Fruits of the Spirit in us as the Work of true and sound illumination true Conviction of our Sin and Misery and of the Creatures Vanity of our own impotency and utter insufficiency to help 〈…〉 our selves and of Christ's Excellency All-sufficiency and willingness to save all such as come unto him and are heartily willing to take him for their onely Lord and Saviour all this is the work of the Spirit As also sound Conversion from all Sin unto God as the chief good the Spirit enabling the Soul to repent and turn to God and also working in the Soul the Grace of Faith enabling it to come to Christ to receive him accept of him rest upon him and to resign it self up sincerely to him and to his Government by his Word and Spirit The Spirit works Sanctification in the Soul destroying the old corrupt Principles of Nature and implanting new Principles of spiritual Life making it partaker of the Divine Nature mortifying in it the lusts of the flesh and quickning it to newness of life repairing the Image of God upon it and working all those other Graces which are the Conditions of Pardon and Justification as true love to God and Christ to his Word and People true Fear of God sorrow for and hatred of Sin producing those Fruits mentioned Galat. 5. 22 23. as Patience Meekness Humility and the like Also the Spirit helps the Soul to act those Graces and to perform those Duties required of us in order to our Salvation It guides and leads and teacheth us helps our Infirmities teacheth us to pray and carrieth on the whole work of Sanctification in us And this I take to be the Seal of the Spirit when those saving Impressions and Habits of Grace and Holiness are wrought in and upon the Soul whereby the Soul is made in some measure like unto Christ Jesus being by the Spirit united to him planted and grafted in him and by vertue of its union with him made partakers of his Life and Grace whereby it lives and grows until it come to the State of Perfection in the other World This Spirit thus savingly working is God's Seal upon our Hearts the Seal of his everlasting love to our Souls and of his everlasting Covenant which he hath entred into with us which he will never deface or blot out and it is also the Earnest of our Inheritance that thereby we may confidently conclude to our great comfort that as sure as he hath given us his Spirit thus savingly to work in us those gracious Works this gracious Change this true Repentance and Faith and Love and Holiness and other Graces even so sure he will give us the Inheritance in Heaven at last as surely as he hath sanctified us so surely he hath justified us and will glorifie us For this is the Seal this is the Earnest And upon this account saith the Apostle Having this Seal this Earnest this comfortable Assurance of a better state and of a better life after this we groan earnestly to be clothed upon with our house which is from Heaven That we may possess that glorious purchased Inheritance of which we now have the earnest we long to enjoy the full Harvest of which we have received the First-fruits and consequently we that have received these First-fruits this blessed Earnest have no cause to be troubled or disquieted when these our earthly Tabernacles begin to decay and perish because we are wrought by God's Spirit for a better state and as was said not only the Spirit of God worketh this willingness to die by working those Graces in the Soul as you see but also accompanying Afflictions and blessing them to crucifie our Affections to earthly things and helps to Holiness in order to our eternal Happiness and therefore also ought the more patiently to be endured Seventhly Then it is the chiefest wisdom in the World for every one of us to labour to become real Saints to get into a state of saving Grace and often to search and try our selves and never to give over searching and trying until we come to some well-grounded Assurance That we are indeed truly Regenerated and that we have a real Interest in Jesus Christ for this Assurance may be attained and we are commanded to give all diligence to attain it 2 Pet. 1. 10. It is not bare wishes or desires will serve the turn but we must labour and strive after it and be much in self-examination 2 Cor. 13. 5. How is it possible we can have any true comfort living or dying if we have no Assurance of a better Life and so long as we know not whether we shall go to Heaven or Hell when we die We all have been too negligent in labouring after this Assurance let us lament it and let us all now begin to bestir our selves and in God's strength lay out our utmost care and pains in the use of all means to get the clear evidences of our peace with God and that we are in a pardoned and reconciled state for upon this Assurance we shall have this Advantage above all others that we shall not be troubled nor much disquieted when our outward man doth decay and perish our earthly comforts fail us our bodily Members wither because all these decays and wastings do but make way and prepare us for the happiness of our Souls Whereas on the contrary it must needs be an uncomfortable thing to look upon a decaying Body and be altogether uncertain what will become of the Soul when it leaves this Body It must needs make Death terrible But when we know that our Souls at death shall enter into our Master's joy we shall bid Death welcom The Eighth Inference From what hath been said we may draw one Rule of Tryal to us all whereby we may know whether we be true real Christians or no or only nominal and but formal Professors viz. by the real good to our Souls that our Afflictions have done us we all have had Afflictions of one kind or other let us examine what spiritual good we have got by them look over the former Particulars and apply them It is a true sign of a Child of God to be the better for Prosperity and Adversity and commonly more the better for Adversity than or Prosperity But lest we should be mistaken I grant that Affliction may work some good in the hypocritical Professors as on Ahab and Nineveh But note these Differences First On the Godly Afflictions work good mostly on their inward man on their Souls although they work good also on their Conversations the sweet fruits of Afflictions appear also in their Lives But on others if Afflictions do work any good at all it is mostly on their outward man they may by them be outwardly reclaimed and reformed but not inwardly renewed and sanctified Now there is a vast difference between outward Reformation and inward Renovation 2dly The fruit of Affliction on the Godly is continually increasing and growing
1. 4 5. They are begotten to an inheritance incorruptible undefiled and that fadeth not away reserved in Heaven for them who are kept for it by the mighty power of God unto salvation And they are also bound for God and for Heaven they have not their Portion here nor their Treasure here they are bound for another Country they seek a City that hath Foundations and their Hearts are where their Treasure is and there ore they do not much mind and regard those visible temporal things 7 Reas Because they have been so often disappointed and deceived by those things they never found that in them which they expected from them the World hath ever proved false to them they have tryed it and by Experience have ever found it Vanity and Vexation and nothing else 8 Reas And Lastly Because gracious Souls have Principles of Faith in them they have the same Spirit of Faith in them that those Primitive Christians had and that is a victorious Principle a World-conquering Faith Heb. 11. 1. By Faith the Soul mounts aloft and takes a prospect of the invisible eternal things being the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen fixing its Eye upon and conversing with those things and so it overlooks and looks beyond and above all visible temporal things 1 John 5. 4. This is the victory that overcometh the world even our faith And this I take to be the main thing intended in the Text As if the Apostle had said We look not unto things that are seen that is we live not by sence but by Faith as 2 Cor. 5. 7. we set not sence on work on visible temporal things but we set Faith on work on invisible eternal things and by our Faith on invisibles we get victory over visible temporal things Q. But how doth Faith help a Soul to take it off from minding and over-much regarding visible temporal things Ans Faith doth it many ways 1. First by carrying the Soul to pitch its Eye upon and take a view of the invisible God in Christ and his God in Christ Heb. 11. 26. Moses saw him that was invisible and thereby he endured the evil things of this World and despised the Riches and Honours of Pharaoh's Court Alas how vile and base are all earthly things in comparison of the Eternal God the All-sufficient Good And by Faith the Soul pitcheth it self upon this God and applieth and appropriateth this God to himself This God is my God 1 Sam. 30. 6. Psal 31. 14. I said Thou art my God and 48. 14. This God is our God and 73. 26. My Portion Also by Faith the Soul is carried to pitch upon Jesus Christ in whom dwells all fulness and by Faith sees his Interest in this Blessed Jesus and thence he is mounted aloft above all visible temporal things having his Affections raised and fixed upon Jesus his Saviour who sits at the right hand of God Col. 3. 1 2. This sight of God and Jesus by Faith takes off the Minds and Thoughts of Believers from those things below having higher better and more excellent things above to feed and fill their Thoughts with for no man can look up to Heaven and look down to the Earth at the same time as while Paul pressed forward towards the mark he forgot those things which were behind and as Jesus is said to be in Heaven John 3. 13. that is his Heart and Mind was there when he was on Earth even so it is in some measure with all true Believers their conversation is in Heaven Phil. 3. 20. 2. Faith receives the Testimony which God hath given in his Word concerning those visible temporal things that they are all vanity and vexation of spirit and therefore judgeth them not worthy of too much place in their Hearts and Minds 3. Faith raiseth the Soul to a believing sight of a better World than this present evil World is and of better things than those visible temporal things are of a better Life an eternal Life of a better Rest than can be had here even an everlasting Rest of a 〈…〉 inheritance 1 Pet. 1. 4. an incorruptible and undefiled our that fadeth not away of a better Country than Earth at best even an Heavenly Jerusalem and of a better House than the best House here even an house not made with hands eternal in the heavens whose Builder and Maker is God and of a better City even a City that hath Foundations 〈…〉 that better and more enduring Substance in Heaven Heb. 10. 34. and that infinitely-better Company the Blessed God and the Blessed Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant the glorious Angels and the Spirits of just men made perfect and better Joys Delights and Pleasures than can possibly be enjoyed here and also far better Employment and indeed all better things and all these better things the Believer by Faith doth realize to his Soul and all those so exceeding great and glorious things the Believer knows he must have cost what Cost and therefore the strongest streams of his Thoughts Cares Studies and Pains run this way and after these things even after these better things above Faith looks within the Veil unto those unseen Excellencies to those invisible Glories to be with God and with Jesus and to enjoy that full and perfect Communion with them above and when a Soul is pitcht and fixt by Faith here setled and centred on things above then farewel deceitful World 4. By Faith the Soul apprehends as the most transcendent Excellency of those things above so by Faith the Soul sees its absolute necessity of those things Interest in God Peace with him Union with Christ Title to Eternal Life c. are things not only infinitely better than all visible temporal things but saith the believing Soul these things I must needs have I shall be eternally undone without them It 's true I must have Food and Raiment also these are necessary too but not so necessary If I have God and Christ I shall not want Food and Raiment the faithful God hath past his Promise that I shall want no good thing I may be happy for ever without Riches and Honours without earthly Friends and Relations without Health or Liberty but not without God and Christ oh there lies my Happiness One thing is needful only needful absolutely needful and that is my Interest in God and Christ and the making sure of that deserves and calls for our most serious and utmost Thoughts and Cares If a man were condemned to dye whereupon would he spend his most serious Thoughts but upon getting his Pardon if there were any hopes of it and not in providing himself fine Clothes or a full Table The application is easie 5. By Faith a Soul is perswaded that neither the evil things of this World can hinder nor the good things of this World can further his Happiness nor his way to it of themselves but rather the contrary for a man
glory that Everlasting Rest in the full and perfect enjoyment of the Blessed God for ever thought on minded and laboured after more but because these things are not fully believed O cursed Unbelief Men believe that Life Liberty Health Honour Estate c. are good things and therefore they mind them and labour after them and count no Pains too much to obtain them labouring as it were in the Fire to get those things Those that believed those better things in the other World counted those visible temporal things of this World but Toyls and Trifles Heb. 10. 34. 2 Cor. 5. 1 2 3 4. So Heb. 11. throughout It is our Unbelief is the cause why God and Christ and Heaven have so little of our hearts and minds so little of our thoughts and affections Oh let us all bitterly bewail our Unbelief Lord subdue and pardon it These are the Hinderances II. The Means to help us to this Work that we may most seriously and most heartily mind invisible eternal things 1. First We must labour clearly to know and understand the Truth and Reality the exceeding Greatness and Excellency of those invisible eternal things as was hinted before Our ignorance of them is much the cause why we mind them no more Ignoti nulla Cupido No man minds or loves what he knows not Let us set our Hearts in earnest to consider what it is to enjoy God who is All-fulness what it is to have Fellowship with the Father and the Son what it is to have Communion with the Holy Ghost to have the gracious Presence of the Holy Spirit to feel the Work the Witness the Sealing the Joy the Consolation of the Holy Spirit all which all true Christians know and feel in some measure and rejoice in them Consider also what it is to live in Christ and to have Christ to live in us to dwell in our Hearts to manifest his Love to us to come in to us to sup with us and we with him to take up his Abode with us what it is to know the Power of his Death and the Vertue of his Resurrection to be made one with him joyned married to him made one Spirit with him and what it is to be made like him here and what it is to be made like him hereafter both in Soul and Body â—ad to appear with him in Glory at last and to be for ever glorified with him what it is to see this Face and to dwell in his presence for ever Oh chese are the only things that are worthy of all our Hearts and Minds most worthy of all our Affections and Desires of all our Labourings Longings Pantings Breathings Hungrings and Thirstings of Soul Oh shame on us all that we spend our Affections on Toys and Trifles on Dreams Fancies and Shadows Oh that such Folly and Madness such Brutishness should possess us Let us lament and lament it And let us labour to know and understand those high and excellent things and let us be fully perswaded of them and of their infinite worth and value These things are worth glorying and rejoycing in Jer. â—â— 23 24. Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom But let him that glorieth glory in this that he understandeth and knoweth me that I am the Lord which exercise loving-kindness judgment and righteousness in the earth for in these things I delight saith the Lord. Let us consider also the exceeding-great and precious Promises and what our Blessed Jesus hath purchased and what God hath prepared for his People in the other World and let us ponder upon and by Meditation work these things into our Hearts and Minds Labour for a distinct knowledge of all those things Labour to prove your particular Right and Title to all those invisible eternal good things and then you will mind them indeed A bare Knowledge of them without an Interest in them will do you no good No wise man will much mind those things in which he hath no Interest let us then search and try whether we have any true Title to these things whether we have any good and solid ground to hope that we shall one day be possest of them and shall certainly enjoy them Then we shall think of them and speak of them with Joy and Comfort when we can say with Paul There is laid up for me a crown of righteousness And we know that when the earthly house of this tabernacle is dissolved we have a building of God an house not made with hands eternal in the heavens We all hope to enjoy that promised purchased Inheritance all hope to see God in Glory and to be happy but let us try our Title by the Word of God by that Word which must judge us all at the last day We may easily deceive our selves as those in Matth. 7. 21 22. and as the foolish Virgins no Deceit so easie nor so common nor so dangerous for it is irrecoverable and a little serious tryal might prevent this Self-deceiving Self-searching may prevent Self-deceiving and Self-undoing Briefly then let us ask our selves Is Jesus Christ ours Then All is ours All depends on this If Christ be ours God is ours Pardon Life Salvation Heaven and Earth is ours 1 Cor. 3. 22 23. Are we Christ's really and sincerely his Then He is ours My beloved is mine and I am his Are we his all we are his Hearts Heads Tongues Time Talents are we all his Are we new Creatures 2 Cor. 5. 17. If any man be in Christ he is a new creature Mark it a new Creature all old things are pass'd away and behold all things are become new new Insides new Out-sides new Principles new Ends new Affections new Desires new Delights new Company new Language all new if new Creatures Have we the Spirit of Christ in us If any man have not the spirit of Christ the same is none of his Rom. 8. 9. Doth Christ live in us Is Christ most precious to us Do we believe in him Let us try the truth of our Faith doth it purifie our Hearts Doth it work by Love by Love to Christ to all that hath the Image of Christ on it Doth it overcome the World Doth it support under Trouble Let us see that it be Faith unfeigned the Faith of God's Elect. Have we with all our Hearts chosen the Lord for our Portion and placed our Happiness in him fixed our best Loves Desires and Delights in him and have we resigned up our whole selves cordially and unreservedly to him Have we broken our League with all Sin and with all the Idols of our Hearts Do we hate and detest all Sin and do we keep a continual watch and war against all Sin Have we an equal respect to all God's Commandments Can we deny our selves and part with all things for Christ Are we the Heirs of the Promises If we be really Christ's then are we Heirs of the Promises Gal. 3. 29. Are we the Children of God If Children
Duties More frequent in Self examination in heavenly Meditation in heavenly discourse Art thou O my Soul ashamed of and grieved for thy former Miscarriages thy mis-spending time Breath Liberty Strength c. More diligent in preparing for thy Dissolution and more contented with thy present Condition Dost thou endeavour now to go to the Fountain for all Supplies And dost thou labour with all thy might in the strength of God to make up all thy losses and breaches in God and in his Covenant through Christ Dost thou prize the promises and labourest to live upon them by Faith Is God and Christ more in thy thoughts and affections than heretofore And dost thou labour to get out the blessing of thy Afflictions and art most earnest with God for the blessing Dost thou labour to cast all thy care upon God and to trust him with all If any of these things appears let God have all the Glory and blessed be God for any weak desires after these sweet Fruits Deny not what God hath done for thee but be ashamed and grieved that thou art no better Cry to God mightily wrestle with him for his blessing upon thy afflictions 3. The third Particular is That the Decaying and Perishing of the outward Man to God's people tends to the strengthning the prospering and renewing of the inner Man The Adversity of the Body proves the Prosperity of the Soul to all gracious Persons and to them only The Soul and Body of a Saint is like the House of David and Saul as the one grows weaker and weaker the other grows stronger and stronger and where it is so there is good ground of Comfort under all outward troubles and where it is not so there is little ground of Comfort for the present although there may be a growing in the Soul when it is not discerned as there is of the Babe in the Womb and of the Corn in the Earth under the Clods both grow even when they are not discerned but in due time will appear But more of this afterward Quest But how comes this to pass What Efficacy and Influence have the perishings of the outward Man to help forward the increasings of the inward Man How the Sicknesses Pains Troubles Losses Crosses upon the outward Man should greatly contribute to the Strengthning and Renewing of the inward Man is the Question which great Truth resolved clearly apprehended firmly believed and experienced will tend very much to a poor Christians Consolation Ans 1. By the Decays and Witherings of the outward Man those Hinderances are removed which did very much obstruct the Growth Strength and Comfort of the inward Man When Davidâ— outward Man flourished When he had his Honour Health Ease Liberty and the confluence of earthly Comforts about him he was weak in his Soul that lay languishing in sinful Security he was so weak in his Soul that he could not resist the least Temptation but was shamefully conquered by the glance of his Eye Ordinarily our Souls are in the worst case when our Bodies are in the besâ— case It is pitty we say that fair weather should do hurt yet so it is The welfare of the outward Man tends to the ill-fare of the inward Man without a more than ordinary measure of Grace For first Ordinarily the Prosperity of the outward Man interposeth betwixt God and the Soul and keeps God at a distance from the Soul and the Soul at a distance from God Jesus Christ loves not to lye in their arms who embrace other Lovers God will be uppermost or not at all neare the heart or not at all there He deserves Best and will have the Best or will accept of nothing While the outward Man is fixt on the Creature the inner is not far off from it and then it is so in divided from God 2 Cor. 5. 6. While thâ— Soul is at home in the Body it is absent from power Lord and the reason is Because of that power the Body hath upon the Soul to draw it down tâ— it self and even sink it into it self and to participate with it It is hard for a poor Bird to flye uâ— that hath weights tyed to his feet and harder â—â— a poor Soul to Mount up or indeed to move wiâ—â— any speed heaven-ward that hath such a weighâ— of Clay hanging on it And this made godly Agâ— afraid of fulness Prov. 30. 8 9. Usually Prosperity begets Pride and Pride sets us at a distance from God God resisteth the proud he sees the proud afar off Christians are never so far from God as when they are nearest to their outward Comforts and Enjoyments God is then but in few of their thoughts Now it is the Presence or Absence of God that makes Summer and Winter in the Soul as it is the presence and absence of the Sun that makes Summer and Winter on the Earth Now if Prosperity does withdraw our hearts from God as too often it doth it causeth God to withdraw from us though we may not find him wanting while earthly Comforts continue with us it must needs do us a great deal of hurt for if God withdraw or withold the influences of his Grace from us our Souls must needs be in a sickly and languishing condition How weak and feeble must we be when God doth not continue his Grace to us Prosperity lies betwixt God and our Souls which we all know by woful Experience and our God our gracious Father knows it and therefore in tender love to our Souls many times breaks our outward Prosperity that our Souls may not be drown'd in it and perish by it 2. Secondly The welfare of the outward Man hinders the inner Man from that serious diligent hearty intent and Spiritual Service that it should perform to God in which the Soul might have had many sweet meetings with God and many Communications of Love and Grace from him which through the defects of his duties are suspended from him Isai 64. 5. and this must needs tend to the weakning of the Soul What Strength Life Comfort have God's People found in holy Duties How have their Souls been refresht their Hearts raised and quickned and enlarged after God many times but then they have been serious earnest fervent in Spirit in these Duties Now in Prosperity what careless heartless service do we perform How soon weary secretly glad when the work is over How ready upon the least occasion to neglect a Duty or an Ordinance Not so fearful to dispense with some Service that God calls for nor so fearful to draw nigh a Temptation O how cold dead and heartless are we in Duty All this is too true O my Soul see it lament and bewail and bless the Lord for time to do it and bless him more for an heart to do it What bad service did Manasses do to God Or rather what great service did he do the Devil when he was in his prosperity never minding his God or his Soul till his outward
own hearts more than ever they saw before then they find and feel their Spiritual Wants Diseases Dangers the treachery falseness deceitfulness of their own Hearts their often grieving quenching resisting of God's Spirit in time of Prosperity their inordinate Self-love Flesh-pleasing and Gratifyings then they see their former spiritual sloth and negligence their backwardness to and weariness in God's Service their formality deadness customariness in holy Duties their impatience of reproof their hastiness of Spirit their want of tenderness towards and of sympathy with those that were afflicted not weeping with those that wept their censuring and judging others their want of Charity then they see how badly they improved their healthful and youthful time their Talents and their Enjoyments with many other Evils are discovered As also in times of Affliction there is a discovery of the vanity and emptiness of the Creature when all Comforts of Life fail as Health Wealth Friends Liberty Estate c. then the Soul is convinced of the vanity and uncertainty of all these The Rod discovers both Heart and Life and what the Creature is And also then the Souls of God's People come to see the surpassing Excellency of God and Christ and of the Promises and of the great Importance of the things of the World to come O now the Soul can prize an Interest in God and in his Christ and his Covenant and is hereupon stirred up to mind God more and Heaven more and to bestir it self in the use of all Means and to get Assurance of an Interest in God Now all this tends very much to the Welfare of the inner man and if we well and wisely consider this Benefit which our merciful Father grants us by blasting and withering our outward Comforts thus to enlighten and convince us of all those things we shall have cause to Adore and Admire his Goodness towards us in taking such course with us and to cry out with Job 7. 17 18. What is man that thou shouldest magnifie him and that thou shouldest set thy heart upon him and that thou shouldest visit him every morning and try him every moment Thirdly The Adversity of the outward man promotes the Prosperity of the inner man by taking away the Idols of the Soul which divided the Soul from God The best of us are apt to make Idols of every Creature-enjoyment very apt to let out our Hearts in inordinate Affection to Husbands Wives Children c. and suffer them to have more of our Hearts Loves and Delights than God and Christ and Heaven over-prizing and over-loving them taking too much content in them and expecting too much from them and so make Idols of them and then God withdraws his gracious Influences from us those quickning strengthning and comfortable Influences of his Spirit from us and hides his face and then our poor Souls languish and we grow weak and feeble so it was with David Psalm 30. 6 7. but this withdrawing of God from us we do not many time perceive and feel while our earthly Comfort continue with us though our Graces be weak Faith and Love weak our Passions and Corruptions strong and are too often too hard for us and we are carried captive by them and although wâ— decay in spiritual strength and grow dead in holy Duties careless and watchless in our Conversations and want that vigour spirit and life which sometime we had which are the effects of the absence of God's Spirit that we grow cold in on Affections to heavenly things I say these saâ— effects of God's withdrawment from us are noâ— perceived and felt by us so long as our bodiâ—â— Comforts continue with us but then it pleased our gracious God to send some awakening Providences upon us he sends Adversity and remove these our Idols and then through God's assisting Grace we come to see our sin and the fruits of it then we see our folly in letting out of our Hearts upon the vain Creature and that then God did withdraw and that our Souls did wither and languish upon which by the special Grace of God we lament our folly beg forgiveness through the blood of Christ and the Lord being gracious and merciful returns to the Soul again and then the Soul begins to recover it self and to grow better Fourthly Adversity is a means of bringing afresh to our Remembrance those particular special Sins which in Prosperity were forgot and which while they lye on us without Repentance they waste and weaken hurt and corrupt our Souls Adversity as was said before puts God's People upon the search of their Hearts and Lives now they say unto themselves what have we done now their Spirits do or should make diligent search now they do or should commune with their own Hearts and examine their ways and seek for the plague of their Hearts their Dalilah's their Jonah's their darling their beloved Sins which they did not or would not see in their Prosperity nor were willing to be reproved for but did over-look them or forgot them or look'd on them as little ones and common Infirmities humane Frailties and could study shifts to cover and excuse them Such as Pride and Passion inordinate Affection Unthankfulness Hypocrisie Covetousness Selfishness vain Thoughts idle Words Omissions Unfaithfulness breaking Vows and Promises Earthly mindedness Security hardness of Heart unprofitableness under the means of Grace and many other Heart-evils that scarce appear in time of Prosperity that in time of trouble upon a through search we may find out as our Unbelief want of love to God and Christ want of love to God's Word insensibleness of Sin and want of hatred to it want of fervent Charity to others with many others which upon a consciencious search and by the help of God's Spirit we shall find out in our selves which lay hid in us corroding and putrifying our poor Souls which were never so heartily confess'd and lamented as they should But when the Spirit and the Word comes with Affliction there is a discovery made of those lurking Lusts the filthy corners of our false Hearts opened and every gracious Soul is willing to be convinced of every sin and begs God heartily to search him and to rip him up and to shew him all the Evils of his Heart and Life with all their aggravating Circumstances being committed against much Love and Light against Conscience Conviction Resolution after many Confessions of them before the Lord and many times those Sins are brought to remembrance which were quite forgotten as sins of Youth fleshly Lusts excess in Meat Drink Apparel Disobedience to Parents mispending Time foolish jesting rash Anger sinful Silence Cowardize in God's Cause neglect of Reproof neglect of relational Duties Sabbath-sins with multitudes of others which will appear upon a diligent search many omissions of Spiritual Duties as Heavenly Meditations Self-examination self-denial Watchfulness all which the gracious Soul being convinced of repents of mourns for before the Lord and by Faith in the
promises is both the breeder and feeder of Patience let Faith live and Patience will not dye let Faith be present and Patience will not be absent and through Faith and Patience we shall inherit the promises Oh then let us labour to live by Faith and strive to keep up our â—aith in Act and Exercise and in special upon the real Spiritual Good that our good God will bring to our inner Man by the decays and perishings of our outward he having promised so to do and he being faithful who hath promised and let us also labour to live in hopes and expectations of that good praying also constantly for increase of our Faith and Hope so shall we be able with Patience to endure to the end and be saved Certainly it is every ones concernment to know and consider that Man consists of two Parts the inner and outer Man and which of the two is best and ought to be most minded and principally looked after for most live as if they had Bodies only and no Souls or if they have Souls that they need not much minding but say they leave the care of them to God whereas indeed it is the welfare the safety and salvation of our Souls that we all should be most solicious about What shall it profit a Man saith our Saviour if he gain the whole World and â—ose his own Soul Sin is the Disease of the Soul and Holiness the health of the Soul and afflictions are God's Physick to effect this Cure by surely then we had better take the Physick the Remedy tho' it make us sick than keep our Disease which will make us Die and that eternally the Remedy is better than the Disease So that when our merciful Father the only wise God sees that the blastings and breakings of our outward Comforts are proper means to keep us from and to purge from 〈…〉 Spiritual Diseases our sins which not purged would destroy our inner Man our Souls and therefore useth this means what cause have we to endeavour in God's strength patiently quietly and comfortably to bear all our breaches and perishings of our outward Man yea and to praise and bless the Lord that he will take this course with us thus to chasten us here in this World that we may not be condemned with the World hereafter 1 Cor. 11. 32. Fourthly It follows also from the Premises that wicked Men are fools very fools yea mad fools and cruel to their own Souls because all their caâ—â— is for their Bodies and none at all for their Souls they provide for the Servant but neglect the Master provide for the Horse but forget the Rider Eccl. 10. 7. We have seen how little care God takes of the outward Man but beats and break that many times that he may secure and preserve the inner Man of his People And also wicked Men are cruel to their own Souls Prov. 8. 36. He that sinneth against God wrongeth his own Soul Is it not a madness carefully to preserve the Box but lose the Jewel to spend precious time strength thoughts cares pains all Mans days in feeding cloathing preserving the outward Man but let the poor Soul starve perist and be eternally lost if there be any cruelty outâ— Hell this is a great piece of it Fifthly It follows also that the continuance oâ— outward Comforts is not to be expected Theâ— will be witherings decays perishings of our ouâ—ward Man it cannot be avoided our health at ease and peace will not abide always with us our dearest Relations must bid us farewel this on earthly Tabernacle must shortly be put off wâ— cannot live always all things here are mutable and changeable we see this by experience everâ— moment our pleasant and lovely Companions in the flesh our dearest friends in Christ our Yoak-fellows the desires of our Eyes the comforts of our lives they and we must part Psal 39. 6. This fully believed and seriously considered would unglue our affections from these things and prepare us to part with them that our parting with them be not so grievous to us as usually it is Could we use these things as we do our Gloves on our Hands which we can with ease pluck off and not as the skin on our Hands which cannot be pulled off but with much pain and smart It were good wisdom for us often to look on all our earthly comforts as things that we cannot long enjoy as things that we must needs shortly part with this my health my estate my ease my relations I must part with and I know not how soon a parting time must come This Soul and Body must part and to keep such thoughts in our minds and often to consider of it would help to moderate our affections to them while we enjoy them and to imploy them for God and also it would prevent our immoderate sorrow for the loss of them because we expected such losses and made account of them before they came but we are too often surprised and therefore too often overcome with sorrow Sixthly It follows from the premises that the Servants of God have no true cause or reason to be discouraged disquieted or dejected when their outward Man perisheth their outward Comforts wither their old House begins to totter and decay because by all these witherings and perishings of their outward Man their inner Man is renewed day by day and therefore no cause of fainting Such as know that is are assured by Faith that when this their earthly Tabernacle shall be dissolved that they have a building with God an House not made with hands eternal in the Heavens such will not be troubled when their Houses of Clay begin to totter no but rather they groan earnestly to be cloathed upon with their House which is from Heaven 2 Cor. 5. 1 2 3. And that God's Servants may thus be willing to put off their earthly Tabernacles and exchange them for Heavenly Houses God is working upon them and in them this willingness as Verse 5 by his Spirit his Word and by his Chastisements breaking and blafting their earthly Comforts weakning their bodies to make them willing to leave them and to long for those everlasting habitations which their dear Lord hath prepared for them John 14. 1 2 3. And for the more effectual working of God's People to this willingness he gives unto them the earnest of the Spirit which is the earnest of their Inheritance untill the Redemption of the purchased Possession Eph. 1. 13 14. and Rom. 8. 23. We which have received the First-fruits of the Spirit groan within our selves waiting for the Adoption to wit the Redemption of our Bodies Now this Earnest or First-fruits of the Spirit which in some measure God gives to all his people here in this life to prepare them for Glory is called also the Seal of the Spirit Ephes 1. 13. After ye believed ye were sealed Now this Seal of the Spirit I take to be the saving Works Graces and
This is but too manifest Isa 55. 2. labouring for that which is not bread not Bread for their Souls and for that which cannot satisfie their Souls God Christ Heaven is not in all scarce in any of their Thoughts Psal 10. 4. 49. 11. the god of this World blinds Mens Eyes 2 Cor. 4. 4. and the World bewitcheth Mens Minds and the Deceitfulness of Sin so strangely deludes 〈◊〉 that they become meer Slaves and Captives to the World Ask any Man or Woman what things are best Earth or Heaven God or the Creature their Souls or their Bodies Saving Grace of Worldly Goods and all will confess that God is best of all and Heaven better than Earth If it be so why then is this World minded more than God and why is Earth minded more than Heaven The Apostle tells us the true reason Rom. 8. 5. which is because Men are in the Flesh in a state of Nature under spiritual blindness and darkness This their way is their folly Psal 49. 12. It is a great Folly to chuse the worst things and refuse the best to mind Earth and forget Heaven to pursue the Creature and neglect God and Christ Folly indeed to mind day and night and follow hard after visible temporal things and neglect eternal The pleasures of sin are but for a season but a God's right hand are pleasures for evermore Psal 16. last O the bewitching nature of this World that it should so gain and hold the Affections of Men and Women that altho the World and the fashion of it passeth away and is but a shadow yet that Men should so drown themselves in it as to make them forget the World to come How unreasonable a thing is it to spend all our Thoughts Cares and Pains about visible temporal things seeing they are so transitory and perishing so much beneath our never-dying Souls so utterly unable to satisfie or content our Souls or to comfort us in our Troubles or to stand us in any stead in Death and Judgment Were not our Minds most strangely blinded it were impossible that having Reason and Understanding we should so waste our Time and Strength in pursuit of earthly things seeing the Great God and the Blessed Jesus offer themselves to become ours and seeing Heaven and Happiness and Glory is before us and offered to us and we may have them if we will and so be happy for ever O wonderful Folly and Blindness the Lord enlighten and convince us Inf. IV. Fourthly it follows that a true Christian lives by Faith and not by Sence for he that is a Captive to the World hath but little Faith if any 1 John 5. 4. For faith overcometh the world where Sence riseth Faith falleth Now saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 5. 7. We walk by faith not by sence This is our Practice and this is the very meaning of the Text We look not at those things that are seen that is we live not by Sense but by Faith Q. But what is it to live or walk by Sense Ans The great good or end or happines that a carnal Heart proposeth to it self in which it expecteth Content is some good that is the object of Sense something that may be sensibly enjoyed and this they pursue and labour after The Rule by which they judge things is Sense if things please Sense and seem good to Sense to the Eye to the Ear to the Taste to the Appetite they judge them to be good things if not pleasing to the sense they are counted evil things That which affects their Hearts is Sense Sensible Comforts or Sensible Crosses Sensible Gain or Sensible Loss wanting the light of God's Spirit to open their Understandings they live only by Sense and are but Sensual Jude 19. Eccl. 11. 9. and so they walk after the Flesh and mind the things of the Flesh chiefly and principally This Life of Sense is variously expressed Prov. 3. 5. A leaning to their own understanding Psal 81. 12. A walking after their own hearts lusts and in their own counsels Jer. 9. 14. Walking after the imaginations of their own hearts Isa 65. 2. After their own thoughts in a way that is not good Isa 5. 21. This is not the way of true Christians but they walk by Faith and not by Sense Q. What is it then to walk by Faith Ans The great Good or End or Happiness that a gracious Soul aims at and seeks content in is that which is presented to him by Faith out of the Word of God and that is twofold to wit the glorifying of God and the enjoyment of him these are things not seen these are not the Objects of Sense but of Faith To glorifie God in Christ and to enjoy God in Christ this is the end of the Saints walk and way and all this is by Faith This Life of Faith is demonstrated several ways 1. He that lives by Faith is guided by the Word of Faith and that is the whole Gospel and every Truth in it such a Soul gives up it self to the conduct of the whole Word of God it walks by no other Rule 2. It yields it self up to the government of the Spirit of Faith the Holy Ghost it is obedient to the motions stirrings counsels of the Holy Spirit harkning to that word behind him Isa 30 31. not willingly grieving nor quenching it 3. It walks in the way of Holiness for this Faith purifies the Heart Acts 15. 9. 26. 18. 4. It always leans upon Christ and draws strength from him to hold on and hold out in the way of Duty by it the Soul abides in Christ John 15. 3. and by drawing of strength from Christ it can do all things Phil. 4. 13. notwithstanding all opposition 5. By Faith the Soul commits himself to God in Christ in all his ways and trusts himself and all his concernments with God Psal 37. 3 5. Prov. 16. 3. 2 Pet. 5. 7. Psal 112. 7 8. Isa 26. 2 3. Such a Soul can satisfie himself with what he receives by Faith as really and truly as others can satisfie themselves with Sense the faithful Promises of God are as sweet to him as the sensible Possessions and Enjoyments are of others Heb. 11. 13. they saw the Promises afar off and embraced them Now when a Soul can depend upon God alone for All in the want of all outward means and make progress in the ways of God through all difficulties and not draw back and doth in his whole course of Life so walk work and act as becomes one that doth believe such glorious things in the other World as he doth believe when there is a suitableness in his Life to what he believes then oh then he may truly be said to live by Faith And this is the Life that in some degree every true Christian lives and desires to live and this living by Faith and not by Sense is that which is meant in the Text. 2 Vse The second Use is
his Providences to observe and comply with them answering them by suitable Duty 2. Secondly We look unto our Blessed Jesus the Image of the Invisible God the eternal Son of God He was once visible and seen in the Flesh and shall be so again at his second coming Acts 1. But now we see him not yet now we believe in him and look on him by Faith And that we may look upon and behold this unseen Jesus and by Faith and Love to enjoy Union and Communion with him to know him living in us and to have fellowship with him in his Death and Resurrection and in his Life to receive of his fulness Grace for Grace This the Saints aim at and spend their Thoughts and Cares about and make this the main and principal work of their Lives Phil. 3. 8 9 10. That they may be joyned to Christ married to him engrafted into him partake of his Spirit Life and Grace that they may be conformable to him and enabled to walk as he walked that he may sup with them and they with him that he may dwell in their Hearts by Faith and take up his abode with them and manifest his Love unto them that they may grow up in all things like unto him These are the Aims Intentions Desires Prayers Longings and constant Endeavours of truly-gracious Souls Not to be rich and great and honourable in the World but to partake of the unsearchable Riches of Christ to get and possess Jesus this Pearl of greatest 〈◊〉 to be rich in Faith to have a clear Title to â—e Crown of Life which Jesus hath purchased â—â— promised to live in Christ and to please hoâ—â—ur and enjoy Jesus This is their Chief Laâ—â—ur 3. The holy Spirit is invisible and eternal the â—â—cious Influences and Operations of the Holy â—host on the Hearts and Spirits though the â—ects may in some sense be said to be visible â—â— of eternal efficacy yet the Operations are in 〈◊〉 sence invisible the Graces of the Spirit â—â—ch I take to be those Waters of Life which our â—â—d speaks of John 4. which spring up to Eterâ—al Life the Joy the Comforts of the Spirit the â—aintings teachings guidings of the Spirit the â—â—iness and sealings of the Spirit all these are inâ—â—able and eternal things and these are the things â—hat natural men cannot know nor discern 1 Cor. 2. â—1 13 14. Strangers intermeddle not with this by because Strangers to it It is hidden Manna â—â—at these are the unseen things that gracious â—als mind seek and breath after and always â—â—g for Oh that they may be filled with the â—pirit filled with the Graces and Comforts of the Spirit and enjoy Communion with the Spirit 4. The Word of God the glorious Gospel that is invisible and eternal not in the Letter of it for that is to be seen in the Book but the Mysteries of â—t are hidden Mysteries Matth. 11. 25. These things are hid from the wife and prudent of the World It 's true the sound of the Gospel is gone â—ut abroad throughout the World but the power and efficacy the vertue and inward workings of it the sweetness of it that is invisible to the Eye of the Body and hidden to the World 1 Cor. 2. 9 10. God reveals those things to his People by his Spirit The infinite Beauty of Christ his transcendent Excellencies the Beauty of Holiness the surpassing sweetness of the Promises the glory of Heaven with many many other unspeakable Excellencies which are held out in the Gospel all which bodily Eyes cannot see nor carnal Hearts understand The powerful enlightning quickning transforming nourishing strengthning refreshing and comforting power and vertue of the Gospel but very few see and feel none but such as are spiritualized and whose Understandings are savingly enlightned Eph. 1. 17 18 19. There are great and glorious things represented in the Gospel but Men's Understandings must be enlightned before they can see them Life and Immortality is brought to light by the Gospel Heaven and Hell opened in the Gospel but not to be seen by the bodily Eye Hence the Gospel is said to be hid 2 Cor. 4. 4. and this word abideth for ever 1 Pet. 1. 25. and it is an everlasting Gospel Now saith the Apostle we look to the Word of God and mind the glorious Mysteries of the Gospel and feel the sweet and powerful effects of it we desire the sincere milk of the Word that we may grow thereby we esteem the Word of God above our necessary food Job 23. 12 13. and it is sweeter to us than the hony or hony-comb Psal 19. 9. 5. We look unto and mind all the exceeding great and precious Promises which are in the Word of God the vertue sweetness and good of them are all invisible to carnal Eyes Tell a carnal man of the goodness and sweetness of the Promises it is a Riddle to him give him present Enjoyments he never tasted any sweetness in them but true Christians look on them as exceeding rich things and look up to them and embrace them and live upon them they could not â—re without them The Promises are dry Breasts â—â— carnal Hearts they can draw no vertue from them but they are full Breasts to gracious Souls â—â—il 27. 13. I had fainted unless I had believed that â—â— in the Promises to see the goodness of God in the 〈◊〉 of the living The Promises That God will be our God in Christ and our Portion and exceeding great Reâ—ard Gen. 17. 1. That He will be a Sun and a â—ield to us give us Grace and Glory and will with-hold no good thing from us Psal 84. last â—romises of Pardon of Peace of Holiness and â—â—essedness of Rest for our Souls Mat. 11. 28 29. Promises of his good Presence with us in all our â—roubles of Supports Supplies and of a gracious 〈◊〉 out of all gracious Souls trade in the Promises converse with the Promises these they mind â—nd rest upon and find Sweetness and Comfort in 6. And Lastly We look unto all those great and glorious things which the Great God hath prepared for us from the foundation of the World and which our most dear Lord Jesus hath purchased for us by his most precious Blood Oh the great and glorious things which God our Father â—ath prepared for us that blessed Vision of God that Kingdom of Heaven that Life eternal that Crown of Glory of Life of Righteousness that inheritance incorruptible undefiled and that saâ—â—th not away that far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory that everlasting Rest all these things are invisible and eternal And unto these â—â—seen and eternal things we saith the Apostle 〈◊〉 and set our mind upon And also the great and glorious things which our Lord hath purchased as Peace with God his Favour Acceptance with him Adoption Sonship Heirship Remission of Sins an heavenly Inheritance these are all invisible and eternal things great and wonderful things things of the greatest
Perswasions will prevail they turn the deaf Ear to all But for the World how soon are People perswaded to embrace it to follow hard after it to count no Time nor Pains too much to attain it What is there in those visible temporal things in those glittering vanities that should so allure entice and seduce rational Souls and such as profess that they believe all those better things But indeed they do not believe them whatever they profess Infidelity is the Root of all Men do not believe what they profess to believe It were impossible that the World should be so heartily so eagerly follow'd and pursued if the vanity and vexation of it the emptiness and insufficiency of it the uncertainty and transitoriness of it were indeed believed It were impossible that the great and glorious God the Alsufficient Good that blessed Jesus that Heaven and Eternal Happiness should be so slighted and neglected if they were truly really and heartily believed It is most strange and yet most true that People should yield up their Hearts unto and spend their best Affections upon the things of this present evil World and can think and speak delightfully of them but have no mind to think or speak of eternal things Oh this beguiling bewitching and deceiving World and oh these corrupt carnal deceitful Hearts of ours that suffer the World thus to deceive us It cost the Heart-blood of Christ to deliver his People from this present evil World Gal. 1. 4. Could we apprehend the Mischief this World hath done us and doth still do us we should have but little kindness for it and if once we could attain the Assurance of our title to that World above we should not care how soon we were gone out of this 3 Inf. Thirdly Hence appears the Unreasonableness of immoderate Worldly Joy Sorrow Fear Cares about visible temporal things Being they are but temporal passing transient momentany things why then so much care to get and keep them Why so much fear of losing them Why so much Joy in possessing and why so much Trouble in parting with them Why so much Care and Fear about Life it self which is but a Vapour Jam. 4. 14. Alas we rejoice in things of nought and are grieved for the loss of Shadows for such and no better at best are all visible temporal things in comparison of invisible eternal things Let us all bewail this Folly O when shall we be wise How long shall we simple ones love this our sinful Simplicity Prov. 1. 22. Oh how long e're we be able to discern between Good and Evil till we know the one thing needful and approve and pursue the things which are most excellent and give up our Hearts entirely to God and Christ 4 Inf. Fourthly Hence appears the absolute Necessity of Regeneration Seeing we are by Nature so ignorant dark blind stupid and dead that we cannot see nor understand the things of God nor the things that belong to our own Eternal Peace Therefore we should earnestly seek and pray for Renewing Grace and that Christ would give us the Light of Life and that God would beget us anew and give us his sanctifying quick'ning Spirit and infuse new spiritual Principles of the Divine Nature into our Hearts and thereby take us off from inordinate minding visible temporal things and turn our minds another way even towards Himself and towards Christ and Heaven that there we may center and place all the Affections of our Hearts all the Desires and Delights of our Souls This must be done by the mighty power of God and we must seek him diligently to effect this work upon us and we must also attend on his Word preached and read and diligently and conscientiously read the Word searching the Scriptures for this very end and purpose and servently beg God's Blessing on the Word that it may prove to us a Word of Grace a renewing converting sanctifying Word the Seed of Regeneration Jam. 1. 17 18. Of his own will begat he us by the word of truth John 17. 17. Thus must we Labour to be regenerated or else we shall never get off our Minds from earthly things Second Vse by way of Examination We All hope to go to Heaven when we dye and to enjoy all those invisible eternal good things do we not Let us be so kind to our own Souls as to try our Title and the grounds of our Hopes Sure here is one Mark by which we may know whether our Hopes be well grounded or no to wit by our Heavenly-mindedness What do we aim at mainly mind chiefly look on and look after principally Is it Heaven or Earth Visibles or Invisibles Let us examine our selves Which way runs the Stream of our Thoughts the Current of our Affections the Tide of our Discourses Which way runs it strongest steddiest Put this Question close to our Consciences and require a direct Answer Let us not dally and shuffle but be serious Our Apostle makes this a discriminating Character of a Child of God of one in Christ and above the power of Condemnation of one that is born again Rom. 8. 5. They that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh the Profits Honours Pleasures Ease Health Liberty of the Flesh that is they mind these things mainly mostly principally chiefly most heartily most seriously most affectionately most delightfully These visible temporal things lye most upon their Thoughts and lye nearest their Hearts This is their Character and it appears in all their Words and Actions But they that are after the Spirit that is are born of the Spirit born of God are in Christ they mind the things of the Spirit the grace the work the witness the comfort and joy or the Spirit they mind the things which the Spirit hath revealed in the Word God and Peace with him Christ and Union with him God's Covenant and Interest therein Eternal Life and Title thereto these invisible eternal things they mind these mainly chiefly mostly principally most heartily affectionately and most delightfully and constantly This is their Character and this is manifest also in their Words and Actions Now let us try our selves What Character have we Which of these two If we will not do so much for our own Souls as to take a little pains in trying we have not much love to them A man may know very much of his State by this And is it not worth a little Labour to know whether we be in Christ or no and whether we shall be Saved or Damned eternally Let us put it home to our Consciences Say O my Soul what dost thou mind most What are thy Thoughts most exercised about Whereupon are thy Affections most fixedly set This is a searching mark oh that we did all try our selves by it we should be much more heavenly than we are The best of us all will have cause of shame and sorrow cause of self-suspicion and jealousie when we strictly compare our selves with
the Reality of those things Who hath believed our Report Isa 53. 1. and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed to make Souls believe and to work effectual Faith in them Surely to very few A very bare historical Faith is wanting but much more a cordial practical Perswasion of those things for by true Faith we come to have an Interest in all these eternal good things and if we had an Interest in them we should mind them more Those invisible eternal things spoken of in the holy Scripture signifie no more to most of us than those Mountains of Spices and Mines of Gold do that are in the Indies which we never hope to see or possess and for which none of us will part with our poor Cottages Alas alas it were impossible if we did really believe those things above and that they may be had by us but that we should take more pains to get a Title to them and having once got a Title surely we should mind them more than we do Now the grand Reasons why we that profess that we know and believe those great things of the other World yet take so little pains to be assured of our Right to them are these viz. our false Faith our false Hope and our inordinate Love of the World Cou'd we get these three Thieves out of our hearts it wou'd be otherwise with us 1. Our False Faith building our Faith on the Mercy of God and Merits of Christ in general not considering whether those Conditions are wrought in us to which the Mercy of God is promised and to which the Merits of Christ do belong Isa 1. 16. 55. 7. Rom. 8. 9. 2 Cor. 5. 17. 1 Cor. 6. 17. Heb. 5. 9. Matth. 11. 28 29. 16. 24. 10. 34. By all which places we shall find that the Mercy of God belongs to the penitent returning Sinner and that those only can truly claim an Interest in Christ that submit to his Yoke that have his Spirit that are new Creatures that deny themselves and give up themselves to the Government of Christ 2. Our False Hope that deceived those eminent Professors in Matth. 7. 21. and the foolish Virgins Matth. 25. and which deceives all Hypocrites and formal Christians that build their Hopes upon outward Profession Priviledges the performance of religious Duties outward Reformation c. not minding that express word in 1 John 3. 3. Every one that hath this hope that is to see Christ in Glory and to be made like unto him purifieth himself even as he is pure Col. 1. 27. Christ in you the hope of glory Not Christ without you professed by you but Christ in you formed in you dwelling in your Hearts by Faith living and reigning in you by his Word and Spirit that is the Hope of Glory the true and only ground of true Hope of Glory 3. Inordinate Love of the World 1 John 2. 14 15. If we be friends of this world we are enemies to God Too much love of Life Liberty Ease Relations c. our Hearts are let out strongly after these therefore our good God doth oftentimes strip his dearest Children of these in love to their Souls to take off their Affections from them that they may place them on better things where they are better bestowed III. It is Lamentable also that those invisible eternal great and glorious things should be no more minded thought upon considered and spoken of by Professors that hope shortly to enjoy them God Christ Glory Heaven are seldom in mens Minds and Thoughts What are most Peoples Morning and Evening Thoughts Psal 49. 11. What vain Thoughts lodge in our Hearts Jer. 4. 14. Oh how little talk is there of these things amongst us Is God our Father Is Christ our Head and Husband Is the Holy Ghost our Counsellour and Comforter Is the Word of God our Rule and Guide our spiritual Food and Nourishment our Comfort and Consolation Are the Promises our great Charter Heaven and Glory our Inheritance And do we indeed hope to enjoy all these things for ever and ever and yet think no more and speak no more of them Can this be so Can our hopes be good and well grounded Let us not deceive our selves IV. It is Lamentable that those great things should be no more laboured after Joh. 6. 27. Labour not for that meat which perisheth but for that which endureth to eternal life Prov. 2 2 3 4. Isa 55. 2 3. We labour for that which is not Bread not Bread for our Souls and spend that which is better than Mony our Spirits and Time for that which doth not cannot satisfie Why should visible temporal things have so much of our hearts heads tongues hands time strength and all and those invisible eternal things have so little Is there any colour of Reason for it Are not those invisible eternal things infinitely better than the other Certainly it is because they are not known nor believed nor minded that they are no more laboured after How do we dishonour God and Christ and the Promises how do we undervalue Christ's Purchase and Eternal Life when we lay out our selves so much for the World and so little for these How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation Heb. 2. 3. V. It 's lamentable also that the loss of the means of the discovery of those invisible eternal things should no more affect and trouble us Lam. 1. 7. Jerusalem remembred in the days of her affliction all her pleasant things that she had in the days of old A Famine of the Word is the worst Amos 8. VI. And it is lamentable that those who know believe desire and labour after those things themselves should be no forwarder and readier to commend those things to others and should take no more pains to perswade and draw others to look after them Oh how few cry out to others with holy David Come and I will tell you what God hath done for my soul VII And no less lamentable is it that those who claim an Interest in all those great and glorious good things and hope to enjoy them hereafter that those persons should no more express the power of them in their Lives that they should no more rejoyce in them and be no more raised in their Spirits and gladded in their Hearts with the fore-thoughts of them and that they should live no more comfortably upon them It 's sad that those thus interested in God and Christ and Glory and that are the Expectants of that far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory should not live better lives more exemplary shining profitable joyful lives We that look for such things what manner of persons ought we to be in all manner of holy conversation It 's sad also that such should bear up with no more strength holy courage and confidence in the midst of the Troubles of this short Life seeing they hope for such glorious things in the other World
the Spirit 's help and do no longer delay this Work lest thou be cut off before thy Work be done and what will become of thee then That this with all other Helps to thy Soul in the way to Heaven may do thee good is the unfeigned Prayer of thy unfeigned Friend James Bardwood The Reverend Author having preached many profitable Sermons on the 2 Cor. 13. 5. Examine your selves whether you be in the Faith c. in which he industriously and clearly shewed the necessity of Self-examination the nature of the Duty consisting in a secret Debate of our eternal estate and conditions within our own Bosoms wherein the Mind of a man ponders and weighs all that makes for him or against him in an even Ballance The Object-matter of this Debate is things eternal the eternal concernments of his Soul as likewise the manner of the performance of this Duty with greatest seriousness and solemnity setting the perfect Law of God before us and humbly imploring the special Assistance of the Holy Spirit Men are to debate these two things 1st Whether they are in Christ or in the state of Nature a great Question indeed upon which hang all our Hopes of Heaven Christ in you the hope of glory Col. 1. 27. 2dly If we be in Christ what condition we are in whether thriving in Grace or decaying In the first of these Questions the painful Author spent many Exercises in the resolving of in laying down opening and answering eight several distinct Rules of Tryal of a Saving Interest in Christ with the several Objections that poor doubting Souls might make against themselves things highly worth the publication as I perceive by some imperfect Notes taken from him which because I cannot attain to a more exact Copy of them I must omit them the more is the pity But for the ninth and last Mark I find more full and perfect and therefore only offer this one to your consideration concerning which hear his own words As to this ninth Mark of a Saving Interest in Christ I have this to say That if the Lord shall clear but this one Tryal I do not value whatever Objections you have against any of the former This will undoubtedly speak your Souls Interest in the Lord Jesus without any more ado and as far as the Lord shall clear it to you you may venture your Souls into Eternity upon it And therefore try your selves by this if any of you be sincerely and fully resolved upon full conviction of your sinful and miserable state by Nature and the answerableness of Christ to all your Wants to let go all that hinders the enjoyment of him and embrace all that furthers the enjoyment of him You need not make any Doubt or Question after this Whether Christ be yours or you be his Consent is essential to Marriage there can be no Spiritual Marriage to Christ but by consent of the Will Knowledge is essential to Consent he that doth not think and know cannot consent If you be therefore consenting and willing to be Christ's upon his own terms there remains no Doubt whether Christ be yours after that Consent Hos 3. 3. Thou shalt be for me so also will I be for thee Christ is for vou if you be for him And when the great Work of Conversion is exprest in Scripture you find it exprest under the Act of the Wills Consent in the 110th Psalm 3. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning thou hast the dew of thy youth That is of thy Spiritual Off-spring and this is brought about by consenting to take Christ upon his own terms But Beloved don't mistake your selves I am not about to shuffle over so great a concernment as this is rashly I am well aware my own and your Salvation too is carried in the matter I am to discourse and therefore I resolve in the Strength of Jesus Christ to be impartially faithful between God and us in this great matter I would not for ten thousand Worlds a word should drop from my Lips to the ruine of any Soul nor yet to disturb the Peace of any gracious Soul and therefore let me explain what I have to say clearly There are three things of absolute necessity for the gaining of a solid Scriptural Interest in Christ the two first I hope will pass current with most of us yet some may stumble there 1. The first is this There must of necessity be a full and serious conviction of Sin and Misery without Christ there 's not a Soul that comes to him without such a conviction The Spirit when he cometh he shall convince the World of Sin and of Righteousness John 16. 9. that's the Spirit 's first Work and 't is fundamental to all his after-After-works And therefore you shall find in all the Converts in Scripture the Lord has been dealing with their Understandings first to convince them of their sinful and miserable state by nature And the Lord Jesus professedly tells us He came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance Convinced Sinners not those that think they have Righteousness of their own and that the whole have no need of a Physician but they that are sick And it must needs be so that Christ must take his course because his Commission leads to it Isa 61. 1 2. The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me because he hath sent me to preach glad tydings to the meek to bind up the broken in heart and proclaim liberty to the captives These are the persons upon whom Christ is to act the great work of Salvation they are said to be such as are bound with the sence of Sin such as are broken hearted through the sence of their Sin and Misery And when he invites Men and Women to come to him see how he doth it in the 11. Matth. 28. Come unto me all that are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest These are the persons Christ bestows himself upon So that there must be such a conviction of Sin and Misery by Nature as leaves us without Hope without Christ I don't speak of the degrees of spiritual Trouble but I take this to be an unquestionable Truth that so much Conviction as unbottoms the Soul from Self-righteousness and False hopes is absolutely necessary and before this is there can be no Match between Christ and the Soul If any man be married to his own Righteousness Duties and Performances that Soul hath nothing to do at all with Christ nor can that Soul be married to Christ for 't is married to the Law another Husband as you may see in the Sixth of the Romans the Apostle in that Chapter proves to us that we can have nothing to do with Christ until we are divorced from our own Self-righteousness That 's the first thing and this I hope the Lord hath wrought upon many that are here before him The
in whole or in part in point of justification if you do you can have nothing to do with the Righteousness of Christ Rom. 10. 3. the Jews being ignorant of God's Righteousness went about to establish their own Righteousness Here you see a perfect opposition between a Man's establishing his own Righteousness and getting an interest in Christ Friends you must not think of two Righteousnesses one in Christ and another in your selves I will make mention of thy righteousness even of thine only Down with all Self-righteousness or you can have nothing to do with Christ 3. The third thing that is to be let go for the Lord Jesus Christ are all Companions in Sin How much Delight soever you have formerly had in them you must henceforth make them no more your delightful chosen Associates Here 's the parting Point between wicked Men and the Saints of Jesus Christ I don't speak of Civil Commerce as Men in the World there we must have to do with wicked Men but I speak of chosen delightful Companions in Sin when 't is an Act of the Will 1 Pet. 4. 3 4. Wherein they wonder that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot speaking evil of you Ay here 's the breach made when we come to Christ between us and the wicked World Psal 15. 4. and so you shall find in Psal 119. 63. I am a companion of all them that fear thee Beloved Christ requires you to cast off the delightful company of wicked ones Christians are a company of themselves and none but such should be chosen All my delight is in the Saints saith David Whatever Tyes there be unless it be those of natural and civil Relations they must not tye us to wicked men but we must be the Companions of the Servants of Christ if we will have Christ Secondly There are some things that may be let go or may not that is according as God calls or calls not for them If the Glory of God shall require it then we are to part with them and these are all Earthly Comforts if so be they come to be inconsistent with the Truths or Glory of Christ rather than deny the Truths of Christ when his Glory or Enjoyment comes in competition then Christ requires us to part with them Such are our estates when the Glory of the Lord Jesus shall call us to deny them as the believing Hebrews were Such are our Liberty when we cannot keep it without the eclipsing the Honour of the Lord Jesus Yea such is also our natural Life if that be laid in ballance with the Truths of Christ He would not have his People reckon their Lives dear upon his account either I must deny the known Truth or my Liberty Life or Estate must go And now if any of these come in competition with Christ they must all go Luke 14. 33. Whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath he cannot be my Disciple This includes Estate Liberty and Life Now here is the stick in the case How far a poor Soul can come up to Christ's Terms upon this Conditional Necessity I do not doubt but there be many Souls in Christ that have many Fears about it what their Heart will do many shaking Fears what they will do in an hour of Temptation yet Christ hath the consent of their Hearts that all shall go they will forsake Father Mother Wife Children Why Lord saith a poor Christian if I cannot enjoy these without the destruction of my poor Soul in thy Strength I resolve to follow thee in the deepest paths of Self-denyal to the last breath And without this you cannot be Christ's Disciples My Friends the Lord Jesus hath set down the Terms and he will not come lower and if you cannot come up to his Terms Christ and you must part he will not come down for the sake of any man therefore consider of those things Now he that is contented to part with all rather than part with Christ that Soul is for Christ and Christ is for that Soul But there is the last thing and that is the embracing of all those things that may help you to enjoy Christ These are deep tryals of the Heart and therefore it concerns us to make deep searches here Well then there be four things that do further a man's Soul in the way to Christ and are you contented and that deliberately Christians to embrace them all to help you to Christ 1. First Are you contented to embrace and welcome all the Ordinances of God and Duties of Religion both publick and private without exception of one of them Can you turn your feet to all his Ordinances I know some Christians have a Zeal for some Duties and not for others but publick and private Duties Heart-duties and Life-duties all that have the Stamp of Christ's Institution upon them must be embraced as in Psal 119. 6. Then shall I not be ashamed when I have respect unto all thy commandments When you dare not neglect a Duty but bring a serious Heart to every Duty if you be Christ's you must come under the Law of his House 2. Secondly Are you contented to embrace all Fatherly Corrections from the hand of God for the killing of the Remainders of Sin in you If you will be for Christ you must submit to Chrisi's Method It is in vain to say If I can travel to Heaven without meeting a Storm in the way I am willing to go thou must be contented with all Afflictions to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Paul could say in 2 Cor. 12. 10. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities in persecutions for Christ's sake for when I am weak then am I strong Ay that was a high frame I will not strain up your Experiences to Paul's But can you consent to endure them Can you bear a Rod from God when it is to purge your Corruptions Can you bear a Persecution from God without starting from your Duty 3. Thirdly If you will be Christ's you must submit to all those means Christ hath appointed for the mortification of your Corruptions be they never so hard Rebukes from GOD Rebukes from Men by Afflictions and by the Word for the mortification of Sin Can you say Christians that you are willing to have your Mistakes detected by GOD or Men your Corruptions discovered any thing that helps to the pulling up the Roots of Corruption Surely thus it must be if you will be for Christ all faithful Admonitions all necessary Afflictions 4. Fourthly and lastly If you will be for Christ and be his you must embrace all pains watchings and labourings after Holiness to the end of your days Holiness will cost a Christian abundance of Labour but this you must do or you cannot be Christians 2 Cor. 7. 1. Having these promises let us cleanse ourselves from all silthiness of flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God Here 's the Work of a Christian cleansing Work and perfecting Work in the fear of God to the end of our Lives You must take the pains that other Christians do if you will have Christ for your Portion Now mark what I say He that is willing to part with all that hinders the enjoyment of Christ as sinful Self and righteous Self and he that resolves to embrace all things that may help him forward to the enjoyment of Christ as all the Ordinances of God all Fatherly correction from the hand of God all means of mortification from GOD or Men and all pains for Holiness he that is contented with these terms is as surely Christ's as ever was any Soul I have not made the terms in one point higher than Christ hath made them And thus I have shewed you Christians what the Terms are in which you are allowed to enroll your selves in the Catalogue of Christians And oh that the Lord would set home this one tryal to the satisfaction of our Souls then we may say The Lord is my God and My beloved is mine and I am his FINIS 1 Joh. 3. 2.
blood of Jesus obtains Pardon of them and by the Spirit of Jesus obtains power against them and so the Soul being pardoned and healed recovers and is renewed day by day whereas before it lay pining and laâ—â—â—ithing this blessed fruit is produced by the blessing of our most gracious God upon the perishings and wastings of our outward man Fifthly By disingaging and weaning the Hearts of God's People from all the things of this World mortifying and crucifying their Affections to things below drawing off the Heart from Creature-comforts weaning the Soul from those dry Breasts In Prosperity the best of us think little on Mortification and on crucifying the Flesh with the Affections and Lusts of it although the very Life and power of true Christianity lies in these as Rom. 8. 13. Galat. 5. 24. but then we are for pleasing and gratifying the flesh Oh how tender are we of our flesh and how loth to be cross'd how deeply are our Affections engaged to the Vanities of the World how do our Hearts cleave and cling to the Creature even as our Skin to our Body how seldom do we think seriously of parting with our Relations our Health c. or of putting off our earthly Tabernacles and of our â—ying down our Heads in the dark Grave How are we afraid of Dangers to our outward man and troubled at evil tydings how thoughtfully careful to preserve our Creature-comforts with us not taking so much care to enâ—oy God in them and to enjoy them for God as to enjoy them our selves and for our selves How â—ear do they lie to our Hearts Now our loving Father seeing all this he takes it very ill at our â—ands that the Creature should be so near and â—ear to us and have so much room in our Hearts and therefore in love to our Souls blasts and wastes these our Comforts to draw off our Hearts from them that we may not set our Affections upon them Sixthly The perishing of the outward man furthers the flourishings of the inward man not only by bringing our Sins to our remembrance as was shewed but now but also as being a means of God's appointment and blessing both to purge away Sin past and to prevent Sin for the future as Isa 27. 9. the Lord speaking of Afflictions there upon the Church saith By this therefore shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged and this is all the fruit to take away his Sin O blessed design of our good and gracious God O blessed fruit So Job 33. 17 18. To withdraw man from his purpose and to hide Pride from Man Are not many of God's People sensible of this how that be their Afflictions they have been kept from many Sins that without their Afflictions they haâ—â— been liable to have fallen into and committed Surely they will acknowledge it and give Goâ— thanks Sin is the Sickness and plague of the Souâ— which corrupts the Spirit wounds the Conscience weakneth Grace now in time of Prosperity wheâ— there is no Plague nor Sickness in Town or Couâ—try but all things belonging to the outward mâ—â— flourish even then is the very Air most spiritual infectious and most places then and most peoples breath then most infectious then the conâ—gion of Sin spreads most let a man then go in what place he will into what Company almost I will his Soul is in danger of Infection by Siâ— what Contentions Pride Envy Censuring Bad biting unjust Dealing and at best but vain idiâ— unprofitable Discourse is to be heard among most and how little of promoting the power of Godliness or mutual edification Now in such a time the poor Soul gets falls and wounds gets many a disease and Spiritual distemper which it perceives not now it gathers much Rust much Dross and it may carry the infection of sin a long time and is weakned and wasted by it which it may be others see by him more than himself his Passions and Corruptions get ground upon him and he pines day by day he grows more worldly froward proud c. and yet perceives it not and thus the inner Man is much damnified by the advantages of the outward All this the wise God seeth and observeth and out of his pity and tender compassion to the precious Souls of his poor Servants seeing them thus captivated by their Corruptions and diseased with so many spiritual Distempers and that they stand in great need of Physick lest they should perish thinks fit to break their worldly prosperity to give them the bitter purge of affliction to cast them into the Furnace that they may be purified and purged and so recovered and saved Zachar. 13. 9. Thus God ordereth the fire of affliction as a means to cleanse and purify his people from their filthiness and to make them pure and white Dan. 11. 35. Seventhly By exercising the Graces of God's people which in time of their prosperity were as it were laid asleep and for want of use and exercise did decay and scarce appear for it is not Grace â—n the habit that doth so much comfort the Soul â—s Grace in exercise now Adversity serves to draw â—ut Grace into act and exercise as Faith Repentance Hope Patience and other Graces now if ever the Christian labours to put forth his faith on God in Christ and on the Covenant and Promises Oh! now God and Christ and the Covenant and the promises signify something indeed to the Soul to these the poor Soul now flies as it was with Micah 7. 7. When all outward Comforts failed then he acted his Faith Hope and Patience I will look unto God I will wait for the God of my Salvation my God will hear me So Habb 3. 17. 18. Then also God's People renew their Repentance search their Hearts and Ways and turn to God as Ephraem Jerem. 31. 18 19. And then they act their Hope upon the promises of future Glory and then their Patience appears and standâ— them in great stead and their tender-heartedness their love to God his Word and People their contempt of the World yea every Grace is exercised mostly in time of affliction and this is the rare and special excellency of true Grace that â— thrives most and prospers best in the worst time for the most part Grace is strengthned and faâ—ned when sensible Comforts are withered anâ— starved and thus the inner man is renewed wheâ— the outward doth decay and perish Eightly The perishings of the outward Man he forward the flourishing of the inward by makit room and place and preparation in the Souls oâ— God's People for the gracious Communications Spiritual Mercies to them as is evident from thaâ— Scripture Hos 2. 6. and 14 compared Theâ—â— Creature-enjoyments stood in the way before fillâ— up all the room in the Hearts now these must bâ— removed to make way for better Mercies the too-well-beloved guests must be discarded that thâ— King of Glory may come in Other lovers had thâ— heart before these must be divorced that