T. Cross Sculpsit A TREATISE OF EFFECTUAL CALLING AND Election In XVI SERMONS On 2 PET. 1.10 WHEREIN A Christian may discern whether yet he be effectually Called and Elected And what course he ought to take that he may attain the Assurance thereof Preached by that faithful Servant of CHRIST Mr. CHRISTOPHER LOVE late MINISTER of Lawrence Jury LONDON LONDON Printed for John Rothwell and are to be sold by John Clark entering into Mercâ—rs Chappel at the lower end of Cheapside 1653. TO THE Reader Good Reader IT 's a true saying that the Assurance of an eternal life is the life 〈…〉 temporal life The Apostle◠〈…〉 that if in this life only we 〈…〉 in Christ we were of all men most â—â—â—â—rable None being exposed to so many troubles and tribulations in this life aâ— the best Christian And what could sustain and beare us up under them all but the certain hope and expectation of a better Resurrection This makes Christians glory in tribulation despise all the glory of the world run as swiftly in wayes of duty as the charets of Amminadab in a word to enjoy a Heaven upon earth They therefore are the greatest enemies of a Christians comfort that teach a doctrine of doubting that a Christian must alwayes hang in suspense about his eternal state and can never arrive to any certainty whether he shall be saved or no. But as this assurance is excellent so is it hard to come by Difficilia quae pulchra 'T is not to be obtained without a great deal of labour and diligence 'T is usually the fruit of much prayer and care and humiliation and long-waiting those that come by it so easily and get it so soon have great cause to suspect that their assurance is not of the right kinde Carnal security and presumption is easily attained but Christian assurance not without great difficulty 'T is therefore much to be lamented that there is so little diligence used for obtaining the assurance of our effectual Calling and eternal Election which is of such great concernment to every Christian What care do men take what diligence do they give to make sure their lands and goods and worldly estates They cannot be at rest till they have secured these But upon what uncertainties do they venture the salvation of their precious and immortal souls They run the most desparate hazards of their eternal salvation never consider whether they are in the way to heaven or hell until they drop irrecoverably into the bottomlesse pit Oh what a strange madnesse possesseth the mindes of men that they should look no more to their own safety that they think it wisedome to secure every thing except their own soules What evil have they deserved of you that you should neglect them so much The designe of this Treatise is to awaken men from their security and to stirre them up to give all diligence to make their Calling and Election sure It was handled by the Author as a just Consectary from the doctrine of the Glory of Heaven and the Torments of Hell which Treatise is already published as appears in the Introduction to this discourse That seeing there is such glory prepared for the Elect and such torments for the reprobate it concerns every Christian to give all diligence to make sure to himself that he shall attain the one and escape the other So that these three Treatises have dependance upon each other and together make up one compleat Systeme In this last thou wilt finde many practical cases handled of great soul-concernment both for the comfort of such as are sincere and the discovery of those that are unsound If thou shalt reap any profit by the perusal hereof let God have the praise and let them have thy prayers who are Ready to spend and be spent for the good of thy soul EDMUND CALAMY SIME ON ASHE JEREMIAH WHITAKER WILLIAM TAYLOR ALLEN GEERE OF THE ASSURANCE OF OUR VOCATION AND ELECTION SERMON I. 2 PETER 1.10 Wherefore the rather Brethren give diligence to make your Calling and Election sure TO give you an account why I pitch'd upon these words it is briefly thus Having spent seventeen Sermons in treating of the Glory of Heaven for the Elect and of the Torments of Hell for the Reprobate I deem'd it most meet to shut up those two Doctrines in the prosecution of this Subject of the Assurance of our Election and Vocation that so if this Doctrine be well improved you may have establishment in your own hearts that you are freed from the torments of the Damned and may be confident you shall be stated into the Glory of Heaven which God hath provided for all his Saints And to the end you might have assurance that you shall be freed from the one and shall enjoy the other you must make it your work according to the words of my Text to make your Calling and Election sure Make but that sure and you are sure of Heaven This is the reason why I pitch'd upon this Subject And it is my care in preaching the Word not to chuse those Texts that are most for my ease in study but for your profit in hearing that so one Subject might back another and one Subject might strengthen another and being put together might more serve for your edification and knowledg I shall not stand long in Prefacing All that I have to do in the managing of these words are these three things 1. To shew you the scope and dependance of the words 2. The sense and meaning 3. To draw out those practical Observations which naturally flow from them And then apply the Observations deduced For the scope and dependance of these words you may discern it lies thus Peter who is called an Apostle of the Circumcision that is an Apostle whose work and Office it was to preach to the Circumcised Jewes as it was Paul's Office to preach to the uncircumcised Gentiles he writ this Epistle to the dispersed Jewes that were scattered throughout the world through Pontus Asia Cappadocia Galatia and Bythinia Whence observe Gods people are a scattered people And to them he writes that though they were persons living in different places yet they had the same faith Simon Peter a servant and an Apostle of Jesus Christ to them that have obtained like precious faith So that you see the Spirit of God where it works in men though they live in different places yet they shall all believe the same Truth and all receive the same Faith Though different in Language yet but one God and one Faith The Spirit of God wrought the same Faith among those scattered Christians And the Apostle writing to these Jewes he begins his Epistle first by way of Salutation ver 2. Grace and peace be multiplied to you 2. He writes by way of Consolation ver 4. telling them that they are Partakers of the Divine Nature that they are call'd to Glory and shall enjoy all the Promises of the Gospel These are
working much upon them to the changing of their lives altering their course and new moulding of them into an external profession that yet notwithstanding all this never had saving grace wrought upon their hearts which is effectual calling Many are called but few are chosen saith Christ Matth. 20.16 And this is a dreadful Conclusion to all you that are professors that have not a saving work upon your hearts to you that flock unto the ministry of the word yet are not called thereby 2. That they who are called outwardly by the preaching of the word to a profession of Christ and yet not called inwardly by the spirit they shall endure greater damnation and greater torments in hell then those that never heard a word of Jesus Christ Matth. 8 12. Many shall come saith Christ from the East and from the West and shal sit down with Abraham Isaak and Jacob in the Kingdome of Heaven and what then but the children of the Kingdome shall be cast out into utter darknesse where shall be weeping and wailing and gnashing of Teeth Now who are meant here by the children of the kingdome not those that have heaven prepared for them but the professing Jewes who are called the children of the kingdome because they enjoyed a greater and clearer and fuller measure of the things of God which shewed them the way to the kingdome of heaven then other men did And when Christ cals them the children of the kingdome he cals the heathen the children of the world Now many of the children of the kingdome shall be cast into utter darknesse If there be any more dismal place then other it shall be for the children of the kingdome those that have been as it were nursed up under Gods elbow by ordinances the children of the kingdome they shall have a more dismal portion and dismal room in hell then other men shall have that never enjoyed the ordinances of Jesus Christ And O what a sad word is this to you that live where ordinances do most abound that you may be called the children of the kingdome and yet you to be thrust into utter darknesse 3. That there are many men who are only called outwardly into a bare profession that do harbour and nourish presumptuous perswasions in their own hearts that they are effectually called by Jesus Christ when they never had any saving work of grace upon their hearts This I spake of some weeks agoe from John 8.41 The Jewes had strong perswasions they had Abraham for their father and when Christ beats them off from that they went higher and said we have God to our father and yet verse 44. Christ tels them they were of their Father the Divell And Beloved you may also be deceived in harbouring strong perswasions that you are called effectually when you are only call'd outwardly 4. That they that are conceited in the opinion of their own goodnesse without seeing their want and necessitie of Jesus Christ are of all sorts of people in the world most unlikely to be effectually called by Jesus Christ This I urge from Matt. 9.13 I came not saith Christ to call the righteous c. Mark who are they that is Christ came not to call the Pharisees who were righteous in their own eyes and who had a selfe conceitednesse that things went well with them and saw no need of a Mediator and Intercessor and Redeemer I came not to call the righteous Jesus Christ excludes that sort of men from being called by him men that are self opinionated and have a conceit of their own goodness without any want of Jesus Christ Wherefore all you that think you have a strong faith towards God ever since you were born that think you live honestly among your neighbours pay every man his due and therefore see no need of Christ all your daies the Lord shew you mercie you are more unlikly to be called then any men in the world Matth. 21.31 There is a parable of a man that had two sons hee bid both work in the vineyard one son said he would not work he was obstinate the other son said he would work but did not and so was worse then his word Now these two sons they are the emblem of two sorts of men within the pale of the Church some are profane and obstinate men and they answer as the first son and say they wil not work the second are professing men men that make a good profession but do not answer their profession in their practice Now marke Whether of these twain will the father accept and they said unto him the first the most obstinate that said he would not go but went Verily saith Christ so I say unto you Publicans and Harlots shall go into heaven before you Mark how Christ applies the parable from their own mouths you that are Pharisees that are righteous and honest in your own eyes I wil sooner call whores and harlots and the worst of men then I wil call you Publicans and Harlots Publicans they were the worst sort of men that were they were sitting at the receipt of custome their calling exposing them to a great deal of extortion and briberie yet these men should go to heaven before others that made a glorious profession of Jesus Christ Again 5. A fifth sad Conclusion is this That when others are effectually called before your faces and yet you remain uncalled this should greatly aggravate your sin and condemnation when I say you shall see others that live haply in the same house with you that hear in the same congregation that sit in the same seat with you when you shall hear these effectually called and you remain uncalled this shall greatly increase your sin damnation Mat. 21.32 John came to you in the way of righteousnesse and you beleeved him not that is they were not called by his Ministry what then but the Publicans and Harlots believed what then and you when you had seen it repented not afterwards that you might believe Mark how Christ argues he urges that those men that heard the same Sermons that the other men did heare they were converted saith he you see whores and harlots converted alluding to Mary Magdalen and others you see these and yet you repent not and yet you beleeve not now you see one then another and yet when you see this you repent not that you might beleeve Beloved This is a sad conclusion to you that shall see others converted when you that haply lie in the same bed sit at the same board and hear the same Sermons in the same Congregation yet they shall be converted and called and you not this will greatly increase your sin and condemnation 6. That whoever God intends effectually to call it is Gods ordinary way to call them by the Ministry of his word 2 Thes 2.13 14. It s said there that they were called through the Sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth to obtain eternall glory by
Jesus Christ they were called by belief of the truth that is by believing the word preacht and loving the word preacht faith comes by hearing faith is the first grace in a Christians Call and that comes by hearing Rom. 10.17 so Acts 26.17 18. When Christ would call and convert the Gentiles he doth it not immediately but he useth the Ministry of Paul God thou teach the Gentiles and bring them from darknesse to light and from the power of Satan unto God God doth it still by the preaching of his word Now this is a sad word to three sorts of men First it s a sad word to them that never sat under the powerfull preaching of the word they are out of Gods ordinarie way of being saved 2. It is a sad word to those that may enjoy the word and yet slight it they also are not likely to be called 3. It s a sad word to those that leave the ordinarie way of Gods calling by the preaching of the word and trust to raptures revelations inspirations and extraordinary means for God to call them by alas they also are out of Gods ordinarie way of calling for God ordinarily takes this way to call a soul by the preaching of his word Luke 15.22 When the Prodigal was effectually called home to his father his father did not presently comfort him himself but he sends his servants and said Go take the best robe and put it upon my Sonne This son is a sinner the father is God Almightie the servants are the ministers now God doth not his work by himself but he leaves it to his Ministers and they shall put on the ring and the garment they shall be the instruments by the Ministrie of the word to work grace in the heart Hence 't is that 1 Cor 1.12 Some are blamed that should say I am of Paul and I of Apollo and I of Christ Why are men blamed for saying they are for Christ Is that blame worthy to cry up Christ No the fault is not simply in advancing Christ but the fault was this so to cry up Christ as to crie down duties and crie down the use of Ministers and the use of ordinances and therein they were to blame because Christ would not immediately by revelations and raptures call any but leaves the conversion and call of a sinner to the ordinary way of preaching the word and therefore a sad word it is to all out of Gods way of calling that either have not the word or if they have it never care to enjoy it 7. That if men continue long under the enjoyment of the word and are not effectually called by it they are likely never to be called I would commend to you that place to prove this in Luke 13.6 7. where Christ tels you of a fig tree he stayed three years looking for fruit and he found none the husbandman prayed to spare it one yeare longer and if it did not bear fruit then he should cut it down and cast it into the fire Now this fig tree were the professing Jewes who lay some competent time under the Ministrie of Christ and of his Apostles and this fig-tree if it were spared but one year and brought not forth fruit then it should be cut down and Christ did so it seems he curst it and said never fruit grow more upon this tree Now you would ask what the meaning of all this is Why Beloved a fig-tree if it beareth not fruit within four yeares after it is planted it is likely never to bring forth fruit And here the parable comes home thus far that if after some competencie of time in which in all likelihood men may have some sparkes wrought in them by the ministrie of the word if after all this they are not converted the curse of the fig-tree is like to fall upon that mans heart never let word do that man good more and never let grace grow in that mans heart more let never fruit grow more upon that tree this the Parable holds forth that if you live under the enjoyment of the word long and are not converted it is an argument you shall not be called And this is a heart-cutting consideration to all ancient men that have out-lived many Ministers and have seen their Ministers laid in the Grave their Ministers have spent their strength and wasted their lungs in preaching to them and yet they are as profane as ever and as loose as ever and as regardless of God and grace as ever truely you are in a very sad case if it be thus with you you are likely never to be called by Jesus Christ 8. That God in the dispensations of his grace doth not ordinarily let effectual calling run to the richer sort of men in the world Surgunt indocti rapiunt coelum nos cum doctri nis nostris detrudimur in Gehâ—nnam but rather to the poorest sorts and ranks of men that are I remember Austin in one of his books hath this saying Unlearned men they snatch away heaven from us that are great Scholars and truely as it was in his time so it is now Men that are great Scholars that understand Scripture know languages they are turned into hel when unlearned and poor men they get heaven God hath chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith In all the dispensations of his grace though he cals some rich men it is true to carrie on the work and countenance his people yet Gods effectuall calling doth not so commonly come among rich men as the poor of the world the poor saith Christ receive the Gospel the learned Scribes and Doctors amongst the Jewes and the rich Pharisees they did all spurn at Jesus Christ when the poor and ignorant people that knew not the law they followed him 1 Cor. 1 26. Not many wise not many noble not many mighty are called but God hath chosen the poor things of this world and things that are despised yea and things that are not to bring to nought things that are Here you see plainly this Conclusion proved that Gods effectuall calling doth not ordinarily and commonly run among the greater sort of men in the world but it runs among the poorer sort of men they ordinarily give best entertainment to the Gospel And the reason of this is 1. To magnifie the riches of his grace if Christ should call rich men only and chiefly many would think it was only mens riches and mens honour did move Christ to call them Now Christ to vindicate and magnifie his grace he will call poor despicable wretches that one would think there should be nothing in the eye of reason or sense why God should cast an eye of favour upon them 2. To magnifie and manifest his power that he will preserve a companie of poor contemptible people among so many enemies so potent and so wealthie that they shall never be able to overthrow them 3. Because rich men lie under
the great props with which he bears up their hearts and comforts them by Then 3. he proceeds by way of Exhortation and Direction ver 5. and that is that they should give diligence to add grace to grace that they should make it their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or their main business for which they are sent into the world not only to get grace but to thrive in grace and begins with Faith because this is the foundation or mother grace And this he presseth by a double Argument First considering the benefit shall redound to them in case they perform this duty to labour to thrive in grace ver 8. If these things be in you and abound they shall make you that you shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledg of the Lord Jesus If you make it your work to grow in grace you shall never be a barren or unfruitful people but you shall be growing in grace and thriving in God still 2. From the inconvenience that would accrue in case they should neglect this work ver 9. He that lacks these things is blind and cannot see afar off that is he that lacks these graces if you do not grow in grace you will be so dim sighted you will so deaden your comforts and darken your evidences that you can have no assurance you shall be saved And then he comes in with a general Exhortation backing all this that seeing there is this good comes by adding grace to grace and seeing there wil be this evil if you do it not he brings all home by a practical inference in the words of my Text Wherefore Brethren give all diligence to make your Calling and Election sure The words are not difficult though indeed they are mangled by the Papists who bring this Text to Martyrdome by their corrupt glosses I shall only give you a brief Paraphrastical Explication and so come to the Observations Wherefore That you may see the force of the connexion it is as much as if the Apostle should say thus Seeing there comes so great good by growing in grace and seeing the neglect of it doth so much hurt not only to deaden your hearts but darken your comforts that you can have no cleer and comfortable evidence for heaven Therefore give diligence to make your Calling and Election sure Wherefore the rather brethren that is Brethren not in the flesh but in the faith of Christ imbracing the same faith keeping to the same head them the Apostle calls brethren Wherefore the rather brethren give diligence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The word in the Greek is more emphatical and signifies to do a thing enough not agere but sat agere not in an overly and careless way but to do a thing with industry vigilancy and unweariedness of spirit it should not be matter of constraint but free and voluntary Give diligence And the diligence you should use is in matters of the soul Give diligence In what To make your Calling and Election sure First I must shew you what is meant by Calling then by Election and then shew you why Calling is set before Election when in order of time election is before calling 1. What is meant by Calling which that you may understand you must know there is a twofold Calling an external and an internal Calling The External Calling is that general invitation which by the preaching of the Gospel is made unto men to invite them to come in to Jesus Christ and most in the world are called by this call both good and bad 2. The Internal Calling when the Spirit of God accompanies the outward administration of the word to call a man from ignorance to knowledg and from a state of nature to a state of grace and of this Calling my Text means Make your Calling sure that is you that live under the preaching of the Gospel be sure you be called thereby Your calling and election Election is an act of God whereby from all eternity he doth purpose within himself of his own pleasure and will to bring a certain number of men unto salvation by Jesus Christ But now how can it be said We must make our calling and election sure Doth not the Foundation of God stand sure as the Apostle saith And are not the gifts and calling of God without repentance How then must we make our Election sure when all the Decrees of God stand sure Answ Beloved when it is said you must make these sure you must take it in this sense not to make them sure on Gods part for it cannot be made more sure there then it is already whom he hath elected shall be glorified But make it sure on your parts that is Labour to have a real bottom'd and grounded assurance that you are effectually called that you are elected by God in his eternal Decree to obtain life and glorie by Jesus Christ Divines therefore give this distinction Certitudo Objecti certitudo Subjecti That there is an assurance of the Object and that is sure enough for if God hath decreed you to glorie that will hold sure for ever But then there is a certitude of the Subject an assurance to the person that is elected and that is when by a reflex act of faith you have a grounded perswasion in your own brests that you are effectually called and eternally elected An assurance in your own apprehension and knowledg Lastly Why is Calling here set before Election when in order of time Election is before Calling You are called in time by the preaching of the Gospel you are elected before all time before the world Before the foundation of the world was laid he hath elected us in Christ Eph. 1.4 And if so What is the reason that Calling in my Text is put before Election Answ To this I answer Calling in order of words is placed before Election not as if it were in time before it but to shew that we can never be sure of our election till God hath effectually called us by the preaching of the Gospel and therefore Calling is set before Election Thus I have opened the things most material giving you the sense of the words The whole Verse is made up of two parts First Here is a main duty enjoyned in these words Give diligence to make your calling and election sure Secondly Here is a strong inducement to inforce you to this duty and that in the last words If you do these things you shall never fall In the Duty injoyned there are several things observable 1. The matter of the duty To make sure your election and calling 2. The manner how you must set about this duty and that is with diligence Give diligence 3. The motive to draw you to it in the word Wherefore 4. Here is the comparison between this duty and all other duties Wherefore the rather do this rather then all other things in the world And Lastly Here is that loving compellation whereby Peter would
souls that they are effectually called and eternally elected Give diligence to make your Calling and Election sure Now I cannot handle this Doctrine in the bulk of it but must of necessitie take it into parts and handle it piece by piece that so I may give you the strength of the whole Observation in the Application of it And seeing Calling lies in the front I shall in a few Sermons treat of that And the Point from thence will be this That Doctr. Christians ought to put forth a great deal of diligence to make this sure to their souls that they are effectually Called Beloved This is a very material Point I am now upon especially in this deceitful age wherein men plunge themselves into a gulph of presumption wherein many times men take faith upon trust and Christ upon trust It is meet that you that live under the Gospel should trie your Calling by the Gospel whether it be true or no there may be an external Cal when there is no inward calling by the operation of the Spirit upon your hearts In the managing of this Point I shall shew you these three things First What Effectual Calling is Secondly Why you are required to put forth a great deal of diligence to make your Calling sure to your souls Thirdly By what Characters or Discoveries you may be assured in your own hearts that you are effectually called First What Effectual Calling is You say we must make it sure therefore what is the nature of it For answer you may take this description of it Effectual Calling is the fruit of Gods Election whereby God of his free grace works a wonderful change in the heart of an Elect person by the inward operation of the Spirit accompanying the outward Ministry of the word by vertue of which the soul is brought from under the dominion of sin and Satan into a state of grace and so made meet for the enjoyment of God in glory Now I shal not take this apart but commit it to your memorie and judgment to apprehend Only in this description there are laid down four differences to distinguish effectual Calling from that ordinary or outward Calling that wicked men have by the Ministrie of the Word As 1. Effectual Calling in the description is said to be a fruit of Gods Election but outward or general Calling is a fruit only of common providence God by an over-ruling providence sends the Gospel among a people and thereby calls them to an outward compliance and conformitie but effectual Calling is a fruit of Gods Election 2. It is said in the description that Effectual Calling it changes the heart whereby God works a wonderful change in the heart but an external Calling no way reacheth the heart only worketh some kind of civil or common alteration in the life 3. It 's said Effectual Calling is wrought by the inward operation of the Spirit accompanying the outward Ministry of the word whereas an External Call is only by the word but no inward saving work of the Spirit at all 4. It s said of Effectual Calling that it is from the dominion of sin but External Calling is only from the external acts of sin Indeed by an external calling the word may have that power over a man as to restrain and keep in the visible and external actings of sin but it no way works upon the inclination to take off the affection from sin wheras this effectual Calling works upon the heart and works to the subduing and destroying of the power of sin as well as the actings of it Secondly Why doth God require that we should put forth such great diligence in making sure that we are effectually called by the Spirit of Jesus Christ in the Gospel There are three Reasons why this should be Reas 1 First Because there are many professing the Gospel that do harbour ungrounded perswasions that they are effectually called when they are not Now if many men be deceived why may not you And if many are apt to be deceived about this matter have not you great cause to be diligent lest you are deceived also The Jewes of old they boasted of their Calling and said We have Abraham to our father but Christ confutes that If you were Abrahams children saith he you would do the works of Abraham but you seek to kill me which Abraham did not But then they go higher John 8.46 they were effectually called For God is our Father No saith Christ You are of your father the Divel Thus many men run into these gross mistakes to believe they are effectually called when they are not Many are called outwardly that are not called effectually Matth. 22.14 And therefore it concerns you not to be deceived in this great business Reas 2 Secondly Because there is this natural aptness in all of us in things that are of any value concerning the bodie you wil be sure to make sure of them It may be if you have Brass and Pewter or baser Mettals your Kitchin shal serve for that but things of greater value as Pearls and Diamonds they must be in the Closet and in a Cabinet in that Closet you wil be sure to ensure them Why how much more should you ensure this great and precious Jewel of Effectual Calling that so much concerns your immortal souls When you buy Land you will be sure your Title is good to draw up your evidences so as to be firm in Law You know Merchants if they venture a great or most part of their estate at sea where happily there may be hazard in the Voyage they will run speedily to ensure a great part of their Commodities Beloved this should you do this bodie of yours is the Ship and the Merchandize and Freight in this Ship is your souls and this Ship is going a great Voyage to Glorie Glorie is the Port whither this Ship is to come you shall meet with many dangers in your way haply with storms and tempests of temptation yea haply you may run upon the rocks of presumption or quick-sands of despair O now run to the ensuring Office what 's that why run to seek the Testimonie of Christs Spirit in your own Spirit by the word to evidence unto you upon good ground that the Ship shal be safe and the Commodities brought secure to the Haven that Ship Bodie Soul and all shal come safe to Heaven Beloved if men wil thus ensure their Estates you have much more reason to ensure your souls For believe it if you make not sure your souls if you suffer shipwrack ye are turned Bankrupts presently bankrupt to God you lose him for ever It is said of an old Usurer That when any man came to borrow money of him he would hardly trust one in twentie and being ask'd the reason Why he would do so O saith he it is good to be sure Why Beloved shal an Usurer in all his ways be so secure and so heedful in all his disbursments that he could say
light of his knowledge 2. You are called from a course of sin to a course of holinesse Before your calling you were the Divels Drudges and did his work at will the Divel in Pauls language to Timothy had you Captive at his pleasure but when God cals you he takes you from under the dominion and raign of sin and brings you into a course of holiness 1 Thes 4.7 You are called not unto uncleanness but unto holiness 2 Pet. 1.3 He hath called us to glory and vertue Before calling thou wert the receptacle or common shore of all filth and uncleannesse when called thou art swept with the besome of Sanctification yea beautified and adorned as a pleasant palace for thy God to delight in And this should cause you much to magnifie grace that you are brought from being the Divels drudges to be Gods freemen from being the Divels slaves to be Gods servants from being the Divels taskeman to pay thee thy wages in hell to be Gods workman for which he wil give thee thy reward in heaven 3. God cals thee from bondage to libertie In the time that thou art uncalled thou art in bondage 2 Pet. 2.19 they are the servants of Corruption c. in bondage to thy lusts and bondage to thy Passion and a slave to the world thou art in bondage under the Law under the cause and rigour and condemnation of it but now Jesus Christ if he have called thee he hath called thee to libertie Gal. 5.13 You are called to libertie only use not libertie as a Cloak to wickedness Before calling 2 Tim. 2.25 you are in Sathans snares but after calling you are set at libertie you are freed from the guilt and freed from the bondage of your sinne 4. You are called from a condition of estrangednesse into an intimate familiaritie fellowship with Jesus Christ Before calling you are Strangers from the life of grace Ephes 4.18 You are without God in the world strangers to the Commonwealth of Israel Ephes 2.12 But when God calls you he cals you from the condition of a stranger and brings you into friendship and fellowship with Jesus Christ 1 Corin. 1.9 God is faithful by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son You who were without Christ before calling being called you enjoy neer familiaritie with his Son 5. You are called from Sathan unto God Acts 26.18 He hath sent forth his word among you to bring you from darknesse to light and from the power of Sathan to God Sathan who was thy lord and was thy master and ruler thou art now from under his clutches and brought under the dominion and subjection of thy God 6. When God effectually calls thee thou art brought from a state of enmitie against God to a state of amitie and reconciliation towards him and Jesus Christ and all the things of God Col. 3.15 Let the peace of God rule in your hearts for to this ye are called and be yee thankeful God hath called you to peace he hath not called you to wrath Before Calling God and thy soul were the most inveterate enemies in all the world After Calling God and thou are of enemies become the greatest friends You are called to peace therefore be thankful 7. You are called from a state of shame to a state of glory Before you are called you are vile and shameful creatures in Gods sight when God cals you he cals you into a condition of glory 1 Pet. 5.10 Who hath called us to his eternal glory and 1 Thes 2.12 Since thou wast precious in my sight and I have loved thee thou becamest honourable Isa 43. 1 Pet. 2.6 To you that believe Christ is precious or as it is in the Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he is an honour to you Jesus Christ when once you are called to a believing state he is not onely precious to you and prized of you but he is an honour to you This then you are to consider that uncalled you are in a shamefull condition no badg of honour lies upon you but when once you are called by Christ he becomes an honour to you 8. And lastly which shall be accomplished in the end you shall be called from earth to heaven and from the grave to glory this shall be your call after death Now put all these Eight together To be called from ignorance to knowledg from sin to grace from bondage to liberty from estrangement to fellowship with Jesus Christ from a state of enmitie to a state of amitie and reconciliation with God and man from shame to glorie and from earth to heaven and should not this mightily highten your joy and greaten your praises in magnifying the grace of God in your hearts Secondly Again The consideration of this As From what and To what so For what you are called should greaten your praises Now for what are you called You are called meerly according to the purpose of his owne grace neither foreseen works nor good education nor grace in you none of all these were motives in Gods brest to call you And hence you may see it was nothing in you because there were many things in us might move God not to call us We have often withstood his call we have often strangled the motions of his Spirit in our hearts we have often carried gain saying hearts to the wooings of the Ministers of Christ So that it is nothing in us but meerly his own grace that conquers our unholinesse and conquers our unwillingnesse and overcomes that stoutnesse of heart that is in us meerly the grace and goodnesse of Jesus Christ Now summ up all these together and revolve them in your hearts and you will see what great cause you have to live in magnifying of Jesus Christ SERMON IV. 2 PET. 1.10 Wherefore the rather Brethren give all diligence to make your Calling and Election sure IN the prosecution of these words the Doctrine I drew from the first particular dutie injoyned was this That Christians ought to put forth a great deal of diligence to make this sure to their souls that they are effectually called by Jesus Christ In the handling of which I have gone over several particulars I now come to laie down some Propositions or Conclusions about Effectuall calling and I shall name twenty in all First Ten sad Conclusions to all those men who are not effectually called Secondly Ten consolatorie Conclusions to all those men that are effectually called by Jesus Christ and mixing Conclusions procuring terror to the wicked with such as procure comfort to the godly one tempered with the other may do good to both I begin with the first 1. The first sad Conclusion I shal lay down is this That there are many men in the world that are called outwardly by the word unto a profession of Christ that are not called effectually by the spirit to a possession of Christ My meaning is this There are many men have the word of God
impossible and therefore in that we are commanded and bound to do it it is clear that it is possible and may be made sure Secondly Because it is the office of the Spirit of Jesus Christ to work this particular assurance in the hearts of those that are effectually called that they are in the state of grace and shall be brought to glory 1 Cor. 2.12 We have received not the spirit of this world but the Spirit which is of God that we might know the things that are freely given us of God 1 John 5.10 He that believeth he hath a witnesse in himselfe a witnesse to his own soul that he doth believe Eph. 1.13 14. There the Spirit is called a Seal you are sealed by the Spirit of Promise and verse 14. It is called the earnest of our inheritance Now a seal and earnest is to give more assurance to a Promise and here the Spirit of God is given to Believers as a Seal and earnest-Penny that as they have the first fruits in grace they shall have their harvest in glory 1 John 4.13 Hereby we know we dwell in him and he in us because he hath given us his Spirit It is the office of the Spirit of Jesus Christ to assure our hearts in this particular Rom. 8.16 The Spirit it self beareth witnes with our spirits that we are the children of God Thirdly Particular servants of God in Scripture that have been partakers of this mercy they have had this firm assurance of their effectual calling I shall instance in three First in Paul and the Scripture tells us of him that he had a clear evidence of his effectual calling Gal. 2.20 I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me who loved me and gave himself for me There he had a particular assurance that Christ loved him and gave himself for him So 2 Tim. 1.12 I know whom I have believed and I am perswaded also that what I have committed to him he will keep till the last day So 2 Tim. 4.8 I have fought a good fight I have finished my course I have kept the faith henceforth there is a Crown laid up for me Nay not onely Paul but Job also Job 19.25 I know that my Redeemer liveth and I shall stand up before him at the last day he knew Jesus Christ was his Redeemer And so David also saith Thou art my God and I will praise thee Psal 118.28 and Psal 23.6 Surely the goodnesse and merey of God shall follow me all the dayes of my life So that put these together God commands it it is the spirits office to work assurance in the heart and particular servants of God have had this assurance therefore why may it not be obtained But if you say these were not ordinary servants of God these were servants of a higher rank and form but may ordinary weak Christians know this also Yes Therefore Fourthly Not only particular Saints have had this but the people of God in General they have declared in Scripture that they have injoyed this particular assurance of their effectual Calling and safety of their condition by Christ Instance in a few Isa 63.16 Doubtlesse thou art our Father They made no doubt of it they were so perswaded they feared it not Isa 45.24 Surely shall one say In the Lord have I righteousnesse and strength Surely a word of confidence they were assured they had righteousnesse for their justification in Christ Jesus So 2 Cor. 5.1 We know that if our earthly Tabernacle be dissolved we have a building of God eternal in the heavens They knew that when they died they should see God in heaven not only Paul but other godly Christians with him So Heb. 10.34 You know in your selves that God hath provided for you a better and more induring substance They were assured within themselves that when they should die or lose their estates here God had provided for them a more enduring substance So 1 John 3.19 Hereby we know that we are of the truth and shall assure our hearts before God So verse 14. We know we are translated from death to life c. So that what can be more clearly proved then this that this assurance is to be attained in this life because God commands it it is the spirits office to work it particular Christians have had it and the people of God in general they have enjoyed and profest this Temper Vse Is it so then that assurance is attainable in this life Then how much to blame are our adversaries the Papists who hold their followers in suspense that they must live without the assurance of their own estate that their soules must hang in feares and doubts all their dayes that the most they can have is only a conjecture oh into what a gulph of discomforts do they plunge them Beloved the Lord in the Book of Deuteronomy chap. 29. did pronounce it as a curse that their lives should hang in suspense it 's a greater curse that mens souls should hang in suspense that men shall not know whether they shall be saved or damned it 's a hell on this side hell and therefore they are much to be blamed that hold their followers in hand with a peradventure they shall be saved peradventure not when the Scripture is so clear in this thing Secondly Let not the thoughts either of the impossibility or the difficulty of attaining this assurance discourage you from looking after it It is not impossible though it is difficult indeed and the difficulty should be so farre from discouraging you that it should quicken your endeavours to make your calling and election sure Thirdly Seeing assurance is attainable in this life inquire into the cause why you who are effectually called have not attained this assurance before now And this puts me upon handling of the second case of conscience seeing this assurance is attainable Therefore Answ Secondly what is the reason that many Christians who are called effectually by Jesus Christ do live in many doubts and feares about their effectual calling Doubt In answer to this I shall lay down these three particulars that the doubts that do arise in Christians about their calling they flow from this threefold fountain Either first from some seeming defect they apprehend in the manner of their calling Or Secondly some seeming defect they apprehend to be in the meanes of their calling Or else Thirdly some seeming defects they apprehend in the effects of their calling and these three grounds are the rise from whence many Christians effectually called do doubt of their call and are not assured of it First It doth arise from some seeming defect they apprehend to be in the manner of their calling They say I am not called in such a manner as I see others are As thus Think they I see other men when they are converted that their humiliations are great I see that they have horror of conscience that they are wrought upon by the terrors of the law
that they are exceedingly humbled before God Now for my part I never found this manner of Gods working in my soul I never found that I could see my sins clearly or could be humbled for them greatly I never found those humiliations and legal Terrours which I hear many men talk of and this makes me doubt whether I am effectually called or no. Now to take off this I shall onely speak three things by way of Answer First That it is true God doth proceed after this manner with some yet God is not tied and confined to one and the same way of working with all What if he come to you in a calm when he comes to others in a Tempest if God come to you in a more peaceable and quiet way What if God do not pierce your heart as he did those 3000. in the Acts if he kindely open thy heart like Lidia's without noise God is not to be tied to one and the same way in converting all As 't is said John 3.8 The winde bloweth where it listeth so how it listeth also Secondly You have no cause to doubt for this because it's Gods usual manner to proceed after this way only with such men who have been loose in their lives who have been obstinate in their wills who have been very scandalous in conversation before their conversion and call But it is not Gods usual way to work thus upon Christians who have been religiously brought up from their youth it is not Gods way to dowse them into such a pit of horror and plunge them into such a depth of fears that have been of a fair and ingenuous and moral life before their call As you know it is with Carpenters they give more blowes to knotty Timber then they will do to smooth and tender wood thus doth God when he meets with a knotty sinner a wretched stout-hearted sinner God must give him many blowes by humiliation before he will be humbled before he can bring him to be a serviceable piece in Gods building whereas Christians of a milde and softer temper they shall have fewer blowes and shall not have the terrors of God stick so fast in their hearts as others shall Hence you read that phrase Hos 6.5 Saith the Lord I will hew them by my Prophets c. God doth hew some men hew them with judgments and hew them with terror Yea but others that are not so loose as they I taught Ephraim to go I led Ephraim by the Armes and I drew him with cords of a man and with the bands of love Hos 11.4 God you see would hack and hew some men with terror and wrath but others he would draw with love and the cords of a man Now suppose God hath not hacked and hewed thee with judgements if God melt thee with loving kindnesse and if God gain upon thy soul with mercy and with love and grace thou must not blame God thou must not confine God for this is Gods way of working sometimes as well as by wrath God works upon some with wrath he will allure others with loving kindnesse so that you have no cause or ground of fear that you are not effectually called because you apprehend some defects in the manner of your call because it is Gods usual way to plunge them in most humiliation and most terrour that have been most wicked liv'd men before their call and not so ordinarily with men religiously trained up from their youth Thirdly God when he goes to call a sinner to conversion he looks upon the temper of those that are to be called and God sees some men of a rugged Temper that their Tempers will not be won but by wrath and by fire and by hell and by Judgement And so it 's like Felix was his Temper was such that nothing could convert him but wrath and Judgement to come Terrible Doctrines Some are of this Temper that nothing but wrath and hel-fire can work upon them As children there are some that are of such soft and tender Tempers that the shaking of a rod may do them good there are other children if a man should whip them every day they would never leave their childish tricks It is so with sinners God sees some of a more tender and soft Temper that love will gain upon them others are of a rugged disposition that nothing but wrath can affright them Now God in the dispensations of his grace he observes their Temper and if he seeth love will gaine more upon them then wrath will do he will take that course but if God see nothing but wrath and fire and horrour will do it then he will work that way This you read in the Epistle of Jude ver 22 23. On some saith the holy Ghost have compassion making a difference but others save with fear pulling them out of the fire The meaning is this There are some that you must shew tendernesse and compassion to in calling and working upon them they are of a tender Temper but others there are that you must save with feare that is preach terrible Sermons to them and fright them with hel-fire and Judgement to come For God doth observe the different Tempers in men and hereupon doth proceed in different wayes of Administration in working upon them Now it may be thou that dost thus complaine thou never hadst these Terrors in thy soul and yet art effectually called it may be God saw thy Temper more to be won by kindnesse and more gained upon in a way of love therefore wrought upon thee this way God is not bound to one way And therefore we may justly count them blame-worthy who preach onely free grace and Gods love and so tie God to one Method and they are to blame on the other side likewise if there be any such that preach onely Terror and wrath for God observes the Temper of mens dispositions some to be knotty and some soft and accordingly proceeds in his way of working with them This ground therefore for your doubts is insufficient Secondly A second ground that makes men doubt of their effectual calling is upon the apprehension of some seeming defect that may be in the means of their calling As thus Think they I have read in the Word that it doth please God to use preaching as the ordinary means to call and convert sinners to Christ It pleased God by preaching to save them that believe I read this also that faith comes by hearing Now many a poore soul hath this that gravels his conscience and troubles his spirit but alas I finde a defect in this means For my part I cannot say I was converted by hearing a Sermon that which did work upon me was some other means One of these three either I was converted saith one by living in a godly family among good Christians seeing their example that first gained upon me Or saith another I was gained upon by reading a Chapter in the Bible or in some good book
when they are not the devil Iulls them asleep he lets them alone and never troubles them Luke 11.21 When the strong man possesseth the house the goods are at peace That is when the devil of hell hath whole possession of the soul of a man he is no whit tempted his thoughts are at quiet When the devil sees a man build upon a sandy and corrupt foundation he will never shake that by a Temtation lest you should by shaking be a wakened to look after a better and more induring substance When the devil sees you Iull'd asleep in a golden dream of presumption he will never awaken you by Temptation but Iâ—ts you sleep on because he knowes that sleep will be a sleep to death As a man lying asleep on a steep rock dreams merrily of Crowns and Kingdoms but suddenly starting for joy breake his neck and tumbles into the bottom of the Sea so is it with a man that harbours ungrounded perswasions of his good estate That which a carnal man makes his evidence that he is in a good condition is an undoubted demonstration he is in a bad You shall have a wicked man when he hears a godly man to be troubled in minde and wounded in spirit he will tell you he thanks God he was never troubled since he was born the devil never disturbed him and he hath had a strong faith ever since he can remember Alas Beloved this is a sad signe thou makest this a sign of thy comfort whereas indeed it is a demonstration of thy want of a sound assurance for were thy assurance good the Devil would never let thee alone but would still be labouring to make thee cast away thy confidence but being bad he would have thee nourish it still We say those Oxen that are fed in greenest pastures they are nearest the slaughter when the poor lean Oxe that hath the yoke and whip every day and is at daily labour is long liv'd and in a better condition Those men that the devill lets alone and never tempts that are as fatted oxen never come under the whip and yoke and never are troubled it is an argument they are near the slaughter and under a great deal of danger of their souls but those that are under the yoke that are often tempted and the pricks of Sathan lie upon them this is an Argument their comforts are right and their evidence good because so assaulted and opposed by the devil Thirdly true assurance is more or lesse in a mans spirit by how much more or lesse that man keeps in communion with God If a man doth remâ—t in his converse with God and grow carelesse and formal and a stranger to God he shall grow a stranger to himselfe in the end and to his comforts also but if a man keep close to God and keep close to duties can retire and recollect himself to converse with God in a more solemn and serious manner is preparedly and fruitfully exercised in Ordinances can poure out his soul into Gods bosome that man is in the way to have his comforts raised up Whereas now for men that have false comforts and perswasions whether they are much or little with God all is one to them their comforts are at the same stand still Come to a man that hath false comforts and at all times he is alike peremptory he is in the same perswasion he was 3.4.7 yeares ago Ask him any week in the yeer any day in the week any hour in the day and he will tell you he hath the same comforts and the same evidences still he had a strong faith in God and he hath it still he had strong hopes to be saved and so he hath still he is still peremptory in his comforts though he never so much alter in communion with his God this is an argument thy perswasions are salse because a Christians communion and converse with God doth feed his comforts Now as the body by how the much more or lesse it is fed by so much the more it is weakened or strengthened so it is with your comforts so much as they are cherished by your walking with God so much they grow weak or strong Now let a wicked man grow never so vile and never so sinful it interrupts not his peace he hath hopes and assurance still and he will trust in God still though he sin ever this is an argument his comforts are unsound You have a lively picture of this Mic. 3.11 The heads of the people judge forreward the Priests teach for hire and the Prophets divine for mony and yet they will lean upon the Lord and say Is not the Lord among us That is though they have these sins among them and did walk thus and thus yet they would hope in God to be saved for all this Why Beloved thou wilt find God to fail thee though he never faild an assured Christian yet he will fail that man that leanes upon him when he belongs not to him When thou dost intermit walking with God and dost lanch forth into a gulph and sea of lusts and yet canst still say thou art the same in thy comforts and the same in thy perswasions it is an argument all thy comforts are but false and thy evidence unsound Fourthly Reall assurance of your estate it doth bear up the soul under the greatest outward sorrow and sufferings that it can meet with in this world Heb. 10.34 They suffered joyfully the spoiling of their goods knowing in themselves that they had in heaven a better and more induring substance What made them so to rejoyce to see their houses plundered before them their estates taken from them but this they knew in their own selves and had assurance in their own hearts that Christ was theirs and heaven was theirs and this made them suffer joyfully the spoiling of their goods So Psal 119.50 This is my comfort in affliction that thy word doth quicken me That is this beares up my heart when I am afflicted that I have a Word to build upon that I have assurance I have interest in a Promise to build upon this quickens and bears me up under my sorrowes So Psal 119.81 My spirit had fainted within me onely that I hoped in thy Word That is I had hope and confidence built upon thy Word and that kept me from feares and fainting and discouragement under my affliction The sense of the pardon of their sin shall take away the sense of any outward suffering So Esa 33.24 The inhabitant shall not say I am sick the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity Beloved Assurance will lift up and bear up the heart under all sorrows Assurance in a Christian is like oile Now poure oile into a sea or ocean of water and the oile will never be kept under but still be uppermost so this oile of comfort and this oile of assurance it will bear thee up on the top though thou shouldst be cast
read 1 Pet. 3.8 9. Be pitiful be compassionate to your Brethren love as Brethren Now upon what ground doth the Apostle presse this compassion Read verse 9. Knowing saith he that you are hereunto called that you should inherit a blessing As if he should say upon this ground I woo you to be compassionate because you are called to inherit a blessing that is you know and are assured that you are a blessed people and you shall be a saved people therefore have compassion on your brethren who are tempted and troubled that you might bring them to the same pitch of comfort you are brought to Eighthly Assurance should be managed with chearfulnesse of heart Assured Christians should be chearful Christians We read Nehem. 2.1 2. That Nehemiah all the while he was before the face of the King and in the presence of the King the Text saith Nehemiah for a long time was not sad the Kings presence did so cheare up Nehemiahs heart Now to this I would allude If the presence and face of King Artaxerxes did make Nehemiah that for a long time he was not sad before him Oh how much more should the face of God and the presence of God in a mans soul and the favour of God towards a man how much more should this keep thee from being sad in Gods presence from a lumpish and Melancholy and sad spirit Thou art in the presence of a King in the favour of God and this should keep thee from being sad and heavy None in the world have greater grounds of joy then those that live in a constant assurance of the love of God towards them It is for condemned men that are condemned to the Gallows to hang down their heads and wring their hands but let the pardoned people of the Lord rejoyce The man that is condemned he hangs down his head but the man that comes pardoned from the barre with what a chearful countenance will that man come you are all a people pardoned by your God you may well be a rejoycing people I remember a passage I have read in D. Halls Works in his Meditations upon the Creatures speaking of a little Bird called Robbin-red-brest that when he was in his study came chirping at the window and leaping upon his book and singing a great while together upon this sight he breaks out into this contemplation O this little silly Bird that doth not know where to pick up the next crum that doth not know where to pitch and rest it selfe for the next night yet behold how chearfully doth this Bird sing when man and a Christian man that knows God to be his Father that hath not only crumbs of ourward blessings but whole morsels of inward comfort and can drink draughts of inward consolation Christians that have a God and a heaven that have Christ and glory yet they cannot be merry as a poor Bird can be and truly it is a good Meditation Many times people that are called by Jesus Christ and have ground and assurance of their everlasting happinesse by him yet they cannot be so merry as a poor Bird will be Birds in the morning will be chirping and singing as if nothing lay at the heart when a Christian is sad and vexing and wearying out his life in discontents and sorrowes this becomes not a Christian Assured Christians they should be chearful Christians Ninthly Assured Christians they should be thankful Christians For one to give a man a promise it is worth thanks but when a man shall not onely give but assure that Promise that he will make it good that is more thanks-worthy Beloved if God had only promised you a heaven and had given no assurance it was thanks-worthy but when God shall give thee his Broad Seal that shall seal thee up to the day of Redemption and when God shall give thee an assurance in thy own brest thou shalt go to heaven and go to God this should much more make thee in thy Spirit blesse thy God It is a speech of the Prophet David My soule blesse thou the Lord for his marvellous loving kindnesse Thou hast kindnesse and thou hast marvellous loving kindnesse My soul blesse God for this David would not keep back Gods praises seeing God would not keep back Davids comforts In heaven we shall break forth into admiration because we have good things in possession here we should break forth into thanksgiving because we have them in expectation And thus I have done with the first part of my direction to you that are assured Christians you should labour first rightly to use your assurance Secondly All you that are assured Christians you are to be directed carefully to keep and preserve your assurance There is no lesse skill saith the Poet to be put forth in keeping vertue Non minor est virtus quà m quaerere parta tueri then in getting of it It is said of Hannibal he was a skilful souldier to get victories but he had no skill to keep them when gotten It may be said so of us Christians can get assurance but they have not the skill to keep it when they have got it This therefore I am now to press that you would be careful to preserve your assurance And here in speaking of this I shall lay down two particulars that in case you would keep your assurance there are some things you must do and some things you must avoid and take heed of First There are some things you must do and those I shall comprize under 2 or 3 heads First In case you would keep assurance you are to keep close in communion with your God in the exercise of the duty of godlinesse The more you keep grace the more you will keep your comforts And here that I may branch out this direction I shall comprize these duties under four heads and shew you from Scripture that keeping close to God in the use of four duties will be a ready way to keep your assurance in you As first keep close to God in the duty of prayer John 16.24 Ask saith Christ and your joy shall be full Ask that your joy may be full implying that if you keep close to God in the duty of prayer after assurance your spirits shall be compleat and full Secondly Keep close to God in the duty of reading the Word often By often reading the Word you will often meet with Promises and supports for your comfort That 's the reason men lessen in comforts because men do not frequently read the Word you cannot read a Chapter but you will finde there a prop for faith and a prop for assurance Keeping constant to the Word and that 's the way to keep your assurance 1 John 5.13 These things have I written to you that believe that you might know that you have eternal life These things have I writ not onely that you have life but that you might know it By reading the writings of John John tells them they might
minde the dayes of old and the yeers of many generations Call to minde ancient dayes did not God shew thee his face did not God bear thee in the palmes of his hands did not God give thee many a smile of his countenance and many a pledge of his love even by affliction it selfe did not God set many a seal upon thy heart that thy comforts were true thy evidence clear and thy ends sincere towards God Beloved call to minde the former frame of thy spirit how thou wast in wonted times and this Meditation being backed by Gods Spirit may bee a great means to restore thy comforts to thee past goodnesse should be present encouragement Thirdly Meditate what way it was that you got your former comforts and assurance Ex quo gignimur eo dem nutrimur and the same way God will sanctifie to restore you your comforts again What Physicians say of the body We are nourished of those things of which wee are begotten and generated So I say of comforts The very same thing that begot comforts the same will restore your comforts againe Now think upon this in your practice and consider What way did I gaine my comforts in yeeres past did I gaine my comforts by godly sorrow and by lamenting after God and by mourning over those abominable failings in my practice now take the same course to restore thy evidences Go and mourn in thy Closet over thy uneven walking before God Go lament for thy sinnes mourne after thy Father and tell him thou art grieved at the heart that he is so great a stranger to thy soule Didst thou gain thy assurance in dayes past by humbling thy soule often before God Set upon humbling work again Didst thou gain thy comforts in dayes past by walking closely with thy God Amend thy paths and direct thy wayes unto thy Maker for dayes to come There is the very same way to restore your comforts that was at first to gain your comforts Fourthly Let your Meditations work upon those comforting Promises in the Gospel that hold forth most comfort to a dejected soule And truly I am perswaded Christians Meditations running more upon their own failings and their own jealousies and their own mistakes then upon Gospel-Promises hath been the great occasion they have layen so long under a spirit of bondage and under a dark eclipse in the want of the comforts of Gods Spirit Therefore now let your Meditations work upon those Promises that hold forth most comfort to a dejected and deserted soule And here I shall name five or sixe most comfortable Promises in the Word As Esa 57.15 The Lord that dwells in the high and holy places he doth revive the spirit of the humble and of the contrite one So Esa 66.2 The Lord dwels in the heavens and yet with him also that is of an humble and contrite spirit that trembles at his Word with him will God dwell So Psal 34.18 The Lord is nigh them that are of a broken heart even them that are contrite in spirit So Luke 4.18 Jesus Christ was anointed that is appointed by God the Father to preach the Gospel to the poor to binde up the broken in heart and to comfort them that mourn So Esa 66.10 The Lord will restore comfort to thee and to thy Mourners And Heb. 12.12 The Lord will strengthen the weak hands and feeble knees And with that remarkable and most glorious Gospel-promise I shall end Esa 35.3 4 5 6. Strengthen the weak hands and confirme the feeble knees This saith God to weak Christians whose legs can hardly carry their bodies and their hands hardly reach to their mouthes Say unto the weak Christian in grace comfort and confirm and strengthen them And say unto them that are of a fearfull heart Be strong Poor fearful doubting soules that fear every Temptation and fear every corruption and fear they shall lose the recompence of their reward Say unto that fearful heart Be strong and fear not For your God will come with vengeance even God will come with recompence and save you And then the eyes of the blinde shall bee open and the eares of the deafe shall bee unstopped it is not meant of the bodily eye but those that were blinde and could not see the mysteries of Christ and could not read their own comforts then their eyes shall be open And the deaf that as Esaiah saith refused to be comforted that would not hearken to comfort but would stop their eares against all comfortable doctrines and onely give way to sorrow their eares shall be unstopped And the lame man shall leap like a Hart the poore halting Christian that halts in his comforts that is now believing anon staggering now rejoycing anon despairing the poor lame man shall leap like a Hart. And the Tongue of the dumb shall sing the poor man that could not speak one word of his owne graces and of his own comforts and touching his own evidence the Tongue of the dumb shall sing O Beloved here is your work in case you would bee Christians to restore your comforts againe set upon the work of Meditation to think upon these precious promises of the Gospell that hold forth most comfort to a drooping and dejected sinner SERMON XII 2 PETER 1.10 Wherefore the rather Brethren give all diligence to make your Calling and Election sure THe Doctrine I am yet upon is this That Christians ought to put forth a great deale of diligence to make this sure to their soule that they are effectually called by Jesus Christ to Grace and Glory In the prosecution of which I have gone over many particulars Vse There remains now onely one Use more to dispatch about this subject and then I passe to the third point drawn from these words And the Use shall be of Consolation from all that hath been said touching the assurance of our effectuall Calling I shall onely direct my discourse to lay down six or seven Consolatory Conclusions to those Christians who are effectually called yet happily have not a sensible assurance of their own calling First take this for a truth that Assurance is necessary not for the being but for the wel-being of a Christian It is not necessary to his estate but to his comfort It is not necessary as food is to the life but onely as physick is to the body A man cannot live without food a man may live without Physick Assurance is but as a comfortable Cordiall to the soule Grace is as food to keep the soule alive though you doe want assurance this Cordiall to beare you up Secondly that many of Gods deare Children they may lie a very long time in the want of this assurance touching their effectuall calling Psal 88. it is said of Heman 14 15 16 verses Lord why hast thou cast off my soule and why hast thou hid thy face from me Mark his complaint I am ready to die And was this onely a fit of desertion or was it a
thy mouth Trust to that As if he should say Let no man think to know Gods decrees by going into heaven and there searching into Gods decrees for that he cannot doe but look upon the word and there he shall finde whom God hath elected and decreed to save 1 Cor. 2.16 No man can know by looking barely upon the decree but if we compare Gods decree with his word and from the word look upon them that are elected we may easily know whether we are elected or no. Which puts me upon the third head premised How a man may be assured in his own soule that he is elected to life and salvation by God the Father SERMON XIII 2 PETER 1.10 Wherefore the rather Brethren give all diligence to make your Calling and Election sure IN the prosecution of this subject you may remember the last Doctrine I drew forth was this That Christians should put forth a great deale of diligence to make this sure to their soules that they are eternally elected by God the Father In the handling of which I have shewn you 1. what election is 2. That the people of God may make sure their own election though done from all eternity I come now to shew you how the people of God may be assured in their own hearts that they are eternally elected And here to compasse this knowledge or assurance of our election I doe not onely carry it so farre as the Papists doe that say you may have a perswasion which they call fides conjecturalis a conjecturall faith or hope you may be saved but will not come up so farre as the words of my Text to be sure of it Now should a man use no more then the words of the Text in that it is pressed as a command it is an argument it may be made sure to a mans own selfe For no man is bound to an impossible thing Nemo tenetur ad impossibile and in that it is a thing required to be assured of our election the Scripture would never oblige our obedience to that which is impossible in it selfe I doe not drive so farre onely but further What should an elect man doe to be certainly perswaded that he is eternally elected by God to obtain life and salvation I am now handling a doctrine to be trembled at while you are attending to it And in the resolving of this query you must take this rule that you cannot get assumnce by ascending into Gods decree but by descending into your own hearts searching them by the word whether those saving effects which God doth work in an elect person be wrought in your soules or noâ— and that is the way to come to a sure and certain knowledge of your election The knowledge of your election is not attainable by ascending into Gods decree for who hath made you his Counsellors Nor is it enjoyned you by way of Revelation That is an unsure ground and you may runne into Enthusiasme as well as perswasion about your election It is not done by Revelation neither against nor without the word What ever testimony there is if it come not from the word you may suspect it to be a delusion Now the safest way though I know much cried down for you to goe by in searching whether you are in the number of Gods elect is to search into your own hearts whether those things be wrought in you which are wrought in those whom God hath elected to life and salvation And here I shall content my selfe with the naming of six saving effects First every man that is elected sooner or latter shall be effectually called and savingly converted by the power of the word This the Apostle laies down 1 Thes 1.4 5. Knowing brethren beloved your election of God How should this be known Vers 5. For our word came not to you in word onely but in power and in the holy Ghost that is our Gospel did not come in word onely to affect your eares and rest there but our word came with power being backt with the operation of the Spirit for your conversion This work all men that are elected sooner or latter must come under to have the power of the word come with authority upon Conscience for his effectuall calling So Rom. 8.30 Whom he predestinated whom he appointed to life them he called And therefore Beloved who ever you are if you live and die without having the power of the Word to passe upon your soule for your effectuall Calling you may lay your hearts under this Conclusion that you are not elected by God to obtaine life and salvation For Whom he hath predestinated them he calls Secondly a man that is elected by God to life sooner or latter God will sanctifie him by renewing and regenerating grace And this is onely different from the former in degree for calling is sanctification begun Now when God elects a man he doth not onely begin the work of grace but he carries it on in a course of sanctification And of this you read 2 Thes 2.12 13. We are bold to give thanks to God alwaies for you beloved of the Lord because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and beliefe of the truth If God hath from the beginning chosen a man to salvation the Lord doth it through sanctification not for sanctification as the Papists say or for faith forseen but it is through it as a means whereby we are brought to salvation sanctification shall runne through your lives as water through a channel So 1 Pet. 1.2 They that are elected according to the foreknowledge of God the Father by Christ through sanctification So 2 Tim. 2.21 And therefore beloved if men live and die and have not the power of sanctifying grace upon their hearts and consciences and working in their lives doubtlesse those men are not elected because this you see clearly that at one time or other God will work this in such men Jude 4. Thirdly men elected by God to life and salvation shall sooner or latter be brought into a state of believing Acts 13.48 As many as were ordained to eternall life believed No man that is ordained to eternall life but shall be brought to a believing estate And therefore men living and dying in a state of unbeliefe are not elected Hence you read Tit. 1.1 it is called the faith of Gods elect implying that all that are elected before they die shall have faith and none shall have faith but onely they and therefore in a peculiar manner called the faith of Gods elect appropriated onely to them Fourthly That man that is elected sooner or latter before he dies God will work in his heart a speciall delight in and an intire love to the word preached This you have expressed John 8.47 He that is of God heareth Gods word therefore ye are not of God because you heare not his words To be of God that is to belong to God
of John so the Eunuch was converted by reading Isa 53.7 Beloved God is not bound up to any one way in saving man He that wrought upon Austin by a verse reading upon another by a Sermon he can do so by thee Reading is an ordinance of God and God is not bound up but may use that as ameans of thy effectual call likewise Thirdly Yea but saith another doubting soul Peradventure I was never wrought upon neither by seeing godly people among whom I lived and observing their example nor was I wrought upon by reading good books but I was first wrought upon by hearing such a Minister that I now see is run into error or a Minister that is grown loose in his practice happily in these present times gone to joyne with the enemy against the Kingdom and become a wicked and vile liver and the Minister being bad that wrought upon me makes me question whether the work be not an unsound and bad work also and this gravels many a Christian likewise To which I answer briefly First That suppose the Minister were bad that wrought upon thee yet the badnesse of the Minister is no just ground of making us suspect our calling For then we should never be sure of our call A man may be sure of his own conversion though a man may not be sure of the conversion of him by whose means he was called Secondly Again it is clear in Scripture God may use Ministers that are wicked themselves to convert others The Ministers of the seven Churches of Asia doubtlesse some of them were bad men Paul tells you 1 Cor. 9.27 I keep under my body lest when I preach to others I my self may be a castaway Intimating that a man may preach to others and may be a means to save others and yet not be saved himself So 1 Cor. 13.1 Ministers in this case may be as Cooks are A Cook may dresse many a dish and let them go through his hands to furnish a large and stately Table yet of all these dishes himself hardly taste one So Ministers they may dresse many a dish for their hearers yet they not lick their fingers or taste of this spiritual food themselves As in the building of the Ark there were many men built Noahs Ark to save others that were drowned themselves so many men may build an Ark by preaching the Word and the wayes of God to save other mens soules when they may be drowned themselves Hence it is the Scripture tells us of Starres that fell from Heaven many Ministers that seemed godly Ministers like Starres in their Generation yet they fell and became wicked and loose And I remember Doctor Pembleton a famous Minister in the dayes of Queen Mary and a man whose Ministry had converted many Christians yet at length he himself turned to be a Papist Now these Christians did never misdoubt or suspect their conversion because the man that converted them was a bad man They might be good people though he was a bad Minister so that this is no ground in the world though I confesse it is not ordinary that God makes wicked men meanes of conversion but God ordinarily crowns the Word most in the mouth of a godly Minister yet sometimes I say God may use a wicked man to be a means to convert soules And I would give you these reasons to prove that a wicked man may convert soules and that God ties not conversion onely to a godly Minister Because first the efficacy of the Word doth not depend upon man but upon Jesus Christ and Christ may make use of whom he pleaseth Secondly If only a good man could convert then this would follow that we could be as well sure of another mans conversion as we are of our own which is a thing most untrue For if only a godly man could convert then if I were sure of my own conversion I were as well sure of his conversion that wrought upon me also which cannot be so that clearly this should lay no block in your way because you discern the Minister that wrought upon you to be no good man seeing conversion is not tied onely to a godly Minister Thirdly a third ground from whence doubts arise in called ones is from some seeming defects they apprehend to be in the concomitants that accompany or in the effects that should follow effectual calling and this makes them fear that sure they are not effectually called I will name to you three or four First saith a doubting Christian I do hear in Scripture what effects will follow and what will accompany a man effectually called and I find them not wrought in my soul As now first I apprehend that when a man is effectually called he shall be inabled by God to call upon him in prayer I finde in Scripture 1 Cor. 1.2 That all that are called to be Saints they shall call upon the Lord in every place but alas wo is me I do not find this in my soul I find I have a dull dead listlesse unpraying heart all the dayes of my life and therefore I doubt whether I am effectually called or no. Now to this I shall lay down three things for answer First peradventure you judge that you are not enabled to pray because you want expressions in prayer though you have affections Now if you judge your inability to pray because you want expressions only you judge amisse because prayer is to be judged by the affections not by the expressions Expressions they are but the breath of nature a natural voluble tongue may tumble out expressions whereas affections in prayer they are the breath and fruit of the holy Spirit Therefore do not judge you cannot pray because you have not such fluent expressions as others use for the very essence of a prayer lies in the heart and therefore it is said when the Spirit of God teacheth men to pray it teacheth them not only in expressions but with sighs and groans that cannot be uttered Rom. 8.26 When the Spirit moves the heart and makes you sigh out your requests and sorrow out your supplications you pray best of all Secondly you that judge your inability to pray and therefore think you are not called because you cannot call upon God I would say this unto you That the best of Gods children have found a great difference in their spirits in reference to praying duties the best of Gods children do not alwayes pray alike Sometimes the affections of godly men are as swift in prayer as the Chariots of Aminadab otherwhiles they drive as heavily as Pharaohs Chariots when the wheels were off Sometime the people of God are burning in their affections hot as fire otherwhiles they are frozen in their affections cold as ice None of Gods people are in their carriage alwayes alike towards God in prayer Psal 77.4 It is the speech of Asaph O Lord my spirit is overwhelmed within me I am sore troubled I cannot speak The man was
so troubled he could not speak yet Asaph spake these words with his mouth but the meaning is though Asaph was a godly man yet he was so overwhelmed with trouble he could not speak to God he could not call upon God with that inward vigor of spirit Though thou mayest sometime call upon God with affection yet when trouble rests upon thee thy heart may be out of frame Thirdly many times Gods people are subject to a state of desertion and abatements in their spiritual affections and then they are out of a praying vein when you loose affections the wheels of prayer are knocked off Many times it falls out with Gods people that they are even brought into a languishing and low condition they are in such a swoune as if they had neither a principle nor the actings of spiritual life Rev. 3. verse 2. Strengthen that which remaines saith the holy Ghost that is ready to die Godly people may bee a dying people and then the tongue failes when it is a dying the people of God may be in a dying condition though they never die wholly in grace yet they may be so weakned in their spirits that they cannot poure out their requests to God as in wonted time 2 Chron. 17.3 Jehosaphat he walked in the first wayes of David his father implying that Davids first wayes were better then his last So many men may have their first wayes good yet sometime in the end before they die they may have much failing and deadnesse of spirit upon them Fourthly If a man doth but mourn that he cannot call upon God God looks upon that as calling upon him If you can but sigh out your requests and mourn that you cannot mourn and pray that you might pray the Lord hears your prayer This is the most melodious musick you can make in the eares of God Therefore David saith Psal 6.8 The Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping There is a voice in Teares as well as in Words If the Lord see thee to weep over thine own straitnesse and mourn over thine own deadnesse the Lord looks upon this with a more pleasing eye then if thou couldst poure out the inlargements of thy tongue with most fluent and voluble expressions 2 PET. 1.10 Wherefore the rather Brethren Give all diligence to make your Calling and Election sure THE Doctrine which I am yet upon is this That Christians ought to put forth a great deal of diligence to make this sure to their souls that they are effectually called by Jesus Christ In the prosecution of which I have gone over many particulars and answered some doubts in reserence to godly men who are effectually called As first in regard of some seeming defects they apprehend to be in the manner of their calling Secondly in the means of their calling And thirdly which I am yet upon of some defects they apprehend about the concomitants that accompany those that are effectually called of which I have spoken onely of one in particular to wit that they cannot call upon God in prayer I now passe to the second Secondly They apprehend that those that are effectually called they have this to accompany their calling that they are brought out of a state of ignorance into a state of knowledge out of a state of darknesse into a state of light hence they will urge this against themselves 1 Pet. 2.9 Ye are to shew forth the praises of him who hath call'd you out of darknesse into his marvellous light And Acts 26.18 He sent forth his Word to call them from darknesse to light and from the power of Satan unto God Now saith the poor soul Alas I do not finde this concomitant to be in my heart I do not finde this marvellous light the Scripture here speaks of 2 Cor. 4 6. Alas my heart is like a dungeon of darknesse and like a house that hath no inlets no windows to let in the Sun-shine of the Gospel upon it and many times this gravelleth many a godly minde Now to those that make this doubt I shall onely speak two or three things to take it off First to you that make this complaint I would say this that those that know most they know but little in the mysteries of Christ as you are not perfect in other graces so you are not here perfect in knowledg You know but in part 1 Cor. 13.9 therefore you have no need to be discouraged at this Secondly and more particularly you that complain of ignorance though you are ignorant and cannot finde that marvellous light shine in your souls which you exspect yet if your ignorance have not these three ill qualities you may rest confident your ignorance will never prove a damning sinne unto you but it may be consistent with your effectual calling As First If you ignorance be not a stubborne and wilfull ignorance Secondly If it be not a sottish and brutish ignorance And thirdly If it be not a fundamental ignorance First If it be not a stubborne and wilfull ignorance Though you are ignorant yet if you are willing to learn and know the wayes of God revealed in his Word such an ignorance will never damne you But when ignorance comes to be wilful that a man doth not know and he will not learne a man is an ignorant man yet he thinks he knows more then all the Preachers can tell him this is a sad signe you are not effectually called Hence you read Prov. 1.22 How long ye simple ones will you love simplicity c Godly people may be in a state of ignorance but they love it not therefore 2 Pet. 3.5 the Scripture tells us of wicked men that they are wilfully ignorant So that if your ignorance have not this bad quality in it to be a stubborne and wilfull ignorance it may stand with your effectual calling Secondly Provided that your ignorance be not a sottish and brutish ignorance that is that you do not so lie clouded in a state of darknesse that you are uncapable to discerne the goodnesse of the Word and uncapable to apprebend any thing that is taught you that you are not like those Jer. 4.22 My people have no understanding they are a sottish people wise to do evil but to do good they have no understanding Many men are ignorant men yet not so sottishly ignorant as not to be capable of learning if you will teach him he is willing to be instructed but some men are so ignorant they are not capable of learning you may as well teach a block as them Hence it is the Prophet complains Esa 1.4 The Oxe knows his owner and the Asse his Masters Crib but Israel knows not the Lord his God Thirdly In case your ignorance be not a fundamental ignorance I mean such an ignorance as not to know those necessary and fundamental points in the Word that must be known if ever you be saved as about Jesus Christ and salvation and justification by his blood and faith in