there is a presence of the Spirit that comforts As we see oft times a man is comforted with the very sight of his friend without discourse to a man indued with reason whose discomforts are spirituall for the most part in the soule the very presence of a man that he loves puts much delight into him What is God then the God of comfort his very presence must needs comfort Comfort is taken many other wayes but these are the principall to this purpose First Comfort is the thing it selfe there is comfort in every creature of God and God is the God of that comfort In hunger meate comforts in thirst drink comforts in cold garments comfort in want of advice friends comfort and it is a sweet comfort God is the God of all comfort of the comfortable things But besides the necessary things every sense hath somewhat to comfort it The eye besides ordinary colours hath delightfull colours to behold and so the eare besides ordinary noise and sounds it hath musick to delight it the smell besides ordinarie savours it hath sweet flowers to refresh it and so every part of the body besides that which is ordinarie it hath somewhat to comfort it Because God is nothing but comfort to his creature if it be as it should be he is God of these comforts the God of all comfort of the comfort of outward things of friends c. So he is the God of the second comfort of comfortable reasons and arguments for a man especially in inward troubles must have grounds of comfort from strong reasons God ministreth these he is the God of these for he hath given us his Scriptures his Word and the comforts that are fetched from thence are strong ones because they are his comforts it is his Word The word of a Prince comforts though he be not there to speake it though it be a letter or by a Messenger yet he whose word it is is one that is able to make his word good he is Lord and Master of his word The Word of God is comfortable and all the reasons that are in it and that are deduced from it upon good ground and consequence they are comfortable because it is Gods word he is the God of all And those comforts in Gods word and reasons from thence they are wonderfull in the variety of them there is comfort from the liberty of a Christian laid out there that he hath free access to the throne of Grace comfort from the Prerogatives of a Christian that he is the Child of God that he is justified that he is the heire of Heaven and such like Comforts from the Promises of Grace of the presence of God of assistance by his presence these things out of the Word of God are wondrous plentifull Indeed the Word of God is a breast of comfort as the Prophet cals it Suck comfort out of the breasts of comfort Isa. 66. The books of God are breasts of comfort wels of comfort Isa. 11. there are springs of comfort Gods word is a Paradise as it were in Paradise there were sweet streams that ran through and in Paradise stirred the voyce of God not onely calling Adam where art thou terrifying of him but the voyce of God promising Adam the blessed seed So in the Word of God there is God rouzing out of sinne and there is God speaking peace to the soule there is a sweet current of mercie runs from the Paradise of God and there is the Tree of life Christ himselfe and Trees of all manner of fruit comforts of all sorts whatsoever And there is no Angel there to keep the doore and gate of Paradise with a fierie flaming sword No this Paradise is open for all and they are cruell Tyrants that stop th is Paradise that stop this Fountain as the Papists doe As God is the God of comfort so he is the God of comfort in that respect But this is not enough to make him the God of comfort we may have the Word of God and all the reasons from thence from priviledges and prerogatives and examples and yet not be comfortable if we have not the God of comfort with the Word of comfort the Spirit of God that must apply the comfort to the soule and be the God of comfort there For there must be application and working of comfort out of Gods word upon the soule by the spirit the spirit must set it on strongly and sweetly that the soule may be affected You may have a carnall man he for fashion or custome reads the Scriptures and he is as dead-hearted when he hath done as when he began he never looks to the spirit of comfort there must be the spirit of God to work and to apply comfort to the heart and to teach us to discourse and to reason from the Word not onely to shew the reasons of the Word but to teach us to draw reasons from the Word and to apply them to our particular state and condition the spirit teacheth this wisedome And therefore it is well called the comforter I will send you the comforter The poore disciples had many comforts from Christ but because the Comforter was not come they were not comfortable but heavie what was the reason because the Comforter was not come when the holy Ghost was come after the resurrection and ascension of Christ when he had sent the Comforter then they were so full of comfort that they rejoyced that they were thought worthy to suffer any thing for Christ and the more they suffered the more joyfull and comfortable and glorious they were You see what a comfort is it is the things themselves and the word and reasons from it and likewise the spirit of God with the reasons and with presence sometimes without any reasons with present strength God doth establish the soule together with reasons there is a strengthning power of the spirit a vigour that goes with the spirit of God that joyns with the spirit of the afflicted person So whether it be the outward thing as reasons and discourse or the presence of the spirit God joyning with our spirit God is the God of that comfort the God of all comfort A comfort is any thing that allaies a maladie that either takes it away or allaies and mitigates it A comfort is any thing that raiseth up the soul The comforts that wee have in this life they are not such as doe altogether take away sorrow and griefe but they mitigate them Comfort is that which is above a maladie it is such a remedie as is stronger to support the soul from being cast down over much with the grievance whether it be grievance felt that we are in the sence of such a grievance as is feared when the soule apprehends any thing to set against the ill we feare that is stronger then it when the soule hath somewhat that it can set against the present sence of the grievance that is stronger
resurrection of the body If I fear the day of judgment I believe that Christ shall be my judge he shall come to judge the quick and the dead In all the miseries of this life considering that they are but short I believe the life everlasting So that indeed if we would dig to our selves springs of comfort let us go to the Articles of our Faith and see how there are streams of comfort from every one answerable to all our particular exigences and necessities whatsoever And to close up this point remember whatsoever means we use what prerogative soever we think of whatsoever we do remember we go to the God of comfort and desire him to blesse his Word in the ministery and desire him to work in the Communion of Saints with his Spirit to warm our hearts alway remember to carry him along in all that we may have comfort from the God of Comfort who comforteth in all tribulations Next words are That we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble These words shew the end why God doth comfort us in all tribulation One main end is that we should be comforted in our selves that is the first And then that we being comforted our selves from that ability should be able to derive comfort to others we are comforted in all tribulations that we should be able to comfort them that are in any tribulation It is not St. Pauls case only and great men in Religion Ministers and the like it is not their lot and portion alone to be persecuted and troubled but We are all in this life subject to disquiets and discomforts Every one whosoever will live Godly in Christ Jesus must suffer persecution Therefore the Apostle saith not onely our tribulation but that we may be able to comfort them that are in any trouble Trouble is the portion of all Gods Children one with another I do but touch that by the way But that which I shall more stand upon it is the end one main end why God comforteth especially Ministers it is that they should be able to comfort others with the comforts that God hath comforted them withall That we may be able c. Now you must conceive that this ability it is not ability alone without will and practise as if he meant God hath given me comfort that I might be able to comfort others if I will that is not Gods end only that we may be able but that we may exercise our ability that it may be ability in exercise As God doth not give a rich man riches to that end that he may be able to relieve others if he will No but if thou be a Child of God he gives thee ability and will too he gives an inward strength So the meaning here is not that we may be able to comfort others if we will but that we may be both able and willing to comfort others And to comfort others not only by our example that because we have been comforted of God so they shall be comforted it is good but it is not the full extent of the Apostles meaning for then the dead examples should comfort as well as the living And indeed that is one way of comfort to consider the examples of former times but the Apostles meaning is that I should comfort them not only by my example of Gods dealing with me that they should look for the like comfort that is but one degree His meaning is further therefore that we should be able to comfort them by Sympathizing with them as indeed it is a sweet comfort to those that are in distresse when others compassionate their estate And not only so by our example and sympathy with them but likewise that we may be able to comfort them by the inward support and strength and light that we have found by the Spirit of God in our selves that is that that will enable us to comfort others from that very support and inward strength that we have found from God by those graces and that particuliar strength and comfort that we have had When there is a sweet expressing of our inward comfort to them shewing something in our comfort that may raise them up in the like troubles that we were in then the comfort will not be a dead comfort when it comes from a man experienced Personated comfort when a man takes upon him to comfort that only speaks comfort but feels not what he speaks there is little life in it we are comforted that we may comfort others with feeling having been comforted our selves before with feeling and comfortable apprehensions in our selves The point considerable in the first place to make way to the rest is this that Gods Children they have all of them interest in diuine comforts St. Paul was comforted that he might comfort others Divine comforts belong to all they are the portion of all Gods people the meanest have interest as well the greatest There is the same spiritual Physick for the poorest subject and the greatest Monarch there is the same spiritual comfort for the meanest and for the greatest Christian in the World St. Paul hath the same comfort as St. Pauls children in the Faith VVhat is the reason that they are communicable thus to all that they lie open to all God is the God and Father of all light and comfort Christ is the Saviour of all all the priviledges of Religion belong to all equally all are Sons and Heirs and all are alike Redeemed the Brother of low degree and the Brother of hââ¦gh degree they may differ in the references and relations of this life but in Christ all are alike Besides it is the nature of spiritual priviledges and blessings they are communicable to all alike without impairing the more one hath the lesse another hath not all have an equal share every one hath interest intire every one hath all without losse or hinderance to others As for instance the Sun every particular man hath all the good the Sun can do as well as all the World hath it is peculiarly and intirely every mans own every man in soliduââ¦m hath the use of it the Sun is not one mans more then another As a publick fountain or Conduit every man hath as much right in it as another So in Religion the graces and priviledges and favours they lie open as the prerogatives and priviledges of all Gods children and that is the excellency of them In the things of this life it is not so they are not common to all alike there is a losse in the division the more one hath the lesse another hath and that is the reason why the things of this life breed a disposition of pride and envy one envies another because he wants that that another hath and one despiseth another because he hath more then another hath but in the comforts of Gods Spirit and the prerogatives that are the ground of those comforts
own particular one way and gain to the State or Religion another he considers not what will it advantage me but what is it for Religion It is the chief prevailing reason how he may gain to Religion and the glory of God he will not redeem his life to impeach the glory of God and Religion This is a man that leads his life by grace Again where grace is there graces are together there is a sweet linking of them therefore S. Paul instead of wisdome names Grace of God all grace A man therefore may know that he is led by grace when there is no solitary grace for where grace is solitary it is not at all it is but a shadow For there is not one grace but it is of special use in the managing of a Christians life and conversation therefore S Panl instead of wisdome puts grace here For instance there is a great necessity of seeing by a light above nature things above nature If a man lead a life above nature there is a necessity of heavenly illumination and conviction that there is a better happinesse then the world affords And then there is a need of love to carry the soul to that happinesse that is discovered But then there are a world of impediments between us and heaven and happinesse that is discovered to us in the Gospel by Christ Jesus there must be heavenly wisdome therefore to discover the impediments and to remove them And there are many advantages how to attain our end we must use this and this meanes these and these helps that God hath ordained here must be heavenly wisdome to use the advantages and to avoid the hindrances But there are a world of troubles between our end and us between heaven that is discovered and us therefore saith the Apostle Ye have need of Patience And patience that is sustained by hope hope casts anchor in heaven and assures us of happinesse there and then patience sustains us in whatsoever befalls us in this world Therefore the Apostle saith not I lead my life by wisdome but by grace by wisdome as it hath a connexion with all other graces Therefore a man that out of hearing of the Word or reading c. hath it discovered that there is a better way then he takes and yet notwithstanding hath not love to carry him to it nor wisdome to remove the impediments he works not towards his end there is no grace at all there is illumination but it is not sanctified illumination but a meer common work of the Spirit because where true wisdome is there is love and patience and hope and all other graces to carry the whole soul to that happinesse that is discovered Therefore by this you may know a gracious wise man he works to his end alwayes another man heares and wishes Oh it were well if I could attain heaven but carnal policy and base affections hold him in a beastly course of life that he works not to that end onely he hears such things and thinks God will be merciful and Christ hath dyed and when he cannot enjoy the world longer he will have good words that way but that will not serve the turn a man must lead a life in grace that will dye and be saved by grace he must work and carry the whole man with it and not onely have knowledge but faith and love and all a man must work with it Who is a wise man in outward matters is he a wise man that only talks of States matters out of Books he hath read No but he that when he comes to a businesse to negotiate in the world can remove hindrances and attain his end and overthrow the plots of his enemies when it comes to particular actions here is a wise man that can attain his end by working that doth work to his end till he have attained it So he proves graciously wise in Religion that works to his end or else he is a foolish man a foolish builder As Christ saith If ye know these things and do them not you are as a man that builds on the sands your profession will come to nothing Again a man may know that he is guided by Grace that he doth every thing by gracious wisdome when he doth provide for himself best in the best things out of a sanctified judgment when he doth judge aright of differences when he considers that there is a difference between the soul and the body between this life and eternal life there is a main difference between the glorious eternal life in the world to come and this fading life which the soul communicates to the body in this world when a man judgeth the difference between true riches and these things that we are so set upon that are but lent us for a little while When he judgeth between the true honour to be the Child of God and the fading honours of this world that shall lye down in the dust with us and shall all depart and be gone it appears then he hath a sanctified judgment he discerns of things that differ And according to this if he lead his life in gracious wisdome he makes his provision he makes his provision as his judgment leads him his judgment leads him to the best things therefore he provides for the best things As Christ saith of the Children of this world they are wise in their courses in their Generation they provide against beggery they make friends before-hand as we see in that unjust steward So a Christian provides for his soul he looks to that he makes him friends of his unrighteous Mammon he makes him friends of his earthly things that is he doth deserve well of men that they pray for him and so help him to heaven He daily makes his account ready he cuts off impediments that he meets with in the way he troubles not himself with impertinencies he spends not more time then needs about worldly things he useth them as they may help his work to be better and better in grace to be fitter and fitter for glory As he discerneth differences so he makes his provision answerable he provides for the best in the first place Or else he were a foolish Merchant a foolish builder a foolish man every way the Scripture saith he is no better that cannot discern the difference and provide well for himself when other things fail The Scripture doth well call wicked men fooles they have no judgement they do not provide for themselves they prefer these things say what they will before better things they are fooles in their provision Achitophel he made provision he set his house in order and what became of him after he hanged himself He made much provision for the world and at last he knew not how to forecast and provide for his soul. The Scripture calls the rich man in the Gospel a fool he was wise enough to contrive for himself yet he was but a rich
stones and pearles Solomon presseth it have a high estimation of wisdome of the government of Gods Spirit as the best government And be out of love with carnal reason with carnal affections and their guidance account them as base things not worthy to come into the esteem of a Christian heart Those that highly prize wisdome God will lead them by it those that sell all for the pearl shall have it There must be a high price set on the guidance of Gods Spirit and on grace as indeed it is worthy of it and then we shall have it Again if we would lead our lives according to spiritual and heavenly wisdome according to grace and gracious wisdome let us learn as it is Job 22. to be more and more acquainted with God by prayer for grace comes not from within us Grace is in Christ as in the root as in the spring as in the Sun we have it but as the beam as the stream therefore let us learn to be acquainted with God and with Christ by prayer and meditation and search into his Word by reading and by hearing him speak to us and let us often speak to him Let us acquaint our selves with him by prayer and by hearing his Word and then we shall have his grace to guide us For grace is a fruit of his peculiar love he gives grace to his own peculiar people How do you think shall he have a peculiar delight in us if we labour not to be more and more acquainted with him by often speaking to him by often hearing of him by coming into his presence and attending as much as we can upon his holy Ordinances by conversing as much as we can in the holy things of God Those that will be warm they come under the beams of the Sun those that would have the Spirit work effectually they must come where the Spirit is effectual where the Spirit works Now the Spirit is effectual in the Word preached the Spirit fell upon Cornelius and the rest when they were hearing of S. Peter And the Spirit is where there is conversing in good company Where two or three are met together I will be in the middest of them saith Christ. If we walk with the wise we shall be wiser It must be the heavenly wisdome of a Christian if he would lead his life by grace to attend upon all the meanes of grace because the Spirit of God is effectual by his own means he works by his own means therefore use the meanes that the Spirit hath sanctified for the working of grace I do wonder at a company of vain sottish creatures that carry themselves according to their vain conceits according to the whirling of their own brain in toyes and baubles that come into their heads they care not for the hearing of Gods blessed truth either they abstain altogether or else they hear it carelesly as if it were a thing that concerned them not Oh but those that will lead their lives by grace they come to it by the Spirit and the Spirit is onely effectual in holy Ordinances It must be our wisdome therefore to bring our selves under some meanes or other that the Spirit may be effectual The wisest and the best men in the world are no longer gracious then they are wise this way if they neglect good company good acquaintance if they neglect the hearing of the Word if they neglect prayer they will grow dead and dull and carnal-minded they will be possessed with base thoughts How do men differ one from another not so much by any habitual grace that is in them as by avoiding all that might prejudice them in a Christian course and by using all means whereby the Spirit of God may be effectual Again the way ro be under the grace of Gods Spirit is often to meditate of the grace of God the free love of God in Jesus Christ for so it comes first The first grace of all is Gods free love in the forgiving of our sins and accepting us to life everlasting and then he doth alter and change our natures more and more he transforms us more and more when we find therefore any defect of grace in our hearts when we find coldnesse and deadnesse and dulnesse go to the first fire to the first Sun to the free grace of God in Christ pardoning all our sins and accepting us to life everlasting and promising us grace to lead our lives in the mean time If you have fallen into any sin by the temptation of Satan or your own weaknesse beg not first grace to alter your course to sanctifie your life but renew every day your interest in the first grace in the forgivenesse of sins and your acceptation to everlasting life For till God have pardoned your sinnes and have witnessed to your soules that you stand reconciled he will not give the best fruit of reconciliation which is grace Therefore every day examine your lives if you have offended God in what termes you stand with God and if you stand in ill termes that there is any sin against conscience the best way is not presently to amend that for that will not be except the heart be warmed with Gods love and favour in the pardon of your sins first and in the acceptation of you in Christ notwithstanding your sins as he justifieth us every day not onely in the first act of conversion but daily he acquits our consciences daily from our sins and therefore in the Lords Prayer Christ teacheth us every day to say Forgive us our sins And then after forgivenesse of sins to beg the particular graces for our lives that we want I would this were better thought on Challenge likewise the Covenant of grace we have a promise of all grace and the spring of all grace We have a Promise of Love God will teach us to Love one another We have a promise of Fear he hath promised that He will put his fear into our hearts that we shall never depart from him We have a promise of the holy Spirit Let us challenge these Promises every day So much for the Directions how to lead our lives by Grace But by the Grace of God Saint Paul here makes it the ground of his rejoycing that he led not his life by fleshly wisdome but in simplicity and sincerity and by the Grace of God and all that are led by S. Paul's spirit live thus There is a Religion in the world that bears it self very big on high terms of Universality Succession Antiquity c. and they will have it thought to be a spiritual and holy Religion Well if a man be a carnal man that is led with fleshly wisdome and not by the grace of God that Religion must needs be a naughty Religion that hath onely the support and the foundation of it in fleshly wisdome which is an enemy and opposite to the grace of God and to simplicity and sincerity But Popery is this
in the truth is not properly concord but conspiracy consent in a lie in falshood The builders of Babel they had a consent among themselves when they came for a wicked purpose as we see oft-times in Scripture Consent must be in the truth in that which is good or else it is not consent but conspiracy By reason of our weaknesse consent is usefull and that is the reason why in doubtful cases we may alledge Antiquity not that the Word is not sufficient in it self but to help our weaknesse to shew that we do not divert from the truth but that it is a truth warranted by others before In doubtfull cases this is warrantable He brings it likewise to enforce obedience the more when it was a truth brought to them by so many But that is not a thing I mean to stand on a touch is enough That which I will spend a little more time in is the next thing that is That Evangelical doctrine now is most certain Something I spake of it before in the former verse but I have reserved something to speak of it now The Son of God preached by S. Paul with the consent of these blessed men it was not yea and nay it was not unconstant Evangelical truth is not yea and nay and the Preachers of it the Apostles were not yea and nay in the delivering of it As it is true in it self so it was true in the delivery of it they were constant in it they sealed it with their blood some of them How shall we know the doctrine of the Gospel concerning Christ to be yea undoubtedly true I answer how do we know the Sun shines I know it by its own light and by a light that I have in my eye there is an inward light joyned with the outward light So it is in this businesse how do we know Divine truth out of the Book of God to be Divine By the light in it self by the majesty of the Scriptures by the consent of the Old and New Testament by the opposition of the enemies and the confusion of them at the last that have been opposers of it by the miraculous preservation of it and the like But especially by the powerfull work of it on the heart by the experience of this blessed truth I know this to be an undoubted truth I find it quelling my corruptions changing my nature pacifying my conscience raising my heart casting down high imaginations turning the stream of nature another way to make me do that which I thought I should never have done onely because I have a strong light of Divine truth and comfort There is this experience of Christ that a man finds in his soul it sets him down that he can say nothing but that it is Divine truth because he finds it so Besides this the testimony of the Spirit of God and the work of the Spirit in him For as to see there is an outward light required and an inward light in the eye so to see Divine truth there must be a light in it self a Divine sparkle in Gods Book in every passage but yet I must have an eye to see too I cannot see it except God witnesse to my soul that these things are divine that they are yea that they are certainly and infallibly true There is a great difference between us and our adversaries I can but touch it and I need but touch it They say we must believe and we must believe because of the Church I say no The Church we believe hath a kind of working here but that is in the last place For God himself in his Word he is the chief The inward arguments from the Word it self and from the Spirit they are the next the Church is the remotest witnesse the remotest help of all For the Church is but to propound Gods truth to lay it open to be as it were the candlestick now the candlestick shines not but upholds the candle while that shines So the Church is but to propose to set up Divine truth that of it self being set up will enlighten well enough The Church is to set out the Word and to publish it by the Ministery which Word of it self will shine That work which the Church hath therefore is the last and the inferiour for the Spirit of God and the inward majesty of the Word is of more force If a messenger come and bring a relation or bring a letter from one and he tells me many things of the man I but I doubt him because he may be false for ought I know but when I see his hand and seal and his characters and stile that shewes such a spirit to be in him I know by his own characters certainly this comes from the hand of that man Now the messenger brings it and gives it but I believe it because I see the characters and hand and seal of such a one that it is a truth So the Church propounds it is the messenger that brings the truth of God to us but when a Christian soul hears the truth and sees Gods seal upon it there is a majesty and power that works on the soul now we believe not for the messenger but for the thing it self Here is the difference we believe the Scripture for the seal of Divinity that is in it self they believe it for the messenger As if a doubtfull messenger should come that is not certain and a man should believe the things he brought for him for his sake we believe and entertain the messenger for the message sake not the message for the messengers sake our faith is better built then theirs But they say this All comes to this at the last God speaks by the Church as well as by the Scriptures therefore the Church is to be believed more then the Scripture it self I answer God speaks indeed in his Church by his Spirit and by his Word but his speaking by his Word is the cause of his speaking in the Church For what is the Church but begotten by the seed of the Word How is the Church a Church but by the Word Therefore he speaks first by the Scriptures there is a majestie and a Spirit in the Scriptures and then he speaks by the Church as cleaving to the Scriptures in a secondary manner He speaks by the Church mediately because that goes to the Word which speaks immediately The Word was written by men led immediately by the Spirit of God and the Church relying on that he speaks by them in the Church but primarily by his Word Having just occasion I thought to touch this Undoubtedly there are none that are not led with partiality but incomparably they see our faith is built on a better foundation then theirs they have a rotten foundation They talk of a Church and when all comes to all the Church their mother is nothing but the Pope their father What is their Church but the Pope
that he loves Christ with he loves us in his beloved He hath blessed us with all spirituall blessings in him he hath made us sons in him that is the naturall Son and as his love is unchangeable to his Son so it is to us in Christ. If a Princes love to any man be founded and grounded upon the love he bears to his son if he loves his son he loves such a man because his son loves him surely he may have great comfort that it it will hold because his affection is naturall and unalterable he will alway love his son therefore he will love him whom his son loves alway Now Christ is the Son of God he loves us in his Son he hath given us rich promises in his Son He hath given him the first promise and all other promises of forgivenesse of sins and life everlasting in and through him As long as he loves Chrst he will love us and as sure as he loves Christ he will love us Nothing in the world can separate his love from his own Son and nothing in the world can separate Gods love from us because it is in his Son Christ loves his mysticall bodie as well as his natural bodie and God loves the mysticall bodie of Christ as he loves his naturall bodie he hath advanced that to glorie at his right hand and will he leave his mysticall bodie the Church will he not advance that Doth he not love whole Christ Yes God loves whole Christ. Our nature that he hath taken to him it is the chief thing the most lovely thing in heaven or earth next to God And he loves all that are in him his mysticall body For indeed he gave us to Christ he hath sealed and anointed him he is anointed by God the Father for us Upon what an unchangeable eternall ground is the love of God built and the faith of a Christian How can the gates of hell prevail against the Faith of a Christian when it carries him to the promises and from the promises to the love of God and from thence to Christ upon whom the love of God is founded Before the faith of a Christian can be shaken the promises must be of no effect they must be yea and nay and not yea and if the promises be shaken the Love of God must be uncertain and Christ uncertain heaven and earth must be overturned to overturne the faith of a Christian. There is nothing in the world that is so firme as a believing Christian that casts himself on the promises that are alway yea and to make them yea they are founded on Christ the Son of Gods love Well these promises comming from such love may be ranked into diverse ranks I will touch some of them to shew how we are to carrie our selves to make comfortable use of this that All the premises are yea and amen in Christ. There are some universall promises for the good of all mankind as that God would never destroy the world again Or promises that concern more particularly his Church And those are promises either of outward things or of spirituall and eternall things of Grace and glory Now for the manner of promising they admit of this distinction All the promises that God hath made to us either they are absolute without any condition so was Christ. God promised Christ let the world be as it will Christ did and would have come And so the promise of his glorious comming he will come let men be as they will there will be a resurrection Some promises be conditional in the manner of propounding but yet absolute in the real performance of them As for example the promises of Grace and Glory to Gods children the promise of forgivnesse of sins God will forgive their sins if they believe if they repent they are propounded conditionally but in the performance they are absolute because God performes the Covenant himself he performes our part and his own too For since Christ though he propounded the promises of the Gospel with conditions yet he performes the condition he stirs us up to attend upon the meanes and by his Spirit in the Word he works faith and repentance which is the condition faith and repentance is his gift He writes his law in our hearts and teacheth us how to love So though they be conditionally propounded for God deales with men as men by way of commerce he propounds it by way of Covenant and condition yet in the Covenant of Grace which is truly a gracious Covenant he not onely gives the good things but he performs the condition by the Spirit working our hearts to believe and to repent Again there are promises not only propounded conditionally of Grace and comfort but of outward things All outward things are promised conditionally as thus God hath promised protection from contagious sicknesses from war and troubles Generall promises there are of protection every where Psal 91. God will be a hiding place and he will deliver his Children there are privative promises and then positive promises that he will do this and that good for them but these are conditional so far forth as in his wise providence he sees it may serve spirituall good things Grace and the inward man for God takes liberty in our outward estate and in our bodies to afflict them or to do them good as may serve the main For do what we will these bodies will turn to dust and vanity and we must leave the world behind us but God looks to the main state in Christ to the new Creature Therefore as far as outward blessings may incourage us and as far as deliverances may help the maine so far he will grant them or else he denies them he takes libertie in outward things Therefore that sort of promises they are conditionall with exception of necessary affliction For we cannot have the blessings of this life positive or privative we cannot be delivered alwaies and have blessings but our corrupt nature is such that except we have some what to season them we shall surfet of them we cannot digest them and therefore they are all with the exception of the crosse As Christ saith he that doth any thing for him he shall have an hundred-fold here but with affliction and persecution he shall be sure of that whatsoever else he hath let him look for that All the crosses we have in the world are to season the good things of this life Many other distinctions and differences we might have to lay open the kinds of promises in Scripture but this shall suffice to give you a taste Now all these are made in Christ and performed in Christ so far forth as is for our good Are all the promises of what kind soever spirituall or outward temporall and eternall are they all made to us in Jesus Christ and are they certain Yea and Amen in him Then make this use of it let us renew
with reasons discovering an absolute necessity of geting into Christ and of having him to be our Husband except we will lye under the wrath of God and be damned and withal discovering the fulnesse and excellency that is in Christ. Again it is God onely that must stablish the soul all the parts of it both judgment and conscience For I beseech you what can any humane creature what can any thing under God work upon the soul I mean so firmly as to stablish it and therefore our controversie with the Papists is just and good We say The reason and ground of our believing the Word of God to be the Word of God must not be the testimony of the Church and the authority thereof for alas what can the judgment of man what can the judgment of the Church do It may incline and move the will by inducing arguments and so cause a humane consent but to establish the soul and conscience and to assure me that the Word of God which is the ground of my faith is the Word of God it must be God by his Spirit that must do it the testimony of the Church will never do it The same Spirit that inspired holy men to write the Word of God works in us a belief that the Word of God is the Word of God The stablishing argument must be by the power of Gods Spirit God joyning with the soul and spirit of a man whom he intends to convert besides that inbred light that is in the soul causeth him to see a Divine Majestie shining forth in the Scriptures so that there must be an infused establishing by the Spirit to settle the heart in this first principle and indeed in all other Divine principles that the Scriptures are the Word of God And to go on a little further this is a fundamental errour in our practice For what is the reason we have so many Apostates what is the reason so many are so fruitlesse in their lives what is the reason that men despair in death but even this because men are not built and stablished aright Gods Spirit never stablished their soules in Divine truths For first concerning Apostasie ask them what is the reason they are of this or that Religion They will say they have been taught so they have been brought up to it the company with whom they have conversed have been devout men and have been alwayes led with this opinion and they see no reason to thwart it Is that all Hath not the Spirit wrought these things in thy heart hath he not given thee a taste of them hath he not convinced thee in thy judgment that it is so hast thou not found the power of the Spirit working upon thy soul changing of thee raising of thee drawing of thee out of the world nearer to God hast thou not I say felt the power of the Spirit this way No but thus I was catechized and thus I have been bred and thus I have heard in the Ministery And no otherwise Alas it will never hold out there will be a falling away for when a man believes not that which he believes from the Spirit of God he will be ready when dangerous times come when there is an onset made by the adversaries to fall and to fall clean away as we see it was in the time of Popery for whatsoever is not spiritual whatsoever knowledge is not Divine and from the Spirit of God never holds out Therefore I beseech you what 's the reason that you have many illiterate men that set upon the truth and hold out to the end and on the contrary many great seeming Scholars that are skilful in school-learning and in other Authours do not The reason is the one hath the truth from the Spirit discovering all the objections that the heart of man can make against it and the strength that is in the truth to answer and silence all those objections The other man hath onely a discoursing knowledge an ability to gather one thing from another and to prove one thing by another by strength of parts But the Spirit of God never discover'd the sleights and the corruptions of his heart never fastned and settled his heart upon the truth he never had experience of the truth For indeed nothing doth stablish so much as the experience of the truth on which we are stablished Again what is the reason of that unfruitfulnesse that is amongst men but because truths were never settled in the soul by the Spirit of God That which men know out of the Word of God concerning Christ and the priviledges by him they were never perswaded of it in their hearts therefore they come not to a fruitful conversation It is impossible but that men should be abundantly fruitful that have spiritual apprehensions of Divine things of Evangelical truths Hence comes all our unthankfulnesse and undervaluing of the Gospel The Gospel of it self is an unprized thing however we esteem of it God values it highly we value it not because our apprehensions of it are customary and formal gotten by breeding and education and discourse and not by the Spirit we feel not the spiritual and heavenly comforts of those truths we think we know How comes likewise Despair in time of temptation and in death but onely because men want this stablishing by the Spirit of God Men go on in evil courses trusting to a formal dead humane knowledge gotten by humane meanes and not settled in them by the Spirit of God that hath not sealed the truth in their hearts and hereupon when sharp tryals come they despair because they have no feeling of the truths of the Gospel and so when conscience is awakened and smarts it clamours and cryes out upon all their formall and humane knowledge For they having not a spiritual sense of the mercies of God in Christ and the perswasions of comfort are not so near to support the soul as the tentations and vexations and torments are how can they but despair Now who can still the conscience but the Spirit of God Why now if the knowledge that men had were spiritual and heavenly in all accusations of conscience it would set conscience down and still it I am a sinner indeed I am this and this but I have felt the sweet mercies of God in Christ God hath said to my soul I am thy salvation he hath intimated to my spirit by a sweet voyce Son thy sinnes are forgiven thee Where there is I say a knowledge and an apprehension of these Evangelical truths wrought by the Spirit it sets down Conscience and stills it though the heart rage at the same time There are thousands in the very bosome of the Church that miscarry because of this resting in a literall outward formall knowledge gotten onely by discourse and by reading and commerce with others and never labour to have their hearts stablished in Christ by Gods Spirit You see here then a
even in the hour of death Again in the second place to make an Use of examination I beseech you examine your selves whether you find this stablishing in your hearts or no whether your hearts be thus settled or no by the Spirit of God For beloved it is worth the labour and paines to get this grace and to be assured that you have it stablishing in Christ is most necessary and we stand in need of a great deal of spirituall strength Do we know what times may come If dangerous times come if we be not stablished what will become of us Oh it is a happy estate a Christian that is stablished in the sound knowledge and faith of Christ I beseech you therefore consider of it To give you an evidence or two whereby you may discern whether your hearts be settled and stablished A man hath the grace of stablishing and confirmation when it is upon the Word when God doth stablish him upon the promises And then again by the effect of it A man is stablished by the Spirit of God when his temptations are great and his strength little to resist and yet notwithstanding he prevailes Satan is strong if we prevail against Satans temptations we are stablished God is strong too strong for us if we can break through the clouds when he seems an enemy as Job Though thou kill me yet will I trust in thee Here is a prevailing a stablished faith In great afflictions when clouds are between us and God when we have faith that will breake through those clouds and see God through them shining in Christ here is a strong a stablished faith because here is mighty temptations and oppositions The strength is known by the strength of the opposition and the weaknesse of the party In the times of Martyrdome there was fire and fagot and the frownes of cruel persons who were the persons that suffered Children women old men sometimes all weak Children a weak age women a weak sex old men a withered melancholy dry age fearfull of constitution But when the Spirit of God was so strong in young ones in weak women in old withered men as to enable them to endure the torment of fire to enable them to endure threatnings and whatsoever as we see Heb. 11. here was a mighty work in weak men A man may know here is stablishing grace because except there were somewhat above nature where were a man in such a case Then a man may know especially that there is stablishing grace when he sees somewhat above nature prevailing over the temptation and confirming the weak nature of man that is the best evidence we have of Gods stablishing grace sometimes them that are stronger at some times are weaker at other times but as I said before that is to teach them that they have their strength from God Again if your hearts be soundly bottomed and founded and grounded on Christ and the promises of God in him then you will be freed at least from all victory and thraldome to base fears and to base cares and base sorrowes and base passions A man that hath no settled being on Christ he is tossed up and down with every passion he is full of fears and cares for the world which distract the soul upon every occasion full of unseasonable and needlesse sorrowes and griefs which vex and perplex the soul continually Oh how he fears for the time to come what shall become of me if such a thing happen how shall I be able to live in such a time c If he were settled upon God in Christ that he were his Father if he were stablished upon the promises of God in Christ I will not fail thee nor forsake thee Feare not little flock it is the Fathers will to give you the Kingdome and Why do you feare O you of little Faith and He that provides for the birds of the Aire for the Sparrowes for the Lillies of the field for the poorest creature will he not much more for you If I say we were thus stablished upon Christ and the promises there would be no disquietnesse those feares and griefs that usually perplex and inthrall the minds of men but where there are these distracting cares and vexing sorrowes and needlesse feares it argues a heart unsettled though perhaps there may be some faith notwithstanding Let us often examin our selves in this particular how it is with us when such thoughts arise what if trouble should come what if change and alteration should come He that hath truly settled his heart will say If they do come I am fixed I know whom I have believed I know I am a member of Christ an Heir of Heaven that God is reconciled to me in his Son I know God hath taken me out of the condition I was in by nature and hath advanced me to a better condition then I can have in the world and when the world shall be turned upside down I know when all things fail I shall stand He that his heart can answer him thus is firm A good man saith the Psalmist Psal. 1 12. 7. shall not be afraid of evill tydings why his heart is fixed trusting in the Lord and again in Verse 8. his heart is stablished therefore he shall not be afraid If our hearts be established then we shall not be afraid of evill tydings nor afraid of wars nor of troubles nor of losse of friends nor of losse of favours or the like A righteous man is afraid of no evill he that hath his heart stablished in Christ and that hath peace of Conscience wrought by the Spirit of God in the promises his heart is fixed in all alterations and changes he hath somewhat that is unchangeable even when he ceaseth to be in this world he hath a perpetual eternall being in Christ if he die he goes to Heaven he hath his being there where he enjoyes a more near communion with Christ then he can have in this world So that all is on the bettering hand to him that is stablished in Christ for it is not an act of one day to be stablished in Christ God doth it more and more till death and then comes a perfect consummation of this stablishing we shall be for ever with the Lord saith the Apostle A man then that is stablished in Christ he is fixed he is built on a rock come what can come he is not afraid Alas others that are not so they are as wicked Ahaz in Esay 7. he was boisterous out of trouble but in trouble he was as fearfull his heart shook as the leaves of the forrest as the leaves of the forrest when the wind comes they are shaken because they are not seemely knit to the tree because they have no stability All those whose hearts are not firmly settled in the knowledge of Christ and the excellent prerogatives that come by him when troubles come they are as the leaves of the Forrest or as you
things Magistrates and Officers go with their broad Seal and deliver things that they would have carried with authority sealed and the Seal of the Prince is the authority of the Prince so that a Seal is to make things authentical to give validity to things answerable to the value and esteem of him that seales These four principal uses there is of sealing Now God by his Spirit doth all these for God by his Spirit sets the stamp and likenesse of Christ upon us he distinguisheth us from others from the great refuse of the world he appropriates us to himself and like wise he authorizeth us and puts an excellency upon us to secure us against all when we have Gods Seal upon us we stand against all accusations Who shall separate us from the love of God we dare defâ⦠all objections and all accusations of conscience whatsoever a man that hath Gods Seal he stands impregnable it so authorizeth him in his conscience for it is given us for our assurance and not for Gods God seales not because he is ignorant He knowes who are his But what is the Spirit it self this seal or the graces of the Spirit or the comforts of the Spirit what is this seal for that is the question now whether the Spirit it self or the work of the Spirit or the comfort and joy of the Spirit I answer indeed the Spirit of God where it is is a sufficient seal to us that God hath set us out for his for whosoever hath the Spirit of Christ is his and whosoever hath not the Spirit of Christ is none of his but the Spirit is the Authour of this sealing and the sealing that is in us is wrought by the Spirit so that except you take the Spirit for that which is wrought by the Spirit you have not the right comprehension of sealing and so the Spirit with that which the Spirit works is the seal for the Spirit is alway with his own seal with his own stamp Other seales are removed from the stamp and the stamp remains though the seal be gone but the Spirit of God dwells and keeps a perpetual residence in the heart of a Christian guiding him moving him enlightning of him governing him comforting him doing all offices of a seal in his heart till he have brought him to heaven for the Holy Ghost never leaves us it is the sweetest inhabitant that ever lodging was given to he doth all that is done in the soul and he is perpetually with his own work in joy and comfort though he seems sometimes to be in a corner of the heart and is not discernable yet he alway dwells in us the Spirit is alwayes with the stamp it sets upon the soul. What is that stamp then to come to the matter more particularly what is that that the Spirit seales us with especially what is that work I answer the Spirit works in this order for the most part and in some of these universally First the Spirit doth together with the Word which is the instrument of the Spirit the Chariot in which it is carried convince us of the evil that is in us and of the ill estate we are in by reason thereof it convinceth us that we are sinners and of the fearful estate that we are in by sin this is the first work of the Spirit on a man in the state of nature it convinceth us of the ill that is in us and of the ill due unto us and thereupon it abaseth us therefore it is called the Spirit of bondage because it makes a man tremble and quake till he see his peace in Christ. When the Spirit hath done that then it convinceth a man by a better by a sweeter light discovering a remedy in Christ who is sealed of God to reconcile God and us And as he enlightneth the soul convinceth it of the all-sufficiency that is in Christ and the authority that he hath being sent and sealed of God for that purpose so he works on the affections he inclines the heart to go to God in Christ and to cast himself on him by faith Now when the soul is thus convinced of the evil that is in us and of the good that is in Christ and with this convincing is enclined and moved by the holy Spirit as indeed the holy Spirit doth all then upon this the Spirit vouchsafeth a superadded work as the Spirit doth still adde to his own work he addes a confirming work which is here called Sealing that seal is not faith for the Apostle saith After you believed ye were sealed so that this sealing is not the work of faith but it is a work of the Spirit upon faith assuring the soul of its estate in grace But what need confirmation when we believe Is not faith confirmation enough when a man may by a reflect act of the soul know that he is in the state of grace by believing It is true as the natural conscience knows what is in a man as the natural judgment can reflect so the spiritual understanding can reflect and when he believes he knowes that he believes without the Spirit by the reflect act of the understanding except he be in case of temptaton what needs sealing then This act of ours in believing and the knowledge of our believing it is oft terribly shaken and God is wondrous desirous as we see by the whole passage of the Scripture that we should be secure of his love he knowes that he can have no glory and we can have no comfort else and rherefore when we by faith have sealed to his truth he knowes that we need still further sealing that our faith be current and good and to strengthen our faith for all is little enough in the time of temptation and therefore the single witnesse of our soul by the reflect act knowing that we do believe when we do believe it is not strong enough in great temptations for in some tryals the soul is so carried and hurried that it cannot reflect upon it self nor know what is in it self without much ado therefore first the Spirit works faith whereby we seal Gods truth Joh. 3. He that believes hath put to his seal that God is true when God by his Spirit moves me to honour him by sealing his truth that Whosoever believes in Christ shall be saved then God seales this my belief with an addition of his holy Spirit so that this sealing is a work upon believing and as faith honours God so God honours faith with a superadded seal and confirmation But yet we not come particularly enough to know what this Seal is When we honour God by sealing his truth then the Spirit seales us certainly then the Spirit doth it by presence by being with us in our soules What then doth the Spirit work when we believe How shall we know that there is such a spiritual sealing I answer the Spirit in this seaââ¦g works these four things First a secret voyce or
have the Spirit And likewise the Spirit makes us mourn and wait for the adoption of the sons of God those that mourn and wait have the Evidence of the Spirit for a worldling doth not mourn for his imperfections for his corruptions he doth not mourn that he is absent from his Saviour neither doth he wait for the accomplishment of that that shall be bestowed on Saints because he hath his portion here therefore those that can mourn for their corruptions for those things which the world is not able to tax them for because they cannot serve God with enlargement of the Spirit as they would and they wait also without despair or without discouragement till God have finished their course they are led with a better Spirit then the world Though I should name no more what a many sweet evidences are here to manifest a soul truly acted and guided and led by the Spirit but these shall be sufficient for this time Well then if the Spirit doth all if the Spirit anoint and seal and give Earnest of grace and comfort and all till he bring us to heaven being Christs Vicar for Christ hath no other Vicar on earth but his Spirit if the Spirit doth all as indeed he doth all for God to us and from us to God whatsoever God doth to us it is by the Spirit he anoints and seals and sanctifieth by the Spirit and whatsoever we do to God it is by the Spirit or else it is not acceptable we sigh and groan in the Spirit we pray in the holy Ghost saith Jude and that God doth to us immediately from the Spirit and all that we do to God is in the Spirit Is this so then as it an undoubted truth oh then we should labour by all meanes for this Spirit of God To give some directions in a word and so to end Labour I say to have the Spirit and to groan in the Spirit and to this end because the Word is the Chariot of the Spirit in which the Spirit is carried attend upon the Ordinances of God and use all kind of spiritual meanes wherein the Spirit is usually effectual for the Spirit will onely work with his own means all those bastard inventions and devices fetched from the Church of Rome humane devices in Gods service they are naught Gods Spirit will not be effectual with Popish devices and therefore Rome is the habitation of Devils Gods Spirit hath nothing to do there because they have set up a worship contrary to Gods worship they have set up a Covenant contrary to Christs Covenant they have set up the Covenant of Works and deny in a manner a Covenant of Grace Christ is not taught as he should be there Now wheresoever the Spirit is it is with the clear teaching of the Gospel Received you the Spirit by hearing of the Law or of faith preached Therefore let us attend upon the unfolding of Christ Jesus in the Gospel for the Spirit is given with a clear and true unfolding of Christ and omit no spiritual means wherein the Spirit is effectual as meditation reading c. For as a man working in a garden though he think not of it perhaps he drawes a sweet sent of the flowers there is a tincture from the ayr that is round about him So the Word of God being indited by the Spirit of God we being in holy company being led by the same Spirit a man shall either by reading of the Word or in holy company or conversing in good books he shall draw a spiritual sweetnesse from the Word or from those that he hath to deal with The spirit of a man is like water that runs from Minerals as we see bathes have their warmth from Minerals that they run through they have a tincture from them to be hot in this or that degree in this or that quality So it is with the soul when it runs through holy things when it hath to deal with good books and good company c. it draweth a spirituall tincture and therefore if we would have the Spirit of God to guide us let us be much in those things that the Holy Ghost hath sanctified us for that end at all times when we have liberty from our callings And withall take heed that we greive not the Holy Ghost any way if we will have the Spirit to seal us to increase our Earnest How do we grieve the Holy Ghost By cherishing contrary affections and lusts and desires And resist not the holy Ghost as now when you hear the Word of God if you shut your resolutions if you shut your hearts and resolve not to give way to any instruction that shall be delivered This is a resisting of the Holy Ghost God now knocks at the hearts of those that are here by his Word and Spirit and therefore we should open the everlasting doors and let the King of glory come in We should lay open all to the Spirit Oh when the Spirit when Christ is so willing to give the Spirit it cannot be any but our fault if we be no more spiritual then we are for indeed there is nothing in a manner required to be spiritual but not to resist the Spirit The Holy Ghost presseth upon us in the Word such reasons of heavenly-mindednesse of despising of earthly things of purging our selves from the corruptions in the world such reasons to be good that indeed none are damned in the bosome of the Church but such as set a bar against the Spirit of God in their hearts with a cursed resolution that they will not be better that they will not part with their cursed lusts therefore they are damned because they will be damned that say the Preachers by the Word and Spirit what they will they think it better to be as they are then to entertain such a guest as will marre and alter all that was there before take heed therefore of resisting of the Spirit and of grieving of the Spirit by any thing in our selves or by conversing with company that will grieve him He that hath the Spirit of God in him cannot endure carnal company for what shall he hear what shall he draw in at his senses but that which will be vexation of spirit to him therefore it is said of Lot His righteous soul was vexed with the unclean conversation of the Sodomites it is an undoubted sign of a man that hath no grace not to care for his company that hath grace Likewise yield all obedience and subjection to the Spirit and to all the motions of the Word and Spirit bring our hearts into subjection lay our selves as it were before the Spirit suffer our selves to be moved and fashioned and framed by it for God gives his holy Spirit to them that obey him And beg the Spirit also as the principal thing God gives the Spirit saith Christ to them that ask him and by Christs manner of speaking there he
abuse Promises of this life 2. Gods Promises wondrously performed 3. God deferreth his performance To wait Gods time Believe contraries in contraries To have Amen for Gods Amen Complaint of Unbelief Faith in the Promises honours God Why God honors faith so much To make the Promises familiar How to make use of former examples What use to make of the story of our own lives Comfort in the false dealing of men To deceive trust odious Comfort in all changes in the world How the Word of the Lord endures for ever To rely constantly on the constant Promises To observe how God daily fulfills his Promises 1. For temporals 2. For spirituals Turn Promises into Prayers Labour to know the Promises Work the Promises on our hearts Evidences of believing the Promises 1. They breed joy 2. They quicken to obedience 3. They purge 4. They quiet the soul. 5. A staying of tââ¦e soul when all iâ⦠contrary 6. Faithfulnesse in our Promises to God Quest. Answ. God gives grace to perform the Covenant God promiseth the things be requires Promises Legacies Covenant a Testament Threatnings of God Amen as well as Promises 7. Opposition of flesh and fleshly men Carnal men despise those that trust in Gods Promises To go to God in Christ to perform the promises How to think of Christ. All in the world nothing without Christ. Observ. Gods glory manifested in the Gospel More then in the Creation Our estate in Christ better then Adam's Glory of Gods Justice His Mercy Wisdome Power Truth To see Gods Attributes in Christ. To honour God by believing the Gospel Glory of God by the Ministery Observ. A double Amen 1. In Gods Promises 2. In our Faith Necessity of application Difference between faith and presumption Observ. Stablishing grace necessary Reason 1. In regard of our indisposition 2. In regard of oppositions Difference between true Christians and others Degrees of faith Observ. Christ the foundation of our stability 1. Our Judgment stablished in Christ. 2. Our Will 3. Our affections A Christians stability more then Adam's or Angels None are firm but Christians Observ. God onely can stablish the soul. 1. By shewing our misery and Christs excellency The ground of believing Gods Word Reason of Apostasie The reason of unfruitfulnesse The reason of Despair Spiritual knowledge necessary Observ. God will stablish us 1. Because he is constant All of Grace from God Ground of a Christians not falling away God stablisheth bâ⦠working stablishing graces Fear Wisdome Faith Peace To value all good Christians The Spirit works as we are in the body Bond of communion of Saints Use. To give God the glory of our stablishing Strengthen radical graces 1. Humility 2. Faith 3. Knowledge Knowledge must be spirituall 1. Be acquainted with Gods Word 2. Take no scandal at those that shrink 3. Retain the truth in love 4. Practise truths ââ¦nown 5. Be frequent in holy conference 7. Pray to God to stablish us 8. Be spiritually poor 9. Hate lukewarmnesse Use 2. Examination of our stablishing 1. When it is grounded on the Word 2. When weak men overcome strong temptations 2. By freedome from base fears cares c. Examine our knowledge Examine our course of life None but a Christ an truly couragious in death 2. Desire of Christs coming Why God useth so many several words to secâ⦠us What the Spirit is an Earnest of The Spirit an Earnest 1. For security 2. It is part of the whole 3. An Earnest is little to the whole 4. It serves the party receiving it 5. It is never taken away Observ. A Christian man be assured of his estate in grace All in the work of Redemption is for that end Christians not alike assured at all times Double act of saith 1. Direct 2. Reflect The reflect act may be hindred Naughty hearte content with a state of doubling Observ. Gods Children may be assured they shall held out to the end Grace and glory differ but in degrees Observ. Those that look to be happy must first be holy Observ. We may be assured from a little measure of grace The Spirit appears not in all graces at once A Christian is a mixed creature Use 2. To examine the truth of grace We may know grace is true though little 1. The soul mournes that it is little 2. Wait 3. To wait with Patience 4. Constancy 5. To purge our selves 6. Desire of accomplishment Cautions 1. When conscience is wounded 2. Have been carelesse 7. Growth in grace 8. Quieting of the soul. 9. True gold will endure the tryal 10. It will persevere Christians get strength by their falls To labour for assurance Earnest given for our sakes To labour against unbelief Earnest the work of the Spirit 1. He proceeds from Father and Son 2. He only can quiet the soul. How to know we have the Spirit 1. By life and motion 2. By transforming us 3. By Conflict 4. By supernatural obedience 5. It dwells in us 6. It mortifies sin 7. It leads us 8 It is a Spirit of adoption 9. It teacheth to pray 10. And to wait Directions to have the Spirit 1. Attend Gods means 2. Not to grieve the Spirit 1. By cherishing Lusts. 2. Obey the Spirit 3. Pray for the Spirit The Spirit makes impregnable No thankfulnesse without the Spirit No joy without the Spirit No willââ¦ngnesse to dye without it Parts of the Verse Observ. Mans nature prone to suspition Grounds of suspition 1. The infirmity of men 2. Guiltinesse 3. From Probabilities Suspition more then fear lesse then judgment Suspition what Suspition makes the worst construction Why the Devil cherisheth suspition Mischief from suspition Observ. To labour to avoid suspition Suspition a Canker That that is suspected is made unprofitable God labours ââ¦o free himself from suspition Christ labours to be freed from suspition Sin must be censured and judged Doctr. Gentle courses first to be used Reason 1. It is suitable to ââ¦ns nature Reason 2. To Gods disposition Reason 3. To the carriage of our salvation Reason 4. Gods course Reason 5. It is most successeful Reason 6. It is tasting Use. To deal gently with others Doctr. When gentle means prevail not severe must be used Reason Men must not spare that God may Against selfrââ¦spects in reproos of sin Use. People to be willing to bear of their sins How to prevent severity in others Vexation in hell to those that were cherished in sin Three-fold correction 1. Private admonition 2. Before others Definition of an Oath None but good men should take an Oath To swear by none but God Invocation in an Oath Imprecation Oath to be taken onely in serious matters An Oath must be 1. In Truth 2. In Judgment 3. In Justice Against equivocation An oath only in matters in determinable Oath lawful Ordinary Swearing forbidden Object Answ. Swearing without good life nothing Object Answ. Custome no plea for swearing Object Answ. Company no excuse for swearing Swearing ordinarily argues a vile heart Original of common swearing 1. Atheisme 2. Cherishing passion 3. Affectation 4. Shame Men should abstain swearing in love to the Kingdome For love to theââ¦r own sam lies Conscience of lessââ¦r oathes Ordinary Swearers curse themselves A Christians life a kind of oath Doctr. No man hath dominion over anothers faith 1. What it is not to have dominion over the faith of others What ââ¦ranny over the faith of others is Quest. Answ. The Church of Rome domineers over the faith of others 1. By Traditions 2. Will-worship 3. That the Pope cannot erre A grand lie that hinders their Reformation 4. Church Judge of Controversies 5. In the intentioâ⦠of the Minister in the Sacrament Confession Satans malice to sit in Gods throne Popery would subdue all Use. To be thankful for freedome from this tyranny How to think of Popery Grounds of spiritual Tyranny Salvation termed joy why Doctr. 1. The state of a Christian is joy Nature teacheth it God gives matter of joy 1. Freedom from ill 2. The good they are brought to Reason 1. That God may have glory Reason 2. It makes active in doing good Reason 3. And able to suffer ill Reason 4. To encourage others Doctr. 2. The Word unfolded helps this joy To comfort what The Ministers helpers of joy 1. By shewing people their ill 2. By shewing the remedy 3. By advice Light Liberty Victory 4. By forcing it as a duty 5. In death Object Answ. Ministers trouble the joy of carnal men Object Answ. Private means will not comfort when publick are neglected Object Answ. The sorrow caused by the Ministery tends to joy Simile Object Answ. Simile Comfort what Use. To esteem the Ministery To open the case of our soules to spiritual Physitians Doctr. 3 Ministers but helpers not the authours of joy Simile Gods Spirit only specks comfort 1. He only knowes our hearts 2. He only can set down the soul. Use To look for comfort from the Spirit by the means Not to idolize the Ordinances why S. Paul varies the phrase Observ. Faith breeds joy 1 Faith takes away all that may discourage 2. It shewes Gods love in Christ. Pedigree of joy Use. To try if our joy be good 1. If it spring from the Word 2. It springs from faith 3. It is above discouragements or allurements 4. It is with humility Standing what meant by it Quest. Answ. Why our stand ing is by faith Four degrees of assent 1. Opinion 2. Knowledge 3. Believing 4. Experience How we stand by faith Quest. Answ. What faith it self stands on God our Father The nature of God Observ. The foundation of faith out of us Faith withstands opposition Quest. Answ. How we stand by faith when conscience is awakened for sin The firmnesse of a Christians standing If our knowledg of Scripture be not spiritual 1. We fall into sin 2. To despair 3. To Apostasie The Sacrament strengthens faith Faith the radical grace
a hair cannot fall from my head without his providence much lesse can the disposing of my calling which is a greater matter therefore I will seek his glory and frame my self and courses answerable to the will of him by whose will I am in this place Men have not their callings onely to get riches and to get preferment those are base ends of their own to serve themselves God placeth us in our particular callings not to serve our selves but to serve him and he will cast in those riches honour preferment dignity and esteem so much as is fit for us in the serving of him in our places The other party in the inscription from whom the Epistle is is Timothy our Brother HE sends his Epistle from Timothy as well as from himself This he doth to win the more acceptance among the Corinthians by the consent of so blessed a man as Timothy was who was an Evangelist Unitie by consent is stronger And there is a natural weaknesse in men to regard the consent and authority of others more then the things themselves And indeed if God himself in heavenly love and mercy condescend to help our weaknesse much more should all that are led by the Spirit of God We are subject to call in question the truths of God therefore he helps us with Sacraments and with other means and allurements and although that be truth that he saith yet because he would undermine our distrustful dispositions by all means he useth those courses So S. Paul that they might respect what he wrote the more as from a joynt spirit he writes Paul and Timothy our Brother It was an argument of much modestie and humility in this blessed Apostle that he would not of himself seem as it were to monopolize their respect as if all should look to him but he joyns Timothy with him so great an Apostle joynes an inferiour There is a spirit of singularity in many they will seem to do all themselves and carry all themselves before them and they will not speak the truths that others have spoken before them without some disdain As a proud Critick said I would they had never been men that spake our things before we were that we might have had all the credit of it Oh no those that are led with the Spirit of God they are content in modestie and humility to have others joyned with them and they know it is available for others likewise they will respect the truth the more And thus far we yield to the Papists when we speak of this whether the Church can give authority to the Word of God or no. In regard of us the Church hath some power in regard of our weaknesse but what is that power It is an inducing power an alluring power a propounding power to propound the mysteries of salvation but the inward work the convincing power is from the Evidence of the Spirit of God and from the Scripture it self All that the Church doth is to move to induce and to propound this quoad nos it hath some power in the hearts of men The Church thus far gives authority to the Scriptures in the hearts of men though it be an improper phrase to say it gives authority for as the men said to the woman of Samaria Now we believe it our selves not because thou toldest us c. The Church allures us to respect the Scriptures but then there is an inward Power an inward Majestie in the Scriptures and that bears down all before it Again here is a ground why St. Paul alledged humane authority sometimes in his Epistles and in his dealing with men because he was to deal with men that would be shamed the more with them Any thing that may strengthen the truth in regard of the weaknesse of those with whom we have to deal may be used in a heavenly policy One of your own Prophets saith St. Paul Tit. 1. towards the end And so in the Acts of the Apostles he quotes a saying out of an Atheist Timothy our Brother Brother he means not only by Grace but by calling As we know in the Law and other professions those of the same profession are called before Brethren So Timothy was St. Pauls Brother not only by Grace but by calling and two bonds binde stronger Here is a treble bond Nature Grace Calling They were men they were fellow Christians and they were teachers of the Gospel therefore he saith Timothy our Brother Timothy was an Evangelist yet notwithstanding it was a greater honour to him to be a Brother to St. Paul then to be an Evangelist an Hypocrite may be an Evangelist but a true Brother of St. Paul none but a true Christian can be All Christians are Brethren It is a word that levels all for it takes down the Mountains and fills up the Vallies the greatest men in the World the mountains if they be Christians they are Brethren to the lowest and it fills up the Vallies the lowest if they be Christians are Brethren to the Highest howsoever in worldly respects they cease in death as personal differences and differences in calling they all cease in death All are Brethren therefore he useth it for great respect St Paul was a great Apostle Timothy an inferiour man yet both Brethren Timothy our Brother To the Church of God at Corinth VVE have seen the persons from whom Paul and Timothy Now here are the persons to whom To the Church of God at Corinth Corinth was a very wicked City as where there is a great confluence of many people there is a contagion of many sins of the people and yet notwithstanding in this Corinth there was a Church For as Christ saith No man can come to me except my Father draw him so where the Father will draw who can draw back Even in Corinth God hath his Church he raiseth up a generation of men a Church which is a company of creatures differing as much from the common as men do from Beasts And yet such is the Power and Efficacy of the blessed Gospel of Salvation having the Spirit of God accompanying it that even in Corinth a wretched City this Word and this Spirit raised up a company of men called here by the name of a Church and Saints And such power indeed hath the Word of God with the Spirit not only in wicked places but in our wicked hearts too Let a man have a world of wickednesse in him and let him come and present himself meekly and constantly to the means of Salvation and God in time by his Spirit will raise a new frame of grace in his heart he will make a new Creation As at the first he created all out of nothing order out of confusion so out of the heart which is nothing but a Chaos of confusion of blindnesse and darknesse and terror there is a world of confusion in the heart of man God by his creating Word for his Word of the Gospel is creating as well
for are you members of the Church or no yes will every one say will you make me an Infidel will you make me a Pagan Well take your own word then what is it to be a member of the Church but to be a Saint Must thou be a Saint doth not thy profession as thou art a member bind thee to be a Saint In Baptisme was not thy promise to renounce the Divel the World the flesh In renewing thy covenant in the Communion dost not thou purpose to cleave to God in all things Thou that takest liberty therefore in the Church of God under the profession of Religion to live as a libertine thou art a grosse Hypocrite and this aggravates thy sin and makes it worse then a Pagans Thou which art in the bosome of the Church in the Kingdom of Saints as it is in Dan. 7. the people of the Saints of the most high the people of God in the Church wherein thou art a professed member and yet doest thou take liberty grosly to offend God What doth make a Saint In a word to the constitution of a true Saint there is A Separation Dedication Qualification Conversation There is a separation presently when a man is a Saint he is separate from the confused company of the world from the Kingdom of Satan Therefore those that have all companies alike that carry themselves indifferently in all companies as men that professe a kind of Civility that are taken up with the complement of the times men that learn the language of the times that are for all sorts they know not what belongs to the high profession of Christianity There is a due to all I confesse there is a benevolence and a beneficence to all but there is a kind of complacencie a sweet familiarity and amity which should be reserved to a few onely to those in whom we see the evidences and signs of Grace If there be not a separation in respect of Grace there is no holinesse at all a Saint must be separated Not locally but in regard of amitie in regard of intimate friendship As we see it is in outward things in some of our houses there is a Court where all come poor and rich and there is the house where those of nearer acquaintance come and then there is the innermost Roome the Closet where onely our selves and those which are nearest to us come So it is in the passages of the soul there are some remote courtesies that come from us as men to all be they what they will there are other respects to others that are nearer that we admit nearer that are of better quality and there are other that are nearest of all that we admit even into the closet of our hearts and those are they with whom we hope to have communion for ever in heaven the blessed people of God termed here Saints It is an evidence of our translation from a cursed estate to a better when we love such hereby we know saith St. John that we are translated from death to life because we love the bretheren There must be a separation And withal there must be a dedication of our selves to the service of God A Christian when he knowes himself by the word of truth and by the work of the Spirit to be Gods Child he dedicates himself to better services then before he thinks himself too good he thinks too highly of himself to be a base blasphemer or swearer to be a filthy Person he considers himself as the Temple of the Holy Ghost and he useth himself to better purposes to better studies to do good And then with Dedication there is an inward Qualification to inable him with light never to forget the Image of God Herein this Saint-ship stands especially in this inward Qualification whereby we resemble Christ the King of Saints All our sanctification comes from him as Aarons oyntment went down from his head to his beard and so to his skirts so all our sanctification is from Christ. Every Saint is qualified from the Spirit of Christ of his fulnesse we receive this inward qualification that we have another judgment of things then this world hath what is good and what is bad what is true and what is false what is comfortable and what tends to discomfort He hath another conceit of things he hath another light then he had before and then other carnal men have he hath a heavenly light He hath another Language he gives himself to prayer and to thanksgiving he is given to savoury discourse He hath other courses in his particular calling and in his general calling then other refuse company have or then himself had before his calling this is from his qualification And this Qualification and Conversation go together he hath a new conversation he carries himself even like to him that hath called him out of darknesse into marvellous light So a true Saint as every professor of Religion ought to be he is dedicate to God and he is qualified in some degree as Christ was by his holy Spirit he is a new creature he that is in Christ is a new creature and he shewes this by his conversation or else he is no Saint How shall we know a Saint from a meer civil man as there be many that live and d ie in that estate which is to be pittied and one main end of our calling is not only to reduce prophane men to a better fashion of life but to shew civil men their danger A meer civil man lookes to the second table he is smooth in his carriage and conversation with men but negligent in his service to God A civil man he lookes to his outward carriage but he makes no conscience of secret sins he is not holy in all manner of conversation as St. Peter saith 1. Pet. 1. Be ye holy in all manner of conversation In private in publick in your retired carriage he makes no conscience of his thoughts of his speeches of all You may know an hypocrite so that carries himself smoothly and acceptably in the eye of the World but he makes no conscience of his thoughts he makes no conscience of his affections of his desires of his lusts and such things He makes no conscience of lesser oathes nor perhaps of rotten discourses No they are all for this that they may passe in the World that they may carry themselves with acceptance as for what belongs to the New Creature to Saints they care not for they have vain conceits of these and judge them as hypocrites because such a one knowes himself should be an hypocrite if he should do otherwise then he doth therefore he thinks that others that are above his pitch are hypocrites and and they make a shew of that that is not in them because if he should make shew of that his heart would tell him that he were an hypocrite A true Saint differs from an
strength of love of ours it is his own free grace and love which is shed by the holy Ghost and springs only from his own goodnesse and loving nature and not from us at all this is Grace It must be distinguished from the fruits of it as the Apostle doth distinguish them Rom. 5. 15. Grace and the gifts of grace There is favour and the gifts of favour which is grace inherent in us Here especially is meant the fountaine and spring of all the favour of God with the manifestation of it with the increase of it with the continuance of it He wisheth these things the favour of God with the manifestation of it to their souls that as God would be gracious to them so that he would shew his Grace that he would discover it and shine upon them and to that end that he would give them his holy Spirit to shed his love into their hearts This shining of God into the heart this shedding of the love of God into the heart is the Grace here meant Gods favour with the manifestation of it to the soul and with the continuance of it and the increase of it still Grace unto you As if he should have said I wish you the favour of God and the report of it to your souls that as he loves you through his Christ so he would witnesse as much by his holy Spirit to your souls And I wish you likewise the continuance of it and the increase of it and the fruits of it likewise for that must not be excluded all particular graces which are likewise called Graces They have the name of favours because they come from favour and favour is the chief thing in them What is the chief thing in joy in faith in love they are graces they cannot be considered as qualifications as earthly things in us they proceed from the grace and love of God and have their especial value from thence So I wish you the manifestation the continuance and increase of favour with all the fruits of Gods favour especially such as concern a better life The word is easily understood after the common sence Grace is the loving and free respect of a superiour to an inferiour the respect of a Magistrate to such as are under him such a one is in grace with the Prince we say we mean not any inherent thing but free grace So in Religion it is not any inherent habitual thing Grace but it is free favour and whatsoever issues from free favour This must be the rather observed this phrase against the Papists we say we are Justified by Grace and so do they what do they mean by being justified by Grace that is by inherent Grace we say No we are justified by Grace that is by the free favour of God in Jesus Christ so is the acception of the word But to come to the point that which I will now note is this that A Christian though he be in the state of Grace and favour with God yet still he needs the continuance of it He stands in need of the continuance of God St. Paul here prayes for Grace and peace to those that were in the state of Grace already Why The reason of it is that we run into new breaches every day of our selves as long as there is a spring of corruption in us a cursed issue of corruption so long there will be some actions and speeches and thoughts that will issue that would of themselves break our peace with God or at least hinder the sweet sence of it therefore we have continual occasion to renew our desires of the sence and feeling of the favour of God and to renew our pardon every day to take out a pardon of course as we have now the liberty to do so oft as we confesse our sins he is mercifull to forgive us and to win his favour we have need every day still still of Grace I list not to joyn in conflict here with the Papists concerning their opinion I will but touch it by the way to shew the danger of it They will not have all of meer Grace but Christians are under Grace while they are in this World as St. Paul saith all is Grace Grace still nay at the day of judgement The Lord shew mercy to the house of One siphorus at that day at the day of judgement Grace and mercy must be our plea till we come to heaven They stand upon Grace to enable us to the work and then by the work we may merit our own salvation and so they will not have it of Grace of gift but as a stipend a thing of merite Directly contrary to St. Paul Rom. 6. ult Eternal life is ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the word comes of ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã of gift The gift of God a free gift through Jesus Christ our Lord. So from the first Grace to Eternall life which is the complement of all all is Grace As for the New Testament it is the Covenant of Grace the whole carriage of our salvation is called the Covenant of Grace because God of Grace doth enter into Covenant with us He sent Christ of Grace who is the foundation of the Covenant The fulfilling of it on our part is of Grace he gives us faith Faith is the gift of God he puts his fear in our hearts that we should not depart from him And when he enters into Covenant with us it is of Grace and love It was of Grace that he sent Christ to be the foundation of the Covenant that in the satisfying of his justice he might be gracious to us without disparagement to his justice Of Grace he fulfils the condition on our part we are no more able to believe then we are to fulfil the law but he inables us by his word and spirit attending upon the meanes of Salvation to fulfil the Covenant And when we have done all he gives us of Grace Eternal life all is of Grace There is nothing in the Gospel but Grace therefore in the Ephes. 1. it is stood upon by the Apostle To the praise of the Glorie of his rich Grace From Election to Glorification all is to the Glorie of his Grace We ought to conceive of God as a Gracious Father withholding his anger which we deserve to be poured upon us by the intercession of Christ withholding that anger and the fruits of it And notwithstanding we are in Grace if we neglect to seek to God the Father if we neglect to seek to Christ who makes intercession for us then though we be in the first Grace still we are not east away yet we are filii sub ira sons under wrath we are under Anger though not under hatred Therefore every day we should labour to maintain the Grace of God with the assurance of it It is a great matter to carrie our selvs so as we may be under the sence and feeling of the Grace of God It
comfort unlesse with revelation and application in the third place thou open my soul to joyn with these comforts There must be a discovery and application and an opening of the soule to them As there be diverse flowers that open and shut with the sun so the soul by the spirit of God it opens to comforts though comforts be put close to the soul if that do not open to them there is no comfort given for all is in the application There is a double application of the thing to the soul and of the soul to the thing God must do all What is the reason that many here Sermons and Read sweet discourses and yet when they come to suffer crosses and afflictions they are to see They go to the stream they cut the Conduits from the spring they go not to the Well-head they see not the derivation of comfort it is necessary for the deriving of comfort to the soul to take the scales from the eye of the soul they see not the necessity of a divine presence to apply it and and to lay it close to the soul and to open the soul to joyn the soul to those comforts God is the God of all comfort If any thing will stir up devotion much to pray to God undoubtedly this will be effectual that whatsoever the comfort be whether it be outward things or reasons and discourses whatsoever we may go to God that he would give it Well this being so if God be the God of all comfort the Well of comfort the Father of comfort and hath remedies for every malady Then you see here whither to go you see a Christian in all estates hath ground of comfort for he is in Covenant with the God of comfort You will say to me what is the reason that Christians are no more comfortable having the God of comfort for their God I answer it is partly from Ignorance we have remainders of Ignorance that we know not our own comfort Satan doth vail the eye of the soul in the time of trouble that we cannot see that there is a well of comfort Poor Hagar when shee was almost undone for thirst yet she had a fountain of water near hand but she saw it not she was so overtaken with grief Ignorance and Passion hinder the sight of comfort when we give way so much to the present malady as if there were no God of comfort in heaven as if there were no Scripture that hath breasts of comfort that is as full as a breast that is willing to discharge it self of comfort as if there were no matter of comfort they feed upon grief and delight to flatter their selves in grief as Rachel that mourned and would not be comforted so out of a kind of Ignorance and Passion and Wilfulnesse they will not be comforted And again as Bildad saith Job 18. are the comforts of God light to thee These are good words but my discomforts are greater my malady is greater so the comforts of the Holy Ghost the comforts of Gods Spirit seem light to them Ignorance and Passion and dwelling too much makes us neglect comfort it makes us to see comfort to be no comfort in a manner Mary when Christ was before her eyes they were so blubbered with tears with fear that her Lord was lost that she could not see him even when he was before her so grief and Passion hinder the soul so much from seeing Gods comforts that we see them not when they are before us when they are present So men are guilty of their own discomfort it is their own fault Again oft times forgetfulnesse as the Apostle saith Heb. 12. have ye forgotten the Consolation that speaks have ye forgotten that every Son that God chastizeth not is a bastard have ye forgotten insinuating that if they had remembred this it would have comforted them have ye forgotten And then one especial cause is that I spake of before the looking to things present forgetting the spring the well-head of comfort God himself the looking too much to the means oh say some if they be in distresse if I had such a Book if I had such a man to comfort me certainly it would be otherwise with me I should be better then I am put case he were with thee alas he is not the spring it is the God of comfort that must comfort thee man in all thy distresses whatsoever therefore if thou attribute not more to God then to the creature nay then to an Angel if he were to comfort thee thou shalt find no comfort I even I am he that comforts thee I am he that pardons thy sins which is the cause of all discomfort that is comfort that is the sting of all I am he that pardons thy sins We as Criers may speak pardon to the soule but God must give it we may speak comfort but God must give it he must say to the soule I am thy salvation When men Idolize any discourse in books or any particular man overmuch though we may value those that are instrumentall above others there may be a difference of gifts but the resting too much in the creature it is an enemy to comfort and some grow to that wilfulness in that kind that they will neglect all because they have not that they would have whereas if they would look to God meaner meanes would serve the turne oft times if they would goe to the God of comfort Who comforteth us in all tribulation Afflictions and crosses as they are irkesome in suffering so they are likewise disgracefull and as it was in the cross of Christ there was two things torment and shame the one he felt himselfe the other he had from others those two disgrace is proper to the cross so it is in all the crosses that we suffer there is some disgrace with it therefore Saint Paul to prevent the scandall and disgrace of the cross as I said before he doth here begin with praysing God even for crosses in the midst of them Blessed be God the Father of mercies the God of all comfort who comforteth us in all tribulations c. Who comforteth us in all tribulation These words contain a making good of the former title He is the God of comfort and doth comfort he is good and doth good He fils up his name by his works he shews what he is the Scripture doth especially describe God not in all things as he is in himself but as he is and works to his poore Church and they are usefull termes all of them he is the Father of mercie because he is so to his Church he is the God of comfort because he is so to his people therefore he saith here as he is the God of comfort so he doth comfort us in all tribulation He doth not say who keeps us out of miserie blessed be the God of comfort that never suffers us to fall
to his Children and what are the last comforts of all the comforts reserved at home when God shall be all in all Now there are some drops of comfort conveyed in smells some in garments some in friends some in diet here a drop and there a drop but when we shall have immediate communion there with the God of comfort himself what comforts shall we have there God comforts us here by providing for us and giving us things that are comfortable Or by giving reasons and grounds of comfort which are stronger then the reasons and grounds of discomfort reasons from the priviledges and prerogative of Christians c. the scripture is full of them But likewise which is the best of all and most intended the inward inspiring of comfort with the reasons and grounds he inwardly conveyes comforts to the soul and strengtheneth and supports the soul. And he doth this not onely by the application of the reasons and the things that we understand to the soul but by opening the soul to embrace them for sometime the soul may be in such a case as it may reject comfort that the consolation of the Almightie may seem light to it sometime there may be such a disposition of soule that the chiefest comforts in scripture yield it not comfort they are not embraced the soul is shut to them God provides reasons and grounds of comfort and likewise he applies these comforts by his spirit to the soul and he inwardly warmes and opens the soul to embrace comfort he opens the understanding to understand and the will and affections to embrace or else there will be no comfort Many are like Rachel her Children were gone and it is said of her Shee would not be Comforted God is the God of Comfort as he gives the matter and ground of comfort and reasons out of his holy word above all dsscomforts so by his spirit he frames and fits the heart to entertain these to take the benefit of them He comforts us in all tribulation To comfort is to support the soule against the grievance past or felt or feared There may be some remainders of grief for what is past grief present presseth most and grief feared Now God comforteth whatsoever the grievance is by supporting the soul against it as I said before We are in tribulation in this life and yet in all tribulations God doth comfort us to add to that I said before of this point let us therefore go to God in all the meanes of comfort because he is the God of it and he must comfort us Therefore when we send for divines or read Holy books for we must use all meanes we must not set God against his meanes but joyn them together to add that caution by the way We may not therefore necessitate the God of comfort that because he comforts us therefore we will neglect reading and prayer and conference with them that God hath exercised in the schoole of Christ who should speak comfort to the wearie soul by their office No No God and his meanes must be joyned together we must trust God but not tempt him to set God against his meanes is to tempt him that because he is the God of comfort therefore we will use no meanes no Physitian for the body or for the soul this is absurd he is the God of comfort in the means he comforts us in all tribulation by meanes if they be to be had If there be no meanes to be had he is the God of comfort he can create them and if it be so far that there be no meanes but the contrary he is a God that can comfort out of discomfort and can as I said make the greatest grounds of comfort out of the greatest discomforts But he is a God of the meanes if they be to be had if there be none then let us go to him and say thou God of comfort if thou do not comfort none can comfort if thou help not none can help and then he will help and help strongly It is necessary to looke to God what ever the meanes be it is he that comforts by them Therefore let him have the praise if we have any friend any comfort of the outward man or any solace of the inward man by seasonable speech c. blessed be the God of comfort who hath sent this comforter who hath sent me comfort by such and such let him have the praise whatsoever the means be the comfort is his And that is the cause that many have no more comfort they trust to the means overmuch or neglect the means Again if God comfort in all tribulation Let Christians be ashamed to be overmuch disconsolate that have the God of comfort for their God who comforteth in all tribulation Why art thou so cast down Is there no Balme in Gilead for thee Is there not a God in Israel It is the fault of Christians they pore too much on their troubles they look all one way they look to the grievance and not to the comfort There is a God of comfort that answers his name every way in the exercise of that attribute to his Church therefore Christians must blame themselves if they be too much cast down and labour for faith to draw near to this God of comfort It should make them ashamed of themselves that think it even a duty as it were to walk drooping and disconsolatly and deadly to have flat and dead spirits What is this beseeming a Christian that is in Covenant with God that is the God of comfort and that answers his title in dealing with his Children that is ready to comfort them in all tribulation what if particular comforts be taken from thee is there not a God of comfort left he hath not taken away himself What if thou be restrained and shut up from other comforts can any shut up Gods Spirit can any shut up God and our prayers Is not this a comfort that we may go to God alway and he is with us in all estates and in all wants whatsoever So long as we are in covenant with the God of comfort why should we be over much cast down Why art thou so troubled oh my soul David cheeks his soul thrice together for distrust in God he is thy God the God of all comfort What course shall we take that we may derive to our selves comfort from this God of comfort who comforteth us in all our tribulations Let us consider what our malady and grievance is especially let us look to our spiritual grievance and malady sin for sin is the cause of all other evils therefore it is the worst evil And sin makes us loathed of God the fountain of good it drives us from him when other evils drive us to from him and therefore it is the worst evil in that sense too Again in the third place look to the discomforts of sin especially in the discomforts of
friends seeing he died for us when we were enemies I but the remainders of corruption in this world trouble us that troubles our comfort the combate between the flesh and the spirit would you see comfort for that you shall see it in Romans 7. Oh miserable man who shall deliver me from this body of death Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So he shewes there what way to have comfort in the combate between the flesh and the Spirit to search into our corruptions to lay them open to God by confession And then in the beginning of the eight Chapter saith he there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus though there be sin yet there is no condemnation though there be this conflict between the flesh and the spirit so he comforts them And for the afflictions that follow our corruptions in this life there is a treasure of comfort against them in that Chapter for doth he not say if we suffer with him we shall reign with him And the same spirit helps our infirmities and teacheth us how to pray We can never be uncomfortable if we can pray but there is a promise of the spirit that stirs up sighs and groanes that cannot be expressed and a Christian hath alway a spirit of prayer at the least of sighs and groanes and God hears the sighs of his own spirit And what a grand comfort is that that I named before vers 28. All things work for the best to them that love God And if God be with us who can be against us And he sends us to Christ if Christ be dead or rather risen again who shall lay any thing to our charge Christ is ascended to heaven and makes intercession at the right hand of God Though Satan lay our sins to our charge Christ makes intercession in heaven at the right hand of God he makes continuall intercession for our continuall breaches with God who shall lay any thing to our charge I but all that power of hell and sin and all labour to separate us from God to breed division between God and us In the later end of that Chapter he bids defiance to all what shall separate us from the love of God in Christ it shall separate his love from Christ first Gods love is found in Christ he shall cease to love Christ if he cease to love us I but we may afterward fall into an uncomfortable case For that he saith neither things present nor things to come shall be able to separate us What an excellent spring of comfort is there in that reasoning vers 32. If God spared not his own son but gave him to death for us all how shall he not with him give us all things eââ¦lse How many streames may be drawn from that spring if God spared not his own son but gave him to death for us all how shall he not with him give us all things else in this world necessar grace provision protection till he have brought us to heaven If he have given Christ he will give all whatsoever is written is written for our comfort I mean this epistle because I would name one instance for all All is written for our comfort as he saith after in the same Epistle The written word or the word unfolded the end of preaching is especially to comfort The Chirurgeon opens a wound and the Physitian gives a purge but all is to restore at the last all that the Chirurgeon aimes at is to close up the wound at the last so all our aime is to comfort We must cast you down and shew you your miserie that you are in and shew you that if you continue in that course hell and damnation belongs to you but this is to make you despaire in your selves and to flie to the God of comfort the law is for the Gospel all serve to bring the soul to comfort Therefore go to the word of God any portion the Psalmes or any special part of the scripture and that by the spirit of God will be a meanes to raise the soul the spirit in the word joyning with the spirit in us will make a sweet close together and comfort us in all tribulation And have recourse daily to common principles all the principles of religion serve for comfort especially the Articles of the Creed I believe in God the father Almightie What a spring of comfort is in that what can befall from a father but it shall turn to good and by a father Almightie though he be never so strongly opposed yet he will turn it to good he is a father Almightie and the Articles of Christ every article hath ground of daily comfort of his abasement in Christ I see my self he is my surety the second Adam I see my sins crucified with him This is the way to reape comfort when the conscience is disquieted when I look upon my sins not in my own conscience but take it out there and see it in Christ dying and crucified in the Articles of abasement to see our sin and miserie all in Christ. For he stood there as surety as a publick person for all What a comfort is this When I see how Christ was abased I see my own comfort for he was my surety if my sins being laid on him who was my surety could not condemne him or keep him in the grave but overcame sin that was laid to his charge surely I shall overcome my corruptions nothing that I have shall overcome mee because it could not overcome Christ my surety his victorie is mine And so if the soul be in any desolation and discomfort all the articles of his Glorification and exaltation his rising again acquits the soul therefore my sins are satisfied for because my surety is out of prison And his ascending into heaven shewes my triumph he lead captivity captive and the enemies that are left are for the tryal of my faith and not to conquer me for Christ hath Lead captivity captive and is ascended into heaven he led all in triumph and sits at the right hand of God to rule his Church to the end of the World he sits for me to overcome my enemies as St. Paul saith excellently Rom. 8. who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods people it is Christ that died or rather that is risen again who fits at the right hand of God And if we be troubled for the loss of a particular friend there is comfort in that article of the communion of Saints There are those that have more grace and that is for me If my own prayers be weak I believe the communion of Saints and have the benefit of their prayers every one that saith Our Father brings me in if I be in the Covenant of grace and of the Communion of Saints If I have weaknesses in my self I believe in the holy Ghost the comforter of Gods elect and my comforter If I fear death I believe the
Other reasons there may be given but these are sufficient If this be so then we ought from hence to learn that whatsoever we have we are debtors of it to others whatsoever comfort we have whether it be outward or inward comfort And even as God hath disposed and dispensed his benefits graces to us so let us be good stewards of it we shall give account of it ere long Let every man reason with himself why have I this comfort that another wants I am Gods Steward God hath not given it me to lay up but to lay out To speak a little of outward comforts It is cursed Athiesme in many rich Persons that think they are to live here only to scrape an estate for them and their children when in the mean time their Neighbour want and Gods Children want that are as dear to God as themselves and perish for want of comfort If they were not Athiests in this point they would think I am a steward and what comfort shall I have of scraping much that will but increase my account Such a Steward were mad that would desire a great account the more my account is the more I have to answer for and the more shall be my punishment if I quit not all well Now men out of Athiesme that they do not believe a day of Judgment a time of account they ingrosse comforts to them and theirs as if there were not a Church as if there were not an afflicted body of Christ they think not that they are Stewards Whereas the time will come when they shall have more comfort of that that they have bestowed then of that that they shall leave behind them to their children That which is wisely dispensed for the comfort of Gods people it will comfort us when all that we shall leave behind will not nay perhaps it will trouble us the ill getting of it And so whatsoever inward comforts we have it is for the comfort of others we are debtors of it whatsoever ability we have as occasion is ofââ¦ered if there be a necessity in those that are of the same body with our selves we ought to regard them in pitty and compassion If we should see a poor creature cast himself into a whirlpoole or plunge himself into some desperate pit were we not accessorie to his death if we should not help him if we would not pull one out of the fire Oh yes and is not the soul in as great danger and is not mercy to the soul the greatest mercy shall we see others ready to be swallowed up in the pit of despair with heaviness of spirit shall we see them dejected and not take it to heart but either we are unable to Minister a word of comfort to them or else unwilling as if we were of Cains disposition that we would look to our selves only we are none of their keepers It is a miserable thing to professe our selves to be members of that body whereof Christ is the Head to professe the communion of Saints and yet to be so dead hearted in these particular Exigences and occasions It lies upon us as a duty if God convey comfort to us from others and his end in comforting us any way of putting any comfort in our hands outward or inward it is to comfort others if we do it not we are liable to sin to the breach of Gods command and we frustrate Gods end But if this lie upon us as a duty to comfort others then it concerns us to know how to be able to do it That we may be able to comfort others let us be ready to take notice of the grievance of others as Moses went to see the afflictions of his brethren and when he saw it laid it to heart It is a good way to go to the house of mourning and not to balk and decline our Christian brethren in adversity God knowes our souls in adversitie so should we do the souls of others if they be knit to us in any bond of kindred or Nature or Neighbourhood or the like that bond should provoke us for bonds are as the veins and Arteries to derive comfort All bonds are to derive good whether bonds of Neighbourhood or acquaintance c. A man should think with himself I have this bond to do my Neighbour good It is Gods providence that I should be acquainted with him and do that to him that I cannot do to a stranger Let us consider all Bonds and let this work upon us let us consider their grievance is a bond to tie us And withall let us labour to put upon us the bowels of a father and mother tender bowels as God puts upon him bowels of compassion towards us So St. Paul being an excellent comforter of others in 1 Thess. 2. he shewes there how he carried himself as a Father or Mother or Nurse to them Those that will comfort others they must put upon them the affections of tender creatures as may be they must be patient they must be tenderly affected they must have love they must have the graces of communion What be the graces of communion The graces of Christian communion to fit us in the communion of Saints to do good they are a loving meek patient spirit Love makes patient as we see Mothers and Nurses what can they not endure of their cââ¦ildren because they love them And they must be likewise wise and furnished they that will comfort others must get wisedom and abilityâ⦠They must get Humility they must abase themselves that they may be comfortable to others and not stand upon terms these be the graces of communion that fit us for the communion of Saints What is the reason that many are so untoward to this duty and have no heart to it that they cannot indeed do it The reason is they consider not their Bonds they do not Consider the poor and needy Psal. 41. they have not the graces of communion they want loving spirits they want ability they are empty they are not furnished they have not knowledge laid up in store they want humble spirits the want of these graces makes us so barren in this practise of the communion of Saints Therefore we should bewaile our own barrennesse when we should do such duties and cannot And beg of God the spirit of love and wisedom that we may do things wisely that we may speak that which is fit a word in season is as apples of Gold with Pictures of Silver And let us beg a humble spirit that we may be abased to comfort others As Christ in love to us he abased himself he became man and when he was man he became a servant he abased himself to wash his Disciples feet talk with a silly woman and such base offices and if the Spirit of Christ be in us it will abase us to offices of love to support one another to bear one anothers burthens Again if we would comfort
others as we should let us labour to get experience of comfort in our selves God comforteth us that we might be able to comfort others He will easily kindle others that is all on fire himself and that is comforted himself he can easily comfort others with that comfort he feels himself those that have experience can do it best As we see in Physitians if there be two Physitians whereof the one hath been sick of the disease that he is to cure in another the other parhaps is more excellent then he otherwise but he hath never been sick of it the patient will sooner trust himself with the experienced Physitian then with the other for undoubtedly he is better seen in that then the other though perhaps the other may be a greater booked Physitian then he As it is with the Physitians of the body so it is with the Physitian of the soul the experienced Physitian is the best What is the reason that old men and wise men are the mercifullest of all because they have had experience of many crosses and miseries a wise man knows what crosses are he understands them best The way then to comfort others is to get experience of divine comforts our selves And that we may get experience of Gods comforts let us mark what was said before of the rules of comfort and work upon our own hearts whatsoever may be comfortable to others That we may not be empty Truncks to speak words without feeling He that is well may speak very good things to a sick man but the sick man sees that he speaks without pitty and compassion those that have been sick of the same disease when they come to comfort they do it with a great deal of meeknesse and mildnesse Those that are fit to comfort others must be spiritual themselves first As the Apostle saith Gal. 6. 1. saith the wise and holy Apostle if any man be overtaken as alas we are all overtaken with some corruption or other ye that are spiritual restore such a one set him in joynt as the word is with the spirit of meeknesse knowing that thou thy self maist ââ¦e tempted The Spirit of God is a Spirit of comfort the more we have of the Spirit the fitter we are to comfort others We see many men will speak very good things but they do but personate sorrow and personate comfort it comes from them without feeling as he saith if thou didst believe these things that thou speakest wouldest thou ever say them so He that speakes good things without experience he speaks as if he did never believe them Those that speak things with experience that have wrought them upon their hearts and spirits there is such a demonstration in the manner of their speaking of a spirit of love and meeknesse and compassion that it prevailes marvailously It is so true that our Saviour Christ himself that he might have the more tender bowels of compassion towards us he made it one end of his Incarnation as it is pressed again and again in Heb. 2. and Heb. 4. the Apostle dwels upon it It became him to be man to take upon him our infirmities that he might be a merciful Redeemer a merciful high Priest It was one end of his Incarnation that he might not only save us but that he might be a merciful Redeemer that he might have experience of our infirmities of persecution he was persecuted himself of want he wanted himself of temptation he was tempted himself of wrath he felt it himself my God my God why hast thou forsaken me Here is the comfort of a Christian soul that Christ hath begun to him in all therefore it became him to be mam not only to Redeem us but to be a merciful high priest a comfortable high Priest The way then you see how to comfort others is to get our own hearts sensible of spiritual comfort Two Irons if they be both hot do close together presently but unlesse both be hot they do not joyn together handsomly so that that makes us joyn together strongly is if two spirits meet and both be warm if one godly men comfort another godly man if one holy man labour to breed an impression of heat in another there is a knitting of both spirits they joyn strongly together Therefore we ought to labour to get experience that we may comfort others seeing none can comfort so well as experimental Christians Why is experience such an enabling to spiritual comfort I answer because it brings the comfort home to our own soules The Divell knowes comfort well enough but he feeles none Experience helps faith it helps all other knowledge Our Saviour Christ is said to learn by experience for he learned obedience in that he suffered Experience is such a meanes of the increasing of knowledge as that it bettered the knowledge of Christ that had all knowledge in him he had knowledge by looking upon God being the Wisedom of God yet he learned somewhat by the experience he bettered himself by experience he knew what to bear the cross was by experience he knew what infirmities were by experience he knew what he could suffer by experience so it added to his knowledge as man And so the Angels themselves are continual students in the mysteries of the Gospel they get experimental knowledge to the knowledge that they have inbred that knowledge that they have by the presence of God to that they add experimental knowledge So then if it bettered the knowledge of our blessed Saviour and increased it it was a new way increased by experience and it adds to the knowledge of the Angels much more to ours Then again it gains a great confidence in the speaker for what we speak with experience we speak with a great deal of boldnesse Again experimental comforts those that we have felt our selves and have felt likewise the grievance we speak them with such expressions as no other can do in the apprehension of the partie whom we comfort so well as an experienced person for he goes about the works tenderly and gently and lovingly because he hath been in the same himself And that is the reason that the Apostle St. Paul in the place I named before Gal. 6. 1. presseth this duty upon spiritual men especially because themselves have been tempted and may be tempted those that have been tempted and think they may be afterward this doth wondrously fit them for this work of comforting others But to add a little in this point to shew how to comfort others by our own experience and skill I spake before of an Art of comforting our selves there is a skill likewise in comforting others Even as we comfor our selves in that method we must comfort others When we comfort our selves we must first consider our need of comfort search our wounds our maladies have them fresh in our sight that so we may be forced to seek for comfort and as we ought
argument of praising and blessing of God and that we should answer him in the like that as he hath devised all the waies that may be of comforting us of turning all to our good that that we suffer our selves and that that others suffer so we should study by all means and waies to set forth his glory and no way to grieve the spirit of so gracious a God that thus every way intends our comfort VERS V. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us so our consolations also abound by Christ. HEre the blessed Apostle shewes the reason why his heart was so inlarged as we see in vers 3. in the middest of his troubles and persecutions to blesse God there was good reason for as his afflictions so his consolations abounded It is a reason likewise of his ability to comfort others the reason why he was fitted to comfort others because he found comfort abound in himself in his sufferings so they have a double reference to the words before But to take the words in themselves As the Suffrings of Christ abound c. It is an excellent portion of scripture and that which I should have a great deal of encouragement to speak of if the times and disposition of the hearers were for it for it is a text of comfort for those that suffer persecution that suffer affliction for the Gospel Now because we do not suffer or at least we suffer not any great matter except it be a reproach or the like which is a matter of nothing but a chip of the cross a trifle therefore we hear these matters of comfort against the disgrace of the crosse of Christ with dead hearts But we know not what we are reserved to therefore we must learn somewhat to store up though we have not present use of it The severall branches of divine truths that may be observed from these words are first this That the sufferings of Christians may abound They are many in this world and they may be more still Secondly what we ought to think of those sufferings what judgment we are to have of them They are the sufferings of Christ. Thirdly that being the sufferings of Christ he will not destitute us of comfort but we have our comfort increased in a proportion answerable to our troubles The fourth point is by whom in whom all this is this strange work is by Christ the ballancing of these two so sweetly together crosses and comforts they come both from one hand both from one spring the sufferings of Christ and the comforts of Christ and both abound our troubles are for him and our comforts are by him So here is sufferings and comfort increase of suffering increase of comfort sufferings for Christ and comfort by Christ you see them ballanced together and you see which weighs down the ballance comfort by Christ weighes down sufferings for Christ the good is greater then the ill It is a point of wondrous comfort The Ark you know mounted up as the waters mounted up when the waters overflowed the world so it is here in this verse there is a mounting of the waters a rising of the waters above the mountaines afflictions increase and grow higher and higher but be of good comfort here is the Ark above the waters here is consolation above all as our sufferings for Christ increase so our consolations likewise by Christ increase For the first I will be very short in it The sufferings of Christ abound in us There is no bodie in this world but first or last if they live any long time they must suffer and as a man is in degrees of goodnesse so his sufferings must abound the better man the more sufferings Sufferings abounded in St. Paul it doth not abound in all that was personall in St. Paul to abound in sufferings it doth not go out of the person of St. Paul and such as St. Paul was All must suffer but not in a like measure there are several cups all do not abound in sufferings as all do not abound in grace and strength Those that are of a higher ranck their sufferings abound more God doth not use an exact proportion in afflictions but that which we call geometrical a proportion appliable to the strength of the sufferer Christ as he had more strength then any so he suffered more then any and St. Paul having an extraordinary measure of strength he suffered more then all the Apostles the sufferings of Christ abounded in him but all must suffer What is the reason of it What is the reason that troubles abound thus Surely if we look To God we shall see reasons enough the Divel the world our selves If we look to God and Christ we are ordained to be conformable to Christ we must be conformable to Christ in sufferings first before we be in glorie It is Gods decree we are called to sufferings as well as to be believing we must answer Gods call every Christian must resolve to take up his Crosse every day some degree of the Crosse or other reproach for Christs sake is a suffering the scorn of the world is the rebuke of Christ. We are called to suffering as well as to Glorie it is part of our effectual calling it is an appendix an accessorie thing to the main we must take grace with suffering and it is well we may have it so too it is well that we have the state of grace here and glorie hereafter with suffering If we look to the divel there must be suffering Satan is the Prince of the world he is the prince of an opposite Kingdom If we consider what place we live in when we are taken out of the world to the blessed estate of Christians to be members of Christ and heirs of heaven the world is strange to us and we are strangers to it Crosses and afflictions are necessarie for them that are travellers we would think else that we were at home and forget our countrie considering the condition we live in we must have sufferings If we consider the disposition of the parties among whom we live they are people of an opposite spirit therefore they maligne us because we are taken from among them And though there be no opposition shewed to them yet it upbraids enough their cursed estate when they see others taken from them that speakes loud enough that their course is naught that they see others mislike it The world that is led by the spirit of Satan malignes them that are better then themselves There is opposition between the seed of the Serpent and the seed of the woman so long as there are wicked men that are instruments and Organs of the divel Gods Children must be opposed while there is a Divell suffered to be the God of the World and so long as he hath so strong a faction in the world as he hath the Children of disobedience in whom he rules Gods Children shall never
a Carnal man for he hath the presence of Gods Spirit to support him in some measure Therefore let us not be afraid before hand fear nothing saith the Apostle that thou shalt suffer And with Moses let us not be ashamed of the rebuke of Christ but Let us go out of the Campe with Christ learning our reproach And because we know not what God may call us to let us entertain presently a resolution to endure whatsoever in this world God calls us to to passe through thick and thin to passe through all kind of waies to the hope of our Glorious calling if by any way by any meanes saith St. Paul I may attain the resurrection of the dead If by any meanes I may come to heaven by fair death or by violent death he scorned reproach if by any means he might be happie And for others it is a wondrous quailing to the spirits of men that offer any wrong if it be but a disgrace a scoffe is a persecution to a Christian for a good cause when wicked men oppose a Christian in a good cause and course let us learn what they do they kick against the pricks Do they know what they do when they reproach Christians it is the reproach of Christ. What was Ishmaels scorning a persecution Christ is scorned in his members will he endure this at their hands When good causes are opposed Christ is opposed and Christ is scoffed This doth enable our suffering being an abasing of it self that Christ accounts it done to him Base men of the world they think when they scoffe at goodnesse and wrong the Image of God in his Children they think they deride and despise a companie of weak creatures that they scoffe at silly persons meaner then themselves but they are deceived they scoffe Christ in them and he takes it so Saul Saul why persecutest thou me The foot is trode on on the earth and the head speaks from heaven It is the reproach of Christ and it will be laid to thy charge at the day of judgment that thou hast scoffed and persecuted and reproached Christ in his members it will be a heavy indictment Men should not regard what they conceive of things but what he that must be their judge will conceive of things ere long and he interprets it as done to his own person It is true both of good and ill whatsoever good we do to a Christian as a Christian to a Disciple in the name of a Disciple Christ takes it as done to himself Matth. 25. In as much as you have done it to these you have done it to mee It should animate us to do good offices to those that are Christs what we do to them we do to Christ. Let us be willing to refresh the bowels of Christ in his members at home or abroad as occasion serves to maintain the quarrel of Christ as much as we can to relieve Christ he comes to us in the poore and asks relief he that shed his blood for us he that dyed for us he that hath given us all asks a little pittance for himself that we for his sake would be so good to him in his members as to do thus and thus that for Jonathans sake we would regard poore lame Mephibosheth his son Christ though he be gone he hath some Mephibosheths some poore weak members and what offices we do them he accounts done to himself it runs on his score he will be accountable for every good word we speak in his cause for every defence for every act of bountie It is a point of large meditation to consider that the Crosses and Afflictions of Christians they are the sufferings of Christ. Do but consider the spirit of God intended in this phrase to dignifie all disgraces and indignities that are put upon us in a good cause and quarrel could he have said more in few words he calls them not disgraces or losses or death but he puts such a comfortable title upon them that might make us in love with suffering any thing and set us on fire to endure any thing in a good cause they are the sufferings of Christ. As the sufferings of Christ abound so our consolations c. The third general point is That our consolations are proportionable to our sufferings Our consolations abound We suffer in this World that is hard I but they are the sufferings of Christ there is sweetnesse And then another degree is our consolations abound as our sufferings abound Consolation is as I shewed before in the unfolding of the word an inward support of the soul against trouble felt or feared and it must be stronger then the grievance or else the action of comfort will not follow There is a disproportion between the agent and the patient in all prevailing actions or else there is no prevailing if the comfort be not above the maladie it is no comfort And therefore no comforts but divine comforts will stand at length because in all other comforts sedet medecinum morbo the maladie is above the remedie they may make glorious pretences as the Philosophers do Plutarch and Seneca and the rest but they are as Apothecaries boxes they have goodly titles but there is nothing within Alas when there is trouble in the conscience awakned with the sight of sin and the displeasure of God what can all those precepts compose and frame the soul in petty troubles They have their place and surely the neglect of them many times is that that makes the crosse heavier but alas in divine troubles in terror of conscience it must be divine comfort it must be of like nature or else the effect of comfort will never follow and those be the comforts that he meanes here As our troubles and afflictions abound so our consolations our divine supports they abound the point is this that Our comforts are proportionable to our sufferings What did I say proportionable it is above all proportion of suffering As it is said Rom. 8. the afflictions of this life are not worthy of the glory that shall be revealed And indeed in this life the consolations abound as the sufferings abound For God keeps not all for the life to come he gives us a taste a grape of Canaan before we come to Canaan as the Israelites they sent for grapes to taste the goodnesse of the land and they had them brought to them by the spies by which they might guesse of the fruitfulnesse and sweetnesse of the land it self so the taste and relish that Gods Children have of that fulnesse which is reserved in another world it is answerable and proportionable to their sufferings and in the proportion the exceeding part is of comfort there is an exceeding if not for the present yet afterwards The Ark did rise together with the water and comforts rise together with matter of suffering But what is the reason of the proportion why the greatest comforts follow the greatest sufferings
Christian he is now afflicted and now comforted not for his own sake onely but for the good of others and when he shall be afflicted and how long and what comfort he shall have how much he leaves it to the wisdom of God It is a blessed estate if we could think of it to be a Christian that we need to care for nothing but to serve God we need to care for nothing but study to keep a good conscience Let God alone with all our estate for God will inable us to want and to abound in our owne persons and likewise he will sanctifie our estate for the good of others And a Christian will be willling to be tossed and to be changed from vessel to vessell from state to state for the good of others If his afflictions may do good to the Church he is content that God should withdraw his blessings from him and humble him with crosses If his example may be good to others he is likewise joyfull when God gives him rest and causeth an inward comfort he knows that this is good for others he hath learned in his first entrance into Christianity self-denyall not to live to himself but for the glory of God and the good of others as much as he may We should labour therefore to content our selves in all conditions knowing that all is for the best not only to our selves and Gods glory but for the good of others God when he takes things from us and afflicts us and when he comforts us he intends the comfort of others So we should reason when we indure any thing and when we are comforted certainly God intends the good of others by this therefore I will have a speciall care in suffering to carrie it decently and exemplarily knowing that the eyes of many are upon me I wil carry my self so that God may have glory and others may have edification and comfort knowing that I am but Gods Steward to convey this to others that are of the same body with my self Therefore in our communion we have with others upon any good occasion we ought to express the blessed experience of the comfort of God upon us This is the practise of holy men in their meeting with others to shew them the comforts of God to their soules Come I will shew you what God hath done for my soule saith the Psalmist All are the better for a good man he doth good to all and therefore Solomon saith When a righteous man is advanced the Citie rejoyceth They have cause for he hath a publique mind nothing doth more characterise and is a better stamp of a true Christian then a publique mind A carnall man out of self love may grieve at his own sins and may labour to comfort himself but a Christian thinks others shall take good by me It is the mind of Christ and it is the mind of all the Members of Christ when a man thinks he hath nothing except he have it to improve for the good of others A dead sullen reserved spirit is not a Christians spirit if by nature we have such we must labour to help it with grace for grace is a diffusive communicating thing not onely in the Ministers of God but in every Christian grace will teach them to make savourie their conversation to others this way that whatsoever they are or whatsoever they can do or whatsoever they suffer they study to improve all to the good of others And marke the extent of the loving wisedom and providence of God how many things he doth at once for in the same affliction oft times he corrects some in his Children in the same affliction he tries some grace in the same affliction he witnesseth to his truth in them in the same affliction he doth good to others besides the good he doth to them In the same affliction that others inflict he hastneth the ruine of them that offer it at one time and in one action he hastneth the destruction of the one by hastning the good of the other he ripens grace in his Children making them exemplary to others and all in the same Action so large is the wise providence of God It should teach us likewise to follow that providence and to see how many wayes any thing we suffer any kind of way may extend that if one way will not comfort another may When we suffer and are grieved let us consider withall that he that doth the wrong he hastens his ruine and judgment As Pharaoh when he hastned the overthrow of the children of Israel he hastned his overthrow in the red Sea so a pit is digged for the wicked when they digg a pit for the godly And consider to comfort thy self thou hast some sinne in thee and God intends not onely to witnesse his truth but to correct some sinne in thee and thou must look to that thou hast some grace in thee and he intends the tryall of that Look to these things this shews strong heavenly mindedness when there is self-denyall Let us consider what God cals us to for God looks to many things in the same act wherefore doth God give us reason and discourse but to be able to follow him in his dealing as farre as we can reach to But I go on to the next verse VERS VII And our hope of you is stedfast knowing that as you are partakers of the suffering so you shall be also of the consolation THis verse is nothing but a strengthning of what he said before he had told them that whatsoever he suffered it was for their comfort too and now he repeats it again and sets a seal upon it Our hope of you is stedfast knowing that as you are partakers of the sufferings so you shall also be of the consolation In these words he shews that they shall share in the good with him as well as in the ill that the Spirit of God in them should help them to take all the good they could both by his sufferings and by his comfort For as he by the help of the spirit of God intended the publique good intended their good and comfort in all whether he were afflicted or comforted so he saith here he was assured that as they were partakers of his sufferings so they should be of his comforts likewise Here is the truth And the seal of the truth The truth That they were partakers of his sufferings and should be partakers of his consolations And the Seal is in the manner of affirming these truths Our hope of you is stedfast And in this order I will speak of them First Gods Children are partakers of the sufferings of others The Corinthians were partakers of the sufferings of S. Paul Gods Children are partakers of the sufferings of others many wayes First by way of sympathy taking to heart the estate of the Church and Children of God abroad It grieved the Corinthians to hear that S. Paul was afflicted for
We have a guard that keeps us from despair from sinking God delivereth us from our selves by this inward guard There is not the vilest Atheist that lives but let God open his conscience and let loose himself upon himself to see what he deserves to see what he is ready to sink into if he see not Gods mercy to deliver him if he see not an Intercessor a Mediator to come between God him what would become of him Therefore saith Saint Paul in Philip. 4. The peace of God which passeth all understanding shall guard your hearts and minds for so the word is in the Original shall guard your hearts and minds We have not onely a guard outward but we have a peace in us the Spirit of God the strengthening power of God the sight of the love of God God delivers us as from all others so from our selves Judas had no enemies God let him loose to himself what became of him Achitophel had no enemy God let him loose to himself too and then we see what a desperate conclusion he came to So whosoever thou art that contemnest Religion that makest any thing of greater moment and respect then that if thou hadst not an enemy in the world but all were thy friends as Judas had all to be his friends the Pharisees were his friends he had money of them but God opened his conscience and he could not indure the sight of it it spake bitter things to him when God opened an inward hell in his conscience So God doth deliver us outwardly and inwardly and the inward is double partly from despair partly from the rage of corruptions as I said before Is it not God that tyes up our corruptions There is such a world of sin in the heart of a man as often he finds the experience of it when he meets with a fit temptation to his disposition that Gods Children complain of themselves that the sins of their hearts have deceived them so God delivers men from the rage of lusts he tyes up their corruptions and delivers them from them And when we fall and are ready to despair for them he delivers us from despair He doth deliver he is perpetually delivering it implies that we alway stand in need of deliverance Therefore we should alway look up to God he is the breath of our nostrils In him we live and move and have our being in him we stand and in him we are delivered in the middest of all our enemies it should stir up our hearts thankfully to depend upon God he that hath delivered us he doth deliver us if he should not continue his deliverance we should be continually in extream danger VVho hath delivered us and doth deliver us c. A Christian is never in so great perplexity but God is delivering of him even in trouble So the Church saith Lamentations 3. It is Gods mercy that we are not all consumed The Church was in a pittifull estate then one would have thought they were as low as almost they might be yet notwithstanding the Spirit of God in those blessed men that lived in those times they saw that they might have been worse then they were and they saw that there was some danger from which they were delivered It is thy mercy that we are not all consumed God delivered them from extremity Nay in troubles God doth deliver so as there may be a distinction for the most part between his and others When I gather my Jewels it shall be known who serves me and who serves me not Mal. 3. God continually delivers more especially at sometimes As we say of providence providence is nothing but a continued act of creation And it is true the same power that created all things of nothing the same power sustains all things God upholds all things with his right hand For even as it is with a stone which is upheld by a mans hand let him withdraw his hand and down it falls so naturally all things as they are raised out of nothing so they will fall to their first principles except they be sustained by that continuall act of creation which we call providence to maintain them in the order wherein they were set at the first So there is a continuall act of deliverance till we be delivered out of all troubles and set in a place where there shall be no more annoyance at all either from within us or without us God doth still deliver O let this move us to a reverence of the eye and Majesty of the great God of the presence of God Who will willingly provoke him of whom he stands in need to deliver him Let God withdraw his deliverance his preventing deliverance or his rescuing deliverance for as I said there is a double deliverance he prevents us from trouble he delivers us that we do not fall into it and when we are fallen into it he rescues us If God should not thus deliver us there is no mischief that any others fall into but we should fall into the like were it not for his preventing deliverance As St. Austin saith well A man that is freed from sin ought to thank God as well for the sins that he hath not committed as for the sins that he hath had forgiven for it is an equall mercy that a man fall not into sin as for his sin to be pardoned And so for troubles too it is Gods mercy to prevent troubles as well as to deliver out of trouble when we are fallen into it Who would not reverence this great God what miscreant wretches are they that inure their tongues to swearing to tear that Majesty that if he should withdraw his deliverance and protection from them what would become of them Where there is perpetuall dependance upon any man how doth it inforce reverence and respect even amongst men Itis Athiesm therefore for men to inure their tongues to speak cursed language to inure their hearts to entertain prophane thoughts of God and to neglect the consideration of his Majesty Holy men in Scripture are said to walk with God that is to have God in their eye in all times in all places as he had them in his eye to delight in them to prevent troubles and to deliver them from troubles when they were in them We should take notice of Gods speciall providence in this kind that God by deliverance often gives us our lives and it should teach us to consecrate our lives to God Who doth deliver us In whome we hope or trust or have affiance that he will yet deliver us The holy Apostle doth take in trust here the time to come he speaks as if he were assured of that as of any thing past and he doth found his hope for the time to come upon that which was past and present As he saith in Romans 5. Experience breeds hope so it doth here in the Blessed Apostle He hath delivered and he doth deliver and why should
means of the execution of Gods decree and the decree it self of the thing they fall under the same decree when God hath decreed to do any thing he hath decreed to do it by these means so prayer comes as well within the decree as the thing prayed for In Ezek. 36. I will do this but I will be inquired of by the house of Judah I will do it but they shall aske me they shall seek to me first So there is a notable place Phil. 1. 19. I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayers We must not then so reason as to make the chief cause to take away the subordinate means but let us serve Gods purpose and providence let us serve Gods order he hath stablished this order and course let us serve it this is the obedience of faith the obedience of a Christian. The second thing is that Gods childrn are inabled to pray for themselves I observe this the rather because the vilest men that live when they are in trouble as Pharaoh O go to Moses let him pray for me he could not pray for himself he was such a desperate wretched creature he knew that God would not regard him therefore he saith Go to Moses And so Simon Magus who was a wretch yet when Peter denounced a judgment against him Pray thou that none of these things light upon me you are accepted of God my conscience is so full of terrour and horrour and so full of sin that I dare not pray A wicked man may desire others to pray for him but alas his conscience is surprized with horrour for his sins and his purposes are so cruel so earthly and so base that he knowes he cannot pray with acceptance for himself Gods Children as they desire the prayers of others so they can pray themselves they do not desire that others should do all but that they would help together with their prayers Now the reason of this that Gods Children can pray for themselves and must pray for themselves it is because they are children and as soon as ever they are new born they are known by their voyce by crying A Child as soon as he is born he cryes a new born Child cryes as soon as he is new born he cryes Abba Father he goes to his Father presently In Act. 9. as soon as Paul was converted he cryes he goes to God by prayer therefore God when he directs Ananias to him saith he Go to such a place and there thou shalt find Paul he is praying as soon as he is converted he is praying Gods children have the Spirit of Adoption the Spirit of sons God is their Father and they exercise the prerogative and priviledge they have they go to their Father cry to him In Zech. 12. you have there a promise that God would pour the spirit of supplication upon his children they cannot pray of themselves but God poures a Spirit of supplication into their hearts and his Spirit being poured into them they can pour forth their prayers to him again The use of this is not to content our selves to turn over this duty of prayer to the Minister and to good people O pray you for us I we do so but pray for thy self If thou wilt have another mans prayers do thee good thou must help with thy own prayers be good thy self Men turn it off with slight phrases and speeches You must pray for us c. Alas what will our prayes do thee good if thou be a gracelesse blasphemous carnal brutish person if thy conscience tell thee by the light of nature for the Word of God it may be thou doest not care for that thou art so what can our prayers do thee good If thou mean to be so Though Noah Daniel and Job saith God should stand before me for this people I would regard them for themselves I would not hear them for this people Let us be able and willing to help our selves and then we shall pray to some purpose God loves to hear the cries of his Children the very broken cries of a Child are more pleasing then the eloquent speech of a Servant Sometimes the Children of God have not the Spirit of prayer as at other times and then they must do as Ezechias did they must mourn as a Dove and chatter as a Swallow and as Moses at the Red-sea he cried and the Lord heard his prayer though he spake never a word so in Romans 8. The Spirit teacheth us to sigh and groane When we cannot pray we must strive with our selves against unbelief and deadnesse of heart by all meanes possible Sighs and groans are prayers to God My groanes and my sighs are not hid from thee saith the Prophet David And so in Lament 3. 56. The Church being in distresse saith she Thou hast heard my voice hide not thine ear at my breathing Sometime the Children of God can onely sigh and breath and groane to God for there is such a confusion in their thoughts they are so amazed at their troubles they are so surprized that they cannot utter a distinct prayer and then they sigh and breath and groane they help themselves one way or other If thou be a Child of God though thou be opprest with grief yet cry and groan to God strive against thy grief all thou canst and though thou canst not crie distinctly yet mourn as well as thou canst and God knowes the groanes of his own Spirit and those cries are eloquent in his eares they pierce Heaven But this being but supposed as a ground The third Observation is As God conveys all blessings by prayer And Gods Children have a Spirit of prayer So Gods Children desire the prayers of others and it is the duty of others to pray for them You also helping by your prayer for us Christians ought to help one another by prayer The holy and Blessed Apostle was sure of Gods love to him and of his care of him yet notwithstanding he was as sure that God would use both the prayers of himself and others to continue this his goodnesse to him and therefore the greater faith the greater care of prayer and where there is no care of prayer either of our own or of others for us there is no faith at all There is an article of our faith which I think is little believed thought it be said over-much and heard often yet it is little practised I believe the communion of Saints Is there a Communion of Saints wherein doth this Communion stand among many other things in this that one St. prayes for another This is one branch of the Communion of Saints as they communicate in priviledges for they are all the sons of God they are all heirs of heaven they are all members of Christ they are all redeemed by the blood of Christ and so all other priviledgeâ belong to all alike as there is a communion in priviledges so there is a
the Spirit of God is set at peace and is fit for the praise of God and is fit to do good when it is a healthful soul. As in the body it is a sign it is sick when the actions are hindered so it is likewise with the soul. We should blesse God for ability to do good for any health in our souls more then for health of body Do but consider if hwe are to thank God for the instruments of good much more are we to thank him for the good things themselves If we should thank God for the Ministers for now I stand upon that many prayers and praises were given to God for Saint Paul much more should we be thankful for that which we have by the Ministery that is for all the blessings of God for grace and glorie for life and salvation It is the Ministery of life And the power of God to salvation We should be thankful to God for peace We are the messengers of peace We should be thankful to God for grace and for his holy Spirit the Spirit is given with it We should be thankfull especially for spirituall favours A man cannot be thankful to God for health and libertie unlesse first he know God to be his that he can blesse God for spiritual favours Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Christ Ephes. 1. We should be thankful for Christ and all the benefits we have by Christ much more then for any other blessings whatsoever Therefore now seeing we are a Communion let praise be given by many We have greater matters then the health of a Minister or any particular person either our selves or others to be thankful for we have greater cause being to blesse God for the greatest gift that ever he gave even for Christ. The disposition in a feast is to be joyful and chearful to praise God now we are to feast with God and with Jesus Christ. Christ is not onely the food but he invites us he is with us What will we do for Christ if we will not feast with him What a degree of unthankfulnesse is it when we will not so much as feast with him when we will not willingly receive him What will he do for Christ that will not feast with him how unfit will he be to praise God and praise Christ that when Christ makes a feast of himself and gives himself together with the bread and wine representing the benefit of his bodie and blood broken and shed for us and all his benefits if we will not feed upon himself when he stoopes so low as to give himself for us and to feed us with himself what will we do How can we be thankful for other blessings when we are not thankful for himself And how can we be thankful for himself when we will not come and partake of him Let us stir up our hearts and think now to take the Communion As for matter of repentance and sorrow it should be dispatched before It is the Eucharist a matter of thanksgiving we should raise our hearts above earthly things We should consider that we are to deal with Christ and these are but representations When the bread is broken think of the body of Christ and when the wine is poured out think of the blood of Christ and when our bodies are cheared by these elements think how our soules are refreshed by the blood of Christ by faith If we should be thankful to God for bodily deliverance how much more should we thank him for our soules being delivered from hell by the blood of Christ which is the grand deliverance Let us dispose our hearts to thankfulnesse it is a fit disposition for a feast And as I said take heed of sin it choaks thankfulnesse therefore examine thy purposes how thou comest if thou come with a purpose to live in sin thou art an unfit receiver The place we stand in is holy the business is holy we have to deale with a holy God and therefore if we purpose not to relinquish wicked courses and to enter into Covenant with God to abstain from fin we come not aright When thou commest into the house of God take heed to thy feet saith the Wise man take heed to thy affections consider with whom thou hast to deale but if thou hast renewed thy repentance and thy purposes with God for the time to come come with chearefulness with a thankfull disposition thankfulness is a disposition for a feast if it be a disposition for bodily deliverance it is much more for the deliverance of the soule and much more for Christ and the blessings we have by him who is all in all That thanks may be given by many on our behalfe VERS 12. For our rejoycing is this the testimonie of our conscience c. SAINT Paul in these words doth divers things at once First He shews a reason why many should pray for him and give thanks on his behalf you have cause saith he for our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience c. therefore if many of you give thanks to God for me it is your duty my conscience beares me witness that I have carried my self well towards you you have cause to pray for us and to praise God for our deliverance for you have received much good by us God conveys much good by publick persons to those that are under rhem therefore there ought to be many prayers and many thanks for them And again they ought to pray and give thanks for him because they should not lose their labour they should not lose their prayers their incense because it should be for a man that was gracious with God that had the testimonie of his conscience that he walked in simplicity and godly sincerity as he saith Heb. 13. Pray for us for we are assured that we have a good conscience so they are a reason of the former Another thing that he aimes at is the preventing of some imputations he was accused in their thoughts at least and by the words of some false teachers that were his worst enemies as you have no enemy next to the divell to a Minister like a Minister If a man would see the spirit of the divel let him look to some of them Saint Paul had many enemies many false brethren that laid false imputations upon him to disparage him in the thoughts of others in the thoughts of his hearers They accounted him an inconstant man that he came not to them when he promised and that he suffered affliction and it was like enough for some desert they accounted him a despicable man he suffered afflictions in the World he wanted discretion to keep himself out of the crosse Nay saith he whatsoever you impute to me and lay upon me Our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience c. Again he aimes at this to lay the blame upon those false brethren
who deserved it they think I am a deceiver they think I am wilely no I do not walk so I do not walk in fleshly wisdom as they do that seek themselves and not you So I say Saint Paul aimes at divers things in bringing in these words We see here first of all that The more eminent a man is for place and gifts the more he should be prayed for and the more thanks should be given for him You have cause saith Saint Paul to do it for me for our rejoycing is this that we have walked in simplicity and sincerity c. and more abundantly to you-ward Saint Paul was a brother as he was a Christian he was a Father in regard he had called them to the faith and he was an Apostle In all regards they ought to praise God for him because he was a Father because he was the father of them you have not many Fathers saith he and because he was an Apostle a man eminent by whose meanes God conveyed a world of good to the Church To make way to the main thing Observe this in general that Christians are often driven to their Apologie Especially Ministers the Fathers of Christians holy men in the Church are driven to their Apologie and defence because those that shine in their own consciences wicked men labour to darken them in their reputation that their own wickednesse may be the lesse seen and observed It hath alway been the policy of Satan and of wicked men that so all might seem alike to lay aspersion s upon those that were better men then themselves Saint Paul is forced to make his Apologie to retire to the testimonie of his conscience Our rejoycing is this the testimonie of our conscience c. Therefore make this use of it not to think it strange if we be driven to our Apologie But some may say is not the life the best Apology as St. Peter saith that you may stop the mouthes of gain-sayers Yes of all Apologies life is the best to oppose to all imputations but notwithstanding it is not enough A man is cruell if he make not his Apology and defence sometimes because his imputations tend to the hurt of others being publick persons especially Ministers who have so much authority in the hearts of people as they can gaine by their good life and desert and if any imputation lie upon them they are to clear it in words their life will not serve the turn but they must otherwise make their Apologie if it be needfull for themselves as Saint Paul doth here It is not onely lawful but expedient sometimes to speak by way of commendation of our selves In what cases Not onely in case of thankfulnesse to God to praise God for his graces in us And likewise in case of example to others a man may speak of Gods work in him he may tell what God hath done for his soule and in his soul that God may have glorie and others may have benefit But likewise in the third place and it was Saint Paul's case here a man may speak of himself by way of Apology and defence that the truth suffer not It is a kind of betraying the cause for a man to be silent when he is so accused Though as I said a good life be the best Apology and except there be a good life the verball apologie is to little purpose yet the apology of life oft-times in publick persons is too little In these cases we must speak of our selves and of the good things of God in us But another quere may be here May a man glory in that which is in him of the grace of God that is in him Our glorying should be in Christ in the obedience and righteousnesse of Christ and in God reconciled through Christ can a Christian glory in any thing that is in him which is imperfect I answer briefly Saint Paul doth not here glory in the Court of Justification but in the Court of a Christian conversation therein a man may glorie in the work of grace in him in those inward works and the works that flow from them When a man is to deal with men he may set forth his life nay when a man is to deal with God he may set forth his sincerity not I say in the Court of Justification but in the Court of Sanctification and a holy life There good works are the ornament of the spouse they are her Jewels but come to the Court of Justification all are dung as the Apostle saith Philip. 3. All are dung and drosse not worthy to be named they are not able they are not strong enough all that comes from us and all that is in us it is not able to bear us out in glorying in the Court of Justification All are stained as menstruous cloaths But mark Saint Paul speaks of glorying before men of a sanctified life He glories not in his conversation and sincerity as a title but he glories in it as an evidence that his title is good That whereby he hath his title is only by the righteousnesse of Christ that he hath heaven and is free from hell that is the title but what evidence have you that Christ and his righteousnesse is yours there must be somewhat wrought in you and that is sincere walking So he alledgeth it as an evidence of his state in grace that that was good So we see in what case he gloried in his sincerity To come to the words For the words themselves they contein the blessed temper of Saint Paul's spirit in the middest of disgraces in the middest of imputations the temper of his spirit it was joyful glorying Our rejoycing is this The ground of it is The testimony of our conscience The matter whereof conscience doth witnesse and testifie it is converâ⦠sation that is the thing testified of And the manner positively In simplicity and godly sincerity In simplicity you would think this to be a simple commendation to commend himself for simplicitie but it is a godly simplicity whereby we are like to God to be simple without mixture of sin and hypocrisie without mixture of errour and falsehood that simplicity that is despised by carnall wretches that stain and defile their consciences and call them what you will so you account them not simple they despise the tearm of an honest simple man Simplicitie is not here taken for a defect of knowledge as the word is commonly used but for an excellencie whereby we resemble God that is free from all mixture of sin and Ignorance In simplicity and godly sincerity And then negatively Not in fleshly wisdom And then because this setting out of himself might seem to be ostentation to set down his glorying in his conscience and in his simplicity here is a qualification of it likewise indeed I glory in my simplicity and sincerity that is in my conversation but it is by the grace
of God By the grace of God my conversation hath been in godly sincerity and not in fleshly wisdom For St. Paul was wondrous jealous of his heart for fear of pride not I saith he 1. Cor. 15. I laboured more then they all O not I but the Grace of God that was in me he was afraid of the least insinuation of spirituall pride and so he saith here Our rejoycing is the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and sincerity by the grace of God And then the extent of this conversation thus in simplicity and sincerity in regard of the object it hath been thus In the world towards all men that I have conversed with they can say as much wheresoever I have lived And more abundantly to you-ward my care and Conscience hath been to carry my self as I should more abundantly to you-ward with whom I have lived longest This is an excellent evidence of a good man that he is best liked where he is best known Now St. Paul had lived long amongst them and he was their father in Christ and therefore saith he my conversation is known especially to you-ward Many men are best trusted where they are least known their publick conversation is good and plausible but their secret courses are vile and naught as those know that are acquainted with their retired courses but you saith the Apostle with whom I have lived longest with whom I have been most you can bear witnesse of my conversation that I have lived so and so in the world and more abundantly to you-ward This is our rejoycing c. We see here the temper and disposition that St. Paul was in he was in a glorying in a rejoycing estate We see then that A Christian take him at the worst his estate is a rejoycing estate Our rejoycing is this The word in the originall is more then joy for it is ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã a glorying our glorying is this which is a joy manifesting it self in the outward man when the heart and the spirit seeme as it were to go outward and as it were to meet the thing joyed in A Christian hath his joy his glorying and a glorying that is proper to himself it is a spirituall joy as it followes after Our rejoycing is the testimony of our conscience So goodis God that in the worst estate he gives his Children matter of rejoycing in this world he gives them a taste of heaven before they come there He gives them a grape of Canaan as Israel they tasted of Canaan what a good land it was before they came thither so Gods Children they have their rejoycing St. Paul swears and protests it 1. Cor 15. By our rejoycing in Christ Jesus I die daily as verily as we joy in all our afflictions so this is true that I say that I die daily Therefore we should labour to be of such a temper as that we may glory and rejoyce A Christian hath his rejoycing but it is a spiritual rejoycing like his estate Every creature hath his joy as St. Chrysostome speaks we do all for joy all that we do is that we may joy at length it is the centre of the soule As rest is to motion so the desire of all is to joy to rest in joy So that heaven it self is termed by the name of joy happinesse it self Enter into thy masters joy Every creature hath his joy proper to him every man hath his joy a carnall man hath a carnal joy a spiritual man hath a holy joy First he joyes in his election which was before all worlds that his name is written in heaven as it is Luke 11. Rejoyce in this that your names are written in heaven and not that the divells are subject unto you And then he joyes in his justification that he is freed from his sins Rom. 8. Being justified by faith we have peace with God through Christ and we rejoyce in afflictions being justified first there is the way how this joy comes in A Christian being justified by faith and freed from the guilt of his sin it worketh joy And then there is a joy of sanctification of a good conscience of a holy life led as we see here our rejoycing is this the testimony of our conscience c. And then there is a joy of glory to come We rejoyce under the hope of glory saith the Apostle Rom. 5 so a Christians joy is suitable to himself There is no other man that can glory and be wise because all men but a Christian they glory in their shame or they glory in vanishing things A Christian is not ashamed of his joy of his glorying because he glories not in his shame Therefore the Apostle here justifies his joy our rejoycing is this I care not if all the World know my joy it is the testimony of my conscience As if he should say Let others rejoyce in base pleasures which they will not stand to a vow let others rejoyce in riches in honours in the favour of men let them rejoyce in what they please my joy is another kind of joy I rejoyce in the testimony of my conscience A Christian as he hath a joy so he hath a joy that he will stand to and make it good There is no other man but he will blush and have shame in his forehead that joyes in any thing that is baser then himself that joyes in outward things he cannot stand to it and say This is my joy but a Christian hath the warrant of his conscience for that which he joyes in and therefore he is not ashamed of it Another man dares not reveal his joy All the subtiltie of the world is to have the pleasures that sin will afford and yet withall they study to cover it that it may not appear Where is the joy of the ambitious His study his thought and his joy is to have respect Haman-like and yet he studies to conceal this he dares not have it known he dares not avow it This is my rejoycing for then all the world would laugh at him for a vain person Again the joy of the base-minded man is in his pleasure but he dares not avow this he dares not say my rejoycing is this for then every man would scorn him as a beast The rich man he joyes in his riches but he dares not be known of this for he would then be accounted a base earthly-minded man Every man would scorn him He studies to have all the pleasure and all the comfort that these things will afford and yet to cover them Because he thinks that there is a higher matter that he should joy in if he were not an atheist A Christian is not ashamed of his joy and rejoycing I rejoyce in this saith he For it is well bred it is bred from the Spirit of God witnessing that his name is written in the Booke of Life witnessing that his sins are
forgiven witnessing that he lives as a Christian should do witnessing that he hath the evidences of his justification that he hath a holy life the pledge likewise of future glory his joy is well bred Likewise it is permanent Other mens joy and rejoycing is but as a flash of thornes as the Wise man calls it as it were a flame in thornes as the crackling of thornes which is sooner gone And it is an unseemly glorying and rejoycing for a man to glory in that which is worse then himself and in that which is out of himself as all other things are out of a mans self and worse and meaner then a mans self therefore a man cannot rejoyce in them and be wise It is a disparagement to the wisdom of a man to glory in things that are meaner then himself and that are out of himself A holy Christian hath that in himself and that which is more excellent then himself to glory in This is our rejoycing the testimony of our conscience All other rejoycing it is vain glorie and vain rejoycing therefore in Jerem. 9. saith he Let not the wise man glory in his wisdome let not the strong man glory in his strength let not the rich man glorie in his riches but if a man will glorie let him glorie that he knowes the Lord to be his and that he knowes himself to be the Lords When he knowes the Lord to be his and himself to be Gods by faith and a good conscience then there is matter of glorying Of all kind of men God doth hate proud boasters most of all for glory is the froth of pride and God hates pride he opposeth pride and sets himself in battel aray against it and who can thrive that hath God for his enemie boasting and pride in any earthly thing it is against all the commandements almost It is Idolatrie it makes that we boast and glorie in an Idoll whereas we should glorie in God that gives it And it is spirituall adulterie when we cleave in our affections to some outward thing more then to God It is false witnesse pride is a false glasse it makes the things and the men themselves that enjoy them to seem greater then they are The divell amplifies earthly things to a carnall man in a false glasse that they seeme big to him whereas if he could see them in their true colours they are false things they are snares and hinderances in the way to heaven and many such names they have The Scripture gives an ill report of them They are vanity and vexation of spirit because we should be discouraged from setting our affections on these things and from glorying in them Therefore let us take heed of false glorying if we will glorie we see here what we are to glory in This is our rejoycing the testimony of our conscience c. And this we may justify and stand by that it is good It is the Testimony of conscience This is our rejoycing the testimony of our conscience The testimony of conscience it is a matter and ground of joy to a true Christian here we are to consider these things First to consider a little the nature of conscience And then that conscience beares witnesse that there is a testimony of conscience And that this conscience bearing witnesse is a ground of comfort For the first Every man feeles and knowes what conscience meanes There be many rigid disputes of it among the Schoole men that had leisure enough of all men knew as little and felt what it was as any sort of men living under the darkness of Poperie and superstition and being in thraldome to the Pope and to the corruptions of the times they lived in They have much jangling about the description of it whether it be the soule it self or a facultie or an act In a word Conscience is all these in some sort in diverse respects therefore I will not wrangle with any particular opinion For what is conscience but the soul it self reflecting upon it self It is the propertie of the reasonable soule and the excellencie of it that it can return upon it self The beast cannot for it runs right forward it knowes it is carried to the object but it cannot returne and recoile upon it self but the soule of the reasonable creature of all even from men to God himself who understands in the highest degree though he do not discourse as man doth yet he knowes himself he knowes and understands his owne excellencie And wheresoever there is understanding there is a reflect act whereby the soule returnes upon it self and knowes what it doth it knowes what it wills it knowes what it affects it knowes what it speakes it knowes all in it and all out of it It is the propertie of the soule Therefore the originall word in the Old Testament that signifies the heart it is taken for conscience Conscience and heart are all one I am perswaded in my soul that is in my conscience and the Spirit witnesseth to our spirit that is to our conscience Conscience is called the spirit the Heart the soul because it is nothing but the soul reflecting and returning upon it self Therefore it is called conscience that is one knowing joyned with another because conscience knowes it self and it knowes what it knowes it knowes what the heart is it not onely knowes it self but it is a knowledge of the heart with God It is called conscience because it knowes with God for what conscience knowes God knowes that is above conscience It is a knowledge with God and a knowledge of a mans selfe And so it may be the soule it self indued with that excellent facultie of reflecting and returning upon it self therefore it judgeth of its own acts because it can return upon it self Conscience likewise in some sort may be called a faculty the common stream runs that way that it is a power It is not one power but conscience is in all the powers of the soule for it is in the understanding and there it rules conscience is it by which it is ruled and guided Conscience is nothing but an application of it to some particular to some thing it knowes to some rules it knowes before Conscience is in the will in the affections the joy of conscience and the peace of conscience and so it runs through the whole soule It is not one facultie or two but it is placed in all the faculties And some will needs have it an act a particuler act and not a power When it doth exercise conscience it is an act when it accuseth or excuseth or when it witnesseth it is an act at that time it is a facultie in act So that we need not to wrangle whether it be this or that let us comprehend as much in our notions as we can that it is the soul the heart the spirit of a man returning upon it self and it hath something to doe in
because men are ready to trample upon and to rase out the writing of conscience but the Book of God they cannot therefore that is added to help conscience And God adds his Spirit to his Word to convince conscience and to make the witnesse of the Word more effectuall for although the Word say thus and thus yet till the Spirit convince the soul and set it down that it is thus till it convince it with a heavenly light conscience will not be fully convict That conscience therefore may be able to witnesse well Let us regard the notions of nature preserve them if we do not God will give us up to grosse sins Let us labour to have right principles and grounds to cherish principles of nature common with the Heathens and to lay up principles out of the Word of God to preserve the admonitions and directions and rules of the Word And especially the sweet motions of Gods blessed Spirit For conscience alway supposeth a rule the rule of nature the rule of the Word and the suggestions of the blessed Spirit with the Word Therefore to note by the way an Ignorant man can never have a good conscience especially a man that affects Ignorance because he hath no rule he labours to have none It is not meerly ignorance but likewise obstinacy with ignorance He will not know what he should lest conscience force him to doe what he knowes What a sottish thing is this It will be the heaviest sin that can be laid ro our charge at the day of judgment not that we were Ignorant but that we refused to know we refused to have our conscience rectified and instructed And those that avoid knowledg because they will not do what they know they shall know one day that their wilful Ignorance will be laid to their charge as a heavy sin Labour to have right principles and grounds What is the reason that commonly men have such bad consciences They have false principles they conclude may I not do what I list may I not make of my own what I will and every man for himself and God for us all diabolicall principles And so commonly if a man examine men that live in wickednesse they have false principles God sees not God regards not and it is time enough to repent The cause that men live wickedly is false principles therefore they have so vile consciences as they have their hearts deceive them and they deceive their hearts They have false principles put into them by others they are deceived and they deceive their hearts they force false principles upon themselves Many study for false grounds to live by for their advantage There are many that are Atheisticall that live even under the Gospell and what rule have they the example of them by whom they hope to rife they study their manners they square their lives by them that is all the rule they have And again the multitude they do as the most do and custom and other false rules These rules will not comfort us to say I did it by such an example I did as others among whom I live did or I did it because it was the custom of the times these things being alledged will comfort nothing For who gave you these rules doth God say any where in his Word you shall be judged by the example of others you shall be judged by the custom of the times you live in No you shall be judged by my Word The Word that Moses spake and the Word that I speak shall judge you at the last day They that have not the Word shall be judged by the Word written in their hearts Those that have sinned without the Law shall be judged by that without the Law of Moses God hath acquainted us with other rules We must take heed of this therefore thatwe get good rules take heed that they be not false rules for the want of these directions men come to have ill consciences Where there is no good rule there is a blind conscience where there is no application of the rule there is a prophane conscience And where there is a false rule there is an erroneous a scrupulous a wicked conscience A Papist because he hath a false rule he cannot have a good conscience The abomination of Popery is that they sin against conscience and conscience indeed is even with them for it overthrowes the most of their principles They sin against conscience many wayes I mean not against their own conscience but they sin against the conscience of others For what do they That they may rule in the consciences of men for that is the end of their great Prelate the Tyrant of souls they have false rules that the Pope cannot erre their rule is the authority and judgement of him that cannot erre and he for the most part is an unlearned man in Divinity that never read over the Scriptures in all his life and he must judge all controversies Where this is granted that the Pope cannot erre he fits in the conscience to do what he list And he makes divine Lawes and cursed is he saith the Councel of Trent that doth not equalize those traditions with the VVord of God From this false rule comes all even rebellion it self If he give dispensation from the oath of Allegiance because he cannot erre therefore they ought to obey him and rebell against their Governours All rebellion is from that rebellious rebellion that comes from false principles These men talk of conscience and they come not to Church for conscience sake what conscience can they have when they have false rules To equivocate and lie sins against nature And other rules that give liberty against the Word that children may disobey their Parents and get into a Cloyster c. The most of Popery though there were no VVord of God it is against nature against conscience which God hath planted in man as his deputy his tenant And as they sin against conscience so as I said conscience is even with them For let a man trust to his conscience and he can never be a sound Papist except he leave that and go upon base false grounds because other great men do it and because his predecessours have done it c. I appeal to their own consciences if any man at the day of death think to be saved by his merits doth not Bellarmine after long dispute of salvation by merits disclaime it doth he not put away merits for the uncertainty of his own righteousnesse So their own consciences do wring away the testimony of trusting to merits Again that Original sin is no great sin it is but the cause of sin and it is lesse then any venial sin Oh but when conscience is awaked to know what a corrupt estate it is it will draw from them that which it drew from Saint Paul Oh wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death Conscience when it is awaked
he intends mischief when he pretends he would be a worshipper of Christ and so Absalom he pretends he had a vow to make when he intends murther a dissimulation pretending good when there is an intention of ill before So there is a dissimulation in the project for the present which comes from this doubling when men carrie things fairly outwardly to those with whom they live and yet notwithstanding have false and treacherous hearts As Judas had all the while he conversed with Christ he covered his ill with good pretexts a care for the poor c. So after when the ill is done what a world of doubling is there to cover ill to extenuate it and excuses and translations This is the simplicitie that reigns among men where there is no strength of grace where there is want of simplicitie there is this dissembling And with dissimulation there is simulation that is when we make our selves sometimes worse then we are when we are better then we seeme to be sometimes that wins on us too then we carrie not our selvee simply For if we were good we would be good every where But a man that useth simulation if he be in evill company he fashioneth himself to the company he speaks that which his Conscience checks him for he carries himself vainly and lightly he holds correspondence with the company So that by dissimulation and simulation there is a fault committed against simplicitie which yields the Testimony of a good conscience It is a base fault this simulation which we think to be a lesser fault then the other which is dissimulation for whom do we serve are we not the sons of God are we not the sons of our heavenly Father the sons of the great King and for us to carrie our selves not to be such as we are in the middest of the wicked world it is a great want of discretion Saint Paul would discover who he was even before the bar David would speak of Gods righteous testimonies even before Princes and not be ashamed And this is that which Christ saith He that is ashamed of me before men of him will I be ashamed before my heavenly Father Let us take heed of dissimulation and simulation which are opposite to this simplicity Again this simplicity is opposite to curiosity and finenesse And thus the Apostle both in his calling and conversation St. Paul conversed in simplicity as a Christian and as an Apostle As an Apostle he was not over-curious in words he reproveth those foolish vain glorious spirits that were so among the Corinthians He delivered the Word plainly and plainnesse is best in handling the Word of God for who will enamell a precious stone we use to enamell that that hath not a native excellencie in it self but that which hath an excellencie from something without True Religion hath this with it alway that it is simple because it hath state enough of its own The whore of Babylon hath need of a gilded cup and pictures and what not to set her out but the true Religion is in Simplicity Christ himself when he was born he was laid in a Cratch he was simple in his carriage and his speeches It was a common speech in ancient time when the Chalices were gold the Priests were wood In Religion finenesse and curiosity carrie suspition of falsehood with them Those that overmuch affect finenesse of speech they are either deceived or will deceive That which is not native and comes not from within it will deceive Some falsehoods carrie a better colour then some truths because men set their wits on work to set some colour upon falsehood alway And here take notice of the duty of Ministers that they should utter divine truth in the native simplicity of it Saint Paul as a Minister delivered the plain Word plainly And as a Christian in our common course of life as we should take heed of doubling so of too much curiosity for too much curiosity in diet or apparell it implies too much care of these things which hinders our care of better things as our Savour Christ saith to Martha Martha thou art troubled about many things The soul is finite and cannot be set about many things at once therefore when there is overmuch curiosity in smaller things it implies little or no care in the main What is morethen for decency of place it argues carelessenesse in the main Therefore the Apostle labouring to take off that he bids women that they should not be decked with Gold and broydered haire c. But to look to the hidden man of the heart And therefore Christ took off Martha from outward things because he knew it could not be without the neglect of better things Seriousness in heavenly things it carries a carelessenesse in other things And a Christian cannot chuse but discover a minde that is not earthly and vain when he is a true believer he regards other things as poore petty things that are not worthy estimation A Christian when he hath fixed his end to be like to God to be simple as God is he still drawes toward his end and therefore he moderates his carriage in all things What is unnecessarie he leaves out his end is to be like God and like Christ with whom he shall live hereafter Now the best things are the most simple as the Heavens the Sun and the stars c. There is diversitie but no contrariety there is diversity in the magnitude of the stars but they are of the same nature so in a Christian there are many Graces but they are not contrary one to another So that a Christian hath his maine care for better things he cares not for the world nor the things thereof and therefore he accounts them in comparison of better things as nothing and that is the reason that he is carelesse and negligent of those things that he did formerly regard as having better things to take up his thoughts We see then that simplicitie as it is opposed to doubling so it is opposed to finenesse and curiosity And usually where there is a finenesse and curiosity there is hypocrisy for it is not for nought when men affect any thing Affectation usually is a strain above nature when a man will do that which he is not disposed to by nature but for some forced end it is hypocrisy So the Corinthian teachers argued the falsenesse of their hearts by the finenesse of their teaching they had another aime then to please God and convert souls Usually affectation to the world is joyned with hypocrisie towards God Again this simplicity is contrary to that corruption in Popery namely equivocation what simplicity is that when they speak one thing and mean another when there is a mentall reservation and such a reservation that if that were set downe that is reserved it were absurd Or else there may be a reservation a man may reserve his meaning A man may not speake
good behaviour Now when a man shall consider I have a witnesse within me my conscience and a witnesse without which is God who is my Judge who can strike me dead in the committing of a sin if he please this would make men if they were not atheists to fear to sin Let us labour therefore to approve our hearts to God as well as our conversations to men set our selves in the presence of God who is a discerner of our thoughts as well as of our actions and that which we should be ashamed to do before men let us be afraid to think before God that is another means to come to sincerity Another Direction to help us to walk sincerely is especially to look to the heart look to the beginning to the spring of all our desires thoughts affections and actions that is the heart the qualification of that is the qualification of the man If the heart be naught the man is naught if that be sincere the man is sincere Therefore look to the heart see what springs out thence if there spring out naughty thoughts and desires suppresse them in the beginning Let us examine every thought if we find that we do but think an evil thought execute it presently crush it for all that is naught comes from a thought and desire at the first therefore let us look to our thoughts and desires see if we have not false desires and intents and thoughts answerable God is a Spirit and he looks to our very spirits and what we are in our spirits in our hearts and affections that we are to him Therefore as a branch of this what ill we shun let us do it from the heart by hating it first A man may avoid an evil action from fear or out of other respects but that is not sincerity Therefore look to thy heart see that thou hate evil and let it come from sincere looking to God Ye that love the Lord hate the thing that is evil saith David not only avoid it but hate it and not onely hate it but hate it out of love to God And that which is good not only to do it but to labour to delight and joy in it For the outward action is not the thing that is regarded but when there is a resolution a desire and delight in it then God accounts it as done And so it is in evil if we delight in evil it is as if it were done already Therefore in doing good look to the heart joy in the good you do and then do it and in evil look to the heart judge it to be evil and then abstain from it This is the reason of all the errours in our lives because we have bad hearts we look not to God in sincerity Judas had a naughty heart he loved not the Lord Jesus Christ and therefore he had a naughty conclusion What the heart doth not is not done in Religion Thus we see how we may come to have our conversation in sincerity that we may rejoyce in the testimony of our conscience Therefore now to make an Use of Exhortation we should labour for sincerity and esteem highly of it because God so esteems of it Truth is all that we can alledge to God we cannot alledge perfection St. Paul himself saith not I have walked exactly or perfectly no but he saith This is our rejoycing that we have walked in sincerity So if a mans conscience can excuse him of hypocrisie and doubling though it cannot free him from imperfections God in the Covenant of Grace looks not so much at perfection as at truth Here I might answer an Objection of some Christians Oh but I cannot pray without distraction I cannot delight so in good things c. Though a Christians heart cannot free him from this yet his heart desires to approve it self to God in all things and his heart is ready to say to the Lord as David said Lord try me if there be any way of wickednesse in me And therefore he will attend upon all means to get this sincerity He will be diligent in the Word of God for therein the mind of God is manifestly seen The Word of God it is a begetting Word it makes us immortal it makes us new creatures it is truth and the instrument of truth Truth will make truth The true sincere Word of God not mingled with devices it will make what it is The Word of God being his Word who is Almighty it hath an Almighty transforming power from him It is accompanied and cloathed with his Almighty Spirit Truth will cause truth such as it is in it self it will work in our hearts In that mungrel false Religion Popery they have traditions and false devices of men and so they make false Christians such as they are they make strain them to the quintessence and they cannot make a true Christian Truth makes true Christians therefore attend upon Gods Ordinance with all reverence and it will make thee a sound heart it is a transforming Word Those that desire to hear the Word of God and to have their consciences to be informed by the hearing of it they are sincere Christians and those that labour to shut up the Word of God that it may not work upon the conscience they are false-hearted A heart that is sincere it prizeth the Word of God that makes us sincere the Word of God hath this effect especially being unfolded in the Ministery of it that a man may say as Jacob did Doubtlesse God is in this place It is all that is ours nothing runs upon our reckoning but sincerity For what I have not done truly Conscience saith I have not done to God and therefore I can expect no comfort for it but what I have done to God I look to have with comfort for I know that God regards not perfection but sincerity he requires not so much a great faith as a true faith not so much perfect love as true love and that I have in truth as S. Peter said Lord thou knowest that I love thee This will make us look God who is the Judge in the face It gives us not title to heaven for that is onely by Christ but it is a qualification required of us in the Gospel nothing is ours but what we do in truth And again consider That it will comfort us against Satan at the hour of death when Satan shall tempt us to despair for our sins as that he will do we may comfort our selves with this that we have been sincere We may send him to Christ for that must be the way who hath fulfilled Gods will and satisfied his Fathers wrath Satan will say This is true it is the Gospel and therefore it cannot be denied but it is for them that have walked according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh for those that have obeyed God in all things Now when our Conscience shall joyn with Satan and
higher rule of life What then shall become of a Christian when he hath renounced that which is in him by nature when he hath denied his wit and his will when he hath renounced a bad guide shall he have no guide at all Yes For a man is never lawlesse he is alwayes under some guide or other a man is alway under one Kingdome or other when he ceaseth to be under the Kingdom of Satan he comes under the Kingdom of Christ and when he is not led by the flesh he is led by the Spirit Gods Children when they have renounced natural carnal wisdome they have not renounced all wisdome they are wise still but they are wise by a supernatural light they are wise in supernatural things yea and in natural things after a supernatural manner They are new creatures advanced to a higher ranck and order of creatures so their wisdome is a gracious wisdome when they are Christians When a Christian hath renounced carnal wisdome God leaves him not in the storm in the world as a ship without a stearn he leaves him not as having no pole star to guide his course by but he gives him better direction he hath the Word of God he hath the Spirit of God he hath the Grace of God to guide him Therefore after the negative here Not in fleshly wisdome the holy Apostle tells us how the Child of God is led in his own person but By the Grace of God It is good for Inferiours alway to be under the Government of Superiours and so God hath framed the world for beasts because they have no wisdome of their own they are led and guided by men and man because he is as I said before a beast by his own knowledge and hath but a finite a limited understanding he is guided by a larger understanding he is guided by God if he be good And it is the happinesse of the creature to be under the guidance of a better wisdome All things in the world are guided to their end things without life are guided to their end without their privity We see there is an end in every thing there is nothing in nature but it hath its end whereupon comes that saying of the Philosophers which is good That the work of nature is a work of deep understanding not so much as the leaves but they serve to shelter and cover the fruit from the Sun and the stormes that it may thrive the better there is nothing in nature but it is of great use the work of nature is a work of deep understanding Now man because he hath a principle of understanding in himself he is so guided by the wisdome of God to his end as that he understands his own end himself he is so led by the wisdome of God as that God hath created a work of wisdome in himself that he together with God is carried to his end Now as I said when we are out of the regiment and government of the flesh we come under the gracious Government of God Therefore the Apostle saith here Not in fleshly wisdome but by the Grace of God The holy Apostle means here especially the particular grace opposite to fleshly wisdome that is spiritual wisdome But why should the Apostle here not say thus Not with fleshly wisdome but with spiritual wifdome why should he not say so rather then thus Not with fleshly wisdome but by the Grace of God why should he put Grace instead of Wisdome I answer he doth it for heavenly ends First to shew that that wisdome whereby we are governed it is not from our selves but it is a grace he considers wisdome not so much as it is in our selves in the Conduit but as it is in the Spring in the free love of God It is a Divine consideration to consider all habituall graces in us not as they are streams derived to us and resting in us but as they are knit to a Spring which is never drawn dry which besides is a free Spring therefore they are graces And that is the reason of the comfort of a Christian he knowes he shall never be destitute of necessary strength of necessary comfort of necessary direction and grace to lead him to heaven because those things that are necessary in him he considers them as graces not as habits as it was the proud term of the Philosophers to call them We must consider them not as things in us invested in our nature but as things that have their Original from the free constant and eternal love of God as what is so free as Grace So a Christian looks on his disposition wrought by Grace and on every particular grace he hath as Love Wisdome Patience he looks to all as Graces as they come from the free love of God that is constant for whom he loves he loves to the end And his joy is more in the spring then in the stream it is more in the Sun in Christ himself then in grace from him therefore the Apostle instead of the abstracted distinct grace of wisdome or any such thing he saith Grace There is a savour in the very terms of Scripture a sweet taste in the very language of the Holy Ghost And then to shew that we are not onely governed by wisdome but by other graces to shew the connexion of it with other graces therefore he saith We have had our Conversation not in fleshly wisdome but by the Grace of God To shew likewise that where wisdome failes in us it is supplyed by Grace for the wisdome of God for us is larger then the wisdome of God in us The wisdome that God works in us by his Spirit it teacheth us to avoid dangers and teacheth us how to lead our lives but we are led by a higher wisdome the Grace of God for us it is higher then that which is in us The wisdome of God for us it watcheth over us it keeps us from more evil and doth more for us then that which is in us although that be spiritual and heavenly Therefore the Apostle here he names not distinctly gracious wisdome which he mainly intends as we see by the opposition Not by fleshly wisdome but by gracious wisdome why doth he not say so but by Grace Because our Christian conversation it is not onely by wisdome in us but by grace and love partly in us and partly for us For indeed there is a watchful providence there is a waking love about the guiding of a Christian in his course to heaven that keeps him him in more then any Grace that is in him And a Christian at the hour of death and at the day of Judgment will be able to say with experience That the wisdome of God for me hath been more then any wisdome he wrought in me though by the wisdome in me he inabled me to discover many discouragements to see many wants and to take many good courses that he blessed for
not rob God of any honour It was a proud term the Philosophers had as I said sometimes they called their moral vertues habits and if we consider them meerly as they are in the person they are habits but indeed they are graces the Scripture gives them a more heavenly term Grace those things that we guide our lives by as Wisdome Love Temperance Sobriety Grace is a fitter word then habit because then we consider them as they come from God freely they are graces they come from grace and favour And when men differ one from another in wisdome they differ in grace and favour he gives more light he opens the understanding of one more then another Therefore S. Paul was wise and careful this way when he speaks of that he had done himself lest he should rob God Not I oh not I 1 Cor. 15. but the Grace of God that was in me that was all in all For indeed we are what we are and we do what we do by Grace Even as by our selves we are men we are what we are and we do what we do by our soules by our reason and understanding so it is with spiritual grace we are what we are out of our selves by spiritual grace and we do what we do by spiritual grace And when that ceaseth when God suspends the blessed motions of his Spirit to humble us alas we are dark a man is a confused creature he is at a losse he is in darknesse for the particular managing of his life he knowes not what to do he knowes not what to speak he is puzzled in every particular action And therefore when he hath spoken or done that which is fit he should consider it is a grace My Conversation hath been in the Grace of God saith the Apostle Therefore let us sanctifie God in our hearts this way And when we stand in need of any direction desire God of his grace to give us wisdome and to give us the grace that we stand in need of That is for the phrase The point as I told you was this That All wisdome comes from Grace And God is ready to give us his Grace For saith S. Paul My Conversation hath been in Grace which God did minister to me and hath ministred to me to lead my life by The Reason is this Christ hath undertaken to give us grace if we be his Men under grace shall never want grace to lead a Christian life For Christ hath undertaken to be our Head to be our Husband to be our guide in our way to heaven As our head he is to give us motion to move us as his members As he is our Shepherd as he saith I am the good Shepherd so he is to lead us in our wayes and passages in his paths to conduct us to happinesse And as he is our husband so he is to be the head of his wife to guide us it is his office And he works according to his own office He is a King to subdue in us whatsoever is contrary to his good Spirit to subdue our rebellions and to bring all our Imaginations under his Spirit as well as to be a Priest to make peace between God and us He is a King to rule us and to over-rule in us whatsoever is ill And he is a Prophet to teach us and to guide us He is the Angel of the Covenant the great Counsellour that hath the Spirit of Counsel in him Esay 9. 6. not for himself onely but for his Church Therefore as all the things that we need come from grace and from the favour of God so we need not doubt of the grace of God in Christ being reconciled he is willing to give us grace This I observe to cut off all cavils of flesh and blood and to arm us against all discouragements There are two things that greatly hinder us from a Christian course Presumption and Despair Presumption to set upon things without asking grace of God without depending upon his direction by the strength of naturall parts of naturall wit And then Despair when a man saith What should I go about these things I shall never bring them to passe No First consider thy standing thy place and calling and then consider the abilities that God hath given thee consider thy parts consider thy duty that thou art to do And beg of God assistance and strength and if it be a thing that belong to thee go on set on all the duties that belong to thy place in this confidence that thou shalt have grace Go to the Fountain to Christ for grace for the direction of thy life he is the light of life he is the Way he is all in all to bring us to heaven Wherefore serves all the Promises not onely of life everlasting but even of grace but to encourage us to set on holy duties in confidence that if we have a will to be out of Satan's Kingdome and if we have a will to be out of fleshly wisdome God will take us into his Kingdome and into his Government He will give the Spirit to them that ask him Now the Spirit is a Spirit of direction a Spirit of assistance a Spirit of strength and comfort it serves all turnes How many Promises are wrapped in that promise of the Spirit In want of direction he shall be our Counsellour in want of strength to assist us In perplexities when we know not which way to turn us to advise us In extremities when we are ready to sink to comfort us He will give us his holy Spirit to supply all our defects in a fit time if we ask him If we find our need and if we will renounce our carnal wisdome Therefore set on those duties that God calls you to And withall do as S. Paul doth here he sets the negative before the affirmative renounce carnal wisdome be not guided by that trust perfectly to the Word of Grace and to the Spirit of Grace for the Word of Grace and the Spirit of Grace go together and then you shall find that God will do abundantly above all that you are able to ask or think Luther when he set on the work of Reformation those that saw him at the first might have said Get thee into thy Cloyster and say Lord have mercy upon thee for thou settest on a work impossible But he saw the parts that God had given him that he had wit to understand the abuses of the times and he had given him courage he saw by his profession he was called to be a Divine his conscience was awaked to see the abominations of the times and he set on to discover these things Did Christ leave him No he did not but gave successe to him to be admired of all When all the world was set against one man yet he prevailed against them all even because he walked as S. Paul did here in sincerity and simplicity that is he looked
fool The fool as the Wise man saith knowes not the way to the City so a wicked man he knowes not the way to heaven he discerns not the difference he provides not he knowes not the way thither he cannot do one thing that is gracious not one action that may further his account I might be very large in the point it is profitable because we do infinitely deceive our selves in that point which is of more consequence then the whole world for the man is as the rule that he is led by is carnall men are led by carnal rules gracious and holy men guide their lives by heavenly wisdome by a gracious rule Now if you find your selves defective for a good Christian may be defective in this but if he have hearkned to carnal wisdome if he have forgotten himself if he have troubled himself too much about the world he will come to his Centre again he will come to his old way again he will not be long out of it his way and course is by grace Sometimes he may have a policy that is not good as David had yet his way is gracious I say if you find your selves defective I will shew some helps how we may guide our selves not by fleshly wisdome but by the Grace of God that is by gracious wisdome by the Spirit Now the Spirit leads us not immediately but works Graces in us and stirres up those Graces in us The Spirit guides a godly man by working grace in him by making him better by using those graces in him Sometimes the Spirit of God moves a wicked man but it makes him not better he puts conceits into his head and makes him do that which otherwise he would not but he is not bettered The Spirit guides a good man by making him better he works a gracious disposition a gracious bent in him that his judgment concurres with Gods his affections concur with the holy Spirit and make him holy and pure There is a disposition wrought in a good man like to the Spirit that sanctifies him and like to the disposition of Christ to whose Image he is renewed Now that we may guide our lives by the Spirit working in us spirituall and gracious wisdome First of all consider what I said before of fleshly wisdome there are none but they have one of these two guides either the flesh and by consequent the divell for the divell dwells in our carnall reason that is his Fort that is his Tower his Castle Carnall fleshly Imagination is the Divells forge there he workes all his tooles all his Instruments For the Divell workes not so much immediately as by carnall men that are led with him Our wit and policie and carnall wisdome it is the shop the forge of the divell wherein he works all his mischief to overthow us It is the Divells Worke-house where he engins with all his tooles and Instruments Then considering that there are but two guides the flesh the world and Satan which alway go together in one or Gods Spirit and Grace let us be willing to submit our thoughts and desires to submit our projects and our aimes and all to the Spirit of Grace submit to the Word of grace and to the motions of the Word the Word of God having the Spirit of God accompanying of it the Word of grace accompanied by the Spirit of Grace is forcible as the Apostle saith 1. Cor 10. It beates down strong holds strong Imaginations Satan fortifies himself in strong holds as the Scripture calls them in high thoughts working discoursive thoughts Now when we come to hear the Word which teacheth the simple sincere truth of God that teacheth us how we should be saved and how we should guide our lives if we will be guided by grace if we will yield to Gods simple truth let him erect a throne in us let us lay down all When we come to hear the Word let us think I come to hear the wisdome of heaven it self I come to hear that Word that shall make me wise to salvation I will not entertain projects I will not entertain a wisdom that is contrary to it when they rise in my soule contrary to the direction of the Spirit and of the Word down they shall I will not owne them this is the wisdome of a man that intends to make grace his rule Now a carnal hearer a carnall reader a common Christian he brings his naughty proud heart he brings his high conceits to the hearing and reading of the Word he comes as a Censurer as a Judge he comes to talk of what was said in this passage and in that passage he comes not as to hear God speak in his Ordinance he comes not as a humble man he comes not to hear it as the Ordinance of God with reverence and that makes him come and go out again as a beast As the beasts that went our of Noah's Ark they went out as they came in so many come into the Church and go out again as beasts they go our worse then they came in because they bring not hearts to submit themselves to God and to his Word O a spirit of subjection it is a blessed thing Self-denyall is some help to this be content in the guiding of your common life and in the guiding your way to salvation to be no wiser then Gods Spirit and Gods Word will make you to have no will nor no wisdome contrary to his will and wisdome but you will live as men that have nothing of their own nothing different from God no distinct will no contrary will and wit to God but you will let God take the guidance of you himself and whom he guides must needs come to a happie end as the Psalmist saith excellent well Thâ⦠wilt guide me by thy counsell and after bring me to glorie Those that submit themselves to be guided by Gods counsell he will bring them to glory Serviceable to this is that which is pressed every where in the Scripture Humility God gives Grace to the humble that is he gives them not onely forgivenesse of sins and acceptation to life but he gives them grace for the regiment of their lives he gives Grace to the humble Those that humble their wits to God for there is a humiliation of the wit as well as of the affections that they care not for the depths of Satan they care not for School-tricks they care to know nothing but Christ and him crucified as S. Paul saith Gods Word is of Power and Majestie enough to save me I need not bring my wit for my acceptance to God it is truth that is accepted not a strong brain to cavil God gives Grace to the humble Those that bring their understandings to be led and taught by God he gives grace to them Again in the third place If we would have our thoughts guided by counsel let us have a high esteem of wisdome above all precious
Take it in the regiment and goverment of it Take it in the worship Take it in the opinions you may draw all to one of those three heads For the government of it There is a wisdome a wondrous wisdome a fine subordination to one Head the Pope to hear all controversies and under him the Cardinals and under them the Generals and all at Rome and they have th eir Provincials under them here is a wondrous fine subordination butall this is by fleshly wisdome For this beast riset out of the earth and out of the Sea out of the Tumult of the people out of base earthly respects Therefore it is said in the Revelation when the Bishop of Rome became Pope and was at the highest that a Star fell he fell when he rose when he was at the highest he was at the lowest why because his rising was carnal and earthly or lower if you will it was hellish and devillish Their government is opposite to Christs Government and being so it must needs be mightily opposed by him again and therefore it must needs down the fabrick of it being opposite to the frame of Christs Government though it be wondrous witty Therefore in the Revelation 666. is the Number of a man If you mark the frame of the Romish policy it is wondrous accurate it goes smoothly by tens and by hundreds 666. This Babylon is the number of a man a fine policy but it is but the number of a man it is the device of carnal wisdome it self therefore it is divellish wisdome Thus it is in the government of it And their Worship is according to the wisdome of the flesh some wisdome there is in not going to God immediately but by Saints and Angels What! is it not wisdome in the Princes Court first to go to the Favourite and by him to the Prince So is it not wisdome not to go directly to God it is bold rashnesse to come immediately to God but by Saints and Angels This is the wisdome of a man this is the wisdome of the flesh Colos. 2. this is carnal wisdome it is opposite against the truth Doth not Christ bid us come all to him do Angels love us better then he Is not he the great Favourite of heaven I will not enter into controversie but onely shew how they work by fleshly wisdome Here is wisdome when we cannot raise our selves up to God to bring him down to us As in the Sacrament they shew carnal wisdome Oh it is a fine thing that Christs body and ours should be joyned together it seemes to be a fine point that Christ should be hid in the bread c. But here is no spiritual wisdome The union that the Scripture speaks of is by faith ascending into heaven laying hold on Christ there and going back to the crosse and seeing Christ crucified there and so he is meat indeed and drink indeed as we see him crucified and satisfying Gods wrath for us for our sins And so again is it not a pretty wisdome to draw men by pictures and likenesses are not men delighted with the Images of their friends and of their parents and therefore is it not a good religious policy to have pictures of Christ and pictures of God the Father Here is wisdome correspondent to the dealing and affaires of men but all this is fleshly wisdome The Scripture speaks mightily against making of Images the Word of God is directly against it this is fleshly wisdome Grace doth not rule here So that the soules when they go out of this world being very unclean that they should be purged that there should be some satisfaction some Purgatory c. here seems to be wisdome but wherefore serves the blood of Christ then that is the onely Purgatory that purgeth from all sins mortall sins venial sins all sins Again is it not a seeming wisdome to come to heaven by our own works by our own merits that so we may set the people on to good works or else we dull their spirits and endeavours I but this is fleshly wisdome this is devillish wit and so it will prove in the end for the Scripture goes onely to Christ onely Christ. We are saved by faith onely by Christ. I will not enter into the point I onely shew you what a seeming wisdome they have but it is not heavenly but meerly carnal And that their Religion is carnal do but consider that all the points wherein they differ from us may be resolved either to belly-policy or to State-policy either to ambition and riches or the belly Wherefore is their Monarchy all their great preferments but to increase their ambition Wherefore are their pardons and indulgences but to get money basely as some of their own Writers confesse And their Purgatory c. these things be for carnal ends it is a Religion fitted for their own ends They make what they list to serve them Religion Nature Reason Conscience whatsoever is good they make all stoop to interest their own cause in Their orders that is their spiritual good must be their advancement it is but a colour put uponcarnal ends The spiritual good is their own advancement they aime at their own peculiar interest in all their villainies As if God stood in need of our lie as if Gods glory were advanced by the Devil As well their Government as their Religion is lies it is defended by lies by equivocation and rebellion by withdrawing the allegiance of Subjects and murthering of Princes Lawes and Religion and all must stoop to their wisdome under pretence of bonum spirituale These things are known I do but touch them to breed a deeper hatred of this Religion which is altogether fleshly and carnal And so far as they are led by carnal wisdome they are not led by the grace of God Wherefore is their lying for advantage their dispensations and horrible allowing of any thing is it not meerly carnal wisdome In a word their Religion is meerly policy if it be not too good a word for it it is meerly carnall policy it came not from heaven but from the bottomlesse pit Then they fell from heaven when they grew to their highest when they were in their top This I thought good to touch collaterally from the Text which doth characterize a true Christian indeed in his temper that he is joyful when he is as he should be and the ground of it is from a good conscience and that good conscience ariseth out of a course of life and conversation led in simplicity and sincerity to God For Religion hath majesty enough in it self without far fetches and devices And the principle from whence By the grace of God in the evidence of the Spirit and not according to fleshly and carnal wisdome In a word therefore labour that from the evidence of the Spirit having your soules sanctified by the Spirit you may reflect on your selves and look into your lives and say truly
as S. Paul doth here My care in my course of life and conversation hath been in Simplicity I have cast my self upon God and his government and not looked to the world and in sincerity I have aimed at God in all things I have had no false and by aimes I have not spared even my life by any carnal end I have not served my self either in Religion or in my course of life but I have laboured to serve God in serving my brethren and have led my life by the grace of God and by the Word of grace which I laboured to know that I might follow Let us be able in some measure in truth to say thus And then we may say further with S. Paul That this is our rejoycing the testimony of our conscience We shall never want joy And then let the world judge of us as it will there is such a strength and power such a prerogative and majesty in Christian comfort when a man can as I said reflect thus on himself that though in a weak measure yet in truth his conversation and course of life hath been though his slidings have been something in simplicity and sincerity that nothing can daunt it in this world It is above all discouragement above all eclipse of good name the testimony of Conscience which hath Gods testimony with it The witnesse of two is a strong witnesse the witnesse of God and conscience it will so settle our soules that neither ill reports nor any usage in the world shall daunt us we shall have comfort in all the passages of our lives be they what they will Whereas other men that lead not their lives in a constant course of holy simplicity and sincerity they are as the Prophet saith like the leaves of the Forrest shaken with every alteration with every rumour of ill newes But a sound Christian in the worst alteration there may be combustions there may be alteration of State yet his heart is fixed he is not moved Likewise in the hour of death he can say with Hezekias Thou knowest Lord I have led my life in simplicity that I have served thee with a perfect heart that is in sincerity I have desired and endeavoured to grow better which is all the perfection we have in this world sincerity witnessed by growth and strength against the contrary this will comfort us in all the alterations and changes in this world which is as a Sea full of trouble and at the hour of death likewise and at the day of Judgment this is that onely that will make us able to look Christ in the face Truth hath a Divinity in it this simplicity and sincerity more then any earthly thing it hath that in it that is real and spiritual A man that hath the Grace of God in the truth of it there is a great deal of majestie in it There is the greatest majestie in heavenly things when they appear most simple because of their excellency There is some thing of Gods in sincerity so much as a man hath in truth so much of Gods He partakes of the Divine nature as S. Peter saith so much as he hath in truth though it be never so little and being a branch of God it will make him look upon God in the day of Judgment Why because he knowes he is in the Covenant of Grace that he hath title to heaven by Christ. When a mans conscience can tell him that he hath led his life not by carnal wisdome but in the truth of Grace it will make him out-look Satan and all the troubles of the world and look unto Christ with comfort Who would not be in such a state Thus we see a Christian leads his life Not in fleshly wisdome but by the Grace of God I will adde one thing more and so finish the verse We may see hence That the most Religious men are the best Statesmen I know proud carnall Machivillian dispositions make a scorn at these positions they think them to be austere and poor principles till they come to death As that Wretch said himself when he came to dye That he had provided for all things but for death but while they are in their ruffe they think they can manage States and do all When indeed they bring the vengeance of God upon their own persons and upon the State they live in For God is neither in them nor with them He is not in them for they want Grace they are led by carnall wisdome altogether And he is not with them God will not give them good successe unlesse it be to increase their Judgement He will not give good successe to those projects that they take up contrary to his rule Therefore those that will be guided by reasons of Religion and submit themselves to the guidance of Gods blessed Spirit they are best for the state of their own soules and best for the publick estate For doth not God know the mysteries of State better then any man Is not he a better Politician then any Achitophel in the world If they have any State-policy that is worth the naming is it not from him Is it not a beam from that Sunne Yes why then who is the better the difference of parts excepted but take them alike a gracious man and another that is not so let the one fetch his counsel from hell from darknesse and the other be ruled by reasons of conscience and Religion there is no comparison God will crosse and curse their projects that are for their own ends both in themselves and in the State too As for the other that are under Grace and the government of Grace God will be wise in them by his Spirit and he will be wise for them Psal. 1. Whatsoever a good man doth it shall prosper it is a large promise How wondrous happy and wise were the Children of Israel when they kept the Covenant of God This is your wisdome to keep the Commandements of God Deuteron 4. and their wisdome made them happy How happy were they in David's time who made the Statutes of God the Man of his Counsel How happy was the State in Solomons time till Solomon did warp and bend to Carnall counsell to strengthen himself How happy was his Government till that time but never after that they were environed with enemies round about but alas who could hurt the people of God so long as they submitted themselves to the government of grace they were alway happy Therefore it is an idle thing to suppose that there will be any good successe by carnal projects no the onely good States-man is the religious man And it was never better with the Church of God before or since the time of Christ then when those were in the stern Do but think of this oft as S. Jude saith God onely wise we must all of us light our candle at that fire All wisdome even this poor spark of reason that God enlightneth every
an oath which is the sign of all truth between man and man Their abuse of the Sacrament too they have abused all Gods signs and all to ill purposes to swear with private reservations whereas the old principle of Isidore is constantly and everlastingly true Conceive the oath as you will it must be understood as he to whom it is sworn understands it and not as he that swears Therefore undoubtedly Popery must fall every day and judicious men though they be not gracious they see it must fall It should make us hate them deeply because the courses they take are the overthrow of society this abuse of expressions of that excellent gift that God hath given namely the tongue whereby what is in my heart another man may understand and also writing whereby a man may convey his mind many hundred miles Now these excellent gifts that God hath given for society for men to turn them against God and against Society it must needs provoke the Majesty of God And as it is a sin against Society so it is a sin that is punished by society All men must needs hate them that do so those that have no other argument against Popery they have argument enough from their equivocation Those that are not subtile-headed to see other things when they look to the Gun-powder Treason and to their equivocation there is argument enough for any plain simple man to hate Popery Therefore let us be like our selves in all that we do to God or to men I had occasion to presse the Point when I spake of simplicity therefore I will not dwell further on it I write no other thing then what you read or acknowledge He means they acknowledged it in their heart and conscience What I write of my conversation that which you have heard it is no other then that you read and you acknowledge it too for they had felt the power of his Ministery Whence first of all observe That Where the Minister converseth by the Grace of God and not by carnal wisdome God is not onely wise in him but for him He is gracious and good for him he gives him successe in the hearts of others When a man is led by the Spirit of God the same Spirit that guides him in speaking guides his auditors in hearing and gives a sweet and a strong report in their hearts of what he saith What I write of my self you acknowledge that my Conversation hath been in sincerity and not onely my conversation but my Doctrine every way you have acknowledged me the same Spirit that guided me to do so wrought in you an acknowledgment of it in your conscience Therefore if you would have the speeches of the Ministers to take effect you should desire God not only to guide them in what they are to say but likewise with the same Spirit to work in the hearers and when the same Spirit works in both what a glorious successe is there As we see here S. Paul carried himself in his own person and in his Ministery graciously in simplicity and sincerity for it is meant of both he taught simple doctrine without any glozing without any far-fetched beauty from wit or eloquence or the like and he looked to God in his life and conversation and as God guided him so he stirred them up to pray for him as the Word and Prayer they are alway joyned together the Word had a report in their hearts as it had in his own What I speak you acknowledge c. It is not for us to deliver our minds and there an end but when we are to speak we ought before-hand to look up to God and desire his Spirit to be effectuall in us that we may speak in the wisdome and grace of the Spirit and likewise that it may be effectual to them that they may acknowledge it that they may feel in their soules and consciences the power of what we speak and feel in our selves So you see the truth of what I said before That God was not onely wise in S. Paul but he was gracious and good for him in those that he was to deal with And there is the glory of a good Minister that is a humble man and denies carnal wisdome That God will delight to honour himself by using him as an instrument to do good to others God usually will give report of what he saith to the hearts of others Proud men that speak what they speak by carnall projects and carnall wisdome and seek themselves usually the hearts and consciences of other men give no report to them For man naturally is proud and when he sees that the most excellent man in the world hath by-aimes he will not be gone beyond by him say what he will If a man set up sailes for himself he doth not win upon others But he that discovers himself that he seeks the glory of God and the good of the soules that he deales with and denies himself in that which otherwise he could do that useth not the strength of parts which he hath because he would discover the simple Word which is most Majestical in simplicity God seeing this simple and sincere desire he honours and crownes the Ministery of such a man with successe in the hearts of the people Therefore saith S. Paul here I write no other thing concerning my self but God hath honoured me with the issue of it in your hearts likewise that you acknowledge what I say You acknowledge Acknowledge is a deep word it is more then to know it is more then a conviction of the judgment it is when the heart and affections yield when the inward Spirit upon experience yields I feel and acknowledge this is true it is more I say then knowledge The next point then that I observe is this That God doth give his Children that love him in simplicity and sincerity a place in the conscience of men He gives them place in the consciences of those that have conscience for there are some that have no science and therefore they have no conscience as Popish superstitious persons c. But those that deal faithfully that live in the Church and see the glory of God God gives them a place in the conscience of those that they live amongst and deal with And they seek more to have place in their conscience then in their fancy then in their opinion and Imagination and humour A carnal man so he may have the humour the fancy and Imagination of his hearers delighted he regards not what inwardly they may feel from him he regards not how he warms their hearts and conscience and how they acknowledge him within and therefore perhaps if he have a good word for the present Oh a glorious man c. it is all he cares for but he hath no place in their conscience because they feel him not working there and he hath no aime to be there A good man seeks to edifie and build up
hath all to do again Another man sees an end of his work but in this the Devil and corruption hath undone all again We enforce good things on people on the Lords day but within one day ill company and imployment in worldly businesse overthrowes all the Sea banks are down they must be new repaired Therefore there is a necessity laid on us of the Ordinances to our lives end till our soules be in heaven there is a necessity of repairing them We cannot be too diligent in our places And those that have the oversight of others let them make conscience of it it is needful And mark here in the next Point the language of Canaan the language of the Spirit of God that he puts the name of Grace upon every benefit especially those that concern a better life Grace usually we take to be nothing but a gracious frame of heart the new creature as we call it but indeed in the language of the Holy Ghost every free gift of God that concerns our soules any way is a grace The very Ministery is a grace It is the grace and free love of God to give us the Ministery The very heart to imbrace it and to hear it is a grace The very heart to give almes is a grace saith S. Paul 2 Cor. 9. Thanks be to God for this unspeakable gift for this unspeakable grace that you had a heart to give so that every thing that is good it is a Grace a gift of God Saint Paul conceived of his coming to them as a grace Indeed the Grace of God moved and directed S. Paul to come to them It is Grace that God directs the Preacher to speak to the people It is a grace that the Minister speaks gracious things It is a greater grace when you close with and entertain that which is spoken all is of Grace Your ready minds to do good it comes of God it is a grace your acceptance of God as well as eternal life all is of free grace The ground of it is this as Austin as I said defines Predestination well It is a destinating and ordaining to a supernatural end to everlasting salvation in the world to come and a preparing of all means to that end Why now as it is a grace that God pulls oft some men to an eternal estate of salvation in heaven to a supernatural estate that they could never attain without his especial Grace so the preparing of all means to that end it falls within the compasse of Predestination within the grace So when we have any means prepared to bring us to that end the offer of the Word and the Spirit of God disposing us to imbrace the Word this preparing of the means to that end it falls within the compasse of Predestination we may gather our Election by it when we see the Word sent in favour and have gracious hearts to receive it this is a preparation wrought to bring us to heaven a man may know his Election by it all is of grace that falls within the decree of grace When God decrees to bring a man to heaven all that helps to the main must needs be grace The Minister is a grace the Word a grace opportunities to do good a grace the communion of Saints a grace all that helps a man forward is a grace A gracious heart sees God in every thing it sees Gods love in every thing it considers of every thing that befalls it as a Grace Why From this disposition especially because with the grace there is grace to make a blessed use of and to improve every thing If this be so let us look upon every benefit that concerns salvation though it be remote even the very direction of good speeches to us account it a grace It is the grace of God that I have this opportunity especially the publick Ministery Saint Paul calls it a grace let us think of it as a grace And as we do in Clocks we go from the hammer that strikes to the wheeles and from one wheel to another and so to the weights that make it strike we go to the first weight the first wheel that moves all and leads all So when we see good done look not to the good done onely but go to the wheeles to the weights what moves it and makes it strike what sets all a going The grace and free love of God when good things are spoken when any good is done go higher to the first wheel that sets all a going to the grace and free love of God This is the language of the Scripture and of the Spirit of God thus we must speak and think to the end that God may have the glory of his grace in whatsoever good is done or offered When Abigail met David and diverted him from his bloody intention to kill Nabal and gave him counsel another way O blessed be God and blessed be thou and blessed be thy counsell So when opportunities are offered to do good and to hinder us from evil intentions O blessed be thou and blessed be thy counsel When a benefit is done if it be a benefit of this life take it as a grace coming freely from God So a poor man his almes is a grace Thanks be unto God for this unspeakable gift saith S. Paul It is grace in him that hath it that God should respect him so much as to relieve him It is grace in the party that gives it that he hath a heart enlarged to do it So when any thing outward or spiritual is done that is good look on it as a grace put that respect on it and that will make you holy-minded to give God his own Our life should be a praising and blessing of God we should begin the employment of heaven while we are on earth How should we do that In all things give thanks Every good thing from God take it as a grace as a largesse not as due not as coming by chance but as a grace and this will make us improve it as a grace for the best it will make us to give God the glory and improve it to our own good when we are thankful for grace that we may have cause to account it a grace Our hearts would not be so full of Atheisme and our tongues so full of blasphemies if we had learned this lesson our lives would be a praising of God And that we may not want matter to feed a thankful spirit alway consider what good things we have are of grace we deserve not so much as a crumb of bread therefore we pray Give us this doy our daily bread Every thing is a Grace especially the things of a better life How shall I know that the Minister is a grace or a good speech from a Minister to be a grace as S. Paul saith here I intended you a second grace that is to speak gracious thing to you I shall know it if by that
gracious means by those gracious speeches God distill into me a spirit to improve them to gracious purposes As indeed God turns all to a gracious end to his children he gives them a principle of grace to work good out of every thing they see grace in every thing in affliction they see the love of God In the worst things Grace will pick out somewhat and make use of it As God by his providence intends all to good so his Spirit by a provident eye to the Word works good out of every thing but those that have not grace they are not grace to them but tend to their further hardening To end this point when you come to the Communion come to it as a grace It is the Grace of God that he hath ordained us to salvation it is the grace of God that he hath sent his Word it is the grace of God that he hath sent his Sacrament to seal that Word and all little enough he knowes us better then we know our selves he knowes we have need of all to confirm and help us the Word and the Sacraments even to the end of our dayes As the Apostle saith Ephes. 4. To build us up The means of grace are not onely necessary for the planting but for the building up of the Church And therefore come with this purpose to have Grace confirmed and receive it as a grace of God with thankfulness that God will condescend to our infirmity to give us helps to support our weak faith It is a true proverb Grace begets grace it begets thankfulnesse where it is apprehended as a grace therefore come with a thankful disposition to the Sacrament imbrace every Ordââ¦ce of God with thankfulnesse Alas do not thousands sit in darknesse and in the shadow of death they do and therefore those that find the benefit of Gods Ordinances they are disposed by the same Spirit that works any good in them to return thankfulnesse to God again That you might have a second Grace Saint Paul's purpose was to come to them to bestow a grace not to take from them to bestow good and gracious speeches on them which he knew the Spirit of God would make effectual to work some good in them A gracious man is a vessel of grace and he should take all occasions to vent that which is good When S. Paul saith he intended to bestow a second grace his meaning is that he would utter things that were gracious that the Spirit of God should seal to the soules of them that heard him and make them effectuall Therefore every Christian should have this disposition Saint Paul did it as a holy man as well as a Minister Do we think our selves vessels of grace as the Scripture calls the Elect Children of God or no Yes God forbid else Now Gods Children God hath appointed some to be vessels of Gold some of Silver as the Apostle saith to Timothy some for this use and some for that all for good use A vessel is to be filled with something and to be used for something therefore set abroach some good thing when you have the advantage of it when you are called to it not unnecessarily to thrust forward your selves Let the desire of your hearts be to do good upon all occasions A vessel of Grace must not be an empty vessel A Christian he is a member of Christ and he hath a part in the communion of Saints and he hath gifts for that end there is no Christian but he can comfort or instruct or disswade from ill when it is moved There is no Christian but he is furnished as a member ought to be in some competent measure There is no man that hath benefit by the communion of Saints but he hath grace to fit him for that blessed communion He is fitted to comfort upon occasion and he hath some grace some knowledge to correct he that hath not is a dead member not fit for that communion Therefore we should bestow Grace where we come and not leave an ill sent behind us to infect others with filthy speeches and blasphemous oaths to open the rottennesse of our own hearts in their presence and so be conscious of that which is ill in them because we strengthen it by our example and by our words S. Paul was a good man I come to bestow a second grace that is to speak that which is gracious that Gods gracious providence shall direct to do you special good For Gods Word is inspired by the Spirit and the same Spirit that breathed the Word of God into the Pen-men of it the same Spirit is with the Word in the uttering of it when it is done by a gracious heart to a gracious man it works graciously it hath a blessed operation with it Therefore we should upon all good occasions speak gracious things Divine truths they will have a wondrous efficacy If men would set on it and be more fruitful in this kind they should have occasion to blesse God But alas the life of a Christian is little known in the world we have but naked shallow conceits of the glory of heaven and of the state of a Christian and how he lives in this world and that makes men live such stained such base lives that will not stand with comfort in his world or glory in the world to come But a Christian should be such a one as frames his disposition to do good wheresoever he comes and he hath ability if he be a sound Christian. How graciously did God blesse Abigails word to David yet she was a mean woman How dost thou know but that by uttering gracious words in company in season as discretion must guide all our actions all our words how doest thou know but that thou mayest divert another man from sin by a word in season I beseech you carry this disposition about you as you desire to be thought vessels of Grace here and of glory hereafter to be thought vessels of gold and silver for the use of God labour to be imployed by the Spirit of God to good purposes that you may leave a good savour where you come that others that are acquainted with you in the time of their visitation they may blesse God that ever they were acquainted with such a friend Blessed be God that I knew him As it will be our joy at that day so it will be one anothers joy here for God blesseth the exhortations and comforts of friends one to another as well as the Ministerial oft-times So I come to the 16. Verse how he meant to come to them to Corinth saith he I was minded to come to you VERSE XVI And to passe by you into Macedonia and to come again out of Macedonia unto you and of you to be brought on my way to Judea SEe what a Circuit the blessed Apostle fetched indeed he was industrious after his conversion he made amends for his harsh conversion by his speedy labours For
therefore he is not constant Or if times do not fall out so crosse he is not constant in his disposition and God looks on him as he is in his disposition and so he will judge him at that day now being led with the flesh his disposition alters and varies How shall I know whether I consult according to the flesh or no In a word examine two things The ground and the aime of our actions whence they rise and what they aym at Spring they from self-love aym they at our self-contentment and private interest then a man is led with the flesh To use a familiar instance In Marriage when a man looks more to wealth then to Religion he adviseth according to the flesh And so for a Minister to respect his living more then any thing that might weigh with his conscience otherwise if he were good he is led with respects according to the flesh Those that leave their former good acquaintance and choose such as they only hope to gain by and forsake those acquaintance that they cannot gain by though they be never so good otherwise they are led according to the flesh How shall we know that we do not things and consult not of things according to the flesh Some men may know it easily as when men are of pregnant parts when the strength of their wit leads them one way and Religion leads them another way yet in the awe of God they do not go that way that politick respects would carry them they could be as errant Politicians as the best but they dare not here now is a man that is led by the Spirit when it is not for want of parts but out of conscience he doth not so miscarry by his enemy Many times an honest man could be rich by ill means as well as another he knowes the way it is not for want of wit but because he dares not the awe of conscience and the awe of God lead him to better rules and aymes so it is easily discerned in eminency of parts And likewise in fitnesse of opportunities if there be not parts when a man hath all outward advantages to satisfie the flesh to yield to it to have his aimes and yet he will not If a man have power and yet doth not revenge himself he consults not with flesh and blood for he might be revenged if he would So I say when there is something that might sway us another way and yet notwithstanding out of meer conscience and better rules we will not it is a sign we purpose not we advise not things according to the flesh but according to the Spirit we are led with better rules then the world is In strong suggestions a Joseph can say How shall I do this and offend against God Doth not God see it saith Job so a Christian in the strength of Temptations and solicitations and opportunities to do ill he considers Doth not God see How shall I do this and offend against God Shall I break the peace of my conscience for the gaining of this and this why no then a man is not led with Carnal wisdome Again we may know this that we are not led by the flesh and advised by the flesh when we are humble in all our consultations It is a perpetual concomitant of carnal wisdome to be proud knowledge mingled with corruption puffeth up But how shall we labour to overcome this because we have the flesh ready by us in all our consultations we have this counsellour alway ready at hand as S. Paul complains Rom. 7. That when we would do well evil is present it is present at our elbow nay it is nearer the flesh is mingled in all the powers of our soules and with heavenly wisdome there is a mixture of carnal wisdome how shall we do that we may not be tainted with it I will give a direction or two First of all have a prejudice of it Cave time c. saith the holy man S. Austin Take heed of the evil man thy self take heed of carnal reason be jealous of it it is an enemy and the issues of the wayes it adviseth to are death There is a way that seems good to a man in his own eyes the issues whereof are death not temporal onely but eternal death It is a deadly enemy have a prejudice of it and conceit of it to be as it is have a jealousie of it and of our own selves especially in things that concern our selves What is the reason that a man is an incompetent Judge in his own cause This because there is natural self-love and flesh that drawes all to it self Consult not with it therefore consult with higher rules and principles what may make most for the chief end for the glory of God for the assurance of our comfort while we live here and a better estate hereafter that which may make most for the common good let us labour to live by right rules and principles God will value us by that Put the case a man by passion be led another way what is his rule what is his aym his aym is not carnal he may fall by passion c. God judgeth not by passion but by the tenour of our life God esteems us not by a single particular exorbitant act that by passion or incogitancy a man falls into but by the tenour of our life Therefore let us labour to have our rules and aimes good though we fail in particular yet that our way may be good though we step awry yet our way may be good that when Judgment shall come when death shall come it may not find us in an ill way in an ill course Therefore let us consult with God consult with his Word consult with those that are led by the Spirit of God labour to be under the government of Gods blessed Spirit to be guided by the Spirit of God and by the Word of God This should be our care to labour that God would guide us by his good Spirit in those wayes that may lead to our comfort that of all other enemies in the world he would not give us up to our own flesh to guide us but that he would take the guidance of us to himself that as he hath right to us by his Covenant so he would take us into his government And desire Christ that as he is our Priest to die for us so likewise he would be our Prophet to instruct us to subdue all in us And let Divine truth be our counsellour to bring our inner man into subjection as it is 2 Cor. 10. The weapons of our warfare are mighty to bring all into captivity to subject all high devices and reasonings How shall I do this I shall misse of my ends I shall misse of my projects O but Religion when it comes and brings down all it makes not a man to cast away reason but brings reason under and brings
the soul under God A man may keep his wisdome and understanding safe still so he keep it under and let Divine truth sway and bring all in us into captivity to it self But alas the scope of the world is contrary instead of bringing the soul into captivity to Gods truth to be led by him to have no thoughts no aimes contrary to Gods will they make Gods truth a captive and prisoner to their own base affections as S. Paul saith Rom. 1. They hold the truth they withhold it as a prisoner under base affections And whereas all should serve the main end and intend better things they make a counterfeit loving of good things to serve their carnal ends they make heaven serve earth they make God serve man the Spirit serve the flesh they invert the order of things clean which is as contrary to nature if they had wisdome to consider it as that the heaven should be under the earth and the water above the air it overturnes all in Religion when we suffer carnal wisdome to rule all to imprison that light that God hath put into the heart and conscience and the light of his Word to base affections and not to bring all into captivity to the Spirit and the Word When we come to hear Gods Word we should consider that we come not for recreation but we come to a Counsellour to that that should sway and direct all our wayes and words to that that is not onely our comfort in the time of affliction but our counsellour as David saith it was the man of his counsel So we come here to be counselled to hear that which must direct us in the way to heaven we must come with a purpose to be guided by that to be taught As Cornelius faith We are here in the presence of God to hear what shall be said to us from God Saint Paul gives this direction 1 Cor. 3. If a man will be wise in heavenly things let him be a fool first It is a strange thing Let him be a fool that is let him be content to be esteemed so let him be content to lose his reputation of wisdome that he may be wise When he knowes others to be fooles let him take a substantial course that the vain world may think him wise It is hard counsel for of all imputations in the world many and the most had rather be accounted wicked then be accounted fooles account them the veriest fools which are unfit to speak think of them in the highest degree of ill you can oh they have wit enough for that they have learning and parts for that take not away their learning and parts account them not fooles account them what you will Religion masters this base opinion Saint Paul saith Let a man be a fool if he will be wise Let no man deceive himself and think Let poor men be so and so Religion is the private mans good and let them make conscience of such things but for us that are in place and authority we must rule by policy and he knowes not how to rule that is not a Politician Let no man deceive himself there is no man great or small but if he will be wise for heaven let him be a fool let him take courses that are conscionable though he be accounted a fool for his pains Let us be jealous of our own hearts in private and publick let us take heed to our own hearts that the flesh come not in Let us labour to be acquainted with Christ that he may be our counsellour and our guide in all things Specially now when we come to the Communion we now renew out Covenant with God and our acquaintance with Christ Jesus we come to feast with him Do we think to have any good by him any benefit by his death except we make him our King and Prophet to rule and guide us except we make him our Counsellour Therefore let us think before-hand we cannot come as we ought to receive the Communion unlesse we intend before-hand to renounce the flesh Christs enemy can you be welcome guests and resolve after to be led and ruled by his enemy If you will have good by Christs death as a Priest to reconcile you to God as this Sacrament seales the benefits of his death the breaking of the bread and the pouring out of the wine come with a purpose to be ruled and guided by this Counsellour in all things he is the great Counsellour Isai. 9. 7. that is willing to advise us by his Word and Spirit in all the particular passages of our lives and the more we enter into acquaintance with him by the Sacrament and maintain it by private prayer and by all sacred means the more ready he will be to do the office of a friend and counsellour in all the passages of our lives to advise us what is best I had occasion in verse 12. to speak at large of fleshly wisdome therefore I passe it That with me there should be yea yea and nay nay This sets down the manner of inconstancy the form of it yea yea to be on the affirmative part once and then nay nay the negative to be of one mind and peremptory in it and then to be of another mind and peremptory in that this is the issue of carnal wisdome and followes on it The things that I purpose do I purpose according to the flesh that with me there should be yea yea and nay nay insinuating that those that purpose things according to the flesh they are yea yea and nay nay Whence first we may observe which I touched before a little but it issues more properly hence from the dependance That Carnal men are alway inconstant men For a fleshly man led with the flesh being led with the things of the world and they being inconstant he must needs be as that which he is ruled by A man cannot stand safe upon the Ice because it self is not safe a man cannot stand in a thing that stands not that hath no consistence Now a Carnal man he hath no prop to hold him but the things below he cleaves to them and they are inconstant and variable and uncertain He that purposeth according to the flesh is yea yea nay nay Therefore his love is yea yea nay nay If he may have good by you he is yea yea he is for you but can you do him no good he is nay nay he will not own you then Therefore one way to be constant is not to be ruled according to the flesh which I spake of before for they that are are yea yea nay nay Therefore take heed how you trust carnal men in near intimate society as in marriage Or in near friendship never take a man that hath his own aimes and ends for he will respect you no more then he can advance his own ends by you Trust not the Wife of thy bosome saith the Prophet if she
salve it up in my own thoughts and deceive others it is a breach of charity and a lie because it is a speech of untruth which another thinks to be a truth it is an untruth and to deceive him But these men will have yea and nay at a breath they will say yea and yet have a reservation of nay at once S. Paul would much more decline and abhor this if he were alive now when he so declined the imputation of inconstancy of yea yea and nay nay at divers times Indeed S. Paul reserved this he promised to come to them if God did permit with a Divine reservation we may say in all the businesse we are to do This I will do if God permit and if God will and indeed God hindred his journey but I say for equivocation the matter is so odious and palpable that if it were not that Non dum satis odimus c. we hate not these men enough I would not have spoken of it Their Religion is so abominable and odious we do not yet hate it enough and therefore it is good on all occasions to uncase them and all little enough But I go on VERSE XVIII As God is true our Word to you was not yea and nay THe Apostle in the former Verse having laboured to clear himself from the imputation of lightnesse and inconstancy that he did not come to them as he had promised and from an imputation likewise of policy for himself that he did purpose things according to the flesh which is the cause of inconstancy of yea yea and nay nay he comes now to that which he more intended then those particulars for he was content to be thought to have disappointed them in the matter of his journey but that which he aimes at was to stablish them in this That his doctrine was found As God is true our Word to you was not yea and nay Perhaps I promised to come and did not it is true but my preaching was not yea and nay all that I taught was found and certain you may build your soules on it it was yea He labours to draw them to be perswaded of the certainty of his Ministery as being very unwilling that a defect in his promise about a businesse of the world should weaken their faith in the truth that he delivered as a Minister As God is true our Word to you was not yea and nay He seems to make a difference between yea and nay in Civill things and in Divine there is a difference when a holy man speaks of the things of this life and when he speaks of Divine truths S. Paul promised to come to them he meant it honestly and did intend it but it was subject to alteration because God stops our purposes in this life yea our good purposes many times Good things may have variety one good thing may be more convenient then another And the cause why he came not to them was not his inconstancy but their unfitnesse it was from their corruption in manners and in doctrine they were not ready as he saith after he came not to spare them they were unfit till they were humbled with his former Epistle and then when they were humbled he purposed to come But now in Divine truths what things he spake to them concerning grace and glory that was certain Our word to you was not yea and nay A question may be moved briefly how S. Paul could be deceived in his journey and not in his doctrine being so good a man led by the Spirit of God how could he promise to come and yet did not I answer the difference is much between these two S. Paul had three persons on him He was a Man Christian man an Apostle As a man he was subject to all things that men are subject unto that is he desired in truth of heart to come and visit his friends he purposed a journey with a reservation that God might hinder him and so as a man he might have a yea that is a purpose to do a thing and afterward a nay upon the uncertain event of the things of this life so as a man he purposed to come Nay as a holy man he purposed a journey to a good purpose to stablish them but with a reservation if God permit God might stop his journey But as an Apostle he taught other things then speaking of journeys that he spake of onely as a man and as a holy man alway supposing the condition of humane things and under permission if God permit But as an Apostle he was not yea and nay there he was certain As an Apostle he spake Divine truths and was guided infallibly by the Spirit of God he delivered truths without all conditions and exceptions as an Apostle he did not admit of any such uncertainty There is an eminency and excellency in Divine truth it is stable and firm and not subject to variety and inconstancy so his doctrine as an Apostle was alwayes yea For his journey and coming to them he promised his journey in veritate propositi in the truth of a good purpose of a friend but as he spake of Divine truths he spake of them in the certainty of the Divine Spirit in the one he spake in the certainty of truth in the other in the truth of affection As a man he spake in the truth of a good affection he bare to them but as an Apostle he spake in the certainty of Divine truth And you must know this that God as he used the Apostles and excellent men to write his book to write the VVord of God to be his Pen-men yet he hindred them not to be men As he hinders not godly men to be men but at once they may be Saints and men so Saint Paul as a good man desired to see them with a reservation but as an Apostle he was guided by a certain infallible assistance of Divine truth Nathan as he was a man gave David liberty to build the Temple he was over-shot in it something but then he goes to God and consults with him whether he should or no and then Nathan gives David another advice So the Prophets and Apostles as men they might be alterable without sin For God will allow men to be men and subject to mistakes For Nescience not knowing the possibility of things to come is no sin in man because it is an unavoidable infirmity So that S. Paul as his usuall manner is in promising things to come things of that nature he promiseth them under reservation and permission if God permit if God will and he doth not sin though he be frustrate of his intention It is not the onely part of a wise man to divine what will be Saint Paul had not providence to see whether his journey should be crossed or no but out of a Christian intention he resolved to come if God did not crosse him that was as a man and a
see our interest in his humiliation and exaltation in glory because he is the second Adam These things should raise up our thoughts wondrously to think of his humiliation and his exaltation and of the love and mercy of God in him And then think of what you will nothing is discouraging think of death of hell of the day of Judgment think of Satan of the curse of the Law they are terrible things I but think of the Son of God of Christ anointed of God the Father to satisfie the Law to satisfie his Justice to overcome Satan to crush his head to be our Saviour as well as our Judge at the day of Judgment these things will make all vanish Things that are most tetrible to the nature of man without the consideration of Jesus Christ the Son of God all are most comfortable when we think of him Now when we think of Satan we think of one crushed and trod under foot as he shall be ere long When we think of Judgment we think of a Saviour that shall be our Judge when we think of God we think of God reconciled in Christ. We have accesse by Christ to the Throne of grace he is now in heaven and makes intercession for us When we think of death we think of a passage to life where we shall be with him I desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ. So the things that are most uncomfortable yet bring the consideration of them to Christ exalted in heaven having triumphed over all these in our nature and sits at Gods right hand The thoughts of these things are comfortable meditations Nay think of that which is the most terrible of all the Justice of God his anger for sin it is a matter of comfort above all other God is just to punish and revenge sin what then because he is just he will not punish ââ¦hing twice but his justice is fully satisfied aad contented in his Son Christ Jesus whom he hath anointed and predestinate and sent himself and he must needs acknowledge that satisfaction that is done by him that he hath sent himself hereupon we come to think comfortably of Gods Justice God out of Christ is a consuming fire there is nothing more terrible then God without Christ but now in Christ we can think of the most terrible thing in God with comfort Therefore S. Paul makes it the main scope of his preaching and so should we of ours and you should make it your main desire in hearing and the main subject matter of your meditating something concerning Christ. Let us often think of our nature in him now exalted in heaven and that we shall follow him ere long our head is gone before and he will not suffer his body alwayes to rot in the earth let us think of his natures and his offices and all the blessed prerogatives that we have by him and all the enemies that are conquered by him that in him we have God reconciled and the Devil vanquished we have heaven opened and hell shut we have our sins pardoned and our imperfections by little and little cured in him we have all in all There are four things that the Apostle speaks of which includes all 1 Cor. 1. 30. Of him are ye in Christ Jesus who of God is made to us wisdome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption Christ Jesus is all in all if we be ignorant he is our wisdome if we want righteousnesse and holinesse to stand before God he is ouâ⦠righteousnesse we stand righteous being cloathed with his righteousnesse If we want Grace Of his fulnesse we receive Grace for Grace he is sanctification to us If we be miserable as we shall be to our sense our bodies shall be turned to rottennesse he is our redemption not onely of the soul but of the body he shall make our bodies like his glorious body as he makes our soules glorious by his Spirit conforming them to his own Image here he means here redemption of our bodies from corruption as well as of our soules from sin He is all in all in sin he is sanctification in death he is life in ignorance he is wisdome there is nothing ill in us but there is abundant satisfaction and remedy in Christ. I speak this the rather to shew what reason S. Paul had to stand on this That all his preaching was to bring Christ Jesus among them I go on The Son of God Jesus Christ preached among you All the good we have by Christ is conveyed by the Ministery Despise that and despise Christ himself Therefore whatsoever benefits we have by Christ they are attributed to preaching they are attributed to the Gospel as it is preached and unfolded therefore it is called the Gospel of the Kingdome The Word of reconciliation The Word of life The Word of faith all these are by Christ but it is no matter whatsoever we have by Christ we must have it by Jesus Christ unfolded in the Ministery of the Word despise the Ministery that is contemptible to flesh and blood and despise Christ himself despise the Kingdome and life and all for Christ preached is that we must relie on Christ unfolded the bread of life must be broken the sacrifice must be anatomized and laid open Christ Jesus the Son of God must be preached he profits not but as he is preached his riches must be unfolded The unsearchable riches of Christ. Therefore God that hath appointed us to be saved by Christ hath appointed and ordained preaching to lay open Jesus Christ among us But to come to the third Point why doth he bring in consent to help By me and Silvanus and Timotheus would not his own authority serve the turn I answer no it would not sometimes In it self it will but in regard of the weaknesse of men it is necessary to joyn the consent of others S. Paul was an Apostle of Christ but he knew that they were so weak that they would regard his testimony the more for the joynt testimony of Timotheus and Silvanus and the rest God considers not so much what is true in it self as how to stablish our faith in it As in the Sacrament would not God give Christ and his benefits is he not true of his Word Yes but he gives the Sacrament for us his promises are sure enough yet he condescends to our weaknesse to adde Sacrament and oath and all the props that may be So the men of God that are led by the Spirit of God though their own authority were sufficient yet they condescend to the weaknesse of others Therefore S. Paul alledgeth with himself Silvanus and Timotheus to strengthen them the better Then again consent is a lovely thing and proceeds from love how sweet a thing is it for brethren to dwell together in unity therefore we ought to stand much upon consent if it may perswade us But as Cyprian saith well it must be consent in the truth Consent that is not
our former exhortation get into Christ by all means for out of him we have nothing savingly good But you will say Doth not God do many good things to them that are out of Christ doth not the rain fall upon the ill as well as the good and doth not he fill the bellies of the wicked with good things Yes he doth he doth but are they blessings no they are not but as God saith to Moses If you do this and this ill I will curse you in your dough I will curse you at home and abroad I will curse you in your Children c. They are cursed in their blessings There is no man that is a carnall brutish man but though he live and have revenues and pleasures he is cursed in his blessings For what is he made for this life onely no he is but fatted on to the day of destruction they are snares to him How do you know they are snares because they make him secure and careless of the worship of God they make him prophane they make him despise the power of Religion a man may see by his conversation they are snares they are not promises in Christ for then they would come to him out of Gods Love Therefore get into Christ rest not in any thing abstracted from Christ Let us not rest in any blessing except we have it in Gods love in Christ. And I may know that I have any thing in this world any deliverance from ill or any positive good thing from Gods love in Christ if I have it with a heart wrought on to the best things to value Christ and to account all dung in comparison of him When I esteem my being in Christ above all beings above being rich or honourable or in favour alas this I know is fading but my being in Christ is Yea and Amen that will stand by me when all these beings will fail This is comfortable if I can do this and have other things I have them with the Love of God and Christ. Let us get into Christ therefore For this purpose attend upon the meanes of salvation that the Word may be effectuall by his Spirit accompanying his own Ordinance to open the excellencies of Christ to us to make us love him and get our affections into him How are we in Christ By knowing him and then knowledge carries our hearts For our wills cleave to that that we know to be excellent and necessary Christ is discovered as excellent and necessary and so the will cleaves to him as a good so discovered and the affections follow the will When the will cleaves to Christ as excellent and necessary then I love him then I rest on him then I have peace in him I may know that I am in Christ upon my knowledge of him and cleaving to him and finding peace in my conscience For he that is in Christ hath rest Faith in Christ hath a resting stablishing power If I be in Christ my soule rests for I know that all is Yea and Amen in him My soule rests in him whatsoever I find in the world to unsettle me things are amisse and otherwise then I would have them but I rest in the Love of God in Christ. Let us get into Christ by knowledge Let the will follow that and our affections follow that and then we shall find the rest and peace that will secure us that indeed we are in Christ. Alas what is a man out of Christ as a man in a storme that hath no cloathes to hide his nakednesse to cover him from the violence of the storme As a man in a tempest that is out of a house to hide him As a stone out of the foundation that is scattered here and there as neglected As a branch out of the Vine out of the root what shape is in such a branch it will be cast into the fire afterwards A man out of Christ that is not cloathed with him that is not built on him and settled on him and planted in him he is a man destitute We pittie such mens cases in the World but if we had spirituall eyes to look on these men on prophane civill wretches that pride themselves in a little moralitie and have scarce that perhaps and neglect grace and the mystery of Christ such a man deserves pittie there is but a step between him and Hell if he be out of Christ and live and die so and at the Day of Christ he will account him so O saith St. Paul Philip. 3. I account all dung and drosse in comparison of Christ not having my own righteousnesse but to be found in him having the righteousnesse of God in Christ. O happie man indeath and at the day of judgement that is found in Christ and not in himself not in his own righteousnesse though that there must be not to give us title to heaven The best thing is to be found in Christ to have his righteousnesse and obedience that is so excellent that Saint Paul accounted all dung and drosse in comparison of that to be found in that Get into Christ by all meanes for in him all the promises are Yea and Amen not out of him If so be all the promises be Yea and Amen in Christ then here again see the stabilitie of a Christians estate that hath promises to uphold him compare it with a man that hath present things onely with an Esau that hath the things of this life The men of this world as the Psalmist calls them they have present things they have performance he gives them their portion here as he saith to Dives Thou hadst thy good that which thou caredst for thou hadst it here and Lazarus had Pain and miserie and povertie here now the case is altered he is advanced and thou art tormented A Christian as a Christian he hath a great many promises some of them are performed for God is delivering him and comforting him and protecting him and speaking peace to his conscience but the greatest part are yet to be performed the perfection of Grace and Glorie to come he is a Child of the promise a son of the promise here is his estate Another man hath present payment and that is all he cares for he hath something and he swells in the conceit of that that he is some bodie What is the difference what hath the one but a great deale of nothing what saith Solomon that had tried all the world All is vanity and vexation of spirit all is uncertain and we are uncertaine in the use of them if we have no better life then the life of nature But the promises they are yea they are certain they contain undoubted certain good things that will stick by us when all else will leave us A Christian take him and strip him in your thoughts from all the good things in the world he is a happier man then the greatest Monarch in the world out
the sweetnesse of his spirit joynes us with you he saith not you with us but as if they were as firmly set in Christ as himself he saith us with you he puts them together with himself for indeed all of us one with another weak Christians and strong Christians fetch all that we have from one Fountain draw all from one Spring are led all by one Spirit You have here also the Character of a sound Christian he loves and values all Christians A carnal man may value excellent Christians that have excellent parts of whom he hopes for kindnesse in some peculiar regard but he loves not all the Saints Love to all Christians as they be Christians because they have some anointing of the Spirit some earnest somewhat they have to be valued is a note of a good and sound Christian Another reason why he joynes us with you is to shew that the working of the Spirit it is not in the members severed from the body but as they are in the body The Spirit works in us but in us with you and in you with us that is as all the spirits come from the head and heart to the severall members of the body so they must be united they must be in the body before they can have the benefit of the spirits there must be an union with Christ the head and with the rest of the members before we can have the Spirit to strengthen us and anoint us those that rend themselves from the body cannot hope for stablishing from the head This should be a bond to ty us to the communion of Saints we have all that we have in the body we all grow in the body we are all stones in one building whereof Christ is the foundation therefore as stones in an Arch strengthen one another so should we Let us look for grace to be given in the communion of Saints it is an ill sign when any man will be a solitary Christian and will stand alone by himself As we are knit to Christ by faith so we must be knit to the communion of Saints by love That which we have of the Spirit is had in the communion of Saints It is worth ohserving the better to cherish Christian lovingnesse Thus you see the parts of this sentence in which we have the grace it self here spoken of Stablishing In whom we are stablished In Christ. By whom by God And who those are that are stablished Us with you To make now some Application of all If it be God that stablisheth us let us make this Use of it Let God have the glory of our stablishing If we have it in dependance upon God by Prayer let us return all by praise and thanksgiving all comes of his meer grace let all return to his meer glory Not unto us but unto thy Name give the praise It is the song of the Church on earth and the song of the Church triumphant in heaven that all glory be to God in all the whole carriage of salvation The promises are his stablishing is his that he would make a Covenant it is his that he will perform his Covenant to us it is his that he will enable us to perform the Covenant it is by his strength all is his therefore both the Church here and the Church in heaven our song should be Great and gracious and merciful is the true God that is so gracious and righteous in all his promises Let us labour I beseech you for stablishing especially in these times Is it not a shame that we have gotten no more ground now then we had threescore yeares ago nay that we rather call principles into question The Pope hath been Antichrist and Traditions have been accounted Traditions and not equal with the Word what shall we now stagger in the foundation is here our progresse Oh beloved labour to be stablished in the present truth that you may not be a prey for every subtile man And here especially I would speak to the younger sort that they should labour for this stablishing betimes before they be engaged in the world and before other businesses possesse them over-deeply for falshood hath more correspondency and suits better with our corruption specially if it be forced from subtil wits it prevailes much with unstable dispositions those that are uncatechized and ungrounded they are soon led away and therefore with other studies we should study the truth and remember that our best calling is to be a Christian and our best honour to be able to stand for the truth we professe Labour to have fundamental graces established and then all will be stablished if the root be strengthened the tree stands fast radical graces must be strengthened First Humility The foundation of Religion is very low and humility and abasing is in all parts of Religion every grace hath a mixture of humility because our graces are from God they are dependences Now humility is an emptying grace and acknowledgeth that in my self I am nothing Spiritual poverty with humility acknowledgeth that I in my self am a dependent creature if God withhold his influence if God withdraw his grace I shall be as other men as Sampson when his hair was cut Our strength is in God altogether Let us pray that we may be humble God gives grace to the humble When I am weak saith blessed S. Paul then I am strong that is when I am humble and feel and acknowledge my weaknesse then I am strong or else a man is not strong when he is weak but when he feeles and acknowledgeth his weaknesse Therefore let us labour to grow in humility and self-denial and we shall grow in strength Then again another radical grace to be stablished is Faith Depend upon God altogether for considering our strength is out of our selves and faith being a grace that goes out of our selves and layes hold of that that is out of our selves faith is necessary to our stablishing Believe and ye shall be stablished saith the Prophet Though the Promise be sure in it self yet we must be established by faith How doth God stablish us by working a spirit of faith therefore strengthen faith strengthen all other graces all have their issue from faith And faith comes from sound knowledge knowledge therefore hath the name of faith This is eternal life to know thee strengthen and increase knowledge Historical faith is nothing but knowledge when we know the Word of God to be as it is and that is the ground of justifying faith and dependance For the more I know God in Covenant as he hath revealed himself and the more I know the promise and the more I know Christ the more I shall depend upon him and trust in him They that know thy Name will trust in thee Psal. 9. Therefore let us labour for certainty of knowledge that we may have certainty of faith What is the reason that our faith is weak because men
a Christian to be cowardly because he hath death and hell conquered and every thing is made serviceable to help him to heaven But for another man to set light by these things it is more madnesse No man but a Christian can be stout and couragious except it be from a false spirit especially in things that are above mans natural power as death it is eternal and what man can stand out against the eternal wrath of God And therefore those that put on a Roman stoutnesse and courage though they seem to have strong spirits it is but false either they are besotted with sensuality or else with a spirit of pride When they look before them and see eternity and see their sins and that they must all appear at the day of Judgment they cannot be strong Let us labour therefore to have our hearts stablished by the Spirit of God and try our selves often by propounding Queries how we do things with what minds and upon what grounds Again another Evidence whereby we may know that we have spiritual strength and stability in Christ wrought in us by the Spirit of God is this when it makes us desire the coming of Christ when it makes us think of death and of the time to come with joy and comfort and that for the present it gives us boldnesse to the Throne of Grace in extremities He that in extremity can go to God in Christ it is a sign his heart is established Hypocrites in extremity flye to desperate courses as Saul and Achitophel did but in extremity the soul that is stablished goes to God My God my God saith Christ so Job Though he kill me yet will I trust in him I say it is an evidence of a soul stablished upon Christ by the Spirit of God to have boldnesse to the Throne of Grace in extremity nay when God seems to hide himself which is the principal extremity of all as in Divine temptations when God seems to be an enemy then for a man to fight and wrastle with God and tug with the temptation and not to let God go though he kill him this is a true Israel a conquerour of God this is a heart fortified by the Spirit It is an argument of a heart established when besides for the present for the time to come he can chearfully and boldly think how it will be with him when death shall come that he shall go to Christ that the Match shall be fully made up that is begun by God between Christ and him for the contract is in this world but the nuptials are celebrated in heaven and in confidence hereof can say Come Lord Jesus come quickly A heart that is not stablished saith Oh come not Wherefore art thou come to torment us before our time say the Devils to Christ so an unstablished heart at the hour of death is afraid it shall be tormented before the time and therefore come not come not saith such a soul. But the soul that is stablished upon Christ and upon the promises in Christ of forgivenesse of sins and life everlasting by the Spirit of Christ that saith Come Lord Jesus come quickly I have been larger upon this Point then I intended these unsettled times moved me to speak a little more then ordinary that we might labour to have our hearts stablished that whatsoever comes we may have somewhat that is certain to stick to that our estate in Christ may be sure whatsoever becomes of our state in the world otherwise VERSE XXII Who hath anointed us and also sealed us and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts THe Apostle having formerly laid open the riches of a Christian In this Verse he cometh to shew his strength His riches consisteth in the promises of God in Christ His strength in being stablished upon those promises Now that which he had spoken of more generally in the word stablishing he unfolds in three borrowed Terms Anointing Sealing Earnest Implying therein the manner of the Spirits establishing a Christian. He who stablisheth us how is that wrought By the Spirit anointing by the Spirit sealing and by the earnest of the Spirit which three terms do all argue assurance For you know that in the old Law Kings Priests and Prophets were anointed that is they were authorized and confirmed in their places And for sealing Writings among our selves are sealed for security And an Earnest secures Contracts and Bargains So that whatsoever may serve to strengthen a Christians faith and assurance is here laid down God to help our soules by our senses fetcheth it from humane affaires applying words borrowed from earthly commerce by a heavenly anagogical sense to spiritual things First the sure estate of a Christian is set down in the general by stablishing and then in particular we are anointed and sealed and have the Earnest of the Spirit God in the Covenant of grace doth our part and his own too he gives faith and strengthens faith and seales us he gives us promises he doth stablish us upon those promises and works our hearts to an embracing of them he anoints us and seales us and gives us the Earnest of the Spirit All in the Covenant of Grace depends upon the faithfulnesse of God and not upon ours but upon ours dependantly as he is faithful in stablishing us Now because the holy Apostle would have us settled in the excellency of the state of a Christian in the Covenant of grace you see how large-hearted he is he useth four words implying one and the same thing Stablishing Anointing Sealing and giving Earnest all of them words used in ratification amongst men God is pleased to stoop to speak to us in our own language to speak of heavenly things after an earthly manner and therefore he sets down the certain estate of a Christian by borrowed speeches This is a gracious condescending of God stooping as it were lower then himself and indeed so he alwayes abaseth himself when he deales with man coming down far below himself To come to the words in particular And hath anointed us This word hath a double reference The holy Ghost carries our minds first to the relation and proportion that is between the graces of the Spirit of God and the oyntment with which in former times they were anointed in the Jewish Politie And it hath reference likewise and relation to the persons that were anointed The persons were Kings Priests and Prophets Now God hath anointed us in Christ. The order is this First Christ himself as Mediatour is anointed with the oyl of gladnesse above his fellowes but for his fellowes The oyntment is first poured on the head of spiritual Aaron and then it runs down to all the skirts of his garment that is to the meanest Christian. Even as the least finger and toe is actuated and enlivened and moved by the soul and spirits that the head and the chief vital parts are so every Christian though he be but as the toe or
he is a Conquerour he hath a Kingdom in himself others have Kingdoms out of themselves and in themselves they are slaves he is such a King as hath a Kingdom in himselfe he hath peace and joy and rest from base affections and terrour of conscience Is not he a King that is a Lord and Master of all things A Christian is Master of prosperity he conquers it he can make it serve his turn to be thankfull to God to be ready to distribute he is Master of adversity I can want and I can be abased I can do all things through Christ that strengtheneth me saith blessed Paul He is an omnipotent King in some sense he can do all through him that strengthens him He hath conquered the King of fears death that that makes the greatest Monarch in the world to shake and tremble a Christian can think of with comfort He can think of Gods wrath with comfort appeased in Christ stenched with his blood he can think of the day of Judgment with comfort that then his Saviour shall be his Judge and that he shall stand at the right hand of God He can think of afflictions with comfort he is sanctified to all things and all things are sanctified to him and all things shall work for his good nothing shall be able to separate him from Gods love to him in Christ neither things present nor things to come That which amazeth the Belshazzars of the world and makes their knees smite one against another as that hand-writing did him that which makes others quake to think of a revenging God before whom they must appear and answer for all their miscarriages and their neglect of precious time and abuse of their places they can think of with joy and comfort He hath conquered himself and his own heart he can subdue the carnal part of him and bring it under the Spirit all others though Kings if they be not Christians are slaves to some reigning lust or other He is a King likewise in regard of possession which is a second thing which makes a Christian an excellent person as he is a great Conquerour so he is a great possessour for All is yours saith the Apostle things present and things to come life and death afflictions and crosses and all is yours How to help him to heaven things present are his comforts are his if they be present afflictions are his to purge him and to fit him for heaven things to come are his heaven is his and terrours to come all serve him Even evil things are his in advantage and successe though in disposition they be not his but have an hostile disposition in them they are all over-power'd by the love of God And Christ the King of heaven and earth over-rules all to the good of his And so all good things are his though not in civil possession but as far as the great Governour of all things sees fit what a King is this and therefore the word is not too great to say a Christian is a King he is indeed the most excellent person in the world And he hath likewise a Kingly spirit that is he doth things with love and freedome of spirit that others do upon compulsion for he hath the royal Law of love as the Apostle saith written in his heart what is that the royal Law of love is this when a man doth that which he doth from love and from a Princely spirit when he is not compelled that which others do not at all or by force is wrung from them he doth out of a Princely spirit that is in him because his spirit is enlarged and anointed by the Spirit of God to every good work These things might be enlarged but a taste of them is sufficient and they are very useful to raise our hearts to consider that there is another manner of State then the world thinks of there are spiritual and excellent Kings and Priests and this will stand by us when all other excellencies will fail All flesh is grasse and as the flower of the grasse but this dignity this anointing which we have by the Spirit and by the Word of God it endures for ever and abides to all eternity Now not to go on in more particulars but to make some Use of this Surely this is true in some degree of every Christian that he is a Prophet to discern of things that differ and he hath a supernatural heavenly light answerable to the things a spiritual light to judge of spiritual things And he is a Priest to stand before God continually And he is a King by conquest by possession by qualification I say this undoubtedly is true of all spiritual persons that are anointed As it is said of Saul that when he was anointed he had another Spirit so God never makes a Christian but he gives him the Spirit of a Christian Gods calling is with qualification it is not a meer titular anointing but there is another Spirit goes along with this anointing then there was before calling though men be trained up from their infancy in the truth yet when they are anointed by the Spirit of God there will another manner of Spirit appear in them then ever was in them before or then that which is in the world I beseech you therefore for dignity prepares and stirres up to duty a man never so carries himself in his place and condition as when he thinks of his condition oft think of the excellent estate we are advanced to in Christ it will put us in mind of a qualification and disposition answerable that as the Apostle oft presseth it we may walk worthy our calling that we may walk worthy of this dignity When we are tempted therefore to sin and to base courses let us say as good Nehemiah when he was moved to flie What shall such a man as I flie so should we say to any temptation to base courses of life what shall such a man as I do this Why if I be a Christian if I be not onely a titular Christian which is onely sufficient to damne me and not to do me good but if I be a real Christian I must be a Priest I must keep my self unspotted of the world and undefiled and not touch any unclean thing I must be in a state and condition to pray to God Shall I regard iniquity that God should not hear my prayer If I be a Christian I am a King shall I debase my self shall I cast my crown in the dirt God hath raised me and made me an heir of heaven shall I abase my self to sins and to base lusts so that I cannot rule my own members and yet professe my self to be a King For a Christian that is a King that hath a guard of Angels about him that is the most excellent creature in the world for him to abase himself to the world he that is bred from heaven for him to have no higher thoughts then the things
below to have an earthly mind and earthly thoughts it is a shrewd presumption that he is but onely a titular Christian and hath not received this inward and spiritual anointing It was a speech of the Martyrs in the Primitive Church when they were asked their names they gave this answer Christianus sum I am a Christian and that satisfied all questions so when we are basely tempted to courses unbefitting our dignity answer them from our Baptisme I am baptized into Christ and so am become a Christian and this is unbeseeming the profession of Christianity I beseech you let us remember our calling we are called to be Prophets Kings and Priests and not onely here but in the world to come we shall be so we must not think to be Kings in Heaven except we begin it here It is with a Christian as it was with David he was anointed many yeares before he was actually a King upon the Throne while Saul lived he did not enjoy the Kingdome So we are anointed in this world in part we are Kings while we are here Kings over our selves and over the world a Christian sees all under him that is worldly he treads the Moon under his feet but our anointing hath then especially its effect when we are in heaven as Davids anointing it had its special effect when Saul was dead We must now carry our selves as those that shall be Kings those that are not Kings here shall never be Kings hereafter those that are not Priests here shall never walk with Christ in heaven in long white Robes for ever Eternal life is begun here in all the parts of it And therefore I beseech you if our memories be so shallow that we cannot remember other bonds let us remember our Baptisme let us read our duty in our Baptisme what are we baptized into Into Christ that is to take the Name of Christ upon us to be Christians which name implies these three to be a King Priest and Prophet What do we then when we sin We reverse our Baptisme in some sort let it be an aggravation then when we are tempted to sin it is Treason to God I shall leave my Captain under whose banner I have vowed to fight against the Devil the world and the flesh and to forsake my colours is the greatest treachery Yea it is sacriledge and so God accounts it when thou prophanest thine eyes and thine eares in seeing and hearing of vanity as you do when you frequent Play-houses and the like I say it is sacrilegious Kings and Priests were dedicated persons and to imploy dedicated things about any other businesse then to God is sacriledge it is a committing of folly with thy soul. Men have slight conceits of Religion and scarce a tincture of it if they did deeply consider what Religion is that it seizeth upon the soul that it alters and changeth it that whosoever will have benefit by the Promises he must have an inward qualification and be anointed with the Spirit they would have better conceits of it then they have and hence it is therefore that men make so little conscience of giving liberty to their eares and eyes to hear and see vanity and defile themselves in evil courses and cleave to the occasions of sin Let us oft I beseech you be stirred up to think of our high prerogatives with high admiration what love what love hath God shewed That we should be called the sons of God that we should be made Kings and Priests to God the Father And if every you hope to have comfort by Religion you must find this anointing in your selves raising you above other men to holy duties to be Kings and Priests and Prophets Who hath anointed us and sealed us c. You see then a Christian is stablished this way in Christ because he is anointed by the Spirit of God he is dedicated and consecrated to God Hence before I go on to that which followeth in that the Apostle coupleth anointing and sealing and earnest to the Promises observe this briefly None have interest in the Promises of mercy none can find comfort by them but such as find some change in themselves The Promises of God as I have often said are the riches of a Christian and his inheritance take all from him you must needs leave him this you cannot take this from him and as an Usurer thinks he is a rich man though he have not two pence in his house but all that he hath is in Bills and Bonds so a Christian though haply he have not much in actual possession yet he is rich in that he hath Gods bonds in the promises but now a man cannot say that he is interessed in the promises that he can lay claim to them if he be an unfruitful man an unhallowed man that hath not the sweet oyntment of the Spirit changing of him as it is said of Saul into another man for God wheresoever he reconciles himself and gives any promise of favour and mercy there he works a qualification Of necessity it must be so because he is reconciled to amity now in friendship there must be a correspondent similitude of disposition and sympathy Now as long as we are in our natural estate and remain unhallowed and defiled we are in such terms as God and we cannot meet in amity and therefore wheresoever the promises of the favour of God and reconciliation are of force there must be a change God when he intends to shew favour to any he alters and changeth them that they may be such as he may have content and complacency and delight in We see then there is a necessity of examining our selves in this point If thou be anointed examine thy self what inward power of grace thou hast what sweet work of the Spirit whether thou find in thee a principle above corruption that makes thee rule above that which the world is inthralled unto undoubtedly as our title to heaven it is out of our selves by the promises we have of salvation and reconciliation in Christ so the evidences must be found in our selves there must be anointing and sealing and the Earnest of the Spirit therefore I beseech you think seriously of what I have delivered of that Point before But we shall have occasion in the particulars after to speak more of this I go on therefore to the second word Who hath sealed us The same God that anoints us seales us Anointing and sealing go both together both are to secure us of our estate in Christ both wrought by the Spirit of God Now Christ is the first sealed Job 6. Him hath God the Father sealed Christ is sealed to be our Redeemer that is God hath set apart Christ from others hath distinguished him and sealed him and set a stamp upon him to be the Messiah sealed him to the great work of Redemption first by the graces of the Spirit for he is full of them having received the Spirit above measure and not
in the meanes of salvation and the more we conflict with our corruptions the more he increaseth the sweet comforts and the hidden Manna of the Spirit Thus we see how the Spirit seals I beseech you therefore let us examine our selves by that which hath been spoken after we believe God seales those that do believe we honour him by believeing he honours us by sealing us with his Spirit Hath God spoken to thy soul by the witnesse of the Spirit and said I am thy salvation thy sins are forgiven thee doth God stirre up thy spirit to call upon him especially in extremity and to go with boldnesse and earnestnesse to him surely this boldnesse and earnestnesse is an evidence of the seal of the Spirit for a man that hath no seal of the Spirit he cannot go to God in extremity Saul in extremity he goes to the Witch and Achitophel and Judas in extremity go to desperate conclusions a man that hath not the Spirit of God speaking peace to his conscience to whom God hath not given the Spirit of Adoption to cry Abba Father in all manner of exigents he sinââ¦ks as lead to the bottom of the sea so heavy is the soul that is not raised by the Spirit of God he hath no consistence till he come to the Centre to hell Did you ever feel the sweet joy of the Spirit after conflict with corruptions and getting ground of them and in holy duties c. it is a sign that God hath sealed you But you will say How can that be a seal that is not alwaies a seal cotinues with the thing Gods children find not peace alwaies the joy of the Spirit comes after the work of the Spirit how then can this be a seal I Answer Yes for howsoever it be or not alway sensible yet it is alway a seal though we have not alwaies the joy of the Spirit yet we have the Spirit of joy a Christian hath not the joy of the Spirit at all times for that is moveable but he hath alwaies the Spirit of joy which Spirit though it be not known by joy yet it is known by operation and working there is the work of the Spirit where there is not alwayes the joy of the Spirit and therefore when that fails go to the work of sanctification and see what stamp and resemblance of Christ there is see if thy heart be humble and broken if thou have a loving disposition in thee like to Christ that thou hatest that which Christ hateth that thou seest a division in thy self I say when the joy of the Spirit ceaseth go to the work of the Spirit and to this work of the Spirit viz. the voice of the Spirit canst thou cry to God with prayer and supplication and if thou canst not pray with distinct words canst thou mourne and groan to God this sighing and groaning is the voice of Gods Spirit and God knowes the voice of his own Spirit But for the question propounded the soul of a Christian knowes that when it findes not extraordinary comfort from Gods Spirit that Gods love is constant It can reason thus Though I find not the comfort of the Spirit yet I have the Spirit of Comfort because I had the Spirit in former times and Gods Spirit is unchangeable and therefore though it be not with me now as in those ravishings of the Spirit yet the love of God is the same though my feeling be not the same because though I be off and on and my feeling ebb and flow yet his love is not so and here upon the extraordinary feeling of the Spirit which is superadded as an extraordinary seal it may be a sound seal of Comfort from the constancy of God who gave it and he gave it for this end that we might have recourse and retire back in our thoughts and argue it was thus and thus with me then we remember the times of old as David saith Psal. 77. and help our selves with our former feelings he that alway hath life is not alwaies alike stirred Christ may be begotten and live in us but he stirs not alwaies alike so though the Spirit of sanctification be in us and stir in us yet his stirring is not alike so sweet and the stirring of the Spirit though it be not alway yet the Spirit is alway there so the soul may have recourse to that which is unchangeable and constant even God himself and his love is as himself But to take a Christian in his worst time in the worst and greatest afflictions how shall he know then that he is sealed of the Spirit when corruption temptation and affliction meet together in the soul when temptation is joyned with our corruption and afflictions yield ground to temptations for Satan useth the afflictions we are in as temptations to shake our faith Canst thou be a child of God and be so exercised is this grace so affliction is a weapon to temptation for Satan to help his fiery darts with Now how shall a man know that God hath any part here He may know that he is sealed by the Spirit of God if he have a spirit to thwart these if he row against the stream if he go contrary to all these if he find a spirit resisting Satans temptations and raising himself above afflictions and standing against and combating with his corruptions and checking his carnal soul when it is drawing him down Why art thou discomforted O my soul saith David Psal. 42. 43. He found corruptions and afflictions and Satans temptations working with them depressing his soul downwards hereupon having the Spirit in him saith he Why art thou disquieted within me trust in God He first chides his soul Why art thou so and then he layes a charge upon it trust in God So I say when this is in the soul in the greatest extremity when I can check my soul Why art thou thus yet trust in God whatsoever is in the world yet there is hope in heaven though there be little comfort upon earth this is a sign that I am sealed with the Spirit of God and thus in the worst temptations that can come and so in the worst times a man may know that he is in the state of grace One use of a seal I told you before was to distinguish if a man therefore find in himself a distinguishing from the errours of the times Many walk saith the Apostle of whom I have told you oft their end is damnation their belly is their god they mind earthly things but what did S. Paul in the mean time what did the Spirit work in him But our conversation is in heaven saith he The whole world was overspread with a deluge of sin but what was Noah and his family God by his Spirit distinguished them they went a contrary course to the world and Lot in Sodom so a man may know that he is sealed when the Spirit leads him another way that he is not led with the
because they grieve the Spirit and quench the Spirit by doing that which is contrary to the Spirit Let us therefore that we may have the more comfort preserve the stamp of the Spirit fresh by the exercise of all grace and communion with God and by obedience and by faith honour God by believing and he will honour thee by stamping his Spirit on thee more and more And let this be our work every day to have the stamp of the Spirit clear Oh what a comfort it is to have this in us at all times if a man have nothing in him better then nature if he have nothing in him in regard of grace if he have not Christs Image upon his soul though he be a King or an Emperour yet he shall be stript of all ere long and be set on the left hand of Christ and be adjudged to eternal torments It is the folly of the times come up of late there is much labouring for Statues and for curious workmanship of that kind and some pride themselves much in it and account it great riches to have an old Statue Alas alas what a poor delight is this in comparison of the joy that a Christian hath by the seal of the Spirit and what is this to the ambition of a Christian to see the Image and representation of Christ stamped in his soul that he may be like the second Adam that he may be transformed more and more by looking on him and seeing himself in him to love him considering that he hath loved us so much for we cannot see the love of Christ to us but we must love him the more and be transformed into him Now this transforming our selves into the Image of Christ is the best picture in the world therefore labour for that every day more and more There is besides the common broad seal of God his Privy Seal as I may call it It is not sufficient that we have the one that we have admittance into the Church by Baptisme but we must have this privy seal which Christ sets and stamps upon the soul of the true Christian Alas for a man to build onely on the outward seals and outward prerogatives which in themselves are excellent yet the standing upon them betrayes many soules to the Devil in times of distresse It is another manner of seal then the outward seal in the Sacrament that will satisfie and comfort the conscience in the apprehensions of wrath at the hour of death or otherwayes It must be this privy seal and then comes the use of those publick open known seales the broad seales then a man with comfort may think upon his Baptisme and upon his receiving the Communion when he hath the beginnings of faith wrought in him by the Spirit of God when a man finds the beginnings of faith in him then he may make use of the broad seal to be a help to his faith We must not be so prophane as to think slightly and irreverently of Gods Ordinances they are of great and high consequence for when Satan comes to the soul and shakes the confidence of it and saith Thou art not a Christian and God doth not love thee Why saith the soul God hath loved me and pardoned my sins he hath given me promises and particularly sealed them in the Sacrament here is the excellency of the Sacrament it comes more home then the Word it seales the general promise of God particularly to my self I am sealed in the Sacrament and withall I find the stamp of the Spirit in my heart and therefore having the inward work of the Spirit and God having fortified the inward work and strengthened my faith by the outward seal I can therefore stand against any temptation whatsoever They are excellent both together but the speciall thing that must comfort must be the hidden seal of the Spirit Let us labour therefore to be sealed inwardly and observe Gods sealing-dayes as we use to speak which though it may be every day if we be in spiritual exercises yet especially on the Lords Day for then his Ordinance and his Spirit go together Now as there is a sealing of our estates that we are the children of God so there is of truths and both are in the children of God as for instance this is a truth Whosoever believes in Christ shall not perish but have everlasting life now the same Spirit that stirred up the soul to believe this seales it in the soul even to death and in all times of temptation and likewise there is no promise but upon the believing of it it is sealed by the Spirit upon the soul for those truths onely abide firm in the soul which the Spirit of God sets on What is the reason that many forget the comforts and consolations that they hear because the Spirit sets them not on the Spirit seales them not What is the reason that illiterate men stand out in their profession to blood whereas those that have a discoursive kind of learning they yield the reason is this the knowledge of the one is sealed by the Spirit it is set fast upon the soul the Spirit brings the knowledge and the soul close together whereas the knowledge of the other is onely a notional swimming knowledge it is not spiritual Those therefore that will hold out in the end and not apostatize those that will stand out in the hour of death against temptation and those that will hold out in the time of life against solicitations to sin they must have a knowledge suitable to the things they know that is they must see and know heavenly things by a heavenly light spiritual things by the Spirit of God And therefore when we come to hear the Ministers of God we should not come with strong conceits in the strength of our wit but with reverend dispositions with dependance upon God for his Spirit that he would teach us together with the Ministers and close with our soules and set those truths we hear upon our soules we shall never hold out else And it must be the Holy Ghost that must do this for that which must settle and seal comfort to the soul must be greater then the soul especially in the time of temptation when the terrours of the Almighty are upon us and when the hell within a man is open when God layes open our consciences and writes bitter things against us and our consciences tell us our sins wondrous near they are written as it were with a pen of Iron and the point of a Diamond upon our soules now I say those truths that must satisfie conscience that is thus turmoiled must be set on by that which is above conscience the Spirit of God who is above our spirits can onely set down our spirits and keep them from quarrelling and contending against the truth and quiet the conscience and this the Spirit doth when it sets the truth upon the soul. And therefore when our soules are disquieted
and troubled and we hear many comfortable truths let us lift up our prayers to God let there be ejaculations of spirit to God Now Lord by thy holy Spirit set and seal this truth to my soul that as it is true in it self so it may be true to me likewise This is a necessary Observation for us all Oh we desire all of us in the hour of death to find such comforts as may be standing comforts that may uphold us against the gates of Hell and against the temptations of Satan and terrours of Conscience why nothing will do this but spiritual truths spiritually known nothing but holy truths set on by the hoy Spirit of God But what course shall we take when we want comfort when we want joy and peace In the third of John there are three witnesses in heaven and three in earth to secure us of our state in grace and the certainty of our salvation The three witnesses upon earth are the Spirit the water and the blood and these three agree in one and the three that bear witnesse in heaven are the Father the Word and the Holy Ghost and the three on earth and these three in heaven agree in one Now the Spirit is the feelings and the sweet motions of the Spirit The water may well be that washing of the Spirit sanctification The blood is the shedding of the blood of Christ and justification by it When therefore we find that part of the seal that extraordinary seal that I spake of before the joy of the Spirit of God that it is not in us what shall we do shall we despair No go to the water when we find not spiritual joy and comfort when the witnesse of the Spirit is silent go to the work of the Spirit in sanctification I but what shall we do if the waters be troubled in the soul as sometimes there is such a confusion in the soul that we cannot see the Image of God upon it in sanctification we cannot see the stamp of Gods Spirit there there is such a Chaos in the soul God can see somewhat of his own Spirit in that confusion but the Spirit it self cannot Then go to the blood of Christ there is alwayes comfort the fountain that is opened for Judah and Jerusalem to wash in is never dry go therefore to the blood of Christ that is if we find sin upon our consciences if we find not peace in our consciences nor sanctification in our hearts go to the blood of Christ which is shed for all those that confesse their sinnes and rely on him for pardon though we find no grace For howsoever as an evidence that we are in Christ we must find the work of the Spirit yet before we go to Christ it is sufficient that we see nothing in our selves no qualification for the graces of the Spirit they are not the condition of coming to Christ but the promise of those that receive Christ after Therefore go to Christ when thou feelest neither joy of the Spirit nor sanctification of the Spirit go to the blood of Christ and that will purge thee and wash thee from all thy sins This I onely touch for a direction what to do when our soules want comfort when perhaps we cannot see the seal of the Spirit in sanctification so clearly To go on now to the next And given us the Earnest of the Spirit Here is the third word borrowed from humane affaires to set out the work of the Spirit in our soules Anointing we had before and Sealing now here is Earnest The variety of the words shewes that there is a great remainder of unbelief in the soul of man that the Spirit of God is fain to use so many words to expresse Gods dealing to the soul to bring it to believe to be assured of salvation And indeed so it is howsoever we in the time of prosperity when all things go well with us we are prone wondrously to presume yet in the hour of death when conscience is awakened we are prone to nothing so much as to call all in question and to believe the doubts and fears of our own hearts more then the undoubted truth and promise of God therefore God takes all courses to stablish us he gives us rich and precious promises he gives us the holy Spirit to stablish us on the Promises he seales us with his Spirit and gives us the earnest of the Spirit and all to settle this wretched and unbelieving heart of ours So desirous is God that we should be well conceited of him he loves us better then we love our selves He so much prizeth our love that he labours by all means to secure us of his love to us because except we know his love to us we cannot love him again and we cannot joy in him c. But that onely in the general Here is earnest and the Earnest of the Spirit that is in plain termes he gives us the Spirit with the graces and comforts of it which doth in our hearts that which an earnest doth amongst men But what is this Spirit an earnest of It is an Earnest of our inheritance in heaven of our blessed estate there We are sons now but we are not heires invested into the blessed estate we have title to God leaves us not off in the mean time while we are in our Pilgrimage he keeps not all for heaven but he gives us somewhat to comfort us in our absence from our Husband from our Lord and King Christ he gives us the Earnest of the Spirit that is he gives the holy Ghost into our hearts which is the Earnest of that blessed everlasting glorious condition which we shall have in heaven hereafter that is the meaning of the words In what regard is the Spirit called an Earnest First of all an Earnest is for security of bargains and contracts so the Holy Ghost assures the soul of salvation being present with his graces and comforts the Holy Ghost is given for security Secondly an Earnest is part of the whole bargain though it be a very little part yet it is a part and so the Spirit of God here and the work of the Spirit and the graces and joy of the Spirit it is a part of that full joy and happinesse that shall be revealed The Spirit dwells not fully in any one he dwelleth no further then he sanctifieth and reviveth but that is an Earnest for the time to come that the Spirit shall be all in all wherein we shall have no reluctancy nor nothing to exalt it self against the sure regiment of the Spirit Thirdly an Earnest is little in comparison of the whole bargain so the work of the Spirit the comforts the joy the peace of the Spirit it is little in comparison of that which shall be in heaven in regard of the fulnesse of the Spirit which we shall have there An Earnest though it be little in quantity yet it
case it be in a dungeon if he have a little light shining into him from a little crevice that little light discovers that the Day is broke that the Sun is risen Put the case there be but one grape on a vine it shewes that it is a vine and that the vine is not dead So put the case there be but the appearance of but a little grace in a Christian perhaps the Spirit of God appeares but in one grace in him at that time yet that one grace sheweth that we are vines and not thistles or thorns or other base plants and it shewes that there is life in the root The Spirit of God appears not in all graces at once it appears some time or other in some one grace We see in plants the vertue of them appears diversly In Winter the vertue of them lyes in the root In the spring-time in the bud and the leaf In the Summer in the fruit it is not in all parts alike so it is with the Spirit as it is an Earnest it appears not in all graces in a flourishing manner at the first sometimes it appears in the root in humility sometimes in faith sometimes in love sometimes in one grace sometimes in another though the Spirit be in every grace yet in appearance to a mans self and others it appeares but in one An Earnest is little especially at the first Weak Christians therefore should not be discouraged Despise not the day of little things there is cause of mourning we that have received the first fruits of the Spirit we mourn because we have but the first-fruits and we would have the full harvest but as there is cause of mourning because we have but the first-fruits so there is cause of comfort because it is the first-fruits it is an Earnest onely and not the whole bargain therefore we have cause of mourning that it is so imperfect that it is so weak as it is yet there is cause of comfort because though it is not the whole yet is a part and secures us of the whole And therefore Christians should labour to mingle duties and let one grace qualifie another For indeed a Christian is a mixed Creature his comforts are mixed and his mourning is mixed With a carnal man it is all otherwise if he mourn he is all a mort because he hath no goodnesse if he joy he is mad his mirth is madnesse A Christian joyes indeed some times he hath joy unspeakable and glorious because he looks to his hope and the accomplishment of it and yet he mourns because he hath but the Earnest because he hath but the beginnings because he hath but the first-fruits here And therefore again as it should comfort us if we have any thing so it should exhort us to examine rather the truth then the measure of any grace we have examined the truth it is the truth of this Earnest the truth of grace and comfort it is an excellent speech of our Saviour Christ in Rev. 3. to the Church of Philadelphia in verse 8. Because thou hast a little strength and hast kept my Word and hast not denyed my Name there is a great promise made to the Church of Philadelphia and why Because thou hast a little strength how is that discovered Thou hast kept my Word and hast not denyed my Name So then if that little be true God respects not that little as it is little in quantity but as he means to make it ere long he looks upon the Earnest as he means to make up the bargain he looks upon the foundation as he means to rear up a goodly building he looks upon the first-fruits as he means to adde the harvest and therefore Ephes. 1. and other places We are elected to be holy and blamelesse in his sight So Ephes. 5. latter end He purgeth the Church that she may be presented to him without spot So Christ looks upon his Church as he is purging and washing till he have made it holy in his sight We are elected not to Earnest not to first-fruits but to be unblameable we are elected to perfection it is the comfort of Christians that God looks upon his not as they are imperfect here but as they are in beginning and as they are growing and as he intends to bring them to perfection afterwards For all things are present we know to him the time to come what we shall be he considers us as if we were in heaven already we are in our degree and in our faith So now we sit in heavenly places therefore as he looks on us as we shall be so faith answers his looking when we are framed by the Spirit to comfort faith looks not upon the weak Earnest the poor beginnings but as we shall be after in heaven without spot and wrinckle I but how shall we know the truth of his Earnest that it is true though it be little To speak a word or two of that for tryal Where the Spirit of God is with the relation of an Earnest he is as an Earnest by way of grace and comfort for those two wayes the Spirit discovers himself in us to sanctifie our nature or by comfort and peace and joy and such like Then it doth stir up the soul to mourn that is but an Earnest as I said before and to wait for the accomplishment as the Apostle saith in Rom. 8. We that have received the first-fruits of the Spirit mourn in our selves that it is no better with us then it is and withal We wait for the redemption of the sons of God the adoption of the sons of God we wait for the accomplishment hereafter it is the nature therefore of the Spirit of God as it is an Earnest to stirre up the spirits of Gods children to mourn something and likewise to wait patiently to wait for the full accomplishment hereafter and as a fruit of their waiting to endure quietly patiently and comfortably that which is between the Earnest and the accomplishment of it and therefore God gives them the grace of hope and constancy and of perseverance till all be accomplished for there is the tediousnesse of time between which is irk some hope deferred and a tediousnesse of deferring and besides many afflictions withal Now Gods children that have the Earnest of the Spirit they have a spirit likewise to wait and that they may be strengthened to wait they have the Spirit of Constancy a Spirit of patience to endure trouble and to persevere and to hold out in regard of the tediousnesse of the time So that they may not give over religious courses though they have it not fully here but go on still and wait And likewise those that have the Earnest of the Spirit that have the Spirit as it hath this qualification upon it of an Earnest it stirres them up to frame themselves answerable to the full ccaomplishment for He that hath
imperfection that desires to be searched in preaching hearing searching Sermons and desiring to be searched in Conference and that doubts not his conscience but would be searched throughly When men fret at the searching of their sins they will not be searched and are content to go on in presumptuous courses and think all is well it is a sign there is not so much as an Earnest But not to go farther that in the Revelation shews the truth of a little grace what saith he Thou hast a little strength what doth that little strength move the Church of Philadelphia to do Thou hast kept my Word and hast not denyed my Name Where there is a little strength there will be a keeping of the Word in obedience a keeping of it in conversation where is not a regard to Gods Word a moulding of the soul into it in obedience of it there is not so much as a little strength of grace and therefore those that live in rebellious courses have not so much as an Earnest to them yet Thou hast kept my Word and withal thou hast not denyed my Name Where a little strength is there they will not deny Christs Name they will hold out in the profession of the truth and confesse it if occasion serve and therefore where any are slight in their profession that give in if they be ready to dash upon any displeasure of any one if they be to venture their estates or so then they are ashamed of Christ and that profession which they took upon them they deny his Name at least they do not own it they have not so much as a little strength if they do not recover Peter was in such a temptation but he recovered his strength and got more strength and a firm standing upon it the shaking of Peter was for the rooting of him So God to shame his children suffers them sometimes to have dastardly spirits but they recover themselves they are ashamed of it but those that are common Politicians in this kind that will not stand out in a good cause to maintain their truth and profession when God thrusts his cause into their hands specially at such times when God saith to them Who is on my side who now is the time to appear then if they have not a word for God they will not own the quarrel and cause of God and Religion they have not a little strength for they that have a little strength here keep the Word and have not denyed the Name Those therefore that can fashion themselves to all Religions to all companies they will have a Religion mutable and flexible to their occasions where is the Earnest of the Spirit the Spirit as much as he is is strong and vigorous and powerful these men have not so much as a little strength that are as water which is fashioned to the vessel it is in like to the Samaritans as Joseph the Historian of the Jews writes of them When the Jewes prospered oh then they would be Jewes when the Jewes had ill successe then they were great enemies to the Jewes so you have many that are no friends to the afflicted to the disgraced truth but as long as the Cause of Religion is carried out with the Countenance of the State with the favour of great ones so far they will own it but if Christ once comes to be abased they will not know Christ nor his Cause I beseech you let us take notice of it it is a sign there is no grace at all where there is such an habitual disposition without shame or grief or repentance for Gods children sometimes may be overtaken with a spirit of dastardlinesse which afflicts them sore afterwards that they gather more strength A man may know if he be Gods child in such a state for it is universally true Gods children are never overtaken with a spirit of cowardlinesse and fear but they regain it and grow more strong upon it as we see in Cranmer and others God purposeth sometimes to let them see what they are in themselves without his support and strength but afterwards they gather new resolutions new purposes to stick firmer to the truth then ere before I might adde many other things but I go on to that which followes You see here now how we may try if we have any true Earnest in us at all or no. Now I beseech you let us labour to have this Earnest if we have it not to have this assurance especially let me desire those of the younger sort to labour to have the seal of this Spirit and the Earnest before they be further and further engaged into the world and before they be so hardened that they will not receive a contrary stamp to their corruptions It is a wondrous advantage that Gentlemen and others that are young before the world hath soiled them and before their understandings be darkened and their affections are crooked and carried away much with the stream and errours of the time they have much advantage above others for they have spirits fitter for grace fitter to receive the impression of this seal of the Spirit fitter for the Earnest Let us labour for this Earnest betimes what a comfortable thing will it be to carry along with the Earnest an assurance of a better estate from our youth to our age and from our age to our old age and so to heaven with us what a deal of comfort do young ones deprive and rob themselves of that will not be gracious betimes Let us labour to have the stamp of the Spirit set on us in our prime time in the strength of our years But I will presse the Point if the time will give leave afterwards Now we must know that God gives this Earnest not for himself but for us to secure us and that is one reason why it is called an Earnest There is besides bargaining another state and condition that Earnest is applyed unto which perhaps the Apostle aimes at as marriage whatsoever was before the Consummation of the marriage was a kind of Arrah a kind of Earnest to assure the affection of the contracted person and persons that loved one another till the Consummation of the marriage So Christ now contracts us on the earth and having love to us and taking our Nature on him that he might woo us in our own flesh and in our own nature taking upon him the Earnest of our flesh he gives us the Earnest of his Spirit and to assure us thaâ⦠he loves us and that he means to make up the bargain afterwards he sends us love-tokens graces and comfort and joy Even as Isaac when he was to marry Rebecca he sent by his servants Bracelets and Jewels and such things to secure her of his love So Christ in heaven intending the consummation of the Match he sends us here graces and comforts of the Spirit and all to secure us all is for us I say
which I observe the rather because I would raise your hearts to hate unbelief and distrust exceedingly because God labours to undermine it by all means possible Wherefore doth he use so many terms here of Sealing Anointing and Earnest with words and Sacraments and all whatsoever may confirm you The Holy Ghost applyes it to us all this is that we may not doubt of the favour of God and therefore when we find any goodnesse in us let us accompt that to give false witnesse against our selves is a horrible sin it is to make God a liar God stands upon his credit and therefore take heed what we say specially if we have found the work of grace in former time any Earnest that we have no grace God doth this for our assurance all his dealing of Word and Sacraments of Earnest and Oath and all that may be to assure us and therefore we should not crosse the goodnesse of God so as to cherish such a disposition as is most contrary to him that he labours to undermine by all means And therefore here is the poyson of Popish Religion that it maintaines doubting and leaves men doubting indeed they do well to maintain it in their Doctrine for indeed they false found a man upon satisfaction they false found him upon Purgatory and merits and the foundation they have of a Christian soul is uncertain and therefore they may well teach doubting it suits with the course that they take but I say it is very corrupt for God useth all means that we should not doubt and therefore it is idly objected God for his part will but for our part we have reason to doubt why he in all things stoops to us he labours to secure us and therefore in the Covenant of grace he doth his part and ours too But I hasten to that which followes because I would end with the time To touch that a little distinctly by it self that the Spirit doth all the Earnest of the Spirit for indeed though Spirit be not added to stablishing yet the Spirit stablisheth by Christ and the Spirit it anoints and the Spirit seales to the day of redemption and the Earnest of the Spirit So it is the Holy Ghost doth all here you have the three Persons in the Trinity we have three grand Enemies the world the flesh and Satan Now here are the three persons in the Trinity stronger then all our enemies He which stablisheth us is God the Father by his Spirit upon whom upon Christ ââ¦n Christ and gives us the Earnest of his Spirit you have I say the three Persons of the Trinity here but why doth the Spirit give us the Earnest why doth the Spirit give us grace and comfort seal us and doth all and stablisheth us I answer First of all because now since the fall we have no principles of supernatural good and therefore it must be a principle above our nature to work both grace and comforts in our barren hearts Again as there is no principle to that which is supernaturally good so there is opposition to that which is supernaturally good and therefore there must be somewhat to overpower the corruption of our nature But why the Spirit rather then the Father and the Son He comes from both and proceeding from both he is fit to witnesse the love of both for the Holy Ghost is in the breast of the Father and the Son and proceeds from both and he knowes the secret love of the Father to us and the love of Christ Jesus Mediatour to us Now the Spirit knowing the secrets of God as a mans spirit saith the Apostle knowes his own secrets he knowes his love and he knowes whom he loves So the Spirit of God knowing the affection of the Father and the affection of Jesus Christ to us is fit to be an Earnest fit to be a Seal Indeed all things are wrought by the Spirit in grace for application the desert is from the Son originally from the Father but in regard of application of what is wrought by the Son all is by the Holy Ghost both graces and comforts the Holy Ghost takes from Christ for if grace be wrought it is with divine reasons from the love of God in Christ if grace he wrought it is from the wondrous love of God reconciled in Christ wherein heaven is opened hell is vanquished it is by reasons fetched from Christ and so he takes of mine as Christ saith He shall take of mine and give to you he takes reasons from Christ the holy Ghost whereby he makes all the application is altogether by the Spirit And it must be by the Spirit again because the Spirit of God and no lesse then the Spirit can quiet our spirits for when the soul is distempered it is like a distempered lock that no key can open So when the Conscience is troubled what creature can settle the troubled Conscience can open the ambages of a troubled Conscience in such perplexity and confusion and therefore to settle the troubled Conscience aright it must be somewhat above Conscience and that which must quiet the Spirit must be such a Spirit as is above our spirits This is excellently set down in this Epistle in the 3. Chap. the work of the holy Ghost in this kind But I cannot stand upon it now at this time I go on Likewise in the first Epistle to the Corinthians the second Chapter and 11. ver that one place shall stand in stead of all What man knowes the things of a man but the spirit of a man that is in him So the things of God no man knowes but the Spirit Now We have received the spirit not of the world but the Spirit of God to know the things that are freely given us of God if our spirits were in the heart and soul of another man in the breast of another man we should know what another man thinks if a man had a spirit in another mans spirit surely he would know all his thoughts and all his affections Now the holy Spirit of God is in the breast of the Father and the Son and he knowes our spirits better then we know our own spirits he searcheth he is a searcher as the word is in the original the Spirit is a searcher he searcheth our own hearts and he searcheth the secret love of God to us that is the Spirit must stablish us Well then if the Spirit doth all how shall we know then that we have this Spirit A note or two and so go on If we have this Spirit of God to seal us and to be an Earnest I will not speak all that may be but a little for indeed all comes from the Spirit Even as in our souls how may a man know that he hath a soul by living and moving by actions vital c. So we may know a man hath the Spirit of God by those actions that come onely from the Spirit which is to
the soul as the soul is in the body for as all beauty and motion comes from the soul to the body so to the soul from the Spirit all comes of the Spirit and therefore every saving grace is a sign that the Spirit is in us In a word the Spirit is in us in the nature of fire as in other things so in this in transforming wheresoever the Spirit dwells he transforms the soul he transforms the party like himself holy and gracious Those therefore that find the Spirit transforming and changing them in the use of the Ordinance of the Word they may know that they have the Spirit sealing them and being an Earnest to them They may know likewise that they have it wrought by the Spirit for every one grace you may knowspiritual graces are with conflict for what is true is with a great deal of resistance of that which is counterfeit Comforts and graces that are not the Earnest of the Spirit are with little conflict but where there are true comforts and graces of the Spirit wrought by the Spirit it is with much conflict with Satan and with himself for there is a great deal of Envy in the Divell against the man that walkes in the Spirit Thinks he what such a base creature as this is to have the Earnest of heaven to walk here as if he were in heaven already and to defie all opposite powers Nay I will trouble his peace he shall go mourning to heaven if he go there this is the reasoning of the cursed spirit and hereupon he labours to shake the assurance and perswasion and the grace and Comfort of a Christian it is with much conflict and temptation not onely with Satan but with his own heart Our hearts misgive us when we are guilty of some sins as alwaies there is guilt on the soul so much guilt so much doubt till the soul be free from giult it wil never but be casting of doubts and therefore there is alwaies resistance in us and there must be a higher power then the heart and soul of a man to set the heart down and quiet it It is alwaies in conflict And the gracet and comforts of the Spirit wrought by the Spirit are alwaies in the use of meanes holy means and it carries a man above the strength of nature it carries a man to the practice of that which he could not do by nature to pardon his enemies to pray for them to overcome revenge and to enjoy prosperity without pride in a comfortable measure and it enables him to practise the last Comandement That he shall be content with his estate and not lust after others and the first Comandement the graces of the holy Spirit enables a man to love God and to rejoyce in him above all as his best portion it makes his joy spiritual and it makes him delight in all connatural things that are like the Spirit as whatsoever is spiritual is connatural to the Spirit If a man have the graces of the Spirit he joyes in spiritual company he joyes in the presence of God he hates sin as being contrary to the Earnest of the Spirit he hates terrour of conscience and the way unto it he will look on good things as God lookes on them and as the Spirit looks on them and every thing that is spiritual he relisheth he savours the things of the Spirit Now be cause I will not detract your thoughts there are some six or seven properties of the Spirit in one Chapter that you may have them all together in Rom. 8. I will not name all but such as are easie First of all it is said in the 9. ver that the Spirit where it is it dwells as in a house now wheresoeve the Spirit is he is dwelling and ruling for the holy Ghost will not be an underling to lusts and he repaires and makes up the breaches of the soul where the Spirit dwells all the breaches are made up Ignorance to knowledge he begets knowledge and affection and love he prepares all he prepares his own dwelling and it is familiar and constant to the Spirit a dwelling implyes familiarity and constancy he is not in us as he is in wicked men that have the Spirit As Austin saith The Spirit of God knocks at their hearts but he doth not dwell there To go on that is the first The Spirit dwells in us if we have the Spirit And then the Spirit doth subdue the contrary for the Spirit when it comes into a man it pulls down all the strong holds it makes way for it self and therefore it is said to mortifie the deeds of the flesh ver 13. If you mortifie the deeds of the flesh by the Spirit you are led by the Spirit Those therefore that by the help of the Spirit by spiritual reasons subdue their corruptions they are led by the Spirit those that cherish corruptions or mortifie them not by spiritual reasons but out of civil respect to carry authority among men and therefore they would be free from aspersions as might disable their reputation they have not the Spirit Thirdly as many as are led by the Spirit are the sons of God the Spirit leads them as the Angel that went before the Israelites from Egypt unto Canaan so the Spirit of God like the Angel goes before us and leads us the way and removes the lets it doth lead us I say sweetly and not violently as the Devil leads his that are possessed with his spirit So that those that have the Spirit working grace and comfort in them sweetly he leads them and yet strongly too for it is strongly because it is against corruption and opposition from without but yet sweetly preserving the liberty and freedom of the soul. We by nature are like children or blind men we cannot lead our selves and therefore the Spirit leads us Those therefore that have the Spirit it leads them they submit themselves to the guidance and leading of the Spirit That is another evidence A fourth is this That it is a Spirit of adoption it assures us that we are the sons of God it gives us assurance of our adoption that we are the sons of God the same Spirit that sanctifieth us it witnesseth to us it makes us holy it witnesseth to us that we are the sons of God And then again the Spirit stirres up sighs and groans that cannot be expressed when we are not of our selves able to pray this is an evidence of the Earnest of the Spirit when we can send our sighes and groans to God I say God will hear the groans the voice of his own Spirits for whence come those sighes and groanes to God why should we not rather sink in despair in troubles but because the Spirit is in us Those therefoore that in extremity having nothing to comfort them and yet are able to send forth sighes and groans to God they may certainly know that they
that the Romish Religion indeed is nothing but a meer carnal devillish policy to bring others to be subject to them and to make not only Kings and Princes but to make God and Christ and the Scriptures whatsoever is divine or humane to make all to serve their aimes What do they with Christ but under the Name of Christ serve themselves What do they with the Church but under the name of the Church carry their own ends What do they with the names of Saints and Angels Peter Mary c. but under a plausible pretence carry their own ends and set up a visible greatnesse in this world answerable to the Cesarian Monarchy This is plain and evident to all that will see that it is so and one main way to attain their ends is to rule over the conscience And that they may help all the better forward they have raised in the Church a kind of faith which they call an implicite and infolded faith that people must believe what the Church teacheth though they know not in particular what the Church teacheth and so they lead people hoodwinck'd whither they please themselves To make some Use of it briefly Let us labour to blesse God that hath freed us from this spiritual tyranny O beloved it is a great tyranny when conscience is awaked to be racked and tormented and stung by Scorpions to have conscience tormented with Popish errours as in the point of satisfaction the most of them if their eyes be open they dye with terrour O it is a blessed liberty that we are brought out of Antichristian darknesse that we know we believe and upon what termes we believe and are taught to submit our conscience only to the blessed truth of God that the soul it is the bed as it were only for Christ and his holy Spirit to dwell in and to lodge in and that no man may force the conscience with any opinion of his own further then it is demonstrated out of the Word of God what a sweet inlargement of Spirit do we live in now and our unthankfulnesse perhaps may occasion God to bring us in some degree of Popish darknesse again I beseech you let us stand for the liberty of Christ and the liberty of our consciences against the spirituall tyrant of soules Let us maintain our liberty by all we can by all lawes and execution of lawes by all that may uphold our spirituall liberty for there is no bondage to that of the soul. Do but a little consider the misery of the implicite faith that the Popish sort are under that infolded inwrapped faith wherein they are bound to believe without searching what the Church determines Hereupon they swallow in all doctrines that tend to superstition that tend to rebellion that tends to treason they swallow up all under this implicite faith as if God had set an Ordinance and Ministery in the Church against himself as if he had advanced any Ministery against his own Ordinance When you think of Popery consider not so much particular dotages as about Images and Transubstantiation and Reliques c. but consider the very life and soul of Popery in this opinion the leading errour of all others the tyranny over soules of people and holding them in blindnesse and darknesse It is not a device of mine do but read the Council of Trent in some editions There the late Pins Quartus that sate there daily he made more Articles then the Apostles distinct not proved by Scripture he made Articles of his own to be believed people were tied upon the necessity of salvation to believe them and to believe them with that faith that is due to Scripture And it is a common tenent among them Every man is bound to be under the authority of the Church of Rome under peril of damnation There is the grand errour that 't is a matter necessary to salvation to be under their tyranny Hereby they excommunicated all the Eastern Churches and all former times wherein they were not undes the Romane tyranny for that is but of late six hundred years since they condemned S. Cyprian's time and other times And they made Articles of Religion and established them with this censure that upon pain of damnation men must believe these things as well as the Articles of the Creed As Transubstantiation Invocation of Saints Purgatory and such things they are so many Articles indeed as I say they have more Articles then the twelve Articles of the Apostles We say an errour in the foundation it is not mended after and the first concoction if it be naught all after are naught if there be not good concoction in the stomack at the first the blood is naught and all is naught So this is a fundamental errour and a ground of all errours that they hold they cannot erre and hereupon they come to tyrannize over the consciences and soules of people Therefore I say let us blesse God that hath set our soules in spiritual liberty that now we see God in the face of Christ now we see the means of salvation we see the bread of life broken to us we see Christ unveiled we see what to found our consciences upon we cannot be sufficiently thankful for this Thankfull we may be for the peace of the Kingdome that we have so long a time enjoyed and for the outward prosperity we have so long had But above all be thankful for the peace of Religion for the peace of conscience for the liberty of soul that we enjoy And as I said if any thing move God to strip us of all it will be our unthankfulnesse and our practice witnessing our unthankfulnesse by valuing no more the blessed estate of the Gospel we enjoy Not that we have dominion over your faith This disposition to domineer over the faith of others from abominable grounds it ariseth Partly from pride and tyranny that they would set themselves in the Temple of Christ where he should rule in the hearts of his people And partly out of idlenesse they raise the credit of their own Traditions that they may not be forced to take the labour of instructing the people therefore they fasten a greater vertue upon outward things then there can be only to avoid the labour of instruction And then it riseth partly from guilt they are so in their lives especially if they be looked inwardly into as that they cannot endure the knowledge of people They are afraid that people should know much lest they know them too well and their courses and errours So partly from pride and partly from idlenesse and sloath and partly from guilt they domineer over the faith of Gods people But are helpers of your joy The end of the Ministery is not to tyrannize over peoples soules to sting and vex them but to minister comfort to be helpers of their joy that is to help their salvation and happinesse which is here termed joy because joy is a principal
ready to any action This I mention onely as a ground A Christian that hath given his name to Christ is either in a state of joy or else should labour for it The second which is the main is That The Word of God as it is unfolded is that that helps this joy We are helpers of your joy we Ministers S. Paul spake of himself as a Minister The Word of God is a helper of joy especially as it is unfolded considered as it is dispensed in the Ministery You know the Word of God it is called The Word of reconciliation because it doth unfold the Covenant between God and us It is called The Word of the Kingdom The Word of life c. which all are causes of joy therefore the Word breeds joy Psal. 19. 8. One commendation of the Statures of God is that They comfort the heart and refresh the heart He followes the commendations of the Word at large The Statutes of God are perfect converting the soul The Testimonies of God are sure making wise the simple And among the rest of the commendations as a commendation issuing from the rest The Statutes of God are right rejoycing the heart The Word of God is a Cordial especially to refresh and solace the heart Saint Paul Rom. 15. 4. makes it the scope of the Word Whatsoever was written afore-time was written for our learning that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope So likewise 1 Cor. 14. He that Prophesieth speaketh to men to edification to exhortation and to comfort He that prophesieth that unfoldeth the Word he speaketh to men to edification to exhortation and to comfort So the end of the Word and the end of prophesying the Ministery of the Word is to help our joy our comfort to support us against all ills eithert felt or feared by greater arguments then the ill is For that is to comfort and rejoyce to make any to joy it is to support the soul against all grievance either spiritual or outward either felt or feared and that from stronger arguments then the grievances are If they be equally poized it is no comfort if the comfort be inferiour it is no comfort As the Heathen man complained of those comforts he had I know not how it is but the Physick I have to cure the grievance of my mind it yields to the malice of the disease the disease is above the cure So it is true of all Philosophical comforts that are fetched out of the shop of nature the Physick yields to the disease the malady or disease exceeds the remedy therefore there is no comfort Comfort is when the inward support is greater and stronger then the grievance is whatsoever it be Now such comfort must onely be fetched out of the Word The Scripture is a common treasury of all good and comfortable doctrines but especially as it is dispensed in the Ministery as it is divided by the Ministers of God thereafter as they see the necessity of Gods people and the exigents they are brought to accordingly they should draw comfort out of this common treasury Thereupon that that Christ saith of himself Esay 50. Thou hast given me the tongue of the learned to speak a word in season to the weary soul it is true of all the true Ministers of Christ that have that spiritual anointing that have the same Spirit that Christ had God hath anointed them that they might speak a word in season to poor distressed soules God hath given them the tongue of the learned for this very end and purpose God hath given them a healing tongue for a wounded soul. Indeed they carry Physick in their tongues and the very leaves the very words have a medicinal force When those that are true Ministers speak a word in season to a wounded distressed soul the Spirit goes with the Word and it hath wondrous efficacy for the comfort and raising up of the soul. Experience shewes this Now to give a few instances how it is done how the Ministers do it how they are helpers of our joy They do it first of all by acquainting people with the ill estate they are in for all sound comfort comes from the knowledge of our grief and freedome from it They acquaint people with their estate by nature that they are in the state of damnation that they are under the curse of God under the wrath of God that they are in a spiritual bondage they labour that they together with the Spirit of bondage may make people to see their state of bondage For they must plow before they sow and the Law must go before the Gospel The Law shewes the wound but the Gospel heales the wound Now they must know the wound the commanding part all the threatening part of the Word They must know what they are before they can know their comfort Therefore John Baptist he came before Christ he made way for the sweet doctrine of Christ that came with blessing in his mouth Blessed are the poor in spirit Blessed are they that hunger and thirst Blessed are those that suffer persecution c. Even as to Elias there was a strong wind came before the still voyce so there must be somewhat to rend and to open the heart before this oyl of comfort can be poured in Now that is the first thing the Ministers help people to comfort by helping them to understand themselves what they are in the state of nature They labour to search the wound first to cure the soul as much as they can of all guile of spirit that the soul may not be guilefull to misunderstand it self And when they have done this then they breed joy by propounding and shewing the remedy which is in Jesus Christ then they open the riches of Gods love in Christ then open the sweet box of oyntment in Christ they shew to man his righteousnesse As you have an excellent place in Job Chap. 33. 14. of the whole force of the Ministery it is followed at large what the Minister doth to bring a man to joy he begins verse 14. God speaks once and twice but man perceives it not In visions and dreams by night when deep sleep falls upon them then he opens the eares of man and seales instruction c. He chastiseth him with pain upon his bed and the multitude of his bones with strong pain so that his life abhorres bread He speaks of a man that is brought down by the sight of sinne His flesh is consumed away it cannot be seen his bones stick out c. A strange description of a man in a disconsolate estate his soul drawes near to the grave and his life to the destroyers What of all this what is the way to bring him out of this If there be a messenger with him an interpreter one of a thousand one that hath the tongue of the learned to shew a man his righteousnesse then God is gracious to him
and but helpers They do but utter and propound matter of joy grounds of joy from the Word of God but it is the Spirit of God that doth rejoyce the heart The fruit of the lips is peace it is true but it is when the Spirit of God speaks peace to the soul together with the lips God creates the fruit of the lips to be peace saith Esay The fruit of the lips is peace bâ⦠God creates it to be so so the Ministers are comforters but God saith I even I am thy comforter We speak matters of comfort and grounds of comfort but God seals them to the heart by his holy Spirit God is the comforter himself He is the Father of comfort and the God of all consolation And the Spirit is called the comforter to shew unto us that however in the Ordinances the materials of comfort be set abroach to Gods people yet notwithstanding that that that speaks peace to the heart and sets on those comforts to the soul and conscience it is the Spirit of God God himself So there is the outward preaching and the spiritual preaching He hath his chair in heaven that teacheth the heart as S. Austin saith S. Paul speaks but God opens the heart of Lydia he hath the Key to open the heart Therefore you have all attributed to the Spirit of God In Joh. 16. I go hence but I will send you the comforter the Holy Ghost and what shall the Comforter do he shall convince the world of sin of righteousnesse and judgment Do not pretend therefore your own inability that you are unable to comfort or to cast down or to seal unto people their righteousnesse do you that that is your duty propound grounds of direction and casting down and of righteousnesse and of judgment of holy life after and then the Holy Ghost shall go with you the Comforter shall do this to the hearts of people the Holy Ghost shall convince What is Paul or what is Apollo but Ministers Paul may plant and Apollo may water but if God give not the increase what is all Therefore Christ promiseth his disciples that the Holy Ghost should accompany their teaching They might have objected Alas we shall teach the world that they are Gentiles that they are obstinate persons hardened in superstition Do not fear saith he I will send the Holy Ghost he shall fall upon you and furnish you Now when the Holy Ghost was in them and the Holy Ghost in their auditors too together with the Word inspired by the Holy Ghost when the Spirit meetes in these three there are wonders wrought When the Spirit of God is in the teacher and the Spirit of God in the hearers and the Spirit of God in the Word I say when there is one Spirit in the teacher and in the hearers and in the Word there are wonders wrought of conversion and comfort It is the Spirit that must do all we are nothing but Ministers Let a man conceive of us as Ministers and dispensers of the Gospel Ministers of comfort we are and but Ministers just so we are helpers of your joy but we are but helpers Those that account us not helpers of joy know not our calling and those that account us more that we are able to comfort people by the Word they turn the preaching of the Word to magick to a charm We can speak the Word but God must speak to the heart at the same time As it is with Physical water there is the water and there are many strong things in it What doth the water cure or purge it is a dead thing it hath no efficatious quality but to cool c. Whence comes the efficacy There are some cool herbs some strong things in it and then it doth wonders So what is the infusion of the Word but water but aqua vitae water of life the dew of heaven Rosa solis whence is it so as water no but there is a Divine influence and vigour in it that refresheth and quickeneth the soul. It doth not do it of it self but it hath a Divine influence of the Spirit So we see though Ministââ¦s be helpers of joy they are but helpers they are but the conduits that convey that that comes from the Spirit of God they are instruments of the Spirit You see it clear then that God only speaks comfort because the Spirit of God only knowes our spirits throughly The spirit of God can only comfort because he knowes all the discomforts of our hearts he knowes all our griefs all the corners of our hearts that the Minister cannot do The Minister may speak general comforts but the Spirit of God knowes all the windings and turnings of the heart and all the disconsolate pangs of the heart and soul every little pang and grief the Spirit of God knowes it Therefore the Spirit of God is the Comforter he strikes the nail and seales the comfort to the soul we are but helpers Then again the Spirit of God must do it because the soul must be set down with that that is stronger then it self it must be so convinced and set down that it must have more to say against the griefe or temptation then can be alledged by the Devil himself The soul before it be comforted it must be quieted and stilled Now who is above the soul and Satan that tempts the soul Let Satan be let loose to tempt the soul and the soul hath a hell in it self if God let it alone who is above those unspeakable torments of coascience if they be not allayed by the Spirit of God Who is above the soul but the Spirit of God will the soul allay it self no it will never Therefore the Spirit of God that is stronger and wiser then the soul and is the Spirit of light and strength it must set down and quiet and calm the soul that it hath nothing to say against the comfort it brings but quiets it self and saith I must rest I must see this is from heaven I am quiet This the Spirit doth Therefore make this Use of it that in all our endeavours to procure peace to our consciences and spiritual balm to the wounds of our soules let us go to this heavenly Physician not depend over-much upon the Ministery or reading or any outward task but in the use of all things lift up our hearts to God that he would comfort us by his Spirit that he would send the Comforter into our soules Though the disciples had comfort upon comfort by Christ yet till the Comforter came whose office it was to do it to seal his Word to their soules alas they were dead-hearted people but after the resurrection when the Comforter came and refreshed their memories and convinced their understandigs then they could remember all the sweet comforts that our blessed Saviour had taught them before So it is with us we hear many sweet comforts day after day out of Gods
book comforts against sin comforts against trouble outward and inward and all but till the Comforter come till God send his holy Spirit we shall not make use of them Therefore let us labour to have more communion with God before we come to hear the Word and after we have heard it let us have communion with God again that he would seal whatsoever is spoken to our soules and make it effectual to us Therefore we must learn to give the just due to the Ordinance of God and not to idolize it to make it the means of comfort not to make it the chief Comforter but the Spirit of God by it What is Paul or Apollo what are we but Ministers of faith and by consequent Ministers and helpers of comfort but not the authors of comfort Oh if I had such and such here I should do well I should be so and so Alas all is to no purpose unlesse thou hast the Holy Ghost the Spirit of God that can help by weak means Therefore we must not tie comfort and joy to this or that means but in all means look to the ground of comfort and the spring of all the Holy Ghost The reason why men do nor profit more that they are not more cheared and lift up with the Ministery of the Word which is a Word of reconciliation and of joy and comfort it is because they are more careful in the use of means then in going to God for his Spirit to blesse the means Now these must go together a care of using the means and a care to pray to him that he would give us wisdome and strength and blessed successe in the use of all means Then if we would joyn religiously and conscionably these two together the use of all means conscionably and in the use of all to lift up our hearts to God to blesse them we should find a wondrous successe upon the Ministery and all other good means likewise So much for that I go on to the last clause of the Chapter For by faith ye stand Why doth the Apostle vary the word we have not dominion over your faith but are helpers of your joy whereas the consequence it seems might run thus we do not domineer over your faith but are helpers of your faith he puts joy instead of faith and afterward he brings in faith again for by faith ye stand This is one main reason because joy riseth from faith therefore he names it in stead of faith for the Holy Ghost is not curious of words but when the same Spirit wroks both he names that which he thinks will fittest suit the purpose Faith breeds joy How is that Because faith first of all doth shew to us the freedome from that that is the cause of all discomfort whatsoever it takes away all that may discourage For it takes away the fear of damnation for our sins it shewes our reconciliation in Jesus Christ. Faith shewes liberty and deliverance and so discovering deliverance by a Mediator it works joy Is not a prisoner joyful when he is set at liberty Then likewise faith discovers to us the face of God shining to us in Jesus Christ it shewes not only deliverance but favour It shewes us the ground of all the righteousnesse and obedience of our Saviour whereby we are delivered and brought into favour Now from this comes peace from the knowledge of our deliverance and acceptance with God founded upon the obedience of God-man a Saviour there comes in peace and peace breeds joy because faith discovers all these the ground of reconciliation with God in Jesus Christ and thereupon peace therefore it causeth joy For this is the pedigree and descent of joy as the Apostle hath it Rom. 14. The Kingdome of God is in righteousnesse and peace and joy There must be righteousnesse first of a Mediatur to satisfie the wrath of God and procure his favour From righteousnesse comes peace peace with God peace of conscience From peace comes joy there is no joy without peace no peace without righteousnesse And this whole pedigree of joy as it were is excellently set down Rom. 5. Being justified by faith we have peace with God through Jesus Christ our Lord and have accesse to the throne of grace by which grace we stand and not only so but rejoyce So there is justification by the righteousnesse of Christ and thereupon peace with God and from peace boldnesse and accesse to God and thereupon joy So we see how faith brings in joy because it shewes the spring of joy whence it comes it shewes peace and peace riseth from reconciliation and reconciliation from righteousnesse of Christ Mediator whereupon we are delivered from all that we may fear and set in a state of true joy God being our friend When God is reconciled all is reconciled all is ours have we not cause of joy then Therefore the Apostle saith Rom. 15. The God of peace fill you full of joy in believing shewing that faith is the cause of all spiritual joy And the same you have in 1 Pet. 1. 8. In whom ye rejoyced after ye believed with joy unspeakable and glorious In whom after ye believed that is in Christ you rejoyced with joy unspeakable and glorious And therefore you see the Apostle might well substitute joy in stead of faith because it springs and riseth from faith in Jesus Christ the Mediatour Hereupon we may come to make this Use of tryal how we may know whether our joy be good or no. Among many other evidences this is one that spiritual joy is good if it spring from the Word of faith If it spring from the Ordinance of God unfolded in the Word shewing us the ground of believing For he that truly joyes can shew the ground of his joy Herein joy differs from presumption from presumptuous swelling conceits true joy that is not the joy of an hypocrite it doth shew from whence it comes it riseth from grounds out of divine truth Then again this joy doth more immediately spring from faith in the Word from assurance that God is ours and that Christ is ours that God is at peace with us and that we are at peace with him it ariseth from peace that is wrought by faith Then again this joy if it be sound it is such a joy as S. Peter saith is an unspeakable and glorious joy joy arising from the Word of God and from faith and peace it is above discouragement because we have in the Word of God matter of joy above all discouragements and all allurements whatsoever It is a joy above the joy of riches or pleasures or profits why because the Word shewes matter of joy above all these The Prophet David rejoyced in the Word of God above Gold and Silver as one that had gotten great spoyles you see how oft he repeats it Psal. 119. It was sweeter to him then the honey and the honey-comb Psal.
their worst if you will needs fear I will tell you whom you shall fââ¦ar Fear him that can cast both body and soul into hell So if we be forced to suffer the losse of any thing that is good in the world or be cast into any ill condition what saith S. Paul The troubles and afflictions of the world are not worthy of the glory that shall be revealed Let us set that glory before us and that will prevail against that all the world can threaten or take from us what is all to it nothing Therefore by faith we stand we keep our own standing and withstand all oppositions whatsoever Oh but what if there come more subtile temptations end the Lord himself seemes to be our enemy that we have sinne and God is angry and we see he followes us with afflictions that are evidences of his anger how shall we stand now and keep our selves from despair This is a fiery dart of Satan when a man hath sinned and conscience is awakened to make him sink in despair O but faith will make the soul to stand in these great temptations against those fiery darts faith puts a shield into the hand of the soul to beat back all those fiery darts For faith will present Christ to God Indeed I have been a sinner but thou hast ordained a Saviour and he is of thine own appointing of thine own aââ¦ting a Saviour of thine own giving and thou hast made a promise that Whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life I cast my self upon thy mercy in him hereupon faith comes to withstand all such fiery temptations whatsoever nay against God himself Lord thou canst not deny thine own Saviour thou ââ¦mest to be an enemy and though I be a sinner and have deserved to be cast into hell yet I come to thee in the Name of thy Son that is at thy right hand and pleads for me by vertue of his blood shed for me I came in his Name thou canst not refuse thy owne Son For all temptations when a man hath faith in him it will send Satan to Christ to answer for him Go to Christ he is my husband he hath paid my debts he hath satisfied for my sins So that whatsoever the temptation be make it as subtle as you will there is a skill in faith to stand against it and to beat back all the fiery darts of Satan Therefore to end all we see here what an excellent estate a Christian is in above all others that he hath a better standing then others have not onely a better standing in Religion then the Papists have but in the profession of Religion he hath a better standing then common professors why he stands by faith by sound faith He stands not upon opinion or because he hath been bred so he stands not upon his wit because he sees reason for it he stands upon faith and faith stands upon divine authority he stands partly upon his own experience that seconds faith Those then that care not for Religion what standing have they those that stand only in pleasures and profits and in the favour of great men what standing have they They stand as the Psalmist saith in slippery places There is no man but if he nave not faith he stands slippery though he be never so great if he be a Monarch alas what is it to stand a while all these things are but uncertain though they yield present content they are but uncertain contentments the Wise-man saith they are but vanity they are like the reed of Egypt that will not uphold they will not sustein the soul in the time of trouble there is nothing that a man can stand upon and fasten his soul upon if he be not Religious that will hold scarce the fit of an ague that will hold in the pangs of death even in the entrance of it that will hold in terrours of conscience How little a trouble will blow away all those that stand on so weak a foundation as an earthly thing is For they have but an Imaginary good to speak of and that Imagination is driven out by the sense of the contrary Let contrary troubles come and all their fooles Paradise and their happinesse they had before is at an end it goes no deeper then Imagination All the things in this world stablish not the heart Those that do not stand by faith in the favour of God in Christ let their standing be what it will it will soon be over turned by any temptation they can stand out against nothing Therefore let us labour above all things in the world to have that faith strengthened by which we stand and let us often be encouraged to strengthen our faith by all means that we may stand the better upon it and try our faith before we trust it it is that that we must trust to and stand to in life and death Therefore let us often think Is my faith good is it well built Let us oft put this query to our soules I believe the Religion I professe but upon what grounds I believe the truths in the Word of God but upon what grounds have I a clear understanding of them because they are divine doth the Spirit of God open them and shew a light in the Scripture that is divine doth the Spirit of God give me a relish of the Scriptures above all the pleasures in the world Do I find God speaking to my heart in the Word do I find the Spirit of God with his Ordinance then my knowledge and my faith will hold out I can stand by that faith in the Word that is wrought by the Spirit and fastened upon the Word with the Spirit But if I believe the Religion I professe only because the State doth so and if the King and State should do otherwise I would change my Religion or if it be because my parents were so or my friends and Patron is of that religion whom I depend upon or because I see greater seeming reason for this then for the other I can hold argument for this and not for the other Alas this will not hold But labour to know the truth of the Word of God by experience as much as we can and by the Spirit of God giving evidence to our soules from the inward grounds of Scripture that it is the Word I know whom I have trusted I know the promises are good I have felt them in my soul the Spirit hath reported them to my soul they are sweeter then all the things in the world It is a sure Word I bottome upon it I have found the comfort of it before therefore I will build upon it We can never stand unlesse we can make our knowledge spiritnal it is but acquisite knowledge else We fall in three things vilely we labour that our knowledge of Religion be spiritual and fetched divinely out of the Word of God together with the Spirit We
fall into sin from this very ground for why do men fall into sin because at that time they stand not upon the Word of God revealed by conscience to be the Word of God Ask them why they sweat if they did believe the truth the Word saith I will not hold them guilââ¦lesse that take my Name in vain But I am not convinced by the Spirit assuring my soul that it is the Word of God if men did believe it would men bring a curse upon themselves And so whoremongers the Word of God saith Whoremongers and adulterers God will judge would men if they did believe this truth live in these sins But they have only an opinion of these things I hear that these things are divine perhaps they are not so and the knowledge that we have is not divine faith is not mingled with the Spirit Then again from sin we fall into despair for sin at last why because our knowledge of divine truthes is not spiritual nor from inward grounds of Scripture felt by experience the Spirit sealing the Scripture to my heart by some spirituall experience and thereupon men fall into despair for sin at length For Satan plies them with temptations from their own guilty conscience the grounds of their fears are present and the grounds of their terrours are present to their soules for they are there as it were sealed and branded in their very soules but their comforts are overly the promises are overly the Word is not rooted in their hearts by faith it is not sealed there by the Spirit of God the sanctifying Spirit never brought the Word and their soules together Hereupon they fall into desperation when their terrours are present and their comforts are overly If a man have never so sound a foundation if he stand not but float upon it he may fall and sink if a man be never so weak if he lie on a rock the strength of the rock is his so in our temptations if we have a strong foundation if we do not rest on it the foundation will not uphold us Now how can those rest on it that stagger in it that were never convinced by the Spirit that these things are so and that have had no spiritual experience Satan drawes thousands of soules to perdition because their terrours are present and their comforts are overly they are not built upon divine truth by the Spirit of God Again for Apostasie in the times of the alteration of Religion why do men alter as the State alters they are ready to have every Moneth a new faith if the times and Goverment alter why because they were never convinced by the Spirit of God of divine truths They had it from forreign arguments The former State of things countenanced this way now another State countenanceth another opinion therefore I will be of the safest This is because the soul was never convinced of the truth Therefore I beseech you labour to have arguments from the experience of the power of the Word in your soules and arguments from the Spirit of God to your spirits that it is the Word of God I will stand to divine truth I find such a majesty such a humbling pacifying satisfying power in it to all my perplexities and doubts that it cannot but be the Word of God it stayes my soul in all oppositions in all temptations and corruptions it gives a stay and foundation to my soul that no truth in the world else can do When the soul is brought to such a frame such a soul will not fall into grosse sins while it is in such a frame much lesse will it despair for sin and if there be altering of Religion a thousand times it stands as a rock unmovable because it knowes from inward grounds from the Word of God it self sealed by the Spirit to my spirit that it is the Word of God such a soul will hold out and only such a soul. We should labour therefore by all means to have our faith strengthened and amongst other meanes by the use of the Sacrament whereby God sweetly conveys himself to us by way of a banquet strengthening our faith in Christ he presents Christ to us as the food of our soules to refresh us even as the bread and wine doth Our blessed Saviour is wiser then we he knowes what we stand in need of that we have need to strengthen our faith For we have need to strengthen that that must be our strength which is faith And what is the Ordinance of God to strengthen faith is it not the Sacrament The proper use of the Sacrament is to strengthen faith which the Sacrament doth being a visible Sermon to us for here we see in the outward things Christs body broken and his blood shed it is a lively representation a visible crucifying of Christ a breaking of his body and pouring out of his bloud And withall here is an offer of Christ to us in the elements sealing of what it represents to our soules if we come prepared God feeds us not with empty signes but together with the outward things themselves he gives the spiritual to the soul that is a worthy Receiver Therefore come with a humble stooping to Gods wisdom in appointing these Ordinances to this end to strengthen faith And come with a desire to have faith strengthened that will uphold us against all temptations to sin or to despair for sin Oh beloved if we knew what good our faith must do us ere long we would labour to have it strengthened by all means What will become of us in the hour of death and in great temptations we shall be as chaffe driven with the wind if we have no consistence and stability in divine truth if our soules be not built on that if we have not faith whereby our soules may be rooted in Christ we shall be but a prey for Satan Therefore considering that faith is of such wondrous consequence it is the root of all other graces whatsoever as the Apostle saith here By faith ye stand He doth not say By patience or by hope or the like they are drawn from faith Strengthen that and strengthen all other that are infused from it As a tree we cast not water on the branches but on the root all the branches are cherished by the root so strengthen faith we strengthen love and hope and all if we strengthen faith and assurance of Gods love in Christ. Thus I have at length gone over this fruitfull portion of Scripture FINIS AN Alphabetical Table DIRECTING The Reader to the Ready finding out the Principal Points and Matters handled in this Book A. Achaia AChaia the Countrey wherein Corinth was Page 5 Acknowledge Acknowledge or Acknowledgment what p. 316 331 To acknowledge Christ what pag. 331 Christ acknowledged in the Minister p. 331 333 How to know whether we acknowledge the Minister p. 331 332 333 Action Three sorts of Actions good ill indifferent p. 254
subordinate Religion to State-Policy p. 294 295 Religion tends to practice p. 295 Popish Religion is a carnal Religion p. 312 313 The most Religious men are the best States-men p. 315 Wherein our Religion and the Pââ¦pish agree and differ p. 395 398 Popish Religion unsound and rotten p. 546 Popish Religion is not founded upon the Scriptures but upon Tradition p. 545 546 Popish Religion crosseth the Word of God p. 385 386 Popish Religion is full of contradictions p. 386 Popish Religion is full of uncertainties p. 386 387 It's safer to be of the Protestant Religion then of the Popish p. 397 Whether one living and dying in the Romish Religion may be saved p. 397 398 Repentance Late Repentance such as is in time of sicknesse and death seldome true Repentance p. 33 Reproof It 's a sign of a gracious heart to endure reproof and to esteem and affect the reprover p. 330 513 A Minister must not spare to reprove people for sin committed p. 512 c. A three-fold Reproof or Correction p. 514 Resolution Of good Resolutions pag. 323 324 c. Resurrection The Resurrection is an argument to strengthen faith p. 167 There will or shall be a Resurrection p. 167 c. God raiseth the dead p. 167 to 171 Rock What is meant by Rock Matth. 16. 18. p. 394 S. Saint OUr love and respect should be carried to all Saints p. 5 God scatters his Saints why p. 6 All that make profession of Religion should indeed be Saints ibid. Professours called Saints why ibid. Four things required to make a Saint viz. 1. Separation 2. Dedication 3. Qualification 4. Conversation pag. 7 8 How to know a Saint from a meer civil man p. 8 True Saints wherein different from hypocrites and formal professours ibid. See Christian. Salvation Salvation wrought by affliction or suffering how and how by Christ p. 108 to 113 How Afflictions or Patience in suffering afflictions helps to salvation p. 110 111 112 Two wayes to obtain salvation p. 108 Salutation Use of holy Salutations three-fold p. 9 Salutations should be holy p. 10 Gods Name when taken in vain in salutations ibid. Salutations in what cases to be omitted ibid. Satisfaction Against Popish Merits and satisfactions for others p. 107 See Indulgences Scripture How to know the Scripture to be the Word of God and truly Divine p. 386 392 Whether the Scriptures receive any authority from the Church p. 3 4 545 The Scripture is to be believed for it self not because of the Church p. 392 393 See Word Seal Christ the head is first sealed and then the members viz. Christians pag. 473 Our sealing what p. 474 Four uses of a Seal p. 474 475 The Spirit compared to a Seal wherein pag. 474 475 476 478 481 How the Spirit differs from other seales p. 476 How the Spirit seales us p. 476 477 Four things the Spirit works in this sealing 477 c. How to know the sealing of the Spirit or that we are sealed by the Spirit p. 477 478 Objection against the Spirits sealing answered p. 479 c. Motives to labour to get the Spirits sealing or to have the image of Christ stamped upon our soules by the Spirit pag. 481 to 486 Simplicity Simplicity what and how taken p. 216 242 243 Why called godly simplicity or the simplicity of God p. 243 Difference between Simplicity and sincerity p. 241 S. Paul's conversation in Simplicity how p. 241 242 To what things Simplicity is opposed p. 244 245 246 Directions or Means to get Simplicity p. 251 Simulation Of Simulation p. 244 Aggravations of this sin p. 245 See Dissembling Sincerity Sincerity what p. 253 How Sincerity differs from Simplicity p. 241 Why called godly Sincerity or the Sincerity of God p. 253 A Christians conversation in the world should be in sincerity p. 253 271 Sincerity in good actions how discovered or tryed p. 254 255 Sincerity how tryed or discovered in ill actions p. 256 Sincerity how tryed or discovered in actions indifferent p. 257 Motives to labour for sincerity pag. 258 259 263 264 Means to get sincerity pag. 260 261 262 Corruptions and imperfections may stand with Sincerity p. 264 c. Order in sincerity how to be kept pag. 265 Sincerity extends it self to all the frame of a mans life p. 266 We must have our conversation in sincerity while we live in the world pag. 271 Singularity There is a spirit of singularity in many pag. 3 Slander How to arm and fence our selves against Slander pag. 357 Society The comfort and benefit of Society p. 71 267 Solitarinesse Solitarinesse very dangerous pag. 71 267 See Alone Society Son Christ the Son of God how differing from others sons p. 388 Soul Gods Spirit alone speaks comfort and peace to the soul p. 536 God in all things that are ill intends the good of the soul p. 151 The soul must have somewhat to trust to ibid. People should do well to open the case of their soules to their spirituall Physicians p. 535 Spirit The Spirit with its graces compared to Anointing or Oyntment See Anointing Ointment The Spirit compared to an Earnest See Earnest The Spirit compared to a Seal See Seal Why the work of Grace is attributed to the Spirit rather then to the Father or the Son p. 498 Why the Spirit is said to seal and to be an Earnest and not the Father or the Son ibid. Means to attain or come by the Spirit p. 501 502 503 How to know that we have the Spirit p. 499 500 Of our anointing by the Spirit p. 463 to 473 Of our sealing by the Spirit p. 473 to 485 Gods Spirit alone seales comfort to the soul p. 536 Stablish Stablishing grace necessary why pag. 442 Christ is the foundation of our stability p. 443 Our judgment will affections c. are stablished in Christ p. 444 It 's onely God that can stablish the soul he must do it none else can pag. 446 c. As God can so he will stablish us pag. 446 c. God stablisheth us by working in us stablishing graces viz. 1. Fear 2. Wisdome 3. Faith 4. Peace of Conscience c. 449 Means of stablishing or whereby we may come to be stablished pag. 455 456 457 Signes or Evidences of our stablishing p. 458 to 463 Strength How these two may stand together 2 Cor. 18. We were pressed out of measure above strength and 1 Cor. 10. 13. God is faithfull and will lay no more upon you then you shall be able to bââ¦r p. 124 125 Suffering The sufferings of Christ abound in us or Gods Saints are subject to many sufferings why p. 74 All Christians suffer how p. 112 A threefold suffering in the Church since Christs time p. 76 The sufferings of Christians are the sufferings of Christ and why so called p. 77 Christs sufferings two-fold ibid. Differences between the sufferings of Christ and ordinary crosses p. 78 Motives to suffer for Christ ibid. How the sufferings of Saints do good
or are profitable to others p. 109 Gods children partake of the sufferings of others how p. 115 Suffering must precââ¦de comfort and why p. 117 c. Those that suffer as they should are sure of comfort p. 118 See more in Affliction Persecution Tribulation Suspition Mans nature is proue to suspition pag. 356 506 Grounds of suspition from whence it ariseth p. 357 506 c. Suspition what p. 357 507 How to arm our selves against suspition p. 357 How to know when suspition is evil p. 358 Suspition is more then fear lesse then judgment p. 507 Suspition makes the worst construction ibid. Why the Devill cherisheth suspition ibid. Mischief from Suspition ibid. Swearing What meant by the prohibition Swear not at all p. 376 516 517 To swear by none but God p. 515 Swearing lawful p. 516 517 Ordinary swearing condemned p. 376 516 517 518 Objections for common and ordinary swearing answered p. 517 c. Original causes of ordinary swearing p. 518 519 Motives against ordinary swearing p. 519 520 Means against ordinary swearing pag. 519 Ordinary swearers curse themselvse p. 518 T. Thankfulnesse IT 's the disposition of Gods people to be thankfull for mercies received pag. 16 We are to be especially thankfull for spiritual favours p. 18 Meanes to become thankfull p. 18 19 20 208 209 A carnal man unthankful why pag. 19 Motives to thankfulnesse pag 20 210 211 212 Not onely verbal but real thanksgiving is required p. 212 See Blesse Praise Tradition Popish faith is built upon Traditions p. 345 346 Treasury The Popes Treasury what p 107 The Popes Treasury confuted ibid. Christ is the onely Treasury of the Church ibid. Tribulation Gods Children are subject to Tribulation p. 47 60 74 See Affliction Persecution Suffering Trust. Gods Children are prone to trust in themselves why p. 137 138 Not to trust in any thing but in God p. 139 142 143 144 Signes of trusting in these outward things as riches c. p. 139 140 It 's a dangerous thing to trust in our selves or in the creature why p. 141 Popery to be detested because it teacheth men to trust to their own works satisfactions c. p. 142 We must not trust our own graces pag. 142 Creatures may be trusted to subordinately p. 144 145 Worldlings trust in the creature above God yea against God p. 144 How to cure false confidence or trusting in ourselves and in the creature pag. 145 147 To trust in God a lesson hardly learn't p. 148 God to make us trust in him is fain to cast us out of our selves ibid. God is the sole and proper Object of trust p. 153 God in Christ the Object of trust ibid. It 's a mans duty to trust in God pag. 154 Trials of trust in God or Signes whereby to know whether we trust in God p. 155 156 157 Helps or Meanes to trust in God pag. 158 Trust in God how to be exercised in great afflictions p. 161 Trust in God how exercised in the hour of death p. 162 God to strengthen our trust hath given us his 1. Promise 2. Seal 3. Oath 4. Earnest 5. A pawn 6. Seizin p. 164 Objection against trusting in God answered ibid. A Christian may trust or rely on God for the time to come p. 178 Trust what p. 321 See Confidence Truth Truth may not be spoken at all times p. 246. God is true and faithful how p. 379 Objection against this answered pag. 380 How to know the Word of God to be true p. 386 392 It 's a matter of comfort to believe the Word of God to be true p. 377 c. The Word of God or Evangelical doctrine is most true and certain p 392 V. Vain MInisters labour is not in vain in the Lord p. 1 Vehement Carnal men are vehement p. 371 Unbelief The heart of man is full of unbelief and can hardly be settled in the perswasion of Divine truth p. 485 486 Uniformity A Christian is uniform p. 317 Union There is a threefold Union viz. 1. Of Christ and our nature 2. Of Christ and his members 3. Of one member with another p. 116 W. Wait. GRounds of waiting upon God for deliverance from trouble or Motives thereunto p. 173 c. 426 Way It 's a commendable custome for Christians to bring one another on their way p. 355 Weak The weakest creatures have the strongest shelters p. 448 Will. Every one in his calling placed by the Will of God p. 2 3 The more will advisednesse and deliberation in sin the greater the sin p. 249 Wisdome Wisdome manifold p. 274 275 Wisdome what p. 275 Carnal or fleshly wisdome described p. 275 276 277 Why called fleshly Wisdome p. 276 All carnal men have not fleshly wisdome p. 278 Fleshly wisdome is where there is no simplicity nor sincerity ibid. Gods children not ruled by fleshly wisdom why p. 279 288 289 Mischief of carnal wisdom pag. 280 281 Carnal or fleshly Wisdom hinders our joy and comfort p. 287 288 Popery is founded on carnal Wisdom p. 312 How to avoid fleshly Wisdom pag. 368 369 A Christian needs Wisdome why p. 291 Wisdom may be had p 292 We should go to God for Wisdome pag. 292 293 God gives Wisdom for the things of this life p. 293 True Wisdom toucheth conversation p. 299 Word The Preaching of the Word accompanied with Gods Spirit is able to convert and change the most wicked hearts ââ¦hat be pag. 4 5 See Ministery Preaching It 's a matter of consequence to believe the Word of God to be true certain and immutable p. 377 c. The Word of God is the Judge of all Controversies p. 382 Christ the Word how p. 409 467 The Word of God is most true certain and infallible p. 392 How to know the Word of God to be true p. 386 392 See Scripture World Christianity may stand with converse in the World p. 267 Religion makes a man converse in the world untainted ibid. Wicked men called the World why p. 275 4 365 Y. Yea and Nay GRounds of Yea and Nay p. 371 Dissemblers are Yea and Nay all at once p. 372 All Promises and Prophecies are Yea in Christ p. 407 408 409 c. Trin-uni Deo gloria * 1 Pet. 4. 10. Ubi Vulgat dispensatio multiformis gratiae * Isai. 54. 12. Varia gemmarum genera propter varia dona quae sunt in Ecclesiâ Sanct. * Gallica mirata est Calvinum Ecclesia nuper Quo nemo docuit doctius Est quoque te nuper mirata ãâã tonantem Quo nemo ãâã fortiùs Et miratur adhuc fundentem mella Viretum Quo nemo fatur dulcius Beza * Tunc bene multiformis Dei gratia dispensatur quando acceptum donum ãâã ejus qui hoc non habet creditur quando propter eum cui impenditur sibi datum putatur Gregââ¦r moral lib. 28. cap. 6. God scatters his Saints why Quest. Answ. The Church hath its name sometimes 1. from the mixture in it 2. from the better
rejoycing They were St. Saul's rejoycing as they were gained to God and to Christ by his Ministery when he looked on them he looked on them as people given him by God As God said to him of them in the ship when they suffered shipwrack I have given thee all their lives It was a great honour to Saint Paul that God should give him the lives of all that were in the ship but more honour that God gave him so many souls Thou shalt have the honour of saving so many souls Therefore they were his rejoycing in the day of the Lord especially but now they were his rejoycing because by faith he apprehended that they should be his special rejoycing when he and they should stand together before the Judgement-seat of Christ. For faith makes things to come present Ye are our rejoycing because you shall be our rejoycing then more especially This is the nature of faith to present things absent For Blessed St. Paul now in heaven when at the day of judgement he shall stand before Christ withall the rank about him of Corinthians Ephesians Philippians c. and all the Churches he converted when he shall be environed with them as so many brought in triumph under the Kingdome of Christ and pulled from the bondage of Satan as what a world of people did he bring to God what triumph did he make over Satan and the corruption of men bringing men into captivity to Christ When all these shall be set before him what a glory will this be for holy St. Paul when he shall look on all these blessed people as conquered and brought under Christs government by him And so for all the Apostles St. Peter and the rest And so for every Minister when he shall say Here I am and the soules that thou hast given me thou hast honoured me so much as to be an instrument to gain them to Christ to bring them to Heaven a special glorie The point of Doctrine or truth I observe hence is this That The Peoples proficiencie in Grace is the Ministers joy The peoples good estate in Grace is the Ministers joy and will be especially after at the day of judgment ye are our rejoycing As he saith Philip. 4. Ye are our crown and our glory And so 2 Thess. 2. What is our crown and rejoycing is it not you In every Epistle almost those good and gracious people he makes them his hope and joy and crown and rejoycing In what sense Because they were the objective matter of his joy when he looked on them he looked on such as yielded him comfort he could not present them to his thoughts but he thought of them as matter of joy here be the people that God hath honoured me to do much good unto He could not think of them but as the object of his rejoycing the word is Canchema our rejoycing that God had given them to him to bring to heaven Love descends we know and the workman looks upon his work with a kind of complacencie Saint Paul could not look upon those that he was used as a blessed Instrument to doc good upon without a speciall kind of delight They were the object matter of his joy Then again they were not onely the matter of his joy and rejoycing presenting to his soule comfortable considerations but also they were some meanes to increase his joy in Heaven for Those that convert soules shall shine as the starres in the Firmament Dan. 12. Those that are honoured of God so farre as to bring souls to God they shall shine as the stars in the Firmament especially those that convert souls shall have a degree of honour above others though the substantial glory be by Christ. It is not to be denyed that the accidental increased glory comes by the increase of the fruit of the Ministery and so Christians those that are fruitfull Christians that do much good they shall have much glory Saint Paul shall have more rejoycing then others that did not so much good as he Ye are our rejoycing because you shall be a means of my greater rejoycing they were the object of his joy and the means of his joy Then in the third place they were his rejoycing because they were the seal of his Ministery that he was a sound Minister How was it known whether Saint Paul were a good Minister or no Behold his works see how he wrought on such and such people how many he gained to God When he looked on them he looked on them as a seal of his Ministery that he was a good Minister and in that regard they were his rejoycing And in some regard likewise in the fourth place that their gaining was an evidence to his soul that he was a good man Ordinarily though God convert men by ill men as Judas no question might convert some yet for the most part God honours his servants and he that is heat himself can kindle another Those that are not heat with grace they cannot speak of the efficacy and power of the things they feel not in their own hearts as others do therefore no question but it comforted him in the state of Christianity that God honoured him to be a means to bring others in to Christ. So in many respects the peoples goodnesse is the Ministers joy If this be so Let those that are under the Ministery not deny themselves that comfort or the Ministers that joy to be good There are many poysonful spightful spirits that are in love with damnation that will cherish the corruptions of their naughty nature in spight of God and all Rather then they will acknowledge to be wrought on by such and such to be their children they will be as they are they will be broken in a thousand pieces before they will bend to any Minister upon such weak resolutions to yield to a poor Ordinance of man here is the devillish pride and poyson of mans corrupt nature Can we set light by that but that at the same time we must set light by our own comfort and salvation How were the Corinthians Saint Paul's joy were they not their own joy first they were matter of joy to S. Paul because he saw he had gained them to Christ the good was especially theirs it reflected on him onely by consideration When he looked on them he was comforted but they were more comforted a great deal they had more comfort in his rejoycing then he his was but by reflexion of their goodnesse a comfort that came by consideration they had the main comfort of their goodnesse It is little comfort for any to carry themselves so as that those that are over them in Christ Jesus when they think of them can but sigh when they hear their blasphemies when they cannot so much as gain of them to leave courses that the very light of nature condemnes the filthy discoveries of a rotten heart their vile words and their offensive carriage
can this be a grief to the Minister and not for the damnation of their soules together And they shall find it a heavy and bitter thing to grieve the Spirit of God in others as well as they wound their own conscience both are joyned together What a happinesse is this that the more a man is interessed in the good of another man the more glory if he be a meanes of any good in him he shall have good and you shall have glory The best things in nature are communicative and diffusive the Sun gives light to the whole world so the best man is most fruitful and communicative he labours to gain all men by his acquaintance He knowes this that he is not for himself he is reedeemed for the honour of Christ And then he knows that anothers good will be my glory it will increase my glory and be the object of my glory On the contrary we see a company of wretched despicable creatures let their outward estate be as glorious as it will but I speak of them as Christian eyes judge and esteem of them that draw others on to the same course with them if they be blasphemers themselves they glory to make others so if they be given to sensuality they labour to make others sottish as themselves if they be given to filthinesse they draw others to communion with themselves Well will these people be much for their rejoycing in the day of the Lord think you what will they do when they think of others such as they have neglected altogether that God gave them charge of The very thought of them instead of making them rejoyce it will make them astonished I betrayed his soul he was my friend or my servant I let him live in such sins Good neglected will torment us hereafter But then ill infused by example and by word I poysoned him suppose I have repented my self but perhaps the person that I have drawn to communion in my sin hath not repented what a torment will this consideration be Good neglected will be matter of torment much more evil infused poyson infused When we shall see at the day of Judgment instead of a company that we have gained to God and been a meanes to further their salvation we shall see a company that we have infected with our ill example and our evil perswasions this will be in hell an increase of torment One will curse another and say You brought me hither The father will curse the sonne To get riches for you I crackt my conscience and lost my soul And the sonne shall curse the father By your riches that you lost me I lived a base and sensual life whereas perhaps I might have trusted to my good endeavours otherwise so here shall be cursing The friend shall curse his friend You might have told me of this you strengthened me in evil courses As it will be our glory when we shall see such and such as God hath used as instruments to do good unto so it will be a torment indeed to think Such and such I neglected and betrayed such and such I corrupted I beseech you therefore take heed of it And would you have matter of joy in this world that should joy you when nothing else will joy you as Saine Paul was in affliction oft what comforted Saint Paul First his own conscience that he was a good Christian an heir of heaven a good Apostle but when he wanted joy what would he do when he had no liberty but was imprisoned when he had nothing then he considered How hath Christ dignified me to do good to others this honouring of him to do this it comforted him more then all his imprisonment and abasement and reproaches could discourage him the conceit that God did use him as an honourable instrument for his honour and service to do good to others So the testimony of our Conscience that God hath used us to do good to others not onely to make me to gain heaven but to be an instrument to gain others this will comfort us in the world come what will This should stirre up those that have to deal with the soules of others not only Ministers but all others that have any committed to them that they should labour to make them good to work upon them for the good of their soules that they may have them as matter and objects of their joy at that day If they do not as I said when they are presented to them as persons whom they have neglected and betrayed negligently for want of instruction and reformation of their lives and as persons whom they have infected with their ill example which is worse alas what matter of horrour will they be They will not say of them as S. Paul saith here You are my joy and my crown and my glory but they will be matter of horrour these be they that I havs betrayed and neglected and infected and brought to hell to this cursed condition with my self It will be an increase of the torments of hell at that day all those whom we have hurt any kind of way But what shall it be then of those that have opposed goodnesse that have not only betrayed others by neglect but have maligned good where they have seen it what will become of them that are so far from making others good that they have despighted the Image of God in others and have exercised their bitternesse upon Christ in his members and Ministers To adde one thing more What! these Corinthians that had so many abuses and such weaknesses were they the matter of S. Paul's joy Yes why therefore people must take heed how they leave Churches that have corruptions in them Schisme oft-times is a greater fault then the fault upon which they pretend separation the things for which they pretend a rent are not so great a fault in the Church as the want of Charity in them to do so If Saint Paul would have taken occasion to leave them what good occasion had he alas how many corruptions had they in doctrine and in manners too but yet notwithstanding as ill as they were he saw what good was in them and looked not to the evil he knew that God would perfect the good things that were in them and saith he notwithstanding all their infirmities I see you were ready to reform when I wrote an Epistle to you therefore I doubt not but you will be our rejoycing In the day of the Lord Jesus This is the time it must be taken inclusively I am your rejoycing and you are mine to the day of the Lord Jesus and in the day of the Lord so he means here It is laid as a ground here That Jesus Christ hath a Day It is his day by way of eminency and excellency Jesus Christ hath many dayes two especially The day of his first coming and the day of his second coming The first coming of Christ was the