spirit thou art made unfit for Gods consolations to receive them or rejoyce in him it is distastefull to thee As he that taketh away a garment in cold woather and as vinegar upon nitre so is he that singeth songs to a heavy heart Prov. 25.20 It will not be born Therefore mark when God sends Moses with a message of mercy to Israel and he delivered it according to Gods Command yet they harkned not to him what was the matter Why for anguish of spirit and sore bondage That unfitted them for the beleeving the message of God and receiving mercy And the Psalmist in his overwhelmings of spirit Psal 77. saith My soul refused to be comforted 6. Because Christ took their troubles upon him and bare them Therefore was his soul troubled Joh. 12.27 and 13.21 Surely he took our infirmities and carryed our sorrows saith the Prophet Isa 53. Therefore he would have us to rejoyce yea he would have his joy remain in his Disciples John 15.11 Now then if God be so tender and pittiful If holy rejoycing be so acceptable to him If trouble of spirit drives from God I mean discouragement and be contrary to communion If it deadens the actings of the works of the spirit If it makes the soul unfit for Gods consolations If Christ have born our sorrows of purpose to ease us Then it must needs follow that Christ would not have his people discouraged But all these are true Therefore the other Objection But some may say The Apostle James 4.9 Biddeth Be afflicted mourn and weep And Christ saith Blessed are ye that mourn Therefore this cannot be so I answer that in James is his councel to those that had adulterated themselves with the world as appears by the former part of the Chapter and this mourning is nothing but repentance Godly sorrow which Paul was glad was in the Corinthians But the sorrow we speak of is doubting discouraging sorrow of which James speaks not And that of Christ is a mourning in regard of afflictions and persecutions of the Gospel which they were to suffer for Christs sake or Godly sorrow and therefore declares them blessed Not to mourn with a distrustful distracting mourning So that it makes nothing against the point that Christ would not have his people lie under discouragements Object 2 But some may say again This is a needless poynt for the people of God in Gospel times are not troubled in their hearts I Answer Yea but they be which appears by these considerations 1. Because sometimes they want that measure of comfort and joy that they should have and might have Col. 2.2 That their hearts might be comforted This was the end of Pauls conflict and Iohn 16.24 Aske and ye shall receive that your joy may be full This shews that their hearrs wanted comfort and their joy was not full Therefore their hearts are troubled in Gospel times 2. Because the Apostle took order that the people of God and Saints might be comforted Sometimes by sending men of purpose to them to comfort them which need not have been in case they had not wanted comfort Ephes 6.22 Paul declareth that he sent Tychicus of purpose to them among other things To comfort their hearts And the same man counselleth the Corinthians 2 Corin. 13.11 to be of good comfort And he sent Tychicus to the Collossians to comfort their hearts Col. 4.8 And he sent Timothy to the Thessalonians to comfort them concerning their faith 1 Thes 3.2 And exhorteth them Chap. 4.18 to comfort one another and. 5.14 comfort the feeble minded Somtimes by praying that they might be comforted 1 Thes 2.17 Now our Lord Jesus Christ and God even our Father comfort your hearts and stablish you in every good word and work This labor and prayers might have been spared if saints wanted no comfort in Gospel times Uses of the point Now I come to Application 1. Of Information Is it so That Christ would not have his people lie under discouragements Then it informs us that we may boldly say and conclude that God is willing Christians should abound with the consolations of God It is the will of God you should have peace look up rejoyce and have consolation what I the Saints make a question whether it be not Gods will they should lie under sorrow and when terrors upon themselves and not take comfort of the good word of God when it is Gods minde they should beleive and be cheerful and rejoyce in God and not lie dejected but look up with Spiritual triumph in the Lord. But we cannot be perswaded of this lesson and hence we think we can never afflict our selves enough and rake into our hearts and study how to keep our selves from the consolations of God Take heed of this for this doth not please God that men should thus discourage themselves and be turned out of their right spiritual joy Lam. 3.31 The Lord will not cast off for ever But though he cause grief yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies for he doth not afflict willingly nor greive the children of men To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the most high To subvert a man in his cause the Lord approveth not vers 32.33.34.35.36 All this is brought to this very scope to shew it doth not delight the Lord thou shouldst be oppressed and afflicted but rather rejoyce and take comfort the Lord approves not of thy subverting thy self in thy cause no more then of another subverting three It is against God that we should afflict our selves Let me tell thee It is utterly against God that we should afflict our selves and languish under terrors and affright our selves with the apprehensions of wrath All the reasons make it clear that God would have his people ioyful and chearful Nehemiah 8.10 The joy of the Lord is our strength So that this is against God in divers respects 1. It is against the nature of God which is filled up with Ingredients of goodness it is eight to one Exod. 34.6.7 I will make all my goodness pass before thee saith the Lord And he proclaimed The Lord the Lord God mercifull and gratious long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth keeping mercy for thousands forgiving iniquity trangression and sin and that will by no meanes clear the guilty c. So that this argues that Gods nature in his dispensation towards us is mildness goodness sweetness However equal in himself yet towards us he hath magnified his word above all his Name Psal 138.2 Now his word declareth his attributes especially his attributes of grace 2. It is against his offices look into the order of the three persons and they all flow into this let poor-souls be comforted Here is the Father the fountain set open The sons merit that poor souls debt be paid The Spirits distribution for the supplying comforting of poor
and know that you are the Sons of God and heirs of God and Christ Which Spirit of testimony is gotten by faith in Christ by viewing eying and surveying Christ For because ye are Sons God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts whereby you cry Abba Father Gal. 4.6 Whose office is to attest ye are Christs So that here the office of faith is to look upon Christ and eye Christ that so we may receive the seal For a man must be a beleever else he cannot be a son but being a beleever and so a Son then comes the Spirit and witnesseth the same Object But this witness you speak of now this immeditate testimony may deceive also It may be some false fire cast in by the Devil as well as the other Answ The witness of the Spirit of God as it is the Spirit of God will alwayes clear it self by this That in the witness it gives to a soul it alwayes advanceth God and Christ in the eye of the Soul and it alway ripens and nourisheth sanctifying graces in the soul and makes them go glib like oyl to the wheels It makes our Faith Love Patience Humility Hope Self-denyall Joy c. whereby we walk with God as green and flourishing as flowers in the spring or as corn fields after a sweet shower Note Bastard-illusions of the Devil do alwayes tend to bastardends and do alwayes bring forth bastard-effects such as lift up a man with pride or boulster them up to maintain errour either in Life or Doctrine But this knowledge of a mans self to be Gods reacheth forth to God and acteth his spirituall habits sweetly 2 Cor. 5.1 We know saith Paul that if this earthly house of this Tabernacle were dissolved we have a building of God an house not made with hands eternall in the heavens we know it saith he And what effect had this upon their Spirits Why see vers 9. Wherefore we labour that whether present or absent we may be accepted of him This is far from that opinion that a mans knowing himself to be Gods worketh security no this makes a mans heart obey God as a Son And be sure the Devill in his counterfeit workings and witnessings will never draw the soul to God to aim at him but still to center in himself or to turn aside to errour or sin And this is to fight against himself and overthrow his own Kingdom which he will never do A caveat But now take heed of thinking your selves to be Gods when you are not for there is the danger to conceit your selves to be Gods when you are not Now ye may go long in this by reason of some counterfeit workings by reason of some Convictions or joy or common receiving of Christ ye may take your selves to be Gods when you are not But here you may bewray your selves if you will but search For 1. you may perform duties meerly to maintain your signs for a man may keep a course in a form of godliness to maintain his reputation with himself to maintain his signs that the heart shall not easily tax them to be rotten When a man hath not his end to enjoy walk with God so to be Gods 2. He may bewray himself by his desires after the fruits of the Spirit they may be earnest and if these desires were not in him he could not maintain his signs To desire graces as they are beneficiall to me and not for the service of them that I may come neer to God and seek them for him rather then for my self this is deceitfull I fear the reason why God gives not assurance to many a man that seeks long and earnestly is because a man seeks for himself and not for God Like the Bee that goeth into the field to seek honey to eat but brings it not into the Masters hive A man may be Gods and not discern it Secondly A man may be Gods and not discern it for these are distinct Ephes 1.13 In whom also after that ye beleeved ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise Mark after ye beleeved ye were sealed 1 John 5.13 These things have I written to you that beleeve on the Name of the Son of God that ye may know that ye have eternall life and that ye may beleeve on the name of the Son of God Mark the speech here I have written unto you that do beleeve that ye may beleeve What 's this Why you that beleeve with a faith of Adherence that ye may come to assurance which yet ye want that ye may KNOW that ye have eternall life Gal. 4.6 Because ye are Sons God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts whereby ye cry Abba Father First ye are Sons and afterwards cry Abba Father by the Spirit The being of a man in Christ goeth before his knowing he is so in order of nature for a thing must be before I can know it else I know a lie A Child must be the child of such a man before he knoweth he is so So it is in our spirituall relation Therefore ye cannot conclude ye are none of Gods because you want assurance for the present for ye may be Gods and know it not Object But some may say This is to preach liberty for every man may say so Answ I answer not so For this which is in such a child of God as doth not know it by clear evidence yet it is working and differeth him from all others in the world The seed of God hath a two-fold work in such a one 1. It maketh him an obedient man Isa 50.10 Who is among you that feareth the Lord and obeyeth the voyce of his servants that walketh in darkness and hath no light Mark A child of God though he be in the dark yet he fears the Lord and obeys That though he knows not himself to be Gods yet he would walk with God in every duty though he have chains and fetters oftentimes to hinder him yet in every duty there is a principle and tie of obedience yea and such as is mixt with Love For he seeth God lovely and that draws his affections to him and makes him willing to serve him though he be not sure of him 2. Though such a soul do not discern it self to be Gods yet it is acccompanied with earnest longings and earnest seekings of the manifestation of his face to him So that though he cannot yet make sure his Calling and Election yet he gives all diligence to make it sure as Peter speaks 2 Pet. 1. and that because he would be more usefull to God Herein a true Christian differs from all the idle and neuter professors in the world Why a man may be Gods and not know it Now a man may be Gods and not know it for these causes 1. Because he is in forming and fashioning for God for Gods Spirit that dwelleth in man makes ready the
right hand of my righteousness O but may some say I am a poor worm have nothing that is lovely nor desireable in me an unworthy wretch Why see vers 14. Fear not thou worm Jacob and yee men of Israel I will help thee saith the Lord and thy Redeemer the holy one of Israel And saith Peter 2. Pet. 1.4 There is given to us exceeding great and precious promises that by these you should be partakers of the Divine Nature Now the Divine Nature is not subject to these vexations and troubles Therefore from the frequency of the promises and the end of them we may well conclude God would not have his people lie under discouragments 2. Because he hath given them of his Spirit to cry Abba Father Now if he give them the spirit of adoption it argues clearly he would not have them discouraged Joh. 14.16 I will pray the father saith Christ and he shall give you another comforter that he may abide with you for ever even the spirit c. Rom. 8.16 The spirit witnesseth with our spirits that we are the sons of God Now if he give his spirit to this end to comfort the Saints and witness their adoption then it must needs follow he would not have them discouraged 3. Because he cals for and requires that the ministry of consolation be performed Isa 40.1.2 Comfort ye comfort ye my people saith your God Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem tell her her iniquity is pardoned and her warfare is accomplished See what a strict charge here is to comfort the people of God Yea and God challengeth the false prophets for not performing this ministery but acting contrary to it Ezek. 13.22 Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad whom I not made sad therefore ye shall see no more vanity nor divine divination c. And Cap. 34 16.17.18 When the prophets neglected tending and tendring the sheep see what the Lord saith I will seek that which was lost and bring again that which was driven away and will bind up that which was broken and will strengthen that which was sick but I will destroy the fat and the strong and I will feed them with judgement Now then if God take such care that they may be comforted and undertake for them then he would not have them discouraged 4. Because God the Father hath givtn Commission to Christ to take special care of them that they be not overborn And Christ hath undertaken it A bruised reed shall he not break and smoaking flax will he not quench he will bring forth Judgement into victory Isa 42 3. This is the glory of Christs Kingdom that he shall support the weak and this Christ gives in charge to Peter if he love him to feed his Lambs John 21. And the Apostle gives speciall charge to the Churches to comfort one another 1 Thess 4.18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words And 5.14 I beseech you brethren support the weak comfort the feeble-minded Therefore he would not have them lie under discouragements 2. Reasons why God would not have his people troubled The 2. sort of Reasons are why he would not c. 1. Because he is very pitifull and tender A good body would have no body hurt no not so much as a prick with a pin nor a fillip with the finger a quiet meek spirit is so tender So is God of his people Jam. 5.11 The Lord is very pitifull consider the end the Lord maketh that he is very pitifull he delighteth in mercy Mic. 7. And not in oppressing thy soul Lam. 3.33 He doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men He took it ill that his people should father and fasten their discouragements upon him Isa 40.27 Why sayest thou O Jacob and speakest O Israel my way is hid froâ— the Lord and my judgement is passed over from my God Why dost say so Israel there is no cause at all he is so far from slighting thee that he giveth power to the faint and to them that have no might he increaseth strength therefore he would not have them sink into Anxiety and sadness 2. It appears to be so From the excellency of holy rejoycing and the acceptableness of it to God God delighteth more in this then in all services whatsoever for all other works of the spirit flow into this And therefore he that was to bring his sacrifice Deut. 26.34 among other things which he professed this was one I have not eaten thereof in my mourning Mal. 2.12.13.14 And this have ye done again covering the Altar of the Lord with tears with weeping and with crying out insomuch that he regardeth not the offering any more nor receiveth it with good will at your hands Psal 100.2 Serve the Lord with gladness come before his presence with singing and Psal 2.10 Rejoyce with trembling Phil. 4.4 Rejoyce in the Lord alway and again I say rejoyce Rejoyce evermore c. Now if God be so well pleased with holy rejoycing then he would not have his people lie under sorrows wounding their hearts and breaking of them to pieces under terrors 3. Because discouragements drive from God and are contrary to Communion which God delights in therefore Christ knocketh at the door and calleth for opening Rev. 3. Cant. 5.2 Psal 14.8.9 and saith he would sup with the Soul And his father and he would make their abode there John 14. A man will never go to his judge and executioner one that will cut his throat till he be perswaded of favour Terrours drive Cain into the land of Nod from the presence of God Therefore saith the Lord I drew them with the cords of Love In Gods presence is fulness of Joy therefore the more oppressing sorrow the further from Gods presence Discouragement made Peter cry out Luke 5.3.9.10 Lord depart from me for I am a sinfull man for he was astonished and afraid as appears by Christs incouraging of him 4. Because this deadens the actings of all the works of the spirit in the heart God hath not the glory of his spirit in this way a sad sullen discouraged spirit deadens all 2 Cor. 7.10 The sorrow of the world worketh death It killeth the spirit not the body but death of duty it makes a man he cannot come off with any dexterity of duty death of care clearing of your selves indignation fear vehement desire zeal revenge it deadens these Nay it makes a man utterly unfit for some services of God as spirituall rejoycing This causeth crying not singing and rejoycing and singing is a piece of Gods service Isa 65.14 My servants shall sing for joy of heart Sorrow made Hemah unfit for the service of God 1 Sam. 1.7 And Solomon saith Prov. 12.25 Heaviness in the heart of man makes it stoop but a good word makes it glad The heart is down when it is heavy and not so fit for spirituall services 5. Because by this discouraged troubled frame of
God You that have been so intimate with Christ that have had so much experience of Christ did not I tell you that after three dayes I should rise again have not you formerly had sweet Communion with me strange Why are ye troubled But I take it to be a gentle reproof Again consider whence those thoughts arose from themselvs not from Christ from a principle of their own hearts for it was in their hearts that they rose and from their hearts Christ said peace be unto you but they arose from their own suppositions and mistakes as appeareth from vers 37. They were terrified and affrighted and supposed they had seen a spirit The words shew also the certainty of these beleevers or Disciples trouble of mind by the Ingemination of the Question Why are ye troubled and why do thoughts arise in your hearts he doth not say are ye troubled and do thoughts arise but why is it so Implying a certainty I hope the words are cleared up I come now to the observations Doctrinall observations And first from the Interrogation Why are ye troubled c. Whence observe a truth implicitely infolded in the words that is this That the Saints of God the Disciples of Christ even in Gospel times are subject to trouble of mind distemper of spirit 2. Why are ye troubled and why c. Christ asketh them the reason of it shewing it was not from him Whence observe again That it is not from Christ but principally from a beleever himself and his own heart that he is so much troubled as he is 3. From the ground of their trouble Thoughts or doubtings that arose in their hearts I observe again There is corruption enough in the heart of every beleever if it did but shew it self to trouble him and mightily distemper him Rom. 7. Paul telleth us sin dwelled in him and when he would do good evil was present and the Law in his members rebelled against the Law of his mind and now see how it troubled him vers 24. O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death Many wonder that beleevers should be troubled in Gospel times Why so Are beleevers free from the stirring and moving of corruption and so long as unbelief opposeth faith and the flesh lusteth against the spirit is it any wonder to see them troubled 4. From the Ingemination or doubling of the Question Why and why I note That it behoveth a Christian in trouble of spirit to observe the ground whence it riseth 5. Why are ye troubled Why see vers 37. It was a mistake for they had cause to have rejoyced because they were not acquainted with the manner of Christs appearance at that time they utterly mistake and make contrary constructions of his appearance Whence I note That many times the Saints and people of God are mightily troubled and perplexed in their hearts and spirits when they have cause to rejoyce and be comforted 6. From the generall That Christ reproveth them for it and laboureth to help them against it as appears ver 38.39.40 And he said unto them why are ye troubled and why do thoughts arise in your hearts Behold my hands and my feet that it is I my self handle me and see me for a Spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see me to have And when he had thus spoken he shewed them his hands and his feet I observe again That Christ would not have his people tire themselves and burden themselves with lying under discouraging thoughts to trouble and affright their own hearts with doubtings and discouragements Or thus Christ would not have his people lie under discouragement of heart He reproves it here and helps them against it John 14.1 Saith Christ to his Disciples Let not your heart be troubled there was cause enough a man would think Christ â—elleth them he must suffer and they should all be scattered from him and Peter should deny him that night It was like to be a sad time yet saith he Let not your heart be troubled neither let it be affraid vers 27. So Mar 13.7 Be ye not troubled when you shall hear of this and this So also the Scripture is clear Isa 56.3 Neither let the Son of ihe stranger that hath joyned himself to the Lord speak saying the Lord hath utterly separated me from his people neither let the eunuch say Behold I am a dry tree Let them not say so saith God as if he should say Let them not say so saith God as if I had cast them off or had no mercy for them So in the 42. and 43. Psalmes Why art thou cast down Oh my soul and why art thou disquieted within me See how the Spirit of God guideth him to debate the business why there was such a hurry in his heart Christ would not have his people do so Hebr. 12.5 He would not have them forget that exhortation that speaketh unto them as to children My son despise not thou the correction of the Lord nor faint when thou art rebuked of him I shall a little follow and clear up this point for the incouragement of drouping souls whose hearts languish under terrours Reasons And I shall shew reasons for the confirmation of it and they are of two sorts That he would not have them discouraged 1. Reasons to shew that he would not have them discouraged 2. Why he would not First That he would not 1. It appeareth from the frequency of the promise you can hard ly read any part of the word but you light thick and threefold upon the promises Now if God would have had his people to lie languishing under sorrows and perplexing themselves with thoughts sinking under discouragements he would never have left such store of promises upon record for them as he hath done Consider what a promise there is John 14.18 I will not leave you comfortless I will come to you Methinks this should bear up the heart God will not leave you Orphans for so the word is in a destitute sad helpless condition as usually Orphans are and Isa 51.12 I even I am he that comforteth you who art thou that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die c. Mark I am he and who art thou As if he should say who art thou that thy heart should sink under such promises when not another but I am he that is thy comforter I beseech you poor souls do but consider how God doth inculcate and urge his promises to his people to chear them up Isa 41.9,10 Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth and called thee from the chief men thereof and said unto thee thou art my servant I have chosen thee and not cast thee away here is sweet incouragements But mark now Fear thou not for I am with thee be not dismaid for I am thy God I will strengthen thee yea I will help thee yea I will uphold thee with the
though he do not know it 1. I say The best state or Condition is for a man to be Gods and know it that he is so Though not to know it doth not cut up the mil-post and overthrow all though it may indeed take off the sailes I mean though it may put a man to a stand or make him go heavily yet it doth not prove his condition to be desperate A man is Gods two wayes A man is Gods two wayes By Election and Calling 1. By Election 1. By Election So a man may be a sheep not gathered John 10.16 Other sheep I have which are not of this fold them MVST I bring So that they are not yet brought and yet sheep which Christ must bring Therefore ye cannot make this conclusion that ye are none of Gods by Election 2. By Calling 1. Cor. 1.1 But Secondly A man is Gods by Calling And so he is a Saint For we are Saints by Calling Now the purpose of Gods electing is the calling of a man and the Evidencing of his Calling And therefore our Calling is effectuall and powerfull because it is a calling accotding to Gods purpose Rom. 8.28 And the purpose of God in Election is evidenced to us by Calling the first dawning and evidence of this love of God to us is this calling us to Christ 2 Pet. 1.10 Give diligence to make your Calling and Election sure So that the way of Evidence is from the second to the first Now it is best for a man to know himself Gods both wayes For though this assurance doth nor make a man to be a man in Christ yet it makes him to be a lively man in Christ for he is made a man in Christ simply by beleeving or taking Christ at the hands of God A double witness Now we are evidenced to be Gods both wayes by a double witness that gives evidence The evidence of our Spirit and the evidence of Gods Spirit Rom. 8.16 The Spirit it self beareth witness with our spirit that we are the Sons of God Now this Calling is evidenced two wayes Regeneration 1. By regeneration or being born of God Secondly by Adoption whereby being strangers we are made Sons by our incorporation into Christ For both these see John 1.12.13 As many as received him to them gave he power to become the Sons of God even to those that beleeve on his name Sons of God who are those Those that are born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God Now observe that the Sons of God by faith in Christ are Sons of God by the birth of the Spirit Therefore see whether your faith reach this or no They were born not of blood nor by the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God For prove one and prove the other Adoption Yet know that Regeneration and Adoption are two distinct things The one is the act of God towards us The other is the work of the Spirit in us But the Spirit of sanctification and the Spirit of Adoption are both one but they are two distinct acts The Spirit of Sanctification worketh in us a new life The Spirit of Adoption may rather be called the evidence So that prove one and prove the other Prove that a man breathes and by that you prove he liveth yet there may be a more proper proof as if he feel or see c. So that this is it that I would say That the witness of our spirit may properly be said to attest our Sanctification And the witness of Gods Spirit our Adoption And by both our spirit and Gods Spirit we are witnessed to be the Sons of God How our Spirits witness our new birth But observe that the witness of our spirits that witnesseth our new birth and Sanctification witnesseth it by Water and Blood 1. John 5.6.8 This is he that came by water and Blood even Jesus Christ not by water onely but by water and Blood And it is the Spirit that beareth witness because the spirit is truth And there are three that bear witness on earth the Spirit and water and blood and these three agree in one And it is by vertue of these two that our spirits do attest and witness that we are the Sons of God For blood and water all the Scripture over are said to purge and cleanse as in all the Legal Types yet God giveth to them an office of witnessing Properly they purge But they Witness by their work of purging This BLOOD the blood of Christ purgeth away the guilt of Sin as it bindeth a man over to hell and damnation This Water the Sanctifying Spirit of Christ purgeth away the love of Sin as it hath Dominion †Ezek. 36.25.26.27 Of both these the conscience of a regenerate man comes to be sensible in himself The sense of Blood purging by pacifying of his conscience that he cannot but look upon God with a conscience full of tranquility And the water purging by Sanctifyng him to make him walk with God out of the power of sin Now the witness of a mans spirit witnesseth that he is translated out of the guilt of sin and power of sin and then he is born again Objection But some may object and say This testimony may deceive Answer I answer If you consider the power of this blood and water in a man How wonderfully it removes a man from all inthralling lusts and how it compels him to walk in holiness yea the peace that riseth from blood-purging Sin which moves morally to holy walking and is full of infinite strength for the sence of the pardon of sin And that is an excellent adjunct unto and in Sanctification as can be the graces of Sanctification do determine the Soul to the wayes of God as a strong Byas sheweth which way the Bowl will go Consider that for one how the heart is moved in Gods way And that is by Faith and Love And then if you consider the respect or aim or end the new creature moves to That is In God for God and to God that he may be glorified Rom. 11. ult For of him and through him and to him are all things All things that are of him through him tend to him Consider all these together that they be in you the power of Moving how you are moved By Faith and Love And the end you aim at to glorifie God And it makes a good Testimony and witness that ye are the Sons of God The witness of Gods Spirit Now for the Testimony of Gods Spirit the Spirit of Adoption If we shall speak distinctly of it from our spirits for the spirit and water and blood are distinct though they agree in one 1 John 5.8 Now if you consider them distinct I conceive then the Spirit of God witnesseth by an immediate impression upon the Soul representing to the soul and conscience making you understand
my friend O daughters of Jerusalem See now how this takes upon their Spirits Chap. 6.1 Whether is thy beloved gone O thou fairest among women whither is thy beloved turned aside that we may seek him with thee Mark how his hiding himself from his spouse conduceth to the calling of other poor souls to the seeking after Christ When they see them mourning and grieving and complaining and cannot rest without him thinks the poor soul there is some excellency in him that we see not we will certainly go along to seek him with these poor souls he is worth seeking after And so it sets them a flame after him also The third thought is when the Soul complains it hath none of the Spirit Thirdly The third Thought that riseth in the heart to trouble the soul and perplex it is this I have none of the Spirit of God Now Christ commands John 4. To worship God in the spirit And Gal. 5.16 Walk in the Spirit and ye shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh and Jude 20. Praying in the holy ghost But how should I do this that have not the Spirit feel him not working nor quickening nor comforting me my heart is so dead and loose and weary in duty never carried up to heaven how can I but be troubled When you are carried with a fiery Chariot into heaven then you think you have the spirit But when a man moves in a lower Region he thinks he hath it not I shall speak to this 1. Generally 2. More Particularly Generall observations to this case Generally thus 1. That it is a very good thing to have the Spirit or to miss it As in hearing the word in prayer conference Meditation c. Either to feel a man hath it or to feel he wants it And the worst of these is better then to rest in a duty shaped out of your own Brain consisting in an empty sound of expressions and words For ye must take heed ye do not content your selves with shadowes and phrases without the Spirit For God doth not know the meaning of such duties Rom. 8. 2. Consider the spirit hath a manifold work in the hearts of the children of God Now a man cannot reason from the want of such a fruit of the Spirit as joy or peace c. that therefore he hath not the Spirit Ye cannot reason thus A man doth not Laugh Therefore he doth not Live Weeping is a sign of life as well as laughter So it is in this Case The sense of sin may argue the Spirit of God to be in you as well as the feeling of Joy Zach. 12 10. I will pour upon them the SPIRIT of grace and the Spirit of supplications And they shall look upon me whom they have peirced and shall MOVRN for him as one mourneth for his onely Son And be in BITTERNES c. The Spirit is a Spirit of variety 1 Cor. 12. Giving to one this gift to another that gift to one Humility Poverty of spirit Self deniall Godly sorrow to another Zeal and Courage and Joy c. And so it is oftentimes in the same man sometimes it is tuning his godly sorrow sometimes his joy sometimes his fear c. And this is one ground of the variety of conditions the Saints are in as David sometimes ye find him singing on the uppermost branch of the tree and sometimes hanging his wing in the bottome of the hedg Sometimes calling upon himself to praise the Lord seven times a day Psal 119.164 And sometimes crying out that he was cast out of Gods sight Psal 31.22 So Job sometimes professing though he kill me yet will I trust in him Job 13.15 And sometimes changing his note If I had called and he had answered me yet I would not believe that he had hearkned to my voice Job 9.16 The Church spoken of in the Lamentations Sometimes lamenting my strength and my HOPE is perished from the Lord Lam. 3.18.22 and sometimes again confessing I have HOPE Paul had the spirit as well in his buffetings as in his rejoycings And David when he prayed restore to me the joy of thy salvation as when he felt it Psal 51. The Spirit led Christ to be tempted as well as supported him and brought him back into Galilee Luke 4.1 c. A man may have the spirit in the Fight as well as in the Triumph He hath the spirit that soweth to the spirit in Tears as well as he that reaps in joy Psal 126.5.6 Therefore you may be mistaken in saying you have not the spirit seing it works so variously 3. This spirit may exercise it self in thee in duties one way though it be not felt but another way as in prayer sometimes tuning thy love sometimes thy hatred sometimes thy humility sometimes thy joy Therefore do not wrong the spirit of God and say it is from home because you feel not joy Do not say it is idle for it may be working in another room tuning another grace If a man should alwaies touch one key he should never play various tunes Now our hearts are Gods Harps Rev. 14.2 and 15.2 And therefore if God should not tune them variously there would be no melody And if the spirit be not setting up a candle in thee it may be scouring of a candle-stick I mean If it be not filling thy heart with joy it may be preparing thy heart for joy 4. There may be workings of the spirit in the heart and yet ye may not perceive it is the working of the spirit As in a peice of blunt money that ye can see no mark upon you will say by the bigness it should be such a piece six pence or a nine-pence but I can see nothing upon it So there may be workings of the spirit that are not seen for the present and yet afterward when the spirit worketh another way then thou maist perceive that this was of the spirit Luk. 24. The disciples that went to Emmaus knew not Christ while he was opening the Scriptures to them which was the likeliest time yet they knew him in breaking bread And then they could call to minde the burning of their hearts by the way Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us by the way and opened to us the Scriptures ver 32. just as it is in our businesses in the world many secret providences which a man doth not see to be a providence till after by some other issue he cals it to minde and sees it a providence So God hath his glory at last As Zaccheus climbing up into the figtree what could a man pick out of it till afterward that Christ tells him he must abide at his house then it appeared to be a providence So in the Disciples being so importunate with Christ to stay when he made as if he would have gone further they saw nothing in it for the present but afterward when Christ
not the outward name which is like a charm to charm Serpents But a faithfull opposing of Christ his merit his Love his Faith his Obedience to all that can be said And if all objections that thy heart can make be all true if they be thousands thou needest not be afraid of thy Inditement For the laying of Christ against them in the Ballance will still all As a man having a Declaration against him or an Indictment declared by some Lawyer or cunning Sophister Alas How is this man put to it to make his Answer with shifts and evasions But if he have a Pardon in his bosom he would confess guilty without fear for here is the Broad seal Here is that that puts a man out of doubt So here If conscience object all thy new and old sins that thou hast done from time to time and thou goest any other way to make good thy matter to thy conscience and not to Christ thou shalt be put to shifts with a great deal of fear to make thy answer to thy Conscience But now lay Christ in the ballance do but plead him and there is a full acquittance And if conscience object old and new sins now by faith lay Christ against these and no more If a man be upon a rock the waves that beat against it break themselves but drown not him Because he is upon a rock So when a man goes to Christ and hangs upon him by a pure faith these objections break themselves to pieces upon him A little water it may be may dash in his face but he need not fear drowning For the setling of thy self in such a case as this by faith set thy self before God in the confidence of the love of Christ and of the obedience righteousness and mediatorship of Christ alone set thy self before God in the consideration of Christ only If a subject dares not come before the king to contest with the king concerning his loyalty yet if the pardon be proclaimed then he dares come because of the proclamation So do thou If thou darest not come before God in respect of thy sins yet come because Christ is proclaimed And now you put the case to another issue for now you do not put your selvs upon trial but you put God upon trial whether he be true and faithful or no according to the word of promise which he hath delivered in the Book of God and so in stead of putting thy self upon trial thou puttest God upon trial whether he will keep his word or no. And it is a work of faith for a man to stand before God in the Love which he bears to Christ and in the acceptance wherewith God accepts Christ and in the wel-pleasedness wherewith he is well pleased with Christ I stand not now before God in the way wherewith he is well-pleased with me but in the acceptation which God bears to his son John 17.26 And I have declared to them thy Name and will declare it that the Love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them and I in them that is That thy very Love to me may redound and be efficatious upon them Here 's a matter that puts a man out of quarrels and Objections 3. If so be you see an imperfection and ebbe in your graces then by faith put into Christs hand the managing of your graces for as the custody and keeping of those graces which we have do belong to Christ so doth the welding of them by Christ make them vigorous He can make a little grace a little faith do great things make a mustard-seed cast a Mountain into the Sea Dependance and resolution by faith on Christ is that which makes a man strong when Christ holds the plough then there is no balk made Peter had Faith when he denyed his Master but he had it in his own hands and it faints but not fails Christs prayer and looks did stir it up again Habituall grace is in a man But assisting grace helps a man to act do I can do all things through Christ that strengtheneth me Phil. 4. and 2 Cor 4.1 As we have received mercy we faint not These assistings are called Grace with me 1 Cor. 15.10 And Hebr. 4. ult Grace to help in time of need This is that which bears you up for when habituall grace is without assistings it soon fails as you may see in Adam 4. Look up to Christ alone to bear the iniquity of your holy things for he is our High-Priest that is to bear them To him therefore flie for we are compleat in him Col. 2.10 And if the work of Sanctification in us be imperfect the blood of Christ is absolutely perfect and they are coupled together 1 Pet. 1.2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father through Sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience and Sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ c. So much for the General Now I come to answer the particular objections briefly The first Ground of this fear 1. Thou fearest thy state and questionest thy conversion Because thou hadst not so extraordinary a work at thy first Humiliation not such a breaking by the Law as some others have had But by intermixing fits and a soft way Therefore thou fearest I answer It s good indeed for every man to make proof of his state whether he have Christ or no 2 Cor. 13.5 But yet we must not prescribe God a way in what order and Method he shall bring us in The manner and violence of Humiliation is not essentiall to the bringing a man into the state of grace nor it is no matter whether God open the door with an oiled Key or break it to pieces so he open it For the end of Humiliation is the ingrafting of Christ saving grace into the Soul And it s no matter how the plough go so the corn growing on the Land be as good And no matter for the manner of Humiliation look to the End look to the Issue look to the fruit of it If God have not broken thy heart with the Beetle of Humiliation but thawed it more gently thank God for it God made two Mediators Heb. 12. Moses a typicall Mediator to fear and quake exceedingly and Christ the true Mediator to sweat drops of blood and be in a pittifull agony Luke 22.44 And therefore if God gives thee the sight of sin in the Sweetness of a Father in the sweetness of a Saviour more then in the wrath of a Judge And if thy tears have flown more from sorrow of Love then from sorrow of fear If he have given thee a new birth in gentler pangs it may be as true Onely take heed to one thing that is that the sweetness of Christ in his dealings make Christ as sweet to thee as thy sowre sins would have done it Peradventure if thou hadst had some remarkable note of Humiliation of Soul thou mightst have rested in some such
find the Lord He lookt behind him before him on both hands but to no purpose And so the Church Cant. 3.1 2. By night on my bed I sought him whom my sould loveth I sought him but I found him not c. She 's industrious but finds him alone Causes why God keeps off What should be the reason may some say that the Lord should keep aloof off when a man sets himself so seriously about it I mean to find him 1. Because God would have the creature know that he is free in working He is not tied to come to preparations or qualifications of the creature but to his own preparations The preparations of the heart and the answer of the tougue is from the Lord saith Salomon Prov. 16.1 2. He would let his people know that he will be waited on to come in when he pleases yet the creature must do his duty Seek the Lord and his strength seek his face evermore Psal 105.5 Paul prayed thrice before he had an Answer of grace 2 Cor. 12. 3. Many times the people of God have too much self-ends in their duties and the Lord would have them to see it Zach. 7.5 Did you fast unto me even unto me saith the Lord. And did you not eat for your selves and drink for your selves It may be self-love may drive a man to it to obtain some blessing that he wants rather then to enjoy God himself And God would shew him this errour and take him off from it 4. That they may see their former Slothfulness and Negligence Cant. 5. When Christ had waited and called for admittance and could not have it he withdraws to let his Spouse see how he did distaste her Sloth and Neglect and Excuses 5. That he might be the sweeter to thee when he comes in again and that thou mightest stick the closer to him when thou hast found him again 6. To try thy Faith and Patience and Constancy whether thou wilt persevere in following him and wait upon him as the woman of Canaan did though thou have repulse after repulse and little hopes in reason yet to try if thy faith can conquer reason And that thy faith may be seen with the greater lustre when it is tried For God by delaying and putting off discovers to you the temper of your Spirits whether you will willingly wait the Lords leasure or whether you will fret and fume and wait no longer As we do sometimes by beggers put them off or give them no answer and if they be indeed in great wants and of meek spirits they will lament and weep and be thankful for a little when it comes But your stout sturdy beggers when they are not answered they will fall a reviling and cursing and give high words so that by delaying you may see their spirits So doth the Lord by this means shew you your spirits and temper of heart The ninth ground of fear 9. He complaines he hath hurt the cause of God when God hath brought him upon the stage to have done something for God perhaps to have suffered And so his Soul is wounded and he fears his condition And did not Peter do so Did not he fly off when all had forsaken Christ and break his word and resolution and shamefully deny his Master contrary to his former profession So Moses and Aaron Num. 20.12 Because ye believed me not to sanctify me in the eies of the children of Israel saith God Therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the Land c. These men hurt the cause of God and failed when they should have stuck to it and yet all real converts The 10. ground of fear 10. You cry out you have oftentimes relaps't into the same sins which formerly you have pursued with particular sorrow and grief and prayed and resolved against them and that makes you question the truth of your state This is indeed a sad condition But this doth not prove thy state naught for it hath been the case of the servants of God sometimes Therefore ye have this confession Our backslidings are many so that you see it was oftentimes again and again The Prophet Jonah relapsed into passion and discontent with God He was discontent with the work God set him about therefore he flieth to Tarshish Jonah 1.2.3 And sorrowes for it and confesseth Chap. 2.8 They that trust upon lying vanities forsake their own mercies yet see Chap. 3.1 When God had shewed mercy to Niniveh how discontent he was with the Lord again It displeased Jonah exceedingly and he was very angry And when the Lord that might have confounded him reasons sweetly and mildly with him to take him off from his passion as appears Chap. 3.3.4 and provides for him what he wants yet upon a small occasion again the taking away of a gourd or shrub and the Lord had a gracious end in it too the convincing of him of his folly in being so waspish he breaks out again into the same passion or worse as if he had never seen the evill of i◠or been humbled for it Chap. 4.8.9 I am greatly angry Or I do well to be angry even unto death saith he See how often he relapsed into this sin and Peter denieth Christ not only once but again and again †And perhaps the prodigal sets out unto us a Christian relapst for he was a son before and with his Father and then went away from him and spent all And yet he was not quite undone but returned again And this comes to pass sometimes 1. To let you see your own weaknes that you can do nothing of your selves cannot withstand nor resist nor overcome that ye may be taken off of all false confidences and rest upon God and God alone for help That ye may resist stedfast in the faith 2. For the advancement of the praise and honour of the wisdome skill and goodness of God the Physitian of our souls that can and doth cure when the disease is more dangerous when thou art relaps't and it grows worse and worse as in curing the woman that had the bloody Issue that was worse and worse notwithstanding all the means she used till she came to Christ 3. This advanceth his Mercy the more that he doth not quite forsake thee when thou hast done what thou canst to drive him away as Micha 7.18.19 Who is a God like unto thee that pardons Iniquity that passeth by the trangression of the remnant of his heritage He retains not his anger for ever because he delights in mercy Oh but I have relaps't and driven him away saith the poor soul But mark now ver 19. He will turn again he will have compassion on us he will subdue our Iniquities and thou wilt cast all our sins into the depths of the Sea And the prodigal saw the compassion of his Father the greater in receiving him again after he had run away from him The eleventh ground of fear 11. He hath
grieved the Spirit and neglected Christ for trifles small matters of the world c. And did net Jonah do so For a little credit to run away from God and for a little ease to be so angry as he was were not these trifles And this was Martha's fault to neglect hearing Christ for these outward things being cumbred about businesses And this was Aarons and Miriams sin in murmuring against Moses because of their estimation a poor busines And Aarons sin in making the golden Calf a trifling Idol to grieve the Spirit of God both in himself and others Causes of this And let me tell you there may be other causes of this distemper and not because thou art not truly converted 1. Because security may seiz upon the spirit sometimes desire to be at rest and ease Cant. 5. I have put off my coat how shall I put it on I have washed my feet how shall I defile them Now she neglects Christ and yet his Spouse 2. Because the things of the world are such bewitching alluring things and the Divel is ready to present them to thee in the gloriousest shew as may be as he did to Christ Therefore Christ for the present is neglected 3. For want of a clear and more full manifestation of the Excellency of Jesus Christ As Paul before he had a clear manifestation of Christ he trifled about legall priviledges and duties but afterwards he counts them loss for Christ Phil. 3.7.8 The last ground of fear 12. Thou complainest Thou hast found thy heart apt to take Liberty and to be loose when occasion and opportunity hath suited to thee when thou mightst be secret from the eye of man close in private Therefore thou concludest thy state is not right and thou art troubled This some of the servants of God have found As David when he saw Bathsheba washing her self how loose was his heart on a sudden in inordinate lust after her And saith he Ps 19. Cleanse me from my secret Sins such as never come into the sight of men And because of this I conceive there are such Caveats to shun the very baits and occasions to sin As a man inclined to whoredom and lust see the advertisment Prov. 5.7 c. Hear me now O ye children And depart not from the words of my mouth Remove thy way far from her that is the whorish woman and come not nigh the door of her house Lest thou give thine honour unto others c. and so he goes on to vers 14. To shew the danger of occasions to that sin So Prov. 23. Concerning Drunkenness vers 31. Look not thou upon the wine when it is red when it giveth his colour in the Cup when it moveth it self aright Why Why thou mayst be catcht with it thy heart being loose And saith he At the last it bites like a Serpent and stings like an Adder Our Saviour knew how apt the hearts of his Disciples were to be loose Therefore saith he Take heed lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfetting and drunkenness and the cares of this life And take heed and beware of covetousness And take heed of the leaven of the Pharisees which is hypocrisie And saith Solomon keep thy heart with all diligence Now what need all these Caveats if the hearts of Christians were not apt to run aside and be loose And this comes to passe oftentimes 1. Not for want of Grace because the man hath no grace but for want of watchfulness and diligent observance to give the heart to God and to walk in his wayes Prov. 23.26 33. My Son saith he give me thine heart and let thine eyes observe my wayes And then he shewes if it be otherwise the Danger of whoredom and drunkenness And saith vers 33. Thine eyes shall behold strange women and thine heart shall utter perverse things 2. Because the Devil is a cunning diligent Adversary to lay his baits to deceive at every turn 1 Pet. 5.8 Be sober be vigilant for your Adversary the Devil as a roaring Lyon goes about continually seeking whom he may devour So that now I would have you to remember that Gods thoughts are not your thoughts nor Gods wayes your wayes If God had as low thoughts of poor Christians as they have of themselves many times there were good Reason they should be troubled But saith he As high as the Heavens are above the earth so high are my thoughts above your thoughts and my wayes above your wayes Isa 55. and howsoever you may cry out as Zion Isa 49.14 The Lord hath forsaken me and my Lord hath forgotten me yet consider what the Lord saith I know the thoughts I have towards you thoughts of peace and not of evil The Lord make his poor troubled people know them and then their hearts will settle FINIS In regard I was absent When my former Book was Printed there are many faults escaped in Printing and no notes of correction Printed And for some weighty reasons moving me thereto I desire here to note the chief of them that alter my sence of things which in the Sense they go in I shall not own The Title of the Book is A Way to Sion sought out and found for beleevers to walk in c. PAg. 62. lin 22. for resolved r. relieved p. 97. l. 16. f. all r. of p. 115. l. 34 f. all Christ r. after this p. 120. l. 32. f. glorified r. gloried p. 125. l. 1. after only add Then this ministring must be meant of Deacons only p. 128. l. 17. f. Original r. Organic p. ib. l 35. blot out but only and instead thereof r. And. p. 176. l. 28. f. dead r. weak There are many other faults but being more easily espied by the ingenuous Reader I here let them pass without giving notice of them