and rebellion of their hearts there must be a mutual will and consent and agreement which cannot be till resistance in our hearts be removed that so our hearts may be made willing to comply with him and with his will and with his wayes and with his works Secondly That he may bring them all into union with Jesus Christ his people Bring them into union with Christ are a people given unto Christ from all eternity Thine they were and thou gavest them me Joh. 17. 6. And as they are given to Christ by an eternal compact so they must be given in to Christ in time by effectual vocation in a way of believing And for this reason also he will take away the hardness of their hearts which is imcompatible with closing with Christ Heb. 3. 7. To day if ye will hear his voice ver 8. harden not your hearts Thirdly That he may enjoy communion with them and they with him This is one Reason why he makes us to be his people that he might make known all Enjoy communion with them his love and goodness unto us and that our hearts might be taken up with him and set on him in love and fear and desire and joy and hope None of which will or can be unless the Lord were pleased to take away the heart of stone from his people c. Fourthly That he may bring upon them all the good which he hath promised unto And bring upon them all the good that he hath promised to his people viz. All the blessings of mercy and peace and comfort and joy of which they are not capable untill the Lord take away the hardness of their hearts Would you have the Lord to settle pardoning mercy on a hard heart and to speak peace to a hard heart and to revive with comfort and joy the soul of an hardened sinner who will hold fast his iniquities and who will not obey his voyce and will none of him This is as it were a foundation-work for the other works of the Covenant Sol. 2. Again the Lord himself doth again by promise undertake to take away God by promise undertakes it Because of the impossibility of it the stony heart from his people upon a twofold account First On the impossibility of the work without his own Omnipotency None but the Almighty can cure the stone of the heart neither Angels nor Men nor Ministry nor Self-power for the hard heart is too hard for all means whatsoever only the Lord is too hard for it he can subdue all the powers of sin and he can pull down all high imaginations which do exalt themselves and he can abase the pride of man and he can circumcise all the stoutness of the heart so that the rebellious shall submit themselves Secondly The other that his people when they are made sensible of their That men may not despair hardnesse may not despair but may apply themselves unto him who is able to work all their work in and for them and to heal all their diseases and to subdue all their iniquities Beloved a Promise of God in any kind is a singular foundation for Faith and Prayer And so it is in this business of hardness of heart if the Lord promise to take it away then the work is possible it may be done and it is likewise de futuro it shall be done As the Lord is able to perform whatsoever he promiseth to his people so he is faithful and will perform the same And both these are grounds for Faith and Prayer to go unto the Lord and beseech him and trust upon him that he will according to his word take away the hardness of our hearts Quest 3. How this can be affirmed for a truth seeing that much hardnesse How this can be since much hardness remains A difference betwixt the hardness remaining in the best and that in the wicked The godly are sensible of it of heart remaines in all the people of God all the dayes of their lives Sol. This hath been answered in part already in the manner how God takes away the hardness of heart from his people only I will adde that there is a vast difference 'twixt the hardness of heart remaining in the people of God and that hardness of heart abiding in ungodly men v. g. First Though hardness of heart in some degrees remains in the people of God yet they are sensible of it as their great evil and burden and do exceedingly bewail it and complain to the Lord of it and cry out Why hast thou hardned our hearts from thy fear Isa 63. 17. But wicked men are unsensible of the hardness of their hearts they are past feeling and their consciences are seared as with a hot iron as the Apostle speaks 1 Tim. 4. 2. When a part of the body is feared with a hot iron it becomes utterly stupid and unsensible c. Secondly The hardnesse of heart remaining in the people of God it It is still mortifying in the best is still mortifying and decreasing the more they feel it the more they pray against it and never give over till they have obtained more grace and strength against it untill they find their hearts more tender and pliable But the hardness of heart in ungodly men as it is raigning so it is raging it still increaseth unto more hardness ungodly men sin more and more and still oppose the means of softning their hearts and the more they do sin the more they do harden their hearts and the more they do oppose the light and means of softning the more they do augment their sins and hardness Thirdly Though hardness of heart doth remain in the people of God yet Though it remains yet They do not willingly take those wayes that tend to hardening 1. They do not willingly and advisedly give up themselves to any wayes and courses which tend to the hardning of their hearts as to the neglect of the Ordinances to the omission of holy duties to the commission of sins against the light of the Word and of Conscience 2. They do cordially use all the means to work off the hardness of their hearts as frequent self-examinations humble confessions and self-judgings earnest Prayer for more Faith and fear and tenderness of spirit and the Lord doth Cordially use the means against it graciously â—ear them in these Requests But thus it is not with ungodly men whose hearts are hardened they practice wickedness and they sell themselves to work wickedness in the sight of the Lord 1 King 21. 25. And give themselves over unto lasciviousness to work all uncleanness with greedinesse Ephes 4. 19. And trample under feet the light of the Word and the actings of Conscience and whatsoever stands in their way to restrain them from sinning and are so far from improving any means for the removing of the hardness of their hearts that they deride and scorn at them and reject and abhor
and to rest on his Arm acknowledging that our standing and safety is not in our strength but in the presence and influence of his grace 2ly The Means how to compass a soft and tender heart The Means First You must go to the Lord by Prayer for it a sinner can harden his own Beg it by prayer heart but God only can soften the heart If four things were wrought in the heart it would be soft and tender viz. 1. An experimental Sensation 2. A mournful Humiliation 3. A spirit of Fear 4. An yieldingness and plyableness of the heart to the will of God Object True will some say but who can work these things in the heart Sol. That can God and he hath promised to work every one of them in our hearts if we do earnestly and unfeignedly seek him 1. He can make us to see to feel to remember to consider our sins and our doings which have not been good Job 34. 32. That which I see not teach thou me c. Job 13. 26. Thou makest me to possesse the iniquities of my youth Ezek. 16. 61. Then shalt thou remember thy wayes and be ashamed 2. He can make the heart mourning and humbling and lamenting Zac. 12. 10. They shall look on him whom they have pierced and they shall mourn c. Ezek. 7. 16. All of them mourning every one for his iniquity 3. He can put his fear in their hearts Jer. 32. 40. I will put my fear in their hearts And Hose 3. 5. They shall fear the Lord and his goodness 4. He can make the heart yielding and plyable unto his Word and Will Psal 68. 18. Thou hast received gifts for men yea for the rebellious also that the Lord God might dwell amongst them Acts 9. 6. Lord what wilt thou have me to do Jer. 31. 33. I will put my Law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts Secondly You must to his Word which is the hammer to break and the fire to Attend the Word melt the heart Acts 2. 37. When they heard this they were pricked in their hearts and said unto Peter and the rest of the Apostles Men and brethren what shall we do 2 Chron. 34. 27. Thou diddest humble thy self before God when thou heardest his Word c. Object But many men hear the Word and that a long time and yet their hearts are not at all softned by it therefore it cannot be a means to soften the heart Sol. I answer 1. It is true that many men do hear the Word and for many years and are not softned but their hearts are more hardned under it nevertheless this induration comes not from the Word which is a means to soften but from the pride and perverseness of the hearts of men who do hear the Word but will despise and reject the Word 2. It is also true that though many men have not their hearts softned by the Word yet many others have their hearts softned by it Simile as although many who take Physick are nothing better by it yet many who do so are recovered by it and this we find by experience that though the Word be the savour of death unto death unto some yet it is the savour of life unto life unto others And as we must not conclude that the Word is not the means of saving faith because all that hear the Word do not believe so neither must we deny the Word as a means to soften the heart because many who do hear it do remain hardned but if we find First that God hath instituted his Word for such a purpose and end Secondly That God hath blessed his Word and made it effectual to that purpose Thirdly Doth call even sinners to come and attend that they may attain that blessing depending upon this Word And lastly that without the attendance upon the Word there is no enjoyment of that softness of heart but a greater access and confirmation of hardness of heart Thence we may confidently conclude that the Word of God is a means to soften the heart But 3. You must know that the efficacy of spiritual means doth not depend upon the meer presence of the means but upon the concomitancy and influence of the Spirit of God who sometimes doth put forth his power through those means and sometimes doth not so The Word by its own natural and proper vigour doth not convince nor convert nor soften the heart for then every one that hears it should be convinced and converted and softned nor then should it be a means but a principal efficient but those effects it doth work on all who hear it when the Spirit of God comes with the Word unto their hearts in his mighty power working that grace in us which the Word commands from us And therefore when we come to hear the Word to have our hearts softned we should look on the Word as the means but withall on the Spirit of God as the principal cause who works that effect by the Word nor should we ever hear the Word without special prayer and requests that the Lord would by his Spirit make his Word a lively and effectual means of knowledge of faith of all grace unto us and if we did do so the Lord would be found of us and he would give this softness of heart which he promiseth in his Covenant Thirdly If you would have softness of heart you must then get newness of Get newnesse of heart heart Your hearts can never be softned untill they be renewed and if they were renewed certainly they would be softned The old heart is an hard heart and the new heart is a soft heart You may as well expect that a dead man should weep and mourn and go and come as that an old sinful heart dead in trespasses and sins should be a soft and mournful heart for sins or be willing and ready to obey the will of God why hardness in all the causes of it and in all the effects of it is predominant and raigning in an unconverted graceless heart But if the heart were once changed by renewing grace then softness must needs fall into it Forasmuch as the change made by renewing grace brings into the soul another nature quite contrary to our sinful nature and other principles quite contrary to all our old principles Light contrary to darkness and humblenesse contrary to pride and yieldingness contrary to stubbornnesse and softnesse contrary unto hardness Fourthly if we would have softnses or tenderness of heart then we must get Faith for faith is indeed the foundation of a soft and tender heart and the Get Faith more of Faith the more of tenderness Quest What Faith will some say Sol. I answer a Faith 1. Of Knowledge or Credence that God is that he is a great God the living God the Almighty God the dreadful God most knowing most holy most righteous and faithful who will be so to us as his Word
hatred variance discord c. 2ly Many have a false and lying and deluding spirit but it is not this Many have a false and deluding spirit spirit which God promiseth to put within his people You read in Scripture of the Spirit of truth and of the spirit of error 1 Joh. 4. 6. Hereby know we the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error and so you read of the Fancies and Delusions and Revelations of men called by the name of the spirit 2 Thes 2. 2. Be not shaken in mind or troubled neither by spirit nor by word c. And we are charged not to believe every spirit but to try the spirits whether they are of God 1 Joh. 4. 1. Quest But here it may be demanded how it may be known that the spirit by which How a false spirit may be known man is moved and stirred and put on and led is a false spirit and not the Spirit of God Sol. This may be known many wayes First A false spirit is never let in by the Word The Ministry of the Gospel is It is not let in by the Word the Channel or the Conduit by which we partake of the true Spirit of God Gal. 3. 2. Ye received the spirit by the hearing of faith i. e. the Word or Gospel of Faith as those who hearing Paul Preach the Holy Ghost fell upon them so c. But a false spirit comes not in that way nay it is so far from being breathed by the Word that it works in men a slighting and contempt of it as you shall hear presently Secondly A false spirit is a loose spirit persons that partake of it do pretend It is a loose spirit unto strange Visions and high Revelations and mysterious Notions but for all them this false spirit leaves their hearts unchanged and their lives unreformed ordinarily men led by a false spirit are unfound and corrupt in their judgements and opinions and are idle and lazy and vicious in their walking Thirdly A false Spirit is an irregular spirit the motions and works of it are It is an irregular spirit such as 1. The Word of God doth not warrant nay doth exceedingly condemn As for the Husband to take a way the life of his Wife and the Parent to kill the child and for a man to take away the goods of his neighbour c. 2. Neither a mans General nor Paticular calling can warrant The false spirit puts on to such works which a man may not do as he is a Christian nor may he do as he is set in such or such a private Relation Fourthly A false spirit is a preposterous spirit It fills a man with strange joyes A preposterous spirit and Raptures of heaven before a man knows Christ aright and receives him by Faith and before he repents of his sins or ever made his peace with God it is all in joy and nothing in humbling and mourning for sin Fifthly A false spirit is an earthly spirit 1 Joh 4. 5. They are of the world An earthly spirit therefore speak they of the world and the world heareth them They talk much of the Kingdom of Christ and setting up of that but they pull down the Spiritual Kingdom of Christ and it is a temporal kingdom which they strive after as you may read in those of Munster Sixthly A false spirt is a disordering and turbulent and bitter spirit There A turbulent spirit are two things which men of a false spirit have been tumultuously violently railing and reviling and lifting at One is Publick Magistracy the other is Publick Ministery It is a certain truth that the false spirit is an enemy to order and peace and authority and likewise to sound teaching and the instituted Ordinances of Christ Seventhly A false spirit is a Scripture-slighting spirit This is evident in all A Scripture-slighting spirit sorts of men led by a false spirit Papists are more for unwritten Traditions than for the written Word Ignorant Formalists are more for superstitions and superstitious worship than for the worship which the Word of God requires Anabaptists and Enthusiasts are more for Revelations and Visions than for the Word of God nay they reject the Word and do close with them c. Eigthly A false spirit is a self-contradicting spirit It frequently gives itself A self contradicting spirit the lye confidently foretels and determins of matters and for such particular times and none of these prove true as I my self know c. Ninthly A false spirit is a proud spirit and extreamly impudent and consorious A proud spirit it swells a man up in a conceit of himself and in a contempt of others above all measure The Scriptures are but poor things and the Apostles but ordinary men and Ministers but a company of dogs and others differing from them in their Opinion but the fire-brands of hell c. Tenthly A false spirit is a presumptuous spirit A presumptuous spirit Many have the Spirit yet come shorrt of what they should have 3ly Many have the spirit as to divers gifts and works and effects nevertheless these do not amount to the putting of the spirit within the people of God here promised in the Text. e. g. First A man may be enlightned by the spirit he may come into a knowlede of God and of Christ and of the way to heaven c. This is the enlightning spirit yet this is not the sanctifying spirit Secondly A man may be gifted by the Spirit he may have the gift of understanding of memory of utterance of praying of preaching c. and yet not not have the Spirit spoken of in the Text. Thirdly A man may be humbled by the spirit he may see his particular sins be exceedingly distressed and terrified and he may confess his sins as Pharaoh and Judas did and yet not have this Spirit in the Text. Fourthly A man may have desires of heaven to be saved as Balaam Let us dye the death of the righteous Numb 23. 10. and the young man that came running to Christ saying Good Master What shall I do that I may inherit eternal life Matth. 19. 16. and yet not have c. Fifthly A man may have many motions of the Spirit to take him off from his evil course to stave him off from some sinful action and to put him on to a new course of life yea so far working in him as to raise him to some kinds of purposes and resolutions as in hearing the Word c. and yet not have c. Sixthly A man may by the spirit tast of the heavenly gifts and tast the good Word of God and the powers of the world to come Heb. 6. 4 5. he may be joyfully affected a while upon hearing and knowing and in some sort believing the great happiness purchased by Christ and yet not c. The misery to be distitute of the Spirit 4ly The extream miseries to be
Spirit assuredly he hath forgiven thy sins Hath God indeed shewed thee mercy in forgiving thy sins he hath then assuredly given unto thee the Spirit of grace to change thy sinful heart Now would you have your sins forgiven do you look on forgiveness as a desirable mercy as a mercy of life and of peace and of hope O then get the Spirit of God God never forgives a man his sins but he gives his Spirit Forgiveness of sins is the great deed of mercy written in the blood of Christ and the giving of the Spirit is the seal of that deed Thirdly The Spirit and excellency alwayes go together Can we finde such a one as this is a man in whom the Spirit of God is said Pharaoh concerning Joseph Gen. 41. 38. Before we receive the Spirit of God there is no excellency in us we are but The spirit and excellency go together low and vile nothing of worth in our hearts they are wicked corrupt and dead in trespasses and sins and short of the glory of God nothing of worth in our thoughts All the imaginations of the thoughts of our hearts are only evil continually Nothing of worth in our affections they are set upon evil and set upon the world no love of God nor fear of God nor desire of God nor delight in God nothing of worth in our conversations they are unprofitable vile vain loose and dishonouring of God But when the Spirit of God come into us then comes an excellency into us and a true excellency into us The Spirit of God is stiled an excellent Spirit Dan. 6. 3. And they that enjoy the spirit are men of an excellent Spirit Prov. 17. 27. and to be more excellent than other men there is no way to attain unto it but by getting the Spirit and this I shall shew in particular all that have the Spirit they immediately enjoy 1. An excellent Nature They are made partakers of the Divine Nature Such enjoy an excellent nature An excellent Relation 2 Pet. 1. 4. They are changed into the glorious image of Christ 2 Cor. 3. 18. 2. An excellent Relation They are born again of the Spirit Joh. 3. 3. And are made the sons of God they receive the adoption of sons Gal. 4 5. And by the Spirit given unto them cry Abba Father ver 6. 3. Excellent Ornaments Ezek. 16. 7. An excellent wisdom which excelleth folly Excellent Ornaments as far as light excelleth darkness Eccless 2. 13. An excellent knowledge even the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord Phil. 3. 8. An excellent faith which is precious and more precious than gold An excellent love even the love of Jesus Christ in sincerity An excellent joy which is unspeakable and glorious An excellent hope which makes not ashamed which is as an anchor of the soul both sure and stedfast Heb. 6. 19 4. Excellent Priviledges To come with boldness to the throne of grace to have Excellent Priviledges the golden Scepter still held out unto them to lay claim to all the purchases of Christ and to challenge their right in him to make use of and apply any promise of God respecting any condition of their souls or bodies to appeal from themselves to Christ and from the sentence and severity of the Law unto the mercy and salvation of God in the Gospel In a word they that have the Spirit they are thereby made an eternal excellency Isa 60. 15. 5. Excellent conversation Holiness Uprightness Righteousness and unblameableness Excellent conversation The spirit and alsufficiency come together of life a life in Christ according to godliness Fourthly The Spirit and Alsufficiency comes together Whatsoever your condition may be whatsoever your exâ—â—â—ences may be whatsoever your troubles and sorrows may be whatsoever your wants may be whatsoever your works and services may be if you had but the Spirit you had enough for all his presence and efficacy can supply you with all 1. Are you weak he can strengthen you 2. Are you ignorant he can teach you 3. Are you doubtful he can counsel and guide you 4. Are you fallen he can raise you 5. Are you tempted he can succour you and make you to persist and conquer 6. Are you brought low in wants he can make you to live by Faith 7. Are you filled with sorrow he can fill you with comfort 8. Are you in darkness and can see no light he can open your eyes to see the salvation of God 9. Are fears upon you he can satifie and quiet you 10. Is dulness on you he can quicken and enlarge you 11. Are you doubtful of Gods love and mercy he can shed abroad the love of God in your hearts and make mercy turn unto you 12. Are you to 〈◊〉 to suffer to live â—nd dye he can enable you for every good work and in your sufferings be a spirit of glory unto you while you live he can make you to live unto the Lord and when you come to dye he can make you to dye unto the Lord O who would not who should not wrestle with God for this Spirit without whom no Christ no life no peace no joy no faith no help no hope and with whom comes Christ and Mercy and Excellency and Heâ—p and all Spiritual tasts Earnests Sealings Rejoycings and Glory 2ly The Means to get the Spirit Means to get the spirit Lay down prejudices against the spirit First If you would get the Spirit of God you must then lay down all prejudices against the Spirit As men have prejudices against Christ which hinder them from the receiving of Christ so men have prejudices against the Spirit of Christ which do hinder aâ—d withdraw them from desiring of the â—pirit There are four Prejudices especially and Exceptions in this case viz. 1. The humbling work of the Spirit Prejudices against the spirit 2. The mortifâ—ing work of the Spirit 3. The sanctifying work of the Spirit 4. The deâ—isions that befall men for the Spirits sake Object We would be content to have the Spirit but that he will shew us our sins and trouble and humble us for our sins Sol. I answer First Of a truth he will do so for he is a Spirit of Conviction and a spirit of The first prejudice taken away bondage to fear Secondly Nevertheless this should not take off our hearts from desiring the presence of the spirit For 1. The troubles from the Spirit are good troubles Of necessity we must be Troubles from the spirit are good troubles troubled for our sins either in this life or in hell the troubles for sins in hell are unsufferable and remediless but the troubles of this life for our sins especially when they come from the Spirit they are good they are penitential troubles and tend only to stir in us a loathing of our sins and a separation from our sins which have been so dispâ—easing and injurious to God and have
would not seem unto us a servile burden but a gracious priviledge and special favour that we might freely approach to God and be imployed as servants unto him Object Onely here take heed of a mistake that you do not look on love to God as the rule of your obedience but only as a sweet inward spring or principle of it Sol. Some who would cancel the Law as to believers would make our Love is not the only rule of our obedience love to God the rule of all our obedience to God but this is not sound doctrine For 1. That which is a part of our obedience cannot be the rule of our obedience Now love is a part of a mans obedience as well as faith and fear c. Antinomians confuted 2. No rule of mans obedience must be imperfect but perfect and full now our love is imperfect and therefore it cannot be the rule of our obedience Get humble and tender hearts Sixthly If you would walk in Gods statutes and do them then you mâ—st gâ—â— humble hearts and tender hearts Simile It is with our hearts as with mettals digged out of the earth which are impure and hard and as so of little or no use but when they are melted and purged they are then capable of being useful and being serviceable vessels Thus it is with our hearts whiles they are unbroken and hard and proud they are rebellious disobedient reprobate to every good work Exod. 5. 2. Pharaoh said Who is the Lord that I should obey his voice to leâ— Israel go I know not the Lord neither will I let Israel go Psal 119. 21 Thoâ— hast rebuked the proud that are cursed which do erre from thy Commandements Jer. 44. 16. The proud men Chap. 43. 2. spake As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the Lord we will not hearken unto thee But when the Lord gives unto men humble and tender hearts now they will close with and submit unto Gods statutes and to a walking in them Deut. 33. 3. All his Saints are in thy hand and they sate down at thy feet every one shall receive of thy word Lord said Paul when the pride and rage of his spirit was off and himself himself what wilt thou have me to do Acts. 9. 6. You read in James 4. 6. that God gives grace to the humble And Psal 25. 9. The meek will he teach his way c. Hence saith Christ Matth. 11. 29. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me for I am meek and lowly in heart intimating unto us that there is no taking upon us the yoke of obedience untill we first learn of him the lesson of lowliness of heart An humble and tender heart is wholly at Gods disposing and ready for his service most affraid to offend and dishonour him and most ready to give audience to every part of his will and to to do it and to bring him honour and glory in the whole course of a mans life Beseech the Lord to give you this humble and tender heart without which you will neither regard God nor his statutes 2. Quest What mistakes are we to take heed of in walking in Gods statutes or What we must take heed of in walking in Gods wayes in the performance of our duties of obedience unto him Sol. There are these things which you must take heed of in your walking and in your performance of duties First You must take heed of formality and resting in the opus operatum in the meere doing of duties commanded There are two parts of duties there is Of Formality the body of it and there is the soul of it there is the work and there is the manner of working As in Prayer there are the words of prayer and there is the Spirit of Prayer and in hearing of the Word there is the meer hearing and there is the right hearing or the spiritual hearing of the Word Now we must take heed that we content not our selves with the meer outward doing of any duty because 1. God requires more then the meer outward work My son saith he give God requires the heart me thy heart Prov. 23. 26. And Christ saith that God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in Spirit and in truth Joh. 4. 4 2. God Abhors and rejects the meer outward service Isa 29. 13. Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth and with their lips do honour me and have removed their hearts far from me and their fear towards me is taught by precepts of men Ver. 14. therefore behold I will proceed to do a marvellous worke amongst this people a marvellous work and a wonder for the wisdom of the wise men shall perish c. Now there are four things which demonstrate that men do perform duties in a formal manner and content themselves with the meer opus operatum Why do men rest in the work done It s an easie service 1. One is the facility of their obedience To perform any one duty to make any one prayer in a spiritual manner will cost us much care and watchfulness many workings of heart many workings of faith and fear but to perform duties in a carnal formal way costs a man nothing if he can but read or say his prayers this is all and there he rests 2. A second is the deadness of the services It is a service without any heart It s a dead service at all the understanding acts not and the will acts not and the affections act not in it the man confesseth sin without any grief of heart for sin and even prays for grace and mercy without any longing desires or faith in Christ or the promises to obtain it 3. A carelesness of service The formal man minds not God nor any communion A careless service with him and minds not prayer and minds nothing beyond prayer whether his own heart be right or no and whether God regards him and answers him this he minds not 4. A fruitlesness of doing Nothing comes of the formal work of duty the man saith a prayer but no good comes of it and he hears but no good comes of it A fruitless service still he prayes and still he hears and still he reads and still he is drunk and still he swears c. Secondly You must take heed of neutrality in walking in Gods statutes neutrality Take heed of neutrality is an indifferent participation of both extreams it hath something of the one and something of the other as luke-warm water hath something of heat and something of cold So the man who is guilty of neutrality in walking in Gods statutes he hath one foot in the wayes of God and another foot in the wayes of wickedness he halts between two Opinions he is not only for God nor only for Baal 1 King 18. 21. he is not altogether for Gods commands nor
Rom. 16. 25 26. even the Mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations but now is made manifest unto his Saints Col. 1. 26. Though others sit in darknesse and see no light yet unto you through Christ there ariseth light in darknesse and your eyes shall and do see the salvation of the Lord and the glory of the Lord the light shines in your hearts the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ 2 Cor. 4. 6. he makes known unto you the true life and the true way of life the mystery of salvation 2. He hath it in his commission to instruct and teach you the whole minde and will of To instruct and teach us the while mind and will of God God in every thing which concerns your salvation all things that I have heard of the Father I have made known unto you Joh. 15. 15. As he discovers unto us infallibly the reality and the quality of our salvation so there is not any one truth nor any one path necessary unto that salvation but he opens it and reveales it whether it respect our faith or our obedience he is the annoâ—nting which teacheth you of all things and is truth and is no lye 1 Joh. 2. 27. 3. He is that Prophet who doth teach not only by his word but also by his Spirit others can speak only to the eares of men but he can speak to the hearts of He teacheth not only by his Word but by his Spirit men he can imprimere in mentem as well as mentem exprimere write his Law in the heart as well and as easily as he can deliver and make it known to our mindes when he teacheth you that you must believe he doth by his Spirit cause you to believe when be saith that you must be born again he doth by his Spirit make you new creatures there is not any one grace or duty or path of liâ—e which he sets before you who are in covenant with God but he works in you those very graces and puts forth a strength to perform all those duties and to walke in those paths 4. As a Prophet he is annointed to preeah good tydings Isa 61. 1. the Apostle calls it preaching of peace Ephes 2 17. and not only the Prophet Isaiah in that He is anointed oâ— preach good tidings place but also Christ himself in Luke 4. 18. tells you what those good tydings are what that Gospel is namely to hinde up and heale the broken-heared liberty and deliverance to the captives sight to the blinde to give beauty for ashes the oyle of joy for mourning the garment of praise for the spirit of heavinesse O what comfort is here for you who are the people of God and have Christ to be your Christ and your Prophet Here are glad tydings for you and your Christ is annointed to preach them unto you when your hearts are broken and bruised you have a Christ to binde them up and to heale them with his own precious blood I dyed for you saith Christ this is my blood which was shed for you for the remission of your sins to reconcile you to make peace for you saith Christ and when you finde your selves captives and as it were shut up on prison Christ your Prophet comes to you by his Spirit and breaks open the prison doores and sets you at liberty from your sins from Satan from your fears and tears and all the powers and chaines of darknesse and when your soule sits in darkness and sees no light when they feed on tears and are overwhelmed with sorrows and heaviness your Christ who is your Prophet can and will speak words of life unto you and words of joy unto you why are your hearts troubâ—ed said he to his Disciples woman why weepest thou said he to Mary daughter go in peace so to another son be of good comfort There is no Prophet like your Prophet who knows so much of the minde of God who reveals it so fully so faithfully so infallibly so powerfully so sweetly so savingly Christ is a Priest and your Priest Jesus Christ is a Priest and he is annointed to be your Priest Psal 110. 4. The Lord hath sworn and will not repent Thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedeck vide Heb. 6. 20. Heb 7. 17. Cap. 4. 14. we have a great High Priest that is passed into the heavens Jesus the Son of God I shall not insist on this Argument to tell you how Christ was called and qualified for his priestly Office nor of the differences 'twixt him and all other Priests nor how that his Sacrifice was his humane nature and the Altar was his Divine Nature and himself according to both these natures was the Priest My intention is only in few words to touch at this Office of Christ as our Mediatour and then to expresse unto you the chief comforts from your interest in him as to this his Office of Priesthood There are two Acts wherein his Priestly Office consisteth Two acts of his Priestly Office Oblation 1. One was the oblation of himself once for all as a perfect Sacrifice for the expiation of sin and reconcilâ—ng us to God Heb. 9. 14. Through the eternal Spirit he offered himself without spot to God verse 26. he appeared to put away sin by the Sacrifice of himself verse 28. Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many Rom. 5. 10. when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son Col. 1. 20. He made peace though the blood of his Crosse Heb. 2. 17. a merciful and faithful High Priest to make reconciliation for the sins of the people 2. The other is His Intercession for us This man saith the Apostle because Intercession he continueth ever hath an unchangeable Priesthood Heb. 7. 24. wherefore he is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them and therefore as to this interceding part of his Priestly Office Christ is said to appear for us in the presence of God Heb. 9. 24. as the Atturney appears for his Client in Court to answer for him and likewise he is called our Advocate with the Father 1 Joh. 2. 1. to plead for us and to obtaine for us c. But some may now reply We know all this that Christ is a Priest and a Mediatour of Redemption and of Intercession that he offered up himself that he died shed his blood was sacrificed and that he ever lives to make Intercession Quest But where lies the comfort of this to them that are in Covenant with God and have Christ to be their High Priest Sol. What câ—mfort we have by this I will shew you what comfort you have by this and I pray you mark it There are four unspeakable comforts unto you who are Christs from this that he is
your High Priest who offered himself for you and lives to make Intercession for you 1. All your sins were laid upon him for in that respect he was your Priest in by his oblation that respect also he was your Surety Heb. 7. 21 22. what 's that That That is All our sinâ—es were â—ayed upon him he became bound to God responsible unto him for all your sins for all that God in justice could charge upon you and demand for satisfaction Our salvation was laid on one that is mighty As Judah became a surety to Jacob for Benjamin he engaged himself to his Father I will be surety for him of my hand shalt thou require him if I bring him not unto thee and set him before thee then let me bear the blame for ever Gen. 43. 9. Thus Jesus Christ is our Priest and therefore our Surety with his Father Father I will take upon me all the sins of thy people I will be bound to answer for them I will sacrifice my self for them at my hands do thou require satisfaction for their sins and a full compensation unto thy justice I will die I will lay down my life I will make my soul an offering for sins I will become a curse I will endure thy wrath O what a Comfort is this that there is a Christ to answer for that which we could not answer Hâ— discharged all our debâ—s and bonds The debt of obedience and of punishment 2. He discharged all your debts and bonds There is a twofold debt which lay upon us one was the debt of obedience unto the Law And this Christ did pay by fulfilling all Righteousnesse Matth. 3. 15. The other was the debt of punishment for our transgressions and this debt also Christ discharged by his death on the Crosse and being made a curse for us to redeem us from the curse Gal. 3. 13. Hence it is that we are said to be bought with a price 1 Cor. 6. 20. and that Christ is called our ransome Lutron Matth. 20 28. and Antilutron 1 Tim. 2. 6. the words do signifie a valuable price laid down for anothers ransome the blood of â—hrist the Son of God was a valuable price a sufficient price it was as much as would serve the turn to take off all enmities and to take away sin and to satisfie Divine justice and indeed so it did and therefore you read that in his blood we have redemption even the forgivenesse of our sins Ephes 1. 7. and his death was such a full compensation to Divine Justice that the Apostle makes a challenge to all Rom. 8. 33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect and ver 3â— Who is he that condemneth it is Christ that died as if he had said Crist hath satisfied and discharged all O what comfort is â—his unto us to have such an high Priest who himself bare all our sins even all our sins left not one unsatisfied for laid down a full ransome a full price such an expiatory â—acrifice such a satisfactory â—acrifice as â—hat now we are out of the hands of justice and wrath and death and curse and hell and are reconciled and made near and deale altogether under the throne of Grace and Mercy 3. As our Priest in offering himself for us his Scacrifice being as the â—cripture There is not only satisâ—action buâ— merit in his oblation speaks the blood oâ— God that is of one that is God there is more therefore in it than meere payment or satisfaction there was merit also in it to acquire and procure and purchase all Spiritual good and all Eternal good for the people of God not only immunities from evil in sin and death but priviledges and dignities of sons and heires yea all grace and all love and all peace and all glory even that glorious inheritance purchased by his blood You may now look on â—od as your Father and on Heaven as your inheritance seâ—led on you by the love of God and purchased for you by the blood of Jesus Christ 4. What shall I say more Jesus Christ is your Priest for Intercession also Do Comfort from his intercession you know your happiness by this and in this your Christ is now entered into heaven and sits on the right hand of God the Father and therefore he intercedes for you he presents himself as your Surety â—s your Redeemer in all his susceptions and endurances and discharges and purchases for you in the price which he laid down and in the merits of that price and so negotiates and obtaines for you and still is effectually letting dâ—wn unto you the vertues and purchases of his life and death untill you come at length to â—he highest and full enjoyment of himself in glory Father I purchased this for him I paid dearly for it c. And therefore some not without ground ascribe all the purchases of Christ for the application of them untâ— us unto the Intercession of Christ I will say no more but thâ—s That all your communions with the Father all your audiences all your acceptances all your answers in graces in comforts in hopes in helps in present in future enjoyments owe themselves unto â—hrist as your Priest in the Oblation of himself for you and in the intercession of him unto the Father for you 3. Jesus Christ is a King and he is your King He is called a King Psal 2. 6. and Jesus Christ is a Kinâ— â—nd your King He mâ—kes subjects by his Word and Spirit He mâ—kâ—s all his Subjects free-men He mâ—kes all his Subjects Kings he is called King of Saints Rev. 15. 3. He is such a King as there is not the like A King by contract in respect of God by conquest in respect of us 1. He makes Subjects by the power of his Word and Spirit effectually calling us out of the kingdom of darkness into his own gracious Kingdom 2. He makes all his Subjects free-men If the Sâ—n shall make you free you are free indeed Joh. 8 36. 3. He makes all his Subjects Kings He hath made us unto our God Kings and Priests Rev. 4. 10 4. He rules all his Subjects by Righteous Laws therefore he is called Melchisedeck He rules them by righâ—eous Laws which signifies a King of Righteousnesse and his Kingdom is called a Righteous Kingdom 5. He is the King of Salem of peace as well as of Righteousnesse Men never He is a King of peace enjoy peace at least such a peace anywhere as in the Kingdom of Christ there is no man that obeyes him and is ruled by him but findes peace Gal. 6. His kingdom is righteousnesse peace and joy in the Holy Ghost 6. He as a King seeks your good and all that he doth hath a respect to your good all He seeks your good and all he doth is with respect to your good He will protect and secuâ—e you his dispensations are good and for
your good he seeks your wel-fare and happinesse speaks kindly to you hears your groans answers your complaints and pleads for the poor and needy 7. He is a King for Protâ—ction He will protect and secure you against all your Enemies Divels Sins Men the worst and greatest and will subdue them and trample them under his feet His enemies shall be his foot-stoole 8. He hath great rewards an infinite treasure to bestow on all his people he will accept He hath great rewards for you of their service and reward every one of them with a crown of life O how happy are the people who have the Lord to be their God! and who have therefore Christ to be their Christ a Christ who is such a Prophet such a Priest and such a King I will not stay you any longer in this one part of your Covenant-happiness viz. That Christ is yours only I think it fit to summe up in a few particulars the general comforts which I have mentioned or insinuated already in the Person and Offices of Christ Thus then if Christ be yours Then 1. Life is yours Christ is your life and he that hath the Son hath life Col. 3. 4. 1 Joh. 5. 12. 2. Love is yours Christ loves all his with a love of Kindnesse and tendernesse and benevolence and benificence 3. All that Christ did or suffered in order to mans salvation all is yours your good and for your good 4. His Redemption is yours he hath Redeemed you from wrath and curse and sin and Satan and death and hell 5. You are certainly partakers of the forgivenesse of all your sins 6. You are perfectly reconciled unto God who is now your God and your Father 7. You are accepted and approved with God in the Righteousness of Christ which is now yours as Christ himself is yours 8. You now receive the adoption of sons as you are the brethren of Christ so are you with him in the same relation of sons unto God 9. You are cloathed with the same Spirit wherewith Christ himself was anointed the self same Spirit which is in Christ as your Head is in you as his Members 10. He is your Apology against all Satans accusations and your own sins and fears There is no condemnation unto them that are in Christ Jesus for it is Christ that died 11. He is the living Root and foundation of all your graces and comforts 12. All his victories shall extend to you over Satan the world your sinnes and death 13. You are no more strangers nor Forreiners but are made nigh by the blood of Christ 14. You have all the sights of God in his glory as he is the Lord gracious and merciful long-suffering abundant in goodnesse and truth 15. You enjoy liberty of Accesse by his blood to the throne of grace 16. You shall assuredly speed well in all your suites be heard and answered upon his account 17. He will take special care of you and will own and help and succour and supply you as long as you have a day to live on earth 18. He is your Defence as he is exceedingly sensible of all your Injuries so he will certaâ—nly judge all your enemies 19 By him you are heires of the same glory and Kingdom which the Father hath bestowed on him and which he hath prepared for you 20. He will never part with you nor forsake you but will love and keep you to the end 21. He will entertain you with sweet communions in the day of your pilgrimage and as you are walking and travelling through the vale of tears many a kind word many a good look many a feast all you have where he will sup with you and you shall sup with him many refreshings and joyes and revivings of your spirits 22. You shall infallibly possâ—sse and enjoy all the grace and comfort and blessing and blessednesse which he hath purchased for you in this life and in the life to come even to all eternity he is ever with you whilst you are on earth and you shall for ever be with him when you dye and come to Heaven SECT IX 4. A Fourth singular comfort unto you who have God to be your God is this The Spirit of God is yours then the Spirit of God is yours He also is given unto you for this is one part of the Covenant Ezek. 36. 27. I will put my Spirit within you 1 Thes 4. 8. He hath given unto us his holy Spirit 1 Joh. 4. 13. Hereby know we that we dwell in him and he in us because he hath given us of his Spirit Nehem. 9. 20. Thou gavest them also thy good Spirit Acts 5. 32. The holy Ghost whom God hath given to them that obey him The Spirit of God may be considered seven wayes and as to every one of them The spirit is ours in respect of his Titles and Attributes The Spirit of God of Christ of Glory he is yours In respect 1 Of his â—itles or Attributes 2. Of his gifts and fruits 3 Of his works or operations 4. Of his helps or vertues 5. Of his joyes and comforts 6. Of his Office or Function 7. Of his presence or abode 1. The Spirit is yours in respect of his Titles and Attributes he is called sometimes 1. The Spirit of God 1 Cor. 2. 11. and the Spirit of Christ Rom. 8. 9. and the Spirit of glory 1 Pet. 4. 14. This very Spirit is given unto you who have God to be your God we have received the Spirit which is of God 1 Cor. 2. 12 God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts Gal. 4. 6. O what a glory is this what a dignity what a comfort that the same Spirit which is in Christ is also in you that you have Christ and you have the Spirit of Christ 2. The holy Spirit Grieve not the holy Spirit of God Ephess 4. 30. sealed with The holy Spirit that holy Spirit of promise Ephes 1. 13. above eighty times is the Spirit of God stiled the holy Ghost or Spirit in the Scripture And under this notion also is he given unto you as we are said in Heb. 3. 14. to be partakers of Christ so are we said in Heb. 6. 4. to be partakers of the holy Ghost and as Christ is said to be given unto us Isa 9. 6. so the Holy Ghost is said to be given unto us Acts 5. 32. 1 Thes 4. 8. This is the excellency of the Spirit of God that he is holy and this is our excellency that we are holy and the holy Spirit is given unto us for this end to make us holy like unto the Father and the Son and himself hence it is that we are said to be sanctified by the Holy Ghost Rom. 15. 16. 2 Thes 2. 13. 1 Pet. 1. 2. 3. The free Spirit so he is called Psal 51. 12. Vphold me with thy free Spirit The free Spirit He is a free Spirit on a two fold account
1. Because he works where and on whom and when and how he himself pleaseth he blowes where he lists Joh. 3. 8. 2. And he is a â—ree Spirit in as much as all spiritual freedom and liberty is received of us from him hence the Apostle 2 Cor. 3. 17. where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty 4. The good Spirit by Spirit is good â—sa 143 10 Thou gavest them of thy good Spirit The good Spirit Neh. 9. 20. The Spirit is essentially good and counsels good he is indeed a good Spirit unto us All the good thoughts in us and all the good desires in us and all the good we have or shall receive from God in Christ is handed to us by this good Spirit yea and all the sweet sights of God himself that ever we enjoyed and all the tasts that ever we have had of Jesus Christ and all the joyes and contentments in our souls we are beholding unto this good Spirit for every one of them though in some respect you are not beholding unto the Spirit for dying and suffering and satisfying and reconciling and purchasing for you yet this I may safely affirme that for all the enjoyments of all the sweet comforts depending on the sufferings of Christ you are singularly beholding to the good spirit for them you never could have partaked of Christ nor of any one good purchased by Christ had it not been for this good Spirit 5. The powerfull or mighty Spirit The Spirit of the Lord is called the Spirit of The powerful Spirit might Isa 11. 2. The power of the holy Ghost Rom. 15. 13. the power of the Spirit of God verse 19. the power of the Highest Luke 1. 35. It was the power of this Spirit which did convince you of your sins and which did break your heard harts and did rescue and deliver you from the power of darknesse which doth subdue your iniquities and pull down your strong bolds It was and is this powerfull Spirit by whom the Ministrations or Ordinances of the Gospel have been and still are of power with you The Word is called the sword of the Spirit Ephes 6. 17. The Ministrations of them selves are weak it is the concomitant presence of the Spirit which makes them powerful and lively for your conversion comfort and salvation you had laine in the same condition and darknesse and bondage and death with other men had not the powerful and mighty Spirit of God put forth the greatnesse of his own strength to the alteration of your hearts by his own grace 2. The Spirit is yours in respect of his gifts and fruits You read in 1 Cor. 12. The Spirit is ours in respect of his gifts or fruits 14. of diversities of gifts of the Spirit for edification or to profit withall ver 7. and you read of the first fruits of the Spirit Rom. 8. 23. and of the fruits of the Spirit Gal. 5. 22. The Spirit of God as to these gifts and fruits is called the Spirit of grace Zach. 12. 10. and the Spirit of wisdome Isa 11. 2. and the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord and the Spirit of faith 2 Cor. 4. 13. and the Spirit of love 2 Tim. 1. 7. and the Spirit of supplication Zach. 12 10. the fruit of the Spirit saith the Apostle in Gal. 5. 22. is love joy peace long-suffering gentlenesse goodnesse faith and ver 23. meeknesse temperance There are six things which I would briefly observe concerning the graces or fruits Six things concerning the graces of the Spirit They are the beauties of a Christian They are necessary to salvation of the Spirit 1. They are the Beauties Glories Ornaments Chains Pearls Jewels of a Christian you have no excellencies till you partake of them but are dead loathsome polluted and vile These are the very image of God 2. They are necessary unto salvation No man can be saved without them They are the way to the kingdom though they be not the cause of reigning in the kingdom without holinesse no man shall see the Lord Heb. 12. 14. 3. They are pledges of salvation therefore called the first fruits which were They are pledges of salvation the beginnings and the pledges of the full harvest and also the earnest of the Spirit which he leaves with us to assure us of that glorious happinesse which we are to receive shortly in fulnesse 4. They are given to none but unto such as shall be saved There are the common gifts of the Spirit which are for the edification of others These they may have They are given to none but such as shall be saved who shall perish like those who helped to build the Ark and yet were drowned But there are the special gifts of the Spirit which are for Renovation of the soule and for the preparation of it for glory These are given to none but unto such who are elected unto salvation As many as were ordained to eternal life believed Act. 13. 48. Matth. 11. 25. Hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them to babes 5. Every gift or grace which accompanies salvation is by the Spirit given Every grace accompanying salvation is given to every child of God to every child of God to every one who hath God to be his God in Covenant every one of them hath every saving grace of the Spirit 1. The spirit of grace I will poure upon the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace Zach. 12. 10. 2. The Spirit of knowledge They shall all know me from the least of them unto the greatest of them Jer. 31. 34. 3. The Spirit of wiâ—dâ—me The Father of our Lord Jesus Christ give unto you the Spirit of wisdome Eph. 1. 17. 4. The Spirit of faith We have the same Spirit of faith 2 Cor. 4. 13. You are all the children oâ— God by faith in Christ Jesus Gal. 3. 26. To them that have obtained like precious faith with us 2 Pet. 1. 1. 5. The Spirit of love 2 Tim. 1. 7. Ye your selvâ—s arâ— taught of God to love one another 1 Thes 4. 9. What should I speak of godly sorrow repentance humblenesse meeknesse patience c. whatsoever gift is necessary to our salvation the Spirit doth certainly work in every one of the people of God although not in the same measure proportion and height yet to the same truth and for the same efficacy unto their salvation Every child of God hath the same Spirit of grace and faith and love and though one Christians graces may fall short of anothers for the quantity yet they do not fall short for the present quality nor for the future glory The weakest grace of the Spirit is able to change the heart and save the soul 6. The Spirit doth cherish and preserve and keep all those saving gifts of his The Spirit doth cherish and prese ve all those saving gifts in
us in you As a Parent who begers the children he looks unto those children and maintains and keeps them All your graces are the births of the Spirit of grace and as they are the effects of his power so also are they the objects of his care and therefore as they receive life from his presence in the Ordinances so shall they receive strength and growth and stability from his continual influence upon them We are sâ—rengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man Ephes 3. 16. As we are changed from our shameful condition to glory by the Spirit so by the same Spirit are we changed from glory to glory 2 Cor. 3. 18. 3. The Spirit is yours in respect of his works or operations And truly this The Spirit is theirs in respect of his works and operatioÌ„s consideration makes out an exceeding happinesse unto the people of God in as much as the participation of all their happiness depends upon the workings of the Spirit of God in whom they are interested by this Covenant of grace There are five choice works which the Spirit doth for all the people of God Five choice works which the Spirit doth for all Gods people He doth unite Christ and them who have God to be their God 1. He doth unite Christ and them Although the benefits by Christ are unexpressibly precious yet the fruition of them is impossible withâ—ut a precedent union with Christ forasmuch as union is a necessary foundation for Communion you must be in Christ and being his himself and all his benefits become yours Now it is the Spirit which makes up this union as love makes the union 'twixt Christian and Christian and as faith makes up the union from us to Christ for we are planted into Christ and are espoused unto Christ and live in Christ by faith so the Spirit makes the union 'twixt Christ and us there being no other way for him to be joyned unto us and to become Relatively ours but by his own Spirit it is the Spirit which doth let out the heart of Christ to us and who doth bring in our hearts unto Christ it is the Spirit by whom Christ applies himself unto us and apprehends us and by whom we also do apprehend and apply Christ by his Spirit he takes hold of us and by the same Spirit it is that we take hold of him In a word it is the Spirit by whom Christ speaks to our hearts and by whose light we see the excellencies of Christ and the great love of Christ and who gives Christ as it were into our hands and mightily allures and prevails upon our hearts to give themselves unto Christ again as Christ had never been effectually revealed unto you but by the Spirit so you had never been effectually brought to Christ but by the Spirit you had been Christlesse for ever without him And now consider the happiness in having this Spirit which hath wrought so effectually as to unite Christ and you and you and Christ that Christ is yours and you are his by him are you perswaded and drawn and brought into the possession of Christ and all the benefits by Jesus Christ 2. He doth conform us unto Christ We all saith the Apostle in 2 Cor. 3. 18. beholding as in a glasse the glory of the Lord are changed into the same Image He doth conform us unto Christ from glory to glory by the Spirit of the Lord. As by the Spirit we do discern a most glorious nature of holinesse in Christ so by the Spirit we are changed into the same image of holinesse Hence are we said to be born again bâ— the Spirit John 3. 5 6. and to be renewed by the holy Ghost Tit. 3. 5. And to be sanctified by him 1 Pet. 1. 2. You read that Christ was conceived by the holy Ghost and he was anointed by the Spirit So is every Christian he becomes a Christian by the Spirit and he is anointed by the Spirit The oyntment indeed is first poured upon our head and then upon us but as it is the same spirit in us which is in Christ so it is the same anointing only it is in Christ as the head and without measure and as in the pattern unto which we are conformed by the Spirit As by the unction of the Spirit we become like Christ in nature so also in Relation God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Sonne into your hearts crying Abba-Father Gal. 4. 6. Now judge of the blessednesse of having the Spirit He is the cause of our union and he is the cause of our unction he brings us into Christ and he anoints us with the same grace wherewith Christ himself was anointed so that we are like Christ himself we are anointed with the same Spirit and therefore we must needs be excellent and choice persons and very lovely in the eyes of God 3. He doth reveal unto us the highest and the choicest things of salvation He is called the Spirit of Revelation Eph. 1. 17. because he opens He revealeth to us the choicest things of salvation and reveals those things unto the people of God which are hid from the eyes of others There are five precious things which the Spirit reveales unto you He reveals 1. The mystery of life unto you even Jesus Christ who cannot be known The mystery of life or acknowledged but by the Spirit Flesh and blood cannot reveal him No man can confesse him No man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the holy Ghost 1 Cor. 12. 3. But we speak the wisdome of God in a mystery even the hidden wisdome which God ordained before the world unto our glory 1 Cor. 2. 7. 2. The love of God unto you The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts The love of God by the holy Ghost which is given unto us Rom. 5. 5. He makes the greatnesse of the love and your propriety in it known unto you and the exceeding riches of grace c. 3. The presenc of Christ within you Hereby we know that he abideth in us by the Spirit which he hath given us 1 John 3. 24. Christ without nay Christ The presence of Christ within us is not discerned by us without the Spirit 4. The wonderful glory prepared for us Eye hath not seen nor ear heard neither have entered into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared The glory prepared for us for them that love him But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit for the Spirit searcheth all things yea the deep things of God 1 Cor. 2. 9 10. 5. The most precious gifts bostowed on us In this life we have received the The most precious gifts bostowed on us Spirit which is of God that we might know the things that are freely given us of God 1 Cor. 2. 12. The sight of your own graces is by the assistance of the Spirit O what
a happinesse is all this to know Jesus Christ and as present in my soul To know the love of God in mine heart To know the exceedingly exceeding weight of glory prepared and prepared for me and to know all that God hath freely given me in order unto that exceeding glory This c. 4. He fits us for that salvation which Christ hath purchased for us As the He fits us for that salvation which Christ hath purchased for us blood of Christ did purchase our salvation so the Spirit of Christ doth fit us for the enjoyment thereof He makes us meet to â—e partakers of the inheritance of thâ— Saints in light The Apostle speaking of this salvation under several expressions in 2 Cor. 5. 1 2 3 4. he addes in the fifth verse Now he which hath wâ—oughâ— us for the self-same thing is God who hath given unto us the earnest of his Spirit And this fitting work of his upon us for the salvation purchased by Christ he doth execute Partly by cleansing and purifying ouâ— sinful hearâ—s and mortifying those lusts which otherwise would render us unfit and uncapable of that glorious salvation Partly by endowing and beautifying the soul with Christ and his righteousnesse and his graces that thereby an enterance may be made for us into the everlasting Kingdome of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ 2 Pet. 1. 11. Partly by leading and upholding us in all the wayes of Christ untill we come to receive the end of our faith even the salvation of our souls 5. I will adde but one work more of the Spirit on your behalf which is this He works all our works in us and for us He works all your works in you and for you Consider your works either of faith or obedience your works of faith in reference to the promises of God and your work of obedience in reference to the precepts of God although you are the persons who do believe the one and obey the other yet it is the Spirit of Christ which is the cause and the powerful principle of those in you He it is who doth make your hearts to believe and who doth cause you to walk in his Statutes and do them Ezek. 36. 27. 4. The Spirit is yours in respect of his help or vertue The Spirit helpeth our The Spirit is ours in respect of his help and vertue infirmities Rom. 8. 26. And there are six things wherein the Spirit is an help unto all the people of God 1. In all their Communions with God 2. In the weaknesses of all their graces 3. In the actings of every grace 4. In the conflicts of grace 5. In the darknesse upon their spirits 6. In the 〈◊〉 of their souls 1. The Spiri◠〈◊〉 them in in all their communions with God in their Meditations He help them in all their communions with God of God in their hearing of the Word of God in their addresses of prayer unto God and as to this the Apostle gives a special instance in that Rom. 8. 26. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities for we know not what we should pray for as we ought but the Spirit it self maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered When we are to pray there is in us sometimes an infirmity of ignorance we know not what to pray for either for the matter or for the manner and there is in us sometimes an infirmity of deadnesse and dulnesse we cannot pray with that fervency as we should or as we would But now the Spirit helps these infirmities by way of instruction Teaching us what especially to pray for and by way of causation in making intercession for us that is in quickening and enabling us to pray with groanings that is with such full and strong affections of heart as cannot be uttered or expressed by words Our streightened and narrow and barren hearts are many times by the influence and assistance of Gods Spirit enlarged and opened and filled with a Spirit of supplication with such an ardency with such an earnestnesse with such a copiousnesse that after we have long insisted with God yet we have not opened half our minds and desires unto God it excites all our graces and sets them a work such an help is the Spirit unto us in praying unto God 2. The Spirit helps them in the weaknesse of their graces He waters the plants In the weakness of their graces and blows upon the buds and draws on his works of grace towards perfection He doth as it were Nurse them up and breed and brood them up He helps your â—imme knowledge by adding light unto light and opening more and more the eyes of your understanding to know the things of God in Christ He helps the weak and staggering faith by adding faith unto faith in answering your doubts and evidencing your grounds and interests in Jesus Christ He is the wind which blows upon your garden and makes the Spices there of to flow out Cant. 4. 16. 3. The Spirit helps them in the actings of every grace You know In the actings of every grace the distinction of gratia praeveniens gratia subsequens gratia operans gratia cooperans It is the Spirit which works grace in us and it is the Spirit which makes grace wrought in us to work You are not able of your selves to use the graces given unto you when you please without the influence and assistance of the Spirit of God 1 Cor. 15. 10. By the grace of God I am that I am and his grace bestowed upon me was not in vain I laboured yet not I but the grace of God in me Can you trust when you will and mourn when you will and fear when you will and command your thoughs and passions when you will and patiently bear the hand of God when you will The light if it were cut off from the influence and presence of the Sunne would not be light nor give light at all The arme if it were cut off from the body it could not stirre at all Though the arme be grafted into the body yet it stirres by influence from the head No grace that we have could move or act at all were it not acted and moved by the Spirit of Christ and therefore when you are to believe he helps you to believe and when you are to repent he helps you to repent and when you are to blesse he helps you to blesse and when you are to suffer c. His hand is upon your hand his strength is upon your strength his grace is upon his own grace As all your graces have their being from his power of life so they have their working from his power of influence too He it is who worketh in you to will and to do 4. The Spirit helps them in the conflicts of grace when inward temptations arise In the conflicts or grace out of your own hearts and when outward temptations 〈◊〉 in from
withered and men gather them and cast them into the fire and they are burned A branch may be in a tree two wayes One is by a meer corporeal adherence by cleaving and sticking to the body of the tree and so every dead branch is in the tree as well as those that live such branches have no union they are dead and cut off and cast away into the fire Another is by a real participation of the life sap and influence of the root That which makes us to be in Christ any kind of way is Faith and according to the differences of faith are those differences of being in Christ You may read in Scripture of a dead faith James 2. 26. This dead faith takes in an external profession of Christ and a self aiming dependance on Christ to keep us from Hell and get us to Heaven But for all this there is no real union with Christ And we read too of a lively and unfeigned faith of a faith which joynes us and Christ in one Spirit which graffs us indeed into Christ and makes us partakers of the life and grace of Christ O where is this faith this living faith this ingraffing faith this uniting faith is the only precious faith and the only faith which brings us into the Covenant and the only faith which can look on God as our God and promising mercy and salvation unto us If you have not this faith you have no interest in Christ and if you have no interest in Christ you have no interest in God nor in the Covenant of God You cannot own God for yours nor can you own the promises of God as yours as made unto you But here now occurre two serious questions 1. One is How we may know whether our faith be a faith of union which unites Two serious Questions us to Christ 2. The second is How we may attain unto the faith of union which only brings us into the Covenant SECT V. 1. Quest HOw we may know whether our Faith be a Faith of real union with How we may know whether our faith be a faith of union Christ a faith which unites us to Christ indeed Sol. This is a most pertinent question because our real interest in the Covenant of grace depends upon it all depends upon it out of Christ and out of Covenant in Christ and in Covenant And if your faith be an uniting faith then Christ is yours and God is yours and all the good of the Covenant is yours Now there are five things which are to be considered about the faith of union or the faith which indeed unites us to Christ Five things about the faith of union 1. The manner 〈◊〉 it is wrought in the heart 2. The peculiar operations of it upon the soule in relation to this union 3. The very act or acts by which and upon which the soule is indeed brought into union 4. The qualities of this union by faith 5. The choice influences or effects which do alwayes attend that union with Christ by faith 1. If your faith be a faith which unites you to Christ Then it is the work and The manner how it is wrought in the heart It is the work of the Spirit of Christ fruit of the spirit and it is wrought by the Spirit in an uniting way 1. It is the work of the Spirit of Christ None doth or can raise and produce this faith but the very Spirit of God Col. 2. 12. Ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God who hath raised him from the dead His mighty power is put forth to produce it Ephes 1. 19. 1 Cor. 2. 5. Your faith stands not in the wisdom of men but in the power of God 2 Cor. 4. 13. We having the same Spirit of Faith In all these places the Apostle speaks of that faith which interests your persons in Christ This faith he calls the Demonstration of the Spirit and of power 1 Cor. 2. 4. and the power of God and the operation of God and the Spirit of Faith and in Isa 53. 1. The revealing of the Arm of God Consider this Faith in all the parts and degrees of it you shall finde that every one of them comes from the Spirit of God Faith is sometimes stiled knowledge and believing knowing why the right knowledge of Christ is a fruit or work of the Spirit of God Matth. 11. 25. Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto Babes Faith is sometimes stiled acknowledgment Col. 2. 2. The acknowledgement of the Mystery of God and of the Father and of Christ And no man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the holy Ghost 1 Cor. 12. 3. Faith or believing is sometimes stiled a coming unto Christ and saith Christ himself No man can come to me except the Father draw him Joh. 6. 44. It is called a receiving of Christ Joh. 1. 12. which ability to receive Christ depends only on the will of God verse 13. Well then uniting faith is the sole work of the Spirit of God if any man be brought into Christ and joyned unto Christ this work is wrought by the Spirit of Christ 2. The spirit works this uniting Faith in an uniting way or manner how is that The Spirit works this in a uniting way will you say Thus it is when the Spirit doth work this faith in us he doth it in a Gospel manner the Gospel way is the uniting way accompanying it all along 1. By Evangelical light 2. By Evangelical offers 3. By Evangelical promises 4. By Evangelical efficacy 1. He lets in such a Gospel-light into the soule of a broken and troubled sinner that The Spirit lets in a Gospel light into the soule be is now able to see and to discern the wonderful grace of God in Christ even the glories of Christ the sealing and anointing oâ— him to be the Mediator and Redeemer and Saviour of sinners and the life of the world the Prince of peace the only help and hope of them that are lost Joh. 3. 16. The Gospel saith so and the Spirit makes him to see it so The people that walked in darkness have seen great lâ—ght Isa 9 2. Beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord 2 Cor. 3. 18. 2. When he hath let in such a light that the sinner is convinced of the infinite Enables the soule to apprehend the singular kindness of God in the offers of Christ mercy and grace of God in Christ Then he further enables the sinner to apprehend the singular kindnâ—ss of God in the offers of this Christ unto him unto you is the word of this salvation sent Acts 13. 26. and verse 38. Be it known unto you that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins And the â—pirit accompanies the Gospel in this offer As the Gospel outwardly offers Christ to sinners so doth the Spirit
the Gospel this is clear in Ephes 1. 13. In whom you also trusted after that ye heard the word of truth the Gospel of your salvation So Rom. The Gospel is the means of faith 10. 17. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God The Gospel is therefore called the door of Faith Acts 14. 27. and the word of faith Rom. 10. 8. and the power of God Rom. 1. 16. and the word of Reconciliation 2 Cor. 5. 19. The Gospel is the meanes of faith in three respects 1. In that it is set apart and ordained by God himself for that end and purpose to call sinners to Christ It is set apart for that end As it is blessed of God with the presence of his Spirit 2. In that it is blessed of God with the presence of his Spirit to work and implant faith There God reveales his arm and puts forth his power Some men do fancy wayes of their own to get faith And why not another way as well as by the Gospel I will tell you why Because God hath not ordained and sanctified any other way but this When the Lord commanded the brasen Serpent to be set up for the healing of the people and that they should look on it and be healed they might as well demand and why a Brasen Serpent and why not another brasen Serpent as well as this to heal us No none but this for this only was ordained of God and sanctified for that purpose So the Gospel that and that only is the means ordained and sanctified by God and which hath his promise of presence and blessing to go along with it to beget faith in our hearts 3. In that it is the most apt of all ministrations whatsoever to raise and perswade It is the most apt of all ministrations for this end the heart to believe For there only is the relation of the grace of God and love of God and kindness of God and of the mercy of God in Christ and therein is Christ made known and the righteousnesse of Christ and a sinners salvation in and by Christ and therein are held forth all the encouragements to winne the heart to Christ and all the answers and resolves to whatsoever may breed fears and doubts and discouragements in the heart from coming to Christ and all promises by which this faith is raised 3. Consider what concerns your selves in reference unto God who only gives faith Câ—nsider what concerns us in reâ—erence to God and the Gospel and in reference to the Gospel which is the only meanes by which this faith is wrought Supposing only three things already formed in you viz. 1. An apprehension that you are lost and separated from God by sin 2. A conviction that you stand in extream need of Christ 3. An earnest desire at least to enjoy Christ I would propound four things for you to do that so at length you may Four things to be done attain unto this uniting faith 1. Diligent application of your selves to the hearing of the Gospel joyning Diligent application of our selves to the hearing of the Gospel for this end thereunto a serious and reverent attention come and hear and come and hear for this very end if peradventure God will give you this faith if peradventure his Spirit will accompany the Gospel with power unto your hearts that so you may be able to believe Come as the impotent man came to the poole to be healed Lydia took this course and her heart was opened to believe Acts 16. 14. So did they in Acts 2. 37. 41. Act. 13. 48. When the Gentiles heard this they glorified the word of the Lord And as many as were ordained to eternal life believed 2. Serious meditation upon first the relation of the Gospel 2ly The offers Serious meditation of the Gospel 3ly The terms of the Gospel 4ly The promises of the Gospel 5ly The instances or examples in the Gospel 1. The Gospel Revelations of Jesus Christ given sent sealed set forth by God Of the revelations of the Gospel to be a Redeemer a Saviour a Mediatour a Peace a Propitiation a Reconciliation a life for sinners Now seriously meditate on all this you whose hearts are broken with the sense of your sins The Gospel in the Word of truth what it reveals and declares unto us that same is certain and infallibâ—e and the Gospel is the Word of Salvation whatsoever concerns our salvation that same is manifested unto us by the Gospel And this Gospel doth reveal and declare unto us the exceeding love of God the Father in that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believes on him should not perish but have everlasting life It doth also declare unto us hiâ— Son Jesus Christ who was God and in time was made man that so he might reconcile and unite man to God And it doth declare him in the union of his Natures and excellencies of his Person and in the glories of his Offices and in the accomplishment of all the work of Redemption and salvation for sinners and willingnesse to save them So that from the very Gospel-revelation of Jesus Christ a distressed sinner may gain thus much 1. As not to despaire 2. As to have some hope 3. As to have some desires O here is a Christ for sinners A Christ given by God the Father to save sinneâ—s why should I then despaire and here is a Christ such a Christ of such infinite worth and merit given to make satisfaction and peace and why should not I hope Am I excluded At least his Person and Offices and Works may serve thus far to beget hope and to work a desire that I may enjoy him in whom alone salvation is to be found and who came into the world to save sinners 2. The Gospel offers this Christ to distressed and poor sinners Acts 13. 26. Vnto Of the offers of the Gospel you is the Word of this Salvation sent verse 38. Through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of your sins This Evangelical offer of Christ it is The Evangelical offer is A good offer 1. A good Offer It is an offer of a Saviour of Mercy Peace Life and of Salvation itself This day is Salvation come to thy house 2. It is a serious Offer Heb 12. 25. See that ye refuse not him that speak th A seâ—â—ous offer 2 3. How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation Hearken unto me and your soules shall live Isa 55. 3. Believe and thou shalt be saved Acts 16. 31. These are serious offers and commands 3. It is a personal Offer the Lord Jesus means you in particular You I say A personal offer who are heavy-laden you who are poor you who hunger and thirst unto you is the word of this salvation offered and sent 4. It is a very tender Offer 2 Cor. 5. 20. As though God did beseech you by us A
To open the Gospel 2. Thy ear 3. Thy heart for it is by his Spirit that the Gospel proves to be unto you the word of Faith Our Gospel came in power and in the Holy Ghost 1 Thes 1. 5. If the Spirit of God did but reveale his Arm if he would but breath through the Gospel it would certainly be the power of God for faith in you 2. Again you must pray with all importunity and diligence and watchfulness and observation what God answers and spiritual violence and resolution and never cease wrestling with God I tell you it is one of the greatest requests that you can make to God O Lord unite me to Christ give me that faith by which I may be Christs and Christ may be mine And take this for thine encouragement That if the Lord hath given such a spiritual and steadfast frame of spirit as to pray he Patiently wait upon God in the use of meanes will at length give thee this faith 4. Patiently wait upon God in the use of Evangelical means untill he doth come in with his Spirit upon your Spirits to enable you by faith to close with Christ lye at the Pool do not limit God to this Sermon or to that Prayer and do not wrangle and murmure against God regard what concerns your self to do and trust God with his work and with his time never did any soule seek him or wait on him in vain nor return ashamed there is not one Prayer that you make nor any one Evangelical Sermon that ye hear but it is making way in your hearts for this uniting faith Some more light gets in to discover Christs fulness and our want Some more hope is raised of a possibility at length to enjoy Christ Some more power is given against the powers and workings and reasonings and fears and doubts of unbelief they have not that despairing dominion Some more bewailings of thy Christlesse condition and strong unbelief with a resistance of it Sometimes more renewed resolutions and courage well whatsoever comes of it I will not yet give over my suite I will venture a few prayers more something more is getting in and winning upon the heart towards Christ But Why may I not believe on Christ what if I should venture on him upon his offers upon his entreaties upon his commands upon his promises do I not sin against Christ and offend him thus to fear thus to dispute thus to question thus to stand off well I will come and believe on him O I cannot Lord help me Lord work in me both to will and to do when Lord how long yet will I wait on thee till thou shewest this mercy to me SECT VII 3. Vse IS faith the condition of the Covenant of grace And is that faith an uniting Comfort and encouragement Faith a faith which unities us unto Christ The next Use then shall be for Comfort and Encouragement 1. To sinners in general 2ly To believers in particular to such as yet finde themselves out of Covenant and to such as finde themselves partakers of this uniting faith 1. That faith is the condition of the Covenant of Grace this is a comfort and To sinners in general encouragement to poor sinners who as yet finde themselves out of Covenant If God had put any other condition upon that Covenant every sinner had been utterly hopelesse suppose he had annexed and imposed the condition of actual and perfect and personal righteousnesse bring that and perform that and then I will be your God I will accept of you I will own you I will love you I will pardon you I will save you why no sinner could upon this termes have found an entrance or admission into the Covenant because the performance of If faith be the condition this Covenant is impossible to a sinner as such a condition is inconsistent with the grace of God so such a condition is impossible with the state of sin which is a state of impotency and of death But now faith being the condition of the Covenant as there is a door open for grace to manifest it self so there is hope for a sinner to partake of that grace for if God will capitulate with us upon believing There is hope for in Christ Then 1. Our former sinnings do not absolutely exclude us One sin did break the Covenant Our former sinnings doth not exclude us of works but our many sins hinder not our reception into the Covenant of grace if yet we believe on Christ 2. A want of personal and perfect righteousness doth not exclude us for faith is not to look at our own righteousâ—ess but at the righteousnesse of Christ Nor want of personal and perfect righteousness Nor self unrighteousnesse 3. Our self-unworthinesse is no prejudice Faith looks for love and mercy and glory through Christ for the sinner who is in himself unworthy of love and mercy and glory 4. Our union with God is possible for though an immediate union there cannot Our union with God is possible be between God and a sinner yet a mediate union there may be viz. A union by Christ the Mediatour unto whom faith brings and unites the soule so that there is yet hope for the sinner to be brought into Covenant with God though not upon his own account yet upon the account of Christ unto whom faith joyns the sinner Object But it may be objected 't is true that faith is the condition of the Covenant And that faith is that condition it is therefore hopeful for sinners But yet this faith is as impossible to the sinner as the condition of perfect obedience for But this faith is as impossible to the sinner as perfect righteousnesse the sinner is no more able to make his heart to believe on Christ than he is perfectly to obey the will of God And then where is the comfort and hope that you speak of In the notion it is true that faith is a condition which advantageth a sinner But in practice it is such a condition unto which it is impossible for any sinner by his own strength to attain Answered Sol. 1. I grant that as to the â—eer consideration of the sinners self natural power the condition of Faith 〈…〉 â—mpossible as the condition of perfect obedience is he hath no more power â—or propensity to believe in Christ than he hath to obey and fulfill the Law and his heart is as full of unbelief as it is of disobedience 2. Neverthelesse though there be a self impossibility yet there is not an absolute Faith is possible and probable It is not imposed on us in our own strength impossibility nay faith is such a condition as is not only possible for a sinner but very probable for him to attaine it 1. Though it be the Condition of the Covenant yet it is not such a condition which God doth impose upon the sinner by his own strength or power
to be separated from me and another thing for me to be separated from sin 1. It is one thing for sinne to be separated from me and it is another thing for me to be separated from sinne For sin to be separated from me is wholly to be rid of it so that sin no more remaines in me For me to be separated from sin is not to love and serve it but cordially to hate it and oppose it he is separated from sinne who hates sinne Now it is not the presence of sinne simply and absolutely which is effectually contrary to union with Christ for then no sinner should ever be in Christ but it is the love and service of sin which is contrary to a union with Christ a man cannot love sinne and yet love Christ neither can he serve sinne and serve Christ But thus it is not with you for though sin be in you yet you love it not and though sin assaults and tempts and perhaps sometimes prevailes yet you serve it not And remember as long as sin is your burden your grief your enemy which you resist which you would destroy with which you will not make peace certainly you love it not nor are you the servant of it Paul who was in Christ found the presence of sin but yet he hated it and the powerful working of sin but yet he refused it and sometimes the captivity of sin but yet he bewailed it and sought to Christ for more deliverance and victory 2. There is a twofold separation from sin There is a twofold separation from sin Radical Gradual One is Radical when by the infusion of grace the heart is changed and alienated from sin The other is Gradual when by the further influence of the Spirit of Christ the powerful presence of sin is more and more mortified and subdued This latter you shall attain unto by vertue of your union with Christ But if you finde the former certainly you are united to Christ If there be but so much grace infused into the heart to alienate it from sin to change the bent and frame of the soule why this cannot be without a union with Christ for this is a new spiritual change wrought in you by the Spirit of Christ and the newnesse of our hearts depends upon that union with Christ which is made by faith and is the lively testimony of it If any man be in Christ he is a new creature 2 Cor. 5 17. But I never found the powerfull workings of the Spirit Object O but union with Christ depends upon some mighty and powerful workings of the Spirit upon the soule which I never observed nor discerned in my soule Answered Though such a powerful work may not be discerned for the time yet it may appear by the effâ—cts Sol. It is a truth that it doth so The Gospel comes not in word only but in power and in the Holy Ghost when it inables a soule to believe in Christ and without the mighty working of the Spirit it is impossible to make the heart to believe And although in the present darknesse of the Spirit you discern not nor remember such a mighty working yet perhaps by the effects which may be found in you you shall acknowledge the same for the time was 1. When blacknesse of darknesse covered your mindes so that you were ignorant of God and Christ and your own condition and of the way of salvation But now there is a light set up in your minde by which you know the true God and him whom he hath sent even Jesus Christ and the salvation by him purchased for sinners who believe in him 2. When carnal security possessed your heart so that you could rest quiet in your natural condition but now that spirit of slumber and security is shaken off and your soule is become anxious and sollicitous What shall I do to be saved 3. When your heart was full of your own righteousness you were rich and increased you were whole and needed not the Physitian but now you see your self pâ—ore and wretched and naked and miserable and utterly undone unlesse you may have Christ and be found in him 4. When you were confident and presumptuous of your own power and self-sufficiency O it was easie to repent and no great matter to believe on Christ but now you finde your self without all strength and unlesse you be enabled by the strength and grace of Christ it is not only difficult but also impossible for your heart to close with him by faith 5. When you found your proud spirit slighting the offers of Christ and opposing the word of Christ and resisting and quenching the motions of the Spirit of Christ but now your hearts tremble at these abominations and you lie down at the feet of Christ and your heart is set on Christ O Lord give me Christ O Lord give me an heart to embrace this precious Christ and never to slight thy great love in Christ nor that great salvation any more 6. When you felt the power of unbelief in your hearts working up daily exceptions and hourly fears and strong despaires for ever enjoying Christ for your Christ O now this sin and that sin this slighting and that neglecting and your unworthinesse and Christs unwillingnesse and your inability and Christs command and your dulnesse and Christs silence and your desires and Christs delayes so that no hopes many times lodged within you your hearts were sinking and failing and giving up all But now your hearts are answered and set at liberty and power is found within you to break down this mighty partition wall of unbelief and against all the oppositions which unbelief and Satan can make yet to venture upon Christ and to justifie the invitations and promises of Christ and wholly to come up to all the terms and articles of Christ upon which he is contented to be yours O Christian call'st thou these no workings of the Spirit Or no mighty workings of the Spirit I tell thee that to work and effect these things no lesse power is put forth than the Almighty power of God upon thy soule A greater power than to bring Israel out of Egypt as great a power is put forth as to raise the dead I grant that when the Spirit works with the Law to convince and distresse the conscience there his workings are more vehement and strong to our apprehensions And when the same Spirit works through the Gospel his workings many times are not discerned in their time of working in that sensible and remarkable efficacy but yet when you review the whole work and working of the Spirit as to the production of faith why you will fall down and admire how ever your poore soules could against so many oppositions insufficiencies reasonings conclusions fears doubts despaires be prevailed upon and enabled to come to Christ Ob. O but union with Christ indeed by faith ever takes along with it the presence and communion of the
to become his in a peculiar way of relation and possession and so as to be made Kings and Priests unto him Highest Dignities and Imployments which if I mistake not is expounded in 1 Pet. 2. 9. Ye are a chosen generation a Royal Priesthood an holy Nation a peculiar people By all which is meant that high and heavenly estate with all those excellent Enjoyments and Graces and Dignities and Priviledges and Communion derived unto us by the Redemption of Christ In one word that estate purchased for us by the blood of Christ our Redeemer is Grace and Glory eternal happinesse and all that brings us thereunto A new Relation a new Spirit Mercy Peace Joy Calling Justifying and Glorifying And whiles we live on earth all the good things thereof which are necessary for us But of these perhaps I shall speak more ere long 2. The degrees of Redemption by Christ I call them so not simply as to the work and purchase of Christ who at once The degrees of this Redemption fulfilled the same in the once offering of himself and laying down the price of his blood but respectively unto us in respect of our manner and order of participating of that his Redemption in respect whereof Redemption is partly imperfect and partly perfect and compleat In this life our participation of it is in some respects imperfect but at the last day it shall be consummate and perfect when we shall enjoy all and all fully which the Redemption of Christ comes unto It is true that in this life we have such a Redemption by Christ as that thereby we are ransomed and delivered from the servage or slavery of sin and Satan and death sin shall not reign in us and Satan shall not hold us captive and act and command us at his pleasure And we are freed from the wrath of God and damnation Nevertheless there still cleave unto us many sinfull corruptions and we are beset with many temptations and are straitned with many corporal miseries from which we are not and shall not actually be delivered untill our Redeemer comes with his last and perfect Remdepâ—ion therefore Christ said Luke 21. 28. Lift up your heads for your Redemption draws nigh Vses I cannot slip off from this great effect of Christs death viz. Redemption without making some Use of it unto our selves 1. Value your soules set a higher rate on them the Redemption of which did Set a high rate upon your soules cost Christ so dear Many men do despise their soules and make light of them and cast them away for every base lust They swear away their soules and whore away their soules and drink away their soules and play away their soules and idle away their soules Every sin is a venturing of your soule it is the pawning of the precious soule which cannot be redeemed but by the blood of Jesus Christ Our soules deserve more regard from us they are of more worth than we are aware of We were redeemed saith the Apostle not with corruptible things as silver and gold But with the precious blood of Christ Therefore value your soules more and be not so prodigal of them to throw them away for every base lust 2. Look after your soules in what condition they are whether in bondage still Look after your soules in what condition they are or under Redemption Naturally every man and every soule is in bondage whatsoever ye do do not suffer your soules to lie and rot in prison O that we did all see in what a Spiritual bondage our soules do lie and under the sense of it could cry out as Paul once O wretched men that we are who shall deliver us If thou hadst a child taken by the Turk and made a Gally-slave and tormented with cruelty every day in the Goale thy heart would yerne for him and request would be seriously made and followed to ransome that poor imbondaged child why then be as merciful and pitiful to thy captivated soul as thou art to thy captivated child Thy soul naturally is in the worst and heaviest and saddest of all bondages it is under the wrath of God and under the power of sin and Satan and under the curse of the Law Do not do not let it rest thus but make in by faith unto Christ and beseech him to redeem thy soule O Lord saith David Deliver my soule So do thou O Lord Jesus redeem my soule deliver me out of the hands of all mine enemies Alas why are we satisfied with other things with this friend and with that honor with this profit and with that pleasure what of all these if our precious and immortal soules have yet no portion in Christ nor in the Redemption by Christ As long as we are in the hands of Gods justice and in the hands of Satans commands and in the hands of our reigning sins and in the hands of our raging Consciences and in the hands of a sentencing condemning cursing Law Is this a condition to rest in you rest in it because you are not sensible of it were you indeed sensible of it you would make out to Christ who is a Redeemer of our soules and you would not be satisfied untill Christ were made of God unto you Redemption 3. Value the Lord Jesus Christ more then ever you have done even for this reason because he did shed his most precious blood to redeem you When you had Value the Lord Jesus Christ more brought your selves into such a miserable bondage as nothing was price enough to pay your ransome and to purchase your liberty then did the Lord Jesus Christ come down on earth to break all the bonds of your distresses He took your sins upon himself to deliver you from your sins and he was made under the Law to redeem you from the Law and he was made a curse to redeem you from the curse and he bare wrath to deliver you from wrath and he suffered death to deliver you from death and he conflicted with Satan to deliver you from the power of Satan and he fell into the hands of Justice to ransome you out of the hands of Justice And he laid down his soul that he might ransome and redeem your soul Methinks such a Friend and such a Christ and such a Redeemer should be more esteemed and be more loved and be more entertained and more thanked If it should cost one many thousand pounds to ransome you out of prison or out of bondage and after this when he comes to your house you would shut the doors against him and not give him the least entertainment what a barbarous ingratitude were this It is much worse and more base that after it hath cost the Lord Jesus Christ so much as his precious blood to redeem us yet we will not give him any entertainment in our hearts and affections 4. By all meanes accept of the Redemption by Christ Be not like that foolish Hebrew servant who when
by the Grounds By the grounds and causes and order of attaining that certainty and Causes and Order of attaining unto that certainty of knowledge and perswasion that Christ died for him For your help in this take notice of three Particulars 1. A right and undeceiving assurance that Christ died for us hath two sure Grounds One is the Testimony of the Word the other is the Testimony of Conscience renewed The Word saith Whosoever believes shall not perish but have everlasting life Renewed conscience saith but thou believest yea thou believest aright thy faith work by love Ergo. 2. A right and undeceiving knowledge it hath very choice causes it ariseth from Faith and it ariseth from the Spirit of Christ no man can give himself this assurance or certain knowledge that Christ died for him As no man can say that Christ is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost So no man can say Christ is my Lord and my Saviour but by the Holy Ghost 3. A right and undeceiving assurance that Christ died for me is attained in an orderly way It is not the first work to be found in us but it follows many precedent works in the soule as the sealing follows the writing viz. it follows 1. Deep sense of sin and misery 2. A Spiritual Conviction of our own impotency and insufficiency and absolute need of Christ 3. Earnest desires after Christ and for faith to lay hold on Christ 4. Many conflicts 'twixt weak faith and doubtings and fears 5. Peculiar supplications for the evidencing of the love of Christ and for particular perswasions of our interest in him and in the benefits of his death 6. Attendance upon God in the Ordinances of Christ c. Seventhly You may know that Christ died for your sins by the concomitant presence of some choice qualities in every person rightly assured of Christs dying By the concomitant presence of some chief qualities for him v. g. 1. A tender mournfulness of heart Zech. 12. 10. They shall look on him whom they have pierced and shall mourn as a man mourns for his only child Never did the child mourn more c. There is a two-fold mourning and both necessary one from sense of sin as grieving God the other from the sense of love in pardoning sin 2. An exceeding joy Rom. 5. 11. We joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we have received the Atonement 3. An inflamed love Luke 7. 47. Her sins which are many are forgiven for she loved much For is not Causal but Illative q. d. therefore she loved much None so loved as this loving Christ 4. A sweet Peace and Tranquillity Rom. 5. 1. Being justified by Faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ when we know that our peace is made by Christ presently peace ariseth in the conscience the storm is over and we are at land Now conscience excuses comforts supports answers c. all is well the Sword is sheathed 8. Lastly you may know that Christ died for you by the fruits and effects By the fruits and effâ—cts which flow from it which do flow from that certaine knowledge and that particular assurance v. g. 1. Singular loathings of sin Rom. 6. 1 2. Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound God forbid How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein 2. Utmost service for Christ 2 Cor. 5. 14. The love of Christ constraineth us acts us fills us carries us on as men possessed or as a ship with the winde Act. 21. 13. I am ready not to be bound only but also to die at Jerusalem for the Name of the Lord Jesus 3. Special delight in Christ and in the word of Christ 1 Pet. 2. 3. As new born babes desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby If so be that ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious as if he had said the man that knows that the Lord is gracious and gracious to him and hath tasted of the sweetness of his love to his soul must needs delight in and long after the Word as the Babe doth after the milk of the breast 4. Yet more desires to partake of more from Christ Phil. 3. 10. That I may know him and the power of his Resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable to his death verse 12. Not as though I had already attained or were already perfect but I follow after if that I may apprehend that for which I also am apprehended of Christ Jesus 5. Watchful fear by no means to offend or displease Christ so loving a Christ so kind so good a Christ so unwilling and so affraid is the assured person to sin against Christ any more that he could be content presently to dâ—e and to be with Christ where there is no more a possibility to offend him c. 6. Answerable returns unto Christ who suffered and died for me v. g. He loved me and I therefore love him He abased himself for me and I abase my self for him He gave himself for me and I give my self to him He obeyed his Fathers will for me and I obey his will He suffered for me and I am willing to suffer for him in my name in my body in my life He rose for me and I live to him He justified me and I justifie him He pleades foâ— me in Heaven and I plead for him on Earth He hath purchased glory for me and I give glory to him c. Thus have you heard the Decision of this great Practical Question how a person may know that Christ died for him Now beâ—â—re I shut up this Discourse I will propound and give answer unto some Cases of Conscience in relation to this Point in which I am â—iscoursing 1. How one may know that he is deluded in his Conscience that Christ dyed for him 2. What one should do who as yet cannot certainly affirm that Christ died for him 3. Whether every one for whom Christ effectually dyed doth sometime or other in this life attain unto the certain evidence thereof 4. Whether a person having attained to the certain knowledge of Christs dying for him may ever after that doubt and question the same again and whether new doubtings overthrow a certainty of knowledge 5. What advantage any Christian hath by the certain knowledge that Christ died for him as his Mediatour Case 1. How one may know that he is deluded in his Confidence that Christ How one may know he is deluded in his confidence of Christs dâ—ing for him A twofold confidence dyed for him There is I confess a two-fold confidence about the Application of the Death of Christ One arising from Faith and the Spirit of God who beareth witness with our spirits that we are the Children of God The other ariseth from presumption and the spirit of Delusion wherein a person dreams that he eats but he is empty and dreams that he
may finde all this in Gods promise 2. Thy estate may be sure when as yet you are not assured It may be day though the Sun doth not gloriously appear I confesse that faith of evidence makes our condition joyful but yet the faith of adherence can make it sure and blessed for that is it which interests us into Christ and Christ is he who interests us into pardon and freedome you shall be saved because you are Christs not because you know that you are so 3. Nay great fear and troubles because of unassurances may and do usually end in sweetest and fullest assurance especially when those fears and troubles raise many prayers much tendernesse in conscience and serious diligence and humble and upright walking Secondly Though you have not your wages yet do not give up your works Though you have not your wages do not give over your work Do not say I will pray no more and hear no more and wait no longer whatsoever you may imagine yet I assure you of this it is nothing else but proud unbelief when God shall hear no longer from us because it is long before we hear from God and we therefore lessen duty because God is pleased to with-hold comforts Simile This is as if one should give over writing a Deed because it is not sealed write but to the bottome and then the seal shall be annexed Give all diligence to make your calling and election sure 2 Pet. 1. 10. So say I Be diligent still in praying and be diligent still in hearing and be diligent still in holy and upright walking though these be not assurances yet these are the way unto assurance if you cannot be joyful friends yet be faithful servants if you cannot rejoyce to do his will it will not be long ere you shall rejoyce in knowing his love Esay 64. 5. Thou meetest him 〈◊〉 rejoyceâ—â— and worketh righteousnesse those that remember thee in thy ways Thirdly If you would have the light do not then shut up the window and If you would have the light do not shut up the window draw the curtain Do not hinder what you desire You would be assured that Christ is yours and dyed for you then do you not hinder the dawning of this day-star in your own hearts A person hinders his assurance many ways viz. 1. By great transgressions these are the thick and dark clouds which will make the Sun to set at Noon-day and will not suffer it to rise untill after great humiliations David found it so Psal 51. Exod. 25. 21. Thou shalt put the mercy-seat above upon the Ark and in the Ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee Ver. 22. And there I will meet with thee and I will commune with thee from above the mercy-seat from between the two Cherubims which are upon the Ark of the testimony And you shall never meet with the mercy-seat if you slight the Ark of the testimony you cannot venture on any sin be it never so secret but you shall thereby dishonour your God break your peace lame your prayers set back your confidence and either strike off or else delay your assurance 2. By carelesse neglects when a man will not take pains to recover lost assurance it was the case of those in Cant. 5. 3. I have put off my Coat how shall I put it on 3. By cherishing unbelief and jealousies in misinterpreting and misapplying all that God speaks or does If he threatens wrath why I am the man If mercy be at any time distinguished from any sorts of sinners alas then mercy belongs not to me If the hypocrite be described then I fear such a one am I If the presumptuous person then am not I he If promises be unfolded I fear they are not my portion If the love of Christ I doubt it as to me If relations and titles to Christ sure they are not in me in truth If Arguments to satisfie and settle the heart O but I may not joyne with them When a troubled sinner is apt to joyne with all that will trouble and to take part with all that will weaken his faith and that will strengthen his unbelief and his great work lies in excepting and in questioning and in disputing away his helps and encouragements to believe this will hinder his assurance that which hinders faith will hinder assurance Directions 2. The Directions If you would come to this assurance that Christ dyed for you First Be humbly mournful Christ said to Mary when she wâ—â— weeping Be humbly mournful her sins are forgiven her Luk. 7. 47. Christ was sent to binde up the broken-hearted and to give the oyle of joy for mourning and the garment of praise for the spirit of heavinesse Isa 61. 1 3. A broken heart is near unto joy Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted Matth. 5. 4. And so is the humble heart which judgeth it self lesse than the least of mercies and unworthy to be called a son and trusts not to any thing in it self and is made up altogether of the grace of God in Christ this heart is near to peace and to the Spirit of consolation Isa 57. 15. I dwell in the high and holy place with him also who is of a contrite and humble Spirit to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite ones Isa 66. 2. To this man will I look even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit and trembleth at my Word Secondiy Be earnest in prayer Pray without ceasing pray and faint not pray to know the love of Christ pray especially for the love of Christ for the Be earnest in prayer light of that Spirit and for the testimony of that Spirit because it is his work and office to seal and assure us and pray for those assuring promises of pardon Rev. 2. 17. Isa 60. 16. There are two choice works of the Spirit 1. One is to draw and perswade the sinner to come to Christ to believe on him to receive him 2. The other is to assure the believer of his relation to Christ and of Christs relation to him that he is Christs and that Christ is his that he loved him and gave himself for him O pray and continue this prayer that the Spirit of Christ may be given unto you to open and reveal all that is given to you c. Thirdly Attend the Ordinances of Christ the Word and Sacraments and the communion of Saints Attend the Ordinances of Christ The Word of the Gospel it is the Word of peace as well as of grace as it is the means of faith so it is the means of assurance it doth bring us to Christ and it can Ministerially evidence our interest in the things of Christ 1 John 5. 13. These things have I written unto you that believe on the Name of the Son of God that ye may know that ye have eternal life How
Sun at Noon-day there is such an iâ—lustrious evidence of our relation unto and propriety in Christ that there is not only no fear or doubts but also an abundant assurance and satisfaction that Christ is ours Now I dare not affirme this latter of every one for whom Christ dyed a triumphant assurance ordinarily is the portion of those who have been extraordinarily humbled and who are pick't out for gâ—eat seâ—vices or who are sufferers for Christ yet the former some time or other is the portion of every Believer Again there is an assurance 1. More fixed and permanent which abides and dwells with the soul for a long space of time 2. More quick and transient which I would call a saluting assurance Jesus Christ doth give an hint by the Spirit of his love and of his relation sometimes in our mournings sometimes in our praying sometimes in our meditations sometimes in our hearings Be of good comfort Thy sins are forgiven thee And this revives the soul but it doth not last long upon the soul Though every Believer for whom Christ dyed perhaps attains not unto the permanent assurance yet I humbly conceive that some time or other he doth to the transient assurance Once more there is an assurance 1. Mediate by way of Argument which is a conclusion from unquestionable premises as thus He that believes shall be saved and he that repents shall be pardoned Now a person throughly searching and weighing his condition by the Word and conscience finds full grounds that he believes and that he repents and therefore by an Argumentative faith and conscience concludes certainly that his sins are pardoned and that his soul shall be saved 2. Immediate by way of Illumination when the Spirit of Christ lets in such a brightnesse of light that we do plainly see all his workmanship of faith and grace in our hearts and all our titles and relations to Christ Simile all appears in that perfect evidence as the several colours do when the perfect light attends them I would be understood in the former sense and not in the latter so then this is the summe of my answer that every true believer some time or other of his life doth attain unto some real assurance though perhaps but weak and transient and argumentative and late Reasons The reasons inducing me to this opinion are these viz. First Some assurance is necessary though not to the absolute being of a Christian yet unto his comfortable being and unto the honour of the believing condition the soul would faint and fail if it should walk under perpetual silence and darknesse but God will not suffer that therefore some time or other he comforts the soul and that comfort lies in this assurance of inteâ—est in Christ and in the benefits of his death Secondly The earnest groans of the Spirit and requests causally made by it are not in vain for he makes requests according to the will of God Rom. 8. 27. 1 Joh. 5. 14. which request does certainly speed first or last but every Believer earnestly prays for assurance yea Christ himself saith John 16. 23. Whatsoever you shall ask the Father in my Name he will give it you ver 24. Ask and ye shall receive that your joy may be full Whence I infer If the Father will give whatsoever we ask in the Name of Christ then he will give us assurance If we shall upon asking receive such an answer that our joy shall be full then some time or other we shall receive this assurance for upon this depends our joy and fulnesse of joy Thirdly Some time or other in this life every believer attains unto true peace of conscience for 1. That is one portion bought for us by the blood of Christ to be enjoyed in this life 2. That is expressely and often promised unto the people of God he will speak peace unto them and will create the fruits of the lips peace unto them 3. Otherwise the renewed conscience would be of as little comfort as the evil conscience but that peace of conscience flows from some evidence that God is satisfied and reconciled unto us in Christ and hath pardoned our sins and will save us for if these things be not done and if we in some measure know them not to be done conscience cannot speak peace unto us Fourthly God will not be wanting to any of his people in any means which may serve to draw out their love and praises That God who expects our praises and delights in our love certainly will present unto us the best means for our love and praises Now of all means whatsoever for the quickning and drawing forth of these none is comparable unto the assurance or certain knowledge that Christ is ours and God is reconciled unto us in Christ and hath for his sake forgiven us our sins Fifthly The sealing Ordinance of the Lords Supper is purposely instituted for to bring the believer in Christ to an assurance of his interest in the benefits of the death of Christ and shall this never take effect in the believer for whose sake it is instituted and who is told in particular This is my body which was broken for you 1 Cor. 11. 24. and given for you Luke 22. 19. and This cup is the New Testament in my blood which is shed for you ver 20. Sixthly Nay it would be very strange that any Believer should be interested in such a choice love of God and Christ and be brought into so near an union with Christ as to be married unto him Hosea 2. 19. and yet Christ should never tell or assure him that he loves him it is the nature of love to manifest it self and also into so gracious a communion with the Father and the Son as to have fellowship with them 1 Joh. 1. 3. every day to converse with them and yet never know their love unto him Moreover that God the Father and Christ his Son should come unto him and make their abode with him Joh. 14. 23. and that Christ should promise He that loveth me shall be loved of my Father and I will love him and manifest my self unto him ver 21. and yet that this believing person should never in all his life have any knowledge of this especially Christ assuring all that I have known of the Father I have made known unto you Joh. 15. 15. Seventhly Let me adde one thing more that a Believer should have all the helps and causes apt and able to give him an assurance v. g. all the promises faith a renewed conscience and the very Spirit of Christ and yet all these should lie dormant all his life long and not give one word of assurance that he is Christs or that Christ is his and that God is reconciled to him surely this doth not seem to be probable especially seeing the Believer is particularly concerned in all the transactions of Christ and all those transactions have a peculiar respect unto him Nor do I
support and encourage you against all the temptations of Satan and fears of your own spirits God himself is your God and God himself for whom nothing is too hard and who is faithful in Covenant he it is who undertakes to find out and give out unto you every mercy for soul and body which you do or shall need Vse 2 Do not only believe this truth but also make use of it i. e. in the sense of all your wants whether spiritual or temporal Go unto God with boldnesse unto Make use of this truth his Throne of grace that ye may finde grace and mercy to help in time of need Remember that of the Apostle in Phil. 4. 6. Be careful in nothing but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God Do not vainly perplex your selves O it is impossible ever to get this sinful heart changed and this hard heart broken and those sins pardoned but â—â—nsider seriously 1. What is that which you finde promised in the Covenant Do you not expresly find the renewing of the heart promised there and the taking away of the hard heart promised there and the forgivenesse of all sins promised there 2. Who is it that undertakes to give these things promised Is it not God himself who can do it because he is Almighty and will do it because he is faithful it is not what strength and power you have for these things but what the sufficiency and fidelity of God is who undertakes to give them Object But he expects great matters from us before he will give them unto us Sol. 1. I will tell you what he expects from you he expects three things from you 1. That you acknowledge your own unworthinesse and his graciousnesse 2. That you come and pray unto him and intreat him to do these things for you 3. That you trust upon him as able and willing to help you according to his Word 2. And this which he expects from you if he hitherto hath not given them unto you yet he promiseth to give them unto you for praying Zach. 12. 10. I will poure upon them the Spirit of supplication for trusting Zephany 3. 12. I will leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people and they shall trust in the Name of the Lord. Object But we must bring something or other and undertake something else God will not do all for us Sol. 1. What would ye bring to a Covenant of Grace or what should you bring but your hearts to receive what is promised in the Covenant of Grace to be given 2. All the finding and giving work belongs to God that is it which himself undertakes forgivenesse righteousnesse holinesse love joy and peace and these himself undertakes to give unto us The fountain is full and runs freely take your care only for a Vessel to receive and take in the waters which flow out of it Vse 3 Doth God himself undertake to give all the blessings of the Covenant to his people What a comfort is this unto all his people this God himself is your God Comfort to the people of God and your Father and he loves you above all the people in the world and binds himself by promise and oath unto you that in blessing he will blesse you If you were to make your choice of one to undertake your good in whose hands you would have your all to lie you would pitch on one 1. Who loves you as a friend as a father and as a near relation 2. Who is sufficient and able 3. Who is mindful and faithful 4. Who is knowing and wise 5. Who is like to live long Now First Doth not God love his people I have loved thee with an everlasting love God loves his people Jer. 31. 3. I am a Father to Israel and Israel is my first born Ver. 9. Is Ephraim my dear son I remember him still my bowels are troubled for him I will surely have mercy on him Ver. 20. Can a woman forget her sucking child that she should not have compassion on the Son of her womb yea they may forget yet will I not forget thee Isa 49. 15. Secondly Is he not able to do you good he is the All-sufficient and Almighty God is able to do you good God nothing is too hard for him he is able to do above all that we are able to ask or think and can do whatsoever he pleaseth in heaven and in earth is it not be who stretcheth out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth Abraham was fully perswaded that what God had promised he was able to performe Rom. 4. 21. Thirdly He knows all your distresses and wants your groans are not hid from He knows all your distresses him and all your tears are in his bottle he is mindful of his people Psal 115. 12. The Lord hath been mindful of us he will blesse us he is mindful of 〈◊〉 Covenant Psal 111. 5. He hath given meat to them that fear him he will be mindful of his Covenant Psal 105. 8. He hath remembred his Covenant for ever Fourthly He is the faithful God Deut. 7. 9. Know that the Lord thy God He is the faithful God he is God the faithful God which keepeth Covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his Covenant to thousands of generations Heb. 10. 23. He is faithful that promised Fifthly He is the wise God God only wise Rom. 16. 27. Wise in heart Job He is the wise God 9. 4. And therefore will proportion and season out proper and peculiar mercies unto his servants Sixthly He is the unchangeable God there is not so much as the shaddow of Change in him Jam. 1. 17. The living God Jer. 10. 10. The Lord is the true He is the unchangeable God God he is the living God and an everlasting King Dan. 12. 7. liveth for ever 〈◊〉 If I do understand this Assertion aright it may suffice to take off all your fears and to draw on all your hearts to come unto your God with confidence who himself undertakes to give unto you all the good of his Covevant Can more be desired or can any thing else conduce further or better to your salvation Object We confess that here is enough in respect of God but that which makes us to fear is something in respect o ourselves our unworthiness against which God may take exception and for which he may deny to give unto us the good things which he hath promised Sol. This is the greatest doubt which still sticks with us and it is the strongest exception of our unbelieving hearts and unto which I shall endeavour to give a full resolution in the last General Proposition which now comes to be handled viz. SECT IV. Doct. 4. THat all these blessings which God doth promise to give unto his people All the blessings which God promiseth to his
thereof After conversion there are two sorts of sins incident unto us 1. Daily sins of ignorance and infirmity and they are so many that we know not the number of them yet all of them do need forgiving mercy 2. Voluntary sins and of a very gross and hainous nature which make a deep wound and raise an hideous cry in the conscience and shake all our foundations and lie as an heavy burden upon us and they do the more wound and afflict us because committed after mercy and against mercy Now in such a self-wounding and self-judging and self-humbling condition what should the ashamed and confounded sinner do why he should return speedily to his God and with tears and shame spread his sins before the Lord and acknowledge that he is unworthy of any more mercy and yet beseech the Lord to shew him mercy again who hath promised to forgive all the sins of his people and he should hearken what God the Lord will speak for he will speak peace unto his people but let them return no more to folly Psal 85. 8. SECT V. Vse 3 THE third Use of this Point shall be partly of Comfort and partly of Encouragement First Of Comfort to all who are brought into Covenant with God especially Comfort to such as have stood out a long time and have abounded in transgressions who have made the very creature groan with the burden of their many sins why all these are forgiven as soon as God hath brought you into the Covenant Luke 7. 47. Her sins which are many are forgiven 1 Tim. 1. 13. Who was before a Blasphemer and a Persecutor and injurious but I obtained mercy O what a day of salvation is the very day when God brings a man into Christ and into the Covenant all his enemies that pursued him are drowned not one of them is left so all his sins are forgiven and not one of them is alive to his condemnation Secondly Of Encouragement to come out of a sinful and unbelieving condition Encouragement and to yield up our selves to Christ and to be willing to become the people of God and to walk in his ways why all the sins that ever you have committeâ— shall be forgiven you they shall not be mentioned unto you your Drunkenness Swearing Whordome Theft Lying Sabbath-breakings all your sins of Omission and of Commission sins against the Law and sins against the Gospel sins that your own hearts can charge you with and that God himself can charge upon you all forgiven any one of them would damn you and now all shall be pardoned if you will hear and believe and repent c. Cast away all your transgressions repent return and live why will ye dye O house of Israel I offer to you life and death choose life Do not for lying vanities forsake your mercies A greater offer there cannot be than Christ nor motive than the pardon of all your sins EZEK 36. 25. From all your filthiness and from all your Idols will I cleanse you HAving spoken somewhat unto the extensive part of promised forgiveness that it reacheth all the sins of all the people of God I now proceed unto the Intensive part of that promised The intensive part forgiveness which respects the greatness and hainousness of sin as well as the number and multitude of sins from all your filthiness and from all your Idols will I cleanse you whence you may observe CHAP. IV. Doctr. 2 THat although the sins of persons have been exceeding great yet when these persons become the people of God in Covenant even those sins also are forgiven them from all your filthiness and from all your Idols Great sins are forgiven to the people of God in Covenant will I cleanse you forgiveness reacheâ—â— to the greatest sins which the people of God have been guilty of this assertion 1. I shall clear from the Text it self 2. From other Scriptures Proved 3. Demonstrate by some Arguments and Reasons 4. And then apply it unto our selves SECT I. 1. THE Text clearly holds out the Assertion for God doth give here By the text instances of two great kinds of sins One against the second Table all your filthiness and the other against the first Table all your Idols in the one is implied the great injury done unto our Neighbour and in the other the great injure done unto God yet God promiseth to forgive both I will speak something of both these sins and something of the greatness of them both which yet God promiseth c. First From all your filthiness that word filthiness is sometimes taken What is meant by filthiness for any sin every sin is a pollution and uncleanness a filthiness therefore the Apostle saith 2 Cor. 7. 1. Let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit there are bodily sins which the Apostle here calls the filthiness of our flesh and there are spiritual sins arising from and acted in the soul which the Apostle here calls the filthiness of the spirit Sometimes that word filthiness is taken restrictively for bodily pollution or uncleanness when the bodies of men and women are defiled and polluted and do defile and pollute themselves Several kinds of it Bestiality of which in Scripture you finde several sorts and kinds 1. Bestiality that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 abomination not to be named it is confusion you read of this sin in Lev. 18. 23. and of the punishment of it with death Lev. 20. 15 16. 2. Sodomy of this horrid sin and the punishment thereof you read in Sodomy Lev. 20 13. This is not only a sin but also a recompence of other sins and for which God gives men over to a reprobate mind Rom. 1. 27 28. and for which he destroyed those five Cities with fire from heaven Gen. 19. 24 25. 3. Incest ubi servatur sexus sed non gradus it is the sin cum agnata Incest or cognata with a kinswoman of the fathers or the mothers side yea and with ones fathers wife see Lev. 20. 17. and with ones brothers wife 4. Fornication which is between single persons Fornication Adultery 5. Adultery which is uncleanness between persons married to others or when one of them is married to another and yet defileth himself with a stranger some of these sins of uncleanness are so horrid that they are said to be against nature yea against corrupt nature the very natural light in natural conscience condemns and opposes them and the rest of them as fornication and adultery the Scripture sets them out as very odious in the eyes of God and very foul transgressions and extreamly pernicious in them you may read ten things concerning Ten things concerning these â—hese sins First That they are the express fruits of a vile and naughty heart out of the heart proceedeth fornications adulteries saith Christ Matth. 15. 19. The works of the flesh are manifâ—â—â— which are
heard thee preach in our Synagogues Have we not eat and drunk in thy presence c Luke 13. 26. There is not any one hypocrite there is not any one formal Professor but he doth deceive himself with a false opinion of his estate and with a false assurance And there are four great Reasons why these men do thus delude themselves 1. One is Pride of heart and vain-glory they will appear not to be inferiour to any and therefore will deceive themselves to deceive others and will boast of what they have not 2. Another is the reach of common gifts which may give them a taste of Christ and of the good Word and of the Powers of the world to come Hebr. 6. 5. A taste makes them think it is assurance 3. A third is the neglect of self-examination they take things upon trust and will not search their hearts and try their ways and bring them to the light to the rule to the touch-stone to the Word they will not try their hearts by the Word nor their supposed graces by the Word nor their comforts nor assurances by the Word and therefore they deceive themselves 4. A fourth is the just iudgement of God upon them to send them strong delusions that they should believe a lye because they received not the love of the ruth 2 Thes 2. 10 11. Only a notion of it but not the love of it only the form but not the power of godliness Thirdly As many have deceived themselves with a false assurance so Many still deceive themselves How one may know he hath a false assurance many still do deceive themselves with a false assurance instead of a true assurance Quest But will some of you say that is the question unto which we desire you to speak a few words what are the discoveries of a false assurance or how one may know that the assurance or perswasion which he hath if the forgiveness of his sins is false is but a delusion Sol. For your help in this I will present unto you six infallible discoveries of a false assurance First The first is When it is a seal without any date my meaning is when a person When it is a seal without a date always hath had assurance never was there any time when he doubted of this point he was never troubled concerning it but always believed and his heart hath always been confidently perswaded that Christ dyed for him and that his sins were pardoned Why this alone may convince thee that thy assurance is but a delusion Mark the Apostle a little in Rom. 8. 15. Ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear but the Spirit of Adoption whereby we cry Abba Father Ver. 16. The Spirit it self beareth witness with our spirits that we are the children of God Here the Apostle lays out three works of the Spirit with the order of his workings 1. First He is efficientè operativè the spirit of bondage to fear i. e. making us rightly sensible of our sinful and miserable condition which makes our hearts to fear what the Lord will do against us 2. Secondly Hereupon in time he is the Spirit of Adoption working faith in us by which we become the children of God and look on him as a Father with love and without any servile fear 3. Thirdly After both these he is the Spirit of assurance bearing witness with our spirits that we are the children of God This is the last work of the Spirit it is not the first nor the only work of the Spirit it comes after the Spirit of Adoption as that comes after the spirit of bondage to fear From this place thou mayst evidently discern the assurance of which thou boastest to be false to be no work of the Spirit who begins in a work of conviction and humiliation and ends in a work of testimony and assurance begins in bondage and ends in liberty begins in fear and ends in peace and comfort the Spirit never begins but ends in comfort Secondly The second discovery of a false assurance is this that as it hath It hath not the Spirit of God for the Author of it not the Spirit of God for the Author of it so it hath not the Word of God for the Instrument and means of it Beloved the Word of God is the Organ or Instrument which the Spirit of God doth ordinarily use for the forming of all his gifts and graces and comforts upon the soul of man I hardly know any one of them for which he doth not employ the Ministry of the Word when the Spirit 1. Enlightens the soul he makes use of the Word to convey and let in light into the soul Psal 19. 8. It enlightens the eyes 2. Humbles the heart he makes use of the Word to break the heart and to lay it low Acts 2. 37. When they heard this they were pricked in their hearts 3. Converts and calls the soul he calls it by the Word and converts it by the Word 1 Thes 2. 19. He called you by our Gospel Jam. 1. 18. 4. Brings in a soul by faith unto Christ he doth this by the Word Rom. 10. Ephes 1. 5. Raises and comforts when he strengthens and assures the soul he doth quicken it by th◠Word and comforts it by the Word and strengthens it by the Word 〈◊〉 assures it by the Word yea and recovers by the Word assurance when it is lost Ephes 1. 13. In whom we also trusted after that ye heard the Word of truth the Gospel of salvation In whom after that ye believed ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise 1 Thes 1. 5. Our Gospel came unto you not in word only but power and in the Holy Ghost and in much assurance Here you see the Word to be the means of believing and so making way for sealing and assuring Psal 119. 50. Thy Word hath quickned me but now a false assurance was never wrought by the Word which will appear plainly if you do consider three things that are usually found in men presumptuously and deludingly assured 1. They care little for the Word especially for that Word of God which doth powerfully search and prepare the heart and fit it for the assuring work of the Spirit 2. They have most peace and assurance when they keep them most from the faithful and powerful delivery of the Word and their assurance is never more interrupted and shaken and dashed than under the soul searching and convincing Ministry of the Gospel it cannot stand before it nor abide the tryal of it 3. Notwithstanding all their seeming regards unto the Word yet never is there any thing contributed by the Word unto their assurance nor further confirming or strengthening or enlarging all which doth evidently demonstrate that a false assurance was never wrought by the Word but is the fruit of fancy and a dream of our own hearts only Thirdly A further discovery of a false assurance is
cryes out O Lord pity and pardon and comfort my distressed soul with the assurance of thy love and of forgiving mercy for Christs sake And then the voice of comfort and joy speaks Be of good chear thy sins are forgiven thee and writes this good news upon the conscience Why this is right assurance and right comfort of the Holy Ghost Secondly There always goes a renewing and sanctifying work of the Spirit A renewing and sanâ—â—ifying work before the assuring and witnessing work of the Spirit Here I will briefly clear two Points 1. That the sanctifying work of the Spirit goes before the assuring work of the Spirit 2 Cor. 1. 21. He who hath anointed us is God Ver. 22. Who hath also sealed us Psal 85. 8. He will speak peace unto his people and to his Saints I beseech you tell me whose portion is forgiveness of sins and peace Hath the Lord promised it unto any but unto his people and who are indeed the people of God but Saints but holy people see 1 Pet. 2. 9. Ye are a chosen generation a royal Priesthood a holy Nation a peculiar people God will forgive none their sins but such as are his people much less will he assure any that their sins are forgiven but his people and all the people of God actually called into Covenant with him are holy therefore men must be sanctified before they are assured 2. It cannot be otherwise whether you consider First The Nature of the Spirit of God The Spirit of God is a holy Spirit and he will not aford his presence to any unless he first make them holy he always makes the Temple holy in which he intends to abide and dwell and if he will not abide in us unless he sanctifies us will he give us the assurance of the great love of God in Christ that our sins are pardoned before he sanctifies us Secondly You find in Experience that when the people of God fall into sin and do oppose the sanctifying work of the Spirit presently they lose comfort and assurance David did so Psal 51. if we must uphold sanctity to preserve the peace and comfort of the Spirit surely then there must be sanctity wrought before peace and assurance be spoken Thirdly A man must be in Christ before he can have propriety in the forgiveness of his sins and assurance that God hath for Christs sake forgiven him this all of you will grant as saith the Apostle If any man be in Christ he is a new creature 2 Cor. 5. 17. Fourthly Once more Mark what God hath threatned to wicked and ungodly persons namely wrath and judgement and destruction and visiting of their sins upon them this is the portion of their cup. Now would you have the Spirit of God to misapply the Word of God whatsoever God hath threatned or promised in his Word that the Spirit of God is to apply his work it is to apply threatnings and his work it is to apply promises and his office it is to apply the one and the other respectively to the persons under the threatnings and under the promises he knows the mind of the Lord and therefore as he will not apply the threatnings of wrath unto the godly so he will not apply the promises of God to the wicked and if so then no assurance shall be by him applied unless men be holy Therefore let no man deceive himself with a deluded perswasion or assurance that his sins are pardoned as long as he remains wicked ungodly or unholy no no the holy Spirit never seals any but holy persons And there is a twofold holiness wrought in us before the Spirit gives assurance 1. One is Internal and Habitual which is the renewing and changing of the heart into a conformity with the Image of Christ 2. Another is External and Actual in the life and conversation Psal 50. 23. To him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God Gal. 6. 16. As many as walk according to this rule peace be on them and mercy and upon the Israel of God Although this be true that every one who is sanctified is not presentâ—y assured yet this is true that the Spirit of God assures no man but first he sanctifies him Thirdly There always goes the believing work before assuring work of the Believing work Spirit the Spirit of God is a Spirit of faith and then the Spirit of comfort or assurance Ephes 1. 13. In whom after that ye believed ye were sealed with the holy Spirit of promise Rom. 15. 13. Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing Mark first believing and then a filling with all joy and peace Psal 13. 5. I have trusted in thy mercy my heart shall rejoyce in thy salvation This Assertion I suppose will pass without dispute that the Spirit first works faith and then assurance and really it must be so for 1. You must be in relation of children and heirs before you can assure your selves of the portion of children Therefore the Apostle placeth the Spirit of Adoption before the witness of the Spirit as I hinted out of Rom. 15. 16. But it is by faith that we are children Gal. 3. 26 And receive the dignity of sons Joh. 1. 12. 2. None can assure himself of benefit but he who hath first a propriety in Christ union is the sole foundation of communion see 1 Cor. 1. 30. Of him are ye in Christ Jesus who of God is made unto us Wisdome Righteousness Sanctification and Redemption What faith preceâ—es assurance Quest But now the question may be what faith that is which necessarily is precedent unto assurance Answered Sol. A twofold faith is previously required First A faith of union with Christ Secondly A faith of dependance upon the promises 1. A faith of union from which results propriety that Christ is yours and you are Christs as upon civil Marriage there ensues a mutual propriety this faith doth unquestionably precede the testimony or assurance of the Spirit for no part of Christs purchase can be sealed unto you before you have a part in Christ himself 2. A faith of dependance upon God that according to his promises he will both pardon you and also give you the assurance that he hath pardoned you for Christs sake and this faith is many times put forth to believe in hope against hope Rom. 4. 18. Before the Spirit lets in the assurance that our sins are pardoned I will hearken what c. Psal 80. 8. Fourthly There always goes praying and wrestling before this assuring Praying and wrestling work of the Spirit The Spirit of supplication goes before the Spirit of assurance Zach. 13. 9. They shall call upon my Name and I will hear them I will say it is my people and they shall say the Lord is my God Jer. 30. 21 22. Who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto me saith the Lord ye shall be my
people and I will be your God Isa 56. 7. Even them especially of those that take hold of Gods Covenant ver 6. will I bring to my holy Mountain and will make them joyful in my house of prayer Isa 30. 19. He will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry when he shall hear it he will answer thee Psal 35. 3. Say unto my soul I am thy salvation O what earnest wrestling prayer came from David before he could hear that voice of joy and gladness in Psal 51. And this is so experimented a truth that usually the sweetest assurances do attend our deepest tears and our highest prayers If therefore the assurance which you finde concerning the pardon of your sins be the perswasion given to you by the Spirit of God it doth alway follow mournfulness of heart for sin and an holy change of heart and faith in Christ and on the promises of Christ and earnest prayer if it be before or without any of these it is not the assurance of the Spirit of God but a delusion of our own spirits Secondly You may know that your assurance is the right assurance of the Spirit by those present appearing qualities which do always accompany the assurance By some presently accompanying works which comes indeed from the Spirit I will mention three of them First If it be the very assurance from the Spirit of God that your sins in particular Lâ—ve to God are forgiven this will immediatly kindle such a flame of love to God as you never found the like in all your lives We love him saith John because he loved us first 1 Joh. 4. 19. O Sirs when the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost Rom. 5 5. Simile and so it is when he assures us that God for his great love and rich mercy hath forgiven us never was the heart of tender wife more knit to her husband than the heart of the assured sinner is to his forgiving God never did Jonathan delight more in David than this poor soul doth in his God why he loves him so sensibly so enlargedly that he meditates and meditates that he admires and admires and cries out Who is a God like unto thee O I love thee for this love for this mercy of mercies Mary had many sins forgiven her and Christ assured her of it therefore she loved much Luke 7. 47. Secondly If it be the very assurance of the Spirit of God that your sins are forgiven Softness of heart this will immediatly soften and melt your heart into such pure springs of tears that hardly you ever found the like for kind or degree There are tears which a man sheds before assurance for his sins and they are acceptable to God nevertheless they are something brakish and mixt with some trouble and distress but the tears of sorrow for sinning against God assuring us that he hath pardoned our sins they are so without all legality if I may phrase it so they flow from the soul so freely so tenderly so feelingly so abundantly I think that a man never wept more bitterly nor ever condemned himself more freely nor ever was more ashamed of himself and sinnings than at that time when God gave him his full discharge and pardon under the seal and witness of his own Spirit Ezek. 16. 61 63. Ashamed and confounded when God was pacified towards them The Prophet expresseth the quality and the quantity of their mourning in Zach. 12. 10. Object I but it should rather produce joy Sol. So it doth at the same time which is strange the greatest joy and the deepest sorrow Thirdly If it be the very assurance from the Spirit of God the heart thereupon Humbleness of heart becomes so humble and so lowly and so nothing the nearer that God draws to his people the more humble they are for when Gods Spirit assures us he doth cause us to see our own unworthiness and the exceeding riches of Gods grace Mark the men most eminent for assurance in Scripture of all men they were the most humble and lowly There are three men most high in assurance First Abraham was so He was strong in faith and he was fully perswaded and he was a most humble man Rom. 4. 20 21. Behold I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord who am but dust and ashes Gen. 18. 27. Secondly David also was so Thou art my God Thou hast forgiven my iniquities and he also was a most humble man Who am I O Lord God! and what is my fathers house 2 Sam. 7. 18. Thirdly And Paul was so Who loved me and gave himself for me Gal. 2. 20. yet this man was a very humble and lowly man The least of the Apostles 1 Cor. 15. 9. Less than the least of all Saints Eph. 3. 8. and not meet to be called an Apostle O Christian you who talk how much and how long you have been assured where is this high love where is this deep sorrow where is this humble lowliness did your assurance ever produce these in you if not assuredly you have mock't your souls all this while with vain delusions Thirdly You may know that your assurance is right and comes from the very By the effects flowing from assurance Spirit of God by these singular fruits and effects which consequently do flow from your assurance I will mention six of them 1. Quietation of heart 2. More care to walk in all well-pleasing before the Lord. 3. More regard unto and delight in the Word 4. More zeal 5. More fear 6. More height of heart First One effect which flows from a right assurance that our sins are forgiven is a Quietation of heart present quietation of heart all storms cease upon one word spoken from the Spirit There were many doubts and many fears and many disputes and many reasonings and many sad thoughts and restless motions in the soul but when assurance of forgiveness is given in by the Spirit of God to our spirits all these do cease and there ensues a gracious calme in the conscience even an excusing delightful and joyful rest When God lifted up the light of his countenance upon David he lay down in peace Psal 4. 6 8. Now this quietation differs much from that Stupidity in a man deluded with a false assurance for First This stupidity is not the quieting of a troubled soul but so is this Secondly Their quietness is the effect rather of ignorance because they do not know their miserable condition than of assurance that they do certainly know their pardoned condition Thirdly Their quietness is from a seared conscience but not from an assured and pacified conscience Fourthly It is a passive silence but in this conscience doth witness and the heart rejoyceth Well then spiritual and joyful rest or quietation is the proper fruit of true assurance and verily it cannot but be so for assurance in the very nature of it
Pet. 1. 10. and proving and trying your selves whether Christ be in you of a truth 2 Cor. 13. 5. and working out your salvation Phil. 2. 12. Secondly The comfort of sincerity that you are on the way to be assured not resting in the want of assurance nor in idle complaints but as you pretend an opinion and judgement rightly valuing it and that your hearts are set upon it so your souls are indeed drawn forth to the ways of enjoyment Thirdly The comfort of Gods presence for it is from the Spirit of God that your hearts do thus prize and thus long for and thus labour for assurance he begets those thoughts and those desires and those prayers you have the presence of the Spirit though not the assurance of the Spirit Fourthly The comfort of hope that at length you shall see the God of gods in Zion that you shall see his face with joy that he will create peace and assurance in your hearts for he never fills the soul and stirs and draws it unto himself for his gracious favour but at length he doth make his loving kindness known unto that soul and he doth thus prepare the heart because he will incline his ear Fourthly A fourth support unto you is this although you have not this assurance in your own hearts yet you have it in Gods promise who assures you that he will sprinkle it upon you and faithful is he who hath promised who will also do it Secondly But now I come unto the Direction which I would commend to weak Direction believers for the attaining of their assurance and they are these First Diligent attendance upon the Word of God that this is a good means to attain Dâ—ligent attendance upon the Word assurance may appear by three particulars 1. God hath instituted or ordained his Word not only for the conversion but also for the consolation of his people and the assuring of them Rom. 15. 4 Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope 1 Joh. 1. 4. These things write we unto you that your joy may be full 1 Joh. 13. These things have I written unto you that believe on the Name of the Son of God that you may know that ye have eternal life Mark written for our comfort written that our joy may be full written that believers may know they have eternal life why then unquestionably the Word is a means to attain assurance c. 2. The people of God have attended the Word for this very end to gain assurance Psal 48. 9. We have thought of thy loving kindness O God in the midst of thy Temple Psal 85. 8. I will hearken what God the Lord will speak for he will speak peace unto his people 3. They have found assurance upon the attending on the Word Psal 63. 1. O God thou art my God early will I seek thee my soul thirsteth for thee Ver. 2. To see thy power and thy glory so as I have seen thee in the Sanctuary Ver. 3. Because thy loving kindness is better than life He had seen experimentally the power and the glory of God in the Sanctuary i. e. the mercy and the loving kindness of God in Christ the assurance and feeling of it in the use of the Word c. Eph. 1. 13. In whom ye also trusted after that ye heard the Word of truth the Gospel of your salvation in whom also after that ye believed ye were sealed with the holy Spirit of promise Secondly Fervent prayer unto the Lord this is also a means to obtain assurance Fervent prayer Ps 119. 58. I intreated thy favour with my whole heart and two things demonstrate this unto us 1. Some special promises to this purpose viz. Isa 56. 7. Even them will I bring to my holy Mountain and will make them joyful in my house of prayer c. What is that which makes the heart of the people of God joyful David tells you in Psal 4. 6. Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us and Ver. 7. Thou hast put gladness in my heart c. and where is this joyfulness promised by what means I will make them joyful in my house of prayer Joh. 16. 24. Ask and ye shall receive that your joy may be full Ver. 22. Whatsoever ye ask the Father in my Name he will give it you Here is a fulness of joy and that certainly is in assurance and that fulness of joy is promised upon prayer 2. Some particular experiences Psal 30. 10. Hear O Lord and have mercy upon me c. Ver. 11. Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing thou hast put off my sackcloth and girded me with gladness Object But will some say We have heard the Word a long time and we have prayed and sought the Lord a long time and yet we cannot attain to this assurance of forgiveness Sol. Therefore be sure to take in three things when you pray for this assurance 1. Apious valuation of it Thy favour is life Psal 30. 5. Thy loving kindness is better than life Psal 63 3. O visit me with thy salvation Psal 106 4. 2. A believing perswasion that God will hear you in this Luke 11. 13. How much more shall your heavenly Father give the holy Spirit to them that ask him and that Spirit is the Spirit of Adoption that witnesseth with our spirits that we are the children of God Rom. 8. 16. David hath a singular passage in Psal 119. 147. I prevented the dawning of the morning and cryed I hoped in thy Word where observe three things 1. The earliness of his prayer I prevented the dawning of the morning he could not sleep but must arise and pray 2. The earnestness of his prayer I cried he was solemn serious and fervent 3. The faith with his prayer and I hoped in thy Word in one of these our prayers do fail and so we get not our assurance 3. A patient expectation a continuance in prayer still importuning the Lord and waiting on him for this great testimony of his pardoning mercy Isa 30 18. Blessed are all they that wait for him Psal 85. 8. I will hearken what God the Lord will speak for he will speak peace c. These Ingredients are still to be remembred and taken in if you would prevail for the assurance c. Thirdly A conscientious care in all our ways to walk before God in all well-pleasing A conscientious care to walk in all well-pleasing A godly walking brings most glory to God and most comfort to our own consciences there are two excellent places for this purpose Isa 32. 17. The work of righteousness shall be peace and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever Joh. 14. 21. He that hath my Commandments and keepeth them is he that loveth me and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father and I will love
to the principal matter here distinctly promised by God unto his people viz. A new heart and a new spirit CHAP. VIII God gives a new heart and a new spirit to his people in Covenant Doct. 1. THat a new heart and a new spirit God will give unto all his people in Covenant A new heart will I give you and a new spirit c. SECT I. FOr the opening of this great and necessary Truth I will speak unto a few God gives a new heart and a new spirit to his people in Covenant What is meant by heart and spirit Heart taken diversly Questions Quest 1. What is meant by heart and spirit Sol. The word heart is taken Sometimes Physically for that noble and vital part of man which is the seat of the soul and life in man Thus it is not looked on in this place Sometimes it is taken for the soule of man which hath its principal residence in the heart Gen. 6. 5. God saw that every imagination of the thoughts of mans heart was only evil continually of mans heart i. e. of mans soul Prov. 23. 26. My Son give me thy heart i. e. thy soul thy will thy affections thus it is taken in this place Secondly That word Spirit is in Scripture taken sometimes in opposition Spirit how taken to the body of man as in Eccles 12. 7. Then shall the dust i. e. the body of man return to the earth as it was and the spirit i. e. the soul shall return to God who gave it Sometime it is put in a direct distinction from the soule as in 1 Thes 5. 23. I pray God that your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless c. Here the Spirit denotes the intellectual part and the soule denotes the will and affections And so I humbly conceive the word Spirit is taken in the Text Namely for the mind and judgement called the intellectual part of man and the word Heart is taken for the will and affections and by both is meant all the soul the whole soul in all the faculties of it 2. Quest What is meant by the newness of heart and by the newness of spirit What is meant by newness of heart How many waâ—es a thing is said to be new for this is the thing promised Sol. A thing may be said to be new either in respect of substance or in respect of qualities First There is a substantial newnesse where all the materials are so as an house is new and a garment is new and a ship is new being all made of new materials under this notion God doth not give a new heart and a new spirit unto his people i. e. he doth not give unto them another soul for substance from what formerly they had they have one and the same substantial soul still c. all the same essential faculties of the soul still the same faculty of understanding the same will the same affections still Secondly There is an accidental newness where the substance remaines the same yet the qualities supervinient or super-added to the substance are new Simile As when a Garment is cut into a new fashion or a piece of Plate is melted and purged of its dross and made clean and pure we call those new though not for substance yet for qualities Naaman was the same man when he was a Leper and when he was cured the cure was accidental In this respect God gives a new heart and a new spirit i. e. he doth as it were new shape the heart and spirit he puts into them such gracious qualities which are opposite to the wicked or sinful qualities in them before And these are called new not in opposition to our Creation for God made us holy and righteous but in opposition to our degeneration for by the fall we lost all our excellencies and corrupted our hearts and filled them with all unrighteousness with sinful corruptions when God doth purge out of our hearts and infuseth into them the graces of his Spirit then are our hearts said to be new and our This newness of heart spirits are said to be renewed This only in the general Now I shall more particularly discover unto you what this newness of heart is which God doth promise unto his people Described It is that great and eminent change wrought in all the soul by the Spirit of Christ infusing a new principle of grace which inclines and conformes the heart to the whole will of God and opposeth and mortifieth all the old sinful lust formerly residing and prevailing in the heart There are many particulars in this description which I shall in order unfold unto you First A new heart is a changed heart Newness in the very nature of it A new heart is a changed heart implies an alteration for whatsoever is altogther the same that it was cannot be said to be new If the heart was ignorant and so remains still if it was proud and vain and filthy and earthly and so remaines still this heart is an old heart still there is no newness because no change Newness of heart peremptorily implies a change of the heart therefore it is in Scripture called a new birth Joh 3. 3. Except a man be born again And a quickning from the dead Luke 15. 24 This my son was dead and is alive again And a turning from darkeness to light Act. 26. 18. To open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God And a transformation Rom. 12. 2. Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind And a translation 2 Cor. 5. 17. Old things are past away all things are become new And a washing and a cleansing and a refining 1 Cor. 6. 11. 2 Cor. 7. 1. Mal. 3. 2 3. Secondly When the heart is made new there is a great and eminent change made It is an eminent change in it There are three great changes of mans heart 1. One was by sin when man being in honour abode not but fell by transgression and became like the beasts that perish This was a wofull change like that of the apostatizing Angels from heaven to hell 2. Another is by grace wherein we are changed into the very image of God 3. A third is by glory when we shall be like God himself For we shall see him as he is 1 Joh. 3. 2. The change which makes newness of heart is a great and eminent change reckoned therefore amongst the wonders of God called a Creation and a Resurrection and the opening of the eyes of the blind and unstopping the ears of the deaf Isa 35. 5. And loosing the tongue of the dumb It is such a change that others beholding it stand amazed at as they did when they saw Paul appear another man at Damascus from what he was at Jerusalem Acts 19. 21. Yea the very Angels are affected with it and rejoyce I say unto you there is
ways of worldly advancements and advantages But the rule which a renewed heart sets up to guide and prescribe him is none other but that which God himself sets up for his people to walk by and that is his written Word Psal 119. 105. Thy Word is a Lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path Ver. 133. Order my steps in thy Word This rule he sets up for all matters of faith and for all matters of fact this I must believe because God reveals it and commands me to believe it this I receive for truth because God delivers it for truth and that I reject as erroneous because the Word of God condemns it as contrary to the truth And this work I do and that way I walk in because God sets it out in his Word for me and that I do not do and so and so I dare not walk for I have no Word of God for it nay the Word of God is against it why mans heart is right indeed it is renewed by grace but if a man will walk contrary to this rule if he will not speak and live according to this Word it is because there is no light in him Isa 8. 20. SECT V. Vse 4. DOth God promise to give unto all his people in Covenant with him a new heart and a new spirit then there is comfort and joy to Comfort to those that have a new heart all those who finde the new heart given unto them it is true that when the Lord doth renew the heart of any by his grace and separate them from the world unto himself that 1. They shall meet with many troubles and scoffs and reproaches and persecutions from the world All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecutions 2 Tim. 3. 2. They shall meet with many temptations and oppositions from Satan if he cannot hinder grace and conquer grace yet he will molest and disquiet grace 3. They shall meet with many conflicts and warrings within their own hearts and with many weaknesses and failings and tryals nevertheless their condition is a very happy and comfortable condition and there are eight Eight comforts proper to them choice comforts which are proper to every renewed person and which may cheer up his heart all his days v. g. 1. Newness of heart is a sure and infallible testimony of the best and of the greatest matters which can concern the soul 2. This newness of heart is an unquestionable effect of our union with Christ 3. It is the noblest and highest elevation of the soul here on earth and the clear evidence of the presence of the Spirit of Christ 4. It enables you for all heavenly communion and serviceableness to Divine glory 5. God will own and accept of it and the fruits of it though but little and weak 6. He will strengthen and uphold and perfect it unto the day of Christ 7. He will poure upon every person who enjoys it all necessary blessings for this life and will take special notice of him and care for him in the days of adversity 8. Renewing grace shall without all doubt bring us at the last to eternal happiness First Newness of heart is a sure and infallible testimony of the best and of It is a clear testimony of the greatest matters which can concern the soul the greatest matters which can concern the soul There are six things which do concern the soul as nearly I think as any can and of every one of them is renewing grace a sure testimony 1. The love of God 2. The election of God 3. A relation to God 4. A change from death to life 5. The pardon of sin 6. The hope of glory 1. Of the love of God that the Lord doth indeed set his special love A testimony of the love of God his very heart upon a person 1 Joh. 3. 1. Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God Psal 146. 8. The Lord loveth the righteous for any to be made the sons of God this is an effect or fruit of the love of God now all the sons of God are new born they are born again of the Spirit Joh. 3. 5. Ephes 2. 4. But God who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us Ver. 5. even when we were dead in sins and trespasses hath quicked us together with Christ As it is one of the greatest testimonies of Gods hatred and wrath for any to be left to his old sinful heart and lusts and ways so it is one of the greatest testimonies of Gods love when he pities them in their sinful condition and delivers them out of it and gives his Spirit to enliven and renew them by grace 2. Of the Election of God for this see two places 1 Thes 1. 4. Knowing Of election Brethren Beloved your Election of God Ver. 5. For our Gospel came unto you not in word only but also in power and in the Holy Ghost Eph. 1. 4. He hath chosen us in him that we should be holy Holiness or renewing grace it is as one speaketh the counterpane of Gods decree of Election God by his own eternal prescience knows whom he intends for salvation and we by that work of renewing grace in our hearts come to know that eternal purpose of his grace concerning us it being given unto us an effect flowing from his Election and in order unto that happiness unto which he hath chosen us 3. Of our Relation to God as our God and our Father as none but his Of our relation to God people and children are holy so all his people and his children are holy Isa 63. 18. The people of thy holiness they are 1 Pet. 2. 9. an holy Nation and a peculiar people 2 Cor. 6. 17. Come out from among them and be ye separate and touch no unclean thing Ver. 18. And I will be a father unto you and ye shall be my sons and daughters saith the Lord Almighty 4. Of our translation from life to death See Isa 4. 3. He that is left in Of our translation from death to life Zion and he that remaineth in Jerusalem shall be called holy even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem Ezek. 16. 6. When I passed by thee and saw thee polluted in thine own blood I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood Live yea I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood Live Luk. 15. 32. This my son was dead and is alive again Rom 6. 11. Likewise reckon ye your selves to be dead unto sin but alive unto God Renewing grace is one of the strictest differences between men of death and men of life not any man hath it but he who is made alive by Christ and is in the state of life no profane person hath it nor doth any hypocrite partake of it 5. Of the pardon of our sins if any
but a mock of sin so utterly unsensible is he of sin Secondly Because it is an unflexible heart you may bow a stick and melt An unflexible heart the brass and bend the very iron but you cannot bow nor bend the stone the stone may be broken in pieces yet you can never so mollifie it as to make it to bow it is naturally hard and naturally unyielding Thus it is with the heart which is hard it is unflexible and unyielding it will be what it hath been Ezek. 3. 7. It will not hearken it will not obey it will receive no instruction advice counsel let God speak and do what he will let men speak and do what they can yet a hard heart fears not God nor regards man God sends Moses and Aaron to Pharaoh with a command to let Israel go he rejects this command Who is the Lord that I should obey his voice c. Then they shew wonders before him yet he will not yield then God sends plagues upon the fruit and corn and cattle and servants yet he will not yield nor obey Thus when the Israelites fell sick of the stone I mean when their hearts became hardned then they became unflexible and unyielding 2 Chron. 36. 15 16. The Lord sent Prophets to them early and late but they mocked the Messengers of God and despised his Word and misused his Prophets You may read in Amos the 4th how God dealt with them in manifold ways of judgement yet there was no yielding in ver 6. He sends them cleanness of teeth and want of bread yet have ye not returned unto me saith the Lord in ver 7. He with-held rain from them yet ver 8. have ye not returned unto me in ver 9. He smites them with blasting and mildew yet have ye not returned unto me in ver 10. He sent the pestilence among them after the manner of Egypt yet have ye not returned in ver 11. He overthrew some of them as he overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah and the rest were as a fire-brand pluck't out of the fire yet have ye not returned O this is the hard heart which when God speaks it will not hear when God calls it will not yield though God intreats it by mercies yet it will not yield to leave sin though God threatens it with wrath for continuing in sin yet it will not forsake sin though God plucks away mercies after mercies though God lets down judgement after judgement though he wounds the conscience though he throws it into hell yet it will not yield to obey the voice of the Lord to turn from sin Thirdly Because it is a resisting heart the hard stone doth not only not A resisting heart receive impression but it resists and turns back the stroaks even so when the heart is hard it doth not only not admit the Word but instead of yielding it opposeth the Word and resists the Spirit of God Jer. 44. 16. As for the Word which thou hast spoken unto us in the Name of the Lord we will not hearken unto thee Ver. 17. but we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth out of our own mouth Zach. 7. 11. They refused to hearken and pulled away the shoulder and stopped their ears that they should not hear Ver. 12. And made their hearts as an Adamant stone lest they should hear the Law Acts 7. 51. Ye stiffe-necked and uncircumcised in heart ye do always resist the Holy Ghost Hence it is that sinners of hard hearts are said to make light of the Word to despise it to reject it to mock at it to contradict it to blaspheme and speak against it as the Pharisees and the Jews c. Fourthly Because it is an heavy heart the stone is naturally heavy descending A heavy heart and inclining downward if you will find it you must look for it in the earth and if you throw it up it will fall down again to the earth that is its center thither it inclines and there it resteth So the hard heart it is an heavy heart not only heavy in a way of indisposition and untowardliness to what is good no mind to pray or hear or repent c. but also heavy in a way of inclination it is an heart which inclines downward to worldly lusts and sinful lusts in them it delights and rests as in its center Although sometimes in an exigence of outward trouble and inward anguish of conscience it seems to be lifted up yet upon the cessation of their working it returns again to its old love and practice of sin Fifthly Lastly The hard heart is called a stony heart because it is a barren A barren heart and unfruitful heart What fruit is to be gathered from the stone or rock Cast the seed on it let the rain come down from heaven upon it let the Sun shine with its beams upon it yet the stone is a stone still a barren and unfruitful lump of earth And thus is it with an hard heart though the man lives under many precious means of grace and manifold helps and daily opportunities and though others are wrought upon by the Word the Word brings forth in them the fruits of knowledge of godly sorrow of repentance of faith of love of newness of heart and life c. yet in him it is unfruitful though he lives under it many years yet his heart is ignorant still and proud still and earthly still and filthy still he is not humbled nor changed nor reformed at all Thus you have some Reasons why the hard heart is called a stony heart Now in the next place lets enquire Quest 2. What kinds of stonyness or hardness of heart is to be found in man The kinds of hardness in man that so we may the more admire at the greatness of Gods mercy who promiseth to take it away out of our natures Sol. For this know that there is a threefold hardness incident to the heart of man 1. One is Natural 2. The second is Habitual or Contracted 3. The third is Judicial or Penal First Natural hardness of heart is that Tomb-stone of sin and death Natural hardness it is one part of that wretched nature conveyed unto us by the fall of Adam by which our hearts are made dark and unsensible of our sins and untoward and disobedient and gain-saying and unyielding and refractory and obstinately set against the commands and ways of God and the strivings of his Spirit and all his dealings either in ways of mercy or in ways of judgement This natural hardness as it is in every man by nature so it is in every part of man in every faculty of his soul In his understanding there is a wonderful incapacity and stupidity and inapprehensiveness of them though distinctly opened and often revealed truths and ways of God In his memory there is such a hardness that all the heavenly delivery of the mind of God in things pertaining to salvation fall away as
own hearts lusts and having resisted and despised his grace and mercy he will now never give grace nor shew mercy unto them Ezek. 24. 13. In thy filthiness is lewdness because I have purged thee and thou wast not purged thou shalt not be purged from thy silthiness any more till I have caused my fury to rest upon thee Ver. 14. I the Lord have spoken it it shall come to pass and I will do it I will not go back neither will I spare neither will I repent c. Secondly There are some hardened sinners whose hearts still take delight in Some frequent the means their sinful ways and are extreamly opposite to the Reformation of them nevertheless they will present themselves unto the means they will come to hear the Word although they cannot comply with the Word which they do hear but do secretly dislike and gain-say it and go on in their wicked ways which do harden their hearts Now although this kind of darâ—â—ess is very fearful and in it self very damnable and very difficult to be cured yet it is not utterly uncapable of cure it is not impossible for that hardned sinner to be cured who hath gone on in his wicked ways contrary to the voice of the Word of God which he hath heard and still doth hear which may thus appear 1. Whiles any sinner is in Gods ways he is not utterly uncapable of Gods blessings if yet the sinner hath an ear to hear who can tell but God may give him a heart to consider and to repent Indeed it is confessed that neither this sinner nor any other can convert or soften his own heart to change the heart and to mollifie the heart is the proper work of the Almighty God and as God can do it so he doth it by the Word which is his Hammer to break and his Furnace to melt and therefore whiles the sinner will come and hear the Word God may put out such a power of grace upon his heart as may break down the pride of his heart and may take away the hardness and resistance and opposition of his heart 2. All the sinners who have been converted by grace they have been such hardened sinners â—â— they have been disobedient and have served divers lusts they have opposed the Word and they have gone on in wicked ways contrary unto the Word and yet God did break in by the power of his grace and overcome all the proud resistances of their hearts and made them to yield and cry out Lord what wilt thou have me to do Acts 9. 6. And what shall I do to be saved Acts 16. 3. 3. Although it be true that there are many hardened sinners on whom God will â—â— never work yet no particular hard heart may say that his cure is impossible because that grace by which hardness of heart is cured is gracious and very free it is given unto whom God will please to give it and when he pleaseth to give it sometimes to one sometimes to another sometimes to one whose heart hath been less hardned sometimes to another whose heart hath been more hardned sometimes to one who hath been sinning and hardning his heart twenty or thirty years and sometimes to one who hath been hardning his heart forty or sixty years c. Thirdly There are some hardned sinners who have been a long time unyielding Some are sensâ—ble or their â—â—â—dness and disobedient to the Word and no threats of wrath nor offers of mercy nor treaties of the Spirit nor stroaks of affliction could eâ—er yet make their hearts to bow or yield but still their base hearts would go on in their sins and they would not hearken unto Christ and nothing that God hath spoken or done hath made them to stoop but on they would in their ways and works of sin which they had châ—sen and loved But now they are sensible of all their hardness against God and likewise of the present hardness which lies upon them sensible how stout and refusing they have been and sensible what resisting hearts still they have and sensible what unsensible hearts they have of all their sins Now concerning those hardned sinners there is without all just dispute a possibility of cure because 1. There is in them a sense of their disease of stonyness of heart which is the beginning of the cure 2. They are willing to use the means and for this end that they may be cured 3. If any are under this promise of God to take away the stony heart probably these are the men Quest 2. If this hardness of heart be curable then what is the way and what What is the means of care is the means for the cure of it Sol. If indeed you would be cured of this stony and hard heart within you then you must do as men who would be cured of the disease of the stone 1. You must have a care to remove and forbear all which breeds and increaseth the stone 2. You must take such Medicines as are proper to heal it First You must have a special care to remove and forbear all those things which do Remove what breeds this hardness breed and increase the stonyness or hardness of heart or else you can never be cured There are six things which give being and strength to the hardness of mans heart First One is ignorance of mind you shall find in Ephes 4. 8. a conjunction Ignorance 'twixt the darkness of the understanding and alienation from the life of God and hardness of heart the word is there rendered blindness of heart but that is the original word spiritual blindness breeds spiritual boldness and boldness to sin will presently breed hardness of heart O get off this ignorance which knows not what it is to sin nor what is the danger of sinning and therefore leaves the heart to his own vile inclination and unto Satans temptations Secondly Pride of heart you read of Nebuchadnezzar that his heart was Ptide of heart lifted up and his mind was hardned in pride Dan. 5. 20. There are four cursed effects of pride 1. One It will not suffer the heart to obey the voice of God Who is the Lord that I should let Israel go said proud Pharaoh Exod. 5. 2. As for the Word which thou hast spoken unto us in the Name of the Lord we will not hearken unto thee spake those proud men to Jeremiah Jer. 44. 2. Another It makes us Self-willed we will have our will and our own desires and our own ways and who is Lord over us so those proud men Psal 12. 3 4. 3. A third is It makes the Lord to abhor a person Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord Prov. 16. 5. and to leave a person as the Lord left Hezekiah because his heart was lifted up 2 Chron. 32. 25 31. 4. A fourth is It makes us self-confident as in Peter and therefore watchless and careless
a dart Spira longing for death rather than life c. if the Lord should let fall any of these judgements upon thee what would become of thee Fourthly Meditate on the patience of God and on the goodness of God Of the patience of God 1. On the patience of God who hath been so long provoked by thy hard heart and yet hath spared thee held off his hand from striking of thee hath all this while born with thee and forborn to judge thee 2. On the goodness of God both to thy body and soul thou who hast so Of the goodness of God much hardned thy heart against him hast yet every day tasted of his bounty and blessings yea and that he is treating with thy soul sends Ministers deals with thee in a Gospel way calls on thee to repent offers thee Christ and mercy and heaven and assures thee if thou wilt yet hearken thy soul shall live 2ly Practical Actions and they are these Practical actions Come and hear First Come and hear 'T is true an hard heart cares not to hear the Word yet because thou hast a power to come and hear the Word as well as to go to any other place or work use thy power rather to come and hear the Word and that Word which is most convincing piercing humbling Moses rod made the waters to come out of the Rock The Word of God is able to save a soul and therefore certainly it is able to convert and soften the soul The dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God and live Joh. 5. 25. All who have got the cure of hardness of heart they have found it at the Word and by the Word which is the Sword of the Spirit and the power of God Secondly Go and pray beseech the Lord himself to circumcise thy heart he Go and pray only can cure the stone in the heart he only can take away the stony heart out of the flesh nothing is too hard for him Lord Lord leave me not to the hardness of my heart Lord open mine eyes make me sensible over-power my stiffe and rebellious and gain-saying heart Object O but my heart is so hard that I cannot pray Sol. 1. Pray as thou mayst at least grieve 2. And sigh under the burden of thy hard heart cry out O that I were made sensible and that I could pray to God to be cured 3. And go to them that can pray beseech them to beseech the Lord for thee O Sirs be sensible of one who is not sensible of himself pray for me who cannot pray for my self Thirdly Look a little on Jesus Christ whom thou hast pierced that thou mayst Look on Jesus Christ mourn Zach. 12. 10 Look on him and what thy hard heart hath done unto him thy hard heart it was which crucified him which pierced him which shed his precious blood And now hearken what Jesus Christ saith unto thee O hard-hearted sinner thy sins have put my soul to grief thy sins have drawn tears from mine eyes and blood from my heart Thou hast been very cruel to me I will not be so to thee lo I offer my self unto thee and my blood unto thee it shall wash thee from all thy sins it shall make thy peace it shall save thy soul if yet thou wilt no more harden thy heart but forsake thy sins and receive my offers Methinks this cannot but bow and melt thee if this doth not what will if the love of Christ if the blood of Christ will not nothing will They say that the blood of the Lamb is that which can soften the Adamant if any thing will work on will melt an hard heart it is the blood which came from the heart of Christ Fourthly If at any time the power of God appear on thy heart in meditation or hearing or praying or affections or secret workings of his Spirit that it begins to yield to hearken and consider to relent to soften 1. Do not dash and quench these by sinning by unbelief or by wicked security 2. But cherish them work with these workings keep them up raise them up Quest 3. How may one know that he is cured of a stony and hard heart at the How may one know that he is cured least that the cure is beginning Sol. The resolution of this question hath reference unto the second Proposition viz. that God promiseth to take away the heart of stone from his people but to speak unto the question as it now falls First When hardness of heart is cured or curing there is instantly wrought a By a spiritual sensation spiritual sensation such a sight and such a feeling as the poor sinner never had the like in all his life Simile As when a man is delivered from a deadly palsie he begins to feel and complain of the benummedness and heaviness of his limbs saith he What ails my arms and my feet I can hardly stir them there is scarce life in them nor sense nor motion So when the Lord is curing any sinner of the hardness of his heart he begins to see and feel and complain O saith he What a hard heart have I what a sinful and wretched heart I have heard of a proud and stout heart of a careless and unbelieving heart of an hard and rebellious heart of an impenitent and obstinate heart alas my heart hath been and it is all this O what an untoward heart do I feel in my self to any good what an unyielding heart to any thing which God commands and an unwilling heart to part with sin what a gain-saying heart to stoop to Christ this my heart I now feel to be like the flint the Iron the Adamant no man hath such an insensible hard heart as I. This is the first evidence of the cure of an hard heart viz. the sensibleness of the unsensibleness and hardness of the heart Secondly When hardness of heart is cured or curing then the sinner will By judging of himself and sins in another manner judge of his â—â—ns and of himself so as he did never before He looks on his sinful heart as on a root of gall and wormewood and he looks on his sinful ways and doings as vile and cursed and wonders at himself what he meant to be so forward to sin and to be so obstinate in sinning and to be so desperately profane as to contend with God in slighting the knowledge of him in refusing to hearken unto him in opposing of his Word in rejecting all the gracious and saving offers of Christ O my madness and folly O my pride and misery to forsake my meâ—cies for lying vanities to pitch on hell rather than heaven to love darkness rather than light O how jâ—st were it with God to reject me who have rejected him and never to hear me calling upon him who have so often turned away my ears from hearing him when calling upon me I am the chiefest of sinners
both convince Preparatively and break the heart of a sinner The Spirit by the Law doth let in the sense of sin and wrath which is irresistible upon the Conscience which is of that authority and force that it rents the heart and fills it with fear and trembling and astonishment This is that which the Schoolmen call Attrition And our Divines usually stile Legal preparation and the Scripture the spirit and bondage whereby all the powers and presumptions and confidences of the soule are shaken and the heart is made so sensible of its transgressions that it quakes and trembles and hath no rest nor peace but is filled with bitterness and terror and cries out with woful complaints I have undone my self I have sinned I have sinned and what will become of me I feel the wrath of God and what shall I do to be delivered I cannot live thus and I dare not dye thus if the Lord shew me not mercy I perish for ever Secondly The Lord takes away the hardness of the heart Effectually and this Effectually he doth when he diâ—solves and melts the stonyness of the heart It is one thing to break a stone into pieces and it is another thing to melt a stone as it were into water Simile The Lord doth by the Law break the stony and stout heart of a sinner but he melts and dissolves the heart by the Gospel and on this wise he doth dissolve and melt it 1. By revealing of mercy and hope of mercy to the broken and distressed sinner thus and thus hast thou â—â—nned against me and now thou seest and findest it to be an evil and bitter thing to slight my Word and resist my Spirit and to harden thy heart thou art now fallen into the hands of the living God and I can make all my wrath to fall on thee and to destroy thee at once for all thy rebellions But I am the Lord merciful and gracious I desire not the death of a sinner but rather that he turn and live Lo I have given mine own Son Jesus Christ to dye for sinners and I have said that whosoever believes on him shall not perish but have everlasting life Joh. 3 16. Therefore go thou broken-hearted sinner go thou unto him and be saved accept of him and thou shalt find mercy to pardon all that is past he is able to save thee to the uttermost and he is a merciful High Priest O how this works on that sinner but is it possible that there should be such a surpassing goodness in God what and to such a proud and stout-hearted sinner as I have been what mercy to one who hath so often slighted mercy and Christ for one who hath so often refused Christ this begins to melt the hard heart of the sinner 2. By the offer of mercy and particular invitation of the broken-hearted sinner to lay hold on it The Lord Jesus comes as it were to the very house of this sinner and knocks at the door and saith Here dwells a broken-hearted sinner and my Father hath sent me to him that I may save his poor soul Come come unto me be not afraid I my self do call thee to come unto me And I do assure thee in the word of a Saviour that I will not reject thee but I will pity and help and refresh thee I will answer for thy sins and I will make thy peace though thou hast been very wicked I will not stand upon that and though thou art utterly unworthy yet I will not stand on that neither only receive me and I will be thine and mercy and salvation shall be thine freely and aâ—suredly 3. By the collation of Faith which makes the sinner willingly and really to close with Christ The Lord by his Spirit doth enable the broken-hearted sinner to receive Jesus Christ and to take livery and seizin of a reconciled merciful loving blessing God in and by him And now the apprehension and possession of all this rich mercy and great love and exceeding goodness of God in Christ melts and dissolves the stonyness of the heart this works in him a tenderness a mournfulness a pliableness and all that is contrary to hardness of heart Thirdly The Lord takes away the stony heart from his people successively Successively or by degrees indeed the dominion of it is taken away in an instant as soon as ever the sinner is brought into Christ as soon as he is called and converted the raigning power of hardness is taken away the man shall never have such a stubborn opposing resisting base heart any longer But yet the grudging of the stone the remaining gravel the reliques of hardness are taken away by degrees the remaining hardnesse the Lord takes away First one while by Afflictions Psal 119. 67. Before I was afflicted I went astray but now I have kept thy Word Secondly Another while by mercies and kindnesses Ezek. 16. 60. I will remember my Covenant with thee in the dayes of thy youth I will establish unto thee an everlasting Covenant Ver. 61. Then shalt thou remember thy wayes and be ashamed So Hose 3. 5. Afterwards shall the Children return and seek the Lord and shall fear the Lord and his goodness Thirdly Sometimes by his Word and Ordinances which are like Refining fire to melt and purge away our dross How frequently do the people of God find the Word of God to be the power of God to melt away their carelesness and their indisposition of heart and deadness of heart and backwardness and unruliness of heart Fourthly The Lord takes away the stony heart from his people perfectly and compleatly Root and Branch so that no part of it and no degree of it shall Perfectly ever be found in their hearts any more This shall be done in the very moment of death when we come to the dissolution of soul and body we shall then come to the perfect dissolution of all hardness and of all remaining sinfulness of heart Quest 2. Now to the second question why the Lord will take away the stony Why God takes away the stony heart and that by promise The Lord will do it that They may be his people heart from his people and why he himself doth undertake it by promise Sol. The Lord will take away the heart of stone from his people That First They may be his people and receive him for their God and Lord Beloved as long as hardness of heart prevails on any people it is impossible that they should become the people of the Lord they will not hearken to his voice nor obey his voice nor receive his Laws nor fall in with his offers and entreaties but will reject his Word and despise his counsel and will follow the lusts of their own hearts and therefore of necessity the Lord must take away the hardness of heart if he will have any people to be his people he must break down the pride and stoutness and resistance
them When did you ever see any ungodly hardened sinner judging himself for his hard heart and begging of the Lord to heal it or willingly applying himself to a 〈◊〉 heart-breaking Ministery c. SECT II. Vse 1. DOth the Lord promise that he will take away the stony heart from his people and doth he really do so in his time Hence it will follow First Then they are none of the people of God whose stony heart doth They are none of the people of God whose hard heart is not removed still abide in them and compleatly raign in them and then in what a wofull condition are many people â— fear amongst our selves e. g. All those who are unsensible of their sinful estate all those who incorrigibly go on in their sinful wayes all those who were never wrought on by the Word of Christ all those who oppose and reject and slight the Word in the threatnings and precepts thereof all those who do continue impenitent and unbelieving notwithstanding all the offers and invitations of grace c. Secondly Then no marvel that the people of God are of another spirit and The people of God are of another spirit than other men of another temper than the common sort of people are that they dare not run into the same excesse of riot with others nor live so as other men do live that they are so much altered as to themselves Heretofore they were frequent in swearing and now they fear an oath heretofore they made nothing of great transgressions and now a small sin even a little neglect carelesness remisness doth exceedingly disquiet and deject their hearts heretofore they could neglect the Word as well as others and scoff at it and refuse to be ordered by it but now they stand in awe of the Word they are presently bound up by it and wholly moulded and fashioned and ruled by it The reason of all this is because God doth take away the hardnesse of our hearts c. Thirdly Then it is no sign of an evil estate to be troubled for our own sins or for the sins of others David did water his couch for his own sins Psal 6. 6. It is no sign of an evil state to be troubled for our sins And rivers of tears did fall from his eyes for the sins of other men Psal 119. 136. When your former sins are your grief and your present sins are your burden and future sins are your fear and other mens sins are your sorrow this is a clear evidence that the stony heart is taken away and therefore you stand in relation to God as his people To sin and not to be troubled for sin is a sign of an hard heart and of an evil condition but to fear sin and to be grieved for sinning this is a signe of a changed and broken heart They are not to be blamed who oppose Heresies and blaspâ—emies Fourthly Then it is very unjust to accuse and discountenance any of the people of God as ill affected for this reason only Because they do oppose the Heresâ—es and blasphemies of these times and because they doe so earnestly contend for the Gospel and Ordinances of Christ by Prayers and tears and speaking and writing c. Why are you angry with them that God hath taken away from them the heart of stone must we be sensible of Gods dishonour or must we not And if if Christ wept at the hardness of heart in Jerusalem because she would not receive the Gospel is there not much more reason to weep and pray because of the hardness nay of the desperateness of any man who endeavours to pull down and extirpate the Gospel I say the Gospel in which all the love and goodness of God is revealed and in which all the glory of Christ is interested and in which all the salvation of poor sinners souls is so necessarily concerned Vse 2. Will the Lord take away the heart of stone from his people what Blesse God for this cause then have those people to bless the Lord who do find this cure wrought in their hearts O it is an unspeakable mercy and favour whether you respect the evil from which you are delivered or else the good which falls in upon the removal of hardness of heart First If that you do consider the evill from which you are delivered by being In respect of the evil from which you are delivered delivered from an hard hâ—art One saith it is the greatest sin in the world another saith it is the greatest judgement in the world Certainly it is one of the strongest holds of sin and it was the hardness of heart which kept up all the power of your sins and all the sinful practâ—ses it was the foundation of your long impenitency you had long ere this repented had not your hearts been hardned If the Lord had not in wonderful mercy by his exceeding power of grace taken away the hardness of your hearts your souls would never have been brought in to Christ but you would have gon on in your sins and dyed in your sins and been damned for your sins And yet again that after the long reâ—stance of Gods grace offers of mercy callings of the Gospel strivings and resistings of his Spirit the Lord shall pass by all this and mercifully cure thy foolish proud stout self-destroying soul O what mercy was this and what grace was this And the good which falls in with it Secondly If you do likewise consider the good which falls in upon the removal of hardness of heart certainly you have great cause to blesse God c. e. g. 1. An immediate receptivity or capacity to have the Law or will of God written and engraven on your hearts Simile as when the wax is softned it is thereby made capable of any impression 2. A spring of repentance is set up in the heart to bewail all our sins and transgressions and fear to transgress any more 3. An obediential principle appears in making of us ready and willing to comply with the precepts of God liberty and ability c. 4. The great work of Faith to receive the Lord Jesus into our hearts 5. Affectionate communions with God and a special delight in his presence and Ordinances and Services 6. A liberty and confidences in our accesses unto the throne of grace 7. In one word a newnesse of heart and a newness of relation unto God as our God and Father All these flow in upon the soul when God takes away the hardness of the heart and in time all the good of the Covenant and therefore unquestionably you have great obligations lying on your hearts to blesse God if he doth take away the hardness of your hearts Object I will some say no question it is a great blessing to be delivered from an hard heart but we feare it is not so with us for we finde sometimes such 1. A strange indisposition to what is good 2.
A marvellous unsensibleness and cannot mourn for our sins 3. No delight in communion with God cannot pray Sol. For your help in these cases know First Melancholy is one thing and hardness of heart is another thing Melancholy breeds an indisposition to all works Religious and Civil unfit to Pray and unfit to Trade But hardness of heart is rather an opposition than an indisposition Melancholy indisposeth for a time for a fit but when that is off the soul is free again Secondly Indisposition from temptation is one thing and from affection is another Temptations may deject the heart and distract it but these are grievous and burdensome to the soul Thirdly Indisposition is absolute no heart at all or comparative not so full free quick and lively as at sometimes Fourthly Constant And transient approved resisted and bewailed And to that of unmournfulness First There is direct grief and there is reflexive grief a mourning because we cannot mourn Secondly There is dolor voluntatis which is displeasing and dolor passionis which is vexing this not alwayes nor always alike Thirdly Though you finde not your hearts so mournful yet you have hearts to beseech the Lord to give a Spirit of mourning Zach. 12. 10. We cannot pray First What not at all never no desires Secondly Not at sometimes with that freedom fulness chearfulness uninterruptedness Thirdly Yet you will pray you will look up Fourthly Three things may comfort and quiet you though you cannot pray with that earnestness and enlargedness yet if you can can pray 1. With a believing heart 2ly With an humble heart in the sense of it 3ly With a sincere heart and desire God will accept you SECT III. Vse 3. DOth the Lord himself undertake to take away the heart of stone from They who partake of this mercy should beware of hardning themselves again his people O then let all such who are the people of God whose hearts God hath cured of this Spiritual disease of hardnesse let them in a special manner beware that they suffer not their hearts to harden themselves again Perhaps this may be a word in season to some of us this day who have lost our former tenderness of heart and do now find a strong obduration upon our spirits and we know not therefore what to think of our selves and conditions With your favour I will speak three things unto this Case 1. The real Symptomes of an heart harding in a godly man 2. The sadness of that condition 3. Directions in this case for recovery I. The real Symptomes of an heart hardning in a godly man Symptomes of it Listlestness to the Ordinances First A listlestnesse of heart to the Ordinances the man hath not that flying spirit unto them Simile flies not as Doves to the windows nor that hungring spirit after them as heretofore he longs not for a Sabbath nor doth his soul complain for his appointed food It is with him as with a man on whom a disease is seasing his stomack begins to fail him and he mindes not his meat as he was wont to do So it is with a good man on whom hardness of heart is seasing the Ordinances are not so precious and dear to him as heretofore he falls in the high estimation of them and in the wonted affectionateness of them and the man can miss many a Sermon quietly and neglect any Ordinance Ah friend remember from whence thou art falling consider whither thou art going Hardness is growing when carelesness is rising c. Secondly A flatness of spirit under the Ordinances The time was that the Flatness of spirit under Ordinances mans heart was to the Word as wax to the seal every part of the world would have wrought and imprinted something on his heart a threatning would have startled him a Precept would have guided him a promise would have revived him there was ordinarily a vigour and warmth falling from the Ordinances upon his heart But now his heart is chill and cold and formal and dead under the means of life he is little or nothing stirred or moved He comes and hears the sound of the Word but he seldome meets with the power of the Word there is not that mourning nor joy nor fear nor trusting as formerly Divine Precepts do not quicken his heart Divine Promises do not establsh his heart Divine Exhortations do not encourage and enlarge his heart Divine Tryals and discourses do not make him to search his heart Divine Rewards do not affect and open his heart as heretofore they have done Thirdly A carelesnesse of mind after the Ordinances Heretofore when the man had heard the Word home he would go and retire himself and consider Careiesnesse of mind after Ordinances and confess and pray and bless the Lord Lord in such a Point thou didest discover my sin and failing O pardon and heal me in another thou didst clear my doubts be pleased still to settle and quiet my soul in another Point thou didst shew me more of my work O now grant unto thy servant more of thy strength in another Point thou didst raise my faith and comfort my soul my soul did therefore love and bless thee You would not imagine what pains the man took with a Sermon after a Sermon what wrestlings with God what tears and cries to take out the lessons of God to be cast into the mould of every Divine Truth O but now it is not so with him he hath quickly done with the Word after he hath read or heard the Word the Word doth not dwell with him nor go home with him he is seldom in after Meditations in after Applications in after Supplications The Word of God comes and goes is heard and laid aside perhaps the man speaks a little of it but mindes it not as a Message or Errand from God to him Fourthly A remisnesse concerning private duties when these begin either to Remisness in private duties be omitted or seldomly to be performed rather out of course than Conscience without that intentiveness of minde and without the labour of the heart and affections which God requires and which the Christian formerly found and expressed v. g. The Christians confessions were wont to be with singular sense of sin compunction and brokenness of heart judgings mournings shames and condemnings of himself his Prayers were wont to be strong cries importunate wrestlings vehement strivings and pleadings in the name of Christ humble urgings and pressings of the promises of God unsatisfiable thirsts after mercies graces comforts O but now they are not so or are very seldom so This poor Christian is scarce sensible of the sins which he doth now confess and scarce apprehensive of any Spiritual good which he seems to crave he doth not insist on these with his ancient affections and ancient expectations he seemes to be satisfied with what he doth and not with what he desireth Ah friend when the edge and fervor of the spirit is gone
apprehension thy heart is more hardned yet pray and yet pray that God would heal thy back-slidings Praise the Lord in the Name of Christ presenting his Covenant unto him wherein he promiseth to take away the heart of stone And this contains in it not only the natural or original hardness of heart but also the accidental contracted hardness by his people the Covenant of taking away the heart of stone extends to both of them O Lord cure this hardning as well as the former hardness I have hardned the heart which thou hast softned O do thou soften the heart which I have hardned revive thy work and quicken my almost dead heart restore my soul and recover my ancient estimations affections tenderness love fear care zeal c. Thirdly If the Lord at length begins to make thy heart to relent by Bless God for any softning his Word or by his Rod or by his Spirit O bless his Name He is come he is come said the Martyr so c. get thee into a corner help on the spring pump the water when the water comes enlarge thy confession abound now in supplications Fourthly Be earnest with God to pardon thee and to give thee assurance of the pardoning Be earnest for pardon and assurance of this hardning and be importunate with him for it I tell thee such a gracious assurance will presently soften and melt thy soul assuredly raise and restore thy soul to those careful and tender communions with God and watchful walking with him Fifthly When you are recovered then bless God and keep up tenderness Keep up tenderness of heart of heart and beware of suffering hardnesse to grow upon your hearts again Quest What is to be done for this Sol. I answer First Never trust hardning causes any more as Eliphas spake in Joh. 15. Never trust hardning causes 31. Let not him that is deceived trust in vanity for vanity shall be his recompence After your great humblings and prayings and wrestlings and prevailings with God do not now go and tamper with sinne and sinful occasions again and do not go and over-world your selves again and do not go and renew familiarity with wicked company again and do not neglect the Ordinances any more c. If you do you will harden your hearts more than ever Secondly If at any time you do espy any hardness creeping and rising Resist hardness returning upon your spirits O make a present resistance and wrestle against it even unto present victory When you pray if you finde coldness and formality in your spirit O stirre up Prayer stirre up the heart and stirre up the graceâ— Simile blow the spark break the ice when it begins to harden c. Thirdly Be often in the search of your hearts and keep a daily and Search your hearts often strict watch over them and your ways Blessed is the man that feareth always Prov. 28. 14. Fourthly Constantly and seriously attend the Ordinances which do beget Attend the Ordinances and preserve and encrease softness and tenderness of heart Ezek. 36. 26. And I will give you an heart of flesh I Have finished two Propositions already from these words viz. 1. That there is a natural hardness in every mans heart 2. That God will take away that stonynesse or hardnesse of heart from his people I shall now proceed unto the third and last Proposition from the Text which is this CHAP. XI God gives a heart of flesh Doct. 3. THat God will not only take away the heart of stone from his people All the people of God have a softned heart given them but also he will give them an heart of flesh or that all the people of God have soft and tender hearts given unto them And by the way before I insist upon this Point observe two things 1. That Gods works in restoring and renewing of man are noâ— terminated in Privatives or Negatives but they are Positive also and Collative Evill is removed and good contrary to that evill comes in the place of it He doth take away the old heart and also he gives a new heart he takes away the heart of stone and also he gives an heart of flesh He takes away ignorance and gives knowledge he takes away pride and gives humility God is a wise and perfect Agent he will not only deface and abolish Satans Image but also he will repair his own Image he will not only root up what is evil but also he will plant and lay foundations and build up Therefore have a care of your selves that you be not deceived in the judgement of your conditions you are not so wicked as you were but what good is wrought in your hearts what contrary quality unto the former evil c 2. That as to the conversion or change of the sinner all the work rests on God he doth all he works all if the heart of stone be to be removed he must do that work he must take it away and if the heart of flesh be to be enjoyed he must also do that work he must give unto us the heart of flesh power against evil and power to any good all from God we are the Patients he is the Agent we are the receivers he is the giver you cannot take away the hardness of your own hearts nor can you give unto your selves an heart of flesh both of them are the work of God These things being briefly premised I now come to the Proposition it self viz. That the people of God are the people of soft and tender hearts God gives unto them unto every one of them an heart of flesh i. e. a tender and soft heart An heart of flesh in this place stands in opposition to the heart of stone to the unsensible unmournful stubborn unyielding resisting heart and it notes a sensible mourning relenting yielding complying tender teachable and tractable heart But for the opening of this excellent Point I shall discusse these three Questions 1. What this heart of flesh is what this soft and tender heart is 2. How it may appear that the people of God are a people of soft and tender hearts 3. Why the Lord gives such an heart to all his people SECT I. Quest 1. VVHat this heart of flesh is or what the soft and tender What a heart of flesh is heart is Sol. To understand this you must remember that there is a fourfold softness A fourfold softness or tenderness First One is Natural and this is that which we call commonly a good nature Natural and tender disposition and a softly spirit on which any thing is apt to work any harsh word any sad news any affliction any cross any thing that hath the notion of calamitous or grievous This tenderness or softnes is not the soft heart here in the Text for 1. It is no heavenly quality nor is it let in by heavenly means a man never got this tenderness by praying or
hearing or reading or meditating c. 2. It is such a softness as leaves a person in as great a pliableness nay greater to evil than to good You may as soon draw them to an Ale house and Play-house and Gaming-house as to Gods house they cannot deny their friend and request c. 3. Notwithstanding this softness and tenderness yet a mans heart remains spiritually hardned for take me this soft natured person which can weep almost at every thing and put him upon mourning for his sins for his long ignorance for his manifold profaness for his exceeding unprofitableness under the means of grace why this soft-natured man now cannot shed a tear and is ordinarily so far from relenting and mourning that even his heart riseth against what you speak and is extreamly incensed c. Secondly The second is Moral which ariseth from education and learning Moral and is of that force as to restrain and civilize and scowre off the barbarous rudeness of spirit and behaviour and trims up the person to a gentleness of conversation but neither is this the heart of flesh in the Text for 1. This is but an outward and seeming softness 2. If any thing of it may be said to be inward yet it flows not from any work of grace but from the Rules of Moral Philosophy admitted iâ—to the understanding as fit to be received and practised for a mans reputation in the world 3. It is Humane and not Divine it is a tenderness to respect men when all this while there is a stubbornness and resistance and unyieldingness and a constant irrespectiveness to God and his will and ways Thirdly The third is a legal tenderness which is the yielding tenderness Legal and pliableness of the heart under the sense of Gods dreadful wrath for sin what will not a sinner do in such a case he will pray and hear and forbear and do what God will have him to do and forsake what God will have him forsake but this is not the heart of flesh neither for 1. This is but anguish of heart it is not tenderness of heart 2. This will off when anguish is off like Iron that is softned in the fire when the fire is taken away it grows more hard Pharaoh yet hardned his heart more when God gave him some respite 3. The sinner is quickly weary of this tenderness and would with all his heart be rid of it but so it is not in the right softness 4. The fourth is Evangelical tenderness or softness of heart and this Evangelical is a gracious temper of heart given or formed by God himself whereby the whole soul becomes meâ—â—ing and yielding and pliable flexible to God in respect of his Attributes Word and Works here observe First It is a gracious temper or frame of heart no man hath it but first It is a gracious temper he partakes of the Spirit of grace his heart is converted and renewed by grace before the work of grace the heart is stubborn and rebellious disobedient and gain-saying the natural man is a child of disobedience as well as of wrath he is stiffe-necked and unto every good work reprobate but when grace enters into the heart now his heart is changed and subdued and mollified and is easie to be intreated and is ready to take any impression that God will stamp upon it Acts 10. 33. We are all here present before God to hear all things commanded thee of God Secondly It is a temper or frame of heart it is not an occasional and transient A temper of heart work but an inherent and permanent and fixed work upon the soul Simile even wicked and hardned sinners may have some fits and appearances of softness as some hard stones in change of weather appear to be moist Pharaoh under some of Gods judgements did relent and Ahab under those sharp threatnings of God did humble himself and Felix upon the hearing of Paul did tremble and the Israelitet in their distress did cover the Altar with tears and Judas with the terror of conscience did repent but these were fits and passions only they did not last and abide on their hearts when exigences were off their natural hardness appeared again It is not thus when God gives an heart of flesh i. e. a tender and soft heart for this dwells and reigns and continues in all estates in all changes in perplexity and in adversity in freedom and in danger under blessings as well as under afflictions Thirdly It is such a temper whereby the whole heart becomes a melting and By it the heart becomes melting and yielding yielding heart and pliable and flexible the Scripture calls it sometimes a contrite heart Psal 51. 17. sometimes a trembling heart Isa 66. 2. sometimes a tender heart 2 Chron. 34. 27. sometimes a mourning heart Zach. 12. 10 11. sometimes an obedient heart Rom. 6. 17. sometimes an heart that bows and stoops to receive the Word of God Deut. 33. 3. And this softness and pliableness spreads over the whole soul when God gives an heart of flesh It spreads over the whole soul First The mind is willing to see and to be taught and know the mind of God his will his way his work concerning us Teach me thy truth and teach me thy way and teach me thy will saith David Psal 27. 11. Let us go up to the house of the Mountain of the Lord to the house of the God of Jacob and he will teach us of his ways and we will walk in his paths Isa 2. 3. Secondly The judgement is willing and ready to assent and to acknowledge the truths and commands of God the Law is good and holy said Paul Rom. 7. I esteem thy precepts to be right said David Psal 1 19. Thirdly The will is made tender and pliable I will keep thy statutes Psal 119. 8. I will run the way of thy Commandments Ver. 32. The Lord is our God and him will we serve Josh 24. 18. Fourthly All the affections are tender and pliable O what propensions to mourn for sin they that escape of them shall be on the Mountains as Doves of the Valley all of them mourning every one for his iniquity Ezek. 7. 16. and so a tender fear they fear the Lord and his goodness Hosea 3. 5. a tender love a tender delight c. Fourthly This frame of tenderness and softness appears towards God This tenderness appears towards God 1. In respect of his Attributes His mercifulness melts the heart and leads it to Repentance his goodness melts and draws it to more obedience his greatness and power and wisdom awes the heart O who would not fear and serve such a God 2. In respect of his Word Promises work on the heart and threatnings and precepts and reproofs the promises draw and raise the soft heart threatnings awaken and awe the soft heart precepts direct and bind the soft heart reproofs do pierce and recover and
mend the soft heart 3. In respect of the Works and Dealings of God all of them make impression on the soft heart those of mercy and those of judgement those of blessing those of affliction they all work kindly Fifthly The Author and Cause of all this is God himself Job 23. 16. God is the Author of it God maketh my heart soft Zach. 12. 10. They shall look on him whom they have pierced and they shall mourn c. The Lord doth give this soft and tender heart when he doth effectually call and convert a sinner as you may see in Pauls conversion and thus you see what the heart of flesh is what a soft and tender heart is SECT II. Quest 2. NOW to the second Question How it may appear that the people of How this appears God are people of soft and tender hearts First By Instances all the Scripture over I will mention some David was By Instances a godly man and he was a man of a soft and tender heart when he did cut off the lap of Sauls garment his heart smote him as soon as Abigal spake with him he was with-drawn from his rash and dangerous resolution Nathan spake but one word unto him Thou art the man and presently he is struck I have sinned and that made him to water his couch with tears Josiah was a godly man and he was a man of a soft and tender heart see 2 Chron. 34. 27. Because thine heart was tender and thou didst humble thy self before God when thou heardest his words against this place and against the Inhabitants thereof and humbledst thy self before me and didst rent thy cloaths and weep before me c. Joseph was so both to God Gen. 39. 9. How can I do wickedness c and to Man How tender to his father and brethren Job was so and so was Peter on whom one look of Christ did work so kindly that he went out and wept bitterly What should I speak of Jehoshaphat Hezekiah Nehemiah Ezra Daniel or of Paul or of the Corinthians 2 Cor. 3. 3. Ye are the Epistle of Christ written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God not in tables of stone but in fleshly tables of the heart nay see more of this softness and tenderness 2 Cor. 7. 11. Behold this same thing that ye sorrowed after a godly sort what carefulness it wrought in you yea what clearing of your selves yea what indignation yea what fear yea what vehement desire c. Secondly By Practice and there are eight things appearing in their By Practice practice which do shew that they are persons of soft and tender hearts First Quick apprehensions even of a frown and of Gods displeasure afar Quick apprehensions off in the beginnings in the threatnings in a with-drawment in any stop or estrangedness of communion and visits and unusualness in these cases presently the heart of them begins to misgive and fear Is all well is not the Lord angry He looks not on me I hear not from him as formerly Have not I offended him c Secondly Easie convictions A reproof saith Solomon Prov. 17. 10. entereth Easie Convictions more into a wise man than an hundred stripes into a fool and so doth any conviction if the people of God have sinned Christs look to Peter Nathans word to David sometimes a glance an hint a passage in a Sermon or in Discourse is enough for conscience is very tender and takes presently and yields and confesseth c. Great griefs for lesser trespasses Thirdly Great griefs for lesser trespasses Great sins trouble not an hard heart Simile no more than the nettles and thorns do the hardned hand but little sins do exceedingly trouble the hearts of the godly being soft and tender Simile if a mote fall into the eye it causeth vexation because the eye is tender the omission of duty the coldness of performance distraction in services vain and idle thoughts unprofitable words losing of time sit heavily upon the hearts of Gods people c. Fourthly Special care of sure warrant for special actions They must have Care of sure warrant for special actions a light and a voice going before them This is the way Walk in it May I do this and may I do that Doth the Lord command such a work and doth he enjoyn me and am I sure and clear that I do not transgress if I should venture upon it Fifthly Wise Caution in doubtfuls Where if the work or way seems doubtfully Caution in doubtfuls good or doubtfully evil the godly person makes a pause a stand a stop he dares not to act boystrously if it be but a perhaps it is evil but a perhaps God may be dishonoured or his Gospel prejudiced he will abstain untill he gets more light to clear his steps as Job offered sacrifice in the case of perhaps Sixthly Present obedience When God commands no delays no shufflings Present obedience no consultings with flesh and blood their hearts are indeed at Gods command I made haste and delayed not to keep thy Commandments Psal 119. 60. You need not use many arguments and perswasions to the people of God a word of Gods command is of easie authority c. Seventhly And Choice obedience they would serve the Lord with their spirits Choice obedience Rom. 1. 9. and seek him with their whole hearts Psal 119. 10. and serve him acceptably with reverence and godly fear Hebr. 12. 28. and love him with all their might Eighthly Earnest supplications that they might not offend or if they have Earnest supplications offended that they might not offend so David Keep thy servant from presumptuous sins Psal 19. 13. Let not any iniquity have dominion over me Psal 119. 133. And in case of offence O take away iniquity I have sinned I have done exceeding foolishly O Lord forgive be merciful unto my transgressions heal my back-slidings return in mercy speak peace whence is all this but from the tenderness of their hearts Simile they cannot live out of doors under frowns having any difference 'twixt their God and their souls no more than the tender wife or child c. Quest 3. Why the Lord gives a heart of flesh a soft and tender heart to his Why God gives a heart of flesh Four reasons of it people Sol. The Reasons may be these which I will but mention First God will teach them they shall be taught of God and write his Law in their inward parts Ergo. Secondly His people must be his servants they must serve the Lord their God be at his command to do his will and his work Ergo. Thirdly They must be like unto their God and Father and have a nature answerable to his nature God is a God of very merciful nature very tender and gentle easie to be entreated and if I may so say to be wrought on sometimes a prayer works on him sometimes a tear sometimes
a groan and sigh Fourthly That they may walk without offence to God and man tenderness of heart is a ground of circumspection and holy jealousie and that is a ground of unblameable walking not to do any thing willingly by which God may be dishonoured or men justly offended SECT III. Vse 1. DOth God give unto all his people in Covenant a soft and tender Tryal whether we have such a heart heart a heart of flesh Let us then carefully survey and search our hearts whether God hath bestowed on them this heavenly quality this Jewel this Covenant-grace of softness or tenderness of heart This Point is of wonderful consequence and therefore I must carefully dispense it and manage it which shall be in this manner 1. Convictions in a privative way that many persons are utterly destitute of spiritual softness of heart 2. Convictions in a defective way that many persons deceive themselves with a false softness of heart 3. Demonstrations of the manifold miseries incumbent upon and incident unto all persons destitute of softness of heart 4. Testimonies and true Characters of a heart really softned by grace 1. Convictions in a privative way that many persons are utterly Convictions that many are destitute of it By the disposition of their hearts to sin Six things shew this Easiness to sin destitute of spiritual softness of heart First By the disposition of their hearts unto sin by which only God is offended and grieved and dishonoured yet there are six things evidently appearing in in many men about sin which shew that there is no spiritual softness or tenderness of heart in them at all v. g. First Easiness to sin Solomon speaks of some who will transgress for a piece of bread Prov. 28. 21. The Prophet speaking of Ephraim saith that he willingly walked after the commandment Hosea 5. 11. Ahab sold himself to work wickedness 1 Kings 21. 25. Judas goes and offers himself to betray Christ Matth. 26. 15 16. and the chief Priests and Captains were glad Luke 22. 5. When a small temptation is bait and hire enough but a look but a thought but a word and the man is presently ready to sin hath he a soft and tender heart to fear the Lord any temptation will master him nay he will sin without a temptation Secondly Boldness in sinning When a person makes no bones of great transgressions Boldness in sinning but can sin with an high hand and dares to venture on presumptuous sins and yet is not ashamed at all Isa 3. 9. They declare their sin as Sodom they hide it not Jerem. 6. 5. Were they ashamed when they had committed abominations nay they were not at all ashamed neither could they blush When people can swear and for-swear and curse and blaspheme and commit whoredom and steal and oppress and lye and murder and with the Whore in the Proverbs Wipe their mouths and say What evil have I done doth this shew the least of tenderness of heart which quakes at lesser iniquities Thirdly Joy and delight in sinning Solomon speaks of such who rejoyce to Delight in sinning do evil Prov. 2. 14. and the Prophet in Isa 66. 3. Their soul delighteth in their abominations and the Apostle in Phil. 3. 19. Whose glory is in their shame and the Psalmist Ps 10 3. The wicked boasteth of his hearts desire Who can say that any man hath a tender heart least he should sin and after he hath sinned who makes his very sins the object of his delight and joy and rejoycing and boasting such a time of his filthiness another time of his drunkenness c Fourthly Diffusion or spreading of sin of such Solomon speaks Prov. 4. 16. Spreading of sin They sleep not except they have done mischief and their sleep is taken away unless they cause some to fall like Jeroboam the son of Nebat which made Israel to sin 1 Kings 16. 26. or like Manasseh who made Judah and the Inhabitants of Jerusalem to erre 2 Chron. 33. 9. or like the Whore in the Proverbs With much fair speech she caused him to yield with the flattering of her lips she forced him Prov. 7. 21. O where is this softness and tendeâ—ness of heart when it sufficeth us not all alone to offend and anger and dishonour the Lord but we will also cause others to sin against the Lord draw others to drunkenness and uncleanness seduce others to errors and profaness make others to neglect Ordinances and duties to break the Sabbath to steal and purloine to lie and forswear themselves c. Fifthly Progresse in sin to go from evil to worse not only to multiply sins Progresse in sin in several kinds but to heighten and raise sins in further degrees and still to step on further in sinful wayes to be like Ezekiels waters which did rise from the ancle to the feet from the feet to the knees and then into a river Or as the Prophet spake Isa 2. 7. There is no end of their Charets so there is no end of their sinning but they overflow in wickedness and revolt more and more and adde drunkenness to thirst Sixthly Vnalterable resolution to sin when men will not forsake their sins but Unalterable resolution to sin will hold them fast and will not cease from evil though the Lord expresly threatens them and although the Lord punisheth others for the same sins nay although the Lord doth in eminent manner judge them themselves and punish them for their wicked doings as in Amos 4. 6 7 8 c. and made them sick in smiting of them and desolate because of their sins Micah 6. 13. Who can say that these obstinate and perverse sinners who dare thus to contend with God himself and will try to the utmost and provoke him when he inflicts his wrath on them for provoking of him have in them the least degree or pretence of softness and tenderness of heart Secondly By the carriage of their hearts towards the Word of God which is such By their carriage towards the word as palpably proclaimes they have no spiritual softness or tenderness of heart and that appears in four particulars First They care not to know it nor to be taught by it the mind and will of God They care not to know it Job 21. 14. They say unto God depart from us for we desire not the knowledge of thy wayes Hose 8. 12. I have written unto them the great things of my Law but they were accounted aâ— a strange thing Prov. 1. 23. Though the Lord saith I will make known my words unto you yet ver 24. they regarded not but ver 29. they hated knowledge Let him that hath an ear hear what the spirit saith to the Churches Rev. 2. 7. Be swift to hear James 1. 19. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom Col 3. 16. Come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord to the house of the God of
and with this hedge hath our portion been secured Yet this Providential mercy and goodness of God doth not work kindly and effectually on the hearts of many men no penitential plyableness and obedience at all Hos 11. â— I drew them with cords of a man with bands of love and I was to them as they that take off the yoke on their jaws and laid meat unto them Ver. 5. But they refused to return Rom. 2. 4. Despisest thou the riches of the goodness and forbearance and longsuffering of God not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance ver 5. But after thy hardness and impenitent heart c. Nay instead of yielding unto and complying with God by reason of his good hand of blessing many sinners do therefore grow more disobedient and wicked I spake unto thee in thy prosperity but thou saydst I wilt not hear Jer. 22. 21. Deut. 32. 15. But Jesuron waxed fat and kicked then he forsook God which made him and lightly esteemed the Rock of his Salvation Secondly Gods merciful Treaties The Lord sends the Gospel unto a people His merciful Treaties and by that sets open his Mercy-seat and sets up his Throne of Grace and proclaims himself to be the Lord the Lord gracious and merciful in goodness and truth and by it reports unto sinners that he hath raised up an horn of salvation for them that he hath out of his infinite love sent his own Son Jesus Christ into the world to save sinners and that whosoever believes on him shall not perish but have everlasting life And he offers his Christ unto sinners invites them commands them earnestly urgeth them to come unto him to receive him to believe on him and assures them of the pardon of all their sins and of eternal life nay intimates clearly that though they have no worthiness yet they may come and drink of the water of life freely O what merciful dealing is this and yet after all this the hearts of many sinners are no more stirred or drawn than the stones or Rocks Who hath believed our report saith the Prophet Who hath believed our report said Christ Matth. 23. 37. Who hath believed our report said the Apostle Sinners are not gathered and ye will not come unto me that ye might have life Joh. 5. 40. Thirdly Gods merciful Strivings what he offers by his Word he presseth the His merciful Strivings same ofttimes by his Spirit who follows our hearts with one work after another with Humiliation and then with Conviction and then with Pulsation and Excitation the Spirit of God doth ofttimes make sinners to see their sins and their need of Christ and that their life and health and hope is oâ—ly in him and in no other Name and that they shall certainly perish and be damned if they believe not nay he troubles their Consciences and sets them a work to regard Jesus Christ and to comply with his excellent self and gracious offers and yet all this is lost many sinners harden their hearts and will not put their necks into his yoke they will not have him to raign over them Fourthly Gods merciful waitings The Lord doth not presently take the denial His merciful Waitings and forfeiture but waits that he may be gracious comes to the door again renews the offer sends one servant and a second and a third gives yet more time he waits thus on sinners more than three years sometimes more than twenty years sometimes more than fourty years sometimes more than sixty years for so long and perhaps longer doth he continue his Gospel to them yet after all his patient waiting many sinners do continue as they were ignorant proud obstinate impudent and unbelieving and are not drawn either by the goodnesse or by the patience of his grace Fithly Gods merciful warnings when all this works not on sinners then the His merciful Warnings Lord gives notice unto them that if they will not hearken unto his voice of mercy he will forsake them he will give them up unto their own hearts lust and they shall perish and never enter into his rest Joh. 8. 24. If ye believe not that I am he ye shall dye in your sins Hebr. 2. 2. If the word spoken by Angels was stedfast and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward ver 3. How shall we escape if we neglect such great salvation which at the first began to be spoken of by the Lord Heb. 12. 25. See that ye refuse not him that speaketh for if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth much more shall not we escape if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven And yet all the warnings of God that he will not bear any longer that he will close up the day of grace that refusers of his grace in Christ shall not escape but shall receive a just recompence of reward for their disobedience I say all these move not many sinners at all but though they must die in their sins perish and be damned for their unbelief yet will they not yeild to come to Christ Sixthly Gods merciful recoilings or repentings i. e. when the Lord being so His merciful Repentings contemned and provoked by proud and obstinate sinners draws out his wrath and is now ready to execute vengeance on them that obey not his Gospel his hand is even stretched out to destroy yet his bowels work within him and his mercy prevails with his justice for a little forbearance and trial Luk. 13. 7. Behold these three yeers I come seeking fruit on this figtree and find none cut it down O Lord let it alone this year also c. Hose 11. 8. How shall I give thee up Ephraim how shall I deliver thee Israel how shall I make thee as Admah how shall I set thee as Zeboim mine heart is turned within me my repentings are kindled together ver 9. I will not execute the fiercenesse of mine anger I will not return to destroy Ephraim for I am God and not man Nevertheless though God repents of his wrath yet how few do repent of their sins they do not return to the Lord nor seek him for all this by all which it doth evidently appear that many sinners are destitute of all spiritual softness and tenderness of heart 2ly The convictions in a defective way that many persons do deceive Convictions that many deceive themselves in a false softness themselves with a false softness of heart There are six sorts of softness or tenderness of heart with which many do deceive themselves instead of this true spirituall softness of heart v. g. 1. Exigential softness 2. The Legal softness 3. The Partial softness 4. The Temporary softness 5. Worldly softness 6. The Desperate softness and tenderness First The Exigential softness and tenderness I mean that which ariseth only from fear of punishment as in Ahabs case or from that present sense of
are out of Covenant God is not their God nor are they his people For God doth give unto all his people in Covenant an heart They are out of Covenant of flesh i. e. a soft and tender heart Now remember that as it is our only happiness to have God to be our God Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord so it is our greatest misery to be none of the people of God not to have the loving God to be our God not to have the merciful God the pardoning blessing comforting saving God to be our God Thirdly It cannot but be a most dreadful and reproachful frame of heart To be at an utter incompliance with God and contradiction unto his will his will They are at an uâ—â—er incompliance with God being a Holy Good Righteous Perfect Soveraign will unto which every creature should yield What would you think of that Child or of that Servant who casts off all acknowledgement of a Father or of a Master and will not own their commands but will set up their own wills against their wills Mal 1. 6. If I be a Father where is my honour And if I be a Master where is my fear So what should we think of those men but as of a company of Atheists who will not acknowledge the Lord God and will not obey his voice but reject his Word and despise his Counsels Fouthly It seems to be a very hopelesse and desperate condition and ripe for destruction when no word of God doth a man any good and no blessings do him It is a hopeless condition any good and no afflictions do him any good but still he goes on in his wickedness still he refuseth Christ still he is unmoved and unperswaded why what will the end of this man be at the last Fifthly Although nothing doth this sinner good yet he must be accountable to God He must be accountable to God for all means for all the means which have been used to do him good and he shall be judged of the Lord because his hard heart hath received no good by them God will call him to an account for every disobedience to every command of God and for his slighting of every request and warning and threatning of his Word and for neglecting and refusing every offer of Christ c. Sixthly A sinner that is destitute of all spiritual softness and tenderness he is He is in danger of every temptation in danger of the powerful efficacy of every great temptation which may easily prevail upon an heart void of Spiritual tenderness For as a man is preserved from lesser sins when there is tenderness in his heart so he is open and obnoxious to great sins where there is no tenderness of heart And verily that he doth not upon every temptation and occasion fall into great sins it is not because the sins are great and that God will be greatly dishonoured by them but only because of shame and trouble which may befall him Seventhly He can never be recovered out of his lost estate by repentance and faith till his heart be softned 4ly The Testimonies or Characters of a heart Spiritually Characters of a heart spiritually soft and tender soft and tender Now I come to the discovering evidences by which we may know whether we have indeed the hearts of flesh i. e. the soft and tender hearts which God hath promised to give unto his people in Covenant If there be such a soft and tender heart given unto us it will appear 1. By our behaviour toward sin 2. By the special activities in Conscience 3. By the respectiveness of our hearts to the Word of God 4. By the sense and expressions of our soules in the cases of Gods honour and dishonour 5. By the performance of our duties both for matter and manner 6. By the temper of our spirits in times of temptation First If you have hearts Spiritually soft and tender this will appear by the disposition and behaviour of your heart towards sin v. g. The disposition of our hearts towards sin Shame for sin First Shame for sin one of a soft heart is ashamed of sin and for sin as one who is ashamed of any deformity in his body or of any thing that is a reproach and dishonour unto his name Ezra 9. 6. O my God I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face unto thee my God for our iniquities are increased over our heads and our trespasses are grown up to the heavens Here are two expressions directly contrary to those in hardned sinners mentioned Jer. 6. 15. Were they ashamed when they had committed abominations Nay they were not at all ashamed neither could they blush But soft-hearted sinners are ashamed and they do blush for shame that they have offended their God Jer. 31. 10. Surely after I was turned I repented and after I was instructed I smote upon my thigh I was ashamed yea even confounded because I did bear the reproach of my youth In the former place there was shame and blushing in this place there is shame and confusion Ephraim was ashamed and confounded for the reproach of his youth Confounded i. e. amazed knew not what to say or do could not open his mouth O such a sinner hath sinned against God! Job 7. 20. I have sinned what shall I do unto thee O thou preserver of men Luke 18. 13. The Publican standing afar off would not lift up so much as his eyes to heaven but smote upon his brest saying God be merciful unto me a sinner One that is ashamed keeps a loof off looks with a dejected countenance and is angry and vexed with himself for doing what was unworthy and reproachful and would fain have his offence and reproach wiped away Thus was it with the Publican and thus is it with every soft-hearted person he doth by reason of his sinning judge himself unworthy unmeet to draw near to God or to look up unto him he is ashamed of what he hath done dejected vexed troubled at his sins which are appearing with him before God and earnestly begs the Lord to remove them out of his sight by a merciful forgiveness that his shame may appear no more Secondly Grief for sinning A soft and tender heart is a mournful and sorrowful Grief for sinning heart no heart so stout against sin as a soft heart and no heart so mournful for sin as a soft heart which is therefore called a broken heart and a grieved heart and an afflâ—cted heart and a weeping and lamenting heart A person of a soft heart mourns more for one sin than a hardened person doth for all his sins how bitterly did Peter weep for his one sin yet Pharaoh never mourned for his many sins a person of a soft heart mourns more for one sin than for all the afflictions that ever have or shall befall him dolore appreciationis dolore voluntatis dolore perennitatis
the testimonies of Gods reconciled favour O how doth the tender heart take on and judge and condemn it self if at any time it fall into sin O what a fool what a beast and why have I dealt thus with my God! why did I deal so unkindly with my kind God is this my love unto him is this my fear of him is this my tenderness of his glory O my soul what hast thou done why hast thou broken the bonds of friendship what hath the Lord been to thee that thou hast thus sinned against him And now the man falls a weeping and lamenting as if his heart would break and after some respite he thinks of his father again but he is ashamed to come to him and yet he will go to him and return with weeping and supplications O I cannot live thus I will home again to my fathers house and say I have sinned and am no more worthy to be called thy son Luke 15. Though shame and confusions belong to me yet mercies and forgiveness to him Dan. 9. O Lord heal my backslidings and forgive my backsldings and reoeive me graciously Hose 14. 2. And return again in mercy and make thy face to shine upon thy servant for the Lords sake Thus have I opened unto you the first Character or evidence of a heart spiritually soft and tender it is a heart filled with shame for sin and with grief for sin and with fear to sin and with zeal against sin and with care to be kept from sin and with restlestness till it can find God mercifully pardoning sin O that such tenderness and that such fruits of tenderness might be found in all our hearts Secondly A second Character by which we may know that we have the true The activity and life and power in conscience spiritual softness and tenderness of heart is the activity and life and power in conscience when God gives any one a soft and tender heart he gives him a conscience arrayed and enabled with other qualities and powers than in times past The Conscience heretofore was asleep but now it is awakned heretofore it was blind but now it sees heretofore it was silent but now it speaks heretofore it was loose and large but now it is strict and narrow heretofore it was dull and weak but now it is quick and powerful heretofore it was stupid and senceless but now it is apprehensive and active But I must not speak of all things about this that which I will pitch on is this the speciall Activities of Conscience where the heart is indeed tender 1. Concerning the good estate and welbeing of our souls 2. Concerning particular facts as to our doing or walking First Where the heart is tender there Conscience becomes active to clear out The conscience is active to clear our state the good and safe estate and well-being of our souls It will not suffer the poor soul to delude and deceive itself in matters of life and death to lay no grounds nor to venture all upon false bottoms and grounds of salvation and damnation of favour and wrath O saith Conscience thy soul is immortal and is for eternity and there are wayes to that eternity of Gods making and of mens making there is a reall relation to Christ and there is a seeming relation to Christ there is the power of godliness and there is the form of godliness there were virgins with oyle and there were virgins with lamps only there are some which believe and are saved and there are some that believe but for a time and perish If a man mistake himself he is undone for ever hereupon it is that Conscience in tender hearts dares not take up the estate of the soul upon trust and proud confidence and vain pretences or common grounds or every appearance but puts them on and makes them to study the Word of God and to prove what is the good and acceptable will of God and what indeed are the marks which do accompany salvation what are the infallible tokens of life of union with Christ of the new creature of a child of God born of the Spirit it causeth us to search our hearts and try our wayes to prove and examine our selves whether Christ be in us of a truth to give all diligence to make our calling and election sure and to work out our salvation with fear and trembling it will not suffer us to be careless sluggish dallying delaying c. Conscience takes those saving promises of the â—ord as unquestionable that a man must believe in the Lord Jesus Christ that will be saved and that he must repent that will have his sins pardoned and that he must be regenerated and born again who will enter into the kingdom of heaven And hereupon Conscience puts us on if our hearts be tender exceedingly to make clear and evident the assumption I do truely believe I do truely repent I am born again and my sins are pardoned and my soul shall be saved A tender heart would be sure that it is in a state of life and favour Secondly Where the heart is tender there conscience is alive in respect of the particular facts of our lives whether good or evil For good actions which concern us in our places and callings Conscience puts us upon the careful and sincere practice of them will not suffer us to omit and neglect them but enclines and hearkens unto them although danger and trouble be incident unto us for the performance of them Act. 4. 19. But Peter and John answered and said unto them Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God judge ye ver 20. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard Act. 21. 13. Then Paul answered What mean you to weep and break mine heart for I am ready not to be bound only but also to dye at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus Josh 24. 25. If it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord chuse you this day whom you will serve whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood or the gods of the Amorites in whose land ye dwell but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord. For evil actions Conscience puts forth itself against them partly by warning It is evil if thou do it not partly by threatning It will be bitter unto thee it wlll deceive thee and break thy peace and confidences partly in striving with us and presenting argument upon argument consideration upon consideration Gods favour on the one hand and Gods displeasure on the other hand the happiness of walking uprightly the shortness of sins deceitful pleasures c. and all to keep us from sinning which if they prevail not then Conscience begins to be unquiet and it smites for sinning and accuses and condems and The respectiveness of our hearts to the Word of God troubles and vexes and
will never be quiet untill repentance be renewed and God appears to be pacified Thirdly If we have hearts spiritually soft and tender this will appear by the respectiveness of our hearts to the word of God And there are ten Properties of a tender heart in relation to the Word of God 1. It sets up the Word as a Light and Rule So Psal 119. 105. Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my paths ver 133. Order my steps in thy Word 2. It studies the Word and meditates therein to understand the mind of God concerning it Psal 119. 15. I meditate in thy precepts and have respect unto thy ways ver 148. Mine eyes prevent the night watches that I might meditate in thy Word 3. It layes up and gives special heed unto what God saith in his Word 2 Pet. 1. 19. We have also a more sure word of Prophesie whereunto ye do well that ye take heed Psal 119. 11. Thy Word have I hid within my heart that I might not sin against thee Prov. 7. 1. My son keep my words and lay up my commands with thee ver 3. Bind them upon thy fingers write them upon the table of thine heart 4. It stands in awe of the Word Psal 119. 161. My heart stands in awe of thy Word 5. It is led and guided by the Word Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel Psal 73. 24. Thy testimonies are my delight and my counsellors Psal 119. 24. My sheep hear my voice and follow me Joh. 10. 17. 6. It keeps close to the Word in all matters of faith and practice receives all and admits no more will not go without it and dares not strive against it 7. It conformes itself unto the Word Teach me O Lord the way of thy statutes and I shall keep it even to the end Psal 119. 33. All that the Lord hath said will we do and be obedient Exod. 24 7. O that my wayes were directed to keep thy statutes Psal 119. 5. He will teach us his wayes and we will walk in his paths Isa 2. 3. Ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine whereto ye were delivered Rom. 6. 17. Moulded cast 8. It is quickly reduced wrought upon and recovered by the Word As in Davids case when Nathan said Thou art the man 2 Sam. 12. 7. David said unto Nathan I have sinned against the Lord ver 13. So Judges 2. 2. Ye have not obeyed my voice why have you done this ver 4. And it came to passe when the Angel of the Lord spake these words unto all the children of Israel that the people lift up their voice and wept ver 5. And they called the name of that place weepers Bochim and they sacrificed there unto the Lord. 9. It will often review and try itself by the Word lest it hath sinned or lest it should sin against God Psal 77. 6. I communed with my own heart and my spirit made diligent search Psal 119 59. I considered my wayes and turned my feet unto thy testimonies 10. It desires and endeavours to comply with all the Word of God and to fulfill all the will of God and to walk according to it in all things I have lived in all good Conscience unto this day Act. 23. 1. We trust we have a good conscience Heb. 13. 18. I have respect unto all thy commandements Psal 119. 6. Zachary and Elizabeth walked in all the Commandements and Ordinances before the Lord blameless Luke 1. 6. Fourthly If we have hearts Spiritually soft and tender this will appear by By our sensibleness in cases of Gods honour or dishonour our sensibleness and choice behaviour in the cases of Gods honour and dishonour This I think is one of the fullest discoveries of a soft and tender heart and therefore I will insist the more upon it by shewing unto you 1. The several wayes how God is honoured 2. The several expressions of a tender heart in relation unto Gods honour 3. The several wayes of Gods dishonour 4. The several affections and workings of a tender heart in the case of Gods dishonour First The several wayes of Gods being honoured God may be and is honoured How God is honoured As â—â— his Name and Attribuâ—es 1. As to his glorious Name and Attributes Deut. 28. 58. That thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful Name the Lord thy God When we do acknowledge and admire and exalt God in his holiness and goodness and mercifulness and Omnipoâ—ency and wisdom and greatness and authority and justice and faithfulness c. Exod. 15. 11. Who is like unto thee O Lord amongst the Gods who is like thee glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wonders Job 9. 4. He is wise in heart and mighty in strength Exod. 34. 6. The Lord the Lord God merciful and gracious long-suffering abundant in goodnesse and truth Ver. 7. Keeping mercy for thousands forgiving iniquiâ—y transgressions and sins and that will by no means clear the guilty Deuter. 7. 9. Know that the Lord thy God he is God the faithful God which keepeth Covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandements to a thousand generations 2. As to his worship and service Psal 29. 2. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his Name or as it is in the Hebrew the honour of his Name worship the As to his Worship Lord in the beauty of holiness When we set up the true worship of God and serve him only and worship him only in Spirit and in truth and keep faithful unto it now we do honour and glorifie our God Thou hast not honoured me with thy sacrifices Isa 43. 23. The place where God is worshipped is called the place where his honour dwelleth 3. As to his Word and truths when they are magnified believed and embraced At his Word and upheld and obeyed when they have liberty and prosperity and success of efficacy 4. As to his works of Providence whether merciful respecting the good As to his Works of his people or judicial respecting the punishment of his adversaries in both which very much of God is to be seen and admired and blessed Secondly Now a soft and tender heart is exceedingly affected with Gods honour How the tender heart is affected in case of Gods honor and glory and with all the wayes publick and private for the honouring of God Such a person will take much pains to recover and restore the honour of God as you may see in Jehoshaphat and Hezekiah and Josiah to restore the true worship of God such a person will be at much cost to promote the honour of God 1 Chron. 29. 3. Because I have set my affection to the house of my God I have of mine one proper goods of gold and silver which I have given to the house of my God over and above all that I have prepared for thy holy house even three thousand talents of gold of the
keeps off from all the occasions thereof And from these two Consectaries do flow viz. Great peace in conscience For it is sin committed which disturbes and disquiets the Conscience and breaks up the peace of it but the more that any person is kept from sin the better doth he walk with peace and joy of Spirit Great peace have they that keep thy Law Psal 119. 165. Great confidence in access to God 1 Joh. 3. 21. If our heart condemn us not then have we confidence towards God And ver 22. Whatsoever we ask we receive of him because we keep his Commandements and do those things which are pleasing in his sight Psal 66. 18. If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear me ver 19. But verily God hath heard me be hath attended to the voice of my Prayer Job 11. 13. If thou prepare thine heart and stretch out thine hand toward him ver 14. If iniquity be in thine heart put it farre away ver 15. then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot So Zophar 3. It would be a Table-book for God to write his will upon what the Apostle It would be a Table-book for God to write his will upon spake of the Corinthians that would be affirmed of us 2 Cor. 3. 3. Ye are manifestly declared to be the Epistle of Christ ministred by us written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God not in Tables of stone but in fleshly tables of the heart The heart of flesh is the Table on which the Spirit of God writes the will of God his will is there engraven it makes impression it admits and receives the will of God there it is to be seen and read Thy Law is within my heart said David Psal 40. 8. How kindly would the Word of God take with us how powerfully and effectually would it work upon us how easily would it prevail and rule and order us how wonderfully would it prosper amongst us run and be glorified why all our soules would be convinced and converted and allured and brought into Christ and walk in Christ and be obedient to the faith and become the servants of righteousness if we had soft and tender hearts we would no longer walk contrary to God or to his Word we would no longer hate instruction and despise counsel and resist the Spirit but would presently fall down at the feet of God and desire to be taught the wayes of God and be willing and ready and glad to walk in his paths 4. It would be a means of upright walking There are three sorts of people in the world It would be a meanes of upright walking Some that walk not at all with God as all profane Atheists who walk without God and contrary unto God by reason of the blindness and hardnesse of their hearts Some that walk unevenly with God only in some things and in some places and at some times as hypocritical and temporary believers by reason of the unsoundness and deceitfulness of their hearts Some that walk cordially and uprightly before the Lord turning neither to the right hand nor to the left keeping close to the rule in the whole course of their life Isa 66. 7. The way of the just is uprightness they are undefiled in the way do no iniquity but seek the Lord with the whole heart walk in the Law of the Lord and in his wayes Psal 119. 1 2 3. Now softness or tenderness of heart is a special means of this upright walking For 1. It raiseth in the heart an universal regard to all the Commandements of God Psal 119. 6. And ver 10. would not wander from the Commandements and to walk in all well-pleasing before him 2. It fills the heart with a hatred and fear of all sin that it may not offend the Lord in any thing nor at any time nor in any place Still seeing him who is invisible Job 31. 4. Doth not he see my wayes and count all my steps Prov. 5. 21. The wayes of man are before the eyes of the Lord and he pondereth all his goings 3. It lifts up the glory of God that is the great end and aim and scope and motive to a tender heart he doth all to the glory of God and so that Christ may be magnified 5. It would be a means of promoting the knowledge of Christ and the power of godliness and of casting down whatsoever is contrary to sound Doctrine and unto the wayes of godliness for it would fill the hearts of men with spiritual compassion to souls with zeal and it would draw out their graces and gifts and powers in a right way for God and for the good and salvation of others If Magistrates had but as much tenderness of heart in relation to the interest of God as to their own interest they would be more quick and active for God than for themselves they would justifie the righteous and condemn the wicked they would countance the faithful in the Land and contemn the profane they would honour and exalt the truth of God and disgrace and repress the errors and blasphemies against God and his truths they would encourage every godly person and they would appear against all open ungodliness and unrighteousness of men If Ministers had more tenderness of heart they would in their places also give all diligence to make Christ known and the truths of Christ and contend for them and oppose men of corrupt minds and that which is Antichrist indeed and they would exceedingly perswade and encourage even to the knowledge of the truth and to the love of the truth and to walk in all manner of holiness and godliness and they would reprove threaten warn and declare the wrath of God against all sorts of wickednesse in all sorts of men If Parents and Masters of Families had this tender heart they would not suffer ignorance and looseness in their dwellings but on the contrary would study and take pains to instruct and teach their children and servants and would reprove and correct c. How would they pray and strive on the behalf of knowledge and faith and holiness and fear of God and of walking with God! Verily the whole Land would in a short time be made an habitation of holiness a Land flowing with knowledge and fear of the Lord had we more of this tendernesse of heart which would undoubtedly make us more zealous and industrious for the glory of God 6. It would be a special help unto stedfastness and perseverance to hold out and continue It is a special help unto stedfastness to the end Jer. 32. 40. I will put my fear into their hearts that they shall not depart from me As long as fear holds stedfastness doth hold and as long as tenderness of heart continues the fear will continue Again where the heart is soft and tender it makes us to be much in Prayer and diligent and serious in our communion with God
reveales him who will be merciful to the penitent and will by no meanes cleare the guilty 2. Of union and complyance to bring us into Christ and to make us one with him and to give us fellowship with him and to make us one Spirit with him and to change us into the glory of his image if we had this faith the work were done Now we should be made like unto him in meekness and humbleness and tenderness of heart 3. Of dependence and reliance upon Gods Promises believing that what he hath promised he will also perform that all his promises are Yea and Amen in Christ Jesus that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him that he is mindful of his Word and remembers his Covenant and will not suffer his faithfulness to faile and therefore he will give unto us humbly seeking and waiting upon him this soft and tender heart which he hath promised How quickly and easily would such a faith prevail with and obtain from such a Father and God! Fifthly If we would compass soft and tenderness of heart we must then Get hearts to love the Lord. get hearts to love the Lord Did we love him we would be tender of his glory and tender of his love tender to please him tender not to displease him tender to obey him and tender to honour him Joh. 14. 23. If a man love me he will keep my words ver 24. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings Love you know is of all affections the most tender most watchful to observe the most carefull to please and the most fearful to offend If we did love the Lord we would not we could not grieve him Beseech therefore the Lord to circumcise your hearts that you may love him and consider the exceeding greatness of his love to you that you may love him again We love him because he loved us first 1 Joh. 4. 19. And this love would raise a tenderness of heart in us in all the effects of tenderness which you have heard Sixthly What shall I say more if you would have softness and tenderness of heart indeed and to some purpose Then get the assurance of Gods Get the assurance of Gods love love and mercy and favour sealed unto your consciences by the testimony of his Spirit this would melt c. Ezek. 36. 27. And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes and ye shall keep my judgements and do them THese Words are one gold link more of the precious chain of Promises in the Covenant of grace They do contain in them another excellent promise unto the people of God wherein you have 1. The matter promised I will put my spirit within you 2. The vertue or benefit of this promise which is twofold 1. Obedience and cause you to walk in my statutes 2. Perseverance and ye shall keep my judgements and do them I begin at this time with the matter promised I will put my Spirit within you CHAP. XII Doct. 1. THat all the people of God have the Spirit of God or that God will put his Spirit within his people I will put my Spirit within God will put his spirit within his people you Psal 51. 11. Take not thy holy Spirit from me Zech. 12. 10. I will poure upon the house of David and upon the Inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and of supplication Rom. 8. 15. Ye have received the Spirit of Adoption whereby we cry Abba Father 1 Cor. 2. 12. We have received not the spirit of the world but the Spirit which is of God that we might know the things that are freely given of God 1 Cor. 7. 40. I think also that I have the Spirit of God 1 Thes 4. 8. Who hath given unto us his holy Spirit 1 Joh. 3. 24. Hereby we know that he abideth in us by the Spirit which he hath given us Chap. 4. 13. Hereby we know that we dwell in him and he in us because he hath given us of his Spirit For the opening of this excellent Point I will speak unto these particulars 1. In what sense the Spirit is given or put within the people of God 2. How it may be demonstrated that the people of God every one of them have the Spirit of God 3. Why the Spirit is put within every one of the people of God 4. Whether all the people of God do in the same measure partake of the Spirit SECT I. Quest 1. IN what sense the Spirit is given or put within the people of God Sol. There is a fore fold opinion concerning this In what sense the Spirit is said to be put within us Not to make us one person with himself First Some have held that the Spirit is so given unto the people of God as to make them one person with himself and to communicate unto them his very personal propriety so that they in their own persons are that person in the Trinity which is called the Holy Ghost This was the desperate opinion of Montanus the Heretick and I fear some wild persons amongst us are of the same wicked opinion But this cannot possibly be because 1. No Creature is capable to be God which yet he should be if he could be the person of the Holy Ghost for the person of the Holy Ghost is God 1 Joh. 5. 7. There are three that bear record in heaven the Father the Word and the Holy Ghost and these three are one 2. If any man were the person of the Spirit and the very Holy Ghost then 1. He is eternal for the Spirit is the eternal Spirit Heb. 9. 14. Who through the eternal Spirit offered himself c. And 2ly He is Omnipresent in every place for the Spirit is so Psal 139. 7. Whether shall I go from thy Spirit And 3ly He is Omnipotent for the Spirit is so Who raised Jesus Christ from the dead Rom. 1. 4. And quickens and changeth the hearts of sinners Joh. 6. 36. 2 Cor. 3. 18. And 4ly He is Omniscient for so is the Spirit Who searcheth all things yea the deep things of God 1 Cor. 2. 10. And lastly then he might be adored and worshipped with Divine Worship be prayed unto be trusted on c. Secondly Some do hold that although the Spirit be not so given as to make us one person with himself yet he is given personally unto the people of God i. e. Some say he is personally given he is personally in them not only his gifts and graces are in them but also his very person is in them and they do alledge several places of Scripture to make good this their Opinion Joh. 14. 16. I will pray the Father and he shall give you another Comforter that he may abide with you for ever Ver. 17. Even the Spirit of truth Ver. 26. But the Comforter which is the Holy Ghost whom the Father will send in my name he shall teach
them and in an order to Christ and their salvation by him for by this they see that there is no longer staying or resting in their sinful conditions but then they must and will arise from their sleep in sin By this they find there is nothing in themselves for them to rest upon for when the Spirit indeed convinceth us of our sinful condition as he doth therewith convince us of the curse and wrath so doth he at the same time convince us of our own personal impotency and insufficiency and that there is no help at home if they are there they perish By this they are occasioned and indeed do actually look out for Christ and Righteousness and Peace and Salvation by him and in the event come in to him stoop unto all his Precepts and gladly accept of him and them and with all their hearts do magnifie and bless the grace of God for appointing and setting up such a way of life for miserable lost and self-undone and self-unable sinners Secondly Humiliation this is another work of the Spirit when he is given unto Humiliation us Rom. 8. 15. Ye have not received the Spirit of bondage again to fear If they had not received it again then sometime or other they had received that spirit of bondage to fear Indeed it is a question whether any who are by faith brought into Christ are under the spirit of bondage to fear but it is I think without all question that the spirit of bondage to fear goes before the Spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba Father And so likewise is it without question that humiliation for sin or bondage unto fear is the work of the Spirit for none but the Spirit of God can work that work within us Now there are two things in that expression the Spirit of bondage to fear Whar is the spirit of bondage which I intend in that outward humiliation First An apprehension and feelling of our present sinful condition of which we have been convinced as our bondage or slavery which you know is 1. A base and contemptible condition 2ly A restrained and depriving condition 3ly A subjected and stooping condition to the will of another 4ly A laborious and toylsome condition and that upon very hard and cruel terms 5ly A vexations and grievous condition even ready to break the heart 6ly A most dangerous condition wherein our life lies at the mercy of him who hath it in bondage every hour 7ly It is a most wearisome and burdensome condition one would be most glad of escape and deliverance out of it Thus it is with a man who hath received the spirit of bondage 1. He looks on his sinful condition and on himself as vile and base and cryes out like the Leper unclean unclean like Paul O wretched man that I am 2. He looks on himself as in prison as one shut up and shackled and fettered no liberty no power to any good 3. He looks on himself as fallen into the hands of the living God and righteous God who may when he will execute his fierce wrath upon him 4. On himself as a very drudge to sin at the command of every lust and working out his own damnation 5. He feels this condition full of vexation and terror and burdensome so â—hat his very soul doth fail him and he knows not what to do with himself nor for himself 6. And oftimes in the anguish of his spirit cryes out O who will pity who will deliver me who will break the bonds of my distress Secondly A sad expectation of evil setling upon the soul which is here called fear for fear is the expectation of evil The humbled sinner lying under the spirit of bondage is farre from jollity and mirth and vain confidences he fears what the holy and righteous God who hath revealed his wrath from heaven against all ungodliness will do unto him for all the sins of which he is guilty And he fears exceedingly to dye in this condition if I dye I am damned for ever and he fears to come near to God he is afraid that God will never look on him nor answer him nor shew him mercy in a word he is a very troubled sinner for what he hath done against God and for what God may justly do against him Object But will some say Doth every one who receives the Spirit of God Whether all the godly have first the spirit of bondage find it thus with him hath every one the Spirit of bondage to fear Sol. I answer every one who hath the Spirit hath this those in Act. 2. 37. found it thus Paul in Act. 9. 6. found it thus the Jaylor Act. 16. 29. found it thus only you must distinguish 1. Of the intentions and measures of it All that have received the Spirit have not the like equal measure of bondage to fear Some drink deeper of the cup than others It is terror in some and burden in others it is horror in some it is only pain in others it is the breaking of the bones in some and only the lash of the rod on others 2. Of the duration and continuance of it Some are longer under the spirit of bondage than others are Simile As some women have quicker labour and others have stronger and longer labour So some have a longer time of humiliation for their sins than others have Some are under trouble of Conscience for many years some only a few dayes and then they meet with Christ and are eased Object But this work of humiliation cannot be any demonstrative note of having the Spirit of grace because many wicked men living and dying so have had this work of humiliation Sol. Humiliation may be considered two wayes 1. As a meere Legal and Judicial work for sin as it is a pure retribution of wrath and horror upon the conscience and one of the first fruits and taste of deserved damnation Thus I grant that a Cain and Judas may meet with it 2. As a preparatiâ—e work of the Spirit for Christ thus it is not given to any but to such whom God intends to convert and save by Christ Quest But may some reply There lies the Question How may one know that How to know which is true humiliation this work of Humiliation is not a judicial but a preparative work Sol. It may I humbly conceive be thus known When humiliation is a preparative work of the Spirit First Then the heart is troubled for the filthiness of sin as well as for the guiltiness of sin Not only because God may punish us but also because we have offended God not only because I am a guilty sinner deserving and feeling wrath but also I am a filthy and defiled creature destitute of the image and glory of God Secondly Then the heart is broken from sin as well as for sin sin troubles me and I trouble sin former sins are my burden and grief and present sins is become the
Regeneration there is a new Divine being or quality brought into our souls by the Spirit by which we are Spiritually changed from what we were Joh. 3. 6. That which is born of the Spirit is Spirit Look as that which is born of the flesh is flesh the sinner begets a sinner and that which is born of the sinner it is born after his own sinful image In like manner that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit If any man be born of the Spirit there is the life and holiness of that quickning and holy Spirit in him he is not what he was there is an excellent change wrought in him he is quite contrary to himself not only for conversation but for inclination his mind his judgement his will his affections there is a new principle in every one of these Old things are past away all things are become new 2 Cor. 5. 17. Quest 2. Whether this work of Regeneration or Renovation is in every one of the people of God unto whom the Spirit is given Regeneration is in every child of God Sol. Certainly it is The Spirit is never put in medio within the heart of any man but he doth regenerate and renew him 2 Cor. 3. 18. We all with open face beholding as in a glasse the glory of the Lord are changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord Mark it we are changed by the Spirit of the Lord into the same image which we see in Christ 2 Cor. 5. 17. If any man be in Christ he is a new creature Nay surely all that ever had the Spirit of God put within them you shall find that they were new creatures you read it in Mary Magdalen in Zacheus in those Acts 2. in Paul Acts 9. in the Jaylor Acts 16. in the Corinthians Such were some of you but ye are weshed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified in the Name of our Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God 1 Cor. 6. 11. Therefore consider well what you were and what you now are if there be not a Regeneration a work of Renovation in you verily you have not the Spirit God hath not put his Spirit within you If the old sinful qualities remain and prevail in you of drunkenness of filthiness of pride of malice of hatred of holiness of unbelief of hardness of heart if these or any other sinful lusts continue unmortified you have not received the Spirit And if no new qualities contrary unto these are to be found in you if the image of Christ if holiness if faith if love c. are not in you in some measure you are none of the people of God you have none of his Spirit within you For as they say of the soul of man the soul doth build and frame a house fit for itself to dwell in that is most true of the Spirit of God when he comes into our hearts he doth purge them and renew them and make them Temples fit for himself to dwell in Indeed he doth not find us holy when he first comes into us but as soon as he comes he makes us holy and sanctifies us throughout in soul spirit and body he fills our Temple with his glory Fifthly Direction or leading This is another work of the Spirit to be found Direction is another work of the Spirit in all who have the Spirit given unto them Spiritus Dei docet ducit Rom. 8. 14. As many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the sons of God And so for the words are Reciprocal as many as are the sons of God they are led by the Spirit of God That expression of leading is a Metaphor taken either from blind men and men in the dark who do need a guide or from little weak children not able to go alone and therefore are held and led by the hand Now concerning this work of the Spirit I will briefly open two things unto you 1. Quest How the Spirit of God leads the people of God There is you know a twofold leading or guidance of the Spirit How the Spirit leads Gods children 1. One is general by a common virtue or influence which assists the creatures in all their powers and faculties to their several operations 2. The other is special by a more high and peculiar influence upon the hearts of men in order to the estate and acts and wayes of grace and salvation Thus the Spirit of God leads the people of God First By way of Irradiation or illumination he opens the eyes of their minds to see the paths and wayes of life and the will and wayes concerning them what way the Word reveals certainly he reveals internally giving light to see it Isa 2. 3. Come and let us go up to the Mountain of the Lord and he will teach us of his wayes Chap. 20. 21. Thine ears shall hear a word behind thee saying This is the way walk ye in it when ye turn to the right hand and when ye turn to the left Secondly By way of inclination when the Spirit leads he doth not only shew us what good we are to do but also he doth powerfully incline our hearts to comply with and follow that direction of his Psal 25. 4. Shew me thy wayes O Lord teach me thy paths Ver. 5. Lead me in thy truth Isa 2. 3. He will teach us of his wayes and we will walk in his paths The Spirits leading is not a meer Revelation of the will and way of God unto the people of God as if one should point out the way to Traveller but it is an efficacious perswasion add a secret and strange inclination in enabling to walk in that good way of life revealed by him unto them Simile As a Nurse leads the child by lending her help and strength unto the going of the child Simile Or rather as the head leads the feet in their motion by letting down an influence enabling thereunto Thirdly By way of Exâ—ortation stirring up their hearts and quickning them to holy services and to walk according to his motions and directions Cant. 1. 4. Draw me and I will run after thee Psal 119. 37. Quicken me in thy way Cant. 4. 16. Awake O North wind and come thou South blow upon my Garden that the Spices thereof may flow out Forthly by way of Cooperation As the Spirit leads us by inclining our hearts unto good so also he leads us by working with us in doing of good He worketh in us both to will and to do Phil. 2. 13. And 1 Cor. 15. 10. I laboured more abundantly than they all yet not I but the grace of God which was with me As when the King of Israel was to shoot the arrow he did put his hand upon the Bow and Elisha did put his hand upon the Kings hand 2 King 13. 16. So when we are to do any good work we are to put up our hand
if I may so speak the very Genius and natural disposition of the holy Spirit to be casting out pulling down cleansing and purging of all our impurities and fleshly lusts which are so contrary to his nature and so offensive unto his presence Hence it is that he maintains a constant and perpetual war with sin in the hearts of the people of God till at the last he gives unto them a compleat and perfect victory Now from what I have delivered in this concerning the Spirit of judgement and of burning two things will flow 1. A conviction unto some that they have not yet received the Spirit of God because 1. They have not received the spirit of judgement to disallow and condemn their sinful lusts and wayes but are so far from it that on the contrary they do approve them and defend them and support them and cannot endure to hear the reproof and condemnation of them from the Word or Ministry or any other but presently they rage and swell and grow discontented and malicious and revengeful 2. They have not received the spirit of burning to abhor their sins and to crucifie them forasmuch as they do still love their sins and will serve them and will not forsake them Job 20. 13. But their great delight is in their sinful wayes and they hold fast their iniquities and hate to be reformed surely these persons have never received the Spirit of God 2. A comfort unto others that they have received the Spirit of God Because 1. They do judge themselves and really do disallow and condemn all sin in themselves Rom. 7. 15. That which I do I allow not 2. They are daily mortifying their sinful lusts by striving after a fuller fellowship in the death of Christ by relying on sin-subduing and mortifying promises and by constant hatred and opposition of their lusts which war against the law in their mind so that they will not serve sin any more and though as the Apostle spake in 2 Cor. 10 3. they walk in the flesh yet they do not warre after the flesh Secondly The Spirit of God is the Spirit of knowledge and wisdom so you read in Isa 11. 2. The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him the spirit of wisdom and understanding the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. Ephes 1. 17. That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ the Father of glory may give unto you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him Whosoever hath the Spirit of God that man hath wisdom given unto him by the Spirit not carnal wisdom but heavenly wisdom true wisdome indeed which wisdom appears in four things First as to the subject If thou be wise saith Solomon thou shalt be wise for thy self Prov. 9. 12. And herein is a mans wisdom for himself when he principally minds and looks after and spends his choysest cares and layes out his chiefest pains to make sure work for the saving of his immortal soul That man is wise indeed and he only is wise who so attends his soul that he is never at rest untill he finds his soul to be ready in a safe and sound condition And thus doth every one who hath the Spirit of God given unto him he is by the Spirit made wise unto salvation What shall I do to be saved Act. 16. 30 He workâ— out his own salvation with fear and trembling Phil. 2. 12. And gives all diligence to make his calling and election sure 2 Per. 1. 12. 2ly As to the Object in making choice of the best and most necessary object for the soul and in refuâ—ing that which is pernicious and impertinent And this wisdom all have who have the Spirit of God For 1 They pitch upon the most excellent and most necessary object to enjoy that viz. God to be their God and reconciled Father and Christ to be their Lord and Redeemer and Saviour One thing is necessary and Mary hath chosen that good part c. 2. They abhor sin which is the pernicious object I hate every false way said David Psal 119. 104. And Solomon saith Prov. 14. 16. A wise man feareth and departeth from evil 3. They are above the world which is the impertinent object for the soul We look not at the things which are seen but at the things which are not seen for things which are seen are temporal but the things which are not seen are eternal 2 Cor. 4. 18. Thirdly As to means and wayes tending to the fruition of eternal blessedness These they find out and in these they walk untill they come and appear before God Repentance Faith Holiness Righteousness Love new Obedience Uprightness these are the vety paths and wayes to heaven and all these do they chuse and walk in who have the Spirit of God given unto them Psal 119. 30. I have chosen the way of truth Ver. 35. Make me to go in the path of thy commandements for therein do I delight Isa 26. 7. The way of the just is uprightnesse Fourthly As to time or season Eccles 8. 5. A wise mans heart discerneth both time and judgement And this part of wisdom also is found in all that have the Spirit of God There is a day of visitation a day of knowledge of the things which do concern our peace Luke 19. 42 44. A day of salvation an accepted time 2 Cor. 6. 2. A time when Christ offers himself and love and mercy and happiness and strives with the hearts of men to know and accept of him And this time they who have the Spirit of God discern and do lay hold on and do gladly embrace they do not slight nor delay nor harden their hearts But while it is called to day they hearken Like the wise Merchant who as soon as he found the pearl of great price sold all and bought it Matth. 13. 45 46. Now if this wisdom of the spirit be as indeed it is the evidence that we have the Spirit O how few then have the Spirit of God given unto them Who takes care in the first place for his soule and makes sure the salvation of it Who sets his heart upon a God upon a Christ upon Reconciliation upon pardoning mercy and not rather upon his sins and on the world Who knows the day of grace the day of his visitation the day of his salvation the accepted time Who chuse the path of holiness the way of uprightness c. 3. Thirdly The Spirit of God is the Spirit of power and he is such a Spirit in and unto all unto whom he is given Rom. 15. 18. The Gentiles were made obedient Ver. 19 By the power of the Spirit of God 2 Tim. 1. 7. God hath given unto us not the spirit of fear but of power Isa 11. 2. The Spirit of the Lord is there called the Spirit of might Ephes 6. 10. Be strong in the Lord aâ—d in the power of his might The Spirit of God is a most strong
and powerful Spirit and he puts forth a wonderful power in all them unto whom he is given e. g. First he raiseth every one of them from the dead what the Lord spake of the people of Israel touching their civil estate Ezek. 3â— 13 14. I have opened your graves O my people and brought you up out of your graves and will put my Spirit within you and you shall live That is true in a spiritual sense of all the people of God unto whom the Spirit of God is given Though before the donation of the Spirit they were dead in trespâ—sses and sinnes yet when the spirit is given unto them they are by the operation of that spirit quickned made alive and raised from that dead estate Ephes 2. 1. You hath he quickned who were dead in trespasses and sins they have the life of God and Christ in them O what a power is put forth in the raising of a dead man and yet there is a greater power of the spirit put forth in the raising of a dead sinner Secondly He enables them both to perceive and also to receive the things of God to perceive the glory and excellency of them and to receive the goodness and sweetness of them 1. To perceive them Mat. 13. 11. It is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God but to them it is not given And 1 Cor. 2. 6. We speak wisdom amongst them that are perfect Ver. 7. The wisdom of God in a mystery Ver. 8. Which none of the Princes of this world know Ver. 14. Which are foolishnesse unto the natural man and which he cannot know q. they are spiritually discerned Compare these places together and you shall find two differences 'twixt them who have the Spirit and them that have not the Spirit concerning the things of God viz To the one they are wisdom yea and wisdom of God but to the other they Who have and have not the Spirit are foolishness When we preach Jesus Christ and the things of salvation the new creature self-denial living by faith in Christ promised c. and make offers of him unto a people some make light of him and regard not the offer at all they see no beauty at all in him that they should desire him Yet others see in him the glory as of the only begotten of the Father and do admire at that infinite mercy and goodness and love and life in and by him the reason is because the one knows him not but to the other it is given to know him and to discern the mystery of salvation in him 2. To receive hiâ— Joh. 1. 11. He came amongst his own and his own received him not Ver. 12. But as many as received him c. And who were these that received him See Ver. 13. Such as were born not of blood nor of the will of the the flesh nor of the will of man but of God So Acts 2. 41. They that gladly received the Word were baptized But 1 Cor. 2. 14. The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God If Christ be offered the natural man will not receive him If Christ saith He that is my Disciple must deny himself This is a hard saying who can bear it Joh. 6. 60. And take up his cross and follow me the natural man will not receive this If the Word saith Repent and be converted that your sins may be blotted out Acts 3. 19. The natural man will not receive this nor will he receive that truth in Matth. 7. 41. Strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life c. But every one who hath the Spirit of God as he hath a power given to perceive or discern the mysteries of the Kingdom of God and all the wayes and rules belonging thereunto so he hath also an heart given to close with the Kingdom of Christ and with every part and path of it Thirdly The Spirit enables them to pray and under the sense of their wants and troubles to come unto God as their Father and to open their conditions unto him with judgement affection and confidence Rom. 8. 15. We have received the Spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba Father Ver. 26. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities for we know not what we should pray for as we ought but the Spirit it self maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered Here you see that they who have the Spirit of Adoption have received the Spirit of supplication every son of God is able to call God Father and to cry unto him as his Father and that the Spirit of God is in this work of Prayer by making intercession for them appears 1. By enabling them to make requests for themselves with groanings which cannot be uttered 2. With fervency and earnestness of heart Object But will some reply This cannot be a distinguishing sign that we have the Spirit because many wicked men do pray and so do many hypocrites Isa 26. Whether the Spirit of Prayer be a sure sign of a child of God 16. Lord in trouble have they visited thee they have poured out a Prayer when thy chastening was upon them Ergo c. Sol. I answer First By way of Concession granting three things unto wicked men and hypocrites viz. 1. They may and do in their distresses put forth natural desires for help as the very beasts do under their burdens and wants 2. They may and generally do satisfie themselves with a form of Prayer which they read or hear read unto them which is another thing from the Spirit of Prayer 3. They may have the gift of Prayer or an ability to pray by the strength of gifts and parts and upon hearing of others to gather up some good expressions and fragments and â—utter them as if they did pray Secondly By way of Negation Notwithstanding those three Concessions I deny that any man hath the spirit of supplication who hath not the Spirit of grace because the spirit of supplication is given with the spirit of adoption which is proper to the sons of God Every one who hath the Spirit of Prayer he can come unto God and call him Father which none can do but such as are in Christ in whom he becomes our reconciled God and Father To pray with the Spirit of Prayer is to pray with a special My soule is sore troubled Psal 6. feeling of our wants and of our I am not worthy to be called thy sonne unworthiness and the desires of our soul c. with my whole heart and my soul follows hard after thee with affectionate earnestness of heart and with I believe therefore I have spoken confidence towards God in the name of Christ that he will give unto us the good things which he hath promised to us in his Covenant 2 Sam. 7. 27. Thou hast revealed unto thy servant saying I will build thee an house therefore thy servant
c. Who can pray thus but he who is a child of God but he who hath the Spirit of God to shew unto him his spiritual wants to stirre up in him spiritual and earnest desires to quicken his Faith on God and to depend on his good and faithful Promises in Christ c. Fourthly I will adde one instance more concerning the power in all who have received the Spirit and that is this All who have received the Spirit have received a power to do such works as none else in all the world can do for they are able in the strength and power of the Spirit 1. To abhor the dearest lusts which have formerly been more unto them than their lives and heavenly happiness 2. To forsake Father and Mother Husband and Wife and Children and Friends Houses and Lands for Christ and an afflicted estate with Christ 3. To prize communion with God and to take more satisfying delight therein than in all earthly enjoyments whatsoever But Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon me Psal 4. 6. Shew us the Father and it sufficeth us Psal 73. 25. Whom have I in heaven but thee c. 4. To live by faith in the times of desertion Though he kill me yet will I trust in him Job 13. 15. and in times of desolation when as creature helps and comforts fail Although the Fig-tree shall not blossom neither shall fruit be in the Vine and the labour of the Olive shall fail and the fields shall yield no meat and the flock shall be cut off from the fold and there shall be no herd in the stalls yet I will rejoyce in the Lord I will joy in the God of my salvation Hâ—b 3. 17 18. The Lord God is my strength ver 19. 5. To be contented in every estate and to comply with it Phil. 4. 12 13. and to glorifie God under it O where is this power of the Spirit of God where are any great things or works of the Spirit within us I cannot pray saith one and I cannot leave my sins saith another and I can find and take no delight in God or communion with him saith another and I cannot trust on his Word nor wait upon his Promise c. Few men have any Spiritual power and therefore few men have the Spirit of God Fourthly The Spirit of God is the Spirit of liberty 2 Cor. 3. 17. Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty Liberty is a freedom from bondage or slavery and Gospel-liberty which principally respects the soul is a freedom accruing unto us Partly by price and purchace namely by the blood of Christ The Lord Jesus by his death hath purchased many glorious liberties for us he hath freed us from the Law as it is a Covenant of Works Gal. 3. 11 12. and from the curse and wrath ver 13. and from all condemning power of sin c. Rom. 8. 1. Partly by strength and efficacy this liberty comes unto us by the Spirit who puts forth a strong and mighty hand upon all the hearts of all the people of God and rescues and frees them from spiritual slavery under which they were held whiles they were in their natural condition The Spirit of God doth free them First From slavery to sin See Rom. 8. 2 The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death i. e. The power of the Spirit hath freed me out of the hands and power of sin so that it shall not command and rule over me as heretofore it is no longer my Lord nor am I any longer his servant I am delivered and freed from the dominion and tyranny of it and service unto it by the Law i. e. by the powerful and authoritative command and work of the Spirit upon this account the Apostle affirms that all the servants of God are made free from sin Rom. 6. 18 22. they are not in bondage they are not at the command of it sin hath lost its law and authority in them the yoke is broken by the spirit which is given unto them sin indeed will stirre and trouble and usurp but slavery unto it is taken away Isa 10. 27. The yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing Secondly From slavery to Satan Before we receive the Spirit of God we are in bondage unto the Divel who rules or works effectually in us Ephes 2. 2. and takes us captive at his will 2 Tim. 2. 26. as one that hath a bird tyed c. O what power hath Satan over a natural man how he fetters and shackles and binds him and imprisons him and makes him to drudge in the fulfilling of his motions and obeying of his suggestions and temptations But now when the Spirit of God comes into us he spoiles the strong man armed and takes from him all the armour wherein he trusted Luke 11. 21 22. For he is stronger than he 1 Joh. 4. 4. He leads captivity captive he turns us from Satan unto God Acts. 26. 18. Object But Satan still tempts and assaults never was man so tempted as I am Sol. Temptation is one thing and salvation is another he bestirred himself in tempting and we obeyed he now tempts and we resist He frees us from him 1. By making us to abhor his Kingdom 2ly By translating us out of his power into the Kingdom of Christ 3ly By arming us with the armour of God against his assaults 4ly By stirring us up to resist him Jam. 4 7. Resist the Divel and he will flee from you And 5ly By strengthening us to overcome him 1 Joh. 2. 13. Ye have overcome the wicked one Thirdly From slavish fear and a slavish spirit in working in this respect he makes us to serve God without fear Luk. 1. 74. that is without servile fear for there is a twofold fear There is Timor filialis which is grounded in the love of God as a Father and there is Timor servilis which looks upon God only as a Judge and hath a respect to fo wrath Now when the Spirit of God is given unto us we do not serve God tor fear of wrath and punishment and damnation but out of love and reverence and ingenuity Though there were no Law to curse us though there were no Conscience to terrifie us though there were no Hell to burn us yet the Lord our God and Father we will love and him will we serve Fourthly From slavish indispositions as averseness to what is good and indelightfulness in it They that are anointed by the Spirit and power of God it makes them ready and willing out of love and working out of love Fifthly The Spirit of God is a Spirit of truth Joh. 14. 16. I will pray the Father and he shall give you another Comforter Ver. 17. even the Spirit of truth John 16. 13. When the Spirit of truth is come he will guide yâ—u into all truth SECT I. THere are divers
love as this is in every one who hath the Spirit of God Thirdly To all the children of God and servants of Jesus Christ 1 Thes 4. 9. Ye are taught of God to love one another 1 Joh. 5. 2. Every one that loveth him Love to Gods children that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him 1 Pet. 3. 8. Love as brethren Col. 2. 2. Being knit together in love If this be the fruit of the Spirit then many men have not the Spirit for they Who have not the spirit hate the people of God The righeous are an abomination unto the wicked Pro. 29. 27. Yea and many who talk much of the Spirit have great cause to suspect their hearts because they do not love the people of God they do love men of their particular Opinion and men of their particular interest but if in these any of the people of God do differ from them now they cannot love them but they have very hard and uncharitable Opinions of them and speak evil of them and revile them and utterly shun and decline them SECT III. THus have you the discoveries of the presence of the Spirit of God by the qualities of the Spirit Now follows the last way to know whether we have the Spirit of God and that is 3ly By the properties of such persons to whom indeed the The spirit is known by the properties Spirit is given e. g. They that have the Spirit given unto them are spiritually-minded Rom. 8. 5. They that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit Here the Apostle gives a different character Such as are Spiritually minded of two different sorts of persons Here are some who are after the flesh i. e. who are carnal unregenerate in their natural condition the character of these persons is that they do mind the things of the flesh sinful sensual vain things And there are some who are after the Spirit i. e. who are born of the Spirit who are Regenerate converted sanctified by the Spirit and the character of them is That they do mind the things of the Spirit The things of the Spirit i. e. the things which the Spirit of God commands suggests the things which are agreeable to a spiritual nature holy and heavenly objects holy and heavenly wayes and works the things which belong to the kngdom of God and the Righteousness thereof the things which do conduce to the glory of God and the salvation of their souls They do mind these things they do Cogitare think much of them they do Curare lay out their greatest care for them they do Sapere relish these things above all other they are most sweet and delightful unto them Psal 4. 6. But Lord lift thou up the light c. Psal 119. 103. How sweet are thy words unto my taste yea sweeter than honey to my mouth Cant. 2. 3. I sat down under his shadow with great delight and his fruit was sweet unto my taste O what a discovery doth this one tryal make They that are after the Spirit do mind the things of the Spirit Many men seldom or never think of the things of the Spirit God is not in their thoughts they say unto God Depart from us for we desire not the knowledge of thy wayes Job 21. 14. They mind not God nor Christ nor Word nor Soul nor Heaven nor Repentance nor Faith c. If they do think of them it is but carelesly and coldly not with any care to get them not with any affections to desire them or to delight in them they are not suitable objects c. The things of God the things of Christ the thinâ—s of salvation the things of the way to heaven they savor them not they relish them not at all but their sinful lusts they do mind on these do their thoughts run and in these do they take pleasure and they do mind earthly things Phil. 3. 19. on these are their affections set who will shew us any good any earthly bargain any earthly gain and earthly discourse these they savor and relish c. Yea I doubt that many amongst us who presume their estates to be good have just cause to fear and suspect themselves because spiritual Ordinances and spiritual Communions and spiritual Conferences and spiritual Exercises and Imployments and spiritual Meditations and Cares are no way favoury and relishing and delighting but rather burthensome irksome and displeasing O where is a David to be found amongst us who can say with him Psal 119. 97. O how I love thy Law it is my meditation all the day And ver 111. Thy testimonies are the rejoycing of my heart Where is a Paul to be found 1 Cor. 2. 2. I determined not to know any thing among you save Jesus Christ and him crucified Secondly They that have the Spirit given unto them they are presently in They oppose their corruptions opposition or conflict with sinful corruptions abiding or dwelling in them Simile As you can no sooner put fire and water together but immediately they are a conflicting with one another So as soon as any man receives the Spirit of God which is holy and good there doth immediately ensue a commotion a war a combat in the soul with it and sinful corruptions Gal. 5. 17. the flesh against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh and these are contrary the one to the other c. Before we do partake of the Spirit all is at rest and peace within us the flesh i. e. sinne doth reign and command and we do willingly yield obedience and service unto its lusts in the approbation and delight and execution of them But when the Spirit of God comes into our hearts and renews them now begins the conflict and war there being in us two natures contrary to each other and inclinations and affections contrary to each other and motions and services likewise contrary to each other For the work of Renovation We are renewed but in part from the Spirit although it passes through the whole soul and every faculty of it yet it is an imperfect work the whole soul is renewed but not wholly not a faculty but it hath renewing grace in it yet so that there is not a faculty but it hath sin also abiding in it And hence doth arise the Spiritual conflict from the presence and cohabitation of two such utterly different and irreconcilable adversaries as grace and sin the Spirit and the flesh Paul found this within himself Rom. 7. and so doth every regenerate person in the world The Spirit kindles such a war in a man renewed self against his sinful self as will never be quenched nor ended untill his course be finished and his life ended Thirdly They that have the Spirit given unto them for that very reason Such shall meet with great opposition shall meet with most deadly opposition from
men destitute of the Spirit though we be civil and courteous and friendly and helpful if we be born of the Spirit c. Gal. 4. 29. as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit even so it is now Here is Ishmael born after the flesh i. e. an ungodly and wicked wretch and here is Isaac born after the Spirit i. e. according to the promise of the Spirit and according to the powerful and gracious renewing of the Spirit and presently he is persecuted by Ishmael That must needs be good which Nero persecutes so he must needs be good he must needs have the Spirit of God against whom all the scoffings and mockings and reproaches and persecutions of the wicked are raised Fourthly They that have the Spirit do walk in the Spirit and after the Spirit you read those expressions Gal. 5. 25. and Rom. 8. 4. We walk not afâ—er Such walk in the Spirit the flesh but after the Spirit Now as to walk after the flesh is to set anâ— order the course of our life after our corrupt reason and wills and affections following them as our guides so to walk after the Spirit is to dispose and order our conversation according to the rules and motions of the Spirit so to lead our lives and move on in our courses as the the Spirit of God doth teach us in the Word and stirs us up inwardly to follow Thus doth every one who hath the Spirit of God he walks after the Spirit his conversation is in heaven Phil. 3. 20. His course of life is the course of new obedience that newness of life which the Word sets forth He walks not as the men of this world walk nor according to his own lusts in the times of his ignorance but before God in Holiness and Righteousness for by the Spirit he is sanctified to obedience 1 Pet. 1. 2. 1. He prayes with David Psal 119. 133. Order my steps in thy Word Ephes 5. 10. Proving what is acceptabe to the Lord. 2. For the paths Psal 119. 101. I have refrained my feet from every evil way Ver. 8. I will walk in thy statutes Isa 26. 7. The way of the just is uprightnesse 3. For the end so as to advaace the Kingdom and advance the Gospel a living unto the Lord. Fifthly They that have the Spirit are spiritual worshippers The true worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and truth for the Father seeketh Such are spiritual worshipers such to worship him God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in Spirit and in truth John 4. 23. 24. So Paul in Rom. 1. 9. God is my witness whom I serve with my spirit in the Gospel of his Son Phil 3. 3. We are the circumcision which worship God in the Spirit Beloved take these two things for certain truths viz. 1. Carnal men are but carnal worshippers a form of worship satisfies them bodily service outward performance Isa 29. 13. This people draw near me with Carnal men are carnal worshipers their mouth and with their lips do honour me but have removed their heart farre from me c. Jer. 12. 2. Thou art near in their mouth and farre from their reins 2. But spiritual men or men of the spirit are spiritual worshippers they do worship God in spirit Object But you will say What is it to worship God in spirit Sol. I answer to worship God in spirit is First To have our inward man taken up imployed and acting in all those Religious duties which we do owe and which we do present unto him As when What it is to worship God in Spirit we draw near to him in prayer for power to repent to believe to obey c. not only our mouthes do pray but our very hearts also do pray and our prayers are the lifting up of our hearts Vnto thee O Lord do I lift up my soul Psal 25. 1. Let us lift up our hearts with our hands unto God in the heavens Lam. 3. 41. And the very desires of our souls Isa 26. 8. The desire of our soul is to thy name And when you come to him in confession of sins not only your lips do acknowledge them and condemn you for them but your very hearts are ashamed of them and bewail them and judge them And so when you come to hear the Word a bodily presence doth not satisfie you but your hearts do come with your bodies and your hearts do hear and your hearts are ready to receive the Word with gladness and fear Secondly To have an edge upon our hearts in the services of God a kind of heavenly vigor and strenuousnesse so that our souls do come in to it with all the actual strength which they have for the present Indeed a Christan hath sometimes a stronger and quicker keeness of spirit than he hath at other times but still he puts forth as least in his desires and endeavours what power he hath in his communion with God As he seeks God with his mouth so he seeks him with his whole heart Psal 119. 10. With my whole heart have I sought thee he doth not serve the Lord with a cold formal indifferent spirit but as the Apostle speaks Rom. 12. 11. He is fervent in spirit serving the Lord He prayes and hears fervently and repents fervently and believes fervently 'T is true that he falls very short yet what he doth to the Lord he doth the same in good earnest it is his work and his business and if he finds it otherwise with himseâ—f if he finds a dulness and deadness upon his spirit this troubles him and he strives to shake it off by stirring up himself as the phrase is Isa 64. 7. and that of 2 Tim. 1. 6. and by awaking of his heart and graces I my self will awake saith David Psal 108. 2. and beseeching of the Lord to quicken and to enlarge his heart I will run the way of thy Commandements when thou shalt enlarge my heart Psal 119. 32. Sixthly They who have the Spirit of God are most pleased and delighted in Such delight in spiritual ministrations spiritual and vigorous ministrations which deal most with their spirits and do in a spiritual power most reach their hearts and spiritual condition Beloved this you shall find in experience that a profane heart cannot endure but alwayes hates and despiseth a spiritual and searching Ministry A formal heart hath most satisfaction in a formal Ministry A gracious heart is alwayes best pleased with a spiritual and powerful Ministry with that Ministry which doth come in power and in the demonstration of the Spirit and makes it self manifest unto the consciences of men which is quick in operation and piercing even to the dividing asunder of the soul and spirit and of the joynts and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart Heb. 4. 12. and which is mighty
forth his image and to conform us to â—hrist 2 Cor. 3. 18. It s accepted with God Sixthly The weakest graces and breathings and actings of it are accepted with God he owns it Simile as a Father doth his weak babe and he regards the offering and services of it he will not only not despise the day of small things Zech. 4. 10. and he will not only not only break the bruised reed and not only not quench the smoaking flax Matth. 12. 20. but he will lovingly and graciously accept of the weakest fruits of weakest graces Psal 38. 9. All my desire is before thee and my groaning is not hid from thee 2 King 20. 5. Tell Hezekiah thus saith the Lord God of David thy Father I have heard thy prayer I have seen thy tears 2 Cor. 8. 12. If there be first a willing mind it is accepted according to that a man hath and not according to that he hath not Seventhly The Lord hath a very tender respect unto persons who are weak in grace Isa 40 â—1 He shall feed his flock like a Shepherd he shall gather the God hath a tender respect to such lambs with his arm and carry them in his bosome and shall gently lead those that are with young You may look up to Jesus Christ your High Priest who is touched with the feeling of our infirmities and by him you may come boldly to the throne of grace to obtain mercy to help in time of need Heb. 4. 15 16. Mal. 3. 17. I will spare them as a man spareth his own Son that serveth him Isa 66. 13. As one whom his Mother comforteth so will I comfort you 1 Thes 5. 14. Comfort the feeble-minded support the weak Isa 61. 1. The Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings to the meek he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted ver 2. to comfort all that mourn Sixthly The weakest grace of the Spirit is a sure evidence that you are in Christ and it is the earnest penny of your future glory Matth. 5. 8. Blessed are It s an evidence that we are in Christ the poore in heart for they shall see God Ver. 6. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be satisfied SECT V. 4. Use DOth God give his own Spirit unto all his own people Let them then who have received the Spirit remember the duties which do in a more special manner concern them These are first Negative secondly Positive 1. Negative duties are First Quench not the Spirit this is the Exhortation of the Apostle 1 Thes Duties of such as have received the spirit Quench it not Why the spirit is compared to fiâ—e 5. 19. Quench not the Spirit The Spirit in this Metaphorical expression is compared to fire because 1. Fire lightning upon any combustible matter it doth burn and consume it So when the Spirit of God enters into our hearts he doth waste and consume by degrees all our noysome lusts and vile affections and sinfull deeds Rom. 8. 13. 2. Fire doth purge and purifie the mettals by burning up the dâ—oss and by making them more pure and bright So doth the Spirit of God when he comes into our hearts he purgeth the heart of sin and makes us holy and fit vessels of honour 3. Fire doth mollifie and soften and melt the hardest Iron So doth the Spirit of God the hardest heart and makes it melt into godly sorrow and feare 4. Fire doth give light and heat So the Spirit of God doth enlighten and teach us and heats us and warms us and inflames our hearts with the love of God and with a power to do his will 5. Fire doth ascend and mount upward So the Spirit carries up our thoughts and affections unto things which are above Rom. 8. 5. 6. Fire doth revive and as it were put a new life into us when we are frozen or benummed So doth the Spirit quicken and enlarge our hearts when they are oppressed with dulness and deadness In these and some other respects is the Spirit of God with his graces compared to fire which may be quenched either in part as when you suffer it to decay and slack or in whole when it goes out all together There are four wayes by which the fire is quenched First By withdrawing and with-holding the fuell which should nourish it How this fire is quenched So when we withdraw our ears from hearing the Word and restrain Prayer and decline holy society and conference we do now quench the Spirit in his gifts and graces they will decay and fall and dye withâ—n us Secondly By casting on water though you put much wood to the fire yet if you cast more water upon it this will quench the fire So although you should hear and pray yet if you admit gross sins these will quench the Spirit they will either totally extinguish or else extreamly diminâ—sh the graces of the Spirit David found it so by his gross sins of adultery and murder And Sampson found it so in his loosness with Dalilah Thirdly By smothering of it Though you do not withdraw fuell from the fire nor throw water upon it yet if you heap upon it much cold earth or green wood this will smother and put out the fire though you do not decline Ordinances and duties you do not fall into gross sins yet if you suffer your heart to be overcloy'd with the things of the world with the cares and employments of it these will choak the word and these will smother and quench the operations of the Spirit within you Fourth By neglecting of it If we do not look unto the fire and put the Brands together and stir and blow it up it will decay and go out So if we neglect the graces of the Spirit if we do not stir them up as Paul adviseth Timothy 2 Tim. 1. 6. shake off the contrary indisposition and put them out in daily exercise they will decay and will be ready to dye Object But some will say Quorsum haec may a Christian lose the Spirit fall away from grace can the work of the Spirit be wholly extinguished where is then the comfort and the happiness you lately spake of Sol. I will not take up by the by that debate of total and final Apostaty only this I say for the present that there is such a latitude and compasse in the graces of the Spirit that as the Christian may rise higher in them so he may fall and decay much in them How the graces of the spirit may be considered In their Root Take me briefly thus the graces of the Spirit may be considered First In their Root which is Christ And thus considered as Christ lives for ever so do the graces of Christ he dies not neither shall any Branch Rooted in him die Secondly in their essential habit or spiritual quality thus likewise the are In their essential habits immortal seed and abiding
not neglect these motions do not throw them aside and do not delay or defer to act them remember it you shall be able to do much at that time when the Spirit of God stirs your hearts if you presently act upon his actings of you Simile as the ship moves the faster when the Mariner takes the wind and tide but if you neglect them the work will be more difficult and your hearts will be more untoward and backward and hardened Object But some will say It is an hard thing to know what motions are the motions How to know the motions of the Spirit of the Spirit if we could certainly know them to be his we would not neglect them Sol. You may know the motions which are stirring of you to be the motions of the Spirit of God by the conjunction of these Adjuncts First They are holy and heavenly they do resemble himself he never moves They are holy you to any evil but only to what is good and spiritual to get grace to increase it to exercise it to mortifie your sins to beware of all incentives and provecation unto sin c. Secondly They are conformable to the written Word All hâ—s motions are Agreeable to the Word but the setting on of Gods commands upon your heart and lives he moves you not and stirs you not to do any thing but what the Word of God expresly commands Thirdly They are suitable to your place and condition The spirit moves to Suitable to our place and condition do that good work wâ—ich belongs to us in our place He did not move Vzza to put forth his hand to hold the Ark nor Uzziah to burn incense It pertaineth not to thee Uzziah to burn incense unto the Lord but unto the Priests the sons of Aaron that are consecrated to burn incense 2 Chron. 26. 18. He is the Author of order and not of confusion he moves men to exercise the gifts which he hath given them in the places and callings wherein he hath set them Fourthly They are seasonable He puts in good motions not to hinder a present good work but to further it when we are sometimes praying or hearing you shall They are seasonable have many good things presented unto your minds which come not from the Spirit of God but from Satan for they are put in as diversions and distractions from that good work in hand but when they are from the Spirit they are seasonable and helpful As when you are hearing and 〈◊〉 and confessing your sins all those good motions which drop into you to humble your hearts enlarge your hearts to attend to mark and remember and to yield consent and obedience and to take delight to raise heavenly resolutions to walk according to the will of God revealed these are motions from the Spirit Fifthly They are gentle and spiritually rational men talk of impulsives and violent They are gentle motions upon their spirits for particular works for the doing of which they can give no religious account or ground Those are dangerous motions and are to be suspected and questioned but the motions of the Spirit are not turbulent nor violent though they be strong yet they are gentle they are leadings but not disquieting motions Secondly Neglect not the removings of the Spirit The Spirit of God by reason of our spiritual pride and security and formality and other sins may remove from us i. e. you may not find that comfort from him and you may not find that strength and assistance and vigor from him and you may discern a general Hatness and lowness in your graces and services they come not off with that zeal with that delight with that care with that love with that importunity with that fervency with that faith as formerly and you are more ready to fall under temptations and sinful occasions you cannot make that resistance which you were wont to do The Spirit in these cases is removing and withdrawing And it is a most dangerous folly now to sit still and to be careless and regardless If a Guard which preserves you draw off are you not in danger are you not exposed to enemies why all your strength support sufficiency safety is in the presence of Gods Spirit Therefore take notice of his removings or or withdrawings at any time and do it quickly and seriously for though his removes be not usually all at once yet the oftner he removes he removes the farther from you and the farther he removes the stronger will hardness grow upon you Quest Why what is to be done in this case Sol. I will tell you How to prevent the Spirits removoings First Search your hearts and enquire what is amiss what cause you have given unto the Spirit of God thus to withdraw from you what harndness what offence you may read in Scripture these causes 1. Pride of heart as in Hezekiah 2. Self-confidence as in Peter 3. Careless neglect as in the Church Cant. 5. 6. I opened to my beloved but my beloved had withdrawn himself See the cause of this in Ver. 3. I have put off my coat how shall I put it on 4. Foule transgressions as in David Psal 51. He had almost lost all Secondly Then repent it is the counsel given to the Church of Ephesus which lost her first love Rev. 2. 4. 5. Thirdly Cry out with David Psal 51. 11. Cast me not away from thy presence and take not thy holy Spirit from me O Lord I am willing to let my sin go but I cannot be willing let thy Spirit go When the spirit is removing move after him and lay hold on him with tears and supplications and faith and say O forsake me not utterly O return in mercy revive thy work again in me and quicken and restore and establish me c. Fourthly Do not injure the Spirit Ezek. 36. 27. And I will put my Spirit within you c. SECT VI. 4. THe fourth Caution which concerns them that have the Spirit given unto Injure not the Spirit How the Spirit may be injured By bearing false witness against the spirit them is this Take heed you do not injure or wrong the Spirit Injure the Spirit will some say how can any man injure the Spirit of God A man may injure the Spirit of God four wayes First By bearing false witness against the Spirit Wicked men do injure the spirit by railing and by reviling his gifts and graces and good men do injure the spirit by denying and disowning of them upon every temptation and every weakness and upon every failing O they have no faith and no love and no sincerity of heart and the Spirit of God never wrought any Renewing work or saving work in their hearts and they cannot attain unto those joyes and comforts which the people of God do meet with But beloved why do we charge the Spirit of God thus foolishly Is it a small thing for you to weary men but
will you weary my God also said the Prophet Isa 7. 13. So say I Is it a small thing that you injure another but will you also injure the Spirit of God Simile If a friend should help you out of prison and heal all your diseases and sores and furnish you with clothes and money and house and lands do you not wrong him in saying upon every discontent What hath he done he hath never done any thing for me Why it is the Spirit of God who hath quickned you from the dead who hath delivered you out of the power of darkness who hath renewed and healed your soul who hath begun every saving grace in your hearts who hath been your life and strength and after all this is it meet for you to say What hath he done and he hath wrought nothing for us nothing why how came you to be so sensible of your sins how came your hearts to be broken and mournful whence came those desires after Christ and grace whence came those fervent prayers and importunate cries whence came those resolutions to walk with God and careful endeavours to honour and glorifie him O Christianâ— be humbled for thy rashnesse and for thy unthankfulness and for this injuriousness done unto the good Spirit of God disown him no more and deny not any work of his any more though it be but little yet do not disown it though it be sometimes hidden from thee yet do not disown it though it doth many times work but weakly do not disown it though it be put sometimes to a stand though thou dost not in every particular answer the motions and rules of the Spirit yet do not disown the work of the Spirit condemn every sinful work which is thine own but do not deny or dishonour any work that is his Secondly By not crediting the testimony of the Spirit Beloved sometimes By not crediting the spirit we do bear witness or give testimony for the Spirit as when we humbly and thankfully confess his workmanship in our hearts saying This is the Lords doing this he hath done for my soul c. Sometimes the Spirit bears witness or gives in testimony unto our hearts he bears witness saith the Apostle Rom. 8. 16. that we are the children of God and concerning this he gives in his testimony partly by his works of Faith and Regeneration which are to be found in all and only the children of God And partly by extraordinary assurance letting in such a ligâ—t and evidence and perswasion which abundantly clears up our Relation that without doubt God is our Father and we are his children If now after both these testimonies in assurance of the Spirit in after times of darkness and desertion and temptation we call the testimony of the Spirit into question and charge it for a false delusion do we not exceedingly injure the Spirit of God in some sort to make bim a lyer and a false witnesse Object But we do not do so and we dare not do so his testimony is true only How to know the testimony of the Spirit we fear that the testimony which we have found was not his testimony but a delusion either of Satan or of our own hearts Sol. O but what if indeed that testimony was not the delusion of your hearts but the very testimony of the Spirit which you have challenged and rejected as a delusion are you not then very guilty of great injuriousness unto the Spirit And that it was the very testimony of the Spirit of God may thus appear 1. It was a testimony after deep humblings of the heart for sin 2. It was a testimony after importunate cries and wrestlings for mercy and assurance 3. It was a testimony after your believing and closing which Christ offered and accepted 4. It was a testimony after the matching of the promises with your souls condition 5. It was a testimony that filled your heart with joy unspeakable and glorious and with a love most dear and superlative and with most humble and serious care and diligence how to walk more exactly and chearfully to the praise and honour of this most gracious God If it was thus it was no delusion it was indeed the testimony of the Spirit and you have dealt unkindly and unworthily thus to requite him and thus to disgrace his precious testimony Thirdly By disregarding and slighting the Ordinances of Christ Some people do think that because they have the Spirit therefore there is no need of Ordinances By slighting Christs Ordinances at least for them perhaps they hold that the Ordinances may be useful for others who as yet have not received the Spirit but yet they are needless for them who have received the Spirit And three places of Scripture they alledge for this Jer. 31. 34. They shall teach no more every man his neighbour and every man his brother saying Know the Lord for they shall all know me from the least to the greatest of them saith the Lord. 1 Joh. 2. 27. The anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you and ye need not that any man teach you but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things and is truth and is no lye and even as it hath taught you ye shall abide in him 2 Pet. 1. 19. We have also a most sure Word of prophesie whereunto ye do well that ye take heed as unto a light that shineth in a dark place untill the day dawne and the day-starre arise in your hearts With your favour I will speak something in 1. Opposition to this Opinion it is the Opinion of the Libertines of old and of some now amongst our selves The Libertines answered who desire and endeavour to subvert the Ministry and the Ordinances of preaching 2ly In resolving the true meaning of those places of Scripture First I affirm that Gods giving of his Spirit unto his people was never intended by him to put a period unto any Evangelical Ordinance or to render them useless unto any of his people this may be demonstrated thus First From the scope of the Scriptures All Scripture saith the Apostle 2 Tim. 3. 16. is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for Doctrine for Reproof for Correction for Iâ—struction in Righteousness that the man of God may be perfect throughly furnished unto all good works ver 17. If the Word of God be given for these ends For Doctrine to teach us the matter of faith for Reproof to convince errors for Correction to condemn sin for Instruction to shew us our duties and to make us perfect To beget us Jam. 1. 18. Of his own will begat he us with the Word of truth To build us up Acts 20. 33. I commend you to God and to the word of his grace which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified then certainly the presence of the Spirit and the Ministry of the Word are not
inconsistent nor are they to be dijoyned Secondly If the Lord Jesus himself hath instituted some men particularly for his service and the benefit of his Church and hath committed the dispensation of Evangelical Ordinances unto them then no man under pretence that he hath the Spirit may slight and neglect the Ordinances but Christ hath instituted some persons in the Church for Ministerial service c. Ephes 4. 11. He gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and teachers Ver. 12. For the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ c. Ver. 13. till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Sonne of God unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fulnesse of Christ What need of these if the presence of the Spirit without these be sufficient 1 Cor. 12. 28. God hath set some in the Church first Apostles secundarily Prophets thirdly Teachers Ver. 29. Are all Apostles are all Prophets are all Teachers To these and not to all hath he committed the dispensation of the Evangelical Ordinances 1 Cor. 4. 1. Let a man so account of us as the Ministers of Christ and Stewards of the mysteries of God Matth. 28. 19. Go ye and teach all nations baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost 2 Cor. 5. 19. God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself c. and hath committed unto us the word of Reconciliation What are all these Ordinances instruted and fixed and that by the will of Christ and yet useless for men that have the Spirit of Christ Thirdly What mean those several passages in the Scriptures Jam. 1. 19. Be swift to hear 1 Per. 2 2. As new born babes desire the sincere milk of the Word that you may grow thereby 1 Thes 5. 19. Quench not the Spirit Ver. 20. Despise not Prephesying Luke 10. 16. He that despiseth you despiseth me c. Isa 59. 21. This is my Covenant with them saith the Lord my Spirit that is upon them and my Spirit which I have put within thy mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth nor out of the mouth of thy seed nor out of the mouth of thy seeds seed saith the Lord hence forth for ever Fourthly If the Spirit be given unto us to make the Ordinances effectual unto us then his presence should not take us off from Ordinances but the Spirit is given to make the Ordinances effectual they are so farre life unto us as the Spirit gives life unto them 2 Cor. 3. 16. The Spirit giveth life Secondly Having spoken these things I shall now look upon those forementioned Scriptures and see whether they conclude the needlesness of Ordinances after the reception of the Spirit Object Jer. 31. 34. They shall teach no more every man his neighbor and every man his brother saying know the Lord for they shall all know me c. Hence the Anabaptists do conclude that there is no need of Teachers nor Anabaptists answered Learning Sol. First I would fain know Whether these people have among them a Church of Christ yea or no if they have then I would know Whether they have any The Scriptures opened Teachers of the Word and Labourers in the Word and Doctrine any teaching publickly in their Churches Secondly But to the place of the Prophet who sets out the difference between the Old Testament and the New 1. In respect of efficacy this he layes down in ver 33. This is the Covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after these dayes saith the Lord I will put my law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts c. 2ly In respect of Clarity that in the times of the new Covenant there should be a more clear and plentiful effusion of knowledge than in the old Covenant for when Christ came then did the Sun of Righteousness arise the light of which was sevensold to what the light was before his coming they before his coming had but a dark knowledge those after his coming had a more clear and full knowledge Object True and they had so much knowledge that they needed not to be taught they shall no more teach Sol. That expression is not to be taken litterally and absolutely as if those that live under the Gospel should need no teaching at all for we read an express promise relating unto Gospel-times to the contrary Isa 2. 3. Many people shall go and say Come and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord to the house of the God of Jacob and he will teach us of his wayes and we will walk in his paths for out of Zion shall go out the Law and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem But the words are to be taken Restrictively and Comparatively therefore if you observe them it is not said only they shall no more teach every one his neighbour but they shall no more teach every man his neighbour saying know the Lord So that God doth promise under the Gospel such a measure of knowledge as that his people now shall not be Alphabetarii any more need to be taught the first Principles of the Doctrine of Faith any more these they should all of them clearly know and much more clearly than many or most living under the old Covenant or Testament Object 1 Joh. 2. 27. You need not that any man teach you but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things c. Sol. The Apostle having in the former words delivered many excellent and comfortable truths he concludes with a perswasion of their knowledge of and assent unto them q. d. you are the people of God you have received his Spirit you know these things to be true I write them unto you not as to the ignorant but knowing Christian you know them assuredly the Spirit given unto you hath enabled you to know and to acknowledge them so that no man needs to teach you them c. Object 2. Pet. 1. 19. Vnto which you do well to take heed as unto a light that shineth in darknesse untill the day dawn and the day starâ—e arise in your hearts Sol. Untill the day dawn i. e. Pleniori apertiori cognitione quà m sub legis umbris fuerit 1. He commends the Jews for regarding the Prophetical writings 2. He prefers the Apostolical Writings which had more light in them 3. Vntil is gradual and not exclusive Fourthly lastly the Spirit is injured when any do Father upon him their odd Opinions and wild fancies and delusions and sometimes their abominable blasphemies which are not to be named amongst Christians but with detestation The Spirit of God is the Spirit of truth and the Spirit of holiness and to entitle him unto any errors or wickedness it is no less then to blaspheme and reproach him Fifthly The fifth Caution which I would
commend to you that have the Envy not the gifts of the Spirit in others Spirit is this Do not envy the gifts and graces of the Spirit in any man nor speak evil of them Numb 11. 29. And Moses said unto Joshua Enviest thou for my sake Would God that all the Lords people were Prophets and that the Lord would put his Spirit upon them The Spirit of God gives different gifts unto men to profit withall 1 Cor. 12. 7. To one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit Ver. 8. To another Faith by the same Spirit Ver. 9. And there are different measures of his gifts some do excell in one gift and some in another and this holds true in publick persons and in private persons all of us should rejoyce in all these manifestations of the Spirit It should not grieve us that any one is good nor that he can do good in his private way or in his publick way nor should it grieve and trouble us if any man hath more grace or that he can do more good bring more glory to Christ than we do or can The end of every Christian is Gods glory now every one should mind that and contribute towards that one man may contribute more and every man should contribute his utmost towards it is it not enough if Christ be magnified and thy soul saved Sixthly You should not be discouraged for any work which God puts upon Be not discouraged at hard tasks you though never so great and difficult for you have the Spirit of wisdom and power and sufficiency to assist you Zach. 4. 6. Not by might not by power but by my Spirit saith the Lord of Hosts 2ly Now follows the Positive or affirmative duties for them that have received the Spirit of God The positive duties of such as have the spirit They should shew â—orth the vertues of the spirit As love First You should express the virtue of the Spirit which abideth in you you should walk like men of another spirit especially you should hold out those nine fruits or virtues of the spirit mentioned in Gal. 5. 22 23. The fruit of the Spirit is love joy peace long-suffering gentlenesse goodnesse faith meeknesse temperance these you should strive to act in your convesations 1. Love i. e. a loving behaviour especially towards the Godly nay and towards all men you should walk in love without hatred and emulation and envying and rash suspition and censoriousness 2. Joy i. e. such a behaviour as sets out a contentedness and well-pleasedness Joy with our worldly portion and a chearfulness and comfortableness in our spiritual relation unto and portion in God and Christ 3. Peace i. e. such a behaviour as exempts us from medling and wrangling and quarrelling and contentiousness and turbulency and tumâ—ltuousness and Peace variancies and that frames us to a quiet peaceable and unprovoking inoffensive carriage 4. Long-suffering i. e. we should bear much of the weaknesses and infirmities Long-suffering of those with whom we do converse and pass by slight injuries and forgive many a wrong done unto us as God for Christs sake hath forgiven us 5. Gentleness i. e. we should behave our selves towards others in speaking Gentleness or looking or dealing without pâ—ide austerity insolency scornfulness rigidness in a soft humble affable candid manner 6. Goodness i. e. we should not be hard-hearted and backward to do good Goodness to the souls or bodies of others but should be ready to distribute full of the fruits of mercy and be helpful and profitable and merciful to them that need especially to the distressed members of the body of Christ 7. Faith i. e. fidelity we should be just in our words promises and in all our Faith dealing with men by no means lye or deceive or over-reach or deal with guile deceitfully or falsly but squarely plainly and honestly and righteously 8. Meekness i. e. we should suppress all rash furious immoderate unlawful anger and frowardness and perturbation and passionateness and strive to Meekness manifest that we are in some measure able to deny our selves and to bear crosses and afflictions provocations injuries patiently and contentedly 9. Temperance i. e. we should not excessively lay out our cares and labours Temperance for any wordly thing whether honour or riches or pleasures but be soher in the desire and use of all the earthly blessings which God hath given unto us Secondly you should be wonderful thankful unto the Lord for giving of his We must be thankful for the spirit Spirit unto you Paul takes special notice of this mercy and often speaks of it We have received the Spirit of God and he hath given unto us his holy Spirit and his Spirit dwelleth in us c. There are four things for which God is eternally to be blessed viz. 1. For his free grace and love 2ly For his Christ 3ly For his Gospel And 4ly for his Spirit Quest And why for his Spirit Sol. Because what you are in relation to God you are by the Spirit First Are you in Christ this is by the Spirit are you new creatures born Reasons of it again this is by the Spirit are you delivered from Satan and your sinfull corruptions this is by the Spirit 2. What you can do this comes from the Spirit Can you mourn for sin can you poure out your hearts in Prayer can you at any time trust in the Name of the Lord can you look towards his holy place in times of desertion can you deny your selves can you do the will of God can you suffer the will of God all your spiritual strength is from the Spirit Thirdly Have you any discoveries of the Love of God have you any clearness of the love of Christ and of your propriety in him have you any satisfying evidences of your present relation to God have you any sealings and assurances of future blessedness have you ever tasted of joy unspeakable and glorious of a peace that passeth all understanding of recoveries out of sin of sweet refreshings under troubles of conscience then bless the Lord who hath given his own Spirit unto you Thirdly you should improve the Spirit that is given unto you and make Improve the spirit use of him 1. For works which he can do but hath not yet begun within you 2. For works which he hath begun but hath not as yet perfected and finished within you First For works which he can do but perhaps hath not yet begun within you He hath begun the work of humiliation and of vocation and of union and of regeneration but then perhaps there are other works wanting you have found him an healing Spirit but did you ever find him a sealing Spirit you have felt the power of his grace but did you ever tast the sweetness of his joyes you have found him a regenerating
been and are the cause of all our troubles The troubles which the Spirit causeth in us for sinne is a meanes to deliver us from sinne and the eternal troubles for sinne 2. The troubles which the Spirit causeth in us for sinne do end in much joy They end in joy and peace and peace The joy and peace of the Spirit are very precious and they cannot be delivered out unto us unless we be first troubled for our sin The Spirit comforts mourners and them that are cast down Now the Spirit troubles us for sin 1. To make sinne bitter to us 2ly To make Christ sweet to us As he troubles us for our sins so he leads and draws the troubleâ— soul to Christ that in him he may find deliverance from those sinnes and his peace made with God c. Trouble is not all the work of the Spirit it is an inceptive work and a preparative work he troubles you for sin that you may not be damned for sinne and that you may make out for Christ to save you from your sinnes Object We should be willing to have the Spirit but that then we must bid farewell to all our sins the Spirit is a mortifying Spirit he will not suffer us to love our sins nor to take pleasure in them as heretofore we are affraid of the sword of the Spirit Sol. I answer First It is granted that the spirit will do this as you do speak it will cast sin The second prejudice removed He dethrones sin The death of sin is our life out of the throne it will take off love and service from sin and it will be more and more â—â— mortifying of it Secondly But then where is the hurt the danger the prejudice which you have against this Gal. 5. 24. They that are Christs have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts Rom. 8. 13. If ye live after the flesh ye shall dye but if ye through the Spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body ye shall live Here is death and life If you keep your sins alive ye shall dye if you through the spirit mortifie your sins you shall live The life of sin is your death and the death of sin is your life Saul spared Agag but it was his ruine and Ahab spared Benhadad but it was his ruine c. Object O but the Spirit will make us holy and we must then live holily and not so lâ—osly and freely as heretofore Sol. First Will the spirit of God make you holy and should you not be The third prejudice removed so 1 Pet. 1. 16. Be holy for I am holy and should you not walk so As he who hath called you is holy so be ye holy in all manner of conversation 1 Pet. 1. 15. Secondly Consider only three places of Scripture for this 1. Isa 4. 3. He that remaineth in Jerusalem shall be called holy even every We should be holy one that is written amongst the living in Jerusalem 2. Heb. 12. 14. Follow holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. 3. Matth. 5. 8. Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God Object But I shall be a derision and a mock if I should pretend to the Spirit c. Sol. 1. Who will mock you those that are led by the Divel wicked graceless The fourth prejudice removed ungodly men 2. All that will live godly in Christ Jesus must suffer persecution 3. If ye be reproached for the Name of Christ happy are ye for the Spirit of glory and of Christ resteth upon you 1 Pet. 4. 14. Secondly if you would come to partake of the Spirit you must not then resist We must not resist the spirit the Spirit Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears ye do alwayes resâ—st the Holy Ghost Acts 7. 51. Men resist the Spirit two wayes 1. When they will not hearken unto nor regard the counsel and commands of the Spirit delivered in the Word but set themselves against them and oppose and How the spiriâ— is resisted despise them 2. When they will not receive the offers and motions of the Spirit but harden their hearts against them and quench them and will not give way or enterance unto them Now take heed of this when the Spirit of God is knocking at your hearts and stirs your hearts to accept of him and of his graces which he is willing and ready to work in you by no means neglect them or slight them but lay hold of them presently as one of the greatest mercies that God is intending toward you bless him and cherish them and beseech him to go on with his work on your souls do not reject any work of the Spirit neither grieve him by neglecting his good motions Prov. 1. 23. Turn you at my reproof behold I will poure out my Spirit unto you I will make known my works unto you my Spirit shall not alwayes strive with man Thirdly If you would come to partake of the spirit then you must pray the We must pray for the spirit Lord to give you his spirit you must thirst after him and seek for him Isa 44. 3. I will poure water upon him that is thirsty and floods upon the dry ground I will poure my Spirit upon thy seed and my blessing upon thy off-spring Luke 11. 13. Your heavenly Father will give the spirit to them that ask him What a promise is this to encourage any man sensible of the want of the spirit to pray unto God! Jesus Christ assures him that if he will ask for the Holy Spirit he shall have him Object But who can pray unless he hath the Spirit first Sol. I grant that the spirit must make you sensible of the want of the spirit and he must stir up your hearts to pray for him there is some degree of the spirits presence in stirring us up to pray for these but then if you would fully enjoy the spirit you must poure out you hearts c. Fourthly You must attend the Preaching of the Gospel the Gospel is called Attend upon the Ministry oâ— the Word the Ministry of the Spirit 2 Cor. 3. 6. And you read that whiles Peter was Preaching the Word unâ—o Cornelius and the rest the Holy Ghost came upon them Act. 10 44. Whiles Peter yet spake these words the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the Word So Gal. 3. 2. Received ye the Spirit by the works of the Law or by the hearing of faith They received the spirit upon the hearing of the Gospel which is the word of faith You read that aâ—l the works of the spirit and all the graces of the spirit and all the joyes and comforts of the spirit are let into us by the Word by that the spirit is pleased to convey himself First His works He enlightens our minds by the Word he convinceth us of He enlightens our minds by the Word sin by the Word I
they should not have done well to have observed it Thirdly If the Moral Precepts were ceased as to the people of God then God would have expressed in the delivery of them a purpose after some time to have revoked them and to have exempted his people from further obedience unto them or else Jesus Christ would himself have abrogated them as now unuseful but neither of these do we find Object Yes Christ saith in Luke 16. 16. The Law and the Prophets were untill John Sol. The Law here spoken of is not to be understood de Lege Morali of the direct and commanding Law of the Moral Law prescribing obedience sed de lege Prophetante per figur as as Rivet well observes Fourthly What shall we say to that of Paul Rom. 7. 22. I delight in the Law of God after the inner man And Ver. 25. So then with the mind I my self serve the Law of God And Chap. 8. 4. That the righteousnesse of the Law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit What shall we say to that of David Psal 119. 1. Blessed are the undefiled who walk in the Law of the Lord Object But the Apostle saith we are not under the Law in Rom. 6 14. c. Sol. First One may be said to be under the Law in several respects How we are said to be under the law 1. For justification by the Law 2. For condemnation by the Law 3. For perfect and personal obedience to the Law 4. For a slavish and servile constraint In these respects the people of God are not under the Law nevertheless for direction and instruction to frame their lives unto the precepts of the Law thus they are under the Law But secondly the place to me expounds it self best of all The Apostle there saith We are not under the Law but under grace and this he gives as a reason why sin should not have dominion over them We are not under the Law i. e. in such a state where there is only a command given against but no power but we are under grace which is such a condition or estate where besides a command against sin we have also a power given with that command which pulls down the dominion of sin And verily all that can be concluded here is the comfortabâ—e estate of believers and regenerate persons not in this that they are utterly freed from the commanding Law of God but in that they are now under such a gracious Covenant vvhere there is not only a Law to command but grace also given to obey 2. Quest The next Question is what manner of obediential observation of God commands that is which concerns the people of God in Covenant Sol. It is an Evangelical manner of obedience or observation which hath four What obedience is required of Gods people It comes from Gospel-Principles ingredients in it First It must come from Gospel Principles even from the life and strength of Christ no man can walk without a Principle of life within him It is a living work which poceeds from a living Principle All the obediential workâ— of the people of God are performed in the vertue of their union and communion with Christ without me you can do nothing Christ doth not only give the Law unto the people of God but also he gives the Spirit unto them Heb. 8. 10. I will write my Law in their minds He doth by his Spirit write them in their hearts and makes them complying and willing to obey Secondly It must come from Gospel motives even from the mercy and love of God the people of God do obey him rather as a Father then as a Judge looking From Gospel-motives more at his goodness than at his severity They shall fear the Lord and his goodness Hosea 3. 5. And Psal 130. 5. There is mercy with thee that thou mayest be feared 2 Cor. 5. 14. The love of Christ constrains them And Ver. 15. He died for all that they who live should not hence forth live unto themselves but unto him which died for them The great love which God hath shewed unto his people in Christ inflames and swells their heart and moves cares and endeavours to walk before him in all well pleasing Thirdly It must come from Gospel-affections especially from love and delight From Gospel-affections O how love I thy Law Psal 119. If a man love me he will keep my cemmandâ—ments Joh. 14. 23. The love of God which the people of God enjoy carries out their soules in all holy obedience unto the will of God and so likewise they serve him with delight I delight to do thy will O God Psal 40. 8. And thy Law is within my heart Psal 101. 1. Serve the Lord with gladness The Commandements of God are not grievous unto his people they say not What a weariness it is to serve the Lord no but as David I rejoyce in thy testimonies and I will run the way of thy Commandements when thou shalt enlarge my heart It was Christs meat and drink to do the will of his Father O that my wayes were directed to keep thy statutes c. There is a servile serving of God which ariseth from a slavish Spirit unwilling backward constrained by threats and blows and there is an ingenuous free chearful delightful serving of God As the people of God are volunteers Psal 110. 3. of a princely spirit as the word signifies their duties though as to the rule are under a command yet as to their hearts and manner of performance they are a free-will-offering they find so much sweetness and happiness in communion with God and with a holy fervency of spirit they are not indifferent cold slothful but fervent in Spirit boyling hot serving the Lord Rom. 12. 11. their hearts are conjoyned and united in the duties of obedience intent and intensive Fourthly It looks at a Gospel-end at the glory of God and Christ Phil. It looks at a Gospel-end 1. 20. Christ shall be magnified in my body whether it be by life or death Ver. 21. For to me to live is Christ Rom. 14. 7. None of us liveth unto himself for ver 8. Whether we live we live unto the Lord. Natural men do act from themselves and for themselves but the people of God do act from Christ and for Christ 3. Quest Why the people of Gods Covenant are in a more special manner charged to walk in his statutes keep his judgements and do them Sol. I will not insist on this but briefly thus the people of God should walk in his statutes keep his judgements and do them Why Gods people should walk in his statutes First In respect of God and here are three Reasons 1. His Will Psal 119. 4. Thou hast commanded us to keep thy preceps diligently 1 Thes 4. 3. It is the will of God even your sanctification 2. His Glory They are called to shew forth
comforts from God 23. 11. And the night following the Lord stood by him and said Be of good cheer Paul c. Psal 94. 19. In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul Ver. 18. When I said my foot slippeth thy mercy O Lord held me up Seventhly You cannot serve a better Master than your God therefore continue stedfast walking in his statutes and doing of his woâ—k Mich. 7. 18. We cannot serve a better Master than God Four Masters Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity c. Hose 2. 7. I will return to my first husband for then it was better with me than now There are four Masters and of necessity we must serve one of them 1. Satan 2ly The world 3ly Our sinâ—ul lusts And 4ly God himself Are you not ashamed to compare these Masters unto God and their service unto his God is the best Master 1. For authority 2ly For dignity 3ly For liberty 4ly For the service God is the best Master and why commanded 5ly For privilâ—dges 6ly For present benefit 7ly For future reward Other Masters are base and cruel and their service is bondage and their pay is destruction but God is a gracious Master and helpful and beneficial and blessed and therefore c. Eighthly Although you do many times halt and are drawn aside and go astray yet your God whom you serve will be merciful unto you he will God will pardon our weaknesses not forsake you nor cast you off but will recover and pardon you There are three unspeakable mercies which the Lord shews unto all his people in Covenant Three mercies which the Lord shews his people in Covenant He pardons all their old sins He looks after them when they wander 1. One is that he pardons all their old sins in which they walked before they came into Covenant with him he blots them all out and will never remember them any more casts them all into the depth of the Sea 2. A second is that he will look after them and seek and find them and bring them home again when they lose themselves by sinning and wander from him Psal 119. 176. I have gone astray like a lost sheep seek thy servant And did not the Lord indeed seek and find David when he exceedingly strayed in the maâ—ter of Vriah he sends Nathan after him with such a message as convinced and humbled and turned him again and so when Peter went astray Christ lookt back upon him he did not leave him but toucht his heart and turned him as he in Luke 15. 4. that had an hundred sheep when he had lost one of them he went after that which was lost untill he found it Thus is it with the Lord if any of his servants should lose themselves yet the Lord will not lose him he will not cast him him off The Lord saith Samuel will not forsake his people for his great Name sake 1 Sam. 12. 22. but will send after him such a message by his Word or by afflictions or by conscience or by his own Spirit that he shall come back again Hose 2. 6. I will hedge up thy way with thorns c. Ver. 7. Then shall she say I will go and return to my first husband c. 3. A third is that he will accept of them again into love and favour Hose 14. 4. I will heal their back-slidings I will love them freely for mâ—ne anger is God will accept of them turned away from him Jet 31. 19. Surely after that I was turned I repeated c. Ver. 20. Is Ephraim my dear son is he a pleasant child for since I spake against him I do earnestly remember him still therefore my bowels are troubled for him I will surely have mercy upon him saith the Lord. 9. A ninth Encouragement for you is this the Lord in whose wayes you walk God stands by us to strengthen us in his wayes doth stand by you to strengthen you his eyes are upon you for good he doth behold all your works and labours and pains and is sensible of all your injuries and sufferings and troubles 1 Pet. 3. 12. The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous and his ears are open to their prayers Ver. 13. Who is he that will harm you if you be followers of that which is good 2 Pet. 2. 9. The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations Rev. 2. 9. I know thy works and tribulation and poverty but thou art rich and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews and are not Ver. 10. Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer c. 2 Cor. 4. 17. For our light affliction which is but for a moment worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory 10. Lastly Your time of walking and working is almost at an end your day Our time of working is almost at an end is ending and it is but a little time more and then he that shall come will come your life is near expiring and your reward is hastning Rev. 22. 11. He that is righteous let him be righteous still and he that is holy let him be holy still Ver. 12. And behold I come quickly and my reward is with me to give to every man according as his work shall be SECT IV. 3. Use THe last Use from this That the people of God are to walk in his statutes and to hold on in that course all their dayes shall be of perswasion unto us all in general unto three things 1. To repent of and to forsake our sinful walkings 2. To approve of and to like of this walking in Gods statutes 3. To yield up your hearts to God and to make some essayes of walking in Gods wayes First To repent of and to forsake all our former sinful walkings It is high Three things we are exhorted to Repent of our former miswalking Arguments to perswade us hereto Such shall have mercy time to awake out of sleep Rom. 13. 11. The time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles when we walked in lasciviousness lusts excess of wine revellings banquettings and abominable idolatries 1 Pet. 4. 3. I will present four Arguments to perswade you to harken unto this counsel 1. You may have mercy if you do so Isa 55. 7. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly paâ—don So Ezek. 18. 21. If the wicked will turn from all his sins which he hath committed and keep all my statutes c. Ver. 22. all his transgressions which he hath committed they shall not be mentioned unto him in his righteousness which he hath done he shall live 2. You will certainly perish if you do not so Prov. 1. 29. For they hated knowledge
When neer great and suddain changes do befall us as the loss of a husband wife child parent friend estate c. this is a time wherein ordinarily we are weak and do stand in need of more strength than our own to bear the hand of God with patient submission and to make a sanctified use of the same And this is a time when we should in a special manner look up to God and trust on him for his help and assistance who hath promised to be with his people in the fire and in the water Esa 43. 2. And to debatâ— with them in measure Esa 27. 8. And to wipe off their tears and to turne again in mercy and that all things shall work together for their good Seventhly When we have made solemn vows in our distresses of particular reformation or of better walking with God O if God will spare me if God will hear me then this I will be and thus I will walk c. Indeed the sin is great to answer for such works and God will certainly require them at your hands therefore when God hath answered you O begg for his grace for his strength to enable you Esa 10. 21. They shall make a vow unto the Lord and perform it Eighthly We should in a special manner depend upon God for his own strength to be revealed unto us when we have experimentally found any work or duty sticking long upon our hands and we cannot get it forward and accomplish it with our strength as many times a man resolves to leave such and such a sin and is very serious in his resolution and yet he findes himself hampered and captivated by it And many times a man resolves upon such or such a heavenly duty which is of an excellent nature and yet he cannot get up his heart unto it but he still omits and neglects it or is by carnal counsel and pleasures taken off from it In these and the like cases we should go and weep before the Lord and confess both the deceitfulness and insufficiencie of our own hearts and earnestly beseech the Lord to take 1. our hearts and 2. our works into his own hands that he would change our hearts and that he would direct our steps and that he would mortifie our sinful lusts and by his strength tread down strength that he would lead captivitie captive that he would break our bonds for us and set us at libertie by the power of his own Spirit 3. Quest Now follows the third Question How may one know that he doth How we may know that we make God our strength indeed make God his strength and doth depend or relie only upon him for all the works which he is to do to cause him to walk in his statutes and to do them Sol. If one doth indeed set up God for his strength and doth depend and relie upon him c. First He will be much in prayer unto God be will not take up or set upon any work without prayer when any duty is to be performed by him his first work is with God Lord give thy strength unto thy servant he will not first venture upon the work and then look up to God but will first call in the help of God and then attempt the work Beloved remember this that the more that any man depends upon himself the less he is in prayer to God for saith he I have wisdom enough and I have strength enough to do this work and the more that any man depends upon God the more will he pray unto God he that believes most will pray most Psal 62. 8. Trust in him at all times ye people poure out your hearts before him God is a refuge for us Because if you do indeed trust on God if you do indeed believe that God is your strength and refuge you will then poure out your heart in prayer before him Psal 116. 10. I believe therefore have I spoken Secondly He will be much in fear Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling for it is God that Works in you to will and to do of his own good pleasure Phil. 2. 12 13. Quest Of what is the man afraid who acknowledgeth and relieth on God as his strength for every good work Sol. He is afraid 1. Of himself even in his best sufficiencies for not by might and by power but by my spirit saith the Lord. Zech. 4. 6 As Johoshaphat who had an army of above eleven hundred thousand men 2 Chron. 1â— from ver 14. to 19. yet when the Moabites and the Ammonites came against him he goes unto the Lord and saith 2 Chron. 20. 12. O our God wilt not thou judg them for we have no might against this great company that cometh against us neither know we what to do but our eyes are upon thee Why said he we have no might Had he not above eleven hundred thousand fighting men Were these no might No they were not self-sufficiencie is no sufficiencie and self-might is no might and therefore he feared him self in the highest of his own sufficiencies and his eyes are upon God in and from him was might and sufficiencie indeed The like you read in a spiritual case of Paul as able an Apostle and as laborious and as powerful as any of them all and one that relied as much upon the grace of God in Christ and one that had as choise and eminent abilities of knowledge and grace yet saith he 2 Cor. 3. 5. We are not sufficient of our selves to think any thing as of our selves but our sufficiencie is of God Ver. 6. who hath made us able ministers of the new testament 2. Of doing any thing which may offend his God and provoke him to withdraw himself from him How jealous was Moses when the two Tribes and an half petitioned to have their portion on this side Jordan lest they had been upon a sinful designe which might move the Lord to leave them Numb 32. 14. Behold you are risen up in your fathers stead an increase of sinful men to augment yet the fierce anger of the Lord towards Israel Ver. 15. For if ye turn away from him he will yet again leave them in the wilderness and ye shall destroy all this people See how afraid Moses was lest any thing should be done which might move the Lord to leave them And so indeed it is with every one who knows that God is his strength and sufficiencie he is afraid of every thing which may move the Lord to depart from him and to leave him unto himself he is afraid of every grosse sin and of going against the light of the word and against the working of the spirit and against the checks and warnings of his own conscience as knowing that for these things God hath left his people and hath withdrawn his actual assistance from them as you may read in Sampson and David and Hezekiah and Peter 3. Of giving way to
gives him no power or strength and regards not his prayers nor his complaints Psal 66. 18. But if your hearts were resolved indeed to forsake your sins they would be your hatred and burden and grief and you would set your selves against them but your strength is too weak and disproportionable and hereupon you go and cry unto the Lord O Lord those sins are too strong for me I am not able to subdue them I beseech thee for Christs sake to send forth the word of thy power and lead captivitie captive and suffer me not to dishonour thee any more I say if your hearts were drawn into this frame that the business did not lie upon the deceitfulness or falsness of your hearts but only upon the weakness and impotencie of your heart you would break down the power of sin but cannot do it you would walk better with God but you cannot do so you may now go confidently unto God for strength and he will certainly hear you and answer you with strength in your soul Object You will say This doth stay and encourage us but how may one know that it is only weakness and not wickedness only a want of power and not a want of will c. Sol. It s only a weakness and a want of more power against sin if you finde these six things 1. A constant conflict with sin 2. A resolved unsubjection unto sin I will never serve sin though I am often captivated by it 3. Earnest desires to have it mortified longings when 4. Avoiding all occasions and wayes that do give strength to sin 5. Gladness of any preventing and assisting power against sin 6. Extream grief when our weakness is borne cown by the strength of sin If you finde these things in you assuredly your hearts are willing to forsake sin and that you cannot get more riddance doth arise only from weakness and therefore in this case go to God for more of his strength and he will not deny it unto you And so for any good work that you would perform but you cannot dispatch it as you would or as you should you may know that this comes only from weakness and defect of more strength and nor from a secret dislike of it or aversness unto it if you finde these five qualities in you 1. You dare not neglect or omit it but you will be doing the will of God in this and that particular dutie with such a weak power as you have though it be in sighs and in tears and in much weakness and under many fears and temptations 2. You will be in the wayes of strength you will be creeping to the pools of Gods Ordinances there to receive of his strength 3. Though you cannot do much yet you will finde desires to do more strong cries to help weakness 4. You will take a delight after the inward man in the law of God and consent unto it that it is good and holy 5. You will make much use of Christ untill God shews his power in your weakness and gives in more strength to enable and perfect your works Fourthly If you would finde strength from God to enable you to walk in his Statutes and to do them then you must be an humble people and you must sue When the heart is humble unto him in forma pauperis Psal 40. 17. I am poore and needy the Lord thinketh upon me thou art my help c. Psal 10. 17. Lord thou hast heard the desire of the humble thou wilt prepare their heart thou wilt incline thine ear to hear Jam. 4. 6. God resisteth the proud but giveth grace unto the humble By these places you see that we must not be proud but humble and if we be so and if we do seek the Lord with an humble heart he will hear our desire and will give grace unto us Object But perhaps you may desire to know when a mans heart is humble and when he seeks the Lord with an humble heart to help and strengthen him Sol. I will speak a little to this a mans heart is humble and humbly seeking when First He hath no self-bottome to trust unto but looks on himself as one utterly destitute and insufficient in me saith Paul there dwells no good and we are not sufficient of our selves to think any thing Secondly He is well contented to go abroad and to beg and to be beholding unto another for all his supplies and supports and helps The humble heart is well content to go and stand at heaven gates for mercy for grace for wisdome for all spiritual power Thirdly He judgeth himself unworthy of the least mercy and help from God not only which he hath received as Jacob Gen. 32 10. I am not worthy of the least of all thy mercies and all the truth which thou hast shewen to thy servant but also which he doth now request of God there is no reason in me nor cause in me nothing in me for which c. Fourthly He impleads and useth the name of Christ Dan. 9. 18. We do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousness but for thy great mercies of another Gods own reason for Gods own grant for his Name sake for his own Promise sake for his Christ sake Remember thy word and remember thy Covenant and do it for the Lords sake Fifthly He will wait Gods leasure and Gods pleasure I will hearken what God the Lord will speak Psal 85. 8. I will wait so the God of my salvation my God will hear me Micah 7. 7. 5. Quest The fifth and last Question is How one may know that God hath been his strength to cause him to do any good work or that he hath done it in the strength of God and not in the strength of his owne parts and gifts Sol. This is a choise and deep question but I shall desire to speak a few things unto it One may know that he doth act his duties or do his works not in the strength of his own parts but in and by the strength of God First By the Integrity or full frame of a holy working when his work or duty hath still the requisities that do constitute or make a duty to be a right duty or a work to be a right work in a spiritual sense To make a work or to set forth a work in a right and spiritual way there must be a concurrence or conjunction of five particulars 1. There must be the rule of Gods word to command and warrant it 2. There must be a right end even the glory of God alone intended and iâ—ed at 3. There must be a renewed and changed heart by the spirit of Christ the tree must be good before the fruit be good 4. There must be the breathing of those heavenly affections of love and delight and joy and inward working as well as an outward work 5. There must be faith to set it forth in the name of Christ Now to
God will have the glory of all our Blessings 347 After what manner God dispenseth his Blessings 349 Inordinate cares are your burdens 97 C. Covenant SLight not Christ any longer 13 Christ is yours as to his Person 54 Comfort from this that the Person of Christ is yours p. 54 Alll is enjoyed by the enjoyment of Christ Equivalently 55 Jesus Christ himself is the greatest and choicest gift that God can give unto you ibid. Christ is yours to all his Offices 56 Christ is yours as a Prophet ibid. Comfort from this that Christ is ours 57 All our sins are laid upon Christ 58 Christ discharged all our debts and bonds ibid. Jesus Christ is a King and your King he makes Subjects by his Word and Spirit 59 Our Union with Christ confers upon us an interest in every good of the Covenant 209 Christ will accomplish and perform all that is good for us 210 I fear I was never united to Christ 211 The Covenant of Grace considered in relation to Christ as Mediator 224 Christ hath a sevenfold relation to the Covenant 224 Of the exceeding love of Christ 230 Of the great obligations that lie upon us to look after Christ 231 In Christ two Natures 232 The two Natures united in the person of Christ were the Principles of all the actions and works of Mediatorship 233 Christ according to both these Natures is Mediator ibid. Arguments to prove Christ laid down his life and raised it again according to both Natures he is our Priest Prophet and King according to both Natures 234 What did concern Christ to do and suffer for us as a Mediator 235 Christ did perform that active obedience to the Law of God which we should but could not perform ibid. Conclusions concerning the passive obedience of Christ Christs sufferings were voluntary and not constrained 236 Christ suffered corporal punishments 237 Christs sufferings in soul were exceedingly high and great ibid. Christ did feel and suffer the torments of hell 238 Christ was indeed made a curse for us 239 There was willingness on all sides for this passive work of Christ 240 Behold your sins what they will bring upon you without a part in Christ 241 Remember the sufferings of Christ in all fears and conflicts 243 The vertue and benefits depending on and flowing from Christ as Mediator 244 Conclusions about the satisfaction of Christ 245 Christ by his death and sufferings did really make satisfaction 246 Christ suffered so much as fully discharged our debt 247 The sufferings of Christ were more then meer sufferings 248 Then rest in the satisfaction of Christ 249 Comfort that Christ shed his blood for our remission it looseth our bonds and dischargeth our debts 252 Get into Jesus Christ 258 Accept of the Redemption by Christ 264 Jesus Christ did step in between God and us to make up the breach 254 Let trembling hearts make into Christ and trust on him to make their peace 260 No peace with God but by Christ ibid. He that lies in bondage and would be redeemed let him by faith look up to Jesus Christ 265 Christ hath purchased for all the Elect everlasting life 266 Strive to believe the sufferings of Christ to be a purchase 267 Why do you not go to Christ and get from him all that 's good 268 Your estate is not full without the purchase of Christ 269 The sufferings of Christ are the confirmation of the Covenant 270 What Christ still doth for his people as Mediator p. 272 Jesus Christ doth act for his people at the right hand of his Father 273 What is the eminent work that Christ doth in heaven for us 274 The benefits of Christ's Intercession 273 Whether Christ died for every man 280 In what respect Christ may be said to die for all 281 Jesus Christ did effectually die for all the Elect ibid. There is such a sufficiency in the death of Christ that if any will come unto Christ he shall partake of redemption by him 283 The Death of Christ was not effectual for all 285 Christ did not intend such a latitude for all by his death 293 Whether any man can know that his particular salvation was intended in the death of Christ 312 How a person may know that Christ did die effectually for him ibid. Some may be in Christ but do not know it 316 One may certainly know that Christ died for him by the description of those for whom Christ intentionally died 317 How I may know my Faith doth interest me in Christ 220 How one may know he is deluded in his confidence of Christ's dying for him 224 What a person should do who as yet cannot certainly affirm that Christ died for him 325 Whether every one who is indeed redeemed by Christ may know sometime or other that Christ died for him 328 What a heavy weight did lie upon Christ 432 How there can be such an efficacy in the blood of Christ 459 How we should look after Christ 462 Who hungers and thirsts for Christ 463 What this sprinkling or application of Christs blood is 4 â—6 No benefit by the blood of Christ without application 468 There is a Covenant with Christ personally and mystically considered 4 The seals of the Covenant are given unto his people ibid. Gods people plead this Covenant 5 God is faithful in his Covenant with us ibid. Why God makes a Covenant betwixt himself and his people ibid. There is an absolute Covenant 6 And an Hypothetical Covenant ibid. Differences of the Covenant of Grace from the Covenant of Works 8 The condition of man with whom God doth covenant 9 The Covenant of works was made without a Mediator ibid. The Covenant of Grace with a Mediator ibid. Whether faith were not required in the Covenant of Works 10 Whether the Covenant of grace requires works 11 Admire the goodness of God in making this Covenant of grace 12 Support for troubled consciences 13 The Covenant described and opened ibid. It is a new Covenant with man 14 This Covenant springeth from the mercy and grace of God ib. The Covenant of grace is a Covenant of promise 15 What it is to be a people in Covenant 17 How we come to be Gods people in Covenant 18 Try our selves whether we be in Covenant with God 20 Characters of a people not in Covenant ibid. The evidences that God is our God in â—ovenant 23 Make out your Covenant-Relation 90 Maintain and justifie your Covenant-relation p. 91 Of the unchangeableness of our Covenant-relation ibid. The graciousnesse of your God in Covenant 92 Walk and live like a people in Covenant with God ibid. How a people in Covenant should walk ib. Of the gifts of the Covenant 335 God gives his people in Covenant spiritual blessings as well as temporal 336 How dreadful is the condition of such as refuse to be in Covenant with God 376 All uncovenanted people are unforgiven people 377 If you will not consent to a Covenant-relation you cannot expect
iniquity I never knew you saith Christ These things being thus premised I will now shew unto you 1. How a man may so perform his obediential works that he may please God and they may be accepted How we may so perform duties as to please God 2. How he is to walk in Gods Statutes so c. 1. Case How a man must perform obediential works so that he may please God and that they may be accepted of God Sol. For this take these answers First He must be in Christ It is a sure rule That the person must be accepted The person must be in Christ before his works can be accepted Now no persons are accepted but so far only as they are in Christ He hath made us accepted in his beloved saith the Apostle Ephes 1. 6. If the Lord looks on any person as out of Christ what shall he find him what shall he behold in him nothing but a sinful cursed enemy an object of his justice and wrath an offending and offensive displeasing and provoking creature and he cannot but loath him and what comes from him only in and by Christ doth he look upon uw with grace and favour Secondly He must have the Spirit of Christ For they that are in the flesh cannot He must have the Spirit of Christ please God Rom. 8. 8. The Apostle in the precedent verse saith That the carnal mind is enmity against God for it is not subject to the Law of God neither indeed can be whence he instances in this verse That they that are in the flesh cannot please God A wicked unregenerate man defiles every good work which he takes in hand Do men gather grapes of thorns or figs of thistles saith Christ Matth. 7. 16. Every good tree bringeth forth good fruit but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit ver 17. That of Solomon is pertinent to our purpose Prov. 15. 8. The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord but the prayer of the upright is his delight And ver 29. The Lord is far from the wicked but he heareth prayer of the Righteous By all which you plainly see that a person must be sanctified by the Spirit of Christ if he would have services or performances pleasing to God and accepted of him if God sees not something of his own work in our works he accepts them not but that cannot be unless our work comes from his Spirit within us c. Thirdly He must worship God in Spirit and in truth this our Saviour delivers He must worship God in spirit and in truth in Joh. 4. 23. The true worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and in truth for the Father seeketh such to worship him And ver 24. God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in Spirit and in truth A bare external bodily service the Lord utterly dislikes if the soul and heart come not within our duties they are of no account to God Spiritual service is proper for God who is a Spirit and this pleaseth him Rom. 1. 9. God is my witness whom I serve with my spirit Ephes 6. 18. Pray alwayes with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit Fourthly He must perform all his duties of obedience in Faith For without He must perform them in faâ—th Faith it is impossible to please God Heb. 11. 6. Now to perform our duties in faith implies 1. That we know and discern the will and command of God concerning the duties which we do perform unto him This is a certain truth That what God requires not that God accepts not He appoints all the paths of obedience unto the sons of men and will not be obeyed according to our mind but according to his own mind and whatsoever we do if we do it not with faith i. e. being not perswaded that this is that which God requires of us it shall not be accepted For Rom. 14. 23. Whatsoever is not of Faith is sinne 2. That we rely upon the grace and strength of Christ to walk and perform the duties commanded For without him we can do nothing Joh. 15. 5. It was a good speech of Bernard upon that passage in Cant. 8. 5. Who is this that cometh up from the wilderness leaning upon his beloved Frustra nititur qui non innititur no good can be done but by leaning on Christ from him is the strength of your sufficiency and not from your selves 3. That we offer them up to God in the Name of Christ resting on his merits and not on our own duties on his doings not on our own doings and expecting acceptance for his sake Joh. 14. 13. Whatsoever ye shall ask in my Name that will I do Ver. 14. If ye shall ask any thing in my Name I will do it Col. 3. 17. Whatsoever ye shall do in word or deed do all in the Name of the Lord Jesus The prayers that were offered up with the incense upon the Altar were pleasing Rev. 8. 3. and came up with acceptance Ver. 4. The brethren were kindly used for Benjamins sake and David shewed respect to lame Mephibosheth for Jonathans sake Simile All our services and duties are pleasing to God and accepted of him not for their own sakes but for Christs sake 4. That whatsoever we do in the way of obedience let it be done to the glory of God 1 Cor. 10. 31. Do all to the glory of God For Rom. 11. 36. Of him and through him and to him are all things to whom be glory for ever Amen 2. Case Now I come to shew you the choice Rules which do concern us Rules concerning our walking in Gods statutes in walking in Gods statutes or the manner how we must walk in them if c. Sol. The Rules which I will propound all of them shall be taken from the VVord of God and they are these First VVe are to walk in them willingly As Ephraim is said in a contrary We must walk in â—hem willingly sense to walk willingly after the command he was not compelled oâ— forced but freely of his own accord gave up himself unâ—o idolatrous worship So should we in a true spiritual sense willingly walk after the commands of God The willingness of our hearts is all in all in the duties of obedience and the more of that the more precious and acceptable is our obedience to Gods statutes 1 Chron. 28. 9. And thou Solomon my son know thou the God of thy Father and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind for the Lord searcheth all hearts and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts q. d. Look well to this for God takes special notice of this and looks more at this than any thing else Psal 110. 3. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power This is the choice Character of the people of Christ they shall be a willing people the word signifies they shall be
voluntaries freely offering themselves and freely serving without hire and pay people of a princely spirit and magnificent as if all their acts of obedience were their own free will-offerings Carnal men are but so many hirelings they are coacti serviles not servi but serviles men of a slavish spirit they are forced and driven to their duties out of fear of wrath and punishment and out of terror of conscience their hearts like not God nor his statutes nor doing of them they look on spiritual duties as their grievances and burdens But the people of God are a willing people they obey and serve him with a willing mind with a readiness and freeness of Spirit and well they may for they do discern and find that in their duties and obedience they have communion with God through Christ they speak to their God and their God speaks to them Object How may one know that he willingly walks in Gods statutes When do we willingly walk in Gods statutes When we make them our choice Sol Thus 1. When he rather chuseth them than any other wayes to walk in election is an act of the will Josh 2. 4 15. Chuse ye this day whom ye will serve but I and my house will serve the Lord. Psal 119. 173. I have chosen thy precepts 2. VVhen our obedience unto them springs from a love of them Psal When our obedience springs from love When we find a sweetnesse in them 119. 167. My soul hath kept thy testimonies and I love them exceedingly all the service of love is a willâ—ng service 3. VVhen we find a sweetness in them and in our walking in them Psal 119. 72. The Law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver And ver 127. I love thy Commandement above gold yea above fine gold And ver 14. I have rejoyced in the way of thy testimonies as much as in all riches 4. VVhen the great desires and requests of his soul are that God would enable When we pray for ability to walk in them and enlarge his heart to walk in them O that my wayes were directed to keep thy statutes Psal 119. 5. And teach me O Lord the way of thy statutes and I shall keep it unto the end Ver. 33. And give me understanding and I shall keep thy Law yea I shall observe it with my whole heart Ver. 24. Make me to go in the paths of thy Commandements Ver. 35. Incline my heart to thy testimonies Ver. 36. I will run the way of thy Commandements when thou shalt enlarge my heart Ver. 32. When we are not weary of well doing We must walk in them seriously 5. VVhen he is not weary of well-doing but his heart still holds â—ut and is in its element when walking with God and accounts it a special favour and happiness to mainâ—ain commuâ—ion with God Secondly VVe should walk in Gods statutes seriously carefully marking what they require of us and conscientiously endeavouring to conform our lives and actions unto them David calls this an ordering of our conversations aright Psal 50. 23. And an ordering his steps in the word Order my steps in thy word Psal 119. 133. As an Artificer puts every stone in the building according to rule and line Simile Or as one who goes in a narrow path 'twixt dangers on either side he hath a care how he sets his feet So a Christian should take heed unto his wayes and direct them by the VVord he should set and square them by the rule Solomon calls this a pondering of our path Ponder the path of thy feet and let all thy wayes be established turn not to the right hand nor to the left Pro. 4. 26 27. To ponder is to weigh and to consider well of what we are about to do whether it be agreeable or disagreeable to the will of God what the work or way is for the nature of it and scope and end of it Thus should we ponder the path of our feet i. e. the wayes wherein we walk and all the works we have to do and have a care that they be established i. e. set upon a good foundation and really allowed by God and commanded in his VVord and then we should go on in those wayes without swerving to the right hand or to the left A seriousness of consideration how God would have us to walk what his will is concerning us and then a seriousness of observation conscientiously to do what God would have us to do and to walk as God would have us to walk this is the right and acceptable walking in Gods statutes Now there are four Reasons why we should thus seriously and conscientiously Why we should be so serious Because God hath honour or dishonour by every action consider the statutes of God and every step of our walking 1. Because there is not any step not any one action or work which we do but God hath either honour or dishonour by it for either it is good or it is evil either it is conformed unto his will or it disagrees with his will if it agrees with his will this conduceth to his honour if it doth 〈◊〉 disagree then it is evil and brings dishonour upon him And should we be serious and conscientious in every thing wherein the honour or dishonour of God are concerned 2. Because there is not one moral work of ours but it hath our peace or comfort It bâ—ings either comfort or discomfort or our trouble and discomfort in its hand Let the good we are bound to do be greater or lesser if we do conscientiously observe and act it there will ensue peace of conscience upon the right acting of it Great peace have they that keep thy Law saith David Psal 119. 165. And this is our rejoycing â—â— the testimony of our conscience that we have had our conversation in simplicity and godly sincerity saith Paul 2 Cor. 1. 12. And so on the contrary let our vvandering or swerving from Gods statutes by sinning be never so little there is enough in that little to disquiet conscience and to cause trouble unto us Simile If the foot tread awry but one step though a man fall not into the dirt yet the small irregular motion doth cause much pain So the irregularity or inconformity of any one action may disquiet conscience and may cost us a great deal of sorrovv and trouble Ergo. Every work is a step to eternity 3. Because every individual vvork vvhich vve do it is a step to eternity either to a blessed or to â— cursed eternity Simile Though men think not of it yet every motion or action done by them is a step tovvards eternity as every step that a traveller takes brings him forvvard to his journeyes end VVhen a man vvalks in paths of righteousness or in Gods statutes the further he goes every nevv step that he takes brings him nearer to a blessed eternity And vvhen