salvation As are the sinews of all Religion As most concern our selves and families That concern righteousnesse and mercy That concern the avoiding of greater sins We should do all affectionately in or to observe Sol. I humbly conceive that our special care should be First Of those which do principally and immediately respect Gods Glory Summa ratio in summo fine Secondly Of those which do most absolutely and necessarily respect our own salvation as Regeneration Repentance Holiness Faith Thirdly Of those which are the bond and sinews of all Religion upholding it in the power and practice of it as the sanctifying of the Sabbath Fourthly Of those which do most concern our selves and such as are under our charge as family-duties Fifthly Of those which do require and enjoyn righteousness and mercy unto others and preserve publick society Sixthly Of those which do concern the greater sins which should be most carefully avoided Fourthly we should walk in Gods statutes and keep and do them affectionately we should affect the acts of obedience and be affected in them Suppose that a man did walk up to every statute of God yet if this were not done affectionately all were nothing Now there are four affections with which we should perform every service or duty that we do unto God 1. Love and delight 2ly Joy 3ly Fear 4ly Zeal First With Love and Delight We must love the Lord and his statutes and the With love and delight duties which he requires from us and take delight in obeying and doing his will Psal 119. 97. O how I love thy Law Ver. 167. My soul hath kept thy testimonies and I love them exceedingly Psal 40 8. I delight to do thy will O my God yea thy Law is within my heart Secondly With joy and alacrity Psal 119. I have rejoyced in the way of With joy and alacrity thy testimonies as much as in all riches Psal 100. 2. Serve the Lord with gladness Our walking in Gods statutes should be our meat and drink we should find more satisfaction and soul contentment and refreshing when we are doing the will of God and are enjoying communion with him than we do find or take in any earthly enjoyment whatsoever Thirdly With fear Serve the Lord with fear Psal 2. 11. when ye are a performing With fear any duty to God ye must do it with a 1. Reverential fear Thou shalt fear this glorious and fearful Name the Lord A reverential fear thy God Deut. 28. 58. God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the Saints and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him Psal 89. 7. Pray and hear with fear and trembling 2. Humble fear of our own sufficiency and of our own performance left Humble fear any thing should fall in with our duties by which God may be offended and our service of him may miscarry c. Fourthly With zeal or fervor of spirit The people of God must be zealous With zeal of good works and zealous in good works fervent in spirit serving the Lord Rom. 12. 11. It was said of Jehoshaphat that his heart was lifted up in the wayes of the Lord 2 Chron. 17. 6. And of Josiah that he made a Covenant before the Lord to walk after the Lord and to keep his Commandements and his testimonies and his statutes with all his heart and with all his soul c. 2 Chron. 34. 31. See also 2 King 23. 25. Wrestling and striving in Prayer attend earnestly in hearing We must not walk in Gods statutes with careless sloathful indifferent spirits but with heightned and lively and enlarged spirits doing his will with all our might and strength bringing out all the might and power that we have in his service stir up our graces and our hearts Fifthly We should walk in Gods statutes uprightly and sincerely Gen. 17. 1. Walk before me and be thou upright And 1 Kin. 3. 6. David my Father walked Walk in them uprightly before thee in truth and in righteousness and in uprightness of heart with thee Isa 38. 3. Remember now O Lord I beseech thee how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart c. 2 Cor. 1. 12. Our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity we have had our conversation in the world Quest But here now is the great Question how one may know that he walks Signs of sincerity uprightly in Gods statutes Sol. There are 〈◊〉 discoveries of this First The prevalent motive which alone sufficeth to his obedience and that If we obey because God commands is the will or command of God if a man be upright and walk with an unright heart then he will and doth act and move upon the sole account of Gods command that alone is reason enough and will prevail with him for obedience There are several Motives which induce men to do good works some do respect our selves and are drawn from a respect to our credit and profit as do such a work and perform such a duty and you shall have honour amongst men by it and you shall gain much by it these considerations are the prevailing Motives which men of unsound hearts to some things which God requires as it was with Jehu c. And some are drawn from God himself only from his Commandement and this is sufficient and this prevails with men of upright heart Psal 119. 4. Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts dilgently Ver. 5. O that my wayes were directed to keep thy statutes Mark how his heart is drawn out to obedience upon the meer command of God Thou hast commanded us c. Isa 2. 3. He will teach us of his wayes and we will walk in his paths Mark there is no more considered to move to walk in his paths than this he will teach us of his wayes i. e. he will make us to know that this or that is his will and command concerning us Paul relates that it was the earnest prayer of Epaphras for the Colossians that they might stand perfect and be filled with all the will of God Col. 4. 12. It is not Compleri but Repleri 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Some look upon that word as Metaphorical to be filled with the will of God as the sails of a ship are filled with wind which is enough to carry the ship in voyage so it is enough when the will of God fills our hearts and that carries them out to duty and David hath a singular expression in Psal 119. 6. When I have respect unto all thy Commandements you know that to have a respect unto a thing is this when that of all other swayes most with us as when a Master commands a servant he will do such a business because he respects him and at his command he will go and come though he will not at the command of any other this was Davids
1. Because he works where and on whom and when and how he himself pleaseth he blowes where he lists Joh. 3. 8. 2. And he is a â—ree Spirit in as much as all spiritual freedom and liberty is received of us from him hence the Apostle 2 Cor. 3. 17. where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty 4. The good Spirit by Spirit is good â—sa 143 10 Thou gavest them of thy good Spirit The good Spirit Neh. 9. 20. The Spirit is essentially good and counsels good he is indeed a good Spirit unto us All the good thoughts in us and all the good desires in us and all the good we have or shall receive from God in Christ is handed to us by this good Spirit yea and all the sweet sights of God himself that ever we enjoyed and all the tasts that ever we have had of Jesus Christ and all the joyes and contentments in our souls we are beholding unto this good Spirit for every one of them though in some respect you are not beholding unto the Spirit for dying and suffering and satisfying and reconciling and purchasing for you yet this I may safely affirme that for all the enjoyments of all the sweet comforts depending on the sufferings of Christ you are singularly beholding to the good spirit for them you never could have partaked of Christ nor of any one good purchased by Christ had it not been for this good Spirit 5. The powerfull or mighty Spirit The Spirit of the Lord is called the Spirit of The powerful Spirit might Isa 11. 2. The power of the holy Ghost Rom. 15. 13. the power of the Spirit of God verse 19. the power of the Highest Luke 1. 35. It was the power of this Spirit which did convince you of your sins and which did break your heard harts and did rescue and deliver you from the power of darknesse which doth subdue your iniquities and pull down your strong bolds It was and is this powerfull Spirit by whom the Ministrations or Ordinances of the Gospel have been and still are of power with you The Word is called the sword of the Spirit Ephes 6. 17. The Ministrations of them selves are weak it is the concomitant presence of the Spirit which makes them powerful and lively for your conversion comfort and salvation you had laine in the same condition and darknesse and bondage and death with other men had not the powerful and mighty Spirit of God put forth the greatnesse of his own strength to the alteration of your hearts by his own grace 2. The Spirit is yours in respect of his gifts and fruits You read in 1 Cor. 12. The Spirit is ours in respect of his gifts or fruits 14. of diversities of gifts of the Spirit for edification or to profit withall ver 7. and you read of the first fruits of the Spirit Rom. 8. 23. and of the fruits of the Spirit Gal. 5. 22. The Spirit of God as to these gifts and fruits is called the Spirit of grace Zach. 12. 10. and the Spirit of wisdome Isa 11. 2. and the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord and the Spirit of faith 2 Cor. 4. 13. and the Spirit of love 2 Tim. 1. 7. and the Spirit of supplication Zach. 12 10. the fruit of the Spirit saith the Apostle in Gal. 5. 22. is love joy peace long-suffering gentlenesse goodnesse faith and ver 23. meeknesse temperance There are six things which I would briefly observe concerning the graces or fruits Six things concerning the graces of the Spirit They are the beauties of a Christian They are necessary to salvation of the Spirit 1. They are the Beauties Glories Ornaments Chains Pearls Jewels of a Christian you have no excellencies till you partake of them but are dead loathsome polluted and vile These are the very image of God 2. They are necessary unto salvation No man can be saved without them They are the way to the kingdom though they be not the cause of reigning in the kingdom without holinesse no man shall see the Lord Heb. 12. 14. 3. They are pledges of salvation therefore called the first fruits which were They are pledges of salvation the beginnings and the pledges of the full harvest and also the earnest of the Spirit which he leaves with us to assure us of that glorious happinesse which we are to receive shortly in fulnesse 4. They are given to none but unto such as shall be saved There are the common gifts of the Spirit which are for the edification of others These they may have They are given to none but such as shall be saved who shall perish like those who helped to build the Ark and yet were drowned But there are the special gifts of the Spirit which are for Renovation of the soule and for the preparation of it for glory These are given to none but unto such who are elected unto salvation As many as were ordained to eternal life believed Act. 13. 48. Matth. 11. 25. Hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them to babes 5. Every gift or grace which accompanies salvation is by the Spirit given Every grace accompanying salvation is given to every child of God to every child of God to every one who hath God to be his God in Covenant every one of them hath every saving grace of the Spirit 1. The spirit of grace I will poure upon the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace Zach. 12. 10. 2. The Spirit of knowledge They shall all know me from the least of them unto the greatest of them Jer. 31. 34. 3. The Spirit of wiâ—dâ—me The Father of our Lord Jesus Christ give unto you the Spirit of wisdome Eph. 1. 17. 4. The Spirit of faith We have the same Spirit of faith 2 Cor. 4. 13. You are all the children oâ— God by faith in Christ Jesus Gal. 3. 26. To them that have obtained like precious faith with us 2 Pet. 1. 1. 5. The Spirit of love 2 Tim. 1. 7. Ye your selvâ—s arâ— taught of God to love one another 1 Thes 4. 9. What should I speak of godly sorrow repentance humblenesse meeknesse patience c. whatsoever gift is necessary to our salvation the Spirit doth certainly work in every one of the people of God although not in the same measure proportion and height yet to the same truth and for the same efficacy unto their salvation Every child of God hath the same Spirit of grace and faith and love and though one Christians graces may fall short of anothers for the quantity yet they do not fall short for the present quality nor for the future glory The weakest grace of the Spirit is able to change the heart and save the soul 6. The Spirit doth cherish and preserve and keep all those saving gifts of his The Spirit doth cherish and prese ve all those saving gifts in
of mercy and forgivenesse but it is the Spirit c. It is the peculiar office of the Spirit to make all the Gospel effectual and effectual to the elect of God to the people of God There is not one part or branch of the Gospel but the Spirit is virtute officii to make it effectual to you He is to give you sufficiency of strength for all Evangelical obedience and he is to open and apply unto you all the good in Chrâ—st and all the comforts in the attributes of God and promises of God and he is to make out unto you all the mercy and blessings and happinesse sealed in Baptisme and the Lords Supper And as Christ never failed in any Office which he undertook so the Spirit will not fail but perform and accomplish all and every thing that belongs to his Office and therefore you shall have all the good intended to you in any Gospel-Ordinance whatsoever 2. Another is To witnesse unto us our present standing in grace and relation To witness our present standing in grace unto God you read this plainly in Rom. 8. 16. The Spirit it self beareth witnesse with our spirit that we are the children of God 1 John 5. 8. Thâ—re are three â—hat bear witnesse in earth the Spirit and the Water and the Bloâ—d A Witnesse is one who gives in a Testimony against a man or for a man and he is of use in all doubtful and litigious cases in all suits and trials Satan puts it many times in debate by his accusations Thou art not right thou art not the child of God thou presumest thou deeceivest thy self In this or such like cases there are two Witnesses for the Christian 1. One is his own Spirit 2. The other is Gods Spâ—râ—t Saith conscience this is the spirit of man I know that his heart is â—ight and that he belongs to God And saith the Spirit of God who searcheth the heart aâ—d knows me and all which himself hath wrought in the heart and I know that he is born again for I regenerated him and I know that he is a child of God for he hath received the Spirit of Adoption whereby he cryeth Abba-Father Aâ—d verily a greater Testimony and surer witnesse cannot be had then the Testimony and Witnesse of the Spirit of God who knows all â—hings and is truth 3. A third Office of the Spirit is to seal us in respect of our future happinesse To seal us in respect of our future happiness and this also the Scriptures expresly deliver Eph. 1. 13. In whom after ye believed ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise Verse 14. Which is the earnest of our inheritance untill the redemption of the purchased possession Eph. 4. 30. Grieve not the holy Spirit of God whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption The sealing of the Spirit is that assuring confirmation unto the hearts of believers that the heavenly inheritance purchased by the blood of Christ is theirs and that they when this day of full Redemption comes shall assuredly possess and enjoy it Beloved what can be said more to expresse the happinesse and comfort of the people of God in having God to be their God the Father is theirs the Sonne of God is theirs and the Spirit of God is theirs theirs in his graces theirs in his comforts theirs in Offices witnessing their present condition in grace and assuring them of their future inheritance in glory what more happinesse can be enjoyed on earth than this 7. Lastly The Spirit is yours in respect of his presence Joh. 14. 17. The Spirit He is ours in respect of his presence of truth dwelleth with you Rom. 8. 11. By his Spirit that dwelleth in you 2 Tim. 1. 14. By the holy Ghost which dwelleth in us It is observable concerning the presence of the Trinity that every one of the persons is said to dwell in believers God the Father doth dwell in them 2 Cor. 6. 16. The Sonne doth dwell in them Christ dwells in our hearts by faith Eph. 2. 17. The holy Ghost likewise dwells in us O happy soul who art made such a Temple wherein God the Father and God the Sonne and God the holy Ghost dwells what canst thou want what dost thou enjoy how great is thy excellency how perfect is thy beauty how full is thy glory Dwelling notes a special presence and it notes a constant and permanent presence and truly such is the dwelling of the Spirit of God in the children of God it is a gracious residence and it is an abiding residence he never leaves you John 14. 16. I will pray the Father and he shall give you another Comforter that he may abide with you for ever Can you reach this comfort of the perpetual presence of the Spirit in you and with you Let me tell you The bodily presence of Christ is not comfortable without the presence of the Spirit The absence of Christ is made up by the presence of the Spirit The presence of the Spirit makes all to be present with us You are safe and sure with whom the Spirit is 1. The presence of Christ I mean his bodily presence only was not comfortable without the presence of the Spirit It is the Spirit that quickeneth the flesh profiteth nothing so Christ Joh. 6. 63. 2. The absence of Christ now in heaven is made up unto us by the presence of his Spirit now within us here on earth The Spirit only supplies his absence and makes our condition as good and as happy as if Christ himself were present with us 3. The presence of the Spirit makes all to be present with us all are present by the presence of the Spirit God comes to be present and Christ comes to be present and joy and salvation come to be present by the presence of the Spirit 4. And are you not safe and sure with whom the Spirit of God is and will be alwayâ—s present He is present with your souls with your faith with your graces and he can give you present strength and present help and present victory and present comforts SECT X. 5. A Fifth singular comfort unto you who have God to be your God in Covenant There is a conjunction of the whole Trinity in all the businesses of our eternal blessedness is this viz. A common conjunction of the whole Trinity in all the businâ—sses of yoâ—r etâ—rnal blessedness This is an exceeding high point and of exceeding comfort unto you that there is an union in the Trinity of persons in their gracious respects unto your salvation There is an union or common conjunction of the persons of the Trinity First In respect of love Secondly In respect of consent and in respect of A conjunction of the three persons purpose Thirdly In respect of operation Fourthly In respect of Relation Fifthly In respect of engagement Sixthly In respect of Communion 1. In respect of love what is that That is every
mercy He did not leave me to my sinful heart and life he did pity and call me and brought me in to Christ and made me one of his people who aforetime was none of his people But I still finde such a body of sin such a law in my members warring against the Law of mind so many sinful corruptions within and so many strong and violent temptation without and so much weakness and insufficency in my self that fear I shall never hold out unto the end I shall one day faile and loose all my interest in God and in Christ and grace Consider To this sad complaint I would briefly speak three things There is a twofold fear 1. There is a twofold fear There is a a fear of unbelief and this is a vexing and distressing and disabling fear it loosens our confidence in God and in his A fear of unbelief this is to be resisteâ— promises It is a naughty fear and beware of it and resist it and bewaile it And there is a fear of tenderness and jealousie in regard of the Natural deceitfulnesse of our own hearts and of the supernatural weaknesse of our own strength this is a A fear of tenderness and jealousie is good good fear and blessed is the man that thus feareth alwayes The weak child feareth and thereupon cries out to the Parent to take him to hold him to support him and by his fear of falling he is preserved from falling So the child of God fears and thereupon he cries out unto his God! Lord help thy servant forsake me not make haste to deliver me keep me who cannot keep my self establish my goings Thou hast promised to keep and preserve the feet of thy Saints This fear is that fear which God hath promised to put into the hearts of his people that they shall not depart from him And indeed this fear is their strength the more of this fear the more safe they are Let him that standeth take heed lest he fall Thou standest by faith Be not high-minded but fear work out your salvation with fear and trembling 2. Your standing or continuing in the Covenant doth not depend upon your own Our standing doth not depend upon our own strength strength nor doth God leave you unto that but it doth depend on his strength and on his power Ephes 3. 16. That he would grant you according to the riches of his grace to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man Mic. 4. 5. We will walk in the Name of the Lord our God for ever and ever Zach. 10. 12. I will strengthen them in the Lord and they shall walk up and down in his name saith the Lord Though your strength be insufficient yet the strength of your God and of your Christ is sufficient for you 1 Pet. 1. 5. We are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation 2 Cor. 12. 9. My grace is sufficient for thee for my strength is made perfect in weakness 3. The Lord is able to keep you from falling and to preserve you faultlesse before The Lord is able to keep you from falling the presence of his glory with exceeding joy Jude ver 24. Nay and he will keep you from falling Wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling Psal 56. 13. Thou hast delivered my feet from falling Psal 116. 8. He will keep the feet of his saints 1 Sam. 2. 9. When I said my foot slippeth thy mercy O Lord held me up Psalm 94. 18. 2. The everlastingnesse of the Covenant should be a Cordial to the people of God in the time of desertions when they are apt to question whether God be not Against desertion fallen off from them and hath forsaken them But consult these Promises and you may finde these fears removed Isa 49. 14. Zion said The Lord hath forsaken me and my Lord hath forgotten me ver 15. Can a woman forget her sucking child that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb Yea they may forget yet I will not forget thee ver 16. Behold I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands Thy walls are continually befâ—re me Isa 54. 7. For a small moment have I forsaken thee but with great mercies will I gather thee ver 8. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee saith the Lord thy Redeemer ver 10. The mountains shall depart and the hills be removed but my kindness shall not depart from thee neither shall the Covenant of my peace be removed saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee Use 4 Is the Covenant which God makes with his people an everlasting Covenant Then blesse God and not your selves for your standing and for your continuing inCovenant with him Blesse God and not your selves for your standing in Covenant with him There are three things for which we should blesse God 1. For his restraining grace 2. For his converting grace 3. For his confirming grace that he will and doth keep you stedfast to himself in Covenant O beloved we could never keep our selves nor establish our selves were it not for the goodness and the power and the love and the faithfulness of our God we should break with God and turn aside from him and leave all truly it is almost a wonder that the people of God do hold out in keeping Covenant with God considering 1. The daily and frequent discouragements which they meet with in the world the continual scorns and threats and persecutions and affronts to their persons and godlinesse 2. The manifold allurements snares and temptations unto sin and sinful wayes by wicked example and promises and hopes and connivencies wickednesse in judgement in practice is a general infection the common aire is infected with this plague it is therefore the more hard to keep our health 3. The malice of Satan and his power and subtilty is exceeding great he desires to sift and winnow us as wheat he threw down the third part of the Stars he helped to break the first Covenant There is not any one of the people of God but may say of him as David of his enemies Psal 118. 13. Thou hast thrust sore at me that I might fall but the Lord helped me 4. How strongly some of the people of God have been hazarded in the lasting part of the Covenant Solomon Peter Asa insomuch as many from their falls have erected the Doctrine of the Apostacy of the Saints 5. Those many remaining Principles for inconstancy and failing as spiritual pride unbelief hypocrysie and worldliness much of every one of these still in our hearts 6. Adde to all these the exceeding weaknesse in all our graces How little faith how weak love and how apt to be shaken and offended Truely we must acknowledge that what we are we are by the grace of God and that if we be strong we are strong in the
Spirit He that is joyned to the Lord is one Spirit and he hath received the Spirit the Spirit of Christ who is in Christ But I have I but I have not the Spirit not that Spirit I finde him not I feele him not Answered Sâ—l This also is a truth that the communion of the Spirit is inseparably annexed to union with Christ And if any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of Christs But then know 1. You must consider in what posture a Christian must be who may judge of the presence In what posture a Christian must be who may judge of the presence or absence of the Spirit or absence of the Spirit of Christ in him 1. He must be out of melancholy 2. Out of violent temptation 3. Out of Desertion He must be himself see himself that he is able and fit to judge Spiritual works and to compare things together and to weigh all that may be said in the ballance of the Sanctuary If thou be in this free posture and upon diligent search and serious consideration canst finde not any one effect of communion with Christ the case is very heavy But I believe the contrary touching thee O weak Christian when those above mentioned impediments are off so that thou art able to use the light of grace and of a renewed conscience much of Christ and from Christ will be found in thee a love of thy Christ a delight in thy Christ a heart ready and willing to hear and to obey thy Christ Distinguish of vital and vivifical acts 2. Distinguish of vital acts and of vivifical acts that is effects of a real union and effects of a comfortable union The estate of a comfortable union and communion thou dost not perhaps espy at present viz. Not actual joy not actual chearfulness not actual assurances O but though you do not finde the childe smiling yet if you finde it living there is union There are yet the effects and characters of life and of vital union and communion with Christ though not of a comfortable communion there is yet a breathing after Christ a hunting after Christ an heart renewed and changed an image of Christ unto which thou art changed and conformed a will agreeing with the will of Christ an end agreeing with the end of Christ c. And yet thou canst serve thy Christ in tears though thou canst not serve him in joyes and though the Spirit of Christ be not seen so as to comfort thee yet he is found so as to lead and uphold thee 3. There is a communion by way of influence and a communion by way of eminency and a communion by way of evidence and all these depend upon union with Christ There is communion by way of influence and of eminency and of evidence 1. Communion by way of influence when we partake of the Nature and Life of Christ ye are made partakers of the Divine Nature saith Peter Christ liveth in me saith Paul 2. A communion by way of eminency when Christ appears mighty in the soule in the large and high and strong degrees of acting of particular graces of faith of love of patience of self-denial of zeale of wisdome of humility 3. A communion by way of evidence as when Christ kisseth the soule with the kisses of his lips That is when he sheds abroad his love into our hearts by the Spirit which he hath given us and makes us to know that he loves us and saith by his Spirit unto our hearts I am my beloveds and my beloved is mine Perhaps you have not attained to this last communion with Christ to this Osculumoris and perhaps you have not attained to the second of these which as Bernard speaks is Osculum manus well But yet you have attained to the first of these which is Osculum pedis perhaps you have not the sensible manifestations and impressions and seals of his favour by his spirit but yet you are young men in Christ and strong in the might of his Spirit perhaps you are not come to the strength of the Spirit but yet you are babes in Christ yet the liâ—e of Christ is in you you have that Spirit of Christ in way of influence which brings you into fellowship with Christ in his death and in his resurrection ye are dead to sin and you are alive unto righteousness and Christ is setting up himself in your hearts more and more Be not discouraged this shews true union with Christ for ever This is the communion of the Spirit of Christ when our hears are fashioning and conforming to Christ and have any part of his image stamped upon us If you can finde any one grace depending upon and flowing from union with Christ that is enough to satisfie you about the communion of the Spirit and that you have the faith which hath indeed united you unto Christ I but I am under much weakness of grace and many wants Ob. But if I had indeed this faith which unites to Christ I should not all this while have lived with so much weaknesse of grace and under so many spiritual wants certainly I should have found more of the strength and of the fulnesse of Christ who filleth all in all Answered Sol. I grant it for a truth that the right union is an imparting and strengthening and supplying union Whosoever is united to Christ indeed by faith to him is Christ a supplying Fountain a feeding Root and an helping Head and he will never leave the communicating of his Spirit unto him untill he hath filled him with all that fulness whereof a lively member of Christ is capable but then remember 1. Comparatively the original and first receptions from Christ are weak and little The first Receptions from Christ are weak as the seed that is cast into the earth or as the light which breaks forth in the morning compare the first works of grace with the flowing growth of grace it is but as the babe to the strong man but as the Lambe to the sheep I believe Lord help my unbelief this is that most of Faith at first Thou knowest that I love thee this is the highest of your love at first whom I serve with or in my spirit this is the greatest of our obedience at the first 2. The Communications of Christ unto the soule united by faith unto him are The communications of Christ are partly for justification and partly in sanctification Justification is perfect partly for justification and partly in Sanctification His communications in Justification are at once and full and perfect as soon as you are by faith united unto Christ you are perfectly reconciled to God you are perfectly cloathed with the righeousness of Christ you are perfectly pardoned all your sins your peace is so perfectly made with God that you cannot be more fully reconciled you have the righteousness of Christ so perfectly imputed to you that you cannot be
ways of worldly advancements and advantages But the rule which a renewed heart sets up to guide and prescribe him is none other but that which God himself sets up for his people to walk by and that is his written Word Psal 119. 105. Thy Word is a Lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path Ver. 133. Order my steps in thy Word This rule he sets up for all matters of faith and for all matters of fact this I must believe because God reveals it and commands me to believe it this I receive for truth because God delivers it for truth and that I reject as erroneous because the Word of God condemns it as contrary to the truth And this work I do and that way I walk in because God sets it out in his Word for me and that I do not do and so and so I dare not walk for I have no Word of God for it nay the Word of God is against it why mans heart is right indeed it is renewed by grace but if a man will walk contrary to this rule if he will not speak and live according to this Word it is because there is no light in him Isa 8. 20. SECT V. Vse 4. DOth God promise to give unto all his people in Covenant with him a new heart and a new spirit then there is comfort and joy to Comfort to those that have a new heart all those who finde the new heart given unto them it is true that when the Lord doth renew the heart of any by his grace and separate them from the world unto himself that 1. They shall meet with many troubles and scoffs and reproaches and persecutions from the world All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecutions 2 Tim. 3. 2. They shall meet with many temptations and oppositions from Satan if he cannot hinder grace and conquer grace yet he will molest and disquiet grace 3. They shall meet with many conflicts and warrings within their own hearts and with many weaknesses and failings and tryals nevertheless their condition is a very happy and comfortable condition and there are eight Eight comforts proper to them choice comforts which are proper to every renewed person and which may cheer up his heart all his days v. g. 1. Newness of heart is a sure and infallible testimony of the best and of the greatest matters which can concern the soul 2. This newness of heart is an unquestionable effect of our union with Christ 3. It is the noblest and highest elevation of the soul here on earth and the clear evidence of the presence of the Spirit of Christ 4. It enables you for all heavenly communion and serviceableness to Divine glory 5. God will own and accept of it and the fruits of it though but little and weak 6. He will strengthen and uphold and perfect it unto the day of Christ 7. He will poure upon every person who enjoys it all necessary blessings for this life and will take special notice of him and care for him in the days of adversity 8. Renewing grace shall without all doubt bring us at the last to eternal happiness First Newness of heart is a sure and infallible testimony of the best and of It is a clear testimony of the greatest matters which can concern the soul the greatest matters which can concern the soul There are six things which do concern the soul as nearly I think as any can and of every one of them is renewing grace a sure testimony 1. The love of God 2. The election of God 3. A relation to God 4. A change from death to life 5. The pardon of sin 6. The hope of glory 1. Of the love of God that the Lord doth indeed set his special love A testimony of the love of God his very heart upon a person 1 Joh. 3. 1. Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God Psal 146. 8. The Lord loveth the righteous for any to be made the sons of God this is an effect or fruit of the love of God now all the sons of God are new born they are born again of the Spirit Joh. 3. 5. Ephes 2. 4. But God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us Ver. 5. even when we were dead in sins and trespasses hath quicked us together with Christ As it is one of the greatest testimonies of Gods hatred and wrath for any to be left to his old sinful heart and lusts and ways so it is one of the greatest testimonies of Gods love when he pities them in their sinful condition and delivers them out of it and gives his Spirit to enliven and renew them by grace 2. Of the Election of God for this see two places 1 Thes 1. 4. Knowing Of election Brethren Beloved your Election of God Ver. 5. For our Gospel came unto you not in word only but also in power and in the Holy Ghost Eph. 1. 4. He hath chosen us in him that we should be holy Holiness or renewing grace it is as one speaketh the counterpane of Gods decree of Election God by his own eternal prescience knows whom he intends for salvation and we by that work of renewing grace in our hearts come to know that eternal purpose of his grace concerning us it being given unto us an effect flowing from his Election and in order unto that happiness unto which he hath chosen us 3. Of our Relation to God as our God and our Father as none but his Of our relation to God people and children are holy so all his people and his children are holy Isa 63. 18. The people of thy holiness they are 1 Pet. 2. 9. an holy Nation and a peculiar people 2 Cor. 6. 17. Come out from among them and be ye separate and touch no unclean thing Ver. 18. And I will be a father unto you and ye shall be my sons and daughters saith the Lord Almighty 4. Of our translation from life to death See Isa 4. 3. He that is left in Of our translation from death to life Zion and he that remaineth in Jerusalem shall be called holy even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem Ezek. 16. 6. When I passed by thee and saw thee polluted in thine own blood I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood Live yea I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood Live Luk. 15. 32. This my son was dead and is alive again Rom 6. 11. Likewise reckon ye your selves to be dead unto sin but alive unto God Renewing grace is one of the strictest differences between men of death and men of life not any man hath it but he who is made alive by Christ and is in the state of life no profane person hath it nor doth any hypocrite partake of it 5. Of the pardon of our sins if any
waters from the Rock are forgotten and they slip away they stay not sometimes one minute though other discourses are held fast In his judgement there is such a hardness that raiseth enmity and resistance and affords a world of carnal reasonings to oppose and put by the truth In his will there is such a hardness of obstinacy and perversness that when all is said that can be said by Law or Gospel yet men will not hear Joh. 5. 40. though they may be saved nor will they hear though therefore they shall be damned In his affections there is such an hardness that men sin without fear and without all compunction and sorrow of heart and though the glorious things of Christ are revealed and offered and pressed upon them yet no delight no love no desire at all can be raised in them c. In his conscience which under all the threats of God and terrors of God revealed remains quiet unstirred scared and careless as if these were fables and impertinent notions Secondly The Contracted hardness is that which we bring upon our sinful Contracted hardness hearts and adde unto them by the frequency of our sinning actions or practices or by a voluntary opposing of all the means which do tend to the softning our heart And by the way let me tell you that there are three kinds of sinning which do extreamly super adde to the hardning of mans heart One is the sinning against clear light The second is the sinning with delight The third is the customary way of sinning long going in a path often beating the anvile Thirdly The Judicial hardness which is that unto which God gives the stubborn sinner up for not harkning unto him but still continuing and persisting Judicial hardness in a sinful course and therefore he leaves him unto himself and to his own lusts and his Spirit shall no more strive with him and hereupon the sinful heart being left unto it self breaks forth into all manner of wickedness and so doth exceedingly obdurate it self it becomes more unsensible and more fearless and more enraged against all that is good c. Now the stony heart or hard heart spoken of here in the Text is principally that which is natural and I will not deny that the Contracted hardness may be meant but not the Judicial Quest 3. But how then may it be demonstrated that naturally every mans Demonstrations of it heart is a stony or hard heart Sol. There are six things which may convince us that it is so First The forwardness in men to sin every natural heart is ready to sinful The forwradness in men to sin acts and easie unto them Ephes 4. 19. If temptations present themselves the natural heart presently entertains them and complies with them and if no temptations from Satan and the world present themselves the natural heart will tempt it self why this is a conviction that the heart is hard for if it be a good sign of a tender and soft heart when it is afraid to sin How can I do this great wickedness and sin against God said Joseph Gen. 39. 9. Then surely it is a sign of a hard heart when it is forward to sin and greedy to sin and easily and willingly lets out it self to sin and fears not at all to sin but every mans heart naturally is so forward and bent to sin that it cannot and it will not be restrained from sin Gen. 11. 6. Nothing will be restrained from them which they have imagined to do Zeph. 3. 5. The unjust know no shame Secondly The silence and quietness in conscience under all sinnings Men neglect Quietness under sinning all holy duties and sweaâ— and lie and deceive and are drunken and commit adultery c. and conscience saith nothing to them Assuredly this is a strong conviction that their hearts are hard for where there is any softness of heart there conscience is alive and hath some power to warn and check and oppose before sinning and likewise to accuse and condemn and trouble after sinning But now natural men generally find it thus that conscience is dead and takes no notice or it is weak and can do nothing with them before sinning it appears not and after sinning it troubles not Ergo. their hearts are hard Thirdly The security of heart Taken me any one broken-hearted sinner Security of heart why under the sense of any one transgression he goes heavy all the day long and he weeps bitterly and he waters his couch with his tears and he is afraid of the Lord whom he hath provoked and he makes in earnestly for reconciliation and peace with God and why doth he so because his heart is soft and tender But on the contrary the natural man he sins and is confident exposes himself to wrath and yet is secure and though God saith he is offended and displeased with him and though God threatens him with wrath and though he knows that God hath destroyed some for the same sin of which he is guilty yet the man goes on in his sinful practices and makes no account of this And what is the cause of it it is this his heart is hard and hardened Were not the man under a reprobate sense infinitely stupid and seared he could not rest so secure Fourthly The absence of all penitential works Whensoever the Lord gives The absence of penitential works a soft heart which is opposite to this stony heart then ariseth presently 1. A sight and solemn consideration of sin 2. An humble mourning and lamenting for sin 3. A self-judging confession of sin 4. A cordial aversation from sin 5. Importunate supplication for pardoning mercy and grace 6. A serious application of the heart to Christ And on the contrary where the heart is hard there are none of these no hard heart considers of its ways saying What have I done no man smites on his thigh and is humbled no man repents no man seeks after the Lord no man cries out for mercy or for grace or for Christ Certainly so much as there is of impenitency so much there is of hardness of heart but naturally every mans heart is impenitent and he is not only a stranger to these penitential works but also he is an enemy unto them Ergo. Fifthly The inefficacy of the Word the Word of God is compared The inefficacy of the Word sometimes 1. To the Sun which enlightens and quickens 2. To water which softens and cleanseth 3. To the hammer which bruises and breaks 4. To fire which heats and melts and refines but on the natural heart either it hath no efficacy at all or it is a long time before it can make any impression and yet a longer time before it make any saving impression either the heart will not suffer us to hear the voice of the Word or it will not suffer us to acknowledge the truth of the Word or it is so hard that it will not suffer us
Every one of Gods people hath so much of the spirit as is necessary to salvation Sixthly Though none of the People of God in this life have the Spirit in perfection yet every one of them hath so much of the Spirit as will bring him to salvation For he hath so much of the spirit as will bring him to Christ and he who hath as much as will bring him to Christ certainly he hath as much as will bring him to heaven Again he hath as much of the spirit as doth sanctifie and renew and regenerate him and therefore he hath as much as will bring him to salvation Matth. 5. 8. The pure in heart shall see God 1 Pet. 1. 3. We are begotten again to a lively hope Ver. 4. To an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that fades not away reserved in heaven for us SECT II Vse 1. DOth the Lord put his own Spirit within his own people Then let Try whether we have the spirit within us all of us look well to this whether we have within our hearts the the Spirit of God yea or no. O beloved think much and often of that expression of the Apostle in Rom. 8. 9. If any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his he hath no part in Christ who hath no part in the Spirit of Christ There are four Reasons why I should press this great search and great care upon Reasons of this search you to know whether God hath put his own Spirit within you 1. Because many persons have not the spirit of God 2. Because many persons do deceive themselves with a false and lying spirit instead of the Spirit of God 3. Because many have the spirit as to many effects and works yet the spirit is not fully given to them 1. Many persons have not the Spirit of God Many have not the spirit of God They who blaspheme the Spirit First What think you of those who blaspheme and scoff at the Spirit As those Jews did at the effusion of the Spirit upon the Apostles These men are full of new wine Acts 2. 13. And ordinarily among our selves the Spirit of God is jeared derided mocked and reproached in his graces which he bestows upon the people of God O these are men of the Spirit these are the Saints your holy brethren and your holy sisters forsooth they are full of the Spirit Ah thou profane wretch unworthy to live among Christians and unworthy of the name of a Christian who darest thus openly to reproach the holy God and the holy Spirit of God! and the graces in the people of God which are the excellent faculties of the Spirit promised unto all who are in Covenant with God! Is the Spirit of God a scorn unto thee is any work of the Spirit a derision unto thee is holiness the chief of all his works a matter to be scoffed and mocked at O how wicked art thou what a child of the Divel art thou what an Atheist how deep in the guilt of blasphemy will the Lord ever pardon thee can'st thou ever repent can'st thou ever be saved who deridest the Spirit without whom and his holiness without which there is no salvation Secondly what think you of those who do despite to the Spirit of grace Who do despite to the spirit of grace of such you read in Heb. 10. 29. And have done despite unto the Spirit of grace Men do despite to the Spirit of grace many wayes 1. When they have base thoughts of Jesus Christ and his blood treading under foot the Son of God and counting the blood of the Covenant an unholy thing these the Spirit sets forth as most high and precious and worthy of all reverence and acceptation but when sinners come to despise Christ and his blood looking on them but as common and ordinary things and regarding them no more than the dirt under their feet they do now despite unto the spirit of Grace they do now prejudice and disgrace and dishonour and shame him in his Revelation and Commendation of Christ and his blood 2. When they will sinne on purpose to vex and grieve the Spirit when they know Who sin on purpose to grieve the Spirit such or such a work or way is evil and displeasing unto him they will therefore chuse to do it knowing that it is grievous and vexatious to the Spirit as they in Jer. 44. 4. Oh do not this abominable thing that I hate Ver. 5 But they hearkned not nor inclined their ears And verse the 17. profess that they will burn incense unto the Queen of heaven c. Thirdly what think you of those that either have no work of the Spirit within Who have no saving work of the spirit in them them or no saving work of the Spirit within them have those the spirit put within them The spirit is never present in any but there is some work or other of the spirit appearing in them for he is most active and working some way or other in the hearts of those where he is present and dwells Ergo. But in some persons 1. There is no work of the Spirit at all neither highest nor lowest the lowest works of the Spirit within men are illuminations and pulsations when he enlightens sinners to see their sins and moves and stirs them to leave their sinnes and gives them some trouble for their sins But many persons there are who never had any light from the Spirit to see their sins nor were they ever troubled for their sins nor did they ever find those strong motions and perswasions of the Spirit to leave their sins 2. Though in many persons these common works of the Spirit may be found yea so many works as the Spirit useth the Ministry of the Law for as Illumination Conviction Excitation Humiliation and Terror and Fear yet in them we no Evangelical and saving works of the Spirit to be found no works of Regeneration no works of union with Christ no hungring and thirsting after him no faith in him no love in him no holy sorrow no repentance no newness of obedience no walking and living in the Spirit c. Fourthly What think you of those who have in them another spirit quite contrary Who have in them another spirit to the Spirit of God even that spirit which works effectually in the children of disobedience and in whom all the qualities and works of a contrary spirit are manifestly appearing and ruling The Spirit of God is a pure and holy Spirit but they are unclean and unholy The Spirit of God is effective an humble and lowly Spirit but they are proud and lofty and arrogant The Spirit of God is meek and gentle but they are turbulent and furious and violent The Spirit of God is merciful and compassionate but they are unmerciful incompassionate cruel and bloody The Spirit of God is a Spirit of love and of peace but they are full of
hatred variance discord c. 2ly Many have a false and lying and deluding spirit but it is not this Many have a false and deluding spirit spirit which God promiseth to put within his people You read in Scripture of the Spirit of truth and of the spirit of error 1 Joh. 4. 6. Hereby know we the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error and so you read of the Fancies and Delusions and Revelations of men called by the name of the spirit 2 Thes 2. 2. Be not shaken in mind or troubled neither by spirit nor by word c. And we are charged not to believe every spirit but to try the spirits whether they are of God 1 Joh. 4. 1. Quest But here it may be demanded how it may be known that the spirit by which How a false spirit may be known man is moved and stirred and put on and led is a false spirit and not the Spirit of God Sol. This may be known many wayes First A false spirit is never let in by the Word The Ministry of the Gospel is It is not let in by the Word the Channel or the Conduit by which we partake of the true Spirit of God Gal. 3. 2. Ye received the spirit by the hearing of faith i. e. the Word or Gospel of Faith as those who hearing Paul Preach the Holy Ghost fell upon them so c. But a false spirit comes not in that way nay it is so far from being breathed by the Word that it works in men a slighting and contempt of it as you shall hear presently Secondly A false spirit is a loose spirit persons that partake of it do pretend It is a loose spirit unto strange Visions and high Revelations and mysterious Notions but for all them this false spirit leaves their hearts unchanged and their lives unreformed ordinarily men led by a false spirit are unfound and corrupt in their judgements and opinions and are idle and lazy and vicious in their walking Thirdly A false Spirit is an irregular spirit the motions and works of it are It is an irregular spirit such as 1. The Word of God doth not warrant nay doth exceedingly condemn As for the Husband to take a way the life of his Wife and the Parent to kill the child and for a man to take away the goods of his neighbour c. 2. Neither a mans General nor Paticular calling can warrant The false spirit puts on to such works which a man may not do as he is a Christian nor may he do as he is set in such or such a private Relation Fourthly A false spirit is a preposterous spirit It fills a man with strange joyes A preposterous spirit and Raptures of heaven before a man knows Christ aright and receives him by Faith and before he repents of his sins or ever made his peace with God it is all in joy and nothing in humbling and mourning for sin Fifthly A false spirit is an earthly spirit 1 Joh 4. 5. They are of the world An earthly spirit therefore speak they of the world and the world heareth them They talk much of the Kingdom of Christ and setting up of that but they pull down the Spiritual Kingdom of Christ and it is a temporal kingdom which they strive after as you may read in those of Munster Sixthly A false spirt is a disordering and turbulent and bitter spirit There A turbulent spirit are two things which men of a false spirit have been tumultuously violently railing and reviling and lifting at One is Publick Magistracy the other is Publick Ministery It is a certain truth that the false spirit is an enemy to order and peace and authority and likewise to sound teaching and the instituted Ordinances of Christ Seventhly A false spirit is a Scripture-slighting spirit This is evident in all A Scripture-slighting spirit sorts of men led by a false spirit Papists are more for unwritten Traditions than for the written Word Ignorant Formalists are more for superstitions and superstitious worship than for the worship which the Word of God requires Anabaptists and Enthusiasts are more for Revelations and Visions than for the Word of God nay they reject the Word and do close with them c. Eigthly A false spirit is a self-contradicting spirit It frequently gives itself A self contradicting spirit the lye confidently foretels and determins of matters and for such particular times and none of these prove true as I my self know c. Ninthly A false spirit is a proud spirit and extreamly impudent and consorious A proud spirit it swells a man up in a conceit of himself and in a contempt of others above all measure The Scriptures are but poor things and the Apostles but ordinary men and Ministers but a company of dogs and others differing from them in their Opinion but the fire-brands of hell c. Tenthly A false spirit is a presumptuous spirit A presumptuous spirit Many have the Spirit yet come shorrt of what they should have 3ly Many have the spirit as to divers gifts and works and effects nevertheless these do not amount to the putting of the spirit within the people of God here promised in the Text. e. g. First A man may be enlightned by the spirit he may come into a knowlede of God and of Christ and of the way to heaven c. This is the enlightning spirit yet this is not the sanctifying spirit Secondly A man may be gifted by the Spirit he may have the gift of understanding of memory of utterance of praying of preaching c. and yet not not have the Spirit spoken of in the Text. Thirdly A man may be humbled by the spirit he may see his particular sins be exceedingly distressed and terrified and he may confess his sins as Pharaoh and Judas did and yet not have this Spirit in the Text. Fourthly A man may have desires of heaven to be saved as Balaam Let us dye the death of the righteous Numb 23. 10. and the young man that came running to Christ saying Good Master What shall I do that I may inherit eternal life Matth. 19. 16. and yet not have c. Fifthly A man may have many motions of the Spirit to take him off from his evil course to stave him off from some sinful action and to put him on to a new course of life yea so far working in him as to raise him to some kinds of purposes and resolutions as in hearing the Word c. and yet not have c. Sixthly A man may by the spirit tast of the heavenly gifts and tast the good Word of God and the powers of the world to come Heb. 6. 4 5. he may be joyfully affected a while upon hearing and knowing and in some sort believing the great happiness purchased by Christ and yet not c. The misery to be distitute of the Spirit 4ly The extream miseries to be
c. Who can pray thus but he who is a child of God but he who hath the Spirit of God to shew unto him his spiritual wants to stirre up in him spiritual and earnest desires to quicken his Faith on God and to depend on his good and faithful Promises in Christ c. Fourthly I will adde one instance more concerning the power in all who have received the Spirit and that is this All who have received the Spirit have received a power to do such works as none else in all the world can do for they are able in the strength and power of the Spirit 1. To abhor the dearest lusts which have formerly been more unto them than their lives and heavenly happiness 2. To forsake Father and Mother Husband and Wife and Children and Friends Houses and Lands for Christ and an afflicted estate with Christ 3. To prize communion with God and to take more satisfying delight therein than in all earthly enjoyments whatsoever But Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon me Psal 4. 6. Shew us the Father and it sufficeth us Psal 73. 25. Whom have I in heaven but thee c. 4. To live by faith in the times of desertion Though he kill me yet will I trust in him Job 13. 15. and in times of desolation when as creature helps and comforts fail Although the Fig-tree shall not blossom neither shall fruit be in the Vine and the labour of the Olive shall fail and the fields shall yield no meat and the flock shall be cut off from the fold and there shall be no herd in the stalls yet I will rejoyce in the Lord I will joy in the God of my salvation Hâ—b 3. 17 18. The Lord God is my strength ver 19. 5. To be contented in every estate and to comply with it Phil. 4. 12 13. and to glorifie God under it O where is this power of the Spirit of God where are any great things or works of the Spirit within us I cannot pray saith one and I cannot leave my sins saith another and I can find and take no delight in God or communion with him saith another and I cannot trust on his Word nor wait upon his Promise c. Few men have any Spiritual power and therefore few men have the Spirit of God Fourthly The Spirit of God is the Spirit of liberty 2 Cor. 3. 17. Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty Liberty is a freedom from bondage or slavery and Gospel-liberty which principally respects the soul is a freedom accruing unto us Partly by price and purchace namely by the blood of Christ The Lord Jesus by his death hath purchased many glorious liberties for us he hath freed us from the Law as it is a Covenant of Works Gal. 3. 11 12. and from the curse and wrath ver 13. and from all condemning power of sin c. Rom. 8. 1. Partly by strength and efficacy this liberty comes unto us by the Spirit who puts forth a strong and mighty hand upon all the hearts of all the people of God and rescues and frees them from spiritual slavery under which they were held whiles they were in their natural condition The Spirit of God doth free them First From slavery to sin See Rom. 8. 2 The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death i. e. The power of the Spirit hath freed me out of the hands and power of sin so that it shall not command and rule over me as heretofore it is no longer my Lord nor am I any longer his servant I am delivered and freed from the dominion and tyranny of it and service unto it by the Law i. e. by the powerful and authoritative command and work of the Spirit upon this account the Apostle affirms that all the servants of God are made free from sin Rom. 6. 18 22. they are not in bondage they are not at the command of it sin hath lost its law and authority in them the yoke is broken by the spirit which is given unto them sin indeed will stirre and trouble and usurp but slavery unto it is taken away Isa 10. 27. The yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing Secondly From slavery to Satan Before we receive the Spirit of God we are in bondage unto the Divel who rules or works effectually in us Ephes 2. 2. and takes us captive at his will 2 Tim. 2. 26. as one that hath a bird tyed c. O what power hath Satan over a natural man how he fetters and shackles and binds him and imprisons him and makes him to drudge in the fulfilling of his motions and obeying of his suggestions and temptations But now when the Spirit of God comes into us he spoiles the strong man armed and takes from him all the armour wherein he trusted Luke 11. 21 22. For he is stronger than he 1 Joh. 4. 4. He leads captivity captive he turns us from Satan unto God Acts. 26. 18. Object But Satan still tempts and assaults never was man so tempted as I am Sol. Temptation is one thing and salvation is another he bestirred himself in tempting and we obeyed he now tempts and we resist He frees us from him 1. By making us to abhor his Kingdom 2ly By translating us out of his power into the Kingdom of Christ 3ly By arming us with the armour of God against his assaults 4ly By stirring us up to resist him Jam. 4 7. Resist the Divel and he will flee from you And 5ly By strengthening us to overcome him 1 Joh. 2. 13. Ye have overcome the wicked one Thirdly From slavish fear and a slavish spirit in working in this respect he makes us to serve God without fear Luk. 1. 74. that is without servile fear for there is a twofold fear There is Timor filialis which is grounded in the love of God as a Father and there is Timor servilis which looks upon God only as a Judge and hath a respect to fo wrath Now when the Spirit of God is given unto us we do not serve God tor fear of wrath and punishment and damnation but out of love and reverence and ingenuity Though there were no Law to curse us though there were no Conscience to terrifie us though there were no Hell to burn us yet the Lord our God and Father we will love and him will we serve Fourthly From slavish indispositions as averseness to what is good and indelightfulness in it They that are anointed by the Spirit and power of God it makes them ready and willing out of love and working out of love Fifthly The Spirit of God is a Spirit of truth Joh. 14. 16. I will pray the Father and he shall give you another Comforter Ver. 17. even the Spirit of truth John 16. 13. When the Spirit of truth is come he will guide yâ—u into all truth SECT I. THere are divers
as most sure because God hath given his Spirit unto you 2ly In Particular But let us descend unto particulars which if we do rightly understand and consider of we must confess that to have the Spirit given unto us it is an unspeakable blessing and mercy You read in Scripture of several Attributes if I may so call them given unto the Spirit and all of them in relation unto those to whom he is given And every one of them respecting their good and benefit all the dayes of their life He is called 1. A holy and sanctifying Spirit What the spirit is called in Scripture 2. A revealing and manifesting Spirit 3. A strengthening and helping Spirit 4. A restoring and recovering Spirit 5. A comforting and quickning Spirit 6. A dwelling and an abiding Spirit 1 Fifthly The Spirit of God which is given unto you is a holy and sanctifying He is a holy and sanctifying spirit Spirit He is the holy Spirit of God Ephes 4. 30. And the Spirit sanctifies 1 Cor. 6. 11. Now there are three comforts from this that the Spirit of God within you is a sanctifying Spirit 1. He sanctifies you in truth he renews your very hearts it is not a formal or Sanctifies in truth deceivable work but a real and effectual work which is indeen the new Creation 2 Cor. 5. 17 18. the image of God the life and glory of Christ which shall certainly end in happiness Partakers of the Divine Nature 2 Pet. 1. 4. 2. He will go on with his sanctifying work he will begin and make an end Causeth growth in grace 1 Thes 5. 23. He will change you from glory to glory 2 Cor. 3. 18. Though it begins in weakness he will carry it on in power This sanctifying work of the Spirit shall move on in the soul as the sun doth in the firmament from strength to strength the Spirit within will more and more mortifie and weaken and destroy the body of sin and he will be renewing your inward man day by day 2 Cor. 4. 3. He will still maintain and preserve this sanctifying work against all the rebellions Defends it against all its enemies of our corruptions and against all the assaults of Satan and will never leave untill he hath crowned it with glory Secondly The Spirit of God which is given unto you is a revealing and manifesting Spirit He is expresly called the Spirit of revelation in Ephes 1. 17. and He is a revealing spirit verily herein doth lie most admirable comfort and joy yea all our actual soul joy in this life If all the thoughts and works of grace were hid from us we should have but sad dayes all our life long we should be in perpetual fears and doubts and complaints But the discovery of them which is by the light of the Spirit makes day with us makes joy and rejoycing abound within us Now there are four things which the Spirit of God given unto the people of God can and doth reveal unto them First The presence of Christ within us Though Christ be in us for he dwells The spirit reveals Christs presence within us in our hearts by faith Ephes 3. 17 yet we cannot see or discover his presence but by the Spirit Hereby we know that he abideth in us by the Spirit which he hath given us â— Joh. 3. 24. To know that Christ is mine and in me and that I am Christs and in him cannot be without the Spirit and this manifestation is from the Spirit and is not this joy and comfort indeed to know that Christ is in us Know ye not that Christ is in you except you be reprobates 2 Cor. 13. 5. Secondly The love of God towards us 'T is true that God doth love his people with a most gracious love and with a great love and with a most kind love Gods love towaâ—ds us his love is called loving-kindness Hose 2. 19. with a love that surpasseth all love And it is also true that the apprehension and experience of his love is most sweet and transcendent Thy loving-kindness is better than life Psal 63. 3. And if we could know his love unto us this would pacifie us and how should we come to tast how gracious the Lord is by the holy Ghost Rom. 5. 5. The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost Simile The love of God is like a fountain that is sealed it is like a vessel of precious liquor like that box of oyntment none can open it unto us none can poure it into our hearts none can make us see and tast it he can and oftentimes doth make us to know that the Father loves us Thirdly The wonderful glory prepared for us Mark what the Apostle saith The glory prepared for us 1 Cor. 2. 9. Eye hath not seen nor ear heard neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love Ver. 10 But God hath revealed them to us by his Spirit for the Spirt searcheth all things yea the deep things of God the quality and quantity of future happiness prepared from eternity and must answer the blood of Christ c. Fourthly All the precious works of the Spirit himself with his finger hath The precious works of the spirit wrought in us Though there be an aptitude in them to manifest and discover themselves yet we cannot see them without the Spirit How often are we in darkness how often in doubts and enquiries but have I faith but have I repentance but have I godly sorrow but have I the new heart the tender heart the humble heart In truth Simile Beloved as there is no seeing of the heavenly bodies but by an heavenly light so there is no discovering of the graces of the Spirit but by the light of the Spirit 1 Cor. 2. 12. We have received the Spirit which is of God that we might know the things which are freely given us of God O what happiness is all this to enjoy the Spirit of God by whom we come to know Jesus Christ and as present in my soul to know the love of God and tast the sweetness of it in my heart to know the future heavenly happiness that is prepared from eternity and prepared for my soul and to know all that God hath freely given me in order unto my own eternal happiness Thirdly The Spirit of God which is given unto us is a strengthening and helping He is a stâ—enthening spirit Spirit Ephes 3. 16. That he would grant you according to the riches of his glory to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man Rom. 8. 26. Likewise also the Spirit helpeth our infirmities c. Is it not a benefit when one is weak and faint to find a friend to relieve to support assist uphold and help him we are weak we are fainting we are oppressed distressed burdened ready to sink to fail
shall give you another Comforter that he may abide with you for ever He will be mortifying your sins perfecting your graces conquering your temptations subduing your corruptions helping your weaknesses comforting your consciences leading you on in your journey untill you come to the end of your faith even the salvation of your souls As Jesus Christ accomplished all the works for which the Father sent him he gave not over untill he had finished all of them so doth the Spirit of God who is sent and given unto us he proceeds and goes on with all the works for which he is given unto us and that is to communicate and apply unto us all which Christ hath purchased for us even grace and glory even life and eternal life Thus have you heard 1. The Discoveries of the presence of the Spirit 2ly The Benefits and blessedness in the enjoyment of that Spirit SECT IV. 3. Vse I Now proceed unto a third Use which shall be of relief to tender and Reliefe to weak Christians weak Christians who are full of tears and sadness because they can find no discoveries of the presence of Gods Spirit within them or at most very weak and feeble pulses and appearances thereof That which I would say for the support of those weak persons I shall set down in five Conclusions First One may have the real presence of the Spirit and yet sometimes The spirit may be really present and yet not discovered It s in desertions have no sensible discoveries of his presence as to his own apprehension As 1. In the time of desertions when the Lord hides himself from the soul and draws off and leaves it a while to sit in darkness and in silence in such a case though there be actings of the Spirit and puttings forth tears and groans and complaints Will the Lord cast off for ever will he be favourable no more Psal 77. 7. yet the deserted soul discerns them not in a Relative way as working testimonies of the presence of the Spirit 2. In time of great transgressions Then the Spirit as is it were in a swoon and the light appears not and confusion and darkness rise upon our graces David In great transgressions in his great transgressions looks upon all as lost and therefore prayes that the Lord would not take his holy Spirit from him Psal 51. 11. Secondly One may have the Spirit of God within him and yet sometimes as to his own thinking the discoveries may be rather that he hath not the spirit than that he hath Job saith of God he holds me for his enemy Job 13. 24. And David saith cast me not off Psal 43. 2. And the Church saith my God hath forsaken me Isa 49. 14. This is our condition in the times of vile temptation and in the time of sad melancholy and there is no grace in me no faith no love softness of heart no ability to pray all was but hypocrisie there was never any thing in truth wrought within my soul Thirdly There are comforting discoveries of the presence of the Spirit and Other effects of the Spirit there are proper and respective discoveries of this presence as to our present ways and works and needs Perhaps you have not the manifestations of the spirit in the effect of peace and joy and assurance and yet you may have the manifestations of the Spirit in the effects of mourning for sin and conflicting with it and prayer against it and to walk uprightly Perhaps you find not the presence of the Spirit discovering himself in strong and powerful actings in your souls and yet you may find the Spirit discovering himself in making you to hunger after Christ Perhaps you find not the Spirits presence in raising your hearts with his testimony and yet you find his presence in humbling your hearts for the sins into which you are fallen Perhaps you do not find the presence of the Spirit in delivering you from temptations but yet you find his presence in upâ—olding of you against temptations Fourthly There are many things which may befall us in our Christian race When we may conclude our having of the Spirit not withstanding afflictions and course which yet are not sufficient grounds to conclude that God hath not given unto us his Spirit e. g. 1. Afflictions losses and crosses in outward things you may not from these conclude that God hath not given you his Spirit Because 1. The Lord doth correct every son whom he loveth 2. The most holy persons have been afflicted Job was so so was Jacob so was David 3. These are sent for the tryal of our faith and repentance c. and for the improvement of them 2. Oppositions from wicked men by reproaches and slanders and threatnings and injuriousness these are so far from aproving that we have not the And opposition and reproaches Spirit that they rather do demonstrate his presence and work in us Gal. 4. 28. We brethren as Isaac was are the children of promise Ver. 29. But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit even so it is now 1 Joh. 3. 12. As Cain who was of that wicked one and slew his brother and wherefore slew he him because his own works were evil and his brothers righteous 1 Pet. 4. 4. They think it strange that you run not with them to the same excesse of riot speaking evil of you 3 Inward motions of sin and outward temptations from Satan They have Inward motions of sin and outward temptations Different temptations in our own hearts and do befall the best of Saints Paul found the one in Rom. 7. and the other in 2 Cor. 12. and who of the people of God is free from them 4. Several diversities upon our own spirits sometimes a lowliness a dulness sometimes great confidence and someties many doubtings sometimes rejoycings sometimes mournings sometimes an enlargedness of heart and sometimes a narrowness and restrainedness sometimes an high elevation of heart and sometimes why art thou cast down O my soul sometimes I do believe and yet sometimes O that I could believe sometimes I will not fear what man can do unto me and sometimes I am affraid and that I shall one day perish by the hand of Saul 5. Particular wandrings and sinnings when yet the course of a Christian is Particular wandrings holy and upright in this case we may neither condemn another nor yet our selves as utterly destitute of the Spirit of grace because as a course of sinning ariseth from the want of grace so the particular acts of sinning may arise only from the weakness of grace Fifthly there may be but a very weak measure of grace in a person who yet A weak measure of grace where yet is the Spirit of grace hath the Spirit of grace in truth A Child that is newly born is a living child and yet he is very weak Some Christians are but
as to the matter but also as to the manner of their walkings Ephe. 5. 8. Walk as children of light 4. 1. Walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called Nay yet more particularly Walk in Love Ephe. 5. 2. Walk in Wisdome Colos 4. 5. Walk Circumspectly Ephe. 5. 15. Walk Humbly with thy God Micah 6. 8. Walk in the Spirit Gal. 5. 16. Walk according to the Rule Gal. 6. 16. He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also to walk even as he walked 1 John 2. 6. Secondly To bring or enter them into his wayes The Lord doth promise not only to take them off from their old sinfull wayes Jer. 3. 17. They shall not walk anâ— more after the imaginations of their evill heart but also to walk and to know and approve this way to walk in Psal 143. 8. Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk 85. 13. Righteousness shall go before him and shall set us in the wayes of his steps 119. 30. I have chosen the way of truth thy judgments have I laid before me Ver. 59. I thought upon my wayes and turned my feet unto by Testimonies Thirdly To enable them as for the whole course of their life to hold on walking in his wayes or Statutes Esa 26. 7. The way of the just is uprightness Psal 119. 102. I have not departed from thy judgments for thou hast taught me Ver. 112. I have inclined my heart to perform thy Statutes alway unto the end Jer. 32. 40. I will put my fear into their hearts that they stall not depart from me Fourthly He thus far also engageth himself that if at any time they fall he will raise them up and if they wander into by-paths he will bring them back into the right way Psal 119. 176. I have gone astray like a lost sheep seek thy servant Jer. 3. 22. Returne ye back-sliding children and I will heal your backslidings Behold we come unto thee for thou art the Lord our God Ezek. 34. 16. I will seek that which was lost and bring again that which was driven away and will binde up that which was broken and will strengthen that which was sick Fifthly He will establish them unto the end in their walking in his Statutes 2 Thes 2. 16. Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God even our Father c. Ver. 17. comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work 3. 3. The Lord is faithful who shall establish you and keep you from evil 2 Tit. 4. 18. The Lord shall deliver me from every evil work and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom Prov. 2. 8. The Lord preserveth the way of his saints 5ly Why God makes his promise to cause his people to to walk in his Why God promises to make his people to walk in his Statutes Statutes c. First Because they are of themselves insufficient and unable to do any thing that is good 2 Cor. 3. 5. Not that we are sufficient of our selves to think any thing as of our selves but our sufficiency is of God John 15. 5. I am the vine ye are the branches he that abideth in me and I in him the same bringeth forth much fruit for without me ye can do nothing Jer. 10. 23. O Lord I know that the way of man is not in himself it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps Secondly Because if God leaves them unto themselves tbey are not only unable to walk in his Statutes but will certainly wander from the way of his Statutes When God left David to himself how wofully did he trespass against God When God left Hezekiah to himself presently his heart was lifted up with pride When Peter was left unto himself how fearfully did he deny his Master Thirdly To shew the difference twixt the Covenant of works and the Covenant of Grace that is the ministry of the Letter and this is the ministry of the Spirit 2 Cor. 3. 6. That Covenant of works is a Commanding Covenant but it is not an Helping How the Covenant of Works and of Grace differ Covenant the Covenant of Grace is a helping Covenant as well as a commanding Covenant God herein doth shew us what we are to do and likewise inables us to do Fourthly Because God will have all the glory of all good to be ascribed unto himself therefore will he be the cause of all good Rom. 11. 36. Of him and through him are all things to him be glory for ever If we could walk or work by our own strength with out God then we might boast in our selves but God will have no flesh to boast and glory in it self 1 Cor. 4. 7. Who maketh thee to differ from another and what hast thou that thou didst not receive now if thou didst receive it why dost thou glory as if thou haste not received it Fiftly To comfort and encourage his poor and weak servants under the breadth and depth and length of their obedience When they consider how much God requires at their hands and for how long a time even all the dayes of their life and then consider their own weakness alas say they who is sufficient for these things How shall we be able to perform all those services which God requires But then when they finde that God the mighty God is with them and he engages himself to be their strength and help and that his grace shall be sufficient and he will put forth his own hand to their works this raiseth and encourageth their hearts why I shall have Gods help to do all Gods work c. Sixthly To draw up their hearts unto himself and to set their faith a work upon him when they are to do any duty O sirs we should end all our services in a promise of acceptance and begin all our work in a promise of assistance we should end with glory to God and begin with the grace of God God hath promised to cause us to walk in his Statutes and to do them And why hath he made this promise but because you should look up to your God by faith and rely on him for sufficiency of grace and strength to carry you out to his Name and power c. SECT I. 1 Use DOth God promise to cause his people to walk in his Statutes and to do them hence we may be informed of several things First That then without all question the natural and unregenerate man hath A natural man can of himself do no good no sufficiency in himself to do any spiritual good For if the people of God who are called by grace and are made alive by grace are not sufficient of themselves but do stand in need of the grace of God to cause them to walk in Gods Statutes much more insufficient is every natural man to the doing of good who is dead in trespasses and sins Hear what the scriptures speak of the natural man 1 Cor. 2. 14.
my song he also is become my salvation Isa 25. 4. Thou hast been a Experience proves it so strength to the poor a strength unto the needy in his distress God is your God and he is your strength and you have found him to be so when being sensible of your own weakness you have cast your selves upon him How did his strength beat down strength before you and how did his power make it self manifest in your weakness O Christians you have experience on all sides 1. When you have trusted upon your selves how barren and dead have your hearts been like Sampson c. 2. When you have trusted on your God how able how full quick and enlarged hath your heart been and with what life and alacrity hath the work of God prospered in your hands It s our priviledge Fourthly Priviledge It is not only your duty to go to God and to trust on him to help and enable you to walk in his Statutes and to do them but it is also your priviledge which you enjoy by vertue of the Covenant Is it not a priviledge which a Son enjoys and which a Wife enjoys that the one may confidently go to his Father and the other may confidently go to her Husband to help them in their necessities Why you who are in Covenant with God you are the Sons of God 2 Cor. 6. He is your Father you are married unto him Thy Maker is thy Husband Isa 54. 5. you may therefore go unto him and rely on him 1. Your God knew long ago all your necessities and self-weaknesses or insufficiencies and therefore at the very first he engaged himself to be yours in love and mercy and help and strength 2. It is no more than he is resolved for he is resolved and willing and ready to help you and do you good with all his heart and with all his soul 3. And it concerns his glory to cause you to walk in his Statutes and to do them Quest 2. When especially the People of God should by faith depend upon God for his gracious help and strength to cause them c. Sol. There is no duty or work which we are to do upon Gods Command at any time but we should by faith depend upon God for his strength to enable and cause us to do it Nevertheless we should in eight Cases express a more special care to depend upon him for his assisting and supplying strength e. g. 1. When we are most apt to think that we stand in least need of his strength In what cases we should depend upon him and presence 2. When we find the greatest strength of opposition to the performing of any work 3. When we are most sensible of our own indisposition and inability to the doing of such good works 4. When any work we are called to perform hath a greater Concernment and Respect to Gods Glory his Churches good and our own salvation 5. When the Work is extraordinary and universal 6. When near great and sudden Changes do befall us 7. When we have made solemn vows to God in the days of our distress for Reformation or better walking 8. When it is such a work wherein we have miscarried and have longer stuck at it and cannot get it forward 1. When we are most apt to think that we stand in least need of his strength and presence That our mountain is strong that we are increased that we can go alone and are now sufficient Object But will some of you say When are we thus apt to think c Sol. In three Cases 1. When the works or duties seem unto us little and common and easie not In what cases we are apt to think well of our selves needing any singular presence of Gods Grace As the Israelites thought about the taking of Ai it was but a small City and a few men would serve the turn and there was no need to trouble all the host But they found it otherwise c. so when any duty seems but ordinary a small work and we need not call in for the help of God it is but to meditate it is but to pray it is but to read the Word but to hear a Sermon but to resist a temptation but to deny a very light occasion of sinning but to bear an ordinary Cross or affliction Now we are apt to think we can do these ordinary works and we can pass these ordinary crosses and are not very importunate with God to assist and enable us But what comes of this why either we can do nothing at all or else what we do is but superficial and cold or that little temptation or occasion of sin is too hard for us and that little Cross filâ— us with impatience and vexation and discontent c. Therefore I beseech you who are the people of God Learn to go out of your selves Learn to depend on Gods strength even for the least Duty that you are to perform there is in the least duty whether Active or Passive enough to exercise your Faith Though the greatest work be not above Gods strength yet the least is above your strength If you can do nothing without Christ then you cannot do the least good work without him If the Apostles were not sufficient of themselves to think any thing much less are we able of our selves do any thing Nay and you may observe it That the failings of the people of God are usually about ordinary duties They do carry on their difficult works better than they do their ordinary works what is the Reason of this because in them they look up more to God but in these they look more at themselves Secondly When we have found more than ordinarie enlargments in Communion with God that our hearts have melted in the confession of our sins and that our hearts have wrestled with God in Prayer and our resolutions have been exceedingly strengthened and sharpned O now beware of thy self and now have a special care to make God alone thy strength why because now thou shalt through subtiltie of temptation be inclined to think too highly of thy self and of thine own strength and that this may last long and theâ—eupon thâ—â—â— wilt slack that earnestness of Communion and thou wilt be venturing and hazarding upon the account of thy own strength and God will leave thee and humble thee Thirdly When we have tasted of the wonderful goodness of God in high and rich experiences nay in the very healings and assurances of his own spirit that we have heard the voice of joy all is pardoned God is reconciled Hereupon our hearts ar exceedingly raised to God in blessing and praising and saying What shall I do for this good God O but remember to raise your hearts in a careful and watchful depending on Gods strength and sufficiencie still to enable you to walk with him and to do for him You think you can do much more and I do verily believe you would
do much more but all those gracious experiences without any assistance and influence from God will not be sufficient unto you Secondly We should especially depend upon God for his strength and sufficiencie then when we do meet with the greatest strength of opposition to the performing of any good work or works as David in another case when the people spake of stoning him he did then encourage himself in the Lord his God 1 Sam. 30. 6. Or as Jehoshaphat when that great multitude came against him and God promised him deliverance said he Believe in the Lord your God and ye shall be established 2 Chron. 20. 20. So should we do when we meet with strong â—ppositions and hinderances when we are to work or when we are working the work or works commanded us of God we should now by faith look up to God and rest on his arme of gracious power to uphold our hearts and to cary us out unto our dutiful performances How many temptations do we many times meet with from Satan and how many threatnings and scoffs and reproaches and incounters do we meet many times with from ungodly men and from carnal parents and friends and from secret enemies of â—od and his wayes All which do tend to discourage our hearts and to weaken our hands and to interrupt or divert our feet from walking in Gods wayes and from doing of the works which God requirs of us in our places Now this is the time to look up to God and to trust on him to encourage and enable the heart to serve him to hold on in walking before him with all faithfulness wisdome zeal and patience now make use of that promise in Esa 41. 10. Fear thou not for I am with thee be not dismaid for I am thy God I will strengthen thee yea I will help thee yea I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness Zech. 4. 6. This is the wâ—rd of the Lord unto Zorobabel saying Not by might nor by power but by my spirit saith the Lord of hosts Ver. 7. Who art thou O great mountain before Zorobabel thou shalt become a plain and he shall bring forth the head-stone thereof with shoutings crying Grace grace unto it Thirdly We should especially depend on God for his strength when we are most sensible of our own indispositions weaknesses streitghtened and insufficient hearts How often do we finde these things upon us how apt are we under them to shrink to complain to give over O but our work when we are not able to do our work is by faith to look up to God to quicken and enable us to do his work Psal 119 159. Consider how I love thy precepts quicken me O Lord according to thy loving kindness Esa 45. 24. Surely shall one say In the Lord have I righteousness and strength even to him shall men come Object But I have no might or power at all to do any thing Sol. Consider now that precious promise in Esa 40. 29. He giveth power to the faint and unto them that have no might he encreaseth strength Phil. 2. 13. He worketh in us c. Object But I have lookt up with such weak desires and with such a weak faith as I have and yet finde no more strength Sol. Read on ver 31. They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength c. So Psal 31. 24. Be of good courage and he shall strengthen your hearts all ye that hope in the Lord. Object But did any servant of God ever finde him coming in with strength when sensible of his own weakness and calling upon him for help and strength Sol. See two places of Scripture instances for this Psal 73. 26. My flesh and my heart faileth but God is the strength of my heart and my portion fore ver Psal 138. 3. In the day when I cried thou answeredst me and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul Fourthly We should especially depend on God for strength when we are called to do any work wherein the glory of God and the good of his Church and our own salvation are more singularly concerned First These are services and works of the highest and of the greatest consequence there is no work whatsoever wherein we can deal which is or can be of a higher nature for excellencie necessitie felicitie Secondly Miscarriages under these would prove very woeful and ruinous that Gods glory should faile in my hand or the good and safety of the Church in my hand and my own soul should perish by my own neglect Thirdly And of all works these do meet with the greatest opposition from without our selves and from within our selves the gates of hell are opened c. Yet for these hath God most of all engaged his power and presence and strength as you may see in the varietie of his promises and in the glory of his providences therefore when you are called to do any work which hath a neer and special respect to these things fall down and pray look up and depend as he said de deo nil sine deo we can know nothing of God without God so say I pro deo nil sine deo we can do nothing for God without God nothing for his glory without his assistance O Lord the work which I am now endeavouring thou knowest that it concerns thy name and glory the good and welfare of thy Church which is the apple of thine eye and the dearly beloved of thy soul and it respects mine own eternal salvation which thou wouldst have me work out with fear and trembling good Lord leave me not hide not thy self but appear in thy strength for the carrying on of these works come in with thy wisdom to direct me and with thy grace to quicken me and with thy spirit to lead and uphold and prosper me Fifthly When the work is extraordinary and universal of much difficultie and danger and requires more then ordinarie hight of spirit and courage and resolution now is your time not to consult with flesh and blood not to consider your own proportion of gifts and abilities but by faith to look up to him who commands the work and promiseth his assistance and presence for the work Exod. 3. 10. I will send thee unto Pharoah saith God to Moses that thou mayst bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt ver 11. And Moses said to God Who am I that I should go unto Pharoah and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt Ver. 12. And he said Certainly I will be with thee Josh 1. 5. As I was with Moses so I will be with thee I will not faile thee nor forsake thee Beloved as the weakest duties are above our strength so the greatest and hardest are below Gods strength it is not what you are but what your God is who commands you and what he will be unto you who hath promised his own power and strength Sixthly
When neer great and suddain changes do befall us as the loss of a husband wife child parent friend estate c. this is a time wherein ordinarily we are weak and do stand in need of more strength than our own to bear the hand of God with patient submission and to make a sanctified use of the same And this is a time when we should in a special manner look up to God and trust on him for his help and assistance who hath promised to be with his people in the fire and in the water Esa 43. 2. And to debatâ— with them in measure Esa 27. 8. And to wipe off their tears and to turne again in mercy and that all things shall work together for their good Seventhly When we have made solemn vows in our distresses of particular reformation or of better walking with God O if God will spare me if God will hear me then this I will be and thus I will walk c. Indeed the sin is great to answer for such works and God will certainly require them at your hands therefore when God hath answered you O begg for his grace for his strength to enable you Esa 10. 21. They shall make a vow unto the Lord and perform it Eighthly We should in a special manner depend upon God for his own strength to be revealed unto us when we have experimentally found any work or duty sticking long upon our hands and we cannot get it forward and accomplish it with our strength as many times a man resolves to leave such and such a sin and is very serious in his resolution and yet he findes himself hampered and captivated by it And many times a man resolves upon such or such a heavenly duty which is of an excellent nature and yet he cannot get up his heart unto it but he still omits and neglects it or is by carnal counsel and pleasures taken off from it In these and the like cases we should go and weep before the Lord and confess both the deceitfulness and insufficiencie of our own hearts and earnestly beseech the Lord to take 1. our hearts and 2. our works into his own hands that he would change our hearts and that he would direct our steps and that he would mortifie our sinful lusts and by his strength tread down strength that he would lead captivitie captive that he would break our bonds for us and set us at libertie by the power of his own Spirit 3. Quest Now follows the third Question How may one know that he doth How we may know that we make God our strength indeed make God his strength and doth depend or relie only upon him for all the works which he is to do to cause him to walk in his statutes and to do them Sol. If one doth indeed set up God for his strength and doth depend and relie upon him c. First He will be much in prayer unto God be will not take up or set upon any work without prayer when any duty is to be performed by him his first work is with God Lord give thy strength unto thy servant he will not first venture upon the work and then look up to God but will first call in the help of God and then attempt the work Beloved remember this that the more that any man depends upon himself the less he is in prayer to God for saith he I have wisdom enough and I have strength enough to do this work and the more that any man depends upon God the more will he pray unto God he that believes most will pray most Psal 62. 8. Trust in him at all times ye people poure out your hearts before him God is a refuge for us Because if you do indeed trust on God if you do indeed believe that God is your strength and refuge you will then poure out your heart in prayer before him Psal 116. 10. I believe therefore have I spoken Secondly He will be much in fear Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling for it is God that Works in you to will and to do of his own good pleasure Phil. 2. 12 13. Quest Of what is the man afraid who acknowledgeth and relieth on God as his strength for every good work Sol. He is afraid 1. Of himself even in his best sufficiencies for not by might and by power but by my spirit saith the Lord. Zech. 4. 6 As Johoshaphat who had an army of above eleven hundred thousand men 2 Chron. 1â— from ver 14. to 19. yet when the Moabites and the Ammonites came against him he goes unto the Lord and saith 2 Chron. 20. 12. O our God wilt not thou judg them for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us neither know we what to do but our eyes are upon thee Why said he we have no might Had he not above eleven hundred thousand fighting men Were these no might No they were not self-sufficiencie is no sufficiencie and self-might is no might and therefore he feared him self in the highest of his own sufficiencies and his eyes are upon God in and from him was might and sufficiencie indeed The like you read in a spiritual case of Paul as able an Apostle and as laborious and as powerful as any of them all and one that relied as much upon the grace of God in Christ and one that had as choise and eminent abilities of knowledge and grace yet saith he 2 Cor. 3. 5. We are not sufficient of our selves to think any thing as of our selves but our sufficiencie is of God Ver. 6. who hath made us able ministers of the new testament 2. Of doing any thing which may offend his God and provoke him to withdraw himself from him How jealous was Moses when the two Tribes and an half petitioned to have their portion on this side Jordan lest they had been upon a sinful designe which might move the Lord to leave them Numb 32. 14. Behold you are risen up in your fathers stead an increase of sinful men to augment yet the fierce anger of the Lord towards Israel Ver. 15. For if ye turn away from him he will yet again leave them in the wilderness and ye shall destroy all this people See how afraid Moses was lest any thing should be done which might move the Lord to leave them And so indeed it is with every one who knows that God is his strength and sufficiencie he is afraid of every thing which may move the Lord to depart from him and to leave him unto himself he is afraid of every grosse sin and of going against the light of the word and against the working of the spirit and against the checks and warnings of his own conscience as knowing that for these things God hath left his people and hath withdrawn his actual assistance from them as you may read in Sampson and David and Hezekiah and Peter 3. Of giving way to