Christs Sheep that hear his voice and follow his steps and keep by the Shepherds Tents Is this a conceeist that it shall fare better with the Friends of Christ then with his Enemies or that those are the friends of Christ who are the friends of Holiness Is this a conceit that it shall fare better with the servants of Christ then with strangers Or are those the best servants who waste their Talents or bind them up in a Napkin Will Christ say in that day Away thou faithful Servant away from me ye workers of Righteousness You have loved me too much you have pleased me too well you have followed me too close you have given your selves to too much praying too much praising too much fasting you have been too conscientious too tender too watchful too holy you would not be merry and idle and vain you would not go along with your Neighbours to their sporting to their Revellings to their Pleasures but must needs deny your selves and take up your Cross and follow me you could not be content with an Earthly happiness but you must have Glory and Honour and Immortality you could not be content to venture on a groundless hope of Glory but you must needs make sure of it by patient continuance in well-doing Away from me you workers of Righteousness you that have followed me in the Regeneration get you gone get you down to everlasting destruction Will this be the voice of the Judge at that day Will he call to sinners Come ye wantons come ye Wine-bibbers come ye Swearers Lyars Scoffers Whore-masters come ye blessed Crew inherit the Kingdome All this must be so if godliness be but a fancy and do you not yet see Sinners what men of Reason what men of Judgement you are and how much truth or weight there is in your charge against the Saints Oh Christians you see I hope sufficiently how little ground you have to take the least notice of or discouragement from these confident Adversaries who in proclaiming you Phanaticks must proclaim themselves either Infidels or Ideotâ— Thus I have shewed that the principles of Godliness are not Phanatical 2. The Duties and Comforts of Godlinesse are no fancies I shall instance in such duties and those parts of duties which are most obnoxious to this censure the most spiritual duties the most spiritual parts of duties which being most out of fight and above the reach of the carnal world are most of all thus censuted by them I shall mention onely two which indeed are comprehensive of all 1. Worshiping God in the Spirit 2. Walking in the Spirit 1. Worshiping God in the Spirit If this be a fancy the Apostle Paul with the Christians his Contemporaries were the great Phanaticks of their time who saies thus of himself and them Phil. 3. 3. We are the Circumision who worship God in the spirit We are the Circumcision that is We are the People of God we are they who are circumcised with the Circumcision which is without hands circumcised in heart which is all one as if he had said we are Christians who worship God in the spirit Worshipping God in the spirit notes 1. The worship of the soul or heart-worship 2. The worshipping God through his Spirit or in the Holy Ghost 1. The worship of the soul or inward worship and that 1. As it stands in opposition to meet bodily worship I say not as it is oppos'd to bodily worship but to meer bodily worship 2. As it stands in opposition to the Antiquated Jewish worship which was more external pompous and ceremonious We worship God in the spirit that is we worship God in the heart and in the simplicity and plainness of Gospel-worship Heart-worship is the true worship the worship of the soul is the soul of worship The body without the soul is dead and bodily worship without spiritual iâ— dead worship John 4. 24. God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in Spirit and in Truth The latter word Truth is exegitical of the former Spirit signifying that worshiping in Spirit is worshiping in Truth This is the true worship worship indeed The worship of the body the uncovering of the head the bowing the knee the lifting up of the hands or voice these are but the outside and carcase of worship and so far only capable of being accounted worship as they are helpful to and expressive of the devotions of the soul As bowing of the knee signifies the bowing of the heart as the uncovering of the head either expresses or helps toward the inward reverence of the soul so far as they worship and no farther and even then but improperly so câ—lled But as they stand single and separated from the inward worship they are no worship no more then a carcase is a man but are meer shadows and fansies There is no such Phanatick as the Formalist who whilest with those Heathens Mat. 6. 7. He thinks to be heard for his much speaking doth but play the hypocrite and Lyar Look what the Courtiers Complements are such are the Formalists devotions smooth words tongue-courtefies flâ—ttering salutes fawning cringes Your servant Sir your servant command me what you please I am ready to serve you Here is a great shew of respect and kindness but what is there in it What wise man will regard it And what more is there in the Formalists devotions What is it but meer complementing with the Holy God Very devout and lowly as to all appearance and a great noise is there that such Devotion makes but what is there in it What awe and Soul-reverence of God what heart-striving and wrestling with God what heart-elevation or lifting up the Soul to God is there in all this Is there no such thing as heart-striving and Soul-reverence required in the Worship of God or are these but shadows of worship and is the soul of it onely in the Lips or Knees Doth he whose Soul is poured out in prayer whose Spirit strives with the Lord doth he but pray in conceit worship God in conceit and those whose Eyes and Tongues and Hands onely pray have they gotten the substance are these the true Worshippers Beloved be not deceived God sees not as man sees he sees what is within man he sees what is within our duties they are not shews or sounds that can blinde hiâ— Eye or please his Ear. Ephes 5. 19. Be ye filled with the Spirit speaking to your sâ—lve in Psalmes and Hymns and Sriritual Songs singing and making Melody in your hearts to the Lord. Believe it Christians Heart-musick is the best Church musick Heart-praying and Heart-singing makes the best Melody in the Eares of the Lord of Sabbath My work and intent is not to decry all external worship as useless or unacceptable We must glorifie God in our bodies as well as in our spirits Our Lips must bear their parts in our praises and practises but I would not that you should take the body of
the Gospel and the more necessary and weighty Duties of Religion sufficiently understood and practised Are your Souls safe Is your Calling and Election sure Is the Love and Life and zeal of God grown up to that maturity that you need not mutual help this way Have you any spare time from those things to spend in perplexing controversies Build up one another in your most Holy Faith provoke one another to Love and to good works encourage establish and strengthen one another in the known wayes of holiness and if you find not this both better work and work enough for you then take your liberty These things do live in peace and love and the God of peace shall be with you Hear Oh â—ye freinds of Christ by what oblique Names soever unhappily distinguished will you come and be Friends one with another Are you for peace Your God is the God of Peace Your Jesus is the Prince of Peace Your Gospel is the Gospel of Peace and will you not be perswaded to be Sons of peace Your God is one your Mediator is one your Faith one your Baptism one your Hope one you are one Bodie one Spirit and will you not yet be one Soul Oh how hopeful would our condition be were our hearts generallie set upon peace We should certainly obtain did we more resolvedlie pursue it and what should hinder have you not yet enough of your contentions and quarrellings have not your Souls been sufficiently neglected your Lusts strengthened your Faith weakened your Love withered your comforts wasted your names blemished your holy Profession blamed Hath not your God been sufficiently provoked and the Devil sufficiently gratified are your bellies so filled with gall and your mouths with gravel and have you not yet enough of your contentions Christians Slight not these Counsels and Warnings As you would prove your selves the Friends of Christ be ye followers of peace Studie oh studie these things that make for peace Follow peace with all men as much as in you is but especially with the houshold of Faith Let there be no longer strife betwixt us for we are brethren Yet alwaies remember I am pressing you to an holy Union whilst I perswade you to follow peace I must still add and holiness I perswade you not to pursue peace upon tearms dishonourable or prejudicial to Truth They must have both together that will be blessed in either Truth without Peace is as a Jewel without its Cabinet Peace without Truth is as a Cabinet with nothing in it Peace without holiness is as a fair and promising shell with a rotten or worm-eaten kernel holiness without peace is as a pretious kernel under a crack'd and broken shell They that have peace without truth have nothing worth the securing they that have truth without peace have little security for what they have Peace without truth is beauty without worth Truth without peace is worth with its beauty marred Let both go together and then they will be both the Columina Ecclesiae the Pillar of the Church rendring it consistent within it self and the Corona Ecclesiae its Crown rendring it comely and glorious before the World Be it thus wiâ—h us and then Sathan look to thy self thy Kingdom shall down amain when thou canst no longer hold up division thou losest thy dominion Then Saints lift up your heads your Communion shall be sweet your glory shall be great your light shall shine your fruit shall abound the smell of your spices shall flow forth your adversaries shall envy and your King shall greatly delight to see your beauty Oh may this Grace this Peace be granted us from the Lord and let all that love the prosperity of Sions say Amen 2. In an an united Contention Striving together saith the Apostle for the Faith of the Gospel Unite but strive strive not one against another Christian against Christian but strive together Let your Contention be in Communion Strive together against sin and unbelief against Hypocrisie and earthliness strive against strife and debate and envyings and judgings strive together with God in your prayers and supplycations We often pray but our prayers do not agree by keeping at such distance we know not one anothers hearts and are so many men so many minds every one prayes according to his single apprehension and affections What one prayes another unprayes insomuch that we should put the Lord to do contradictions if he must give particular answer to all our prayers And possiblie that may be the reason why the Lord defers his answer so long he will stay till we are better agreed what we would have Matth. 18. 19. If two of you agree on earth touching any thing that they shall ask it shall be done for them of my Father which is in Heaven Strive together in all holy and united endeavours to comfort confirm and establish one another in the Faith of the Gospel Keep up the Communion of Saints and an united contention against sin and unbelief Remember Heb. 10. 25. 3. In an holy boldness in nothing terrified by your Adversaries In nothing that is either in no degree not at all terrified or else in nothing that you have to do be frighted out of no part of your duty or else at nothing that they do or threaten to do against you Be not afraid to be holy Tell your Adversaries when they have said and done their worst you must and you will make bold to serve your God Fear them not and they cannot hurt you they never hurt you unless they divert you from your duty To establish your hearts in this holy boldness and against your carnal fears 1. Consider That 1. By how much the more you fear God by so much the less you will fear men 2. By how much the more you fear sin by so much the less you will fear trouble 3. By how much the less your adversaries fear God by so much the less need you to fear them 2. Believe Psal 27. 13. I had fainted but that I believed Faith is a buckler against fears and faintings Ephes 6. 16. Above all take the shield of faith whereby you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the Devil The shield of faith A shield is a wall of partition interposed betwixt a person and harm 'T is only our apprehensions of harm that raise our fear Faith will save a Christian harmless and thereby preserve him fearless The shield is ordained for a security to all parts and against all assaults Some pieces of our armour are appropriated to one part only the Helmet is for the head the Breast-plate for the brest the Girdle for the loins the Shooes for the feet but the shield is a moveable that is to be lifted up where-ever the blow comes Faith is an universal security Faith may be said to be a Shield 1. Instrumentally As it provides us of a shield as it lifts up a sheild and sets a guard upon the Soul to secure it
himself from the Fellowship Fashions and Lusts of the World and denying himself the sinful Liberties thereof doth exercise himself to keep a good conscience towards God and men This is the person against whom the great hate and envy and severe censures and calumnies of ungodly men are chiefly intended under what colour or disguise soever they are carried the enmity is not betwixt sinners and Hypocrites but betwixt Sinners and Saints the seed of the Serpent and the seed of the woman not the pretended but the true seed Israelities indeed are the Men whom the Ishmaelites persecute Gal. 4. 29. He that was born after the flesh persecuted him not that pretended to be but was born after the Spirit Of this Person or of this sort of people I shall give you a more full description in these two Particulars 1. By their Make or Constitution 2. By their Way or Conversation 1. By their Constitution they are made and cut out exactly according to the pattern they are born of the Spirit born of God and they bare the express Image of their Father upon them Col. 3. 10. Renewed after the Image of Him that created him they are of a new Make from what they were there is a mighty change wrought in and upon them 2 Cor. 3. 18. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We are changed into the same image In our first birth we were brought forth in the Image of our first Father Genesis 5. 3. Adam begat a Son in his own Image that is a fleshly and earthly Image The first man was of the Earth earthly and such are all his natural Progeny an earthly seed an earthly Generation he that is born of the Spirit is brought forth in a spiritual frame John 3. 6. That which is born of the Spirit is spirit He that is born from above is of an Heavenly Nature as well as Original The change that Religion makes on men is not such a low and inconsiderable thing as some Men make it standing only in some little Reformation of the Life but it consists chiefly in the renewing of the Sonl after the Image of God the forming of Christ upon the heart of Inner Man As that second change which shall be at the Resurrection will be the transforming of our vile bodies into the likenesse of Christs Glorious Body so this first change is a transforming of our vile souls into the likenesse of his glorious Spirit Christians are the Temples of the Lord and as Moses made the Tabernacle exactly according to the pattern shewed him in the Mount so these spiritual Temples are made exactly according to their pattern 2 Cor. 3. 3. They are the Epistles of Christ written not with Ink but with the Spirit of the living God not in Tables of stone but in fleshly Tables of the heart Carnal Men plead hard for their Christianity they are all Christians all Disciples all the people of God though they be ignorant Unbelieving Earthly Sensual yet some kind of Profession such as it is there is among them a profession of Faith a profession of Repentance which though it amount to little more than bare saying I believe I repent I am sorry for my Sins yet this must passe for Christianity But as Christ once said to the tempting Jews whose is this Image and superscription Where is the Divine Stamp and Impress Where is your likenesse to Christ Is there not still the Visage of the Old man Is there not the old Pride the old Envy the old Enmity against Holinesse the old Guile and Falshood and Lust still spread over you Is this the Image of Christ Christians that are truly such are precisely formed according to this pattern they have Face for Face Limb for Limb Grace for Grace all the Grace that is in Christ is truly though not yet perfectly coppied out upon them though the Characters may be something blotted and obscured by reason of the remainders of corruption yet there they are the same mind the same heart that was in Christ is in them A true Christian is a Transcript of Christ As he is so we are in the World This inward change this forming of Christ upon the heart is the very Soul and Life of Christianity you may as well call him a Man whose Soul is not in him as you may call him a Christian who hath not the Spirit of Christ in him Let no man count himself a Christian from any outward priviledges much less from any outward Paint of Christianity but from the inward Prints of it upon his heart Thou hopest thou art a Christian but where is the Image and superscription of Christ upon thy heart Dost thou not find not only an unlikenesse to Christ but a dislike of Christ an inward loathing of the holinesse of Christ and a rising of heart against the strictnesse of that holy life which he requires Dost thou not find a favour of earthlinesse and fleshlinesse beating the sway and rule in thine heart Dost thou not find principles tending altogether to loosenesse and licenciousnesse Is this thy likenesse to Christ Dost thou not find an emptinesse of the Light Life Love Grace of Christ in thy Soul Whatever thou hast of Christ without thou hast nothing of Christ within Deceive not thy self God is a Spirit and his eye is first upon the spirits and souls of men he loves truth in the inward parts he loves holinesse in the inward parts He is a Jew which is one inwardly and he is a Christian which is one inwardly He is not a Christian who is only outwardly so Nay further as he is not a Christian which is not inwardly so so neither he that hath something of the inwards of a Christian and hath not radically all the Graces of Christ in him he that hath faith and hath not Charity he that hath the light of a Christian and not the love he that hath the desires of a Christian and not the conscience of a Christian he that wants any one of the vital parts of Christianity hath nothing at all a thorow Christian is throughout conform to the pattern And thus you have a description of Scripture Precisians by their Make or Constitution II. I shall describe them by their Conversation and that 1. By the end of their Conversation 2. By their course or Motion to this end 1. By the end of their Conversation What is it that these Men would have or whither are they bound They cannot be content to go along with their Neighbours to live and do as others whither is it that they are going or what is it that they would have Why this is it they are travelling Heaven-ward trading to another Country they are bound for the holy Land for the holy City they are going towards Sion or Jerusalem which is above Jerem. 58. 5. They shall ask the way to Sion with their faces thitherward Sion was the ancient seat of Gods residence among his People the place of Gods solemn service
worship to be the Soul and the Soul to be nothing Be not conceited that the outward part is the worship and the inwaâ—â— but a conceit Brethren the living God will have living services the God of our spirits will have the service of our spirits the worshipping God in spirit this is the true worship God will not be and take heed you be not cheated with shews When all the men of the world with their wits parts and interists have commended garnished and magnified the carcass of Religion and decryed and disgraced its soul and life yet this shall still stand as an irrefragable Truth They are the circumcision who worship God in the spirit and rejoyce in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh 2. Worshipping God through the spirit through the help and assistance of the Spirit of God as to instance in prayer Jude 20. Praying in the Holy Ghost Rom. 8. 26. The Spirit it self helpeth our infirmities The Spirit of God affords a three-fold help in prayer 1. He indites our requests suggests matter of Prayers to us who as the Apostle there tells us Know not what we â—â—â—uld pray for as we ought Carnal mens lusts do often make their Prayers and then no wonder they ask amiss when they should be seeking the death of their lust they ask meat for their lusts we often not knowing what we ought to ask do ask we know not what we ask a stone a Serpent a Scorpion somtimes when we think we ask bread If God should alwaies give his people their prayers their prayers would undo them When we are poor we ask riches and it may be if God should give us them our riches might undo us Somtimes we ask ease or credit or liberty and if we had what we ask it might be our ruine the Spirit of God knows what 's fit for us and accordingly guides our prayers He helps us to understâ—â—â— our sins and so teaches us what confession to make carnal men will confess sins but any sins rather then their own He helps us to understand our wants and so teaches us what to ask He helps us to understand our mercies and so teaches us what to give thanks for carnal men often come before the Lord with mock praises give thanks for their election justification sanctification hope of glory when it may be the power of sin and the wrath of God abides upon them and they remain without Christ and without hope and without God in the world the Spirit of God if they had him would make their devotions more reasonable and regular 2. He excites and quickens and enlarges their hearts in prayer The Spirit of God comes in and influences upon the heart and draws forth the soul and this is the import of the following words The Spirit it self maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered that is he sets up a groaning and sighing after the Lord. Groaning notes the strentgh and ardency of desire which through the servency of it puts the Soul to paine and an holy impatience till it be heard in which sence it s used verse 21. For we our selves who have received the first fruits of the spirit groan within our selves waiting for the adoption even the redemption of our body It works such groanings as cannot be uttered it sometimes makes the hearts of Christians too big for their mouths their desires more larger then their expressions as much warmth and life and strength of affection as there does appear without there 's more withinâ—t Oh how flat and dead are our hearts oftentimes how much are we straitned in our prayers we stand as men struck dumb when we come before the Lord or if there be words in our mouths there is scare any word in our hearts sometimes we cannot speak and if we can speak we cannot groan the Spirit doth either put words in our mouths or else supply the want of words by kindling and enlarging inward desires helping us to groan out a prayer when we cannot speak it out and silent groans will sound in the ears of the Lord when the loudest cryes may not be heard 3. He encourages and emboldens the heart in prayer enables us to call God Father to pray to him to cry to him to be confident of audience and acceptance with him upon this ground Gal. 4. 6. God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts crying Abba Father And hereby he furnisheth us with a mighty Argument to plead with God Father hear me Father forgive me Father pity me Father help me Am not I thy childe thy Son or thy Daughter To whom may a childe be bold to go With whom may a child have hope to speed if not with his Father Father hear me The Fathers of our Flesh are full of bowels and full of pity to their Children and know how to give good things to them when we ask them when they ask Bread will they deny them when they ask cloaths or any thing they want will they deny them And is not the Father of Spirits more full of bowels more full of bounty than the Fathers of our Flesh Father hear me This is praying in the Spirit and if this be a fancy with you I must tell you sinners that it is such a fancy as experienced Christians that have most proved it would not lose for all your substance But will you stand to it Is this Fanatical praying indeed then bring your Index expurgatorius and expunge these Textâ— out of the Scriptures or else if you let them stand and look over them again you will next say Their Bible is as Fanatical as themselves But let me add one word to convince you from your own judgement if you understand what you doe that praying in the Spirit is no fancy and this by putting this one Question to you Dare any of you all when you goe to God in Prayer deliberately refuse to begge the assistance of his Spirit Whether you use a Form or Pray without a Form that is not so material The assistance of the Spirit is needed as well of those that use a Form as of those that pray without it Nor dare you I say when you goe to pray deliberately refuse to beg the assistance of the Spirit Dare you say Lord I need not nor desire any such assistance I will not ask it of thee that thy Spirit may be given into me to help mine infirmities If you beg the assistance of the Spirit you hope to have it and if you have it there is that praying in the Spirit which you cry down for a fancy Judge now whether you do not condemn the things which your selves allow and in your Judgement and Practice justifie the reallity of that Duty which with your mouths you decree for Fanatical Will you also be his Disciples Will you also be Fanaticks 2 Walking in 〈◊〉 Spirit this is no fancy Gal. 5. 25. If we live in the Spirit let
Grace there is an hearty willingness to part with every sin The first work of the sanctifying Spirit upon the soul is the discovering of sin making it appear to be an enemy and the first saving work is the dividing betwixt sin and the soul making an utter breach betwixt them The Spirit of God makes us first to look on sin as an enemy and then to deal with it as an enemy to hate it to fear it to be impatient at the presence of it Rom. 7. 24. Wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death When the good Spirit enters into the heart from that day forward the Soul looks on sin as Saul look'd on David when the evil spirit fell upon him It 's said he eyed David from that time forward he looked on him with an evil eye with an envious eye Oh! that I were once well rid of this David Oh! saith a Convert that I were once well rid of this Lust It 's now become to the Soul as the Daughters of Heth were to Rebeccah Gen. 26. 35. A grief of mind to it a weariness to it I am weary of my life because of these daughters of Heth. When there is this breach made betwixt sin and the Soul it 's grace that hath made it when sin hath lost the will it hath lost the man when Christ hath gotten the will he hath gained the man The will is the heart give me thy heart is the same as be willing to be mine the will is the strong hold of the soul this is it that holds out last against God when this is won all is won Sin may have lost the understanding and lost the conscience these may plead for God and for holiness and may cry out against sin Away with it away with it Crucifie it crucifie it there is Death and Hell in the bowels of it away with it But as long as sin hath the will for it it still hath the man Reason saith I ought to tura Conscience saith I must turn but yet nothing follows but when the heart sayes I will turn then the work is done Reason saith these Idols ought not to stand Conseience saith these Iusts must be subdued these my sinful pleasures these my sinful wayes these my sinful companions must be left but when the will sayes to them Get you hence there 's a work of Grace begun But now this willingness to part with or turn from sin that it may infallibly prove grace to be in us must be 1. Universal A willingness to be rid of all sin The enmity against sin that 's wrought by grace is against the whole kind against all sin Root and Branch Body and Members A true Israelite would not have one Canaanite left in the Land would have the whole generation rooted out Psal 119. I hate every false way Psal 139. Search me O Lord and see if there be any wickedness in me 2. Habitual It must not be onely for the time that the heart is set against sin when it is under some terrour or trouble but there must be an abiding willingness Pharaoh when the Thunder and the Hail and the Fire and the Frogs and the Flies were upon him for the time was willing to let Israel go but presenrly after he meant no such thing 'T is not what thou art in a fit in a fright or sudden passion in sickness or under the apprehensions of death that will give thee any certain light by which thou mayest judge of thy state but what thou art in the standing and abiding disposition and bent of thy soul A Godly man is never unwilling when he is himself to be rid of every sin 3. Prevalent The willingness must be greater than the unwillingness A gracious heart is more willing to be rid of sin than to continue in sin He had much rather if it were put to his choice live without all sin than to be allowed to live in any sin Whatever the pleadings and reasonings of his flesh are for an indulgence to any particular sins whatever the advantages of yielding to the flesh herein mîght be whatever dammages or prejudices might follow upon his parting with them yet he had much rather whatever comes of it be freed from them all If the Lord should come to such a soul and give him as large â—grant as he did to Solomon Ask what I shall give thee ask what I shall do for thee write down what thou wilt and thou shalt have it this is that which he would have Lord take away mine iniquittes 'T is not the lives of mine enemies or a revenge upon them that I desire 't is not freedom from trouble or affliction that I desire make me a clean heart O Lord purge me from my sins let my lusts die my corruptions die and then though mine enemies live and their malice lives and my troubles live yet if my sins be once dead I have my desire And this willingness will discover it self to be prevailing by bringing forth 1. Resolution 2. Resistance against sin 1. Where a man is truly willing to be rid of sin there will be resolution against it he will not only be patient and content to give God leave to crucifie all his beloved lusts and darling corruptions and give the world leave to hew and strike home at the root of them without hiding them or warding off the blow or wishing they might be spared to him but stands stedfastly on Gods side and taking part with him against sin resolves to use all his means for the conquering and overcoming of them 2. This resolution will bring forth resistance An heart that 's weary of sin will fall to striving against sin Gal. 5. 17. The flesh lusteth against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh for these two are contrary the one to the other Contraries are naturally expulsive each of other Such a pair as a Jacob and an Esau such Twins as an Isaac and an Ishmael cannot lie quietly togethâ—â— in the same womb no nor live quietly together in the same house but there will be a mutual prosecuting and persecuting each of other fire and water may as well agree in the same vessel as grace and sin in the same heart A gracious heart will be restraining curbing and withstanding it in all its workings It 's a mere vanity for men to talk of being willing to be rid of sin when they let it live and work and rule and run in its course without ever laying the hand to the bridle to restrain it Let me add one word more if you strive against sin and your striving be attended with success if you have gotten any degree of victory the evidence will be much more full and clear This now is the first Mark by which you may try your selves whether there be the truth of grace in you or not He that is willing to be freed from all sin habitually willing prevailingly willing
Vindiciae Pietatis OR A VINDICATION OF Godliness In the greatest Strictness and Spiritualitâ— of it From the Imputations of FOLLY FANCY Together with Several Directions for the Attaining and Maintaining of a Godly Life By R. A. London Printed in the Year 1665. To my dearly Beloved in Christ the inhabitants of the Parish of B. in the County of S. My dearly beloved Brethren THe ensuing Sermons as they had their Birth for your sakes so are they now offered into your hands and they come unto you upon the same important errand upon which their Authour hath been sent among you viz. to shew you the Path of life and to bring you into and establish you in that holy state and way that leads to everlasting Blessedness The chief hindrances of Sinners eternal Happiness next to that innate enmity against God and Godleness which is rooted in their hearts are their prejudices against and their ignorance of the good wayes of the Lord. Sathan and his Instruments have made it their businesse by those vollies of reproaches and unreasonable calumnies which they are continually discharging against holinesse to render it in the judgement of the World an empty and contemptible thing Two things there are amongst many others which they lay to the reproach of it The one that it is folly whatever there may be in this Godlinesse yet it is attended with so many difficulties dangers and hazards and will be such an unsufferable prejudice to all that will have much to do with it that it is a foolish thing upon such hazards and disadvantages to adventure upon it If this will not do but the consciences of Men whilst they apprehend the real worth and excellency of it stand convinced that it is not Folly but wisdom to adventure on any difficulties to run any hazards for so glorious a prize then comes in the second reproach That it is but a device a specious contrivance to take up eager heads to amuse and divert the busie and keep in awe weak souls when if it be enquired into notwithstanding its glorious pretences it will be found nothing else but imagination meer fancy and no reality at all in the heart of it These impressions I have endeavoured according to my might to wipe away from your hearts and the hearts of such as read what you have heard in the ensuing discourses where I hope you will see both sufficient reason whence to put to silence the ignorance of foolish men to establish your hearts in the firm belief and resolved embracing of it and abundant encouragement to hold on your holy course to the end The other hindrance of a Godly Life is mens ignorance They walk not in the way of the Lord because they know not the way of the Lord some rude and dark notions of Religion possibly they may have but wherein the Spirit and life of Godliness stands and how to set upon an holy and heavenly course they cannot tell This hindrance I have in part prevented in that Description I have given of a godly man and more fully removed in those Directions which I have subjoyned for the obtaining and carrying on a godly Life Brethren my hearts desire and Prayer for you is that what I have done may be successful to your souls that you may be saved as the Apostle speaks that you may be brought into and established in the way of truth and may be found walking in the way of Righteousness And if the Lord shall be pleased so to follow these my endeavours with his Blessing that they may contribute any thing to this end if the Lord shall so animate these otherwise dead words by his quickening Spirit that any souls of them that are without may be added to the Church that any cubits may be added to the stature of those that are within it shall be a Crown to me and exceeding Cause of rejoycing Let the Lord Almighty have the praise for ever as from all such who shall reap any benefit hereby So from the soul of Your Servant in the Gospel R. A. The Contents of the Sermons on Ephes 5. 15. THe Text opened Page 2 The Doctrine propounded Precisians are no fools ibid. The Doctrine explained 1. Precisians are described 1. Negatively to be 1. No Pharisee 3 2. No Phanatick ib. 3. No Phrenetick ib. 2. Positively 1. By their make or constitution They are formed after the image of God 5 2. By their way or conversation Where is considered 1. The end of their conversation Where they are described to be men that are travelling to another world 8 2. Their course I. They take the right way Which is 1. Described to be The Old and Good The New and Living The Strait and Narrow Way ib. 2. Proved to be the most excellent Way It is 1. The way of Truth 14 2. The way of Holiness 15 3. The way of God 16 4. The way of the Kingdom 17 II. They are upright in the way 19 Their uprightnesse is considereed as it hath respect To the Commandement To Conscience 21 Their uprightness as it respects the Commandment stands 1. In their having respect to every Command 23 2. In having respect to the most spiritual and in ward part of every Command 24 3. In the endeavour to observe every Command to the utmost 25 1. They endeavour to get up to the highest pitch of affection care and activity ib. 2. They study and seek out after opportunities for service 26 3. They shun occasions and temptations to sin 27 4. They obstain from all appearance of evil 28 Two things added 1. When they have done all that they can they acknowledge themselves unprofitable servants 30 2. Whatever they have done they dare not trust upon it or be found in their own righteousness 32 Their uprightness as it respects Conscience exprest in two particulars 1. They take great care of Conscience 34 1. About the instructing and informing conscience ib. 2. About keeping Conscience tender 35 2. They give good heed to Conscience hearkning to and following in without turning aside 1. To the right hand either 1. By putting Religion in those things wherein God hath put none 43 2. By putting more Religion in any thing than God hath put in it ibid. 2. To the left hand 45 1. By making sins no sin duties no dutie ib. 2. By making bold with known sins and duties ib. III. From this way they will not be drawn aside by any fears or dangers on the one hand or by any flatteries or advantages on the other 46 1. A Summary description of these Precisians 51 2. Precisians are proved to be no fools from four Reasons Reas 1. God accounts them no fools 54 Reas 2. They will not be accounted fools at last neither by God nor men 55 Reas 3. The properties of wise men are found in them 58 1. They understand themselves aright They understand 1. Their Interest ib. 2. Their way 60 2. They build sure 64 Reas 4.
The treasures of wisdom are found with them they have gotten great treasure 66 1. The Pearl 67 2. The white Stone 68 3. The white Robe 69 4. The Adoption 71 5. The Inheritance 73 Use 1. Advising the profane world to forbear censuring or reproaching them 77 Use 2. Perswading them to come in and be of this number 80 The absolute necessity of precise godliness is evidenced 1. From Scripture 82 2. From Reasons drawn from Scripture in six Propositions 1. The Gospel requires as indispensably necessary to Salvation inward Holiness 86 2. This inward Holiness which the Gospel requires is an holy frame or habit 87 3. This inward habitual holiness stands in an universall compliance of the heart with the whole will of God 88 4. This inward habitual holinesse is such as bears the sway and hath the preheminence in the soul 89 5. This inward habitual prevailing holinesse where-ever it is will infallibly bring forth a precise and circumspect life 90 Therefore 6. Whosoever is not a person of a precise life is undoubtedly in the state of damnation The Contents of the Sermon on John 1. 47. THe Text opened 94 The Doctrine propounded Godliness is no Fancy 95 The Doctrine explained 96 The Doctrine confirmed ib. I. The Principles or Doctrines of Godliness are no Fancies Instanced in the Doctrines 1. of God his Being and Holinesse 97 2. Of Sin 100 3. Of Redemption 109 4. Of Regeneration 115 5. Of Faith 123 6. Of Good Works 126 7. Of Judgment 140 II. The Duties and Comforts of Godlinesse are no fancies 151 Instanced in the Duties of 1. Worshipping God in the Spirit ib. 2. Walking in the Spirit 1. What is meant by the Spirit 157 2. What by walking in the Spirit 158 1. Living under the conduct of the Spirit 160 2. Living in the power of the Spirit ib. 3. Living a spiritual life 161 The Life of the Saints evidenced to be a spiritual and Heavenly life by three things 1. Their chief dealings are about spiritual and heavenly things 162 2. Their delights are in spiritual and heavenly things 3. By their spiritual dealings and delights themselves grow dayly more and more spiritual and heavenly 166 3. That walking in the spirit is no fancy 167 Proved from four damnable absurdities that would otherwise follow viz. If there be no such thing really as walking in the Spirit 1. Then the Spirit of God is unfaithful in his Office 170 2. Then God himself is false in his promise 171 3. Then the Devil does more to the damning than the spirit of God doth to the saving of souls ibid. 4. Then God hath no people in the world 173 An exception against the reality of the delights joys and comforts of godliness answered 174 The Application Use Of Direction 1. To the ungodly in order to the bringing them to a godly life 194 Direct 1. Get these three Principles fixed in your hearts 1. That things Eternal are unspeakably more considerable than tâ—ings temporal 195 2. That things not seen are as infallibly certain as the things that are seen 198 3. That according to your present choice must be your eternal lot 202 Direct 2. Make your choice 203 Direct 3. Imbarque with Christ 204 Direct 4. Resign up your selves to Christ 210 Direct 5. Confirm and compleat all by solemn Covenant 215 2. To the Godly in order to the carrying them on in a Godly Life 227 To whom are given Directions 1. Concerning holy Duties 2. Concerning the leading an holy life Four things premised concerning the influence of holy duties on an holy Life 1. Holy Duties are the exercise of Grace 228 2. In holy Duties we have communion with God ibid. 3. By holy duties we obtain new and fresh supplies from God 229 4. Holy Duties are our conflicting with corruption 232 The Directions concerning holy Duties are such as have respect 1. To the right performance of them 2. To the right improvement of them Directions for the right performance of the duty of Prayer 1. Be constant in the exercise of daily Prayer 233 2. Come to pray with actual and great expectation 237 3. Learn the skill to plead with God in Prayer 238 Four special arguments from which the Saints may plead with God in prayer viz. from 1. God himself his Gracious Nature 239 Glorious Name 241 2. Christ 1. Gods gift of Christ ibid. 2. Christs purchase ibid. 3. The Interest which Christ hath in the Father 242 4. The interest the Saints have in Christ ib. 3. Promises 4. Experiences The use and benefit of the Saints pleading with God in prayer 243 Four special arguments from which Sinners may plead with God in prayer 244 1. God Gracious nature 246 2. Gods call and invitation 247 3. Christ his Sufficiency 248 Office 249 4 Their own necessity ib. 4. Prayer in Faith 251 Directions for performing the Duty of holy meditations Page 239 1. The chief matters to be meditated on reduced to seven Heads 1. God 240 2. Sin 244 3. Christ 247 4. The vanity and misery of a worldly life 251 5. The nature excellency and necessity of a godly Life 254 6. Death and Judgment 257 7. Eternity 263 Some particular advice for the better managing of this duty 269 Directions for the right performance of the Duty of Self-Examination 271 The matters to be examined 1. Whether you be in a state of grace or in a state of Sin 273 There are three marks for the tryal of that 274 2. Whether you are in a languishing or flourishing state 286 Three helps for the finding out that 287 Several causes of languishing or hindrances of flourishing in grace 1. Overly performance of Christian duties 289 2. Vnprofitable converse with Christian Friends ibid. 3. Vnnecessary converse with carnal friends ib. 4. Overmuch business in the world 290 5. The remaining guilt of some unrepented sin ib. 6. Some unmortified lust ib. 7. Sloathfulnesse 291 8. Contentednesse with a poor and low condition ib. Directions for the renewing your Covenant Four things pâ—emised 1. Every sincere Christian is entred into Covenant with God 309 2. Christians do often break Covenant ib. 3. Breaches of Covenant do weaken the obligation of the Covenant and how 311 4. The renewing of your Covenant doth revive the obligation of it 312 Directions 1. For the time when Four special times when this Duty is to be performed ib. 2. For the manner how Directions for the right improvement of holy Duties 1. When ever you set upon Duty resolve to put hard for it to obtain such sensible communion with God in it that you may come off with some lively impressions of God upon your hearts 315 2. What holy lively frame you have attained to in duty be careful to maintain afterwards from duty to duty 317 Directions for the carrying on a constant holy course I. In your whole course pursue and as much as possible eye your End God and your own Salvation 322 II. Walk on in the Name of the
lodge within them 2. As there are outward duties to be performed as praying hearing works of mercy c. so there are spiritual duties purely spiritual as the internal acting of faith and love and hope and the fear of God the souls choosing of God cleaving to God rejoycing delighting in God meditating of him c. Exact Christians have a special respect to those spiritual duties in the exercise whereof stands chiefly their living in a holy fellowship communion and acquaintance with God and for outward duties their care is to perform them spiritually they pray with the mouth and pray with the spirit they praise the Lord with their lips and offer up their hearts as a spiritual sacrifice they hear with their ears and with their understanding also they labour to bring their souls under the Word to pour forth their souls in prayer to draw forth their souls in their very alms Isa 58. If thou draw forth thy soul to the hungry Psal 69. 10. I chastened my soul with fasting Oh Brethren if this be to walk exactly then how much loosenesse doth this â—iscover in us loosenesse in our very Duties men do not only 〈…〉 like Libertines and swear like Libertines aud neglect duties like Libertines but perform duties like Libertines thou that usest to pray in thy Closet or in thy Family or in the Congregation in an outward formal way and dost not pour out thy Soul in prayer thou prayest like a Libertine thou that fastest and doth not chasten thy Soul with fasting thou fastest like a Libertine thou that hearest and dost not bring thy soul under the word thou hearest like a Libertine this is loose praying and loose hearing loose from the Rule which requires the exercising of the inner man as well as the outward 3. In observing the command to the utmost and here I shall give a fourfold further description of them 1. They endeavour to get up their hearts to the highest pitch of affection care and activity They would be the best Christians the most humble the most mortified the most patient the most exemplary and active Christians not slothful in businesse but fervent in spirit serving the Lord Rom. 12. 11. 2 Cor. 7. Yea what care yea without clearing of your selves yea what indignation yea what vehement desire yea what zeal c. A sincere Christian would be a zealous Christian in his sincerity stands the height of it Zeal is not a distinct grace but the height of every grace Love in the height of it Desire in the height of it Care and Resolution to follow God in the height of it A zealous Christian exercises every grace performs every Duty and doth it with all his might he is not willing to spare or to favour himself but will spend and be spent in the work of the Lord the flesh will be pleading for a little ease for moderation it will be solliciting the Sobl as Peter did Christ Pitty thy self favour thy self thou wilt never hold out at this rate thou wilt pull all the Country about thine ears if thou beest thus hot and forward but the Soul returns the same answer as Christ did to him Get thee behind me Satan hold thy peace slothful heart let me alone for I will speak for God while I have a tongue to speak while I have an heart while I have an hand while I have an eye while I have a soul while I have a being I will follow on after the Lord I will serve him I will praise him I will sacrifice all I am and have to him and then come on me what will 2. They are studying and seeking out opportunities for service Such Christians are of strict lives but of large hearts of strict consciences but of large desires and aims Grace sets limits to their consciences but none to their holy affections they never do so much for God but they are studying how they may do more Isa 32. 8. A liberal Man deviseth liberal things a merciful man deviseth merciful things a righteous man deviseth righteous things he doth not only exercise Liberality and Mercy and work Righteousness when he hath an opportunity put into his hands but he sits down and considers what great things the Lord hath done for him what marvellous loving kindnesse the Lord hath shewed to him and thereupon studies and casts about what greater things then yet he hath done he may do for the Name of God as it is said of the wicked Proverbs 6. 14. He deviseth mischief continually And Psalm 64. 6. They search out iniquity they accomplish a diligent search search out for every opportunity to work wickednesse to satisfie their lust So Righteous men search out and make a diligent seach after opportunities to work Righteousnesse 2 Sam. 9. 3. Is there not yet a man left of the house of Saul saith David to whom I might shew the kindness of God Is there not yet a poer Sool in distresse to whom I might shew kindness for the Name of God Is there not yet a poor Family in misery to whom I might shew mercy Is there not yet a poor sinner to whom I might give counsel Is there not yet a poor Saint to whom I might administer comfort for the sake of my God As it is said of the Devil He goeth up and down seeking whom he may devour So may it be said of such they go up and down seeking whom they might save and recover out of the snares of the Devil other men what good soever they do it is as little as may be their consciences will not let them be quiet but something must be done when they have done so much as will but keep conscience quiet thy have done A sincere Christian hath his love to satisfie his desires to satisfie as well as his conscience he loves much and it is not a little duty that will satisfie strong love 3. They shun occasions and temptations to sin they would keep at as great a distance from sin as possible they are careful to keep far enough within their line they dare not venture to their utmost border lest they go beyond it ere they are aware A wary Christian having observed what things have proved snares and temptations to him and have drawn him aside to iniquity formerly will take heed how he comes nigh them again If carnal society hath cool'd and damp'd his heart and left a fleshly savour upon his Spirit he will take heed how he comes into such company again If going to his utmost liberty in the use of the Creatures either Meat Drink or Apparel hath inticed him beyond his bounds he will be wary how he allows himself the like liberty and will deny himself the freedom he might use rather than again run himself upon danger he is sensible of his weaknesse to stand against a temptation and thereupon is the more watchful that he run not into temptation men that are bold to venture into temptation to venture into
sentence of condemnation the earnest of eternal vengeance these have their white stones the marks of their absolution and the earnests of their eternal blessedness When ye look on their naked backs their hungry bellies the cold lodgings that are the lot of many of them you will say surely these are a poor and foolish People but see that precious stone they carry with them wherever they are there you may behold their Riches and wisdom when you consider your own fulness and braveries your dainties and delicates your ornaments and jewels your possessions and honours you are transported with pride and jollity and have almost forgot that you are men but what signifies that black stone in thy breast that guilt thou carriest in thy Conscience Consider Sinners what is it to have God your enemy wrath your portion the curse cleaving to your possessions your sentence of death written in your hearts and upon your consciences and then you will think those men have gotten something that have gotten their absolution from all this 3. The white Robe or the Sanctification Holinesse is not only imposed on Christians as their duty but bestowed on them as their priviledge Therefore the Lord promises to his people as their encouragement to suffer affliction Heb. 12. 10. That thereby they shall be made partakers of his holiness This is the precious Treasure of the Saints Mat. 12. 35. A good man out of the good Treasure of his heart bringeth forth good things A good man though he hath no treasure 〈◊〉 his house nothing in his purse nothing in the field yet he hath a good treasure in his heart a treasure of wisdom and knowledge a treasure of grace and holinesse a treasure of faith and patience and humility and mercy and this is a rich treasure 'T is the rich in faith rich in grace and holinesse that is a rich man indeed a heart full of grace is a better treasure than a house full of gold as much as strong men glory in their strength as much as wise men glory in their wisdom as much as great men glory in their greatness one grain of grace is more worth than all As much as holiness is dispised and trampled upon by the men of this world it is of greater value than mountains of gold and silver Holiness is the health of the Soul the soundnesse of the Spirit Health is a poor mans portion look what sickness is to the body that is sin to the Soul the disease of it sinful souls are sickly souls and as it is with sickly bodies so it is with sinful souls they are neither fit foâ— employments nor â—apâ—ble of any considerable enjoyment A sick man can do little service and caâ— take little comfort in any thing he hath sinfuâ— souls are good for nothing and can take comforâ— in nothing that is good Holiness is the health of our Souls Sanctification is the restitution of the Soul with all its faculties to their rectitudâ— and soundness By Holiness the soul is 1. Made fit for service and that is a great blessing Whaâ— a misery is it to be an useless unprofitable lumpâ— good for nothing to be serviceable and that 〈◊〉 such high and noble ends as the honouring the Name the carrying on the Designs the shewingâ— forth the Vertues of the Eâ—â—nal God what aâ— blessed thing is it 2. The â—oul by Holiness iâ— made capable of enjoying the Lord and all the gifts of God What is the reason that Christians under a decay of grace and overgrown with corruption can take comfort in nothing Tell them of the promises of the Gospel of the priviledges of the Gospel of the Joyes and Hopes and Glory to come they can take no pleasure they can find no sweetness in it Promises do not affect them priviledges do not affect them future hopes and expectations do not affect them What is the reason of this Oh! their souls are sick and cannot taste or relish any thing that is good by how much more healthy men are by so much more delight they can take in their business by so much more comfort they can take in their friends by so much the more pleasure they can take in their meat and drink or any thing else that they enjoy And so it is with a healthy soul by how much the more holiness by so much the more sweetness Duties are sweet Ordinances are sweet Promises are sweet the Society of the Saints is sweet the Meditations of God are sweet They can truly be said to enjoy their friends to enjoy the Promises and Ordinances to enjoy their very Duties to enjoy God in all they have or do whose souls are in such an holy healthful state This is another of the â—reasures of wisdom which the Saints have gotten they have gotten Holiness 4. The Adoption Rom. 9. 4. Who are Israelites whose is the Adoption There is a twofold Israelite an Israelite after the flesh such were the natural children and posterity of Abraham and an Israelite after the Spirit such are all believers the childreâ—â—f the faith of Abraham and according to this distinction of Israelites there is a twofold Adoption outward and visible which pertain to the natural seed inward and invisible which is the peculiar priviledge of the spiritual Seed all the children of the faith of Abraham The Adoption comprehends in it 1. The grace of Adoption whereby the Lord hath given us the relation of Children and a right to all those priviledges and blessings that flow from that relation Job 1. 12. To as many as received him to them gave he power to become the Sons of God 2. The Spirit of Adoption Gal. 4. 6. And because you are Sons God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts crying Abba Father This Spirit is called the spirit of Adoption not only because it works in us the disposition and dutiful affections of Sons but especially because it witnesses our Sonship Rom. 8. 15 16. Ye have received the Spirit of Adoption whereby we cry Abba Father the Spirit it self beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God The Spirit evidences and witnesses our Sonship and thereby enables us to cry Abba Father that is to call God Father Gives us the boldness and confidence of children to come to him on all occasions to make 〈◊〉 complaints to Him to make known our wants our fears and our dangers to him to make our requests to him to depend on him for provision for protection to put in for a childs portion for a share in his riches to lay claim to and to lay hold upon the inheritance of Sons to cast our care upon him and to quiet and comfort our selves in the sufficiency of our Father I have nothing saith the child but from hand to mouth but my Father hath enough 〈…〉 a blessed and glorious priviledge that Christians have obtained to be the sons and daughters of the Lord Almighty 1 Job 3. 1.
preaching to others I my self should become a cast-away For Scripture-promises consider these Blessed are the poor in spirit bessed are the meek the merciful they that hunger and thirst after righteousness the pure in heart they that are persecuted for righteousness sake for they shall see God theirs is the Kingdom of heaven they shall be comforted filled and great is their reward in heaven For Scripture-prayers consider these The God of peace sanctifie you wholly and I pray God that your whole spirit soul and body may be preserved blameless until the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ Now the God of peace make you perfect in every good work to do his will working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight Multitudes of such like Scriptures might be added but these may suffice Now wherefore are all these things written Wherefore are these strict commands given these holy lives of Saints left upon Record these promises made and these prayers kept upon the file Are they not all written for our learning to let every man and woman understand what manner of persons they must be what manner of Lives they must live if they will be saved If less or a lower Religion would serve to what purpose is this waste If it be so People may forbear to charge Precisians with keeping more ado than needs and lay in their charge against the Scriptures for requiring more than needs But do you think indeed that the Scriptures have spoken these things in vain If it be not in vain if all this be comprehended under the one thing needful if all this do but shew us the one and only way of Life if we must be thus renewed and changed in our minds and must thus holily and unblameably order our Lives or else we cannot be saved as the Scriptures mentioned many of them expresly affirm then what will become of that poor confident multitude we are now dealing with Does all this amount to no more than keeping your Church saying your prayers learning and saying over the Creed and the Ten Commandments living peaceably with your Neighbours paying every man his own crying to God for mercy when you have committed a fin and the like Can you call this cold lifeless way your striving to enter in at the strait gate Is this your working out your salvation with fear and trembling Is this all that is meant by fighting the good fight of Faith by wresting against Flesh and Blood against Principalities and Powers by being instant in Prayer fervent in Spirit watching and running and pressing towards the mark Brethren if there be one way of Life if all this which hath been represented to you out of the Scriptures be to shew you from the Lord what â— strait way this one way of life is and if you will compare your way you depend upon with it methinks you shall need no more to convince you of your dangerous mistake hitherto and to leave you more ready to embrace the exhortation I am pressing upon you namely To come in among the number of and take upon the holy course of these circumspect Christians But if this be not sufficient I shall yet make it more evident by Reasons drawn from the Scripture which I shall give you in these Six Propositions 1. The Gospel requires as indispensably necessary to salvation inward holiness or the renewing of the heart or inner-man Needs this any proof to them that understand the Scriptures There must be another Spirit Numb 14. 24. A new heart Ezek. 36. 26. A clâ—an heart Psal 73. 1. A true heart or an upright heart sprinkled from an evil Conscience Hebr. 10. 22. Ezek. 18. 31. Make you a new heart and a new spirit for why will ye dye Jer. 4. 14. Oh Jerusalem wash thine heart from wickedness that thou mayest be saved What do these Scriptures especially the addition in the two last For why will ye dye And that thou mayest be saved What do these import less than this That there is no salvation possible there is nothing but certain death and destruction to those whose hearts are not washed and made new John 3. 3. Except a man be born again he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God Except ye be converted ye cannot enter into the Kingdom of God What is the product of this new birth or this conversion but a new creature Some there are it is true that interpret this Conversion which is made so necessary to Salvation to be nothing else but the coming of persons from Judaism or Paganism to Christianity to the owning and embracing the Christian Faith But if this be true then all that believe Christ to be the Messiah and are baptized and live in the profession of the Christian Faith shall be saved Come ye Drunkards come ye Adulterers Lyars Covetous with all the profane Root of Nominal â—â—ristians and keep an Holy-day to the memory of these two Doctors who bring you such a large and easie Gospel as will carry you all to Heaven with all your lusts and lewdness upon your backs But is this true Is this Gospel Is this all the conversion that is necessary to Salvation It cannot be For First There are many that embrace the Christian Faith that are Hypocrites and shall Hypocrites be saved Secondly There are many such Converts that walk disorderly whose God is their belly whose glory is their shame who minde earthly things Phil. 3. 18. Of whom the Apostle here tell us that their end is destruction 2. This inward Holinesse which the Gospel requires stands not in some sudden and unconstant good thoughts or some transient good affections but is an holy frame or habit thus much is intimated in the fore-mentioned expression Another Spirit a new Heart a new Creature An holy thought a good desire is another thing from a new heart they cannot so much as evidence that the heart is renewed as in a renewed heart there may be some evil thoughts and evil lusts arising and working so some good thoughts and affections may spring up in an evil heart true holiness is not a fit but a frame there may be fits of passion or of pride or of envy too often in a Saint and yet in the main he may be a Saint still There may be fits of devotion fits of zeal sometimes in a â—inner and yet he is a sinner still Holiness is the temper and constitution of a Christian his new nature that abideth in him 3. This inward â—â—bitual Holiness stands in an universal compliance of the heart with the whole Will of God the heart that is formed after the Image of God is conformed to the Will of God Psal 40. Thy Law is within my heart not a piece but the whole every word and tittle of it The Law is within me The Law is said to be within the heart of a Saint in a double senâ—e First It is published and revealed and made known in the heart it is understood
peremptorily resolved against hearkening to any farther Treaties about this thing casting them off with the greatest scorn and indignation I must be bold to tell you from God That if you live and die in this mind God must cease to be true the Scriptures must be proved to be a lye the Doctrine of the Gospel a meer forgery or faâ—shood or you will be shut for ever out of the Kingdome of God And do you not yet see enough to perswade you to come in and be of this number Are you not yet convinc'd that 't is your duty that 't will be your wisdome to be such That none but Fools and Brutes will continue to be Libertines Whilst you charge folly on the Saints will you at last prove your selves to be the onely fools And will you verifie that Proverb Bray a fool in a Mortar and yet his folly will not depart from him Shall it be said of you Let them be instructed let them â—e convinced let them be warned yet still all 's â—â—ne fools they are and fools they will be Oh ye â—ools when will ye be wise Search the Scriptures â—nd learn of them come unto Christ and learn of him and if he do not speak the same things which here have been spoken if he do not teach you the same Lesson which here you have been taught then go on and take your liberty still but if Christ sayes Be holy if Christ sayes be circumspect if Christ sayes Be perfect and you still refuse to hearken then carry this inscription upon your foreheads We have rejected the Word of the Lord and what wisdom is there in us John 1. 47. Behold an Israelite indeed in whom there iâ— no guile VVE need not go far back to find ouâ— the sense of these words which they fully enough contain within themselves â—he occasion of them was this Philip calls Nathaniel to come to Christ Nathaniel being called comes and coming to Christ our Lord gives his Judgment of him In the words we have 1. A note of Observation Behold This hints to us two things 1. That a Nathaniel a true Israelite is a worthy Sight worth the observing Behold an Israelite 2. That a Nathaniel is a rare Sight We do not use to put a Behold on that which we see every day 2. A Description of Nathaniel and in him of aâ— sincere godly man 1. He is an Israelite Israel was the first name of Jacob who upon his wrestling and as a Prince prevailing with God in Prayer had this new name given him of God and was thenceforth called Israel from him afterwards the whole generation of the Jewes were called Israel in the new Testament all the People of God were called Israel Gal. 6. 16. Both 〈◊〉 the Old Testament and the New Israelites weâ—â— such as had the account of the People of God whom God hath separated and set apart for himself as his peculiar people out of all the rest of the world so that an Israelite here notes one that belongs to God a good man 2. An Israelite indeed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one that 's truely an Israelite not after the flesh but after the Spirit not in shew and appearance not in conceit or his own or others Opinions but in reality 3. An Israelite without deceit in whom is no guile who is no Jugler or crafty Dissembler that did only personate bear the face and act the part of an Israelite but an honest down-right plain-hearted Israelite In all this we have a full description of a sincere godly man â—e is an Israelite one separated to God an Israelite indeed not in conceit or fancy but in truth not in deceit or guile but in singleness of heart That which I intend for the foundation on which to build my discourse is An Israelite indeed Thence let the Doctrine be Doct. A sincere godly man is no Phanatick or Godliness is no fancy As there is an Israelite in conceit so there is an Israelite indeed as there is Godliness in shew so there is Godliness in truth Godliness is no fancy The great design of Satan and his Instruments is against Godliness to resist it disgrace it and if it were possible to root it out from under Heaven And because whilst Godliness appears to be what indeed it is in its own lustre glory and excellency all such attempts against it are like to be â—â—ain and ineffectual therefore the plot is to cast â—mist before the eyes of this Pur-blinde World and to make them believe that there is no such â—hing or that it is not what it is that 't is a meer fancy there is nothing in it That which Men call Godliness is but a conceit a meer dream of some brain-sick persons who thinking themselves wiser and holier than the rest of the World and being strongly opinionated of their ways aud intoxicated with their own imaginations whilst they would perswade others that they are in the dark and under strong delusions are most of all mistaken and deluded themselves Now because this is such a mischievous Engine to hinder the propagation of the Gospel and to hold men back from that true Godliness which is necessary to salvation and without which they perish everlastingly I shall through the gâ—â—ce of God prove and make as evident as the light the truth of the Doctrine proposed That Godliness is no fancy and that the sincerest and strictest Godly men are most unjustly and unreasonably termed Fanaticks of any persons in the World By Godliness I mean that sincere and strict profession and practice of Religion which is above the size and beyond the measure of the common sort of people who call themselves Christians that which the Scripture calls pure Religion the power of Godliness walking with God walking in Spirit living in all good conscience By a sincere godly man accordingly I understand the same person which I in the foregoing Discourse meant by a precise or circumspect Christian one that will not adventure his soul on that cheap easie outward careless way of Religion which the most do but labours to make sure and thorow work by setting himself to live up to the height and exactness of those principles of Religion which he hath received from the Scriptures When I say That Godliness is no fancy by a Fancy I mean that which hath no being but in the imagination that which hath no foundation in the Scriptures but is a meer conceit or airy Notâ—on a figment of mens owns brains This is the reproach that the prophane world caâ—â— upon strict godliness That it is a meer fiction or a dream of mens own hearts that the inward likeness to God the exact walking with God living in fellowship and communion with God the joy of God the life of faith the Souls exercising it self upon God and the Lord Jesus and the like are meer conceits there are no such things but they are mens own dreams and delusions Now this is that which I
have been done before yet they were but the dead carcasses of duties rather than the things themselves 2. This new Life is a nâ—w Nature the Saints participation of the Nature of Christ a change of the qualities of the soul they are new Creatures that have passed the new Birth The second Adam as well as the first brings forth his Children in his own likeness The divine Birth is the bringing forth of the divine Nature 2 Pet. 1. 4. As they said vainly the Gods are come down in the likeness of men It may be here said truly Men are raised up in the likeness of God renewed after his Image made partakers of his holiness Those that put any thing less in this charge than the new creature make Regeneration to be as very a contradiction as the Popish Transubstantiation Bread is made a God and yet bread is still a brute is made a Saint and yet remains a brute still A God under the accidents of bread and a Saint under the qualities of a Swine 3. This new nature is a glorious nature comprehending in it that divine light whereby the Saintâ— are inabled to understand and look into the depths of eternity the invisible things of God the mysteries of the glorious Gospel that divine love and faith and hope and the whole train of glorious graces together with those principles of righteousness Truth Mercy Charity c. whereby they are made capable of injoying fellowship and communion with God of bearing his Name shewing forth his Vertues and Praises before the world and doing his will In sum it is the Image of God the Epistle of Christ written upon the Tables of their hearts And thus much those Scriptural expressions New creatures partakers of the Divine Nature partakers of his holiness children of light with the life do signifie and import What a strange piece of vanity should we make of the Scriptures if all these high and various expressions should signifie no more than that empty and pitiful thing that carnal men do count their Religion or godliness that ever that ignorant Sottish formal brutish generation which have no more of the knowledge of God than an Heathen no more of the life of God than a Stock no more of Religion than to say over a Prayer by rote So far from being partakers of the new Nature that they know not whether there be any such thing or what it is That ever such a blind senseless multitude should be imagined to be the persons whom the Scripture means by new Creatures the Children of God the Children of Light the Images of God Much more that those that live after the flesh who are proud covetous sensual filthy beastly in their conversations yet if they have been baptized and passed under that sacramental Regeneration and do but say now and then I repent or God forgive me that these also are the children of God and have all that new Birth which is necessary to their seeing the Kingdom of God Who can with any colour of reason imagine Such as can make themselves believe this have made such a forfeiture of their understandings that they may be like in time to believe that the Devil is God and that Hell is Heaven and may even take up the Alcoran for their Bible and let the Scriptures go for a Fable Sinners consider with your selves is there any such thing as the new Birth Can there be a New Birth without a New Life Doth Christ bring forth Dead Children or do dry bones live Doth the Gospel bring forth monstrous births Children without eyes without an head without an heart or with the heart of a beast under the face of a man Doth it bring forth Serpents Vipers Dogs Swine for its Children and must the Kingdom of Heaven be peopled with such Inhabitants as these If these be the Children of the Kingdom where or who are the Children of this World are the Nathaniels the Israelites indeed in whom there is no guile Are these the true seed and the Saints spurious are these the sons and the Saints bastards Or if you will let these vile ones of the earth go as none of the seed take the best of carnal men that have the fairest face of Religion and form of holiness without the in-side the new nature are these they Is the shadow the substance and the substance but a shadow To say that the inward life of godliness the spirit and soul of Christianity is but a conceit and this out-side is all this Christianity is as good reason as to affirm that a picture is a man and that a living man is but a picture and as good Divinity as I my self heard Preached at Oxford about thirty years since by a zealous Advocate for the lawfulness of Sports on the Lords Day who Preaching about the observation of the Sabbath and distinguishing betwixt the Substantial and the Circumstantial duties of that day said That Preaching is a Religious Ceremony Praying is a Religious Ceremony but bowing at the Name of Jesus standing at the Creed and Gospel Holy and Religious Feasting Holy and Religous Dancing these are the Substantials Hence it follows 1. That Regeneration is not a Suppositious change or the counterfeit of a change there is some difference hereby put betwixt persons and persons the Regenerate and the Unregenerate are not one and the same no more than the living and the dead 2. It is not a bare Relative change as Justification and Adoption are held to be there is a change of nature wrought by it and not barely of Relation 3. It is not a Superficial change or meerly outward that goes only skin-deep it is not as 't is said concerning Baptism only the washing away of the filth of the flesh the cleansing of the out-side and leaving lust to reign within Regeneration is the change of the man and not barely of the manner 4. In this change we may read all godliness we may read the use of things very much in their beings we may know wherefore they are much the better if we understand what they are Gods expectations may he read in his operations we may understand much of our work by observing Gods work upon us As God in making men living souls does thereby tell us he expects other things from them than from dead stocks and stones and in making them reasonable souls intimates that he expects they should live other lives than dogs or swine so in making them Christians making them partakers of the Divine Nature he makes it evident that he expects they should live another life than other men The new life or life of godliness may be read in our new birth or new natures The Regenerate are said Eph. 2. 10. To be created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God had before ordained that they should walk in them Created unto good works that notes two things 1. Intended to good works 2. Fitted to good works 1. That in their new
the defect is not in the will God hath the heart and wheresoever God hath the heart there is certain acceptance with God where the heart is ingaged against any particular lust and is resolved upon it this lust I must mortifie and through the help of God will seek its destruction though it cannot yet compass it yet this resolution evidences that the heart is on Gods side it doth not side with lust against God but â—â—des with God against lust and so in all other the like cases 2 Cor. 8. 11. If there be first a willing mind it is accepted according to what a man hath and not according to what he hath not He that gives according to what he hath he that does according to what he hath and does it heartily shall be accepted undoubtedly It may be thy case may be such sometimes that to will may be all thou hast towards a Duty As for instance when thou hast a will to shew mercy to give an Almes if thou hast nothing to give thy will is all thou hast 'T is true there may be mistakes and we are too apt to such mistakes to impute our failings in duty to want of ability when they are from want of will How ordinarily do men thus excuse their grossest neglects even when they yield themselves over to an universal careless and idle life wherein there is not the least care or pains taken to please or follow God Why I do what I can I can do no more than I can â—ould live a better life but I cannot when yet the will is onely in fault though you can do 〈◊〉 than you can yet if you had a good will to it you â—ight do more than you do But still the great question â—â—â— be How may I knovv in case of failings of persâ—â—â—ance whether my will be so fully set upon my duty that there would be performance if it were not hindred if it were not for vvant of povver or opportunity I answer 1. There is no pleading want of ability to excuse a total neglect of godliness if the pretence be of want of ability to live a godly life in general I am willing to live a godly life but cannot there 't is certain the defect is in the will the Spirit of Sanctification is a Spirit of power and where the will is once savingly renewed by that mighty Spirit there is certainly such a power communicated as will infallibly bring on the soul to follow God in a course of Godliness whatever particular weaknesses and failings there may be 2 Tim. 1. 7. God hath not given us a spirit of feâ—r but of power and of love and of a sound mind Jer. 42 20 21. Ye dessâ—mble in your hearts when you sent me to the Lord your God saying pray for us and whatsoever the Lord our God shall speak we will do it Here was a fair promise what could be said more whatever the Lord shall say we will do and like enough they might have some intention to it but sayes the Prophet Ye dissemble with me all the while why how does that appear why in the next verse sayes he I have this day declared it to you but you have not done any thing for which the Lord your God sent me to you If your hearts had been right there would have been something done but you have done nothing Beloved you that say you fain would follow God but cannot you would fain live a godly life but do nothing towards iâ—â— you would willingly leave off your worldly lifeâ— or your fleshly life or your idle life you would fain leave off your drinking and gaming and wantonness and betake your selves to praying and repenting and denying your selves and minding your souls and the things of eternity but you are not able the meaning is this you are not willing you cannot find in your hearts to take up such a course you have some velleities some wishes and weak inâ—linations to godliness but no will to it if there were a willing mind within doubtless there would be some sign of it in your course without 2. For particular duties when we are willing to them and yet fall short of performance we may know that the will would bring forth the acts were it not for some great impediments 1. When the non-performance of duty brings forth sorrow and trouble of heart when it is a grief of mind to us that we cannot doe what we would Rom. 7. 18 19 24. To will is present with me but how to perform that which is good I finde not the good that I would doe c. Oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death That which hindred him was a sore â—urthen to him under which he groans and pasâ—ionately wishes for his redemption and deliverance from it those who in case of â—ailings are quiet and well enough contented much more those who are glad of an excuse as too often 't is to be observed in many who when they are put upon â—ifficult or displâ—asing Duties are glad they have so much to say for themselves that they are not able or have not opportunity 't is â—n argument that little would have been done â—ad they had never so great ability 2. When if we cannot doe the duty we do what we can towards it A man that â— poor and can't give an alms to his Brethren in distresse yet he can pitty them pray for them make their case known to others that can relieve them if he do not what he can if he do not open his bowels to them though he cannot open his hand though he had never so much his poor brother would be like to be little the better The poor Widow that cast in her Mite into the Treasury which was all she had 't was a sign she had a large heart though she gave so small a gift 1 King 8. 17. David had it in his heart to build an House for God and yet did it not the Lord hindred him How may it be known that David would indeed if he might have built it why by this it appeared though he might not do it yet he did what he might towards it though he might not build yet he prepared materials for the building If thou art but a babe in Christ hast had but a little time hast yet but a little understanding a little strength though thou canst not follow the Lord in such exactnesse not attain to such a fruitful life as those that are grown and experienced Christians have attained to yet if whilst thou art but a child thoâ— dost follow the Lord as a child according to the measure of thine understanding and ability thou art yet unskilful and performest thy duties in a broken manner but yet thou dost perform them thou art weak as a child but yet art tractable as a child willing to be led where thou canst not go if it be thus with thee thou netdst
is all one as to say that God hath put more sweetness into creatures then is in himself that the basest and vilest use of the creatures doth yield more true content then the souls exercising it self on God as if the thorn should yield more sweetness the bramble more fatness then the Fig-tree or Olive where are the understandings of these men I tell you Sinners when you have gone from flower to flower from creature to creature from pleasure to pleasure and sucked out all the fatness and sweetness that these will yield a poor Christian will get more real pleasure out of one Chapter of his Bible out of an honest Sermon out of one hours converse with God in Prayer then yoâ—r whole life will bring you in The Gospel with its brests of consolation at which he sucks yields him sweeter milk those clusters of Canaan on which he lives yield him richer Wine then the whole world will afford any The gleanings of a Christians joy are better then the Vintaâ—e of Sinner and you cannot so much slight the glory of their Sâ—n as they despise the glory of your sparks 3 By these spiritual exercises and delights they become more and more spiritual themselves By their beholding the face of God they are changed from glory to glory into his image and likeness by living so much in Heaven the temper and frame of their hearts becomes heavenly mens ordinary company and exercises have such an influence upon them that 't is not unusual that they change their disposition Frothy company and vain exercises will leave a frothiness and vanity upon mens spirits and serious and savoury company and exercises do leave a good savour behind them He whose work is in the Coal-mines his hiew is thereafter the flies that feed on the dung look like the dung they feed on Carnal men by being continually conversant about their earthly affairs have nothing but earthiness left upon their spirits their Thoughts Affections their Souls are become earth earthly their duties are earthly their prayers their praises their hearings all are earthly When they go to Church when they go to their Clossets they must carry their earth along with them or leave their hearts behind them On the other side Christians by having their dwellings with God their Delights their Recreations their daily business with God the Spirit of Glory and of God resteth upon them by their Divine Exercises they are made more partakers of the Divine Nature and as Worldlings businesses and delights do leave an earthliness upon their very Religion so a Christians Religion doth Spiritualize his Civil Affairs Carnal mens prayers do savour of their Fields Oxen and sports Carnal mens Sabbaths do smell of their Working-days and a Christians works do savour of his prayers a Christians Week-days have a tincture of his Sabbaths he eats and drinks he buys and sells he ploughs and threshes not as a man but as a Saint he doth not onely pray as a Saint and hear as a Saint but he ploughs as a Saint he trades as a Saint his heart is in Heaven while his hand is at the Plough he is serving his God while he is serving his own necessities he seeks he serves he eyes he enjoys his God in all he hath or doth he proves by his sense that God is every where with him he dwells feeds labours lodges with him he lives he dies And thus you see what it is to walk in the Spirit Look how far forth such a Christian lives in the Spirit so far forth doth he live such a life as this 3 This is no fansie and if I fail not here if I prove this I hope Sinners you will then see reason enough to take the Phanatick upon your selves and from henceforth stile these despised Saints in your Stilo novo Israelites indeed Christians you that hear me this day will you help me in this proof this once help me and the cause will go cleary on the Lords side you may if you will come in and be willing instances of this Truth Will you live according to your Principles that Life of God which is within you Will you live according to your Rules that Word of Life which is before you Will you follow your Leader that Holy Spirit which is given to conduct you Will you fall closer to the practice of that Godliness which you profess will you live in the obedience of that Spirit which you have received will you shew your selves a pattern of Faith of Patience of Righteousness and Holiness Will you be dealing less about these earthly vanities and be less earthly in your earthly dealings shall your dealings be wholly about Heaven and Heavenly things and will you make these your dealings your delights Will you labour by being more conversant about spirituall things and in spiritual exercises to become more spiritual more spiritually minded more spiritually tempred Will you get more clear off the love and lusts and fashions and ways and joys of this world Will you suffer the Eternal Spirit to fill you with his love and fashion you into his likeness Will you forbear any more resisting grieving slighting quenching his holy motions will you hearken to his counsels answer his impulses Will you grow on to be more Christians daily more Saints daily Saints in heart Saints in tongue Saints in the general frame oâ— your course Will you make your graces more viâ—â—â—le your comforts more visible your spiritual joys and delights more visible will you let your light so shine before men that they must either put out their own Eyes or else be forced to acknowledge that God is in you of a truth Brethren We may much thank our selves for all our Adversaries slanders we have helped them to reproaches we have furnished them with accusations by our walking so much in the Flesh and so little in the Spirit we have taught them to question whether there be any such thing aâ— walking in the Spirit The Lord pardon us the Lord make us sensible of it we have brought up an evil report upon our God upon his Spirit Gospel and wayes and for ought we know have undone many poor wretches by our hardning them in their misconceits of Godliness and Religion There have been so much Dross in our Gold so much Ashes upon our Fire so much Earth upon our Spirits such sad mixture of Water with our Wine so much Liberty taken for our Carnal joyes and Carnal pleasures our Light hath been so dim our Grace hath been so low our good works have been so spare and so thin that we have made them bold to say We are not what we are but a meer lie and deceit And we have now no such way to vindicate our selves our Religion our Holy profession to justifie our God and his Gospel as by blowing up the Coals shaking off our Ashes stirring up the Graces of God within us and letting them have their perfect work in us Will you Christians
will you hearken to me in this Then I should be bold to bring you forth as Witnesses for God and his Truth However though upon your account it would be the more comfortable though ex abundanti I would bring in as many evidences as possible yet if you should fail me or any other particular congregation of professors yet let the World know I have sufficient proof ready at hand For If this walking in the Spirit be a fancy then these Damnable Absurdities will unavoidably follow 1. That the Spirit of the Lord is unfaithful in his Office 2. That God himself is false in his Promise 3. That the Devil doth more to the Damning of Souls than the Spirit of God to the saving them 4. That God hath no People no peculiar People in the world 1. If walking in the Spirit be a fancy the Spirit is unfaithful in his Office That the Spirit of God is given to the People of God to every one of them is so plainly asserted that he must deny the Scriptures that doth not grant it Rom. 8. 9. Ye are not in the Flesh but in the Spirit if so be that the spirit of God dwell in you Now if any man have not the spirit of Christ he is none of his That there are certain operations of the Spirit which he is by Office to perform is as certain as 1. To Enlighten therefore he is called the Spirit of Wisdome and Revelation Ephes 1. 17 18. 2. To sanctifie therefore Sanctification is called The sanctification of the Spirit 2 Thes 2. 13. 3. To Lead John 16. 13. He shall lead you into all Truth 4. To Assist and help Rom. 8. 26. Exek 36. 27. 5. To Comfort therefore is he called The Comforter If the Spirit of the Lord doth his Office then there are persons that are Enlightned Sanctified Led Assisted Comforted by him If there be none such if the comfort of the Saints be but pretended if their light their help their quicknings their encouragements be all fancies if they be but led in conceit quickned in conceit comforted in conceit then where is the Spirits faithfulness See what Blasphemies men run themselves upon before they are aware Sinners take heed what you do you are bold to reproach the Saints with the Spirit the Spirit but take heed mean while of reproaching the Spirit with unfaithfulness Blasphemy against the Spirit is no small sin though every blaspheming of the Spirit be not that unpardonable sin yet it is a fair step towards it look to your selves 2. If walking in the Spirit be a fancy then God himself is false in his promise Ezek. 36. 27. before-mentioned I will put my Spirit within them and cause them to walk in my Statutes If there be no such thing done then where is the promise of God He that makes walking in the Spirit to be nothing but talks makes the promise of God to be nothing but words 3. If walking in the Spirit be but fancy Then the Devil doth more to the destroying of Souls than the Spirit of the Lord doth to the salvation of Souls Let us consider again that Scripture Ephes 2. 2. Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this World according to the Prince of the power of the Air the Spirit that now worketh in the Children of Disobedience There are two things there observable to our purpose 1. Sinners are led by the Devil 2. They are assisted and excited by the Devil 1. They are led by the Devil that 's noted in that expression They walk on according to the Prince of the Power of the Air according to his guidance according to his minde and will he hath them at his beck When he sayes Go they go and when he sayes Come they come and when he sayes do this they do it But how comes this to pass that the Devil can hold such an hand over them can lead them thus at pleasure VVhy 2. They are assisted and excited by the Devil that evil Spirit works in them suggests evil thoughts into them and thereby excites and provokes and sets them a work The Devil is said Acts 5. to fill the hearts of Ananias and Saphira to lye against the Holy Ghost And when he had once put a lye into their Hearts their Hearts presently put a lye into their Mouths VVhen the Devil hath wrought wickedness into the hearts of sinners then they presently fall to working it out When wicked men lye it is the Devil lies in them when they curse and rage and swell with madness the Devil rages in them VVhen the lusts of men bring forth Adulteries Drunkenness Riot Revellings c. the Devil lies within blowing up the coals Is this but a conceit that wicked men walk in the Spirit That unclean Spirit That the Devil drawes them on and drives them on and helps them on and hardens them on in their wickedness Could men be so wicked as they are could there be such quarrelling and contentions such debaucheries and villanies such cursings and blasphemings such rottenness and ribaldries coming out of mens mouths and abounding in their lives Could there be so much constancy fruitfulness boldness hardness in sinning against all fears warnings reproofs counsels against Conscience and the Dictates of their Reason and common sense were it not for that evil Spirit that works in these Children of disobedience Now if it be no fancy that wicked men walk in the spirit this you must grant or else you must conclude that they are all Devils themselves and if you grant it can you conceive it to be but a fancy that the Saints walk in the spirit If the Devil works lies and oaths and curses into the Hearts of sinners sure you may well allow that the Spirit of God works duties works a prayer or praises c. into the hearts of the Srints Could a poor Christian that hath so many corruptions within so many Temptations without so many weaknesses hindrances discouragements ever follow the Lord in his holy wayes against them all if he had no other Spirit than his own to carry him on The Saints sure have as much need of that help which is from above to carry them on in holiness unto life as Sinners have of that which is from beneath to carry them on in iniquity to destruction and me thinks you should not question but the Spirit of God will be as active to stay as the Devil is busie to destroy 4. If walking in the Spirit be but a fancy then God hath no People in the World Rom. 8. 14. As many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the Sons of God As many that is just so many and no more God hath no more Children in the VVorld than there are persons that are led by the Spirit to be led by the Spirit and to walk in the Spirit signifie one and the same thing If then there be no such thing nor no such persons in the
World to be found where then are Gods Children God hath no Child if this be so You must write the God of all the Earth childless a Father without a Childe a King without a People if these wise men be true men and true men you can very hardly call them who having robbed the King of Saints of all his Subjects and the Father of Lights of all his Children You see now to what a plain issue this matter is also brought If you be in the right in this thing then the Spirit of God must be unfaithful in his Office God must be false in his promise the Devil doth more to the damning than the spirit of God doth to the saving of souls and one of these two things will follow hence either that the Devil is of more might than the Almighty Spirit or that the God of love hath not so much love as the Devil hath malice and lastly that God hath no People in the world But it may be sinners you will yet reply Well We will grant that this is true that there are those that are led by the spirit and walk in the spirit but when you talk of so much Spirituality in Mortal men of such high notions as living in the fellowship of the spirit living in Heaven when you tell us of such Glorious light such Raptures of Joy such Extasies of Spiritual delights here are the Fancies These are the things which we cannot but account the foolish Dreames of deluded hearts And now you think you have hit at last But is not this it which you say The Spirit enlightens but gives no light The enlightned see no more than the blinde The Spirit renews men and yet they are not changed The Spirit leades the Saints and yet they follow him just as fast as those that have no legs The Spirit dwells in them and yet they have no more fellowship or acquaintance with him than those that never saw him The Spirit assists and yet gives no help The Spirit comforts and yet gives no joy but after all he hath done leaves them just as other men and whatsoever they pretend to have more is a meer cheat and delusion The sum of all comes to this The Spirit doth and yet doth not doth something some great thing and yet that something is just nothing But is there no such life of God wherein the Lord having gotten the chief interest in the heart hath also the Dominion of the life Is there no such life the main dealings and business whereof is the pleasing and honouring of God and the seeking that glory and honour which is from him Must God be an underling to the World and be put off with our spare hours which the World will allow him We were even as good down-right to profess we own no God at all or if we must have one a Baal or an Ashtaroth a Nisroch or a Molech an Oxe or a Calf may serve us well enough for a God a God to be so trampled on or to be said unto stand aside when ever the World hath any thing for us to do Is there no such Spiritual life the comforts whereof are Spiritual comforts the pleasures and delights Spiritual pleasures and delights Are there no delights in God who is a Well of Life and the Fountain of all Blessedness Have the Creatures their several sweetnesses issuing from them the Sun its light the Fire its warmth the Fig-tree its sweetness the Olive-tree its fatness the Fruits of the Earth their pleasant tastes and smell the Instruments of Musick their melodious Ayres and sounds to gratifie and please our senses and is the Fountain onely a dry and unsavory thing when the Cisterns are so fresh and full Have fleshly exercises their several pleasures are the labours of the Husband-man the Travels of the Merchant so strangely sweetned by the gain and in-come of them Are May-Games and Morrice-Dances Sports and Playes so delightsome to men that they will sell their Souls for such Pleasures and are they the Exercises of Religion onely that have no juyce nor sweetness in them Is it Godliness onely that hath no bud the stalk whereof yields no meat Or are the delights and comforts hereof such flashy and airy things that we cannot tell when we taste them whether we be awake or in a dream Once more consider the Scriptures How excellent is thy loving kindeness O God therefore the Children of Men put their trust under the shadow of thy Wings They shall be aboundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy House and thou shalt make them drink of the Rivers of thy Pleasures for with thee is the Fountain of Life and in thy light we shall see light Delight thy self also in the Lord and he shall give thee thy hearts desire Thou hast put gladness in my heart more than in the time when their Corn and Wine increased with Joy shall they draw Water out of the Wells of Salvation Whom having not seen ye love in whom though now ye see him not yet believing ye rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory The peace of God which passeth all understanding keep your hearts Let him that readeth understand do all these speak the life of Saints to be such a dry and dark and impleasant life Let me farther ask you these two Questions 1. Are there any delights in Heaven Is there any joy before the Throne and in the face of God Are there any pleasures at his right hand Doth the Tree of Life that stands in the midst of the Paradise of God yield any pleasant fruit Doth the Chrystal River that runs through the City of God yield any pleasant streams Are the exercises of glory blessing praises and singing Hallelujah Hallelujah are there any pleasure in these Speak Sinners what do you think are there any delights in Heaven 2. Is there not something of that heavenly joy and delight let down to the Saints here Whilest they bear a part in the same exercises have they not a little share in the same pleasure What means then the earnest of their inheritance which is given here The Apostle tells us Eph. 1. 13 14. that the Saints after they had believed were sealed with the holy Spirit of Promise which is the earnest of our inheritance An earnest is a part of that whereof it is an earnest given in hand The earnest of our inheritance is a part of the inheritance Believe it Sinners Gods Earnest is no Jest God will not mock his Saints though you do As sinners to their cost so Saints to their comforts feel that Gods Earnest is in earnest As the Lord sometimes though more seldome causes some flashings of his wrath to flie out in the faces to kindle in the souls and burn in the bowels of some incorrigible sinners as an earnest of those everlasting flames prepared for them beginning their hell upon earth so doth he let fall some handfuls of that Harvest some drops of
adulterers or drunkards doth not the Scriptures tell me who they are Psalm 15. throughout He that walketh uprightly and worketh Righteousness and speaketh the truth in his heart he that back-biteth not with his Tongue nor doth evil to his Neighbour in whose eyes a vile person is contemned c. Matth. 5. 3. to the 12. The poor in Spirit they that mourn the meek they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness the merciful the poor in heart the peace-makers These are they that shall ascend into the Holy hill Quest 2. Who shall descend into the Deep Rev. 20. 15. And whoâ—oever was not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire Chap. 22. 15. For without are Dogs and Sorcerers and Whoremongers and Adulterers and Idolaters and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie 2 Thes 1. 8. 9. In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power Quest 3. Am I in the way to this rest of God Quest 4. Is my Title to this rest sure Is my name written in the Book of Life am I sealed with that Spirit of promise which is the earnest of my inheritance have I gotten an assurance that Christ is mine and Heaven is mine is not this assurance to be had is there not a promise left unto me of entring into the Rest May not this promise by my believing and accepting and adventuring upon it be made sure to me what mean I to sit down so quietly short of this assurance am I content to leave my earthly inritance under such uncertainties that I cannot tell what to call my own I cannot tell whether I have any thing or nothing Do I refuse any labour cost counsel that may secure my worldly interest and what is it onely Heaven and everlasting glory this is not worth the securing Quest 5. What if I should fall short of this Rest If at last I should see Abraham Isaac and Jacob and all the Prophets sit down in the Kingdome of Heaven and my self be thrust out I have made profession of Religion I have some good will to the waies of God born some affection to the People of God had some communion and fellowship with them had a namâ—â—nd good opinion amongst them I have gone to the House of God with them joyned in Prayers Fastings Sacraments with them I have attained to some probable Evidences of Grace But what if notwithstanding all this I should be found at last to be short of sincerity and of true saving Grace I have complained often of an carthly heart of a slothful heart of a carelesse heart of a lingring delaying heart I have had some motions and stirrings in me to shake my self out of this sloth to awaken and rouze my self out of these delayings and triflings I have been thinking often of taking more care and pains I have been wishing often for a diligent heart I have been hoping that it will not be thus alwayes with me but that one time or other I shall attain to more life and seriousness But what if after all this complaining and thinking and wishing and hoping it will be better I should still run on thus from one day to another from one year to another till I be surprized and should be taken away before I have gotten my heart to a thorow closing with God in Christ Quest 6. How joyful will my state be when that day comes if I may then be counted worthy to enter into this Rest When the voice shall sound in mine ears Well done good and faithful Servant enter thou into the joy of thy Lord When all these filthy garments and ragges of the Flesh shall be but off when all these bitter teares shall be wiped aâ—ay when all the clouds of darkness doubts feares sorrows afflictions shall be blown over when I shall be brought into the presence of the King of Saints and see all those glorious things that have been spoken of the city of God When mine head shall wear that Immortal Crown and my heart shall taste and drink of those everlasting pleasures at Gods right hand When I shall be brought into that general assembly and Church of the first-born which are written in Heaven to an innumerable company of Angels to God the Judge of all men to Jesus the Mediator of the New Testament to the Spirits of just men made perfect when my heart shall acknowledge Now I know indeed whom I have believed and see for what I have laboured When this poor Soul that in its travel towards Sion hath passed through a Wilderness lyen among the Pots been fed with Tears cloathed with Reproaches clog'd with Infirmities discouraged with fears and dismayings shall after all this be set down in the Kingdome of God and be lodged in the armes and bosome of the Lord of Glory and bear a part in those everlasting praises and Hallelujahs before the Throne of God for ever when mine eyes shall come to see all this and my heart to possess it will it not be a joyful day Quest 7. Can mine heart endure to think of being shut out from this blessedness forever Can I burn Can I endure the vengeance of Eternal fire VVill boyling Oyl burning Brimstone scalding Lead a glowing Oven a scorching Furnace be an easie Lodging for me Thou wilt not oh my soul be perswaded to repent there is too much pain in that Thou canst not bear a cross or an affliction a scoffe or a reproach talk to thee of crucifying the flesh of denying thy self of parting with thy fleshly Insts thy worldly companions of entring in at the strait gate of walking strictly and precisely according to the Gospel thou cryest out Oh these are hard sayings who can bear them But how wilt thou do to dwell with the devouring fire How wilt thou dwell with everlasting burnings Whatsoever it seems to thee now think what Hell will be to thee when the day comes that thou must descend into it Now thou lookest at it as a scare-crow or a bug-bare thou canst drink away or laugh away the fear of it but what will it be to thee when thou feelest thy self wrapt up in the flames of it and not a drop of water left to cool thy tongue Think on Hell oh my soul and then think on Christ and confider if a Redeemer from such misery be not worth the accepting think on Hell and then think on Sin then think on thy carnal pleasures and delights and consider how they will relish with thee when thus salted with everlasting fire Are these the things for which I dye Are these the price for which I sell my soul to Hell Away away from me all my lusts and pleasures away from me my companions in sin I confess I love you too well but I must not burn
countenance Israel might plainly see that Moses had met with God they might see the beams of divine Glory in his face Oh! how sad is it that Christians should return from duty with no more of God in their faces or upon their spirit than for the most part they do We come many times with no other spirits from our Bibles or our Closets than we come out of our Shops or out of our Barns no body would ever think we had been praying or conversing with God there is so little savour of God upon our hearts that we bring back with us Brethren whenever you let down your Pitchers into the Wells of Salvation be not content to bring them up empty be so conversant with God in your Duties that you come off laden as the Bee from the Flower with the honey and sweetness of your duties And this I advise you to endeavour after not only in your secret duties not only in your solemn publick duties on Sabbaths Humiliation-dayes or Thanksgivings but in your daily family-duties your Reading Singing Praying yea even in those shorter Prayers and Praises which you use before and after Meals Whenever you draw nigh to God look to see God to taste of God and to get down something of God upon your hearts And then 2. Whatever you have gotten from God in Duty what life what warmth what refreshing what enlargement of heart be careful to maintain and keep it alive afterwards See that your Spirits do not presently sink and cool again after they have been thus raised and warmed Do not satisfie your selves with this that you have some comfortable entertainment with God and feel some warm and lively works of your heart towards God and some refreshings from him in Duty but look to it that you keep that holy fire that is there kindled from being presently quenched again You do not eat and drink for an hour only that you may have the comfort of your food while your meal lasts but you eat for afterwards that the spirits and strength which you get by one meal may hold you out to the next meal Duties are the set-meals of the soul wherein it so feeds it self upon God that in the strength of what it receives it may afterwards walk with God more comfortably and chearfully The Lord promiseth to his people Lev. 26. 5. The Threshing shall reach to the Vintage and the Vintage to the Seed-time And Amos 9. 13. The Plough-man shall overtake the Reaper and the treader of Grapes him that soweth Seed The meaning is Your old store shall be so much and last you so long as till new com again you shall not only reap enough for the time of Harvest you shall not only gather enough to serve you during the time of the Vintage but your corn shall last from Harvest to Harvest your Wine shall serve you from Vintage to Vintage your Old store shall not be spent till New come to supply you Duties are the Harvests and Vintages of our souls Oh! what blessed lives should we live did we so improve and husband what we get in one Duty that it might last us out to another that the Vintage might reach to the Vintage the Harvest to the Harvest that the life and warmth and refreshing we get in one Duty might hold by us till the next and so we might be carried on in an holy lively heavenly Frame from Duty to Duty as Israel walked on from strength â—o strength till they came and appeared before God in Sion That which holds us so low and barren in Religion is that whatever we have obtained from the Lord in Duties and Ordinances we presently lose it when we have been weeping sometimes before the Lord and wrestling with him and pleading hard for some quickning or comforting influences of his Spirit upon our hearts and the Lord hath heard us and given us our desires yet then as soon as duty is over we go away and forget all and bury all that we have thus obtained in a confused heap of worldly thoughts and businesses we unbend and let down our spirits and lay aside all thoughts of God till we come to duty again we conrent our selves to live in such an estrangement from God all the rest of our time that sin and the world have a whole dayes time to pull down what an hours duty hath been building a whole weeks time to destroy and steal away what a Sabbath hath gotten in and so at the returns of duty we find our hearts at the same loss in the same deadness and hardness that they were before In the Old Testament though the Sacrifices were offered but morning and evening yet the fire that kindled them was not to go out night nor day there must be fire kept alive from the Morning-Sacrifice to kindle the Evening-Sacrifice and fire left from the Evening to kindle the Morning-Sacrifice Oh! Behold how often is it that though at our Morning-Sacrifice a fire is kindled yet we let this fire lie all day under the ashes and take so little care to keep blowing at it that it goes quite out before the Evening and when we come to offer our Evening-Sacrifice we have no fire to kindle it Brethren hath the Lord visited you and quickned and comforted you in duty Oh! think with your selves what a sweet life should I live might it be thus with me alwayes What pity is it that such light should ever go out that such grace should be so short liv'd Why if I do not look to my self the better this Sun-shine will last but a little while and how will the Lord take it if I suffer such sparks that he hath kindled so suddenly to be quenched How is my Soul ever like to prosper if such precious food pass away from it as soon as it is received Is this a fast that I have chosen for a man to afflict his Soul for a day Is this a prayer that God regards for a man to afflict his heart for an hour to be in the Mount with God to be raised up to Heaven for the time and within a few minutes after to be sunk into the dirt of the earth What a sad change is this How can you bear such a loss as this When will your souls come to any thing if you have only some few such lucida intervalla and all the rest of your time are covered over with clouds and darkness Beloved as ever you expect to prosper in grace or be settled in peace be chary of maintaining your duty in-comes do not think to make use of your prayer-comforts to save you the labour of an after care but to help you to be more careful and fruitful But how may we do to keep this Holy and lively frame 1. Be watchful Nehem. 4. 9. Nevertheless we prayed and set a watch against them night and day Beloved it is with you as it was with those Jews whatever you have gained you have Adversaries
it If you have wasted away your encouragements and spent out your Sun-shine in a careless unprofitable life how do you think to be ever useful or serviceable in the dark If you cannot now bear the pains of a godly life how do you think you should bear both the pains and the charges of it If you could follow Christ no closer in the plenty of all things how do you think to follow him when it must be in hunger and thirst Dost thou talk of suffering for Christ and suffering for Righteousness and hope thou shalt never forsake him whatever come upon thee when thy heart tells thee how much thou hast slighted Christ neglected thy duty to Christ contented thy self with a cold heartlesse luke-warm Profession without the power of Christianity and that when thou hast had no pretence of damage or danger that was hereby like to come upon thee You that how can keep at distance from Christ for the satisfying of a lust have reason enough to fear that you will utterly forsake him if ye be put to it for the saving of your Life You that in a calm can ordinarily remit your Religion for the pleasing a lazy heart will be like enough to renounce your Religion in a storm to quiet a fearful heart He that can sell his Conscience for a Lust will hardly be perswaded to buy it with the losse of all that ever he is worth Thou sayest it may be with Peter Though I dye with him I will not deny him I but dost thou deny thy self for him now deny thy pleasures and thy ease and thy companions now Hast thou not many a time denyed him a Prayer or an Alms when he hath called for it Canst thou watch with Christ Dost thou walk with Christ as thou oughtest Dost thou live to Christ Art thou faithful in bringing forth fruit unto Christ the fruits of holinesse and righteousnesse If not how dost thou think to be able to suffer for him If the way of Christ be too strait for thee thou wilt find his burthen to be too heavy if thou canst not bear his yoke thou wilt be less able to bear his Cross Christians consider what your wayes and your doings are at present and if you find the Lord helping you to walk in all good conscience now you need not doubt of being enabled to witnesse for a good conscience when called to it If you keep the Word and do the work of the Lord you may expect his help for bearing his burthen If you be faithful in your lives you are the more like to be faithful to the death Because thou hast kept the Word of my patience I also will keep thee in the hour of temptation Rev. 3. 10. 2. What you are in the ordinary and smaller crosses that come daily upon you There is not that man that lives that meets not with his crosses which though they be many of them but light and inconsiderable things below the Spirit of a Christian to take notice of yet how sadly may we observe at what a loss they are presently by them Every little Wind raiseth a storm every little cross puts us out of course What breaches are often made upon our consciences what interruptions of duties what abatements of our comforts to what distance are we put from Christ and our holy communion with him and all meerly for a thing of nought We cannot bear an unkindness from a Friend or an injury from an Enemy the provocation of an evil tongue a scoffe or a slander but presently our spirits are in an uproar and there are such tumults raised up within us that for the time we forget that we are Christians Duties and Comforts Christ and Conscience Souls and the matters of Eternity and all regard to them are laid aside and turned out of doors Faith and Patience and Meekness and Moderation are either made to be silent or at least cannot be heard for the noise of our passions and disquiets and all this sometimes for such trivial things that when we come to our selves we are all quite ashamed of our selves Brethren such fails by these lower temptations I cannot wonder if they make our hearts shake at the fore-fight of greater If every small party which the Adversary sends out against us doth put us to the rout How shall we stand when he comes upon us with his full body If we are overcome of the footmen how shall we contend with the horsemen If a rod or a little finger doth so disturb us how shall we bear the weight of the loyns or the stinging of Scorpions If we cannot bear an unkindnesse or a nod or a scoff or a slander what would become of us should we be brought to resist unto blood Beloved it is of greater import to Christians than they are aware of both to observe themselves daily and their carriages in these lower things and to inure themselves to patience and meeknesse of spirit under them Though it â—e no great vertue to be patient where there is no great provocation yet there may be great benefit by it If we could but shame our selves out of this folly and childishnesse of Spirit whereby we are apt to be moved with every toy if we could reason and pray our selves into such a fixed calm and quietnesse of spirit that we could keep our way with the neglect of such disturbances our lives would be both more comfortable and honourable at present and we should be in the better preparation for any harder things that might come upon us If we know how to be Christians among briars and thorns we shall be the better able to continue such among Spears and Arrows 3. What you are under the temptation of prosperity The World is a Christians Enemy it expresseth its enmity in its temptations the end of all its temptations is to draw us off from God Its temptations are of two sorts either of prosperity or affliction and both driving at the same end though in a different way Prosperity allures entices and flatters us away from God it steals away our hearts from God as Absalom stole the hearts of Israel from David by fair speeches by its fair and smiling face thereby drawing us into a neglect and forgetfulness of God to grow cold and remiss in our duty to God to let fall our love and affection and to lay aside our care of Religion Afflictions fright us from God dealing by us as Rabshakeh by Israel when he sought to get them off from Hezekiah by his threatnings and great words Isa 36. If you will not hearken to me I will make you drink your own piss and eat your own dung Afflictions are apt to weary men out of the ways of God to starve them out of their Religion to persecute them out of their Consciences and to make godlinesse too hot for them The stronger and the more dangerous of these two sorts of temptations are held to be the temptations of
things He that hath the son hath not only with him but in himâ— all things Are all things nothing with thee What wouldst thou have more than all Thâ— Heathens acknowledged That vertue is sufficient Iâ— was a Maxime among the ancient Philosophers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vertue is self-sufficient A vertuous Man hath no need to be beholding either tâ— Friends or Fortune He hath enough in himself The Apostle tells us That Godliness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with its self-sufficiency is great gain 1 Tim. 6. 6. Solomon tells us Prov. 14. 14. A good man is satisfied from himself He hath that within him out of which his satisfaction grows A Christian hath the whole Gospel within him He hath Christ the Promise the everlasting God Heaven Glory within him As rich as he is he may truly say Omnia mea mecum porto He carries his All in his heart and can thence get out a living a Sufficiency for all Times Cases and Wants Cast him naked out of his Habitation out of his Countrey yet he carries all with him he leaves not an Hoof behind him Christians leave it to the poor of the Earth to carnal men the Riches of them is poor enough leave it them to be discontent A carnal Man hath so many to be beholding to to parch up his contentment that 't is no wonder he falls short of it the Sun the Clouds his Fields his Folds his Friends his Enemies his Honours his Pleasures his Meat his Drink his House his Mony yea the Devil all his lusts every Creature must come in with their part to contribute to his contentment if but one thing fails him there 's somthing wanting to make it up Nay if none fail but they all do their best to please him yet all will not do in the fulness of his sufficiency he is in straits When he hath all he can have his still hungring Heart cries out of what it hath Vanity of Vaâ—â—ties all is Vanity Leave it to these Christians who â—ave nothing but emptiness to fill their Souls withâ—â— leave it to them to be discontented Will you â—ay the same imputation upon the God of Glory The Discontent of a Christian is a kind of Blasphemy it proclaims concerning God also and all the Glory of the Gospel This also is Vanity Vanity of Vanities all is Vanity Christians study your Riches more count over your Treasures dwell more in your God and his Gospel Read over your Priviledges Promises and Hopes feed more on that Bread of Life drink more freely of those Living Springs which are broken forth to you Prove more what Godliness hath in it Get out the sweetness and the Pleasure of it none in the World live such a voluptuous Life as he that lives mâ—â—t with God get out the pleasure of Godliness lie more at the Breasts suck harder press the Clusters and the Wine and Milk will come make the most of Religion and you will have enough never blame it for empty or unsatisfactory while there is more to be had Gad not into other Pastures run not from Flower to Flower keep you Home Let not your God find you in another Field If you keep with God the less you have of Creature-vanities the more full will your Contentment be Christian Honour thy God and his Gospel let his Breasts satisfie thee and err thou alwayes in his Love Let the World read the Gospel-sufficiency in thy Souls pleasure and satisfaction with it alone 5. Let your Conversations answer the supports of the Gospel and its succours Live a patient life Jam. 5. 7. Be patient brethren unto the coming of the Lord. Patience is a Grace suited to our present Gospel state I will call it a Friend that 's born for the day of adversity If you are Christians you have need of Pâ—tience and if you have Patience you need no more Jam. 1. 4. Let Patience have her perfect work that you may be entire lacking nothing Patience is a submitting sedate and calm frame of spirit whereby a Christian from Gospel grounds it born up under all his Troubles and born through all his Duties Betwixt Patience and Contentedness there is this difference Contentedness is the quiet of the heart and its satisfaction with its smallest portion of good things Patience is the quiet of the heart under the greatest pressure of evil things A patient spirit is a submitting spirit It s heartily content that God should have his Will With whatsoever God is pleased it will not be displeased It 's the Lord lâ—â— him do whatsoever seems good in his Eyes What seems good in God's eyes shall not seem evil in mine It is a Calm and quiet spirit It will not strive noâ— cry nor lift up its voice in the streets it can mourn but it does not murmur it can feel but it will not fret at the hand of God A patient person is ever compos mentis has the command and government of his spirit keeps it sober and in due order doth not rave and rage Impatience is a kind of frenzy such persons are besides themselves In our patience we possess and by our impatience we lose our Souls we lose the rule and government of them the peace and the use of them An impatient man is besides himself both as a Man and as a Christian 1. He is besides himself as a Man Impatience turns Reason out of doors and for the Affections they are all in an uproar and will know no command or government 2. He is besides himself as a Christian turned quite out of course Duties Comforts Experiences Hopes all are laid aside Keep you quiet keep the peace in your heart and you keep your heart In this calmness and quietness it bears up under troubles Patience hath Fortitude in it it neither frets nor faints under all its burthens Christians must bear and patient Christians can bear any thing that comes on them The proper exercise of patience is enduring he endures not that suffers only but that can bear what he suffers It bears through its Duties The passion of a patient person doth not hinder his action He holds his course keeps on his way whatever load he hath on his back He runs with patience the race which is set before him he is not discouraged nor diverted from his holy course by any suffering it costs him And indeed Christian Patience stands not in a bare forced quiet in a biting in or keeping down our fretting aestuations from venting themselves in word or carriage or in a sullen silence or stupidity but in the maintaining such a tranquility of spirit under all we suffer as that we can still both enjoy and serve the Lord. He is a patient Christian that is as much a Christian in a storm as in a clam that can pray believe love bless God follow God and keep his way when he smites as when he smiles Lastly in all this a Christian is upheld and carried on from
Gospel Grounds 'T is not a natural hardiness or apathy 't is not the Spirit of a man that does sustain his infirmities 't is upon the everlasting Gospel that he stands There are three Things especially that bear him through His viewing The Hand of the Lord. The End of the Lord. The Help of the Lord. 1. He sees the hand of the Lord in all that befalls him Whence was Davids patience Psal 39. 9. I was dumb I opened not my mouth Because thou Lord didst it Whence was Eli's patience 1 Sam. 3. It is the Lord let him do what seems him good Whence was Job's patience Job 1. 21. The Lord hath given the Lord hath taken away blessed be the Name of the Lord. By the way note That a godly man is not only patient under his afflictions but thankful He is not only thankful for Mercies but for Chastisements 'T is not only the Lord hath given blessed be his Name the Lord hath built me up the Lord hath filled me the Lord hath hedged me blessed be his Name but also The Lord hath taken away the Lord hath humbled me broken me undone me left me naked left me nothing blessed be the Name of the Lord. This by the way 2. He sees the end of the Lord that God intends his good by all that comes upon him He knowes that all things and therefore this which is upon him whatever it be shall work to him for good 3. He feels the help of the Lord. When the hand of the Lord is upon him he feels also the hand of the Lord under him underneath the everlasting Arms Deut. 32. 27. The Gospel as it hath allotted him many Tribulation◠so it hath allowed him mighty supports A mighty God who is the Rock of Ages Isa 26. a merciful High-Priest who being tempted himself is able also to succour those that are tempted Heb. 2. 18. Precious Promises 2 Pet. 1. Gracious experiences Rom. 5. 4. Patience worketh experience This last support experience hath all the rest in it Experience is the whole Gospel proved A patient experienced Christian hath proved all things what they are hath proved the World and what it is and the worst it can do hath proved the Word and what there is in it hath proved what God is what Christ is what grace and peace and a good Conscience are Tribulation often takes away God and his Gospel and we never so well prove what God is as when we have him alone what grace is what a good Conscience is as when we have nothing else left us Our Religion never shews so much what is in it as when it 's most put to it When the Adversary hath gotten the greatest advantage of us of the Sun of the Wind of the Ground when he presseth with most violence with most fury upon us then we best know what the weapons of our Warfare are The comforts and supports of Religion are not known either of what strength or of what sweetness they are till they are thus proved Hezekiah had never such a tast of his integrity as when he received the Message of death Stephen had never such a sight of Heaven as through a storm of stones Christ is never so sweet as in a prison When God meets his Saints in a Wilderness then he speaks comfortably to them A patient Christian hath more or less experience of all this and hence is he supported keeps quiet under all his sufferings and carried with courage on in his way Be patient therefore Brethren unto the coming of the Lord. You have need of patience and no excuse for your impatience The sufferings of the Gospel call for patience and the supports of the Gospel will condemn your impatience If you will be godly count upon it that you have a great fight of afflictions to endure Venture not into the fight without your Armour An impatient creature is a naked Soldier How easily will Sathan destroy whom he hath once disarmed The more you can the less you shall suffer Secure your spirit and you save your self from harm There 's no Dart shall hurt you that does not hit your heart Keep your heart whole and the Devil loses all his shot Be patient and you possess your Souls keep your Souls and the enemy loses the day Christians 'T is of great consequence to you to be of a patient spirit and 't is a great Duty there 's much more in it than every eye observes When I perswade you to Patience know That 't is no small thing that I am perswading you to 'T is no less than 1. To the whole of Christianity 2. To the height of Christianity 1. To the whole of Christianity To be truly Patient hath as much in it as to be a Christian To be holy humble meek mortified self-denying crucified to the world heavenly minded all this you must be or you cannot be patient Patient and proud patient and peevish patient and unmortified earthly minded a self-seeker This is as great a contradiction as to be proud and humble fleshly and spiritual earthly and heavenly a Christian and no Christian If ever you will be possessors of this grace you must be partakers of all grace Get a believing broken self-denying heart get your spirits furnished with the love of Christ the hope of the Gospel the contempt of the World live above in the other World Let Christ Glory Honour Immortality be the portion of your Souls and the pleasure of your lives if ever you would be truly patient 2. To Christianity in the height of it In pressing you to patience I am herein pressing you to get Assurance Without assurance though patience be possible yet you 'l find it both difficult and very imperfect What Patience when I question whether my sins be forgiven whether God be reconciled and be not dealing with me as an enemy What Patience when I doubt whether my afflictions be not the pension of a bastard rather than the portion of a Son when I am not sure but my present sufferings are sent to carry me down to eternal sufferings I am in misery and perpetual torments never a day without 〈…〉 it may be never shall this or worse may last for ever 〈◊〉 if I were sure it would be well at last I could be quiet but for ought I know the Furnace I am in may be the very mouth of Hell The diseases the wounds I am under may be sent to let out my Soul into everlasting burnings how can I be patient under such doubts and fears Make God sure Christian make Heaven sure once and then thou may'st set thine Heart at rest then thou may'st almost as easily exercise as thine Enemies find thee Exercise of thy patience Christians if you will be patient you must be painful give diligence be diligent in making your Calling and Election sure be diligent in duty be vigilant against iniquity If you will be patient be impatient of sin and you will be
patient of sorrow make sin sure get it slain by the cross and buried in the grave of your Lord sealing the stone and setting a watch have nothing to conflict with in the day of your affliction but your affliction beware of carrying guilt with you up upon the Cross Let not the gall of guilt be mingled with the vinegar of affliction A mortified spirit will deaden all our pains and a pure Conscience will bear all our burthens Till this be done I must tell you you will find suffering to be hard service T is an easie matter to talk of the sufferings of the Gospel and to boast great things afore-hand as you know who did once and what came of it Though I die with thee I will never deny thee But when it comes to the pinch when Troubles come upon us when the hand of the Lord touches us and touches where it 's most tender brings those calamities on us which are most contrary to us strips us of those comforts which are most dear to us takes away all from us and leaves us naked when we feel the smart of the rod when every stroke fetches blood when the feet are hurt in the Stocks and the Iron enters into the Soul when the vinegar and the gall comes when the thorns and the nails of the Cross are struck in when shame and reproach when scorn and contempt when hunger and thirst when cold and nakedness when bodily torment and pain are all measured to you for your portion and mingled in your cup If ever God should call you out to take your part with that Cloud of witnesses Heb. 11. who were tortured had trials of cruel mockings and scourgings of bounds and imprisonment who were stoned were sawn asunder were tempted were slain with the sword wandring about in Sheep-skins and Goat-skins being destitute afflicted and tormented wandring in desarts and mountains in dens and caves of the earth If ever this should be your case then you will know how much there is in Christian patience and how necessary self-denial mortification living in the faith and fellowship of God and the power of his Spirit and assurance of his love are to your patient possessing of your Souls Believe it Christians the Gospel hath not furnished us with such large provision of Graces Comforts Promises Hopes for nothing you will find need enough of them all Such amazing astonishing trials you may be called out to as nothing less than the rickest stock of promises the greatest treasure of Experiences the highest pitch of spiritual Graces your greatest conquest over Lust and the World your living under the fullest influences of Divine Power and the clearest Sense of Divine Love will furnish you with an enduring spirit nothing less will but this will do it Get sin and the World under make God sure make the Promises sure live in a daily conflict with Sin contempt of the World and exercise of all Graces Live in the obedience vision and fruition of your God and then you are ready for the Enemy Let your Sufferings be what they will come when they will your Souls are at Anchor and shall have a continual Calm within how Tempestuous soever the Weather be As a farther Encouragement and Help to this great Duty consider that your patient suffering will be 1. Your witness to the Gospel 2. Gods witness to your Adoption 3. The cure of your Corruption 4. Your triumph over Temptation 5. The improvement of your Sanctification 6. The advance of your glory 1. Your patient suffering will be your witness to the Gospel Who were that Cloud of Witnesses mentioned Heb. 12. 1. but the suffering Saints that Army of Martyrs recorded Chap. 11. whose patience is set forth as a partern to those that should come after These are witnesses What was it by which they bare witness but by their patient suffering To what did they bare a witness but to God and his Gospel What witness did they bear Why That the Gospel is true The sufferings of the Saints are their Seal to the Gospel As he that believeth so much more he that suffereth in Faith hath set to his Seal that God is true In the Faith and patience of the Saints may be seen as the Seal in the wax the prints and impressions of the Truth and Faithfulness of God God hath said he will uphold he will not forsake them and their Patience shews he doth uphold he hath not forsaken them 2. That the Gospel is a glorious Gospel That God is a good Master that its good being with Christ any where That they are no losers by their Religion but that it's wages are above its work and it's pay above its pain It were not possible when they prove how much the Gospel costs them but they should be weary of it and repent of their Faith and renounce their profession if they did not find the Lord a good paâ—â— master The Apostle tells us 2 Cor. 3. 3. that Christians are the Epistles of Christ or his Letters of commendation to the World in whom may be read his Excellencies and Glory and the incomparable advantages of his Service And as all Christians so especially suffering Christians The Character of Christ is never so visible and legible as when 't is written in Blood The Bowels and Bounty and kindness of God our Saviour never appear'd in more Glory than upon his Cross and there 's no such lively Transcript of them as upon our Cross On his Cross his Blood on our Cross his Spirit and the precious grace comforts of it are most plentifully shed forth 1 Pet. 4. 14. If ye be reproached that is and endure it the Spirit of Glory and of God resteth upon you The spirit and influences of a crucified Jesus do never shine forth to such advantage as in his crucified Saints Upon the patience of a Saint under the sufferings of Christ he that runs may read this written I serve a good Master Our patient suffering is our witness to Christ and his Gospel Christian when God sends thee to Calvary he sends thee thither as a chosen vessel that thou shouldst there bear his name before the world Art thou impatient at this what canst thou not bear this honour thy God hath laid upon thee Hath God chosen thee thee amongst all thy brethren to do him this honour wilt thou be angry that he did not rather choose some other 'T was an unworthy answer of a good Man Moses when God sent him to Egypt to appear for him before Pharaâ—h and to be the deliverer of his people Exod. 4. 13. Send I pray thee by the hand of him whom thou wilt send Send whom thou wilt any body but me But by our sinful shifting our selves of trouble or our murmurings under them we say the like Send whom thou wilt to witness for thee but let me go free Let me have my ease and my quiet and my liberty and take this honour who will for me
to have no Assurance that he hath any at all If thou wouldest have power over Corruption if thou wouldest stand in the Day of temptation if thou wouldest not starve in the day of Famine if thou wouldest have the comfort of the Grace thou hast let it grow up to its fuller stature Grace when it is come to Age will speak for it self and shift for it self the better which whilest it is in its Infancie neither knows nor can help it self Christians let your Grace grow and let the Fruits of it increase Let your Fields ripen to the Harvest I may say concerning Sinners not as our Lord said Behold the Fields are already white to the Harvest but behold the Fields are already black to the Harvest The Word is ready to be given Come put in thy Sickle the Harvest is ripe the wickedness is great The Fields of Tares are already black to the Harvest But oh when shall it be said of you Behold the fields are white to the Harvest shall evil weeds grow so fast and shall only the good Corn be at a stand Brethren Let your Fruits grow more plentiful and more perfect daily Let that Scripture be verified in you Pro. 4. 18. The path of the Just is a shining light that shineth more and more unto the perfect day Let your hearts be so filled with the fulness of God that your pathes may drop fatness Let it be said of you as of the Spouse Cant. 4. 18. and Chap. 5. 5. Her lips dropped as the Honey Comb and her hands dropped sweet smelling Myrrh Let your lips drop as the Honey Comb as you have drunk in the Milk and Honey that comes down from above so be ever droping it down to others Let something of the fatness something of the fatness that you have received from above be alwayes dropping down Be dropping according to what you have drank as you see sinners of whom 't is said They drink iniquity to be alwayes dropping iniquity dropping Oathes dropping Lies dropping Scoffs and reproaches So let it be said of you They drink the Dew of Heaven and this they are dropping down Let no Child no Servant no Friend come into your Company and go away without some sweet drops from your lips A word of heavenly instruction a gracious admonition a word of encouragement or a quickening word let them have or lift up a prayer and drop down a blessing upon them Something or other of the Dew of Heaven let them feel flowing from your Lips Let your lips drop as the Honey Comb and your Hands drop sweet smelling Myrrh Let your Holy Practises your holy Examples second and set on your wholsom counsels and instructions Let your words be savoury and your works be gracious Let lip and life speak the same things and lead on the same way Christians By your nursing up the Souls and Fruits of others you will ripen and encrease your own If you should look on all the Fruit as little which your selves have brought forth to God you will have this to comfort you That you have born more upon your Brethrens knees the Fruits of those Fields which you have planted or watered will abound to your account Bring forth much Fruit unto God and be much in immediate converse with God Phil. 3. 20. Our Convetsation is in Heaven Be more elevated and raised in your Spirits daily above things sensual and carnal Above Carnal Delights Above Carnal Discouragements 1. Above Carnal Delights live more purely in the Spirit let your Hearts be wrought up to such a spiritual frame that all the joyes pleasures and comforts of your lives may be spiritual Let the Lord be all your delight Psal 37. 5. Let it be with you as much as may be as it is with the Saints already in glory to whom God is all who being changed into his Image and dwelling in his presence are satisfied in him Let God alone be as much to you as God and all the world Let the Fashions and Pleasures and delights of this world be so much beneath your Spirits that it may neither be an abatement of your joy to want nor an addition to your content to possess them Let the light of all these lower sparks be swallowed up in God when the Sun shines all the Stars dis-appear and are not needed Lift up thine eyes Christian and see what pleasures there are within the Veil Come drink thy fill of this new wine let thy Faith draw the Curtains of Eternity and take a view of those heights and depths and lengths and breadths of that Glory and Joy which there it may discover Look on him that fits on the Throne and those everlasting Treasures of Light Holiness Goodness and Mercy which are streaming from his Face on those over-flowing Bowels of kindness and compassion on those Rivers of pure and eternal Pleasures Rest Peace that rise from that glorious Throne and run through the City of God Behold the Tree of life and feed thy Soul on its precious fruit whose very leaves are for the healing of Nations Hearken to and fill thine Ears and Heart with those Tryumphs and Exultations those Raptures and Extasies of unspeakable and glorious joyes those blessings and praisings those Hallelujahs that are tuned upon the hearts and tongues of the Heavenly Chore the glorious Angels and the spirits of just men made perfect by the vision and fruition of thy God the God of Glory Look on and possess this Joy and Glory say to thy Soul as God to Abraham Gen. 13. 14. Lift up thine eyes and look from the place where thou art Northward and Southward and Eastward and Westward through all the Coasts and all the Dimensions of the blessed Land of Promise and holy City and then say Come Soul take up thy rest here all this is thine Look and love love and long long and hope hope and rejoyce in hope of this glory of God Look on thy God and never leave looking till thou art changed into his Image and satisfied with his Image And here let thy delight and thy dwelling be 2. Above all carnal discouragements from any adversaries or dangers wherewith you are baited and affrighted as you walk in the Lord let the joy of the Lord be your strength let your Sun be your shield let your hope be your confidence and fear not your dutie nor danger Look to your hope and you will laugh at fear Dwell in your reward and you will not be afraid to dwell in your dutie But of this a word more by and by Thus much for general Directions 2. I shall next give you some special Directions for you daily work General necessarilie depend on and subsist in particulars As there can be no Religion in a Kingdom unlesse it be first in particular Families nor none in Families unlesse it be in particular persons so a general course of Christianity there cannot be unless it be supported in our particular daily walk The advice I
evil men If they be hypocrites any of them and you know them to be such call them hypocrites but do not take the name of Saint or Precisian or holy Brother and put them as marks of disgrace and scorn upon them he that calls a Saint hypocrite reproaches the Christian he that in scorn calls an hypocrite Saint or holy Brother reproaches Christianity it self Vse 2. But I have yet a greater request unto you then to have a good opinion of these men and no longer to reproach them my request to you farther is That you would come in and be of this number Some of you it may be will be ready to reply he shall have hard work that will perswade me to be a Precisian and truly I am afraid so too if all that the Devil can do will hinder it if all that your carnal reason and fleshly lusts can do if all that your sinful companions can do will hinder it I shall be sure enough not to prevail with you yet know that the motion which I make to you is from the Lord and if you deny me you therein deny him and if you deny him you must come upon it there 's another day coming when he will deny you You say you will not be perswaded but what is it you will not be perswaded to Why this is it you will not take the Yoke of Christ upon you you will not be advis'd nor be rul'd by him so as to live as he would have you live but you will have your liberty still to walk according to your own mind and hâ—â—rt that is you will not be Christians Will you not Are you in good earnest Are you content that the Lord should take you at your word and for ever give you up to your hearts lust and let you alone to walk in your own counsels Are you content from henceforth to give up your hope in Christ are you content to be damn'd Brethren this is the choice you are put to either an holy Life or everlasting Death either you must submit to the Yoke of Christ or you can have no benefit by the Cross of Christ either you must kiss his golden scepter or be broken in pieces with his Rod of Iron refuse to follow him in his Kingdom of Grace and you thereby shut your selves out of the Kingdom of Glory Whereof that I may the more effectually convince you I shall yet farther prove to you both by Scripture and reason that this strict and precise way of life is so undoubtedly and absolutely necessary to salvation that whosoever doth not thus walk cannot escape the damnation of hell I know carnal men are confident that they shall be saved without so much ado and this is that which hardens them in their sins their strong conceit that the way is not so strait and narrow as many would make them believe they doubt not but they have found out a shorter and easier way than this and what is this easier way Why 't is but call upon God for mercy keep thy Church do no body any wrong be no drunkard no swearer no adulterer or if thou be sometimes overtaken ask God forgiveness cry God mercy and then hope well never despair of Gods mercy fear not thou shalt be safe enough Now I shall make it plain to you that this loose and easie way of Religion will certainly leave every soul that goes no further to perish everlastingly and that this strict holy life which hath been described is indispensably necessary to salvation Beloved the matter I am upon is weighty a mistake in your Religion is mortal if that which you have taken up for the way of life be not so you are undone for ever and that this your easie way is not it I shall now make evident 1. From Scripture Let us but seriously examine and weigh those many high expressions which we find in Scripture in the Commands Exhortations Instructions Instances Promises and Prayers recorded in it in all which the one way of life is described and then let any reasonable man judge if all this amount to no more than that poor and pitiful and empty thing which carnal men count their Religion 1. For Scripture-commands consider these Strive to enter in at the strait gate looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God Work out your salvation with fear and trembling not sloathful in business but fervent in spirit serving the Lord Put off concerning the conversation the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts and put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness Wash thine heart from thine iniquities that thâ—â— mayst be saved How long shall vain thoughts lodge within thee â—et no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth but speak ye that which is good to the use of edifying that may minister grace to the bearers Walk in love love one another love your Enemies bless them that curse you pray for them which persecute you render to no man evil for evil but overcome evil with goodness mortifie your members which are upon the Earth walk in the spirit abstain from all appearance of evil be watchful stand with your loyns girded and your lights burning 2. For Scripture-instructions consider these The Grace of God which bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men teaching us that denying all ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live righteously godly and soberly in â—his present World pure Religion and underfâ—led before God and the Father is this To visit c. and to keep himself unspotted of the World They that be Christs have crucified the flesh with affections and lusts He that is angry with his Brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgement He that looketh on a Woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her in his heart Of every idle word men shall give account at the day of Judgment If any Man seem to be religious and bridleth not his tongue that Mans Religion is vain 3 For Scripture-instances David is said to be a man after Gods own heart did that which was right in the sight of the Lord turned not Aside from any thing that the Lord had commanded him all the dayes of his life save only c. Of Josiah it is recorded That his heart was tender and perfect with the Lord his God and that he turned not aside to the right hand or to the left Paul professes that he served the Lord instantly night and day that forgetting those things which are behind he reached forth to the things that are before pressing to the mark c. The life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God To me to live is Christ to dye is gain I so run not as uncertainly so fight I not as one that beateth the air but I keep under my body and bring it into subjection lest