them all and CHRIST prevailes and then hee backes his owne graces in us Grace conquers us first and we by it conquer all things else whether it be corruptions within us or temptations without us The Church of CHRIST begotten by the word of truth hath the doctrine of the Apostles for her crowne and tramples the Moone that is the world and all worldly things under her feet Every one that is borne of God overcomes the world Faith whereby especially CHRIST rules sets the soule so high that it overlookes all other things as farre below as having represented to it by the Spirit of CHRIST riches honour beauty pleasures of a higher nature Now that we may not come short of the comfort intended there are two things especially to bee taken notice of by us I whether there bee such a judgement or government set up in us to which this promise of victory is made 2 Some rules or directions how we are to cary our selves that the judgement of Christ in us may indeed bee victorious The evidences whereby wee may come to know that CHRISTS judgement in us is such as will be victorious are 1 If we bee able from experience to justifie all CHRISTS wayes let flesh and bloud say what it can to the contrary and can willingly subscribe to that course which GOD hath taken in CHRIST to bring us to heaven and still approve a further measure of grace then we have attained unto and project and forecast for it No other men can justifie their courses when their conscience is awaked 2 When reasons of religion be the strongest reasons with us and prevaile more then rea sons fetcht from worldly policy 3. When wee are so true to our ends and fast to our rule as no hopes or feares can sway us anotheâ—… way but still we are looking what agrees or differs from our rule 4 When wee can doe nothing against the truth but for the truth as being dearer to us then our lives truth hath not this soveraignty in the heart of any carnall man 5 When if we had libertie to choose under whose Government wee would live yet out of a delight in the inner man to Christs government wee would make choyce of him only to rule us before any other for this argues that wee are like minded to CHRIST A free and a voluntarie people and not compelled unto Christs service otherwise then by the sweet constraint of love When we are so far in liking with the government of CHRISTS Spirit that wee are willing to resigne up our selves to him in all things for then his kingdome is come into us when our wills are brought to his will it is the bent of our wils that maketh us good or ill 6 A well ordered uniforme life not by sits or starts shewes a well ordered heart as in a clocke when the hammer strikes well and the hand of the Dyall points well it is a signe that the wheeles are right set 7 When Christs will commeth in competition with any earthly losse or gaine yet if then in that particular case the heart will stoope to CHRIST it is a true signe forâ—… the truest tryall of the power of grace is in such particular cases which â—…ch us neerest for there our corruption maketh the greatest head when CHRIST came neere home to the yong man in the Gospell hee lost a disciple of him 8 When we can practise duties pleasing to Christ though contrary to flesh and the course of the world And when we can overcome our selves in that evill to which our nature is proane and standeth so much inclined unto and which agreeth to the sway of the times and which others lie inthralled under as desire of revenge hatred of enemies private ends c. then it appeares that grace is in us above nature heaven above earth and will have the victory For the further clearing of this and helping of us in our tryall wee must know there bee three degrees of victory 1 When we resist though we bee foyled 2 When Grace gets the better though with conflict 3 When all corruption is perfectly subdued Now when wee have strength but onely to resist yet wee may know CHRISTS government in us will bee victorious because what is said of the Devill is said of all our spirituall enemies If we resist they shall in time flye from us because stronger is hee that is in us that taketh part with his owne Grace than hee that is in the world And if wee may hope for victory upon bare resistance what may wee not hope for when the Spirit hath gotten the upper hand For the second that is directions Wee must know though Christ hath under-taken this victorie yet hee accomplisheth it by training us up to fight his battells hee overcommeth in us by making us wise to salvation and in what degree we beleeve Christ will conquer in that degree wee will endevour by his grace that wee may conquer for Faith is an obedient and a wise grace Christ maketh us wise to ponder weigh things and thereupon to ranke and order them so as we may make the fitter choise of what is best Some Rules to helpe us in judging are these To judge of things as they help or hinder the maine as they surther or hinder our reckoning as they make us more or lesse spirituall and so bring us neerer to the fountaine of Goodnes GOD himselfe as they bring us peace or sorrow at the last as they commend us more or lesse to GOD and wherein we shall approve our selves to him most Likewise to judge of things now as we shall doe hereafter when the soule shall be best able to judge as when wee are under any publike calamitie or at the houre of death when the soule gathereth it selfe from all other things to it self Looke backe to former experience see what is most agreeable unto it what was best in our worst times If Grace is or was best then it is best now And labour to judge of things as hee doth who must judge us as holy men judge who are led by his Spirit more particularly what those judge that have no interest in any benefit that may come by the thing which is in question for outward things blinde the eies even of the wise we see Papists are most corrupt in those things where their honor ease or profit is ingaged but in the doctrine of the Trinitie which doth not touch upon these things they are found But it is not sufficient that judgment be right but likewise readie and strong Where Christ establisheth this government he inspireth care to keepe the Iudgement cleare fresh for whilst the Iudgement standeth straight firme the whole frame of the soule continueth strong impregnable True Iudgement in us advancetâ—… Christ and Christ will advance it All sinne
alwayes according to present feeling for in temptations wee shall see nothing but smoake of distrustfull thoughts Fire may be raked up in the ashes though not seene life in the winter is hid in the root 3 Take heede of false reasoning As because our fire doth not blaze out as others therefore we have no fire at all and by false conclusions come 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 not worthy to be 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 help of that evidence which would cherish our love to Christ and arme us against Sathans discouragements Some are so faulty this way as if they had beene hyred by Sathan the Accuser of the Brethren to plead for him in accusing themselves 4 Know for a ground of this that in the Covenant of Grace GOD requires the truth of Grace not any certaine measure and a sparke of fire is fire as well as the whole Element Therefore wee must look to Grace in the spark as well as in the flame All have not the like strong yet the like pretious Faith whereby they lay hold put on the perfect righteousnesse of Christ. A weak hand may receive a rich Iewell a few grapes will shew that the Plant is a Vine and not a Thorne It is one thing to be wanting in Grace and another thing to want Grace altogether GOD knoweth wee have nothing of our selves therfore in the Covenant of Grace he requireth no more then hee giveth and giveth what hee requireth and accepteth what hee giveth Hee that hath not a Lambe may bring a paire of Turtle Doves What is the Gospell it selfe but a mercifull moderation in which Christs obedience is esteemed ours and our sinnes laid upon him and wherein GOD of a Iudge becommeth a Father pardoning our sinnes and accepting our obedieÌ„ce though feeble and blemished Wee are now brought to heaven under the Covenant of Grace by a way of love and mercy It will prove a speciall help to know distinctly the difference betweene the Covenant of workes and the Covenant of Grace betweene Moses and Christ Moses without all mercy breaketh all bruised Reedes and quencheth all smoaking Flax. For the Law requireth 1 personal 2 perpetuall 3 perfect obedience 4 and from a perfect heart and that under a most terrible curse and giveth no strength a severe Taske-master like Pharaohs requireth the whole tale and yet giveth no straw CHRIST commeth with blessing after blessing even upoÌ„ those whom Moses had cursed and with healing Balme for those wounds which Moses had made The same duties are required in both CovenaÌ„ts as to love the Lord with all our harts with all our soules c. In this Covenant of workes this must bee taken in the rigour but under the CovenaÌ„t of Grace as it is a syncere endevour proportionable to grace received and so it must be understood of Iosias and others wheÌ„ it is said they loved GOD with all their hearts c. It must have an Euangelicall mitigation The Law is sweetned by the Gospel and becommeth delightful to the inner man Vnder this gratious Covenant synceritie is perfection This is the Death in the pot in the Romane Religion that they confound two CovenaÌ„ts and it deads the comfort of drooping ones that they cannot distinguish them And thus they suffer themselves to be held under bondage when Christ hath set them free and stay themselves in the prison when Christ hath set open the doores before them 5 Grace sometimes is so little as is undiscernable to us the Spirit sometimes hath secret operations in us which we know not for the present but Christ knoweth Sometimes in bitternes of temptation when the Spirit struggles with sense of Gods anger wee are apt to thinke GOD an enemy and a troubled soule is like troubled waters wee can see nothing in it and so farre as it is not cleansed it will cast up mire and dirt It is full of objections against it selfe yet for the most part we may discern something of this hidden life and of these smothered sparkes In a gloomy day there is so much light whereby wee may know it to bee day and not night so there is something in a Christian under a cloud whereby hee may be discerned to be a true Beleever and not an Hypocrite There is no meere darknesse in the state of Grace but some beame of light whereby the kingdome of darknesse wholy prevaileth not These things premised let us know for a Tryall First if there bee any holy fire in us it is kindled from heaven by the Father of lights who commanded light to shine out of darknesse As it is kindled in the use of meanes so it is fed The light in us and the light in the word spring one froÌ„ the other and both from one Holy Spirit and therfore those that regard not the word it is because there is no light in them Heavenly truths must have a heavenly light to discerne them Naturall men see heavenly things but not in their own proper light but by an inferiour light GOD in every converted man putteth a light into the eye of his soule proportionable to the light of truths revealed unto theÌ„ A carnall eye will never see spirituall things Secondly the least divine light hath heate with it in some measure Light in the understanding breedeth heate of love in the affections In what measure the sanctified understanding seeth a thing to be true or good in that measure the will imbraces it Weake light breedes weake inclinations a stroÌ„g light strong inclinations A little spirituall light is of strength enough to answer strong objections of flesh and blood and to looke thorow all earthly allurements and all opposing hinderances presenting them as farr inferiour to those heavenly objects it eyeth All light that is not spirituall because it wanteth the strength of sanctifying grace it yeeldeth to every little temptation especially when it is fitted and suted to personall inclinations This is the reason why Christians that have light little for quantitie but yet heavenly for qualitie hold out when men of larger apprehensions sinke This prevailing of light in the soule is because together with the spirit of Illumination there goeth in the godly a spirit of â—…ower to subdue the heart â—…o truth revealed and to â—…ut a taste and relish into â—…he will sutable to the sweetnes of the truths else 〈◊〉 meere naturall Will will rise against supernaturall truths as having an antipathy and enmitie against them In the godly â—…oly truths are conveyed by way of a taste gratious men have a spiritual pallat as well as a spirituall eye Grace altereth the relish Thirdly where this heavenly light is kindled it directeth in the right way For it is
prevaile against CHRIST or those that relye upon his power therefore his study is how to keepe us in our selves and in the creature but we must cary alwayes in our minds that that which is begun in self-confidence will end in shame The manner of Christs bringing forth judgement to victory is by letting us see a necessity of dependance upon him hence proceed those spirituall desertions wherein he often leaveth us to our selves both in regard of grace and comfort that we may know the Spring-head of these to be out of our selves Hence it is that in the Mount that is in extremities God is most seen Hence it is that we are saved by the grace of faith that carieth us out of our selves to relye upon another and that faith worketh best alone when it hath least outward support Hence it is that wee often faile in lesser conflicts and stand out in greater because in lesse we rest more in our selves in greater wee fly to the rock of our salvation which is higher then we Hence likewise it is that wee are stronger after foyles because hidden corruption undiscerned before is now discovered and thence wee are brought to make use of mercy pardoning and power supporting One maine ground of this dispensation is that wee should know it is Christ that giveth both the will and the deed and that as a voluntary worker according to his owne good pleasure And therefore we should workout our salvation in a jealous feare and trembling lost by unreverent and presumptuous walking wee give him cause to suspend his gracious influence and to leave us to the darknesse of our owne heart Those that are under CHRISTS governmēt have the spirit of Revelation whereby they see and feel a divine power sweetly strongly inabling thē for to preserve faith when they feele the contrary hope in a state hopelesse and love to GOD under signes of his displeasure and heavenly mindedness in the midst of worldly affaires alluremets drawing a contrary way they feel a power preserving patience nay joy in the midst of causes of mourning inward peace in the midst of assaults To make so little grace so victorious over so great a masse of corruption this requireth a spirit more then humane this is as to preserve fire in the sea and a part of heaven even as it were in hell Here wee know where to have this power and to whom to returne the praise of it And it is our happinesse that it is so safely hid in CHRIST for us in one so neere unto GOD and us Since the fall GOD will not trust us with our owne salvation but it is both purchased and kept by CHRIST for us we for it through faith wrought by the power of GOD and laying hold of the same which power is gloriously set forth by Saint Paul I to be a great power 2 an exceeding power 3 a working and a mighty power 4 such a power as was wrought in raising Christ from the dead That grace which is but a perswasive offer and in our pleasure to receive or refuse is not that grace which brings us to heaven but Gods people feel a powerfull work of the Spirit not onely revealing unto us our misery and deliverance through Christ but emptying us of our selves as being redeemed from our selves and infusing new life into us and after strengthning us and quickning of us when we droop and hang the wing and never leaving us till perfect conquest The fift conclusion is that this prevailing Government shall not bee without fighting there can be no victory where there is no combate in Esay it is said hee shall bring judgment in truth here it is said he shall send forth judgment into victory The word send forth hath a stronger sense in the originall to send forth with force to shew that where his government is in truth it will be opposed untill he getteth the upper hand Nothing is so opposed as CHRIST and his government both with in us and without us And within us most in our first conversion though corruptiō prevailes not so farre as to make voyd the powerfull worke of grace yet there is not onely a possibility of opposing but a proannesse to oppose and not onely a proanness but an actuall withstanding the working of CHRISTS Spirit and that in every action but yet no prevailing resistance so far as to make void the worke of grace but corruption in the issue yeelds to grace There is much adoc to bring CHRIST into the heart and to settle a Tribunall for him to judge there there is an army of lusts mutiny against him The utmost strength of most mens indeavours and parts is to keepe CHRIST from ruling in the soule the flesh still laboureth to maintaine its owne regency and therefore it cryes downe the credit of whatsoever crosseth it as Gods blessed ordinances c. and highly prizeth any thing though never so dead and empty if it give way to the liberty of the flesh And no marvaile if the spirituall government of CHRIST be so opposed 1 because it is governmēt that limits the course of the will and casteth a bridle upon its wanderings every thing naturally resists what opposeth it so corrupt will labours to beare downe all Lawes and counteth it a generous thing not to be awed and an argument of a low spirit to feare any even GOD himselfe untill unavoydable danger seizeth on men and then those that feared least out of danger feare most in danger as we see in Balthazar 2 It is spiritual government and therefore the lesse will flesh indure it Christs government bringeth the very thoughts desires which are the most immediate and free issue of the soule into obedience though a man were of so composed a cariage that his whole life were free from outward offensive breaches yet with Christ to bee carnally or worldly mindeded is death he looketh on a worldly mind with greater detestation then any one particular offence But Christs Spirit is in those who are in some degree earthly minded True it is but not as an allower and maintainer but as an opposer subduer and in the end as a Conquerour Carnall men would faine bring Christ and the flesh together and could bee content with some reservation to submit to Christ but Christ will be no underling to any base affection and therfore where there is allowance of our selves in any sinsull lust it is a signe the Keyes were never given up to Christ to rule us 3 Because it is judgement and men love not to be judged and censured Now Christ in his truth arraigneth them giveth sentence against them and bindeth them over to the latter judgement of the great day And therefore they take upon them to judge that truth that must judge them but truth will bee too good for them Man hath a day now which Saint Paul calls mans day