persons nor to their sacrifices Thus the Lord expostulates the case with them Isai 1. 12 13. When ye come to appear before me who hath required this at your hand to tread my courts And the Lord forbids them to bring such kind of sacrifices verse 13. Bring no more vain oblations incense is an abomination unto me Quest But might not they truly have replied that incense oblations sacrifices c. were all of Divine institution God commanded them all why then should not they yield obedience to the command accordingly Answ I answer They were commanded to offer sacrifice but they offered sacrifice in a wrong manner For in every service which we perform to God we should do it in a right manner and for a right end not only the action it self but the manner of performing it must be regarded The Jews rested only in the Ceremonial service and in the multitude of external sacrifices having no regard at all to their own hearts and lives these they should have offered up to God pure and holy but their hearts were exceeding foul and their hands were full of bloud therefore God rejected both their persons and their sacrifices For thus saith the Lord verse 15. When ye spread forth your hands I will hide mine eyes from you yea when you make many prayers I will not hear your hands are full of bloud First then before we can offer any acceptable sacrifice unto God we must set upon the practice of mortification and slaughter of all our sins Wherefore the special charge of the Apostle is Col. 3. 5. Mortisie therefore your members which are upon the earth fornication uncleanness in ordinate affection evil concupiscence and covetousness which is idolatry Not a◠lust may be spared All carnal lusts may be compared to those brats of Babylon which are appointed for utter destruction To this purpose we may apply that of the Psalmist Psal 137. 8 9. O daughter of Babylon who art to be destroyed happy shall he be that rewardeth thee as thou hast rewarded us Happy shall he be that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the stones Quest Some make it a Question though good Christians make no Question of it at all Whether self-murther be lawful Answ For Answer It 's murther in the highest degree and an apparent breach of the sixth Commandment Thou shalt do no murther As no murther should be committed against another much less against a mans self But for every one of us to slay our sins and destroy our corruptions is no self-murther for then a Christian lives best of all when he hath slain his sins and corruptions We must make it our daily prayer that God would destroy our sins and save our Souls Every sin we must account a Benhadad design'd for destruction Therefore Benhadad being appointed by God for utter destruction Ahab by sparing him brought inevitable ruine upon himself and his people For thus saith the man of God to Ahab by the word of the Lord 1 Kings 20. 42. Because thou hast let go out of thy hand a man whom I appointed to utter destruction therefore thy life shall go for his life and thy people for his people If then we give quarter to any one sin and hug it in our bosomes we take a speedy course to destroy our own Souls for by shewing foolish pity to spare any one sin we prove cruel to our precious Souls we our selves being the greatest enemies to our selves Sect. 3 Farther we must take special cognizance of such sins as either are secret unknown to any man or else such as come not within the verge of the punishment of the Law of man as wanton and amorous glances vain frothy discourse and covetousness on which God sets a peculiar brand of infamy Col. 3. 5. and calls it Idolatry Now Idolatry is a sin of a high aggravation for it indeavors to rob God of his honour and to ascribe that honour and glory to Mammon and worldly rich men which is only due to the eternal Creator God blessed for ever Likewise we must observe what a wide difference the Apostle makes between carnal living and the practice of mortification the difference is as great as between life and death and so are the different effects and issues of both For saith the Apostle Rom. 8. 13. Ifye live after the flesh ye shall die but if ye through the spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body ye shall live We read of that glorious Victory which the Lord wrought for Israel against Amalek an inveterate enemy after this Victory was obtained we read that Moses built an Altar and called the name of it Jehovah Nissi for he said because the Lord hath sworn that he will have war with Amalek from generation to generation Exod. 17. 15 16. Quest The Question may be askt Why was war to be made and continued from generation to generation against Amalek Answ The Answer is obvious they were cruel and bloudy Enemies destitute of all manner of mercy and bowels of compassion and therefore God chargeth Moses to make a Record of this signal Deliverance And the Lord said unto Moses write this for a memorial in a Book and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under Heaven Quest But it will be further askt Wherein consisted the particular sin of Awalek Answ For Answer Moses gives a full relation Deut. 25. 17 18 19. Remember what Amalek did unto thee by the way and smote the hindmost of thee even all that were feeble behind thee when thou wast faint and he feared not God Therefore it shall be when the Lord thy God hath given thee rest from all thine enemies round about in the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance to possess it that thou shalt blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under Heaven thou shalt not forget it As war by Gods appointment should be waged against Amalek so it 's the appointment of God that we should continue fighting and warring against our sins and corruptions In this case onely it's lawful to perpetuate a deadly fewd and remain alwaies implacable and irreconcileable against all our sins we must not make the least peace nor admit of any parly for peace for any sin though it be of long standing custom and antiquity and pleasing to flesh and bloud To what hath been mentioned I will add for further explication two significant words viz. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of which the Apostle makes an emphatical mention 1 Cor. 9. 27. But I keep under my body and bring it into subjection lest that by any means when I have preached to others I my self should be a cast-away The first word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rendred I keep under my body but there lies in the word a greater emphasis for the word signifies to beat the body black and blue and further yet in
the propriety of the word it signifies * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 est parâ— saciet quae oculis est subjecta contuendo suboctum seu dejectuÌ„ premo Beza to beat under the eye and to leave a mark there of redness and blueness The other word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and this properly signifies to bring into subjection it 's a Metaphor took from Oxen whom we bring under the yoke or from any such Creatures whom we enslave or captivate and bring them into subjection for our use and service We should then indeavor so to bring down our bodies and subdue them as to make them serviceable to our souls and subject and obedient to the yoke of Christ if so we have well learn'd the Doctrine of Mortification A learned moral Heathen will condemn many dissolute livers who call themselves Christians and yet live without God in the world I am saith Seneca greater and born to greater things than to be a slave to my body Every Drunkard is a slave to his Cups and every Whoremonger a slave to his Harlot and every covetous Worldling is a slave to his Mammon But our design must not be to enslave our Souls to our Bodies but the design which we drive must be to make our Bodies serviceable to our Souls It was an excellent saying of Ephrem Syrus who flourisht in the third Century after Christ He that feasts his Body and starves his Soul is like him that feasts his Slave and starves his Wife CHAP. XII Vivification of the Fruits of the Spirit is a Character of a sincere Heart THe twelfth and last Character of sincerity Charact. 12. Vivification of the fruits of the Spirit Sect. 1. which I shall only mention is The Vivification of the Fruits of the Spirit After mortification of the deeds of the Body there must necessarily follow the Vivification of the Fruits of the Spirit for where Christ dwells in a Soul by faith and by the influence of his grace the Body is dead as the Apostle saith Rom. 8. 10. because of sin but the spirit is life because of righteousness A Learned and Judicious Writer thus interprets that Scripture Quam vis peccatum morfi nos adjudicet quatenus in nobis remanet primae naturae vitiosibus spiritum tamea Dei esse victore noc obstare quod tantum primitiis donati sumus quia vel una ejus sciatilla viâ—ae semen est Calv. in Loc. Although saith he sin condemns us to death so far as the remainders of corrupt nature and the vitiosity thereof remains in us yet the Spirit is Conquerour wherefore notwithstanding out primitive corruption one spark of the Spirit of God is a seed of life to us though in this world we receive only the first-fruits thereof All those who by nature are dead in trespasses and sins can never be brought from death to life and from the state of nature into the state of grace any other way but by the quickning virtue of Jesus Christ For saith the Apostle You hath he quickned who were dead in your trespasses and sins Such as are now through grace in a state of regeneracy were in their natural condition in a state of unregeneracy and such who are now quickned were formerly in a dead condition As it 's said of the converted Prodigal in the Parable Luke 15. 32. He was dead and is alive again and was lost and is found The Apostle discovers the great difference between the state of regeneracy and unregeneracy and the difference is great as great as the difference between life and death Let 's diligently review the words of the Apostle Wherein Ephes 2. 2 3. in time past ye walked according to the course of this World according to the Prince of the power of the Air the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience Among whom also we had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh fulfilling the desires or wills of the flesh and of the mind and were by nature 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the children of wrath even as others And what is the sole moving cause of all it followeth vers 4 5. But God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us even when we were dead in sins hath quickned us together with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Sect. 2. Christ by grace ye are saved Quest But the Question may be askt How may such who are regenerated and quickned by Christ be distinguished from such who are unregenerate and yet dead in their trespasses and sins Answ I Answer as a tree may be known by its fruits which it bears i. e. a good tree by good fruits and a bad tree by bad fruits so may regenerate be distinguished from unregenerate unregenerate bring forth the fruits of the flesh as adultery fornication uncleanness c. Gal. 5. 19 20 21. before mentioned but regenerate persons bring forth the fruits of the Spirit St. Paul gives us a double Catalogue one is short but very comprehensive Ephes 5. 9. The fruit of the spirit is in all goodness righteousness and truth The other is a large Catalogue Gal. 5. 22 23. The fruit of the Spirit is love joy peace long-suffering gentleness goodness faith meekness temperance against such there is no Law If then the fruits of the Spirit exert and manifest themselves in the holiness of our lives and conversations it 's an infallible sign of our vivification by the Spirit of Jesus Christ By those twelve forementioned Characters of a sincere Heart we may and must put our selves upon a strict search and enquiry whether our hearts be sincere and upright towards God We must then with all diligence and impartiality make a strict search into our hearts we must ask What have I done Jer. 8. 6. we must commune with our own hearts Psal 4. 4. and as the Church resolves Lam. 3. 40. Let us search and try our ways and turn again to the Lord. And I am perswaded that if we have one of those Characters forementioned in sincerity and in truth we have the rest for they are all Links of one and the same golden Chain and there 's such a concatenation between them as one cannot be separated from another CHAP. XIII Containing the Comforts pertaining to sincere Christians in their Lives in this World HAving laid down those twelve forementioned Characters and Signs of Sincerity I thence infer this Conclusion That it 's the grand Duty incumbent upon us all and every one in particular to propound the Question as in the presence of God to his own Soul Am I a sincere-hearted Christian yea or no Let us with deliberate thoughts consider of those twelve above-named Signs and Marks of Sincerity and examine our selves by them accordingly herein consists the grand Labour and Work to busie our selves with all frequent and serious self-reflections and heart-examinations and let us as one man every one particularly propound the Question
a holy life you must get a clean heart v D. Manton in Lo. 2 Cor. 7. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In divino Cultu nihi mutiluÌ„ sed omnia absoluta esse decet Calv. Cleanse your hands ye Sinners and purify your hearts ye double minded Not only outward impurity of the Body but inward impurity of the Heart not only practical uncleanness but speculative uncleanness should be utterly abhorred and abandoned altogether For so runs the Charge of the Apostle Having therefore these promises dearly beloved let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God This then is an undoubted Conclusion consonant to the Rule of the word That where holiness is cordially embraced loved desired and delighted in and rightly priced in the Judgment and preferrd as the true Wisdome before Rubies and all manner of pretious Stones and where holiness is practiced in the life and Conversation questionless that heart is upright and sincere towards God notwithstanding many personal Infirmities which we grieve for and dislike of while we are in this Vale of misery CHAP. IIII. Of ingenuous Sorrow for Sin A Fourth Character of Sincerity is Ingenous Charact. 4. Ingenous sorrow for our Sias sorrow for all Sin This Epithete Ingenuous I therefore name because I would lay down hereby a discriminating note between that sorrow which is for the Sin and that which is onely for the punishment Sect. 1 That sorrow I call ingenuous which is for the Sin more then for the Punishment and this is a Filial kind of sorrow That I call servile and disingenous which is more for the Punishment then for the Sin A Child of God understands the nature of Sin as to it's filthiness guiltiness and punishment which is the consequent thereof and therefore he laies Sin to heart and is grieved and vexed at the very heart because God is thereby dishonoured and his holy Law is broken A Godly mourner mourns for Sin as it is Sin because of its filthiness and defilement and because it displeaseth the only Holy Lord God and is odious and abominable in his sight The Eye of every upright man affects his Heart and melts him into Tears of Godly sorrow and works an inward compunction and a heart breaking sorrow And this is that sorrow which is of the right stamp a genuine and ingenuous kind of sorrow And where ever this ingenuous sorrow is it may be fully evidenced by seven Apostolical characters mentioned by the Apostle For Behold saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 7. 11. this self same thing that ye sorrowed after a godly sort what carefulness it wrought in you yea what clearing of your selves yea what indignation yea what fear yea what vehement desire yea what zeal yea what revenge Sect. 2 There is a very great difference between the mournings of Cain Pharaoh Ahab and Judas who only mourned and roared for the smart of punishment and the mournings of David Paul Peter and Mary Magdalen who mourned for their sins and therefore grieved because they displeased so good and gracious a Lord God For instance Pharaoh often cried out that the plagues inflicted on him and on his people might be taken away but what plagues did he mean I answer he meant only the plagues of Frogs Locusts Caterpillars c. Pharaoh had a plague incumbent on him worse than all those and that was the plague of a hard heart of this plague he makes not any mention at all A hard heart was his great sin and it was inflicted upon him as a very great judgment But David cries out against Psal 51. 4. himself for his sins and makes a particular acknowledgment Against thee thee only have I sinned and done this evil in thy sight And he prayes Hide thy face Verse 9. from my sins and blot out all my transgressions Ahab was a meer stranger to the Grace of Humility and unacquainted with it altogether yet it 's said of him that he humbled himself and for his outward humiliation the judgment threatned was adjourned Seest thou how Ahab 1 Kings 21. 29. humbleth himself before me Because he humbleth himself before me I Poenitentia ductus sed quae non permansit Aliquid tamen de commeritâ poenâ ob hoc detractum est Grot. Exemplum bonitatis Dei quatenus Achab quantumvis hypocriticè poeâ—itentiam agenti poenas meritas differt Hinc colligi pot est Deum multo magis beneficum fore erga cos qui veram seriam poenitentiam egerint Piscat will not bring the evil in his dayes but in his sons dayes will I bring the evil upon his house Yet of Ahab it may be more properly said that he was rather humbled than humble for the fear and horror apprehended of those dreadful judgments which were to be poured down against himself and Jezebel his Wife and his Posterity extorted from him an outward humiliation which consisted in putting on Sackcloth in fasting and going softly and looking with a sorrowful and dejected countenance yet all this while he had not one dram of true godly sorrow and of true humility How sad must be the condition of many loose Professors now a-dayes who come short of such as Ahab was and how dreadful must their condition be who come short of those who come short of Heaven But St. Paul was a man of another spirit he was not only humbled but humble and had the gift and grace of true humility and he was a true Penitent a sincere Convert and a godly Mourner for sin and he was so low and debased in his own eyes as to account himself the chief of 1 Tim. 1. 15. sinners We read of Ahab's forwardness in offering himself a Voluntier and Slave to sin so that this foul Brand of Infamy is stampt upon him But there was none 1 Kings 21. 25. like unto Ahab which did sell himself to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord whom Jezebel his Wife stirred up Ahab was active and put himself forward to work all manner of mischief he precipitated himself without fear or wit into any desperate Adventure He stuck at nothing but ran on in a wild and mad career following all sorts of wickedness with a full bent propension and vergency of his soul and with delight and complacency driving a Trade for Sin and for the Devil We read of such who were almost starved for hunger that they flew upon the spoil And likewise 1 Sam. 14. 32. the Apostle stigmatizeth the vilest of sinners after this manner Who being past feeling have given themselves over Eph. 4. 19. unto lasciviousness to work all uncleanness with greediness Of this brand was Ahab But on the contrary St. Paul discovers a better spirit as appears by his protestation I delight in the Law of God after Rom. 7. 22. the inward man He was passive and with great grief and remorse of heart Tom. 7.
commanded in the Word of God we must make it our business to manifest our thorow and impartial obedience not picking and chusing as if when we had perform'd an easier duty then we might obtain a dispensation for a greater commandment But all such manner of halving and dividing is odious and abominable in the sight of Almighty God for every divided heart is faulty as the Prophet saith Hos 10. 2. Their heart is divided therefore they shall be found faulty Wherefore Universality of the subject the whole man which in a comprehensive acceptation takes in all the members of the Body and faculties of the Soul Universality of the object the whole Law and Universality of time and place are essentially requisite to the compleating of the obedience of every sincere hearted Christian This Character searcheth very near the heart and he who hath it without all question is a sincere hearted man By this Character let us in an especial manner try our selves even by the universality of our hatred of all manner of sins and by the universality of our obedience unto all God's commands and by the universality of our endeavours to grow in every grace Universality is both a divisive and constitutive difference for it distinguisheth a half nominal and formal outside Christian from a sincere Christian and it constitutes a Child of God CHAP. X. Where the Heart is upright with God it is without guile and hypocrisie THe tenth Character of sincerity is Charact. 10. A spirit without guile Sect. 1. a spirit without guile and hypocrisie Nathanael had this testimony from Christ John 1. 47. Behold an Israelite indeed in whom is no guile And to have a spirit without guile is that grand distinguishing Character which the Psalmist appropriates to a blessed man Psal 32. 1 2. Elessea is he whose transgression is forgiven whose sin is covered Blessed is the mâ—n unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity 〈◊〉 in whose spirit there is no guile Who are they who are thus blessed Such whose sins are forgiven and not imputed to them And who are they whose sins are forgiven and not imputed to them Such in whose spirit there is no guile Only those who are pure in heart shall see God Purity of heart is one of those transcendent Beatitudes mention'd in our Saviours Sermon upon the Mount Matth. 5. 8. Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God They are said to be pure in opposition to profaneness and pure in heart in opposition to hypocrisie They only shall be partakers of the blessed Vision whose hearts are pure i. e. sincere with God True Believers whose hearts are upright and their lives holy they shall see some manifestations of God by his Word and by his Providences and they shall see the footsteps and out-goings of God in the Sanctuary But what they see here is but little in comparison of what they shall see and enjoy in glory For saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 13. 12. we see through a glass darkly but then face to face Now I know in part but then shall I know even as also I am known Sect. 2 Every upright person is compounded of three signisicat words which comprehend the whole duty of integrity And they are simplicity singleness and sincerity The first word is simplicity and this 1. Simplicity is opposite to a double heart and to such a heart as is usually call'd a heart and a heart This simplicity of the heart was a ground of the Apostles rejoycing and of all true Believers For saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 1. 12. For our rejoycing is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity c. And it 's the high commendation ascrib'd to the Children of Zebulun 1 Chron. 12. 33. that they were not of a double heart St. James stamps a brand of infamy upon a double minded man in that he is unstable in all his waies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 James 1. 8. He is unsixt unplaced and so unsettled as you know not what to judg of him nor as we use to say where to find him A man may as soon hold the wind in his hand as hold fast an unstable man A second word is singleness Now 2. Singleness singleness and uprightness differ only in the sound of the name pronounced they agree in the same sense altogether as being of a synonimous signification Of this singleness of heart we have a clear evidence of the Primitive Converts Acts 2. 46. They continued daily 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with one accord in the Temple and breaking bread from house to house and eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart praising God It 's the observation of judicious Mr. Calvin upon the place Quia in laudando Deo non potest esse cordis simplicitas nisi constet in omnibus vitae partibus ideo certum est ejus fieri mentionem hoc sensu quod fideles eain ubique colueriat Calv. in Loc. That simplicity of heart and praising of God are joyn'd together And the reason he gives is this Because in praising of God there cannot be simplicity of heart unless it consist in all the parts of our lives c. This single and undivided heart is highly esteem'd of in the sight of God Wherefore we are commanded to turn unto the Lord with all our hearts Joel 2. 12. And the Psalmist professeth Psal 119. 10. With my whole heart have I sought thee O let me not wander from thy commandments An entire single one heart are all one in sense and such a one only obtains acceptance in the sight of God the searcher of all hearts A third word is godly sincerity so I 3. Sincerity 2 Cor. 1. 12. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 site cerâ call it because it 's so call'd by the Apostle godly sincerity or the sincerity of God Hereby is necessarily to be infer'd that we must not only be sincere in all that we do towards men but in all that we do towards God Simplicity and godly sincerity are joyn'd together by the Apostle and they cannot be parted asunder The Apostle likewise prays for the Philippians Phil. 1. 10. That ye may approve things that are excellent that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ. In this place here are two significant words to be explained one is sincere 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Original and according to the received Etymology derived from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sol and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 judico And this is as most say an allusion to the practise of Eagles who turn the faces of their young ones to look upwards towards the Sun and if they cannot behold the Sun they throw them down as spurious and not of the breed of Eagles Thus far this allusion may be improved That all our thoughts words and actions should be so genuine and so rightly ordered as they
as in the presence of God to his own Soul saving Is my heart sincere and upright towards God There are many needless Questions propounded which gender strife and it were better that they had been buried in silence altogether but here is the Question worthy of our studying and stating viz. Whether our hearts stand sincere towards God As for all those whose hearts are without guile as Nathanael's was John 1. 47. who have truth in the inward parts as God requires Psal 37. 6. who are men after God's own heart as David was whose hearts are perfect with God as Hezekiah Asa and Jehosaphat were these notwithstanding infirmities incident to human nature shall find the comfort and benefit of their uprightness and sincerity in their lives and in their deaths and after death to all eternity Sincere-hearted Christians receive Sincere persons receive comfort in their lives comfort in their lives Although God's dear Children meet with variety of sore and grievous afflictions in this present World and encounter with many tentations and great troubles and vexations insomuch as they are the very Butt and Mark against which their implacable Enemies shoot their keenest and sharpest Arrows poisoned and destructive yet notwithstanding all their sufferings a good od a good Cause and a good Conscience will carry them chearfully through all their troubles and abundantly quiet and support their spirits And the least glimpse of God's reconciled countenance in Christ will infinitely compensate for all the frowns and fury of implacable Adversaries inward comforts will make amends for outward troubles A good Conscience like Ahimaaz will bring good tidings or like a Halcyon as is said appears in a storm as an emblem of a calm approaching Or a good Conscience may resemble Noah's Dove which brought an Olive-leaf in her mouth in token that the waters were abated As Aaron's Rod swallowed up all the Rods of the Magicians so a pacified Conscience by the consolations of God's spirit will swallow up all manner of troubles and vexations whatsoever A sincere heart and the answer of a good conscience and the apprehension of God's reconciled countenance in the face of Christ will compose and quiet our spirits and becalm and make them sedate and settle all manner of fluctuating and tumultuating thoughts To this purpose I 'le cite an excellent passage of St. Augustine * Tumultuosis varietatibus dilaniantur cogitationes meae intimae viscera animae meae donet in te coajinam purgatus liâ—uidus gâ—e amoris tui Aug. conf l. c. 29. My thoughts saith he are torn in pieces with variety of tumults even my inward bowels are torn in pieces until I make haste to be purged and and melted with the fire of thy love One only word spoken by Christ suddenly becalm'd a rough and tempestuous Sea for when the Disciples were afraid Matth. 8. 26. Christ arose and rebuked the Winds and the Sea and there was a great calm And amidst variety of storms and tempests even such winds which blow fiercer than that called Euroclydon Acts 27. 17. Christ can make all still and so can he amidst the greatest inward and sharpest storms of Christians when they are at their wits end and know not what to do Christ I say can speak a word of peace unto their Souls saying Son or Daughter be of good comfort all thy sins are forgiven thee Upon the hearing of such a gracious word there will follow a marvelous tranquility and serenity upon the spirit Sect. 2 It cannot be denied though it ought to be bewailed but the best of Saints here on earth have their spots and failings for they are encompassed in this World with a body of sin and corruption yet they are sensible of and mourn for their spots and failings for they are their sorrow and their heavy burthen They do not willingly allow themselves in any sin nor willingly depart from any command Sin in a Child of God is a torment to him like a broken leg or a broken tooth it 's matter of dolour and anguish to him Sin in a Child of God is like Garbidge thrown into a running stream it is still running and purging away of all manner of filth and impurity But sin in an unregenerate man is like Garbidge thrown into a standing pond there it abides and sends forth a loathsome and stinking savour However all those whose hearts are upright with God make it their continual employment to search their hearts and to wash and cleanse them hereupon after searching of their hearts they learn to know them better and they know more evil by themselves than all the World can tell them of hence follows heart-compunction sighing and mourning And being thus apprehensive of their own impotency and unworthiness and forlorn condition they make haste to Christ and implore his gracious assistance and beseech him to cleanse them and make them white in his Bloud Wherefore as often as that inveterate enemy Satan and all malicious and ungodly men the Devils instruments prefer large Bills of Accusations and false Indictments against the Saints they make their appeal to the righteous Judge of Heaven and Earth who alwaies judgeth righteously The Apostle makes an expostulation and gives an answer thereunto every way satisfactory Rom. 8. 33 34. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect it is God that justifieth The most bitter Accusations and most violent Persecutions of them all are altogether insignificant and of no effect force or vertue against any of those whom God justifies for Gods justification and discharge will fully acquit and exonerate us and save us harmless and indemnified against all the demands charges suggestions and libels made against us by the worst of Enemies For it follows in the next words Who is he that condemneth it is Christ that died yea rather that is risen again who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us The frequent and serious meditation of these things abundantly support and comfort the godly in their Pilgrimage on Earth Albeit the best of Gods children meet with conflicts and antipathies and are excercised in combats against the Flesh the Devil and the World those spiritual Enemies of their Salvation yet through the strength of Christ they shall return with Trophies of Victory and by experience they shall find the flesh to be weaker and weaker and the spirit stronger as it was said of the houses of David and Saul this grew weaker and weaker and the other grew stronger and stronger But whilst we are in this World we must never cast down our weapons but still continue fighting against sin we must not expect to rest from our labours till we are dead Let 's then with all diligence and fidelity manage our spiritual warfare and in all things labour to approve our hearts sincere to God and we shall at length conclude with the Apostle Rom. 8 37. Nay in all these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 things
of Judgment John Huss and Jerome Luth. Loc. Com. of Prague shall appear to be good men when the Pope and his Cardinalls shall appear to be vile and wicked wretches St Bernard us'd to say That the Day will Veniet Veniet Dies quando male judicata rejudicabit Deuâ— Bern. come it will certainly come when God will judg over again all false judgment But as for all those whose hearts were upright with God whilst they liv'd in this world these after death are translated into an estate of glory and happiness and in the highest heavens receive consolations beyond all expression and a weight of glory beyond the capacity of any mortal man which Christ gives to all his Children who in their Pilgrimage on earth endeavoured with their whole heart and strength to serve the Lord in sincerity and in truth All those who were on earth Sincere-hearted and real Saints shall be acknowledged to be such by Christ himself at the Day of Judgment No sin no failing nor imperfection shall at all be layd to their Charge in that day for all failings and sins and all manner of imperfections shall be washt away in the bloud of Jesus Christ What ever good things the Saints have done on earth shall be all remembred and not any one thing forgotten at the day of judgment But whatever was bad and sinfull that they committed on earth shall not be layd to their Charge but shall be blotted out of the Book of Gods Remembrance and God will cast them into the depth of the sea O What a joyfull day and full of Comfort will the day of judgment be to all the Children of God! Then they shall lift up their heads with Comfort and behold him who is their Judg as their Redeemer Advocate Intercessor and Flder Brother and he will pronounce for them a sentence of Absolution At that day all glorified Saints shall have their bodily eyes irradiated with the splendor of glory and they shall be inabled to behold the Beatificall Vision and this is he Happiness of all Happiness and this only is their portion and appropriated to them alone who are pure in heart Thâ—y are blessed as our Saviour pronounceth them Who are pure in heart for they shall see God Then the Saints in glory shall sit in Judgment as Assessors with Christ and shall approve of the righteous sentence of Christ in Condemning their unrighteous Judges Then they shall see the Omniporent Eternal Jehovah the Beeing of all Beeings the first person in Trinity uncreated unbegotten and unproceeding Then they shall see Christ the Mediator of thâ— New Covenant their only Saviour and Redeemer uncreated but begotten and not proceeding who is the second Person in Trinity Then they shall see the holy Ghost the third Person in Trinity neither created nor begotten but proceeding from both The Glorifyd Saints what they believed when they were militant on earth shall in heaven understand the great Mystery of the Trinity in Unity and Unity in Trinity One glorified Saint shall know more then all the Learned men in the world I 'le conclude with this Doxology Now to the holy and blessed Trinity and one God in Vnity Father Son and Holy Ghost be ascribed all Honour and Glory Praise and Thanksgiving Dominion and Obedience henceforth and unto all Eternity Amen THE Contents of this Treatise CHAP. I. OF spiritual poverty p. 1. Sect. I. Spiritual poverty consists in emptying of the heart of what is self ibid. Sect II. Every humble spirited man is low vile and abject in his own eyes p. 3. Sect. III. One who is spiritually poor meditates frequently and seriously upon the promises and makes particular application of them p. 6. Sect. IV. One that is poor in spirit is weak fiâ—k and in a distressed condition as to his own apprehension and makes haste unto Christ for help p. 9. CHAP. II. Concerning the highest prizing and valuing of Jesus Christ p. 11. Sect. I. It 's an infallible sign of a true Believer to value and prefer Christ before all the riches of the world p. 11. Sect. II. Of ardâ—ney and strength of affection to Jesus Christ p. 14. CHAP. III. Of a heart in love with holiness evidenced in â— holy life and conversation p. 16. Sect. I. Every true Believer loves holiness for it self because it is the image of God ibid. Sect. II. Where holiness is in the heart it is fruitful in the life p. 19. CHAP. IV. Of ingenuous sorrow for sin p. 24. Sect. I. Ingenuous sorrow is more for the sin than the punishment ibid. Sect. II. There is a great difference between the mournings of Cain Ahab Judas c. and the mournings of David Paul Peter c. p. 25. Sect. III. There 's a great difference between the mourning of slaves and mourning of children p. 30. CHAP. V. Of sorrowing and mourning for others sins p. 33. Sect. I. A godly mourner mourns for others sins ibid. Sect. II. We must be affected with and afflicted for the sins of others remembring that we are men of like passions p. 37. CHAP. VI. Of approving our hearts unto God p. 42. Sect. I. A sincere-heâ—rted Christian labours to aprove his heart to God and put himself upon God's trial ibid. Sect. II. Though we are subject to many infirmities we must groan under the burthen of them p. 44. CHAP. VII Of pressing forward towards perfection p. 49. Sect. I. It 's an Apostolical character and Apostolical practice to press forward towards perfection ibid. Sect. II. Instances in particulars whether we press forward towards perfection p. 52. CHAP. VIII Of a strict watch set upon the heart against bosome sins p. 55. Sect. I. A sincere heart endeavors to keep it self from every beloved sin ibid. Sect. II. No sin so little but deserves damnation p. 59. Sect. III. An illustration by similitudes p. 61. CHAP. IX An endeavor against every sin and for the practice of every duty p. 65. Sect. I. The desire and endeavor must be against every sin ibid. Sect. II. The endeavor must be to obey all commands and practice all duties p. 69. CHAP. X. Of a heart without guile p. 73. Sect. I. The heart must be without guile ibid. Sect. II. Every person that is upright is compounded of three words viz. simplicity singleness and sincerity p. 74. CHAP. XI Of mortification of the deeds of the body p. 80. Sect. I. The deeds of the body i. e. all lusts ought to be mortified ibid. Sect. II. Questions propounded and answered p. 83. CHAP. XII Vivisication of the fruits of the Spirit p. 91. Sect. I. Beside mortification of the deeds of the body there must be a vivification of the fruits of the Spirit ibid. Sect. II. How this is to be discerned p. 93. CHAP. XIII Containing the comforts of sincere Christians p. 95. Sect I. Sincere Christians have comforts in their lives ibid. Sect. II. Sincere Christians are sensible of their sins and mourn for them p. 98. CHAP. XIV Sincere-hearted Christians have comforts in their deaths p. 102. Sect. I. The comfortable deaths of such as are sincere p. 102 Sect. II. We ought to prepare for deatâ— p. 10â— Sect. III. The â—ying speeches of Saints p. 109 CHAP. XII Containing the happiness of the Saints iâ— Heaven p. 115 Sect. I. The Saints in Heaven receive per fection of happiness ibid Sect. II. At the day of Judgment all falâ— judgments shall be reverst p. 118 FINIS
14. complains that he was sold under sin He discover'd great renitency reluctancy and antipathies against every sin For saith he that which I do I allow not for what I would do that do I not but Rom. 7. 15. what I hate that do I. O how did this holy Apostle fight and struggle and exercise continual Combats and Conflicts fighting against Sin and Satan And thereupon he breaks forth into a doleful complaint But I see another Law in Verse 23. my members warring against the Law of my mind and bringing me into captivity to the Law of sin which is in my members And it 's observable that all this while and amidst all those sad complaints Paul was a regenerate man and a pregnant demonstration we have of our assertion because he delighted in the Law of God For saith he I delight in the Law of God Verse 22. Totus homo mento ratione regitur ab ca itaque Apostolo homo totus appellatur Bucer after the inward man And to delight in the Law of God in the inward man cannot be appropriated to any but to such only who are in the state of Regeneracy And that the words of the Apostle are not by a figure called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it 's evident that he speaks in his own and not in another person because he saith I my self And that the Apostle Rom. 7. 25. gives no allowance to himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Idem ego vel ipse ego quod à Paulo emphaticè dictum est ad designandum seipsum ne quis eum sub alienâ personâ hactenus fuisse locutum suspicaretur Estius in Loc. Accipiamus hoc in suâ ipsius personâ protulisse Apostolum Zegerus Hac exceptione fatetur se it a esse Deo addictum ut reptans in terra muâ—tis sordibus inquinetur Calr in any sin is clear because he professeth For the good that I would I do not but the evil which I would not that I do And the Apostle was apprehensive of his own impotency and insufficiency to extricate himself out of those straits and difficulties wherein he was involved and therefore he cries out for a deliverer as appears in that pathetical exclamation O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the Body of Sin By the Body oâ— Sin he understands all sorts of Sin both Original and Actual both the Roor and Fruit the corrupt Fountain and the corrupt Streams And none but God caâ— deliver and set him free from them Hâ— alone can deliver him who delivers uâ— from the wrath to come 1 Thes 1. 10. Sect. 3 Moreover we are farther to considerâ— that there is a vast and a wide difference between the howling of Dogs and the crying of Children and there is as mucâ— difference between the roaring of Gally slaves and the crying of godly Mourners Wicked men Slaves anâ— such as feel the present smart of the lash cry out bitterly by reason of the great pain which they feel and thosâ— smarting blows which they groan under * Poe lit eat te quod tot tantis flagitiis involutus in luto faecis miseriae diutius jacuisti poeniteâ—tiam agens corpus tuum conteras furibunde carnis asello iacentivorum semina subtrahens c. Bern. p. 331. But as for all those who are true and unfeigned Mourners in Zion they are deeply affected with godly sorrow foâ— sin and therefore they grieve and mourn because they have been so hard-hearted as to kick a tender Father upon his Bowels and have been so unthankful as to sin against riches of mercy and loving kindness Hence comes theiâ— Heart-piercing Heart-breaking and Soul-melting Sorrows because they have been such undutiful Children as to reâ— bel against a gracious and merciful God the Father of all mercies and the God of all consolations No massie great Mountain no not the burthen of Aetna as the Proverb is no weight imaginable or expressible can be so heavy as is the burthen of sin to a Child of God And no manner of sorrow can be so bitter to a godly man as is the sense of Sin and sorrow for it Nothing in the World can be so grievous vexing torturing and every way afflictive to a good Christian as Sin is for Sin to him is like a Dagger sticking in his Heart and continually tormenting and putting him to pain Hereupon we read of David watering his Couch with his Tears For Psal 6. 6 7. saith he I am weary with my groaning I make my Bed to swim I water my Couch with my Tears Mine eye is consumed because of grief Further he expresseth an addition to his mourning because his Psal 42. 3. tears was his meat day and night To eat the bread of affliction and to drink the water of affliction is a sad calamity but to feed on tears must needs be much sadder but this is not all for the Psalmist confesseth further There is no Psal 38. 3. soundness in my flesh because of thine anger neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin Diseases aches pains and broken bones are very grievous Omnium est utilissimum dolorem corporis ex morbo vel ulcere loco peccati habere peceati etiam vocabulo appellare ita vel hoc pacto ad detestationem peccatorum horrorem induceremur Musc in Loc. but sin is or should be more grievouâ— to us than all David was of a sanguinâ— complexion and such naturally are more chearful David was a great and potent King and an excellent Musicianâ— yet the sense of his sins caused great sorrows to him and made him goâ— mourning all the day long If then theâ— thorow sense of sin and the guilt thereof be set home upon the Conscience there will be weeping and mourning The eye will affect the heart and cause inward compunction and godly sorrow Thus we read of Ephraim smiting upon his thigh Of Ephraim's Conversion and Repentance which is the Fruit of Conversion the Prophet Jeremy makes mention I have surely heard Ephraim Jer. 31. 18 19. bemoaning himself thus Thou hast chastised me and I was chastised as a Bullock unaccustomed to the yoke Turn thou me and I shall be turned for thou art the Lord my God Surely after that I was turned I repented and after that I was instructed I smote upon my thing I was ashamed yea even confounded because I did bear the reproach of my youth We shall likewise find the Prophet Ezekiel â—zek 21. 6. sighing to the breaking of his loyns And Job 42. 6. Job abhorring himself and repenting in dust and ashes Many mourn for worldly losses and shed many a tear for any loss which befals them in their temporal estate but few there are which mourn for sin which produceth the greatest loss even the loss of God's favor Many have cause to repent for their worldly mournings and to mourn for their mournings