enough withoâ—… him Luk. 1. 53. Matth. 15. 24. And yet it is strange yea a wonder to see how many truly humbled sinners who have so tender conscienceâ—… that they dare not yield to the least evill for the worlds goods and refuse no means of being made better turn every 〈◊〉 into reprobation every dejection into rejection and if they bee cast down they cry out they are cast away who may fitly bee compared to Arâ—…emon in Plutarch who when ever hee went abroad had his Iervants to carry a Canopy over his head least the heavens should fall and crush him or to a certain foolish melancholly Bird which as some tell stands always but upon one leg least her own weight should sink her into the Center of the Earth holding the other over her head least the Heavens should fall Yet bee not offended I cannot think the worse of thee for good is that fear which hinders us from evill acts and makes us the more circumspect And God hath his end in it who would have the sins to dye but the sinner to live Yea in some respect thou art the better to bee thought of or at least the less to bee feared for this thy fear for no man so truly loves as hee that fears to offend as Salvianus gloâ—…es upon those words Blossed is 〈◊〉 man that feareth alway And which is worth the observing this fear iâ—… a commendation often remembred in holy Scripture as a speciall and infallible mark of God's Children as for example Iob saith the holy Ghost was a just man and one that feared God Job 1. 1. Simeon a just many and one that feared God Luk 2. 25. Corneâ—…us a devout man and one that feared God Acts 10. 2. And so of Father Abraham a man that feared God Gen. 22. 12. Ioseph a man who feared God Gen. 42. 18. The Mid-wives in Egypt feared God Exod. 1. 17. So that evermore the fearing of God as being the beginning of wisdom is mentioned as the 〈◊〉 note which is as much as to say if the fearing of God once go before working of righteousness will instantly follow after according to that of the wise man Hee that feareth the Lord will do good And this for thy comfort when Mary Magdalen sorrowed and wept for her sins Luke 7 50. Christ tells her Thy faith hath made the whole intimating that this weeping this repenting saith is faith indeed And the like to the Woman with the bloody issue who presuming but to touch the hem of his garment fell down before him with fear and trembling Mark 5. 27 to 35. And that humble Canaaniâ—…e Matth 15. 22. to 29. And that importunate blind man Luke 18. 38. to 43. As if this humble this praying saith were onely the saving faith Neither can thy estate bee bad for as Saint Ambrose told Monica weeping for her seduced Son Fieri non potest ut filius istarum lachrymarum pereat It cannot bee that the son of those tears should ever perish Wherefore lift up thy self thou timorous fainting heart and do not suspect every spot for a plague token do not dye of a meer conceit for as the end of all motion is rest so the end of all thy troubles shall bee peace even where the days are perpetiall Sabbaths and the diet undisturbed feasts But as an empty vessell bung'd up close though you throw it in to the mid'st of the Sea will receive no water so all pleas are in vain to them that are deas'ned with their own fears for as Mary would not bee comforted with the â—…ight and speech of Angels no not with the sight and speech of Jesus himself till hee made her know that hee was Jesus so untill the holy Spirit sprinkleth the conscience with the blood of Christ and sheddeth his love into the heart nothing will do No creature can take off wrath from the conscience but hee that set it on Wherefore the God of peace give you the peace of God which passeth all understanding Yea O Lord speak thou Musick to the wounded conscience Thunder to the feared that thy justice may reclaim the one thy mercy relieve the other and thy favour comfort us all with peace and salvation in Jesus Christ. Section 8. But secondly if this will not satisfie call to thy remembrance the time past and how it hath been with thee formerly as David did in thy very case Psalm 77. 2. to 12. And likewise Joh Chapter 13. for as still waters represent any object in their bottome clearly so those that are troubled or agitated do it but dimly and imperfectly But if ever thou hadst true faith begotten in thy heart Joh. 1. 13. by the ministry of the Word Romans 10. 17. Jam. 1. 18. 21. and the Spirits powerfull working with it Joh. 3 3 5 8. whereby thine heart was drawn to take Christ and apply him a Saviour to thine own soul so that then wert forced to go out of thy self and rely wholly and onely on his merits and that it further manifested it self by working a hatred of sin and an apparent change in thy whole life by dying unto sin and living unto righteousness and that thou hast not since returned to thine old sins like the Dog to his vomit if it hath somtime brought forth in thee the sweet friat of heavenly and spirituall joy if it hath purified thine heart in some measure from noysome lusts and affections as secret pride self-love hypocrisie carnall confidence wrath malice and the like so that the spirit within thee fighteth against the flesh If thou canst now say I love the godly because they are godly 1 Joh. 3. 14. and hast an hungring after Christ and after a greater measure of heavenly and spirituall graces and more lively tokens of his love and favour communicated unto thee My soul for thine thou hast given false evidence against thy self for as in a gloomy day there is so much light whereby wee may know it to bee day and not â—…ight so there is something in a Christian under a cloud whereby hee may bee discerned to bee a true beleever and not an hypocrite But to make it manifest to thy self that thou art so Know first that where there is any one grace in truth there is every one in their measure If thou art sure thou hast love I am sure thou hast faith for they are as inseparable as fire and heat life and motion the root and the sap the Sun and its light and so of other graces Or dost thou feel that Christ is thy greatest joy sin thy greatest sorrow that when thou canst not feel the presence of the spirit in thy heart thou goest mourning notwithstanding all other comforts Assuredly as that holy Martyr said if thou were not a wedding Child thou couldest never so heartily mourn for the absence of the Bridegroom Thus I might go on but a few Grapes will shew that the Plant is a Vine and not a Thorn Take but notice of this
and severall graces will one strengthen another as stones in an Arch. As for example Master Peacock Fellow of a House being afflicted in conscience as thou art and at the point of despair when some Ministers ask'd whether they should pray for him answered By no means do no so dishonour God as to pray for such a Reprobate as I am but his young Pupill standing by said with tears in his eyes Certainly a Reprobate could never bee so tender of Gods dishonour which hee well considering was thereby comforted and restored when neither hee with his learning nor any other Ministers with their sage advice could do any good Again secondly if ever thou hadst true faith wrought in thy heart bee not discouraged for as the former graces shew that thou hast with Mary made choice of that better part which shall never bee taken from thee So this grace of faith is Christ's wedding Ring and to whomsoever hee gives it hee gives himselfe with it wee may lose the sence but never the essence of it It may bee eclipsed not extinguished Fides concussa non excussa The gifts and calling of God are without repentance as it is Rom. 11. 29. Friends are unconstant riches honours pleasures are unconstant the world is unconstant and life it self is unconstant but. I the Lord change not Malachi 3. 6. In a swound the soul doth not excercise her functions a man neither hears nor sees nor feels yet shee is still in the body The Frantick man in his mad fits doth not exercise reason yet hee hath it â—…e loseth the use for a time not the habit Yea a sober man hath not always the use of his sences reason and understanding as in his sleep shal we therefore conclude that this man is senceless unreasonable and without understanding it were most absurd for if we have patience but a while our argument will appear manifestly false Trees and so wee are fitly called bee not dead in Winter which resembles the time of adversity because the sap is shut up in the root and confined thither by the cold frosts that they cannot shew themselvs in the production of leavs and fruits for by experience wee know that for the present they live and secretly suâ—… nourishment out of the earth which maketh them spring and revive again when Summer coms Yea even whiles they are grievously shaâ—…on with the winds and nipped with cold frosts they are not hurt thereby but contrarily they take deeper root have their worms and cankers kill'd by it and so are prepared made fit to bring forth more fruit when the comfortable Spring approaches and the sweet showres and warm Sun-beams fall and descend upon them Elementary bodies lighten and darken cool and warm die and revive as the Sun presents or absents it self from them And is not Christ to our souls the onely Sun of reghteousness and 〈◊〉 of all comfort so that if hee withdraw himself but a little wee become like plants in the Winter quite withered yea in appearance stark dead 〈◊〉 or like Trees void both of leavs and fruits though even then there remains faith in the heart as sap in the root or as pre raked up in the ashes Which faith though it bee not the â—…ie strong yet it is the like precious faith to that of Abrahams whereby to lay hold and put on the perfect righteousness of Christ. The Woman that was diseased with an issue did but touch and with a trembling hand and but the hem of his garment and yet went away both healed and comforted Well might I doubt of my salvation says Bradford feeling the weakness of my faith love hope c. if these were the causes of my salvation but there is no other cause of it or of his mercy but his mercy Wherefore hast thou but a touch of sorrow for sin a spark of hope a grain of faith in thy heart thou art safe enough The Anchor lyeth deep and is not seen yet is the stay of all The Bladder blown may float upon the flood But cannot sink nor stick in fi lt by mud But thou dreamest of a saith without doubling which some doungly boast they have but as no righteousness can bee perfect without sin so no assurance can bee perfect without doubting Take the evenest ballances and the most equall weights yet at the first putting in there will bee some in-equality though presently after they settle themselvs in a just poyse Sin is a cloud that often hinders the Sun from our eyes yet it is still a Sun the vision or feeling of this comfort may bee somtime suspended the Union with Christ is never dissolved An usuall thing with beleevers to have their ebbing and flowing waxing and waning Summer and Winter to bee somtimes so comfortable and couragious that wee can say with David Though I were in the valley of death yet would I fear none ill Psal. â—…3 4. otherwhiles again so deaded and dejected in our spirits that wee are like him when hee said One day I shall die by the hand of Saul 1 Sam. 27. 1. Somtimes so strong in faith that wee can overcome the greatest assaults and with Peter can walk upon the swelling waves by and by so faint and brought to so low an ebbe that wee fall down even in far less dangers as Peter began to 〈◊〉 at the rising of the winde Matth. 14. 29. 30. And indeed if the wings of our faith bee clipp'd either by our own sins or Satans temptations how should not our spirits lye groveling on the ground Sect. 9. But thirdly and lastly for I hasten suppose thou art at the last cast even at the very brink of despair and that thy conscience speaks nothing but bitter things of Gods Wrath bell and damnation and that thou hast no feeling of faith or grace yet know that it is Gods use and I wish wee could all take notice of it to worke in and by contraries For instance in creating of the world hee brought light out of darkness and made all things not of somthing but of nothing clean contrary to the course of Nature In his preserving of it hee hath given us the Rain-bow which is a signe of rain as a certain pledge that the world shall never the second time bee drowned Hee caused Elias his sacrifice to burn in the mid'st of water and fetcheth hard stones out of the mid'st of thin vapours When he meant to blesse Jacob hee wrestled with him as an Adversary even till he â—…amed him When he meant to preferr Joseph to the Throne hee threw him down into the Dungeon and to a golden chaine about his neck he laded him with â—…on ones about his legges Thus Christ opened the eyes of the blind by annointing them with clay and 〈◊〉 more likely to put them out And would not cure Laxarus till after hee was dead buried and stunk again no question to reach us that wee must bee cast down by the Law before wee can
in our Baptism when we took his presse-mony to be his Souldiers and serve him in the field of this world against his and our enemies that we have renounced our vow made â—…o him â—…dd fled from his standard yea fought for Satan and the World seeking to win all we could from Christ by tempting to sin and by persecuting such as were better then ourselves so that all our recompence of thy love unto us hath been to do that which thou hatest and to hate those whom thou lovest Yea we cannot deny but we have persecuted thee with Paul denied thee with Peter betraied thee with Judas and crucified thee with those cruel Jews And as wee have committed one sinne on the neck of another so we have multiplyed and many times repeated them by falling often into the same wickednesse whereby our sinnes are become for number as the sands of the Sea and as the Stars of Heaven Now Lord it being thus with us how can we expect that thou shouldest hear our praiers grant our requests yea how can wee look for other at thine hands then great and grievous yea then double damnation as most justly we have deserved Yet  Yet most most merciful Father being that thou hast given thy Son and thy Son himself for the ransome of so many as shall truly repent and unfainedly believ in him who hath for our sakes fulfilled all righteousness yet suffered on the Crosse and there made full satisfaction for the sins of all thine Elect. And seeing thou hast appointed Praier as one special means for the obtaining of thy grace unto which thou hast annexed this comfortable promise that where two or three be gathered together in thy Name thou wilt be in the midst of them and grant their requests and since our Redeemet hath assured 〈◊〉 that And likewise knowing that mercie pleaseath thee and that the sole perfection of a Christian is the imputation of Christs righteousnesse and the not-imputation of his own unrighteousnesse whatsoever we shall ask thee in his name thou wilt give it us  We are emboldened to sue unto thee our God for grace that we may be able to repent and believe Wherefore for thy promise sake for thy Sons sake and for thy great Names sake we beseech thee send down thy holy Spirit into our souls regenerate our hearts change and purifie our natures subdue our reason rectifie our judgments strengthen our wills renew our affections put a stop to our madding and straying fancies beat down in us whatsoever stands in opposition to the Scepter of Jesus Christ and enable us in some measure both to withstand that which is evil and perform that which is good and pleasing in thy sight Yea give us repentance never to be repented of and possess our souls with such a dreadfull awe of thy Majesty that we may fear as well to commit small sins as great ones considering that the least sin is mortall without our repentance thy mercy as wel fear to sin in secret as openly since there is nothing hid from thee as well condemne our selves for evill thoughts as evill deeds considering that the Law is spirituall binding the heart no lesse then the hands as well abstain from the occasions of fin as sin it self and consider that it is not enough to abstain from evill unlesse wee hate it also and do the contrary good And because every day which does not abate of our reckoning will increase it and that by procrastinating we shall but heap unto our selves wrath against the day of wrath Good Lord suffer us not we beseech thee to defer our repentance lest the custome of evill makes it altogether unalterable in us or lest we dye before we begin to live or lest thou resusest to hear us another day calling upon thee for mercy because we refuse to hear thee now calling to us for repentance And now O Lord since thou hast safely brought us to the beginning of this day we beseech the to defend and dierct us in the same and as thou hast blest us in our lying down and in our rising up so protect prosper us in our going forth in our coming home shield and deliver us from the snares of the Hunter who lieth in waite for our souls and is continually labouring our everlasting destruction And no lesse arm us against the allurements of the world wherein we shall meet with many provocations and temptations and that 〈◊〉 may not lead ourselvs nor be Wherefore if we be not yet converted let this be the happy hour of our conversion that as our bodies are risen by thy power and providence from sleep so our soules may daily bee raised from the sleep of sin and the darknesse of this world that so we may enjoy that everlasting light which thou hast prepared for thine and purchased with the bloud of thy dear Son our Saviour Jesus Christ.  Give unto us we beseech thee a true lively and justifying faith whereby we may lay hold upon those gracious promises which thou hast made unto us in him and wherewith we may vanquish all our spirituall adversaries Seal up unto us the assurance of our salvation by the testimony of thy blessed Spirit Give to led into temtation give us wisdome to beware of men even of associating our selves with the vitious like Joseph lest otherwise with David we be drawn to dissemble or with Peter to deny thee for sin is of a catching and infectious quality and our corrupt hearts are like tinder which will kindle with the least spark especially O Lord keep us from yeelding to their solicitations or following their customs of drink ing swearing slandering and making the worst construction of thinâ—…s of mocking and scoffing at religion or the religious let not custome and example any whit prevail with us without or against thy written Word lest we misse of the narrow way which alone leadeth unto life onely give us wisedome and grace to look upon thy Sons whole life see how he would speak and do before we speak or do anything then having thy word for our warrant and thy glory for our aime let no censures not flowts of anydiscourageus us thy servants that wisdome which descendeth from above that we may be wise unto our eternall salvation so shall our hearts instead of a Commentary help us to understand the Scriptures and our lives be an Exposition of the inward man Give us grace to account all things in this world even as drosse and dung that we may win Christ Jesus and Heaven and happinesse by means of him Give us single hearts and spirits without guile that wee may love goodnesse for it self and more seek the power of godlinesse then the shew of it and love the godly for thy sake and because they are godly Grant that in the whole course of our lives we may doe unto all others as we would that they should doe unto us considering that whether we
the Divel that we would abuse all thy gifts so fast as they come thy blessings make us proud thy riches covetous thy peace wanton thy meaâ—…s intemperate thy mercy secure and all thy benefits serve us but as weapons to rebell against thee We have prophaned thy daies contemned thy ordinances resisted thy Word grieved thy Spirit misused thy Messengers hated our Reprovers slandered and persecured thy people seduced our friends given ill example to our Neighbours opened the mouths of thine and our adversaries to blaspheme that glorious Name after which we are named and the truth we professe whereas meaner mercies and far weaker means have provoked others no lesse to honour thee and the Gospel who may justly rise up in judgmeâ—…t against us Besides which makes our case far more miserable we can scarce resolve to amend or if we do we put off our conversion to hereafter when we were children we deferred to repent till we were men now we are men we defer untill we be old men and when we be old men we shall defer it until death if thou prevent us not and yet we look for as much at thine hands as they which serve thee all their lives Thou might'st have said before we were formed let them be Toads Monsters Infidels Beggers Cripples or Bondslaves so long as they live and after that Cast-awaies for ever and ever but thou hast made us to the best likenesse and nursed us in the best Religion and placed us in the best Land and appointed us to the best and onely Inheritance even to remain in blisse with thee for ever so that thousands would think themselvs happy if they had but a piece of ouâ—… happinesse Perhaps we have a form of godlinesse but thou who searchâ—…st the heart and triest the reins knowest that too often we deny the power of it and that our Religion is much of it hypocrisie our zeal envie our wisedom policie our peace security Why shouldest thou give us thy Son for a ransome thy holy Spirit for a pledge thy Word for a guide thy Angels for our guard and reserve a Kingdom for our perpetual inheritance Why shouldest thou bestow health wealth rest liberty limbs senses food raiment friends and the means of salvation upon us more then upon others whom thou hast denied these things unto We can give no reason for it but that thou art merciful and if thou shouldest draw all back again we had nothing to say but that thou wert just which being considered why should any serve thee more then we who want nothing but thankfulnesse Why should we not hate the Way to Hell as much as Hell it self and  why should we not make every cogitation speech and action of ours as so many steps to Heaven yet 〈◊〉 thoâ— shouldst now ask us what lust is asswaged what affection qualified what passion expelled what sin repented of what good performed since we began to receive thy blessings to this day we must needs confesse against our selvs that all our thoughts words and works have been the service of the World the Flesh and the Dâ—vel yea it hath been the course of our whole life to leave that which thou commandest and to do that which thou forbiddest yet mâ—serable wretches that we are if we could give thee our bodies and souls they should bee saved by it but thou wert never the richer for them our life rebellion our devotion deadâ—esse and that we live so securely as if we had no souls to save Thus while we look upon our selvs we are ashamed to lift up our eies unto thee yea we are ready to despair wâ—th Cain yet when we think upon thy Son and the rich promises of the Gospel our fear is in some measure turned into joy while we consider that his righteousnesse for us is more then our wickednesse against our selvs onely give us faith we beseech thee and settle it in thy beloved that we may draw virtue from his death and resurrection whereby we may be enabled to die unto sin and live unto righteousnesse and it sufficeth for all our iniquities necessities and infirmities Indeed thy Word and Spirit may work in us some flashes of desire and purposes of better obedience but we are constant in nothing but in perpetual offending onely therein we cease not for when we are waking our flesh tempts us to wickednesse if wee are sleeping it sollicites us to filthinesse or perhaps when we have offended thee all the day at night we pray unto thee but what is the issue of our praying First we sin and then we pray thee to forgive it and then return to our sins again as if we came to thee for no other end but to crave leave to offend thee Or of thy granting our requests we even dishonor thee and blaspheme thy name while thou do'st support and relieve us run from thee while thou do'st call us and forget thee while thou art feeding us so thou sparest us we sleep and to morrow we sin again O how justly mightest thou forsake us as we forsake thee and condemne us whose consciences cannot but condemne our selvs But who can measure thy goodnesse who givest all and forgivest all Though we be sinful yet thou lovest us though we be miserably ingrateful yet thou most plentifully blessest us What should we have if we did serve thee who hast done all these things for thine enemies O that thou who hast so indeared us to serve thee wouldest also give us hearts and hands to serve thee with thine own gifts It is true O Lord as wee were made after thine own Image so by sin we have turned that Image of thine into the Image of Satan but turn thou us again and we shall bee turned into the Image and likenesse of thy Son And what though our  sins be great yet thy mercie is far greater then our sins either are or can be we cannot be so bad as thou art good nor so infinite in sinning as thou art in pardoning if we repent O that we could repent O that thou wouldest give us repentance for we are weak O Lord and can no more turn our selvs then we could at first make our selvs yea we are altogether dead in sin so that we cannot stir the least joint no not so much as feel our deadnesse nor desire life except thou be pleased to raise and restore our souls from the death of sin and grave of long custome to the life of grace Apt wee are to all evil but reprobate and indisposed to all grace and goodnesse yea to all the means thereof Wee are altogether of our selvs unable to resist the force of our mighty adversaries but do thou free our wills and set to thy helping hand in casting down by thy Spirit our raging lusts and by thy grace subdue our untamed affections and we shall henceforth as much honor thee as by our wickednesse we have formerly dishonored thee  Wherefore