trust God and he shall make them good Let us try our selves in this case Put case we deny our selves in our passions and distempers of wife servants in the family when we bee provoked surely we thinke our selves to lose our owne will and the satisfying of our lusts which is as our life what shall we have for it Surely the peace of God Phil. 4. passing all understanding shall rule our hearts we shall be more then conquerours and the sweetnesse of the love of Christ for whose cause we doe deny our selves shall bee sufficient boot in beame to pacifie us Judg. 9. wee would not forsake our fatnesse and sweetnesse for an humour to exalt our selves rather wee would deny our selves to keepe that precious pearle unstained Can wee then rest in this pay Do we chuse rather to picke out the mystery of this hundred fold and to improve it by faith then wee will forfeit our obedience Do we chuse rather to maintaine our liberty with God in communion in prayer in a quiet conscience then we would breake a command Would wee endure the greatest evill of punishment rather then be guilty of the least knowne evill It is a good signe So I say also in our sufferings perhaps we see our selves slighted and disregarded by men for our service to God yea those who awe us most doe unthankfully if not trecherously handle us our labour seemes to bee lost and we are left to sinke in our owne charges Can we now in this case commit our selves freely to the promise of God and say Though there be neither calfe left in the stall Hab. 3. nor bullocke in the flocke yet we will still rejoyce in God our salvation When the wife in the bosome is not to bee trusted as Micah Mica 7.5 speakes when a guide a friend prove unfaithfull and our enemy is one of our owne Tribe familiarity houshold Can wee then trust in God and make him our strength Can we finde sap and savour in a promise of Gods support whether he seeme to answer our prayers or not yea though in stead of releeving us he adde sorrow to sorrow and give our enemies the better of us Can we make songs of him in our pilgrimage and finde a realnesse in his promises when nothing appeares save that God leaves us to sinke under our burdens Surely it may appeare then that our hearts are close in our obedience Triall 8 Eighthly if we close with both the substance and the extent of commands It closes with commands without colours or cavils without colours or cavils against either The guise of this world of hypocrites is contrary For the former when the question is touching the substance of reading hearing prayer Sacrament wee colour over our unwillingnesse with some by-cavils Being urged to read good bookes they cavill and say They are too deep and too learned form our understandings as if wee would read them if they were plaine whereas the bookes are plaine enough but wee have no heart Being urged to heare a good Preacher wee alledge wee conceive not his method If we be bidden to frequent such a good Congregation we say we cannot endure to bee so crowded and thronged If to follow such examples we answer they are too eminent for us to follow whereas indeed as once one answered when he was urged to doe some good with his great wealth The thing you urge is good but I have no heart to it so we want an heart So when wee are called to serve God in our time to fast and pray we cavill That it is dangerous and therfore we crave pardon whereas the Lord calls us to serve him with all our strength and courage not onely in safe and easie duties but even in such as hypocrites count dangerous and offensive Try we our selves then by this Rule If we professe to serve and obey God even in those duties for which the world loves not with Paul we be not ashamed to make them the best and fairest flower of our garlands it is a signe of closenesse and honesty See Acts 23. I say if wee bee willing to bend our selves to our uttermost wisedome and ability to obey rather then through feare to give God the slip it speakes well for us That which the world counts evill I am not ashamed to say I worship God by Ninthly if in such Commands of God as border and that lawfully Triall 9 upon our owne content and welfare In the obedience to pleasing Commands it looks at God not ease yet wee rest not in that obedience but can prove that wee are carried upon better respects For example it is Gods Command that we follow our Callings That we punish sin when we can wheresoever it lies Now marke Wee feele our selves prompt enough perhaps to follow our work and businesse because it runnes in the streame of our commodity and therefore wee will not be idle So againe it falles out that hee whom we pursue for his offences is our enemy and therefore we are easily drawne to pursue him Here therefore the triall is if we can by evident Arguments prove that as wee are not drawne to leave the duty for the neighbourhood to our owne ends so yet we doe the duty from a superiour principle of Conscience As for example though we should get nothing by our preaching yet wee would chuse to preach rather then desist And as we pursue our enemy so would wee also our friend if he sinned in like case This is a good marke For why hypocrites are very glad when Gods and their ends concurre As the dung swimming in the same streame with the Apples said We Apples swimme But when wee can separate the pretious from the vile and call dung dung and Apples Apples it is well Saint Augustine sayd well God bids me preach but I feele my selfe to please mine owne humour in it God wills me to shine and lo I feele that I shine to my selfe Therefore as I will not cease shining for this reason so yet I will endeavour so to shine to others in holy life that I may not therewith shine to my selfe by pride Tenthly close obedience growes It is as close and punctuall in Triall 10 old age as in youth and more at least for mettall and substance It groweth with â—ge 2 Chro. 16.12 It is said of one of the Kings of Juda that when hee was old hee put his confidence in the Physitians as if hee had not done so in his younger yeares but closed more with the promise There is a seed of Revolt in our base spirits appearing more in our age then in younger yeares It is not noted in vaine of that old Prophet of Bethel 1 King 13.9.10 that hee sent for the young Propht to eate with him contrary to the charge of God This then is some triall if in our age wee wax not more confident of our strength more loose in our zeale slacker in good
Judg. 15. lay heapes upon heapes and die of thirst Once get into the right way and undoe somewhat first which God would have you forgoe instead of your doings and this will cause unto you incredible ease and sweetnesse in your proceeding Remember that speech Esay 30. your strength shall be to sit still Sit still and bee quiet therefore in your hypocriticall devotions and bee stirring and working with God under the condition of his promise and your labour shall not be lost in the Lord. 1 Cor. 13. ult Else you shall suffer losse not onely of a part but of the principall you shall sinke in your sweat and the most despised fatherlesse creatures with their poore emptinesse scarce daring to lift up eies to heaven standing afar off shall go away better justified then you with all your supererogations Luke 18.13 And when you are thus defeated your mends shall be in your own hands So much for this second Vse 3 Thirdly this Doctrine reproves sundry sorts And first all such as having enjoyed the liberty of Gods Ordinances all their dayes Reproofe Sundry branches 1. The chiefe season of ease is at first yet never had the wisdome to discerne that spirituall season in which the Lord makes this worke of faith easie and welcome The ease of beleeving in Gods usuall method attends a peculiar opportunity of Gods owne vouchsafing in which he doth more readily worke then at all other times Commonly when the word is first sent to a congregation as a dainty as a rare and desired pearle an object of price Againe when the spirit of the hearer is carried with violence to carry the Kingdome away whatsoever paines and charge it cost them when also the Lord sends the Angel or Minister with a more then common spirit of zeale to stir the muddy poole to the bottome and to unsettle mens hearts frozen upon their dregs I say when as the Lord inspires him with the spirit of Eliah or Iohn Baptist with speciall love to the pretious soules of men with laboriousnesse and the spirit of convincing when as the Gospel drawes all sorts unto it by the fervency of affections and examples of such as make toward it then there is ease in beleeving Not when the Gospel is waxen stale in a Towne and Manna plentifull which commonly causes loathing and fulsomenesse Not when the hearers heart is sunke and dead in his brest indifferent whether he speed or no Not when the spirits of the Ministers of God wax dull as Moses hands with long holding up Not when the Spirit of grace of power melting drawing and perswading begins to flag And as Micah saith is straitned Mica 2.6 Not when the hearts of Ministers faint in them and turne another way Not when they are driven out from their places and are faine to seeke into remote Countries Not when the affections of people wax generally dead and carelesse which end goe forward rather minding their owne world will and ends then the matters of salvation When these markes fall out the shadowes of the mountaines wax long the wild Beasts goe out of their dennes to spoile and the labourers turne their backes upon their worke because the Sunne is downe Not in these seasons not in death deepe sicknesses crosses feares losses is there like to be found this ease I speake of And therefore Oh you my brethen who heare me this day who have long lived here under the meanes above fifty yeares thinke seriously of your estate If yet the worke of beleeving the promise be undone if you have outbidden and survived all these happy seasons wherein your owne soules know you felt such dampings of corruption raisings of heart thawings inclinings and movings of spirit to embrace the offer of salvation and have fallen to the world to pleasures to ease and as Cain did being cast out of Gods presence to goe and build Cities Let my words now pierce you if any tendernesse at roote remaine in you and take heed lest if ever you finde God gracious if he have not quite cast you off for your dallying you be put to toile and travell for it lest it cost you tenne times as much trouble as you might first have had it for The Lord is hardly drawne to returne to a particular man when he hath left a publique place I tell you if you have slighted such meanes and seasons as these it must be the unspeakeable patience of God which can pull you home at last It were strange if a man who hath lost his faire or market should come many daies after and meet with those commodities which hee wants then he might have stored himselfe with ease but after with much hazard and cost You have had your season your accepted time and day of salvation Speciall application to the present people many hundreds have beleeved and set seale to the grace offered and most of them are at rest with God If you bee those unhappy ones who have received it all this while in vaine Hard for long dalliers with God to recover him again at their pleasure or leasure I doubt whether ever any new appetite will be lent you and although it were I doubt whether the doores being shut you shall speed of your desire though you should runne from Barwicke to Dover from old England into new for it or be admitted to beleeve Oh! How shall I speake to this wofull place for the padling out of her season of ease God hath brought salvation to your doores as to the children of the Kingdome pind it on your sleeves I may truly and in a good time speake it The Gospel hath alway brought you more gaine then it hath cost you Pulpits have beene as it were set up in your streets by your houses so neere is the grace of God come unto you and when others have ridden and trotted five ten fifteene miles you have had it at home for stepping in at the doores floods of butter and oile have flowed downe in your brooks and streets and thousands have beene satisfied with your leavings You have been as free borne to the Gospel What in all the world shall you pretend for your selves if you have never had I say not the best portion but any part at all of it Oh! that I could teach you after all my pressing of the promise among you how to dispute for your selves But that exceeds my skill you have had a fee-simple an inheritance of the Gospel you have beene married to the Lord under long constant unwearied plaine and powerfull meanes long ere I came among you All mens gifts have served you Note you of the congregation you have entred into other mens labours I may adde this that you have possessed fields vineyards and orchards which you never knew the price of never bought tilled or planted For my selfe although I have long lived unprofitable yet if ever God lent me any fitnesse to doe you good
faithfull ones of Christ may easily fall with Ieremy Chap. 12.1 and David Psal 73.5 to distemper our selves to charge God foolishly and to call him to our owne barre as if he ordered not matters so wisely as wee would have him Alas Those are ever most confident who usurp most 2 Sam. 15.4 Eccles 7.10.15.16 Absolom thought his policie and wisedome above his fathers in ruling of subjects but it cost him sorrow and ruine Let us not cavill against our owne dayes as the worst nor our owne lot as the unhappiest Let us know its folly wrap up all our own discontents in the field of Providence and Wisedome For why should we be desolate or hasten our owne ruine rashly before the time Let it be enough for us that wee beare witnesse to Jesus to his truth and serve our time But let us not breake out of our compasse in which God hath set us Nor let us think long or tax God for seeming to stop his eare from our praiers nor give over our waiting and wax froward with him but remember our Rule Acts 1.7 That in publicke promises still the time must be left to him who is the Soveraigne orderer of all times and seasons It is enough for us that in the worst and most degenerate times of all God hath not left his Church as an Orphan or desolate each member hath her owne particular faith and patience to set on worke To keep the soule from rusting from either tedious impatience or desperate carelesnesse Matth. 25. Ocupy these till God come and these will so allay thy spirit and exercise thy meeknesse patience and humility that Gods time shall not seeme over long faith shall not make over much haste Hab. 3. I doe not counsell thee to give over faith in performances But to apply faith to such promises in the meane while as may sustaine the soule with patient hope till Gods time is accomplished See Psal 135.14 The rod of the wicked shall not alway ly upon the lot of the righteous lest they should put forth their hand to evill The Lord will not alway bee angry Psal 125.3 lest flesh should faile Rather then such extremities should come God will put an end and say The day of my redeemed ones is come Esay 63.3 But if the Lord sustaine the whilest and the burning bush consume not is it not as good as if it burnt not Enlarge thy short and hasty spirit by this that each day of Gods delay shortens the trouble And remember that a thousand years with the Lord is as one day 2 Pet. 3.8 and God is a pure act incomprehensible not ruled by time I doe not by these passages choke the zeale importunity clamors and expostulations of the Church No that were another extremity and as much as to quash the Spirit of adoption and to abridge the priviledges of the Saints in their holy boldnesse in prayer For why Read the moanes of the Church in Psal 40. and Esay 63. and 64. the variety of her holy complaints arguments wherewith she laboureth to draw God on her side against his sworne foes to perswade him to be no longer darke but to cause the mountaines to flow downe before his presence And so Psalm 12. she cryes out for help because all went to wrack All this is lawfull and to pray against implacable incorrigible enemies Plead thus Lord although to thee a thousand yeares are as one day yet it is not so with us five seaven yeares are somewhat to us Lord wee are feeble and faint Psal 110. ult Therefore tarry not long Lord. But in all these remember to ascribe to God the glory of faithfull performance in his owne time and say thus Thou hast afflicted us on every side Psal 119. yet have we not forsaken thy Covenant the whilest we have not exasperated our spirits against thy delayes but turn'd the edge of our complaints against our selves who by our treacherous unfruitfulnesse have deserved these scourges our worst enemy is within us That sin of ours hath vexed thee more then our crosses and thy delayes vexe us Purge them remove the barre and we doubt not but thy performances shall breake out as the light when once our righteousnesse shall appeare and our filthinesse shall be cleansed nothing shall let thy promises from being fulfilled This for the second Limitation the third God keeps promise with them only that live by faith The third and last limitation is this That the Lord keeps his promises faithfully but yet upon condition to such as not onely are his own servants for what have dogges to doe with the childrens bread but such of his owne as abide so and feare him live by faith and keep his Covenant The sum of the point is that which David Psal 25.10 expresseth thus All the wayes of the Lord are mercy and truth But to whom Surely to such onely as keep his Covenant Israel was the Lords peculiar above all the earth but it was not enough for them to hold their name onely but to keep close to the Lord If Israel would have walked in my wayes then it should goe well with them and with their children for ever 1 Chro. 17.13 It was the Lords speech to David of Salomon Hee shall be my sonne and I will call him Iedidijah the Lord loved him And if he transgresse against me I will chastise him with the Rods of men but my loving kindnesse will I never take from him Marke Brethren there is a promise which the Lord will performe to all that are in covenant with him that is he will not finally forsake them But yet in the mean time if they venture so much hereupon that they break their league play the harlots and forsake their husband he will make them feele to their costs 2 Chro. 16.3.4 that he can also break with them and forsake them and so will he goe on with them till he have wearied them and by some adversity or other within or without sent them home with sorrow and shame to their first husband Men must not looke to be loose with God and yet binde him to be close to them Excellent is that of Oded the Prophet to Asa speaking of the revolted ten Tribes Of a long time was Israel without God or a Law or a Priest And why Surely because they had forsaken his Temple and Worship his Arke and Mercy seat and therefore the Lord plagued them with all adversity And so will he doe to you if yee cleave to him he will cleave to you but if you warp from him so will he from you Consider I pray you brethren and God give us understanding The Lord will keep promise with his but then they must not play their parts with him For why Shall the Father spit in his Daughters face Num. 12.14 and shall she not be separate from him seven dayes It was the Lords speech to Moses touching Miriam
resist that spirit by which you speake and walke It is not your duties hearing Sermons which will serve turne except you get into the way of God and get your spirits whetted up to a lively temper of godlinesse you shall but adde heapes to heapes and die of thirst Rake up the ashes of your first sacrifice and see if there be any one sparkle alive Iudg. 15.16.18 to kindle that old fire in your hearts God hath now farre more need of it then he had then If you cannot find old sparks goe to Heaven for new for a double portion of it else you will hardly hold out in these cold times You young Novices here among us who in your youth have begunne well and honoured the labours of Gods servants by your zeale by your answering to Catechism by drawing on many to God be not discouraged that the same Grace which made you young Sts. can make you old ones I doubt it not but blesse God for the hope I conceive of your growth and fruit Esay 8.18 1 Iohn 4.4 though we are as signes both we and the children which God hath given us and wonders to the world feare not greater is he that is in us then with them You Magistrates hereabouts you Headborowes and Officers at home doe not play the cowards in the cause of God and the government of the Towne suffer not drunkards to fill up your Alehouses here upon the day of our Lecture and to rout in all cursed behaviour all the day after going together by the eares swearing and swaggering let not your Taverns and places of resort be more frequented then Gods house I see ruine before mine eyes and the young fry will prove worse then their Predecessors your glory is gone except you hold together and prevent sinne from flowing downe your streets and overthrowing all 2 Cor. 2.14 â—â— And in a word to all sorts I speake scatter the savour of this spirit of Grace all about the places where you dwell shine especially within your owne sphere and families lay in for grace and mercy for your husbands wives children kinsfolke and neighbours who have long beene ignorant profane or formall worshippers at the best pluck them out of the fire by violence Iude ult Perhaps some seed lies under a clod they are not so deeply sunk under the slavery of those Idols but that God may fetch out somewhat of them at the last and shall it die for lacke of stirring up Be earnest with God and strive hard for the whole corner this poore Countrey in which ancient zeale and the spirit of Grace decayes exceedingly Easie serving of God for fashion and this love of the creature hath eaten up all The last yeare we were almost starven for bodily bread but God be thanked better food did helpe well both to content the poorer sort and to uphold their spirits with patience yea and to perswade the richer sort to mercy and compassion Now we feare a worse famine if not want of the Word yet that the Lord for our wretched unfruitfulnesse may fill our mouthes with Quailes Mumb. 11.20 and suffer them to come out againe at our nostrils may fat us with meanes and curse us with leannesse in our soules Psal 106.15 Lord suffer not the child to die at the breasts for lack of milke nor having it to surfet Oh thou who hast bred us by thy Word with the lively spirit of Grace preserve us by the same nourishment whereby wee are begotten And so for such among us brethren as have continued constantly Branch 5 in this zeale of the Gospel Consolation to all such as walke in the comfort of the spirit of conversion I doe here reach out comfort unto them and say to them as Elisha to Naaman Goe in peace Though you and I should never heare the voyce nor see the face of other yet we shall do well as long as the peace of God is with us Nourish your hearts still till death in this love of the Gospel Make not shipwrack in the havens Thinke not now of any new way Turne not to the world for they care not for you you stink to them therefore hold to your old Master and be his servants for ever Let the Lord beate you out of his doores before you dare start from him you have beene his so long that as Peter said Whither should we goe Lord from thee Iohn 6.68 thou hast the words of eternall life Though there be neither Calfe in the stall nor Bâ—llock in the heard though the Olive cast her fruit and the Vine decay yet God shall be your salvation Though meanes faile Habac. 3.17.18 yet this spirit of grace in you shall be a lively immortall stock in you and preserve you by faith to the day of salvation 1 Pen. 1.5 These are times wherein sinne abounds it is the very houre of darknesse Revel 3.10 Pray that as you have kept the Word of Gods patience all this while so he would keepe you though all the world should be over-shadowed And although perhaps you take thought for your first edge which is blunted by long continuance and custome Ephes 3.16 17 yet so long as your metall holds good steele to the back and you grow rooted settled and stable in all faith love and fruitfulnesse feare not he that hath begunne will perfect his worke Faithfull is he who hath promised 1 Thes 5.24 To the worke of whose Grace I commend you which is able to sanctifie you throughout and both to keep your bodies soule and spirits 1 Thes 5.25 pure and blamelesse to his comming through the Lord Jesus to whom with the Father and the Spirit that immortall invisible and onely wise God 1 Tim. 1.17 be all honour and praise for ever Amen FINIS AN APPENDIX OR POSTSCRIPT TO THE READER ANd thus good Reader thou hast these Lectures penned to the uttermost wherein they were preached And as I inteÌ„ded to preach no more so neither doe I purpose to trouble thee with more then I preached The Verses following to the twentieth savour wholly of a spirit carried zealously towards God whose mercy cured both Naamans body and soule a draught whereof I gave thee in this last Lecture I grant there are some passages of obscurity attending the words next to them I have handled which some scrupulous Reader might thinke himselfe wronged if they should wholly be unsaluted Wherefore to give a very short touch of them thus conceive of the severals thereof THerefore take a blessing c. But he said Vers 15. end 16. As the Lord liveth Touching this Addition of his large gifts to his large heart I have already spoken of it in the servants arguments and shewed there the duty of the people to their Ministers And we must know it did not abhorre from the custome of those times either to offâ—r or accept gratuities by the Prophets But touching his refusall
to himselfe and make his yoke easie oh then love maintaines the soule in grace with sweet and content Beg then of the Lord that thy pressure may not be remooved till it have left the print of mercy behinde it and brought thee so under graces command that thou maiest wholly be the Lords Princes arrest their subjects for some debts fines forfeits or services due to themselves which being paid the party is at his owne liberty But the Lord doth not so hee arrests not a man to bring him upon his knees to wring from him some tearmes of homage but to subdue the whole man and the principle of the minde will and frame to himselfe Concurre with this end of good and prosper But if it be thus the effects will shew it for then Effects of change will shew it not onely the stoutnesse of the heart and the rebellion of it are held under by strong hand for a time but the subtilty thereof is truly turned to simplicity the ease sloth of it into diligence the indifferency of it into earnestnesse the wearisomnesse of it into restlessenesse and diligence the inconstancy of it into stablenesse the acts and pangs of it into habits and principles the violence into liberty and holy delight to submit it selfe both to the way of beleeving and the fruite of subjection and deniall of it selfe both in legall and evangelicall respects And so much for this doctrine so far as the scope of it will beare I might enter into further matter both to discover the infinite tricks of a false heart to nouzle it selfe in a corrupt estate and the trialls and waies whereby the Lord sets such an heart at liberty But I foresee that the points following will better occasion these things and therefore I onely make this doctrine a preparative to them Now I proceed to the second doctrine out of these words Doct. Whom God meanes to convert them he first prevents by occasions and means That Naaman comes and stands at the doore of Elisha And that is this That whomsoever the Lord intends to bring home and convert to himselfe he will order all meanes most sweetly and agreeingly to that purpose We see Naaman and his retinue brought to the doore of Elisha But how surely by the providence of the same God who had purposed his conversion he is brought to the meanes to waite and expect the season of it And all things we see fall out and concurre aptly to it First Naaman is infected with a loathsome disease that under the hope of curing that hee might make an errand to the Prophet whom he had not else visited Secondly a maide must be taken and the Aramites must fight and take her place her with Naamans wife the maide must know Passages of Gods prevention in Naamans case and be able to report of Elisha to her mistrisse Naaman must ascribe credit to her and all these must concurre that he might hearken after Elisha Thirdly letters must be eroneously sent to Iehoram that Elisha might thereby correct an errour and turne him to himselfe which else had not bin And lastly Naaman hearing of the Prophet must forthwith repaire unto him and not expect till Elisha tend upon him else he had missed of his cure All these occurrents God most wisely orders and rules for the ends he intended so that the one could no more be defeated then the other if any one had failed the effect might have ceased The like may be said of the conversion of Onesimus Proofes of the point Epist to Philem who had plaid the thiefe to his Master Philemon God meant he should bee converted by Pauls Ministery Lo how doth the Lord order the meanes unto it He doth not instill falshood and flight into him but he orders it He over-rules him in his journey that hee might not peake aside into this corner or that but goe to Paul and lighting upon him might by some direct and seasonable speech from him be turned from his falshood to God So in the case of Cornelius Acts 10. The Lord meant to settle him being a good Proselite in the faith of the Lord Jesus The instrument by whom was Peter How should he know of him or where to come by him The Lord in a vision intimates it to Cornelius and he sends to Joppe to Simon But Peter was armed with a minde to reject their errand because he was a Jew and Cornelius a Gentile True But immediately before their comming the Lord rectifies Peter and frames him to goe by a vision of all crawling vermin in a cleane sheet which Peter was bidden to eate and refusing to doe so was commanded not to esteeme that uncleane which the Lord had made cleane No sooner is Peter rectified but they knock and he is prepared to goe with them comes findes all ready and converts Cornelius To conclude thus it is with the Eunuch of Candace He passing by that way Acts 8. where Philip preached the Spirit prompts him to joyne himselfe to that Charet When he comes he findes him reading in Esay a peece of a Prophecie cap. 53. concerning Christs generation and not knowing the sense askes Philip who takes occasion thereby to open to him the whole mystery of Christ and convinces him of the truth whereupon he is converted I heape up no more examples Reade the passages of Acts 9. Acts 9. in Saul Reasons 1 There be many reasons of the point 1. As the Lord is the first mover of the vast frame of this world and the maine changes of whole States Churches and Kingdomes their stablenesse and prosperity their decay and ruine the great affaires of warre peace and government so especially he sits at the sterne of his Church If he meane to punish it he acts and animates the wayes to bring it to passe and the instruments of his wrath Though the King of Ashur Reade Esay 10.7 meant no other but to spoile and make wreck yet God used him onely as his rod of vengeance And as he meant to scatter those ten Tribes for their horrible idolatry 1 King 12.13 so he orders the whole frame of premises tending thereto He divides the Kingdomes of Rehoboam and Ieroboam He suffers that snare of Division to cut off the tenne Tribes from Juda and her worship Temple and sacrifices To devise an idolatrous worship of Calves He plagues them with a succession of 3 or 4 cursed families and their of-spring Ieroboam Baasha Omri Iehu and after them left them to a most desperate government of Usurpers Shallum and the rest till the whole nation was carried away into perpetuall Captivity And when it pleased him to redeeme his Church he also acted the spirits of those instruments of deliverance as after the 70 yeares Captivity 2 Chr. 36.22 Ezra 1.2 Ezra 6.6 he stirred up the spirit of Darius Assuerus Cyrus and others to begin and perfect his project Nay not onely so but there is no
Reproofe in divers respects I have toucht some particulars by occasion before Practice of carnall reason reproved in all sorts I will adde a few more here I say it should convince the consciences of us all that are before the Lord this day for our arrerages of carnall reason We should say as Pharaohs butler Lord this day comes much of my sinne in this kind to my remembrance O Lord the branches of this stocke are infinite How oft hath my base heart stumbled at the purenesse the closenesse of thy waies desiring the doore were opener for my carnall ease liberty and breadth to goe in at How oft have I thought my fine wits and China-mettall'd understanding too dainty for thy matters to meddle with My parts too good to honour thee How little have I laboured to submit my wit to thy will with gladnesse How often have I stumbled at the simplicity of thy Ministers servants as too meanly gifted for my reach How much ado have I with my cursed heart to profit by them as not complying enough with my carnall expectation How oft have I measured good things by their successe Being ready rather to chuse sin with happinesse then vertue with defeat and ill consequence How weakely have I beene carried with partiality of heart towards the godly Affecting them who have beene close faithfull friendly usefull beneficiall welconceited of me tender and indulgent mercifull and bountifull rather then others who hath beene more estranged in affection more ready to reprove my faults How much adoe have I from restraining indignation from such as are aloofe from me and little esteeme me How seldome have I gone to heare publiquely or to take counsell but I have rather sodered my faults then desired that the righteous might smite me How prone am I to looke at the greatnesse of some religious ones and to make use of them in that kinde rather then their good examples and the savour of their grace How weake have I O Lord discovered my selfe to be both in doing and suffering In the one being carried more with outward incouragements hireling-wise then upon a promise If I have found my labours my services accepted with men credit countenance and maintenance following how trim have my wheeles gone If not how heavy In the sufferings I have had how doe I seeke rather to licke my self whole by outward helpes and remedies then by that hundred fold which thou hast promised to requite my losses withall And though I have not runne to good witches yet how have I clave to mine owne carnall reason And seeming to have shot a gulfe how have I beene drowned in a shallow Oh! when I have found unkinde unthankefull and base usage at the hands of them whom I have served in Ministry counsell or helpfulnesse how hardly yea bitterly have I taken it As if I had done it to bee thought well of and not as one who had learned to undergoe good and bad report How hath my arme shrunke it selfe in toward such As if I had served an ill master who will conceale the labour of my love Oh! yee Headburrowes and Officers of Townes let this truth of God convince yee how doe you looke at pleasing men shunning ill will aiming at serving your owne turnes and base ends rather then at discharging duty in punishing offenders both spirituall upon the Sabbath and morall at other times despisers of the ordinances swearers and drunkards Is not this carnall wisedome else know not I what is Alas where is Davids spirituall reason that blessed God for giving him an heart to build a Temple and prepare stuffe for it although it were the lot of Salomon to have the name of it So God had it how little cared he by whom So Christ were preached how little did Paul envie or care by whom And so againe what is the common speech of men If I had ever hurt him it would not have grieved me to bee ill spoken of or dealt with by him But alas thou hast more cause to blesse God for thy breast-plate of innocencie to shrowd thee from God his revenge Thou shouldst see God rather against thee for thy little respect to his Majesty in the sincerity of thy spirit then at man whom thou hast not offended So againe how oft have our carnall hearts intruded themselves upon Gods administrations to censure him for the long suffering of the bad and the crossing of his owne in their zeale and good cause Ah poore worme canst thou comprehend Gods ends in thy fist How doe wee Ministers murmure and complaine if wee doe no good Why are we above election or servants to it Is it well not that wee are a sweete savour in all And so I might bee endlesse Therefore I beseech you in Gods feare let this be a speciall meane to humble us all for this our base enterfeering with God in his holy wayes Application of it by our carnall reason Oh! you who have been so ready to be led from God by feare of parents displeasure losse of favour of betters repent and breake your hearts Ministers who have betraid the cause of God by base time-serving and pleasing men loathnesse to suffer Oh! repent of your carnall reason recover Gods losses ere ye dye Oh! you that have chosen to save your livings or lives rather then Gods honour consider how small your gaines have been in losing your soules for a mole-hill of earth Repent O carnall wretch who wouldest never bee brought to more religion then lay in the lap of thy carnall reason not cut off a locke for God not forgoe a petty oath for him not lose so much love of an husband a Landlord as is worth two strawes for him Repent and be humbled O thou that hast fleerd and laught in thy sleeve at the sincere Thou who hast made Gods worship and profession to serve thy turne and sold thy selfe by it to credit to custome in shop to good marriage by it thy selfe being bad Come out O thou hypocrite who like Absalon hast openly spread thy Tent for the attaining of thine owne ends Yee politicke projectors and cunning plotters for your owne gaines enhansing above others though with an ill conscience and oppressing of the silly humble your selves and be ashamed Take God and his people to witnesse this day by your teares and mourning that it is so You that have come and are still comming to the Sacrament with carnall hearts for custome and to prevent the Court or reproach rather then conscience who have your hearts on the left hand saying I see nothing there to be had it is no likely thing Abana can heale me and Jordan can cure my leprosie Me thinkes I feare I shall goe home as I come and lose my journey Oh! above all others repent yee of this carnall dispute Naman repented repent you yee have sinned with him repent with him on Gods name The Lord from heaven beloved showre downe blessing and convince your
hee will save and some whom he will not Oh! we may well conceive what wrath and rage it worketh Reason 6 Lastly we know wrath is a short madnesse now mad men put no difference betweene any If a King should come in a mad mans way he would strike him as soone as a beggar So doth Selfe defeated She puts no difference between God and men She will sometime chuse men to whet herself on sometime God himself She curseth her luck and bad fortune the weather if too wet too dry too hot or too cold her ill lot and successe her ill market her enemies any thing that comes in her way what wonder then if she spare not Gods Minister yea God himselfe She lusteth after envy as Saint Iames saith and out of an ill custome and habit growes to be as old with God as with men if hee crosse her she knowes not she is not capable of subjection So much for reasons of the point Amplification The godly themselves so farre as led by Selfe rage if disappointed Nay more that which I have said of hypocrites may be verified in measure and with limitation even of the godly so farre as they are unmortified and led by this Spirit of Selfe though not totally yet in any particular case of error and delusion so farre as they forsake the promise and goe to worke by their owne conjectures and strength as in zeale and prayers wherein a good man may rest too much upon himselfe no doubt the Divell and their corruption feasts them but too much as one said he never seemed so zealous as before God mortified his owne spirit but after he found prayer another gates worke But when the Lord separates the pretious from the vile and shewes them the vanity and wanzingnesse of their owne principle it becomes as the very sting of an adder onely the the ods is an hypocrite is fretted with such a distemper Yet with difference from hypocrites as commonly makes him no better but the regenerate is wholesomely smitten by God to cause him with shame and sorrow to abhorre hmselfe and to crouch and runne under the wings of a better friend who can give him content from a better fountaine and of a more lasting nature Object But here comes an objection to be answered How comes it to passe then there being so many unsound and hollow ones in the world never more then now as appeares by their grosse and foule revolts how is it that we see them so joviall and merry still and heare of so few discontents and troubles in their lives or deaths Answ Selfe doth not rage till defeated To which I answer That the reason thereof is because they have no defeates Selfe in her quietnesse and jollity rages not but when shee meets with affronts either by disappointments or by terrors of the Law convincing and slaying the soul The soule in this case is abased and cast down either wholesomely as by a step to humiliation or else slavishly then she shifts and goes forward in a rotten course But Self rageth neverthelesse Or else recovers her selfe againe by her own subtility Note the difference In such as God will save the discovery of this Selfe and the subtilty thereof shall humble the conscience and worke a kindly change by degrees but yet Selfe and corruption will rage and rebell being loath to give place But as for the rest both Selfe and conscience together may not rage because the Law hath not put an enmity betweene them still they hold in together as body and members incorporate in each other and not divorced This by the way But marke The Lord doth not alway blesse the word to worke a defeat of Selfe in every hypocrite or unregenerate person neither doe all such meete with such defeats Ezek. 14. Rather the Lord suffers such justly to stumble at the blocks laid in their owne way by themselves As they chose error and delusion so the Lord leaves them to Satan to be more deluded 1 King 22. and so they fall as Ahab by his false Prophets because being taught the truth soundly they have preferred their owne ease and liberties to it Selfe may want defeats being given over by God to delusion and hardning Nay more the Lord suffers many such and it is a common thing in these declining dayes to be so farre from meeting with defeats that rather they are habited in their waies erring by necessity seeing no danger They are inchanted so with this cup of Selfe that it hath cast them into a deepe sleepe and they are as one asleepe in the toppe of the mast no buffetings will startle them out of their course And it were well with some that this were all For the uncleane spirit returnes into many Matth. 12. and imbarkes himselfe in them more strongly then before defiling them with such lusts as they lye open unto specially and bringing them into such a confused perplexity some by their uncleannesse some by intemperancy some by their open prophanenesse that they never outgrow it but goe on with wasted and seered consciences to their dying day without remorse Although such as belong to God shall return even by these unwelcome batterings for the Lord saw that else their fusty savour and taste would never have gone out So much for answer to this objection This doctrine falls point blanke upon many of us brethren to shame Vse 1 us for our distempers And first Terror let it bee Terror to all such as walke with this cursed heart of wrath impatience and discontent Wrathfull and discontented persons reproved daily and Branch 1 hourely carrying it as hot coales in their bosome and yet through habit never burnt not marking it in themselves Oh wofull creature Is Naaman here so blameworthy being an heathen and defeated of his will for his rage and distemper What shall become of thee then who art in continuall wrath and vexation Not in a fit as Paul calls it Ephe. 4.29 but as it were in a falling sicknesse Truly brethren Because raging in coole bloud I wrong Naaman to make him the text of such a commentary I tremble to thinke how many present themselves here duly at the worship of God who yet in their usuall course are never quiet neither in themselves nor with others They are as I may say steept in vinegar rarely shall you finde them other then froward waspish envious bitter and distempered and yet no defeat appeares to heat their bloud as here in Naaman they are so in very coole bloud out of the surquedry of their wickednesse they are alway distempered because wicked There is no peace saith my God to the wicked More like Nabals then Naamans Esay 57. ult of whom his owne servants could say he was so wicked that no man might speake to him As the Apostle in Rom. 1. describes those heathen Romans full of all wickednesse as a toad is full of
known some loose professors who have sought to exceed all other their neighbours in the love of a godly Preacher and who but they in their running riding assisting of him They have been as his right hand of trust and service But lo in a short time these fellows bewray that which lay secret to wit an uncleane covetous voluptuous heart and what then Surely all men see evidently that these clave to the Minister for their owne base ends and to conceale their vices A speciall watchword to all Ministers of God to beware how farre they engage themselves in the love of any professors A caveat to Ministers See Joh. 2.24.25 Ministers reproach themselves in ascribing too much and trusting too far such as they know not who make toward them in speciall relation Try them throughly in their obedience as well as their pretended love or else the time may come when as their basenesse shall discredit your persons and Ministery farre more then all their love could prevaile If when all is done they are so subtill that we cannot espy them the sinne shall be theirs wee have saved our owne soules and may wash our hands in innocency because we have done our duties When all is done therefore this will hold water if we obey Heb. 13. So saith the Apostle Obey them that are set over you And Paul I beare you witnesse you obeyed the forme of doctrine delivered unto you And againe you received our doctrine not as the word of man but as the word of God Every good hearer should say to his Minister as Elisha did to Gehazi 2 King 5. end Went not thy spirit with me when I ranne after the man So did not the spirit of my faithfull Pastor goe with me when I was in such a company recreation or worldly businesse Me thought it curbed me from lightnesse and vanity from deceit from sinning in my tongue or in any disguisement of intemperancy or cousenage or covetousnes to think if he now saw me how should I be ashamed to do thus Oh! he loves me tenderly my souls welfare and should I grieve him thus 2 Cor. 3.2 This is indeed to be the Epistle of the Minister written in our hearts approving our love unto him to purpose Not that there is not a stronger motive then this to awe and draw people from good to evill for there is an holy Spirit of annointing which is given to all good ones which hath shed the love of Christ into their hearts and filled them with the length and bredth of it this should hem in the soules of beleevers for so the word is 2 Cor. 5.7 and compell them to watch over themselves This must bee the chiefe Monitor in the Schoole of Christ If the voice of this great Prophet be not obeyed for it selfe the voice of the servant as he is called Esay 50. will be little worth For what wonder if they disobeyed the voice of Moses the messenger of God Heb. 2.2.3 who rebelled against that holy Spirit which set him on worke and vexed it all those forty yeares as it is Esay 63.11 No it must be the spirit of the Master which must make his Steward esteemed The love of the Lord Jesus must make the love of the Minister compulsive else it will prove nothing but slavish feare or to avoid base shame as we see in many a drunkard or swearer who for the presence sake of a sinfull man will for an houre or two bite in their qualities which yet they tremble not to commit in the presence of God all the yeare long Conclude this point then and say I pretend love to my Minister how shall I demonstrate it really As Cornelius did Act. 10. It s said he fell downe and tooke Peter by the feet in token of excessive love and respect But what was this all No surely But this that he tells him They were all ready to hearken to whatsoever the Lord said unto them by him This was a sure marke love and feare make reverence and thence comes obedience When love is solid it workes by feare and causes a loathnesse to doe any thing which might grieve the Minister it sits like Mary at the feet of the Minister ready to obey And that not onely in slight matters to remove some sinne which may be spared 1 Sam. 15. as Saul that killed the leane cattell and the baser sort of Amalek but even the belovedst lust and most pretious vice even the fat cattell and the King himselfe True love abhorres common evidence its painfull it will be singular and aske Matth. 5.47 Joh. 21. what singular thing doe I to approve my love When our Saviour would try Peters love he askes him Lovest thou me more then these As some think he meant of his nets occupation as others of his fellow Apostles Both will do well Love thy Minister by obeying more then others yea love him more then thy nets thy beloved trade thy lusts which bring thee in the greatest gaine thy sweet usury thy gaming thy deceit which others who love him not would as soone lose their lives as forgoe The forfeit of these will import strongly that thou lovest not him for any by respect but as he is a Minister of God I remember a story of Pope Pius the fifth one that was reputed as humble as a proud Pope might be who being told of a base fellow that had much abused him in a Pasquill answered I sustaine two persons one of a poore Monk another of Christs Vicar if thou hast railed upon me as a Monk I pardon thee if as Pope I must punish thee So there is no true Minister of Christ who lookes at himselfe as a man but at the honour of him whose servant he is and to whom he desires all the peoples obedience should be derived Try therefore whether thy lusts can draw thee stronglier then he if two loadstones draw both together the iron will goe to the strongest So let thy love goe to him from thy lust Fleire not in his face nor beare him faire in hand when as yet thine heart goes another way Doe nothing behinde his backe which thou wouldest not doe before him In all thy doubtfull matters consult with him let him come within thy bosome know thy secrets and hide nothing from him wherein he can informe thee for he is for God and Christ 1 Cor. 5.20 as a faithfull Embassadour for thy good Doth he tell thee O my friend I perceive your zeale quales shrewdly in this Laodicean age you heare oft but sleep much at Sermons you jangle so much of earthly businesse upon the Sabbath that I feare you meditate little Or you are zealous but you grow not in knowledge wisdome tendernesse to manage your zeal aright from rashnesse and censoriousnes Or you are noted to be full of words or a busie body Or you are given to flout and jeere when you are in company Or you are bold to
hope they doe and had alway a good faith to God and a good meaning to men They confesse they breake out sometimes as others doe but so long as they cry God mercy they shall doe well for they understand that Christ was a loving Preacher kept company rather with the worser sort then the better many Publicans and sinners yea harlots and was the sinners friend And it was not they who put him to death but such as went for the devoutest and most precise in those times But oh yee deluded fooles Doe you thinke that when sinne hath incorporated herselfe so long and like a fretting leprosie seated it selfe in their bowells by long custome that all on the suddaine you should be changed by the conceit of their beleeving What Matth. 3.1.2 Are there no steps of calling to be observed Why then did Iohn Baptist goe before Christ in the Spirit of Elija Why did hee batter downe the rebellious spirits of men And why did hee cast downe every high hill and fill every valley Why did he prepare a way for Christ in the souls of people crying Repent for the Kingdome of Heaven is at hand Why did he plow up mens fallow grounds And turne the spears of men into mattocks and their swords into plowshares Oh take heed I will not say all your abstinence from sinne can save you but your jollity and boldnesse in it may so harden you and encrease your chaines through rebellion Esay 28. that you shall finde it an hard thing for mercy to pierce you Therefore take counsell thinke not that mercy can save you in the midst of your lewdnesse when you come steaming out of the stewes or from your alebenches or in the midst of your sports and pleasures What God can doe I aske not it s not safe for you to trust to that looke what he will doe Therefore let the point of the speare of the Law pierce your sides let it taw and breake your fierce spirits goe not on to sinne against light Defile not your consciences by wilfull rebellions covetous drunken contentious treacherous and voluptuous courses looke not that God should meet you in your cursed way when as he hath appointed you to meet him in his owne way Rather apply your selves to his word to prepare your spirits for mercy Repent that is breake off the custome and jollity of your sins the Kingdome of Heaven is at hand This counsell to suffer affliction and the spirit of bondage by the sense of guilt and wrath would bee an wholesome School-master to bring you to Christ Oh! A caveat Ministers should gaster prophane people out of their prophanenesse errors if you my brethren the Ministers would remit a little of your pleasures and liberties and apply your selves to a right order of preaching the Law and Christ and give them a view of the way of God to heaven you might the more hopefully leave them to God else how should blinde people laden with sinne stumble upon Gods preparations Will they not rather abuse the grace of God and wax insolent in turning it into wantonnesse making the remedy worse then the disease Oh! scare them out of their prophanenesse corrasive their festred sores sow not pillowes ferret them out of their dennes their starting-holes errors excuses and covers of shame Alas they have a thousand of such trickes to seduce them Base conceits of the Ministery the difficulty of faith of repenting and forsaking their lusts false opinion of the way of God of them who professe it they are poysoned so deeply by Satan and base customes in sinne so leavened with a conceit that either there is somewhat in themselves to demerit God their good meanings setting of their good deeds against their bad and such like or else thinking that Christ serves for no other end save to be their stalking-horse Rom. 4. under whom they may sin securely that grace may abound the more They dreame that because the World is hard therefore men are set here to heare the Word to keep them from theft to hold them in awe from out-rages and so if they can worke and pay their debts bring up their charge and get money they are well Oh! labour to season them with this salt of preparation that their faces may bee sharpned to looke heaven-ward and to breake off their lewd wayes that they may so come within the bounds of the Kingdome and not live like Salvages and Epicures or worldlings whose hope reaches no further then this life So much for this former sort 2 Branch Schismatickes who reject all steps marks of conversion cleaving to the spirit of free grace confuted Againe secondly this is for reproofe of such Sectaries as are lately risen up among us in sundry places who are so spirituall forsooth that the Doctrine of the condition of faith and casting of the Soule upon the promise are beggarly elements with them they esteeme them carnall matters and devices of mens braine They hold indeed there is use of a Law and Gospell to tame men first and then to comfort them But in this Gospell they have found out a new and more compendious course then others For they say there is a grace offered in the promise by such a Spirit of freedome that it will not endure any bondage of the letter nor suffer men to bee puzled and enthralled with these conditions of a Promise nor to tye themselves to a promise and the markes or signes of believing This they count base and unbeseeming such a Spirit of free grace as they have found out and therefore they scorn all those who busie their thoughts about such workes of preparations and tell them they will get more comfort in an houre by the Spirit of this their free grace then these lazy and leasurely beleevers can doe in seven yeares But oh you fantasticke and deluded ones where learne you in the Word that there is a Spirit which workes without a Word Or by what meanes come you to lay hold of this Spirit save by the Word If by the Word then of necessity by such markes and prints as the Word workes And although there is a Spirit spoken of in the Gospell which witnesseth to our Spirits that we are the Lords yet how doth it witnesse it save by the Word Is every hearer at the first dash so ripe and perfect that presently as a fledge bird flying out of her nest and leaving her Damme he can soare aloft in the sky and mount up to heaven by the Spirit of assurance So that he shall no more need any promise any conditions or markes to testifie the grace of God wrought in him Put case that God hath some speciall ones to whom after they have beleeved he hath given the Spirit to seale them to the assurance of salvation Is this the case of every novice as soon as hee heares that Christ freely forgives sinners to bee hoysed up with such a spirit of
I finished the last Lecture yet this one day of our Lecture being the last that you and I are like to teach and heare each other and the last of our yeare requiring that I should say somewhat unto you Also my studies having reached fully to another Sermon and besides this fourth part of the Chapter craving some connexion with the three other handled already I have set apart this day to this end One point may give light to al the particulars following being 7. if God permit To wit to handle some one such point out of the whole Harmony of these five Verses following as may give you some generall light into the whole context for time will not permit us to go through all These five verses then as I told you in their Title containe the remoter consequences of Naamans obedience To give you a briefe view and taste of them these they are First there is the true spirit of the cure to be evidently discerned in this new Convert feeling the truth of the Word in himselfe and virtue let out from heaven into Jordan to heale him he takes it not as a common thing and like a blocke without sense but is presently and instantly and erresistibly ravished as with a new spirit begotten by the worke of God upon his soule as well as his body The Lord darting grace of mercy and compassion into his heart as well as health into his flesh to intimate unto him by whose providence from first to last he was guided to so strange an effect Lo he comes to the Prophet with a spirit of impotencie admiration and zeale to acknowledge the Lord with all fervor of spirit and to knit his heart for ever in love unto him for this cure of body and soule Secondly feeling himselfe unable to reach the Lord himselfe he goes to his Prophet the next instrument of his good forgets his former discontent and entirely embraces him as the Prophet of God sent unto him for this purpose and to him he directs his thankfulnesse which fell short of God himselfe Thirdly hee enters solemne league with the Lord to be a close client of his for ever ejuring all former false and idolatrous service and vowing himselfe wholly to the Lord and his worship for time to come Fourthly he takes hold and possession of the Church of God acknowledging it to be the onely true Church and therefore scruing himselfe into it that although his face was Aram ward yet his heart was to Jerusalem ward and to the true and onely place where the Lord had visible residence and presence at this time And this although he testified by a weake and poore expression of taking with him the earth of the holy Land Yet the inward soundnesse of heart exceeded his weake signification Fifthly he discovers his unfained conversion by a most tender sense of that sin whereby he had formerly most offended God viz. his presence at the worship of Rimmon this darts into his converted soule even as a dash of the tooth-ach or the sting of an hornet Sixthly he is exceedingly pierced with feare and care how he might nourish that sparkle which God had begun in him and how he might shun and prevent that rocke of offence at which he had mortally stumbled before Seventhly he is very glad to aske direction while it was now to be had how he might order his whole course for time to come which being darke and doubtfull for the present hee therefore craves the Prophets advice and prayers unto which the Prophet gives him a mercifull answer These are the parcels of this fourth generall I can but goe over the first The point then is this Where God workes a true cure upon any soule Doctr. Every true cure hath the spirit of the cure attending it there he also workes the spirit of the cure By a cure I meane conversion of a soule from Idols not Rimmon but lusts and vanities to the living God By the spirit of a cure I meane that instinct and disposition that due temper and quality which such a cure deserveth at the hands of the cured And I say not the spirit of him who is cured but the spâ—rit of the cure that is such a spirit as the mercy of him that heales the soule instils into it viz to be for God who hath beene for it Onely this As Gods cure hath beene gracious so is the spirit of the cure zealous and as his worke hath beene entire whole and unfained to the good of the soule that it might no more returne to folly so is the spirit of the cure sincere intire constant God hates patchery and halfe cures and the spirit of the cure hates halfe thankes halfe love halfe affections In a word the spirit of a sound cure of a soule is a tender spirit the very first fruits of the heart enlightned with faith forgiven renued and warmed in the wombe of mercy the most naturall peculiar acceptable and well pleasing fruit of the soule to God What the spirit of a cure is It stands in a tender love truly called the first love a tender joy in God tender compassions towards him tender jealousie of that which might provoke â—im tender care to please him tendernesse of spirit both to him in affections of desire and delight and also for him in zeale and revenge defence and taking up armes for him And it rests not in him but descends to a tender love to his Truth Worship Services Sacraments Sabbaths Servants and all which hath any relation to God even for his sake This in short is that I meane by this spirit of a cure I pitch upon this point the more willingly because it hath an easie comprehension of all those seven consequences of the cure above named And although each of them be distinct yet because this is my last Lecture I am glad that one doctrine hath so good a lot as to give you though but in generall and farre off a view of the whole For in this spirit of the cure all those fruits of Naamans returne from Jordan may be coucht together as a garment into one knot Explication of the Doctrine Marke then for explication sake thus much It is with the soule in point of spirituall cure as with the body in case of a bodily Who being heal'd by some odde rare Physitian of a mortall disease and such an one as all the Physitians in the country could not turne their hands unto yea such as all others gave over as desperate and past their skill by some odde Physitian I say one of a thousand who himselfe could not have heald it neither except he had by divine hand beene peculiarly made and train'd up for the very nonce to be skilfull in such a disease and such a one as will by no meanes take money or fees but scornes it only stands upon doing good preventing sad wreck of the diseased that he might get himself a name of
questions Prayers confessions and the like who doth not wish himselfe in their case except it be some errant blocke who discovers his brutishnesse all are ravisht to see such early beginnings The Lord knowes the fittest way to worke upon men Sooner will a young novice by his active spirit of the cure stir up others then some solid and grave Disciples because the spirit of the one is more stirring active and drawing than the other Fourthly there is in the cure of the soule converted to God Reas 4 such an irresistible power and impotencie From that irresistible power of Grace in the soule especially in the first turning home of it that there is no choaking quenching or damping of it It resembles her originall Seed leaven mustard-seed are things of an active and encreasing nature Leaven in a little while will sowre all the lump Hence are those expressions of the Saints Thy Word was in mee as coales of fire in my bosome Can a man carry them there and not be burnt I would have kept in thy words saith David but such was the nature of them that they would not be concealed I had no rest nor peace till I had uttered them to Congregations Peter could not hold Christ in his bosome till he had uttered himselfe to Nathaniel That woman of Samaria had fire in her bosome when she went to tell her kindred citizens the news of Christs discourse The love of God workes in the breasts of his Saints as it first wrought in his owne he having conceived it once could not cease till it had discovered it selfe to poore sunken Adam and hee would rather chuse to make his onely Sonne a Masse shame then he would not expresse it Even such is the same love having once wrought in them it is as the new wine in the caske which must have vent or else it will breake It is like Josephs affection to Benjamin all must be had out from him Gen. 45.14 and he must utter himselfe to him and fall upon his neck with a kisse and teares The newer any thing is the more forcible So is it with love The Apostle hath a sweet word to expresse it The love of Christ constraines us 2 Cor. 5. The word signifies 2 Cor. 5.14 gathers us up together as a beast hemmed in a Pinfold hath an appetite after liberty so the spirit of love finds it selfe straitned till it breake out And 1 Cor. 13. love is bountifull and working 1 Cor. 5. full of affection hopeth all things endureth all things and the like The fifth God is the God of order and loves sutablenesse of Reas 5 Age and Temper youth naturally is hot and full of expressions God is the God of order it is comely for young ones to be so their lusts were so before grace therefore grace must be so also I restraine not this heat to meere youth for if God do convert elder ones as Naaman there is a spirituall youth or first age even in them also grace at the first is most operative be the yeares what they may be but especially when grace falls upon tender yeares as for the most part that is the season ere the soule be sapped in lewd customes then it quickens those hot spirits which it meets with to singular expressions Reas 6 Lastly by this spirit the Lord provides matter and argument of convincement For the due convincement of such as after may wax luke-warme and loose and inward checke for time to come if at any time his people shall revolt from this grace of first conversion The Lord knowes our mold and fashion just Psal 103. We seem at our first setting forth to the journey so trimme and so prepared that no troubles nor difficulties shall daunt our resolution But by that time wee have travelled a while what with the ill way what with ill weather bad successe and what with our owne weary and crazie spirits within we waxe unto ward and stagger whether we should goe forward or no. The Lord knowes how many waies this first spirit of the cure flagges and wanzes in us sometimes the abundance of iniquity causes the love of many to waxe cold this degenerate formall world is ready to quench our spirit the presidents of many zealous and painfull professors who are turned drunkards uncleane worldlings Epicures and sinfull wretches 2 Pet. 3. ult do shake us The errour of the wicked puls us from our stedfastnesse feare of some men flattery of others but especially a cursed heart on the one side giddie presuming venturous on the otherside slavish fearfull and distrustfull distempers us so that although we keep from grosse evils yet we are far from that frame of zeale closenesse and watching which we have found onely peace from Now when it falls out thus and that crosses debts ill marriage care of children and other disguisements come upon the necke of the other then is the Lord faine to step in and take us to taske to upbraid us and cast us in teeth with our first spirit of cure our early first love sweet affections covenants humble feare watchfull care diligent paines zealous spirit Luk. 23.31 What was this done in the greene tree and shall it not be done in the dry What shall first beginnings shame thee Didst thou begin in the spirit if yet thou didst so and wilt thou now end in the flesh Oh! is there not enough in that never dying spirit of an immortall hope of salvation to carry thee on in thy poore course with equalnesse of affection Say the edge be a little blunted what is metall gone too is the steele worne out of the backe That first spirit of sound joy in God should by this day have bred in thy belly a welspring of water flowing to eternall life Oh! for shame strengthen the weary hands Heb. 12.13 and feeble knees and correct the crooked that it turne not out of the way Thus the Lord charmes a declining spirit by an experiment of her owne and brings her backe with sorrow and shame to her former temper So much for Reasons Use 1 Now for Use first is the spirit of a true Convert thus zealous for God This then teacheth us a difference of cures and that all are not alike for there are many to be sure farre from this temper and frame of spirit Instruction with an item Not every cure hath such a stroake in the soule of a man thus to change qualifie and act his spirit to and for the Lord. And all to teach us to try our spirits and to be afraid to rest in any base counterfeit cures which afford none of this life and operation Who doth not now a dayes boast himselfe to have gotten this through cure Counterfeit cures very common in the world true cures rare If once baptized and professe the Gospell it is treason in these dayes to put a difference betweene men Alas yee poore wretches
at times or a little water in a glasse to keepe it sweet will this prove a cure Or if he go to a cunning Chirurgion and he tell him I can cure you and make you as sound a man as ever you were but then you must be at some cost endure some paine be content to be lanced or to have your sore search'd to the quick or to have the dead flesh deeply corrasived and then to be tented and to be patient till it be quite healed But then the sore man should say Alas here is cost I am loth to waite so long Can you not bind it up for me the whiles and keepe it warme and the Ague from taking it if you can I le be content a while and hereafter I will come againe But by that time the sore is gangreen'd or fistulated or hath taken the bone and marrow and the Cihrurgion tels him it is incurable his legge must be cut off or it will cost him his life Would any man praise this man Surely such are many lazars cures even such as will make them creeples or bed-rid ones But sound cures we heare of few In the feare of God take warning All cures are not of one sort God can bee slight with the slight and sound with the sound Therefore come unto him open thy wound move him to pity thou art but a dead man if he helpe not come ere thy heart be quite hardned and past hope confesse his skill submit to his cure let him search tent and handle thee as he will If a sound cure be thine aime to get an heart truly purged of thy humours broken beleeving and repentant know the Lord can cure thee wholly as good cheape as by halfes renounce thy patchery and hollownesse and come to plaine termes and he can make thy flesh come againe as a childs But know that till then no spirit of a cure will be seene in thee nothing save a shifting shuffling doubtfull darke and staggering course will be come by Onely this sound cure will create a spirit of cure in thee to be a zealous humble and close Christian to be for the honour of Him who hath delivered thee from death and hell which no Physitian under Heaven save him selfe could have done for thee Use 2 Secondly Terrour this may be terrour to all whose frame is contrary Branch 1 to this spirit of Grace and Conversion So farre from being for God his Glory his Gospel and Ordinances so farre from the spirit of thankes Terrour to all such as nourish open and notorious diseases in themselves zeale and joy for grace and pardon that they still continue in the myre of their owne filth and still wallow in their defilements of covetousnesse prophanenesse uncleannesse and the like wofull wayes So contrary to the spirit of such as God hath healed that they carry about and upon them the nasty and leprous skin of Naaman An heathenish brutish and ignorant mind void of all light of truth an uncircumcised heart a rebellious obstinate and impenitent course fraught with all sinne possesses them I may say these rather have the spirit of deepe and mortall disease upon them then the spirit of a cure they carry that in their bosomes which is farre more mortall then Naamans disease To wit the spirit of old Adam of blindnesse bad customes the spirit of the earth and their lusts nay worse the spirit of rebellion malice and untractablenesse of heart they will not be reproved nor convinced but fight against the Lord and his truth yea some of them against their owne light which is as contrary to the spirit of Grace as can be Oh! the sinnes they commit are committed with an high hand they were never slaine by the killing letter of the Law but are alive jolly and secure their sinne weares a Crowne the King is not higher when he weares his Crowne then these are when they are in their Alehouses their games their adulterous and ungodly practises Their tongues are their owne for they were never redeemed with a price their passions humours are violent Their thoughts Psal 12.5 1 Cor. 6.20 Esay 13.22 a very through-fare for the Devill as Esay saith an habitation of Dragons and Ostriches so furious so false in their dealings so intemperate that none can live by them Brethren it is one thing to have sinne another to have a spirit of sinne A spirit of wrath is a prevailing habitednesse of it a spirit of revenge is a restlesse spirit never quiet till it have wreckt it selfe upon an enemy a spirit of uncleannesse is to be given over to it a spirit of the world is when not onely the soule hath the world but the world hath it It is one thing for a man to fall into a river and to have some water got into his body A spirit of sin what and how fearfull it is Heb. 13.5 another to lie under water and to be drown'd in it The Apostle Heb. 13.5 tels us of a conversation in covetousnesse or the love of silver as the word is which is then when a man is in the power of that lust when it hath got the soule into her snare and chaines so that the flame and bent of it is for gaine all the thoughts affections and devices of the heart are that way sleeping waking alone or in company in calling or in worship of God worky dayes or Sabbaths all is fish comes to net with such a base heart as is powred out after that Idoll And Brethren how many still of our people are such as these So farre from the spirit of Grace tendernesse 2 Cor. 4.4 compassions bowels of deare affection to God to his truth and Name that rather the spirit of the Prince of this world rules in them acts and carries them as sworne slaves of hell and foes of grace according to his owne pleasure Oh brethren these are the sadde times wherein the true spirit of Grace and of a converted soule are rare dainties Since the power of the Gospel hath beene resisted God hath given men over to the spirit of all sensuall prophanenesse The spirit of roysting swearing drunkennesse long lockes and all lust yea scorning the Gospell and all wholsome Ministery is come in stead thereof That promise of powring out the spirit of prophecie upon all flesh is gone The spirit of the Stewes and Alehouse Ioel 2. ignorance and every man for himselfe is come in The faces of men and women are altred with their spirits into the faces of Lions Wolves and foxes The Gospel serves either for a stalking-horse of hypocrites or a scare-crow of the lewd Except God be a breaking off our whole frame and knocking together of our old brasse and pewter to melt us and mould us anew in the Furnace of affliction I know not what to thinke of the spirit that rules among us If Heathens should see some of us it would make them loath the Gospel and
it He that cooles and checkes his own spirit from zeale and grace It commonly growes to open prophanenesse will in a short time be a secret discourager and checker of others How many are there of yeeres and discretion enough in other matters who will baite their children and servants from their diligence in hearing and zeale in profession How many will say I my selfe was as hot as you but now time and experience they should say time the Mother of truth which hath discovered their hollow hearts have made me wiser And I warrant you say they as hot as you seeme we shall have a cooling card for you and in time when children grow on and debts encrease and an hard world besets you you also will change your zeale into wisdome and become as temperate ones as we and abate your great resolutions How many are there whose great flames are now quailed and become as cold as ashes But woe be to such Satan hath entred into them againe though he seemed to be cast out at the first let none that have any dramme of this grace of the Gospel be damped for such as these For he that hath bred in them this spirit either can keepe them from such temptations or else can make their spirit rise above them and encrease Matth. 12.45 whereas the end of such revolters as these shall bee worse then the beginning So much also of this second sort Thirdly this is terrour to all Pelagian Popish and Carnall Branch 3 spirits Pelagian spirits farre from the true spirit of a cure which are as opposite to the Spirit of Grace and conversion as light and darknesse The spirit of a true cure of Jordan differs in all points from this spirit of selfe and free-will The one is for God and his glorious grace sets him up in the soule with admiration and thankes But the other is to set up and glorifie it selfe and the will of the flesh to make God stoop to man to fetch him from Heaven to the barre of humane censure there to answer for himselfe why he should not vouchsafe grace to this man as well as that both being equally disposed and if the Lord answer Because it is of my free love to shew mercy to whom I will Rom. 9.13 14 15. they strive with him and tell him This his pretended mercy is meere injustice and cruelty above the most mercilesse Tyrants to make a man and damne him when he hath done to prescribe him a rule which he never gave him power to performe and to require that of him which himselfe hath by an eternall fore-decree disabled him from O wofull pride Shall potsherds contend with their Maker Esay 45.9 If they will needs clash let them clash with potsherds and try which pot is stronger but to quarrell with the Potter how impudent and bootlesse is it And yet thus it is Note it who will The ancient spirit of conversion tender love and zeale to God and his truth never prospered since this bastard spirit of selfe and free-will came upon our stage It blasted all sincerity and gracious affections as sensibly as the East-wind blasts the tender buddes of the Spring What was Naamans spirit I pray so long as his Abana and Pharfar lasted Surely opposite to the Prophet to Jordan and the promise So is it with this Nothing will downe with the spirit of selfe save to pick quarrels with free grace it is no wonder that they are opposite to men 1 Thes 2.15 who are so contrary to God himselfe Tell me where will yee picke out a Pelagian spirit which ever was zealous for God tender to his glory jealous of offending him or carefull to please him The like I may say of the spirit of Popish devotion Popish spirits likewise standing in the bare letter of the Law of duties of outward ceremonies and performances putting a Religion into the worke wrought and deed done What doth all the dunghill and drosse of Popery seeke to establish save a carnall Religion What doth it so much abhorre as selfe-deniall except it be in some externals for the meriting of Heaven what is so odious to it as faith to justifie Alas That pleads for salvation by justice and not by grace It uses Christ onely for a meere formall person to beare her name Esay 4.1 2. but shee will beare all her charges her owne selfe And under a colour of some glorious ceremonies and outward worship what doth she but muzzle the mouth of conscience and nuzzle the soule in a rotten peace which either will carry her to hell laughing or else breake out into utter horrour and desperation I aske but this question When as once the Lord hath truly turned the soule to God what is more odious irksom to it then that which overthrows the Word and Promise and sets up in stead of it a Religion of mans braine and inventions garnisht and disht out with the shreds and dregges of flesh without a droppe of true bloud of Christ or one sparke of the spirit of grace Who wonders that wheresoever this trash becomes there the true preaching of the Lord Jesus the power of the Gospel the honour and esteeme of the Ministery of Reconciliation is trodden in the dirt and cast out as unsavoury But I cease and leave this Use of terrour and come to an Use of reproofe And that shall be of all such as in times past have seemed to be the first head of the Professors in this kind for their spirit of zeale and love to the Gospel but have now catcht a fall and Use 3 cannot get up on their legges againe Reproofe but remaine and welter in a lukewarme and degenerate estate boâ—h in the sight of God and his Church Brethren the time hath beene Revolters from their zeale and grace of the Gospel are in a sadde case in some of our memories that men have thought no Ministery zealous enough for them but wish'd with David Let the righteous smite me and it shall be as balme But now these men are growne weary of such loath reproofe and will teach Ministers what and how farre they shall order their discourse Each thing spoken in particular is spoken against them They who would have given their very eyes to Gods Minister and with Naaman here Psal 141.5 Gal. 4.15 thought neither gold nor silver nor changes of rayment good enough for him wil scarce give two brasse farthings to keepe them in their places At first who but they to get them in and now who but the same men to hunr them out What Are we become your enemies for telling you the truth is this your great spirit of the Gospel shall I say or of selfe-love The time hath beene when you came new minted as you thought out of Jordan that such tendernesse of conscience was upon you for God that you would scarce take up a pinne or a sticke of another mans lest
you should sinne But now you that so strained out a Gnat can swallow a Camell Some of you dare grind the faces of such as you are to deale with and no money is sweeter to you then that which you get by an hard bargaine Once if you be remembred you tooke thought how you should subsist from weeke to weeke for lack of the Word Now you can passe weekes and moneths and never come at a powerfull Sermon and which is worse whereas the least offence in this or any other kind would smite you like the sting of an Adder now you are so brawned that it never troubles you awhit The time hath beene wherein the sorrowes and sufferings of Gods servants went so neere you that they made them deerer to you then ever Now no peny no Pater-noster as the Proverb saith and let them sinke or swimme what care you Once you could forfeit your names your states your paines your liberties for the truth of God Heb. 10. and professe that it was better then ten thousand of your lives Now alas the least stirring of a Mouse behind the painted cloth is enough to make you tremble like an aspen leafe Oh! you love to sleep in a whole skinne and the notion of a persecutor an enemy a prison or a fine is hideous unto you Rather had you to spend five pound to quit your selves of such a feare with a crasie conscience to please a timorous and degenerate spirit then five shillings to hold out the Profession the Resolution for that truth which once was dearer then your lives The dayes have bin when Novices and first Converts Zeale of first converts described were very scrupulous of their fashions in attire their companies their liberties games and recreations both for kind and measure both for for feare of sin and also of scandall marvellous loth to incurre the least suspition of a carnall spirit in these or any kind as jarring with the tendernesse of heart which the first sense of mercy wrought in them Now every man fals to his dispensations and swallowes downe all these as if there were nothing either within them to checke or without them to stumble at Once the manner was to enquire after the closest strictest course of worshipping and walking with God as thinking no cost too much for God Now the fashion is to aske what is the least degree of true faith that if they can make themselves beleeve they have that there they may set downe their staffe Now the first question is What liberty may a godly life admit how may we be religious with least adoe how may we save our selves best and goe neere the wind without too much note for precisenesse or trouble for our profession Iudg. 9. The fatnesse of the Olive and sweetnesse of the Vine was wont to be so precious with most of us that wee abhorred to exalt our selves above the trees with the forfeit thereof But alas those dayes are out of date now each Christian thinkes it no bargaine except he may jolly it out in some carnall manner and live with reputation in the world above his fellowes and with note among them that are carnall if they cannot brave it out with great shewes fine cloaths matches for their children raking up heapes that they may bestow upon the pride of life that which they were wont to bestow upon God good persons and causes it savours not in their nostrils Once they troubled them most who suffered them not to bee godly fast enough now these are no eye-sores they can beare them well enough but they trouble them most who will not let them be rich fast enough who mourne to see that money and pleasures and vanities steale away their hearts they could smite such Numb 22.27 as Balaam did his poore Asse who thus trumpe in their way and stop their pace in that which they cannot seeke fast enough Oh poore wretches Went not the spirit of Grace out with you to stop you also What had you laid this sweet babe in the Cradle to sleepe while you thus play your parts Is there thinke you no dinne to awake this sleepy spirit no crosse to sting you as fire in your flesh and so to recover your temper Take heed then you cozen not your selves at last as you have deceived the hope of others for sure if you be or ever were right there must be a way to let out this Pleurisie Brethren I can scarce tell to whom I speake I scarce beleeve mine owne eyes If I may are there not some here who counted it a marke of their true tendernesse to shunne the least appearance of evill 1 Thes 5. But where is this become Shew me the man whose jealous heart can prove that he hath not by nibbling at smaller evils so imbezzeled his peace and gull'd down the Sea-wals of his feare and conscience that now he is waxen hardned by the deceitfulnesse of sinne What shall we say in these cases Surely either Gods Word and the worke of Grace admits a change with the time or else these are those sadde dayes wherein men have gotten the start of this spirit of Grace and gotten more wit then our Predecessors have had to wit to joyne Religion with the liberty of our owne wils Such dispensations doubtles the Church of God never knew but rather in the loosest times counted it their eare-marke to be closest Christians Those who now nourish tendernesse are made scornes and by-words as fooles who know not their liberties It was once a marke of the true spirit of Grace to make conscience of the Sabbath day as a morall charge although changed by the speciall instinct of the Lord Jesus the Lord of the Sabbath from the seventh day to the eighth But where shall we come now where every man speakes not his owne words if not prophane yet common and ordinary in all mixt discourses about personall matters or else newes and novelties Who curbs his spirit to the talke of a Sabbath ruling his thoughts affections or converse so as at night he might lie downe in peace Truly Christians shall not have need of enemies to bring in a forme of godlinesse for ought I see themselves even in their distasting it outwardly love it too well inwardly all love a Religion of ease and breadths and owne ends This is that Viper which threatens to eate through the bowels of Religion and to bring it to nought Ah! little doe we thinke that this temper of ours doth lie heavie upon Gods stomach till he spue us out How just is it with the Lord for such a deserting and revolt from the first spirit of our conversion and falling to the mixture of Sardis Ephesus and Laodicea that is a dead a decayed and luke-warme temper to remove the Candlesticke out of his place Revel 2.5 3 18. to take his flight not from the Cherubims to the threshold but from the Temple into a Wildernesse there to gather
a new body of people not defiled with this scurffe and live among them Ezek. 9. rather then to take these Coleworts of ours to feede upon aad this refuse remnant and scraps of that royall feast which we were wont to make him whiles the savour of his grace continued among us Large I might be in urging particulars but by the Paw judge of the Lion and let this shaâ—p reproofe in Gods feare warne so many of us as in whom every sparke of old spirit is not extinct to looke about us 1 Thes 5.25 that we nourish this marke of Grace in us and quench it not And so I goe on to speake of that Use of Admonition And Use 4 first to warn all in whose hearts any spark of this Spirit of Grace Branch 1 and Zeale to Gods truth hath beene bred Admonit Admonition to the people of God to nourish the spirit of first conversion in themselves that they nourish and nurse it in themselves continually That they waxe not confident in their first beginnings because their edge was quick at the first as if they were past danger or as if this grace would grow up in them without their owne industry and watchfulnesse Alas poore soules you have but saluted Religion with the upper lip Tender spirits and keene edges may be soone damped and dulled you have a great journey to goe a world of worke to doe a wofull heart of secret poyson still to subdue which will not easily yeeld it is not your affections which will beare you out against a sad body of death and a nature of old Adam many crosses feares bad examples and errours of the wicked abide you and early or late will shake your frame and try what metall you are made of Doe not prophecy to your selves a shot-free ease and to walke without feare of bullets and darts in this world The Devill seemes to be sad that he hath lost you but of all other people he watcheth you a mischiefe and would bee gladdest if he could pay you home you are his objects of fury and set in the forefront of his battery if the dint light upon any it is likest to seise first upon you And thousands who have given as great hope of as sound and close a spirit to God and have opposed sinne base formall courses as much as you have yet revolted to Satan and he hath laid seven times as many irons upon them as at first to secure himselfe from a second escape Tremble to thinke of it Matth. 12.45 Seeke to improve this first Grace of yours this zeale and affection to the Gospel and against all enemies of sincerity with a wise steddy and full resolutenesse of heart to undergoe any brunts pursuits discouragements offences by false Hypocrites or other affronts which may come in the way It is not possible but this Age affecting nothing more then a contrariety to power of good and upright walking with God must needs put you to it daily and try you throughly with the infinite many trials which it hath devised to ferret out the good from themselves that they and their hypocrisie might predominate and all soundnesse be abandoned Lie not therefore as two irons on both sides the loadstone let not your soules play booty with God in this weighty businesse stagger not be not now haled by the false flatteries of this painted harlot or scared by the terrours and threats of a frowning tyrant for the world is both but seeke to be insensible of her If she finde that love of Gods truth wanzeth in thee and thou coudst beteame to be at more ease and elbow-roome in the world or that thou fearest trouble or beginst to strew and garnish thy false heart with any other lust she hath enough she is sure of thee Rather set before thine eyes the wofull end of all decliners All that come rolling down the hill faster then they ever got up Caveats against a declining course in sundry particulars They shatter themselves and breake their bones without hope of setting againe their end is commonly worse then their beginning Loath each step of a base heart going this way and allaying this spirit with her owne mixtures If first heate chill it will die a thousand to one if that which should inflame all the whole course be it selfe cold how great is that coldnesse Discerne it in the first approach whether it be by casting on cold water or not laying on more fuell If the love of the world pleasures merry company a loose heart tickle thee of if thou grow scanter in meanes as in prayer hearing meditation or fasting lesse watchfull and timorous suspect thy selfe betimes Stumble Stumble not at the infirmities of the religious but cover and interpret them mercifully take no occasions of offence nourish every thing which might breed in thee a better opinion of holinesse and entertaine no suspitions against it let not her fare the worse for the errours of them that professe no nor for the revolts of time-servers Harbor not in thy spirit any secret distemper of pride selfe-love selfe-conceit fullennesse frowardnesse carnall wisdome earthly mindednesse These will creepe in and tickle as a Viper under colour of some lawfulnesse or other but they will eate out the very bowels and heart-heate of the spirit of grace Nibble at none of the Devils baits Behold not too wisely the errour of the wicked and the streame of evill without feare or checke lest this cause the love of many to waxe cold Matth. 24.13 Matth. 24.13 Daily ply the meanes and lay on fewell arme thy selfe by prayer against the course of decliners as David did Ps 101.3 Pal. 101.3 Nourish humility and simplicity of spirit next to faith above all Inure thy selfe to deny much for God that so he may grow dearer to thee and thou to him Spend not nor waste thy zeale needlessely and rashly upon objects of lesser weight but reserve thy selfe till a better warrant and call a stronger and more weighty object to pull thee forth lest thou faile in the hottest of the attempt as those mostly doe whose zeale is unballanced Be not wedded to thy selfe for the spirit of grace doth not so well befit him who abounds in his owne sense Compare Num. 23. with Exod. 32.19 Moses was a man who in his own matters was very meek and calm and therfore his zeale in breaking the Tables and indignation against that Idolatry became him the better Esteeme and value each sinne by the nature of it not the cry or outside of it The losse of thy spirit perhaps seemes not so hideous to thee as some open sinne which thou seest in others as to oppresse or be drunke but it is worse not onely because it is the seed of thee but because although thou shouldest never breake out so farre yet it is the decay of thy frame and temper of goodnesse A burning Ague is not so dangerous as a
Consumption A great gash of a sword upon a fleshie part arme or thigh carries more bloudy shew with it but the drawing of a small wyre through the heart is far more mortall the prick of a pin there is worse then the wound of a sword upon the legge To finish this use constantly all spirituall lively quickning ordinances and the more lively dispensed the rather Side with them that are spirituall cast thy lot into their lap mourne with them laugh with them gaine or lose with them trade with them of all duties meanes or graces oftenest trade with the most spirituall especially faith the life of all both in one condition of life and other such meditations as thou feelest will leave thee most heavenly and carry thee farthest off thy self traffique most withall knowing that a carnall lukewarme spirit is alway at the doore offering it selfe but a spirituall will not bee kept save by strong hand Preferre this spirit of grace in thy wife child or friend before the most beautifull rich or politicke fellow in all the Country love such an one with all his infirmities rather then another with the best accomplishments Also use Gods afflicting hand wisely for that fire is needfull oft-times to quicken inward hearts as the fire of thy heart to helpe the heat of thy fingers and feet and thereby God would visit thy spirit and keep it in temper So much for this first branch Branch 2 Secondly if by any meanes thou be sunke and decayed in this spirit of Grace Admon Recover again thy temper if it be lost by what meanes never lin till thou hast recovered it againe Many wayes this may be and never fals out more frequently then in these false-hearted dayes Sometimes by overmuch piddling about the bables of this world for every of us must have some vanity or other to while our selves about sometimes by more sad plodding about profit and commodity or by multiplicity of businesse and more irons in the fire then we can well manage over-stocking our selves with cares and employments which we cannot compasse sometime by sadde accidents in our course as ill successe in our trades distempers through unequal yoking in marriage wrath frowardnesse and discontent betweene couples or by rash suretiship which proves a great snare to the spirit by bad debtors by decay in our estate through improvidence and unskilfulnesse by false friends bringing us into trouble by quarrels and sutes in Law especially with potent adversaries by bad children not answerable to their education and hopes These weare and teare out the spirit of Grace disguise a man and weaken his zeale care tendernesse yea oft make him ashamed to put forth himselfe for God lest his poverty be cast in his teeth They intercept a mans times and seasons for God as the hearing of the Word frequently hinder our joy liberty or leisure to set up God in the family or to maintaine secret interest with him they hamper the affections from expressing that grace which is within There bee other occasions also within as ease and sloth wearinesse of a base heart also some mixt of both as want of good Ministery or removall of dwellings which oft are a great hurry to a good mind which is not in her power and liberty in such cases want of good examples or helpe of private friends sorting together in the wayes of God All these helping a wofull world of Declensions the Devill and a base heart must needs damp and coole many and alas when this disease is not cured betimes it will at last breake out into worse evils sad revolts breach of peace and losse of conscience with ill report and scandall which are not easily cured Therefore for such this I say Dost thou come to see this thine estate Dost thou perceive hereby thy precious spirit to be weatherbeaten and halfe blasted thy fatnesse and sweetnesse to be gone thy selfe to become as a dry branch and as one in whom there is no forme or beauty to be desired as in times past Mourne for it as for the losse of a jewell Say thus Who shall give me the wings of a Dove Psal 55.6 Ier. 2.2 that I may flee into the Wildernesse and there with a pensive soule call to mind the love of my youth which the Lord in those first cords of his and drawings of my heart inspired mee withall Oh! how little did I then looke for such a change When I was one of the children of the bride-chamber I was merry and joyfull But now I had need to fast and mourne Then I knew not what sorrow and sinne meant but went in and out with God at pleasure Oh! that some happy messenger from God might bring me newes of the recovery of of my spirit again to that temper whereof it was wont to be yea if it were but newes of a way by which it might be once restored Well if thou wilt not give God over he will not forget thee For why if thou be sure that ever this spirit was indeed wrought in thee by the worke of God whose workes are perfect like himselfe then know that this spirit is eternall And therefore as I advise thee to tremble at thy deadnesse and lukewarmnesse so yet I adde lin not till some beame of ray of that old spirit of Grace as the Sun through a cloud shine into thy prison wals and cause thy flesh to returne againe through faith in his promise as the flesh of a little child If things indifferent or crosses have disguised thee the worke will be the lesse to file thee bright againe because the leprosie is but in the skinne But if any speciall and grosse sinne have fretted inward and rusted thy spirit wasted thy first love then let it smite thee as an arrow piercing thy liver desire God to flayte and gaster thee out of that lap and bosome Simil. as Sampson out of Delilah's As they who worke in Coalepits if once they see their candle to burne blew make away with all haste possible lest they be choaked So thou whiles any life and spirit remains hast thy selfe out of this sadde damp and looke up to him to prevent utter death who hath promised to establish thee with his free spirit and so to renue it that it might never againe waste or decay in thee See that it doe not Thou hast felt the danger of losing it and the presence of God to thy soule by it If God have gathered it up againe as water spilt on the ground and girded up the loynes of thy soule with a second girdle of renewed zeale and fervour of heart lock thy doore upon thy beloved clip him faster in thine armes then ever and sinne no more lest a worse thing befall thee Fifthly this Use leads me to another and more weighty one of Use 5 Examination Examination to try thy selfe about this spirit of Grace whether ever it were wrought in thee soundly or not There is no
of that habit and savour of grace which makes the sound heart desire and resolve to be be good whether any other in the world be so besides himselfe or not The life of the child was so deare to the true mother that although it went against the edge yet she chose rather the false mother should have it then it should be slaine And therefore it was adjudged to her as her owne So is it here A true heart would cose any losse rather deny it selfe to the death then the life of religion should be indangered because it is bred in her bosome So then you see brethren Positives comming from life cannot be assembled by the heart which is dead and unsound An hypocrite for his humour would have the the child religion into his possession for his credit not for love of the life of it for he will starve and kill it for lacke of good keeping only the true mother that bare it and knowes the price of it will nurse and nourish it with her breasts Try thy selfe by this Any Ape will imitate somewhat in a man but he can neither laugh nor speake for lack of Reason Fourthly trie this spirit of Grace by the object Grace strikes at the root By the object the order and equality thereof falshood at the branches onely The zeale love and grace of the spirit is chiefly and mainly against the chiefe corruption of the heart then of life and it is first earnest for the maine most weighty matters of God and then for second things Not first for the latter and then for the former Againe it is orderly equall not preposterous and disproportioned Great are the cries of many Separators from our Communion against corruptions abuses in our Church But you shall scarce marke any order in their spirits They begin not at home are not zealous against the abuses of their owne soules see not the pride and desperate selfe-love of their owne hearts The glory of God in their owne Reformation they will not looke at Separatists frō our Church how blind in the discovery of their owne corruptions but suffer themselves to swarme with all base evils see no want of Charity Mercy Compassion Discretion in themselves If they would see their owne beames they might the better discover others But alas if there were no Church abuses to speake of their occupation would cease And why speake they of these abuses Not as becomes them in patience and innocencie to wait for a blessed redresse but to overthrow the Church quite and pull downe the very frame and foundations of it yea to raze it to the ground which never did any of those who are ten times more judicious then the best of them attempt or intend And so they bring an aspersion upon others to be as giddy and rash as themselves who yet as much abhorre it as they do those abuses If the Spirit of Grace of a sound humble and tender heart cleaving to the Word close to the Ordinances could be found in them If Christ and the worke of Faith and Regeneration were as great objects in their eye as outward administrations of the Church we might hope better of their persons then now we can So I might instance in other particulars Many men have zeale affections in them but how do they improve them Surely not upon the reall things of the Gospell but upon personall objects censuring such as equal not themselves in their supposed grace judging men for their ignorance infirmities errors Whereas the spirit of Grace looks inward 1 Cor. 13. it is mercifull long-suffering meeke loving hopeth all things endureth all things it judgeth her selfe in secret and leaves others to stand or fall to their owne Master So likewise the Spirit of Grace is free as the Apostle saith from all partiality and hypocrisie A false spirit cleaves to this Minister or to that for some by-respects Cephas Apollo Paul Rom. 14 4. Iam. 3.17 1 Cor. 3.22 shall goe for his money and accordingly is carried in such affection sometimes above the clouds sometimes lower then the earth in likes and dislikes But a sound spirit loves all the faithfull Ministers of Christ with sutable tendernesse of heart though the measure be as the peculiar relation stands and holds the same affection constantly to all for Christs sake The badge of their Master procures honour to them in his heart whether old young neere farre off the gifts and graces of God though lying diversly are the object of his love Not only will a faithfull Minister be for God in Pulpit but out of it also not zealous in publique and in private as another common person A good heart will not affect a strict closenesse upon the Sabbath and then upon other dayes loose or carelesse in the duties of the second Table using all sorts of companies taking all liberties breaking promises paying no debts running up and downe with neglect of calling and family this is no spirit of grace but of corruptiom guilded over with some file of zeale without substance Fifthly the carriage of the spirit of Grace discernes it from the spirit of unsoundnesse For you shall commonly find The carriage of it that although a false heart will be as earnest zealous and forward as an honest yet one fly or other of selfe reflection will bewray whence it comes even from pride and seeking it selfe It cannot beteame and afford the Lord the cleere and entire honour of the action except in the dressing it licke her owne fingers As a rat behind the painted cloth so doth falshood discover it selfe herein It is as oyle in the hand which cannot be held in If it be in a Preacher you shall find it thus Truly you must pardon mee I was put to it upon a sudden but I trust to your patience why Oh! to draw on praise and admiration Oh saith another I could not satisfie my self in what I did Another will aske How did you taste my doctrine to day even as feast-makers cannot bid their friends welcome be merry but there must be a tang of folly You must pardon us for our poore cheere when yet they know they abound so here Others cannot bring forth a point but it must be with a preface I am to speake to you of a speciall point and I doubt it will search the most of us to the quicke Sundry miscarriages of an unsound heart discovered a point that few of you have heard till now and many there are so full of themselves that if they heare any man of worth praised for his worth they are upon thornes till they can set another copie of their own by the other to blemish it I was the first man saith one that first brought the Gospell into the town I was the man who hunted out such a drunkard and brought such an Adulterer to shame I do such and such good to the Ministery to the poore and the like I have
such respect in my place do so and so in my family and the like Here 's eagernesse and zeale but most unsavory stuffe mixt with it too ranke for an humble heart to smell of Let thy hints and overtures be for God abhorre thine owne mixtures nothing so opposes the true spirit of grace as the spirit of a Pharisee Lord I thanke thee I am not thus and thus I do so and so Luk 18.10 11 12. nothing more consonant to it as the spirit of that Publican I abhorre my selfe as the spirit of those that know not what they did Mat. 25. Lord when saw we thee in prison or naked and visited or clothed thee This loadstone of selfe will become a loadstone for God if thine heart be sound And to conclude even so will the carriage of a true spirit be wise considerate and well ballanced such an one will establish his thoughts with counsell Better is hee that is patient in spirit Prov. 24.3 then the hasty A coole spiâ—it is an excellent spirit Eccles 7.8 if it be but coole in the carriage it may be fervent in the substance Whereas the unsound spiriâ— is fiery quick rash and utters more with a breath then it can undoe with ten and so brings it selfe upon its owne knees to cry Peccavi when perhaps it is with reproach to himselfe and religion I will not condemne all for unsound who are rash But I wish all sound spirits to beware how they trench upon such suspitious markes Bring not sorrow upon your selves by this rashnesse you shall meet with trouble enough in your best discretion but that which rashnesse procures seldome brings peace either in suffering or in the issue Thus much for a taste of those markes of tryall which may help us to descry our owne spirit from Gods grace Many more might have beene added but I hasten to an end To conclude then let this be an use of Exhortation and that Use 6 sundry wayes Exhort First to all that have this spirit in them to mourn bitterly for the losse and decay of this spirit throughout the Branch 1 Christian world Alas how farre are we sunke from that zeale of God against Popery and heresie which was wont to abound Looke into Germany where this spirit began by Luthers meanes where is so much as a sparke of it to be seene Declining of the temper of zeale and power ought to be bewailed sadly Even in the daies of Luther what horrible opposition was made to this spirit of the Gospell By how many meanes did the devill then stop the proceedings of Reformation What wayes were not used by Politicians to quash that zeale by their interims and sundry bookes of Reconciliation with Popery in their most Tenets Since which times even to the age we live in both in Germany and the Low-countries the Reformed Churches in France and among our selves how hath Satan laboured to quaile the spirits of men from zeale of the Gospell By what meanes hath Popery so much encroached upon us how hardly is the name of it odious even at this day in most places And if perhaps it be here and there so yet as for the zeale of peoples to the Gospell from the experience of that grace of conversion and the worke of faith how rare is it to find Oh! that our heads were welsprings brethren and our hearts fountaines of teares to mourn for the desolation of this Spirit of Grace among us As he said Scarce theâ—e is mention of Rome in Rome the change is so great in the places where the Gospell hath beene most famous It is recorded of those Jewes of the returned captivity that many who had seene the first Temple mourn'd to see the latter Some Jewish writers render the reason because not onely the frame of it was so poore in comparison of the former but because of the radicall defects it had in it It seem'd Ichabod the glory was gone Ezâ—a 3.12 The Holy of Holies was empty of the Arke of Gods presence and the Merey Seat upon it no more going into it with blood to fetch atonement no more fire from heaven to kindle sacrifices they were faine to kindle it from the Sun-beames with a glasse and as for the Priesthood the Jewes used to call it a Priesthood of clouts or garments 1 Sam. 4.21 because only those were left the Priest to weare the Urim and Thummim those holy shoulder pieces those precious stones of the Ephod and Brest-plate were gone Truly brethren beleeve me as Elijah in his Cave once mourned for the misery of his time 1 King 19.10 so might we for the losse of this spirit of the Gospell among us What do I deny but through mercy and the government of our Princes both living and of famous memory we have enjoyed the truth of God Or that God hath had and still hath abundance of worthy learned famous instruments of service both in Ministery Magistracy Commonalty No God forbid and I doubt not but in many places Truth and light are much improved although it were to be desired it were scattered more generally but the misery is that there lackes a sutable spirit of love tendernes closenes affection and soundnesse to the Gospell The body of knowledge in many is so vast and unweildy for lacke of equall power integrity and life to quicken it that it is like to totter by her owne weight That former effectualnesse in Preaching convincing converting waxes straitned scant and collapsed That spirit of siding with the Truth of God defending it against errours and lukewarmenesse that ingenuity and cordiall simplicity in us that professe seemes to be quite gone Trash and drosse of mens profits pleasures ease forme of religion and such other scurfe as is not to be named hath eaten up all as one said The usury of the New hath eaten up the gaine of our Old University So may we say The spirit of our new hath eaten up the power of our old dayes in point of edge affection earnestnesse and zeale All is growne to discourse contemplation and empty shadowes of sincerity Not to speake of many who formerly have stood for diligent preaching and for the power of it and are now gone aside and slinke their neckes out of the Collar Alas brethren it is not your going into new England which will deliver you from the spirit of your old death and sloth except the Spirit of Grace conduct you thither All cannot goe what shall become of such as must stay except God revive us at home Secondly it should provoke us to pray to God the great Branch 2 Physitian of this Epidemicall disease of exhortation to heale this decaying temper and this consumption of our vitall spirits that heat and moysture life and vigour of grace which threatens utter consumption in us How much better were it for us to fall into a burning ague then into such a dead palsey as this
feares him Psal 103. and thy smoaking flax shall not be put out nor thy bruised reed be broken through thy conflict with the drudgery of thy distrustfull heart Maâ—t 12. Reach only at this strength as able to save thee and as belonging to thee and nothing shall come betweene cup and lip to defeat thee Death it selfe shall but hasten the promise for thee when the fruit is come to the birth this strength of the promise shall bring it forth Wait thou quietly and be doing good and thy judgement shall breake out into victory Whatsoever thy weake beginnings were thy encreases shall be great Believe it and rest thy selfe for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it Job 8.7 Branch 9 Lastly to end remember that in beleeving this promise thou dost not dishonour the Lord Faith is the greatest glory that the soule can yeeld to God but glorifie him above whatsoever else thou canst doe for him It s his scope to shut thee up under this soveraignty of his justice and shew thee his uttermost advantage that he may trie thee whether the sense thereof will draw thee to his ends or no That is when thou hearest of a free grace above and beyond this justice purchased by his deare Sonne that they who beleeve it may glorifie all his whole excellent union of Attributes in one and confesse him to be most just wise powerfull and gracious in his way of redemption above the grace of creation I say he doth trie thee whether thou wilt give him that excellent glory which he hath sought to himselfe by occasion of thy ruine If thine heart then can freely beteame him this glory and more fully empty it self in the glorifying of him then in thy own escaping the former advantage know it thou shalt honour him above all other honour in thy beleeving And by thy distrust and sealing up thy heart under the darkenesse bondage and feare of thy former guilt whatsoever Satan and unbeleefe tell thee sure it is thou goest the next way to crosse God of his purposed intention to glorifie himself marveilously in thy pardon and salvation 2 Thess 1.8 And therefore instead of his being admired in thee because thou beleevest he justly will be admired in thy double vengeance because it was not enough for thee once to sinne in Adam but thou addest drunkennesse to thirst in denying that grace which would have taken occasion by thy sinne to settle an infinite glory upon himself and far better estate upon thee then Adams innocency could have done And so much for this second use of exhortation Secondly this point should be humiliation to all sorts because the Vse 2 Lord hath even the best at sundry petty advantages in each particuler concerning this fraile life Humliation to all sorts in respect of Gods having us at so infinite advantage Although he have released the maine advantage by forgiving us yet so long as sinne and this body of death abideth so long all the penalties abide incident to our nature our Lord Jesus himselfe all the daies of his abasement and flesh endured them and we much more must stoop under them that we might be conformed to his sufferings How should it pull downe our carnall presumption and jollity to consider that even while we are hearing the word the Lord might stop our breath as the breath of one almost was while this point was in handling being a sleepe at the sermon which of us stand not at Gods curtesie for somewhat which others are deprived of How is our fraile life on the sudden intercepted how many are choked with their meate nay have bin choked with a Fly or a raison stone how many make their beds their graves in the midst of their feasting their mirth talke and company arrested with the stroke of Gods hand how many have made their feasting cheare to be the cheare for their funerall how many are slaine by the high way by the fall of their horse others have their eie lasht out by a twig in their travaile Absolon is snatcht up by his long head locks by a shrag of an oake when we are secure of our children lo one is scald with water another drowned in it another burnt with fire other come to other sad casualties All to teach us to humble our soules each day before God and confesse the many just advantages he hath us at us I say and ours and that salvation is from the Lord we take it for granted if we have tilled our grounds we shall have a sowing season at our pleasure if we have sowne our seed and waited our time we shall have our crop and if we have carried it into our barne we shall thresh and eat of our travaile and so ordinarily we doe through mercy yet we are still at Gods advantage in all by wet by drought by fire and vermine and an hundred waies all to teach us God is not so tyed to us or to the meanes and husbandry we use God is not tyed to us in outward protection alwaies no nor to his promise neither but that our presumption infidelity and unthankefulnesse may provokâ— him to use his prerogative and to destroy all that so we may walke with more awe and feare before this our God who is a consuming fire and teach us daily and nightly to shut up our selves and ours in the Arke of his protection to arise up to dresse our selves to eat to worke Deut. 33.11 to walke to converse to lye downe with an humble thankefull heart neither as slaves nor yet as presumers but as those whom the Lord hath at a perpetuall advantage and may use it if hee will and if hee should say as he might better say it 1 King 20.1.3 then that boasting Benhadad did All thy wives children are m ne all thy gold and silver is mine thy treasures also and all thy wealth is mine yea if he should lay his hand upon all or any as which of them is not subject to casualty thy mends were in thine owne hands Oh! with how narrow an eye and foot and how soberly would we use each blessing if we were bound in a statute to a creditor to surrender all at an houres warning and stood at his curtesie for the bread we eat Would we then take our fill or the uttermost liberty of our commodities Even so let us walke humbly before God who is our Soveraigne and hath our lives wealth and persons at command in a moment to surprize us Let us daily take all as lent us from his hand let us use all humbly and purely as if we used them not let us count out selves daily to be in jeopardy and bid adiew daily to all comforts here below yea life it selfe As an holy man being asked over night whether he would goe to such a place to morrow or no answered I thanke God Note I have known no morrow these twenty yeares A signe
with what an humble sober heart he used life it selfe and much more all inferior comforts whose tenant at will he confessed himselfe to be and with what an heart he commended his spirit into the hands of him that gave it as oft as he lay downe to his rest And sure it is the little acknowledging of this Soveraignty and salvation of God is the cause why many of us are compelled to learne it by sad experience who else might enjoy it with more freedome Gods not being tyed to us in grace urges Prayer for daily assisting grace as very necessary The like I might speake touching Gods spirituall safeguard of our soules and the salvation of his Church The Lord is not absolutely tyed to us in these respects We should humble our soules for these also and say thou canst Lord if thou wilt vouchafe me such a measure of comfort by beleeving peace in my conscience admiration at thy love burning zeale for thy glory compassion and brokennesse of heart for my breaches of covenant and daily failings Thou hast the key of the wombe of heaven of the deepes the grave and of mine heart Lord the restraints or enlargements thereof are from thee Thou hast promised thy grace shall be sufficient 2 Cor. 12.7 Esai 63.13 but my wretched proud defiled soule may provoke thee to shrinke in thy graces thy rolling of bowels and opennesse of spirit But yet thou art the soveraigne Lord of thine owne good things thou canst if thou wilt remoove my tickling heart after the world mine envy pride hypocrisie Thou canst if thou wilt purge out my sloth deadnesse hardnesse of heart security unthankefulnesse and the like Oh Lord these cause me to walke sadly and to grone daily for ease Oh that thy good pleasure were to perfect thy first grace with this second assistance and efficacy and to cast in all those promises to the first which concerne mortification and a new creature Oh that I might not provoke thee by my wilfulnesse and unbeliefe to restraine the influence of heaven from mee and to make thy clowdes as brasse and mine heart as iron Lord thou mayst in thy soveraigne free grace enlarge thy selfe let not my base rebellious distempers dry up the welspring of thy promises God gives not account of all his matters And to conclude the Lord is a soveraigne God also in respect of his administration of his whole militant Church Although she be his spouse and hath a right to all his goodnesse yet God gives not an account of all his matters nay oftentimes she incurres a premunire with God and by her former lazy Laodicean temper of a fulsome carelesse surfeted spirit deserves that the Lord should use his soveraignty and prerogative of discipline over her for her correction and amendment Therefore although he take not his loving kindnesse from her yet Sins of the Church the cause of Gods hiding himselfe her Lethargy and Palsey frame her wearinesse and contempt of his ordinances and their power may cause him to chasten her with the rods of men Now we are in such cases of wanting the meanes of injury and violence of times encroaching of enemies inundation of errors and profanenesse and decay of love and zeale in the better sort very prone to taxe Gods wisedome and call him to our barre as if we would teach him more wisedome See Jer. 12.1.2 But alas the Lord is a soveraigne God and knowes what physicke our maladies require he knowes our rust will not be filed off without much rubbing and scowring He lookes at the generall ends of his providence which are to punish severely the declensions and revolts of such as professe his Name let us not wonder that our praiers sticke in their ascent and prevaile little we looke still at meanes and ordinances to be still as we have beene but the Lord lookes at the melting and purging out our drosse and trying us whether we be reprobate silver or no. In this case what shall we doe call for our prayers backe againe and give the Lord over No surely let us know we can goe no whither to speed better if we leave him but confesse his soveraigne power might force him to a decree against us lie low licking the dust of his feet John 6.68 2 King 23.2.3 c. Jer. 45.5 Psalm 119. Mica 7.9 with Iosia and his people striving as much against the streame as we can and craving our owne lives may be given us as a prey if we can speed for no more but however not forsaking our covenant nor giving him over through a sullen discontented heart till either he plead our cause and bring forth our light or else make our poore lives tolerable in the midst of our sorrowes and teach us wisely and faithfully to serve our time So much for the second Use Thirdly this doctrine is confutation and reproofe of the enemies of Vse 3 Gods soveraignty or the cavillers and abusers of it First Confutation of all Cavellers against the Soveraignty of God all such as take away the ground of this soveraignty of God For if it be so as many dreame that man is only in a darke dungeon yet still hath his eyes in his head to see and apprehend light if it be offred and a liberty of will by Sort. 1 the benefit of light to embrace and receive it sure it is God hath not man at such a deepe advantage as we speake of ye must marke all the grace of such men is the will of the flesh upon generall enlightning Secondly Sort. 2 all that fight against the royall freedome of Gods dispensation of grace by the meanes to some and not to others both being every way alike I say equally distant from it or from any propension and accommodation toward it either within or without Oh! it frets them to the very heart to heare that there should be any such liberty ascribed to God! They confesse that on mans part there may be some barres to hinder grace But they cannot endure it that when the object lyes indifferently disposed then soveraignty should reject or receive upon meere will no reason at all appearing this cuts them to the heart that they may not bind the hands of God behind him to carry himselfe alike to all who lye in equall and faire correspondence to it But O ye wretches goe learne what this meanes not of the willer or the runner but of mercy Not our making toward grace but graces making towards us saves us Rom. 9. Thirdly it reproves our carnall vanity who in our thoughts will be bold Sort. 3 to prefer such to Gods grace as please us well for their gifts hearings repeatings of sermons doing duties and forwardnesse without teaching them to humble their soules and cast out their Pharisaicall spirit which hinders more then all their gifts further them Oh! Matth. 8. as those Jewes spake of that Ruler that he deserved he should doe him the
embrace their gods Bacchus Venus and the rest more strongly then ever Enough wee have who are of the spirit of Caiphas his Hall and those that spited scorned and spit at Christ crying Crucifie him not many whose spirits are towards him tender to his glory to his mercy and grace to his poore Church and people Oh the spirit of ambition selfe-love is now all in all What should I say to such except they be accursed by Gods owne mouth that never any good should seaze upon them let this point in Gods feare scare them Me thinkes thou shouldst not heare of such a spirit of Grace and tendernesse as I speake of but thy soule shoâ—ld tremble and thy heart throb in thy bosome to consider what a contrary spirit of corruption and hell thou walkest with Oh! if God should leave thee to this spirit of thine owne to be conceited of thy selfe to feare no danger to be carelesse what may betide thee and to adde drunkennesse unto thirst what shall become of thee what is wanting save hell it selfe to make up the woe of such a soule And yet I tell thee this is not farre off from thee Read Deut. 29. Deut 29.15 If any man hearing the words of this booke and the curses thereof shall yet say in his heart I shall have peace I shall fare well I feare nothing Especially if conceited of its owne welfare the wrath of God shall smoke out against such a man and God will not be entreated of him for why he is over head and eares in the spirit of gal bitternesse a thousand to one if ever he recover Therefore looke about thee in season As the Lord said to Elijah in the cave so say I to thee Up arise and goe forth for thou hast a great journey to goe ere thou come at the Horeb of God I wish thee to goe by mount Sinai and hath thy base spirit throughly with those terrours of God 1 Kings 19.7 which may gaster thee with some feeling of thy condition Sinne is got into thy spirit and hath seated it selfe deeply in the entrals of thy soule A great gulfe is set betweene thee and the spirit of grace therefore pull downe thy rebellious heart and as Peter said to Simon Magus try by all meanes whether this thy sinne may be forgiven thee The spirit of grace is joyned with the spirit of mourning Acts 8.22 Try whether God cannot bring thee out of one spirit of bitternesse into a contrary for he promiseth that all humbled ones shall be in bitternesse as a thing steept in vineger as he that is in bitternesse for the losse of his onely sonne Zach. 12.10 Bitternesse of a prophane and presumptuous heart must be turned into the bitternesse of a broken and subdued spirit Oh! that ever I should exalt folly so highly and disdaine mercy yea kill the Lord of life as I have done Read Acts 2. Acts 2. where this prophecy was fulfilled in such as crucified Christ himselfe and yet being pierced in heart for it the Lord powred the spirit of grace into them and annointed them with oyle of gladnesse and joy so that they who murthered him had the first hansell of life and pardon from him Oh blessed art thou if the like portion might befall thee who hast ventured as farre as they did So much for this Branch 2 Secondly it is terrour to all Neuters and Sceptiques whose spirit seemes not so ranke and cursed Indifferency Neutrality of spirit worse then prophanenesse Numb 23. 25. but yet is as deepe and dangerous because they maintaine a vile spirit of indifferency and mediocrity in stead of this spirit of grace They say as Balac did to Balaam Neither blesse nor curse In this respect they are worse then the former because they utterly abandon all sense of the Gospel and become fulsome Atheists upon point neither hot nor cold fish nor flesh They would seeme to hate open villanies But then they much more abhorre the spirit of the Gospel Their spirits are flat and flash whereas the spirit of the Gospel is tender Luke 14. ult zealous and powerfull Wofull ones hanging betweene Heaven and Earth cast downe from Heaven vomited up from the earth Salt which hath lost his savour good for nothing no not for the dunghill All their skill stands in selfe-concealments forsooth their religion and conscience may not be known What can you worke wonders can you carry coales in your bosomes and not be burnt Such have their Religion to chuse Doubtlesse the not burning of your bosomes by this fire argues that there is not one coale of the Altar fallen upon them you are Quench-coale no sparkle of grace can kindle upon your cold hearth you must needs be ashamed of the Gospel because the spirit of magnifying it and of justifying wisdome is not in you but rather an aloofe dead and Gallio-like spirit is in you Whether you serve Christ or Beliall whether you be Popish or Protestant who but God can judge And surely you lie fulsome upon his stomach Acts 18.15 as luke-warme water and that which makes you happy in your own conceit will prove you accursed in Gods It were better you were hot or cold then thus wambling and next to be vomited for ever out of the mouth of him Revel 3.19 who never returnes to his vomit Under pretext that thou darest not trust men thou betrayest God and the spirit of the Gospel a remedy worse then the disease To be as wise as a Serpent I disswade thee not But shall this destroy that naked simplicity and spirit of love to God and his truth which where it cannot goe will creepe and play at small game rather then sit out What Matth. 10. 2 Cor. 10.4 because we cannot expresse our selves in such acts and services as we would or have done shall we serve God with neither might spirit or courage at all Is that command dispensable and confined to this season or to that hath God no need of thee in dangerous times or because thou darest trust no man wilt thou therefore trust no God Shall the Gospel carry thee no further then ease and the serving of thine owne fleshly turne will concurre Wilt thou dare to doe any thing against the spirit of the Gospel because thou hast not elbow-roome sufficient to act that part as thou wouldest It is just with God to take it quite from thee because thou walkest contrary to it And to give thee over to a close spirit of thine owne that thou shouldest jeere and scorne the zealous as Micoll did David dancing with his Ephod before the Arke 2 Sam. 6.20 Was not the King a goodly foole to day How many of these Neutrall spirits have growne to it Let it gaster us from it and teach us to nourish such a spirit in our bosomes as the Gospel hath wrought if ever any such were wrought and to be farre from disdaining