whom they may be deceaved We are therefore to beware that we neither wrong our selvs by credulitie nor others by unjust suspition To receav without examination mens sayings is to make of men God to reject them lightly is to make of men Divels or fools at the best The latter hath pride and uncharitablenesse for the ground the former either argues men to be simple which cannot or idle which will not or presumptuous which think they need not or superstitious which dare not judg or which is worst of all the rest desirous in a kinde of humble hypocrisie to shelter an evill conscience before God under the shadow of great mens Authoritie To presse immoderately mens Authoritie in Divine things is to wrong Gods which alone is authentick and whose will and it alone and all it so far as is fit for us to know it we know more certainly to be contained and preserved without corruption in the Scriptures then any Fathers opinion in the Books which go under his name This also wrongs mens Faith and reason captivating them by prejudice and rather offering a hand to lead the blinde then a light for the help of him that hath eyes to see with I have known some who if they light upon a peremptorie Authour and bold asserter of things were readie to be still of the same opinion with the Book which they last read their weaker judgment being overborn rather by the strength of other mens asseverations then reasons Lastly this ingenders endlesse contentions as is to be seen in some Learned mens writings in which there is more adoe about the meaning of such or such a place in a Father then were enough to determine the whole controversie by the Scriptures and good Reason These things notwithstanding there is both a lawfull and convenient use of humain testimonie even in Divine things as first for the convincing of such thereby as regard it too much and Gods Word too little Thus Paul amongst Heathens even in his verie Sermons alledged Heathenish Poets and Phylosophers and we in our writings rightly alledg Fathers and Councels against Papists and others who more regard the saying of an ancient Father or Canon of a Councell then the written Word of the Ancient of Dayes They are twice overcome who are beaten with their own weapons in which they trust Secondly It induceth a morall probabilitie though no absolute necessitie of truth and though we see not the truth by other mens eyes but by our own yet may we be something held up in the arms of their testimonie to see it the better and so be helped as Zacheus was by the Tree into which he clymbed to see Christ. So the Apostles in penning some parts of Holy Scripture upon occasion of differences in the Churches and opposition to their Apostolicall Authoritie took in for the better passage with men of Gods undoubted truth the concurring testimonie even of ordinarie Christians though both the Decrees Epistles were penned by infallible and immediate direction of the Holy Ghost as well and as much as any other parts of Canonicall Scriptures Thirdly Citation of humain Authoritie helps to wipe away the aspersion of Schism singularitie when we can shew that our assertions and practises have agreement with such as are in account in the Churches Lastly It commends both a mans modesty diligence when he enquires after and withall his cause in the eyes of men when he appears to know the judgments of others in the things he handles as it is on the other side an imputation to him that knows them not and that even where it is otherwise no benefit to know them The Authoritie of him that prescribeth or commandeth within his limits is the same whether the matter be great or small God is God in the smallest things which he requires and man but man in his deepest charges The Prophets and Apostles in their writings are extraordinarie and Pastors and Teachers ordinarie Ministers and neither are either more or lesse in any part of their Ministerie for the instruction of the Churches So likewise all true Reasons are of the same force in themselvs to confirm that for which they are brought neither is any one stronger then other but onely more evident The best but proves of itself the things to be so and the meanest if sound doth as much CAP. X. Of Faith Hope and Love Of Faith Reason and Sense FAith in generall is a firm assent upon knowledg to an affirmation for the credit or authoritie of him that affirmeth a thing whether God or Angel or man To some things we assent by Sense and naturall light to some for certain proof of Reason but the assent of Faith rests upon the fidelitie of the speaker and not upon the Sense or Reason of the thing how agreeable to either soever it be Yet so as the more reasonable the thing related is the more readily we beleev it to be true The thing beleeved Faith apprehends primarily as a matter of truth and therein hath its seat in the understanding Divine Faith assents to the revealed will of God for the authoritie and truth of God which cannot deceav That Faith or act of Faith by which we are justified is a due assent to and application of the promises of the Gospel as made and appertaining to us in particular the generall promise upon condition of application duly and rightly made being as much for certaintie as either extraordinarie revelation or particular nomination of person This application of Gods promises in Christ hath evermore affiance necessarily and immediately ioyned with it For being by the Spirit of God and Word of the Gospel perswaded of Gods love in Christ we cannot but trust unto him rest and repose our selvs upon him and expect accordingly from him all good But as we must lay hold of the stay or prop before we can rest upon it So must Faith go before affiance in order of causes and we lay hold of Gods love before we can repose our selvs upon it Hope is the expectation of the good things promised having Faith for its foundation These two Faith and Hope have many the same objects yet neither all nor any in the same respect We beleev things past present and to come but hope for things to come onely We beleev both promises and threatnings both rewards and punishments in the order set by God but hope onely for things desireable And for the verie same things in themselvs beleeved and hoped for as for example the resurrection of the body and life everlasting we beleev them as present in Gods promises which Faith applyes unto us but hope for them as absent and to come in performance unto which Hope carieth us Faith begets Hope for by beleeving the forgivenesse of our sins and Gods promises for the present we are encouraged to expect and hope for all future good And Hope again as a good Childe helps to
that we pray to the intent to inform God but our selvs both what our wants are which we desire supply of and from whom also we expect it nor yet to move God to doe that which before he purposed not as one man is moved by the importunity of another but to move our selvs and make our own hearts beleev the performance of that which God before both purposed and promised for therefore David found in his heart to pray unto God to establish his house because God had revealed unto him that he would build his house And if we look for this honour at our childrens hands that they should ask of us such things as they want and as we purpose to bestow upon them how much more is it agreeable to our duty and Gods right that we by prayer begg at his hands all good things both purposed and promised by him afore hand By this all things are sanctified to our use which are sanctified in themselvs by the word of God by it we have spirituall right to our dayly bread in what aboundance and by what naturall or civill right soever we possesse it before by it we obteyn many good things of all sorts at Gods hands unto which we could atteyn by no art or industry or other help as the favorites of kings get more by begging then any other can do by any other facultie Besides as by conversing with men we do by litle and litle learn their manners and have bred between them and us a certain mutuall affection so by our conversing with God in prayer we learn the manners of heaven and feel encrease both of love in us to God and of God to us Lastly by prayer we obteyn with the good things prayed for the confirmation of our fayth in Gods goodnes towards us whereof he giveth us testimonie in hearing and granting our requests put up unto his majestie And in this respect a good thing receaved by prayer hath a double good in it God is to be invocated not onely with the heart and with the tongue but as one speaks with the hand also as Asa and the men of Iudah prayed to God and fought with their enemies And for us to ask any thing at the hands of the Lord which withall we do not offer our selvs ready instruments to effect and bring to passe is to tempt Gods power and to abuse his goodnes To pray for that which we desire not is to mock with his majestie as Austin confesseth of himself that in his youth he begged of God chastitie and continencie but was affrayd lest he should be heard too soon of him All things live by heat and the life of prayer stands in the heat of earnest and fervent desire And how should we make account that God should hear us if we hear not our selvs or look that God should be mindefull of us if we our selvs mynde not with intention of thought and desire what we ask of him I sayth the Father prayed when I was litle with no litle affection that I might not be beaten in the school But how many grown men pray but with litle if any affection that they may not be beaten in hell Our prayers must be earnest as well for small things as great temporall as eternall but with difference of degrees of earnestnes according to the degrees of goodnes or necessity of the things prayed for But as for fayth our very degree should be the same whatsoever the thing be which we pray for according to Gods will seeing the truth of his promise upon which our fayth resteth is the same in all things small and great and alwayes infallible We ought as wel and as much to beleev a small thing as a great if God have promised it and as he hath promised because his truth and power are as great in performing all things though with different degrees of his love He hath not absolutely promised temporall good things in the particulars and so sometimes denyes them in love to his children as seeing them unfitting for them and sometimes again he grants the desires of his enemies in wrath and indignation as he did of the rebellious Israelites desiring quayls Besides if the Lord should not sometimes grant unto his that ask them the good things of this life even plenteously men would think they belonged not to him If he should grant them to all and alwayes it would be thought that for them and them alone he were to be served and so in serving him men should not be godly but covetous But above all things we must take heed we ask nothing evill of God for that were to transform and turn him what in us lyes into Sathan himself Whosoever sayth one will bring his enterprizes to good effect must begin with prayer to God and end with praysing of him And he that begins not his work in that manner specially being of any difficultie or weight is in danger if it succeed rayther to end in his own prayses then in Gods And if it succeed not he may thank his own prophanenes in passing by God And as we are to pray upon all occasions so specially in the time of trouble as children are alwayes running to their fathers but cheifly when they get hurt or fear danger Then even hypocrites are forced to God and this partly out of a naturall desire of releif and partly by a naturall perswasion of the power and goodnes of the creatour by which he is able and willing to help his distressed creature and so Ionahs maryners in the extremitie of the storm went every one to his God But as God is a sanctuarie to flye unto for his faithfull servants in the time of need whither he leads them by his holy spirit given them so is it not fayth but impudency for hypocrites and such as in their quiet prosperous estate have not hearkned to God speaking to them in his word and works to presse upon him in their affliction for help and succour without true and unfeyned repentance and sorrow as well yea more for sin then punishment accompanying it And though they call upon him he will not answer though they seek him early they shall not finde him And if he that stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poore shall crye himself and not be heard how much more he that stops his ears against the Lord calling and crying unto him in his word The prayers of such are abhominable and sin And how miserable must his state needs be unto whom that becomes sin by which the godly obteyn remedy against sin and all other miseryes A readines to pray earnestly to God for good things the same improved accordingly is a kinde of pawn from heaven to him that hath it that he shall receav the good things prayed for both because all true prayer is by the teachings
certain destruction We must therefore in this scrutiny neither trust our selvs nor any other creature but God alone in the testimony of his Word Spirit which knows makes known the minde of God and by which we may unerringly learn First what the tokens of his love are and secondly who they are which partake of them and thirdly that we our selvs are of that blessed number Now amongst them all there is none so certain and infallible though those of feeling be more joifull as the gracious work of true repentance in the mortifying of the old man in his sinfull affections and in the quickning power of Christs Spirit to willing though weak obedience to all Gods Commandments As we may certainly know that the Sun shines by the beams and heat thereof below though we climbe not into Heauen to see so may we haue certain knowledge of Gods gracious love towards us without searching further then our own hearts and waies and by finding them truly and effectually turned from sin to God As God may so far hate some evill in a person for example the Adultrie of David and other sins accompanying it as to punish the same severely in this World and yet not hate the person himself so may he on the other side love some good in a man so far as to reward it highly in this life and neverthelesse not love but hate the person-in whom it is found as may be seen in the zeal of Iehu for the Lord against wicked Ahab and his House And if our narrow and partiall hearts can upon occasion hold and preserve this difference between persons and things how much more may and doth the same right well stand with the distribution of rewards and punishments made by the most holy and wise God As then when the Lord manifests some signes of his anger at us and hatred against the evils in us we must take heed we conclude not presently that therefore we in our persons are hated of him and cast-awaies except the evils raign in us without repentance so must we on the other side take more care considering how by selflove we are commonly in more danger thereof that we câ—oclude not of the love of God towards our persons from everie effect of some kinde of love and likeing of some particular good things in us and not except those good things be such as make us good also as Faith and holines do trans-forming us as it were into their Nature and kinde as in the Parable of the Wheat and Tares the good Seed is expounded the Children of the Kingdom because they grow of the good Seed of the Gospel and by their regeneration as it were turn verie Word and Spirit CAP. III. Of Gods promises THe promises of God are a kinde of midle thing between his purpose and performance of good unto them whom he loveth And as wicked Iezabel could not satisfie her hatred of Elyas the Prophet in intending evill to him and executing it upon him in time as she could unlesse with all she thundred out against him terrible threatnings in the mean while So much lesse can the love of our good God satisfie it self in a gracious purpose of good towards us in his heart and actuall performance of it accordingly in due time except with all he make it known unto us before hand both for our present comfort in the knowledg thereof and for the ground of our hope and expectation of the good things promised and accordingly to be receaved at his hands in their time He haveing by his promise bound over unto us both his love and truth and other Attributes for performance And herein the Lord provides verie graciously for his poore Servants who are oft-times brought into that distressed state both outward and inward as they have verie litle els save the promises of God wherewith to comfort themselvs Which yet are sufficient if we improve them as we ought considering first his love moveing him to promise and the unchangeablenesse of it secondly his wisdom directing him to promise nothing unfit thirdly his power enabling him and fourthly his truth bindeing him to all performance In regard whereof God hath made himself a debtor though not by receaving from us yet by promising unto us promise being as we say due debt God ever performeth what and as he promiseth and not one good thing for another as some think no not Heauenly for Earthly nor a greater good for a lesse For howsoever so to do might stand with his bountie and goodnesse yet his truth bindes him to his Word which is Truth Spirituall good things necessarily accompanying Salvation he promiseth absolutely unto his other good things ordinarily upon condition Which considering that through our abuse of them they may prove prejudiciall to our Spirituall man if so be the Lord should promise absolutely as the former it were many times indeed not to promise a benefit but to threaten a hurt rather And truly we may observe in the dangerous fals miscariages of the wise Salomon unto whom temporall good things were absolutely promised in the fullest measure and accordingly performed how graciously our wise and good God provides for our slipperie state in scantling his promise of good things of that kinde to our Spirituall skill and care of useing them for the advantage of our true and eternall happinesse We are therefore first to beware that we expect not absolutely temporall prosperitie lest by so doing we both wrong the Lords truth and our own Faith in the things promised indeed by doubting of them because we have failed of obtaining of other things by us presumed of but not promised by the Lord. Secondly We must as firmly beleeve and expect the performance of temporall promises as the Lord hath made them as of eternall For albeit his loue do not manifest it self in like degree in promiseing both yet his truth is alike bound to exhibit both being once promised Neither is that person in earnest with God who pretending Faith for eternall good things yet dare not trust his Word for temporall Such as despise Heavenly things and loue earthly usually pretend their trusting of God for the former of which they are indeed profanely secure but will trust themselvs and their own fingers for Earthly which in truth they set by I must therefore thus conclude with my self touching those matters Seeing God hath promised all good things to them that love him If this or that bodily good thing good in it self be indeed for my good I shall receave it from him in due time And if I receave it not it is a reall testimonie from him that indeed it is not good for me how much soever I desire it As Gods goodnesse shines most clearly in his promises so mans perversnesse abuseth and misapplieth them above all other parts of his Word A great many divide Gods promises from the other parts of his revealed