be pleased with thousands of Rams or with ten thousand rivers of oyle Shal I give my first borne for my transgression the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul No all this is ashes and all those that have not bread must die for hunger It is the vvill of God that the ends of the earth look up to Christ that those who have no price nor mony of their own might have milke and honey freely All the duties performances and righteousnesse which poor miserable man accounts gaine shall if he belong to Christ be by him counted a gaine to be losse for Christ And it would be seasonable to remember what the wise man saith Whoso trusteth in his owne heart is a foole Hence it appears that the strength and confidence of a deluded man may be so great that it may seem unto himselfe an unreasonable thing once to question it yea such an ones confidence of his salvation may be greater and stronger then the faith of some of the Lords deare ones and yet be false and nothing but a delusion of Satan and a deceived heart It is not the greatnesse or strength of any mans confidence can assure its possessor that it is not a delusion but confidence is proved to be true oâ— false by the ground of it the cause and foundation of it if it be grounded upon or caused by any mans qualifications either abstinence from sinne doing of good or upon his inward peace comfort joy c. it is false But if it be founded upon Christ alone in his free grace from the word and promise of God then it will hold in a storm In his word do I hope But I hope in thy word Did God give thee a tast not only of a river of Divine consolation running by thee but a relish and digestion of the matchlesse goodnesse of the Lord Jesus from a fountaine thereof before thee and transform thee into his own image thereby I say did God so convince thee that thou becamest lost and fatherlesse in thy owne sight and apprehension and perswade thy soul that he hath mercy for thee and cause thee to hope in him for it it is no delusion For the eye of the Lord is upon them that hope in his mercy And this is the work of God to perswade the heart to rest upon his free mercie in Christ did but God work upon thy heart so that thou longest for and thirstest after Christ and an interest in him and in his estimable goodness certainly thou art not deluded God is thine for he satisfieth the longing soule and fils the hungry soul with goodnesse Wherein Faith and Presumption differ He that presumes his confidence of pardon is without ground he hath no word of God to back his confidence but his confidence is fetched from his own conceits he seeks not life in and from Christ his word and promise and if he doth receive a promise he receives it upon his own qualifications without respect unto Christ and drawes conclusions of life from what he himselfe is and his owne doings and as his owne righteousnesse was never unto him as drosse and dung so he depends upon his faith and not upon Christ by faith his conâ—idence being grounded upon his own being so good or not so bad as others like the proud Pharisee such an one was never fatherless nor did he ever receive the sentence of death in himselfe and for that sin never revived in him he never died but was alwaies perswaded that it is a very easie thing to believe and assumes a confidence contrary to the word of God which hardens him and renders him bold to venture upon sinful practises whereas he that truly believes in Christ Jesus receives no promise of life but in and through him in the riches of his grace and for the sake of Christ this poor believer wil suffer the losse of all things his hope and helpe is only in the Lord his faith works by love he abhors that which is evil and cleaves unto that which is good and having this hope in him purifies himself as Christ is pure the Lord purifies his heart by Faith Who are weak members of Christ The weake member of Christ or the weake believer is either habitually or accidentally weak 1. I terme those habitually weake in whom the breathings or fruits of the Spirit are but in a low infant-like and feeble measure or degree True grace is very little at first and therefore compared to the least of grains mustard-seed A huge Oak was but an Acorne at first a bonefire a spark A poor weak believer is little in his own eyes and little in the eyes of the world the Pupil of the eye is very little yet seeth a great part of the heaven at once though faith be no bigger then a mustard seed yet it is all eye to behold Christ True grace is as the morning light and hath these three properties viz. 1. It is a remaining seede a living spring that shal never fail 2. It is stil growing and increasing its going forth is as the morning and riseth up to a glorious day 3. It wil in the end overcome all that overshadows it A poore weake believer being at first but a babe in Christ and consequently feeble is upon that account by the Spirit of the Lord in Isa 40. 11. likened unto a Lamb in Christs fold He shall gather the Lambs with his arme c. And hereupon God the father appoints Jesus Christ for poore sin-weakened believers as in Isa 61. 1. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me and he hath annointed me to preach good tidings to the meeke he hath sent me to bind up the broken hearted A true member of Christ may be weak in respect of life in whom indeed the spirit breaths though faintly whose pulse beats but feebly whose heart pants after Christ but weakly whose soul is indeed alive though his actions not lively who performs spiritual duties from an internal principle or power of spiritual life though but in the initiation of it in whom Christ who is the wisdome of the Father shines though through many clouds very dimly whose faith is weak who indeede receives Christ and his free grace though with a shaking hand who is a believer though but of little faith who hopes that Christ wil not cast him off though not sure he wil take him up who though he cannot see himself worthy can notwithstanding see God gracious or at least hath a glimmering thereof A poor weak believer is described by a desire to fear the name of the Lord and if this be all thou hast it is accepted there is as much difference betweene some of the Lords people as between willing and doing a will to obey the Lord is sometimes all that a blessed Paul can finde One may be a
heart of unbeliefe in departing from the living God 3. From the lying vanities we have chosen they that hearken unto lying vanities forsake their owne mercies 4. From ignorance heedlesnesse and forgetfulnesse of the fulnesse and freenesse of the promise of God and his everlasting covenant of grace and from living by sense and not by faith 5. From unskilfulnesse of the word of righteousnesse 6. From the want of watchfulnesse against sin the not keeping of a clear conscience omission of duties and loose walking with God these will raise tumults in the soul 7. From building our hope and comfort upon that which is mutable and uncertaine upon our own personal Sanctification and not upon Christ and our free justification by him who is made unto us of God Wisdom Righteousnesse Sanctification and Redemption 8. From ouâ— owne false reasonings as to conclude that we have no work â—o grace wrought upon us because we as present cannot see or feele any grace in our selves thus many weake believers that are through Christ right precious in the sight of God are subject to delude themselves in chusing trouble and preâ—erring it before comâ—ort 9. From the bodies distemper with melancolly and troubling your selves with the event of things and from pride which hinders a quiet submission unto God in that condition inward or outward which he hath led us unto and from want of patience to wait upon him for deliverance out of trouble in the use of means 10. From want of consideration of the ground of the trouble and enquiry whether it ought to be a cause of discouragement or not 11. From too much eying of sinne or an over-sensiblenesse of infirmities and not eying of Christ with them the conscience enlighted siding with the law against it self 12. From the poor creature striving to get out of its dungeon by its ownwrestling whereby in steed of gaining inlargment it heightens its own distempers 13. From unbelief which takes the law and applies the same with the threats thereof unto the soule therby occasioning fears and discouragements 14. From ignorance of the love of Christ and when the blessed spirit of truth doth once come into the soule and discover the love of Christ unto it its doubts are immediately resolved and it is sweetely revived 15 From slighting the means that God hath given for our recovery we are indeed with thankfulnesse to use the means and yet to know that means cannot cure a soul it must be the operation of the Spirit of Christ in the soul which is as God pleases 16. From Gods not appearing to and the Spirits not operating in the soule the operation whereof discovers unto the soule the overflowing fulnesse of the loves of Christ and brings the soule to believe in the Lord Jesus and trust in his mercy Our carnal reason and corrupt hearts and Satan with his suggestions are so neere us and before our eyes that we cannot see God and we hearken so much unto what these dictate that we mind not the blessed voice of the Spirit of Christ which would revive and fill our soules with joy and peace in believing and make us so wise and strong in his time that we should not any more cast away our confidence in God And as Gods love which is free ful and perfect is discovered to the soule so yea in the same measure anr doubts and feares cast out Perfect love casts out fear and the poore creature is made perfect in love Nine Reasons against fears and discouragements in a believer raised from Isaiah 41. 10. Fear thou not for I am with thee be not dismayed for I am thy God I wil strengthen thee yea I wil help thee yea I wil uphold thee with the right hand of my Righteousnesse The first reason is Because it is against Gods command for a believer to feare or be discouraged fear thou not 2. Because thou hast the presence of God to helpe thee I am with thee 3. Because a believer hath an interest in God which is a happinesse beyond all miseries I am thy God 4. Because nothing can befall him but what God appoints who loveth him 5. Because whatsoever befals him shall do him good 6. Because the bitternesse shal be but short 7. Because fears and discouragements never do any good but much hurt they deprive us of many an opportunity of doing Christ service 8. Because fears are doubts are unsuitable for a Saint the fearful and unbelieving shall have their part in the lake c. with Sâ—rcerers Idolaters and Lyars 9. Because fears are unreasonable for a child of God the Lord having given unto his many sweet and precious promises That they shall not want any good thing he hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee they are therefore safe and neede not to fear but in God alwaies rejoice and sing praises to him One and twenty several means to be used by poore weake believers for their settlement in the assurance of the love of God when they are tossed with tempests and incompassed with discouragements viz. 1. Means Commune with thine owne heart and make diligent search to find out what it is that troubles thee Reason within thy selfe Why art thou cast downe O my soule and disquieted within me c. 2. Means Renounce all lying vanities and hearken unto none of them hearken not to the voice of thine own heart it is a lying vanity and wil deceive thee Hearken not unto sense Thomas said he would not believe unlesse he might see and thrust his hand into his side but such sensual practises are to be abhorred by us for it is no other but to consult with flesh and blood which cannot discern spiritual things and is condemned some wil see an holy frame of Spirit in themselvs and feele sinne subdued before they wil believe this is sensual for faith lookes not to such things as these but to God in his word therefore we live not by sight but by faith blessed are they which have not seen yet have believed Hearken not unto carnal reason for in so doing thou canst neither believe submit to God not be setled Reason wil say a Virgin cannot bring forth a child and that a woman ninetie years of age is past conceiving a child Reason contradicts God himselfe and saith these things cannot be can reason believe that the wals of Jericho fel down by faith and that the Saints stopped the mouths of Lyons and quenched the violence of fire Yet faith did it Is it likely or possible to reason for a man to walke upon the sea or Peter did Did not Christs command seeme vain to Peters reason that he should then cast hâ—s net into â—he sea seeing he had cast it in so often and fished all night and caught nothing Can reason
Soule-Reviving Influences Of the Sun of RIGHTEOUSNESSE Or Some bright beames of Light and Love sparkling from Christ upon the darke and drooping hearts of sin-weakned and clouded Believers even while we are in this Solitary wildernesse not yet arrived at the Land of Spirituall Canaan but taking a turne in the darke and dampe valley of the shadow of death With severall Evangelicall and heart-winning incouragements to the life of faith in the Sonne of God notwithstanding our manifold weaknesses and hainous provocations yea to the keeping up of the same comfort hope confidence and joy in him in the sadest straights of the sorest darknesse In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment but with everlasting kindnesse will I have mercy on thee saith the Lord thy Redeemer Isa 54. 8. For Israel hath not been forsaken nor Judah of his God though their Land was filled with sinne against the holy one of Israel Jer. 51. 5. I cryed in mine affliction unto the Lord and he heard me out of the belly of hell cryed I and thou heardst my voyce Jonah 2. 2. LONDON Printed for Giles Calvert at the Black-Spread-Eagle at the West end of Pauls 1654. The Preface To all the truly faithful the Sons and Daughters of the most High God as wel those under the form of Presbytery as those under other administrations Grace be multiplied and peace from God our Father and the Lord Iesus Christ our Head and Hope Precious Hearts EVER since any of the light and glory of Christ dawned upon us since first we saw that morning star of righteousnesse any of the brightnesse of the glory thereof in those hearts of ours which once lived in the coasts of Zebulun and Naphtali in the Region and shadow of death our life hath remained hid with Christ in God and is that sparke of glory which hath alwaies attracted the most venemous envies of those men who make the flesh their residence were you lower as Saints you should be higher as creatures The world indeed may outrunne you and come first to the Meridian altitude of their glory but surely in the end the inheritance shall be yours their first shall be last and your last first your latter end shall in brightnesse out-shine your beginning And in the meane time also your God wil not leave you Fatherlesse in this solitary desert his left hand is under your head and his right hand embraces you Heaven rains Mannah in the wildernesse The Lord who is your Husband and your Redeemer the Mighty one of Jacob though he may seeme as with Jacob to wrestle with you wil be as the dew unto you the Rocks shall give water in the heat of drought in the wildernesse shall waters break out and streames in the Desert The possession that he hath in you shal for ever entitle you A spring shut up and a fountaine sealed I know nothing you have that is long lived but Jesus Christ earth more grosly carnal and heaven more refinedly carnal shal passe away even the kingdome of heaven so farre as it is made up of forms and administrations shall wither and die but the kingdom of God within you shall remain as Mount Sion which shall never be shaken Forget not therefore your resting place which is the Lord Jesus who will come and lead you with his sweet spices and the savor of his oyntment then shal not the consideration that he hath laid his hand upon any of your enjoyments below himselfe have an uncomly influence upon you Expect not a bed of rest in the barren wildernesse of your owne performances righteousnesses since God hath appointed spiritual Canaan to be your rest and in the midst of sinne and miserie pray in faith without wavering that the Lord Jesus would by his Spirit lead you unto that rock which is infinitely higher then selfe and fix your eie of faith upon that brazen Serpent the Lord Jesus who is made unto us of God Wisdome Righteousnesse Sanctification and Redemption one vision of whose love wil bid defiance to the stoutest of our lusts and to all the powers of darknesse combined therewith yea to Principalities and Powers and spiritual wickednesses in high places and in an encounter wil more then conquer them all so that our David come into the field and engage against them for us And you who have taken forth so many Lessons in the Schoole of Christ as well as the poore Lambs of his fold for whose sakes chiefly the insuing Treatise is made publick are the objects of Satans rancor he either tempts us to sinne and that will cause us to doubt or else he tempts us to doubt and that will cause us to sinne In the treatise are held forth some of the dewes of Hermon hill descending upon the parched hearts and spirits of poore sin-weakned believers with several evangelicall and experimental directions for quieting and establishing a poore soule upon the Rock of ages the Lord Jesus in the apprehension and assurance of his rich grace and free love and in the life of faith in him notwithstanding it s owne weaknesses corruptions and hainous provocations yea for keeping up the same comfort hope joy and confidence in God at all times with several reasons and inducements thereunto and to exult and triumph in God and the soul-astonishing riches of his grace making its boast of him all the day long who wil lead us forth with perfect boldnesse not only to looke in the face of but to trample upon the most terrible of our adversaries sin our own legal righteousnesse death Satan and hell it selfe through the great and glorious conquest of our captaine who hath led captivity captive in whom God alwaies beholds us and in whose righteousnesse we shall be found being not only delivered from this present evil world but made freely meet to be partakeâ—s of the inheritance of the Saints in light And surely the bright and glorious appearance of God in you and the high Spirit of faith and prayer which hee hath richly powred forth upon divers of you is so far from leading those to repentance who wondring after the beast are bewitched by her and drunke with the wine of the wrath of her fornications that it makes them to gnaw their tongues for paine and blaspheme the God of heaven The Prince of darknesse can indeed do no lesse then repine to see a stronger then himselfe bind him and release many of his captives And hereupon he with the greater violence bestirrs himselfe in setting the Foxes and young Cubs to destroy the Vines and tender grapes and endeavours with might and main to let out the wild boare out of the wood and the wilde beasts of the field into the Vineyard which the Lords right hand hath planted The Mysterie of iniquity is now grown more mysterious and deceiving then ever
turned that he fed upon wind and followed after the East winde and provoked the Lord unto anger most bitterly and that yet Gods bowels did still worke towards Ephraim so that he could not destroy him The Lord is exceedingly gracious unto such wretched creatures of his though they compasse him about with lies Let such poore believers consider that a sinner can never be too foule for his Saviour too much wounded and too sick for this Phisician to heale and cure nor too filthy for a fountaine opened to wash and that the whole neede not a phisician but those that are sick and that Christ came unto the world to justifie the ungodly and to save the chief of sinners he came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance and let such a soule that cannot as a Saint stick close unto the Lord Jesus as a sinner and his hopes in Christ through the enjoyment of his spirit within him wil lead him forth in the strength of Christ to purifie himselfe as Christ is pure Had the Lord Jesus by his Spirit wrought an effectual work of grace upon my heart I should have growne in grace but I doe not so my life is not holy nor am I like unto the Lords children 1. Consider whether thou art a child a young man or a father in Christ for as there is a great difference betweene a child and a man in Christ so betweene a babe in Christ 1 Cor. 3. 1. and a man in Christ 2. Consider whether thou art a babe in the wombe or borne that is a babe that is unskilful in the word of righteousnesse as a child being begotten and alive is in the womb before it is borne so a soule is spiritually alive and begotten from above before it be born Christ must be formed in us before we can be new born babes before we can desire the sincere milk of the word that we might grow thereby When thou art delivered out of bondage darknesse and fears concerning thy eternal condition thou art born and brought forth for as the wombe is a place of bondage so is a doubting condition and therefore thou canst not looke for those attainments in this condition as others find in another and also in case thou art new borne there cannot be that expected from thee which is from a man in Christ there is a great difference you know to be put betweene a child and a man 3. Learne to distinguish betweene the fruits of the Spirit and the exercise of them it is not the having of the fruits of the Spirit but the exercise of them that attains an holy conversation and know that it is one thing to be the Lords and another thing for God to convey his power into the soul wherby to make it conformable to his wil and to live by faith in the Son of God the first is where the later is not 4. Know that the time of doubting is a barren time men cannot fight and work at such a time And yet as trees in the winter season grow in the roote though not in the branches so maist thou grow in humility love c. though thou maist unto thy self seem to decay in those and other graces of the Spirit But when a soule is delivered from its enemies that is to say from Satans errours and its owne doubtings then it begins to serve being delivered we serve there must be deliverance before working therefore a time of doubting and of bondage is not a season of growing in holy services 5. Believers are of several growthes and states 1. Babes or children in Christ 2. Young men 3. Fathers Can babes worke Yet if babes die in that state they shall not misse of glory it is one thing to be justified and another thing to be sanctified as it is one thing to live and another to be borne and to work distinct from both There is a great difference of degrees of the Lords own people some are spiritual but others are termed carnal as appears by Pauls epistle to the Church of Christ in Corinth And I brethren could not speak unto you as unto spirituall but as unto carnal even unto babes in Christ thou mayest be begotten and yet not borne not a new born babe 6. If thou beest ignorant or in temptation then thy heart is clouded and distâ—mpered with feares and thy selfe not a competent judge of thy owne growth is a new borne babe able to judge of its own growth Consider also it may be thou dost not use the meanes or not rightly in Gods way And when grace is as seed newly cast into the earth and a weak believer while a babe for want of exercise and experience scarce knowes what he hath then as the land newly sown little differs in shew from other ground which was never sowne so a poore babe in Christ seems little different from the men of the world who lie in their sins and as childrens complaints are not alwaies to be taken for rules so the complaints of such babes that they grow not in grace do not so much evince their want as the sensiblenesse of their want of the growth of grace and of conformity to the wil of the Lord Jesus which is a certaine fruit of the in being of the spirit of Christ in the poore soule it is the spirit that convinceth of sinne and spiritual desires cannot possibly proceede from our selves but from faith In a word Let such a poore doubting believer hearken unto what God saith unto him From me is thy fruit found The righteous shal flourish like the Palme tree he shall grow like those Cedars in Lebanon Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God they shall still bring forth fruits in old age they shal be fat and flourishing And unto this end the Lord hath also promised I wil be as the dew unto Israel he shal grow as the Lily and cast forth his fruits as Lebanon his branches shall spread and his beauty shall be as the Olive tree and his smel as Lebanon the Lord hath also further promised that he wil turne the barren wildernesse into a fruitful field he wil open a fountain of pure living water and poure it forth upon the barren wildernesse and the dry ground The barren dry and unfruitful ground of unbelievers is by by the unction of the Spirit made the garden of the Lord and being trees of the Lords owne planting shall be watered every moment yea refreshed and comforted with the streame of that river that makes glad the City of God In the wildernesse shal waters break out and streames in the desert and the parched ground shall become a pool and the thirsty land springs of water I say believers however it may seeme do alwaies grow in faith love or humility My heart is
so adamantinely hard that I can be affected neither with the chastisements nor mercies of the Lord. There is indeed much hardness of heart in the deare children of God their hearts have been as hard as a rock adamant or flint they and they only feel it complaine of it and mourn under it and this is tendernes or the effect of an heart of flesh It is the frame of a new heart and the temper of an experienced gracious spirit to lament from the sense of its own hardnesse of heart O Lord why hast thou made us to erre from thy waies and hardned our hearts from thy feare Doubtlesse thou art our father c. Their hearts were hardned from Gods feare and yet they were the children of God Poore soule I would be acquainted how thou camest to know thou hast an hard heart who told thee so art thou certaine thou art not mistaken if thou replyest that thou seest or feelest it I reply if it be so then thou art happy for thou haâ—â— the inbeing of the Spirit of Christ it is none other then the Spirit of the Lord Jesus that discovers to a man his own darknesse and convinceth him of his own deadnesse and hardnesse of heart yea none but this Spirit lusteth against the flesh and thou livest to God truly though not so holily and sensibly as thou mightest and oughtest for how should a senselesse stone feele its own hardnesse or he that is soundly a sleep perceive himself to sleepe or the dead man feele himselfe to be so Sense or feeling is an evident demonstration not only of life but of life in action Consider thy selfe as thou art in Christ in union with him what is his is thine Christs fruitfulnesse is thine in him is thy fruit found and if hee hath not as yet poured forth plentifully of the Spirit of grace and Supplication upon thee thou hast his promise for it hee hath offered up strong cries and teares unto the father for thee thou daily committest sinne from a body of death and corruption thou carriest with thee let thy glory and reioycing be that thy sinnes are forgiven and shall be remembred no more and rest satisfied in point of salvation in what Christ hath done Thy best works cannot save thee nor thy worst destroy thee Thanks be to God who hath given us victory by Jesus Christ Fetch thy comfort from him and not from what thou findest or possibly maiest find or feele in thy selfe We are not to judge of our eterâ—all condition and of Gods love to us by the hardnes or softnes of our hearts or by what workes of righteousnesse wee see and feele in our selves but to live by faith in the sonne of God who hath promised that hee will take away the stony heart out of thy flesh and give thee an heart of flesh and that hee wil turne the flint into a fountaine of waters Because I feele not my selfe sanctified I â—eare I am not justified Believers must not say they have no sanctification because they see and feele none David cried out in the bitternes of his soule that his sin was ever before him and then his sanctification was out of his sight and that God had forgotten to bee gracious but afterwards he said of it This is my infirmity You know in an house when it is darke there may bee all things that were there when it was light but you see them not till the candle be brought in The womans grote in the parable was in the house but shee found it not till she had lighted her candle therefore say with David Light my candle Oh Lord and the spirit of man is the candle of the Lord. Sanctification or the fruits and effects of the spirit in a believer do indeed comfort our faith in their kind and degree they are given to bee a light in some measure to our own consciences and to others Let your light so shine before men And glorifie God in your bodies and spirits Shew me thy faith by thy works they are the bracelets of the Spouse they are the beames of Christ the sun of righteousnesse but they are not Christ now clouds may hinder the beames from inlightning a roome but the Sun is still where it was the tree you know is there where it was when the Apples or fruit thereof may be blowne down by the winde of Temptation spoken of in the Parable yet then such promises as these are laid in for such a season Who is among you that fears the Lord that obeys the voice of his servant that walks in darknesse and sees no light let him trust in the Name of the Lord and stay upon his God And the vision is for an appointed time but at the end it shall speake and not lie though it tarry wait for it wait for it because it wil surely come and not tarry But the just shall live by faith Consider seriously how can any good assurance arise from the change that is in any child of God in this life or his sanctification it being not such in any particular act or worke wherin is no spot of sinne is it not a mixture of flesh and Spirit why then feelest thou after it as thou dost Since the best and most through sanctification in any is not pure enough for the eyes of the Lord why then make you it any bottom for assurance Observe that all the while you or any others have so done you and they like Noahs Dove can find no resting place the soales of your feete for the Spirit of Christ tells us when we have done all we can we are but unprofitable servants and that all our righteousnesse is but as menstruous cloaths And while we gaze upon the work of sanctification in us we find stil a rottennesse in every part of it call all into question and find fault with our repentance mortification new obedience c. therefore let us be sure still to take Christ in here who is a believers sanctification as wel as his righteousnesse In order to the removing of this discouragement consider a few particulars 1. If you suppose that God takes in any part of your faith repentance new-obedience or sanctification as a ground upon which he justifies or forgives you you are absolutely against the word for if it be of works it is no more of grace otherwise work is no more worke 2. It must then be only the evidence of your being justified that you seeke for in your sanctification These two things thus premised I proceed 1. We must allow any believer to take in any thing of his sanctification to help his assurance which the word allowes of as the Spirit and the fruits thereof that is to say repentance mortification of sin new obedience c. but then it
manifests himselfe to others of our Brethren and fellow Members he rises in their Hemispheare And what though thy sinnes have eclipsed the love of thy God unto thy soule The Lord onely bids thee to acknowledge thine iniquity that thou hast transgressed against the Lord c. What a poore recompence is this Turne oh backsliding children saith the Lord for I am married unto you c. Poore soule the love of God remaines still as sure and as great as ever and in his due time shall shine forth againe upon thy soul the thick clouds will blow over and the soule reviving light of his love will arise upon thee He will take away all iniquity and receive us graciously I thought I had true faith but since I fell into an hainous transgression I am perswaded that if I had beene the Lords he would not have left me to sin as I did This is a deplorable case indeed and the fruit of unbelief and of the want of watchfulnesse yet consider the Lord hath suffered such or as great if not greater spots to overtake his own dear children David sinned in adultery and murder Solomon sinned greatly after hee had obtained mercy and Peter denyeth Christ with an oath these examples are recorded to hold forth the glory of the riches of Gods free grace that men may be acquainted with the mirrour of his grace long sufferance and forbearance that so great sinners might not despaire and faint under their sinnes 2. To despair of the mercy of God because our sins are great were to limit God in his mercy which is to add sin unto sin and a greater sin then the former The Lord Jesus takes much pains and le ts out merciful power for the raising of sin-weakened souls and for the gathering of wandring Lambs Poor soul know this that the greatest sin a believer can commit ought not to make him mourn without hope for no sin can put him in the state of condemnation or bring him under the curse While we live here below God healeth not our sinfull nature wholly nor takes it quite away the flesh lusteth God ever looks upon his as they are in Christ and not simply as they are in themselves saith Paul I my selfe keepe the Law of God but with my flesh the Law of sin flesh and sin do the evil Consider Nehem. 9. 16 17. The Spirit also tells us in another place that he knowes our frame and remembers that we are but dust God hath in much wisdome and love left sinne in his to humble them and to exercise the fruits of the Spirit in them and that we might long to be where we shall not sinne also that we might the more dearly love Christ in that it is pardoned and depend upon him to subdue it and that we might not scorne nor insult over any poore sinâ— weakned ones but restore them with the spirit of meeknesse and that we may admire the more that rich grace of the Lord Jesus whereby notwithstanding all our provocations we have accesse unto the Father by him The Lords people are indeed taught by his spirit not to sinne that grace may abound but to love and to love with the more vehemency of affection the God of their incomprehensible mercy and to use all means against sinne and not to be over-pressed and sunk in despaire under it They also know that they are the more happy in that they were sinners else how could they be capable of union with God of mercy and heaven If there were not evil it would not be known what is good Justice and mercy had not beene known the wisdom of God could not have been known in drawing good out of evil or his love in sending the dearly beloved out of his bosom to die for us man had not come unto that happness in Christ which the Saints have and shal enjoy 3. God is never an enemy to his though they greatly sinne against him Wee are not beloved for our owne sakes nor for any thing in our selves but in Christ Who hath made us acceptable in the beloved Therefore nothing wee doe can cause God to love us more or lesse his love is as himselfe ever the same therfore a belivers hope joy and confidence is to bee ever the same in Christ Hence it is that such are alwayes to reioyce Reioyce alwayes Reioyce evermore Againe I say rejoyce Let them exceedingly rejoyce The joy of the Lord is our strength Oh there is enough in the Lord to satisfieâ— thee at all times he is an unchangeable object of true joy in him is all our hope and happinesse therefore let not thy fall cause thee to question the love of God unto thee thy salvation depends not upon thy repentance and holinesse See Rom. 9. 15 16. Isa 43 24 25. Ezek. 16. from 1. to ver 9. See also and mind what the Apostle saith in this case My little children these things write I unto you that you sinne not And if any man sinne we have an advocate with the Father Christ Jesus the righteous and he is a propitiation for our sins c. These things are written unto us indeed that we sinne not But as for such as turne the grace of God into wantonnesse whom the mercies of God encourage in their sinful practise these are led by the spirit of the divell he is their father and his works they doe these are not at present in any wise to be numbred with those who through temptations and weaknesse are overtaken with the sin they hate if fallen be not out of hope If the Lords children have fallen into sinne they are to rise by faith Shal a man fall and not arise Who is a God like unto thee that pardonest the transgression of the remnant of thy people God subdues the corruption that is in his not all at once but by degrees and thereupon saith I will be merciful to their unrighteousnesse and their sins and iniquities I wil remember no more God hath nothing in charge against those who are in Christ and therefore commands us to goe boldly to the throne of grace in full assurance of faith If I were fitted with Qualifications as humblenesse brokennesse of heart c. and tooke delight in hearing and praying as others I could then entertaine hope that God hath thoughts of love and mercy towards me but it is not so with me Such an objection in some may be the product of the sweet operation of the Spirit of grace which hath shewed them some amiable and desirable thing in the precious promises and wayes of God so as they panâ— after them But more usually this is a whining because the worke of preparation is more sensible then the worke of
of righteousnesse it is none other then the worke of the Spirit to convince the world of sin and of righteousnesse to be convinced of sin is for the soule to see it self utterly lost and undone by reason of its sins They confesse they are vile and abhorre themselves they loath themselves for their deeds And to be convinced of righteousnesse is to see that our owne best performances and righteousnesses are but dung and dross and as menstrous cloathes for a man cannot come to expect life and salvation from Christ alone until his own righteousnesse be as vilenesse to him in reference to the attaining of any happinesse therefrom this vision of God brings the soule to see it self and to cry out There remaineth no strength in me My comelinesse is turned in me into corruption Certainly it is a principle of grace that takes us off from nature and an effect of our being born of God to be unbottomed from our carnal principles and when the soul is taken off its owne bottome it must have another to rest upon or it sinks Therfore whensoever God takes away the poore soules sandie foundation which is its false and groundless hopes of the mercy of God he then gives it a better in himselfe As to the last branch viz. That thou hast many suggestions that thou hast no worke of grace wrought upon thee It is Satan that tempts Christs babes to cast away their confidence which to doe is directly repugnant to the mind of Christ therefore if Satan suggest unto thee that thou hast no faith thou mayest answer If I have it not in the act to my own knowledg yet I may have it in the grace it selfe and if he reply that both he and your selfe know that you have no grace at all make this defence to his replication that he knowes not And if I should entertaine such a thought against my selfe I may be deceived for as fire raked up in the ashes appeares not either by light or heate so grace raked up in the ashes of corruption may not for the present appear to others or thy selfe though it may be there all the time 2. Evade the divels suggestions further as thus If I have no grace why lettest thou me not alone as thou dost others and as thou didst mee when I tooke my fill of sinne Then thou toldest mee I had faith when I had none I have found you a lyer therfore I wil not hearken unto you I am the more confident that I have grace for that thou tellest me I have none he is a lyer and the father of lies 3. And suppose I have no grace there is no reason why I should despaire because every one of the Lords dear ones were once without grace and in the state of nature At that time ye were without Christ being aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel strangers having no hope and without God in the world But now in Christ Jesus yee who sometimes were afarre off are made nigh by the blood of Christ Which in times past were not a people but are now the people of God Which had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy Many are ordained unto eternall life which doe not yet actually believe put the case at the worst there can be no ground for despaire But I will use the meanes wait upon God and trust him with my soule if mercy come I shall magnifie his name there is nothing too hard for God Lord if thou wilt thou canst make mee cleane My soule is filled with terrours I have an Hell within mee I feele the wrath of God in my soule and have for a long time remained in this condition 1. Consider That though this be a very sad condition yet it is no other then such as hath attended the deare and precious Saints of God and it should not be a strange thing unto us but expected and prepared for by us Looke back upon David a precious and dear child of God who reckoning upon such a time when by dismall desertions he should take a turne in the darke and dampe vallies of the shadow of death and be encompassed with dreadfull terrours and sore trialls treasures up a word of comfort in readinesse Though I walke through the valley of the shadow of death I will feare none evill for thou art with mee thy rod and thy staffe comfort me and the blessed Spirit of Christ invites thee to stay thy selfe upon thy God and wee may indeed feele his almighty arme sustaining us when we behold not his face shining upon us And though Christ the Sunne of Righteousnesse do set in thy soul at night yet Hee shall arise in the morning and this Sun cannot suffer a totall eclipse as the worlds comforts often do or as the Moon because the Moone of our sins and corruptions which interposes between us and Christ is far lesser then Christ 2. Consider if Hemans Jobs Davids and Jeremiahs condition did not runne Parallel with thine saith Heman Lord why castest thou off my soule Why hidest thou thy face from mee I am ready to die whilst I suffer thy terrours I am distracted thy fierce wrath goeth over me thy terrours have cut me off Job cryed saying he hath kindled his wrath against me and counts me to him as one of his enemies And David in temptation judging himself according to the law sense and feeling said I am cast out of his sight horror hoth overwhelmed me And Jeremiah said * He hath lead me into darknesse and not into light he hath broken my bones and compassed me with gall Hee hath made my chaines heavie he hath filled me with bitternesse thou hast removed my soule farre off from peace and I said my strength and my hope is perished from the Lord. Some conceive that if God loved them there should not be any tempests in their soules but in stead of wrath and terrors a sweet calme of peace and joy not remembring that the Lord hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm and the clouds are the dust of his feete Some of Gods people enjoy peace and comfort and yet his righteous servant Job wants them saith he unto God Why dost not thou pardon my transgressions c. Thou hast set mee as a mark against thee so that I am a burden unto my selfe Our comfort and firme consolation consists not in our freedome from terrours but in the spirits revelation of truth unto the soule 3. The Angel of the Lord said to Gideon The Lord is with thee But Gideon said Oh my Lord if the Lord bee with us why then is all this fallen upon us c. The poore soule is ready to say if the Lord bee with us why then is all this befalne us why then are wee so full of terrors The Lord may now bee with thee
Christ and he in them they live in Christ their life is hid with Christ in God when Christ who is our life shal appear then shal we also appeare with him in glory and be found in him not having our owne righteousnesse c. And also in the meane time God ever lookes upon his as they are in his Son and not simply as they are in themselves For that which I doe I allow not for what I would that do I not but what I hate that doe I. Now if I doe that I would not it is no more I that doe it but sin that dwelleth in me with the mind I my self serve the law of God but with the flesh the law of sinne sin doth the evil the flesh lusteth He knoweth our frame and remembers that we are but dust God looks upon his as they are justified or in covenant with himselfe and they are pure in his sight as the uprightnesse of Christ can make them though impure and vile in their own eyes that there might be worke for faith And indeed were they not in such a perfect righteousnesse they could not be beloved of him who chargeth the Angels with folly and is of purer eyes then to behold iniquitie or to love a sinner as a sinner 4. Reason Because a believers happines depends not upon his owne doing but upon Christ who is of God made unto him righeeousness sanctification c. VVho hath saved us and called us with an holy calling not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace c. If a believers faith faile yet God remaines faithful when he cannot apprehend God yet he is then comprehended of God Our sanctification hath nothing to doe with our justification or salvation so as to be the least cause of it but the effect of it sanctification admits of degrees but justification neither of rules nor degrees being abundantly more glorious then sanctification and hath not any dependencie upon our apprehending or receiving it In a word our justification is quite out of self and consists in the imputation of the righteousnes of Christ unto us which righteousnes is inherent in him who sits at the right hand of God far above the reach and spheare of sinnes acttivity and is therefore gloriously perfect and compleate though thy actual righteousnes be but as menstruous raggs and often failes thee yet consider * thou hast the righteousnes of Christ Surely shall one say in the Lord have I righteousnesse and strength their righteousnesse is of me saith the Lord and this righteousnesse as it is ours by imputation so it is perfect and endureth for ever and is the foundation of all blessednesse therefore rest satisfied with Christs righteonsnesse and add nothing to it let thy heart say with David I will make mention of thy righteousnesse even of thine only And waite upon him in faith prayer and patience who hath promised that He will be as the dew unto Israel and that he shal grow as the lilly and cast forth his fruits as Lebanon 5. Reason Because Christ and all true believers are one they are but one body one spirit flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone what union is like unto this What union so full real intire wonderful glorious spiritual eternal and infinite poore believers by vertue of their marriage unto and union with their husband and head the Lord Jesus have in him perfectly kept the whole law of God perfectly satisfied every demand that the Law can make and though they be not in themselves yet in Christ they are just and the Law of God can never come upon them nor the sergeant the Devil arrest them for one penny or farthing the weake believers may say with Paul the righteousnesse of the Law is fulfilled in us and we are dead to the Law that is we are as free from the Law as a man that is dead when a man is dead the Law goes no further upon him in this sense it is further said that believers are delivered from the Law and freed from the Law and hence it is that our salvation is put upon the accompt of the righteousnesse of God and believers are acquitted from their sins and justified as wel in the court of Gods justice as in the court of his mercie Were our faith in Christ as full strong and real as our union with him wee should ingrosse and possesse all that is in heaven and nothing on earth could trouble us yea the losse of our all on earth if its all were ours could not have any uncomly influence upon us 6. Reason Because the state of a believer in Christ as considered in him is a state of perfection he is cleane from all sinne by the blood of Christ they are removed from us thou hast cast all my sinnes behind thy back As farre as the East is from the West so farre hath he removed our transgressions from us Seventy weeks are determined upon the people and upon the holy City to finish the transgressions and to make an end of sinnes and to make reconciliation for iniquitie and to bring in an everlasting righteousnesse * which shall certainly be accomplished c. Hereupon the soul begins to exult in God I wil greatly rejoyce in the Lord. My soul shall be joyful in my God for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation he hath covered mee with the robe of righteousnesse c. We are compleate in Christ as Christ is so are we in this world c. Thy sins are all laid upon Christ and he is Jehovah our Righteousnesse his righteousnesse is ours And hereupon saith God Thou art all faire my love there is no spot in thee The perfection of Christs righteonsnesse is held forth unto us and doth ever remain before us that we might at all times suck the brests of its consolation rejoyce in it and be thankful for it there is enough to refresh and abundantly to satisfie all the Lords children to the dayes of eternity There is not any sin that a believer can commit ought to be a ground for his questioning of the love of God unto him nor ought he to cast away his confidence in God for any thing he doth or can befall him I omit here to mention such reasons of the point as might be deduced from the Covenant of grace and the nature of the same having written upon that subject in the former part of this Treatise Four things from whence it is that the children of God have not their comfort hope joy confidence c. the same at all times 1. From living by sense I say from a sensual practice of consulting with flesh and blood which cannot discern spiritual things and is condemned of God
though in every new change and form mysterious enough to cozen all the unbelieving world though never so wise and learned The man of sinne seeks with all subtilty to set up that in forme and flesh and so preserve his kingdome which God is doing in Spirit and power It is the form of Religion that is the shelter and thicket wherein this deceiver and his false Prophets lurke concealed but yet shall never prevaile to deceive the chosen faithful and ransomed of the Lord these being redeemed from the earth shall still be found with the Lamb upon Mount Sion for that the Lord shines forth light upon them whereby through their Sonship and unction with him they doe and shall discover and overcome it It is from this unction that you know truth from errour though it be never so much reproached and errour from truth though never so much extolled and magnified by carnal and temporizing Christians Wherefore you faithful ones have great cause to keepe upon your watch inasmuch as the chief design of Antichrist is to seduce the Elect for that there are none else in the whole world that either dare or know how to oppose him but you and he well knows that if he can but prevaile with you all the world besides wil follow him headlong as the Gaderens swine ran into the Sea and were choaked You know that the National Antichristian Clergy and carnal Priests are the Sorcerers who have been so numerous that they have bewitched and deceived all Nations These are the Merchants who have made the Inhabitants of the earth drunk with the wine of their fornications and with whom the kings of the earth have beene and are so friendly as to commit fornication these are they who by their Jure Divino as they will have it have opposed and exalted themselves above all that is called God or that is worshipped so that they as God sit in the Temple of God shewing themselves that they are God and Lord it over Gods heritage and the consciences of his people These are the men who for their judaical hire where not sacrificed unto their idol snatched by force of the secular power have through their humane learning Academical degrees School Divinity Sacrednesse of their orders and Ecclesiastical ordination led thousands of souls hoodwinkt to destruction Such Schoole Graduates usually prove Theologi gloriae and not Theologi Crucis Divines of glory and not of the crosse and in a word may easily be perceived to be the Rulers of the darknesseâ— of this world even that part of Antichrist which he hath left lurking in this generation to oppose Christ in Spirit take heed therefore that you neither drink nor sippe of the Clergies cup lest having drunk thereof ye through the strength of their inchantments fall asleepe and be rendred unable to follow Christ further The Lord is come out of his place to rebuke the boisterous winds to breake the Cedars to darken the Sunne and Moone to shame and confound all humane Policie and power to staine the pride of all glory and to bring to contempt all that be glorious and the honourable of the earth and to take vengeance and do execution upon Babylon in order whereunto he hath stained the Lordly power and pride of those false Prophets the Prelates destroyed their Courts Canons and other abominations this design of his he is still carrying on though he may now seem to be going backwards the Sunne of Righteousnesse is never retrograde there shall not a stone be left upon a stone which shall not be thrown down shee must be wholly desolate And as before the Lord made use of the higher powers for effecting of what was then done so he wil for the residue in the fulnesse of time command his sanctified ones cal his mighty ones even them that rejocye in his Highnesse to fulfil his pleasure upon the great whore therefore you that have the Spirit of Christ within you give the Lord no rest till the Mountaine of his house be according to his own promises set up above the mountains and exalted above the hills till the new and spiritual Jerusalem that comes down from God out of heaven even his true spiritual Church that through faith hope and love lives out of this world and the element thereof in the kingdome of his Dear Sonne be made an eternall Excellencie and the joy of generations and until those who have afflicted it and dominiered over it be made to come humbly bending to it and lick the dust of its feete as the Lord hath promised Then shall the light and teaching of the Spirit in Scriptures which have beene forgotten and stood like a Sparrow upon the house tops desolate and forsaken become the only teaching Then shall the Lords inheritance that lie as dead and dry bones now in the vally live their nerves and bones being by the Lord knit together the spirit shall enter into them and set them upon their feete and they shal be called the valley of vision Then shall all low and carnall apprehensions of God which caused doubts and feares be done away there shall bee no night there nor clouds to hinder the intercourses of Love between God and the soule his servants shall serve him You that are spirituall know that it is also the present Designe of God to pull downe the old heavens wherein the men of the world would ascend up unto God even that old building which men for diverse hundreds of yeares have been in seting up is that hay and stubble which God by the brightnesse of his coming in Spirit is burning up Oh therefore earnestly beg of him that we may shortly see Satan troden under our feet and the Beast with the false Prophet that wrought miracles before him cast alive in the midst of their deceitfull workings into that Lake which burnes with Brimstone for evermore And that we may hear that shout of Triumph in the Spirituall Church Babylon is falne is falne and is now become an habitation of Devills and uncleane Spirits which before was the habitation of hypocrites and false Christians yet painted over with the most specious and glorious pretensions and shews of Religion and holinesse that the deceivablenesse of unrighteousness could trick up the Strumpet withall and that whatsoever hath beene captived into Babylon may be brought back and set upon Mount Sion That the redeemed of the Lord may return and being filled with the Spirit and restored to their primitive state may shine in the perfection of beauty and holinesse Then shall all Saints sing in the unity of the Spirit the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lambe Great and marvellous are thy works Lord God almighty just and true
babe in Christ though carnal those desires which worke towards God came from God the Spirit returnes to him that gave it Secondly I call those Members of Christ accidentally weak who are habitually strong in the faith having strong breathings of the Spirit of Christ and so not lyable unto that constant weaknesse wherewith babes or children in Christ are incompassed and yet may somtimes be accidentally weakned by reason either of sharp afflictions unto which Christ brings them or great services unto which he calls them or else by some great and desperate falls into sinne which through infirmity and as it were by accident they have taken There are two sorts of men that after the committing of sinne can believe pardon thereof no further then they can see themselves humbled or finde repentance in them for it First Such as have a weak faith in the Lord Jesus and these with Thomas may receive reprehension from our Saviour Because thou hast seen me thou hast believed blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed Secondly Meere titular Christians but in very deed hypocrites who build their faith upon the sandy foundation of their own repentance humiliation and such other like qualifications though they say and perhaps think otherwise and then no wonder if when their foundation be removed their faith faile and they fall But if it be inquired what the difference is between a weak Member of Christ and an hypocrite I answer The weak Member of Christ hath another secret frame of Grace in him which will not suffer him to rest upon this rotten foundation the Spirit of God bloweth upon him and gives him to see that this way of the flesh will faile him and at last pitcheth him absolutely upon Christ and leads the poore soule to lay hold upon the word of his promise which indures for ever All flesh is grasse and all the goodlinesse thereof is as the flower of the field the grasse withereth the flower fadeth because the Spirit of the Lord bloweth upon it Surely the people is grasse the grasse withereth the flower fadeth but the word of God shall stand for ever When the Lord begets one by the immortall seed of his Word he then lets him know that all flesh is grasse and that whatsoever â—lesh and nature can desire to rest upon falleth away and teacheth him to rest onely upon the word of Promise which indures for ever tendred in the Gospel But the hypocrite being not blown upon by this Spirit not having the seed of grace conveyed unto him in the Gospel-promise stumbles at this way of free justification and seeks justification in another way forming up a Religion according to himselfe of pleasing and displeasing and by what he doth and doth not and thus going about through his naturall knowledge or light to establish his own righteousness wherein is but a more glorious damnation to be got at best he submits not to the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ And he waxing confident in this way teacheth it unto others thinks others foolish and blind in regard of himselfe yea he growes so confident as that heâ— dares pleade his cause with God Have we not prophesied in thy name c. He hath a faith though indeed but a dead one and yet it wil go farre in the resemblance carrying the image of something like unto the new man as the faint reflections of the Sun in a cloud look like the Sun but are not and may both deceive the soul of the person where it is and of others that goe but according to the appearance yet there being no spiritual life nor Christ formed in such a soul there can be neither any right spiritual enjoyment of Christ nor sollid communion with God in him though all the changes of the Spirit may seeme to be there to such a carnal formally deceiving heart He may repent as Ahab he may joy in the Gospel ordinances and have a kind of reforming with Herod there may be in him a kind of faith as in those that believed mentioned in the Parable but in time of temptation fell away there may be a frequenting of the word preached as appears by those that said unto our Saviour have we not eaten and drunk in thy presence and thou taught in our streets There may be a conviction of sin as in Faelix who trembled at Pauls preaching he may hold out with Christ in very great troubles nay suffer even death in the cause of Christ But all these are not yet in the power of Christ nor in the life of the Spirit so that the fruits and seeming graces of such are but like the berries upon the thorn in the way side not like the grapes upon the Vine he is not built upon that Rock of ages Christ Jesus and other foundation can no man lay and therefore it is no matter of admiration if like wandring stars and clouds that have no water such are ever rolling up and down and never established He dare not reckon with his conscience for the blood of sprinkling is not there and without blood there is no remission no boldness against sinne no looking Conscience in the face An hypocrite may have a name to live and to tast of the heavenly gift but is indeed dead and senseless yea absolutely void of spiritual life and may not unfitly be compared to that Statue of a man which they say Albertus Magnus was thirty years about that by reason of springs and devices within could walke up and down and speak articulately which stil was void of life so here c. some springs within resulting from self-love some scrnes of ostentation may produce in the hypocrite speech and motion in the wayes of God but being destitute of spiritual life must needs be void of spiritual senses and consequently of those soule satisfying ravishing and transforming tastes and relishes of the goodness of God which the Saints enjoy And thus although he may ascend many rounds in Jacobs ladder the greater at last will his fall into utter darkness be if the Lord give not repentance But inasmuch as the child of God and an hypocrite both stand for repentance it may be enquired what the difference is between the repentance of the one and of the other I shal only instance a few of the differences instead of many more that might be insisted upon 1. That which turneth an hypocrite from his sin causing him to grieve and mourne for it is principally a convicted conscience and restraining grace this made Judas confesse his sin and restore his pieces of silver who neverthelesse denyed the power of the Spirit of Christ But the child of God he hath this Law of repentance put into his inward parts and written in his heart by the finger of the Spirit of the Lord though many times by
reason of strong motions in the flesh he would not repent yet he cannot resist this law of his mind he must performe it when the Lord saith in his word repent and seeke my face hee this poor child of God replies Thy face Lord wil I seek the very same lesson that he is taught outvvardly by the vvord he is taught inwardly by the annointing spirit yea it is even his meat and drink to do the wil of God 2. Repentance in the hypocrite proceeds from a servile fear he being begotten under a covenant of works is through fear of death subject unto bondage all his life long and though he look to be saved by faith and repentance being instructed out of the Gospel yet he dares not expect grace and pardon any further then he sees himself work for he looks to be saved though not altogether yet as it were by the works of the Lavv thinking that mercy and pardon must needs follovv his vvorks and this is that which makes him take a great deal of pains in the Church yea he wil bear the burden and heat of the day and performe abundance of hypocriticall service unto the Lord yea til he troubles the Lord therewith and makes him weary thereof But the child of God is begotten under a Covenant of grace and hath not received the spirit of bondage again to fear but the spirit of Adoption to cry unto God Abba Father and being delivered serves God without fear in holinesse and righteousness all his dayes he knows very wel that sin cannot damn him being delivered out of the hands of his enemies by the blood of Christ And hence though God break him in the place of Dragons and cover him with the shadow of death yet wil he not forget God nor deal falsely in his Covenant His repentance in that sin cannot damn him is not arbitrary he is bound to it by the Covenant of grace his faith works by love the love of Christ constrains him many waters cannot quench this love neither can the floods drown it if a man would give all the substance of his house for love it would utterly be contemned the more sin the Lord hath forgiven him the more he loves God and repents mourns and weeps bitterly because of sin as it is an injurious offence against so merciful a Father instance Peter and Mary Magdalene who thought nothing too dear for a Christ from whom they had received a free and ful discharge from all their sins and provocations the hypocrite repents from a principle of slavish feare but the poore believer from a principle of a child-like love 3. An hypocrite never turnes to the Lord with his whole heart as the Lord requires for he is double minded True it is he may walk according to the dictate of his conscience as far as he is inlightned by the word of God leading a blamelesse life and may doe that which he does out of the integrity of his heart with Abimilech he perswades himselfe he is in the right when in truth he is farre wrong and because he received not the love of the truth that he might be saved the Lord gives him up to strong delusions to believe a lie that he might be damned who believes not the truth He may indeed seemingly turne unto the Lord in respect of many glorious actions but he hath not a new heart nor a renewing Spirit within him and if that action that as he thinks he doth most uprightly were put into an Evangelical frame he would most exceedingly haâ—e it because the carnal mind is at enmity against God for it is noâ— subject to the Law of God nor indeed can be his best duties proceed but from flesh and nature and from the old man which never turn'd to God and as for that which should give a spiritual being to those actions namely faith in Christ and the Spirit of grace these he hates from his heart But the child of God hath a new heart and a new Spirit he is a new creature all things are become new and although the flesh lusteth against the Spirit yet this new creature turneth wholly unto God and is all for God such a man seeks the Lord with his whole heart and all that is within him praises the Lords holy name 4. The hypocrite in his repentance and all his performances aimes at himselfe he doth them for corn wine and oyle when he fasts and mourns he doth it for himselfe and not unto the Lord the salvation of his soul is his utmost end But the child of God the believer doth all for Gods glory he desires the Salvation of his soul but he hath a further end hereby the Lord manifests his truth and mercy and gets himselfe a name Saith blessed David save me for thy mercies sake for thy Names sake and when he repents and confesses his sinne it is principally that he may give glory unto God and in all his actions terminates not in himself but doth them to the end that Christ may be magnified and esteemed all in all Sixteene precious and soul establishing considerations deduced from the Covenant of Grace The new Covenant of grace is held forth principally in these places of Scripture viz. 8. Heb. 10. Jer. 31. 31 33 34. 36. Ezek 25 26 27 29 31. Ezek. 16. 3 4 5 6 8 9 10 11 59 60 63 Jer. 32. 40. Jer. 33. 20 Heb. 6. 17 18. Heb. 12. 24. Heb. 13. 20. Mic. 7. 20. Psal 89. 28. 31 32 33 34. 1. Consideration His Covenant is a free Covenant being the offspring of the free love meer grace and rich mercy of God whereby he is pleased to make a blessed agreement with his Sonne Christ to save poore lost man yea the worst most vile despicable and helpless creatures in the world and of this sort of mankind doth God usually please to take into covenant with himself for he doth not as many would insinuate therfore take men into this covenant because they believe and are holy but that they might have faith and be holy in this covenant he promises holiness and through it conveys holinesse unto men as for example the Idolatrous Ephesians the profane Corinthians the vile Publicans the filthy Harlots yea the poore thiefe even at the last hour when he could neither serve nor glorifie God so much as one hour on earth and these when they were at the highest of their provocations and when no eye pityed them yea when their own eyes pittyed them not then was the time wherein the Lord out of the riches of his grace and soule astonishing love sware unto them and entred into covenant with them and this was likewise the time vvherein they became his as in that pregnant place of Scripture vvorthy to be vvritten in indelible characters of Gold upon the memory of
make a good construction of all his dispensations towards thee and know that his actings in us or upon us are the accomplishing of his wil for his owne glory and the good of his that which I think worst for mee may be best for mee How ever it be yet God is good and good to mee Thou oh Lord art still the same 18 Means Frequent those whom God hath settled in the assurance of his love these are able to direct and informe thee in the knowledge of the grace of God revealed in them wherein is peace and joy unspeakable and ful of glory many heare and confer with such as are ignorant of the grace of God and finde successe accordingly 19. Means When our spirits are never so much dejected and sadned we should with Isaiah wind up our affections and stirre up our selves to take hold on God and remember that Christ is our resting place whose spirit whispers in and unto us as it did unto David return unto thy rest oh my soule c. If thou hast sinned thou hast done very foolishly it being done it cannot be undone what shal the soul do but remember that sweet and gracious promise their sins and iniquities I will remember no more and consider that there is not any sin a believer can commit that should cause him to cast away his confidence or so much as question the love of God unto him for any thing he hath done or can befal him All that know the name of the Lord wil trust in him and cleave unto him for strength yea to be their strength against sinne for the time to come it is but a foolish conceit that brings a poore child of God to cast away his confidence and renders him culpable of the reprehension of our Saviour oh fools and slow of heart to believe c. A poore believer is commanded to come boldly to the throne of his Fathers grace he may not in any wise admit of such a disquietnesse in his sorrowing for sin as shall discorage and hinder him in obeying another command of God Rejoice evermore 20. Means Know and remember the happinesse of a believer in Christ though never so weake he is cleane from all sin by the blood of Christ they are removed from him so that he is accepted of God in Christ as perfect righteous and comely as Christ is saith Christ who is on with his Father unto a poore believer Thou art all faire my love there is no spot in thee goe the â—ore in much assurance and confidence unto the throne of his grace who having given thee his Son cannot but with him freely give thee all things that he in his wisdome and love sees fit for thee whether for soule body or both Having therefore Brethren boldnesse to enter into the holâ—â—st by the blood of Christ by a new and living way which he hath consecrated for us through the vaile that is to say his flesh And seeeng that we have not an High Priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities but was in all points tempted like as we are yet without sinne Let us therefore come boldly unto the Throne of grace that we may obtaine mercy and find grace to helpe in time of neede and let us draw neere with a true heart in full assurance of faith having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering for he is faithful that promised Wheâ— shal lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect It is God that justifieth Meditate on these precious truths until then sweet influence through the Spirit of him who raised up Jesus from the dead have warmed and enlivened thy soule 21. Means Lastly know and remember that though these means tending so much to the soules settlement in and assurance of the love of God are to be used yet means alone are 〈◊〉 sufficient to quiet and settle a troâ—â—lâ—d soule it is the work of Christ spirit to answer all doubts and remove all discouragements God creates the fruit of the lips peace peace to him that is afarre off and to him that is 〈◊〉 saith the Lord and I will heale him In the use of meanes we are to looke unto and wait upon him who wil in his owne time which is best free all his from all their discouragements doubts and fears and satisfie their souls with his love which is better then wine These things I write unto you that your faith and hope may be in God A Collection of many the fears doubts and discouragements that a poore weake believer either in or about conversion or desertion takes up against himselfe together with their several remedies resolutions and answers Weake believers are like melancholy people who think things farre otherwise then they truly are rightly smoaking flax where there is more smoak then light more ignorance then true discerning and thereby they expose themselves to manifold fears and discouragements when there is not the least cause as for example Mary was troubled and afraid all the matter was the Angel saluted her and told her that she had found favour in the sight of God the shepherds were afraid even then when the Angel brought them tidings of great joy Peter was afraid when he had drawn up much fish by which their discouragements they highly dishonoured God hindered their own peace The feares of weake believers are usually of these kindes Viz. 1. They cannot be perswaded their sinnes are pardoned indeed they would and they would not believe it they cannot from the spirit that is in them but close with Christ and claspe about him for salvation yet then they are not sure they have him they may be deceived they thinke in that in a word They are and they are not perswaded their sinnes are pardoned The Remedy to this feare We are commanded to believe forgivenesse of sinnes in Jesus Christ throughly and not in part Through his name whosoever believes in him shall receive remission of sinnes 2. If faith carrie them on to believe a little more or better of their condition yet the pride of some sinnes will not down with them some of their sinnes which they have made their darlings more then others and cherished themselves in oh these they thinke are either too great or too often committed to be all forgiven and at once the remainders of these sins are like dregs in the bottome and their consciences cannot be satisfied that God hath fully pardoned them Briefly They are perswaded some sinnes are pardoned but not some others which they have most sinned in The Remedy There is indeed a large disproportion between sinnes in regard of their causes effects and adjuncts yet the robe of Christs Righteousnesse is so large that it covers the greatest
sinne as easily as the least And we are to consider that one sinne cannot be forgiven but all are forgiven Jesus Christ hath done away all sinnes For this man after he had offered one sacrifice for sinnes for ever sate down on the right hand of God 3. They looke not upon God in the pure simplicity of his word and promise but suspect and are jealous that God hath some reckoning still behind because they see themselves sinful and know that God is of purer eyes then to behold iniquity and they cannot believe that God can bear with all those corruptions and transgressions in them Briefly they fear still God doth not intend them such grace as he proffers and speaks of in his word and suspect the Gospel The Remedie We are to believe God in the plainnesse and simplicity he speaks in in Gospel promises the word of his grace even unto our soules as if he spake out unto us by name from heaven he that believeth not God hath made him a liar because he beleeveth not the Record that God gave of his Sonne 4. They think though God may be reconciled unto them and love them at sometimes for they poore souls only reckon the seasons of the Spirits comfortings and breathing for the times of forgivenesse yet God may be provoked againe and angry again for new sins and failings and then they are as much troubled how to come at any peace againe as they were before and then it must be only another sun-shine of the like comfort must warme them into peace and believing In a word they think if God do pardon them yet they may provoke him againe soon after The Remedie We must know that God is not as man that he should be angry and pleased as we carry our selves I wil be merciful to their unrighteousnesse and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more I wil be to them a God and they shall be to me a people There is no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus c. The apprehension indeed of pardon and salvation is variable but yet the pardon and salvation it self is immutable and as the Gospel needs to be given but once so a mans sins need but once to be forgiven once is enough because if once then for ever 5. They cannot perswade themselves how they can sin as they doe daily but that they are countable for all the breaches and set up new scores of sin in their consciences and keepe reckoning for God and disquiet themselves in vaine in a word they suppose they cannot sin as they doe and not be accountable and they cannot but be sinners in Gods sight as well as their owne The Remedie We must remember our sins are no more ours but Christs and his righteousnesse is ours God reckons and accounts us as one now so though we sin yet every sin was accounted for in him And now there is no condemnation to those that are in Christ Jesus Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect It is God that justifieth 6. They think every affliction or trouble that befalls them is a punishment for some sin they have committed and they looke on them as messengers of wrath from God sent upon them in judgment as if God were satisfying himselfe upon them and pouring forth some wrath upon their heads to satisfie his justice against such sins In a word they think afflictions are sent upon them for their sins and they cannot look upon God in them but as angry and so helpe the afflictions to afflict themselves The Remedie We are to consider that although afflictions come in with sinne and for sin and are the wages of sin yet to the righteous and believers they are not judgements for every thing of justice against sin was spent upon Christ so as to believers they are only trials and temptations My brethren count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations They are chastnings of love to prevent and imbitter sin unto us As many as I love I rebuke and chasten c. The rod of afflictions is a teaching rod David found it good for his soule that he had been afflicted and the fruit of affliction to believers is the taking away of sinne And the Spirit tells us expresly If ye endure chastening God dealeth with you as with sons for what sonne is hee whom the father chasteneth not But if yee be without chastisement whereof all are partakers then are ye bastards and not sonnes Afflictions are in a word a diverse way or dispensation of love and grace unto the poore soule love working by that which is evil in it selfe We know that all things do work together for good unto them that love God 7. They mistake the Gospel in the doctrine of it and every Scripture that threatens for sinne they apply unto themselves because they have committed that sin In a word They interpret every curse in the law and new Testament for sin their own if it be against their sinne The Remedie We are to consider that though the Scriptures do often set forth the righteousnesse of God against sinne and his justice against iniquity yet the justice of God being satisfied by him who made his soule an offering for thy sins Justice it selfe hath no more power against thee for thy sins then the pursuer hath to doe with the murderer in the City of refuge For sin shall not have dominion over you ye are not under the law but under grace The Discouragements of poore weake believers herein mentioned are as followeth I feare I am but an hypocrite notwithstanding all the faire shewes I have made for the Lord his waies and people It is contrary to the nature of an hypocrite to feare that he is such an one and it is a Character of a sincere heart to see and seeing to bemoane its owne deceitfulnesse to desire sincerity and to imbrace and most highly to prize that word of thâ— Lord that is most searching in its owne soule to thirst after that word that is most powerful and keene and pierceth even to the dividing asunder of the soul and spirit and of the joynts and marrow and to examine it selfe it is the prayer of a David-like spirit Examine me O Lord and prove me trie my reines and mine heart It is as dangerous for a soul to skin up its wounds before they are searched as to presse it selfe downe with discouragements and helpe the affliction to afflict it self Take it rather for granted that thou art an hypocrite and if so what is that but a sinner though of a deeper die then an ordinary sinner is We reade that Ephraim compassed the Lord about with lies and the house of Israel with deceits c. and that he was a cake not
must be done in the Scriptures owne caution and way the surest knowledg that any one hath that he hath received the promise is the closing of his heart with Christ the real receiving and believing and relying and going out of the heart upon Christ The Just shal live by faith We walke by faith and not by sight This was the assurance of the father of the faithful who staggered not at the promise but gave glory to God There is yet something in man besides faith to be satisfied reason wil have more light to see by and therefore the workings of the Spirit in new obedience love repentance and self-denyal these may be compared to the tokens and change of raiment whereby Jacob was perswaded that Joseph was alive The word saith that we are complete in Christ and righteous in Christ hereupon saith the soule being a reasonable and discoursive spirit when I repent love or obey I believe I am in Christ and therefore my love repentance and obedience are such as I may believe though not in themselves yet in him to be good and spiritual 2. The Scriptures laie down these following things that is to say Christs sanctification or his true holinesse to be ours and faith about our owne sanctification 1. Christ is revealed to be our sanctification Christ is made unto us Righteousnesse Sanctification c. I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me Ye are Christs But ye are sanctified but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus He hath quickned us together with Christ We are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works Jesus Christ being the corner stone That Christ may dwel in your hearts by faith The new man which after God is created in righteousnesse and true holinesse We are members of his body of his flesh and of his bone And be found in him not having mine owne righteousnesse I can doe all things through Christ that strenthens me That we present every man perfect in Christ Jesus But Christ is all and in all Your life is hid with Christ in God All these Scriptures set forth and declare Christ the sanctification and the fulnesse of his the all in all Christ hath obeyed perfectly he hath mortified sinne perfectly and all are ours and we are Chrsts and Christ is Gods 2. The other thing is faith about our own sanctification we must believe more truth of our own graces then we can see or feele the Lord hath in his infinite wisdome so ordered that here our life should bee hid with Christ in God that we should walk by faith and not by sight so as we are to believe our repentance true in him who hath repented for us our mortifying of sin true in him through whom we are more then conquerours our new obedience true in him who hath obeyed for us and is the end of the law to every one that believeth Our change of the whole man true in him who is righteousnesse and true holinesse and thus without faith it is impossible to please God This is the Scripture assurance for a child of God or a believer to see every thing in himselfe as nothing and himselfe every thing in Christ faith is the ground of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seene It is our leaving out Christ in our Sanctification that is the foundation of all our doubts fears and distractions and he that looks on his repentance love humility obedience and not in the tincture of the blood of Christ must needs believe weakly and uncomfortably I cannot see God and if I were one of his Children he would not hide himselfe from mee as he doth surely he hath forsaken me Is Christ the Sun of Righteousnesse set in thy soul Remember the Psalmist though sadnesse come at night joy may returne the next morning And in the meane time there shall be moon and starre light and these though they cannot make day are some comfort to travellers In Christs withdrawings you have faith the evidence of things not seene and all the promises as stars about her a glorious spangled canopy over you so that you shall live by faith and adhere to Christ in such a condition the seede of Christ remains in you the suns heate is felt when his light is not seen Saints may have grace when they want comfort from Christ the Spouse thought shee had lost Christ yet stil she had a principle of love to him and a resolution to seeke him thy love unto Christ shal continue he wil be as good as his word The Lord shall arise and his glory shall be seene upon thee 1. Sometimes God hides himselfe from his and seemes to leave the poore soule for its sinnes and sometimes onely to exercise his own graces in the soule But alwayes in much love unto it Verily thou art a God that hidest thy selfe I opened to my Beloved and he had withdrawn himselfe Behold I goe forward and hee is not there and backward but I cannot perceive him on the left hand where he worketh but I cannot behold him on the right hand but I cannot see him yet he doth but hide himselfe behinde the Curtaine he cannot forsake thee for thy maker is thy husband the Lord of Hosts is his name and thy Redeemer the Holy one of Israel c. The Lord in another place to condescend unto the weaknesse of our capacities holds forth his love unto us by the similie of a Fathers love I am a father to Israel and Ephraim is my first borne 2. When God hides his face waite upon him and looke for him for he will returne againe But Sion saith the Lord hath forsakâ—n me and my God hath forgotten mee Can a woman forget her sucking childe c. yea she may yet will I not forget thee saith the Lord. Behold I have graven thee upon the palmes of my hands thy walls are continually before me For a small moment have I forsaken thee but with great mercy will I gather thee And the Spirit of the Lord bears witnesse that Israel hath not beene forsaken nor Judah of his God of the Lord of Hosts though their Land was filled with sinne against the holy one of Israel And the Lord saith in another place Therefore behold I will allure her and bring her into the wildernesse and speake comfortably unto her I have seene his wayes and will heale him I will lead him also and restore comforts unto him and to his mourners Although the Lord absent himselfe from his yet his love to and care for them is the same as when he manifests most of himself unto them when the Sun of Righteousnesse sets with us he
trade with it as otherwise he might so there is not any thing of sanctification currant and of solid comfort to a believer unlesse Christ be there and his image which is righteousnes and true holinesse 3. Consider that it is a usual delusion of Satan to tell a poore soule that God hath no mercy for it when the soule hath obtained mercy and this mercy not farr from it yea at the gate as it were and that it is the nature of unbeliefe to be inquisitive and curious to find out any colourable pretention whereby it may seeme to doe wel in excluding it selfe from grace and in not harkening unto what God saith in his word I would gladly believe but I dare not besides I cannot believe Consider four things viz. 1. Consider with thy selfe and examine what reason thou hast or canst have to doubt or be afraid since Christ cryeth saing If any man thirst let him come to me and drink The spirit and the Bride say come and whosoever wil let him come Doth God invite you to come and are you afraid oh come he wil not quench the smoking flax Hope thou in his mercy and know that the Lord takes pleasure in them that feare him in them that hope in his mercy Examine thy soule why it would flie unto the hills of its owne preparations seeing that God who is a strong hold hath invited thee unto himselfe and indeed the first thing that a poore soule that sees it self lost and fatherlesse is to do is to believe in the Lord Jesus he expects no previous qualifications and indeed the best preparation for Christ is to see in our selves no preparation at all for him 2. Consider that if thou desirest to believe thy will is in part regenerate and thou dost in some measure believe though weakly Lord I believe help thou my unbeliefe And remember that the heart in a mystical and spiritual acceptation is seated in the will and in the understanding but more principally in the will so that that object or thing unto which the will is most inclined or the desires runne out most after unto that is the bent of the heart said to be if our wills be renewed our hearts are renewed Saith Paul to will is present with me good I would do so then with my mind I serve the law of God whereby it evidently appears that the will is one with the mind and that the heart is one with them and that these three are one and are alike spirituall where your treasure is there will your hearts be also there will be your mind and your affections and by affections the heart is meant Set your affections on things above Gods servants are in Scripture described by a desire to feare his name Those desires that work towards God came from him The Spirit returns to him that gave it If thy desires be spiritual thou art spiritual they flow from faith and from the Spirit and are a part of the worke of grace in us which he having begunne will perfect to his own praise A man cannot desire that which he doth not believe to be nor love To wil to believe and repent is an evidence that the soul doth believe and repent to will to be regenerate is an effect and testimonie of regeneration It is God that worketh in you to will c. Spiritual desires cannot possibly be in that soule that hath not spirituall life for to desire after Christ or to a believe in him is an act of spirituall life a dead man cannot desire and nothing but Christ can possesse the soule of a sense of its want of him the depraved will of man being wholly inthralled unto sin can contribute nothing hereunto but is altogether insufficient for and averse unto it and also to the perceiving and receiving of the things of God they being spiritually discerned God must give eyes to see and an heart to understand 3. Considert hat many doe believe and yet know not whether they believe or no and thereupon they doe as the blinde man did call their faith unbeliefe many give God their hearts and know it not being ignorant of what is meant by the heart and where it is seated viz. in the will understanding desires affections and delights though principally in the will 4. Consider that it is not in the power of the Creature to believe and that faith is not any condition of the covenant of grace required on thy part but a grace of the covenant on Gods part to be given for this covenant is not made with us but with Christ for us to believe is a fruit of the Spirit of Christ we must bee in Christ before wee can beare fruit therefore we must be in Christ before we can believe hee that hath the Spirit of Christ hath Christ we have the Spirit of Christ before we believe therefore we have Christ before we believe and men are ordained unto eternall life before they believe I am afraid the day of grace is past and so nothing can doe me good 1. You must not give way to such discouraging thoughts answer them with Jonah who knowes but the Lord may returne 2. For which of Gods loving kindnesses and rich mercies hast thou taken up such hard thoughts of him to nourish Jealousies against his love remember what David saith How precious are thy thoughts to me oh God great is the summe of them If I should count them they are more then the Sands and what Christ saith Be not afraid onely believe and what he did he received sinners 3. If thou thinkest the day of grace is past because thy sinnes are great that argument will not hold hearken what God saith I have spread out my hand all the day to a rebellious people that provoke me to anger continually to my face 4. Consider That if thou hast an heart desirous to returne unto God thy day of grace is not past Christ knocks still If we confesse our sinnes he is faithfull and just to forgive us our sinnes c. Saith a poore drooping believer I feare that when persecution comes I shall not suffer nor hold out unto the end but dishonour God betray his truth shame and grieve his people Cast all these cares and feares upon the Lord In nothing be carefull hee will care for thee he that hath ingaged his owne faithfulnesse for the making good of every tittle of his promises hath promised I will never leave thee nor forsake thee God will take care for his owne glory truth and servants his wisdome power Love and faithfulnesse shall order all I am discouraged because that of all the spirituall things I hoped for none are made good to mee I doe not possesse any 1.
this as it should seeme was infidelity therefore hee exhorted them to use all diligence to the full assurance of faith and hope unto the end and to believe whatsoever is contained in the covenant of grace of which remission of sinne is one main thing we must therfore after commission of sinne fly for refuge unto the covenant by a true and lively faith it being confirmed by an oath and ratified to us in the bloud of Christ and thence fetch pardon solid comfort and strong consolation 5 Admire such wisdome and love as sparkles forth in that God who made not a covenant with us for our good works nor can it be broken or disanulled by our sins nor is it in our keeping nor stands it upon the rotten and sandy foundation of selfe and duties but is grounded upon the word and faithfulness of that God with whom there is no variablenesse nor shadow of turning 6 Consider as concerning thy objection against thy selfe upon the accompt of thy unworthines whereof thou art sensible that the Lord chargeth the Angels with folly and thou being sensible of thine unworthiness Christ invites thee immediately to himselfe it is nothing but ignorance and pride that keepes poore soules from coming to Christ they will not be beholding to him for all and therfore would stay til they have somthing of their own to commend them unto Christ But if they wil stay til then they shal never come to Christ but now for that thou seest no good thing yea nothing but evil in thy self thou shouldest the rather go unto Christ who is the fountaine set open for sinne and for uncleanness wherein thy uncleane soul must be washed for Christ saith unlesse I wash thee thou canst not be cleane nor have any part in mee Surely if I were not an out-cast and a reprobate I should not be left as I am in a wildernesse condition Israel was accounted an out-cast yet God was then a God unto her and shee a people unto him True saith the poore soule were I a branch in Christ and a true member of his house then could I believe these precious truths and promises of his but I am neither of both but separated from him and his people Be not arrogant in any false conclusion against thy selfe but hearken unto what the Lord saith Let not the Son of the stranger that hath joyned himselfe to the Lord speak saying The Lord hath utterly separated mee from his people neither let the Eunuch say Behold I am a dry tree Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better then of Sons and Daughters A believers comfort hope joy confidence c. should be in God the same at all times The Lord hath various dispensations of providence as well relating to the outward as the inward man He hath his way in the whirlwind And he is in the small still voice his dispensations are many times contrary one unto another to day perhaps thou enjoyest peace joy strength riches and honor with health prosperity and many friends and to morrow all these may be blasted to day God unbosoms himself unto thee and shines forth upon thee and there is a sweet intercourse of love between him thy soule but in a moment he withdrawes him selfe as blessed Job and divers other of the children of God experienced And we find that David reckning of a day of desertion saith Though I walk in the valley of the shadow of death I will fear none evill for thou art with me thy rod and thy staff comfort mee wherein he holds forth his resolution to encounter with such a wildernesse condition where by desertion he should take a turne in the dark and damp valleys of the shadow of death and be incompassed with dreadful terrours and sore trials Gods actings in and upon his people are not alwaies as he is unto them but he being unchangeable is to his ever the same however he may seeme to bee his actings in us or upon us are the accomplishment of his wil for his own glory and the good of his people therefore make we a good construction of all his dealings with us remembring that what we think to be worst may be best for us However it be yet God is good Gods children are to carry an even spirit through the various dispensations of the providence of the Almighty In order to thy confirmation in this truth peruse and seriously meditate upon the ensuing places of Scripture and crave the assistance of the blessed spirit of truth in the opening and understanding of them wherein is treasured up much of the marrow and fatness yea and of the glory of the Gospel Hos 2. 19 20. Jer. 3. 14 1. Jer. 33. 8. Isa 62. 5. Heb. 8. 10 12. Ezek. 16. 62 63. Heb. 3. 6. Jer. 33. 20 21 Hos 14. 5. Isa 61. 10. Isa 54. 5. Jer. 31. 9. Hab. 3. 17 18. Heb. 6. 17 18. Rom. 3. 3. 2 Tim. 2. 13. Rom. 8. 28 33 35 38 39. Isa 41. 10. Isa 57. 18 19. Isa 54 7 8. Heb. 10. 19 20 22. Psal 46. 1 2 3 4. Rom. 8. 1 2. John 13. 1. Zech. 3. 9. Isa 63. 16. Josh 1. 5. Psalm 89. 30 31 32 33 34. Ezek. 16 14. Six Reasons of the Point 1. Reason Because that God who hath loved thee with an everlasting love loves thee in his Son thou art not beloved for thy owne sake or for any thing in thee but upon the account of the Lord Jesus in whom God is well pleased therefore no corruption in us nor all we doe can make us to be loved more or lesse believers are never the more just before God for their own integrity nor the lesse just for their iniquity God may well say of himselfe I am the Lord and change not his love is as himselfe ever the same and Christ in whom thou art beloved the same yesterday to day and for ever and hereupon thou art commanded to rejoyce evermore to rejoyce exceedingly 2. Reason Because whatsoever thoughts thou hast of God he is unchangeable if he doth withdraw himselfe if he doth allure thee into the wildernesse it is that he may speake comfortably unto thee and all this while thou hast his promise with thee and his faithfulnesse is ingaged unto thee For a small moment have I forsaken thee but with great mercies will I gather thee in a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment but with everlasting kindnesse wil I have mercie on thee saith the Lord thy redeemer Having loved his own which were in the world hee loved them to the end 3. Reason Because God considers his to be in Christ before they had a being in themselves and indeede they are never out of Christ they dwel in