heavenly father and is able our heavenly father and therefore ingaged by these three a Child of God hath assurance of hope and strong Consolation Now the gift intended here is the holy Spirit Matth. 7. it 's said Your heavenly Father gives every good thing I but most sweetly are our prayers Confin'd here to the begging of Gods Spirit whatsoever a Child of God asks it should be things of necessity superfluity that 's not for Children to ask nor a wise father will give it the Spirit of God is necessary bread is not so necessary for life as grace for salvation all necessaries for life and all superfluities are not so much as this absolute necessity of having the Spirit it 's not necessary I should live but it 's necessary I should be sanctified and saved Secondly a Child should ask that which is useful and profitable and of all other gifts the gift of the holy Ghost is most useful it is a gift of the highest nature First it 's the richest that God can bestow one dram of grace one blessed suggestion from the Spirit of truth one blessed motion darted into the heart by the holy Ghost is more worth than all the world All things in this world may be called good but makes them not good that have them St. Austin saith Riches are good if a man have grace to use them so he may do good with them but grace makes good there 's no man can put virtue to an evil imployment grace is alwayes the â—ountain of good it 's the foundation the pledge the assurance it gives all other blessings Solomon when he ask'd the spirit of wisdom God could not deny him any thing riches honours every thing Thirdly if a Child should ask of a father a sign of his love the greatest manifestation of a fathers love the surest sign and richest evidence of Gods love is the gift of the spirit the love of God when it is shed abroad in the heart by the holy Ghost we feel the taste of it rejoyce in the comfort of it it 's a seal of Gods love as St. Bernard saith a dram of Gods grace is a certain token of a determined Election of the assurance of glorification he that asks Gods Spirit loves God and God love him such prayers as these alwayes prevail forgive us our sins encrease our repentance sanctifie our souls purge our consciences subdue our corruptions overcome our temptations Lord what prayers should prevail with thee if such prayers as these prevail not other prayers may hit or miss but prayers for Gods Spirit never returns empty Now for the third the parties those that ask how can we pray for the spirit without the spirit none can say Jesus is the Lord but by the holy Ghost it was the the Pelagian errour to say that our prayers must prevent Gods grace the Spirit of God is not the fruit of our prayers but our prayers the fruit of Gods Spirit our desires are wrought by Gods Spirit answers our desires in this case how sweetly St. Austin saith indeed his first grace his preventing grace fore-runs all our prayers I am found of them that sought me not but his Concomitant grace that may be the fruit of our prayers yet all supplies of grace are of Gods Spirit St. Bernard saith it 's the surest sign of grace if we desire grace prayer it 's the breathing of Gods Spirit and there must first be a drawing in of Gods grace before there can be ascending out Matth. 44. there the grace of Gods Spirit the Kingdom of heaven is compared to a treasure found in the field not look'd for there 's preventing grace the touch of the spirit that works upon the heart in the first prevention vers 45. The Kingdom of heaven is likened unto a Merchant that sought pearls and found them here 's first the grace of prevention a treasure found in a field not thought on as St. Austin saith faith is given first as the prime grace then the prayer of faith that is the breath it 's prayer that obtaines supplies of grace the matter of our prayer must be for the supplies of grace prayer encreaseth new supplies Secondly prayer may obtain the sealing up of our adoption the kiss of peace and love that seals up assurance of pardon for sins Thirdly besides the first stock of grace look for assisting grace we can not make good use of grace without the help of grace Fourthly prayer will obtain the spirit of strength and fortitude to encounter against temptation ask thy father this and he will grant it Lastly prayer obtains the spirit of perseverance without the which all holy motions and inspirations are like a wind that passeth away and cometh not again Now I come to the Illation drawn from the argument how much more 't is a proportion with advantage indeed it had been well if the Argument had gon and the Conclusion drawn with some abatement one spark of mercy to so unworthy Children the place of a servant nay the bread of a servant had been too good for so unworthy Children Secondly if the argument had held but so much as in Psal 100. Like as a father pitieth his own children or like pity the Lord teacheth to those that fear him David takes comfort in this but this Scripture offers more grace how much more why here 's full measure shaken pressed down it runs over The third expression in this proportion is if earthly Parents have such provident Care for their Childrens welfare how much more in God though earthly parents be never so wise and provident for their Children yet they may be mistaken or wish things unfit and to the hurt of their Children as old Isaac was mistaken in his blessing the mother of Zebedees Children asked she knew not what but the all-wise God hears all our desires and orders all things graciously for our welfare Secondly Ye men that boast of your power if ye are parents and have any portion to bestow upon your Children how much more God your heavenly father all that earthly fathers enjoy is but borrowed the oyl in the Cruze may fail the oyl in the barrell may be spent all ye have is but borrowed c. Thirdly if ye that are parents have tenderness of affection towards your Children how much more your heavenly father God is full of bounty and mercy ye are evil and evil natured God gives liberally and upbraids not to compare with him the goodness of men is not so much as one dust of sand to the glory of the whole earth like a spark to the whole element of fire Parents what do they give to their Children trifles God gives the best things his Spirit his own flesh God fils the world with his goodness Fourthly men are but Stepfathers of the flesh in respect of God he 's father both of soul and body Ezek. 23. he chargeth c. wordly fathers thou hast taken c. God is our being and the preserver of our being Abraham knows us not Jacob hath forgotten us And Christ said Call no man father upon earth as to compare with God Lastly as the nearest father so the dearest affection the affection of the father or mother are cold and dead in regard of the ardent affection of God towards us Parents they first beget Children and then love them God loves first and then begets us to himself a flowing of nature is parents love but an eternal love is Gods love we had a being in him before we had any in our selves he that planteth the ear shall not be hear and he that planteth the tenderness of Parents to Children shall not he have Compassion nay how full must he needs be of Compassion To shut up all the height and improvement of affection in God must require reciprocation on our parts and it 's set on a three fold proportion First if ye that are Children cast care upon your Parents Be not careful what ye eat or drink or what ye put on for your heavenly Father careth for you The proportion of obedience is the second If reverence be due to the Parents of the flesh how much more to the parents of the spirit how much more reverence and obedience to your heavenly Father The third is the proportion of love If ye give love to earthly fathers how much more to your heavenly Father So you see the sum of the Text is Ye that are evil can give good gifts to your Children how much more shall your heavenly Father give the holy Spirit to them that ask him FINIS LEst Obliquie or Malice should assperse the Candor and Integrity of these four Sermons I was desired by the Seller of them to read and censure them Having seriously perused them I find the true Pourtraicture of the late deceas'd yet never to be forgotten most reverend Bishop Brownrigge My censure can extend no farther than the Printers Errors The principal one whereof I find to be in the first Sermon in the first pages being a transposition of the Title Wherefore in stead of Is the Safety of a Nation True Repentance read True Repentance is the Safety of a Nation In short let me advise your charitable minds not to studie how to carp at literal faults but study the matter and you will soon be a sharer with me in the pleasure and profit of reading them This I thought fit to write as to antidote it against the tongues of maliciious and envious persons R. H. M. A.
excursions into other places as he did to Ninive by Jonah he may be sometimes as a wayfaring man that lodges for a night Jer. 14.18 Some rare tokens of presence but where his Ordinances are constantly and he fixes them that 's the place of his presence we have done with the first his presence it is the happiness of a Nation Secondly consider it is the bitter fruit of sin that causes God to withdraw his presence and to turn away from us this is the malignanant effect of sin in general that is parts God and us causes him to withdraw and turn away from us his delight is to be in the habitable world to be amongst the sons of men but sin and wickedness causes him to withdraw and estrange himself from us thus Cain complained Gen. 4.14 I am cast away from thy face So Saul upon his disobedience cried out 1 Sam. 28.15 God is departed from me it was the wofull condition of all mankind that by nature we are strangers from God nay without God in the world so Paul tells them at Lystra that God suffered all Nations to walk in their own wayes never owned or regarded them our sins separate twixt God and us Secondly not only the world of wicked men reap this fruit by their sin but Gods own people find this uncomfortable desertion when they grievonsly offended he turns away from them this Moses shewed them a visible resemblance of Exod. 33.7 the people there had sinned against God then it is said Moses took the Tabernacle and pitcht it without the Camp afar off from the Camp thereby signifying Gods displeasure against them and his departure from them as appears the Tabernacle was to be in the midst of the Host but he was offended and withdrew himself Thirdly may not onely his visible Church but even his darling Saints find this wofull effect that their sins brings upon them that God stands aloof off and withdraws from them how often doth David mourn for this and pray against it Psalm 10.1 Why standest thou afar off O Lord Why hidest thou thy self in time of trouble Psalm 38.21 Forsake me not O Lord O be not far from me upon his sin of adultery O cast me not away from thy presence this the Saints find often feel if they turn unto folly God stands afar off not to hear them nor to help them not to own them Tertullian gives a reason the holy spirit is a delicate thing it will not rest in a defiled soul Fourthly especially some sins of his people are of higher provocation set him off from us First as blood and oppression and violence that cast off Cain so God sayes he would remove Judah out of his sight for the bloodshed of Manasses When you make long prayers I will not hear you your hands are full of blood Isa 1.15 verse Secondly a secure neglect of Gods offers of grace that turns him from us when he stretches out his hands to us and we will not come into him then said God I will get me to my own place This cost the Spouse sorrow when Christ knockt and she refused to open Cant. 5.6 At last I opened to my beloved but my beloved had withdrawn himself and was gone 3 Thirdly falseness in his covenant orâ—upting of his Religion that turns him â—rom us So what that works Zach. 11. â— My soul loathed them and their soul also â—bhorred me it was the casting off of the â—sraelites Psal 106.39.40 They were deâ—led with their own works and went a whoing with their own inventions then he abhorred his own inhetitance it made him forsake the tabernacle in Shilo the tent which he had pitched amongst them 78.60 Fourthly incorrigiblness in the use of the means of reformation when God strives with them and they resist him it was the case of the old world his spirit should strive no more with them but he cast them off They rebelled against him and vexed his holy spirit Isa 63.10 Therefore he was turned to be their enemy and he fought against them thus God is giving over Judah as desperate Isa 1.5 Why should ye be smitten any more Thirdly consider it is the blessed fruit of repentance that it can recover God presence causeth him to return graciously to us when I name repentance I understand a reall cordiall spirituall repentance that and that onely can regaiâ— Gods favour and return him to us thaâ— you may the better acquaint your selve with this necessary and soveraign duty not to enter into any large discourse oâ— the nature of it this solemn repentance will require of you these three actions First humiliation Secondly lamentation and deprecation Thirdly reformation I will exemple to you out of the repentance of the Ninivites First they put themselves to great humiliation the King himself rose from his throne laid his robes from him and covered him with sackcloth and sate in ashes nay man and beast were covered with sackcloth prostrating debasing themselves before an angry God we must put our mouthes in the dust to be ashamed and abasht and abhorr our selves in dust and ashes that 's their humiliation Secondly their lamentation or deprecation they cried mightily unto God Jonah 3. vers 8. The spirit of lamentation and supplication must abound in us not ordinary perfunctory prayers but we must strive and wrestle in prayer as it is said of Jacob how he prevailed with God he had power over the Angell and prevailed he wept and made supplication unto him Hosea 12.4.17 This God prescribes to the Priests let the Priests the Ministers of the Lord weep between the Porch and the Altar and say spare thy people O Lord. Thirdly their reformation that 's a main point in the Ninivits repentance let them every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in their hands violence that was the sin of Nineveh it was an oppressing people it was that which mainly prevailed with God see verse the 10. God saw their works that they turned from their evill way and God repented he saw their humiliation he heard their lamentation but yet that which pleased him best was their reformation that 's the fat of the sacrifice is this the fast that I have required or chosen a day for a man to afflict his soul to bow down his head like a bull rush and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him is not this the fast that I have chosen to loose the bands of wickedness to let the oppressed go free Isa 58.5.6 Such repentance is like to prevaile with him let him be turned away he will draw near to us and vouchsafe us his presence see two places Psal 38.18 The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart saves all such as be of a contrite spirit Isa 57.15 I dwell in the high and holy place with him also that is of a contrite spirit revive the spirit of the humble First repentance so pleases him that the
carries a power over him he holds the end of the chaine in his hand In the tryall of Job he could do nothing while he had leave given him God slips one linke of the chaine he lets him trye what he would do he doth that to the utmost then he stops God gives him another linke of the chaine but there he stops It is that that gives us great security he carries him in such a sort as that he can take him off he limits him and sets him bounds of moderation he hath great strength of malice great desire great cunning but his power is limitted he walks as a Thief with his keeper he is a dangerous Thief but the keeper walks with him and he hath shackells on his heels This is the second thing I come to the last the mischief intended to Winnow you as wheat Now this action of Winnowing it is an ordinary familiar action conceivable by any and this represents unto us the nature of Satans temptation and that in these three respects First Winnowing or fifting it is no action of strength of force and violence but of skill and cunning and dexterity He that comes to purge corn by Winnowing he pours not all out he useth no violent action on it but by slight of hand as it were a cunning dexterity and art that he hath he useth this action that we call Winnowing so all the temptations of Satan they are actions of cunning not of power he may perswade and seduce us by the dexterity of his skill by inveigling us by temptations but he cannot force and compell us saith Austin he hath a great deal of power and strength and cunning he may circumvent us but he cannot powerfully overthrow us It is not in the power of Satan to force the will of any to yield to his temptations It is represented in the first temptation he assumed the body of the Serpent a subtile creature not of a Lyon a creature of force he cannot break in upon us by force he cannot open the door and come in upon thee if thou open not thy own heart It is onely God that hath power immediately to enter into the soul he onely that hath omnipotency can frame and work and bend the will according to his pleasure Satan can follicite and tempt us and perswade us he cannot overpower us he can onely over-reach us he cannot ravish thy soul he may inveigle it If thou resist and beat him back The will of any man is impregnable to Satan it is onely in the power of God to work on the soul it is onely an art or slight that Satan hath he is an intreater and seducer not an overthrower That is the first it is a meer trick of exterity and skill Secondly Winnowing it is not one motion or action and there is an end it is not presently done but oft and oft it is a frequent action an agitation rather He that comes to Winnow corn he useth not one motion and then ceaseth but he repeates and renews it he exerciseth the same action again and again So it is with Satans temptations it is not one suggestion that he is content with and if you deny that he is gone yet he knocks at the door again he is importunate he will take no denyal but sollicites and renews his onsets and compasseth us about afresh it is his continuall course as Paul saith it is the buffeting of Satan Satans buffets are blows and blows a second and a third blow over and over This is the course of Satan he will not be beaten once and then leave but he will come the second and the third time and he then leaves but for a season after renews all his forces First We know his malice is infinite and restles he can never give over doing hurt Secondly Satan knows not what temptation will prosper and succeed he knows not truely and infallibly the ground of our hearts when one temptation therefore failes he will trye another and another He goes to Job and tryes him in his goods it may be those will vex him and then in his children it may be a tender father may be overcome but Job overcame him then he tryes him with a shrewd wife and then with unfaithfull friends he knows not the disposition of the heart And then he knows that we are not alway in a temper sometime we are more watchfull sometime more drowsie therefore he sets upon us at all seasons Lastly he knows that importunity will weary and tyre a man that those that will not yeild out of love will out of vexation give an answer to be quit Thus Satan he makes his Winnowing a frequent act Thirdly Winnowing is an action of great stirring motion a combustion and beating together there is a great stirring and beating together in temptation Satan brings no temptation that falls upon the soul of a Christian like this to be under the buffetings and winnowings and assaults of Satan It puts the whole of a Christian mans heart to it it makes him weary I go mourning all the day long saith David It makes the Saints of God dejected in spirit weary in soul that Satan will never let them rest but sets on them with continuall buffetings fightings without and fears within temptations on all sides It makes them loath themselves that Satan should see so much evill in them as to think to draw them to such sins by such tempations As Gregory mourned when he was advanced to the Papacy saith he Lord I see that the world sees some ill in mee I am not Crucified to the world as I should As a chast spirit is grieved that the Devill should think him such a one as would yield to the temptation of uncleannes It makes them mourn there is no bitternesse to this to be under the temptation of Satan to be alway in the sive and in the fanne alway to have the flayle and to be buffeted with temptations Fourthly Winnowing it is an action that discernes and tryes a man sees a heape of Corn lye on the floore but he knows not which is good and which is light Corne so promiscuously when we live all at ease and peace and settle on our dreggs we know not who are sound Christians but come to the winde and to the fanne come to the tryall and see what temptations will do you shall see which is weighty and full corn then and which is chaff and dust and light corn so temptations shews a man to himself it makes known who are probata and who are not who are reprobate corn and dust chaff in the Church who are good grain and weighty Corn saith Jerom a man is to be thought to be such a one as he approves himself to be in the Whirlwind of temptation Canst thou indure afflictions and not murmure canst thou grapple with Satan and his temptations and not yeild O saith James we account them blessed that undergoe temptations
very thoughts and intendments of repentance prevaile with him thus David found it Psalm 32.5 I said I will confess my sins unto the Lord and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin so God promised before you speak I will hear and answer you Secondly the imperfect acts of repentance prevaile with him if true and sincere though not according to the purification of the sanctuary David cries out I have sinned presently God absolves him Thirdly nay God is so propitious to repentance that even outward repentance if it be serious hath some good success with him for the escaping of temporal judgements Ahab was a wicked man his sorrow was not for sin but for fear of punishment yet God passed by him for that time upon his humiliation so the Israelites repentance Psalm 78. Was an unsound repentance yet upon that he was so mercifull that he would not destroy them First reason it is the property of a gracious nature to relent upon submission and deprecation not to be implacable and revengefull it is so with men how much more is God graciously inclined he is slow to anger ready to forgive two rare properties amongst men those that are soon angry if they be soon pleased we count them good natures on the contrary they go too often together hardly angered and hardly pleased but God is hardly angered soon pleased if thy brother comes and say it repents me forgive him A second reason especially when the breach is amongst friends then love will be soon revived thus it is twixt God and his people though he be angry yet he remembers his old loving kindnesses as Isay 16.6 I will remember the daies of thy youth twixt God and his people there is a league of love and love it is soon intreatable repentance removes the matter of Gods anger and displeasure fire burns no longer then the fuell feeds it our sins are the fuell of his wrath repentance removes them and his wrath ceaseth namely it is his own gracious covenant the sweet condescension of the Gospel he hath conditioned with us if ye repent he will be mercifull we owe it to Christ and the Gospel thus our Repentance prevailes with him Come we to the second particular of this hope that he will repent that 's another gracious effect of our Repentance it will cause God to repent a strange work to see God repent Repentance it is for man and for sinfull man God is not as man that he should repent 1. Sam. 15.29 Repentance it is but in two cases neither incident unto God First when any thing happens upon our actions which we did not foresee God is not mistaken known to the Lord are all his works from the beginning Secondly when we do that which we do not approve Gods works are all holy and unblameable why should he repent and yet we see the Scripture uses this language it repented the Lord that he had made man and it grieved him at his heart Gen. 6.6 So it is said in Samuel it repented the Lord that he had made Saul King 1. Sam. 15.35 Not that God hath those motions and affections which we find and feel when we repent For first Repentance changes us there is no change in God Secondly Repentance afflicts us God is not subject to any sorrowfull affliction Thirdly Repentance condemns and blames that action of which we repent all the actions of God are just and holy and unreproveable it is a speech after the manner of men not that God hath the affections of Repentance but he exercises those actions which in man do flow from Repentance when God changes his deeds and dealing with men then the Scripture saith he repents Repentance in God imports a change in some affect of his no change of his minde Gregory saith he is said to reverse his sentence but not to alter his Councel or take it thus Repentance hath a double aspect first it looks backward to what hath been done so it is Nolle fecisse I wish I had not done so this action is not in God he is never sorry for what he hath done 2. Repentance looks forward and so it is Noble ultra facere I wil do so no more this God assumes to himself I will punish no more I will change my dealings bless where I cursed promise where I threatned yet we must not part with this sweet expression of Gods repenting toward us we see God clothes himself with this repenting and melting affection it repented the Lord because of their groanings Judges 2.18 He repented according to the multitude of his mercies Psalm 106.45 So God threatens many Judgements then adds the Lord repented of this it should not be Amos 5.7 See how Gods relenting and reversing his threatnings agrees with his repenting First in all their afflictions he was afflicted Esay 63.9 How doth he seem to condole their punishments She hath received of the Lords hand double for all her sins Isa 40.2 How shall I give thee up Ephraim my heart is turned within me my repentings are kindled together Secondly that is another expression of Repentance to break off the curse that was intended thus God assumes Repentance if he hath punished he will cease from punishing if he hath threatned he will cancel his threatnings if he hath passed Sentence he will reverse it he desires to repent of the evil he hath purposed against them Thirdly he that repents is angry with all that provoked him to do what he repents of or were helpers or instruments in the doing of it thus doth God all those that had any hand in afflicting oâ— his people he is highly displeased with them as a Parent casts the rod into thâ— fire he will afflict those that afflicted his people thus God threatens Edom Thou shouldest not have looked upon thâ— day of thy brother in the day that he became to be a stranger Obad. 12. verse thus Go tells Abraham The Nation that shall oppress them I will judge Fourthly he that repents of what 〈◊〉 hath done will do the quite contrary so God repents over his people hath 〈◊〉 affrighted them with threatnings 〈◊〉 will refresh them with promises Haâ—â— he afflicted them with punishments he will comfort them with blessings He hath wounded us and he will heal us Fifthly a true penitent will vow the contrary so doth God swear to them to spare them for this is as the waters of Noah unto me For as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee nor rebuke thee Isaiah 54.9 Sixthly a true Penitent will not onely do the contrary but do a great deal more redeem his former action by a double amendment so God repents of afflicting his people for a little anger a great deal of love and mercy For a small moment have I forsaken thee but with great mercies will I gather thee in a little wrath I hid my face