in this life For the better managing of which Use I shall tender to you 1. Directives or Mediums 2. Incentives 1. Directives to wit these 1 Directives 1. Labour to be born again if ye are not 1 Direct for so were those blessed Saints here who were so assured of their salvation as you may see v. 3. Hath begotten us again Give me leave therefore to insist upon Regeneration a little while And 1. Let me intrat you to imbibe receive and take inwardly the word of Regeneration whereby we are born again as it is written 1 Pet. 1.23 Being born again not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible by the word of God which liveth and abideth for ever where note that this Regenerating word of God is partly Law partly Gospel 1. As Law and so it doth three things 1. It discovereth unregeneracie and unregenerate men and shewes what manner of men they are like a glass Jam. 1.23 as for example by that famous place â—â—m 3.10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18. where it describeth them what throats mouths tongues feet they have I pray you read the place It is storied of Luther that a certain Jew would have poysoned him but was discovered by his picture sent to Luther by a faithful friend warning him to beware of such a man when he did see him such a faithful friend is the law which so discovers unregeneracie which would kill us by such a portracture that we may escape it and live 2. It puts life into sin as you may read Rom. 7.8 9. I was alive without the law once but when the commandement came sin revived and I dyed this is a notable place I pray you let me open it a little sin revived that is it began to stir to tear Nitimur in vetitum semper cupimusque negata to irrit to exite to do what is forbidden and to affright withall as some understand the place so that I felt it Before the law comes home close sin is as it were dead like a dead adder or Lion and so quiet but when the law comes it is like an adder which is alive so it bites and * 1 Cor. 15.56 stings and like a living Lion so it roars and so it terrifieth and makes men afraid to ‖ Deducit enim talis metus ad poenitentiam Clem. Alex. strom l. 2. p. 58. bring them to repentance and Regeneration 3. It killeth according to the fore-alledged place Rom. 7.9 Sin revived and I died that is I felt and saw that I was dead and damned by the law whereas before I was alive that is I thought as sure that I should be saved as any man alive Thus the law kills men and makes them sensible of the miserable sad and damnable condition wherein they are whilest they are in the state of unregeneracie according to that dreadful place John 3.3 Read it 2. As Gospel so the regenerating word of God holds forth one sweet precious promise or other like an orient pearl to revive the dying drooping spirits of men when the law hath brought them as it were to deaths door as for example That most refulgent and reviving promise in Ezek. 36.26 And new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you and I will take away the stonie heart out of your flesh and I will give you an heart of flesh Thus the Gospel opens a †Hos 2.15 door of hope for poor creatures condemned by the law that though they are and must be prisoners and condemned prisoners yet they may be prisoners of hope Zac. 9.12 that is may not be without some hopes of mercy and of a gracious deliverance Thus the law kills but the Gospel saves The law cometh bringing Damnation but the Gospel comes bringing salvation the law cometh with a dagger to stab those that are alive but the Gospel cometh with a plaister to cure those that are stab'd and lie for dead as Christ himself came to save those that were lost so the Gospel cometh to bring men to Christ that they may not be lost for when souls come to Christ being born again by the word of Christ Christ comes to them and when he comes salvation comes for he cometh bringing Salvation Zach. 9.9 Read the place that those which were under the sentence of Damnation may attain to the state of Salvation even the Salvation of their souls according to my text Now this regenerating word of God you must take and apply every one of you and not put it off or let it lie as dead saying Am not I such an unregenerate man now have not I such filthy hands which have touched the unclean thing Such a throat such feet such a mouth and such a tongue which hath talked so filthily c. But yet may not I hope that the Lord will shew me mercy and regenerate me also as well as others Giving me a new heart c. 3. Betake your selves to your * Matth. 6.6 and I allude to Esa 26.20 Chamber and spend at least one day as a day of ‖ Jejuniis orationibus vacato Ignatius fasting I have done the same upon the same account if you think that the time of your regeneration is near come as I hope it is and that the pangs of the new birth are at the door and shut your door and there and then see your selves convert according to Psal 4.4 thus rendered in your English meetre And in your Chamber quietly See you your selves convert 4. Begin to be in pain there as a woman in travel for the pangs of Child-birth must go before the Child's-birth and you must make this †Dr. Preston on Gods Alsuff account that if you never yet received the spirit of bondage you also never received the spirit of Adoption Rom. 8.15 and many there are who because they have withstood the troubles of their mindes and the terrors of the spirit of bondage have withstood their Salvation wherefore let me intreat you to take the pains to be in pains for a little season that you may be at ease to an endless duration and for a small moment to be in heaviness through some necessary perturbations that for ever you may be in joy and gladness through unspeakable consolations O let even all your joy be turned into sorrow now and your * Esto sicut Rex in corde tuo sublimis risui jubens vade ut vadat dic tu fletui veni ut veniat Clim Grad 15. laughter into grief that all your grief and sorrow had for sin now may be turned into laughter hereafter For blessed are ye that weep now for you shall laugh saith Christ Luke 6.21 5. Then cry out and 1. For Anguish 2. For and to the spirit 1. For Anguish as a * I allude to that famous place in Esa 26.17 Like as a Woman with child that draweth neer the time of her
delivery is in pain and cryeth out in her pangs so have we been in thy sight O Lord. woman when her time is near and her pangs begin to come upon her or as a child cryeth as soon as it is born so you before you be new born as thus what will become of our poor souls for they are yet unregenerate and therefore cannot in any wise enter into the Kingdom of Heaven unlesse extraordinary mercy be shewn them by the God of Heaven or thus as the Egyptians once cryed out when there was not an house in all Egypt where there was not one dead saying We be all dead men Exod. 12.30 33. And there was a great cry in Egypt See the place So let there be a great cry among you in every house and family For I believe that there is scarce an house where there is not one or more unregenerate and dead and in your several chambers 〈…〉 unto which you have according to my premised advice betaken your selves and let your cry be the same that was in Egypt Oâ— we are all dead men we that are unregenerate men for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it That except a man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God John 3.3 Not all the art and wit of man Not all the â—heâ—orick of the eloquent'st Orator Not all the inâ—reaâ—ies of Saints and Angels can therefore or will perswade God to take one that is a drunkard or Whoremaster or Usurer or Lyar or Thief or covetous man and such have been some of us into his Kingdom 〈…〉 even as not all the perswasions of the men of this Country are or will be able to prevail with any one of us to take but one toad or snake into his bosome Thus cry out for anguish 2. Cry out for and to the spirit of Regeneration for by the spirit also a man must be born again according to that famous saying of our Saviour John 3.5 where note that the Spirit doth three things to regenerate souls 1. He convinceth them John 16.8 9. 2. He injects the feed of Regeneration into them according to that of Saint John His seed remains in them 1 John 3.9 3. He delivers them and makes them free 2 Cor. 3.17 helping them to come forth out of the dark womb of nature into his marvelous light that by him as by a * Irenaeus adv haeres bal. l. 3. c. 40. Ladder they may ascend into * John 3.35 Heaven to our Father which is in Heaven so that unto him you must cry and say O blessed spirit of Regeneration Regenerate our souls O our poor souls that they may live O convince them of their unregeneracy O inject the feed of Regeneration into them from above Oh help them to come forth Oh let a new heart be given to us O let us have flexible and tender hearts like the heart of a little child for we also must be like little children Oh come blessed spirit come and help us Oh come quickly come presently and deliver us 〈◊〉 come now whilest we are in this Room waiting for thee as thou comest upon the Apostles in that house wherein they were sitting Acts 3.2 3. O let this be the time of our regeneration that we also may be sure of our Salvation here be earnest and cry mightily Nay if need be and thou canst not be heard in that day cry in the night too and so come to the Spirit at this time as Nicodemus came to Christ in old time even by night and so cry day and night and then it will not be long before thou shalt be delivered being regenerated for as Christ said once Luk. 18.7 8. And shall not God hear his elect which cry unto him day and night though he bear long with them I tell you that he will avenge them speedily So I shall not the spirit of God hear his elect which cry unto him day and night I tell you that he will hear them and deliver them speedily For ask and you shall have saith Christ Luk. 11.9 It is no more but ask and have ask therefore the spirit and you shall have * How much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him Luke 11.13 him ask Regeneration of the spirit understand in the manner aforesaid and you shall have it and it will not be long before you shall hear the spirit cry Abba Father Rom. 8.15 even most emphatically For therefore to the * Abba from the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jun. Tremel in Marc. 14.14 Syriack word Abba is added Father if you shall so cry day and night for the spirit to the Father Beloved there is no crying which the Father of mercies loves better and the Father of lies likes worse than this crying and therefore use it 6. Strive to come forth For as endeavour without God cannot so God without endeavors will not help us See Phil. 2.12 13. and therefore as Christ said once strive to enter so I strive to come out Luk. 13.24 for ye will find a very hard bout before ye will be able to come out therefore I say again strive and strive as other children do when they come to their birth or thus strive as once * Gen. 38.29 Pharez and Zarah in Tamars womb nay as Pharez so strove as that he made a breach and was therefore called Pharez from that breach so do you make a breach as it were and tear away from Natures womb and tear away from your beds of ease and sin and tear away especially from your lusts your pride of life your vile affections your violent passions your vain and filthy conversations your usury your atheism polytheism and abominable epicurism and whatsoever else is contrary to the holy Law of God thus strive to come out I pray you pardon my boldness which I took by this digression which carried me so far in this Sea of matter concerning our Regeneration and be pleased to impute it unto the vehemency of my love which made me thus to forget and to lose my self that you might not lose your selves which God in mercy grant 2. Labour to believe 2 Direct or Medium for so did those holy ones who according to my Text were so assured of their salvation v. 8. and besides if a man do believe and be sure of it that he doth he must needs be assured also that he shall be saved For so God loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life John 3.16 Mark He * Nay he that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life Joh. 3.36 which much more and plainly demonstrates that a believing soul must needs be assured of its salvation because it hath it shall have it saith Christ as if he should say he may be sure of it for the mouth of truth hath spoken it
follow Mark here are two witnesses to assure us of our both filiation and salvation 1. Our own spirit How our own Spirit what more deceitful than a mans own * Jer. 17.9 heart but stay it is not the carnal heart but theregenerate heart as the word spirit is taken 1 Cor. 2.11 whence * Origines in Loc. Origen The Spirit bears witness not to the Soul but to the Spirit that is the heart regenerated by the Spirit which goes for sence and feeling and finding it self to have Faith indeed and truly to be regenerated by the Spirit is able to say truly with the Apostle I know whom I have believed 2 Tim. 1.12 and I am crucified with Christ nevertheless I live yet not I but Christ lives in me Gal. 2.20 see the place Stapleton that subtile Popish Writer would have this witness to be our charity but there is not a syllable for it in the Text and therefore his assertion I reject for false The second witness is the Spirit of God who as a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Co-witness steps in and confirms what our own spirit affirms saying it is true thou art a child of God But how shall I know that this testimony is not a delusion but the Spirits truly Thus you may be sure of it saith a worthy Writer Either it is the Spirits or the fleshes perswasion Not the fleshes for that doth not lead us nor adduce us to divine and heavenly things therefore the Spirits and the Spirit doth not lie 〈◊〉 Bellarm. l. 3. de justif c. 9. Thus he Bell armine saith that this testimony of the Spirit begets but a conjectural certitude of our salvation but that is as false as God is true for can any thing be more true and certain than that which is asserted by the God of truth well then here are two Witnesses for you and you know what the Law saith that at the mouth of two Witnesses matters shall be established Deut. 19.15 and therefore why should ye doubt Chrysostom upon this place triumphs as it were saying * Chrysost in Rom. 8.16 to be noted against Bellarmines conjectural Assurance What ambiguity is there then left for us if a Man Angel or Arch-Angel promise a thing a man may happily doubt but sith the supreme essence of God's Spirit who makes us pray promises to them that pray and performs what he promises doth so bear witness within us what room is left for hesitating and doubting to us Labour therefore for this testimony of the Spirit Q. But you will say Qnest How shall we come by it Answ I Answ * Luk. 11.15 Crave it as thus O blessed Spirit bear witness to my Spirit that I am a child of God Venisancte Spiritus Come O holy Spirit and tell my Spirit so that my Spirit may rejoyce in the God of my salvation I being assured of my salvation Men suppine men to be witnesses for them but do you only intreat the Spirit to be a witness for you and he will be willing to do it for you For as Christ saith of the Father The Father himself loveth you John 16.27 so I of the Spirit The Spirit himself who is one with the Father loveth you Therefore go again and again to the Spirit and pray to the same effect saying Holy Spirit speak to my Spirit and speak plain even so plain as that I may know that it is thy voice and not the voice of a stranger for thy sheep do not love to hear the voice of * Joss 10.4 5. Joh. 10.3 strangers Nay come blessed Spirit and call me as it were by my * Rev. 22.17 name as Christ calls his sheep by name saying Christopher John Peter Mary thou art a Child of God O sirs let every one that heareth me this day say so come blessed Spirit come and testifie so and he that shall come will come and will not tarry and when he cometh Assurance cometh for he comes not alone when he cometh but his reward is with him and before him to wit his testimony and his earnest 2 Cor. 5.22 which is the exceeding great reward of our supplications and the merciful compensation of a truly gracious conversation 9. 9 Medium But I have one help more for you and that is you must try your selves daily by some evid ences for Heaven When a Traveller being bent for a certain place and told by signs and tokens which is the way to it as namely there are such Meadows at the one hand which he must pass by such miry places at the other which he must leave and such Mountains before him which he must pass over and he findes it so he is sure that he is in his right way and shall certainly come to the place appointed For saith he when he is past the places spoken of lo there be the meadows the miry places the mountains which I was told of I am past them now a child of God being bound and bent for Heaven is such a Traveller too according to that of the Psalmist Psal 84.6 and * thus rendred in your English meetre Psal 24.6 This is the brood of Travellers in seeking of his grace As Jacob did the Isralite in that time of his race And this Traveller is told in the holy Scriptures and by us Ministers which is the way to Heaven and how he shall know that he is in his way and shall certainly arrive there As for example such sins and waies which are like miry places and meadows must be left on the right and on the left hand and that such and such duties and perfections which are like high and craggy Mountains he must go over whereupon it followeth that when he looketh back into his life and courses and finds it to be so as he was told he must needs be assured that for certain he shall be saved for saith he are not these sins which I have left the miry places which I was told of and these pleasures of sin for a season which I have passed by the pleasant meadows which I was told of and those difficult duties which I have laboured to perform as believing self denyal a spotless walking and a constant and laborious serving of God even day and night the high and craggy mountains which I was fore-shown Beloved it is * Mr. Nichols hath it in his life reported of that holy man Ignatius Jordan whom I formerly mentioned that when he was near his end and one did ask him how he did and could so keep up and maintain his Assurance so constantly even to the end he answered that every day he did try himself by some undeceiving signes and evidences for Heaven that kept it up so died Do you therefore likewise as he did and you may be assured as he was But I know you will be very inquisitive now what those evidences are whereby you are to try your selves so and
of Grace upon our souls when our souls feed on Ambrosian dainties then are we entred into the Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ which then is in us as well as above us and consists in Righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy-Ghost Rom. 14.17 and therefore if now as well as hereafter you would live as it were in Heaven then get the Assurance of Heaven then beg it then seek after it by the means shewn for it and never be at rest till ye be so blest for then oh the extaticall leaps of your rejoycing hearts oh the dancings of your gladded spirits oh the gloryings of your ravâ—shed souls which then you will be able to tell of saying O what a Heaven did I feel in me when my Beloved spake to me and assured me that my poor soul should be saved undoubtedly Oh how sweet was that voice that word that saying to my soul O how was my soul then even heavened in God embosomed in Christ extatized in the Spirit and elevated to the highest horizon of divine consolation To say no more this entrance gotten by Assurance is the sweetest the deliciousest the pleasantest thing that ever beatified and warmed the heart of man upon earth for a very Paradise it is and a Heaven upon earth wherein I now desire to leave you upon earth and therefore I do so press it to make you press for it that you may gain it beseeching you by the mercies of God that you will after all this sadly and seriously consider all this and remember the sad condition wherein you formerly lived living in doubts and that if you love your souls you will now even heaven your selves upon earth ensouling your selves in God sunning your selves in Christ and emparadising your selves in that ever and over-glorious Assurance of salvation which I have so urged by believing and those other blessed means which have been foreshewn shewing your selves to be not hearers only but doers also and such doers as are excitated by the Word suscitated by the Spirit animated with heat of zeal elevated with height of hope and even ready to soar up upon the wings of confidence and joy beyond that flaming hill where the stars are and to enter that holy hill above where fulness of joy is unutterable tranquility blessed immortality immortal felicity to be enjoyed thorow all eternity To God alone be all praise laud and glory Fifteen Soul-solacing CONFERENCES WITH CHRIST Touching Sins and the World's Conquest by Faith Making use of the joys of Heaven and of Christ's sweetest Promises Love Death Offices Intercession and overcoming the World c. According to the High and Noble Art of fighting the great fight of Faith 1 Tim. 6.12 Fitted for all such gracious Souls as do most heartily defire to see the death of their strong and mighty Corruptions and a thorow Conquest of this vile and troublesom World By Christopher Jelinger M. A. LONDON Printed in the year 1664. The first Conference Tending to the right happy subduing of sin by the Word of Promise Mich. 7.19 Believer Psal 42.11 WHy art thou cast down O my soul why art thou so disquieted within me Soul Disquieted within me say ye Nay wonder that I am not even overwhelmed Believ What is the matter Soul Ah! sin sin Ps 38.3 4 6. which is as an heavie burthen even too heavie for me to bear it makes me grieve all the day long Believ I do not blame thee O my soul that thou art troubled takest on for sin For * a Cor. 7.10 godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation * Possidon in Vit. Aug. c. 27. attribuit haec verba Ambr not to be repented of but thou grievest too much as if thou wer'st without hope whereas thou servest a good and a gracious Lord who pittieth them that are his as a Psal 103.12 13. Father pittieth his children and removes our transgressions from us as far as the East is from the West Soul I grant that God is very pittiful but I doubt whether he will have mercy on me because it is written * Prov. 28.13 who so confesseth and forsaketh his sins shall have mercy but I am as full of sin still as the ground is full of piles of grass the sea-shore full of sands and the Ocean full of drops of water so that I cannot say that sin is forsaken and therefore I can expect no mercy Believ No mercy what doest thou then make of David whose words but now were cited did he not commit both murther and adultery and yet thou seest he doth not forsake his own mercy though he was not able quite to forsake his own sinful lusts Soul Will you compare your self with David who though he did fall grievously commiting murther and adultery yet was not full of adultery for he repented of that sin and of murther also and after that ye do not read that he fell so again but I your poor soul am as I said but now full of sin even sometimes full of envy then of pride then of lusts and therefore I must needs be hopeless Believ Hopeless I perceive O my Soul that thou doest utterly forget and bury in oblivion the sacred words sweetest consolation Soul What consolation Believ â— Tim. 1.15 16. That Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners of whom Paul was chief who yet obtained mercy Soul It should seem you will compare your self with Paul also who though he was bad before his conversion yet was not so afterward for he tells us that he was even * Gal. 6.14 crucified to the world and the world crucified to him but you are not so dead to the world for you take pleasure even too much pleasure and joy in the things of this world and are oft times mightily transported with the world and the fashions of it unto which ye do too much conform your self in your diet apparel discourse yea and ye cannot deny but ye are too eager in the pursuit of the profits and deceitful riches of this world forgetting both what the first and best Christians did before you and what you ought to do after them vilipending and despising all the worlds stately pomp and fading glory and therefore I am so perplexed Believ I do not equal my self with Paul but only comfort thee O my soul with his example for though I be not equally mortified to this vile world with him yet canst not thou deny but I do truly endeavour to be crucified to the world and I would have thee know that Paul was not an Angel neither though an eminent Saint but a sinner both before and after his conversion an impenitent sinner I mean first and a repentant sinner after for therefore he saith in the fore-quoted place Christ came to save sinners of whom I am chief mark I am and not I have been and again Rom. 7.15 that which I allow not I do mark do and not I