while it is Darknesse and therefore from the iustified sanctified is that wholly taken away But sorrow sicknesse temporall death and al other outward euils may cease to be euils yea they may bee turned into benefits and indeede are so by the excellence of him that dwelt in vs. But yet our Restorer ceaseth not in a meere deliuerie of vs from positiue euils but he goes farther in his bountie restoreth to vs a certaine abilitie of performing our dutie right of beholding our Creator yea a stabilitiein both which is more then formerly was giuen to Man As he freeth vs from Death so he giueth vs life as hee freeth vs from being disobedient to God so hee giueth vs an obediēce pleasing to God as he payeth for our defacing of Gods Image so he restoreth againe to vs the Image it selfe and finally as he taketh from vs the wrath and terrors of God so hee giues vs the pleasures and happinesse which are in the presence of God for euermore And all these benefits doth our Sauiour giue by one instrument or conueyance and by one action The meanes by which he bestowes and imparts his benefits is his Spirit and the action is Regeneration The Spirit of God is the breath and vertue of the Highest which cōmunicates life power to those whom hee vnites to himselfe euen as the Tree sends sappe into the graffe which it striueth to adopt after a sort and knit vnto it selfe By this Spirit is the vnitie and communitie betweene Christ and his members really performed forby this Spirit Christ liueth in his members and CHRISTS members liue in him Christ partaketh their miseries and takes them on himselfe and Christs members partake his Excellence and all the benefits of his being a Sauiour This Vnion is the knot of blessednesse it is the very graffing into the Tree of Life that which our first Parents lost both by eating and not eating hereby is recouered giuen to vs for by this Vnion we are one with God and GOD is one with vs which is the bond of perfection the action in which the Spirit of God entreth vniting is Regeneration or a new-making by which Man of sinfull and corrupt is made holy according to the Image of his Maker and from a slaue of sinne he is made an obedient sonne of God And now as wee beheld Man before in his miserie let vs behold Man restored to felicitie What euill can wee finde that is not taken away at least from being euill What good can we thinke of that is not supplyed in a greater degree then our thoughts can comprehend And if this bee not the true remedie of our miserie and our true exaltation to happinesse we are all lost for the world can shew vs no better After a supply of obedience to the Law and Iustice of God there is also a Sacrificé and satisfaction for the disobedience against the Law The greatest miserie of eternall death is vtterly taken away The euils of life are turned from punishments into exercises of the Spirit dwelling in vs or into chastisements of the corruption yet remayning with vs so are they benefits and no longer euils For the Spirit which is our life groweth by exercise as bodily strength doth by bodily labour and the sadnesse of the heart many times chasteneth profitably the remayning corruption of the flesh as frost doth the weedes As for corporall death which is commonly feared as the greatest euill it is turned into the greatest benefit For it is a dore both to goe out of this life of wretchednesse and to goe into a life of happines whereof the one is darkesome full of Serpents and hanted with spirits and the other glorious in light full of shining Angels and glorified Saints in Eternall blessednes As a dore in a partition betweene two roomes so is death between two liues it no sooner lets vs out of the one but it lets vs into the other so that we doe not so much goe out of life as go into Life for that onely deserues the name of life which is full of happinesse and that in perpetuitie and not that which is filled with miseries and whose speciall commendation is breuitie Therefore let it be farre from vs from henceforth to call that euil which deliuereth vs from miserie into felicitie Moreouer whereas we were in a continuall slauerie vnto corruption euen to that false knowledge of good and euill by which also we were obedient slaues vnto the Deuill the master and teacher of this knowledge Now that authoritie and command of corrupt and fleshly wisedome is broken downe foolishnesse sinne and the Serpent haue no longer dominion ouer vs neither are we at the direction of Lust to know and to doe onely what it teacheth and approueth Euils being thus altered and taken away from Man wee may also behold Man placed in his dutie which first and still is his way to happinesse Accordingly one and the same Spirit breatheth holinesse breatheth life and in the same seede whereby the Image of God isrenewed the life of God is communicated and by one new birth we are sons that is cōformable to God and Heires of God Thus are we most blessedly changed our miseries are cast behind our backs wee are placed in the path of dutie and therein we walke on to happinesse which stands as a marke before vs and here let vs settle our foot let vs fasten our steps in this path chalked out by the Spirit for the Spirit will both defend vs in this way and at last bring vs to the wayes end which is eternall felicitie In this path of the Spirit is perpetuall safetie and protection the Serpent cannot bite vs and if he doe bite his venom is turned into a medicine so that hee doth rather heale then poison For the Spirit is more good then any thing is euill it will sanctifie and blesse whatsoeuer befalleth vs and the malice of euils inflicted on vs is cured and made wholesome by the soueraign Spirit which dwelleth in vs. But perchance it will bee asked Why these seeming euils be not wholly taken away as well as altered it being better to the iudgement of Man that there were nothing bitter then that there should be a bitternesse though recompensed with sweetnesse Againe it may be asked why the remnant of corruption is so grent in Man that it leadeth Man captiue often to do that which he would not and the power of the Spirit is in so small a degree that hee cannot doe that which hee would To these and the like questions if the will of the Restorer were brought for an answere it might stand for an answere sufficient For it being Gods meere mercy to restore vs who can require him to shew vndeserued mercy in any other māner or degree then himselfe shall please But yet wee haue other reasons giuen one is that this place of our present being hauing been ouerthrowne made accursed by the fall of
Fountayne of goodnesse the Way to felicitie yea Felicitie it self The Manhood vnited to the Godhead is the Dore of happinesse and the Godhead vnited to the Manhood is Happinesse it selfe The life which in Paradise might haue beene receiued from the Tree of Life is now to bee receiued from that Manhood which is the Bread of Life And hee in whom is the Sabbath will now leade vs vnto the Sabbath which is in himselfe CHAP. IIII. The particular fitnesse of Mans restoring How it freeth him from miserie and in all points possesseth him of happinesse IT hath appeared how Man exchanged that which was his true felicitie but seemed not to be so for that which seemed to bee true felicitie but was indeed true misery Now let vs see againe how he can exchange his miserie for felicitie or rather how God doth it for him For God-in-Man our blessed Restorer hath done all things that may bee required for exchanging wretchednesse into blessednes and whatsoeuer God hath done is most fit yea necessarie for such an exchange To find the perfectnesse of our restauration in some measure let vs consider the miserie which we haue gotten and the excellence and happinesse which wee haue lost In our miserie we may with chiefest sorrow behold a roote of sinne an issue of corruption which being vgly it selfe begets also many sins vgly like it selfe and so altogether they prouoke the wrath and detestation of a pure GOD whereon attend all plagues temporall and eternal Man is the slaue of Wickednesse and Wickednes is the slaue of Iustice Wickednesse commands Man to offend Iustice commands Wickednesse to bee punished Here is the foundation of diseases famines pestilence heart-breaking cares and sorrowes the temporall death of the body and the thousand times more fearefull eternall death both of body and soule For Man being become a Nurserie of wickednesse wickednesse becomes the fuell of wretchednesse And as all these reall and positiue distresses afflict most miserable Man so hath he certayne priuations and absences of that excellence and happinesse wherein and whereunto he was created Hee hath lost the abilitie of doing the dutie of his Creation he hath lost the end and glorie of that duetie For hee hath lost obedience to God and he hath lost the Crowne of that obedience eternal fruition of God his soueraigne felicitie And now when the sore of mankinde was growne to this vastnesse that the whole world could not fit it with an equall plaister GOD who onely made Nature and can onely restore parts of Nature which are cut off and destroyed by his owne right hand and holy arme got himselfe the victorie ouer our miserie God doth put himselfe into the recouerie of mankind and if God be on our side Who can bee against vs for hee that will be against vs must needs be a Creature and therefore inferiour to him who made all things God being vnited to Man hath in himself an infinite store-house of blessednesse infinitely exceeding our miserie and whatsoeuer hee will blesse shall be blessed This blessednesse God imparts vnto Man either by turning bitternesse into sweetnesse euill into good or by taking away the bitter euill and putting the good sweetnes in the stead thereof And first toward the perfecting of this cure God in our Sauiour strikes at the roote of our miserie Sinne is the foundation of miserie our being against God who is holinesse sets God who is also happinesse against vs and after this we neede not to looke for any farther cause of wretchednes Neither is it a sufficient cure to heale vs of our old guilt of sinnes past because we still incurre a new by running into new sinnes because sin by lust hath dominion ouer vs. Therefore the chaines of this slauery vnto sinne must bee broken a sunder as well as the guilt of former sinnes purged Man being cleared from obligation vnto punishment must also be freed from obedience and obligation vnto that which obligeth vnto punishment This therefore our Sauiour vndertaketh and by a most precious Death and Passion satisfies the Iustice of GOD offended with our sinnes and after in a glorious Resurrection ray seth himselfe to a new life free from sinne which tooke away his former life and this free life by the spirit of libertie hee bestoweth on his members thereby discharging them from the slauerie of sinne and consequently of death the effect of sinne And that the Iustice of God might not yet complaine that though the breaches of the Law were satisfied yet the obedience vnto the Law was not fulfilled which was a yoke imposed on mankind by the Iustice of God in the Creation Therefore hee who freeth vs from the guilt of sinne and from the slauerie of sinne performeth also for vs a righteousnesse perfect without sinne that so the Law might clayme nothing of Man which by Man was not acquitted And this Righteousnesse as hee performed through his whole life so in that one action of his Passion he fulfilled a whole and intire Righteousnesse euen the length and breadth of the Law while for the loue of God and Man which is the substance of the Law he laid downe his life euen for the glory of God and the felicitie of Man Neither let the large communicablenes of this his absolute satisfying and bounding of the Law and Iustice of God be questioned much lesse censured by Mans foolish knowledge of good and euill for he who made this satisfaction is equiualent yea infinitely preualent to all mankinde his person is of more dignitie then all our persons and as an ordinarie King is more worth then a thousand of his subiects so this King of Kings is more worth then all the thousands of vs his Creatures And as his Person by reason of the Deitie is of such excellence so are also his actions euen of greater worth then if mankind had ioyned in the performance of them For according to the worth of the person is the worth of the action Now the person of Christ must surmount all creatures in dignitie for the worth of all Creatures floweth from the worth of Christ and the worth that giues worth must needes bee more then the worth giuen But if it be confessed that there is in Christ a sufficient worthinesse but there remaines a doubt how this may bee giuen to another It is answered that vnion makes a communitie the things of persons vnited are common to both by being one If a King marry the daughter of a meane person yet by the vnion of marriage his royaltie is cōmunicated to her by which though before a begger shee must of force become a Queene And now Man being freed from the burden of the Law and from the sinne and sinfulnesse which did sting vs by the Law the punishments which did before attend vpon sinne eyther altogether fall away or cease to be punishments Eternall death is a thing that cannot be made good no more then Darknesse can bee made Light
things must be considered First the presentnesse of the euill for our flesh is like Gun-powder it presently takes fire it breakes out suddenly vpon vs there is no way to bee before it but by watchfulnesse For when a man meetes an occasion of Anger of Lust or of some other passion if he bee out of his watching his house is by temptation set on fire about his eares before hee sees that hee was tempted But the watchfull man is still in his spirit and so is still before the temptation yea the temptation comes still before him and not behinde him euen in his sight and vnder his view Therefore he forewarnes his owne soule and so forewarnes her to preuēt the harme which approcheth towards her Watchfulnesse tells the Soule here comes a temptation of Wrath there a temptation of Couetousnesse and another way a temptation of Lust and then the soule knowes her busines which is to walke in the Spirit and not to fulfill the lusts of the flesh but the heedlesse man he hath raged he hath lusted he hath coueted before hee thought hee did so and as a bird only by being taken takes too late a knowledge of the snare so the vnwatchfull man doth first fall into some odious extremitie and then by the feeling of his fall knows to no purpose that he is falne and that such a temptation was the cause of his fall whereas watchfulnes by fore-seeing the temptation would haue kept him from falling And when a Man is falne into sinne then as much goodnesse as there is in such an one so much sorrow there is in him also whereas a little care before would haue saued both the sin and the sorrow The soule may bee kept cleane with lesse paine then she may be clensed being defiled for now shee must bee washed with teares and hardly rubbed with the rough hand of sorrow before our Sauiour will come neere to wash away the guilt by his passion Now that thy Watching may bee sure to preuent temptation as soon as thou watchest bodily watch also spiritually and let thy watching bee more early then Temptation Know that thou awakest among Philistiens therefore shake thy selfe vp and stirre vp the gift of God which is in thee and so put on the Armour of God that thou maiest stand in the euill day Put thy very first thought in order for the further our thoughts runne astray with DINAH the more danger of rauishment the harder is their recouerie But the heart being set in tune like a clocke in the morning it will goe the truer all the day after Wherefore set thy heart betimes in the way of GODS Commandements commit it to the Spirit to be guided in this way for the Spirit is the firie Chariot that carrieth our soules through the way of Pietie to the Countrie of Felicitie But hauing thus set forth in thy way still keepe close to thy Guide that thou continue in thy way for hee that keepeth his way keepeth his life and hee that keepeth his Guide keepeth his way but he that for saketh his Guide hazzardeth the losse both of way and life Surely if the heart running astray from the Spirit be suffered to take a full taste of naturall things it will hardly in a long time rellish spirituall things and therefore it is best both to season the heart first with spirituall things and after to watch that it doe not carnally that is ouer-greedily deuoure carnal things Yea beyond this thou must euen watch thy watching that it bee not stolne from thee for the craftie Serpent will often cast before thee some pleasant or cumbersome temptation to rob thee of thy watching if it bee not watched For securitie which is so easie to Man is also a chiefe ease to Satan For by it the gates of the soule stand alwayes open to him and hee may goe and come whensoeuer hee listeth On the other side watching is somthing painfull to a man and contrarie to Satan and therefore man will the sooner be perswaded to forgoe it and Satan will be readie still to perswade him But let such know who complaine of the hardnesse of this and other diuine exercises that custome makes hard things easie and assured happines makes hard things plesant Let them beleeue that the wages shall infinitely ouermatch the worke and it is inough If they belieue this they will throng violently into heauen and no paines shall stop them if they beleeue not this they are no Scholers for the Schoole of happinesse for beliefe is the ground of this learning their portion must be a sensuall brutish vanishing and dying life A second reason of watchfulnesse is the affinitie and kindred betweene our flesh and the world There was an old contract made betweene them in Mans fall and the world still continues the sute though we be new married to the Spirit there are certain cart-ropes of sinne which were once fast tyed betweene the flesh and the world which as the good Spirit hath out off by the knife of Circumcision so the wicked spirit seekes to knit againe by conuersation for well knowes Satan that if the flesh draw the world into the heart himselfe also rides in vpon the world For this is one of PHARAOHS Chariots which still pursueth the Israelites the Flesh is in stead of the lustie and proud horses the World is the chariot and the Deuill is the Rider and this Triplicitie sighteth against the Trinitie in vs. Let vs therefore be euer warie lest some tricks of the old loue passe vnespied let vs be carefull that the corrupt flesh nibble not too long yea not at all on the world for it will grow hungrie by eating and the taste will bee so pleasant that it will not bee contented vntill it eate with greedinesse and then wo be vnto vs for wee haue receiued deepely the loue of the world which as much as it is so much it excludeth the loue of God and so much it bittereth the sweetnesse of the Spirit yea euen in the lawfull loue of lawfull things let our watchfulnes continue for such haue betrayed many soules and while that which is lawfull hath been too carelesly admitted or too carefully sought a thing lawfull in matter hath beene vsed in a fleshly manner so things lawfull haue beene carnally and vn-lawfully enioyed The flesh hangeth so fast on vs that it will hang fast on our actions if we shake it not speedily from our hands as PAVL did the Viper To doe this let vs still mistrust the old alliance and let this mistrust breede watchfulnesse and let our watchfulnesse still keepe vs in a right fashion and standing toward the things of the world Let the soule behold the world as a thing from which she is diuorced as a thing made to bee her seruant and slaue finally as a thing folded vp in the state of perishing and vanitie Accordingly let her looke soberly chastly and coldly vpon it let her vse it as a
aspiring sinne hath assayed and vndertaken the conquest and death of the Spirit And on the other side we finde the Spirit grieued yea fainting and gasping for life Let the soule and all the powers thereof rise vp in armes for the suppressing of the body of death and for the rescuing of life Eternall Not a common fire but the fire of Hell hath feized not vpon our common houses but vpon the Temples of the holy Ghost what haste or care can be great inough to rescue such vnualuable habitations from so abominable a desolation Let vs run therefore and that speedily into the water of Baptisme to quench the firie darts of Satan let vs steepe our soules therein vntil the flame of sinne bee extinguished our soules washed cleane restored to their former beautie yea made fairer then before For euen by sins may the Spirit take occasion to increase grace though not by the nature of sinnes but by the soueraignty of that Spirit which powerful aboue all things turneth all things to his owne aduantage of sinnes maketh a plaister against sinne and by falls makes vs more safe from falling The mightie Spirit of God is as powerfull as ouer when with AARONS rod wee bee changed into serpents God can turne vs againe into rods bearing blossoms and fruit But that we faile not in this precious Art which turnes Scorpions into medicines and iudgement in to mercy Let vs obserue the true rules of iust proceeding And first sitting downe in the Court of Meditation let the sin which hath laid violent hands on the Spirit bee brought before our consideration euen in the vglinesse thereof Let it appeare iust as it is ragged putrifide and lothsome without the couering of Fig-leaues euen of partiall and deceitfull pretences Now that we may the more carefully view and iudge our sinne let vs remember that this Iudgement is the Iudgement of God and not of Man wee sit as in Gods place to iudge our selues that God may not haue neede to sit himselfe in iudgement vpon vs. For if we doe not iudge our selues well God will come himselfe to iudge vs better he will by his punishments set our sinnes in order before vs and his punishments will be double One for the sinnes which wee haue committed another for the partiall and corrupt iudgement of the same sins Wherefore without shewing mercy on these Cananites which shew crueltie to vs by being thornes in our sides pricking vs vnto death let vs take our sinnes and strip them starke naked that euery part and circumstance of them may appear Hauing done this let vs in one sight euen in a view of comparison at once behold the purenesse and holinesse of our Maker expressed in his Law ioyning therewith the infinite loue which hath powred it selfe out vpon vs in his inestimable benefits And euen then let vs also look on our deformed sins so contrarie to his puritie and on our selues offending by those sinnes against so great a Goodnesse And when we thus haue seene so pure and so gracious a Creator and withall behold so impure vngratefull and rebellious creatures how can the soule chuse but flie into her owne face to teare herselfe in pieces for disobeying the voice and crossing the goodnes of a most pure and bountifull God The sinne being compared to the Law will appeare crooked and full of deformitie it will be called foolishnes and filthinesse because it transgresseth the Lawe of the highest wisdome and puritie In summe the Soule in zeale indignation and reuenge will pronounce iudgment against her selfe and her accomplice the body she will pronounce the body worthy of smart and punishment eternall and in testimony that she beleeues what she saies she will perchance chastise him with mourning fasting and aspetity which also may bee profitable to this end that the sinfull body tasting some degree of his owne deseruings may loath that sin which deserued to feele without end and measure the punishment which she for a season only and in measure inflicteth on it And on her selfe will shee likewise powre forth iudgement That she who was made to the Image of God and should haue guided her selfe and the body according to that Image for forsaking her function hath deserued to lose both the Image of God and the sight of God for euermore She iudgeth her selfe worthy to passe from the darknes of sinne vnto the darknes of punishment and eternall horrour And in testimony hereof she sets the Vnderstanding Will and Affections against themselues to accuse vpbrayd and lothe their owne filthines so that the soule which hath doomed her selfe to deserue eternall trouble ratifies her sentence on her selfe by a selfe-vexation But is this the end of Iudgement that soules may therby despaire and dye No surely But this humiliation and Prostration is the foote of the valley which they must descend into that will ascend to the height of the Mountaine of God We are the sonnes of death and to vs is appointed a space to abide in the valley of death That is our naturall and first walke and in it must we doe the homage of our naturall condition before we may comfortably looke vp to the bills from whence commeth our saluation In summe God wil haue our miserie consequently our neede of a Sauiour acknowledged before a Sauiour shall be imparted But hauing condemned our selues and our sinnes euen to the pit of hell and being as sicke of sorrow as we are of sinne then may we hopefully go to the Phisicion of our soules who came into the world only to cure the sicke and to giue them only Light who sit in darknes and the shadow of death Behold thou selfe-iudgeing and selfe-condemning Soule thou hast preuented the Iudge of the world thou hast done vpon thy selfe his worke of Iustice and hast left him nothing to doe but this worke of Mercie Accordingly hee offers thee the waters of Baptisme which are the waters of Life Wash and bee cleane And that thou mayest know how to wash vnto cleannesse know and consider the diuers conditions of thy filthines and the diuers operations of this Water proportionable to that diuers condition that so to thy seuerall kinde of defiling thou mayest fit a seuerall kinde of washing In thy sin thou hast contracted thy olde contrariety vnto God thou hast brought backe the flesh vpon the soule thou hast for the time healed vp the cut of Circumcision and art become one with thy flesh from which by Regeneration thou wert diuorced So by touching this Pitch is there come vpon thy soule a spot of thy old corruption and to this is added the guilt of a sinne which hath proceeded from this corruption So art thou in a double disease thou art defiled by the touch of thy flesh and thou are arrested seized by guilt the fruite of Sinne the fruit of the flesh Thou art filthy and thou art guiltie Now in the water of Baptisme there is also a double vertue fitted for
thy double miserie There is one that washeth away thy guilt And another that washeth away thy corruption one that washeth away the fruite of the flesh and another that washeth away the flesh it selfe One of these is the bloud of Christ the other is the Spirit of Christ one is Iustification the other is Sanctification And these two CHRIST hath inseparably conioyned because he will haue them inseparable for he importeth his iustifying bloud by a sanctifying Spirit Whome Christ clenseth he will throghly clense not taking away the guilt and leauing the corruption nor taking away the corruption leauing the guilt but at once clearing both corruption and guilt by sanctification and iustification Wherefore when wee come to bee washed by Christ and haue recourse to his waters of Purification whose clensing was applyed mainly and generally to the whole body of sin in Baptisme if accompanied with Regeneration but the vertue thereof is also particularly to be applyed through our whole life to the particular sinnefull fruits of that body of sinne wee must beware of three faults The one that wee begge not the water of Iustification and leaue vnasked the water of Sanctification that we seeke not forgiuenesse onely but also amendment For if we will haue but one we shall haue neither this gift of Christ being alwayes double or not at al but thou must vpon better reason say as that Disciple of Christ said Not my feet only but my head also so say thou Not the defiled feete of the guilt of my sinnes but the polluted head roote of those sinnes so shalt thou bee wholly cleane The healing and closing flesh must bee new ript from the soule by the sword of the Spirit euen by holy Conuersion Repentance and Amendment the face of the soule must bee washed with the Oile of the Spirit to take away the spots blemishes receiued by the pitchy touch of sinne and then the bloud of CHRIST will take from vs the guilt of sinnes being formerly abandoned forsaken and thrust out of doores by the Spirit A second fault is a vehement desire and indeuour and performance of this part and dutie of sanctification without the cōfortable hope confidence of instification This infirmitie is most vsually found in broken afflicted souls who most vehemently desire renewing and reformation yet dare not to lay hold on iustifying and absoluing These are contrarie to the former offenders for they presently lay hold on Christ for mercy but neglect the holinesse without which no man shall see GOD and these striuing mainly for holinesse by doubt goe about to put from them that right in Christs bloud which belongeth chiefly to such as they are euen to the humble and meek to them that hunger and thirst for Righteousnesse A third fault is the misordering and misapplying of these Waters such is the washing away of guilt by the water of Sanctification of corruption by the water of Iustification For though they bee both ioyned together and doe not at all diuide themselues yet being ioyned they are not confounded neither doth the one properly performe the worke of the other Christs Bloud iustifies Christs Spirit sanctifies the Iustification is not without Sanctification neither is the Sanctification without Iustification yet Iustification is not Sanctification neither is Sanctification Iustification the Iustice of God is satisfied with bloud and his holinesse is pleased with purenesse in the inward parts in these two thus distinguished lyeth the Tenor of the new Couenant For thus we finde it described He will take away our sins and hee will giue vs new hearts But after wee haue sinned the renewing of our hearts is not a purgation of our guilt but of our corruption the purgation of our guilt being wrought by the bloud of Christ though imparted and sealed to our spirits by the same Spirit by which we are renewed yea euen the same time now because in this change and renewing of our minds the Spirit entreth into vs with fresh grace by which entrie the vertue of Christs satisfaction entreth also offereth it selfe to comfort and heale vp our consciences with assurance of forgiuenesse all Christs benefits being reached to vs by one onely Spirit therefore many times is Repentance said to be the cause of forgiuenesse not as some otherwise Venerable haue anciently misse-conceiued that the grace of Repentance is a sacrifice for sinne or that Contrition Conuersion by themselues can satisfie for the guilt of sin but because in the grace of Repentance the Spirit entreth bringing also with him the grace of CHRISTS Iustification In summe by the admitting of CHRISTS Spirit renewing we receiue Christ acquitting and renewing vs as the point of the Needle of the Spirit by which the Spirit pierceth it selfe into our hearts bringing the pardon of sinnes repented into our soules and the same sent from God for his Christs sake but imparted sealed and ratified by the Spirit This washing thus fully and duely performed and the Spirit restored to his former dominion he commonly fortifies himselfe by the remembrance of his late losse and hee striues to take deeper roote because his weaker rootes were before so much mooued and shaken He keepes a more carefull watch against the enemie and with a kind of malice especially against that sinne that before had foyled him He sucks harder from hence-foorth by more feruent desires at the great Spirit whose Ocean supplyeth him and filleth the Creekes of all emptie drie and thirstie soules and thus is sinne turned into a medicine against sinne and grace prospereth by her losses To this large and waightie kinde of Meditation which asketh both length and strength of Intention and requires the soule to be at leisure for it wee may adde a lesser and a shorter sort as it were in a portable and manuall forme to carry stil about vs for our continuall vse to which wee may haue continuall recourse amidst the continual distractions of this troublesome and toylesome life This is to be stil in the hand of a Christian as a Leuell in the hand of a Builder that he may square out his actions conuersations rightly thereby The most profitable fashion of this portable Meditation is when in few words it comprehends the summe of our businesse and dutie whereof there are patternes to bee found in the holy Scriptures or if wee list wee may fit the words our selues so wee fetch the matter frō thence A good one shall we find in the Epistle to TITVS The Grace of God hath appeared which teacheth vs to denie vngodly lusts and to liue godly righteously and soberly in this present world And in the second to the Corinthians Whether yee eate or drinke or whatsoeuer yee doe doe all to the glorie of God and that of the Royall Preacher Feare God and keepe his Commandements for this is the whole of Man If this be practised by vs wee shall finde this double benefite thereby First if we be in the beginning
onely acceptable Without fire it is no Sacrifice for euery sacrifice must bee salted with fire with strange fire as of superstition or the flesh it is worse then no Sacrifice and therfore it must euen be the heauenly fire of Grace which makes the Sacrifices acceptable and this is most fitly kindled by Meditation And thus if wee kindle the fire of Grace by the Bellowes of Meditation this fire that now guideth moueth and comforteth our soules in the Pilgrimage of this life shall in the next life breake out into a flame of Glory wherein we shall bee inthroned like the Sun shining before the lesser Starres in brightnesse as we haue here excelled them in Holinesse CHAP. VIII Of Association AS euery strong thing is made stronger by the combination of a like thing vnto it and as the heat is the more increased by the meeting of diuers things that haue heate So is also the Spirit increased in vs by the fellowship of them that haue the Spirit When spirituall Men ioyn their spiritual strength together they will like DAVIDS valiant men breake more strongly thorow the Hosts of the Philistians temptations obiections and afflictions and fetch away more safely and soundly the Waters of Grace from the Fountaine of Life This Association of Saints is that Bed of SALOMON wherein two lying together haue heate but he lyeth in the Bed of woe that lyes alone When two strings of diuers Instruments are set to one Tune if one of them bee mooued the other leapeth and danceth And how can it bee but that when two men tuned by one Spirit do meet the Spirit of the one must needs reioyce and be liuely when it heareth the voice of the Spirit in the other IOHN BAPTIST being sanctified with Grace in his Mothers wombe euen in that wombe springeth for ioy at the voyce of that Virgin who was intitled Full of Grace Yea ELIZABETH her selfe falleth into an heauenly Trance and rising aboue her selfe she is filled with the Holy Ghost and prophesieth the blessednesse of the Virgins Son Surely there is not a more pleasant and comfortable thing then Harmonie for it is indeed the ground of all pleasure Now the chiefest Harmony is of the chiefest things and these are Spirits The highest of this kind is in the highest Spirit euen of himselfe with himselfe The second betweene the highest and the lower And the third betweene the lower themselues From this last Harmonie doth arise both ioy and incouragement our Spirit first is cheered then incouraged and so aduan ced in the way of Holines The Saints of God either by their gracious words or holy Examples stirre vp the gifts of God in vs they eyther adde something to our Zeale or something to our knowledge yea if they be inferior to vs in both yet by instructing and prouoking them we many times instruct and prouoke our selues Surely there issueth oft-times from the meanest something which may better the best either immediately or by the consequence of some Meditations awaked by conference Euen in the communication of the Spirit the Spirit increaseth and our Talent by lending multiplyeth in the most profitable and commendable Vsurie For the Spirit is so excellently good that it desires to haue his goodnesse communicated yea it will reward thee that giuest it abroad by increasing thy abilitie of giuing So art thou made a great gainer for it is doubly multiplyed to thee as it is the Bread of Life for thy eating and as it is the Seed of Life for thy sowing the more thou sowest the more mayest thou eate and the more mayest thou sow Wherefore let vs not as some doe forsake the fellowship communion of Saints Let vs not make the Spirit in vs both dumbe deafe by separation and diuision for such it is when it cannot heare nor speake the language of heauen Let vs not depriue our selues of the great benefits of spirituall traffike commerce thereby knitting vp and stopping the prosperitie growth and enlargement of the Spirit Let vs not bind our selues to our own infirmities falls and wants for lacke of opening and cōmunicating our estates for many haue falne and neuer risen againe because they haue gone alone neglecting the companie of such who could haue giuen them the hand to raise them from their falls Wee are all Brethren and Countrimen and withal Pilgrims in a strange Countrie How glad should Brethren and Countrimen be to meet in a strange Land especially in the Land of enemies such as this World is For this World shunneth vs it hateth vs our persons and our courses are odious because contrarie to them How should their strangenesse malice increase our mutuall loue and conuersation How much more need haue we to counsell conferre each with other since wee liue as it were in a siege of temptations and persecutions And if the wisedome of Religion cannot perswade vs let the patterns of Nature which are the books of the Ignorant teach vs let the herds of Beasts and the swarmes of Bees the flights of Doues instruct thee to beleeue that things of one kind preserue and cherish one another by mutuall societie But if for all this wee will needes bee strangers one to another differing and dissenting among our selues Let vs be sure that we then rip that loue from our selues which is the badge of the Family of God wee lose the comfort of loue which is one of the greatest in our way to happinesse we separate those whom God hath knit together we lose good instructions and good examples and finally wee weaken our selues by diuision and make the scattered Armie of God a prey vnto their pursuing enemies Let vs much rather with the Prince Prophet reioyce in them which excel in vertue Let our delight bee in the Saints on earth and let the sons of God loue their Brethren begotten by the same Father Let vs confirme and prouoke one another to good works Let vs associate our selues to them who by word or deed can supply our spiritual defects from whose speech wee may learne what wee know not and by whose exhortation wee may bee mooued to performe that which wee know and doe not and by whose examples wee may haue vertues patterned vnto vs shewed to bee possible yea easie to the resolute man of God But neuerthelesse in this Christian good fellowship doe not pull out thy owne eyes that thou mayest loue all alike that carry the title of Christians Thinke not all them to be Israel that put on the name of Israel Where thou seest no contrarie cause there let charitie carry away thy affection but in a degree according to the degree of vertue Yea though thou seest fals and slips if acknowledged and recouered restore such a one with the Spirit of meeknesse lest thou haue need also to be restored by him But if thou seest one couering a continuall Couetousnesse Pride Malice Oppression and such other sinnes with a long thicke cloke of
doore of Death to admit the Prince of Death but by Patience admit the King of Glorie and giue him the possession of thy soule for his stripes are healers his chastizements are restoratiues and his strokes are the strokes of a Father So shalt thou prosper in grace by afflictiōs through the good husbandry of Patience and on the other side thou shalt preuent all Satans mischieuous purposes euen all the euils that vsually doe issue from a tottered disioynted and abandoned spirit Now that thou mayst prouide for thy selfe such a strong Patience which may bee a Coate of proofe to the soule thy Patience must be tempred and steeled with Resolution This Resolution is the Armour of thy Armour euen the keeper of thy Patience which is the keeper of thy soule and the Graces bestowed vpon it For hereby wee are constantly prepared to indure all the crosses and troubles of this transitorie race of miserie And this Resolution to be good must also issue from faith that sees GOD our felicitie who otherwise is inuisible and from hope by which future blessednesse though absent yet assured yeelds vs comfort aboue all vanishing miseries Thus the Souldier of God warfaring against the Enemies of his heauenly Countrie stands inuincible against the gates of Hell and himselfe being wounded or slaine yet his Patience and consequently his soule is safe and aliue But if thou hast not this Resolution stil ready at hand thou art impatient as soone as thou feelest a blow thou must needs run away for thou didst neuer resolue to fight Thou hast not made thy cōputation what the Kingdome of Heauen will cost thee or at least when thou sawest the reckoning thou diddest not resolue to bee at the charge Therefore thou art not for the Army of Christ for all his Souldiers haue resolued to sell all to take vp his Crosse and to follow him in the way of suffering vnto the Crowne of Glorie To conclude that wee may yet bee more secured that neither our Patience nor Resolution faile vs in the day of tryall Let vs know by whose strength wee may stand and in that strength let vs especially seeke strength We may doe well to open the Eye of Faith to behold the ioyes of Heauen which are eternall for Christ on the crosse beheld this Glory therefore endured the Crosse no doubt the same ioyes seene with the same sight may worke the same Resolution We may doe well to apply the Oyle of hope to the sores and wounds made by troubles temptations we may doe well to behold the loue of GOD which wee cannot thinke intends to punish or torment but to amend and exalt and we may doe well to looke vpon the print of Gods seale in our hearts by which that loue is assured to vs. Yet when wee haue done all this it is the power of God that makes all this profitable to vs. If GOD draw in his breath we shall be troubled in the midst of our Contemplations and Resolutions we shall after many protestations deny him with PETER all these helps will helpe vs no more then the Law did the Iewes without the strong Helper For euen Christ himselfe by the power of God endured the wrath of God and by being GOD despised the shame imposed for the sins of men The Glory proposed comforted him but by the Comforter the Spirit which hee had not by measure did aboue measure quicken him with the sight of those ioyes Wherefore let vs especially by earnest Prayer resort to our chiefe and only strength without whom no man shal bee strong in his owne strength Let vs seeke of God that power by which PAVL being strengthened was able to doe all things Let vs put our trust in God alone and with DAVID call him our Rocke our Fortresse our Shield and our strength We are but Dwarfes to Satan and hee that is in the World is farre greater then we But if God be in vs hee is farre greater then he that is in the World and he can make our weaknesse to exceed Satans strength Therfore disclayming the keeping of our selues let vs commit our selues to GOD trusting that he will keep to the end what wee haue committed vnto him Let vs draw neere vnto GOD and to the power of his right hand let vs take vp our rest vnder the shaddow of his wings In his Name and not in our owne may wee boast all the day long for it is his right hand that will get himselfe the victory in vs. If thus wee seeke the Lord hee will be found of vs if we ascribe power to the Lord the power of God will descend to those that glorifie his power if we trust in the God of Battailes of weake we shall be made strong as the faithfull haue beene in the dayes of old And if we can once say The Lord girdeth mee with strength to the battell wee may also say Those that rise against vs shalt thou subdue vnder vs. Let Principalities Powers muster vp things present and things to come height and depth life and death yet in all these shall wee be more then Conquerours through him that loueth and sustaineth vs. Our Patience and our Resolution are grounded vpon the Rocke of Omnipotence though the windes blow the flouds beat they shall stand for they are grounded on a Rocke and while Patience standeth the Soule flourisheth where God seeth Patience he seeth also that the workes are more at last then at the first for that and that alone is a good and fruitfull ground which bringeth forth fruit with Patience CHAP. XI Of the finall possession and fruition of Happinesse THis World though of it selfe it be vnto Man but Misery or Vanity yet by the Mercy of the Creator it is made vnto Man a Nursery vnto Happinesse For the Creatour hauing lost his Creation recouered it by Redemption And by this Redemption the World which otherwise is but troublesome transitorie yet it serues to fit vs for Ioy and Eternity yea the troubles and transitories thēselues are imployed to doe much of it For the troubles of this life beate vs on to ward future blisse and the transitorinesse deliuers vs vp to euerlastingnesse In this life is the Bride trimmed and dressed here is she decked for the Day of her Gladnesse and here being made glorious within shee goes hence to be made perfectly glorious both within and without hauing glorified God by an inward Puritie shee goes to bee glorified by God in a shining Eternitie But what tongue of Man can expresse the Glory of this felicity which the Heart of Man cannot conceiue The Tongue must receiue it from the Heart and the Heart it selfe doth not receiue it The Tongue is more narrow then the Heart and the Heart is infinitely too narrow for the receit of these Ioyes so how narrow must bee Mans relation of this Happinesse which must issue from that which is narrower then that which is infinitely narrower then
For how can a Creator continue his bountie when hee sees his Creature doth onely make vse of him that he sorues his owne turne vpon him and makes himself the end of God and not God the end of himselfe Therefore euenholy HEZEKIAH while he is more carefull to shew the glorie of his Treasures to the Heathen Ambassadors then to giue glorie to God for his health by which he inioyed them the treasures must bee carried away to the same Babylon whose Ambassadors he had intertayned with the sight of them The heart of man being filled with blessings must not bee lifted vp within it selfe but it must bee lifted vp with praise and thankfulnesse to the Authour of those blessings Therefore hauing receiued some Talents of grace let vs returne vnto God some other Talents of glorie and then to vs by whom hee receiues aduantage shall more bee giuen but if otherwise that which wee haue shall be taken away God hath put al things in order to himselfe and vpon this order the God of order rayneth his blessings If then wee will bee vnder his blessings we must be vnder this order wee must looke towards him glorifying praising if wee will haue him looke towards vs blessing sanctifying Therefore in summe Let vs pray continually and feruently and in al things giue thanks which is the will of God in Christ Iesus towards vs. If wee conclude our Psalme 33. with Prayer Let thy mercy and grace bee multiplied vpon vs as we trust in thee let vs begin it with thankfulnesse Reioyce in the Lord O ye righteous for it becommeth vpright men to bee thankefull For if thus Psal. 66. we call to him with our mouth and also exalt him with our tongue God will heare vs and will consider our prayer wee shall againe praise God who doth not put backe our prayer nor his mercy from vs. CHAP. VII Of Meditation ANother speciall preseruatiue and restauratiue of the Spirit is Meditation Hereby the beames of the heauenly Spirit are contracted into a point vpon the soule as the beames of the Sunne by a Cristall whereby the light and heate of grace are increased and multiplied into a spirituall Fire The soule goeth in from the flesh into the Spirit and bathing and anoynting her selfe in that Oile of gladnes shee sharpneth her sight and quickneth her might becomes much abler to see into heauen to see into her selfe to see and iudge the things on earth Hereby she groweth in the knowledge acquaintance of her soueraign Good hereby she takes out Lessons of a comfortable departing out of this world of vanitie vnto her Citie of blessednes and hereby shee iudgeth best of her own fitnesse for that happy voyage And hauing iudged her selfe in Meditation by the same she studies to increase that which is right in her through the remembrance of profitable motiues and documents heard read or conceiued and shee indeuoureth to cast away all that presseth downe and whatsoeuer sinne hinders by cleauing on too fast If we would speak of the subiect of Meditation wee might name all that is for al things haue in them some profitable doctrine and are Teachers of the glorie of their Creator But if we aske for the chiefest Matter and that which is most aduantageable to the Citizens of the New Ierusalem which is our present businesse Then let the soule flye vp from this place of miserie and take vp her rest in her only Rest. Let her thoughts bee on her happinesse and the way vnto it and let that be her chief meditation which is her chiefe concernment And that shee may draw neerer vnto happinesse by the wings of an inflamed affection Let her consider the beautie of the highest Essence let her thinke vpon a glorie creating and vncreated let her thinke on the Light of that Light which darkneth and shaddoweth the Sunne when shee hath thus thought let her know the glorie happinesse which shee shall inioy is more beyond her highest imagination then imagination can be beyond any thing which is seene Let vs also consider what God hath beene and is to vs as well as what hee is in himselfe and to this end let vs cast our inward eye on the great loue of him who is both our Fountaine and Felicitie our Beginning and End Let vs consider how great things this infinite loue hath done for vs from how great a miserie hee hath translated vs to make vs partakers and intoyers of himselfe and by the greatnesse of the effects let vs ghesse at the infinitenesse of the Cause There is nothing greater then Himselfe and this greatest Himselfe hath he giuen to Man by a wonderfull and mysterious Incarnation Hee hath also giuen the Bloud and Life of this incarnate Deitie to ransome vs the slaues bondmen of guilt and punishment from eternal death He hath giuen vs also his most pure sacred Spirit to purge the most lothsom corruption of our lustfull generation He hath giuen vs infinite blessings of this life and all these that we might serue him in holinesse without the feare of our enemies and hereafter may inioy him in that Kingdome wherein wee shall triumph ouer these enemies But hauing waighed though the weake ballances of our vnderstandings bee far vnable to beare and containe the exceeding weight of this infinite loue of God then let vs consider how wee ought to answer this loue with loue his mercies by thankfulnes and obedience And when we haue found out our dutie then let vs examine our performance euen whether the goodnesse of God hath had a perfect working vpon vs and hath brought forth fruits answerable to it and whether we haue sufficiently yeelded vp our selues vnto God in his blessed work of making vs blessed And herein let vs rippe vp our soules euen the very bowels of our consciences and let vs tent the bottome of our hearts to feele what is sound and what vnsound in them that the sound parts may be cherished and the vnsound healed If wee see any sparke of the Spirit let vs kindle it into a fire let the infinitenesse of that loue which is our patterne draw vs on by imitation to a continual inlargement of our loue and of the fruit of loue obedience If by Meditation we taste the sweetnesse of God in the Spirit dwelling in vs Let vs thirst afresh for the liuing GOD who the more he is thirsted after the more hee giues of the waters of Life So shall thirst increase that which satisfies thirst and the satisfying of the thirst shall increase our thirst that so the satisfaction may still increase The Riuer of Regeneration points vs to the Ocean of Regeneration euen the Spirit within vs vnto the great Spirit aboue vs. From him it confesseth that it commeth to him it desires to returne that so it may come larger from him then it returned to him But if by the inquest of our meditation wee finde that some rebellious