true as the light or visnal-faculty is planted in the eye or else he cannot comprehend that light that shines unto him The evidence then which a true believer hath of any truth of God which he embraceth is the manifesting of that truth unto the Spirit not only by a form of words to the natural understanding but beyond that by a kind of demonstration unto the spiritual mind as the evidence of any object to the eye is by the shining of the light upon it which makes it to appear to be such as it is This kind of testifying or evidencing things Rom 8 16 in a spiritual way the Apostle calls The witnessing of Gods Spirit with our Spirit mentioning expresly two Spirits whereof if either be wanting there can be no Divine testimony But is not our belief grounded upon the testimony of Reason upon the consonancy of Scripture-revelations to right Reason And is not the testimony of reason an humane testimony Yea Do not we believe upon an humane testimony when we believe any thing written in the Scriptures for the testimony of the Scriptures If that we believe the Scriptures themselves upon the general consent of the Church or upon the probability and reasonableness of the things therein delivered or upon the observation of the truth of those writings in most things which all make up but an humane testimony This the same learned and judicious Divine proves thus White c p 98 99 The assent unto one thing for another is built upon that to which we first give our assent as a stone in a wall though it lyes immediately upon that stone that is next under it yet it is indeed supported by the foundation which bears up all the building We say we do believe but is not our Assent without sutable impressions upon our hearts and without a sutable carriage in our lives Doth the reality of Gods being believed Baxter's Divine Lise on John 17 3 make us look upon our selves and all things as nothing without God as nothing in comparison of God and to let the beeing and reality of our love desire and endeavours be let out upon the most real and transcendent Beeing Doth the belief of Gods Vnity contract and unite our stragling affections and call them home from multifarious Vanity Doth the belief of Gods Immensity and Incomprehensibility fill our Souls with admiration Doth the belief of Gods Eternity draw our Souls from transitory to eternal things Doth the belief of Gods Simplicity make us in love with holy simplicity Doth the belief of Gods Invisibility make us mostly esteem and value things invisible Doth the belief of Gods Immutability beget in us unchangeable resolutions for God Doth the belief of Gods Almightiness sill us continually with holy fear and promote trusting in him Doth the belief of Gods Wisdome make us delight in the wisdome which is from above and to choose God for our Teacher and Counsellour Doth the belief of Gods Goodness fill our Souls with a superlative love unto God and industrious desires to be conformâ—d to his goodness in our measure Doth the belief of Gods Holiness cause us to have most high and honourable esteems of holiness in the creature and to fall in love with it and wholly conform our selves to Gods holiness in Christ Doth the belief of Gods Truth and Faithfulness make us resolved for duty and an holy life seeing the commands of God are serious and the promises and threats true The true and sound assent to any Divine Revelation as an holy truth includeth a correspondency in the believer to the thing believed Such an assent descends from the understanding to the affections and so to the conversation True Faith and right Obedience cannot be separated for he that believes the truth of Gods promises fill'd with such things as he doth most want must needs desire the good contained in them and seeing God hath declared the effect of his promises attainable only in wayes of obedience if he neglect that means it is manifest he doth not desire the end Certainly if our assent doth not cannot act no more than a dead body can rise and walk it is but a dead faith The Apostle doth not say as one well observes Faith is dead without works Manton on Jam 2 20. but Faith without works is dead I here is a difference between these predications as there is between those A man without motion is dead and a man is dead without motion Works are not the cause that give life to Faith but yet they are the effects that argue life in Faith Faith is not alwayes alike lively but yet it is alwayes living and operation is the necessary effect of life O! What cause have we to repent of our dead Faith And what Shall it alwayes remain dead Take heed I beseech you not only of setting no your rest in a Knowledge but in a Faith falsely so called Take heed of pleasing your selves any longer with the name of Faith and remaining destitute of the vertue of Faith for the crucifying your lusts and corruptions and conforming your hearts and lives to the Commandements of God To assent to truth with the neglect of goodness or with lazy desires after goodness is but a vain Faith That assent that doth not now subdue sin Gen. 23.4 will not suppress fear when you come to dye What! will ye not yet bury your dead out of your sight Chap. III. The Miscarriages opposite to Consenting to have God to be your God the third Act of Faith 1. Against resusing God REfusing God Beware of still refusing to have the true God to be a God unto you and a God over you to have him to be your Portion and Soveraign To be God Gen. 17.1 7. Rom. 9.5 implies to be enough unto all to be an all-sufficient and self-sufficient good and to be over all and above all to be an all-commanding good Ephes 4.6 To refuse God is to refuse to place our happiness in him and to come under his government Hath not this been your sin God hath offered himself to be your chief good and absolute Soveraign but have not you refused such offers Yea do not you still refuse them There are many degrees of refusing as one well observes Although we may be free of some of them Ob. Sedgwick's Fountain opened c. chap. 6. yet are not we comprized in some one or other of them Are not some guilty of refusing by way of presumptuous persecution Are not others by way of malicious opposition Are not others by way of scornful derision Are not others by way of open though not malicious resistance And if we be not guilty of any of these refusings yet are not we guilty of refusing by way of dissent or unperswasion Are not we yet unperswaded to accept of God upon his own tearms Certainly there is no medium 'twixt Faith and Infidelity 'twixt receiving of God and refusing of God
had Hath not he deprived you not only of many visible tokens of his presence but of the spiritual light of his countenance that you may more value and be more chary of assurance if ever you enjoy it again And what shall God lose his end O! Culverwell's VVhite stone page 152. If ever God vouchsafe you any more of the hidden Manna take heed of wasting and crumbling it away take heed of losing the white stone any more O! maintain the Oyle of gladness in the Cruse be not any more willing to part with thy sweetness thy fatness and pleasantness Be never more willing to be left to the courtesie of a Wave O! never more be weary of the Sun-shine take heed of being once more cloyed with the clusters of Canaan and of nauseating the Honey comb 3. Remisness in recovering Assurance when lost Hath not this been your miscarriage Against Remisness in recovering Assurance and is not God therefore contending with you Hath not God deprived you of sealing Ordinances because you had before driven him from his own Ordinances and were not restless for his return Is it not the design of God in taking away from you sealing Ordinances to make you yet sensible of the loss of the sealing-spirit and that you may give him no rest till he hath returned you both that the Winter may be past and the time of singing may return Is it nothing to you to be under a spiritual Famine Can you now live without the hidden Manna Are you still willing to continue under such a dismal Cloud yea to set in it O that none of the three foregoing miscarriages may be your sins any more First Take heed therefore of thinking any more either that assurance is not attainable at all or that it is not tenable when attained or that it is not recoverable when loâ—t Reynold's VVorks fol. 100â— Apprehensions of impossibility in either will kill all endeavours yea desires after it because they will kill hope Though the will sometimes being inordinate may be tickled with a desire of impossibilities under an implicit condition yet no hope whether regular or corrupt can respect its object under that apprehension It worketh two passions most repugnant to this Hatred and Despair the one being a proud opposition the other a dreadfull flight from that good in which the Mind perceiveth an impossibility of attaining it Treasure up therefore the promises that God hath made that Believers shall have keep Ezek. 34 30. Hos 2.19 23. recover assurance not only that they shall know that God is their God but they shall walk in his Light and if at any time through their own default they lose the Light of his countenance that upon their Repentance he will heal their back-slidings and love them freely m niâ—est himself as graciously as ever Promises they are of things as future they are undertaking of good things which shall come to paâ—â— Now every future thing is a possible thing Secondly Take heed of slighting any more the want of Assurance Uncertainly as to the truth oâ— faith and as to interest in God iâ— no light evil it is even an insupportable bâ—rden especially to those that have experienced what an Heaven upon Earth there is in Assurance Though one may be a Bâ—â—iâ—â—eâ— and not know that he is a Believer and though Assurance 〈◊〉 it is gained may be lost yet verily you 〈…〉 to 〈…〉 whether your Faith in God be true and whâ— heâ—â—e 〈◊〉 you were Assured if you can carry the want or loâ—s of Assurance as it iâ— were no burden and do not follow after the gaining or rec vering of Assurance with unâ—tâ—eâ—able sighs and groaâ—s â—sal 3â—â— 7 42 3 4. Thou hid thy faith saith David and I was troubled It waâ— indeed his daily sorrow of heart yea it was aâ— death unto him It is true some â—un into the other extream they are too much troubled for not gaining or losing Assurance looking on their case as desperate and themselves as guilty of the unpardonable sin in dâ—ivinâ— God away from them but do you take heed of both extream not only lest you should be troubled too much but lest you should be troubled too little Thirdly Take heed not only lest your complaints but led your reque is for the procuring or preserving or recovering of Assurance be heartless Are you in sears whether you be believers whether God be your God especially in such days as these you should be as David was all prayer you should even envy your selves the time you are forced to spend in eating and drinking and sleeping Never expect to geâ— Assurance aâ— first without such pantings as the chased Hart hath after the water-brooks without earnest entreaties and longing of Soul Are you for the present under the light of Godâ— countenance Deprecate heaâ—â—ily an Eclipse Haâ—e you lost your assurance Desiâ—e earnestly from God new stamps and impressions tell him though you have â—ost the Print yet he hath not lost the Seal Psal 30.6 â— 8. 77 1 2. 88 1 â— â— give him no rest till he give your soul ' rest Read but the Psalms of David â—enned by him when he wâ— in deâ—â—â—tion you 'l think that he breathed out his Soul with hiâ— Petâ—â—ms How earnest also was Heman yea Jesus Churst's Agony made him more to express his earnestness than at other times Luke 22 44. Being in an Agony he prayed more earnestly This is one end of Gods present dispensations towards you Hos 5 15 I will go saith God and return to my place till they acknowledge their offence and seek my face in their afflictions they will seek me early i.e. betimes Hickman c. page 205 with all speed with caâ—e and vigour also at such a rate as Men are wont to do things in the morning If your doubts do not prevail so far as to make you leave off hearty praying your hearty prayers will prevail so far as to make you leave off doubting Fourthly Take heed of contenting your selves not only with heartless but with fruitless complaints Some saith a famous Author are of a whining temper Symmonds deserted Soul's case and cure page 486. apt to sill the ears of all their familiars with sad relations of their mournful case but there is little else to be found besides complaints the soul humbleth not himself before God nor contends in prayer nor striveth by the Ordinances and holy walking to finde what it always was without or hath lost He compares them to the sick man who lyeth grieving himself but no way seeking in earnest to help himself and to Issachar crouching under his burthen To spend time saith another in whining complaints Hickman c. page 200. is more easie and more pleasing to those who have bruised themselves but to stir up strength and be doing is more safe and pleasing to God I would not so he goes on have deserted souls chidden for crying
they do not necessarily and infallibly conclude that a Man hath faith Conclude not for your selves by finding the antecedents of Faith 2 There are some things which faith only doth produce yet because it d th not produce them always a Man must not therefore negatively conclude from the absence of them the absence of faith 3 There are some things which faith only doth produce not as essential properties but as magnificent Testimonies Conclude not against your selves for the want of such effects of faith Be sure that you do not any longer try your selves by uncertain qualifications that belong not to every Believer at all times and none but believers but try your selves by sine infallible marks by the essential properties and effects of Faith in God Set not about this work without hearty cries to God for his spirit to irradiate the grace you are searching after and by witnessing with your spirit to put you out of doubt It is a vain thing for you to go about this work much more to think to go through with it by any strength of your own And be sure that you take heed of provoking God to withdraw from you in this work Cantâ— 4.4 5 6 7. Do not refuse the Light of Assurance when offered Hereupon Christ withdrew from the Spouse but put your selves in a disposed an I prepared way to receive the evidencing Light of the Spirit who will not affine you whether you will or no. Do not make use of Signs in a prejudicial way to those direct and immediate Acts of Faith Burges c. page 56 57. whereby you close with God While you are poring and digging into your own heart to finde faith there forget not to exercise applicative Acts of Faith When ever you would go down into your own hearts and take a view of your own graces first close with God himself in Christ and afterwards begin afresh upon the encouragement you have from the fight of grace within you to act Faith upon God with a redoubled strength 2 Pet 1 9 Mat 25 29 He that lacketh these things i. e. that doth not use them so not to use Talents is not to have them is blinde and soon forgetteth all the grace he hath If God do not appear presently do not murmur and repine against him While Job thought that God wronged him God ceased not to scare him with dreams and terrify him with visions but when he justified God God appeared for him But for a more full handling of the miscarriages about self-examination which you should mourn for and take heed of I shall refer you to the twentieth chapter of the Gospel-glass 4 Resting in an imaginary Assurance Against an imaginary assurance Presumption is mainly the work of a strong fancy What the â—ich Believer hath by propriety and in possession the same hath the presumptuous Professor in a dreaming fancy and imagination He pretends to be as knowing as bel eving as confident as the true Believer he never doubted of his Interest in God none more â—ocond and merry then he is thereupon Hath not this been your sin And is not God therefore contending with you Because we have built our house upon the Sands is not God razing all our sandy Foundations Psal 66.10 Psal 25.8 Because we have been careless of trying our selves is not God trying us as silver is tryed May not we even say God and upright is the Lord that will teach sinners his way that by the Thunder-claps of his Righteous Judgements is resolved to awaken us out of those foolish dreams in which if we should die we were undone for ever O that we may be dreamers no longer O take heed of presuming once more that God is your God either because he made you so he did the Devils Gods making you puts you into the relation of creatures unto God and God of a Creatour unto you but not of a chief-good and supream Lord. He is your Creatour Psal 17.14 whether you will or no but so he is not your God Or because you prosper in every thing and are not in trouble and distress as other men The more you have of a portion in this life the more cause you have to sear that God is not your portion Or because Christ hath died for you to purchase an interest in God So he hath if you will consent to have him for your chief good and Sovereign Lord other wise not O! how great will your confusion be when your Gold shall be found Dress your Wine to be Water your Graces to be Corruptions And you your selves appear no better then the mad Athenian Burges Resining paâ—t 1. Serm. 6. Serm. 30. and 118. who thought all the Ships on the Sea were his Take heed of such a confidence of an interest in God as hath ignorance and self-love for its procreant causes as is grounded on a meer natural light or some false reasonings as is wrought without any serious deep humiliation for being without God preceding it and easily without any opposition as leaves the soul idle in the Work of God without love to and encouragement in God as is not attended with an holy fear and humility and as is not destroyed by sin but crosses Such a confidence is a presumptuous confidence and not assurance Even hypocrites may have some experimental knowledge Sern â—â— 3. and yet not assurance of Faith they may know that they are enlightned and have other common gifts of the Holy-Ghost that sin is imbittered to their souls that they do assent to scripture Truths that they have some desires after God and Christ that they do at sometimes and in some things trust in God and yet they want saving Faith and therefore cannot know they have it O! take heed of thievishly fingering the Kings Coin without a Warrant Christ told the Jews that they were of their father the Devil John 8.54 though of his Father they said he is our God they made their boasts and brags that God was their God but God and Christ disowned them Chap. VI. The miscarriages opposite to confession the external Act of Faith in God Against positive confession without a call 1. RAsh adventuring upon positive confession without a Call from Heaven Hath not this been the sin of some and have not all Professors smarted for it The Acute Author of Christ Confessed who as the Publisher observes hath cut by a thread in clearly and judiciously determing the present grand Cases of the times gives a three-fold Answer to this Question At what times are we priviledged from and by consequence not called unto positive confession of Christ Christ confessed p. 65 66. 1 When the engagements for self-safety are not preponderated by or in an equal poize with those for our Saviours glory 2. When the interest both of the confession and Confessor will be visibly prejudiced 3. When the ends of confessing Christ cannot manifestly be promoted
Though I am blind yet mine eyes are good Those that had the lepresse in the head were to be judged unclean Is it nothing to you still to remain useless unto others Is it nothing to you to be even in such times as these without an interest in God strangers from the life of God through ignorance Eph. 4.18 so as none of Gods ofters of himself do yet prevail with you Is it nothing to you to continue prepared for ruine Hos 1.14 The people that understand not shall not only stumble but fall i. e. 〈◊〉 â—ally perish O ye ignorant Professions Rev. 6.17 the great day of Gods wrath is coming and how will ye be able to stand O that you would yet know the things that belong to your peace Luc. 19.42 before they be hid from your eyes 3. Against Eryour Errour Take heed not only of not apprehending but of mis apprehending God and the things of God Hath not this been your 〈◊〉 Have not your apprehensions concerning God been very erroneous Have not some Professors thought That there is no God nor Devil nor Heaven nor Hell but what is within us and that â—n and grace were equally of God and agrecable to his will O! Be not alwayes deceived concerning the Providence of God his Worship his Minisiry his House his Discipline in his house Brook's Satans wiles Rom. 1.28 c. Is it nothing to you to be under the Gentiles heavy and dreadful Plague to be given up to a reprobate mind a mind void of judgement a mind disallowed rejected and abhorred of God a mind that all have cause to be ashamed of 1 cor 3 11 12 13 14 15. Is it nothing to you to suffer loss in Gods resiuing fire Is it nothing to you still to entertain that wâ—orish woman that hath caâ— down many wounded many yea slain many many strong men many great men many learned men yea many Professing men 2 Thes 2.10 11 12. Is it nothing to you to be still in danger of Gods sending upon you strong delusions or aâ— the Greek hath it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the efficacy of errour that you should believe a lye the lye of lyes viz. Popery that you may be damned Ah Souls Can you seriously consider these hints and those you have in the Gospel-glass chap. 9. and not dread and stand upon your guard against every Errour in Religion True hatred is to the whole kind It is sad to frown on one Errour and to smile on another Gideon had seventy sons and but one bastard Judg 8.13 and yet the bastard destroyed all the rest One turn may bring a man quite out of his way Ah Lord said one this mercy I humbly beg that thou would rather take me and do any thing with me than to give me up to those sad Errours to which thousands have married their Souls and are in a way of perishing eternally Jam 1.16 O! Do not erre my beloved Brethren Take heed therefore of pride of that proud Curiosity I have already cautioned you against The meek or humble as the word signifieth will he guide in judgement the meek will he teach his way Psa 25.9 The same Author tells of a man who seeing in a Vision many snares of the Devil spread upon the earth sate down musing and said within himself Who shall pass through these Whereunto he heard a voice answering Humility shall pass through them To persist wilfully in Errour is Diabolical It were best we never erred next to that that we amend our Errours Take heed of being cententious against the truth Rom. 2. â— and disâ—bedient to the truth when made known unto you yea take heed of a voluntary sluggishness and an assected laziness as to searching out of Truth which cannot but expose a man to Errour for Truth doth commâ—â—dy keep so much State 1 Tim. 6.10 as not to reveal her self to any but those who studiously seek her Take heed also of Covetousness In a word be careful to subdue all your inordinate affections for they are of great force to sway the Judgement 4. Vnteachableness Against Unteachableness Take heed of unwillingness to get clear and right apprehensions of God Hath not this been your 〈◊〉 Have not you been not only ignorant and erroneous but unwilling to be instructed Have not you been not only destitute of Aliâ—d est ne 〈…〉 but opposite to the saving knowledge of God Light hath been offered but have not you shut your eyes against it And if some light hath broke in upon you Rom. 1.19 you have not liked to retain God in your knowledge Have you not wilfully rejected knowledge and hath not God therefore rejected you Hos 4.6 See Bâ—â— on the place Have not you caâ— off the knowledge of God witâ— contempt and despite as the word signifyeth Have not you cast off the means of knowledge And hath not God therefore took away the means of knowledge Have not you thought that you must busie your heads about some other matters and that you may do well enough without this knowledge if you do but know how to trade and to mannage your worldly businesses Have not you rejected the knowledge of that Truth especially that should have brought you to the true worship of God as those Priests did the knowledge that they must worship God at Jerusalem for fear of losing their estates Hath not God therefore in an extraordinary manner rejected you So much is noted thinks Tremellius by the redundancy of a letter in the word for Gods rejecting not found elsewhere in all the Scripture Have not you even studied to be ignorant of God Baâ—â—â—â—oughâ— on Hâ—s 4 1. Have not you therefore been for unteaching Priests and humane inventions in the worship of God which kept out of the Land of Israel the knowledge of God No wonder that God hath a controversie with the Land no wonder that God is contending with English Professors in a way of judgement no wonder if there be no peace in England to him that goeth out and cometh in 2 chron 15 3.5 but great vexations upon all the Inhabitants God vexing us with all adoersity So it was with Israel in the like case Israel was without the true God i. e. the true worship of God and without a teaching 〈◊〉 and in those times there was no peace c. No wonder â—â—at God hath made us to see 〈…〉 seeing we would not see No wonder that God is departed from us seeing we have said at least in our hearts Job 〈…〉 see Bâ—â—â— on Job 22. â—â— Depart for we desire not the knowledge of thy wayes Your Ignorance hath much incented God against you but your Vnteachableness much more O! dequaint now thy self with him I beseech you now now that the hand of God is out against your selves in some kind or other now that the hand of God â— much heavier
upon others now dequaint your selves with him now or never now or else he will not be at peace with you and good will not come unto you Let it not alwayes be said They know not Psa â—2 3 neither will they understand they walk on in darkness O! unto reading and hearing add praying that you may not only be Book-taught but God-taught You need not ascend up into Heaven to bring Christ down from above nor to descend into the deep Rom. 10.6 to bring up Christ from the dead that you may be acquainted with him John 17.3 the Word is nigh you which being read heard and prayed over will give you that knowledge of God and Christ which is life eternal 5. Against resting in a Form of Knowledge Rom. 2.20 Mapâ—â—â—â— Eâ—â—er Hâ—sye â—â—cidas Jam. 3 17. Reâ—ing in a Form of Knowledge The word signifieth the shew the appearance the Image of Knowledge Hath not this been your sin Have not you affected the reputation of knowledg more than the reality of knowledg Hath not the Name been better esteem'd by you than the Thing Have not you satisfied your selves with a dark and confused knowledge Hath not your light been darkness The wisdome from above is pure and therefore clear and distinct Have not you satisfied your selves with a supless knowledge 2 〈…〉 without the favour that is in saving knowledge Knowledge in Scripture doth connote affection It is teaâ—meâ— by the 〈◊〉 men â—apâ—â—◠〈◊〉 or 〈…〉 and that which carrieth not the heart and affections with it deserveth not the name of Knowledge and therefore those that did not like and love God are said not to know God Have not you satisfied your selves without an experimental knowledge of God of the exercise of his Power Wisdome Goodness Mercy c. for your eternal welfare in working effectually upon your hearts by his Word and Spirit Have not you satisfied your selves with an unactive knowledge To have notions according to Knowledge Jer 10 14 and actions according to Ignorance is to be bruitish in knowledge Have not you set up your rest in such acknowledge as is short of making men live peaceably humbly obediently and believingly as saying knowledge doth This Kind of knowledge i. b.t a form of knowledge without the truth substance and reality of knowledge as a form of godliness 2 Tim 3 5 Verban tiâ—â— connotant affectum effectam Job 28 28 Psa 111 10 is the appearance oâ— godliness without the payer of godliness The knowledge of God doth note 〈…〉 barren nations concerning God which do not render 〈◊〉 better in ouâ— lives or liker unto God He knee no sin in Paul is in Peter He did no sin To depart from evil is understanding They haâ—e a good understanding that do his Commandements Josiah 〈◊〉 street in performing his known duty And was not this to know me Jer 22 16 saith the Lord â—â—ch as do not dwake to righteousness the Greek is awake righteously i. e. that do not give their minds and endeavours to righteousness they have not the knowledge of God 1 Cor 15 31 Have not you â—â—tisfied your selver without knowing God in and through Christ Here let it be minded T Gâ—win's Christier forth p 1 â— that the Object of that Faith that is required in the first Commandement in all its acts both direct and reflect inward and outward is God in Christ or interest in God in and through Christ The Deity Father Son and Spirit is the ultimate Object but Jesus Christ God dwelling in flesh Eph 2 18 1 Pet 1 21 is the more immediate Object thereof Christ leads â—s by the hand and we are said by Christ to believe on God that our Faith might be in God But have you ever had a real and intuitive sight of Jesus Christ in his glory Shephâ—aâ—d on the paâ—able of the Vâ—â—gins p 74 75 202 203 204 not only from report nor only from his works nor only from the bare letter of the Word but from the Spirit Have you ever beheld such a glory in Christs person as hath caused you to esteem him in all his glory as your present greatest and enly good 2 〈◊〉 4 6 Hath God ever given you the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ If not you must repent of your Knowledge under the notion of Ignorance and be sure that for the future you be restless after a clear distinct savory experimental active Knowledge of God in Christ 6. Not growing in Knowledge Against not growing in Knowledge 〈…〉 3 4 5. Is not saving knowledge a growing thing Were not the risings and increasings of the waters of the Sanctuary a type thereof But alaâ—â— have not the best set up their rest in low attainments of saving knowledge Have not some conceited themselves taught by God immediately by the Spirit and needed not any of Gods mediâ—â—e teachings by the ministry of man or by the Scriptures As for such whatever knowledge they pretend to the truth is they are altogether without the saving knowledge of God As he saith one who thinks himself so good that he cannot be better was never so good as he should be So he that thinks he knows so much as he can learn no more 1 Cor 8 2 from the Scriptures and Miniâ—ry knowâ— nothing as he ought As for those that have the beginnings of life eternal John 17 3 in the knowledge of God and Jesus Christ certainly it hath been their great fault that they have not made conscience of growing in knowledge daily both of getting the knowledge of more duties and of more sins and more of the goodness of those duties and of the evil of those sins which they knew already as they ought How seldome have Sermons been attended for this very end How seldome have Ministers been consulted with for this very end Doth not your not growing in grace evidence that you have not grown in knowledge The Apâ—stle puts both together 2 Pet 3 18 Grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to hint to us that in proportion to our spiritual growth in knowledge is our growth in grace Is not your neglect of growing in knowledge evident in your decayes in knowledge not seeing so much evil in sin especially such and such particular sins nor so much good in duty especially such and such particular duties nor so much beauty in truth especially such and such particular truths noâ— so much deformity in errour especially such and such particular errours as formerly No wonder that God deals with us as he hath threatned to deal with them that know him not No wonder if God seem to resolve that this generation of English Professors shall not enter into the promised Canaan They were those that had not known Gods wayes to whom the Lord swore that they should not enter into his rest To
prevent this let us all be stiâ—â—'d up to conform more and more to Jesus Christ who grew in wisdome 〈…〉 as well as in stature Let us write after Paul's copy Phil 3 12 13 14 Not as though I had already attained or were already perfect but I follow after if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus Brethren I count not my self to have apprehended but this one thing I do forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth to those things that are before I press toward the mark c. Would you have God take away all your talents Take heed then of neglecting to increase them Then shall yee know if yee follow on to know the Lord. The path of the just is as the shining Light Hos 6.3 Prov. 4.18 that shineth more and more till it be perfect Day He saith one that hath the least saving acquaintance with God hath enough to make him thankful but he that hath the most hath not enough to make him idle 7. Neglecting to make use of Knowledge Against not making use of knowledge Hath not this been your sin Hath not the habit of knowledge layn dead in your Souls Hath it not been an useless and an unprofitable thing both as to your selves and others O that it may be your sin no more Be not satisfied with having Lights or Lamps Luc. 12.35 but Let your Lights be burning or shining Make use of your knowledge for the heating of your affections for the stirring up desires after God love to God delight in God hatred of sin fear of offending God c. As the Spouse He is altogether lovely Cant. 5.16 This is my Beloved Let the knowledge of wisdome be unto your Souls as Honey that is good and the Honey-comb Prov. 24.13 14 which is sweet unto the tast Make use of your knowledge for the guiding of your thoughts words and actions Let wisdome guide you in every step you take Prov. 6 3â— Ask of your knowledge continually what saith the Rule what doth the Word of God require Make use of your knowledge in bearing witness to truth for which you came into this World John 18.36 When you come to appear for an opposed truth let not your knowledge be to seek Make use of your knowledge for the preserving of your Souls from theoretical and practical miscariages Seeing yee know c. beware lest yee also be led away with the errour of the wicked If you will make use of your knowledge 2 Pet. 3.16 Prov. 2.11 12 16. you have Gods promise for preservation from snares in judgment and defilements in practice The Devil shall not undermine you by policy noâ— overcome you by power Make use of your knowledge for the good of others One great end of knowledge is to communicate knowledge And indeed as one well observes to know for our own and others good is the only good knowledge To reject the directions of knowledge as well as the means of knowledge is to reject knowledge Bur. on Hof 4.6 And hath not God therefore rejected you Is not God reckoning with his wicked because slothful servants for letting their Talents lie un-improved Yea is not this a greater judgment than any outward judgments you are under Is it not an evidence of a Souls being under a spirit of slumber to have no more use of its knowledge Isa â—9 10 then one asleep hath Not to use is all one as not to have knowledge He that hath not i.e. that doth not make use of what he hath shall have what he hath or seems to have taken away from him Chap. II. The miscarriages opposite to Believing God The Assenting Act of Faith 1. Against credulity Prov. 14.15 VAin Credulity Hath not this been your sin Have not you been so simple as to believe every word pretending to come from God Have not you been ready to be â—â—ken to false Teachers Mar. 4.24 mat 7.15 Jer. 23.16 mar 8.15 Though God hath said Take heed what you hear Beware of false Prophets Hearken not unto the words of the Prophets that prophesie unto you they make you vain they speak 〈◊〉 Vision of their own heart Take heed beware of the leaven of the 〈◊〉 harisees and of the leaven of Herod yet how fool hardy and venturous have you been O the sad consequences of this fool-hardiness Eve lost all by hearing one Sermon from the mouth of the Serpent Julian the Emperor sipt in his Apostasie by hearing Libanius the Sophister Let others yea your own harms make you to beware Faelix quem faciunt aliena pericula c. Prov. 9.18 â— Thes 5.21 O! come not any more neer the doâ—r of their house Knowest thou not that the dead are there and that their guests are in the depth of Hell Say not you must try all things Christians ought indeed to prove all things in the Apostles sense the Doctrines that Christs own Ministers teach them they must bring to the touch-stone of the Word But he that will adventure to tast of every box and glass in an Apothecaries shop may sooner meet with poyson than with nutriment Have not you been ready to receive and reject Doctrines before you have brought them to the touch-stone and ballance of the Sanctuary to be tryed Before you receive or reject a piece of gold you will go to the touch-stone to try whether it be good mettal or no and to the ballance to try whether it be weight or no But have you not dealt otherwise with the Doctrines you have heard Câ—ril on Job 12 11 Hath your ear tryed the words that have sounded therein The Original word for an ear as an excellent Expositor observes being of the dual Number signifieth a pair of ballances to note that we should not only hear but weigh But have not you received Doctrines upon trust Have not some given an absolute credence to the Church to a Synod to a Councel Have not others to this and the other singular person if a learned Man or a pious Man if a Pastor or a Teacher especially if pretending the spirit of Revelation But what faith the Apostle We beseech you brethren 2 Thess 2.2 that yee be not soon shaken in mind or be troubled neither by spirit nor by word nor by letter as from us not by spirit those that pretend prâ—phetical revelations nor word those that plead traditions nor letter those that urge forged records It was the Bereans commendation Acts 17.11 that they would not trust Paul upon his word but tryed his Doctrine by the Scriptures Have not you also rejected Doctrines upon trust It is as dangerous saith one to refuse as to receive what we have not examined 2 Chroâ— 12.8 Shephard's wholesome caveat for a time of liberty p. 3 Ash on 2 Chrâ— 30.8 1 Cor. 7 23. mat 23.10 No wonder that we that have been so ready
doctrine Have not you turned round as wheels with the times and places where you lived Have not you been up and down now of this mind then of that embracing and following those opinions and ways which the times have smiled upon Have not you been whirld about by the times as chaff by the wind Have not you been wavering Jam 1 6. as a wave of the Sea which is never standing still if there be any wind stirring Have not some of you been carried quite round about the Card and Compass as the Clouds of the Aire are from one quarter of the Heaven to another Hebr 13.9 Have not you been thus carried about with divers and strange Doctrines with Doctrines differing from the truth and strange to the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament Are not you yet unestablished yea are not you careless in seeking after establishment Are not you stil even indifferent whether you pray to God to establish you as David did yea or no Whether you enjoy the Sacrament of the Lords Supper that heart-establishing Ordinance duly administred yea or no Whether you continue fellowship with established Christians yea or no Do not you still stagger at the promises of God viz. that God will be a Sun and a Shield and no good thing will be with-hold from them that walk uprightly that Babylon is fallen is fallen i. e. shall as certainly fall and that utterly as if she were so fallen already that there shall be a resurrection of the dry bones c Do not you stil dispute the promises in your thoughts Do not you stil doubt whether God will be as good as his word and that because of the difficultie that lie in the way All staggering at the promises of God is from unbelief Rom 4 20 Brinsley c. p 98 He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief Is not this also a matter of just and deep Lamentation to see so many Professors some of which were formerly looked upon as sober and stayed Christians now reeling and staggering like drunken Men to and fro carried this way and that way as the wind blows should any of you whilst your selves stand safe upon the shore see others though strangers much more if friends tossed upon the waves among rocks and quick sands ready to perish every moment might it not be presumed that it would affect the flintieâ— heart among you and can you see the souls of your brethren and sisters thus tossed to and fro without any trouble to your own souls But alas who stands fast and safe upon the shoar Are not all your hearts unsetled And what will yee not pity your own unstable souls Is it nothing to you to be under Reubens reproach Gen 49. 4 Jam 1 8 Vnstable as water thou shalt not excel A double minded Man is unstable in all his ways Are not you in danger of being utterly ruined in this hour of temptation that is come upon all the World Col. 2.8 Ne sit qui vos depraedetur Beza in loc mar 3 5 to try them that dwell upon the Earth Are not you in danger of being spoyled of being made a prey O! your unbelieving staggerings grieve the heart of your Lord. The Holy Ghost speaking of the unbelieving Jews tells us Jesus was grieved for the hardness of their hearts And shall they not grieve your hearts It is a wonder that God hath spared you so long O faithless and perverse Generation How long shall I be with you How long shall I suffer you O! sin no more in this kind O that henceforth yee be no more children tessed to and fro and carried about with every wind of Doctrine Eph. 4.14 Brinsley c. 206 c. Hebr. 13.9 1 Thes 1.5 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Col. 2.2 by the sleight of men and cunning craftiness whereby they lye in wait to deceive O! Be not carried about with divers and strange Doctrines for it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace Be restless till the Word come unto you in much assurance Be restless till you have attained unto all the riches of the full assurance of understanding to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God c. Seek heart-establishment from God for yourselves and others as Peter doth Now the God of all grace c. make you perfect 1 Peter 5 10â— Psa 51.12 stablish strengthen you And David Stablish me with thy free Spirit Neglect neither the Word nor Sacrament administred after the right order O! Hebr. 10.25 Forsake not the assembling of your selves together as the manner of some is Trees stand sâ—â—er in the Wood or Grove where they have company than in the Field where they stand alone 4. Resting in a Dead Faith Hath not this been your sin Against resting in a Dead Faith Manton on Jam. 2.17 Have not you satisfied your selves with a Faith that is but the carkass of saving believing The Apostle in making mention of a dead faith alludeth to a corps or a dead plant which have only an outward similitude and likeness to those which are living Saving belief is an assent wrought in the Soul by the sanctifying Spirit and built upon a Divine Testimony But is not our belief the effect of natural reason White 's Directions p. 91 92 c. 1 John 5 1 further enlightned at most by the assistance of the Spirit Do not we remain unsanctified notwithstanding our believing Whosoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God Have we any further assurance of what we believe than that which Reason suggests Were ever the things believed evident to any spiritual sense within us Faith is the evidence of things not seen Hebr 11 1 Is not our belief grounded only upon an humane testimony We call that a Divine Testimony White c p. 95 96 c. saith one of the Western Worthies which is given by the Spirit of God to that Spirit which is within a regenerate person For saith he unto any testimony two things are required First The manifesting and presenting that which is to be credited or believed Secondly An ability in him to whom it is witnessed to understand it otherwise the proposing any thing by discourse to a beaâ— that wants reason to understand speech or the relating of any thing to a man that hath reason in the Greek tongue who understands no language but English is no testimony no more than it is to a deaf man that cannot hear Wherefore to make a Divine testimony there must be both Gods testifying unto man and also a mind in him able to understand that Revelation First The Spirit of God must reveal and manifest unto a man that Truth that is to be believed as the light discovers any visible object Next There must be in that man a light planted in his heart which the Apostle calls 1 Jo 5 20 An understanding to know him that is