his Humanitie wherin the Diuinitie was apparrelled like a Man yea like a Seruant He euen hee hath prouided the food of eternal life to which all temporall blessings are annexed by promise for those who in this Egypt this sinfull land or world of sin doe goe downe to the Vallie of Teares in a full and hearty repentance what remaines but that with a full and whole repentance wee purchase these temporall and eternall blessings that wee may not die but liue 11 This full and consummate Profitable and necessary Associates of Repentance Repentance should be followed with Inuocation or we may rather say it doth follow it For Inuocation and Prayer is indeede the naturall Issue of true Repentance For sinne being put away by Repentance which stood as a Cloude betweene God and the soule and did hide the Face of God from the Eyes of the soule now the light of Gods countenance shineth on the soule and the comfortable beames of his fauour doe refresh her God doth meete the soule with a fauourable aspect from which gathering courage and comfort shee dares speake vnto him and say Psal. 51. 18. A broken and a contrite heart O God thou wilt not despise Doe good in thy good pleasure vnto Sion build thou the walls of Ierusalem When the soule feeles the weight of sinne abated and lightned by Repentance hope of pardon increaseth and from hope increasing ariseth confidence then from this confidence springeth vp prayer Againe when the bodie of sinne is diminished and brought low by Repentance then the new man flourisheth and prospereth The flesh and the spirit are like two seales whereof one being depressed the other mounts vp and now the flesh being put down by Repentance the spirit riseth vp and growes strong and the spirit being strong vttereth strong cries and grones that cannot bee expressed Shee speakes to God in the very language of Heauen which flesh and blood vnderstands not but he knowes the meaning of the spirit who gaue the spirit vnto man There is an Abba Father which no man knowes but he that hath it and he that hath it cannot expresse it it is like the earning of a Lambe whereby she owneth her Damme by which she owneth her but knowes not her selfe whereby by she owneth her There is a secret earning and owning of God for a Father put into the soule of a sonne of God by the Spirit which new-begetteth him and thereby he calls God Father and yet not he but the very feed and spirit of his Father in him And when this call ascends vp vnto God it moueth his bowels of compassion So that if a mother could forget her childe yet God cannot forget his sonne Esay 49. 1◠It is it selfe a forcible motiue to bring down blessings and it makes way for other preuailing petitions and therefore Christ doth set this word of Father as an head on his absolute praier that by it the petitions following may pierce like an arrow and enter into the presence and acceptation of the Almighty Wherefore hauing our hearts sprinkled from an euill Conscience Heb. 10. 22. and our bodies washed with pure water let vs draw neere with a true heart in full assurance of faith Hauing repented let vs aske mercy and forgiuenesse and that remission of punishments which followes the remission of guilt Yea if our hearts bee hard and cannot repent as we desire let vs aske the grace and spirit of Repentance For on the one side it is condemned in the Iewes that they pray not for Repentance in their punishments for sinne So saith holy Daniel Dan. 9. 13. 14. All this euill is come vpon vs yet made wee not our Prayer before the Lord our God that we might turne from our iniquities and vnderstand thy Truth Therfore hath the Lord watched vpon the euill and brought it vpon vs. And on the other side it is said All things that yee shall aske in Praier Mat. 21. 22 beleeuing ye shall receiue Luke 11. 13 Yea God will giue the Holy Ghost to them that aske him Pray then for the Spirit of Compunction and Repentance of him that hath promised to giue it and pray for the Compunction and Repentance when thou hast the spirit making this the burden of thy Psalme Turn vs againe O Lord of Hosts And not onely so but adde hereunto Psal. 80. Cause thy face to shine and wee shall bee saued that is pray for Repentance and hauing repented pray for the fauour of God and the Saluation or Deliuerance which attend it And indeed so inseparable is Deliuerance from Prayer that if God doth promise to send a Deliuerance yet he expects that Prayer should come to fetch it of him God had promised a Deliuerance to the Iewes from the Captiuitie of Babylon after seuenty yeeres Yet he saith Ier. 29. 12. Then shall you call vpon me and shall goe and pray vnto me and I will hearken vnto you And euen vpon this foundation did Daniel Dan. 9. 2. build his excellent prayer vnto God for his Nation Wherefore let vs take Gods owne way which he points vnto vs to come to his owne Blessings A way so often beaten and tried to leade assuredly to blessings and euen to the blessing of Deliuerance from the punishments of sinne that the storie of the Iudges is full of continuall patternes Neh. 9. 27. 28. These Nehemiah summeth vp When they cried to thee thou heardest them from Heauen and according to thy manifold mercies thou gauest them Sauiours who saued them out of the hand of their Enemies Yea he saith again When they returned and cried vnto thee thou heardest them from Heauen and many times didst thou deliuer them according to thy Mercies Wherefore since crying to God is the way to deliuerance let vs neuer leaue going in this way vntill we come to Deliuerance 12 But let vs know withall To preuaile with God our petitions must aime to Gods glorie Psal. 50. 15 that he which said Call vpon me in the day of trouble and I will deliuer you 〈◊〉 this also And 〈…〉 glorifie me To glorifie 〈…〉 God must 〈…〉 intended by vs when we seeke a Deliuerance and performed by vs when wee haue it Yea hauing receiued some deliuerances already let vs bee thankefull for them and that is the way to get more For when God hath the fruite of his Mercies he will not spare to sow much where he reapes much First we must intend the Glorie of God in the Praiers which wee make for Deliuerance from troubles or any other blessing Yea by this very point of Gods glory let vs binde and adiure him For that is a principall meanes by which to preuaile with God to make Gods glory the scope of our prayers Therefore our Sauiour who is the wisdome of God makes the first petition of his perfect prayer That Gods Name may bee hallowed For hee knew that if in the first and chiefest place we
with a light diuine and supernaturall they glorifie the Father in Heauen Mat. 5. 16. which is the chiefe and first worker of them But against this glory and against the power by which this glory is attained and against the kingdome which standeth in this power and against the spirit which sets vp this kingdome in the hearts of the Saints doth the euill spirit make warre and as by all other mischieuous meanes so by this malicious word of Puritanisme And no wonder Ambr. in 2 Cor. 13. 14. for it is this spirit of Christ that is the maine destroyer of the kingdome of the euill spirit and therefore against him is his greatest malice and most fierce opposition Hee cares not though there bee thousands in a Nation that abstaine from some particular vices or doe some carnall workes of ciuill Righteousnesse for his kingdome yet may stand and these together But if the Spirit of God come once to set vp a kingdome of grace in mens hearts this kingdome is set vp with power and this powerfull kingdome of the spirit hee cannot endure because he knows that by it the lesser power of his kingdome must needs goe to wracke And then he bestirs himselfe and all his policies to quench the smoaking flaxe of this powerfull Grace which yet shall neuer bee quenched vntill it come vnto victorie * It is not the meaning of the Author to encourage any enthusiast or hypocriticall fanaticke spirits who incur the censure of this name and from whom carnall men take occasion to reuile reproch the saints of God See his Medit 73. 7. 18 But to come to some Remedies Let the Diuell and his Instruments know Remedies against this roote of wickednesse that in this as in many other things Malice doth out-run their wit and so is not led by it but leads it For if the Diuell could get this spirit of Grace to forsake the earth the fire would soone consume and end it Iud. 6. 7. And when the Elements are melted and consumed with that fire there comes presently another fire vnto which the Deuill is reserued in euerlasting chaines vnder darknesse And if the wicked ones his instruments could roote out of a Nation those who are truly spirituall surely they driue thence the very Chariots and Horse-men thereof and they were then fit for nothing but for an vtter destruction It is no other piece of policie than if the Sodomites should make hast to turne out Lot and his Familie that Fire and Brimstone may make haste to destroy them Secondly let them know that they know not that wherof they affirme they censure that which they doe not vnderstand For there may bee a holinesse which themselues know not there may bee a holy Ghost though they see or feele him not and that holy Ghost may reueale that truth giue that power and heate of Holinesse and Deuotion which flesh and blood doth not reueale and giue vnto them And if there may bee such things what folly is this to speake of that which they know not yea what madnesse to condemne it being vnknowne Sure I am they doe not know that there are no such things and therefore they doe not know that they doe wisely in censuring such things which may bee for ought they know and if they be they are certainly excellent and most vnworthy of contempt Wherefore let men take heed that they cast not vpon themselues the title of folly or madnesse when they call a Saint a Puritane Thirdly they giue men occasion to call them Brownists I meane those that thinke them to be of any Religion For these men that thus cast contempt vpon purenesse and holinesse cast contempt on the Liturgy and prayers of our Church For there wee finde these excellent and godly Petitions That our liues hereafter may bee pure and holy Yea for the King himselfe That God-will preserue him in holinese and purenesse of life Now to reuile this which the prayers of our Church pray for is to reuile the prayers of our Church and I thinke hee that doth it hath a fauour if hee bee taken for a Brownist Fourthly to destroy and batter this grace of the Spirit is the only way to leaue no good works among vs and so to bring the very name of Reformed religion into infamy For the workes which were brought forth by the errors and motiues of the flesh in the darknesse of Poperie we haue sought to remoue And now striuing to set a new roote and principle of good workes euen Grace the true roote and fountaine of them this the Diuell by these words of malice and contempt doth seeke to roote vp and destroy So that this is the way to leaue no roote at all of good workes But farre better were it to cherish the true and kindely roote of them that so good trees may plentifully bring forth the fruite of good Works Yea it were to be wished that it might be so watered that it bring forth those great good workes of buying-in Church liuings and building of Churches For the first many hungrie soules doe cry complaining with the Eunuch Act. 8 31. How can I vnderstand except some man guide mee And some that complaine not are in worse case than the other for they lie speechlesse and more than halfe-dead not feeling their owne misery the Leuites passing by them and leauing them in it And indeed there is little outward encouragement to drawe them in or at least to perswade their abiding where there is scarce a little chamber with a bed 2 King 4. a table a stoole a candlestick to receiue them being come And this while the people perish for want of knowledge and being without a teaching Priest 2 Chron. 15. 3. they are not farre from being without God as it seemes by the Prophet For the second I acknowledge that the true religion hath both built and repaired Churches Neither is this chiefe Citie without examples But yet it were good the roote of this fruite were somewhat more watered For if these fruites did abound a Church would not stand open to the raine so long after a fire and perchance those stones would bee put into their right places which now by many no doubt are turned into stones of stumbling and offence For euen to remoue an offence did Christ cause Peter to cast in an Angle and to fetch money from a fish And surely if some would but cast an Angle into their superfluities they might take vp such a piece of money as would saue such an offence If it were to satisfie or serue the flesh and for outward glory we see how easily great summes are expended and huge buildings are raised And I thinke scarce any age of our Ancestors hath equalled ours But when wee doe so much for our selues and so easily so little and so hardly for God doth not this shew that the roote of prophanenesse and contempt of God is too much watered
and the root of Grace too much starued and pined But let vs feare this building of our owne houses with the contempt of God and his houses for hee hath blasted it with a Iudgement and his owne mouth hath told it vs. Haggai 1. Then came the word of the Lord by Haggai the Prophet saying Is it time for you O yee to dwell in your sieled houses and this house lye waste Now therefore saith the Lord of Hostes Consider your wayes And againe Consider your wayes You looked for much and loe it came to little and when you brought it home I did blow vpon it why saith the Lord of Hostes Because of mine house that is waste and yee runne euery man to his owne house Wherefore that the Church spiritual which is the house of God and the Church materiall which is the house of the hosue of God may bee edified and built vp yea that all good fruites euen all good works may prosper and increase let not the roote of prophanenesse starue and keepe downe the roote of holinesse for hee that thus wageth warre against good workes by killing the roote of them puts away from himselfe the name of a Christian and puts on the title of a Libertine Fourthly it is a thing most fearfull and followed with infinite misery For they that fight against the grace of the spirit fight against the spirit whose grace it is So when the Prophets were resisted by the Iews in whom Gods spirit instructed and spake S. Steuen saith Nehem. 9. 20. 30. Act. 7. Yee doe alwayes resist the holy Ghost And S. Peter most plainely The spirit of glory 1 Pet. 4. 14. and of God resteth vpon you which on their part is euill spoken of but on your part hee is glorified Behold a fearfull thing with which Gamaliel affrighted the hard-hearted and stiff-necked Iewes Act. 5. 39. Lest yee bee found to fight against God For when the pot will fight with the Potter wee know it can expect no end but breaking in pieces Psal. 2. 9. Thou shalt breake them with a rod of Iron thou shalt dash them in pieces like a Potters vessell Wherefore kisse the sonne lest he be angry and yee perish from the way Kisse the spirit of the Son by which spirit hee kisseth the soules of those that loue him and are loued of him This is the way to eternall happinesse and saluation But if in stead of kissing you kicke against his Spirit bee yee sure yee shall perish from the way of saluation For holinesse is the way to happinesse and if we resist the spirit by which men are sanctified yee put from you the Author of that holines by which we walke to happinesse It is a prayer of our Church That our life may be pure and holy so that at the last wee may come to Gods eternall ioy Wherefore if purenesse and holinesse bee the way to eternall ioy why dost thou hate stop vp the way that leades to eternall ioy Surely if thou stop vp this way to thy selfe and others there remaines no other way for thee but that broad way which leadeth to eternall destruction Behold the end of Gods enemies wherefore feare yee also Lest yee bee found fighters against God and remember that when you call Saints Puritanes you are Gods enemies and the titles which follow that are children of wrath and sons of perdition But though it be a righteous thing with God to recompence tribulation to them that trouble you 2 Thess. 1. 6. 7. yet to you that are troubled rest shall be with the rest of the Saints when the Lord Iesus shall bee reuealed from heauen And in the meane time follow the example of the same Lord Iesus pitty their ignorance and out of that pitty pray for them Luk. 23. 34. Father forgiue them for they know not what they doe If a man distracted doe raile on thee thou art more sorry for him than for thy selfe Doe the like in a case not vnlike Doe according to thy owne knowledge and not according to his ignorance Secondly know the Diuells aime in it and then thou art safe His aime is to take thy holinesse from thee and to quench the spirit or some fruites of the spirit Be thou most carefull to keepe what hee is most carefull to take away for be thou sure that is a most precious Iewell which thy greatest enemie seekes most to take from thee Thy enemie plainely tells thee the worth of it by his endeauours to steale it Wherefore let his malice be a very motiue to keepe that purenesse holinesse which his malice setteth at so high a price Thirdly vnderstand the diuells language thou maist be very well pleased for in the Diuels language a saint is a Puritane Wherfore know that when for so me good worke hee calls thee Puritane vnderstand that in his language he calleth thee Saint See More Medit. wherfore let this turn to thee for a testimoniall that euen thy enemies being Iudges thou art such a one as is truely honourable here in earth shall eternally be honoured hereafter in heauen Matt. 5. 1. For blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God As for other sins wherewith this Land is pressed downe I wish they were so inuisible that men should need to looke into bookes to finde them It may not be doubted but where such a bitter roote of prophanenesse and irreligion preuaileth so strongly the cursed fruites of it are too plentifull But men bend not their mindes to that counsell of God Hag. 1. Consider your wayes Yea the tree of knowledge of good and euill hath so infected mens iudgements with a carnall wisdome that they looke only for good and euill in outward and carnall things If those things goe well all is well And euen for this very cause doth God punish vs in outward things that by the euills which we regard wee may be brought to take notice of the euills which we regard not For though the carnall man doe not see sinne to bee euill but only thinkes that to bee euill which hee feeles yet that euill which he sees not is the cause of the euill which hee feels For there is an euill way of sinne which drawes on the euills of iudgement Ionah 3. 10 and as they come together so they goe together For when man turnes from the euill way by repentance God turnes from the euill which he said he would doe and doth it not But of these euills of sinne I haue often spoken and brought them before mens eyes but I pray God to annoint our eyes with that eye-salue of his spirit by which spirituall things are seene and discerned that rightly seeing our sinnes and rightly iudging them wee may escape the iudgements of God All should aduance this repentance And first be Magitrate 19. From the sinnes to be repented of we passe to the persons that ought to be principall Agents
penalty yea they binde it farther with an oath Neither was this oath taken with a grudging and repining heart such as too many of our hearts be that are affraid to bee too farre engaged in the seruice of God though it be to our owne preseruation but knowing that God loueth a cheerefull giuer They sware vnto the Lord with a loude voice and with shouting and with Trumpets and with Cornets And when they had sworne they were not sorry they had done a good deed which kinde of repentance to bee repented of is too common among vs But Israel yea all Israel reioyced at the oath and behold the reason For they had sworne with all their heart and sought him with their whole desire And now behold the happy successe God was found of them and he gaue them rest round about Behold here a path that leades to rest And the men are named that haue already trauailed in this path and by it came vnto rest 1 Cor. 10. 11. And wherfore doth the Scripture so punctually trace out this path but that ages to come might learne by this example in the same path to come to the same rest The same seeking the Lord with the whole heart and binding it with a Couenant and binding the Couenant with an Oath or solemne Vow are things which may bee done and being done they are followed with rest What remaines to bee said but that rest stands before vs and the way to rest is also open to vs and the Spirit encourageth vs by these examples and saith This is the way walke in it and ye shall finde rest to your soules If it seem heauy to vs it is because we doe not seeke God with all our heart and our whole desire for wee see that they who seeke the Lord with their whole heart and desire reioyce at the Couenant yea at an oath vpon the Couenant at a Bond vpon a Bond. For they thinke that all Bonds are little enough to binde the heart to him whom all the heart doth seeke and desire If a woman doe affect a man with all her heart to make him her Husband surely she will account it a very ioy full thing to bee bound to him by a solemne Matrimoniall vow For it is nothing else but to binde the heart to him aboue all whom the heart doth affect aboue all It is a pleasure to bee bound to that which wee loue Wherefore if we loue God we will take a pleasure to be bound to him yea wee will not only cry with the Spouse Draw me but binde mee to thee Cant. 1. 4. with cords of loue and I will runne after thee Neither is it any new thing to binde our hearts to God by a Couenant for it is but a repeating of the same Couenant which wee made in our Baptisme And it bindeth vs already if wee doe not renouce our Baptisme and so our Christianity Yea the same Couenant wee renew and repeate in the Lords Supper For the whole work of Grace working in the Church Militant is comprehended and bound vp in a Couenant which wee reade to bee thus summed vp in the Scripture God forgiueth our sinnes Ier. 31. 31 and writeth his Lawes in our hearts by his Spirite and so hee becomes our God to direct protect and blesse vs and we become his people to serue loue and obey him This Couenant wee enter into in Baptisme Heb. 8. 10. vndertaking then to bee led by the Spirit of Regeneration and not by the Flesh the World and the Diuell Now the Lords Supper is a seconding of this Couenant Therefore saith our Sauiour Luk. 22. 20 This Cup is the New Testament or Couenant for so the words are enterchanged Heb. 8. 8. 9. 20. 12. 24. in my bloud And indeede because by the frailtie of the flesh whose reliques remaine after Regeneration though the Reigne be abolished wee often goe aside from the Rule of the Spirit wee goe aside I say as a ship goes aside and fals off from the rule of the Needle or Compasse though the Compasse be not cast ouer-boord neither fall out of the ship therfore this Sacrament is appointed to bring vs againe into the path of the New Couenant the guilt of those frailties and errours being washed away by the bloud of Christ and the spot by the spirit of Christ. Which spirit of Christ also refresheth and reuiueth the Law of God written in our hearts and strengthens vs to a more perfect walking and abiding in this Law So the Iudgements of God doe but call vs to the same Couenant to which the Sacraments binde vs but indeede they call vs to a more reall performance of that Couenant which hauing vndertaken in the Sacraments yet we haue failed to performe For this Cause saith St. Paul many are weake and sickly among you 1. Cor. 11. 10. many sleepe And the Lord by his Prophet Ier. 11. 8. Therefore I will bring vpon them all the words of this Couenant which I commanded them to doe and they did it not And if hee That despised Moses Law died without mercy Heb. 10. 28. of how much sorer punishment suppose yee shall he be thought worthy who hath troden vnder foote the Sonne of God and hath counted the blood of the Couenant wherewith hee was sanctified an vnholy thing And thus while iudgements come vpon vs for the breath and contempt of our Couenant with God the same iudgements call vs to a Cure by the contrary that is by renewing our Couenant againe and stedfast keeping it 1. Cor. 11. 31 For if we would thus iudge our selues wee should not bee iudged of the Lord. Behold here is life and death set before vs and there are examples of both The breach of the Couenant is iudged and auenged with destruction An example of that breach and iudgement are Iudah Ierusalem who besides their many breaches after many renewings brake one euen a little before their Baby lonish Ier. 34. 10. 11. 17. 18. Captiuitie The making of a Couenant with the whole Heart is followed with Rest and Prosperitie and an example of that is Asa with all Iudah and Beniamin What shall I say Choose life that ye may liue Euery ones heart I thinke should say so to it selfe And the speech of another should be preuented or stopped as Elisha put to silence the children of the Prophets I knew it Gen. 12. 1. hold you your peace But then I say as Iacob to his sonnes Why doe yee looke one vpon another I haue heard there is Corne in Egypt get yee downe thither and buy for vs from thence that wee may liue and not dye Why stand yee still gazing on Gods chastisements which yee see vpon your selues and others and doe not goe about to cure them Our Ioseph euen Iesus that deliuers vs from the wrath to come whose coate was dipped in his own blood Phil. 2. 6. 7. 8. euen the coate of