Use of Examination But now my Brethren it will bee a great matter of inquiry whether wee have an interest in this love As one said when hee looked upon the Rainbow and in that read Gods Covenant never to drown the world again Ah! but saith hee what is this to mee If I bee drowned I may bee drowned though the World bee not drowned So may you say You tell us of the exceeding love of Christ to his Church But what if I bee not of his Church what if I have no interest in his Love what 's all this to mee But then I suppose you are desirous to know whether you have an interest in this love It concerns your everlasting good to have an interest and your present comfort to know you have an interest Now in this inquiry I would have you 1. To examin your hearts thoroughly Deceits lye low A false evidence is the fruit of a slight and superficial search 2. In your inquiry let not any thing which is compatible with any who have no interest in this love bee a bottom on which your soul resteth I have told you sometimes and tell you again Whatever another man may have and do and yet have no interest in this love of Christ cannot bee a sufficient evidence for thee that thou having or doing that hast an interest Acquaint thy self with the most clearing and proving evidences 3. Take thy evidences from the carriage of the Spirit neither at the best nor at the worst but the middle way which is most thy self If thou look upon thy self at the worst thou mayest bee discouraged If at the best thou mayest bee deceived Many have had such affections in an Heat which in cold blood have nothing of them 4. Judge not of thy self by particular actions and carriages but look upon the universal frame and bent of thy spirit No certain rule is to bee established upon a particular instance whether good or bad I might lay down other rules to observe in your inquiry But wee will come to the inquiry it self Wouldest thou know whether thou art one with whom Christs heart is taken See whether thou art of his Church Art thou one who art taken out of the World Art thou one whom God hath called one whom hee hath justified one whom hee hath regenerated sanctified Art thou one who art washed purged renewed These might bee in the general but are too obscure But I will name you but one and it is a plain one and none more demonstrative Wouldest thou know whether the heart of Christ bee taken with thee why then see Art thou one whose heart is taken with Christ If Christ bee taken with thee thou art taken with Christ. It is a mutual a reciprocal taking Whatever God doth to the soul it makes an impression in the soul of the like to God God delights in us and thereupon wee come to delight in him God knows us and thereupon wee know him Joh. 10.14 God apprehends us and thereupon wee apprehend him Hee chuseth us and thereupon wee chuse him Hee loves us and thereupon wee love him 1 Joh. 4.19 His heart is taken with us and thereupon our hearts come to bee taken with him Our love to him is nothing else but radius amoris Dei erga nos in Deum reflexus a beam of Gods love reflected back upon God So that this now is a true character of Christs heart being taken with thee if thy heart bee taken with Christ Quest But you will say How shall I know whether my heart bee taken with Christ Ans For the answer of this because upon this foundation I will lay the whole weight of this discourse in this Use 1. A heart taken with Christ is a heart which knows Christ and hath tasted of Christ Are you such as know Christ Invisa possumus amare incognita nequaquam For knowledge of Christ precedes the love of Christ Hee who doth not know cannot love Things unseen may but things unknown cannot bee loved 1 Pet. 1.8 Whom having not seen yee love but never not known All love to Christ doth arise from discoveries and manifestations of Christ to the soul Either from the discoveries of those beauties those attractive excellencies that are in him or with that from the discovery of his heart and good will towards us Now blind men cannot discern of beauties nor ignorant men of the beauties of Christ Christ is to them as a Mine of Gold covered over with earth and rubbish as a Bed of Pearl and Diamonds hid with an heap of sand as a glorious Messiah under a contemptible outside And wanting eyes to see through the Veil of his Flesh through the bark and outside of his Humanity they can behold no beauty in him As Isaiah speaks of carnal men Isa 53.2 When you behold him you see no beauty in him that shall make him desired Now then art thou one who knows Christ did ever God reveal him to thee in a promise what apparitions hath Christ made to thy soul what manifestations what discoveries that may evidence to thee that thou knowest him There are four manifestations or discoveries of Christ to the soul which do exceedingly take the soul Indeed every apparition of Christ doth take the heart but at these times the heart is not only wooed and won but overcome with his sweetness and glory 1. After the soul hath long lyen bedrid in sorrow been overwhelmed in the deeps of Legal Humiliation and have been broken and shattered in peeces with consternation and apprehensions of sin and Gods wrath for it Then a discovery of Christ and apparition of Christ to the soul is a resurrection from the dead When Christ comes by a promise into the soul and displaies his glory the Riches and Greatness and Freeness of his Grace as to Moses The Lord God gracious and mercifull long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth keeping mercy for thousands forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin Exod. 34.6 I I am hee who forgiveth thy iniquities c. Isa 43.25 Then is the soul beyond expression inamoured with him now it is overcome with his beauties and excellencies and even ravished with his love And this is the first eminent taking of the heart with Christ 2. When the soul hath been upon the stormy Sea of temptations and desertions hath long laboured under the sense of Gods withdrawings and absence from the soul And Christ returns again breaking the dark and thick cloud and shining into the soul Who can then expresse the warmth the comfort the revivings the holy heats and flames of love and affection to Christ You see how it was with Job I have heard of thee with the hearing of the ear But now mine eyes see thee And certainly the sight of his beauties did take him those eyes which saw him were like a burning-glasse to the heart to kindle the flames and fervors of holy affections towards him again You see how it was with
Christ is such a Rock as doth derive vertue and strength unto the structure and building Indeed a man may build a weak house upon a strong foundation and the house fall for all that because the rock is a dead thing and cannot impart any of its strength unto the structure But it is not so here Bee the building never so weak yet this Rock can hold it up because it diffuseth its strength into the building Hence 1 Pet. 2.4 5. Christ is called a living not a dead Rock A living stone To whom comming as to a living Stone wee also as lively-stones are built up a spiritual house Which shews the transformation of the building into the nature and firmnesse of the Rock Thus you see Faith is a soul-securing-grace It sets a man upon a soul-securing-bottome It makes God our security who is called The strong-God The mighty-God The Rock of Refuge A defense A Shield A Tower A Fort. An High-place Mich. 4.8 The Tower of his Flock The strong hold of the daughter of Sion A Covert from the storm Isay 32.1 2. Faith makes All-God our security It ingages all-God to be our security His Power And is not this able to secure us His Wisdome And will not this secure us His Truth And will not this secure us His Mercy And cannot all this secure us Hee who trusts in the Lord Mercy shall compasse him on every side Hee is hemm'd in with Mercy Or mercy imbraceth him on every side to secure him As trust doth compasse mercy so mercy doth compass trust As trust imbraceth mercy so mercy imbraceth trust It is not Faith it self that doth secure us But Faith doth make God our security It sets a man upon a soul-securing-bottome on a soul-securing-God on a soul-securing-Power on a soul-securing-Mercy Therefore needs must a Beleeving a Trusting-soul be secure 2. It instates the soul in soul-securing-promises The promises of preservation from trouble Promises of Deliverance out of trouble All the promises which God hath made of Security Faith instates the soul into them all Hee hath promised When wee passe through the waters he will be with us and the waters shall not overflow us When we pass through the fire the flame shall not kindle upon us Isa 43.2 Hee hath promised Hee will stand at our right hand and wee shall not bee moved Psal 16. He will never leave us neither forsake us Heb. 13.6 The Gates of Hell shall never prevail against us Mat. 16.18 Hee hath promised to bee a Tower a Rock a Refuge a Covert from a storm an hiding place in time of Danger c. And it is faith that doth instate us into these Soul-securing-Promises As there is no promise to us till wee beleeve so if once wee beleeve all the Promises are ours Look into the word of God and what promises soever there are made for securing the soul All these are thine 3. Faith doth instate us into soul-securing-Priviledges 1 It makes us the Sons and Daughters of God John 1.12 13 As man as received him to them hee gave power or priviledge to become the Sons of God Even to as many as beleeved in his name Gal. 3.26 You are the children of God by faith in Christ And will not a father secure his child 2. Faith makes us the Spouse of Christ the members of Christ It ingrafts us and unites us into him And will he not secure his members 3. It make us the inheritance of Christ Hee hath promised to bee a Tower to his Flock A strong-hold to the Daughters of Sion These are all soul-securing-priviledges And therefore beleeving souls shall be secure Oh! Then Would you bee secured from the evil-day would you bee secured in the evil day Labour for Faith This alone secures the soul It sets a man upon a soul-securing-bottome Instates a man in soul-securing-promises Gives him right to soul-securing-priviledges Abrogate fears Surrogate Faith Down with fears which betray the succour of the soul and set up beleeving Sixth Royalty 6 Faith is an heart-humbling Grace 6 Royalty of Faith It s a soul-humbling Grace Whether it bee a Legal or whether it be an Evangelical Faith it works humiliation The one a Legal humiliation and casting down The other an Evangelical-humiliation we shall in this cheifly deal with the first It is said of Ahab that he humbled himself put on sackcloath and went softly And this was the fruit and effect of his Legal-Faith whereby hee beleeved the truth and certainty of Gods Judgements denounced against him and his house The men of Nineveh when Jonah preached that sad Sermon Jonah 3.4 Yet forty days and Nineveh shall bee destroyed It is said They beleeved God That is The truth of that message which Jonah brought from God And it follows as an effect of this Faith They humbled themselves and proclaimed a fast and put on Sack-cloath and sate in ashes from the King upon the Throne to the meanest of them And my Brethren Faith hath a great influence into the work of self-humbling 1 It takes up self-humbling Considerations From God the justice of God the threatnings the curses God hath denounced against sin 2. Faith doth Realize all this to the Soul which God hath said against sin Faith doth not make these things more reall then they are but doth Realize things to the Soul not imaginary but real things which being lookt upon as reall things do humble This is the Reason why one when he hears of Gods threatnings denounced against Sin goes home and lyes in the dust is humbled and cast down as Josiah when hee read the book of the Law And another stands up out-faceth Hell and the curse He is never humbled nor cast down It is because the one he looks upon these things are reall and true the other hee looks upon them as fancies Imaginary things If men beleeved that all that evil which God hath threatned against Sin were true they could not drink down sinne as water nor eat the bread of Sin with such delight as they do If the swearer did beleeve there were a flying Rol gone out against him as Zachary saith If the Drunkard did see death in the Pot c. If I say wicked men beleeved the Reality and Truth of these things they could not go on so quietly in their wicked courses but would be humbled Hence the Apostle sets this down for the ground why the Preaching of the word was not profitable to them Because it was not mixed with Faith in them that heard it They did not beleeve what they heard and so neither the word of Terror nor the word of Comfort did profit them As the promises of God are not quickning raising comforting except there bee Faith so the Threats are not Killing humbling working if Faith be not there Wee may preach till our spirits fail and spend our labour in vain our strength and pains for nought if the things which God speaks and we preach be not beleeved If you
live more in the Heaven of Promise they would not bee so much cast down The more trust the less Trouble Faith would bring Christ into the Soul and there is chear enough with Christ Faith would bring Heaven into the soul and there is Comfort enough in Heaven Faith would open a way for the Love of God to enter and that would thrust out all other grievances But I will not go about to excuse uncomfortable walking with God Why should I give indulgence to mens Passions Gods people are to bee exceedingly blamed for their unchearful walking with God They are the shame of a good God and give occasion to men to think hee is an hard and rigid Master They wrong a good Cause and discourage the hearts of others from entring into the wayes of God Sure I am There is no Condition that Gods people can bee in but they have alwayes ground and cause of Rejoycing Either A Rebus exhibitis from things bestowed Or A Rebus promissis from things promised Either From things in hand and possession Or From things in hope and promise And therefore how blame-worthy are they who disquiet themselves with needless perplexities and lay the burden of sorrow on themselves which God doth not Let us examine the grounds of these sorrows and arraign them before the Bar of right Reason What is it that troubles thee 1. Is it thy former sins why should these trouble thee God hath pardoned them And wilt thou bring the old guilt upon thy conscience again which God hath cleared and pardoned wilt thou binde when God hath loosed condemn when hee hath absolved 2. Is it thy present Corruption God hath promised to subdue it Sin shall have no more dominion over you Hee hath promised to purge to purifie Hee came with Refiners fire and Fullers sope Mal. 3.3 3. Is it thy Imperfections That there is so much formality so little power so much coldness so little heat c why God hath promised to pass by infirmities to hide and cover imperfections 4. Is it because thou art in some present Afflictions why hee hath promised that All things shall work together for good to them that love God and are chosen according to his purpose 5. Is it because thou art under some present Temptations why St. James saith Count it exceeding joy great joy when yee fall into diverse temptations There is matter of Joy as well as of Sorrow if by Faith thou wouldest but see what God aims at 1. It may bee for trial of Grace as in Abrahams and Jobs case whose temptation was of purpose to try and justifie his Graces 2. It may bee For exercise of Grace of Faith of Patience c. 3. It may bee for discovery of sin nay for destruction of sin 4. It may bee to make us more humble as Paul more prayerful c. 6. Is it because thou art under some present Desertion Yet if by Faith thou look upon the firmness of the Promise the stability of the Covenant in the absence of sense thou shalt finde matter of Comfort Thus you see David did Psal 77.10 Hee was in a great Desertion hee cryes and prayes Hee prayes and cryes Hee renews his former evidences and experiences yet gets hee no comfort At last By Faith hee looks upon the truth of Gods Promise and the stability of the Covenant And then his soul revived I remembred the dayes of old the years of ancient times I called to minde my songs in the night I communed with my own heart my soul made diligent search Will the Lord absent himself for ever c And I said this is my infirmity Yet I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High c. Do but in this sad condition behold these dealings of God as the waies of a Father to thee which are alwaies of Love of Mercy and Truth to them that keep his Covenant and his Testament Whether Gods end bee for Chastisement as it was in David Or for Tryal as it was in Job Or whether it bee for Prevention as it was in Paul lest hee should bee puffed up yet all is in love and therefore cause of rejoycing So that there is no condition so sad but Gods people have still cause of rejoycing in it Thou canst think of nothing if thou bee a Beleever that can minister just cause of trouble to thee And therefore why art thou so cast down If there were more Trust there would bee less Trouble I dare bee bold to say that all the troubles all the disquiets of Gods people do arise from want of Faith Were there more Faith there would bee more Comfort And therefore as David physicked his soul when it was cast down and discouraged Why art thou cast down O my soul and why art thou disquieted within mee Trust in God So let us exercise our Trust and all our Troubles will vanish all our disquiets will dis-appear and bee gone Let Faith come in and discover the Promises of God made to thee in this thy sad condition Hee hath promised it shall not bee too great 1 Cor. 10.18 There hath no temptation taken you but what is humane and God is faithful and will not suffer you to bee tempted above what yee are able but will with the temptation give an issue that you may bee able to bear it Hee hath promised it shall not bee too long Rom. 16.20 The God of Peace shall tread Satan under you feet shortly Hee will not contend for ever Hee hath promised to deliver us when in the day of trouble wee call upon him Psal 50. Seventeenth Royalty 17. Royalty of Faith It s an Heart guiding-Grace 17. Faith is an Heart-guiding-Grace Faith is the eye of the soul to direct and guide us Faith is to the soul as the Pole-star to the Mariner to direct the Mariner which way to steer his course And the soul is like the Needle in the Compass which ever looks towards God for direction It is as it were the Pillar of fire to us in the Wilderness of this World to direct our steps to our Heavenly Canaan Our life is called a Way And not only a strait Way but a difficult Way Wee shall meet with many turnings in this Way And if Faith doth not guide us wee shall either stand still and not go forward or wee shall go into wrong wayes the way to Death My Brethren wee shall meet with many exigents in our way to Heaven And if Faith do not guide wee are sure to go amiss You see what an Exigent Esther was put unto Either to neglect duty or to endanger her life Shee put her life in her hand for the good of the Church of God If shee had now consulted with flesh and blood if shee had followed the guidance of Reason shee had been mis-led No doubt but sense and Reason would have told her that it had been best not to hazzard her self and put her life in jeopardy but
these performances is it sound in prayer in hearing if not all this something is nothing If you break the string that goes through a set of Beads they all fall to the ground Sincerity is the string which goes through all our Prayers our Duties and Graces if that bee broken all is broken Sincerity is the Evidence of all our Evidences taken from below It is that which makes every duty glorious every breathing of the spirit sweet every groan weighty every drop of tears a pearl and precious in Gods esteem Sincerity is all in all It is all in all our Prayers all in all our tears all in all our services It is all to God that which God accounts all Sincerity is Gospel perfection And perfection is all Let us then examine our hearts you that abound most in all outward performances clear the soundness and sincerity of your hearts in them 1. Clear the sincerity of your hearts in your obedience in general 2. Clear the sincerity of your hearts in your performances in particular Wee shall now insist upon the last first And that is Clear the sincerity of your hearts in your performances in particular Wee will instance in these three especially which wee single out First in your Hearing Secondly in your Praying Thirdly in your Mourning for sin 1. Clear the sincerity of your hearts in hearing the Word Wee will give you these characters of a sincere heart in hearing the Word 1. A sincere heart desires sincere preaching Such preaching wherein his heart is ripped up his corruptions discovered the most quickening and soul-searching ministry such a ministry as doth most unravel his heart and rip up his soul You see this 1 Pet. 2.2 As new born babes desire the sincere milk of the Word the preaching of the Word and the sincere preaching of the Word not the Word as it is sophisticated poisoned adulterated by mans invention As the Apostles phrase is but the Word as it comes sincerely from the Fountain Such a man hee desires killing as well as comforting truths searching as well as healing truthes breaking as well as binding And indeed hee desires no comforting but in killing no comforting of his soul but in killing of his sins no healing but in searching no binding but in breaking An unsound heart if hee desire to hear yet it should bee such as would preach placentia speak peace daube with untempered Morter And if a Minister do once preach to the quick If hee once enter upon the discovery of them their hearts rise against the truth they rebel against the Word and such are no Ministers for them They will finde out one that they can live in sin and yet live in peace under his Ministry We read in the 42. of Jer. read it throughout the Chapter is worth your taking notice of Let mee intreat you to read it when you come home you shall see there the depth of a self-deceiving spirit You shall read there the Children of Israel desired Jeremy to inquire of the Lord what they should do and they would assuredly do it but their hearts deceived them You see there that they thought Jeremy would have brought them an answer from God agreeable to their own spirits They did not think that their will must have come up to Gods will but that Gods will would have come down to their will Well Jeremy goes to God and hee brings them a message from God which was clean cross to their lusts And then the venome of their spirits which before lay hid appeared they brake out into open rebellion against the Word of the Lord and spake plain Wee will not hear the Word of the Lord which thou hast told us So it is with many unsound spirits self-deceiving spirits before a Minister come into a Parish Oh then say they let us have a good Minister one that may do our souls good one that may bring a message to us from the Lord discover to us Gods will And few there are but do thus far agree but if once a Minister rip up their sins search their wounds that they may bee healed of them if once hee come to discover their corruptions and indeavour to take them off their unsound bottomes whereon if they live and dye they will perish Then they flye out against the light and him that holds it forth to them Away with such a man from the earth Wee will not hear the Word of the Lord spoken Whereas a sincere heart doth side with the Word with light to fight against and destroy his corruptions These men they side with their corruptions and lusts to fight against the truth to blow out the light and oppose the preaching of the Word A sincere heart doth hold up the Law against his lust Let my lusts perish rather than thy Law bee destroyed But a corrupt heart doth hold up his lust against the Law And saith in his heart Let the Law rather than my lust bee destroyed There is not one corruption which thou keepest with love and liking but thou wishest in thy heart that there were no such Law against it The Drunkard wisheth there were no such Law against his Drunkenness The unclean person would bee glad there were no Law against his uncleanness rather part with so much of Gods Nature which the Law is a beam of than part with his lust Hence it is truly said peccatum est Dei Cidium sin is Gods slaughter because sin strikes against the very being of God the purity and holiness of God Hee that would not bee as God is would hee glad if God were as hee is That is a certain rule that hee that will favour himself in any corruption would bee glad if God would favour him too That there were no Law against it or that there were a Law to countenance it or no Law to punish it That God were not against it that God were of his mind or that there were no God or no God to punish it c. 2. A sincere heart in hearing the Word 1. Is willing to receive the truth of God 2. Is willing to receive every truth of God 3. Is willing to receive it as the truth of God 1. Hee receives the truth not into his head only his understanding to know it but into his heart his affections to love it Hee doth not imprison it in the head but lets it go down into the heart And the whole soul is made the residence and place of truth Lord how I love thy Law contrary hereto is that 2 Thes 2.10 2. Hee is willing to receive every truth Speak Lord for thy Servant heareth Hee looks upon every word of God as good every truth of God as comming in the image of God and comming with the authority of God and there is ready entertainment for all as well those which make against him as those which make for him though a truth appear never so formidable that the receiving may cost a man death 2.
Hee is willing to receive truth as the truth that is in the Power Majesty and Authority of Truth And sets it up as King in his spirit To which hee desires to yeeld subjection and obedience in all Hee lets it come in in its inlightening in its convincing power in its humbling and awakening power as well as in its quickening and comforting power Every truth shall bee received as the truth of God But now an unsound spirit Hee is not willing to receive the truth some truth hee dare not own least they should disturb him in a way of sin As the Apostle 2 Pet. 3.5 Of this they are willingly ignorant they have no desire to know this They desire to shut out the light that their corruptions may not bee disquieted Mat. 13.15 They wink with their eyes that they might not understand 2. They receive not every Truth It may bee such as are notional they will or such as may stand with their lusts and present advantages not such as are practical and cross them in their corrupt ends and practises They look upon some truthes as an ignis fatuus that if they should entertain them and follow them they would lead them into danger It was the speech of a King of France that hee would lanch no further into the deep than hee might come safely to shore That is hee would follow Truth no further than hee may preserve himself and his own If those bee hazarded hee will forsake the Truth 3. They receive it not as Truth 1. Not for it self 2. Not to bee King over them 1. Not for it self but for other private and personal respects Either for their gain their advantage or for fear and danger or out of respects to the greatness or quality of the persons who do entertain a Truth Whereas a godly man doth love the person for the Truths sake As St. John writing to the Elect Lady whom hee said hee loved for the Truths sake 2 Joh. 1.2 They that love the Truth for the persons sake may say they love the Truth for the Ladies sake The one the person for the Truths sake the other the truth for the persons sake So you see they receive it not as Truth for it self 2. They receive it not as Truth to bee Lord and King over them To which they yeeld obedience and subjection in all things Many men would govern Truth but they will not suffer Truth to govern them They would keep Truth though but in prison for all their keeping is but imprisoning but they will not suffer Truth to keep them though the Truth would make them free Corrupt spirits they receive Truth as a Servant not as a King And before they receive it they will ask what it can do for them what service what advantage can it bring them If none Truth shall not bee entertained of them 3. A sincere heart in hearing the Word is an honest heart and there is the summe of all This Christ expresseth in the Parable of the Sower and the Seed Luk. 8.15 the sincere spirit received the Word with an honest and good heart Now the honesty of a mans spirit in hearing or an honest heart in hearing is such as 1. Hears the Word as Gods Word bee the instrument never so weak and despicable yet it shall prevail with an honest heart because it is Gods Word You have an expression in Isa 11.6 A little Childe shall lead him Whoever comes with a message from God whoever brings a word hee shall prevail and perswade with him An honest servant will take notice of his Masters mind though a Child bee the messenger hee looks not on the person that brings it but on the message brought So though the person bee never so weak if hee bring a word from God an honest heart will vail to it 2. An honest heart sides with the Word of God against himself hee takes part with a truth against himself Whereas an unsound heart sides with his corruption against the Word fights against that which fights against it but an honest heart sides with the Word against his corruption 3. An honest heart desires to profit by the Word 1 Pet. 2.2 As new born Babes desire the sincere Milk of the Word that they may grow thereby Hee is a man that is resolved to practise whatever God reveals Hee hath no exceptions or reservations to himself but is bent to practise every Truth God reveals to him Hee asketh the way to Sion with his face thitherward as one resolved to go the way that God shall reveal This was that which Paul said Lord what wilt thou have mee to do They were not verba expostulantis but verba submittentis Hee was not only desirous to know but resolved to do whatever God did reveale to him An honest heart desires every Truth to bee made his own And that there may bee Principles bred in the spirit sutable to the Truthes revealed to him Hee is desirous that every degree of illumination may bee a further degree of sanctification That his heart may bee transformed into the nature of truthes revealed It doth not content him to have truthes in the head and a lye in the heart Truth in the head and error in the spirit Light in the head and darkness in the heart but hee desires the whole man may bee digested into the nature of truthes Truth formed in his soul 4. An honest heart hee hears the word with reflection As in reading the word hee reads himself with it So in hearing the word hee doth peruse himself with it Hee hears with reflection hee hears with application charging and clearing his heart according to the evidence which conscience gives in upon hearing of the Word 2. Clear the sincerity of your hearts in matter of praying I told you in the beginning that it was possible for a man to pray nay and make many prayers to abound in praying hee may pray in publick pray in private pray in the Church and pray in his closet hee may multiply to pray as the word importeth Isa 1.15 And yet his heart bee unsound And therefore you who do abound much in prayer labour to clear the sincerity of your hearts in this duty Wee will give you these Characters of an heart sincere in Prayer 1. Character Where the heart is sincere in Prayer there is a doing of the duty with all our strength There will bee a laying out of all the strength and powers within us The strength of our Judgement the strength of our will and our affections the strength of the whole soul in the work Prayer when sincere is a wrestling work Jacob wrestled with God that is hee wept and prayed Hos 12.4 Prayer is the souls contention the souls strugling with God It is a sweating work It is the sweat and blood of the soul A sincere heart layes out its strength in prayer Though a mans strength bee but weakness yet if a mans strength bee in the work
ears See what followes vers 7 8 13.14 Then the Earth shook and trembled The Lord thundred in the Heavens and the highest gave his voice Hailstones and coals of fire Hee sent out his arrows and scattered them hee shot out his lightenings and discomfitted them And an excellent place you have Isa 54.15 When the enemy shall come in like a flood the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him That is shall both defend from his violence and put him to flight And it is an observable phrase The Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard That is saith one The Spirit of Prayer is lift up When trouble and evil are threatned the enemie comes like a flood irresistably then the Spirit of the Lord stirring up Prayer in his peoples hearts shall lift up a standard against them bee your defence and chase them away When God doth intend to bestow great things on his People first hee gives them the Spirit of Prayer the Harbinger and Forerunner of mercy Jer. 3.19 But I said How shall I put thee among the Children and give thee a pleasant land As if hee had said I have purposes of mercy to thee I have thoughts of deliverance I think to bring thee into thy own land again and do wonders for thee But what way shall I go to effect and bring about this And I said thou shalt call mee my Father As if hee had said I have now bethought mee of a way I will poure a spirit of Prayer upon thee and thou shalt call mee Father and so I will put thee among my Children 3. Bee incouraged to hope as well as to pray Hope 3 Incouragement to hope in God Heb. 6.19 it is called the anchor of the soul sure and stedfast that takes sure hold and then breaks not in the greatest tempest at such an anchor wee may ride in the most overgrown storm They say Clement was cast into the Sea with an anchor fastened to him and could not drown wee shall not in the deepest Waters if wee bee fastened to this anchor for God delights in them who hope in his Mercy Psal 147.11 and whom God delights in enemies shall not delight over his mercy shall prevent their utterly undoing-misery Hope is the Daughter of Faith therefore when Faith hath brought forth the birth of Prayer let it bring forth the other Twin also of Hope And then also 4. To wait on God 4. Bee incouraged to wait For as long as we hope we will wait and no longer as long as you expect and hope your friend will come to you so long you will stay and wait for him but give over hoping once and then you will together give over waiting Hope hath two acts it expects that a Mercy will come and then it waits till it do come as it is confident of Gods goodness and truth that in his due time hee will shew mercy so it is conscious to its own duty and therefore humbly and patiently waits Gods leisure till that time come and this although many cross Providences and greatest dangers should come between yea in the way of thy Judgements O Lord have wee waited for thee saith the Church Isa 26.8 and well they may seeing by experience they ever finde that the Lord is good unto them that wait for him to the soul that seeketh him Lam. 3.25 And then when you have learned these lessons of trusting in God praying hoping and waiting on him Then you shall say with the Church Isa 25.9 Loe this is our God wee have waited for him and hee will save us This is the Lord wee have waited for him wee will rejoyce and bee joyful in his salvation There are many glorious wonders which God is now to do at the latter end of the World for his Church This time is reserved for a time of Wonders And who knows but this may bee one of the Wonders which God now doth for his Church at this time Could wee but remove 1. Our Unbeleef 2. Our Unthankfulness 3. Our Neglect of Duty 4. Our Unworthy Walking Could wee but 1. Beleeve more Strongly 2. Pray more Fervently 3. Live more Holily And God would do Wonders for us I tell you the way to ingage God to do Wonders for England is 1. To Beleeve more 2. To Pray more 3. To Reform more 1 Would you ingage God to do Wonders for England Beleeve Set Faith on work and you will work in the bowels of a Promise nay in the bowels of God pitch Faith upon God Let Faith have her full and perfect work And there is No Temptation so strong but Faith will conquer No Affliction so great but Faith will master No Prison so strait but Faith will open No Danger so great but Faith relieves us in No Misery so unsufferable but Faith will deliver us out Do but beleeve saith Christ and thou shalt see the wondrous works of God As if hee had said God will do no wonders John 6.4 if you will not beleeve Indeed God can do wonders as Christ said Hee could not do much because of their unbeleef Though unbelief take no Power no Wisdome from God For as the Apostle saith God is faithfull whether men beleeve or no So I may say God is Powerfull God is mercifull God â—â— Wise c. though wee beleeve not But though our unbelief do not weaken the Power of God yet it straitens and limits it Though it rob God of no mercy yet it robs us of all Though he hath mercy yet hath he none for us Well then that is the first Beleeve You have to deal with a God and this God is a God of Power and this God and this power is yours in Covenant And by vertue of that all for your good Let Faith now stirre Mark 9.23 If you can but beleeve all things are possible wonders are possible To Beleeve is difficult but to him that Beleeveth nothing is impossible If you had but faith as a grain of mustard-seed say to this mountain bee thou removed hence and bee cast into the sea and it shall bee done Though Faith bee but weak though but small A grain yet if it bee but lively if a grain of Mustard-seed Acris Fervida if it have Acrimonie and Vivacity in it as Mustard-seed hath one grain shall bee able to remove a mountain That is whatever may bee to the glory of God and the good of his Church be it never so difficult the least Faith if true Faith will effect it and bring it about You shall read in Heb. 11.33 what wonders Faith hath wrought It hath the same Power and the same God of power to deal with still Incouragements to Faith I have given you diverse in the former discourses from the Power from the love of God from all those former experiences that both ourselves and generations before have had of Gods goodnesse As I have shewed at large 2 Would you ingage God pray to