us with which through him wee fight against the divell so as by the righteousnes of Iesus Christ infused into us and derived by his spirit our vitall parts are armed and secure against the divell who by unholines and unrighteousnes would destroy that building of Gods owne rearing I have bene some thing large in this both in shewing you what righteousnes is as it respects God and man and in distinguishing it from the imputed righteousnes of Christ which is the temire wee hold by and by which wee stand accepted before God and in shewing you how it secures you against sin which is the divells weapon to wounde us withall If ye aske mee how you shall put it on in a word be renewed in the spirit of your minde things are maintained as they were gotten be converted often one conversion is not enough the worke of repentance that is of a change of heart is of a continuall dayly use you must be changed from glory to glory as by the spirit of the Lord righteousnes in you acted and enlarged by the spirit of God must worke out unrighteousnes in you acted and fomented by the divell and you must do your part to righteousnes as you have done to sin and as ye have yeilded your members servants to uncleannesse and to iniquity unto iniquity So now yeild your members servants to righteousnes and to holinesse Rom. 6.19 Your Members that is your whole soule the faculties of it the endowments of it must be yeilded in service to God as they have bene to sin and the divell they must be now weapons in Gods hand under the command of his spirit for so saies hee ver 13. neither yeild your members as weapons or armes of unrighteousnes for so signifies the word which wee translate instruments Wicked men unrighteous men furnish the divell with weapons to kill and destroy themselves their owne weapons slayes them the divell doth but helpe to point them and sharpen but wee must yeild our selves to God and our members weapons of righteousnes to God and by doing this sin shall not have dominion over you for saies hee yee are under grace not under the law that is the grace of God in Christ and the assistance of his spirit will enable you to overcome sin and the divell which the law would never have done Nothing hinders more then discouragement but feare not imploy your members as weapons for God and you will prevaile the rigour of the law Christ hath satisfied and those parts which remaines you which are left for you grace will work in you and by you so as let the divell be what hee will be sin or unrighteousnesse shall not have dominion over you and consequently not the divell against whome ye fight for hee moves in the strength of unrighteousnesse Wee are come now to the third peece of armour which is for the feet and leggs for the Breast-plate reached downe to the knees and this covered the rest by the feete are commonly denoted the affections by which we martch or move to good or ill they are the movings and outgoings of the soule and the feet and legs are a part which needs asmuch armeing as any other thing for in their motion to fight they conflict with the difficulties of the place and in their fightings are exposed to wounds and danger other parts are freed from that more they are not so much offended with the ground on which they are but these are aswell exposed to the difficulties of the place as to the wounds of the combate The armour therefore for this part is the preparation of the Gospell of peace that is an ability and readines with chearfulnesse to preach and confesse the Gospell First that this is a great duty to confesse or manifest upon all occations your beleefe of the Gospell appeares by that place Rom. 10.10 with the mouth confession is made to salvation that is it is a part of the duty which you owe to God in order to your eternall salvation to confesse and promulge the glorious Gospell which in your hearts you beleeve for the faith of the Gospell should so fire your heart with the glory of God that the flame should breake out On the contrary it is an absurd and foolish thing to talke of fire where no flame or heate appeares to speake of beleeving to righteousnesse where there is not at all occations a readinesse to confesse with the mouth This being laid for a foundation you shall see how two other places will helpe to interprete this Those shooes the feet armour I take to be a fitnesse and readinesse to preach or declare the Gospell of peace this semes to be extremely parrallelled with Rom. 10.15 taken out of Isa. 52.7 How beautifull are the feete of them that preach the Gospell of peace Heere you have the Gospell of peace the same thing named in this place and the bringing or communicating of it expressed by feet As heere by the armour of the feet but if any shall say this is onely applicable to Ministers because in the beginning of this 15. ver it is said How should they preach except they be sent that is utterly a mistake for by sending there is not meant the particular and lawfull call of Ministers which the Apostle heere treats not of but imports onely that it is a speciall signe of the love of God when the Gospell is brought any whither for hee sends it it drops not out of the clouds by chance or hazzard but it comes whither God sends it whither hee addresseth it and therefore should be received accordingly The other place is 1. Pet. 3.15 Be ready alwaies to give an answere to every one of the hope that is in you The word ready is the same word that is heere prepared 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and heere 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with a readines or preparation having your feet shod with a readinesse of the Gospell of peace that is as heere with a readinesse to give an account of it or preach it or confesse it as in the former places as you have occation either by offering and declaring it or by answering and giving account of the hope that is in you of the Gospell the ground of that hope or of your actions according to that rule and word you see how this exposition suits with a generall duty in other places commanded and runnes paralell with the very phrases and expressions of them so as the exposition falls naturally and without constraint If you aske mee now how this readines and preparation of preaching and confessing the Gospell upon all occations armes the legs and feet which denotes our Martches and Motions in this warre against the divell Answere first because it imployes a great boldnes in the faith of Christ which fits for motion and going forwards hee that is ready and prepared to be a Preacher or Confesser to give an account of his faith hath as it is said of the
about which our hope is conversant and the proportion lies thus Wee hope saith hee ver 2. when hee shall appeare to be like him for wee shall see him as hee is sayes hee there will be the same reason of your being like to him heere and hereafter and therefore if you will be like him in heaven you must be like him heere and your hope for the one must helpe you to the other now as in heaven hee is glorious so heere hee was pure ye are in all estates and conditions to follow and imitate your saviour for that is your hope to that you were predestinated Now hee was holy harmelesse undefiled therefore ye must be like in this state also Secondly your hope fixeth upon seeing him in heaven There shall no uncleane thing enter into the kingdome of heaven and therefore you must purge and cleanse your selves by the way and your hope must do it This purification respcteth both the body and the minde and is opposed to all bodily lusts which lies in the sences fancie or sensible things and to all spirituall lusts which lie in the understanding which lusteth against spirituall truths and the wayes of God sayes hee this hope must purifie you from all this But how high how farre must this hope act you to what degrees Even as hee is pure there is your patterne there is your examplar study what Christ was and be ye likewise study what Christ did or would doe and doe the same for instance wee are apt to be proud and vaine to be supercilious to overlooke men and little things to be every one for himself gripeing and graspeing Purify your selves in this even as hee is pure let the same minde be in you that was in Christ Iesus Phil. 2.5 who though hee were in the forme of God debased himself in a word consider the disposition of Christ and consider the purity of Christ and make that your coppy and as you would set no bounds to glory you would see him as he is and be like him so set no bounds to purity purify your selves after that patterne even as hee is pure and let hope and the reason of hope doe it because you have no greater pretensions to glory then you have to purity namely to be like Christ your head to whom by faith and hope you are conformed Thus yee see your Helmet in its glory securing you from all the evill of all the goods of the world and securing from all the evill of all the evill of the world and enabling and inspiring you to work and service even to all That you might be perfect and throughly furnished to every good worke improove therefore this blessed peece this hope and get it more abundantly You see it is a great matter how wee settle our hopes because in it lies the strength of our indeavours wee anchor in things by hope and fixe in them and being setled upon an immovable thing wee can moove steddily and stronglie Archimedes could moove the world if hee could fasten his engine now wee cast anchor in heaven and heavenly things in salvation for so sayes the Apostle Wee have an anchor of the soule both sure and stedfast and which entreth in to that which is within the vaile Heb. 6.19 Our anchor casts deepe in heaven where there is good earthing whence it will be impossible to be remooved by any stormes or windes But this wee must know that if you would make use of this or any armour which is spirituall it must be first raised to a pitch the armes must be fashioned and formed and then must be kept bright and in posture for service it must be weilded by a spirituall hand Now to raise this grace you must improove and raise your faith for as in all compositions you have something that gives the body of it so faith gives the body and substance to hope therefore faith is called the substance of things hoped for and therefore of all other things your hope will never outbid or goe beyond your faith keep therefore that full and high Yet Hope is a further grace and armour faith gives you things in their coulours with your interests in them it shewes you that they are and that they are yours but however faith gives them a kinde of presence by beleeving yet they are in themselves future as to us hope therefore takes in the pleasure of them beforehand lives in the joyfull expectation of them and so abridges the time which els would be tedious fancies to it self as I may so say the pleasures and joyes of eternall life and lives in a sweet anticipation of what it possesseth but by faith which as it is most pleasant in it self so it produceth mighty effects for joy for patience for working so as our life is comfortably entertained by it in joy and pleasure evills and calamities are mastered and subdued by it even the greatest and action and worke the end of living is promoted Therefore looke upon this peece which hath influence into so great effects as a reall not as a notionall thing as a thing that many want in the use and exercise of it but they cannot live without it they cannot live a vitall life animated with joy armed with patience and acted to worke and service Therefore let not so great an engine of the Holy Ghost so great and good an armour lye dead by us but rather let us improove it and use it try alwayes of raising it for it is raised and improoved grace that workes great and considerable effects And the sword of the spirit which is the word of God This is the last peece of armes and is fitted both for offence and defence it is an armes that is great alone and therefore men arme themselves with this which use no other and it is also an appendix to all armes for no man is armed at all points like a souldier which hath not a sword this is a peece of a very expedite and continuall use You need not goe farre to know what this sword is the Apostle describes it first by being the sword of the spirit that is a spirituall sword The weapons of our warfare are not carnall but mighty through God 2. Cor. 10.4 The Divell will not give way or yeild to a sword made of any other mettall therefore it is mighty through God The Egyptians are flesh and not spirit therefore they are weake One Divell is able to deale with all the fleshly and carnall weapons in the world it is not charmes and holy water nor resolutions and purposes and reasonings alone that are weapons fit for this combate they must be things truely spirituall But then secondly it is that sword which the spirit useth in us and by us the spirit of God the Holy Ghost so as there is a mighty arme to a mighty weapon For wee know not how to pray as wee ought how to doe any thing but the spirit maketh intercession in
frame If any man will doe his will he shall know of his Doctrine whether it be of God Joh. 7.17 While wee are doeing wee are in a way to know If you be carnall and walke as men you will be also carnall and judge as men Rom. 8.8 They that are in the flesh cannot please God which may be understood also of a fleshly frame in the Saints and when wee are in a way altogether unpleasing to God God will not accommodate himself will not reveale himself to us and please us But this is not enough wee must search the scriptures in which wee thinke to have eternall life and light also for the way thither wee must consider and weigh whether those things which our owne reason or the Ministry of others represent to us be so or no as those of Baerea did Truth lies deepe errors lyeth levell to all This search is extreamely pleasing to God since the subject of it is the knowledge of his will and the end of it is the doing of his will This is done by much meditation in the word by comparing by examining it by taking in all aydes and helpes of the guists and abilities of others for God hath ordered that one man should need another that none might be perfect alone nothing also will more advance it then prayer so Paul prayed often for the spirit of revelation and David that his eyes might be enlightened to see the wonderfull things of Gods law nothing cleares the eye-sight more then prayer for that sets your ends right and makes you fit for light and that leads you into the presence of God into his light in whose light wee see light It was necessary to speake some thing of this because this is the forming and shaping of your weapon the weapon may be shaped in it self but not to us this gives the mettall to the sword if a thing looke like the word of God and be not that will not cut of your lusts it will proove but a leaden sword or a deceitfull bow that will not reach the marke it will be a carnall weapon which is weake whereas the other is mighty through God To incourage you against spirituall enemies because ye have spirituall armes and spirituall weapons ye have what to keep of blowes and yee have wherewith to fight and combate with your adversaries God hath not left us fatherlesse nor hee hath not left us weaponlesse hee deales not as Pharoah commands us to make bricks and takes away materialls hee doth not disarme us and bid us fight but hee gives us armes proper for the field of combate and for the enemy wee dispute with and hee stands by and lookes on and with voyce and hand incourageth us so as wee need not feare our enemies hee gives us the best armes Good commanders and officers the holy Spirit and holds a crowne over our heads The truth is wee never are overcome but when wee are of the party when wee are in a proportion false to God and our enemy hath gained us then wee fight but for a shew and the weapon falls easily out of our hands but if wee would stand to it our sword would cut his cords and if hee did stand two or three thrusts hee would vanish at last as hee did from Christ our captaine That wee may the better use this sword wee shall do well First to vallew it things that wee prize and vallew wee willingly use wee thinke they will effect their end els wee lay them by Therefore wee shall pitch upon some expressions that may teach us to vallew this weapon when Abiathar had mentioned the sword of Goliah there is none like that saith David the dignities of the word are great as appeares by David especially who meditated in the law continually and as much as any vallewed the word Psal. 17.4 Concerning the workes of mens hands by the word of thy lips I have kept mee from the path of the destroyer the word that God spake was that which armed him against wicked men Psal. 18.30 The word of the Lord is tryed or refined hee is a Buckler to all that trust him As for God his way is perfect it is a sure word and which hath bene often experienced tryed againe and againe so as you may venture upon it as upon a thing that will not faile or deceive will not start aside like a deceitfull and broken bow Psal. 119.11 Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against thee David knew the use of this that it would preserve him from sin and therefore stored it up hid it in a sure place against a time of need Ver. 89. For ever O Lord thy word is setled in heaven It is an unchangeable rule which will never alter and setled will attaine all it pretends to Ver. 105. Thy word is a lampe to my feete and a light unto my pathes this is against delusions and faynts and shaddowes the Divell will cast If you keep neere the word you carry a light in your hand you will not fight in the darke but know how to make your addresses and approaches and how to order your wards and defenses Ver. 140. Thy word is very pure therefore thy servant loveth it every thing operates as it is as things are to their beings so they are to their operations That which is pure will render us pure and the word is not an idle thing but for use and being pure it is given us to render us pure Ver. 172. My tongue shall speake of thy word for all thy commandements are righteous I can never praise them enough there is such a law of righteousnes in them Psal. 147.19 Hee sheweth his word unto Iacob his statutes and his judgements unto Israel from the receivers of the dispensation of the word you see its excellency it is the portion onely of his people it is not flung in common to the world as an inconsiderable thing Isa. 40.8 The grasse withereth and the flower fadeth but the word of the Lord shall stand for ever the excellency of good things lies in the continuance of them this hath a good warrant for its abiding because it is the word of the abiding and unchangeable God Isa. 55.10 11. For as the raine cometh downe and the snow from heaven and returneth not thither but watereth the earth and maketh it bring forth and bud that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth it shall not returne unto me voyd but it shall accomplish that which I please and it shall prosper in the thing where I sent it There is a mighty efficacy in this word this lies as a praise upon the whole word of God that it shall not returne empty but be like the bow of Ionathan and the sword of Saul Isay. 66.2 All those things hath my hand made but to this man will I looke even to
him that is poore and of a contrite spirit and trembleth at my word That word is precious when the respect to it is so rewarded On the other side Jer. 8.9 They have rejected the word of the Lord and what wisedome is in them Though otherwise they might be wise yet if they undervallew once the word they bid a dewe to their wisedome And God the righteous judge and which gives true vallewes to us rankes them in the number of fooles from the New Testament also wee shall give some places to this purpose Luk. 4.4 Men lives by every word of God in him wee live and in his word wee live which gives a being to things that which gives the being and determination makes things be what they are and men doe what they doe must needs be great and excellent in it self Ver. 32. His word was with power which astonied the auditours Ver. 36. What a word is this for with authority and power commandeth hee the uncleane spirits and they come forth his word will fetch uncleannes out of thy heart aswell as out of their bodies Luk. 7.7 The centurion had so much confidence in Christs word as hee could depend wholy upon it Say in a word sayes hee and my servant shall be healed the magnifing of the word wrought this great effect and that word must needs be great which was deservedly the object of such a confidence Luk. 22.61 Peter remembred the words of the Lord and hee went out and wept bitterly Peter forgot the word when hee sinned and indeed all sin proceeds from ignorance or furgetfulnesse but when hee remembred it you see the eminent effect of it hee repents immediately which hee witnesseth by his bitter and abundant weeping John 15.3 Now are ye cleane through the word which I have spoken to you Wee are cleane mistically by the washing of Baptisme 1. Cor. 6.11 also by the imputation of Christs purity and so wee stand ever cleare before God wee are pure also in the change of our owne hearts and all this by the word made ours by faith and abiding in us so that as evill communication corrupts good manners if taken in and drunke downe so the word taken downe cleanseth Acts 13.26 It is called the word of salvation that which brings it and workes it And Acts 20.32 When Paul departed from Ephesus hee commended the Church to the word of Gods grace which was able to build them up and to give them an inheritance c. The inheritance is that to which the word leads us and where it will leave us at the last but before you come thither there is building work forming and fashioning that the word doth also so as yee need not goe out of this circle for the beginning or finishing of your faith 2. Cor. 5.18 It is the word of reconciliation that which brings God and man together Wee are naturally at great distances now that which conduceth to the meeting and according of termes so differing must needs be of great vallew and esteeme 1. Tim. 4.5 For every creature of God is good and nothing to be refused if it be received with thanksgiving for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer it is the word of God that sanctifieth and gives a lawfull use of all things Hence you have your liberties aswell to indifferent as your right to things necessary if you have whereof freely to use for your owne comforts and whereof to give a way for the weaknesse and scandall of your brother If you should examine by experience the effects of the word Gods word hath ever taken hold of men and in this lies the great difference of the Saints from others that they observe those events which others neglect and growe by them Joh. 4.50 And the man beleeved the word of God and it was even so as hee had beleeved The word hath ever found out men and will take hold of us either by our faith for good or without it for our destruction so the prophecies of old were not idle but effected the end for which they came To conclude this great dignity the word hath that it gives its owne credit for reason may be opposed by reason but this is higher then reason The Divell can reason and distinguish us into sin whilst wee fight at that weapon but bring him a word and that answeres his reason What hath bene said in this head tends to beg it in you a right vallew and esteeme of the word which if once ye have you will use it and have recourse to it at all times as an effectuall weapon mighty through God for all the great ends you have heard of Secondly know the word of God that yee may use it this is to have your weapon prepared you must search the sence know the Annalogie of faith and the proportion one truth holds to another as before Thirdly take up this sword take it to you be in a posture to give a blow or to evade one wound the enemy when you can and meete with his blowes and thrusts therefore you must be prepared and have things in readinesse therefore the word of God must dwell richly in you that you may not be to seeke when you should use it To helpe you in some guards for this fight First that sin is the greatest evill mannage your sword well for that guard have words at hand that is your sword ready to make that good for the filthinesse of it sin is compared to the blood and pollution of a new borne child before it be ordered and dressed Ezek. 16.6 When thou wast in thy blood I said unto thee live such a thing is sin in it self and all sin holds of the nature of that pollution 1. Joh. 5.19 The whole world lieth in wickednesse it lies there as in a filthy grave rotting and stinking as in a puddle Againe sin is compared for its nature to swine and dogs and to their vomit 2. Pet. 2.22 the sinner is the dogg in the act of sin and the corruption is the vomit and mire it is likened also to the menstruousnesse of a woman to a vessell in which is no pleasure that is a draught or a privy Hos. 8.8 If besides these abasings and vilifying expressions you would know more of sin It was sinne that condemned the world in Adam drowned the world in the dayes of Noah and to give you a greater charracter for ill then all this it was sin brought all the sufferings upon Christ which hee endured It was the day of Gods fierce anger Lament 1.12 When Christ did beare the sins of many in his body on the tree therefore when Paul and Silas could sing in the prison and the Saints in their afflictions as they have done so often Christ was low and poore and faint Why because hee conflicted with sinne hee grappled with sinne upon him was laid the iniquities of us all Hee conflicted with the wrath of God for sinne and
had hee not bene God himself hee would never have out-wrastled it In a word every creature of God is good and nothing offends him irritates him and provokes him but sinne Nothing reacheth God nor causeth God to reach the world in anger but sinne It is that which puts the sting into death and torment in Hell Thus you are armed for that guard that sin is the greatest evill the second followes easily That then Wee should keep at the greatest distance from it for that you have Rom. 12.9 Abhorre that which is evill cleave to that which is good when wee meete with any thing extreamely evill and contrary to us nature abhorres it and retyres as farre as it can so on the contrary cleave to that which is good cling to it as a man should cleave to his wife or be glewed as the word is and they shall be one flesh incorporate your selves with that which is good make your self one with it So Abstaine from all appearance of evill 1. Thess. 5.22 a thing may appeare to be ill that is not but take heed of any similitude or appearance or likenesse of ill if it looke like ill though it bee not fly from it This gives you the benefit of a long sword by which you keep the enemy at a distance so Jude 23. Hate the garments spotted with the flesh not onely the flesh but the garment that hath toucht it Ephes. 5.3 Fornication and all uncleannes and covetousnesse let it not be once named among you as becometh Saintes nor filthinesse nor foolish speaking nor jesting So Job 31.1 I made a covenant with mine eyes why should I thinke on a maide hee would not looke because hee would not thinke and the way to secure the thoughts is to keepe well and strictly the out-doores the sences which made David pray to God to turne away his eyes from vanity Folly is bold but wisdome is wary to keepe at the greatest distance Thus this sword cuts of the first risings this is a sure way and this saves you a world of paines when a temptation or a lust hath once come within you and incorporated it self you must teare your flesh to pull it out you must pull up earth and all that the roots may come at last but while it is at a distance there is some kinde of modesty and blushing in it and it may be snib'd with a word use therefore some of these for a sword in time and it may prevent you hard work which yet must be done if you would not perish other heads I thought to have runne over and fitted for use as Thirdly God knowes our thoughts Fourthly that the word must judge us even this which wee have in our hands and mouthes and if it condemne our sinnes now how is it like to acquit us another day Fifthly that every secret thing shall be made manifest Sixtly that you should walke in the sence of death and changes but I shall prosecute this no further onely let us know that if the Divell have got within us the same way hee is fetcht out that hee is kept out this sword must do both Thus God hath armed you compleatly and it will be both your sin which you will not know how to answer and your shame also to be foyled If you oppose Captaine to Captaine you have Christ and the Divell you have as sufficient as mighty as experienced a Captaine as your lusts have if armes to armes yee have all these spirituall armes against his carnall armes for so are his in comparison of those Though his be spirituall also as acted by a mighty spirit your reward held over you by hope is greater for the present then any he can offer though not to flatter our selves Our condition heere is to indure hardnesse as good souldiers 2. Tim. 2.3 And wee must conflict according to the law of combate if wee would have the crowne But this is no new thing to us this wee knew when wee undertooke religion this was laid in at first as the law and condition of our undertaking That which followes is prayer praying with all prayer which is to all other ordinances of God as bread and salt to our repast wee cannot make a meale without it heere it fastens on your armour and lookes up for strength and successe to him who is able to give it If souldiers be weake or succumbe in fight they send to their Generall for supplies and reinforcements Praying alwayes that is in all time every juncture and article of time as you have occasion by temptations for combate for so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies properly occasion this is not so much spoken heere of our ordinary and customary use of Prayer as it is applicable to occasions that is temptations but this Prayer must be in the spirit The Spirit in our Prayer is what the soule is in our bodie it is that which gives the life to it to conflict with the living God by dead words will doe no good therefore Jude sayth Praying in the Holy Ghost ver 20. You have another expression Rom. 8. That the spirit makes intercession for us the Holy Ghost must pray in us there must be an incorporating in that duty of the Holy Spirit with our spirits watching thereunto you must watch to prayer therefore it must be an act of time With all perseverance that is till the worke be done for then ye persevere when ye give not over till you obtaine your end so as your Praying and fighting must runne parralell till you have overcome your enemie and sleighted his workes It s enough to have hinted this which I intend not to speake of as being no peece of the armour nor resembled by the Holy Ghost to any peece To all that hath bene said I shall adde no more but this that every thing is strong in vertue of an ordinance therefore bread nourisheth because it hath a word that bids it doe so and therefore the word shall cut and destroy because God hath made it a sword and edged and fitted it for that purpose Thus have I some what largely measured the field of Battaile shewed you your friends and enemies and fitted to you those armes which God hath given you for the service of this holy warre To conclude therefore The just end and designe of warre for every thing is to act in vertue of a designe is peace now no warre pretends to peace more then this we have been speaking of and therefore Communion which is the effect and birth of peace beares one halfe of the title of this discourse And indeed men were so form'd for Communion as no doctrine can be avowed for good which renders them unsociable But experience tells us that it is the fate of some warres not onely to be the meanes by which peace is gotten and procur'd but by which it is nourisht and maintayn'd and we know some countryes which injoy the greatest benefites of peace in the
the one was as fiery as the other hee hated her now more then hee had loved her ver 15. the love was without measure so was the hatred so are men stung with the fiery darts of the divell there is nothing but extreames no Mediocrity all is without measure and then for a little of that they call pleasure they have a world of paine and gall and bitternesse which is the other fiery darts made way for by lusts and that is dispaire for I should thinke that in this instance the inhumanity and barbarousnesse of Amnon afterwards to his sister came from the terrour and confusion of his conscience what fruit had you of those things whereof you are now ashamed Rom. 6.21 After the sin is committed shame and horrour ceazeth presently which hurryes the minde ordinarily as fast to dispaire as it did before to the countinent of the lust therefore lusts should be lookt upon as they are goeing not as they are comeing or as they are promising peracto scelere magnitudo ejus conspicitur as Tacitus inferres of Nero after hee had killed his Mother therefore wee should looke on sin with that eye which within a few howers wee shall see them and this is the second head of the fiery darts I told you of namely inections to dispaire how many after the commissions of Murthers Adulteryes Treatheryes have bene consumed and likt up by these fiery darts and brought to miserable ends under the notion of dispaire What thinke you of Spira who for a little shrincking and retracting his confession the profession of the Gospell I told you of esteemed the flames of hell lesse then those hee felt and wisht himselfe often there that hee might knowe the difference What thinke you before him of Iudas who found no rest no quiet of spirit but in the Gallowes hee was utterly druncke up by dispaire and went downe quicke to his owne place But the saints feele these fiery darts as David did for lusting so himselfe also and divers others for dispairing therefore hee saies Hee roared all the day and his soule and his bones were sore vexed and his eye his soule his Belly were consumed and the divell heerein takes the advantage of some outward lowenesse and depression of condition either in body or estate or reputation or some melancholy of body or constitution which is a temper easily fired to extremities and that the Saints have their fyering to lustings or dispaire aswell as others whether they be of things bulky in themselves or little But what kinde of faith is it that you must oppose to these burnings to these fiery darts and how doth faith relieve you Certainely it is no other then that by which you beleeve God to be yours in Christ. The Shield here spoken of is taken from the similitude of a Doore such as were the largest shields it must be large enough to shield the whole body And secondly as a shield it must receive the darts and repell them and quench the fire before it reach the body before it incorporate it selfe with the minde and enter as it were into the substance of the spirit for then there will be more tearing and difficulty to get it out But how doth faith doe this First and especially as it calls God God in Christ to our ayde When the Divell shoots his fiery Darts either for lusting or dispairing it is not for flesh and blood to oppose it selfe your mortalities your resolutions your reasonings will prove combistible matter and be burnt up be burnt away and your spirit will be left fiered and empoysoned by those Darts The Dart will sticke it will be worke to get it out Now in this case faith leads you directly to God sets God against the Divell so as the combate by the wisdome of faith is changed and made now rather betweene God and the Divell then betweene you and the Divell the Divell which could have subdued you easily fals under God presently This is that stronger then hee that bindes the strong man and casts him out This was Davids way From the ends of the earth will I cry to thee when my heart is overwhelmed Leade mee to the Rocke that is higher then I Psal. 61.2 that is where ever I am or where ever thou art as thy spirit can finde mee out so I will finde thee out When I am overwhelmed when I am greatly in distresse I will cry to thee as a child doth to his father that is set upon by one stronger then himselfe cries out to his father and trusts to his strength Set mee upon a Rocke or thou wilt set mee upon a Rocke that is it is so high as I cannot reach it without thou set mee upon it or higher then I that is above my owne strength or my owne abilities even upon thy selfe and thy sonne where I may be safe for in case of overwhelmings in case of fiery Darts there is no other way but to set God as yours as one in covenant with you your all and friends against the Divell to stand still and see the salvation of God when the red sea was before and the Egyptians behinde what could the Israelites doe in that case there was no way for wisedome or strength to make through But stand still and see the salvation of God casting all upon God and disparing in themselves altogether But secondly this shield of faith can relieve you in this extremity by outbidding sights as in a second and under way against all lustings it can oppose presently the recompence of the reward and ye have a lust for that also So Moses was not without the lustings of ambition and vaine glory to be called the Son of Pharoahs Daughter but the eye which hee had to the recompence of reward outbids them infinitely and therefore hee chose rather afflictions which no man would simply chuse So Christ for the glory set before him indured and suffered any thing a lively faith realizeth things and makes them present faith will tell you presently when a fiery lust assaults you yeild not and in stead of pleasing your flesh or your humour which is passing you will please Christ you will please your conscience and that pleasure is sweet indeed that remaines nay you shall heare of this againe this fighting this quenching shall come into your reward in such times and in such things wherein you would be most of all considered And against the burnings of dispaire as in a second way also faith will shewe the riches of mercy the merrits of the blood of Christ and will tell you that it is dishonourable to God to judge his goodnes lesse then your wickednesse or that the merrits of Christ cannot hold ballance with your sinning will shewe you as great disproportion betweene grace and sin as betweene God and you will make in a word dispaire wicked in nothing as in the unreasonablenesse of it But then thirdly as an effect of both
these faith suckes and drawes downe the dew of the spirit the cooling waters the refreshing streames if need be balsome and oyle to quench the fire before it kindle or to fetch it out when your concupiscents are cooled by the Holy Ghost and your spirit is in temper Fiery darts will do no hurt as a Grannado that falls into a Pit of water there is fire in it but before the blowe gives it is quencht O those sweet cooling influences of the spirit how refreshing are they as dewe to thirsty grounds when Dives burned what would hee have given for some water to coole his tongue When wicked men are fiered by the divells darts to dispaire or lust or persecution their owne spirits are inflamed burnt up and they burne what ever they come neere and so they must till they be utterly consumed for there is no heavenly dewe no water no rayne no balsome no droppings of the spirit But to us there is a River the streames whereof shall make glad the City of God Psal. 46.4 Shall refresh us shall keepe us from burning and fyering and chapping and hee gives an account of it ver 5. God is in the midst of her shee shall not be greatly mooved there is the head of that fountaine hee will not suffer the divell to gaine upon you to waste you to drinke you up very much to fire you but the streames shall continually refresh you and make you glad when others shal be like the parched heath in the wildernesse easily inflamed a curse to themselves and others Therefore with all gettings gett faith above all take the shield of faith and take it as I have told you take it on like a large shield that it may be fitt to cover you beleeve not scantily beleeve not a little have not your faith to fetch and prove and spell when the fiery Darts are shooteing how will you make this use of it els that I have told you is there any thing the divell would rob you of so much as lively faith effectuall faith bold and hardy faith hee knowes why well enough it will repell his fiery darts it will quench them yeild him not that peece of armour in any proportion that is so dammageable to him and so necessary for you faith is usefull in every thing but in these cases faith doth not all as I have told you and while you are doing this the obedience of faith the use of faith is as pleasing to God as resisting the fiery dart is necessary for you as therefore ye would be relieved when you most need it when your soules are fyered with lust or dispaire when those flames drinke up your spirits and undoe you beleeve boldly beleeve strongly without if's and and 's have God tyed and made one with you by faith according to the right notion of it and then dread nothing heere is good newes for you you will be able to quench all the fiery Darts of the wicked There now remaines nothing but some helpes to take this shield of faith First consider it under the notion of obedience in it the worke of God and the will of God is ingaged you may be bold with your selves and yet yee cannot because ye are creatures ye are not your owne but will you be bold with the will of God This to those that have but a little faith and love already will be a great argument God bids you sanctify his name bids you honour your father c. you will do it why because it is a thing not left to your choice God bids you sanctify him by beleeving honour him by beleeving and this is first to God to God immediately I beseech you looke not on faith in this notion as a priviledge left to the arbitration of your owne wills whether you will be so good to your selves or no but as an indispensible duty Some duties may be dispensed with for ends as the worship of God in some of his ordinance but this dutie lies so hard upon you as it is not to be dispensed with all for a moment not for the greatest good not for the salvation of all men if God be great to you therefore obey him in beleeving or upon the same reason cast of all Religion and disobey him in every other thing but if you feare to doe that then knowe that the same God that bidds you doe any other thing bids you also beleeve and know that this commandement is the least arbitrary of all the rest Secondly consider what obstructs faith if negligence and want of consideration as that doth much and often I beseech you let mee set you on considering consider that you will goe to hell without it if you will not beleeve God for the pardon of your sinnes and that hee is yours in Christ beleeve him for this that without this you wil be condemned for ever God may seme to put it to your choice whether you will beleeve or no but hee doth by no meanes put it to your choice whether you will goe to hell or no if you beleeve not for that is determined with him that the fearefull and unbeleevers shal be cast into hell and indeed thither are all men goeing a pace onely belief turnes the motion and makes the earth assend upwards But if you say you see you see your misery enough in unbelief but ye want boldnes to beleeve that you thinke that there is no proportion betweene sin and such a nothing as faith is there is a proportion betweene sin and damnation but not betweene sin and faith right now I have you where I would but then consider that the things wherin God useth man in the way to salvation are indeed nothing or as nothing by the foolishnesse that is by the Nothingnesse of Preaching hee saves them that beleeve The Vessells in which his word comes are earthen as good as nothing our righteousnes reacheth not to him and though our reward be heaven yet our merrit is nothing just nothing And therefore if faith in respect of its owne internall vallew or as a grace in this case were any thing wee should never be saved by it but now our comfort and assurance is that it is nothing But on the contrary though there be no proportion betweene sin and faith yet there is a proportion betweene sin and Christ or if you will have mee speake the truth there is no proportion in this regard Christs dyeing Christs suffering makes sin nothing so that that which held the greatest proportion before God before and was heavyer then the sand of the sea deeper then hell is now nothing what will you thinke your debts greater then God can pay will you ballance your wickednes and his love your unkindnes may be aggranated and made greater by his love but it cannot be made even with his love for hee is God In a word wee cannot out-sin his pardon or grace by any thing but unbeliefe so as this