fetch her to bee Isaac's wife hee discoursed of his wealth cattel silver and jewels and for the purpose brought her out his gold bracelets and ornaments which Isaac sent her But what came of it did shee slight the offer No but went with the messenger immediately If God's Spokes-men in bringing forth these benefits of Christ have won us thereby to go with them it is well Trial 2. No man is married to Christ except hee hath his dowrie to shew A Christ without a dowrie is no husband 1 Cor. 1. 30. Hee is our wisdom righteousness c. if wee can shew our marriage-ring set with these jewels wee may bee believed Trial 3. If thou bee justified where is that boldness of a debtor discharged by his Suretie that can say I know the hardest I shall not perish I dare look my creditor in the face Trial 4. If thou bee reconciled where is thy joy and welfare then of heart how shouldest thou be beloved of God and bee such a stranger to this joy Trial 5. Thou saiest thou art redeemed but proov it also for if it bee so then that bondage of thine to sin and the lust thereof and that bondage by sin that keep 's thee from believing is taken away in som measure thy tongue is none of thine own thy eies ears feet members are bought with a price and the Lord's yoak is sweet to thee Vse III. Instruction to all Christians to ponder wisely this article of the difference order and nature of these benefits It would help much to the understanding of the Scriptures with light and profit Vse IV. Exhortation that wee ceas not to adore that most divine depth of wisdom and love in God who when hee might have forsaken us and cast us off quite in our first fall was not onely content to restore us to the same estate and make us as good as wee were but also took occasion by this ruine to set us in a better estate then ever Adam knew not onely in the grace of perseverance but in the gift of eternal life in his heavenly presence Vse V. It is exceeding consolation to all believers For why The benefits which they receiv all at once by faith are a namo scit of price and plentie God in Christ is above all wee can ask or conceiv ARTIC VI. The Church of GOD is the true and onely object of all the former Good things TWo things are considerable in this Article 1. The subject of it the Church herself 2. The proper adjunct of it Communion I. Concerning the Church it is necessarie to open som tearms touching the distinction of names given to the Church viz. 1. A Church Constituted is gathered by the Word professing the same truth doth enjoy the free peaceable setled use administration of all essentials to salvation the Word Sacraments and outward Assemblies established by Christian authoritie And contrarie to this is that Church which consist's onely in toleration and connivence doubtful and unsetled 2. A Church Visible is an Assemblie of such worshippers of God as enjoying the libertie of the Ordinances do partake them visibly audibly and sensibly to the eie and observation of man 3. The Church Invisible is that Communaltie or fellowship of the Elect of God when or wheresoever throughout the world in all ages and times as beeing called to God and given to Christ becom his mystical bodie and are built up unto one habitation by the Spirit Shee is called Invisible not as if shee consisted of such members as may not bee seen and bodily conversed with seeing that they do usually reside in the Church Visible worshipping God with others externally but becaus that by which shee subsist's is an invisible grace of the Spirit not sensible to the eie of man but known to God alone and to others onely by the judgment of charitie more or less 4. The Militant Church is that part of the invisible which here upon earth walketh and warreth with and for God against all his and her enemies according to that vow and oath shee took in her Baptism or prest-money wherein shee covenanted to bee God's faithful Souldier against World Divel or Flesh 5. The Church Triumphant is that invisible which haveing cast off her harness after the victorie obtained abide's in soul with God and triumph's there over all conquered enemie both these although in divers state are the same Church 6. The Church Malignant is that special kinde of Church Visible which although it retain's Baptism and som such truths as are of the Essence yet hath degenerated in the most of her tenets from the truth of the Gospel Now the Church Invisible is the equal and onely subject of Christ and his benefits Onely with this difference that although the whole Church enjoy all yet becaus the Triumphant differ's from the Militant in the fulness and possession the one by sens the other under the assurance of faith and hope therefore here wee especially aim at the Militant as it contain's the whole armie the souldiers the bodie of his members Vse I. Confutation of the usurped and pretended title of the Pseudo-Catholick-Popish-Church who claim to themselvs this priviledg to bee the treasurie of all the benefits of Christ Vse II. Terror to all the malignant enemies of the Church if all this store bee laid in her lap righteousness redemption c. bee affraid to pursue and oppose her Vse IIL Admonition to all God's people to honor even the Church Visible Disdain not her assemblies separate not from her members renounce not her fellowship prize the field highly wherein the pearl is hidden Bless God that make's her a sanctuarie for the distressed a mother of Orphans and desolate ones an Ark for perishing ones Again admonition to all that live in the bosom of the visible Church not to rest there nor give their eye-lids sleep till thereby the Lord hath drawn them to the invisible For out of this Ark is no salvation Vse IV. Consolation to the true Church of Christ for the portion of these benefits given her in Christ Wonder that the Lord should so look upon the lowliness of thy poor despised state as to make thee his jewel-hous of these treasures Vse V. Bee not high-minded learn that of Paul That the root hold's thee not thou it Rom. 10. 18. The bodie hold's the members the Vine the branches not they them Bee not high-minded but humble thy self and be lesser then the meanest of the members The Lord hath bestowed life and blessing upon his Church for ever Psalm 33. ult not upon thee in severall Thy grace is a member's grace as the blood of a finger and the sens thereof and the spirit thereof is from the heart liver and brain carried to the bodie and thence derived to each part Humbly therefore bee glad to receiv thy part see thy wants supplie them by the bodie and disdain not the grace of the meanest for if thou abide in the bodie it
now to great ones whom this point much touche's let the promise of receiving you soke into your hearts If God justifie who shall condemn if hee reconcile and restore you to your blood your Sonship if hee vouchsafe your restitution to the inheritance of such as are sanctified by faith in him Who shall defeat you of it therefore com in receiv this Offer and God will bee your God yea your father yee shall walk in and out before him as his own with the confidence of sons hee shall guide you here till glorie Vse IV. This should exhort all God's people that they deceiv not themselvs in this great priveledg for fear that they forfeit the comforts of it Trie it first and then improov it a true son and danghter of God partake's of the sonship of Christ â—heir head The Angels worship't Christ the Son when hee was brought into the world and for his sake the Angels are Ministring Spirits for the good of us and of ours The Father acknowledg'd Christ saying This day have I hegotten thee So doth God in him acknowledg thee for his childe and himself thy father The Father made Christ the Heir of all things and all things which thy father hath are thine as thou art Christ's Christ was pittied and heard by the Father in that hee feared and thy father will bee afflicted with thee in all thy afflictions Christ was faithful in all God's hous as a Son fulfilling all rightegusness If thou bee a son what save thy faithful fear and obedience should proov it The Lord Jesus beeing the Lord of all yet denied all even to a Pillow to lean his head on and an Hole to hide himself in And thou if a son shalt and wilt denie thy self and take up thy Cross and learn obedience by his suffering despise the world and count all dung to win his acceptance Briefly if a son thou art an heir of God and co-heir of Christ Whatever is wanting here shall bee supplied in heaven and yet here thou shalt partake all the good things of God For why Whom doth a father provide for but for his children whose is all that hee hath save theirs Again if a son then thou knowest the way to the throne of grace even to the Father in the Mediation of Christ and there canst with the spirit of a son groan at least un-utterable desires to the Lord that thou maiest bee once free from bondage to this bodie of death from unbelief from an unsavorie heart from worldliness from the error of the wicked and this sinful world and the like Oh! with humble confidence thou wilt make kown thy request to God and that in secret such as none but thy self can bee privie to and will improov this libertie when strangers and slaves shall not dare to com neer These few trie and if thou finde the Spirit of Adoption to bee a stranger lin not till the Lord have created it if hee have don it stand fast in this priveledg and maintain it by thy awe and fear of thy Father not least hee should cast thee off again but becaus beeing once a Son thou shalt never bee dispossessed either of thy right here or thine inheritance hereafter VII Benefit Redemption Redemption is opposite to two things First Thraldom and slaverie to sin and so to all enemies who by sin strove to hold the Soul under fear and bondage Secondly to the sting and dint of all such crosses as sin hath brought into the world as the tokens of God's displeasure for it The first Redemption set's the soul at libertie from all that servitude and tyrannie it buy'es out and restore's the soul to the libertie of released and ransomed ones maketh it free onely to righteousnes and that for ever From hence issues's an heart enlarged to God so fearing him as fearing nothing els Hence secondly floweth a right to the Protection and Providence of God And lastly to these two may bee added freedom to God's service to finde it an easie yoke and a light burden yea to count it our happiness to denie our own wills becaus bodies and souls are bought with a price that wee should not bee at our own but at his will that dearly bought us 1 Cor. 5. 15. Christ hath bought and redeemed us I. From Sin 2. From all our Enemies Satan the Law bondage under Cerimonies Death Wrath and Hell unto freedom of Righteousness The conclusion of the Doctrine is That Redemption is a peculiar benefit wherewith Christ is offered to the Soul Vse I. Terror to all that lie yet in their state of Unregeneracie in what degree soever it bee more or less who either count this slaverie to bee freedom or els live in it as if they were free men and fear nothing Know yee that till the Law hath left you under the Spirit of this Bondage to count your selvs as yee are and lie under this estate as sensible of it and in your selvs past hope Cain's and Judase's case is not more wosul then yours Vse II. It 's Instruction to all sorts to make them behold their natural condition as in a glass Sin is no such tame and harmless beast as you imagin Nothing but this blood of Christ is able to ransom you For sin hath set the door open to all to Satan and all enemies wrath hell law conscience and death to have their wills on us So that an infinite strength it needed to deliver us Vse III. This should teach all who would not bee slaves to proov their redemption by the marks of it First all truly redeemed ones of the Lord see sigh under and are wearie of this their bondage desirous to bee freed from it Secondly the offer of this Redemption in Christ is precious to them both the purchaser the offer of it and the purchase it self Thirdly they cleav to the promise that seeing the Lord will have it so they embrace and chuse it and believ if the Son make them free they shall bee free indeed Vse IV. This should exhort us all that are redeemed to true libertie to understand wherein it consists and apply our selves duly therto True it is that wee are adopted sons to the frrdom of children but we are redeemed also to the libertie of service wee are not made free from the law in point of obedience but serv in holiness and fear to delight in the law in the inner man Temporal Redemption stand's in three things 1. Either in God's saveing his from afflictions 2. Or his susteining them in and under them 4. Or his delivering them out of them and that either in part or finally They are all three expressed in the 63. of Esay vers 9. by name The First The Angel of his presence Christ as vers 1. saved them and bare them on his wings continually The second In all their afflictions hee was afflicted that is succoured and upheld them The third In his pittie and mercie hee redeemed them that is delivered
's thine and thy supplie II. The Adjunct of the Church of Christ The Adjunct of the Church is the Communion of Saints and members of this mystical bodie of Christ which is nothing els but the due entercours and holie fellowship reciprocally between member and member for the good of the whole Two things wee are to consider in this Communion of members in the Church 1. Due qualifying of the persons that are to communicate 2. Due exercise of communion among them that are so qualified 1. Qualification generally stand's in this that they bee brethren No sooner is a man a believer and a new creature born to God but hee is also a brother No bastard no stranger no Gibeonite no blemish't one may enter the temple of this Communion More specially they have the true Spirit of brethren of members by which the former is manifested to bee true Wee must know that this Spirit of Communion is the priviledg of the whole Invisible Church before it bee the spirit of any particular member for the members draw spirit from the bodie as the bodie from the head Now this spirit is flowing from Christ who hath therefore shed his blood for his Church not onely that hee might unite it together with it self but also that it might edifie it self in love And the Lord Jesus hath obteined this Spirit from his Father This Spirit of Communion may bee discovered in these two particulars First in the spirit of Preserving her self in her estate and integritie Secondly in the spirit of Furniture for the several operations whereby communion may bee supported I. In preserving Communion and this it doth 1. By separation of fals parts or contrarie which threaten ruine to her Mettals melted will go together and unite their substance but sever the dross which is of another nature from incorporateing with them the Citizen of the heavenly Jerusalem hee loathes swearers liers forswearers usurers and so of the rest No communication between Christ and Belial light and darkness 2. By gathering together of new This preserving Spirit is also a drawer of like parts to her self for the filling up and strengthening of Communion shee is still aiming at the bodies increase and therefore as the waters of the sea win upon the banks so doth this spirit of Communion seek out and enlarge her borders Our Lord Jesus the head of this communion spent his life in gathering members to this bodie Peter gathered 3000. at once and each member of it doth or ought to becom all in all to gain som 3. By preventing of any thing hurtful to herself This Spirit is warie to defeat whatsoever attempts may bee made against her communion either by opposite persons or properties II. The Spirit Furnishe's the Church with all such gifts as serv to maintain communion Such are 1. Love mother-grace of all the rest that which Saint John so magnifie's 1 Joh. 5. 1. Hee that loveth him that begat love's him that is begotten It 's the band of perfection that hold's in all the duties of Communion as the corner-stone doth the sides of the wall 2. Sociableness a compound of three coards not easily broken viz. 1. Amiableness which is that holy suavitie of spirit which opposeth tartness austeritie sowreness and sullenness whereby men are like ragged unhewen stones unmeet to couch in this holie building 2. Humbleness which opposeth pride which is a vice excommunicate from true fellowship of Saints causing men to think themselvs their parts their persons too good for communion It 's discerned by two marks peaceableness and equalness 3. Self-denial contrarie to Self-love the bane of communion when men seek their own esteem credit end profit and prais and if they fail thereof they little look how the publick welfare goe's forward 3. Tendernes and compassion Gal. 6. 1. If any bee prevented by error ignorance Satan sudden temptation let him that is stronger set him in joint again so the word is and restore him in the spirit of meekness II The Exercise of Communion stand's in three things 1. Graces 2. Means or Ordinances 3. Services or Duties I. In Graces In the tradeing whereof these rules must bee observed First bring in thy stock into this bank each member in this staple of Communion must get the gift of exchange hee must maintain a due entercours Secondly Humilitie is an excellent mean to exercise communion in graces condescending to men of low degree Proud ones get little and do little in this communion of Saints Thirdly Covet others graces 1 Cor. 12. 31. Covet the things that are most excellent Appetite after the graces of communion is the instinct of God's spirit for the growth of Graces Men that hunt the Bezar seek not her flesh but that which is precious in her the stone which is so cordiall Base respects are nothing to the Saints in regard of this jewel Fourthly extract graces from others Solomon saith Prov. 20. 6. There is wisdom in the heart of the wise and a man of understanding will get it out Delilah lay at Sampson till hee had told her his whole heart So should'st thou that seekest the grace of others First by putting thy case in their persons whom thou tradest with as if thou wouldest learn what patience in sickness and pain is or how thou mightest die well ask others how should yee do in this case make mine your own Secondly observ wisely what fall's from the godly in their communion and conversation over-see not their words behaviors affections zeal scopes Thirdly let faith bee the chief extractor All things are yours saith Paul meaning all graces in all the members it 's a great help of profiting when as wee believ all the graces of others are ours allotted us by priviledg from Christ whose wee are Fifthly Rest not onely in the outward object but pierce into the inward There is more in a Saint then a bare sentence or carriage will express Look into the bottom as the Cherub into the mercie-seat Sixthly Bee wise to chuse thy object Each man excell's not in each grace or gift And when wee meet not with that wee look for wee think meanly of men as Naaman did beeing crossed by Elisha But the Graces of God are to bee marked as they bee most eminent As in Moses his meekness in Phinehas his zeal in Abraham faith II. In Meanes or Ordinances These edifie the Church First as they are ties and bands of Communion Secondly as they are active instruments or helps to beget and nourish it 1. As ties and bands Psal 122. Jerusalem is called a compacted Citie knit together by the Assemblies by the Sacrifices by the Thrones of Judgment Act. 2. 46. The Church continued and â—lave together in the use of the Ordinances the sacrament especially of the Supper Experience teacheth that the fellowship of the Word Praier and the like is the life strength blood and marrow of communion Wee see that the common ties of nature education and place do much tie
Baptism received with holy confidence go to the Lord for her due nourishment by and in him saying thus Oh Lord I am thine save mee Psal 119. 94. Of thee I am who art made unto mee not onely Righteousness but sanctification with growth and increas in it I com therefore to plead my right in all humilitie If I had never came to birth or to the light I had so been at an end but seeing thou hast not denied mee the life of a childe of thine do not leav mee to shift but Lord bring mee up at thy cost and let mee have my portion from thy Table and my daily bread from thy hand My Baptism I alreadie enjoy in the death and life of Christ to make mee thine O Lord let also his blood grace and spirit run in the veins of my soul to strengthen mee in the inner man with all long-suffering and wel-pleasing and joyfulness all grace of thy new creature let it bee mine 2. Prepare thy soul to this feast of the mountains Esay 25. as oft as thou comest which must bee oft 1 Cor. 11. 29 30. and com not without thy feast-Apparel And let this bee one rule unto thee Do not catch up this Robe on the sudden but wear it daily between Sacrament and Sacrament That faith in the Lord Jesus thou walkest or would'st com with to the Supper live by it daily Christ is the same in the promise and the seal That repentance thou walkest with to the Sacrament practice it daily hee that in a great frost would keep the ice thin must keep it broken every day so thou thy soul-issues lest thine heart harden 3. Beeing thus com to the Supper set thy faith on work say thus I know no Divel in hell can sever Jesus EMMANUEL my meat and drink from the Elements but this Word hath united them for ever That by sacramentall union with them as sensible hee might unite himself with mee spiritually and really in this seal of his 4. Seeing him there thine take him eat and drink him and enjoy him let thy soul applie him to thee for that thou lackest and hee serveth that is to applie thy wants where the hedg is lowest with the to pare off thy superfluous part to fill up and supplie thy decayes and voidness I mean such gifts or graces as concern thee either in thy particular Calling or in thy general 5. Least thou should'st stagger about thy right and part herein remember the end of the Sacrament is to rid thee of this fear For why it is God's seal to the covenant of his Grace to make thee his Son and Daughter and to sanctifie thee it 's his uttermost securitie for any outward one nay it 's his instrument of conveying the greatest measure of his Spirit unto thee 6. Haveing so received it live by him depart as one well satisfied enlarge him both for number and measure of growth to all parts of thy life all estates graces duties VI. Rules concerning Praier 1. Retain this heavenly Ordinance of God in that due esteem which the Lord hath graced it with for all ends both of humiliation and supplication The Lord and thy soul by experience do know it to bee the key of all the coffers of God and that High-priest's liveing way made by the blood of Christ whereby thou hast access daily yesterday to day and ever the oftner the welcomer to the Holie of Holies to the seat of Mercie 2. God in the Lord Jesus by a promise having thy wants in a readiness and thy faith on wing let not thy cours in praying issue from a formal plat-form but a lively feeling and humble pinching of soul for thy necessities 3. Shake off all extremities of a corrupt heart by faith which must hold thine eie fixed upon thy Mediator against all thy presumption commonness dulness deadness coldness and beseech the Lord to stir thee up to pray as hee shall suggest unto thee by the present occasion well digested either for the Church others or thy self If thou would'st bee heavenly in praier first abase thy self as a worm dust and ashes yea as Mr. Bradford hell and the sink-hole before the Lord who is heaven and holiness 4. Add these meet qualities of praier viz. fervent importunitie as one whom God cannot bee rid of till thou speed and frequencie as haveing sped well already 5. And above all com not to pray with any tainted known sin I say not onely gross but even secret and close through a lazie heart loath to cast them off or a loos heart loveing them better then the things thou praiest for least the Lord justly leave thee to bee wearisom to him and thy self VII Rules concerning Meditation 1. It take's away letts either giddiness of minde or unsavoriness of spirit the former like a sieve out of the water looseth all it get's suffer's nothing either truthes heard or works seen to abide long in the heart but Meditation set's them in the heart that they leak not out Heb. 2. 1. In stead of the later it season 's the heart with the sap the life the savor of good things 2. It make's the meaning view scope and order both of particular doctrine and the whole scope of Religion to becom our own 3. Wee com hereby to the eas of practice the fruit whereof experience so that if once wee have found crosses to do us good wee fear not when new ones approach if wee have felt the gain of a Sabbath get a delight therein in a word whatsoever is easie it becom's sweet and therefore if this bee worth somwhat to finde the yoke of God easie and his burthen light as to say the truth it is the upshot of goodness well may wee then say Meditation is a divine help to a good cours To these may bee added three other means of Godliness viz. 1. Resolvedness 2. Watchfulness 3. Experience I. Resolvedness is a grace of the Spirit standing in an holy firmness of minde and heart to keep fast the truth of God both in judgment and the power of practice Truth if it bee once lost in the judgment will not long hold in the practice therefore wee must bee well principled and grounded in the Truth love it for it self and embrace it with our best affections Not beeing wheeled and hurried about with the new tricks and devices of men of unsound judgment nor yet put on som truthes for a time with great zeal and heat and suddenly when a greater heat of opposition arise's out of a giddie minde and fearful heart recant as fast and betray the truth of God to time-servers and Enemies Therefore wee are bidden Buy the truth whatsoever wee give for it but sell it not whatsoever wee might have for it Contend wee for the faith Jud. 2 yea unto blood To this end let us wisely and strongly observ resist and reject all novelties and schisms starting up among us and abhor them bearing witness to the Truth of God
to know the meer common sins which everie one may read in great letters running and through eas seek no further becaus indeed knowledg in not their aim but their policie to avoid the shame of gross ignorance 6. Self-love by which hee is loath to bee informed in truths his partialitie and subtiltie which suffer's him not to bear such truths as are like to oppose his personal pretious and beloved evils whereby hee is loath to hear of any sins save other mens not his own 7. Errors of our own conceit of sound righteousness to wit that wee have served God well both in shunning of sin or doing dutie when wee have been drawn to it onely by forrein compulsion or outward occasions The Law enlighten's us in the discerning actual sins both in themselvs and in their Penalties 1. In themselvs sundry waies 1. By her authoritie in commanding setting up herself in the conscience the most privie chamber of the Soul this no law of man can do 2. By her harmonie consent and coherence this no man can see except enlightned Jam. 2. 10. bee that break 's one is culpable of all As hee that break 's one Link of a golden chain breake 's the coherence As hee that break 's his neighbors fence trespasse's him as well as if hee ranged over all his ground because the bond is broken 3. By her royaltie That as a King is not prescribed against by the qualitie of any Subject offending why hee may not hold him guiltie So in this no person is accepted of God in this kinde This royal law is impartial it will shew a Queen her sports as well as a poor woman 4. By her integritie and soundness that is it open's sin to the soul in one kinde as well as the other Such is the corruption of Adam that it will suffer much of the bodie of sin to vanish in the survey But where God enlighten's hee discover's sin in all her sexes male and female strong and weak remembred and forgotten ignorance and knowledg in a word one and other for want of which many a Soul never com's to the bar of God's conviction This rule shew's the difference of these First sins of Omission are passings by and balking of som dutie behooving to bee don whether against or without knowledg Secondly sins of Commission are actual doings of som evill in thought word and deed against the revealed will of God whether wee bee convinced or not convinced convinced thereof to bee sin as to work upon the Sabbath to speak vainly to nourish base thoughes Thirdly sins of Knowledg are transgressions of the Law of God against a mans conscience and the check of it whether greater or smaller as when Shimei paised Jordan against his own covenant or when a man goeth against his own light Sins of Ignorance are when a man transgresseth but yet not knowing his sin to bee sin as Abimelech coveting of Sarah Paul's persecuteing the Church 4. Sins of weakness or Presumption differ onely from sins of knowledg in the intention of him that sinneth Not each sin of knowledg amounteth to a sin of presumption though all presumption must need 's bee a sin against knowledg Sin of presumption then is a sin of knowledg committed with an high hand Sin of weakness is a sinning against such knowledg as yet is prevented in her work through accident as either inabilitie of grace to stick to knowledg or through timerousness and fear although dalliance and wantonness bee absent and though conscience bee present to accuse 5ly Sins of presumption it self are not all one for som are onely presumptuous in act as David's adulterie and murther others are total when a man is totally and finally carried in a presumptuous stream of habited sinning This trencheth most horribly against the patience and long-suffering of Grace it self and commonly drawe's impenitencie of spirit upon it self which cannot repent when it would 6ly A just fruit of this dalliance with grace habitually is that total and final Desertion of God's spirit giveing over the presumptuous heart to such a sinning against grace as at last despiteth that grace which it hath so long slighted as the Gnat which burneth it self in the candle and this is called sinning against the holy Ghost differing from habited Presumption in this That in that a man sinneth against the grace of the Spirit but in this a man despiteth the Spirit of Grace it self 5. By her extent it is a great piece of the light of the law to extend it self in the soul to all parts and degrees of sin 1. in her Spiritualness teaching us not to rest onely in open gross moral offences but to go to spiritual wickedness 2. In her inquisition and search it dare and can go to any part of the whole man and fetch out any poyson out of any corner 3. in her aggravateing power whereby shee inlarge's sin by her circumstances causing it thereby to seem the more odious and setting the wors colors upon it as becaus such a person committed it a publick man against such light when hee needed not from meer malignitie of Spirit in the mid'st of blessings against mercie gospel vowes covenant c. 4 in her puritie the law doth not go tell the Soul of each sin but set's the mirror of God's pureness before her that shee may according thereto discern and judg of sin good and bad true and evil These are helps to serv the work of the law in convinceing not to forestall the work of the Spirit she more sound light the soul hath the better Howbeit God is free to work in what way and measure hâ—e pleas II. The law discover's sin by the Penalties The Lord take's away all distinction of venial and mortal sin from a man present's himself to him in his full justice of revenging all sin without exception tell 's the Soul deferring of punishment is no remoovall of it that all sins deserv all punishments that the least cost the Lord Jesus his blood and hee that beleev's it not shall pay for it in hell there is no lying hid from God's eye no shift or evasion besides faith and repentance The Lord discover's Original sin to the soul many waies 1. By the special terms of his Word the Lord is in no one thing so emphatical as in the names hee give 's to this poyson Hee call's it the old man the flesh lust concupiscence the law of the members the law of sin reigning in the members the bodie of death and the like 2. By comparison For when the Soul hath had the view of actual sins before as most irksom and now com's to see greater abominations then these as the Lord tell 's Ezek. Chap. 8. 15. Oh! how out of meature sinful seem's it to the soul how doth shee crie out miserable man for mark thus shee speak's although actual sins were enough to sink mee into miserie yet I see they were but evil in respect of their part
nill shee shee shall not onely almost but altogether bee convinced Now to bring the light and the soul close together is the great wisdom of the Spirit in the Ministerie of the Law Somtimes hee first insinuate's into the heart by slight or cunning and trap's the soul ere it bee aware in his net Thus Nathan came upon David Somtimes hee take's the soul napping in the mid'st and her sin while the sent is fresh thus hee deal't with Saul Somtimes by contesting with conscience and urging her to speak truth upon experience 2. By violence and necessitie when no other cours will serv This the Lord doth by threats apart and somtimes by the addition of som works convince Thus God deal't with Saul and with Achan Somtimes the Lord is fain to circumvent a Sinner in his own cours and to bring forth the long-concealed marks of his sin to his face bidding him denie it if hee dare Thus Tamar deal't with Juda. Somtimes by crosses so was Manasses taken in the bushes So the Prodigal Somtimes by patience and long-suffering and thus Saul in a pang was convinced of David's innocencie Vse I. Of sad mourning for the daies wee are in in which this spirit of the Law seem's to bee lost even as the Ark and Ephod were in the daies of the second Temple Oh! it is heavie to ponder how few consciences are rouzed up and gastred from their dregs under Ministeries of 7 10 20 yeers continuance but still the same men and change no color Vse II. Of Admonition both to Ministers and people First to Ministers that they pray and strive for the Spirit of conviction It 's God's gift and one chief part is to bee Ministers of the Spirit not of the Letter The manner of of our dispensation is more then our voice and as much as our matter Secondly to people They must bee warned to shake off their lets of conviction Let the righteouus smite you it shall bee as a balm Thus Abigail was welcom to David Self-love is an Adder which will not hear the voice of the Charmer The sweetness of usurie pleasure lawful libertie eas will bee as a Delilah to keep off the least conviction of the law Vse III. Examin thy self about this weightie work of the law that thou maiest hope to go on more safely Try it by these markes 1. By the love of a convinceing Ministerie and loathing of the contrarie 2. A cleering of God and the righteousness of his law call thy self the Slave sold under sin As hee to Achan give glorie to God Hugg the Chirurgeon that lanceth thee 3. Shame and confusion for sin The Publican durst not look up 4. By thy thanks to God for this merciful work 5. Bee thou under this confusion till God rais thee up Let rottenness enter into thy bones that peace may bee in the day of trouble Crust not over thy sore Wax not wearie of this work of God as most do 6. Let it end in the true consternation of Soul and terror for thy sin Thus far of conviction of judgment II. The second work of conviction is of the whole Soul called Terror and Bondage For when the former work of conviction hath prevailed it work 's thus that such a Soul is under an arrest and seeing it self this sinner this cursed one hee is thereby killed and the Spirit brought into terror and bondage Rom. 7. Paul saith When the Law came I died Meaning in spirit and in conscience That self of jollitie eas and securitie which sin affoarded was nip't and quash't and in stead of it a sad item given to the soul takeing away the taste of her morsels mixing the gall of Asps with her drink and stinging her as an Adder and stabbing her to the heart as a sword for her convinced villanies Yea and none more then this bodie of death which still dogg's her and wound 's her as fast as shee lick's herself whole with all duties or abstinences and works and shifts prooving her a slave sold under miserie and shewing her by nature a world of sin and wo to bear down all her moralitie hypocrisie And yet this terror is not grace but in the Elect a seed of it This work in Scripture is called the Spirit of fear or bondage not bondage to sin but by it whereby as they who are prisoners under chaines do lie in sorrow and horror without escape and hope so do these Their spirit is enslaved to fear their conscience to guilt accusation to the whip of wrath and justice yea crush't down to hell by the torment of such a spirit as cannot sustain it self for the restless anguish thereof but abide's and hang 's between earth and hell This Legal terror is explained by the consideration of three things especially 1. The difference 2. The nature effects and end of it 3. The extremities or abuse of it I. By differencing of it from the former conviction The work of enlightning cast's out ignorance the work of convincing resist's deadness and insensibleness But this third of consternation and terror resist's that pride and jollitie of a sinner over-bearing himself and lifting up himself in his sin without check or remors And this later is of all other the most proper work of the last to tame and beat down the loftie heart of man setting up a law to it self to walk as it listeth without law or fear It is as Leviathan pulling down all children of pride II. By the nature effects and end of it Touching the nature of it It is a presenting more or less of the wrath and penalties due to sin unto the whole man by the conscience for the casting of it down at the feet of God First it 's a presenting for the dead bare letter of the ten Commandements cannot do this by any magical power no it 's the powerful ministerie of the Law which can do it Although in appearance it bee weak yet God setting it on work with the authoritie of his spirit with power to carrie his errand into the soul it shal bee able without fear or flatterie to do it and to do that which no law of Princes can effect even to flait and gaster the Conscience Secondly it doth present the wrath and penalties of sin especially Till these com sin is at peace This wrath I say in the peanalties of it temporal spiritual and eternal the law present's to a sinful soul Thirdly unto the whole man by the conscience for as the law is the worker so the conscience is the immediate object of this wrath God hath made it the lawes object created it with a merveilous power of sensibleness above all parts to record and to apprehend all sin and wrath for it It exceed's the apprehension of any the tendrest part when it is stung with an Adder scalded with water or oyl burnt with fire cut with a sword The sens of conscience seazed with this wrath of God is unspeakable and cannot bee
uttered by man In this it is differenced first from the ignorant erroneous and superstitious conscience not fearing at all or fearing amiss Secondly defiled conscience dallying with God half convinced and half whole Thirdly seared and hardned conscience which by long rebellion and resistance of the law hath got the masterie of the law and is waxen sensless and useless forgetting her offices Fourthly The act of the law in all this is to cast down the soul at the feet of God For there is in nature an intolerable bearing up a mans self in his estate a prideing of himself boldness boasting of sin Hee is so far from beeing ashamed that till the law com home to him thus bee is alive Rom. 7. 9. that is jollie jocand merrie as the fool that cast's arrowes darts and saith Am I not in sport A Sinner's crown is not his bare sin in corners and by stealth that is his wo his law but his crown is his libertie of spirit in it to do what hee list to run ride talk practice to drink swear lie and couzen and no man controll him Now this jollitie and boldness and pride in sin the Lord in his ministerie of the law resist's and that hee doth when hee pull's the sinner upon his knees cast's his crown in the dirt dismount's him as hee did Saul from his Palfrey Acts 9. and the desperate Jaylor in his profaneness and crueltie Acts 16. 27. And those killers of Christ Act. 2. saying Lord what wilt thou have mee to do Oh then hath wrath seazed upon the soul when it hath killed this jollitie and let out this pleurisie out of it And hence it is called the Sacrificeing-knife sharper then any two-edged sword the killing letter that which slew Paul not by mortification but by shedding the blood and bowels of sins jollitie to the ground The effects of this terror are usually three 1. Stoopping in a cours of evill This differ's from the effect of providence whereby the Lord doth limit the number and measure of sin in the wicked for the preservation of peace and civil societie For though that bee a divine work yet it is not the immediate work of the law but either a Providence without a word or els by the general power of the word restraiing sin but this is a special kinde of restraint issueing from the work of the law for the good of the soul so restrained And it is a loathsomness of the soul findeing no joy in old courses beholding them with repenting and irking of thoughts wishing them undon and abhorring to return to them through the terror of conscience beeing under this whip of the law 2. The second effect is shakeing of a rotten peace scil fals secure peace which it take's to herself when God debar's her of all sound peace Esay 57. ult A sinners life is his rotten peace both without a law and with or under a law by sumdrie practice and colors viz. 1. By nuzling himself under flattering meanes 2. Withdrawing from stirring ones 3. Holding off conviction with obstinate error or faneness and coloring with half yeelding and and shew of consent the heart being rotten 3. The third effect of the law is the spirit of bondage The Lord aime's by this to hold and keep the soul whom hee will save from all revolt to former lusts and liberties The spirit of bondage is the frame of a fearful heart held under slaverie and chaines of the law from all escapeing As wee say such a man hath the spirit of mirth or covetousness in which hee is rooted So the Woman is said to have a spit of infirmitie when her diseas had so prevailed over her that shee was crazed by ha bit So the Spirit of bondage Gal. 4. 7. is to bee one sold to it that cannot get out Vse I. Of Admonition to beware wee rest not in this servile estate For it differ's from true fear as much as from true libertie for 1. True filial fear is a load-stone to attract the soul to God this rather of it self drive's from God 2. This fear hath a respect to sin as the occasion onely to punishment as a caus as the slave look's not at sloth but at the whip But true filial fear look's at sin as the proper caus of fear but at punishment as the occasion 3. True fear soften's this rather harden's and imbitter's the heart Examples in Josiah and Ahab 4. It hath excess in it both for the constant assault of it without all intermission in all places duties and occasions and also for the dangerous inconveniences it bring 's after it oftentimes hinder's all fitness of spirit both to dutie and in dutie and defile's all 5. It differ's from true filial fear as doth the fear of an harlot and a loyal wife the one fear's danger and hurt from her husband the other reverence's him for love Vse II. Let none stumble at it for although it bee no better in it self yet the Lord can moderate correct it and guide it so that it shall bee a special medicine to prepare the heart for that which lightness and giddiness would disable it from attaineing God's End in setting thus his law on work is to make way for a sinners reconciliation which otherwise were not possible to work Assoon catch an hare with a taber as a wilde wilful sinner by the charm of the Gospel This appeare's sundrie waies 1. By this meanes God joine's all wholesom doctrine together For it is not his purpose to leave the soul in this case to seek out of herself after eas seeing it 's not in her power But hee himself will have his Minister to join all doctrines together in the order of Catechism both of remedie and miserie in their due order 2. By this consternation hee doth trie and wearie the spirits as in a Labyrinth working them to an utter hopelesness in themselvs to bee better that in such a case the least inkling of mercie might bee as newes out of a far country 3. That by the hear-say of it their hearts might bee raised up to make serious inquisition after it and not to perish in their miserie When the Prodigal was brought to husks at the trough then and never till then the notion of a father pierced him really Vse I First observ how God prevent's a sinner by his wisedom For what is all the complaint of a poor soul when the promise is offred Oh it 's true if I were loaden I doubt not of eas thou liest against thy self thou doest doubt of eas by the promise for of the former thou canst not doubt haveing been enlightned cast down and convinced by the law That then which is the more easie to grant the Lord work 's first as a part of the condition of Grace that is to bee loden that when the harder com's to bee urged that is Faith then the condition already wrought might bee readie to comfort the poor soul 2ly Wonder thetefore
Abhor thirdly a presumptuous heart which haveing heard of som hope abuseth it to forestall the Lord's work Abhor fourthly all means of Satan which might turn off quite or dash and quench this work Yeeld not to the impossibilitie of recoverie run not into despair take not thought for thy sweet sin God will make thee no looser Sculk not into corners to eas thy self of this yoak let God that put it on hold it on his time till hee hath trulie tamed thee If it seem long know there is a caus Vse IV. Let it teach us to pitie the loos and jollie in sin oh they make either work for hell or if God re-call them for the law for their chains must bee hereby increased and they shall meet with a Jailor that will handle them accordingly Oh! hear counsel betimes the counsel of minister husband wife parent master friend yea childe or servant to yeeld to God at the first that so thy yoke may bee the easier Vse V. Of exhortation Burie not this work of the Spirit under these clods of flesh streighten not the spirit of conviction Beg of God that by all these six staires thou maiest fall lower and lower till thou art brought to the earth Ask thy self When Lord shall my laughter light frothie merrie quiet heart bee met with thorowly Lie under this work and suffer affliction Say I see the Lord is in earnest hell is no painted fire the eas of a sinfull cours differ's from that little eas of the law I am in a streight I know not whither to turn mee No wealth friends credit marriage honor eating sleep play or musick can help now Away now all old companions the Lord hath laid sorrow upon my soul such as no tales or jigs can put by my meat is now mingled with gall and God seem's to forsake mee wrath hell and horror are upon mee my nights are wearisom and my daies miserable Chuse rather to bee thus for the killing of thy flesh then at libertie for the death of thy soul And wait in this estate upon God till hee caus light to break out ARTIC VII The LORD leave 's not the Souls of his Children in this miserie but uphold's them by the hopes of the Gospel The Lord where hee mean's to save keep 's not the soul alway in this anguish but cause 's som upholding of his secret spirit to keep up the soul of him whom hee will save from utter extremitie This hee doth by shewing them a door of hope in the wilderness as hee saith in Hos 2. 15. causing som glimps afar off to appear to them as a crevis of light in a Prison-wall as to consider that God hath had a gracious meaning to thousands whom hee hath thus humbled that by hell lie's the way to heaven that God delight 's not in this cours if the rebellion of the heart did not require it that God doth that which the soul shall not know till after hee mean's to make Christ sweet precious and welcom hee begin's to lay som ground of mortisication which in due time the Gospel shall perfect By such glimps of the gospel which God require's to bee joined with the law the Lord keep 's his from revolt to old base lusts from a despair of mercie and undoing themselvs or from a careless dissoluteness which end goe's forward And so haveing upheld them by the chin from sinking for a time hee doth let in light by such degrees as hee see 's them meetest to bear and to keep them low from waxing bold and venturous till at length hee sâ—ttle them upon his promise The Reasons why God useth this method are Reas I. First to keep the Soul from extremities of presumeing or despairing both being dangerous rocks the one separateing the means from the end running to their old liberties and yet hopeing to fare well the other separateing the end from the means after all their humblings yet thinking there is no mercie for them See Jer. 2. 25. Reas II. Secondly hee encourage's such to bear the yoke of the law which otherwise for the tediousness of it would shake it off Reas III. Hee deale's according to the capacitie of their weakness becaus they cannot bear much terror hee ease's them and becaus they dare not hearken to much comfort at once hee giv's them little at once Reas IV. Hee doth it for the honor of his own work of calling hee hath promised to call those whom hee hath chosen which hee should not do if hee left them in these briers Reas V. By this hope hee shewe's them hee is as able to give them his full promise and the effect thereof sound peace as hee can stay them up from sinking when they are at so low an ebb of casting down The LORD work 's this hope By presenting to them duly the sight of a possibilitie to get out of this terror That hee deal's not in afflicting his as with the wicked Esel 27. 7 8. Hee will do it in measure That hee abhor's excess in his terrors Esay 64. 12. That hee bar's none from him who bar not themselvs 2 Chron. 15. 2. That there is a necessitie of afflicting them with such tedious terrors or els hee delight 's not in it That hee hath not don this to destroy but to humble And all these doth hee caus them to digest and to stay themselvs by and fasten upon in more or less measure to keep them from extremitie causing terror to decreas and hope to succeed as wee see in his cours with Job as tedious as it was This hope goeth before faith yet it is such as the Lord enableth to uphold them between the horrors of the law and the grace of the Gospel The marks of this Hope 1. the entrance it is very weak and staggering between fear and hope very doubtful 2. Yet this little hope keep 's from the hardest and desperatest attempts 3. It rather bend's the eie to the end why God troubleth the soul then at the trouble it self in a plodding manner who know's whether hee will asswage and shew mercie for all this 4. It 's wearie of trouble rather by that eas which God sheweth then by tediousness See Hab. 3. 16. 5. It weakly turn's the thoughts to muse what would follow upon it if God should shew mercie Oh this is great newes to one that was so oppressed Oh now therefore to swither up with thoughts of welfare is a great change 6. And lastly trouble decaye's and hope encrease's as that little oyl and meal wasted not till plentie came Vse I. Instruction to God's Ministers to discern wisely of the season of staying the troubled heart For els they may spend much labor in vain It fare's with an heavie heart as with the bleeding wound and the deep humor of Melancholie while the dint is they refuse plaister and counsel And again when they see the season com let them applie God's fittest mid'cines Let terrors serv for the
Passive Obedience His Passive Obedience is his whole humiliation both in the abasement and sufferings of his whole life through the which hee was one smitten of God and humbled yea a man of sorrows and especially that one main suffering upon the cross whereby hee emptied himself most thorowly and yeelded himself a sacrifice most freely to the wrath of his Father by his death that thereby sin with all her penalties inward outward and eternal with that power which the law and all enemies hell and death had thereby over us might bee abolished justice appeased and righteousness and life obtained Rom. 3. 25. Heb. 9. 13 24. 1 Pet. 1. 19. The Passive Obedience stand's in two things 1. The Preparation thereunto 2. The Passion it self 1. The Preparation stood in two things partly the condition hee undertook partly the antecedent suffering of his life For the first it was a willing putting of his neck into the collar of subjection emptying himself of his glorie so far as being the Lord of all to com into the fashion of a servant in which respect hee refused no tearms but despised all shame Phil. 2. 4 5 6. Heb. 12. 2. 3. 2ly Haveing subjected himself to bee a meet object of suffering and sorrow hee became indeed a man of sorrowes through his whole life and therefore hee concealed his glorie further than it made for the discharge of his office of Mediator as a Prophet or a King for then hee step't out of his baseness See Matth. 21. 12. Luke 13. 32. 2. The Passion it self considered two waies 1. In the Parts of it 2. In the moderation of it For the Parts first hee endured the forsaking of his dearest disciples taken by his own servant Judas to suffer intolerable indignities c. Secondly to bee put to the shameful death of the Cross Thirdly to these add the greatest of all both in the Garden and upon the Cross the most bitter cup of wrath which hee drank from the hand of his Father which made him in an agonie to sweat drops of blood and to pray that that cup might pass from him and to crie out My God why hast thou forsaken mee The Moderation of it appeared in this that in all this abasement yet that measure was imposed and no more which suited to the dignitie of the person suffering and to such an one as by suffering merited and could not bee overcom by suffering Hence it was that wee had intermission of all his agonies and fears c. Vse I. The doctrine whereof may affoard us a sweet meditation concerning the excellencie of the grace of the gospel purchased by this satisfaction which will appear by a comparison of the Work of Creation with the Work of Redemption The former was a solemn work when the eternal Word made man according to his own image But when the same eternal Word create's man the second time a few words will not serv but God himself must emptie himself of his fulness and glorie No other price will serv turn but the Actual fulfilling all righteousness and the shedding of his heart-blood At this work not onely men but Angels stand and wonder Oh! that the view of this might ravish our souls with the worth of grace to say The least dram of Grace is more worth then the whole work of Nature If the breath of Creation were such a thing what is Regeneration that cost not a breath but so great a Workmanship of this Active and Passive satisfaction Vse II. Let us abhor the conceit of such Sectaries as imagine there was no necessitie at all of any such price-paying to justice it 's an horrible derogation to Scripture and to the wisdom of God and savoreth of a prophane and audacious spirit rather let it present to us the hideous nature of sin and justice if sin in our selvs will not break our hearts let it break them in the view of Christ broken by them Oh! unspeakable love to be willing to bee pierced by murderers that they might escape to say Oh Father here is the suretie lay no debt or punishment on these debtors I have taken all upon mee if thou wilt needs have the uttermost powr out thy wrath upon him that can satisfie not upon them that cannot trie whether there bee any drop of mourning in thee by this due sight of sin and justice and say O Lord if I were left to bee my own satisfier if thou shouldest have said to Christ as once to Moses Them that sin against mee I will punish of thee I will require nothing oh how terrible had our condition been Vse III. Let this Doctrine consute First all Sectaries who teach that Christ had no guilt cast upon him by justice that Christ suffred nothing in his soul from God's Wrath. Let us abhor such novelties and know if Christ suffred no more the the malice of man there remaineih a necessitie of a second suffering for us from justice Let us beware while wee go about to mince and lessen the sufferings of Christ wee dstroy the truth of a Mediator and bereav the soul of that which should uphold her conflict with justice Secondly Let it teach us to abhor the opinion of those Lutherans who teach that wee must bee possessed wtth the verie self-same righteousness wherewith Christ obeyed and suffered and this they imagine to bee the matter of our justification and that els God cannot in justice acquit us But thus they make Christ serv for no other ends but to make us becom our own Mediator and to destroy his own Thirdly it confute's those Sectaries who affirm God seeeth no sin in any of his if hee have once imputed Christ's righteousness to them This error arise's from not-distinguishing these two Imputation of perfect righteousness and perfect imputeing or accepting of imputed righteousness No man is justified without the former but our faith failing in the acceptance must needs bee looked on by God I confess hee see 's no sin but hee pardon 's it to his in Christ upon faith and repentance but hee punishe's it for their good in mercie Again what if wee grant God see 's no sin in them in respect of their justification Is therefore their Sanctification perfect Why then did David's Adulterie displeas the Lord or why do wee pray forgive us our Debts or why saith our Savior say When all is don yee are unprofitable Fourthly it confute's all such as cut off the active obedience of Christ from the satisfaction as they cut the garments of David's servants by the middle It may bee granted them that the passive is the more immediate consummation of the satisfaction but to exclude the active is most audacious Vse IV. To teach all God's people to abhor the slaverie of hypocrites who if they could shun Hell would never care for Rightousness God's people although they could sin unseen and unpunished yet would loath it They take as deep thought for God as for their own
spared us when wee have broke them pressing in upon us with renuing of good motions and affections which wee had quenched as being loth to lose us giveing us helps and means even out of season after long contempt confessing himself to mean as hee speak's Why lay you out your money and not for bread and your silver for that which profit's not Hearken unto mee eat good things So somtimes by his protestations of his loathness that any poor soul should perish Why will yee die oh yee hous of Israel Anger is not in mee why should flame consume the stubble What should I do to my vine that I have not don Somtimes by his passions and lamentations Luke 19. 42. Oh! that thou hadst seen even in that day the things that concern thy peace but now they are hidden Those tears and mournings over Jerusalem for her hard heart and contempt have been and are still over thee If there bee any dampings and streightnings of spirit thou hast caused them by thy dalliance and heart that would not repent But the Lord for his part still crie's How oft would I have gathered thee as the Hen doth her chickens Somtimes by his writeings to this feast of his Son somtimes by his contestation somtimes by his entreaties and earnest exhorting somtimes by his allurements to perswade and toll on the heart that hang's off by the promise of all the good things which hee offereth somtimes by his severe threats to all that refuse his offers all these shew how willing and cordial hee is to part with his grace and lastly somtimes by the universalitie of it that hee dispenceth it without all respect of persons age sexes states and conditions who exempt not themselvs But the special properties of this offer are three 1. Libertie 2. Simplicitie 3. Fidelitie First hee offer 's to whom hee pleaseth passing by millions of people in the world so that it is meerly unconditional and free as when Paul came to Athens or Ephesus who had never heard of the Gospel before Secondly the Lord beeing truly pacified in Christ offer 's it simply hithout grudging with an open heart meaning as hee speak's Thirdly Fidelitie whereby hee doth most readily and fully perform whatsoever hee offer 's to all who put him to the triall and accept it This is the main hinge whereupon the door of Hope and Faith turneth For an Offer is no otherwise differing from a promise then as a general out of which a particular issueth the promise is included in an offer but yet in special expressing the covenant of God to all that express the offer that hee will receiv them bee their God both in pardon and all-sufficiencie Into these the soul doth wholy powr out herself which that wee may understand consider this that wee have to do with the Father immediately but with our Lord Jesus onely mediately as a mean to lead us with confidence to him The Father properly look's at the Son as our Suretie and us for his sake but wee look at him directly and to our Lord Jesus as our Mediator So that look what wee can shew for our reconciliation must com from the Father and that is his offer and promise oath and covenant of mercie Into that therefore the poor soul is to resolv it self all her doubts fears temptations and distempers whatsoever Vse 1. This teache's us to adore the depth of God's justice against sin that hath still left so many Nations in their utter darkness and brutish ignorance of the Gospel How should this woful desertion provoke us to prize the revelation of this Mysterie to us as for them how should we pittie them Vse II. Secondly this is terror to all Papists that maliciously hide and darken this precious offer of God in the Gospel from the eies of the blinde people terror to all profane scorners who reject the Gospel and prize their swine their pottage their pleasures eas and pomp more then the Gospel reproof of all Non-discerners of this Grace of the Gospel the feet of a Minister shoul bee beautiful in this main respect though others also beecaus hee bring 's glad tidings of peace Vse III. Reproof to all that sleight the Gospel in the offer thereof prefer their oxen and farms their self-love ends and liberties before it Vse IV. Advertisement to God's Ministers to magnifie their Ministerie in deed and practice by beseeching the people to bee reconciled to God Vse V. This should scare all from infidelitie and contempt of God's offer Oh! it 's free and from meer good will the Lord is tied to none Hee hath rejected millions of Jewes and Turks and Baptized ones and chosen to offer grace to thee And shall the contempt of the free offer of that which thousands would have been glad of upon the price of going from sea to sea for it bee pardonable Do but consider what woful punishment will lie upon thee who refusest such an offer laid in this lap When as many poor souls would rejoice if the spending of dayes and nights might procure them a tender and believing heart to receiv it and yet complain that they cannot com by it Oh tremble at the freedom of this offer Bee humble and base in thy self to consider but this I am a poor wretch standing to the mercie of a free God who hath it to give where hee will and to denie it at his pleasure If hee give it to a prodigal son and denie it to a moral civilian if hee give it to one that came into the vineyard at the eleventh hour and denie it to him that came in at the seventh if hee denie it to the willer and runner and bee found of such as sought him not who shall alledg against freedom May hee not do with his own as him please's Oh! despise none least the Lord make the despiser seek to the despised and bee glad of their portion Oh! turn all emulation and scorn into humilitie and deep adoring of this freedom Vse VI. Dallie not with this offer of grace There is a while of it a season annexed to the offer The same breath which urgeth to receiv the grace of God add's a charge For hee hath said In an accepted time I have heard thee and in the day of salvation have I succored thee Oh that in that thy day thou hadst seen Now when is this day Surely it is not the day of possible mercie but of seasonable mercie Then when as besides health means and the offer of grace the Lord putt's a special spirit into the Ministerie of the Word so that it pierce's into the heart with perswasion when the terrors of it are weightie and serious the promise it is as the early fruit in Summer welcom and savorie when sin is bitter to the soul and when it is irksom to it to bee out of God's favor When the heart break 's and mourn's after God and can spend nights after dayes in seeking and it cannot bee
in and by which God convey's them Concerning these benefits of Christ consider three things 1. The Difference 2. The Order 3. The Nature and use of them to the Soul I. There is a four-fold difference of them First Election is before time and presupposeth nothing but the first caus of God's good pleasure and will justification reconciliation and the rest in time and presuppose Christ really theirs and issue immediatly from him Secondly in respect of the benefits that follow Christ In which respect Vocation differ's from all the rest for Vocation is not the fruit of Faith as the rest are but of Election seeing whom God elected hee called to know it the rest are fruits of calling to faith as to bee justified adopted c. Thirdly in respect of those which concern us in this life and those that reach to a better The former beeing such as reliev the necessitie of our present condition in which wee are imperfectly conformed to Christ in his estate of humilitie and beset with sin Satan and enemies of this nature are our justification reconciliation adoption and the like which all shall ceas as faith hope and patience shall in respect of the evils they do here conflict withall those that concern the life to com belong to that Image of God renued in us in righteousness and holiness which abide for ever begun here in grace and perfected in glorie Fourthly in respect of the benefit it self which shall abide for ever instead of an earthly paradise with old Adam wee shall enjoy heavenly mansions with Christ in the presence of GOD and there have this image and our mortalitie perfected In all agree that they are the work of the Spirit of Christ setling all his benefits upon the believer II. The Order of them 1. Is Vocation or regeneration as it concerneth the way and mean of begetting to God 2. Is Vnion 3. Is Regeneration 4. Is Justification 5. Is Reconciliation 6. Is Adoption 7. Is Redemption 8. Is Sanctification immediately issuing from it containing the mortifying and quickning work of the Spirit 9. Is Glorification III. The nature and use of them to the Soul 1 Vocation wch is a work of the Spirit issuing from election whereby whom the Lord hath chosen to bee his hee bring 's to know it And that by the voice and call of the outward Word and inward Spirit crying to their souls thus Com out of her my people and return to mee Com out from thy former corrupt estate of sin subjection of Satan curs miserie lewd customs error of the wicked hell and return to that blessedness which thou hast lost Calling is that whole workmanship of God whereby hee pull's the soul from a bad estate to a good bee it longer in working or shorter darker or cleerer easier or harder it 's the drawing of it from darkness to light Act. 26. 18. From whence it 's drawn is an unregenerate estate That whereto is faith between these the whole work of God is Calling It stand's in these two parts 1. The prepareing Work 2. The finishing The former is that by which the Lord findeing the heart uncapable of a promise bring 's it and prepare's it to bee such an one as may see it self capable and under condition of believing such an one as may believ The later is that by which the LORD doth finish the work of faith with power which is the condition of the Gospel without which no man can partake any of the priveledges following For it succeed's the condition of the Law and in stead of Do this saith Believ this and live Note well these Preparation is the condition of faith and faith the condition of the covenant These preparations are partly Legal partly Evangelical When the Spirit of God by both leav's such an impression in a troubled soul under the spirit of bondage it com's by the sight of the Gospel to so much hope as work 's the heart to mourning and brokenness to desire mercie to esteem it and to bee nothing in its own eies in comparison of it together with diligent unweariedness till it have obtained it All which are the preventions and assistance of the spirit of Calling drawing the soul home to God by such steps and degrees as the soul is capable of II. Vnion which is the work of the Spirit of Christ making the Lord and the Soul one spirit and causing the soul to partake by vertue thereof all that power of his both in priveledges and graces which follow For it 's sure the soul can no more receiv ought from God till it bee one with him by Christ then Christ could merit any thing for us till the Deitie and flesh were really united and no more then the bodie and soul can impart or receiv to or fro till they bee one Till wee bee one with God in Christ wee are without him in the world The Lord abhorring all relations that want Union but if once united then hee is in us wee in him hee dwell's in us wee in him as an inhabitant in his hous and the soul in the bodie hee is one with us wee are of him 1 Cor. 1. 30. in him Joh. 17. flesh of his flesh hee is our husband and wee are his spous and therefore hence issueth all virtue vigor and power into us that is meet for our support either earthly or spiritual till our union bee perfected in glorie In this Vnion four things are considered 1 The Necessitie of it 2. The difference of creäted Union from gracious Union with the caus of it 3. How this Union is wrought in the soul 4. The Effects which follow upon it First Vnion with God is necessarie to all that would partake his graces It was in the Creation till the Lord had breathed the spirit of life and himself into him Adam could have no communion with God so it is in this second Creätion No benefit no fruit thereof can com to the soul till this second creätion and union bee But by this as by a channel the rest follow Reconciliation with amitie Adoption with worship and libertie c. The second thing is the difference of Vnions The Union of grace is not like that of creätion neither in the measure nor in the instrument of it Not in measure for in the creätion there was a total and immediate Union in that kinde and it was a perfect one haveing God's image in it without set or impeachment This Union of grace is an imperfect Union for measure in this life beecaus the relicks of corruption and old Adam as dross mixing themselvs with the soul suffer not God and it to knit fully Secondly instruments of Union are unlike That of the Creation needed no other tie or band save the immediate presence of God in his image which had then no sin nor let to divide it That Union which now is encumbred with lets and enemies must needs bee maintained by a band of greater perfection then
the Apostle saith of Baptism the seal of this Covenant in the blood of Christ viz. That it saveth us not by washing away the filth of the flesh but by the answer of a good conscience to God by the Resurrection of Christ What is that Surely this that when the Lord ask's the soul in what plight it is the conscience step 's out and answer's Lord it 's well with mee It was as ill as could bee but now it 's as well as can bee Thou hast changed all in a moment for in stead of war I have peace Vse I. This first teache's us the woful state of all unregenerate ones in point of guilt and curs of sin There is no peace saith my God to the wicked The waies of peace they have not known Rom. 3. and they have not seen the things which concern their peace Vse II. Secondly let all that hear this behold the wonderful priveledg of a believer and admire it yea seek to have it their portion This is the first step to all other benefits Doest thou look upon a beleever Thou seest a precious object a son of Peace Hee carrie's that within his bosom which cost the Son of God his heart blood which far exceed's all Gold and pearls For why Hee hath peace within hee is at league with all fears and in the suburbs of all prosperitie Vse III. Let all such as have got this prais God and keep it Pray yee with the Apostles The peace of God rule our hearts and mindes Lord establish our feet with this preparation of the Gospel and let it bee as the Soldiers shooes of brass enabling us to walk upon the pikes safely Oh! buy this jewel but sell it not Nourish it in your souls first by abhorring all sins that waste the Conscience Ensue peace if wee desire holiness Take heed of any secret closeing with sin upon any fals colors dispensations and distinctions in a nibbleing kinde and dallying with som degrees when wee dare not attempt greater preserv it from the dailie soil of appearances of lawful liberties from the encroaching of eas worldliness slightness formalitie and the like V. Benefit Reconciliation The fift Benefit is Reconciliation contrarie to the blemish of Enmitie with God and God with us bringing us into amitie and favor with him again Eph. 1. 5. Paul call's it our acceptation and belovedness with God The substance of this doctrine is opened in three points 1. Wherein the nature of this benefit stand's 2. How God confer's it on the Soul 3. What use may bee made of it For the first The benefit of Reconciliation offered by Christ is the firm solid agreement and friendship of the soul with the Lord of heaven who before was our deadly adversarie For the opening whereof survey a little these few branches First from hence issueth a Covenant of God made with the soul and of the soul with him Deut. 26 17 18 19. The Lord hath avouched thee this day to bee his peculiar people as hee hath promised thee c. A sweet text As the Lord disclaimed and disavowed us in Adam so by the reconcilation of the second Adam hee vouchsafeth and acknowledgeth us to bee his Secondly hence our behavior and cours becom's acceptable as Abel's sacrifice for his persons sake was accepted so that in all our service allegïance we are wel-pleasing though in him whom first God was wel-pleased Thirdly hence also flow the most excellent favors and graces of his Spirit conferred upon us that hee might the more take pleasure in us as a Bridegtoom doth in his Bride and spous whom hee hath and adorned Fourthly the All-sufficiencie of God as as a fauntain is set open by this sluce of Reconciliation For hereby the Lord can beteam the soul all support and all that is needful for this and a better life And this All-sufficiencie reacheth to soul and bodie All things are yours as you are Christs and Christ God's Fifthly the Emnitie of the whole frame is reduced to an Amitie with them there is a league made with heaven earth and hell that nothing shall hurt them Heaven shall not bee as brass nor the earth as iron The beasts of the field shall bee at league enemies shall turn friends becaus their waies pleas God Sixthly it restore's us to our blood not onely to our dignitie in person but in our posteritie Seventhly hence issueth the gift of perseverance to bee endued with a loyal spirit and with faithfulness never to depart from the fear of God Eighthly hence issueth a sweet Reflex of this Amitie of the Lord with the soul a very pledg of that felicitie in heaven which shall fill the glorified soul in the sight of God Faith I say present's a privitie and consciousness of this holie agreement with God with unspeakable securitie of heart and soul which none can utter save they that feel it Secondly the way how the Lord confer's it and that is by the spirit of Reconciliation in the Word working by the embassadors of it 2 Cor. 5. 20. whereof there are four steps 1. By this spirit the Lord discover's and present's a light to the Soul in the right colors and in the glass of the Law of her in-bred and naturall contrarietie to God and trecherous enmitie of spirit such and so deep as doth perpetually fight against him yea reject the covenant of amitie offered by him Thirdly hee discover's himself to such a soul that hee hath afforded to her a price of reconciliation even the blood of the Covenant not onely to compound and mitigate som extremities of Enmitie but even to abolish it all and nail it to his Cross Fourthly if this prevail to break and shew to the soul the bottomless love which lay hid in the bosom of God who was in Christ and is in the Spirit and Word of Christ reconciling the world to himself Fifthly the Spirit of Reconciliation fasten's the offer of being reconciled to God upon this poor soul by the instrument of faith the best make-peace that ever was which faith over-power's the enmitie of the soul by the excess of amitie and mercie in God and as it were compell's it to bee reconciled Shee apprehend's so much compassion in the bosom of God as to drown all enmitie therein as in the bottom of the sea And so to kiss the Son swear allegiance and com in The third thing is the Use of this Doctrine Vse I. Terror to all unreconciled ones Oh! yee are out of favor with God Is there not enough in this to scare you Tell a favorite whose life rest's in the Princes favor that his Prince is out with him and his breath is stop't yee choak him What a plight was Haman in when his face was covered Tell mee if God's favor bee as life What is his enmitie Vse II. This is instruction to teach all sorts the excellencie of this priveledg No other amitie is like it onely in this and by it other
him to each poor member of his Church there to dwell for ever both in grace and glorie Now to conclude I demand what one link of this chain were not strong enough to draw the heart to settle it self upon it And yet I must say this That the word and promise of God is the immediate thing which faith relie's upon although strengthned with all the rest To this consideration two things generally are required The one to gage the promise and offer of God as a Marriner would sound the depth of the sea least his ship should bee on ground so see whether it bee able to bear the weight of the soul or no and answer all her distempers and fears fully The second if it appear that it is able to sustein it then to relie and cast it self upon it confidently for her own pardon and salvation Although the Marriner cannot himself by his own fadom touch the bottom of the sea yet by his line and plummet hee can sound it as well as if hee could reach it with his hand and so fasten his Anchor upon it So here the plummet and cable of the Word wherein this strength and depth lie's will help us out so far as may serv our turn The hand of faith touche's the depth of mercie conteined in the offer by the direction of the Spirit in the Word which tell 's us what is conteined therein Three things the Soul must look at to bottom it self upon the promise of reconciliation and deliverance First the Wisdom of the Lord. Secondly the Strength Thirdly the Faithfulness All which are sure grounds the Lord hath hidden in the promise of mercie to a poor sinner that is under the condition 1. Wisdom of the promiser I may say of it as the holy Ghost said of Salomon when hee called for a sword to cut the childe All Israel saw that God had put the Spirit of Wisdom into him to do justice So God hath shewed all wisdom in the promise to settle the soul And that in two respects First of himself Secondly of us in respect of himself becaus in revealing his heart of love to the soul onely hereby and no other way hee teacheth us that hee who is God onely wise 1 Tim. 1. 17. could in the depth of his counsel finde out no other way so wise and sufficient as this to ground the soul in sure peace towards him Christ and the promise in him was that which seemed the wisest of all waies in the thought of God especially to us under the Gospel See Heb. 1. 1. After sundrie waies the Lord spake unto our Fathers in dark times as dreams Urim visions but now by his Son and Word the engraven form c. Note how this course is called the best wisest and holdingest of all as haveing more in it then all the rest Oh! wee would think in our shallowness that one from the dead Angels or revelations were better But wisdom it self hath pitch't upon this way all things considered as the wisest of all Secondly in respect of us for it is such a way as call's us to faith a promise haveing relation to believing it without which it cannot profit us Now if it bee without us how wise a way is it to quash and damp our base spirit of self-conceit and self-endeavor and to abase our Pride that hee who boasteth might boast in the Lord So that the promise is like a Map which a wise man shewed once to a fool that boasted of his lands bidding him to point out his lands in the Map which being narrow hee could not do and so went away ashamed Note then for this First wee all would bee counted wise many in these daies chuse to bee counted rather dishonest then unwise Well let us then bee wise for our selvs and wise to salvation in chusing this way of a promise to ground our souls upon Wee see not the Lord But if this bee a wiser way then that think there is somwhat in it then at first might seem more and fasten upon it 2. The strength of God Read 1 Sam. 15. The strength of Israel cannot lie meaning in his word So then in the Word of God is his strength also enough to bear up the poor soul in believing Heb. 1. 3. Hee bear's up all the weight of the World by the word of his power How much more the weight of a weak soul See Esay 27. 5. Anger is not in mee there is a word What follow 's Or take hold of my strength and make peace q. d. if I bee reconciled there is strength enough and that for a sinner to take hold of either this or nothing Read 2 Cor. 1. 20. For all the promises of God in him are Yea and Amen that is sure and strong but mark how In him the words that I speak are spirit and life But wherein is this strength Surely in the forenamed grounds of this second part Christ's satisfaction the Father's acceptation are those pillars of strength to a promise without which it would not avail to go to a promise Weigh seriously that noted text 2 Corin. 5. 20 21. The Ministers of God in his Name offer and seal up in the Word and Sacraments that word bee reconciled to God What saith the soul to this I dare not God is a consuing fire True saith Paul but anger is not in him Why becaus hee hath made and accepted him that knew no sin to bee sin that wee might bee the righteousness of God in him hee that said In him I am well pleased Shall a poor soul bee then as Noah's dove upon the waters Why say yee to my soul flie to the hils if God bee his strong hold If thou bee under the condition of the promise hee is no less in his promise Take a similitude A man lie's in prison for debt of an hundred pound A friend com's to him and bid's him com out hee answer's I cannot I lie here for debt and then there appear a strength unto him and laying hold of it hee com's out Read that in Rom. 3. 25. God hath set him forth to bee propitiation that hee might bee just in justifying him who is of the faith of Jesus What saith the poor sinner to this Oh! but it is just with God to punish sin wheresoever Nay haveing made and accepted him the propitiation for a broken soul it is even just to pardon him It was mercie to grant such propitiation but haveing so don it is also justice to pardon even as it is not just to take one debt twice Therefore David plead's Pardon mee according to thy righteousness Christ haveing turned just wrath into just mercie To conclude this note yet a second strength in the promise for the poor soul still cavill's But this is to a believer I believ not I answer But the promise by the power of the spirity of our Advocate is able to do that which it required it 's not a killing
still mai'st hear the word which is a favor for an Angel but that thou breathest in the aire or treadest upon the earth Thou objectest If thy hard heart were not so hideous upon thee thou couldst hope But I answer What hath caused it save thy self that wofull hardner which would get out of her fears by her own way and so hath dallied out the time and hardned thee But the promise tell 's thee if thou would'st trade with it thou should'st finde a contrarie effect Thou wilt say True if I were elected I might but I feel that I am not The promise will shew thee God's cords in thy dungeon and the robes which hee offer 's thee and will ask thee Dost thou not see mercie at the bottom At which end of the ladder would'st thou go up What hast thou to do with Election when the cords are so near thee or why would'st thou to heaven when the word is thy heart Thou wilt say Thou art most unworthie sinful and cursed and thy sin is ever before thee Yea it is so But why elsâ— should mercie offer it self save to the miserable Yea but then thou hast long continued a wretch and saped thy self in sin The promise will tell thee This objection from self-deceit as if thou might'st plead mercie if thy sins were smaller or thy self better whereas thy plea must bee the greatness of grace not the smalness of sin But my heart hath been hardned against mercie it self and dallied with it The promise will tell thee The Lord JESUS died for them that slew the Lord of life and for sins against the Gospel also Yea but thou saiest many have been converted since I began The Word will replie God hath all the hours in the day to work in if thou wilt attend him the eleventh as well as the seventh Thou wilt object If God had mean't mee good I should have felt it long since The Lord will tell thee so thou hast if thou wert not unthankful for it and rather delightest in descanting than believing Bee encouraged to hearken to the promise if thou would'st see all distempers drowned in the sea A second motive to believ may bee the heavie doom of unbelievers Their condemnation is of all others deservedly the fearfullest wors then the furnace of Nebuchadnezzar heat thrice hotter They had the Son of God in the mid'st of it with them therefore felt it not these contemn the Son of God they tread the blood of the Covenant under foot and count it a vain thing and count eternal life unworthy of them Therefore it shall consume them without consumption for ever If our Gospel bee hid it is so to them that perish The condemnation of the world is That they hated light that is not the light of the Law but of the Gospel the promise Hee that hath surfeited his bodie by intemperancie may die but hee that throw's the potion sent him the onely one which can cure him against the walls must needs die If they who despised Moses Law died how far greater judgment are those worthie of who sin and that finally against this Remedie can they resist the force of this Rock falling upon them and grindeing them to powder I deny not but even moral sins standing in relation to infidelitie either as causes Joh. 3. 19. or as effects 1 Tim 1. 13. are in themselvs damnable How much more unbelieving it self which make's them so Do not think this still stream is safe it 's the most deep and deadly gulf It oppose's the wisdom the counsel of God the depth of his riches of love the second love of mercie above the first creätion the providence of God's dispensation appointing this as the best way for redemption the direct way for the magnifyiug of his bottomless grace who could finde in his heart to love enmitie it felf and hate holiness in a sort that hee might love sinful enemies it resist's the omnipotent power of God in creäting man The second time of wors then nothing it disannul's his attributes his offer truth and faithfulness make 's God a lier chuse's a wors choice then Eve and Adam did hell before heaven and therefore deserv's to die that death which it hath chosen Oh! therefore judg of this sin by the spiritualness of it and prevent a treble hell by humble accepting and believing promise Lastly to conclude this doctrine should teach all God's people to keep their eies upon this Mirror of the Promise so closely till it transform them from glorie to glorie The least glimpse of mercie in the promise is glorious yet the Lord is not idle in his peoples hearts but that hee can reveal himself more clearly and gloriously to them day by day if they bee not in fault and lay barrs in his way For as the day from the dawning to noon-tide so the promise encreaseth in light where once the day-Star is risen The righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith there is a spirit of the promise whereby God sealeth his people after they have once believed so that as Rom. 8. The Spirit fellow-witnesseth with us about our adoption our redemption our reconciliation all are ours wee are the Lord 's Many haveing got som flashes of hope by the Woâ—d rest there go no further wax waily wanton frothie thinking any of their own humors may well complie with the glad tidings of Heaven and so shake off their fears and turn grace into wantonness But if the true Spirit of the Promise were in them their Covenant would draw them to seek more assurance evidence and hold then before Therefore let us look to this work of the Spirit And to this end trie it by these few marks First such an heart growe's lower and lower in it self daily by how much grace growe's higher and the reproach of God in his fulness cause 's the soul to crie Depart from mee a sinful wretch It work 's not lightness Secondly such an heart hath much busied it self in and about the faithfulness of the promises that so the Lord may as by an earnest 2 Cor. 1. 22. give her his seal to assure her Thirdly shee feel's the priviledges accompanying pardon to bee hers and out-grow's her fears bondage doubts assaults temptations by the spirit of libertie peace joy thanks admiration c. Fourthly shee grow's in the seal of holiness as well as of assurance beeing more zealous fruitful upright hereby Fifthly shee covet's the use of Baptism appointed to seal her Sixthly shee grow's more real savorie setled more confident in praier and more lively in hope more readie to die more mortified in lusts more cheerfull and fruitful in communion of Saints THE THIRD PART ARTIC I. That hee who is in CHRIST is a new Creature THe Scripture expresseth this sundrie waies all tending to the same end all may bee reserred to these heads for either they look at the main principle of the Spirit of sanctification as when the tearms of renovation
world thinking they have for saken them Vse I. Of instruction to all new creatures to wonder that the Lord will accept them to bee so and take them after their refuse-stuff and service to old Iusts to bee new men Who would think it that the Lord shoud chuse such defiled temples of idols lust and lewdness to dwell in Who would think hee would admit of those nastie sties of unclean thoughts those cagesof pride uncleanness and self-love powers and members of bodie and soul that have been so defiled to bee weapons of righteousness Oh what encouragement is it for old creatures to becom new Vse III. It should admonish all to take heed how they meddle with any believers in Christ to hurt discourage reproach or pursue them Let us know they are new creatures and the workmanship of God him that defaceth God's image will God destroy Beware touch not the anointed of God do his image no wrong Vse IV. If the Lord will have others to beware how they deface God's creaures how much more should wee his new cretaures take heed of defileing our selvs Oh! if God have made yee so beware yee cast not dung in his face and pollute not his image Vse V. It's use of consolation to a believer The Lord esteem's him by his best part his bent and stream and not by his defects As a man call's a dunghil precious for the pearl in it and as a man would call wine mix't with water Wine and corn full of weeds Corn becaus of of the better part So here the Spirit and bent of the heart denominate's a Christian with God Vse VI. Of Examination for all that would bee sure to know the new creature to be found in them Trie it by the room wherein yee place it the best things require the best place the image of God in Christ drawn by the Spirit will endure no room but the most inward part of the soul ARTIC II. The whole conversation of a believer must bee renued THat is that holiness bee exercised and set on work in the cours of our life which somtime in the Scripture is called the Ordering of conversation aright See Psal 50. ult Somtimes our walking with God Gen. 17. 2. Luk. 1. 6. So also our liveing righteously holily and soberly in this present life somtimes our serving him in fear all our daies somtimes the haveing of a good conscience Act. 25. 1. And lastly the holding out of a good conversation See Matth. 5. 16. So 1 Pet. 3. 2. Eph. 5. 8. 2 Pet. 3. 11. For explication of this two things are to bee considered of this Conversation 1. The circumstances 2. The substance I. The circumstances concern 1. Either the Persons who must lead this conversation 2. Or the conversation it self I. Circumstances concerning Persons bind all sorts equally to the good behavior without prescription or exception that in their several 1. Estates as in 2. Conditions as in each trade or calling 3. Relations as masters servants parents children c. 4. Degrees rich poor noble ignoble learned ignorant c. Prosperitie Adversitie II. Circumstances concerning conversation it self are 1. Order that the chief service of God bee preferred before the meaner 2. Proportion between dutie and dutie zeal with wisdom c. 3. Beautie giveing to each dutie her due respect not onely doing but looking how 1. In time that religious cours bee first attended then worldly Mat. 6. 33. 2. In honor lesser must give place to greater II. Substance of conversation II. Substance of conversation may bee referred to these three heads either 1. To those Graces which qualifie a good conversation vid. A 2. Subject wherein conversation consist's vid. B 3. Object which it look's at vid. C A 1. Graces which qualifie a good conversation are of two sorts General Special General are either Graces of Qualitie Quantitie I. Graces of Qualitie are five 1. Wisdom which is a determining of generals to specials both of actions and circumstances according to Christian rules Phil. 4. 6. It keep 's a decorum in all actions 2. Simplicitie which look's at truths in their naked nature without mixture of fleshly conceit 3. Sinceritie looking alwaies at right ends it hath a pure aim at God's glorie opposite to hypocrisie 4. Faithfulness not revolting or warping either for allurements or threats 5. Integritie towards all the commandements of God without partialitie II. Graces of Quantitie or measure are two 1. Prosperitie or welfare of the soul which hath three parts 2. Continuance whereby it giv's not in nor is wearie in wel-doing and it is contrarie to staggering sloath and eas 1. Rootedness contrarie to sleightness 1 Cor. 15. ult 2. Fruitfulness abundant in wel-doing 3. Growth 2 Pet. ult Special graces of the Soul are 1. Righteousness which giv's everie one his due 2. Prudence which wisely accommodate's it self to the occasions of actions as it judgeth most expedient 3. Courage which goeth thorow all dangers and streights patiently and waiteth by faith and hope for a good issue 4. Soberness which ordereth a man in the use of his lawful liberties aright and keep 's a man from excess therein 5. Humilitie which teacheth a man to think meanly of himself as knowing his own wants and shame 6. Chastitie whereby a man possesseth his vessel in holiness and honor 7. Thankfulness whereby the receiver is duly affected toward the author of any good Sundrie other virtues there are of which is sufficiently spoken in the Article of Communion Part. 2. Yet a true Christian must look to nourish moral vertues in his ordinarie conversation as well as religious in the fellowship of Saints B 2. The Subject wherein conversation consist's i. e. the regenerate person It stand's in three things as the instruments by which a Christian doth and must ordinarily convers vix 1. Thoughts 2. Affections 3. Actions I. Thoughts they are the first mover in the soul and from them issueth either good or bad life they are the master-wheel Concerning these observ three things 1 Rule Let it bee our continual care to keep the thorow-fare of the the soul free from the evil of them as by pardon so by purgeing of them daily 2 Rule Season thy imagination and the doors of thy senses with holy meditations 3 Rule Watch over thy thoughts as men do over thievs and ask whence they com and whither they will ere they pass 4 Rule Attend seriously on holy objects to fix thy imagination on good things Es 26. 5 Rule Let all thy springs bee in the Lord Psal 87. 7. even the root of thy whole conversation II. Affections These are the wheels of the soul indeed and upon them the soul is either hurried to evil or led to good Helps for the right ordering of them 1. Nourish the fire of the holie Ghost kindled in us in our first regeneration and applie it daily to the shamâ—ing purgeing out and consumeing of these lusts Gal. 5. 2. Apply the merit and look at
the example of the Lord Jesus in all the whole conversation of his affections 3. Learn to take a right mark of the right objects of our affections and that will shame us when by loosing or mistakeing our right mark wee do fasten them bafely and indirectly Our anger is too good to bee set on carnal revenge our love too good for base lusts c. 4. Get the soul setled in peace and this will rule our spirits that neither fear nor hope shall much unsettle us but wee shall possess our souls with patience in the mid'st of all distempers III. Actions Touching which observ four rules 1 Rule They must bee warranted by the Word either in doing not doing or suspending Without knowledg the heart is not good Pro. 19. 3. 2 Rule They must bee don in a right manner or els wee sin And this manner of doing require's two things First that they bee don in the state of wel-pleasing Secondly welpleasingly The former is an assurance that the person please's God The later is a cleaving to the qualitie of performance that it bee pure 3 Rule They must bee don in a right measure The Lord must bee served with the best of us Within by the best of our souls Without by the best extent of our abilities And that wee keep no fals measure within us 4 Rule They must bee don to a right end viz. The glorie of God good of his brethren and peace of his own heart â— 3. The Object of our conversation which is two-fold 1. Spiritual with God himself 2. With man in common life 1. With God himself Godly conversation is that communion which a renued soul hath with God And it is twofold Inward Outward Inward stand's in two things 1. Either the life of faith 2. The exercise of the graces of the spirit within the soul I. In the life of faith which is soul's enjoying of God Christ our sanctification by all his promises concerning life and godliness The particular objects of the life of faith are reduced to four heads 1. Estates viz. 1. Prosperitie The soul cleav's to God in the promise of his All-sufficiencie Gen. 17. 1. and 1 Cor. 3. end All things are yours c. 2. Adversitie The soul cleav's to God in the promise of his protection redemption 1 Cor. 1. 30. 2. Means-useing The soul cleav's unto God by the promise for the power and blessing of and upon all his ordinances 3. Duties The soul cleav's to God by a promise for strength to give us the grace to do what hee commandeth 4. Graces The soul cleav's to God in the promise and the grace of the Lord Jesus for a supplie of grace convenient for it self both for number and measure Joh. 1. 17. From his fountain wee receiv grace for grace like for like so many for so many II. In the exercise of the graces of his spirit For as Merchants and chapmen have the policie and traffique for wares and money so the godly have their commerce with the Lord for Grace Phil. 3. 19. And this stand's in these three things 1. In the increas of their Graces 2. In the rejoicing in the growth and increas they have had 3. And especialiy their tradeing is in heaven by that precious hope which is an earnest-pennie of their inheritance and therefore they never think of it but it glad's their hearts So much of the inward convers with God Outward convers of the soul with God is that holie correspondencie which it hold's with God in outward services These are of two sorts 1. Ordinarie 2. Occasional 1. Ordinarie viz. 1. First a satisfying of the soul with the Lord's image at our awakeing with a saluteing of his promise for renewed pardon and grace 2. A seeking of his face as oft in the day as may bee for renewed humiliation for pardon of renewed â—ins grace to purge and season the soul thanks for renewed compassions 3. A reviveing of covenant with him for closer purpose and bent of heart towards him 4. A daily recording of God's peculiar administrations and providence to us in patience c. 5. A finishing of each day so as wee viewing it over may bee humbled or comforted and so lie down in peace 2. Occasional is the service of the time Act. 13. 36. by which wee rest not onely in our ordinarie service of God but reach our souls to the condition of the times wee live in accordingly carrying ourselvs either in affliction or thanksgiveing as occasion require's II. Branch viz. our conversation with men in common life This the Psalmist call's the ordering of conversation aright and it is the wise accommodation of a Christian to the several passages that befall us unavoidably in this our common cours of life as marriage companie or solitariness liberties earthlie business calling familie-government common talk c. Generul rules for all Generally touching all note this That God abhorr's all common prophane usages of the world in these things and will have his people carrie about them the cognizance of new creatures and holy ones that they may not make religion odious by their corrupt behavior and makeing use of each other therein for their own ends but that the graces of God may break out and shine in the order of their conversation to the glorie of our profession Special rules for Marriage Beeing married first in the Lord they loath to make it a common thing for the use of each other but first improoving it chiefly for God and the mutual good of their souls worshipping God together makeing him umpire of all their differences nourishing matrimonial love as a sacred knot and to that end observing each others graces for the strengthening thereof Cutting off all jars in the begining and yet not agreeing together for base ends but for holy If these rules and the like were observed how might the order of this one part set in order all other parts of our cours Whereas the disorder of this wheel cause 's all other to bee distempered children unrulie servants ungoverned and all out of frame Rules for mens Callings First beware of an unlawful Calling Then of picking quarrels with your callings Change not your Calling at your pleasure but cling to thy Calling to keep thee from noisom lusts eas sloath and lewd companie which nothing but a Calling will prevent As that Martyr blessed God for holy wedlock so do thou for an honest Calling Secondly use it not for base ends of gain money and the like but to serv providence mortifie thy lust and prepare thee for duties of worship Thirdly let an order bee set in thy Calling that it hinder not Religion in thy Familie neither let Religion hinder thy Calling but both know and keep their bounds Fourthly Neglect not thy Calling suddenly to attend upon needless pleasure travels companies drinkings to leav thy familie in a distemper without either provision or government but instead of these abide diligently in the Calling in which
God hath set thee without weariness Rules of conversation in common life The answer of that good woman to the Prophet is excelleut 2 King 4. 14. I live among my people meaning humbly courteously loving and beloved usefully and peaceably First in our neighborhood wee are to practice innocencie and harmlesness to maintain civil offices of lending and borrowing necessaries Secondly in Towns-matters not aiming at over-ruling others treading our inferiors under-feet saveing our own purses and over-burdening others but carrying equal mindes and doing as wee would bee don to not pragmatical and busie-bodies in matters not concerning us but attending our own and keeping our bounds Thirdly in Arbitratorships not stickling for parties but for a peaceable agreement upon equal condition between them Rules for Solitariness Touching solitariness Heathens may teach us who were never less alone or idle then when private and solitarie Make solitariness a threshold for meditation Rules for Companie No man is sooner bewraied by any thing then by Companie and by the Tongue Wherefore seeing it is a great part of the wheel of our life let us first beware of a loos heart readie for all commers none amiss a sign of exceeding emptiness Then discern of our companie wisely Count it secondly a singular favor to bee rid of bad or doubtful companie Thirdly bee armed in bad Companie reproov not scorners cast not pearls before swine bee dumb before such wicked ones Among the formal sort who may sooner bee swaied them seasoned bee sure to cut off evil speech and carriage Draw on the Companie by amiable behavior and courtesie and then applie our selvs to do them good To which end first bee seasoned with good matter Secondly bring it out seasonablie Thirdly have a set aim and bent at som special object Fourthly seek truly the good of such as thou conversest with and God's glorie Lastly let not thy minde bee sickle and easily put off from good speech Rules for Libertie There are many sorts of liberties as travellings from our own homes companionship with such as pleas us recreations and pastimes feastings and the like all which are lawful in their kinde yet must bee watched too least too much precious time cost and heart bee spent upon them Rules for Familie Touching the Familie wee are to set it in order not when wee die onely but much more in our life Let Governors bee the life of order themselvs Prov. 27. 23. Let God rule your children and servants and wives and set up his throne in their conscience and then a twined thread will draw more then a cable Let thy eie bee chiefly fixed on the righteous and encourage them that they may bee guides to the rest Touching Inferiors bee wholy for the good of the Familie not your own ends Children down-right in subjection and not insolent awfull diligent Servants first seek to serv the Lord hrist that neither yee may obey men against Christ nor yet neglect the obedience to men for Christ's sake Bee earnest in business yet redeeming time to serv the Lord in secret to bee sure not unsetling the seasons of familie-worship Plead not for more libertie in gadding then is meet Rule for the Tongue It 's the chief Agent and Chapman of conversation and by it conversation utter's it self Get a wel-staied heart and ballanced with grace and this will first keep in our tongues from excess and then good matter good heart and good occasions will set them on work for good for God for our brethren Vse I. Terror 1. To all prophane persons who cross with God and turn day into night a conversation of the new creature into a conversation of wickedness 2. To all hypocrites and time-servers who make Religion a cover for their hollowness and bearing the world in hand that they believ love God fear him are verie renewed ones and new creatures yet cast dung in the face of God and religion liveing still unreformed in their conversation If yee bee such new creatures if yee have slain the Agag of old Adam what mean the bleating of the sheep and lowing of the oxen how is it that your tongues your marriages families liberties companies have shaken off God's yoke where is your inward and outward conversation with God haveing a form of godliness but hateing to bee reformed Vse II. Instruction to all God's new creatures to bethink them of their work and to stir up the grace of God in their renewing Cast off thine old mixtures do not pull back thy shoulder desire no more eas then others of God's people have felt It 's God's way the way that Abraham Isaac and Jacob David Peter Paul himself walked the way wch Jesus Christ hath chalked out if it bee tedious it is to thy old man to whom thou art a debtor Thou art redeem'd from him and his old conversation thy thoughts affections members tongue feet senses are not thine own but his that thou mightst now serv in the newness of the spirit not in the oldness of the letter Vse III. Let it provoke each good heart to seek to excell in this fruit of a new creature Vse IV. Admonition Look to those Graces which serv to prop up and strengthen the wheel of conversation here one grace is requisite there another in a cross self-denial and meekness in a blessing cheerfulness and fruitfulness in each part of life faith somtimes the armor somtimes wisdom and discerning But let no naked man com into this field nor any bare-foot to this walk for they will never hold out Secondly look to thy conscience and keep it sound and tender if thou wouldst hold a good conversation or order it well ARTIC III. The Plat-form of holie conversation is the Moral law SEe 1 Tim. 1. 5. The end of the law is love what mean's hee surely not the end of the lawe's begetting power for Christ doth that but of the directing power of it Thus Saint James call's it a royall Law Jam. 2. 8. as being the scepter whereby Christ our king rule 's us And hee tearm's it a glass of Libertie meaning to all believers in that it shewe's forth the will of God fully in the point of Moral obedience as a glass represent's the face For the Law in God's purpose served for two ends One for transgressions to convince the wicked to scare them out of their self-conceit the other to guide such as are com to Christ how to live under his government And to such the Law ceased to bee a killing letter and began to bee a direction for life Now Christ hath taken away that heavie yoke of the Law and made it easie and light to us 1. As a Priest 2. As a King 3. As a Prophet I. As our Priest five waies 1. By dischargeing us from that old fence of the Law the yoke of superfluous Cerimonies of the old cerimonial and judicial Law Col. 2. 14. 2. Hee hath freed us from the rigor of moral Laws especially the whole burthen of the
of the Law hee corrupt's the minde and spirit both in the enlightning part and the terrifying The former hee abuseth to multiplie the fearful view of sin The later to make terror intolerable Touching his perfecting thus Here hee labors's to hold them under especially by the irksom bondage Oh saith hee faith only is of the Elect and thou art none it 's the free gift of God and hee may denie it as well as grant it Somtimes hec make's it less then it is to puff up up the heart with presumption Or hee hide 's the virtuous savor and strength of the Promise the simplicitie the faithfulness of the Promiser and the offer Touching his Temptations of them that are called thus These concern them either in point of their faith and as touching the former hee tempteth two waies 1. Either about the beeing or the life of Faith 2. Or their Obedience I. About the Beeing Hee take's advantage of the weak setling at the first and by that unrenewedness of nature which oppose's this spiritual grace hee seek's to overthrow them in the holding of their confidence 2. About the life By the small Life of faith hee seek's to destroy the beeing of faith II. In point of their Obedience hee tempt's two waies Either about it Or against it 1. About it thus Hee buffet's them in their comfort therein For whereas it's God's will that hee that walk's uprightly should walk safely and sweetly lo Satan separat's the end from the means An hypocrite separate's the means from the end looking for peace where there is no uprightness But here the stratagem of the Devil is contrarie and therefore either hee hide 's that from his eie which should bee his main comfort in all failings or els take's vantage by that which should bee his humiliation to bee his utter discouragement And although hee cannot rob it of the truth of grace yet hee rob's it of the comfort thereof chuseing to play at any game rather then sit out 2. Against it thus Sundrie waies hee labor 's to bring the soul under sin to renounce a good cours to bee slack remiss loos common prophane unprofitable even by consent And this is his most natural temptation For as hee is exceedingly wicked so it 's little to him that comfort bee stopped except the conscience bee wasted Oh what a May-game was it think wee to see David foiled by Adulterie Noah by Drunkenness Lot by Incest Hezekiah by Pride Peter by Revolt First Hee mark 's his season and time when the heart is most naked unarmed at eas as Absalom and Amnon lying most open and being swept and garnish't which perhaps another time would have been armed jealous and fearful Hee concur's not onely with the corruption of the heart as before but secondly with the constiution and complexion of the spirit of nature in a man Is hee propens to lust to uncleanness to jovialness to ambition Oh saith hee hee is mine I will tempt him with meet baits Thirdly Hee watche's the accommodation of occasions as when excess of chearfulness or of sadness of praises or disgraces of wel-fare and success or defeat or the like and when the spirits are open then is his opportunitie to work the heart to wanton speech to riot to wrath and discontent to swelling pride to ostentation of gifts to the makeing away of a man's self and the like Fourthly Hee will make use of their best Graces and Priviledges all men know you well enough to bee one that make conscience you may do such or such a thing and no man suspect you therefore bee not so nice in trifles defeat an Orphan oppress the fatherless falsifie the trust reposed in you c. Fifthly Somtime of secrecie of time and place who shall ever finde it out Sixthly by fine colors of pretensed meaning So by color of justice my pains have been such and such in business for others why may not I pay my self so and so they beeing never the wiser and perhaps never the wors as the case may stand Seventhly By their falls to drive them to sin for somwhat rather then to bee punished for a little over-shooes over-knees So by comparing themselvs with wors then themselvs to bee bold and presumptuous in libertie-takeing By the oft shunning of sinful occasions to venture beyond their Calling and so bee snared Nay by truthes of God both in examples of the Saints falls why maiest not thou do so and repent and in rules that the best men have their infirmities and therefore why should I bee free III General Lett the World This is a most dangerous Lett it defile's the mindes the wills and courses of men both in doctrine and manners See Eph. 4. 14. Rom. 12. 2. 1 Joh. 2. 16. It both contain's in it all evil and setteth it forth and is it self set on fire by the Devil who is the chapman of it to set the gloss upon them and to vend the wares of it For the first of which see that in John All that is in the world is the lust of the heart lust of the eie pride of life Hee speak's of these not onely as the appetites of bad men but as worldly objects For the second shee is careful not onely to keep in her ware-hous but to lay forth upon the open stall and to set out these wares in the most busie manner that can bee For the third the Devil the god of this World and the lord of this Staple and Common-wealth to whose bank and exchequer all this custom and tribute goe's I mean hell is not wanting both to suppress all means which might mar this mraket of mischief and is at hand to unite to acquaint to accommodate wares to all customers The whole world of evil may bee called either the dead World or liveing World By the Dead world wee understand thus much not onely that the world is dead in sins but this that the world though shee doth not actually speak out yet her very guise doth defile and delude and that in two particulars 1. Examples 2. Errors I. By Examples in these respects 1. By imitateing of them No way to defile and scatter sin so easily as this rules would not so soon do it Inward lust tickle's but examples do much more perfect sin when Ministers Magistrates learned ones ancient ones and the greater part of these bee ring-leaders people subjects simple young easily follow Hence that phrase Rom. 12. 2. Bee not fashioned according to this world the world hath a fashioning qualitie in it and one Ape will follow another 2. By exchangeing them no sooner hath one lick't up a bad example but presently hee relate's it and gain 's thereby If one teach theft another will teach sacriledg As one said of a decaying world Wee are dwarfs and our children will bee gnats so I of the encreasing wee are strong men and the next will bee gyants wee commit it they will bee hardned and naturaliz'd into a custom
of it defend extenuate and maintain it 3. By the stream of it the violence and the irresistibleness of it for sin in the two former will soon amount to a torrent or stream of universalitie Thus wee see this piece of the dead world hath yet an objective life in it self II. By Errors of 1. Tradition 2. Scandal 3. Base-custom 4. Conceit 5. Cosenage 1. By tradition which is when sin prevail's by succession from man to man thus the errors of Poperie and old ones new minted pleading antiquitie 2. By Scandal when the world glad to rivet herself in evil delude's herself with the offences of hypocrites and by their scandals laie's blocks in men's waies that they might stumble at the truth 3. By Custom which deceiv's by prescription of long use 4. Conceit and opinion which is an error against goodness by prejudice See Act. ult Wee know that this sect is every where evil spoken of Thus wicked men to confirm themselvs in evil take up base trivial conceits and errors against the way servants and ordinances of Christ which beeing once given out proov irrevocable 5. By Cosenage whereby fals teachers schismaticks and hereticks blanch their conceipts wresting their wits to abuse the Scriptures to set fals colors on thir opinions Jezebel fast's to cover her murder The Defilements of the liveing World consist's in Words Deeds 1. In Words which are the open corrupt counsel of sinners or their secret insinuations Pro. 7. 18. Pro. 1. 13. 2 Tim. 2. 17. 2. In Deeds alll their wicked malicious and cruel intents threats and pursuits of the godlie to quash them and to uphold their own kingdom As those Scribes and Pharises had a Law to crucifie Christ though they made it for the nonce And Dan. 6. those enemies of his Vse I. Of Instruction to bee humbled to bee comforted and to long after a full redemption For the first it 's humiliation to the best of God's children for their self-love and for this miserie that lie's upon them At home begin's our woo in our bosoms are those evils of pride prophaneness hypocrisie and self-love which bane us and what they cannot do of themselvs they do by others setting the door open and letting in devil and world to rifle and rob us of all without which no enemie could hurt us 2. Let it comfort them for the present that it is no otherwise with them in their sorrow then that wise God their good father hath allotted them so that if they feel their burden they may cheer themselvs with this It 's their pilgrimage their way home their Baca their warefare the Lord will work them triumph out of these battels and combats Hee will purge and conform them to his dear Son by them 3. Wait for that with longing as Paul did Rom. 7. Who will deliver mee Here is my pilgrimage when shall I com to my father's hous How long Lord holy and true how long Vse II. Exhortation to resist all these woful enemies of our peace viz. I. Our own corruption which wee must resist three Waies 1. By a spiritual combat against before sin bee brought into act let this bee perpetually maintained the spirit lusteth against the flesh Gal 5. 17. 2. By watching continually to observ and prevent occasions offered when wee cannot foil inward motions Cut off her provision and starv sin The welcoming of objects is as casting oyl into the fire As Job for his Sons so do thou for thy self sacrifice daily for mercie of prevention remooving of vanities which might annoy thee 3. By wisdom after wee are fallen Not to bee kept in bondage by Satan in point of our recoverie out of our falls if wee bee slip't into any but speedily to gather up our selvs ere wee bee hardned Let thine heart smite thee and say I will do so no more Job 40. 4. and so lay hold upon thy promise repent and do thy former works bee zealous and amend II. Satan III. The World Against these put on the compleat armor appointed thee by the Lord in this case and keep it close to thee wear it and walk in it as the armor of a childe of Light as the harness of the militant Church and each member of Christ blessed by him to that purpose Bee armed wisely and constantly and watch to it with praier and the Lord shall bee with thy endeavors and teach thy hands to fight and prevail Take the whole armor of God Eph 6. But seeing our selvs are our greatest enemies and those lusts within us defile us most therefore observ these Counsels against them 1. Mark well thine own spirit and those secret lusts which bubble up in thee knowing that they tend to defile and harden thee and to blinde-fold thy judgment so that neither thou should'st retein any true fight much less sens of the mischief of them Weigh and beleev this thorowly Rest not in this that thou knowest this or that corruption by thy self or canst complain of it or can'st keep thy self from the open outrage of it except withall thou bee quickned up in thy spirit to abhor such scurf as hell and start at the motions of it at the first assaults A dead faint and still giveing way to any lust entring is the next way to make the heart a thorow-fair for it 2. If they bee such as cleav to thy spirit and do salute thee again after long intermission and seeming to bee cast out oppose strongly that mercie of God that hath forgiven thee even when thou delightest in them without check how much more when they return as intruders 3. Consider there is no sweet lust or strong object offered to thee but the Lord is in it to trie the love loyaltie and power of grace wch is in thee that thou maiest know all which is in thine heart Thus the Lord hath used his people whose lot it hath been to receiv much from God David was tried by the Lust of his eie by the object of Revenge to kill Saul in the cave Hezekiah by an object of pride of life those embassadors of the Emperor Say then now my soul the Lord is at work to trie and refine thee to make thee as gold to humble thee deeply if thou bee foiled as Hezekiah or to honor thee highly as Abraham Beware now thou stick to thy tackling and discover not thy self to bee as dross of no worth Here then distrust thine own armor as David did Saul's cleav to the Lord's Say thus If I now fail the Lord as Adam in the triall hee may justly suspect mee henceforth and let loos my lusts against mee Often Lord thou hast saved mee from beeing tempted thou canst also give mee strength in the trial lead mee not into temptation fail not thy servant and I shall not fail thee in the triall of these my sweet objects and lusts 4ly Get thee som bosom-friend to impart thine estateunto thy temptations and buffetings such an one Minister or other as