despair endeavouring to be her own executioner but was comforted by that blessed promise Isa 57.15 For thus saith the high and lofty one that inhabiteth eternity whose name is holy I dwell in the high and holy place with him also that is of an humble and contrite spirit to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite ones And I have read of another man who being ready to dye Lord saith he I challenge thee by that promise Mat. 11.28 Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest and so was comforted And I have read of some others that were comforted with that promise â—â—rsin and Beza John 10.29 None shall pluck them out of my fathers hand And I have read of another who having deeply wounded his conscience by subscribing to Popish errors was much comforted by that blessed Scripture 1 Tim. 1.15 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief And I have read of another Mr. Bilney the Martyr Psal 51.17 A broken and a contrite heart O God thou thou wilt not despise This promise was a cordial to Bernard on his dying bed he dyed with this promise in his mouth And Austin found so much sweetness in the same promise that he caused it to be written on the wall over against his bed where he lay sick and dyed who was much comforted under sore distresses by that promise Isa 26.3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace or as the Hebrew runs Shalom Shalom peace peace whose mind is stayed on thee because he trusteth in thee And many have gone to heaven triumphantly by the refreshing and comfort that they have found in these following Scriptures John 6.37 All that the father giveth me shall come to me and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out Isa 55.1 Ho every one that thirsteth come ye to the waters and he that hath no money come ye buy and eat yea come buy wine and milk without money and without price Ver. 3. Incline your ear and come unto me hear and your soul shall live and I will make an everlasting Covenant with you even the sure mercies of David And so Rev. 22.17 And the Spirit and the Bride say come and let him that heareth say come and let him that is athirst come and whosoever will let him take the water of life freely So Hos 14.4 I will heal their back-slidings and love them freely So Isa 43.25 I even I am he that blotteth out thy trangressions for mine own sake and will not remember thy sins Isa 57.18 I have seen his wayes and will heal him I will lead him also and restore comforts unto him and to his mourners Ver. 19. I create the fruit of the lips peace peace to him that is far off and to him that is near saith the Lord and I will heal him O these have been comforting promises and upholding promises and refreshing promises The promises are pabulum fidei c. anima fidei the food of faith and the soul of faith to many doubting drooping souls 'T is impossible that such a soul should ever drop into hell that can cling fast to any of these promises that can hang upon any of these promises that can rest and lay the weight of their souls upon Christ in any of these promises Doubtless relyance upon Christ in these precious promises hath ferried many poor doubting trembling souls to heaven The promise is the golden Cabinet and Christ is the costly jewel that is laid up in it The promise is the field and Christ is the pearl of price that is hid in it all the promises they point to Christ they lead to Christ they hang upon Christ 2 Cor. 1.20 All the promises of God in him are yea and in him Amen In the new Covenant God neither makes any promises nor fulfils any promises of salvation but in Christ and through Christ Now when any fears or darkness or doubts or disputes arises in your souls about your spiritual estates Oh! then run to Christ in the promise and plead the promise and hang upon the breasts of the promise and let your souls cleave closs to the promise for this is the way of wayes to have your evidences cleared your comforts restored your peace maintained your graces strengthned and your assurance raised and confirmed FINIS Books Printed and are to be sold by John Hankock at his Shop over against Gresham Colledge in Bishopsgate-street next to the White Lyon at Great St. Hellins Gate and at the first Shop in Popes-head-Alley next to Cornhil at the Sign of the Three Bibles ELeven Books lately published by Mr. Thomas Brooks late Preacher of the Gospel at Margarets New-Fish-Street 1 Precious Remedies against Satans Devices Or Salve for Believers and Unbelievers sores being a companion for those that are in Christ or out of Christ that slight or neglect Ordinances under a pretence of living above them that are growing in spirituals or decaying that are tempted or deserted afflicted or opposed that have assurance or want it on 2 Cor. 2.11 2 Heaven on Earth Or A serious Discourse touching a well grounded Assurance of mans everlasting happiness and blesseâ—â—ess discovering the nature of assurance the possibility of attaining it the Causes Springs and Degrees of it with the resolution of several weighty Questions on the 8. of the Romans 32 33 34. verses 3 The unsearchable Riches of Christ Or Meat for strong Men and Milk for Babes held forth in two and twenty Sermons from Ephes 3.8 Preached on his Lecture-nights at Fish-street-hill 4 His Apples of Gold for young Men and and Women And A Crown of Glory for Old men and Women Or the Happiness of being Good betimes and the Honour of being an Old Disciple clearly and fully discovered and closely and faithfully applyed With the young mans objections answered and the old mans doubts resolved 5 A String of Pearls Or The best things reserved till last delivered in a Sermon Preached in London June 8. 1657. at the Funeral of that Triumphant Saint Mrs. Mary Blake late Wife to his worthy Friend Mr. Nicholas Blake Merchant 6 The Mute Christian with Soveraign Antidotes against the most miserable Exigents Or A Christian with an Olive-leaf in his mouth when he is under the greatest afflictions the sharpest and sorest trials and troubles the saddest and darkest providences and changes with Answers to divers Questions and Objections that are of great importance all tending to win and work souls to be still quiet calm and silent under all changes that have or that may pass upon them in â—his world c. Lately printed and dedicated to all afflicted distressed dissatisfied disquieted and discomposed Christians throughout the world 7 An Ark for all Gods Noahs in a stormy day Wherein is shewed the transcendent excellency of a Believers portion on Lament 3.24 8 The Crown and Glory of Christianity Or Holiness the only way to Happiness discovered in 48. Sermons on Heb. 12.14 9 The Privy Key of Heaven Or A Discourse of Closet-Prayer Twenty Arguments for it with the resolution of several Questions c. 10. A Heavenly Cordial for all that have had or have escaped the Plague c. 11 Newly published A Cabinet of choice Jewels or a Box of precious Ointment Being a plain Discovery of what men are worth for Eternity and how 't is like to go with them in another World There is now in the Press a New Treatise written by Mr. Thomas Brooks called Londons Lamentations Or A sober serious discourse concerning the late fiery dispensation wherein the procuring causes and the final causes of that dreadful dispensation are laid open with the duties that are incumbent both upon those who have been burnt up and upon those who have escaped those consuming flames with thirteen supports to bear up the hearts of such as have been sufferers Here are many great Objections answered and many weighty Questions resolved and variety of Arguments to prove that a little that the righteous man hath is better than the riches of the wicked with several other points of grand importance all tending to the cooling quieting setling refreshing upholding and comforting of all that have been sufferers by the late fiery calamity The Godly Mans Ark Or City of Refuge in the day of his distress discovered in divers Sermons The first of which was Preached at the Funeral of Mrs. Elizabeth Moor. Whereunto are annexed Mrs. Moors Evidences for Heaven composed and collected by her in the time of her health for her comfort in the time of sickness By Edmund Calamy B. D. and Pastor of the Church at Aldermanbury A Book of Short-Writing the most easie exact lineal and speedy method fitted to the meanest capacity composed by Master Theophilus Metcalf Professor of the said Art Also a School-master explaining the Rules of the said Book with many new additions very useful Another Book of Short-hand by Tho. Cross A Copy-book of the newest and most useful Hands with Rules whereby those that can read may quickly learn to write To which is added brief directions for true spelling and Cyphering and making divers sorts of Ink. There is now in the Press ready to be published an excellent new Book of Mr. Ralph Vennings entituled Sin the Plague of Plagues or Sinful â—on the worst â—f Evils All Printed for and are to be sold by John Hancock at the first Shop in Popes-Head-Alley in Cornhil at the sign of the three Bibles or at his Shop in Bishops-Gate-Street near great St. Hellins over against Gresham-Colledge 1669. FINIS
my Soul be thou much in adoring and admiring of free and infinite Grace that hath wrought all these thâ—ngs in thee and for thee But now dear hearts that this eleventh particular concerning probabilities of Grace may the better stick upon you and be the more seriously minded and weighed by you I beseech you often to ponder upon these six following things First That you have deserved Hell and therefore for you to have but a probability of going to Heaven is infinite grace and mercy you have deserved to be shut up in chains of darkness with Devils and damned Spirits to all eternity Jude 6. and therefore for you to have a probability of enjoying for ever the presence of God Heb. 12.22 23 24. Isa 33.14 Christ the glorious Angels and the Spirits of just men made perfect in Heaven is a mercy more worth than ten thousand worlds you have deserved to dwell with a devouring fire and to lye for ever under those flames and torments that are easless endless and remediless Psal 16. ult and therefore for you to have a probability of satiating and delighting your souls in that fulness of joy and in those everlasting pleasures that be at Gods right hand is Grace yea glorious Grace upon the Throne c. But Secondly Consider that if you cast up a true and faithful account you will certainly find that the comfort the peace the joy the quiet the rest the satisfaction the content that the generality of Saints do enjoy is more from probabilities of Grace than t is from any certainty or assurance that they have of Grace being in their Souls t is more from probabilities of an interest in Christ than from any assurance of an interest in Christ t is more from probabilities of being saved than t is from any special perswasions that they shall be saved t is more from probabilities of going to Heaven than t is from any raised fixed confidence that they shall go to Heaven and therefore the people of God have very great cause to bow before the Lord and to adore his Grace and for ever to speak well of his name for the very probabilities of Grace and of an interest in Christ and of being saved and glorified Thirdly Consider that there have been very many under such dreadful horrors and terrors of Conscience and under such wrath and displeasure of an angry God and that have lain trembling upon their dying beds and that have been even ready to be swallowed up in the gulf of despair who would have given all the world had it been in their power for the very probabilities of Grace He dyed desperately who dyed with this desperate saying in his month Spes fortuna valete Farewell life and hope together Despair is Satans master-piece it carries men headlong to Hell as the Devils did the herd of Swine into the deep Spira being in a deep despair for renouncing of those Doctrines of the Gospel which he had once stoutly profest said That he would willingly suffer the most exquisite tortures of Hell fire for the space of ten thousand years upon condition he might be well assured to be released afterward He further added in that hellish and horrible fit that his dear wife and children for whose sake principally he turned away from the Gospel to embrace this present world appeared now to him as Hangmen Hags and torturers A despairing Soul is Magor Missabib a terror to himself his heart a Hell of horrour his Conscience an Aceldama a Field of black Bloud So that as Augustin describes such a one flying from the Field to the City from the City to his house from his house to his Chamber from his Chamber to his bed c. So that he can rest no where but is as if infernal Devils in fearful shapes were still following of him and still terrifying and tormenting his distressed and perplexed Soul Now doubtless such poor souls would have given ten thousand worlds had they so many in their hands to give and that for the very probabilities of Grace and how many tempted deserted clouded wounded and benighted Souls are there who would think it a Heaven on this side Heaven if they could but see probabilities of Grace in their Souls O therefore let not the probabilities of Grace be a small thing in your eyes but bow the knee and let the High Praises of God be found in your mouths even for probabilities of Grace But Fourthly Consider that Saâ—an is a very deadly enemy to the least probabilities of grace and will do all he can to cloud darken and obscure probabilities of Grace since divine vengeance has cut him off from the least hopes from the least probability of ever obtaining the least dram of Grace or mercy Let not any think saith Luther the Devil is â—ow dead no nor yet asleep for as he that keepeth Israel so he thaâ— hateth Israel never slumbreth or sleepeth O how does he storm and take on against every probability of Grace and mercy that God vouchsafes to his people for their comfort and encouragement Satan is an old experienced enemy almost of six thousand years standing and he very well knowes that probabilities of grace will certainly arm a Christian against many temptations and sweetly support him under many afflictions and exceedingly heighten and raise his resolutions he knows that probabilities of grace will turn crosses into Crowns storms into calms and Winter nights into Summer dayes Satan knows that probabilities of grace will make every bitter sweet and every sweet seven times more sweet and therefore his spirit rises and swells against every probability of grace Now the greater Satans rage is against the probabilities of grace the more thankful we should be for the probabilities grace t is good to move and act cross to him who in all his actings loves to act cross to the glory of God and the good of our Souls But Fifthly Consider that from probabilities in outward things men commonly gather a great deal of comfort support quietness and satisfaction when the Physitian tells the Patient that t is probable yea very probable that he will recover live and do well O what a support comfort and refreshing is this to the languishing Patient when there is but a probability of a good Market how does the Market-man smile when there is but a probability of good Trading how does the Tradesman cheer up when there is but a probability of a good Voyage how does the Merchants and the Marriners spirits rise when there is but a probability of a good Harvest how does the Husbandman sing when there is but some hopes some probability of a Pardon for a Condemned man how does his spirits revive and how does his heart even leap and dance for joy and so when a Christian has but some hopes some probabilities of grace of an interest in Christ and of being saved he may well cheer up and maintain his ground against
Oppressor no Defrauder c. A formal Professors obedience to Divine Commands does principally lye in negatives he considers not so much what the Command requires as what it prohibits and he pleases himself rather in abstaining from evil than in doing of good in being outwardly reformed than in being inwardly renewed he thinks it enough that he turns from sin though he makes no Conscience of turning to God If you ask him concerning affirmative Commands there you will find him speechless Ask him art thou holy art thou humble art thou heavenly art thou sincere art thou a Believer dost thou set up God as the great object o thy fear dost thou love God with a superlative love is the Sabbath of the Lord a delight unto thee c. Now here you strike him dumb he looks upon the neglect of these things as no sins Isa 8.13 Psal 18.1 Isa 58 1â— because they are not such scandalous sins as the others are Remember Sirs sinful omissions many times leads to sinful commissions as you may see in the Angels thaâ— fell from Heaven to Hell and as you may see in Adam who fell from his highest glory into a woful gulf of sin and misery But Fourthly If your obedience spring from Faith then you will endeavour to obey God in the Spirit of the Command as well as in the letter of the Command In every Command of God there is an intra and an extra one part of Christs Law binds the Flesh and another part binds the Spirit Thou shalt do no Murther Matth. 5.21.22 Verse 27 28. there is the letter of the Command Thou shalt not be angry with thy Brother without a cause there is the Spirit of the Command Thou shalt not commit Adultery there is the letter of the Command Thou shalt not look upon a Woman to lust after her there is the Spirit of the Command The Pharisees of old did not look to the Spiritâ—ality of the Law but only to the Letter of the Law they rested wholly upon an outward conformity to the Law when their hearts were full of Hellish lusts they were all for the outside of the Law they regarded not the inside of the Law they were all for washing of Platters and Cups and for beautifying of Tombs like an Adulteress Matth. 23.23 Phil. 3.6 Rom. 7.9 Could a man come up to all affirmative and negative Precepts in his outward conversation yet if he were not spiritual in all these his obedience would be but as a body without a Soul The Pharisees rise high in their outward obedience and yet Christ clearly and fully convinces them that they were wretched Adulterers and Murderers though they were not guilty of any such outward crimes c. whose care is to paint and set a fair face upon a foul matter they were all for paying Tythe of Mint and Annise and Cummin but they regarded not the inside of the Law they omitted the weightier matters of the Law viz. Judgment Mercy and Faith While Paul walked by the letter of the Command he was blameless in his own account but when he came to walk by the Spirit of the Command then sin revived and he dyed Friends there are the more general duties of Religion as Hearing Praying Reading Receiving Fasting Repeating Discoursing c. Now these all lye in the very letter of the Command and there are the more inward and spiritual duties of Religion as the exercise of Faith fear love hope joy patience contentation humble submission and chusing of God and cleaving to God and delighting in God and admiring of God and exalting of God and following hard after God and holy Meditation and Self-examination c. Now all these lye in the very spirit of the Command Now in the exercise of these more spiritual duties our fellowship and communion with God mainly lyes In the more general duties of Religion an hypocrite may manifest the excellency of his gifts but in the more spiritual duties of Religion a sincere Christian doth manifest both the excellency and efficacy of grace Mark an unsound heart looks no further than to the bare letter of the command to bare hearing and bare praying and bare preaching and bare fasting and bare giving and bare receiving and bare suffering he looks no further than to that part of the command which only binds the flesh or outward man and if he does but observe that in the gross he thinks he hath done marvellous well like a melancholy man that matters not what melody and harmony he makes so he does but touch the strings of the instrument But now a found a sincere Christian he looks to the Spirit of the command and if he does not come up to that in sincere desires in gracious purposes in fixed resolutions and in cordial endeavours he can have no peace no rest no quiet no comfort O Sirs as ever you would see God and enjoy God another day you must labour not only to obey the letter of the command but also to bring your hearts to the sincere obedience of the Spirit of the command This is a very close piercing distinguishing and discovering sign But Fifthly If your obedience springs from faith then you will labour not only to obey God in the matter but also in the manner of the command not only in the substance of the command but also in the circumstance of the command God requires the manner as well as the matter and God looks upon that work as not done that is not done in a right manner Did not the Lord command sacrifice and did not Cain offer sacrifice Gen. 4.5 and yet God had no respect to him nor to his offering because his sacrifice was not offered up in a right manner his offering was not offered up by a hand of faith he offered his offering but because he did not offer himself as an offering to God his offering was rejected by God A work may be materially good Luther that is not formally and eventually good and this was Cain's curse How frequently did God command the Jews to pray Isa 1.15 and yet he plainly tells them When you spread forth your hands I will hide mine eyes from you yea when you make many prayers I will not hear He commanded them to sacrifice and yet he saith To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices Verse 11. and all because they did not manage their prayers nor sacrifices in a right manner their hands were full of bloud and their hearts were full of sins and their lives were full of lewdness and therefore all their services were vain oblations yea an abomination to God An unfound heart looks no further than to the substance of the command if he has heard and prayed and fasted and read and repeated and given alms and received the Lord's Supper he strokes himself and blesses himself and hugs himself and thinks all is well and so he looks no further But now a sound
the doctrine of Repentance at large but only to speak so far of it as may speak it out to be evidential of the goodness and happiness of a Christians spiritual and eternal condition NOw before I come to open my self more particularly give me leave to premise this in the general viz. That there is a repentance that does accompany salvation 2 Cor. 7.10 For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of but the sorrow of the world worketh death Jer. 4.14 O Jerusalem wash thy heart from wickedness that thou mayest be saved Acts 11.18 When they heard these things they held their peace and glorified God saying Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life Mat. 18.3 And Jesus said verily I say unto you except you be converted and become as little children ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven Acts 3.19 Repent ye therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. Having premised thus much in the general give me now leave to say That there are three parts of true sound saving repentance unto all which forgiveness of sin is promised And the First is contrition or grief of heart for sins committed Now this is called sometimes godly sorrow 2 Cor. 7.10 and sometimes a contrite spirit Isa 66.2 and sometimes a broken and contrite heart Psal 51.17 and sometimes the afflicting of our souls Levit. 16.29 and sometimes the humbling of the heart 2 Chron. 7.14 Lamen 3.20 and sometimes a mourning Zech. 12.10 and sometimes a weeping Mark 14.72 All repenting sinners are mourning sinners David repents and waters his couch with his tears Psal 6.6 Hezekiah repents and humbles himself for the pride of his heart 2 Chron. 32.26 Ephraim repents and Ephraim bemoans himself and smites upon his thigh and is even confounded Jer. 31.18 19. Mary Magdalen repents and weeps and washes Christs feet with her tears Luke 7.38 The Corinthians repented and they were made sorry after a godly manner 2 Cor. 7.9 Repentance in the Hebrew is called Nacham an irking of the soul and in Greek Metamelia after grief and Metanoia after wit and in the Latine Poenitentia All which do import that contrition or sorrow for sin is one part of true repentance O! the sighs the groans the sobs the tears that are to be found among repenting sinners Luth. Tom. 3.457 c. Luther hit the Mark when he said What are all the Palaces of the world to a contrite heart yea heaven and earth seeing it is the seat of divine Majesty Secondly 'T is very observable that all mourning persons for their sins are within the compass of the promise of forgiveness of sins Zech. 12.11 In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddo Zech. 13.1 In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness Jer. 31.18 I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning of himself c. Ver. 20. I will surely have mercy on him or as the Hebrew has it I will having mercy have mercy on him As soon as Ephraims heart is troubled for his sins Gods bowels are troubled for Ephraim as soon as Ephraim like a penitent child falls a weeping at God's foot God like a tender indulgent father falls a bemoaning of Ephraim Ephraim could not refrain from tears and God could not refrain from opening his bowels of mercy towards him So Isa 57.15 And how can the contrite heart be indeed revived and cheered without forgiveness of sins without a pardon in the bosom Melancthon makes mention of a godly woman who having upon her death-bed been in much conflict and afterwards much comforted brake out into these words Now and not till now did I understand the meaning of these words Thy sins are forgiven There is no comfort to that which arises from the sense of forgiveness Isa 40.1 2. Comfort ye comfort ye my people saith your God speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem and cry unto her that her iniquities are pardoned And why is the mourning soul pronounced the blessed soul Mat. 5.4 Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted but because the mourning soul is the pardoned soul But what is that sorrow or mourning for sin Qu. that is a part of true repentance The resolution of this question is very necessary for the preventing of all soul-deceits and mistakes and for the quieting setling and satisfying of souls truly penitent and therefore I shall give these eight following Answers to it First It is a sorrow or grief that is spiritual that is supernatural no man is born with godly sorrow in his heart as he is born with a tongue in his mouth Godly sorrow is a plant of God's own planting 't is a seed of his own sowing 't is a flower of his own setting 't is of a heavenly off-spring 't is from God and God alone The spirit of mourning is from above 't is from a supernatural power and principle there is nothing that can turn a heart of stone into flesh but the spirit of God Ezek. 36.25 26. Godly sorrow is a gift from God Job 23.16 God makes my heart soft No hand but a divine hand can make the heart soft and tender under the sight and sense of sin Nature may easily work a man to mourn and melt and weep under worldly losses crosses and miseries as it did David's men 1 Sam. 30.4 But it must be grace it must be a supernatural principle that must work the heart to mourn for sin Secondly godly sorrow is a sorrow for sin as sin 't is a mourning rather for sin than for smart 't is not so much for loss of goods lands wife child credit name c. but for that a holy God is offended a righteous Law violated Christ dishonoured the Spirit grieved and the Gospel blemished c. Peter's sorrow was godly but Judas his sorrow was worldly Peter mourns over the evil of sin but Judas mourns over the evil of punishment David mourns over his sin Against thee thee only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight Psal 51.4 And so 2 Sam. 24.10 And David's heart smote him after he had numbred the people and David said unto the Lord I have sinned greatly in that I have done and now I beseech thee O Lord take away the iniquity of thy servant for I have done foolishly David does not cry out take away the threatned famine but take away the iniquity of thy servant nor he does not cry out take away the enemies of thy servant but take away the iniquity of thy servant nor he does not say take away the pestilence from the Land but take away the iniquity of thy servant But now when Pharaoh was under judgments he never cryes to the Lord to take away his sins