and they heare and know their sins are many their estates bad and that iniquity will be there ruine if thus they continue yet all Gods light is without heat and it is but the shining of it upon rocks and cold stones they are frozen in their dregs be it knowne to you you have not one drop of that conviction which begins salvation Before I passe from this to the second work of compunction let me make a word of application If the Spirit begins thus with conviction of sin then let all the Ministers of Christ co-work with Christ and begin with their people here bee faithfull witnesses unto Gods truth and give warning to this secure world that the sentence of death is past and the curse of God lyes upon every man for the least sin Lift up thy voyce like a Trumpet was the Lords words to Isaiah Isay 58.1 and tell them of their sin Those Bees wee call drones that have lost their sting When the salt of the earth the Ministers of Christ Matth. 5. have lost their acrimony and sharpnesse or saltnesse What is it good for but to be cast out your hearers will putrify and corrupt by hearing such doctrines only as never search When the Lord inflicted a grievous curse upon the people Ezek. 3.26 the Lord made Ezekiel dumbe that hee should not be a reprover to them What was the lamentation of Ieremy thy Prophets have seen vaine and foolish things for thee and have not discovered thine iniquity how would you have the Lord Jesus by his Spirit to convince men must it not bee by his word verily you keep the Spirit of Christ from falling down upon the people if you refuse to indeavour to convince the people by your word Other doctrines are sweet and necessary but this is in the first place most necessary Beware of personating beware of bitternesse and passion but oh convince with a spirit of power and compassion and hee that shall bee instrumentall unto Christ in this or any other work for Christs sake unto him the Lord will be the principall agent and by him will attaine his own ends finish his great work gather in his scattered sheep who are in great multitudes throughout the Kingdome scattered from him if once they be throughly convinced that they are utterly lost and gone out of the way May not this also be sad reproofe and terrour to them that stand it out against all means of conviction and will not see their sin nor beleeve the fearfull wrath of God due to them for sin not a man scarce can be found that will come to this conclusion I am a sinfull man and therefore I am a dead I am a condemned man but like wild beasts fly from their pursuers into their holes and thickets and dens their sinfull extenuations excuses and apologies for sin and for themselves and if they bee hunted thither and found out there then they resist and article against that truth which troubles them They flatter themselves in their owne eyes untill their iniquities be found most hatefull Many a man dislikes the text the use especially the long use wherein his sinne is toucht and his conscience tost especially if it be his darling sin his Herodias his Rimmon especially if withall he thinks that the Minister meanes him he will not see it nor confeste it especially if hee apprehends he shall lose his honour or his silver shrines and profit by it he will not see his â—in that he may not be troubled in conscience for his sin that so he may not be forced to confesse and forsake his sinne and condemne himselfe for it before God and men Oh Lord I mourne that I can scarce meet with a man that either cares to be or will be convinced but hath something alway to say for himselfe their sins are not so great they are not so bad but have some good and therefore have some hope and if God be mercifull it is no great matter though they be exceeding sinfull or some such thing their mouths are not stopped to say nothing for themselves but guilty There is lesse conviction in the world in this age then many are aware of For I believe that all the powers of hell conspire together to blind mens eyes and darken mens minds in this great work of Christ Principiis obsta it is policy to stop Christ in his entrance in this first streake upon the soule but oh little doe you think what you doe herein and what woe you work to your selves hereby dost thou stifle and resist the first breathings of Christs Spirit when he comes to save thee what hurt will it be to know the worst of thy condition now when there is hope hereby of comming out of it who must else one day see all thy sins in order before thee to thy eternall anguish and terrour Ps. 50.21 When the Lord shall say to thee as unto Dives Remember in thy life time thou hadst thy good things remember such a time such a place such a sin which then you would not see But now thou shalt see what it is to strike an infinite God Remember thou wast forewarned of wrath to come but thou wouldest not beleeve thy selfe accursed that so thou mightest have felt thy need of him that was made a curse to blesse thee and therefore feele it now oh you will wish then that you had knowne this evill in that your day What dost thou talke of grace thou thinkest thou hast grace when as thou hast not the first beginning nay not the most remote preparation for it in this work of conviction what should wee doe for such as these but with Ieremy Ier. 13.17 if you will not heare my soule shall weep in secret for your pride Oh be perswaded therefore to remember your sins past and to consider of your wayes now All the prophanenesse of thy heart and life all the vanity of thy youth Eccles. 11.9 all your secret sins all your sinnes against light and love checks and vowes all that time wherein thou didst nothing else but live in sin thus Gods people have done Ezek 6.9 thus all the elect shall doe oh consider the Lord remembers them all and that with griefe of heart against thee because thou forgettest them Hos. 2.7 Hee that numbers thy haires and tels the sparrowes that fall numbers much more thy sins that fall from thee they are written down in his black book They are not trifles for hee minds not toyes the bookes must bee opened oh reckon now you have yet time to cal them to minde which it may be shall not continue long it is the Lords complaint Ier. 8.6 of a wicked generation that hee could heare no man say What have I done Winnow your selves as the word is Eph. 2.1 Oh people not worthy to be beloved I pronounce unto you from the eternall God that ere long the Lord will search our Ierusalem with candles he will
with them in the same way as they doe Suppose some Reprobates doe see sin yet the Lord puts a secret vertue in that work of conviction upon thee which makes thee cry to heaven for a Spirit of brokennesse for sin which without this sight of sinne thou wouldst never so much as have desired and this they have not However conviction is a work of the Spirit though it should be but common and wilt not be thankfull for common mercy suppose it be but outward how much more for this that is spirituall though it should be common especially considering that it is the first fundamentall work of the Spirit and is seminally all Sense of sin begins here and ariseth hence as ignorance of sin is seminally all sin Remember that the discovery of Faux in the Vault was the preservation of England we use to remember the day and houre of the beginning of some great and notable deliverance oh remember this time wherein the love of Christ first brake out in convincing thee of thy sin who els hadst certainly perished in it And thus much of this first work of Conviction now the second followes Compunction SECT III. The second Act of Christs power in working Compunction or sense of sin COmpunction pricking at the heart or sense and feeling of sin is different from conviction of sin the latter is the work of the understanding and seated in that principally the other is in the affections and will and seated therein principally a man may have sight of sin without sorrow and sense of it Dan 5.22 with 20.21 Iames 1.24 Rom. 2.20 21. Yet that conviction which the Spirit workes in the Elect is ever accompanied with compunction first or last For the better unfolding of this point let me open these foure things to you 1. That compunction or sense of sin immediately follows conviction of sin in the day of Christs power 2. The necessity of this work to succeed the other 3. Wherein it consists 4. The measure of it in all the Elect. That compunction followes conviction is evident from Scripture and Reason Acts 2.37 When they heard this that is when they saw and were convinced of their sinne in crucifying the Lord of life which they did not imagine to be a sinne before what followes next it is said They were pricked at the heart Loe here is compunction Ephraim also in turning unto God Ier. 31.19 hath these words After that I was instructed I smote upon my thigh as men in great calamity befallen 〈◊〉 use to doe I was ashamed even confounded because I did beare the reproach of my youth The men of Nineveh hearing by the Prophet they were all to dye within forty daies it is said they beleeved God in the work of conviction and then fell to sack-cloth and ashes in the work of compunction which did immediately follow Iosiah 2 Chron. 34.27 in his renewed returne unto God after hee heard the words of the law his heart melted and he wept before the Lord. For what is the end of conviction is it not compunction for if the Lord should let a man see his sin and death for sinne and yet suffer the heart to remaine hard and unaffected the Lord did but leave him without excuse nay the Lord should but leave him under greater misery under a more fearfull judgement viz. for a man to see and know his sin and yet unaffected with it and hardned under it hardnesse of heart is one of the greatest judgements to see sinne and not to be affected with it argues greater hardnesse For it is no wonder if they that see not and know not sin remain senselesse of sin alas they know not what they doe but for a man to be enlightned and see his sinne and yet unaffected Lord how great is this hardnesse and how unexcusable will such a man be left before God when the Lord shall reckon with him for his hardnesse of heart â— What is the end of that light the Lord lets into the understanding in other things is it not that thereby the heart might be affected throughly with it Why doth the Lord let in the light of the knowledge of Christ and of his will Is it that this knowledge should like froth float in the understanding and be imprisoned there No verily but that the heart might be throughly and deeply affected therewith And doe you think the Lord will in the light of conviction imprison it up in the mind is there not a farther end that by this light the heart might be deeply affected with sinne if any say that the end of conviction is to drive the soule to Christ I grant that is the remote and last end of it but the next end is compunction For if the understanding be convinced of misery and the heart remain hard the mind may see indeed that righteousnesse and life only is to be had in Christ yet the heart remaining hard the wil and affections will never stir toward Christ its impossible a hard heart remaining such wholly unaffeâ—ted with sin or misery should be truly affected with Jesus Christ but of this more hereafter What necessity is there of this compunction to succeed conviction I speak now of necessity in way of ordinary dispensation not of Gods unusuall and extraordinary way of working where hee useth neither Law nor Gospell as ordinaâ—rily he doth to work by Many have been nibling lately at this doctrine and demand What need is there of sorrow and compunction of heart A man may be converted only by the Gospell and God may let in sweetnesse and joy without any sense of sinne or misery and in my experience I have found it so others godly and gracious also feele it so why therefore doe any presse such a necessity of comming in by this back-doore unto Christ This point I conceive is very weighty and much danger in denying the truth of it yet withall there needs much tendernesse in handling of it lest any stumble and therefore before I lay downe the reasons to shew the necessity of it give me leave to propound these rules both for the clearing of the point and answering sundry objections usually made about this point In this work of compunction doe not think that the Lord hath not wrought any true sense of sinne because you find it not in such a measure as you imagine you should desire to have and that others feele sense of sin admits degrees I doubt not but Iosephs brethren were humbled yet Ioseph must be more he must be cast into the ditch and into the prison and the iron must enter not onely into his legs but into his soule Psal. 105.18 He must be more afflicted in spirit because he was to doe greater work for God and was to be raised up higher then the rest and therefore did need the more ballast some are educated more civilly then others and thereby have contracted lesse guilt and stoutnesse of heart
against God and his wayes therefore these have not such cause of trouble and being lesse rugged have lesse need of axes to hew them some mens sorrow breaks in upon them more suddenly like storms and breaches of the sea and the Lord is resolved to hasten and finish his work in them more speedily and it may be more exemplarily for every Christian is not a faire coppy as in those Acts 2.37 In others their sorrowes soake in by degrees Gutta cavat lapidem the Lord empties them by continuall droppings and hence feele not that measure of sorrow that others doe every Christian is not a Heman Psal. 88. who suffers distracting feares and terrours from his youth up ver 15 who is afflicted with all Gods waves ver 7. for he was a man of exceeding high parts and gifts as you may see 1 King 4.31 and therefore the Lord had need of hanging some speciall plummets on his heart to keep it ever low lest it should be lifted up above measure Some sense of sin the Lord will work in all he sayes but not the same measure the Lord gives not alway unto his that which is good in it self its good I confesse to be deeply affected and humbled but that which is fit and therefore best for thee Doe not think there is no compunction or sense of sin wrought in the soule because you cannot so cleerly discern and feele it nor the time of the working and first beginning of it I have knowne many that have come with complaints they were never humbled they never felt it so nor yet could tell the time when it was so yet there it hath been and many times they have seen it by the help of others spectacles and blest God for it When they in Esay 63.17 complained Lord why hast thou hardned our hearts from thy feare doe you think there was no softnesse nor sensiblenesse indeed Yes verily but they felt nothing but a hard heart nay such hardnesse as if the Lord had plagued them with it by his owne immediate hand and not borne and bred with them onely as with other men Many a soule may think the Lord hath left it nay smitten it with a hard heart and so make his mone of it yet the Lord hath wrought reall softnesse under felt-hardnesse as many times in Reprobates there is felt softnesse when within there is reall hardnesse The stony-ground-hearers were plowed and broken on the top but were stony at the bottome Some men may be wounded outwardly and mortally this may easily be discerned The Lord may wound others and they may bleed out their sorrow is more inwardly and secretly and therefore cannot point with their finger to their wound as others can Doe not think the Lord works compunction in all the Elect in the same circumstantiall work of the Spirit but onely in the same substantiall work the Lord works a true sense of sin for the substance and truth of it yet there are many circumstantiall works like so many inlargements and comments upon one and the same Text. Ex. gratia The same sin that affects Paul it may be doth not affect Lydia or Apollos The same notions for the aggravation of sinne in one doe not come into the mind of the other the same complaints and prayers and turnings of spirit in the one may not be in the same circumstances and with the like effects as in the other and yet both of them feele sin and therefore complaine they both feele sin yet by means of various apprehensions and aggravations This I speak because you may the better understand the meaning of Gods servants iâ— opening the work of humiliation You may heare them say the soule doth this and thinks that and speaks another thing it may be every one doe not so think in the same individuall circumstances and therefore are to be understood as producing onely exemplum in re simili something like this or for the substance of this is there wrought In this work of compunction we must not bring rules unto men but men to rules Crook not Gods rules to the experience of men which is fallible and many times corrupt but bring men unto the rule and try mens estates herein by that For many will say Some men are not humbled at all never had any precedent sorrow for sinne Gods mercy onely hath melted their hearts and experience proves this and many finde this who are sincere and gracious Christians I answer we are not in this or any other point to be guided by the experience of men onely but attend the rule if it be proved that according to the rule men must be broken and affected with their sin and misery before mercy can be truly apprehended or Christ accepted what tell you me of such or such men let the rule stand but let men stand or fall according to the rule many are accounted godly and gracious for a time much affected with mercy and Christ Jesus yet afterward fall or wizen into nothing and prove very unsound What is the reason Truly the cause was here their first wound and sorrow for sin was not right as hereafter shall be made good many thousands are miserably deceived about their estates by this one thing of crooking and wresting Gods rules to Christians experiences let all Gods servants tremble and be wary here wrack not the holy Scriptures nor force them to speak as thou feelest but try all things by them 1 Thes. 5.21 Doe not make the examples of converted persons in Scripture patternes in all things of persons unconverted do not make Gods work upon the one run parallel with Gods work upon the other Some say that many in Scripture are converted to Christ without any sorrow for sin and produce the example of Lydia whose heart God sweetly opened to receive Christ and the Eunuch Acts 8. converted in the same manner I answer these are examples of persons converted to God before who did beleeve in the Messiah but did not know that this Jesus was the Messiah which they soon did when the Lord sent the meanes to reveale Christ and therefore Lydia a Jewish proselyte is called a worshipper of God Act. 16.14 and so was the Eunuch Act. 8.27 and in the same condition as the Centurion Act. 10.2 who feared God and whose prayers were accepted ver 4. which cannot be without faith yet did not know that this Jesus crucified was the Messiah untill Peter came unto him So that suppose here was no sense or sorrow for sinne at this time doth it therefore follow they never had any when the Lord at first wrought upon them are these examples in persons converted fit to shew forth Gods work in persons unconverted in some things indeed they are examples in others not so their examples of beleeving in Christ are not in that act examples of sorrow for want of Christ. And yet let me adde to say that God opened Lydia's heart to beleeve in
tumultuous complaints the deepest sorrowes run with least noyse If a man can have teares for outward losses and none for sins t is very suspitious whether he was ever truly sorrowfull for sinne Otherwise as the greatest joyes are not alway exprest in laughter so the greatest sorrowes are not alway exprest in shedding of teares what the measure of this great sorrow is we shall heare hereafter Thirdly it is a constant mourning for so it is here called a spirit of heavinesse as that woman that had a spirit of infirmity and was bowed downe many yeares Hannah constantly troubled is called a woman of a sorrowfull spirit 1 Sam. 1.12.15 As the spirit of pride and whoredome Hos. 4.12 â—is a constant frame where though the acts be sometime suspended yet the spirit remains so a spirit of mourning is such sorrow as though the acts of mourning be sometime hindred yet the spirit and spring remaines Hypocrites wil mourn under sin and misery but what is it it is the hanging down the head like a bull-rush in bad weather for a day Oh how many have pangs and gripes of sorrow and can quickly ease themselves again these mourners come to nothing in the conclusion I grant the sorrow and sadnesse of spirit may be interrupted but it returnes againe and never leaves the soule untill the Lord looke downe from heaven Lam. 3.48 49 50. The cause continues guilt and strength of sinne and therefore this effect continues Fourthly it is such a sorrow as makes way for gladnesse for so it is here said the Lord gives beauty for these ashes and hence it is no desperate hellish sorrow but usually mixt with sense of some mercy at least common and some hope not that which apprehends the object of hope particulary which is done in vocation but that the Lord may find out some way of saving it Ionah 3.9 Acts 2.37 which hope with sense of mercy waiting so long preserving from hell and death so oft c. doth not harden the heart as in reprobates but serve to break the more and to load it with greater sorrow thus the Lord works this sorrow in all his elect I know it is in a greater measure and from some other grounds after the soule is in Christ but this sorrow there is for substance mentioned for the reasons given if Christ hate you you shall mourne but never till it be too late if he love you you must mourne now how great and many are many of your sinnes how neare is your doome the Lord only knows how fearful your condemnation will be you have oft heard but yet how few of your hearts are sad and very heavie for these things sin is your pleasure not your sorrow you fly from sorrow as from a temptation of Satan who comes to trouble you and to lead you to despaire Davids eyes ran down with rivers of waters because others brake Gods law and Ieremy wisht he had a cottage in the wildernesse to mourne in and yet you doe not you cannot powre out one drop nor yet wish you had hearts to lament your owne sinnes but oh know it that when the Lord Christ comes hee will sad thy soule when hee comes to search thy old sores by the spirit of conviction he will make them smart and bleed abundantly by the spirit of compunction 3. Separation from sin is the third thing wherein compunction consists such a feare and sorrow for sin under a sinfull estate as separates the soule from sin is true compunction without which the Lord Christ cannot be had the soule is cut and wounded with sin by feare and sorrow but it is cut off by this stroake of the Spirit not from the being but from the growing power of sin from the wil to sin not from al sin in the wil which is mortified by a Spirit of holines after the soule is implanted into Christ for compunction contrition brokennesse of heart for sin call it what you will is opposite to hardnesse of heart which is in every sinner whiles Christ leaves him now in hardnesse as in a stone there is First insensiblenesse Secondly a close cleaving of all the parts together whereby it comes to passe that hard things make resistance of what is cast against them So in compunction there is nor only sensiblenesse of the evill of sin and death by feare and sorrow but such as makes a separation of that close union between sin and the soule and hence it is that the Lord abhorres all fastings humiliations prayers teares unlesse they be of this stamp and are accompanied with this effect The Lord flings the dung of their fastings and sorrowes in their faces because they did not breake the bonds of wickednesse to mourno for sin and misery and yet to be in thy sinne is the work of justice on the damned in hell and all the Devills at this day that are pincht with their black chains not loosened from them and not the work of the grace of Christ in the day of his power Hee that confesseth his sins shall have mercy that is true but remember the meaning of that confession in the next words and forsaketh he shall find mercy What is the end of the mother in laying worme-wood and gall upon her brest but that the child by tasting the bitternesse of it might be weaned and have his stomack and will turned from it what is the end of fear sorrow but by this to turn away the soule from sin This point is weighty and full of difficulty of great use and worthy of deep meditation For as the first wound and stroake of the Spirit is so it is in all other after-after-works of it both of faith and holinesse in the soule if this be right faith is right holinesse is right if this be imperfect or naught all is according to it afterward the greatest difficulty lies hâ—re to know what measure of separation from sin the Spirit makes here for after wee are in Christ then sinne is mortified how then is there any separation of the heart from it before it doth fully beleeve or what measure is there necessary here therefore I shall answer to the fourth and last particular viz. Fourthly what is that measure of compunction the Lord workes in all the elect So much compunction or sense of sinne is necessary as attaines the end of it now what is the end of it no other but that the soule being humbled might goe to Christ by faith to take away his sin the finis proximus or next end of compunction is humiliation that the soul may be so severed from sin as to renounce it selfe for it the finis remotus or last end is that being thus humbled it might goe unto Christ to take away sinne for beloved the condemnation of the world lies not so much in being sinfull under guilt and power of sin as in being unwilling the Lord Jesus should take it away this I say
is the greatest hinderance of salvation Iohn 3.19 Iohn 5.40 Oh Ierusalem wilt thou not be made cleane Ier. 13.27 that was their great evill they were not only polluted but they would not be made cleane the Lord Jesus therefore rolls away this stone from the Sepulchre beats down this mountaine and because it must first beleeve in Christ before it can receive Grace from Christ it must come to Christ to take away sinne before the Lord will doe it Hence so much loosening from sinne as makes the soule thus to come is necessary So much feare and sorrow as loosens from sinne and so much loosening from sinne as makes the soule willing or at least not unwilling that the Lord JESUS should take it away is necessary For who ever comes to Christ or is not unwilling Christ should come to him to take away all his sinne hath what ever he thinks some antecedent loosning and separation from sin Oh saith a poore sinner when the Lord hath struck his heart and he feeles guilt and terrour and mighty strength of corruption If the Lord Jesus would take away these evils from me though I cannot means cannot that will be exceeding rich mercy The Lord doth not wound the heart to this end that the soule should first heale it selfe before it come to the Physitian but that it might seek out or feeling its need be willing and desirous of a Physitian the Lord Jesus to come and heale it It is the great fault of many Christians either their wounds and sorrowes are so little they desire not to be healed or if they doe they labour to heal themselves first before they come to the Physitian for it they will first make themselves holy and put on their jewels and then beleeve in Christ. And hence are those many complaints What have I to do with Christ Why should he have to doe with me that have such an unholy vile hard blind and most wicked heart If I were more humbled and more holy then I would goe to him and think he would come to me Oh for the Lords sake dishonour not the grace of Christ. It is true thou canst not come to Christ till thou art loaden and humbled and separated from thy sinne Thou canst not be ingrafted into this Olive unlesse thou beest cut and cut off too from thy old root Yet remember for ever that no more sorrow for sinne no more separation from sinne is necessary to thy closing with Christ then so much as makes thee willing or rather not unwilling that the Lord should take it away And know it if thou seekest for a greater measure of humiliation antecedent to thy closing with Christ then this thou shewest the more pride therein who wilt rather goe in to thy selfe to make thy selfe holy and humble that then mightest be worthy of Christ then goe out of thy selfe unto the Lord Jesus to take thy sin away In a word who thinkest Christ cannot love thee untill thou makest thy selfe faire and when thou thinkest thy selfe so which is pride wilt then think otherwise of Christ. The Lord therefore when he teacheth his people how to returne unto him after grievous sinnes directs them to this course not to goe about the bush to remove their iniquities themselves or to stay and live securely in their sins untill the Lord did it himselfe but bids them come to him and say Take away Lord all iniquities Hos. 14.1 2 3. You shall see Ephraim bemoaning himselfe Ier. 31.18 But how Doth he say he feeles his sinnes now all removed No but he desires the Lord to turne him and then saith he I shall be turned As if he should say Lord I shall never turne from this stubborne vile heart nor so much as turne to thee to take it away unlesse thou dost turne me and then I shall be turned to purpose What saith the penitent Church Come say they let us goe unto the Lord. They might object and say Alas the Lord is our enemy and wounds us and hath broken us to pieces we are not yet healed but lye dead as well as wounded shall such dead spirits live Mark what followes True indeed He hath wounded us let us therefore goe to him that he may heale us and after two dayes he will revive us The Lord requires no more of us then thus to come to him Indeed after a Christian is in Christ labour for more and more sense of sinne that may drive you nearer and nearer unto Christ. Yet know before you come to him the Lord requires no more then this and as he requires no more then this so t is his owne Spirit not our abilities that must also work this and thus much he will work and doth require of all whom he purposeth to save If thou wilt not come to Christ to take away thy sinnes thou shalt undoubtedly perish in them If the Lord work that sorrow so as to be willing the Lord should take them away thou shalt be undoubtedly saved from them If you would know what measure of willingnesse to have Christ take away sinne is required You shall heare when we come to open the fourth particular in the doctrine of Faith If you further aske How the Spirit works this loosening from sinne in the work of compunction I answer the Spirit of Christ works this by a double act 1. Morall 2. Physicall As in the conversion of the soule by faith unto God the Spirit is not onely a morall agent pâ—â—swading but also a supernaturall agent physically working the heart to beleeve by a divine and immediate act so in the aversion of the soule from sinne the Spirit doth affect the heart with feare and sorrow morally but this can never take away sinne as we see in Iudas and Cain deeply affected and afflicted in spirit and yet in their sinne And therefore the Spirit puts forth it s owne hand physically or immediately and his owne arme brings salvation to us by a further secret immediate stroke turning the iron neck cutting the iron sinews of sin and so makes this disunion or separation You think it easie to be willing that Christ should come and take away all your sinnes I tell you the omnipotent arme of the Lord that instructed Ieremy in a smaller matter can onely instruct you here both these acts ever goe together according to the measure mentioned the latter cannot be without the first the first is in vaine without the latter But what evill in sinne doth the Spirit morally affect the heart with and so physically turne it from sinne He affects the soule with it as the greatest evill by sinne I meane not as considered without death for at this time the soule is not so spirituall as that sin without consideration of death and wrath due to it should affect it but sinne and death sinne armed with wrath sinne working death pricks the heart as the greatest evill and so lets out that core at
union 1 Cor. 1.30 Christ is made righteousnesse and sanctification unto whom read the beginning of the verse and you shall see it is onely to those that be in Christ which is by faith Let none say here as some doe that we have union to Christ first by the Spirit without faith in order going before faith For understanding of which let us a little consider of our union unto Christ Our union to Christ is not by the essentiall presence of the Spirit for that is in every man as the God-head is every where in whom we live and move This is common to the most wicked man nay to the vilest creature in the world Hence it followes that our union is by some act of the Spirit peculiar to the elect who onely shall have communion with Christ working some reall change in the soul for of reall not relative union I now speak this act cannot be those first acts of the spirit of bondage for they are common unto reprobates they are therefore such acts as are essentiall unto the nature of union Now look as disunion is the disjunction or separation of divers things one from another so union is the conjunction or joyning of them together that were before severed Hence that act of the Spirit in uniting us to Christ can be nothing else but the bringing back the soule unto Christ or the conjunction of the soule unto Christ and into Christ by bringing it back to him that before this lay like a dry bone in the valley separated from him Thus 1 Cor. 6.17 He that is joyned or as the word signifies glewed to the Lord is one spirit with him The Spirit therefore brings us to the Lord Christ and so we are in him Now the comming of the soule to Christ what is it but faith Iohn 6.35 Our union therefore is by faith not without it for by it onely we that were once separated from him by sinne and especially by unbeliefe Heb. 3.12 are now come not onely unto him as iron unto the load-stone Iohn 6.37 out which is most neare into him as branches into the vine so grow one with him and hence those phrases in Scripture to beleeve in Christ or into Christ. I speak not this as if we were united to Christ without the Spirit on his part for the conjunction of things severed must be mutuall if it be firme I onely shew that we are not united before faith by the Spirit unto Christ but that we are by faith wrought by the Spirit whereby on our part we are first conjoyned unto him and then on his part he by the person of the Spirit is most wonderfully united unto us The Spirit puts forth variety of acts in the soule as it acts us to good works t is the spirit of obedience as it infuseth habits of grace so t is the spirit of sanctification as it assists us continually and guides us to our end and witnesseth favour t is the spirit of adoption as it works feares of death and hell t is the spirit of bondage but as it drawes us from sinne to Christ so t is the spirit of union and therefore to imagine union before and without faith by the Spirit is but a spirit indeed which when you come to feele it you shall finde it a nothing without flesh or bones or sinewes As our marriage union to Christ must have consent of faith on our part wrought by the Spirit or else the Lord Jesus is a vaine sutor to us so now the Spirit on Christs part must apprehend our faith and dwell in us who otherwise shall suddenly goe a whoring from him 1 Pet. 1.5 Eph. 3.17 3. That Vocation is not all one with Sanctification may appeare thus 1. Vocation is before Justification Rom. 8.30 But Sanctification is not before Justification as we have proved and therefore they are not the same 2. Sanctification is the end of Vocation 1 Thess. 4.7 therefore it is not the same with it 3. Faith is the principall thing in Vocation The first part of it being Gods call the second part being our answer to that call or in comming at that call Ier. 3.22 Now faith is no part of Sanctification strictly taken because it is the meanes and instrument of our Justification and Sanctification Acts 26.18 Our hearts are said to be purified by faith Acts 15.9 not our lives onely in the acts of holinesse and purity but our hearts in the habituall frame of them I live by the faith of the Sonne of God saith Paul We passe from death to life by faith Iohn 5.24 therefore it is no part of our spirituall life You will not come to me which is faith that you may have life Iohn 5.40 Iohn 6.50.51 therefore faith is the instrumentall means of life and therefore no part of our life as faith comes by hearing and therefore hearing is no part of faith so Justification comes by faith and therefore is no part of Sanctification all our life both of Justification and Sanctification is laid up in Christ our head this life according to Gods great plot shall never be had but by coming to Christ for it Heb. 7.25 else grace and Christ should not bee so much honoured Rom. 4.16 it is of Faith that it might be of Grace Sanctification therefore is the grace applyed by faith faith the grace applying by coming to Christ for it we have it and therefore have it not when first we come I am sorry to be thus large in lesse practicall matters yet I have thought it not unusefull but very comfortable to a poore passenger not only to know his journies end and the way in generall to it but also the severall Stadia or Townes he is orderly to passe through there is much wisdome of God to be seen not only in his work but in his manner and order of working for want of which I see many Christians in these dayes fall very foulely into erroneous apprehensions in their judgments the immediate ground of many errours in practise the objections made against what hath been delivered are for the principall of them answered the maine end my beloved of propounding these things is that you would look narrowly to your union oh take heed you misse not there if you close with Christ beleeve in Christ and yet not cut off from your sin viz. that spirit of resistance of Christ you are utterly and eternally undone this is the condemnation of the world not that men love darknesse wholly and hate light but that they love darkenesse more then light not that the uncleane spirit is not gone out but that he is not so cast out as never to returne againe the wound of all men yea the best of men that professe Christ and yet indeed out of Christ lyes in this they were never severed from their sinne by all their prayers teares feares sorrowes and hence they never truly come to Christ and hence perish in their sin Trouble
be in bitternesse for them before the Lord will passe them by it is not every trouble that will serve the turne look that it be such as separates thy soule from thy sin or else it will separate betweene thy soule and God I know it is not in your power to breake your owne hearts no more then to make the rocks to bleed yet remember he that bids thee cast up and prepare the way of the Lord he hath promised that every mountaine shall be brought low and the crooked wayes made plaine and the rough smooth and the valleys filled He only can doe it for thee and will doe it for some it may be for thee he that broke the heart of Manasseh and Paul after their blood and blasphemies when they never desired any such thing he can break thine much more when thou art desiring him to doe it for thee here are many of you that feare you were never humbled nor burthened enough I say feare it still feare lest there be a stone in the bottome not so as to discourage and drive thy heart from Christ but so as to feele a greater need of his grace to soften thy heart and to take thy senslesnesse away the Lord doth purposely command thee to plough up thy fallow ground that thou mightest feel thy impotency so to do and come to him to take it away every thing will harden thee more and more untill the Lord come and take thy stony heart away by his owne hand all Gods kindnesses will make thee more bold to sin and all Gods judgements more fierce and obstinate in sinne unlesse the Lord put to his hand if Pharaohs heart be softned for a time it will grow hard againe if the Lord take it not away The means therefore for thee to get this compunction is 1. To feele the evill of thy hard heart no surer token of Reprobation then hardnesse if continued in especially for thy heart to grow hard under or after softning meanes as it was in Pharaoh 2. To look up to the Lord in all ordinances that he would take it away Have not you great cause of abundant thankfulnesse into whose hearts the Lord hath let in feares and sorrowes concerning your estates the blind world lookes upon all troubles of conscience as temptations of the devill to despaire and the very way to run mad but consider what the Lord hath done for you that have such what if the Lord had left you without all feeling as those in Eph. 4.19 what if the Lord had smitten you with a spirit of slumber as those Rom. 11.8 would not your estate have beene then lamentable and have you no hearts to acknowledge his unspeakable goodnesse in awakening of you in shaking thy very foundations dost thou think that any ever had such a hard heart as thou hast dost not say so in secret before the Lord sometimes oh then what rich grace is this to give thee any sence and feeling of thy sin and danger by it though it bee never so little in thine eyes some think these terrors are a judgement it is true if they were meerly imaginary or worldly and desperate but saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 7.7 I thanke God I made you sorry Suppose thy sorrow should be only in regard of the punishment of sin yet this is the Lords goodnesse to make thy heart so far sensible that once didst goe like a beast to the slaughter fearing no danger at all the very meanes to prize favour from God is to feel wrath as well as sin and the very reason why the Lord hath let thee feele thy punishment heavy is that thy soule might feel the evill of sin by considering that if the fruits be so bitter what is then the cause be not therefore weary of thy burthen so as to think the Lord powres out his vengeance on thee while thy trouble remaines oh consider that this is the hand of the Lord Jesus and that he is now about to save thee when he comes to work any compunction in thee especially such as whereby he doth not onely cut thy heart with feares and sorrowes but cut thee off from thy sin so far only as humbles thee and drives thee to the Lord Christ to take them away And so I come to the third particular of Humiliation SECT IV. The third Act of Christs power which is Humiliation THe Lord Jesus having thus broken the heart by compunction is not like a foolish builder that leaves off his work before he hath fully finished it and therefore having thus wounded a poore sinner hee goes on to humble him also for though in a large sense a wounded contrite sinner is an humble sinner yet strictly taken there is a great difference between them and therefore he is said to dwell with the contrite and humble i. e. not onely with those that bee wounded with sin but humbled for sinne although it is certaine the soule is seldome or never effectually wounded but it is also humbled at the same time A man may bee wounded sore even unto death and yet the pride of the man is such that he will not fall downe before him that smites him so it is with many a poore sinner the Lord hath sorely wounded him that hee will resist no more yet he will rather fly to his duties to heale him or dye alone and sinke under his discouragements then stoop Oh beloved man must downe before the Lord Christ will take him up and therefore in Isay 40.5 6 7. the glory of the Lord is promised to be revealed but what meanes must bee used for this end Cry saith the Lord what should I cry saith he the Lord answers that all flesh is grasse and that the glory of it fades and that the people are this grasse i. e. not only that mens sinnes are vile but that themselves also are grasse nay their glory and excellency is withering and fading and therefore not only mountains must be pull'd downe but all flesh and the glory of it wither before the Lord shal be revealed I shall briefly open these foure things 1. What is this humiliation 2. What need there is of it 3. What meanes the Lord useth to work it 4. What measure of it is here required What is this humiliation Look as pride is that sinne whereby a man conceited of some good in himselfe and seeking some excellency to himselfe exalts himselfe above God so Humiliation in this place is that work of the Spirit whereby the soule being broken off from self-conceit and selfe-confidence in any good it hath or doth submitteth unto or lyeth under God to be disposed of as he pleaseth 1 Pet. 5.6 Levit. 26.41 That look as compunction cuts the sinner off from that evill that is in him so humiliation cuts it off from all high conceits and self-confidence of that good which is in him or which he seeks might be in him and so the soule is abased
by it so upon it will build the souls of all the elect who are built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Iesus Christ being the chief corner-stone Eph. 2.20 How can they beleeve without a Preacher Rom. 10.14 3. Then when wicked men and reprobates are commanded to beleeve as they are commanded Iohn 3.19 Luk. 14.17 Iohn 6.38 Heb. 4.2 they are commanded to beleeve a lye viz. that their sinnes are pardoned and they actually justified for if this testimony be the ground of faith then when they are commanded to beleeve they are commanded to be perswaded of this testimony But the sinnes of wicked men especially Reprobates are not nor never shall be forgiven and therefore this cannot be the ground of Faith 4. Then the Spirit of adoption which witnesseth that God is our Father and that we are his sonnes reconciled to him goes before faith but the Apostle expresly denyes this Ye are the children of God by faith Gal. 3.26 And because ye are sonnes he hath sent unto you the spirit of sonnes crying Abba Father Gal. 4.6 5. If such a testimony should be the first ground of faith then no man should beleeve but he that hath such a testimony antecedent to his faith but this is crosse to the Scripture Esay 50.10 He that sits in darknesse and sees no light let him stay himselfe upon his God When Ionah is cast out of Gods sight to his owne feeling yet he is bound to look againe unto the Temple 6. This absolute testimony is either the testimony of the Word or of the Spirit Not of the Word as is proved If of the Spirit then let it be considered whether that can be the testimony of the Spirit which is not according to the Word nay contâ—ary to the Word for the Word to say none are justified before faith for the Spirit to testifie some are justified before faith If it be said that the Spirit doth not witnesse these to any man before and without faith but yet it is without respect unto or shewing a man his faith for those that exclude Sanctification from being any evidence they meane Faith as well as any other renewed work of holines and so exclude that also then I say the testimony of the Spirit which of it selfe is exceeding cleare is an obscure and dark testimony because it cleares up the praedicate of this Proposition thou beleever art justified it witnesseth to a man thou art justified but cleares not up the subject of it viz. thou beleever it makes a man beleeve a testimony without understanding the full meaning of it for the Spirit testifying to any man thou art justified his meaning is thou beleever art justified and I doe beseech the God and Father of all lights that his poore people may be led into the truth in this particular for want of establishment here you little think how many delusions you may fall into about your spirituall condition I remember that when Satan came to overthrow the Faith of Christ in his second temptation Mat. 4.6 he brought a promise out of the Scriptures to him because he saw hee held close to them verse 4. and by this promise sought to lead him into temptation how so observe the text and see if it was not by hiding part of the meaning of the promise from him and in speciall that very condition required in the person to whom the promise is made for he tells him that if he cast himselfe downe headlong the Lord hath not only said it but writ it He shall give his Angells charge over him to keep him from dashing his foot against a stone whereas if you consult with the place whence it is cited viz. Psalme 91.11 The condition is set downe in all thy wayes which hee purposely hides from our Saviour as much as in him lay Oh take heed therefore of receiving any testimony from Word or Spirit without the meaning of it without knowing the person thus and thus qualified to whom it belongs otherwise Satan will hurry you headlong to a world of delusions and you shall find the word of God appointed to direct you through your mis-application of it the word of Satan to deceive and damne you doe not think that this is building faith upon works but to beleeve that they that believe in Christ are justified reconciled and saved is building faith upon Gods promise yea and his free promise too for saith the Apostle It is of faith that it might be of grace Rom. 4.16 It is believing to have the end by the meanes not the end without the mean of Faith It is true we may see Gods favour and love to us in the cause as well as in the effects of sanctification but what is that cause the meritorious cause is Christs righteousnesse and the instrumentall cause of applying this is our Faith so that as we are justified by faith so seeing this we may say assuredly with Paul Being justified by faith wee have peace with God Rom. 5.1 It is true we cannot see our justification by saith nor the work of Faith without the shining of the Spirit into our hearts but the question is not whether the Spirit helps us to see our justified estate but by what meanes by what Proposition in the word wee come to see it which we say is not by any such absolute testimony thou art justified already and therefore believe but if thou believe and come to Christ here is then pardon of sinne peace with God yea all the blessings of Christ ready for thee which God intends to give and never to take away if thou thankfully receive what God freely offers and as it were layes downe at thy feet The call of Christ therefore is the ground by which wee first believe and that you may be confirmed farther herein doe but consider the glory and excellency of this ground It is a constant ground of faith for if you come to Christ because you have assurance or because you feel such and such graces and heavenly impressions of Gods Spirit in you you may then many a day and yeare keep at a distance from Christ and live without Christ for the feeling of graces and assurance of favour are not constant but this call is alway sounding in thine yeares oh come not only because thou feelest holinesse in thee but come because poore hungry empty naked lost blind cursed forsaken full of sin there is not one moment of the day of grace but the Lord beseecheth thee to receive his grace 2 Cor. 6.1 2 3. this is an open door to Christ at all times an open harbour to put in at in all storms a heart-breaking word oh thou tossed with tempests and not comforted come unto me and thou shalt find rest to thy soule Many aske how should I come to Christ seeing that I have no promise belonging to me what have dogges to doe with childrens bread be it so yet Gods call command beseechings to come in
THE Sound Beleever OR A TREATISE OF Evangelicall Conversion DISCOVERING The work of Christs Spirit in reconciling of a sinner to God By THO SHEPARD sometimes of Emmanuel Colledge in Cambridge Now Preacher of Gods Word in NEW-ENGLAND MAT. 18.11 I came to save that which was lost LONDON Printed for R. Dawlman 1645. To his deare Friend Mr W. Greenhill Sir MAny struglings I have had about publishing these Notes I have looked up to God and at last been perswaded upon these grounds 1. The many desires both of friends and strangers both by private speeches and Letters which I thought might be the voice of Christ. 2. Some good as I heare those which are already out have done and which the rest might doe which I have looked on as a testimony of the Lords acceptance of them 3. I knew not what the Lords meaning should be to bring to light by his providence without my privity knowledge or will the former part unlesse it was to awaken and enforce me being desired to publish the rest our works I thought should resemble Gods works not bee left imperfect 4. I considered my weake body and my short time of sojourning here and that I shall not speak long to children friends or Gods precious people I am sure not to many in England to whom I owe almost my whole selfe whom I shall see in this world no more I have beene therefore willing to get the wind and take the season that I might leave some part of Gods precious truth on record that it might speak oh that it might be to the heart among whom I cannot and when I shal not be I account it a part of Gods infinite grace to make me an instrument of the least good to any If the Lord shall so far accept of me in publishing these things it is all that I would desire if not yet I have desired forgivenesse in the blood of his Sonne for what ever errors or weaknesses may be in it or are in my self which may hinder successe and frustrate its end only what I have in much weaknesse beleeved I have written and sent it unto you leaving it wholly with your selfe whom I much love and honour that you would adde or detract any thing you see meet so as it be not crosse to what I have writ and if you then think it meet for publike view you see upon what grounds I am content with it but if you shall bury it and put it to perpetuall silence it shall be most pleasing to him who thinks more meanly of it then others can Tho Shepard THE SOUND BELEEVER CHAP. I. As the great cause of the eternall perdition of men is of themselves so the onely cause of the actuall deliverance and salvation of man is JESUS CHRIST view this text Hoseah 13.9 Oh Israel thou hast destroyed thy selfe but in me is thy help SECT I. THese words as they are set down in the Hebrew are according to the style of this Prophet very short and sententious therefore difficult to translate into English without some Periphrasis but the sence is here truly exprest In me is thy help which you may see confirmed from v. 4. There is no Saviour beside me and verse 〈◊〉 I will ransome them from the power of the grave Oh death I will be thy plague O grave I will be thy destruction Suppose the Prophet should speak here of temporall salvation help and ransome which he doth not yet the argument is strong if there be no Saviour from temporall woe and misery but only the Lord Jesus how much more is hee from woes eternall only understand me here aright I am not now speaking of mans deliverance and salvation by price in way of satisfaction of Justice for that I have already handled but of his deliverance and salvation by power not of mans purchased deliverance which is by the blood of Christ but of mans actuall deliverance which is by the efficacy power of the spirit of Christ. Some captives among men are redeemed by price only some by power without price but such is the lamentable captivity of all men under the severity of justice and the power of sinne that without the price of Christs blood Eph. 1.7 and the power of Christs spirit Iohn 8.36 there is no deliverance the Lord JESUS having paid the price for our deliverance Yet it is with us as with a company of captives in prison our sins like strong chaines hold us Satan our keeper will not let us goe the prison doores through unbeleefe are shut upon us Rom. 11.32 aâ—d thereby God and Christ are kept out from us what power now can rescue us that are held fast under such a power even after the price is paid truly it can be no other but that in my text In me is thy help when our ransom is paid the Lord must come himselfe and fetch us out by strong hand Isay 53.1 To whom is the arme of the Lord revealed truly to very few yet to some it is and certainly look as they make Christ no Saviour indeed who deny his salvation by price and satisfaction so those also make him an imperfect Saviour who deny salvation and actuall deliverance of man to be only by the Almighty arme and efficacy of his spirit and power excellent therefore is the speech of the Apostle Acts 5.30.30 God hath exalted Iesus to give repentance and remission of sins to Israel Look as Jesus was abased to purchase repentance and remission so he is now exalted actually to give and apply repentance and remission of sinnes Whose glory is it to remit sinnes but God in Christ and by Christ only whose glory is it to give repentance which in this place comprehends the work of conversion faith as Beza observes whereby we apply remission but the same God only the one is as difficult to be conveyed as the other and we stand in as much need of Christ to doe the one as the other all the power of Christ exalted is little enough to give us repentance and remission the condition of the Covenant exprest in repentance and the blessings in the Covenant summed up in forgivenesse of sins the Socinians deny redemption and salvation by price the Arminians by Christs power leaving suasion only to him but power of conversion to the power and liberty of the will of man Oh adulterous generation that are thus hacking at and cutting the cords of their owne salvation I shall here speak onely to one question which is the principall and most profitable and that is this How doth Christ redeem and save thus by his power out of that miserable estate and consequently what is the way for us to seek and so to find feel deliverance by the hand of Christs power As there are foure principall meanes and causes or wayes whereby man ruines himselfe 1. Ignorance of their owne misery 2. Security and unsensiblenesse of it 3. Carnall confidence in
now as they are indeed and not by report only A man accounts it a matter of nothing to tread upon a worme wherein there is nothing seen worthy either to bee loved or feared and hence a mans heart is not affected with it before the Spirit of conviction comes God is more vile in mans eye then any worme as Christ said in another case of himselfe Psal. 22. I am a worme and no man so may the Lord complaine I am viler in such a ones eyes then any worme and no God and hence a man makes it a matter of nothing to tread upon the glorious Majesty of God and hence is not affected with it but when God is seen by the Spirit of conviction in his great glory then as he is great sin is seene great as his glory affects and astonisheth the soule so sin affects the heart There is a constant light the soule sees sinne and death continually before it Gods arrowes stick fast in the soule and cannot be pluckt out My sinne is ever before me said David in his renewing of the work of conversion For in effectuall conviction the mind is not onely bound to see the misery lying upon it but it is held bound it is such a Sun light as never can be quenched though it may be clouded When the Spirit of Christ darts in any light to see sin the soule would turne away from looking upon it would not heare on that eare Felix-like But the Spirit of Conviction sent to make thorow work on the hearts of all the Elect followes them meets them at every turne forceth them to see and remember what they have done the least sinne now is like a moath in the eye it s ever troubling Those gastly dreadfull objects of sinne death wrath being presented by the Spirit neare unto the soule fixe the eye to fasten here they that can cast off at their pleasure the remembrance and thoughts of sinne and death never prove sound untill the Lord doth make them stay their thoughts and muse deeply on what they have done and whither they are going And hence the soule in lying downe rising up lyes downe and rises up with perplexed thoughts What will become of me The Lord somtimes keeps it waking in the night season when others are asleep and then t is haunted with those thoughts it cannot sleep it looks back upon every day and week Sabboth Sermon Prayer speeches and thinks all this day this week c. the goodnesse of the Lord and his patience to a wretch hath been continued but my sins also are continued I sin in all I doe in all my prayers in all I think the same heart remaines still not humbled not yet changed And hence you shall observe that word which discovered sin at first to it it never goes out of the mind I think saith the soule I shall never forget such a man nor such a truth Hence also if the soule grow light and carelesse at some time and casts off the thoughts of these things the Spirit returnes againe and falls a reasoning with the soule Why hast thou done this what hurt hath the Lord done thee will there never be an end hast not thou gone on long enough in thy leâ—d courses against God but that thou shouldst still adde unto the heap hast thou not wrath enough upon thee already how soone may the Lord stop thy breath and then thou knowest thou hadst better never to have beene borne was there ever any that thus resisted grace that thus adventured upon the swords point hast thou but one friend a patient long-suffering God that hath left thy conscience without excuse long agoe and therefore could have cut thee off and dost thou thus forsake him thus abuse him Thus the Spirit followes and hence the soule comes to some measure of confession of sinne Oh Lord I have done exceeding wickedly I have been worse then the horse that rusheth into the battle because it sees not death before it but I have seen death before me in these wayes and yet goe on and still â—inne and cannot but sinne Behold mee Lord for I am very vile When thus the Spirit hath let into the soule a cleare reall constant light to see sinne and death now there is a thorow conviction But you will say In what measure doth the Spirit communicate this light I shall therefore open the fourth particular viz. The measure of spirituall conviction in all the elect viz. So much conviction of sin as may bring in and work compunction for sinne so much sight of sinne as may bring in sense of sinne so much is necessary and no more Every one hath not the same measure of conviction yet all the elect have must have so much for so much conviction is necessary as may attaine the end of conviction Now the finis proximus or next end of conviction in the elect is compunction or sense of sinne for what good can it doe unto them to see sin and not to be affected with it What greater mercy doth the Lord shew to the elect herein then unto the Devils and Reprobates who stand convinced and know they are wicked and condemned but yet their hearts altogether unaffected with any true remorse for sin Mine eye saith Ieremy affecteth my heart The Lord opens the eares of his to instruction that he might humble Some think that there is no thorow conviction without some affection I dare not say so nor will I now dispute whether there is not something in the nature and essence of that conviction the elect have different from that conviction in reprobates and devils t is sufficient now and that which reacheth the end of this question to know what in asure of conviction is necessary I conceive the cleere discerning of it is by the immediate and sensible effect of it viz. So much as affects the heart truly with sin But if you aske What is that sense of sin and what measure of this is necessary that I shall answer in the doctrine of companction Let not therefore any soule be discouraged and say I was never yet convinced because I have not felt such a cleare reall constant light to see sin and death as others have done consider thou if the end of conviction be attained which is a true sense and feeling of sin thou hast then that measure which is most meet for thee more then which the Lord regards not in any of his but you that walke up and downe with convinced consciences and know your states are miserable and sinfull and that you perish if you dye in that condition and yet have no sense nor feeling no sorrow nor affliction of spirit for those evills I tell you the very devills are in some respect nearer the Kingdome of God then you be who see and feele and tremble woe woe to thousands that live under convicting Ministeries whom the word often hits and the Lord by the Spirit often meets
Christ and yet opened not her heart to lament her sinne and misery in her estate without Christ suppose she were without Christ is more then can be proved from the Text for t is said Her heart was opened to attend unto the things that were spoken by Paul and can any think that Paul or any Apostle ever preached Christ without preaching the need men had of him and could any preach their need of Christ without preaching mens undone and sinfull estate without Christ and doe you think that Lydiae was not made to attend unto this doe you think that when Philip came to open the 53. of Esay to the Eunuch that Christ was bruised for our iniquities that he did not let him understand the infinite evill of sinne and misery of all sinners and of him in speciall unlesse the Lord Jesus was bruised for him In examples recorded in the Scripture of Gods converting grace doe not think they had no sorrow for sinne because it is not distinctly and expresly set downe in all places for the Scripture usually sets downe matters very briefly it oftentimes supposeth many things and refers us to judge of some by other places as Acts 6.7 it is said Many of the Priests were obedient to the faith doth it therefore follow that they did immediately beleeve without any sense of sinne Look to a fuller example Acts 2. and then we may see as the one were converted to the faith so were the other having a hand in the same sin 1 Tim. 1.13 14. Paul he was a persecuter but the Lord received him to mercy and that Gods grace was abundant in faith and love doth it hence follow that Paul had no castings down because not mentioned here If we look upon Acts 9. we shall see it otherwise Doe not judge of generall and common workings of the Spirit upon the souls of any to be the beginnings of effectuall and special conversion for a man may have some inward and yet common knowledge of the Gospel and of Christ in it before there be any sorrow for sinne yet it doth not hence follow that the Lord begins not with compunction and sorrow because common work is not speciall and effectuall work when the Spirit thus comes he first begins here as we shall prove The terrours and feares and sense of sinne and death be in themselves afflictions of soule and of themselves drive from Christ yet in the hand of Christ by the power of the Spirit they are made to lead or rather drive unto Christ which is able to turn mourning into joy as well as after mourning to give joy and therefore t is a vaine thing to think there is no need of such sorrows which drive from Christ and that Christ can work well enough therefore without them when as by the mighty power and riches of mercy in Christ the Lord by wounding nay killing his of all their carnall security and self-confidence saves all his alive and drives them to seek for life in his Son These things thus premised let us now hear of the necessity of this work to succeed conviction Else a sinner will never part with his sin a bare conviction of sin doth but light the candle to see sin compunction burnes his fingers and that onely makes him dread the fire Cleanse your hearts ye sinners and purifie your hearts ye double minded men saith the Apostle Iames Chap. 4.8 But how should this be done He answers verse 9. Be afflicted and mourne and weep turn your laughter into mourning So Ioel 2.12 the Prophet calls upon his hearers to turne from their sin unto the Lord but how Rend your hearts and not your garments Not that they were able to do this but by what sorrow he requires of all in generall he thereby effectually works in the hearts of all the elect in particular for every man naturally takes pleasure nay all his delight and pleasure is in nothing else but sinne for God he hath none but that Now so long as he takes pleasure in sinne and finds contentment by sinne he cannot but cleave inseparably to it Oh t is sweet and it onely is sweet for so long the soule is dead in sinne Pleasure in sinne is death in sinne 1 Tim. 5.6 So long as t is dead in sinne it is impossible it should part with sinne no more then a dead man can break the bonds of death And therefore it undenyably followes that the Lord must first put gall and wormwood to these dugs before the soule will cease sucking or be weaned from them the Lord must first make sinne bitter before it will part with it load it with sinne before it will sit downe and desire ease And look as the pleasure in sinne is exceeding sweet to a sinner so the sorrow for it must be exceeding bitter before the soule will part from it T is true I confesse a man sometime may part with sin without sorrow the uncleane spirit may goe out for a time before he is taken bound and slain by the power of Christ. But such a kind of parting is but the washing of the cup t is unsafe and unsound and the end of such a Christian wil be miserable for a man to heare of his sinne and then to say I le doe no more so without any sense or sorrow for it would not have been approved by Paul if he had seen no more in the carelesse Corinthians in tolerating the incestuous person but their sorrow wrought this repentance No the Lord abhors such whorish wiping the lips and therefore the same Apostle when he reproves them for not separating the sinner and so the sin from them he summes it up in one word You have not mourned that such a one might be taken from you because then sin is severed truly from the soule when sorrow or shame some sense and feeling of the evill of it begins it Not onely sinne is opposite to God but when the Lord Jesus first comes neare his elect in their sinfull estate they are then enemies themselves by sin unto God And hence it is they will never part with their weapons untill themselves be throughly wounded and therefore the Lord must wound their consciences minds and hearts before they will cast them by Now if there be no parting with no separation from sin but sin is as strong and the sinners as vile as ever before hath Christ who now comes to save his elect from sinne the end of his work what is the man the better for conviction affection to Christ name what you can that remains still in his sins When the Apostle would summe up all the misery of men he doth it in those words Ye are yet in your sinne So I say thou art convicted but art yet in thy sinne art affected with Christ and takest hold of Christ but art yet in thy sin He that confesseth and forsaketh his sin shall find mercy You
and death for sin that this end might be attained Gal. 3.22 And therefore feeling of sin and death and misery being the meanes must precede the other as the end and therefore as grace may be seen by conviction of misery so the sweetnesse of it only can be felt by feeling misery in this worke of compunction But you will say What is this compunction and wherein doth it consist This is the third particular to be opened in generall it is whereby the soule is affected with sin and made sensible of sin but more particularly compunction is nothing else but the pricking of the heart or the wounding of the soule with such feare and sorrow for sin and misery as severs the soule from sin and from going on toward its eternall misery so that it consists in three things 1. Feare 2. Sorrow 3. Separation from sin The Lord Jesus when hee comes to rescue his elect look as Satan held them in their misery First by blinding their eyes from seeing of it Secondly by hardening their hearts from feeling of it So the Lord Jesus having cut asunder the first cord of Satan by conviction breakes asunder the second by compunction and causing the soule to feele and be affâ—cted with its misery and as the whole soule is unaffected before he comes so he makes the whole soule sensible when hee comes and therefore hee sils the conscience with feare and the heart with sorrow and mourning so as now the will of sinne is broken which was hardened before these feares and sorrowes seised upon it Let me open these particularly that you may tast and try the truth of what now I deliver I sâ—y the Lord Christ in this work of compunction lets into the heart of a secure sinner a marvellous fear and terrour of the diâ—efull displeasure of God of death and hell the punishment of sin Oh beloved look upon most men at this day this is the great misery lying upon them they doe not feare the wrath to come they feare not death nor damning even then when they heare and know it is their portion but their hearts are set to sin Eccles. 8.11 The Lord Christ therefore lets in this feare that look as the Lord when hee came to conquer the Canaanites Exod. 23.27 28. He sent his hornets before him which were certaine feares which made their hearts faint in the day of battell and by this subdued them so the Lord Christ when hee comes to conquer a poore sinner that hath long resisted him and would goe on to his owne perdition le ts in these feares that the soule shrinkes in with the thoughts of its woefull estate and cryes out secretly Lord what will become of me if I dye in this condition Paul trembles astonished at his misery and wickednesse and now he begins to cry out the Jayâ—â—ur was very cruell against Paul but when the Lord Jesus comes to rescue him from this condition you shall see him trembling The Lord had let in that feare that now he is content to doe any thing to be saved from the danger he saw he was now in when a man sees danger and great danger neare and imminent now man naturally feares it before Christ come the soule may see its misery but it apprehends it farre off and hoping to escape it and hence doth not feare it but when the Lord Jesus comes hee presents a mans danger death wrath and eternity neare unto him and hence hath no hope to escape it as now he is and therefore doth feare and seeing the misery exceeding great he hath an exceeding great though oft times deep feare of it as men neare death and apprehending it so begin then to be troubled and cry out when it is too late The Lord Jesus deales more mercifully with the elect and brings death and eternity neare them before they draw neare to it whiles it is callâ—d to day the poore Jaylor began to think of killing himselfe when feares were upon him and so many under this stroke of Christ have the same thoughts because they see no hope but this measure is not in all this work is in all Put them in feare oh Lord that they may know they be but men before this feare comes men are above God and think they can stand it out against him the Lord therefore le ts in this feare to make them know they bee but men and that as proud and stout great as they are yet thaâ— they are not above God and that it is in vain to kick against the pricks and goâ— on as they have done for if they doe he will not endure it long The spirit of Bondage makes makes men feare before the spirit of Adoption comes these feares therefore are such as the regenerate after they have received the spirit of Adoption never have and therefore they are such as pursue the soule with some threatning of the word pronouncing death and perdition to him in that estate Ex. gr He that beleeves not is condemned already thus the word speakes to conscience Iohn 3.17 Thou beleevest not saith a mans owne conscience the Spirit witnessing with it therefore thou art condemned saith conscience now the spirit of Bondage is the testimony of Gods Spirit witnessing to both the premisses and conclusion now this Spirit no regenerate man indeed ever hath after this time but the feares he hath arise from another principle of corruption of conscience and malice of Satan through the present desertion of the Spirit leaving him not from any positive witnesse of the Spirit of any such untruth which yet is truth while the soule is under this strâ—ake and not regenâ—â—ate marke therefore diligently that this â—eare is the worke of the Spirit of the Lord Jesus and hence it followes 1. That these Fears are not meerly naturall as those Rom. 2.15 arising from naturall conscience only which only accuse of sinne but never affect but they are supernaturall they are arrowes shot into the conscience by the arme of the Spirit so dreadfull that no word nor meditation of death and eternity can beget such feares but creates them 2. Hence it followes that they are cleare feares for the Spirits work is ever cleare before he leaves it Eph. 5.13 they are not blind confused feares and suspitious and sad conjectures whereby many a man is afraid and much afraid and affrighted like men in a dreame that thinke they are in hell yet cannot tell what that evill is which they feare but they are cleare feares whereby they distinctly know and see that they are miserable and what that misery is 3. Hence it followes that they are strong feares because the almighty hand of the Spirit sets them on and shakes the soule they are not weak feares which a man can shake off or cure by weake hopes sleep or businesse c. like some winds that shake the tree but never blow it downe but these feares cast down
hell have much spirituall life for they feele their misery with a witnesse As for the preaching of the Gospel before the Law to shew our misery it is true that the Gospel is to be looked at as the maine end yet you must use the means before you can come to the end by the preaching of the Law or misery in despising the Gospell End Means have been ever good friends you may joyn them well together you cannot sever them without danger I doe observe that the Apostles ever used this method Paul first proves Iewes and Gentiles to be under sinne in almost the three first Chapters of the Romanes before he opens the doctrine of Justification by faith in Christ. I do not observe that ever there was so cleere and manifest opening of Mans misery as by Christ and his Apostles who brought in the clearest revelations of the Remedy I doe not read in Moses or in all the Prophets such full and plaine expressions of our misery as in the New Testament The worme that never dyes The fire that never goes out The wrath to come c. and therefore assuredly they thought this no back-doore but faith the doore to Christ and this the way to faith To say that a man must first have Christ and life before he feele any spirituall misery is to say that a Christian must first be healed that he may be sick cured that he may be wounded receive the spirit of adoption before he receive and that he may receive the spirit of bondage to feare againe If Ministers shall preach the remedy before they shew misery woe to this age that shall be deprived of those blessings which the former gloried in and blessed the Lord for Mark those men that deny the use of the Law to lead unto Christ if they doe not fall in time to oppose some maine point of the Gospel For it is a righteous thing but a heavy plague for the Lord to suffer such men to obscure the Gospel that in their judgements zealously dislike this use of the Law You must preach the remedy that is true but you must also first preach the woe and misery of men or rather so mix them together as the hearts of hearers may be deeply affected with both but first with their misery It argues a great consumption of the Spirit of grace when Christians lives are preserved onely by Alchermys and choice Cordials notions about Christ nay choyce ones too or else the old and ordinary food of the countrey will not downe I tell you the maine wound of Christians is want of deep humiliations and castings downe and if you beleeve it not now it may be pestilence sword and famine shall teach you this doctrine when the Lord shall make these things wound you to the very heart and put you to your wits end that were not that would not in season be wounded at the heart with sin Are we troubled with too many wounded consciences in these times that we are so solicitous of coyning new principles of peace what is every man by nature but a kind of an infinite evill all the sins that fill earth and hell are in every one mans heart for sinne in man is endlesse and canst not thou endure to be cast downe Nothing is so vile as Christ to a man unhumbled and can you so easily prize him and taste him without any casting downe 2. Such as think there is a necessity of sense of misery by the work of the Law before Christ can be received but they think there is no such feeling of misery as hath been mentioned but that it is common to the reprobate as to the elect and consequently that in sense of sinne there is no such speciall worke of the Spirit as separates the soule from sinne before it comes unto Christ but that this is done after the soule is in Christ by faith viz. in Sanctification being first justified by faith This is the judgement of many holy and learned and therefore so long as there is no disagreement in the substance of this doctrine it should not trouble us onely let it be considered whether what is said is not the truth of Christ and if it be let us not cast it aside The Jewish Rabbins have a speech at this day very frequent in their writings Non est in lege unica literula à qua non magni suspensi sunt montes It is much more true of every truth and if I much mistake not much depends upon the right understanding of this point That therefore 1. there must be some sense of misery before the application of the remedy 2. That this compunction or sense of misery is wrought by the Spirit of Christ not the power of man to prepare himself thereby for further grace 3. That these terrours and sorrows in the elect doe virtually differ from those in the reprobate the one driving the soul to Christ the other not these are agreed on all hands The question onely is Whether there is this farther stroke of severing the soule from sin conjoyned with the terrours and sorrowes in the elect before their closing with Christ which is not in the reprobate or in one word whether there is not a speciall work of the Spirit turning at least in order of nature the soule from sin before the soule returns by faith unto Christ. For the affirmative I leave these severall Considerations That there is gratia actualis or actuall grace as well as habitualis or habituall grace Learned Ferrius makes a vast difference between them and therefore to think that there can be no power of sin removed but by habituall or sanctifying grace is unsound for actuall grace may doe it the Spirit may take away sinne mediately by habituall grace and yet it can doe it immediately also by an omnipotent act by that which is called actuall actuating or moving grace Christ can and must first bind the strong man and cast him out by this working or actuall grace before he dwells in the house of mans heart by habituall and sanctifying grace The Gardners knife may immediately cut-off a cyen from a tree thereby taking away all its power to grow there any more before it hath a power to bring forth any fruit which is wrought only by implanting it into another stock New creation which is at first conversion may well be without habituall graces that are but creatures Whether any man since the fall is a subject immediately capable of sanctifying or habituall grace or whether any unregenerate man is in a next disposition to receive such grace as the ayre is immediately of light out of which the darknesse is expelled by light and so the habits of grace doe expell the habits and power of sinne say some I suppose the affirmative is most false and in neere affinity with some grosse points of Arminianisme Adam in his pure naturals and considered meerly as a living soule was such
me no more therefore in asking Whether a Christian is in a state of happinesse or misery in this condition I answer he is preparatively happy he is now passing from death to life though not as yet wholly passed Nor yet whether there is any saving work before union I answer No for what is said is one necessary ingredient to the working up of our union as cutting off the branch from the old stock is necessary to the ingrafting it into the new indeed without faith it is impossible to please God nor doe I say that this work doth please i. e. it doth not pacify God for that is proper to Christs perfect righteousnesse received by Faith yet as it is a work of his owne Spirit upon us it is pleasing to him as the after-worke of Sanctification is though it neither doth pacify him nor doe I see how this doctrine is any way opposite to the free offer of grace and Christ because it requires no more separation from sin then that which drives them unto Christ nay which is lesse that makes them by the power of the Spirit not resist but yeeld to Christ that he may come unto them and draw them you cannot repent nor convert your selves Be converted therefore saith Peter Acts 3.19 that you may receive remission of sins and in this offer the Spirit works and verily hee that can truly receive Christ without that sense of misery as separates him from his sin as explained to you let him beleeve notwithstanding all that which is said and the God of heaven speakes peace to him his Faith shall not trouble me if hee bee sure it shall not one day deceive himselfe Of lamentation for the hardnesse of mens hearts in these times as it is said the Lord Jesus mourned when he saw the hardnesse of the peoples hearts Mark 3.5 are there not some so farre from this as that they take pleasure in their sins they are sugar under their tongues as sweet as sleep nay as their lives and you come to pul away their limbs when you come to pluck away their sinnes though they have broke Sabbaths neglected prayer despised the word hated and mocked at the Saints been stubborne to their parents curst and swore which made Peter goe out and weep bitterly though lustfull and wanton which broke Davids bones though guilty of more sinnes then there bee moates in the Sunne or Starres in heaven though their sins be crimson and fill heaven with their cry and all the earth with their burthen yet they mourne not never did it one houre together nay they cannot doe it because they will not if you are weary and loaden where are your unutterable groanes if wounded and bruised where are your dolorous complaints if sick where is your enquiry for a Physitian if sad where are your teares in the day in the night morning and evening alone by your selves and in company with others Oh how great is the wrath of God hardning so many thousands at this day whence comes it that Christ is not prized but from this senselesnesse name any reason why the blessed Gospell of peace and all the sweet promises of life are undervalued but from hence and what doe you hereby poore creatures but onely aggravate your sins and make those that are little exceeding great in the eyes of God whence it is that you treasure up wrath against the day of wrath Rom. 2.2 3 4 5. This hardnesse is that which blunts the edge of all Gods ordinances whence Gods poore Ministers sit sorrowfull in their closets seeing all Gods seed lost upon bare rocks oh this is the condition of many a man and which is most fearfull the meanes which should make the heart sensible make it more proud and unsensible Tyre and Sydon and Sodom are more fit to mourne then Chorasin and Capernaum that have enjoyed humbling means long Nay how many be there that mourne out their mournings confesse out their confessions and by their owne humiliations grow more senselesse afterward did wee ever live in a more impenitent secure age wee shall seldome meet with one broken with sin but how few are broken from sinne also and hence it is many a tall Cedar that were set downe in the Table-Book for converted men once much humbled and now comforted stay but a few yeares you shall see more dangerous sins of a second growth one turnes drunkard another covetous another proud another a Sectary another a very dry leafe a very formalist another full of humerous opinions another laden with scandalous lusts woe to you that lament not now for you shall mourne Dost thou think that Christ should ever wipe off thy teares that sheddest none at all dost thou think to reap in joy that sowest not with these showers verily God will make his word good Prov. 29.1 Hee that hardens his owne heart shall perish suddenly heare this you secure sorrowlesse sinners if ever Gods hand bee stretcht out suddenly against thee in blasting thy estate snatching away thy children the wife of thy bosome the husband of thy delight in staining thy name vexing thee with debts and crosses short and sore or lingring sicknesses know that all this comes upon thee for a hard heart but oh mourne for it now you parents children servants the tokens of death are upon you desire the Lord to breake your hearts for you lye under Gods hammer be not above the word and suffer the Lord to take away that which grieves him most even thy stony heart because it grieves thee least meditate much of thy wofull condition chew that bitter pill remember death and rotting in the grave that many are now in hell for thy sins that Christ must dye or thou dye for the least sin remember how patient and long suffering the Lord hath bin to thee and how long he hath groaned under thy burthen that it may be though hee would yet hee cannot beare thy load long let these things be mused on that thy heart may bee at last sorrowfull before it bee too late But oh the sad estate of many with us that can mourne for any evill except it bee for the greatest sinne and death and wrath that lye upon them Of exhortation Labour for this sense of misery this spirit of compunction how can you beleeve in Christ that feel not your misery without him a broken Christ cannot doe thee good without a broken heart bee afflicted and mourne yee sinners turne your laughter into mourning tremble to think of that wrath which burnes downe to the bottome of hell and under which the eternall Sonne of God sweat drops of blood great sins which thou knowest thou art guilty of cause great guilt and great hardnesse of heart and therefore are seldome forgiven or subdued without great affliction of spirit they have loaded the Lord long they must load thee Little sinnes are usually slighted and extenuated and therefore the Lord accounts them great and therefore thy soule must
before God What need or necessity is there of this Because 1. When the Lord hath wounded the hearts of his elect this is the immediate work of their hearts if the Lord prevent them not by his grace as many times hee doth they look to what good they have or if they find little or none they then seek for some in themselves that thereby they may heale their wound because they think thus that as their sinnes have provoked God to anger against them so if now they can reforme and leave those sinnes or if not repent and be sorry for them if now they pray and heare and doe as others doe they have some hope that this will heale their wound and pacifie the Lord towards them when they see there is no peace in a sinfull course they will therefore try if there be any to be found in a good course And look as Adam when he saw his own shame and nakednesse hid himselfe from God in the bushes and covered his nakednesse with fig-leaves so the soule not being able to endure to see its own nakednesse and vilenesse not knowing Christ Jesus and he being far to seek doth therefore labour to cover his wickednesse and sinfulnesse which now he feeles by some of these fig-leaves And hence Micah 6.7 they enquire wherewith they should come before the Lord should they bring rivers of oyl or thousands of lambes or the first borne of their body to remove the sinne of their soule Paul did account these duties gaine and set them at a high rate because he thought that God did so himselfe When the Lord hath wounded the soule the first voyce it speaks is What shall I doe Doe saith Conscience leave thy sins doe as well as others doe with all thy might and strength pray heare and confer God accepts of good desires and requires no more of any man but to doe what he can Hence the soule plyes both oares though against wind and tide and strives and wrastles with his sinnes and hopes one day to be better and here he rests And observe it look as sinne is his greatest evill so the casting away of his sins and seeking to be better is very sweet to him and being so sweet rests in what hee hath and seeks for what he wants and so hopes all will be well one day and so stayes here although God knowes it be without Christ nor cannot rest on him though hee hath heard of him a thousand times And hence it is if they cannot doe any thing to ease themselves then their hearts â—ink or it may be quarrell with God that he makes them not better But beloved it is wonderfull to see how many times men rest in a little they have and doe 2. But whiles it is thus with the soule he is uncapable of Christ for he that trusts to other things to save him or makes himselfe his owne Saviour or rests in his duties without a Saviour he can never have Christ to save him Rom. 9.32 it is said the Jewes lost Christs righteousnesse because they sought it not by faith but â—ought salvation by their owne righteousnesse He that maketh flesh his arme as all duties and endeavours of man be when trusted to the Lord saith Cursed be that man Ier. 17.5 6. Onely the Lord doth not leave his Elect here he that is marryed unto the Law Rom. 7. cannot be matcht unto Christ till he be first divorced not from the duties themselves but from trusting to them and resting in them And therefore saith Paul I through the Law am dead to it that I might live unto God He that trusteth to riches cannot enter into the kingdome of heaven no more then a Camell through a needles eye because it is too big for so narrow a roome so he that trusteth to his duties and abilities is too big to enter in by Christ the Lord must cut off this spirit and lay it low and make it stoop as vile before God before it can have Christ in this estate the Lord must not onely cut it off from this selfe-confidence in duties but also so farre forth as that the soule may lye under God to be disposed of as he pleaseth And the reason is because such a soule as is unwilling to stoop is unhumbled and he that is so doth not onely on his part resist God but the Lord also resists him Iames 4.7 8. And hence you shall observe many a one hath laine long under distresse of conscience because they have either rested in their duties which could not quiet or because they have not so cast off their confidence in them so as to lye downe quietly before God that he may doe what he will with them being so long objects of Gods resistance not of his grace By what meanes doth the Lord worke this In generall by the Spirit immediately acting upon the soule for after a Christian is in Christ he hath by the habit of humility and the vertue of faith some power to humble himselfe but now the Spirit of Christ doth it immediately by its own omnipotent hand else the proud heart would never down For we are first created in Christ which is by Gods omnipotent immediate act unto good workes before we do from our selves or by the power of Faith put forth good workes Eph. 2.10 These acts of self-confidence may not be stirring in all Christians but in all men there is this frame of spirit never to come to Christ if they can make any thing else serve to heale them or save them and therefore the Spirit cuts off this sinfull frame in part in all the elect he hewes the roughnesse and pride of spirit off that it may lye still upon the foundation it is now preparing for Now though the Spirit works this yet t is not without the Word the Word it works chiefly by is the Law Gal. 3.19 I through the Law am dead to it i. e. from seeking any life or help from it that I might live unto God Now the Law doth this by a foure-fold act 1. By discovering the secret corruptions of the soule in every duty which it never saw before It once thought I shall perish for my sinne if I continue therein without confession of them or sorrow for them but it also did think that this confession sorrow and trouble for sinne will serve to save it and make God to accept of it but the Law while the soule is earnestly striving against his sinne discovering that in all these there is nothing but sinne even secret sinnes it did never see before hereupon it begins thus to think Can these be the meanes of saving of me which being so sinfull cannot but be the very causes of condemning of me I know I must perish for the least sinne and now I see that in all I doe I can do nothing else but sinne What made Paul alive without the Law You shall finde Rom. 7.7 it was because he
and humbled his elect and laid them downe dead at his feet they are now as unable to beleeve as they were to humble their owne soules and therefore now the Lord takes them up into his owne armes that they leane and rest on the bosome of their beloved by faith After Ioseph had spoken roughly to his brethren and thereby brought the blood of their brother to remembrance and so had humbled them then he can containe no longer but discovers himselfe to them and tells them I am Ioseph whom you wickedly sold yet feare not so doth our Saviour carry it towards his elect when he laid them low now is the very season for him to advance the glory of his grace he cannot now containe himselfe any longer but having torne and taken away that vaile of sinne and of the law from off their hearts now they see the Lord with open face even the end of that which was to be abolished 2 Cor. 3. The explication of this great work is of exceeding great difficulty nothing more stirring then faith in a true Christian because hee lives by it yet it is very little known as children in the wombe that know not that navill-string by which they principally live I shall therefore bee wary and leaving larger explications acquaint you with the nature of Faith in this brief descripâ—ion of it Faith is that gracious work of the Spirit whereby an humbled sinner receiveth Christ or whereby the whole soule cometh out of it selfe to Christ for Christ and all his benefits upon the call of Christ in his word Before I open this particularly give me leave to premise some generall considerations Faith is the complement of effectuall vocation which begins in Gods call and ends in this answer to that call the Lord prevents a poore humbled soule with his call either not knowing how or not able or not daring to come and then the soule comes and hence men called and beleeving are all one Rom. 9.24 with 33. Many a wounded sinner will be scrambling after Christ from some generall reports of him before the day and houre of Gods glorious and gracious call Now for any to receive Christ or come to Christ before he is called is presumption to refuse Christ when called is rebellion to come and receive when called is properly and formally Faith and that which the Scripture stiles the obedience of Faith Rom. 1.5 And now Christ at this instant is fully and freely given on Gods part when really and freely come unto and taken on our part This receiving of Christ or coming to Christ are for substance the same though the words be diverse the holy Ghost useth to expresse one and the same thing in variety of words that our feeblenesse might the better understand what he meaneth And hence in Scripture beleeving coming receiving Christ rolling trusting cleaving to the Lord c. set out one and the same thing and therefore it is no wonder if our Divines have different descriptions of faith in variety of words which if well considered dâ—e but set out one and the same thing and I doe conceive they doe all agree in this description I have now mentioned I know there are some who tread awry here whom I shall briefly note out and so passe on to what we intend 1. The Papists with some others of corrupt judgements at least of weak apprehensions among our selves describe Faith to be nothing else but a supernaturall assent to a divine truth because of a divine testimony Ex. gr to assent to this truth that Christ is come that he is the Sonne of God that hee was dead and is risen againe that he is the Saviour of the world c. and to confirme this they produce Mat. 16.16 1 Ioh. 4.3 It is granted that this assent is in Faith for Faith alway hath respect to some testimony for man by his fall hath lost all knowledge of divine and supernaturall truths hence God reveales them in his word hence faith sees them and assents to them because God hath spoken them to see and know things by vision is to see things in themselves intuitively and immediately but to see things by Faith is to see them by and in a testimony given of them Iohn 20.20 Blessed is he that hath not seen i. e. Christ immediately but beleeved i. e. his testimony and on him in it this assent therefore is in Faith for we must beleeve Christ before we can beleeve in him but this comprehends not the whole nature of faith I meane of that faith we are now speaking of viz. aâ— it unites us to Christ and possesseth us with Christ. For 1. This description placeth Faith onely in the understanding whereas t is also in the will as the words trusting rolling c. intimate 2. This assent is meerly generall without particular application which is ever in true faith Gal. 2.20 3. This is such a faith as the devils may have Iames 2.19 and reprobate men may have 2 Pet. 2.20 21. Heb. 10.26 There is a wilfull refusing of the known truth 4. It is the Papists ayme to vilifie faith hereby by describing it by that which is one ingredient in it but excluding that which is principall those phrases therefore of beleeving Christ to be come in the flesh 1 Iohn 4.3 and that he is the Sonne of God Mat. 16.16 as if this were the onely object of faith are not to be understood exclusively excluding other acts of faith which the Scripture in other places sets downe clearly but inclusively as supposing them to be contained herein for as we in our times describing faith by relying upon Christ for salvation do not exclude hereby our beleeving that he is the Messiah but we include it or suppose it because that is not now questioned the truth of the Gospel being so abundantly cleared so in those times they described Faith by one principall act to beleeve that he was the Sonne of God and come into the flesh because this was the maine and principall thing in question then and if the Lord had not set out faith by other acts in Scripture we should not vary from our compasse in such expressions in the Word in these dayes for their faith then is exemplary to us now but because the Word doth more fully set it out in more speciall acts hence we set it out also by them for t is evident as the Jews did beleeve in a Messiah to come so they did also beleeve and look for all good from him Iohn 4.25 He will teach us all things when he comes and therefore their faith did not confine it selfe to that historicall act that a Messiah should come or that this was the Messiah but they did expect and look for all good from him And hence the Apostle expounding this saying viz. beleeving that Christ is dead and risen againe wee shall hereby be saved If thou beleevest saith he with thine heart this truth thou shalt be
saved Now to beleeve with the heart as it doth not exclude assent so it necessarily includes the acts of the will and affections in relying upon him and comming to him And hence when Peter had made that confession Acts 16.16 Christ tells him Thou art Peter i. e. a stone resting upon the rock as some good Interpreters expound it and therefore Peters faith did not exclude these principall acts of resting on Christ cleaving to Christ but did include and suppose them 2. Some run into another extreame and make faith nothing else but a perswasion or assurance that Christ dyed for me in particular or that he is mine That which moves some thus to think is the universall redemption by the death of Christ they know no ground or bottome for faith but this Proposition Christ dyed for thee and hence make Redemption universall And hence the Arminians boast so much of their Quod unusquisque tenetur credere c. But 1. This is a false bottome for Christ hath not dyed for all because he hath not prayed for all Iohn 17. 2. T is a sandy bottome and foundation which when a Christian rests upon it shakes under him when the soule shall think though Christ hath dyed for me yet no more for me then for Iudas or thousands of reprobates now in hell Indeed after faith a Christian is bound to beleeve it as Paul did Gal 2.20 1 Cor. 15.1 2. I conceive therefore those holy men of ours who have described Faith by Assurance have not so much aymed at a description of what Faith is in it selfe as it possesseth us with Christ but of what degree and extent it may be and should be in us they describe it therefore by the most eminent act of it in full assurance and therefore consult with the Authors of this description and enquire of them Is there no doubting mixt with faith Yes say they mans doubtings sometimes are even unto a kind of despaire but then say they it should not be thus The Papists commend doubtings and deny assurance place faith in a generall assent our champions that were to wrastle with them maintained it to be a particular application and not onely a generall assent and that with a ful assurance of perswasion which being the most eminent act of faith excludes not other inferiour acts of it which as they are before it so may possesse the soule with Christ without it Although withall it is certaine that there is no true faith but it hath some assurance of which afterward Let me now come to the explication of the description given where note these five things 1. The efficient cause of Faith it is a work of the Spirit 2. The subject or matter in which it is seated viz. the soule of an humble sinner 3. The forme of it viz. the comming of the whole soule to Christ. 4. The end of it viz. for Christ and all his benefits 5. The speciall ground and means of it viz. the Call of Christ in his Word 1. The efficient cause of Faith Faith is a gracious work of the Spirit of Christ the Spirit therefore is the efficient cause or principall workman of faith the Spirit doth not beleeve but causeth us to beleeve t is not principium quod the principle which doth beleeve but principium quo the principle by which we doe the soules of all the elect especially when humbled are of all other things most unable to beleeve nay look as before compunction and humiliation Satan held the soule captive chiefly by its lusts and sinnes so now when the Lord hath burnt those cords and broken those chaines all the powers of darknesse strengthen themselves and keep the soule under mightily by unbeliefe What doe you tell me of mercy saith the soule t is mercy which I have continually resisted desperately despised why doe you perswade me to beleeve Alas I cannot t is true all that which you say is true if I could beleeve but I cannot see Christ I cannot come at Christ I seek him in the meanes but he forsakes me there and I am left of God desolate and here beloved the soule had not formerly so many excuses for its sinne as now it hath clouds of objections against beleeving the Spirit therefore takes fast hold of the soules of all the elect drawes them unto Christ and therefore it is called the spirit of faith 2 Cor. 4.13 and that by an omnipotent and irresistable power Esay 53.1 Who hath beleeved and to whom is the arme of the Lord revealed that the soule must and shall beleeve now Compell them to come in saith the Lord of the Supper Luke 14.23 This the Arminians will not beleeve for say they the Question is not Whether we are enabled to beleeve by grace but Wheâ—her it be after this manner and by this meanes viz. modo irresistibile Consider therefore these Reasons to cleare this point 1. Whence doth our call and comming to Christ arise but from Gods immoveable and unchangeable purpose the Lord therefore must either alter his purpose or prevail with the soule to beleeve and over-power the heart thereunto 2. Is not Christ Jesus bound by office promise to his Father to bring in all his lost scattered sheep that so the Father and he may be glorified in them Iohn 10.16 Other sheep I have those I must bring home and they shall heare my voice You that complaine you cannot beleeve nay that you have no heart to beleeve the Lord must fetch you in and you shall heare the Bride-groomes voice with joy 3. Is not the act of beleeving wrought by a creating power Eph. 1.9 Eph. 2.10 Esay 57.18 19. I create the fruit of the lips peace peace to him that is near and a far off and is not a creating voice irresistible though there be nothing for it to work upon so though you have no ability heart head or strength to beleeve yet the Lord will create the fruit of the lips of Gods messengers Peace Peace 4. Doth not the Lord let in that infinite and surpassing sweetnesse of grace when he works the soule to beleeve standing in extreame need of that grace that it cannot but come and cleave to it Psal. 63.2 3. I long to see thee saith David for thy loving kindnesse is better then life is it possible for a man not to cleave to his life much more to that which is better then life the light is so cleare it cannot but see and wonder at grace the good is so sweet it cannot but tast and accept what God so freely offers and therefore the poor Canaanitish woman Mat. 15. could not be driven away though Christ bid her in a manner be gone but she made all the objections against her arguments for her as usually faith doth when under this stroake of the Spirit The violent take the Kingdome of heaven by force the Spirit puts a necessity upon them and irresistibly overpowers them and this is the cause
of it And is not this matter of great consolation to all those who feele themselves utterly unable to beleeve you think the Lord would give peace and pardon life and mercy if I could beleeve oh consider the Lord hath undertaken in the Covenant of Grace to worke in all his the condition of the Covenant as well as to convey the good of it Ier. 31.31 32 33 34. He hath done this for others by an irresistible power Heb. 12.1 2. Look up to Jesus the author and finisher of your faith he came out of his Fathers bosome not onely to give life by his death but to enable his to eat and close with him by Faith that they might never dye Iohn 6.50 so that the Lord may work it in thee it is true also he may not yet it is unspeakable comfort to consider that if the Lord had put it over unto thee to beleeve it is certaine thou shouldst never have beleeved but now the work is put into the hand of Christ that which is impossible to thee is possible nay easie with him hee can comprehend thee when thou canst not apprehend him this is exceeding sweet when thy body is sick and soule is deserted incredible things to be beleeved are propounded an impossible work to thy weaknesse urged upon paine of Gods sorest and most unappeasable wrath to consider it is not in me but in the Lords owne hand and it is his office his glory to work faith and as the Apostle speakes to shew mercy unto them that are shut up not onely under sinne but also unbeleefe Rom. 11.32 But why hath the Lord made thee feele thy inability to beleeve truly the end of our wants is not to make us sin and shift for our selves but to aske and seek for supply and the end of the continuance of those wants is that we should continue to aske and seek And dost thou thinke thou shalt seek to the Lord by his owne hand to create faith and fetch thee in and will not the Lord take his time to work it He that beleeves saith the Apostle Rom. 10.11 shall not bee ashamed why so because the Lord saith he who is over all is rich unto all that call upon him verse 12. If thou hast not a heart shut up from asking of it the Lord who hath power hath not a heart shut up towards thee from working it But withall be thankfull exceedingly all you whose hearts the Lord hath drawne and overcome he came to his owne people the Jewes and would oft have gathered them but they would not and therefore he forsook them and left their habitations desolate oh how oft would the Lord have gathered you and you would not yet the Lord hath not forsaken you but called you in whether you would or no the Lord hath taken many a man at his first word and left him at the first repulse shaken off the dust of his feet against him presently Mat. 10.14 without any more intreaties to accept of him yet though thou hast not only refused but even crucified the Sonne of God yet hee hath not been driven from thee but his bowels have been oft kindled together when he hath been ready to give thee up when thou hast been under the hedges and in the high-wayes that lead to death didst never think of him nor didst desire him yet hee hath compelled thee to come in hee hath made thee feel suâ—h an extream need of him and made himselfe so exceeding sweet that thou hast not been able to resist his love but to cry out Lord thou hast overcome me with mercy I am not able to resist any more nay which is more wonderfull when thou hast been gathered and gone from him and lost thy selfe and him also againe and it may be hast bin offended at him yet he hath gone before thee into Galilee and gathered thee up when thou hast been as water spilt upon the ground what should be the cause of this but only this the work of faith lies upon him both to begin and finish he must gather in all his lost sheep and therefore hee hath put forth an irresistible power of his Spirit upon thy heart which must carry thee captive after him I am afraid my faith hath been rather presumption a work of my owne power then faith wrought by the Spirits power how may I discerne that If you are wrapt up in Gods Covenant if any promise be actually yours it is no presumption to take possession by faith of what is your owne dost thou seriously will Christ and resolve never to give the Lord rest untill he give thee rest in him then see Rev. 22.17 Whosoever will let him take of the water of life Dost thou thirst after Christ then read Esay 55.1 〈…〉 Iohn 7.37 If any man thirst let him come unto me and drink When Christ saw their faith Mat. 9.1 2. what said he Sonne be of good cheere thy sinnes be forgiven the word signifies be confident It is no presumption to beleeve pardon of sinnes now thou art come unto me not onely for the healing of thy body but especially for pardon of sinne It is the great sin of many Saints when they doe thirst and beleeve and come to Christ and so are under the promise of grace yet they think it presumption now to believe and take possession of all those treasures that be in Christ but look that the Lord should first make them feele and then they will beleeve whereas faith should now receive and drinke in abundantly of the fulnesse of Christ shall it be accounted presumption for any man to eat his owne bread and drink his owne drink and put on his owne cloathes the promise makes Christ and all his benefits your owne therefore it is no presumption to apply them Suppose you cannot find your selfe within any promise and you see no reason to beleeve onely you have the Lords call and command to beleeve doe you now in conscience and obedience to this command or to Gods invitation and intreaty in the Gospell beleeve because thou â—â—rest not dishonour God by refusing his 〈◊〉 thou dost therefore accept oâ— it this is no presumption unlesse obedience be presumption nay the most acceptable obedience which is the obedience of Faith Iohn 6.38 For what was the ground on which those 3000 beleeved Acts 2.38 39. c. Peter said Repent that you may receive remission of sinnes now what followes they that gladly received the word were baptized Oh that word repent i. e. as Beza expounds it return to God and come in was a most sweet word to them and therefore they received it this was no presumption either for Peter to exhort them to repent or for them to take the Lord as that godly man said at his first word I know there is a subjection to the Gospell arising only from slavish fear and carnall hopes Psal. 66.3 Psal. 18.44 this may bee in presumptuous reprobates but
God yet within a little while after he gets into the Sanctuary of God and then loaths himselfe for such foolish and bruâ—ish thoughts and closeth with God againe saying Whom have I in heaven or earth but thee verse 25. All the out-runnings of the hearts of the faithfull and their disquietnesse of spirit thereby make them to returne to their rest againe and give them the more rest in the conclusion David was a Bird out of his nest for a time and therefore when he considered how the Lord had saved his eyes from teares his soule from hell returnes againe and saith Return to thy rest oh my soule Psal. 25.13 it is said his soule shall dwell at ease or as the word signifies shall lodge in goodnesse some hard work full of trouble some strong lust or sad temptation desertion affliction the Lord exerciseth the soule withall for some time and so long the soule is in heavinesse and much wearinesse of spirit as it is 1 Pet. 1.6 yet when this dayes work is done when the sin is subdued and the temptation hath humbled him then a beleevers soule shall lodge in goodnesse he shall have an easie bed and a soft pillow to rest on at night When have the faithfull sweeter naps in Christs bosome then after sorest troubles longest eclipses of Gods pleased face when doe their soules cleave closer to the Lord then when they are ready to forsake the Lord and the Lord them Certainly fire is wholly carryed upward when that which suppresseth it makes it at last break out into greater flame Peter falls from Christ yet he is Peter a stone cleaving most close unto Christ above all other the Apostles because his fall being greater his faith clave the closer to the Lord Christ for ever after it Solomons heart certainely never clave so unseparably unto the Lord as after his fall wherein he did more experimentally find and feele the emptinesse and vanity of those things wherein he did imagine before something was to be found but he that hath a double heart never enters into rest but the longer he lives the more common Christ his truth and promises grow they are but fading flowers whose beauty and sweetnesse affect him for a time but they wither before the Sun set and therefore the longer he lives the lesse savour he finds in these things and therefore takes lesse contentment therein the Lord Jesus and all his ordinances grow more flat and dry things to him and therefore though at first he might rejoyce as Iohns hearers Iohn 5 35. in these burning and shining lights yet it is but for a season at last he discovers himselfe not by a renewed returning to his rest but by a wearyish forsaking of it The Raven never returned to the Arke againe because it could live upon the floating carrion on the waters whereas the Dove finding no rest there returns againe Fourthly the end of Faith This is the fourth particular in the description of Faith The whole soule commeth to Christ For Christ and all his benefits and this is the end of Faith or of a beleevers comming unto Christ the end of faith is sometimes exprest by a generall word Life Iohn 5.40 but you must remember that hereby is meant the Lord of life first and so all the blessings of life The falsnesse and hypocrisie of Christs followers appeared in this Iohn 6.26 you seek me saith Christ for loaves that was their end as many a one in these dayes if they be in outward misery seek unto Christ for outward mercy corn in time of famine health in time of sicknesse peace upon any termes in time of warre and if they be in any inward distresse now they seek to Christ for comfort and quiet and so like many sick patients desire the Phisitian not to have him married to them but for some of his physick only to be healed by him but what saith our Saviour to these persons verse 27. Labour not for the meat that perisheth what should be the end of their labour then he tells them but for that bread that endures to everlasting life what is this bread see the 33. and 35. and 48. verses he tells them I am the bread of life seek for me therefore come for me and look as none can have life from the bread unlesse he first feed upon the bread it selfe so none can have any life or benefit from Christ that comes not first to Christ for Christ. Conceive of this thus God in Christ is the compleat object of faith under a double notion First as sufficient in being all we want unto us Secondly as efficient in communicating all to us and doing all for us In the first respect he is Elshaddai in his promisâ— in the second respect he is Iehovah Exod. 6.3 in making good his all-sufficient promise hence faith comes to him for a double end first that he would give himselfe and be all to it Secondly that he would communicate all his blessings and benefits also and so doe all for it For in the covenant of Grace the Lord doth not onely promise a new heart pardon of sinne with the rest of those spirituall benefits but also himselfe I will bee their God and they shall be my people Hâ—nce Faith comes first for that which the Lord principally promiseth viz. God himselfe and then for all the rest of those heavenly and glorious benefits and hence it is if any man come for Christ himselfe without his benefits and regard not the conveyance of them as the Familists at this day doe who abolish all inherent graces and some of them all ordinances because Christ is all to them or if any come for the benefits of Christ without Christ himselfe as many among our selves doe who never account themselves happy in him but onely by some abilities they receive from him neither of these come with a single eye nor fixe a right end in their closing with Christ you must first come for Christ himselfe and so for all his benefits For establishing your hearts in which truth consider these things 1. Consider what drives any man to Christ. Is not sense of wants one main thing now what are a christians wants when the Lord hath humbled him are they not first want of Christ and secondly of all the benefits of Christ viz. righteousnesse peace pardon grace glory Iohn 16.9 If therefore the soules of all the elect feel a want of both doth not Faith come to Christ for both Iohn 4.10 If thou knewest the gift of God i. e. the worth of him and thy want of him thou wouldest aske and hee would give thee water of life 2. What doth the Lord offer in the Gospell is it not first Christ himselfe and then all the benefits of Christ Isay 9.6 7. To us a Sonne is borne to us a Sonne is given in the receiving therefore of Christ by faith what should the soule aime at but that it may have the Sonne himselfe
vanish and perish from under the sunne and the good Lord reduce all such who in simplicity are mis-led from this blessed truth of God I will not now enter into that depth concerning the means of our sanctification in mortification by Christs death and vivification by the resurrection of Christ this may suffice for explication of the nature of it Onely see and for ever prize this priviledge all you blessed soules whom the Lord hath justified thou hast many sad complaints what is it to me if I be justified in Christ and be saved at last by Christ and my heart remaine all this while unholy and unsubdued unto the will of Christ that hee should comfort me and my holy heart be alway grieving of him what though the Lord save me from misery but saves me not from my sinne oh consider this benefit It is true thou findest a wofull sinfull nature within thee crosse and contrary unto holinesse and leading thee daily in captivity yet remember the Lord hath given thee another nature a new nature there is something else within thee which makes thee wrastle against sinne and shall in time prevaile over all sinne Mat. 12.20 this is the Lords grace sanctifying of thee Oh be thankfull that the Lord hath not left thee wholly corrupt but hath begun to glorifie himselfe in thee and to blesse thee in turning thee from thine iniquities 1. By this thou hast a most sweet and comfortable evidence of thy justification favour with God he that denyes this must what ever distinctions he hath abolish many places of Scripture especially the epistles of Iames and Iohn who had to doe with some spirits that pretended faith and union to Christ and communion with him and so long as it was thus this was evidence sufficient to them of their justified estates What faith Iames Thou sayst thou hast faith shew it me then prove it for my part saith he I le prove by the blessed fruits and works which flow from it as Abraham manifested his Iam. 2.18 22. What saith Iohn You talk saith he of fellowship and communion with Christ and yet what holinesse is there in your hearts or lives If you say you have fellowship with him and walk in darknesse we lye and doe not the truth but if you walk in the light then although your holinesse and confession and daily repentance for sinne doth not wash away sinne yet the blood of Christ doth wash us 1 Iohn 1.6 7. Againe you say you know Christ and the love and good will of Christ toward you and that he is the propitiation for your sinnes how doe you know this saith he He that saith I know him and keeps not his commandements is a lyar 1 Iohn 2.4 True might some reply he that keeps not the commands of Christ hath hereby a sure evidence that he knowes him not and that he is not united unto him but is this any evidence that we doe know him and that we are united to him if we doe keep his commandements yes verily saith the Apostle hereby we doe know that we know him if we keep his commandements verse 3. and againe verse 5. Hereby know we that we are in him What can be more plain What a vanity is this to say that this is running upon a covenant of workes Is not sanctification the writing of the Law in our hearts a speciall benefit of the covenant of grace as well as justification Heb. 8.10.12 and can the evidencing then of one benefit of such a covenant by another be a running upon the covenant of workes is it a truth contained in the couenant of grace viz. that he that is justified is also sanctified and he that is sanctified is also justified And is an errour against grace to see this truth that he that is sanctified is certainly justified and that therefore he that knowes himselfe sanctified may also know thereby that he is justified Tell me how will you know that you are justified You will say by the testimony of the spirit and cannot the same spirit shine upon your graces and witnesse that you are sanctified as well 1 Ioh 4.13 24. 1 Cor. 2.12 Can the Spirit make the one cleare to you and not the other Oh beloved its a sad thing to heare such questions and such cold answers also that sanctification possibly may be an evidence may be is it not certaine Assuredly to deny it is as bad as to affirme that Gods owne promises of favour are true evidences thereof and consequently that they are lyes and untruths for search the Scripture and consider sadly how many Evangelicall promises are made unto severall graces i. e. unto such persons as are invested with them you may only take a taste from Mat. 5.3 4 c. where our Saviour who was no legall Preacher pronounceth and consequently evidenceth blessednesse by eight or nine promises expresly made to such persons as had inherent graces of poverty mourning meeknesse c. there mentioned the Lord Jesus leaving those precious Legacies of his promises unto his children that are called by those names of Mourners poore in spirit pure in heart c. that so every one may take and bee assured of his portion manifested particularly therein That I many times wonder how it comes to passe that this so plaine and ancient principle of Catechisme for so it was among the Waldenses many 100 yeeres since grounded on so many pregnant Scriptures should come to be so much as questioned in our dayes sometimes I thinke it ariseth from some wretched lusts men have a minde to live quietly in desirous to keepe their peace and yet unwilling to forsake their lusts and hence they exclude this witnesse of water the witnesse of sanctification to testifie in the Court of conscience whether they are beloved of God and sincere hearted or no because this is a full witnesse against them and tells them to their faces that there is no peace to the wicked Isa. 57. ult Deut. 29.19 20. and that they have nothing to doe to take Gods name into their lips that secretly hate to bee reformed Psal. 50.16 In others I think it doth not arise from want of grace but because the Spirit of grace and sanctification runs very low in them t is so little that they can scarce see it by the help of spectacles or if they doe they doubt continually of the truth of it and hence because it can speake little and that little very darkly and obscurely for them they have no great mind that it should bee brought in as any witnesse for them Others I thinke may have much grace and holinesse yet for a time cast it by as an evidence unto them because they have experience how difficult and troublesome it is to finde this evidence and when t is found how troublesome to read it and keep it fair and thereby have constant peace and quietnesse and hence arise those speeches why doe you looke to your sanctification
the tallest Cedar and appall the heart and coole the courage and boldnesse of the most impenitent and audacious sinner The Spirit presenting the greatest evill in eternall separation from God hence no evill in this world is so dreadfull as this I had better never been borne then to beare it saith the soule and hence casts off all other thoughts and cannot be quiet and hence it is that these feares force a man to fly and seek out for a better condition A man like Lot lingers in his sinne but these feares like the Angell drive him violently out the Lord saying to him A way for thy life lest thou perish with the world for thy sins are come up to heaven thou maist dye before one day be at an end and then what will become of thee Ah thou sinfull wretched man may not the Lord justly doe it are not thy sins grown so great and many that they are an intollerable burden for the soule of God to beare any longer and hence you shall observe if the soul after sad fears grows bold carelâ—sse againe the Spirit pursues it with more cause of feare and now the soule cries out Did the Lord ever elect thee Christ shed his blood to save his people from their sins thou livest yet in thy sins did hee ever shed his blood for thee thou hast sinned against conscience after thou hast been inlightned and fallen back againe hast not thou therefore committed the impardonable sin thou hast had many a faire season of seeking God but hast dallyed and dreamt away thy time is not the day of grace therefore now past it is true the Lord is yet patient and bountifull and lets thee live on common mercy but is not all this to aggravate thy condemnation against that great and terrible day of the Lord which is at hand are there not better men in hell then thou art that never committed the like sin thus the Spirit pursues with strong feares till proud man falls down to the dust before God The soule is now under feares not above them and therefore cannot come out of these chaines by the most comfortable doctrine it heares nor particular application of it by the most mercifull Ministers in the world untill the Lord say as Laâ— 3.57 feare not the Lord onely can asswage these strong winds and raging waters in which there is no other cry heard of this soule tossed thus with tempests but Oh I perish I only the Lord making way for the spirit of Adoption by these in his elect drives them out to seek if there be any hope and so they are not properly desperate feares yet as I say strong feares not alike extensively yet alike intensively strong in all a small evill when tidings is brought of it doth not feare but if the evill be apprehended great and neare too the very suspition of it makes the heart tremble when a house is on fire or a mighty Army entred the land and neare the city children that know not the greatnesse of the evill feare them not but men that know the danger are full of feare The wrath of the Lord that fire those armies of everlasting woes are great evils the blind world may not much feare them but all the elect whose minds are convinced to see the greatnesse of them cannot but feare and that with strong and constant feares nor is it cowardize but duty to feare these everlasting burnings And hence the soule in this case wonders at the security of the world dreads the terrours of the Lord that are neare them and usually seeks to awaken all its poore friends I once thought my self well and was quiet as you bee but the Lord hath let me see my woe which I cannot but feare oh look you to it Thus the Lord works this feare in some in a greater in others in a lesser measure Oh consider whether the Lord hath thus affected your hearts with feare oh secure times what will God doe with us many of you having heard the voyce of the lyon roaring and yet you tremble not The Lord hath foretold you of death and eternall woe for the least sin doe you beleeve it and yet feare it not how art thou then forsaken of God Many of you that like old Mariners can laugh at all foule weather and like Weather-cocks set your faces against all winds and if you be damned at last you cannot help it you must beare it as well as you can and you hope to doe it as well as others shall doe Oh! how far are such from the Kingdome of God the Lord not yet working nor pricking thy heart so much as with feare 2. Sorrow and mourning for sinne is the second thing wherein Compunction consists And look as Feare plucks the soule from security in seeing no evill to come so Sorrow takes off the present pleasure and delight in sinne in a greater measure then Fear doth The Lord therefore having smitten the soule or shot the arrowes of feare into the soule it therefore growes exceeding sad and heavy thinking within it selfe What good doe wife or children house or lands peace and friends health and rest doe me in the meane time condemned to dye and that eternally it may be reprobated never to see Gods face more the guilt and power of sin in heart and life lying still upon me And hereupon the soule mournes in the day and in the night desires to goe alone and weep and there confesseth its vilenesse before God all the dayes of vanity and sins of ignorance thinking Oh what have I done and seeks for mercy but not one smile nothing but clouds of anger appeare and then thinks if this anger the fruit of my sinne be so great oh what are my sins the causes hereof VVhen the Angel had set out the sin of the Israelites in making a league with the Canaanites and told them that they should be thornes in their sides they sate downe ver 4. and lift up their voice and wept so t is with a contrite sinner Note narrowly that eminent place of Scripture Esay 61.3 the Lord Christ is sent to appoint beauty for ashes and the oyle of joy for the spirit of heavinesse to them that mourne Out of which note these foure things for the explication of this sorrow or mourning First It is such a mourning as is precedent unto spirituall joy And hence it is not said I will give the spirit of gladnesse to beget mourning though the Lord doth so after conversion but this goes in order before that Ephraim-like who seeing what an unruly beast he had been unaccustomed to Gods yoke smites upon his thigh and bemoans himselfe It is Gods method after Gods people have sinned to sad their hearts and then to turne mourning into joy much more at first beginning of Gods work upon the soule they shall first mourne and lament and smite upon the thigh If God wounds the soule for sin it
shall smart and bleed too before God will heale Secondly It is a great mourning because it is called a spirit of mourning As a spirit of slumber is a deep slumber When the poore Jewes shall be converted their great sin shall then be presented before them of cursing and crucifying the Lord of life as it was to those Acts 2.36 And by reason of this there shall be a great mourning that they shall desire to goe alone in secret every one apart and take their fill of mourning before the Lord open the fountaine of grace It is not a summer cloud or an April showre that is soone spent but a great mourning For 1. Before this spirit of sorrow come a mans heart takes great delight in his sinne t is his God his life and sweeter then Christ and all the joyes of heaven and therefore there must be great sorrow sin must be made exceeding bitter A man that is very hungry and thirsty after his lust must finde such meat and drink exceeding bitter else he will feed on it Solomon took great content in women but what saith he when the Lord humbled him I find a woman more bitter then death Heare this you harlots and you that live in your wanton lusts the Lord will make your sweet morsels more bitter then death to you if the Lord saves you 2. Because the greatest evils are the objects of this sorrow viz. Sin and death It is true a man may mourne for smaller evils sooner but when the Spirit sets on the greatest evils then they sad much more Mine iniquities are too heavy to beare Why so Many a man can bear them without sinking True but in the Elect the Spirit sets on loads the soule herewith A wounded spirit who can beare Because the greatest evils lye upon the most tender part of a tender soule pressed down by the omnipotent hand of Christs Spirit For now the multitude of sins more then the haires on the head come now to mind as also the long continuance in them cradle sins No sooner saith the soule did I begin to live but I began to sin Obstinacy also in them lyes very heavy I have had warnings checks resolutions against them and yet have gone on The power of sinne also sads it that as it is said Prov. 21.9 When the wicked reigne the people mourne so doth the soule when it feeles sin reigne I cannot subdue it nay the Lord will not that I feare the Lord hath left me over to it The increase of sin it feeles makes it mourne also I grow worse and worse saith the soul the leake comes in faster then he can cast it out the greatnesse of sinne makes it mourn Was there ever such a sinner as I And lastly the sense of condemnation for sin lyes upon him this is the fruit of your evill wayes saith the Spirit The soule doth not let sinne passe by it now as water downe the mill but being stopt by conviction and feare of the evill of it it swells very high and fills the heart full of griefe and sorrow that many times it is overwhelmed therewith 3. Because Christ wil not be very sweet unlesse this mourning under misery be very great the healing of a cut finger is sweet but of a mortall wound is exceeding sweet a little sorrow will make Christ sweet but great sorrow under sense of deadly wounds is exceeding sweet and without this Christ hath not his honour due to him if he be not onely sweet but also exceeding sweet and precious 4. Because it is such a sorrow as nothing but that that hath wounded the soule can heale it Let men have the greatest outward troubles outward things can cure them or else they will weare away As if a man be sick or in debt physick and money can cure these but this wound neither can or over shall be healed but by the hand that wounded it And hence a man can take no comfort in meat drink sleep friends mirth nor pastime while this wound this sorrow lasts for if any thing else can heal it it is not the right wound or sorrow the Lord breeds in his elect An adulterous heart indeed may be quieted with other lovers Cain can build away his sorrow Nay I le say more this wounded soule cannot comfort it selfe by any promises till the Lord come David had a promise of pardon from Nathan yet he cryes out to the Lord to make him heare the voyce of joy and gladnesse that his broken bones might rejoyce Did not the Lord make him heare the voyce of joy by Nathan Yes outwardly but the Lord that had broke his bones must make him heare inwardly Nay when the Lord comes himselfe to comfort much adoe the Lord hath to make him heare it as the Israelites that hearkned not to Moses voice because of their hard bondage that unlesse the Lord did invincibly comfort it would lye bleeding to death and never live It must needs therefore be great sorrow which all the world men nor Angels can remove 5. You may be confirmed in this if lastly you consider the many wayes the Lord takes to beget great mourning if the soule will not be sorrowfull as sometimes great afflictions Manasseh must be taken in the bushes and cast into chaines Sometimes strange temptations hellish blasphemies Is there a God Are the Scriptures his Word Why should the Lord be so cruell as to reprobate any of his creatures to torment it so long c. Sometimes long eclipsing of the light of Gods countenance no prayers answered but daily bills of indictment And sometimes it thinks it heares and feeles a secret testimony from God that he never had thought of peace toward it and that his purpose is immutable Sometimes it questions Can God forgive sinnes so great Can it stand with his honour to put up so much wrong Sometimes it feels its heart so extreamly hard and dedolent that it thinks the Lord hath sealed it up under this plague till the judgement of the great day And sometimes the Lord makes melancholy a good servant to him to further this work of sorrow But thus the Lord rebukes many a hard hearted sinner that will not beare the yoke nor feele the load and now the Lord turnes the beauty of the proudest into ashes and withers the glory of all flesh Nay sometimes you shall observe the Lord though he comes not out as a Lyon to rend yet as a moth he frets out by secret pinings and languishings the senselesse security of man that he shall mourne to purpose before he leave him I doe not meane by this as if all men had the like measure of sorrow but a great sorrow it is in all Every child is delivered by some throwes those that stick long in the birth may feele them longer and very many Nor yet doe I presse a necessity of teares or violent and