labours to winne ground of the old man untill at length it be all in all Indeed wee are never our selves perfectly till we have wholly put off our selves Nothing should bee at a greater distance to us then our selves This is the reason why carnall men that have nothing above themselves but their corrupt selfe sinke in great troubles having nothing within to uphold them whereas a good man is wiser then himselfe holier then himselfe stronger then himselfe there is something in him more then a man There be evills that the spirit of man alone out of the goodnesse of nature cannot beare but the spirit of man assisted with an higher spirit will support and carry him through It is a good trial of a mans condition to know what he esteemes to be himselfe A godly man counts the inner man the sanctified part to be himselfe whereby hee stands in relation to Christ and a better life Another man esteemes his contentment in the world the satisfaction of his carnall desires the respect hee findes from men by reason of his parts or something without him that he is master of this he counts himselfe and by this hee values himselfe and to this he makes his best thoughts and endevours serviceable And of crosses in these things he is most sensible and so sensible that he thinks himself undone if hee seeth not a present issue out of them That which most troubles a good man in all troubles is himselfe so farre as he is unsubdued he is more disquieted with himselfe than with all troubles out of himselfe when hee hath gotten the better once of himselfe whatsoever falls from without is light where the spirit is enlarged it cares not much for outward bondage where the spirit is lightsome it cares not much for outward darkenesse where the spirit is setled it cares not much for outward changes where the spirit is one with it selfe it can beare outward breaches where the spirit is sound it can beare outward sicknesse Nothing can bee very ill with us when all is well within This is the comfort of a holy man that though hee bee troubled with himselfe yet by reason of the spirit in him which is his better selfe hee workes out by degrees what ever is contrary As Spring-water being cleere of it selfe workes it selfe cleane though it be troubled by something cast in as the Sea will endure no poysonfull thing but casts it upon the shore But a carnall man is like a Spring corrupted that cannot worke it selfe cleare because it is wholly tainted his eye and light is darknesse and therefore no wonder if hee seeth nothing Sinne lieth upon his understanding and hinders the knowledge of it selfe it lies close upon the will and hinders the striving against it selfe True selfe that is worth the owning is when a man is taken into a higher condition and made one with Christ and esteemes neither of himselfe nor others as happy for any thing according to the flesh 1. Hee is under the law and government of the Spirit and so farre as he is himselfe works according to that principle 2. He labours more and more to be transformed into the likenesse of Christ in whom hee esteemeth that hee hath his best being 3. He esteemes of all things that befall him to bee good or ill as they further or hinder his best condition If all bee well for that hee counts himselfe well whatsoever else befals him Another man when hee doth any thing that is good acts not his owne part but a godly man when hee doth good is in his proper element what another man doth for by ends and reasons that hee doth from a new nature which if there were no Law to compell yet would moove him to that which is pleasing to Christ. If hee bee drawen aside by passion or temptation that hee judgeth not to bee himselfe but taketh a holy revenge on himselfe for it as being redeemed and taken out from himselfe hee thinkes himselfe no debtor nor to owe any service to his corrupt selfe That which he plots and projects and works for is that Christ may rule every where and especially in himselfe for he is not his owne but Christs and therefore desires to bee more and more emptied of himselfe that Christ might bee all in all in him Thus we see what great use there is of dealing with our selves for the better composing and setling of our souls Which though it bee a course without glory and ostentation in the world as causing a man to retire inwardly into his owne breast having no other witnesse but God and himselfe and though it bee likewise irksome to the flesh as calling the soule home to it selfe being desirous naturally to wander abroad and be a stranger at home Yet it is a course both good in it selfe and makes the soule good For by this meanes the judgement is exercised and rectified the will and affections ordered the whole man put into an holy frame fit for every good action By this the tree is made good and the fruit cannot but be answerable by this the soule it selfe is set in tune whence there is a pleasant harmony in our whole conversation Without this wee may doe that which is outwardly good to others but wee can never bee good our selves The first justice begins within when there is a due subjection of all the powers of the soule to the spirit as sanctified and guided by Gods Spirit when justice and order is first established in the soule it will appeare from thence in all oâ—… dealings Hee that is at peace in himselfe will bee peaceable to others peaceable in his family peaceable in the Church peaceable in the State The soule of a wicked man is in perpetuall sedition being alwayes troubled in it selfe it is no wonder if it be troublesome to others Unity in our selves is before union with others To conclude this first part concerning intercourse with our selves As wee desire to enjoy our selves and to live the life of men and of Christians which is to understand our wayes as we desire to live comfortably and not to be accessary of yeelding to that sorrow which causeth death As wee desire to answere GOD and our selves when we are to give an account of the inward tumults of our soules As we desire to be vessells prepared for every good worke and to have strength to undergoe any crosse As we desire to have healthy soules and to keep a Sabbath within our selves As wee desire not onely to doe good but to be good in our selves So let us labour to quiet our soules and often ask a reason of our selves Why we should not be quiet CAP. X. Meanes not to bee overcharged 〈◊〉 sorrow TO helpe us further herein besidâ—… that which hath beene formerly spoken 1. Wee must take heed of building an ungrounded confidence of happinesse for time to come which maâ—… us when changes come 1. Unacquainted with them 2. takes away
which cannot brooke the most secret corruption but rather casts it out by a holy complaint as strength of nature doth poyson which seekes its destruction And let us bee in love with that worke of grace in us which makes us out of love with the least stirrings that hinder our best condition Seâ—… againe We may be sinfully disquieted for that which is not a sinne to be disquieted for David had sinned if he had not beene somewhat troubled for the banishment from Gods house and the blasphemie of the enemies of the Church But yet wee see hee stops himselfe and sharply takes up his soule for being disquieted Hee did well in being disquieted and in checking himselfe for the same there were good grounds for both He had wanted spirituall life if he had not beene disquieted Hee abated the vigour and livelinesse of his life by being over-much disquieted CAP. VIII Of unfitting dejection and when it is excessive And what is the right temper of the soule herein §. 1. THen how shall we know when a man is cast downe and disquieted otherwise then is befitting There is a 3. fold miscarriage of inward trouble 1. When the soule is troubled for that 〈◊〉 should not be vexed for as Ahab when hee was crost in his will for Nabâ—… vineyard 2. In the ground as when we grieve for that which is good and for that which wee should grieve for but it is with too much reflecting upon oâ—… owne particular As in the troubles of the state 〈◊〉 Church we ought to be affected bâ—… not because these troubles hinder any liberties of the flesh and restrain pride of life but from higher respects Aâ—… that by these troubles God is dishonoured the publike exercises of Religion hindred and the gathering of soules thereby stopped As the States and Common-wealths which should be harbours of the Church are disturbed as lawlesse courses and persons prevaile as Religion and Justice is triumphed over and trodden under Men usually are grieved for publique miseries from a spirit of selfe-love only because their owne private is imbarqued in the publique There is a depth of deceit of the heart in this matter 3. So for the measure when wee trouble our selves though not without cause yet without bounds The spirit of man is like unto moist elements as ayre and water which have no bounds of their owne to containe them in but those of the vessell that keepes them water is spilt and lost without something to hold it so it is with the spirit of man unlesse it be bounded with the Spirit of God Put the case a man be disquieted for sinne for which not to be disquieted is a sin yet we may looke too much and too long upon it for the soule hath a double eye one to looke to sinne another to looke up to Gods mercy in Christ. Having two objects to looke on wee may sinne in looking too much on the one with neglect of the other §. 2. Seeing then disquieting and dejectin for sinne is necessary how shall wee kâ—… when it exceeds measure First when it hinders us from holy duties or in the performance of them by distraction or otherwise whereas they are given to carry us to that which is pleasing to GOD and good to our selves Griefe is ill when it taketh off the soule from minding that it should and so indisposeth us to the duties of oâ—… callings Christ upon the Crosse was grieved to the utmost yet it did not take away his care for his mother so the good theefe in the middest of his pangs laboured to gaine his fellow and to save his owne soule and to glorifie Christ. If this be so in griefe of body which taketh away the free use of reason and exercise of grace more then any other griefe then much more in griefe from more remote causes for in extremity of body the sicknesse may be such as all that wee can performe to God is a quiet submission and a desire to bee carried unto Christ by the prayers of others we should so minde our griefe as not to forget Gods mercy or our owne duty Secondly when wee forget the grounds of comfort suffer our minde to runne onely upon the present grievance it is a sinne to dwell on sinne and turmoile our thoughts about it when we are called to thankfulnesse A Physitian in good discretion forbids a dish at sometimes to prevent the nourishment of some disease which another time hee gives way unto So wee may and ought to abstaine from too much feeding our thoughts upon our corruptions in case of discouragement which at other times is very necessary It should be our wisedome in such cases to change the object and labour to take off our minds and give them to that which calls more for them Griefe oft presseth unseasonably upon us when there is cause of joy and when we are called to joy as Ioab justly found fault with David for grieving too much when GOD had given him the victory and rid him and the State of a traiterous sonne GOD hath made some dayes for joy and joy is the proper worke of those dayes This is the day which the Lord hath made Some in a sicke distemper desire that which increaseth their sicknesse so some that are deepely cast downe desire a wakening ministery and what ever may cast them downe more whereas they should meditate upon comforts and get some sweet assurance of Gods love Joy is the constant temper which the soule should bee in Rejoyce evermore saith the Apostle If a sinke bee stirred we stir it not more but goe into a sweeter roome So wee should thinke of that which is comfortable and of such trueths as may raise up the soule and sweeten the spirit Thirdly Griefe is too much when it inclines the soule to any inconvenient courses for if it bee not lookt to it is an ill counsellor when either it hurts the health of our bodies or drawes the soule for to ease it selfe to some unlawfull liberty When grief keeps such a noise in the soule that it will not heare what the messengers of God or the still voice of the Spirit saith as in combustions loud cries are scarce heard so in such cases the soule will neither heare it selfe nor others The fruit of this overmuch trouble of spirit is increase of trouble §. 3. 3. Another question may bee What that sweet and holy temper is the soule should be in that it may neither bee faulty in the defect nor too much abound in griefe and sorow 1. The soule must bee raised to a right griefe 2. The griefe that is raised though it bee right yet it must bee bounded Before wee speake of raising griefe in the godly wee must know there are some who are altogether strangers to any kinde of spirituall griefe or trouble at all such must consider that the way to prevent everlasting trouble iâ—…
whatsoever is terrible or tormenting Here is a large field for our imagination to walke in not onely without hurt but with a great deale of spirituall gaine If the wrath of a King bee as the roaring of a Lion what is the wrath of the King of Kings If fire bee so terrible what is hell fire If a darke dungeon bee so lothsome what is that eternall dungeon of darkenesse If a feast bee so pleasing what is the continuall feast of a good conscience If the meeting of friends be so comfortable what will our meeting together in heaven be The Scripture by such like termes would help our faith and fancie both at once a sanctified fancie will make every creature a ladder to heaven And because childhood and youth are ages of fancie therefore it is a good way to instill into the hearts of children betimes the loving of good and the shâ—…ning of evill by such like representations as agree with their fancies as to haâ—…e hell under the representation of fire and darknesse c. Whilest the soule is joyned with the body it hath not onely a necessary but a holy use of imagination and of sensible things whereupon our imagination worketh what is the â—…e of the Sacraments but to help our sâ—…les by our senses and our faith by imagination as the soule receives much â—…rt from imagination so it may have much good thereby But yet it ought not to invent or devise what is good and true in religion here fancy must yeeld to faith and faith to divine revelation the things we beleeve are such as neither eye hath seâ—…e nor eare heard neither came into the heart of man by imagination stirred up from any thing which we have seene or heard they are above not onely imagination but reason it selfe in men and Angels But after God hath revealed spirituall truthes and faith hath apprehended them then imagination hath use while the soule is joyned with the body to colour divine truthes and make lightsome what faith beleeves for instance it doth not devise either heaven or hell but when God hath revealed them to us our fancy hath a fitnesse of enlarging our conceits of them even by resemblance from things in nature and that without danger because the joyes of heaven and the torments of hell are so great that all the representations which nature affords us fall short of them Imagination hath likewise some use in religion by putting cases to the soule as when we are tempted to any unruly action we should think with our selves what would I doe if some holy grave person whom I much reverence should behold me Whereupon the soule may easily ascend higher God sees me and my owne conscience is ready to witnesse against me c. It helps us also in taking benefit by the example of other men Good things are best learned by others expressing of them to our view the very sight often nay the very thought of a good man doth good as representing to our soules some good thing which we affect which makes Histories and the lively Characters and expressions of vertues and vices usefull to us The sight yea the very reading of the suffering of the Martyrs hath wrought such a hatred of that persecuting Church as hath done marvellous good the sight of justice executed upon malefactors works a greater hatred of sinne in men then naked precepts can doe So outward pompe state in the world doth further that awefull respect due to authority c. Lastly it would much availe for the well ordering of our thoughts to set our soules in order every morning and to strengthen and perfume our spirits with some gracious meditations especially of the chiefe end and scope wherefore we live here and how every thing we doe or befalls us may be reduced and ordered to further the maine The end of a Christian is glorious and the oft thoughts of it will raise and enlarge the soule and set it on worke to study how to make all things serviceable thereunto It is a thing to be lamented that a Christian borne for heaven having the price of his high calling set before him and matters of that weight and excellencie to exercise his heart upon should be taken up with trifles and fill both his head and heart with vanity and nothing as all earthly things will prove ere long and yet if many mens thoughts and discourses were distilled they are so frâ—…thy that they would hardly yeeld one drop of true comfort §. 4. Oh but say some thoughts imaginations are free and we shall not be accountable for them This is a false plea for God hath a soveraignty over the whole soule and his law bindes the whole inward and outward man as wee desire our whole man should be saved by Christ so wee must yeeld up the whole man to be governed by him and it is the effect of the dispensation of the Gospell accompanied with the Spirit to captivate whatsoever is in man unto Christ and to bring downe all high towring imaginations that exalt themselves against Gods Spirit There is a divinity in the word of God powerfully unfolded which will convince our soules of the sinfulne sof naturall imaginations as we see in the Ideot Corinth 14. who seeing himselfe laid open before himselfe cryed out that God was in the speaker There ought to be in man a conformity to the truth and goodnesse of things or else 1. wee shall wrong oâ—… owne soules with false apprehensions and 2. the creature by putting a fashion upon it otherwise then God hath made and 3. we shall wrong God himselfe the Author of goodnesse who cannot have his true glory but from a right apprehension of things as they art what a wrong is it to men when wee shall take up false prejudices against them without ground and so suffer our conceits to be invenomed against them by unjust suspitions and by this meanes deprive our selves of all that good which we might receive by them for our nature is apt to judge and accept of things as the persons are and not of persons according to the things themselves this faculty exercises a tyrannie in the soule setting up and pulling downe whom it will Iob judged his friends altogether vaine because they went upon a vaine imagination and discourse judging him to bee an hypocrite which could not but adde much to his affliction when men take a toy in their head against a person or place they are ready to reason as hee did Can any good come out of Nazareth It is an indignity for men to be led with â—…urmizes and probabilities and so to passe a rash judgement upon persons and things Oftentimes falshood hath a fairer glosse of probability then truth â—…d vices goe masqued under the appearance of vertue whereupon seeming likenesse breeds a mistake of one thing for another and Sathan oftentimes casts a mist
her head again Now is the time to follow God with prayers that hee would perfect his owne worke and plead his owne cause that he would be revenged not onely of ours but his enemies that he would wholly free his Church from that miserable bondage These beginnings give our faith some â—…old to be encouraged to goe to God for the fulfilling of his gracious promise that the Church may rejoyce in the salvation of the Lord. God doth but look for some to seek unto him Christ doth but stay untill hee is awaked by our prayers But it is to be feared that God hath not yet perfected his worke in Zion The Church is not yet fully prepared for a full and glorious deliverance If God had once his ends in the humiliation of the Church for sinnes past with resolution of reformation for the time to come then this age perhaps might see the salvation of the Lord which the generations to come shall be witnesse of wee should see Zion in her perfect beauty The generations of those that came out of Egypt saw and enjoyed the pleasant land which their progenitors were shut out of who by reason of their murmuring and looking back to Egypt and forgetfulnesse of the wonders which God had done for and before them perished in the wildernesse There is little cause therefore of envying the present flourishing of the enemies of the Church and of joyning and colluding with them for it will prove the wisest resolution to resolve to fall and rise with the Church of Christ considering the enemies themselves shall say God hath done great things for them Kings shall lay their Crowns at Christs feet and bring all their glory to the Church And for every Christian this may be a comfort that though their light for a time may be eclipsed yet it shall break forth David at this time was accounted 〈◊〉 enemie of the State had a world of false imputations laid upon him which hee was very sensible of yet wee see here he knew at length God would bee the salvation of his countenance But some as Gideon may object if 〈◊〉 intend to be so gracious why is it thus with us The answer is Salvation is Gods own worke humbling and casting downe is his strange worke whereby he comes to his owne worke For when hee intends to save he will seeme to destroy first and when hee will justifie he will condemne first whom hee will revive hee will kill first Grace and goodnesse countenanced by God have a native â—…red Majesty in them which maketh â—…e face to shine and borroweth not its lustre from without which God at length will have to appeare in its owne likenesse howsoever malice may cast a vaile thereon and disguise it for a time And though wickednesse as it is base borne and a child of darknesse may shelter it selfe under authority a while yet it shall hide it selfe and runne into corners The comfort of comforts is that at that great day the day of all dayes that day of the Revelation of the righteous Iudgement of God the rightous shall then shine as the Sunne in the firmament then Christ will come to be glorious in his Saints and will be the salvation of the countenance of all 〈◊〉 Then all the workes of darknesse shall be driven out of countenance and adjudged to the place from whence they came In the meane time let us with David support our selves with the hopes of these times CHAP. XXX Of God our God and of particular application MY God These words imply a speciall interest that the holy man had in God as his God being the ground of all which was said before both of the duty of trusting and of praising and of the salvation that hee expected from God He is my God therefore be not disquiâ—…d but trust him He is my God therefore hee will give mee matter to praise him and will be the salvation of my countenance God hath some speciall ones in the world to whom he doth as it were â—…e over himselfe and whose God he 〈◊〉 by vertue of a more speciall covenant whence we have these excellent expressions I will be your God and you shall be my people I will be your Father and you shall be my sonnes and daughters Since the fall wee having lost our communion with God the chiefe good our happinesse stands in recovering againe fellowship with him For this end wee were created and for this redeemed and for effecting of this the Word and Sacraments are sanctified to us yea and for this end God himselfe out of the bowels of his compassion vouchsafed to enter into a gracious covenant with us founded upon Jesus Christ and his satisfaction to divine justice so that by Faith wee become one with him and receive him as offered of his Father to be all in all to us Hence it is that CHRIST hath his name Immanuel God with us Not onely because hee is God and man too both natures meeting in one person but because being God in our nature he hath undertooke this office to bring God and us together The maine end of Christs comming and suffering was to reconcile and to gather together in one and as Peter expresseth it to bring man againe to God Immanuel is the bond of this happy agreement and appeares for ever in heaven to make it good As the comfort hereof is great so the foundation of it is sure and everlasting God will be our God so long as he is Christs God and because hee is Christs God Thus the Father of the faithfull and all other holy men before Christ apprehended God to be their God in the Messias to come Christ was the ground of their interest Hee was yesterday to them as well as to day to us Hence it is that God is called the portion of his people and they his jewels he their onely rock and strong Tower and they his peculiar ones Well may we wonder that the great God should stoope so low to enter into such a covenant of grace and peace founded upon such a Mediator with such utter enemies base creatures sinfull dust and ashes as we are This is the wonderment of Angels a torment of devils and glory of our nature and persons and will be matter of admiration and praising God unto us for all eternity As God offereth himselfe to be ours in Christ else durst we lay no claime to him so there must be in us an appropriating grace of faith to lay hold of this offer David saith here My God But by what spirit by a spirit of faith which looking to Gods offer maketh it his owne whatsoever it layes hold of God offereth himselfe in covenant and Faith catcheth hold thereon presently With a gracious offer of God there goeth a gracious touch of his spirit to the soule giving it sight and strength whereby being ayded by the same spirit it layeth