Spirit goes along with this anointing then there was before calling though men be trained up from their infancy in the truth yet when they are anointed by the Spirit of God there will another manner of Spirit appear in them then ever was in them before or then that which is in the world I beseech you therefore for dignity prepares and stirres up to duty a man never so carries himself in his place and condition as when he thinks of his condition oft think of the excellent estate we are advanced to in Christ it will put us in mind of a qualification and disposition answerable that as the Apostle oft presseth it we may walk worthy our calling that we may walk worthy of this dignity When we are tempted therefore to sin and to base courses let us say as good Nehemiah when he was moved to flie What shall such a man as I flie so should we say to any temptation to base courses of life what shall such a man as I do this Why if I be a Christian if I be not onely a titular Christian which is onely sufficient to damne me and not to do me good but if I be a real Christian I must be a Priest I must keep my self unspotted of the world and undefiled and not touch any unclean thing I must be in a state and condition to pray to God Shall I regard iniquity that God should not hear my prayer If I be a Christian I am a King shall I debase my self shall I cast my crown in the dirt God hath raised me and made me an heir of heaven shall I abase my self to sins and to base lusts so that I cannot rule my own members and yet professe my self to be a King For a Christian that is a King that hath a guard of Angels about him that is the most excellent creature in the world for him to abase himself to the world he that is bred from heaven for him to have no higher thoughts then the things
things Magistrates and Officers go with their broad Seal and deliver things that they would have carried with authority sealed and the Seal of the Prince is the authority of the Prince so that a Seal is to make things authentical to give validity to things answerable to the value and esteem of him that seales These four principal uses there is of sealing Now God by his Spirit doth all these for God by his Spirit sets the stamp and likenesse of Christ upon us he distinguisheth us from others from the great refuse of the world he appropriates us to himself and like wise he authorizeth us and puts an excellency upon us to secure us against all when we have Gods Seal upon us we stand against all accusations Who shall separate us from the love of God we dare defâ—… all objections and all accusations of conscience whatsoever a man that hath Gods Seal he stands impregnable it so authorizeth him in his conscience for it is given us for our assurance and not for Gods God seales not because he is ignorant He knowes who are his But what is the Spirit it self this seal or the graces of the Spirit or the comforts of the Spirit what is this seal for that is the question now whether the Spirit it self or the work of the Spirit or the comfort and joy of the Spirit I answer indeed the Spirit of God where it is is a sufficient seal to us that God hath set us out for his for whosoever hath the Spirit of Christ is his and whosoever hath not the Spirit of Christ is none of his but the Spirit is the Authour of this sealing and the sealing that is in us is wrought by the Spirit so that except you take the Spirit for that which is wrought by the Spirit you have not the right comprehension of sealing and so the Spirit with that which the Spirit works is the seal for the Spirit is alway with his own seal with his own stamp Other seales are removed from the stamp and the stamp remains though the seal be gone but the Spirit of God dwells and keeps a perpetual residence in the heart of a Christian guiding him moving him enlightning of him governing him comforting him doing all offices of a seal in his heart till he have brought him to heaven for the Holy Ghost never leaves us it is the sweetest inhabitant that ever lodging was given to he doth all that is done in the soul and he is perpetually with his own work in joy and comfort though he seems sometimes to be in a corner of the heart and is not discernable yet he alway dwells in us the Spirit is alwayes with the stamp it sets upon the soul. What is that stamp then to come to the matter more particularly what is that that the Spirit seales us with especially what is that work I answer the Spirit works in this order for the most part and in some of these universally First the Spirit doth together with the Word which is the instrument of the Spirit the Chariot in which it is carried convince us of the evil that is in us and of the ill estate we are in by reason thereof it convinceth us that we are sinners and of the fearful estate that we are in by sin this is the first work of the Spirit on a man in the state of nature it convinceth us of the ill that is in us and of the ill due unto us and thereupon it abaseth us therefore it is called the Spirit of bondage because it makes a man tremble and quake till he see his peace in Christ. When the Spirit hath done that then it convinceth a man by a better by a sweeter light discovering a remedy in Christ who is sealed of God to reconcile God and us And as he enlightneth the soul convinceth it of the all-sufficiency that is in Christ and the authority that he hath being sent and sealed of God for that purpose so he works on the affections he inclines the heart to go to God in Christ and to cast himself on him by faith Now when the soul is thus convinced of the evil that is in us and of the good that is in Christ and with this convincing is enclined and moved by the holy Spirit as indeed the holy Spirit doth all then upon this the Spirit vouchsafeth a superadded work as the Spirit doth still adde to his own work he addes a confirming work which is here called Sealing that seal is not faith for the Apostle saith After you believed ye were sealed so that this sealing is not the work of faith but it is a work of the Spirit upon faith assuring the soul of its estate in grace But what need confirmation when we believe Is not faith confirmation enough when a man may by a reflect act of the soul know that he is in the state of grace by believing It is true as the natural conscience knows what is in a man as the natural judgment can reflect so the spiritual understanding can reflect and when he believes he knowes that he believes without the Spirit by the reflect act of the understanding except he be in case of temptaton what needs sealing then This act of ours in believing and the knowledge of our believing it is oft terribly shaken and God is wondrous desirous as we see by the whole passage of the Scripture that we should be secure of his love he knowes that he can have no glory and we can have no comfort else and rherefore when we by faith have sealed to his truth he knowes that we need still further sealing that our faith be current and good and to strengthen our faith for all is little enough in the time of temptation and therefore the single witnesse of our soul by the reflect act knowing that we do believe when we do believe it is not strong enough in great temptations for in some tryals the soul is so carried and hurried that it cannot reflect upon it self nor know what is in it self without much ado therefore first the Spirit works faith whereby we seal Gods truth Joh. 3. He that believes hath put to his seal that God is true when God by his Spirit moves me to honour him by sealing his truth that Whosoever believes in Christ shall be saved then God seales this my belief with an addition of his holy Spirit so that this sealing is a work upon believing and as faith honours God so God honours faith with a superadded seal and confirmation But yet we not come particularly enough to know what this Seal is When we honour God by sealing his truth then the Spirit seales us certainly then the Spirit doth it by presence by being with us in our soules What then doth the Spirit work when we believe How shall we know that there is such a spiritual sealing I answer the Spirit in this seaâ—…g works these four things First a secret voyce or
in the meanes of salvation and the more we conflict with our corruptions the more he increaseth the sweet comforts and the hidden Manna of the Spirit Thus we see how the Spirit seals I beseech you therefore let us examine our selves by that which hath been spoken after we believe God seales those that do believe we honour him by believeing he honours us by sealing us with his Spirit Hath God spoken to thy soul by the witnesse of the Spirit and said I am thy salvation thy sins are forgiven thee doth God stirre up thy spirit to call upon him especially in extremity and to go with boldnesse and earnestnesse to him surely this boldnesse and earnestnesse is an evidence of the seal of the Spirit for a man that hath no seal of the Spirit he cannot go to God in extremity Saul in extremity he goes to the Witch and Achitophel and Judas in extremity go to desperate conclusions a man that hath not the Spirit of God speaking peace to his conscience to whom God hath not given the Spirit of Adoption to cry Abba Father in all manner of exigents he sinâ—…ks as lead to the bottom of the sea so heavy is the soul that is not raised by the Spirit of God he hath no consistence till he come to the Centre to hell Did you ever feel the sweet joy of the Spirit after conflict with corruptions and getting ground of them and in holy duties c. it is a sign that God hath sealed you But you will say How can that be a seal that is not alwaies a seal cotinues with the thing Gods children find not peace alwaies the joy of the Spirit comes after the work of the Spirit how then can this be a seal I Answer Yes for howsoever it be or not alway sensible yet it is alway a seal though we have not alwaies the joy of the Spirit yet we have the Spirit of joy a Christian hath not the joy of the Spirit at all times for that is moveable but he hath alwaies the Spirit of joy which Spirit though it be not known by joy yet it is known by operation and working there is the work of the Spirit where there is not alwayes the joy of the Spirit and therefore when that fails go to the work of sanctification and see what stamp and resemblance of Christ there is see if thy heart be humble and broken if thou have a loving disposition in thee like to Christ that thou hatest that which Christ hateth that thou seest a division in thy self I say when the joy of the Spirit ceaseth go to the work of the Spirit and to this work of the Spirit viz. the voice of the Spirit canst thou cry to God with prayer and supplication and if thou canst not pray with distinct words canst thou mourne and groan to God this sighing and groaning is the voice of Gods Spirit and God knowes the voice of his own Spirit But for the question propounded the soul of a Christian knowes that when it findes not extraordinary comfort from Gods Spirit that Gods love is constant It can reason thus Though I find not the comfort of the Spirit yet I have the Spirit of Comfort because I had the Spirit in former times and Gods Spirit is unchangeable and therefore though it be not with me now as in those ravishings of the Spirit yet the love of God is the same though my feeling be not the same because though I be off and on and my feeling ebb and flow yet his love is not so and here upon the extraordinary feeling of the Spirit which is superadded as an extraordinary seal it may be a sound seal of Comfort from the constancy of God who gave it and he gave it for this end that we might have recourse and retire back in our thoughts and argue it was thus and thus with me then we remember the times of old as David saith Psal. 77. and help our selves with our former feelings he that alway hath life is not alwaies alike stirred Christ may be begotten and live in us but he stirs not alwaies alike so though the Spirit of sanctification be in us and stir in us yet his stirring is not alike so sweet and the stirring of the Spirit though it be not alway yet the Spirit is alway there so the soul may have recourse to that which is unchangeable and constant even God himself and his love is as himself But to take a Christian in his worst time in the worst and greatest afflictions how shall he know then that he is sealed of the Spirit when corruption temptation and affliction meet together in the soul when temptation is joyned with our corruption and afflictions yield ground to temptations for Satan useth the afflictions we are in as temptations to shake our faith Canst thou be a child of God and be so exercised is this grace so affliction is a weapon to temptation for Satan to help his fiery darts with Now how shall a man know that God hath any part here He may know that he is sealed by the Spirit of God if he have a spirit to thwart these if he row against the stream if he go contrary to all these if he find a spirit resisting Satans temptations and raising himself above afflictions and standing against and combating with his corruptions and checking his carnal soul when it is drawing him down Why art thou discomforted O my soul saith David Psal. 42. 43. He found corruptions and afflictions and Satans temptations working with them depressing his soul downwards hereupon having the Spirit in him saith he Why art thou disquieted within me trust in God He first chides his soul Why art thou so and then he layes a charge upon it trust in God So I say when this is in the soul in the greatest extremity when I can check my soul Why art thou thus yet trust in God whatsoever is in the world yet there is hope in heaven though there be little comfort upon earth this is a sign that I am sealed with the Spirit of God and thus in the worst temptations that can come and so in the worst times a man may know that he is in the state of grace One use of a seal I told you before was to distinguish if a man therefore find in himself a distinguishing from the errours of the times Many walk saith the Apostle of whom I have told you oft their end is damnation their belly is their god they mind earthly things but what did S. Paul in the mean time what did the Spirit work in him But our conversation is in heaven saith he The whole world was overspread with a deluge of sin but what was Noah and his family God by his Spirit distinguished them they went a contrary course to the world and Lot in Sodom so a man may know that he is sealed when the Spirit leads him another way that he is not led with the
is great in security and assurance a shilling may secure a bargain of a thousand pounds perhaps so the Spirit it is little in quantity it may be but it is great in assurance And as we value an earnest not for the bignesse of the piece for alas it may be it is but little but we value and esteem it for that which it is an earnest of So the work of the Spirit the joy and peace of the Spirit the comforts of the Spirit though they be little yet they are great in security and are to be prized according to that excellent bargain and possession of which they are an Earnest Fourthly an Earnest is given rather for the security of the party that receives it then in regard of him that gives it so God gives the Earnest of the Spirit grace and comfort this not so much in regard of God for God meaneth to give us heaven and happinesse he hath passed his Word and he is Master of his Word be is Jehovah that gives a being to his Word as well as to every other thing but notwithstanding having to deal with doubtful mistrustful persons he doth it for our security he regards not himself so much but us He works answerable to his own greatnesse strongly but he speaks according to our weaknesse and therefore here is the term of Earnest borrowed for this purpose And lastly an Earnest is never taken away but it is made up with the bargain so it is with the Spirit of God the graces and comforts of it are never wholly taken from a Christian but accomplished in heaven I will leave you the Comforter saith our Saviour Christ that shall abide with you for ever So that in these and such like other respects the Spirit of God by it self together with the graces of it and the comforts it bringeth for they go both together are called an Earnest Hence then having thus cleared the words we may observe some particular Doctrines As first I Observe from the first property of an Earnest that it secures the whole bargain this That A Christian ought to be and may be assured of his estate in grace Because as I said before an Earnest is given for security and that not so much for Gods sake as for our sakes this then must needs follow either none have this earnest or those that have it may be assured or else God is fickle and playes fast and loose with his children which is blasphemy to affirm If none have this earnest then the Apostle speakes false when he saith here he stablisheth us and gives us the earnest of his Spirit and us with you both together ordinary Christians as well as grand ones as well as Paul may be assured of their salvation And if this be so then either those that have this earnest this seal of the Spirit they may be assured or no and if not where is the fault doth not God mean in good earnest to them when he gives them this undoubtedly he doth and why is it given but for assurance he is desirous that we should be perswaded of his love in all things and therefore Gods Children they may and they ought to be assured of his love in this world It is a Point that we have often occasion to meet with in other portions of Scripture I speak it therefore here only as a ground out of this place in that the Spirit of God together with the graces and comforts are called an Earnest I say therefore from hence that we may be assured of our salvation I beseech you what is the aim of the Epistles to the 〈◊〉 to the Ephesians of the Epistle of S. John but a stirring of them up to whom they wrote to be perswaded of Gods love to them and to shew what excellent things we have by the love of God in Christ And S. Johns Epistle it is for nothing else in respect of the substance of it but to give evidences how we may know that we are the sons of God Wherefore did God become man Wherefore was Christ himselfe sealed by the Father Son and Holy Ghost to his office when he was baptized and wherefore he did dye and rise againe and wherefore doth he make intercession in heaven that we should doubt of Gods love when he hath given us that which is greater then salvation that which is greater then all the world his own Son Would we have a greater pledge of his love Is not all this that we should not doubt of his love to us if we cast our selves upon him by faith Christians may and ought and have had assurance these here had assurance and the Scripture speaks of such as had it they have had it we may have it because the Spirit is a Seal and an Earnest and we ought to have it because God hath framed both his Word and his Sacraments and all his dealing to man so as to perswade us of his love Yet adde this Caution That Christians have not at all times a like assurance of their salvation neither all Christians at all times have it not nor the best have it not at all times For there is an infancy of grace when we know not our own estate and condition and there is a time of temptation after infancy when likewise we stagger in our assurance there be times likewise of desertion when God to make us look better to our footing leaves us a little as if he would forsake us when indeed he leaves us to draw us after him to cleave more closely to him for this shaking is to settle us deeper So there be times and seasons wherein though we be assured yet we cannot then know our own assurance And this assurance differeth in Christians for some have more some lesse even as the constitution of the body some are of a melancholy constitution that helps Satan in his temptations and they are subject to fearing and misdoubting and so as there is a difference in regard of tempers some are more hardly brought to be perswaded then others so there is a difference likewise in care and diligence for those that use more care and diligence have more assurance there is a difference likewise in growth and continuance in Christianity some are fathers and some are babes Answerable to the difference of constitutions and of care and diligence and of age and growth in Christianity so is the difference of assurance Nay it is possible that for a long time Gods child may want this act of assurance for there is a double act of faith An Act whereby the soul relies upon God as reconciled in Christ and relies upon Christ as given of God and relies upon the promise And then there is a reflect act whereby knowing we do thus we have assurance Now a man may perform the one act not the other we may do that deed that may found our assurance if the waters of the soul
into discomfort no but Blessed be the God of comfort that comforts us in all tribulation It is more to raise good out of evill then not to suffer evill to be at all It shews greater power it manifests greater goodness to triumph over ill when it suffered to be and so not to keep ill from us but to comfort us in it He doth not say for the time past which hath comforted us or which can comfort us if it please him no he doth it it is his use he doth it alway it springs from his love he never at any instant or moment of time forgets his Children and he saith not he doth comfort us in one or two or a few tribulations but he comforteth us in al tribulations of what kind or degree soever It may be Objected to cleare the sence a little he doth not alway comfort for then there could be no time of discomfort I Answer He doth alway comfort in some degree for take a Christian at the lowest yet he hath so much comfort as to keep him from sinking when he is at the depth of miserie there is a depth of mercy lower then he Out of the deep have I cryed unto thee Lord and this is a comfort that he hath in the middest of discomforts that he hath a spirit of prayer and if not a spirit of prayer yet a spirit of sighing and groaning to God and God hears the sighs and groans of his own spirit in his children When they cannot distinctly pray there is a spirit to look up to God Though thou kill me yet will I trust in thee saith Job in the middest of his miseries So though God more notoriously to the view of the world sometime doth comfort before we come to trouble that we may beare it the better and sometime he doth comfort more apparently after we come out yet notwithstanding in the middest of discomforts he doth alway comfort so farre as that we sink not into despaire there is somewhat to uphold the soule For when Solomon saith A wounded spirit who can beare that is none can beare it it is the greatest griefe then I would know what keeps a wounded spirit from sinking that it doth not despaire is it not a spirit stronger then the wounded spirit Is it not God that is greater then the wounded conscience Yes then there is comfort greater then the discomfort of a wounded conscience that keeps it from despaire those that finally despaire they are none of Gods So that take the words in what regard or in what sence you will yet thâ—…re is a sweet and comfortable sense of them and the Apostle might well say he is the God of all comfort that doth comfort us in all tribulation It is here a ground supposed that Gods Children are subject to tribulation We are subject here to tribulation of all kinds for God comforts us in all our tribulations we are here in a state therefore needing comfort because we are in tribulation And the second is that God doth answer our state God doth comfort his Children in all tribulation And the ground is from himself he is the God of comfort he doth but like himselfe when he doth it the God of comfort shews that he is so by comforting us in all tribulations First It is supposed that In this world we are in tribulations Indeed that I need not be long in we must at one time or other be in tribulation some or other For though in regard of outward afflictions we are free from them sometimes we have a few holy-dayes as we say yet notwithstanding there is in the greatest inlargements of Gods Children in this world somewhat that troubles their minds for either there is some desertion God withholds comfort from them in some measure he shews himself a stranger which humbles them much or else they have strong temptations of Sathan to sin by prosperity c. which grieves them as much as the outward cross or else their grievance is that they cannot serve God with that chearefulness of spirit Is there nothing who ever thou art that troubles thee as much as the cross in the day of affliction certainly there is somewhat or other that troubleth the soule of a Christian he is never out of one grievance or other The life of a Christian is as a web that is woven of good and ill he hath good daies and ill dayes he hath tribulations and comforts As St. Austin sayth very well between these two tribulation on our part and comfort on Gods part our life runs between these two our crosses and God comforts they are both mingled together There is no child of God but knowes what these things mean troubles either from friends or enemies or both domesticall or personal in bodie or mind one way or other That is supposed and it were not an unproper argument to the text for when he saith in all tribulations it is laid as a ground that every man suffers tribulation one way or other but I shall have fitter occasion after to enlarge this Again we see here that God comforts his Children in all tribulation And his comforts are answerable to their discomforts and beyond them they are stronger to master all opposites whatsoever and all grievances there could be no comfort else Alas what are all discomforts when God sets himself to comfort when he will be a God of comfort one look one glance of his fatherly countenance in Jesus Christ will banish all terrours whatsoever and make even a very dungeon to be a paradise he comforteth us in all tribulat on And this he doth as you may perceive by the unfolding of the words either by some outward thing applied to the outward want or crosse or by some inward reasons that are opposite to the inward maladie or by an inward presence His comforts are appliable to the tribulation and to the strength and length and variety of it We may know it by his course in this life what miserie are we subject to in this life but we have comfort fit for it so good is God We may reason thus very well if so be that in our pilgrimage here in this life of ours which is but the gallery as it were to heaven if in this short life which is but a way or passage we have both day and night so many comforts In the very night if we look up to heaven we see what glorious things there are towards the earth here on this fide the heaven the stars of the light c. And if so be upon the earth there be such comforts especially in the spring and summer time if the very earth the basest dreggs of the World yield such comfort and delights to all the senses then a man may reason very strongly what comforts shall we have at home If God by the creatures thus comfort us in our outward wants what are the inward comforts of his spirit here
else will Therefore let us every day be setting our selves in some good way for comfort is in comfortable courses and not in ill courses in Gods waies we shall have Gods comforts In those waies let us exercise the spiritual strength we have let us pray to God and performe the exercise of Religion with strength shew some zeal in it let us shew some zeal against sin if occasion be if it be in Gods work in Gods way Let a man set himself upon a good worke especially when it is in opposition for the honour of God and the peace of his conscience presently there is comfort upon it And that we may not be discouraged with the imperfection of our performances one way of daily comfort is to consider the condition of the covenant of Grace between God and us In the covenant of Grace our performances if they be sincere they are accepted and it is the perfection of the Gospel sincerity Sincerity will look God in the face with comfort because he is with the upright so much truth in all our dealings so much comfort And with sincerity labour for growth to grow better and better God in the Gospel meanes to bring us to perfection in heaven by little and little In the law there was present perfection required but in the Gospel God requires that we should come to perfection by little and little as Christ by little and little satisfyed for our sins and not all at once In the condition of the covenant of Grace we must live and grow by grace by little and little and not all at once The condition of the covenant of grace is not to him that hath strength of grace in perfection but if we believe and labour to walke with God if there be truth of Grace truth goes for perfection in the covenant of Grace We should labour for sound knowledge of the covenant of Grace that now we are freed from the rigor as well as from the curse of the law that though we have imperfections yet God will be our father and in this condition of imperfection he will be a pardoning father and lookes on our obedience though it be feeble and weak and imperfect yet being the obedience of children in the covenant of grace and he accepts of what is his owne and pardons what is ours And every day labour to preserve the comforts of the spirit that we have not to grieve the spirit for comfort comes with the spirit of God as heat accompanies the fire As wheresoever fire is there is heat so wheresoever the spirit of God is there is comfort because the spirit of God is God and God is with comfort wheresoever comfort is God is and wheresoever God is there is comfort If we would have comfort continually every day let us carefully watch that we give way to the spirit of God by good actions and meditations and exercises And by no meanes grieve the spirit or resist the spirit for then we resist comfort If we speake any thing that is ill we lose our comfort for that time conscience will check us we have grieved the spirit If we heare any thing with applause and are not touched with it we lose our comfort conscience will tell us we are dead-hearted and not affected as we should be there is a great deal of flesh and corruption that is affected with such rotten discourse And so if we venture upon occasions we shall grieve the spirit either if we speak somewhat to satisfie others that are nought or if we hear somewhat that is ill from others Want of wisdome in this kind doth make us go without comfort many times want of wisdom to single out our companie or else if we be with such to do that that may please them and grieve the spirit and hinder our own comfort These and such like directions if we would observe we might walk in a course of comfort the God of comfort hath prescribed this in the book of comfort These are the courses for Gods children to walk in a comfortable way till they come to heaven More especially if we would at any time take a more full measure of comfort then take the book of God into your hand those are comforts that refresh the soul single out some speciall portion of scripture and there you shall have a world of comfort As for example let a man single out the epistle to the Romans if a man be in any grievance whatsoever what a world of comfort is there fitting for every maladie there is a method how to come to comfort There St. Paul in the beginning first strips all men of confidence of any thing in themselves and tells them that no man can be saved by works Jewes nor Gentiles but all by the righteousnesse of God in Christ All are deprived of the Glorie of God Jewes and Gentiles every bodie And when we are brought to Christ he tells us in the later end of the third Chapter that by Christ we have the forgivenesse of all our former sins whatsoever he is the propitiation for our sins In the 4. Chapter he comforts us by the example of Abraham and David that they were justified without works by faith not by works of their own but by laying hold of the promises of comfort and salvation meerly by Christ and all that saith St. Paul is written for us But in the first Chapter especially because all the miseries of this life come from the first Adam because we are Children of the first Adam death and miserie comes from that he opposeth the comfort in the second Adam and he shewes that there is more comfort by the second Adam then there is discomfort by the first Righteousnesse in the second Adam reigns to life everlasting and Glorie Sin and miserie came by the first but there is the pardon of all sin by the second Adam he doth excellently oppose them in the latter end of that Chapter In the begining of the fifth Chapter he shewes there the method and descent of joy Being justified by faith in Christ we have peace with God Considering that by the righteousnesse of Christ we are freed from sin We have peace with God through Jesus Christ our Lord. And we have boldnesse to the Throne of Grace and we rejoyce in tribulation knowing that tribulation brings forth patience and patience experience and experience hope He sets himself there of purpose to comfort in all tribulation and he saith in these things we rejoyce We rejoyce in tribulation I but for our sins after our conversion after we are in the state of Grace what comfort is there for them there is excellent comfort in the fifth of the Romans If when we were enemies he gave his son for us if he saved us by the death of Christ when we were enemies much more Christ being alive and in heaven he will keep it for us and keep us to salvation now when we are
others as we should let us labour to get experience of comfort in our selves God comforteth us that we might be able to comfort others He will easily kindle others that is all on fire himself and that is comforted himself he can easily comfort others with that comfort he feels himself those that have experience can do it best As we see in Physitians if there be two Physitians whereof the one hath been sick of the disease that he is to cure in another the other parhaps is more excellent then he otherwise but he hath never been sick of it the patient will sooner trust himself with the experienced Physitian then with the other for undoubtedly he is better seen in that then the other though perhaps the other may be a greater booked Physitian then he As it is with the Physitians of the body so it is with the Physitian of the soul the experienced Physitian is the best What is the reason that old men and wise men are the mercifullest of all because they have had experience of many crosses and miseries a wise man knows what crosses are he understands them best The way then to comfort others is to get experience of divine comforts our selves And that we may get experience of Gods comforts let us mark what was said before of the rules of comfort and work upon our own hearts whatsoever may be comfortable to others That we may not be empty Truncks to speak words without feeling He that is well may speak very good things to a sick man but the sick man sees that he speaks without pitty and compassion those that have been sick of the same disease when they come to comfort they do it with a great deal of meeknesse and mildnesse Those that are fit to comfort others must be spiritual themselves first As the Apostle saith Gal. 6. 1. saith the wise and holy Apostle if any man be overtaken as alas we are all overtaken with some corruption or other ye that are spiritual restore such a one set him in joynt as the word is with the spirit of meeknesse knowing that thou thy self maist â—…e tempted The Spirit of God is a Spirit of comfort the more we have of the Spirit the fitter we are to comfort others We see many men will speak very good things but they do but personate sorrow and personate comfort it comes from them without feeling as he saith if thou didst believe these things that thou speakest wouldest thou ever say them so He that speakes good things without experience he speaks as if he did never believe them Those that speak things with experience that have wrought them upon their hearts and spirits there is such a demonstration in the manner of their speaking of a spirit of love and meeknesse and compassion that it prevailes marvailously It is so true that our Saviour Christ himself that he might have the more tender bowels of compassion towards us he made it one end of his Incarnation as it is pressed again and again in Heb. 2. and Heb. 4. the Apostle dwels upon it It became him to be man to take upon him our infirmities that he might be a merciful Redeemer a merciful high Priest It was one end of his Incarnation that he might not only save us but that he might be a merciful Redeemer that he might have experience of our infirmities of persecution he was persecuted himself of want he wanted himself of temptation he was tempted himself of wrath he felt it himself my God my God why hast thou forsaken me Here is the comfort of a Christian soul that Christ hath begun to him in all therefore it became him to be mam not only to Redeem us but to be a merciful high priest a comfortable high Priest The way then you see how to comfort others is to get our own hearts sensible of spiritual comfort Two Irons if they be both hot do close together presently but unlesse both be hot they do not joyn together handsomly so that that makes us joyn together strongly is if two spirits meet and both be warm if one godly men comfort another godly man if one holy man labour to breed an impression of heat in another there is a knitting of both spirits they joyn strongly together Therefore we ought to labour to get experience that we may comfort others seeing none can comfort so well as experimental Christians Why is experience such an enabling to spiritual comfort I answer because it brings the comfort home to our own soules The Divell knowes comfort well enough but he feeles none Experience helps faith it helps all other knowledge Our Saviour Christ is said to learn by experience for he learned obedience in that he suffered Experience is such a meanes of the increasing of knowledge as that it bettered the knowledge of Christ that had all knowledge in him he had knowledge by looking upon God being the Wisedom of God yet he learned somewhat by the experience he bettered himself by experience he knew what to bear the cross was by experience he knew what infirmities were by experience he knew what he could suffer by experience so it added to his knowledge as man And so the Angels themselves are continual students in the mysteries of the Gospel they get experimental knowledge to the knowledge that they have inbred that knowledge that they have by the presence of God to that they add experimental knowledge So then if it bettered the knowledge of our blessed Saviour and increased it it was a new way increased by experience and it adds to the knowledge of the Angels much more to ours Then again it gains a great confidence in the speaker for what we speak with experience we speak with a great deal of boldnesse Again experimental comforts those that we have felt our selves and have felt likewise the grievance we speak them with such expressions as no other can do in the apprehension of the partie whom we comfort so well as an experienced person for he goes about the works tenderly and gently and lovingly because he hath been in the same himself And that is the reason that the Apostle St. Paul in the place I named before Gal. 6. 1. presseth this duty upon spiritual men especially because themselves have been tempted and may be tempted those that have been tempted and think they may be afterward this doth wondrously fit them for this work of comforting others But to add a little in this point to shew how to comfort others by our own experience and skill I spake before of an Art of comforting our selves there is a skill likewise in comforting others Even as we comfor our selves in that method we must comfort others When we comfort our selves we must first consider our need of comfort search our wounds our maladies have them fresh in our sight that so we may be forced to seek for comfort and as we ought
belong to ministers in a more eminent sort yet let every one lay it to heart you ought to have abilities to comfort others and to receive comfort of others And consider it is an angelical work to comfort others we imitate God himself and the most Excellent creatures the Angels whose office it is to comfort Even our very Saviour they came to comfort him in his greatest extremity A man is a God to a man when he comforts when he discomforts and directs and withdrawes he is a divell to a man men are beasts to men Divels to men that way but he that is an instrument to convey comfort he is a God to a man God is the God of comfort Thou art in the place of God to a man when thou comfortest him thou shalt save thy self and others God honours men with his own title when they comfort not onely ministers but others save men thou shalt gain thy brother by thy admonition and reproof what greater honour can yee have then Gods own title to be saviours one of another It is the office I say of Angels they were sent to comfort Christ it is their duty to pitch their tents about Gods Children to suggest holy thoughts as the divel suggests evill and to be about us though we think not of it Nay it is not onely an angelical work but it is the work of Gods spirit the sweetest stile of the Holy Ghost is to be a Comforter What shall we think of cursed spirits that insult over others misery that give them gall to eat and vinegar to drink that add affliction to the afflicted What shall we say to barren spirits that have not a word of comfort to say but come in a prophane and dead manner I am sorry to see you thus and I hope you will be better barren soul as the wildernesse What a member of Christ of the communion of Saint and no way furnished no word of comfort to a distressed soul We may know the comfort we have our selves to be comfort indeed and from the grace and favour of God when we have hearts enlarged to do good to others with it How do gifts and grace differ to add that useful distinction And man may have a great many gifts and be proud and full of envy and have a divellish poysonful spirit to draw all to himself and not be good but be carried with self-love and die a divell notwithstanding his excellent parts Why here are such gifts and parts but there is a bitter roote of self-love to draw all to himself to deifie himself to make an Idol of himself but grace with gifts works otherwise that turnes all by a spirit of love and humility to the good of others There is no envy in a gracious heart so far forth as it is gracious there is no pride nor scorn to do good to others How shall we distinguish men of excellent parts whether they be Christians or not Christians They have both of them wit and memorie they have both courage I but whether of them improve their parts and abilities most to the good of others Whether of them hath the most humble spirit the most loving spirit the most discreete spirit to be wittie to do others to good upon all advantages there is the Christian that hath Gods Grace with his gifts But for the other Knowledge puffeth up saith the Apostle what edifies and builds up Love edifieth knowledge gathers many materials stone and timber c. what builds the house the bodie of Christ It is a loving and humble spirit Therefore let us think that we have nothing in Christianity by any parts we have of memory or witt or reading c. unlesse we have a humble spirit that we can deny our selves and abase our selves to do good to others upon all the best advantages or else we have not the spirit of Christ that sweet spirit of Christ that denied himself to do good to us Where grace is established once and is in the right nature there is a publick mind and it is one of the best signs of a heart that is fashioned to the image of Christ who denied himself and became all in all to us to have a publick mind to have self-love killed to think I have nothing to purpose as I should have except I can make use of it to the good of others therefore let us be willing to do good in this kind And as I said let us make use of comfort from others think that they are reserved to the times and place where thou livest that thou mightest make use of them Therefore those that need comfort should not flatter themselves in their grief but humbly depend upon the meanes that God hath ordained And let every man think what if God have hid my comfort in another man what if he have given him the tongue of the learned to speak a word in season unto me Let no man think to master his trouble and grief by himself we are members of the body and the good that God will convey to us must be from and by others Therefore it is a mutual duty those that have comfort ought to comfort others and those that do need comfort ought to repiare to others it is the ordinance of God As Job saith for one of a thousand to shew a man his righteousnesse Though a man be never so wise yet sometimes he knowes not his owne comfort he knowes not that portion of comfort that belongs to him till some others discover it to him Physitians will have others to heale themselves to judge of their diseases and certainly one reason why persons that are excellent in themselves have passed their daies in darknesse it hath been this that they think to overmaster their heavinesse and distraction of spirit with their own reason c. which will not be God what he will do he will do by his own meanes and ordinance Let us therefore learn hence to see the goodnesse of God that besides the Ministery that he hath ordeyned and the salvation that he keeps for us and the promises that he hath given us and the Angels that attend us c. he doth even ordain others that are men and have bodies with our selves other fellow-Christians to be instruments to convey comfort he trains them up that they may be able to comfort and do good to us and he hides the good he intends to us in them and conveyes it to us by them it is a speciall goodnesse of God that every thing should tend to our good Thus all things are for us the sufferings of others tend to increase our comfort and the comfort of others is for our comfort There is such a sweet prudence in directing us to heaven that God makes every thing help not onely our own troubles that we suffer our selves but he doth sweetly turn the troubles of others and the comforts of others to our good It ministreth an
Spirit that raised and advanced him at the lowest that very spirit there being but one spirit in the head and members in our greatest abasement shall vouchsafe us the greatest advancement that we can look for to sit at the right hand of God to reigne with Christ for if we suffer with him we shall reign with him And hence you may have a reason likewise why Christians have no more comfort they doe not studie Christ enough they consider not Christ and the neernesse wherein Christ is to them and they to Christ that both make one Christ they doe not consider how Christ hath sweetned all he hath turned God and turned all to us he hath made God our Father and in him all things favourable unto us so that now the fire is our friend the Stone and the Gout and all diseases disgrace and temptation all are at peace and league with us all is turned in the use and issue to good to the help and comfort of Gods Children All things are yours and you are Christs and Christ is Gods 2 Cor. 3. ult There is not the worst thing but it is at peace with us because the malignant power it hath in order to damnation is taken away now it doth not hurt us but there is a soveraigne curing power to turne it to good I confesse Gods Children are discomforted but then they wrong their principles they wrong their grounds their religion their Saviour they wrong all the comforts they have interest in because they do not improve them when occasion serves As Job is checked Hast thou forgot the consolations of the Almighty or why dost thou forget them so if we have consolations and forget them and dote and pore upon our grievance it is just with God to leave us comfortless not that we want any comfort but we flatter our grievance and forget our comfort Let us change our object and when we have looked upon our grievance and been humbled in the sight of our sins let us look upon the promises let us look upon Christ in glory and see our selves in Heaven triumphing with him What can terrifie a Soul not Death it self when it sees it self in Christ Triumphing Faith sees me as well Triumphing in Heaven and sitting at the Right Hand of God as it doth Christ for it knowes I am a Member of Christ and whatsoever is between me and that happiness that is reserved for me in Heaven I shall triumph over it Christ triumphed in his own person over death Hell sin the Grave the Devil and she will triumph in me his mysticall body what he hath done in himself he will doe in me This faith will overcome the world and the Devill and Hell and all that is between us and Heaven A Christian that sees himself sitting at the right hand of God with Christ triumphing with him he is discouraged at nothing for faith that makes things to come present it sees him conquering alreadie Let us be exhorted to joy Rejoyce and again I say rejoyce we have reason to do so if we look to our grounds but when we yield to Satan and our own flesh we robb God of his glory and our selves of comfort but we may thank our selves for it But I come to the sixth verse wherein the Apostle inlargeth himself by shewing the end of his sufferings in regard of them by setting downe both parts both affliction and comfort VERS VI. Whether we be afflicted it is for your consolation and salvation or whether we be comforted it is for your consolation and salvation IT is much in every thing how the mind is prepared to receive what is spoken the Apostle therefore to make way for himself in their hearts he removes therefore scandall from his sufferings and he shews that it was so farre that they should take offence at it that they ought to do as he did to bless God for it for as the sufferings of Christ abounded in him so his comfort abounded And because they should think themselves no way hurt by his sufferings and base usage in the world he tels them in the verse that all was for their good no man should be offended at his own good they had no reason to take scandall at that which was for their good but saith he if you think basely of me for my sufferings you think basely of your own comfort for my sufferings are for your good and my comforts are for your good whether I suffer or be comforted it is or you The crosse is a distastfull thing to us and likewise the crosse in others is a distastefull thing not onely distastfull and bitter to us but shamefull St. Paul knowing this because he would as I said work himself into their good conceit that he might prevaile with them for their good saith he you ought not to think a whit the worse of me for this for all is for you So you see the scope of the words Whether we be afflicted it is for your c. But first he speakes of affliction alone and then of comfort alone If we be afflicted it is for your good and if we be comforted it is for your good His reason is because sometimes afflictions appeare without comfort therefore he saith not If we be comforted onely it is for your good but if we be afflicted it is for your good Sometimes comfort is before our afflictions that we may indure it the better God cheares us to it Sometimes God sheds his Spirit in affliction that there is abundance of comfort in it but for the most part it comes after after we have waited but in it there is always such a measure of comfort that supports us that we sink not yet the speciall degree of comfort usually comes after therefore he speaks of affliction in the first place If I be afflicted it is for you c. The Point is easie that The afflictions of the Saints are for the good of others The afflictions of Gods Church are Gods peoples especially the afflictions of Pastors and Leaders of Gods Armie God singles out some to suffer for the good of others the good especially of consolation and salvation for these two goods How can this be that the afflictions of Gods people are for the consolation and salvation of others I answer many wayes as we shall see afterwards more particularly but onely now to make way Afflictions are for the good and comfort of others because we have their example in suffering to traine us up how to suffer Example is a forcible kinde of teaching therefore saith the Apostle our afflictions are for you to lead and teach you the way how to suffer Words are not enough especially in matter of suffering there must be some example therefore Christ from Heaven came not onely to redeem us but to teach us not onely by words but by example how to doe and suffer willingly and chearfully and stoutly in obedience to God as he
did Again Afflictions doe good to others by ministring occasion to them to search deeper into the cause when they they see the people of God are so used they take occasion hereby to enquire what is the cause and so take occasion to be instructed deeply in matters of Religion for mans nature is inquisitive and grace takes the hint of any thing What is the matter that such and such indure such things Hereupon I say they come to be better grounded in the cause little occasions oft times are the beginnings of great matters by reason that the spirit as well as wit is of a working nature and will draw one thing from another We see what a great Tree riseth of a little seed how a little thing upon report worketh conversion Naaman the Assyrian had a Servant and she told him that there was a Prophet in Jurie that was a famous man that did great matters and if he would go to him he should be cured of his leprosie that little occasion being ministred Naaman comes to the Prophet and he was cured of a double leprosie both of soule and body and went home a good man so by way of ministring occasion of inquisition the sufferings of others doe good And then seeing the constant and resolute spirits of those that suffer it doth them good and comforts them for first it makes them conceive we of the cause certainly these men that suffer constantly and chearefully it is a good cause that they suffer for when they see the cause is such a resolution and courage in the sufferers And it makes them in love with and begin to think well of the persons when they can deny themselves surely these men care not for the pleasures and vanities of the world that can indure to suffer these So Justin Martyr saith when he saw Christians suffer he thought they were men that cared not for pleasures for if they had they would not suffer these things Besides They can gather from the presence of Gods spirit imboldening the sufferers what they may hope for themselves if they should suffer They may reason thus Is God by his spirit so full and so strong in these that are flesh and blood as we are is he so strong in women in young men in aged men that neither their yeares nor their sex nor their tenderness can any kind of way hinder them from these kind of abasements and sharp sufferings surely the same spirit of God will be as strong in me if I stand out in the same cause and carrie my self as they do and there is good reason for God is the same God the spirit is the same spirit the cause is the same cause therefore it is no false reasoning I may upon a good presumption hope for the presence and assistance of the Spirit of God to inable and strengthen me as he did them for the same Spirit of Godwill be strong in all And this is partly likewise in the intent of them that suffer There is a double intent it is the intent of God to single them out to suffer for the good of others and it is their intent to suffer that others may have good This is one reason why they are willing rather to suffer shame or bodily punishment then they will hinder others of the good they may take by their suffering So it is Gods end and their end It is for your consolation in Gods intent and in my intent and purpose and in the event it self Thus you see how afflictions suffered in good cause help for the consolation and salvation even of others the example of those that suffer flow into the mind and insinuate into the judgment and affection of the beholders many wayes And this the Factors of Antichrist know very well for if ever there be any persecution again we shall hardly have fire and fagor that they may not give example they will come to Gun-powder plots and Massacres and such violent courses to sweep away all They know if it come to matter of example once the grace of God in his children and the presence of his Spirit that shall appeare to others it is of a wondrous working force they are wise enough to know that the Devill teacheth them that wit when he hath been put by all his other shifts If it be so that the sufferings of Gods Children are for the good of others then to make some use of it Let us not take any offence at the cause of religion for suffering we ought not to have an ill conceit of a cause for suffering but rather think the better of it I speak it is in this regard we have many that will honour the Martyrs that are dead that are recorded in the book but if any suffer in the present view before their eyes they are disgracefull to them This should not be For first of all if the cause be good the end of good men by the help of the spirit of God is for thy good Was it not a cruell thing in Saul to strike at David when he played on his Harpe when he sought his good and easement To kill a Nightingale in singing it is a barbarous thing Gods Children by all that they suffer intend the good of others now to hurt and and maligne them in doing good to persecute them that indure ill for our good or that labour and do any thing for our good it is a barbarous savage thing All is for the Elect I suffer not for the Elects sake saith St. Paul in 2. Tim. so my sufferings are for you We may know we are elected of God if we take good by the sufferings of others if we take no scandall and offence and doe not add affliction to the afflicted for all is in Gods intent and in their intent for our good For instance a little to enlighten the point because it is not usually stood on and it is a notion that may help our conceits of the excellent estate of Gods Children Reprobation to go as high as we may it is for their good to shew mercy to them to set by and neglect so many and to single them out The creation of the World is for their sakes Gods providence directs all for their Good for why doth he suffer wicked men it is that they may be instruments to exercise them that are good it is by reflexion or some way for the cause of the good that the wicked are suffered to be upon the earth The administration of the world it is not for the Rebels that are in it it is for those that are Gods Children and he tosseth and tumbleth Empires and Monarchies the great men of the world they think they doe great matters but alas all this is for the exercise of the Church this is reductive to the Church by Gods providence All their attempts are for the little flock for a few that are a despised company that he meanes to save
me to beare crosses and afflictions and likewse to indure the tediousness and length of time till I come to Heaven so salvation is wrought by suffering we come not to the possession of it but by suffering and induring you have need of patience saith the Apostle Heb. 10. Give me leave to cleare the point a little How doth patience enter into this great worke of helping our salvation Patience in induring affliction it helps many wayes They work salvation not by way of merit for that were to disable the title we have by Christ but by way of evidence it helps the evidence of the title for I have title by Christ but how do I know that my evidence to that title is good Afflictions and the patient suffering of them not afflictions alone but afflictions joyned with the grace of patience to indure them for else they do no good afflictions are evill in themselves for thus it increaseth my evidence every heire is a son for heaven is the inheritance of Sons and every Son must be corrected and I am corrected and afflicted in this life and God doth give me grace to indure them and to see my good in them these afflictions therefore mingled with patient induring of them do evidence that I am not a bastard In Heb. 12. the Apostle proves this every one that hath not some affliction or other he is a bastard and not a Son It increaseth my evidence that I am the child of God especially if I suffer for a good cause if we suffer with him we shall reign with him here the evidence is increased By this I know I am in the way which is strewed with crosses and afflictions we must enter into heaven this way I know it for the way so it furthers my salvation it gives me assurance that my euidence is good It is the Scriptures manner to say things are done when the knowledge of the thing is increased As to say we are saved when we know more assuredly that we shall be saved to say we are in the Kingdom of heaven when we know we are in the state of the Kingdom of heaven as in 2 Pet. 1. saith he grow in grace c. for by this meanes a further entrance shall be ministred unto you into the Kingdome of God The knowledge of a mans estate in grace is a further entance into the Kingdom of God that is begun here in this life The knowledge that I am an heire of heaven is to be in heaven before my time Thus afflictions joyned with patience help salvation because they help the evidence of salvation they shew that we are sons and not bastards it is an evidence of our adoption And then sufferings joyned with the grace of induring help forward salvation by vvay of qualification there is a qualification and disposition of soule which is necessary before we come to Heaven because no unclean thing shall ever come to Heaven Now suffering joynd with patience having a mighty and blessed worke this vvay to purge us of that soile that vve cannot carrie to heaven with us We may not think to carrie our unmortified pride and lusts and base earthly affections and our pleasures and riches ill gotten to heaven with us oh no the presence of heaven is a more pure presence then so and the place will not indure such defilements we must be cleansed thereore Now because afflictions indured with patience have a blessed power to subdue that which by nature is powerfull in us to purge out those base affections that are contrary to the glorious estate we look for therefore they help us to heaven they help the qualification of the person not the merit and desert of it They help likewise the qualification by removing that which corruption feeds on for affliction indured removes that which corruption works on and strengthens it self by affliction is either in removing riches or honours or pleasures somewhat that corruption feeds on for all corruption is about those Idols greatness or pleasure or profit of the world Now sufferings crossing us in our reputation or estates or body one way or other they withdraw the fewell that feeds our corruptions and so help mortification and purgation and so fit us for Heaven They help our repentance they make the favour of God sweet and sin bitter it is a bitter thing to offend God we feel it by the afflictions that are laid on us Again many positive graces are required before we come to Heaven affliction indured helps al graces whatsoever the only time for grace to thrive in is the time of affliction for affliction indured helps our zeal our love we have experience of the patience of God and they stir up prayer all graces are set on work in affliction Out of the deep have I cried prayers are cries in in affliction they are not cold dull things but set on fire they set the spirit on worke to crie to God with earnest frequent and fervent in prayer Then again Afflictions indured they work salvation and help us to Heaven because they whet and sharpen our desire of heaven for when we find ill usage here below in our pilgrimage we have a great desire to be at home at rest and that is one maine end why God sends afflictions to help salvation this way by sharpening our desires For were it not for afflictions and the induring of them would we ever say Come Lord Jesus come quickly would we not be of Peters mind It is good for us to be here would we ever be wearie of the world before we be fired out of it and pulled out of it as Lot out of Sodom No they help our desire and earnestness The creature groanes Rom. 8. Those that have received the first fruits of the spirit they wait for the adoption of the sonns of God Those that have the beginnings of grace they wait for the accomplishment what makes this but afflictions and troubles of the world They desire a State wherein all teares shall be wiped from their eyes So we see these and many other wayes but these are the principall how afflictions indured as they should be they help salvation they worke our salvation though they vvork not the title of it yet they help us in the vvay First Because they assure us that vve are the sons of God and so have evidence that vve are in a good state and then they remove the hindrances and purge us of our sins and then they help us in all graces they cherish all graces and they sharpen and whet the edge of our desires to be out of this world And all this must be in every Christian before he come to Heaven for God never brings a man of yeares to Heaven but he gives him cause to see why he would be out of this world either by long sickness or affliction or by one thing or other he makes them see that it is better
to be there then here and if it were not for crosses who would be of that minde Therfore have we not cause to suspect our selvs that we are in smooth ways and find no crosses God doth give respit to his children they have breathing times they are not alway under crosses he is mercifull perhaps they have not strength enough he will not bring them to the lists to the stage because they are not inabled they have not strength enough But they that have a continuall tenour of prosperity may well suspect themselves If one have direction to such a place and they tell him there are such ways deep waters that except he take heed he will be drowned and step into holes and they are craggie wayes and if he meet with none of these he may wel think he is not in his way So the way to Heaven it is through afflictions we must indure many afflictions saith the Apostle here Salvation is wrought by induring the same afflictions that you see in us Now if I suffer and indure nothing if I cannot indure so much as a Filip a disgrace a frowne a scorne for Christ if the way be over smooth it is not the way to heaven certainly the way is not strewed with roses we must have our Feet shod with the preparation of the Gospel They must be well shod that go among thorns and they had need to be wel fenced that go the way to heaven it is a thorny rugged way but it is no matter what the way be so it bring us to Heaven but certainly if the way be too smooth we ought to suspect our selves Now because it may be objected many will say alas what doe we suffer and therefore our case is not good I answer Every Christian suffers one of these wayes at one time or other nay at all times either by sympathy with the Church put the case we have no afflictions of our own doe we not sympathise with the Church beyond the Seas When thou hearest ill news if thou be glad to heare it certainly thy case is bad there is a suffering by sympathy and that suffering is ours Then again There are afflictions and sufferings that arise upon scandals that men run into before our eyes which is a great grief Mine eyes gush out with rivers of waters because men keep not thy law saith David Is it not a matter of suffering to a Christian soule to see that he would not see and to hear blasphemies and oathes that he would not hear to have the understanding forced to understand that he would not living in a world of iniquity in the Kingdom of the Devill It is a great grievance Woe is me that I am forced to dwell in Meshech and to have my habitation with the Tents of Kedar It is a pittifull affliction to the Saints of God to him that hath the life of grace in his heart to have the wicked as goads and thornes as the Scripture saith the Jebusites should be to the Israelites to have thoughts forced upon us and things forced upon our soules that we would not see nor think nor hear of that which shall never be in Heaven Again Every one suffers the burthen of his calling which is a great suffering a man need not to whip himself as the Scottish Papists do if he be but faithfull in his calling it is a notable meanes of mortification God keeps a man from persecution many times because he hath burthens in his calling to exercise him he hath many crosses in his calling God hath joyned sweat to labour and trouble and paines and there is no man that is faithfull in his calling as he should be but he shall find many crosses And then that which afflicts most of all the affliction of all afflictions the inward combat between the flesh the spirit which God usually takes up in persecution and outward troubles Gods deare children in persecution find little molestation from their corruptions because God will not lay more upon them then he will give them strength to beare and now when he singles them out to outward crosses he subdues their corruptions that they do not vex them as before In the time of peace he lets loose their corruptions sometimes anger sometimes pride sometimes one base affection sometimes another and think you t his is no grief to them Oh yes it grie ves them and humbles them more then any cross would do St. Paul was grieved more at this then at all his sufferings it made him crie out Oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death He doth not say oh wretched man who shall deliver me from crosses and afflictions though they made him wretched in the eye of the world yet he rejoyced in those but his griefe was that he could not doe the good that he would and that made him crie out Oh wretched mâ—…n that I am c. It is God that ties up our corruptions that they run not so violently on the soule at one time as they do at another for he hath the command of them by his spirit There is no Christian but one of these wayes he suffers in the greatest time of peace especially this way God exerciseth them that he makes them weary of their lives by this spirituall conflict if they know what the life of grace meanes he makes them know what it is to be absent from Heaven he makes them know that this life is a place of absence and all this is to help our disposition to salvation by helping mortification and by helping our desire to Heaven Those that go on in a smooth course that know not what this inward combate meanes and are carried away with their sins they are so farre from taking scandals to heart that if they see evill men they are ready to joyn with them to joyn with blasphemers and wicked persons And instead of sympathizing with the Church of God they are ready to joyn with them that censure them and so add affliction to the afflicted But to proceed Whether we be comforted it is for your consolation and salvation Of comfort I spake in the former verse Onely that note that I will briefly commend to you is this that Gods Children hap how it will they doe good Cast them into what estate you will they doe good they are good and doe good If they be afflicted they doe good by that if they have comfort they do good to others by that no estate is amisse to Gods Children And that is the reason of their perfect resignation The Child of God perfectly resignes himself into Gods hands Lord if thou wilt have me suffer I will suffer if thou wilt have me afflicted I yield my selfe if thou wilt have me injoy prosperity I will I know it shall be for my good and for the good of others There is an intercourse in the life of a
affliction but now he specifies what afflictions they were I would not have you ignorant of the troubles which came to us in Asia c. I would not have you ignorant of He knew it was behofull for them to know therefore to insinuate into their respect the more he tells them of it Indeed to know both together is very sweet and comfortable to know both the afflictions of Gods people and their comforts as here he tells them what ill he indured in Asia and how God delivered him to see how these are linked together in Gods people is very comfortable therefore I would not have you ignorant Now that they might not be ignorant he sets before their eyes the particular grievance that he suffered in Asia And see how he doth raise himself by degrees and represent it to them most lively First of all saith he We were pressed out of measure There is one degree we were pressed It is a metaphor we were pressed as a Cart is pressed under sheaves as a man is pressed under a burden as a Ship that is over-laden is pressed deep down with too much burden so it was with us we were pressed with afflictions afflictions are of a depressing nature they draw down the soule as comfort raiseth it up Out of measure There is the second degree they were not onely pressed but pressed out of measure Above strength Above my strength above ordinary strength And he riseth higher still the waters rise higher insomuch that we despaired of life we despaired of any escaping out of trouble at the present encounter nay we did not see how we should escape for the time to come Nay it was so great in the first place that we passed the sentence of death upon our selves It is a speech taken from malefactors that are condemned for even as they having the sentence pronounced upon them we account them dead men they esteem themselves so and so do others esteem them the sentence being passed upon them so I even passed the sentence on my self seeing no evasion or escape out of the troubles I was in the sentence of death passed upon me We had the sentence of death in our selves It was not passed by God nor by the World for they had not decreed to kill him but he passed it upon himself when he saw no way to escape He was deceived though as oft-times Gods Children are for he died not at that time And then afterwards he sets down the end why all this was a sweet end a double end That we should not trust in our selves what should we trust in then But in God that raiseth the dead First to speake of his grievance and then of the reason why God did thus follow him We would not have you ignorant He prevents all scandal by this I would not have you ignorant I am so far from caring or fearing or being ashamed that you should know of any affliction that I suffer that I would not have you ignorant of it for know this that when you know my afflictions you shall know my deliverance also St. Paul was wondrous scrupulous at this left they should take any offence at his sufferings indeed it is the state of Gods Children their worst crosse sometimes are censures upon them for the crosse the harsh censures of others in their troubles It was the last and the greatest of Job's troubles that and his wife together when his house was overthrown his Children killed his goods taken away himsef stricken with boiles then for his indiscreet friends to become miserable comforters those that should have comforted him to become censurers and judges of him as if he had been a man deserted and forsaken of God as if all had been from God as a punishment for his sins this was his grearest crosse as it was his last when his wife in his bosom she that should have comforted him most should solicit him to ill and his friends by their rash and vile censures to make his crosse heavier So it is with Gods Children in the world they cannot endure hardnesse in the World they cannot be used otherwise then their cause deserves but they must also undergo hard censures that grieves them more then the crosse it self It was the case of this blessed Apostle the Spirit of God in him therefore sets him to mention his affliction with boldnesse and confidence yea with comfort and joy I would not have you ignorant I am not of the mind of carnal men that would have it concealed nay I would not have you ignorant I pray understand it he laies it open to their view that they might be affected with it as he was for those things that we are affected with we are large in the discourse of them he shewes that the misery though it were past and were off yet he was affected with it We were pressed out of measure above strength This seems to thwart another place of scripture in 1. Cor 10. 13. God is faithful and will lay no more upon you then you shall be able to bear and yet here he saith we were afflicted above strength how can these hang together I answer God will not suffer his Children to indure any thing above strength above that they are able to bear especially in spirituall evils but for sickness and persecution or such sometimes he may lay more upon them then they have present strength to beare But put the case that St. Paul speaks of inward grievance and outward afflictions too as both usually accompany one another St. Paul's meaning is here undoubtedly We were pressed above strength that is above ordinary naturall strength that unless God had made a supply by a new supernaturall strength we had never been able to indure it therefore take it so above ordinary naturall strength for extraordinary crosses must have extraordinary strength and crosses with grievance of spirit must have more then naturall strength to beare them Again Where it is said Insomuch that we despaired of life as if he had cared much for his life this seemeth to cross another place Phil. 1. I desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ and here he seems to be very carefull in a strait lest he should die I answer We must take St. Paul in diverse considerations and respects As St. Paul hath finished his course and done his work so Henceforth is laid up for me the crown of righteousness so he thinks of nothing but life and glory he cares not for his life but take Saint Paul in the midst of his course and so he had a care to his charge Take Saint Paul as he looked to glory so he desired to be dissolved take him as he was affected to edifie the Church so he laboured to live by all meanes and so he saith he despaired of life as desiring to live to do good to the Church Again It may be Objected against the last We received the sentence of
had had no goodness in me and yet in extremity such a one goes to prayer he goes to the Word of God to the communion of Saints he delights in good things and onely in those extremity makes him discern and know himself for ill and for good and makes others to know him too that is another end Again God suffers us to fall into extremity to set an edge upon our desires and our prayers to make us crie to him Out of the deep I have cryed unto thee O Lord. When a man is in the deep it is not an ordinary prayer will serve but he must crie God loves to heare his Children speak to him he loves the voice of his children it is the best musick that he delights in therefore he will take a course that he will be sure to hear from them and rather then they shall neglect prayer he will suffer them to fall into some rousing sinne into such a state and condition that they may dart up prayers that they may force prayers out of the anguish of spirit that their prayers may be violent that will take no denyal that they may be strivings with God that they may wrastle with God as we see in Jacob and the woman of Canaan that they may be importunate and never leave him nor take any denyall Again God suffers his Children to fall into this extream perill and danger not onely to trie them what good they have in them but when he hath tried it to exercise it to exercise their faith and their patience St. Paul had a great deale of grace in him and God would be sure to have a great deale of tryall and exercise of it and therefore he suffered him to fall into extream dangers that so all the patience and all the â—…aith he had might be set on work And so it was in Job God had furnished his Champion with a great measure of patience and then he singles him out to the combat he brings him into the lists to encounter with Satan and 〈◊〉 triumph over Satan and all the evils he suffered whatsoever Again it is to perfect the work of mortification to let patience have her perfect worke and â—…aith and prayer to have their pâ—…ect work to perfect all graces and so to perfect the work of mortification for in extream dangers he weanes us perfectly from the world as much as may be nothing will doe it if these will not St. Paul came to many Cities and there he thought oft-times to have great matter of entertainment and instead of that he was whipped and misused God used the matter so to mortifie pride and self-confidence in St. Paul he scoured him so from pride that he should not goe out of the Citie but he should be well scoured first by misusage So rather then God will suffer his Children to go to hell and rather then he will suffer them to live in the world here without glory to their profession without manifesting of grace to mortifie and subdue their base earthly affections he will scoure them to subdue their pride and to subdue their earthly mindednesse we might prevent the bitterness of the Cross if we would we might prevent his mortifying of us by afflictions by the mortification of the spirit but because we are negligent in that work to perfect the work of mortification he is forced to lay here any crosses and extream dangers upon us Lastly God doth this for another end that he might be sure by this meanes to prepare us for greater blessings for in what deep measure we are humbled by any deep afflction in that measure we are prepared for some blessing Humility doth empty the soule and crosses do breed humilitie the emptiness of the soule fits it for receipt God therefore doth emptie us by crosses that we may be fit vessels to receive some larger measure of grace and comfort For as it is said before As our tribulations increase so our comforts increase therefore it is a good signe that God intends much spirituall good to any man when he laies some heavie load upon him in this world all is to prepare for some greater comfort and some greater measure of grace Why doth the Husbandman fall upon his ground and teare and rend it up with the Plow and the better the ground is the more he labours to kill weeds is it because he hath an ill mind to the ground No he meanes to sowe good seed there and he will not plow a whit longer then may serve to prepare the ground It is the Holy Ghosts comparison Isa. 28. So likewise the Gold-Smith the best mettall that he hath he tempers it he labours to consume the dross of it and the longer it is in the fire the more pure it comes forth so God keeps his Children under crosses and doth plow them they neglect to plow themselves and he is faine to set plowers that will doe it indeed some ill minded men or some cross if they would plow themselves and examine themselves they might spare God the labour but when they are negligent God takes the labour into his own hand and sets others on worke that will doe it to purpose but all is to prepare them for heavenly seed for grace and comfort that in what measure we have been depressed as he saith here we were pressed above measure in that measure he meanes to lift us up by heavenly comfort And which is a clause of that that we might set a price upon the comforts when they come for when he hath so prepared us for it and then we receive it then comfort is comfort indeed Comfort in it self is all one and glory in it self is all one first and last but it is not all one to the person comfott is indeared to a person that hath been kept under and been dieted before then when it comes he sets a great value upon it when he hath been without it so long Our nature is so that we value things by the want of them rather then by the present enjoying of them after we have wanted it and have been long time prepared for it then when it comes it is welcome indeed For these and many such like ends we must be willing to approve of Gods holy and wise dispensation in this in ordering matters so with his children in bringing them to great dangers of bodie in danger of life sometimes to spirituall desertions leaving them to themselves as if he had no care of them But St. Paul speaks especially here of outward crosses you see the reasons of it The Use of it is first that we should not passe a harsh unadvised rigid censure upon our selves or others for these respects for any great affliction or abasement in this world The world is ready to passe their verdict presently upon a man Oh such a one you see what a kinde of man he was you see how God follows him with crosses so
to live by sense but to live by faith it is a remote thing to lead our lives by reasons drawn from things that are not seen to live by promises it is a hard thing when things â—…at are sensible cannot work upon us When we see men dye and see the vanitie of things sensible it will not work upon us how then doe we think that things that are supernaturall which are remote farre above sense should work on us it is a hard thing not to trust to our selves we are so adicted to live by sense and there is some corruption in St. Paul in the best men to trust to present things Who doth not think but he shall live one day longer and so trusts to life As the Heathen man could say There is not the oldest man but he thinks he may live a little longer one day longer who makes that use of mortality and the uncertain fading condition of this life as he should and all because of a false trust as in other things so in the continuance of life we see we are prone to trust to put base false confidence in somewhat or other while we live in this world Again our nature being prone to outward things and sunk deeply into them it can hardly be recovered it cannot be sober without much ado and brought from trusting of present things You have some men that have things at will in this world they never know what faith means all their life they live by sense their conscience is not awaked and outward afflictions seize not on them and supply of earthly things they have what Religion means and what God and Heaven means they have heard of them perhaps but throughly and inwardly what it means they never came to know in this world without there be some alteration and changes they must have some changes The wicked have no changes saith the Prophet but while they be as they are they know not God nor themselves nor the vanity of earthly things We speak the truth of God to a company oft-times that are besotted with sensuality and that have perpetual supply of earthly things speak to them of faith and of things that are remote from sence c. they hear them as if they were in a dream Nature is prone to trust in present things even in the best in St. Paul himself Now our pronenesse to it doth justifie Gods dealing in many things As why doth God humble great ones with great afflictions why doth he humble great men great and excellent Christians with great falls that they might not trust in themselves no not in their own present graces God will not bring a man to salvation now by grace in himself to give him title to heaven his graces must onely be to help his evidence that he is not an hypocrite and to give evidence to others that others may see his good works c. but if he come to trust in them once to set them in Christs stead God will abase his pride by suffering him to fall that he may go out of himself to be saved by Christ and to seek for mercy in Christ. And this is the reason why God in his providence doth great things by small means without means and against means sometimes when he crosses and curses great means it is that we might not trust in our selves we are prone to self-confidence and because God will cure it for we must not carry it to heaven with us therefore he is forced to take this kind of dispensation Proud flesh will alway devise something but that which it should do to uphold it self withall it will not be driven from all its holds God hath much ado to work it out from all its holds if it have not wealth it will have wit and policy or if it have not that it will have Civil life and outward works to trust to and to swell it with but to come and give God the glory of Salvation onely by mercy and to depend onely on God and to see an insufficiency in any thing we do it can hardly be brought to passe Insomuch that that Article of Justification by the obedience of Christ onely it is meerly a spiritual thing altogether transcending nature No marvel if we find such opposition from the Church of Rome and all unlesse it be the true Church they understand not the main Article of salvation onely by mercy because nature is so desperatly prone to self confidence Let us take heed of false confidence in the things of this life of confidence in any thing but in God But to come to some tryals You will say how shall we know whether we put over-much confidence in them or no It is an easie matter to know it We trust them too much when we grow proud upon any thing when our spirits are lifted up Charge rich men that they be not high-minded insinuating that they are in danger to be high-minded If riches increase set not your hearts upon them saith the Psalmist there is great danger when the heart is set on them and lifted up when men think themselves so much the better as they are greater Indeed if they weigh themselves in a Civil balance it is so but the corrupt nature of man goes further and thinks a man intrinsically better and more beloved of God for these things It is a dangerous sign that we trust too much to them Again over-much grief if they be taken away any of them or if we be crossed in them the grief in wanting betrayes the love in enjoying It is a sign that Job had gotten a great measure of self-denial not to trust in himself or his riches though he were a rich man because when they were taken away Blessed be God saith he thou gavest them and thou hast taken them away He that can stand when his stay is taken from him it is a sign he trusts not too much to his stay he that is so weak that when his stay is taken away down he falls it is a sign he leans hard Those that when these things are taken from them when their friends are taken away or their honours or riches are taken away yet they can support themselves out of diviner grounds it is a sign they did not overmuch trust these things nature will work something but over-much grief betrayes over-much love alwaies Again which is but a branch of the other we may know that we over-much set by them by fretting to be crossed in any of these things A man may know Achitophel trusted too much to his policie and wit when he was crossed he could not indure it we see he made away himself for very shame When a man is crossed in his wit and policy when he is crossed in those projects he hath laid when he is crossed in his preferment or riches or friends then he is all amort he frets which is more then grieving when
by prayer to remove the cloud that hangs over our heads the sooner it passeth by many help much as many brands make a great fire and many little rivers running into a common channell they make the river swell greater so prayer is strong when it is carried by the spirits of many yea those that are not perhaps so well experienced But as I said sometimes men not only great in place but great in grace need the help of others the Spirit of prayer is not in a like measure in them sometime they are too secure sometime they are too presumptious sometime too negligent and carelesse in stirring up the Grace of God in them sometime they are prone to be lifted up too much sometime to be cast down too much If this be so what a benefit is this then to have the help of others when oft-times a man meaner in gifts may have as great a measure of the Spirit of prayer as another Prayer it is not a work of gifts but of grace it is a work of a broken heart of a believing heart And in prayer there be diverse gifts which are far more eminent in one then in another yet all excellent good in their kind some have the gift to be fluent to be large in words in explication of themselves some men have not so much in that but they have a broken heart some again have it in zeal and earnestnesse of affections so that there is something in the very action of prayer which helps in many one helps with his ability with his large gift of Speech another with his humble and broken spirit another with his zeal and ardencie to wrastle and strive with God to get a blessing Moses was a man of a stammering tongue and yet Moses was a man for prayer Aaron and Hur were silent and were fain to hold up his hands but Moses must pray and yet Moses was no man of eloquence and he pretends that for his excuse when he was to go to Pharaoh Therefore it is a matter of the heart a matter of grace of humilitie of strong faith and not a matter of words though that be a speciall gift too God will have it thus in his wise dispensation because he will have every man esteemed and because he will have no man to be proud he will humble his own to let them know that they stand in need of the prayers of the weakest Every man in the Church of God hath some gifts that none should be despised and none have all gifts that none should presume over-much and be proud In the Church of God in the Body of Christ there is no idle member in the communion of Saints there is none unprofitable every one can do good in his kind God will have this because he will have none despised It was a fault in St. Jame's time The brother of high degree did despise the brother of low degree that is the rich Christians despised the poore Christians but saith Saint James Hath not God chosen the poore in the World rich in faith Now faith is the ground of prayer It is a fault in all times men have swelling conceits against the meaner sort and undervalue them God will not have it so he will have us see that we stand in need of the meanest Christians and by this he will raise up the dejected spirit of weak Christians What a comfort is it then that I should be able to help the greatest man in the World that he should be beholding to me for that duty So it abaseth the greatest that they stand in need of the meanest and it raiseth the meanest that the greatest are helped by them and it knits all into a sweet communion For when a great Christian shall think yonder poore Christian he is gracious in the Court of heaven howsoever he be neglected in the world he may do me good by his prayers It will make him esteem and value him the more and it will make him value his friendship he will not disparage him he will not grieve the spirit of such a one whose prayer may prevail with God and draw down a blessing for him We see here the Corinthians help the Apostle by their prayers You see the reason of it that God will knit Christians together and humble them that think themselves great and that he might comfort every mean Christian. Therefore let no Christian slight his own prayers no not those that are young ones That great divine Paulus Phagius who was a great Hebrecian in his time and one that helped to restore the Gospel in England it was a good speech of him he was wont to say I wish the prayers of younger Scholars for their souls are not tainted with sin and God often hears the poore young ones that are not tainted and soiled with the sins of the World as others are sooner then others a weak Christian that hath not a politick head and a divellish spirit meaner persons that are but young ones they have more acquaintance many times with God then others despise not the prayer of any And let none despise his own prayer Shall I pray to God will some say I pray do you pray for me Why dost thou not pray for thy self I am unworthy Unworthy dost thou so basely esteem of it when God is not onely willing that thou shouldest pray for thy self but requires thee to pray for others hast thou so base an esteem of this incense Let my prayers be directed in thy sight as incense saith David God esteemes this as odour and wilt thou say I am not worthy abase not that which he hath vouchsafed so to honour God esteemes so highly of it that he will not only hear thy prayers for thy self but for others Again there is no pretence for any man to be idle in the profession of Religion Thou hast not riches thou canst not give thou hast not place thou canst not shew countenance to others but if thou be a Child of God thou hast the Spirit of prayer the Spirit of Adoption the Spirit of a son in thee which enables thee to pray for thy self and others there is no Christian but he may do this you also helping together by your prayers for me The fourth and last observation out of these words is that Prayer is a prevailing course with God It prevailes for the removing of ill or for the preventing of ill or for the obtaining of good I shall be delivered I shall be continued in the state of deliverance but yet you must pray your prayers will obtain and beg this of God Prayer is a prevailing course because as I said it is obedience to Gods order he bids us call upon him and he will hear us prayer binds him with his own promise Lord thou canst not deny thy self thou canst not deny thy promise thou hast promised to be near all those that call upon thee in
we learn from Christ what to teach you If you pray to God to teach us that we may teach you you shall never go away without a blessing And therefore as I said we see how the Apostle desires the Romans to strive and contend with him in prayer he useth all protestations and obtestations For the love of Christ and of his Spirit c. And pray for us that the Word may have a free passage and be glorified In every Epistle still he urgeth pray for us The blessed Apostle was so heavenly-minded that he would neglect no help that might further him in the Ministery So if we have Christian hearts we will neglect no helps not the help of the meanest Christian that we are acquainted with when he that was a great Apostle saith Pray for us strive in prayer for us he prayes for the help of others prayer So the more gracious we are and the nearer to God the more we understand the things of God the more carefull we shall be of this Christian duty of prayer for the Ministers and for our selves and others Upon this ground that it is Gods Ordinance and there is nothing established by God that shall want a blessing Therefore if we have faith we will pray the more faith the more prayer the greater faith the greater prayer Christ had the greatest faith and he prayed whole nights together St. Paul was mighty in faith he was mighty in prayer where there is little faith there will be little prayer and where there is no faith there will be no prayer You also helping together by prayer for us Mark the heavenly Art of the Apostle he doth here insinuate and inwrap an exhortation by taking it for granted that they would pray for him It is the most cunning way to convey an exhortation by way of taking it for granted and by way of encouragement The Lord will deliver me he doth not say therefore I pray help me by your prayers but the Lord will deliver me if you help me and I know I shall not want your prayers he takes it for granted that they would pray for him and granted truths are the strongest truthes It is the best way to encourage any man if we know any good in him to take it for granted that he will do so and so I shall be delivered you helping together by your prayers That for the gift bestowed upon us by the meanes of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf After he had set down the means that God would convey the blessing by which was prayer then he shewes the end why God would deliver him by prayer For the gift of health and deliverance bestowed upon me by the means of many prayers of many persons Likewise thanks shall be given by many on our behalf that is on my behalf yea as many shall be ready to thank God for my deliverance and health as before many prayed to God for it so that in this regard God in love to his own praise and glory will deliver me by your prayers because he shall gain praise and praise of many That for the gift bestowed c. And first for the words somewhat For the gift bestowed on us Deliverance and health is a gift Charisma a free gift If health be a gift what are greater things they are much more a free gift if daily bread be a gift certainly eternal life is much more a gift The gift of God is eternal life Rom. 6. ult Away with conceit of merit if we merit not daily bread if we merit not outward deliverance if we merit not health what can we do for eternal life It is a doting conceit a meer foolish conceit then to think that the begger merits his Almes by begging prayer being the chief work we do what doth the begger merit by begging begging it is a disavowing of merit Health you see here it is a gift bestowed by prayer that for the gift bestowed upon us c. Things come to be ours either by contract or by gift if it be by contract then we know what we have to do if it be by gift the onely way to get a thing by gift is prayer so that which is gotten here by prayer it is called a gift not onely a gift for the freenesse of it but because health and deliverance out of trouble is a great and special gift For as it seemes St Paul here was desperately sick I rather incline to that then any other deliverance I received the sentence of death c. Is not health a gift Is it not the foundation of all the comforts of this life what would riches comfort us what would friends comfort us bring all to a sick man alas he hath no relish in any thing because he wants the ground of all earthly comforts he wants health Therefore you know the Grecians accounted that a chief blessing if they had health they were contented with any estate A poor man in a mean estate with a little competency is more happie then the greatest Monarch in the world that is under sicknesse and paine of body Health it is comfort it self and it sweetens all other comforts Therefore it is a matter that especially we should blesse God for both for preventing health God keeps us out of sicknesse and likewise for delivering us out of it for both are like favours they that have a constant enjoyment of their health should as well praise God as they that are delivered out of sicknesse It is Gods goodnesse that they do not fall into sicknesse There is the ground of sicknesse in every man though he had no outward enemy in the world yet God can distemper the humours and when there is a jar and disproportion in the humours then followes a hurting of the powers and a hindering of the actions c. We should blesse God for the continuance of health it is a special gift For the gift bestowed By the meanes of many persons God bestowed health on Saint Paul but it was by the meanes of many prayers of many persons Would not God have bestowed health upon Saint Paul if he had not had their prayers Yes doubtlesse but yet notwitstanding when there are many prayers they prevail much more many streames make a river run more strongly and so many prayers prevail strongly Health is such a blessing as may be begged by others Therefore it is a good thing in sicknesse and in any trouble to beg the the prayers of others that they may beg health and deliverance of God for us The good Corinthians here they pray Saint Paul out of his trouble And God so far honours his Children even the meanest that they are a meanes to beg health and deliverance for others even to pray them out of this or that trouble And what a comfort and encouragement is this that a Christian hath so many factors for him he hath
all the Saints in the world that say Our Father praying for him He must needs be rich that hath a world of factors that hath a stock going in every part of the world A Christien hath factors all the world over he is a member of the mysticall body and many prayers are made for him it is a great comfort And it is a great encouragement for us to pray for one another considering that God will so far honour us St. Pauls health here it was a gift by the prayers of many But thou wilt object I am a weak Christian a sinful creature what should God regard my prayers Alas my prayers will do you little good Yes they will do much not onely for thy self but for others what are prayers are they not incense kindled by the fire of the blessed Spirit of God Are they not in themselves good motions stirred up by the Spirit themselves in their nature are good though they be imperfect and stayned The Spirir that stirs them up is good the good Spirit of God We know not how to pray but the Spirit teacheth us The Mediator through whom they are offered who mingles his odour with them Revel 8. 3. He is the Angel that mingleth odours with the prayers of the Saints and makes them acceptable to God The person likewise that offers them is good what is he 〈◊〉 is he not Gods Child do not parents love tohear the voyce of their Children if therefore the person be good though weak and the prayer be good and the Spirit good and the Mediatour so good then let no man be discouraged not onely to pray for himself but to pray for others God would hear the Corinthians though they were stained with Schisme and with other weaknesses they were none of the most refined Churches that Saint Paul wrote to as we may see in the first Epistle yet saith Saint Paul my health and deliverance is a gift and a gift by the prayers of many weak and strong joyning together It is the subtilty of Satan and our own hearts joyne with him in the temptation What should I pray my conscience tells me this and that Doest thou mean to be so still then indeed as it is Psal. 66. If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not heare my prayer but if thou have repented thee of thy sins and intenedst to lead a new life for the time to come God will heare thy prayers not onely for thy self but for others God will bestow gifts upon others by meanes of thy prayers To go on Thanks may be given by many persons Gods end in delivering St. Paul by prayer was that he might have many thanks for many prayers when they were heard once that thanks may be given by many on our behalfe that is because we are delivered and restored to health and strength again to serve the Church as we did before you see here how Prayse follows prayer Many prayers and then many praises these follow one another Indeed this is Gods order and we see in nature where there is a receiving there is a giving We see the earth it receives fruit it yields fruit as Christ saith of the good ground sixty-fold many-fold You see bodies that receive the Sun they reflect their beams back to the Sun again The streams as they come from the Sea so by an unwearied motion they return back again to the Sea And men do eate the fruit of their own flocks they reap the fruit of their own Orchards and Gardens In nature whatsoever receives it returns it back again The influence and light that those heavenly bodies the stars and the Planets c. have from the Sun who is the chiefe light of all they bestow it upon the inferiour bodies you see it in nature much more is it in grace what we receive from God by gift obtained by prayer he must have the praise for it many prayers many praises As soon as ever a benefit is received presently there is an obligation a natural obligation and a religious obligation upon the receipt of a benefit there must be some thought of returning something presently It teacheth us what a horrible sin ingratitude is It is the grave of all Gods blessings it receives all and never returns any thing back again As those Lepers they never came back again to thank Christ but only the tenth a poore Samaritan Men are eager to sue to God restlesse till they have that they would have but then they are barren and unfruitfull they yield nothing back again After prayer there must be praise and thanksgiving It condemneth our backwardnesse and untowardnesse in this kind like little Children they are ready to beg favours but when they come to thanksgiving they look another way as if it were irksome to them So it is with our nature when we go about this heavenly duty we give God a formall word or two Thanks be to God c. But we never work our hearts to thankfulnesse That thanks may be given By many As the prayers of many are mighty with God to prevail so likewise the praises of many are very grateful and acceptable to God Even as it is with instruments the sweetnesse of musick ariseth from many instruments and from the concord of all the strings in every instrument when every instrument hath many strings and all are in tune it makes sweet harmonie it makes sweet concord So when many give God thanks and every one hath a good heart set in tune when they are good Christians all it is wondrous acceptable musick to God it is sweet incense more acceptable to God then any sweet favour and odour can be to us That is one reason why God will have many to pray to him that he may have many praises God doth wondrously honour concord especially when it is concord in praising of him It is a comely thing for Brethren to live in unity as it is Psalme 131. If to praise God be a comely thing and if concord be a comely thing then when both meet together it must needs be wondrous beautifull and wondrous acceptable to God when many brethren meet and joyn to praise God Therefore it is said Act. 2. in the Churches new conversion they met all together as one man they were of one heart and one soul and they were given to prayer and to praising of God a blessed estate of that beginning Church they were all as one man of one heart of one spirit of one soul. As the blessed Angells and blessed spirits in heaven they all joyn together as it is in Revel 14. The blessed man heard a voice in heaven as the voyce of many waters and of great thunder and he heard the voice of harpers and they sang a new song there were many harps but one song one thanksgiving one Heart one spirit in all wondrous acceptable to God This should make us in love with
publick meetings Severed thanksgiving is not so acceptable a thanksgiving God doth bestow all good upon us in the body as we knit our selves not onely in thanksgiving to him but in love to the Church as all things are derived from God to us in the body so let our praise return to God in the body as much as we may It shews what a hatefull thing Schisme and division is in the Church besides many other inconveniences God wants glory by it God loves to be praised by many joyning together As the Apostle saith here Thanks shall be given by many c. Many not as they are many persons but as they are many godly persons that are led by the Spirit of God Therefore if the praise of many be so acceptable it should first be an incouragement to union In John 17. saith our Saviour Christ there I pray that they may be one as we are one It was the sum of that heavenly prayer the unity of the Church to the end of the world That they may be one as we are one the Trinity should be the patern of our unity Because I say all good is in union and all that comes from us that is accepted of God it must be in peace and union God so loves peace and a quiet disposition inclinable to peace that he neglects his own service till we have made peace one with another Mat. 5. If thou have any offence with thy brother if thou have done him any wrong or he thee go and be reconciled to him and then come and bring thy offering God will stay for his own offering he is content to stay for his own service till we be at peace one with another whether it be prayer or praise if we be not at peace it is not acceptable Again this should teach us to stir up others when we praise God and others have cause as well as we that thanks may be given by many When we are in trouble call upon others and as it is the common and commendable fashion desire others to pray for us that prayer may be made by many and when we receive any favour any deliverance from any great danger acquaint others with it that thanks may be given by many It was the practice of David in Psalme 66. Come I will tell you what the Lord hath done for my soul. And in Psal. 34. and in Psal. 142. ult Bring my soul out of trouble that I may praise thy Name and what shall others do Then the righteous shall compasse me about for thou hast dealt bountifully with me Shewing that it is the fashion of righteous men when God hath dealt graciously with any of his Children they compasse him about to be acquainted with the passages of divine providence and Gods goodnesse towards them The righteous shall compasse me about for thou hast dealt bountifully with me Holy David in Psalme 103. he stirs up every creature to praise God even the creatures of haile of stormes and windes and every thing even the Blessed Angels as we see in the latter end of that Psalme as if thanksgiving were an imployment fit for Angells and indeed so it is and as if all his own praise were not enough except all the creatures in heaven and earth should joyn with him in that blessed Melody to praise God the Angells and all creatures praise God Let us stir up one another to this exercise How do the creatures praise God They do praise God by thy tongue although they have a kind of secret praise which God heares well enough for they do their duty in their place willinglly and chearfuly but they praise God in our tongues every creature gives us occasion of praising God That thanks may be given by many c. Many give thanks here for one Saint Paul for the Minister We see here Gods end that many should praise God not onely for themselves but for others especially for those by whom God conveys and derives good unto them whether outward or spirituall good The Apostle exhorts us to pray for all men 1 Tim. 2. For Kings yea though they were persecuting Kings at that time And surely if we ought to pray to God for all mankind we ought to praise God for all sorts of men especially for Governours and Ministers c. because God by them bestowes his greatest blessings Obey the Magistrate Let every soule be subject to the higher Powers for the powers that are are ordained of God and he is the Minister of God for thy good so the Governours and Ministers of God are for our good We ought therefore as to pray for them that they may execute their office for our good so to praise God for the good we have by them You know David stirred up the people to mourn for Saul though a Tyrant He cloathed you and your Daughters saith he with skarlet If they should praise God for a persecuting King and mourn for him when he was gone much more should we for those that are good And so likewise for Pastors we ought to praise God for them and all that have good by them will pray to God and praise God for them And undoubtedly it is a sign of a man that hath no good by them that prayes not for them and that praiseth not God by them we ought to praise God in that proportion as well as to pray to God one for another And this should stir us up to be good to many that many may praise God not onely for themselves but for us If it be our duty to pray for those that we derive good by and to praise God for them then let us labour to be such as may communicate to others Good is diffusive and good men are like the box in the Gospell that when it was opened all the house smelled of it The heathen Philosopher said that a just man a good man is a common good like a publick stream like a publick Conduit that every man hath a share in Therefore as the Wise man saith When good men are exalted the City rejoyceth many rejoyce Who would not therefore labour in this respect to be good to have a publick disposition to have a large heart to doe all the good we can That so we may not onely have more prayers to God for us but we may have more praise to God for us that God may gaine by it That thanks may be given by many on our behalf Let us take notice of our negligence in this kind and be stirred up to this blessed duty And therefore consider wherein it consists It consists in our taking notice of the favours of God to our selves and others and in valuing the good things that we praise God for to esteem them The Children of Israel they did not blesse God for the mannah they did not value it This Mannah this Mannah in scorn So in Psalme 106. They neglected Gods pleasant
look that he should deliver us not onely our persons but the State wherein we live let us pray to God that he would do so and praise God for his former deliverance Again this is another motive the praising of God for formet deliverances it invites him to bestow new blessings Upon what ground doth the Husband-man bestow more seed upon that which hath yielded most in time past Will any man sowe in the barren wildernesse where it is lost No but where he looks to reap most and hath done formerly Where he sees a soil that is fruitfull he will sowe it the more and where the heart is a barren wildernesse that it yields nothing back again he takes that away that he gave before You know there is a debt in giving there must be a returning of thanksgiving alway and kindnesse requires kindnesse there is an obligation And where benefits are taken and men are thankfull that is the way to get more to be thankfull for that we have For God minds his own glory above all things and he will especially be bountifull to those from whom he sees he hath most glory therefore alway those that have been richest in grace and in comfort they were most in thankfulnesse as we see in David a man after Gods own heart and in diverse others Let this incourage us First if we be not thankfull it stops the current of benefits Secondly if we be thankfull God will give us more mercies and deliverances when we praise him in our hearts in our lives in our bounty to others in reall thankfulnesse when we are ready to good works then he is ready to bestow new still Again to stir us up to this duty of praising God for our selves and others Consider it is the beginning of heaven upon earth what a happinesse is it that when our persons cannot go to heaven till we die till our bodies be raised yet we can send our Ambassadors we can send our prayers and thanksgivings to heaven and God accepts them as if we came in our own persons Let your conversation be in heaven saith the Apostle How is that by praising God much I pray what is the imployment of heaven of the Angells and blessed Spirits They praise God continually for the work of Creation and for the work of Redemption that is their especiall task in heaven Our duty is to be much this way in praising God Self-love forceth prayer oft-times but to praise God comes from a more heavenly affection Again do but consider that no creature in the world is unthankful but divells onely and divellish men and good men onely so far as they are corrupt and hold correspondencie with their corruptions for every creature praiseth God in his kind set the divell aside who is full of envy and pride and malice against God therefore except we will be like the Divells let us be thankfull God hath made all creatures to praise him and to serve us that we may praise him and when they praise him shall we blaspheme him May not the swearer think with himself every creature blesseth God even the senselesse creatures and shall I dishonour God by my tongue which should be my glory to glorifie him shall I blaspheme him and be like to the divel shall I be more base then the senselesse creatures What glory hath God by many men that live in the Church that blaspheme God and their whole life is a witnesse against God as the whole life of a Christian after he is in the state of Grace is a witnesse for God and a praising of him his whole life is a thanksgiving so the whole life of wicked and carelesse creatures is a dishonour of God it is a witness against God There are none but divells divellish-minded men but they praise God even the very dumbe creatures Let us labour to have a part in that blessed musick and harmonie to praise God if we do not praise God here we shall never do it in heaven But we must remember by the way that this thankfulnesse it must be a fruitful thanksgiving As for us to pray to God to blesse us and then to do nothing it is a barren prayer so to thank God and then to do nothing it is a barren thanksgiving Our deeds have words our deeds have a voyce to God they speak they pray there is a kind of prayer a kind of thanks in our works Works pray to God they have a kind of crie to God both ill works and good works and if good works have a crie to God in prayer they will have a voice in thanksgiving this fruitful this real thanks is that which God stands upon And therefore it is alway joyned with a study how to improve the things that we thank God for to the best advantage If we thank God for health and recovery and deliverance we will labour to improve it to Gods glorie if we be thankful to God for riches for peace we will improve that to grow in grace to do good to others There is never a thankful heart but it studies to improve that which it is thankful for really that God may have the Glory and it the comfort and benefit by it or else it is but a lip-labour but a lost labour Let us shame our selves and condemne our selves for our unthankfulnesse and that will be done by comparing our carriage to men with our carriage to God If so be that a man do us a little courtesie how are we confounded if we have not returned some thanks and yet notwithstanding from God we have all that we have all that we are all that we hope to have and yet how many benefits do we devoure and do not re turn God thanks This disproportion will shame the best Christian that he is not so quick in his devotion to God to be thankful there as he is sensible of small kindnesses done by men this is a good way to make us more thankful And now when we come to the Sacrament let us blesse God The Eucharist is a thanksgiving where there are many there should be thanksgiving where there is a communion there is many and thanksgiving should be especially of many met together to thank God for Christ and for the good we have by him for if many joyned together in praise for St. Paul that was but a Minister that was but an instrument to set out the praise and the Doctrine of Christ much more should we be thankfull to God for Christ himself which is the gift of all gifts and for which he gives us all other gifts if he give us him can he deny us any thing If we be thankful for the health of our bodies as indeed we should if we be thankful for the peace of our humours much more should we be thankful for the peace of our consciences when our soules are set in tune when God and we are friends when the soul by
naturall to man much more to the spirit of a man For if a man know what is in himself naturally his own wit and understanding which is alway with him bred up with him much more he knowes by his spirit the things that are adventitious that come from without him that is the work of Grace If a man by a reflect knowledge know what naturally is in him in what part he hath it and how he exerciseth it if he know and remember what he hath done and the manner of it whether well or ill then he may know the work of the Spirit that comes from without him that works a change in him We say of light that it discovers it self and all other things so the soule it is lightsome and therefore knowes it self and knowes other things The Spirit of God is much more lightsome where it is it discovers it self and lighteneth the soule it discovereth the party in whom it is As the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 2. 12. We have the Spirit whereby we know the things that we receive of God It not onely worketh in us but it teacheth us what it hath wrought Therefore a Christian knowes that he is in the state of grace he knowes his virtues and his disposition except it be in the time of temptation and upon those grounds named before Therefore we should labour to know our estate to examine our selves whether we be in the faith or no except we be reprobates and cast awayes as the Apostle speakes A Christan should aime at this to understand his own estate in grace upon good grounds But it may be objected how can we know our estate in Grace our virtues are so imperfect our abilities are so weak and feeble I answer the ground of judging aright of our estate it is not worthiness or perfection but sincerity We must not look for perfection For that makes the Papists to teach that there may be doubting because they look to false grounds but we must look to the ground in the covenant of grace to grace it self and not to the measure Where there is truth and sincerity there is the condition of the covenant of grace and there is a ground for a man to build his estate in grace on The perfect righteousnesse of Christ is that that gives us title to heaven but to know that we have right in that title is the simplicity and sincerity in our walking in our conversation as the Apostle saith here This is our reoycing c. Therefore Christians when they are set upon by temptations of their own misdoubting hearts and by Satan they must not go to the great measure of grace that is in others that they have not so much as others and therefore they have none nor to the great measure of grace that they want themselves but to the truth of their grace the truth of their desires and endeavours the truth of their affections Hereby we know that we are translated from death to life because we love the brethren This should stir us up to have a good conscience that we may rejoyce Why should we labour that we may rejoyce Why what is our life without joy and what is joy without a good conscience What is our life with out joy without joy we can do nothing we are like an instrument out of tune an instrument out of tune it yiels but harsh musick Without joy we are as a member out of joynt we can do nothing well without joy and a good conscience which is the ground of joy A man without joy is a palsie-member that moves it self unfitly and uncomely he goes not about things as he should A good conscience breeds joy and comfort it inables a man to do all things comely in the sight of God and comfortably to himself it makes him go chearfully through his businesse A good Conscience is a continuall feast without joy we cannot suffer afflictions we cannot die well without it Simeon died comfortably because he died in peace when he had imbraced Christ in his heart and in his armes Without joy and the ground of joy we can neither do nor suffer any thing Therefore in Psalme 51. David when he had lost the peace and comfort of a good conscience he prayes for the free Spirit of God Alas till God had enlarged his heart with the sense of a good conscience in the pardon of his sins and given him the power of his Spirit to lead a better life for the time to come his spirit was not free before he could not praise God with a large spirit he wanted freedom of spirit his conscience was bound his lips were sealed up Open my lips and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise His heart was bound and therefore he prayes to have it inlarged Restore to me thy joy and salvation intimating that we cannot have a free spirit without joy and we cannot have joy without a good conscience sprinkled with the blood of Christ in the pardon of our sins If it be so that we cannot do any thing nor suffer any thing as we should that we cannot praise God that we cannot live nor die without joy and the ground of it the testimony of a good conscience let us labour then that conscience may witnesse well unto us Especially considering that an ill conscience it is the worst thing in the world there is no friend so good as a good conscience there is no foe so ill as a bad conscience it makes us either Kings or slaves A man that hath a good conscience that witnesseth well for him it raiseth his heart in a Princely manner above all things in the world a man that hath a bad conscience though he be a Monarch it makes him a slave a bad conscience imbitters all things in the world to him though they be never so comfortable in themselves What is so comfortable as the presence of God What is so comfortable as the light yet a bad conscience that will not be ruled it hates the light and hates the presence of God as we see Adam when he had sinned he fled from God A bad conscience cannot joy in the middest of joy it is like a goutie foot or a goutie toe covered with a velvet shoe alas what doth it ease it what doth glorious apparel ease the diseased body nothing at all the ill is within there the arrow sticks And so in the comforts of the Word if the conscience be bad we that are the messengers of comfort we may apply comfort to you but if there be one within that saith thus it is true but I regarded not the Word before I regarded not the checks of conscience conscience will speak more terrour then we can speak peace And after long and wilful rebellion conscience will admit of no comfort for the most part Regard it therefore in time labour in time that it may witnesse well An ill conscience when it should be most
comforted then it is most terrible at the hour of death we should have most comfort if we had any wisdom when earthly comforts shall be taken from us and at the day of judgment then an ill conscience look where it will it hath matter of terrour If it look up there is the Judge armed with vengeance if it look beneath there is hell ready to swallow it if it look on the one side there is the divell accusing and helping conscience if it look round about there is heaven and earth and all on a fire and within there is a hell where shall the sinner and ungodly appear If the righteous scarcely be saved where shall the sinner and ungodly appear at that time O let us labour to have a good conscience and to exercise the reflect power of conscience in this world that is let us examine our selves admonish our selves judge our selves condemn our selves do all in our selves Let us keep court at home first let us keep the assizes there and then we shall have comfort at the great assizes Therefore God out of his love hath put conscience into the soule that we might keep a court at home Let conscience therefore do its worst now let it accuse let it judge and when it hath judged let it smite us and do execution upon us that having judged our selves we may not be condemned with the world If we suffer not conscience to have its full work now it will have it one day a sleepy conscience will not alway sleep if we do not suffer conscience to awake here it will awaken in hell where there is no remedy Therefore give conscience leave to speak what it will perhaps it will tell thee a tale in thine ear which thou wouldest be loath to hear it will pursue thee with terrours like a blood-hound and will not suffer thee to rest therefore as a bankrupt thou art loath to look in thy books because there is nothing but matter of terrour This is but a folly for at the last conscience will do its duty it will awaken either here or in hell Therefore we are to hope the best of them that have their consciences opened here there is hope that they will make their peace with God that they will agree with their adversary while they are in the way If thou suffer conscience to be sleepy and drowsie till it be awaked in hell wo unto thee for then thy estate is determined of it will be a barren repentance Now thy repentance may be fruitful it may force theeto make thy peace with God dost thou think it will alway be thus with thee Thou besottest thy conscience with sensualitie and sayest Go thy way and come another time as he said to St. Paul I will tell thee this peace will prove a tempest in the end Conscience of all things in the world deserves the greatest reverence more then any Monarch in the world for it is above all men it is next unto God and yet what do many men regard the honour 〈◊〉 their friends more then conscience that inward friend that shall accompany them to heaven that will go with them to death and to judgement and make them lift up their heads with joy when other friends cannot help them but must needs leave them in death Now for a man to follow the humours of men to follow the multitude and to stain conscience what a foolish wretch is he though such men think themselves never so wise it is the greatest folly in the world to stain conscience to please any man because conscience is above all men Again those that follow their own humours their own dispositions and are carried away with their own lusts it is a folly and madnesse for the time will come that that which their covetous base lust hath carried them to that shall be taken away as honours riches pleasures which is the fuel of that lust which makes them now neglect conscience all shall be taken away in sicknesse or in the time of despair when conscience shall be awaked Now what folly is it to please thy own lust which thou should'st mortifie and subdue and to displease conscience thy best friend and then when thy lust is fully satisfied all that hath been fuel to it that hath fed it shall be taken away at the hour of death or some special judgement and conscience shall be awaked and shall torment thee for giving liberty to thy base lusts and to thy self And those eyes of thy soul that thy offence delighted to shut up there shall some punishment come either in this life or in that to come that shall open those eyes As Adams eyes were opened after his sin why were they not open before he had such a strong desire to the apple he did not regard them but his punishment afterward opened those eyes which his inordinate desire shut So it shall be with every sinner therefore regard no man in the world more then thy conscience Regard nothing no pleasure no profit more then conscience reverence it more then any thing in the world Happie is that man that carries with him a good conscience that can witnesse that he hath said nor done nothing that may vex or grieve conscience if it be otherwise whatsoever a man gains he loseth in conscience and there is no comparison between those two One crack one flaw in conscience will prove more disadvantagious then the rest will be profitable Thou must cast up the rest again they are sweet bits downward but they shall be gravel in the belly We think when we have gained any thing when we have done any thing we shall hear no more of it as David said to Joab when he set him to make away Uriah Let not this trouble thee So let not this ill gain let not this ill speech or this ill carriage trouble thee thou shalt hear no more of this We take order to stop and silence conscience thinking never to hear more of it oh but remember conscience will have its work and the longer we defer the witnesse and work of conscience the more it will terrifie and accuse us afterward Therefore of all men be they never so great they are most miserable that follow their wills and their lusts most that never have any outward check or inward check of conscience but drown it with sensual pleasures As Charles the 9 th who at night when conscience hath the fittest time to work a man being retired then he would have his singing boyes after he had betreyed them in that horrible Massacre after which he never had peace and quiet And as Saul sent for Davids Harpe when the evil spirit was upon him So wicked men they look for forreign helps but it will not be for the greatest men with their forreign helps are most miserable The reason is because the more they sink in rebellion and sin against conscience the more they sink in terrours it shall be the
greatest torment to those that have had their wills most in the world the more their conscience is silenced and violenced in this world the more vocal it shall be at the hour of death and the day of judgement Therefore judge who are the most miserable men in the world although they have never so much regard in the world besides those that have consciences but will not suffer them to work but with sensuality within them and by pleasing flattering speech of those without them they keep it down and take order that neither conscience within nor none other without shall disturbe them if they do they shall be served as Ahab dealt with Micaia These men that are thus at peace in sinful courses of all men they are most miserable they enjoy their pleasure here for a little time but their conscience shall torment them for ever and shall say to them as Reuben said to his Brethren I told you this before but you would not hearken to me and now you shall be tormented Conscience is an evil beast it makes a man rise against himself therefore of all men those that be disordered in their courses that neglect conscience and neglect the means of salvation that should awaken conscience they are the most miserable for the longer they go on the more they sink in sin and the more they sink in sin the more they sink in terrour of conscience if not now yet they shall hereafter If we desire therefore to have joy and comfort at all times let us labour to have a good conscience that may witnesse well And therefore let us every day keep an audite within doors every day cast up our accounts every day draw the blood of Christ over our accounts every day beg forgivenesse of sins and the Spirit of Christ to lead us that so we may keep account every day that we may make our reckonings even every day that we may have the lesse to do in the time of sicknesse in the time of temptation and in the time of death when we have discharged our Consciences before by keeping session at home in our own hearts This should be the daily practice of a Christian and then he may lay himself down in peace He that sleeps with a conscience defiled is as he that sleeps among wild beasts among adders and toades that if his eyes were open to see them he would be out of his wits He that sleeps without a good conscience he is an unadvised man God may make his bed his grave he may smite him suddenly therefore let us every day labour to have a good conscience that so we may have matter of perpetual joy A good conscience especially is an Evangelicall conscience for a legall good conscience none have that is such a conscience as acquits a man that he hath obeyed the law in all things exactly A legall compleat good conscience none have except in some particular fact there is a good Conscience in fact As the Heathen could excuse themselves they were thus and thus and God ministreth much joy in that But an Evangelical good Conscience is that we must trust to that is such a Conscience that though it knowes it self guilty of sin yet it knowes that Christ hath shed his blood for sinners and such a Conscience as by meanes of faith is sprinkled with the blood of Christ and is cleared from the accusations of sin There is an Evangelicall Conscience when by faith wrought by the Spirit of God in the hearing of the Gospell we lay hold upon the obedience and righteousnesse of Christ. And such is the obedience and righteousnesse of Christ that it pacifieth the conscience which nothing else in the world will doe the conscience without a full obedience it will alway stagger And that is the reason that Conscience confounds and confutes the Popish way of salvation by works c. Because the conscience alway staggers and feares I have not done works enough I have not done them well enough those that I have done they have been corrupt and mixed and therefore I dare not bring them to the Judgement-seat of God to plead them meritorious Therefore they do well to hold uncertainty of salvation because holding merit they must needs be uncertaiu of their salvation A true Christian is certain of his salvation because his conscience layes hold on the blood of Christ because the obedience whereby he claimes heaven is a superabundant obedience it is the satisfaction of Christ as the Apostle saith in that excellent place Heb. 9. 24. The blood of Christ which offered himself by the eternall Spirit that is by the God-head shall cleanse your consciences from dead works to serve the living God The blood of Christ that offered himself his humane nature by his divine to God as a sacrifice it shall purge your consciences from dead works The blood of Christ that is the Sacrifice the obedience of Christ in offering himself fully pacified God and answered the punishment which we should have indured for he was our surety The blood of Christ speaks better then the blood of Abel It speaks better then our sins Our sins cry vengeance but the blood of Christ cries mercy The blood of Christ out-cries our sins the guilty conscience for sin cries Guiltie guiltie hell Damnation wrath and anguish but the blood of Christ cries I say mercy because it was shed by our surety in our behalf his obedience is a full satisfaction to God Now the way to have a good conscience is upon the accusations of an evill conscience by the law to come to Christ our surety and to get our consciences sprinked by faith in his blood to get a perswasion that he shed his blood for us and upon that to labour to be purged by the Spirit There are two purgers the blood of Christ from the guilt of sin and the Spirit of Christ from the stain of sin and upon that comes a compleat good conscience being justified by the blood of Christ and sanctified by the Spirit of Christ. Therefore Christ came not by blood alone or by water alone but by water and blood by blood in justification by water in sanctification and holinesse of life Why do we alleadge this now for the Sacrament We speak of a good conscience which is a continual feast How comes a good conscience to be such a continual feast An Evangelicall conscience is a feast indeed because it feeds on a higher feast it feeds on Christ he is the Passeover Lambe as the Apostle applies it 1. Cor. 5. he is the Passeover slain for us and there is represented in the Sacrament his body broken and his blood poured out for our sins he came to feast us and we shall feast with him Hereupon if we bring repentance for our sins past and faith whereby we are incorporate into Christ then our consciences speak peace and as it is in 1 Pet. 5. the conscience makes a
he intends mischief when he pretends he would be a worshipper of Christ and so Absalom he pretends he had a vow to make when he intends murther a dissimulation pretending good when there is an intention of ill before So there is a dissimulation in the project for the present which comes from this doubling when men carrie things fairly outwardly to those with whom they live and yet notwithstanding have false and treacherous hearts As Judas had all the while he conversed with Christ he covered his ill with good pretexts a care for the poor c. So after when the ill is done what a world of doubling is there to cover ill to extenuate it and excuses and translations This is the simplicitie that reigns among men where there is no strength of grace where there is want of simplicitie there is this dissembling And with dissimulation there is simulation that is when we make our selves sometimes worse then we are when we are better then we seeme to be sometimes that wins on us too then we carrie not our selvee simply For if we were good we would be good every where But a man that useth simulation if he be in evill company he fashioneth himself to the company he speaks that which his Conscience checks him for he carries himself vainly and lightly he holds correspondence with the company So that by dissimulation and simulation there is a fault committed against simplicitie which yields the Testimony of a good conscience It is a base fault this simulation which we think to be a lesser fault then the other which is dissimulation for whom do we serve are we not the sons of God are we not the sons of our heavenly Father the sons of the great King and for us to carrie our selves not to be such as we are in the middest of the wicked world it is a great want of discretion Saint Paul would discover who he was even before the bar David would speak of Gods righteous testimonies even before Princes and not be ashamed And this is that which Christ saith He that is ashamed of me before men of him will I be ashamed before my heavenly Father Let us take heed of dissimulation and simulation which are opposite to this simplicity Again this simplicity is opposite to curiosity and finenesse And thus the Apostle both in his calling and conversation St. Paul conversed in simplicity as a Christian and as an Apostle As an Apostle he was not over-curious in words he reproveth those foolish vain glorious spirits that were so among the Corinthians He delivered the Word plainly and plainnesse is best in handling the Word of God for who will enamell a precious stone we use to enamell that that hath not a native excellencie in it self but that which hath an excellencie from something without True Religion hath this with it alway that it is simple because it hath state enough of its own The whore of Babylon hath need of a gilded cup and pictures and what not to set her out but the true Religion is in Simplicity Christ himself when he was born he was laid in a Cratch he was simple in his carriage and his speeches It was a common speech in ancient time when the Chalices were gold the Priests were wood In Religion finenesse and curiosity carrie suspition of falsehood with them Those that overmuch affect finenesse of speech they are either deceived or will deceive That which is not native and comes not from within it will deceive Some falsehoods carrie a better colour then some truths because men set their wits on work to set some colour upon falsehood alway And here take notice of the duty of Ministers that they should utter divine truth in the native simplicity of it Saint Paul as a Minister delivered the plain Word plainly And as a Christian in our common course of life as we should take heed of doubling so of too much curiosity for too much curiosity in diet or apparell it implies too much care of these things which hinders our care of better things as our Savour Christ saith to Martha Martha thou art troubled about many things The soul is finite and cannot be set about many things at once therefore when there is overmuch curiosity in smaller things it implies little or no care in the main What is morethen for decency of place it argues carelessenesse in the main Therefore the Apostle labouring to take off that he bids women that they should not be decked with Gold and broydered haire c. But to look to the hidden man of the heart And therefore Christ took off Martha from outward things because he knew it could not be without the neglect of better things Seriousness in heavenly things it carries a carelessenesse in other things And a Christian cannot chuse but discover a minde that is not earthly and vain when he is a true believer he regards other things as poore petty things that are not worthy estimation A Christian when he hath fixed his end to be like to God to be simple as God is he still drawes toward his end and therefore he moderates his carriage in all things What is unnecessarie he leaves out his end is to be like God and like Christ with whom he shall live hereafter Now the best things are the most simple as the Heavens the Sun and the stars c. There is diversitie but no contrariety there is diversity in the magnitude of the stars but they are of the same nature so in a Christian there are many Graces but they are not contrary one to another So that a Christian hath his maine care for better things he cares not for the world nor the things thereof and therefore he accounts them in comparison of better things as nothing and that is the reason that he is carelesse and negligent of those things that he did formerly regard as having better things to take up his thoughts We see then that simplicitie as it is opposed to doubling so it is opposed to finenesse and curiosity And usually where there is a finenesse and curiosity there is hypocrisy for it is not for nought when men affect any thing Affectation usually is a strain above nature when a man will do that which he is not disposed to by nature but for some forced end it is hypocrisy So the Corinthian teachers argued the falsenesse of their hearts by the finenesse of their teaching they had another aime then to please God and convert souls Usually affectation to the world is joyned with hypocrisie towards God Again this simplicity is contrary to that corruption in Popery namely equivocation what simplicity is that when they speak one thing and mean another when there is a mentall reservation and such a reservation that if that were set downe that is reserved it were absurd Or else there may be a reservation a man may reserve his meaning A man may not speake
good we have is it not from him And the nearer you come to him the more your happinesse is increased the more you are striped of earthly things the more you have in God Hath not he mens hearts in his hands when you think you shall endanger your selves thus and thusby plain direct dealing without doubling if you be called to the profession of the truth c. Hath not he the hearts of men in his hands to make them favour you when he pleaseth In Pro. 10. He that walketh uprightly walketh boldly He that walketh uprightly not doubling in his courses he walketh safely God will procure his safety God that hath the hearts of men in his hand as the rivers of water he can turn them to favour such a man A mans nature is inclined to favour downe-right dealing men and to hate the contrary You see the three young men when they were threatened with fire come what will O King we will not worship the Image of Gold which thou hast set up They would be burned first What lost they by it Howsoever if we should lose as it is not to be granted that we canlose any thing by direct dealing For the earth is the Lords the fulnesse thereof and the hearts of men are his But suppose they doe yet they gain in better things in comfort of conscience and expectation and hope of better things Faith is the ground of courage and the ground of all other Graces that carrie a mans courage in a course of simplicitie in this World Therefore if we would walk simply and have our conversation in the world in this grace let us labour especially for faith to depend upon Gods promises to approve our selves to him to make him our last and chief end and our communion with him and to direct all our courses to that end This is indeed to set him up a Throne in our hearts and to make him a god when rather then we will displease him or his Vicegerent his Vicar in us which is conscience that he hath placed in us as a monitor and as a witnesse we will venture the losse of the creature of any thing in the world rather then we will displease that Vicar which he hath set in our hearts This I say is to make him a god and he will take the care and protection of such a man S. Paul here in all the imputations in all crosses in the world he retires home to himself to his own house to conscience and that did bear him out that in simplicity he had had his conversation in the world The next particular is In Sincerity The Apostle addes to simplicity this Godly sincerity and he may well joyn these two together for plainnesse and truth go together a plain heart is usually a true heart Doublenesse and hypocrisie which are contrary they alwaies go together he that is not plain to men will not be sincere to God Simplicity respects our whole course with men sincerity hath an eye to God though perhaps in matters and actions towards men Sincerity is alway with a respect to God and so it is opposed to hypocrisie a vice in Religion opposite to God Now this Sincerity that the Apostle speaks of it is A blessed frame of the soul wrought by the Spirit of God whereby the soul is set straight and right in a purpose to please God in all things and in endeavours answerable to that purpose and to offend him in nothing I make a plain description because I intend practice there may be some nicer descriptions But I say It is a blessed frame of the soul wrought by the sincere Spirit of God whereby the soul is set straight and right to purpose and to endeavour all that is pleasing in Gods sight and that with an intention to please God with an eye to God or else it is not sincerity It is such a disposition and frame of soul that doth all good that hates all ill with a purpose to please God in all with an eye to God And therefore it is called sincerity of God or godly sincerity and it is called so fitly because God is not onely the authour of it but God is the aim of it and the pattern of it for he is the first thing that is sincere that is simple and unmixed God is the pattern of it it makes us like to God and he is the aim of it A man that is sincere aimes at God in all his courses wherein he aimes not at God he is not sincere It comes from God and it looks to God For naturally we are all hypocrites we look to shewes therefore sincerity is from God And it is the sincerity of God especially because where this sincerity is it makes us aime at God in all things it makes us have respect to him in all things as the creature should have respect to the Creator the servant to the Master the sonne to the Father the Subject to the Prince The relations we stand in to God should make us aime at him in all things The Observation from hence is this A Christian that hopes for joy must have his conscience witnesse to him that his conversation is in the sincerity of God As the Apostle saith here This is the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity we have had our conversation c. Now to go on with this sincerity and lay it open a little Sincerity it is not so much a distinct thing as that which goes with every good thing Truth and sincerity it is not so much a distinct vertue and grace as a truth joyned to all graces As sincere hope sincere faith sincere love sincere repentance sincere confession It is a grace annexed to every grace it is the life and soul of every grace and all is nothing without it Therefore it behoves us to consider of it I say not so much a distinct thing from other graces as that which makes other graces to be graces without which they are nothing at all so much sincerity so much reality So much as we have not in sincerity we have nothing to God it is but an empty shew and will be so accounted In Philosophy you know that which is true onely hath a being and consistence all truth hath a being all falshood is nothing it is a counterfeit thing it is nothing to that it is pretended to be An Image is something but S. Paul calls it nothing because it is not that which it should be and which the Idolater would have it to be he would have it to be a God but it is nothing lesse All is nothing without sincerity Therefore let us consider of it And that we may the better consider of it let us look upon it in every action All actions are either Good Ill. Indifferent How is Sincerity discovered in good actions Sincerity is tryed in good actions many waies First of all a man that is
many times but by the power of the Spirit he checked it and kept it under it was not his rule Now the reasons of this Doctrine That the godly guide not themselves by fleshly wisdome which hath worldly aimes and carnal means to bring those aimes to passe they are First Because Gods Children will not cherish that in them and make that their rule which is contrary to God which is enmity to God but this carnal wisdome which proules for the world and looks for ease and profit and pleasure it is enmity to God Rom. 8 6 7 8. the Apostle proves it at large They being subject to God Children of God being under him in all kind of subjection as servants as Children as spouses they will not cherish that which is rebellion to God which is not subject to God neither can be as we may say a Papist that is Jesuited he is neither a good Subject nor can be so the wisdome of the flesh neither is it subject to God nor can be subject in the nature of it it is rebellion It is Gods enemy it withstands all the Articles that he hath given us to believe fleshly wisdome hath some opposition against all truth it opposeth every command that God gives us to obey there is something in flesh and blood to withstand every command it is the greatest enemy that God hath And as it is an enemy to God so it is to us it is contrary to our good It is death the wisdome of the flesh Rom. 8. Saith the Apostle Rom. 7. The flesh deceived me and slew me There is no wise man will cherish that which is death and which is Gods enemy and his own too The wisdome of the flesh as it is opposite to Gods Spirit a rebel and an enemy to him so it is death to a Christian and therefore be will not frame his course of life by it It brings us to eternal death it betrayes us to Satan Sampson could have had no harm had not Dalilah betrayed him so the Devil could not hurt us unlesse it were for fleshly widome the Devil is not such an enemy to a man as his own fleshly wisdome Again a Christian knowes that as it is contrary to God and contrary to his good so it is base and unworthy as well as dangerous It is base and unworthy for a Christian that is an heir of heaven that is raised to be a Child of God to abase his wits to proule for the world how base and unworthy is it for him to seek the things below that is born again to an inheritance immortal and undefiled that is reserved for him in Heaven How unworthy is it for him that hath his understanding and all his inward parts and powers dedicated and consecrated to God to make his understanding a bawd for the base purposes of the flesh The high indignity of the thing makes the Child of God ashamed to be ruled by the flesh to prostitute the strength of his soul to the flesh to make his soul that should carry the Image of God to carry the Image of the Devil to make his wit and understanding a bawd to accomplish earthly things which God hath sanctified to attain grace and comfort in this world and to live as a Christian should do that he may die with comfort and enjoy heaven Again Gods Children will not be ruled by that which they should mortifie and subdue but this wisdome of the flesh is the object of mortification they are redeemed from it A Christian as he is redeemed from hell and damnation so he is redeemed from himself he is redeemed and set at liberty from the slavery of his soul to Satan to the world and worldly projects he is redeemed from the base conversation he was in before What hath he to do to be ruled by him from whom he is redeemed These things might be amplified at large but you see the truth evident what ground a Christian hath not to be ruled by fleshly wisdome But to make it a little clearer A Christian hath no reason to be ruled by earthly wisdome for the yielding to it doth all the mischief in the world it is the cause of all the misery in the world unto Christians especially God catcheth the wise in their own 〈◊〉 though they be politick and wise especially if a Christian give way to carnal politick wisdome God will universally shame him I never knew a Christian thrive in politick courses When he hath secret conveyances for the world God crosseth him every way in his reputation in his projects and purposes But consider to amplifie that which I gave in a branch before what reason hath a Christian to be ruled by fleshly wisdome when it hinders him from all that is good if he yield unto it and keeps him in imperfect good I speak especially now to those that are not in the state of grace What reason hath any one of you to be ruled by fleshly wisdome when it keeps you in the state of unregeneracy It keeps you perhaps in some good but it is imperfect good You think you are good enough and that all is sure and God will be merciful c. when as a Reprobate may go beyond you It hinders from good actions with pretences for fleshly wisdome will tell us there will be danger you shall be reproached if you do this and that you shall be accounted thus and thus and run into obloquie It hinders from doing good There is a Lion in the way it forecasts this and that danger it keeps us in imperfect good that will never save us it objects dangers the sluggard that will not set on his spirit to labour he thinks himself wondrous wise in forecasting dangers Oh I shall want my self c. It dulls and distracts us in good he that hath a carnal projecting head it eats up his soul that when he comes to pray or to hear or to meddle with spiritual matters the marrow and strength of his soul is eaten up with carnal projects and he doth things by halves Nay Carnal Wisdome as far as it is in us unmortified it sets it self against good by depraving good that we may seem to be mischievous and ill and wicked with reason Men are loath to go to hell without reason there was none that ever went to hell yet without wisdome a great deal of wisdome And how doth their wisdome bring them to hell as in other respects which I named before so in this it whets the poysonfulnesse of their nature to invent and to raise scandals or to be willing to take scandals when they are offered A carnal wise man when he knowes that such a degree of Religion is contrary to his carnal projects he fastneth all the disgrace on it that he can that he may be the lesse observed Religious he would be but with a limitation with a reservation and restraint as far as may stand with his
so great a people as was committed to his charge God was so well pleased with his petition that he gave him wisdome and wealth and honour too Make this Use of it Let us consider what relation we stand in in what ranck God hath set us let us consider what good we are advantaged to do by the place we are in what helps we have to do it and what mischiefs and inconveniences may come and let every man in his place and standing consider what good he may do and what evil he may avoid and let us go to God for wisdome He that is a Magistrate let him do as Solomon did desire God above all things to give him wisdome to rule as he should that God would give him a publick heart for a publick place and he will do it And those that in their families would have wisdome to go in and out before them let them go to God for wisdome that they may avoid the snares that are incident to family-government distrustfulnesse worldlinesse unfaithfulnesse in their particular calling And so for personal wisdome to guide and manage our own persons let us desire wisdome of God to know the hidden abominations of our own hearts the deceits and subtilties of our own hearts which is out of measure deceitful To know our particular sins to know what hurts us and to know how to avoid it and how to carry our selves in our particular wayes to order our conversation aright every way We see here S. Paul led his life and conversation by that wisdome as it was needfull for him so he had it and we must go all to the same spring for it we must go to God And we must know that God will not onely make us wise to salvation that he will not onely give us wisdome in things that meerly concern heaven but the same love the same care that gives us wisdome that way will give us wisdome in our particular callings to take every step to heaven the same Spirit of God doth all He gives us grace necessary to salvation and he gives us grace likewise for the leading of a Christian life Therefore it is an abominable conceit to distinguish Religion from Policy and Government as if the reasons of Religion were one and the reasons of State were another and as if these were distinguished one against another it is an abominable Atheistical conceit for the same heavenly Spirit of God that reveales the mysteries of salvation reaveales likewise to men the mysteries of State Christ hath the keyes of heaven of the mysteries of God and he hath the keyes of all earthly policy whatsoever He hath the greater hath he not the lesse Doth he guide us by his Spirit in heavenly mysteries and then for matters of Policy and Government of States and Common-Wealths are we to be guided by the Devil by devillish carnal wisdome No he gives all wisdome in its due place even wisdome for common things Therefore consider when men will not be ruled by God by wisdome from above in the regiment and government of their lives how fearfully and shamefully they miscarry Partly by reason of the accidents of this life and the variety of businesse You know wisdome as it governs our life about the things of this world it deales with things unstable uncertain and vain as Solomon saith they continue not long in the same state therefore if a man have not a better wisdome then his own he shall be mightily to seek Partly because of the imperfection of his wisdome the things are imperfect and the wisdome without it be guided from heaven is much to seek oft-times Take the wisest man when he leaves heavenly wisdome once as we see in Solomon he thinks to strengthen himself by combination with Idolaters that were near to him did he not miscarry fouly And hath not God made the wisest man that ever were in the world exemplary for grosse miscarriages because they had too much confidence in their parts and neglected the guidance of God in the course of their lives Who was more fool then Achitophel who was a greater fool then Saul and then Heâ—…od The Emperours had great conceits Constantine the Great a good Christian Emperour he had a conceit if he could stablish a new Seat at Bizantium Constantinople it was called afterwards He would seat the Empire there he would rule Rome by a Vice Roy by another and he would be there himself and rule all the Eastern parts of the world A goodly conceit he had of it but this proved the ruine both of East and West For hereupon when he was absent from Rome the Pope of Rome he came up and grew by little and little The Emperours they thought they did a great matter to advance the Pope who was Christs Vicar a spiritual man they consulted with Carnal wisdome and he came and over-topped them and eat them out and out-grew them as the Ivie doth the tree that nourisheth it The Pope never left growing till he had over-topped them So men when they go to carnal wisdome and neglect prayer and neglect the counsel of God and the wisdome of God to guide them in the matters of this life as well as for the life to come they come to miscarry grosly Therefore let us take S. James his counsel We all lack wisdome let us every day beg it of God desire God every day that he would Make our way plain before u in our particular goings in and out that he would discover to us what is best And here I might take occasion to reprove sharply the Atheisme of many that would be accounted great States men that bring all Religion to reasons of State They bring Heaven under earth and clean subvert and overthrow the order of things and therefore no wonder if they miscarry They care not what Religion it be so it may stand with Peace whether it be false or true if it may stand with the peace of the State all is well Give me leave to touch it but in a word It is a most abominable conceit Religion is not a thing so alterable Religion is a commanding thing it is to command all other things and all other things serve that And it is not a matter of fancy and opinion as they think out of their atheisme to keep men in awe It is stablished upon the same ground as that there is a God that upon the same ground that we say God is upon the same ground we may say Religion is It teacheth us that that God is to be observed and that Christ is equal to him as God and inferiour to him in regard of his humanity c. So that there is the same ground that there is a God and that there is a Religion And so again by the same reason that there is one God by the same reason there is but one Religion And it is not any Religion that will serve the turn For
not rob God of any honour It was a proud term the Philosophers had as I said sometimes they called their moral vertues habits and if we consider them meerly as they are in the person they are habits but indeed they are graces the Scripture gives them a more heavenly term Grace those things that we guide our lives by as Wisdome Love Temperance Sobriety Grace is a fitter word then habit because then we consider them as they come from God freely they are graces they come from grace and favour And when men differ one from another in wisdome they differ in grace and favour he gives more light he opens the understanding of one more then another Therefore S. Paul was wise and careful this way when he speaks of that he had done himself lest he should rob God Not I oh not I 1 Cor. 15. but the Grace of God that was in me that was all in all For indeed we are what we are and we do what we do by Grace Even as by our selves we are men we are what we are and we do what we do by our soules by our reason and understanding so it is with spiritual grace we are what we are out of our selves by spiritual grace and we do what we do by spiritual grace And when that ceaseth when God suspends the blessed motions of his Spirit to humble us alas we are dark a man is a confused creature he is at a losse he is in darknesse for the particular managing of his life he knowes not what to do he knowes not what to speak he is puzzled in every particular action And therefore when he hath spoken or done that which is fit he should consider it is a grace My Conversation hath been in the Grace of God saith the Apostle Therefore let us sanctifie God in our hearts this way And when we stand in need of any direction desire God of his grace to give us wisdome and to give us the grace that we stand in need of That is for the phrase The point as I told you was this That All wisdome comes from Grace And God is ready to give us his Grace For saith S. Paul My Conversation hath been in Grace which God did minister to me and hath ministred to me to lead my life by The Reason is this Christ hath undertaken to give us grace if we be his Men under grace shall never want grace to lead a Christian life For Christ hath undertaken to be our Head to be our Husband to be our guide in our way to heaven As our head he is to give us motion to move us as his members As he is our Shepherd as he saith I am the good Shepherd so he is to lead us in our wayes and passages in his paths to conduct us to happinesse And as he is our husband so he is to be the head of his wife to guide us it is his office And he works according to his own office He is a King to subdue in us whatsoever is contrary to his good Spirit to subdue our rebellions and to bring all our Imaginations under his Spirit as well as to be a Priest to make peace between God and us He is a King to rule us and to over-rule in us whatsoever is ill And he is a Prophet to teach us and to guide us He is the Angel of the Covenant the great Counsellour that hath the Spirit of Counsel in him Esay 9. 6. not for himself onely but for his Church Therefore as all the things that we need come from grace and from the favour of God so we need not doubt of the grace of God in Christ being reconciled he is willing to give us grace This I observe to cut off all cavils of flesh and blood and to arm us against all discouragements There are two things that greatly hinder us from a Christian course Presumption and Despair Presumption to set upon things without asking grace of God without depending upon his direction by the strength of naturall parts of naturall wit And then Despair when a man saith What should I go about these things I shall never bring them to passe No First consider thy standing thy place and calling and then consider the abilities that God hath given thee consider thy parts consider thy duty that thou art to do And beg of God assistance and strength and if it be a thing that belong to thee go on set on all the duties that belong to thy place in this confidence that thou shalt have grace Go to the Fountain to Christ for grace for the direction of thy life he is the light of life he is the Way he is all in all to bring us to heaven Wherefore serves all the Promises not onely of life everlasting but even of grace but to encourage us to set on holy duties in confidence that if we have a will to be out of Satan's Kingdome and if we have a will to be out of fleshly wisdome God will take us into his Kingdome and into his Government He will give the Spirit to them that ask him Now the Spirit is a Spirit of direction a Spirit of assistance a Spirit of strength and comfort it serves all turnes How many Promises are wrapped in that promise of the Spirit In want of direction he shall be our Counsellour in want of strength to assist us In perplexities when we know not which way to turn us to advise us In extremities when we are ready to sink to comfort us He will give us his holy Spirit to supply all our defects in a fit time if we ask him If we find our need and if we will renounce our carnal wisdome Therefore set on those duties that God calls you to And withall do as S. Paul doth here he sets the negative before the affirmative renounce carnal wisdome be not guided by that trust perfectly to the Word of Grace and to the Spirit of Grace for the Word of Grace and the Spirit of Grace go together and then you shall find that God will do abundantly above all that you are able to ask or think Luther when he set on the work of Reformation those that saw him at the first might have said Get thee into thy Cloyster and say Lord have mercy upon thee for thou settest on a work impossible But he saw the parts that God had given him that he had wit to understand the abuses of the times and he had given him courage he saw by his profession he was called to be a Divine his conscience was awaked to see the abominations of the times and he set on to discover these things Did Christ leave him No he did not but gave successe to him to be admired of all When all the world was set against one man yet he prevailed against them all even because he walked as S. Paul did here in sincerity and simplicity that is he looked
salve it up in my own thoughts and deceive others it is a breach of charity and a lie because it is a speech of untruth which another thinks to be a truth it is an untruth and to deceive him But these men will have yea and nay at a breath they will say yea and yet have a reservation of nay at once S. Paul would much more decline and abhor this if he were alive now when he so declined the imputation of inconstancy of yea yea and nay nay at divers times Indeed S. Paul reserved this he promised to come to them if God did permit with a Divine reservation we may say in all the businesse we are to do This I will do if God permit and if God will and indeed God hindred his journey but I say for equivocation the matter is so odious and palpable that if it were not that Non dum satis odimus c. we hate not these men enough I would not have spoken of it Their Religion is so abominable and odious we do not yet hate it enough and therefore it is good on all occasions to uncase them and all little enough But I go on VERSE XVIII As God is true our Word to you was not yea and nay THe Apostle in the former Verse having laboured to clear himself from the imputation of lightnesse and inconstancy that he did not come to them as he had promised and from an imputation likewise of policy for himself that he did purpose things according to the flesh which is the cause of inconstancy of yea yea and nay nay he comes now to that which he more intended then those particulars for he was content to be thought to have disappointed them in the matter of his journey but that which he aimes at was to stablish them in this That his doctrine was found As God is true our Word to you was not yea and nay Perhaps I promised to come and did not it is true but my preaching was not yea and nay all that I taught was found and certain you may build your soules on it it was yea He labours to draw them to be perswaded of the certainty of his Ministery as being very unwilling that a defect in his promise about a businesse of the world should weaken their faith in the truth that he delivered as a Minister As God is true our Word to you was not yea and nay He seems to make a difference between yea and nay in Civill things and in Divine there is a difference when a holy man speaks of the things of this life and when he speaks of Divine truths S. Paul promised to come to them he meant it honestly and did intend it but it was subject to alteration because God stops our purposes in this life yea our good purposes many times Good things may have variety one good thing may be more convenient then another And the cause why he came not to them was not his inconstancy but their unfitnesse it was from their corruption in manners and in doctrine they were not ready as he saith after he came not to spare them they were unfit till they were humbled with his former Epistle and then when they were humbled he purposed to come But now in Divine truths what things he spake to them concerning grace and glory that was certain Our word to you was not yea and nay A question may be moved briefly how S. Paul could be deceived in his journey and not in his doctrine being so good a man led by the Spirit of God how could he promise to come and yet did not I answer the difference is much between these two S. Paul had three persons on him He was a Man Christian man an Apostle As a man he was subject to all things that men are subject unto that is he desired in truth of heart to come and visit his friends he purposed a journey with a reservation that God might hinder him and so as a man he might have a yea that is a purpose to do a thing and afterward a nay upon the uncertain event of the things of this life so as a man he purposed to come Nay as a holy man he purposed a journey to a good purpose to stablish them but with a reservation if God permit God might stop his journey But as an Apostle he taught other things then speaking of journeys that he spake of onely as a man and as a holy man alway supposing the condition of humane things and under permission if God permit But as an Apostle he was not yea and nay there he was certain As an Apostle he spake Divine truths and was guided infallibly by the Spirit of God he delivered truths without all conditions and exceptions as an Apostle he did not admit of any such uncertainty There is an eminency and excellency in Divine truth it is stable and firm and not subject to variety and inconstancy so his doctrine as an Apostle was alwayes yea For his journey and coming to them he promised his journey in veritate propositi in the truth of a good purpose of a friend but as he spake of Divine truths he spake of them in the certainty of the Divine Spirit in the one he spake in the certainty of truth in the other in the truth of affection As a man he spake in the truth of a good affection he bare to them but as an Apostle he spake in the certainty of Divine truth And you must know this that God as he used the Apostles and excellent men to write his book to write the VVord of God to be his Pen-men yet he hindred them not to be men As he hinders not godly men to be men but at once they may be Saints and men so Saint Paul as a good man desired to see them with a reservation but as an Apostle he was guided by a certain infallible assistance of Divine truth Nathan as he was a man gave David liberty to build the Temple he was over-shot in it something but then he goes to God and consults with him whether he should or no and then Nathan gives David another advice So the Prophets and Apostles as men they might be alterable without sin For God will allow men to be men and subject to mistakes For Nescience not knowing the possibility of things to come is no sin in man because it is an unavoidable infirmity So that S. Paul as his usuall manner is in promising things to come things of that nature he promiseth them under reservation and permission if God permit if God will and he doth not sin though he be frustrate of his intention It is not the onely part of a wise man to divine what will be Saint Paul had not providence to see whether his journey should be crossed or no but out of a Christian intention he resolved to come if God did not crosse him that was as a man and a
then in us he is first loved and then we he is predestinate and then we he is the Son of Gods love by nature therefore we are sons of Gods love by adoption and grace what we are by adoption he is by nature first of all therefore we are said to be elected in him and sanctâ—…fied in him he first of all removes all ill and then we have it removed because he hath removed it He is first justified from our sins he is first quitted and freed from our sins when he took them upon himself and on the tree satisfied the wrath of God He bore our iniquities and by his stripes we are healed if he had not been freed from our sins we had for ever layen under them therefore saith S. Paul If Christ be not risen you are yet in your sins we are free from our sins because Christ our surety is out of the prison of the grave he is in heaven He must first rise from the dead he is the first fruits of them that sleep the first begotten from the dead Rev. 1. 1 Cor. 15. for though some rose before yet it was in the vertue of Christ who rose altogether by his own strength therefore he hath made a living way to heaven We are born again to a lively hope by the resurrection of Christ from the dead we have a lively hope a hope that makes us lively in good works because our surety is in heaven Now we hope for an inheritance immortal and undefiled because he is risen we shall rise he is ascended therefore we shall ascend we do ascend in the certainty of faith now and shall ascend indeed hereafter Whatsoever we do he doth it first and whatsoever we have from God it is at the second hand he hath it first and conveyes it to us the Natural Son to the adopted sons therefore all the Promises come to be made in him and not directly to us alone abstracted from Christ. It is a point we should often think of and seriously consider of for it doth wondrously stablish our hearts Doth God love me and doth he do good to me abstracted from Christ my self alone no for then alas I should flye from his presence but he looks upon me and considers me as I am in his Son therefore in Joh. 17. in that blessed prayer of Christ saith he That thou mayest love them with the same love wherewith thou lovest me God loves us with the same love that he loves his Son with That the love wherewith thou lovest me may be in them He loves him first and then he loves us with that love that he loves him Here is the reason that God looks on us with a forbearing eye notwithstanding all the matter of anger and wrath in us he looks on us in his Son as members of his Son his love to us is founded on his love to his Son Hereupon back again is our boldnesse to God the Father that we go to him in his beloved Son and present his Son to him Lord look on thy Son that thou hast given for us in whom we are members we are not as in our selves but in thy beloved For as all things descend from God to us so our soules should ascend to him All descends from God to us in his Son why all our comfortable considerations of God must be in his Son Christ thereupon we have boldnesse to God through him not in our selves but in and through Christ. Let us bring Benjamin with us bring Christ and then we shall be welcome If we come in the garments of our elder Brother then we shall get the blessing But of our selves God cannot endure to look on us therefore this is a Heathenish conceit in our prayers to presume to go to God otherwise then he hath cloathed himself with the comfortable relation of a Father in Christ. If we consider him as a just God as a God of vengeance as a holy God the more it makes to our terrour if we be not besotted But go to him as he is now in his Son Christ and go boldly The Heathens otherwise conceived wavering and doubtingly of a God alas conceiving him out of Christ he was nothing but a consuming fire to them How dares that man that knowes himself and that knowes God how dares he think of God he thinks basely of God that can think of him and not think of him as he is to him in Christ. Darest thou think of God who is a consuming fire and not think of him as he is pleased and pacified in thy nature in Christ that hath taken thy nature to be a foundation of comfort to be a second Adam a publike person for all that are in him and members of him to see God fully appeased in him who is God-man thou mayest think of him with comfort then Never think of the Promises of grace or comfort or any thing without Christ. Therefore S. Paul saith Gal. 3. 16. Now to Abraham and his seed was the Promise made He saith not to seeds as to many but to thy seed As speaking of one even Christ. All the Promises of good to us are made to Christ and conveyed from Christ to us the Promises and likewise the things promised He hath promised to us eternal life and this life is in his Son 1 Joh. 5. and so grace and whatsoever it is in him the Promises and the things promised they are conveyed from God to Christ and so to us They are a deed of gift we have them from and by Christ. Why are the Angels attendants upon us The Angels attend upon Jacob's ladder that is Christ. It is he that knits heaven and earth together so the Angels because they attend upon Christ first they become our attendants whatsoever we are whatsoever priviledges we have it is in Christ first it belongs to us no further then we by faith are made one with Christ. Thus we see whatsoever we have from God it is by promises And these promises are not abstracted from love for they are the fruits of love and this love is seated in Christ who hath satisfied Gods justice we have promises and promises in Christ. In the third place the Apostle saith that all the promises of God in him are yea they are constant and sure in him they shall be performed All promises are either Christ himself or by Christ or from Christ or for Christ. All promises that ever were made to Gods People they were either of Christ himself when he was promised or such as were promised for Christ. The promise of Christ himself is the first grand promise that he should be made man the promise in his own person But whatsoever promise was made by the Prophets and Apostles they were made by his Spirit they were made for him for his sake and in him and they were made to those that are in him too For as Gods love is founded in him to those that are in
conquered over all enemies whatsoever and his conquest is ours Well then we see the foundation of the Church and of every particular Christian Christ Jesus whence comes the stability and firmnesse of the Church that the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it It is built upon the rock upon Christ. So all the stablishing that a Christian hath it is from this rock his being built upon Jesus Christ If we were built upon man we could not stand if we were built upon Angels we could not stand if we were built upon any thing in the world we could not stand but being built upon Jesus Christ who is all in all to a soul that is stablished in him there must needs be an everlasting stablishing It is a fond Objection of some and unlearned against the principles of Divine truth that we may fall as well as Adam in Paradise as well as the Angels in heaven As if there were not a wide and broad difference between the state of grace and the state of nature A Christian hath more strength then the Angels in heaven or then Adam in Paradise ever had he hath a more firm consistence because he stands by grace By grace we stand as the Apostle saith A Christian hath promises of perseverance Adam and the Angels had none and therefore to fetch a reason of falling away from grace from the proportion we have to that condition is a meer Sophisme not rightly discerning the disparity It is not alike with the Angels and Adam and us for we stand by grace out of our selves being stablished in another We have not onely a promise of happinesse as the Angels and Adam had happinesse and a blessed estate but they had no promise to stand and be confirmed A poor weak Christian hath a promise to be stablished and confirmed Therefore those proud Sectaries that are between us and the Papists and joyn rather with them then us that trouble the Church so much they make an idle objection concerning falling away from grace to say Did not Adam fall away What is that to the purpose was Adam under the same Covenant as we are now in Christ Is there not a new promise made to us in Christ better then ever Adam could attain to Besides we are founded upon a better Adam upon the second Adam God-man we have not onely a better foundation but better promises that Adam and the Angels themselves wanted And therefore the Covenant of grace is said to be an everlasting Covenant I will marry thee to my self for ever Hos. 2. A Christian is not to be considered abstractively or alone for then indeed he is a weak creature as weak as other men are but consider him in his Rock on whom he is built consider him in his Husband to whom he is united and knit consider him in his head Christ look upon him as he is thus founded and stablished oh he is an excellent person See him in the difference betwixt him and others Those that are not stablished by a firm judgment and will and affection and so by faith in Jesus Christ what consistence what stability have they Those who have the firmnesse they have in the favour of men it is but vanity those that have the firmnesse they have in riches what are they how soon do they leave it all those that have the firmnesse they have in dependance upon any creature be it never so great alas they are nothing they are all vanity Both we our selves in depending and the things we depend upon are vanity therefore we are vanity because we fasten upon that which is vanity things have no more firmnesse then that hath upon which they lean those that have but a weak prop to support them when that falls they fall together with it Now those that are not founded upon Christ by knowledge and love and united to him by faith alas what standing have they when all things else besides God are vain For nothing hath a being but God and a Christian so far as he leans upon God Were not all things taken out of nothing and shall not they all turn to nothing must not this whole world be consumed with fire There must be a new world a new heaven and a new earth but this and all the excellencies in it as they were raised out of nothing so they shall come to nothing God he is I am that I am saith he and Christ he is yesterday to day to morrow and the same for ever A man cannot say of any creature in the world that it was yesterday and shall be to morrow and for ever We may say it of Christ he is Alpha and Omega the first and the last he was and is and is to come and therefore those that are founded upon him that have their happinesse in him they are firm as he is firm and those that build upon any other thing they vanish as the thing vanisheth There is nothing in the world hath such a Being but it is subject in time not to be it is onely a Christian that is in Christ who is as firm as Christ is and Christ can never be but that which he is for of necessity God must be alwayes like himself he is Jehovah I am I am at all times and Christ he is Jehovah A Christian therefore and none but a Christian hath a firm stablishing in Christ. Without this stablishing in Christ what are we what are wicked men Chaffe that the wind blowes away they are grasse c. things of nothing carried away with every blast but a Christian is a stone a rock built upon Christ Jesus But to come to the Person who it is that stablisheth He that stablisheth us in Christ is God Wherein we may consider these two Branches God must stablish God will stablish Can none stablish the soul upon Christ but God No For God is the onely maker of the Marriage between Christ and the Church The same God that brought Adam and Eve together in Paradise brings the Church and Christ together And as he gives Christ to the Church and hath sealed and appointed him to be wisdome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption being made of God unto us for that purpose as the Apostle saith so he works the consent of the Church a consent in heart and spirit to take and embrace Christ. Now it is God onely that can work the heart to Christ None can come unto me except God the Father draw him It is God that gives Christ to be the husband of the Church and that brings the Spouse the Church to Christ. For first it is God by his Spirit that discovers to the soul its hideous desperate and woful estate without Christ and by the Spirit in the Ministery of the Word layes open the riches and excellency that is in Christ and the firmnesse and stability that is to be had in him and so drawes us with the Cords of a man
with reasons discovering an absolute necessity of geting into Christ and of having him to be our Husband except we will lye under the wrath of God and be damned and withal discovering the fulnesse and excellency that is in Christ. Again it is God onely that must stablish the soul all the parts of it both judgment and conscience For I beseech you what can any humane creature what can any thing under God work upon the soul I mean so firmly as to stablish it and therefore our controversie with the Papists is just and good We say The reason and ground of our believing the Word of God to be the Word of God must not be the testimony of the Church and the authority thereof for alas what can the judgment of man what can the judgment of the Church do It may incline and move the will by inducing arguments and so cause a humane consent but to establish the soul and conscience and to assure me that the Word of God which is the ground of my faith is the Word of God it must be God by his Spirit that must do it the testimony of the Church will never do it The same Spirit that inspired holy men to write the Word of God works in us a belief that the Word of God is the Word of God The stablishing argument must be by the power of Gods Spirit God joyning with the soul and spirit of a man whom he intends to convert besides that inbred light that is in the soul causeth him to see a Divine Majestie shining forth in the Scriptures so that there must be an infused establishing by the Spirit to settle the heart in this first principle and indeed in all other Divine principles that the Scriptures are the Word of God And to go on a little further this is a fundamental errour in our practice For what is the reason we have so many Apostates what is the reason so many are so fruitlesse in their lives what is the reason that men despair in death but even this because men are not built and stablished aright Gods Spirit never stablished their soules in Divine truths For first concerning Apostasie ask them what is the reason they are of this or that Religion They will say they have been taught so they have been brought up to it the company with whom they have conversed have been devout men and have been alwayes led with this opinion and they see no reason to thwart it Is that all Hath not the Spirit wrought these things in thy heart hath he not given thee a taste of them hath he not convinced thee in thy judgment that it is so hast thou not found the power of the Spirit working upon thy soul changing of thee raising of thee drawing of thee out of the world nearer to God hast thou not I say felt the power of the Spirit this way No but thus I was catechized and thus I have been bred and thus I have heard in the Ministery And no otherwise Alas it will never hold out there will be a falling away for when a man believes not that which he believes from the Spirit of God he will be ready when dangerous times come when there is an onset made by the adversaries to fall and to fall clean away as we see it was in the time of Popery for whatsoever is not spiritual whatsoever knowledge is not Divine and from the Spirit of God never holds out Therefore I beseech you what 's the reason that you have many illiterate men that set upon the truth and hold out to the end and on the contrary many great seeming Scholars that are skilful in school-learning and in other Authours do not The reason is the one hath the truth from the Spirit discovering all the objections that the heart of man can make against it and the strength that is in the truth to answer and silence all those objections The other man hath onely a discoursing knowledge an ability to gather one thing from another and to prove one thing by another by strength of parts But the Spirit of God never discover'd the sleights and the corruptions of his heart never fastned and settled his heart upon the truth he never had experience of the truth For indeed nothing doth stablish so much as the experience of the truth on which we are stablished Again what is the reason of that unfruitfulnesse that is amongst men but because truths were never settled in the soul by the Spirit of God That which men know out of the Word of God concerning Christ and the priviledges by him they were never perswaded of it in their hearts therefore they come not to a fruitful conversation It is impossible but that men should be abundantly fruitful that have spiritual apprehensions of Divine things of Evangelical truths Hence comes all our unthankfulnesse and undervaluing of the Gospel The Gospel of it self is an unprized thing however we esteem of it God values it highly we value it not because our apprehensions of it are customary and formal gotten by breeding and education and discourse and not by the Spirit we feel not the spiritual and heavenly comforts of those truths we think we know How comes likewise Despair in time of temptation and in death but onely because men want this stablishing by the Spirit of God Men go on in evil courses trusting to a formal dead humane knowledge gotten by humane meanes and not settled in them by the Spirit of God that hath not sealed the truth in their hearts and hereupon when sharp tryals come they despair because they have no feeling of the truths of the Gospel and so when conscience is awakened and smarts it clamours and cryes out upon all their formall and humane knowledge For they having not a spiritual sense of the mercies of God in Christ and the perswasions of comfort are not so near to support the soul as the tentations and vexations and torments are how can they but despair Now who can still the conscience but the Spirit of God Why now if the knowledge that men had were spiritual and heavenly in all accusations of conscience it would set conscience down and still it I am a sinner indeed I am this and this but I have felt the sweet mercies of God in Christ God hath said to my soul I am thy salvation he hath intimated to my spirit by a sweet voyce Son thy sinnes are forgiven thee Where there is I say a knowledge and an apprehension of these Evangelical truths wrought by the Spirit it sets down Conscience and stills it though the heart rage at the same time There are thousands in the very bosome of the Church that miscarry because of this resting in a literall outward formall knowledge gotten onely by discourse and by reading and commerce with others and never labour to have their hearts stablished in Christ by Gods Spirit You see here then a
especially weighty without invocation and dependance A Christian is wondrous weak a man is vanity in himself but take him as he is built upon the promises and as he is in the love of God and Christ he is a kind of almighty man then I can do all things in Christ that strengtheneth me A Christian is omnipotent if he depend upon the Promise and commit his wayes to God but he is impotent and weak in himself It is God that must stablish us A man that is vanity he makes him firm a man that is weak he makes him strong a man that is unsettled he settles him The Word is a firm thing and God that builds us on the Word is as firm and Christ in whom we are built is as firm Peter when he built on the Word he was wondrous firm he was a rock too A man that stands on a rock is firm Now in believing the Gospel and in being built on the Gospel upon the Prophets and Apostles upon Apostolical truth now we that are weak in our selves are firm The weakest creatures have the strongest shelters and weaknesse is turned by God to be a help for conscience of weaknesse makes us seek for strength out of our selves You know the Conies as Solomon saith they hide themselves in the rock they flee to their burroughs The birds because snares are laid for them below they build their nests on high to secure themselves that way We see the Vine a weak plant it hath the Elm to prop it weak things must have a strong support So man being weak in himself weak in judgment weak in affections he is stablished by God God herein triumphing in our weaknesse over strength For when we have strong Adversaries and we are weak Satan is a strong enemy God himself puts upon him the vizor of an enemy sometimes as in Job's case and Christs on the Crosse when God personates an enemy and the devil is a real enemy And the devils instruments Hereticks and Seducers are strong strong in wit and parts every way and we are weak to encounter with God to wrastle with him and we are weak to encounter with Principalities and powers and with men of stronger parts that are besotted and intoxicated with Satanical temptations and labour to draw all into the snare of the devil with themselves Now when God in weaknesse shall triumph over strength here is glory to God in stablishing us It is God that must stablish us And as God must onely do it so he is ready to do it for in the Covenant of grace it lies upon him God hath promised there to confirm it and therefore the Apostle 1 Cor. 7. 8 9. binds it with the faithfulnesse of God Faithful is he that hath promised who also will do it God is content that our confirmation should lye upon his faithfulnesse and therefore when he accepts us into the Covenant of grace he performs our part as well as his own God is faithful saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 9. who hath called us to the fellowship of Christ who will confirm us to the end he is content to hazard his reputation as it were and to be counted unfaithfull else so that strengthening grace is of God he hath bound himself by his faithfulnesse to confirm and to stablish those that are his Mark here by the way before I come to handle the Doctrine of perseverance what an invincibld Argument you have to prove that a man that is once in Christ can never fall away Say they Indeed God for his part is ready to maintain us to do this but we for our part are subject to fall away as if the carrying of us along in the course of grace to salvation did not lye upon God and Christ. God is faithful to confirm us to the end we being once in the Covenant of grace he doth our part and his own too how can those then that are in the state of grace ever finally fall away Now God doth confirm us by working such graces in us by his Spirit by which we are stablished As for instance I will put my fear into their hearts that they shall never depart from me he stablisheth us by fear Make an end of your salvation with fear and trembling for it is God that works in you both the will and the deed he puts a spirit of jealousie into a man over his corruptions and a reverential filial fear which keepeth him from presuming And likewise he preserveth us by Wisdome as it is Prov. 2. 10 11. When wisdome entreth into thy heart discretion shall preserve thee and understanding shall keep thee And by Faith You are kept saith the Apostle by the mighty power of God through faith to salvation And by Peace of Conscience which is wrought in the heart by the Spirit The Peace of God which passeth all understanding shall guard for so the word signifieth your hearts and minds that is a true Believer that is once in Christ he finds such joy in the Holy Ghost such inward peace of conscience as preserves and guards him from despair from the temptations of Satan from the seeming wrath of God So that God as he stablisheth us so he stablisheth us as it becometh Christians as it becomes men by sanctifying our understandings by working grace in our hearts the grace of fear of wisdome of faith of peace c. so that a Christian now cannot presume save in a holy kind of presumption that God will finish his own good work But of this I say I shall have fitter occasion to speak hereafter To conclude therefore God you see must stablish and God will stablish It is a Point of great comfort every way Comfort from the foundation and root in whom we are stablished and from him that hath taken upon him to stablish us God by his holy Spirit If a Christian should fall God must be unstable or Christ the foundation must be unstable or the holy Spirit by which we are stablished must be unstable but it were blasphemy to think thus I come now to the last thing The subject or the persons that are stablished us with you He that stablisheth us with you We should have honourable conceits of all Christians there is an oyntment runs down upon the very skirts of Aaron's garment there is not the lowest Christian but he receiveth something from Christ the head Perhaps thou hast one grace in an eminent manner it may be he hath another more eminent then thou hast thou may est have more knowledge he may have more humility thou mayest have more strength of judgment he may have more sense of his own wants There is somewhat in every Christian that is valuable that is estimable and precious not only in the eye of God who valued him so as to give his Son for him but should be so also in the eye of stronger Christians therefore S. Paul here a strong Christian out of
even in the hour of death Again in the second place to make an Use of examination I beseech you examine your selves whether you find this stablishing in your hearts or no whether your hearts be thus settled or no by the Spirit of God For beloved it is worth the labour and paines to get this grace and to be assured that you have it stablishing in Christ is most necessary and we stand in need of a great deal of spirituall strength Do we know what times may come If dangerous times come if we be not stablished what will become of us Oh it is a happy estate a Christian that is stablished in the sound knowledge and faith of Christ I beseech you therefore consider of it To give you an evidence or two whereby you may discern whether your hearts be settled and stablished A man hath the grace of stablishing and confirmation when it is upon the Word when God doth stablish him upon the promises And then again by the effect of it A man is stablished by the Spirit of God when his temptations are great and his strength little to resist and yet notwithstanding he prevailes Satan is strong if we prevail against Satans temptations we are stablished God is strong too strong for us if we can break through the clouds when he seems an enemy as Job Though thou kill me yet will I trust in thee Here is a prevailing a stablished faith In great afflictions when clouds are between us and God when we have faith that will breake through those clouds and see God through them shining in Christ here is a strong a stablished faith because here is mighty temptations and oppositions The strength is known by the strength of the opposition and the weaknesse of the party In the times of Martyrdome there was fire and fagot and the frownes of cruel persons who were the persons that suffered Children women old men sometimes all weak Children a weak age women a weak sex old men a withered melancholy dry age fearfull of constitution But when the Spirit of God was so strong in young ones in weak women in old withered men as to enable them to endure the torment of fire to enable them to endure threatnings and whatsoever as we see Heb. 11. here was a mighty work in weak men A man may know here is stablishing grace because except there were somewhat above nature where were a man in such a case Then a man may know especially that there is stablishing grace when he sees somewhat above nature prevailing over the temptation and confirming the weak nature of man that is the best evidence we have of Gods stablishing grace sometimes them that are stronger at some times are weaker at other times but as I said before that is to teach them that they have their strength from God Again if your hearts be soundly bottomed and founded and grounded on Christ and the promises of God in him then you will be freed at least from all victory and thraldome to base fears and to base cares and base sorrowes and base passions A man that hath no settled being on Christ he is tossed up and down with every passion he is full of fears and cares for the world which distract the soul upon every occasion full of unseasonable and needlesse sorrowes and griefs which vex and perplex the soul continually Oh how he fears for the time to come what shall become of me if such a thing happen how shall I be able to live in such a time c If he were settled upon God in Christ that he were his Father if he were stablished upon the promises of God in Christ I will not fail thee nor forsake thee Feare not little flock it is the Fathers will to give you the Kingdome and Why do you feare O you of little Faith and He that provides for the birds of the Aire for the Sparrowes for the Lillies of the field for the poorest creature will he not much more for you If I say we were thus stablished upon Christ and the promises there would be no disquietnesse those feares and griefs that usually perplex and inthrall the minds of men but where there are these distracting cares and vexing sorrowes and needlesse feares it argues a heart unsettled though perhaps there may be some faith notwithstanding Let us often examin our selves in this particular how it is with us when such thoughts arise what if trouble should come what if change and alteration should come He that hath truly settled his heart will say If they do come I am fixed I know whom I have believed I know I am a member of Christ an Heir of Heaven that God is reconciled to me in his Son I know God hath taken me out of the condition I was in by nature and hath advanced me to a better condition then I can have in the world and when the world shall be turned upside down I know when all things fail I shall stand He that his heart can answer him thus is firm A good man saith the Psalmist Psal. 1 12. 7. shall not be afraid of evill tydings why his heart is fixed trusting in the Lord and again in Verse 8. his heart is stablished therefore he shall not be afraid If our hearts be established then we shall not be afraid of evill tydings nor afraid of wars nor of troubles nor of losse of friends nor of losse of favours or the like A righteous man is afraid of no evill he that hath his heart stablished in Christ and that hath peace of Conscience wrought by the Spirit of God in the promises his heart is fixed in all alterations and changes he hath somewhat that is unchangeable even when he ceaseth to be in this world he hath a perpetual eternall being in Christ if he die he goes to Heaven he hath his being there where he enjoyes a more near communion with Christ then he can have in this world So that all is on the bettering hand to him that is stablished in Christ for it is not an act of one day to be stablished in Christ God doth it more and more till death and then comes a perfect consummation of this stablishing we shall be for ever with the Lord saith the Apostle A man then that is stablished in Christ he is fixed he is built on a rock come what can come he is not afraid Alas others that are not so they are as wicked Ahaz in Esay 7. he was boisterous out of trouble but in trouble he was as fearfull his heart shook as the leaves of the forrest as the leaves of the forrest when the wind comes they are shaken because they are not seemely knit to the tree because they have no stability All those whose hearts are not firmly settled in the knowledge of Christ and the excellent prerogatives that come by him when troubles come they are as the leaves of the Forrest or as you
the foot yet all have communicated by the Spirit from Christ the head So that the third person the Holy Ghost that sanctified the humane nature of Christ that filled and enriched it with all grace and anointed Christ the same Spirit enricheth all his mystical members As there is one Spirit in Christ and that sacred body he took on him so there is in the mysticall body but one Spirit quickening and enlivening and moving the head and the members He is a head of influence as well as a head of eminence Of his fulnesse we have all grace for grace He is first anointed and then we are anointed in him We will first speak of it as it hath reference to an oyntment and then as it hath reference to the persons anointed In the first place then why are graces here called anointing I answer they are called anointing from reference to that composed oyntment in Exod. 30. where you have the composition of the holy oyl laid down But in particular you may observe these five particulars in which the relation standeth First Oyntment is a liquor supereminent it will have the highest place it will have the eminency and be above all other liquors and in that respect it is a royal liquor so the graces of Gods Spirit they are of an eminent nature Spiritual gifts are above the gifts of nature and spiritual blessings are above earthly things the grace of God is a supereminent a royall thing it will be above all even above our parts of nature if a man have by nature a strong wit grace will subdue his wit so that he shall be onely witty to salvation he shall be onely strong to defend the truth and to do nothing against it he will subjugate and subordinate his parts and whatsoever excellency he hath by nature to grace cast all at Christs feet count all as dung in comparison of the excellent knowledge of Christ. And so again grace is above corrupt nature above all our corruptions it will bring them under it will subdue corruptions temptations afflictions any thing what you will that is either natural or diabolical for grace is spiritual and that which is spiritual is above all that is below Grace is of an invincible nature it will bear sway by little and little it is little in quantity but it is mighty in operation And it is above any outward excellency whatsoever if a man be a King if he have this anointing it makes him better then himself he is better in that he is a Christian that he hath this sacred anointing then for any other created excellency under heaven whatsoever yea though he were an Angel Grace hath its derivance and influence from Christ who is higher then all and will be above all and so will grace That is the first Other liquors the best of them will be beneath but oyl it will be above all It is compared to oyntment in the second place because that oyntment is sweet and delightful so was the oyntment that was poured upon our Saviour by the woman in the Gospel therefore the Spouse in Cant. 1. 3. speaking of Christ Because saith she of the savour of thy good oyntments thy Name is as an oyntment poured forth therefore do the Virgins love thee The graces that are in Christ are so sweet that they draw the Virgins they draw all believers after him So grace in a Christian it makes us sweet it sweetens our persons and our actions It sweetens our persons to God God delights in the smell of his own graces it makes us delectable for Christ and his holy Spirit to lodge in our soules as in a garden of Spices It makes us sweet to the Church to the communion of Saints A gracious man that hath his corruptions subdued is wondrous sweet his heart is as fine silver every thing is sweet that comes from him When the woman poured the box of oyntment upon Christ the whole house was filled with the smell thereof so the whole Church is filled with the savour of the graces of good men that either do live in the present times or have left their graces in writing to posterity A wicked man is an abomination to God and so are all his actions he that is in the flesh cannot please God a civil man that hath not this anointing all that he doth is abominable to God all things are unclean to the unclean even their best actions have a tincture of defilement from their corruption without this oyntment we are not sweet neither to God nor to others therefore the Scripture terms men in the state of nature Swine and Goats stinking creatures and so indeed they that have not this anointing they are stinking Goats and shall be set at Christs left hand except they have grace to sweeten their understandings and affections and to draw them higher then nature can Likewise grace is full of sweetnesse to a mans self it sweetneth our nature and our actions to our selves a good conscience being privy to it self of the work of grace is a continual feast the conscience of a Christian once renewed by grace inlargeth the soul and fills it with sweet peace and joy in believing Thirdly the graces of the Spirit are called anointing because anointing strengthens therefore usually Warriours and Combatants amoug the Heathen that were to encounter were first anointed so there is a Spirit of strength in all those that are true Christians which they have received from God whereby they are able to do that that worldlings cannot do they are able to deny themselves to overcome themselves in matters of revenge c. they are able to want and to abound to beare crosses to resist temptations and as the Apostle saith able to do all things nothing can stand in the way of a gracious man no not the gates of hell he that is in him Grace is stronger then he that is in the world the least measure of grace though it be but as a grain of mustard-seed is stronger then the greatest measure of opposition though strengthened with all the power of hell In the fourth place oyntment makes the joynts of the body nimble so this spiritual anointing it oyles the joynts of the soul as I may say and makes them nimble and ready to serve God in newnesse of Spirit and not in the oldnesse of the letter Gods people are called a willing people and a chearful people ready to every good work And there is good reason for it for they have an inward spiritual anointing that makes them active and nimble in every thing they do that Spirit that sanctifieth them that Spirit telleth them what Christ hath done for them that there is no damnation to them that God is reconciled to them that they are freed from the greatest dangers that all is theirs and so their joy and nimblenesse is from good reason and there is a spirit of love in them unto God and Christ which makes them nimble
witnesse to the soul that we are the sonnes of God Secondly a voyce or speech in us again to God causing us to have accesse to the Throne of grace with boldnesse Thirdly a work of Sanctification Fourthly Peace of Conscience and joy in the Holy Ghost By these four wayes we may know the sealing of the Spirit after we believe and that our faith is a sound belief and that we are in the state of grace indeed First I say the Spirit speaks to us by a secret kind of whispering and intimation that the soul feeles better then I can expresse Be of good comfort thy sins are forgiven thee saith he to the soul I am thy salvation there is I say a sweet joyning a sweet kisse given to the soul I am thine and thou art mine God by his Spirit speaks so much there is a voyce of Gods Spirit speaking peace to his people upon their believing And then secondly the Spirit of adoption stirres up the speech of the soul to God that as he sayes to the soul Because thou believest now thou art honoured to be my child so the Spirit stirres up in the soul a Spirit of prayer to cry Abba Father it can go boldly to God as to a Father for that Abba Father it is a bold and familiar speech There are two things in a prayer of a Christian that are incompatible to any carnal man there is an inward kind of familiar boldnesse in the soul whereby a Christian goes to God as a child when he wants any thing goes to his father a child considers not his own worthinesse or meannesse but goeth to his father familiarly and boldly so I say when the Spirit of God speaks to us from God and tells the soul I am thine I am thy salvation thy sins are forgiven thee be of good comfort and when the soul again speaks to God when it can pour forth it self with a kind of familiar boldnesse and earnestnesse especially in extremity and in time of trouble and can wait in prayer and depend upon God this spiritual speech of God to the soul and of the soul to God it is a seal of the Spirit that indeed we are true believers because we can doe that that none can do but Christians God speaks to our souls he raiseth our souls and by his Spirit he puts a spirit of supplication into us and helps our infirmities for we know not what to ask but he helps our weaknesse and enables us to lay out the wants of our soules to God these are evidences of the presence and of the seal of the Spirit In the third place this sealing of the Spirit after we beleeve is known by the sanctifying work of the Spirit for as I told you before in the unfolding of the Point the Spirit seals our spirits by stamping the likenesse of the Spirit of Christ on us so that when a man finds in his soul some lineaments of that heavenly Image of Christ Jesus when he finds some love he may know by that love that he is translated from death to life when he finds his spirit subdued to be humble to be obedient when he finds his spirit to be heavenly and holy as Christ was when he finds this stamp upon the soul surely he may reason I have not this by nature naturally I am proud now I can abase my self natureally I am full of malice now I can love I can pray heartily for mine enemies as Christ did naturally I am lumpish and heavy now in afflictions I can joy in the Holy Ghost I have somewhat in me contrary to nature surely God hath vouchsafed his Spirit upon my believing in Christ to mark me to seal 〈◊〉 to stamp me for his I carry now the Image of the second Adam I know the Holy Ghost hath been in my heart I see the stamp of Christ there Know you not that Christ is in you except you be cast awayes saith the Apostle so upon search the Christian soul finds somewhat of Christ alwayes in the soul to give a sweet evidence that he is sealed to the day of redemtpion The fourth evidence that the Spirit of God hath been in a mans heart is the joy of the Holy Ghost and peace of conscience sanctification is the ordinary seal that is alwaies in the soul this is an extraordinary seal peace and joy when the soul needs incouragement then God is graciously pleased to superadd this to give such spiritual ravishings which are as the very beginnings of heaven so that a man may say of a Christian at such times that he is in heaven before his time he is in heaven upon earth but especially God doth this when he will have his children to suffer or after suffering after some special conflict after we have combated with some special corruption with some sinfull disposition with some strong temptation and have got the victory To him that overcometh will I give of the hidden Manna and a white stone and a new name that none can read it but he that hath it that is he shall have assurance that he is in the state of grace and the sweet sense of the love of God and that sweet heavenly Manna that none else can have thus God dealt with Job after he had exercised that Champion a long time at the last he discovered himself in a glorious manner to him so it is usually after some great crosse or in the middest of some great crosse when God sees that we must be supported with some spiritual comfort we sink else then there is place and time for spiritual comfort when earth cannot comfort thus St. Paul in the middest of the dungeon when he was in the stocks being sealed with the Spirit he sang at midnight Alas what would have become of blessed Paul his spirit would have sunk if God had not stamped it with Joy in the Holy Ghost and so David and the three young men in the fiery furnace and Daniel in the den God doth then even as parents smile upon their children when they are sick and need comfort so above all other times God reserves this hidden sealing of his children with a spirit of joy when they need it most sometimes in the middest of afflictions sometimes as a reward when they come out of their afflictions sometimes before so our Saviour Christ had James and John with him upon the mountain to strengthen them against the scandal of suffering after so God when he hath a great work for his children to do some suffering for them to go through as an encouragement before-hand he enlargeth their spirits with the joy of the Holy Ghost and some times also after a holy and gracious disposition in the Ordinances of God God doth adde an excellent portion of his Spirit a seal extraordinary for indeed God thinks nothing enough for his children till he have brought them to heaven seal upon seal and comfort upon comfort and the more we depend upon him
because they grieve the Spirit and quench the Spirit by doing that which is contrary to the Spirit Let us therefore that we may have the more comfort preserve the stamp of the Spirit fresh by the exercise of all grace and communion with God and by obedience and by faith honour God by believing and he will honour thee by stamping his Spirit on thee more and more And let this be our work every day to have the stamp of the Spirit clear Oh what a comfort it is to have this in us at all times if a man have nothing in him better then nature if he have nothing in him in regard of grace if he have not Christs Image upon his soul though he be a King or an Emperour yet he shall be stript of all ere long and be set on the left hand of Christ and be adjudged to eternal torments It is the folly of the times come up of late there is much labouring for Statues and for curious workmanship of that kind and some pride themselves much in it and account it great riches to have an old Statue Alas alas what a poor delight is this in comparison of the joy that a Christian hath by the seal of the Spirit and what is this to the ambition of a Christian to see the Image and representation of Christ stamped in his soul that he may be like the second Adam that he may be transformed more and more by looking on him and seeing himself in him to love him considering that he hath loved us so much for we cannot see the love of Christ to us but we must love him the more and be transformed into him Now this transforming our selves into the Image of Christ is the best picture in the world therefore labour for that every day more and more There is besides the common broad seal of God his Privy Seal as I may call it It is not sufficient that we have the one that we have admittance into the Church by Baptisme but we must have this privy seal which Christ sets and stamps upon the soul of the true Christian Alas for a man to build onely on the outward seals and outward prerogatives which in themselves are excellent yet the standing upon them betrayes many soules to the Devil in times of distresse It is another manner of seal then the outward seal in the Sacrament that will satisfie and comfort the conscience in the apprehensions of wrath at the hour of death or otherwayes It must be this privy seal and then comes the use of those publick open known seales the broad seales then a man with comfort may think upon his Baptisme and upon his receiving the Communion when he hath the beginnings of faith wrought in him by the Spirit of God when a man finds the beginnings of faith in him then he may make use of the broad seal to be a help to his faith We must not be so prophane as to think slightly and irreverently of Gods Ordinances they are of great and high consequence for when Satan comes to the soul and shakes the confidence of it and saith Thou art not a Christian and God doth not love thee Why saith the soul God hath loved me and pardoned my sins he hath given me promises and particularly sealed them in the Sacrament here is the excellency of the Sacrament it comes more home then the Word it seales the general promise of God particularly to my self I am sealed in the Sacrament and withall I find the stamp of the Spirit in my heart and therefore having the inward work of the Spirit and God having fortified the inward work and strengthened my faith by the outward seal I can therefore stand against any temptation whatsoever They are excellent both together but the speciall thing that must comfort must be the hidden seal of the Spirit Let us labour therefore to be sealed inwardly and observe Gods sealing-dayes as we use to speak which though it may be every day if we be in spiritual exercises yet especially on the Lords Day for then his Ordinance and his Spirit go together Now as there is a sealing of our estates that we are the children of God so there is of truths and both are in the children of God as for instance this is a truth Whosoever believes in Christ shall not perish but have everlasting life now the same Spirit that stirred up the soul to believe this seales it in the soul even to death and in all times of temptation and likewise there is no promise but upon the believing of it it is sealed by the Spirit upon the soul for those truths onely abide firm in the soul which the Spirit of God sets on What is the reason that many forget the comforts and consolations that they hear because the Spirit sets them not on the Spirit seales them not What is the reason that illiterate men stand out in their profession to blood whereas those that have a discoursive kind of learning they yield the reason is this the knowledge of the one is sealed by the Spirit it is set fast upon the soul the Spirit brings the knowledge and the soul close together whereas the knowledge of the other is onely a notional swimming knowledge it is not spiritual Those therefore that will hold out in the end and not apostatize those that will stand out in the hour of death against temptation and those that will hold out in the time of life against solicitations to sin they must have a knowledge suitable to the things they know that is they must see and know heavenly things by a heavenly light spiritual things by the Spirit of God And therefore when we come to hear the Ministers of God we should not come with strong conceits in the strength of our wit but with reverend dispositions with dependance upon God for his Spirit that he would teach us together with the Ministers and close with our soules and set those truths we hear upon our soules we shall never hold out else And it must be the Holy Ghost that must do this for that which must settle and seal comfort to the soul must be greater then the soul especially in the time of temptation when the terrours of the Almighty are upon us and when the hell within a man is open when God layes open our consciences and writes bitter things against us and our consciences tell us our sins wondrous near they are written as it were with a pen of Iron and the point of a Diamond upon our soules now I say those truths that must satisfie conscience that is thus turmoiled must be set on by that which is above conscience the Spirit of God who is above our spirits can onely set down our spirits and keep them from quarrelling and contending against the truth and quiet the conscience and this the Spirit doth when it sets the truth upon the soul. And therefore when our soules are disquieted
and troubled and we hear many comfortable truths let us lift up our prayers to God let there be ejaculations of spirit to God Now Lord by thy holy Spirit set and seal this truth to my soul that as it is true in it self so it may be true to me likewise This is a necessary Observation for us all Oh we desire all of us in the hour of death to find such comforts as may be standing comforts that may uphold us against the gates of Hell and against the temptations of Satan and terrours of Conscience why nothing will do this but spiritual truths spiritually known nothing but holy truths set on by the hoy Spirit of God But what course shall we take when we want comfort when we want joy and peace In the third of John there are three witnesses in heaven and three in earth to secure us of our state in grace and the certainty of our salvation The three witnesses upon earth are the Spirit the water and the blood and these three agree in one and the three that bear witnesse in heaven are the Father the Word and the Holy Ghost and the three on earth and these three in heaven agree in one Now the Spirit is the feelings and the sweet motions of the Spirit The water may well be that washing of the Spirit sanctification The blood is the shedding of the blood of Christ and justification by it When therefore we find that part of the seal that extraordinary seal that I spake of before the joy of the Spirit of God that it is not in us what shall we do shall we despair No go to the water when we find not spiritual joy and comfort when the witnesse of the Spirit is silent go to the work of the Spirit in sanctification I but what shall we do if the waters be troubled in the soul as sometimes there is such a confusion in the soul that we cannot see the Image of God upon it in sanctification we cannot see the stamp of Gods Spirit there there is such a Chaos in the soul God can see somewhat of his own Spirit in that confusion but the Spirit it self cannot Then go to the blood of Christ there is alwayes comfort the fountain that is opened for Judah and Jerusalem to wash in is never dry go therefore to the blood of Christ that is if we find sin upon our consciences if we find not peace in our consciences nor sanctification in our hearts go to the blood of Christ which is shed for all those that confesse their sinnes and rely on him for pardon though we find no grace For howsoever as an evidence that we are in Christ we must find the work of the Spirit yet before we go to Christ it is sufficient that we see nothing in our selves no qualification for the graces of the Spirit they are not the condition of coming to Christ but the promise of those that receive Christ after Therefore go to Christ when thou feelest neither joy of the Spirit nor sanctification of the Spirit go to the blood of Christ and that will purge thee and wash thee from all thy sins This I onely touch for a direction what to do when our soules want comfort when perhaps we cannot see the seal of the Spirit in sanctification so clearly To go on now to the next And given us the Earnest of the Spirit Here is the third word borrowed from humane affaires to set out the work of the Spirit in our soules Anointing we had before and Sealing now here is Earnest The variety of the words shewes that there is a great remainder of unbelief in the soul of man that the Spirit of God is fain to use so many words to expresse Gods dealing to the soul to bring it to believe to be assured of salvation And indeed so it is howsoever we in the time of prosperity when all things go well with us we are prone wondrously to presume yet in the hour of death when conscience is awakened we are prone to nothing so much as to call all in question and to believe the doubts and fears of our own hearts more then the undoubted truth and promise of God therefore God takes all courses to stablish us he gives us rich and precious promises he gives us the holy Spirit to stablish us on the Promises he seales us with his Spirit and gives us the earnest of the Spirit and all to settle this wretched and unbelieving heart of ours So desirous is God that we should be well conceited of him he loves us better then we love our selves He so much prizeth our love that he labours by all means to secure us of his love to us because except we know his love to us we cannot love him again and we cannot joy in him c. But that onely in the general Here is earnest and the Earnest of the Spirit that is in plain termes he gives us the Spirit with the graces and comforts of it which doth in our hearts that which an earnest doth amongst men But what is this Spirit an earnest of It is an Earnest of our inheritance in heaven of our blessed estate there We are sons now but we are not heires invested into the blessed estate we have title to God leaves us not off in the mean time while we are in our Pilgrimage he keeps not all for heaven but he gives us somewhat to comfort us in our absence from our Husband from our Lord and King Christ he gives us the Earnest of the Spirit that is he gives the holy Ghost into our hearts which is the Earnest of that blessed everlasting glorious condition which we shall have in heaven hereafter that is the meaning of the words In what regard is the Spirit called an Earnest First of all an Earnest is for security of bargains and contracts so the Holy Ghost assures the soul of salvation being present with his graces and comforts the Holy Ghost is given for security Secondly an Earnest is part of the whole bargain though it be a very little part yet it is a part and so the Spirit of God here and the work of the Spirit and the graces and joy of the Spirit it is a part of that full joy and happinesse that shall be revealed The Spirit dwells not fully in any one he dwelleth no further then he sanctifieth and reviveth but that is an Earnest for the time to come that the Spirit shall be all in all wherein we shall have no reluctancy nor nothing to exalt it self against the sure regiment of the Spirit Thirdly an Earnest is little in comparison of the whole bargain so the work of the Spirit the comforts the joy the peace of the Spirit it is little in comparison of that which shall be in heaven in regard of the fulnesse of the Spirit which we shall have there An Earnest though it be little in quantity yet it
any thing as we may be of Gods love for the time to come We have a common speech amongst us I know what I have but what I shall have I know not It is an ill speech thou knowest not what thou hast for these worldly things a man hath them so to day as they may take to themselves wings and be gone to morrow for they are but vanity A may be as rich as Job in the morning and as poor as Job at night so that a man knowes not what he hath but for the time to come for grace and glory he may say Though I know not what I have or how long I shall have it I know what I shall have I know that neither things present nor things to come shal be able to separate me from the love of God in Jesus Christ. So that you see here a foundation of the sweet and comfortable Doctrine of perseverance Grace is the Earnest of glory and it doth but differ in degrees the beginning of glory is here in grace the consummation of it hereafter We are anointed Kings here we shall be Kings in heaven we are sons here in this world we shall be heires in heaven we shall be adopted there in soul and body here we are adopted in soul for in this life Christs first coming was for the soul his second coming is for body and soul therefore the resurrection is called the day of regeneration because then it shall be perfected here regeneration is onely begun So that in respect that the work of the Spirit the graces of the Spirit are called an Earnest we may know and be assured of perseverance in grace and that that which we have now in the beginning shall be accomplished Oh how should this set us upon desires to have the blessed work of the Spirit upon us to have the Spirit to set his seal upon us to be Christs to have this Earnest and to get more and more Earnest till we have the full bargain accomplished in heaven Thirdly I told you that an Earnest is part of the whole they therefore that have not the Earnest cannot look for the bargain The Observation hence is That Those that look to be happy must first look to be holy This Point I mean to touch very briefly I am loath to passe it by though it be not the principal thing I aim at because it may serve for a kind of tryal whether a man have any right to heaven or no. It is the ordinary presumptuous errour of common Christians to think to go to heaven out of unclean courses with Lord have mercy upon us but miserable wretches are they that have not this Earnest of the Spirit in them an Earnest of heaven beforehand in grace and peace and joy We must all read our happinesse in our holinesse and therefore it is that happinesse in heaven and holinesse here which is happinesse inchoate have both one title to shew that we cannot have the one without the other we must enter into heaven here in this life The stones you know they were hewed before they were brought to the building of the Temple they were all made and fitted before-hand and so all that shall be stones in heaven they must be hewed and prepared and fitted here there must be no knocking and fitting of them there So then you see these three things touched that the holy Spirit together with the graces and comforts of it are called an Earnest and therefore that it is a part of the whole an assurance of the whole and that it shall never be taken away Now for the fourth that an Earnest is little in regard of the whole and indeed the holy Apostle aimes at this partly as well as at any other thing else an Earnest is little perhaps we have but a shilling to secure us of many pounds So then the point is this That Howsoever we may be assured of our estate in grace and likewise that we shall hold out yet the ground of this assurance is not from any great measure of grace but though it be little in quantity it may be great in assurance and security As we value an Earnest not for the worth that is in it self but because it assures us of a great bargain we have an Eye more to the consummation of the bargain then to the quantity of the Earnest so it is here Grace is but an Earnest yet notwithstanding though it be little as an Earnest is yet it is great in assurance and validity answerable to the relation of that it hath to assure us There is nothing lesse then a grain of mustard-seed but there is nothing in the world so little in proportion in a manner that comes at length to be so great as the graces of God and the work of the Spirit is The Crocodile a huge creature comes of an egg and the Oak it riseth to that greatnesse from an Acorn but what are these to the wondrous work of the new creature to be the heir of heaven rising from so little despised beginings from a little light in the understanding from a little heat in the affections from a little strength in the will compared for the littlenesse thereof to a grain of mustard-seed Indeed grace growes a man knowes not how As Christ saith of the seed sowen in the earth it growes up first to a blade and then to a stalk and then to an ear and then to be corn but a man cannot tell how so it is with the work of grace and the comforts of the Spirit when the Spirit together with the Word works upon the soul there is a blade a little and then a stalk and then Corn. First a babe in Christ little at the first and as it is little so it is much opposed As we see the Sun when it is weak in the rising in the morning there gather a great many vapours to besiege the Sun as it were as if they would put out the light of it till it comes to fuller strength and then it spends them all and gloriously shines in heaven so it is with the work of the Spirit of grace when it first ariseth in the soul there gather about it a great many doubts and discomforts the flesh riseth and casteth up all the dirt and mud it can to trouble the blessed waters of grace till it have gotten fuller and fuller strength to spend them all as it is when a man comes to be a strong Christian. But yet as little as it is seeing it is an Earnest and the first-fruits as the Apostle saith which were but little in regard of the whole harvest yet it is of the nature of the whole and thereupon it comes to secure A spark of fire is but little yet it is fire as well as the whole element of fire And a drop of water it is water as well as the whole Ocean When a man is in a dark place put the
case it be in a dungeon if he have a little light shining into him from a little crevice that little light discovers that the Day is broke that the Sun is risen Put the case there be but one grape on a vine it shewes that it is a vine and that the vine is not dead So put the case there be but the appearance of but a little grace in a Christian perhaps the Spirit of God appeares but in one grace in him at that time yet that one grace sheweth that we are vines and not thistles or thorns or other base plants and it shewes that there is life in the root The Spirit of God appears not in all graces at once it appears some time or other in some one grace We see in plants the vertue of them appears diversly In Winter the vertue of them lyes in the root In the spring-time in the bud and the leaf In the Summer in the fruit it is not in all parts alike so it is with the Spirit as it is an Earnest it appears not in all graces in a flourishing manner at the first sometimes it appears in the root in humility sometimes in faith sometimes in love sometimes in one grace sometimes in another though the Spirit be in every grace yet in appearance to a mans self and others it appeares but in one An Earnest is little especially at the first Weak Christians therefore should not be discouraged Despise not the day of little things there is cause of mourning we that have received the first fruits of the Spirit we mourn because we have but the first-fruits and we would have the full harvest but as there is cause of mourning because we have but the first-fruits so there is cause of comfort because it is the first-fruits it is an Earnest onely and not the whole bargain therefore we have cause of mourning that it is so imperfect that it is so weak as it is yet there is cause of comfort because though it is not the whole yet is a part and secures us of the whole And therefore Christians should labour to mingle duties and let one grace qualifie another For indeed a Christian is a mixed Creature his comforts are mixed and his mourning is mixed With a carnal man it is all otherwise if he mourn he is all a mort because he hath no goodnesse if he joy he is mad his mirth is madnesse A Christian joyes indeed some times he hath joy unspeakable and glorious because he looks to his hope and the accomplishment of it and yet he mourns because he hath but the Earnest because he hath but the beginnings because he hath but the first-fruits here And therefore again as it should comfort us if we have any thing so it should exhort us to examine rather the truth then the measure of any grace we have examined the truth it is the truth of this Earnest the truth of grace and comfort it is an excellent speech of our Saviour Christ in Rev. 3. to the Church of Philadelphia in verse 8. Because thou hast a little strength and hast kept my Word and hast not denyed my Name there is a great promise made to the Church of Philadelphia and why Because thou hast a little strength how is that discovered Thou hast kept my Word and hast not denyed my Name So then if that little be true God respects not that little as it is little in quantity but as he means to make it ere long he looks upon the Earnest as he means to make up the bargain he looks upon the foundation as he means to rear up a goodly building he looks upon the first-fruits as he means to adde the harvest and therefore Ephes. 1. and other places We are elected to be holy and blamelesse in his sight So Ephes. 5. latter end He purgeth the Church that she may be presented to him without spot So Christ looks upon his Church as he is purging and washing till he have made it holy in his sight We are elected not to Earnest not to first-fruits but to be unblameable we are elected to perfection it is the comfort of Christians that God looks upon his not as they are imperfect here but as they are in beginning and as they are growing and as he intends to bring them to perfection afterwards For all things are present we know to him the time to come what we shall be he considers us as if we were in heaven already we are in our degree and in our faith So now we sit in heavenly places therefore as he looks on us as we shall be so faith answers his looking when we are framed by the Spirit to comfort faith looks not upon the weak Earnest the poor beginnings but as we shall be after in heaven without spot and wrinckle I but how shall we know the truth of his Earnest that it is true though it be little To speak a word or two of that for tryal Where the Spirit of God is with the relation of an Earnest he is as an Earnest by way of grace and comfort for those two wayes the Spirit discovers himself in us to sanctifie our nature or by comfort and peace and joy and such like Then it doth stir up the soul to mourn that is but an Earnest as I said before and to wait for the accomplishment as the Apostle saith in Rom. 8. We that have received the first-fruits of the Spirit mourn in our selves that it is no better with us then it is and withal We wait for the redemption of the sons of God the adoption of the sons of God we wait for the accomplishment hereafter it is the nature therefore of the Spirit of God as it is an Earnest to stirre up the spirits of Gods children to mourn something and likewise to wait patiently to wait for the full accomplishment hereafter and as a fruit of their waiting to endure quietly patiently and comfortably that which is between the Earnest and the accomplishment of it and therefore God gives them the grace of hope and constancy and of perseverance till all be accomplished for there is the tediousnesse of time between which is irk some hope deferred and a tediousnesse of deferring and besides many afflictions withal Now Gods children that have the Earnest of the Spirit they have a spirit likewise to wait and that they may be strengthened to wait they have the Spirit of Constancy a Spirit of patience to endure trouble and to persevere and to hold out in regard of the tediousnesse of the time So that they may not give over religious courses though they have it not fully here but go on still and wait And likewise those that have the Earnest of the Spirit that have the Spirit as it hath this qualification upon it of an Earnest it stirres them up to frame themselves answerable to the full ccaomplishment for He that hath
this hope saith the Apostle purgeth himself he that finds some little beginnings of grace and comfort the beginings of heaven upon Earth he frames himself to the perfect state in heaven for it is the nature of faith and hope wheresoever they are to frame the disposition of the person in whom those graces are planted by the Spirit to the condition of that that soul believes and hopes for it is in the nature of the thing it should be so For doth not hope in any man that hopes to appear before some great person make him alter his attire and fashion his carriage and deportment as may be plausible before the person whom he goes to and doth not faith and hope of better things where they are in truth fashion and dispose every man to be such as may be fit for heaven The title to heaven we have indeed by Christ but the soul knowes there must be a qualification No unclean thing shall enter into heaven and therefore where the Earnest is there is a continual desire to be better a continual relinquishing of corruptions more and more a perfecting of the work of mortification and the work of grace more and more for the same Spirit that is an Earnest and gives us any beginning of a better life it likewise stirres us up it fits and prepares us for that state that is kept for us it is impossible it should be otherwise In what strength the Earnest is in that strength sanctification and mortification are and therefore persons that live in sins against Conscience that defile their tongues and defile their bodies let them talk what they will it is but a presumptuous conceit it is not the voyce of Gods Spirit but of carnal presumption for wheresoever the Spirit is an Earnest of heaven it is alwayes preparing and fitting the soul for that glorious happy estate And wheresoever likewise this Earnest of the Spirit is wheresoever this grace is begun in truth there is a desire of accomplishment an earnest desire of the coming of Christ to finish all to finish the bargain Rev. 22. The Spirit and the Spouse say Come that is the Spouse by direction of the Spirit where the Spouse is guided by the Spirit and so far as the Spouse is guided by the Spirit she saith Come Come Lord Jesus come quickly Except in two Cases Except the Christian hath grieved and wounded his conscience grieved the Spirit and then it is loath to go hence Unlesse likewise the spirit of a Christian be careless and would settle things in better order before he go to Christ for this is the fruit of presumption and carelesnesse that it grieves the Spirit of God and the Spirit being grieved grieves them he makes that which should be their comfort their going to Christ by death he makes it terrible for as we see a weak eye cannot endure the light so a gauled guilty conscience trembles to think of Christs coming though the Earnest be there yet if the soul tremble that the soul be wounded stay a while Oh stay saith the Psalmist before I go hence and be no more seen When the wife hath been negligent she would have her husband stay but when she hath been diligent then the wife is willing her husband should come but perhaps things are not settled as they should and therefore she doth not desire his coming as at other times But take a Christian in his right temper he is willing to dye nay he is willing and glad and joyful to go to Christ then he knowes the Earnest shall be accomplished with the bargain then he knowes what God hath begun he will perfect then he knowes all the Promises shall be performed when all imperfection shall be removed and all enemies shall be conquered c. A carnal man doth not say as the Spirit in the Spouse speaks Come Lord come but stay Lord stay and as the Devil that possessed that person What have we to do with thee Art thou come to torment us before our time they think of it with quaking For otherwise they that have the Earnest of the Spirit have joyful thoughts of it and wishes answerable to those thoughts Again wheresoever this Earnest is in truth the Earnest of the Spirit there is growth for it is the nature of things imperfect to come to their perfection that they may encounter with whatsoever is contrary to them and that they may do their functions that they are fitted by for God Now God having fitted the new creature to serve him and to go through all the impediments in this world and all the crosses where he hath begun this work it will labour to come to perfection As in the natural body we are not content to live but when we have life we desire health and when we have health we are not content with that but we desire strength not onely health but strength to perform that we should do So where the spiritual life is begun the living soul is not content to live to find an Earnest a little beginnings but if he have that he would have health he would not have any spiritual disease to lye on the soul that might hinder it in the functions of it and together with health it desires fuller and fully strength because it hath many temptations to encounter with many corruptions to resist many actions to do many afflictions perhaps to bear all which require a great deal of strength wheresoever grace is in truth it is alwayes with a desire of growth and answerable to that desire will be the use of all the means of growth Again to name one or two more and so end Wheresoever the Spirit is as an Earnest it doth as the seal doth spoken of before that as it hath a quieting power an assuring power it quiets the soul wheresoever it si it is given to stay the soul to comfort it that the whole shall be performed in time and therefore the soul that hath the Earnest of the Spirit so far forth as he hath this Earnest it quiets and stayes the soul. A man may know true faith from false and true Earnest from presumption by this as we know other things I say it stills and quiets the soul and it will endure the tryal We say of Alcumy gold it is counterfeit it will not strengthen the heart true gold hath a corroborating power to strengthen the heart whether it be so or no let the Alcumists look to it but it is true that true Eanest the beginnings of faith though it be but in a little measure it hath a quieting a stilling a strengthening power to strengthen and corroborate the soul for it is given for that purpose And a man that hath the least grace will endure the search as true gold will endure the touchstone the false will not and it is a sign that a man hath true grace in him although it be with much
which I observe the rather because I would raise your hearts to hate unbelief and distrust exceedingly because God labours to undermine it by all means possible Wherefore doth he use so many terms here of Sealing Anointing and Earnest with words and Sacraments and all whatsoever may confirm you The Holy Ghost applyes it to us all this is that we may not doubt of the favour of God and therefore when we find any goodnesse in us let us accompt that to give false witnesse against our selves is a horrible sin it is to make God a liar God stands upon his credit and therefore take heed what we say specially if we have found the work of grace in former time any Earnest that we have no grace God doth this for our assurance all his dealing of Word and Sacraments of Earnest and Oath and all that may be to assure us and therefore we should not crosse the goodnesse of God so as to cherish such a disposition as is most contrary to him that he labours to undermine by all means And therefore here is the poyson of Popish Religion that it maintaines doubting and leaves men doubting indeed they do well to maintain it in their Doctrine for indeed they false found a man upon satisfaction they false found him upon Purgatory and merits and the foundation they have of a Christian soul is uncertain and therefore they may well teach doubting it suits with the course that they take but I say it is very corrupt for God useth all means that we should not doubt and therefore it is idly objected God for his part will but for our part we have reason to doubt why he in all things stoops to us he labours to secure us and therefore in the Covenant of grace he doth his part and ours too But I hasten to that which followes because I would end with the time To touch that a little distinctly by it self that the Spirit doth all the Earnest of the Spirit for indeed though Spirit be not added to stablishing yet the Spirit stablisheth by Christ and the Spirit it anoints and the Spirit seales to the day of redemption and the Earnest of the Spirit So it is the Holy Ghost doth all here you have the three Persons in the Trinity we have three grand Enemies the world the flesh and Satan Now here are the three persons in the Trinity stronger then all our enemies He which stablisheth us is God the Father by his Spirit upon whom upon Christ â—…n Christ and gives us the Earnest of his Spirit you have I say the three Persons of the Trinity here but why doth the Spirit give us the Earnest why doth the Spirit give us grace and comfort seal us and doth all and stablisheth us I answer First of all because now since the fall we have no principles of supernatural good and therefore it must be a principle above our nature to work both grace and comforts in our barren hearts Again as there is no principle to that which is supernaturally good so there is opposition to that which is supernaturally good and therefore there must be somewhat to overpower the corruption of our nature But why the Spirit rather then the Father and the Son He comes from both and proceeding from both he is fit to witnesse the love of both for the Holy Ghost is in the breast of the Father and the Son and proceeds from both and he knowes the secret love of the Father to us and the love of Christ Jesus Mediatour to us Now the Spirit knowing the secrets of God as a mans spirit saith the Apostle knowes his own secrets he knowes his love and he knowes whom he loves So the Spirit of God knowing the affection of the Father and the affection of Jesus Christ to us is fit to be an Earnest fit to be a Seal Indeed all things are wrought by the Spirit in grace for application the desert is from the Son originally from the Father but in regard of application of what is wrought by the Son all is by the Holy Ghost both graces and comforts the Holy Ghost takes from Christ for if grace be wrought it is with divine reasons from the love of God in Christ if grace he wrought it is from the wondrous love of God reconciled in Christ wherein heaven is opened hell is vanquished it is by reasons fetched from Christ and so he takes of mine as Christ saith He shall take of mine and give to you he takes reasons from Christ the holy Ghost whereby he makes all the application is altogether by the Spirit And it must be by the Spirit again because the Spirit of God and no lesse then the Spirit can quiet our spirits for when the soul is distempered it is like a distempered lock that no key can open So when the Conscience is troubled what creature can settle the troubled Conscience can open the ambages of a troubled Conscience in such perplexity and confusion and therefore to settle the troubled Conscience aright it must be somewhat above Conscience and that which must quiet the Spirit must be such a Spirit as is above our spirits This is excellently set down in this Epistle in the 3. Chap. the work of the holy Ghost in this kind But I cannot stand upon it now at this time I go on Likewise in the first Epistle to the Corinthians the second Chapter and 11. ver that one place shall stand in stead of all What man knowes the things of a man but the spirit of a man that is in him So the things of God no man knowes but the Spirit Now We have received the spirit not of the world but the Spirit of God to know the things that are freely given us of God if our spirits were in the heart and soul of another man in the breast of another man we should know what another man thinks if a man had a spirit in another mans spirit surely he would know all his thoughts and all his affections Now the holy Spirit of God is in the breast of the Father and the Son and he knowes our spirits better then we know our own spirits he searcheth he is a searcher as the word is in the original the Spirit is a searcher he searcheth our own hearts and he searcheth the secret love of God to us that is the Spirit must stablish us Well then if the Spirit doth all how shall we know then that we have this Spirit A note or two and so go on If we have this Spirit of God to seal us and to be an Earnest I will not speak all that may be but a little for indeed all comes from the Spirit Even as in our souls how may a man know that he hath a soul by living and moving by actions vital c. So we may know a man hath the Spirit of God by those actions that come onely from the Spirit which is to
the soul as the soul is in the body for as all beauty and motion comes from the soul to the body so to the soul from the Spirit all comes of the Spirit and therefore every saving grace is a sign that the Spirit is in us In a word the Spirit is in us in the nature of fire as in other things so in this in transforming wheresoever the Spirit dwells he transforms the soul he transforms the party like himself holy and gracious Those therefore that find the Spirit transforming and changing them in the use of the Ordinance of the Word they may know that they have the Spirit sealing them and being an Earnest to them They may know likewise that they have it wrought by the Spirit for every one grace you may knowspiritual graces are with conflict for what is true is with a great deal of resistance of that which is counterfeit Comforts and graces that are not the Earnest of the Spirit are with little conflict but where there are true comforts and graces of the Spirit wrought by the Spirit it is with much conflict with Satan and with himself for there is a great deal of Envy in the Divell against the man that walkes in the Spirit Thinks he what such a base creature as this is to have the Earnest of heaven to walk here as if he were in heaven already and to defie all opposite powers Nay I will trouble his peace he shall go mourning to heaven if he go there this is the reasoning of the cursed spirit and hereupon he labours to shake the assurance and perswasion and the grace and Comfort of a Christian it is with much conflict and temptation not onely with Satan but with his own heart Our hearts misgive us when we are guilty of some sins as alwaies there is guilt on the soul so much guilt so much doubt till the soul be free from giult it wil never but be casting of doubts and therefore there is alwaies resistance in us and there must be a higher power then the heart and soul of a man to set the heart down and quiet it It is alwaies in conflict And the gracet and comforts of the Spirit wrought by the Spirit are alwaies in the use of meanes holy means and it carries a man above the strength of nature it carries a man to the practice of that which he could not do by nature to pardon his enemies to pray for them to overcome revenge and to enjoy prosperity without pride in a comfortable measure and it enables him to practise the last Comandement That he shall be content with his estate and not lust after others and the first Comandement the graces of the holy Spirit enables a man to love God and to rejoyce in him above all as his best portion it makes his joy spiritual and it makes him delight in all connatural things that are like the Spirit as whatsoever is spiritual is connatural to the Spirit If a man have the graces of the Spirit he joyes in spiritual company he joyes in the presence of God he hates sin as being contrary to the Earnest of the Spirit he hates terrour of conscience and the way unto it he will look on good things as God lookes on them and as the Spirit looks on them and every thing that is spiritual he relisheth he savours the things of the Spirit Now be cause I will not detract your thoughts there are some six or seven properties of the Spirit in one Chapter that you may have them all together in Rom. 8. I will not name all but such as are easie First of all it is said in the 9. ver that the Spirit where it is it dwells as in a house now wheresoeve the Spirit is he is dwelling and ruling for the holy Ghost will not be an underling to lusts and he repaires and makes up the breaches of the soul where the Spirit dwells all the breaches are made up Ignorance to knowledge he begets knowledge and affection and love he prepares all he prepares his own dwelling and it is familiar and constant to the Spirit a dwelling implyes familiarity and constancy he is not in us as he is in wicked men that have the Spirit As Austin saith The Spirit of God knocks at their hearts but he doth not dwell there To go on that is the first The Spirit dwells in us if we have the Spirit And then the Spirit doth subdue the contrary for the Spirit when it comes into a man it pulls down all the strong holds it makes way for it self and therefore it is said to mortifie the deeds of the flesh ver 13. If you mortifie the deeds of the flesh by the Spirit you are led by the Spirit Those therefore that by the help of the Spirit by spiritual reasons subdue their corruptions they are led by the Spirit those that cherish corruptions or mortifie them not by spiritual reasons but out of civil respect to carry authority among men and therefore they would be free from aspersions as might disable their reputation they have not the Spirit Thirdly as many as are led by the Spirit are the sons of God the Spirit leads them as the Angel that went before the Israelites from Egypt unto Canaan so the Spirit of God like the Angel goes before us and leads us the way and removes the lets it doth lead us I say sweetly and not violently as the Devil leads his that are possessed with his spirit So that those that have the Spirit working grace and comfort in them sweetly he leads them and yet strongly too for it is strongly because it is against corruption and opposition from without but yet sweetly preserving the liberty and freedom of the soul. We by nature are like children or blind men we cannot lead our selves and therefore the Spirit leads us Those therefore that have the Spirit it leads them they submit themselves to the guidance and leading of the Spirit That is another evidence A fourth is this That it is a Spirit of adoption it assures us that we are the sons of God it gives us assurance of our adoption that we are the sons of God the same Spirit that sanctifieth us it witnesseth to us it makes us holy it witnesseth to us that we are the sons of God And then again the Spirit stirres up sighs and groans that cannot be expressed when we are not of our selves able to pray this is an evidence of the Earnest of the Spirit when we can send our sighes and groans to God I say God will hear the groans the voice of his own Spirits for whence come those sighes and groanes to God why should we not rather sink in despair in troubles but because the Spirit is in us Those therefoore that in extremity having nothing to comfort them and yet are able to send forth sighes and groans to God they may certainly know that they
insinuates as if he should say What can I give you better then the Holy Ghost and yet this will I give you if you ask him that is the good thing that God gives for indeed that is the seed of all graces and of all comfort and therefore a world of promises are included in that promise that he will give the Spirit to them that ask him Labour by these and such like means for the Spirit and then if you have the Spirit the Earnest of the Spirit and the seal of the Spirit then mark what will come of such a temper of soul that will go through all conditions whatsoever come what will for the Spirit is above all and the comforts of the Spirit are above all earthly comforts and the graces of the Spirit are able to encounter with all temptations So that a man that hath the Spirit stands impregnable the work of grace cannot be quenched because it is the effect and the work of the Spirit all the powers of all the Devils in hell cannot stirre it God may hide his comfort for a time to humble us but to quench the work of the Spirit once wrought in the heart all the power of all the Devils in hell cannot quench the least spark of saving grace it will carry us through all opposition whatsoever Let a man never baulk or decline in a good cause for any thing that he shall suffer for the seal and the Earnest of the Spirit is never more strong then when we have no other comfort by us but that when we can draw comfort from the Well-head from the Spring therefore we should labour for the Earnest of the Spirit for it will fit us for all conditions whatsoever What makes a man differ from himself what makes a man differ from another Take a man that hath the Earnest of the Spirit you shall have him defie death the world Satan and all temptations Take a man that is negligent in labouring to encrease his Earnest you shall have him weak and not like himself The Apostle Peter before the Holy Ghost came upon him the voice of a weak damsel astonished him but after how willing was he to suffer any thing Therefore let us not labour much to strengthen our selves with the things of this life or to value our selves by our dependance upon others if thou hast grace thou hast that that will stand by thee when all other things will fail for all other things will be taken away but the Comforter shall never be taken away it goes along with us continually First it works Earnest in us and then it stamps upon us his own mark and then it leads us from grace to grace and in the hour of death then especially it hath the work of a Comforter to present to us the fruits of a good and holy life and likewise the joyes of heaven when we are dead the Spirit watcheth over our bodies because they were the Temples of the Holy Ghost and at the day of judgement the same Spirit shall knit both body and soul together and after the same Spirit that hath done all this shall be all in all to us in heaven for ever and then our very bodies shall be spiritual where as now our souls even the better part of them is carnal Even as the fire when it possesseth a piece of Iron it is all fire So our bodies shall be all spiritual What a blessed thing is this to have the Spirit what are all friends to the Holy Ghost which will speak to God for us The Spirit will make request with sighes and groans and God will hear the voice of his own Spirit What prison can shut up the Spirit of God Above all labour to have more of the Spirit of God this will make us more or lesse fruitfull more or lesse glorious in our profession more or lesse willing to dye Labour to encrease this Earnest that the nearer we come to heaven the more we may be fitted for it Consider but this Reason if you want this alas we can never be thankful to God for any thing if by the Spirit we have not assurance that our state is the state of grace for otherwise we might think that God gives us all in anger as a etrnal man he alwaies fears that God fatts him as an oxe to the slaughter what a fearfull case is this that a man cannot be thankful for that he hath Labour for the Spirit that we may be thankfull to God for every thing that we may see the love of God in every thing in every refreshing we take that that love of God that fits us for heaven and that fits heaven for us it gives us daily bread the Earnest of the Spirit will make us thankfull for every thing Again labour for the Earnest of the Spirit that we may be joyfull in all conditions how can a man suffer willingly that knowes not that he is sealed with the Spirit that knowes not that God hath begun a good work in him Alas he is lumpish and heavy under the Crosse. What makes a man bear the Crosse willingly but this assurance what makes him deny himself in temptations and corruptions Oh saith the child of God the work of the Spirit is begun in me sealing me up to life everlasting shall I grieve and quench this Spirit for this base lust But a man that hath not the Spirit saith I had as good take this pleasure as have none at all for ought I know I shall have none he sees no greater pleasure then the following of his lust So that none can resist temptations but he that hath the Spirit giving him Earnest in a comfortable measure and it is a good sign when we resist temptations for spiritual reasons that the Spirit works it Again unlesse we have this Earnest of the Spirit in our hearts we can never be content to end our dayes with comfort he that hath the Earnest of the Spirit is glad of death when it comes there shall be then an accomplishment of all the bargain then the Marriage shall be consummate then shall be the year of Jubile the Sabbath of rest for ever then is the triumph and then all teares shall be wiped from our eyes But now let a man stagger and doubt whether he be the child of God or no that he cannor find any mark of the child of God in him that he cannot read the evidences of a Christian state in his soul they are so dim he sees nothing but corruption in him he sees no change no resistence of corruption he hath no Earnest Alas what a miserable case is such a man in when he comes to dye death with the eternity of misery after it who can look it in the face without hope of life everlasting without assurance of a happy change after death Therefore we should labour for the Spirit that howsoever we grow or decay in wealth and reputation let
with a spiritual holy affection and a spirit of love though with severity for there is a severity of love and gentlenesse it will prevail when it comes from such a spirit But if there be a discovery of flesh not only in Ministers but in those that deal with others flesh will rise against flesh A man may sometimes find fault with another with greater corruption then the thing he finds fault with in another he may be more to blame for his dealing then the other for his fault I came not to spare you Therefore when Ministers are plain in discovering the danger of the times the danger of the persons and places where they are to deal people must hear them as they love their own souls If they have any quarrel let them quarrel with their master for what we speak is from the Word of God we come as his Ambassadors and servants and should be considered as Ambassadours therefore considering whose message we bring they must take it in good part to be told of their sins in a good manner As S. Austin saith very well Christ saith he speaks to the Sea and it was quiet Christ said Be still the Sea heard and the waves were still but he speaks to us in the Ministery to stay our violent courses in sin and we puffe and swell when we are told of our faults is this good think you No if we do so it is a sign that God intends to seal us to destruction As we know Elies sons when they did not hearken to their Fathir God had appointed them to destruction Those that will not hearken to Ministerial reproof it is a sign God hath sealed them over to destruction If we would not have either Ministers or others to be severe in telling us let us be severe to our own sins first Men are like to children first they foul and defile them selves and they cry when they are washed so men soil themselves with sin and cry when they should be purged from them If we cannot endure to be told of our faults how shall we endure to be tormented for our faults in hell Those that are so tender that they will not endure a word contrary to their dispositions how will they endure that sentence Go ye cursed when they shall be turned into hell Consider what will come of it if we live in sin I beseech you therefore suffer the Word of exhortation at our hands Our salvation lyes upon it if we discover not the danger of the sins of people to whom we speak if we discern them we shall perish for it because we are unfaithful in our Ambassage Therefore for your own souls and likewise that we may discharge our duty as we should patiently and quietly fit under exhortation and reproof not only publick but private if occasion be O Beloved at the latter day it will be a matter of vexation that we were cherished too much in our courses Do you not think that the damned spirits in hell wish O that we had been told O that we had been dealt with violently that we had been pulled out of this flame There is an excellent place in Judes Epistle Have mercy upon some Use some gently that are of tractable dispositions and pull some out of the fire with fear with threatning eternal damnation with terrible courses that they may have cause to fear first with admonitions and if that will not prevail with suspension with further censure and if that will not prevail with excommunication cast them out of the Church as this incestuous Corinthian that their souls may be saved in the day of the Lord. There is a threefold correction or finding fault that are gradual one after another and they should be of vigour in the Church in all times First a friendly telling of a fault between man and man if we see any thing dangerously amisse Then when a man takes another man before company when he takes him before those that he respects when privately he will not amend Then correction if admonition of friends will not do tell the Church rather then suffer his soul to perish These steps and degrees were observed in the best times of the Church and if they were observed now many souls would be saved This is that that S. Jude speaks of Save some pulling them out of the fire that is snatch them out by violent means by excomunication that their souls may be saved in the day of the Lord. Those that are in hell wish that they had been pulled out with fear with violent courses O that we had been told of our filthy courses of our sâ—…vearing of our iâ—…justice that we had had violence offered us rather then to have come into this place of torment O those will blesse God another day for that gracious violence And those that are let alone will curse all another day Ministers friends and parents they will curse all that there were not more violent courses taken with them to stop them in their way to hell to deal plainly with them it is the best mercy that can be shewed to be faithfull in this kind Therefore while it is time suffer the word of Exhortation and reproof the time will come else that you shall condemn your selves that you were so impatient and shall wish O that we had had those that would have dealt more violently with us It is cruel pitty as can be in Ministers to be flatterers and to daub or in parents and governours of others to dissemble with them in their courses and not to tell them of it it is the most cruel pitty of all it is betraying of them to eternal torments For sin as I said it must be judged and censured here or hereafter if it be not here there is more reserved for the time to come when God will open the treasures of his wrath We put into his treasury fast enough and the time will come of opening all the treasuries of his vengeance when he will pour out the vials of his wrath upon sinners that are not reformed So much for that Point I call God for a record upon my soul. S. Paul to purge himself from suspition seals all this with an oath Herein he doth shew his great love to them and his care over them that he would so seriously purge himself to gain their love and good opinion of him Is was an argument of the great esteem he had of them he was willing they should think he was very desirous of their love and of their good opinion for whose sake he would sweare and clear himself by an oath As God esteems mans love much when he will condescend so far as to seal his love and promise with an oath God would have us to think that he values and esteems our respect very much so S Paul would have them think he esteemed them much that he would make such a solemn oath for their
hath lived as in the presence of God all his dayes He that hath presented to his soul as it were the barre of Christ in his life-time that hath lived as one that could give an account and reckoning when he comes to the point that he must give up his account how joyfully and comfortably will he do it So much for that verse I come now to the last Verse of the Chapter VERSE XXIV Not that we have dominion over your faith but are helpers of your joy for by faith ye stand SAint Paul is yet in his clearing he is yet in his apology Not that we have dominion over your faith c. I do not tell you I came not yet to spare you as if I meant to domineer over your faith when I came because those words I came not yet to spare you might seem to carry some highnesse some Lordlinesse with them as if the Apostle would have taken much upon him therefore he corrects those words in this Verse Not that we have dominion over your faith c. So that in these words he removes a suspition of spiritual tyranny over them because he had said before he came not to spare them they might think What would he have done if he had come would he have enforced us Oh no indeed your reformation hath spared me a labour and you a chiding but if I had reproved you sharply it should have been for your good Then he sets down the true cause We are helpers of your joy If I had come and told you of your faults if I had not spared you it should have been to help your joy and now I came not to you it is to help your joy my scope in all is to be a furtherer of your joy So these words are a reason of the former why he did not come to domineer over their faith For by faith ye stand You stand by faith and you stand out by faith against all oppositions whatsoever therefore your faith must not lean on me I must not domineer over that you stand by if your faith should rely on me I am but a man faith must rely on God it must have a better pillar then my self you must stand upon Divine strength therefore you stand by faith and if you stand by faith we have no reason to have dominion over your faith These words are declined by many Interpreters they know not what the dependance is but this is the best dependance of the words We domineer not or rule not over your faith because by faith you stand as upon a bottom you stand against all adverse power by faith Therefore you had need to have it well founded you had need to plant your faith well by which you stand against all opposite power and against all humane authority For a man may be a liar and do good in many things a man hath a deceitful nature as far as he hath a corrupt principle in him he may deceive and yet be a good man too in particular cases he may shew himself a changeable creature But there must be no falshood or uncertainty in faith for it is a grace that must have truth and certainty it must have unmoveable and unchangeable truth to build on therefore we domineer not over your faith God forbid we should do so for faith is the grace whereby you stand if you should build upon us as men you could not stand alway The Point is clear That No creature hath dominion over the faith of another The faith of a man is onely subject to the Spirit of God to God and to Christ. And by the way S. Paul taxeth those false Apostles and false Teachers that laboured to creep into the consciences of people to have higher place in the hearts of people then they should have that so they might rule the people as they list Now that should not be the scope of the Minister to have dominion over the faith of others for the Ministery is a Ministery not a Magistracy A Minister so far as he is a Pastor he is a Minister that is he is to deliver things from God that may stablish the soul not to domineer over mens faith as if he could prescribe what men should believe Now to unfold this Point I will first shew what it is to have no dominion over mens faith And then what it is to have dominion and rule over other mens faith and who are guilty of this Not to have dominion over another mans faith it is not when a Church doth force prescribing to the Articles of Religion that is not to have dominion over the faith of others to draw people to conformity of the same Religion in the substantials of it as some that seek extravagant liberty lay that imputation perhaps it is used in all Churches Again it is not to domineer over faith to suppresse that that they call of late in neighbour-Countreys a liberty of prophesie to suppresse a liberty of preaching when men list that men should have an unbridled licence We see in Polonia and those Countreys what abundance of Hereticks there are where there is more liberty to preach and to publish what men list Those Countreys are like Africk where they say there are alway new Monsters Or like to Egypt when Nilus overflowes it leaves a slime behind and when the Sun works upon that slime it breeds many imperfect strange creatures So those Countreys where there is liberty of Religions there are alwayes some strange novel opinions some Monsters experience of forreign Countreys shews it too true therefore to hinder that extravagant liberty is not dominion over faith Nay to force men to the meanes of faith it is not to domineer over faith S. Austin himself was once of this mind that people were not to be forced it is true but they may be compelled to the means though they cannot be compelled to believe Men may be compelled to the means by mulcts and other courses of State And it is a happy necessity when people are forced to the means under which means by Gods blessing they may be reduced to abetter habit and temper of soul. Therefore it is cruelty to neglect this care to leave people to their own liberty to attend upon the means or not to attend on them Therefore our State is and may be justified well for those violent courses to Recusants And many of them after blesse God they have done it and they have cause For there is a Majestie in the Ordinances of God if people were brought under the means Gods Spirit would make the means effectual And there is not a greater snare of the Devil whereby he holds more in the Romish Church in perdition then by perswading them that it is a dangerous thing to come to our prayers and to attend upon the means of salvation when as in our Liturgy there is nothing that may justly offend Therefore to force to the means it is not
after there is inward intrinsical grounds in the Word that make us to know the Word without the Church Now they would have the authority of the Word depend upon the Church and so over-rule mens consciences in that case Whereas all that the Church hath is a leading inducing perswading to hear the Word under which Word and Ordinance we shall see such light and majestie in the Scriptures that from inward grounds we shall be perswaded that the Word of God is the Word of God Therefore the Church is the first inducer to believe the Word of God not the last object to which all is resolved For they themselves crosse it in their tenents when they speak discreetly Is this opinion so and so The Church holds it but what authority hath the Church to maintain it where is the authority of your Church then they bring some place of Scripture I will be with you to the end of the world And He that heareth you heareth me c. I do but a little discover to you the danger of this errour They make the Word of God to be believed because the Church saith so they make truth to be believed because their man of sin whom they depend upon saith so Do we believe the Trinity or that Christ is our Redeemer because the Church saith so should we not believe it except the Church say so what if the Church teach the Doctrine of Devils as they do they cannot shake it off we must believe because the Church saith so so upon equal grounds they shall teach the Doctrine of Devils and the Doctrine of Christ because the Church saith so As it was said anciently he that believes two things the one for the other he believes not two but one in effect because he believes the one for the other So in effect they believe nothing but the Church that is themselves believe the truth to be divine because they say so so they may believe any devillish errour because they say so so any treason or rebellion must go current because they say so because they cannot erre Yyou see how they domineer over the faith of others shall not Christ be Christ nor God be God nor the Devil be the Devill except the Church say so Again in the very matters themselves in the points that themselves do not urge the Church of Rome domineers and tyrannizeth over the souls of people For example they hold that the intention of a Minister in the Sacrament makes it effectual What a fear doth this breed in the souls of men that they know not whether they be baptized or no because it must be in the intention of the Minister And then in confession they must confesse all what a tyranny is this to the souls of people when perhaps there is somewhat that they have not confessed and so their confession is of no worth And in satisfaction perhaps I have not made satisfaction enough by their injunction laid on me and therefore I must satisfie in hell what a rack is this to conscience So what a rack to conscience is that opinion that the Pope cannot erre when I cannot tell perhaps whether he be the right Pope or no if he came in by Simony or is not in Cathedra and many conditions they have to salve that Point If any of those conditions be not observed he is not the man he should be what tyranny do they force upon people over their faith Therefore they are called in the Revelations scorpions indeed they are spiritual Scorpions that sting the souls of Gods people The Devil is the King of darknesse and is not he the Prince of darknesse that maintains ignorance of the Word of God that all his old tenents and opinions may have the better sway that he may sit in the blind and dark consciences of people It is said 2. Thess. 2. that he sits in the Temple of God that is in the Church nay he labours to have another Temple to sit in mans soul which is the Temple of the Holy Ghost It is not sufficient for him that is the man of sin to have any other place he must sit in the very souls and consciences of men Satan hath a special malice to sit in the place of God since he was turned out of heaven and cannot come thither he will come to that place if he can upon earth where God should be and where will God be God will especially be in the hearts of his people in the souls and consciences of his people Conscience is Gods throne Satan being thrust out of heaven labours to stablish his throne there Now they that are Satans vicars led with his spirit they are of the same mind let them be what kind of great ones they will they desire to sit in Gods throne in the conscience and if a man will not tie his conscience to them he is no body to them This is the property of Antichrist in the highest degree as far as any are addicted to this that they will not be satisfied but the consciences of men must be tied to them they must deny all honesty and justice and law and all to please them and to gratifie them with particular kindnesse so farre they are led with the spirit of Antichrist and of the Devil himself who labours to sit in Gods throne that is in the hearts and consciences of people And therefore as I said they labour to keep people in darknesse for this very purpose that people may let them into their consciences and rule them as they please As Sampson when they had put out his eyes they led him to base services so do they with Gods people they put out their eyes and then they lead them to grind in the mill to all the base services they can It is not to be spoken of the brutish slavery and ignorance that is in Spain and other Countreys where that Devillish Inquisition reigns which is a great help to Popish Tyranny What should I speak of the state of the Romish Church indeed the main scope of it is to subdue all to them to subdue all Kings and Kingdomes to them that is the grand scope of the greatest of them others have their particular scope for their bellies and base ends but those among them that have brains that are Governours their scope is to bring all under their girdle and how shall they do this They cannot bring their persons but they must bring their consciences for where the conscience is the person will follow presently therefore they labour to lay a tie upon the conscience of Prince and people upon all that so they may domineer and rule over their consciences And for that end they labour to nourish them up in blindnesse for by blindnesse they rule in the conscience and ruling their conscience they may rule their persons and Kingdomes This is their main scope this hath been their plot for many hundred years So
Christian. Doct. Prayer a means to convey all good and deliver from all ill Reason 1. It is for Gods glory Reason 2. For our good 1. To shew our dependance on him 2. It exerciseth our graces We must pray though God know our wants Doct. 2. Gods Children can pray for themselves Reason Because they are Children Use. Not to put off prayer onely to others Doct. Christians ought to help one another by prayer A general desire in Heaven Reason Gods children cannot so well pray for themselves sometimes As in sicknesse People to pray for the Ministers For what to pray for them Reason Christians 〈◊〉 not the Spirit of prayer all times a like Prayer not a work of gifts but of Grace Diverse gifts in Prayer Reason To humble great Christians Reason To raise up weâ—… Christians Use. Let no man slight his own prayers Use 2. None to be idle in the profession of religion Doct. 4. Prayer prevails with God Reas. 1. It is obedience to Gods order Reason 2. It sets God on work Instances of prevalencie of prayer To pray for the Church abroad How to present the Church in our prayers to God Use. Not to grieve the spirit in any Quest. How to know whether our prayers help the Church Answ. 1. When we help them otherwise as we are able To leave evit courses 3. To hearken to Gods Word An ill condition not to be able to pray What to pray for for the Ministers Health a gift Against merit All other blessings uncomfortable without health To blesse God for health Quest. Answ. To beg the prayers of others in sicknesse Comfort from the prayers of others Object Sol. Object Answ. Obser. Praise followes prayer Ingratitude a horrible sin Praise of many acceptable To be in love with publick meetings Use. Encouragement to union To stir up others to praise God To praise God for others To be good to many that many may give thanks for us Praise wherein it consists 1. Taking notice of blessings 2. Remembring them 3. Estimation 4. In words 5. In doing good Directions to thanksgiving To look what we have cause to be thankful for 2. Dwell on them in meditation 3. Consider our unworthinesse 4. Consider the misery of our selves and others in want of blessings 5. Keep a Catalogue of Gods mercies Motives to thankfulnesse 1. It is Gods tribute 2. It invites God to bestow new blessings 3. It is the begining of heaven 4. None unthankful but divells Reall thanksgiving To shame our selves for our unthankfulnesse It was a Sacrament day Doct. The more eminent men are the more to be prayed for Doct. Christians driven to make apologies Use. Not to think strange if we be driven to it Quest. Answ. Life the best Apology but not enough sometimes A man may speak in commendations of himself 1. For thankfulnesse 2. For example 3. For defence Question Answ. How a man may glory of the graces in him Doct. Christians have their joy Use. To labour for a temper that we may glory A Christians joy 1. In Election 2. In justification 3. In sanctification 4. In the hope of glory A Christian only can stand to his joy Wicked men labour to hide the ground of their joy A Christian not ashamed of his joy 1. It is well bred 2. It is permanent Pride against all the commandements Conscience what 1. The soulit self 2. A faculty 3. an Act. An Atheist can have no conscience Conscience above reason Three things joyned with conscience 1. It is a knowledge with a generall rule 2. Of our own actions 3. A knowledge with God God hath set up in man a Court wherein conscience is 1. Register 2. Witnesse 3 Accuser 4. Judge 5. Executioner Sympathie between heart and brain Conscience Gods Hall Judgment of conscience a forerunner of the great judgment Conscience beareth witness Josephs Brethren Conscience 〈◊〉 witnesse 1. Faithful 2. Inward Use. Not to sin in hope of secrecy Use. To labour that conscience may witness well Good witness of conscience two-fold 1. Labour for good rules An Ignorant man cannot have a good Conscience Why men have bad consciences Papists cannot have a good conscience why 2. To apply them Doctrine The witnesse of a good conscience a ground of joy 1. From the office of conscience 2. It witnesseth with God 3. Without selves A good conscience breeds joy 1. In life In good estate 2. In cvil estate 1. In false imputations A good man looks more to Conscience then to fame 2. In sicknesse 3. In Crosses and losses 3. At the day of judgement Objection Answer Why a good conscience doth not alway witnesse Comfort Directions to joy in the witness of conscience Obser. A man may know his estate in Grace Object Answer Use. To labour for a good conscience that we may have joy Nothing worse then an ill conscience Evangelical conscience The way to have a good Conscience Question Answer Cautions for glorying in grace Difference of simplicity and sincerity Question Answer Saint Paul's conversation in simplicity Simplicity what Simple without mixture Simplicity 1. Not defect 2. Not rudeness 3. Not credulity Why called the simplicity of God Manby nature prone to double The ground of it Ground of dissimulation Of simulation Aggravation of this sin Simplicity opposite to curiosity Simplicity opposed to lying and equivocation Object Answ. All sorts of lies unlawful Lying opposite to society Motives to simplicity 1 It is comely's 2. Doubling inconstant 3. It is part of Gods Image 4. It brings comforts Doubling a great sin The more will and advisedness in sin the greater sin Doubling with men Some persons more prone to doubling then others Some Callings Merchants Lawyers Man naturally prone to dissemble Simile How to get simplicity 1. To consider one day all will be laid open Simile 2. Labour for faith Sincerity what Sincerity of God Doctr. A Christian that looks for joy must have his conversation in sincerity Sincerity in good actions 1. To know all that is good 2. Universal obedience Sincerity looks at God that commands all 3. Performance of lesse duties 4. Uniformity 5. Humble in performance 6. Humble and thankful after 2. In ill actions 1. He intends none 2. He is grieved for them 3. Careful to avoid personall sins 4. Hatred of all sin 5. Care to avoid sinfor the future 3 Sincerity in actions indifferent Actions of calling 2. Recreations Motives to sincerity 1. All else is nothing Why many men of parts die uncomfortably 2. It gives acceptance to all we do 3. It makes us grow to perfection Use 2. Direction Means to get sincerity 1. Get our hearts changed 2. Get assurance of Gods love 3. Labour to mortifie our earthly affections 4. Do all things as in Gods eye 5. Look to the heart the spring of all our actions Use. Exhortation to labour for sincerity Object Answ. Sincerity all that we can plead It will comfort against Temptations at death It comforts in life Not offend against sincerity Sinning against