A DISCOVERY OF SOME Troublesome Thoughts WHEREWITH Many Godly precious Souls are burthened and extreamly pressed that like a Canker eats out all their Comforts and keeps their Souls under continuall fears and Distractions Together with a Compound of some Scripture and experimentall Cordials for the refreshing of those who are sick of such a disease and through the blessing of God may prove medicinall to the Cure of some and the Comforting of others By Daniel King Preacher of the Word Isa 54.11,12,13 Oh thou afflicted tossed with tempest and not comforted behold I will lay thy stones with fair colours and lay thy foundations with Saphirs And I will make thy windows of Agats and thy gates of Carbuncles and all thy borders of pleasant stones And all thy children shall be taught of the LORD and great shall be the peace of thy children London Printed and are to be sold neer the Temple in Fleet-street 1651. To all poor souls who are troubled and tossed in Spirit Especially Zions members that are in such a Condition PRecious Saints and faithfull souls The Lord by his providence bringing me to London and haveing occasion to continue there a time I was solicited by some dear to me to set pen to Paper upon another subject which I was not willing to do at that present But yet I thought it my duty to imploy my self in the service of Christ and his people any way as might tend to the Glory of the one and the benefit of the other In diverse parts of the City and Suburbs thereof came news to me of some whose hearts were exceedingly shaken with doubts and scruples and fears concerning the condition of their Souls some of which are in Communion with the Churches of Christ nicknamed Anabaptists some hearing among them confessing the truth and acknowledging the way of worship practised by them to be of God desirous to be one with them But onely that scruples concerning their own condition wanting the assurance of their Justification and reconciliation to God keeps them off Whose condition divers brethren Question not but to be good and their souls dear to God onely they could not see it themselves Just like the Disciples here Christ was at hand and they thought it was some other apparition And so through mistake were exceedingly troubled And therefore I set upon this piece of work being moved thereto from three or four considerable reasons 1. Because he that is in affliction ought to be comforted of his neighbour Job 6.14 Prov. 18.14 And what Affliction like Affliction of spirit And who is my neighbour but he that shewes mercy to me And truly I cannot but pitty and tender those who are of the body of Christ in respect of Vnion with and in him And yet because of Affliction of Spirit dare not manifest their right to Communion It is an Argument of a dead member not to be sensible of the pain of others that suffer Weep with them that weep saith the Apostle And it is some comfort to a sad discouraged soul when God gives his people a heart to condole their Condition Lam. 1.12 When they are not forgotten of the Saints 2. Because after I had mentioned my Intention in this thing to those that moved me to the other task themselves and others were well satisfied and desirous that I should hasten in the work as fast as I could whereupon I perceived I had a Call to it by them 3. Because I saw I was bound to it as my duty laid upon me by God himself according to the Ability given me to draw it forth this way as well as otherwise Seeing God saith Isa 40.1.2 Comfort ye Comfort ye my people saith your God Speak to the heart of Jerusalem tell her her Iniquity it pardoned c. Shewing that Jerusalem questioned her pardon or was ignorant of it And that the servants of God which he had enabled for the work should declare it to her and speak to her heart that was troubled that she might be setled And saith the Apostle Comfort the feeble minded 2 Thes 5.14 And many other Scriptures to this purpose 4. To be a Testimoniall to Brethren and friends from whom I am absent that I have not spent my time idly about vain pleasures though I have not been with them but was willing to set forward the work of God in one kind or other that might be Vsefull And now to you poor troubled Souls whose hearts are heavy and whose souls bleed with sorrows and are full of fears who languish under terrors I know the objections and scruples of your hearts are numerous and of various shapes now appearing in one shape then in another Think not that I can speak to every thought or doubt that may trouble you I have only spoken to such as seem to me and that by some experience of my own also to be the ground-work or Foundation of most of your fears and shakings And indeed for the present neither time nor convenient opportunity would give me leave to adde any more I beseech you deal plainly with your hearts Read this Treatise it may be you may light of somewhat that may refresh your spirits Take heed of beleeving Satan or your own hearts but beleeve the Lord speaking in the Scripture the Words of God Do not dear friends refuse to be comforted when God tenders Comforts to you The more your hearts are lifted up with spirituall Joy the more cheerfully you will walk with God Look up to God for a blessing when you read It may be he may open your Vnderstandings to understand the Scriptures and the dealings of God with his People and to know them for your selves Luke 24. Despair not though you have been dead in your hearts not like Lazarus in body two dayes or four dayes but many dayes but remember Christ will have the glory in raising you Vp And I beseech you when God hath lifted up your heads or rather hearts remember me who am often to the grief of my heart troubled with captivating rebelling flesh Rom. 7. shewing it self present when I would and should do good Intreat that God that is the God of all consolation and comforts you to Quicken me and carry me through in his work 2 Cor. 1. But to those who pretend troublesome times because they would seem Saints that like Dissembling beggars make themselves sores where none are to maintain their Irregular life That delight in sin and evil courses and would have Gods Countenance shine upon them and assurance of Salvation be given to them that they might with the more freedom and boldness run on in the way of wickedness would have the Wages but cannot endure the work Desire the end but care not for the way or means that tends to that end cry Hosanna to Christ with their mouthes but crucifie him in heart and life Christ is lovely to them as a Priest to save them but tell them of his
Kingdom to be set up within them and without them in heart and life and then he seems a Tyrant Let me tell thee whosoever thou art that art of this temper I have said nothing to thee nor for thee in this Treatise This comfortable Cordiall that I have endeavoured to compound for the comfort of Souls really sick shall become thy poyson if thou offer to meddle with it Taste not one sip of it I charge thee and if thou dost I am guiltless of thy bloud having given thee a fair warning I have written it for the use of those whose hearts God hath touched and are sick of love for him who is altogether Lovely Not for such as turn the grace of God into wantonness So I commit it to the blessing of God and the approbation of the Churches of Christ †As namely the Churches of Christ in London meeting usually at the glasse-house in Broad street The Church in Coventry The Church in Warwick The Church at Hook-Norton in Oxfordshire And the Church meeting neer Martin-Hinmarsh in Gloucestershire or any others to whom I am neer related and such in them as are most experienced in the dealings of God with troubled souls And desire to continue as by the grace of God I am A servant to Christ and the meanest of his Saints DANIEL KING From the Lime-kiln at Pickle-Hering in Southwark this 7 th of the 11 th Moneth A Discovery of some troublesome thoughts wherewith many Godly Precious Souls are burthened and extreamly pressed Together with a Compound of Scripture and experimentall Cordials for the refreshing of those who are sick of such a Disease c. Luke 24.38 And he said unto them Why are ye troubled and why do thoughts arise in your hearts THe words contain a reproof or reprehension of the Disciples of Christ by Christ himself laid down by way of Interrogation Why are ye troubled and why do thoughts arise in your hearts Like that of Mar. 4.40 Why are ye so fearfull and Matth. 21.25 Why then do you not beleeve on him and according to that Isa 40.27 Why sayest thou O Jacob and speakest O Israel my way is hid from the Lord and my Judgement is passed over from my God Division The words consist of two parts 1. The thing for which Christ reproveth them though in a loving sweet manner I confess for being so troubled 2. The ground of this their trouble Thoughts arising in their hearts And it appears it was a reproof of them because he laboureth to take them off from this distemper in the next words Behold my hands and my feet that it is I my self for they were troubled through a mistake thinking they had seen a spirit and not Christ And therefore he did not appâ—ove of it but reproveth it Consider further 1. Who it was that speaketh here Christ himself 2. To whom he spake To his Disciples beleevers 3. At what time And that was when he himself came in among them and was present with them and saluted them with peace Vers 36. Meaning of the words For the meaning of the words I will be brief 1. Troubled Trouble This word is set out to us diversly in Scripture 1. Sometimes it signifieth povertie 1 Chron. 22.14 In my trouble or povertie saith David I have prepared for the house of the Lord. This is spoken Metonymically the cause for the effect 2. It signifieth to be shortened Job 21.4 Why should not my Spirit be troubled The Hebrew reading is shortened When a man is straightened and cannot be so enlarged as he would be It s a phrase taken from one that is overburthened and is so pressed down that he cannot look up nor go forward but falleth short of what he would reach or attain to And so is filled with perplexities and fears 3. It importeth weariness or to be tired under a burthen Nehem. 9.32 O our God let not all the trouble seem little before thee the Hebrew reading is Weariness It meaneth so to be burthened as not to be able to stand up under it Ps 38.6 I am troubled Hebr. Wryed I am bowed down greatly I go mourning all the day So that it is to be writhen or wryed aside and bowed down under some Burden into a mourning condition The word is sometimes joyned with anguish shewing the vexation of the heart Job 15.24 Trouble and anguish shall make him afraid sometimes with sorrow Psal 116.3 I found trouble and sorrow Now all these are ingredients into these thoughts and it is as if Christ should have said why are ye so poor that ye have no confidence nor no Joy in your hearts Why are so distempered and wearied and burthened in your selves Why are ye so straightened and so full of anguish and sorrow that ye cannot stretch out your hearts to beleeve and quiet your souls in God through Christ Again consider where the seat of this trouble was in the heart or spirit It was not upon the Body nor state nor name but upon the Soul Consider again whence this trouble arose from thoughts Some Translations read it doubtings It signifieth distracting thoughts turbulent thoughts or debatings and Reasonings whereby the heart is discouraged and begins to sink under its burthen and is tired with musings and tossings up and down through fear and doubt like that Mat. 6.25 Take no thought for your life that is distrustfull thought to be of doubtfull mind or to hang in carefull suspence * Luke Such thoughts Christ endeavoureth to Arm them against Mar. 13.11 And such thoughts David speaketh of Psal 94.19 In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my Soul Thoughts arising from a mixture of unbelief so this place sheweth they beleeved not that it was Christ and thereupon thoughts arose Contrary to that Matt. 21.21 If you have faith and doubt not But these were like Peters thoughts about the vision Act. 10.17 When he knew not what to pitch upon nor how to have his heart satisfied But sticks in doubts and fears and scruples and cannot get our And such kind of thoughts trouble the heart exceedingly Dan. 5.6 Then the Kings countenance was changed and his thoughts troubled him so verse 10. O King let not thy thoughts trouble thee So Mary Luke 1.29 It is said She was troubled at the Angels saying and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be It stuck in her mind and troubled her for the present Arise in your hearts It is a metaphor taken from the rising of clouds or mists whereby the shining face of the Sun is obscured from the Earth So by the rising of these thoughts and doubts the sweet presence of Christ that was among them now was obscured and not so pleasant to them Sometimes me thinks The Interrogation carrieth the face of an Admiration Why are YE troubled YE And why do thoughts arise in YOVR hearts What you my Disciples that are beleevers John 14.1 Ye beleeve in
God You that have been so intimate with Christ that have had so much experience of Christ did not I tell you that after three dayes I should rise again have not you formerly had sweet Communion with me strange Why are ye troubled But I take it to be a gentle reproof Again consider whence those thoughts arose from themselvs not from Christ from a principle of their own hearts for it was in their hearts that they rose and from their hearts Christ said peace be unto you but they arose from their own suppositions and mistakes as appeareth from vers 37. They were terrified and affrighted and supposed they had seen a spirit The words shew also the certainty of these beleevers or Disciples trouble of mind by the Ingemination of the Question Why are ye troubled and why do thoughts arise in your hearts he doth not say are ye troubled and do thoughts arise but why is it so Implying a certainty I hope the words are cleared up I come now to the observations Doctrinall observations And first from the Interrogation Why are ye troubled c. Whence observe a truth implicitely infolded in the words that is this That the Saints of God the Disciples of Christ even in Gospel times are subject to trouble of mind distemper of spirit 2. Why are ye troubled and why c. Christ asketh them the reason of it shewing it was not from him Whence observe again That it is not from Christ but principally from a beleever himself and his own heart that he is so much troubled as he is 3. From the ground of their trouble Thoughts or doubtings that arose in their hearts I observe again There is corruption enough in the heart of every beleever if it did but shew it self to trouble him and mightily distemper him Rom. 7. Paul telleth us sin dwelled in him and when he would do good evil was present and the Law in his members rebelled against the Law of his mind and now see how it troubled him vers 24. O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death Many wonder that beleevers should be troubled in Gospel times Why so Are beleevers free from the stirring and moving of corruption and so long as unbelief opposeth faith and the flesh lusteth against the spirit is it any wonder to see them troubled 4. From the Ingemination or doubling of the Question Why and why I note That it behoveth a Christian in trouble of spirit to observe the ground whence it riseth 5. Why are ye troubled Why see vers 37. It was a mistake for they had cause to have rejoyced because they were not acquainted with the manner of Christs appearance at that time they utterly mistake and make contrary constructions of his appearance Whence I note That many times the Saints and people of God are mightily troubled and perplexed in their hearts and spirits when they have cause to rejoyce and be comforted 6. From the generall That Christ reproveth them for it and laboureth to help them against it as appears ver 38.39.40 And he said unto them why are ye troubled and why do thoughts arise in your hearts Behold my hands and my feet that it is I my self handle me and see me for a Spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see me to have And when he had thus spoken he shewed them his hands and his feet I observe again That Christ would not have his people tire themselves and burden themselves with lying under discouraging thoughts to trouble and affright their own hearts with doubtings and discouragements Or thus Christ would not have his people lie under discouragement of heart He reproves it here and helps them against it John 14.1 Saith Christ to his Disciples Let not your heart be troubled there was cause enough a man would think Christ â—elleth them he must suffer and they should all be scattered from him and Peter should deny him that night It was like to be a sad time yet saith he Let not your heart be troubled neither let it be affraid vers 27. So Mar 13.7 Be ye not troubled when you shall hear of this and this So also the Scripture is clear Isa 56.3 Neither let the Son of ihe stranger that hath joyned himself to the Lord speak saying the Lord hath utterly separated me from his people neither let the eunuch say Behold I am a dry tree Let them not say so saith God as if he should say Let them not say so saith God as if I had cast them off or had no mercy for them So in the 42. and 43. Psalmes Why art thou cast down Oh my soul and why art thou disquieted within me See how the Spirit of God guideth him to debate the business why there was such a hurry in his heart Christ would not have his people do so Hebr. 12.5 He would not have them forget that exhortation that speaketh unto them as to children My son despise not thou the correction of the Lord nor faint when thou art rebuked of him I shall a little follow and clear up this point for the incouragement of drouping souls whose hearts languish under terrours Reasons And I shall shew reasons for the confirmation of it and they are of two sorts That he would not have them discouraged 1. Reasons to shew that he would not have them discouraged 2. Why he would not First That he would not 1. It appeareth from the frequency of the promise you can hard ly read any part of the word but you light thick and threefold upon the promises Now if God would have had his people to lie languishing under sorrows and perplexing themselves with thoughts sinking under discouragements he would never have left such store of promises upon record for them as he hath done Consider what a promise there is John 14.18 I will not leave you comfortless I will come to you Methinks this should bear up the heart God will not leave you Orphans for so the word is in a destitute sad helpless condition as usually Orphans are and Isa 51.12 I even I am he that comforteth you who art thou that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die c. Mark I am he and who art thou As if he should say who art thou that thy heart should sink under such promises when not another but I am he that is thy comforter I beseech you poor souls do but consider how God doth inculcate and urge his promises to his people to chear them up Isa 41.9,10 Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth and called thee from the chief men thereof and said unto thee thou art my servant I have chosen thee and not cast thee away here is sweet incouragements But mark now Fear thou not for I am with thee be not dismaid for I am thy God I will strengthen thee yea I will help thee yea I will uphold thee with the
souls All their offices are exercised for the effecting and carrying on of grace 3. It is against Gods Covenant For God undertakes our part of the Covenant for us where we are short Isa 48.17 I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit and leadeth thee in the way that thou shalt go Jerem. 32.40 I will make an everlasting Covenant with them that I will not turn away from them to do them good but I will put my fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from me Hebr. 8. I will write my law in their hearts and put it in their inward parts And I WILL be to them a God and they shall be to me a people And they shall all know me from the least of them to the greatest for I WILL be merciful to your transgressions and your sins and iniquities I will remember no more 4. It is against Gods glory take things rightly He hath pronounced the glory of his justice against the unbelieving world already John 3.18 He that beleeveth not is condemned already And hath reserved the glory of his grace for his elect people he cannot have the glory of his grace from Reprobates It is the glory of his grace to save poor humbled sinners I came not to call the righteous but sinners to Repentance For righteous men grace cannot act upon them It is no grace to give a righteous man his wages Again to take a rebellious Sinner into grace and let him remain rebellious is not grace for Gods countenance cannot look upon iniquity to approve of it Hab. 1. But grace is to shew mercy to sinners That is poor humble repenting beleiving sinners such as stoop for mercy Now here it is grace So that God must either glorifie his grace in poor humbled sinners or have no glory of his grace Therefore it is against God 5. It is against the work of God his work of creation in thee and for thee Isa 65. But be you glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create for behold I create Jerusalem a rejoycing and her people a joy Man God never gave thee a new heart that thou shouldest alwaies let it lie bleeding with distracting thoughts and discouragements but to rejoyce I create Jerusalem a rejoycing and her people a joy 2. Use of reproof of those that discourage themselves The 2. Vse is of Reproof And it is of those that discourage themselves by harbouring and entertaining discouraging heart-breaking thoughts as Christ disciples here why do thoughts arise in your hearts And herein I shall endeavour to propound cases that are troubles and discouragements to the hearts of many And to answer to them both by way of reproof and discovery of the mistakes which are the ground of such troubles and also to lay down some grounds of incouragement for troubled souls So that this use will be both of reproof of instruction and incouragement And herein I shall mention some of those thoughts that do distract and distemper the people of God for it is impossible to speak to them all particularly they are so various according to the various manner of Sathans working and laying his snares and engines to intangle poor souls This tree of discouraging complaints hath multitudes of branches and appearances which would be an endles work to go about to cut and prune them off one by one Therefore I shall speak to the root of them and endeavour to cut of those spurs that spreading into and fastning upon a poor soul feed all the branches of this bitter tree that makes the soul cry out there is death in the pot The first discouraging thought The first discouraging thought that troubleth a godly soul Oh saith the soul I am none of Christs none of Gods I have no interest in him am not in covenant with him cannot call him mine as others can do I cannot find the witness in me testifying to my heart as others have done God seals not to my spirit as he hath done to others I pray for it and long for it but cannot come by it Therefore how can my heart choose but be troubled and thoughts arise in it To this case let me speak a word or two Who told thee that thou wast none of Gods did God ever say so in his word or did the spirit of God ever witness such a thing to thee No thou canst not say so The Spirit of God witnesseth Adoption and not destruction And if Satan or thy own heart tell thee so they are both deceitfull And therefore A necessary observation First know that to know ye are Gods children or interested in him is not the first round in the Ladder of Christianity The Prodigals course was not first to know whether his father would receive him and entertain him as a Son or a servant but he resolves to go and confess his sin and unworthiness and cast himself upon his fathers mercy The Apostles in planting Churches first preached faith in Christ simply But to beleevers they prest them on to further assurance 2 Pet. 1. vers 10. Strive to make your calling and election sure A direction Therefore this do If you know not your selves to be Gods go and present your selves as objects of the grace of Christ 2 Cor. 1. For all the promises are in Christ as spokes fitted in the wheel Therefore saith the Apostle Rom. 8.32 If God have given us Christ how shall he not with him also freely give us all things I say present your selves before God as objects to be wrought upon that God would make you sensible of sin and give you a longing desire after Christ Rom. 8. For God hath his spirit of bondage to rough-hew you as well as his Spirit of Adoption to pollish you Now when God hath thus fitted thee go offer thy self to Christ and the promise with Assurance But what assurance Not of thy person as if thou wert already Gods for it may be thou hast not yet the Seal but assurance of the promise made to thy condition Mat. 5.6 Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after Righteousness for they shall be filled So that if thou canst not present thy self before God as a Son present thy self before the promise of God as a lost man And so presenting thy self before God with relation to the truth and sweetness of the Promise it may be thou shalt find Faith flow out of thy heart to imbrace the promise for when the heart is emptied it is best fitted to receive free grace for first God gives the Faith of the promise and then the good of the promise must be received by the faith of the promise I mean it redounds to a man by vertue of that To the point then You say you are none of Gods To be Gods and know it I answ The best state is for a man or Woman to be Gods and know it 2. The best next is to be Gods
my friend O daughters of Jerusalem See now how this takes upon their Spirits Chap. 6.1 Whether is thy beloved gone O thou fairest among women whither is thy beloved turned aside that we may seek him with thee Mark how his hiding himself from his spouse conduceth to the calling of other poor souls to the seeking after Christ When they see them mourning and grieving and complaining and cannot rest without him thinks the poor soul there is some excellency in him that we see not we will certainly go along to seek him with these poor souls he is worth seeking after And so it sets them a flame after him also The third thought is when the Soul complains it hath none of the Spirit Thirdly The third Thought that riseth in the heart to trouble the soul and perplex it is this I have none of the Spirit of God Now Christ commands John 4. To worship God in the spirit And Gal. 5.16 Walk in the Spirit and ye shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh and Jude 20. Praying in the holy ghost But how should I do this that have not the Spirit feel him not working nor quickening nor comforting me my heart is so dead and loose and weary in duty never carried up to heaven how can I but be troubled When you are carried with a fiery Chariot into heaven then you think you have the spirit But when a man moves in a lower Region he thinks he hath it not I shall speak to this 1. Generally 2. More Particularly Generall observations to this case Generally thus 1. That it is a very good thing to have the Spirit or to miss it As in hearing the word in prayer conference Meditation c. Either to feel a man hath it or to feel he wants it And the worst of these is better then to rest in a duty shaped out of your own Brain consisting in an empty sound of expressions and words For ye must take heed ye do not content your selves with shadowes and phrases without the Spirit For God doth not know the meaning of such duties Rom. 8. 2. Consider the spirit hath a manifold work in the hearts of the children of God Now a man cannot reason from the want of such a fruit of the Spirit as joy or peace c. that therefore he hath not the Spirit Ye cannot reason thus A man doth not Laugh Therefore he doth not Live Weeping is a sign of life as well as laughter So it is in this Case The sense of sin may argue the Spirit of God to be in you as well as the feeling of Joy Zach. 12 10. I will pour upon them the SPIRIT of grace and the Spirit of supplications And they shall look upon me whom they have peirced and shall MOVRN for him as one mourneth for his onely Son And be in BITTERNES c. The Spirit is a Spirit of variety 1 Cor. 12. Giving to one this gift to another that gift to one Humility Poverty of spirit Self deniall Godly sorrow to another Zeal and Courage and Joy c. And so it is oftentimes in the same man sometimes it is tuning his godly sorrow sometimes his joy sometimes his fear c. And this is one ground of the variety of conditions the Saints are in as David sometimes ye find him singing on the uppermost branch of the tree and sometimes hanging his wing in the bottome of the hedg Sometimes calling upon himself to praise the Lord seven times a day Psal 119.164 And sometimes crying out that he was cast out of Gods sight Psal 31.22 So Job sometimes professing though he kill me yet will I trust in him Job 13.15 And sometimes changing his note If I had called and he had answered me yet I would not believe that he had hearkned to my voice Job 9.16 The Church spoken of in the Lamentations Sometimes lamenting my strength and my HOPE is perished from the Lord Lam. 3.18.22 and sometimes again confessing I have HOPE Paul had the spirit as well in his buffetings as in his rejoycings And David when he prayed restore to me the joy of thy salvation as when he felt it Psal 51. The Spirit led Christ to be tempted as well as supported him and brought him back into Galilee Luke 4.1 c. A man may have the spirit in the Fight as well as in the Triumph He hath the spirit that soweth to the spirit in Tears as well as he that reaps in joy Psal 126.5.6 Therefore you may be mistaken in saying you have not the spirit seing it works so variously 3. This spirit may exercise it self in thee in duties one way though it be not felt but another way as in prayer sometimes tuning thy love sometimes thy hatred sometimes thy humility sometimes thy joy Therefore do not wrong the spirit of God and say it is from home because you feel not joy Do not say it is idle for it may be working in another room tuning another grace If a man should alwaies touch one key he should never play various tunes Now our hearts are Gods Harps Rev. 14.2 and 15.2 And therefore if God should not tune them variously there would be no melody And if the spirit be not setting up a candle in thee it may be scouring of a candle-stick I mean If it be not filling thy heart with joy it may be preparing thy heart for joy 4. There may be workings of the spirit in the heart and yet ye may not perceive it is the working of the spirit As in a peice of blunt money that ye can see no mark upon you will say by the bigness it should be such a piece six pence or a nine-pence but I can see nothing upon it So there may be workings of the spirit that are not seen for the present and yet afterward when the spirit worketh another way then thou maist perceive that this was of the spirit Luk. 24. The disciples that went to Emmaus knew not Christ while he was opening the Scriptures to them which was the likeliest time yet they knew him in breaking bread And then they could call to minde the burning of their hearts by the way Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us by the way and opened to us the Scriptures ver 32. just as it is in our businesses in the world many secret providences which a man doth not see to be a providence till after by some other issue he cals it to minde and sees it a providence So God hath his glory at last As Zaccheus climbing up into the figtree what could a man pick out of it till afterward that Christ tells him he must abide at his house then it appeared to be a providence So in the Disciples being so importunate with Christ to stay when he made as if he would have gone further they saw nothing in it for the present but afterward when Christ
though he do not know it 1. I say The best state or Condition is for a man to be Gods and know it that he is so Though not to know it doth not cut up the mil-post and overthrow all though it may indeed take off the sailes I mean though it may put a man to a stand or make him go heavily yet it doth not prove his condition to be desperate A man is Gods two wayes A man is Gods two wayes By Election and Calling 1. By Election 1. By Election So a man may be a sheep not gathered John 10.16 Other sheep I have which are not of this fold them MVST I bring So that they are not yet brought and yet sheep which Christ must bring Therefore ye cannot make this conclusion that ye are none of Gods by Election 2. By Calling 1. Cor. 1.1 But Secondly A man is Gods by Calling And so he is a Saint For we are Saints by Calling Now the purpose of Gods electing is the calling of a man and the Evidencing of his Calling And therefore our Calling is effectuall and powerfull because it is a calling accotding to Gods purpose Rom. 8.28 And the purpose of God in Election is evidenced to us by Calling the first dawning and evidence of this love of God to us is this calling us to Christ 2 Pet. 1.10 Give diligence to make your Calling and Election sure So that the way of Evidence is from the second to the first Now it is best for a man to know himself Gods both wayes For though this assurance doth nor make a man to be a man in Christ yet it makes him to be a lively man in Christ for he is made a man in Christ simply by beleeving or taking Christ at the hands of God A double witness Now we are evidenced to be Gods both wayes by a double witness that gives evidence The evidence of our Spirit and the evidence of Gods Spirit Rom. 8.16 The Spirit it self beareth witness with our spirit that we are the Sons of God Now this Calling is evidenced two wayes Regeneration 1. By regeneration or being born of God Secondly by Adoption whereby being strangers we are made Sons by our incorporation into Christ For both these see John 1.12.13 As many as received him to them gave he power to become the Sons of God even to those that beleeve on his name Sons of God who are those Those that are born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God Now observe that the Sons of God by faith in Christ are Sons of God by the birth of the Spirit Therefore see whether your faith reach this or no They were born not of blood nor by the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God For prove one and prove the other Adoption Yet know that Regeneration and Adoption are two distinct things The one is the act of God towards us The other is the work of the Spirit in us But the Spirit of sanctification and the Spirit of Adoption are both one but they are two distinct acts The Spirit of Sanctification worketh in us a new life The Spirit of Adoption may rather be called the evidence So that prove one and prove the other Prove that a man breathes and by that you prove he liveth yet there may be a more proper proof as if he feel or see c. So that this is it that I would say That the witness of our spirit may properly be said to attest our Sanctification And the witness of Gods Spirit our Adoption And by both our spirit and Gods Spirit we are witnessed to be the Sons of God How our Spirits witness our new birth But observe that the witness of our spirits that witnesseth our new birth and Sanctification witnesseth it by Water and Blood 1. John 5.6.8 This is he that came by water and Blood even Jesus Christ not by water onely but by water and Blood And it is the Spirit that beareth witness because the spirit is truth And there are three that bear witness on earth the Spirit and water and blood and these three agree in one And it is by vertue of these two that our spirits do attest and witness that we are the Sons of God For blood and water all the Scripture over are said to purge and cleanse as in all the Legal Types yet God giveth to them an office of witnessing Properly they purge But they Witness by their work of purging This BLOOD the blood of Christ purgeth away the guilt of Sin as it bindeth a man over to hell and damnation This Water the Sanctifying Spirit of Christ purgeth away the love of Sin as it hath Dominion †Ezek. 36.25.26.27 Of both these the conscience of a regenerate man comes to be sensible in himself The sense of Blood purging by pacifying of his conscience that he cannot but look upon God with a conscience full of tranquility And the water purging by Sanctifyng him to make him walk with God out of the power of sin Now the witness of a mans spirit witnesseth that he is translated out of the guilt of sin and power of sin and then he is born again Objection But some may object and say This testimony may deceive Answer I answer If you consider the power of this blood and water in a man How wonderfully it removes a man from all inthralling lusts and how it compels him to walk in holiness yea the peace that riseth from blood-purging Sin which moves morally to holy walking and is full of infinite strength for the sence of the pardon of sin And that is an excellent adjunct unto and in Sanctification as can be the graces of Sanctification do determine the Soul to the wayes of God as a strong Byas sheweth which way the Bowl will go Consider that for one how the heart is moved in Gods way And that is by Faith and Love And then if you consider the respect or aim or end the new creature moves to That is In God for God and to God that he may be glorified Rom. 11. ult For of him and through him and to him are all things All things that are of him through him tend to him Consider all these together that they be in you the power of Moving how you are moved By Faith and Love And the end you aim at to glorifie God And it makes a good Testimony and witness that ye are the Sons of God The witness of Gods Spirit Now for the Testimony of Gods Spirit the Spirit of Adoption If we shall speak distinctly of it from our spirits for the spirit and water and blood are distinct though they agree in one 1 John 5.8 Now if you consider them distinct I conceive then the Spirit of God witnesseth by an immediate impression upon the Soul representing to the soul and conscience making you understand
and know that you are the Sons of God and heirs of God and Christ Which Spirit of testimony is gotten by faith in Christ by viewing eying and surveying Christ For because ye are Sons God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts whereby you cry Abba Father Gal. 4.6 Whose office is to attest ye are Christs So that here the office of faith is to look upon Christ and eye Christ that so we may receive the seal For a man must be a beleever else he cannot be a son but being a beleever and so a Son then comes the Spirit and witnesseth the same Object But this witness you speak of now this immeditate testimony may deceive also It may be some false fire cast in by the Devil as well as the other Answ The witness of the Spirit of God as it is the Spirit of God will alwayes clear it self by this That in the witness it gives to a soul it alwayes advanceth God and Christ in the eye of the Soul and it alway ripens and nourisheth sanctifying graces in the soul and makes them go glib like oyl to the wheels It makes our Faith Love Patience Humility Hope Self-denyall Joy c. whereby we walk with God as green and flourishing as flowers in the spring or as corn fields after a sweet shower Note Bastard-illusions of the Devil do alwayes tend to bastardends and do alwayes bring forth bastard-effects such as lift up a man with pride or boulster them up to maintain errour either in Life or Doctrine But this knowledge of a mans self to be Gods reacheth forth to God and acteth his spirituall habits sweetly 2 Cor. 5.1 We know saith Paul that if this earthly house of this Tabernacle were dissolved we have a building of God an house not made with hands eternall in the heavens we know it saith he And what effect had this upon their Spirits Why see vers 9. Wherefore we labour that whether present or absent we may be accepted of him This is far from that opinion that a mans knowing himself to be Gods worketh security no this makes a mans heart obey God as a Son And be sure the Devill in his counterfeit workings and witnessings will never draw the soul to God to aim at him but still to center in himself or to turn aside to errour or sin And this is to fight against himself and overthrow his own Kingdom which he will never do A caveat But now take heed of thinking your selves to be Gods when you are not for there is the danger to conceit your selves to be Gods when you are not Now ye may go long in this by reason of some counterfeit workings by reason of some Convictions or joy or common receiving of Christ ye may take your selves to be Gods when you are not But here you may bewray your selves if you will but search For 1. you may perform duties meerly to maintain your signs for a man may keep a course in a form of godliness to maintain his reputation with himself to maintain his signs that the heart shall not easily tax them to be rotten When a man hath not his end to enjoy walk with God so to be Gods 2. He may bewray himself by his desires after the fruits of the Spirit they may be earnest and if these desires were not in him he could not maintain his signs To desire graces as they are beneficiall to me and not for the service of them that I may come neer to God and seek them for him rather then for my self this is deceitfull I fear the reason why God gives not assurance to many a man that seeks long and earnestly is because a man seeks for himself and not for God Like the Bee that goeth into the field to seek honey to eat but brings it not into the Masters hive A man may be Gods and not discern it Secondly A man may be Gods and not discern it for these are distinct Ephes 1.13 In whom also after that ye beleeved ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise Mark after ye beleeved ye were sealed 1 John 5.13 These things have I written to you that beleeve on the Name of the Son of God that ye may know that ye have eternall life and that ye may beleeve on the name of the Son of God Mark the speech here I have written unto you that do beleeve that ye may beleeve What 's this Why you that beleeve with a faith of Adherence that ye may come to assurance which yet ye want that ye may KNOW that ye have eternall life Gal. 4.6 Because ye are Sons God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts whereby ye cry Abba Father First ye are Sons and afterwards cry Abba Father by the Spirit The being of a man in Christ goeth before his knowing he is so in order of nature for a thing must be before I can know it else I know a lie A Child must be the child of such a man before he knoweth he is so So it is in our spirituall relation Therefore ye cannot conclude ye are none of Gods because you want assurance for the present for ye may be Gods and know it not Object But some may say This is to preach liberty for every man may say so Answ I answer not so For this which is in such a child of God as doth not know it by clear evidence yet it is working and differeth him from all others in the world The seed of God hath a two-fold work in such a one 1. It maketh him an obedient man Isa 50.10 Who is among you that feareth the Lord and obeyeth the voyce of his servants that walketh in darkness and hath no light Mark A child of God though he be in the dark yet he fears the Lord and obeys That though he knows not himself to be Gods yet he would walk with God in every duty though he have chains and fetters oftentimes to hinder him yet in every duty there is a principle and tie of obedience yea and such as is mixt with Love For he seeth God lovely and that draws his affections to him and makes him willing to serve him though he be not sure of him 2. Though such a soul do not discern it self to be Gods yet it is acccompanied with earnest longings and earnest seekings of the manifestation of his face to him So that though he cannot yet make sure his Calling and Election yet he gives all diligence to make it sure as Peter speaks 2 Pet. 1. and that because he would be more usefull to God Herein a true Christian differs from all the idle and neuter professors in the world Why a man may be Gods and not know it Now a man may be Gods and not know it for these causes 1. Because he is in forming and fashioning for God for Gods Spirit that dwelleth in man makes ready the
find the Lord He lookt behind him before him on both hands but to no purpose And so the Church Cant. 3.1 2. By night on my bed I sought him whom my sould loveth I sought him but I found him not c. She 's industrious but finds him alone Causes why God keeps off What should be the reason may some say that the Lord should keep aloof off when a man sets himself so seriously about it I mean to find him 1. Because God would have the creature know that he is free in working He is not tied to come to preparations or qualifications of the creature but to his own preparations The preparations of the heart and the answer of the tougue is from the Lord saith Salomon Prov. 16.1 2. He would let his people know that he will be waited on to come in when he pleases yet the creature must do his duty Seek the Lord and his strength seek his face evermore Psal 105.5 Paul prayed thrice before he had an Answer of grace 2 Cor. 12. 3. Many times the people of God have too much self-ends in their duties and the Lord would have them to see it Zach. 7.5 Did you fast unto me even unto me saith the Lord. And did you not eat for your selves and drink for your selves It may be self-love may drive a man to it to obtain some blessing that he wants rather then to enjoy God himself And God would shew him this errour and take him off from it 4. That they may see their former Slothfulness and Negligence Cant. 5. When Christ had waited and called for admittance and could not have it he withdraws to let his Spouse see how he did distaste her Sloth and Neglect and Excuses 5. That he might be the sweeter to thee when he comes in again and that thou mightest stick the closer to him when thou hast found him again 6. To try thy Faith and Patience and Constancy whether thou wilt persevere in following him and wait upon him as the woman of Canaan did though thou have repulse after repulse and little hopes in reason yet to try if thy faith can conquer reason And that thy faith may be seen with the greater lustre when it is tried For God by delaying and putting off discovers to you the temper of your Spirits whether you will willingly wait the Lords leasure or whether you will fret and fume and wait no longer As we do sometimes by beggers put them off or give them no answer and if they be indeed in great wants and of meek spirits they will lament and weep and be thankful for a little when it comes But your stout sturdy beggers when they are not answered they will fall a reviling and cursing and give high words so that by delaying you may see their spirits So doth the Lord by this means shew you your spirits and temper of heart The ninth ground of fear 9. He complaines he hath hurt the cause of God when God hath brought him upon the stage to have done something for God perhaps to have suffered And so his Soul is wounded and he fears his condition And did not Peter do so Did not he fly off when all had forsaken Christ and break his word and resolution and shamefully deny his Master contrary to his former profession So Moses and Aaron Num. 20.12 Because ye believed me not to sanctify me in the eies of the children of Israel saith God Therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the Land c. These men hurt the cause of God and failed when they should have stuck to it and yet all real converts The 10. ground of fear 10. You cry out you have oftentimes relaps't into the same sins which formerly you have pursued with particular sorrow and grief and prayed and resolved against them and that makes you question the truth of your state This is indeed a sad condition But this doth not prove thy state naught for it hath been the case of the servants of God sometimes Therefore ye have this confession Our backslidings are many so that you see it was oftentimes again and again The Prophet Jonah relapsed into passion and discontent with God He was discontent with the work God set him about therefore he flieth to Tarshish Jonah 1.2.3 And sorrowes for it and confesseth Chap. 2.8 They that trust upon lying vanities forsake their own mercies yet see Chap. 3.1 When God had shewed mercy to Niniveh how discontent he was with the Lord again It displeased Jonah exceedingly and he was very angry And when the Lord that might have confounded him reasons sweetly and mildly with him to take him off from his passion as appears Chap. 3.3.4 and provides for him what he wants yet upon a small occasion again the taking away of a gourd or shrub and the Lord had a gracious end in it too the convincing of him of his folly in being so waspish he breaks out again into the same passion or worse as if he had never seen the evill of i◠or been humbled for it Chap. 4.8.9 I am greatly angry Or I do well to be angry even unto death saith he See how often he relapsed into this sin and Peter denieth Christ not only once but again and again †And perhaps the prodigal sets out unto us a Christian relapst for he was a son before and with his Father and then went away from him and spent all And yet he was not quite undone but returned again And this comes to pass sometimes 1. To let you see your own weaknes that you can do nothing of your selves cannot withstand nor resist nor overcome that ye may be taken off of all false confidences and rest upon God and God alone for help That ye may resist stedfast in the faith 2. For the advancement of the praise and honour of the wisdome skill and goodness of God the Physitian of our souls that can and doth cure when the disease is more dangerous when thou art relaps't and it grows worse and worse as in curing the woman that had the bloody Issue that was worse and worse notwithstanding all the means she used till she came to Christ 3. This advanceth his Mercy the more that he doth not quite forsake thee when thou hast done what thou canst to drive him away as Micha 7.18.19 Who is a God like unto thee that pardons Iniquity that passeth by the trangression of the remnant of his heritage He retains not his anger for ever because he delights in mercy Oh but I have relaps't and driven him away saith the poor soul But mark now ver 19. He will turn again he will have compassion on us he will subdue our Iniquities and thou wilt cast all our sins into the depths of the Sea And the prodigal saw the compassion of his Father the greater in receiving him again after he had run away from him The eleventh ground of fear 11. He hath