is for the truth of it is the humbled soule onely can tell what faith is The other sees neither the want they have of faith nor yet the nature of that precious grace Shall I tell you what pious Master Rutherford sayes concerning this Faith saith he is bottomed upon the sense and paine of a lost condition Povertie is the nearest capacitie of beleeving This is Faiths method be condemned and be saved be hang'd and be pardoned be sick and be healed Faith is a flower of Christs onely planting yet it growes out of no soile but out of the margin and banck of the lake which burnes with fire and brimstone Antinomians saith he againe make faith an act of a loftie Pharisee applying immediato contactu presently his hot boyling and smoking lusts to Christs wounds blood and merit without any conscience of a precedent command that the person thus beleeving should be humbled wearied loaden grieved for his sinnes I confesse saith he This is hastie hot worke but it is a wanton fleshly presumptuous opinion that it is an immediate worke to lay hold on the promises and be saved In his Book of the Tryall and Triumph of Faith you hear the opinion of Gods Servants and the Text mentions a comming too pedetentim gradatim little by little step by step Those that come cannot goe so fast as these illegall Sectaries because they are weary and heavie loaden Those that learne people to jumppe must take away Math. 11.29 the heavie load of sinnes which the Spouse hath upon her shoulders keepes her from that hastie motion that Antinomians make I doe not speake to limit the Almighties power but to shew you his ordinarie dispensations not what he can doe but what he will doe what he hath used to doe and God ordinarily walkes in his owne paths not in the paths our fancies make for him we may looke for God in his ordinary wayes of Providence and dispensations to the soule if he comes in a new way it must be beyond our expectations though not beyond our faith that he can doe it yet beyond our faith that he will doe it When wee have no word to assure us what shall faith be builded upon God can turne mid-night into mid-day ipso facto But wee know in Gods ordinary course of Providence first comes the dawning of the day then the morning then the noone-day God can take a soule and marry it and never humble it but where hath he promised it where hath he done it or if he hath done it wee say one Swallow makes not a Summer one example makeâ— not a Rule one president makes not a Law It is no rule for thee or me to trust in that no more then the saving of the thiefe upon the Crosse might be a safe president for us to deferre repentance tell our dying day Let thee and I learne to be humbled to get broken hearts to loath our selves see our owne misery Sorrow is the ordinary doore to joy Humiliation the ordinary step to exaltation Mourning for sinne the onely preface to Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ in Gods ordinary way of dealing out grace The Latine is full Quae est illa quae ascendit that ascends from the wildernesse Our Translation commeth up implying an ascensive motion t is hard running up an hill They that runne up a mountaine if they runne too fast they may quickly runne themselves out of breath It is bad jumping over a broad ditch especially if it be drowning depth for feare if wee jumpe short wee jump our last It is a great jump from the bottome of Hel to Heaven to take it at one leape I wish those that dare take it do not fall short and drown themselves eternally I had rather go up Gods steps then make such a hasty motion God give me grace to ascend up the Saints staires to the chambers of glory Elijah was such a favourite to heaven that God sent a coach for him but those that will expect till that fiery Chariot be sent downe for them too I suppose may waite something a longer time then they desire O beg of God to humble you to powre out his spirit of mourning and supplications upon you this will learne you to beleeve friends It is the humbled soule only that can construe that word Faith it is Hebrew to others it poseth the impenitent heart Faith is a riddle to them Christ findes his Spouse in the wildernesse and there he gives her his shoulder to leane upon But Thirdly She commeth up leaning out of the wildernesse Is it the duty of a soule that is in a wildernesse of sorrow or affliction or temptation or desertion to leane upon the Lord Christ Then this may reprove those that are in these wildernesses and yet cannot be perswaded to leane upon the Lord Christ hence they cry out O faith is impossible is it possible to beleeve that Christ Jesus will save me me that have scorned his salvation and slighted his mercies And because thou hast slighted mercy wilt thou therefore still slight mercy still refuse his offer of grace Thou sinnest as much now in not beleeving there is mercy for thee that hast despised mercy as thou didst sin in despising that mercy O why is it harder to raise up then to cast downe a soule Why wilt thou not beleeve O thou of little faith Is the mole-hill of thy sins like the mountaine of his mercies doth the voice of thy sins roare like the voice of his loving kindnesse Is there any humbled soule before the Lord O do not provoke God by thy infidelity now he hath made thee capable of faith You that are Christians for shame in your severall wildernesses of afflictions temptations and desertions doe not O do not cast downe your heads and say who shall shew us any good or if you do say againe with the Saint in the ensuing words Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us Beleeve in your depths of sorrow beleeve in your most trying afflictions most sadding temptations most killing desertions beleeve me it is the greatest honour you can put upon the Lord Christ And it is the greatest dishonour you can put upon your God to have any diffidence in the Lords armes any distrust in the Lords free-grace It is the property nay it is the duty of the Spouse to come out of wildernesses leaning Fourthly Doth she leane upon God before she can come must he worke the first motion to make her willing before she can beleeve in him Then how are those to be here reproved that would make mans will to be the Author of its first motions unto God Pelagius was a great defender of it First he would hold That the grace of God was not necessary but by the law of nature we might be saved 2. That the grace of God which the Apostle speakes of was only in giving the law of nature 3. Driven from this he would maintaine that the faculties
of a garden like the smell of a field which the Lord hath blest like the perfume of Paradise 3. As she is admirable for her clothing so for her vertues also Vertues shall I say Vertue is too cheap a garment for this glorious Bride Graces are inward ornaments and indeed this is but her clothing of wrought gold I have spoke something to this before the best nature is but the thred of her garment the Gold of grace is wrought upon it the warp of nature and the woof of Grace she is cloathed with grace as a garment Vertue is the cheapest cloth she wears though that bee more pretious then a cloth of silver or gold The vertues of her Bridegroome are in her Nature refined beyond nature The Quintessence of ingenuous nature seven times refined clarified spiritualized Vertues say they are chained together This spouse is not adorned with collars of pearle the most precious pearle is too cheap for her Ornaments but her cheeks are comely with rowes of jewels and her neck with chains of gold Cant. 1.16 What chains but the chains of her vertues and graces and this chain of grace ravisheth the heart of Iesus Cant. 4.9 Thou hast ravished my heart my sister my spouse thou hast ravished my heart with one of thy eyes with one of the chains of thy neck this pretious Chain the Apostle perswades the Saints to put on 2 Pet. 1.5 Adde to your faith vertue and to vertue knowledge and to knowledge temperance and to temperance patience and to patience godlinesse and to godlinesse brotherly kindnesse and to brotherly kindnesse charity Oh pretious chaine of intermixed pearle Surely this will make the spouse admirable that whosoever hears of her or sees her will must say Quae est illa who is this commeth up 4. Lastly She is admirable for her Attendants this makes all that see her or know her or hear of her stand and admire her and say who is this c. Psal 45.9 Kings daughters were among thine Honourable women upon thy right hand did stand the Queen in gold of Ophyr None more glorious Attendants then Kings and Queenes Isay 49.23 And kings shall be thy nursing fathers and Queens thy nursing mothers they shall bow downe to thee with their faces towards the earth and lick up the dust of thy feet What more honourable Attendants then the glorious Angels Those houshold servants of the King of glory even these are this Brides waiting servants Are they not all ministring spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall bee heirs of salvation Heb. 1.14 Shall I goe yet higher The King of glory himself is the Attendant of the Kings daughter he took upon him the forme of a servant he came in person to attend her he comes still and bears her company yea Iesus Christ is the beleevers servant in heaven for hee stands at the right hand of her father to make intercession for her to make her prayers and her welcome into the chambers of his Fathers glory the Mansion house of the King of heaven Shee is admirable for her Attendants first for the multitude of them The Creation is all her servant the Creatures below are as the groomes of her kitchin the Angels are the Gentlemen of her Bed-chamber Queens are her maids of Honour Iesus Christ her Bridegroome is her servant though her Lord all his imployment is to do her service Secondly for the gloriousnesse of her Attendants the Queen that stands at her right hand is clad with gold of Ophyr the Angels that are her ministring spirits are clothed with eternity None so glorious a retinue as this Spouses they that look upon her Traine as she commeth must needs say Quae est illa Who is this that commeth up and thus I have shewed how this beloved soule is admirable but the words are as well formula inquirendi as admirandi a form of inquiring as a form of admiring It argues they did not know her therefore they say Who is this that commeth up The beleever is a bride that is unknown to the world an unknown creature To whom and what are they unknown and how far known what of her must be known and what in her is hidden First She is unknown to the wayes and carriage of the world Secondly She is unknowne to the men of the world First She is unknown to the wayes of the world she hates the garment spotted with the flesh Iude v. 23. shee is none of those that dare revell in mixed dances she is not seene at every fair she proclaimes not her beauty at every crosse she dresseth not her selfe like a puppet of pride that forgets shee is dust and ashes shee is indeed all glorious but it is within there her clothing is of wrought gold she paints not her borrowed face she knowes not how to looke God in the face another day with a face that is not of his adorning she hath beauty enough she needs not borrow any she knowes that paint will consume in hell fire The painted puppets of earthly pride that fare deliciously every day wonder at her native beauty though maintained with pulse and when they see her face out-shine theirs and her making conscience of what they make no scruple they shall wonder and say Who is this Secondly She is unknowne to the men of the world an hidden creature 1 Ioh. 3.1 The world knowes us not They are called Gods hidden ones 83. Psal 3. Sometimes compared to Iewels In that day when I make up my Iewâ—ls I will spare them Iewells are not seene to every one the Spouses excellency is not known to all The men of the world do not know them What are they spirits doe not they live in the lower region How so hidden then Answ First They doe not know them Scientiâ perfectâ with a perfect and full knowledge they look upon a gracious man as one only of a refined nature a pure moralist that doth no one wrong for they have only the carnall eye of sence and the spirituality of a Christian is spiritually discerned These diamonds are no better to them then pebles a Iewell to them is but worth a barly corne Secondly They doe not know them Scientiâ Scientificâ with a distinguishing knowledge the Bristow stone is as precious to them as the Diamond nor can they distinguish them and indeed no one hath infallible marks of them but hee that searcheth the hearts and trieth the reins An hypocrite may paint her self with such seeming graces that the world may say of her Surely this is the Lords annointed or as in the text who is this that cometh up But can the Saint be hidden It is hard saies that pious man to hide a great fire or to cast a covering upon sweet odours that they smell not Christs name by which she is called is as a sweet ointment poured out as a mountain of spices and he is the strong favour of heaven and of the highest Paradise you
after a naturall manner till the quickning grace of God come A man may in a wildernesse conceive himselfe lost look about for the way out call for help be willing to be out yet not be one step in the way that will lead him out and this the soule must doe so far as it can Negamus etenim hanc gratiam regenerantem infundi homnibus mertibus sed animis per verbum Dei erectis subactis per praedictas actiones quodammodo dispositis viz. We deny that regenerating grace is infused into sloathfull men but into soules subdued by Gods word and law and after a manner disposed by the foregoing actions yet wee say that even these forgoing actions have their first motions from God and the question is whither God doth not first work a sight and sense of sinne and an humiliation for it by his exciting grace before he comes with his regenerating quickning and saving grace into the soule we say he doth in his ordinary course of his dispensations Only I must here be safely understood that I speak according to mans apprehension for in respect of God nothing is first or last hee works all in an instant all graces together in the soule but the question lies not whether God works the habit of Repentance before the habit of Faith or no for without question he works together all his works but whether God makes humiliation act before faith which wee say hee doth Esau and Iacob may be in their mothers wombe together but Esau may come out and be seene in the world before Iacob yet not tying up the Almighty to this method who can and will work any way even which way it pleaseth him Nor doe we say that any such previous action can be performed by the Creature ut de merito congrui teneatur Gratiam dare That God is bound for the desert of any such previous action to give his inward and regenerating quickning grace But yet this we say Davenant ibid. that in the church of God where men are dayly stirr'd up by the word and spirit to repent and beleeve savingly God will give though not for any of these previous or dispository actions yet freely regenerating grace to all such as are capable of it unlesse they have resisted the Spirit of God in the preceding operations and rejected his quickning grace but yet we deny that any man can performe these actions so but he will offend and resist the Spirit of God in them Now why when as all resist God should reject some as they have rejected him and leave them to the hardnesse of their own hearts and work irresistibly on others who have resisted their God as much and break open their hearts though lock'd and barr'd against him and fill them with quickning grace and pull a Lot out of Sodom by force and draw a soule out of the wildernesse by head and shoulders I say why he should doe it when two are grinding at the same mill take one and leave the other when two are in the same field why the one should bee taken the other left when two soules are equall in duties fasting mourning in the way that God hath appointed why hee should baulk this and take the other when perhaps that which is taken hath beene the least penitent too I will conclude with Dr. Davenant is Sacrum Misterium divinae voluntati reliquendum A sacred and secret mystery to be left to the divine pleasure and the reason lies in the agents own breast It is because he will have mercy upon whom he will have mercy and whom he wills he hardeneth God is his own reason and his free grace it s owne cause So then wee conclude that the soule cannot move one foot to a spirituall action spiritually not by any common grace it must be onely by Gods regenerating and saving grace So that to answer yet more distinctly to the Question In respect of Gods exciting and preventing grace if wee looke so farre wee cannot come but that preventeth us Wee are as clay in the hands of the Potter wee are all dead in sinnes But when the Lord hath changed the soule then it commeth The first motion upon the will is from God before there is any motion of the will unto God but when the will is healed of God then the soule commeth then the soule which was meerly passive before is active wil endeavor to do something for that God that hath done so much for her It followes the drawing of God most holy Spirit Draw me saith the Spouse and I will runne after thee First I must be drawne but then I will runne In the same moment God makes us to will and wee will and yet all the efficacy of the Action comes from Gods most holy Spirit It is certaine saith Augustine That wee are willing when wee are willing but he makes us willing certum est no velle quum volumus sed ille facit ut velimus qui operatur in nobis velle that workes in us to will and to performe Phil. 2.13 And so he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 God drawes but he drawes the soule that is willing Ay but first 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he makes it willing So I have shewed what proprietie the soule hath in the Action how she commeth and how willing she is to the motion She is drawne but she is willing to be drawne to Jesus Christ But first she is made willing before she is willing ay and in her life after she is come to Christ in her walking with Christ Non suis confidit viribus she trusts not her owne strength she even then commeth leaning which is the next Branch of the Doctrine I have to handle Though she comes up from the wildernesse yet she comes up not of her owne strength but leaning First Let us enquire what the expression holds out to us Secondly What is the soules hand Thirdly Who it is she leanes upon Fourthly What in him she hath to trust to and how in every wildernesse she leanes and out of every wildernesse comes up leaning I conceive here are foure things hinted in this expression leaning which I may terme the foure fingers of the Spouses hand which she layes upon her Saviours shoulders First It doth argue that the soule is weary otherwise she would not leane Secondly It is a willing posture I am not forced to leane I doe it willingly The soule that comes up with Christ is willing Thirdly It is a posture of love Otherwise she would not leane Fourthly It doth argue a confidence that the soule hath in the Lord that he is able to boare her Otherwise she would not trust the weight of her soule upon him First It doth argue wearinesse If she were not weary she would not leane Humiliation is a preface to faith and the way to be found is to be lost It is not a leaning of wantonnesse but a leaning of wearinesse O Lord I
into him and sup with him Revel 20. and he shall sup with him O let mee intreat you to pittie the yerning of your Saviours bowels toward you pittie the groanings of his tender heart for you pittie your selves if not your Christ and O come come out of the wildernesse of sinne into this wildernesse of sorrow that of a drunken profane creature thou mayest be a mourning pious soule of a proud carelesse sinner become a poore humbled poenitent that the world may admire Saul amongst the Prophets and Paul amongst the Apostles and thee amongst the Saints of Christ and say of thee who art now a profane Swearer and Blasphemer Behold hee Prayeth Of thee that wert a filthy Wanton Behold hee Mournes Of thee that wert a filthy Drunkard and Glutton Behold hee Fasts And may in time say of thee Who is this that commeth up from the wildernesse leaning upon her Beloved But Secondly Is there any before the Lord this day that is in any other wildernesse of Sorrow Affliction Temptation Desertion c. O leane Come out of your wildernesse leaning upon your Beloved First Is there any one here to whom the Lord hath shewen their owne sad condition too and yet hath not revealed the fulnesse of his free grace to them O leane upon the Lord Jesus Christ and leaning come out of thy wildernesse Beleeve and thou shalt be saved But here 's the hard taske to perswade such a soule to beleeve Consider but these few things 1. That now thou art in a capacitie of beleeving Povertie of spirit is the nearest capacitie of faith Blessed are thâ—y that hunger and thirst after righteousnesse Now thou art weary Christ hath promised to ease thee now thou art heavie laden he hath promised to helpe thee Secondly Consider that thou hast ground enough to build thy faith upon Christs power and love are two Pillars able to hold up the weakest faith First Beleeve leane upon Christ for he is able to pardon thy sinnes thou shouldest blaspheme in thy thoughts if thou shouldest not thinke this Can infinite mercy be fadomed thinkest thou Can any one plead his undeservings against free grace Were thy burthen farre heavier then it is cast it upon Christ for he is able to beare it Art thou thick darkenesse he is infinite light Art thou all sinne he is all pardon Art thou altogether lovely why Christ is altogether lovely Secondly Beleeve because Christ is as much love as he is power he is not onely able but he is willing to pardon thee free grace thirsts after thee Nay beleeve me thou canst give Christ no greater satisfaction then to receive his mercies Christ is withchild of free grace to speake it with reverence and he desires nothing more then to be delivered in thine heart He is a Sea of mercy and he would rejoyce to emptie himselfe by drops into his peoples hearts But why did I say emptie Can the Sunne loose any light by communicating his light to others When the creature speakes of God he must speake 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he would fill thee and yet continue full himselfe He is satisfied when thou art full He shall see of the travell of his soule and shall be satisfied Thou art not so willing to receive as he is to bestow free grace O then leane upon him Thirdly Consider thou canst not dishonour thy God more then when thou art humbled by him for thy sinnes and cast downe in thine owne thoughts and cal'd to beleeve in his mercies and secured upon his word if thou wilt but trust him If thou wilt not then beleeve in him Surely then thou art of a little faith if not an Infidell Thou couldst not beleeve when thou wert an impaenitent hard-hearted creature Why because thou knewest no need thou hadst of faith Neither couldst thou heare Christs invitation because thou wert not weary and heavie loaden but now that the Lord hath humbled thee now the promises belong unto thee what darest thou not take Christs word Suppose a Traytour were condemned to dye and the King should send a Pardon by the hand of his owne Sonne to this forlorne wretch and hee should refuse it saying The King cannot pardon me what hath hee to doe to send me a Pardon I know hee doth but mocke mee he meanes nothing lesse c. Were not this a piece of unworthinesse by which he should dishonour his Prince as much as with his Treason before O take heed of provoking the Lord still it is enough that thou hast provoked him once yet he will pardon thee And on the contrary thou canst not honour Christ more then in beleeving for thou acknowledgest the unfadomable depth of his free love and mercy Thou proclaimest God to be a God gracious long-suffering a God that may bee trusted by the creature which hath deserved nothing at his hand that he is so pure an Essence of love that he will create himselfe a cause of love where is none And though he could find nothing in thee to pardon thee for thy sake yet he would pardon thee for his owne Name sake So likewise you that are in any wildernesse or shall be of Affliction Desertion Temptation c. O leane leane 'T is that which God requires at your hand 't is that which will ease you when you are weary helpe you when you are heavie laden Beleeving will ease you when complaining will not 't is that which honours God and honours Christ It gives him the glory of his Power and Providence and Dominion and free Grace and mercy Christ beleeve me will take it kindly at your hands that you will try him in need and trust him even in despaire though he kills you yet you will trust in him Those that venture upon Death with such a faith cannot dye Those that have such a Spirit must live eternally The way to live is to dye beleeving and the way to stand is to leane falling O come all yee that love the Lord â— and trust in his mercies I have done only I conclude with my Text. O you that are falling as you thinke into the pit of despaire that are lost in the wildernesse of sorrow Beleeve beleeve and you shall be saved Come out trusting upon God resting upon the fulnesse of his mercy and the freenesse of his grace come out come out leaning upon your Beloved O you that are in a wildernesse of afflictions leane upon Gods staffe let his rod comfort you beleeve that he smileth while he smiteth thee beleeve in affliction you shall have no more then you are able to beare he will let his grace bee sufficient for you all shall worke for your good And come you out of your wildernesse leaning upon your Beloved O you that are in the wildernesse of temptations in the snare of the Divell beleeve and leane your Christ was tempted and he knowes how to succour those that are tempted leane upon him to beare you up in and to give you an happy issue out of your temptations in which you are in for the triall of your faith and come you out likewise leaning upon your Beloved You that are in the sad wildernesse of Desertion cry My God! though you be forsaken keepe your faith retaine your Interest O leane loose not your hold you have upon the Almighty leane in and come out of this your wildernesse leaning upon your Beloved Finally All you that are in the wildernesse of sin the worst wildernesse of all Let me conclude with you And once more as the Embaâ—â—adour of Jesus Christ in my Masters name as if he himselfe were here I beseech you by the many and tender mercies of him whose bowels yerne towards you by his precious bloud which was powred out upon the Crosse for sinners and who knowes whether not for you as well as others as you tender the life and happinesse of your owne soules the joy of your faithfull pastours nay which is most of all as you tender the honour of God come out ô come out of your sad wildernesse be humbled and mourne sit down in dust and ashes that you may rise up adorned with grace and be crowned with glory that you may leane upon your Beloved and O that my first or last words might prevaile with some great sinner this day for whom we might all rejoyce concerning whom we might all say who is this that comes out of the wildernesse leaning upon her welbeloved FINIS