salvation As are the sinews of all Religion As most concern our selves and families That concern righteousnesse and mercy That concern the avoiding of greater sins We should do all affectionately in or to observe Sol. I humbly conceive that our special care should be First Of those which do principally and immediately respect Gods Glory Summa ratio in summo fine Secondly Of those which do most absolutely and necessarily respect our own salvation as Regeneration Repentance Holiness Faith Thirdly Of those which are the bond and sinews of all Religion upholding it in the power and practice of it as the sanctifying of the Sabbath Fourthly Of those which do most concern our selves and such as are under our charge as family-duties Fifthly Of those which do require and enjoyn righteousness and mercy unto others and preserve publick society Sixthly Of those which do concern the greater sins which should be most carefully avoided Fourthly we should walk in Gods statutes and keep and do them affectionately we should affect the acts of obedience and be affected in them Suppose that a man did walk up to every statute of God yet if this were not done affectionately all were nothing Now there are four affections with which we should perform every service or duty that we do unto God 1. Love and delight 2ly Joy 3ly Fear 4ly Zeal First With Love and Delight We must love the Lord and his statutes and the With love and delight duties which he requires from us and take delight in obeying and doing his will Psal 119. 97. O how I love thy Law Ver. 167. My soul hath kept thy testimonies and I love them exceedingly Psal 40 8. I delight to do thy will O my God yea thy Law is within my heart Secondly With joy and alacrity Psal 119. I have rejoyced in the way of With joy and alacrity thy testimonies as much as in all riches Psal 100. 2. Serve the Lord with gladness Our walking in Gods statutes should be our meat and drink we should find more satisfaction and soul contentment and refreshing when we are doing the will of God and are enjoying communion with him than we do find or take in any earthly enjoyment whatsoever Thirdly With fear Serve the Lord with fear Psal 2. 11. when ye are a performing With fear any duty to God ye must do it with a 1. Reverential fear Thou shalt fear this glorious and fearful Name the Lord A reverential fear thy God Deut. 28. 58. God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the Saints and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him Psal 89. 7. Pray and hear with fear and trembling 2. Humble fear of our own sufficiency and of our own performance left Humble fear any thing should fall in with our duties by which God may be offended and our service of him may miscarry c. Fourthly With zeal or fervor of spirit The people of God must be zealous With zeal of good works and zealous in good works fervent in spirit serving the Lord Rom. 12. 11. It was said of Jehoshaphat that his heart was lifted up in the wayes of the Lord 2 Chron. 17. 6. And of Josiah that he made a Covenant before the Lord to walk after the Lord and to keep his Commandements and his testimonies and his statutes with all his heart and with all his soul c. 2 Chron. 34. 31. See also 2 King 23. 25. Wrestling and striving in Prayer attend earnestly in hearing We must not walk in Gods statutes with careless sloathful indifferent spirits but with heightned and lively and enlarged spirits doing his will with all our might and strength bringing out all the might and power that we have in his service stir up our graces and our hearts Fifthly We should walk in Gods statutes uprightly and sincerely Gen. 17. 1. Walk before me and be thou upright And 1 Kin. 3. 6. David my Father walked Walk in them uprightly before thee in truth and in righteousness and in uprightness of heart with thee Isa 38. 3. Remember now O Lord I beseech thee how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart c. 2 Cor. 1. 12. Our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity we have had our conversation in the world Quest But here now is the great Question how one may know that he walks Signs of sincerity uprightly in Gods statutes Sol. There are 〈◊〉 discoveries of this First The prevalent motive which alone sufficeth to his obedience and that If we obey because God commands is the will or command of God if a man be upright and walk with an unright heart then he will and doth act and move upon the sole account of Gods command that alone is reason enough and will prevail with him for obedience There are several Motives which induce men to do good works some do respect our selves and are drawn from a respect to our credit and profit as do such a work and perform such a duty and you shall have honour amongst men by it and you shall gain much by it these considerations are the prevailing Motives which men of unsound hearts to some things which God requires as it was with Jehu c. And some are drawn from God himself only from his Commandement and this is sufficient and this prevails with men of upright heart Psal 119. 4. Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts dilgently Ver. 5. O that my wayes were directed to keep thy statutes Mark how his heart is drawn out to obedience upon the meer command of God Thou hast commanded us c. Isa 2. 3. He will teach us of his wayes and we will walk in his paths Mark there is no more considered to move to walk in his paths than this he will teach us of his wayes i. e. he will make us to know that this or that is his will and command concerning us Paul relates that it was the earnest prayer of Epaphras for the Colossians that they might stand perfect and be filled with all the will of God Col. 4. 12. It is not Compleri but Repleri 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Some look upon that word as Metaphorical to be filled with the will of God as the sails of a ship are filled with wind which is enough to carry the ship in voyage so it is enough when the will of God fills our hearts and that carries them out to duty and David hath a singular expression in Psal 119. 6. When I have respect unto all thy Commandements you know that to have a respect unto a thing is this when that of all other swayes most with us as when a Master commands a servant he will do such a business because he respects him and at his command he will go and come though he will not at the command of any other this was Davids
people and I will be your God Isa 56. 7. Even them especially of those that take hold of Gods Covenant ver 6. will I bring to my holy Mountain and will make them joyful in my house of prayer Isa 30. 19. He will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry when he shall hear it he will answer thee Psal 35. 3. Say unto my soul I am thy salvation O what earnest wrestling prayer came from David before he could hear that voice of joy and gladness in Psal 51. And this is so experimented a truth that usually the sweetest assurances do attend our deepest tears and our highest prayers If therefore the assurance which you finde concerning the pardon of your sins be the perswasion given to you by the Spirit of God it doth alway follow mournfulness of heart for sin and an holy change of heart and faith in Christ and on the promises of Christ and earnest prayer if it be before or without any of these it is not the assurance of the Spirit of God but a delusion of our own spirits Secondly You may know that your assurance is the right assurance of the Spirit by those present appearing qualities which do always accompany the assurance By some presently accompanying works which comes indeed from the Spirit I will mention three of them First If it be the very assurance from the Spirit of God that your sins in particular Lâ—ve to God are forgiven this will immediatly kindle such a flame of love to God as you never found the like in all your lives We love him saith John because he loved us first 1 Joh. 4. 19. O Sirs when the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost Rom. 5 5. Simile and so it is when he assures us that God for his great love and rich mercy hath forgiven us never was the heart of tender wife more knit to her husband than the heart of the assured sinner is to his forgiving God never did Jonathan delight more in David than this poor soul doth in his God why he loves him so sensibly so enlargedly that he meditates and meditates that he admires and admires and cries out Who is a God like unto thee O I love thee for this love for this mercy of mercies Mary had many sins forgiven her and Christ assured her of it therefore she loved much Luke 7. 47. Secondly If it be the very assurance of the Spirit of God that your sins are forgiven Softness of heart this will immediatly soften and melt your heart into such pure springs of tears that hardly you ever found the like for kind or degree There are tears which a man sheds before assurance for his sins and they are acceptable to God nevertheless they are something brakish and mixt with some trouble and distress but the tears of sorrow for sinning against God assuring us that he hath pardoned our sins they are so without all legality if I may phrase it so they flow from the soul so freely so tenderly so feelingly so abundantly I think that a man never wept more bitterly nor ever condemned himself more freely nor ever was more ashamed of himself and sinnings than at that time when God gave him his full discharge and pardon under the seal and witness of his own Spirit Ezek. 16. 61 63. Ashamed and confounded when God was pacified towards them The Prophet expresseth the quality and the quantity of their mourning in Zach. 12. 10. Object I but it should rather produce joy Sol. So it doth at the same time which is strange the greatest joy and the deepest sorrow Thirdly If it be the very assurance from the Spirit of God the heart thereupon Humbleness of heart becomes so humble and so lowly and so nothing the nearer that God draws to his people the more humble they are for when Gods Spirit assures us he doth cause us to see our own unworthiness and the exceeding riches of Gods grace Mark the men most eminent for assurance in Scripture of all men they were the most humble and lowly There are three men most high in assurance First Abraham was so He was strong in faith and he was fully perswaded and he was a most humble man Rom. 4. 20 21. Behold I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord who am but dust and ashes Gen. 18. 27. Secondly David also was so Thou art my God Thou hast forgiven my iniquities and he also was a most humble man Who am I O Lord God! and what is my fathers house 2 Sam. 7. 18. Thirdly And Paul was so Who loved me and gave himself for me Gal. 2. 20. yet this man was a very humble and lowly man The least of the Apostles 1 Cor. 15. 9. Less than the least of all Saints Eph. 3. 8. and not meet to be called an Apostle O Christian you who talk how much and how long you have been assured where is this high love where is this deep sorrow where is this humble lowliness did your assurance ever produce these in you if not assuredly you have mock't your souls all this while with vain delusions Thirdly You may know that your assurance is right and comes from the very By the effects flowing from assurance Spirit of God by these singular fruits and effects which consequently do flow from your assurance I will mention six of them 1. Quietation of heart 2. More care to walk in all well-pleasing before the Lord. 3. More regard unto and delight in the Word 4. More zeal 5. More fear 6. More height of heart First One effect which flows from a right assurance that our sins are forgiven is a Quietation of heart present quietation of heart all storms cease upon one word spoken from the Spirit There were many doubts and many fears and many disputes and many reasonings and many sad thoughts and restless motions in the soul but when assurance of forgiveness is given in by the Spirit of God to our spirits all these do cease and there ensues a gracious calme in the conscience even an excusing delightful and joyful rest When God lifted up the light of his countenance upon David he lay down in peace Psal 4. 6 8. Now this quietation differs much from that Stupidity in a man deluded with a false assurance for First This stupidity is not the quieting of a troubled soul but so is this Secondly Their quietness is the effect rather of ignorance because they do not know their miserable condition than of assurance that they do certainly know their pardoned condition Thirdly Their quietness is from a seared conscience but not from an assured and pacified conscience Fourthly It is a passive silence but in this conscience doth witness and the heart rejoyceth Well then spiritual and joyful rest or quietation is the proper fruit of true assurance and verily it cannot but be so for assurance in the very nature of it
1. Because he works where and on whom and when and how he himself pleaseth he blowes where he lists Joh. 3. 8. 2. And he is a â—ree Spirit in as much as all spiritual freedom and liberty is received of us from him hence the Apostle 2 Cor. 3. 17. where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty 4. The good Spirit by Spirit is good â—sa 143 10 Thou gavest them of thy good Spirit The good Spirit Neh. 9. 20. The Spirit is essentially good and counsels good he is indeed a good Spirit unto us All the good thoughts in us and all the good desires in us and all the good we have or shall receive from God in Christ is handed to us by this good Spirit yea and all the sweet sights of God himself that ever we enjoyed and all the tasts that ever we have had of Jesus Christ and all the joyes and contentments in our souls we are beholding unto this good Spirit for every one of them though in some respect you are not beholding unto the Spirit for dying and suffering and satisfying and reconciling and purchasing for you yet this I may safely affirme that for all the enjoyments of all the sweet comforts depending on the sufferings of Christ you are singularly beholding to the good spirit for them you never could have partaked of Christ nor of any one good purchased by Christ had it not been for this good Spirit 5. The powerfull or mighty Spirit The Spirit of the Lord is called the Spirit of The powerful Spirit might Isa 11. 2. The power of the holy Ghost Rom. 15. 13. the power of the Spirit of God verse 19. the power of the Highest Luke 1. 35. It was the power of this Spirit which did convince you of your sins and which did break your heard harts and did rescue and deliver you from the power of darknesse which doth subdue your iniquities and pull down your strong bolds It was and is this powerfull Spirit by whom the Ministrations or Ordinances of the Gospel have been and still are of power with you The Word is called the sword of the Spirit Ephes 6. 17. The Ministrations of them selves are weak it is the concomitant presence of the Spirit which makes them powerful and lively for your conversion comfort and salvation you had laine in the same condition and darknesse and bondage and death with other men had not the powerful and mighty Spirit of God put forth the greatnesse of his own strength to the alteration of your hearts by his own grace 2. The Spirit is yours in respect of his gifts and fruits You read in 1 Cor. 12. The Spirit is ours in respect of his gifts or fruits 14. of diversities of gifts of the Spirit for edification or to profit withall ver 7. and you read of the first fruits of the Spirit Rom. 8. 23. and of the fruits of the Spirit Gal. 5. 22. The Spirit of God as to these gifts and fruits is called the Spirit of grace Zach. 12. 10. and the Spirit of wisdome Isa 11. 2. and the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord and the Spirit of faith 2 Cor. 4. 13. and the Spirit of love 2 Tim. 1. 7. and the Spirit of supplication Zach. 12 10. the fruit of the Spirit saith the Apostle in Gal. 5. 22. is love joy peace long-suffering gentlenesse goodnesse faith and ver 23. meeknesse temperance There are six things which I would briefly observe concerning the graces or fruits Six things concerning the graces of the Spirit They are the beauties of a Christian They are necessary to salvation of the Spirit 1. They are the Beauties Glories Ornaments Chains Pearls Jewels of a Christian you have no excellencies till you partake of them but are dead loathsome polluted and vile These are the very image of God 2. They are necessary unto salvation No man can be saved without them They are the way to the kingdom though they be not the cause of reigning in the kingdom without holinesse no man shall see the Lord Heb. 12. 14. 3. They are pledges of salvation therefore called the first fruits which were They are pledges of salvation the beginnings and the pledges of the full harvest and also the earnest of the Spirit which he leaves with us to assure us of that glorious happinesse which we are to receive shortly in fulnesse 4. They are given to none but unto such as shall be saved There are the common gifts of the Spirit which are for the edification of others These they may have They are given to none but such as shall be saved who shall perish like those who helped to build the Ark and yet were drowned But there are the special gifts of the Spirit which are for Renovation of the soule and for the preparation of it for glory These are given to none but unto such who are elected unto salvation As many as were ordained to eternal life believed Act. 13. 48. Matth. 11. 25. Hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them to babes 5. Every gift or grace which accompanies salvation is by the Spirit given Every grace accompanying salvation is given to every child of God to every child of God to every one who hath God to be his God in Covenant every one of them hath every saving grace of the Spirit 1. The spirit of grace I will poure upon the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace Zach. 12. 10. 2. The Spirit of knowledge They shall all know me from the least of them unto the greatest of them Jer. 31. 34. 3. The Spirit of wiâ—dâ—me The Father of our Lord Jesus Christ give unto you the Spirit of wisdome Eph. 1. 17. 4. The Spirit of faith We have the same Spirit of faith 2 Cor. 4. 13. You are all the children oâ— God by faith in Christ Jesus Gal. 3. 26. To them that have obtained like precious faith with us 2 Pet. 1. 1. 5. The Spirit of love 2 Tim. 1. 7. Ye your selvâ—s arâ— taught of God to love one another 1 Thes 4. 9. What should I speak of godly sorrow repentance humblenesse meeknesse patience c. whatsoever gift is necessary to our salvation the Spirit doth certainly work in every one of the people of God although not in the same measure proportion and height yet to the same truth and for the same efficacy unto their salvation Every child of God hath the same Spirit of grace and faith and love and though one Christians graces may fall short of anothers for the quantity yet they do not fall short for the present quality nor for the future glory The weakest grace of the Spirit is able to change the heart and save the soul 6. The Spirit doth cherish and preserve and keep all those saving gifts of his The Spirit doth cherish and prese ve all those saving gifts in
Satan alas your own strength is insufficient to conquer for you 〈…〉 maintain the fight for you unlesse the Spirit of God put forth his actual help unlesse he take your part what one temptation of lust of doubt of feare is not too hard for you and what one temptation from Satan is not too strong for you Every little touch throws down or hazards the weak child so this c. But this is your comfort that in all your spiritual conflicts you are sure of the Spirits presence to own his own graces and to defend and secure them His gracious presence shall be sufficient for you 2 Cor. 12. 9. and his power makes it self manifest in your weaknesse he will be near to help you strengthen you to make you to resist and to conquer and to be more than conquerours through Christ that loved you We are strong in the Lord and in the power of his might Eph. 6. 10. 5. The Spirit helps them in the darknesses upon their spirits my meaning is In the darkness of our spirits in all the with-drawments of Gods favour and light of countenance and in all the sad apprehensions of their own spiritual condition when they think God is become their enemy and that themselves are forgotten of God and cast off by God and have no interest nor hope in Christ Now in these times the Spirit of God works and helps supplies supports stirs up faith against hope to believe in hope and against our own feelings yet to pray and trust and wait and look for God 6. He helps them in the captivities of their souls As when sinne or Satan In the captivity of our souls in this or that particular have been too subtile and too strong for them and have prevailed over them so that they are fallen and not able to rise even then in this condition doth the Spirit of God by his wonderful graces help them up again he makes them to see their sinnes and bewail them and raise them by renewing and strengthening faith on the Lord Jesus Christ Thus he dealt with David with Peter c. As the finding of us in our lost estate so the raising of us from our fallen estate is done by the help of the Spirit 5. The Spirit is yours in respect of his joyes â—r comforts You read of the He is ours in respect of his joyes and comforts joy of the holy Ghost Rom. 14. 17. And of the comforts of the holy Ghost Acts 9 31. And that Christ himself calls him the Comforter John 16. 7. The Spirit is given unto you not only to unite you to Christ not only to conform you unto Christ not only to lead you in the wayes of Christ not only to help you in the services of Christ but also to comfort your hearts in Christ The Spirit is a comforter in three respects He is a Comforter As he opens to us all the springs of comfort As he actuates our faith in theÌ„ As he applies them to our souls 1. He opens unto you all the true springs of comfort It is he who opens unto you the fountain of mercy and the fountain of the love and grace of God and the fountain of the blood of Christ 2. He actuates your faith to look on all these fountains of joy and wells of comfort as set open for the good and help of your souls 3. He applies all of them unto your souls he makes it evident that God loves your souls and that Christ died for your souls and that you are justified by faith in him and are reconciled and pardoned and accepted unto life and hereupon he fills you with all joy in believing even with joy unspeakable and glorious You cannot imagine what a comfort it is to have the Spirit of God to be our comfort for 1. His comforts are choice comforts There is no more comparison 'twixt the His comforts are choice comforts comforts of the world and the comforts of the Spirit than between the light of the Candle and the light of the Sunne they are the very comforts of God they are the very drops out of the Wells of Salvation they are drawn out from the proper and only grounds of joy They are comforts which of all other do most punctually answer the distresses of your souls 2. He can comfort you under all your discomfirts Who comforteth us in all our He cancomfort under all discomforts tribulations 2 Cor. 1. 4. Yea under the deepest and saddest disconsolations In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul Psal 94. 19. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death c. thy rod and thy staffe they comfort me Psal 23. 4. He healeth the broken in heart and bindeth up their wounds Psal 147. 3. 3. He can comfort you when there is none else to comfort you when you have He can comfort when there is none else to comfort neither father nor mother sister nor brother companion nor friend when you are in prison in exile in the losse of all yet he alone when you are alone can comfort your souls he can shew you the salvation of the Lord speak peace assure you of mercy and cause you to rejoyce 4. Hâ— can comfort you and none shall hindâ—r him neither men nor divels He can comâ—ort and none â—hall hinder â—im nor your own fears and doubts He can create your peace and joyes and make comfâ—rts for you and make you to drink of them And as none can take away your joyes so none shall be able to hinder them 6. The Spirit is yours in respect of his offices There are three special offices beloâ—ging He is ours in respect of his offices Three offices of the Spirit To make all the Ordinances of Christ effectual to us unto the Spirit 1. One is to make all the Ordinances of Christ powerful and effectual unto you Take the doctrines of the Gospel they are not effectual without the Spirit and take the seâ—ls of the Gospel they are not effectual unto you without the Spirit There are excellent precepts in the Gospel and excellent offers in the Gospel and excellent promises in the Gospel the Gospel commands us to repeâ—t to mourn to deny our selves to renounce all for Christ to come and believe on Christ but it is the Spirit which makes all these commands effectual and the Gospel offers Jesus Christ to poor sinners and thiâ—sty sinners and presents singular arguments to perswade and allure and draw the hearts of sinners but it is the Spirit which makes all those offers and all those arguments effectual and the Gospel promiseth all heavenly good of love of grace of peace of joy c. but it is the Spirit which makes all these effectual And therefore the New Testamâ—nt is called the mâ—nâ—stration nâ—t of the Letter but of the Spirit who giveth lâ—fe 2 Cor. 3. 6. And the Gospel hath excellent seals
faithfulnesse of God yea which sets every person of the Trinity a working for you It is the love of the Father which did put him upon the thoughts and upon the gift of Christ It is the love of the Son which did put him upon the giving of himself upon dying for you And it is the love of the Spirit which did put him upon the giving of himself unto you and working all his works for you 3. This love is the reason of their delight in you you are made neer by it and become This love is the reason of their delight in you exceeding dear unto every one of them the Father takes pleasure in you and so doth the Son and so doth the Spirit they take delight in your persons and in your graces and in your services and every one of them manifests himself unto you and makes known their relations unto you 4. This love is at cost and charges for you and it makes all easie and joyful there is not a person of the Trinity but is glad if I may so expresse it with all his heart This love is at cost and charges for you to do you good it is no burden to the Father to promise nor to the Son to purchase nor to the holy Ghost to apply the riches of Grace and Glory unto you This love is that which makes them restlesse untill they have done you good the Father waits to be gracious and to shew mercy How do I long untill it be accomplished said Christ of his sufferings for us c. and unweariable in the doing of us good 5. This love of their is that which makes them so dreadful and heavy unto your enemies This love makes them so dreadful to your enmies so high in the wayes of your defence and so high in the works of vengeance on your Adversaries enemies to your enemies and friend unto your friends God by his Spirit fills their hearts with terrours and puts them into streights and drives your enemies to their feet and Christ rides conquering bathing his sword in blood 6. This love of theirs is the reason why they do all of them bear with all your infirmaties yea and cover the multitude of your sins that they deale so gently with This love is the reason why they all bear with your infirmities Five comforts from this you and accept of your weakest performances and defires and tears and sighs and greans and passe by all your failings c. Thus have you heard of the common union of the Trinity in their love unto you which I think is a clear ground of wonderful contentment for being interested in this their common love of you 1. All fears and doubts are silenced in all your approaches unto God The Father All fears and doubts are silenced in all your approaches unto God You cannot but speed very well in prayer unto whom you pray he loves you the Son by whom you pray he loves you the Spirit who helps you to pray he also loves you If you have the love of every one of them there is no just cause of any distrustful fears 2. Nay how can it be but that you must speed very well Love gives the kindest and fullest and easiest and sweetest answers and helps what will not the loving God and Father the loving Christ and Saviour the loving Spirit and Comforter what will they not do for you 3. Whatsoever God is in his greatnesse the better it is for all you who are thus beloved of him I do confesse that the greater God is if he loves us not the Whatsoever God is in his greatnesse the better it is for you more dreadful is our apprehension of him but the greater that he is if he loves us this is the more comfortable unto us The greatnesse of his power who loves us The greatnsse of his Alsufficiency who loves us The greatnesse of his Mercifulnesse Wisdom Knowledge Faithfulnesse c. who loves us can you have a greater encouragement then this that God who knows all things who hath all things who can do all things who will perform all things this God loves me unquestionably therefore I shall be the better for that power c. 4. The common love of the Trinity assures you against damnation and perishing This common love assu es you against damnation and of salvation and of salvation and blessednesse Love preserves but destroyes not love brings us near but rejects and forsakes not for how can it possibly be that any man should perish and be lost who is interested in the highest and dearest and unchangable love of God who hath the ordaining love of the Father unto salvation and the meriting love of Christ to purchase salvation and the applying love of the Spirit effectually undertaking to guide and lead him unto salvation I confesse that if God did not love you there could be no salvation for you â—or were the love of the Trinity divided and parted so that though the Father loved you intending your salvation but the Son would not undertake it with his love to die for you to procure salvation or if the Son and Father would consent in their love but the holy Ghost would not love you so far as to bring you into Christ to be partakers of him and of salvation then there would be a manifest uncertainty of your salvation or if all of them did love you with a changeable love 5. Lastly it cannot be that you should want any necessary good If that argument It cannot be that you should want any necessary good of Christs be strong against the fear of wants Matth. 6. For your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things surely this is stronger Your Father loves you therefore you shall not want them 2. There is a conjunctive union as in the love of the Trinity so in the will and There is a conjunctive union in the will and purpose of the Trinity in the matters of our salvation consent and purpose of the Trinity in the matters of your salvation There was one mutual will between them from eternity and there is one and the same mutual will between them unto eternity what the Father did will the Son did will and the same did the Holy Ghost will and what the Father did propose for your salvation for the matter and manner unto all of that did the Sonne and holy Ghost consent and agree and what the Father did intend and purpose with respect unto the salvation of the Elect that same did the Son and the holy Ghost intend and purpose also As the will of the Father was not nor could be hid from the other persons every one of them being one and the same God so there was a mutual will and liking and determination in every one of them as to all the matter appertaining unto our salvation Though it be most true that the persons of
delights in viz. uprightnesse of Spirit your sighs and groans and tears and desires shall passe and be accepted instead of more full and ample performances 2 Cor. 8. 12. If there be first a willing minde it is accepted according to that a man hath and not according to that he hath not Mal. 3. 17. I will spare them as a man spareth his own sonne that serveth him Psal 51. 17. A broken and a contrite heart O God thou wilt not despise Zach. 4. 10. Who hath despised the day of small things 6. They have immunity from the terrour or coercive power of the Law Namely From the coercive power of the Law from obeying the commands of it upon the meer principles of slavish fear of the threatnings annexed unto the breach of the Law You do now obey the Law not as slaves but as sonnes not out of fear of wrath but out of love to your Father That Spirit of bondage Rom. 8. 15. and that spirit of fear 2 Tim. 1. 7. is removed and a spirit of love comes in the room thereof Though there were no rewards to allure and though there were no severe threats to terrifie you yet you would serve your God with willing minds and with willing hearts 2 Chron. 28. 9. Psal 110. 3. There is such a heavenly sutablenesse and superconnaturalnesse 'twixt the Law of your God and your hearts that it is your delight to meditate in it and to walk up unto it in all things there is no constraint on you but the love of your good God 7. They have immunity from the curse of the Law Christ hath redeemed us From the curse of the Law from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us Gal. 3. 13. Indeed afflictions and fatherly chastisements or corrections may befall the people of God in this life whom the Lord loveth he chastneth and scourgeth every sonne whom he receiveth Heb. 12. 6. but no curses befall them Though the cup be bitter yet there is no poyson in it though it be a crosse yet it is not a curse their wounds are healing wounds and their afflictions are instructions and their losses are their gains for nothing comes as a curse which doth us good 8. They have immunity from the Kingdome and power of darkness You are no From the Kingdome of darknesse longer under the Prince of the power of the Aire the spirit that worketh in the children of disobedience Ephes 2. 2. The Divel is dispossessed and cast down and cast out he is still your enemy but he shall never be your Lord more he may tempt you and disquiet you but command and rule over you he shall never do Though the Divel be very busie and active with you yet he shall never regain possession never conâ—uer your graces never part you and your God never hinder you of your inheritance 9. They have immunity from death there is the first death and the second From death death or there is a three-fold death there is the death of the soul and the death of the body and the death of soul and body 1. Spiritual death that is the death of the soul 2. Corporal death that is the death of the body 3. Eternal death that is the death of soul and body Now all the people of God are freed from spiritual death by the grace of Christ and from eternal deaâ—h by the blood of Christ and from corporal death though not absolutely or simply yet respectively so far forth as sinne hath made it dreadful and our enemy and prejudicial to us Though you must dye yet your death is but your sleep and is but your strait passage into life The death of death is removed from you by the death of Christ Vide Heb. 2. 15. 1 Cor. 15. 55 56 57. O death where is thy sting O grave where is thy victory The sting of death is sinne and the strength of sinne is the Law but thanks be to God who hath given us the victory through our Lord Jâ—sus Christ 10. What can I say more they have immunity from all evil in this life and in the life to come you are freed or delivered from an evil conscience which never From all evil leaves accusing and condemnâ—ng from this present evil world and the corruptions thereof from every evil work and way from evil men from all the evil which remains for evil men in hell God in this Covenant secures you against all why what comforts are there in these things and what confidence and what encouragements and what support unto your souls Why do you fear so often and why are your hearts troubled Surely you do not know your selves to be the people of God or else you do not fully know the liberties and immunities of the people of God Sometimes you fear the heavy wrath of God but why do you so He is your God and your Father and full of compassions and loving kindnesses he will not deal with you as a revenging Judge but as a loving and merciful Father he is at peace with you and reconciled unto you Sometimes you fear the damnation and curse belonging unto sinne But why do you so Christ hath dyed and satisfied for your sinnes and he was made a curse for you and there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Sometimes you fear because of the powerful motions and conflicts and rebellions of sinne in your hearts but why do you so seeing that sinne shall not have dominion over you and Christ in you is daily mortifying and destroying the body of sinne neither shall any Lord reigne in you but your Saviour who dyed for you Sometimes you fear because of the imperfection of your graces but why do you so It is not your weaknesse or want of holinesse but Christs perfect righteousnesse which is imputed unto you for life and for justification Sometimes you fear because of the weaknesse of your obediential services and performances but why do you so your God in Covenant works all his works in you and he owns your persons and will accept the weakest offerings of an upright heart in and for Christ Sometimes you fear because of the strong temptations of Satan but why do you so grace sufficient shall be given unto you and your God will shortly bruise Satan under your feet Sometimes you fear men because of their malice and power and why do you so your God will restrain the rage of man and frustrate the counsels of the Heathen and break the armes of the ungodly and knows how to deliver you Sometimes you fear to dye but why are you afraid of death which is but the last Stile to go over and then you are at your Fathers house death to you is but an end of your sinnes and miseries and only a quick passage into your eternal happinesse Secondly The priviledges which you enjoy by being under the Covenant of grace Priviledges by being in Covenant by
the life of your comforts it is your Paradise and your Heaven here on earth 5. Maintain and justifie your Covenant-relation when once it is made manifest Maintain and justifie your Covenant-relation Four things we should alwayes maintain The unchangeableness of out Covenant-relation unto you against all the suggestions of Satan and against all the risings and oppositions of your own unbelief I here are four things especially which you should still maintain and make good for at them doth Satan most strike at 1. The unchangeablenesse of the Covenant-relation This God is our God for ever and ever He will be our Guide even unto death Psal 48. 14. For I am perswaded that neither death nor life nor Angels nor Principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. You are many times under Spiritual sâ—â—ences God seems not to regard your prayers and many times under Spiritual delaies God puts you off from day to day and many times under Spiritual desertions God hides his face from you and Satan in such cases puts it upon you to question and disown your Covenant-relation If God were your God it would not be thus But notwithstanding all these or any other trials of your selves yet God still maintains his interest in you and your relation to himself God hath not cast away his people whom he foreknew saith the Apostle Rom. 11. 2. I am the Lord I change not Mal. 3. 6. I will wait upon the Lord that hideth his face from the housâ— of Jacob and will look for him Isa 8. 17. But Zion said the Lord hath forsaken me and my Lord hath forgotten me Can a woman forget her sucking child that she should not have compassion on the Son of her womb Yea they may forget yet I will not forget thee Behold I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands thy walls are continually before me So Hosea 2 19. I will betroth thee unto me for ever and Heb. 13. 5. I will never leave thee nor forsake thee 2. The tendernesse of your Covenant-relation The tendernesse of Gods love The tenderness of your Covenant-relation unto you and the tendernesse of Gods care over you Do not suffer Satan to raise jealousies and do not you nourish any jealousies about these if you do so you dishonour your God by them and make your soules to serve him with bitterness your God loves you with as tender love as ever Father loved his dearest child Is Ephraim my dear son is he a pleasant childe my bowels are troubled for him Jer. 31. 20. His love is set upon you Deut. 7. 7. And he doth rest in his love Zeph. 3. 17. He loves you with an everlasting love and therefore draws you with loving kindnesse Jer. 31. 3. And your God hath a most tender care over you as a man hath over his jewels which are his chiefest treasures I will make up my jewels Mal. 3. 17. and as a man hath over the apple of his eye he led him about he instructed him he kept him as the apple of his eye Deut. 32. 10. And as an Eagle stirreth up her nest fluttereth over her young spreads abroad her wings taketh them beareth them on her wings verse 11. So the Lord c. 3. The goodnesse of the Covenant relation that God still is and will be The goodnesse of the Covenant relation good unto you that he prepares of his goodnesse for and he prepares mercy and truth for you and layes up exceeding goodnesse for you reserves it for you and is never weary nor will ever turn away from you from doing of you good 4. The graciousnesse of your God in Covenant that as at the first when he took The graciousnesse of your God in Covenant you into the Covenant this was the work of his own grace so all along in the dispensations of the Covenant the Lord still acts in a way of grace towards you alwayes and altogether upon free termes he freely loved you and he freely chose you and he freely called you and still he freely blesseth you and doth good unto you and upon gracious termes he deals with you all the dayes of your life in all things for which you have to deal with him 6. Walk and live like a people who have such a God to be your God in Covenant Walk and live like a people in Covenant with God as your relation is different from all other peoples relation so your conversation should be different from the conversation of all other people as your condition is now higher than the condition of other people for God exalts you by making you to be his people so the word avouching signifies in Deut. 26. 18. so your walking must be better than that of other people and as your enjoyments and hopes transcendently exceed all other mens so your returns must be in some proportion answerable unto your great interest in so good a God and as God by becoming your God makes you high above all Nations which he hath made in praise and in name and in honour Deut. 26. 19. so hath he formed you for himself that you should shew forth his praise Esay 43. 21. You are a chosen Generation a royal Priesthood an holy Nation a peculiar People that ye should shew forth the praise of him who hath called you out of darknesse into his marvelous light 1 Pet. 2. 9. Which in time past were not a people â—ut are now the people of God which had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy verse 10. Quest If any of you demand how that people should live and walk who have How a people in Covenant should walk God to be their God in Covenant Sol. I answer Such a people should walk 1. By faith in a continual dependance upon their living and giving God 2. In a singular love and delight in their good and merciful God 3. With holinesse before their Holy and Omnipresent God 4. With uprightnesse before their Omniscient and All-sufficient God 5. Without inordinate cares before their Faithful and Never-failing God 6. Without inordinate fears before their Almighty God 7. Without offence or grieving of their Loving God 8. With all contentednesse and well-pleasednesse of Spirit before their Wise and gracious God 9. With all humility before their Great and Merciful God 10. With all cheerfulnesse and gladnesse of heart before their Blessing and Blessed God 11. In all constancy of obedience before their Eternal God 12. In all the kinds of zeal for the honour of that God who hath so much honoured them as to be their God 1. You who are the people of God and have God to be your God in Covenant Live and walk by faith in dependance upon the living God you should live and walk by faith in a continual
Covenant before we do apply God himself and interest our selves in him to lay hold on his mercies before we lay hold on himself to appropriate the purchase of Christ before we do embrace and appropriate Christ himself this is to disorder and displace the Covenant which first propounds God himself and Christ himself to be received and then the portion of all good things promised after this 2. We do disjoyne the things in the Covenant which God hath ordered to come By disjoyning those things God hath put together By expecting the gifts of the Covenant without the reasons of the Covenant By limiting God in the dispensations of his Covenant together as when we will have the mercy of the Covenant but not the repentance of the Covenant and the hope in Christ from faith in Christ and the promised salvation without the promised holinesse which leads unto that salvation 3. We do expect the gifts of the Covenant without the reasons of the Covenant upon the account of our goodnesse and not upon the account of Gods graciousnesse 4. We do limit God in the dispensations of his Covenant in his answers helps and blessings to our time and to our measure and to our haste and do not submit and leave these to the times of his wisdome and faithfulnesse Vse 2 Is the Covenant of grace an ordered Covenant and a well-ordered Covenant then let no man ever think to enjoy God or any good from Gods Covenant but in that way which God himself hath declared you must believe and repent There is no enjoying God 〈◊〉 in his own way c. Vse 3 Is the Covenant an ordered Covenant then doubt not of the enjoyment of mercy and blessednesse you who are his people but come with confidence unto your God who hath ordered love and mercy and peace and comfort and His people should not doubt of the enjoyment of mercy blessings and happinesse for you SECT VI. 6. A Sixth property of this Covenant is this it is a holy Covenant Luke It is a holy Covenant 1. 72. To performe the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy Covenant Dan. 11. 28. His heart shall be against the holy Covenant Psal 105. 42. He remembred his holy promise c. The Covenant is stiled holy in sundry respects 1. In respect of the parties interested in the Covenant viz. God and his In respect of the parties interested in it people both of them are holy God is holy he is an holy God Josh 24. 19. Holy holy holy Lord God Almighty Rom. 4. 8. His people are holy that thou mayst be an holy people to the Lord thy God Deut. 26. 19. The people of thy holinesse Esay 63. 18. The holy people Dan. 12. 7. To them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus 1. Cor. 1. 2. A holy Nation a peculiar people 1 Pet. 2. 9. The Temple of God is holy which Temple ye are 1 Cor. 3. 17. Although before we are brought into the Covenant we are a wicked and unholy defiled and polluted people yet when we are brought into the Covenant then we are made holy we are changed and washed and sanctified and are made partakers of his holinesse 2. In respect of the condition of the Covenant faith as you shall hear shortly In respect of the condition of the Covenant is the condition of this Covenant and true faith is a holy faith building up your selves in your most holy faith Jude ver 20. Purifying their hearts by faith Acts 15. 9. Which are sanctified by faith Acts 26. 18. Faith unites us to the holy Christ and to the holy God and draws holinesse from Christ and sets up that holy Christ in our hearts 3. In respect of the matter promised in the Covenant holinesse is one principal In respect of the matter promised thing promised in it God doth promise to give his holy Spirit Luke 11. 13. and to cleanse us from all iniquity Jer. 33. 8. and from all unrighteousnesse 1 John 1. 9. and to refine us with refining fire Mal. 3. 2. Hierusalem shall be holy Joel 3. 17. and to sanctifie us and purifie us I am the Lord who sanctifies you Lev. 20. 8. The God of peace sanctifie you wholly 1 Thes 5. 23. I sanctifie my self that they also might be sanctified through the truth John 17. 19. By the which will we are sanctified Heb. 10. 10. The change of a sinful heart the giving of a new heart and a new spirit the taking away the heart of stone and the giving of an heart of flesh the work of regeneration and of renovation these are expresly the matter in the Covenant 4. The Author of this Covenant doth expresly command holiness Be ye holy The Author of this Covenant commands holinesse for I am holy 1 Pet. 1. 16. Speak unto all the Congregation of the children of Israel and say unto them ye shall be holy for I the Lord your God am holy Lev. 19. 2. Whatsoever things are pious whatsoever things are lovely c. think on these things Phil. 4. 8. This is the will of God even your sanctification 1 Thes 4. 3. Having therefore these promises let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit perfecting holinesse in the fear of God 2 Cor. 7. 1. 5. This Covenant doth exceedingly encourage holinesse Blessed are the pure The Covenant doth encourage holinesse in heart for they shall see God Matth. 5. 8. Blessed are the undefiled in the way Psal 119. 1. Being now become the servants of God ye have your fruit unto holinesse and the end everlasting life Rom. 6. 22. God is glorious in holinesse Exod. 15. 11. The Saints are the excellent on the earth Psal 16. 3. Gather my Saints together unto me those that have made a Covenant with me by sacrifice Psal 50. 5. This honour have all his Saints Psal 149. 9. He will keep the feet of his Saints 1 Sam. 2. 9. The Lord forsaketh not his Saints Psal 37. 28. He preserveth the souls of his Saints Psal 97. 10. He delivereth them out of the hands of the wicked ibid. The Saints shall judge the world 1 Cor. 6. 8. When he shall come to be glorified in his Saints 2 Thes 1. 10. 6. All about the Covenant respects holinesse and makes for holinesse all that work of renovation promised in the Covenant all that deliverance promised All about the Covenant respects holiness in the Covenant is that now we should serve the Lord in holinesse and righteousnesse all the mercies promised lead to holinesse to the love of God to the fear of God to repentance all the glory and happinesse there promised take in holinesse as a way thereunto the Christ there is made unto us sanctification as well as redemption the Spirit of Christ is there to sanctifie and there to comfort and seal us the two broad seals of the Covenant have holinesse written in them baptisme is a Laver
our Father and we are thy people A second is the merciful nature of God ready to shew mercy and to multiply pardon A third is the death of Christ he shed his blood to make our peace and to slay all enmity A fourth is the very Covenant it self wherein God hath promised that he will not cast away and that he will heale and forgive the back-slidings of his people and though he will chastise them yet he will not forsake them 8. The Covenant of grace gives a better estate then the Covenant of works It gives a better estate we have a better estate by this then we had or could have by that 'T is true That Adam in innocency enjoyed a larger measure of knowledge and righteousness and had also free communion with God without fear and had dominion over the creatures But yet he had not knowledge of God in Christ nor any communion with God through Christ nor had he any manifestations of the glories of the Gospel by the Spirit of Christ and besides all this whatsoever enjoyments Adam had which might make up a happy estate unto him yet all that enjoyment was mutable and contingent But now in and by the Covenant of Grace our enjoyments are higher and they are also surer 1. They are higher for now we enjoy God not only as a Creator but as a Father Our enjoyments are higher we enjoy him a merciful and gracious and abundant in goodnesse and truth and we enjoy Jesus Christ in a way of union with his person being bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh as the Apostle speaks Ephes 5. 30. and in a way of communion in his death and life and victories and purchases and we enjoy the very Spirit of Christ as to all his graces and comforts and assurances 2. They are surer he enjoyed God so as yet he lost his God he enjoyed righteousness Surer so as yet he lost his righteousness and dominion so as he lost that dominion and had it not been for Christ who was immediately promised after the fall he had never found his God again nor a righteousnesse again nor any right of dominion again but in the Covenant of grace all is sure and stable and permanent God is our God for ever and we continue his people for ever Christ is our Head and we are his Members for ever we enjoy the Spirit and he abides in us for ever The Covenant of grace is a better Covenant then that of works It is better in the way and cause of Remuneration as to the way and cause of Remuneration In a Covenant of works you must earn your wages before you must be paid your wages your own doing is the price of your receiving and your reward is as your work is nothing is there expected as a bounty and gift but all runs there as debt and wages Adam could never pray under this Covenant Lord receive me graciously do me good freely for thy mercies sake But it is not thus in the Covenant of grace where he that deserves nothing may yet receive all and the unworthy sinner doth yet attain to the most excellent mercies upon the sole account of the riches of Gods grace in Christ In the Covenant of grace God doth not reward us according to our ill deeds nor doth he reward us for our good deeds But he freely pardons the ill works of his people and doth them all good not for their goodness but for his own goodnesse-sake In the Covenant of works you come to God saying Lord This I have done therefore blesse me In the Covenant of grace you come to God saying Lord This I need and this thou hast promised O give it me not for my sake but for thy truths sake and for thy Christs sake freely love me freely accept of me freely own and bless me I can shew no deserts of mine but I can shew unto thee thine own promises I can find enough in my self why thou shouldest abhor and curse me and yet I finde enough in thy self and Covenant why thou mayest embrace and help me 10. The Covenant of grace is a better Covenant than that of works in respect of a double efficacy 1. Of helping recovery 2. Of saving vertue It is better in respect of a double efficacy Of helping recovery 1. The Covenant of works never did afford help to recover any one sinner As that Commander spake of the Watchman whom he found asleep and therefore ran him through with his sword I found him dead and left him dead That we may say of the Covenant of works It findes us dead in sins and in trespasses and it leaves us dead in our sins and trespasses there is no balm for our wounds in that Covenant But the Covenant of Grace this doth help and restore sinners it is the ministry of Life and Grace and Peace But God saith the Apostle in Ephes 2. 4 5. who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us even when we were dead in sins hath quickned us together with Christ And 1 Cor. 6. 11. Such were some of you but ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God And Rom. 5. 8. God commendeth his love towards us in that whiles we were yet sinners Christ died for us verse 9. Much more then being now justified by his blood we shall be saved from wrath through him 2. The Covenant of works did never save any righteous person What saving Of saving vertue power might be found from it upon a supposition of Adams standing I dispute not but this I say There never was any one person saved actually by the Covenant of works But yet the Covenant of Grace doth save all Believers Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners 1 Tim. 1. 15. Whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life Joh. 3. 15. We believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved even as they Ephes 2. 8. By grace ye are saved through faith 1 Pet. 1. 9. Receiving the end of your faith even the salvation of your soules Thus you see that the Covenant of grace is the best Covenant in comparison of the Covenant of works Use 1 Is the Covenant of Grace the best Covenant The best Covenant that ever God made with man and for man How great then is their sin who refuse this Covenant Then how gâ—eat is their sin who refuse this Covenant and to come into this Covenant The greater that any mercy is our sin is therefore the greater to refuse that mercy O beloved whence is it that many of your hearts are still hardned whence is it that you love darkness rather then light why do you not hearken to this Covenant whence is it that for lying vanities you forsake your own mercies 1. Are you not sinners 2. Do
Of all in the one and in the other are believers heirs you are heirs to mercy and grace and righteousness and comforts and salvation I think therefore that the belivers condition by vertue of his union with Christ is very comfortable and blessed 3. If you be by faith united unto Christ there remaines one comfort more Christ will accomplish and perform all that good unto us for you which is this That as you are thereby heirs of all the good mentioned and promised in the Covenant so all that good will Christ see accomplished and performed unto you for all the promises of God in him are yea and in him Amen 2 Cor. 1. 20. They are sure and certain are surely and certainly made good As God spake unto Jacob Gen. 28. 15. I will not leave thee untill I have done that which I have spoken to thee of So Jesus Christ unto whom you are united he will not cease untill you be actually possessed of all that good which his father promised unto him from all eternity and hath promised also unto you in time in his Covenant to bestow upon you And there are four things which may assure you of this viz. 1. The suretiship of Christ which implyes not only his undertaking for us to God but likewise the same for God to us that God shall really make good to us all which he hath promised unto us 2. The Intercession of Christ which is his everlasting work of applying all the good which he hath purchased 3. The Donation of his Spirit upon us for the communicating of all good unto us 4. The intention of his Merit and Purchase which he laid out in our names and for our good He merited no less for us than all that good in the Covenant No lesse than all outward benediction than all heavenly blessings than Justification Reconciliation Sanctification Consolation Perseverance and eternal Glory His Merit and purchase amounted to all this and not to lesse than this and as God is bound to give him what he hath purchased so he hath bound himself to bestow all this upon believers who are united to him Whosoever believes shall not perish but have everlasting life Joh. 3. 13. 5. The habitude 'twixt Christ as Head and believers as his Body and Members he is not perfect untill they be perfected And now I pray you that are believers be you your selves judges whether your union with Christ puts you not into a most comfortable and blessed condition seeing it brings you into union with God and every Person of the Trinity and makes you heirs of all the good in the Covenant all which God and Jesus Christ will see actually bestowed upon you I fear I was never united to Christ Object True will some say here is comfort enough for here is all that soules can wish or enjoy But truely the more you speak of this comfort from union with Christ the more sad and uncomfortable is my heart Because at least I fear that I never yet in truth attained unto this union of Faith why so 1. I was driven to look after Christ out of fear and out of the sense of wrath 2. Union with Christ supposeth separation from all that is contrary unto Christ Alas I finde the contrary a body of sinne still present with me 3. Union with Christ depends upon some mighty and powerfull workings of the Spirit which I never observed nor discerned in my soule 4. Union with Christ certainly includes the presence of the Spirit and the communion of the Spirit whether I have that I know not 5. I still live under weaknesses and wants but union with Christ would have let in more supply c. Sol. I will briefly speak unto these fears if possibly they may be removed For as it is my desire that you may by faith be brought to Christ so it shall be my endeavour that every soule united unto Christ may taste of those comforts which do belong to him in Christ I was driven to look after Christ out of fear 1. Object You fear that you are not rightly united to Christ because you were driven to look after Christ out of fear and sense of wrath whereas the union by faith is free and voluntary Answered Yet our union may be right Sol. Though this be true yet is it possible that your union with Christ may be right They in Acts 2. 37. were indeed by Faith united to Christ although the first work appearing in them was the sense of their sins and of Gods wrath for that sin and so was the Jaylor in Act 16. 30. effectually brought in to Christ although trembling of heart first seized on him and so was Paul in Act. 9. 6. Therefore distinguish thus of this matter 1. There is a difference 'twixt an occasion of looking after Christ and 'twixt a Distinguish 'twixt an occasion and a principle of union principle which unites to Christ The sense of sin and the fear of the wrath of God these are the occasion of your looking after Christ and had you not met with these it is most probable that you never had minded Christ And yet it was not this fear but faith which followed upon it that did unite you to Christ I say faith which saw the exceeding goodnesse and kindnesse and graciousnesse in Christ represented and offered and promised in the Gospel and thereupon drew your hearts to the prizing and desiring and receiving Christ with a most chearful and ready consent and will So that though at the first and occasionally some legal operations and impressions awakened your hearts to look after a Christ for deliverance yet it was the Gospel by the Spirit working faith in your troubled Distinguish 'twixt sense of sin and wrath considered alone and concomitantly hearts which brought and joyned you to Christ 2. Again you must distinguish 'twixt the sense of sin and wrath considered alone and considered concomitantly If the sense of sin and wrath alone did put you upon Christ and never any thing else this indeed were sad For when these alone put us upon Christ then we desire Christ no farther than a present help and ease against those evils which do distresse us but thus it is not with you though perhaps at the first your thoughts were fixed upon Christ only to deliver you from the wrathfull impressions in conscience yet upon the farther light and working of Gods Spirit your hearts are carried beyond these for you must now have a fruition of Christ you have now coveted an union with Christ and satisfied you cannot be without that near union and truely this is the effect of faith graciously given unto you from God 2. Object But union with Christ supposeth a separation from all that is contrary to Christ Is not sinne contrary to Christ and this I finde still Ergo Sol. I answer 1 but I finde no separation from sin Answered It is one thing for sin
people Ver. 34. And they shall all know me from the least of them unto the greatest of them saith the Lord for I will forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more Jerem. 32. 39. I will give them one heart and one way that they may fear me for ever for the good of them and their children after them Ver. 40. And I will make an everlasting Covenant with them that I will not turn away from them to do them good but I will put my fear into their hearts that they shall not depart from me Ezek. 11. 19. I will give them one heart and I will put a New Spirit within you and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh and will give them an heart of flesh Ver. 20. That they may walk in my Statutes and keep my Ordinances and do them and they shall be my people and I will be their God Hosea 2. 19. I will betroth thee unto me for ever and I will betroth thee unto me in righteousnesse and in judgement and in loving-kindnesse and in mercies Ver. 20. I will betroth thee unto me in faithfulnesse and thou shalt know the Lord. Hebr. 8. 10. This is the Covenant that I will make with the house of Israel I will put my Laws into their minds and write them in their hearts and I will be to them a God and they shall be to me a people c. Quest But why is God pleased to promise to give unto his people in Covenant Why God gives spiritual blessings as well as â—emporal His people have souls as well as bodies spiritual blessings as well as temporal Sol. The Reasons are these First Because his people have souls as well as bodies and their souls do stand in as much need of spiritual blessings as their bodies do of temporal blessings Every mans soul since the fall of Adùm is in a fourfold miserable necessity which cannot be relieved but by spiritual blessings 1. In an estate of spiritual death out of which it cannot be relieved but by the donation of spiritual life a quickning by the Spirit of Christ is necessary for a soul dead in trespasses and sins 2. In an estate of spiritual enmity and that enmity cannot be slain but by the death of Christ nor any atonement peace or reconciliation enjoyed but by his blood 3. In an estate of offence and guilt which expose the soul unto wrath and punishment by reason of which the soul needs exceeding riches of grace and mercy to forgive and acquit the sinner 4. In an estate of pollution and bondage being held under the power of sinful lusts in which regard the soul needs the Lord Jesus to be redemption and liberty unto it and the soul can never be freed nor free but by Christ and his Spirit John 8. 36. If the Son shall make you free you shall be free indeed Rom. 8. 2. The Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the Law of sin and death If a man had all the blessings of the world riches honour friends health pleasures c. they could be of no help or relief unto his soul at all notwithstanding all these the soul still remains sinful and miserable Give the soul Christ and grace and mercy or else you give it nothing it must perish for ever without them And therefore doth God give unto his people spiritual blessings because the soul needs them and they are sutable to the spiritual necessities of the soul Secondly His people are people of another life they have the promise of eternal His people are for another life life 1 John 2. 25. This is the promise that he hath promised us even eternal life Titus 1. 2. Inhope of eternal life which God that cannot lye promised before the world began 2 Cor. 5. 1. We know that if our earthly house of this Tabernacle were dissolved we have a building of God an house not made with hands eternal in the heavens But what of this will you say why hence it follows that therefore God will give unto them spiritual blessings and why spiritual blessings because spiritual blessings are necessary for them in relation unto that eternal life Acts 4. 12. Neither is there salvation in any other for there is none other Name given under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved Loe here is a necessity of Jesus Christ for our salvation John 3. 36. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him Loe here is a necessity of faith for salvation Matth. 5. 8. Blessed are the poor in spirit for they shall see God Hebr. 12. 13. Follow holinesse without which no man shall see the Lord. Joh. 3. 3. Except a man be born again he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God Loe here is a necessity of holinesse and regeneration for salvation and they are congruous and fitting us for salvation or eternal life Colos 1 12. Giving thanks unto the Father which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light It is meet to enjoy grace before we come to enjoy glory it is meet to have a conformity to Christ on his Crosse before we come to have a conformity to Christ in his Crown c. Thirdly His people are designed and set apart for special duties and services His people aâ—e set apart for special duties the which they can never performe without spiritual gifts and blessings They are to glorifie their God Isa 43. 6. Bring my sons from far and my daughters from the ends of the earth Ver. 7. Even every one that is called by my Name for I have created him for my glory Ver. 21. This people have I formed for my self they shall shew forth my praise They are to deny themselves and to take up the Crosse of Christ and to follow him they are to crucifie the lusts with the affections thereof they are to suffer losses and reproaches and persecutions and perhaps death it self they are to fight the good fight of faith to resist temptation to quench the fiery darts of Satan to overcome the world they are to live by faith against hope to believe in hope to walk in all well-pleasing before the Lord. They are to have daily communion with God and their hearts are to be set on him and on things above Can any of these duties and services be performed by them without spiritual strength or can they partake of spiritual strength unlesse and untill God doth give unto them spiritual gifts or graces Fourthly All the people in Covenant with God they have his image restored They have Gods image restored to them unto them they behold as in a glasse the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory 2 Cor. 3. 18. They are made partakers of the Divine nature
support and encourage you against all the temptations of Satan and fears of your own spirits God himself is your God and God himself for whom nothing is too hard and who is faithful in Covenant he it is who undertakes to find out and give out unto you every mercy for soul and body which you do or shall need Vse 2 Do not only believe this truth but also make use of it i. e. in the sense of all your wants whether spiritual or temporal Go unto God with boldnesse unto Make use of this truth his Throne of grace that ye may finde grace and mercy to help in time of need Remember that of the Apostle in Phil. 4. 6. Be careful in nothing but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God Do not vainly perplex your selves O it is impossible ever to get this sinful heart changed and this hard heart broken and those sins pardoned but â—â—nsider seriously 1. What is that which you finde promised in the Covenant Do you not expresly find the renewing of the heart promised there and the taking away of the hard heart promised there and the forgivenesse of all sins promised there 2. Who is it that undertakes to give these things promised Is it not God himself who can do it because he is Almighty and will do it because he is faithful it is not what strength and power you have for these things but what the sufficiency and fidelity of God is who undertakes to give them Object But he expects great matters from us before he will give them unto us Sol. 1. I will tell you what he expects from you he expects three things from you 1. That you acknowledge your own unworthinesse and his graciousnesse 2. That you come and pray unto him and intreat him to do these things for you 3. That you trust upon him as able and willing to help you according to his Word 2. And this which he expects from you if he hitherto hath not given them unto you yet he promiseth to give them unto you for praying Zach. 12. 10. I will poure upon them the Spirit of supplication for trusting Zephany 3. 12. I will leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people and they shall trust in the Name of the Lord. Object But we must bring something or other and undertake something else God will not do all for us Sol. 1. What would ye bring to a Covenant of Grace or what should you bring but your hearts to receive what is promised in the Covenant of Grace to be given 2. All the finding and giving work belongs to God that is it which himself undertakes forgivenesse righteousnesse holinesse love joy and peace and these himself undertakes to give unto us The fountain is full and runs freely take your care only for a Vessel to receive and take in the waters which flow out of it Vse 3 Doth God himself undertake to give all the blessings of the Covenant to his people What a comfort is this unto all his people this God himself is your God Comfort to the people of God and your Father and he loves you above all the people in the world and binds himself by promise and oath unto you that in blessing he will blesse you If you were to make your choice of one to undertake your good in whose hands you would have your all to lie you would pitch on one 1. Who loves you as a friend as a father and as a near relation 2. Who is sufficient and able 3. Who is mindful and faithful 4. Who is knowing and wise 5. Who is like to live long Now First Doth not God love his people I have loved thee with an everlasting love God loves his people Jer. 31. 3. I am a Father to Israel and Israel is my first born Ver. 9. Is Ephraim my dear son I remember him still my bowels are troubled for him I will surely have mercy on him Ver. 20. Can a woman forget her sucking child that she should not have compassion on the Son of her womb yea they may forget yet will I not forget thee Isa 49. 15. Secondly Is he not able to do you good he is the All-sufficient and Almighty God is able to do you good God nothing is too hard for him he is able to do above all that we are able to ask or think and can do whatsoever he pleaseth in heaven and in earth is it not be who stretcheth out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth Abraham was fully perswaded that what God had promised he was able to performe Rom. 4. 21. Thirdly He knows all your distresses and wants your groans are not hid from He knows all your distresses him and all your tears are in his bottle he is mindful of his people Psal 115. 12. The Lord hath been mindful of us he will blesse us he is mindful of 〈◊〉 Covenant Psal 111. 5. He hath given meat to them that fear him he will be mindful of his Covenant Psal 105. 8. He hath remembred his Covenant for ever Fourthly He is the faithful God Deut. 7. 9. Know that the Lord thy God He is the faithful God he is God the faithful God which keepeth Covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his Covenant to thousands of generations Heb. 10. 23. He is faithful that promised Fifthly He is the wise God God only wise Rom. 16. 27. Wise in heart Job He is the wise God 9. 4. And therefore will proportion and season out proper and peculiar mercies unto his servants Sixthly He is the unchangeable God there is not so much as the shaddow of Change in him Jam. 1. 17. The living God Jer. 10. 10. The Lord is the true He is the unchangeable God God he is the living God and an everlasting King Dan. 12. 7. liveth for ever 〈◊〉 If I do understand this Assertion aright it may suffice to take off all your fears and to draw on all your hearts to come unto your God with confidence who himself undertakes to give unto you all the good of his Covevant Can more be desired or can any thing else conduce further or better to your salvation Object We confess that here is enough in respect of God but that which makes us to fear is something in respect o ourselves our unworthiness against which God may take exception and for which he may deny to give unto us the good things which he hath promised Sol. This is the greatest doubt which still sticks with us and it is the strongest exception of our unbelieving hearts and unto which I shall endeavour to give a full resolution in the last General Proposition which now comes to be handled viz. SECT IV. Doct. 4. THat all these blessings which God doth promise to give unto his people All the blessings which God promiseth to his
mercy If God saith Be of good comfort thy sins are forgiven thee conscience now hath no longer Commission to disquiet the heart saying Peace belongs not to thee and comfort belongs not to thee but God is still displeased with thee and holds thee for his enemy and will be avenged on thee for thy sins If conscience through darkness and misinformation oâ— temptation should speak thus it now exceeds its Commission and deals unrighteously and God will not ratifie such a testimony or such a charge from such a conscience But by the way Take notice what a mercy it is to have your sins pardoned in that your consciences have no more power or authority to wound and charge and threaten and condemn you for any of your sins if a wounded conscience be one of the dreadfullest punishments here on earth then to be totally secured from that and upon this ground that he hath forgiven us our sins is one of 〈◊〉 greatest blessings here on earth which privatively concerns us Fourthly If your sins be pardoned then also you are discharged of the spirit You are discharged of the spirit of bondage of bondage to fear you are fenced from all slavish fears which formerly did abound in your hearts and oppress and distract them Before a mans sins were pardoned and guilt lay on him there were ten distracting and crushing fears lying on his heart The sinner 1. Did fear the secret purpose or intention of God against him O said he What will God do with this guilty soul of mine I fear lest I be one of them to whom he will never shew mercy 2. Did fear the open threatnings of God O saith he Will not all these evils and cuâ—ses which God hath threatnd will they not shortly be my portion 3. Did fear every judgement of Goâ— walking upon the earth as if it were an evil drawing near to him and which his sins would bring to his house and to his person and he should not escape 4. Did fear that some time or other his sinnings would be discovered and that they should be laid open to his shame and reproach before the whole world 5. Did fear any outward enjoyment and comfort which he had that for his sins God would ere long deprive him of them in wrath 6. Did fear many times to come and hear the Wâ—â—d of God lest it should awaken and trouble his conscience with more apprehensions of his own guilt and Gods wrath 7. Did fear the very thoughts of death and especially lest God should suddenly cut him off from the Land of the living before he had so improved his opportunities as to make his peace with God 8. Did fear all appearings before the Judgement-seat lest he should receive his sad and eternal sentence there for his sins 9. Did fear all his approaches and requests unto God that God would not hear nor regard them because his sins were upon record in the Court against his soul 10. Did fear that no way could ever be found so powerful and effectual as to satisfie the justice of God and purchase mercy enough for the pardon of his sins but now repenting of his sins and believing on the Lord Jesus and having in his blood obtained the remission of sins this spirit of bondage to fear is taken away the forgiveness of his sins by God himself hath satisfied him and hath answered all the doubts and fears of his soul his sins are pardoned and God is reconciled and now all is well and safe of what or of whom should he be afraid Fifthly If your sins be forgiven you then nothing which befalls you in Nothing which befalls you in life or death is an evil to you life or death shall ever be an evil or hurt unto you for when sin is pardoned all curse is removed Whatsoever state the unpardoned sinner is in it is a cursed estate to him and whatsoever contingencies befall that sinner they are cursed unto him his prosperity is cursed unto him and his adversity is cursed to him his enjoyments are cursed and his losses are cursed his blessings are cursed and his crosses are cursed his life is cursed and his death is cursed nothing which he hath doth him good and nothing which God doth doth him any good but hurt he is the worse under all But when sins are forgiven the sting the poyson the curse is gone and nothing is for evil or for mischief unto him prosperity shall do him no hurt but good and adversity shall do him no hurt but good his enjoyments are a blessing and his losses are a blessing if he lives life shall be a blessing and if he dyes death shall be a blessing All is food and physick all is good or for good unto him he gains by his losses and that which is another mans misery is his mercy sweet shall come out of bitter and light shall come out of darkness and good shall come out of evil and comfort shall come out of sorrow and life shall come out of death Secondly In a positive way In a positive way It is a clear decision of all the questions of a troubled soul First The obtaining of the forgiveness of your sins is a clear sure decision of all the great Questions of a troubled soul There are six things concerning which we oft-times complain and question viz. 1. Hath God Elected us 2. Are we in Covenant with God 3. Is God reconciled to us and we are reconciled to him 4. Is Christ ours and are we his 5. Have we truly repented and have we truly believed 6. Shall these poor souls of ours certainly be saved have not all these been and are not some of these the constant debates and doubts and questions of our hearts Now mark what I say when God himself according to his promise forgives unto us all our sins all those debates are concluded and resolved for 1. None are forgiven but the Elect of God and all the Elect either are or shall be forgiven their sins Ephes 1. 4. Having chosen us in him before the foundation of the world Ver. 7. In whom we have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of sins 2. Whosoever have their sins forgiven are certainly in Covenant with God God is their God and they are his people Psal 85. 2. Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people Thou hast covered all their sins Selah Remission of sins is the portion only of the Church and people of God 3. God is certainly reconciled if sins be forgiven 2 Cor. 5. 19. God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself not imputing their trespasses unto them 4. Christ is unquestionably yours and you are Christs forasmuch as the partaking of this and other choice benefits by him doth necessarily presuppose a precedent union with him and relation unto him whom he called them he justified Rom. 8. 30. And what is it there to be called but to be brought in effectually to Christ and
civil sinner Mary Magdalen as well as Lydia Saul as well as Nicodemus great sinners as well as small offenders But unless God would pardon great sinners the Gospel cannot invite all sorts of sinners For when you preach it to persons guilty of great sins alas say they mercy belongs not to us and what have you to do to press upon us to believe suppose we should believe yet we shall not be saved God will never justifie and pardon us c. 5. God brings great sinners into Covenant Publicans Harlots and when God brings great sinners into Covenant in a perfect league of love and peace God brings any actually into the Covenant there is a perfect league of love and peace made between them a mutual reconciliation and relation therefore he pardons their great sins For unless these were pardoned such a league of love and peace would be impossible Persons are not perfectly reconciled whilest the greatest matters of difference do continue 6. Son said Christ be of good comfort thy sins are forgiven thee Matth. 9. 2. Every justâ—fied person hath cause of rejâ—ycing Every justified or pardoned person is in a comfortable condition he hath cause of joy and rejoycing But if God did not pardon their great sins as well as the rest of their sins their condition would not be comfortable at all but most miserable and full of just horror and fear c. 7. God hath made use of the great sins of persons to humble them and will he not God makes use of great sins to humble men now make use of his great mercies to pardon them all our humbings are wrought by the Spirit in a reference unto mercy when God intends to make us vessels of mercy he doth first make us broken vessels Acts 2. 37. Pricked in their hearts Ver. 41. then believed Acts 9. 6. Trembled Chap. 16. 29. And when he intends to break and humble the heart of a sinner usually he makes the Conscience of him to apprehend and to lay hold of some of the greatest and worst of his sins Pauls Conscience took hold of his persecuting of Christ and the Jaylor of his injuriousness to the Apostles Zacheus on his exaction and Mary Magdalen on her adultery God layes on us the sense of our great sins to make us see the great need of mercy and to confess the greatness of mercy in the pardoning of such great sins and to quicken earnest prayers for mercy 8. God hath great glory in the pardon of great sins Who is a God like unto thee c Mich. 7. 19. q. d. there is not such a merciful and gracious God in all the God hath great glory in the pardon of great sins world Prov. 25. 2. It is the glory of God to conceale a thing Prov. 19. 11. It is the glory of a man to passe over a transgression So Jer. 33. 8. I will pardon all their iniquities whereby they have sinned and whereby they have transgressed against me Ver. 9. And this shal be to me a Name of joy and praise and honour before all the Nation This was his glory Exod. 34. 7. Keeping mercy for thousands forgiving iniquity transgression and sin c. 9. God would have his people to pray for the forgiveness of their great sinnes God would have his people to pray for pardon of great sins Hose 14. 2. Take away iniquity and receive us graciously and they have prayed for the forgiveness of their great sins Psal 25. 11. For thy Name sake O Lord pardon mine iniquity for it is great And they have prevailed Exod. 32. 32. Therefore certainly he will forgive their great sins For whatsoever we ask according to his will and in Christs Name he will do it for us SECT II. 1. Vse DOth God promise to pardon the great sins yea the greatest sins of his people Hence we may be informed of the unspeakable goodness Information of the unspeakable goodness of God to his people In not taking advantage against us of God to his people First That he takes not advantage against them he seeks not occasions to fall off from them if he did then small offences would serve the turn our daily failings would have broken up all communions betwixt him and us much more would our great transgressions have raised up a partition wall and caused his soul to abhor us Psal 103. 10. He hath not dealt with us after our sins nor rewarded us according to our iniquities Great transgressions are great provocations and great injuries and great dishonours unto God yet you see he promiseth to pass them by to pardon them therefore certainly he takes no advantage against us he doth not mark iniquities and what we have done amiss There are no small matters God doth for us Secondly That they are no small matters which he doth for us There are two things which God doth for his people which are not small favours 1. One is the giving of Christ unto them and the giving of them unto Christ 2. The other is the forgiving of their great sins Moses reputes this work as the fruits of his great power and of his great mercy Numb 14. 17. I beseech thee let the power of my Lord be great according as thou hast spoken saying ver 18. The Lord is long-suffering and of great mercy forgiving iniquity and transgression ver 19. Pardon the iniquity of this people according to the greatness of thy mercy And so doth the Apostle in Ephes 1 17. He puts this upon the account of the riches of Gods grace wherein ver 8. he abounds towards us Was it a small thing for the King in Matth. 18. 23 24. to forgive the servant who owed unto him ten thousand talents What is the desert of any one sin even of the least of our sins death and wrath and curse and hell what then is the punishment and recompence meritoriously belonging to us for our great transgressions yet God forgives them c. Thirdly That his love is very great and very firm and sure unto his people His love is very great and firm and never to be taken off and removed why so because he forgives all the sins of his people and the great and the greatest sins of them If any thing breaks off the love of God it must be sin for that he hates and that is the only provocation of him and if any sin doth it it is likely that a multitude of sins will daily and continual offences and if any of these will it is most probable that great and high sinnings will cut the knot asunder But you see it is not the multitude of sins nor yet the magnitude of sins which separates the people of God from the love of God but he will pardon all their sins yea the greatest of their sins therefore his love is fixed and never to be changed For if these will not alter it nothing else shall or can Fourthly That God takes
sins 1. For his mercies sake Psal 51. 1. According to the multitude of thy mercies blot out my transgressions Psal 6. 4. O save me for thy mercies sake 2. For his Christ sake Ephes 4. 32. Even as God for Christs sake hath forgiven you Therefore when of old they would have their sins pardoned they offered sacrifices and blood was shed and poured out which Typified the blood of Christ that was shed for the remission of sins For without shedding of blood is no Remission Heb. 9. 22. 3. For his Promise sake Numb 14. 17. I beseech thee said Moses let the power of my Lord be great according as thou hast spoken saying Ver. 18. The Lord is long-suffering and of great mercy forgiving iniquity and transgression Ver. 19 Pardon I beseech thee the iniquity of this people according to the greatness of thy mercy and as thou hast forgiven this people from Egypt even untill now Fifthly They have patiently waited upon the Lord untill that he hath shewed them Patiently wait till he shew mercy mercy Psal 85. 8. I will hear what God the Lord will speak for he will speak peace unto his people and to his Saints Isa 30. 18. Therefore will the Lord wait that he may be gracious unto you and therefore will he be exalted that he may have mercy upon you for the Lord is a God of judgement blessed are all they that wait for him Ver. 19 He will be gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry when he shall hear it he will answer thee These are the ways which great sinners yea which the people of God being guilty of great transgressions have taken to get the forgiveness of them and in which ways God hath met them with his pardoning mercies and if in the like cases we do thus follow the Lord he will be merciful and gracious unto any of us though greatly sinning and guilty Thirdly Having shewed unto you what course is to be taken for to get the pardon Evidences of the pardon of great sins of great transgressions I shall now deliver unto you some signs or evidences by which one may certainly know that God hath forgiven his great sins There are six Evidences of this First There always goes a great change with the forgiveness of great sins A great change accompanying it It is a great question whether Justification be before Sanctification whatsoever may be disputed for the priority of nature yet it is agreed there is no priority of time for as soon as any sinner is justified and pardoned he is changed and sanctified the blood and the water go together as soon as any one is in Christ he is forgiven and there is no condemnation unto him Rom. 8. 1. And so as soon as any is in Christ he is a new creature old things are past away and all things become new 2 Cor. 15. 17. What an unclean person was Mary Magdalen before she was called to Christ and found mercy and after mercy was obtained what an eminent Christian was she what a violent and injurious Persecutor was Paul in times past and when he obtained mercy what an admirable and exemplary Christian was he Of all the changes incident to sinners the greatest change appears in the greatest sinner received to mercy and forgiveness there are two conspicuous changes in them 1. The greatest inward change the sins which he formerly loved more than his soul he now doth hate more than hell he once out faced the Word and now trembles at it 2. The greatest outward change the worst sinner being received to mercy proves the choicest Christian he is now as notable in a gracious walking as he was once notorious in a licentious living exemplary in both respects and in both wayes and courses Note Secondly A second Evidence that God hath forgiven our great sins is our great Great love to a forgiving God love to a forgiving God this note Christ himself giveth Luke 7. 47. Her sins which are many are forgiven her for she loved much but to whom little is forgiven the same loveth little Christ brings there a Parable of a Creditor who forgave two debts one of them a great debt and the other a lesser debt hereupon he demands of Simon the Pharisee which would love him most who answered I suppose he to whom most was forgiven this he applies to the woman there forgiven much was forgiven her and therefore she loved much he speaks not of a love anâ—â—cedent to pardon but of a love following it 1 John 4 19. We love him because he loved us first Ver. 10. Herein is love not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins And indeed none can love God but such who can by faith see him a merciful pardoning and reconciling God in Christ Thirdly A most tender fear to offend and grieve the Lord any more Psal 130. A tender fear to offend God 4. There is forgiveness with thee that thou mayst be feared Hosea 3. 5. They shall fear the Lord and his goodness It is wonderful to observe the singular frame of spirit in a converted and pardoned sinner from what it was in former times heretofore he feared not the most cursed Oaths but now he fears an idle word heretofore he feared not the most beastly practice of uncleanness but now he fears the very thoughts and mental imaginations of it heretofore he could omit all good duties now he fears to neglect the least he hath found so much good so much mercy at the hands of God and tasted of so much gracious goodness that he would not willingly offend him in any thing in any part of his life a tender heart hath tasted of tender mercies Fourthly Exceeding zeal for God who hath shewed him great mercy and Exceeding zeal for God for Christ for whose sake God hath forgiven all the greatest sinners have ever been most zealous before they have obtained mercy they have been most zealous for what was evil and after they have obtained mercy they have been most zealous for what is good How zealous was Paul even besides himself for Christ actively zealous I laboured more abundantly than they all 1 Cor. 5. 10. And passively zealous I am ready not to be bound only but also to dye at Hierusalem for the Name of the Lord Jesus Acts 21. 13. Fifthly Great compassions Oughtest thou not to have had compassion on thy fellow-servant as I had compassion on thee There are no men so merciful as Great compassions those sinners to whom God hath shewed most mercy there is a three-fold compassion in them 1. A pitying compassion of all sinners especially of great sinners grieving bewailing praying 2. An helping compassion especially to those unto whom he hath been the occasion or cause of great sins even pulling them out of the fire weeping intreating instructing them with meekness if peradventure God will give them
heard thee preach in our Synagogues Have we not eat and drunk in thy presence c Luke 13. 26. There is not any one hypocrite there is not any one formal Professor but he doth deceive himself with a false opinion of his estate and with a false assurance And there are four great Reasons why these men do thus delude themselves 1. One is Pride of heart and vain-glory they will appear not to be inferiour to any and therefore will deceive themselves to deceive others and will boast of what they have not 2. Another is the reach of common gifts which may give them a taste of Christ and of the good Word and of the Powers of the world to come Hebr. 6. 5. A taste makes them think it is assurance 3. A third is the neglect of self-examination they take things upon trust and will not search their hearts and try their ways and bring them to the light to the rule to the touch-stone to the Word they will not try their hearts by the Word nor their supposed graces by the Word nor their comforts nor assurances by the Word and therefore they deceive themselves 4. A fourth is the just iudgement of God upon them to send them strong delusions that they should believe a lye because they received not the love of the ruth 2 Thes 2. 10 11. Only a notion of it but not the love of it only the form but not the power of godliness Thirdly As many have deceived themselves with a false assurance so Many still deceive themselves How one may know he hath a false assurance many still do deceive themselves with a false assurance instead of a true assurance Quest But will some of you say that is the question unto which we desire you to speak a few words what are the discoveries of a false assurance or how one may know that the assurance or perswasion which he hath if the forgiveness of his sins is false is but a delusion Sol. For your help in this I will present unto you six infallible discoveries of a false assurance First The first is When it is a seal without any date my meaning is when a person When it is a seal without a date always hath had assurance never was there any time when he doubted of this point he was never troubled concerning it but always believed and his heart hath always been confidently perswaded that Christ dyed for him and that his sins were pardoned Why this alone may convince thee that thy assurance is but a delusion Mark the Apostle a little in Rom. 8. 15. Ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear but the Spirit of Adoption whereby we cry Abba Father Ver. 16. The Spirit it self beareth witness with our spirits that we are the children of God Here the Apostle lays out three works of the Spirit with the order of his workings 1. First He is efficientè operativè the spirit of bondage to fear i. e. making us rightly sensible of our sinful and miserable condition which makes our hearts to fear what the Lord will do against us 2. Secondly Hereupon in time he is the Spirit of Adoption working faith in us by which we become the children of God and look on him as a Father with love and without any servile fear 3. Thirdly After both these he is the Spirit of assurance bearing witness with our spirits that we are the children of God This is the last work of the Spirit it is not the first nor the only work of the Spirit it comes after the Spirit of Adoption as that comes after the spirit of bondage to fear From this place thou mayst evidently discern the assurance of which thou boastest to be false to be no work of the Spirit who begins in a work of conviction and humiliation and ends in a work of testimony and assurance begins in bondage and ends in liberty begins in fear and ends in peace and comfort the Spirit never begins but ends in comfort Secondly The second discovery of a false assurance is this that as it hath It hath not the Spirit of God for the Author of it not the Spirit of God for the Author of it so it hath not the Word of God for the Instrument and means of it Beloved the Word of God is the Organ or Instrument which the Spirit of God doth ordinarily use for the forming of all his gifts and graces and comforts upon the soul of man I hardly know any one of them for which he doth not employ the Ministry of the Word when the Spirit 1. Enlightens the soul he makes use of the Word to convey and let in light into the soul Psal 19. 8. It enlightens the eyes 2. Humbles the heart he makes use of the Word to break the heart and to lay it low Acts 2. 37. When they heard this they were pricked in their hearts 3. Converts and calls the soul he calls it by the Word and converts it by the Word 1 Thes 2. 19. He called you by our Gospel Jam. 1. 18. 4. Brings in a soul by faith unto Christ he doth this by the Word Rom. 10. Ephes 1. 5. Raises and comforts when he strengthens and assures the soul he doth quicken it by th◠Word and comforts it by the Word and strengthens it by the Word 〈◊〉 assures it by the Word yea and recovers by the Word assurance when it is lost Ephes 1. 13. In whom we also trusted after that ye heard the Word of truth the Gospel of salvation In whom after that ye believed ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise 1 Thes 1. 5. Our Gospel came unto you not in word only but power and in the Holy Ghost and in much assurance Here you see the Word to be the means of believing and so making way for sealing and assuring Psal 119. 50. Thy Word hath quickned me but now a false assurance was never wrought by the Word which will appear plainly if you do consider three things that are usually found in men presumptuously and deludingly assured 1. They care little for the Word especially for that Word of God which doth powerfully search and prepare the heart and fit it for the assuring work of the Spirit 2. They have most peace and assurance when they keep them most from the faithful and powerful delivery of the Word and their assurance is never more interrupted and shaken and dashed than under the soul searching and convincing Ministry of the Gospel it cannot stand before it nor abide the tryal of it 3. Notwithstanding all their seeming regards unto the Word yet never is there any thing contributed by the Word unto their assurance nor further confirming or strengthening or enlarging all which doth evidently demonstrate that a false assurance was never wrought by the Word but is the fruit of fancy and a dream of our own hearts only Thirdly A further discovery of a false assurance is
joy in the presence of the Angels of God over one sinner that repenteth Luke 15. 10. I call it an eminent and great change because it surpasseth all other changes which may be found in men who yet have no newness of heart There may be a change 1. From rudeness of life to civility of conversation 2. From profaneness of walking to formality in Religion 3. From ignorance and blindness of mind to knowledge 4. From the practice of sin to a forbearance of sin 5. From quietness of Conscience to perplexity and trouble of Conscience and yet no newness of heart The change which constitutes a new heart is a very deep change it makes man to be a new creature it doth quite alter the frame and estate of a mans heart and Spirit It is a change in the soul Thirdly When the heart is made new there is a change made in the soul and in the whole soul 1. It is a change in the soule Simile It is one thing to plaister an old house and it is another thing to build a new house It is one thing to adorn a dead man and it is another thing to inform or enliven a dead man Newness of life doth principally respect the root and spring The work of renewing grace begins where sin begins it begins the Reformation where sin begins the deformation it begins to change and cleanse where sin begins to corrupt and defile and that is in the soul Outward Reformation is one thing and inward Reformation is another thing The Pharisees made clean the outside of the cup and they were painted Sepulchres which within were full of rotten bones Hypocrisie can make a new garbe of visible actions but it can never make an new heart it never changes and alters the soul that still remains under the love and power of sin But when the heart is made new there is some inward work of grace by which the soul is changed from death to life from unholiness to holiness 2. It is a change in the whole soul when the heart is made new all the soul In the whole soule is divinely changed Therefore this newness or Renewingness is compared to the light which disperseth itself into the whole body of the Aire so that there is not any one part of the Aire which is not enlightned To the oyntment which fills the whole room with sweet Odour To leaven which diffuseth itself over the whole lump As it is with Original sin it is an universal defilement it infects all the soul there is not one faculty of the soul but it is defiled by it So it is with Renewing grace or newness of heart it is an universal alteration or change it alters all the soul and all the faculties of the soul when a new heart is given there is a change made 1. In the minde or understanding which now is freed from darkness and enjoys an heavenly light to know the things of God and to discern things that are excellent and the mysteries of Christ and salvation appear in their glory We all with open face beholding as in a glasse the glory of the Lord c. 2 Cor. 3. 18. 2. In the Judgement which is now freed from mistakes and Errors and high imaginations and carnal reasonings and disputes and is now captivated to the Truth and approves of what is good and condemneth what is evil It counts sin the gâ—eatest evil and Christ the most incomparable happiness and the enjoyment of God the only portion I count all things but drosse for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ said Paul Phil. 3. 8. Whom have I in heaven but thee and there is none on earth that I desire besides thee saith David Psal 73. 25. Thirdly In the Will which was proud and stubborn and unwilling and averse and perverse nothing would perswade it to hearken to Christ to yield to receive to obey all the arguments of mercy and glory would not â—ffect and take it Ye will not come unto me that ye might have life Joh. 5. 40. But when the heart is made new the Will also is changed now it falls down before Christ Lord what wilt thou have me to do Acts 9. 6. Draw me and I will run after thee Cant. 1. 4. In all the affections of the soul Never was there such a change such a newness how they fall out with one another Grief falls out with Love and Love with hatred nay they seem to be changed one into another Joy into Grief and Love into Hatred and Hatred into Love what a man did love he now hates and what a man did hate he now loves and what a man desired he now fears and what a man delighted in he now grieves at it Nay look on them distinctly in their several motion The desires were Who will shew us any good Now the desires are What shall we do to be saved The delights were in sin in sensualities in vanities in vain societies now they are in the favour of God in Christ in pardoning mercy in holy and heavenly society in doing the will of God The like may be said for love for grief for fear c. Fourthly This change which constitutes newness of heart is wrought by the Spirit of Christ Therefore our Sanctification which is the same with the giving A change wrought by the Spirit of Christ of a new heart is called the Sanctification of the Spirit 1. Pet. 1. 2. And our change into the image of glory from glory to glory is by the Spirit of the Lord 2 Cor. 3. 18. And the newness of heart is the work of the Spirit of Christ no man changeth or renews his own heart but the Spirit doth all And therefore he is called the Spirit 1. Of Knowledge because he illuminates and gives knowledge and light 1 Cor. 12. 8. 2. Of Grace and holiness because he makes us holy Ephes 4. 30. 3. Of Faith because he causeth our hearts to believe 2 Cor. 4. 13. 4. Of Love and joy because he worketh these in our hearts All saving good comes from the Father as the Fountain and through the Son as the Mediator and is wrought in us by the Spirit As in the Creation the Spirit moved upon the waters and so did as it were brood and frame all the Creatures To in Regeneration the Spirit descends upon the hearts and by his vigour doth forme all the newness and spiritual change in it This change is wrought by infusing a new Principle Fifthly The Spirit works this change in the heart by infusing a new Principle or quality of grace A new Principle is necessary to make a new heart there must be something put into the heart to change the heart in all alterations thus it is Simile If you would have the cold removed from the water heat must come in and if you would have darkness removed from the Aire the light must come in and if you would have sickness
removed health must come in For all chaâ—ge amongst qualities is made by contrary qualities And so it is when God changeth the heart when of old he makes it new He doth this by inâ—using a new Quality into the heart contrary to the old quality of the heart which quality is Regenerating or Renewing grace and is called sometimes holiness sometimes the New man sometimes the Inward man sometimes the Law of the mind sometimes the Spirit sometimes Christ sometimes the Anointing sometimes the seed of God and according to the several ways of working it hath several names v. g. As it is the forming of an heavenly being in the soul it is called Regeneration As it is the turning of the heart it is called Conversion As it is the humbling of the heart it is called godly sorrow As it is the turning of us from sin it is called Repentance As it is the bringing of the heart in to Christ it is called Faith c. As it is the abasing of the heart it is called Humility As it is the gentle tempering of the heart it is called Meekness As it is a submitting of the heart to God in sufferings it is called Patience and as it is the raising of the heart to the allowance of God it is called Contentment and Self-denial c. Sixthly Into the Elect and Called of God Renewing grace is peculiar and Into the Elect and Called of God proper to the Elect people of God the Papists and Arminians do hold that Reprobates and Apostates may have the same truly renewing and sanctifying grace which the Elect of God have and that the grace in the one and in the other differ not quantum ad essentiam as to truth but only quantum ad permanentiam as to continuance But this opinion we reject as unsound and dangerous for although we do grant unto some Reprobates and Apostates the common gifts and works of the Spirit as 1. Illumination whereby they may know the revealed will of God and assent unto the truth of the Word which appears by the Parable of the stony ground and in Simon Magus c. 2. And some transient working on their affections as upon hearing the Word to receive it with joy Herod heard John Baptist gladly and the temporary believers took in the Word with joy and with fear as Felix did and with humbling as Ahab did 3. And some kind of external Emendation or Reformation as Herod did many things Matth. 6. 20. Nevertheless no Reprobate attained unto the state of Renovation or Adoption or Justification they were never renewed intensively by the Holy Ghost never had a new heart given unto them because First The state of Renovation is founded in Gods Election He hath chosen us that we should be holy Eph. 1. 4. therefore none but the Elect are renewed Secondly This Renovation flows from union with Christ 2 Cor. 5. 17. If any man be in Christ he is a new creature Thirdly All renewed persons are in special Covenant with God he is their God and they are his people and he will put his fear into their hearts that they shall never depart from him Seventhly and lastly Newness of heart arising from grace infused by the Spirit This newness consists in of Christ consists 1. In a Rectitude of Inclination 2. In a powerful mortification First A Rectitude of Inclination every faculty of the soul is now brought A rectitude of Inclination into its due place and order and inclines and conforms unto God whereas before it was turned from him now we approve the will of God and choose the way of God Newness is the conformity of our nature with Gods nature 2 Pâ—t 1. 4. and of our inclinations and actions to Gods will what God likes we like what God disallows we disallow what God sets up we set up what God would have done we would have done and in what God takes delight in that do we also take delight and in that manner that God would have it done we love with simplicity we pray with fervency and we hear with reverence and we give with chearfulness and we walk with sincerity Secondly In a mortification of old lusts this is called a cleansing from all filthiness of flesh and spirit 2 Cor 7. 1. and a crucifying of the flesh with the In a mortification of old lusts affections and lusts Gal. 5. 24. and a putting off the Old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts Ephes 4. 22. and a dying unto sin Rom 6. 2. and a not suffering sin to reign that we should obey it in the lusts thereof Rom. 6. 12. Beloved this is most certain that newness of heart is 1. An universal contrariety to all our sinful corruptions and therefore where newness of heart is there is a constant hatred of sin and a continual conflict or combate with it 2. A real predominancy renewing grace is stronger than remaining sin and will never suffer it to rule the heart and sway as in former times Quest 3. Why God will give unto all the people of his Covenant a new heart Why God gives a new heart or an heart renewed by grace Sol. The Reasons may be these First God predestinates them unto the means as well as unto the end Gods God predestinates to the means as well as to the end predestination in the aime or end of it respects the glorifying of his people who are therefore called Vessels of mercy afore prepared unto glory Rom. 9. 23. and are said to be chosen and called to the obtaining of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ 2 Thes 2. 14. and Gods predestination in the means tending to that glory is his eternal will and purpose to communicate effectually to his people all that is requisite to bring to the participation of that glory therefore saith the Apostle Rom. 8. 29. Whom he did fore-know he did predestinate to be conformable to the Image of his Son Ver. 30. Moreover whom he did predestinate them he also called and whom he called them he also justified and whom he justified them he also glorified Mark predestination hath a respect to the means as well as to the end to calling and justifying as well as to glorifying and calling is to holiness as well as to happiness to conformity to the Image of his Son as well as unto an inheritance by his Son and what is that being conformed to the Image of his Son but amongst other things to be changed into his Image 2 Cor. 3. 18. And what is that but to have our heart renewed by the Spirit of grace Secondly God will give unto his people all that Jesus Christ hath purchased God will give all that Christ hath purchased for them and which was the very design of his death Now Jesus Christ did by his death make a threefold purchase 1. Of the Persons of all the Elect he bought them with a price Ye are not your own
promise to give a new heart Then let the next Use Exhortation to use the means for it be for Exhortation to use the means by which every one of us may at length enjoy it For the managing of this Use there are three things I will offer unto you 1. Motives to perswade you to strive after a new heart 2. Cautions what to avoid if you would get the new heart 3. Scripture-informations what the wayes are which if you take will certainly bring you to the enjoyment of a new heart 1. The Motives to perswade us to look and strive after this new heart Motives They are these three 1. The misery of an old heart 2. The necessity of a new heart 3. The possibility to be delivered from that and to be possessed of this 1. The misery of an old heart It is such an heart that remaining under the power of it you cannot please God Rom. 8. 8. Nay you cannot but displease The misery of an old heart God you cannot but still sin against him cannot cease from sin 2 Pet. 2 14. But more particularly the old heart First Is a fleshly and corrupt heart the old man which is corrupt Eph. 4. 22. It is called the plague of the heart 1 King 8. 38. It corrupts all your thoughts and all your affections and all your speeches and all your actions Secondly Is an abominable heart the Lord loaths and abhors it as the defacing of his image as the workmanship of the Divel as that which is most contrary to his Nature to his Will and to his Glory Thirdly Is a debasing heart it makes us more vile than the vilest of creatures it makes us like the Divel it makes us his children his slaves his captives and bondmen Fourthly A prejudicing heart it keeps us off from God from Christ from all heavenly communion from all ability to do good or to receive good it holds up our distance from mercy from blessings from heaven and from all hopes thereof Ephes 2. 12. Without Christ having no hope and without God in the world Fifthly It is a deceitful heart Jer. 17. 9. It tempts you and deceives you it promiseth one thing and payes you another thing it pretends but to a little more sinning and yet it is unsatiable It tells you that it will bring you off from sinning and yet still it engageth you to farther sinning It makes you to believe that you shall have mercy and yet it continues you in a course of sinning which will lose you mercy it saith that you shall at last repent and yet it makes your heart more hardened and impenitent it gives you vain pleasures and so cheats you of all true joy it feeds you with some empty profits and thereby deprives you of all true riches it brings in sometimes a little of earth but then it makes you to lose Christ and your own souls Sixthly Is a dreadful heart It is the root of gall and wormwood and the fruits of it are terror and wrath and death and hell All the terrors of conscience spring from it all the wrath of God breaks out upon you by reason of it all the bitter feelings and all the dreadful fears and expectations depend upon it you cannot know peace whiles you live under the power of it Neither God nor Christ nor his Spirit nor his Word nor Conscience will speak peace unto you in that condition But on the contrary the Law of God threatens and condemns you and the Gospel doth as much and more and God and Conscience are all in armes against you and every judgement of God which respects your soul and body for this life and the next doth await but one word and commission from the just God to fall on you and to torment and destroy you 2ly The necessity of a new heart The necessity of a new heart You know there is a two fold necessity One is absolute without which a thing cannot be at all as the union of the soul with the body to make a man Another is Hypothetical if one would be in a well-being then such or such a thing is necessary Now you can never be in a well-being unless the Lord give you a new heart renewing grace is necessary as to that Our well-being respects either this present or that future life and newness of heart necessarily concerns both 1. For this life we cannot be well whiles we are under the curse for sin For this life and under the power of sin to deliver us from the first of these it is necessary to get Christ and to be justified and to deliver us from the last of these it is as necessary to get renewing grace and to be sanctified 2. For the future life of blessedness it is also necessary forasmuch as there For the life to come cannot be a fruition of that without an antecedent fruition of this Joh. 3. 5. Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God Heb. 12. 14. Without holiness no man shall see the Lord. 3ly The Possibility of getting this new heart I confess that though newness of heart be necessary yet if it be impossible to be The possibility of getting of it attained it were in vain to put you upon the seeking for it but as it is necessary to enjoy it so it is possible to find it and three things may convince us of that First One is the power of God to whom nothing is hard or impossible 'T is true that an Almighty power must be put forth to make a Creature and to make a new creature But God is able to quicken the dead and to restore his own image and to slay and subdue the power of our sins and to create in us a new heart and to put another spirit within us whatsoever he doth command and require he is able to give and work Secondly The second is the promise of God you see here that he promiseth to give a new heart and upon this condition if men will enquire of him for it as he likewise upon the same terms promiseth to give his holy Spirit to them that ask it Luke 11. 13. Now the promise of God as it includes his power to perform what he hath promised so it doth express his intention and will to give what he promiseth to give if we seek unto him and rely upon him The third is the work of God He hath according to his Word of promise given this new heart to many thousands in the world we find large Records of this in the Scripture Act. 2. 4. and we see manifold instances amongst our selves what changes he makes in the hearts and lives of men and many times of such as have been very wicked and utterly unworthy The Cautions what to avoid 2ly The Cautions what to avoid if we would get a new heart If ever you would seek for and obtain a new
both convince Preparatively and break the heart of a sinner The Spirit by the Law doth let in the sense of sin and wrath which is irresistible upon the Conscience which is of that authority and force that it rents the heart and fills it with fear and trembling and astonishment This is that which the Schoolmen call Attrition And our Divines usually stile Legal preparation and the Scripture the spirit and bondage whereby all the powers and presumptions and confidences of the soule are shaken and the heart is made so sensible of its transgressions that it quakes and trembles and hath no rest nor peace but is filled with bitterness and terror and cries out with woful complaints I have undone my self I have sinned I have sinned and what will become of me I feel the wrath of God and what shall I do to be delivered I cannot live thus and I dare not dye thus if the Lord shew me not mercy I perish for ever Secondly The Lord takes away the hardness of the heart Effectually and this Effectually he doth when he diâ—solves and melts the stonyness of the heart It is one thing to break a stone into pieces and it is another thing to melt a stone as it were into water Simile The Lord doth by the Law break the stony and stout heart of a sinner but he melts and dissolves the heart by the Gospel and on this wise he doth dissolve and melt it 1. By revealing of mercy and hope of mercy to the broken and distressed sinner thus and thus hast thou â—â—nned against me and now thou seest and findest it to be an evil and bitter thing to slight my Word and resist my Spirit and to harden thy heart thou art now fallen into the hands of the living God and I can make all my wrath to fall on thee and to destroy thee at once for all thy rebellions But I am the Lord merciful and gracious I desire not the death of a sinner but rather that he turn and live Lo I have given mine own Son Jesus Christ to dye for sinners and I have said that whosoever believes on him shall not perish but have everlasting life Joh. 3 16. Therefore go thou broken-hearted sinner go thou unto him and be saved accept of him and thou shalt find mercy to pardon all that is past he is able to save thee to the uttermost and he is a merciful High Priest O how this works on that sinner but is it possible that there should be such a surpassing goodness in God what and to such a proud and stout-hearted sinner as I have been what mercy to one who hath so often slighted mercy and Christ for one who hath so often refused Christ this begins to melt the hard heart of the sinner 2. By the offer of mercy and particular invitation of the broken-hearted sinner to lay hold on it The Lord Jesus comes as it were to the very house of this sinner and knocks at the door and saith Here dwells a broken-hearted sinner and my Father hath sent me to him that I may save his poor soul Come come unto me be not afraid I my self do call thee to come unto me And I do assure thee in the word of a Saviour that I will not reject thee but I will pity and help and refresh thee I will answer for thy sins and I will make thy peace though thou hast been very wicked I will not stand upon that and though thou art utterly unworthy yet I will not stand on that neither only receive me and I will be thine and mercy and salvation shall be thine freely and aâ—suredly 3. By the collation of Faith which makes the sinner willingly and really to close with Christ The Lord by his Spirit doth enable the broken-hearted sinner to receive Jesus Christ and to take livery and seizin of a reconciled merciful loving blessing God in and by him And now the apprehension and possession of all this rich mercy and great love and exceeding goodness of God in Christ melts and dissolves the stonyness of the heart this works in him a tenderness a mournfulness a pliableness and all that is contrary to hardness of heart Thirdly The Lord takes away the stony heart from his people successively Successively or by degrees indeed the dominion of it is taken away in an instant as soon as ever the sinner is brought into Christ as soon as he is called and converted the raigning power of hardness is taken away the man shall never have such a stubborn opposing resisting base heart any longer But yet the grudging of the stone the remaining gravel the reliques of hardness are taken away by degrees the remaining hardnesse the Lord takes away First one while by Afflictions Psal 119. 67. Before I was afflicted I went astray but now I have kept thy Word Secondly Another while by mercies and kindnesses Ezek. 16. 60. I will remember my Covenant with thee in the dayes of thy youth I will establish unto thee an everlasting Covenant Ver. 61. Then shalt thou remember thy wayes and be ashamed So Hose 3. 5. Afterwards shall the Children return and seek the Lord and shall fear the Lord and his goodness Thirdly Sometimes by his Word and Ordinances which are like Refining fire to melt and purge away our dross How frequently do the people of God find the Word of God to be the power of God to melt away their carelesness and their indisposition of heart and deadness of heart and backwardness and unruliness of heart Fourthly The Lord takes away the stony heart from his people perfectly and compleatly Root and Branch so that no part of it and no degree of it shall Perfectly ever be found in their hearts any more This shall be done in the very moment of death when we come to the dissolution of soul and body we shall then come to the perfect dissolution of all hardness and of all remaining sinfulness of heart Quest 2. Now to the second question why the Lord will take away the stony Why God takes away the stony heart and that by promise The Lord will do it that They may be his people heart from his people and why he himself doth undertake it by promise Sol. The Lord will take away the heart of stone from his people That First They may be his people and receive him for their God and Lord Beloved as long as hardness of heart prevails on any people it is impossible that they should become the people of the Lord they will not hearken to his voice nor obey his voice nor receive his Laws nor fall in with his offers and entreaties but will reject his Word and despise his counsel and will follow the lusts of their own hearts and therefore of necessity the Lord must take away the hardness of heart if he will have any people to be his people he must break down the pride and stoutness and resistance
when fervency daily degenerates into formality surely tenderness is falling into hardness of heart Watchlesness over the spirit Fifthly A watchlesnesse over the spirit or soul it is not minded observed lookt unto in its motions affections transactions as formerly but the guard is drawn off there is less fear and more security less diligent care and more loose presumption The man was wont to keep his heart with all diligence narrowly observing the passages and workings of his Spirit the inclinations of his heart temptations of Satan behaviours of every day alone and in company and accordingly did apply himself with variety of petitions to God and humbled himself for what was amiss and renewed his strength in the Lord for the time to come O but now it is not thus the precious soul is neglected the City is not watched the thoughts and affections and actions are not observed the poor man is asleep and drowsie and his spirituall frame is impaired and he considers it not 2ly The sadnesse of this condition The sadness of this condition It is an evill distemper First It is a very evil and naughty distemper an hard heart softning that is good but the soft hardning again that 's very evil Was it good to tremble at the Word what is it now not to be moved by the Word was it good to think of sin and mourn what is it now to hear of thy sins and not to be troubled at all was it good to act duties with affections and life what is it now to neglect the duties or to act them with a heavy and careless Spirit There are four things which shew this hardning to be very evil 1. The marvellous ingratitude in it that the Lord should shew so much mercy to heal the disease and yet you relapse into it again 2. There is an express self-condemnation why you were exceedingly troubled at the hardness of your hearts and prayed against it and sought the prayers of others and now to harden your hearts again 3. There is presumption in it you do tempt the Lord by it Do you mean to continue in this case then you are undone do you mean to come out of it why do you then tempt the Lord by falling into it and presuming on his grace to recover you 4. If you look not speedily to your selves where think you will this hardning end perhaps in some great desertion perhaps in some great transgression perhaps in some exceeding great and long trouble of conscience Secondly It is a very uncomfortable condition How is thy Sun eclipsed It is a very uncomfortable condition and thy Spring cut off what is become of that spirit of Prayer what is become of that excellent assurance of which thou hast so much spoken where is that sweetly excusing testimony of Conscience what is become of that joy in the Holy Ghost and that peace with which thou wast wont to work Ah! thou hast suffered thy heart to harden again and God looks not on thee as he was wont and Conscience speaks not as it was wont and the Spirit of God manifests not himself as he was wont and Ordinances smile not on thee as they were wont nor doth Providence shine upon thy Tabernacle as it was wont But instead of these thou meetest with many a sharp affliction with many piercing reproofs with many a sad item and reckoning and scourges which no man knows and feels in the sting and bitterness of it but thou thy self Thirdly It is a very formal and empty estate how may it grieve thee to see It is an empty state a fruitless Vintage of thy soul Tell me what returns hast thou had all this while that this hardning distemper hath been upon thee thou hearest carelesly and negligently what hast thou been the better for all the Sermons which thou hast heard thou prayest coldly and formally and what good hath returned upon thy soul after them thou hast had no trading all this while at heaven how dull must grace be which is not used and how decaying must thy Spiritual strength be which all this while recovers no more strength Fourthly It is a very dangerour posture though it be not absolute Apostacy It is a dangerous posture yet it looks toward it Though I will not say that it is the turning of the grace of God into wantonnesse yet it bends towards it Though it be not falling from grace and though it be not a forsaking of God yet unquestionably it is a gâ—ieving of God and a provoking of him and for which he may very far leave a person 3ly Directions in this case for recovery Directions for recovery Finde out the cause First By all means find out the cause or causes of the hardning observe well 1. What conscience tells thee in thy bed at night or in the day of fear and affliction or in a day of Solemn Humiliation or in the meditation of thy short appearances before God 2. What the Word of God hints and points at in thee at what it levels and strikes there is an arrow some time or other shot which falls into thy very heart a message that is secretly delivered in way of conviction and reproof which saith Thou art the man and this is thy way and thy doings 3. What thy faithful and watchful friends say unto thee what their suspicions and fears are and unto what their friendly counsels do tend A thousand to one but some of these things which I shall mention have brought on thee this new hardness upon thy heart 1. Either spiritual pride this hath made thee to neglect thy watch and to neglect the Ordinances 2. Or a worldly surfet thou hast been taking in too much of the world and worldly business and this hath robbed thee of thy precious time to converse at heaven to meditate to examine to read to hear to pray to confer with thy Fellow-Christians 3. Or the deceitfulness of sin Thou hast ventured on lesser sins and they have ensnared thee and drawn thee to greater sins and these have brought upon thee the hardness of thy heart again c. Secondly When you have found out the spiritual causes by which your hearts Judge your selves and repent have been hardned then judge your selves and repent remember from whence thou art fallen and repent said Christ unto Ephesus Rev. 2. 5. Nay do not stay to look when this hardning will fall off from thee but hasten but compel thy self to retiredness and to a penitential consideration of thy hardning with the causes of it and the great evils in it and fall down before the Lord in humble confessions of thy great back-slidings and poure out prayer upon prayer O wrestle with the Father of mercies for his Christs sake to pity and pardon and heal and once more to cure and recover thee Follow on to seek the Lord though he doth secretly upbraid thee though for a while he delays thee though to thy
Joh. 14. 23. If a man love me he will keep my words and my Father will love him and we will come and make our abode with him Ver. 16. The Father shall give you another Comforter that he may abide with you for ever The Father dwells in us 2 Cor. 6. 16. I will dwell in them The Son dwells in us Ephes 3. 17. Christ dwells in your hearts by Faith The Spirit dwells in us Rom. 8. 11. Fourthly That all the people of God have the Spirit of God may plainly appear by the works â—f the Spirit which are to be found in every one of them 1. They are sanctified by the Spirit Ye are sanctified by the Spirit of our God 1 Cor. 6. 11. 2. They are led by the Spirit As many as are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God Rom. 8. 14. 3. They are upheld and strengthened by the Spirit Psal 51. 12. Vphold me with thy free Spirit Ephes 3. 16. To be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man 4. They are partakers of the first fruits of the Spirit Rom. 8. 23. Our selves have the first fruits of the Spirit 5. They are helped by the Spirit Rom. 8. 26 The Spirit also helpeth our infirmities and the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groans which cannot be uttered 6. They are taught by the Spirit Joh. 14. 26. The Holy Ghost whom the Father will send in my Name he shall teach you all things 7. They are comforted by the Spirit Acts 9. 31. They walked in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost 8. They are sealed by the Spirit Ephes 1. 13. In whom after that ye believed ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise Quest 3. Why doth the Lord put his Spirit within every one of his Reasons of it people Sol. There may be assigned six Reasons for it viz. 1. Necessity 2ly Congruity 3ly Conformity 4ly Excellency 5ly The love of God 6ly The purchase of Christ First Necessity The presence and enjoyment of the Spirit is necessary for The necessity of it them in many respects 1. For applying of Christ unto them and for the applying of them unto Christ For applying Christ that there is a conjunction or union between Christ the Head and his Mystical body the Church is an unquestionable truth And how Christ who locally in heaven should be joyned or united to his Church here on earth this cannot be done but by the Spirit who doth knit or joyn Christ to us and us to Christ as really as the head is joyned to the body and as the body is joyned to the head But take the instance in any particular believer that Christ is his and he is Christs it is certain but how comes Christ to be his what is that on Christs part which makes this union it is the Spirit and none but the Spirit and what is it on our part which makes this union it is faith and it is caused by the Spirit So that the Spirit is necessary to this union on either part on Christs part to apply or unite him to us and on our part in causing faith which applyes and unites us to Christ And unto this reciprocal union the Spirit is such a necessary agent that without him there cannot possibly be any union at all No man can be united to Christ but by the Spirit neither can Christ I speak it with reverence unite himself to us but by his Spirit 2. For conveying of spiritual life into them or a new being into their souls For conveying of spiritual life Naturally all men are dead in trespasses and sins and every faculty in them is totally defiled and polluted and corrupted and is deprived of the glory of God nor can any man help himself in this case nor can any creature do it None can raise him from his death but that Spirit who raised Jesus Christ from the dead Therefore is the Spirit called the Spirit of life and the Spirit of grace forasmuch as he is the authour of both unto our souls it is the Spirit who quickens them by infusing the life of Christ into them and who renews them by changing of them into the image of Christ 3. For all the actings of grace Take me any Christian though endowed with For all the actings of grace all the principles of grace and great measures thereof now put him upon any particular acting put him upon believing put him upon repenting upon mourning upon any acts of obedience why looâ—â—s no member of the body can move or strive but from an influence from the head no more can we act any grace we have but by an influence from the Spirit of Christ our Head Joh. 15. 5. And we find it in experience that it is with our souls Simile as with a ship which stirs not if the wind stirs not and it stirs more or less as the wind is greater or lesser so if the Spirit of God stirs not in us our graces stir not c. For all our receptions 4. For all our Receptions Would you know any truth of God you cannot know it unless the Spirit of God give you his light to know it 1 Cor. 2. 10 11. would you be acquainted with the love of God you can never perceive it unless the Spirit shed abroad that love in your hearts Rom. 5. 5. would you be clear and satisfied in your relation of sonship unto God as your Father all the men in the world cannot perswade and satisfie as to that unlesse and untill the Sperit beareth witness with your Spirits that you are the children of God Rom. 8. 16. Secondly Congruity It is meet and fit that the people of God should have the Spirit of God For Congruity 1. They are his children and is it not meet that the children of God should have the Spirit of God should they not bear his image if they were led by the same spirit by which the children of this world are led had they not another Spirit they could not be his children 2. They are his servants and therefore they have much to do for him and they have much to suffer for him Is it not meet that the Lord should help his servants The services of the people of God which they are to do for him and to suffer for him are above all their own strength and therefore God will give them his Spirit to enable them for all their services whether active or passive the Spirit can supply them for every work 3. They are his Heirs and intended for eternal glory and is it not fit that they should have the Spirit of grace who must have the Spirit of glory Heirs of God Rom. 8. 17. Before a person comes to heaven it is fit that he should be fitted for heaven be made meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light Col. 1. 12. And who
destitute of the Spirit of God I will mention a few of them unto you First If you have not the Spirit you belong not unto Christ you are none of his most men amongst us presume that they belong to Christ and that be dyed Such belong not to Christ for them that Christ is theirs and that they are Christs but read the Apostle Rom. 8. 9. If any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his Gal. 4. 6 O what is that man who is none of Christs whose is he and to whom doth he belong who is none of Christs and belongs not unto Christ All the men in the world are divided 'twixt Christ and the Divel if you be not Christs members then you are the Divels slaves But yet consider that expression a little more none of his 1. None of his in way of Relation he owns you not Is no Head to you Who are none of Christs None of Christs in relation None in respect of Mediation None in respect of beneficial application no Husband to you no Saviour to you 2. None of his in respect of Mediation he is no Mediatour for you he never took your sins upon him he is none of your Surety he became not a curse for you made not your peace 3. None of his in respect of beneficial application he is not your Righteousness for Justification he is not your holiness for Sanctification he is not your life for Salvation if you be none of his you shall have none of him None of his why then God is none of yours then the Promises are none of yours then future glory can be none of yours then the hope of glory can be none of yours for it is Christ in us the hope of glory Col. 1. 27. None of his then you have no true faith then you are separated from Christ then you alone must answer for all your sins and then unquestionably you are under the condemnation and curse of the Law Secondly If you have not the Spirit of God then are you dead in your sins you are still in the natural unregenerate loathsome and cursed estates like so Are dead in their sins many carrions stinking in your graves for it is the Spirit and he only that quickens and changeth the estate of the sinner All spiritual life which quickens the soul comes only from the Spirit of life Simile You may as well say the body is alive which wants a soul as that the soul is alive which wants the Spirit of life Assuredly death hath dominion over you Spiritual death which is a separation from God and Legal death which is the sentence of death pronounced against you if you want the Spirit O what misery is this to be a sinner and nothing but a sinner to be totally wicked to be utterly destitute of the glory of God not any thing of his image in holiness in knowledge in righteousness not any love of him not any fear of him but filled with all unrighteousness and all ungodliness with all the powers of sinful lusts ignorance pride envy malice enmity unlesse hardness of heart c. and all of them raging and reigning oppressing and resisting c. Why this is our condition really if we have not the Spirit of God for there is no change and there can be no charge from it but by the Spirit of God Thirdly If you have not the Spirit of God than are you in bondage unto Satan and are led and ruled by the wicked spirt There are but two spirits which lead all In bondage to Satan sorts of men either the good Spirit or the wicked spirit all the sons of God are led by the good Spirit and all the children of darkness and disobedience are led by the wicked spirit he moves and stirs and teaches and inclines your hearts and leads and rules and commands them and his will you do obey and act all your dayes though you perceive it not if you have not the Spirit of God under that bondage do not continue for only the Spirit of God is the Spirit of victory of liberty of delivery Fourthly You can never be bettered by any Ordinance whatsoever You may come Cannot be bettered by Ordinances and hear and go home and say or read a prayer thrust your selves upon the Sacrament but all in yain for what are any of these without the Spirit he can do do good cannot repent believe mourn why no not any good desire Can any man hear so as to know the mind of God without the Spirit of God Can any man pray and make supplication who hath not the spirit of Prayer and the spirit of supplication Can any man receive benefit and comfort in the Sacrament from Christ â—hat hath not faith and can any man have faith and act faith who hath not the spirit Fifthly You are open and obnoxious to all temptations and unto all erroneous Are exposed to all tentations disobedience for to overcome temptations there is need of much strength much spiritual strength and that comes only from the Spirit of God who is the spirit of might and power Ephes 6. 10 11. And to prevent erroneous disobedience a man needs to know the truth and to be well grounded in the truth O but it is the spirit of truth who leads us into all truth Sixthly Nay you are if your conscience should be awakened exposed to Exposed to dreadful fears dreadful fears and troubles and despairs for the sense of your great transgressions and of the wrath of God for them and in this case you will not be able to find any comfort or at least you will not be able to apply it unto your selves for only the Spirit is the Comforter though you may read much in Christ and much in the Promises and much in God apt to give comfort yet nothing in any of these can be your actual comfort unlesse the spirit of God make it to be so unto you Seventhly Take you at the best can be but formal Christians Christians in Are but formal Christians shew if you have not the spirit of God for it is the spirit put within us which makes us Christians indeed When the spirit makes our hearts his Temple reforms renews enlivens us with his graces then are we Christians indeed Union with Unction constitutes us in the reality and truth of being Chrstians c. Eighthly I will say but one thing more You cannot be possibly saved if you Cannot be saved have not the spirit of Christ Reasons whereof are these 1. Without Christ no salvation Act. 4. 12. And if we be without the spirit we are certainly without Christ 2. Without holiness no salvation Without holiness no man shall see the Lord Why such cannot be saved Because without Christ Without holiness Without faith Heb. 12. 14. But without the spirit no holiness for he is the holy spirit Essentially in himself
them and in an order to Christ and their salvation by him for by this they see that there is no longer staying or resting in their sinful conditions but then they must and will arise from their sleep in sin By this they find there is nothing in themselves for them to rest upon for when the Spirit indeed convinceth us of our sinful condition as he doth therewith convince us of the curse and wrath so doth he at the same time convince us of our own personal impotency and insufficiency and that there is no help at home if they are there they perish By this they are occasioned and indeed do actually look out for Christ and Righteousness and Peace and Salvation by him and in the event come in to him stoop unto all his Precepts and gladly accept of him and them and with all their hearts do magnifie and bless the grace of God for appointing and setting up such a way of life for miserable lost and self-undone and self-unable sinners Secondly Humiliation this is another work of the Spirit when he is given unto Humiliation us Rom. 8. 15. Ye have not received the Spirit of bondage again to fear If they had not received it again then sometime or other they had received that spirit of bondage to fear Indeed it is a question whether any who are by faith brought into Christ are under the spirit of bondage to fear but it is I think without all question that the spirit of bondage to fear goes before the Spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba Father And so likewise is it without question that humiliation for sin or bondage unto fear is the work of the Spirit for none but the Spirit of God can work that work within us Now there are two things in that expression the Spirit of bondage to fear Whar is the spirit of bondage which I intend in that outward humiliation First An apprehension and feelling of our present sinful condition of which we have been convinced as our bondage or slavery which you know is 1. A base and contemptible condition 2ly A restrained and depriving condition 3ly A subjected and stooping condition to the will of another 4ly A laborious and toylsome condition and that upon very hard and cruel terms 5ly A vexations and grievous condition even ready to break the heart 6ly A most dangerous condition wherein our life lies at the mercy of him who hath it in bondage every hour 7ly It is a most wearisome and burdensome condition one would be most glad of escape and deliverance out of it Thus it is with a man who hath received the spirit of bondage 1. He looks on his sinful condition and on himself as vile and base and cryes out like the Leper unclean unclean like Paul O wretched man that I am 2. He looks on himself as in prison as one shut up and shackled and fettered no liberty no power to any good 3. He looks on himself as fallen into the hands of the living God and righteous God who may when he will execute his fierce wrath upon him 4. On himself as a very drudge to sin at the command of every lust and working out his own damnation 5. He feels this condition full of vexation and terror and burdensome so â—hat his very soul doth fail him and he knows not what to do with himself nor for himself 6. And oftimes in the anguish of his spirit cryes out O who will pity who will deliver me who will break the bonds of my distress Secondly A sad expectation of evil setling upon the soul which is here called fear for fear is the expectation of evil The humbled sinner lying under the spirit of bondage is farre from jollity and mirth and vain confidences he fears what the holy and righteous God who hath revealed his wrath from heaven against all ungodliness will do unto him for all the sins of which he is guilty And he fears exceedingly to dye in this condition if I dye I am damned for ever and he fears to come near to God he is afraid that God will never look on him nor answer him nor shew him mercy in a word he is a very troubled sinner for what he hath done against God and for what God may justly do against him Object But will some say Doth every one who receives the Spirit of God Whether all the godly have first the spirit of bondage find it thus with him hath every one the Spirit of bondage to fear Sol. I answer every one who hath the Spirit hath this those in Act. 2. 37. found it thus Paul in Act. 9. 6. found it thus the Jaylor Act. 16. 29. found it thus only you must distinguish 1. Of the intentions and measures of it All that have received the Spirit have not the like equal measure of bondage to fear Some drink deeper of the cup than others It is terror in some and burden in others it is horror in some it is only pain in others it is the breaking of the bones in some and only the lash of the rod on others 2. Of the duration and continuance of it Some are longer under the spirit of bondage than others are Simile As some women have quicker labour and others have stronger and longer labour So some have a longer time of humiliation for their sins than others have Some are under trouble of Conscience for many years some only a few dayes and then they meet with Christ and are eased Object But this work of humiliation cannot be any demonstrative note of having the Spirit of grace because many wicked men living and dying so have had this work of humiliation Sol. Humiliation may be considered two wayes 1. As a meere Legal and Judicial work for sin as it is a pure retribution of wrath and horror upon the conscience and one of the first fruits and taste of deserved damnation Thus I grant that a Cain and Judas may meet with it 2. As a preparatiâ—e work of the Spirit for Christ thus it is not given to any but to such whom God intends to convert and save by Christ Quest But may some reply There lies the Question How may one know that How to know which is true humiliation this work of Humiliation is not a judicial but a preparative work Sol. It may I humbly conceive be thus known When humiliation is a preparative work of the Spirit First Then the heart is troubled for the filthiness of sin as well as for the guiltiness of sin Not only because God may punish us but also because we have offended God not only because I am a guilty sinner deserving and feeling wrath but also I am a filthy and defiled creature destitute of the image and glory of God Secondly Then the heart is broken from sin as well as for sin sin troubles me and I trouble sin former sins are my burden and grief and present sins is become the
object of my hatred I hate that which hath so much provoked God against me and which is the cause of all the evil upon me I will never love nor serve it any more Thirdly Then all our hopes are in mercy alone of which we judge our selves unworthy Fourthly Then it draws out the heart to make after a Christ who only can give peace and ease and bind up the broken in heart the Spirit of God leads out this humbled sinner to Gospel enquiries and to Gospel helpers As Act. 2. 37. What shall we do And Act. 16. 30. What must I do to be saved Fifthly Thus the heart strives earnestly with the Lord to give Faith that it may be able to close with Christ and the man is not and will not be satisfied untill he be by faith possessed of Christ how he prayes how he hears how he attends and waits till it be given unto him to believe 3. Union and Conjunction with Christ this is another choice work of the Spirit apparant in all to whom God gives his Spirit Union with Christ It is the Spirit of God who perswades and inclines and draws in the broken-hearted sinner unto Christ by him is the match made between the soul and Christ by him is Christ joyned unto us and by him are we joyned unto Christ Now the Spirit unites or brings in the humble and broken-hearted sinner to How the Spirit unites the broken-hearted sinner to Christ Christ on this wise First By opening the Gospel that word of glad tidings and of good news that good word of life and of hope unto the humbled sinner wherein as in a glass he doth see the great love rich mercy and free grace of God in Jesus Christ unto such who was sent and given by the Father to suffer for our sins and to take away our sins and to make our peace and to reconcile us unto God and to deliver and save our souls and that'â— the way to partake of him and all good by him is to believe on him this the Spirit of God makes evident unto the humble sinner and withall offers him that whosoever believes on him shall not perish but have everlasting life Joh. 3. 16. Secondly By presenting strong and safe Grounds or Arguments to the humble sinner that he ought to believe and may lay hold for his particular v. g. 1. The express command of God 1 Joh. 3. 23. This is his command that we should believe on the Name of his Son Jesus Christ 2. The express offer unto the humble sinner and plain call of Christ Matth. 11. 28. Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden c. 3. The designation of Christ to this work of help and comfort Isa 66. 1. The Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted 4. The promises and assurances of Christ that he shall not be disowned if he comes to him Joh. 6. 37. Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out nay he shall be accepted and eased Matth. 11. 28. Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest Thirdly by answering and resolving all the doubts and fears and exceptions of unbelief from the greatest of former sinnings and from present unworthiness and multitudes of wants these the Spirit inwardly answers and takes off by convincing the sinner that Christ must be his Righteousness and will be so to every one that believes and that our unworthiness hinders not but he that is athirst may come and take the water of life freely Rev. 22. 17. And he that hath no money he may come and buy wine and milk without money and without price Isa 55. 1. Fourthly By making the Gospel at length through his own power an effectual means of faith so that the humbled sinner becomes a believing sinner his heart is perswaded and opened to Christ and he glorifies all the goodness and kindness of Christ he receives and embraces him takes Christ for his Lord and Saviour and Husband and Head and is joyned unto him and made one with Christ and Christ is one with him This is the great and notable work of the Spirit which he works in every one of the people of God in Covenant not one of them but he is by the Spirit brought in to Christ The Spirit doth not only in a preparative way convince and humble them for their sins but also he doth in an effectuall manner bring them in to Christ whom he hath before prepared for Christ Therefore let us look well unto our selves by this may you know undoubtedly whether God hath put his Spirit within you If his Spirit be in you then you are in Christ If the Spirit be in your hearts then Faith is in your hearts If you be possessed of the Spirit then you are possessed of Christ your hearts are overcome are perswaded are drawn to Christ he hath been the great desire of your souls and he is the very portion of your soules You are Christs and Christ is yours But if your hearts remain ignorant of Christ or undesirous of Christ and careless of Christ and stubborn and opposite to Christ you will not have Christ to reign over you and you will not come to him though you may have life and you love your sins better than Christ and you will sit down with the pleasure and with the profit of the world assuredly you have not the Spirit of God and if you continue thus you shall dye and perish in you sins Fourthly Regeneration or Renovation this is another eminent work of the Spirit extant in all the people of God they are all of them regenerated and Regeneration renewed by the Spirit Joh. 3. 5. Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God Tit. 3. 5. According to his mercy he saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost For the better opening of this I will shew unto you 1. What this work of the Spirit is what Regeneration or Renovation is 2. That this work of the Spirit is to be found in all the people of God to whom the Spirit is given Quest 1. What is this work of Regeneration or Renovation Sol. It is that work of the Spirit by which we partake of a new spiritual being What regeneration is even of the life of Christ yea of the same image of Christ and by which we are made new creatures As in every natural generation there is as the Philosophers speak an introduction of a new form as when the water is turned into aire or the are is turned into fire there is still another form a new form brought into them or as when a child is generated there is another new form brought into the matter which it had not before viz. a reasonable soul So is it in Spiritual
if I may so speak the very Genius and natural disposition of the holy Spirit to be casting out pulling down cleansing and purging of all our impurities and fleshly lusts which are so contrary to his nature and so offensive unto his presence Hence it is that he maintains a constant and perpetual war with sin in the hearts of the people of God till at the last he gives unto them a compleat and perfect victory Now from what I have delivered in this concerning the Spirit of judgement and of burning two things will flow 1. A conviction unto some that they have not yet received the Spirit of God because 1. They have not received the spirit of judgement to disallow and condemn their sinful lusts and wayes but are so far from it that on the contrary they do approve them and defend them and support them and cannot endure to hear the reproof and condemnation of them from the Word or Ministry or any other but presently they rage and swell and grow discontented and malicious and revengeful 2. They have not received the spirit of burning to abhor their sins and to crucifie them forasmuch as they do still love their sins and will serve them and will not forsake them Job 20. 13. But their great delight is in their sinful wayes and they hold fast their iniquities and hate to be reformed surely these persons have never received the Spirit of God 2. A comfort unto others that they have received the Spirit of God Because 1. They do judge themselves and really do disallow and condemn all sin in themselves Rom. 7. 15. That which I do I allow not 2. They are daily mortifying their sinful lusts by striving after a fuller fellowship in the death of Christ by relying on sin-subduing and mortifying promises and by constant hatred and opposition of their lusts which war against the law in their mind so that they will not serve sin any more and though as the Apostle spake in 2 Cor. 10 3. they walk in the flesh yet they do not warre after the flesh Secondly The Spirit of God is the Spirit of knowledge and wisdom so you read in Isa 11. 2. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him the spirit of wisdom and understanding the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. Ephes 1. 17. That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ the Father of glory may give unto you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him Whosoever hath the Spirit of God that man hath wisdom given unto him by the Spirit not carnal wisdom but heavenly wisdom true wisdome indeed which wisdom appears in four things First as to the subject If thou be wise saith Solomon thou shalt be wise for thy self Prov. 9. 12. And herein is a mans wisdom for himself when he principally minds and looks after and spends his choysest cares and layes out his chiefest pains to make sure work for the saving of his immortal soul That man is wise indeed and he only is wise who so attends his soul that he is never at rest untill he finds his soul to be ready in a safe and sound condition And thus doth every one who hath the Spirit of God given unto him he is by the Spirit made wise unto salvation What shall I do to be saved Act. 16. 30 He workâ— out his own salvation with fear and trembling Phil. 2. 12. And gives all diligence to make his calling and election sure 2 Per. 1. 12. 2ly As to the Object in making choice of the best and most necessary object for the soul and in refuâ—ing that which is pernicious and impertinent And this wisdom all have who have the Spirit of God For 1 They pitch upon the most excellent and most necessary object to enjoy that viz. God to be their God and reconciled Father and Christ to be their Lord and Redeemer and Saviour One thing is necessary and Mary hath chosen that good part c. 2. They abhor sin which is the pernicious object I hate every false way said David Psal 119. 104. And Solomon saith Prov. 14. 16. A wise man feareth and departeth from evil 3. They are above the world which is the impertinent object for the soul We look not at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen for things which are seen are temporal but the things which are not seen are eternal 2 Cor. 4. 18. Thirdly As to means and wayes tending to the fruition of eternal blessedness These they find out and in these they walk untill they come and appear before God Repentance Faith Holiness Righteousness Love new Obedience Uprightness these are the vety paths and wayes to heaven and all these do they chuse and walk in who have the Spirit of God given unto them Psal 119. 30. I have chosen the way of truth Ver. 35. Make me to go in the path of thy commandements for therein do I delight Isa 26. 7. The way of the just is uprightnesse Fourthly As to time or season Eccles 8. 5. A wise mans heart discerneth both time and judgement And this part of wisdom also is found in all that have the Spirit of God There is a day of visitation a day of knowledge of the things which do concern our peace Luke 19. 42 44. A day of salvation an accepted time 2 Cor. 6. 2. A time when Christ offers himself and love and mercy and happiness and strives with the hearts of men to know and accept of him And this time they who have the Spirit of God discern and do lay hold on and do gladly embrace they do not slight nor delay nor harden their hearts But while it is called to day they hearken Like the wise Merchant who as soon as he found the pearl of great price sold all and bought it Matth. 13. 45 46. Now if this wisdom of the spirit be as indeed it is the evidence that we have the Spirit O how few then have the Spirit of God given unto them Who takes care in the first place for his soule and makes sure the salvation of it Who sets his heart upon a God upon a Christ upon Reconciliation upon pardoning mercy and not rather upon his sins and on the world Who knows the day of grace the day of his visitation the day of his salvation the accepted time Who chuse the path of holiness the way of uprightness c. 3. Thirdly The Spirit of God is the Spirit of power and he is such a Spirit in and unto all unto whom he is given Rom. 15. 18. The Gentiles were made obedient Ver. 19 By the power of the Spirit of God 2 Tim. 1. 7. God hath given unto us not the spirit of fear but of power Isa 11. 2. The Spirit of the Lord is there called the Spirit of might Ephes 6. 10. Be strong in the Lord aâ—d in the power of his might The Spirit of God is a most strong
c. Who can pray thus but he who is a child of God but he who hath the Spirit of God to shew unto him his spiritual wants to stirre up in him spiritual and earnest desires to quicken his Faith on God and to depend on his good and faithful Promises in Christ c. Fourthly I will adde one instance more concerning the power in all who have received the Spirit and that is this All who have received the Spirit have received a power to do such works as none else in all the world can do for they are able in the strength and power of the Spirit 1. To abhor the dearest lusts which have formerly been more unto them than their lives and heavenly happiness 2. To forsake Father and Mother Husband and Wife and Children and Friends Houses and Lands for Christ and an afflicted estate with Christ 3. To prize communion with God and to take more satisfying delight therein than in all earthly enjoyments whatsoever But Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon me Psal 4. 6. Shew us the Father and it sufficeth us Psal 73. 25. Whom have I in heaven but thee c. 4. To live by faith in the times of desertion Though he kill me yet will I trust in him Job 13. 15. and in times of desolation when as creature helps and comforts fail Although the Fig-tree shall not blossom neither shall fruit be in the Vine and the labour of the Olive shall fail and the fields shall yield no meat and the flock shall be cut off from the fold and there shall be no herd in the stalls yet I will rejoyce in the Lord I will joy in the God of my salvation Hâ—b 3. 17 18. The Lord God is my strength ver 19. 5. To be contented in every estate and to comply with it Phil. 4. 12 13. and to glorifie God under it O where is this power of the Spirit of God where are any great things or works of the Spirit within us I cannot pray saith one and I cannot leave my sins saith another and I can find and take no delight in God or communion with him saith another and I cannot trust on his Word nor wait upon his Promise c. Few men have any Spiritual power and therefore few men have the Spirit of God Fourthly The Spirit of God is the Spirit of liberty 2 Cor. 3. 17. Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty Liberty is a freedom from bondage or slavery and Gospel-liberty which principally respects the soul is a freedom accruing unto us Partly by price and purchace namely by the blood of Christ The Lord Jesus by his death hath purchased many glorious liberties for us he hath freed us from the Law as it is a Covenant of Works Gal. 3. 11 12. and from the curse and wrath ver 13. and from all condemning power of sin c. Rom. 8. 1. Partly by strength and efficacy this liberty comes unto us by the Spirit who puts forth a strong and mighty hand upon all the hearts of all the people of God and rescues and frees them from spiritual slavery under which they were held whiles they were in their natural condition The Spirit of God doth free them First From slavery to sin See Rom. 8. 2 The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death i. e. The power of the Spirit hath freed me out of the hands and power of sin so that it shall not command and rule over me as heretofore it is no longer my Lord nor am I any longer his servant I am delivered and freed from the dominion and tyranny of it and service unto it by the Law i. e. by the powerful and authoritative command and work of the Spirit upon this account the Apostle affirms that all the servants of God are made free from sin Rom. 6. 18 22. they are not in bondage they are not at the command of it sin hath lost its law and authority in them the yoke is broken by the spirit which is given unto them sin indeed will stirre and trouble and usurp but slavery unto it is taken away Isa 10. 27. The yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing Secondly From slavery to Satan Before we receive the Spirit of God we are in bondage unto the Divel who rules or works effectually in us Ephes 2. 2. and takes us captive at his will 2 Tim. 2. 26. as one that hath a bird tyed c. O what power hath Satan over a natural man how he fetters and shackles and binds him and imprisons him and makes him to drudge in the fulfilling of his motions and obeying of his suggestions and temptations But now when the Spirit of God comes into us he spoiles the strong man armed and takes from him all the armour wherein he trusted Luke 11. 21 22. For he is stronger than he 1 Joh. 4. 4. He leads captivity captive he turns us from Satan unto God Acts. 26. 18. Object But Satan still tempts and assaults never was man so tempted as I am Sol. Temptation is one thing and salvation is another he bestirred himself in tempting and we obeyed he now tempts and we resist He frees us from him 1. By making us to abhor his Kingdom 2ly By translating us out of his power into the Kingdom of Christ 3ly By arming us with the armour of God against his assaults 4ly By stirring us up to resist him Jam. 4 7. Resist the Divel and he will flee from you And 5ly By strengthening us to overcome him 1 Joh. 2. 13. Ye have overcome the wicked one Thirdly From slavish fear and a slavish spirit in working in this respect he makes us to serve God without fear Luk. 1. 74. that is without servile fear for there is a twofold fear There is Timor filialis which is grounded in the love of God as a Father and there is Timor servilis which looks upon God only as a Judge and hath a respect to fo wrath Now when the Spirit of God is given unto us we do not serve God tor fear of wrath and punishment and damnation but out of love and reverence and ingenuity Though there were no Law to curse us though there were no Conscience to terrifie us though there were no Hell to burn us yet the Lord our God and Father we will love and him will we serve Fourthly From slavish indispositions as averseness to what is good and indelightfulness in it They that are anointed by the Spirit and power of God it makes them ready and willing out of love and working out of love Fifthly The Spirit of God is a Spirit of truth Joh. 14. 16. I will pray the Father and he shall give you another Comforter Ver. 17. even the Spirit of truth John 16. 13. When the Spirit of truth is come he will guide yâ—u into all truth SECT I. THere are divers
men destitute of the Spirit though we be civil and courteous and friendly and helpful if we be born of the Spirit c. Gal. 4. 29. as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit even so it is now Here is Ishmael born after the flesh i. e. an ungodly and wicked wretch and here is Isaac born after the Spirit i. e. according to the promise of the Spirit and according to the powerful and gracious renewing of the Spirit and presently he is persecuted by Ishmael That must needs be good which Nero persecutes so he must needs be good he must needs have the Spirit of God against whom all the scoffings and mockings and reproaches and persecutions of the wicked are raised Fourthly They that have the Spirit do walk in the Spirit and after the Spirit you read those expressions Gal. 5. 25. and Rom. 8. 4. We walk not afâ—er Such walk in the Spirit the flesh but after the Spirit Now as to walk after the flesh is to set anâ— order the course of our life after our corrupt reason and wills and affections following them as our guides so to walk after the Spirit is to dispose and order our conversation according to the rules and motions of the Spirit so to lead our lives and move on in our courses as the the Spirit of God doth teach us in the Word and stirs us up inwardly to follow Thus doth every one who hath the Spirit of God he walks after the Spirit his conversation is in heaven Phil. 3. 20. His course of life is the course of new obedience that newness of life which the Word sets forth He walks not as the men of this world walk nor according to his own lusts in the times of his ignorance but before God in Holiness and Righteousness for by the Spirit he is sanctified to obedience 1 Pet. 1. 2. 1. He prayes with David Psal 119. 133. Order my steps in thy Word Ephes 5. 10. Proving what is acceptabe to the Lord. 2. For the paths Psal 119. 101. I have refrained my feet from every evil way Ver. 8. I will walk in thy statutes Isa 26. 7. The way of the just is uprightnesse 3. For the end so as to advaace the Kingdom and advance the Gospel a living unto the Lord. Fifthly They that have the Spirit are spiritual worshippers The true worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and truth for the Father seeketh Such are spiritual worshipers such to worship him God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in Spirit and in truth John 4. 23. 24. So Paul in Rom. 1. 9. God is my witness whom I serve with my spirit in the Gospel of his Son Phil 3. 3. We are the circumcision which worship God in the Spirit Beloved take these two things for certain truths viz. 1. Carnal men are but carnal worshippers a form of worship satisfies them bodily service outward performance Isa 29. 13. This people draw near me with Carnal men are carnal worshipers their mouth and with their lips do honour me but have removed their heart farre from me c. Jer. 12. 2. Thou art near in their mouth and farre from their reins 2. But spiritual men or men of the spirit are spiritual worshippers they do worship God in spirit Object But you will say What is it to worship God in spirit Sol. I answer to worship God in spirit is First To have our inward man taken up imployed and acting in all those Religious duties which we do owe and which we do present unto him As when What it is to worship God in Spirit we draw near to him in prayer for power to repent to believe to obey c. not only our mouthes do pray but our very hearts also do pray and our prayers are the lifting up of our hearts Vnto thee O Lord do I lift up my soul Psal 25. 1. Let us lift up our hearts with our hands unto God in the heavens Lam. 3. 41. And the very desires of our souls Isa 26. 8. The desire of our soul is to thy name And when you come to him in confession of sins not only your lips do acknowledge them and condemn you for them but your very hearts are ashamed of them and bewail them and judge them And so when you come to hear the Word a bodily presence doth not satisfie you but your hearts do come with your bodies and your hearts do hear and your hearts are ready to receive the Word with gladness and fear Secondly To have an edge upon our hearts in the services of God a kind of heavenly vigor and strenuousnesse so that our souls do come in to it with all the actual strength which they have for the present Indeed a Christan hath sometimes a stronger and quicker keeness of spirit than he hath at other times but still he puts forth as least in his desires and endeavours what power he hath in his communion with God As he seeks God with his mouth so he seeks him with his whole heart Psal 119. 10. With my whole heart have I sought thee he doth not serve the Lord with a cold formal indifferent spirit but as the Apostle speaks Rom. 12. 11. He is fervent in spirit serving the Lord He prayes and hears fervently and repents fervently and believes fervently 'T is true that he falls very short yet what he doth to the Lord he doth the same in good earnest it is his work and his business and if he finds it otherwise with himseâ—f if he finds a dulness and deadness upon his spirit this troubles him and he strives to shake it off by stirring up himself as the phrase is Isa 64. 7. and that of 2 Tim. 1. 6. and by awaking of his heart and graces I my self will awake saith David Psal 108. 2. and beseeching of the Lord to quicken and to enlarge his heart I will run the way of thy Commandements when thou shalt enlarge my heart Psal 119. 32. Sixthly They who have the Spirit of God are most pleased and delighted in Such delight in spiritual ministrations spiritual and vigorous ministrations which deal most with their spirits and do in a spiritual power most reach their hearts and spiritual condition Beloved this you shall find in experience that a profane heart cannot endure but alwayes hates and despiseth a spiritual and searching Ministry A formal heart hath most satisfaction in a formal Ministry A gracious heart is alwayes best pleased with a spiritual and powerful Ministry with that Ministry which doth come in power and in the demonstration of the Spirit and makes it self manifest unto the consciences of men which is quick in operation and piercing even to the dividing asunder of the soul and spirit and of the joynts and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart Heb. 4. 12. and which is mighty
as most sure because God hath given his Spirit unto you 2ly In Particular But let us descend unto particulars which if we do rightly understand and consider of we must confess that to have the Spirit given unto us it is an unspeakable blessing and mercy You read in Scripture of several Attributes if I may so call them given unto the Spirit and all of them in relation unto those to whom he is given And every one of them respecting their good and benefit all the dayes of their life He is called 1. A holy and sanctifying Spirit What the spirit is called in Scripture 2. A revealing and manifesting Spirit 3. A strengthening and helping Spirit 4. A restoring and recovering Spirit 5. A comforting and quickning Spirit 6. A dwelling and an abiding Spirit 1 Fifthly The Spirit of God which is given unto you is a holy and sanctifying He is a holy and sanctifying spirit Spirit He is the holy Spirit of God Ephes 4. 30. And the Spirit sanctifies 1 Cor. 6. 11. Now there are three comforts from this that the Spirit of God within you is a sanctifying Spirit 1. He sanctifies you in truth he renews your very hearts it is not a formal or Sanctifies in truth deceivable work but a real and effectual work which is indeen the new Creation 2 Cor. 5. 17 18. the image of God the life and glory of Christ which shall certainly end in happiness Partakers of the Divine Nature 2 Pet. 1. 4. 2. He will go on with his sanctifying work he will begin and make an end Causeth growth in grace 1 Thes 5. 23. He will change you from glory to glory 2 Cor. 3. 18. Though it begins in weakness he will carry it on in power This sanctifying work of the Spirit shall move on in the soul as the sun doth in the firmament from strength to strength the Spirit within will more and more mortifie and weaken and destroy the body of sin and he will be renewing your inward man day by day 2 Cor. 4. 3. He will still maintain and preserve this sanctifying work against all the rebellions Defends it against all its enemies of our corruptions and against all the assaults of Satan and will never leave untill he hath crowned it with glory Secondly The Spirit of God which is given unto you is a revealing and manifesting Spirit He is expresly called the Spirit of revelation in Ephes 1. 17. and He is a revealing spirit verily herein doth lie most admirable comfort and joy yea all our actual soul joy in this life If all the thoughts and works of grace were hid from us we should have but sad dayes all our life long we should be in perpetual fears and doubts and complaints But the discovery of them which is by the light of the Spirit makes day with us makes joy and rejoycing abound within us Now there are four things which the Spirit of God given unto the people of God can and doth reveal unto them First The presence of Christ within us Though Christ be in us for he dwells The spirit reveals Christs presence within us in our hearts by faith Ephes 3. 17 yet we cannot see or discover his presence but by the Spirit Hereby we know that he abideth in us by the Spirit which he hath given us â— Joh. 3. 24. To know that Christ is mine and in me and that I am Christs and in him cannot be without the Spirit and this manifestation is from the Spirit and is not this joy and comfort indeed to know that Christ is in us Know ye not that Christ is in you except you be reprobates 2 Cor. 13. 5. Secondly The love of God towards us 'T is true that God doth love his people with a most gracious love and with a great love and with a most kind love Gods love towaâ—ds us his love is called loving-kindness Hose 2. 19. with a love that surpasseth all love And it is also true that the apprehension and experience of his love is most sweet and transcendent Thy loving-kindness is better than life Psal 63. 3. And if we could know his love unto us this would pacifie us and how should we come to tast how gracious the Lord is by the holy Ghost Rom. 5. 5. The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost Simile The love of God is like a fountain that is sealed it is like a vessel of precious liquor like that box of oyntment none can open it unto us none can poure it into our hearts none can make us see and tast it he can and oftentimes doth make us to know that the Father loves us Thirdly The wonderful glory prepared for us Mark what the Apostle saith The glory prepared for us 1 Cor. 2. 9. Eye hath not seen nor ear heard neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love Ver. 10 But God hath revealed them to us by his Spirit for the Spirt searcheth all things yea the deep things of God the quality and quantity of future happiness prepared from eternity and must answer the blood of Christ c. Fourthly All the precious works of the Spirit himself with his finger hath The precious works of the spirit wrought in us Though there be an aptitude in them to manifest and discover themselves yet we cannot see them without the Spirit How often are we in darkness how often in doubts and enquiries but have I faith but have I repentance but have I godly sorrow but have I the new heart the tender heart the humble heart In truth Simile Beloved as there is no seeing of the heavenly bodies but by an heavenly light so there is no discovering of the graces of the Spirit but by the light of the Spirit 1 Cor. 2. 12. We have received the Spirit which is of God that we might know the things which are freely given us of God O what happiness is all this to enjoy the Spirit of God by whom we come to know Jesus Christ and as present in my soul to know the love of God and tast the sweetness of it in my heart to know the future heavenly happiness that is prepared from eternity and prepared for my soul and to know all that God hath freely given me in order unto my own eternal happiness Thirdly The Spirit of God which is given unto us is a strengthening and helping He is a stâ—enthening spirit Spirit Ephes 3. 16. That he would grant you according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man Rom. 8. 26. Likewise also the Spirit helpeth our infirmities c. Is it not a benefit when one is weak and faint to find a friend to relieve to support assist uphold and help him we are weak we are fainting we are oppressed distressed burdened ready to sink to fail
many times we know not what to do and cannot do any good that we would and now the Spirit of God comes and strengthens our feeble hands and supports our fainting spirits and puts out his power upon our hearts and carries us on in our wayes and works You do find it thus in several cases viz. 1. Frequently when we are to pray we are at a loss and cannot go on with Gods spirit helps us in prayer the heavenly work our ignorance our unbelief Satans temptations and distractions all these hold us down and bind us up and we cannot help and free our selves But then the Spirit of God comes in with his strength and with his help and stirs up our hearts and enlargeth our hearts and new desires flow and groans abound and affâ—â—ctions work and faith works with confidence to the throne of grace to find grace and mercy to help in time of need 2. Alwayes in our spiritual warfare with our own corruptions with Satans temptations In our spiritual warfare in these conflicts we feel our own weakness and their power and violence so that we many times cry out O wretched men that we are who shall deliver us Rom. 7. 24. Or as Jehoshaphat in another case We have no might against this great company that commeth against us neither know we what to do 2 Chron. 20. 12. And verily we may say concerning our own corruptions what he spake of his enemies If it had not been the Lord who was on our side if it had not been the Lord who was on our side when men rose up against us then they had swallowed us up quick Psal 124. 1,2,3 so if the Spirit of the Lord had not been with us and if the Spirit of the Lord had not strengthened and helped us sin had been too hard for us But in those conflicts the Spirit of God hath made us strong still to pray still to believe still to wait still to resist and at length to conquer 4ly The spirit of God which is given unto us is a reconciling and a restoring spirit He is a restoring spirit he restoreth my soul saith David Psal 23. 3. Even the people of God sometimes are circumvented by Satans temptations and are overpowered by sin that dwelleth in them what I hate that do I saith Paul Rom. 7. 15. They do many times fall very grievously and sadly and are not able by their own strength to rise again but there they lye with their weakness and losses and complaints and tears Now in this condition the Spirit of God puts forth his hand and recovers and raises them up again he doth not leave them when they are fallen but by the power of his assisting grace 1. He awakens them out of their sleep by a quick conviction upon their consciences He awakens out of spiritual sleep to see the great evil which they have done I have sinned saith David as soon as Nathan said Thou art the man 1 Sam. 12. 2. He melts their hearts into singular grief for that evil which they have done Melts their hearts into grief David watred his couch with tears Psal 6. 6. And Peter goes out and weeps bitterly Luk. 22. 62. he makes them to mourn and to be ashamed and to loath themselves 3. He stirs up their hearts to confess and acknowledge their sinnings and to judge themselves before the Lord for their unfaithful dealings and unworthy walking Stir them up to confess their sins and likewise earnest wrestlings and strivings with the Lord by prayer for pardoning mercy and restoring grace and a more stedfast spirit Psal 51. 9. Blot out all mine iniquities Ver. 10. Renew a right spirit witbin me Ver. 12. Vphold me by thy free spirit 4. He enables them by faith to lay hold on Christ to be their peace and to Enables by Faith to lay hold on Christ make Reconciliation and thus doth the Spirit of God recover and restore their fallen souls and assures them that their sin is pardoned Fifthly the Spirit of God which is given unto you is a comforting Spirit Christ He is a comforting spirit himself calls him the Comforter Joh. 14. 16. and you find him actually comforting the people of God Acts 9. 31. They walked in the comforts of the Holy Ghâ—st He is called the Comforter by way of Eminency and Excellency there is no such Comforter as the Siprit of God Psal 77. 2. For 1. He can comfort your very souls with proper comfors and consolations Thy Comforts the soul comforts delight my soul Psal 94. 19. 2. He can comfort you against all your discomforts 2 Cor. 1. 4. Who comforteth Comforts against all discomforts us in all our tribulations 1. From Conscience 2. From the Divel and the world 3. From Providence when it seems to be cross to us 3. He can comfort you under all absences when there is neither Father nor In all absence and wants Mother nor Husband nor Wife nor Child nor Friend nor Land nor House yet he can comfort you he alone can shew you the salvation of the Lord speak peace and joy and assure you of mercy and cause you to rejoyce in believing Psal 27. 10. When my Father and my Mother for sake me then the Lord will take me up 4. He can comfort you and none can hinder him nor men nor Divels nor fears nor doubts for he can create you peace and create you joy and create He cannot be hindred in comforting us you comfort he himself alone is a sufficient cause of comfort Object How so how doth the Spirit comfort Sol. 1. By opening all the springs of comfort unto you the fountain of mercy How the Spirit comforts By opening the springs of comfort By actuating our Faith Zech. 13. 1. the Fountain of grace the Fountain of the blood of Christ and of justification 1 Joh. 2. 1 2. Rom. 5. 11. We joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we have received the attonement 2. By actuating your faith to behold all these fountains of joy and to dig water out of the wells of salvation and making you to suck the brests of consolation 3. By applying them to your very souls clearing and witnessing your right unto By opplying them to our souls them your propriety in them that Christ dyed for your sins that God is reconciled to your souls that you are justified and accepted unto life and that you are the children of God Rom. 8. 4. By enabling conscience to testifie 2 Cor. 1. 12. Our rejoycing is this By enabling Conscience to testifie the testimony of our Conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity we have had our conversation Sixthly The Spirit which is given unto you is dwelling and an abiding spirit He is a dwelling spirit in all the people of God Rom. 8. 11. By his Spirit that dwelleth in you Joh. 14. 16. I will pray the Father and he
forth his image and to conform us to â—hrist 2 Cor. 3. 18. It s accepted with God Sixthly The weakest graces and breathings and actings of it are accepted with God he owns it Simile as a Father doth his weak babe and he regards the offering and services of it he will not only not despise the day of small things Zech. 4. 10. and he will not only not only break the bruised reed and not only not quench the smoaking flax Matth. 12. 20. but he will lovingly and graciously accept of the weakest fruits of weakest graces Psal 38. 9. All my desire is before thee and my groaning is not hid from thee 2 King 20. 5. Tell Hezekiah thus saith the Lord God of David thy Father I have heard thy prayer I have seen thy tears 2 Cor. 8. 12. If there be first a willing mind it is accepted according to that a man hath and not according to that he hath not Seventhly The Lord hath a very tender respect unto persons who are weak in grace Isa 40 â—1 He shall feed his flock like a Shepherd he shall gather the God hath a tender respect to such lambs with his arm and carry them in his bosome and shall gently lead those that are with young You may look up to Jesus Christ your High Priest who is touched with the feeling of our infirmities and by him you may come boldly to the throne of grace to obtain mercy to help in time of need Heb. 4. 15 16. Mal. 3. 17. I will spare them as a man spareth his own Son that serveth him Isa 66. 13. As one whom his Mother comforteth so will I comfort you 1 Thes 5. 14. Comfort the feeble-minded support the weak Isa 61. 1. The Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings to the meek he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted ver 2. to comfort all that mourn Sixthly The weakest grace of the Spirit is a sure evidence that you are in Christ and it is the earnest penny of your future glory Matth. 5. 8. Blessed are It s an evidence that we are in Christ the poore in heart for they shall see God Ver. 6. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be satisfied SECT V. 4. Use DOth God give his own Spirit unto all his own people Let them then who have received the Spirit remember the duties which do in a more special manner concern them These are first Negative secondly Positive 1. Negative duties are First Quench not the Spirit this is the Exhortation of the Apostle 1 Thes Duties of such as have received the spirit Quench it not Why the spirit is compared to fiâ—e 5. 19. Quench not the Spirit The Spirit in this Metaphorical expression is compared to fire because 1. Fire lightning upon any combustible matter it doth burn and consume it So when the Spirit of God enters into our hearts he doth waste and consume by degrees all our noysome lusts and vile affections and sinfull deeds Rom. 8. 13. 2. Fire doth purge and purifie the mettals by burning up the dâ—oss and by making them more pure and bright So doth the Spirit of God when he comes into our hearts he purgeth the heart of sin and makes us holy and fit vessels of honour 3. Fire doth mollifie and soften and melt the hardest Iron So doth the Spirit of God the hardest heart and makes it melt into godly sorrow and feare 4. Fire doth give light and heat So the Spirit of God doth enlighten and teach us and heats us and warms us and inflames our hearts with the love of God and with a power to do his will 5. Fire doth ascend and mount upward So the Spirit carries up our thoughts and affections unto things which are above Rom. 8. 5. 6. Fire doth revive and as it were put a new life into us when we are frozen or benummed So doth the Spirit quicken and enlarge our hearts when they are oppressed with dulness and deadness In these and some other respects is the Spirit of God with his graces compared to fire which may be quenched either in part as when you suffer it to decay and slack or in whole when it goes out all together There are four wayes by which the fire is quenched First By withdrawing and with-holding the fuell which should nourish it How this fire is quenched So when we withdraw our ears from hearing the Word and restrain Prayer and decline holy society and conference we do now quench the Spirit in his gifts and graces they will decay and fall and dye withâ—n us Secondly By casting on water though you put much wood to the fire yet if you cast more water upon it this will quench the fire So although you should hear and pray yet if you admit gross sins these will quench the Spirit they will either totally extinguish or else extreamly diminâ—sh the graces of the Spirit David found it so by his gross sins of adultery and murder And Sampson found it so in his loosness with Dalilah Thirdly By smothering of it Though you do not withdraw fuell from the fire nor throw water upon it yet if you heap upon it much cold earth or green wood this will smother and put out the fire though you do not decline Ordinances and duties you do not fall into gross sins yet if you suffer your heart to be overcloy'd with the things of the world with the cares and employments of it these will choak the word and these will smother and quench the operations of the Spirit within you Fourth By neglecting of it If we do not look unto the fire and put the Brands together and stir and blow it up it will decay and go out So if we neglect the graces of the Spirit if we do not stir them up as Paul adviseth Timothy 2 Tim. 1. 6. shake off the contrary indisposition and put them out in daily exercise they will decay and will be ready to dye Object But some will say Quorsum haec may a Christian lose the Spirit fall away from grace can the work of the Spirit be wholly extinguished where is then the comfort and the happiness you lately spake of Sol. I will not take up by the by that debate of total and final Apostaty only this I say for the present that there is such a latitude and compasse in the graces of the Spirit that as the Christian may rise higher in them so he may fall and decay much in them How the graces of the spirit may be considered In their Root Take me briefly thus the graces of the Spirit may be considered First In their Root which is Christ And thus considered as Christ lives for ever so do the graces of Christ he dies not neither shall any Branch Rooted in him die Secondly in their essential habit or spiritual quality thus likewise the are In their essential habits immortal seed and abiding
seed and living which shall never be cut off Thirdly In their graduaâ— measures and quick operations herein there may be a decay and quickning Rev. 2. 4. I have somewhat against thee because thou In their gradual measures hast left thy first love Ver. 5. Remember from whence thou art fallen and dâ— thy first works Rev. 3. 2. Strengthen the things which remain and are ready to die Fourthly In their sensible and comfortable manifestations and here likewise they may be extinguished at least for a time Psal 51. 12. Restore unto me In their sensible manifestations the joy of thy salvation He had lost it by his sinning c. Now the people of God who have received the spirit they should be careful not to quench him at all no not in the measures no not in any degree of grace not in any one lively operation of grace not in any one comfortable fruit or effect of grace O sirs 1. It is an exceeding soily to weaken may I so express it the hands of the Spirit to shake your foundation to wound your selves so near the heart The Spirit is the Spirit of your life and power 2. It is an exceeding folly to loose any of your precious treasures why a degree or measure of grace one dram of it is more than all the world for value 3. It is an exceeding folly to bereave your selves of your best comforts and only joyes to turn your day into night your peace inâ—o trouble your hope into fear your confidence into doubts 4. It is an exceeding injury unto that good spirit and unto your own happiness c. Secondly Grieve not the Spirit This duty you have from the Apostle Eph. 4. 30 Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God by whom ye are sealed unto the day of redemption Grieve not the spirit Do nothing which may offend and displease him or make his abode in you uncomfortable and undelightful The Spirit hath been the Comforter unto you you have tasted of his comforts and joyes do not grieve and offend and displease him who hath comforted and rejoyced your soul Quest What will grieve the Spirit that so we may take heed of grieving him Sol. There are 〈◊〉 wayes by which the Spirit is grieved First When we do not hearken to his motions and counsels and commands What grieves the spirit Not to hearken to his motions This doth grieve a Father and a friend when his counsels are disregarded and despised So when the Spirit of God puts us upon holy wayes and workes and we regard not his motions and directions this doth grieve and offend him Psal 95. 10. Forty years long was I grieved with this generation and what was that which grieved hâ—m they would not hearken unto his voice they erred in their hearts they would not know his wayes 2. Secondly When we do hearken to the voice motions and counsels of Satan or our own corrupt hearts which are contrary to him and his suggestions When we hearken to Satan as Christ spake in Joh 5 43. I am come in my Fathers Name and ye receive me not if another should come in his own name him ye will receive This grieved Jesus Christ that the Jews would not receive him coming in his Fathers Name and yet they would receive another coming in his own name Simile In like manner it cannot but displease and offend the spirit of God to see his holy and heavenly counsels motions commands neglected and at the same time the motions and lusts of of our hearts regarded embraced and followed Why this doth more displease a parent or friend that the enticements and seducemennts of base fellows prevail and take more then his grave and sound and loving advice c. as Esau went and married the daughter of the Hittites against the mind of his Parents Gross sins Thirdly When we do any notorious sinful work which is unworthy of men enjoying the Spirit of God and causeth dishonour and reproach unto him Simile As when a child doth any thing unbecomming his relations and dishonourable unto his Father Ye have troubled me said Jacob to his sons Simeon and Levi to make me to stink amongst the inhabitants of the land amongst the Canaanites and the Perizzites c. Gen. 34. 30. So when men professing the Spirit do yet walk contrary to the nature and rule of the spirit they do now trouble and grieve the Spirit e. g. The Spirit of God is a Spirit of truth and if we pretending Spirit embrace or countenance doctrines of lyes and falshoods â—he Spirit of God is a Spirit of holiness and if we pretending that Spirit follow and countenance practices of unholiness and profaneness The Spirit of God is a Spirit of love and meekness and peace and if we pretending that Spirit yet live in discord and wrath and contention these things are a grief and trouble unto the Spirit of God 2 Tim. 2. 19. Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity So say I let every one that nameth the Spirit of Christ let every one that pretends to his presence depart from iniquity Fourthly Especiall do we grieve the spirit when we do sin against the present When we sin against the spirits workings works and workings of the spirit As 1. The present illumination of the spirit which at such a time actually shines upon that work we intend to do 〈◊〉 discovers it plainly to be evil and offensive and yet we do it 2. The strange motions and operations of the spirit striving to with-hold us from our purpose by arguing and reasoning with our souls propounding argument upon argument not to do so wickedly As when a man lyes or swears or commits uncleanness or steals against the particular light and present strivings of the spirit sinful actions thus substantiated do not only grieve but do also wound the spirit these are bitter provocations Ephraim provoked him to anger most bitterly Hose 12. 14. and these are presumptuous sinnings which will cost us bitter desertions and bitter throws in Conscience and bitter lamentations and bitter afflictions perhaps all our dayes and bitter fears and disputes and questionings in our hearts Thirdly Neglect not the spirit As Paul to Timothy neglect not the gift that is in thee 1 Tim. 4. 14. So say I neglect not the Spirit himself that is When we neglect the spirit in thee And there are two things of the Spirit which we should not neglect 1. His movings 2ly His removings First Neglect not the movings or motions of the Spirit but take hold of them observe and follow them You have many times suddain and secret excitations to draw you off more from the world to prepare for death to make sure work for your souls to trust more on God to walk more evenly and profitably to redeem the time to pray and seek the face of God to do more good in your places c. Now do
Spirit but did you ever find him a witnesting Spirit Now improve your interest in the Spirit for these soul-renewing works which you long for but never yet found why beâ—eech the Lord to give you the Spirit of Joy as well as the Spirit of Faith the Spirit of Peace as well as the Spirit of Holiness the sealing and witnessing Spirit as well as the renewing and changing Spirit The Spirit of gladness as well as of mourning Say unto my soul I am thy salvation Be of good comfort go in peace thy sins are forgiven thee Thy heart is ready to sink and break for want of comfort why Go to the Lord Lord comfort my soul thou hast promised joy and comfort to thy people and biddest thy Ministers to comfort them O comfort me with thine own Spirit it is his work it is his Office to be the Comforter c. Secondly For the works which he hath begun but hath not as yet perfected and finished within you as all the works of grace of knowledge of faith of love c. be not content with a little of these but as the Apostle exhorts in Ephes 5. 18. Be filled with the Spirit labour to encrease and abound in all fruits of the Spirit Psal 92. 13. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the house of our God Ver. 14. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age they shall be fat and flourishing Here I will briefly answer two Questions 1. Quest One is Why they that have the Spirit of grace should strive to increase Why such as have grace should labour to grow in it and to abound in grace Sol There are five Reasons for it First This will testifie the truth that is in them That they have the graces of the Spirit indeed there are three things amongst many others which do testifie grace in truth 1. One is Power 2. The second is Growth 3. The third is Perseverance Dead things and Artificial things have no growth q. because they have no life Every branch in me that beareth fruit the Father purgeth that it may bring forth more fruit saith Christ Joh. 15. 2. Secondly Yea and this testifies that the Spirit is in you of a truth for the Spirit changeth us from glory to glory 2 Cor. 3. 18. When the Spirit changeth us at the first from sinfulness to holiness this is a glorious change for as the natural estate is vile and inglorious so the renewed and sanctified estate is an excellent and glorious estate and when the Spirit begins a glorious change he proceeds and makes it still more glorious the spirit changeth us from glory to glory Grace makes us glorious and more grace makes us more glorious the more grace the more glory and where the Spirit of God is there he carries on his work from glory to glory Thirdly The more that ye do grow in the graces of the spirit the greater and fuller is your conformity unto Christ Grace is in Christ as in a Fountain and perfection as in a pattern Now the more you have in answerableness to the pattern the fuller is your conformity a little grace in us resembles that grace which is in Christ Simile But as those who lived under the Old Testament had some glimpses of Christ but they that lived under the New Testament had a more clear knowledge of him face to face So they that have but a little of grace there is some resemblance and manifestation in them of the image of Christ but they who are high in grace they are nearer to Christ in the resemblance of his excellent perfection of holiness and to speak plainly there is much more of Christ in them Fourthly The more you obtain in the proportion of grace the greater Revenue of honour will you be able to bring in to God I told you that the weakest grace can enable you to bring God some honour why then much grace can help you farther in that service it can set up his Name on high A little Faith can honour God but a strong Faith such as Abrahams or Moses's will bring more honour to his goodness and faithfulness a little love will make you to do something for Christ but much love will make you do much more The more grace that you attain the more gloriously will you shine in your conversation and in all the fruits of Righteousness with more fulness evenness and stedfastness and all this glorifies your Father which is in heaven Fifthly You your selves would gain more if your graces were increased more e. g. You would certainly find more peace in conscience and more freedom from slavish fears and doubts and more confidence in your accesses to God and more sweetness in the Ordinances of Christ and more enlargement of heart in all your communions with God and more wisdom and strength against the temptations of Satan 2. How may one know that he hath much of the Spirit of God in him that How to know that we have much of Gods spirit in us If more humble grace is increased and raised that he is more spiritual Sol. You may know it thus First If you be more humble The more pride alwayes either no grace or very little but the more humility still the more grace mark the Records in Scripture and you shall find the most excellent in grace have been the most eminent in humility e. g. Abraham Jacob Moses David Paul c. For much grace 1. Discovers most wants 2ly Most failings 3ly Most self-insufficiency 4ly Most self-unworthiness 5ly That all our receptions are from meer grace and mercy Secondly If you be more exact in your walking giving no just occasion either If more exact in our walking of offence to the weak or of grief to the strong Christians or of reproach to them that are without A man that can order his conversation so as good men are edified by him and wicked men have their mouthes stopped or cannot speak ill of him without lying he hath a great measure of grace Thirdly If a man be able to drink of the cup which Christ did drink and to If able to suffer afflictions be baptized with the baptisme wherewith Christ was baptized Mat. 20. 22 23. this man hath got on far in the work of grace The more able that you are to suffer reproaches and losses yea death itself for Christ the greater is your faith and the stronger is your love when you can rejoyce in tribulations bear the reproaches for Christ taking the Cross as your Crown and triumph that ye are counted worthy to suffer for his Name Fourthly If you be able to govern your tongues with wisdome and meekness If we can wisely govern our tongues and grace and truth this is a sign that you are strong in grace Jam. 3 2. If any offend not in word the same is a perfect man Fifthly The less careful we are for outward things and
the son of Boser who loved the wages of unrighteousness 2 Pet. 2. 15. And Solomon speaking of the man who makes haste to be rich that man shall not be innocent Prov. 28. 20. Unto self 3. Unto self self-ends self-delights self-ease self-advantages seâ—f-confidences self-respects or else believe me that polity will prevail with you above conscience you will walk else only so as the sun shines Secondly Lay in solid and effectual convictions concerning the paths of Gods Commandements 1. That it is certainly the way to life 2. That there is a peremptory necessity incumbent on us to walk in that way 3. That to leave or desert that path is assuredly to desert our happiness 4. That you your selves are at present in that way of life 5. That it had been better for you never to have know the way of righteousness than after that ye have known it to turn from the holy Commandement delivered unto you Thirdly You must maintain an entire love of God and of his wayes if Be convinced of the paths of Gods Commandements Get intire love to God your love be faithful your walking with God will be constant and stedfast There are four effects of entire love 1. It knits the heart very fast to God makes us to cleave unto God 2. It finds sufficient satisfaction and full delight in God alone Psal 73. 25. 3. It will strive to walk in all welpl-easing before God 4. It can endure all and part with all for God and many waters cannot quench it Cant. 1. 8. O get this entire love of God the love of God for God! you cannot be found sure untill you be held fast in the bonds of love hold out in love and you will hold out in obedience Fourthly Preserve a tender conscience a tender conscience is a spring to uprightness Four effects of entire love and a guard unto stedfastness when a mans conscience is kept tender his foot will be kept even For 1. Whether the sin be great or small open or secret he dares not venture on it A tender conscience binds when God binds and restrains when God forbids How can I do this great wickedness and sin against God saith Joseph 2. A tender conscience looks at and exalts the will of God above all outward loss and gain and outward safety and danger are no arguments to a tender conscience But doth God command or forbid it is this work pleasing or displeasing to God will it bring honor or dishonor to God these are the only prevailing Arguments and Motives to a tender conscience Acts 20. 23. The Holy Ghost witnesseth in every City saying that bonds and afflictions abide me Ver. 24. But none of these things move me neither count I my life dear unto me so that I might finish my course with joy 3. A tender Conscience will preserve Gods favour and its own peace O the favour of God the manifestations of his love the enjoyment of him in kindness and peace these are precious hours and dayes unto a person of a tender conscience he would not willingly part with them nor forfeit them for all the worlds profit nor for all the pleasures of sin and therefore he is very serious and very studious to walk in Gods statues alwayes even to the end knowing that any voluntary swerving or sinful wandring will lose him the joy of his salvation c. Fifthly Keep up a daily fear Be in the fear of the Lord all the day long Preserve a tender conscience Keep up daily fear A twofold fear necessary Prov. 23. 17. Blessed is the man saith Solomon Prov. 28. 14. that feareth alwayes There is a twofold fear necessary to make us continue stedfast in Gods statutes 1. A fear of our selves of our own sufficiency to maintain our walking O Lord I know that the way of man is not in himself it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps saith the Prophet Jer. 10. 23. This humble fear will make you to be much in Prayer and be much in a watchful jealousie over your hearts and to be much at the Ordinances and all these will make you more constant and stedfast in walking c. 2. A fear of God a reverential fear of his presence O what care and diligence will this work wâ—thin us not to offend in any thing not to neglect his will at any timâ— Job 31. 4. Doth not he see my wayes and count all my steps Prov. 5. 20. Why wilt thou my son be ravished with a strange woman and embrace the bosom of a stranger Ver. 21. For the wayes of a man are before the eyes of the Lord and he pondereth all his goings If we could keep up this reverential fear of Gods continual presence with us that his eyes are still upon us this would keep in us 1. A real and cordial walking we would act in all our duties with our very hearts and souls 2. A constant care to walk in all well-pleasing before him Sixthly Keep up a continual life of faith and this would carry you on to your journeys end The Apostle saith that we walk by faith and that we stand by Keep up the life of faith faith you cannot step one step without faith without me ye can do nothing Joh. 15. 5. And could you exercise faith you would finish the whole course of obedience Therefore every day set faith on work still remember the Covenant of your God Jer. 32. 40. I will not turn from them to do them good but I will put my fear into their hearts and they shall not depart from me And Ezek. 36. 27. I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk c. Zech. 10. 12. I will strengthen them in the Lord and they shall walk up and down in his name Isa 40. 31. They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength they shall mount up with wings as Eagles they shall run and not be weary they shall walk and not be faint and your interest in Christ who is your Head and is filled that he may fill his Members with continual grace and with continual strength by his Spirit for all their works and services which they are to perform 7. Hold fast to your first choice and resolution when you did chuse God to Hold to your first choice and resolution be your God and his wayes to be your wayes you did discern such a superlative excellency and happiness in them that you became fully resolved to wlak in thâ—m whatsoever danger and loss should befall you yea you saw with Moses that the very reproaches of Christ were greater riches than all the treasures in Egypt Heb. 11. And with Paul that the sufferings of this present time were not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us Rom. 8. 18. That there was enough in God and in his service and in his reward infinitely to recompence all your afflictions losses and
run to hell 3. If you would enjoy liberty indeed then become the servants of God and walk in his wayes If the Son shall make you free then are you free indeed Joh. 8. 36. Now your shackles and fetters and prison doores are broken open we are freemen in a spiritual sense when we are freed from sin Rom. 6. 18. Being then made free from sin we became the servants of Righteousness We are freed from all slavish fears by reason of sinne when we receive the free spirit of liberty we become a voluntary people to serve the Lord with newness of spirit and freeness of spirit Dsal 116. 16. O Lord truly I am thy servant thou hast loosed my bonds 4. Object But men will disesteem us neglect us cast us out of their favour and But then we shall be disesteemed reproach us if c. Sol. 1. It is their sin to do so but it is our duty to walk as God would have us to walk 2. What men will do so none but ungodly men who speak evil of us because 1. we run not with them to the same excess of riot 2. A goodly conversation is a reproach to their ungodly life and shames them 3. Regard not the praises of men but the praise of God this you shall be sure to meet with he will own you and honour you though men do not Psal 27. 10. When my Father and my Mother forsake me then the Lord shall take me up The Pharisees reviled and cast out the blind man cured by Christ but Christ met with him and owned and saved him Joh. 9. 35 36 c. 4. You will give a fair account to God that you feared man more than God Lord I should have walked in thy wayes but c. 5. Object Then I will walk in these statutes hereafter Then I will do it hereafter Sol. 1. Hereafter may be too late Gods command is for all our dayes and for the set time whiles it is called to day c. Secondly Continuance in sinful wayes will harden your hearts in them keep up the love of sinne and render the wayes of God more distastful unto you Thirdly And God may in judgement give you up to your own hearts lusts to walk in the counsels of them because you do not hearken unto him See Psal 81. 11 12. 6. Object But I have assayed aad can make no work of it But I find I cannot do it Sol. First Because you assayed slightly and not with all your heart Secondly And because you assayed in your own strength 7. Object But it is a great work however to walk in Gods statutes and How shall we get power to do it what shall I do for power to enable me to walk in them Sol. God who requires us to walk in his statutes doth promise to give us power I will cause you to walk c. Ezek. 36. 27. And cause you to walk in my Statutes and ye shall keep my Judgements and do them THese words as I have heretofore observed contain in them two parts 1. The work or duty which concerns the people of God viz. to walk in his statutes c. this Subject I finished the last Lords day 2. The help or sufficiencies for all that work and duty I will cause you to walk in my statutes whence observe CHAP. XV. Doctr. TThat the people of God have the promise of God to enable them to God will enable his people to walk in his wayes walk in the statutes of God I will cause you c. Zech. 10. 12. I will strengthen them in the Lord and they shall walk up and down in his Name saith the Lord. Phil. 2. 13. It is God which worketh in you to will and to do of his good pleasure Isa 26. 12. Thou hast wrought all our works in us Chap. 45. 24. Surely shall one say In the Lord have I righteousness and strength For the opening of this excellent and comfortable Truth I will shew unto you five things 1. The many parallels 'twixt Gods command of our duties and Gods promise of help for these duties 2. The parallels 'twixt promises to and instanceâ— in Gods people 3. The several wayes how God doth cause or enable his people to walk in his statutes and do them 4. How far the Lord doth engage his strength of grace to enable his people to walk in his statutes 5. The Reasons both in respect of God and in respect of his people why he will cause them to walk in his wayes or statutes c. 1. The parallels 'twixt Gods commands and his promises or 'twixt the Parallels betwixt Gods commands and his preceps duties commanded by him and the helps promised to enable his people First The Lord commands his people to know him and his wayes 1 Chron. 28. 9. Know thou the God of thy Father c. And God doth promise to cause them to know him Jer. 24. 7. I will give them an heart to know me that I am the Lord. And Jer. 31. 34. They shall all know me from the least of them to the greattest of them saith the Lord. Secondly The Lord commands his people to trust upon him Psal 62. 8. Trust in him at all times Isa 26. 4. Trust ye in the Lord for ever c. And God doth promise to enable his people to trust on him Zeph. 3. 12. I will leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people and they shall trust in the Name of the Lord. 3ly The Lord commands his people to fear him Deut. 6. 13. Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God and serve him So Deut. 8. 6. Thou shalt keep his Commandements and walk in his wayes and fear him This likewise hath God promised unto his people Jer. 32. 40. I will put my fear into their hearts that they shall not depart from me Fourthly The Lord commands his people to love him Deut. 11. 1. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God Psal 31. 23. O love the Lord all ye his Saints and God doth promise to give them an heart to love him Deut. 30. 6. The Lord thy God will circumcise the heart and the heart of thy seed to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soul Fifthly The Lord commands his people to pray unto him and to call upon his Name Call upon me Psal 50. 15. Pray without ceasing 1 Thes 5. 17. I will that men pray everywhere 1 Tim. 2. 8. And the Lord hath promised to give unto them a spirit of prayer Zech. 12. 10. I will poure upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and the Spirit of supplication Sixthly The Lord commands his people to mourn for their sinnes and to loath their sins and to turn from their sins Isa 22. 12. In that day did the Lord call to weeping and to mourning Jam. 4. 10. Humble your selves in the sight of the Lord And
do much more but all those gracious experiences without any assistance and influence from God will not be sufficient unto you Secondly We should especially depend upon God for his strength and sufficiencie then when we do meet with the greatest strength of opposition to the performing of any good work or works as David in another case when the people spake of stoning him he did then encourage himself in the Lord his God 1 Sam. 30. 6. Or as Jehoshaphat when that great multitude came against him and God promised him deliverance said he Believe in the Lord your God and ye shall be established 2 Chron. 20. 20. So should we do when we meet with strong â—ppositions and hinderances when we are to work or when we are working the work or works commanded us of God we should now by faith look up to God and rest on his arme of gracious power to uphold our hearts and to cary us out unto our dutiful performances How many temptations do we many times meet with from Satan and how many threatnings and scoffs and reproaches and incounters do we meet many times with from ungodly men and from carnal parents and friends and from secret enemies of â—od and his wayes All which do tend to discourage our hearts and to weaken our hands and to interrupt or divert our feet from walking in Gods wayes and from doing of the works which God requirs of us in our places Now this is the time to look up to God and to trust on him to encourage and enable the heart to serve him to hold on in walking before him with all faithfulness wisdome zeal and patience now make use of that promise in Esa 41. 10. 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 right hand of my righteousness Zech. 4. 6. This is the wâ—rd of the Lord unto Zorobabel saying Not by might nor by power but by my spirit saith the Lord of hosts Ver. 7. Who art thou O great mountain before Zorobabel thou shalt become a plain and he shall bring forth the head-stone thereof with shoutings crying Grace grace unto it Thirdly We should especially depend on God for his strength when we are most sensible of our own indispositions weaknesses streitghtened and insufficient hearts How often do we finde these things upon us how apt are we under them to shrink to complain to give over O but our work when we are not able to do our work is by faith to look up to God to quicken and enable us to do his work Psal 119 159. Consider how I love thy precepts quicken me O Lord according to thy loving kindness Esa 45. 24. Surely shall one say In the Lord have I righteousness and strength even to him shall men come Object But I have no might or power at all to do any thing Sol. Consider now that precious promise in Esa 40. 29. He giveth power to the faint and unto them that have no might he encreaseth strength Phil. 2. 13. He worketh in us c. Object But I have lookt up with such weak desires and with such a weak faith as I have and yet finde no more strength Sol. Read on ver 31. They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength c. So Psal 31. 24. Be of good courage and he shall strengthen your hearts all ye that hope in the Lord. Object But did any servant of God ever finde him coming in with strength when sensible of his own weakness and calling upon him for help and strength Sol. See two places of Scripture instances for this Psal 73. 26. My flesh and my heart faileth but God is the strength of my heart and my portion fore ver Psal 138. 3. In the day when I cried thou answeredst me and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul Fourthly We should especially depend on God for strength when we are called to do any work wherein the glory of God and the good of his Church and our own salvation are more singularly concerned First These are services and works of the highest and of the greatest consequence there is no work whatsoever wherein we can deal which is or can be of a higher nature for excellencie necessitie felicitie Secondly Miscarriages under these would prove very woeful and ruinous that Gods glory should faile in my hand or the good and safety of the Church in my hand and my own soul should perish by my own neglect Thirdly And of all works these do meet with the greatest opposition from without our selves and from within our selves the gates of hell are opened c. Yet for these hath God most of all engaged his power and presence and strength as you may see in the varietie of his promises and in the glory of his providences therefore when you are called to do any work which hath a neer and special respect to these things fall down and pray look up and depend as he said de deo nil sine deo we can know nothing of God without God so say I pro deo nil sine deo we can do nothing for God without God nothing for his glory without his assistance O Lord the work which I am now endeavouring thou knowest that it concerns thy name and glory the good and welfare of thy Church which is the apple of thine eye and the dearly beloved of thy soul and it respects mine own eternal salvation which thou wouldst have me work out with fear and trembling good Lord leave me not hide not thy self but appear in thy strength for the carrying on of these works come in with thy wisdom to direct me and with thy grace to quicken me and with thy spirit to lead and uphold and prosper me Fifthly When the work is extraordinary and universal of much difficultie and danger and requires more then ordinarie hight of spirit and courage and resolution now is your time not to consult with flesh and blood not to consider your own proportion of gifts and abilities but by faith to look up to him who commands the work and promiseth his assistance and presence for the work Exod. 3. 10. I will send thee unto Pharoah saith God to Moses that thou mayst bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt ver 11. And Moses said to God Who am I that I should go unto Pharoah and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt Ver. 12. And he said Certainly I will be with thee Josh 1. 5. As I was with Moses so I will be with thee I will not faile thee nor forsake thee Beloved as the weakest duties are above our strength so the greatest and hardest are below Gods strength it is not what you are but what your God is who commands you and what he will be unto you who hath promised his own power and strength Sixthly
to be separated from me and another thing for me to be separated from sin 1. It is one thing for sinne to be separated from me and it is another thing for me to be separated from sinne For sin to be separated from me is wholly to be rid of it so that sin no more remaines in me For me to be separated from sin is not to love and serve it but cordially to hate it and oppose it he is separated from sinne who hates sinne Now it is not the presence of sinne simply and absolutely which is effectually contrary to union with Christ for then no sinner should ever be in Christ but it is the love and service of sin which is contrary to a union with Christ a man cannot love sinne and yet love Christ neither can he serve sinne and serve Christ But thus it is not with you for though sin be in you yet you love it not and though sin assaults and tempts and perhaps sometimes prevailes yet you serve it not And remember as long as sin is your burden your grief your enemy which you resist which you would destroy with which you will not make peace certainly you love it not nor are you the servant of it Paul who was in Christ found the presence of sin but yet he hated it and the powerful working of sin but yet he refused it and sometimes the captivity of sin but yet he bewailed it and sought to Christ for more deliverance and victory 2. There is a twofold separation from sin There is a twofold separation from sin Radical Gradual One is Radical when by the infusion of grace the heart is changed and alienated from sin The other is Gradual when by the further influence of the Spirit of Christ the powerful presence of sin is more and more mortified and subdued This latter you shall attain unto by vertue of your union with Christ But if you finde the former certainly you are united to Christ If there be but so much grace infused into the heart to alienate it from sin to change the bent and frame of the soule why this cannot be without a union with Christ for this is a new spiritual change wrought in you by the Spirit of Christ and the newnesse of our hearts depends upon that union with Christ which is made by faith and is the lively testimony of it If any man be in Christ he is a new creature 2 Cor. 5 17. But I never found the powerfull workings of the Spirit Object O but union with Christ depends upon some mighty and powerful workings of the Spirit upon the soule which I never observed nor discerned in my soule Answered Though such a powerful work may not be discerned for the time yet it may appear by the effâ—cts Sol. It is a truth that it doth so The Gospel comes not in word only but in power and in the Holy Ghost when it inables a soule to believe in Christ and without the mighty working of the Spirit it is impossible to make the heart to believe And although in the present darknesse of the Spirit you discern not nor remember such a mighty working yet perhaps by the effects which may be found in you you shall acknowledge the same for the time was 1. When blacknesse of darknesse covered your mindes so that you were ignorant of God and Christ and your own condition and of the way of salvation But now there is a light set up in your minde by which you know the true God and him whom he hath sent even Jesus Christ and the salvation by him purchased for sinners who believe in him 2. When carnal security possessed your heart so that you could rest quiet in your natural condition but now that spirit of slumber and security is shaken off and your soule is become anxious and sollicitous What shall I do to be saved 3. When your heart was full of your own righteousness you were rich and increased you were whole and needed not the Physitian but now you see your self pâ—ore and wretched and naked and miserable and utterly undone unlesse you may have Christ and be found in him 4. When you were confident and presumptuous of your own power and self-sufficiency O it was easie to repent and no great matter to believe on Christ but now you finde your self without all strength and unlesse you be enabled by the strength and grace of Christ it is not only difficult but also impossible for your heart to close with him by faith 5. When you found your proud spirit slighting the offers of Christ and opposing the word of Christ and resisting and quenching the motions of the Spirit of Christ but now your hearts tremble at these abominations and you lie down at the feet of Christ and your heart is set on Christ O Lord give me Christ O Lord give me an heart to embrace this precious Christ and never to slight thy great love in Christ nor that great salvation any more 6. When you felt the power of unbelief in your hearts working up daily exceptions and hourly fears and strong despaires for ever enjoying Christ for your Christ O now this sin and that sin this slighting and that neglecting and your unworthinesse and Christs unwillingnesse and your inability and Christs command and your dulnesse and Christs silence and your desires and Christs delayes so that no hopes many times lodged within you your hearts were sinking and failing and giving up all But now your hearts are answered and set at liberty and power is found within you to break down this mighty partition wall of unbelief and against all the oppositions which unbelief and Satan can make yet to venture upon Christ and to justifie the invitations and promises of Christ and wholly to come up to all the terms and articles of Christ upon which he is contented to be yours O Christian call'st thou these no workings of the Spirit Or no mighty workings of the Spirit I tell thee that to work and effect these things no lesse power is put forth than the Almighty power of God upon thy soule A greater power than to bring Israel out of Egypt as great a power is put forth as to raise the dead I grant that when the Spirit works with the Law to convince and distresse the conscience there his workings are more vehement and strong to our apprehensions And when the same Spirit works through the Gospel his workings many times are not discerned in their time of working in that sensible and remarkable efficacy but yet when you review the whole work and working of the Spirit as to the production of faith why you will fall down and admire how ever your poore soules could against so many oppositions insufficiencies reasonings conclusions fears doubts despaires be prevailed upon and enabled to come to Christ Ob. O but union with Christ indeed by faith ever takes along with it the presence and communion of the
Spirit He that is joyned to the Lord is one Spirit and he hath received the Spirit the Spirit of Christ who is in Christ But I have I but I have not the Spirit not that Spirit I finde him not I feele him not Answered Sâ—l This also is a truth that the communion of the Spirit is inseparably annexed to union with Christ And if any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of Christs But then know 1. You must consider in what posture a Christian must be who may judge of the presence In what posture a Christian must be who may judge of the presence or absence of the Spirit or absence of the Spirit of Christ in him 1. He must be out of melancholy 2. Out of violent temptation 3. Out of Desertion He must be himself see himself that he is able and fit to judge Spiritual works and to compare things together and to weigh all that may be said in the ballance of the Sanctuary If thou be in this free posture and upon diligent search and serious consideration canst finde not any one effect of communion with Christ the case is very heavy But I believe the contrary touching thee O weak Christian when those above mentioned impediments are off so that thou art able to use the light of grace and of a renewed conscience much of Christ and from Christ will be found in thee a love of thy Christ a delight in thy Christ a heart ready and willing to hear and to obey thy Christ Distinguish of vital and vivifical acts 2. Distinguish of vital acts and of vivifical acts that is effects of a real union and effects of a comfortable union The estate of a comfortable union and communion thou dost not perhaps espy at present viz. Not actual joy not actual chearfulness not actual assurances O but though you do not finde the childe smiling yet if you finde it living there is union There are yet the effects and characters of life and of vital union and communion with Christ though not of a comfortable communion there is yet a breathing after Christ a hunting after Christ an heart renewed and changed an image of Christ unto which thou art changed and conformed a will agreeing with the will of Christ an end agreeing with the end of Christ c. And yet thou canst serve thy Christ in tears though thou canst not serve him in joyes and though the Spirit of Christ be not seen so as to comfort thee yet he is found so as to lead and uphold thee 3. There is a communion by way of influence and a communion by way of eminency and a communion by way of evidence and all these depend upon union with Christ There is communion by way of influence and of eminency and of evidence 1. Communion by way of influence when we partake of the Nature and Life of Christ ye are made partakers of the Divine Nature saith Peter Christ liveth in me saith Paul 2. A communion by way of eminency when Christ appears mighty in the soule in the large and high and strong degrees of acting of particular graces of faith of love of patience of self-denial of zeale of wisdome of humility 3. A communion by way of evidence as when Christ kisseth the soule with the kisses of his lips That is when he sheds abroad his love into our hearts by the Spirit which he hath given us and makes us to know that he loves us and saith by his Spirit unto our hearts I am my beloveds and my beloved is mine Perhaps you have not attained to this last communion with Christ to this Osculumoris and perhaps you have not attained to the second of these which as Bernard speaks is Osculum manus well But yet you have attained to the first of these which is Osculum pedis perhaps you have not the sensible manifestations and impressions and seals of his favour by his spirit but yet you are young men in Christ and strong in the might of his Spirit perhaps you are not come to the strength of the Spirit but yet you are babes in Christ yet the liâ—e of Christ is in you you have that Spirit of Christ in way of influence which brings you into fellowship with Christ in his death and in his resurrection ye are dead to sin and you are alive unto righteousness and Christ is setting up himself in your hearts more and more Be not discouraged this shews true union with Christ for ever This is the communion of the Spirit of Christ when our hears are fashioning and conforming to Christ and have any part of his image stamped upon us If you can finde any one grace depending upon and flowing from union with Christ that is enough to satisfie you about the communion of the Spirit and that you have the faith which hath indeed united you unto Christ I but I am under much weakness of grace and many wants Ob. But if I had indeed this faith which unites to Christ I should not all this while have lived with so much weaknesse of grace and under so many spiritual wants certainly I should have found more of the strength and of the fulnesse of Christ who filleth all in all Answered Sol. I grant it for a truth that the right union is an imparting and strengthening and supplying union Whosoever is united to Christ indeed by faith to him is Christ a supplying Fountain a feeding Root and an helping Head and he will never leave the communicating of his Spirit unto him untill he hath filled him with all that fulness whereof a lively member of Christ is capable but then remember 1. Comparatively the original and first receptions from Christ are weak and little The first Receptions from Christ are weak as the seed that is cast into the earth or as the light which breaks forth in the morning compare the first works of grace with the flowing growth of grace it is but as the babe to the strong man but as the Lambe to the sheep I believe Lord help my unbelief this is that most of Faith at first Thou knowest that I love thee this is the highest of your love at first whom I serve with or in my spirit this is the greatest of our obedience at the first 2. The Communications of Christ unto the soule united by faith unto him are The communications of Christ are partly for justification and partly in sanctification Justification is perfect partly for justification and partly in Sanctification His communications in Justification are at once and full and perfect as soon as you are by faith united unto Christ you are perfectly reconciled to God you are perfectly cloathed with the righeousness of Christ you are perfectly pardoned all your sins your peace is so perfectly made with God that you cannot be more fully reconciled you have the righteousness of Christ so perfectly imputed to you that you cannot be