means of the execution of Gods decree and the decree it self of the thing they fall under the same decree when God hath decreed to do any thing he hath decreed to do it by these means so prayer comes as well within the decree as the thing prayed for In Ezek. 36. I will do this but I will be inquired of by the house of Judah I will do it but they shall aske me they shall seek to me first So there is a notable place Phil. 1. 19. I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayers We must not then so reason as to make the chief cause to take away the subordinate means but let us serve Gods purpose and providence let us serve Gods order he hath stablished this order and course let us serve it this is the obedience of faith the obedience of a Christian. The second thing is that Gods childrn are inabled to pray for themselves I observe this the rather because the vilest men that live when they are in trouble as Pharaoh O go to Moses let him pray for me he could not pray for himself he was such a desperate wretched creature he knew that God would not regard him therefore he saith Go to Moses And so Simon Magus who was a wretch yet when Peter denounced a judgment against him Pray thou that none of these things light upon me you are accepted of God my conscience is so full of terrour and horrour and so full of sin that I dare not pray A wicked man may desire others to pray for him but alas his conscience is surprized with horrour for his sins and his purposes are so cruel so earthly and so base that he knowes he cannot pray with acceptance for himself Gods Children as they desire the prayers of others so they can pray themselves they do not desire that others should do all but that they would help together with their prayers Now the reason of this that Gods Children can pray for themselves and must pray for themselves it is because they are children and as soon as ever they are new born they are known by their voyce by crying A Child as soon as he is born he cryes a new born Child cryes as soon as he is new born he cryes Abba Father he goes to his Father presently In Act. 9. as soon as Paul was converted he cryes he goes to God by prayer therefore God when he directs Ananias to him saith he Go to such a place and there thou shalt find Paul he is praying as soon as he is converted he is praying Gods children have the Spirit of Adoption the Spirit of sons God is their Father and they exercise the prerogative and priviledge they have they go to their Father cry to him In Zech. 12. you have there a promise that God would pour the spirit of supplication upon his children they cannot pray of themselves but God poures a Spirit of supplication into their hearts and his Spirit being poured into them they can pour forth their prayers to him again The use of this is not to content our selves to turn over this duty of prayer to the Minister and to good people O pray you for us I we do so but pray for thy self If thou wilt have another mans prayers do thee good thou must help with thy own prayers be good thy self Men turn it off with slight phrases and speeches You must pray for us c. Alas what will our prayes do thee good if thou be a gracelesse blasphemous carnal brutish person if thy conscience tell thee by the light of nature for the Word of God it may be thou doest not care for that thou art so what can our prayers do thee good If thou mean to be so Though Noah Daniel and Job saith God should stand before me for this people I would regard them for themselves I would not hear them for this people Let us be able and willing to help our selves and then we shall pray to some purpose God loves to hear the cries of his Children the very broken cries of a Child are more pleasing then the eloquent speech of a Servant Sometimes the Children of God have not the Spirit of prayer as at other times and then they must do as Ezechias did they must mourn as a Dove and chatter as a Swallow and as Moses at the Red-sea he cried and the Lord heard his prayer though he spake never a word so in Romans 8. The Spirit teacheth us to sigh and groane When we cannot pray we must strive with our selves against unbelief and deadnesse of heart by all meanes possible Sighs and groans are prayers to God My groanes and my sighs are not hid from thee saith the Prophet David And so in Lament 3. 56. The Church being in distresse saith she Thou hast heard my voice hide not thine ear at my breathing Sometime the Children of God can onely sigh and breath and groane to God for there is such a confusion in their thoughts they are so amazed at their troubles they are so surprized that they cannot utter a distinct prayer and then they sigh and breath and groane they help themselves one way or other If thou be a Child of God though thou be opprest with grief yet cry and groan to God strive against thy grief all thou canst and though thou canst not crie distinctly yet mourn as well as thou canst and God knowes the groanes of his own Spirit and those cries are eloquent in his eares they pierce Heaven But this being but supposed as a ground The third Observation is As God conveys all blessings by prayer And Gods Children have a Spirit of prayer So Gods Children desire the prayers of others and it is the duty of others to pray for them You also helping by your prayer for us Christians ought to help one another by prayer The holy and Blessed Apostle was sure of Gods love to him and of his care of him yet notwithstanding he was as sure that God would use both the prayers of himself and others to continue this his goodnesse to him and therefore the greater faith the greater care of prayer and where there is no care of prayer either of our own or of others for us there is no faith at all There is an article of our faith which I think is little believed thought it be said over-much and heard often yet it is little practised I believe the communion of Saints Is there a Communion of Saints wherein doth this Communion stand among many other things in this that one St. prayes for another This is one branch of the Communion of Saints as they communicate in priviledges for they are all the sons of God they are all heirs of heaven they are all members of Christ they are all redeemed by the blood of Christ and so all other priviledgeâ— belong to all alike as there is a communion in priviledges so there is a
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
phrase that puffs them up they are but Gods in a kind of sence and the other are but creatures in a kind of sence because perhaps they have nothing in them and in that sence deservedly creatures but it is proper to God to make somewhat of nothing and so he is the God of Comfort where there is no comfort at all he can raise comfort as he made the World of nothing by his very Word And which is more it is the property of God as God it is peculiar to God to make comfort out of that which is contrary therein he shews himself most to be a God of all he can raise comfort out of discomfort life out of death When Christ had been three dayes in the grave he raised him As it is with the head of comfort with the head of believers so it is with every particular Christian he raiseth them out of death those that sow in sorrow they reape in joy What cannot he do that can raise comfort out of discomfort and discomforts oftimes are the occasions of the greatest comforts Let a Christian go back to the former course of his life and he shall find that the greatest crosses that ever he suffered will yeeld him most comfort and who did this certainly it must be God that can raise all out of nothing and that can make comfort not only out of comfortable creatures that are ordained for comfort but he can draw honey out of the Lions belly Out of the eater came meat and out of the stronge câ—me sweetnesse saith Sampson in his Riddle When a hony combe shall câ—â—â— out of the Lions belly certainly this is a miracle this may well be a Riddle This is the Riddle of Christianity that God who is the God of comfort he raiseth comforts out of our chief discomforts he can create it out of that which is contrary Therefore Luthers speech is very good All things come from God to his Church especially in contraries as he is righteousnesse but it is in sin felt he is comfort but it is in misery he is life but it is in death we must die before we live indeed he is all but it is in nothing in the soul that feels it self to be nothing there is the foundation for God to work on Therefore the God of comfort can create comfort if none be he can make comfort if the contrary be he can raise contraries out of contraries he is the God of all comfort Every word hath Emphasis and strength in it The God of all Comfort Amongst divers other things that flow from hence mark the order he is the God and Father of Christ first and then the Father of mercy and the God of comfort Take him out of this order and think not of him as a God of comfort but as a Consuming fire but take the method of the text now he is the God of comfort after he is the Father of Christ. This being laid as a ground the text it self as a doctrine what subordinate truths arise hence First of all if God be God of all comfort there is this conclusion hence that Whatsoever the meanes of Comfort be God is the spring of it Christ is the Conduit next to God for he is close to God God is the God of Christ and the Holy Ghost is usually the stream The streams of comfort come through Christ the Conduit from God the Father the fountain by the graces of the Spirit But I speak of outward comforts Blessed be God the Father Son and Holy Ghost all are comforters God the father is the father of comfort the Holy Ghost is the comforter Christ Jesus likewise is the God of Comfort whatsoever the outward meanes be yet God the Father Son and Holy Ghost are the comforters take them together that is the conclusion hence I observe it the rather to cure a disposition to Atheisme in men that look bruitishly to the thing they look to the comfort and never look to the comforter even for outward comforts Wicked men their bellies are filled with the comforts of God but it is with things that are comfortable that are abstracted from the comforter they care not for the root the favour and mercy of God so they have the thing they care not Therefore they are not thankful to God nor in their wants they go not to the God of comfort why they think they have supply enough they have friends they have riches that are their strong hold and if they have outward necessaries to supply and comfort them that is all they care for as for the God of comfort they trouble not their hands with him A Christian whatsoever the comfort be if it be outward he knowes that the God of comfort sends it and that is the reason he is so thankful for all outward comforts if they be the necessaries for this life in meat he tasts the comfort of God in drink he tasts the comfort of God in the ornaments of this life he tasts the comfort of God It is God that heates him with fire it is God that cloaths him with garments it is God that feeds him with meat it is God that refresheth his senses in these comforts Therefore the Heathen out of their Ignorance they made every thing a God that was comfortable out of which they received comfort they made a God of the fire and of the water these are but instruments of the God of comfort but the Heathen made gods of them A Christian doth not so but he sees God in them and drives these streames from the fountain God is seen to be the God of Comfort in them all Again considering that God is The God of all comfort This should teach us as thankfulnesse to God so prayer in the want of any comfort that he would both give the thing and the comfort of the thing We may have the thing and the wrath of God with it but thou that art the God of comfort vouchsafe the outward comforts to us and vouchsafe comfort with them thou that art the God of every thing and of the comfort of the thing vouchsafe both Again if God be the God of all comfort whatsoever then here is a ground of diverse other truthes as for instance that if we look for any comfort from the things or from reasons and discourse or from God we should go to God in the use of the thing before the use after the use at all times before the use that God would suggest either by reading or hearing c. reasons of comfort in the use that he would settle and seal comfort to our souls Lord I hear many sweet things I read many comfortable things these would affect a stone almost yet unlesse thou set them on my soule they will never comfort me thou art the God of comfort the materials are from thee but except with revelation discovery thou joyne application all will not
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
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
for are you members of the Church or no yes will every one say will you make me an Infidel will you make me a Pagan Well take your own word then what is it to be a member of the Church but to be a Saint Must thou be a Saint doth not thy profession as thou art a member bind thee to be a Saint In Baptisme was not thy promise to renounce the Divel the World the flesh In renewing thy covenant in the Communion dost not thou purpose to cleave to God in all things Thou that takest liberty therefore in the Church of God under the profession of Religion to live as a libertine thou art a grosse Hypocrite and this aggravates thy sin and makes it worse then a Pagans Thou which art in the bosome of the Church in the Kingdom of Saints as it is in Dan. 7. the people of the Saints of the most high the people of God in the Church wherein thou art a professed member and yet doest thou take liberty grosly to offend God What doth make a Saint In a word to the constitution of a true Saint there is A Separation Dedication Qualification Conversation There is a separation presently when a man is a Saint he is separate from the confused company of the world from the Kingdom of Satan Therefore those that have all companies alike that carry themselves indifferently in all companies as men that professe a kind of Civility that are taken up with the complement of the times men that learn the language of the times that are for all sorts they know not what belongs to the high profession of Christianity There is a due to all I confesse there is a benevolence and a beneficence to all but there is a kind of complacencie a sweet familiarity and amity which should be reserved to a few onely to those in whom we see the evidences and signs of Grace If there be not a separation in respect of Grace there is no holinesse at all a Saint must be separated Not locally but in regard of amitie in regard of intimate friendship As we see it is in outward things in some of our houses there is a Court where all come poor and rich and there is the house where those of nearer acquaintance come and then there is the innermost Roome the Closet where onely our selves and those which are nearest to us come So it is in the passages of the soul there are some remote courtesies that come from us as men to all be they what they will there are other respects to others that are nearer that we admit nearer that are of better quality and there are other that are nearest of all that we admit even into the closet of our hearts and those are they with whom we hope to have communion for ever in heaven the blessed people of God termed here Saints It is an evidence of our translation from a cursed estate to a better when we love such hereby we know saith St. John that we are translated from death to life because we love the bretheren There must be a separation And withal there must be a dedication of our selves to the service of God A Christian when he knowes himself by the word of truth and by the work of the Spirit to be Gods Child he dedicates himself to better services then before he thinks himself too good he thinks too highly of himself to be a base blasphemer or swearer to be a filthy Person he considers himself as the Temple of the Holy Ghost and he useth himself to better purposes to better studies to do good And then with Dedication there is an inward Qualification to inable him with light never to forget the Image of God Herein this Saint-ship stands especially in this inward Qualification whereby we resemble Christ the King of Saints All our sanctification comes from him as Aarons oyntment went down from his head to his beard and so to his skirts so all our sanctification is from Christ. Every Saint is qualified from the Spirit of Christ of his fulnesse we receive this inward qualification that we have another judgment of things then this world hath what is good and what is bad what is true and what is false what is comfortable and what tends to discomfort He hath another conceit of things he hath another light then he had before and then other carnal men have he hath a heavenly light He hath another Language he gives himself to prayer and to thanksgiving he is given to savoury discourse He hath other courses in his particular calling and in his general calling then other refuse company have or then himself had before his calling this is from his qualification And this Qualification and Conversation go together he hath a new conversation he carries himself even like to him that hath called him out of darknesse into marvellous light So a true Saint as every professor of Religion ought to be he is dedicate to God and he is qualified in some degree as Christ was by his holy Spirit he is a new creature he that is in Christ is a new creature and he shewes this by his conversation or else he is no Saint How shall we know a Saint from a meer civil man as there be many that live and d ie in that estate which is to be pittied and one main end of our calling is not only to reduce prophane men to a better fashion of life but to shew civil men their danger A meer civil man lookes to the second table he is smooth in his carriage and conversation with men but negligent in his service to God A civil man he lookes to his outward carriage but he makes no conscience of secret sins he is not holy in all manner of conversation as St. Peter saith 1. Pet. 1. Be ye holy in all manner of conversation In private in publick in your retired carriage he makes no conscience of his thoughts of his speeches of all You may know an hypocrite so that carries himself smoothly and acceptably in the eye of the World but he makes no conscience of his thoughts he makes no conscience of his affections of his desires of his lusts and such things He makes no conscience of lesser oathes nor perhaps of rotten discourses No they are all for this that they may passe in the World that they may carry themselves with acceptance as for what belongs to the New Creature to Saints they care not for they have vain conceits of these and judge them as hypocrites because such a one knowes himself should be an hypocrite if he should do otherwise then he doth therefore he thinks that others that are above his pitch are hypocrites and and they make a shew of that that is not in them because if he should make shew of that his heart would tell him that he were an hypocrite A true Saint differs from an
This being a truth that Gods Children when they have tasted of his mercie break forth into his praise it being the end of his favours and nature being inclined thereto this should stirre us up to this duty and that we may the better perform this holy duty let us take notice of all Gods favours and blessings Knowledge stirs up the affections blessing of God springs immediately from an inlarged heart but enlargement of heart is stirred up from apprehension for as things are reported to the knowledge so the understanding reports them to the heart and affections Therefore it is a duty that we ought to take notice of Gods favours and with taking notice of them To mind them to remember them forget not all his benefits Psal. 103. Praise the Lord O my soule and forget not all his benefits insinuating that the cause why we praise not God is the forgetting of his benefits Let us take notice of them let us register them let us mind them let us keep diaries of his mercies and favours every day he renews his mercies and favours every day and we ought to renew our blessing of him every day we should labour to do here as we shall do when we are in heaven where we shall do nothing else but praise and bless him we ought to be in Heaven while we are on the earth as much as we may let us register his favours and mercies But what favours Especially spirituall nay first spirituall favours without which we cannot heartily give thanks for any outward thing for the soule will cast with it self till it feele it selfe in Covenant with God in Christ that a man is the Child of God Indeed I have many mercies and favours God is good to me but perhaps all these are but favours of the Traytor in the prison that hath the libertie of the Tower and all things that his heart can desire but then he looks for an execution he looks for a writt to draw him forth to make him a spectacle to all and so this trembling for fear of a future ill which the soul lookes for it keepes the soul from thankfulnesse It cannot be heartily thankful for any mercy till it can be thankful for spiritual fauors Therefore first let us see that our state be good that we are in Christ that we are in the covenant of Grace that though we are weak Christians yet we are true there is truth in Grace wrought in us And then when we have tasted the best mercies spirituall mercies when we see we are taken out of the state of nature for then all is in love to us when we have the first mercy pardoning mercy that our sins are forgiven in Christ then the other are mercies indeed to us not as favours to a condemned man And that is the reason that a carnall man he hath his heart shut he cannot praise God he cannot trust in God because he staggers in his estate because he is not assured he thinks it may be God fattens me against the day of slaughter Therefore I know not whether I should praise him for this or no. But he is deceived in that for if he had his heart enlarged to blesse God for that God would shew further favour still but the heart will not yield hearty praise to God till it be perswaded of Gods love For all our love is by reflection We love him because he loved us first and we praise and blesse him because he hath blest us first in heavenly blessings in Christ. Let us take notice of his favours let us mind them let us register them especially favours and mercies in Christ. Let us after think how we were pulled out of the cursed estate of nature by what ministery by what acquaintance by what speech and how God hath followed that mercie with new acquaintance with new comfort to our souls with new refreshings that by his spirit he hath repressed our corruptions that he hath sanctified us made us more humble more careful that he hath made us more jealous more watchful these mercies and favours will make others sweet unto us And then learn to prize and value the mercies of God which will not be unlesse we compare them with our own unworthinesse lay his mercies together with our own unworthinesse and it will make us break forth into blessing of God When we consider what we are our selves as Jacob said lesse than the least of Gods mercies We forget Gods mercies every day he strives with our unthankfulnesse the comparing of his mercies with our unworthiness and our desert on the contrary will make us to blesse God for his goodnesse and patience that he will not onely be good to us in not inflicting that which our sins have deserved Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. And to name no more bút this one above all beg of God his holy spirit for this Blessing of God is nothing else but a vent from the spirit For as Organs and wind Instruments do never sound except they be blown they are dead and make no musick till there be breath put into them so we are dead and dull instruments therefore it is said we are filled with the Holy Ghost All Gods children they are filled with the spirit before they can praise God the spirit stirres them up to praise him and as it gives them matter to praise him for so it gives the Sacrifice of praise it self God gives to his children both the benefits to blesse him for and he gives the blessing of a heart to blesse him And we must beg both of God beg a heart able to discern spiritual favours to tast and relish them and to see our own unworthinesse of them and beg of God his holy spirit to awaken and quicken and enlarge our dead and dull hearts to praise his name Let us stir up our hearts to it stirr up the spirit of God in us every one that hath the spirit of God should labour to stir up the spirit as St. Paul writes to Timothy and as David stirs up himself Praise the Lord O my soul and all that is within me praise his holy name so we should raise up our selves and stir up our selves to this duty And shame our selves what hath God freed me from so great misery and hath he advanced me to so happie an estate in this world doth he put me in so certain a hope of glorie in the world to come have I a certain promise to be carried to salvation that neither things present nor things to come shall be able to separate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus doth he renew his mercies every day upon me and can I be thus dead can I be thus dull-hearted Let us shame our selves And certainly if a man were to teach a Child of God a ground of humiliation if a Child of God that is in the state of grace should ask how
shut but he keepes Court every day therefore Christ in the Gospel enjoynes us to go to God every day every day we say the Lords prayer forgive us our trespasses insinuating that the Court of mercy is kept every day to take out our pardon every day there is a pardon of course taken out At what time soever a sinner repents c. How shall we improve this mercy every day Do this when thou hast made a breach in thy conscience every day believe this that God is the Father of mercies and he may well be merciful now because he hath been sufficiently satisfied by the death of Christ He is the Father of Christ and the Father of mercies This do every day And withall consider our condition and estate is a state of dependance In him we live and move and have our being this will force us to mercie that he would hold us in the same estate we are in and go on with the work of grace that he would uphold us in health for that depends upon him that he would uphold us in peace for that depends upon him he is the God of peace that he would uphold us in comfort and strength to do good and resist evil we are in a dependant state and condition in all good of body and soul. He upholds the whole world and every particular let him take away his hand of merciful protection and susteining from us and we sink presently And every day consider how we are invironed with any danger remember we have compassing mercies as we have compassing dangers as it is Psal. 32. Mercy compasseth us round about Every day indeed we have need of mercie that is the way to have mercy here is a fountain of mercie the Father of mercy bowels opened the onely way to use it is to see what need we have of mercie and to flie to God to see what need we have in our souls and in regard of outward estate and to see that our condition is a dependant condition And lastly to make a use of thanfulnesse Blessed be God the Father of mercy we have the mercie of publick continued peace when others have war and their estates are consumed blessed be God the Father of mercie we sit under our own Vines and under our own figtrees If we have any personal mercies blessed be God the Father of mercies this way if he shew mercie to our souls and pardon our sins blessed be God the Father of mercies in this kind that he hath taken us and redeemed us out of that cursed estate that others walk in that are yet in their sins Oh it is a mercie and for this we should have inlarged hearts And withal consider the fearful estate of others that God doth not shew mercie to and this will make us thankfull As for instance if a man would be thankfull that hath a pardon let him see another executed that is broken upon the Wheele or the Rack or cut in pieces and tortured and then he will think I was in the same estate as this man is and I am pardoned Oh what a gratious Soveraign have I The consideration of the fearefull estate out of mercie what a fearefull estate those are in that live in sins against conscience that they are ready to drop into Hell when God strikes them with death if they dye so what a fearefull estate they are in and that God should give me pardon and grace to enter into another course of life that though I have not much grace yet I know it is true I am the child of God the consideration of the miserie of others in part in this world without repentance and especially what they shall suffer in Hell to consider the torment of the souls that are not in the state of Grace this will make us thankfull for mercies for pardoning and forgiving mercies for protecting mercies that God hath left thousands in the course of nature going on in a wilfull course of sinne This is that that the Apostle here practiseth Blessed be God the Father of mercies The other stile here is The God of all comfort The life of a Christian is a mysterie as in many respects so in this that whereas the flesh in him though he be not altogether flesh thinks him to be a man disconsolate the spirit finds matter of comfort and glory From whence the world begins discouragement and the flesh upbraiding from thence the spirit of God in holy Saint Paul begins matter of glory they thought him a man neglected of God because he was afflicted no saith he Blessed be the God of all comfort our comforts are above our discomforts As the wisdom of the flesh is enmitie to God and his spirit in all things so in this in the judgment of the cross for that which is bitterest to the flesh is sweetest to the spirit Saint Paul therefore opposeth his comforts spirituall to his disgraces outward and because it is unfit to mention any comfort any good from God without blessing of him that is the spring and fountain from whence we have all he takes occasion together with the mention of comfort to blesse God The God of all comfort The verse contains a wise prevention of scandall at the cross Saint Paul was a man of sorrows if ever any was next to Christ himselfe and that might prevent all scandall at his crosses and disgracefull afflicted usage he doth shew his comforts under the cross which he would not have wanted to have been without his cross therefore he begins here with praysing of God We praise God for favours and indeed the comforts he had in his crosses were more then the grievance he had by them therefore had cause to bless God Blessed be God c. The God of all comfort The God of comfort and the God of All comfort we must give Saint Paul leave to be thus large for his heart was full and a full heart a full expression And he speaks not out of books but from sense and feeling though he knew well enough that God was the Father of mercie God of all comfort that way yet these be wordsthat come from the heart come from feeling rather then from the tongue they came not from Saint Pauls pen onely his pen was first dipt in his heart and soule when he wrote this God is the Father of mercie and God of all comfort I feele him so he comforts me in all tribulations The God of all comfort To explaine the word a little Comfort is either the thing it selfe a comfortable outward thing a blessing of God wherein comfort is hid or else it is reasons because a man is an understanding creature reasons from which comfort is grounded or it is a real comfort inward and spirituall by the assistance and strength of the Spirit of God when perhaps there is no outward thing to comfort and perhaps reasons and discourse are not present at that time yet
there is a presence of the Spirit that comforts As we see oft times a man is comforted with the very sight of his friend without discourse to a man indued with reason whose discomforts are spirituall for the most part in the soule the very presence of a man that he loves puts much delight into him What is God then the God of comfort his very presence must needs comfort Comfort is taken many other wayes but these are the principall to this purpose First Comfort is the thing it selfe there is comfort in every creature of God and God is the God of that comfort In hunger meate comforts in thirst drink comforts in cold garments comfort in want of advice friends comfort and it is a sweet comfort God is the God of all comfort of the comfortable things But besides the necessary things every sense hath somewhat to comfort it The eye besides ordinary colours hath delightfull colours to behold and so the eare besides ordinary noise and sounds it hath musick to delight it the smell besides ordinarie savours it hath sweet flowers to refresh it and so every part of the body besides that which is ordinarie it hath somewhat to comfort it Because God is nothing but comfort to his creature if it be as it should be he is God of these comforts the God of all comfort of the comfort of outward things of friends c. So he is the God of the second comfort of comfortable reasons and arguments for a man especially in inward troubles must have grounds of comfort from strong reasons God ministreth these he is the God of these for he hath given us his Scriptures his Word and the comforts that are fetched from thence are strong ones because they are his comforts it is his Word The word of a Prince comforts though he be not there to speake it though it be a letter or by a Messenger yet he whose word it is is one that is able to make his word good he is Lord and Master of his word The Word of God is comfortable and all the reasons that are in it and that are deduced from it upon good ground and consequence they are comfortable because it is Gods word he is the God of all And those comforts in Gods word and reasons from thence they are wonderfull in the variety of them there is comfort from the liberty of a Christian laid out there that he hath free access to the throne of Grace comfort from the Prerogatives of a Christian that he is the Child of God that he is justified that he is the heire of Heaven and such like Comforts from the Promises of Grace of the presence of God of assistance by his presence these things out of the Word of God are wondrous plentifull Indeed the Word of God is a breast of comfort as the Prophet cals it Suck comfort out of the breasts of comfort Isa. 66. The books of God are breasts of comfort wels of comfort Isa. 11. there are springs of comfort Gods word is a Paradise as it were in Paradise there were sweet streams that ran through and in Paradise stirred the voyce of God not onely calling Adam where art thou terrifying of him but the voyce of God promising Adam the blessed seed So in the Word of God there is God rouzing out of sinne and there is God speaking peace to the soule there is a sweet current of mercie runs from the Paradise of God and there is the Tree of life Christ himselfe and Trees of all manner of fruit comforts of all sorts whatsoever And there is no Angel there to keep the doore and gate of Paradise with a fierie flaming sword No this Paradise is open for all and they are cruell Tyrants that stop th is Paradise that stop this Fountain as the Papists doe As God is the God of comfort so he is the God of comfort in that respect But this is not enough to make him the God of comfort we may have the Word of God and all the reasons from thence from priviledges and prerogatives and examples and yet not be comfortable if we have not the God of comfort with the Word of comfort the Spirit of God that must apply the comfort to the soule and be the God of comfort there For there must be application and working of comfort out of Gods word upon the soule by the spirit the spirit must set it on strongly and sweetly that the soule may be affected You may have a carnall man he for fashion or custome reads the Scriptures and he is as dead-hearted when he hath done as when he began he never looks to the spirit of comfort there must be the spirit of God to work and to apply comfort to the heart and to teach us to discourse and to reason from the Word not onely to shew the reasons of the Word but to teach us to draw reasons from the Word and to apply them to our particular state and condition the spirit teacheth this wisedome And therefore it is well called the comforter I will send you the comforter The poore disciples had many comforts from Christ but because the Comforter was not come they were not comfortable but heavie what was the reason because the Comforter was not come when the holy Ghost was come after the resurrection and ascension of Christ when he had sent the Comforter then they were so full of comfort that they rejoyced that they were thought worthy to suffer any thing for Christ and the more they suffered the more joyfull and comfortable and glorious they were You see what a comfort is it is the things themselves and the word and reasons from it and likewise the spirit of God with the reasons and with presence sometimes without any reasons with present strength God doth establish the soule together with reasons there is a strengthning power of the spirit a vigour that goes with the spirit of God that joyns with the spirit of the afflicted person So whether it be the outward thing as reasons and discourse or the presence of the spirit God joyning with our spirit God is the God of that comfort the God of all comfort A comfort is any thing that allaies a maladie that either takes it away or allaies and mitigates it A comfort is any thing that raiseth up the soul The comforts that wee have in this life they are not such as doe altogether take away sorrow and griefe but they mitigate them Comfort is that which is above a maladie it is such a remedie as is stronger to support the soul from being cast down over much with the grievance whether it be grievance felt that we are in the sence of such a grievance as is feared when the soule apprehends any thing to set against the ill we feare that is stronger then it when the soule hath somewhat that it can set against the present sence of the grievance that is stronger
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
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
flesh is purged and the Spirit strengthened and weaning from the world is wrought and a desire to heaven By the daily crosses we suffer as men not for Religion we are much bettered and those in some sort may be called the sufferings of Christ because by them we are conformed to Christ more in holinesse we grow more out of love with the World and more heavenly minded This distinction is necessary to know which are best the sufferings of Christians as good men It is a point I say of wonderous comfort that we should be conformable in our sufferings with our Head Christ Jesus our Glorified head in heaven is it not a wonderous comfort Nay is it not a glory It is a wondrous glory that God will set us apart to do any thing that God will take any thing of us much more that he will single us out to be Champions in his quarrel and more that he will triumph in us that the comfort shall abound To give an instance if a Monarch should redeem a slave a Traitor from Prison and take him to fight in the Quarrel of his own son to be his Champion were it not an honour so the very sufferings for Christ are an encouragement the disgraces and whatsoever they are that we suffer in a good cause they are ensigns of honour they are badges of honour of Christian knighthood If a Golden Fleece or a Garter or such things be accounted so highly of and glorified in because they are favours c. much more should the sufferings for Christ be glorified in as ensigns of the love God and of our Christian profession when we fight under Christs Banner we are like to Christ we are conformable to him he went before and we follow his steps and if we suffer with him we shall be Glorified with him Therefore be not discouraged that which we think to be matter of discouragement it should be our Crown it is our Crown to suffer reproach in a good cause It is a sign God favours us when he takes our credit our goods or our life to honour himself by Is it not an honour to us doth he take any thing from us but he gives us better he takes our goods but he gives us himself he takes our liberty but he gives us enlargement of conscience he takes our life but he gives us heaven if he take any thing from us for to seal his truth and stand out in his quarrel as Christ saith he gives an hundred fold in this World that is a gracious spirit of contentment and comfort We have God himself hath not he more that hath the spring then he that hath twenty Cisterns Those that have riches and place and friends they have Cisterns but he that suffers for God and for Christ he hath Christ he hath God he hath the spring to go to if all be taken from him he hath God the spring to go to if all particular Beams he hath the Sun It is durable wondrous comfort to suffer for Christs sake Therefore let it encourage us in a good course notwithstanding all the opposition we meet with in the World let us here learn what is our duty let the malicious world judge or say or do what they will if God be on our side who can be against us And if we suffer any thing for Christ he suffers with us and in us and he will triumph in us over all these sufferings at last I will add no more to set an edge upon that I have said then this they are the sufferings of Christ we should be many wayes encouraged to suffer for him For did not he suffer for us that which if all the creatures in heaven and earth had suffered they would have sunk under it the wrath of God And what good have we by his sufferings are we not freed from Hell and Damnation and have we not Title to Heaven hath he suffered in his person so much for us and shall not we be content to suffer for him and his mystical body that in his own body suffered so much for us Again when we suffer in his quarrel we suffer not only for him that suffered for us but we suffer for him that sits at the right hand of God that is glorious in heaven The King of Kings and Lord of Lords Our sufferings are sufferings for him that hath done so much for us and for him that is so able now to over-rule all to crush our enemies for him that is so able now to minister comfort by his Spirit This is a notable encouragement that they are the sufferings of Christ that is so glorious as he is and that will reward every suffering and every disgrace we shall be paid well for every suffering we shall lose nothing And will not this encourage us likewise to suffer for Christs sake because he will be with us in all our sufferings he will not leave us alone it is his cause and he will stand by his own cause he will maintain his own quarrel he will cause comfort to increase Is it not an encouragement to defend a Princes quarrel in his own sight when he stands by to abet us it would encourage a dull mettle When we suffer for Christs cause we have Christ to defend us he is with us in all our sufferings to bear us up he puts his shoulder under by his holy Spirit to support us We cannot live long in this world we owe God a death we owe nature a death the sentence of death is past upon us we cannot enjoy the comfort of this World long and for favour and applause of the World we must leave it and it will leave us we know not how soon and this meditation should inforce us to be willing however it go with us for any thing here for life or goods or friends or credit and reputation or whatsoever to be willing to seal the cause of Christ with that which is dearest to us If we suffer with him we shall be glorified with him The very sufferings of Christ are better then the most glorious day of the greatest Monarch in the world that is not a Christian it is better to suffer with Christ then to joy with the world The very abasement of St. Paul was better then the triumph of Nero. Let Moses be judge he judged it the best end of the ballance the very sufferings and reproach of Christ and of Religion is better then the best thing in the world the worst thing in Christianity is better then the best thing out of Christ. The best thing out of Christ is the honour of a King the honour of a Prince to be a Kings Son c. but the reproach of Christ for a good cause is better then the best thing in the world I say let Moses be judge if we will not believe it our selves till we feel it the worst day of a Christian is better then the best day of
upon many carnall wretched persons that are led with a false confidence all their life that trust in the creature trust in friends and riches that will not trust in God and will not be taught to number their dayes in their life time it is just with God to their very death with false confidence when they come to death to suffer them to perish in their false confidence and so to sink into hell It is just with God to suffer them to have Atheists about them or weak persons that shall say Oh you shall do well enough and then even out of a very desire to live they are willing to believe all and so they dy without all shew of change and as they live so they dy and are wretched in both The life of a wicked man is ill his death worse his estate after death worst of all and this is one way whereby God suffers men to fall into the snare of the Devill when he suffers not those that are about them to deale faithfully St. Paul received the sentence of death that it might force him not to trust in himself but in God that raiseth the dead The second thing that is observable hence out of this first part which is the negative part is this that Gods children are prone to trust in themselves The hearts even of Gods deare children are prone in themselves if they be left to their own bent and weight to self-confidence and will not hold up in faith and affiance in God further then they are lifted and kept up by a Spirit of faith which God puts into them It was not in vain that God used this course with blessed St. Paul here is an end set downe that he might not trust in himself What was he in peril to trust in himself Alas St Paul though he were a holy excellent man yet he was a man and in the best man there is a double principle a principle of nature of corrupt nature and a principle of grace and he works according to both principles there is an intermixture of both in all his actions and in all his passions too in his sufferings Corruption shews it self in his best deeds and his best sufferings in every thing That we should not trust in our selves that is in any thing in our selves or out of our selves in the creature it is all one We see by the example of S. Paul that the best are prone to trust in themselvs All this hard usage of S. Paul that he received the sentence of death it was that he should not trust in himself What was there danger in St. Paul to trust in himself a man that had been so excercised with crosses and afflictions as he had been no man more one would think that he had been scoured enough of pride and self-confidence the whippings and misusings the stocks the dungeons c. would not all this work pride and self-confidence out of the Apostle No so deeply it is invested into our base nature our trusting to present things that we cannot live the life of faith we cannot depend upon God whom we cannot see but withother eyes then nature â—…h it is so deeply rooted in our nature that the blessed Apostle himself must have this great help to be taught to go out of himself and to depend upon God we see in what danger he was in another place to be lifted up with the revelations he was fain to have a prick in the flesh a Messenger of Satan to buffet him Hezekias his heart was lifted up as the Scripture speaks in his treasures that he shewed to the King of Babylons Ambassadours as if he were such a rich Prince And so holy David in numbring the people to shew what a mighty Prince he was it was his vaine confidence therefore God put him to a strange cure he punished him in that that he gloried in he took away so many of his people And so Hezekias was punished in that he sinned in he was fain to have a purge for it his treasure was taken away and carried to Babylon I said in my prosperity saith holy David I shall never be moved The best are Subject to false confidence to trust in themselves One reason partly because there is a mixture of corruption in us while we live here and corruption looks to this false principle in us that will never be wrought out with all the afflictions in the world till death make an end of corruption there will be a false trust in our selves and in the creature we cannot trust God perfectly as we should doe Again The reason is because the things of this life are usefull and commodious unto us and we are nouzelled up in the use of them and when Satan doth amplifie them in our fancie to be greater in goodness then they are opinion sets a greater worth on them if there were no Devill but he presenting these things in all the lusture he can he helps the imagination which he hath more to doe with then with all the parts of the soul and the soul looks in the glass of opinion upon these things and thinks they are goodly great matters learning and wisdom honour and riches looking upon them as they are amplified by the false fancie of others and the competition of the world wherein we live every man is greedy and hastie of these things All men have not faith for better things therefore they are mad of these So the competition of others and the inlarging our conceits upon them above their worth these make us put greater confidence in them and then we come to trust in our selves and in them and not in God Naturally we cannot see the nothingness of the creature that as it came out of nothing so it will turn to nothing but because it is sensible these good things are sensible and present and necessarie and usefull and naturally we live by our senses therefore we place our delight in them that when they are taken away all the soul goes with them As he that leans upon a crutch or any thing when that is taken away down he fals so it is with a man by nature he trusts to these things when they go his soul sinks together with the things Even as it is with those that are in a stream when they are in a running stream they are carried with the stream so all these things go away they are of a fleeting condition we see them not in their passage when they are gone we see them past we see not our selves vanish by little and little out of this life we see not the creatures present we see not death and other things beyond death as we should by the eye of faith so things passe and we passe with them the stream and we run together it must be a great measure of faith that must help this We are prone to trust to sensible things naturally we know what it is
will tell them that it is another manner of sin and that it is the fountain of all sin And so for Justification by works conscience it self if there were no Book of God would say it is a false point And then they plead for Ignorance they have blind consciences their Clergy being a subtile generation that have abused the world a long time because they would sit in the conscience where God should sit they sit in the Temple of God and would be respected above that which is due to them they would be accounted as petty gods in the world therefore they keep the people from the knowledge of the true rule and make what they speak equal with Gods word Now if the people did discern this they would not be Papists long for no man would willingly be cozened Let us labour therefore for a true rule And when we have gotten rules apply them for what are rules without application Rules are instrumental things and instruments without use are nothing If a Carpenter have a rule and hang it up by him and work by conceit what is it good for So to get a company of rules by the word of God to refine natural knowledge as much as we can and then to make no use of it in our lives it is to no purpose therefore when we have rules let us apply them In this those that have the true rule and apply it not are better then they that refuse to have the rule because as hath been said an Ignorant man that hath not the rule he cannot be good But a man that hath the rule and yet squares not his life by it yet he can bring the rule to his life there is a near converse between the heart and the brain such a man he hath the rule in his memory he hath it in his understanding and therefore there is a thousand times more hope of him that cares to know that cares to hear the word of God and cares for the meanes then of sottish persons that care not to hear because they would not do that they know and because they would not have their sleepy dull and drowsie conscience awaked there is no hope of such a one It should be our care to have right rules and in the application of them to make much of conscience that it may apply aright in directing and then in comfort If we obey it in directing it will witnesse and excuse and upon witnesse and excuse there will come a sweet Paradise to the soul of joy and peace unspeakable and glorious The last thing I observe from these words is this that The testimonie and witnesse of conscience is a ground of comfort and joy The reason of the joyning these two the witnesse of a good conscience and joy it is that which I said before in the description of conscience for conscience first admonisheth and then witnesseth and then it excuseth or accuseth and then it judgeth and executeth Now the inward execution of conscience is joy if it be good for God hath so planted it in the heart and soul that where conscience doth accuse or excuse there is alway execution there is alway joy or fear the affections of joy or fear alway follow If a mans conscience excuse him that he hath done well then conscience comes to be enlarged to be a Paradise to the soul to be a Jubile a refreshing to speak peace and comfort to a man For rewards are not kept altogether for the life to come hell is begun in an ill conscience and heaven is begun in a good conscience an ill conscience is a hell upon earth a good conscience is a heaven upon earth therefore the testimony of a good conscience breeds glorying and rejoycing Again conscience when it witnesseth it comforts because when it witnesseth it witnesseth with God and where God is there is his Spirit and where the holy Spirit is there is joy for even as heat followes the fire so joy and glorying accompany the Spirit of God The Spirit of glory Now when conscience witnesseth aright it witnesseth with God and God is alway cloathed with joy he brings joy and glory into the heart Conscience witnesseth with God that I am his And it witnesseth with my self that I have led my life thus Our rejoycing is the witnesse of our conscience It is not the witnesse of another mans conscience but my own other men may witnesse and say I am thus and thus but all is to no purpose if my own conscience tell me I am another man then they take me to be But when a man 's own conscience witnesseth for him there followes rejoycing A man cannot rejoyce with the testimony of another mans conscience because another man saith I am a good man c. unlesse there be the testimony of my own conscience Now it is a sweet benefit an excusing conscience when it witnesseth well Let us see it in all the passages of life that a good conscience in excusing breeds glorying and joy It doth breed joy in Life in Death at the day of judgement In life in all the passages of life in all estates both good and ill In good the testimonie of conscience breeds joy for it enjoyes the pleasures of this life and the comforts of it with the favour of God conscience tells the man that he hath gotten the things well that he enjoyes that he hath gotten the place and advancement that he hath well that he enjoyes the comforts of this life with a good conscience and all things are pure to the pure If he have gotten them ill conscience upbraids him alway and therefore he cannot joy in the good estate he hath If a man had all the contentments in the world if he had not the testimonie of a good conscience what were all What contentment had Adam in Paradise after once by sin he had fallen from the peace of conscience none at all A little that the righteous hath is better then great riches of the ungodly because they have not peace of conscience And so for ill estate when conscience witnesseth well it breeds rejoycing In false imputations and slanders and disgraces as here it was insinuated into the Corinthians by false teachers and those that followed them that St. Paul was so and so saith St. Paul You may say what you will of me My rejoycing is this the testimony of my conscience that I am not the man which they make me to be in your hearts by their false reports The witnesse of conscience is a good and sufficient ground of rejoycing in this case Therefore holy men have retired to their conscience in all times as Saint Paul you see doth here So Job his conscience bare him out in all the false imputations of his comfortlesse friends that were miserable comforters they laboured to take away his sincerity from him the chief cause of his joy Yeu shall not
estate is not good because it is not such an estate So foolish and as a beast was I before thee saith David because I regarded such things No marvell if men be uncomfortable that are led away by scandals Look to faith goe to the Word to the Sanctuarie I went to the Sanctuary saith he and there I saw the end of these men So conscience must be suffered to have its work to be led by a true rule Again conscience sometimes concludes not comfort when there is ground of comfort from the remainders of corruptions and infirmities whereas we should be driven by our infirmities to Christ. And conscisence sometimes in good men doth not exercise its work in good men it is drawn away with vain delights even in the best men And conscience of its owne unworthinesse and of the greatnesse of the things it lookes for being joyned together it makes a man that he joyes not when he hath cause As for instance when the soule sees that God in Christ hath pardoned all my sins and hath vouchsafed his Spirit to me and will give me heaven in the world to come to such a wretch as I am here being a conflict between the conscience and sense of its own unworthinesse and the greatnesse of 〈◊〉 good promised the heart begins to stagger and to doubt for want of sound faith Indeed if we look on our own unworthinesse and the greatnesse of the good things promised we may wonder but alas God is infinite in goodnesse he transcends our unworthinesse and in the Gospell the glorie of Gods mercy it triumphs over our unworthinesse and over our sins whatsoever our sin and unworthinesse is his goodnesse in the Gospel triumphs over all In Innocency God should have advanced an innocent man but the Gospel is more glorious for he comes to sinners to condemned persons by nature and yet God triumphs over their sins and unworthinesse he regards not what we deserve but what may stand with the glory of his mercy therefore we should banish those thoughts and enjoy our own priviledge the promises of heaven and happinesse and all comforts whatsoever so much for the answer of that objection Now if we would joy in the witnesse of a good conscience we must especially in the time of temptation live by faith and not by feeling not by what we feele for the present but as we see Christ in his greatest horrour My God my God why hast thou forsaken me he goes to my God still We must live by faith and not by sense And then if we would rejoyce in extremities remember that God works by contraries God will bring us to heaven but it must be by hell God will bring us to comfort but it must be by sense of our own unworthinesse He will forgive our sins but it must be by sight and sense of our sins he will bring us to life but it must be by death he will bring us to glorie but it must be by shame God works by contraries therefore in contraries believe contraries When we are in a state that hath no comfort yet we may joy in it if we believe in Christ he works by contraries As in the Creation he made all out of nothing order out of confusion So in the work of the new creation in the new creature he doth so likewise therefore be not dismayed Remember this rule likewise that in the covenant of Grace God requires truth and not measure thou art not under the law but under the covenant of Grace A little fire is true fire as well as the whole element of fire A drop of water is water as well as the whole Ocean so if it be true faith true grief for sins true hatred of them true desire of the favour of God and to grow better truth is respected in the covenant of Grace and not any set measure What saith the Covenant of Grace He that believes and repents shall be saved not he that hath a strong faith or he that hath perfect repentance So Saint Paul saith as we shall see after This is our rejoycing that in simplicity and sincerity we have had our conversation among you he doth not say that our conversation hath been perfect So if we would have joy in the testimony of conscience we must not abridge our selves of joy because we have not a perfect measure of Grace but rejoyce that God hath wrought any measure of Grace in such unclean and polluted hearts as ours are for he least measure of Grace is a pledge of perfection in the world to come This is our rejoycing the testimony of our conscience c. Hence we may gather clearly that A man may know his own estate in Grace I gather it from the place thus Our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity c. Where there is joy and the ground of joy there is a knowledge of the estate but a Christian hath glorying and a ground of glorying in himself and he knowes it he hath that in him that witnesseth that estate he hath the witnesse of conscience therefore he may know and be assured of it If this testimony were not a true testimony it were something but all men naturally have a conscience and a Christian hath a sanctified conscience and where that is there is a true testimony and true joy from that testimony therefore he may be assured of his salvation and have true joy and comfort a Heaven upon Earth before he come to Heaven it self If conscience testifie of it self and from witnessing give cause of joy much more the Spirit of God comming into the conscience The Spirit beares witnesse with our spirits If our spirit and conscience bear witnesse to us of our conversation in simplicity and sincerity and from thence of our estate in grace much more by the witnesse of two By the witnesse of two or three every thing shall be confirmed but our spirits and conscience and the Spirit of God which every Child of God hath witnesseth that we are the Children of God Rom. 8. The Spirit witnesseth with our spirits that we are the sons of God Therefore a Christian may know his estate in Grace The spirit of a man knowes himself and the Spirit of God knowes him likewise and it knowes what is in the heart of God and when these two meet the Spirit of God that knowes the secrets of God and that knowes our secrets and our spirit that knowes our heart likewise what should hinder but that we may know our own estate It is the nature of conscience as I told you to reflect upon it self and upon the person in whom it is to know what is known by it and to judge and condemne and execute it self by inward fear and terrour in ill and in good by comfort and joy in a mans self It is the property that the soul hath above all creatures to return and recoyle upon it self If this be
good demand It is not baptisme but the demand of a good conscience When the conscience hath fed on Christ it demands boldly as it is Rom. 8. of Satan and all enemies Who shall lay any thing to our charge it is God that justifieth it is Christ that died or rather that is risen again It boldly demands of God who hath given his Son the bold demand of conscience prevails with God and this comes by faith in Christ. Now this is strengthened by the Sacrament here are the visible representations and seales that we are incorporate more and more into Christ and so feeding upon Christ once our conscience is pacified and purged from all dead works and we come to have a continuall feast Christ is first the Prince of righteousnesse the righteous King and then Prince of peace first he gives righteonsnesse and then he speaks peace to the conscience The Kingdom of God is righteousnesse peace and joy in the Holy Ghost So that all our feast and joy and comfort that we have in our consciences it must be from righteousnesse A double righteousnesse the righteousnesse of Christ which hath satisfied and appeased the wrath of God fully and then we must have the righteousnesse of a good conscience sanctified by the Spirit of Christ we must put them together alway we can never have communion with Christ and have forgivenesse of sins but we must have a Spirit of sanctification There is mercy with thee that thou mayest be feared Where there is mercy in the forgivenesse of sin there is a disposition to fear it ever after Therefore if for the present you would have a good conscience desire God to strengthen your faith in the blood of Christ poured out for you desire God to strengthen your faith in the crucified bodie of Christ broken for you that so feeding on Christ who is your surety who himself is yours and all is yours you may ever have the feast of a good conscience that will comfort you in false imputations that will comfort you in life and in death and at the day of judgement This is our rejoycing in all things the testimony of our conscience first purged by the blood of Christ and then purged and sanctified by the Spirit of Christ that we have had our Conversation in simplicity and sincerity c. Our rejoycing is this that in simplicity and sincerity This is the matter of this testimonie of Conscience that is simplicity and sincerity Saint Paul glories in his simplieity and sincerity And mark that by the way it is no vain glorying but lawful upon such cautions as I named before but to add a little A man in some cases may glory in the Graces of God that are in him but with these cautions First if so be that he look on them as the gifts of God Secondly if he look on them as stained with his own defects and so in that respect be humbled Thirdly if he look upon them as fruits of his justification and as fruites of his assurance of his salvation and not as causes And then if it be before men that he glories not when he is to deale with God When men lay this and that imputation upon a man he may rejoyce as Saint Paul doth here in the testimony of his conscience in simplicity and sincerity The matter of the testimony of Conscience wherein he glories is simplicity and godly sincerity or as the words may well be read in the simplicity and sincerity of God such as proceeds from God and such as aimes at and looks to God and resembles God For both simplicity and sincerity come from God they are wrought by God and therein we resemble God and both of them have an eye to God a respect to God so it is in the originall in the simplicity and sincerity of God There is not much difference between simplicity and sincerity the one expresseth the other if you will have the difference simplicity especially respects men our conversation amongst men Simplicity hath an eye to God in all things in Religion opposite to hypocrisy in Religion Simplicity that is opposed to doublenesse where doublenesse is there is alway hypocrisy opposed to sincerity and where simplicity is there is alway sincerity truth to God But it is not good to be very exact and punctuall in the distinction of these things they may one expresse the other very well Simplicity Saint Paul's rejoycing was that his conscience witnessed to him his simplicity in his whole conversation in the world his whole course of life which the Scripture calls in other places a walking Saint Paul meanes this first of himself and then he propoundes himself an example to us How was St. Paul's conversation in simplicity Not onely if we consider Saint Paul as a Christian but consider him as an Apostle his conversarion was in simplicity It was without guile without seeking himself without seeking his owne for rather then he would be grievous to the Corinthians the man of God he wrought himself because he would not give any the least scandall to them being a rich people he had rather live by his own labour then to open his mouth he did not seek himself In a word he did not serve himself of the Gospell he served Christ he did not serve himself of Christ. There are many that serve themselves of the Gospell that serve themselves of religion they care no more for religion then will serve their owne turne Saint Paul's conversation was in simplicity he had no such aime he did not preach of envy orof malice or for gain as he taxeth some of the Philippian teachers Some preach Christ not of simplicity and sincerity but of envy c. Then again as an Apostle and a teacher his conversation was in simplicity because he mingled nothing with the Word of God in teaching his doctrine is pure What should the chaffe do with the wheat Jer. 20. What should the drosse do with the Gold he did not mingle his own conceits and devices with the Word for he taught the pure Word of God the simple Word of God simple without any mixture of any by-aimes So the blessed Apostle was simple both in his Doctrine and in his intentions Propounding himself herein exemplary to all us that as we look to hold up our heads with comfort and to glory in all estat es whatsoever so our consciences must bear us witnesse that we carry our selves in the simplicity and sincerity of God Now simplicity is when there is a conformity of pretention and intention when there is nothing double when there is not a contradiction in the spirit of a man and in his words and carriage outwardly That is simplicty when there is an exact conformity and correspondence in a mans judgement and speech in his affections and actions When a man judgeth simply as the truth of the thing is and when he affects as he judgeth when he loves
the greatest judgement that God can shew in this world to give us up to our own wits to our own devices for we shall wind and turn and work our own ruine And that is the hell of Hell in hell when the soul there shall think with it self I brought my self hither God will be exceedingly justified when men by their own wit shall damne themselves When God hath revealed to man taught them this is the way O man I have shewed thee what is good and what doth the Lord require of thee he hath revealed it in his Word doe this and doe that and he hath given conscience to help and yet out of policie to contrive thy own pleasures and profits and advantages in the world thou hast done the contrary When a mans soul shall reason thus My owne wit brought me hither I am damned by wit I am damned by policie a poore policy it is that brings a man to damnation Therefore we should beg of God above all things that he would not deliver us up to our selves As Saint Austin hath a good speech Lord free me from my self from my own devices and policy The divell himself is not such an enemie as I said as our own carnal wit for it is that that betrayes us to Satan Satan could do us no harm unlesse he had a friend within us Therefore beg of God above all things Lord give me not up to my own brain to my own devices for man is a beast by his own knowledge but let thy wisdome and thy will be my rule Again if so be that we ought not to make this carnal fleshly wisdome the rule of our life then let us have a negative voyce ready presently for it whensoever we find any carnal suggestion in our hearts say nay to it presently deny it presently have a jealousie presently when any plot ariseth that is not warrantable by the Word of God and that is contrary to conscience and to simplicity and sincerity presently deny it consult not with flesh and blood as Saint Paul saith of himself Gal. 1. I consulted not with flesh and blood And when you have any thing to do Considering that this is not the rule you are to live by or when you have any thing to resist when you have any thing to suffer Consider what God requires consider what is for the peace of conscience consider what is for the good of your selves and for the good of the Church consult with these advisers with these intelligencers and not with flesh and blood Consider not what is for your profit for your pleasure for your ease but resolve against them Get the truth of God so planted in your hearts that it may carry you through all these impediments and all these suggestions whatsoever And because we cannot do this without a change we cannot have a disposition contrary to carnal wisdome without a change for except a man be born anew except he be a new creature he cannot have holy aimes you must labour therefore more and more to have the spirit of your mind renewed and to grow in assurance of a better estate for what makes men carnally to project for this world they are not sure of a better They reason thus with themselves It may be I may have heaven it may be not I am sure of the pleasures present of the profits present although alas it be but for a short time whereas if thy soul were enlightned with heavenly light and thou wert convinced of the excellent estate of Gods Children in this world in the state of grace That a Christian is incomparably above all men in the first-fruits of heaven in the peace of conscience and joy in the Holy Ghost which is above all prosperity and all profit whatsoever And that in heaven which is above our capacity and reach every way they shall be happy if men were convinced of this certainly they would not prostitute their pates to work so worldly If they were sure of heaven they would not so plod for the earth Let us therefore labour to grow daily in the assurance of salvation beg of God his Spirit to have your minds enlightned And withal to joyn both together to see the vanity of all earthly things which set carnal wisdome on work For first outward things they work upon the sense upon the outward man profits and pleasures are outward things and therefore they work upon sense they work upon opinion in opinion they be so as indeed worldly things are more in opinion then in truth A carnal worldly man he thinks poverty a hell he thinks it is such a misery it is not so Labour to have a right judgmenr of the things of the earth that set carnal wisdome on work to avoid poverty to avoid suffering for a good cause The Devil inflames fancy fancy thinks it is a great hurt to be in poverty fancy thinks it is a great good to be in honour to be in credit to have great place that other men may be beholding to us Alas get a sanctified judgment to see what these things be that set our wits on work What are all these things Vanity and vexation of spirit Let our meditations walk between these two often think of the excellent estate of a Christian in this world and in the world to come and that will set heavenly wisdome on work it will make you plot and be politick for heaven And then withall see the vanity of all other things of pleasures and honours and profits and whatsoever that we may not prostitute our soules to them which are worse then our selves that our soules may not set themselves on work to project and proule for these things that are worse then themselves Let this be your daily practice the meditation of these two things is worthy to take up your cogitations every day To consider the vanity the vexation and uncertainty that accompanies all these things when you have got them as we see in Ahab when he had gotten the Vineyard Besides the vanity of thâ—… consider how you have gotten them and how miserable will you judge your selves presently How doth God meet with the carnal wits of men in the attaining of things The wicked man shall not roast that which he took in hunting He hunted after preferment he hunted after riches to scrape a great deal for his posterity how doth God deal with such he overthrowes them utterly and his posterity perhaps they spoyl all Himself roasted not that which he took in hunting Ahab got much by yielding to the carnal wisdome of Jezabel Hast thou gotten and also taken possession What became of Ahab with all his plots and devices Achitophel and others God may give them successe for a while but afterward he gives them the overthrow Herod he had successe a while in killing of James and therefore he thought to work wisely and get Peter too God struck him with Worms
Pharaoh in the overthrow of Gods people saith he Let us work wisely How wisely they were overthrown and drowned themselves their wisdome brought them into the middest of the Sea Consider the vanity of earthly things And then consider how just it is with God to crosse them either in their own time as the rich fool in the Gospel when he had riches for many yeares This night shall they take away thy soul. That we may not walk according to the false rules of fleshly wisdome let us oft think of these things And to adde another thing out of the Text You see here that S. Paul rejoyced in this That his conscience could witnesse that he had not walked in fleshly wisdome so if you do not walk according to the rules of fleshly wisdome you shall have this benefit your conscience shall glory in it To make it clear to you Take in your thoughts a Politician upon his Death-bed that hath striven so much for riches that hath striven to root himself by policy to attain to such and such places to obtain his pleasure and delights in the world what glory what comfort hath he in this There is nothing more opposite to comfort then plotting for as I said before when I spake of simplicity the more will there is the more deliberation and plotting there is in sin the more is the sin because it is done cooly as we say so of all persons usually if their wits be their own the greatest plotters die most desperately For then their conscience tells them that they have set their wits on the rack to do this mischief and that mischief and here his comfort is cooled his peace of conscience is broken What comfort can there be when that which he sinned for that which he broke the peace of his conscience for that is gone and he must be taken and hurried away from that but the wound of conscience the crack of conscience that remains for ever when he shall think That for which I sinned is vanished but my terrour abides for ever A man therefore that walks after the rules of fleshly wisdome he can never say with S. Paul I rejoyce But on the contrary let a man be able to witnesse to himself as S. Paul could At such a time my fleshly subtle wisdome would have discouraged me from doing good and the wisdome of flesh and blood in others would have discouraged me from reforming such and such abuses but I knew it was my duty and I did it here now is comfort At such a time I was moved to such evil by flesh and blood in my self or perhaps in others as a man shall never want the Devil in his friends the Devil comes to us in our nearest friends but I had the grace to withstand it I was not led by such and such ruleâ—… by my acquaintance or by my own devices but I had grace to resist such motions What a wondrous comfort is this There is nothing so sharp in conflict as this To resist Carnal wisdome it is the shrewdest temptation that is from carnal wisdome and as the Temptation is the strongest so the comfort is answerable When Jezabel shall be offered with her inticements with her colours with her paint and a man can dash her in pieces and cast her out of the window when a man can maintain sincerity and honesty what a comfort is this The greater and stronger the temptation is that is resisted the more is the comfort when we come to yield our soules to God when we come to our account Therefore be not discouraged when you are set upon by Carnal wisdome by strong reasons of others or subtle reasons of your own is it against the rule is it against Conscience is it against the Word withstand it that which is sharpest in the conflict will be sweetest in the comfort Again if so be that Carnal fleshly worldly wisdome for it is all one for the flesh is led by the world and both coâ—…spire together and hold correspondence to betray the soul if it be such an enemy that it hinders our joy and comfort and that it ever we will joâ—… we must not be led by carnal wisdome Then we ought in our daily courses to repent not onely of grosse sins but to repent even of carnal devices and carnal designs Why It is the motion and the counsel of Gods enemâ—… and of our enemy therefore as Davia Psalr 37. and Psal 7â—… when fleshly wisdome did suggest to him carnal motions oâ—… doubting of the providence of God that he began to think well of the waies of the wicked that they prospered that were led altogether by fleshly wisdome he censures himself it is the drift of both Psalmes So foolish was I and as a beast before thee As indeed Man is a beast by his own knowledge as Jeremy saith For all carnal men sympathize either with beasts in base lusts or else with Devils in politick lusts either they are like Devils subtle or like beasts brutish in all their courses Therefore when any base thought opposite to the Majestie of God and his Truth and to the Spirit of God moving our hearts ariseth in our hearts think This is the motion of mine enemy of an enemy that lurks in my bosome of Godsenemy of a Traitor let us renounce it and be abased and censure our selves for it as holy David did So foolish was I c. Crush all thoughts and devices of carnal wisdome in the beginning We see that the Godly they ought not nor do not lead their lives by fleshly wisdome nay take it in the best sense take it for the rules of reason they do not lead their lives altogether by the light of nature but only in those things wherein the light of nature and reason may be a Judge For the light of reason the principle of reason is given us as a candle in the dark night of this world to lead us in Civil and in common actions and it hath its use but yet natural reason it becomes carnal reason in a man that is carnal All things are impure to him that is impure even his very light is darknesse Not that the light of nature and that reason which is a part of the Image of God is in it self evil it is good in it self but the vessel taints it Those that have great parts of learning that have great wits and helps of learning as much as may be what do they they trust in them and so they stain them Therefore Luther was wont to say Good works are good but to trust in good works is damnable So nature and reason and learning they are good in themselves but trusting in them they become carnal when a man neglects better rules for them when men scorn Religion as your Politicians usually do then naturall reason in regard of this tainture it becomes Carnal Not with fleshly wisdome or not with natural wisdom as it is a
higher rule of life What then shall become of a Christian when he hath renounced that which is in him by nature when he hath denied his wit and his will when he hath renounced a bad guide shall he have no guide at all Yes For a man is never lawlesse he is alwayes under some guide or other a man is alway under one Kingdome or other when he ceaseth to be under the Kingdom of Satan he comes under the Kingdom of Christ and when he is not led by the flesh he is led by the Spirit Gods Children when they have renounced natural carnal wisdome they have not renounced all wisdome they are wise still but they are wise by a supernatural light they are wise in supernatural things yea and in natural things after a supernatural manner They are new creatures advanced to a higher ranck and order of creatures so their wisdome is a gracious wisdome when they are Christians When a Christian hath renounced carnal wisdome God leaves him not in the storm in the world as a ship without a stearn he leaves him not as having no pole star to guide his course by but he gives him better direction he hath the Word of God he hath the Spirit of God he hath the Grace of God to guide him Therefore after the negative here Not in fleshly wisdome the holy Apostle tells us how the Child of God is led in his own person but By the Grace of God It is good for Inferiours alway to be under the Government of Superiours and so God hath framed the world for beasts because they have no wisdome of their own they are led and guided by men and man because he is as I said before a beast by his own knowledge and hath but a finite a limited understanding he is guided by a larger understanding he is guided by God if he be good And it is the happinesse of the creature to be under the guidance of a better wisdome All things in the world are guided to their end things without life are guided to their end without their privity We see there is an end in every thing there is nothing in nature but it hath its end whereupon comes that saying of the Philosophers which is good That the work of nature is a work of deep understanding not so much as the leaves but they serve to shelter and cover the fruit from the Sun and the stormes that it may thrive the better there is nothing in nature but it is of great use the work of nature is a work of deep understanding Now man because he hath a principle of understanding in himself he is so guided by the wisdome of God to his end as that he understands his own end himself he is so led by the wisdome of God as that God hath created a work of wisdome in himself that he together with God is carried to his end Now as I said when we are out of the regiment and government of the flesh we come under the gracious Government of God Therefore the Apostle saith here Not in fleshly wisdome but by the Grace of God The holy Apostle means here especially the particular grace opposite to fleshly wisdome that is spiritual wisdome But why should the Apostle here not say thus Not with fleshly wisdome but with spiritual wifdome why should he not say so rather then thus Not with fleshly wisdome but by the Grace of God why should he put Grace instead of Wisdome I answer he doth it for heavenly ends First to shew that that wisdome whereby we are governed it is not from our selves but it is a grace he considers wisdome not so much as it is in our selves in the Conduit but as it is in the Spring in the free love of God It is a Divine consideration to consider all habituall graces in us not as they are streams derived to us and resting in us but as they are knit to a Spring which is never drawn dry which besides is a free Spring therefore they are graces And that is the reason of the comfort of a Christian he knowes he shall never be destitute of necessary strength of necessary comfort of necessary direction and grace to lead him to heaven because those things that are necessary in him he considers them as graces not as habits as it was the proud term of the Philosophers to call them We must consider them not as things in us invested in our nature but as things that have their Original from the free constant and eternal love of God as what is so free as Grace So a Christian looks on his disposition wrought by Grace and on every particular grace he hath as Love Wisdome Patience he looks to all as Graces as they come from the free love of God that is constant for whom he loves he loves to the end And his joy is more in the spring then in the stream it is more in the Sun in Christ himself then in grace from him therefore the Apostle instead of the abstracted distinct grace of wisdome or any such thing he saith Grace There is a savour in the very terms of Scripture a sweet taste in the very language of the Holy Ghost And then to shew that we are not onely governed by wisdome but by other graces to shew the connexion of it with other graces therefore he saith We have had our Conversation not in fleshly wisdome but by the Grace of God To shew likewise that where wisdome failes in us it is supplyed by Grace for the wisdome of God for us is larger then the wisdome of God in us The wisdome that God works in us by his Spirit it teacheth us to avoid dangers and teacheth us how to lead our lives but we are led by a higher wisdome the Grace of God for us it is higher then that which is in us The wisdome of God for us it watcheth over us it keeps us from more evil and doth more for us then that which is in us although that be spiritual and heavenly Therefore the Apostle here he names not distinctly gracious wisdome which he mainly intends as we see by the opposition Not by fleshly wisdome but by gracious wisdome why doth he not say so but by Grace Because our Christian conversation it is not onely by wisdome in us but by grace and love partly in us and partly for us For indeed there is a watchful providence there is a waking love about the guiding of a Christian in his course to heaven that keeps him him in more then any Grace that is in him And a Christian at the hour of death and at the day of Judgment will be able to say with experience That the wisdome of God for me hath been more then any wisdome he wrought in me though by the wisdome in me he inabled me to discover many discouragements to see many wants and to take many good courses that he blessed 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
fool The fool as the Wise man saith knowes not the way to the City so a wicked man he knowes not the way to heaven he discerns not the difference he provides not he knowes not the way thither he cannot do one thing that is gracious not one action that may further his account I might be very large in the point it is profitable because we do infinitely deceive our selves in that point which is of more consequence then the whole world for the man is as the rule that he is led by is carnall men are led by carnal rules gracious and holy men guide their lives by heavenly wisdome by a gracious rule Now if you find your selves defective for a good Christian may be defective in this but if he have hearkned to carnal wisdome if he have forgotten himself if he have troubled himself too much about the world he will come to his Centre again he will come to his old way again he will not be long out of it his way and course is by grace Sometimes he may have a policy that is not good as David had yet his way is gracious I say if you find your selves defective I will shew some helps how we may guide our selves not by fleshly wisdome but by the Grace of God that is by gracious wisdome by the Spirit Now the Spirit leads us not immediately but works Graces in us and stirres up those Graces in us The Spirit guides a godly man by working grace in him by making him better by using those graces in him Sometimes the Spirit of God moves a wicked man but it makes him not better he puts conceits into his head and makes him do that which otherwise he would not but he is not bettered The Spirit guides a good man by making him better he works a gracious disposition a gracious bent in him that his judgment concurres with Gods his affections concur with the holy Spirit and make him holy and pure There is a disposition wrought in a good man like to the Spirit that sanctifies him and like to the disposition of Christ to whose Image he is renewed Now that we may guide our lives by the Spirit working in us spirituall and gracious wisdome First of all consider what I said before of fleshly wisdome there are none but they have one of these two guides either the flesh and by consequent the divell for the divell dwells in our carnall reason that is his Fort that is his Tower his Castle Carnall fleshly Imagination is the Divells forge there he workes all his tooles all his Instruments For the Divell workes not so much immediately as by carnall men that are led with him Our wit and policie and carnall wisdome it is the shop the forge of the divell wherein he works all his mischief to overthow us It is the Divells Worke-house where he engins with all his tooles and Instruments Then considering that there are but two guides the flesh the world and Satan which alway go together in one or Gods Spirit and Grace let us be willing to submit our thoughts and desires to submit our projects and our aimes and all to the Spirit of Grace submit to the Word of grace and to the motions of the Word the Word of God having the Spirit of God accompanying of it the Word of grace accompanied by the Spirit of Grace is forcible as the Apostle saith 1. Cor 10. It beates down strong holds strong Imaginations Satan fortifies himself in strong holds as the Scripture calls them in high thoughts working discoursive thoughts Now when we come to hear the Word which teacheth the simple sincere truth of God that teacheth us how we should be saved and how we should guide our lives if we will be guided by grace if we will yield to Gods simple truth let him erect a throne in us let us lay down all When we come to hear the Word let us think I come to hear the wisdome of heaven it self I come to hear that Word that shall make me wise to salvation I will not entertain projects I will not entertain a wisdom that is contrary to it when they rise in my soule contrary to the direction of the Spirit and of the Word down they shall I will not owne them this is the wisdome of a man that intends to make grace his rule Now a carnal hearer a carnall reader a common Christian he brings his naughty proud heart he brings his high conceits to the hearing and reading of the Word he comes as a Censurer as a Judge he comes to talk of what was said in this passage and in that passage he comes not as to hear God speak in his Ordinance he comes not as a humble man he comes not to hear it as the Ordinance of God with reverence and that makes him come and go out again as a beast As the beasts that went our of Noah's Ark they went out as they came in so many come into the Church and go out again as beasts they go our worse then they came in because they bring not hearts to submit themselves to God and to his Word O a spirit of subjection it is a blessed thing Self-denyall is some help to this be content in the guiding of your common life and in the guiding your way to salvation to be no wiser then Gods Spirit and Gods Word will make you to have no will nor no wisdome contrary to his will and wisdome but you will live as men that have nothing of their own nothing different from God no distinct will no contrary will and wit to God but you will let God take the guidance of you himself and whom he guides must needs come to a happie end as the Psalmist saith excellent well Thâ—… wilt guide me by thy counsell and after bring me to glorie Those that submit themselves to be guided by Gods counsell he will bring them to glory Serviceable to this is that which is pressed every where in the Scripture Humility God gives Grace to the humble that is he gives them not onely forgivenesse of sins and acceptation to life but he gives them grace for the regiment of their lives he gives Grace to the humble Those that humble their wits to God for there is a humiliation of the wit as well as of the affections that they care not for the depths of Satan they care not for School-tricks they care to know nothing but Christ and him crucified as S. Paul saith Gods Word is of Power and Majestie enough to save me I need not bring my wit for my acceptance to God it is truth that is accepted not a strong brain to cavil God gives Grace to the humble Those that bring their understandings to be led and taught by God he gives grace to them Again in the third place If we would have our thoughts guided by counsel let us have a high esteem of wisdome above all precious
stones and pearles Solomon presseth it have a high estimation of wisdome of the government of Gods Spirit as the best government And be out of love with carnal reason with carnal affections and their guidance account them as base things not worthy to come into the esteem of a Christian heart Those that highly prize wisdome God will lead them by it those that sell all for the pearl shall have it There must be a high price set on the guidance of Gods Spirit and on grace as indeed it is worthy of it and then we shall have it Again if we would lead our lives according to spiritual and heavenly wisdome according to grace and gracious wisdome let us learn as it is Job 22. to be more and more acquainted with God by prayer for grace comes not from within us Grace is in Christ as in the root as in the spring as in the Sun we have it but as the beam as the stream therefore let us learn to be acquainted with God and with Christ by prayer and meditation and search into his Word by reading and by hearing him speak to us and let us often speak to him Let us acquaint our selves with him by prayer and by hearing his Word and then we shall have his grace to guide us For grace is a fruit of his peculiar love he gives grace to his own peculiar people How do you think shall he have a peculiar delight in us if we labour not to be more and more acquainted with him by often speaking to him by often hearing of him by coming into his presence and attending as much as we can upon his holy Ordinances by conversing as much as we can in the holy things of God Those that will be warm they come under the beams of the Sun those that would have the Spirit work effectually they must come where the Spirit is effectual where the Spirit works Now the Spirit is effectual in the Word preached the Spirit fell upon Cornelius and the rest when they were hearing of S. Peter And the Spirit is where there is conversing in good company Where two or three are met together I will be in the middest of them saith Christ. If we walk with the wise we shall be wiser It must be the heavenly wisdome of a Christian if he would lead his life by grace to attend upon all the meanes of grace because the Spirit of God is effectual by his own means he works by his own means therefore use the meanes that the Spirit hath sanctified for the working of grace I do wonder at a company of vain sottish creatures that carry themselves according to their vain conceits according to the whirling of their own brain in toyes and baubles that come into their heads they care not for the hearing of Gods blessed truth either they abstain altogether or else they hear it carelesly as if it were a thing that concerned them not Oh but those that will lead their lives by grace they come to it by the Spirit and the Spirit is onely effectual in holy Ordinances It must be our wisdome therefore to bring our selves under some meanes or other that the Spirit may be effectual The wisest and the best men in the world are no longer gracious then they are wise this way if they neglect good company good acquaintance if they neglect the hearing of the Word if they neglect prayer they will grow dead and dull and carnal-minded they will be possessed with base thoughts How do men differ one from another not so much by any habitual grace that is in them as by avoiding all that might prejudice them in a Christian course and by using all means whereby the Spirit of God may be effectual Again the way ro be under the grace of Gods Spirit is often to meditate of the grace of God the free love of God in Jesus Christ for so it comes first The first grace of all is Gods free love in the forgiving of our sins and accepting us to life everlasting and then he doth alter and change our natures more and more he transforms us more and more when we find therefore any defect of grace in our hearts when we find coldnesse and deadnesse and dulnesse go to the first fire to the first Sun to the free grace of God in Christ pardoning all our sins and accepting us to life everlasting and promising us grace to lead our lives in the mean time If you have fallen into any sin by the temptation of Satan or your own weaknesse beg not first grace to alter your course to sanctifie your life but renew every day your interest in the first grace in the forgivenesse of sins and your acceptation to everlasting life For till God have pardoned your sinnes and have witnessed to your soules that you stand reconciled he will not give the best fruit of reconciliation which is grace Therefore every day examine your lives if you have offended God in what termes you stand with God and if you stand in ill termes that there is any sin against conscience the best way is not presently to amend that for that will not be except the heart be warmed with Gods love and favour in the pardon of your sins first and in the acceptation of you in Christ notwithstanding your sins as he justifieth us every day not onely in the first act of conversion but daily he acquits our consciences daily from our sins and therefore in the Lords Prayer Christ teacheth us every day to say Forgive us our sins And then after forgivenesse of sins to beg the particular graces for our lives that we want I would this were better thought on Challenge likewise the Covenant of grace we have a promise of all grace and the spring of all grace We have a Promise of Love God will teach us to Love one another We have a promise of Fear he hath promised that He will put his fear into our hearts that we shall never depart from him We have a promise of the holy Spirit Let us challenge these Promises every day So much for the Directions how to lead our lives by Grace But by the Grace of God Saint Paul here makes it the ground of his rejoycing that he led not his life by fleshly wisdome but in simplicity and sincerity and by the Grace of God and all that are led by S. Paul's spirit live thus There is a Religion in the world that bears it self very big on high terms of Universality Succession Antiquity c. and they will have it thought to be a spiritual and holy Religion Well if a man be a carnal man that is led with fleshly wisdome and not by the grace of God that Religion must needs be a naughty Religion that hath onely the support and the foundation of it in fleshly wisdome which is an enemy and opposite to the grace of God and to simplicity and sincerity But Popery is this
to their Childrens good I come to bestow a grace on you How this is observed I list not to speak therefore I leave it and come to that which concerns us all I was minded to come to you To bestow a grace on you We see then That The Preaching of the Gospel is a special Grace It is a free and bountiful benefit of God Gracce implies freedome and mercy and bounty It is a free mercy of God to have the Gospel Why Because this is the means to work all that is savingly good in us This is a means to open to us Gods love in Christ and to work in us a disposition answerable to his love therefore it must needs be a grace Heaven is a grace life is a grace reconciliation a grace and such like therefore the Word must needs be a grace by which all these are communicated Therefore the Word hath the name of these things It is the Word of the Kingdome of heaven It is called the Kingdome of heaven the preaching of the Gospel because it puts us into the state of the Kingdome of heaven and the Word of reconciliation because by it we know our reconciliation with God it is offered and wrought in our hearts and faith to apply it by this Word It is the Word of life Act. 20. the life of grace and the life of glory all come by this Word I commend you to God and the Word of his Grace saith the Apostle All grace and spiritual life is wrought in us by the Word therefore the Word preached it is a special grace and favour of God Saint Paul here calls his coming to them to strengthen and confirm them a grace For all means come under the same decree of Gods eternal love with the decree it self When God out of grace resolves and sets down that he will bring such a one to heaven of his free love he doth out of the same grace fit him with opportunities of persons and means he accommodates him with all means for he intends in such a way to bring him to heaven And therefore S. Austin doth well define Predestination it is an ordaining to salvation and a preparing of all means tending thereto Therefore all fall in the compasse of grace both the free favour of God setting a man down to make him happy and likewise by sending men that have an outward calling and inwardly furnishing them with gifts and whatsoever all is of Grace The preaching of the Word is a grace It concerns us therefore so to esteem it Do not many sit in darknesse and in the shadow of death Is it not a grace therefore that we partake of the means of salvation What is in us by nature better then in Turks and Pagans or then many other people under Satan and under Popish Teachers and so rot away in their Ignorance nothing we differ onely by the grace of God therefore let us esteem it as a grace How shall we esteem it as a grace Receive it thankfully as a largesse and bounty and free grace of God receive it as a bounty with thankful hearts Grace begets grace it begets thankfulnesse so to receive it as a grace is to receive it with thankful minds to be more thankfull for the means of salvation then for any outward thing How shall we come to be thankful Never unlesse we find some grace wrought by the Word of Grace Therefore to receive it as a grace is to receive it as a free loving gift of God and to yield to it when by it holy motions are stirred in our hearts not to suppresse and quench holy motions but to yield to them Not to quench and resist the Spirit but to yield our selves pliable to the Word This is to acknowledge it a grace to be thankfull for it because you find your hearts wrought to holy obedience by it Give it way in your soules that it may be an ingraffed Word that all the inward and outward man may be seasoned with it and relish of it that the Word may season your thoughts and speeches and desires and season your course of life that what you think may be in the relish and strength of the Word in the strength of some Divine truth and the guide of your actions may be Divine truth or some motives from it Then you will give thanks for what is wrought on you when it is an ingraffed Word in your soules and all relish of it your speeches and actions and your whole course when a man may know by your carriage that there is something invested and ingraffed in your soules that gives a blessed relish to all the expressions of the outward man Such a one indeed will account the Word a special grace by a sweet experience wrought in his heart I will not presse that Point any further Again whereas S. Paul saith he would come to bestow a second grace on them we see here That Those that are in the state of Grace already they need a second grace Those that have initial grace to be set in a good course they need confirming and strengthening Grace S. Paul had planted them before I but he must come to water them there is alway somewhat left for the Minister to do till he see their soules safe in heaven he hath alway somewhat to do to the Christian soules under him For he must not onely get them out of Satans Kingdome into a good estate but he must labour to build them up he must water them and fence them and strengthen them against all discouragements A man is never safe till he be in heaven therefore he saith I will come to you but I will come to bestow a second Grace on you you have need of it and my love is such to you that you shall have it To enforce this a little because we set termes to our growth and go on plodding in a course and many years after we are no better then we were at the first and some out of a prophane fulnesse out of a Laodicean temper they think they have enough they are rich when indeed they are empty and miserable and wretched and poor and if temptations set upon them they have nothing in them To let you see that we stand in need of a second grace and of a third grace and a fourth grace that we need continual building up First look within what opposition there is to saving goodnesse within what rebellion of lusts what Ignorance and blindnesse and darknesse and indisposition what head the flesh makes in us against the Word of God Let a man a little continue out of the means and he shall see what growth of corruptions there will be a distasting of all means that a man shall be ready to begin anew with them almost having a double principle in them of grace and corruption there needs continually strengthening and stablishing Grace Consider outwardly what discouragements from the ill
hath all to do again Another man sees an end of his work but in this the Devil and corruption hath undone all again We enforce good things on people on the Lords day but within one day ill company and imployment in worldly businesse overthrowes all the Sea banks are down they must be new repaired Therefore there is a necessity laid on us of the Ordinances to our lives end till our soules be in heaven there is a necessity of repairing them We cannot be too diligent in our places And those that have the oversight of others let them make conscience of it it is needful And mark here in the next Point the language of Canaan the language of the Spirit of God that he puts the name of Grace upon every benefit especially those that concern a better life Grace usually we take to be nothing but a gracious frame of heart the new creature as we call it but indeed in the language of the Holy Ghost every free gift of God that concerns our soules any way is a grace The very Ministery is a grace It is the grace and free love of God to give us the Ministery The very heart to imbrace it and to hear it is a grace The very heart to give almes is a grace saith S. Paul 2 Cor. 9. Thanks be to God for this unspeakable gift for this unspeakable grace that you had a heart to give so that every thing that is good it is a Grace a gift of God Saint Paul conceived of his coming to them as a grace Indeed the Grace of God moved and directed S. Paul to come to them It is Grace that God directs the Preacher to speak to the people It is a grace that the Minister speaks gracious things It is a greater grace when you close with and entertain that which is spoken all is of Grace Your ready minds to do good it comes of God it is a grace your acceptance of God as well as eternal life all is of free grace The ground of it is this as Austin as I said defines Predestination well It is a destinating and ordaining to a supernatural end to everlasting salvation in the world to come and a preparing of all means to that end Why now as it is a grace that God pulls oft some men to an eternal estate of salvation in heaven to a supernatural estate that they could never attain without his especial Grace so the preparing of all means to that end it falls within the compasse of Predestination within the grace So when we have any means prepared to bring us to that end the offer of the Word and the Spirit of God disposing us to imbrace the Word this preparing of the means to that end it falls within the compasse of Predestination we may gather our Election by it when we see the Word sent in favour and have gracious hearts to receive it this is a preparation wrought to bring us to heaven a man may know his Election by it all is of grace that falls within the decree of grace When God decrees to bring a man to heaven all that helps to the main must needs be grace The Minister is a grace the Word a grace opportunities to do good a grace the communion of Saints a grace all that helps a man forward is a grace A gracious heart sees God in every thing it sees Gods love in every thing it considers of every thing that befalls it as a Grace Why From this disposition especially because with the grace there is grace to make a blessed use of and to improve every thing If this be so let us look upon every benefit that concerns salvation though it be remote even the very direction of good speeches to us account it a grace It is the grace of God that I have this opportunity especially the publick Ministery Saint Paul calls it a grace let us think of it as a grace And as we do in Clocks we go from the hammer that strikes to the wheeles and from one wheel to another and so to the weights that make it strike we go to the first weight the first wheel that moves all and leads all So when we see good done look not to the good done onely but go to the wheeles to the weights what moves it and makes it strike what sets all a going The grace and free love of God when good things are spoken when any good is done go higher to the first wheel that sets all a going to the grace and free love of God This is the language of the Scripture and of the Spirit of God thus we must speak and think to the end that God may have the glory of his grace in whatsoever good is done or offered When Abigail met David and diverted him from his bloody intention to kill Nabal and gave him counsel another way O blessed be God and blessed be thou and blessed be thy counsell So when opportunities are offered to do good and to hinder us from evil intentions O blessed be thou and blessed be thy counsel When a benefit is done if it be a benefit of this life take it as a grace coming freely from God So a poor man his almes is a grace Thanks be unto God for this unspeakable gift saith S. Paul It is grace in him that hath it that God should respect him so much as to relieve him It is grace in the party that gives it that he hath a heart enlarged to do it So when any thing outward or spiritual is done that is good look on it as a grace put that respect on it and that will make you holy-minded to give God his own Our life should be a praising and blessing of God we should begin the employment of heaven while we are on earth How should we do that In all things give thanks Every good thing from God take it as a grace as a largesse not as due not as coming by chance but as a grace and this will make us improve it as a grace for the best it will make us to give God the glory and improve it to our own good when we are thankful for grace that we may have cause to account it a grace Our hearts would not be so full of Atheisme and our tongues so full of blasphemies if we had learned this lesson our lives would be a praising of God And that we may not want matter to feed a thankful spirit alway consider what good things we have are of grace we deserve not so much as a crumb of bread therefore we pray Give us this doy our daily bread Every thing is a Grace especially the things of a better life How shall I know that the Minister is a grace or a good speech from a Minister to be a grace as S. Paul saith here I intended you a second grace that is to speak gracious thing to you I shall know it if by that
gracious means by those gracious speeches God distill into me a spirit to improve them to gracious purposes As indeed God turns all to a gracious end to his children he gives them a principle of grace to work good out of every thing they see grace in every thing in affliction they see the love of God In the worst things Grace will pick out somewhat and make use of it As God by his providence intends all to good so his Spirit by a provident eye to the Word works good out of every thing but those that have not grace they are not grace to them but tend to their further hardening To end this point when you come to the Communion come to it as a grace It is the Grace of God that he hath ordained us to salvation it is the grace of God that he hath sent his Word it is the grace of God that he hath sent his Sacrament to seal that Word and all little enough he knowes us better then we know our selves he knowes we have need of all to confirm and help us the Word and the Sacraments even to the end of our dayes As the Apostle saith Ephes. 4. To build us up The means of grace are not onely necessary for the planting but for the building up of the Church And therefore come with this purpose to have Grace confirmed and receive it as a grace of God with thankfulness that God will condescend to our infirmity to give us helps to support our weak faith It is a true proverb Grace begets grace it begets thankfulnesse where it is apprehended as a grace therefore come with a thankful disposition to the Sacrament imbrace every Ordâ—…ce of God with thankfulnesse Alas do not thousands sit in darknesse and in the shadow of death they do and therefore those that find the benefit of Gods Ordinances they are disposed by the same Spirit that works any good in them to return thankfulnesse to God again That you might have a second Grace Saint Paul's purpose was to come to them to bestow a grace not to take from them to bestow good and gracious speeches on them which he knew the Spirit of God would make effectual to work some good in them A gracious man is a vessel of grace and he should take all occasions to vent that which is good When S. Paul saith he intended to bestow a second grace his meaning is that he would utter things that were gracious that the Spirit of God should seal to the soules of them that heard him and make them effectuall Therefore every Christian should have this disposition Saint Paul did it as a holy man as well as a Minister Do we think our selves vessels of grace as the Scripture calls the Elect Children of God or no Yes God forbid else Now Gods Children God hath appointed some to be vessels of Gold some of Silver as the Apostle saith to Timothy some for this use and some for that all for good use A vessel is to be filled with something and to be used for something therefore set abroach some good thing when you have the advantage of it when you are called to it not unnecessarily to thrust forward your selves Let the desire of your hearts be to do good upon all occasions A vessel of Grace must not be an empty vessel A Christian he is a member of Christ and he hath a part in the communion of Saints and he hath gifts for that end there is no Christian but he can comfort or instruct or disswade from ill when it is moved There is no Christian but he is furnished as a member ought to be in some competent measure There is no man that hath benefit by the communion of Saints but he hath grace to fit him for that blessed communion He is fitted to comfort upon occasion and he hath some grace some knowledge to correct he that hath not is a dead member not fit for that communion Therefore we should bestow Grace where we come and not leave an ill sent behind us to infect others with filthy speeches and blasphemous oaths to open the rottennesse of our own hearts in their presence and so be conscious of that which is ill in them because we strengthen it by our example and by our words S. Paul was a good man I come to bestow a second grace that is to speak that which is gracious that Gods gracious providence shall direct to do you special good For Gods Word is inspired by the Spirit and the same Spirit that breathed the Word of God into the Pen-men of it the same Spirit is with the Word in the uttering of it when it is done by a gracious heart to a gracious man it works graciously it hath a blessed operation with it Therefore we should upon all good occasions speak gracious things Divine truths they will have a wondrous efficacy If men would set on it and be more fruitful in this kind they should have occasion to blesse God But alas the life of a Christian is little known in the world we have but naked shallow conceits of the glory of heaven and of the state of a Christian and how he lives in this world and that makes men live such stained such base lives that will not stand with comfort in his world or glory in the world to come But a Christian should be such a one as frames his disposition to do good wheresoever he comes and he hath ability if he be a sound Christian. How graciously did God blesse Abigails word to David yet she was a mean woman How dost thou know but that by uttering gracious words in company in season as discretion must guide all our actions all our words how doest thou know but that thou mayest divert another man from sin by a word in season I beseech you carry this disposition about you as you desire to be thought vessels of Grace here and of glory hereafter to be thought vessels of gold and silver for the use of God labour to be imployed by the Spirit of God to good purposes that you may leave a good savour where you come that others that are acquainted with you in the time of their visitation they may blesse God that ever they were acquainted with such a friend Blessed be God that I knew him As it will be our joy at that day so it will be one anothers joy here for God blesseth the exhortations and comforts of friends one to another as well as the Ministerial oft-times So I come to the 16. Verse how he meant to come to them to Corinth saith he I was minded to come to you VERSE XVI And to passe by you into Macedonia and to come again out of Macedonia unto you and of you to be brought on my way to Judea SEe what a Circuit the blessed Apostle fetched indeed he was industrious after his conversion he made amends for his harsh conversion by his speedy labours For
what he preached among them and we have in them these particulars briefly to be unfolded First That Christ Jesus in his nature and his offices is the chief and main object and subject matter of preaching Secondly That to make him profitable to us he must be preached Thirdly That consent of Divines and Preachers helps faith Fourthly That Jesus Christ being preached by the Apostles is an undoubted yea that is an undoubted ground and foundation to build on in all the uncertainties of this life in all the uncertainty of Religion Jesus Christ pteached by S. Paul and other holy men of those times was not yea and nay but yea First Christ Jesus is the main object of Preaching It were impertinent here to stand on particulars to shew you how Christ is the Son of God for he is brought in here as the object of preaching Onely in a word we must of necessity believe that Christ Jesus is the Son of God For how wondrously doth this stablish our faith when we believe in a Saviour that is God the Son of God Jesus Christ by eternal Generation In a word here are these prerogatives of Christs Generation from all other sons whatsoever Other fathers are before their sons this Son of God was eternal with his Father Other fathers have a distinct essence from their sons the father is one and the son another they have distinct existences but here there is one common essence to the Father and the Son Other fathers beget a son without them but this Father begets his Son within him it was an inward work So it is a mystical Divine Generation which indeed is a subject of admiration rather then of explication that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Son of man This was typified in the Ark the Ark was a type of Christâ—… the Aâ—… had wood and gold that covered that wood Christs humane nature was the wood and his Divine nature that contained it that is the gold But I should be too large besides the scope of the Text if I should unfold this Point I only touch it by the way Christ Jesus in his natures as he is God Man and in his offices as Jesus Christ that is anointed as King Priest and Prophet and in his estates of abasement and advancement is the main subject matter of preaching For what can we say but it must be reductive and brought to Christ If we open mens consciences by the Law and tell them what a terrible estate they are in what do we but drive them to the Physician what is the law but as John Baptist was to Christ to prepare the way to level the soul to pull down the high thoughts and imaginations to make way and passage for Christ And then in Christ when we preach Christ we preach his natures God and man and his Offices as King Priest and Prophet as he is predestinate and sealed and anointed by God the Father for that purpose that we may have a strong Saviour strong in himself and authorized by his Father And we preach his estates of abasement as he was crucified and suffered for our sins and his estate of exaltation as he arose and ascended into glory These things belong to the preaching of Christ. And then the benefits we have by him reconciliation to his Father by his death and peace of conscience and joy in the Holy Ghost and such like wondrous benefits we have by him And then our duty to him again which is faith and a conversation worthy To imbrace all that is offered by Christ that it be not lost for want of apprehending Christ Jesus is the subject matter of our preaching in his natures in his offices in the benefits we have by him in the duties we owe to him in the instrument of receiving all faith For in preaching that faith which we require to lay hold on Christ is wrought For preaching doth not onely manifest the benefits we have by Christ but is a potent instrument of the Spirit of God to work this qualification to make Christ profitable to us Now all that we preach of holy duties is either to humble us if we have them not to make us flye to Christ by faith or when we believe to make us walk answerable to our faith So whatsoever we preach is reductive to Christ either to prepare us or to furnish us to walk worthy of Christ. Indeed Jesus Christ is all in all in our preaching and he should be so in your hearing of all things you should desire to hear most of Christ. The apprehension of your sinfulnesse should drive you to Christ. The hearing of duties should be to make you adorn your Christian Religion you have taken on you Naturally men love to hear flashes witty conceits and moral points wittily unfolded but all these in the largest extent do but civilize men it must be Christ unfolded and Gods love and mercy and wisdome in him reconciling mercy and justice together The wondrous love of God in Christ and his justice and mercy and the love of Christ in undertaking to work our redemption and the benefits by Christ his offices estates and conditions these things work faith and love these things do us good All other things take them at the best they do but fashion our carriage a little but that which enlivens and quickens the soul is Jesus Christ. Therefore we should of all other things be desirous to hear of Jesus Christ. It is a point that the very Angels are students in For the Ark which I named before it had the Law and the Mercy-seat in it the mercy-seat to cover the Law Now Christ hath satisfied the Law and reconciled his Father he hath freed us from the curse of the Law and hath given full satisfaction to the Law he is the Mercy-seat by whom we have accesse to God the Father Now the Angels were upon the Mercy-seat interviewing one another and prying down upon the Mercy-seat insinuating that the reconciling of Gods Justice and Mercy by that infinite wisdome of God in Christ that our sins should be punished in him and yet he be merciful to us that he should punish our surety for us that he should joyn these attributes together that all the creatures in heaven and earth could not devise it is a matter for Angels to pry into the very frame of the Ark signified this and shall not we be students in those mysteries that the Angels themselves desire every day to behold If Christ be the main thing we are to stand on Let us labour more and more to understand Christ and him crucified let us see our nature in him advanced now in heaven to make us heavenly-minded let us see our nature in him punished let us see our sinful nature in him cleansed and purged by his death and abasement let us see our nature in him enriched Let us consider him as a publick person and
bonds and when he pleaseth he can sue his bonds and God is well pleased with it Therefore indeed there is little difference between a Christian in poverty and a rich Christian onely the one hath more for the present but God is the riches of the other As for a worldling he hath but a Cistern when he hath most the other hath the spring he hath God in Covenant and Gods promises Let us therefore consider every day the exigents we are in whether in want of grace or want of assistance and necessaries or want of comfort and according to that let us consider what we are to do are we at our wits end now is there no hope for this in Israel Yes God hath left us rich and precious promises let us look to them In the next place then from our wants look to the Promises and proportion the promises to our wants ranck the promises it were a good work Oh that we should have so many promises and yet have them to seek when the Devil besiegeth us he layeth siege to shake our consciences and we are to seek in the time of temptation Let us remember the promises answerable to our necessities If we be troubled with sin call to mind the promise of forgivenesse If we be troubled with want call to mind the promise of supply If we be troubled with fear for the time to come call to mind the Covenant of grace the marriage for everlasting God whom he loves he loves to the end God loves us in Christ he loves Christ for ever therefore he will love us for ever So as I said before suit the promises to our present estate And from the promises have a higher rise yet go to him in whom they are made they are rich promises indeed good promises but how shall I know they shall be performed in whom are they made In whom God loves thee in Christ. What is he God and man he is God and therefore able to perform them he is man and therefore he loves thee as his own flesh and therefore he will perform them He is the Son of Gods love God for his sake as Mediatour will perform them heaven and earth shall conspire for thy good rather then thou shalt misse of the performance of the least promise Therefore from thy wants go to the promises and from the promises go to Christ and consider him he is anointed of God for thee he is anointed that he might be thy Christ and thy Jesus that he might be thy Saviour Immanuel God with us that he might reconcile God and us that in office he might be so that he might bring God and us together Consider him And then go to God and consider what relation in Jesus Christ God hath put upon him In Christ God is a Father and what can a Father deny to his adopted son in Christ whom he looks on in his natural Son Christ Yea and to settle our minds the more let us consider the relations that God and Christ have put upon them and the relations we stand in and the many promises we have in Christ who is anointed and sealed by God the Father to be our Saviour and to bestow good upon us God is become our Father what a world of promises is in that word Father what will a father deny to his son What if God had not left particular promises in Scripture if he had left but the relation of a Father it had been promise enough what can a father deny his child And then Christ what relation hath he taken on him he is our Husband what a world of promises is there in that what can a loving husband deny his spouse that he hath given himself for He hath taken upon him to be our head what want of influence can there be from such a head that hath taken all upon him for the body the head sees and hears and doth all for the body so Christ heares and sees and doth all for us What a world of promises is in this relation of a head if there were no particular promise Again Christ stiles himself sweetly our brother what a world of promises are in these relations God the Father is ours Christ is ours here is the grand Promise I will be your God and will give you my Son And then in the third place he hath promised his Spirit he will give his Spirit to them that beg him what a world of Promises is in that promise of the Spirit It is a comforting Spirit a sanctifying Spirit a quickening Spirit a strengthening Spirit all is in the Spirit As our soul doth all that the body doth so it is by vertue of the Spirit all the grace and all the comfort we have God hath promised himself and Christ and the Spirit the whole Trinity There is the grand Promise I will be your God Christ shall be your Christ and I will give you my Spirit If we had not other promises what a world of comfort have we in these Now in what relation stand we to these We are children we are heires we are Temples of the Holy Ghost c. put case our memories do not serve to call to mind particular promises in the time of trouble Consider in Christ how God loves thee he is thy God in Christ how Christ loves thee he hath taken thy nature on him to be thy husband he makes love to thee and desires thee to be reconciled And the Spirit is given thee by Christ he hath promised to give him if thou ask him the holy Spirit is the Spirit of Promise Think therefore of the general of the Covenant of grace and these relations that have the force of promises for sometimes particular promises may not come to our mind perhaps and these will stablish a man against the gates of hell and against all particular temptations This course we ought to take then to feed our thoughts with the promises the promises are the food of faith let not our faith languish and famish for want for want of meditations of God and Christ what relations they have put upon them and for want of meditating on particular promises in all kinds How well thriving might our faith be if we would oft think of these things And to make us the more to think of these things consider that all other things alas what are they when we have not a promise of them in Christ They are all vain fading things they will all come to nothing That which we have by promise grace and comfort and glory they are ours for ever God is ours for ever Christ is ours for ever the Spirit is ours for ever the relations we are in are for ever all other things are nothing they will come to nothing ere long This course we ought to take then that we may have comfort by the Promises Again in the next place if we look to the
yea and amen to be yea and nay We make truth a lie and do rather believe our own lying hearts then Gods immutable and unchangeable Promises Therefore let us see the fulnesse of our hearts and complain of them to God and desire him to cure it and redresse it and he will do it This is to give glory to God indeed we cannot honour God more then to believe his Promises and build on him This will breed love when we feel the comfort of the Promises Foolish men think to honour God by complements by dead performances filly men consider that the principal honour in the world to God is to seal his truth that thou shouldest not make him a liar Hath he promised all things in the world get faith that will honour him and he will honour thy faith What makes God honour faith so much He that believes he will bring him to heaven Faith honours him it gives him the glory of his truth the glory of his goodnesse of his mercy of his truth c. as it honours him he honours it The Believer shall come to heaven when the idle fashionable Christian shall vanish with his conceits that thinks to serve God with empty vain shadowes Honour God with the obedience of faith man cast thy self upon him trust in him in life and death and then thou givest him the honour that he requireth at thy hands For as the honour of his mercy is the greatest honour he will have in this world more then that in the Creation so thou honourest him more in the Gospel to cast thy self on him for forgivenesse of sins and life everlasting and for the guidance of thy daily course of life thou honourest him more then by looking on the creature or by doing him any service He is honoured more by faith in Christ then by any other way Let faith go to him as faith honours him so he will honour it Let it be according to thy faith Let not all be lost let us bring vessels for the precious Promises the vessel of a believing heart Shall all this be lost for a vain heart that will not lodge up these promises shall we have a rich portion and neglect it shall we have so many promises and not improve them and make use of them Therefore I beseech you let it be our practice continually every day of all portions of Scripture make the Promises most familiar to us for duties follow promises if we believe the Promises with our heart they are quickning Promises we will love God and perform other duties Faith works by love If we believe love will come kindly off Therefore he saith here All the Promises are Yea and Amen insinuating that all is included in the Promises Let us empty our hearts of confidence in any thing and fill them with the Promises in Christ that are Yea and Amen Let us stablish our hearts with the Promises let us warm and season and refresh our hearts every day with these In these times of infection what do we those that are careful of themselves that go abroad in dangerous places they have Preservatives they take something to preserve their spirits and to strengthen them against the contagion abroad and it is wisdome so to do it is folly to neglect it and to tempt God not to be careful in this kind it is very well done But what is this if thou do not fence thy soul and thy spitit and take a draught of the Promises every day afresh Let us take out our pardon of course every day of the forgivenesse of sins We sin every day let us go for our pardon If we sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ and he is the propitiation for our sins And the blood of Jesus Christ shall purge us from all sin And he is in justifying us still every day he is acquitting our soules and there is a pardon of course to be taken out every day Let us renew and refresh our hearts with the Promises of pardon and forgivenesse of sins every day Let us strengthen our soules with renewing the Promises of grace for that day to walk comfortably before God that he will keep us by his Spirit from sin that he will be a shield and a Sun to us that he will give us wisdome to carry our selves as we should and he will give us his holy Spirit if we beg it Let us every day take these Promises to be Cordials in these dangerous times and then come life come death all shall be welcome why because we are in Christ and have imbraced the Promises and Christ and all in Christ is Yea and Amen it shall go well with us What a wondrous comfortable life would a Christians life be if he could yield the obedience faith answerable to the promises What a shame is it that having such rich promises we should be so loose so changeable that we should be cast down with crosses and lift up with prosperity It is because we believe not the promises of better things therefore we are proud of present things and cast down with present crosses and are fast and loose Now we have good things for the present afterward the devil comes between us and the promises and makes us let go our hold Religion stands on this which makes me to presse it the more If this were well taken to heart and digested we should know what Religion means if we know Christ and the promises all other things will come off All others are but formalities they will never comfort without the confideration of knowing God in Christ and the rich promises to us in Christ. Likewise if this be so that the promises of God in Christ are Yea and Amen This teacheth us how to make use of all former examples of others and of all former goodnesse to our selves Was God merciful to Abraham and to David Our father 's trusted in thee and were not confounded Psal. 22. Therefore he reasons If I trust in God I shall not be confounded for the Promises are Yea and Amen they are true to one as well as another And whatsoever was written afore was written for our comfort Rom. 15. And this is a singular good use we may make of reading of the stories of the Scripture and of holy men that the same God he lives for ever his arm is not shortened he that was is and is to come and therefore we should read histories with application Did God make sure his Promises to them surely he will make sure his Promises to us Had David forgivenesse of sins upon his confession surely so shall we Abraham believed and it was accâ—…ed to him for righteousnesse and â—…o it shall to us if we believe It is alledged for that end Rom. 4. And S. Paul prefixeth his example to all posterity God was mercifull to me and not so onely but to all that believe in him 2 Tim. 2. This is an Use
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
or whether I speak of my selfe Be true to known truths be not false in disobeying them To him that hath shall be given We have a little stablishing by an uniform obedience to the truth we shall have more God will increase it I say let us be faithful to the truths we have ' and not crosse them in any sinful course let us not keep the truth prisoner to any base affection as those in Rom. 1. that had but the light of nature yet because they imprisoned it and held it in unrighteousness and lived in sins contrary to that light rhat God had kindled in them though I say it were but the light of nature God gave them up to sins not to be named much more will he do to us if we withhold the light of the Gospel take heed therefore that we inthral not the truth to any base lust whatsoever and that is a means to be stablished in the truth And be oft in holy conference with others Conference if it be rightly used is a special means to stablish that is most certain which is certain after doubting and debate because that which is doubted of at the first we come to be resolved of at the last comparing reason with reason Remembring alwayes that of S. Ambrose That there must not be striving for victory but for truth And then when we have tryed all we must keep that which is good and not be alwayes as the Iron between two Loadstones haled this way and that way alwayes doubting and never resolved there must be a time of resolution This the Apostle observes to be an excellent way of stablishing oft to confer of things doubtful And labour to get experience of the truth in our selves nothing stablisheth more then experience Our Saviour Christ in Joh. 6. 68. when many left him out of dulnesse not understanding the spiritual things that he taught as many whose wits will serve for matters of the world and to make them great amongst men but when they come to heavenly things they have no understanding they cannot apprehend them he asks his Disciples Will you go away also Peter who had his heart opened by the Spirit of God saith he Lord whither shall we go thou hast the words of eternal life insinuating that the experience that he had of the power of that truth that Christ taught did so establish him in the present truth that with a holy kind of indignation at the question he replyes Whither shall we go thou hast the words of eternal life I have found thy words to have a spirituall life in them So when we come once to have an experimental knowledge of the truths we learn then our hearts are stablished indeed then it is an ingraffed Word as S. James saith then the Word is true leaven when it altereth and changeth the soul in such a case there is no separating from fundamentall truth when it is one with our selves and digested into us And pray to God oft as David did Psal. 86. to knit our hearts to fear his Name Lord my heart is loose and ready to fall off of it self Oh knit my heart it is unsettled Oh settle my unsettled heart settle my judgment and affections this should be our meditation And because it is God that stablisheth alway maintain spiritual poverty in the soul that is a perpetual dependance upon God see the insufficiency that is in our selves that we cannot stand out What is the reason that God suffers great men to fall from the defence of the truth and from the profession of it in their lives as we see it in the case of Peter to shew that we stand not by our own strength therefore we should be alwayes in this temper of spiritual poverty to know that as Samsons strength was in his Hair so our strength is in God God is my strength of my self I have no strength And therefore upon every new defence of the truth when we are called to it we should lift up ejaculations and dart up strong desires to God that God would strengthen and stablish our souls that we may not be traytors to the truth but that we may stand to it for in his owne strength shall no man be established And grow every day more and more in detestation of a luke-warme temper Your Ancipites as Cyprian calls them your doubtful flatterers of the times that have their Religion depending upon the State and the times that are neither fish nor flesh Bats as we say that are neither Mice nor Birds but of a doubtful Religion that out of carnal policy are fit to entertain any thing Oh this is a devilish temper Howsoever we in our luke-warm disposition value the truth God values it highly it was purchased by Christs blood and sealed by the blood of Martyrs and shall not we transmit it to our posterity as safe and as firm and retain it come what will Let us grow into dislike of this temper atemper that we should as much hate as God hates it such a temper as is in Popery they are in an adiaphorisme temper in Religion a luke-warm cold temper a temper of Religion according to reasons of flesh and reasons of policy this will make us be spued out of Gods mouth at the last Do we think to lose Religion alone Oh no never think to part with Religion alone it came with peace and prosperity and if we keep not this Depositum this truth delivered to us God will take it away and that which we betray it for Peace and Plenty Let us labour therefore to be radicated in our Judgment in our Affections in our Love in our Faith in our whole inward man in the truth revealed To be stablished in the truth it is our best inheritance it is that will stand by us when all leaves us What consistence hath a man out of the truth are you rich or honourable death will drive you out of all your riches and honours in the world and strip you of all What stablishing hath any man but in Christ in the truth Take a man that is not bottomed that is not fastened on Christ he is the changeablest creature in the world he is vanity he is nothing Oh love this state that we may say Though I be variable here though I be not so rich as I was or have not that favour of great ones that I have had or it is not with me as it hath been but in all changes I have somewhat that is unchangeable my soul is settled upon Christ and upon the truth in him which is certain As it is a glorious being to be found in Christ so it is an eternal and an everlasting being once Christs and for ever his he will never lose a member Labour we therefore to be stablished in Christ in all the changes and alterations in the world and then we shall have something that is unchangeable to fix and stay our selves upon
a Christian to be cowardly because he hath death and hell conquered and every thing is made serviceable to help him to heaven But for another man to set light by these things it is more madnesse No man but a Christian can be stout and couragious except it be from a false spirit especially in things that are above mans natural power as death it is eternal and what man can stand out against the eternal wrath of God And therefore those that put on a Roman stoutnesse and courage though they seem to have strong spirits it is but false either they are besotted with sensuality or else with a spirit of pride When they look before them and see eternity and see their sins and that they must all appear at the day of Judgment they cannot be strong Let us labour therefore to have our hearts stablished by the Spirit of God and try our selves often by propounding Queries how we do things with what minds and upon what grounds Again another Evidence whereby we may know that we have spiritual strength and stability in Christ wrought in us by the Spirit of God is this when it makes us desire the coming of Christ when it makes us think of death and of the time to come with joy and comfort and that for the present it gives us boldnesse to the Throne of Grace in extremities He that in extremity can go to God in Christ it is a sign his heart is established Hypocrites in extremity flye to desperate courses as Saul and Achitophel did but in extremity the soul that is stablished goes to God My God my God saith Christ so Job Though he kill me yet will I trust in him I say it is an evidence of a soul stablished upon Christ by the Spirit of God to have boldnesse to the Throne of Grace in extremity nay when God seems to hide himself which is the principal extremity of all as in Divine temptations when God seems to be an enemy then for a man to fight and wrastle with God and tug with the temptation and not to let God go though he kill him this is a true Israel a conquerour of God this is a heart fortified by the Spirit It is an argument of a heart established when besides for the present for the time to come he can chearfully and boldly think how it will be with him when death shall come that he shall go to Christ that the Match shall be fully made up that is begun by God between Christ and him for the contract is in this world but the nuptials are celebrated in heaven and in confidence hereof can say Come Lord Jesus come quickly A heart that is not stablished saith Oh come not Wherefore art thou come to torment us before our time say the Devils to Christ so an unstablished heart at the hour of death is afraid it shall be tormented before the time and therefore come not come not saith such a soul. But the soul that is stablished upon Christ and upon the promises in Christ of forgivenesse of sins and life everlasting by the Spirit of Christ that saith Come Lord Jesus come quickly I have been larger upon this Point then I intended these unsettled times moved me to speak a little more then ordinary that we might labour to have our hearts stablished that whatsoever comes we may have somewhat that is certain to stick to that our estate in Christ may be sure whatsoever becomes of our state in the world otherwise VERSE XXII Who hath anointed us and also sealed us and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts THe Apostle having formerly laid open the riches of a Christian In this Verse he cometh to shew his strength His riches consisteth in the promises of God in Christ His strength in being stablished upon those promises Now that which he had spoken of more generally in the word stablishing he unfolds in three borrowed Terms Anointing Sealing Earnest Implying therein the manner of the Spirits establishing a Christian. He who stablisheth us how is that wrought By the Spirit anointing by the Spirit sealing and by the earnest of the Spirit which three terms do all argue assurance For you know that in the old Law Kings Priests and Prophets were anointed that is they were authorized and confirmed in their places And for sealing Writings among our selves are sealed for security And an Earnest secures Contracts and Bargains So that whatsoever may serve to strengthen a Christians faith and assurance is here laid down God to help our soules by our senses fetcheth it from humane affaires applying words borrowed from earthly commerce by a heavenly anagogical sense to spiritual things First the sure estate of a Christian is set down in the general by stablishing and then in particular we are anointed and sealed and have the Earnest of the Spirit God in the Covenant of grace doth our part and his own too he gives faith and strengthens faith and seales us he gives us promises he doth stablish us upon those promises and works our hearts to an embracing of them he anoints us and seales us and gives us the Earnest of the Spirit All in the Covenant of Grace depends upon the faithfulnesse of God and not upon ours but upon ours dependantly as he is faithful in stablishing us Now because the holy Apostle would have us settled in the excellency of the state of a Christian in the Covenant of grace you see how large-hearted he is he useth four words implying one and the same thing Stablishing Anointing Sealing and giving Earnest all of them words used in ratification amongst men God is pleased to stoop to speak to us in our own language to speak of heavenly things after an earthly manner and therefore he sets down the certain estate of a Christian by borrowed speeches This is a gracious condescending of God stooping as it were lower then himself and indeed so he alwayes abaseth himself when he deales with man coming down far below himself To come to the words in particular And hath anointed us This word hath a double reference The holy Ghost carries our minds first to the relation and proportion that is between the graces of the Spirit of God and the oyntment with which in former times they were anointed in the Jewish Politie And it hath reference likewise and relation to the persons that were anointed The persons were Kings Priests and Prophets Now God hath anointed us in Christ. The order is this First Christ himself as Mediatour is anointed with the oyl of gladnesse above his fellowes but for his fellowes The oyntment is first poured on the head of spiritual Aaron and then it runs down to all the skirts of his garment that is to the meanest Christian. Even as the least finger and toe is actuated and enlivened and moved by the soul and spirits that the head and the chief vital parts are so every Christian though he be but as the toe or
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
When a man is without grace he goes lumpishly and heavily about the service of God he is drawen and forced to prayer and to hearing and to conference and meditation he is dead and dull and frozen to good works but when a man hath received this sweet anointing of the Spirit his heart is enlarged to all duties whatsoever he is prepared to every good work Again oyl makes chearefull so doth grace it makes chearful in adversity chearfull in death chearful in those things that dismay the spirits of other men so much grace so much joy for even as light and heat follow the fire so the spirit of joy doth follow this spiritual anointing Conscience of the interest he hath in the favour of God in Christ and the evidences of grace stamped upon his heart an assurance of a better estate in the world to come wonderfully enlarge the soul with spiritual joy that which makes a man lumpish and heavy and earthly is not the Spirit of God the Spirit of God is a Spirit of joy and it puts a gracious chearfulnesse in the heart of a Christian if there be mourning it is that it may be more chearful for light is sowen to the righteous sometimes in mourning God loves a chearful giver and a chearful thanksgiver all must be sweetened with chearfulnesse now this comes from the Spirit of God and he that is anointed with the Spirit in some measure partakes of spiritual joy and chearfulnesse Againe ointment you know is of a healing nature as Balme and other sweet ointments have a healing power and vertue the Scripture makes mention of the Balme of Gilead so grace hath a healing power repentance that is of a purging spiritual joy of a healing nature there must you know be first a cleansing and then a healing and strengthening so some graces are purgative and cleansing some againe are strengthening and healing repentance is a good purgation it carries away the malignant and evill matter but the Cordial that strengthens the soul is joy The joy of the Lord is your strength Nehem. 8. and so the grace of faith and love tend to cherrish and corroborate the soul so that I say these graces this Balme of the Spirit hath a special Soveraign power to heale us to heale us both from the guilt of sin and from the dominion and rule and filthy stain of sin it hath both a purging and a Cordial vertue Thus you see that upon good grounds the graces of Gods Spirit that he communicates to the Elect and only to them that are in Christ they are called anointing and they will have the effect of an ointment in us if we receive this anointing Let us therefore try our selves by these whether we be anointed or no what chearfulnesse is there what joy what strength what nimblenesse to that which is good what soveraignty hath grace in our hearts you have a company that professe Religion but make it serve their owne turne that make heaven to come under earth that make the service of God to stoop to other ends Beloved grace it is a superiour thing and Religion makes all subordinate Grace and Religion wheresoever it is in truth is of a ruling nature and so it is sweet and it is strong wheresoever it is it is curing and purging and cleansing wheresoever it is therefore I beseech you let us not deceive our selves I need say no more of the Point you may enlarge it in your own meditations I come to the persons As this anointing hath reference to the ointment so it hath relation to the persons that were anointed Now the persons anointed were first dedicated by anointing they were consecrated to God and separated from the world And as they were dedicated and separated so they were dignified by this anointing it raised them above the common condition And likewise with this anointing God gave them qualifications suitable You have three eminent persons that were anointed and so raised above the common condition of other men Prophets to teach the people Priests to offer sacrifice Kings to govern them Now Christ is principally all these He is the principal Prophet of his Church the Angel of the Covenant He is Logos the Word because as the inward word the mind of a man is known by the outward word so Christ is called the Word because as a Prophet he discovers his Fathers mind and makes known his Fathers will unto us And he is the great high Priest he makes atonement between God and us he stands between his Father and us And he is the great King of his Church that rescues it from all its enemies to protect and defend it But as Christ hath received this anointing primarily and above his fellows yet as I said before he hath received it for his fellows Every Christian hath his anointing from Christs anointing all our graces and all our oyatment is derived from him He saith the Appostle Rev. 1. hath loved us and washed us in his blood he loved us first which is the cause of all and then he washed us in his blood he did not onely shed his blood for us but he washed us in his blood he hath applied his blood to our souls and by applying that and sprinkling it upon our souls he hath made us Kings and Priests to God his Father And indeed the great King of heaven and earth he is and will be attended upon by none but Kings and Priests he hath no servants but such as are anointed he is followed of none but eminent persons such as are separated from the world and dignified above all other people for the glory of his followers tends to his honour therefore those whom God chuseth to be his atendants he qualifies them gives them the hearts of Kings royal qualifications and the hearts of Priests and the hearts of Prophets But this in the general To shew it therefore in particulars A Christian is anointed he is a person severed from the world dedicated to God and dignified above others and that from good reason because God hath given him an inward qualification which is the foundation of all And first he is a true Prophet for he hath received the anointing of the Spirit 1 Joh. 2. whereby he is enabled to discern of things he knowes what is true honour to be the child of God he knowes what is true riches Grace he knowes what is true Nobility to be born of God what is true pleasure Peace of conscience and joy in the Holy Ghost he can discern between seeming and reall things and onely he that hath received this anointing of the Spirit And again as a Prophet he knowes not onely the things but the doing of the things he hath with the anointing of the Spirit ability to do that which he knowes the grace of God teacheth him not onely the duty that he should live justly and soberly and godly but teacheth him to do the things for God writes his Lawes in
his bowels that is in his affections he can love and joy in God and hate sin and overcome revenge c. The Spirit sheweth him Divine things by a Divine light he sees heavenly things with a heavenly light and Divine spiritual knowledge is a working knowledge of the same nature with the things known The poorest Christian in the world having this anointing sees good things with such a convincing light and evill things with such a convincing hatred that he is doing and acting whereas a Christian that hath not the Spirit he may know heavenly things by a natural light by a discoursive knowledge he may know what he should do and so perhaps he may talk but he cannot do he may talk of death but he cannot dye he may talk and discourse of suffering but when it comes he cannot suffer he may speak much of patience but he cannot act patience when occasion is A true Christian hath the knowledge of doing things And likewise he is able to speak a word in due season to reprove to admonish to comfort Every member in the communion of Saints hath some qualification in regard of knowledge when he is put to it But especially he hath received this anointing as a Priest and a King As a Priest to stand before God and to offer up prayers for himself and others Every Christian is a Favourite in heaven he hath much credit there he hath Gods ear open at all times and he improves it for the good of the Church for the good of others as well as for his own And as to pray for our selves and others so to blesse our selves and others that was one part of the Priests Office and so as the Scipture saith we are called unto blessing and therefore those that are given unto cursing are not Priests And again a Christian that hath received this anointing as a Priest he keeps himself unspotted of the world You know the Priests were to touch no unclean thing nor to defile themselves with any manner of pollution so every Christian in some measure is enabled to abstain from the common pollutions of the times to hate even the garment spotted with the flesh he is not carried with the stream of the times he will not converse amiably with those that may stain him but as his calling leads him lest he contaminate his spirit And likewise a Christian hath his heart alwayes as the Holy of Holies that so he may offer up thanks and praise to God there is a disposition in him alwayes to praise God As the fire in the Sanctuary must never go out so the fire that is kindled by the Spirit of God in the heart of a Christian it never goes out the Holy Ghost maintains it continually he is ready to praise God upon all occasions ready to offer up himself unto God as a sacrifice The sacrifices of a Christian are a broken heart and as in the Law the sacrifices for sin must first be killed and then offered so now in the Gospel it is the work of every Christian to mortifie to kill and slay those beasts those corruptions that are in him contrary to God A Christian must not offer himself to God as a sinner but he must first slay his corruptions he must mortifie his sins and then offer up himself slain to God Therefore our care must be to mortifie every corruption every faculty of the soul and every part of the body we must circumcise our eyes that they behold not vanity and our eares that they hear not and delight not in unchaste things and our thoughts and every part our wills and affections and then offer up soul and body as a living sacrifice unto God that all may be dedicated and sanctified unto him and then it is a sweet sacrifice then when a Christian hath dedicated himself to God it is an easie matter to give him his goods when he calls for them then he will be ready to let all go as the Apostle saith of the Corinthians they first gave themselves to God and then to others other sacrifices will follow when we have first given our selves to God therefore the first sacrifice is to kill our corruptions to offer our selves to God and then we shall be ready to offer our estates and to have nothing but at Gods disposing Oh Lord of thy hand I have my body and my life and my goods and all I give them unto thee if thou wilt have me to enjoy them I do but if thou wilt have them sacrificed I am a Priest I am willing to offer my self as a burnt-sacrifice to thee even to the death and all other things when thou shalt be pleased to call for them and indeed all other sacrifices of our goods and thankfulnesse in words they will easily come off when we have offered our selves as I said before What is the reason that men will not part with a penny for good uses They have not given themselves as sacrifices unto God therefore in the Scripture we are pressed to give our selves unto God first and it useth arguments to that purpose as that we are not our own but bought with a price c. And so for the Kingly office Every Christian by this anointing is made a King Rev. 1. 6. He hath loved us and washed us and made us Kings c. But how are we Kings to take away an Objection that ariseth in the hearts of carnal men Oh say they they talk that they are Kings when perhaps they have not a penny in their purse they talk they are Kings when in the mean time they are underlings in the world here are Kings indeed think prophane conceited persons Indeed all other things are but shadowes these be realities this is a Kingdome to purpose Thou livest by sense and by fancy or else if thou haddest the spiritual eye-salve if thou haddest thine eyes open to see the dignity of a Christian thou wouldest judge him to be the onely King in the world and therefore I do not enlarge the Point to set colours upon matters but indeed I rather speak under there is no excellency that we can think of in this world that riseth high enough to set out the state of a Christian he is indeed a King For I beseech you what makes a King Victory and Conquest that makes a King Is not he a Conquerour that hath that in him that conquers the world and all things else others that are not Christians they are slaves to lusts and pleasures A Christian that is chief Conquerour in the world he conquers the world in his heart and all temptations are inferiour to him he sees them as things that he hath gotten the mastery of He subdues the principal enemy a Christian fears not death he fears not Judgment he fears not the wrath of God he knowes God is reconciled in Christ and so all things are reconciled with him God being at peace all things else are at peace so
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
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
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
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
were not troubled that is we may believe and yet want assurance because that is another distinct act that followeth upon our casting of our selves upon God And so many of the dear children of God sometimes they can hardly say that they have any assurance but yet notwithstanding they can say if they do not belye themselves and bear false witnesse against themselves that they have cast themselves upon Gods mercy they have performed the first act of faith and this faith is not fruitlesse altogether Now there be many things that may hinder this other act viz. that act of faith whereby I am assured of my state in grace sometimes God together with my believing will present such things to the soul as wholly take it up so that a man cannot have definitive thoughts upon that that God would have him think of As when God will humble a man for his boldnesse in adventuring upon sin he takes not away the Spirit of faith but God to humble him throughly he sets before him his anger sets before him terrour even hellish terrours that will make him in a state little different from a reprobate for the time so that he is farre from saying that he hath any assurance at that time yet notwithstanding he doth not leave off he casts himself upon Gods mercy still though God kill him yet he will trust in him and yet he feels nothing but terrour and this I say God doth to school him and to humble him and to prepare him for the feeling of assurance after These things we must observe that we give not a false evidence of our selves that though we have not such assurance as we have had and as others have yet I say alway there is some ground in us where upon we may be assured that we are Gods if we could search it Such ought to labour for assurance and such will in time come to assurance And therefore we should be farre from alowing that Doctrine which is as if a man should light a candle before the Divel as we use to say to help him against our hearts by a Doctrine of doubting as if our naughty hearts were not ready enough of themselves to doubt It is the prophanenesse of the world they will not use the means that God hath appointed to this end nay they had rather stagger and take contentment assurance in their own waies if God will love me in a loose course so it is but to give diligence to make my calling and election sure I had rather believe the Popish Doctrine that I ought to doubt and only to be of a good hope Whereas we ought constantly to labour to be assured of our state in grace that God may have more honour and that we may have more comfort from him again and walk more chearfully through the troubles and temptations that are in the world A Carnal proud person he swells against this Doctrine because he feels no such thing and he thinks what is above his measure is hypocrisie he makes himself the measure of other Christians and therefore he values and esteems others by his dark state for a carnal mans heart it is like a dungeon a man in a dungeon can see nothing because he hath no light but he that hath the light he can see the dungeon the heart of a Christian hath a light in it there is the Spirit in him and therefore he can see his own estate and he can tell what is in him upon due search now in a carnal man all is dark he sees nothing because his heart is in a dungeon his eye is dark his heart is full of darknesse all is alike to him he sees no difference between flesh and Spirit and therefore he holds on in a doubting hope and confused disposition and temper of soul But a Christian that labours to walk in the comforts of the Holy Ghost he is not content with such a confused state and therefore we ought to abhor that Doctrine by all means and to justifie this Doctrine that we ought and that we may have assurance of salvation in this world The second thing which I observe and which I joyn to the former is the Doctrine of Perseverance An Earnest you know I told you is made up with the Bargain but it is never taken away so that the Point is this That Gods Children as they may be assured of their salvation So They may be assured that they shall hold out to the end I think many of you think these two Points to be so clear that it is unnecessary to divide them for if we be assured of our salvation there must needs be perseverance to the end for what kind of assurance is it to be in the state of grace to day and not to be to morrow But if you ask some degenerated followers of Luther that leave him in his sweet and comfortable Doctrines and take up some errours of his and some others that would divide these hot they are against the Papists for denying the Doctrine of assurance of salvation but when they come to perseverance they hold that a Christian may fall away altogether these things cannot stand together for undoubtedly it is most sure and just and right that these truths follow one the other assurance of salvation and perseverance and therefore if they maintain that we ought to be assured of salvation and not doubt of Gods love surely then they cannot with the same Spirit and the same ground doubt that God that hath begun a work will finish it to the day of the Lord there is no question but that the one followes the other because an earnest as it assures us of salvation so it assures us of perseverance Herein an Earnest differs from a pawn or pledge a pledge it is given but it is taken away again but an Earnest when it is once given is never taken away again but as it is a part of the bargain so it is filled and made up with the bargain so grace is a part of glory and is never taken away but made up with perfect on of glory From this we see then that he that is in the state of grace is undefeasable he perseveres to the end because he hath the earnest of the Spirit if God should take away his Spirit from him he should take away his earnest and if he take away his earnest he takes away that for which he gives it assurance of salvation and so should overthrough all But God never repents of his earnest man oft-times repents of his earnest and wisheth he had not made such a fruitlesse bargain but God never doth but where he gives the first fruits he makes up the harvest where he laies the foundation he makes up the building where he gives Earnest he makes up the bargain where he begins a good work he finisheth it to the day of the Lord once his for ever his We cannot be so sure of
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
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
have the Spirit And likewise the Spirit makes us mourn and wait for the adoption of the sons of God those that mourn and wait have the Evidence of the Spirit for a worldling doth not mourn for his imperfections for his corruptions he doth not mourn that he is absent from his Saviour neither doth he wait for the accomplishment of that that shall be bestowed on Saints because he hath his portion here therefore those that can mourn for their corruptions for those things which the world is not able to tax them for because they cannot serve God with enlargement of the Spirit as they would and they wait also without despair or without discouragement till God have finished their course they are led with a better Spirit then the world Though I should name no more what a many sweet evidences are here to manifest a soul truly acted and guided and led by the Spirit but these shall be sufficient for this time Well then if the Spirit doth all if the Spirit anoint and seal and give Earnest of grace and comfort and all till he bring us to heaven being Christs Vicar for Christ hath no other Vicar on earth but his Spirit if the Spirit doth all as indeed he doth all for God to us and from us to God whatsoever God doth to us it is by the Spirit he anoints and seals and sanctifieth by the Spirit and whatsoever we do to God it is by the Spirit or else it is not acceptable we sigh and groan in the Spirit we pray in the holy Ghost saith Jude and that God doth to us immediately from the Spirit and all that we do to God is in the Spirit Is this so then as it an undoubted truth oh then we should labour by all meanes for this Spirit of God To give some directions in a word and so to end Labour I say to have the Spirit and to groan in the Spirit and to this end because the Word is the Chariot of the Spirit in which the Spirit is carried attend upon the Ordinances of God and use all kind of spiritual meanes wherein the Spirit is usually effectual for the Spirit will onely work with his own means all those bastard inventions and devices fetched from the Church of Rome humane devices in Gods service they are naught Gods Spirit will not be effectual with Popish devices and therefore Rome is the habitation of Devils Gods Spirit hath nothing to do there because they have set up a worship contrary to Gods worship they have set up a Covenant contrary to Christs Covenant they have set up the Covenant of Works and deny in a manner a Covenant of Grace Christ is not taught as he should be there Now wheresoever the Spirit is it is with the clear teaching of the Gospel Received you the Spirit by hearing of the Law or of faith preached Therefore let us attend upon the unfolding of Christ Jesus in the Gospel for the Spirit is given with a clear and true unfolding of Christ and omit no spiritual means wherein the Spirit is effectual as meditation reading c. For as a man working in a garden though he think not of it perhaps he drawes a sweet sent of the flowers there is a tincture from the ayr that is round about him So the Word of God being indited by the Spirit of God we being in holy company being led by the same Spirit a man shall either by reading of the Word or in holy company or conversing in good books he shall draw a spiritual sweetnesse from the Word or from those that he hath to deal with The spirit of a man is like water that runs from Minerals as we see bathes have their warmth from Minerals that they run through they have a tincture from them to be hot in this or that degree in this or that quality So it is with the soul when it runs through holy things when it hath to deal with good books and good company c. it draweth a spirituall tincture and therefore if we would have the Spirit of God to guide us let us be much in those things that the Holy Ghost hath sanctified us for that end at all times when we have liberty from our callings And withall take heed that we greive not the Holy Ghost any way if we will have the Spirit to seal us to increase our Earnest How do we grieve the Holy Ghost By cherishing contrary affections and lusts and desires And resist not the holy Ghost as now when you hear the Word of God if you shut your resolutions if you shut your hearts and resolve not to give way to any instruction that shall be delivered This is a resisting of the Holy Ghost God now knocks at the hearts of those that are here by his Word and Spirit and therefore we should open the everlasting doors and let the King of glory come in We should lay open all to the Spirit Oh when the Spirit when Christ is so willing to give the Spirit it cannot be any but our fault if we be no more spiritual then we are for indeed there is nothing in a manner required to be spiritual but not to resist the Spirit The Holy Ghost presseth upon us in the Word such reasons of heavenly-mindednesse of despising of earthly things of purging our selves from the corruptions in the world such reasons to be good that indeed none are damned in the bosome of the Church but such as set a bar against the Spirit of God in their hearts with a cursed resolution that they will not be better that they will not part with their cursed lusts therefore they are damned because they will be damned that say the Preachers by the Word and Spirit what they will they think it better to be as they are then to entertain such a guest as will marre and alter all that was there before take heed therefore of resisting of the Spirit and of grieving of the Spirit by any thing in our selves or by conversing with company that will grieve him He that hath the Spirit of God in him cannot endure carnal company for what shall he hear what shall he draw in at his senses but that which will be vexation of spirit to him therefore it is said of Lot His righteous soul was vexed with the unclean conversation of the Sodomites it is an undoubted sign of a man that hath no grace not to care for his company that hath grace Likewise yield all obedience and subjection to the Spirit and to all the motions of the Word and Spirit bring our hearts into subjection lay our selves as it were before the Spirit suffer our selves to be moved and fashioned and framed by it for God gives his holy Spirit to them that obey him And beg the Spirit also as the principal thing God gives the Spirit saith Christ to them that ask him and by Christs manner of speaking there he
ill upon slight grounds Now this oft-times ariseth and is fed with seeming probability Christ conversed with wicked men here was some colour for them to conjecture him so We say things have two hands a right hand and a left now suspition takes hold of the left hand alwayes if things will admit of a double construction suspition alway takes hold of the worst suspition takes hold of the ill part That is the nature of a diseased soul to take things by the wrong hand We see then it is a disposition that we are subject unto naturally and it is cherished by Satan and Satans instruments wicked men And why doth the Devill so cherish suspition and a jealous disposition Oh it hath been wondrous instrumental to Satan I dare say there is no disposition or frame of soul that hath been the occasion of more blood-shed of more unjustice in the Church and State from the beginning of the world then a jealous disposition especially in great ones Therefore the Devil labours as to breed jealousies of God so of Gods Church and Children from the beginning Was it not ever the disposition of ill-minded men to put jealousies into the hearts especially of those that were in authority concerning men far better then themselves Was it not Hamans policy when the Jewes had angred him Oh they are a people that care not for the Laws c. perhaps they were more obedient then himself had it not been the occasion of their ruine if God had not been more merciful Herod had a jealousie and suspition that Christ when he was born would turn him out of his Kingdome and all Jerusalem was in an uproar Alas Christ came to give a heavenly Kingdome and not to take away earthly yet this jealousie cost the lives of the poor Infants So in the Primitive Church there were wicked men put jealousies concerning the Christians into the heads of the Emperours when alas they reverenced the Emperours next God above all yet alway there were wicked instruments that sought to domineer and have their own ends under the Emperours they conveyed jealousies and thence came so much blood-shed In later times in Popish Countreys if a man read the stories whence came that blood-shed This was one chief cause jealousies and suspitions cast into the heads of Popish Princes by wicked men about them set on work by Satan himself O they are such as will turn you out of your state a people that are rebellious and unquiet This was the policy among us in former times we may consider of later times to see the disposition of a man that was a great States-man in his time and a man of great parts and learning but of a very fierce and cruel disposition I mean Stephen Gardiner The chief hurt that was done in that magnanimous Princes time it was done by him And how By jealousies as appears by his Letters c. Oh if these things prevail this and that will come he cast such jealousies that did affright thas great Prince Oh other Princes will fall out with you if you maintain not these things they will break with you And so upon his death-bed this doctrine of Justification if the people once know it all is gone God shewes that all these jealousies are but follies for all that he feared came to passe In good Queen Elizabeths time Religion that he was so jealous of was established and she cared not for Princes correspondency that were of other Religions further then might stand with reasons of State and did not she flourish and her people in quiet all her time notwithstanding all former jealousies as if Religion established could not stand with peace So that the event proved what kind of jealousies these were Do we think then that a great deal of hurt is not done among particular persons when in States there is such a world of hurt done by Satan and his instruments Well let us take notice therefore of our disposition and of the inclination of men this way that we may the better prevent it and that will appear in the second thing That We should labour by all means to avoid suspition and to decline it as much as we can It should be the care of Ministers and others it generally belongs to all Christians to free themselves from any ill suspition in the hearts of others as much as they can as S. Paul did here the suspition of inconstancy and lightnesse and want of love to them that he did not come among them Suspition is a Canker that eats into the soul where it is and it will consume and waste all love It is the very venome of Love and friendship A little thing will breed it but will not work it out Therefore we ought first of all to take great heed that we give no ground of suspition at all or if we do that we be careful to get it out as soon as we can for usually where it takes place it boyls till it break out into words and then words when they are discovered breed strangenesse and that breeds other inconveniences And the rather we should labour to avoid it because Quod suspectum c. that which is suspected is made unprofitable for a man when he unwarrantably suspects another thing it is unprofitable to him We take little good by those that we suspect are ill or ill-affected to us and then we do little good to them for love is much danted by the ill conceit we have taken against them A man cannot do that good that he might when he is suspected there lies a barre in the way ill suspition in the other party which is an obstruction between him and the good he might do Therefore even for the love of others we ought to avoid suspition as much as may be that they may receive good from us As we ought not uncharitably to suspect others that we may do good to them so we ought to avoid by all means suspition from them left it be a barre for that good we might do towards them Let us labour to clear our selves from all suspition of want of love and ill carriage what we may that so there may be nothing between our spirits and theirs that may hinder the good that might come from us to them but that all may passe clear You see how curious holy men have been in all times to avoid suspition as much as they could Even God himself we cannot have a more glorious pattern what course hath he taken from the beginning of the world with mankind he hath condescended and stooped to mans weaknesse to clear himself of suspition of unkindnesse to man that man might not cherish suspition that he doth not love him For there is that poyson in the cursed nature of man that do God what he can he will lay imputations upon God to bear himself out in stubborn courses as if God delighted not in him
nor regarded him And as you have it in Ezek. 18. I am punished for other folks sins God deales hardly with me and brings the sins of my fathers upon me and The fathers have eaten sour grapes and the childrens teeth are set on edge God knowes the cankred disposition of man since the fall Satan lyes upon the disposition of man and broods upon it to make it like himself malicious even against God himself God as it were puts himself to his purgation even with no lesse then an oath As I live saith the Lord I will not the death of a sinner You think I am severe to you and men they will rather impute it to Gods severity then their own sin that is the pride of mans nature A sinner is wondrous proud till he cometo destruction it self and the book of conscience be opened Sin will have something to shelter it self with sin is a proud thing God purgeth himself by an oath As I live saith the Lord I will not the death of a sinner If you dye you may thank your own sins though you be so bad if you will repent I will not the death of a sinner but rather that he return and live Yet notwithstanding man to countenance himself in sin he-will fly perhaps to the decree of God God perhaps doth not delight in me whereas the rule of our life is He hath shewed thee O man what is good to do good and abstain from evil and then that question will be out of question whether thou be Gods or no. But man will force upon himself that God doth not regard him that he may sin with more freedom As the unfaithful servant I knew thou wert a hard Master that exactedst that that thou hadst not given and therefore I hid my talent The bad servant forceth upon himself hardnesse in his Master when he was not so that he might be idle So men force upon themselves somewhat in God to be hard Gods dealings to be so and so that they may take more liberty For if God be so loving and so gracious as he hath discovered himself to be their hearts would melt they would never live in such courses but rather put all to the venture then to clamour upon Gods Justice Therefore God himself purgeth himself from a disposition of unkindnesse and unmercifulnesse As I live saith the Lord I will not the death of a sinner fo his whole course is to shew that he loves us And what is our Saviour Christs whole course but to free men from suspition of want of love did he ever turn any back from him but those that went away of themselves did he not shed tears for those that shed his blood so merciful and gracious was he If so be that holy men of all times have laboured to clear themselves to others We ought not to rage against the ill dispositions of men If we were as good as God and as Christ men would have false suspitions of us It is no innocency in the world that will free a man from suspition the wicked poysonful disposition that the Devill stirres up against him Therefore rage not against it but bear it with a spirit of moderation And let us decline as much as we can and free the hearts of people from evil suspition and if we cannot avoid it yet to bear it without discontent considering it is the Lot of Gods childen to be suspected as we see here S. Paul was To spare you I came not to Corinth S. Paul besides his labouring to remove suspition he sets down here the true cause of his not coming to them it was not lightnesse and inconstancy it was to spare you They had many abuses among them and amended they must be that was a conclusion But the question is De modo whether by gentle means by writing an Epistle and staying a while or afterwards by coming and telling them their sin to their face and by being severe and terrible among them Now he concludes I came not among you for this very cause that I might not be so severe and terrible among you as by office I should have been if you had not amended before I came as indeed they did for they cast out the incestuous person and reformed other abuses comfortably They prevented S. Pauls severity with their reformation they had not at the first cast out the incestuous person and they had factions among them they had Atheists among them that doubted of the resurrection many abuses were crept in among them S. Paul wrote a former Epistle upon a desire to reform those and there was a blessed reformation wrought S. Paul did not delight in austerity therefore he deferred his coming that he might have more joy and contentment then sorrow To spare you I came not Before I come to the Points take this for a ground Sin must be judged and censured when it is committed It must be undone by repentance or by eternal punishments in hell it must be censured here or hereafter For it is against Gods nature and Gods Word The soul that sinneth shall dye It must be repented of of necessity or eternally punished in hell Censured it must be one way or other It is of such a contrary nature so opposite to the holinesse of God that is a ground Now this being laid as a ground the question is What is the best way to take away sin whether by gentle means or severe by gentle means if it may be if not then by severe S. Paul would not have spared them if he had come if they had not amended So the Points are two First of all That the best way for the redressing of sin is by gentle means if it may be Secondly if that will not then by severe if men would not have men damned I came not to spare you because I desired that gentler courses might prevail So I say the first Point is this That If gentler courses will prevail they ought especially and in the first place to be taken It should be the care both of Ministers and of all those that deal with others first of all to use mild and winning and gaining courses Now to prove this First they are more suitable to the nature of man for the nature of man is best wrought on by rational courses suitable to his nature suitable to his principle man is a reasonable creature therefore rationall courses will prevail with a rational man a course of perswasion and discovery A man that is not beast-like tell him but the danger of his sin tell him the peril of it in gentle words and he will amend if so be he be not hardened by God to destruction or if God do not reserve him to a more severe redresse Gentle courses ought first to be used because they are agreeable to the nature of man Again they suit most to Gods disposition for God is love and his course to man is
and but helpers They do but utter and propound matter of joy grounds of joy from the Word of God but it is the Spirit of God that doth rejoyce the heart The fruit of the lips is peace it is true but it is when the Spirit of God speaks peace to the soul together with the lips God creates the fruit of the lips to be peace saith Esay The fruit of the lips is peace bâ—… God creates it to be so so the Ministers are comforters but God saith I even I am thy comforter We speak matters of comfort and grounds of comfort but God seals them to the heart by his holy Spirit God is the comforter himself He is the Father of comfort and the God of all consolation And the Spirit is called the comforter to shew unto us that however in the Ordinances the materials of comfort be set abroach to Gods people yet notwithstanding that that that speaks peace to the heart and sets on those comforts to the soul and conscience it is the Spirit of God God himself So there is the outward preaching and the spiritual preaching He hath his chair in heaven that teacheth the heart as S. Austin saith S. Paul speaks but God opens the heart of Lydia he hath the Key to open the heart Therefore you have all attributed to the Spirit of God In Joh. 16. I go hence but I will send you the comforter the Holy Ghost and what shall the Comforter do he shall convince the world of sin of righteousnesse and judgment Do not pretend therefore your own inability that you are unable to comfort or to cast down or to seal unto people their righteousnesse do you that that is your duty propound grounds of direction and casting down and of righteousnesse and of judgment of holy life after and then the Holy Ghost shall go with you the Comforter shall do this to the hearts of people the Holy Ghost shall convince What is Paul or what is Apollo but Ministers Paul may plant and Apollo may water but if God give not the increase what is all Therefore Christ promiseth his disciples that the Holy Ghost should accompany their teaching They might have objected Alas we shall teach the world that they are Gentiles that they are obstinate persons hardened in superstition Do not fear saith he I will send the Holy Ghost he shall fall upon you and furnish you Now when the Holy Ghost was in them and the Holy Ghost in their auditors too together with the Word inspired by the Holy Ghost when the Spirit meetes in these three there are wonders wrought When the Spirit of God is in the teacher and the Spirit of God in the hearers and the Spirit of God in the Word I say when there is one Spirit in the teacher and in the hearers and in the Word there are wonders wrought of conversion and comfort It is the Spirit that must do all we are nothing but Ministers Let a man conceive of us as Ministers and dispensers of the Gospel Ministers of comfort we are and but Ministers just so we are helpers of your joy but we are but helpers Those that account us not helpers of joy know not our calling and those that account us more that we are able to comfort people by the Word they turn the preaching of the Word to magick to a charm We can speak the Word but God must speak to the heart at the same time As it is with Physical water there is the water and there are many strong things in it What doth the water cure or purge it is a dead thing it hath no efficatious quality but to cool c. Whence comes the efficacy There are some cool herbs some strong things in it and then it doth wonders So what is the infusion of the Word but water but aqua vitae water of life the dew of heaven Rosa solis whence is it so as water no but there is a Divine influence and vigour in it that refresheth and quickeneth the soul. It doth not do it of it self but it hath a Divine influence of the Spirit So we see though Ministâ—…s be helpers of joy they are but helpers they are but the conduits that convey that that comes from the Spirit of God they are instruments of the Spirit You see it clear then that God only speaks comfort because the Spirit of God only knowes our spirits throughly The spirit of God can only comfort because he knowes all the discomforts of our hearts he knowes all our griefs all the corners of our hearts that the Minister cannot do The Minister may speak general comforts but the Spirit of God knowes all the windings and turnings of the heart and all the disconsolate pangs of the heart and soul every little pang and grief the Spirit of God knowes it Therefore the Spirit of God is the Comforter he strikes the nail and seales the comfort to the soul we are but helpers Then again the Spirit of God must do it because the soul must be set down with that that is stronger then it self it must be so convinced and set down that it must have more to say against the griefe or temptation then can be alledged by the Devil himself The soul before it be comforted it must be quieted and stilled Now who is above the soul and Satan that tempts the soul Let Satan be let loose to tempt the soul and the soul hath a hell in it self if God let it alone who is above those unspeakable torments of coascience if they be not allayed by the Spirit of God Who is above the soul but the Spirit of God will the soul allay it self no it will never Therefore the Spirit of God that is stronger and wiser then the soul and is the Spirit of light and strength it must set down and quiet and calm the soul that it hath nothing to say against the comfort it brings but quiets it self and saith I must rest I must see this is from heaven I am quiet This the Spirit doth Therefore make this Use of it that in all our endeavours to procure peace to our consciences and spiritual balm to the wounds of our soules let us go to this heavenly Physician not depend over-much upon the Ministery or reading or any outward task but in the use of all things lift up our hearts to God that he would comfort us by his Spirit that he would send the Comforter into our soules Though the disciples had comfort upon comfort by Christ yet till the Comforter came whose office it was to do it to seal his Word to their soules alas they were dead-hearted people but after the resurrection when the Comforter came and refreshed their memories and convinced their understandigs then they could remember all the sweet comforts that our blessed Saviour had taught them before So it is with us we hear many sweet comforts day after day out of Gods
book comforts against sin comforts against trouble outward and inward and all but till the Comforter come till God send his holy Spirit we shall not make use of them Therefore let us labour to have more communion with God before we come to hear the Word and after we have heard it let us have communion with God again that he would seal whatsoever is spoken to our soules and make it effectual to us Therefore we must learn to give the just due to the Ordinance of God and not to idolize it to make it the means of comfort not to make it the chief Comforter but the Spirit of God by it What is Paul or Apollo what are we but Ministers of faith and by consequent Ministers and helpers of comfort but not the authors of comfort Oh if I had such and such here I should do well I should be so and so Alas all is to no purpose unlesse thou hast the Holy Ghost the Spirit of God that can help by weak means Therefore we must not tie comfort and joy to this or that means but in all means look to the ground of comfort and the spring of all the Holy Ghost The reason why men do nor profit more that they are not more cheared and lift up with the Ministery of the Word which is a Word of reconciliation and of joy and comfort it is because they are more careful in the use of means then in going to God for his Spirit to blesse the means Now these must go together a care of using the means and a care to pray to him that he would give us wisdome and strength and blessed successe in the use of all means Then if we would joyn religiously and conscionably these two together the use of all means conscionably and in the use of all to lift up our hearts to God to blesse them we should find a wondrous successe upon the Ministery and all other good means likewise So much for that I go on to the last clause of the Chapter For by faith ye stand Why doth the Apostle vary the word we have not dominion over your faith but are helpers of your joy whereas the consequence it seems might run thus we do not domineer over your faith but are helpers of your faith he puts joy instead of faith and afterward he brings in faith again for by faith ye stand This is one main reason because joy riseth from faith therefore he names it in stead of faith for the Holy Ghost is not curious of words but when the same Spirit wroks both he names that which he thinks will fittest suit the purpose Faith breeds joy How is that Because faith first of all doth shew to us the freedome from that that is the cause of all discomfort whatsoever it takes away all that may discourage For it takes away the fear of damnation for our sins it shewes our reconciliation in Jesus Christ. Faith shewes liberty and deliverance and so discovering deliverance by a Mediator it works joy Is not a prisoner joyful when he is set at liberty Then likewise faith discovers to us the face of God shining to us in Jesus Christ it shewes not only deliverance but favour It shewes us the ground of all the righteousnesse and obedience of our Saviour whereby we are delivered and brought into favour Now from this comes peace from the knowledge of our deliverance and acceptance with God founded upon the obedience of God-man a Saviour there comes in peace and peace breeds joy because faith discovers all these the ground of reconciliation with God in Jesus Christ and thereupon peace therefore it causeth joy For this is the pedigree and descent of joy as the Apostle hath it Rom. 14. The Kingdome of God is in righteousnesse and peace and joy There must be righteousnesse first of a Mediatur to satisfie the wrath of God and procure his favour From righteousnesse comes peace peace with God peace of conscience From peace comes joy there is no joy without peace no peace without righteousnesse And this whole pedigree of joy as it were is excellently set down Rom. 5. Being justified by faith we have peace with God through Jesus Christ our Lord and have accesse to the throne of grace by which grace we stand and not only so but rejoyce So there is justification by the righteousnesse of Christ and thereupon peace with God and from peace boldnesse and accesse to God and thereupon joy So we see how faith brings in joy because it shewes the spring of joy whence it comes it shewes peace and peace riseth from reconciliation and reconciliation from righteousnesse of Christ Mediator whereupon we are delivered from all that we may fear and set in a state of true joy God being our friend When God is reconciled all is reconciled all is ours have we not cause of joy then Therefore the Apostle saith Rom. 15. The God of peace fill you full of joy in believing shewing that faith is the cause of all spiritual joy And the same you have in 1 Pet. 1. 8. In whom ye rejoyced after ye believed with joy unspeakable and glorious In whom after ye believed that is in Christ you rejoyced with joy unspeakable and glorious And therefore you see the Apostle might well substitute joy in stead of faith because it springs and riseth from faith in Jesus Christ the Mediatour Hereupon we may come to make this Use of tryal how we may know whether our joy be good or no. Among many other evidences this is one that spiritual joy is good if it spring from the Word of faith If it spring from the Ordinance of God unfolded in the Word shewing us the ground of believing For he that truly joyes can shew the ground of his joy Herein joy differs from presumption from presumptuous swelling conceits true joy that is not the joy of an hypocrite it doth shew from whence it comes it riseth from grounds out of divine truth Then again this joy doth more immediately spring from faith in the Word from assurance that God is ours and that Christ is ours that God is at peace with us and that we are at peace with him it ariseth from peace that is wrought by faith Then again this joy if it be sound it is such a joy as S. Peter saith is an unspeakable and glorious joy joy arising from the Word of God and from faith and peace it is above discouragement because we have in the Word of God matter of joy above all discouragements and all allurements whatsoever It is a joy above the joy of riches or pleasures or profits why because the Word shewes matter of joy above all these The Prophet David rejoyced in the Word of God above Gold and Silver as one that had gotten great spoyles you see how oft he repeats it Psal. 119. It was sweeter to him then the honey and the honey-comb Psal.
19. It put his soul out of taste with all other things This joy of the Spirit it puts such a relish in the soul that it makes it undervalue all other things whatsoever the price of other things falls down when a man joyes in the Holy Ghost because it ariseth from the grounds of faith from peace and righteousnesse And likewise if it look forward from the hope of life everlasting and the favour of God the ground of all It riseth from things that are above all other contentments The loving kindnesse of the Lord that faith apprehends that is the ground of joy it is above life it self Now life is the sweetest thing upon earth but the loving kindnesse of God is better then that Therefore those that lose their soules in base contentments and joy in the dirty things of this life that are not fit for the soul to fasten on to place contentment in but are only to be used as those that take a journey to refresh them but those that are swallowed up in these things they know not what spiritual joy is that ariseth from the Word of God from divine truth that ariseth from faith for if they did this joy would raise them higher above all earthly contentments whatsoever Then again where this joy is this spiritual enlargement of soul which is called joy it is from true grounds it is with humility For the same Word that discovers matter of joy discovers matter of humility and grief in our selves by reason of the remainders of sin and of our own deservings So true joy it is a tempered and qualified joy it is not joyned with pride and swelling because it riseth from those grounds that teach us what we are in our selves alas such that we need not be proud in our selves but if we will glory we must glory in God Well it is not that that I mean principally to stand on but only I speak of it because it is placed here for faith as it springs from faith we are helpers of your joy To hasten then to that that followes For by faith ye stand This principally depends upon the first words We have not dominion over your faith because faith is such a grace as you stand by in all conditions Now what you stand by must be firm it must be on a good bottome and what is firm must not be humane but divine therefore we have no dominion over your faith for by faith ye stand Standing is a military word by faith ye stand that is first of all faith gives a standing a certain standing before any conflict it gives a standing in Christianity it sets the soul in a frame in a standing Nay faith helps us we stand by faith not only in a frame of Christianity and furnished with spiritual strength but then we are fit to encounter opposition by faith we stand to it and stand against all opposition we stand and stand to it by faith And standing likewise implies continuance in managing Christianity and opposing all enemies whatsoever by faith we stand and continue standing we hold out in all opposition Standing likewise in the next place implies a kind of safety together with victory at length By faith ye stand you stand so as you are not wounded to death you stand so as you are kept safe especially from mortal wounds and altogether safe so far as you use faith as a shield till you have got perfect victory and faith end in triumph So faith is that grace whereby we stand whereby we are in a frame of Religion fit to stand and whereby we so standiug encouter oppositions and continue so encountering and preserve our selves safe till victory be obtained this is the full expression and comprehension of the word By faith ye stand Now why is it by faith that we have this standing Because faith it is that grace in the new Covenant that makes the soul go out of it self it empties the soul of all things in it self and goes out to somewhat else whereupon it stands For in the new Covenant since Adams fall all our strength is in the second Adam our head we fetch it there And faith is the hand of the soul. Now because faith in the new Covenant is an emptying grace and likewise because as it is a grace that empties the soul so it fastens upon another thing whereupon it relies for faith is an uniting grace as well as an emptying grace now faith emptying and uniting so it makes us stand And likewise faith as it drawes it hath a drawing vertue an attractive force it is a radical grace it is like a root when it knits to Christ it sucks out and drawes vertue from him every touch of faith drawes spiritual strength and vertue so it causeth us to stand by the attractive vertue it hath And then it is the force of faith likewise to make things present For therein it differs from hope hope looks upon things as absent now the things that hope looks on as things remote and distant in time and place faith makes them present therefore it is said to be the evidence of things not seen Now that that makes the soul to be strong and able to stand it must be somewhat present however the full possession of things be reserved not for faith but for vision for comprehenders in heaven where faith ends and determines yet notwithstanding faith drawes so much for the present it sets things to come so far present with such evidence and force as it upholds the soul and makes it stand It is the evidence of things not seen And thereupon it hath a kind of omnipotent power to make things that are not to be Heaven and glory and happinesse they are not for the pesent but faith looking on them in the authority of God and the divine promises faith makes them present by a kind of almighty power that it hath laying hold on an almighty power and hereupon it upholds the soul it is the prop and stay of the soul as in Heb. 11. it signifies to stay up to hold up as a pillar even from this vertue it hath to make things to come present You see then what it is to stand and how faith is fitted for this purpose because as I said it is the grace of the new Covenant emptying us and drawing us to Christ from whom we draw all vertue and because it makes things to come as present By faith wr are set in a right frame and condition again as by want of faith we fell The same grace must set us right for want of which we fell How came we to fall at the first You know Adam hearkened to his wife Eve and she hearkened to the Serpent they trusted not in God they began to stagger at the promises to stagger at the Word of God Satan robbed them of the Word He observes and continues the same Art still to take the Word from us and to
See Hope Opinion Confidence Certain account of and looking for death is a not able means to draw us from self confidence p. 136 Gods Children prone to self confidence p. 137 See Trust. Conformity A threefold conformity with Christ p. 118 Conscience Conscience what p. 219 220 c. Three things joyned with Conscience p. 221 God hath set up a Court in man wherein Conscience is 1. Register 2. Witnesse 3. Accuser 4. Judge 5. Executioner p. 222 Conscience Gods Hall wherein he keeps his Assizes ibid. Judgment of Conscience a forerunner of the great and general Judgment ibid. Conscience beareth witnesse p. 223 What manner of witnesse Conscience is viz. 1. Faithful 2. Inward ibid. How to have Conscience witnesse well p. 224 227 An ignorant man cannot have a good Conscience p. 225 Why men have bad Consciences ibid. Papists cannot have a good conscience why p. 226 The witnesse of a good Conscience the ground of joy why p. 227 235 A good Conscience breeds joy 1. In life p. 228 to 232 2. In death 3. At the day of Judgment A good Conscience comforts in all estates and conditions whatsoever p. 228 229 230 Why a good Conscience doth not alwayes witnesse comfort p. 231 232 Means how to joy and rejoyce in the witnesse of Conscience p. 233 Nothing worse then a bad Conscience p. 236 237 238 239 Labour for a good Concience ibid. Commenâ—…atior of a good Conscience ibid. How to have a good Conscience p. 240 Gods Children have place in the Conscience of others p. 320 Contraries God is able to raise comfort out of contraries p. 42 43 God carries on the work of our salvation by contraries why p. 146 Conversation Conversation what p. 266 Christianity may stand with conversing abroad in the world p. 267 Keligion makes a man converse abroad in the world untainted ibid. A Christians Conversation is best where he is best known p. 273 Corinth Corinth a very wicked City yet ever there God hath a Church p. 4 What is now become of the Church of Corinth p. 5 Corinth the Metropolis or Mother-City of Achaia p. 6 See Achaia D. Danger God suffers his Children sometimes to fall into extream perils and dangers why p. 125 126 c. Day Christ hath a Day p. 339 There be two special dayes of Christ ibid. The measure of a Christians joy is as it will be esteemed at the day of Judgment p. 340 We should often think of the day of the Lord Jesus p. 341 See Judgment Death Gods Children are sometimes very sensible and much afraid of death why p. 130 131 How and in what respect the Saints desire death p. 133 Christ was afraid of death and yet thirsted after it how p. 132 133 Gods Children are often deceived concerning the time â—…f their death why p. 134 Death uncertain how ibid. The time of death uncertain why p. 134 135 Certain account of and looking for death is a means to draw us from self-confidence and from the world and to make us trust in God p 136 Physicians fault in flattering the sick and feeding them with false hopes â—…f long life at the point of death taxed ibid. Affliction called Death p. 171 Deliver God doth not deliver his children at the first but suffers them to be brought to a low ebbe to a very sad condition and why p. 171 172 God delivers after he hath done his work p. 172 Gods time to deliver when p. 173 Gods children alway stand in need of deliverance p. 175 God delivers both outwardly and inwrdly p. 176 180 Christians have deliverance from trouble p. 177 A double deliverance of God p. 178 Experience of Gods deliverance in time past a ground of confidence to expect the like for time to come p. 172 178 182 Objection against the Doctrine of Gods delivering his people from trouble answered p. 179 Deliverance various or manifold p. 180 God will deliver his people out of all trouble p. 181 Dispense No dispensing with Gods Law p. 399 Dissembling Dissimulation Grounds of Dissimulation p. 244 A threefold Dissimulation 1. Before the project p. 224 2. In 3. After Objection for dissembling answered pag. 247 Man naturally prone to dissemble p. 244 250 Dissembling to be avoided and declined p. 371 372 A Christian is no Dissembler p. 317 See Simulation Dominion No man hath dominion over anothers faith p. 519 What is no domineering over the faith of others p. 520 What is domineering over the faith of others ibid. Who are guilty of domineering over other mens faith p. 521 The Church of Rome guilty of domineering over the faith of others how and wherein ibid. Grounds from whence this domineering over other mens faith ariseth p. 527 Double Doubling a great sin p. 247 Man by nature is prone to double and the grounds of it p. 250 Some persons and callings are more prone to doubling then others ibid. A Christian is no doubler p. 317 E. Earnest VVHat the Spirit is an Earnest of p. 486 The Spirit resembled to an Earnest in fiv e particulars p. 486 487 How to know whether we have the Earnest of the Spirit p. 493 494 495 How to get this Earnest of the Spirit pag. 501 502 503 Motives to labour for this Earnest pag. 504 505 End Holy men work for holy Ends p. 347 Equivocation Popish Equivocation odious and abominable p. 246 372 516 Errour How Prophets and Apostles were subject to errours and mistakes and how not p. 374 See Infallible Mistake Experience Former Experience a ground to expect like mercies for the future p. 182 to 188 Extremity God sometimes suffers his children to fall into great extremities and why p. 126 127 Gods people are sensible of their extremity p. 129 See Afflictions Sufferings Tribulations F. Faith Difference between Faith and Presumption p. 441 A double act of Faith 1. Direct pag. 488 2. Reflect Of standing by Faith See Standing To have dominion over the Faith of others See Dominion The foundation of Faith must be out of a mans self p. 544 True Faith is built upon the Word or the Scriptures not upon unwritten Traditions p. 544 545 546 Popish Faith not built upon the Scriptures but upon Traditions p. 545 546 Faith sure and certain p. 546 True Faith will persevere and hold out to the end ibid. It 's by Faith that we stand and withstand all opposition whatsoever ibid. Faith a Christians victory by it he conquers all adversary powers ibid. The Sacrament a means of strengthen Faith p. 550 Falshood Falshood to be declined p. 371 372 Father God as the Father of Christ to be praised p. 21 See Praise God the Father of Christ our Father and the Father of mercies how pag. 21 22 Why God is called the Father of mercies p. 23 Why not the Father of mercy but of mercies ibid. Uses to be made of this Title of God The Father of mercies p. 25 26 27 28 29 30 See Mercy Flesh. Flesh what 276 364 Carnal wisdome why called
of God By the grace of God my conversation hath been in godly sincerity and not in fleshly wisdom For St. Paul was wondrous jealous of his heart for fear of pride not I saith he 1. Cor. 15. I laboured more then they all O not I but the Grace of God that was in me he was afraid of the least insinuation of spirituall pride and so he saith here Our rejoycing is the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and sincerity by the grace of God And then the extent of this conversation thus in simplicity and sincerity in regard of the object it hath been thus In the world towards all men that I have conversed with they can say as much wheresoever I have lived And more abundantly to you-ward my care and Conscience hath been to carry my self as I should more abundantly to you-ward with whom I have lived longest This is an excellent evidence of a good man that he is best liked where he is best known Now St. Paul had lived long amongst them and he was their father in Christ and therefore saith he my conversation is known especially to you-ward Many men are best trusted where they are least known their publick conversation is good and plausible but their secret courses are vile and naught as those know that are acquainted with their retired courses but you saith the Apostle with whom I have lived longest with whom I have been most you can bear witnesse of my conversation that I have lived so and so in the world and more abundantly to you-ward This is our rejoycing c. We see here the temper and disposition that St. Paul was in he was in a glorying in a rejoycing estate We see then that A Christian take him at the worst his estate is a rejoycing estate Our rejoycing is this The word in the originall is more then joy for it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a glorying our glorying is this which is a joy manifesting it self in the outward man when the heart and the spirit seeme as it were to go outward and as it were to meet the thing joyed in A Christian hath his joy his glorying and a glorying that is proper to himself it is a spirituall joy as it followes after Our rejoycing is the testimony of our conscience So goodis God that in the worst estate he gives his Children matter of rejoycing in this world he gives them a taste of heaven before they come there He gives them a grape of Canaan as Israel they tasted of Canaan what a good land it was before they came thither so Gods Children they have their rejoycing St. Paul swears and protests it 1. Cor 15. By our rejoycing in Christ Jesus I die daily as verily as we joy in all our afflictions so this is true that I say that I die daily Therefore we should labour to be of such a temper as that we may glory and rejoyce A Christian hath his rejoycing but it is a spiritual rejoycing like his estate Every creature hath his joy as St. Chrysostome speaks we do all for joy all that we do is that we may joy at length it is the centre of the soule As rest is to motion so the desire of all is to joy to rest in joy So that heaven it self is termed by the name of joy happinesse it self Enter into thy masters joy Every creature hath his joy proper to him every man hath his joy a carnall man hath a carnal joy a spiritual man hath a holy joy First he joyes in his election which was before all worlds that his name is written in heaven as it is Luke 11. Rejoyce in this that your names are written in heaven and not that the divells are subject unto you And then he joyes in his justification that he is freed from his sins Rom. 8. Being justified by faith we have peace with God through Christ and we rejoyce in afflictions being justified first there is the way how this joy comes in A Christian being justified by faith and freed from the guilt of his sin it worketh joy And then there is a joy of sanctification of a good conscience of a holy life led as we see here our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience c. And then there is a joy of glory to come We rejoyce under the hope of glory saith the Apostle Rom. 5 so a Christians joy is suitable to himself There is no other man that can glory and be wise because all men but a Christian they glory in their shame or they glory in vanishing things A Christian is not ashamed of his joy of his glorying because he glories not in his shame Therefore the Apostle here justifies his joy our rejoycing is this I care not if all the World know my joy it is the testimony of my conscience As if he should say Let others rejoyce in base pleasures which they will not stand to a vow let others rejoyce in riches in honours in the favour of men let them rejoyce in what they please my joy is another kind of joy I rejoyce in the testimony of my conscience A Christian as he hath a joy so he hath a joy that he will stand to and make it good There is no other man but he will blush and have shame in his forehead that joyes in any thing that is baser then himself that joyes in outward things he cannot stand to it and say This is my joy but a Christian hath the warrant of his conscience for that which he joyes in and therefore he is not ashamed of it Another man dares not reveal his joy All the subtiltie of the world is to have the pleasures that sin will afford and yet withall they study to cover it that it may not appear Where is the joy of the ambitious His study his thought and his joy is to have respect Haman-like and yet he studies to conceal this he dares not have it known he dares not avow it This is my rejoycing for then all the world would laugh at him for a vain person Again the joy of the base-minded man is in his pleasure but he dares not avow this he dares not say my rejoycing is this for then every man would scorn him as a beast The rich man he joyes in his riches but he dares not be known of this for he would then be accounted a base earthly-minded man Every man would scorn him He studies to have all the pleasure and all the comfort that these things will afford and yet to cover them Because he thinks that there is a higher matter that he should joy in if he were not an atheist A Christian is not ashamed of his joy and rejoycing I rejoyce in this saith he For it is well bred it is bred from the Spirit of God witnessing that his name is written in the Booke of Life witnessing that his sins are
forgiven witnessing that he lives as a Christian should do witnessing that he hath the evidences of his justification that he hath a holy life the pledge likewise of future glory his joy is well bred Likewise it is permanent Other mens joy and rejoycing is but as a flash of thornes as the Wise man calls it as it were a flame in thornes as the crackling of thornes which is sooner gone And it is an unseemly glorying and rejoycing for a man to glory in that which is worse then himself and in that which is out of himself as all other things are out of a mans self and worse and meaner then a mans self therefore a man cannot rejoyce in them and be wise It is a disparagement to the wisdom of a man to glory in things that are meaner then himself and that are out of himself A holy Christian hath that in himself and that which is more excellent then himself to glory in This is our rejoycing the testimony of our conscience All other rejoycing it is vain glorie and vain rejoycing therefore in Jerem. 9. saith he Let not the wise man glory in his wisdome let not the strong man glory in his strength let not the rich man glorie in his riches but if a man will glorie let him glorie that he knowes the Lord to be his and that he knowes himself to be the Lords When he knowes the Lord to be his and himself to be Gods by faith and a good conscience then there is matter of glorying Of all kind of men God doth hate proud boasters most of all for glory is the froth of pride and God hates pride he opposeth pride and sets himself in battel aray against it and who can thrive that hath God for his enemie boasting and pride in any earthly thing it is against all the commandements almost It is Idolatrie it makes that we boast and glorie in an Idoll whereas we should glorie in God that gives it And it is spirituall adulterie when we cleave in our affections to some outward thing more then to God It is false witnesse pride is a false glasse it makes the things and the men themselves that enjoy them to seem greater then they are The divell amplifies earthly things to a carnall man in a false glasse that they seeme big to him whereas if he could see them in their true colours they are false things they are snares and hinderances in the way to heaven and many such names they have The Scripture gives an ill report of them They are vanity and vexation of spirit because we should be discouraged from setting our affections on these things and from glorying in them Therefore let us take heed of false glorying if we will glorie we see here what we are to glory in This is our rejoycing the testimony of our conscience c. And this we may justify and stand by that it is good It is the Testimony of conscience This is our rejoycing the testimony of our conscience The testimony of conscience it is a matter and ground of joy to a true Christian here we are to consider these things First to consider a little the nature of conscience And then that conscience beares witnesse that there is a testimony of conscience And that this conscience bearing witnesse is a ground of comfort For the first Every man feeles and knowes what conscience meanes There be many rigid disputes of it among the Schoole men that had leisure enough of all men knew as little and felt what it was as any sort of men living under the darkness of Poperie and superstition and being in thraldome to the Pope and to the corruptions of the times they lived in They have much jangling about the description of it whether it be the soule it self or a facultie or an act In a word Conscience is all these in some sort in diverse respects therefore I will not wrangle with any particular opinion For what is conscience but the soul it self reflecting upon it self It is the propertie of the reasonable soule and the excellencie of it that it can return upon it self The beast cannot for it runs right forward it knowes it is carried to the object but it cannot returne and recoile upon it self but the soule of the reasonable creature of all even from men to God himself who understands in the highest degree though he do not discourse as man doth yet he knowes himself he knowes and understands his owne excellencie And wheresoever there is understanding there is a reflect act whereby the soule returnes upon it self and knowes what it doth it knowes what it wills it knowes what it affects it knowes what it speakes it knowes all in it and all out of it It is the propertie of the soule Therefore the originall word in the Old Testament that signifies the heart it is taken for conscience Conscience and heart are all one I am perswaded in my soul that is in my conscience and the Spirit witnesseth to our spirit that is to our conscience Conscience is called the spirit the Heart the soul because it is nothing but the soul reflecting and returning upon it self Therefore it is called conscience that is one knowing joyned with another because conscience knowes it self and it knowes what it knowes it knowes what the heart is it not onely knowes it self but it is a knowledge of the heart with God It is called conscience because it knowes with God for what conscience knowes God knowes that is above conscience It is a knowledge with God and a knowledge of a mans selfe And so it may be the soule it self indued with that excellent facultie of reflecting and returning upon it self therefore it judgeth of its own acts because it can return upon it self Conscience likewise in some sort may be called a faculty the common stream runs that way that it is a power It is not one power but conscience is in all the powers of the soule for it is in the understanding and there it rules conscience is it by which it is ruled and guided Conscience is nothing but an application of it to some particular to some thing it knowes to some rules it knowes before Conscience is in the will in the affections the joy of conscience and the peace of conscience and so it runs through the whole soule It is not one facultie or two but it is placed in all the faculties And some will needs have it an act a particuler act and not a power When it doth exercise conscience it is an act when it accuseth or excuseth or when it witnesseth it is an act at that time it is a facultie in act So that we need not to wrangle whether it be this or that let us comprehend as much in our notions as we can that it is the soul the heart the spirit of a man returning upon it self and it hath something to doe in