as more fine than firme deceitfull stuffe like unto the wind which fills but feeds not the body which though it may catch flyes the curious and the vaine yet it will never save soules and the Cockatrice and the Spider the loathsome conversation of uncleane men whose example of life is offensive in the Church of God as a most infectious thing How much harm both in weakening the power of the word and in confirming the corruptions of the World the Ministers conforming and fashioning themselves to the ryot excesse sensuality of these times have done the wicked see and deride the godly see and lament If thou want'st faith love and a good life in the weighty calling of the ministry though thou hast an Angels tongue yet thou art but as harsh-sounding brasse a brazen-fac'd Hypocrite and few good men will desire thee thou art but a tinckling Cymball and too many will play upon thee To a wanton young man that was disputing of temperance and sobriety one said well Who can endure thee building like Crassus supping like Lucullus and yet speaking like Cato But as Nazianzen said of Basil sit tonitrum oratio tua fulgur vita so let thy speech be thunder but thy life lightning many thunder but they lighten not the one may rouze the drowsie sinner terrifie the secure wanton the other comfort the faithfull hearers who are glad of such a light amongst them guide and direct the weaker minds who need such an helpe who looke for such a patterne If then Nathanael goe and see Christ by thy ministry as Zacheus got upon the Sycamore tree to see Iesus the one shall bee received the other left Zacheus honoured the tree cursed then let Philip alwayes say Come and see that going together to Christ there may bee honour to Philip comfort to Nathanael 2. Nathanaels comming to Christ in these words Iesus saw Nathanael comming In Nathaneel his comming to Christ foure things may bee observed 1. His Consent hee coms without resistāce 2. His Speede hee coms without delay 3. His Truth hee coms without fraud 4. His Success hee coms without losse 1. His Consent NAthaneel having a call from God a direction by Philip doth not resist either by excuse or frowardnesse but freely willingly resolutely yeelds himselfe to forsake his fig-tree his prejudiciall conceit and addresseth himselfe to goe to the Lord. True it is that the Mediatour had never seene Nathanael comming unto him as a true Israelite if the Father had not drawne him by secret and effectuall perswasion yet if Nathanael had wantonly and wilfully resisted the holy Ghost and Philips direction hee had not beene drawne Let us then endeavour in the receiving of the Grace of God to consent to the heavenly motion and not to be stiffe-necked as St. Paul speaks to be hardened in our hearts through the deceitfulnesse of sinne or as Saint Stephen saith of the Iewes Heb. 3.13 to resist the holy Ghost Acts 7.51 For in our conversion in our comming unto Christ these three are cōnexed namely the prevention of Gods grace mooving and stirring us the direction of the Gospel in which the Holy Ghost effectually worketh and the consent of the will which striving against diffidence and sinne endeavours to yeeld unto the counsell of Gods Word motion of the Spirit If we should dreame as the Manichees and the Anabaptists of the power of the holy Ghost carrying us unresistably without any action of ours without endeavour and labour in the exercise of Prayer and hearing the Word the ministry of the Gospel should be needlesse and there could be no conflict in the mind no thirsting no contending to lay hold on God Hence St. Basil saith wel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 onely resist not being called consent being moved endeavour being counselled desire being stirred and the Lord that sees thee strugling draws neere helps thy infirmity and gives the Victory of thy conversion to this purpose speaks Saint Chrysostome 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whom the Lord draws he draws consenting that is not giving himselfe to idlenesse and neglect of endeavour but having the voice of the Gospel and the inward moving of the Spirit labours against the savour of the flesh to delight in God So yee see a Cōnexion of these three prevention of Grace direction of the Word and consent of the Will in the worke of our conversion according to that of St. Iohn Revel 22.17 The Spirit and the Bride saith come and let him that heareth say also come and let him that is a thirst come and whosoever will let him take of the water of life freely Nothing excepts thee from the spirituall fountaine but thy will Not God for the Spirit saith come Not the Church for the Bride saith come Not any convert for he that heareth saith also come Not necessity for hee that is a thirst may come Not want of merits for it may be taken freely Only want of will may hinder because it is taken by desire and will As then in the Old Law there was the Holocaust or whole burnt-offering of which all was given to God nothing reserved either for priest or people and the offering for sinne of which part was given to God and part reserved for the Priest but none for the people and the peace offering of which God had his part the Priest his part and the people their part So in the Gospell we finde a threefold worke The worke of Redemption the worke of Ministration and the worke of Conversion In the worke of Redemption all is given to the Mediatour to the bloud of Christ as the onely price of our redemption nothing to the Priest or people In the worke of Ministration part is given to God part to the Priest but nothing to the people the consecration and sanctification of the worke unto God the execution to the Priest But in the worke of conversion part is given to God preventing by grace and effectuall perswasion part to the Priest directing by counsell by instruction and part to the people consenting by will For if the will of man were utterly idle in our conversion in vaine should the Apostle say Wee beseech you that yee receive not the grace of God in vaine 2 Cor. 6.1 2. His Speede. YE have heard Nathanaels consent now observe the hast and speed which hee makes to have experience of the Lord Hee is called and he comes at the first call hee observes the time of his visitation without delay He is now called if hee dally out so gracious occasion hee knowes not whether he shall be cal'd againe or no. For as Gregory the great well noteth Qui promisit poenitenti veniam non promisit peccanti crastinum though God hath promised pardon to him that repents yet he hath not assured the sinner one day to live His speed confounds our sloath he comes at the first O that wee would come to Christ at many at any call In worldly matters wee can say
Lord had not knowne thee thou had'st not knowne thy selfe not knowne him not knowne heaven If the Lord had not seene thee first with the eye of mercy thou hadst never seene him with the eye of faith So beloved before Gods messengers call us from the darknesse of sinne and ignorance to the marveilous light of Grace and truth the Lord saw us in our danger lying as it were at the gate of hell full of sores full of sinnes uncovered uncured unpityed according to that of David Ps 142 4. there was no man that would know me no man that cared for my soule He then saw us with the eye of mercy and had compassion on us and decreed concerning us to give deliverance according to that charge to his messenger Iob 33.24 Deliver him that he goe not downe into the pitt for I have received a reconciliation If then the Lord know us if the Lord see us with this preventing gift of Grace whilst we imbrace the same wee are so moved that wee doe not onely come to see Christ with Nathaniel nor long only with the Greekes saying Wee would faine see Iesus Ioh. 12 21. But as the faithfull soule speakes Ca. 1.3 wee runne after him in the sweet savour of his Oyntments and so runne that wee obtaine the Saviour yet having obtained we humbly remember that saying of the Apostle Paul what hast thou that thou hast not received 1. Cor. 4 7. O tu ecclesia saith Saint Austine O thou Church S. Au. in pri cap. O thou Israel without fraud if thou art now an holy people and hast knowne Christ by the Word of the Prophets and Apostles as Nathaniel knew him by the guidance of Philip yet miserecordia sua ante te vidit quam tu eum cognoseres cum sub peccato jaceres with his mercy he saw thee before thou knew'st him when thou layest under the burthen of thy sinne where this is not confessed and the Glory of our Convertion not given to the preventing Grace of Christ there is not the true Isralite but the fraudulent and proud-hearted Pelagian An injurious ingratefull fraud it is to arrogate that to our selves which wee have of the meere goodnesse of our Lord therefore in the feeling of the Lords mercy upon us remembrance of our desperate and lost estate Let us thankefully say with the Prophet David Not unto us Ps 115.1 Lord not unto us but to thy Name bee the glory 2. His Direction AS yee have heard how Nathaniel was prevented by a mercifull Call from God so next heare how hee was directed by Philip as a faithfull guide In which two things are remarkable 1 The Power of his Direction 2 The Manner of his Direction For the power of it wee are to know that God hath appointed the ministeriall direction as an Order for the working of faith sanctifying the preaching of the Word to bee the Power and Wisedome of Christ to salvation according to that in St. Iohns gospel Ioh. 17.17 sanctifie them in thy truth thy word is the Truth and to that in the Acts spoken by St. Paul I commend you to God Act. 20.32 and the word of his grace which is able to build further who therefore cals the Gospel the word of Gods grace not onely because it is a gracious word full of comfort to the penitent contrite and borken heart but because it is the Instrument or meanes whereby God conveies his grace to the faithfull hearer Hence Saint Peter exhorteth 1. Pet. 2 2. As new borne babes desire the sincere milke of the word that ye may grow thereby and Saint Iames having said that God of his owne will begat us by the word of truth inferrs presently therefore let every man bee swift to heare Ia. 1.9 And Saint Paul by that question of his How shall they beleeve unlesse they heare Ro. 10.14 Doth manifestly approve the word as the Instrument of faith And therefore in his Epistle to the Galatians Gal. 3.2 he calls the ministry of the word the hearing of faith saying received ye the Spirit by the worke of the Law or by the hearing of faith Let us then acknowledge Gods Order for salvation and that the Church is tyed to the direction of the word let us magnifie Gods Ordinance and not basely esteeme an Instrument so powerfull and divine Next let us not dreame of any other Course from God for our Conversion Lastly let us know that the Spirit of God in that ministration truely effectually infallibly moveth the minds of men and enclineth them to faith and good workes whilst the word is heard of them read and thought upon So that God is never wanting to blesse this his order of ministring the word and our labour in hearing never lost so that we take heed how we heare and neglect not so great salvation For as in receiving the holy Sacrament of our Lords body and bloud if wee doe not set a barre against the grace of that by a purpose to continue in sin we doe infallibly partake of the spirituall food to eternall life So in the hearing of the word we have assured certainety to receive the gift of faith unlesse by our idle and wanton neglect it falls out that the Pearle is cast before swine Mat. 7.6 2. The manner of the Direction HAving heard of the Power now consider the manner of Nathaniels direction wherein wee may observe these three things 1 The Charity of Nathaniels guide 2 The Prudēcy of Nathaniels guide 3 The Fidelity of Nathaniels guide His Charity appeares in desiring speedily to impart unto others of that good which hee himselfe had received Philip was no sooner cal'd himselfe but hee cal'd Nathaniel no sooner had hee experience of the heavenly and incorruptible treasure and tasted how gracious the Lord was but he endeavoured to communicate the same to Nathaniel thas hee also might rejoyce in God his Saviour And it is observable how Cheerefully Philip proceeds in this businesse as a man surpriz'd with Ioy ravisht with Contentment in the voyce of exultation his heart as it were leaping for joy at his new-found treasure breaks forth into these words Iohn 1.45 We have found him of whom Moses spake and the Prophets Iesus the son of Ioseph of Nazareth It is a specious mark of Gods children to be cheerfull in speaking good of the name of Christ and Carefull to acquaint others with that happy good which themselves have found And like as the leprous men having eate and drunke and enrich't themselves 2. Kin. 7.9 when they considered the multitude of the City of Samaria ready to dye for hunger they having enough were touched in their hearts and said one to another Wee doe not well this day is a day of good tidings and we hold our peace So the Messengers of God and every true Convert having bread enough in their fathers house considering the multitude of sinfull
and liberall speech Next he speakes in us according to that of Saint Paul 2. Cor. 13.3 Doe you seeke experience of Christ that speaks in me For which voice David prayeth thus Psal 35 3. Say thus unto my soule I am thy salvation O familiar and comfortable speech Thirdly he speakes for us according to that in Saint Iohn 17.24 Father I will that those which thou hast given mee bee there even where I am and in his first Epistle 2. cap. 1. If any man sinne wee have an Advocate with the Father Iesus Christ the righteous Lastly he speakes of us according to that in the Revelation cap. 3.5 I will confesse his name before my Father and the Angells So then hee speakes to us by way of Invitation in us by way of Inspiration for us by way of Intercession of us by way of Commendation he speaks to us by his word in us by his Spirit for us by his bloud of us by his Iudgement But observe the Lords Order first to us next in us then for us lastly he speakes of us If thou wilt not heare the Lord speaking to thee in his Word if thou do'st not finde the Lord speaking in thee by his Spirit if thou dost not rest upon the Lord speaking for thee by his bloud thou shalt never heare him speaking of thee by commendable testimony That the Lord speakes for us is good and gracious but that he speakes of us as in the Gospell Mat. 25. Euge serve bone c. Well done good servant and faithfull is an absolute happy and honorable speech Blessed is that man may heare the Lord Iesus say of him Behold a true Christian 2. The Manner IN the manner of Nathaneels commendation eight things may be observed First the Order of Christ in praising The Lord knew Nathaneel before but yet he never said any thing of him by commendation untill he saw him comming unto him whence we may collect that then a mans actions are laudable in Gods judgement and his life honourable when Christ is made the end and scope thereof It cannot be but that the Lord sees thee comming hee sees thee going hee sees thee hearing praying working trading he is about thy bed and about thy paths and spies out all thy wayes then thy heart hath comfort thine action honour when the Lord may say that hee sees thee comming to him Men talke of faire and goodly sights but how happy for us and how comely a sight were it if the Lord might see us all this day comming unto him But we may now justly complaine with Bernard Vix quaeritur Iesus propter Iesum scarcely is Iesus sought for Iesus sake the falsehood of intention not ayming at Gods glory not respecting the Lords eye which beholds the truth of the inward parts make that though by customary and ceremonious professiō the Lord may say that he sees many comming yet indeed few comming unto him Secondly this praise is given 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in presence Iesus said of him and that before him he prayseth Nathanael to his face which showes that if praise bee free from flattery used with moderation intending the encouragement of vertue and approbation of the good it is no fault to commend in presence though it is the part of a wise man to use it sparingly and of a good man not greedily to heare his owne praise Thirdly this praise is given 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 openly and in publike in the audience of many The Lord is not asham'd to take notice of his poorest servant openly to acknowledge and honour his meanest professor Here have we specimenfuturae retributionis the very Image and token of our future recompence according to that of Christ Mat. 6.4 Thy Father that seeth in secret he will reward thee openly Let us endeavour to abound in good things and to lay up good works as treasures and let us leave it to the Lord to lay them open to shew them forth who hath all things noted in his booke Fourthly this praise is given by certainety of demonstration Behold a true Israelite saith Christ hee is pointed forth by him that is onely able to discerne betweene the Sheepe and the Goats we praise by the censure of charity Christ by the certainty of knowledge we hope well of many wee can point out none We leave them to be discerned and pointed forth by that finger that made them Fifthly this praise is according to the truth of the thing in him for Iesus would never have said this of him if hee had not found it in him It is impossible that the eyes of the Lord which behold the things which are just should be obscured with Error Vanity or Partiality For as Saint Iohn saith 1 Ioh. 3.7 He that doth righteousnesse is righteous so the man which is righteous indeed is so accounted before God and no other Think'st thou that the Lord will account the hypocrite the wanton the unjust person a true Israelite the praise that comes of God is not deceitfull or vaine Hee neither condemnes the righteous nor justifies the wicked And that praise which the scripture gives unto the servants of God is according to the truth of the thing in them not according to imputation Sixthly this praise is according to the favour of the Gospell and the measure of sincerity not according to the rigour of the Law and the fulnesse of perfection Though Christ saith of Nathanael Behold a true Israelite in whom is no guile yet he saith not in whom is no sinne Saint Iohn saith 1 Iohn 1.8 whosoever affirmeth that hee hath no sinne deceiveth himselfe and there is no Truth in him and if Nathanael should have thought that hee had no sinne in him he should have had no truth in him By the grace of Imputation we have no guilt no sinne but by the grace of Sanctification we have no guile no fraud That is in very deed we confesse that in many things we offend all and sincerely and from our hearts indeavour no longer to serve sinne but to please God in all things Before the preventing grace of GOD comes which makes us to walke commendably before God we are all lame from our mothers wombe like the Creeple at Lystra not able to stirre in the waies of GOD having receiv'd grace yet we are many times lame like Mephibosheth 2 Sam. 4.4 by some grievous fall and having present grace he that stands surest may cry with David my foot had well-nigh slipt and the truest Israelite that striveth to walke with God in uprightnes Gen. 32.31 is lame like Iacob that halts on his thigh though not in his heart and though his spirit be willing yet his flesh is weake Though the true Israelite doth not appeare before the Lord empty yet he hath but a Mite in his hand and he that sees clearest by the annoynting of the eye-salve hath yet a mote in his eye and he that is covered with the white
these but words of course if thy heart beleeves this doctrine Deceive not thy selfe by secure presumption Marke what the Apostle addeth and such were some of you but ye are washed ye are sanctified ye are justified in the Name of the Lord Iesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God he doth not say and such are some of you and yet ye are justified but such were some of you giving us to understand that such sinnes cannot stand with the grace of Iustification and Sanctification of the Spirit I but yet such a person may bee elect saith one We doe not now dispute what he may be or what Gods purpose is to worke in him hereafter but this wee are bound to teach and the people beleeve that men so long as they continue in such sinnes are not in the state of salvation and if they dye without repentance they are certainly damned Neither must men deceive themselves with a conceit of hidden grace and presence of the Spirit during the continuance of such sins for these sinnes being contrary to the Holy Ghost doth so quench the divine motions and so pollute the soule that Saint Iohn speaking of one of such sinnes affirmes flatly 1 Ioh. 3.15 Wee know that no man-slaier hath eternall life abiding in him He doth not deny but that a man-slaier repenting may have eternall life but he concludes against this fraud of presumption maintaining that such an one during his sinne without repentance hath not eternall life abiding in him but by his sinne hee hath lost the Spirit of GOD and the comfort of salvation by Christ untill he be againe renewed by repentance And therfore men that continue in such sinnes ought to bee so farre from beleeving that they in Gods favour are safe they that are bound to beleeve by the word of God that they shall never inherit the kingdome of Christ I but saith this deceiver doth not the scripture say Blessed is the man whose unrighteousnesse is forgiven Psal 32.1 and whose sinnes is covered if covered saith he then continuance in sin cannot hurt a beleever But the godly which know the comfortable sence of these words admits not this deceivers glosse All our former sins by repentance and faith in Christ are forgiven and so covered that they shall not appeare to our confusion but then we know also that repentance imports not onely a verball confession and acknowledgement that we sin but also a reall and true forsaking of such sins as are committed against conscieÌ„ce The grace of Christ then covers our infirmities as a cloath to hide them because they continue so long as wee live but it covers our impieties crimes as a plaister that draweth out the filth and healeth the sore We must not thinke that the Name and merits of Christ are a cloake for villanies or a covert for iniquities but as by the grace of Christ our weaknes is covered so our wickednes is cured so that a wicked man and a Christian are directly contrary 3. Fraus impia the wiced fraud in profession of Religion VVE have observed alreadie that fraud of Iniustice deceiving others that fraud of folly deceiving themselves now let us see that impious fraud in the profession of Religion deceiving the LORD of which we may briefly observe six kinds The FRAUD 1. Of Formall and Politicke 2. Of Faint and Negligent 3. Of Fained Counterfeit 4. Of Forced and Servile 5. Of Forged and Arbitrary 6. Of Flattering and Carnal RELIGION 1. Of Formall POliticke Religion admits no more of Gods service than may stand with the state serve the time and please men a ranke of men there are that so turn themselves to serve GOD that yet they have alwayes an eye therin to serve their own turne Aug. de civi dei ca. 20. l. 2. Hence come the principles of polititians Tantùm stet tantùm floreat copijs referta victorijs gloriosa pace secura Respublica et quid ad nos caetera Let but the state of the common wealth stand and flourish abundant with plenty glorious with victory secure with peace and we looke after no more Hence come their positions Conservatio Reip. status prior ac antiquior esse debet quam religionis causa Bâ—lloy pag. 2. The preservation of the Common-wealth ought to be more precious and more to bee respected than the matter of Religion Antiquisart p. 124. Hence comes this their brutish conclusion Virorum fortium hic scopus hoc studium haec cura primaria esse debet vitam laetam ac affluentem ducere This ought to be the drift the study and prime care of a generous man to live a jocund and delicious life Of which beasts yet Iob hath fearefully concluded Iob 21.13 They passe their dayes in pleasure and in a moment goe down to hell O how this polititian smiles to observe the true Israelites following their profession in earnest counting them therefore God Almighties fooles But well answered the Lady Paula the Polititians of her time nos stulti propter Christum sed stultum Dei sapientius est hominibus We are fooles for Christs sake but the foolishnes of God is wiser than men Inertiaese et otio dante c. saith Ierome whilst these Mammonists give themselves to idlenes and sloth they count those which seriously meditate in the Law of God day and night tanquam garrulos et inutiles as vaine and scripture-men Psal 14.6 and as David saith They have made a mocke at the Councell of the poore because the Lord is his trust This formalist is in the Church as a sword in the heart as a serpent in the bosome as a poyson in the stomack as a theefe in the house by him the righteous soule is grieved the plaine Israelite circumvented the weake infected the Church robbed From this fraud the true Israelites exempted who first seeks the Kingdome of God and his righteousnesse serves not the time but the Lord and their prime care is to worke their salvation with feare and trembling 2. The fraud of faint Religion THe second fraud in profession is Negligence when the professour is not inflamed with zeale and the love of God but with a remissnes and carelesnesse creeps about the workes of godlines This fraud the holy Ghost espied in the Angel of the Church of Laodicêa Reu. 3.15 saying I know thy workes that thou art neither cold nor hot and of this guile speaks the Scripture fearfully Ier. 48.10 Cursed is every one that worketh the worke of God negligently Free from this guile are all true Israelites Psa 42.2 So David that said my soule is a thirst for God 1 King 19.10 So Elias that protested saying I am zealous for the Lord God of Hostes though many times they which are at ease in Syon count Elias his zeale the maine disturbance of Israel T' is a fearefull commination of the Lord against neutralls these luke-warme professors in the Prophecy of