not that the thing thou lookest after in all the workes of men in all the services they doe unto thee The true worshippers saith our Saviour Iohn 4 23. shall worship the father in spirit and truth for the father seeketh such to worship him Hee even longeth for such servants as will worship him in that manner Secondly This is that that the Lord delighteth in Such as are upright in their way saith Solomon Prov. 11.20 are the Lords delight I know also my God saith David 1 Chron. 29.17 that thou hast pleasure in purightnesse We can by nothing we are able to doe gratifie and please the Lord so much as in this Thirdly This is all in all with God the onely thing that hee requireth of us let our hearts bee true to him and hee hath enough Indeed this comprehendeth much as wee shall heare and where this is nothing can be wanting and therefore the Lord asketh no more but this This is all that God required of Abram in that covenant that he made with him Genes 17.1 Walke before mee and be thou upright So speaketh Samuel also to the people when hee would renew the covenant betweene God and them 1 Sam. 12.24 Only feare the Lord and serve him in truth with all your heart So runneth the covenant also that God made with David and his posterity 1 Kin. 2.4 If thy children take heed to their wayes and walke before me in truth with all their heart and all their soule there shall not faile thee a man upon the throne of Israel Fourthly The Lord valueth and esteemeth of us and of all our words and actions according to this this is the very ballance of the Sanctuary whereby hee weigheth them all 1. Thus the Prophet describeth a good man Psal. 125.4 Doe good ô Lord to those that be good Who are they And to them that are upright in their hearts 2. A little grace a small measure of knowledge and faith the meanest and poorest service we doe unto God is of a great price and worth with him where hee seeth uprightnesse of heart Philadelphia is said Revel 3.8 to have had but a little strength and yet of all the Churches Christ wrote to hee findeth least fault with her shee pleased him best 3. Nay the Lord will beare with many frailties and faults where hee seeth there is truth in the inward parts See three notable examples of this 1. Asa had sundry great faults which you shall see recorded 2 Chron. 16.10.12 And yet because of this see what a testimony the holy Ghost giveth of him 1 Kings 15.14 Neverthelesse Asaes heart was perfect with the Lord all his dayes As if hee should have said for all his slips and frailties hee was a good man because his heart was upright 2 The second example is of Iehoshaphat his sonne of whom also we read that hee had many great frailties Hee made a league of great amity with Ahab 2 Chron. 18.3 Hee went with him to battell against Ramoth Gilead though hee had heard what Micajah the Prophet spake against it 2 Chron. 18.27 28. Though hee had beene reproved for this by Iehu the Prophet 2 Chron. 19.2 yet doth he after that againe joyne himselfe in speciall league with Ahaziah Ahabs sonne a most wicked man 2 Chron. 20.35 And he bestowed his sonne Iehoram in marriage upon Ahabs daughter 2 Chron. 21.6 And yet for all this God accounted him a good man all his dayes 1 King 22.43 Hee turned not aside from doing that which was right in the eyes of the Lord. And why did God so esteeme of him Surely because his heart was upright with God For saith the Prophet Iehu to him 2 Chron. 19.3 Neverthelesse there are good things found in thee in that thou hast prepared thine heart to seeke God And as it is said 2 Chron. 17.6 His heart was lift up in the wayes of the Lord. He was unfeinedly and zealously bent in the purpose of his heart to please the Lord. 3. The third and last example is of the people that received the passeover in Hezechiahs time of whom it is said 2 Chron. 30.18 that they did eate it otherwise then it was written they swerved in that holy service from the expresse direction and commandement of God For they had not cleansed themselves according to the purification of the Sanctuary they came not so prepared to the Sacrament as they ought to have done And yet did God passe by this fault and imputed it not unto them but at the prayer of Hezekiah healed and forgave them made his Sacrament effectuall to their comfort for all that And why so The reason is given verse 19. They had prepared their hearts to seeke God in that his ordinance the bent of their heart was upright with God in that service You see then what account God maketh of the uprightnesse of the heart 4 On the other side The greatest shewes of goodnesse that can be in a man the best workes he can doe are of no worth with him if this be wanting Iudas repented confessed his sinne in particular and made restitution also of that hee had unjustly got Matth. 27.3 4. and all to no purpose because his heart was rotten and unsound The Pharisee led so civill and honest a life that he justified himselfe before men and was highly esteemed for it as our Saviour speaketh Luk. 16.15 but was of no reckoning with God And why Our Saviour telleth us Matth. 23. â—8 Ye outwardly appeare righteous to men but within ye are full of hypocrâ—sie and iniquity The people in Ezekiels time frequented his ministery diligently tooke as great delight to heare him as as ever they did in any musicke yet were they starke naught in Gods account And the reason is given Ezek. 33.31 their heart was false their heart went after their covetousnesse Iehu shewed great zeale for Gods glory and did much for the advancement of it and gloried of it unto good Iehoâ—adab 2 King 10.16 Come with me saith he and see my zeale for the Lord. And yet did the Lord account of him no better then of a murderer I will avenge saith hee Hos. 1.4 the bloud of Iezreel upon the house of Iehu And why Because in doing that excellent peece of service his heart was not right as you shall see 2 King 10.31 Fiftly and lastly The Lord so highly esteemeth of this truth of heart that hee counteth him that hath this a perfect man a righteous man as if hee had no sinne no defect no frailty in him at all For in the phrase of the Holy Ghost an upright hearted man and a perfect man are all one So God calleth Iob 2.3 A perfect and an upright man So speaketh David Psal. 37.37 Marke the perfect man and behold the upright So Psal. 32.11 Rejoyce in the Lord ye righteous Why who can say he is righteous Hee answereth in the next words Shout for joy all ye that are upright in heart And 97.11 Light is
unlesse he understand what I say as the Apostle teacheth 1 Cor. 14.16 so neither can I have confideâ—ce to receive any good by mine own prayer unlesse I know I pray according to Gods will as the Apostle saith 1 Iohn 5.14 Therefore hearing is the first duty that is injoined to them that goe into Gods house When thou goest into Gods house saith Solomon Eccl. 5.1 bee more ready to heare then to give the sacrifice of fooles As though he should have said All our prayers and other services we doe to God in his house are but the sacrifice of fooles till we have first by hearing beene instructed how to doe them according to Gods will For God hath no pleasure in fooles as he there saith verse â— hee taketh no pleasure in the prayers or other services that fooles and ignorant sots doe offer unto him Fiftly Our singing of Psalmes pleaseth not God nor can doe us any good unlesse we endeavour to understand what we sing Sing ye praises with understanding saith â—â—avâ—â— Psal 47.7 Sixtly and lastly No man can please God in taking of an oath which is also a part of Gods worship and a duty iâ—joined in the first table but he onely that can doe it with understanding Thou shalt swear in truth in judgement and in righteousnesse saith the Lord Ier. 4 2. As if he should say Though it be never so true that any man sweareth though the oath be taken in righteousnesse and no man wronged by it 〈◊〉 if it be not taken also iâ— judgement with good advisednesse and understanding it is an unlawfull oath Therefore in one of the best oathes that ever was taken wherein men women and children did bind themselves to walke in Gods law Nehemiah 10 28 29. there was care taken that this holy and necessary oath should yet be taken onely of every one having knowledge and having understanding You see then in all these particulars that we must labour to understand what we do in every part of Gods service and that no ordinance of God will do us any good unlesse we use it with understanding The reason of this first branch of the Doctrine is this That as God is a spirit and therefore delighteth in that service that is spirituall The true worâ—â—ippers shall worship the father in spirit and in truth saith our Saviour Ioâ— 4 23 for the father seeketh such to worship him he longeth for such worshippers as worship him with feeling and affection and they that doe not so worship him not in truth are no better then hypocrites So is it not possible to serve God spiritually and with feeling in any part of his worship if wee doe not understand what we doe in it For the devotion and good affections that grow not from knowledge are vaine and of no worth in the sight of God Knowledge is the root and foundation of all holy affections This I pray saith the Apostle Phil. 1 9. that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgement And this shall suffice to have beene spoken of the first branch of the Doctrine David did understand the meaning of the ceremoniall worship and so must we labour to understand what we do in Gods service Now wee must proceed to the second branch of the doctrine and for the plaine and distinct handling of it we must observe these foure things First Every part of Gods worship is spirituall and there is in it both an outward and bodily action done by man and an inward and spirituall worke that is done by the Lord himselfe In these purifications that David here alludeth to man did wash the body and sprinkle with hysope the water blood upon it for the legall purging and cleansing of it and God did wash the soule in the bloud of Christ and sprinkle it upon the consciences of his people So in circumcision man did cut of the fore-skin of the flesh and God did circumcise the heart Deut. 30.6 In baptisme Iohn baptized the body with water as hee saith Matth. 3.11 and God himselfe baptized the soule with the holy Ghost So in the ministery of the word man speaketh to the eare and outward man and God openeth the heart to attend unto that that is taught and beleeve it as we see in the example of Lydia Acts 16.14 Lastly In prayer man worketh and God worketh too The spirit it selfe maketh intercession for us as the Apostle speaketh Rom. 8.26 Secondly The Lord hath bound himselfe by promise to his people that hee will thus accompany his owne ordinances and worke with them in their hearts God will worke with us in every part of his worship he will doe his part if we doe ours This promise God made concerning that worship of his which he ordained under the law Exod. 20.24 In all places where I record my name where I establish my publique worship I will come unto thee and I will blesse thee saith the Lord to his people And this promise he hath likewise made concerning his worship under the Gospell Matth. 28.19 20. Goe and teach all nations baptizing them c. preach my word administer my sacraments and loe I am with you alwayes even unto the end of the world Where men do their parts in the use of any of his ordinances God will not faile to doe his part also Thirdly Whatsoever man can do in Gods worship is nothing worth unlesse God worke with it All the outward parts of Gods worship are indeed great helps to us and the least of them as we heard the last day may not be neglected by us for they are the meanes and instruments that God hath sanctified and appointed to worke by in our hearts But if God withdraw his hand and refuse to worke by them they can do us no good at all no more then the best toole that is in the world can if the workemâ—n doe not put to his hand I have planted saith Paul 1 Cor. 3.6 7. and Apollo watered but God gave the increase so then neither is he that planted any thing neither he that watered but God that giveth the increase And verse 9. Wee are labourers together with God ye are Gods husbandry ye are Gods building And that which the Prophet speaketh of the materiall building Psalme 127.1 may much more truly be said in this case Except the Lord build the house they labour in vaine that build it All that the best man can do in Gods worship is nothing worth unlesse God do his part if he worke not with him The inward vertue and power that God by his blessing and worke doth give unto it is the very life and soule of every part of Gods worship without it it is no better then a dead and loathsome carkasse The kingdome of God saith the Apostle speaking of preaching a chiefe part of Gods outward worship 1 Cor. 5 20 is not in word but in power As if he had said That is the right
when the heart accepts of and embraceth it Ibid. 4 a resting and relying upon Christ and him alone p. 413. He that can with an humbled heart cast himselfe upon Christ alone and rely upon him for obtaining Gods favour shall certainly obtaine assurance and comfort in the end Ibid. Lect. 84. True grace goeth through the whole man and worketh a totall change in him pag. 414. Yet is 1 there in the bâ—st 2 defect throughout in the measure and degree of grace p. 415. 2 There is in every faculty much old â—even remaining still in the best 3 Corruption is more sensible in every faculty then grace is p. 416. Three things argue truth of grace to be in the whole man even where the pâ—â—ty himselfe sometimes cannot discerne it viz. conflict mourning desire Ib. p. 417. The vanity of those that glory in the uprightnesse of their hearts though no grace appeare in their outward man Ibid. 418. Lect. 85. He that hath truth of grace in him makes conscience of the whole will of God in one point as well as in another p. 419. Though no man can keepe all nor any one commandement Legally yet Evangelically every Christian doeth in his minde and will p. 420 A man may have an upright heart though he be more â—lack in some duties then in some others more apt to offend in some sins then others and two reasons of that p. 421. Yea a mans heart cannot be upright unlesse hee make more conscience of those things God hath laid most speciall charge upon us for then of others p. 422. viz. 1 matters of substance more then matters of circumstance 2 duties of our particular callings more then generall duties Ibid. 3 duties that concerne our selves more then such as concerne others p. 423. Lect 86. The upright hearted man shewes his equall respect to al the coÌ„mandements 1 He desires to know the whole will of God in all things that concerneth him to know An ill signe to desire to know more then God is pleased to reveale or to be inquisitive in that that concerneth others more then our selves or to desire to know things that are no way usefull to our edification p. 423. But it s a good signe to be desirous to know the will of God in all things that concerne us p. 424. There 's little uprightnesse of heart in them 1 That care not for knowledge but despise the meanes thereof 2 Never enquire after the will of God in those things that concerne their own practise Ibid. 3 purposely than the knowledge or some truth p. 425. 2 He maketh conscience of every sinne of one as well as another Ibid. 1 Of his darling sinne that sin which naturall inclination or custome or profit or pleasure hath made dearest to him Ibid. 2 Of secret as well as open â—â—s which are of three sorts p. 426. 3 Of small sins as well as of grosse sins Ibid. 3 Hee maketh conscience of every duty God hath commanded him of one as well as of another he desires and stâ—â—ves to attaine to every grace p 427. Lect. 87. True saving grace is durable everlasting p. 428 A man may 1 Seeme to have saving grace by profession in the judgement of the Church and fall from it Ibid. 2 Hee that hath in truth many of the common gifts of Gods Spirit may loose them and fall away p. 429. 3 He that hath saving grace in truth may seeme to himselfe to have lost it utterly p. 430. yet true saving grace is of a lasting permanent and continuing nature Ibid. We should highly prize and esteeme of grace above al other things 1 because it is the surest way to get all other good things 2 It will make all other good things comfortable to us 3 whereas all things are transitory this is durable substance p. 431. Take heed of declining and falling from grace Ibid. For 1 Though the seed of grace be incorruptible yet a Christian may loose the sense of grace and the vigour and operation of grace in these respects the Spirit may be quenced foure waies 2 Every man is of himselfe exceeding proue to quench the Spirit thus 3 Feare of falling away is the meanes to keepe us from falling 4 Constancy in well doing and an uniformity in a Christian course is an inseparable property of true grace p 432. Lect. 88. He that would approue the uprightnesse of his heart must not content himselfe to abstaine from evill and do good unlesse he do this in the right manner p. 433 viz. 1 to the right end p. 434. c. 2 Not with th' outward man only but feelingly and with the heart p. 437. 3 In humility p. 438. Lect. 89. The third and last signe of uprightnesse is when a man can finde in himselfe that notwithstanding all his failings in practise and obedience yet God hath his heart viz. hee doth 1 in his minde allow and consent to the law and word of God in all things 2 in his will unfeignedly desire and purpose to please God and doe his will p. 438. Truth of grace better discerned by this then by any performance we are able to make p. 439. as may appeare 1 by the Lords describing good men by this rather then by ought else Ibid. 2 By the comfort the best men have found in this rather then in ought else Ibid. 3 By the high account God makes of this more then of ought else p 440. for 1 hee accepts the will for the deed Ibid. 2 he esteemes more of the will then of the deed 3 where hee hath wrought the will hee will also worke ability to do p. 441. Obj. Every wicked man will blesse himselfe in this who hath good desires p. 443. Answ. 1. admit wicked men take offence this truth must not be concealed 2 No wicked man hath any good and unteigned desires to doe well as appeares by five differences betweene their desires and the desires of the regenerate p. 442 443. Lect. 90. Their folly and sinne is great that refuse Gods service and to be soundly religious out of this conceit that the conscionable profession and practise of religion is too heavie a yoake and bondage p. 444. Hee that will be Gods servant must 1 depend upon him 2 do his wil Ibid. 1 Satan hath many more servants then God Ibid. 2 yet his service most toilesome drudgery and so is not the Lords 3 The service most men doe to Satan they doe it willingly and cheerefully not so to God p. 445. Sundry reasons there are of this why men so shun Gods service viz. 1 because there bee so few goe that way 2 They should make themselves odious to all men 3 Gods servants are much subject to trouble 4 full of faults 5 Gods service is spirituall But the chiefe reason is this that they thinke Gods service an intollerable bondage p. 446 447. But this is not foe for Lect. 91. 1 Religion doth not abridge man of lawfull liberties delights
some naturall life be in the unregenerate he is utterly void of all spirituall life p. 518. God doth in the work of conversion shew and exercise his omnipotent power p. 519. In denying the meanes of conversion or grace to profit by them unto any hee doth not nor can doe them any wrong because he is an absolute Soveraigne Ibid. 520. God denies effectuall grace to profit by the meanes to some that his free grace and mercy to th'elect might be thereby more manifest and glorious p. 520. Lect. 105. The whole glory of mans salvation is due unto the Lord alone p. 521. The salvation of man is to be ascribed only to the free grace mercy of God p. 522. The ascribing all glory to God and none to man the best note to try all doctrines and religions by p 523. The Lord doth not onely in the worke of conversion offer us grace and perswade us to accept of it but conferres and infuseth that grace into the will which actually inclineth it to receive grace p. 524. The grace of conversion is not a fruit of Gods common love but of his speciall love Ibid. God doth not onely make us able to convert and beleeve but he doth cause us actually to repent and to beleeve p. 525. Though we may not receive any thing in religion upon the credit of any man yet we should be constant in the truth we have received by warrant of the Word and teaching of the Spirit Ibid. yea we are bound 1 to be resolute in it 2 to hold it with affection 3 to hate all errors that oppose it 4 to shun seducers p. 526. By our constancy in the truth received we may approve to our selves our own election and calling Ibid. Lect. 106. They are in a fearefull estate that live where they cannot enjoy the ministery of the Word p. 526 527. They are also in a fearefull estate that enjoy long the meanes of grace the ministery of the Word and cannot profit by it p. 528. Many complaine without cause they cannot profit by the Word Ibid. What the true causes are men profit not by the Word p. 529. What they must do that have long enjoyed the Word and cannot profit by it p. 530. They that enjoy the meanes of grace have great cause to bee thankfull to God page 531. But most of all they that have also obtained grace to profit by them Ibid. p. 532. Lect. 107. The regenerate elect childe of God sinnes not so hainously as every unregenerate man may doe 1 There is no sin so hainous but the unregenerate man may fall into but there is one sinne viz. that against the Holy Ghost which it is not possible for any regenerate elect childe of God to commit p. 533. 2. Though hee may possibly fall into any other most hainous sin yet hee cannot commit it so hainously and wickedly as the unregenerate man doâ—h p. 533. The sinnes of the regenerate are not so prejudiciall and dangerous to them as the sinnes of the unregenerate and wicked are for 1 their ordinary and unavoidable frailties which they discerne and bewaile God will never enter into judgement with them for them nor so much as take notice of them 2 the greatest sinâ— they do fall into for them there is hope and promise of pardon 3 No such childe of God being regenerate can fall so fearefully and dangerously but hee shall rise againe and be renewed by repentance p. 534 535. 4 all the sinnes they fall into shall be sanctified to them and tend to their good three waies p. 535 538. Lect. 108. The Sinnes of the regenerate are in sundry respects more hainous then of any other man as appeares 1 by the testimony of the regenerate themselves who have thus judgâ—d of their owne falls and have beene most deepely humbled for them even out of this respect p. 538. 2 testimonies the Lord hath given in this case 1 that he hateth and will plague sinne as much in them as in any other in the world p. 539 542. Lect. 109. God doth in this life snew his hatred more against the sinnes of his owne people for 1 He afflicts in this life all his owne people but not all wicked men p. 542 543 2 when he intends to bring a generall judgement on a nation hee useth to begin at his owne house pag. 543. 3 When he will make any an example unto others of his anger against sinne hee useth to câ—ll out his owne people for this purpose rather then lewd and wicked men p. 544. 4 His judgements are wont to bee more heavie and sharpe upon his owne people then those are that he useth to inflict upon wicked men p. 545. Reason 1 In the respect hee hath and love he beareth to his people that hee may keepe them from sinne and perdition p. 546. Lect. 110. The Lord afflicts his owne people with notorious and publike judgements of purpose that other men even the wicked among whom they live may take notice of them and hath therein not so much respect to their owne sinnes as to those wicked men from whom he gaines glory by this two wayes p. 547. 1 This is most effectuall to awaken the conscience of such of the wicked as belong to God and to bring them to a serious consideration of their owne dangerous estate p. 548. 2 this hath force to harden the hearts of desperate sinners and to make them hate religion the more Ibid. The foule sinnes that they fall into that are of note for piety are more odious to God and men then the sinnes of any other Ibid. For 1 They are committed against greater meanes of knowledge and obedience and the greater meanes any enjoyeth the greater is his sinne p. 549. 2 They are committed against knowledge and conscience more then the sins of any other and the more knowledge any hath the greater is his sin Ibid 3 They are committed against greater mercy received from God and the more kindnesse any hath received the greater is his sin p 550. 4 They doe more hurt for 1 Wicked men are more encouraged and hardned in sinne by their evill example then by any other p 551. 2 Their sinnes are imputed to God religion and so more dishonour redounds to God from their sins then from any other Ibid. Lect. 111. 1. Great is the sin and danger of such as rejoyce to heare and speake of the falls of Gods people and that raise and receive slanders against them p. 552. 2. Great is their sin and danger that take occasion from the sins of professors to hate religion and blaspheme it p 553. 3. Great is their sinne and danger that embolden and harden their hearts in sinne by th' example of the falls of Gods Saints p. 554 557. Lect. 112. All men are apt to thinke them notorious and heinous sinners above others whom they see to bee more afflicted then others p. 557. We may in two respects judge of mens sins by
hath given to them that cleave constantly to his truth p. 769. The faithfull themselves have found much comfort in this p. 770. Lect. 145. The Spirit of God wheresoever he dwellâ— will teach and effectually perswade the heart in the truth of religion p. 771. No man can grow to certainty in matters of religion by any other meanes but by the teaching of the Spirit and proportionable to the measure of the Spirit of sanctification that a man hath shall his certainty be p. 773 774 Yet is not this to be accounted every mans private Spirit p. 775. The Spirits teaching to be judged by the Word Ibid. The ministery of the Word is the meanes whereby the Spirit useth to teach men p. 776 They whom the Spirit hath once taught and perswaded will certainely persevere in the truth Ibid. Lect. 146. Th'exhortation to constancy in the truth is very needfull and that even in these daies p. 777. by reason 1 that Papists increase 2 the multitude of other erroneous spirits 3 the generall decay of the zealous love of religion and of the life power of it p. 778. 1 Motive to constancy Corruption in judgement is the most dangerous corruption of all other p. 779 780. 2 Motive He that falls from the truth and embraceth errour was never taught of the Spirit p. 780. Though in some things of smaller moment the faithfull may be subject to errour and errors of that nature should not alienate Christians one from another yea in fundamentall points for a time Ibid. 781. Lect. 147. Though our perseverance in the truth be to be ascribed to the Lord alone yet he worketh it by meanes and will have us to bee agents in this work our selves p. 782 783. 1 We must carefully shâ—n all things whereby we may be in danger to be corrupted and drawne from the truth viz. 1. We must shun the hearing and conferring with them that are hereticks and seducers and the reading of their books We should not long to heare what they can say for their errors or against the truth p. 784. 2 Wee must take heed of affecting the knowledge of intricate curious and unprofitable points p. 785. There is a desire of knowledge which is commendable and no Minister should mislike in his hearers p. 786. Yet is there a desire of knowledge that is most dangerous Ibid. 1 When wee desire to know more of Gods matters then hee hath pleased to reveale in his Word Ibid. 2 When neglecting other things we seeke the knowledge of those high points onely that are above our capacity to understand and busie our selves in matters of controversie p. 787. 3 When wee desire knowledge onely for knowledge saâ—e without respect to the use and profit we may make of it for our edification in faith and holinesse p 788. Lect. 148. He that desires to hold fast his profession must use the meanes whereby hee may bee established in the truth and preserved from falling away from it foure directions are given us in Gods booke for this p. 788. 1 Hee must ground himselfe well in the knowledge of the truth and labour to bee assured upon good grounds that it is indeed the truth he holdeth Ibid. 1 Hee must acquâ—â—nt himselfe with the maine principles of religion and seeke to be perfect in them p. 789. 2 examine by Scripture what ever hee heareth or readeth and labour to get good proofes of Scripture for whatsoever he holdeth p. 790. 2 He must labour to take to heart that which he knoweth love it and make conscience to practise it He that by reading or hearing seeketh knowledge with an honest and good heart shall hold fast that which he professeth and none but he p. 792 793. Lect. 149. 3 He must take heed of declining from or forsaking the least truth his conscience hath beene convinced in Two things there bee that deceive men in this case p. 793 794. Though some truths be of greater moment then others yet it s a dangerous sin to be willfully ignorant of any truth God hath revealed or forsake it when we know it upon conceit that it is but a trisâ—e for 1 nothing that God hath revealed is of small moment or lightly to be accounted of 2 a man may make himselfe abominable to God by forsaking wittingly the least truth or receiving the least errour p. 794. 3 the best way to keepe us from falling from the truth in the maine points is to make conscience of falling from the least truth p. 795. 4 He must be constant in a conscionable use of all Gods ordinances 1 the ministery of the Word p. 796. 2 the Sacrament of the Lords Supper 3 prayer p. 797 798. Lect. 150. Every one that hath the Spirit of Christ will take to heart the cause of God and his holy religion p. 798. 1 No man can have the Spirit of Christs unlesse he love God unfeignedly above all things els Ibid. 2 He that doth thus love God must needs be zealous for God grieved and troubled to see him dishonoured 3 He that hath any true zeale to God in him will shew and expresse it principally towards the house and worship of God p. 799. More particularly 1 He that hath the Spirit of Christ must needs rejoyce to see or heare that the true religion of God doth prosper and that the purity of it is restored or set up any where p. 800. 2 He that hath the Spirit of Christ will rejoyce in the frequencie and fullnesse of Church-assemblies 3 In the plentifull and free preaching of the Word p. 801. 4 Hee will rejoyce to see and heare that the ministery of the Word is fruitfull among them that enjoy it and powerfull to reforme their hearts and lives p. 802 803. Lect. 151. Three Reasons and grounds of the former doctrine 1 He that hath the Spirit of Christ cannot but love the persons of all men and we love no man unlesse wee love his soule and unfeignedly desire his salvation grieve to see his soule in danger of perishing p. 803. He that desires the salvation of all will joy in the plentifull and sound preaching of the Word p. 804. Though God can save men without preaching yet he doth not ordinarily without it and its a fearefull signe hee meaneth not to save them he denieth preaching unto Ibid. 805. Though all bee not saved that have preaching yet it s a cause of comfort to see sound preachers abound p. 805. A man that hath no truth of grace in himselfe may yet be a meanes of conversion to others Ibid. 2 The respect wee have to the state and Church wherein we live which we are bound to love p. 806. 1 Nothing will make the state and Church so honourable as the liberty of the Gospell 2 nor so strong and peaceable 3 nor so prosperous and plenteous in blessings p. 806 807. On the other side nothing will sooner deprive it of all blessings then the neglect and opposing of religion p.
I cannot I want the spirit of prayer for I have no faith and the spirit of prayer in the spirit of adoption that perswadeth us of Gods fatherly 〈◊〉 and witnesseth to our spirits that wee are his children Rom. 8.15 16. Now I have no such witnesse in mee My heart is so oppressed with sorrow that it is even utterly dead and indisposed to prayer Certainely this hath beene the case of many a good soule A tentation indeed it is but 〈◊〉 one as the best either have or may be subject unto The Apostle acknowledgeth it in the name of all the faithfull Rom. 8.26 Wee know not what to 〈…〉 For answer to this objection I have two things to say 〈…〉 What we are to judge of them that are in this estate 2. What 〈◊〉 they are to take that are in this case For the first we must know two things First They that have any truth of grace at all in them have in them certainely the spirit of prayer though it may bee they 〈◊〉 it sad they 〈◊〉 it not in themselves As the first thing the childe be in to speake is to cry my father and my mother Esa. 8.4 For this is given by the Holy Ghost as the common badge to know all Gods servants by that they are able to pray Thus Paul discribeth Gods people 1 Cor. 1.2 All that in 〈◊〉 place call upon the name of Iesus Christ our Lord. And 2 Timothy 2.12 For 〈◊〉 righteousnesse with them that call on the Lord with a pure heart 〈◊〉 4.6 Because yee are sonnes God hath sent forth the spirit of his sonne into your hearts crying Abba father So that I may reason thus with the weakest of Gods servants that are in this case thou art poore in spirit and 〈◊〉 for nothing more therefore thou hast truth of saving grace on thee for Christ calls thee blessed Matth 5.3 4. Thou lovest such as are godly even because they are godly therefore thou hast truth of grace in thee For so saith the Apostle 1 Iohn 3.14 Wee know that we have pâ—â—â—ed from â—â—â—th to life because wee love the brethren Thou art afraid to doe any thing that might offend God therefore thou hast truth of saving grace in thee For the Holy Ghost saith Psalme 128.1 Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord. Why then from hence thou maist undoubtedly conclude thou hast in thee the spirit of prayer And whereas thou 〈◊〉 than thou hast it not because thou feelest not in thy selfe the spirit of adoption thou feelest 〈…〉 in thy selfe I answer 1. Thou maist leave saith though thou seek it 〈◊〉 for a time neither maist thou judge of thy state by thy feeling In the Churches 〈…〉 her beloved had with drawne himselfe and 〈◊〉 gone Cant. 5.6 Nay in Christâ— owne feeling his father had forsaken him Matth. 37.46 â— Thou hast said though thou feelest it not 1 If thou mourne for nothing 〈◊〉 thou for the 〈◊〉 of it as that poore man did Mar 9.24 as the 〈◊〉 that cryeth was not borne dead or the man that feeleth himselfe sick hath life in 〈◊〉 If there 〈◊〉 nothing so much as to beleeve and to be rid of thy infidelity For Christ saith such are blessed Mat. 5.6 which they could not be if they had not saith Even the will is of grace Phil. 2.13 As lusting after a woman is adultery â—at 5.28 so on the contrary lusting after faith is faith The second thing we must know touching the state of these men that complaine they cannot pray is this That a man may not onely have in him the spirit of prayer though he feele it not but he may also have the use of it and pray most effectually and acceptably when in his owne feeling his heart is 〈…〉 indisposed unto prayer when he is to overwhelmed with griefe and his thoughts to distracted and troubled that he is unable to utter or conceive a prayer in any fit words or method at all this is evident both by examples and by reason also When Dâ—vidâ— spirit was overwhelmed when he was so troubled that he could not speake as he complaineth Psal. 77.3 4. yet even then he prayed and prayed most effectually as he saith verse 1. I cryed unto God with my voice even unto 〈◊〉 with my voice and he gave care unto me How could that he 〈◊〉 â—â— such verse 4. he was so troubled that he could not 〈◊〉 He 〈…〉 could not doe it distinctly and orderly but he could cry to God 〈…〉 make a noise as he saith Psal. 38.8 I have rowed 〈…〉 oâ— my heart and 55.2 I mourne in my complaint and make a noise yet God gave care to that prayer When Hezechiah was so oppressed with sorrow that he could not speake he could but chatter like a 〈…〉 mourne like 〈◊〉 as he complained Esa. 38 14. yet eveâ— then the spirit of prayer was in 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 effectually in him that chattering and mourning of his was a prayer and 〈…〉 unto God as appeareth by verse 5. I have heard thâ— prayer 〈…〉 apostle tells us Rom. 3.26 27. that the spirit it selfe maketh 〈…〉 in according to the will of God when wee are in that case that we know not what to pray when wee can doe nothing but sigh and groane unto God and can utter no requests unto him And David even when he had strong motions unto despaire prayed yet most acceptably Psal. â—1 22 And to 〈◊〉 for the Lord is able enough to understand our desires though we expresse them not to him in words You that are tender mother 〈…〉 Doe you never understand what your little ones doe 〈◊〉 and what they would have Doe you never relieve nor succour them till they can speake to you O the Lord doth as much and 〈◊〉 more 〈◊〉 you this way then you do the Dragons and Ostriches This made 〈…〉 thus to God Psal. 38.9 Lord all my desire is before thee and 〈…〉 not hiâ— from thee and 〈◊〉 7 Lord thou hast heard the desire of the 〈…〉 145 19. He will 〈…〉 of them that feare him 〈…〉 cry and will save them 〈…〉 you that are tender 〈…〉 moved with the groanes 〈…〉 of your children 〈…〉 is with the Lord the 〈…〉 of his children 〈…〉 much more and give in 〈◊〉 to our prayers then any 〈…〉 wee can 〈◊〉 Thâ— Lâ—rd is said Psalme 102.20 to 〈◊〉 the groaning of the 〈◊〉 And when Hezechiah in his prayer could but chatter God 〈◊〉 him word not â—â—ely that hee heard that prayer but tells him what it was that made that prayer so effectual with him Esa. 5â— 5 I have seene thy teares 〈…〉 faithfull themselves have had more comfort and confidence in their 〈…〉 in their prayers they could 〈◊〉 unto God then in any words 〈…〉 use in prayer Psalme 39.12 Hold not thy peace 〈…〉 My friends scorne mee but mine eye 〈…〉 is he prayed and that way sought comfort 〈…〉 expressed the desires of his heart to God by 〈…〉 by words O happy soules
great pleasure or great advantage if we would yeeld unto it Sinne deceived mee saith Paul Rom. 7.11 and so slew me But when it shall be brought againe by our conscience into our mind and set before us it will appeare unto us as an enemy and a tormentor and the sight of it will be grievous and terrible unto us It is therefore fitly resembled by the harlot Solomon speaketh of Proverbs 5.3 4. The lips of a strange woman drop as an hony combe there is the first comming of sin when it commeth to tempt and allure us but what followeth Her end is bitter as worme-wood sharpe as a two edged sword There is the second comming of sin into our mind when it commeth to accuse and torment us It is like unto those locusts Iohn saw in his vision and whereby he doth testifie and represent the Popish fryers and Iesuites Reve. 9.7.8.10 Their faces were as the faces of men and their haire as the haire of women There is the shape that sin appeareth in when it first representeth and offereth it selfe unto us but their teeth were as the teeth of Lyons and they had tailes like unto Scorpions and there were stings in their tayles There is the latter comming of sin and the bitternesse and anguish it will put us unto when our conscience shall set it before us and accuse us of it And certainly no paine or anguish in the world in comparable to that which the strokes and wounds of the conscience will put a man unto A wounded spirit who can beare Pro. 18.14 To have unquietnes at home to have her unquiet with thee that is continually with thee at board and in bed is justly estemed one of the greatest miseries in this life Solomon compared it Pro. 19.13 to a continuall dropping that will wast the hardest stone in the world But to have our own conscience brawle and exclaime and be unquiet with us is a misery unspeakably greater then the former can be O then let us be afraid to sin even in this respect because our conscience will be so apt to fall out and be unquiet with us if wee do so apt to cast it in our teeth to accuse yea to smite and wound us for it Thirdly The time when our conscience will begin thus to set our sins before us thus to rebuke to check and wound us for them or when it hath once begun when it will make an end or in what degree or measure it will doe it no man but God alone that setteth it a worke doth know This kind of affliction as all other is is compared to a cup or potion Mark 10.39 Ye shall indeed drinke of the cup that I drinke of Now this cup the Lord keepeth in his own hana as it is said Ps. 75.8 he powreth out of the same Every man shall drinke of this cup when the Lord seeth good to minister it and hee shall drinke of it in that measure as the Lord shall see good to appoint But no man hath cause to looke for any long truce with his conscience or that i will give him any long day If thou dost not well saith the Lord to Cain Gen. 4 â— sin that is the punishment and sting of sin lyeth at the doore that is is neere even at the doore as the same phrase is rendred Mat. 24.33 Fourthly and lastly There is no comparison betweene the pleasure or profit that any sin can yeeld us and the anguish and paine which our conscience will put us unto when it shall accuse and smite us for it 1. The pleasure and joy that sin yeeldeth us is but overly in the faâ—e rather then in the heart as the Apostle speaketh 2 Cor. 5 1â— There is no soundnesse in it it is mixed for the most part with inward gripings Pro. 14.13 Even in laughter the heart is sorrowfull But the sorrow and anguish that our conscience will put us unto when it accuseth and smiteth us for si◠ô that is a soaking and deep sorrow It is bitter and reacheth unto the heart as the Prophet speaketh Ieremy 4.18 2. The pleasure or profit that any sinne can yeeld us is but momentany and of very short continuance That made Moses make so light account of all the pleasures of sin because he knew they endured but for a season Heb. 11.25 They are therefore compared Eccl. 7.6 to the crackling and blaze that thornes make under a pot But the sorrow that sin will bring us unto when our conscience shall charge us with it is durable and no man knoweth how long it will last That sin that may bee committed in an houre or in farre lesse space may cost a man deepe sorrow and griefe of mind all the dayes of his life after For a conclusion therefore of this first duty that from this doctrine wee are exhorted unto certainly if we could rightly consider of this worke of our conscience how apt it will be when God shall awaken it to bring our sins to our remembrance in this manner as you have heard of it would make us afraid to sin See the truth of this in three notable examples The first is of Iob. My righteousnes saith he Iob 27.6 I hold fast and will not let it go yea he professeth ver 3 4. All the while my breath is in me and the spirit of God 〈◊〉 in my nostrils my lips shall not speake wickednes nor my tongue utter deceit And why so My heart shall not reproach me so long as I live As if he had fail I will not give my conscience occasion to brawle with me whatsoever I doe I will have care to keepe peace there The second is of Abigal that wise and gracious woman who perswadeth David not to revenge himselfe of her husband Nabâ—l by this argument 1 Sam. 25.30 31. It shall come to passe when the Lord shall have apâ—ointed thee ruler over all Israel that this shall bee no griefe to thee nor offence of heart unto my Lord either that thou hast shed blood causelesse or that my Lord hath avenged himselfe As if shee had sayd if thou shou'dst doe it thy conscience will be apt one day to checke and smite thee for it even when thou shalt be King and in thy greatest pompe doe it not therefore that thou mayst prevent the accusation of thy conscience The third is of Paul who giveth this reason why he was so afraid of every sin whether it were against the first or second table even the care he had to keepe his conscience cleare and quiet Act. 24.16 Herein do I exercise my selfe to have alwayes a conscience void of offence towards God and towards men And so much of the first use that this Doctrine serveth unto Secondly it serveth for reproofe of such as never thinke of never are troubled with any of their sins they could never say as David doth here my sin is ever before me Of this sort the world is full in all places Observe
spirit of Christ. If any man have not the spirit of Christ saith the Apostle Rom. 8.9 hee is none of his And 1 Iohn 3. 24. hereby wee know hee abideth in us by the spirit which he hath given us And this is the second meanes whereby as I told you Paul said hee was delivered from the body of his death and whereby every one of us must seeke to bee delivered from it and from the accusations of our conscience for it by feeling in our selves the worke of Gods spirit subduing the corruption of our nature keeping it from raigning in us mortifying and killing of it in us Rom. 8.2 This is the way to know wee are in Christ and that by his death and the perfect holinesse of our nature in him wee are fully delivered from the guilt and punishment of it if by his spirit wee bee delivered from the dominion of it Hee will subdue our iniquities saith the prophet Micah 7.19 Where God pardoneth sinne hee subdueth it that it shall not raigne any more If thy corruption bee not mortified in thee but have as much strength and vigour in thee as ever it had certainely it is not pardoned thou art not in Christ. This second meanes of our deliverance though it be not so full and perfect as the former yet is it more sensible unto us and wee may better take notice of it then of the former because wee are agents in it our selves They that are Christs saith the Apostle Galat. 5.24 have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts And Rom. 8.13 If yee through the spirit doe mortifie the deeds of the body yee shall live And 1 Iohn 3.3 Hee that hath this hope in him purifieth himselfe And 2 Cor. 7.1 Let us cleanse our selves from all filthinesse of the flesh and spirit And 1 Pet. 1.22 Yee have purified your soules in obeying the truth through the spirit Wee must cleanse our selves purifie our selves keepe under our corruption that it raigne not in us mortifie and kill it or it will kill and damne us If wee doe not this our selves certainely wee have no part in Christ. Why will you say alas what can we do I answer surely nothing of our selves by nature Rom. 5.6 Yea 2 Cor. 3.5 Nothing till wee bee in Christ. Iohn 15.5 Without me ye can doe nothing Nothing till wee bee acted and led by the spirit of God Wee must through the spirit mortifie the deedes of the body as the Apostle speaketh Rom. 8. â—3 there is no way els to doe it The Popish exercises of mortification consisting in their kind of fastâ—ings and whipping and pilgrimage and wearing of haire cloth next their skin will never worke true mortification in the heart Of them we may say with the Apostle 1 Tim. 48. Bodily exercise profiteth little And Col. 2.23 Though they have a great shew of wisedome and humility and of neglect of the body yet they are of no worth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because they are but will-worship not such exercises of mortification as Gods spirit hath taught us If any man then shall aske what are those meanes and exercises of mortification that Gods spirit hath taught us to use I answer They bee seven principally Lecture LXIIII. On Psalme 51.5 Iuly 17. 1627. FIrst He that desireth to mortifie corruption in himselfe and to keep it from raigning in him must observe and make conscience of the very first stirrings and beginnings of it even in his heart Observe them I say first that so we may know what are the sins we are most inclined unto and then make conscience of them tread upon these eggs of the cockatrice as the Prophet calleth them Esay 59.5 while our heart is hatching of them Keep the heart with all diligence saith the holy Ghost Prov. 4.23 Take heed saith the Apostle Hebr. 3.12 left there bee in any of you an evill heart of unbeliefe to depart from the living God The unbeliefe of the heart the motion and inclination of the heart to depart from God must be taken heed of They that are Christs saith the Apostle Gal. 5.24 have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts The very affections and lusts of the flesh must be crucified This is the way to keep sin from reigning Take heed to your spirit saith the Prophet Mal. 2.15 and let none deale treacherously against the wise of his youth and againe verse 16. Take heed to your spirit that ye deale not treacherously The way for a man to keep himselfe from falling into any actuall sin against God or man is to take heed to his spirit And certainly the man that hath no care to observe his owne evill inclinations and the first workings of corruption in his heart that maketh no conscience of the vanity and wickednesse of his thoughts and affections hath no true desire to mortifie sin in himselfe or to keepe it from reigning in him Secondly He that desireth to mortifie sin in himselfe and to keepe it from reigning must so soone as he spyeth it set himselfe against it as against a mortall enemy that warreth against his soule 1 Pet. 2.11 and be content even to offer violence to himselfe and to his owne nature in it Certainly the corruption of our nature will not be weakened and kept under without putting our selves to much paine without doing violence to our selves This worke of mortification which is the first part of true repentance is compared to the plucking out of our right eye and casting it from us with detestation Matth. 5.29 It is called a sacrificing of our selves Rom. 12.1 And a crucifying of our flesh with the lusts and affections of it Gal. 5.24 All these were most painfull things See this in three particulers First Wee must resist and fight against every corruption wee find not consent not yeeld unto it but maintaine a conflict in our selves against it That I doe I allow not Romans 7.15 The spirit lusteth against the flesh saith the Apostle Galat. 5.17 and thâ—se two bee contrary the one to the other If the spirit bee in us wee shall find him like Iacob in his mothers womb Gen. 25.22 strugling with this Esan And certainly where there is not this resisting of corruption there is no truth of grace and where this conflict is maintained there corruption shall not reigne but will be kept under That which the Apostle saith of Satan himselfe Iam. 4.7 may be also said of this imp of Satan if we can but conscionably resist him we may be sure to overcome him Secondly We must heartily dislike and hate every corruption we discerne in our selves and be angry and displeased with our selves for it What I hate saith Paul Rom. 7.15 that do I. See two notable examples of this holy indignation against themselves The one in Ephraim Ier. 31.19 After I was instructed I smote upon my thigh The other in the Publican Luk. 18.13 who smote himselfe upon his breast As if either of
even to this may that speech of our Saviour be applied Matth. 9.29 According to thy faith so be it unto thee Fiftly and lastly That soule that can seeke to Christ for helpe against any corruption and confidently expect to receive it and wait upon him for it shall be sure not to be overcome of it Esa. 40.31 They that waite upon the Lord shall renew their strength And 30.18 Blessed are all they that waite for him Lecture LXVIII On Psalme 51.5 Septemb 11. 1627. THe fourth and last use that the third and last Doctrine that we have learned out of these words touching the heinousnesse and danger of originall sinne serveth unto is To breed thankfullnesse in us and so to comfort us in the acknowledgement and admiration of the goodnesse and mercy of God For the Doctrine of originall sinne and the true consideration of this how vile and corrupt we are even by nature doth notably set forth the goodnesse of God towards us and hath great force to make us thankfull for it and cause us to admire and take comfort in it This use we find the Apostle made of this Doctrine Rom. 7. For having meditated seriously of the strength of corruption that was still in his nature and being deepely affected and humbled with it as appeareth by that exclamation of his verse 24. O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death Presently hee bursteth forth into this voice of joy and thanksgiving verse 25. I thanke God through Iesus Christ our Lord. As if he should say O how much am I bound to God for his mercy towards me in Iesus Christ. Certainely we can never be truly thankfull to God for his mercies we cannot value them aright nor relish the sweetnesse of them till we do apprehend and can feelingly acknowledge how unworthy we are that God should shew any respect unto us and can say with Iacob Gen. 32.10 I am unworthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which thou hast shewed unto thy servant The blessed Virgin in her song Luk. 1.48 giveth this for the reason why her soule did magnifie the Lord and her spirit did rejoyce in God her Saviour because the Lord had regarded the low estate of his handmaid had so farre regarded one that was in so low and base an estate as shee was And surely if we knew our owne vilenesse well as it hath beene discovered to us by this Doctrine of originall sinne and could also have grace seriously to thinke of it our soules would also magnifie the Lord and our spirits would rejoyce in God our Saviour Gods mercies would be sweeter to us then they are we could not choose but wonder that the Lord should be so gracious and good to us that are even by nature so alienated from him and enemies in our minds unto him as the Apostle speaketh Col. 1.21 Every imagination of the thoughts of whose hearts are onely evill continually Gen. 6.5 That he I say should neverthelesse be so good and gracious unto us as he is It would make every one of us say oft unto the Lord as Mephibosheth once did to David 2 Sam. 9.8 What is thy servant that thou shouldst looke upon such a dead dog as I am But to speake more distinctly of this point there be foure things especially wherein the knowledge of the vilenesse and corruption of our nature may cause us to admire the mercy and goodnesse of God 1. That there being such a world of wickednesse in every mans nature as there is the Lord is pleased so farre forth to keepe it under by his restraining grace that it breaketh forth no more then it doth 2. That the nature of man being in all the parts of it so extreamely corrupted any of Gods people should have any goodnesse at all in them 3. That there being so strong corruptions remaining in the very best of us any of us should be able to hold out in a Christian course 4 and lastly That the corruption of our nature being so great as it is it should do us no more hart but that we should bee so fully and perfectly freed from the danger of it And for the first of these Certainely when we rightly consider what the nature of man is we shall see just cause to admire the mercy of God towards us even in his restraining grace and to blame our selves that we have not taken better notice of it and beene more thankfull unto God for it hitherto Let us consider the worke and power of it first in others secondly in our selves and wee shall see that wee receive great benefit by it both waies And first for the worke of it in other men It must needs be acknowledged as a great favour of God that any of us live in such safety and peace as we doe when we go abroad when we are at home by night or by day if we did rightly consider what times these are what kind of people they be that wee live by even such as are by nature strongly inclined not to malice onely but to all kind of mischiefe besides Such as whose naturall disposition the Apostle describeth Rom. 3.14 17. Their mouth is full of cursing and bitternesse their feet are swift to shed bloud destruction and misery are in their waies that is to say a desire to bring others to misery and destruction and the way of peace how to live peaceably they have not knowne This being so how commeth it to passe that wee receive no hurt at all by such kind of persons as these are Sanctifying grace they have none to change their natures For as the Apostle saith of them in the next words verse 18. There is no feare of God before their eyes Besides wee heare daily of other lewd men that in such and such places have committed strange outrages upon men in the high waies as they have beene travelling and in their houses while they have beene asleepe on their beds How falleth it out then that wee have lived in such safety hitherto You will say because the Lord hath beene our keeper Psal. 121.5 he hath kept watch and ward about us He hath made a hedge about us and our houses as Satan said of Iob 1.10 This is true indeed but a principall meanes whereby the Lord hath so kept us is this restraining grace of his in the hearts even of the most wicked men Observe I pray you the worke of it and the benefit we receive by it in three degrees First Whereas there is no corruption that a naturall man is more strongly inclined unto then to hate all such as feare God according to that of Pro. 29.27 He that is upright in his waies be he otherwise never so harmelesse or peaceable is an abomination to the wicked How commeth it to passe that in many naturall yea otherwise lewd men wee live by we could never yet discerne the least malice against us
thy God to wrath in the wildernesse And to this end Moses spendeth a whole chapter Deut. 9. in calling to the peoples minds and bringing into their remembrance their old sins which he would never have done if he had not knowne this profitable and needfull for them that their repentance for them might bee oft renewed But further then the knowledge of our sins serveth for one of these foure ends it is no benefit it is a judgement and correction of God upon us Therefore it is threatned as a judgement to wicked men Psal. 50.21 I will reproove thee and set thy sins in order before thee Therefore Iob complaineth of it as of a judgement Iob 13.26 Thou writest bitter things against me and makest me to possesse the sins of my youth And Paul prayeth against it 2 Cor. 12.8 I grant indeed it is such a judgement and correction as God useth most to exercise them by that are dearest to him and seeth it to bee most necessary for them as is plaine by the example of Iob 13.26 and of Paul 2 Cor. 12.7 But herein his mercy appeareth that as it is said of all other corrections upon his Church Esa 27.8 In measure thou wilt debate with it so it is in this 1. The Lord doth not let any of us see all our sins but so many of them as he seeth will be sufficicient for us to see for our saving humiliation and repentance Dealing with us in this case as Balak did with Balaam Num. 23.13 Thou shalt see but the utmost part of them thou shalt not see them all And 2. those that he is pleased to discover to us he doth not let us feele the full weight of them nor let us fully see the loathsomnesse of them Oh if the Lord should breake up the sinke that is in every one of our hearts and let us fully discerne and feele how much filth is in them we were never able to abide our selves but should every one of us become a Magormissahib as Ieremy calleth Pashur Ier. 20.3 4. a terrour to our selves If the Lord should let us feele the full weight of our sins certainely we were never able to beare it but should be overwhelmed by it See this not only in the sin of Cain and Iudas that were castawayes Gen. 4.13 Mat. 27.5 but in the sins also of Gods own people Heare what David saith of his sin Ps. 38.4 It is a heavy burden too heavy for me to beare And heare what Paul saith of the incestuous person 2 Cor 2.7 he was in danger to bee swallowed up with overmuch sorrow 1. Thinke of this thou wretched man to whom many foule sins seeme as light as a feather drunkennesse swearing whoring c. when the Lord shall but let thee throughly to see what thou hast done when he shall lay but any one of these sins unto thy charge and cause thee to feele the full weight of it hee shall need to inflict no other punishment upon thee but even to let thee see feele what thou hast done Ier. 2 19. Thine owne wickednes shall correct thee and thy back-slidings shall reprove thee Wickednes will burne like the fire Esa. 9.18 Hell it selfe hath no greater torment then that And this thou hast cause to looke for and knowest not how soone Num. 32.23 Thou hast sinned against the Lord and be thou sure thy sin will find thee out 2. Let us therfore beloved acknowledge it for a mercy of God that he doth give us the sight and sense of our sins so farre forth as is necessary to our saving humiliation and repentance but let us acknowledge it for as great a mercy that hee doth not let us see and feele our sins to the full so as we should be overwhelmed by it Lecture LXIX On Psalme 51.5 Septemb 18. 1627. THe second thing wherein the admirable goodnes of God appeareth unto us is this If we could rightly weigh what we were by nature we would see just cause to wonder at the power and goodnesse of God in this that there should bee any truth of grace in any of us Let us consider this first in generall in the whole worke of our conversion and of that change that is wrought in our hearts by the grace and spirit of God Secondly In every particular act of grace that we do discerne in our selves And for the first wee shall find the Apostle maketh this use of the Doctrine of originall sinne Ephes. 2.4 5. God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith hee loved us even when wee were dead in sinnes hath quickened us together with Christ by grace yee are saved As if hee had said this was nothing but meere grace this argued the riches of Gods mercy the greatnesse of his love to doe this When the people beheld the mighty workes that Christ wrought in giving sight to the blind and hearing to the deafe and speech to the dumbe and life to the dead it is said they were all amazed at the mighty power of God Luke 9.43 and as it is said Matth. 9.8 they marvelled and glorified God And the party himselfe whom Christ had restored to sight admired the worke of God upon himselfe and said Iohn 9.32 Since the world began was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was borne blind But the worke that God hath wrought upon our hearts whom he hath converted and begun saving grace in is though not so sensible yet a farre greater demonstration of his power and goodnesse then any of those was and such as wee have much more cause to admire and glorifie God for Certainely it is as possible for a blackmore to change his skinne or a leopard his spots as the Prophet speaketh Ieremy 13.23 for a Camell to goe through the eye of a needle as our Saviour saith Luke 18.25 as for us to have a change wrought in our hearts But blessed bee God that the thing which is impossible with men hath beene possible with God as our Saviour there speaketh Luke 18.27 This admirable power of God is sensible and apparant in the conversion of some men of such I meane as have beene prepared for their conversion with legall terrours such as having beene notorious sinners before have beene by some strong hand of God changed suddenly In the conversion of such as Paul was that of a bloudy persecutour was of a sudden made not onely a disciple but a zealous preacher also Where hee that was even now a Wolfe and a Leopard was so chaunged that hee dwelt with the Lambes and lay downe with the Kids as the Prophet speaketh Esa. 11.6 All men will bee apt to take notice of and to admire the power of God in the conversion of such a man as Paul saith of himselfe Galathians 1.24 that the Churches glorified God in him But the worke of Gods power in the conversion of most men of such as have beene bred in the Church and
now is the acceptable time now is the day of salvation 2 Cor. 6.2 The master of the house hath not yet shut his doore upon thee but how soone it may bee shut thou knowest not Thirdly If this be so then let every one of us that feele any truth of grace wrought in our hearts rejoyce in our estate and magnifie the power and goodnesse of God towards us Indeed it behoveth us to try well whether we have it in truth 2 Cor. 13.5 and how that may be done you shall heare out of the next verse But if thou hast but the least measure of grace in truth thou hast just cause to rejoyce in this more then if God had made thee the greatest prince in the world Let the heart of them rejoyce that seeke the Lord Psal. 105.3 And the Apostle Iames 1.9 Let the brother of low degree rejoyce in that he is exalted Whatsoever men thinke of thee or thou art apt to thinke of thy selfe he that cannot deceive thee hath pronounced of thee that if thou have but any one grace in truth thou art a blessed man happy art thou that ever thou wert borne If thou canst beleeve in Christ heare what he saith Mat. 16.17 Blessed art thou Simon Bar-jona for flesh and bloud hath not revealed it unto thee but my father which is in heaven As if he had said Thou hast more in thee then flesh and bloud If thou dost feare to displease God hearken what the Holy ghost saith of thee Psal. 128.1 Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord. Nay if thou canst but unfeignedly desire to beleeve and to feare God remember this was all that Nehemiah could say of himselfe Neh. 1.11 that he desired to feare Gods name Remember what Christ pronounceth of thee Matth. 5.6 Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousnesse for they shall be filled Nay if thou have but so much grace as to feele the want of grace and unfeignedly to bewaile it hearken what thy blessed Saviour saith of thy estate Matth. 5.3 4. Blessed are the poore in spirit Blessed are they that mourne for that poverty Make thy calling and conversion sure and thou hast made thine election sure as the Apostle speaketh 2 Pet. 1.10 If thou have but the least grace in thee in truth thou hast Gods seale upon thee whereby hee hath marked and will owne thee for himselfe by the print and stampe of that seale According to that speech of the Apostle Ephes. 4.30 Grieve not the holy spirit of God whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption Wherefore let me say againe unto thee as I began in the words of David Psal. 32.11 Be glad in the Lord and rejoyce ye righteous and shout for joy all yee that are upright in heart And 33.1 Rejoyce in the Lord ô ye righteous for praise is comely for the upright O it is a seemely sight to see an upright hearted Christian cheerefull and comfortable Say not ô but I have so much corruption in me that I cannot take notice of nor rejoyce in any goodnesse that I have For 1 I bid thee not rejoyce in any corruption but dislike and bewaile it still but rejoyce in the Lord Phil. 4.4 In the very same action thou maist have just matter of mourning in respect of the worke of thine owne corruption in it and of joy in respect of the worke of Gods grace in it Rejoyce in trembling Psal. 2.11 Regard not so much thine owne corruption as to neglect altogether the grace of God in thee 2. By how much the more corruption thou findest in thy selfe by so much the more cause hast thou to rejoyce in and to admire Gods mercy that to such a wretch as thou art he should give the grace to make conscience of any sin to do any duty in truth of desire to please God Wicked men thinke it strange as the Apostle saith 1 Pet. 4.4 that we do not as they doe that we run not with them into the same excesse of riot They thinke it strange yea impossible that any man should be in deed and truth so changed in heart as Gods people in their outward conversation would seeme to be they esteeme all profession of holinesse to be no better then hypocrisy and therefore speake evill of us But we that know our owne hearts have more cause to wonder at this our selves and to praise God for it Lecture LXXI On Psalme 51.5 October 2. 1627. THE third point wherein the admirable goodnesse of God appeareth unto us who are even by nature so vile as wee all are is in the worke of his confirming grace If wee could rightly weigh what our nature is and what a strength and power of corruption there remaineth still in the best of us we would see cause to wonder that any of us after we are converted and have some measure of saving grace begun in us should stand for any time We read in Scripture of a three-fold standing and in every one of these kinds every Christian hath cause to admire Gods power and goodnesse towards his soule 1. There is a standing in the faith and in the profession of the truth Of this the Apostle speaketh 1 Cor. 15.1 I declare unto you the Gospell which I preached unto you which also you have received and wherein yee stand 2 There is a standing in the state of grace and in a comfortable assurance and feeling of Gods favour Rom. 5.2 By Christ we have accesse by faith into the grace wherein we stand and rejoyce in the hope of the glory of God 3. There is a standing in a Christian course of life and conscionable practise of godlines This Epaphras begd of God for the Colossians Col. 4.12 That they might stand perfect and compleat in all the will of God Now that any of us should bee able to stand stedfast and persevere any of these wayes that is to say either in foundnesse of judgement and profession of the truth or in the comfortable assurance of our salvation and of the favour of God or in a conscionable care to please God in our whole conversation is certainely a matter of greater wonder and admiration then the most of us doe conceive of This we would all easily discerne and acknowledge if we would but seriously consider of these foure points First what a world what an age and time we live in wherein by reason of the continuall discouragements goodnesse doth find every where and the manifold allurements and tentations unto evill by examples and other wayes wee have unto sinne it is as strange any of us should continue in the state of grace as it is for a man to keepe his health that liveth in a Towne where every house and every person and the very ayre it selfe is infected with the plague That which David saith of wicked men that live in the greatest prosperity Psalm 73.18 may truly bee said of all Gods children even of those whose soules
with can do when ye leave holding of it In which respect the Lord compareth himselfe to a nurse that dadeth a child Hos. 11.3 I taught Ephraim to goe taking them by their armes We can neither goe nor stand any longer then the Lord doth uphold us This is the inference that the Apostle himselfe maketh Phil. 2.12 13. Worke out your owne salvation with feare and trembling for it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do even of his good pleasure Because we have no ability to preserve our selves in the state of grace but all dependeth upon the power and goodnesse of God therfore we must feare Continue in his goodnesse as the same Apostle speaketh Rom. 11.12 keepe in favour with him otherwise thou also shalt bee cut off But you will say that is not possible whom God once loveth in this kind he loveth for ever I answer First Whom God doth love in this kind them he maketh fearefull to offend him fearefull to fall and to decay in grace and this feare is a principall meanes whereby he doth preserve them from falling away This is plaine Ier. 32.40 I will make an everlasting covenant with them and I will not turne away from them to doe them good but I will put my feare into their hearts that they shall not depart from me So that by this thou shalt know whether thou be indeed converted whether there be any truth of grace in thee if God have put this feare into thy heart there is otherwise there is none at all Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed least he fall 1 Cor. 10.12 Secondly Though those whom God loveth according to his good purpose he loveth to the end and therefore will never disinherit them nor utterly cast them off yet if they be not fearefull to offend him though he love them yea because he loveth them he will chasten them as the Apostle speaketh Heb. 12.6 and he scourgeth every sonne whom he receiveth And in what kind he will scourge them how long his scourge shall lie upon them how deepely he will wound them with the lashes that he will give them with his scourge that the Lord onely doth know Admit that if ever we had the spirit of God and truth of grace in us it will never depart from us we can never loose it utterly but yet if we grow secure and neglect the meanes whereby we may preserve grace in our selves and keepe it alive whereby wee may preserve our selves from falling away we may quench the spirit in our selves This is plaine by the Apostles speech 1 Thess. 5.19 20. Quench not the spirit despise not prophesyings Even the despising of hearing the Word will quench the spirit that is deprive us of the operation of the feeling of the comfort of Gods grace in us Be it he that is once in the state of grace shall be preserved by God from falling totally from taking such falls as should break his neck and quite deprive him of the life of grace and from falling finally from falling into such pits as he should never be able to get out of againe from taking such falls as the Apostle speaketh of Heb. 6.6 which they that take them can never after be renewed againe by repentance Yet if he grow secure and looke not well to his feet if he nourish not in his heart the feare of the Lord he may fall fearefully he may take such falls as may breake his bones as may put him to such anguish of soule as if he had a kingdome he would give it to be eased of it This is plaine by the words of David in the 8. verse of this Psalme Make me to heare joy and gladnesse that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoyce His fall into adultery and murder had broken his bones that is had put him to more anguish and griefe then ever man felt that had his bones broken in his body Lecture LXXI On Psalme 51.5 October 9. 1627. THe fift and last point of application is to comfort and strengthen those poore soules that being indeed in the state of grace are yet much perplexed that either they are already or shall and may hereafter fall fearefully from it Two tentations there be whereby the best of Gods servants are often troubled greatly in this point of their perseverance in grace First Some of them are apt to conclude that they are already quite fallen from grace because 1 They have lost their first love that delight and fervency wherewith they were wont to serve God 2 They have lost their faith and cannot be assured of Gods favour as once they were 3 They slip ever and anon into the sins they have repented of and find no strength to overcome them Against this first tentation there is notable comfort and strength ministred to Gods people in the Word of God and even in that which we heard the last day of the admirable worke of God in the perseverance of his Saints And for the comfort and strength of Gods people against this tentation the Scripture giveth us two notable preservatives First The choisest of Gods servants and such as unto whom the Lord hath given the best testimony in his Word have beene in this case that thou art in subject to this variablenesse to these alterations in their spirituall estate They have not stood alwaies steady in one state but have beene of and on with the Lord. 1. For their delight and fervencie in good duties You shall read of David that sometimes hee did service unto God with marvellous alacrity and cheerefullnesse of spirit When hee contributed to the building of Gods house he did it with exceeding joy 1 Chron. 29.9 David the King rejoyced with great joy You shall also read of his going to the house of God with the voice of joy and praise as one that were going to a feast Psalme 42.4 And sometimes againe you shall heare him complaining of the deadnesse of his heart that he could serve God with no life or cheerefullnesse at all Psalme 119 25. My soule cleaveth to the dust quicken thou mee according to thy Word 2. So it is with them for their faith and confident assurance of Gods favour David that one while glorieth The Lord is my light and my salvation whom shall I feare Psalme 27.1 At another time you shall finde him quite void of this assurance Psalme 31.22 I said in my hast I am cut off from before thine eyes You shall heare him complaining Psalme 88.15 While I suffer thy terrours I am distracted And blessed Paul who at one time speaketh so triumphantly Romanes 8.35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ At another time 2 Cor. 7.5 you shall heare him complaine of inward feares and terrours 3. For their conscionable care to please God in all their waies they have shewed great inconstancy in that also 1. Abraham was sometimes so obedient unto God so carefull
sowen for the righteous and gladnesse for the upright in heart Yea Hezekiah in his sicknesse when hee thought there was no way with him but one 2 King 20.3 could say of himselfe and that was strange that hee had walked before God with a perfect heart because his conscience witnessed with him hee had walked in truth his heart was upright with God The reasons and grounds of this Doctrine are foure principally three of them taken from the nature of God and the fourth from the nature of this grace of truth and uprightnesse of heart First The Lord wee know is a spirit and therefore looketh for the service of the heart and spirit his eye is upon that rather then upon any outward thing So the Lord telleth Samuel 1 Samuel 16.7 This reason our Saviour giveth Iohn 4.24 God is a spirit and therefore they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth Secondly The Lord is a God that knoweth is able to search the heart all the corners and windings of it and it is to no purpose therefore to double with him I know Ephraim saith the Lord Hos 5.3 and Israel is not hid from me All things are naked opened saith the Apostle Heb. 4.13 unto the eyes of him with whom wee have to doe This reason the Lord giveth Iere. 17.9 10. The heart is deceitfull above all things who can know it I the Lord search the very heart and try the reines And therefore to thinke wee can flatter the Lord and please him with good words and shewes as it is said the Israelites that perished in the wildernesse did Psalme 78.36 37. They flattered him with their mouthes for their heart was not right with him is even to lye unto the holy Ghost as Peter charged Ananios Actes 5.3 Why hath Satan filled thy heart to lye unto the holy Ghost a dissembling with him that cannot bee deceived by us Thirdly The Lord is the God of truth and so is called Psal. 31.5 and the spirit of God is called the spirit of truth Iohn 14.17 In this grace specially consisteth the image of God in this wee most resemble him God made man upright Eccle. 7.29 So the Apostle speaking of the image of God according to which we were first created and unto which wee are renewed by the spirit of regeneration Ephes. 4.24 Hee calleth it righteousnesse and holinesse of truth And our Saviour describing the fall of the Angells the devills falling from God and loosing of his image he describeth it thus Iohn 8.44 Hee abode not in the truth because there is no truth in him If there bee truth in our inward parts wee resemble God our heavenly father if there bee no truth there we resemble Satan and therefore it is no marvell though the Lord take such pleasure and delight in uprightnesse Fourthly and lastly The uprightnesse of the heart will command and carry the whole man with it This reason the holy Ghost giveth Prov. 4.23 Keepe thy heart with all diligence looke that that that bee sound and upright for out of it come the issues of life Vprightnesse in the hid man of the heart is like unto the leven it is our Saviours comparison Matth. 13.33 hâ—d in three measures of meale the whole lumpe of dough will savour of it A good man cut of the good treasure of his heart saith our Saviour Matth. 12.35 will bring forth good things If the heart bee upright and good the speech will bee good and the actions also The mouth of the righteous saith David Psal 37.30 31. speaketh wisedome and his tongue talketh of judgement Why so The law of his God is in his heart none of his steps shall slide If grace and uprightnesse be in the heart it will make the speech gracious it will keepe a man from sliding and falling from God in his whole conversation It is therefore no marvell though the Lord desire that above all things and so much delight in it Lecture LXXV On Psalme 51.6 Novem. 13. 1627. IT followeth now that we proceed to shew you the uses that this Doctrine serveth unto and those are principally two 1. For examination and tryall of our selves whether wee have this grace or no. 2. For exhortation to stirre us up to seeke for it if wee want it and to make much of it to maintaine and strengthen it if wee have it already for as for the uses both of reproofe and comfort they will fitly be comprehended in these two The first use I say it serveth unto is for examination for every one of us to try our owne hearts whether there be that truth and uprightnesse in them that the Lord taketh so much delight in Now for the more orderly and profitable handling of this use I will shew you 1. The Motives that may stirre us all up to take paines in this tryall and examination of our selves 2. The Notes and Markes whereby this tryall is to bee made and whereby the truth and sincerity of the heart is to bee judged of The Motives are three principally 1. From the necessity of this worke in respect of the difficulty of it 2. From the possibility of it 3. From the benefit and fruit of it when it is well done First it is a difficult thing to find out whether our heart bee upright or no. This is evident 1. By common and daily experience all sorts of people are apt to deceive themselves in this point The worst men that are as they are the most confident people in the world and the best perswaded of their estate towards God according to that of Solomon Pro. 14.16 A wise man feareth and departeth from evill he is afraid of Gods wrath and apt to doubt much of his owne estate and that keepeth him in awe and maketh him carefull to depart from evill but the foole rageth and roareth and swaggereth and yet is confident So do they build their confidence upon this perswasion principally that though they speake foolishly now and then and do amisse through frailty yet they have as good as true hearts to God as the best There is a generation saith Solomon Pro. 30.12 that are pure in their owne eyes and yet are not washed from their filthinesse As if he had said though their lives be most filthy yet they are thus conceited of their owne purity Every way of man saith Solomon Pro. 21.2 is right in his owne eyes but the Lord pondereth the hearts As if he should say Why doe men please themselves in their owne waies and are deceived in them The reason is they cannot ponder nor know their hearts they thinke better of their hearts then they should do On the other side the best men that are are apt to charge themselves that their hearts are false and unsound that they have no more in them then may be in an hypocrite The good things that are in the regenerate are so mixed and intermingled with their owne
corruptions yea that little fire they have is covered in them with such an heape of ashes that little corne that is in them is hid in them in such a deale of chaffe as they can hardly discerne that truth of grace that is them To this case that proverbe may fitly be applyed Pro. 13.7 There is that maketh himselfe rich and hath nothing there is that maketh himselfe poore yet hath great riches See an example of this in David in that prayer he maketh ver 10. of this Psalme Create in me a cleane heart ô God and renew a right spirit within me He had certainely at this time a cleane heart and a right spirit but he could not perceive nor discerne it in himselfe at this time and therefore prayeth God would create it and renew it in him as if it had beene quite gone It is a farre easier thing for a regenerate man to see and discerne the corruption that is in him then the truth of grace that is in him When the Apostle speaketh of the fruits of the flesh he saith of them Gal 5.19 The workes of the flesh are manifest but when he commeth to speake of the fruits of the spirit ver 22. he saith not so of them The grace of Gods spirit is an hidden and secret thing called therefore that hidden man of the heart 1 Pet. 3.4 and cannot be certainely knowne unlesse a man take paines to search into it In this respect it is said the wise merchant Mat. 13.44 when he had found the treasure hid in the field withdrew himselfe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as merchants use to do that have great accounts to make that he might try whether it were the true treasure or no. 2. The difficulty of this worke may appeare by the expresse testimony of the Lord himselfe Ier. 17.9 The heart is deceitfull above all things who can know it It is so deceitfull this darke den hath so many corners and turnings in it that the wisest man in the world by the strength of nature is not able to find it out to know whether it be true or false sound or rotten A man may be an hypocrite and have a false heart and himselfe not know it though some hypocrisie be grosse and palpable yet all is not so This is plaine by that which our Saviour speaketh to the Angell of the Church of Laodicea Rev. 3.17 Thou knowest not that thou art wretched and miserable and poore and blinde and naked 3. The difficulty of this worke is evident by reason also For there be many good things so like unto true grace that may be in a meere naturall man as it is no easie thing to discerne and put a difference betweene them but a man may easily be deceived and think he hath truth of saving grace when he hath nothing but nature in him 1. There are certaine remnants of Gods image in many naturall men that are very like unto true grace The Gentiles that know not the law saith the Apostle Rom. 2.14 doe by nature the things contained in the law They make conscience of and hate many sinnes they may practise many morall vertues as justice mercy and fidelity which our Saviour Matth. 23.23 calleth the weightier points in Gods law And these are certainely in themselves and materially good things and it is said Mar. 10.21 our Saviour looking upon the rich man that had these things in him loved him So that it is no marvell though so many be deceived in them and take them for true grace 2. There are certaine common graces and beginnings of sanctification in many hypocrites that live in Gods Church and in the profession of the Gospell which are yet more like to saving grace then the other are Some of those that fall into the unpardonable sinne have beene inlightned as the Apostle speaketh Heb. 6.4 5. and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have beene made partakers of the Holy Ghost Some such have escaped the pollutions of the world left their knowne sinnes even through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour as the Apostle Peter speaketh 2 Pet. 2.20 3. Yea it is certaine there is a kind of truth and uprightnesse of heart in many a man that never had any truth of saving grace in him I know saith the Lord to Abimelech the King of Gerar an heathen man Gen. 20.6 that thou didst this in the integrity of thy heart Paul even whilst he was a persecuter had a kind of truth and uprightnesse of heart in that which he did I have lived saith he Acts 23 1. in all good conscience before God unto this day He did nothing but that which he was perswaded in his heart he ought to doe I verily thought saith he Act. 26.9 with my selfe that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Iesus of Nazareth The intent and purpose of his heart was to please and honour God in it In all these three respects it is certainely an hard thing for a man to know whether his heart be right or no if he doe not carefully and diligently observe his owne heart and examine it he will never be able to know it It behoveth us to use all diligence in this businesse it will never els be well done Give diligence saith the Apostle 2 Pet. 1.10 to make your calling and election sure And by making this sure unto our selves that our hearts are upright wee shall make both our calling and election sure And this is the first Motive The second is from the possibility of this worke Though most men be deceived in this point though their heart be so deceitfull though there be so great a resemblance betweene those good things that may be in naturall men and hypocrites and the truth of grace yet if we will take paines to examine our selves well we may certainely know that our hearts are upright if they be so that there is truth of grace in us that there is more in us then can be in any naturall man or hypocrite in the world This also shall be made evident to you in three points First Because the faithfull are exhorted so oft and earnestly to prove and examine themselves whether they be in the faith or no 2 Cor. 13.5 To prove every man his owne worke Gal. 6.4 To make sure to themselves their owne calling and election 2 Pet. 1.10 Now these exhortations had beene in vaine if it were not possible for the faithfull to know they have true faith that the workes and duties they doe are done in uprightnesse if a man might not be certaine and sure that he is effectually called For though God in his law require that of the naturall man which it is impossible for him to do as the Apostle speaketh Rom. 8.3 and may justly do it 1 because when God first gave the law to mankind in Adam he made him able to keepe it 2 because by exacting this of him which he is not able to do he
driveth him to despaire in himselfe and to seeke helpe in Christ Yet in the Gospell Christ requireth nothing of the faithfull that is impossible for them to do His yoke is easie and his burden light as he saith Mat. 11.30 Secondly The faithfull may be in this life certaine of their salvation They may be sure of their justification Surely shall one say it is the promise made to the faithfull that should live in the daies of the Gospell Esa. 45.24 in the Lord have I righteousnesse They may be sure of their adoption Doubtlesse thou art our father say the faithfull Esa. 63.16 though Abraham be ignorant of us They may be sure of their perseverance in Gods favour unto the end Surely saith David Psal. 23.6 goodnesse and mercy shall follow me all the daies of my life They may be sure that after this life they shall inherit eternall glory We know saith Paul 2 Cor. 5.1 not speaking in his own person but in the person of all the faithfull that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved we have a building of God an house not made with hands eternall in the heavens And we know saith Iohn 1 Ioh. 3.14 we are translated from death to life How knew he that By revelation No but by such an evidence as is common to all the faithfull Because we love the brethren saith he Now there could be no such assurance of their salvation in any of the faithfull if they knew not undoubtedly that their hearts were upright that they have truth of grace in them How could any conclude thus to the comfort of his soule I know I am translated from death to life because I love the brethren if he could not certainely know that he doth love the brethren and that in truth and sincerity and not in shew onely Hereby we know saith he 1 Ioh. 4.13 that we dwell in him and he in us because he hath given us of his spirit The spirit of sanctification and the truth of grace wrought in us thereby is the only thing that can assure us that we have any communion with God or are in his favour Thirdly and lastly That it is possible for us to know certainly that our hearts are upright is evident by the experience of Gods faithfull servants whose examples are recorded in the word for our comfort and incouragement We have a proverbiall speech probatum est Iob knew that his heart was upright or he would not have said as he did Iob 27.5 God forbid that I should justifie you till I die I will not remove mine integrity from me As if he should say I will die rather then beleeve you that would perswade me I am an hypocrite And 12.4 The just upright man is laughed to scorne And 16.17 19. There is not any injustice in my hands also my prayer is pure O earth cover thou not my bloud and let my cry have no place Also now behold my witnesse is in heaven and my record is on high Yea the poore soule had then beene in a most wofull case if he had not beene so certaine of the uprightnesse of his heart as that all those learned and worthy men could not make him to doubt of it David likewise was certaine of the uprightnesse of his heart or he durst never have said as he did Psal. 26.1 2. Iudge me O Lord for I have walked in mine integrity examine me ô Lord and prove me try my reines and my heart Hezekiah even in the time of his great affliction knew assuredly and was able to call God for a witnesse to his conscience Esa. 38.3 that he had walked before God in truth and with a perfect heart Yea Peter even then when he was so exceedingly dejected in himselfe for his fearefull fall knew so assuredly that his heart was upright that he did unfeignedly love Christ above all things in the world as that he durst confidently avouch it unto Christ himselfe and was grieved that Christ should question that the third time Lord saith he Iohn 21.17 thou knowest all things thou knowest that I love thee And to conclude the Apostle Iohn speaking in the name not of himselfe onely or of some rare and extraordinary persons saith 1 Iohn 5.19 We know that we are of God that is borne of God truly regenerate as appeareth by the former verse Thus you see there is no such impossibility no such difficulty in the matter but we may know and be certaine whether our hearts be upright or no. True it is the best Christian that is may be at some times doubtfull and uncertaine in this point unable to discerne that there is truth of grace in him If he could rightly examine his owne heart and waies he might find it out But he is not at all times in case to examine himselfe thus The best are subject 1 to spirituall desertion sometimes through their owne sloth and negligence as the Church was Cant. 3.1 and 5.6 2 To such tentations and sorrowes as doe even overwhelme their spirits Psal. 142.3 In such a case it is good 1 to call to mind the times that are past and the evidence thou hast formerly had of the uprightnesse of thy heart Psal. 77.5 6. 2 Even then cast not away thy confidence but having lost thine evidence seek and sue and cry to God for a new copy of it as David did even in that case Psal. 77. ◠3 Vse the helpe of some faithfull and experienced Christian who in this case may be better able to judge of thee then thou art thy selfe And that is the second Motive that may perswade us to examine our selves diligently in this point The third and last is taken from the benefit and comfort we shall receive in this when by diligent triall and examination of our selves wee can find that there is truth of grace in us that our hearts are sound and upright with God O the comfort that this will yeeld us will abundantly recompence all the paines wee can take about it This will appeare to be so in two points First This will make every duty every service we doe to God sweet and comfortable to us when we can know we have performed it in truth and uprightnesse of heart This motive the Apostle giveth us Gal. 6 4. Let every man prove his owne worke and then shall he have rejoycing in himselfe alone and not in another When the people in Davids time contributed largely towards the building of the Temple it is said they rejoyced and found great comfort and the reason is given 1 Chron. 19 9. because they did it with a perfect and upright heart So when all Iudah in Asa his time renewed their covenant and bound themselves by solemne oath to cleave unto the Lord and to the purity of his religion and worship it is said 2 Chron 15.15 they rejoyced at the oath and the reason is given because they had sworne with all their heart So Paul professeth of
God Thy loving kindnesse is before mine eyes saith David Psal. 26.3 therefore have I walked in thy truth If wee would set that oftner before our eyes meditate more seriously of that certainely it would make all Gods waies more easie and pleasant to us then they are On the other side he that hath no assurance of Gods love in Christ can never pray or heare or receive with any delight or comfort Wouldst thou know the true cause why it is so irksome a thing for thee to pray or to reade or to heare or to keepe the Sabbath that thou sayest of all these duties in thy heart as they did Mal. 1.13 O what a wearinesse is it Certainely thou hast in thee an evill heart of unbeliefe as the Apostle calleth it Heb. 3.12 Thou art not assured of Gods fatherly love to thee in Christ. Nor thou seekest not to be sure of it Get more faith and more assurance of Gods love and it will seeme no bondage to thee to serve God thou wilt finde ease and pleasure it Fiftly This and this only will cure us of that stone that is in our hearts and make them soft and fleshy make us able kindly to mourne for offending God by our sinnes When God once maketh thee able by the spirit of grace to see that Christ endured so much for thee that thy sinnes pierced Christ so then wilt thou bee able to mourne for thy sinnes saith the Prophet Zach. 12.10 as a man would mourne for the losse of his onely sonne When Mary was once assured by faith that her sinnes were forgiven yea how many sinnes God had forgiven unto her Luke 7.38.47 ô how she wept for her sinnes If thou wert indeed assured of the forgivenesse of thy sinnes and of Gods favour in Christ thou couldst never thinke of thy sinnes without griefe of heart And if thou desirest to grow more soft hearted labour to increase thy faith and to get more assurance of this speciall love of God to thee in Christ. Sixtly and lastly As no grace can grow in thy heart till thou have faith so as the measure of thy assurance of Gods love shall increase in thee so shall every saving grace increase and abound in thy soule Therefore the Apostle praying for the Ephesians Ephes. 3.19 that God would make them able to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge he giveth this for the reason of it that ye might be filled saith he with all the fullnesse of God And these are Motives strong enough if God be pleased to work with them to perswade our hearts to seek to be assured of Gods love in Christ to make our calling and election sure It followeth now I should shew you the Meanes how this may be attained but those I must I see leave till the next day Lecture LXXXII On Psalme 51.6 February 26. 1627. NOw then there be five things principally to be done by them that would get and preserve in themselves this assurance of Gods favour First If thou desire to get assurance of Gods speciall love to thee in Christ assurance that Christ is thine assurance of thy salvation thou must first settle this perswasion in thy heart that it is possible to be attained By harbouring this conceit in thy heart that it is presumption for any man to say he is sure of his salvation I hope well but it is not possible for me or any man to be sure of this thou makest thy selfe uncapable of this comfortable assurance Know therefore that though 1. It be a very difficult thing to get and keepe this assurance 2. Few attaine unto it 3. Though this assurance be not perfect in any while they live here but they that have it best have it with some mixture of doubting and unbeliefe 4. They that have had it in the greatest measure have not had it at all times Yet every true beleever may attaine unto it if the fault be not in himselfe â—or 1. God hath commanded the faithfull to make their calling and election sure 2 Pet. 1.10 2. God hath promised that he will certifie and assure his people of this Ezek. 34.30 They shall know that I the Lord their God am with them and that they even the house of Israel are my people saith the Lord God 3. God hath given his people in all ages experience of the truth of this his promise in themselves Rom. 8.15 16. Ye have not received the spirit of bondage againe to feare as if he should say once ye had it but yee have received the spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba father This could not be without assurance of Gods favour and this he saith not of himselfe onely but of all the faithfull of all Gods children Gal. 4.6 Because ye are sonnes God hatâ— sent forth the spirit of his sonne into your hearts This spirit witnesseth with our spiritâ— saith the Apostle Rom. 8.16 that wee are the sonnes of God We know saith the Apostle 1 Iohn 3.2 not of himselfe but of all Gods children that when Christ shall appeare we shall be like him And againe verse 14. We know we are translated from death to life And againe Chap 4.16 We have knowne and beleeved the love that God hath to us Nay I say more It is not onely possible for thee if thou be Gods child to have this assurance of Gods love in some measure but it is in some manner necessary thou shouldst have it thou must get it the hope thou talkest of is to little purpose without it Know ye not your owne selves saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 13.5 how that Iesus Christ is in you except ye be reprobates that is except ye be unsound and counterfait in the profession of the faith His house we are Heb. 3.6 if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoycing of the hope firme unto the end That hope that hath no confidence nor rejoycing in it is little worth Hope must bee as an anker of the soule both sure and stedfast as the Apostle speaketh Heb. 6.19 Well then seeing we both may and must get this assurance it standeth us upon to enquire how and by what meanes we may get it What is then next to bee done I answer Secondly We must bind our selves to a diligent and conscionable use of Gods ordinances which he hath sanctified to be the meanes whereby he will worke and increase all saving grace and consequently this in our hearts I will instance but in three and that briefly too First There is great force in the Word to worke in our hearts not onely faith Rom. 10.17 Faith commeth by hearing but this blessed fruit of faith also the assurance of Gods favour The Scriptures were written to this end to breed in us this assurance These things have I written to you 1 Iohn 5.12 that ye may know that ye have eternall life And 1.4 These things write we unto you that your joy may be full that you may have
of the Lord Iesus that is his quickning grace was mad manifest in their bodies In this respect also hee calleth the regenerate part Colos. 3.10 not a new mind nor a new will nor a new heart only but the new man Ye have put on saith hee the new man it is a compleat man it hath all the faculties and powers of a perfect man in it So speaketh hee againe 2 Corinth 5.17 If any man bee in Christ in the state of grace hee is a new creature old things are past away behold all things are become new Every one that is in Christ is become a new man every faculty every part of him is renewed In this respect also every upright-hearted man is called a perfect man Marke the perfect man and behold the upright saith David Psalme 37.37 because they have this perfection of parts they are sanctified throughout in all their parts And as the children that wee beget are perfect men and women so soone as ever they are borne because they have the soules and bodies and all the parts of men and women though in great weakenesse so is it with all the children of God much more Men may beget children that are defective and want some of their parts wee reade of some that have beene borne blind Iohn 9.1 and of some that have beene creeples from their mothers wombe Acts 14.8 and of some that have beene borne fooles But our heavenly father begets no such children all his children are perfect and have no such defect of parts in them Now before I make application of this point I must first give you three cautions to prevent the children of God from taking occasion of much feare and discomfort by the mistaking and misunderstanding of this point The first caution is this As the goodliest child that ever was borne is defective when it is an infant and new borne not onely in the stature and strength of every member of his body but even in the measure of his understanding also even so is it with the new man They that are sanctified in the best measure are yet in every part in every faculty of their soule in every sense and member of their body defective in the measure and degree of grace Paul telleth those worthy Christians the Thessalonians 1 Thess. 3.10 that hee desired to come to them to perfect that that was lacking in their faith Yea of himselfe hee saith Phil. 3.12 that hee was not perfect And if that great Apostle could say of himselfe and such as he was 1 Cor. 13.9 we know but in part then how great cause have the best of every one of us to complaine alas how little spirituall light and knowledge have I in my understanding how little sanctifying grace and goodnesse have I in my thoughts in my memory in my conscience in my will in my desires and affections How little inclination to any thing that is good in my eye or in my eare or in any other of my senses or parts of my body Secondly Though they that have truth of grace in them have every faculty and power of their soule and every sense and member of their body seasoned in some measure with the new leaven of sanctifying grace yet have they also much of the old leaven of their corrupt nature remaining still in every facultie of their soule and in every sense and member of their body Purge out therefore the old leaven saith the Apostle 1 Cor 5.7 As if hee had said This is a worke wherein we must alwayes be doing and which we shall never make an end of while we live here In which respect the regenerate man may fitly bee compared unto the ayre in the twilight in which there is no part but it hath some light in it neither is there any part of it but it hath some darkenesse in it also and unto the water that is luke-warme there is no part of it but it hath some heate in it nor any part but it hath some coldnesse in it too Therefore as the spirit the regenerate part in us is called as we have heard the new man so is the flesh and the unregenerate part in us called the old man likewise Eph. 4.22 because it goeth through the whole man as the other doth And this maketh many a good soule thinke there is no truth of grace in them because that throughout in their whole spirit and soule and body they discerne still so much corruption From the sole of the foot say they as Esa. 1.6 even to the head there is no soundnes in me This maketh them complaine with Iob 40.4 Behold I am vile What a deale of ignorance and blindnes have I in my understanding how vaine wicked are my thoughts for the most part how hardly can I forget any small wrong that hath bin done me and how apt am I to forget any good thing how hard a heart have I and unable to mourne for any of my sins how apt to be overwhelmed with griefe for the smallest crosse that befalleth me With what delight doe mine eares listen to any evill I can heare of my neighbour how dull of hearing is it towards any thing that is good how apt is mine eye to wander and to steale away my heart when I should attend to the word and how hardly can I keepe it fixed upon any thing that might bring good to my soule These we know are the complaints of the best soules And yet all this may be where there is truth of heart Thirdly and lastly Though where truth of grace is it diffuseth and sheddeth it selfe abroad throughout the whole man every faculty of the soule is sanctified and every part of the body also yet is not the worke of grace therein so sensible and manifest as is the corruption of our nature The workes of the flesh are manifest saith the Apostle Galathians 5.19 more manifest then the worke of grace is I cannot perceive saith many a good Christian any worke of Gods sanctifying grace at all in my memory in sundry of my affections in my joy and my anger much lesse in the members of my body and how can I say then that there is any truth of grace in mee To such I say there may bee some sanctifying grace in thee yea in every faculty of thy soule and member of thy body though thou perceive it not The little infant hath all the parts of a mans body though there bee sundry of them thou canst discerne no use he hath of them in any action yea hee hath a reasonable soule and all the faculties of it though it appeare not in any operation at all Three things thou hast in thee that shew thou hast sanctifying grace even there where thou perceivest it least 1. As thou hast in thy whole man in every faculty and part both flesh and spirit so hast thou in thy whole man a conflict between them The flesh lusteth against the
religion are called by the holy Ghost and wee may not teach him to speake righteous men and beleevers though there bee no true righteousnesse or faith in them at all So it is said Iohn 2.23 24. Many beleeved in Christs name when they saw the miracles that he did Had these men true and saving faith No verely as appeareth plainly by the next words But Iesus did not commit himselfe unto them because hee knew all men As though the Evangelist had said Hee knew there was no truth of faith in their hearts though they made such a profession of it So it is said of Simon Magus Actes 8.13 that hee beleeved Why had hee ever a true justifying faith in him No verely for hee was even then though neither Philip nor Peter perceived it till a little after in the gall of bitternesse and in the bond of iniquitie as Peter testifieth of him verse 23. yet all that are baptized are said to be regenerated and borne anew yea all the infants of the faithfull are said by the Apostle 1 Cor. 7.14 to bee holy Are all infants holy indeed and truly sanctified Are all men that are baptized regenerated indeed No verily But by profession and sacramentally they are so all But why are they then by the holy Ghost called so not being so indeed Surely because the Church and people of God are bound to judge them beleevers and righteous persons that outwardly professe themselves to bee such till God shall bee pleased to reveile and discover them to bee otherwise The secret things belong to the Lord our God saith Moses Deutero 29.29 but those things which are reveiled belong to us and to our children for ever And therefore Simon Magus as bad a man as hee was inwardly and in heart was without all scruple admitted by Philip the Evangelist unto baptisme and so accounted a true beleever Acts 8.13 even for this cause because hee professed the true faith So then the beleevers the righteous and regenerate persons that are such only by profession and in the judgement of the Church may quite fall away and loose all that goodnes that seemed to be in them Secondly It cannot bee denyed but that a man may have in him in truth sundry common gifts of the spirit of God that are very like unto saving and true grace and yet loose them againe and fall quite from them The hearer that is compared to the stony ground that receiveth the word and beleeveth it and findeth joy and comfort in it yet may fall away as is plaine Luke 8.13 A man that hath beene enlightned and hath tasted of the heavenly gift of Christ and hath beene made partaker of the holy Ghost may so fall away saith the Apostle Heb. 6 4.6 as it is impossible for him to bee renewed againe unto repentance A man that hath escaped the pollutions of the world forsaken all foule grosse sins may be yet so intangled againe and overcome by them as the Apostle teacheth 2 Peter 2.20 that his latter end may become worse with him then ever his beginning was And what shall wee say of these men and of the good things that are spoken of them Were they such in shew and profession onely No verily They were indeed enlightned they did indeed beleeve they did indeed rejoyce and found comfort in the word they did indeed forsake the pollutions of the world Yea these good things in them were the workes and effects of the word and spirit of God and not of nature onely that that sprung up in them came from the seed of the word that was sowen in their hearts Luke 8.6.13 It was the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ as the Apostle speaketh 2 Peter 2.20 and the sweetnesse that they found in that that made them to forsake all foule and grosse sins How then Had these men ever any truth of saving or sanctifying grace in them No verily For our Saviour saith 1. Of these Luke 8.13 that they had no root in themselves the goodnes worke of the spirit that was in them was overly it never went low enough deep enough to the giving of them a root to the reforming of the inward man 2. Of the hearer that is compared to the good ground Luk. 8.15 that he he only of all the foure sorts of hearers had on honest and a good heart there was no goodnes of heart no truth of grace in any of the other three Thirdly and lastly A man that hath had in him truth of saving grace may seeme to others and to himselfe also to have lost it utterly and even to have quite quenched the spirit in himselfe For 1. he may loose the comfortable sense and feeling of it and not perceive in himselfe that he hath any grace in him at all Lord why castest thou off my soule saith the Prophet Ps. 88.14 15 while I suffer thy terrours I am distracted 2. He may loose the vigor and powerfull operation of it it may like a sparke of fire be so covered and hidden in an heap of ashes that neither himselfe nor any other can by any light or heat that commeth from it discerne any other but that it is quite dead and gone If Nathan himselfe had come to David when after the committing of his shamefull adultery he was practising with all the cunning he had the murther of Vriah or if any of the Apostles had bin with Peter when he denied Christ so oft with such bitter oathes and execrations against himselfe Mat. 26.74 what sparke of grace could they have discerned in them In these three points then you see how farre foorth it may be granted that men may fall from grace And yet is this that I have taught you a certaine truth that true sanctifying and saving grace is of a lasting permanent and continuing nature See this confirmed 1. By that which the holy Ghost expresly affirmeth of sundry particular graces and fruits of the spirit of sanctification I will instance but in three 1. The feare of the Lord is cleane saith David Psal. 19.9 enduring for ever 2. So speaking of the upright man Psal. 112.2 3. he saith his righteousnesse endureth for ever 3. And the Apostle speaking of that meekenes of spirit which Gods sanctifying grace worketh in the faithfull he calleth it Pet. 3 4. a thing that is not corruptible it can never dye See this also confirmed 2. By that which the holy Ghost expresly affirmeth of the whole habit and quality of renewed holinesse created and infused by the spirit of God into our soules at our first conversion The grace of regeneration is called by the Apostle 1 Pet. 1.23 an incorruptible seed which he amplifieth by this comparison verse 24.25 All flesh is as grasse and all the glory of man is as the flower of the grasse the grasse withereth and the flower thereof falleth away but the word of the Lord endureth for ever As if he should say Whatsoever excellency we
his prayers with his teares Hee said with teares Lord helpe my unbeliefe Certainely this lamenting after the Lord as they did 1 Samuel 7.2 is a certaine signe thou art in the state of grace None but the children of the Bride-chamber can thus mourne when they misse the Bridegroome as our Saviour speaketh Matth. 9.15 Certainely thou art in a blessed state that canst thus mourne for so saith the truth it selfe Matth. 5.4 Blessed are they that mourne for the poverty of their spirits he meaneth for they shall be comforted Lecture XCIIII On Psalme 51.6 August 12. 1628. IT followeth now that we proceed to the second and last use of the Doctrine and that is for exhortation to stirre us all up to seeke above all things for this uprightnesse aâ—d truth of heart which God so much delighteth in if we want it and to make much of it to maintaine to strengthen and increase it if by the mercy of God wee have already attained unto it Now for the better enforcing of this so necessary an exhortation I will first give you some Motives that may perswade us to labour for this soundnesse and uprightnesse of heart secondly I will shew you the meanes whereby it may bee obtained And for Motives I will not stand upon them that were brought in the handling of the Doctrine that is to say 1 That God cannot be pleased with shewes of goodnesse he looketh for truth of heart in every service we doe unto him that is that that he desireth and delighteth in 2 That this is all in all with God he valueth us and all our actions according to this hee esteemeth highly of the smallest measure of grace and will beare with many frailties where he seeth this yea he counteth him a perfect man and one that hath as much as he requireth of him if he have an upright heart 3 On the other side he cannot abide that we should halt or double with him he taketh nothing we doe in good part if our hearts be not upright These are certainely most effectuall motives if we could consider them well and weigh them in our minds to make us afraid of resting in shewes of goodnesse and to make us labour for uprightnesse and truth of heart But to these I will add the consideration of the promises God hath made in his Word not so much to any good worke that any of his servants can doe as to the uprightnesse of their hearts in doing of it not so much to any other grace as to truth of heart nor to the measure and quantity of any saving grace so much as to the truth and sincerity of it See this first in generall promises that God hath made unto this Truly God is good to Israel saith the Prophet Psal. 73.1 Who meaneth hee by Israel That he telleth you in the next words the same which Christ doth Iohn 1.47 even to them that are pure in heart As if he had said How ever God may be thought in his providence to neglect the waies of men and the worst men seeme to prosper most and the best to be most miserable in this world for that was the tentation he had strugled withall and out of which now hee had recovered himselfe yet I am sure of this God is and will bee good to all them that have true and upright hearts So Psal. 125.4 Doe good O Lord unto those that be good And who are they And to those that are true and upright in their hearts saith he As if he had said Whatsoever their weakenesses and frailties be yet if they be true in their hearts they are good men God will certainely be good unto them for that propheticall prayer is in the nature of a promise he will doe them good And Psal. 18.25 With an upright man thou wilt shew thy selfe upright As if he had said To him that is in his heart true to thee thou wilt shew thy selfe so as himselfe and others also shall perceive it true to him thou wilt be as good as thy word thou wilt make good thy promise unto him Thus we see in generall God will be good to all them that are upright in heart If thy heart be upright though thou bee never so weake in grace though thou have many infirmities and strong corruptions in thee yet if no hypocrisie reigne in thy heart if thy heart bee true to God certainely thou shalt find God will bee good and gracious unto thee But how or wherein will hee bee so good unto them that are upright in heart This you shall see in the particular promises he hath made unto them First Concerning corporall and earthly blessings he hath promised to bee good to them foure waies First In their habitations and families Pro. 14.11 The tabernacle of the upright shall flourish If thy heart be upright Gods secret shall be upon thy tabernacle as Iob speaketh Iob 29.4 His secret providence shall protect and prosper thee in it Secondly He hath promised to be good to them in their children and posterity Psal. 112.2 The generation of the upright shall be blessed All thy care is for thy children the best way thou canst take to provide well for them is this be thou upright in heart yea the greater thy cares are that way the more carefull be thou to walke uprightly with God and he will take that care upon him the generation of the upright shall be blessed Thirdly He will be good to them in all other the comforts of this life Psal. 84.11 No good thing will he withhold from them that walke uprightly Be thou upright in heart and if wealth be good for thee thou shalt have wealth and if health be good for thee thou shalt have health and if credit bee good for thee thou shalt have credit No good thing will he withhold from them that walke uprightly Fourthly He will be thus good unto them even in times of common calamity and combustion even when he is in greatest fury against the world and the places that they live in yet even then he will be in a speciall sort carefull of and good unto them that are upright in heart They shall not bee ashamed in the evill time saith the Prophet Psal. 37.19 and in the daies of famine they shall be satisfied Thou tremblest at the thought and consideration of those evill times that approach so fast towards us and our nation labour thou for an upright heart and thou shalt find God will be good to thee even when the worst times shall come Thou hast no such way to prepare and arme thy selfe against the expectation and feare of evill times as to looke to thy heart to make sure that that be found and upright The Lord is a sunne and shield saith the Prophet Ps. 84.11 but marke what followeth in the latter end of that verse as I told you even now no good thing will he withhold from them that walke uprightly If he see that
was there in him either to further or to hinder any of them And if the efficacie of grace that God giveth to men for their conversion were no more but this that they are made thereby able to convert and repent if they will how could that bee true which the Apostle speaketh 1. Cor. 4.7 Who maketh thee to differ from another and what hast thou that thou hast not received Who made Peter to differ from Iudas that when they had both fallen the one truly repented the other did not Surely if this were so Peter might have said not the Lord but I made my selfe to differ from Iudas he had as sufficient grace given him of God for his conversion as I had he had power given him to repent if he had listed as well as I but he did not make right use of his free will for the accepting of Gods grace as I did and that was it that made the difference betweene him and me Lecture CIII On Psalme 51.6 Nouemb. 11. 1618. IT followeth now that wee proceed to the latter branch of the Doctrine namely to shew That the sound and saving knowledge of the truth that is in any man is to bee ascribed only to the worke of Gods grace and holy spirit not unto any power and ability that is in man himselfe In the hidden part saith David here thou hadst made mee to know wisedome See this confirmed unto you in three points 1. No man is able without the supernaturall grace of Gods spirit to attaine unto that knowledge of the truth as is sufficient unto his salvation 2 This supernaturall grace of Gods spirit is not common nor actually vouchsafed unto all that doe enjoy the meanes of instruction 3. No cause can bee given why this grace should bee vouchsafed unto one rather then unto another but onely the good pleasure and will of God For the first of these points I can no way better confirme it unto you then by answering two objections that may be made against it 1. Concerning the cleare and evident manifestation of the truth in the word and the ministery thereof 2. Concerning the great measure of knowledge that many a man by his naturall abilities without any supernaturall worke of Gods grace hath attained unto For the first It cannot bee denyed that all those truths the knowledge whereof is necessary unto salvation are not darkely and obscurely but plainly and clearely set downe in the holy Scriptures Thy word saith David Psal. 119.105 is a lampe unto my feet and a light unto my path And the Apostle 2 Peter 1.19 calleth the word of prophesie the Scripture of the old Testament a light that shineth in a darke place An evident demonstration of the plainnesse and easinesse of the holy Scripture to be understood is this that it was written for the use not of the learned onely but of all Gods people I have written to him saith the Lord Hosea 8.12 that is to say to Ephraim to the whole people and congregation of Israel the great things of my law but they were counted as a strange thing And how could Ephraim be blamed for counting them as a strange thing if they had beene written so obscurely and darkely that they could not bee understood by them So our Saviour speaking to the multitude to the common people Iohn 5.39 commandeth them to search the Scriptures that is to read and studie them diligently and giveth this for his reason For in them saith hee you thinke to have eternall life and they are they that testifie of mee which hee would never have done if he had thought the Scriptures had beene so darke that the common people could never understand them Neither would the Apostle have commended this in Timothy 2 Tim. 3.15 that from a child hee had knowne the holy Scriptures nor noted it to the praise of his grandmother and mother that they had trained him up so if hee had not knowne that the holy Scriptures are so plaine that even children may bee able to understand them Certainely they are so plaine in those points the knowledge whereof is necessary to the obtaining of eternall life as no man no woman no child need to bee discouraged from the reading and study of them Yea it was purposely written by the holy Ghost in that manner that it might bee understood of the simplest of them that read it and bring them unto knowledge The testimony of the Lord saith David Psal. 19.7 8. is sure making wise the simple the commandement of the Lord is pure enlightning the eyes And 119.130 The entrance of thy words saith hee or the doore of them as it is in the Originall giveth light it giveth understanding unto the simple As if he had said So soone as they doe but open the doore and make any entrance into them they shall see light and get understanding by them And if these necessary truths of God were so plainly delivered and set downe in the word of prophesie in the Scripture of the old Testament how much more in the new wherein all things are plainer then they were in the old and which doth open and interpret those things that were more darkely delivered by the prophets The mystery which was kept secret since the world began saith the Apostle Rom. 16.25 26. is now made manifest and by the Scriptures of the Prophets he meaneth as they are now opened and interpreted according to the commandement of the everlasting God made knowne to all nations for the obedience of faith And if all necessary truths be so plainely set downe and delivered in the written word how much more in the ministery of the word preached For this is a chiefe worke and duty of the ministery to open the Scriptures and make the meaning of them plaine unto the people as those Levites did Nehem. 8.8 They gave the sense of the law of God and caused the people to understand the reading And if all necessary truths be with such evidence and plainnesse delivered in the word and the ministery thereof why may not any man having the use of reason and judgement and being attentive in reading and hearing without the helpe of any supernaturall grace attaine to the sufficient knowledge of them nay how can he choose but doe it To this I answer The whole truth of God that is necessary to be knowne unto salvation is indeed plainely and clearely revealed in the holy Scriptures there is in the word and ministery thereof a bright and shining light But alas every man by nature is blind Hee that lacketh these things saith the Apostle 2 Peter 19. he that is unregenerate and lacketh saving grace is blind And what use can the blind man make of the light while he remaineth blind and till his eyes be opened Till the Lord annoint our eyes with that eye-salve that Christ speaketh of Revel 3.18 and cure us of this blindnesse till he open our eyes till he by his spirit inlighten
the eyes of our understanding as the Apostle speaketh Ephes. 1.18 all the light and clearenesse that is in the holy Scripture will doe us no good at all An this is therefore spoken of as a principall worke of the spirit of Christ in our conversion Esa. 35.5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened and the eares of the deafe shall bee unstopped then and never till then that we be converted and regenerated by the spirit of God That which the Apostle saith of the Iewes 2. Cor. 3.15 16. Even unto this day when Moses is read the vaile is upon their heart neverthelesse when it shall turne to the Lord the vaile shall be taken away may be sayd of every man while he is in his natural estate when the word is read or preached unto him the vaile is upon his heart and till he be regenerate and converted the vaile will never be taken away A little child that wanteth capacity though you teach him any thing never so plainely cannot possibly learne And such are wee all by nature wee have no capacity for heavenly and spirâ—tuall things The naturall man receiveth not the things of the spirit of God saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 2.14 hee is not capable of them for they are fooliâ—hnesse unto him neither can bee know them because they are spiritually discerned Till the Lord doe renew us in the spirit of our minds as the Apostle speaketh Ephes. 4.23 give us new minds till hee give us an understanding that wee may know him that is true as the Apostle 1 Iohn 5.20 saith wee have no capacity at all in us for these things Therefore the holy Ghost commending the word of God for this property among others even for the perspicuity and lightsomnesse of it telleth us who they bee to whom it is so cleare and easie to bee understood Proverbes 8.9 They are all plaine to him that understandeth saith hee A strange manner of speech this is but the meaning of it is no more but this The Scriptures are plaine indeed but to whom are they plaine Not unto all but to them onely whose eyes God hath opened from whom God hath taken the vaile that was upon their heart whom hee hath by his spirit given capacity and an understanding heart unto and to no other man Yea proportionable to the measure of this grace of this worke of Gods spirit in the opening of our eyes and curing our naturall blindnesse in the renewing of our minds and enlightning of the eyes of our understanding shall the measure of our knowledge in heavenly things bee shall the meaning of the holy Scriptures bee plaine and easie unto us For wee must understand that this cure of our naturall blindnesse is not perfected in any man in this life The best of Gods servants may say with the Apostle 1 Corinth 13.9 We know but in part Hee that hath the clearest sight in spirituall things shall have cause while hee liveth heere to cry unto God with David Psalme 119.18 Open thou mine eyes Wonder not that every one of Gods servants doth not see the truth in some points that to thee are most cleare and evident though they heare as much as thou hearest and read and study as much to understand the truth as thou dost To every one of us saith the Apostle Ephes. 4.7 is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. So much light and understanding in heavenly things as Christ by his spirit is pleased to give unto us we shall have and no more When we shall come to heaven our blindnesse shall be perfectly cured the darknes that is in our understanding shall be fully done away as the Apostle teacheth â— Cor 13.12 All good men shall be of one mind and of one judgment in all things but never till then The second objection that may be made against this truth is this That common experience proveth that many a naturall man hath attained to the knowledge of the truth yea unto a great measure of it also so as they have beene able soundly to teach it unto others The Scribes and Pharisees sate in Moses chaire that is taught the doctrine of Moses so soundly and substantially that our Saviour commandeth the people Mat. 23 2 3. to observe and doe whatsoever they sitting thus in Moses chaire did bid and teach them to observe And the Apostle speaketh of knowledge 1 Cor. 8.1 as of a common gift that all that live in the Church under good meanes of instruction though they have no grace may easily yea cannot choose almost but attaine unto We know saith he that we all have knowledge To this I answer That a naturall man may indeed understand the literall sense and meaning of the holy Scriptures so as hee may bee able soundly to discourse dispute and write of them But this knowledge is not sufficient there is another manner of knowledge then this that is necessary to the salvation of every man Such a knowledge as you heard described to you when I delivered â—o you the properties and signes of saving knowledge 1. Such a knowledge as hath in it full assurance and undoubted perswasion of the truth full assurance of understanding as the Apostle calleth it Col. 2.2 2. Such a knowledge as is spirituall Paul prayeth Col. 1.9 that they might bee filled with the knowledge of Gods will in all wisedome and spirituall understanding Such a wisedome as worketh upon the heart and breedeth love and care to practise that wee know This was that knowledge of Christ that Paul so much desired and made such reckoning of Phil. 3.10 That I may know him saith hee and the power of his resurrection And thus wee should all desire to know every thing that we know in religion to know not onely the cleare and certeine truth of it but to know it with an experimentall knowledge to know the goodnesse the sweetnesse the life and power of it also A man may have the literall and historicall knowledge of the truth and yet want this saving and sound knowledge 1. He may be void of assurance and full perswasion of the truth of that he knoweth as they that are compared to the stony ground were Marke 4 17. 2. He may be void of spirituall understanding and have no feeling no love no conscience of the practise of that hee knoweth but scorne that and hate it and count it foolish precisenesse 1 Cor. 2.14 2 Tim. 3.5 And such is the knowledge that all naturall men have they are not fully perswaded of the truth and goodnesse of that they know their knowledge is not spirituall they feele no sweetnesse no life and power in it Now this assurance of understanding this spirituall knowledge which only deserveth the name of true knowledge and which onely is sufficient unto salvation no man with the best abilities he hath by nature without the supernaturall grace of Gods spirit is able to attaine unto Of this knowledge Elihu
saith Iob. 32.8 There is a spirit in man and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding Of this knowledge our Saviour saith to Peter Matth. 16.17 Blessed at thou Simon Bar-jona for flesh and bloud hath not reveiled it unto thee but my father which is in heaven Why what was it that Peter had the knowledge of Surely this as you shall find verse 16. That Iesus was Christ the sonne of the living God And could not this bee knowne without the inspiration of the Almighty Why Satan himselfe knew thus much as you shall find Marke 5.7 Yes but he knew it onely with a literall and historicall knowledge he knew it not with that full assurance with that spirituall understanding hee knew not the goodnesse the sweetnesse and power of that truth as Peter did So the Apostle saith Ephes. 4.20 21. No man hath learned Christ no man can know him rightly till he have heard him and beene taught by him Though he have heard and beene taught by the best preachers in the world if hee have not heard Christ by his spirit speaking to his heart if he have not had this inward and powerfull teacher hee can never know Christ aright And that is it which our Saviour also speaketh Iohn 6.45 It is written in the Prophets and they shall bee all taught of God every man therefore saith hee that hath heard and learned of the father commeth unto me and none but he And thus have I finished the first point I propounded for the proofe of the Doctrine No man is able without the supernaturall grace of Gods spirit to attaine unto that knowledge of the truth as is sufficient unto his salvation Now for the second point That this supernaturall grace of Gods spirit is not actually vouchsafed unto all that enjoy the meanes of instruction all are not thus taught of God is alas so evident in dayly experience that it were folly to spend time in prooving of it This as it is a miraculous and extraordinary worke of God God who commanded light to shine out of darkenesse saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 4.6 hath shined in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Iesus Christ As mighty a worke as the creating of light at the first when there was nothing but darkenesse upon the face of the deepe Gen. 1.1 2. as mighty and miraculous a worke as the opening of the eyes of them that were borne blind which could never be done but by the divine power Since the world beganne saith the man that had bin blind Iohn 9.32 was it not heard that any man opened the eyes of one that was borne blind As I say it is a mighty and extraordinary and miraculous worke of God so is it a rare worke also To you it is given saith our Saviour to his Disciples Matth. 13.11 to know the mysteries of the Kingdome of heaven but to them it is not given Though the Lord command us to teach all men Matth. 8.19 he will not teach all men himselfe What man is hee that feareth the Lord saith David Psal. 25.12 him shall be teach the way that hee shall choose As if hee should say Hee will teach none but such as by his holy spirit hee doth also effectually convert and sanctifie such and none but such shall ever attaine to a certaine and spirituall understanding of Gods truth The secret of the Lord saith David Psalme 25.14 is with them that feare him and hee will shew them his covenant The mystery of God saith the Apostle Col. 1.16 is now made manifest as cleare as the light but to whom to his Saints saith hee and to none but them Certainly the Lord himselfe hath nothing so many hearers nothing so many schollers as we his poore servants have Many are called but few are chosen saith our Saviour more then once to his hearers Mat. 20.16 12.14 Now for the third and last point that I propounded That no cause no reason can be given why God by his holy spirit should teach and give saving knowledge to one rather then to another but only the good pleasure and will of God That he denyeth this mercy to the most yea if he had denyed it to all men there had bin cause and reason enough to be found for that in man himselfe But that he vouchsafeth it to some rather then to others of that no reason at all can bee found in man himselfe but of that we must say as our Saviour doth Mat. 11.26 Even so father for so it seemed good in thy sight And with the Apostle Eph. 1.9 He hath made knowne to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure which he had purposed in himselfe Lecture CIIII. On Psalme 51.6 Novemb. 25. 1628. NOvv it followeth that wee proceed unto the grounds and reasons of the Doctrine That it is so we have heard it proved sufficiently but now why it is so yea why it must needs be so that whatsoever goodnesse whatsoever soundnes of knowledge is in any man must be ascribed wholly to Gods grace and nothing to man himselfe that remaineth to be enquired into And we shall find in the holy Scriptures two principall reasons given of this the one of them respecteth man and the other the Lord himselfe For the first Every man by nature is not onely utterly void of all true goodnesse of all sound knowledge and understanding but unable also either to doe anything that might move God to give him his grace or to desire it or to receive and accept of it when it pleaseth the Lord to offer it unto him or to withstand and repell it when God is pleased thereby to enlighten and convert his heart For in all these respects hee is neither better nor worse then a dead man Thus speaketh the holy Ghost not only of such as have bin notorious and grosse sinners of such as by their lewdnesse may be thought to have extinguished in themselves that light and goodnes that was in them by nature Such a one was the prodigall of whom his father saith Luk. 15.24 This my sonne was dead And those widowes the Apostle speaketh of 1 Tim. 5.6 She that liveth in pleasure in wantonnesse he meaneth as appeareth ver 11. is dead while she liveth But of all naturall men indefintely the Holy Ghost speaketh so Let the dead bury the dead saith our Saviour Matth. 8.22 Even of them that God loved before all eternity and ordained unto life the Holy Ghost speaketh thus The elect Ephesians were dead men by nature Ephes. 2.1 And the elect Colossians were dead men by nature also Col. 2.13 Yea of them that have beene most civill and morall men that have lived most unblameably in whom the light of nature and the remnants of Gods image that any naturall man can have did most abound even of them I say the Holy Ghost speaketh thus that in their naturall estate they were no better
Lords supper 1 Cor. 10.16 The cup of blessing which we blesse is it not the Communion of the blood of Christ As if he had said Is it not the making of it our owne Thus you have seene the first branch of the Doctrine confirmed to you that no man can receive comfort by the bloud of Christ but he that hath it sprinkled upon his heart and applyed unto him The second branch of it that none but the Lord himselfe can thus apply and sprinkle the bloud of Christ upon the heart of any man is also evident by the holy Scripture I will say unto them saith the Lord Hos. 2.23 thou art my people and they shall say unto me thou art my God When God shall once by his spirit say unto any soule of ours thou art mine one of my people of my redeemed ones when hee shall as with a bunch of hysop sprinkle the bloud of his son upon our heart and say to any of us as he did to his people Zac. 9.11 it is the bloud of thy covenant of the covenant which I have made with thee then shall wee have sound comfort in it and bee able with confidence to say to him againe thou art my God and to cry to him as poore weake Thomas the Apostle did Iob. 20.28 My Lord and my God till then we shall never be able to do it The spirit it selfe saith the Apostle Rom. 8.16 heareth witnesse with our spirit that we are the children of God As if he had said Though our owne spirit and conscience be never so confident in this point that wee are Gods children and Christ by his bloud hath made our peace with God this is to no purpose till Gods sanctifying spirit be in us and doth beare witnesse with our owne spirit in this point and assure us that Christ is ours we can never have sound comfort in him It is the spirit that beareth witnesse saith the Apostle 1 Ioh 5.6 because the spirit is truth As if he had said no witnesse is infallible or any thing worth in this case but the spirit of God And in this respect is the spirit of God called the comforter Ioh. 14.26 He could never be our comforter if he did not thus beare witnes with our spirits that we are Gods children that Christ is ours that his bloud was shed for us The reasons and grounds of the Doctrine are two according to the two severall branches of it First If you aske me Why can Christs bloud doe us no good unlesse it be sprinkled upon our hearts and applyed to us I answer Because reason and experience teacheth us that as the propriety a man hath in any good thing doth much increase his comfort in it And to this the holy Ghost alludeth Pro. 5.15 Drinke waters out of thine owne cistern and running waters out of thine owne well and 2 Thess. 3.12 Let them worke with quietnesse and eat their owne bread A little of a mans own is a great deale sweeter to him then a great deale that is another mans though he have some use of it so it is a great vexation and increase of misery to a man many times to see others enjoy a benefit which themselves have as much need of and can have no part in it And the greater they know the benefit to be the more are they vexed in this case Thus is it with a rebell that knoweth a pardon is granted to a great number that were every whit as unworthy of it as deep in the rebellion as himselfe and yet he can have no benefit by it And with a poore man that seeth a great dole given and multitudes releived by it and he can get nothing So is it certainly in this case the more any man knoweth of Christ and of the all sufficiency of that redemption that he hath made by his blood the greater must his torment and horror needs be when he shall find that he hath no part in it When like Tantalus he shall see there is water of life before him which others drinke of quench their deadly thirst by and he can get none of it himselfe This is that which the Apostle saith increaseth the torments of the devils themselves Iames. 7.19 The devils also beleeve and tremble They know Christ full well to bee an all-sufficient Saviour I know thee who thou art saith he Mar. 1.24 even the holy one of God But they tremble so much the more for that because they know withall that they neither have nor ever shall have any part in him Secondly If you aske me Why can none but God himselfe by his holy spirit sprinkle this bloud of his son upon our hearts I answer Because there is in every one of us an evill heart of unbeliefe as the Apostle calleth it Heb. 13 1â— and though in our peace and jolity wee thinke it is nothing to beleeve in Christ it is as easie by faith to feed upon his body and bloud in the Sacrament as it is to take and feed upon the bread and wine when our conscience shall bee once awakened we shall find our hearts not so strongly inclined to any sin as infidelity utterly unable to apply to our selves the bloud of Christ or to beleeve that God should ever love us so dearely as to give his son to dye for us Wee will bee apt then to flye from God as Adam did when his eyes were opened Gen. 3.8 And therefore the Apostle telleth us Ephe. 1.19 it is a worke of the exceeding greatnes of Gods power that any man is able to beleeve this Let us now make some use of this Doctrine unto our selves 1. For instruction 2. For exhortation 3. For comfort First This Doctrine teacheth us how to judge of popery that it is not onely a false and antichristian Doctrine that directly opposeth Christ and that in the most fundamentall point of his holy religion in the Doctrine of justification but that it is also a Doctrine of desperation and such as depriveth them that beleeve it of all true comfort in the houâ—e of death and time of distresse In which respect the holy Ghost hath most fitly resembled the teachers of it by those Locusts mentioned Rev. 9.5.10 1. They had faces like men and their Doctrine in shew hath no terror in it 2. They have the haire of women their Doctrine hath many inticements to allure men to the liking of them and to provoke unto spirituall lust and fornication 3. They have crownes of gold upon their heads they prevaile much and have great reverence and authority where they come But 4. they have tailes like unto scorpions and they have stings in their tailes saith the holy Ghost their Doctrine is such as will certainly in the end torment the conscience of them that receive it intolerably They can never have sound peace and comfort in their conscience that do beleeve it Their torment was saith the text ver 5. as the torment
hearken unto them and examine diligently by them whether his assurance be sound or no whether God have purged him with hysope and sprinkled the bloud of Christ upon his heart and assured him it is his or whether he hath only done it himselfe or Satan hath done it for him Two things there be that may assure you of the necessity of this First That there be many whom Satan and their owne foolish heart have extreamely deluded in this point Many very wicked men are strongly perswaded Christ is theirs God is their God Baalam could call God his God Numb 27.18 I cannot goe beyond the word of the Lord my God saith he And of Israel the Lord saith Hos. 8.1 2 3. that even then when they had transgressed his covenant and trespassed against his law when they had cast off the thing that is good yet even then Israel would cry unto him my God wee know thee Yea the lewdest men are usually more strongly perswaded of this make lesse doubt have lesse feare of this then the best of Gods servants are wont to have The wise man saith Solomon Pro. 14.16 that is the godly man feareth but the foole the profane and ungracious man is confident maketh no doubt of his salvation at all Yea it is certaine many notorious sinners live and die in this strong perswasion One dieth saith Iob 21.23 in his full strength being wholly at ease and quiet no trouble of mind no scruple or doubt of this matter ever entreth into his heart no not upon his death bed And can any of you thinke that the assurance that such men have is of God These men seeme to be purged with hysope to have Christs bloud sprinkled upon their hearts and applyed unto them but by what hand by what spirit was it done Certainely not by the hand and spirit of God God will speake peace to his people and to his Saints saith the Prophet Psal. 85.8 He never spake peace to such men as these are he never gave them assurance of his favour Secondly That such a kind of assurance as is false and is not of Gods working will do a man no good at all but much hurt many waies It were farre better for a man to live in continuall doubt of his salvation though that breed feare and terrours in his heart then to have the confidence and peace of these men I will give you three reasons of it For First The man that is subject to these continuall doubts and feares is thereby kept in awe and restrained from many sinnes that otherwise he were in danger to fall into Whereas the man that is so full of this false confidence and peace walketh licentiously and runneth like the horse that hath the bridle on his neck whither he listeth feareth no sinne The wise man feareth saith Solomon Pro. 14.16 and departeth from evill his feares restraine him from sinne but the foole rageth and is confident the more confident he is the more outragiously he sinneth Secondly The man that is subject to continuall doubts and feares is thereby stirred up to a diligent use of the meanes whereby hee may come to true assurance and peace the meanes of grace are sweet unto him Whereas the man that is most full of false assurance and confidence careth least for the meanes of grace nay he loatheth and despiseth them The full soule saith Solomon Pro. 27.7 loatheth an hony combe the sweetest the best meanes of grace but to the hungry soule every bittter thing is sweet the meanest the coursest ministery is sweet to that man Thirdly and lastly These doubts and feares use to end in peace and sound assurance Yea proportionable to the measure of doubts and feares men are troubled with in this kind the measure of their assurance and peace is wont to be in the end Your sorrow saith our Saviour Iohn 16.20 shall bee turned into joy Marke the perfect man saith David Psalme 37.37 and behold the upright for the end of that man is peace Whereas on the other side false assurance and confidence useth to end in despaire and the lesse doubt the more assurance any man seemeth to have now of his salvation if it bee false the more danger hee is in to fall one day into desperate feares and terrours His confidence shall bee rooted out of his tabernacle saith Bildad Iob 18.14 and it shall bring him to the king of terrours It standeth us therefore upon you see to examine well and try that assurance wee seeme to have that Christ is ours whether it bee wrought in us by Gods spirit yea or no. No assurance of our spirituall estate can bee sound or such as will yeeld us true comfort but such as the good spirit of God worketh in us David prayeth heere to God to purge him with hysope to sprinkle Christs bloud upon his heart none but the Lord can doe it It is the spirit that beareth witnesse because the spirit is truth as you heard the last day out of 1 Iohn 5.6 No witnesse is sure and beyond exception in this case but the spirit onely And in this respect the spirit of God is called the Comforter Iohn 14 26. There is also an assurance and peace of the divells working he can cause peace too Luk. 11.21 When a strong armed man keepeth his palace all his goods are in peace But that peace cannot be found and true peace that spirit cannot be a true comforter He is a roaring lyon 1 Pet. 5.8 He is a fierce red dragon Rev. 12.3 And so shall they all find him in the end whom he seemeth to give greatest peace unto Try thy assurance therefore whether it be of God yea or no. And there be three sorts of signes and notes whereby we may judge of this 1. By the qualification of the subject of the person in whom this assurance is wrought 2. By the ground upon which this assurance is built 3. By the effects and fruits that this assurance produceth in him that hath it For the first The spirit of God is not wont to sprinkle the bloud of Christ nor to worke this comfortable assurance in any heart that was not first humbled and troubled with much feare and doubting Yee have not received the spirit of bondage againe to feare saith the Apostle Romanes 8.15 but yee have received the spirit of adaption whereby wee cry Abba Father Intimating plainely that the spirit of adoption that beareth witnesse to our spirits that wee are Gods children useth not to enter into any heart where the spirit of bondage hath not beene before that is Where the spirit of God hath not first effectually discovered to a man his bondage unto sinne and to the curse of God and wrought feare and terrour in his heart thereby The spirit of the Lord is upon me saith our Saviour Luk. 4.18 because he hath anointed me to preach the Gospell unto the poore to heale the broken hearted to preach deliverance to the captives and
did to the man that had the palsey Matth. 9 2 Sonne be of good comfort thy sinnes are forgiven thee thou shalt be saved Why so Because he hath Gods written Word to assure him of it Els how can any particular man be assured certitudine fidei that his body shall rise againe at the last day as every Papist as well as every Protestant professeth that he is Hath he any Word of God to assure him by name that his body shall rise againe No but because God in his Word hath said Ioh. 5.28.29 that all that are dead good and bad shall rise at the last day and come unto judgement therefore every true Christian doth as undoubtedly believe it as if God had named him in his Word as he did Iosiah and Cyrus long before they were borne and said unto him thy body shall rise againe at the last day But then it is objected secondly That he that is so qualified as is mentined in these foure places that I have alledged shall indeed be certainly saved but who can be assured that he is so qualified that he hath truly repented that he truly loveth God and his children that he truly believeth in Christ Specially how can he be assured of that by the Word of God The heart of man we know is deceitfull as the Prophet speaketh Ieremie 17.9 And experience prooveth that many that seemed to have truly repented and believed have by their falling away declared that it was nothing so Two answers I have to give unto this First That though many have deceived themselves in this point yet it is evident by the Scriptures that a true Christian may be assured he hath all these foure graces in him in truth and sinceritie Hezekiah was undoubtedly assured that his life was truly reformed that he had truly repented or els he could not have said as he did in his extreamâ—â—ffliction Esa. 38.3 Remember now O Lord I beseech thee how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart and have done that which is good in thy sight Peter was undoubtedly assured and that even in the time of the great dejectednesse of his spirit that he loved the Lord in truth or els he would never have said as he did Iohn 21.17 Lord thou knowest all things thou knowest that I love thee The faithfull in whose name the Apostle speaketh 1 Iohn 3.14 were undoubtedly assured that they do truly love the children of God or els they could not have said as they did there By this we know that we are translated from death to life because we love the brethren The poore man whose child was possessed was undoubtedly assured that he had true faith or els he could never have said as hee did to the Lord himselfe Marke 9.24 even then when he was so humbled in the sense of his owne infidelity Lord I doe believe helpe thou mâ—ne unbeliefe In a word All that have true grace in them may undoubtedly know they have it in them in truth for the Spirit of God is given to that end principally to give them a comfortable assurance that they are in the state of grace We have received not the spirit of the world saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 2.12 but the spirit that is of God that we might know the things that are freely given us of God Secondly A man may be assured by the word that he hath these graces in him in truth and sincerity so as he cannot be deceived in them because the word cannot deceive him For as God gave Moses in the mount a patterne according to which he would have all things made in the Tabernacle See saith he that thou make all things according to the patterne shewed to thee in the mount Hebr. 8.5 so that when he viewed the worke and saw all was done according to that patterne he was sure they had done right and blessed them as we read Exod. 39 43. So hath the Lord given us a patterne in his Word according to which he would have everything in his spirituall Tabernacle saith repentance love obedience to be wrought And if a man can find that that grace that he hath is according to this patterne as if the fault be not in himselfe if he will take paines to view the worke well as Moses did he may Let every man prove his owne worke saith the Apostle Gal. 6.4 and then shall he have rejoycing in himselfe alone and not in another then may he be sure it is right then shall he certainly be blessed of God as Bezaliel and Abâ—liab were of Moses when all that they had done was found to be according to the patterne that was given in the mount And thus you have seene that all true assurance of salvation is grounded upon the Word of God and upon it alone Let us now make some application of this second signe in two points unto our selves and examine our owne assurance by it First canst thou prove by the Word of God that thou art in the state of salvation Then art thou an happy man If thou canst norâ— how confident soever thou seemest to be thou wilt find one day that thy state is not good For 1. Thou hast cause to distrust thy assurance that it is not sound No mans private spirit is to be trusted in this case He that trusteth in his owne heart is a foole saith Solomon Pro. 28.26 Gods Spirit must witnesse with our spirits that we are his children as the Apostle speaketh Rom. 8.16 or els we can never be sure of it And Gods Spirit giveth no testimony as we have heard but according to the Word so that no man can have any sound comfort in the assurance he seemeth to have of Gods favour unlesse he have the Word of God to confirme it unto him In God will I praise his Word saith David Psal 6.10 11. in the Lord will I praise his Word In God have I put my trust As if he had said I thank God for his Word for that is the onely ground of my comfort of all that trust and confidence I have in him of all that assurance that I have of his favour in Christ. 2. Thou must looke to have thy evidence questioned one day He that desired to have the Apostles in fingering as our Saviour telleth them Luke 22.31 that he might sift them as wheat be sure will deale with thee also in this kind one day And nothing will be able to convince him to stop his mouth and beat him from thee but the word onely That is the onely sword of the spirit as the Apostle calleth it Ephes. 6.17 That is the onely weapon whereby Christ our Captaine did fight against him and overcome him Matth. 4.4 7 10. And if thou canst be able to alledge the Word for thy assurance and claime to heaven to prove by the Word that thy faith thy repentance thy love is sincere then shalt thou be able to overcome â—im
answer That this may bee indeed for a time the case of a deare child of God as we shall heare in the next use They cannot discerne in themselves for the present any goodnesse But even in this case observation and examination of their owne waies will be of great use unto them For then it will be good for them to call to minde the times that are past and those evidences they have had of the truth of grace in them in former times This course Iob took to recover his comfort sundry times as you shall find Chap 23.11 12. and in three whole Chapters together 29.30 31. And so did the Prophet likewise Psal. 77.6 I call to remembrance my long in the night I commune with mine owne heart and my spirit made diligent search He did by communing with his own heart and searching it diligently call to mind that there was a time when hee could sing in the night when the spirit of adoption had given him such assurance of Gods love as made him full of joy and comfort even in the night season And this course the Apostle prescribeth to Gods people Heb. 10. â—2 as a singular meanes to preserve and recover their confidence and assurance of Gods favour Call to remembrance saith he the former daies in the which after ye were illuminated ye endured a great fight of afflictions Alas will you say what comfort is it to mee to remember what goodnesse hath beene in me in times past which I am now fallen from and have lost I answer That if ever thou hadst grace in thee in truth although the sense and feeling of it thou mayst loose for a time the vigour and operation of it may be nipt and interrupted for a time but the grace and seed of regeneration is an incorruptible seed as the Apostle calleth it 1 Pet. 1.23 where it is in truth it is lasting I will pray the father saith our Saviour Iohn 14.16 17. and hee shall give you another Comforter that hee may abide with you for ever Even the spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive because it seeth him not neither knoweth him but ye know him for he dwelleth in you and shall bee in you Looke what heart the spirit of God did ever dwell in there he shall be there he will abide for ever Christ hath prayed the father that it may bee so The poore humbled sinner therefore that did ever in his life at any one time in any one action discerne the truth of grace in himselfe though now he can discerne none may from thence conclude infallibly that there is truth of grace in him still and consequently may receive great helpe from thence for the recovery of his assurance againe O what cause is there then that we should continually in all our wayes commune with our owne hearts about this and search diligently to find this truth of grace in our selves seeing this will stand us in such stead at a dead lift as wee say in our spirituall desertions to recover our assurance againe Lecture CXXVI On Psalme 51.7 August 18. 1629. A Third helpe that he must use that would get assurance of the favour of God in Christ that would preserve it when hee hath it and recover it when he hath lost it is carefully to observe and call to mind the experiments he hath had of Gods speciall favour and love formerly This course Gods people have taken in this case and found great successe in it Take the Psalmist for an example of this Psal. 77. who when he had so farre lost his assurance that it was a trouble to him to remember God and his spirit was overwhelmed in him as he complaineth ver 3. and that he cryed out ver 7 8 9. Will the Lord cast off for ever and Will he be favourable no more Is his mercy cleane gone for ever Hath God forgotten to be gracious He had strong tentations to doubt he should never recover Gods favour againe Now to raise himselfe out of this wofull estate he resolveth thus with himselfe ver 10. But I will remember the yeares of the right hand of the most high that is the yeares and times of my life wherein I had sweet experience of Gods mercy and love For so is this phrase interpreted Psal. 17.7 Shew thy marvellous kindnesse ô thou that savest with thy right hand them that put their trust in thee And 80.17 Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand This course also David tooke at another time Psal. 143.5 6. When his spirit was overwhelmed within him and his heart within him was desolate then I remember saith he the daies of old I meditate on all thy workes I muse on the workes of thy hands Hee called to mind and seriously thought upon the passages of Gods providence toward other of his people but specially toward himselfe in former times and sought to recover his comfort and assurance this way And see what successe Gods servants have found in this case how they have grounded their assurance upon this I will cry unto thee saith David Psal. 61.2 3. when my heart is overwhelmed for thou hast beene a shelter for me and a strong tower from the enemy Because thou hast beene my helpe saith he Psal. 63.7 therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoyce And 71.20 Thou which hast shewed me great and sore troubles shalt quicken me and shalt bring me up againe from the depthes of the earth And whereupon grounded hee this assurance and confidence That he had expressed before ver 5 6. Thou art my hope ô Lord God thou art my trust from my youth by thee have I beene holden up from the wombe thou art he that tooke me out of my mothers bowells my praise shall be continually of thee But you will haply object and say Can any man ground true assurance of Gods love upon the experience he hath had of Gods goodnesse towards him in these temporall and common favours Such experiments of Gods love as these are I could record a great many But alas these are poore grounds for any man to build his assurance and comfort upon 1. No man can say because God hath formerly beene good to him in this kind therefore he will be good to me againe God repented that he had made Saul King 1 Sam. 15.35 God giveth such gifts as these unto many and taketh them quite away againe and so seemeth to repent the bestowing of them Nay 2 no man can judge of Gods love or hatred by such things though he were sure to enjoy them alwaies as the Holy Ghost teacheth us plainely Eccl. 9.1 Many castawayes and Esau by name have had abundant experience of Gods goodnesse in such things and yet the Scripture saith expressely that God hated him for all that Mal. 1.3 But to this I have two things to answer First Though these outward blessings bee to reprobate men no arguments of Gods speciall
as the Holy Ghost witnesseth Mar. 6 5. how can I ever hope to obtaine mercy and assurance of favour from God this way To this I answer First Thou maist notwithstanding thine infidelity so long as the infidelity that is in thee raigneth not but thou discernest bewailest and strivest against it David had doubting and feare and infidelity in him when he cryed Psal. 13.1 How long wilt thou forget me O Lord For ever How long wilt thou hide thy face from me And yet even then he trusted in Gods mercy and hoped to recover assurance of his favour that way as appeareth by his words in the fift verse And when I am afraid saith he Psal. 56 â— when I am disquieted with feares and doubts of any kind I will trust in thee So Psal. 143.7 8. he professeth that when his spirit faâ—led when his spirit was overwhelmed and his heart within him was desolate as he had said before Verse 4. and consequently when he had much infidelity in him yet even then he did trust in God anâ— lifted up his soule unto him And was not the poore woman that had the bloudy issue Luke 8.47 troubled much with doubts and feares and infidelity when yet notwithstanding she did trust and looke to receive mercy and helpe through the free goodnesse of God in Christ. Secondly Though thou feele thy selfe never so unable through thy infidelity to cast thy selfe upon the free grace and mercy of God in Christ yet if thou can bewaile and be soundly humbled for thy infidelity God will make thee able to do it For he hath promised to give grace even this as well as any other to the humble Iam. 4.6 He will keep thee from sinking under and being overcome of thy infidelity And Gods people have never found him readier to shew them mercy this way that when they have felt most weakenesse and infidelity in themselves When the Apostle had been pressed out of measure above his strength as he speaketh 2 Cor. 1.8 9 and had the sentence of death in himselfe God sustained and delivered him and that for this very cause as he saith to teach us that we should not trust in our selves but in God which raiseth the dead which causeth him to professe 2 Cor. 12.10 When I am weak then am I strong He never felt Gods strength more in supporting him and keeping him from sinking under the burden of any tentation than when he found his own weaknesse and readinesse to sink most of all Now to make some application of this we shall find that many of Gods people do greatly offend in this point For they make that inherent grace which they find in themselves the onely ground of all their comfort and assurance of Gods favour while they discerne that in themselves they are quiet and comfortable when they cannot they are utterly out of hope Two evills they commit in this one against themselves another against the Lord. First resting upon that grace they find in themselves and so trusting in their owne heart they leane upon a bruised reed that may and will deceive them Their owne spirit may faile them and be overwhelmed as we have heard David complained that it was with him Psal. 143.4 7. Though that grace that is in them if ever it were in them in truth do not utterly faile yet their heart and spirit the knowledge and feeling of that grace they have may quite faile them for a time This made David say as he doth Psal. 73.26 My flesh and my heart faileth but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever Make God himselfe thy rock and portion the onely ground of all thy hope and comfort and he will never faile though thine own flesh and heart do Secondly In doing thus we make an idoll of that inherent grace that is in us and putting that trust in it which we should repose in the Lord alone we commit idolatry we go a whoring after our owne hearts as the Lord speaketh Num. 15.39 For no inherent grace that is in us is God but the gift of God only and therefore cannot be fully trusted in without sinne Let us therefore learne to praise God for any grace he hath wrought in us by his holy Spirit yea let us take comfort in it as in a fruit of his eternall and unchangeable love but let us not so rest upon it as to make it the onely or chiefe ground of our hope and comfort but learne to renounce our selves and all confidence in any goodnesse that is in us and with humbled soules cast our selves wholly upon the free grace and mercy of God in Christ and say with the Apostle Phil. 3.3 We are the circumcision which rejoyce in the Lord Iesus and have no confidence in the flesh Lecture CXXVII On Psalme 51.7 Septem 1. 1629. NOw the third and last use that this Doctrine serveth unto is as I said for the comfort of such of Gods people as though they feare God unfainedly and are carefull in all their wayes to please him yet complaine greatly of this that they cannot feele that the bloud of Christ is by the Spirit of God sprinkled upon their hearts they cannot attaine unto this sensible assurance of the favour of God in Christ. And though 1 I know well that in this profane and loose age few have need of this use of comfort because most men are confident enough of their salvation they are not troubled at all with any doubts or feares his way and the whole have no need of a Physician Matth. 9.12 Doctrine of humiliation and terrour were fitter for most of our hearers than Doctrine of comfort The fat and strong among Gods sheepe should be fed with judgement as the Lord speaketh Ezek. 34.16 Yea 2 I know well that some will be more likely to receive hurt than good by that which you shall now heare For Christ and the Doctrine of Gods mercy in him is a stumbling stone and rock of offence to disobedient and wicked men as the Apostle teacheth us 1 Pet. 2.8 And 3. though in handling of the meanes whereby true assurance may be obtained I have spoken much already for the comfort of such persons Yet have I two reasons why I dare not omit this use of comfort First Because I doubt not but there are some of you that heare me have present need of it And if there were but two or three such among you all I am bound in my ministery to have more respect unto them then to all the rest For to such principally are we sent to preach Hee hath sent me saith our Saviour Esa. 61 1 2. and that which hee that is the great Shepheard of the sheepe said it becommeth us all that are under him tâ— say likewise hee hath sent mee saith he to bind up the broken hearted and to comfort all that mourne in Sion Secondly Because though there be many of you that have not present need
worke done within us I will put my spirit within you saith the Lord Ezek. 36.27 and the kingdome of God is within you saith our Saviour Luke 17 21. So are we by the spirit of God made agents in it our selves Let us cleanse our selves saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 7.1 from all filthinesse of the flesh and spirit and finish our sanctification in the feare of God But that cleansing from sinne which is wrought by the bloud of Christ in our justification as it is a worke done without us and for us by Christ with his father he by the merit of his bloud wipeth all our sinnes out of his fathers debt-booke so as none of them shall ever be imputed to us nor wee called to account for them so are wee no agents in it at all our selves but this worke is wholly ascribed unto Christ alone Hee washed us from our sinnes saith the Apostle Rev. 15. in his owne bloud And though we be oft said in Scripture to be justified by faith which is a grace inherent in us and an act of our understanding and will yet is not that to be understood so as if our faith had any hand at all in the washing from our sinnes or procuring our pardon of God but because faith receiveth and accepteth this our pardon which Christ onely hath purchased applyeth it unto us and resteth in it therefore and for no other cause is our faith said to justifie us in the sight of God Secondly The cleansing from sinne which is wrought by the spirit of God in our sanctification is not wrought in the same measure and degree in all true beleevers A man may be a true beleever and truly sanctified too and yet come farre short of some other of Gods people that he knoweth in the measure and degree of knowledge faith patience mortification and such like graces of Gods holy spirit Nehemiah saith of his brother Hanani Neb. 7.2 that hee feared God above many And of Iob the Lord himselfe saith Iob 1.8 that there was none like him upon earth a perfect and an upright man one that feared God and eschewed evill His three friends that came to visit him Eliphaz Zophar and Bildad were all good men doubtlesse and so was Elih◠especially they all feared God and eschewed evill they were upright hearted men but they came all farre short of Iob in grace and piety Yea it is strange to see what a distance God putteth betweene his faithfull servants this way how great a measure of sanctifying grace he giveth to some of them and how little unto other some Some of Gods good ground as our Saviour teacheth us Mat. 13.23 bringeth forth an hundred fold and some but sixty and some but thirty fold and yet all good ground too A point which if it were well understood would much abate that veine of bitter censuring which so much aboundeth in these daies But on the other side The cleansing from sin that is wrought by the bloud of Christ in our justification is equally vouchsafed unto every true beleever without any difference at all Every one hath as free and large a pardon and is as fully discharged from all his sins as any other every one is as perfectly righteous in the sight of God as any other is So saith the Apostle Rom. 3.22 The righteousnesse of God which is by faith of Iesus Christ that is by that faith which is reposed in Iesus Christ is unto all and upon all that beleeve for there is no difference Mary Magdalen that had beene a notorious harlot after that once she had truly repented and became a true beleever had all her sinnes as fully forgiven her and was as righteous every whit in Gods sight as the greatest Saint and the penitent theefe that died with Christ upon the Crosse as either Peter or any other of the elect Apostles was In which respect the Apostle saith of all the faithfull to whom he wrote 2 Pet. 1.1 that they had obtained the like precious saith with himselfe and the rest of the Apostles His meaning is not that every true beleever had obtained the like measure and degree of faith that he and his fellow Apostles had but that that faith they had being true how weake soever it was was every whit as precious as much worth to them would do them as much good in respect of the perfect righteousnesse which it did apprehend and apply unto them in which respect only he calleth their faith precious as appeareth plainly in his next words Through the righteousnesse of God saith he and of our Saviour Iesus Christ in this respect I say he saith the faith of the poorest and weakest Christian was every whit as precious as his own or any other mans could be The third difference betweene that cleansing we have from sin by our sanctification and that we have by our justification is this The first is wrought in us by the spirit of God not all at once but by degrees In which respect our sanctification is compared to the light Pro. 4.18 that shineth more and more unto the perfect day And Eph. 4.16 to the body of a man which groweth and increaseth in stature and strength till it be come to the full 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and perfection of it So the Apostle saith 2 Cor. 3.18 that we are changed into the image of God from glory to glory that is from one degree of holinesse to another even as by the spirit of the Lord. Insomuch as the man that standeth at a stay and groweth not in grace hath just cause to suspect that the spirit of God hath not yet sanctified him nor wrought any truth of grace in him The righteous shall grow saith the Prophet Psal. 92.12 like a Cedar in Lebanon And he that hath cleane hands whom the spirit of God doth cleanse and sanctifie saith Iob 17.9 shall be stronger and stronger But on the other side The cleansing that is wrought by the bloud of Christ in our justification is all done at once it never groweth and increaseth at all but is every whit as much at our first ingrafting into Christ by faith as it is ever after Our faith indeed whereby wee doe apprehend it our sense and assurance of it likewise is not perfected at once but groweth and increaseth as our sanctification doth The righteousnesse of God that whereby wee stand just and righteous in the sight of God saith the Apostle Romanes 1.17 is revealed and made knowne to our hearts from faith to faith that is by such a faith as groweth and increaseth from one degree unto another But the worke of our justification is done all at once Therefore Baptisme is said to seale unto us the forgivenesse and washing away of all our sinnes not originall onely but actuall also Arise and bee baptized saith Ananias to Paul Acts 22.16 and wash away thy sinnes that is all thy sinnes as Paul himselfe expoundeth it Col. 2.12 13. Which is also
of this pardon that commeth to us no sinne is pardoned unto us actually before it bee committed nay before wee doe repent and beleeve in Christ. Christ commanded that repentance and remission of sinnes should be preached in his name Luke 24.47 no actuall remission of sinnes without repentance And Act. 10.43 To him give all the Prophets witnesse that through his name whosoever beleeveth in him shall receive remission of sinnes As if he had said No man can receive remission of his sinnes nor benefit of his pardon till hee doth truly beleeve So that in this respect in respect of the new sinnes that wee fall into every day it is necessary that wee should in praying for pardon of them renew our repentance and faith every day Thirdly and lastly In respect of the desert of our sinnes For though all our sinnes bee never so freely and so fully pardoned nay though wee have never so good assurance also in our selves of the same yet it becommeth us by daily begging of forgivenesse to nourish in our selves the sense of the desert of our sinnes how worthy wee are to perish everlastingly for them how there is no way for us to escape and avoid it but onely through Gods free mercy in pardoning of them And thus doth the Prodigall Luke 15.20 21. even after that his father had forgiven him and fully expressed also so much unto him by running to meet him and falling on his necke and kissing him yet hee still cryeth unto him Father I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight and am no more worthy to bee called thy sonne As if hee had said Father forgive mee though thou hast forgiven me yet I cannot choose but beg pardon still because I know my selfe unworthy that thou shouldest forgive me Lecture CXXX On Psalme 51.7 October 13. 1629. IT followeth now that wee proceed unto the two other dangerous errours that the Papists hold which doe concerne the second part of our justification before God For if a Papist bee asked whether a poore sinner may attaine to so perfect a righteousnesse in this life as whereby hee may become whiter then the snow in Gods sight He will grant that hee may But if he bee further asked how hee may attaine to this and what that righteousnesse is that maketh a man so perfectly white and righteous before God 1. Hee denieth that it is the righteousnesse of Christ that is imputed unto us whereby we are made so white and pure 2. He affirmeth that it is an inherent righteousnesse which is wrought in us by the spirit of Christ whereby wee are made so perfectly righteous in the sight of God For the convincing of these two dangerous errours these two contrary truths are to be confirmed to you out of Gods Word against their cavills 1. That we are not justified before God by any inherent righteousnesse that is wrought in us by the spirit of God 2. That we are justified before God by the righteousnesse of Christ imputed to us and by that alone For the first of these truthes before we doe confirme it five points are necessarily to be premised for the opening and unfolding the meaning of it First Whosoever God doth justifie and account to bee just in his sight hee doth also sanctifie and make him just inherently Hee doth by his holy spirit infuse grace into him whereby he doth change his heart and make him that was wicked before a holy and good man If any man be in Christ saith the Apostle 2 Corinthians 5.17 hee is a new creature old things are past away behold all things are become new No man can say he is justified before God no man truly beleeveth in Christ that remaineth still the same man that he was when he first obtained mercy No man can have any comfort in his justification that findeth not himselfe to be sanctified Without holinesse no man shall see the Lord saith the Apostle Heb. 12.14 nor lift up his face with boldnesse and comfort unto him Yea I say secondly The Lord justifieth none but hee will make him perfectly holy by an inherent holinesse of his owne before hee hath done with him hee will not leave one spot of corruption or sinne remaining in him Christ gave himselfe for his Church saith the Apostle Ephesians 5.25 27. that hee might sanctifie and clense it with the washing of water by the Word that hee might present it to himselfe a glorious Church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing but that it should bee holy and without blemish As if hee had said So soone as ever we become members of his body true beleevers hee beginneth this worke of sanctifying us and cleansing of us and will never leave it till he have pefected the worke But hee will bee doing of this worke so long as we live and will never perfect it while wee are heere Therefore the Apostle prayeth for the Thessalonians 1 Thess 3.12 13. that the Lord would make them to increase in love to the end that they might bee unblameable in holinesse before him at the comming of the Lord Iesus Christ with all his Saints As if he should say Then and not before shall the faithfull be unblameable in holinesse before God Those spirits of just men that are separated from their bodies are made perfect as the Apostle saith Heb. 12.23 and none but they In which respect also the Apostle saith Ephes. 1.3 that those spirituall blessings and graces whereby God blesseth his Church are in heavenly places because from thence they come there they had their spring and beginning and there also they must have their perfection and no where els Thirdly It cannot be denied but that this inherent holinesse which God by his spirit worketh in the faithfull in this life though it be but unperfect heere yet is called a mans righteousnesse in the holy Scriptures It shalâ— be our righteousnesse saith Moses Devt 6.25 if wee observe to doe all these commandements before the Lord our God as hee hath commanded us So that which Iob called his integrity Iob 27.5 he calleth verse 6. his righteousnesse My righteousnesse saith he I will hold fast and will not let it goe I will behold thy face in righteousnesse saith David Psal. 17 1â— And they that in uprightnesse of heart do desire and endeavour to please God in all things and to do his will are oft in the Scripture called according to Gods gracious acceptation in Christ righteous and just and perfect men Fourthly It cannot be denied but that a man may truly be said to be justified by this inherent righteousnesse that is in him For so the Apostle saith Iam. 2.21.25 that both Abraham and Rahab were justified by workes that is their faith was thereby justified and declared to be a true and living not a false and dead faith yea themselves were thereby justified and declared to be true beleevers indeed truly righteous before God and not so in shew and profession only
the Spirit of Christ may be known which I will not therefore now make any mention of I will instance onely in foure effects of the Spirit whereby you may be able to judge whether you have received not the spirit of the world but the Spirit which is of God as the Apostle speaketh 1 Corinth 2.12 The first is your Charity the second is your Constancy in cleaving to the truth which you have received the third is your Taking to heart the cause of God and religion the fourth and last is your Sympathizing with the fellow-members of Christs mysticall body For the first of these There is no one grace whereby the Spirit of Christ may be better and more sensibly known to dwell in us than charity and meeknesse of spirit Iohn Baptist saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove and it abode upon Christ as we read Iohn 1.32 I beseech you saith the Apostle 2 Corinthians 10.1 by the meekenesse and gentlenesse of Christ. As if he had said Of all the graces of the Spirit that did abound in Christ his meekenesse and gentlenesse did most excell And we shall finde that this is oft mentioned for a certaine signe of a man that is in Christ. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples saith our Saviour Iohn 13.35 if ye have love one to another As if hee should say This is so evident and conspicuous a marke of one that is in Christ as not themselves onely but others also all men may know them by this Beloved let us love one another saith the Apostle 1 Iohn 4.7 for love is of God and every one that loveth is borne of God and knoweth God He that loveth not knoweth not God for God is love saith he Vers. 8. And Vers. 12. If wee love one another God dwelleth in us and his love is perfected in us And Ver. 16. He that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him My little children saith he againe 1 Iohn 3.18 19. let us not love in word neither in tongue but in deed and in truth And hereby we know that we are of the truth and shall assure our hearts before him As if he had said A man may confidently assure himselfe that hee is in Christ and that hee hath the Spirit of Christ in him if hee love his neighbour unfeignedly not in word onely but in deed if hee unfeignedly desire to doe him what good he can O that we would impartially examine our selves in this first point beloved now especially that we are to prepare our selves to the Lords Table If thou be not in charity certainely thou hast not the Spirit of Christ and consequently thou art none of his I know well that many that have not Gods Spirit but are meere carnall men use to glory much in their charity and thinke they farre excell any that professe religion in this vertue But if there could ever have beene any true love to man and such as God approveth of in any soule that is not regenerated and sanctified by the Spirit of God certainely neither our Saviour himselfe nor his holy Apostle would have spoâ—ken so of love as you heare they have done No no the holy Scripture is most plaine in this point that no man hath any true charity in him but he only that is truly regenerate By this we know that we love the children of God saith the Apostle 1 Ioh. 5.2 when we love God and keepe his commandements As if he should say All true love to men proceedeth from the love we beare to God as from the root and fountain This is love saith he 2 Ioh. 6. that we walk after his commandements As if he had said We cannot love our neighbour as we ought unlesse we love him out of conscience towards God and in obedience to his commandement The end of the commandement is love saith the Apostle 1 Tim. 1.5 out of a pure heart and of a good conscience and of faith unfeigned As though he should have said No man can have true love till he have first a pure heart and a good conscience and faith unfeigned I will therfore shew you how true Charity is to be tryed how you may discern and know whether you love your neighbour as you ought to love him and as no man that hath not the Spirit of Christ was ever able to do Try this First By the love thou bearest to all men Secondly By the loue thou bearest to them that have wronged thee and are thine enemies Thirdly By the love thou bearest to them that feare God especially Lecture CXLIII On Psalme 51.7 March 23. 1629. NO man hath true charity in him First that doth not love all men Secondly that doth not love his enemy Thirdly that doth not love such as feare God especially For the first They that have the Spirit of Christ in them do unfeignedly love all men See this plainely in that prayer of the Apostle 1 Thes. 3 12. The Lord make you to increase and abound in love saith he one toward another and towards all men How can this bee will you say Must wee love such as are wicked men Doth not the Holy Ghost make this a speciall note of a lewd and gracelesse man to love them that are wicked They hate the good saith the Prophet Mica 3.2 and love the evill Was not Iehosophat though otherwise so good a man greatly blamed for this Shouldst thou love them saith the Prophet Iehu to him 2 Chron. 19.2 that hate the Lord Therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord. Doth not David glory in this as in one principall evidence of the truth of his heart that he did hate wicked men I have hated them saith he Psal. 31.6 that regard lying vanities that is I have hated all idolaters And 139.21 22. he appealeth to the Lord concerning this and glorieth of this even before the Lord Do not I hate them O Lord saith he that hate thee I hate them with a perfect hatred I count them mine enemies I answer That in all these places there is no more meant but this First That wee must hate their sinne and that that is evill in them And that we are bound to hate even in the best men and in those persons whose persons we are most bound to love Ye that love the Lord saith the Psalmist Psalme 97.10 hate that that is evill There is no love of God in that man that hateth not sinne wheresoever hee seeth it even in his owne child in them whom he doth most dearely love Secondly that we must shew our dislike even to the persons also of scaâ—dalous and lewd men For first we may give them no countenance but shew our dislike by shunning all voluntary familiarity and kindnesse unto them while they continue such Have no company with him saith the Apostle 2 Thes. 3.4 that he may be ashamed I have hated the congregation of evill doers saith David Psalme
true Religion is a sure argument that he hath indeed the Spirit of Christ and that that may give him great comfort in his estate Lecture CXLV On Psalme 51.7 August 16. 1631. IT followeth now that we proceed to the reasons and grounds of this point shew you why it must needs be so that he that hath the Spirit of Christ is constant in his religion he cannot be like the reed shaken with the wind variable and wavering in his religion nor apt to be drawn away by any means from the truth that he hath learned and received from the Word of God Two evident reasons there be for this 1. The Spirit of Christ wheresoever it dwels will teach and perswade the conscience effectually in the truth of God 2. He that is taught his religion by the Spirit of God will certainly be constant in it The first reason because it is of great importance and concernes the maine ground of that certainty that any of Gods people have in their faith and religion I will distinctly and plainely for the helpe of your understanding and memory declare and confirme unto you in six severall propositions and then I will answer the maine objection that is made against it First the Lord hath promised that he will by his holy Spirit instruct and teach his people in the way to life See this promise Ioh. 14.26 The comforter which is the Holy Ghost saith our blessed Saviour whom my father will send in my name through my merit and mediation he shall teach you all things All things he meanes that are necessary unto your salvation for you to know and to be perswaded of And if any man shall say as the Papist doth tush this promise was made to the Apostles onely who represented the whole Church of Christ and that therefore from hence it may be well concluded indeed that to the whole representative Church in a generall Councell lawfully assembled the Spirit is promised to teach and guide them infallibly in all things but can every private man or woman conclude from hence that the Spirit of God will teach them all things I answer That though these words were spoken to the Apostles onely for they were spoken in that Sermon our Saviour made at his last Supper where none were present but they yet doth it not follow from thence that they were spoken of the Apostles onely as not concerning any other but them for there were many things spoken in that Sermon that do undoubtedly concerne all the faithfull as much as them viz. that which is in Chap. 13.34 â—5 14.21 23 24. 15.1 10. 16.23 24. But for further answer unto this I add this second proposition That the promise is made not unto the Apostles and Teachers of the Church onely but unto all the faithfull All thy children saith the Lord to his Church to his Catholique Church the whole company of his elect and called ones Esa. 54.13 all thy children shall be taught of the Lord. And our Saviour citing this place Iohn 6.45 delivers the promise in these generall termes It is written in the Prophets saith he and they shall be all taught of God He is then no member of the Catholike Church out of which as out of Noahs Ark there can be no salvation hee is none of Gods elect that in the matters of his religion hath no other teacher then man that is not therein taught of God and instructed by his holy spirit Ye have an unction saith the Apostle in his generall Epistle that he wrote to all the faithfull 1 Iohn 2.20 Yea even to such among them as verse 18. he calls little children the weakest and meanest of all the faithfull ye have an unction from that holy one saith he even unto them and know all things that is ye have received from Christ the Holy Ghost the Comforter and hee hath taught you and instructed you in all things that are necessary to the salvation of your soules for you to know and to be instructed in Thirdly Of all the workes of the spirit of God in the soule of man this is the first and principall to inlighten the mind and to give a man a good understanding and judgement in those things that concerne his salvation As light was the first of all Gods workes in the Creation of the world Gen. 1.3 so is it also in the new creation Be ye transformed saith the Apostle Romanes 12. â— by the renewing of your mind So soone as a man is transformed and hath that blessed change wrought in him his minde will bee renewed and his judgement cleered in spirituall things When their heart turneth unto the Lord saith hee 2 Cor. 3 16. so soone as a man is once converted by the spirit of God the vaile that darkned the understanding and kept a man from seeing and discerning the things of God shall bee taken away That man whom Gods spirit hath not enlightned to see the truth in some comfortable measure in the matter of religion that is ignorant therein or hath no knowledge but such as he hath received by tradition from men had never any other teacher then man holds nothing in religion but humanafide upon that credit that hee gives unto man it is the religion of the time of the state and countrey hee lives in it is that which he knowes many learned and good men doe teach and hold and therefore hee holdeth and professeth it but he was never inwardly and firmely perswaded in his conscience of these things that man certainely never had the spirit of Christ It cannot be idle wheresoever it is it will be working and if it have not renewed thy mind and judgement if it have not taught instructed thee which is the right way to heaven which is the true religion it never had any work in thy heart at all thou hast certainely no one work of saving and sanctifying grace wrought in thy soule Fourthly The knowledge that this heavenly teacher worketh in us is a cleare and certaine knowledge And even as Gods people when the spirit of God spake unto them in visions and dreames and other extraordinary revelations were undoubtedly certaine of that that he revealed unto them they needed not the testimony of the Church to assure them that it was indeed the will of God that was so revealed unto them If Abraham had not beene undoubtedly certaine of that he would never have beene so ready as hee was Gen. 22.2 3. to sacrifice his own sonne Neither would Ioseph being a just man have taken Mary his wife after she was found with child as he did Matth. 1.20 24. nor would he have taken her and our blessed Lord immediatly after he arose by night and have fled into Egypt as he did Mat. 2.13 14. if hee had not been certainely assured that that was the will of God that was so revealed to him the spirit spake expresly in those cases as the Apostle teacheth us 1 Tim. 4.1 So
doth the spirit of God also in his ordinary manner of teaching the heart of man by the holy Scriptures which the Apostle 2 Pet. 1.19 calleth a more sure word of prophesy then any of those extraordinary revelations were speake so expresly as the people of God that have beene taught by him have beene so certaine of the truth that they have beene willing to seale it even with their dearest bloud So the Evangelist saith Luke 1.1 that all the parts of the Gospell all the articles of our faith were most surely beleeued among the faithfull And Peter saith of himselfe and the rest of the elect Apostles Ioh. 6.69 We beleeve and are sure that thou art that Christ the sonne of the living God And our Saviour saith of them all Ioh. 17.8 that they knew surely that be came out from God and beleeved that God did send him The people of God by the teaching of the holy spirit do attaine you see not unto a probable opinion onely but to an undoubted certainty of knowledge and faith And from this certainty hath growne that marvellous courage and comfort that the holy Martyrs have expressed in all their sufferings They were â—laine for the Word of God saith the Apostle Revel 6.9 and â—or the testimony which they held They did professe and give testimony to the truth of God which they had learned in his Word and they did hold fast this their testimony and would not by any meanes be drawne from it and therefore they were slaine If a man have no certainty in the matters of religion but is wavering and unsetled in it certainely he was never yet taught of God Fiftly No man can attaine to this undoubted certainty in religion by any other meanes but by the teaching of the spirit of God Though a man be a constant hearer of the most excellent teacher and enjoy all other the best meanes of knowledge that are upon earth yet shall he never bee able to attaine to a cleare and certaine knowledge in the matters of his salvation till the spirit of God doe teach and instruct him When Peter had made this confession of his faith Matth. 16.16 Thou art Christ the sonne of the living God Iesus answered and said unto him verse 17. Blessed art thou Simon Bar-jona for flesh and bloud hath not revealed it unto thee but my father which is in heaven Marke two things in this speech of our blessed Saviour 1. That till a man be taught of God he can never understand and know no not thus much 2. That he is a blessed and happy man that can find in himselfe that hee is taught of God Why but may you say May not flesh and bloud reveale so much to a man May not a naturall man be perswaded of this that Iesus is Christ the sonne of the living God I answer that he may say so and he may thinke so and he may in some sort know it to be so and be able to prove it to be so but he cannot be fully perswaded of this article he cannot beleeve it with all his heart as Philip speaketh Acts 8.37 till God by his holy spirit have revealed it unto him and perswaded his heart of it No man can say that Iesus is the Lord saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 12.3 but by the Holy Ghost As if he had said He cannot say and professe it from the full perswasion of his heart till the Holy Ghost hath taught it him that hee is so indeed No man can have a cleare and certaine perswasion in matters of religion but onely he that hath the spirit of sanctification and is instructed and guided by it Certainely saith Elihu Iob 32.8 there is a spirit in man and the inspiration of the almighty giveth them understanding There bee many arguments whereby a man may bee convinced and forced to acknowledge that the holy Scripture is undoubtedly the Word of God 1. The marvellous consent of all the holy Writers that penned it 2. The certaine fulfilling of all the Prophesyes contained in it 3. The strange miracles that have confirmed it 4. The admirable providence of God in preserving of it 5. The testimony that the Church and Saints of God in all ages have given unto it 6. The divine and supernaturall doctrine contained in it But none of all these arguments can undoubtedly perswade the heart certitudine fidei that the holy Scripture or any doctrine contained in it is the Word of God till we be taught it of God till the holy spirit of God have inwardly certified and assured us of it Therefore is this knowledge this cleare and certaine knowledge in matters of faith and religion called Pro 30.3 the knowledge of the holy and 9.10 The knowledge of the holy is understanding A carnall man by his naturall parts and by the helpe of learning of hearing of study and conference may know much in religion and teach it also excellently and maintaine it strongly against any adversary but this cleare and certaine knowledge this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that carryeth with it as with full saile the whole man to the love and obedience of it that makes a man able and willing to suffer and die for the truth can no man have till the holy spirit of God have sanctified his heart and perswaded him in the truth Sixtly and lastly Proportionable to the measure of the spirit of grace and sanctification that any faithfull man hath received shall the measure of his knowledge and certainty be in the matters of his faith and religion He that is spirituall saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 2.15 by whom though he oppose him to the naturall man he meanes not every one that hath the spirit and is regenerate but him that hath the spirit in a greater measure then many other of the regenerate have as appeares by the opposition he makes Chap. 3 1. betweene them that are spirituall and them that are â—aâ—es in Christ. He that is spirituall saith he judgeth all things that is to say is not only certaine of the truth that himselfe holdeth but can judge and clearely discerne and reject any errour that is held by other men yet he himselfe is judged of no man As if he had said He is so certainely assured of the truth that hee holdeth that the contrary judgement of other men whatsoever they bee cannot over-sway him or cause him to stagger Grow in grace saith the Apostle 2 Peter 3.18 and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ. The holyer and more spirituall a man is the more hee growes in grace in the feare of God in sorrow for sinne and hatred of it and in the love of goodnesse the better and with the more certainty of assurance shall hee know the mystery of Christ the clearer and more certaine assurance shall hee have in spirituall things And thus having opened and confirmed this first reason of the Doctrine I come to answer a maine objection which the Papist
doth make and which may rise in your mindes against it And indeed if it were an objection of Papists onely I would never trouble you or my selfe about it But wee are all by nature ranke Papists in this and in many other points of religion and I know this first reason will seeme strange and absurd to many of you and that you will be ready to say what Shall every man in the matter of religion rest upon the instruction and perswasion hee hath from his owne private spirit This fond conceit saith the Papist hath already and still must needs bring into the Church an infinite variety of opinions in religion Quot capitatot sensus so many men so many mindes and opinions there must needs bee in religion if every ones private spirit bee supreame judge and determiner what is truth in the matter of religion Is it not a farre surer way for all men to depend and rest upon the Doctrine and instruction of the Church according to the ordinance of God then upon that which their owne private spirit teacheth them Aske the priests concerning the law saith the Lord Hag. 2.11 and againe The priests lips shall keepe knowledge saith the Prophet Mal. 2.7 and the people should seeke the law at his mouth Now unto this I have Foure things to answer First That though this Doctrine that every true beleever hath the spirit of God and that the spirit of God will teach him bee strange and ridiculous to such as are sensuall not having the spirit as the Apostle speaketh of some Iude 19. and indeed to every naturall man yet to the regenerate man it is not so The spirit of truth saith our Saviour Iohn 14.17 the world cannot receive because it seeth him not neither knoweth him but ye know him for hee dwelleth in you and shall bee in you Every true beleever every true Christian hath the spirit of God and knowes and finds in himselfe that hee hath it Because ye are sonnes saith the Apostle Galathians 4.6 God hath sent forth the spirit of his sonne into your hearts crying Abba father Hee could not pray els nor cry Abba father unto God And he that hath it not let him scoffe and â—lout at it never so much is in a wofull case certainely and will find it to be so one day He that hath not the spirit of Christ is none of his saith the Apostle Rom. 8.9 Secondly The spirit that every faithfull man hath to teach and instruct him is not his owne private spirit as they scornefully and blasphemously call it for 1 it is the spirit of God even the same that first indited the holy Scriptures and inspired the holy Prophets and Apostles in the writing of them and is therefore best able to instruct and teach us in the true meaning of them Wee have received saith the Apostle â— Cor. 2.12 not the spirit of the world but the spirit which is of God that wee might know the things which are freely given us of God And 2 besides it is not mans private spirit because it is one and the same in all the faithfull throughout the world and teacheth them all one and the same thing By one spirit saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 12.13 wee are all baptized into one body whether we be Iewes or Gentiles bond or free and have beene all made to drinke into one spirit As if hee should have said As all the faithfull throughout the world enjoy the same outward Sacraments so is the inward grace that is sealed thereby one and the same in all the faithfull throughout the world and teacheth them all one and the same thing So that this teaching that every true beleever hath and must have from the spirit is no cause of the diversity of opinions that is in the world no no it is the following and hearkning unto our own naturall and carnall spirits that is the true cause of that if we were all taught by the spirit of God we should agree better in opinion then we do Yea it is one and the same spirit that is in all the faithfull that are now living that it was in all the faithfull in old time and teacheth us now no other thing then it did teach all the faithfull from the beginning of the world So the Apostle alluding unto David and to the faithfull in his time saith 2 Cor. 4.13 We having the same spirit of faith according as it is written I beleeved and therefore have I spoken we also beleeve and therefore speake Thirdly Wee doe not say that that teaching and perswasion which every faithfull man receiveth inwardly in his owne heart from the spirit of God is the supreame judge and determiner what is true and what erroneous in the matters of faith and religion from which no appeale is to bee made for all hereticks and selfe-conceited persons will bee apt to pretend that but wee have a certaine rule given us whereby that which the spirit of God teacheth a man inwardly may be knowne and discerned from all opinions and motions that come from a false and fantasticall spirit and that is the written Word of God That Doctrine that is consonant to the Word is of the spirits teaching that that swerves from the Word comes certainely from a false and erroneous spirit By this rule we must judge of the spirit that is in other men Beloved beleeve not every spirit saith the Apostle 1 Iohn 4.1 but try the spirits whether they bee of God But how shall wee try whether the Doctrine that our teachers bring us bee such as they received and learned of Gods spirit or no Why wee must try it by this rule To the law and to the testimony saith the Prophet Esa. 8.20 if they speake not according to this Word it is because they have no light in them As if hee should have said they were never taught of God And this is also the rule whereby wee must try every opinion in religion that wee hold every motion and inclination that wee find in our hearts whether it bee of the spirit of God yea or no the spirit never disagreeth from the Word Behold saith the wisdome of God Proverbes 1.23 I will powre out my spirit unto you I will make knowne my words unto you And Esa. 59.21 This is my covenant with them saith the Lord my spirit that is upon thee and my word which I have put in thy mouth The spirit and the Word goe alwaies together Fourthly and lastly The spirit of God useth to teach the conscience by the ministery of the Word that is in the Church of God and not either by immediate inspirations and enthusiasmes or by any other outward meanes ordinarily but by this onely And by this also a man may judge whether that that hee holds in religion bee of the spirits teaching yea or no. Whether the good things that seeme to bee in him were wrought by the spirit of God that is if hee have learned and
received them by the ministery of the Church and preaching of the Word Therefore the Apostle calls the ministery of the Gospell 2 Cor. 3.8 the ministration of the spirit As if hee had said The meanes whereby the Lord conveyes his spirit into the heart of man and whereby the spirit worketh grace in mans heart is the ministery of the Word Received ye the spirit saith he Galathians 3.2 by the workes of the law or by the hearing of faith that is the Doctrine of faith preached So speaking of faith the greatest worke of the spirit he saith Rom. 10.17 faith comes by hearing Therefore when our Saviour had said Iohn 6.45 It is written in the Prophets they shall bee all taught of God hee addeth immediatly every man therefore that hath heard and learned of the father commeth unto me As if he had said The father teacheth no man ordinarily but in and by the hearing of his Word preached Therefore when the Lord makes that gracious promise to every faithfull man that hee will by his spirit plainely teach and direct him which way to take even then when he is in most danger to be mislead and seduced Esa. 30.21 Thine eares shall heare a word behind thee saying this not that but this is the way walke yee in it continue goe on in it leave it not when thou turnest unto the right hand and when thou turnest unto the left As if he should have said When thou shalt be in danger to be seduced and drawne out of the right way even then my spirit shall resolve and confirme thee in the truth and keepe thee in it I say when the Lord doth promise thus plainely and particularly to teach and guide his people aright by his spirit even in controverted truthes you shall find in the former verse 20. how and by what meanes the spirit will thus teach and guide his people Thy teachers saith he shall not bee removed into a corner any more but thine eyes shall see thy teachers and then followeth and thine eares shall heare a word behind thee As if hee should say I will accompany the ministery of my Word with the efficacy and operation of my spirit and by the ministery of thy teachers my spirit shall instruct and guide thee in the right way And thus you see the first reason of the Doctrine opened and confirmed unto you that the spirit of God wheresoever hee dwells will teach and perswade the heart in the truth of religion The second reason of it is this That when once a man is taught of God and instructed by his spirit in the truth hee will certainely cleave unto it and hold fast whatsoever hee hath learned of that heavenly teacher Teach mee O Lord saith David Psalme 119.33 the way of thy statutes that is that way unto life and salvation which thou hast in thy Word prescribed a plaine periphrasis of the true religion of God and I shall keepe it unto the end As if hee had said I shall never fall nor bee drawne away from it when once thou hast by thy spirit instructed and resolved me in it And verse 102. I have not departed from thy judgements saith he but have beene constant in thy truth for thou hast taught mee So saith the Apostle also of all that are taught of God 1 Iohn 2.27 The same anointing saith hee the spirit of God hee meanes teacheth you of all things of all things that are necessary for you to know and it is truth and is no lie this teaching of the spirit is cleare certaine and even as it hath taught you ye shall abide in him As if he should say Ye shall abide in Christ and in the profession of every truth of his because ye have beene taught by his holy spirit And thus have I shewed you the reasons and grounds of this point that he that hath the spirit of Christ will be constant in the Religion of Christ and firmly cleave unto the truth of God Lecture CXLVI On Psalme 51.7 Aug. 30. 1631. IT followeth now that we proceede to make some application of it unto our selves For seeing as wee have heard the Spirit of God wheresoever it dwels will teach and resolve the heart in the truth of Religion and he that is thus taught of God cannot but be constant in the truth seeing the Lord makes so great account of them that cleave to his truth and the faithfull themselves have found such comfort in this when they have beene in great distresse wee are therefore to be exhorted that every one of us would labour by this note to approve our selves to have the Spirit of Christ and so to be his even by our resolution and constancy in our Religion and cleaving fast unto the truth of God which we have received and doe make profession of This is an exhortation which we shall finde much pressed upon Gods people by the Holy Ghost specially in the New Testament Watch yee take heed unto your selves saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 16.13 stand fast in the faith in the Doctrine of faith quit yee like men in withstanding manfully all such as would seduce you bee strong and resolute in the truth Observe his earnestnesse in the many words he useth So Phil. 4.1 Stand fast in the Lord in the faith and Doctrine of Christ my dearely beloved And 2 Thes. 2.15 Therefore brethren saith hee sland fast and hold the traditions the doctrines delivered unto you which you have beene taught whether by word by lively voice in the Ministery of the word preached which you heare or by our Epistle or by the holy Scripture which yee reade And againe Heb. 4.14 Let us hold fast our proâ—ession saith he And againe Heb. 10.23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering Remember how thou hast received and heard saith our Saviour Revel 3.3 and hold fast And if the people of God then had such need to have this exhortation pressed upon them while the Apostles themselves lived by whom they had beene taught and confirmed in the truth with farre more evidence and demonstration of the spirit and of power as the Apostle speaketh 1 Cor. 2.4 then is it to bee found in the Ministery of any of Gods servants now how much more necessary is this exhortation for us all in these dayes No not so will you say For those were dayes of bloudy persecution and of a fiery tryall The Magistrate was a mortall enemy to Christ and his Gospell and the Iewes every where incensed him against it but we thankes be to God live under a Christian Magistrate and in dayes of great peace we have peace at home and peace abroad To this I answer that though we through the great mercy of God doe enjoy the Gospell in great peace and have it also maintained and countenanced by publike authority and though the religious disposition of our gracious King who hath both heretofore and of late so fully declared
And every man is a lyar saith he Rom. 3.4 the best man is subject to erre and to be deceived in some things We shall never all come to unity of faith unity of judgement in all truths that are to be believed till we come to be perfect men as the Apostle teacheth us Eph. 4.13 While we live here there will be difference of judgement in some things betweene the best of Gods servants And that which the Apostle saith Iam. 3.1 2. My brethren be not many masters let not every one be so apt to censure and judge his brother for every failing and slip in their practice and conversation for in many things we offend all the same may fitly and truly be spoken in this case also My brethren be not many masters let not every one be so apt to censure and judge his brother for every errour that he holds in his judgement for in many things we erre all Yea I say secondly that a man that is in the state of grace may possibly hold for a time even such errours in religion as do trench upon the foundation also very neare For all the elect Apostles did believe that Christ should be a worldly king Mar. 10.37.41 Yea they held this errour even after they had been eye-witnesses both of his passion and resurrection too as is plaine by their question Acts 1.6 And the whole Church of the Galatians did for a time hold an errour in that maine fundamentall article of our religion in the doctrine of our justification For they held that a man could not be justified by faith in Christ onely without the works of the Law as is evident by that paines the Apostle takes to convince them of that errour Gal. 3 4 5 Chapters Though we may therefore judge of such errours as these that they are most odious and damnable and can never speak nor think too hardly of them yet may we not judge every one that holds them to be in a damnable estate neither must their persons be odious unto us so long as they do not trouble the Church nor seek to corrupt others by broaching of them for of such the Apostle hath a bitter speech yet not more bitter than holy and wholsome Gal. 5.12 I would they were even cut off which trouble you Thirdly These errours that are so grosse and dangerous that tend directly to the overthrow of the foundation no man that is in the state of grace can obstinately hold and continue in There be some errours in religion of which it may be said as David speaketh Psal. 119.21 Cursed are they that do erre from thy commandements None but they that are accursed of God and ordained to damnation can fall into them and persist in them If ever thou that hast known and professed the truth shalt turne Papist or Pelagian or Libertine or Antinomian certainly thou never hadst the Spirit of God there was never any true goodnesse or grace in thy heart They that worship the beast that turn Papists are many indeed they may well brag of universality and multitude the Pope could not be Antichrist he could not be that beast spoken on in the Apocalyps if he could not plead this universality for all that dwell upon the earth in a manner shall worship him saith the Holy Ghost Rev. 13.8 But who are they None but they whose names are not written in the booke of life saith the text Fourthly and lastly A wavering mind in religion an aptnesse to forsake the truth and to receive new opinions and errours is a dangerous signe of an heart that never had truth of grace in it The ungodly saith the Prophet Psal. 1.4 are like the chaffe which the wind driveth away To be so light of beliefe that every wind of Doctrine will carrie us away is a signe of an ungodly man of a naughty and unsound heart They that at such a time as there were many Antichrists and false teachers in the Church did receive their errours and were drawne from the truth did thereby make it manifest as the Apostle speaketh 1 Ioh. 2.18 19. that they were never any of Gods elect If they had beene of us saith he Vers. 19. if they had ever beene any of Gods elect they would no doubt have continued with us but they went out that they might be made manifest that all that once joyned with us in the profession of the truth were not of us but that we had some hypocrites among us And so on the other side they that in such a time when there are many heresies and false doctrines broached in the Church and that with great shew of reason and truth and holinesse too shall yet cleave constantly unto the truth are even by this made manifest to have upright hearts to be the elect of God and precious in his sight Thus our Saviour describeth his sheepe his elect Iohn 10.5 a stranger one that teacheth strange and false doctrine they will not follow but will flee from him shun and avoid him as much as they can for they know not the voice of strangers they approve not of they like not the doctrine of false teachers Yea the Lord doth for this very cause permit so many spirits of errour to swarme in his Church as there do at this day that by this meanes of tryall â—e might make it manifest which among all them that have professed his religion are his elect ones and approved of him and which are not There must be heresies among you saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 11.19 that they which are approved aâ—â— allowed of God may be made manifest among you Consider well of these motives and you shall find there is great force in them to perswade you to câ—â—ave resolutely and constantly to the truth you have received and to make you fearfull to decline and fall from it Lecture CXLVII On Psalme 51.7 Sept. 13. 1631. IT followeth now that we proceed unto the meanes that they who desire to be constant in the truth and to keepe themselves from being corrupted in their judgement by any of those erroneous spirits that the Church at this day is so pestered with must use Our standing fast in the faith dependeth chiefly indeed not upon our selves or upon any thing that is in us or upon any thing wee are able to doe but upon the Lord onely and upon these two things that are in him First Vpon that grace and free love of God that mooved him in his eternall counsell to elect and ordaine us unto life And secondly upon that omnipotent power of his whereby onely wee are preserved from falling away There shall arise saith our Saviour Matthew 24.24 false Christs and false Prophets and shall shew great signes and wonders the Priests and Iesuites boast much of miracles you know Their miracles for the most part are palpably detected to the world to be but tricks of legier de-main And if they were not so if they were indeed great signes
acquainted with the holy Scriptures and could remember what ye have learned there ye should not much be moved with that that any either Hereticke or Atheist could say against the truth Thirdly and lastly By this we shall be able to convince and stoppe the mouth of any caviller and seducer if we can alleadge a direct place of Scripture for that truth that we hold The Scripture is profitable and hath great efficacy and force 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to convince saith the Apostle 2 Tim. 3.16 it is the sword of the spirit Eph. 6.17 the weapon whereby the spirit of God fighteth with great power and efficacy against every adversary Thus did our blessed Saviour put to silence the tempter himselfe the grand Master and father of all Hereticks and seducers with Scriptum est by alleadging plaine places of Scripture against him Matthew 4.4 7 10. And therefore there is in it a more divine power to convince the conscience of any gaine-sayer and to stop his mouth then in all the testimonyes of counsells or fathers that ever lived in the world And therefore to conclude this first direction as this may discover to us what small hope there is of the greatest number of those that professe the truth in these dayes of peace and joyne with us in the use of all Gods ordinances that they should ever persevere and hold fast their profession being so extreamly ignorant and unacquainted with the principles and grounds of the Religion that they doe professe strangers in the holy Scriptures so may this assure the best of us all beloved that if ever a time of tryall shall come our hearts will smart and ake for this that we have not grounded our selves better in the knowledge of the truth that when we shall heare what the adversary will object against it wee shall find our selves so apt to stagger for want of grounded knowledge when we shall find so small comfort in suffering for it which wee have so small assurance whether it bee the truth or no. Certainely hee that desires to persevere and hold fast the truth hee must while hee hath time and meanes ground himselfe well in the knowledge of the truth by acquainting himselfe and seeking to be perfect in the principles of Religion and points of the Catechisme and by getting good proofes of Scripture for every thing that hee doth hold and professe The second is this He must take to heart that which he knoweth love it and make conscience to practice it or he will never continue constant in the profession of it This is given for the reason why the elect hearers who are in the parable Luke 8.15 resembled unto the good ground did keepe the word and bring forth fruit with patience did persevere and hold out to the end and none but they because they and they only did heare the word with honest and good hearts The man that heares the word and useth the meanes of knowledge with an honest and good heart that is with desire and purpose of heart to practice that which he knowes with such a heart as was in David Psalme 86.11 Teach mee thy wayes ô LORD and I will walke in thy truth And 119.34 Give me understanding and I shall keepe thy Law yea I shall observe it with my whole heart He I say that hath such an honest and good heart he shall certainely keepe it and hold out to the end Many promises are made to such The righteous is an everlasting foundation saith the Holy Ghost Prov. 10 25. And the Prophet having spoken Psalm 112.1 5. of many priviledges that belong to the man that feareth God to the good and upright hearted man he adds this to all the rest Verse 6. surely hee shall not be moved for ever no temptations no perswasions no persecutions shall ever be able to remove him If yee will feare the Lord saith Samuel to Israel 1 Sam. 12.14 And serve him and obey his voice and not rebell against the commandement of the Lord then shall both yee and also the King that reighneth over you continue following the Lord your God Bee you confident in this beloved even such of you as when you forecast the prevailing of Popery and danger of persecution have beene most apt to feare and doubt your selves that you shall never be able to hold out to the end if you truly feare God and make conscience to practice whatsoever he hath taught you be you confident I say in these promises and how weake soever you feele your selves know that the Lord will shew his strength in your weakenesse he will certainely uphold you The eyes of the Lord saith the Prophet to King Asa 2 Chron. 16.9 runne too and fro throughout the whole earth every nation every Towne every family to shew himselfe strong in the behalfe of them whose heart is perfect towards him This the faithfull have ever had good experience of in the times of most fiery tryall What an admirable strength and constancy shall we read of in the Booke of Martyrs to have beene in sundry simple men and women whose knowledge was very weake and meane A well grounded knowledge is a notable meanes to helpe unto constancy as we have heard But there is more force this way in one ounce of true piety and uprightnesse of heart then in a pound of knowledge without this Let a man abound in knowledge never so much if he feare not God if he makes not conscience of his wayes he may turne Papist before he dye notwithstanding all the knowledge that he hath Hold faith and a good conscience saith the Apostle to Timothy 1 Tim. 1.19 20. which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwracke of whom is Hymeneus and Alexander A pure conscience is that golden Pot wherein this heavenly Mannah of faith and sound judgement in Religion must bee kept Holding the mystery of faith in a pure conscience saith hee 1 Tim. ◠9 This golden Pot this precious cabinet will keepe it safe and sure so as we shall never lose it and nothing else but this will doe it And what meaneth he by a pure conscience Surely such a one as doth not willingly admit of the least spot the least sinne that may defile it A good conscience in all things as Paul calls it Heb. 13.18 He that dares not give liberty to himselfe to offend God in any thing he and he only shall hold fast the mystery of faith That Alexander which the Apostle speaketh of had not only beene a constant hearer of the Apostle but had been his constant companion in travell a zealous professour of the truth and very neare unto Martyrdome for it also as it may appeare Acts 19.33 34. yet fell this man so fearfully from the truth that he became a blasphemer of it as is plaine 1 Tim. 1.20 and a most bitter enemy and persecutor of it one of the greatest enemies that ever Paul had Alexander the copper-smith saith he 2 Tim. 4.14
15. did me much evill the Lord reward him according to his works of whom he thou aware also for he hath greatly withstood our words And what was the cause of his falling thus fearfully That the Apostle hath told us he forsook a good conscience He gave liberty to himself to sinne against his conscience to live in some knowne sinne Corruption in manners will breed corruption in judgement A man that hath once knowne and professed the truth is seldome knowne to fall into Popery or any other heresie till he had first forsaken a good conscience and by living in knowne sinnes provoked God to give him over thus farre So among other judgements this is one whereby God threatneth to punish the disobedience of his people Deut. 28.36 Thou shalt serve other gods of wood and of stone thou shalt become a grosse and senslesse idolater And the Apostle speaking of them that in this last age should be drawne unto Popery 2 Thes. 2. he speakes of it Vers. 11. as of a fearefull judgement of God upon men for some sinnes they had beene guilty of For the cause saith he God shall send them strong delusiâ—â—s that they should believe a lie They shall be strongly deluded How By the learning or holinesse or miracles of their Priests No but by the most just hand and curse of God upon them God shall send them strong delusions that there shall be no errour in Popery so grosse no lie so palpable but they shall verily and undoubtedly believe it Marvell not then at their confidence For this cause saith the Apostle For what cause What is the sinne 〈◊〉 provokes God to plague men in this manner He nameth two one in Vers. 10 because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved the second Vers. 12. because they tooke pleasure in unrighteousnesse To conclude then this second direction what hope can there be that many common Protestants though they be willing to heare and make profession of the truth should ever be able to continue constant in the truth in the time of tryall but that they will be apt to turne Papists blasphemers and persecutors of the truth when a time of tryall shall come seeing 1 they beare no love to the truth at all take no delight in it love every trifle and vanity better than it 2 they give liberty to themselves to live in knowne sinnes and take pleasure therein 3 they content themselves with a forme of godlinsse as the Apostle speaketh 2 Tim. 3.5 but deny and renounce the power of it and hate it mortally wheresoever they see it casting the most odious aspersious upon it Lecture CXLIX On Psalme 51.7 Nouem 1. 1631. IT followeth now that we proceed unto the third Direction and that is this He that would preserve himselfe from falling quite away from the truth and forsaking his religion must take heed of declining from or forsaking of the least truth he must not give himselfe liberty to shrink and fall from the least truth that God hath revealed unto him and wherein his conscience hath beene convinced that it is indeed a truth of God Two things there be whereby men do falsly warrant themselves to take this liberty and they be both of them certaine and undeniable truths First That there be many good and worthy men that see not nor make any reckoning of such truths as themselves have been convinced in And indeed a man may bee a right good man and indued with a great measure of saving grace and yet he cannot see nor be perswaded of some truths that God hath taught us in his holy Word but his judgement is erroneous and unsound in some points yea though he hath had great meanes to informe him in the truth yet he cannot see it And that therefore difference in judgement in some things which cannot be without errour on the one side should not alienate the hearts of brethren one from another as I shewed you in my last lecture but two out of Rom. 14 1-6 Secondly That on the other side there be many in whom no life nor power of godlinesse can be discerned that busie themselves altogether and glory in these points And indeed it is an ill signe in any and a shrewd note of an hypocrite to busie his braines about truths of lesâ—e moment with neglect of greater when a man shall seeke to be expert and cunning in those truths which concerne the ceremonies and discipline of the Church and be stiffe in the holding and maintaining of them and yet be ignorant and void of all desire to learne the doctrine of faith and repentance of mortification and newnesse of life the meaning of the ten commandements and articles of our faith of the Lords Prayer and doctrine of the Sacraments For such persons are doubtlesse under that wo that Christ denounceth Mat. 23.24 against them that straine at a gnat and swallow a camell But though these two things I say be so yet for a man to be wilfully ignorant of the truth of God in any thing wherein he is pleased to reveale his will unto us in his holy Word or to forsake it when he hath once beene convinced of it out of this conceit that it is but a small matter a trifle a man may be saved though he never know nor hold such a truth is a very dangerous sinne Observe I pray you the proofe of this in three points First Though some truths of God be comparatively greater than others as our Saviour saith Mat. 23.23 some matters of the Law and Word of God are weightier than others yet is not any one truth of God to be accounted small or of little or no moment even of those points of the law which he cals but gnats in comparison of others our Saviour saith Mat. 23.23 these ought ye to have done and not to leave the other undone even those small things ought not to be neglected ought not to be left undone I have written to them saith the Lord Hos. 8.12 the great things of my Law They are all great things that God hath written and revealed to us in his holy Word All the truths of God which the Apostles when the Spirit fell upon them in cloven tongues like fire did utter and teach are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Acts 2 11. Magnalia Dei the great things of God Yea the least truth of God that he hath revealed in his Word is to be esteemed of greater moment and weight than heaven and earth and all the creatures contained in them It is easier for heaven and earth to passe saith our Saviour Luk. 16.17 than that one title of the law should faile It is therefore a great contempt done unto Gods Word to think so lightly of any thing he hath taught us in it as if it were not worth the knowing or not worth the holding and sticking to when we do know it When David hath professed his high esteeme of Gods Word
judgement or practise Give thy strength unto thy servant saith David Psal. 86.16 and 119.117 Hold thou me up and I shall be safe So Cornelius when his mind was much perplexed and troubled with the great difference of opinion and doctrine which he found among the teachers in his time took this course to settle himselfe in the truth hee gave himselfe much to fasting and prayer as you may read Acts 10.30 31. Yea see what confidence and boldnesse they have used in their prayers in this case You heard even now out of Cant. 1.7 how familiarly and boldly the Spouse of Christ finding her selfe to be in danger to be seduced expostulateth with him and teacheth us by her example that we may and should doe so in the like case O thou whom my soule loveth saith she why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flockes of thy companions As if shee had said Why shouldst thou suffer me to be mislead by any false teacher or seducer whatsoever The like familiar expostulation you shall find David using in this case Psalme 56.13 Thou hast delivered my soule from death wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling that I may walke before God in the light of the living As if hee should say Thou hast redeemed me and effectually called mee and justified and sanctified mee in some measure and wilt not thou keepe mee from falling from thy truth into any damnable errour And thus have I finished that which I have to say touching this second fruit and effect whereby a man may know himselfe to have the spirit of Christ that is Constancy in the true religion of Christ. Lecture CL. On Psalme 51.7 Novemb. 15. 1631. IT followeth now that wee proceed to the third principall effect and fruit whereby a man may know that he hath the spirit of Christ. The point then that we have now to handle is this Hee that hath indeed the spirit of Christ in him and is in the state of grace will take to heart the cause of God and of his holy religion nay he cannot choose but doe so I will give you both the explication and the proofe of the point together that is I will both shew you what it is to take to heart the cause of God and religion and also prove that he that hath the spirit of Christ in him cannot choose but doe it And this I will doe first generally and then more particularly And my generall proofes shall be an introduction unto the particulars In my generall proofes I will observe three degrees First then he that hath the spirit of Christ in him cannot choose but love the Lord unfeignedly yea love him above all other things even better then his owne selfe This is made the summe of the first Table of all the duty and worship we owe unto God Mar. 12.30 Thou shalt love the Lord thy God c. If any man come to me saith our Saviour Luk. 14.26 and â—ate not that is love not lesse then me as it is to be interpreted out of Mat. 10.37 his father and mother and wife and children and brethren and sisters yea and his owne life also hee cannot be my Disciple He cannot be in the state of grace he cannot have the spirit of Christ that doth not thus love the Lord. And on the other side he that can find in himselfe that he doth thus love the Lord though he have otherwise many defects in himselfe may be assured that he is in the state of grace that he hath the spirit of Christ in him If any man love God 1 Cor. 8.3 the same is knowne of him hee is approved and beloved of God Therefore when Christ would comfort Peter after his grievous fall he examineth him thrice and by his examining of him so provokes him to examine himselfe about this Ioh. 21.15 Simon sonne of Ionas lovest thou me As if he had said then all is well be of good comfort thou art in a happy state Secondly No man can thus love God but he must needs have the zeale of God in him he cannot but be zealous for God grieved and troubled in himselfe to see God dishonoured When David had said Psal. 119.158 I beheld the transgressours and was grieved because they kept not thy word He gives in the next words the reason of it verse 159. Consider how I love thy precepts Because he loved God and his Word he could not but grieve to see him dishonoured See an example of this in Eliah I have beene very zealous for the Lord of hoasts saith he 1 King 19.10 He was so troubled for the dishonour he saw done to God under the governement of Ahab and Iezabel that it made him weary of his life as you may see verse 4. See it also in David Psal. 69.9 His zeale had even eaten him up he saith and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me as an intollerable burden that I cannot beare See lastly an example of this in Hezekiah and his Nobles 2 King 19.1 4. We read that Hezekiah rent his cloathes and clad himselfe in sackcloth and so did his Princes too they were in great griefe and trouble of mind And what was the cause of it Not the extreame danger they were in of the sword of Sennacherib who had proclaimed warre against them and had already taken all the defensed cities of Iuda Chap. 18.13 and was so potent an enemy that he was able to besiege Ierusalem with an army of above an hundred fourescore and five thousand Chap. 19.35 No no the blasphemy that Rabshakeh had belched out against God and the reproach and dishonour he had cast upon him troubled them more then all the danger they were in In craving the Prophets prayer he mentioneth this more then the other This is a day of trouble and of rebuke and of blasphemy saith he ver 3. and ver 4. It may be the Lord thy God will heare all the words of Rabshakeh whom his master hath sent to reproach the living God And in his prayer unto God verse 16. he complaines most of this Heare the words of Sennacherib who hath sent him to reproach the living God Thirdly and lastly He that hath any true zeale of God in him will shew and expresse it towards his house and worship especially Thus did David shew his zeale for God The zeale of thy house saith hee Psalme 69.9 hath eaten mee up And so did Iehojada 2 Chron. 24.16 the cause of that great honour that was done him after his death is said to be this Because hee had done good in Israel towards God and towards his house hee had restored and established the pure worship of God in Iudah And so did Nehemiah expresse his zeale for God and tooke great comfort in expectation of reward from God for it Remember me saith he Neh. 13.14 ô my God concerning this thing and wipe not out my good deeds that I have done for the house of
the Word and teaching of the Spirit we should be constant in 525 c. 766 767 A grievous sinne to insult against Religion for the faults of the professours of it 553 554 True Religion grounded on the Word 767 No certainty in Religion but by the teaching of the Spirit 773 774 True Religion brings great blessings to the Church and State 806 807 Repentance A great comfort that thou hast repented 17 The sin of such as keep men from publike pennance 187 188 The sin of such as sin and refuse publike profession of their repentance 189 191 They that have truly repented them of their sinnes cannot easily forget them but are apt to think of them 203 c. The chief thing that should make us hate sin and mourne for it is the offence and dishonour done to God 219 220 The sinning against so good a God should humble us 227 Notes of sincere repentance 232 Five things required in true repentance 605 Faith the root of repentance 740 Reproofe The Minister must plainely and particularly reprove sin 44 c. 707 The reasons for the necessity of reproofe 46 In foure things the Ministers wisdome in reproving sinne must appeare 49 50 And his love in three 51 Reasons why men cannot indure reproofe 52 Their folly appeares in â—oure things 53 Five Obiections answered against such Ministers 54 57 Dangerous not to indure the Word of reproofe 244 Righteousnesse Five things to be granted touching inherent righteousnesse 667 668 Yet cannot a man be iustified by that 669 Inherent righteousnesse a great ground of comfort 677 678 S. Sabbath THough the outward observation of the Sabbath be the least yet God is highly pleased with it and promiseth to reward it 701 705 The things required for the right observation of it 708 710 Sacriledge Is a great sinne 724 Sadnesse Christians should beware of sadnesse and feare 137 Salvation The whole glory of mans salvation is due to the Lord alone and his free grace 521 522 Though it be free to us Christ paid deare for it 600 601 Sanctification Whom the Lord iustifies he sanctifieth though this be not so perfect as the former yet is it more sensible to us because we are agents in it our selves 316 Foure maine differences betweene sanctification and iustification 656 659 Sanctification is not in the same measure in all true believers 657 Nor perfected in this life 658 None can be sanctified till he be iustified 730 Faith the inward instrument whereby God sanctifieth the heart 731 Reasons of it 738 739 Scandalous sinners We should do our best indeavor to bring scandalous sinners to open shame and punishment 182 c. Officers chiefly Ibid. How â—arre private Christians may go in this 185 c. Scripture We must esteeme reverently of every part of Scripture though we cannot at first reading or hearing profit by it 2 The duty we owe to those parts of the Word we cannot understand standeth in six points 2 3 The holy Scripture of the Old Testament was kept in the Sanctuary and Temple 4 It is the onely rule of true righteousnesse 380 c. The absolute perfection of the Scriptures appeares in six particulars 381 384 All Gods people have equall interest in the holy Scriptures 493 All truths necessary to salvation are plainely and clearely set â—â—wne in the Scriptures 512 513 768 Security Against secure sinners 209 214 Selfe-denyall To renounce our selves and with humbled soules to cast our selves upon the â—ree mercy of God in Christ is the way to obtaine comfort 647 Service of God Their solly which reâ—use Gods service because it is an heavy bondage 444 c. Reasons why men reâ—use Gods service 445 c. Gods service the most comfortable life 448 Foure things to be considered in the gracious disposition of our Master that maketh us chearfull in his service 451 Sight of sinne How far forth the discovering of sin to us is a blessing 340 How far forth a judgement 341 Sincerity The Lord desireth and highly esteems truth and sincerity of â—eart and â—oure reasoâ—s for that 368 371 It stands us all upon to 〈◊〉 diligently whether our hearts 〈◊〉 upâ—ight and thâ—ee motives to that 372 376 466 He that hath any one sâ—ving and sanctifying grace hath certainly an upright heart 376 Even the aptnesse that is in us to suspect our selves least our hearts should be unsound is a good signe of uprightnesse 376 719 So is the conscience we make of Gods commandements and to lead a godly life 378 Meanes to attaine sincerity and uprightnesse of heart 469 470 Care to keep our selves unâ—potted of every sin is a signe of sincerity 726 So is this when our maine intent and aime is to please God 728 Sinne. One sin drawes on another 14 Pardon of sin is more to be desired than deliverance from any outward misery 84 c. Sin the greatest evill 85 Sinnes are debts 86 Sin is filthenesse 87 Motives to seek pardon of sin 94 95 Pray daily for it though we be justified 666 Comfort from the pardon of sin 677 Meanes to obtaine it 96 97 98 Notes whereby to know sin is pardoned 100 101 How the assurance of pardon is lost 99 The godly man remembreth his sin with griefe 203 c. Three great mischiefs of scandalous sinnes that abound where the Gospell is preached 175 178 Learne to be afraid of sin 207 569 Every sin is a transgression of Gods Law 220 A contempt done unto God 221 Foure attributes of God by which it appeares that we are chiefly to mourne for our sinnes because God iâ— offended 22 c. No sin veniall or lightly to be accounted of 228 229 233 234 Yet are some greater than others 230 c. 549 552 Three causes of actuall sinnes 282 The godly man hath most cause to be afraid of sin 571 Foure things to be observed in the passion of Christ that do notably set forth the odiousnesse of sin 601 604 Five meanes to make us esteeme sin as it ought to be esteemed of 605 606 Speech Filthy speech becommeth not Christians 6 7 Spirit of God Five notes of the holy Spirit dwelling in us 150 151 The Spirit is the mark on Christs sheep whereby they may know they are his 747 By the fruits of the Spirit they may know they have the Spirit Ibid. Where the Spirit dwels it perswades them in the truth of religion 771 This no private Spirit 775 Strictnesse Maketh not Christs yoke intolerable 235 All precisenesse and strictnesse in small matters is not hypocrisie 236 581 714 Answer to them that blame professours for their scrupulousnesse 715 T. Trouble of mind Diverse obiections of men in that case answered 139 c. Take heed of seeking helpe in this case by false wayes 144 145 Tentations to despaire to be resisted and how 145 146 How to recover our selves and to overcome such tentations 148 c. Truth When a thing is said to bee done or spoken in truth 368 W. Watchfulnesse A
can do it no better wil be ready to helpe us and make that easie to us by his helpe which was full of difficulty and impossibility before Arise and be doing saith David to Solomon 1 Chron. 22.16 and the Lord will be with thee If we draw neare to God do our best endeavour God will draw neare unto us as the Apostle speaketh Iames 4.8 LECTVRES ON PSAL. LI. 6. Lecture LXXIV On Psalme LI. 6. Novemb. 6. MDCXXVII Behold thou desirest truth in the inward parts and in the hidden part thou hadst made me to know wisedome WEE have already heard out of the former verses of this Psalme that David in seeking to God for mercy in the pardon of his grievous sins doth make confession of his sinne and accuse himselfe before God and that not only in grosse and generall verse 3. but more fully in these three verses following For 1. Hee acknowledgeth his sin in particular that very sin that Nathan charged him with verse 4. I have done this evill in thy sight 2. The fountaine and root from whence this his sin did grow even his vile and cursed nature verse 5 Behold I was borne in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me 3. From the consideration of that uprightnesse and truth of heart which the Lord so much desireth and which he found his corrupt heart so farre from specially in the committing of this soule sin For oh what a deale of fraud and cunning did he use in this matter to hide and cloake his sin 1. Hee sent for Vriah home and perswaded him to goe and lodge at his owne house 2. Sam. 11.6 2. When perswasion would not serve hee made him drunke in hope that that would provoke him to lust verse 13. 3. When all this would not serve nor hee could get Vriah to father the child hee procureth him to bee made away that so by marrying of his wife he might cloke his sin the better ver 15. in the beginning of this sixt verse Behold thou desirest truth in the inward parts 4. From the consideration of that measure of saving knowledge and grace which hee had received from God before hee fell into this sin in the last words of this verse And in the hidden part thou hadst made me for so I read it and not thou shalt make me to know wisedome And thus you see the scope and drift of this verse and what coherence and dependance it hath on that which went before The words divide themselves naturally into two parts as they doe containe two arguments and considerations whereby David doth amplifie and aggravate his sin 1. What a one God would have David and all his children to bee that is to say Vpright in heart 2. What a one David was before hee fell into these foule sins that is God had wrought soundnesse of grace in his heart In the hidden part thou hadst made me to know wisedome In the former part three points are to bee observed 1. The thing the grace that God desired that God would have to bee in David and all his children Truth thou desirest truth that is sincerity and uprightnesse which is opposed to guile and hypocrisie So is truth taken Iosh. 24.14 Feare the Lord and serve him insincerity and in truth And 1 Cor. 5.8 Let us keepe the feast with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth And Iohn 1.47 Behold saith our Saviour of Nathanael an Israelite in truth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in whom is no guile 2. The subject the place where God would have this grace to be in the inward parts that is in the heart For so wee find this place interpreted by Iob 38.36 Who hath put wisedome in the inward parts or who hath given understanding to the heart And by our Saviour Marke 7.21 From within out of the heart of men proceed evill thoughts And by the Apostle Ephes. 3. who when hee had prayed for them verse 16. that they might be strengthened by Gods spirit in the inner man He expoundeth himselfe thus verse 17. that Christ might dwell in their hearts by faith The heart is the proper seat of this truth and sincerity For then a thing is said to be spoken or done in truth 1. When that which is said or done agreeth with the heart and proceedeth from it As a good man is said Psal. 15.2 To speake the truth in his heart He speaketh the truth in his heart because he speaketh as hee thinketh 2. When the purpose and intent of the heart is upright in that which a man speaketh or doth My father saith Solomon in his prayer 1 Kings 3.6 walked before thee in truth and uprightnesse of heart therefore in truth because in uprightnesse of heart Therfore also is this sincerity called singlenesse of heart Acts 2.46 When a man in that which he saith and doth hath but one heart not a heart and a heart a double heart Psalm 12.2 one heart for that which hee pretendeth and another for that which he intendeth It is said that the Zebulonites that came to make David King 1 Chron. 12.33 were not of a double heart And that is expounded verse 38 that they came with a perfect or an upright heart A true heart is called a whole heart also Psal. 119.10 a false heart is called a divided heart Hosea 10.2 3. and lastly The note of observation that David prefixeth before this Behold As if he should say this this is that which I cannot but take notice of and thinke much upon that whereas I am by nature so filthy and corrupt and have so much falshood and hypocrisie in my heart which hath beene the maine cause of this my fearefull fall thou art a God that lookest for and requirest yea desirest above all things and delightest in the truth and uprightnesse of the heart and where that is wanting all that a man can doe is nothing in thy sight Now all this cunning and falshood he had used doth greatly augment his griefe and shame when he considereth how much the Lord delighteth in truth and abhorreth hypocrisie Then the Doctrine that wee are to learne from the first part of the verse is this That truth and uprightnesse of heart is that which God highly esteemeth of and desireth and delighteth in above all things Observe the proofe of this Doctrine in five points and degrees First The Lord would have all his servants upright in heart hee would have that obedience and service that is done unto him to bee done in truth and sincerity that is that that hee looketh for at our hands which hee greatly desireth and longeth for Hee cannot abide hypocrisie that wee should counterfeit and halt with him My son saith the Lord Prov. 23.26 give me thine heart that is it that I looke for So Ioshua 24.14 calleth upon the people Now therefore feare the Lord and serve him in sincerity and truth Are not thine eyes upon the truth saith Iere. 5.3 As if he should say Is
savoury knowledge This light of sanctified knowledge is not like the light of a gloworme or like the light that the Moone giveth which glittereth and shineth but hath no heate in it at all but it is like that of the Sunne yea of the spring or summer sunne which doth not onely give light unto the world but it warmeth also and quickneth every thing Therefore is this light called the light of life Ioh. 8.12 No man knoweth God aright with a saving and sanctified knowledge but he must needs feare him and love him and put his trust in him The spirit of knowledge is called Esa. 11.2 The spirit of the feare of the Lord. These graces goe alwaies together So speaketh the Apostle likewise of love 1 Iohn 4.8 He that loveth not knoweth not God for God is love So Psal. 9.10 They that know thy name will put their trust in thee for thou Lord hast not forsaken them that seeke thee No man knoweth himselfe or his owne sins both of nature and practise aright with a knowledge of the holy spirits working but he must needs loath himselfe in his owne sight as the Prophet speaketh Ezek. 36 31. No man can know Christ aright know him to be his Saviour but hee must needs be affected with it and joy more in it then in any thing in the world besides So speaketh the Apostle 1 Pet. 1.8 In whom though now ye see him not yet beleeving in him knowing that he loved you and gave himselfe for you ye rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory To conclude this second effect of saving knowledge No man can have any knowledge in the Scriptures of Gods teaching but he must needs affect the Word love it and delight in it So David in that very octonary and part of Psal. 119. that is to say part 13. wherein he speaketh of the knowledge and understanding he had gotten by studying the Scriptures professeth how he was affected to the Word verse 97. O how love I thy law And verse 103. How sweet are thy words unto my tast Yea sweeter then hony unto my mouth And verse 50. Thy Word hath quickned me As if he should say It hath not beene a dead and senslesse knowledge that I have gotten by it but such as hath enlightned me and bred holy affections in me Now if we would examine our selves by this note we should find that many of us that make a goodly shew in the Church of God after all these meanes of knowledge we have enjoyed have little or no saving knowledge in us Of a number of us it may be said as the Apostle speaketh 1 Cor. 8.1 We know that we have all knowledge and a great deale of it many of us But we are not affected with that we know it worketh not upon our hearts we have a great deale of light in our understanding but it is but like as the Moone-shine or the glittering of the glo-worme it warmeth not our hearts at all but they remaine still as cold and dead as any stone We have the knowledge of God and of all his attributes his holinesse his justice his omniscience his power his goodnesse but what affections doth this knowledge worke in our hearts What reverence what feare to offend him what desire to be reconciled unto him what love unto his name We know well enough what sin is and what the curse of God is that is due unto sin yea that our selves are sinners and that if we be not still yet certainely we were under this curse yet all this that wee know never maketh our hearts to quake worketh no feare nor sorrow nor humiliation in them We say we know Christ not onely to be an all sufficient Saviour to the elect but that he hath redeemed us from the curse of the law his body was broken for us and his bloud was shed for us but we are not affected with this at all we tast no more sweetnesse in Christ then in a chip wee rejoyce not in him In a word wee have knowledge in the Scriptures and increase in it daily by reading and hearing we learne more and more but nothing we read or heare or learne affecteth or moveth us or if it worke any motions in us they are but sudden flashes that vanish quickly and can this be saving knowledge No no beloved deceive not your owne soules the knowledge that Gods spirit worketh resteth not in the braine but sinketh and soaketh into the heart and worketh kindly upon the affections of a man Labour therefore for good affections and make much of them mourne for this that thy heart is so senslesse and dead Know that as good affections without knowledge will yeeld thee no comfort no more will knowledge without good affections It will doe you no good to know God unlesse you feare him and love him If any man love God saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 8.3 and that that he saith of love may be said of feare the same is knowne and approved of him It will doe you no good to know your selves to be sinners and to be able to make large confessions of them unlesse you can mourne and be humbled for them When Christ had said Matth. 5.3 Blessed are the poore in spirit he addeth verse 4. Blessed are they that mourne As if he had said Without this the other will never make us happy It will doe us no good to know Christ unlesse we can rejoyce in him We are the circumcision saith Paul Phil. 3.3 the true people of God which worship God in the spirit and rejoyce in Christ Iesus It will doe us no good to read and heare much and so to increase in the knowledge of the Word unlesse we be affected with that we heare and learne These words which I command thee this day saith the Lord Deut. 6.6 shall bee in thine heart If ye will not heare saith the Prophet Mal. 2.2 and if ye will not lay it to heart As if he had said As good not heare at all as not lay that to heart and not to be affected with that we heare The third effect of saving and sanctified knowledge is this It will reforme the heart and life of him that hath it it is an operative a powerfull and effectuall knowledge It will make the man that hath it a godly man In physick and law and other sciences a man may attaine to a good understanding and sound judgement in them though he never practise them himselfe But in Divinity it is otherwise a man knoweth nothing aright in religion till he become a practiser of that he knoweth This the Apostle teacheth us notably Ephes. 4.20 24. But ye have not so learned Christ saith he that is to say to professe your selves to bee Christians and yet to live lewdly still if so bee that ye have heard him and have beene taught by him as the truth is in Iesus Why What is it to be taught by Christ as the truth is
in Christ Iesus That hee telleth us in the next words verse 22. that ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man and be renewed in the spirit of your minde and put on the new man which after God is created in righteousnesse and true holinesse As though he had said Every one that hath learned Christ aright and is taught of God hath true and sanctified knowledge in him cannot but forsake his old sins and become a new man It is such a knowledge of God as whereby wee are changed into the same image as the Apostle speaketh 2 Cor. 3.18 from glory to glory even as by the spirit of the Lord. See this briefly confirmed in both the parts of true godlinesse that is to say both in eschewing of evill and in doing of good For the first Heare what the Lord saith Iob 28.28 To depart from evill is understanding As if he had said This is the onely right knowledge sanctified and saving understanding that hath power in it to kill sin in a man to make him forsake all knowne sins Yea the knowledge of Gods Word if it be a Gods teaching will make a man not onely to eschew evill but to doe it out of a zealous hatred of sin Through thy precepts I get understanding saith David Psal. 119.104 therefore I hate every false way As if he should say The more my knowledge in thy Word increaseth to more my hatred to every sinne increaseth likewise See this also in the other part of godlinesse In doing of good A man of understanding walketh uprightly saith Solomon Pro. 15.21 If wee know any duty God requireth of us with a sanctified knowledge we cannot but make conscience of the practise of it yea practise it with uprightnesse and sincerity of heart A good understanding saith David Psal. 111.10 have all they that doe his commandements As if hee had said That and that onely is good understanding sanctified and saving knowledge that draweth a man to obedience to the practise of that he doth know So the Lord speaketh of the knowledge that was in good Iosiah Ier. 22.16 He judged the cause of the poore and needy was not this to know me saith the Lord As if he should have said This was sound and sanctified knowledge indeed that made him conscionable in the duties of his particular calling This wisedome that commeth from above as the Apostle speaketh Iames 3.17 this knowledge that is of Gods teaching is first pure then peaceable gentle easie to be intreated full of mercy and good fruits Let me now make some application of this in two points First To stop the mouthes of Papists and others that object our religion cannot be the truth because it bringeth forth no better fruits it reformeth not the lives of them that professe it most and have most knowledge in it that cry out against all profession and following after the meanes of knowledge because many that know most are worse men then any other To these men I have three things to answer First That our religion may be the true and holy religion of God though they that professe it bee most lewd and wicked men For so was the religion that Christ and his Apostles taught though Iudas who was both a professour and a preacher of it were so lewd a man Secondly That our religion and every principle and doctrine in it even those that are most slandered to tend unto licentiousnesse the doctrine of predestination of conversion by grace onely of justification by faith alone of certainty of salvation of finall perseverance is so holy such an enemie to all sin so effectuall to reforme the heart and life of a man as it is not possible for him that truly understandeth and beleeveth it but his heart and life must needs bee reformed by it Even such a religion as the Apostle describeth and calleth 1 Tim. 6 3. A doctrine which is according to Godlinesse Thirdly That such professours of it at whose lives they stumble so what shew so ever they make of knowledge in it though they professe it yet they doe not indeed understand and beleeve it they have no true and sound knowledge in it for they are sensuall and not having the spirit Iude 19. And it is not flesh and bloud that can reveile these things unto a man as our Saviour teacheth Matth. 16.17 But there is a spirit in man saith Elihu Ioâ— 32.8 and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding He that liveth in any knowne sinne understandeth nothing aright in our religion Of every such a one be he never so learned that may be said which the Holy Ghost speaketh of the harlot Pro. 9.13 He is simple and knoweth nothing He that maketh not conscience of every commandement and duty that God hath enjoyned him in his generall or particular calling hath no sound and true knowledge of God or of religion in him He that saith I know him saith the Apostle 1 Ioh. 2.4 and keepeth not his commandements is a lyar and the truth is not in him Secondly Let me apply this by way of exhortation unto every one of you Labour to feele the knowledge thou hast gotten out of Gods Word to bee a powerfull and effectuall knowledge in thee that it ruleth and mastereth thee so as thou darest not goe against it darest not but obey it Not onely in grosse and great sins but even in smallest even to the reforming of thy choller and moderating of thy passions He that hath knowledge spareth his words saith Solomon Pro. 17.27 and a man of understanding is of a coole spirit Els 1 thou canst have no comfort in all thy knowledge if it be not powerfull to restraine thee to reforme thee Iohn 13.17 If ye know these things happy are ye if ye doe them As if he had said not els It is no happinesse to have knowledge carnall knowledge naturall knowledge that is not sanctified not effectual 2. The more thou hast of it the more it will increase thy sinne Iames 4.17 He that knoweth to doe well and doth it not to him it is sinne And consequently the more thou hast of it the more extreame shall thy condemnation and torment be You know the saying of our Saviour Luke 12.47 The servant that knoweth his maâ—sters will and doth it not shall bee beaten with many stripes And so it is with Saâ—an who as he knoweth more in religion then any man and is therefore called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so shall his torments be greater then any mans both in the life to come Matth. 25.41 those unspeakable torments are prepared chiefly for him and his angels and even in this life also his knowledge increaseth his torments The divels beleeve and tremble saith the Apostle Iames 2.19 The certaine knowledge he hath of things revealed in the Word worketh unspeakable horâ—ours in him O glory not in that knowledge that hath no power in it to reforme thee but tremble to thinke how
so carelesly and making so little conscience in keeping it 184 Occasions of evill to be shunned 318 Officers Bound to present infamous and scandalous persons 182 They sin that keep men from publike pennance 187 188 Obedience Be willing to yeeld passive obedience unto God 245 249 Conscionable care to please God a sure note of uprightnesse 378 True obedience is universall 419 c. 724 726 Yet speciall care to be had of those things God hath given us speciall charge of 422 The onely rule of true righteousnesse is the Word 380 c. How the upright man sheweth equall respect to all the commandements 423 c. Forth the root of it 737 741 Five notes of Evangelicall obedience 754 Obedience must be done in a right manner 433 c. Oppression Against such as are undoers of others 124 Originall sinne Is derived from the parents and why 282 283 For this sinne above all others God may justly abâ—orre us and we have most cause to bee humbled in our selves 301 303 Three motives to perswade us to seek deliverance from it and two meanes 313 317 Consider Gods mercy and goodnesse towards us in that regard 336 P. Papists THeir errours touching originall sinne 305 c. Touching justification 662 c. Parents To be humbled for the corruption and sinne that appeares in their children 286 Parents should use their utmost indeavour to breed grace in their children 287 c. Diverse motives Ibid. Means Parents must use to save their childrens soules 291 c Parents must maintaine their authority over their children 291 How they come to lose it 292 Their sin in neglecting to keep them in awe 293 294 They must instruct their children 1. Instilling betimes the beginnings of knowledge 294. 2. Acquainting them with the practice of Religion 295. 3. Bringing them to the publike worship 4. Examining them how they profit Ibid. They must be carefull to give them good example 298 They must take heed how they place them at schoole in service in mariage 299 They must pray for them Ibid. Parents using these meanes need not doubt they shall lose their labour 300 Patience We have need of it 250 Seven notes of it 251 c. Motives to it 253 c. Meanes 260 c. Perseverance Study to persevere unto the end 12 The marvellous mercy of God to bee acknowledged in the perseverance of any in the state of grace 347 352 Take heed of declining and falling fâ—om grace 431 432 The regenerate elect child of God caâ—â—ot sin so hainously as every unregenerate man may do 533 c. Constancy in the true Religion is a signe a man hath the Spirit of Christ. 766 c. God hath given great testimony to this 76â— The faithfull have found much comfort in â—t 〈◊〉 They whom the Spirit hath taught 〈…〉 persevere in the truth 〈◊〉 Motives to constancy in the truth 7â—â— 7â—2 Meanes to it 782 Though it be ascribed to the Lord alone yet he worketh it by meanes and will have us to bee agents in this worke 783 Predestination Gods decree of Predestination is most righteous 248 249 Prayer Gods people in all distresse must seeke for comfort from God by prayer 59. c. Extremity of affliction should not keepe us from it 63 64 Nor sense of our owne vilenesse 64 65 Nor inability to pray 68 69 c Nor a conceit that it 's to no purpose to pray 69 c. Prescript and set formes of Prayer may bee used 68 Why God delayes to answer the prayers of his servants 75 76 What we must then do 78 c. God gives often a gracious answer to the prayers of his servants though they perceive it not 76 Five severall wayes God shewes respect unto and gives a gracious answer to his peoples prayers 76 77 Six principall faults that use to blemish and weaken our prayers 81 c. 637 Five notable encouragements to prayer specially in inward afflictions 153 Prayer a speciall meanes to get grace to beare afflictions comfortably and patiently 273 Long prayers not unlawfull so it be with foure cautions 310 Prayer a meanes to conquer corruptions 322 And to get assurance of Gods favour in Christ. 636 A singular good thing to keep a constant course in prayer 700 Faith eâ—ableth us to pray well 743 Practice Presently set upon the practice of what wee have learned 43 Making conscience to practise what we have learned meanes to establish us in the truth 792 Preaching of the Word Is a meanes to bring men to Christ. 19 The godly man will rejoyce in the plentifulnesse of it 801 for three reasons 803 809 Preaching necessary now 813 Obiections against it answered 810 c. Preparation To the hearing of the Word wherein it consists 30 c. Presumption Take heed we sin not presuming that we shall repent before we die 15 The vanity of those conceits which keepe many from being troubled with their 〈◊〉 89 93 Hypocrites use to be confident 377 Presume not to sin because of the fals of Gods people 554 c. The danger of Presumption 620 625 744 Signes of it 628 629 Private duties Secret confession of sinne most necessary convenient and beneficiall 193 195 Psalmes The titles of them not to be omitted as superfluous and impertinent 1 Why committed to the chiefe Musitian 4 Singing of Psalmes an ancient and excellent ordinance of God 4 How Psalmes should be sung 6 Punishment The consideration of punishment may cause a faithfull man to mourne and grieve for sinne and to be afraid of it 218 Christ hath satisfied as well for the temporall as eternall punishment due to our sinnes 662 663 Though the afflictions men induce be in their owne nature punishments yet are they not so to all men 664 665 Profanenesse In some respects the open profane persons case is worse than the hypocrites 718 Profession Live so as men may be witnesses of thy goodnesse 418 He that hath assurance that Christ is his will proâ—esse and declare himselfe openly to bee Gods servant 627 We may hate the sinnes of professors but not hate them for any goodnesse they professe Three notes whereby we may see many hate professors for their goodnesse 716 717 Prosperity He that hath not Christ can have no comfort in his prosperity 686 Great is their folly that preferre worldly things before Christ. 690 R. Regenerate THe sinnes the regenerate fall into are in sundry respects greater than the sinnes of others 539 542 548 552 God will plague sinne as much in them as in any other in the world 540 541 In this life he sheweth more hatred to the sinnes of such than to the sinnes of other men 542 c. The goodnesse in the regenerate man in three respects surpasseth the goodnesse in the morall man or hypocrite 729 730 Religion That 's the true Religion that gives the whole glory of mans salvation to the free grace and mercy of God 110 523 The truth we have received by warrant of