one that hath a good Roof over his head when the Storm falls We glory in tribulation because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts Rom. 5.3 5. It is a Fountain of joy and comfort in the darkest and saddest hour Dem. 3 Hence the glorious triumphs of Saints in their afflictions Rom. 5.5 and in the Christians joy in the Lord lies much of his strength for sufferings Noh 8.10 If once the Spirit droop and sink the man is in a bad case to suffer holy joy it is the Oyl that makes the Chariot-wheels of the Soul free to follow the Lord Non tardat uncta rota To suffer with joyfulness for Christ is a qualification that Gods Eye is much upon in his suffering Servants Col. 1.11 How did the famous Worthies that went before us magnifie Christ and glorifie Religion by the holy triumphs of their faith and joy under tribulation One kiss'd the Apparator that brought him news of his Condemnation and was like a man transported with an excess of joy Another upon the pronouncing of the Sentence kneels down and with hands and eyes lifted up solemnly blesses God for such a day as that Oh how is Christ magnified by this And this cannot be until interest be cleared It 's true the faith of recumbency gives the Soul a secret support and enables the Christian to live but the faith of Evidence keeps him lively and prevents all those uncomfortable and uncomely sinkings and despondencies of spirit 2 Cor. 4.16 17. and therefore cannot but be of singular use to a Soul at such a time Lastly Dem. 4 It is of special use to a Christian under sufferings inasmuch as it enables him to repel the temptations that attend upon sufferings Nothing sets a keener edge upon his indignation against unworthy compliances than this Indeed a poor cloudy and dubious Christian will be apt to catch at deliverance though upon terms dishonourable to Christ but he that is clear in point of interest abhors compositions and capitulations upon unworthy terms and conditions Heb. 11.35 Heb. 10.34 He that sees the gain and reward of suffering will think he is offered to his loss when life and deliverance are set before him upon such hard terms as sin is And thus you see what influence it hath into a suffering condition 3. In the next place I promised to prescribe some Rules for the attaining of this Evidence and the dispelling of those doubts by which it is usually clouded in the Souls of Believers And oh that by the faithful use of them you may attain it against a suffering day come upon you And the first Rule I shall give you is this Rule 1 Make it your business to improve Grace more for the more vigorous it is the more evidential it must needs be 2 Pet. 1.5 6 7 8 9 10 11. Oh how much time have many Christians spent in enquiring after the lowest signs of sincerity and what may consist with Grace which had they spent in the diligent improvement of the means of Grace for the increasing of it they would have found it a shorter cut to peace and comfort by much Mistake not the Rule by which you are to try your selves lest you give a false judgment upon your selves Some are apt to make those things signs of Grace which are not and when the falseness of them is detected how is that poor Soul plunged into doubts and fears that leaned upon them As now If a man should conclude his sincerity from his diligence in attending on the Word preached this is but a Paralogism as the Apostle calls it Jam. 1.22 by which a man deceiveth his own Soul For that which is a note or mark must be proper to the thing notified and not common to any thing else There are divers sorts of marks some are exclusive the principal use of which is to convince bold Pretenders and discover Hypocrites Such is that 1 Cor. 9.9 It is a most certain sign where these are there is no Grace but yet it will not follow on the contrary that where these are not there is Grace See Luke 18.11 Others are inclusive the use of which is not so much for trying of the truth as the strength and degrees of Grace As now when Faith is described by the radiancy of it or by some of its heroick acts and promises made to some raised degrees and operations of it as that Ephes 3.12 c. Here a mistake is easily made Besides these or rather betwixt these are another sort of marks which are called positive marks and these agreeing to the lowest degree of Grace are for the tryal of the truth and sincerity of it Such are these 1 John 4.13 1 John 2.3 Matth. 5.3 Be sure to try by a proper mark Take heed of such sins as violate and wasteâ— the Conscience Rule 3 for these will quickly raise a Mist and involve the Soul in Clouds and darkness Psal 51.8 c. Such are sins against Light and the reclamations of Conscience Labour to shun those common mistakes that Christians make in judging of their state Rule 4 amongst which I shall select these five as principal ones 1. Call not your condition into question upon every failing and involuntary lapse into sin Iniquities prevail against me as for our transgressions thou shalt purge them away Psal 65.3 In short thou needest not call thy condition into question provided thou find thy Spirit working as Paul's did under the surprizals of temptation viz. If 1 thou do approve of and delight in the Law though thou fall short of it in thy practice Rom. 7.12 14. 2 If thy failings be involuntary and against the resolution and bent of thy Soul vers 25 18 19. 3 If it be the load and burden of thy Soul vers 24. 4 If the thoughts of deliverance comfort thee vers 25. 2. Question not the truth of thy Grace because it was not wrought in the same way and manner in thee as in others For there is great variety as to the circumstances of time and manner betwixt the Spirits operations upon one and another Compare the History of Paul's Conversion with that of the Jaylor Zacheus or Lydia and see the variety of circumstances 3. Conclude not that you have no Grace because you feel not those transportations and ravishing joys that other Christians speak of If thou canst not say as Paul doth Rom. 8.38 yet bless God if thou canst but breath forth such language as that Mark 9.24 Lord I believe help thou my unbelief 4. Say not thou hast no Grace because of the high attainments of some Hypocrites who in some things may excel thee When some persons read the sixth Chapter to the Hebrews they are startled to see to what a glorious height the Hypocrite may soar not considering that there are these three things wherein they excel the most glorious Hypocrite in the world 1 That Self was never dethroned in Hypocrites as it is in them All that
and seditious way but in the way of duty before the Decree bring forth and the day pass as the chaff Zeph. 2.1 2. O prepare to meet your God Amos 4.12 Prepare your faith love courage c. before God call you to the exercise of them And to excite you to this duty besides all the fore-mentioned benefits of a prepared Spirit consider these following particulars hy way of motive The many Calls which God hath given you to this work Mot. 1 The Lord hath uttered his voice and called from Heaven unto you will you be deaf to his Calls He hath called upon you 1 By the Word God would have it cry to you first because he would give the first honour to his Word He hath given all his Prophets one mouth Luke 1.70 and they have warned you faithfully 2. By the Rod This also hath a loud voice Micah 6.9 Psal 2.5 Men of understanding will hear this voice and those that will not hear it shall be lashed by it even till they are sick with smiting vers 13. 3 By prodigious and portentous signs in the Heavens and Earth such as no Age can parallel these have a loud voice to all that regard the works of the Lord or the operations of his hands Eusebius calls them Gods Sermons to the World 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Euseb Hist lib. 3. cap. 8. Oh that we were wise to consider what Gods Ends are in these things One observes That as they are the plainest and most obvious to sense so they are commonly the last Sermons which God intends to preach to Nations before he inflicts his punishments on them if they repent not O let not God speaking in ordinary and extraordinary ways to you still speak in vain Your preparation for sufferings Mot. 2 is the most probable means of preventing your fall and ruine by those sufferings Sufferings prove fatal and destructive to some but it is to secure and careless ones such as are diligent and faithful in the use of Gods means are secured from the danger Christ lays our constancy and perseverance very much upon our fore-casting the worst that may fall out Luke 14.28 Put on the whole Armour of God that ye may be able to stand Ephes 6. He that hath first severed Christ in his thoughts from all worldly advantages and put the case thus to his own Soul O my Soul canst thou imbrace or love a naked Christ Canst be content to be impoverished imprisoned and suffer the loss of all for him He is most likely to cleave faithfully to him when the case is really presented to him indeed And can it seem light thing in your eyes to be inabled to stand â—n such an evil day If you fall away from Christ then all that you have wrought is lost â—zek 33.13 Gideons one Bastard destroyed all is seventy Sons This act renders all former â—ctions and professions vain If you fall you â—â—all thereby be brought into a more perfect â—ondage to the Devil than ever Matth. 12.23 â—ea ordinarily Apostates are judicially given up to be Persecutors Hos 5.12 1 Tim. 1.20 and are seldome or never recovered again by Grace Heb. 6.4 6. They that lick up their vomit seldome cast it up any more It is a fall within a little as low as the unpardonable sin whence never any rise again In some cases the Judge will not allow the Offender his Book And is it not then a choice and desirable mercy to escape and prevent such a fall as this O good Souls ply your Preparation-work close then prepare or you perish 3. This will best answer the Grace of God in affording you such choice helps and advantages as you have enjoyed How long have you enjoyed the free liberty of the Gospel shining in its lustre among you This Sun which to some other Nations hath not risen and to divers on whom it hath shined yet it is but as a Winters Sun remote and its Beams but feeble But you have lived as it were under the Line It hath been over your heads and shed its richest influences upon you Yea Gods Ministers who are not only appointed to be Watchmen Ezek. 3.17 but Trumpeters to discover danger Numb 10.8 these have faithfully warned you of a day of trouble and given you their best assistance to make you ready for it And is not their joy yea life bound up in your stability in such a day of Tryal Doth not every one of them call upon you in the words of the Apostle Phil. 4.1 Therefore my Brethren dearly Beloved and longed for my joy and Crown so stand fast in the Lord my dearly beloved Will it not cut them to the very heart if after all their spending labours among you they still leave you unready Enemies still to the Cross of Christ impossible to be reconciled and perswaded to suffering-work for Christ I remember I have read of the Athenian Codrus who being informed by the Oracle that the people whose King should be slain in Battel should be Conquerours He thereupon disrobed himself and in a disguize went into the Enemies Quarters that he might steal a death to make his people victorious Oh! how glad would your Ministers be if you might conquer and overcome in the day of temptation whatever become of their lives and liberties Yea and if they be offered up upon the sacrifice and service of your faith they can rejoyce and joy with you all Such is their zeal and longing after your security and welfare But if still you remain an unready people and do become a prey to temptation Oh how inexcusable will you be 4. Remember how ready the Lord Jesus was to suffer the hardest and vilest things for you He had a bitter Cup put into his hands to drink for you into which the wrath both of God and man was squeezed out Dolor Christi fuit major omnibus doloribus Aquin. Never had man such sufferings to undergo as Christs Whether you consider 1 the dignity of his person who was in the form of God and might have stood upon his Peerage and Equality with him he is the sparkling Diamond of Heaven Acts 7.56 The Darling of the Fathers Soul Isa 42.1 glorious as the only begotten of the Father John 1.14 yea glory it self James 2.1 yea the very brightness of glory Heb. 1.3 He is the delicia Christiani orbis fairer than the Sons of men And for him to be so debased below so many thousands of his own Creatures become a Worm and no man this was a wonderful humiliation It was Jeremiah's lamentation that such as were brought up in Scarlet imbraced Dunghills that Princes were hanged up by the hands and the faces of Elders were not reverenced But what was that to the humiliation of the Lord of Glory Or 2 that he suffered in the prime and flower of his years when full of life and sense and more capable of exquisite sense of pain than others For he was optime
Pompey when disswaded from a dangerous Voyage answered Necesse est ut eam non ut vivam It 's necessary that I go not that I live But this being fed only by a natural Spring can carry a man no higher than Nature and will flag at last If applause and the observation of the world supply it not it quickly ebbs and fails But as Grace raises men much higher so it maintains it even when there is nothing to encourage without when forsaken of all Creatures and visible supports 2 Tim. 4.10 and this it doth three ways 1 By giving him that hath it a view of far greater things which shrinks up all temporary things and makes them appear but trifles and small matters Rom. 8.18 2 Cor. 4.18 By Grace a man rises with Christ Col. 3.1 It sets him upon his high places and thence he looks down upon things below as very poor and inconsiderable The great Cities of Campania seem but little spots to them that stand on the top of the Alps. 2 By teaching him to value and measure all things by another Rule than he was wont to do He did once measure life liberty riches honours by sense and time and then they seemed great things and it was hard to deny them or thus to slight them but now he values and measures all by Faith and Eternity and esteems nothing great and excellent but what hath a reference to the Glory of God and an influence into Eternity 3 Grace raises and enobles the Spirit thus because it is the Divine Nature 't is the Spirit of Christ infused into a poor Worm which makes a strange alteration on him transforms him into another manner of person as much difference betwixt his Spirit now and what it was as betwixt the Spirit of a Child that is filled with small matters and taken up with Toys and of a grave States-man that is daily imployed about the Grand Affairs of a Kingdom 3. A man can never suffer as a Christian till his will be subjected to the Will of God He that suffers involuntarily and out of necessity not out of choice shall neither have acceptance nor reward from God Of necessity the will must be subjected a man can never say Thy will be done till he can first say Not my will But it is Grace only that thus conquers and subjects the will of man to Gods Psal 110.3 This is it that which exalts Gods Authority in the Soul and makes the heart to stoop and tremble at his Commands 'T is this which makes our will to write its fiat at the foot of every Command and its placet under every Order it receives from God No sooner was Grace entred into the Soul of Paul but presently he crys out Lord what wilt thou have me to do Acts 9.6 The Will is to the Soul what the Wheels are to the Chariot and Grace is to the Will what Oyl is to those Wheels When we receive the Spirit of Grace we are said to receive an Vnction from the Holy One 1 Joh. 2.20 and then the Soul is made as the Chariots of Aminadab Cant. 6.12 Non tardat uncta rota it runs freely after the Lord and chearfully addresseth it self to every Service 4. A man can never suffer as a Christian until his heart be composed fixed and determined to follow the Lord through all hazards and difficulties As long as a man is hesitating and unresolved what to do whether to go forward or turn back again to the prosperous World when a man is at such a pause and stand in his way he is very unfit for sufferings All such Divisions do both weaken the Soul and strengthen the Temptation The Devils work is more than half done to his hands in such a Soul and he is now as unfit to endure hardship for Christ as a Ship is to ride out a Storm that hath neither Cable Anchor nor Ballast to hold and settle it but lies at the mercy of every Wave James 1.8 The double-minded man is unstable in all his ways But it 's Grace and nothing besides it that brings the heart to a fixed resolution and settlement to follow the Lord. 'T is Grace that establishes the heart Heb. 13.9 and unites it to fear the Name of God Psal 86.11 This gathers all the Streams into one Channel and then it runs with much strength and sweeps away all obstacles before it So that look as it is with a wicked man that hath sold himself to do wickedly if he be set upon any one design of sin he pours out his whole heart and strength in the prosecution of that Design which is the ground of that saying Liberet me Deus ab homine unius tantum negotii Let God deliver me from a man of one only Design He will do it to purpose So is it also in Grace if the heart be composed fixed and fully resolved for God nothing shall then stand before him And herein lies much of a Christians habitual fitness and ability to suffer 5. The necessity of Saving-grace in all Sufferers for Christ will farther appear from this consideration that he who will run all hazards for Christ had need of a continual supply of strength and refreshment from time to time He must not depend on any thing that is failable For what shall he do then when that Stock is spent and he hath no Provision left to live upon Now all natural qualifications yea all the common gifts of the Spirit are failable and short-lived things they are like a sweet Flower in the Bosom that is an Ornament for a little while but withers presently Or like a Pond or Brook occasioned by a great fall of Rain which quickly sinks and dries up because it is not fed by Springs in the bottom as other Fountain-waters are And hence it is they cannot continue and hold out when Sufferings come Mat. 13.21 because there is no Root to nourish and support The Hypocrite will not always call upon God Job 27.10 Though they may keep company with Christ a few miles in this dirty way yet they must turn back at last and shake hands eternally with him John 6.66 These Comets may seem to shine for a time among the Stars but when that Earthly matter is spent they must fall and lose their glory But now Grace is an Everlasting Principle it hath Springs in the bottom that never fail It shall be in him saith Christ a Well of water springing up into eternal life Joh. 4.14 The Spirit of God supplies it from time to time as need requires It hath daily Incomes from Heaven munimur quatenus unimur 2 Cor. 1.5 Phil. 4.13 Col. 1.11 So that it is our Union with Christ the Fountain by Grace that is the true ground of our constancy and long-suffering 6. And then lastly It will appear by this also that there is an absolute necessity of a real change by Grace on all that will suffer for Christ because
is of more than ordinary use and necessity Heb. 4.16 Jam. 5.13 and therefore it is reckoned among those choice pieces of Armour which suffering Saints are to put on Ephes 6.18 I will here briefly discover the necessity of it and then shew you that a Christian may improve himself to an excellent degree in it and lastly prescribe some means for an improvement The necessity of it to a suffering Saint will demonstratively appear if you consider 1. That this duty is the out-let of troubles and the best way the poor Christian hath to ease his heart when surcharged with sorrow Griefs are cased by Groans Such evaporations disburthen and cool the heart as the opening of a vein in some cases doth Oh the sensible ease that comes in this way When grief in the mind like vapours in the Air are condensed into black Clouds that over-spread the Soul and darken that beautiful Light that once shone there then Prayer like the Sun dispels and scatters them 1 Sam. 1.18 Many a Saint by Prayer hath sucked the breast of a Promise and then sell asleep by Divine contentment in the bosome of God A time may come when thy heart is ready to break with trouble and not a friend to whom thou canst open and ease it and then blessed be God for Prayer Micah 7.5 6 7. That which sinks others is That when troubles fill and everwhelm their hearts they try what Reason merry Company or outward Comforts can do but alas this is to palliate a Cure it returns again with the more violence but prayer gives sensible relief Psal 102. title Psal 62.8 For first this opens and gives a vent to troubles Jer. 20.12 2 It gives our troubles a diversion and so a cure Psal 5.1 and last verse compared Yea 3 by praying over them they are not only diverted but sanctified and so cease to be distracting or destroying troubles 2. As it gives a vent to our troubles so an in let to unspeakable comforts and consolations See a pregnant instance of this Act. 16.25 For 1 hereby they obtain gracious answers from the Lord concerning their troubles 2 Cor. 12.9 In this also they meet the gracious smiles of God which swallow up their troubles Psal 85.8 And lastly hereby they prevail with God to open a seasonable and effectual door out of all their troubles Psal 34.4 6. 3. Prayer begets and maintains holy courage and magnanimiâ—y in evil times when all things abouâ— you tend to discouragement It is your being with Jesus that makes you bold Acts 4.13 He that uses to be before a great God will not be afraid to look suâ—â— little things as men are in the face Th … clothed with the â—un had the Moon under her seet And what need you have of courage in evil times hath been already shewed 4. This is a duty you may perform at any time or in any condition No Adversary can cut you off from it It cannot be said so of many other duties None can hinder the intercourse betwixt Heaven and your Souls You may perform it in a Prison Acts 16.25 in a banished condition Psal 61.2 and so is fitted for a suffering condition Lastly you mâ—st strive to excel in this forasmuch as no Grace within or Service without can thrive without it God hath ordained the whole work of Grace to grow up to perfection this way Jud. 19.20 He will have all mercies fetched out this way Ezek. 36.37 Jer. 29.11 12 13. All that comes from God to you or to you from God must come in this Channel Be convinced then of the need you have to improve your selves herein as ever you hope to stand in the evil day But how are these praying abilities capable of improvement in the people of God Praying abilities are either external and common or else internal and special The external and common ability is nothing else but that dexterity and skill men get to express themselves to God in Prayer Thus many can put their meaning into apt and decent expressions to which the Spirit sometimes adds his common touches upon the affections And this Hypocrites rest on and glory in Or else they are special and internal whereby men are enabled to pour out their souls to God in a gracious manner And this may be considered either in the Habit or Act. The Habit is given by the Spirit when the principles of Grace are first infused into the soul Zech. 12.10 Acts 9.11 By being sanctified we are made near and by acting those principles in Prayer we are said to draw near Psal 10.17 Now in our actual drawing near to God the Spirit hath the chief and principal hand and his assistance therein is threefold 1. He excites the heart to the duty 't is he that whispers to the Soul to draw nigh to God Psal 27.8 2. He suggests the matter of our Prayers and furnisheth us with the Materials Rom. 8.26 guiding us as to the matter not only to what is lawful but also to what is expedient for us 3. He stirreth up suitable Affections in Prayer Rom. 8.26 and hence those groans and tears those gaspings and vehement anhelations But notwithstanding all our Abilities both habitual and actual be from the Spirit and not from our selves yet are they capable of improvement by us For though in respect of acquirement there be a great difference betwixt natural and supernatural Habits yet their improvement is in the same way and manner and this improvement may be made divers wayes For First Though you have the Spirit and can pray yet you may learn to pray more humbly then before Though you rise no higher as to words yet you may learn to lay your selves lower before the Lord as Abraham and Ezra did Gen. 18.27 Ezra 9.6 Secondly You may learn to pray with more sincerity then formerly Ah! there is much Hypocrisie and Formality in our Prayers much of Custom c. Now you may learn to pour out more Cordial Prayers See Psal 17.1 Psal 119.10 Thirdly You may learn to pray with more zeal and earnestness then before Some Saints have excelled and been remarkable for this Daen. 9.19 Hos 12.4 James 5.16 Fourthly with more assiduity and readiness at all times for it Ephes 6.18 Praying always with all Prayer Hence Christ gives that commendation to the Church Cant. 4.11 Thy Lips O my Spouse drop as the Honey Comb The Honey Comb often drops but always hangs full of Drops ready to fall Fifthly You may learn to pray with more Faith Oh the qualms of Unbelief that go over our Hearts in a Duty Faith is the Soul of Prayer and according to the Faith God finds in them he accepts and values them Now in all these things you may improve your selves abundantly 1. By being more frequent in the Duty Job 22.21 acquaint thy self with the Almighty in the Hebrew it is accustom thy self Those that have been excellent have also been abundant in it Psal 15.17 2. By taking heed