resurrexerit c. Pareus in loc I was in the spirit on the Lords day This day is the souls market-day the souls harvest-day the souls rejoiâ—ing-day Prepare for this day before it comes meditate of the duties of the day and sanctifie your souls for the sanctification of the Lords own day The word Remember necessarily implys prepartion and a previous consideration of performing the works of the day in its own day This day ought seriously to be remembred before it comes and the heart ought to be prepar'd and sequestred from all worldly intanglements On this day we should rise earlier in a morning than other days Mary rose early that day and had a joyful sight of the Lord Jesus Shake off sloth and drowsiness and beware of idleness for spiritual idleness on this day is as bad as bodily labour give unto God his own day a whole day and imploy your soul in the works of the day and the works are works of piety mercy and necessity and beg of God a Sabbath-frame and temper of spirit As for such works as concern our secular calling though they are lawful and necessary on other days of the week yet on this day they are neither necessary nor lawful much less are corporal-recreations as games or sports c. to be allowed on this day On this day double diligence ought to be used for the performing of double duties to hearing of the Word in publick add reading in private and to reading add secret prayer and to prayer add meditation and to meditation add conference as next is to be mentioned Sect. 20. Duty 5. Communicate your Doubts to experienced Christians Mal. 2. 7. Isa 50. 4. A fifth Duty is to communicate your Doubts and perplexities to such experienced Ministers or people who are able and willing to administer spiritual comfort unto you The Prophet tells us For the Priests lips should keep knowledg and they should seek the Law at his mouth for he is the messenger of the Lord of Hosts Impart your case to faithful Ministers to whom God hath given the tongue of the Learned and to other experienced Christians who through the Grace of God may speak both by way of counsel and comfort something for the settlement and establishment of your spirit Frequent the society of such who fear God and be a companion to such here on earth whose company you hope to enjoy to all eternity It was the saying of an eminent servant of Jesus Christ upon his Death-bed Mr. Robert Bolton I shall change my place but not my company Be therefore ready and willing to lay hold upon those opportunities which are offered for spiritual conference and be glad of the prayers and counsels of such as are Mnasons and old Disciples and experienced Christians and Practitioners of Religion Spiritual conference is no new practice for it is of great antiquity and I heartily wish that it were more revived and put in practice than it is now-a-days The Prophet Malachy makes mention of such Religious meetings Then they that feared the Lord spake Mal. 3. 16. often to one another and the Lord hearkned and heard it and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord and that thought upon his name Upon perusal of those words it 's evident that the people of God met together and confer'd about each others spiritual estate And there ought to be a great deal of care and conscience in the managing of such meetings for God takes notice of all that 's done or spoken and puts them upon record O! how much and abundant soul-satisfaction may be gain'd by the society of such as are godly to such you ought to unbosom and unburthen your soul they may be instrumental for the good of your soul And as I advise unto conference and correspondence with godly Christians so I advise you to the making choice of godly Writers and to peruse them with diligence and seriousness of spirit Let the holy Scriptures always have the preheminence both in your judgment and affections Next to them I commend unto your frequent reading sound and orthodox Writers such as are Calvins Institutions Greenham Perkins Dod Dyke on the Deceitfulness of the heart Scudder Burroughs gracious spirit and in an especial manner because it 's very suitable to your condition I commend to your reading Dr. Sibs of the souls conflict The precious Author is dead but his memory is blessed and both the Author and his Works are like precious ointment poured forth The sixth and last particular Duty Duty 6. Wait upon God which I advise you unto is to wait silently patiently and submissively upon God Labour therefore to bring your will to Gods will God is infinite in Wisdom and knows what 's better for you than you know for your self and better than you can either ask or think And believe that Gods time is always the best time and therefore wait on God till he be pleased to speak a word of peace to you Let faith and patience hold out and joyn them both together and imitate those who Heb. 6. 12. through faith and patience have inherited the promises The Church of God though under hatches and in a very low condition yet did exercise faith and patience And I Isa 8. 17. will wait upon the Lord that hideth his face from the house of Jacob and I will look for him The Church of God was much afflicted and vexed with briers and thorns and was neither quiet at home nor abroad yet notwithstanding we read of an Heroical resolution of the Church Therefore I will look unto the Lord Mic. 7. 7. I will wait for the God of my salvation my God will hear me In this verse Faith Patience and Assurance are all joyn'd together for looking implys that there was an eye of faith and waiting implys the exercise of patience and that God would hear was a strong ground of assurance that the faith and patience there mention'd were successful In Habbakkuks time the Vision was very dark For said Hab. 2. 3. the Prophet the vision is yet for an appointed time but at the end it shall speak and not lye though it tarry wait for it because it will surely come it will not tarry Waiting-Christians are exceeding much gainers by all their waiting so saith the Prophet The Lord is good to them that wait Lam. 3. 25 26. for him to the soul that seeketh him It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. Wherefore if God speak not comfort so soon as you desire and expect yet know that it is your duty to hold out and continue waiting and not in the least to presume to limit the holy one of Israel to any time or means Let God as an ancient Eligat opportunitatem qui libere dat misericordiam Aug. Father saith chuse the opportunity who freely gives thee mercy
meditation and particular application and I hope and my hearts desire is that through the Grace of God some word or other may leave such deep impressions upon your heart both for instruction and consolation as that you may be better for them all your days Sect. 15. Duty 2. Be much in heartstudying 2. Be much conversant in the studying of your own heart It 's very needful to be well acquainted at home For this self-acquaintance and knowledg of a mans own heart is a very necessary knowledge and a profitable acquaintance This is a great business and an useful imployment for every one to busie himself in searching of his own heart and he that is thus imployed and makes it his business to know and understand himself will know more evil by himself than all the world can tell him of I have read of Heraclitus a weeping Philosopher who being askt what he studied he answered To know himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And it was the saying of one of the wise men of Greece Know thy self And this knowledg we shall never attain unto unless we study our own hearts This was the resolution of the Church though at that time under hatches Let us search and try Jer. 3. 40. our ways and turn again to the Lord. First there must be searching and trying and then follows a turning to God And in this turning there are two terms one is from what we Terminus à quo terminus ad quem turn and this is from sin and the other is to whom we should turn and this is to God The heart is exceeding filthy and defiled and therefore frequent washings and cleansings are required So runs the word of command O Jerusalem wash thy heart Jer. 4. 14 from wickedness that thou maist be saved How long shall thy vain thoughts lodg within thee In the Levitical Law when a beast was slain for sacrifice there was a special command for the washing of the inwards and the legs Lev. 1. 9. These washings were typical and put us in remembrance of washing of our hearts and lives For both inward and outward pollution ought to be avoided and we ought to cleanse our selves from both For 2 Cor. 7. 1. saith the Apostle having therefore these promises dearly beloved let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God And both outward and inward purity ought to be endeavoured after It 's the Apostles command Let us draw near Heb. 10. 22. with a true heart in full assurance of faith having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed wiâ—h pure water Now let the heart be washt first then the conversation will be purified The heart may be compared to a fountain if that be pure the conversation as so many streams flowing from that fountain will be pure The more we search our hearts the more pollution we shall find in them We shall find them to be a cage of unclean birds and a cinque of all manner of impurity Wherefore above all keepings we ought to keep our hearts for so saith the Wiseman Keep thy heart with all diligence for Prov. 4. 23. out of it are the issues of life Let it be therefore your greatest care and endeavour to approve your heart unto God in sincerity and in truth Sincerity is that which constitutes a Christian and distinguisheth a child of God from an hypocrite Look then especially to the inclination vergency frame and propension of your heart whether it tend directly towards God or obliquely toward the world The difference upon Scripture-record is very great between Asa and Amaziah although neither one nor other were without their failings Asa fail'd in several things yet the root of the matter was in him for his heart was upright toward God so it 's evidenced in the Scripture Nevertheless the heart of 2 Chron. 15. 17. Asa was perfect all his days As for Amaziah though he went a great way yet he came far short of the main thing requir'd for this brand of infamy is left upon record And he did that which was right in 2. Chron. 25. 2. the sight of â—â—â— Lord but not with a perfect heart It 's the common lot of Gods dearest children to have Infirmities yet notwithstanding they can take comfort in the integrity of their hearts So the Spouse confest I sleep but my heart waketh Cant. 5. 2. The sleeping of the Spouse imply'd that she had her Infirmities but her heart waking declar'd her sincerity Sect. 16. Duty 3. Be frequent and fervent in secret prayer Prov. 18. 1. 3. Be frequent and fervent in secret prayer Though separation from the Assemblies of Saints is unwarrantable yet there is a warrantable separation of which the Wiseman makes mention Through desire a man having separated himself seeketh and intermedleth with all wisdom There is a time for retiredness into our Closets of this our Saviour speaks But thou when thou prayest Mat. 6. 6. enter into thy closet and when thou hast shut thy door pray to thy Father which is in secret and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly For this retirement God Isa 26. 20. calls upon his people Come my people enter thou into thy chambers and shut thy doors about thee hide thy self as it were for a little moment until the indignation be over-past Wherefore in your short recesses and retirements which you must take frequently pour out your heart unto God and when you are remotest from company and from the hearing of men then be more earnest in wrestling with God in prayer and supplication Sometimes you may find a listlesness and indisposedness upon your spirit and by reason of such dulness and deadness you may be afraid of venturing upon any holy duty yet you must take heed of neglecting any duty For dulness deadness and indisposedness of spirit are no warrants to neglect any duty but you ought the rather to be more sollicitous unto the throne of Grace for quickning-vertue that God would raise and dispose your heart for his service Although at some time you may be so straitned in your spirit as you may not be able to utter a word yet you may sigh and mourn and groan and breathe after God and these sighings breathings groanings and mournings are all known to God and as for the compunctions of the heart God takes notice of them all We read that the Lord said unto Moses Why cryest thou unto me The Exod. 14. 15. time that Moses thus cryed was when Pharoah and his host pursued the Children of Israel A potent furious Enemy was behind them and the Red-sea before them and whether they went forward or backward their danger was exceeding great either to be drown'd in the Water or slain with the Sword of the Enemy It 's worth our observation that there is no particular word
your case is not alone An ancient and learned Author â—aith That every created thing is subject to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Damasc change Consider that all the changes here below are ordered and disposed of by the wisdom of God and yet they make no change in God for he is unchangeable For I am the Mal. 3. 6. Lord I change not therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed And the Lord Jesus as he is an all-sufficient Saviour so he is unchangeable Jesus Heb. 13. 8. Christ is the same yesterday to day and the same for ever And the Covenant which God makes with his people doth not change with our changes but is ordered and sure and unchangeable What was a strong ground of consolation to David you should apply in particular to your own soul * Deus obligavit se aeterno faedere ideo non claudetur tenebris Pet. Mart. in loc Although my house be not 2 Sam. 23. 5. so with God yet he hath made with me an everlasting Covenant ordered in all things and sure for this is all my salvation and all my desire although he make it not to grow You complain that you want Wisdom you must consider that God is a God of Wisdom and blessed are all they that wait on him You are so bewildred and involv'd in many perplexities of spirit as you know not how to extricate your self out of them O! make haste to God and beg Wisdom of him For saith Jam. 1. 5. the Apostle If any of you lack wisdom let him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not and it shall be given him But you complain that you want the sense of the pardon of your sins For answer you may have a pardon though at present you may not apprehend it For there may be a pardon in the Court of the Judg although that pardon for a time when a Christian is in a dark condition be not manifested in the Court of the Conscience Therefore apply these Attributes for your stay support and comfort The Lord the Exod. 34. 6 7. Lord God merciful and gracious long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth keeping mercy for thousands forgiving iniquity transgression and sin Plead these Attributes as your strong-hold and likewise beg of God that not only your sins may be pardoned but that they may be subdued also Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth Micah 7. 18. iniquity and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage he retaineth not his anger for ever because he delighteth in mercy As then you beg mercy to pardon you so you must beg mercy to purge and sanctifie you and as you pray that the guilt and punishment of your sins may be took away so you must pray that the filthiness of them may be took away and what God promiseth you must with a sincere heart pray that it may be perform'd to you in particular Then will I Ezek. 36. 25. sprinkle clean water upon you and ye shall be clean from all your filthiness and from all your Idols will I cleanse you Now to be earnest in prayer with God that you may be sanctified as well as pardoned and that your sins may be subdued and conquer'd this is an evident sign of a sincere heart A second ground of comfort is to 2. Ground of Comfort from the divine â—â—omises 2 Pet. 1. 4. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be had in the Divine Promises Of the Promises I shall add somewhat though little by way of supplement to what I mention'd before The Promises are great and precious Promises And all the Promises are in Christ Yea and Amen Gods Promises are not off and on sometimes faster sometimes looser as mens Promises are but they are sure and certain and infallible That I may write what I conceive most proper and suitable for your condition I 'le lay down this Distinction There are two sorts of Promises viz. promises to Grace and promises of Grace 1. For Promises to Grace one is 1. Promises to Grace Joh. 3. 16. Joh. 6. 35. Whosoever believeth on him shall not perish but shall have everlasting life Another is He that cometh to me shall never hunger he that believeth in me shall never thirst A third promise is All that the Father giveth me Vers 37. shall come to me and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out A fourth Promise is He that hath my Joh. 14. 2â— commandments 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 will manifest my self to him Q. But it 's probable that you Q. will say That you question whether you have faith in God and love to God I answer Is it not the sincere desire A. and endeavour of your soul to love Christ and to believe in his name And are not you grieved for want of faith and love If so then Secondly I will add for your comfort 2. Promises of Grace that as I shewed before as there are Promises to Grace so there are Promises of Grace i. e. what God requireth of you however you come short of your duty he will in mercy give it to you As for instance there is a word of Command Circumcise your selves and take away the foreskins Jer. 4. 3. of your hearts You may be apt to plead the impossibility of your performing of that great thing commanded Therefore apply to your comfort that special good word of promise And the Lord thy God will Deut. 30. 6. circumcise thine heart and the heart of thy seed to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soul that thou maist live Likewise God commands Make you a new heart and a new spirit You will be ready Ezek. 18. 31. to object that it is not in your own power to make your heart new I answer though it be not in your own power neither can you by your own strength change your heart yet you are obliged to confer your utmost endeavours to wash and cleanse your heart for so the command runs O Jer. 4. 14. Jerusalem wash thine heart from wickedness that thou maist be saved How long shall thy vain thoughts long within thee And your duty is to apply the Promise A new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put Ezek. 36. 26 27. within you and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and I will give you an heart of flesh And I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and ye shall keep my judgments and do them What God commands of us he promiseth to give unto us Sect. 24. 3. Ground of Comfort from many Invitations Isa 55. 1. A third ground of comfort wherewith you may support your self is founded
sinners viz. impenitent and penitent sinners You dare not say after deliberate and composed thoughts upon heart-examination that you would not repent neither that you would not endeavour to repent neither that you do not beg of God grace to repent Your sensibleness of your sins and mourning for them and complaining against your self and your praying with the Apostle to be delivered Rom. 7. 24. from the body of sin plainly evidenceth that you are not an impenitent sinner And only impenitent sinners who live and dye in their sins shall perish for so saith our Saviour Except ye repent ye Luke 13. 3. shall all likewise perish But as for penitent broken-hearted sinners such as are affected with compunction of heart and godly sorrow for sin and are poor in spirit and sensible of their lost and undone condition as in themselves these have a peculiar invitation to come unto Jesus Christ Matt. 9. 13. For saith he * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. Eos qui sibi justi videntur quibus opponuntur peccatores i. e. qui suorum peccatoruÌ„ sensu vulnerati ad unam Dei misericordiam confugiunt Bulling in loc I came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance Comfort your self with the serious meditation of those grounds of comfort before mentioned and make particular application of them to your own soul And now for a close of all I shall be your remembrancer of some select Scriptures suitable to your condition and O! that God would write them in the Tables of your heart which through riches of mercy have been my comfort and support and I hope that through the blessing of God they may be a support and comfort unto you One Scripture is Rom. 8. 5 But Rom. 8. 5. God commendeth his love towards us in that while we were yet sinners Christ dyed for us A Second Scripture is Matt. 12. 20 Matt. 12. 20. A bruised reed shall he not break and smoaking flax shall he not quench till he send forth judgment unto victory A Third Scripture is Rom. 3. Rom. 3. 24 25. 24 25 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past through the forbearance of God A Fourth Scripture is Heb. 7. 25 Heb. 7. 25. Wherefore he is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them A Fifth Scripture with which I 1 Joh. 2. 1 2. shall conclude is 1 Joh. 2. 1 2 If any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous And he is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world These precious Truths of God ought to be digested by Prayer Meditation and particular Application and they will be through the grace of God as a stay and a staff to your afflicted spirit Remember though you use the means to look above means and beg help of God As the Ancients used to hold the Plough and pray so you must apply your self to the means prescribed in the Word of God and keep close to Gods Ordinances but above all you must beg help from the God of the Ordinances Be conscientious and diligent in the use of the means but look through the means and above the means unto God Persevere in your duty leave the success unto God who in his own time and that 's best can speak comfort to you Thus you see what design I drive at even in prescribing to you such Directions as may be for the setling and quieting of your spirit My hearts desire and prayer to God for you is That God in mercy and love to your Soul and to any other in the like case would imprint these things upon your heart by the effectual operation of his holy Spirit I Remain yours in the service of your Faith H. W. FINIS Books Printed for and are to be sold by Tho. Parkhurst at the Bible and Three Crowns in Cheapside ONE hundred of Select Sermons By Tho Horton Sermons on the whole Epistle of St. Paul to the Colossians By Mr. J Daille Translated into English by F. S. with Dr. Thomas Goodwin's and Dr. John Owen's Epistles Recommendatory An Exposition of Christs Temptation on Mat. 4. and Peter's Sermon to Cornelius and circumspect walking By Dr. Tho. Taylor A compleat Martyrology with Lives By Sam. Clark Books Quarto The Door of Salvation opened by the Key of Regeneration By George Swinnock M. A. Dr. â—ollins Sermons on the Canticl An Exposition on the six first Chapters of the Revelation By Ch. Phelps The Saints Triumph over the last enemy in a Sermon at the Funeral of Mr. James Janeway By Nat Vincent The vanity of man in his best estate in a discourse on Psal 39. 5. at the Funeral of the Lady Susanna Keate By Richard Kidder M. A. The Morning-Lecture against Popery or the principal errors of the Church of Rome detected and confuted in a Morning-Lecture Preached by several Ministers of the Gospel in or near London Dr. Wilds Letter of Thanks and Poems The Intercourse of Divine Love between Christ and the Church or the particular Believing soul in several Lectures on the whole second Chapter of Canticles By John Collins D. D. Octavo's Reading and Spelling made easie By Tho. Lye Captives bound in Chains made free by Christ their Surety By T. Doolittle Eighteen Sermons preached upon several Texts of Scripture By William Whitaker The Saints care for Church-Communion declared in sundry Sermons preached at St. James Dukes place By Zach. Crofton Cases of Conscience practically resolved By John Norman The godly mans Ark or a City of Refuge in the day of his distress in five Sermons with Mrs. Moors Evidences for Heaven By Edmund Calamy The Almost Christian discovered or 〈◊〉 Professor tried and cast By 〈…〉
discover and remove some impediments and obstructions which as a Remora to a Ship stops the sailing or as a stumbling-block laid in the way of such who run a race hinders their passage After the removal of those hinderances some Duties are commended to point of practice and for a conclusion some Grounds of Comfort are as seasonably mentioned and as necessarily to be applied to humble penitent and broken-hearted sinners It 's abundantly known to such who are no strangers to the new birth and to all such who have been train'd up in the School of affliction and have experienced the Conflicts and Antipathies between the flesh and the spirit and as Job had have the Arrows of the Almighty Job 6. 4. sticking in them that many black clouds storms and tempests even Euroclydons desertions suspensions and withdrawings of Gods gracious countenance have for a time been the lot and portion of the dear children of God whom God hath took into Covenant with himself Job David Heman St. Paul and many other precious Servants of God have met with various dispensations and variety of tryals and perplexities of spirit Their condition may be resembled to high-water and low-water ebbing and flowing and yet the water runs still and is not dryed up Christians sometimes may be in a prosperous condition other-times in an adverse condition and yet in both may have fixed and setled hearts So David had as may appear upon reading of Psal 57. 8. and Psal 108. 1. Then he was in great adversity for that 57th Psalm was pen'd when he fled from Saul in the cave The Title of that Psalm was Al-taschith Michtam of David or destroy not and then he confest that his soul was among Lyons even Psal 57. 4. among them that are set on fire even the Sons of men whose teeth are spears and arrows and their tongue a sharp sword Afterwards he was in great prosperity when he pen'd Psal 108. and yet in both Psalms David professeth O God my heart is fixed I will sing and give praise even with my glory His tongue he accounted his glory and so he imployed it in celebrating the praises of the Lord such a condition may befall the Children of God as they cannot tell how to understand it nor what to make of it at the first as we read Zach. 14. 6 7. And it shall come to pass in that day that the light shall not be clear nor dark but it shall be one day which shall be known to the Lord not day nor night but it shall come to pass that at evening-time it shall be light We know that there is a considerable distance of time betwhen sowing and reaping and though the seed may be under clods and not visible to our eyes for the present yet afterwards it may fructify abundantly and yield many handfuls for the reaper Light is sown saith the Psalmist for the Ps 97. 11. righteous and gladness for the upright in heart Let us seriously consider that such as are inwardly afflicted and have wounded spirits however they may argue against themselves are not alone and without company though it so falls out that they complain amidst their heavy pressures that never was any ones case like theirs The Apostle rectifies all such mistakes For saith 1 Cor 10. 13. he there hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man but God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able but will with the temptation also make a way to escape that ye may be able to bear it Many Eminent Servants of God have been encountred by Satan and through mercy have return'd with Trophies of victory It 's one of Satans master-pieces of policy to take advantages of sick beds and corporal infirmities and so to act his inveterate malice with the greatest violence Many instances might be produced as of Luther who was assaulted with such violent temptations that neither speech sense blood or heat appeared in him Mr. Bolton as it 's reported in his life much resembles Luther who when the sense of sin and the guilt thereof were set home upon his heart he roared for grief of heart and rose out of his bed by reason of the anguish of his spirit I may add the Examples of Mrs. Katharine Brettergh and Mrs. Margaret Corbet who were much assaulted by the Temptations of Satan upon their sick-beds and yet after those storms and tempests they enjoyed a marvellous calm and serenity of spirit before their dissolution But hastning to a Conclusion I shall insist only on three more Examples of men eminent for Parts and Graces One is of Mr. Peacock a Batchelor of Mr. Peacock Divinity and then Fellow of Brazen-nose Colledg in Oxford He was a great Scholar and a laborious Tutor in that Society and Divinity-Reader of Magdalen Hall His life and conversation was unblameable and notwithstanding in the sickness whereon he died he complained against himself That he had no Grace at all Dr. Ayry Mr. Dod and many others visited him in his sickness and imparted spiritual counsels and comforts to him and he told Mr. Dod That he had no love for Gods children and a little after he said so he manifested his love to Mr. Dod by the great care he took for him for he gave charge that something should be provided for the refreshment of Mr. Dod and that his Clothes should be dried because they were wet with the rain After a dark night light appeared and God graciously setled the heart of this good man in a holy tranquillity and peace as it 's published in Print For said he a little before his See Mr. Peacock's Visitation death you all expect that I should declare what I think of my own Salvation God is so indulgent to those whom he hath ever loved that he never forsakes them and therefore I am assured that I shall go to Heaven Most happy are those fetters into which I was cast by a most merciful God I shall add another instance of Mr. Mr. Pemble of Magdalen Hall Oxon. Pemble a man of great learning and of a holy life and conversation He was Divinity-Reader and a Tutor in Magdalen Hall and the Ornament of that flourishing Society where he lived many years He went to visit his learned and religious Tutor Mr. Capel at his house in Estington in Glocestershire where he ended his days In his last sickness Satan assaulted him with vehement disputations and as a Reverend Divine whose memory I honour informed me that the Devil urged Dr. Robert Harris late Pastor of Hanwell in Oxfordshire many perplexing arguments and managed his disputations like an old crafty sophister and shot his fiery darts against the said Mr. Pemble Satan knew his fittest season to catch advantages and that now or never he must act his part for the time of sickness and extremity was the fittest season for Satan to play his last game But
be no more sorry for your sins If this be your condition as my hope it is you can pray better than you are aware of For saith the Apostle the Rom. 8. 26. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Onus vicissim attollit ex altera parte ne sub eo fatiscamus Beza spirit helpeth our infirmities The Original word is very Emphatical It follows For we know not what we should pray for as we ought but the spirit it self maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered Herein consists the great duty to be importunate with God for the assistance of his holy Spirit and to apply the promises That God will give Mat. 7. 11. good things to them that ask him And what 's that good thing even the best of all things is promised Your heaven Luk. 11. 13 ly Father shall give the holy Spirit to them that ask him Object Object And whereas you complain of your barrenness and unprofitableness under the means of Grace and of your slippery and failing memory Answ Answ I answer that it 's a good sign to be sensible of your failings and to bewail them It 's a grand Duty incumbent on you to be heedful and vigilant It 's the Apostles caution Therefore we ought to give Heb. 2. 1. the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard lest at any time we should let them slip or as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Original implys let them run out as leaking vessels do and let out precious liquor as soon as it is poured into them At for your unprofitableness if we all in particular reflect upon our selves all our faces will gather blackness and we have all cause to complain that when we have Luk. 17. 10. done all that we can we are unprofitable servants Wherefore being conscious to our selves of our great unfruitfulness under the means of Grace and notwithstanding fatning Ordinances we have lean souls let 's supplicate Isa 48. 17. unto the Throne of Grace Thus saith the Lord thy Redeemer the holy one of Israel I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit which leadeth thee by the way which thou shouldest go Object And whereas your misgiving heart injects many fears unto you as if none of the Promises appertain'd unto you Answ Answ I answer That it 's more than you know For a poor doubting trembling Christian may have the root of the matter in him and a right to the promises though at present he may want the manifestation of those consolations which the promises afford But do not you judg your self unworthy of eternal life Cast not away the Anchor of your hope let not go your hold on the Promises for they are a stay and a staff for you to support your soul upon when you apprehend your self even in a tottering condition Are you thirsty after Christ Apply your self to the Promises for they are as so many Wells of Salvation Therefore with joy shall Isa 12. 3. ye draw water out of the wells of salvation Do you desire a word of comfort to be spoken to your Soul Make hast to the Promises for they are the breasts of consolation which Isa 66. 11. can satisfie you Sect. 13. A few Questions I propound unto you and after your most serious and composed thoughts I expect your Answer Do not you love God Q. You cannot say but you do A. Then the Promise is your portion And we know that all things work Rom. 8. 28 Qui dicit omnia excipit nihil together for good to them that love God Observe that all things are promised and nothing is excepted Your present troubles of mind though for a time they may be grievous yet in Gods good time shall all work together for your good Do not you hate the ways of sin Q. and love the ways of holiness If so as I have no reason to think A. otherways then you are in a hopeful condition The Psalmist professeth his love to the Law of God and his utter hatred and abhorrency of every false way and especially lays down an evidence of his uprightness by keeping himself from bosom-sins for said he I was also upright Psâ— 18. 23. before him and I kept my self from mine iniquity Another Question I shall only propound to you Do not you love the Q. Children of God You dare not say otherways for those are the company with whom you converse and delight Hence you may evidence that you A. â—oh 13. 35 are a Disciple of Jesus Christ By this shall all men know that ye are my Disciples if ye love one another This is an evidence of regeneration to love the Brethren We know saith 1 John 3. 14. the Apostle that we have passed from death unto life because we love the brethren he that loveth not his brother abideth in death I knew one upon his death-bed who took great comfort in this evidence of loving the Children of God A Third Impediment to be avoided 3. Imped Too much retiredness and respectiveness is too much retiredness and reservedness Do not feed and nourish a melancholly humour by separating your self from the society of such who would gladly administer comfort to you The society of experienced Christians and frequent conference with them may be of great advantage to you for the establishment of your heart by giving seasonable and suitable Answers to those doubts which trouble you One Coal may inkindle another and one Iron may sharpen another and so one Christian may be instrumental both for inkindling and quickning the Graces of Gods Spirit in another I advise you to be very seldom alone during your Troubles and Temptations unless in two special cases As first when God is speaking to you in his Word when you read the Word of God and faithful Writers and Expositors thereof Which read you must labour to digest by Prayer and Meditation and make of all particular application unto your own Soul And secondly When you are speaking to God in Prayer and Supplication then is a fit season to be alone and in your secret recesses to pour out your heart unto the Lord. My further advice unto you in love is That you would beware of idleness and sloth Although I suspect you not nor can accuse you yet in love to your precious soul I cannot but premonish you both to avoid the sin of idleness and the miserable consequences thereof For if the Devil can prevail by his temptations to gain you to idleness and sluggishness and to the neglect of your duties which concern both your general and particular calling then he will get ground of you and lay his Snares and Gins to intrap you and so go away Conqueror That therefore you may prevent the mischievous designs of Satan I counsel you to be industrious in your particular calling and imployment with diligence and care provided that you above all
regard your general calling as a Christian I am not ignorant that every thing is beautiful in its season sometimes retiredness and sometimes conversing with others have their peculiar season As for retiredness there is an allowable separation in some cases as the wise man informs us Through desire a man having separated Prov. 18. 1. himself seeketh and intermedleth with all wisdom For the gaining of Wisdom and improvement thereof when so gain'd we must sequester our selves from Company and hide our selves for a time in our Closets that so we may have better conveniencies for the exercise of Prayer and Meditation There is a time when God calls for retiredness for so we read Come my people enter thou into sa 26. 26 thy Chambers and shut thy dores about thee hide thy self as it were for a little moment until the indignation be overpast Such a retiredness as this is both necessary and comfortable For a Christian to pour out his Soul in Prayer to God when no eye of man seeth him nor any ear of man heareth him and so meditate on the Word of God by such a retiredness he gains a sacred communion and acquaintance with God such a one as Eliphaz exhorts Job 22. 21. Job to get But as for any retiredness and reservedness to nourish a melancholly and dumpish humour and to sequester your self from profitable soul-friends that kind of retiredness I advise you against altogether Likewise there 's a fit season for spiritual conference This was much practised by the ancient Servants of God for we read * Propheta non tantum dicitquemque privatim tactum fuisque resipiscentia sed inter se loquutos quò significat debere studium nostrum extendi ad fratres nostros Calv. Then they that Mal. 3. 16. feared the Lord spake often one to another and the Lord hearkened and heard it and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord and thought upon his name God sometimes manifests himself in one Ordinance and sometimes he manifests himself in another though we are tyed and bound to wait on God in every Ordinance yet he is a most free Agent and as the Wind blows where it listeth so he works where he pleaseth Sometimes we may not get comfort by the Word or by Prayer or by receiving of the Lords Supper yet we may receive abundant comfort by godly conference Therefore be sure that you neglect not the Society of such who are able and willing to build you up in your holy faith and to speak a word of comfort in due season unto your Soul Sect. 14. 3d. Head In the third place in pursuance of my method I shall make it my business to exhort you to the practice of some particular Duties and they are these six especially Be frequent and serious in reading Duty 1. Be frequent and serious in reading of the Scriptures 2 Tim. 3. 5 of the holy Scriptures for they alone can make you wise unto salvation The Scriptures in some places are so plain as some observe that a Lamb may wade and in other places so deep that an Elephant may swim The Scriptures * Quae nullis non convenit annis Lacte rigans pueros pane cibans validos Prosper Psal 119. 24. Vers 50. suit all ages and all sexes and all conditions as is observed Tertullian an ancient Father saith I adore the fulness of the Scriptures The Psalmist declares Thy Testimonies also are my delight and my Counsellors And when he would raise to himself a ground of comfort he fastned upon the Word of God and there stay'd This saith he is my comfort in my affliction for thy word hath quickened me And unless he had received comfort from the Word he was sensible that he had been utterly undone Vnless thy Law had been my Vers 92. delights I should then have perished in mine affliction Questionless all Scripture is precious and the Lord would let none of Samuel's words much less would he let any of his own words fall to the ground and every part and parcel of the Holy Scripture is of the same piece of pure Gold and more to be valued than the gold of Ophir or the gold of Parvaim yet considering your present condition I advise you to the serious perusal of these ensuing Scriptures as most suitable unto your particular case One Scripture is mentioned by the Prophet Isaiah Who is among you Isa 50. 10. that feareth the Lord that obeyeth the voice of his servant that walketh in darkness and hath no light let him trust in the name of the Lord and stay upon his God Another Scripture is Light is sown for the Psal 97. 11. righteous and gladness for the upright in heart Between Seed-time and Harvest there is a considerable interval of time yet what hath been sown will come up in the appointed season Add hereunto a third Scripture homogeneous to the former Vnto the upright there ariseth light in Psal 112. 4. darkness To these Scriptures I shall add some others which have abundantly supported the afflicted Servants of God One is Return Psal 116. 7. unto thy rest O my soul for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee A second is of the Prophet Isaiah For Isa 57. 15. thus saith the high and lofty one that inhabiteth eternity whose name is holy I dwell in the high and holy place with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite ones A third Scripture is I came not to call the righteous Matt. 9. 13 but sinners to repentance A fourth is Come unto me all ye that labour Matt. 11. 28. 1 Tim. 1. 25. and are heavy laden and I will give you rest A fifth is This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief A sixth only which I shall mention is in the Revelations And Rev. 22. 17 the Spirit and the Bride say come And let him that is a thirst come And whosoever will let him take the water of life freely There are peculiar Psalms which I commend to your frequent and deliberate perusal and meditation viz. Psal 16. 18. 23. 25. 27. 32. 34. 42. 61. 62 and 63. Any one of these Psalms if you ponder them in your heart and pray that God would write them in your heart O! how abundantly may you profit thereby Read frequently and to reading add prayer and meditation Christ's incomparable Sermon Preached in the mount Matt. 5 6 7. and likewise Christs farewell-Sermon contain'd in Joh. 14. 15 16 17. Add hereunto a serious reading and meditating on Rom. 8. Though I exclude not other Scriptures for all are precious yet considering that many Christians have gain'd so much good by reading of those Scriptures I commend them to your reading
working prayer a heart-prayer inditâ—d by the Spirit of God Go 〈◊〉 to God in the name of Christ and be an importunate beggar at your Fathers dore Resolve not to be driven from your Fâ—thers dore nor to take any repulse Though God seems not to hear you must cry the louder though he forbears to open you must knock the harder It was an hâ—roiâ—al resolution of Queen Hester in a good cause I also and my maidens will fast likewise and so will go in unto the King which is not according to the law and if I perish I perish Resolve through the strength of God to go on in your duty and if you perish you will perish in the arms of Christ And in his arms there 's security Resolve I will go on in Prayer though I meet with many repulses Jacob was a gainer by his wrestlings for notwithstanding his lameness and halting he obtain'd a blessing which made amends It was an excellent resolution of Job Though Job 13. 15 he slay me yet will I trust in him Consider your interest in adoption and this consideration will set the spirit of prayer a working And because Gal. 4. 6. ye are sons God hath sent forth the spirit of his son into your hearts crying Abba Father Go to God as a Child to a Father and cry earnestly for grace and mercy God is a tender and compassionate Father and he will open his bowels and regard the cryes of his Children 5. Always remember that what 5. Prayer must be according to Gods Will. you pray for must be according to Gods will Consider therefore in your most serious and deliberate thoughts whether you pray for lawful things such as God commands you to pray for and promiseth to grant them For there 's no promise of hearing and accepting of any Prayer unless it be according to the Will of God And this saith the 1 Joh. 5. 14. Apostle is the confidence that if we ask any thing according to his will he heareth us Many things we ask for which would be a judgment if they were granted As for instance we ask for satisfyings of our carnal lusts and sensual appetites or when we ask for satisfaction of our pride malice revenge and inordinate passions and for superfluities and things unnecessary and inconvenient it 's just with God that we should miss and be frustrated of such things which we desire and expect when we ask amiss For saith the Apostle ye Jam. 4 3. ask and receive not because ye ask amiss that you may consume it upon your lusts Our duty is to study the revealed Will of God in the Holy Scriptures and accordingly we must frame our petitions submitting our wills in all things unto the Will of God The matter of our Prayer must be lawful things the manner of our praying must be with faith and fervency and the end must be for the Glory of God and the eternal good of our precious and immortal Souls and the time of answering of our prayers we must wholly refer unto the Will of God for he knows what is better for us than we know for our selves and he will do abundantly for us more than we can ask and think 6. And Lastly You must pray 6. Prayer must be with perseverance with perseverance As it 's your duty to pray so you must hold out and persevere in Prayer Concerning the Hypocrite Job saith Will he delight Job 27. 10 himself in the Almighty will he always call upon God Wherefore be sure that you omit not secret Prayer though you find your heart disordered dull and indisposed yet you must pray that God would set your heart in order and quicken and dispose your heart for his service Notwithstanding that you are perplexed with tumultuous perturbations and fluctuating thoughts and variety of fancies which are a grief and vexation unto your spirit it 's a good sign and character that your heart is right with God when through the Grace of God you continue praying and although at present your desires are not answered yet you have good ground for hope that God intends good to you because he keeps your heart in a praying-frame You must not only pray but continue instant in prayer for so saith the Apostle Continuing instant in prayer The Rom. 12. 12. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Thess 5. 17. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 original word implies strength and valour Neither must we pray by fits and starts but we must pray without ceasing i. e. We must readily embrace all opportunities of praying and be in a praying-disposition Sect. 18. 4. Duty Keep close to all Gods Ordinances A fourth particular duty is To. keep close unto all the Ordinances of God As I have insisted in the last particular on the Duty of Prayer which is a choice Ordinance and is both the priviledg and duty of Gods Children so I shall mention other Ordinances which you ought conscientiously to observe Three only I shall instance in not excluding any other Ordinance And they are Hearing of the Word receiving of the Lords supper and the strict observation of the Sabbath 1. You must be swift to hear the 1. Be swift to hear the Word of God Word of God preached You must not content your self with reading of Gods Word in your Closet but you must stir abroad to hear the word faithfully preached this is the arm of the Lord revealed and it Isa 53. 1. Rom. 1. 16 is the power of God unto salvation Attend therefore at the Posts of Wisdoms gate Lie in this way where Christ comes by wait as the impotent creeple did at the Pool of Bethesda multitudes of impotent folk Joh. 5. 4. lay there waiting for the moving of the water for an Angel went down at a certain season into the Pool and troubled the water whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had Neglect not therefore the diligent hearing of faithful Ministers whose endeavours are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. to divide the word aright and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. to walk rightly From such as are sound in Doctrine and holy in life and conversation absent not your self the word preached and delivered viva voce with warm affections and in the demonstration of the spirit and power mirabiles effectus habet for it 's instrumental to humble the proud heart to soften the hard heart and to level mountains as low as the valleys now every instrumental-cause must be reduced unto its efficient cause It was not Elijah's Mantle that parted the waters of Jordan but the Lord God of Elijah Elisha took up the 2 King 2. 13 14. mantle of Elijah that fâ—ll from him and went back and stood by the bank of Jordan and smote the waters and said where is the Lord God of Elijah So it 's the powerful operation of the Spirit of God which
Isa 26. 16. they visited thee they poured out a prayer when thy chastâ—ing was upon them Go on then O Christian and persevere in thy duty in frequent and fervent prayer though at present God who knows all and hears all seems not to hear yet be thou more earnest in Prayer and cry the louder and though God forbears to open yet thou must knock the harder If when God knocks thou readily opens the door of thy heart Christ himself will be thy guest and he is the best of all and thou shalt be his guest both active and passive For so saith the Angel of the Church of Laodicea Behold I stand at the door Rev. 3. 20. and knock if any man hear my voice and open the door I will come in to him and will sup with him and he with me David makes mention of the Generation Psal 24. 6 7. of them that seek the face of God And what 's their great Duty and Priviledg is specified Lift up your heads O ye gates and he ye lift up ye everlasting doors and the King of glory shall come in This as a learned Author observes Ainsworth in loc may be refer'd to Christian men which are the true Temple of God 1 Cor. 3. 17. at the door of whose heart Christ knocketh to have entrance and by the King of glory or glorious King is meant Christ who is call'd the Lord of glory 1 Cor. 2. 8. 3. Notwithstanding Desertions be 3. Keep fast your hold sure that you keep your hold fast and the anchor of your hope firm and stedfast Though God hides his face from you yet you must cleave fast to him and depend wholly upon him as your God and comforter for so the Church confesseth Verily Isa 45. 15. thou art a God that hidest thy self O God of Israel the saviour I was inform'd by a worthy Son of * Mr. Dod who wrote on the Commandments an eminently worthy father that one in great distress came to him and told him of his great perplexities and desertion saying that there was none like unto him and that he thought never was any one in such a forlorn and miserable condition as himself for by reason of his desertions he concluded that he had no evidence at all for his salvation To whom Mr. Dod that good old Disciple and Servant of Jesus Christ answered thus What think you of Jesus Christ For of him these dying words are recorded My God my God why hast Matt. 27. 47. thou forsaken me And yet notwithstanding that desertion there was a plain evidence by his appropriating God unto himself when he said My God my God Sometimes there may be a faith of recumbence though faith of evidence may be wanting Both sorts of faith are worth the labouring for though in the absence of the one the presence of the other may be a strong ground of supportation and consolation It 's storyed of Synagirus by an ancient Historian Instar rabidae ferae mortu navem detinuit Just Hist that when he was cast over Ship-board he held one part of the Ship with both his hands the enemy cut off one hand yet he held by the other presently that hand was cut off and then he held the Ship by his Teeth Let this Story be thus applied That we should never let go our hold and dependance upon God but whatever our troubles be though never so numerous yet let us resolve with that holy man Job Though he slay me yet will I trust Job 13. 15. in him but I will maintain mine own ways before him 4. Act Faith on Promises For the 4. Act Faith on Promises Promises are the stay and support of your soul God's Promises are his Bond and though men on earth will not take it well to be sued upon their Bonds yet God will take it well and he likes us the better for suing him upon his Bond. God speaks comfort to his people in his promises and not one tittle of the word of God shall fail God hath said it and therefore we must believe it Say to the righteous it shall be Isa 3. 10. well with him for they shall eat the fruit of their doings Solomon likewise assures us That though a sinner Eccles 8. 12. do evil an hundred times and his days be prolonged yet surely I know it shall be well with them that fear God which fear before him Hereunto we add that great and weighty promise full of comfort up to the brim But unto Mal. 4. 2. you that fear my name shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing in his wings Great things the Lord promiseth to his people Then will I Ezek. 36. 25 26 27. sprinkle clean water upon you and ye shall be clean from all your filthiness and from all your Idols will I cleanse you A new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and ye shall keep my judgments and do them These are precious Promises and they both have been fulfill'd as many can experimentally acknowledg and they shall be further fulfill'd to the people of God in his appointed time However God expects and requires that his people should make their addresses to the Throne of Grace for though God questionless will perform them and will not in the least be worse than his word yet his children are obliged to make their applications and supplications to God for the performance of them Thus saith the Lord God I will yet Ezek. 36. 37. for this be enquired of by the house of Israel to do it for them Sect. 23. 5. Ground of Comfort Now in the last place to conclude lest that I should exceed the bounds of an Epistle To what hath been said I 'le add some grounds of comfort which through the Grace of God may serve instead of Restoratives and Cordials to strengthen you And especially have before your eyes and upon your heart the counsel given by Christ unto the Angel of the Church of Sardis Be watchful and Rev. 3. 2. strengthen the things which remain that are ready to die Amongst others which might be mention'd I shall insist only on four principal grounds of comfort which all true Believers should apply unto themselves and stay and relye upon them The first ground of Comfort is 1. Ground of Comfort from the Divine Attributes drawn from the Divine Attributes Consider that you are a poor weak frail and feeble creature yet the Lord God whom you serve is the only omnipotent Lord God and his strength will be perfected in your weakness Your extremity will be Gods opportunity which he will in mercy improve for your succour and consolation It 's the comfort of all Gods children That there is help laid Psal 89. 19. upon one that is mighty You complain that you are subject to variety of changes
on those many and special Invitations * Ingens in nobis requiritur desiderium â—t tantoruÌ„ beneficiorum participes esse possimus Cal. in loc One is Ho every one that thirsteth come ye to the waters and he that hath no money come ye buy and eat without money and without price By waters are understood the Divine Ordinances by buying without price the riches of free grace and mercy in Christ are represented by coming is meant the using of those means which God hath prescribed as believing repenting hearing of the Word receiving the Lords Supper c. Another Invitation suitable hereunto is If any man thirst let him Joh. 7. 37. come unto me and drink A thirsty soul who is sensible of his want of Christ and that he is lost and undone without him hath a special invitation to come unto him The third Invitation which is sutable to the former runs thus And the Spirit and the Bride say come and let him that heareth say come and let Rev. 2. 17. him that is a thirst come and whosoever will let him take the water of life freely For Explication of that choice Scripture there is a special remark to be set on these particulars 1. Consider who are invited and 1. Thirsty persons are invited they are thirsty necessitous indigent persons who are apprehensive of their absolute necessity of having Christ and that no other waters but such living-waters as flow from Christ can satisfie them these only have a special Invitation 2. It 's said Whosoever will though 2. Whosoever will a willing mind is commended and accepted of by the Almighty God yet this willing mind is first given to us by God before we can imploy it for God We read that God stir'd up Ezra 1. 1. the spirit of Cyrus King of Persia to build the house of the Lord God of Vers 3. Israel he is the God which is in Jerusalem After the command of Cyrus the issue thereof followeth Then rose up the chief of the Fathers of Judah Vers 5. and Benjamin and the Priests and the Levites with all them whose spirit God had raised to go up to build the house of the Lord which is in Jerusalem As those who were builders of the Temple in Jerusalem had their spirits rais'd by God for that great work so all those who will do any spiritual and acceptable service unto God must first have their spirits rais'd and have a willing mind vouchsafed by God unto them Unless we have assistance from Christ and be acted guided and governed by his Spirit we can do nothing pleasing unto God All our fresh-springs are in Christ Phil. 2. 13. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysost All our sufficiency is from God And it is God that worketh in you to will and to do according to his good pleasure A fourth Invitation to name no more is that which Christ himself makes to such as are sensible of the heavy weight and burthen of their sins Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy-laden and I will give Mat. 11. 28. you rest Some understand the words of crosses and afflictions and others of the rigor of the Law and others of sin of all these burdens Christ can ease us * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 laboribus frangere lassare te significat Bilson de perpet Guber Hales 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sarcina proprie quae humeris fertur item quae navi imponitur V. Leigh Crit. Sac. The Original words are Emphatical and intimate that such as are even ready to sink under their burthens are invited to come to Christ for help and succour Put then the Question home to your own soul Are you sensible of the heavy burthen of sin and weary of it Is sin more grievous and burthensome to you than an aking Tooth or a broken Arm If this be your condition be not dismay'd but with all expedition go to Jesus Christ who alone can remove all your burthens and give you rest Sect. 25. 4. Ground of comfort the particular application of Christs merits I conclude all with the fourth and last Ground of comfort and with some suitable Scriptures appertaining thereunto As for this Ground of comfort though I name it last yet it is the chiefest of all it is the particular application of the merits of Christ as offered in the Gospel to your own soul We usually say that Medicines cure not in their preparation though to prepare them is necessary but in their application The Soveraign Medicine of the blood of Christ is of infinite dignity price and value One drop of his Blood and one dram of his Grace is sufficient for you The Apostle was once a great persecutor and afterwards was a zealous professor and Preacher of that Gospel which he formerly persecuted He ascribes the great change wrought in him to the grace of God * Quod dignitati suae tribuere non potest tribuit gratiae Dei agnoscit se alium esse personae de meriti sui indignitate alium per gratiam Dei Musc in loc By the grace 1 Cor. 15. 10. of God I am what I am and his grace which was bestowed on me was not in vain 1 Tim. 1. 17. However you may be troubled with variety of strong Tentations as the Apostle was and you may 2 Cor. 12. 17. have a Thorn in the flesh even * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. immissus mihi a satanâ— Grot. the messenger Satan buffeting of you yet if you wholly cast your self and rely upon the free grace of Christ tendred in the Gospel you will find all sorts of help in his merits for justification sanctification and consolation in this world and for glorification in the world to come It 's to be supposed that * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hunc comparat sudâ— ac paxillo quemadmodum sudes praeacuti carnem pungendo afficit sic sit illius infestationibus veluti punctionibus afflictatus Musc in Loc. 2 Cor. 12. 7 8 9. 1 Joh. 17. the thorn in the flesh was some strong Tentation wherewith the Apostle was assaulted and he made haste to God in earnest prayers and supplications This was the right and only means to obtain cure For the same wise God who exercised the Apostle with such tryals could only give a blessed issue out of them all You must after this example go and do likewise For this thing saith the Apostle I besought the Lord thrice that it might depart And he said unto me My grace is sufficient for thee For my strength is made perfect in weakness You complain that you are defiled with sins you must apply the Blood of Christ for it's cleansing blood to your soul The blood of Jesus Christ his son cleanseth us from all sin You frequently complain that you are a great sinner for an answer to your complaints I thus distinguish There are two sorts of