penitently and resoluedly to bee reformed if Hee recover and yet His sorrow of minde but such onely as the terrours of an awaked guilty conscience produce and His resolution to cast away His sinnes onely such as a man hath in a storme to cast away His goods not because hee doth not love them but because hee feareth to loose his life if hee part not with them Or a meere civill Man or formall Professour may upon His Bed of death bee very confident and seeme to bee full of comfort and yet that confidence no other then the strong imaginary ioyfull conceit of a covetous man grasping a great deale of gold in his dreame but when Hee awaketh behold his hands are empty For a more full and cleare apprehension of my meaning and iudgement in the Point let us take a survay of the different and severall kinds of death which ordinarily befall the Godly and the wicked The death of Gods Children are divers 1. Some of their holy and zealous lives doe determine and expire sweetly fairely and gloriously even like a cleare Sunne in a Summers evening without any storme or cloud of temptation and discomfort The darkesome and painefull passages and pangs of death are illightened and sweetned with the shining beames of Gods glorious presence and fast embracement of Iesus Christ in the armes of their Faith So that to them the very ioyes of Heaven and exultations of everlasting rest mingle themselues with those last agonies and expirations of death Their heads are as it were crowned with immortality and endlesse peace upon their beds of death Luther that blessed Man of God died sweetly and triumphantly over Hell the Pope and the Divell My heavenly Father said Hee at his death eternall and mercifull God thou hast manifested unto me thy deare Son our Lord Iesus Christ. I have taught him I have knowne him I love him as my life my health and my redemption whom the wicked have persecâ—â—ed maligned and with iniury afflicted Draw my Soule to Thee After this Hee said as insued thrice I commend my spirit into thine hands thou hast redeemed mee O God of truth God so loved the world that hee gave his onely Sonne that all that beleeve in Him should have life everlasting Ioh. 3. Heare how another blessed Saint of God ended his dayes Having the day before hee died continued his meditation and exposition vpon Rom. 8. for the space of two houres or more on the sudden Hee said O stay your reading What brightnesse is this I see Have you light up any candles To which I answered No It is the Sun-shine for it was about five a clocke in a cleare Summers evening Sun-shine saith Hee nay my Saviour-shine Now farewell world welcome heaven The Day-starre from on high hath visited my heart O speake it when I am gone and preach it at my Funerall God dealeth familiarly with man I feele his mercy I see his Maiesty whether in the body or out of the body I cannot tell God hee knoweth but I see things that are un-utterable So ravished in spirit Hee roamed toward heaven with a chearefull looke and soft sweete voyce but what Hee said wee could not conceive With the Sunne in the morning following raising himselfe as Iacob did upon his staffe hee shut up his blessed life with these blessed words O what an happy change shall I make From night to day From darkenesse to light From death to life From sorrow to solace From a factious world to an heavenly beeing O my deare brethren sisters and friends It pittieth mee to leave you behind yet remember my death when I am gone and what I now feele I hope you shall finde ere you die that God doth and will deale familiarly with men And now thou fiery Chariot that came downe to feth up Eliah carry mee to my happy Hold And all yee blessed Angels who attended the Soule of Lazarus to bring it up to heaven beare mee O beare mee into the bosome of my Best beloved Amen Amen come Lord Iesus come quickly And so hee fell asleepe That this is true the reporter and By-stander that ancient learned reverend Minister of God Master Leygh addeth I say the truth my Brethren I lie not my conscience bearing mee witnesse in the holy Ghost c. 2. Others may end their dayes very uncomfortably in ravings impatiencies and other strange behaviours Nay the fiery distempers of their hot diseases may sometimes even in the Saints of God produce furlous carriages fearefull distractions and some despairefull speeches But these being the naturall effects and issues of melancholike excesses Phrensies and burning Fevers are sins of infirmity in sanctified men For which if they come againe to themselves they actually repent if not they are all undoubtedly by a generall habituall repentance and Gods gratious acceptation thereof pardoned by the Passion of Christ and buried for ever in his bloody death That last and unreversable doome at the dreadfull Tribunall of the ever-living God must passe upon us not according to the violent and unvoluntary distempers at our last houre but according to the former Passages of our life the sinfull or sanctified expense of the daies of health Heare that other great Artist in the Mysterie of dealing with trouble consciences The common opinion is that if a man die quietly and goe away like a Lambe which in some diseases as consumptions and such like any Man may doe then hee goes straight to heaven but if the violence of the disease stirre up impatience and cause franticke behaviours then men use to say there is a judgement of God serving either to discover an Hypocrite or to plague a wicked man But the truth is otherwise For indeede a man may die like a lambe and yet goe to Hell and one dying in exceeding torments and strange behauiours of the body may goe to heaven 3. The death of some others is mixt to wit of fearefull tempestuous stormes and almost if not altogether despairefull agonies in the beginning of their last sicknesse and a faire refreshing glorious calme and ioyfull triumphs over temptations and feare towards the conclusion of their life For some secret end and holy purpose seeming good to his heavenly wisedome God suffers sometimes even his dearest servants to taste as it were of the fire of Hell and for a while to feele in their consciences those damned flames as a preparative to drinke more sweetly of the Well of life and Rivers of endlesse pleasures So himselfe is most honoured by helping when all hope is past The heart of his Child more ravisht with the first sight of those un-utterable joyes beeing suddenly rais'd to the height of happinesse from the depth of horrour The enemies to the narrow way dasht and confounded by observing his deliverance whom out of prophane blindnesse they deemed an Hypocrite Godly Christians gratiously reviv'd when they see That tho the Lord hide His face from his Childe for a moment
prest upon us by the holy Prophet Psal. 32. Bee glad Reioyce and shout for ioy all yee that are upright in heart 4. Conceive that hypocrisie may lurke in very goodly outward formes and fairest promises and protestations of Selfe-seeming earnest humiliation Looke upon Ahab 1. King 21.27 upon the Israelites Psal. 78 3â— 35. I meane not onely grosse Hypocrisie whereby mens false hearts teach them to deceive others but also that which else-where I have stiled Formall Hypocrisie whereby mens owne hearts deceive even their own selves For I make no question but the promises of amendment which many make when they are pressed and panting under some heavy crosse or grievous sicknesse proceede from their hearts I meane they speake as they thinke and for the present purpose performance who notwithstanding upon their recovery and restitution to former health and wonted worldly happinesse returne with the dog unto the vomit and plunge againe perfidiously into the cursed current of their disclaimed pleasures But by the way and in a word to illighten a perplexed Point and prevent a scruple which may trouble true hearts indeed who hold truth of heart in their repentances services and duties towards God to bee their Peculiar and a speciall Touchstone to trie and testifie the soundnesse of their sanctification the truth of their spirituall states and a distinctive Character from all sorts of unregenerate men and all kindes of Hypocrisie I say purposes and promises made from the heart in the sense I have said with earnest eager protestation while they are in angvish and extremity and yet after deliverance and ease melt away as a morning cloud and like the early deaw proceede from hearts rather affected onely with sting of present horrour naturall desire of happinesse mis-conceite that it is a light thing to leave sinne and the like then truly broken and burdened with sight of their owne vilenesse sense of Gods displeasure hatred of wickednesse and former sensuall waies or enamoured with the sweetnesse of Iesus Christ amiablenesse of grace and goodnesse of God c. Howsoever for my purpose certaine it is and too manifest by many wofull experiences that as it often falles out and fares with men in their corporal visitations outward crosses to wit That while the storme and tempest beates sore upon them they run unto God as their Rocke and enquire early after Him as it is said of the Israelites Ps. 78.34 But when once an hot gleame of former health and prosperitie shines upon them againe they hie as fast out of Gods Blessing into the warme Sunne as they say from sorrow for sinne to delight of sense from seeking God to security in their old waies I say even so it is sometimes also with men in aflictions of Soule and troubles of conscience while the agony and extremity is upon them they take on as though they would become trve Converts both promise and purpose many excellent things for the time to come and a remarkeable change But if once the fit be cover they start aside like a broken Bow and fearefully fall away from what they have vowed with horrible ingratitude and execrable villany having been extraordinarily schooled and scorched as it were in the flames of horrour and warned to take heed by the very vengeance of Hell For the former heare the experience of reverend Divines Many seeming saith One to repent affectionately in dangerous sicknesse when they have recovered have been rather worse then before I would have thought my selfe saith another that many monstrous Persons whom I have visited when Gods hand upon them caused them to cry out and promise amendment would have prooved rare examples to others of true conversion unto God But to my great griefe and to teach â—ee experience what becommeth of such untimely fruits they have turned backe againe as an arrow from a stone wall and as the dog to His owne vomit c. For the latter I could here make it good also by too many experiences were it convenient But I forbeare for some reasons to report them at this time I publish this Point and speake thus Not to trouble any true Converts about the truth of their hearts in their troubles of Conscience consciousnesse unto themselves of their New-birth already happily past their prizing and cleaving to the Lord Iesus unvalewably unvincibly their present New-obedience new courses new company new conversation c. makes it more then evident that they were savingly mollified and melted in the furnace of their spirituall afflictions fashioned and framed by the hand of the Holy Ghost to bee Gods Iewels But to terrifie those miserable men who having tasted that transcendent torture of a wounded conscience dare upon any termes look-backe againe upon the world with delight and doting and againe commit those sinnes which have already stung their hearts with the very terrours of Hell Or rather at this time to teach and tell the afflicted in conscience that when the rich treasures of Gods free mercy and the unsearchable riches of Christ are opened and offered unto Him Hee drinke not so undiscreetly at first of that immeasurable Sea as presently to fall into a surfet of security But to prevent mis-carriage in a matter of so unvalew-able moment let him rather mingle Motives to humiliation with his Medicine of mercy Let Him looke well to the grounds and good speeches upon which the spirituall Physition is encouraged to comfort Him that they shrinke not in the wetting as they say Let him feare and attend his owne deceitfull heart withall narrow watch and a very jealous eye Otherwise that false heart of his may proove a Depth to drowne His owne deare Soule in the Pit of endlesse perdition For in time of extremity and terrour especially of conscience it may seeme pliable and promise faire and yet when it comes to performance and practise either impudently and perfidiously wallowes againe in open wickednesse or rests onely in a Forme of godlinesse at the best Let Him bee stedfast in the Covenant and then Hee may bee sure that his heart was upright and that Hee did not flatter with His mouth or lye unto God with his tongue 5. Sith Thou art now upon termes of turning unto God taking Profession upon Thee and giving up thy Name unto Christ the blessedest businesse that ever Thou went'st about Be well advised consider seriously what thou undertakest and cast deliberately before-hand what it is like to cost Thee Thou must make an account to become the Drunkards Song and to have those that sit in the Gate to speake against Thee The vilest of Men to raile upon thee and the wisest of the World to laugh at Thee Thou must bee content to live a despised Man to bee scoft-at to bee hated of all men To crucifie the flesh with the affections and lusts To looke upon the world set out in the gaudiest manner with all her baites and Bables of riches honours favours greatnesse pleasures c.
refreshing which sprung out of that promise upon her forlorne and fearefull soule or the excesse of that love which shee bore ever after to those blessed lines to the mercy that made them and to the blood that sealed them An other terrified in conscience for sinne resolves to turne on Gods side but the crie of his good-fellow companions strength of corruption and cunning of Satan carrie him backe to his former courses A good number of yeares after hee was so throughly wounded that whatsoever came of him he would never returne againe unto folly Then comes into his minde the first of the Proverbes whence hee thus reasoned against himselfe So many yeares agoe God called and stretched out his hand in mercy but I refused and therefore now thâ— I call upon him hee will not answer though I seeke him early I shall not finde him Whereupon was his heart filled with much griefe terrour and slavish feare But the Spirit of God leading him at length to that place Luke 17.4 If thy brother trespasse against thee seven times in a day and seven times in a day turne againe to thee saying I repent thou shalt forgiue him He thence happily argued thus for himselfe Must I a silly sinnefull man forgive my brother as often as hee repents and will not then the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort entertaine mee seeking againe in truth his face and â—avour God forbid From which hee blessedly drew such a deale of divine sweetnesse and secret sense of Gods love that his trembling heart at first received some good satisfaction and afterward was setled in a sure and glorious peace An other godly man passing through his lâ—st sicknesse with such extraordinary calmâ—nesse of conscience and absolute freedome from temptation that some of his Christian friends observing and admiring the singularity of his soules quiet at that time especially questioned him aboue it He answered that he had stedfastly fixed his heart upon that sweetest promise Isa. 26.3 Thou wilt keepe him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee because hee trusteth in thee And his God had graciously made it fully good unto his soule And so must every Saint doe who would sound the sweetnesse of a promise to the bottome make it the arme of God unto him for sound thorow-comfort Even settle his heart fixedly upon it and set his Faith on worke to broode it as it were with it's spirituall heate that quickenesse and life may thence come into the soule indeed For God is woont to make good his promises unto his children proportionably to their trust in them and dependance upon his truth and goodnesse for a seasonable performance of them Now all these promises in Gods blessed Booke which addes infinitely to their sweetnesse and certainty are sealed with the blood of Iesus Christ Heb. 9.16 and confirmed with the Oath of Almighty God Heb. 6.17.18 God willing more abundantly to shew unto the heires of promise the immutability of his counsell confirmed it by an oath That by two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to lie wee might have a strong consolation who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us Oh what a mighty and pretious invitation is this to beleeve perfectly The speciall Aime of Gods oath whereas his promise had been more then infinitely sufficient was to strengthen our consolation And therefore every heart true unto Christ ought hence to hold fast not a faint wavering inconstant but a strong stedfast and unconquerable comfort Otherwise it sacrilegiously as it were robs God of the glorious end for which hee swore 5. The free love of God Which how rich and glorious how bottomlesse and boundlesse a treasure it is of all gracious sweetnesse abundant comfort and endlesse bounty appeares in this that Iesus Christ blessed for ever that unvalew-able incomparable Iewell came out of it For God so loved the World that hee gave his onely begotten Sonne that whosoever beleeveth in him should not perish but have everlasting life Ioh. 3.16 And therefore every syncere servant of Christ when upon a serious and sad survay of his Christian waies finds himself to come so far short of that which God requires and himselfe desires That his prayers are very faint his sorrow for sinne very scant his love unto the brethren too cold His spending the Sabbaths very unfruitfull His spirituall growth since he gave his name to Christ very poore His profiting by the meanes hee enjoyes most unanswerable to the power and excellency thereof His New-obedience almost nothing c. For so hee is wont to vilifie himselfe Whereupon hee is much cast downe and out of this apprehension of his manifold unworthinesse concludes against himselfe that hee hath little cause to bee confident in the promises of life or to presume of any part and interest in Iesus Christ and so begins to retire the trembling hand of his already very-weake Faith from any more laying-hold of comfort I say in such a Case being true-hearted he may safely and upon sure ground have recourse to this ever-springing Fountaine of immeasurable mercy and raise up his drooping soule against all contrary oppositions with unspeake-able and glorious refreshing from such places as these Hos. 14.4 I will love thee freely Isai. 55. Ho every one that thirsteth come yee to the waters and hee that hath no money come yâ—e buy and eate yea come buy wine and milke without money and without price And Chap. 43.25 I even I am hee that blotteth one thy transgressions for my owne sake and will not remember thy sinnes Revel 21.6 I will give unto him that is athirst of the Fountaine of the water of life freely c. God never set the Promises on sale or will ever sell his Sonne to any Hee never said Iust so much sorrow so much sanctitie so much service or no Christ But Hee ever gives Him freely Every truly humbled heart which will take him at the hands of Gods free love as an Husband to bee saved by him and to serve him in truth may have him for nothing Yet I must adde this there was never any who received the Lord Iesus savingly but hee laboured syncerely to sorrow as much for sinne to bee as holy to doe him as much service as hee could possibly And when hee reflected upon his best hee ever desired it had been infinitely better 6. The sweete Name of the Lord. Which hee proclaimes Exod. 34.6.7 wherein he first expresseth his essence in one word The Lord The Lord. Which doubled is effectuall to stirre up Moses attention Secondly three Attributes first His power in one word Strong Secondly His justice in two formes of speech not making the wicked innocent visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and upon childrens children unto the third and fourth generation Thirdly but his speciall goodnesse and good affection towards repentant and beleeving sinners in seven
from between the teeth of bloody persecuting Wolues 2. Tim. 4.17 Secondly Sometimes Hee takes away or lessens the sting and fury of the torment and torturers The fire had no force at all over the bodies of those blessed men Dan. 3.27 And no doubt in Queene Maries dayes of most abhorred memory Hee many times mollified and sweetned the rage and bitternesse of those mercilesse flames for our Martyrs sakes Thirdly Sometimes he supports and supplies them with supernaturall vigour and extraordinary courage over the smart and rigour of the most terrible and intolerable tortures The heart of that holy Proto-Martyr Steven was furnished and filled with those heavenly infusions of spirituall strength and ioy when the Heavens opening He saw the glory of God and Iesus standing on His right hand which were gloriously transcending and triumphant over the utmost of all corporall paine and Iewish cruelty And so graciously dealt He with many other Martyrs in succeeding ages as we may reade in Ecclesiasticall Stories Fourthly Hee may sometimes also out of His mercifull wisdome put into their hearts such a deale of Heaven before-hand and ravishing comforts of the World to come that the excesse thereof doth swallow up and devoure as it were the bitternesse of all bodily inflictions and sufferings of sense Thus mercifully dealt Hee with that worthy Martyr Master Robert Glover even when He was going towards the Stake He poured into His Soule upon the sudden such over-flowing Rivers of spirituall joyes that no doubt they mightily abated and quencht the ragefull fury of those Popish flames wherein Hee was sacrificed for the Profession of the Gospell of Christ and Gods everlasting truth And assuredly that comfortable Sun-shine of unexpresse-able joy which by the good hand of God was shed into Master Peacocks sorrowfull heart in the depth of His darkenesse and desertion a little before the resignation of His happy Soule into the hands of God did make the pangs of death and that dreadfull Passage a great deale lesse painefull and sensible if not very lightsome and pleasant Now in both these men of God a wofull spirituall dereliction was a fit introduction and immediate preparative to the effusion of such a sudden torrent of strange exultations and ravishments of spirit upon their sad and heavy hearts Conceive the Point then thus The Lord sometimes even in tendernesse and love to His owne deare Children whom Hee designes for extraordinary sufferings may purposely possesse them with such a Paradise of divine pleasures as a counter-comfort to the extremity of their paines that besides their owne private refreshing and support their couragious insensibility and victorious patience thereupon may bring a great deale of terrour to their tormentors glory to their Mercifull Maister credit unto the cause and confusion to the enemies of grace And that there may be an addition of more heart and life to such joyfull elevations of spirit and that He may make the excellency of that spirituall joy proportionable to the exquisitnes of their tortures and trouble He may in His unsearchable wisedome make way thereunto by a spirituall desertion As Hee did in the fore-named glorious Martyr Master Glover For want of the sense of the comforts of godlinesse for a season doth make our Soules a thousand times more sensible of their sweetnesse upon their re-infusion 8. Eighthly Thus may the Lord sometimes deale with His best and dearest Children even by withdrawing the light of His countenance leave them for a while to these inward conflicts and confusions of spirit that thereby they may bee fitted and informed with an holy experimentall skill to speake feelingly and fully to the hearts of their Christian Brethren which may afterward bee tempted and troubled as they have been For God is woont at all times in His Church so gracious is Hee purposely to raise up and single out some speciall men whom Hee instructs and enables in the Schoole of spirituall experiments and afflictions of Soule with extraordinary dexterity and Arte to comfort and recover other Mourners in Zion in their distresses of consciences stronger temptations spirituall desertions decaies of grace relapses Eclipses of Gods face and favour wants of former comfortable feelings in case of horrible thoughts and hideous injections darkenesse of their owne spirits and such other Soule-vexations And such a blessed Physition which is able to speake experimentally to a dejected sorrowfull heart out of practise and sense in His owne Soule is farre more worth both for a true search and discovery and sound recovery and cure of a wounded conscience then an hundred meere speculative Divines Such an One is that One of a thousand spoken of by Iob which can wisely and seasonably declare unto His Soule-sicke Patient the secret Tracks hidden Depths of Gods dealings with afflicted spirits Let us take instance in those experimentall abilities which David gained for such a purpose by His passing thorow that most grievous spirituall desertion Psal. 77. The Case of that Christian were most rufull both in His owne fearefull apprehension and to the un-judicious 〈◊〉 the Beholders who having spent a long time 〈◊〉 Zealous professiō of the Truth walking with God and secret communion with Iesus Christ should come to that passe and fall into those wofull straights of spirituall trouble First That Hee should feare not without extraordinary horrour lest the mercies of God were departed from Him for ever and that the Lord would never more bee intreated or ever shine againe with his favourable countenance upon His confounded Soule Secondly that the very remembrance of God which was woont to crowne his heart with a confluence of all desire-able contentments should even rent it asunder and make it fall to pieces in His bosome like drops of water Thirdly That the pouring out of His Soule with pittifull groanes and complaints in secret unto His God which heretofore did set wide open unto Him heavenly flood-gates of gracious refreshing should now quite overwhelme His spirit with much distracted amazement and feare Fourthly That that heart of His which had formerly full sweetly tasted those holy pleasures which farre passe the comprehension of any carnall conceit should now be so brim-full and damm'd up with excesse of griefe that no vent or passage should bee left unto His speech Fifthly And which Mee thinkes is the perfection of His misery in this kinde that amidst all these heavy discomforts His Soule should refuse to bee comforted That tho the Ministers and Men of God stand round about Him bring into His minde and presse upon Him the pregnant evidences and testimonies of His owne godly life the unchangeablenesse of Gods never-failing mercies to His the sweetnesse of His glorious Name the soveraigne power and mighty price of His Sonnes blood the infallible and inviolable pretiousnesse and truth of the promises of life c. Yet in the agony and angvish of His grieved spirit Hee puts them all away from 〈…〉 none of His nor as properly belonging to His
about to bring in to prepare him thereby though the Divell himselfe meaneth not so for the pangs of the New-birth deeper humiliations and more vehement desires to get under the wings of Christ from that hellish Kyte Or hee may sometimes mingle these horrible stings with the terrours of spirituall travell upon purpose to hinder conversion by a diversion into By-wayes or frighting backe againe to folly and former courses But sure I am the ordinary object and speciall aime of Satans malice in this Point are only those who have happily escaped out of his clutches already and are fully and for ever freed from his damming fury and all-deadly hurt And I know not whether there bee any of these which doth not lesse or more at one time or other suffer under this horrour And yet every one of them thinks himselfe singular in this suffering and that it is not usuall for Gods Children to have such prodigiously foule and fearefull thoughts put into their heads which they dare not mention for their abhorred monstrousnesse neither remember without trembling Now by this dreadfull engine of the Divell which I thus talk of before I tell you what it is and no marvaile for what heart would not willingly retire or can chuse but tremble intreating upoÌ„ such a Theame I meane hideous iniections horrible thoughts blasphemous Suggestions monstrous conceits of the most holy pure and ever-glorious God His Word divine Truths the Lord Iesus blessed for ever or some way or other about spirituall and heavenly things framed immediately by Satan himselfe and with furious violence throwne into our minds infinitely against our wills at the grieselinesse whereof not only Religion but also reason Nay even corrupted nature and common sense stand astonisht shrug and shrink backe at the horrour and abhorre them extremely Some of Gods dearest Children and those that love him best Would you thinke it yet it is too true are sometimes so pestred with their irkesome intrusions that whatsoever they speake doe heare reade or think upon is wrested perverted and hellishly empoisoned with this temptation of blasphemy And they are ordinarily prest upon them with most importunity and impetuousnesse when they are best busied and exercised in the holiest duties as in praier hearing or reading the Word singing of Psalmes dayes of humiliation c. In the first place For a comfortable support in such a Case peruse ponder well upon and apply such considerations and counsels as these 1. In this terrible temptation also thou becomes but conformable to thy Lord and Master which bought thee with his dearest blood and to many of his blessed Saints Was there ever suggestion in conceit or word or any possibilitie of being like unto this in execrablenesse and horrour That the King of Saints in whom dwelleth all the fulnesse of the Godhead bodily should fall downe and worship the Prince of Hell and vilest of Creatures And yet this most horrible blasphemie was injected into the most holy imagination of Iesus Christ with which it was infinitely more impossible to be any waies tainted or stained then the fairest Sunne-beame with the foulest Dirt. But hee endured it and conquered And that for our sakes only and safety even for such excellent endes as these first That when wee are â—et upon by Satan in the same kinde and so hideously assaulted that upon the first sense we are ready to sinke under the suddaine fright and to thinke that none in the world are so but wee yet in cold blood wee may comfortably recover our selves and presently conceive that our Case is not singular and incompatible with a saving state for even the Sonne of God himselfe surpassed us in the same suffering Secondly That hee might take the venome sting and guilt from this hatefull and horrible temptation for all His to the Worlds end Thirdly That having himselfe tasted the Divels malice herein hee might out of His owne feeling and experience more tenderly take to heart our troubles and terrours that way more mightily fortifie and free our spirits against the invasion and surprise of all such prodigious injections and flashes of Hell 2. It is the concurrent judgement of learned and holy Divines that these monstrously blasphemous thoughts and satanicall suggestions resisted and not consented unto are not our sinnes but our crosses Or suppose there should be any tainture on our parts yet condemning them in our judgements and abhorring them with our heartes wee may bee most assured that the blood of Iesus Christ is infinitely more mighty and soveraigne to take away the venome and vilenesse of them then the Divell malicious and subtilâ— to inject I will imagine that some bloody Popish Powder-Traytor had prest upon thee at that time and suggested thus Wee are plotting and purpose to blow up the Parliament with Gun-powder To destroy at one blow the King Queene Prince Nobility c. And afterward to cut the throats of all the Protestants in the Kingdome to roote the Gospell out of it for ever c. And then to lay the fault upon the Puritanes These and the like were injections of much horrour and monstrous nature For thus men learned both in the mystery of Christ and depths of State spoke of that plot at that time Remember but the Powder-Treason the uttermost point of all villany beyond which it is terra incognita no man can devise what should bee betweene Hell and it Consider but this day the Birth-day as I may tearme it of our Countrey in which both Prince and People came as it were anew into the World delivered from the fearefull Powder-Vault the very belly of Hell and confusion as Ionah sometime did from the Belly of the Whale Behold that which so many millions of eies since those windowes were first opened in the head of man to behold the light of Heaven I say so many millions of eyes in their severall generations now sunke downe into their holes and consumed within their Tabernacles never saw never those glorious and constant Lights of the Firmament those cleare and Crystalline eies of nature which walke through the Whole World and give no rest to their temples the Sunne that wandereth by day and the Moone that waketh by night they never saw the like c. It was of such prodigious immanity that before now the tongue of Man never delivered the eare of Man never heard the heart of Man never conceited nor the malice of hellish or earthly Divell ever practised It is beyond all example whether in fact or fiction even of the tragicke Poets who did beat their wits to represent the most fearefull and horrible Murders The Plot whereof Livie speakes of dispatching the whole Senate of Rome in an houre the devise at Carthage to cut off one whole faction by one enterprise the conspiring of Brutus and Cassius to kill Caesar in the Senate the proiect of destroying in one Conclave the greatest part of
the Lord Iesus so sweetly offering himselfe in that pretious promise Matth. 11.28 resoluing to take him for an everlasting husband and ipso facto as they say it might be put into a very Heaven upon Earth For this glorious grace of Faith the Prince of all spirituall light and lightsomnesse in the truely humbled Soule thus shed into such a darke and grieved spirit doth enkindle and set on shining all those gracious heavenly Starres that are woont to beautifie the hearts of holy men hope love zeale son-like feare humility patience selfe-deniall vniversall obedience fruitfulnesse in all good workes c. Which make them light it selfe to walke in the light towards the infinite and unapproachable light And therefore they never neede to want lightsomnesse but have perpetuall pregnant matter of spirituall mirth and mightinesse of spirit The point appeares and is further prooved by manifest and manifold experience David having bin formerly wofully wasted with great varietie and extremitie of dangers and distresses was at last plunged into a most desperate perplexity 1. Sam. 30 6. Which had bin able to have swallowed up into despaire the manliest vigour of the greatest spirit upon earth not supported with grace The like or a lesse caused King Saul to fall upon his owne sword yet He blessed man by the power of his spirituall peace and the beames of Gods pleased face-shining upon his Soule did patiently and sweetly comfort Himselfe in the Lord His God and stood like an impregnable Rocke unshaken with the raging assaults of any tempestuous sourges He was at this time hunted by Saul like a Parâ—ridge in the Mountaines cashierd by the Princes of the Philistines as a fâ—llow of suspected fidelity robd by the Amalekites of His wiues His sonnes and His daughters The Towne to which He returned for safety was burnt with fire And to make his calamity compleate and most cutting even His owne men were ready to stone Him Now in this great distresse upon the first apprehension whereof He wept as the story saith untill He had no more power to weepe yet comming to Himselfe and recollecting His spirituall forces His heavy heart ready to sinke and fall asunder in His bosome did fetch by the hand of faith comfortably fortified by sense and experience of former fauours such heavenly strength from Iehova whom He had made His portion that thereupon His courage was revived and raised to that height that He presently pursued his enemies with extraordinary valour and resolution cut them off quite and recovered all And David saith the text was greatly distressed for the people spake of stoning Him because the Soule of all the people was grieued every man for His sonnes and for His daughters but David encouraged Himselfe in the Lord his God c. What a bitter Sea of unmatched miseries did breake out upon blessed Iob which with a sudden unexpected violence bearing downe that Hedge of protection which God had set about Him the raines purposely let loose by divine dispensation to Sathans malice in the meane time did fearefully overflow him to that height and horrour that He stands registred in Gods Booke as an unparalled Instance of extraordinary sufferings and sorrowes calamities and conflicts to all succeeding ages no story being able to afford the like The naturall death of one deare childe strikes sometimes so heavy to a mans heart that for griefe he growes into a consumption but all Iobs children were suddenly taken away at once by a violent stroke some petty crosse upon his outward state and cutting off but part of his goods causes sometimes a couetous worldling to cut his oÌ„wne throate But Iob was robd of all so that it is a prove be to this day As poore as Iob Many wives are passionate and peevish in time of prosperity whose hâ—arts notwithstanding will melt in compassion and kindenesse over their husbands in any kinde of misery but Iobs wife tho dearely intreated by Her most distressed Husband even for their childrens sake the mutuall common pledges of sweetest loue yet would not come neare Him My breath saith He is strange to my wife though I entreated for the childrens sake of mine owne body Chap. 19.17 Satan I confesse is woont to roare and rage fiercely enough about Gods blessed Oâ—es to doe them all the mischiefe Hee can possibly but rarely hath hee so large a reach and his chaine so lengthned as he had against Iob. The painefull anguish of some one part would not onely deprive a Man of the pleasure of the worlds Monarchy if he had it in possession but also make Him weary of His life In what a taking then was Iob who from the sole of his foote unto his Crowne had no part free from â—ore bâ—les and horribly iâ—flâ—med ulcers exasperated and enraged with the stiâ—ging smart of Satans extremest malice who had power given Him to inflict them God himself frownes many times and withdrawes beames of His pleased face from the soules of His seruants to their great griefe tho for their spirituall good But seldome doth he set them up for His Marke hunt them as a fierce Lion set His terrours in array against them and command the poyson of his arrowes to drinke up their spirit as Iob complaines It is no strange thing neither should it much moove but only make us walke more watchfully to heare men of the world and drunken Belialls to belch out from their rotten hearts upon the Ale-bench such base slanders as these These Professors for all their faire shewes are certainely all of them notorious Hypocrites Tho they looke never so demurely they are not the men they are taken for c. But to have a Mans nearest familiar understanding Christian friends to charge Him with Hypocrisie is a most cruell cut to a troubled conscience And this was Iob. case So thus as â—ob was singular in the universality of His afflictions so there was a singularity of bitternesse above ordinary in eâ—very particular aâ—fliction And what of all this And yet for all this this holy man by the helpe of that pretious hoard of grace which his heavenly heart had treasured up in the time of prosperitie out of that spirituall strength which He had gotten into His soule by his former humble acquaintance and conversation with His God and knowing full well that tho all was gone yet He still possessed Iesus Christ as fully if not more feeliâ—gly as ever before He becomes hereupon as rare and admirâ—ble a Patterne of Patience to all posterity as He was an extraordinary astonishing speâ—â—acle of adversitie and woe Consciousnesse of His fore-spent righteous life which he peruseth Chap. 31. The clearenesse of a good conscience Chap. 16 19 Behold my witnesse 〈◊〉 in heaven and my record is on high And his invincible faith Chap. 19.23 24 25 Oh that mâ— words were now written Oh that they were priâ—ted in a hunke That they were graven with an Iron pen
out groaning most pitifully Oh mee Wretch Oh mine heart is miserable Oh Oh miserable and wofull The burthen of my sinne lyeth so heavy upon mee I doubt it will breake my heart Oh how wofull and miserable is my state that thus must converse with Hell-hounds When By-standers asked if Hee would pray Hee answered I cannot Suffer us say they to pray for you Take not replyed Hee the Name of God in vaine by praying for a Reprobate What grievous pangs what sorrowfull torments what boyling heates of the fire of Hell that blessed Saint of God Iohn Glover felt inwardly in his spirit saith Fox no speech outwardly is able to expresse Being young saith Hee I remember I was once or twice with Him whom partly by His talke I perceived and partly by mine owne eyes saw to bee so worne and consumed by the space of five yeeres that neither almost any brooking of meat quietnes of sleep pleasure of life yea and almost no kind of senses was left in Him Vpon apprehension of some back-sliding Hee was so perplexed that if Hee had been in the deepest Pit of Hell Hee could almost have despaired no more of His salvation saith the same Author In which intolerable griefes of minde saith Hee although Hee neither had nor could have any ioy of his meate yet was Hee compelled to eate against his appetite to the end to differre the time of His damnation so long as Hee might thinking with Himselfe no lesse but that Hee must needs bee throwne into Hell the breath beeing once out of his Body I dare not passe out of this Point lest some Childe of God should bee here discouraged before I tell you that every One of these three last named was at length blessedly recovered and did rise most gloriously out of their severall Depths of extremest spirituall misery before their end Heare therefore also Mistris Bretterghs triumphant Songs and ravishments of spirit after the returne of Her Welbeloved O Lord Iesu doest Thou pray for mee O blessed and sweete Saviour How wonderfull How wonderfull How wonderfull are thy mercies Oh thy love is unspeakeable that hast dealt so graciously with mee O my Lord and my God blessed bee thy Name for evermore which hast sâ—â—wed mee the Path of life Thou didst O Lord hide thy face from mee for a little season but with everlasting mercy thou hast had compassion on mee And now blessed Lord thy comfortable presence is come yea Lord thou hast had respect unto thine hand-maide and art come with fulnesse of ioy and abundance of consolations O blessed bee thy Name my Lord and my God O the ioyes the ioyes the ioyes that I feele in my Soule Oh they bee wonderfull They bee wonderfull They bee wonderfull O Father how mercifull and marveilous gracious art thou unto mee yea Lord I feele thy mercy and I am assured of thy love and so certaine am I thereof as Thou art the God of truth even so sure doe I know my Selfe to bee thine O Lord my God and this my Soule knoweth right well and this my Soule knoweth right well O blessed bee the Lord O blessed bee the Lord that hath thus comforted mee and hath brought mee now to a place more sweet unto mee then the Garden of Eden Oh the ioy the ioy the delightsome ioy that I feele O praise the Lord for his mercies and for this ioy which my Soule feeleth full well prayse His Name for evermore Heare with what heavenly calmenesse and sweete comforts Master Peacocks heart was refresht and ravisht when the storme was over Truly my heart and Soule saith Hee when the tempest was something alayed have been farre led and deepely troubled with temptations and stings of conscience but I thanke God they are eased in good measure Wherefore I desire that I bee not branded with the note of a cast-away or reprobate Such questions oppositions and all tending thereto I renounce Concerning mine inconsiderate speeches in my temptation I humbly and heartily aske mercy of God for them all Afterward by little and little more light did arise in His heart and Hee brake out into such speeches as these I doe God bee praised feele such comfort from that what shall I call it Agony said One that stood by Nay quoth Hee that is too little That had I five hundred worlds I could not make satisfaction for such an issue Oh the Sea is not more full of water nor the Sunne of light then the Lord of mercy yea His mercies are ten thousand times more What great cause have I to magnifie the great goodnesse of God that hath humbled â—ay rather exalted such a wretched Miscreant and of so base condition to an estate so glorious and stately The Lord hath honoured me with His goodnesse I am sure Hee hath provided a glorious Kingdome for me The ioy that I feele in mine heart is incredible For the third heare M. Fox Tho this good Servant of God suffered many yeares so sharp temptations and strong buffetings of Satan yet the Lord who graciously preserved Him all the while not onely at last did rid him out of all discomfort but also framed him thereby to such mortification of life as the like lightly hath not been seene in such sort as Hee bâ—eing like one placed in Heaven already and dâ—ad in this world both in word and meditation led a life altogether celestiall abhorring in His mind all prophane doâ—ngs 7. No arme of flesh or Art of man no earthly comfort or created power can possibly heale or helpe in this heaviest case and extreamest horrour Heaven and earth Men and Angels friends and Physicke gold and silver pleasures and preferments fauour of Princes nay the utmost possibility of the whole creation must let this alone for ever An Almighty hand and infinite skill must take this in hand or else never any cure or recovery in this world or the world to come Bodily diseases may be eased and mollified by medicines Surgery as they say hath a salve for every sore Poverty may be repaired and releived by friends There is no imprisonment without some hope of enlargement Sute and favour may helpe home out of banishment Innocency and neglect may weare-out disgrace Griefe for losse of a wife a Child or other dearest friend if not by reasons from Reason that death is un-avoidable necessary an end of all earthly miseries the common way of all Mankinde c. yet at last is lessened and utterly lost by length of time Cordialls of Pearle Saphyres and Rubies with such like may recomfort the heart possest with Melancholy and drown'd in the darkenesse of that sad and irkesome humour c. But now not the most exquisite concurrence of all these nor all the united abilities which lie within the strength and sinewes of the Arme of flesh can helpe any whit at all in this Case Not the exactest quintessence extracted from all the joyes glory and pleasures that ever the world
of the path cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us Wherefore thus saith the Holy One of Israel Because ye despise this word and trust in oppression and perversenesse and stay thereon Therefore this iniquity shal bee to you as a breach ready to fall swelling out in a high wall whose breaking commeth suddenly at an instant And Hee shall breake it as the breaking of the potters vessell that is broken in pieces hee shall not spare so that there shal not be found in the bursting of it a sheard to take fire from the harth or to take water with all out of the Pit Dawbers with untempered morter Ezech. 13.11 Who erect in the conceits of those who are willing to bee deluded by them Pharises at the best a rotten Building of false hope like a mudde-wall without straw or morter made onely of sand without lime to binde it which in faire weather makes a faire shew for a while but when abundance of raine falls and winter comes it moulders away and turnes to myre in the streetes Their vaine confidence in prosperous times before it come to the Touchstone of the fiery triall by Gods searching Truth may seeme currant But in the tempest of Gods wrath when the stormy winters night of death approacheth or at furthest at the iudgement Seate of the iust and Highest God it prooves to bee counterfeite when at last they shall cry Lord Lord like the foolish Virgins And those Mat. 7. in steade of imaginary comfort they shal bee crusht with horrible and everlasting confusion Heare the Prophet Say unto them which daube it with untempered morter that it shall fall there shall bee an overflowing showre and yee O great haile stones shall fall and a stormy winde shall rent it Loe when the wall is fallen shall it not bee said unto you where is the daubing wherewith yee have daubed it Therfore thus saith the Lord God I will rent it with a stormy winde in my fury and there shall be an overflowing showre in mine anger and great hailestones in my fury to consume it So wil I breake downe the wall that yee have daubed with untempered morter and bring it downe to the ground so that the foundation thereof shal bee discovered and it shall fall and yee shall bee consumed in the midst thereof and yee shall know that I am the Lord. Thus will I accomplish my wrath upon the wall and upon them that have it dawbed with untempered morter and will say unto you The wall is no more neither they that daubed it To wit the Prophets of Israel which prophesie concerning Ierusalem and which see visions of peace for Her and there is no peace saith the Lord God Such as with lies make the heart of the righteous sad whom God hath not made sad and strengthen the hands of the wicked that Hee should not returne from His wicked way by promising Him life Ezech. 13.22 These fellowes hold and beare meere civill men in hand that their estate is sound enough to Godward whatsoever the purer and preciser Brethren prate to the contrary and yet the holy Ghost tells us that without holinesse no man shall see the Lord. Hebr. 12.14 That formall Professours are very forward men whereas Iesus Christ professeth that Hee will spew the luke-warme out of His mouth Nay and if there bee talke even of a good fellow especially of some more commendable naturall parts and plausible carriage if Hee be so but moderately that I may so speake and not iust every day drunke well well will they say wee have all our faults and that is His. But as concerning the faithfull servant of God they are woont to entertaine the same conceite of Him which Ahab did of Elijah to wit that Hee was a troubler of Israel Which one of the captaines had of the Prophet sent to annoint Iehu that Hee was a mad fellow which the false Prophets had of Micaiah that Hee was a fellow of a singular and od humour by Himselfe and guided by a private spirit of His owne which Tertullus had of Paul that he was a pestilent fellow which the Pharises had of Christs Followers that they were a contemptible and cursed generation a company of base rude illiterate underlings Nay sometimes when the bedlam fit is upon them they will not sticke to charge Gods people in some proportion most wickedly and falsely as the ancient Heathens did the primitive Christians with conventicles and meetings of hatefull impurities faction disaffection to Caesar and many other horrible things whereas poore Soules they were most innocent and infinitely abhorred all such villanies And they met in the morning even before Day not to doe God knowes any such ill but for the service of God even their more ingenuous adversaries being witnesses to sing prayses to Christ. God to confirme their discipline forbidding all manner of sinne c. with all the miscarriages miseries and calamities that fell vpon the State as tho they were the causes Whereas those few neglected Ones which truly serve God are the onely men in all Places where they live to make up the hedge and to stand in the gappe against the threatned inundations of Gods dreadfull wrath and all the Opposites to their holy Profession are the true Cut-throats of Kingdomes able by their dissolutenesse and disgracing godlinesse to dissolve the sinewes of the strongest state upon Earth Looke upon Amos 4.1.2 And there you shall finde who they are which cause God to enter a controversie with the Inhabitants of a Land Heare how Austin describes some of these Selfe-seeking and Soule-murthering Dawbers in His Daies Farre be it from us saith Hee that we should say unto you live as you list doe not trouble your selves God will cast away none onely hold the Christian Faith Hee will not destroy that which He hath redeemed He will not destroy those for whom He hath shed His blood And if you please to recreate your selves at Plaies you may go what hurt is there in it And you may go to those Feasts which are kept in all Townes by joviall companions making themselues merry as they suppose at these publike meetings comessations but indeed rather making themselves most miserable I say you may go and be jovial Gods mercy is great and may pardon all Crowne your selves with Roses before they wither You may fill your selves with good cheere and wine amongst your good-fellow companions For the creature is giuen unto us for that purpose that wee may enjoy it If wee say these things peradventure wee shall hâ—ve greater multitudes applaude and adhere unto our Doctrine And if there bee some which thinke that speaking these things wee are not well advisde wee offend but a few and those precise Ones But wee winnâ— thereby a world of people But if wee shall thus doe speaking not the words of God not the words of Christ but
many respects 1. In respect of Gods word and messages first not dividing it and dispensing them aright Secondly Dishonouring the Majesty and weakening the power of them many times with the vnprofitable mixture of humane allegations ostentations of wit fine frier-like conceits digged with much adoe out of Popish postills c. Even as wee may see at haruest time a land of good corne quite choaked up with red blew and yellow flowers As King Iames doth excellently allude in the forecited place Thirdly Fearefull prophaning them by mis-application against Gods will Making the heart of the righteous Sad whom God would not have made Sad and strengthening the hands of the wicked that hee should not returne from his wicked way by promising him life Fourthly Villanous perverting and abusing them to their owne advantage applause rising revenge and such other private ends 2. In respect of the flattering and unfaithfull Ministers themselves First Extreme vilenesse Isa. 9.15 Secondly Guiltinesse of spirituall bloudshed Ezech. 3.18 Thirdly Liablenesse to the fierce wrath of God in the Day of visitation Ier. 14.15 1. King 22.25 3. In respect of their hearers who delight in their lies in their smooth and silken sermons Suddaine horrible and unavoidable confusion Isa. 30.13.14 4. Burning both together in hell for euer without timely and true repentance banning there each other continually and crying with mutuall hideous yellings O thou bloody Butcher of our Soules hadst thou bin faithfull in thy Ministery wee had escaped these eternall flames O miserable man that I am Woe is mee that ever I was Minister for now besides the horrour due unto the guiltinesse of mine owne damned Soule I have drawen vpon mee by my unfaithfull dealing the cry of the bloud of all those soules who have perished under my Ministery to the everlasting enraging of my already intollerable torment Give mee leave to conclude this point with that patheticall and zealous passage of reuerend and learned Greenham against negligent pastors amongst whom I may justly ranke and reckon also all Dawbers for as well never a whit as never the better Men-pleasers For selfe preachers are for the most part seldom-preachers Heare His words Were there any love of God from their hearts in those who in stead of feeding to salvation starve many thousands to Destruction I dare Say and say it boldly that for all the promotions under Heaven they would not offer that iniury to one Soule that now they offer to many hundred Soules But Lord how doe they thinke to give up their reckoning to thee who in most strict account will take the answere of every Soule committed unto them one by one Or with what eares doe they often heare that vehemâ—nt speech of our Saviour Christ Feede Feede Feede with what eyes doe they so often readâ— that piercing speech of the Apostle Feede the slocke committed unto you But if none of these will move them then the Lord open their eyes to heare the grievous groanes of many Soules lying under the griefly altars of destruction and complaining against them O Lord the revenger of blood behold these men whom thou hast set over us to give us the bread of life but they have not given it us Our tongues and the tongues of our children have stucke to the roofe of our mouths for calling and crying and they would not take pitty on vs Wee have given them the tenths which thou appointedst us but they have not given us thy truth which thou hast commanded them Reward them O Lord as they have rewarded us Let the bread betweene their teeth turne to rottennesse in their bowells Let them be clothed with shame and confusion of face as with a garment Let their wealth as the Dung from the earth bee swept away by their executours And upon their gold silver which they have falsely treasured up let continually bee written the price of blood the price of blood For it is the value of our blood O Lord. If thou didst heare the blood of Abel being but one man forget not the blood of many when thou goest into judgement I now returne to rectify and tender a remedy against the first aberration Which I told you was this When mercy Christ the promises salvation heaven all are applied hand overhead and falsely appropriated to vnhumbled sinners whose Soules were never rightly illightened with sight of sinne and waight of Gods wrath nor afflicted to any purpose with any legall wound or hearty compunction by the Spirit of bondage In whose hearts sense of their spirituall misery and want hath not yet raised a restlesse and kindly thirst after Iesus Christ In this case mine advise is that all those who deale with others about their Spirituall states and undertake to direct in that high and waighty affaire of mens Salvation either publikly or privatly in their ministry visitations of the sicke or otherwise that they would follow that course of which I largely discoursed a little before taken by God himselfe his Prophets his Sonne the Apostles and all those men of God in all ages who have set themselves with Sincerity faithfulnesse and all good Conscience to seeke Gods glory in the salvation of mens Soules to discharge aright their dreadfull charge and to keepe themselues pure from the blood of all men To wit That they labour might and maine in the first Place by the knowledge power and application of the Law to illighten convince and terrify those that they have to doe with concerning conversion with a sensible particular apprehension and acknowledgement of their wretchednesse and miserable estate by reason of their sinfulnesse and cursednesse To breake their hearts bruise their Spirits humble their Soules wound and awake their Consciences c. To bring them by all meanes to that Legall astonishment trouble of minde and melting temper which the Ministry of Iohn Baptist Paul and Peter wrought upon the Hearts of their hearers Luk. 3.10.12.14 Act. 16.30 And 2.37 That they may come crying feelingly and from the heart to those Men of God who happily fastened those keene arrows of compunction and remorse in the sides of their Consciences and say Men and Brethren what shall wee do Sirs what must wee doe to bee saved c. As if they should have said Alas wee see now wee have bin in Hell all this while and if wee had gone on a litle longer wee had most certainely lien for ever in the fiery Lake The Devill and our owne lusts were carrying us hood-winkt and headlong towards endlesse perdition Who would have thought wee had bin such abominable beasts and abhorred Creatures as your Ministry hath made us and in so forlorne wofull estate Now you blessed Men of God helpe us out of this gulfe of spirituall confusion or wee are lost everlastingly By your discovery of our present sinfull and cursed estate wee â—eele our hearts torne in pieces with extreme and restles
Iesus Christ c. But who doe you thinke now are the true and great fooles of the world And who are likeliest one day to groane for anguish of Spirit and say within themselves This was hee whom wee had sometimes in derision and a Proverbe of reproch Wee fooles accounted His life madnesse and His end to bee without honour Now is hee numbred among the Children of God and His Lot is among the Saints Therefore haue we erred from the way of truth and the light of righteousnesse hath not shined unto us and the Sun of righteousnesse hath not rose upon us wee wearied our selves in the way of wickednesse and destruction yea wee have gone through deserts where there lay no way But as for the way of the Lord wee have not knowne it What hath pride profited us Or what good hath riches with our vanting brought us All those things are passed away like a shadow and as a post that hasted by c. Nay and yet further besides the extraordinarinesse of the iniquity folly in refusing Christ freely offered it shall most certainely bee hereafter plagued with extremest tormenting fury and most desperate gnashing of teeth For with what infinite horrour and restlesse anguish will this conceit rent a Mans heart in pieces and gnaw upon His Conscience when Hee considers in Hell that Hee hath lost Heaven for a lust and whereas Hee might at every sermon had even the Son of God His husband for the very taking and have lived with Him for ever in unspeakeable Blisse yet neglecting so great salvation must now crying out therefore continually against Himselfe as the most raging Bedlam that ever breathed lie in unquenchable flames without remedy ease or end It is the highest honour that can be imagined and a Mystery of greatest amazement that ever was that the Sonne of God should make sute unto sinfull Soules to be their Husband And yet so it is Hee stands at the doore and knocks if you will give Him entrance Hee will bring Himselfe and Heaven into your hearts We are Christs Ambassadours as though God did beseech you by us Wee pray you in Christs stead to be reconciled to God Wee are Christs spokes-men that I may so speake to Wooe and Winne you unto Him Now what can you say for your selves that you stand out Why come you not in If the Divell would give you leave to speake out and in plaine termes One would say I had rather bee damned then leave my drunkennesse Another I love the world better then Iesus Christ A third I will not part with my easie and gainefull trade of Vsury for the treasure hid in the field And so on So that upon the matter you must needs all confesse that you hereby judge your selves unworthy of everlasting life that you are wilfull bloody Murderers of your owne Soules that you commit such a wickednesse that all the Creatures in Heaven and Earth cry shame upon you for it Nay and if you go on without repentance you may expect that the Hellish gnawing of Conscience for this one sinne of refusing Christ may perhaps hold scale with the Vnited horrors of all the rest What is the matter I marvell that you will not entertaine the Match If wee stand upon honour and noble family Hee that makes love and sute unto our soules hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written King of Kings and Lord of Lords If upon beauty Heare how hee is described Cant. 5. My beloved is white and ruddy the chiefest of ten thousand His head is as the most fine gold his lockes are bushie and blacke as a Raven His eyes are as the eyes of Doves by the rivers of water washed with milke and fitly set His cheekes are as a bed of Spices as sweet flowers His lips like Lillies dropping sweet smelling myrrhe His hands are as the gold rings set with the Berill His belly is as bright Ivory overlaid with Saphires His legs are as pillars of marble set upon Sockets of fine gold His countenance is as Lebanon excellent as the Cedars His mouth is most sweet yea hee is altogether lovely Now you must understand that the Spirit of God by these outward beauties and braveries labours in some measure to shadow out and represent unto us the incomparable excellency of inward graces the dignity the glory the spirituall fairenesse of Iesus Christ that wee may know that Hee is wholly and altogether lovely delectable and precious If upoâ— ease and contentment Hee can lead us to fulnesse of joy and pleasures at Gods right hand for evermore If wee desire honorable Alliance Hee will bring us to an innumerable company of Angels to the generall assembly and Church of the first borne which are written in heaven and to God the Iudge of all and to the spirits of just men made perfect If we stand upon wealth we shall haue all things with him which is a large Possession If we respect love Greater love hath no Man then this that a Man lay downe His life for his friends And hee being the brightnesse of His Fathers glory and the expresse image of his person came downe from his bosome the well-spring of immortality and blisse the fulnesse of joy and that unapprocheable light into an House of flesh upon this base and miserable earth Hee passed thorow a life full of all manner vexations miseries persecutions indignities slanders speaking against of Sinners c. He was so prodigiously slandered that they said Hee had a divell Whereas the fulnesse of the Godhead dwelled in him bodily Hee was cunningly hunted long and at last violently haled by a Packe of Hell-hounds to a cruell and bloody death which for the extremity and variety of paines for the enraged spight of the executioners for the innocency and excellency of the Person suffering the like never was shall or can bee endured His passions were such so bitter and unsupportable that they would have made any meere creature to have sunke downe under the burden of them to the bottome of Hell Hee was tortured extremely and suffered grievous things both in Body and Soule from Heaven Earth and Hell His blessed Body was given up as an Anvile to bee beaten upon by the violent and villanous hands of wretched Miscreants without all measure or mercy untill they had left no one part free from some particular and speciall torment His skin and flesh were â—ent with scourges His hands and feet pierced with nailes His head with thornes His very heart with the speare point All His senses all his parts indeed His whole sacred body was made a rufull spectacle to Angels and to Men of all the most base and barbarous vsage which malice could devise and cruelty execute But all this yet was but a shadow of His suffering the substance of His suffering was the Agony of His Soule Give mee any affliction save the affliction of the mind
yet at last with everlasting kindnesse will Hee have mercy on Him And that Hee will never utterly and finally forsake any of His. Thus died those blessed Servants of God Mistris Bretergh Master Peacock c. Mistris Bretergh in the heate of temptatioÌ„ wished that she had never bin borne or that she had bin made any other creature rather then a woman But when that Hellish storme was over-blowne by the returne of the glorious beames of the Sun of righteousnesse into Her Soule She turnd her tune and triumphed thus Oh happy am I that ever I was borne to see this blessed Day I confesse before the Lord his loving kindnesse and his wonderfull workes before the sons of men For hee hath satisfied my Soule and filled my hungry Soule with goodnesse Master Peacocke in the height of His dreadfull Desertion told those about Him that hee converst with Hell-â—ounds That the Lord had cursed him That Hee had no grace That it was against the course of Gods proceeding to save Him c. But when that horrible tempest of spirituall terrours was happily disperst and the light of Gods comfortable countenance begun to shine againe upon His most heavy and afflicted spirit Hee dis-avowed all inconsiderate speeches as hee called them in his temptation and did humbly and heartily aske mercy of God for them all And did thus triumph What should I extoll the magnificence of God which is unspeakeable and more then any heart can conceive Nay rather let us with humble reverence acknowledge His great mercy What great cause have I to magnifie the great goodnesse of God that hath humbled Nay rather exalted such a wretched miscreant of so base condition to an estate so glorious and stately The Lord hath honored mee with his goodnesse I am sure hee hath provided a glorious Kingdome for mee The joy which I feele in my heart is uncredible 4. Some of Gods worthiest Champions and most zealous servants doe not answere the unreprooveable sanctity of their life and unspotted current of their former conversation with those proportionable extraordinary comforts and glorious Passages upon their beds of death which in ordinary congruity might be expected as a conuenient conclusion to the rare and remarkeable Christian cariages of such blessed Saints So bottomlesse and infinitely un-fathomable by the utmost of all created vnderstandings are the depths of Gods most holy waies and His inscrutable Counsells quite contrary many times to the probable conclusions of Man's best wisdome But every one of His sith he certainly passes thorow those pangs into pleasures and joyes endlesse and unspeakeable must be content to glorifie God to be seruiceable to His secret ends with what kinde of death Hee please whether it bee glorious and untempted or discomfortable because of Bodily distempers and consequently interpretable by undiscerning spirits or mingled of temptations and Triumphs or ordinary and without any great shew or remarkeable speeches after extraordinary singularities of an holy life which promised an end of speciall note and admiration Why may not some worthy heavenly-minded Christians sometimes by strong mortifying meditations and many conquering fore-conceits of death in their life time make it before-hand so familiar and easie unto them an by continuall conversing above and constant peace of conscience taste so deepely of spirituall ioyes that that dreadfull Passage out of this life as it may breede no great sense of alteration in themselves so no extraordinary matter of speciall observation to others Of the wicked and those who were ever strangers to the mystery of Christ and truth of godlinesse Some die desperately Tho thousands perish by presumption to One of these who despaire yet some there are to whom upon their beds of death all their sins are set in order before them and represented to the eie of their awaked consciences in such griesly formes and so terribly that at the very first and fearefull sight they are presently struck starke dead in soule and spirit utterly over-whelmed and quite swallowed up with guilty and desperate horrour So that afterward No counsell or comfort no consideration of the immeasurablenesse of Gods mercy of the unvaluablenesse and omnipotency that I may so speak of Christs bloud shed of the variety excellency of gracious promises of the losse of their owne immortall soules can possibly drive and divert from that infinitely false conceite and cursed Cry My sinnes are greater then can bee pardoned Whereupon most miserable and forlorne wretches they very wickedly and willfully throw themselves into Hell as it were upon earth and are damned above ground Thus the Lord sometimes for the terror of others glorifying his owne iustice bringing exemplary confusion upon impenitent obstinacy in sinne and willfull opposition to grace doth in greatest indignation by the hand of divine vengeance unclaspe unto them the Booke of their owne Conscience and of His owne holy Law In one of which they find now at length all their innumerable iniquities transgressions and sinnes engraven with the Point of a diamond enraged with Gods implacable wrath aggravated with the utmost malice of Satan And never to bee razed out or remitted but by the bloud of the Son of God in which they peremptorily professe themselves to have no part In the other they see the fiercenes and fulnesse of all the curses plagues and torments denounced there and due unto all impenitent sinners ready to bee poured upon their bodies and soules for ever And no possibility to prevent them no waies to decline them but by Gods infinite bounty thorow Iesus Christ in which they also utterly disclaime all right and interest And therefore they are now finally and desperately resolved to looke for no mercy But in their owne judgement and by their owne confession stand reprobates from Gods covenant and voide of all hope of His inheritance expecting with unspeakeable terrour and amazement of spirit the consummation of their miserie and fearefull sentence of eternall damnation They are commonly such as have been grosse Hypocrites like Iudas and lien in some secret abomination against the knowledge of their hearts all their life long that have followed still their owne sensuall wayes and course of the world against the light of the Ministry standing like an armed man in their consciences to the contrary who have been Scorners and Persecutours of the power of godlinesse and the good way who have abjured the Gospell of Iesus Christ and forsaken the Truth for honour wealth or worldly happinesse To whom the Lord in their life-time vouchsafed many mercies much prosperity great meanes of salvation long forbearance c. And yet they stood out still they still hated to bee reformed set as naught all His counsell and would 〈◊〉 of His â—â— proofe Wherefore the Day of gratious visitation beeing once expired a thousand Worlds will not purchase it againe Heaven and Earth cannot recall it No mercy no comfort no blessing can then bee had tho they seeke it with teares
refresht with that pretious blood of His c. 6. It is growing from appetite to endeavour from endeavour to action from action to habite from habite to some comfortable perfection and tallnesse in Christ. If it bee quite quencht and extingvished when the spirituall angvish and agony is over or stand at a stay never transcending the nature of a naked wish it is to bee reputed rootelesse heartlesse gracelesse There are Christians that lie as yet as it were strugling in the wombe of the Church who for a time at the least live spiritually onely by grievings and groanes by hearty desires eager longings affectionate stirrings of spirit c. There are also Babes in Christ young men in Christ strong men in Christ old Christians A perpetuall infancy argues a nullity of sound and saving Christianity The Childe that never passeth the stature and state of an Infant will proove a Monster Hee that growes not by the syncere milke of the Word is a true Changeling not truly changed Hee that rests with contentment upon a desire onely of good things never desired them savingly But here lest any tender conscience bee unnecessarily troubled I must confesse It is not so growing as I have said or not so sensibly at certaine times as while the pangs of the New-birth are upon us in times of desertion temptation c. Tho even then it growes in an holy impatiency restlesnesse longing c. Which is well-pleasing unto the Father of mercies in the meane time and which Hee accepts graciously untill Hee give more strength The Point thus cleared is very sweet and soveraigne but so that no carnall Man must come neere it no stranger meddle with it much lesse Swine trample upon it It is a Iewell for the true-hearted Nathanaels wearing alone Nay the Christian himselfe in the time of his Soules health height of feeling and flourishing of His Faith must hold off His hand Onely let Him keepe it fresh and orient in the Cabinet of His memory as a very rich Pearle against the Day of spirituall distresse As pretious and cordiall waters are to bee given onely in swounings faintings and defection of the spirits so this delicious Manna is to bee ministred specially and to bee made use of in the straits and extremities of the Soule At such times and in such Cases as these In 1. The strugglings of the New-birth 2. Spirituall Desertions 3. Strong temptations 4. Extraordinary troubles upon our last Bed 1. For the first When thou art once come so farre as I intimated before To wit that after a thorow conviction of sinne and sound humiliation under Gods mighty hand upon a timely and seasonable revelation of the glorious Mystery of Christ His excellencies invitations His truth tender-heartednesse c. For the desire I speake of is an effect and affection wrought ever immediately by the Gospell alone I say when in this Case thine heart is filled with vehement longings after the Lord of life If thou bee able to say with David My soule thirsteth after thee as a thirstie Land If thou feele in thy selfe an hearty hunger and thirst after the favour of God that Fountaine opened for sinne and for uncleannesse and fellow-ship with Christ Assuredly then the Well of life is already opened unto thee by the hand of thy faithfull Redeemer and in due time thou shalt drink thy fill He that is Alpha and Omega the Beginning and the End the eternall and unchangeable God hath promised it And amid the sorrowes of thy trembling heart and longings of thy thirsty soule thou mayst even challenge it at His hands with an humble sober and zealous confidence As did that Scottish Penitent a little before his Execution Hee freely confessed his fault to the shame as Hee said of Himselfe and to the shame of the Divell but to the glory of God Hee acknowledged it to bee so hainous and horrible that had hee a thousand lives and could he die ten thousand deaths Hee could not make satisfaction Notwithstanding said hee Lord thou hast left mee this comfort in thy Word that thou hast said Come unto mee all ye that are weary and laden and I will refresh you Lord I am weary Lord I am heavily laden with my sinnes which are innumerable I am ready to sinke Lord even to Hell without thou in thy mercy put to thine hand and deliver mee Lord thou hast promised by thine owne word out of thine owne mouth that thou wilt refresh the weary soule And with that Hee thrusts out one of his hands and reaching as high as Hee could with a louder voyce and a strained cryed I challenge thee Lord by that Word and by that Promise which thou hast made that thou performe and make it good unto mee that call for ease and mercy at thine hands c. Proportionably when heavy-heartednesse for sinne hath so dryed up thy bones and the angry countenance of God so parched thine heart that thy poore soule begins to gaspe for grace as the thirsty Land for drops of raine thou mayst tho dust and ashes with an holy humility thus speake unto thy gracious God O mercifull Lord God thou art Alpha and Omega the beginning and the end Thou sayest It is done of things that are yet to come so faithfull and true are thy decrees and promises And thou hast promised by thine owne word out of thine owne mouth that unto Him that is athirst thou wilt give of the Fountaine of the water of life freely O Lord I thirst I faint I langvish I long for one drop of mercy As the Hart panteth for the water brookes so panteth my soule after thee O God and after the yerning bowels of thy woonted compassions Had I now in possession the glory the wealth and the pleasures of the whole World Nay had I ten thousand lives ioyfully would I lay them all downe and part with them to have this poore trembling soule of mine received into the bleeding armes of my blessed Redeemer O Lord and thou onely knowest it my spirit within me is melted into teares of blood my heart is shivered into peeces Out of the very place of Dragons and shaddow of death doe I lift up my thoughts heavy and sad before Thee the remembrance of my former vanities and pollutions is a very vomite to my soule and it is full sorely wounded with the grievous representation thereof The very flames of Hell Lord the fury of thy just wrath the scorchings of mine owne conscience have so wasted and parched mine heart that my thirst is insatiable My bowels are hot within mee my desire after Iesus Christ pardon and grace is greedy as the grave the coles thereof are coles of fire which hath a most vehement flame And Lord in thy blessed Booke thou calls and cries Ho every One that thirsteth come yee to the waters c. In that great day of the Feast Thou stood'st and cryed'st with thine owne mouth saying
comest with thy cost Whereas God ever gives His Sonne freely and bids thee come and welcome and buy without money and without price Obiect 2. But will it not bee presumption in mee having no good thing in mee at all to bring with mee but comming now as it were fresh out of Hell from a most wicked impure abominable life to take Christ as mine owne and all those rich and pretious promises sealed with his blood Answ. Enough hath been already said to meete with this objection It is not presumption but good manners to come when thou art called How can Hee bee said to presume who is both invited and intreated commanded and threatned to come in c. Of which see before Thou must now in this extreme spirituall thirst of thine drinke of the water of life so freely offered that thou mayst receive some heavenly strength to bee good and power to become the Sonne of God Thou must throw thy sinfull Soule upon Iesus Christ bleeding and breathing out his last upon the Crosse as the Body of the Shunamites Childe was applyed to the Prophet stretching himselfe upon it That thou mayst thereby bee quickened with desired fruitfulnesse filled by little and little with all the fulnesse of God receiving grace for grace I am the resurrection and the life saith Christ Hee that believeth in me tho He were dead yet shall Hee live It were execrable presumption for any Man who purposeth to goe on in the willing practise or allowance of any one knowne sinne to believe that Christ is His righteousnesse and sanctification But where all sin is a Burden every promise as a world of gold and the heart syncere for a new way there a Man may be bold For thee to have pretended part in Christ wallowing yet in thy sinnes had been horrible presumption indeed and for mee to have applyed the Promises and preached peace unto thy remorselesse conscience before the Pangs of the New-birth had seazed upon thee had been damnable dawbing But in the Case I now suppose Thee to bee it is both seasonable and surely grounded for mee to assure thee of acceptation and pardon and for thee to receive Iesus Christ without any more adoe into the armes of thy humbled Soule 2. His sweet Name Exod. 34.6.7 Wherein is prevented whatsoever may any wayes bee pretended for standing out in this Case as appeares fully before pag. 415. line 25. 3. His glorious Attributes 1. His Truth Hee that believeth hath set to His Seale that God is true Ioh. 3.33 He that labours and is heavy laden with the burden of sin comes to Christ for case when Hee is called takes Him for his Saviour and His Lord and thereupon grounds a resolute unshaken and everlasting confidence that hee is His for ever puts to his Seale that Christ is true that His pretious promise Come unto mee all yee that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest Mat. 11.28 is inviolable Whereby Christ Iesus blessed for ever is mightily honoured His truth glorified and thine owne soule with extraordinary blessednesse everlastingly enlived But Hee now that retires in this Case and holds off makes Him who is Truth it selfe a lyar Hee that believeth not God hath made Him a Lyar 1. Ioh. 5.10 Now what a fearefull indignity is this against the Lord God of Truth Wee see too often how miserable mortall men wormes of the earth take such an affront at the hands one of another For many times for the Lie given them they throw themselves desperately upon the irrecoverable ruine of their lives states soules and posterity by chalenging the field and killing each other Which dishonour to the mighty Lord of heaven and earth is the greater and is much aggravated by the infinite infallibility of the promises For besides His Word which were more then immeasurably sufficient Hee hath added a most solemne Oath for our sakes that wee might have greater assurance and stronger consolation 2. His Mercy most directly and specially And to say nothing of the freenesse of His mercy which springs onely out of the riches of his infinite bounty and the good pleasure of His will of his readinesse to forgive otherwise the death of Christ should bee of none effect His blood shed in vaine the greatest worke lost that ever was done of His delight in mercy Mich. 7.18 Mercy in man is a quality in God it is His nature and essence Now what wee doe naturally wee doe willingly readily unweariedly As the eye is not weary of seeing the eare with hearing c. A Bee gives honey naturally never stings but provoked When God is angry it is but as it were by accident upon occasion drawne unto it by the violent importunity of our multiplied provocations but Hee delights in mercy c. I say to say nothing of these this one consideration may convince us of extreme folly in refusing mercy in such a Case for all the hainousnesse or number of our sinnes to wit That no sinnes either for number or notoriousnesse in a truly broken heart can make so much resistance to Gods infinite mercies as the least sparke of fire to the whole Sea and that is little enough Nay as infinitely lesse as an infinite thing exceedes a finite Betweene which there is no proportion 3. His Power For thou art very like thus or in the like manner to reason within thy selfe and cavill cruelly against thine owne Soule Alas what talke you of taking Christ the promises of life and heavenly lightsomnesse my poore heart is as darke as the very middle of Hell much harder then a Rocke of Adamant as cold and dead as the senselesse Center of the earth as uncomfortable and restlesse almost as desperation it selfe c. It is more then infinitely impossible that such a darke hard dead comfortlesse Thing should ever bee enlightened softened quickened and established with joy c. But marke how herein thou unadvisedly under-valewes and unworthily sets bounds to the unlimited power of God Whereas thou shouldest imitate Abraham the Father of all them that believe who staggered not at the Promise of God through unbeliefe but was strong in faith giving glory to God And beeing fully perswaded that what Hee had promised Hee was able also to performe Rom. 4.20.21 Bee advised in this Case 1. To compare these two things together The making of the seven Starres and Orion and turning the shadow of death into the morning And the infusion of heavenly light into thy darke and heavy heart And doest thou not think that the second is as easie as the first to the same Omnipotent hand Nay it is easier in our conceit to the Divine Majesty nothing is difficult or un-easie For those glorious shining Constellations were created of nothing and nothing hath no disposition to any Beeing at all much lesse to any particular existence But a Soule sensible and weary of it's spirituall darknesse is
with the wrath of God and left to the horrour of some hideous temptation 4. Heare Master Hooker a man of great learning and very sound in this point I varie some words but keepe the sense entire Happier a great deale is that mans Case whose soule by inward desolation is humbled then hee whose heart is through abundance of spirituall delight lifted up and exalted above measure Better is it sometimes to goe downe into the pit with him who beholding darknes and bewailing the losse of inward ioy and consolation crieth from the bottome of the lowest hell My God My God why hast thou forsaken mee Then continually to walke arme in arme with Angels to sit as it were in Abrahams bosome and to have no thought or cogitation but of peace and blessing himselfe in the singularity of assurance above other men to say I desire no other blisse but only duration of my present comfortable feelings and fruition of God I want nothing but even thrusting into heaven and the like For in the height of spirituall ravishments thou art in great hazard of being exalted above measure and so may bee justly exposed to a Thorne in the flesh the Messenger of Satan to buffet thee which is a very heavie case But now on the other side the lowest degree of humiliation under Gods mighty hand is the nearest step to rising and extraordinary exultation of spirit The extremest darknesse of a spirituall desertion is wont to go immediately before the glorious Sun-rise of heavenly light and un-utterable lightsomnes in the soule David securely pleasing and applauding himselfe in his present stability and strong conceit of the continuance of his peace brake out thus I shal never be moved Lord by thy favour thou hast made my mountaine to stand strong But hee was quickly throwne downe from the top of his supposed unmoveable hill taken off from the height of his confidence and lay trembling in the dust Thou didst hide thy face and I was troubled But now that sweetest rapture of incredible joy for so he spake The ioy which I feele in my conscience is incredible did arise in Master Peacocks heart when hee was newly come as it were out of the mouth of Hell Mistris Bretterghs wonderfull reioycing followed immediately upon her returne out of a roaring wildernesse as she called it What large effusions of the Spirit and overflowing rivers of heavenly peace were plentifully showred downe upon Robert Glovers troubled spirit after the heaviest night in all likelyhood that ever he had in this world by reason of a greivous Desertion 5. Nay heare the Spirit of all truth and comfort Himselfe immediately Who is among you that feareth the Lord that obeyeth the voyce of his servant that walketh in darkenesse and hath no light Let him trust in the Name of the Lord and stay upon his God Whence wee may draw a double comfort in time of Desertion first Because in thy present apprehension thou finds and feeles thy selfe in darkenesse and to have no light thou art ready therupon to conceive and conclude un-necessarily against thy owne soule that Gods favour Iesus Christ grace salvation and all are gone for ever And this is the most cutting sting sorest pang which grievously afflicts and rents the heart in pieces with restlesse angvish in such Cases Out of what depth of horrour doe you thinke did these heavie groanes and almost if not altogether for the time despairing speeches spring in those blessed Saints mentioned before Will the Lord cast off for ever And will hee be favourable no more Is his mercy cleane gone for ever Doth his promise faile for evermore While I suffer thy terrours I am distracted I am amazed confounded and almost mad with feare least my soule should bee swallowed up with the horrours of eternall death I am afraid lest the Lord hath utterly withdrawne his wonted favour from me Woe woe woe c. A weake a wofull a wretched a forsaken woman I have no more sense of grace then these curtaines Oh! how wofull and miserable is my estate that must thus converse with hell-hounds It is against the course of Gods proceedings to save mee c. But now herein the deserted in the sense I have said are much deceived and extremely wrong their owne soules in such extremities not considering that their walking in darkenesse and having no light may most certainely consist with a saving estate and a Beeing in Gods favour tho for the present not perceived Which appeares plainely by the quoted place Wherein Hee that walketh in darkenesse and hath no light is such an one as feareth the Lord and obeyeth the voice of his servant Now the feare of God and obedience to the Ministery are evident markes of a gracious man Hence it is that when the servants of God are something come againe unto themselves they see and censure their owne unadvisednesse in that respect disavow and disclaime all termes tending that way which they let hastily fall from them in heate of temptation And I said faith David this is my infirmity but I will remember the yeeres of the right hand of the most High Truly said Master Peacocke my heart and soule have been far led and deepely troubled with temptations and stings of conscience but I thanke God they are eased in good measure Wherefore I desire that I bee not branded with the note of a forlorne reprobate Such questions Oppositions and all tending thereto I renounce Here then is a great deale of comfort in the greatest darkenesse of a spirituall desertion for wee may assure our selves that God by his blessed Spirit hath a secret influence and saving worke upon the soule of his Child when there is no light or feeling of his favour at all The Sun we know tho hee leaves his light upon the face of the earth yet notwithstanding descends by a reall effectual influence into the bosome and darkest bowels thereof and there exerciseth a most excellent work in begetting mettals Gold Silver and other pretious things It is proportionably so in the present Point A poore soule may lie groveling in the dust afflicted tossed with tempest and in present apprehension have no comfort and yet blessedly partake still of the sweet influence of Gods everlasting love of a secret saving worke of grace and almighty support of the sanctifying Spirit Let us looke upon the Lord Iesus himselfe His holy soule though hee was Lord of Heaven and Earth upon the Crosse was even as a scorched heath-ground without so much as any drop of deaw of comfort either from Heaven or Earth and yet at the same time hee was gloriously sustained by an omnipotent influence And God was never nearer unto Him than then neither Hee ever so obedient unto God And I make no doubt but that the judicious eye of the well-experienced Physition may many times easily observe it in those troubled tempted and deserted soules which they
recovery of our soule-sickenesses distempers and declinations How wisely to proportion and mercifully moderate in respect of measure time and working and when His hand is heavie upon us in one kinde tenderly to take care that wee bee not opprest with other extremities also As appeares by that sweet observation of Master Foxe in the story of the two Glovers God in his holy providence seeing his old and trusty servant so many yeeres with so extreme and many torments broken and dried up would in no wise heape too many sorrowes upon one poore silly wretch neither would commit him to the flames of fire who had been already baked and scorched with the sharpe fires of inward affliction and had sustained so many burning darts and conflicts of Satan so many yeeres God therefore of his divine providence thinking it too much that one man should bee so much over-charged with so many plagves and torments did graciously provide that Robert his brother being both stronger of body and also better furnished with helpes of learning to answer the Adversaries should sustaine the conflict It may bee our onely wise God purposeth to exercise us extraordinarily with spirituall conflicts and troubles of conscience and therefore doth mercifully give us more prosperity and comfort in our outward state Or perhaps to afflict us with variety of worldly crosses and therefore doth sweetly and compassionately give us more peace and comfort at home in our owne hearts Or it may bee Hee meanes to make us ominent Objects of disgrace reproach and slander in the World and even from those who sit in the gate for our forwardnesse and excellency of zeale and therefore out of a gracious tender-heartednesse gives us both more calmenesse in conscience and contentment in outward things Or perhaps Hee may lay all these upon us suffer us to bee tried with ill tongues with troubles without and terrours within why then undoubtedly his grace shall bee sufficient for us So wise and so mercifull is our blessed God Only first let us take heed tho in our owne apprehensions and misdeeming wee may pretend and except never so plausibly that wee never prescribe unto him How in what kind or measure hee should afflict us Secondly That wee never ward or put off any blow from his owne heavenly hand Men or Creatures with the wound of Conscience never decline any ill by ill meanes Thirdly That wee learne and labour to profit by and make the right use of all his corrections Fourthly And ever magnifie the glory of his mercy and wisdome in sparing us any way his tender-hearted taking notice where wee are weakest and not so able to beare his severer visitations but specially that hee ever pitches upon that affliction which doth our soules most good and serves most punctually to procure protect and promote the soundnesse safety and flourishing of our spirituall state Well then for my purpose and thy support sith our most holy God deales thus with all that are not damned to wit sorts out unto them those severall crosses and corrections which out of his unsearchable wisdome and spirituall necessity of their soules hee sees most fit to keepe them humble obedient and in awe Take thou up and in good part this crosse of thine while it pleaseth God to exercise thee with it as thy portion Others tho free from this yet have their proportion and proper Potion and that perhaps in a bitterer Cup and from a more smarting Rod. It may bee it goes well with thee in other respects in which were thou yet crossed the physicke would not take nor work so kindlily Our all-wise heavenly Physition knowes this dreadfull dart will onely doe it Who knowes whether if thou wert not haunted with these foule Furies I meane furious injections of the Divels owne Forge thou mightest grow worldly luke-warme too passionate proude secure or something which God would not have thee and would bee infinitely for thy hurt Be Thou therefore patient under them humbled by them make a holy and profitable use of them comfort thy selfe in them by these considerations commended unto thee for that purpose and learne how to behave thy selfe about them by the following counsels 4. As at their first approach and offer thou oughtest to stirre up and steele thy heart to improve the strength and stoutnesse of all the powers of thy soule to make a mighty and forcible resistance lifting up at the same instant thy heart in a bitter complaint against the cruelty and malice of the adversary a strong cry for the rebuking of him and restraint of his hellish spight with extreme detestation of all such divellish filth so take heede that thou never revolve in thy mind or muse upon those his blasphemous temptations But say with Luther a Kite or Cormorant may fly over my house but sure shall never rooust or nestle there Or as another a ravenous and hatefull Bird may begin to build in mine Arbour I cannot hinder it but I will never faile to pull it downe as often as shee beginnes The Divell will inject whether thou wilt or no But resolve to suffer them by no meanes to have any rest or residence in thine imagination If thou bee a Minister and the holiest men are Satans speciall marke that hee would gladliest hit with his fierie darts take advise which hath proved soveraigne and helpefull to beat backe and banish these temptations of blasphemie The minde of every man of God instructed to the Kingdome of heaven is as I suppose still digging into the rich Mines of divine truth diving into the great mystery of Christ ever discoursing in it selfe for or doing something for the advancement of the worke of the Lord their Ministeriall affaires and welfare of Soules Temporizers indeed seldome and selfe-Preachers are not much troubled this way neither take these things so to heart They seeke more to advance themselves then save soules their chiefe study is if they be not downe-right Good fellowes as they call them either to grow rich or rise and so they are still negotiating industriously about the one or plotting ambitiously for the other But were they of Pauls minds Woe is unto mee if I preach not the Gospell of Chrysostom's temper who was woont to tremble when hee tooke into consideration those words Hebr. 13.17 For they watch over your soules as they that must give account Of Austins resolution for not meddling in worldly matters wherein to deale he deemed a very tiring and tedious vexation and was never wel but when he was wading in the depths of Christian Religion and busied about the things of God I say if they were thus affected they would bee such as they ought and as I now suppose to wit have many webs as it were of their holy work in their heads all at once many in Misteriall Taskes in agitation and on foote still Some part of the day they would perhaps search and pierce into the
cusâ—odiam 〈◊〉 nammos ob dâ—â—edâ—â—entem conijciaâ— neque â—osum solum sed cum illa propter illum simâ—lâ—â—orem liberos fâ—mâ—los vâ—mâ—is verò aliuâ— qui â—ptam qui non solu solâ—at dicem illos nummâ—â— sâ—â—t iâ—â—â—mera 〈◊〉 talenta largiatur vinctâ—mque in regâ—lem auâ—am inducat in 〈…〉 honoâ—â—◠〈…〉 is â—â—eneâ—ator 〈…〉 â—â—gere iâ—a 〈◊〉 factum 〈…〉 siquiten 〈…〉 debeamus Christus pronobis solvit tantoque plura quanto guttâ—hâ—m exigâ—am pâ—lâ—gus excilli â—m ensum Noli itaque dissidere O homo cùm 〈◊〉 honorum aâ—râ—â—ias vtaeâ—s nâ—que solâ—â—tas inquiras quomodò scintillula illa mortis atque peccati toâ—tosit donorum sâ—perinducto maâ—i soluta extincia Chrys. Hom. â—1 in 5. and Rom. Satanta inaequalitus prelij redempâ—â— quanta immensi maris umus guttulae quorsùm supplemtatum meritorum c Chamiâ—â— Tom. 3. pag. 249. i Concedimus satisfactionis dignitatemoriâ—i à Personá satisfaciente ideo â—ue satisfactionem Christi maximae imò infinitae dignitatis esse Idem Ibid. pa. 245. Philip. 4.7 1. Pet. 1.8 1. Cor. 2.9 * Master Rogers of Dedham k Sed videte qualis debet esse poenitentia quia multi assidâ—è se duâ—nt esse peccatores tamen adhuc illos delectat peccare Professio est non emendatio Accusatur anima non sanatur Pronunciatur Offensa non tollitur Poetentiam certam non facit nisi odium peccati amor Dei. Quandosiâ— poeâ—â—tes ut tibi amarum sapiat in animo quod ante dulâ—e fuit in vitâ quod te prius oblectabaâ— in corpore ipsum te cruciat in mente c. August de Temp. Serm. 7. * QuantuÌ„ inter tranquillissimuÌ„ interest portum mare tempestuosum atque incommodum Chrysost. ** Who is among you that feareth the Lord that obeyeth the voyce of His servant that walketh in darkenesse and hath no light Let Him trust in the Name of the Lord and stay upon his God Isai. 50.10 Here it appeares that one which truly feares God may walk in darkenesse and have no light of coâ—fort And that such an One may bee certainely saved by staying upon â—is God By leaning upon Him as One leanes upon a staâ—fe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 niti inniti incumbere 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Incumbebat hastae suae nitebatur super hastam suam 2 Sam. 1.6 Bâ—xtor l Those that are afflicted in conference because they want assuâ—rance of salvation have no cause of despaire or of discouragement as long as with an heavy loaden soule hungring for mercy they trust in Christ and cast themselves wholly upon His merits for salvation according to the Gospell For the condition of the Gospell required of sinners to salvation is not a comfort but a Duty not an assurance that they are saved but a trust in Christ that they shall be saved So that as long as they rest on Christs merits seeke to no other meanes but with such an heart as hath been said to seeke to Christ for salvation as soone as they have believed in Christ they are justified sinners tho they doe not presently feele by the witnesse of the Spirit a full assurance that they are saved Chibald in his Triall of Faith lib. 2. cap. 4. pag. 185 Wherefore comfort yourselves O ye that are tender-hearted and troubled-minded Christians because you feele not the assurance of your salvation in as much as the condition of the Gospell is not That Hee that believes in Christ shall bee assured of salvation but that Hee shall bee saved so that though thou never have in thine owne Soule a feeling of assured perswasion that thou art saved yet as long as with a heart mourning after Christ and gasping for Him as the barren Land for water thou casts thy selfe upon Him and hangs on Him still for salvation with trust unto the merits of His death and obedience thou shalt in the end and event certainely bee saved Idem Ibid. pag 187. There bee that doe truly believe in Christ and that to salvation if they should then die that yet are not come to bee perswaded that Christ is theirs c. Rogers of Dedham in His Epistle to the Reader pag. penult m Exultemus in Domino gaudeamus cum fletu Memores simus dignationis divinae captivitatis nostrae August de temp Serm. 3. * See the Properties of a saving Thirst beâ—â—â—e pa. 377. lin 31 c. a In desiderio illo pij animi suspiria inenarâ—abilia gaudium ineffabile mirisiâ—è coadunantur suspiria inquam gaudium quae ne ipse quidem qui ea sentit potest plenè enarrare Rolloc in Iohan. cap. 8. pag. 556. 1. Pet. 2.17 d Many are still questioning of their beginnings and though they came to Faith and comfort by these steps yet are still fearing that they have not begun in truth or that they are not in the right way or took comfort ere it belonged unto them And this because their corruptions bee so strong and that they cannot doe as they would But corruptions felt hated and striven against are no Markes that wee are not the Lords but the contrary It is the subtilty of Satan to keepe them ever at the beginning that they may never get forward True it is good to bee very carefull in laying the foundation of our house But if we be ever pulling up after it is laide wee shall never finish the Building Moster Rogers of Dedham Doctr. of Faith cap. 2. pag. 177. For a true Christian to denie the work of Gods grace in Himselfe doth no good to Him But interrupts His prayers hinders his humiliation estrangeth Him from God and turneth godly sorrow for His sinne into desperate sorrow for the punishment of sinne Master Whately Gods Husbandry cap. 12. e Take heed of false reasoning As because our fire doth not blaze out as others therefore we have no fire at all and by false Conclusions to sinne against the Commandement in bearing false witnesse against our selves The Prodigall would not say Hee was no sonne but that hee was nâ—t worthy to bee called a Sonne Wee must neither trust to false evidence nor deny true for so wee should dishonour the Worke of Gods Spirit in us and lose the helpe of that evidence which wâ—uld cherish our love to Christ and arme us against Satans discouragements Some are so faulty this way as if they had been hired by Satan the Accuser of the Brethren to pleade for Him in accusing themselves Doctor Sibbes Bruised Reed pag. 94. f Homil. of Repentance pag. 1. g Dike of Repentance cap. 4. h Secundum conscientiae molem exhibenda est poenitentiae magnitudo Ambr. ad Virg. â—orr cap. 8. i Qui culpam exaggeraverit exaggeret etiam poenitentiam Idem de Poenit. lib. 1. cap. 2. k Quà m magna deliquimus tam graviter desâ—eamus Cypr. de Lapsis ad sin l Vniuscuiusque mens tantum poenitendo coÌ„punctionis suae bibat lachrymas
flames of the raging fire over the roaring furie of the most hungry Lions over the varietie and extremitie of exquisitest tortures temptations persecutions all outward miseries euen over cruell mockings It unresistably beares downe or blowes up the strongest Bulwarkes and thickest walles puts to flight the mightiest Armies and conquers the most invincible Kingdomes And when all is done Oh blessed Faith at the very last and deadliest lift she triumphantly sets her foote upon the necke of the Prince of terrors I meane death the last and worst the end and summe of all feared evills And even in the middest of those dying and dreadfull pangs beares a glorious part with Iesus Christ the Conquerour in that sweetest Song of victory O death where is thy sting In a word it can doe all things All things are possible to him that beleeveth Fifthly and lastly and in a word Grace in its owne nature being the most glorious Creature of the Father of liâ—hts and flowing as it were more immediately and sweetly from his blessed face is of such a divine invincible and lightsome temper and hath such an anti-patheticall vigour and ability against all spirituall darkenesse and dampes whether of affliction temptation troublesome confusions of the times the valley of the shadow of death the Grave Hell it selfe that it is ever able either to dispell it or dissolve it or support it selfe strongly and triumphantly even in the midst of it Suppose a soule beautified with Grace to be seated if it were possible in the very center of that hellish Kingdome yet would it by its Heavenly strength and glory in despite of all infernall powers keepe off at some distance all the darkenesse torments and horrour of that damned place Whence it is that it is so often in the holy Scriptures compared to light Now what power and prevalent antipathy our ordinary light doth exercise against his most abhorred Opposite darkenesse you well know and it is elegantly and punctually for my purpose expressed by One in this manner We see and prove saith he by dayly experience how powerfull and dreadfull a thing the darkenesse of the night is For when it falleth it covereth and muffleth up the face of the whole world It obscureth and hideth the hue and the fashion of all creatures It bindeth up all hands and breaketh off all imployments The night commeth saith our Sauiour wherein we cannot worke It arresteth and keepeth captive all living wights men and beasts that they must be still and rest there where it arresteth them yea it maketh them fearefull and faint-hearted full of fancies and much subiect to frights It is of all others such a powerfull and unconquerable Tyrant as no man is able to withstand And yet neverthelesse it is not of that might that it is able to overwhelme or to quench the least light in the World For we see the darken the night is the clearer the Starres shine Yea the least candles light that is lighted withstandeth the whole night and not onely suffereth not the darkenesse to cover or to smoother and oppresse it but it giveth light also even in the middest of the darkenesse and beateth it backe for some space and distance on every side of it so that which way soever it is borne or wheresoever it commeth there must darkenesse depart and give place unto the light all the power and the dreadfulnesse of it cannot helpe or prevaile ought against it And tho the light be so weake that it cannot cast light farre about or drive the darkenesse farre from it as in the sparke of an hot coale yet cannot the darknesse cover or conceale and much lesse quench it but it giveth light to it selfe alone at least so that it may be seene a farre off in the darke and it remaineth unconquered of the darke tho it cannot helpe other things nor give light unto them Yea that which is yet more wonderfull a rotten shining peece of wood which hâ—th the faintest light that can be found yet remaineth invincible of all the power of darkenesse and the more it is compassed about with darkenâ—sse the clearer light it giveth So little is darkenesse able to overcome or kâ—epe downe anâ— light but that it ruleth and vanquisheth and expelleth the darkâ—nâ—ssâ— which else overwhelmeth and â—â—areth and fettereth and putteth all things in feare Now if this naturall light be so powâ—â—full and so able to prevaile against the darkenesse of the night why should not that spirituall Light that Gods Spirit doth kindle and set up in the hearts of Gods Children be able to afford them light in darkenesse and to minister sound ioy and sweete comfort unto them in the very midst of their heaviest and most hideous afflictions Assuredly it must needes be unconquerably able with farre greater power and in an higher proportion For our visible light doth spring but from a finite and materiall Fountaine the Sunne it selfe a creature but the Spirituall light I speake of flowes immediately from the glorious face of the onely true incomprehensible and eternall Light the Sunnes creatour who dwelleth in the light that no man can approach unto and is an everlasting well-spring of all Life and Light which it doth so farre represent and resemble in Divine excellencie and mightinesse that it thence receives by a secret and sacred influence fresh successions still of an infinite triumphant power and prevailing against all spirituall darkenesses for ever Suppose all the men that dwell within the compasse of our Hemisphere should addresse themselues with all their wit and weapons with all their power and policie to keepe backe that universall darkenesse which is woont to seize upon the face of the earth at the setting of the Sunne yet by all this strong and combined opposition they should but beate the ayre But now upon the very first approach of that Princely light but peeping up in the East it would all â—ly away in a moment and vanish into nothing Semblablely if all the understandings upon earth and all the Angels in Heaven should contribute all their abilities and excellencies to illighten with cheerefulnesse and ioy a guilty conscience surprised sometimes with hellish darkenesse and cloudes of horrour upon sight of sinne and sense of divine wrath yet all would not doe they should all the while but wash a Blackamoore as they say but now let but the least glimpse of the light of Grace shine into that sad and heavy Soule and it would farre more easily and irresistably chase away the very darkest midnight of any spirituall misery then the strongest Summers Sunne the â—hinnest Mornings mist. Give me if you will Iudas his heart or Spiraes horrour or a vexed spirit torne and rent in peeces with the raging guilt of both those wofull men and let that supposed rufull Soule weary of its hellish burden and thirsting sincerely for the water of Life but cast it selfe upon the mercy truth and power of