man may be assured of his Sonship à priori from the first acts of faith and repentance in conversion ch 20 A Case Whether this evidence be so certain as to exclude all doubting chap. 21. Popish Doctrine concerning doubting and uncertainty confuted Our own certainty and assurance of salvation examined Where several Cases Case 1. How to distinguish the testimony of the Spirit from Satanical or self delusion Vnder which Head it is again enquired 1 How far Satan may go in giving assurance Immediately Where a test of revelations and comfort arising hence Mediately from the Word And 2 How far we to our selves from Reason only chap. 22. This Case branched into particulars Quest 1. How to know a false assurance when it is collected from Scripture by the collusions of Satan and a mans own heart to be false chap. 23. Quest How to know whether the true assurance that a man hath of his own good condition be from the collections of his own reason meerly or from the witness of the Spirit With Cautions about it chap. 24. The Duty of keeping these Evidences of the Spirit once attained pressed with several Motives chap. 25. Quest How this may be done Where 1 The Records of these Evidences chap. 26 2 The means to maintain them chap. 27 3 The Moths that eat them out ch 28 4 The use of them in a livelihood of Love Thankfulness Obedience ch 29 The Duty of improving them urged Quest How Answered in two particulars 1 By living on them a life of Sanctification Consolation 2 By pleading them chap. 30 The Duty of recovering lost Assurance added wherein also Quest How Answered 1 Rest not in its absence 2 Enquire how it was lost and how that enquiry is to be made Several tokens to furnish an Hue and Cry after that sin that hath robbed a soul of such a Jewel chap. 31 3 What to be done in case some sin have stolne it away 4 5 6. What to be done in case no appearing sin occasion it A Case How faith may be exercised in desertion Several things proper to bee believed then As also three other Directions chap 32 Thesis III Gods Holy Spirit after he hath once been a Spirit of Adoption never again becomes a Spirit of Bondage to the same soul Explained Saints after conversion and assurance subject To troubles of consciences yea To Bondage Yea and that longer and greater then ever before upon sive Reasons How far the Spirit causeth them and how far not chap. 33 Scripture Reason Proof of the Thesis chap. 34 A Question stated viz. What then is the cause of legal terrors in the Saints after conversion and assurance c. 35 And how they befal them Saints convinced of folly in giving way to such after terrors chap 36 And that such troublesom thoughts may be cast out without disputing as blasphemous and Atheistical thoughts by the common advise of Divines should be Case How far I may safely do this Case How to know the Work of Satan undermining assurance from the work of the holy Spirit putting a man upon a warrantable and wary self-examination chap. 37 Grounds upon which Satan endeavors to weaken assurance answered Case How far a soul soundly converted and possibly assured may fall into sin Whether into gross sins Whether into the same sins as before What regret and reluctancy in a renewed conscience against sin and how differenced from that of a natural conscience terrified ch 38 Case of afflictions and tentations stated as they may be laid for grounds of questioning a renewed state ch 39 Case of not hearing prayers so far also stated Case of inability to pray thus far also stated chap. 40 Case of decayes in spiritual affections deadnesse burthensomnesse of Duty c. thus far also stated Well meaning contradictions of good souls Complaints whether hypocritical or no chap 41 Case How in a supposed decay of spiritual affections a saint may know whether he be dead or no A farther case whether and how farre an hypocrite may delight in the tydings of comfort from God c. 42. Case Whether in stead of growing a Saint may not decay in the actings of some graces and yet those very graces grow more habitually and radically strong in him c. 43. Case How a Saint may in the midst of his most sensible actual decayes know whether the habits of grace grow or no Saints comforted by an inference of Saints incapacity of total and final Apostacy from the premises c. 44. Thesis IV. One principal work of the Spirit of Adoption is to enliven and embolden the soul in prayer Qu. How and in what sense this work is the main or chief work Qu. What act of this Spirit produceth it Qu. Whether the Spirit thus work in all Saints Saints in darknesse how farre capable of being lively and bold in duty c. 45. Some evidences of the Thesis c. 46. Three cases stated Case 1. Whether in all Saints that have once been assured there be alwayes the same measure of boldnesse and fervency Case 2. If not whence proceeds the difference that is in them at times from what they were formerly c. 47. Case 3. Whether the Spirit furnisheth the soul at all times with like life and vigour of expressions Facility and fluency of expressions in prayer what evills it often occasions A touch of Formes pro and con A Case Language of prayer when from strength of parts and when from the supply of the Spirit How we lose our ability of expression in prayer c. 48. Saints Informed that darkening evidences of Gods love deadneth prayer Case What to be done when a soul cannot call God Father Especially in case some sinne streighten the spirit As also how to maintain heat and boldnesse in prayer c. 49. Three duties pressed upon all assured Saints 1 To be much in prayer upon eight motives c. 50. To stirre up the grace of God that is in them to a due proportion of life and fervency upon six motives c. 51 Qu. How the deadness and formality of Saints in prayer may be recovered Where more largely of formes and extemporary prayer c. 52. 3. To come boldly to the Throne of grace upon six motives c. 53. Case How shall I procure this boldness if I cannot come to God in this manner where those are directed who notwithstanding assurance never had it And those who have had and lost it c. 54. Case How to mix boldnesse and godly fear together in prayer Stating 1. This boldness what it is and wherein it consists 2. This fear also and its nature c. 55. Saints have some comfortable meditations suggested from this truth that the boldness and fervency of Saints in prayer is from the Spirit of Adoption Case How shall I know whether my actual fervency and boldness be not from my own spirit or Satan rather then Gods Spirit c. 56. Reader these Books are lately published and sold at the Ball in Pauls Church yard Dr. Kendals Answer to Mr. John Goodwin â—n two Volumes fol. viz. Concerning the Death of Christ and the Perseverance of the Saints Mr. Sheffeild a Treatise of Christ the Sun of Righteousnesse 8o. Mr. Rob. Bailie a learned Treatise against Anabaptism 4º Catechesis Elenctica Errorum qui hodie vexant Ecclesiam 12o. His Vindication of his Disswasive from the Exceptions of Mr. Cotton and Mr. Tombs 4º Mr Cawdrey and Mr. Palmer on the Sabâ—ath in four Parts 4º Dr. Tuckneies Sermons on these Texts viz. Jer. 8. 22. 1 Cor. 15. 55 Acts 4. 12. 12o. Mr Jenkyns Exposition of the whole Epistle of Jude 4o. Jus Divinum Ministerii 4º Mella Patrum per prima nascentisâ— paâ—ientis Ecclesiae tria secula Per Fran. Rous Preposit Etonens 8o. January 5. 1655.
fight for it Satan and Numb 13. 23 a mans corrupt heart are apt to discourage a soul under Bondage from hence What profit Job 21. 14 Lam. 3. 8. is there in serving God c. Thou prayest and he casteth out thy prayer thou hearest and art in trouble still Now God props up his people against such temptations by such Promises to all and performances to most of his Saints Reas 5 God doth it to wean his people from this world Now Lord lettest thou thy servant depart in peace for mine eyes have seen thy salvation sayes Simeon when he had seen Christ in the flesh Luke 2. 29. And when a soul after long troubles of spirit recovers the assurance of Gods love O what poor things are all the treasures of the world to him Lord saith David lift up the light of thy countenance upon me and then take corn and wine and oyl who will Psal 4. 6. And then let the eyes of wicked men be even ready to strut out with sat and let them have all that they can wish yet saith he in another place I will not change portion with them for the Lord is the strength of my heart c. Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel and bring me to glory Psal 73. 25 26 27 28 A man that is called to be a Favourite to a King will quickly grow into a dis-esteem of his shop and retaile Trade his sheepfold or cow-stal Take no care for your stuff saith Joseph for all the fat of the Land of Egypt is yours Gen. 45. 20. So saith God to an assured soul Take no care for these earthly things thou hast in heaven a richer and more enduring substance Reas 6. Because God delights to hear from his Saints often Not only as a Master from a Servant nor as a rich man from a beggar nor as a Conqueror from a Captive but as a Father from a child as a husband from a Spouse Cant. 2. 14. The voyce of a Spouse of Christ in the cleft of the Rock i. e. relying on him upon assurance of his love is sweet Joseph could not abide long under the mis-apprehensions his brethren had of him My Lord and Thy servants Joseph thought were strange Titles to that of Brother hee longed to hear them call him by a name of relation so saith God Hosea 2. 16. to an afflicted Church CHAP. VI. A Question concerning the mediate and immediate Testimony of the Spirit HOw doth the Spirit testifie our Adoption For although divers godly Divines are of a different judgement in the point of immediate evidence yet I cannot be perswaded but that there is something in the work of the Spirits testimony which may deserve to be so expressed Ans Two wayes 1 Immediately 2 Mediately I. Immediately wherein the Spirit acts as in illumination and infusion of good motions into us by his secret influence upon the heart quieting and calming all those waves of distrust and diffidence concerning its condition by his own immediate power without the present application of any Scripture grounds to convince a mans reason that his testimony is true I shall parallel it with the motions of the Spirit thus As the Spirit many times excites a man to such or such a duty by laying his hand immediately upon the heart and therewithal a kind of secret force and power inclining the heart to obey those motions and as it many times opens the heart to such and such spiritual impressions by a physical injection of holy motions into it and warming the heart to receive them so in this case when a poor soul sits in darknesse and sees no light sometimes upon a sudden a light from heaven compasseth it about and it is it knowes not how in a moment as it were taken up into the third heaven its fears are banished by a soft whisper from the Spirit of God in the heart Thy sins are forgiven thee and this is in such a way that though the spirit of a man really believes it and is immediately calmed by it yet it cannot tell how it comes to passe And so it is sometimes in overcoming temptations a soule some other times is enabled to knock them to the ground by a scriptum est as Christ did Matth. 4. but sometimes it is stirred up to decline them and abhorre them by a secret rising of the spirit against them and to club them downe by meere force setting the bent of the will and affections against them without any present direct recourse of the soule to the written word And of this kinde is that worke of the Spirit stirring up in us sighes and groans in prayer that cannot bee uttered whereas at other times it furnisheth us with abundant matter of prayer from the promises and other straines of Scripture useful thereunto And thus as I said in conveying the evidences of Gods love the Spirit can and surely oftentimes doth alter the whole frame of a mans Spirit by a secret irradiation of comfort a man cannot tell how for as there is a kind of spiritual instinct in the soul by which it doth the things that are pleasing to God after conversion though many times it knowes not the principles upon which it acts so is there a secret and spiritual faculty in the divine nature that is infused unto us by which when the Spirit speakes peace to the soule it closeth with it without any reasoning or recourse to evidences as at other times As saith a learned man there is in the eye lumen innatum Rutherf on Jo. 12. p. 100. and in the eare aer internus a certaine imbred light to make the eye see lights and colours without and a sound and air in the eare within to make it discerne the sounds that are without so is there grace a new nature and habitual instinct of heaven to discerne the consolation of Gods spirit immediately testifying that wee are the sons of God There are some secret and unexpressible lineaments of the Fathers countenance in this child that the renewed soul at first blush knowes and ownes it But for the understanding of this you must observe with mee these few particulars for explication of this secret of experimentall godlinesse 1. That although the Spirit may testifie this immediately without any expresse and formall application of a word yet he never testifies but according to the word i. e. to subjects capable thereof and in such wayes as they are discovered to be capable by the word so that the Lords speaking peace to the soul being in the Scripture bound up to persons under certain qualifications the Spirit never speaks peace but where those qualities are real though not alwaies visible in the soule As for example if a man that feels not sin a burden heavyer then all the world that throwes away all duties of religion never prayes reads heares meditates nay goes on in some sinful way without remorse be filled with joy and peace and assurance
Estate or the weakest Evidences for the best part of his Estate it troubles him not much so long as he hath still the firmest Evidences of the best part of his Estate remaining because those he may bear the losse of without undoing But if these be lost he is losttoo You may lose your Evidences of your earthly estate and if heaven be sure you may not only not grieve but even rejoyce in the loss But if you lose your Evidences of heaven you are as to all the truest comfort of your lives undone men And yet if you lose but some of these and retain the main you are in a happy condition It may be you lose the evidences of Grace the spirit of Prayer in its sensible assistance the verdure life and activity of your souls in the wayes of God nay you lose the Promises you canot find one Promise in the Word of God that you dare own Now stick to the Testimony of the Spirit keep that and you have an Evidence still in stead of all and that will recover them all againe 2 It may easily be lost as to the actual enjoyment of it though the Habit cannot be lost The check of one holy motion may grieve the Spirit Eph. 4. 30. the commission of one sin especially by way of presumption and back-sliding may remove him See in David Psalm 51. 12. Lusts be cunning Theeves and if they get into your heart again the thing they most rob you of is your Deeds and Evidences for glory and then they know you are prone to be perswaded to take a portion here seeing you have lost all certain grounds of expecting a better 3 Satan is alwayes at hand to deprive you if possible of the influence of the Spirit this way He knowes what a mighty rub it is in the way of all his Temptations that Gods people walk in the light of Gods countenance and in the comfort of the Spirit Therefore the greatest and most desperate temptations of converted souls tend to the hindering or weakning of Assurance As a cunning Adversary in Law layes plots if possible to weaken the validity of his Antagonists strongest evidences or to get them into his hands and suppress them 4 The Evidence of the Spirit lost will not easily be recovered again It cost David many a tear and many an heart-pang ere he could recover him again Psal 51. 11 12 Satan having gotten your deeds into his hands or made them suspected in the Court of Conscience or it may be damned in the Starchamber of a mans own deluded heart for counterfeit it will be an hard matter to prevail for their admission ever to appear in Court again The greater intimacy and secrecy of communion there hath been between thy soul and the Spirit of God the more difficulty will there be to make up a breach if it fal out between you See Prov. 18. 19. 5 Lose that and you lose all the rest Graces will not shine Duties will be cold and dull Promises will speak nothing our owne spirits when they are called forth will bear false witnesse if the Spirit be dumb They will all say as the King to the poor woman How can we relieve thee except the Lord help thee 2 King 6. 27. Thou maist go to the Word and not one syllable of it but will witnesse against thee to thy own heart and that is possessed by Satan and dismal despair and there is nothing but blackness Call forth thy Graces and ask them and there is not one will answer to his name If thou say Come forth Love and evidence for me I am mis-called saith Love I am but selfishness Call forth Faith that is not my name saith Faith I own no name but Presumption Repentance will be called by no name but Legal sorrow Zeal will be called fury and rashness new obedience hypocrisie and formality c. Call to Duties and Prayer will say I am tongue-tied and cannot speak Hearing will say All that I can meet with in a Sermon is terror the Sacraments will say thou hast eaten and drunken damnation there is not a dram of comfort for thee in us If the Sun hide the Moon and Stars give none or a very obscure light All Hamans intimate friends when the King but frowns are so far from daring to speak for him that they cover his face and are all ready to have him away to the Gallowes whereas on the other side every grace duty providence ordinance hath something to say for a man when the Spirit of God is the foreman of the Jury they all say as he sayes CHAP. XXVI How this may be done And first concerning keeping Records of them Quest BUt how shall I keep the Testimony of the Spirit when I have it Ans 1. Record it carefully That is the way for a man to secure an Evidence of his Lands or estate to serve him at all turns to record the Deeds of bargain and sale or Donation or whatever other way the Title is secured with all the formalities of Law c. that may illustrate or confirme them There be two Courts in which these evidences are to be pleaded or impleaded And therefore it will concern you to have a Duplicate of this Evidence that there may be a copy in each Court 1 The Court of Heaven Now it is true that God enrols all such Acts of his Spirit there but this is but a private record as I may say with reverence for Gods own use The Lord knowes who are his 2 Tim. 2. 19. This private record I cannot produce at any time because Secret things belong to God Deut. 29. 29. But there is another way of laying up a more serviceable Record in Heaven which a man may have forth coming as we use to say upon all occasions that is by commending our Evidences to God in Prayer desiring his own Spirit that gives them to be our Remembrancer of them in times of need This is one of the Offices of the Holy Ghost not only to be the Comforter of the Saints but their Remembrancer and Recorder too John 14. 26. Christ had told his Disciples many comfortable things in the whole preceding part of the Chapter and now towards the upshot and period of all the great comfort with which he interlines all the rest both in this and the following Chapters is I will send you another Comforter And the Comforter shall come whom the Father shall send in my name But what shall he do when he comes Why he shall first be their Instructer and the Promoter of their farther progresse in saving knowledg wherein they were but Novices till Christs Ascension He shall teach you all things and he shal be their Recorder or Remembrancer he shall suggest so Beza renders the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 suggeret or prompt your forgetful memories in all things which I have told you True there 't is not spoken barely of the things immediately preceding but of all
less sensible Because God permitts this darkness in designe for some special ends of his owne Now the person a man puts on upon designe commonly he useth to over-act even beyond what he would if he were reall So although when God was really an enemy as before conversion he carryed himselfe by secret supports and encouragements of the soul as one that was not utterly irreconcileable yet when he meerely intends to appeare so he carries himselfe so strangely that the soul really believes he is in earnest and intends its ruine irrecoverably Lam. 3. 5. 7 8 9. The church aggravates her sad condition from extraordinary appearances of Gods dealing with her God in such a case leaves the soul alone like a sparrow on the house Psal 102. 7. And woe to him that is alone Eccles 4. 40. 4 And thus fourthly The grounds of the horrid troubles that Gods Saints fall into after assurance may be and are occasionally from the Spirit of God though immediately and by way of an efficient cause they are not from that spirit Thus the Spirit led Christ into the wildernesse Mat. 4. 1. 1 By an active suggesting to the soul such considerations as may start a soul-trouble As when it makes a fresh disâ—overy of New committed sinnes and stirs up the soule to renew repentance for them Such motions may be the occasion of farther enquiries into a mans own heart and so of questions concerning his estate And thus by degrees they may grow into as palpable Legal Terrours as any ever the soul groaned under 2 By withdrawing that assistance from the soul which should maintain the soul in peace and joy of the Holy Ghost When the Sun hides behind a cloud or is under an Eclipse it must needs be dark If the Father let goe the little childs hand in a dark and dangerous place he will surely fall And thus is the Spirit the negative cause if I may so express my self of the saddest bondage that comes on the people of God after Assurance 5 But Lastly the Spirit to be sure doth never cause and work a feare of bondage in the soul after Assurance as it did before and that may be seen in these differences 1. Before there was a time when he convinced the sinner of a state of sin and enmity to God After it never doth tel a man so any more 2. Before there was a time when he convinced the soul of a state of wrath and condemnation arising from that enmity but having once effectually converted and assured the soul of reconciliation he never presents hell and wrath any more to the soul as its portion 3. Besides He sometimes presented every act of sinne as unpardoned Now he never doth so any more in that sense wherein he did so formerly That is that I may not be mistaken He never presents Gods vindictive or avenging Justice unto the soul as unsatisfied for such a sin though he may present Gods fatherly Justice as displeased at it 4. Before hee sometime presented every suffering of this life to the soul as a part of the curse of the Law and the earnest-penny of Hell Now he never leads the soul to the view of sufferings under that notion but only as fatherly corrections and chastisements by which God endeavours to quicken the soul into a speedy return unto him by renewed repentance and humiliation CHAP. XXXIV The proof of the Thesis from 1. Scripture 2. Reason THe truth of this point is abundantly cleer Proof from the Scripture and Reason For Scripture Take notice of the names by which the Spirit is set out to us in the Word 1 He is called the Comforter John 14. 16. And this in his peculiar Office to the Saints Now he would fail in the discharge of it if ever he should bring Gods adopted children into bondage againe Therefore when our Saviour promiseth the Comforter he also engageth that he shall abide with the Saints John 14 16. 'T is true their comforts are many times fleeting comforts But the Spirit of God is not to be blamed for that Ordinarily 't is their own fault and oftentimes Satans temptations eclipse the comforts and refreshments of the Spirit to the soule Though their comforts be fleeting the Comforter is not To debase himself from being the Comforter to the Divels imployment the Accuser of the Brethren is dishonourable to the Holy Spirit 2 Besides he is called our Seal and how long doth he continue so unto the day of redemption Eph. 4. 30. Hee will not to day scale an evidence of heaven to the soul and tomorrow seal its Mittimus to hell 3 Moreover he is called our Earnest and can we think that God will give us an earnest of heaven one day and revoke it again the next or ever deny the bargain which that Earnest secures unto us An honest man will not do so far be it from God to do what common honesty will keep man from Rom. 11. 29. 4 He is the Spirit of Adoption testifying to us that we are the children of God ver 16. of the chapter in hand And can it be imagined that he will ever tell a child of God that he is become a child of the Divel There is no lesse Reason For Reas 1. I have shewed before that The Spirit and the Word never crosse each others Testimony Now the Word never pronounceth bondage to any one that hath received the Witnesse of the Spirit nay not to any one that hath the least grace of the Spirit The Word every where speaks comfort to such Isa 40. 1 2. Rom. 8. 1 34. Reas 2. That which is the badge of a false Prophet and which God dislikes in such cannot without blasphemy be attributed to the holy Spirit of God But to make the heart of the righteous sad is a badge and sin of false Prophets Ezek 13. 22. Reas 3. That ought not to be supposed to be wrought by Gods Spirit which as often as it is on our spirits is our sin and infirmity but to doubt of the saving love of God after enjoyment of the manifestation and feeling of it is our sin and infirmity Psal 77. 20. And therefore the Spirit cannot be the Author thereof because the Holy Spirit cannot be the Author of sin Reas 4. That which hinders the most proper and peculiar work of the Spirit of Adoption cannot be the work of the Spirit except we suppose the Spirit so indiscreet as to counteract himself But if the Holy Spirit ever become a Spirit of bondage to the soule after tastes of Gods love communicated thereunto the Spirit would be guilty of counter-acting its most proper and peculiar work which as the next Doctrine from the last words of the Text shews you is to embolden and enliven the heart in Prayer For how can he call God Father with confidence to whom the Spirit witnesseth that God is an enemy Reas 5. The Spirits Testimony if it could ever become a Spirit of Bondage
like life and vigour of expressions and other Cases occasioned hereby stated Quest 3. DOth the Spirit of Adoption use to furnish the soul alike at all times with life and vigour in expressions Answ 1. Undoubtedly he doth not And of this we have a very remarkable proof in this very Chapter vers 26. The Spirit helps sometimes in words at large but sometimes he supplies us with groans only Nor is it need he should For 1 These are but the outward gayety pomp and hangings of Devotion Now garments themselves are no part of the man nor things absolutely necessary to the life of man much lesse are the state and magnificence of trimming and fashions necessary The outward garb of the body the outward garb of duty prevail alike with God that is just nothing at all Yet let me not hereby occasion in any one a lazy and supine neglect of expressions Though utterance be not a grace and God accepts and delights in nothing but grace yet it is a gift and God will not have gifts slighted or wilfully neglected and so suffered to decay for want of blowing up But however if by no neglect of mine own I am shut up that I cannot expresse my self I must not presently conclude that my prayers that I offer up with broken sighes and groans have not all things necessary to their acceptance 2 These are many times the fewel of our corruption the matter of our pride vain-glory and self-advancement in the presence of God and it is oftentimes a very great mercy that Gods Spirit with-drawes the actual exercise of that gift from us which we are apt to abuse so much to his dishonour and our own disadvantage How many persons are there especially in these dayes that make elegancy and fluency of expressions in prayer a matter of emulation 3 These are many times the excellencies of unsanctified men No real friend useth to be so liberal in words of Ceremony and formality as a complementing Courtier that intends not a word of what he sayes The Pharisees could make long prayers Mat. 13 14. but the Publican that was more in earnest is quickly at an end of his Devotion for want of expressions or boldnesse to speak more 'T was short and sweet as we say I am perswaded the Divel may be a false Spirit of prayer in the mouths of many Hereticks and Seducers in these dayes as well as a false Spirit of prophesie of old in the mouth of Ahabs Prophets 1 King 22. 22. Men shall never want tools that do the divels work Some men pray like Angels as Parots speak like men and yet both say least of what they say 4 These may be an occasion of greatest formality in prayer if continued We ordinarily account a form of words to be a form of prayer I tell you friends there may be as much formality in an unstinted fluency of expressions That is the form of any Grace or Duty which most resembles it and yet is not what it resembles Assuredly fluent and fervent expressions in prayer carry the most glorious appearance and form of a spiritual Duty that can be Many a man therefore sits down in them as other persons do in an external Leiturgy and places all Religion in a few spiritual Complements with God Yet would I not have these expressions of mine any way abused to the justification of the stinted formalists Devotions in which usually persons of that strain place their whole Religion Undoubtedly we may lawfully use a crutch when we are lame and a go-cart whiles we are children Young beginners may find help in the matter method and language of prayer from a good form and I know not but under extraordinary deliquies swoundings of spiriti n which the soul cannot put forth its operations as before a godly man may as Christ did in his Agony go and repeat to God thrice and more the same Mat. 26. 44. form of words But to keep the fashion or the size of garments when I am one and twenty which I used when I was a child or to use the crutches when I am whole which supported me when I was lame or crawle about by chaires and stools when I am a man is a piece of ridiculous absurdity A. 2 Add moreover that Elegancy and fluency of expressions though sometimes they are yet are not alwayes the work of the Spirit of God I dare not say the Spirit doth not many times suggest the very language of prayer as well as he suggested the very words of the strange tongues with which the Apostles spake Act. 2. 1 2 3. c. Yet I know also that much of the life and vigour of expression in prayer is from our own parts There is much Art in expression and so much of our own flourishes of studied or elaborate Oratory Rhetorical termes a natural heat of affection from the affectionatenesse of our owne expressions Some things of this nature may appear in prayer which would be the same if I were making a serious speech about a matter of concernment before a mortal man Now you may distinguish supplies received from the Spirit in this kind from others by these probable signes 1 Supplies of language from the Spirit are more natural and lesse strained for That that a man speakes from a principle within is ordinarily delivered in a kind of natural eloquence But what is meerly lip-labour is over-done expressions are more forced and there is more of invention in them And so it is in prayer the Spirit is the most inward principle of prayer to a gracious man He followes in nothing so freely as when he is led by the Spirit his own natural and moral actions are not freer and more unforced then gracious actions are The more study there is for terms to expresse a mans selfe the more of the head there is in prayer most commonly the lesse there is of the heart 2 The more humble acknowledgement of your own impotency to pray you enter upon the duty withal the more of the Spirit is in your after enlargements A soul that goes to duty in its own strength is not acquainted with such self-abasing thoughts but out of the experience of former abilities thinks as Samson I will go out now and shake my self as at other times Judg. 16 20. Such an one goes to prayer as a Scholar to study a speech out of the strength of his reading and invention 3. The enlargements of expression which proceed from the Spirit are not a constant supply When men pray always with the same fluency of expression 't is a sad token there is much of nature and art in such prayers The Spirit I confesse may give ordinary supplies but yet the soul shall observe now and then the stream runs more low and still especially upon some such occasion as I have before shewn may make the Spirit withdraw his influences that enable in duty 4. There is as great an height in affections
of blowing up the coals as well as by throwing water upon them To move you hereunto consider 1 There is little difference as to the comfort of grace between grace lying dead and no grace at all A man that hath riches and God gives him not an heart to enjoy them wherein is he better as to the comfort of his life then a man that hath not a penny in the world This is an evil thing under the Sun saith Solomon Eccles 6. 1 2. A man that hath no grace enjoyes no communion with God sits dull and unprofitable under all Ordinances makes no spiritual advantage of any enjoyment and so doth the man that hath grace un-improved 2 The lesse you stir up your graces the less you will be able to use them when you have need If a mans faith humility sorrow for sin be away in one Duty or two he will not find them readily at hand when he would make use of them again A tool a man useth at every turn will not be so often out of the way as one he useth but now and then Besides suppose them constantly at hand yet if not imployed they will be rusty and unfit for use except they be rubbed up by constant imployment 3 Corruptions will be stirring daily and Satan will be perpetually blowing them up especially in the Duty of Prayer There is no Duty in which the people of God complain Ut jugulent homines surgunt de nocte latrones Vt teipsum serves non expergisceris Horat. more of distempers and distractions then that Duty The thief is abroad active and vigilant and shall the Traveller ride on carelesly and not look about him to keep his weapon in a readinesse for every assault There is no rode more infested with Thieves then the rode betweene earth and heaven the Traffick is precious and therefore a man had need stir up and quicken himself to all the cautiousnesse that may be and muster up all his strength for a convoy to secure the passage Now there is no convoy that more secures all our duties in that traffick and all our returns then a convoy of active graces 4. The Saints of God have used to do so to call upon themselves and to quicken themselves unto a spiritual and lively performance of duties to God David is frequent herein Psal 103. 1. All that is within me praise his holy name Arise faith humility self-denial joy hope and be stirring I am about a duty of importance and that to a God to whom I stand deeply obliged do your best therefore to help me to praise his holy name So Psal 57 7 8. My heart is fixed or prepared or ready Awake my glory Tongue See you do your duty lively and vigorously awake my Psaltery and I my self wil awake early i. e. I wil stir up all my graces to bear you company And the whole Church complains of the want hereof Isai 64. 7. 5 God in all his grants takes special notice of the activity of our graces in approaching to him Jer. 30. 21. Who is this that engaged his heart to approach to me saith the Lord q. d. There are many that approach to me but who is that among all the rest that engaged his heart to approach to me Of all the rest I take notice of him he quickned all his graces and stirred up all his soul on purpose that he might approach to me As if a great man come to a Town and publick entertainment be made him if any one among the rest be more active then ordinary he takes especial notice of him Who is this that makes so much ado above all the rest I must take special notice of him and gratifie him with some extraordinary favour God le ts passe an hundred lazy Petitioners and seeks out a fervent one in a throng of Christians 6 If you do not stir up your graces to seek God God will stir them up for you If an horse that hath mettal enough grow dull the rider puts to the spur to quicken him If you grow dull and careless in Duty God will spur up your graces and quicken you to your pain and cost too Indeed saith God is it so Can such a man afford me no better services then so is every slight slovenly performance good enough for me Well I will be served with that that costs him something before I have done with him With-draw thy comforts from him Spirit smite him sickness vex him Satan persecute him enemies I will warrant it I shall hear from him shortly in another guise manner Hos 5. 15. In their affliction they will seek me early Take this for an usual rule Ordinarily after a continued deadness and formality of Spirit upon a Saint in Duty comes some sharp affliction or other CHAP LII A Question how Saints may recover out of deadnesse in prayer answered something about formes Quest BUt how shall I stirre up my selfe to seek the Lord How shall I recover out of this strange deadnesse and formality of spirit which I am fallen into Answ 1 Vse not to set upon the duties in which you approach to God without meditation David says of himselfe whiles I was musing the fire kindled Psal 39. 3. Meditate principally upon the most proper moving objects of every grace Faith acts upon Gods faithfulnesse in his promises to stirre up faith therefore meditate upon God in his faithfulnesse and that as declared in some special promise that concerns thy case and condition Love and thankfulnesse are exercised upon the goodnesse of God Meditate upon the goodnesse of God to thee in particular to stirre up those graces humility is most affected with a mans own vilenesse and Gods glory compared together here then set out God in his majesty as gloriously as thou canst in thy meditations then view thy selfe and thy own vilenesse especially reflecting upon those sinnes of thine which have had most vilenesse and loathsomnesse of circumstances and are attended with the most abhominable aggravations And so in other graces 2. Choose the most free and lively seasons for duty The morning before worldly busines hath deadned flatted the spirit is of special use for prayer 'T was not for nothing that David so often made choyce of that time Psalm 5. 3. 59. 16. 88. 13. 119. 147. 63. 1. 108. 2. c. If a man will attend any businesse without distraction or disturbance that is the time to be beforehand with the disturbances of dayly businesses and occasions When we slip out of every worldly imployment into prayer or at night when we are half asleep mix nods with petitions no wonder if we complain of deadnesse and dulness and distraction 3. Watch to prayer Col. 4. 2. Continue in prayer and watch thereunto c. 1 Pet. 4. 7. Be sober and watch unto prayer Watch against Satan who will then be busie to disturbe you it may be with Atheistical and blasphemous thoughts and other
such distracting suggestions and you then watch against him when you set your heart against them and turne your prayers edge against them till you have cast them out and then returne to your duty again Watch against your usual carelesnesse and when you find it growing upon you do likewise Watch against vain wandring thoughts and throw them out by a speedy laying hold upon some more weighty Meditation if any such be at hand if not but thou findest thy self wholly possest with such fancies do as before I advised turn the edge of thy prayer for that while against them Watch the kindlings of the Spirit and where thou findest but one little spark of fervency and zeal glowing ply that Meditation that Subject hard that kindleth it Follow the Veyne and thou wilt be Master of the Mine at last 4 Be much in begging the Spirit of prayer and calling him in to constant assistance in the Duty Urge his Office upon him he is a Spirit of Grace and Supplication And to enliven and embolden the Saints is his principal work 5 Rest not in formes of Prayer I do no way doubt but that a godly person newly brought in to the exercises of Religion may be sometimes to seek in expressing himself before others and in such a case if a publick person or Master of a Family I am not so severe as to forbid him the use of a good form either of his own or others framing and in the closet it may be good to read now and then for example and pattern the formes of others but especially the prayers of the Saints recorded in Scripture and among them the Psalmes which are most of them made up of matter of prayer either in way of Confession Petition or Thanksgiving that they may suggest to us quickning matter of prayer Nay whiles I read anothers form wherein I meet with passages sutable to my condition I know not why I may not say Amen to such Petitions But yet I know not by what warrant any one in private or constantly before others binds himself to the very same series and frame of words Nay I think it is an Argument either of much lazinesse in not improving the utmost of a mans owne abilities and interests in the Spirit to enable him or at least it proceeds from a fond and erroneous conceit of God as if he minded more an exact composure of Petitions then the real although immethodical and lesse quaintly dressed desires of a mans heart The truth is no man useth a form of prayer much but finds it if hee know his owne heart a great deadning to his Spirit If a Preacher should twenty times in a year preach over the same Sermon would not the veryest Formalists of his Congregation and indeed all others sleep and grow weary under such preaching And do we not see the same effects generally under a form of Prayer or at least is there not the same reason why wee should expect them A perpetual use of the same form is a more tedious tautology then that which such persons often blame in conceived Prayer viz. the repeating againe and againe the same Petitions in the same prayer For this may proceed from fervency See Psalm 124. 4 5. and 116. 14 18. and 80. 3 7 19. The other imports or begets lazinesse at least it gives suspicion of it and that not altogether causeless to others which hath much of the appearance of evil in it Object But Sir will you have us alwayes adventure upon an extemporary way of prayer Shall I offer to God that that cost me nothing Ans No by no meanes But you must know that conceived Prayers upon the variation of a mans condition or other occasions are not the same with extempore prayers 1 A man may pray extempore in a forme if he come unprepared and rush upon it as too many do as the horse into the battel he offers up the Sacrifice of fools and is rash with his lips before the Lord which is forbidden Eccl. 5. 1 2. 2 And on the other side a man may alwayes very as occasions vary and yet not pray extempore having before meditated upon the matter of his Petitions and layd up store of furniture for prayer though he trust much to present gifts for expressions I cannot call this extemporary praying 3. Neither yet is it unlawful upon some occasions and in some cases to adventure upon this Duty extempore both for matter and form As in daily and hourly occasional Ejaculations in case of a sudden call unto the Duty by any unexpected providence c. in which cases Christian prudence being the Judg and judging rightly the petitions are neverthelesse welcome to God for their extemporarinesse 4 And lastly yet must we use this liberty very tenderly and suspiciously lest our hearts perswade us that there is a greater frequency of such occasions then there is and so it prove a snare to us when we find it may be more then ordinary abilityes without ordinary endeavors as somtimes when God calls to sudden service he gives in sudden supplies we may be tempted to expect the same abilities in the same way without the same call We must not tempt the Lord our God And that is done one way when we expect extraordinary supplies from him in the neglect of the ordinary way appointed by Mat. 4. 7. him for the attainment of them CHAP. LIII A third Duty to come boldly to the Throne of Grace pressed 3 COme boldly to the Throne of Grace as Children to a Father 1 Under the Assurance of Gods love this is easie This will make a man talk with God face to face as a man talketh with his friend as it is said of the familiarities that passed between God and Moses Exod. 33. 11. to commune with God and draw nigh to plead with him when others stand at a distance as Abraham Gen. 18. 22 33. 2 We may under that assurance claim it as our priviledg A Princes Son when others are kept out by Officers and Guards is admitted at all times if any Guard stop him he pleads the priviledg of his Relation So though there be never so much darknesse and fire and terror round about God that seems to guard his presence from a Creatures approach an assured Saint can say Make way there and let me come to my Father guards are appointed to exclude strangers not sons 3. God expects and requires we should come with boldnesse to his Throne Hebr. 4. 16. Let us come boldly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 taking liberty to speak any thing so the word signifies in the Original Not simply any thing quicquid in buccam for Solomon cautions us against that Eccles 5 1. as is abovesaid but any thing that becomes the reverential duty and honour that we owe to God as to a Father A child may say any thing to a father that is that becomes a child to speak or a Father to hear Besides he may speak
time of judgment and 't is part of their plague that God will laugh at their destruction Prov. 1. 26. 27. Be-fool thy selfe and be-beast thy selfe before God that thou shouldest be so improvident as to neglect the providing of any materials to build thee a shed against a storme or to think that thou shouldest never see a time in which thou shouldst have need of God Say Lord thou art just but I am wicked It is righteous with thee to stamp my punishment with the very image of my sin Thou art righteous though thou shouldst never open my lips or my heart though thou shouldest seal my condemnation to my soul by sealing up both my heart mouth and not suffering me so much as to open my mouth to petition for a pardon 3. Earnestly gâ—oan and sigh hefore the Lord as thou canst desiring him that he will not take against thee the advantage which thy provocations have given him that he will enlarge thy heart and bestow upon thee the Spirit of supplication And who knowes whether in praying that thou mayst pray God may not teach thee to pray 'T is not for nothing that God bids even carnal men to pray Act. 8. â—… Though they cannot pray acceptably without the Spirit sure 't is because in his ordinary way of dispensation the Spirit of prayer is given in praying as the spirit of faith is given in hearing though we cannot hear acceptably without faith Me thinks the words hold forth no less Luke 11. 13. He gives the Holy Spirit to them that aske him We cannot aske the Spirit as we ought without the Spirit yet we get the Spirit in asking 4. Think not thy present estate utterly irremediable For though there be a time when God will not be found of sinners though they seek the blessing with tears Heb. 12. 17. yet know that there is no time in which he excludes a penitent and sincere hearted petitioner And the reason why many a prophane Esau failes in finding is because he failes in seeking If thy heart be now so affected as is before described know God hath in part heard thee in giving thee an heart so seriously affected with its own barrennesse deadnesse and impenitency and know farther that barrennesse felt and complained of and groaned under is no more barren but occasionally fruitfull in many sweet affections though yet thou be straightened in expressions And there may be more prayers in one groane from an heart that is sensible of its own inability to pray then in many large discourses and â—rations to God from a formal and customary devotion 5. Shouldst thou dye in this condition with thy face towards heaven yet thou mayst dye with hope that thy present seed time of tears shall end in an harvest of joy that though thy mouth be shut on earth yet seeing God hath opened thy heart it shall also be opened in heaven The Thiefs prayer on the Cross was an effectual prayer though but a short one Let that keep thee from despair but let it not encourage thee to presume He that made but one prayer in his life and that at the hour of death yet that one prayer prevailed to open Paradise I fear his example hath occasionally shut it to thousands of presuming sinners that have presumed upon the same admittance yet as to thee whose heart God hath opened I dare present it as an encouragement Tell me not God opens not thy mouth if the heart be open 't is far more then if the mouth were never so enlarged One sigh in secret of a broken heart is more then many loud howlings of frighted Formalists and Hypocrites That key that opens the heart will open heaven too 6 And lastly Now resolve in the strength of Christ and the Covenant of Grace which hath layd help upon him for thee that if ever thou get out of the present trouble if ever thou be enabled to break these bars of indisposition streightnednesse of spirit thou wilt never be so neglectful of maintaining the acquaintance thou hast gotten with God as thou hast been in getting it And take heed for time to come that thou performe thy resolutions in that kind Take heed prove not so ungrateful or ill-natured as to look no more after God when once the present turn is served and thou thinkest thou canst go alone Let God see that thou seekest his acquaintance for his own worth and excellency not meerly for mercenary ends and thy own necessities Lest God deal with thee for time to come as men use to deal with those that haunt them only when they have need of them lest he resolve not to be at home when thou knockest for him henceforward and avoid all occasions of being spoken withal walk on the other side of the street that hee may not meet thee and be occasioned to take notice of thee and know thee afar off look high Psalm 138. 6. and keep distance and either in judgement shut up thy mouth and heart to prayer again which he may easily do 't is but with-holding the supply of the Spirit and thou art as dead as a doornaile as we use to say or else open it in a greater judgment to let thee tire and weary out thy selfe with such cryes and howlings as hee is resolved to turne the deafe ear unto And that is an heavy judgement to have the mouth opened in prayer and heaven shut against it Lam. 3. 8. 2 If thou be one of that holy generation of Seekers not above duty but under it Psalm 24. 6. Hast by a constant intercourse with God entered an holy acquaintance with him in former times and therefore takest it ill that thou canst neither send to him nor hear from him now that at so needful a time thou hast lost thy wonted correspondence and canst not because all thy wonted posts of holy and flaming affections and importunate expressions are stopped give him intelligence of thy condition 1 Do not judg over harshly of thy self because thereof For it is a thing under the greatnesse of trouble incident to the best of Gods Saints and is not so much to bee imputed to them as to the burthens that oppresse them Curae leves loquuntur ingentes stupent Little troubles are loud but great ones dumb 'T was Hezekiahs case Isaiah 38. 14. Lord I am oppressed The Hebrew word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being a Verb of the third Person and Feminine Gender saith one of the Rabbins hath relation â—o 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ver 12. which we translate a pining sicknesse and 't is as much as if he had said My wasting Disease hath so spent my very spirits that I am grown a meer stock so dull and stupid that I cannot perform any duty of Religion as I would And 't is the usual complaint of most of Gods people that the weaknesse of their bodies in such a condition much deadneth the vigour and activity of their spirits 'T was Jobs case chap. 6.
A man that hath but confused notions of a thing is not able to make a clear and distinct relation of it Sometimes we cannot pray because we know not what to ask Rom. 8. 26. We know not what to ask because we know not distinctly what ails us troubled we are but we cannot tell why As a man divers times in distemper of body let a Physician come to him ask him how he doth he will tell him Sick Sir very sick But ask him where the seat of his distemper most lyes he cannot tel he is very ill and that is all that he can say Thus many a man is troubled in mind indistinctly and confusedly Now such a man cannot but be shut up in prayer The head is clouded and that cloudeth the heart And as in a mist a man sees Objects at a distance that fright him but because he sees them in a mist he can give no distinct intelligence of them So here And oftentimes melancholy of body concurs to hinder by darkning the judgment and distracting the fancy 3 Study Gods Promises and let them dwell in you plentifully And especially such Promises as most concerne your condition so discovered When David hath a Promise he never wants a Prayer How often Psalm 119. doth he urge God upon his Word ver 25 28 58 116 169. The Word is the quiver of all those holy Arrowes by which a straitned soul shoots intelligence to Heaven Prayer is nothing but the Eccho of a Promise I will ease thee saith Christ Matth. 11. 28. O ease me saith the soul Wait and God shall strengthen thy heart saith the Word Psal 27. ult Strengthen my heart saith the soul My grace is sufficient for thee saith the Lord 2 Cor. 12. 9 Let thy grace be sufficient for me saith the soul of a praying Christian Get a Promise and thou hâ—st a great deal of cloath for prayer it lacks but cutting out 4. Stir up the grace of God that is in thee 1 By Meditation Meditation is the bellowes that sets grace a flaming Meditate upon the forementioned Subjects thy owne present condition Gods love and Promises add to them thy frequent past experiences the nature use necessity of maintaining intelligence with God in thy condition the nature use ends of an afflicted estate the Duties that God expects from thee in it and many more subjects of this or a like nature And thou wilt find it with thee as with David Psalm 39. 3. My heart was hot I mused the fire kindled then I spake with my tongue He was dumb before but the heart growes so full now it must needs out or 't will break for want of vent Set before thee as matters of Meditation the chapters and places of Scripture that have been penn'd by the Saints in thy condition 2 By frequent essayes Thou canst not pray How often hast thou tryed It may be once or twice and then grown weary Try again man and again and again till thou canst Some never work well till they are warm Obj. But I can say nothing Answ Then go and complain Lord I would pray but I can say nothing Then look out a Promise and turn it into a Prayer and if thou canst do no more rise again and anon fall to it again Thus children learn to spell read and write What if thou go three four twenty times together and be able to say but a few words those stil the same Christ did so in his Agony In such a case if thou hast a good form by thee of another mans I know not why at least the viewing if not use of it may not quicken the Spirit of Prayer in thee Câ—uâ—ches may help us when we are lame that hinder us when we are sound 3 If thou caust get a godly experienced friend to pray with thee discover thy case to him as well as thou canst and let him spread it before the Lord and labor thou to joyne with him Iron sharpneth iron so doth the face of a man his friend In such holy communion one prayer begets another Two lying together grow both warm Or get such friends to pray for thee 1 Cor. 1. 11. Paul acknowledgeth a great deal of help from the Corinthians prayers A diligent use of these means and frequent application of thy self to the use of them wil by degrees recover thy lost acquaintance with God again FINIS The Contents THe first Treatise concerning the Spirit of Bondage layes down these two Theses 1. That the convictions concussions and terrours which bring a sinner before conversion under a spiritual bondage to the sad apprehensions of the curse and wrath of God due to him by the Law because of the guilt of sinne are ordinarily the works of Gods blessed Spirit 2. That In order to the conversion of sinners it is the ordinary and usual way of the Holy Spirit of God to become thus a Spirit of Bondage before he becomes a Spirit of Adoption To the first of these way is made by a preface containing a brief explication and vindication of the meaning of the Apostle Paul Rom. 8. 15. where he makes mention of this Spirit of Bondage wherein I state this Question Quest What the Spirit of Bondage is in the Apostles sense and the fear that proceeds from it Chap. 1. The Thesis cleared 1. By shewing how this work as it is managed by the Spirit of God differs from a like work of Satan And in the close thereof 2. By enquiring whether this work always ends in conversion Chap. 2. A few words are added to prove it Chap. 3. Practical Corollaries from the Premises 1. By way of support Chap. 4. 2. By way of Caution in several branches 0 1. Not to harden the heart against the Spirits soft voyce 2. Not to mis-apprehend our own case under bondage 3. Not to judge others in that case 4. Not to break the Spirits bonds but by his leave whether it be 1. By profane or vain diversions and avocations of our hearts from being serious and through therein Chap. 5. 2. Or by over-greedy grasping after peace and comfort ere we are prepared for it Whence ariseth A Practical Question concerning the measures of humiliation necessarily required to conversion and comfort and concerning fitnesse of the soul for comfort Chap. 6. The 3. 4 5 6. Corolaries Viz. By way of exhortation By way of conviction of the true use of the ministry of the Law By way of plea for the frequent seeming peevishness of poor souls refusing comfort By way of humiliation to such as herein have formerly it may be frequently stifled convictions and fears c. 7. The second Thesis explained 1. By enquiring into the nature of the work of the Spirit of Bondage where conviction is described ch 8. 2. By assigning the means of this work ch 9. Evidence given of the Spirits usual working this way c. 10. Qu. Vpon what designes the Spirit most commonly workes in this method Discovered in twelve
quatenus in eaÌ„ Deus nebiscum operum respectu paciscitur I mâ—et withal in this Argument affirming divers things concerning the condition of the Jewes under the Law for which he is deservedly taxed by Peter Martyr As that The Jews received not the Spirit That what is here called the Spirit of Bondage was their Law so termed because it was a Spiritual Law That the Adoption attributed to them Rom 9. was a meere titular honour That they called not God Fatherin prayer c. And Oecuminius and Osoâ—ius follow him But surely if these holy men understand these things concerning the believing Jews they undertake to affirm that concerning them which besides the expresse Testimony of divers Scriptures against it such as Ps 51 11 12 Pro. 1 23. Ps 89 26. Is 63. 16. c. excludes them al out of heaven therefore I in charity conceive that they rather understand the body of the Jewish Church concerning whom these things may with a moderate candid interpretatioÌ„ be allowed to be spoken with respect to the major part who though professed believers yet were real unbelievers Calvin and the modern writers though they follow these Ancients in the inâ—erpretation of this place concerning the Jewes and their Law yet moderate the language they use If the Law saith he Calvin be looked upon in it self it cannot but binde men under bondage and fear of death seeing it promiseth no good but under conditions and pronounceth a curse of death upon every one that doth not keep them Gal. 3. 10. And therefore saith he the Apostle here speaks of the Law barely as a Covenant of works and so considered And Si lex in se consideretur nihil quà m miserae scrviâ—uti addictoâ— mortis quoque borrore constringere homines potest quia nihil boni promittit nisi sub conditione mortem quoque edicit in omnes transgressores Calv. in locum Aâ—d non habuerunt sporitum laetitiae libertatis à lege sed ad evangelium confugerunt Idâ—m Instit Gratia adoptionis erat obscuriùs adumbrata paucioribus concessa Gualth in locum the Jews received no spirit of Jâ—y and liberty from the Law But what of that they had was from thâ— Gospel intermixed therewith And Gualther explains it farther thus He speaks not of a distinction between the persons of the godly under both Testaments but of the different ministery of both The grace of adoption was them more obscurely shadowed out and granted to a few onely in comparison with the times of Gospel ministration Thus they But by the leave of so many learned and godly men I shall take liberty in part to follow a different Interpretation For this reasâ—n Because the Apostle here speaks not of the Spirit of Bondage and Adoption as received by the Jews but by Gentile RomaÌ„s who were never under that pedagogy and yet they were under this Spirit of Bondage once as well as now under the Spirit of Adoption Yet shall I not scruple to take so much of their interpretation as concernes the nature of the work wrought which fills the conscience with horrour of death as Calvin before speaks But whereas he takes the Spirit here spoken of only for the Instrumental causâ— the Law I cannot go with him there but interpret it concerning the efficient cause or at least the instrumental cause as it is in the hand of the efficient the Law in the hands of the Spirit But it may still be a question what Spirit it is that useth the Law in this work Augustine before mentioned interprets it of the evil spirit the Devil under whom men in the time of their unregeneracie are in bondage sutably to the Apostles other expression Eph. 2. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the spirit that works in the children of disobedience This Spirit indeed is a Spirit of bondage keeping soules in the basest slavery taking them prisoners like Turkish gally-slaves and chaining them to his oars that they may do his will 2 Tim. 2. 26. But sure this wicked spirit is not here meant for in the Apostles phrase the spirit of bondage is said to be a received spirit Now the power of Satan in the hearts of unregenerate men is by reason of original corruption connatural to them and so cannot-properly be said to be received Besides the same word being used in relation to this Spirit which is affirmed concerning the Spirit of Adoption seeing the receiving of the latter is to be understood by way of gift and peculiar grace from God I think the former must be interpreted so too Now the domineering power of Satan is no gift received from God from whom comes down none but good and perfect gifts Ja. 1. 17. This Spirit therefore that works the bondage and thereby the fear we speak of we De uno eodemqâ—… Spiritu loquens diversaâ—i effect a tribuit Gualth in locum have found out at last to be a Spirit received as a gift of grace from God and that can be no other then the Holy Spirit of God He it is that creates trouble in the hearts of Gods Elect in order to conversion as well as peace after it And as he is called afterwards a Spirit of Adoption because he is the efficient cause of the enjoyment and sense of that priviledge so here the Spirit of Bondage because by the Law he reduceth the souls of Gods Elect in order to regeneration under bondage and fear 2. This then being the Spirit from whose efficiency ariseth this effect the effect must be such as is sutable to the cause The holy Spirit of God cannot be supposed to bring any soul into an unholy bondage And therefore the condition of servitude here spoken of is not such a servitude as we before mentioned a bondage or servitude under the command of sinne but a bondage or servitude under the guilt of sinne not a bondage to sin but a bondage for sin and a bondage that is the beginning of liberty from sin That bondage is a voluntary bondage a bondage which men are no way sensible of nay they are so farre from being sensible of it unto fear as the Apostle here speaks that they count it the greatest liberty and lie under it in the greatest security But this bondage is naturally involuntary such as a mans heart is by nature irreconcileably averse to and is therefore wrought in the conscience by the mighty convictions of the Spirit of God over-powring it by an irresistible and effectual illumination and binding it with the chaines and fetters of that light under a deep and serious conviction of the sinfulnesse and misery of its own condition It is in a word when a soul lies under the arrest of the Spirit arming the Law to seize upon it and dragg it before the Judgment seat of God in the Conscience to receive its sentence according to its desert a sentence of death within it selfe in the same Apostles expression though in another sense
my sorrow and oh my grief then oh my sinne and oh my guilt when it follows God and Means with oh give me comfort and never with oh give me grace when it cryes oh that I had peace and cryes not Oh that I had holinesse this soul is not ripe for comfort Comfort would undo that soul 2. I ought not to refuse comfort when I can be contented to take Christ upon his own termes to teach and rule as well as redeem and save my soul When I can freely deny resigne part with every thing for him can give up my self to be made any thing by him when I value Christ so as that I will not entertain any thing a minute longer though it bee never so dear to me that displeaseth him even my dearest lust my greatest profit my entirest friends my fullest comforts For then I am emptyed of self and hungry after Christ and so fall under the promise he filleth the hungry with good things But when I am disposed only to take Christ partially cling Luke 1. 53. about the Crosse of Christ but hang loose from the yoke of Christ when my mouth is open to Christ but my ear shut this is sad When I drive the bargain for Christ to farthings and half pence the Lord bee gracious to me in this one thing c. Comfort to me in such a condition is bane See how the Apostle joynes Prince and Saviour together Act. 5. 31. how Christ joines a promise of ease and layes on his yoke at once Mat. 11. 28 29 30. 3. Then I am fit for comfort when I can be contented if God see fit and needfull for me to be longer without it when I can in the sincerity of my heart pray Lord if my rotten â—eart be not broken enough break it more if my sâ—sâ—erd wounds be not throughly searched lance them and search them more If there be any way of wickednesse within me search me Lord and try me till thou find it out if I Psal 139 23 24. would be proud of thy favour if thou shouldest discover it to me or turn thy grace into wantonnesse or get above ordinances and duties of Religion or proudly despise my bretheren that are lower then I or any infirmity of this kind would attend my full stomach let me fast from comfort longer here is a soul that if any is ripe for comfort But till a man come to this frame it is a signe hee is not throughly broken his bondage hath not tamed him enough and therefore comfort to this man would be like raw meat it would never digest with him the Lord hath not yet gotten the absolute mastery over and possession of his will and therefore no wonder if he lay more Irons upon him Some parents will not give their children any thing of that dish that they impatiently cry for and they say our Bishops were not to be admitted till they three times refused it I am sure David was not long kept out of his kingdome when hee had professed an indifferency to keep or lose it as the Lord saw most fit 2 Sam. 15. 25. And observe the Lords usual dealings with his people he seldome gives any comfort when men must have it or there is no quiet with them what ever grace they have or lust they master by the continuance of soul troubles they must have comfort or else in Hamans unthankfull strain they cry All this availeth me nothing And if persons Ruth 5. 13. of such impatient spirits get comfort under that disposition temper of soul 't is as Rachel became a mother by importunity but died in child-birth with Benjamin So do such oftentimes undo themselves with the comfort which their importunity hastened to them More of this kind might be added but I forbear now as knowing shall have cause to resume the same Argument again CHAP. VII Certain other improvements of this Truth THis truth also may be enlarged by way of 1 Exhertation to depend wholly on this Spirit for a bâ—essed Issue of and comfortable deliverance from this Bondage It is he onely that makes the wound can heal it as the rust of Acâ—illes his Sword onely cured the wounds which it made He hath the Key of David if hee open the Heart to receive comfort all the jealousies fears of a mans own Spirit all the malâ—ce of Satan and all the other hinderances that possibly can be imagined cannot shut it out So on the other side if he shut the door all the promises in the word applyed by the greatest Barnabasses on earth and by all the Angels in bleaven cannot open it Apoc. 3. 7. Wee are apt to depend upon Ministers and meanes for peace but Christ makes us oftentimes like the troupes of Tema to return ashamed at our Job 6. 20. disappointment from such failing brooks Let the meanes be never so good if this Spirit do not annoint them with the oil of gladness they cannot make your faces shine Christ was the most powerfull comforter in his ministery that could be yet that he might do this work effectually he is annointed by the Spirit Is 61. 1. 2 3. The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he hath annointed me to proclaim liberty to the capives and the opening of the prison to them that are bound c. Friends I speak not these things to dissuade you from the use of such means onely to warn you that you lay not the stresse of your expectations upon means but rather that you use them in dependance upon and with addresses to the Spirit to make them effectuall For my part I suspect that peace and comfort which comes in a grosse neglect and contempt of Ordinances and Duties or is attended with it I doubt such persons get out of prison by a false key the devill can pick the lock and let out the Spirits prisoners he can file off their chaines and set them free from trouble but they had better have kept in prison then have been beholden to him for their liberty when men are delivered from a conscientious bondage to an unconscionable liberty they had need pray to God to free them from that liberty This I speak to prevent a mistake of my drift in this use To returne to what I intend Beloved if the Spirit have brought you under bondage apply your selves to him that he will accomplish his end in your troubles that he will manage them to the subduing of your proud hearts to the destruction of the flesh that your spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. 2. Let this convince us that the ministery of the Gospel excludes not the preaching of the Law as instrumentall to conversion I know the Law alone converts no man neither doth the Spirit of Bondage yet it prepares the way of the Lord the Spirit working thereby to levell high thoughs c. that lift themselves up against Christ Ministers are the Servants of the Spirit and
grieving of many whom the Lord will not have grieved may rub old sores and make them smart again which the Lord hath closed may disturb the peace of many a Saint and make them a fresh to question their condition Ans 1. Will it so Suppose it and it may not be for their hurt if it do It may be they may have built too hastily and though God will not overthrow the building for every failing of the builder yet he may exercise it with some stormes to discover its cracks and shew where it needs props and where it was cemented with untempered morter A Christians comfort and peace may have many materials of his own mixing hay and stubble in the frame and those will God one way or other work out there may be more of reason in it then of Faith it may be rather a silencing conscience then a satisfaction of conscience As a disputant may be nonplust many times by a plausible argument that yet is not satisfied Now the hand of the Spirit may sometimes apply a word to such a soul which may partially shake its grounds that he may thereby rectifie and confirme them 2. If the worst come of it that can be viz. that some Saint in the preaching the Lâ—w and the Spirit of Bondage be deepely wounded and made to question all its former evidences by a word which the Minister in his intentions and according to the mind of God in the Scripture directs to others he is not blameable for this supposing he lay down such truths with all possible caution to prevent their injuriousnesse to any real Saint but the fault is in the want of judgement and discretion in the hearer so offended to take his proper portion or in the cunning of Satan making the truths of God the matter of temptation and as to the ordering and disposing of the thing and occasion this ought to be looked upon as a providence of God by which he will do something extraordinary in such a soul But the Minister is doing his duty he is dealing blowes according to his commission among the enemies of God if a friend of God will needs run out of his way and put his head under the sword 't is his own fault if he bleed Much of this often comes to passe through our neglect of prayer before we come to the ordinance that God will manage his own sword with his own hand directing the Minister to give every one his portion and enabling us to discerne and receive ours and an over-tendernesse and scrupulousnesse of spirit that some Saints are subject unto of which in the end of the second Book 3. Suppose it be the Ministers fault not wilfully and purposely for that is a wicked Prophets character wilfully and of set purpose to make sad the hearts of the righteous whom the Lord will not have made sad Ezek. 13. 22. but through indiscretion or want of caution in the delivery of terrifying truths to wound the conscience of a spirit yet he would doe farre more mischiefe if by the neglect of preaching such Truths from a feare of so doing he should suffer the wicked whom the Lord would have saddened to flatter himselfe in his own eyes either by a perpetual handling comfortable Doctrines in mixed Auditories or convincing ones so coldly flatly and worthlessely as shall never lend a downright blow to the consciences of carnal and secure sinners Better a thousand times that a Saints conscience be groundlessely troubled if one of the two cannot be avoyded then a great many hardned and obstinate sinners deluded by a false peace this may and likely will damne these but that cannot possiby destroy the other seeing the foundation of God stands sure and they are gold that fire even of temptations will not waste but purify CHAP. XVII A further touchstone for Examination THis Thesis also lends us a touchstone for Examination Here is a touchstone whereby to try your regeneration and conversion whether it be sound or no. And oh that I could hide this Chapter from all tender consciences that I might have a free liberty to lay about me a while among the rest But seeing it is necessary truth and I must not defraud many hundred of their portion for your sakes the Lords good Spirit I hope will so guide me and guard you that no one blow shall light but where it is intended Obj. Brethren the World is full of pretenders to grace and Christ now a days Heretofore it was a kind of disgrace to be a Saint and in those times it was not to be wondred at if there were few that pretended to the name without the thing No man will personate a Saint of purpose to be persecuted for bearing the badge of a counterfeited holinesse But now God hath made the name o Religion honourable though truly except the people of God had been generally better fitted to manage the condition God hath brought them to it may be it had been better for the credit of the Gospel hereafter that it had rather still layen under hatches then been abused by Politicians to bear the name of Pilot whiles they indeed steere the vessel to their own ends but I say the Lord hath for some late years made the name of Religion honourable he hath put a diadem of glory upon its head the appearance of it hath been in divers places the main qualification for preferments and places of advantage and 't is strange to see how many converts the meer complexion of the times hath made Religion is become the mode and he is no body that how course soever his cloth be doth not bestow some of the trimming of the Age upon it There were not more Jews made by fear in the days of Hester and Mordecai then there are Christians in these dayes by Covetousnesse and Ambition Christians said I Chrestians rather that I may apply more truly the allusive nickname which the Heathens in Tertullians time falsly put upon the Primitive Saints such as make their preferment and profit the saddle and Religion the stirrup to help them into it the World the Throne and Christ the footstoole whereby to mount unto it O friends what an easie change is there in the World from the highest shall I say or lowest Forme of sinners into the most sublime noble Angelical order of Saints He that a few hours since was as inseparable an adjunct of an Alehouse as a bush at the door that was a monster of intemperance and uncleannesse a prodigious swearer a notorious scoffer at Religion Sabbath-breaker earthworme a man that he that would have drawn a picture of the Devill had not wronged if he had set him for his pattern Verterit hunc Dominus momento turbinis exit Marcus dama let the Persius Devil his Master but change his coate turne the dark side inward and the light outward perswade him for his own base ends to leave or perhaps but hide his former sinnes and sprinkle
saving conversion of the soul to God that they are perfectly delivered from it for ever after 'T is a business that is to bee gone through but oâ—câ— and when it is once over there is no fear of its returning upon a man again I mean not that the soul may not come under bondage and fear and terrour again if I should the experiences of most of the Saints of God would confute me in this particular But here lyes the comfort No after shakings to such a soul are the Spirit of Bondage as Ishal shew more hereafter in the third Thesis or Proposition of the second part concerning the Spirit of Adoption And so they come not upon a man with Authority from God but arrest a man barely upon a counterfeit warrant and a man is not bound to submit to them Those cavils which arise afterward in such a soul are not the definitive sentence of a Judg concerning a man but the importune and vexing and litigious allegations of an Adversary Satan is a common Barreter and he makes it his trade to find out flaws in the evidences of Gods Saints and when he hath found or pretends to have found any he makes a great cry of a little wool as we say and like a clamorous and malicious accuser heightens every molehil to a mountain and concludes heavily against a man But what is all this to a mans quiet and peaceable possession if the spirit of God have discharged him the Court And such a one after his Gaol delivery from the spirit of bondage is for ever so discharged CHAP. XX Advice in seven particulars to such persons as are under this Spirit HEnce also properly grows this Caution to convinced sinners Take heed if this be the Spirits way and method of conversion how you render these works ineffectual and fruitlesse to your souls and so obstruct the Spirits saving design upon your selves This may be done many wayes I have instanced in some of them upon the former point which I shall not repeat To those add 1. A man may obstruct his own conversion in this work by a carelesse and sloathful intermission of those meanes which may keep his convictions fresh and lively and his conscience tender Souls under this work should strike as we say whiles the iron is hot And if the edg be dull he must lay on the more strength Eccles 10. 10. must improve publick Ordinances by private meditation prayer conference Fire will as well be put out by neglecting to supply it with fewel as by casting on water The Spirit may be starved as well as quenched The sluggard that after ploughing doth not follow it with the mattock and harrow will have as bad an harvest as he that sowes and never plowes at all The sluggaâ—d when he is called will divers times answer faire and make promises to rise and sometimes offers fair to perform them but when you cease calling his endeavors cease he finds his bed sweet and for want of throwing off the cloaths or starting out of bed by and by sinks into his rest again and takes the other nap Prov. 6. 10. So is it oftentimes with a sinner the Spirit cals and conscience calls and he ever and anon cryes I rise and sometimes starts up as if he would get out indeed but through sloath he is loath to be at the paines to pursue his good resolutions doth not follow them by constant and fervent prayer holy conference strict search into his heart and wayes and so loseth his beginnings by degrees insensibly and becomes as secure a sinner as ever God when he gives grace will be sought to Ezek. 36. 37. Yet will I be inquired of for this and Prov. 2. 3 4. If thou list up thy voice for understanding 2. He may do it by keeping needlesse society with wicked erroneous or vain and unprofitable company The former sorts scoff out and the latter toy out the seriousnesse of spirit that attends a convinced conscience Thence is the Apostles caution to them who upon that prick in the heart advise with him for the cure of that dangerous wound Save your selves saith he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from this crooked generation Acts 2. 49. and this he did very earnestly the Spirit sets it out by two words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he did charge or adjure and intreat and that with many words as knowing it to be a businesse of very great importance in what company such young beginners lighted Think you hear that Question put to you which the Angels put to the women Luke 24. 5. Why seek ye the living among the dead Truly beloved the unhappy lot of many a coming soul falls among profane friends and they as I shewed before by all means possible endeavour to drowne those little sparks others longing after ease and comfort and not daring to turn the stream of soul troubles in such a way among those friends to whom they chuse to bemoan themselves oftentimes light upon some of unsound Principles and they draw them from publick Ordinances and private duties the only ordinary means of effectual conversion it may be prejudice them against those Truths that affected them and thereby they not being plyed with those softning meanes quickly return to their former hardnesse and impenitency onely they colour it under a new name and profession of Saintship Now for prevention of this â—vil there is no greater caution in any thing to be observed by persons in that condition then to avoyd the company of hereticks as the most pernicious generation that they can converse withall And as for vain and frothy and unprofitable company though they be not in the same way hurtfull with those before mentioned yet are they great hinderances to this worke and hinder the real conversion of many a convinced sinner whiles they dispose the soul to a vain sleight and frothy temper a temper which is so far from being disposed aright for a businesse of such spiritual importance that it is not fit to manage a serious temporal imployment And good reason for there is in all such laughter a kind of madnesse Eccles 2. 2. For as the conceptions of fools and madmen are fickle and fleeting one fancy putting out the other as one wave another in water whence comes the rambling and incoherent discourse which ordinarily discovers distractednesse of mind so doth joy and lightnesse of heart especially if it be occasioned by vain and impertinent objects dilate and spread the spirit so as makes it incapable of being confined to any one thing though never so serious but the soul in such a condition dissolves and evaporates into smoak and as is said of the Heathens in another sense Rom. 1. 21. becomes vain in its imaginations How often doth the Apostle caution us aginst vain janglings and vain bablings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 discourses in which there is nothing but flash and vapour 1
wet seed time but it may be a dry summer and so the hazard is not over therefore having had a wet seede time 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he expects 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the latter raine too to perfect the harvest so thou hast sown in teares God hath blest the seed of the word so far to thee expect the perfecting his work in thee it may be thy continued troubles are the latter raine t is well when God followes thee with such showers keeps the ground thy heart tender feare not man this makes for the improvement of it to a joyful harvest They that sow in tears shall though long first yet at last reape in joy Ps 126. 5. And their precious seed will yeild sheaves at the last Obj. But I cannot wait I have such an impatient fretful spirit and I have so long waited to so little purpose that I am even quite wearied Though my spirit be willing yet my flesh is weak Answ 1 T is no lesse a duty because thou canst not do it 2. Pray against this distemper Lord I have an evil impatient overhasty heart that must be relieved presently or it will be gon from thy doore Lord give mee an heart willing to stay thy leisure Indeed the things I would have are precious necessary my endeavors have been frequent my Prayers urgent and importunate and therefore my froward spirit seems to take it ill to be so long disappointed in its expectation Lord give me a waiting depending enduring Spirit 3 Fetch in strength from a promise to this purpose There are abundance of promises made of and to waiting Of it see in special Psa 27. ult Waite on the Lord and be of good courage c. But what if I cannot He shall strengthen thy heart fortifie thy heart against all temptations to wearinesse and impatience See also Isa 40. 29 30 31. T is a very full promise So promises to waiting Isa 30. 18. Blessed all that wait for him Chap. 49. 23. They shall not be ashamed that wait for him 4. Yet wait in the use of means Such as 1. The word God having appointed the word as the means will have us attend it The word must be waited on for grace It is the word of grace Act. 20. 32. and the Apostle saith that there is no grace to be had i. e. ordinarily without it and that not only the word read but the word heard and that not from every one that can talke of Scripture but from a lawfull Preacher Rom. 10. 14. See the connexion between calling and preaching and hearing and faith See Joh. 17. 17. And the promise that Wisdom makes is to those that wait at her gates and the posts of her doors and constantly do so He that waiteth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 day by day ie upon all opportunities Pro. 8. 34 35. And the word must be waited on for peace too T is the Gospel of peace too as follows loco dicto Rom. 10. 15. and that in the mouth of Preachers And Eph. 6. 15. And Isa 57. 19. I create the fruit of the lips peace 2 Prayer Ezek. 36 37. I will yet be enquired of c. and Acts. 9. 11. The same spirit is a spirit of grace and supplication Jam. 1. 5. Zech. 12. 10. Obj. But why shall I pray My prayers whiles I am out of Christ are an abomination to the Lord and I sin whiles I pray Answ Upon this account the Divel drives off many from grace and Christ But consider 1. It is a greater sin to neglect it It is the worst thing that can be said of any man that he restraineth prayer before the Lord Job 15. 4. T is joyned with casting away the feare of God i. e. with professed Atheisme and prophanenesse See Jer. 10. 25. Heathens and families that call not upon Gods name are put together Prayer is sin to thee but by accident vitio personae but to neglect it is a sin in its selfe 2. The Lord requires even such persons to pray Act. 8. 22. 3. The spirit of grace and supplication is usually powred out in the performance of that duty Luke 11. 13. 3. Conference The great reason why Persons goe heated and warmed from sermons and within a few minutes become key-cold againe is the want of this holy help How did our hearts burne within us say the Disciples Luke 24. 32. when hee talked with us 4. Meditation Beasts that chewed the cud were the only cleane beasts because they best turned their food into nourishment T is a special advantage that a man hath in memory seeing it is that bag whence a man Vid. infrà N. Octava by meditation fetcheth back truths and chewes on them see Psal 40. 3. 5 Seek in them conversion rather then comfort and grace then peace The reason of this advice is that which I have before told you That grace is offered and we are invited to receive it without any qualification but our want of it But peace and comfort presuppose grace Rom. 5. 1. Reall and actual peace by which wee are made of enemies as we were born friends to God and apparent or apprehended peace peace in the conscience the evidence whereof is joy and comfort are the fruits of justification Besides if we desire peace principally and not grace we give a great advantage to Satan to delude us with a false peace without grace as hee doth many a thousand We often fail in this we are earnest for Pardon and peace but not so importunate for Grace 6. Follow those meanes most constantly which 1. Caeteris paribus are appointed to thee I think not that persons are bound absolutely to their own Pastor He may be unable he may be unwilling to imploy his talent to a mans advantage But if godly able and laborious my constant attendance is to be on his labours Certainely my constant meales should be at home 2 If free those that are most scarâ—…h The Word that converts it is described by the Apostle Heb. 4. 12. 't is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Word that hath life in it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Active and full of spirits 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. more cutting beyond a double comparison 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 penetrating as Aqua fortis not the ear but the heart joynts and marrow Partes minimas interiores 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a critical word they that are Criticks are accurate observers of every tittle Those thou shalt know by the rising of thy carnall heart against them For there is no congruity between the carnal heart of a man that naturally loves its ease a spiritual rowzing Ministry that will search out all its hidden corruptions therefore suspect thy heart here and cross it 7. Observe and take special notice of every step of proficiency which thou makest towards heaven and acknowledg it with thankfulnesse Our sense of wants should not although through our corruption most commonly it do exclude the
sense of mercies Thou wantest at least in thy apprehension grace and Christ or it may be but the evidence and assurance of these now thou perpetually art on the complaining hand and when thou comest into Gods presence he hears nothing from thee but these complaints and all that thou conversest with can have nothing else from thee but querulous language and it may be murmuring discourses concerning the sadnesse of thy condition and present wants But here is not a word of acknowledgment of what thou hast Thou never goest to God and acknowledgest that it is a great mercy he hath made thee see the sinfulnesse and misery of thy present condition and affected thy heart with it Now certainly this were a more likely way to speed 8. Labour to keep your hearts warm by keeping those things most fresh upon your spirits by constant meditation which most affect you Thou goest home warm from a Sermon affected it may be deeply with thy own condition by nature or it may be convinced of the exceeding sinfulnesse of some Master sin or other when thou comest home that this may be effectual to thy conversion dwell upon those passages in thy thoughts and when they are ready to dye recover them again by fresh recollection desiring God to fix them upon thy spirit till they have done their work And this puts a special force into the Word which it would utterly lose if these thoughts by worldly diversions should be buryed as soon as thou art gone from the Publick Assembly And at other times whiles this work is upon thee thou maist do well to take up thoughts on these Heads which may be matter for meditation in such a condition 1 The sinfulnesse of sin under all its aggravations and the sad condition of a person under it Here thou maist think what a sad Apostacy from the perfection of mans nature and being sin hath brought into the world how black an image of Satan it hath drawn upon the soul what an holy and righteous Law it is against what a just condemnation it hath subjected thee unto And here thoughts of hel and the eternal wrath of God under all its affecting circumstances may bee considered in relation to thy case 2 Your own particular sins and their heightning circumstances How much more vile thou art then others and thy sins more great then those of others what by means and mercies and judgments and convictions and education and vowes and covenants of forsaking them by Apostacies and backslidings into them after a temporary desertion of them by being accessary or Author to the sinnes of others c. 3 The necessity of returnings to God That therefore in the way thou art in thou art running with all speed to the chambers of death if thou dye the next moment hell must receive thee and heaven be for ever shut against thee That thou hast no way to escape but by a speedy return to God and taking up a new course Matth. 5. 25. 4 The impotency hardnesse deceitfulnesse of your own heart That although thou see so much need of getting into another condition entring into another way yet it is not in thy power so to do and if it were thou hast such an heart as would dissemble with God and thee and put him and thee off with shewes and colours in stead of real fruits of grace or if it could bring forth such yet they cannot justifie and are frail and uncertain 5 The excellency of Christ in his grace and in his righteousnesse That therefore God hath appointed a way in which thy sins may be pardoned and thy nature renewed by the righteousnesse and grace of another That all that thou seest wanting in thy self Christ is abundantly able to supply That there is therefore that in Christ for which he deserves to be valued above all the world for grace and peace 6 The riches and freenesse of Gospel Promises in which Christ is communicated especially those that we call absolute Promises of the first grace That to persons so lost in themselves there is an abundant fountain of Grace opened in Christ That God invites all such persons to come to him and if they want wherewithal to procure Christ that he hath promised that too even the Spirit Zech. 12. 10. Luke 11. 13. Faith Phil. 1. 29. A new heart Ezek 36. 26 CHAP. XXVI Farther Directions of the same kind 9 TAke heed your particular callings prove not a snare to you That may be two wayes 1 By wholly neglecting of them For hereby a soul is exposed to a million of temptations whereunto a moderate prosecution of the affairs of a mans calling might prove a considerable diversion 'T is true I would have every soul upon the first smiting of his heart to set apart some time for a serious meditation upon it till he hath stated his condition and by Gods assistance begged in Prayer gained a clear sight of his estate brought his heart under such fixed impressions as will stick upon him through all his other imployments After which he may go about the works of his calling moderately and take set times out of it to begin where he left last so carrying on that work yet not neglecting the other As a Tradesman takes time to state his Accounts and when so falls to his Imployment again and having brought his Accounts into method he can again find where he left 2 By over eager following them Mat. 13. 22. The cares of the world choak the Word The Divel when a soul sets all its power on work to hunt him out runs like a hare among a flock of sheep and so puzles the pursuing soul and divers it A man in such a condition if his necessary imployments cannot be carryed on by other hands may and must follow them yet he must take heed that his whole heart never be let out in them stil must the impressions of the Spirit of God run as a black thread through the whole web of his businesse that when he hath gained time from his business to think on it more seriously he miss not his heart 10. Avoid all cooling company and choose those whose affections are warmest and their zeal hottest provided they be sound in the faith This I have touched upon before as also most of the rest in a sort and therefore shall be but brief in it When you are convinced possibly your company before conviction was meerly worldly possibly vicious drunken dissolute now fly the very occasions of conversing with them and seek cleave to and esteem only the company of the strictest These will be sure to help you out in the managing of your troubles will give advice pray with and for you c. See Act. 2. 40. 11. Keep no considerable passages of your present condition secret O that I could perswade people when the Word works any impressions upon their consciences presently to let the same or some other but most chiefly the same Minister
with him to give them up to please themselves with a false and unsound conversion under some extraordinary delusive energy of Satan and to mistake that very extraordinarinesse of delusion for an extraordinary work of Gods Spirit 2 Thes 2. 11 12. Object But if I bring my selfe under such sad and melancholy apprehensions as accompany a Spirit of Bondage I fear lest Gods terrors should even distract me as Heman complains and we see by experience that many out of such spiritual troubles arrive Psal 8. 15. at downright madnesse at last Answ 1. It is Gods usual way and the way he puts any man upon he is engaged to protect them in If our Saviour Christ had a warrant from God to cast himselfe down from the pinnacle had there been no other way down he would not have stood so much upon it as he did the promise of angelical protection would have secured him being in his way which was Gods way A man may adventure to cast himselfe into Hell it selfe as Peter leapt into the Sea at Christs command when God bids him and yet come off as untouched by the fire and brimstone as the three children were in the fiery furnace See Isa 43. 2. 2. If the cure be dangerous yet the disease is desperate Better adventure distraction then damnation God can save a distracted man but he cannot an unconverted man because he hath no where said the contrary to the former but he hath to the later A man in a gangrene adventures the cutting off of a legge or an arme and thinks it safer to adventure his life in a way of cure then under the power of a certainly-mortal disease 3. The longer thou continuest out of this way the more art thou endangered hereunto The greater weight of sinne thou contractest by continuance the greater terrors thou layest up in store against the day of evil and if the terrours of God be distracting the fewer the better 4 'T is the ill managery of persons under such terrors that occasion such distractions many times either their owne keeping the Divels and their owne hearts wicked counsel or indiscreet handling by others c. 5 Seldom or never hath it been seen but such distempers as are meerly symptomatical as Physicians speak are removed with the removal of the principal Disease that occasioned them A frenzie gotten by a fever departs with it And so suppose the like procured by soul troubles the removal of them in Gods time will remove it again Quest But how shall persons under deep troubles be managed so as such mischief from over-great oppression of spirits may be prevented Answ Hereunto in a word to conclude this Treatise especially because much hath been said before and more will be said in the next point to this purpose 1 If thou have a child or other friend under the terrours of God enquire what was the ground and cause of it what Ministry such a party hath frequented whence 't is likely the wound was received 2 If the wound were made by a standing Minister of the neighbourhood go to him principally and acquaint him with it He who made the wound is most likely to heal it If it were made by any other unknown hand acquaint the next godly and experienced Minister with it and discover what you observe of that kind in your friends though perhaps they be unwilling to it themselves 3 Let other Christians be sent for who have been under the same condition and let them be communicative 4 And lastly Keep them from erroneous and unsound company But all of these I shall speak more fully in the second Treatise THE Second TREATISE Concerning the SPIRIT OF ADOPTION CHAP. I. Containing a Preface to the Discourse a third Proposition from the Scripture mentioned and a description of the Grace of Adoption occasionally premised A Man would wonder if he saw the names of such and such particular men written in the Book of Life whom he beholds lying under the chaines and fetters mentioned in the former Treatise roaring and howling in the bitterness of their spirits under the lashes of not onely the Law as a School-master but Conscience as a Jailor and withal were hee blinded and hood-winked that he might not see beyond Gods present dispensations towards them I say such a man could not but wonder what strange design God hath in such an appearing inconsistent carriage and would no doubt be a very diligent observer of the series and method of Gods managing this condition for the good of those whom though he love yet he thinks fit to keep under so severe a discipline it may be for divers years And possibly by this time some one or other who have gone along with me in the former Treatise may be almost in the same maze of uncertainty at least if he be a sufferer under the Spirit of Bondage himself or if not he may well be affected with a serious itch of inquiry after the end of such providences And therefore I thought not fit to send forth the former Treatise alone lest I should hold a poor soul under so uncomfortable an incertitude or hesitancy and afford him no help for his satisfaction The latter part of Rom. 8. 15. the Text formerly insisted on tells such an one that the same Spirit of God who lays on them those fetters in his due time knocks them off again and brings them forth into a large place becomes a Spirit of Adoption from a Spirit of Bondage and enables them to call God Father and come to him as children whom but a while since they dreaded and fled from as a Judge But ye have saith our Apostle received the Spirit of Adoption whereby c. In the discovery of which second spiritual Work or Mystery of Godlinesse I shall in proportion to the Preface of the former Discourse take this second part of the Verse asunder and therein observe these Particulars 1 Some lines running parallel herein to the former such as these three 1. The cause which is the same Holy Spirit of God 2 The way and manner of this work as it denotes derivation of influence from that efficient cause upon the Subject here as there called Reception 3 The Persons or Subjects of this Work Yee the same Romans 2 Some lines thwarting and crossing them such as these three 1. The Effect of this Spirit here though still he be the same Spirit is Adoption which was there Bondage 2. The Impression of this Effect upon the same Subjects which is now crying Abba Father was fear 3. The time when this alteration is made and makes impression upon these Subjects Implyed in the succession of this effect and impression to those and that is after the work of the Spirit of Bondage is done which is at and after conversion 3. A twofold particle amplifying the present change and aggravating the mercy of it 1. One Negative Not again Ye received the Spirit of Bondage once but no more Not
place he bestowes upon us the right of Adoption as the most properworker of this union And as our Faith is the instrument of union so hee is the giver of faith 1 Cor. 12. 9. Faith indeed Divines ordinarily call an Instrument but 't is but an improper instrument for as all its efficacy depends upon the relation which it hath to Christ as an hand is the instrument to make rich when it receives a treasure or layes hold on it when freely offered so it doth nothing at all on Gods part But the Spirit is in a sense a proper instrument on both parts applying both Christ to us and us to Christ Christ to us by reaching us a promise to lay hold on and us to Christ by giving us an hand to lay hold on it and rest our souls upon it 2. Hee is the witnesse of our Relation And this work is principally set out to us in the verse preceding that which is the ground of our discourse The Spirit also witnesseth Rom. 8. 14. with our spirits that we are the Children of God Concerning the manner of the Spirits testifying I shall say somewhat hereafter onely take notice now that he is said to witnesse with our spirits i. e. to say the same thing with our consciences rightly informed of their condition Thus he is a seal and an earnest not to confirm on Gods part but to assure our legal title on our part Eph. 1. 13. 2 Cor. 1. 22. In the discharge of this work he is the comforter who takes of Christs and shews unto John 6. 14. his people i. e. not only saving truth in illumination and saving grace in regeneration and justification but also speciall light and comfort in manifestation of our interest in God through Christ he takes the Deed by which Christ is made the adopted head of his family and all the territories of heaven and earth are given to him and his seed for ever and shews it to the Saints and bids them cheer up for though they be now poor and persecuted wandring in sheep-skins and goat skins hiding among wild beasts in dens and holes of the earth yet they are heirs to all that heaven and earth contains and the time will come when this great estate shall come in hand and therefore they should lay out liberally upon their hopes at present and throw away all these things in a kind of holy prodigality when God calls for them being assured that their future inheritance will make amends for all This is the assuring act of the Spirit and differs from the former thus there hee barely discovers to us a promise and stirres us up to adventure upon it upon general invitations here he gives us an evidence that that promise is ours and enables us to make use of it by particular interest 3. He is the Advocate of our Cause And thus he is said also in this Chapter to make intercession for us When our title at any time comes under dispute or when any thing is detained from us which our relation and the evidences which confirm it entitles us unto he enables us to sue out our interest or if any thing befal us unworthy the children of God he helps us to write letters to our Father to complain of and bemoan our condition Rom. 8. 26 27. And this is that that is principally intended in the Text together with the former which is the ground of this the Spirit helps us to cry Abba Father by assuring us that God is our Father and putting us upon earnest and importunate requests to him as the requests of children use to be to a tender and compassionate Father And this work of the Spirit is so frequent and constant in the Saints that it is in effect attributed wholly to the Spirit God hath sent the Spirit of his Son into our heart 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 crying as if he meerly acted our tongues Abba Father Gal. 4. 6. 4. He is the great guide of our way Ps 143. 10 He is the Tâ—tour of our youth we are not adulti till we be ripe for glory Ephes 4. 13. So we are said to Walk after and to be led by the Spirit verse 1 4 14. of this Chap. Therefore new obedience is call'd the Law of the Spirit of life v. 3. And the Spirit of the Lord is said to give liberty 2 Cor. 3. 17. Cameron in locum And so divers interpret the words of my Text with an opposition of servile obedience and filial obedience CHAP. III. Two practical Queries concerning the extent of this worke as to the subjects of it in the forementioned particulars Qu. WHat sense must this proposition be understood in That the Spirit of Bondage in Gods elect ends in a Spirit of Adoption Under which are comprized these farther enquiries Que. 1. Whether the Spirit of Adoption do work all the aforesaid works upon the hearts of all those that are elected or some of them onely upon all and all but on some Qu. 2. Whether upon all of them that have been under a Spirit of Bondage the Spirit do perform all the aforesaid workes or no Answ To both I shall give this preliminary answer and then give a more particular to each by it selfe 1. The Spirit doth give all Gods Elect at one time or other a true reall and unquestionable title to the grace of adoption and all the priviledges belonging thereunto 1. In justification making application of the soul of every elect person to Christ and of Christ to the soul 2. In sanctification making them partakers of the Divine Nature by the application of cleansing promises 2 Pet. 1. 4. For else two links of the chain next election would be broken Rom. 8. 30. Whom he predestinated them he called and whom he called he justified And this is the first work before spoken of 2. The spirit doth work in all persons that are really converted whether in the method of a Spirit of Bondage or no at one time or other so much perswasion of the love of God as encourageth the soul to lay hold upon the promises of the Gospel and to lay claim to them and to adventure the soul upon them For this is the ground of that reliance by which the soul leans upon God and hangs upon Christ for salvation wherein the nature of justifying faith in my judgment doth consist But there is a difference between this and particular assuring faith For this is grounded only upon the free and unlimited offers of the Gospel which offers Christ and Salvation to all that receive him and come to him and the Gospells invitations to accept of it that is grounded upon particular evidence that we have already accepted of him and thereby he is become ours and we his from the effects of a true and saving reliance upon him And this general perswasion so far emboldens all Gods elect that upon the warrant of that they lay claim to God as their Father
of Gods love 't is certaine the Holy spirit is not the Author of this because the promise of peace belongs to none of this stamp Matth. 11. 28. Isa 57. 15 16. Matth. 5. 3 4. 8. c. Undoubtedly this assurance is from the spirit of errour a false light to lead into a bogg 2. That ordinarily hee thus testifies either in or after waiting upon God in some duty or other as in praying meditation hearing receiving the Sacraments By which testimony God seals to the dutifull attendance upon him in such waies Isa 57. 19. and 56. 7. Or 3. In such great and grievous temptations and darknesse of spirit wherein a man by the cunning of Satan hath so intangled all those evidences of grace and sanctification which hee might draw assurance from with sophistical evasions that they will not fasten any thing of comfort upon him Then when a man cannot untie those knots by which Satan hath entangled his spirit somtimes the spirit of God by such a sudden irradiation puts a soule upon an inartificial and illogicall way of solution enabling him to hold to his claime of Christ by a kind of resolute confidence though hee bee not able to prove it sound at present or answer Satans sophistry to the contrary as Alexander when hee could not untie the Gordian knot hewed it asunder with his sword And as that holy Martyr that answered all the Romish Doctours Sophistry by a fixed resolution of dying for Christ though shee could not dispute for him Now wee must take notice withall 4. That such testimonies of the Spirit do beget but an actual assurance during the present exigency or in order to some present designe that God is working thereby These are extraordinary dainties that God will not have us feed constantly upon A gleam Rutherf ubi suprà of light as one calls it in a dark night when a man cannot coast the Country and diseern his way by those marks which direct him at other times perhaps lightning from a thunder-cloud that comes just in the moment when a man is stepping into a pit that would swallow him up or to discover a cottage which he may turne into till the storme bee over c. Now a Traveller wil not depend alwaies upon such a guide but if hee can will learne out such way-marks for his constant direction as may bee standing assurances to him that hee is in the way and rather choose to travel by day when hee may see them distinctly Thus though Gods Spirit divers times takes this course to shine peace into our hearts upon unusual occasions immediately viz after extraordinary seeking God in duty under the immediate violence of some desperate temptation in which cases God hath sometimes condescended even to a kind of miracle as when he preserved the glasse from breaking which the troubled and almost despairing Gentlewoman threw against the ground making its breaking to pieces and her owne Mrs. Honymood damnation a like certaine or at the houre of death especially Martyrdome yet to take these for ordinary presidents and look for them constantly without endeavouring by standing evidences to make out an habitual assurance to our soules of our calling and election is a bold and presumptuous tempting of God And therefore 5 It is a fearful error of the Antinomians which teacheth us to reject the graces of sanctification from being grounds of our assurance whiles they tell us that they are all deceiving evidences because that were to light a candle to the sun they mean to the immediate testimony of the Spirit For certainly the testimony of the Spirit cannot bee without the indwelling of the Spirit and is accompanied alwaies with the leading of the Spirit See the connexion of these two in vers 14. 15 of this chapter compared Rom. 8. 14 15 compared And wee know that hee dwelleth in us and we in him because wee have received of his Spirit 1 John 4. 13. And John 14. 16 17 Christ promiseth them the Comforter but how shall wee know him might they say seeing the world as you tel us knows him not He shal saith our Savior dwel in you The in-dwelling therfore of the Spirit is an evidence of the truth and reality of the assurance that we have from the Spirit Hence are all those marks and signes that the Scripture every where holds out called fruits of the Spirit Gal. 5. 22. so that though the Spirit testifie immediately yet it submits the trial of his own testimony to his works Nor is this any dishonour to the Spirit to be tryed by his works seeing our Saviour Christ was content to submit the trial of his Godhead to the evidences of his works John 14. 11. But more of this in the second way of the Spirits testimonie which is II. Mediately and that is twofold 1 Without Argumentation 2 With Argumentation but both from the Word 1 Without Argumentation The Spirit sometimes applies the word to the soule and enables the soule to close with it for comfort in some particular promise of Scripture wherein God speaks so patt to its case that it takes that word as a message from heaven and rests in it upon the very first apprehension of it And such is the peace that a soul gets from those promises that either expresse not any condition or else such a condition as the soul presently apprehends it self under as suppose thou art burthened for some sin hast prayed earnestly for pardon against it suppose it a sin of backsliding and whiles thou art praying for pardon or waiting upon God in his word a secret whisper of the Spirit casts into thy heart Hos 4 14. I will heale thy backslidings and love thee freely or suppose that Matth. 11. 28. Come to mee all yee that are heavy laden and I wil give you rest c. This is a direct testimony and must be understood under the former limitations of immediate evidence 2. With Argumentation when he testifies the truth of thy sonship by grace when he applies conditional promises and upon search enables thee to apply the conditions of them This is the usuall way for getting habitual assurance a reflected testimony from our owne graces which are the love-tokens of Christ to us and discover that love even when as to present influence hee is absent from us And thus doth the Spirit properly witnesse with our spirits as followes in the next verse In the other two hee witnesseth Rom. 8. 16. to our spirits in this properly with our spirits And there is as much difference between these as between the assurance that Jacob had of his Son Joseps life from the Word of his sonnes and from the Chariots that hee had sent for him Gen. 45. 26 27 28 when they only told him so hee was indeed overjoyed but was also even in a fainting condition through the strugling of fear with joy as the disciples at Christs resurrection Luk. 24. 41. But when he saw the wagons
then hee was fully satisfied So the immediate and direct Testimony of the Spirit though sometimes when the Spirit gives a man to believe it it may drowne all doubts and feares yet in a time of temptation when a soule begins to question whether all its former refreshments from the Spirit were not dreames and delusions it is never so fully satisfied as when it evidently sees and ownes the tokens of Gods love in its owne heart the fruits of her marriage with Christ and feels the child of grace leaping in the womb then saith the soule sure I am married to Christ for hee doth not drink waters out of any cisterne but his owne and the seed of true grace cannot possibly bee the issue of an unlawfull bed CHAP. VII A discourse concerning the manner of the Mediate and Argumentative Testimonie of the Spirit Q. HOW wee may distinctly conceive the witnessing of Gods Spirit with our spirits in that Mediate and Argumentative way which wee last spake of Answ For Answer hereunto seeing this worke is directly opposite to that of the Spirit of Bondage before mentioned I shall review that againe here and lay the comparison betweene them which I conceive will give us a cleare light in this particular In the work of the spirit of bondage I told you the soul was brought under the Conviction of a practical syllogisme such an one as this Every unbeliever every person that is in a state of nature in general or in particular every drunkard swearer c. living under the reigning power of such or the like sins is a child of wrath c. But thou art saith the spirit of God I saith a mans owne spirit am such an one Therfore thou art saith Gods Spirit I am saith a mans owne spirit a child of wrath c. The three Propositions of this Syllogism I told you implyed three sorts of conviction 1. Conviction of Law 2. Conviction of case or fact 3. Conviction of state with the consequents of these Sutably in unlocking this prison there must bee a key of as many wards as there are in the lock and those answerable to them For a key will not unlock a doore that hath not answerable wards to the lock that fastens it Now these wards of the Spirits key are 1. Conviction of Gospel opposite to that of Law 2 Conviction of another case sutable therunto 3 Conviction of another state arising from both these 4 And the consequents 1 Conviction of Gospel For as the law the bondwoman from mount Sinai is the ground of terrour engendring unto bondage Gal. 4. So the Gospel is the free woman the Jerusalem from above that engenders to liberty ibid. and 2 Cor. 3. 17. and so is the special ground of comfort The Law is the warrant upon which the spirit imprisons the conscience and the Gospel the warrant on which it releaseth it againe And as it is in civill affaires a man that is under an execution for body and goods by such or such a statute hides and flies and is under feare and sometimes laid fast in prison and cannot bee released but either upon a repeale of that law or the annexing some condition to it under which hee sues for and recovers his liberty so it is in this case The Law sayes every one is accursed that continues not in every thing written in that booke No fornicator idolater covetous c. shal enter into the kingdome of God Now a man that is under the sentence of this law in his own conscience is capable of release no way but either by the repeale of that Law or adding some such limitation or restriction or condition to it as may include him Therefore when the Spirit gives peace from the word by way of Argument it first produceth the law of liberty the Gospel against the law of bondage It is confest saith the spirit in the conscience of a converted sinner the law gives mee no hope but there is an addition to and an exception from that law which I plead for my release There is a pardon proclaimed for such sinners as I am Isai 55. 7. Prov. 28. 13. The Law in the new edition excepts believers Joh. 3. 26 from its sentence Now the apprehending and assenting to this truth is the first work of the spirit in order to this regular assurance of a mans heart before God A man in a state of spiritual darknesse is like Hagar in the wildernesse Gen. 21. 19. she and her sonne Ismael are ready to dye for thirst when there was a well near them but they could not see it till the Angel shewed it them So is it in the children of the Law that Hagar and Ismael shadowed out When they are under Bondage of spirit there be many precious wells of salvation in the Bible but all these are hidden from their eyes the Bible is a sealed book to them and the fountains of life are fountains shut up as to them till the spirit that leads into all truth direct a man or woman in such a case to such promises as may be a ground of peace to him that may satisfy the weary soul and refresh the sorrowfull soul Jer. 31. 25. I appeal to the experience of all the Saints of God that know what this means whether the Spirit of God hath not many times guided them to places of Scripture as it were by his own finger When they have even thrown the Bible away after much search for a comforting word and resolved to look no more for that that is not to be found there hath not a secret whisper like that to Augustine in his Conversion tolle lege been cast into them try once again and have they not unexpectedly dipt and lighted on a place that hath satisfied them as with marrow and fatnesse Hath it not been with them as with a godly Minister that I knew when I was a child who having been under a Spirit of Bondage for many years and now even ready to dye in that condition when the eighth chapter of the Romans was read to him a little before his last gaspe stopping at the first verse now there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus c. Stay said he I never saw so much in those words in my days as now though I read them often so I say can you not say that you have read such and such chapters ten twenty thirty forty times over and that not slightly or cursorily but deliberately and with meditation and yet could see never a well of Salvation in them and yet afterwards from those very places of Scripture the Spirit of God hath made you draw water with joy So that 't is the Spirit that doth this first work discover and convince of Gospel truth the ground of our assurance Now this conviction is either 1. General and so the soul is convinced of those very truths long before it can take comfort from them and believes them
with such a faith as he believes the Bible to be true in every part of it and this appears in those that are under a Spirit of Bondage Produce such and such promiâ—es to them they will say true these promises are excellent promises and will no question yeild abundance of marrow to them to whom they belong but they can see nothing in them that belongs to them Here is a full well but they have nothing to draw or it is a well inclosed it is not free for them 2 Particular When the Spirit helps the soul to single out such a word and opens a door of hope to the soul that it hath a share in it and this is that that makes way for and is compleated in the Minor of the former Syllogisme which I call 2 Conviction of Case Thus the Spirit enlightens the conscience to apply the Promise to its self by owning the condition of it The Word saith Such and such persons are children of God the renewed conscience enlightned by the Spirit saith This is my case I am such a person Now here the Spirit either enlightens a man to see himself under that condition by working a present assent to the truth of this Minor Proposition As suppose an Argument from the Promise He that believeth hath everlasting life but I believe Ergo. The assent to this Minor Proposition I believe may be wrought by a sudden work of the Spirit as soon as the major Proposition whereon it is grounded is apprehended and so it is a work somewhat neer of kin unto that of the first branch of Mediate Testimony wherein the testimony was supposed to be by the word yet without Argumentation Or else as usually by eliciting and drawing forth the soul to such an assent by a farther evidence of Argument For it is very seldom seen but that such souls as have been exercised with a Spirit of Bondage are not easily brought to own any good in themselves so that even the Spirit of God hath much ado to answer all the cavils of Satan and their own suspicious hearts in point of gracious self-Justification which such souls are much afraid of and not more difficultly brought to any thing then to own this Proposition But I believe or the like Now in such a case the Spirits work is longer and he is fain to bring many more Arguments to confirm this Minor True saith the soul he that believes hath everlasting life but I am none of those Believers and therefore quid ad me What doth this Promise concern such an unbelieving wretch as I am Then the Spirit satisfies the soul in the Minor by producing such proofs of Scripture as evidence faith in the Subject in whom it is such as purifying the heart love to God his wayes his Actâ— 15. 9 Gal. 5. 6 Zech. 12. 10 people grief for sin c. And possibly goes farther and proves those graces to be in the soul by farther Marks drawn from the acts of them which discover the habit whence they proceed This is a work of conviction I told you before and may be done by many Arguments or few according to the light that accompanyes them to the soul Nor is there any reason why Dr. Crisp and his followers should cry down this way of getting assurance by Marks and Signs as uncertain seeing the doubting soul will find something that seemes faulty in every grace which is presented to it as an evidence Object If the Spirit say say they Thou art a Believer because thou hast love that is a fruit of faith the soul may stil doubt Whether it have love if love be manifested by delight in Gods Commandments c. the question will still be Whether that delight be sincere or counterfeit pure or mixed ingenuous or self-ended and therefore say they there can no judgment be made certainly concerning a mans Justification by his sanctification or concerning sanctification by the operations of particular graces Ans To this we answer True these graces whiles I barely endeavour to discover them by my own reason may be still subject to question and so can make no firme assurance But in the soul that is graciously assured this way the Spirit of God rests the heart upon an ultimum quod sic convinceth him by that which is most visible in him and stops the mouth of cavilling reason from perplexing the Question any more As a wise Moderator in a Dispute that when the Argument hath been spun out so long by a wrangling companion that there can be no more said but in away of groundlesse cavilling and angry reflections c. breaks off the Dispute checks the wrangling Antagonist and determines the Controversie by his own sentence upon the whole matter So when a man 's own cavilling heart and Satan helping it have picked out all the flawes possibly in his evidence for heaven and have left no stone unturned to invalidate it and withal the Spirit hath enabled a man to plead to all exceptions of moment and yet these wrangling companions will not be satisfied at last the Spirit makes a man to see that there is nothing can be said that hath not been answered but only such wranglings as deserve no answer but scorn and so determines and enables the soul to determine the great Question by inferring the conclusion with undenyable evidence I know not why this way the Spirit of God assuring should not be lesse subject to question then immediate assurance Seeing in a time of darknesse that is as questionable and will require as long a debate to satisfie the soul whether indeed it were the voice of the Spirit or a mans owne heart and Satan colluding with it to deceive a man Let any man shew mee that 't is easier for a man to be certainly convinced that the Spirits immediate testimony is true and proceeding from the Spirit then that such and such fruits of grace the matter of its mediate testimony are not counterfeit and I have done pressing this Argument any more 3 The third thing the Spirit doth is to infer the conclusion of the grand Syllogisme in a conviction of a gracious and happy estate thus therefore Thou art a child of God an heir of glory justified sanctified c. For all these termes and many more are of equal import to the case in hand the concluding any thing in a man that necessarily accompanies salvation concludes the certainty of salvation to that person and seals up assurance In the former two acts the Spirit is the candle of the Lord without a man in pointing out the word and within a man in the application of his case to the Word and in this he acts the part of a just determiner of the controversie upon this evidence a Judg in the conscience quitting and justifying the Prisoner and this is his sentence of Absolution and therefore when it is pronounced by his Ministers as most commonly it is 't is called loosing the
hee hath gotten an oar into the spirits boat Thou maist discerne him by his usual guise of tempting which is to direct thee from the study and care of things revealed to things secret and uncertaine In mens unregeneracie when they wallow in sin securely the word threatens curses and wrath against them see then how Satan withdrawes them from the study of and surrendring their hearts unto the power of that word by a false prophecie I shal have peace Deut. 29 19. I may live many a fair day yet and repent and die a child of God Ye shal not die Gen. 2. And so he drives men to presume And if I be elected saith such a wretchlesse sinner I shal be saved at the last let me walke how I will in the meane while But I hope I am not a reprobate c. will such an heart bee apt to assume and the issue is a resolution to continue in sinne and put it upon the adventure But when a soul is under a Spirit of bondage he turns his note but how is it Is it not the same plot new dressed Now he prophesies an utter irrecoverablenesse to thy condition and upon what ground why forsooth hee hath looked over Gods booke of life and hee cannot find thy name there and therefore do what thou wilt thou canst hope for no better but worse rather then what thou now feelest He will not suffer thee now to conclude at the same rate as before that thou hopest thou art not a Reprobate but maist for any thing thou knowest be elected as well as any other The only remedy thou hast in such cases is to consult the written Word of God Satan saith thou art not elected but is there any Mark in the whole Word of God by which a man may know he is not Elected No God in his infinite wisdom and goodnesse hath not given any such Marks by which men may know Reprobation that so he might retard no mans endeavours after grace Indeed there be marks of Election by which we may make that sure to our selves 1 Pet. 1. but the want of these doth not discover Reprobation because these are all wanting in the dearest Saints of God till they be truly converted and so if that consequence were sound Such true Graces discover Election therefore the want of them discovers Reprobation it would follow that Gods Saints before they are converted seeing they want those graces are either not elected and so Election would not precede Calling contrary to Rom. 8. 30. and Election would not be from eternity contrary to Ephes 1. 4 or else they could at one and the same time be Elect and Reprobate which implies a manifest contradiction The Word speaks plainly in this case Deut. 29. 29. Secret things belong unto God c. 2 Thou hast abundant grounds to believe the contrary viz. That thou art Elected if thine eyes were open to see them The Sanctification of the Spirit is a certaine consequent and therefore a sure evidence of Election 1 Pet. 1. 2. and Rom. 8 1. In stead therefore of searching the Decrees of God whether thou be elected or no search into thy own heart and see whether thou canst find that thou art called and so in any measure sanctified the discovery of grace in thy heart though but one grain and that of mustard seed will assure thee of thy Election and final salvation Canst thou not find in thy heart any sorrow for sin any earnest desires after holinesse any solicitousnesse to please God any tenderness of conscience and fearfulness to offend him c If thou canst think these be flowers that use not to grow in Natures garden Well conclude then I hope I am called and therefore elected and therefore shall be assured in due time CHAP. X. Excitation and encouragement to labour for the experience of this work IN the next place how effectually should this stirre up all of us that are converted by way of a Spirit of Bondage to labour after a Spirit of Adoption in its witnessing act 1. You see that the Spirit of Adoption is attainable and especially by you of all other men You are under the qualification of those to whom he doth especially belong See Isa 61. 1 2 3. To you is the word of this salvation sent Christ was annointed with the Oyl of gladnesse for your sakes Are not your hearts broken are not you mourners in Sion are not you the subjects of a spirit of heavinesse a wrinkled a contracted spirit as the Word signifies a Spirit even grown old and wrinkled with grief Here then is a word of encouragement for you let it not fall to the ground What striving is there for places when they fall in the Universities under such and such qualifications how doth every one within the qualifications bestirre himself for his interest And will you being in such a capacity lose the priviledge of that capacity 2 The Spirit of Adoption in its assuring act is a precious mercy Friends do you count it a great matter to be assured of such a temporal inheritance Will you think it worth your time to search Deeds and Records and Offices to confirm a title to your selves and your heirs and is it worth no pains to assure your immortal souls of an eternal inheritance When a Merchant adventures a ship to the sea if he adventure much in the Vessel how doth he hye him to the Assurance Office that if he can he may be no loser by his Adventure what ever chance befal him O Friends you are every day lanching forth into the Ocean of eternity your Fraught is your precious souls that are more worth then all the world The Spirit keeps an Assurance Office hye you to the Spirit and never leave till you have assured your present Adventure 1. I am assured of this Without the witnesse of the Spirit that you are the children of God no soul here deliberately dares to dye Possibly a Roman Valour may carry men on upon desperate dangers when the temptations of honour c. are present to put out of their minds the thoughts of an adventured eternity with the hopes of the present life Those Parents that sacrificed their children to Moloch could not have endured the cryes of their dear little ones roasted alive in the Arms of the cursed Idol had not the Drummes and other loud Instruments drowned the noise And truly no man can deliberately sacrifice his soul to Satan or adventure his soul neer the borders of hell whiles his ears are open to the fearful yellings scriechings of damned spirits and therefore Satan makes a terrible din in their eares jingles the fine things of this world and makes such a noise with them that he leads them first into a fools Paradise and from thence into utter darknesse Friends Did such thoughts as these possesse any of you now and then Here I crawle up and down in the world a poor worm of two or three cubits
you have a tender heart that is deeply affected with every known sinne c. O sir will such a person often-times say I find no such things in me and if there were I fear it is all in hypocrisie Friend you do well in fearing hypocrisie but you do not well in not owning what God hath wrought in you for fear of hypocrisie Indeed it is not good to boast of the good that is in us when wee have temptations from the approbation of others to glory in it neither is it good to deny what is in us when we have a call thereunto by those who are sent by God to examine our estate which they can never do nor can they know how to deal with us if we deal not plainly in confessing what we know and find in our selves And it falls out too often that such denyalls as I said before are the fruit of unthankfulnesse which oftentimes causeth us to overlook and in a kind of comparative way to deny what we have received because we have not as much as we would have As it falls out in the covetous men of the world and there is a sinful spiritual covetousnesse too that are ever complaining they have no money no bread to put in their mouths c. whereas indeed they mean they have not so much as they would have This is an unthankful denyal of Gods providence towards them in bestowing on them what they have And thou maist judg the like of thy self in this case Saint Paul was of another temper Rom. 7. he makes many sad complaints of himself I am carnal sold under sin in me there dwelleth no good thing how to perform that that is good I find not when I would do good evil is present with me I see a Law in my members warring against the Law of my mind c. O wretched man that I am c. yet still he mixeth acknowledgments of the grace that he hath received I am carnal saith he sold under sin yet saith he I blesse God my judgment goes with the Law I think it holy just and good whence though I am over-byassed many times unto evil yet I allow it not I would do better then I do and I hate the evil that I am captived unto In me there dwelleth no good thing but mark the Epanorthosis or correction of himself as if he had spoken a word too large What said I there is no good dwelling in me let me not be mistaken I mean in my flesh for so much the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ver 18. will bear for though I have no power to do yet I have some good in my spiritual part I can will that that is good and that will 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is alwayes at hand I have good wishes and desires in readinesse upon all occasions I do not the good that I ought to do yet I would do it I delight in the Law of God in the inward man Sin lawes it and lords it in my members but I have another Law in my mind so that with my mind i. e. in my judgment and resolved bent of will I serve the Law of God and there is a special Emphasis in that Pronoune my self that followes ver 25. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I my selfe serve the Law of God that is even I though I complain so against my self yet must needs say so much for my self to the praise of God I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Here is an excellent example for thee that sittest in darknesse and art ever complaining against and defying thy self do not deny the grace of God that is not so much a denyal of thy self as Gods goodnesse and the Spirit of Grace If thou witnesse against the Spirit dost thou think the Spirit will witnesse for thee Thou denyest the Spirit the very medium by which he would testifie to thy good condition Take notice also of the peevishnesse of thy spirit Thou hast long wooed Christ to accept of thee and be married to thee and Christ hath sent thee Love-tokens by his Spirit to assure thee that he owns himself to be thy busband Now Christ expects the duties of a wife from thee now thou questionest whether thou art married or no and not only questionest but peremptorily denyest all his Love-tokens or at least extenuatest them and settest light by them Think what a sin this is No wonder now if the Spirit that Messenger that brought them take offence at such dealing and refuse to testifie to thee who art resolved to question his testimony bee it never so cleare 4. An unwarrantable thrusting off those Promises and comfortable truths which God in the Ministry of the Word or otherwise brings home to our condition and snatching greedily at all the terrible places of Scripture and denunciations of wrath as our portion I have knowne those that have thrust away with both hands all that might make for their comfort as that that belongs not to them O the cursed pride of our hearts When will men leave prescribing to the infinite wise God When people please themselves in their sins then they will hear no Minister except he sing a cursed requiem to their spirits preach pleasing things and cry Peace peace And when the soul is under trouble for sin then God must denounce judgments in every Sermon speak to them in thunders and lightning from Mount Sinai answer them cut of the whirlewind or else they will not hear him Believe it no soul receiveth good by the Word but that soul that thinks every Word of the Lord good and labours as it is proper to its condition to apply it Satan in times of unregeneracy hath an Art to make the Word unfruitful by causing a mans heart to stand loose from the Law to rub off the eating corroding plaister and say This concernes such an one and such an one but not me And after our conversion he keeps the Word from fastning comfort to the soul and assuring the heart by a like Artifice True these are comfortable truths and concern such and such but not me This was the Psalmists case in desertion and is thine in the present darknesse My sore ran in the night my soul refused to be comforted Psal 77. 2. Indeed friends if you refuse to receive comfort when the Spirit offers it no wonder if when you would have it the Spirit refuse to offer it None of Gods offers are refused by the creature gratis God will stand upon other termes when we come to his shop after wee have once refused a good bargain once offered 5 A groundlesse surmising of an irrecoverablenesse in our condition from such and such threatnings of Scripture as concerne us not This followes from the former When a soul is willing to hear all Thunder and Cannon shot from the Word ordinarily the divel hath two or three places of Scripture from whence he playes thick upon the soul Those are two places in the
so in the case of assurance from the Spirit Because some godly Ministers cannot preach so every way experimentally as others can many troubled spirits decline them and their ministery and will scarce vouchsafe to discover their cases to them None must be supposed able to do them good but such and such Well such mens ministery is tryed and it may be not out of any deficiency in them who it is possible may preach truths and apply medicines of soveraign value and vertue but meerely through a secret hand of God rendering them unsuccessefull that he may keep the meanest of his Eembassadours from contempt and the most eminent humble and let people know that the Spirit of consolation and Adoption as well as that of grace and supplication bloweth where and whence and when and how he listeth the soul-patient finds no recovery but it is fain at last to bee beholden to a man of very mean abilities and to a word which seemed empty and barren before for comfort and assurance So for time A soul enlarged in prayer steeped in tears enflamed with desires thinks now verily the time the set time is come God will be found of me in a way of peace and satisfaction No friend no such matter God it may be will make thee stay till thou hast even doubted thy self out of all hope because of thy barrenesse and deadnesse and inability to perform any service as thou oughtest and then he will send his Spirit to shed abroad his love in thy heart thou shalt bring sorth this child of comfort when as Sarahs womb thy soul is dead and almost hopelessely barren 8. A sinfull ambition of self-preparations for comfort and peace were I so much humbled saith the poor soul so kindly and ingenuously affected with my sins could I recover of this deadnesse and flatnesse of spirit into any measure of livelinesse and spiritualnesse in my performances then I would believe comfort and assurance of Gods love belonged to me but that a soul so little so legally broken as I am so barren saplesse lifelesse spiritlesse in all my services should have any share in Christ any title to the Covenant of Grace any part or portion with the Saints of God I cannot I will not believe This is just like Peters unreasonable motion Depart from me for I am a sinfull man O Lord. Luke 5. 8. Foolish man to whom should the Physician come but to the sick 'T were a fond thing to imagine the patient must be recovered before he comes that he may be sit to entertain him So here Thou wilt not entertain any perswasion of an interest in Christ till thou attain such and such proportions and measures of grace Alas man till thou have some evidence of thy interest in Christ thou wilt never a tain them 't is want of that evidence occasions thy defects in humiliation thy deadnesse and sapplessenesse in duties c. Men travel heartlessely in the darke because they know not whether they go backwards or forwards whether the next step may not be a precipice to ruine them But when the day-light ariseth and shews them by the coast of the country that they are in their way this puts new life and spirits into them The joy of the Lord is a Christians strength Neh. 8. 10. Nor is it meet whiles thou art in this frame that thou shouldst have this witnesse in thy Spirit For if thou shouldst recover more life and vigour of grace and duty and thy assurance therein thou perhaps wouldst be proud of thy attainments and attribute thy assurance to them and so God would have lesse honour and thou lesse certainty of it God would have lesse honour because as I said grace I would scarce be seen through such qualifications The smell of some delicious fields they say so takes the dogges that they forget their prey and follow it no more such delicious fields of duties may dâ—aw off the soul from the sent of Christ And thou wouldst have lesse certainty of continuing it For it would rise and fall according to thy own qualifications and ablities For water in a water-course will never rise above its spring if the spring of assurance be your own perfections then as that is higher and lower so will the assurance be You that one time find your graces at a spring tide another time will find them at the lowest ebbe and then your assurance will ebbe with them as it flowes with them 9. Giving too much way to prejudices against God and his love from present sense and feeling For hereby we make the spirit double work First to untie and untangle our own knotty and snarled reasonings and then to build in us a new perswasion upon new arguments of his own A man had better Catechise a child or a rude ignorant heathen then endeavour to reduce an heretick because the one as he knows not the truth so he is not prejudiced against it the other is not only ignorant of it but he is possessed with contrary principles and hath subtilty of argument to resist it So a builder that is to lay foundataions where the ground is clear and hath not been occupyed that way before will not need to do much ere he set upon his work But he that is to lay new foundations and build a new house where the ruins of an old Abbey are already must have double work digging up the old and then laying the new Now 't is strange to hear what arguments Souls in this darknesse are prepossessed withall that God doth not love them 1. Present smart Can love consist with such blowes Those strokes sure are the strokes of an enemy To deliver mee over to Satan to be buffetted by him in such a manner to set me as a spectacle to Men and Angels and shut me up in such a dungeon of horrour as none besides me ever came into Is this consistent with love 2. Past obstinacy God hath said he will not hear me and justly for he hath call'd many times and I have turned the deaf eare to him Yea this is that the Lord hath said Prov. 1. 24. c. Be sure to stop the mouth of these prejudices by Heb. 12. 6. and Isay 55. 7 8 9. Jo. 6. 37. and other such places 10. Slacknesse and remissenesse in occasioned by successelessenesse of Ordinances and Duties When once those prejudices cause a soul to cry out there is no hope God Lam. 3. 6 7 8. hath builded against me he shutteth out my prayer then there is no temptation more likely to succeed then this Why man what dost thou labour for Why dost thou sow thy precious prayers on the sand of the sea shore whence there can no harvest be expected And hereupon the soul is if not taken off from duties yet for want of faith which is the lâ—fe of dutyes the chariot moves slowly when the wheels are taken off Hope to speed is the greatest encouragement to duty You clip
the wings of duty if you present unconquerable difficulties before it And when once the wings of duty are clipped that it cannot fly abroad to gather sustenance for faith no wonder if that pine away and dye too And if faith dye assurance is hâ—pelesse CHAP. XIII Another Hindrance removed THere remains yet one Hindrance more to be discovered in this Chapter which is eleventhly and lastly over-scrupulousness and scepticall-question-fulness in the businesse in hand Satans policy in troubling souls is like that which he useth in deceiving them First He sets them a gogge as we use to say perswades them they must try all things therefore they must question all things they must hold no principles meerly by a tenure of faith but of their own reason and then he inveigles their snarled apprehensions and makes their entangled and immethodical reason to find knots in every bulrush and those knotts being too dâ—fficult to be untyed by their weak heads he brings them at last to condemn all truth upon meer suspicion of error and renders them so confident of the justice of that sentence that they become obstinate and irrecoverable hereticks So in troubling the conscience or continuing it in trouble he perswades the soul in the first place to question every thing that ever it hath had experience of from the first moment of convictâ—on nay those things that have been as sensible and palpable as can be yet they must now be suspected whether in point of past and present practice or in point of comfort In point of past practice whether it have not sinned in such or such things which when done were done with the fullest assurance possible of their lawfulnesse And so in present practice hee will scarce suffer a poor soul in such a troubled condition to eat drink or sleep without scruple A tender conscience is a great mercy but a scrupulous conscience is a great affliction Such a conscience doth not only hinder a man from that which is evill but abates much of the life activity and comfort that is in good actions And so in point of comfort Urge to a soul in trouble Such and such gracious works God hath wrought in you therefore sure you are one of his Such experiences you have had with which you have been formerly satisfyed I question that saith the soul whether there were any such things or no. I once believed that there were but I doubt I was then deceived c. and so I may be now if I grant any such things as you say A soul under this frame although very well experienced in the School of Christ and who hath been banquetted in Christs own Parlour many times may be turned quite off the hinges meerly by his own over-scrupulousnesse The Disciples were well acquainted with Christ yet when he came to them upon the sea they were afraid thinking it had been a spirit Matth. 14 26. And the reason was they were then in such a Tempest that they feared every thing and so suspected Christ himself when he came to relieve them Quest But what shall I do in such a case If I be over-credulous and too easie of belief I may ruin my self that way and if I bee too scrupulous I may undo my self that way too Ans 1 Labour for a distinct knowledg of the nature of grace in general and the known Marks by which it is distinguished from hypocrisie And although you labour for the greatest means of grace yet enquire diligently into the Signes and Tokens by which you may know the least I confesse this would be better done before trouble of mind comes There is a great advantage that a well catechized Christian hath of an ignorant person in this present case viz. the discrimination and distinguishing true grace from counterfeit 'T is bad laying principles in a mind full of confusion that by reason of darknesse can see nothing distinctly Those should be laid before in tender years or at least calmer seasons But if there have been a neglect either in the person or those under whose inspection he hath lived so that he be to learn to spell now when he had need be able to read the works of the Spirit of God distinctly then I would advise such a soul to search into the Word with the advice of godly Ministers and Christians after those proper distinguishing Marks betweene sincerity and hypocrisie upon which he may ground his own enquiry after his own condition If I should make an Hue and Cry after a man or cry an horse or cow in â—e Market and know not by what marks to describe him or if I search among many other cattel for mine own and know not what Ear-mark or Flesh-mark or Hair-mark they have I cannot hope but to spend my labour in vain I might say the like concerning thy spiritual condition If thou be to seek what grace is under darkness no wonder if thou be scrupulous to own it when it is presented to thee But thou must take heed here that thou do not enquire after the tokens of the least mâ—asure of grace that thou maist rest in it and think thou art well enough secured to eternity if thou have but just so much as denominates thee a child of God For this is a shrewd signe that thou dost not desire grace for its own sake but meerly as a bridge to heaven and if thou do so 't is a thousand to one but partly by Gods just judgment and partly by thy own spiritual sloath thou wilt be endangered to cut it an inch or two too short to reach the other side of the bank But if thou desire to know the least measure of grace meerly for this reason that thou maist not like an unskilful Gardiner weed it up when it is tender for a weed of hypocrisie but cherish it and water it and improve it to greater measures of perfection this is a good design 2. Give way to no Scruples without a word Enquire of thy own heart what word occasions such a doubt such a question and where thou findest no word lay it by This is a good rule in our actings There is much superstition oftentimes in Scruples if that may be taken for superstition which is supra institutum over and above Gods revealed will and the ground of superstitious fears is fancy The way to confute a superstitious Worshipper is to require a word for his practice so the way to silence a superstitious Scruple is to demand a Scripture reason for it Why art thou cast down O my soul and why art thou thus disquieted within me Psa 42. 5 11. and 43. 5. q d. Soul you are troubled but is that trouble a warrantable trouble is it a trouble that God allowes if so shew me his warrant for it So when Satan pursues thee with Scruples and Fears and arrests thee as a prisoner in Gods name ask him presently Quo warranto as Lawyers say Satan let me see your warrant 't
is not enough here for him to reply Thou hast a deceitful heart and thou hast had great experience of it and there be many hypocrites and there is much counterfeit gold c. These are generals Ask him by what warrant from the Word he bids thee doubt whether thou be an hypocrite and thy gold be false If he shew not his warrant fall pell mell upon him spare him not for an illegal Assault and Battery 3 Wordlesse Scruples must be silenced especially if I either have or have had to my best and most deliberate judgment sufficient ground to convince me of the contrary In such a case if I have been formerly satisfied upon Scripture grounds I am to rest in that satisfaction if not yet if now such grounds be presented to me I am bound to receive it and at least to silence all Scruples to the contrary Otherwise the Authority of Gods Word would be far lesse with me then that of mine own groundlesse fancies or Satans vexatious suggestions Conscience is an Officer of Gods his Deputy-Iudg in the soul and therefore it must determine from and according to the most preponderating evidence from the Word of God As in matters of Law a Judg is not to hearken to every litigious Lawyer that puzleth and perplexeth a cause farther then he speaks Law to justifie his allegations but if he can bring none may and ought to proceed to sentence upon those rules of Law and Justice upon which he hath formerly judged in the like cases or such as being now urged on the behalf of the Defendant have nothing of moment objected to the contrary I know Satan can and doth often tempt with a Word in his mouth as he did our Saviour with It is written and so without all question doth where hee sees the soul will not be taken with chaff or baffled with meer scare-crows of groundlesse suggestions urge Scripture in troubling the conscience And in such cases we had need of a Spiritual palate exercised to taste words as Elihu layes the comparison between inward and outward sense Job 33. 3. But if all the Scruples of our spirits were reduced to this trial not one to a thousand but would let fall its suite rather then discover its weakness by the impertinency of its allegations Object But if I have never so plain word urged upon me to satisfie me yet if the Spirit do not make the word satisfying Satan is an impudent Accuser and mine own heart is full of darknesse and it will question whether it be day when the Sun shines and with those that are resolved to conclude snow black rather condemn the most certain of the senses for a mistake in so clear an Object then acknowledg an error in its own reasonings Ans I grant it Yet this I must do in the case in hand 1 I must acknowledg that I ought or that I see no reason at least why I ought not to be satisfied with such clear evidence there being so little objected that may reasonably disparage it 2 I ought to condemn bewayle and pray against such unwarrantable slownesse of believing where I have so much apparent ground 3 I ought at least to suspend those groundlesse Scruples for the present and act upon the conclusion which I am convinced appears most justifiable from Scripture though I cannot apprehend it altogether beyond question at present as if it were unquestionable till some new grounds of more considerable weight are urged to obstruct my proceedings As in a case of Law among men is clear A man hath a Title to such Lands as by the advice of Lawyers and from Law he conceiveth to be good or at least after many debates with an adversary that obstructs his quiet possession he sees not by any thing that can be urged to the contrary but that his own is the most likely Title If this man enter upon this Estate and use it as his own till the Advarsary produce a more legal evidence then his and justifie it in Court the man offends not So in conscience Gods Ministers that are the Counsellours in its cases tell thee according to their best knowledge in the Scriptures that thou art a child of God and hast an unquestionable Title to him this they prove by Scripture compared with the operations of Gods sanctifying Spirit in thy heart Satan sayes no and thy own misgiving heart fears lest he say true However thou seest no reason he brings from Scripture or at least none so weighty as that thou seest sufficient cause from his allegations to reject those other that make for thee nay it may be thy judgment inclines to them but thy heart is yet fearful and trembling in such a case thou maist safely practise as occasion serves upon that conclusion which thou seest least to weaken I mean thou maist act as a child of God apply Promises urge them in Prayer c. as if they were thine till some more considerable grounds be offeâ—ed to weaken the former upon which thou actedst This I say because I know it is the doubt of some precious souls whether they may pray or apply any Promises til they be altogether out of doubt that they are the children of God 4 Nay let me say more If thou have but the least ground to hope that though thou be not a child of God for the present yet thou art no where excluded from a capacity of being so thou maist lay hold upon the Promises which belong to Saints so far as to improve them to duty though thou maist not so far as to build an Assurance upon them And the reason is because the Gospel becomes mine by my laying hold upon it and claiming it as mine And God allowes a Christian an holy violence in entering upon the precious possessions thereof the violent Mat. 11. 12 take it by force If a man should never lay hold of a Promise till he be assured that it belongs to him he would never lay hold of any because as I shall tell you more hereafter Assurance that the Promises and the things promised in them are mine depends upon my laying hold of them and claiming them as mine and therefore cannot go before in an orderly and ordinary way 4. Sometimes when mine own scrupulous heart will take no satisfaction I ought to lay some weight of confidence upon the judgment of others godly Ministers and experienced Christian friends A stander by say we oftentimes sees more then the parties in action can see themselves I believe my Physician concerning the state of my body and my Lawyer concerning the state of my Sute though it may be I have strong inclinations of my self to make a contrary judgment and upon their judgment I follow the ones Physick and the others counsel 'T is not a matter of small moment when upon the sight of thy serious humiliation and sorrow for sin earnest and restlesse desires after Christ and holiness and the like signes a Minister
10. 4 Assurance A soul having gone thus far the next question is But what if seeing there be many that come and claim an interest in Christ that shall at last be cast out because they do not indeed come and claim Christ as they should I say What if I be found among them and then I shal be ashamed of my hopes and my relyance at the last when I have expected so much from it Now to this the Scripture sayes There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus Rom. 8. 1. John 3. 16. Whoever believeth shall have everlasting life c. Hereby shall ye know that ye are passed from death to life c 1 John 3. 14. John 14. 21. Then shall I not be ashamed when I have respect c. Psal 119 6. The answer of the heart to this is Such an one am I therefore my faith is true therefore I am under this condition or state I know that I am passed from death to life I know that I am of God 1 John 5. 19. I need not bee ashamed Now the third of these Acts to wit Relyance is an act to be exercised perpetually in order to the getting the Testimony of the Spirit in the last viz. Assurance when Assurance as most ordinarily it comes to pass is not enjoyed at the same time together with it For 1 This is the advice Isai 50. 10. Let him trust in the Lord and stay himself upon his God Who is he that is thus advised One that walks in darknesse and sees no light and therefore is not assured that God is his God though he be so he must stay upon his God first he must lay claim to him as his God and then stay and depend and rest upon him I illustrate it thus Suppose such a friend as I before mentioned that offers the highest acts of real friendship to all that come to him accept of it upon such and such termes claim his favour and rely on his promise Which is the way for me to be assured that this man will be my friend in particular Is it not this to go to him and tell him Sir your publication of your good will encouraged me to accept your offer emboldned me to claim an interest in your friendship though neither your Proclamation nor offer nor Promise named me in particular And now Sir I rely upon your Promise to enterpose for me between me and Justice to pay such a debt for me if you faile me I am an undone man I have such an esteem of your word that I am resolved I will adventure my self upon it and all that I am though I know your mind no farther concerning me in particular yet I cannot withal but desire that if you think fit you will give me a particular assurance that I am accepted by you as one of those to whom you stand so engaged that by the knowledg of my particular obligations to you I may be encouraged the more cheerfully to serve you and to be the more heartily thankful I appeal to all men whether this bee not the likeliest way to get a particular engagement from this man Apply this to the case in hand and you will see reason in my Direction to act reliance in order to Assurance 2 Besides Reliance frequently exercised will yeild Arguments of Assurance especially being acted in particular cases as suppose temptation corruption straights As though a man have no particular obligation from a friend yet knowing his principles that he never fails those that depend on him and having relyed upon him often and found he hath not failed him at any time at last he becomes assured that he will not So seeing I know that God never faileth them that trust in him and I have found that he hath stood by me in many a sad plunge of spirit in pursuance of that and the like obligations I hence argue sure he will never fail me So the holy Prophet argues 1 Sam. 17. 37. And so the Apostle Paul 2 Cor. 1. 10. God hath delivered God doth deliver and God will deliver 3 Assurance is recovered the same way when it is lost wherein it is to be gotten when a man is utterly a stranger to it and this I evidence thus A soul in desertion looks upon himself as having no grace at all and therefore he doth act and if he can act no higher wee advise him to act as if he begun all anew This course were in vain if not the same in both CHAP. XV. Another Direction concerning seeking Gods face in Ordinances Such as the Word and Prayer Direct 2. II. SEek diligently in all Ordinances after the testimony of the Spirit The way for recovery of lost evidence is that as was said before which is most proper for getting it at first The Church in Cant. 3 1 2 3 4. had lost her Beloved 't was night a night of desertion and he had slipped away in the dark what doth she then She seeks him first upon her bed lay still its likely and sent some sleepy calls after him But Christ will not be found at that rate I sought him but I found him not What then See what followes I will rise now yea that is a more likely course shake off that sinful sloath and seek him in good earnest So she doth I will go about the City in the streets and in the broad wayes In the City that is in the Church set out by a City often in Scripture because of communion defence order like a City and often by the City of Jerusalem in particular In the streets and broad Apoc. 21. 2. wayes i. e. the places of concourse the Assemblies of the Saints there Wisdom uttereth her voice Prov. 1. 20 21. there shee meets with the Watch-men and she asks them c. and then when shee had advised with them and followed their Directions see what followes ver 4. It was but a little that I passed from them but I found him whom my soul loveth I found him that is in the evidences and refreshments of his Spirit 1 Seek in the Word If God give any soul peace in an ordinary way and who are we that we should put God to the charge of extraordinaries 't is the fruit of the lips Isai 57. 19. The fruit of whose lips even the lips of those whose lips are appointed to bee the Treasuries of saving knowledge for the Church The Priests Mal. 2. 7 lips shall preserve knowledg and the people shall seek it at his mouth But may the soul say what can he do towards that work 't is not in the power of man to ease me Man cannot heal the wounds that an Almighty God makes Yes such a man may do much ministerially and instrumentally for he is the Messenger of the Lord of Hosts Mal. 2. 7. Certainly God could have given Cornelius direction what to do without sending him to Peter it was as easie for him to have
to me in my infancy and therefore I want the lively and sensible application of the element to me which might possibly if it were now to be done prove effectual to give me this assurance What use can I make of such a past Sacrament Were it not beter to re-new it Answ Thou mayst make the same use of it as the Jews did of circumcision although many years after The Jews children no more saw their own circumcision understandingly then thou didst thy Baptisme Object Yea but the mark of Circumcision saythe Anabaptists was visible afterwards and so though they were circumcised in infancy yet they might know that they were so otherwise then by bare relation But I know that I am baptized merely by the relation of friends or the Register Answ The Jewes when men might see that their foreskin had been cut off but that it was done in a sacramental way they knew onely by relation as we have our Baptisme For how did a Jew know that he was borne of Jewish Parents and not of Ishmaels posterity or Esaus among whom circumcision continued when the Covenant was removed from them but by tradition But I will rell thee how thou shalt improve even thy Infant Baptisme Whenever then thou seest that sacrament administred upon others reflect upon thy self and draw an Argument of Assurance from it thus Loe here my soul the bloud of Christ in the element of water not only powred out but applyed to yonder little one And hath not God done as much for me And hath he thus sealed to me the promise of pardon and shall I not believe it Have not I performed by his grace my 1 Pet. 3. 21. Anima non lavatione sed responsione sancitur Tert. l. de resurrectione carnis part of the Covenant in the answer of a good conscience seriously desiring and resolving to take him for my God and do my duty to him to the utmost in the strength of Christ And shall I doubt his performance on his part Did not God shew his willingness to receive mee into his favour and pardon my sins when he was so gracious as to seal his Covenant to me in my very infancy Sure that was a great mercy to me that God afforded me that seal then whereas if I had lived unbaptised to these years possibly my scrupulous spirit would have kept me from it altogether as being unfit to receive it as now it See more of this in another Treatise of the same Authour concerning the practical use of Infant Baptism lately published doth from the other Sacrament Now seeing the Lord hath prevented me with this mercy and claimed me before I could claim him let me not think he will not hold his claim to me now I do claim and lay hold upon him and let me not doubt but if I follow after him I shall in time apprehend that for which I am apprehended in this visible way of claim by Christ 2. The Lords Supper This is an Ordinance in which rightly received Assurance comes on horse-back to the soul if I may so speak so many speaking actions and so many speciall applications in the name of Christ by a Minister standing in the stead and representing the person of Christ may probably be the means to conveigh this blessed message to thy soul from Jesus Christ Sonne or Daughter be of good cheer thy sinnes are forgiven thee CHAP. XVII Containing some practicall cases concerning the Lords Supper with relation hereunto BUt here ariseth an objection Object I am not a fit receiver without this Testimony of the Spirit which you speak of and therefore 't is improper to bid me seek that testimony this way whereas I cannot apply my selfe to this way till I have it in actual assurance Answ Hereto I answer Negatively That proposition which is the ground of thy mistake is but mistaken for truth to wit That none is a fit receiver of the Sacrament of the Lords Body and Bloud but one that is certified by the Testimony of the Spirit that he is a Child of God This is that that puzzles and embroyls many a poor soul that he knowes not which way to take between sinning against Gods invitation in refusing to come and against the institution in coming unworthily But I hope to speak a word satisfactorily in this case That this is a mistaken principle I prove by this Argument The actual assurance mentioned is not required under any of those things wherein we are to examine our selves before we come therefore 't is not necessary to make a fit receiver The graces to bee examined among the Protestant Divines are usually these four Knowledge Faith Charity and Repentance Under Knowledge Charity and Repentance I believe no man comprehends the certainty of his interest in Christ they being graces in their natures quite different from it though possibly in some higher actings of them it be supposed I dare not think there can be none of these without Assurance All the doubt is concerning Faith whether the Faith required to the receiving the Lords Supper be not Faith of perswasion that I am a Child of God from the Testimony of the Spirit I conceive the Faith required to my coming to the Lords Supper is no more but the having accepted the terms of Salvation revealed through Christ my having claimed my share in the free offer thereof in the Gospel and my reliance and dependance upon Gods faithfulnesse in the making that claim good unto me And if I can find these acts have seriously to my utmost knowledg and search been performed by me I need examine no further whether I have sufficient Faith to fit me for the Sacrament And my grounds are 1. Because by these acts there is a real application of the soul to Jesus Christ for justification which the Scripture expresseth by coming to Christ believing and trusting in him as was before shewn and of Christ to the soul which is expressed by receiving him and Psalm 2. 12 John 1. 12 in these acts the nature of faith as it applies Christ for justification is sufficiently expressed Now those that come to Christ cannot be supposed to have the witnesse of the Spirit in their heart that they are Christs For rest or peace of Conscience which is the immediate fruit of that assuring Testimony of the Spirit is promised as the consequent of coming to Christ Mat. 11. 28. and becoming the children of God which is lesse then knowing we are so is set down as the consequent of receiving Christ Joh. 1. 20 And therefore by the way to receive Christ is not to know that I am a child of God but to apply my self to him that I may be so And as for trusting or believing in Christ that it is truly done without actual assurance is clear because trusting in Christ the object of the Gospel is spoken of by way of distinction from this sealing or assuring act of the Spirit as that which goes before
comprehends every grace in kind and it concerns him to come to the Sacrament to promote it Caution Yet let me add lastly that I speak not this to encourage a lazy credulousness by which we are apt to be easily perswaded without any sufficient enquiry to take it for granted that we have grace because we have now and then some good wishes when as our own hearts if they were well searched would witness to us the faintness coldness inconstancy laziness of our affections towards heavenly things especially in comparison with those large measures of earnestness importunity and diligence with which they are attended in the things that concerne this present life which might be a sufficient confutation of all our good conceits that wee have of our selves Friends take heed that you do not make such truths as these a protection for your supine negligence to examine your selves more throughly and exactly The truth is the persons to whom this cordial is intended are only those who after earnest enquiry after their own estate from other evidences are driven to this Sanctuary as their last refuge not to those who because they wil spare their pains to enquire more at large and particularly fly to this as the most compendious way and that wherein least pains is required to satisfie themselves concerning their condition Yet I fear such truths by Gods just judgment accidentally stumble many souls and no wonder the Doctrine of free grace I dare say accidentally damnes millions CHAP. XVIII Three other Directions And a Case of Conscience concerning the discerning the Motions of the Holy Spirit from tentations and the inclination of our owne hearts 3 TAke notice of the least approaches Direct III. of the Spirit of God to the soul in a witnessing way and follow them by Meditation and Prayer Sometimes the witnesse of the Spirit is not full and through to the satisfaction of all our doubts yet it speaks something tending that way it speaks many things severally and by parcels which laid together would amount to a ful Testimony Now in such cases a soul must be very watchful to take and improve the least hints of the Spirit As in an humane Testimony the witnesses that witnesse in a case before a Judge do not all speak point-blank to the case in question but sometimes very faintly brokenly and imperfectly Now a good Judg in such a case doth not slight such Testimonies as come not full up to a businesse but observes and retaines in memory every thing that is deposed though very defective as to a full proof and at last what one testimony did not sufficiently clear in terminis many testimonyes will make up a full proof of if laid together by a skilful and judicious Lawyer This Art we find the Church using in desertion Cant. 29. There she discovers Christ first at a distance leaping upon the Mountains removing the great impediments to the manifestation of himself suppose conquering mountainous corruptions and mountainous temptations suppose deadnesse and flatnesse of heart in duty c. which looks like a mountain of separation betweene Christ and the soul ver 8. she finds her self unexpectedly enlarged and opened in her addresses to him Thence she concludes he is a coming he prepares his way as 't is said in another case of John he makes every mountain and hill low Isai 40. 4. and every valley he exalts that he may make his way smoother then she espies him behind the wall looking in through the lattess neerer then he was but yet he stands much undiscovered the wall and the lattess here it may be are the obstacles of prejudice and doubting and distrust in our own hearts which keep us from seeing Christ clearly when he comes to us but yet something of Christ shines through them and the Church takes notice of these dark approaches puts a Behold upon them all Behold he cometh behold he standeth behind our wall And at last he calls her forth into a pleasant converse and walk with him v. 10. 11. and there fully manifesteth himselfe to her If God write thee a love-letter though the hand in which it is written be but uneven and it be not to be read but by spelling every word wilt thou not take that pains that thou mayst understand it The spirits testimony when it comes under Gods hand and seal to the heart is oftentimes so obscurely written that a man is fain to spell and put together many words experiences providences to make it up However the evidence may be sufficient that is pick'd out of them altogether Think then such a time I was refresht at a sermon enlarged extraordinarily in such a Prayer my heart was affected with an extraordinary measure of tendernesse in such a Sacrament I was even ready to despaire and God stayed me by a promise even ready at another time to make away with my selfe and God stayed me with an unexpected providence c. All these put together may perhaps make up as much as this Fear not I am thy Salvation c. Thy sins are forgiven thee God answers sometimes Psalm 85. 8 in a soft voyce in a whisper and it concerns us to observe narrowly as Benhadads servants 1 Kings 20 33 4. Labour aftâ—r more of the Spirit of sanctification and that is the way to get the Direct IV. witnesse of the Spirit of Adoption The spirit that seals us up to an holy assurance is an holy Spirit Ephes 1. 13. This is certain the more holinesse the more assurance The promise runs so Isai 32. 17. The work of righteousnesse shall be peace and the effect of righteousnesse quietness and assurance for ever I conceive the place intends inherent righteousnesse comparing it with the former verses where it is attributed to the Spirit as his work in barren hearts The like promise we have from our Saviour Jo. 14. 21. He that hath my Commandements and keepeth them he it is that loveth me and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father and I will love him and manifest my self unto him I am confident the reason why many persons do not recover an evidence of the Spirit assuring their consciences of their good condition is either that in their judgments they preferre peace before grace ease before holinesse and powre out many more prayers and tears for those then for these or else that they content themselves with finding in themselves some generalities of good desires and sincerity in the main and so sit down in a forme of godlinesse contented to stand at that stay Beloved it will concerne us to press hard after the Lord to follow after reach forward and press on they are the phrases of the Apostle Ph. 3 12 13 14. that we may apprehend that for which we are apprehended 1. If an evidence be never so faire yet if we be carelesse of it and let it gather dust or dirt or filth we may not be able to read it And certainly
such a defiling sullying thing is the guilt of sin For sin making a man obnoxious to the Law occasionally ingenders to See in the case of David Psalm 51. 12. bondage Gal. 4. 24. 2. Nor will the glory of God permit him to seal assuring evidences of his love to such whose conversation would reproach him for admitting them to so much intimacy As to a Covenant-interest in God so it is in Covenant peace when a wicked man claims it God stands upon termes of defiance Psal 50. 16. What hast thou to do to take my Covenant in thy mouth seeing thou hatest instruction and castest my words behind thy back To whom then will God indulge such a boldnesse See ver 5. Gather my Saints together and vers 23. who so ordereth his conversation aright to him will I shew the salvation of the Lord. 3. Regular assurance as I have told you before ariseth from the discovery of grace Now the more large the matter of my assurance is the more must my assurance be Me thinks the connexion of these four verses in Tit. 2. 11 12 13 14. shews this When grace that appears to us teacheth us to deny ungodlinesse and worldly lusts c. See what follows then we are most likely to look for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ And that prayer of the Apostle for his Ephesians speaks it as loudly That God would grant them to be strengthened by the spirit c. to be rooted and grounded in love And what then That Eph. 3. 16 17 18. ye may comprehend with all Saints the length and breadth of the love of God 5. Follow the guidance and conduct of the Direct V. Spirit in all things Stifle not any motion of the spirit Quench not the Spirit 1 Thes 5. 19. Grieve not the Spirit by unkind repulses And that is pressed upon this ground Eph. 4. 30. by which ye are sealed to the day of redemption Certainly if wee sadden the Spirit the Spirit will not comfort us And there is nothing that saddens the Spirit of God more then the dishonour and unkindnesse of a repulse Great men if they shew extraordinary favours to us they expect we should observe them and be ready to serve them at every nodd and beck 1. He that will be a favourite in a Princes Court and enjoy his constant smiles must be very carefull of all punctilio's of observance If you will obtain the holy Spirits smiles you can surely do no lesse then observe every breathing of the Spirit and follow him where ever he leads See v. 14. of this Chapter in connexion with my Text. They that are led by the Spirit of God those are they that receive this Spirit of Adoption to call God Father 2. The Spirit best knows the mind of God towards thee and the season and way wherein the Love of God will break out to thee and if thou misse of following any motion of the Spirit thou mayst put thy selfe out of that very way wherein thou mightest have found comfort and assurance The Spirit it may be urgeth such or such a duty and thou neglect'st it How knowest thou but hadst thou been guided by the Spirit in such a motion thou mightest have obtained that that thou longest for When the Spirit blowes thou must hoise thy sailes and be assured that gale can carry thee no whither but to the region of peace and comfort When the Angel conducted Peter out of Prison he follows his deliverer step-by-step So when the Spirit comes toward thee to deliver thee from the Spirit of Bondage take heed thou leave him not one step And the caution which God gives to the Israelites when he brought them out of Egypt is very usefull here Exod. 23. 20 21. Behold I send an Angell before thee to keep thee in the way and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared Beware of him and obey his voyce povoke him not c. Apply it to the present case If God send his Spirit before you beware obey his voyce c. Qu. But how shall I know the motions of the Spirit of God from temptations and the motions of my own heart Answ 1. Thus The Spirit of God always moves according to the Word If I leave the word in any thing I cannot follow the Spirit 'T is clear that that Spirit is a Spirit of truth and therefore cannot contradict Joh. 14. 17. himselfe and those things which he delivers in the Word hee cannot deliver 2 Pet. 1. 19 20. 21. the contrary to them in my heart The true evidence of the Spirit of God in the heart is dependance on the Word of God 1 John 4. 6. 2. The Spirit of God alwayes presseth to some Duty or other some exercise of holinesse or other And when any motions arise in our hearts prejudicing it against any ordinance or duty of Religion this prejudice is no motion of the Spirit We receive the Spirit in hearing Gal. 2. 1 2. Pray by the Spirit Eph. 6. 18. 3. The Spirit moves regularly and orderly makes not duties and ordinances to clash and enterfere The present opportunity of an ordinance is the season of the Spirit If the Spirit come in a private ordinance it is in its season if in a publick in its season Publick ordinances separated from are not the badge of the persons that have but that want the Spirit Jude 19. CHAP. XIX A Case What is to be thought of a man that as to his own sense and other mens lives and dyes without any experience of this Testimony Qu. SUppose I never attain the Testimony of the Spirit but live and dye in a state of darknesse as to assurance of Gods love what think you of my case Answ 1. I suppose thou labourest after it diligently and constantly in the use of all the means prescribed and other such Otherwise I have nothing to say to thee in this case but this that that man is neither fit for assurance here or glory hereafter that thinks much of his pains to attain them But supposing as I said I say to thee farther 2. I know no place of Scripture that says No man shall enter into the Kingdom of God that knows not of it before hand I readily yeeld the Papists teach all believers a doctrine of desperation when they tell us that no man can be assured of Salvation till he come to heaven and I am confident that occasioned many of our Protestant Divines engaged in the Controversy against them to make perswasion of salvation of the essence of justistifying Faith But I conceive they needed not to have bended the bough so much that way to set it straight 'T is no good rule for Christian disputants which is observed by cunning tradesmen Iniquum petere ut aequum ferant to aske double that they may perswade those with whom they deal to give a sufficient price I believe this proposition
Some beleevers are and all believers may be assured of tâ—eir Salvation in this life well proved sufficiently confutes the Papists erroneous Thesis that no believer can be assured And I fear the maintaining the universall necessity of actual assurance to Salvation will trouble more tender Protestants then it ever confuted Papists But to returne where I left I say to thee that propoundest the Question Thou needest not fear exclusion from heaven for want of that which Scripture requires not as necessary to Salvation I must tell thee that I verily believe if any of Gods Saints dye without some glimpse or other of Gods love it is a rare case and I perswade my selfe God seldome takes a Saint of his away in such a sort except such an one as hath so shamefully fallen that it concernes God in point of honour if he save him to let no body know of it Yet I dare not barre the door of heaven against such an one as living holily dyes comfortlesse 3. Labour to accept of claim and rely upon the Lord Jesus for Salvation on the termes of the Gospel 'T is impossible a soul should go to Hell that can cling fast to any promise truly apprehended according to the intention of the Gospel There are three or four promises I perswade my selfe the reliance whereon hath ferried many humble souls to heaven who have been afraid to say in all their lives I know that I am a child of God those are Mat. 11. 28. Jo. 6. 37. Isai 55. 1 2. Apoc. 22. 17. 4. Lastly If thou think this will not serve the turne in such a case I think such a thought may condemn the generation of the Righteous Are there not some in the fruits of whose holy conversation both publick and private we see abundant cause to pronounce them by a judgement of charity children of God would be by this judgment condemned to Hell concerning whom it cannot be affirmed either in their own knowledge or the knowledge of others that ever they received this witnesse in their spirits to the last moment of their lives And truly for my part I humbly conceive this assuring Testimony of the spirit to be part of our reward as the Apostle calls the Spirit the earnest of our inheritance Eph. 1. 14. and therefore God may choose whethe he will give any part of it here or no as he sees most suting his glory and our good 'T is for his glory sometimes that his people are in Jobs case Job 13. 15. CHAP. XX. The second Thesis cleared by Scriptures and Reasons A Case from the first branch of the reason Whether a man may be assured of his sonship à priori from the first Acts of Faith and Repentance in conversion COme we now to the second Thesis or proposition which is The witnesse of the Spirit of Adoption is a certain evidence of a state of Adoption This ariseth from the connexion of this verse with the former In the former the Romans are told by the Apostle that as many as are led by the Spirit of God are the Sonnes of God this he confirms in my Text and the verse following For saith he they that are led by the spirit have ordinarily the witnesse of the Spirit who never witnesseth to a falshood witnessing with their own spirits and upon that testimony enabling them to call God Father So much for the ground of the proposition It amounts to no more then this That man may be certainly assured that he is a child of God to whom the spirit testifies that he is so I shall not need be long in the proof of this point but onely lead you into the consideration of some particulars not so much for evidence of this truth although they will also make it out abundantly unto us as for the clearer opening to you some points by the way which will yield some special use or other that will not so orderly fall in any where else The proofe is partly Scripture and partly Argument 1. Scripture The Spirits Testimony both concerning sinne righteonsnesse and judgement is a convincing Testimony John 16. 8 9. 10 11. that is such a Testimony as will not suffer any scruple to remain but as soon as any appears it presently falls before the light of its evidence There are also two expressions Eph. 1. 13 14. very full to this purpose The Spirit seals the Saints puts a mark upon them by which he knowes them and gives them ground enough to know themselves to be the Children of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Spiritu ilso qui non adfert legis servitut is terrorem sed promissionem gratuitae adoption is obsignat in credentiu animis Est autem hoc loco triplicatus Articulus diligenter observandus Beza in locum And to this purpose it followes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who is the earnest of our inheritance So that it is clear it is not meerly a privy sâ—al known to the Spirit alone as that 2 Tim. 2. 19. but a publick seal by which the party himselfe as well as others may and ought discerne him to be an heire and such an one as may sue for his inheritance as a debt For an earnest is nothing if it be not a security to the receiver the principall intent of an earnest is to assure the party to whom it is given of the full payment The meere giving of grace although it be materially an earnest from God of eternal happinesse yet is not a formal evidence to me till it work certainty in me because I can no farther plead it then I can adventure my estate upon it To this purpose and in the same expressions the Apostle also speaks to the Corinthians 2 Cor. 1. 21 22. where you may also take notice of one clause that confirms the exposition before-given of Eph. 1. 13 14. and that is this v. 21. He tells them that the confirmation of al the promises both as preached by Ministers and received by hearers dependeth upon the merit of Christ He stablisheth us in Christ i. e. by uniting us to him by the communication of the Spirit in and through them from the Father Now from the Spirit the Apostle drawes two Arguments to assure them the first is its renewing work and that is the matter of our regular assurance as I told you formerly in the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who hath annointed us Now although there be an annointing with gladnesse as well as grace yet the annointing with grace is here meant because it is distingnished from that annointing by an also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. v. 22. who also hath sealed us and given the earnest of his Spirit in our hearts This is the second argument it s witnessing work which is on Gods part a sufficient assurance and the reception of it renders it so also on our part So then the witnesse of the Spirit is the seal and earnest that confirmes all the promises to us they
only by stupifying the consciences of profane wicked men which occasions their crying Peace to themselves though they walk in the wayes of their own heart but even in civil and moral men he can many times counterfeit the work of the Spirit of God and give a false peace in a serious and seemingly regular way 1 I shall not here speak much of those sudden irradiations of joy and comfort wherewith he can fill men only thus much that in all ages he hath had advantage over credulous spirits by sudden raptures and exstasies It hath been an old Art as the stories of the Anabaptists will sufficiently inform us by which he hath deluded millions of souls Now those exstacies proceed originally from disturbing and discolouring the phantasie that it may apprehend objects as he thinks fit to represent them And no question he may thus abuse the fantasie by the representation of false matter of comfort and joy and set it home with so strong an appearing evidence that a man may verily think that it comes from God himself Certainly Satan if as was abovesaid he can transform himself into an Angel of light can second these delusions with visions of an heavenly appearance possibly he may usurp the name of Christ himself I knew such a case once in mine own experience A woman not till that time noted to have had any ordinary At Pool about ten yeers since proportion of knowledg on a sudden in child bed is taken with abundance of joy and Christ himself as she fancied appearing to her giving her a revelation against Infant Baptism and perfuming her of which she was so confident that she would ask those that were about her whether they did not smel those perfumes I that had a little before spoken against Anabaptistical revelations was sent for to be confuted by so pregnant an example and she told me as much I gave her good advice told a friend I suspected an imposture and departed Within a few days after the woman was grown perfectly distracted and then the Devill put on his own blacks and appeared in his own colours and she smelt him in every thing and her sweet perfumes ended in filthy stenches c. I have before shewn you the rules by which you may judge of such immediate and reasonlesse raptures of assurance I shall only adde here If you will discern them mark the end of them for which they are given Que. How shall I know that will you say Answ Thus. Observe what is infused with them Satan seldome useth this Art to any soul but he withall infuseth some erroneous doctrine or other or stirs up to some or other irregular practice The End of that dealing of his with the party before mentioned was to scruple her in point of Infant-Baptisme as she confessed to me and his end in others is to propagate one error or other as appears in these days of delusion by ordinary experience A like revelation there was in these parts lately concerning which more may be said shortly in print to perswade a woman to leave her husband who by that very suggestion discovered it to be a delusion because it was quite contrary to the word Now a Christian must be so confirmed in the fundamental points of Religion and so well satisfied in all things that concerne the practice of Godlinesse that he should be able even hereby to discover Satans impostures by the Rule before I laid down The Spirit of God always moveth according to the Word In a word you may do well to demurre to such an evidence 'T is not good to be too hasty in owning such extraordinary perswasions at the first dash as we say A man offends not that rejoyceth under them with trembling If they come in seasonably to encourage me to any unquestionably good duty I may at present act in the strength of them But afterwards I may safely desire an evidence from a known rule whereby I may regularly be certified that they are indeed from God Nor will such a suspension of my full assent to them bee charged upon me as any affront to the Spirit of God supposing him to be indeed the Author of them or as an act of unbelief but will be kindly taken as an act of holy warinesse proceeding from a soul that puts a due valuation upon the word and desires as it ought to make it in all things a light to its feet and a lantern to its path Psalm 119. 105. God himselfe hath told me that the written word is a surer word of prophesie then immediate Revelations 2 Pet. 1. 19 and he tells me moreover that I do well to take heed to it as to a light shining in a dark place 2. Nor shall I tell you at large How far Satan may concurre in giving assurance from marks and signes though certainly he may do much this way or how far he may misapply Scripture it selfe to delude men into a false peace though this he may do also The joy of the close Hypocrite and of the meere civill Justiciary are evidences of this imposture every day to be found almost in every Congregation where the word is preached in a convincing searching way every such person hath his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his preservative or Antidote of this kind by which he keeps the word of God at a distance from his heart when it approacheth with conviction of sin Most of both sorts can plead good desires love to the brethren strictnesse in religious duties and moral conversation c. And though in all these they be miserably mistaken yet how ever for the present these gâ—ounds stop the mouth of conscience and give a present repulse to the power of a shaking sermon we will take these things for granted 2. It is as undoubtedly true that Satan thus misrepresenting Arguments a mans own spirit may consent to him and make use of them and so by deluded Reason argue himself into a strong perswasion that he is a child of God when there is no such matter Nay I doubt not but the very same Arguments which delude one man in this case may truly satisfie another and the application of the same Scriptures Satan playing the Sophister whith his reason may give a false perswasion to one man which by the convincing evidence of the Spirit may give a sound assurance to another But let me not here be mistaken I say not that these Arguments and Scriptures may Caution be managed the same way in both For seeing the conclusion is false which in a delusive assurance is to be inferred there must also be some falsehood in the premisses As in Temptation when Satan came to Christ to tempt him to break his neck the conclusion which he would perswade him to entertain from that place in the Psalm was wicked and false viz. that it is lawfull for a man wilfully and without a calling to endanger his own life therefore he must needs juggle in
the premisses which hee doth by leaving out in thy ways out of the Scripture cited so in Assurance if Satan delude a mans reason into such an Assurance to whom assurance doth not belong there is some fault or other in the premisses whence the conclusion is deduced 3. There may also I conceive be a rational assurance whose conclusion is true as to the state of the person whom it assures and yet it may not be the speciall Testimony of the Spirit but meerly the Testimony of a mans own reason enlightened by ordinary illumination For as the Spirit when he testifies testifies with our spirits Rom 8. 16. So sometimes our spirits may testifie when the Spirit doth not As there may be in a man that is convinced of sin a true conviction by the common illumination of the Spirit which differs widely from that special and effectual conviction which ushers in saving conversion So in this case the child of God may be let alone to frame to himselfe a peace by arguing and reasoning his case from the Word of God and the Spirit may accompany this endeavour of his by common illumination wherein the conclusion may be true and truly inferred nay sometimes the Spirit may leave a man that is truly converted even in the businesse of illumination and suffer him to conclude his good estate irregularly though truly As I will give you this case for explication A man that hath prayed and waited long for Assurance and cannot obtain it growes weary and can wait upon Gods pleasure no longer nay I shall suppose that the man may be unwilling to be assured without the Spirits own Testimony ye he thinks it 's long a coming and therefore desires to hasten it In this case the Spirit of God may justly let him weary himself in a maze of his own reasonings for a time and permit him to perswade himselfe that he is in a good condition and afterwards because though this conclusion were true yet it was not gathered in a right way may suffer him to fall into such a sin or such darknesse as may make him see a need of farther evidence And in this case God may deal with a man as he did with Israel in the wildernesse God had promised them Canaan and they thought long ere they had it were loath to stay till Gods time and therefore whiles they think to hasten the time they are many of them destroyed at Hormah and all turned back into the wilderness Numb 14. for forty years CHAP. XXIII A Case how to know a false Scripture Assurance from a true THese things being premised I come directly to answer the main Question in both its parts Quest 1. How may a man know a false Assurance gathered by a mans own heart with the concurrence of Satan from that which comes from the Spirit of God An. 1 Regular Assurance from the testimony of the Spirit is an heart-purifying Assurance 1 John 3. 2 3. We know saith the Apostle that when he shall appear we shall be like him i. e. in glory for of that he speaks his glory shall reflect its image upon us as the Sun doth upon a glasse or the water for we shall see him as he is A blessed hope this But what kind of people are we to be on this side glory who have this assured hope of being so glorious hereafter It followes ver 3 He that hath this hope purifieth himself as he is pure 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Metaphor taken from the legal purifications of the Jewes wherein as soon as legal uncleanness was contracted they washed their bodies and their garments and vessels that they might be sure nothing they had to do withal might defile them again he is ever washing himself from sin and watching against it and takes all possible care to keep himself unspotted of this present world James 1. 23. Hates the very garment spotted with the flesh Jude 23. alluding again to the Levitical Law in which the very cloaths of a Leper one that had an Issue a menstruous woman were unclean he doth not only avoid the sins themselves but the very garments of them not only all besmeared with the flesh but garments spotted by the flesh In heaven where enjoyment is greatest purity is so too The grace of God when it appears to us as a grace bringing salvation teacheth us to deny all ungodlinesse and worldly lusts and to live soberly righteously and godly in the present world Tit. 2. 12. It teacheth all men so Doctrinally in the publication of it no Doctrine in the world such an enemy to loosenesse as the Doctrine of the Gospel but it teacheth the Saints to do so powerfully and despositively it inclines and enables them to it 2 Regular Assurance in not only a heart-purifying but an heart sanctifying Assurance Holynesse in the nature of it is the Dedication of a mans self and all that he is to the honour glory and service of God alone So God is infinitely holy because he is in all things most entirely and inseparably addited to his own glory which because he is the most excellent Being he may not only lawfully do but he must naturally and necessarily do and therein consists the perfection of his nature as the perfection of every being consists in the end to which it is so Gods perfection lies in this that he is to himself seeing he hath no nobler end to which his affections and actions can be referred wherefore if God could deny himself so far as to prefer any thing else above himself for a moment he must needs sin and cease to be happy for that time because he would be so much removed from his end which is his happinesse And of the same nature is holinesse in a Saint an entire devoting of himself and all to God Now a Saint assured of Gods love must needs bee holy because knowing the infinite excellency of God in his own light he cannot but conclude him the most worthy of all love and service and so be taken up in contemplating and conversing with him and acting for him which is holinesse and so far as he at any time lets God fall low in his eye so far he chargeth himself with unholinesse This we find the Saints frequently promise upon such discoveries Psal 23. ult Psal 116. 11 12 13. Indeed this is that which as it comes from us and proceeds from the consideration of Gods goodnesse to us is called thankfulnesse as it respects his own excellencies it is called praising and glorifying him Whence also take this Note by the way The more thankful the more holy Thankfulnesse and holynesse are the same things understood in a different conception Now how large praises doth God get every where in the Scriptures from his people under the light of such Assurance How many such whole Psalmes did David pen under such Discoveries of Gods countenance But false Assurance begotten by the collusion of Satan with our
a total alienation of mind from it It may be so though at the present I cannot but think it is otherwise with me Now it is true as I before said that divine Assurance if it proceed not from a full Testimony of the Spirit excludes not doubting but the difference between divine and rational Assurance in point of doubting is very great For when a man divinely assured doubts it is only so with him because and whiles his evidences are not full and clear But let a rational assurance that is meerly so be never so full yet its utmost height and perfection is thus incumbred with haesitacines and unresolvednesse of spirit In a word he that observes in his own spirit the differences between an Opinion and a certain Knowledge may give by the same rules of difference a very probable ghesse at the difference between a meerly rationall and divine Assurance But there remains yet a third and fuller mark of distinction which is 3. The way in which a rational assurance comes And this may give some farther light to discover it As for example Judge by these six things 1. If assurance be ushered in with an impatient wearinesse of soul-troubles This is apt to put a man upon contriving his own escape and therefore may be a temptation to an endeavour of reasoning them out of the soul Now it is true that the soul may and ought in cases of desertion and discomfort to put it selfe to the question as David doth more then once Psalm 42. and 43. why art thou cast down O my soul and why art thou disquieted within me And the reason is because the soul-Troubles of Gods Saints after assurance had are mostly groundâ—d on phantasy and not reason so that if he put that question many times to himself he will find he is able to give very little reason why he is troubled and therefore he may lawfully endeavour to reason down reasonlesse Scruples although possibly it may be safer sometimes to cast them off without vouchsafing them so much respect as to spend reason upon them But in this case I must take heed how through wearinesse of staying Gods leasure for a release I betake my selfe to these reasonings for this is to abandon Jordan and fly to Abana and Pharphar to forsake the waters of Siloah because they run softly and Isaiah 8 6. make not so much speed towards us as we desire and labour to quench our thirst in muddy streams of our own This is to endeavour to break the Spirits prison as I have before told you rather then to stay his leasure til He turn the key And when a man seeks his Assurance only from his own reasoning 't is just with God to leave him to try it out what he can do in that way 2. If it be attended with a low esteem of prayer and other Ordinances of God as those which begin to appear bootlesse and unprofitable after so long trial to so little advantage Reason managed by prayer and by holy pleadings with God in prayer is a special means in the hand of the Spirit to work assurance but it is dangerous when it comes in the stead of prayer The nearer a soul is to a divine assurance the more hee values these divine duties and Ordinances of Gods appointment but when he growes slacker in these and flyes to Reason out of a distrust of these the more he is endangered to a rational Assurance 3. If a man when he sets upon reasoning out his evidences find himself overwilling to receive satisfaction and to take every smal hint as sufficient to bottom his confidence upon is willing to think the best of himself and so ready not so much to answer as to silence material doubts with general salvo's of the freenesse and fulnesse of Gods grace the general offers invitations and promises of the Gospel which as I have told you are rather foundations for relyance and hope then Assurance and evidence and apt to sit down upon these without descending to more differencing and distinguishing enquiries this is suspicious that the peace that ariseth thence though it be sutable to the estate of such a soul and so he being within the Covenant materially true is but rational Assurance 4 You may guess at it from the frame of your spirit under after-desertions A man that hath been assured by the Spirit is much maintained in his dependance by a reasonlesse support I call that a reasonless support which keeps up a soul in a way of relyance and dependance when he sees no reason why he should do so nay it may be sees reason why he should not do so As it is said of Abraham in another case That he believed in hope against hope Rom. 4. 18. that is Faith told him there was hope that he should be the Father of many Nations when Reason told him there was none So a soul after Assurance received from the Spirit can appeal to his former tastes and experiences and believes himselfe out of a plunge when Sense and Reason tell him there is no hope But a meer rational Assurance when it is counterbalanced by reason as probable on the contrary side affords no prop at all but sayes such a souâ— I perceive now all my former hopes were but delusions and dreams of golden mountains for I am yet in the gall of bitternesse and the bond of iniquity I shall easily grant in this as in most of the preceding differences that the distinction between the Spirits evidence and reasons to be gathered hence is not alwayes certain For possibly the Spirits evidence may afterwards be called to the Bar of suspicious reasoning and a soul that hath had it may by Satans Sophistry be at a losse but sure a man is not so liable to be reasoned out of that Assurance as one whose Primitive and Original Assurance was meerly rational As a man will easier be baffled out of the dictate and conclusion of his reason then of his sense And the Assurance of faith or divine Assurance is something in the soul like sense in the body 5 Ordinarily the Assurance that the Spirit gives surprizeth a man unexpectedly God therein loving to endear himself to his Saints comes upon them when they look least for him I mean as to the particular time of his coming though they look for him indefinitely every day he takes them at unawares There is little of mans plotting or contrivance in the bringing it about it may be in a Sermon that a man came accidentally to in a Prayer or Sacrament whence if a man might judge by the frame of his own spirit he had least cause to expect good it may be in casting a transient glancing eye upon a Scripture without a mans pre-determining such a means at least in a way of special confidence upon or expectation from it to such an end In rational Assurance a man layes the whole designe in his head before hand Now saith he I will
go meditate on such or such a subject and methodically discusse with my self such doubts and objections and labour to answer them and as he expects satisfaction from so doing so in the close he finds it God lets him alone to hammer himself out a peace upon the anvil of his owne thoughts 6 Lastly Meer rational Assurance though it may be from true yet oftentimes is drawn from mistaken Scriptures And this ariseth from the willingnesse before spoken of to receive Quod volumus facilè credimus satisfaction which makes a man easie to believe that which he would have so As in the maintaining of an opinion it many times falls out when a man takes up an opinion first and then seeks for Scripture to maintain it 't is wonderful to think how plain he presently is perswaded to think the whole Scripture speaks for it so here when this is laid down before I must have peace and hereupon a man searcheth the Word of God many times dark Scriptures that another man can see no such thing in shall serve the turne Prophetical Scriptures and Historical and it may be Doctrinal but grosly mistaken Now spirtual Assurance is usually grounded upon Scripture rightly understood and if habitual is certainly so and the clearer the Scripture is and the more plain the deductions from it the better it is For the Spirit of God understands Scripture perfectly as being the Enditer of it and so it cannot be supposed he will ground his Testimony on a Mistake Yet we must not think that it is every mistake of Scripture that is sufficient to annul a Testimony such as is circumstantial and not of moment to cast the conclusion this way or that way will not weaken the Testimony but only that which hath a material influence upon the deductions which I build upon it So a smal circumstantial mistake in a witnesse in Court is often overlooked by the Judge and Jury and the Spirit himself often quotes the sense of Scripture and omits inconsiderable circumstances As in many instances it were easie to make appear Micah 5. 2. Matth. 2. 6. Understand what hath been said with these Cautions 1 Think not I condemn the matter of such Cautions an Assurance as either hath all or most reason in it for false so that a man who hath reasoned himself into this perswasion must now question the perswasion it selfe as false For a true conclusion may be drawn from false and incongruous premisses and it may be as to form in the deduction there may be no error and a conclusion that a man receives only in a way of opinion may be certain in it self All that is in this case to be done is to hold the same conclusion by the strength of the Spirit drawn in by Faith in Prayer for the Spirit may testifie to that singly as I have before shewne and immediately and having so done to improve it to all intents and purposes as if it were never so unquestionable So a man may hold his land by a true Title but his evidences for it may not be as clear as he could wish now in this case he will not presently cashier himself out of the possession as soon as he discovers it but keeping that will labor by Act of Parliament or some other way to strengthen his evidences So when thou hast examined thy Assurance by the Marks of distinction between false and true before mentioned and findest it true though but rational keep thy hold and apply thy self to the Spirit to super-add his Testimony to the confirmation and improvement of it 2 Think not that I utterly exclude the help of the Spirit in drawing a rational evidence from the Scriptures I am so far from that that I rather judge that he helps in an ordinary way when the deduction is proper and the Scripture that grounds it is not in any material point mistaken as he doth in other works of common illumination as it was before hinted in the beginning of this last Discourse To add only a few words to the farther illustration of what was there affirmed A man may be said to preach or pray by the Spirit in a general sense when he doth those duties by the strength of common illumination and so sometimes even godly men do and the Doctrine he preacheth is the Doctrine of the Spirit and the prayers he puts up they are inspired by the Spirit in a way of common assistance But there is another kind of praying and preaching by the Spirit which the Scripture so often speaks of and calls the Spirit of Supplication and the demonstration of the Spirit performed by a special and peculiar assistance Zech. 12. 10. 1 Cor. 2. 4. of the Spirit Of which more hereafter in the handling of the last point And the like twofold influence of the Spirit is there in putting forth acts of Assurance in the heart even of a godly and sound Christian The very same man may act Assurance sometimes rationally and sometimes he may be acted to act it spiritually And yet in the former the Spirit acts too in a common way the latter only is that which because of special assistance is peculiarly said to be the Witness of the Spirit For denominatio sequitur partem potiorem though sometimes the denomination follow the best part in a thing composed of divers parts as a godly man is called a spiritual man though he have a carnal part and that may be possibly most prevalent yet most commonly the name is given from that which is most in the mixture or composition as we say an heap of barly though there may be many grains of other grain in it and in this sense the Apostle Paul calls Babes in Christ carnal 1 Cor. 3 1. So when the Assurance in the specialties of it is rational though there be some common work of the Spirit accompanying it I call it justly by way of distinction a rational Assurance Thus have I both answered the cases before emerging concerning a rational Assurance and withal let you know what use may and may not be made of it I add for a close that it is well for the standing peace of the Saints when their spiritual evidences are rational because Assurance that is praeternatural to a man is so far violent and so cannot be perpetual and therefore the Saints will do well to endeavour to make even the Spirits evidence rational and on the other side it is well for the certainty and security of their evidences that they labour to elevate the Evidence of reason into a Testimony of the Spirit CHAP. XXV The Duty of keeping the Evidences of the Spirit pressed with several Motives THis also affords us an useful Exhortation in several branches I. Labour to keep and maintain this evidence when you have it For 1 It is the surest evidence of the best inheritance in the world If a man lose all his evidences for an unconsiderable part of his
the Doctrines of Faith c. which he had acquainted them withal from their first vocation but it includes even those Doctrines of comfort which precede in the number of those Truthes they being part of what Christ had told them 2 The Court of Conscience It will be needful having once verified the evidence by the test of the Word to lay it up against a day of tryal Divine Truths must be laid up in the heart for Direction and divine Experiences for Consolation in an evil day This Courts Recorder is Memory and its Records in such a day are of especial use and importance Records of Gods dealing with others formerly see Psalm 119. 52. I remembred thy judgments of old and have comforted my self i. e. Those judgements by which thou hast caused thy people to triumph over their enemies in former times So also of our own experiences see both together Psal 77. 5 6 The holy man had been utterly at a losse had it not been for this Recorder and yet it seemes he had been too to blame in the laying up his evidence so that it cost much search before he could find it I communed with my heart and my spirit made diligent search the Septuagint reads 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 my spirit digged as we do for hidden treasure that must have much rubbish removed ere we can come at it But their sense is grounded upon a different reading of the word in the Hebrew Others read Scopabam I swept it seems by his carelesse keeping he had suffered his evidences to be thrown inâ—… dusty corner among waste papers and he was fain to sweep for them ere he could find them but however when he found them he made excellent use of them for by them he recovers strength to check his present unbelief I have considered the dayes of old ver 5. and I call to remembrance my song ver 6. I will remember the years of the right hand of the Most High ver 10. and I will remember the works of the Lord c. v. 11. And these remembrances prove a great strengthning to his Faith in that hour of temptation David hath some Psalms to bring to remembrance Psalm 38 and 70. And Christ hath left Ordinances for this end The Word 2 Pet. 1. 12 13. and Sacraments Do this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Luke 22. 19. in remembrance of me And there is the same use of the communion of Saints which is the special means of keeping fresh one anothers experiences by conference and communication Therefore it will be a very good course to charge memory to record carefully all the visits and smiles and embraces of Gods Spirit together with all the passages which may confirm the truth of them afterwards As we do in Evidences concerning a temporal estate we record the Sealing dayes and the Witnesses and the considerations of the conveyance So in this case bid memory put down At such a time in such a place upon such a Prayer Sermon when I was in such an exigency and there was but an haires breadth between me and despair such a sad cloud was scattered the Spirit of God by such a Promise gave me as much comfort and joy as my heart could hold and I then set to my seal that God is true by believing Joh 2. 33 And I was confirmed in the reality of these experiences by a following assistance against such corruptions or strength against such temptations or power more then ordinary to walk in wayes of spiritual communion with God c. This course being carefully taken it cannot be imagined how great an awe it will cast upon a mans jealous and suspicious heart that it will scarce dare to entertain a doubt against an Evidence so clear and so carefully recorded Except Satan can imbezel the Records or corrupt them by the concurrence of our treacherous memories in some considerable passages 't is in vain he knows to commence a fresh sute against the soul The soul in such cases will as the Psalmist have recourse to those Records and clear his Title against such disturbances Psal 77. suprà CHAP. XXVII The Means to strengthen these Evidences IN the second place 2 Strengthen your Evidences daily 1 By strengthning Ordinances 1 The Word heard read meditated upon all these in their proper place and time are to be used with care David alwayes keeps up a fainting Assurance with a word My soul melteth for heavinesse strengthen thou me according to thy word Psal 119. 28. This is my comfort in my affliction for thy Word hath quickned me Psal 50. Vphold thou me according to thy Word c. Psal 116. Promises are the food of Faith Cordials of Hope the crutches of Patience the principal feathers in the wing of Prayer Threatnings caution us against those courses as will weaken Assurance Precepts direct us in such wayes as will continue and improve it Examples are so many ruled cases as they say in Law which may adde light to a man when there is need to search records as before said The whole Word is the fewel that maintains the fire of Assurance and Meditation blowes up the coals 2 Prayer And this applies the Word it is a souls perpetual plea against all litigious molestations If Satan or a mans own heart at any time call his Evidences into question away flyes Prayer to God and pleads Promises and Examples holy Presidents and stops the mouth of Temptation this way 'T is that way of continual intercourse with God that brings a man dayly returnes of holy familiarities which cannot but nourish a constant perswasion of his unchangeable Love as mutual Letters maintaine a good intelligence among friends 3 Sacraments As they are remembrancers of the death of Christ and Ordinances appointed for the Sealing of the benefits thereof to the soul by particular applicatory signes and tokens must needs be means not only to give as hath been shewne before but also to confirm and continue it And upon this account 't is no wonder if Christ in the Institution of the Lords Supper require a frequent attendance upon that Ordinance 1 Cor. 11. 25. As oft as ye drink it implies frequent drinking it All our faith is grounded upon the death and satisfaction of Christ and the frequent reduction of those grounds of faith to our consideration must needs strengthen it habits of the mind are strengthned by a frequent repetition of those actions by which they were first begotten and produced Now though gracious habits are not gotten in the strength of natural or moral powers as natural or moral habits are yet they are produced as I before have shewed by a supernatural power in a natural method and order And therefore though no grounds apprehended by the understanding can of themselves beget faith yet a divine power never produceth them but by the representation of some grounds And therefore the representation of the death of Christ as it is held forth by God in all its
embraces welcom to you but his Commandments troublesom and his yoak intolerable especially considering that he affords you those refreshments that they may oyl the wheeles of your spirits and make them goe the more nimbly in his wayes Is it not just with him to with-draw the encouragements and leave you notwithstanding to your tasks of duty to toile in the brick-kilns and work out your very hearts in an uncomfortable drudgery without the least refreshment at all to quicken your spirits thereunto These are the terms upon which God will manifest himself so to his people as to dwel and abide with them John 14. 21 23. If a man love me he will keep my words And my Father will love him and we will come to him So it may be will a soul say but how long will he stay when he comes Why the next words shew We will make our abode with him We will dwel with him for continuance That expression of our Saviour Christs seems a strange expression When ye have done all those things which are commanded you say we are unprofitable servants why Because we have done but what was our duty As if it were to be the complaint of a Saint that he can do no more for God then he should CHAP. XXX An Exhortation to improve Assurance received by 1 living upon 2 pleading our Evidences II. LAbour to improve and make use of Exhortat 2. Assurance had to the utmost You need not forbear this duty because your Title is but weak and disputable This makes a man many times carelesse of bestowing cost upon a piece of Land because there is a flaw in his Evidences But here you need not with-hold your hand for that because yours are as sure as heaven and earth can make them Quest But you will ask me how I answer Answ 1 Live on it at all times A Christian hath a threefold life here by faith The Just lives by faith 1 A life of Justification and this life he lives by faith in an applicatory relying Act in its adhering depending act John 5 40. Rom 1. 17. 2 A life of Sanctification And this we live by the same Act of faith radically originally Because it is that grace which on our part makes application of Christ to the soul and the soul to Christ and so the Instrument of union Now from this union and engrafting into Christ for Justification Christ becomes to us a root of Sanctification John 15. 5. But we live a life of Sanctification quoad actus exercitos in the fruits and streams of actual holinesse not only from that act of Applicatory reliance but also because these fruits are moral acts and so must be brought forth in a moral way by Motives and Encouragements and in their most noble actings they are alwayes so from the Faith of Assurance or Evidence as was before shewn So Gal. 2. 20. 3 A life of Consolation John 14. 1. And this life we live by improving a Faith of Assurance only Faith of Relyance as I have shewne may give support but it cannot give comfort But faith of Assurance gives comfort in the saddest cases 2 Tim. 1. 12. Improve your Assurance then to a life of Sanctification and consolation 1 Improve it to a life of Sanctification Believe up your graces when they are low believe down your corruptions when they are high Believe into your Judgments light in darknesses and doubts into your Wills strength and resolution in temptations and assaults Every grace that is purchased by Christ promised by the Father wrought by the Spirit you may challenge You may if you want any materials for the spiritual Edification of your souls have recourse to your Evidences and they warrant you to take it upon the Lords soil where-ever you can find it Go to the Lord boldly and say Lord I am troubled with barrennesse and deadnesse but I find in my Evidence a Promise that my soul shall be as a watered garden Isai 58. 11. that the desart shall blossom as a rose c. Isai 35. 1. I find a great deal of weaknesse faintnesse and wearinesse upon my soul in holy Duties But I find upon my Deeds that the yoak of Christ shall be easie Mat. 11. 30. That they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength that they shall mount up with Eagles wings they shall run and not be weary they shall walk and not be faint Isai 40. ult That the way of the Lord shall be strength to the upright Prov. 10. 29. I am fickle and fleeting in my resolutions But my Copy saith Be strong and God shall strengthen your heart Psal 31. 24. That God will strengthen me with the right hand of his righteousnesse Isai 41. 10. That hee will write his Law in my heart and his Statutes in my inward parts that I shall not depart from him Jer. 31. 32 33. and 32. 40. I am very subject to powerful and domineering lusts and corruptions but I find in my writings that my old man is crucified with Christ that the body of sin may be destroyed That sin shall not have dominion over me Rom 6. 6 14. That God will subdue mine iniquities Micah 7. 19. I want particular graces I cannot believe But my Evidence runs by way of Promise The just shall live by his faith Hab. 2. 4. That thy people shall say My God we know thee Hos 8. 2. I want Repentance but Lord it is written Thy Saints shall look and mourne Zech. 12. 10. Patience but I find that thou art my God and thou art the God of patience Rom. 15. 5. 1 Cor. 10. 13. I am under Affliction and I desire it may be sanctified And 't is written That all the fruit of Affliction shall be to take away sin Isai 27. 9. That it shall make me partaker of thy holinesse Heb. 12. 10 11. Say Lord I find those in my Deeds sealed in the Sacrament and I know they are growing on the soile of thy love and Christs merit Lord give them me 2. Improve it to a life of Consolation There is no condition but thou hast peculiar comforts to live upon For Spirituals Isai 40. 1. Against sins Isai 1. 18. Mic. 7. 19. Hos 14. 4. Against sufferings spiritual Isaiah 50. 10. Against Temptations 1 Corinth 10. 13 In Temporals as far as they are good Psal 84. 11. Against poverty Psal 34 9 10. Against sicknesse Psal 91. 3 4 5 6. and 41. 3. Against reproaches Math. 5. 11 12. Against persecutions Math. 5. 11 12. And abundance more of all sorts you may find in that excellent Treatise of Mr. Leigh concerning the Promises There be some special comforts which are depending upon the doctrine of the Assurance of the Saints by the Testimony of the Spirit and you have several of them in the following part of this 8 of the Romans 1 That however low your condition be for the present and how sad soever Gods dispensations of providence may seem toward you
yet you are sure of a glorious and happy condition hereafter This you have ver 17. And therefore that the present sufferings which you undergo are no way worthy to be laid in the ballance to abate the least dram of your joy ver 18. for you are heirs not younger children or servants to be put off with gifts as Abraham did the rest of his children besides Isaak but heirs to the estate and what is that estate Heirs of God of all that God hath and is and you partake of the same inheritance with Christ himself co-heirs with Christ 2 That in the greatest dejections deadness and decayes upon your spirits you are sure you shall have assistance enough to keep the intercourse between God and your souls alive verse 26 27. It may be Soul thou art in a strange stupidity of spirit that thou knowest not what to desire the Spirit shal teach thee what to pray for But though 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 bears or lifts against as a partaker of the same burthen thou know what would do thee good thou canst not ask it the Spirit shall help thy infirmities But it may be thou canst not speak a word when thou goest to seek God yet the Spirit shall help thee to groan But will God understand those groans Yes for he that searcheth the heart knowes the mind of the Spirit 3 That you shall receive benefit to your selves from the saddest of Providences ver 28. All things shall work together for good All things Ordinances Providences Prosperity Adversity sinnes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 work together They are at work it is their bussnesse All the businesse of the Creatures being servants to God is for the good of his children and they work together for their good Things never so different in their natures and operations conspire for their good as several contrary ingredients in the same Medicine â—ee Ver. 31 correcting each other and one doing what the other cannot 4 That you shall want nothing that you had not better want then have ver 32. He spared not his Son Had he exercised that severity on an Angel it had been much But he spared not his Son not a Son by Adoption but a Son by Nature 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But delivered him up for us all Delivered to whom to Herod and Pilate and Judas and Satan to what to the curse and wrath of God to the death of the Crosse for us in our stead And how shall he not with us give us all things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 How shall he not gratifie us with a free grant of all our desires A Saint assured of Gods love hath all the treasures of heaven and earth at command He is assured if God or creatures can supply him he shall never want any good thing Psal 23. 1. Psal 84 11. 5. That whatever your own misgiving heart tells you or Satan maliciously suggests you can never by all the power of earth or Hell be deprived of any of these priviledges nor lose them by your own sinful miscariages Sinnes cannot deprive you For this would destroy the satisfaction of Christ either Christ suffered for all the sinnes of Gods elect or for some only if for some only then none can be saved of all Gods elect seeing he cannot satisfie for that himselfe which Christ hath not satisfied for If for all then none of them can be condemned Sin may trouble them sadden their Spirits as it ought hide Gods face but it cannot condemn them The Apostle challenges sin and Divel and all in that case v. 34. And all creatures in the following verse 2. Plead it at all times 1. Before God In all those things which you come to God for you must plead Title If you come to God for any good thing you must plead some engagement upon him and the ground of your plea must be either a general or a special promise 'T is true general promises are a good plea when a man hath no other But God loves and 't is much for the comfort of Saints that we urge him upon special bonds Therefore the Saints are bid to say Father and our Father 2 Against Satan and his suggestions 1 Sinful 'T is a good Argument against temptations to sin How shal I that have had such tokens and tastes of Gods special love do this great wickedness and sin against such a God Gen. 39. 9. And if God makes it an aggravation of sin as he doth 1 King 11. 9 why may not we make it an Argument against sin 2 Troublesome When Satan molests the soul with fears and doubts of thy condition have recourse to thy Evidences Tell him thou wilt plead against him before God as a common Barretor for molesting thee in so clear a Title 3 Against the unbelief upon thy own heart This David keeps up withal Psal 73. 26. I confesse saith he I am at an utter losse both without and within yet God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever Psalm 42. ult and 43. he checks his heart in sadnesse upon this account Why art thou cast down c. Trust still in God who is the light of my countenance and my God CHAP. XXXI An exhortation to recover the lost evidence of the Spirit And some advice how to do it in two particulars HEnce be exhorted thirdly to labour to recover it if lost Qu. How shall I do that A. 1. Sit not down quietly rest not in that condition If a man have lost the evidences of his land he will look over all his boxes and chests and romage every corner as we say and will not leave till he hath found them again Thus in the place before quoted did the Holy man Ps 77. My spirit made diligent search The Saints of God in the Scripture could never sit still under such a dark condition It was death to them Psalm 13. 3. and 143. 3 4 7. And no wonder for the darkening of their evidences is a suspension of all influences As during the darknesse of the night or the eclipse of the sun by that interception of light there is a suspension of that quickening influence which the sun hath in things below All graces will wither when God thus hides his face all Duties will be dead and barren all comforts clouded and imbittered as I before also shewed you A woman that loves an husband is reassured of his affection to her cannot endure long absence from him If ever you have been ravished with the love of God you cannot bear his absence long Here I do not advise you to an impatient Caution restlessenesse under that condition No that is too often the fault of Saints But I caution you against a sloathfull resting in such a condition I must be contented with it as it is Gods pleasure but I must not be contented with it as it is occasioned by my default To know this you must 2. Enquire where and how
of such a temptation before hand as a Physician keeps that body low in flesh which he sees inclined to evil humours though it be not actually distempered by them Now if thou cooperate with God in this designe as possibly it may be this he aimes at surely thou wilt hasten thy deliverance from thy present darkness 6. Labour to live by faith in the mean time For as I told you before in the directions to the getting of Assurance so I tell you now in the way of recovering lost Assurance the main work is to exercise an holy reliance upon God in a condition so sad and uncomfortable as this must needs be This we find hath been the practice of the Saints of God in the like cases Psal 27. 13. David had been in a great straight not only in regard of his Exclusion from Ordinances but even in the sad conclusions which he drew thence to the distempering of his spirit See how he closeth all I had fainted saith he except I had believed to see the goodnesse of the Lord in the Land of the living Job speaks bigger words Though hee kill me I will trust in him Job 13. 15. q. d. Satan tels me and my own misgiving heart many times seconds him that these troubles will make an end of me I shall never come alive out of them Well saith Job be it so lot him kill me if he will if I were now a dying and dropping into Hell yet I will hold fast for all that he shall not be rid of me so If I goe to hel I 'll pul him after Our Saviour Christ also in his Agony cryes My God though he were a forsaking God This is a sweet frame of Spirit when God seemes to hold loose and man holds the faster for it God spurns at a poor soule and he layes hold of his foot God sayes Jacob let me goe and Jacob saith no I will not let thee goe except thou bless me Gen. 32. 26. The advice is plaine Isa 50. 10. I urged this place before in the directions for procuring Assurance and there told you that there is a parity of cases and so a proportion in the means which are to be used for recovery in the soule that never had and the soule that hath lost assurance This must needs be a special way For 1. This frame of Spirit speaks strength of faith A small strength will serve to hold one that is willing to stay but when a strong man putteth out all his strength to wrest himselfe out of a friends importunate embraces it had need be more strength then ordinary that holds him or fetcheth him back then This is that by which the strength of Abrahams faith is discovered in another case he was saith the Apostle strong in faith he was mightily enabled by faith what to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doe to believe he should have a Sonne when he was past all probable hopes of one Rom. 4. 18 19 20. And thus it is in thee it is an evidence of strong faith when thou canst say let my heart tell me never so much God hath cast me off and there is no help for me in God yet I will not let goe my confidence and the hold that thereby I have upon him here is strong faith See Mat. 15. 24 25 26. The womans faith was admired by Christ upon this account that she would play the dogg and fall at his feet when he rated her away O woman saith he great is thy Faith Persons are apt to think that Assurance of Gods love when a soule walks in the clear light of Gods countenance and lives high thereupon is a strong faith But I tell thee friend there is more strength by far in that faith that depends upon God in darknesse and desertion that trusts when a man can see no light The truth is the life of Assurance is in a sort a life of sense and feeling and it is rather a life above faith a life of enjoyment Faith is the evidence of things not seen saith the author to the Hebrews Heb. 11 1. Assurance in proper speech is the first fruits of heaven and it's life is a life of sense and fruition not of faith As the Apostle saith of hope in this Chapter Hope that is seen is not hope ver 24. So say I of faith faith that is seen is not faith Faith is a friend made especially for a time of distance between the soul and its comforts and is appointed as a meanes to derive the benefit of them to the soul during that state of distance 2 Besides 't is no wonder if God be taken with the actings of faith in such a season seeing strength of faith gives glory to God Rom. 4. 20. And he cannot long withdraw from a soul that so much glorifies him upon so little encouragement I may say to thee as Christ to Thomas Hold this course and thou art a blessed man Others see and believe But blessed are they that have not seen and yet believe Joh. 20. 20. 3. Besides lastly this frame of spirit must needs keep down many of those murmuring despairing and in a sort blasphemous misapprehensions concerning God and his promises which length of soul-troubles is apt to plunge a man into And certainly the lesse iniquity there is breaking forth in our desertions the sooner they will be over Now faith in such a season maintaines good thoughts of God and defends him and takes his part against the calumnies of Satan And God that sees and knows this therefore how can he but take this kindly If an husband absent himselfe a while from a wife and she be ready upon every whisper of slanderous gossips to suspect her husbands fidelity in his absence and give out speeches tending that way can it be expected that any husband should take pleasure in such a wife Wil he not rather chuse to stay away stil and be suspected for somthing as we say rather then live under constant suspicions for no cause But when the heart of an husband may be secure of this that his wife is confident of his faithfulnesse and her heart quietly rests in him absent as well as present let suspicion suggest what it will surely he cannot but be exceeding tender of such a wife and much taken with her company God sees your jealousies of him in darknesse and observes how apt you are to censure him in his absence Doe not thinke this is the way to bring him back againe He will make you entertain better thoughts of him ere he returne Quest But how shall I exercise faith in desertions What shall I believe A. Believe in general most things that seem most contrary to thy present sense and moral probabilities For in soul-troubles the fancy is the principal part possest by distrustful imaginations and Satan in that fortifies himselfe against all the power of those truths that might be means of consolation to the soul And therefore the way to
as a disputant in that case may lawfully require at such a time when my mind by reason of some great oppression or other businesse is not at liberty to recollect its strength or before such Judges as are already prepossessed by him and strongly engaged on his side c. I may very justifiably decline it and answer his challenges with silence and provocations with slighting seeing so disingenuous a carriage on his part deserves no other So when I am sollicited to put my evidences for salvation in dispute at such a time when I want my wonted influences from the Spirit of God when as the Church Psalm 74. 9. complains in another case I see not my tokens when my spirits are overwhelmed and swallowed up with the oppression of soul-troubles when lastly I perceive I must plead my cause before sense and reason who are already prepossessed and fee'd on the adversaries side I may very justly refuse to enter the lists upon such terms and reflect the disgrace of so dishonourable a challenge upon my adversary before God and conscience 3. When I find such doubts concerning my condition injected or suggested upon Designe to hinder and disturbe mee in some present service wherein I have special use of Assurance To put them off at least till a more convenient time in such a case is a special part of spiritual wisdome It is found by the usual experience of Gods Saints that when they have most to do for their Assurance they shall have it most to seek Suppose when they go to pray especially upon any extraordinary occasion when they addresse themselves to the Sacrament of the Lords Supper when they are under some heavy affliction it may be when they are in some sort called forth to suffer for God Now it is plain that when our doubts and troubles of spirit in our observation usually returne upon us at such seasons they are then injected upon a special designe to hinder us in the present services Wherefore seeing by admitting so much as a dispute upon them at such a time I yield the Divell his known designe I may very safely reject them except I think it a course more eligible to gratifie the enemy of Gods glory and mine own good with the neglect or heartlesse performance of a duty then to break through a bug bear impediment purposely laid in my way and set about it with that furniture which God hath graciously vouchsafed to enable me thereunto And so much shall suffice for the Answer of this case concerning the way of turning a troublesome incruder out of doors But it may be farther objected Object But they pretend still they come from the Spirit seeing you tell me the beginnings of them occasional grounds of them may be from the Spirit of God and I find withal that they have grown out of such works of the spirit as you have but now described how shall I know how farre the Spirit of God leads me and where Satans work begins that I may submit to the one and resist the other Ans In general seeing I have before given you some non-ultra's beyond which the Spirit cannot go and therefore must referre you to those for particulars I say in general That whiles nothing is pressed upon you but what may stand with the supposal of a renewed estate what ever motions yeild you your title to God and grace and neither in their nature or in their grounds tend to weaken your evidences must be obeyed as the motions of Gods Spirit though never so harsh or unpleasing as farre as they have any command or allowed example in the word You must not take it for a motion of Satan that bids you repent of confesse mourn for renewed sinnes that bids you examine your heart and ways and turn to the Lord under afflictions c. But if such motions be improved to the questioning of the whole work of God upon the soul this is suspicious and so farre you must not go along with it CHAP. XXXVIII Some grounds upon which Satan useth to reduce converted and once assured souls into trouble answered Wherein also are some cases concerning falling into sinne after these mercies received Object YEa but the grounds me-thinks upon which these thoughts are pressed and urged upon my soul are such as seem to come from the Spirit of God and therefore although the Spirit of God never become a Spirit of Bondage again where he hath been a Spirit of Adoption yet hee may by such grounds as these convince me of my former mistakes in apprehending him to have been a spirit of Adoption when he was not And t is good to lay a sure foundation Answ T is good to lay a sure foundation but if upon every slight suggestion that it is amisse I must be bound to remove it and new-lay it I shall neither ever lay a foundation to the purpose nor build upon it as I ought to do Suppose thy foundation rather to be good and strive to build holinesse upon it and thou wilt thereby be satisfied in the truth of the foundation But what are those grounds upon which thou conceivest Gods Spirit tells thee thou hast been formerly mistaken in thy condition Object 1. I am told that a child of God especially after sound assurance had of his salvation cannot commit such sinnes as I have done since the time of my supposed Assurance A. I answer 1. No child of God is either by converting or assuring grace secured from the acts of any sinne while he lives here below but from the love custome and trade of sinne That in many things we sinne all the Apostle James tells us and puts himself in the number though certainly he was a Saint of the highest attainments in point of assurance and comfort James 3. 2. I need not tell you of the dangerous fall of Peter afer conversion nor of the fowl falls of Noah Lot and David It is strange that meere pretenders to Religion should be able to urge their examples to harden themselves and you cannot make any use of them to support your selves 2. It may make for Gods greater glory and your greater good that you have fallen so fowly if in stead of drawing discouraging conclusions from thence you make your repentance as visible and eminent as your falls if you learne hereby and shew hereafter a professed distrust of your own heart carefully watch against temptations and occasions of the like sins and renew your addresses to God for fresh assistance of strength to fortifie your renewed resolutions against them A Saint gets ground by stumbling whiles he hastens to recover his pace the more for it 3 You can never bring either of those blessed fruits Gods glory or your own good out of your presâ—nt condition in the way wherein you now are For God is not glorified in your unbelief supposing you the greatest sinners in the world but rather in this that you dare adventure an hideous
without fear of being made an Offender for a misplaced word for a fault of circumstance as other strangers are Nay when God doth not hear the Saints voice as many times when they are under some pressures that over-burthen them he may not How he calls for them and invites them to speak Cant. 2. 14. O my Dove let me hear thy voice for thy voice is sweet q. d. I wonder I heare not from such or such a child of mine It may bee my little child thinks I cannot away with broken language the language of a troubled spirit O yes the broken and stammering tongue of a child is sweet It is a mighty encouragement to boldnesse that a man cannot be more bold then he is welcome 4 This is the purchase of Christs blood We have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this bold liberty of speech through the blood of Jesus Heb. 10. 19. We may draw nigh which is an action importing confidence when we have to do with our betters but upon what account Upon the account of Christs bloud when strangers must stand off and keep distance Ephes 2. 13. And it is the fruit of his Intercession Therefore Heb. 10. 22. we are bid to draw neer in full Assurance of faith that God wil not bid us depart his presence or stand further off and the ground of this boldness is the purchase and intercession of Christ v. 20 21. Hee that hath made his way by an acceptable present or hath the protection of some honourable and acceptable Courtier will draw nigh and present a Petition to an earthly Prince with confidence God never received a present that he was more delighted with then the active and passive obedience of his Son nor can wee come to God under the wing of a more powerful Advocate On this last Head I could enlarge abundantly As by representing to you The dearnesse of this Son to God He is his beloved Son Mat. 3. ult in whom his heart is at rest The infinite value of his obedience which we plead in proportion whereunto the things we ask are lesse then nothing Hee offered that to God which by the merit of its worth might have sufficed to purchase infinitely beyond what 't is possible for us to enjoy The earnestnesse sensibleness importunity authority if I may so speak with reverence of his Intercession See the former Hebr. 4. 14 15. and 2. 17 18. The latter John 17. 24. There are in a sort Verba Imperatoria words of command shall I say Father I will that those whom thou hast given me be where I am 5 The Spirit of God is the Framer of our Petitions and we may then be bold to present them because he makes Intercession according to the will of God If a skilful Lawyer frame a Petition for a man and put every word in its place a man will be more emboldned to present it then if it were his own composure Rom. 8. 26 27 6 'T is for Gods dishonour when his children come sneakingly and pusillanimously to the Throne of Grace If a man should see a Father that his children did scarce dare to speak to but in a mumbling tremulous manner would he not have cause to look upon him as a cruel tyrannical father unreasonably severe to his children CHAP LIV. A Question answered How a man may procure this boldnesse both those that have never had it though under Assurance and those that have and have lost it are directed Quest BUt suppose I cannot come to God in this manner with an holy boldness how shall I procure it Answ I answer either 1 Thou hast never had this actual boldness and confidence in prayer though thou hast had a just right to it Or else 2 Thou hast had it and hast now lost it 1 If thou hast notwithstanding thy Assurance of Gods love or at least some comfortable whispers thereof in thy heart never had this boldnesse in Gods presence as it is possible it may bee the case of many a child of God Some children even of earthly parents though they be assured of their fathers love yet cannot for their hearts put on a bold face to speak to them as some others can and so 't is often according to the different tempers of Gods children to be seen in their addresses to God I say in this case 1. Thou must look upon it as a duty so grounded as before and such a duty as God is exceedingly delighted withall and so strive to break the bonds of sinfull modesty There is a sinfull modesty which the very Philosophers condemne as a vice in morality and call it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is nothing but a rustick and foolish weakness of countenance by which a man is hindred from just and honourable actions because hee cannot look discouragements and oppositions in the face as he ought to do This is an infirmity even in Gods people They come to God many times in Duty as if they were doing that that they are ashamed to bee seen in and are afraid of being taken in the fact This they must labour exceedingly against as an infirmity and often remember that they offend against an expresly commanded Duty if they come not boldly to the Throne of grace 2. Labour to fortifie thy selfe against all such things as may weaken thy confidence Such as 1 The consideration of Gods greatness and majesty with thine own vilenesse and unworthinesse In which case consider 1. True this should stirre up a fear of reverence and caution that thou do nothing unworthy so great a presence Eccles 5. 1. But thou must take heed of a fear of diffidence a fainting discouraging fear and to this end consider 2 That though God be a great God and a great King above all gods yet he is thy Father and Royal dignityes though they require a reverence sutable to the distance that ought to be between a Prince and a subject and that even from a sonne yet they stoop themselves exceedingly to relations Ahasuerus though none be dispensed with for intruding into his presence without a solemne call by the holding forth of the golden Scepter yet remitts of the rigour of that ceremonious distance to Hester his wife and Solomon Hest when his mother Bathsheba comes to him upon the throne he arises and commands a seat to be set for her on his right hand 1 Kings 2. 19. 3. That that great God hath promised to stoop and condescend to a way of communion and familiar converse with such vile creatures under the sense and apprehension of their own vilenesse Isa 66. 2 57. 15. Psalm 138. 6. Though the Lord be high yet hath he respect to the lowly So that no man hath more right to boldnesse in the presence of God then he that is most sensible of his own vileness God will not upbraid such a petitioner with his vileness Jam. 1. 5. 4. That the Saints of God have married these two together a serse of
they are or at least insultingly require them to be in a singing tune as well as they Psal 137. This now being the temper of the world that few will own the truth of any complaint against the times but they that suffer by them I cannot but expect that those who because they feel little themselves that is afflicting will see nothing but causes of Tryumph in these dayes and the providences of them should say Ad quid perditio hoec Wherefore this waste Why a Sermon of affliction and the duty belonging to that condition in such a time 1 But friends let me tell you there are those of Gods precious Saints whom these Truthes nearly concerne The same providence that occasions the rejoicings of some drencheth others in bloud and tears and certainly then what is the case of some of Gods Saints only by passion ought to be made the case of all by compassion Let me adde secondly publick joyes may be accompanyed with private sufferings and none can tell where the shooe rings but hee that wears it Lastly What others do any where suffer you may Lay up this Treatise by you though now it be fair to your seeming you have seen many a fair morning end in a rainy afternoon 't will be no burthen to carry a cloak on a mans back or an hood in his pocket if he travel because he knowes not how soon it may do him service The SERMON 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Doth any suffer ill No matter how nor from whom nor what nor how long nor wherefore whether in mind or in body or estate whether from God immediately or from men or divels from open enemies or professed friends whether the suffeing be greater or lesser shorter or longer for evil doing or well doing whether the sufferer be a Martyr or a Malefactor this is an universal Duty a Panacaea a Receipt for every Disease and a Soveraign one too Bring the party upon his knees or upon his face and let him kindly pour out his soul before God 't is present ease and future health Is any among you afflicted Let him pray Is any man afflicted Let him pray Why is not a man to pray aelwayes as the Apostle expresseth it 1 Thes 5. 17. Yes doubtlesse prayer is a Duty that is never out of season Yet as in the performance of the Duty of Thanksgiving which according to the rule also is to be in all things there are special seasons in which it is more solemne and proper So in the other sister-duty of Invocation there is a time when more of our spirits and strength then ordinary is to be laid out upon it and that is the season in the Text that of affliction Psa 50. 15. The sense of the words is clear and so is the Observation which I shall raise from them which is this Doct. A suffering season of all seasons is a praying season The truth of this Doctrine will be cleared by these few considerations 1 If we look upon God And on him 1 As the first cause whoever or what ever be the second of every affliction that befalls us the Author of all the evil of suffering that is in the City in the family in the soul in the body Amos 3. 6. If the Lord bid Shimei curse David 2 Sam. 16. 11. If the Lord strip Job by the Caldeans and Sabaeans and slay his children in the whirlewind Job 1. 21 If the Lord stir up an Hadad Rezon and Jereboam against Solomon and his seed to rend the Kingdom from them 1 King 11. 11 14 23. Nay if in the horridst act that was ever done by men the crucifying of the Lord of glory and the killing of the Prince of life as it was a meer act considered without the sinfulnesse of it on the part of the Actors and as it was a suffering unto Christ under the guilt of mans imputed sin the Instruments acted nothing but what was before determined in the counsel of God and in what he underwent the Fathers hand bruised him Acts 2. 24. and Isai 53. 10. I say if all these and the like dispensations of providence be laid out for men by the hand and counsel of God no wonder if it so much concern the Saints to make their principal addresses to him in prayer Job 5. 6 7 8. See Eliphaz his counsel to Job who in a fit of impatient frenzy chap. 3. had forgotten what in a more calm temper he before acknowledged chap. 1. and 2. Although affliction cometh not forth out of the dust c. yet man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward q d. A man may seem to pertake of nothing but the common lot of mortality in sufferings here below because it is as ordinary a thing to him as for the sparks to fly upward and possibly this may abate the vigour of those apprehensions which it becomes him to have concerning the Soveraigne hand of God in those common evils But saith he Job recal to thy mind what thou hast said and knowest well enough that afflictions depend not meerly upon natural causes as those things seem to do which grow out of the ground but there is a special hand of God in all thy sufferings and the sufferings of all other men And what doth he hence advise I would saith hee seek to God and to God would I commit my cause ver 8. 2. Look on God as one who onely can sanctifie afflictions to us support us under them deliver us from them It is a duty of great concernment in time of affliction especially to pray It 's necessary affliction should be sanctified for the more strong our physick is the more dangerous if it do not work kindly and if God do not open the ear and seal instruction and hide pride from man 't wil not be done Job 33. 15 16 17 c. Every little affliction is intolerable to flesh and blood Heb. 12. 11. Every affliction is a matter of such grief to a man that it will make a mans hands weak and bring a palsey into his knees as the word is v. 12. of that Chapter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 except God strengthen them 1 Cor. 10. 13. And if God should alwayes strive the spirit would faile before him and the souls which he hath made Isa 57. 16. Perpetual suffering must needs break the back of a creature Now to God only belong the periods and full points as well as the comma's and smaller stops of affliction To God the Lord belong the Issues to and from Death Ps 68 20. the word signifies the bounds and confines of death he layes out to men the utmost border and bound of every affliction Now all these good things they grow it is true upon the tree of mercy but they are to be plucked by the hand of prayer God gives wisdome the radical grace enabling a man to act all the rest to advantage in a suffering time liberally but then it must be asked
3. My grief is heavier then the sand of the sea therefore my words are swallowed up Verba mea semesa sunt so some render the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fract a sunt corrupta sunt therefore my words are broken mangled words Broken expressions are the very gobbets of a broken heart Others read it as we Verba mea absorbentur my words are devoured or swallowed up My sorrow feeds so upon my spirits that it devours my very words and doth not leave me so much as the slender ease of a complaint A metaphor taken from the quicksands in the sea that swallow up a ship hulk and masts and sayles and passengers and all at a morsel as it were to which he alludes as appears in that he compares his grief to the sands in the former part This heart-oppression like a known melancholy disease in the night with which some persons are troubled so oppresseth the brest that a man cannot speak This was Hemans disease an holy man too Psal 77. 4. I am so troubled that I cannot speak Nay farther a Saint may be so low under hatches in affliction especially in soul-troubles under the Spirit of Bondage or spiritual desertion that his very eyes are shut as well as his mouth Mine iniquities saith David have taken hold on me so that I cannot look up Psal 40. 12. If this be thy case then be sure God pities thee the more by how much the less thou art able to speak for thy self As we use to pity little children and persons that are dumb and are sensible of the injuries done to them more then to others Alas poor souls we use to say they cannot speak for themselves Nay we pity an horse and such other unreasonable creatures when misused upon the same account Alas poor dumb thing who would use a dumb creature so Sure then God must needs be more tenderly pitiful to a soul in such a condition And our Mediator our Advocate in heaven must needs be the more eloquent in pleading for the Saints his Clyents when they are under such a tongue-tyed condition Alas saith Christ poor soul Father hear me for him he cannot speak for himself His condition speaks aloud for him because it hinders him from speaking 2 Know there be secret wayes of acquainting God with thy straights and pressures when the more visible and sensible outlets and avenues of the soul are all blocked up They that are skilled in the Military Art have sometimes shot intelligence in a bullet in the head of an Arrow when the City or Castle hath been besieged on all parts so closely that no ordinary way of correspondence with their friends hath been left open And this intelligence though it bee short and small in bulk yet may be as pithy and as much in substance and use as a whole sheet of paper written all over We starve or We want Ammunition or men to man our works so A few dayes and without relief we can hold out no longer is as good intelligence as can be in such a case It may be thou canst not tell God a large story how 't is with thee nor limne out thy sad case in lively colours canst not paint thy present death to the life or give light enough by thine expressions to discover the darkness of thy afflictions as David Hezekiah have done when they recovered their tongues again but yet thou canst say Lord I want Lord I am sick Lord I faint Lord I dye c. Thou canst with the Publican say Lord be merciful to me a sinner Luke 18. 13. With David in his troubled condition But thou Lord how long Psal 6. 3. With Hezekiah under his fainting fit thou canst chatter Lord I am oppressed undertake for me or ease me Isai 38. 14. And if thou canst not do so much yet thou canst set thy selfe as in the presence of God and even out of the mouth of hell look towards his holy Temple cast a begging look as children do towards some Sweet meats they dare not ask for towards the Throne of Grace so Jonah did Jonah 2. 4. Thou canst sigh and groan Now this is sufficient intelligence to God whose blessed Spirit speaks in these groans and he understands 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the general bent inclination and affection of the Spirit and from it can pick out his meaning because he searcheth the heart Rom 8. 27. As a Nurse can make english of the stammering broken speech of the child nay the mother sometimes knowes by the looks of the child what its mouth waters for and a skilful Antiquary can write an History out of the broken Inscriptions of old coynes and Monuments of Antiquity because he is acquainted and useth to commune with those kind of fragments And take this for a certain rule a man may have much of the spirit of prayer who hath very little of the Gift of prayer and so may be streightned very much in this when his heart runs over with the abundance of that 3 Yet is not this condition to be rested in it being that that keeps the soul in a famishing estate but the Saints of God ought by all means to endeavour the recovery of their freedom and liberty of spirit and expression in duty as knowing that much of the comfort support and strength of their spirits is abated whiles they are thus tongue-tyed And therefore for recovery out of this spiritual distemper I would prescribe these Helps 1 Examine carefully what it is that streightens the spirit and shuts the mouth which may be 1 The greatness of your burthen as before And that you shal know by these two Marks 1 If it indispose you to all other imployments as well as to prayer Thus 't was with the Author of Ps 102 the Title of the Psalm tells you his condition he was one whose spirit was over-whelmed and how doth that appear My heart saith he is smitten like grass and withered a metaphor taken from frosts that nip the grasse and intercept the juice that should come from the root to the blades and so it becomes withered so saith he the extremity of my trouble withers and shrivels up my very heart so that I am like a dead saplesse thing But it may be he was only so in the matters of God and then it might possibly be his sin No he was so in all humane affaires too I forget saith he to eat my bread verse 4. No wonder saith hee if I bee withered in the affaires of my mind when I grow even carelesse of my very body I forget to eat my bread 2. If it shut up the heart in complaining to man as well as in complaints to God A troubled soul goes to a godly Minister it may be and thinks to utter to him all that is in the heart and fain would unloade it selfe in his ears but finds it selfe so straightened it can scarce say a word that it came for and that not meerly