not believe the Articles of the Creed do we not believe the first four generall Councels we do who then will not say that these are sufficient being understood and believed to make a man that he be no heretick I may answer hence another question whether a Papist may be saved or no It is a curious question you will say but it is so ordinary that somewhat I must say I answer no doubt but many of them are saved How comes that to passe They reverse their false grounds and stick to those positive truthes that they and we hold together they reject their owne workes and help of Saints and go to Christ onely for as I said Poperie is full of contradictions Now a Papist when he comes to have his conscience awakened heleaves the Pope Indulgencies their 5. Sacraments Justification by works and then imbracheth only Christ and then he comâ—… our part They live by their Religion and die by ours So the question is whether living or dying Luther saith If they live and die peremptorily in all the points professed in the Tridentine Counsell they cannot But no doubt many of them the Lord hath mercy on to open their eyes to see the vanity of their works and of all their fooleries which those that are wise and have their consciences enlightened turn off then and so may be saved but it must be with reversing the grounds of their religion and sticking to ours which is agreeable to the Word Nay to speak a little more of it I say we do more safely believe we are more safe and on better grounds led into some lesse errours then they do believe maine truths It may seeme strange but it is most true For if so be a sound Protestant maintain an errour it is because he thinks it is in the Scripture that it is in the Word if it be discovered out of the Word of God to be an errour he leaves it as St. Cyprian and other Fathers blessed Saints in heaven they held some errours but if they saw the Scripture held otherwise they had prepared minds to believe otherwise therefore holding the maine fundamentall truths though they held particular errours they were saved The Papists maintaine fundamentall truths with us they believe the Word of God they believe in Christ and to be saved by mercy but upon what grounds They believe the truth upon heretical divellish grounds As upon what grounds do they believe the Articles of the faith to be so and the Scriptures to be so because the Church saith so Who is the Church but the Pope And what man is the Pope oft-times A man if we believe their own Writers led with a divellish spirit some of them have been Magicians If they believe the truth they do it not as divine truth they believe the truth for matter but the grounds of believing those truths are humane nay worse many times divellish for you know in the Revelation the beast is inspired with the spirit of the Dragon with the spirit of the Divell and teacheth the doctrine of Divels Now to teach that which is materially true upon reasons that are diabolicall or humane at the best it is but humane as the testimony of the Church is what an unsafe thing is this Nay I say it is the most horrible witchery the most horrible abomination one of them that ever was since the beginning of the World this principle that their Church cannot erre that is the reason of the believing of all divine truths Hereupon they come to practise most abominable treacheries hereupon they defend lies hereupon they kill Princes and dissolve the bonds of allegiance that Subjects owe to Princes And all humane and Divine things all the light of nature and Scripture all becomes a nullitie Why because the Church cannot erre And this they have from their holy Father the Pope he is above all Councells and all and cannot erre We know if principles be false all other things are false an errour in principles is a dangerous errour An errour in the ground is the worst thing in the VVorld As to maintaine treason to be lawfull it is worse then to be a Traitor for his judgement is convinced alreadie but he that maintaines a false principle he is a dangerous man indeed So to have this abominable principle that the Church that the Pope cannot erre Hence come all those dangerous practices in this Common-VVealth ever since the beginning of Queen Elisabeths time Who would have thought but that God gave up bitter proud poisonfull spirits vain spirits that rejected the Word of God that men of parts and understanding should ever be so sotted to believe such a thing that a wretched ignorant man should get into the Chaire and he should judge infallibly of the truths that he never knew in his life being of another profession as some are Canonists and not Divines But I leave that point To touch one thing more that borders a little upon this that Divine truth is of an inflexible nature whatsoever men think of it and that crosseth another rule of theirs that they will give what sense they will of Scriptures and the Current of the present Church must judge of all former Councels Now doth truth vary according to mens judgements according to the pcesent Church Must we bring the rule to the crooked timber or the timber and the things to be measured to the rule Shall the judgment of any man be the rule of truth shall it be the rule in one time and not in another shall present men interpret it thus and say it is so now and others that succeed say whatsoever it was now thus it must be believed Hereupon likewise if it be the constant nature of truth alway to be believed hereupon it comes to crosse another thing their dispensation no man can dispense with Gods Law truth is truth indispensible Laws divine and naturall are indispensible because they are alike in all things Reason is reason in Turkie as well as here the light of nature is the light of nature in any countrey as well as here Principles of nature varie not as languages do they are inbred things If the Principles of nature be invariable and indispensible much more divine principles saith the Heathen filthinesse is filthinesse whether thou think it to be so or no. Opinion is not the rule of things but the nature of the thing it self Therefore whatsoever is against nature none can dispense with God cannot deny himself What was naught in one age is naught in another and is for ever naught Whatsoever is divine or natural is indispensible No Monarch in the world can dispense with the law of nature or the Divine Law the Word of God for the opinion of any man in the world is not the rule of his course but the undoubted light of God whether the light of nature or the light of Divine truth I speak this the rather to crosse base
Paul was in these two The point is very large and I will take it onely according to the present scope How doth a Christian exercise trust in extremity in extream crosses for then he must go to God he hath none else to go to he is beaten from the creature and as I said before the soul will have somewhat to go to The poor creatures the silly conies they have the rocks to go to as Solomon saith the Soul that hath greater understanding it is necessitated to trust in God in afflictions Then the soul must say to God Lord if thou help not none can as Jehosaphat said in 2. Chron. 20. We know not what to do but our eyes are to thee In great afflictions we exercise trust because we are forced And because then we are put to this we put the promises in suit the promises made to us for extremity In Isay 43. 2. he hath promised to be with us in the fire and in the water There is a promise of Gods presence and the soul improves that Lord thou hast promised to be present in great perills and dangers as there are two of the greatest specified fire and water Thou hast promised thou wilt be present with us in the fire and in the water now Lord make good thy promise be thou present And when God makes good this promise of presence then the Soul triumphs as in Psal. 23. Though I walk in the valley of the shadow of death I will not fear because thou art with me Lord. So in Psal 27. he begins triumphantly The Lord is my shield whom shall I fear of whom shall I be afraid Let us exercise our trust this way in extremity God is with us and who can be against us saith the Apostle Thus the Christian soul lives by trusting in God in all extremity of crosses whatsoever the soul is forced to God and claimes the promises of presence And not onely the promise of his presence but the promise of support and comfort and of mitigation There is a promise in 1. Cor. 10. 13. God is faithfull and will not suffer us to be tempted above our strength Here faith is exercised Lord I am in a great crosse now I am in afflictions thou hast promised that thou wilt not suffer me to be tempted above that I am able to bear Now make good this promise of thine be present and be present by way of mitigation either pull down the crosse and make it lesse or raise up my strength and make that greater for thou hast promised that thou wilt not suffer us to be tempted above our strength And then the soul lives by faith of the issue in great extremities I am in great extremity but I know all shall end well Thus we trust in God in all extremity of afflictions whatsoever in the houre of Death when we receive the Sentence of Death how do we then exercise trust in God In Psal 16. My flesh shall rest in hope because thou wilt not suffer thy Holy one to see corruption Because God did nor suffer Christ to see corruption who is our head therefore my flesh likewise shall rest in hope when I die Our head triumphed over Death and is in Heaven and I die in Faith I trust in God that raised him from the Dead who was my surety I know my debts are paid my surety is out of prison Christ who took upon him to discharge my debts he is out of the prison of the grave he is in heaven therefore my flesh shall rest in hope If it were not for this that Christ were risen when we have the sentence of Death we over-look the grave we see our selves in Heaven as David saith I should utterly have failed but that I looked to see the goodnesse of the Lord in the land of the living Then faith lookes beyond Death and beyond the grave it looks up and with Stephen it sees Christ at the right hand of God we see Christ ready to receive our souls Then we trust in God that raiseth the dead nay we see our selves as it were raised already Thus we see how we should trust in God in great crosses and in the sentence of Death This in a word should be another ground of Patience not only of patience but of contentment in extrream crosses in the hour of Death that all that God doth is for this that we may exercise trust in him And if the Soul clasp to him who is the Fountain of life the chief good it cannot be miserable but this it doth by trust our trust makes us one with him it is that which brings us to God and afflictions and Death it self force us to exercise faith in the promises and drive us to him So God hath overpowered all crosses extream crosses even Death it self that he hath sanctified them to fit us to trust in him and who can be miserable that trusts in God What construction should we make of crosses and afflictions Surely this is to take away false confidence this is to drive me to God shall I be impatient and murmur at that which God hath ordained to bring me nearer to himself to trust in him to take away all false confidence in the creature No this should cut the sinewes of all carnall confidence and make us patient and thankful in all crosses Because God now is seeking our good he is drawing good out of these crosses he labours by this to bring us nearer to himself Blessed is that crosse blessed is that sicknesse or losse of friends whatsoever that brings us nearer to God Why doth God take away our dear friends that we might clinge nearer to him because he will have us to see that he is al-sufficient VVhat doth a man lose when he trusts in God though he lose all the world hath he not him that made the world at the first and can make another if he please If a man lose all and have God as he hath that trusts in him and in his Word for God will not deny his Word and truth he that trusts in God hath him and if he have him what if he be stripped of all he can make another world with a Word of his mouth Other things are but a beame to him what need a man care for a beame that hath the Sunne All the afflictions of this world are to draw or to drive us to God whether we will or no. As the Messengers in the Gospel to force the guests to the banquet with violence so afflictions they are to force us to God this blessed effect they have in all Gods Children But those that do not belong to God what do they in the hour of death and in extremity they are either blocks as Nabal was senslesse creatures or raging as Cain Achitophel and Judas either sots or desperate in extremity Saul in extremity goes to the Witch to ill meanes David in all extremity
we must swear by him And indeed it is a service of God and to good purpose when Christians swear to stablish and determine truths that otherwise are doubtfull They were doubtfull of S. Paul's doctrine and his person saith he To put you out of doubt of the truth I speak to you I dare call God to witnesse it is true and sound The Apostle doth so once after in this Chapter therefore I reserve the further handling of an oath to verse 23. because the word there is more infallible I call God to record upon my soul c. The next thing I observe hence is this That The believing that Gods Word is Gods Word and is certain it is a matter of great consequence It is of great consequence for Gods people that look to be saved to be stablished in their opinion and judgment of Divine truth that it is certain and not flexible and mutable according to our wills and conceits and dispositions but is yea alway the same as God himself the Authour of it For laying this for a ground that I said before that S. Paul takes God to witnesse he would not enterpose an oath but in a matter of great consequence therefore it is a matter of great consequence to be setled in this that the Scripture is Divine truth unalterable and unchangeable An oath is never good as I said but when it is necessary It must not onely be in truth but there must be a necessity It must not only be taken in righteousnesse but in judgment a man must do it in discretion when the thing is not determinable any other way Therefore it is a matter of great consequence that men take the Word of truth not to be as the Oracles of Apollo and of the Devill true one way and false another The Devil would escape the imputation of a lie though he be a liar but Gods Oracles be Divine they be yea And it is good that we think them to be so to be constant undoubted certain and unmovable Therefore the Apostle seales it with an oath he would not seal a slight truth by an oath but saith he As God is true our word to you was not yea and nay c. And Saint Paul saw a disposition in them to suspect the truth of God as indeed we are proner to believe the lies of our own hearts and the suggestions of Satan and the counsell of Politicians of carnall friends then to believe God himself Therefore partly for the indisposition in us and partly for the great exigence and necessity of the thing to believe that Gods Word is his Word that it is truth he seales it with an oath God is true It is a point of great consequence The reason is God can have no service else and we can have no comfort If we do not believe the Word of God to be undoubtedly true in great temptations and assaults what armour of proof shall we have we can have no comfort nor grace For sometimes subtile and strong temptations to evill come if the Word of God be not more undoubted to me then the present profit or pleasure or whatsoever if the temptation be ready and I be not built on and settled on some grounded truth that I know to be true as God is true when the temptation is strong and our faith weak where are we a man presently yields to base lusts and temptations And so in matter of danger and despair when a man is tempted to despair if he cannot build on this God is true and his Word is as true as himself he will not the death of a sinner c. here a man is swallowed up It is no matter how strong the foundation be if the building on that foundation be weak If a strong man stand in a slippery place down he falls if a man stand slippery and have a weak standing on a strong place on a strong foundation if he have a weak building on a strong foundation he shall soon be cast off So the Word of God is true in it self but if we be not perswaded so that it is infallibly true that it is alway yea we shall be shaken with temptations When we are tempted to sin the temptation is present we are sure of the temptation if we be not more sure of somewhat against the temptation somewhat out of the Word to beat back the darts of Satan when we are tempted to sin and to despair for sin down we go and therefore it is a matter of infinite consequence to be perswaded of Divine truth What makes many as they are in courses that are corrupt in their callings nothing but this they stagger whether it be true or no that there shall be a Judgment they stagger whether it be true or no that the Scripture saith if they were perswaded that it were yea as true as God is in heaven as true as they have soules so their soules must be called to Judgment for that they speak and do would they do as they do Therefore S. Paul stablisheth them by an oath God is true and as God is true our Word to you was not yea and nay Therefore take in good part with thankfulnesse the means that God hath ordained to strengthen our faith and assurance of the Word of God and the Promises of God Therefore he hath appointed the Sacrament for that purpose I say there is nothing in the world so strengthened as the soul of a Christian if he give himself to Gods truth to be ruled by it For if we will believe God we have his promise That Whosoever believes in Christ shall not perish but have everlasting life rich promises precious promises as the Scripture calls them We have not onely promises but they are sealed with an oath Now an oath is an unchangeable thing Heb. 9. 16. we have promises and oath that we might have strong consolation whatsoever might secure man we have Besides his oath we have his seal his Sacrament It was his love to condescend to make any Covenant with sinfull creatures that upon any terms he would give them life everlasting It was a higher degree of love to set Christ to be the foundation of this peace and of this Covenant that now God and we may be at peace with satisfaction to Divine Justice that he is the foundation of the peace between God and us Now God may be mercifull without wrong without impeachment to his Justice that is a higher degree of mercy to enter into Covenant and to give Christ to be the foundation of all And then it is a higher degree then that to secure us of the Covenant that Christ is ours to seal the Word with an oath and with the Sacrament which is the seal of the Covenant what could God do more What a horrible sin therefore is unbelief that we should tremble at to call Gods love and truth in question But yet we are prone to it
Parasites that when God calls them to stand for true causes what do they make their rule Not Gods constant yea but they bend and bow to opinion as if the opinion of any man in the World were the rule of their faith and obedience This is to make men and no men Is not the written Word of God the VVord of God Is not the law the law politike lawes I speak not of shall a man yield to mens opinion especially if the VVord do not warrant it shall he yield to any man living that is inconstant by his disposition There is truth which is certain that a man must maintain to the Death He is not onely a Martyr that maintaines Religion John Baptist was a Martyr that stood out in a matter that was not against heresie but for the standing out against Herod he did not yield as many thousands would have done in such a case Thou must not have thy Brother Philips wife it is unlawful Men ought to suffer for the truths of nature and not deny truth whatsoever because it is a Divine sparkle from God If it be any truth whatsoever it must be stood in because it is constant and it is the best thing in the world next to Divine and saving truth If this be so that the Gospel and Divine truth be yea and that the Church at all times hath been built on that and that whosoever is saved is saved by that yea Let us labour to have a faith answerable to our truth We say and distinguish well there is a certainty of the thing and a certainty of the mind apprehending the thing It is certain the Sun is bigger then the earth but you shall never perswade a simple Countrey-man that it is so There is a certainty of the object but not of the subject he will never believe it because it is against sense But now there must be both in a Christian. The Apostles doctrine the truth he doth believe the truth in the Scripture is yea that is it is certain and true and not yea and nay it is not flexible it is not as the Heathen Oracles were that is doubtful and wavering Let our assent be answerable to the truth let us build soundly on a sound foundation As a Ship that is to rest in the middest of the waves there is a double certainty necessary that the Anchor-hold be good in it self and that it be fastned upon somewhat that is firm if it be a weak anchor or if it be fastned upon gound that will not hold the Ship is tossed about with waves and so split upon some rock or other So our soules require a double certainty we must have an Anchor of faith as well as an object of faith we must have an Anchor of hope as well as an object For the object we may cast Anchor there it is Divine truth which will hold there is no doubt of that it is yea but then our Anchor must be firm our faith and affiance Let us labour to build soundly and strongly upon it It should be our endeavour continually to stablish our faith to stablish our hope that we may know on what terms we live and on what terms to dye Do but consider the difference between an understanding strong Christian and another A Christian that is judicious and understanding ask him in what estate he is why comfortable what is the ground of his faith why thus I live in no known sin I confesse my sins to God my doctrine is yea and I labour to bring my life to my doctrine Ask another What do you mean to live so loosely and carelesly why will you stand thus will you be content to die so perhaps he doth not know sound doctrine or if he do it is confusedly he doth not build on that rock on that foundation O let us labour to build stronger and stronger on the truth Our building strongly makes us eternal Gods truth is eternal truth because it makes us eternal Is it not a strange thing that man that is chaffe and vanity and smoak whose life passeth as a tale that is told that yet notwithstanding if he build on this yea which is certain and infallible the doctrine of the Gospel it will make him a rock a living stone it will make him eternal All flesh is grasse but the Word of God endures for ever What a comfort is this our life being a vapour and vanity and growing to nothing that the time will shortly come when we shall be no more no more in this world then to have Divine truth that will make us eternal Psal. 90. Moses a good man he saw men drop away faith he Thou art our eternal habitation from Generation to Generation What is the meaning of that That is We dwell in thee here in our Pilgrimage to Canaan we drop away but Thou art our habitation from Generation to Generation So when a Christian considers his life is uncertain all things are vanity that support this life yet notwithstanding I have a yea to build on the Divine truth The Word of the Lord endures for ever and it will make me endure for ever It is a Rock it self it makes me a Rock it will make me a living stone built on that foundation that all the gates of hell shall not prevail against my faith and hope What a comfort is this We have nothing without this Yea we are yea and nay and our happinesse is yea and nay we are so happy now as we may be miserable to morrow Let us labour to build on Divine truth which is like it self that in all the Changes of the world we may have somewhat that is unalterable that is as unchangeable as God himself As S. Paul here brings God himself As God is true my word to you was not yea and nay but yea So much shall suffice for that Verse I go on to the 20. Verse VERSE XX. For all the Promises of God in him are Yea and in him Amen THis comes in after this manner My Preaching to you saith he was invariable and constant because Christ himself is alway yea if Christ the matter of my preaching be alwayes yea and I preach nothing but Christ then my preaching is invariable and constant How doth he prove the minor how doth he prove that Christ is alway yea All the Promises of God in him are Yea and in him Amen Christ is invariable and my preaching of him was not yea and nay Christ is not yea and nay because all the Promises of God in him are Yea and Amen The Promises of God in him are Yea that is they are constant and in him they are Amen There is some diversity in reading the words But most constantly the best Expositors have it as this Translation hath it All the Promises of God in him are Yea and in him Amen The literal meaning is this All the Promises of God in Christ are Yea that is they are
after there is inward intrinsical grounds in the Word that make us to know the Word without the Church Now they would have the authority of the Word depend upon the Church and so over-rule mens consciences in that case Whereas all that the Church hath is a leading inducing perswading to hear the Word under which Word and Ordinance we shall see such light and majestie in the Scriptures that from inward grounds we shall be perswaded that the Word of God is the Word of God Therefore the Church is the first inducer to believe the Word of God not the last object to which all is resolved For they themselves crosse it in their tenents when they speak discreetly Is this opinion so and so The Church holds it but what authority hath the Church to maintain it where is the authority of your Church then they bring some place of Scripture I will be with you to the end of the world And He that heareth you heareth me c. I do but a little discover to you the danger of this errour They make the Word of God to be believed because the Church saith so they make truth to be believed because their man of sin whom they depend upon saith so Do we believe the Trinity or that Christ is our Redeemer because the Church saith so should we not believe it except the Church say so what if the Church teach the Doctrine of Devils as they do they cannot shake it off we must believe because the Church saith so so upon equal grounds they shall teach the Doctrine of Devils and the Doctrine of Christ because the Church saith so As it was said anciently he that believes two things the one for the other he believes not two but one in effect because he believes the one for the other So in effect they believe nothing but the Church that is themselves believe the truth to be divine because they say so so they may believe any devillish errour because they say so so any treason or rebellion must go current because they say so because they cannot erre Yyou see how they domineer over the faith of others shall not Christ be Christ nor God be God nor the Devil be the Devill except the Church say so Again in the very matters themselves in the points that themselves do not urge the Church of Rome domineers and tyrannizeth over the souls of people For example they hold that the intention of a Minister in the Sacrament makes it effectual What a fear doth this breed in the souls of men that they know not whether they be baptized or no because it must be in the intention of the Minister And then in confession they must confesse all what a tyranny is this to the souls of people when perhaps there is somewhat that they have not confessed and so their confession is of no worth And in satisfaction perhaps I have not made satisfaction enough by their injunction laid on me and therefore I must satisfie in hell what a rack is this to conscience So what a rack to conscience is that opinion that the Pope cannot erre when I cannot tell perhaps whether he be the right Pope or no if he came in by Simony or is not in Cathedra and many conditions they have to salve that Point If any of those conditions be not observed he is not the man he should be what tyranny do they force upon people over their faith Therefore they are called in the Revelations scorpions indeed they are spiritual Scorpions that sting the souls of Gods people The Devil is the King of darknesse and is not he the Prince of darknesse that maintains ignorance of the Word of God that all his old tenents and opinions may have the better sway that he may sit in the blind and dark consciences of people It is said 2. Thess. 2. that he sits in the Temple of God that is in the Church nay he labours to have another Temple to sit in mans soul which is the Temple of the Holy Ghost It is not sufficient for him that is the man of sin to have any other place he must sit in the very souls and consciences of men Satan hath a special malice to sit in the place of God since he was turned out of heaven and cannot come thither he will come to that place if he can upon earth where God should be and where will God be God will especially be in the hearts of his people in the souls and consciences of his people Conscience is Gods throne Satan being thrust out of heaven labours to stablish his throne there Now they that are Satans vicars led with his spirit they are of the same mind let them be what kind of great ones they will they desire to sit in Gods throne in the conscience and if a man will not tie his conscience to them he is no body to them This is the property of Antichrist in the highest degree as far as any are addicted to this that they will not be satisfied but the consciences of men must be tied to them they must deny all honesty and justice and law and all to please them and to gratifie them with particular kindnesse so farre they are led with the spirit of Antichrist and of the Devil himself who labours to sit in Gods throne that is in the hearts and consciences of people And therefore as I said they labour to keep people in darknesse for this very purpose that people may let them into their consciences and rule them as they please As Sampson when they had put out his eyes they led him to base services so do they with Gods people they put out their eyes and then they lead them to grind in the mill to all the base services they can It is not to be spoken of the brutish slavery and ignorance that is in Spain and other Countreys where that Devillish Inquisition reigns which is a great help to Popish Tyranny What should I speak of the state of the Romish Church indeed the main scope of it is to subdue all to them to subdue all Kings and Kingdomes to them that is the grand scope of the greatest of them others have their particular scope for their bellies and base ends but those among them that have brains that are Governours their scope is to bring all under their girdle and how shall they do this They cannot bring their persons but they must bring their consciences for where the conscience is the person will follow presently therefore they labour to lay a tie upon the conscience of Prince and people upon all that so they may domineer and rule over their consciences And for that end they labour to nourish them up in blindnesse for by blindnesse they rule in the conscience and ruling their conscience they may rule their persons and Kingdomes This is their main scope this hath been their plot for many hundred years So
for are you members of the Church or no yes will every one say will you make me an Infidel will you make me a Pagan Well take your own word then what is it to be a member of the Church but to be a Saint Must thou be a Saint doth not thy profession as thou art a member bind thee to be a Saint In Baptisme was not thy promise to renounce the Divel the World the flesh In renewing thy covenant in the Communion dost not thou purpose to cleave to God in all things Thou that takest liberty therefore in the Church of God under the profession of Religion to live as a libertine thou art a grosse Hypocrite and this aggravates thy sin and makes it worse then a Pagans Thou which art in the bosome of the Church in the Kingdom of Saints as it is in Dan. 7. the people of the Saints of the most high the people of God in the Church wherein thou art a professed member and yet doest thou take liberty grosly to offend God What doth make a Saint In a word to the constitution of a true Saint there is A Separation Dedication Qualification Conversation There is a separation presently when a man is a Saint he is separate from the confused company of the world from the Kingdom of Satan Therefore those that have all companies alike that carry themselves indifferently in all companies as men that professe a kind of Civility that are taken up with the complement of the times men that learn the language of the times that are for all sorts they know not what belongs to the high profession of Christianity There is a due to all I confesse there is a benevolence and a beneficence to all but there is a kind of complacencie a sweet familiarity and amity which should be reserved to a few onely to those in whom we see the evidences and signs of Grace If there be not a separation in respect of Grace there is no holinesse at all a Saint must be separated Not locally but in regard of amitie in regard of intimate friendship As we see it is in outward things in some of our houses there is a Court where all come poor and rich and there is the house where those of nearer acquaintance come and then there is the innermost Roome the Closet where onely our selves and those which are nearest to us come So it is in the passages of the soul there are some remote courtesies that come from us as men to all be they what they will there are other respects to others that are nearer that we admit nearer that are of better quality and there are other that are nearest of all that we admit even into the closet of our hearts and those are they with whom we hope to have communion for ever in heaven the blessed people of God termed here Saints It is an evidence of our translation from a cursed estate to a better when we love such hereby we know saith St. John that we are translated from death to life because we love the bretheren There must be a separation And withal there must be a dedication of our selves to the service of God A Christian when he knowes himself by the word of truth and by the work of the Spirit to be Gods Child he dedicates himself to better services then before he thinks himself too good he thinks too highly of himself to be a base blasphemer or swearer to be a filthy Person he considers himself as the Temple of the Holy Ghost and he useth himself to better purposes to better studies to do good And then with Dedication there is an inward Qualification to inable him with light never to forget the Image of God Herein this Saint-ship stands especially in this inward Qualification whereby we resemble Christ the King of Saints All our sanctification comes from him as Aarons oyntment went down from his head to his beard and so to his skirts so all our sanctification is from Christ. Every Saint is qualified from the Spirit of Christ of his fulnesse we receive this inward qualification that we have another judgment of things then this world hath what is good and what is bad what is true and what is false what is comfortable and what tends to discomfort He hath another conceit of things he hath another light then he had before and then other carnal men have he hath a heavenly light He hath another Language he gives himself to prayer and to thanksgiving he is given to savoury discourse He hath other courses in his particular calling and in his general calling then other refuse company have or then himself had before his calling this is from his qualification And this Qualification and Conversation go together he hath a new conversation he carries himself even like to him that hath called him out of darknesse into marvellous light So a true Saint as every professor of Religion ought to be he is dedicate to God and he is qualified in some degree as Christ was by his holy Spirit he is a new creature he that is in Christ is a new creature and he shewes this by his conversation or else he is no Saint How shall we know a Saint from a meer civil man as there be many that live and d ie in that estate which is to be pittied and one main end of our calling is not only to reduce prophane men to a better fashion of life but to shew civil men their danger A meer civil man lookes to the second table he is smooth in his carriage and conversation with men but negligent in his service to God A civil man he lookes to his outward carriage but he makes no conscience of secret sins he is not holy in all manner of conversation as St. Peter saith 1. Pet. 1. Be ye holy in all manner of conversation In private in publick in your retired carriage he makes no conscience of his thoughts of his speeches of all You may know an hypocrite so that carries himself smoothly and acceptably in the eye of the World but he makes no conscience of his thoughts he makes no conscience of his affections of his desires of his lusts and such things He makes no conscience of lesser oathes nor perhaps of rotten discourses No they are all for this that they may passe in the World that they may carry themselves with acceptance as for what belongs to the New Creature to Saints they care not for they have vain conceits of these and judge them as hypocrites because such a one knowes himself should be an hypocrite if he should do otherwise then he doth therefore he thinks that others that are above his pitch are hypocrites and and they make a shew of that that is not in them because if he should make shew of that his heart would tell him that he were an hypocrite A true Saint differs from an
then it though it doe not wholly expel it but the discomfort remains still in some degree it may be said well to be a comfort The reason why I speake of this mittigation is because in this life God never so wholly comforts his Children but there will be flesh left in them and that will murmure and there will be some resistance against comfort while there are remainders of sinne there will be ground of discomfort by reason of the conflict between the flesh and spirit For instance a man hath some crosse on him what saith the flesh God is mine enemy and I will take such and such courses I will not indure this this is the voyce of the flesh of the old man What saith the spirit Surely God is not mine enemy he intends my good by these things So while these fight here is the flesh against the spirit yet here is comfort because the spirit is predominant but it is not fully comfort because there is the old man in him that withstands comfort in the whole measure of comfort Therefore we must take this degree we cannot have the full comfort till we come to Heaven there all teares shall be wiped from our eyes in this world we must be content to have comfort with some griefe the maladie is not wholly purged Sometimes God removes the outward grievance more fully God helps many times altogether as in sickness to health perfectly but I speake not of that Comfort is that which is opposite to miserie and it must be stronger for there is no prevailing but by a stronger when the Agent is not above the Patient there is no prevailing there is a conflict till one have got the masterie The God of all comfort All that is of all comfortable things and of all divine reasons it must be most substantiall comfort The soule in some maladies will not be comforted by Philosophicall reasons saith the Heathen the disease is stronger then the Physick when he considers Platoe's comforts and the like so we may say of the reasons of Philosophical men Romanists and Moralists when they come to terrour of conscience when they come to inward grievances inward stings that are in a man from a mans conscience as all discomforts usually when they press hard it is with a guilty conscience what can al such reasons do to say it is the state of other men and it is in vaine to murmure and I know not what such reasons as Seneca and Plato and others have it will scarce still the conscience for a fit They are ignorant of the root alas how can they tell the remedie when they know not the ground of the maladie It must be God it must be his Word his truth the conscience must know it to be Gods truth and then it will comfort God is the God of comfort of the things and of the reasons they must be his reasons And he also is the Author of that spiritual presence he is with his children when they are in the fire he goes with them into the water as it is in Esay 45. he is with them in the valley of death they shall find God with them to comfort them so there is a kind of presence with Gods comforts and a banishing of all discomfort And this comfort is as large as the maladies as large as the ills are he is a God of comfort against every particular ill if there be diverse ills he hath diverse comforts if they be long ills he hath long comforts if there be strong ills he hath strong comforts if there be new ills he hath new comforts take the ills in what extent and degree you will God hath somewhat to set against them that is stronger then they and that is the blessed estate of Gods Children he is the God of all comfort St. Chrysostome an excellent preacher yields me one observation upon this very place It is the wisdome of a Christian to see how God describes himself there being some thing in God answerable to whatsoever is ill in the world The spirit of God in the scripture sets forth God fitting to the particular occasions speaking here of the misery and the disgraceful usage of St. Paul being taught by the spirit of God he considereth God as a Father of mercies and a God of Comfort Speaking of the vengeance on his enemies the Psalmist saith thou God of vengeance shew thy self In God there is help for every maladie Therefore the wisdom of a Christian is to single out of God what is fitting his present occasion in crosses and miseries think of him as a father of Mercies in discomforts think of him as a God of comfort in perplexities and distresse think of him as a God of wisdom and oppression of others and difficulties which we cannot wade out of think of him as a God and father almighty as a God of vengeance and so every way to think of God appliable to the present occasion And though many of us have no great affliction upon us for the present yet we should lay up store against the evill day and therefore it is good to treasure up these descriptions of God The father of mercies and God of all comfort To explaine the word a little what doth he mean by God in this place That he is the God of comfort that hath a further comfort in it in the very title that is called the God of comfort In that he is called the God of comfort it implyes two things First it shewes that he is a Creator of it that he can work it out of what he will out of nothing And then that he can raise it out of the contrary as he raised light out of darknesse in the creation and in the government of this world he raiseth his Children out of misery As he raised all out of nothing order out of confusion so in his Church he is the God of comfort he can raise comfort out of nothing out of nothing that is likely to yield comfort Put the case that there be neither medicine nor meat nor drink nor nothing to comfort us in this world as we shall have none of these things in heaven he is the God of Comfort that shall supply all our wants As he shall then be all in all so in this world when it is by the manifestation of his glorie when Moses was 40. dayes in the mountain he wanted outward comforts but he had the God of comfort with him and he supplied the want of meat and drink and all other comforts because he is the God of all comfort in him are all comforts originally and fundamentally and if there be none he can create and make them of nothing God as a God properly makes something of nothing that is to be a God for nothing but God can make somewhat of nothing Gods upon earth call men their creatures in a kind of imitation of God but that is but a
a one as must relinquish in his purpose all wicked blasphemous scandalous unthrifty courses whatsoever he that purposeth to please God and to have his prayer accepted of God he must leave all For as the Psalmist saith If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear my prayer For a man to come with a petition to God with a purpose to offend him is to come to practise treason in the presence Chamber To come into the presence of God and to have a purpose to stab him with his sins Doest thou purpose to live in thy filthy courses in thy scandalous evill course of life to be a blasphemer a swearer and yet dost thou think that God will hear and regard thy prayer If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear my prayer That is another thing that thou mayest know it by whether thou be in such an estate as that thou mayest pray successefully for thy self and for others In Prov. 28. there is a third discovery He that turnes his eare from hearing the law even his prayer shall be abominable Thou mayest know it by this if thou be in such an estate as that God will regard thy prayers for thy self or for others that they may be prevailing prayers how standest thou affected to Gods Truth and Word how art thou acquainted with the reading of the Scriptures and with hearing the blessed Word of God unfolded and broken open by the blessed Ordinance of God How doest thou attend upon God Wouldest thou have him who is the great God of heaven and earth to hear thee and to regard thee when thou wilt not hear and regard him thou wouldest have him to regard thy prayers and thou regardest not him speaking by the Ministery of his Word thou despisest his ordinance which he hath left with thee he hath left thee the mysteries of his Word and thou regardest them not but spendest thy time altogether either about thy calling or about some trifling studies and neglectest the main the soul-saving truth will he hear thy prayer No saith the Wise man He that turnes his eare from hearing the Law that mans prayer shall be abominable Since prayer is so prevailing a thing so pleasing to God so helpfull to the Church and so helpfull to our selves who would be in such a case that he cannot pray or if he doth pray that his prayer should be abominable that God should turn his prayer into sin It is a miserable case that a man lives in that is in league with sin that allowes himself in any wicked course in rebellion to Gods Ordinance such men are in such a state that God doth not regard their prayers for themselves or for others Some do so exalt and lift up their pride against God that they do not regard the very Ordinance of God no not while they are hearing it but set themselves to be otherwise disposed at that very time How can such expect that God will regard them This shall be sufficient to presse that point saith Saint Paul I shall be delivered by your prayers God will deliver the Ministers by the peoples prayers God will be good to the Ministers for the prayers of the people This concerns us that are Ministers Prayer is prevailing even for us And as it is our duty to give our selves to Preaching and Prayer so it is the peoples duty to pray for us likewise and for these particulars as I named To pray for ability To pray for a willing mind to discharge that ability To pray for successe of that discharge for we must be able to Preach to the people of God and we must be willing and there must be successe It doth much discourage Gods people and those that are Ministers when they find no successe of their labours Isai. 49. saith the Prophet I have laboured in vain Elias was much discouraged in his time and Isaiah and Elias were good men yet they were much discouraged they saw little fruit of their labour Therefore let us help the Ministers with our prayers in this respect that God would enable them that God would enlarge their hearts with willingness For there are many that are of ability but they are so proud and so idle that they think themselves too good to Preach to them whom God and the Church hath called them to bestow their labours on they have ability but they want a large heart And those that have both ability and a large heart they want successe they see little fruit because the people pray not for them and they perhaps are negligent in the duty themselves their labours are not steeped in prayers Again a fourth thing that we ought to pray for for them is strength and ability of the outward man and all that fear God and have felt the benefit of the Ministery they do this and God doth answer it Likewise to pray for protection and deliverance from unreasonable men to pray for strength of spirit and likewise for protection For as St. Paul saith 2 Thess. 3. All men have not faith Pray for us that we may be delivered from unreasonable absurd men All have not Faith Men that believe not Gods truth that believe not Gods Word that are full of Atheisme full of contempt and scorn they are absurd men though they think themselves the witty men of the world yet they are unreasonable and absurd men pray for us that we may be delivered from unreasonable men Likewise from him that is the head of wicked men the Devil He sees that the Ministers they are the Standard-bearers they are the Captains of Gods Army they stand not alone and they fall not alone many others fall with them There is no calling under heaven by which God conveyes so much good as by the dispensation of his Ordinance in the Ministery therefore we should help them by our prayers There are no men better if they be good nor none more hurtfull if they be bad none worse As Christ saith They are the salt of the earth to season the unsavory world and if the salt have lost the savour it is good for nothing but to be cast on the dunghill Therefore pray that God would deliver them from the Devil who malignes them they are the Butt of his malice by his instruments There are many that come to hear the Word to carpe and to cavil and to sit as Judges to examine but how few are there that pray for the Ministers and surely because they pray not they profit not If we could pray more we should profit more I beseech you in the bowels of Christ put up your petitions to God that God would teach us that are inferiour to you in other respects setting aside our calling that we may teach you that we may instruct his people As John Baptist saith The friends of the Bride learn of the Bridegroom what to speake to the Spouse so we learn from prayer and from reading
good demand It is not baptisme but the demand of a good conscience When the conscience hath fed on Christ it demands boldly as it is Rom. 8. of Satan and all enemies Who shall lay any thing to our charge it is God that justifieth it is Christ that died or rather that is risen again It boldly demands of God who hath given his Son the bold demand of conscience prevails with God and this comes by faith in Christ. Now this is strengthened by the Sacrament here are the visible representations and seales that we are incorporate more and more into Christ and so feeding upon Christ once our conscience is pacified and purged from all dead works and we come to have a continuall feast Christ is first the Prince of righteousnesse the righteous King and then Prince of peace first he gives righteonsnesse and then he speaks peace to the conscience The Kingdom of God is righteousnesse peace and joy in the Holy Ghost So that all our feast and joy and comfort that we have in our consciences it must be from righteousnesse A double righteousnesse the righteousnesse of Christ which hath satisfied and appeased the wrath of God fully and then we must have the righteousnesse of a good conscience sanctified by the Spirit of Christ we must put them together alway we can never have communion with Christ and have forgivenesse of sins but we must have a Spirit of sanctification There is mercy with thee that thou mayest be feared Where there is mercy in the forgivenesse of sin there is a disposition to fear it ever after Therefore if for the present you would have a good conscience desire God to strengthen your faith in the blood of Christ poured out for you desire God to strengthen your faith in the crucified bodie of Christ broken for you that so feeding on Christ who is your surety who himself is yours and all is yours you may ever have the feast of a good conscience that will comfort you in false imputations that will comfort you in life and in death and at the day of judgement This is our rejoycing in all things the testimony of our conscience first purged by the blood of Christ and then purged and sanctified by the Spirit of Christ that we have had our Conversation in simplicity and sincerity c. Our rejoycing is this that in simplicity and sincerity This is the matter of this testimonie of Conscience that is simplicity and sincerity Saint Paul glories in his simplieity and sincerity And mark that by the way it is no vain glorying but lawful upon such cautions as I named before but to add a little A man in some cases may glory in the Graces of God that are in him but with these cautions First if so be that he look on them as the gifts of God Secondly if he look on them as stained with his own defects and so in that respect be humbled Thirdly if he look upon them as fruits of his justification and as fruites of his assurance of his salvation and not as causes And then if it be before men that he glories not when he is to deale with God When men lay this and that imputation upon a man he may rejoyce as Saint Paul doth here in the testimony of his conscience in simplicity and sincerity The matter of the testimony of Conscience wherein he glories is simplicity and godly sincerity or as the words may well be read in the simplicity and sincerity of God such as proceeds from God and such as aimes at and looks to God and resembles God For both simplicity and sincerity come from God they are wrought by God and therein we resemble God and both of them have an eye to God a respect to God so it is in the originall in the simplicity and sincerity of God There is not much difference between simplicity and sincerity the one expresseth the other if you will have the difference simplicity especially respects men our conversation amongst men Simplicity hath an eye to God in all things in Religion opposite to hypocrisy in Religion Simplicity that is opposed to doublenesse where doublenesse is there is alway hypocrisy opposed to sincerity and where simplicity is there is alway sincerity truth to God But it is not good to be very exact and punctuall in the distinction of these things they may one expresse the other very well Simplicity Saint Paul's rejoycing was that his conscience witnessed to him his simplicity in his whole conversation in the world his whole course of life which the Scripture calls in other places a walking Saint Paul meanes this first of himself and then he propoundes himself an example to us How was St. Paul's conversation in simplicity Not onely if we consider Saint Paul as a Christian but consider him as an Apostle his conversarion was in simplicity It was without guile without seeking himself without seeking his owne for rather then he would be grievous to the Corinthians the man of God he wrought himself because he would not give any the least scandall to them being a rich people he had rather live by his own labour then to open his mouth he did not seek himself In a word he did not serve himself of the Gospell he served Christ he did not serve himself of Christ. There are many that serve themselves of the Gospell that serve themselves of religion they care no more for religion then will serve their owne turne Saint Paul's conversation was in simplicity he had no such aime he did not preach of envy orof malice or for gain as he taxeth some of the Philippian teachers Some preach Christ not of simplicity and sincerity but of envy c. Then again as an Apostle and a teacher his conversation was in simplicity because he mingled nothing with the Word of God in teaching his doctrine is pure What should the chaffe do with the wheat Jer. 20. What should the drosse do with the Gold he did not mingle his own conceits and devices with the Word for he taught the pure Word of God the simple Word of God simple without any mixture of any by-aimes So the blessed Apostle was simple both in his Doctrine and in his intentions Propounding himself herein exemplary to all us that as we look to hold up our heads with comfort and to glory in all estat es whatsoever so our consciences must bear us witnesse that we carry our selves in the simplicity and sincerity of God Now simplicity is when there is a conformity of pretention and intention when there is nothing double when there is not a contradiction in the spirit of a man and in his words and carriage outwardly That is simplicty when there is an exact conformity and correspondence in a mans judgement and speech in his affections and actions When a man judgeth simply as the truth of the thing is and when he affects as he judgeth when he loves
good behaviour Now when a man shall consider I have a witnesse within me my conscience and a witnesse without which is God who is my Judge who can strike me dead in the committing of a sin if he please this would make men if they were not atheists to fear to sin Let us labour therefore to approve our hearts to God as well as our conversations to men set our selves in the presence of God who is a discerner of our thoughts as well as of our actions and that which we should be ashamed to do before men let us be afraid to think before God that is another means to come to sincerity Another Direction to help us to walk sincerely is especially to look to the heart look to the beginning to the spring of all our desires thoughts affections and actions that is the heart the qualification of that is the qualification of the man If the heart be naught the man is naught if that be sincere the man is sincere Therefore look to the heart see what springs out thence if there spring out naughty thoughts and desires suppresse them in the beginning Let us examine every thought if we find that we do but think an evil thought execute it presently crush it for all that is naught comes from a thought and desire at the first therefore let us look to our thoughts and desires see if we have not false desires and intents and thoughts answerable God is a Spirit and he looks to our very spirits and what we are in our spirits in our hearts and affections that we are to him Therefore as a branch of this what ill we shun let us do it from the heart by hating it first A man may avoid an evil action from fear or out of other respects but that is not sincerity Therefore look to thy heart see that thou hate evil and let it come from sincere looking to God Ye that love the Lord hate the thing that is evil saith David not only avoid it but hate it and not onely hate it but hate it out of love to God And that which is good not only to do it but to labour to delight and joy in it For the outward action is not the thing that is regarded but when there is a resolution a desire and delight in it then God accounts it as done And so it is in evil if we delight in evil it is as if it were done already Therefore in doing good look to the heart joy in the good you do and then do it and in evil look to the heart judge it to be evil and then abstain from it This is the reason of all the errours in our lives because we have bad hearts we look not to God in sincerity Judas had a naughty heart he loved not the Lord Jesus Christ and therefore he had a naughty conclusion What the heart doth not is not done in Religion Thus we see how we may come to have our conversation in sincerity that we may rejoyce in the testimony of our conscience Therefore now to make an Use of Exhortation we should labour for sincerity and esteem highly of it because God so esteems of it Truth is all that we can alledge to God we cannot alledge perfection St. Paul himself saith not I have walked exactly or perfectly no but he saith This is our rejoycing that we have walked in sincerity So if a mans conscience can excuse him of hypocrisie and doubling though it cannot free him from imperfections God in the Covenant of Grace looks not so much at perfection as at truth Here I might answer an Objection of some Christians Oh but I cannot pray without distraction I cannot delight so in good things c. Though a Christians heart cannot free him from this yet his heart desires to approve it self to God in all things and his heart is ready to say to the Lord as David said Lord try me if there be any way of wickednesse in me And therefore he will attend upon all means to get this sincerity He will be diligent in the Word of God for therein the mind of God is manifestly seen The Word of God it is a begetting Word it makes us immortal it makes us new creatures it is truth and the instrument of truth Truth will make truth The true sincere Word of God not mingled with devices it will make what it is The Word of God being his Word who is Almighty it hath an Almighty transforming power from him It is accompanied and cloathed with his Almighty Spirit Truth will cause truth such as it is in it self it will work in our hearts In that mungrel false Religion Popery they have traditions and false devices of men and so they make false Christians such as they are they make strain them to the quintessence and they cannot make a true Christian Truth makes true Christians therefore attend upon Gods Ordinance with all reverence and it will make thee a sound heart it is a transforming Word Those that desire to hear the Word of God and to have their consciences to be informed by the hearing of it they are sincere Christians and those that labour to shut up the Word of God that it may not work upon the conscience they are false-hearted A heart that is sincere it prizeth the Word of God that makes us sincere the Word of God hath this effect especially being unfolded in the Ministery of it that a man may say as Jacob did Doubtlesse God is in this place It is all that is ours nothing runs upon our reckoning but sincerity For what I have not done truly Conscience saith I have not done to God and therefore I can expect no comfort for it but what I have done to God I look to have with comfort for I know that God regards not perfection but sincerity he requires not so much a great faith as a true faith not so much perfect love as true love and that I have in truth as S. Peter said Lord thou knowest that I love thee This will make us look God who is the Judge in the face It gives us not title to heaven for that is onely by Christ but it is a qualification required of us in the Gospel nothing is ours but what we do in truth And again consider That it will comfort us against Satan at the hour of death when Satan shall tempt us to despair for our sins as that he will do we may comfort our selves with this that we have been sincere We may send him to Christ for that must be the way who hath fulfilled Gods will and satisfied his Fathers wrath Satan will say This is true it is the Gospel and therefore it cannot be denied but it is for them that have walked according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh for those that have obeyed God in all things Now when our Conscience shall joyn with Satan and
but to be so indeed at home amongst our friends among those that know us when we are not awed as there is a great deal of liberty amongst friends wheresoever we are let us remember we are alway in the eye of God and labour to approve our selves most to them that know our courses most God knowes more then men therefore let us chiefly labour to approve our selves to him And next to God let us approve our selves to conscience fear conscience more then all the Monarchs in the World because that knowes most and will be most against us And then again for others that know our conversations good men that converse with us let us approve our selves to them most that have the best and the sharpest judgments A true Christian as he loves goodnesse so he loves it most that it should be in his own heart He lives more to God and to conscience then to same and report he had rather be then seem to be And as he hates all ill so he hates even secret ill the nearer corruption is the more he hates it As a man hates Toads and venemous creatures and the nearer they are the more he hates them The most retired carriage of a Christian is most holy and best of all Again where he saith My Conversation hath been in simplicity c. to you-ward Here is a good note for Preachers that if they look to convert any by their Doctrine they must win them by their conversation likewise in simplicity and sincerity Saint Paul being to gain the Philippians to Christ he doth it not by words onely by arguments of Logick and by perswasions onely to convince the understanding of the truth of that which he taught but he demonstrates to them how they should live Walk as you have me for an ensample I shew you that that which I teach is possible by my practice I shew to high and low how I carry my self My conversation hath been in simplicity and sincerity Those that I would convert by my Doctrine I labour by my Conversation to gain them So I say Ministers have here a special direction how to carry themselves And others likewise that have a gaining disposition as indeed we should not stand upon terms of this and that but every one labour to gain others would you work upon others and gain them from Popery c Then not onely shew them arguments to convince their judgments which must be done that is certain but likewise let them see that the things that you speak are possible things things that you are perswaded of And if you be not good and presse them to goodnesse you cannot perswade them of the truth of that you speak they will think it is not possible for then you would act it your selves But when they see one go before them and demonstrate it to their eyes how they should carry themselves this is the way to teach them to be sound Christians indeed But I hasten to the negative part Not in fleshly wisdome c. Here is a secret wipe a secret taxing of the false Apostles and Teachers My Conversation hath been in simplicity and sincerity whatsoever you think of me Not in fleshly wisdome as theirs is Not in fleshly wisdome To distinguish it a little There is a natural wisdome planted in the soul of man even as there is a natural light in the eye to see both things that are hurtful and that are good for the outward man So in the soul of man which is his eye there is an inbred light of natural wisdome a common light to discern of things and of creatures a natural kind of wisdome which may be polished and advanced to a higher degree by experience and Art As the eye of the body it sees better when it is helped with an outward with a forreign light This is natural wisdome There is likewise a Politick or Civil wisdome gotten by observation and increased by observation and withal it is a gift of God though it be a common gift As Achitophel's it was not meerly carnal wisdom that was in him but he had a gift of policy So some men though they be not truly Religious yet God gives them a gift of politick wisdome to be able to discern the difference of things to lay States and Common-Wealths together to be able to judge and resolve and to execute wisely and politickly and prudently It is an especial gift of God This the Apostle doth not aime at neither natural nor civil wisdome though it be a gift of God I say which is increased by observation and by other means Besides this there is a spiritual a heavenly wisdome whereby the soul having a right end and aime set and prefixed to it it directs all its courses to that end whereby the soul is able to deliberate to consult and to resolve on heavenly things and what hinders heavenly comfort and to resolve upon good duties and to resolve against that which is ill to resolve upon all advantages of doing good to the Church and of all hindrances of our selves and the Church and of the places we live in It is a heavenly kind of prudence to guide our own waies yea and to guide others too But besides all these there is another wisdome which is here the wisdome of the flesh which because the flesh hath correspondency with Satan it is also a divellish wisdome for the most part For the Devill plowes with our Heifer the most mischief that he doth in the world it is by the correspondency that he hath with our flesh our enemy within The flesh and Satan do joyne together and work all strongly with the mischievous policie of the world and therefore it is called likewise worldly wisdom And hereupon Christians that are meere professours and not Christians soundly some are called flesh because they are ruled of the flesh and they are called the world because they frame themselves to the wisdom and to the courses of the world and if you would annatomize them there is nothing but the world in them worldly pride and worldly ends And they are called Divells too as Judas was called a divell they plot with Satan by carnall wisdome they yield to Satan they savour not the things of God Men have their name and denomination in the Scripture by that which they are ruled by when they are ruled by the flesh they are called flesh when they are ruled by the world and the evil examples thereof they are called the world And when they are ruled by Satan so far as they are ruled by him they are called Satan One of you is a Devil saith Christ. Not in fleshly wisdome What is meant here by fleshly wisdome If it be fleshly why is it wisdome wisdome is but one there is but one wisdome Wisdome we know in it self it is a knowledge of principles and grounds and deductions and conclusions from principles A wise man
fool The fool as the Wise man saith knowes not the way to the City so a wicked man he knowes not the way to heaven he discerns not the difference he provides not he knowes not the way thither he cannot do one thing that is gracious not one action that may further his account I might be very large in the point it is profitable because we do infinitely deceive our selves in that point which is of more consequence then the whole world for the man is as the rule that he is led by is carnall men are led by carnal rules gracious and holy men guide their lives by heavenly wisdome by a gracious rule Now if you find your selves defective for a good Christian may be defective in this but if he have hearkned to carnal wisdome if he have forgotten himself if he have troubled himself too much about the world he will come to his Centre again he will come to his old way again he will not be long out of it his way and course is by grace Sometimes he may have a policy that is not good as David had yet his way is gracious I say if you find your selves defective I will shew some helps how we may guide our selves not by fleshly wisdome but by the Grace of God that is by gracious wisdome by the Spirit Now the Spirit leads us not immediately but works Graces in us and stirres up those Graces in us The Spirit guides a godly man by working grace in him by making him better by using those graces in him Sometimes the Spirit of God moves a wicked man but it makes him not better he puts conceits into his head and makes him do that which otherwise he would not but he is not bettered The Spirit guides a good man by making him better he works a gracious disposition a gracious bent in him that his judgment concurres with Gods his affections concur with the holy Spirit and make him holy and pure There is a disposition wrought in a good man like to the Spirit that sanctifies him and like to the disposition of Christ to whose Image he is renewed Now that we may guide our lives by the Spirit working in us spirituall and gracious wisdome First of all consider what I said before of fleshly wisdome there are none but they have one of these two guides either the flesh and by consequent the divell for the divell dwells in our carnall reason that is his Fort that is his Tower his Castle Carnall fleshly Imagination is the Divells forge there he workes all his tooles all his Instruments For the Divell workes not so much immediately as by carnall men that are led with him Our wit and policie and carnall wisdome it is the shop the forge of the divell wherein he works all his mischief to overthow us It is the Divells Worke-house where he engins with all his tooles and Instruments Then considering that there are but two guides the flesh the world and Satan which alway go together in one or Gods Spirit and Grace let us be willing to submit our thoughts and desires to submit our projects and our aimes and all to the Spirit of Grace submit to the Word of grace and to the motions of the Word the Word of God having the Spirit of God accompanying of it the Word of grace accompanied by the Spirit of Grace is forcible as the Apostle saith 1. Cor 10. It beates down strong holds strong Imaginations Satan fortifies himself in strong holds as the Scripture calls them in high thoughts working discoursive thoughts Now when we come to hear the Word which teacheth the simple sincere truth of God that teacheth us how we should be saved and how we should guide our lives if we will be guided by grace if we will yield to Gods simple truth let him erect a throne in us let us lay down all When we come to hear the Word let us think I come to hear the wisdome of heaven it self I come to hear that Word that shall make me wise to salvation I will not entertain projects I will not entertain a wisdom that is contrary to it when they rise in my soule contrary to the direction of the Spirit and of the Word down they shall I will not owne them this is the wisdome of a man that intends to make grace his rule Now a carnal hearer a carnall reader a common Christian he brings his naughty proud heart he brings his high conceits to the hearing and reading of the Word he comes as a Censurer as a Judge he comes to talk of what was said in this passage and in that passage he comes not as to hear God speak in his Ordinance he comes not as a humble man he comes not to hear it as the Ordinance of God with reverence and that makes him come and go out again as a beast As the beasts that went our of Noah's Ark they went out as they came in so many come into the Church and go out again as beasts they go our worse then they came in because they bring not hearts to submit themselves to God and to his Word O a spirit of subjection it is a blessed thing Self-denyall is some help to this be content in the guiding of your common life and in the guiding your way to salvation to be no wiser then Gods Spirit and Gods Word will make you to have no will nor no wisdome contrary to his will and wisdome but you will live as men that have nothing of their own nothing different from God no distinct will no contrary will and wit to God but you will let God take the guidance of you himself and whom he guides must needs come to a happie end as the Psalmist saith excellent well Thâ—… wilt guide me by thy counsell and after bring me to glorie Those that submit themselves to be guided by Gods counsell he will bring them to glory Serviceable to this is that which is pressed every where in the Scripture Humility God gives Grace to the humble that is he gives them not onely forgivenesse of sins and acceptation to life but he gives them grace for the regiment of their lives he gives Grace to the humble Those that humble their wits to God for there is a humiliation of the wit as well as of the affections that they care not for the depths of Satan they care not for School-tricks they care to know nothing but Christ and him crucified as S. Paul saith Gods Word is of Power and Majestie enough to save me I need not bring my wit for my acceptance to God it is truth that is accepted not a strong brain to cavil God gives Grace to the humble Those that bring their understandings to be led and taught by God he gives grace to them Again in the third place If we would have our thoughts guided by counsel let us have a high esteem of wisdome above all precious
as S. Paul doth here My care in my course of life and conversation hath been in Simplicity I have cast my self upon God and his government and not looked to the world and in sincerity I have aimed at God in all things I have had no false and by aimes I have not spared even my life by any carnal end I have not served my self either in Religion or in my course of life but I have laboured to serve God in serving my brethren and have led my life by the grace of God and by the Word of grace which I laboured to know that I might follow Let us be able in some measure in truth to say thus And then we may say further with S. Paul That this is our rejoycing the testimony of our conscience We shall never want joy And then let the world judge of us as it will there is such a strength and power such a prerogative and majesty in Christian comfort when a man can as I said reflect thus on himself that though in a weak measure yet in truth his conversation and course of life hath been though his slidings have been something in simplicity and sincerity that nothing can daunt it in this world It is above all discouragement above all eclipse of good name the testimony of Conscience which hath Gods testimony with it The witnesse of two is a strong witnesse the witnesse of God and conscience it will so settle our soules that neither ill reports nor any usage in the world shall daunt us we shall have comfort in all the passages of our lives be they what they will Whereas other men that lead not their lives in a constant course of holy simplicity and sincerity they are as the Prophet saith like the leaves of the Forrest shaken with every alteration with every rumour of ill newes But a sound Christian in the worst alteration there may be combustions there may be alteration of State yet his heart is fixed he is not moved Likewise in the hour of death he can say with Hezekias Thou knowest Lord I have led my life in simplicity that I have served thee with a perfect heart that is in sincerity I have desired and endeavoured to grow better which is all the perfection we have in this world sincerity witnessed by growth and strength against the contrary this will comfort us in all the alterations and changes in this world which is as a Sea full of trouble and at the hour of death likewise and at the day of Judgment this is that onely that will make us able to look Christ in the face Truth hath a Divinity in it this simplicity and sincerity more then any earthly thing it hath that in it that is real and spiritual A man that hath the Grace of God in the truth of it there is a great deal of majestie in it There is the greatest majestie in heavenly things when they appear most simple because of their excellency There is some thing of Gods in sincerity so much as a man hath in truth so much of Gods He partakes of the Divine nature as S. Peter saith so much as he hath in truth though it be never so little and being a branch of God it will make him look upon God in the day of Judgment Why because he knowes he is in the Covenant of Grace that he hath title to heaven by Christ. When a mans conscience can tell him that he hath led his life not by carnal wisdome but in the truth of Grace it will make him out-look Satan and all the troubles of the world and look unto Christ with comfort Who would not be in such a state Thus we see a Christian leads his life Not in fleshly wisdome but by the Grace of God I will adde one thing more and so finish the verse We may see hence That the most Religious men are the best Statesmen I know proud carnall Machivillian dispositions make a scorn at these positions they think them to be austere and poor principles till they come to death As that Wretch said himself when he came to dye That he had provided for all things but for death but while they are in their ruffe they think they can manage States and do all When indeed they bring the vengeance of God upon their own persons and upon the State they live in For God is neither in them nor with them He is not in them for they want Grace they are led by carnall wisdome altogether And he is not with them God will not give them good successe unlesse it be to increase their Judgement He will not give good successe to those projects that they take up contrary to his rule Therefore those that will be guided by reasons of Religion and submit themselves to the guidance of Gods blessed Spirit they are best for the state of their own soules and best for the publick estate For doth not God know the mysteries of State better then any man Is not he a better Politician then any Achitophel in the world If they have any State-policy that is worth the naming is it not from him Is it not a beam from that Sunne Yes why then who is the better the difference of parts excepted but take them alike a gracious man and another that is not so let the one fetch his counsel from hell from darknesse and the other be ruled by reasons of conscience and Religion there is no comparison God will crosse and curse their projects that are for their own ends both in themselves and in the State too As for the other that are under Grace and the government of Grace God will be wise in them by his Spirit and he will be wise for them Psal. 1. Whatsoever a good man doth it shall prosper it is a large promise How wondrous happy and wise were the Children of Israel when they kept the Covenant of God This is your wisdome to keep the Commandements of God Deuteron 4. and their wisdome made them happy How happy were they in David's time who made the Statutes of God the Man of his Counsel How happy was the State in Solomons time till Solomon did warp and bend to Carnall counsell to strengthen himself How happy was his Government till that time but never after that they were environed with enemies round about but alas who could hurt the people of God so long as they submitted themselves to the government of grace they were alway happy Therefore it is an idle thing to suppose that there will be any good successe by carnal projects no the onely good States-man is the religious man And it was never better with the Church of God before or since the time of Christ then when those were in the stern Do but think of this oft as S. Jude saith God onely wise we must all of us light our candle at that fire All wisdome even this poor spark of reason that God enlightneth every
that he possibly could fuffer and he laid in the other balance the things that he had in hope and promise and he resolves all that I can suffer that should shake me off from my course it is not worthy of the glory that shall be revealed saith he if you balance both you will conclude this There are many things that may shake us in our Christian course St. Paul thought of all Satans snares I am not ignorant of his enterprizes saith he And then for the world that might cast trumperie in his way saith he I am crucified to the world and the world is crucified to me And for any thing that might happen to him he knew that the issue of all things should work for the best to them that love God he includes himself Rom. 8. saith he We know it before-hand we believe before troubles or evills come come what will the issue of all things is in the regiment and power of God and as he pleaseth all shall work for the best to those that love God and therefore as I am so I will be What should hinder if all things help me nothing can hinder me And then Saint Paul took this course he looked forward still Philip 3. I presse forward to the price of the high calling he forgat that which was behind and he resolved to go forward he had a mind to grow better and better alway and this comforted him that he should hold out to the end For it is the reward of a growing Christian to have a sweet sense of his present state of Grace in Gods favour and to hold out to the end Such a man is like the Sun that growes up still till he come to high noon-day as Solomon saith Saint Paul took this course he strove for perfection he had a crown in his eye a crown of righteousnesse and glory and that will not suffer a man to be idle and cold that hath such a thing in his eye Saint Paul to whet his endeavour not onely looked forward but to glory for as Christ looked to the glorie and despised the shame so Saint Paul looked to the crown and despised all his sufferings Then besides Saint Paul was conscious of his own sincerity for grace carries its own witnesse with it self as he saith here I know my conversation This is the testimony of my conscience that in simplicity and sincerity I have walked before you He knew that sincerity is accompanied with constancie and perseverance It is a rule that alway constancie and perseverance are companions with simplicity and sincerity I have begun in sincerity hitherto now I am sincere and have expressed to you the truth of my heart and of my courses and as I am so I meane to be therefore having begun in sincerity I know I shall end in perseverance and constancy Truth of grace is accompanied with constancy all other things are but grasse they are but shewes they will vanish but sincerity the truth of grace is a Divine thing The Word of the Lord that is grace wrought by the Word of the Lord that endures for ever Where there is truth of grace though it be but as a grain of mustard-seed there is perseverance to the end S. Paul knew this well and therefore he builds his trust on these things on these courses that he took We should all take the like course look to S. Paul's grounds and take his courses those be they that will hold out to the end Judicious consideration of all the difficulties to put into the balance what impediments we shall have from the world and what will be great to us when it is ballanced with the glory to come And withall to aime forward still as S. Paul did And take another course that he took likewise to depend upon grace continually he knew there was a Throne of grace open to him alway for the time to come as well as for the time past and present He knew that Christ in heaven was alway full of grace he knew he should not want in any exigent when he should go to him he knew that God would not destitute or forsake any of his Children them that he hath called to see the necessity of wisdome and of courage and comfort Let us do therefore as S. Paul was answered from heaven say His Grace is sufficient for us if not to keep us from all sin yet to keep us in comfortable courses to keep us in sincerity and simplicity the Grace of God is sufficient to bring us to heaven Let us perswade our selves that if we go on in Christian courses in that confidence God will give us grace to bring us to heaven This was S. Paul's confidence therefore he saith I trust you shall acknowledge to the end because I know that I shall continue in simplicity and sincerity to the end God will keep me I shall have grace to beg and he will give me grace for his gifts in this kind can never be repented of Let us take from S. Paul this course and this comfort This course to trust in God for the time to come to have constant resolutions for the time to come to cleave to God and to good courses Let us every day renew our Covenants in this kind and our resolutions to do nothing against conscience to go on in Christian courses let it be our constant course For as Gods Children know they shall continue to the end so it is wrought from resolution so to do and this resolution stirres them up to depend upon God by prayer that he would knit their hearts to him that they may fear his Name that he would give them Grace sufficient c. that he would establish their hearts as David prayes This resolution it drives them to prayer and to all good courses that God would stablish them in every good work in every good thought and desire and that he would knit their hearts nearer to him Resolve therefore every day in dependance upon God to take good courses that so whensoever any Judgment of God shall come or when the hour of death shall light on us it may not come as a snare that it may take us in good resolutions it is no matter how we dye in outward respects if we dye in good resolutions As we resolve so we are for our resolutions are full of will wishes and resolutions they carry the whole man with them and God esteems a man by his will For if there be impediments that are not impossible to man resolution will break through all God judgeth men by their resolutions Teach me O Lord thy Statutes and I will keep them even to the end I have sworn and I will perform it that I will keep thy righteous Judgments every day take we these promises to our selves and bind our selves with them to God In vowes be chary I do not speak of them now I speak of purposes and resolutions alway take in
creatures in glory Consider with whom you have to deale him that ere long shall be wonderfull in his Saints Therefore come prepared come joyfully come faithfully come reverently and holy and you shall find a blessing answerable This I thought good to touch concerning the occasion of the Sacrament Ye are our rejoying At the day of the Lord Jesus Saint Paul esteemed of nothing but that which would comfort him at that day Therefore let us oft think of the day of the Lord Jesus Why what will make us digest labour and pains in dealing with the soules of others in doing good and being fruitful in our places The consideration of that Day there is a Day will come that will make amends for all and that is the day of the Lord Jesus And considering that there is such a day let us make much of the day of the Lord that is now left us what is that This day The Lords Day Revel 1. it is called The Lords Day And as I said labour to be acquainted with that Lord that must be Judge of quick and dead then The Lord hath a day now wherein we may be acquainted with him by hearing his Word by yielding obedience of his truth unfolded to us therefore let us make much of this day if we would have comfort at that Day Ye are our rejoycing in the Day of the Lord. VERSE XV. And in this confidence I was minded to come unto you before that you might have a second benefit or Grace IN this confidence In this assurance in this perswasion I was minded to come to you That you might have a second benefit saith the last translation it doth diminish the strength of the word therefore go from the Text to the margin you have oft-times a fitter word in the margin Charis The word is pregnant in the Original it signifieth Grace if it signifie a benefit at all it signifies a benefit that issues from grace and favour benefit is a weaker word Grace though it be not so common is a fit word and reaches to the strength of the word in the Original to the meaning of the Apostle so it is better to read it so That you might have a second Grace Saint Paul in this Verse sets down what intention he had to come to them And likewise the end of his intention In the next Verse he sets down the manner how he would come to them Fourthly he shewes why he came not to them it was to spare them as he faith afterward Here in this Verse he shewes what his intention was My intention was to come to you In this confidence I was minded to come to you To what end That you might have a second benefit His intention is set down by the inward moving cause his confidence In this confidence I was minded to come to you I will speak of his intention and purpose of coming And of the end of it And in his purpose of coming of the moving cause his confidence In this confidence What is that In this confidence because I am assured that you are my rejoycing and I yours in the day of the Lord Jesus in this confidence that you will be so to me and I to you In this confidence Saint Paul had a good opinion of them The inward moving cause of S. Paul to come it was a good conceit of them It is good as far as possibly we can to cherish a good judgment and conceit of others Let others have as good place in our affections as possibly may be Why If they be good we wrong them else even in our conceit We do not onely wrong men in our speeches and actions but in our sinister judgments in the censures of our minds therefore we should have as good conceit of men as possibly we can in that regard And likewise because confidence and assurance that they have something in them that is good and it will be better with them after in the day of the Lord this will be a means to stir us up to deserve well of them Hope stirs up Will we have no mind to a thing that we have not hope of And likewise Hope stirs up endeavour And Hope keeps in endeavour What makes a man so long in endeavouring the good of others he hath some hope they are good and will be better So it stirres up our will the bent of it it stirres it stirres up endeavour upon will and it keeps us in endeavour when we hope for good at mens hands And therefore we ought not to cast off men especially those that are young for imperfections The Corinthians were weak and carnal as you may see in the former Epistle yet in this confidence that they had repented of their ill usage of S. Paul he was minded to come to them Persons that are the subjects of hope are not free from infirmities Novices cannot have that perfection that grown Christians have at the first Consider further what is of passion and what is of the poyson of nature consider what is of infirmity and what is of malice Consider what sins they have been longer accustomed to and how hardly such sins are suddenly broken off These considerations would mitigate something where we see any degree of goodnesse Oh this pleaseth now some vicious-disposed persons they think this makes for them Not at all what I speak is where there is any ground to hope well of S. Paul had some ground for he wrote a sharp Epistle to them and he saw they were amended on it he saw they yielded they acknowledged that is they reformed by his Ministery and by his Epistle So where we discern reformation that there is a willingnesse of amendment we must hope of such though they be sometimes overtaken And if they be overtaken we must construe it to the best the temptation perhaps was great and they were not watchful at that time the subtilty of the opposition and the malice of men was great and their caution was not so great thus we may construe to bear with them if upon the discovery of their fault they become pliable but otherwise if they arm themselves with malice and bitter poyson and resolve to be so still there is no hope no confidence of such Saint Paul's confidence here was with evidence from their carriage they gave him some cause to be so confident Therefore it is in vain to think that we are too censorious when we tell you of your faults that very conceit that you think bitterly and arm your selves with resolutions rather to vex those that inform you then to amend that which is amisse that is as ill a disposition as ill a state as can be We can hope for no good of such yet notwithstanding we ought so far to hope of them as nor to give them over as S. Paul saith 2 Tim. 2. To prove if at any time God will shew mercy to them to deliver them out of the
to their Childrens good I come to bestow a grace on you How this is observed I list not to speak therefore I leave it and come to that which concerns us all I was minded to come to you To bestow a grace on you We see then That The Preaching of the Gospel is a special Grace It is a free and bountiful benefit of God Gracce implies freedome and mercy and bounty It is a free mercy of God to have the Gospel Why Because this is the means to work all that is savingly good in us This is a means to open to us Gods love in Christ and to work in us a disposition answerable to his love therefore it must needs be a grace Heaven is a grace life is a grace reconciliation a grace and such like therefore the Word must needs be a grace by which all these are communicated Therefore the Word hath the name of these things It is the Word of the Kingdome of heaven It is called the Kingdome of heaven the preaching of the Gospel because it puts us into the state of the Kingdome of heaven and the Word of reconciliation because by it we know our reconciliation with God it is offered and wrought in our hearts and faith to apply it by this Word It is the Word of life Act. 20. the life of grace and the life of glory all come by this Word I commend you to God and the Word of his Grace saith the Apostle All grace and spiritual life is wrought in us by the Word therefore the Word preached it is a special grace and favour of God Saint Paul here calls his coming to them to strengthen and confirm them a grace For all means come under the same decree of Gods eternal love with the decree it self When God out of grace resolves and sets down that he will bring such a one to heaven of his free love he doth out of the same grace fit him with opportunities of persons and means he accommodates him with all means for he intends in such a way to bring him to heaven And therefore S. Austin doth well define Predestination it is an ordaining to salvation and a preparing of all means tending thereto Therefore all fall in the compasse of grace both the free favour of God setting a man down to make him happy and likewise by sending men that have an outward calling and inwardly furnishing them with gifts and whatsoever all is of Grace The preaching of the Word is a grace It concerns us therefore so to esteem it Do not many sit in darknesse and in the shadow of death Is it not a grace therefore that we partake of the means of salvation What is in us by nature better then in Turks and Pagans or then many other people under Satan and under Popish Teachers and so rot away in their Ignorance nothing we differ onely by the grace of God therefore let us esteem it as a grace How shall we esteem it as a grace Receive it thankfully as a largesse and bounty and free grace of God receive it as a bounty with thankful hearts Grace begets grace it begets thankfulnesse so to receive it as a grace is to receive it with thankful minds to be more thankfull for the means of salvation then for any outward thing How shall we come to be thankful Never unlesse we find some grace wrought by the Word of Grace Therefore to receive it as a grace is to receive it as a free loving gift of God and to yield to it when by it holy motions are stirred in our hearts not to suppresse and quench holy motions but to yield to them Not to quench and resist the Spirit but to yield our selves pliable to the Word This is to acknowledge it a grace to be thankfull for it because you find your hearts wrought to holy obedience by it Give it way in your soules that it may be an ingraffed Word that all the inward and outward man may be seasoned with it and relish of it that the Word may season your thoughts and speeches and desires and season your course of life that what you think may be in the relish and strength of the Word in the strength of some Divine truth and the guide of your actions may be Divine truth or some motives from it Then you will give thanks for what is wrought on you when it is an ingraffed Word in your soules and all relish of it your speeches and actions and your whole course when a man may know by your carriage that there is something invested and ingraffed in your soules that gives a blessed relish to all the expressions of the outward man Such a one indeed will account the Word a special grace by a sweet experience wrought in his heart I will not presse that Point any further Again whereas S. Paul saith he would come to bestow a second grace on them we see here That Those that are in the state of Grace already they need a second grace Those that have initial grace to be set in a good course they need confirming and strengthening Grace S. Paul had planted them before I but he must come to water them there is alway somewhat left for the Minister to do till he see their soules safe in heaven he hath alway somewhat to do to the Christian soules under him For he must not onely get them out of Satans Kingdome into a good estate but he must labour to build them up he must water them and fence them and strengthen them against all discouragements A man is never safe till he be in heaven therefore he saith I will come to you but I will come to bestow a second Grace on you you have need of it and my love is such to you that you shall have it To enforce this a little because we set termes to our growth and go on plodding in a course and many years after we are no better then we were at the first and some out of a prophane fulnesse out of a Laodicean temper they think they have enough they are rich when indeed they are empty and miserable and wretched and poor and if temptations set upon them they have nothing in them To let you see that we stand in need of a second grace and of a third grace and a fourth grace that we need continual building up First look within what opposition there is to saving goodnesse within what rebellion of lusts what Ignorance and blindnesse and darknesse and indisposition what head the flesh makes in us against the Word of God Let a man a little continue out of the means and he shall see what growth of corruptions there will be a distasting of all means that a man shall be ready to begin anew with them almost having a double principle in them of grace and corruption there needs continually strengthening and stablishing Grace Consider outwardly what discouragements from the ill
gracious means by those gracious speeches God distill into me a spirit to improve them to gracious purposes As indeed God turns all to a gracious end to his children he gives them a principle of grace to work good out of every thing they see grace in every thing in affliction they see the love of God In the worst things Grace will pick out somewhat and make use of it As God by his providence intends all to good so his Spirit by a provident eye to the Word works good out of every thing but those that have not grace they are not grace to them but tend to their further hardening To end this point when you come to the Communion come to it as a grace It is the Grace of God that he hath ordained us to salvation it is the grace of God that he hath sent his Word it is the grace of God that he hath sent his Sacrament to seal that Word and all little enough he knowes us better then we know our selves he knowes we have need of all to confirm and help us the Word and the Sacraments even to the end of our dayes As the Apostle saith Ephes. 4. To build us up The means of grace are not onely necessary for the planting but for the building up of the Church And therefore come with this purpose to have Grace confirmed and receive it as a grace of God with thankfulness that God will condescend to our infirmity to give us helps to support our weak faith It is a true proverb Grace begets grace it begets thankfulnesse where it is apprehended as a grace therefore come with a thankful disposition to the Sacrament imbrace every Ordâ—…ce of God with thankfulnesse Alas do not thousands sit in darknesse and in the shadow of death they do and therefore those that find the benefit of Gods Ordinances they are disposed by the same Spirit that works any good in them to return thankfulnesse to God again That you might have a second Grace Saint Paul's purpose was to come to them to bestow a grace not to take from them to bestow good and gracious speeches on them which he knew the Spirit of God would make effectual to work some good in them A gracious man is a vessel of grace and he should take all occasions to vent that which is good When S. Paul saith he intended to bestow a second grace his meaning is that he would utter things that were gracious that the Spirit of God should seal to the soules of them that heard him and make them effectuall Therefore every Christian should have this disposition Saint Paul did it as a holy man as well as a Minister Do we think our selves vessels of grace as the Scripture calls the Elect Children of God or no Yes God forbid else Now Gods Children God hath appointed some to be vessels of Gold some of Silver as the Apostle saith to Timothy some for this use and some for that all for good use A vessel is to be filled with something and to be used for something therefore set abroach some good thing when you have the advantage of it when you are called to it not unnecessarily to thrust forward your selves Let the desire of your hearts be to do good upon all occasions A vessel of Grace must not be an empty vessel A Christian he is a member of Christ and he hath a part in the communion of Saints and he hath gifts for that end there is no Christian but he can comfort or instruct or disswade from ill when it is moved There is no Christian but he is furnished as a member ought to be in some competent measure There is no man that hath benefit by the communion of Saints but he hath grace to fit him for that blessed communion He is fitted to comfort upon occasion and he hath some grace some knowledge to correct he that hath not is a dead member not fit for that communion Therefore we should bestow Grace where we come and not leave an ill sent behind us to infect others with filthy speeches and blasphemous oaths to open the rottennesse of our own hearts in their presence and so be conscious of that which is ill in them because we strengthen it by our example and by our words S. Paul was a good man I come to bestow a second grace that is to speak that which is gracious that Gods gracious providence shall direct to do you special good For Gods Word is inspired by the Spirit and the same Spirit that breathed the Word of God into the Pen-men of it the same Spirit is with the Word in the uttering of it when it is done by a gracious heart to a gracious man it works graciously it hath a blessed operation with it Therefore we should upon all good occasions speak gracious things Divine truths they will have a wondrous efficacy If men would set on it and be more fruitful in this kind they should have occasion to blesse God But alas the life of a Christian is little known in the world we have but naked shallow conceits of the glory of heaven and of the state of a Christian and how he lives in this world and that makes men live such stained such base lives that will not stand with comfort in his world or glory in the world to come But a Christian should be such a one as frames his disposition to do good wheresoever he comes and he hath ability if he be a sound Christian. How graciously did God blesse Abigails word to David yet she was a mean woman How dost thou know but that by uttering gracious words in company in season as discretion must guide all our actions all our words how doest thou know but that thou mayest divert another man from sin by a word in season I beseech you carry this disposition about you as you desire to be thought vessels of Grace here and of glory hereafter to be thought vessels of gold and silver for the use of God labour to be imployed by the Spirit of God to good purposes that you may leave a good savour where you come that others that are acquainted with you in the time of their visitation they may blesse God that ever they were acquainted with such a friend Blessed be God that I knew him As it will be our joy at that day so it will be one anothers joy here for God blesseth the exhortations and comforts of friends one to another as well as the Ministerial oft-times So I come to the 16. Verse how he meant to come to them to Corinth saith he I was minded to come to you VERSE XVI And to passe by you into Macedonia and to come again out of Macedonia unto you and of you to be brought on my way to Judea SEe what a Circuit the blessed Apostle fetched indeed he was industrious after his conversion he made amends for his harsh conversion by his speedy labours For
be carnal she will have her own ends So a friend that is carnal he will have his own ends the Idol that he respects more then thee or then any thing in the earth is his own fleshly wisdome and his own ends Every carnal man makes himself his god he reduceth all to himself his own ends is his Idol therefore have no intimate society with such That with me there should be yea yea nay nay Observe again in this place That Carnal men are vehement They are vehement in either part if they be yea they are yea yea and yet they will be nay nay naught at the same time The soul of man will admit of contraries and yet be still the same in the general yea yea at one time and nay nay at another time And usually they that are vehement in businesse one way are vehement another if they be carnal A carnal man is vehement one way in the pursuit of things and he is vehement on the contrary if he be crossed What is the reason that men that are carnal some stand against Religion and some for Religion with like eagernesse the one is nay nay as much as the other is yea yea both are flesh and if those that are yea yea were where the other are they would be nay nay For instance a man is Religious onely for carnal respects he is yea yea O he will have the Religion of the times why he could not be safe else he cannot have his ends else he was bred up in it c. Another on the contrary is as much for the opposite Religion what is the reason he was bred in it it stands for his ends If a man be Religions not for religious respects he is peremptory and contrary to him of the opposite religion and yet they are equally naught A common Protestant hath no better ground for his Religion then a Papist hath for his the same reason that a Papist hath the same such a Protestant hath he was bred in it and the King is of that Religion and he shall attain his ends by it Hath a Papist other reasons except a man be truly changed and altered he shall be yea yea and nay nay sometime one sometime another peremptory in one and peremptory in another and all naught As for instance the Sea sometimes it ebbs sometime it flowes sometimes it flowes one way and then flowes back another way yet it is alway salt and brinish the nature of it is not changed so some men are peremptory yea yea they run one way amain and then they ebbe again yet they alway keep their nature brinish They are peremptory for good sometimes and when it stands for their ends they are peremptory against it Such a cause is so it is yea if it help their advantage and it is not so if it help not that as if truth it self in their judgment were flexible and alterable Thus a carnal man he alters and yet he is never good in his judgment Saint Paul declines this he was not yea yea nay nay because he did not purpose things according to the flesh To come to the point it self This declining of inconstancy of yea yea nay nay it came in S. Paul from hatred of inconstancy and falshood for yea and nay when a man is of one mind and another it comes from one of these two grounds in a carnal man Either because he is inconstant that he is now of one mind and now of another Or because he is false and means to dissemble Now both are dispositions that are contrary to a Christian man he should neither be light nor be false and untrue Now S. Paul doth much more decline the imputation of falshood and dissembling that he should be yea when he meant not yea but nay when he had declined the imputation of lightnesse for a man may truly say he will and yet change his mind after but for a man to say he will and yet mean it not that is falshood and dissembling which is worse S. Paul intends much more to decline the suspition of that Dissemblers are yea yea nay nay not at divers times but at the same time they make yea and nay all at once We say Contradictions cannot be true for a thing to be and not to be at the same time but dissemblers would have contradictions true they make as if they loved when indeed they hate God is the God of truth the Word is the Word of truth and Christ is the Truth and the Devil is the father of lies Therefore as we would be like to God and as we would be unlike Satan let us labour for truth in all things Saint Paul here labours to avoid the opinion of dissembling How would he think then of Equivocation when there is yea and nay at a breath they are not at divers times inconstant but yea and nay at once to speak one thing and mean the contrary to have reservations of the contrary It is so odious that I will not spend time to speak of it onely this If it were allowable as the best of their Writers allow it and practise it however if they do not allow it their practice is so but they do allow it by this means the devil himself should never be a liar there would be no lie at all And it were in vain for God to make prohibitions against lying if there might be equivocation for there is no lie in the world but it may be salved up with reservations Therefore that course that brings the devil from being a liar that frustrates Gods course and that makes men that they shall not lie whatsoever they do it is abominable such a conceit and odious to God but to maintain equivocation is to do all this for with absurd reservations what in the world may not be justified Then again we are exhorted to suffer Martyrdome to stand for Gods cause now to allow equivocation is to avoid suffering Where is the honour of Martyrdome and suffering for Gods cause when men shall speak untruths and justifie themselves by a lie It is contrary I say to the whole tenour and stream of Scripture Then again they may call it equivocation to mince it but it is a lie to speak one thing and reserve another for what is a lie to speak falshood with a purpose and intention to deceive another Now they speak false and with a purpose to deceive A lie must be esteemed as it is esteemed by another that hears it not him that speaks it As it is with an oath Isidore saith An oath is to be esteemed as he that I speak to esteems it not as I in my sense esteem it as God esteems it and he to whom I speak so a lie is to be judged as he judgeth it that I speak to because God forbids lying as a breach of charity to others because he would not have others deceived if I
salve it up in my own thoughts and deceive others it is a breach of charity and a lie because it is a speech of untruth which another thinks to be a truth it is an untruth and to deceive him But these men will have yea and nay at a breath they will say yea and yet have a reservation of nay at once S. Paul would much more decline and abhor this if he were alive now when he so declined the imputation of inconstancy of yea yea and nay nay at divers times Indeed S. Paul reserved this he promised to come to them if God did permit with a Divine reservation we may say in all the businesse we are to do This I will do if God permit and if God will and indeed God hindred his journey but I say for equivocation the matter is so odious and palpable that if it were not that Non dum satis odimus c. we hate not these men enough I would not have spoken of it Their Religion is so abominable and odious we do not yet hate it enough and therefore it is good on all occasions to uncase them and all little enough But I go on VERSE XVIII As God is true our Word to you was not yea and nay THe Apostle in the former Verse having laboured to clear himself from the imputation of lightnesse and inconstancy that he did not come to them as he had promised and from an imputation likewise of policy for himself that he did purpose things according to the flesh which is the cause of inconstancy of yea yea and nay nay he comes now to that which he more intended then those particulars for he was content to be thought to have disappointed them in the matter of his journey but that which he aimes at was to stablish them in this That his doctrine was found As God is true our Word to you was not yea and nay Perhaps I promised to come and did not it is true but my preaching was not yea and nay all that I taught was found and certain you may build your soules on it it was yea He labours to draw them to be perswaded of the certainty of his Ministery as being very unwilling that a defect in his promise about a businesse of the world should weaken their faith in the truth that he delivered as a Minister As God is true our Word to you was not yea and nay He seems to make a difference between yea and nay in Civill things and in Divine there is a difference when a holy man speaks of the things of this life and when he speaks of Divine truths S. Paul promised to come to them he meant it honestly and did intend it but it was subject to alteration because God stops our purposes in this life yea our good purposes many times Good things may have variety one good thing may be more convenient then another And the cause why he came not to them was not his inconstancy but their unfitnesse it was from their corruption in manners and in doctrine they were not ready as he saith after he came not to spare them they were unfit till they were humbled with his former Epistle and then when they were humbled he purposed to come But now in Divine truths what things he spake to them concerning grace and glory that was certain Our word to you was not yea and nay A question may be moved briefly how S. Paul could be deceived in his journey and not in his doctrine being so good a man led by the Spirit of God how could he promise to come and yet did not I answer the difference is much between these two S. Paul had three persons on him He was a Man Christian man an Apostle As a man he was subject to all things that men are subject unto that is he desired in truth of heart to come and visit his friends he purposed a journey with a reservation that God might hinder him and so as a man he might have a yea that is a purpose to do a thing and afterward a nay upon the uncertain event of the things of this life so as a man he purposed to come Nay as a holy man he purposed a journey to a good purpose to stablish them but with a reservation if God permit God might stop his journey But as an Apostle he taught other things then speaking of journeys that he spake of onely as a man and as a holy man alway supposing the condition of humane things and under permission if God permit But as an Apostle he was not yea and nay there he was certain As an Apostle he spake Divine truths and was guided infallibly by the Spirit of God he delivered truths without all conditions and exceptions as an Apostle he did not admit of any such uncertainty There is an eminency and excellency in Divine truth it is stable and firm and not subject to variety and inconstancy so his doctrine as an Apostle was alwayes yea For his journey and coming to them he promised his journey in veritate propositi in the truth of a good purpose of a friend but as he spake of Divine truths he spake of them in the certainty of the Divine Spirit in the one he spake in the certainty of truth in the other in the truth of affection As a man he spake in the truth of a good affection he bare to them but as an Apostle he spake in the certainty of Divine truth And you must know this that God as he used the Apostles and excellent men to write his book to write the VVord of God to be his Pen-men yet he hindred them not to be men As he hinders not godly men to be men but at once they may be Saints and men so Saint Paul as a good man desired to see them with a reservation but as an Apostle he was guided by a certain infallible assistance of Divine truth Nathan as he was a man gave David liberty to build the Temple he was over-shot in it something but then he goes to God and consults with him whether he should or no and then Nathan gives David another advice So the Prophets and Apostles as men they might be alterable without sin For God will allow men to be men and subject to mistakes For Nescience not knowing the possibility of things to come is no sin in man because it is an unavoidable infirmity So that S. Paul as his usuall manner is in promising things to come things of that nature he promiseth them under reservation and permission if God permit if God will and he doth not sin though he be frustrate of his intention It is not the onely part of a wise man to divine what will be Saint Paul had not providence to see whether his journey should be crossed or no but out of a Christian intention he resolved to come if God did not crosse him that was as a man and a
good man But as an Apostle his doctrine was without ifs and ands without exception as we say if God permit c. No saith he As God is true our word to you was not yea and nay So in the Apostles we must consider a difference of Divine truths that they delivered as Apostles from those things that they purposed as men and as holy men those were subject to be crost and without sin too For God will have men to be men that is variable creatures and such as cannot promise themselves for the time to come any certain thing It is Gods prerogative to know things to come we may know them by their causes we may know when there will be an eclipse a hundred yeares hence but to know what weather there shall be as we may know the eclipse we cannot because there is nothing in the cause I say God will have men to be men S. Paul may promise holily with a reservation to God as a man and as a holy man and without sin too but as an Apostle in his doctrine he was not so but as God is true our word to you was not yea and nay but constant as God himself that shall suffice to satisfie that Therefore S. Paul makes the difference I promised to come but I did not but as God is true our word to you was not yea and nay Our voyage to heaven and the reference we have to a better life stands not on uncertainties as the things here in this world Saint Paul's journey to Corinth might be frustrate but S. Paul had another course to heaven his religious course stood not on uncertainties whatsoever he taught in a Religious course it was yea as he saith in the next Verse Christ the Son of God whom we preach was not yea and nay but yea that is infallibly true perpetually true necessarily eternally true As God is true our word to you was not yea and nay Saint Paul labours to stablish them therefore in a good conceit of his Ministery and that made him indeed so much decline the suspition of inconstancy in other things Because carnal men are prone to think a man in his calling even a Preacher in his doctrine to be unconstant if he be so in his common course Saint Paul knew their corruption was such that from a suspition of lightnesse in his carriage and common course they would rise to a suspition of his doctrine therefore he was so curious to avoid the imputation of lightnesse in his journey because he would avoid any imputation of lightnesse in his doctrine That is it which he more aimes at he stands not on the imputation of lightnesse in his journey or such matters but he knew the corruption of men is such that if a man fail in common things presently they think he is so in his calling Full of false surmises and suspitions is the nature of man and as a man is once they gather him to be so alway therefore he deceiving them in not coming they might think he would do so at other times too that makes the Apostle labour to clear himself but especially his doctrine from all suspition As God is true our word to you was not yea and nay Here is a truth And the seal of it His averring the truth is this Our word our preaching as it is in the margin Our word as it was unfolded it was not yea and nay it was not uncertain And the proof and seal of it God is true as it is in the Original which is made up in the English tongue As God is true it is in our translation but in the Original it is God is true and as he is true and constant and faithful so our word is constant and faithfull you may build on it As God is true as God is to be credited and believed so my word to you is to be credited as yea as a certain doctrine that is not yea and nay It is a kind of an oath As God is true The holy Apostle here seales it with an oath What is an Oath An oath is a Religious calling of God to witnesse or to be a Judge in doubtfull things It is in doubtful things a calling of God to be a witnesse of the truth we speak and to be a revenger if we speak not true It is to call God to witnesse and to judge to makes him testis vindex S. Paul here calls God to witnesse God is true and as verily as he is true our Word to you was not yea and nay You know oathes are either as we say assertory to aver a thing Or promissorie for the time to come to do this or that and they are either imposed or voluntary Now this is an assertorie oath not a promissorie he avers and avoucheth peremptorily that as God is true his Word to them was not yea and nay but yea And it was a voluntary oath for no body exacted it of him but he saw there was a necessity to stablish them in the certainty of the doctrine he taught to seal it with an oath that they should as well doubt of the truth of God as of his doctrine As God is true my word is true Jeremy the Prophet hath three conditions of an oath Jer. 4. 〈◊〉 It must be in truth in righteousnesse and in Judgment In truth we must speak and swear true things And in judgment necessary things with discretion And in righteousnesse Now S. Paul observed the conditions wondrous well here For S. Paul doth it in a true matter and in judgment for he was forced to it An oath is never good but when it is necessary not to seal up every idle discourse as if men would make every thing they say to be as true as an oath Indeed the life of a man should be an oath the life of an honest man is an oath as true but we must not call God to question for every idle impertinent thing S. Paul saw it necessary to call God to witnesse it was true and necessary I will not enter into a large discourse of an oath because afterward I shall have better occasion to speak of it Onely thus much at this time S. Paul here useth it he thinks it to be necessary to establish their minds the better in his Ministery and a good conceit of it that it was constant God is true our word to you was not yea and nay Therefore in such a case we may not make scruple of an oath If it be In Charity Piety Necessity In Charity in matters of controversie of Civil life In Piety to establish matters of Religion And in matters of Necessity that cannot be determined otherwise there is no scruple to be made of it And where we are bid not to swear at all that is not in ordinary course or not to swear by creatures but if we do swear it is a part of Gods service
there is a God and God is unchangeably true there would be nothing true in the world for all truth is therefore true because it is answerable to that exemplar truth that is true in God answerable to Gods conceit and decree of things This I observe the rather because it is a fundamental thing it doth wondrously stablish our faith in Divine truths when we know it comes from God that is true If we would seek for evidences of our faith then we must go within us and see what love and what hope what combat between the flesh and spirit there is but if we look for any thing to stablish our faith go out of us consider the unchangeable truth of God whose truth it is God as God creating a reasonable creature he must give him some revealed truth he could not be worshipped else How must we know this revealed truth whereby he will be worshipped by the reasonable creature for no man will be served by his servant as he pleaseth how shll we know these certain truths because they come from his nature God is true and as God is true so our word to you was not you and way that is it was true There is the same ground of the certainty of Evangelicall truth as there is of God himself to be true To add a little further in the Point consider the truth of God every way the faithfulnesse of God as it signifies in the originall as God is faithful Consider what relations God hath put upon him in his divine truth how he will be thought on And then bring those relations to his nature for there we must pitch at last What is he to us and how hath he revealed himself to us Thus and thus What is he in his nature So and so and there we must rest For instance The Lord hath made many promises who is it that hath made them he that is true and unchangably true there the soul rests in the nature of God But what relations hath he put upon him he is a God and a Lord and a Judge and a Father c. Now as he is God he is true therefore he will do all things that a true God should doe he will uphold his creature while he will have his creature continue he will give it life and being and motion And as a Lord he will do with his own what he list and it is not for us to contend with him why he will do this or that why he makes one rich and another poore He is Lord of all and a true Lord therefore we must give authority to this true Lord. And then as he is a Judge he corrects men for sin and rewards them for the good they do As a Judge sometime he punisheth them inwardly in conscience sometimes outwardly All the good we have is from this that he is a faithful and true God therefore there we must rest He is a true Judge he rewards every man according to his works whether they be good or evill And so in the relation of a Father he is a true Father he corrects when time serves he rewards and encourageth when time serves he gives an inheritance to his Children and hath pity and compassion on his Children when time serves He is a true Father Other fathers do this and that out of passion not out of truth and goodnesse but he doth So when we consider God in his relations consider of the attribute of his truth All truth in his Word comes from this God is true This truth is sealed by this that our truth to you our word to you was not yea and nay uncertain Gods truth is not uncertain and variable There is no shadow of change in him and his Word is like himself We say usually in the word of an honest man and that is something In verbum Sâ—…rdotis in the word of a Priest it was accounted in former times a great matter it should be so indeed In the word of a King is a great matter But when God saith in the Word of a God The Word of the Lord hath spoken so It is not yea and nay it was not flexible and doubtful because it is the Word of him that hath the command of all that he saith it is his VVord that is Lord of Heaven and Earth Now when he that saith a thing is the Lord of Heaven and Earth he is Lord of his own Word therefore what he saith is not yea and nay uncertain for he can make good what he saith There is the same ground of Evangelicall truth as there is of God himself to be true I will speak no more in the unfolding of the Point it is plain that God is true Is this true that God is true that he is truth it self then many things issue from hence It is a ground of many other truths It was the ground of all the Uses that S. Paul makes of the Word of God it is profitable every way I will name some principall to avoid multiplicity in a plain Point God is true and his Word is true hereupon the threatenings of God must needs be true even as true as God himself If this be so then unlesse we will make another Scripture another Word this Word is yea That Word that threatens sin that Idolaters and covetous and wantons shall never enter into the Kingdome of heaven Be not deceived saith the Apostle that Word is yea it is true God is true this must follow therefore that whatsoever he saith is true therefore his threatenings are true It is a truth that hath influence into all other truths whatsoever that which is prefixed here by S. Paul not onely as an oath As Gad is true so his Word is not yea and nay but certain but I say it hath influence into all other truths whatsoever threatnings promises directions all are therefore true because God is true Therefore those that shuffle off the threatnings and think they shall do well and blesse themselves Gods wrath shall smoak against them for God must alter his nature and his Word must be altered or else his judgments must stick on them to death and damnation without repentance If God should not be avenged on ordinary swearers and blasphemers if adulterers should live in such sins and ever come to heaven they must have another God and another Word of God this hath said they shall not enter into heaven that live in these sins If it be true as God is true what horrible Atheisme is in the hearts of men to think that God will change his nature though they do not change their course and that the Word of God shall alter though they will not alter what hope can prophane blasphemous persons have that make but a trifle of swearing when God hath said they shall not go unpunished and those that live in a filthy course when God hath said Whor emongers and adulterers God will judge without horrible
atheisme how can these men hope for favour from God when he hath sealed his Word with this that as he is true and truth it self his Word is true they shall never enter into heaven So again if this be true that God is true and his Word thereupon is not yea and nay it serves to comfort us many wayes When we are oppressed in the sense of sin If we confesse our sins he is merciful to forgive our sins he that is true hath said it whose Word is not yea and nay but yea trust to it If we doubt of perseverance for the time to come he that hath begun a good work will perfect it to the day of the Lord. He is yea and his Word is yea he is true and his Word is true Again hence for our judgment we learn this truth That the Word of God hath the same ground of truth as God himself therefore it is the Judge of all Controversies of all things questionable in Religion the Word of God is Judge because it is not yea and nay but yea and it is true as God is true And it is Judge of this controversie too whether it be the Word of God The question between the Papists and us is whether the Epistles and the Prophets be the Word of God or no whether is it or no I answer from Apostolical testimony S. Paul saith As God is true his Word is true the true Word of God and All Scripture is given by inspiration The Word of God therefore is the Judge of all Divine truths because it is most certain even as certain as God himself What are the properties of a chief Judge He must be true without errour authentical without appeal such as can from himself without a higher determine He must be infallible without perill of errour All these belong to Gods truth It is yea it is true without errour it is alway yea And then it is authenticall there is nothing higher but God himself whose Word it is and it hath the same authority that himself hath As God is true so it is true It is authenticall without all appeal we cannot go higher then God himself in his Word We cannot call God or Christ from heaven he hath left us his VVord and therefore it is to be credited of it self And it is infallibly true without danger of errour one depends upon another As God is true so our Word is true If God be true infallibly this issues by consequence that the Scripture is the Judge and infallibly true without danger of errour Hence we may know what to judge of that Romish assertion There are no other Judges in the world can be said to be yea alway Councels are not alway yea they are yea and nay what one Councell hath set down another hath reversed In the Councel of Basile the Pope was above the Councel In another Councel that is above the Pope So one Popes decrees thwart another The Popes are yea and nay and not yea for many hundred years they laboured to crosse and thwart one another So Councels and Popes are yea and nay and not alway yea Traditions of the Fathers are yea and nay and not alway yea they thwart themselves S. Austin the best of the Fathers to whom the Church is most chiefly beholding of all the rest he was yea and nay Doth he not retract He wrote a book of Retractations of his former opinions then he was yea and nay and yet a holy man That which is the Judge of controversies must be yea that is infallibly true authentically true that there be not a higher From all others from Fathers and Councels there may be appeal to Scripture but from Scripture to none because it is the Voice and Word of God All things else are yea and nay they are changeable and they may be so without prejudice to the being of them A Councell may be a good Councel and unconstant in many things Fathers may be holy Fathers and uncertain it is onely the prerogative of God to be infallible like himself unchangeable in his nature and his Word is like himself Hence likewise issues this That whatsoever agrees not with the Word of God which is not yea and nay is false and naught Therefore those opinions of the Church of Rome that say they cannot erre if they be not yea with this yea then they are not yea for onely the Word of God is not yea and nay but onely yea that is onely certain and true All other Religions that are not Divine are yea and nay Popery is not grounded upon the Word of God because it is yea and nay that is it is uncertain See how they crosse many wayes this Word of God that is alwayes yea and true as God himself is true Is it yea that they saw no Image of God and therefore they must make and worship no Image Nay saith the Church of Rome they have a nay for this yea they will make Images and worship them the Image of Mary and other Saints Yea saith the Scripture drink ye all of this Nay saith the Church of Rome they have a nay for this yea only the Priest must drink the wine Let the Word dwell plenteously in you is the yea of Scripture The Church of Rome hath a nay for this yea it is dangerous for the people to read the Scripture and therefore they are forbidden it VVe must pray with the understanding as well as with a good affection 1 Cor. 14. that is we must know how we pray it is proved at large excellently Nay understand or not understand so the intention be good saith Rome pray in Latine or howsoever there is their nay to this yea Let every soul be subject to the higher Powers is the yea of Gods Book therefore the soules of the Clergy and whosoever The Church of Rome hath a nay for this yea therefore their doctrine is bad for only God is true and his VVord is only not yea and nay but alway yea infallible therefore that which is contrary to it must needs be false If onely yea be true then that which is contrary to it must needs be false And likewise again if Gods VVord be not yea and nay that is not unconstant then whatsoever is unconstant and thwarts it self in contradictions is not Gods VVord Popery is full of inconstancy full of contradictions to it self First besides inconstancy and uncertainty it is full of contradictions it is yea and nay for a body to be in many places at once and yet a true body to be in a hundred in a million of places at once as they would have Christs body to be in the Sacrament here is to be and not to be a body and no body for it hath not the properties and quantity of a body for a body can be but in one place at one time here is yea and nay For Christ to be a perfect
Redeemer and yet notwithstanding to need the help of other Mediatours and Intercessours here is yea and nay it is a contradiction That the Church of Rome is the Catholike Church if it be Roman it is not Catholike The universal Catholick Roman Church it is as much as the universal particular Church it is a contradiction one thing overturnes another The sacrifice of the Masse an unbloody sacrifice a sacrifice is the killing of a thing that was alive a sacrifice is with blood the offering of Christ in the bread is an unbloody sacrifice a sacrifice and not a sacrifice here is yea and nay a contradiction So that besides their thwarting of Scripture they thwart and contradict themselves in their fundamentall points they are yea and nay And then they are full of uncertainties they are not undoubtedly yea There is no Papist in the world would end his dayes so if he be not drunk if he be advised if he be not surprized with passion if he do not forget himself Come to a Papist and ask him what are the main points of Popery that you believe alwayes yea Can you say when you confesse your sins that you confesse all No can you then say then you have a perfect absolution that depends upon your confession No it is an uncertain thing What an absutd thing is Popish Religion it wracks the conscience of people Can you say that the Priest intends consecration in these words This is my body No and if the Priests intention be not there then Christ is not there and then you are Idolaters Can you tell certainly that Transubstantiation depends upon his consecration No how full of uncertainties and contradictions is Popery you cannot say the Points of Popery are alwaies yea Perhaps they are yea in life but are they yea in death It is yea in life that they merit salvation by works but is it yea in death No Bellarmine disclaimes it It is safe not to trust in our own merits for danger of vain-glory c. but to trust onely in the mercy of God in Christ. So their doctrine it is yea in life to sin by to live riotously by but then it is nay in death they reverse it if they belong to God they disclaim their works and other things and cleave onely to Christ and there is hope of them that have grace truly to do so So their doctrine is not yea that in life and death they can stick to To go on a little further to lay open the grossenesse of their tenents and the danger of their Religion We are better bottomed then they are which make the Word of God our rule and ground that is not yea and nay but yea The Canonization of Saints The Pope he makes Garnet a Traytor and Thomas of Becket Saints how can he know that these were Saints that he Canonizeth he that makes a Saint must know the hearts of men and search the heart for the truth of grace is there now it is the priviledge of God to know the heart So that Popery is full of uncertainties and pitifull perplexities Indeed they maintain the doctrine of doubting that we must doubt as if our nature were not sufficiently prone to doubt but we must get arguments to make us doubt as if it were needful to have infirmities to stablish grace in us Alas we are too prone to doubt and the Devil is ready to make us stagger in the time of temptation Again the Invocation of Saints it is a Point wondrous full of uncertainties Can they know and say certainly that the Saints hear them They cannot know that one Saint having a finite power should hear a hundred Petitions at once A finite creature hath but a finite power to hear one thing at one time distinctly how can they be perswaded that a finite Saint in heaven at one time distinctly should hear many thousands that put up their Petitions at once Can a man that is but a capable creature though glorified as Peter or Mary c. distinctly consider a thousand Petitions that are made they cannot how then can they think that a certain truth the Invocation of Saints The main ground of all their Religion is yea and nay the Pillar of it what is that The infallible judgment of the Pope but how can they tell when he speaks ex Cathedra for 9. or 10. exceptions and tricks they have when he speaks to be built on and when not how can poor soules know when he speaks so that the people may infallibly build on his judgment Because many times he is an illiterate man that knowes nothing in Divine things wherein he is to judge So the very foundation of Popery is yea and nay that is a most uncertain thing And then the ground of that that he is the Successour of Peter there is no place of Scripture for it neither dare they bring any It is but a Tradition It is somewhat uncertain whether ever Peter were at Rome that he was Bishop there is more uncertain but that the Pope should be his Successour is most uncertain and impossible of all So indeed the Religion of Popery is a rack to conscience especially to conscience that is awaked and knowes what Religion means at all Why is it a rack to them There is no certainty in it in the main Tenents of it It is not onely contrary to Gods yea but it is yea and nay uncertain in it self Now here the Apostle he frees his preaching from this imputation Our Word to you was not yea and nay and he calls God to record God is true and as he is true my Word to you was not yea and nay but was certainly yea Thus you see what use we are to make of it for confutation and conviction of our own judgments It may be moved by some perhaps How doth it appear how shall we know by what arguments that it is yea and not yea and nay I answer The testimony of S. Paul here is that it is so and his appeal to God with an asseveration As God is true But our own experience doth tell us that the Word of God is certain and true if we belong to God for we stand convict in judgment by many arguments which I will not now repeat But how shall any man certainly know it is yea the Word is the undoubted Word of God unchangeable wheresoever it is In a word you may know it is so he thinks it is so if he yield obedience to it as to such a Word absolute obedience to Gods truth without questioning when once a thing is clear to be agreeable to Gods truth he yields obedience to it then it is yea If it be a duty he must do it if it be a threatning he must avoid it by repentance if it be a promise he must believe it this is absolute obedience Likewise reverence in hearing it as Cornelius did Act. 10. To hear it as the
Word of God To tremble at the Word of God as it is Esay 66. To tremble at it as men do at thunder The thunder is said to be the voice of God The voice of God shakes the Cedars of Lebanon so it is with the voice of Gods Word Shall the Lion roar and the beasts of the Forrest not tremble Shall God threaten for sins that we are obnoxious to and shall we not tremble at his threatenings Therefore howsoever we hear it as if it were yea and nay yet it is yea therefore let us not think to go on in sin and escape and do well enough No it will not be so he that thinks it is the Word of God he trembles at his VVord and hath answerable affections to all the parts of Gods VVord If God direct he followes if God threaten he trembles if he promise he believes if he command he obeyes he hath a pliable disposition to every passage of Divine truth or else we do not believe it What shall we say then of those that come not so far as the Heathen man did VVe know Felix when he heard of justice and temperance and judgment to come he trembled VVhen he heard of things that he was loath to hear that he should be called to a reckoning for the course of his life he trembled and quaked If we hear these things and live in a course perhaps worse then he and do not tremble where is our faith that the VVord of God is yea that it is undoubtedly true Let us therefore examine our selves what power and efficacy the VVord hath it is a VVord that changeth and altereth the whole man it transforms the whole man It is a VVord of life if we find it hath so altered and changed us we can from experience say it is yea And likewise from particular Promises if we observe Gods Promises made good to us if we find peace of conscience upon the confession of our sins we can say Gods VVord is yea If upon the committing of sin we find God punishing and correcting us we can say Gods VVord is yea and it is a bitter thing to offend God I find carefulnesse is the best course to please God he finds me out in my sins and it is a bitter thing to offend God This is the best way to say in truth without hypocrisie that Gods Word is not yea and nay but yea Thus we see this truth that God is true and what followes thence his Word is true as himself and not inconstant yea and nay Besides all this that I have said Let us make this Use of it not to think Gods Word to be too good to be true but yield obedience to it yield the obedience of faith to it in the Promises Here is a foundation for faith the foundation of faith is without us the evidences of faith are within us by love by purging our hearts and stirring us up to pray c. but the foundation is out of our selves here is a foundation and pillar for faith to lean on God is true and his Word is true and not yea and nay it is eternally true Therefore apply all the Promises in the Old and New Testament to thy self It was not yea to Abraham and not to thee Gods Promises of forgivenesse of sins were not yea to David and not to thee they were not yea to Manasses and not to thee but Gods truth is yea eternally yea Whatsoever was written heretofore was written for our comfort and we are now the Davids and the Manasses and the Abrahams of God we are now the beloved of God for every one in their age are as they were in theirs and as the Promises of God were yea to them and saved their souls because they trusted on them so certainly every Promise of God is a shield for those that will have recourse to it The Name of God is a strong Tower and his Word is his Name whereby he will be known in his Promises Have recourse to it on all occasions relie on the Word wrastle with him when his dealings seem contrary though his dealings with us seem to be yea and nay We have been Gods Children he hath assured us that we were in the state of grace but now he deals with us as if we were not his children he afflicts us he suffers Satan to be let loose on us to tempt us here flesh and blood is ready to say Certainly I am not Gods child can I be thus and thus followed as I am No no Gods gifts are without repentance Hadst thou ever grace God hath said it who is truth it self that his gifts are without repentance Build on it therefore if thou hadst ever any grace where he hath begun he will make an end Where he hath begun a good work he will perfect it to the day of the Lord. Therefore wrastle with God in all temptations when things seem contrary yet alledge Gods nature to him and his Word for both are true and one is true because the other is true He is true in his Nature and true in his Word and free in his decree whatsoever his actions seem to be yet Lord thou canst not deny thy self thou art unchangeable thou art truth it self And thy Word that hath promised regard and respect to humble sinners that repâ—…t and come to thee it is unchangeably true as thy self therefore Lord I will not leave thee though thou kill me as Job saith Here is a ground of wraâ—…ng as Jobâ—…d â—…d alledge the Nature of God and the Word of God against his dealing Let his dealing be what it will his Nature is true and his Word is true therefore his Promises are true which is a branch of his Word that if we repent and confesse our sins he will be mercifull to us Therefore let us not forsake our own mercy This will uphold us as in all temptations so in Divine temptations when God seems to forsake us so Christ himself our blessed head did we cannot have a better pattern when God left him on the Crosse and left him to his humane nature to wrastle with the Devils temptations and the pains of his body and the sense of his wrath My God my God why hast thou for saken me yet he upheld himself that God was his God still and so likewise in the former example of Job I say it is a speciall comfort that Gods Word is not yea and nay as I said it is not doubtful as the Oracles of the Gentiles the Oracles of the Devill but Gods Word is certain Whatsoever it was to any Saint of God heretofore it is to every believing to every humble afflicted soul now and shall be to the end of the world So much for that VERSE XIX For the Son of God Jesus Christ who was preached among you by us by me and Sylvanus and Timotheus was not yea and nay but in him is yea IN the words the Apostle shews in particular
in the truth is not properly concord but conspiracy consent in a lie in falshood The builders of Babel they had a consent among themselves when they came for a wicked purpose as we see oft-times in Scripture Consent must be in the truth in that which is good or else it is not consent but conspiracy By reason of our weaknesse consent is usefull and that is the reason why in doubtful cases we may alledge Antiquity not that the Word is not sufficient in it self but to help our weaknesse to shew that we do not divert from the truth but that it is a truth warranted by others before In doubtfull cases this is warrantable He brings it likewise to enforce obedience the more when it was a truth brought to them by so many But that is not a thing I mean to stand on a touch is enough That which I will spend a little more time in is the next thing that is That Evangelical doctrine now is most certain Something I spake of it before in the former verse but I have reserved something to speak of it now The Son of God preached by S. Paul with the consent of these blessed men it was not yea and nay it was not unconstant Evangelical truth is not yea and nay and the Preachers of it the Apostles were not yea and nay in the delivering of it As it is true in it self so it was true in the delivery of it they were constant in it they sealed it with their blood some of them How shall we know the doctrine of the Gospel concerning Christ to be yea undoubtedly true I answer how do we know the Sun shines I know it by its own light and by a light that I have in my eye there is an inward light joyned with the outward light So it is in this businesse how do we know Divine truth out of the Book of God to be Divine By the light in it self by the majesty of the Scriptures by the consent of the Old and New Testament by the opposition of the enemies and the confusion of them at the last that have been opposers of it by the miraculous preservation of it and the like But especially by the powerfull work of it on the heart by the experience of this blessed truth I know this to be an undoubted truth I find it quelling my corruptions changing my nature pacifying my conscience raising my heart casting down high imaginations turning the stream of nature another way to make me do that which I thought I should never have done onely because I have a strong light of Divine truth and comfort There is this experience of Christ that a man finds in his soul it sets him down that he can say nothing but that it is Divine truth because he finds it so Besides this the testimony of the Spirit of God and the work of the Spirit in him For as to see there is an outward light required and an inward light in the eye so to see Divine truth there must be a light in it self a Divine sparkle in Gods Book in every passage but yet I must have an eye to see too I cannot see it except God witnesse to my soul that these things are divine that they are yea that they are certainly and infallibly true There is a great difference between us and our adversaries I can but touch it and I need but touch it They say we must believe and we must believe because of the Church I say no The Church we believe hath a kind of working here but that is in the last place For God himself in his Word he is the chief The inward arguments from the Word it self and from the Spirit they are the next the Church is the remotest witnesse the remotest help of all For the Church is but to propound Gods truth to lay it open to be as it were the candlestick now the candlestick shines not but upholds the candle while that shines So the Church is but to propose to set up Divine truth that of it self being set up will enlighten well enough The Church is to set out the Word and to publish it by the Ministery which Word of it self will shine That work which the Church hath therefore is the last and the inferiour for the Spirit of God and the inward majesty of the Word is of more force If a messenger come and bring a relation or bring a letter from one and he tells me many things of the man I but I doubt him because he may be false for ought I know but when I see his hand and seal and his characters and stile that shewes such a spirit to be in him I know by his own characters certainly this comes from the hand of that man Now the messenger brings it and gives it but I believe it because I see the characters and hand and seal of such a one that it is a truth So the Church propounds it is the messenger that brings the truth of God to us but when a Christian soul hears the truth and sees Gods seal upon it there is a majesty and power that works on the soul now we believe not for the messenger but for the thing it self Here is the difference we believe the Scripture for the seal of Divinity that is in it self they believe it for the messenger As if a doubtfull messenger should come that is not certain and a man should believe the things he brought for him for his sake we believe and entertain the messenger for the message sake not the message for the messengers sake our faith is better built then theirs But they say this All comes to this at the last God speaks by the Church as well as by the Scriptures therefore the Church is to be believed more then the Scripture it self I answer God speaks indeed in his Church by his Spirit and by his Word but his speaking by his Word is the cause of his speaking in the Church For what is the Church but begotten by the seed of the Word How is the Church a Church but by the Word Therefore he speaks first by the Scriptures there is a majestie and a Spirit in the Scriptures and then he speaks by the Church as cleaving to the Scriptures in a secondary manner He speaks by the Church mediately because that goes to the Word which speaks immediately The Word was written by men led immediately by the Spirit of God and the Church relying on that he speaks by them in the Church but primarily by his Word Having just occasion I thought to touch this Undoubtedly there are none that are not led with partiality but incomparably they see our faith is built on a better foundation then theirs they have a rotten foundation They talk of a Church and when all comes to all the Church their mother is nothing but the Pope their father What is their Church but the Pope
kinds of the promises whether to the promises for this life or the promises of Grace If they be promises of this life take heed we abuse not our selves in them There have been grosse miscarriages even from the beginning of the world will be to the end of the world in the false application of outward promises We see the Jews cryed The Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Loed as if God had tied himself to that by a perpetual promise Trust not to lying words saith the Prophet you think you are Gods people and that he will alwayes keep you out of captivity challenge not temporal promises without reservation and subjection to Gods will as he shall see goood Babylon saith I sit as a Queen and I shall for ever So mystical Babylon in the Revelation saith I sit as a Queen till her Judgment and destruction come in one day because she trusted to her present temporal estate Let no man promise himself that that God doth not promise in his Word immunity from the crosse for whatsoever Promise of protection and provision we have all is with the exception of the Crosse remember therefore to construc the Promises aright Then again another rule about the Promises is That it is usual with God to perform them in a wonderful manner that men know not how he doth perform them notwithstanding take that for a rule How is that As Luther was wont to say Gods carriage is by contrary meanes he performs them wonderfully He promised Abraham a child but his body was dead in a manner first and Sarah's womb He promised Joseph to raise him up so high but alas the iron entred into his soul first He promised that Christ should come but all was desperate first The Scepter was departed from Judah So he hath promised that we shall rise from the dead but we must rot in our graves first He hath promised forgivenesse of sins that he will be mercifull to us but he will waken our consciences to see our desperate estate that we are forlorn creatures first and unworthy of any respect from him He hath promised us happinesse we that are Christians are the happiest creatures in the world yet in the sense and eye of the world for the present we are the most forlorn creatures that are yet he performes his promise with comfort here and at last will fully manifest his love to us So at the last his Promises shall be wonderfully performed God doth not perform his Promises according to humane policy he will not do thus because we look he should do thus and thus he will crosse our expectation and yet perform his promise Saint Paul looked to come to Rome but he thought not of coming to Cesar by whipping and perill and ship wrack Moses knew he should come to see Canaan did he think to have such a conflict in the Wildernesse alas he thought not of it God doth wondrous strangely perform his Promises by contraries he crosseth our imaginations and conceits directly and yet he is true of his promise Another branch of this is That though Gods Promises be Yea and Amen in his time yet he usually defers his promises for a time and why Among many other reasons To mortifie self-confidence to fit us for his blessings for except he deferred them we should not be fit for them he defers them that we may be fitted for them long before they come That we might mortifie self-confidence to see that he immediately and graciously performs his promise And in the mean time to exercise faith and repentance and desire and prayer therefore he defers them but yet they are Amen at last though he defer Gods time is better then ours he knowes better then we the Physician knowes his time better then the Patient Hereupon comes a duty consequently upon this dispensation of God if he perform his promises wondrously and unexpectedly and perform them in delay let thy duty be answerable to his dealing wait wait upon God tie him not to such and such courses he can transcend and go beyond thy imagination and do more then thou art able to conceive as the Apostle saith therefore wait his good time Hâ—… that shall come will come Stay Gods leisure prevent him not run not before him And as he doth things by contraries so when thou art in contraries look for contraries when thou art in fin and feelest it on thy conscience believe that he is made righteousnesse to thee he hath promised it it is Yea and Amen in Christ. When thou shalt be turned to dust in the grave believe that he will raise thy body this promise is Yea and Amen and as a pledge of it Christ is gone to heaven when thou art miserable remember the Promise thou shalt be glorious with Christ as he is glorious All his Promises are Yea and Amen in contraries believe contraries because in contraries he performs contraries and say as Job doth Though he kill me yet will I trust in him I know thou canst not deny thy self and thy Promises are Yea and Amen In the worst estate that befalls us let us learn to wrastle with God in the Promises and implead his Promises Why Lord thou hast promised forgivenesse of sins to them that ask it thou hast promised grace and mercy and favour remember thy promise thou canst not deny thy self thou canst not deny thy gracious promise thy Word is as thy self thou art Amen and thy Word is Yea and Amen onely give me grace to wait thy good leisure yet I will not let thee depart without a blessing I will hold thee till I have received a gracious answer as Jacob wrastled with him till he had the blessing Let us labour to answer the promise with our faith and labour to bring our soules to be like his Promises they are Yea and Amen though they be not presently performed let us constantly believe a constant Promise let us cleave to God let us have a Amen for Gods Amen Are the Promises Amen Amen let the soul say Lord So be it so it shall be I will seal thy Amen in thy promise with my Amen in my faith so let us have an Amen for Christs Amen They are all and will be all Amen in Christ in fit time all the gracious Promises will be Yea and Amen let our soules echo and say Amen For our faith must answer the Promises faith and the Promises be correlatives for the promise is not except it be applyed Let faith answer the promise let us labour to be established in the Promises in Gods Word Shall we have certain Promises and shall we waver and stagger Therefore let us complain Lord thy Promises are sure and certain as thou hast said what is the reason I cannot build on them Oh my unfaithful heart Let us condemn our unbelieving our lying hearts that call the truth of God into question and make that which is
certainty of the Subject there is a firmnesse of the Promises in Jesus Christ and there must be a firmnesse in us upon those Promises It is no matter what the certainty of the thing be that we are to build upon if there be not a certainty in the person if there be not a building on that thing God shall lose the glory of his truth and we the comfort unlesse we be certain as well as the promises are certain It is no matter what the garment be if it be not put on It is no matter as I said before how firm the rock be if we plant not our selves upon it and therefore besides the writing of Gods Word on Tables unlesse he write it likewise in our hearts unlesse our hearts be stablished on that truth that in it self is certain that it may be certain to us all is to no purpose You see therefore the absolute necessity of the application of the soul unto those truths which are certain and sure in themselves there must be a stablishing of us as well as a stablishing of the promises There is a necessity of the application of the promises to our selves that they be true to us Christ is a garment we must put him on then he is the robes that we appear glorious before God in but we must put him on by faith Christ is the food of life he is so indeed but then he must be digested Meat except it be applyed except the stomach work nourishment out of it by application and so digest it to all the parts the body hath not nourishment from it Christ is the foundation of his Church I but there must be application we as living stones must be built on him Let the foundation be never so strong if the stones be not laid on the foundation the stones cannot stand Though Christ be the Spouse of the Church and be never so rich there must be application and consent we must strike up the bargain and match between Christ and us There must be our consent to tie our selves to him to give up our selves to him So look to all the comfortable relations that our blessed Saviour hath taken upon him in the book of God they all enforce application The ground I say is this that though there be never so much certainty in the thing yet if there be not a certainty in the person to found application upon all is to no purpose These two therefore must go together and they are sweet relatives promises on Gods part and faith on our part The Promises and Christ are nothing without faith For there must be a touch to draw vertue If faith have never so little touch of Christ it will draw vertue but there must be a touch there must be application Christ is nothing without faith and faith is nothing without Christ and the Promises For what is the difference between faith and presumption presumption is an empty groundlesse fruitlesse conceit faith builds on the Promises of the Word we can alledge the Promise It is nothing for a mad man to assume himself to be King of another Countrey why he hath no promise He that made account that all the ships that came to the Haven were his it was but a frantick part of him and so he was accounted So a man that thinks his estate is good and builds not himself upon the promise that hath no ground for it out of Gods Word it is but a presumptuous frantick conceit The promises are nothing without faith and faith is nothing without the promises There must be application This I thought good to observe first in the general To come now more particularly to the words themselves He that stablisheth us with you c. In the words you have first A gracious Act of building or stablishing Secondly The Basis the foundation of that stablishing or building and that is Christ. Thirdly the Authour of this stablishing God Lastly the persons who are built and stablished on that foundation with you He that stablisheth us with you in Christ is God The first thing is the Act Stablishing The point is this first That Stablishing settling grace is necessary It is necessary that there be a stablishing confirming grace It is not sufficient that we be brought out of the Kingdome of Satan for when we are gotten out of his hands and strength he pursues us with continual malice therefore there must be the same power to stablish us still in grace that first brought us into the state of grace For as Providence is a continuall creation so stablishing grace is the continuance of the new creature the same grace that sets us in the state of the new creation in Christ the same stablisheth us Stablishing grace is necessary It is necessary many wayes Man of himself is an unstable creature take him at the best but a creature God found no stability in the Angels take the best of creatures even as creatures they are unstable For God will have a creature as a creature to be a dependant thing upon the Creator who is a being of himself Jehovah There is no stability in any creature Man in his best estate was an unstable creature Since we are very unstable ready to be carried away in our judgment to the wind of any false doctrine ready to be blown over with every little temptation Nay now in the state of grace in our selves we are very unstable ready to fly off presently and therefore we have need to be established of God It is necessary in regard of the indisposition of our nature to supernatural truths we are an unprepared subject for them in our selves The Law indeed we have some principles of it but of the Gospel there are in us no seeds at all of it and that is the reason there are so many Heresies against the Gospel there are none against the Law And therefore Divine truths being contrary to our disposition as there must be a supernatural beginner so there must be a supernatural strengthener he that is Alpha must be Omega As there must be a mighty subduing of the heart to be a vessel to receive these truths an Almighty power to lay the soul on this foundation because of the contrariety of the truth to the natural heart of man so there is need of no lesse then of a Divine and supernatural stablishing Our natures are very inconstant and unsettled and wayward take us at the best before the fall you see how soon we fell being left to our selves and having no stablishing grace Much more now since the fall is there a nenecessity of Divine stablishing when we come to know the truth we are subject to fall away like little children that are ready to sink if they be not upheld by their parents or nurse God must uphold and propus and shore us up we presently sink else Moses was but in the Mount a while and we see how soon
with reasons discovering an absolute necessity of geting into Christ and of having him to be our Husband except we will lye under the wrath of God and be damned and withal discovering the fulnesse and excellency that is in Christ. Again it is God onely that must stablish the soul all the parts of it both judgment and conscience For I beseech you what can any humane creature what can any thing under God work upon the soul I mean so firmly as to stablish it and therefore our controversie with the Papists is just and good We say The reason and ground of our believing the Word of God to be the Word of God must not be the testimony of the Church and the authority thereof for alas what can the judgment of man what can the judgment of the Church do It may incline and move the will by inducing arguments and so cause a humane consent but to establish the soul and conscience and to assure me that the Word of God which is the ground of my faith is the Word of God it must be God by his Spirit that must do it the testimony of the Church will never do it The same Spirit that inspired holy men to write the Word of God works in us a belief that the Word of God is the Word of God The stablishing argument must be by the power of Gods Spirit God joyning with the soul and spirit of a man whom he intends to convert besides that inbred light that is in the soul causeth him to see a Divine Majestie shining forth in the Scriptures so that there must be an infused establishing by the Spirit to settle the heart in this first principle and indeed in all other Divine principles that the Scriptures are the Word of God And to go on a little further this is a fundamental errour in our practice For what is the reason we have so many Apostates what is the reason so many are so fruitlesse in their lives what is the reason that men despair in death but even this because men are not built and stablished aright Gods Spirit never stablished their soules in Divine truths For first concerning Apostasie ask them what is the reason they are of this or that Religion They will say they have been taught so they have been brought up to it the company with whom they have conversed have been devout men and have been alwayes led with this opinion and they see no reason to thwart it Is that all Hath not the Spirit wrought these things in thy heart hath he not given thee a taste of them hath he not convinced thee in thy judgment that it is so hast thou not found the power of the Spirit working upon thy soul changing of thee raising of thee drawing of thee out of the world nearer to God hast thou not I say felt the power of the Spirit this way No but thus I was catechized and thus I have been bred and thus I have heard in the Ministery And no otherwise Alas it will never hold out there will be a falling away for when a man believes not that which he believes from the Spirit of God he will be ready when dangerous times come when there is an onset made by the adversaries to fall and to fall clean away as we see it was in the time of Popery for whatsoever is not spiritual whatsoever knowledge is not Divine and from the Spirit of God never holds out Therefore I beseech you what 's the reason that you have many illiterate men that set upon the truth and hold out to the end and on the contrary many great seeming Scholars that are skilful in school-learning and in other Authours do not The reason is the one hath the truth from the Spirit discovering all the objections that the heart of man can make against it and the strength that is in the truth to answer and silence all those objections The other man hath onely a discoursing knowledge an ability to gather one thing from another and to prove one thing by another by strength of parts But the Spirit of God never discover'd the sleights and the corruptions of his heart never fastned and settled his heart upon the truth he never had experience of the truth For indeed nothing doth stablish so much as the experience of the truth on which we are stablished Again what is the reason of that unfruitfulnesse that is amongst men but because truths were never settled in the soul by the Spirit of God That which men know out of the Word of God concerning Christ and the priviledges by him they were never perswaded of it in their hearts therefore they come not to a fruitful conversation It is impossible but that men should be abundantly fruitful that have spiritual apprehensions of Divine things of Evangelical truths Hence comes all our unthankfulnesse and undervaluing of the Gospel The Gospel of it self is an unprized thing however we esteem of it God values it highly we value it not because our apprehensions of it are customary and formal gotten by breeding and education and discourse and not by the Spirit we feel not the spiritual and heavenly comforts of those truths we think we know How comes likewise Despair in time of temptation and in death but onely because men want this stablishing by the Spirit of God Men go on in evil courses trusting to a formal dead humane knowledge gotten by humane meanes and not settled in them by the Spirit of God that hath not sealed the truth in their hearts and hereupon when sharp tryals come they despair because they have no feeling of the truths of the Gospel and so when conscience is awakened and smarts it clamours and cryes out upon all their formall and humane knowledge For they having not a spiritual sense of the mercies of God in Christ and the perswasions of comfort are not so near to support the soul as the tentations and vexations and torments are how can they but despair Now who can still the conscience but the Spirit of God Why now if the knowledge that men had were spiritual and heavenly in all accusations of conscience it would set conscience down and still it I am a sinner indeed I am this and this but I have felt the sweet mercies of God in Christ God hath said to my soul I am thy salvation he hath intimated to my spirit by a sweet voyce Son thy sinnes are forgiven thee Where there is I say a knowledge and an apprehension of these Evangelical truths wrought by the Spirit it sets down Conscience and stills it though the heart rage at the same time There are thousands in the very bosome of the Church that miscarry because of this resting in a literall outward formall knowledge gotten onely by discourse and by reading and commerce with others and never labour to have their hearts stablished in Christ by Gods Spirit You see here then a
especially weighty without invocation and dependance A Christian is wondrous weak a man is vanity in himself but take him as he is built upon the promises and as he is in the love of God and Christ he is a kind of almighty man then I can do all things in Christ that strengtheneth me A Christian is omnipotent if he depend upon the Promise and commit his wayes to God but he is impotent and weak in himself It is God that must stablish us A man that is vanity he makes him firm a man that is weak he makes him strong a man that is unsettled he settles him The Word is a firm thing and God that builds us on the Word is as firm and Christ in whom we are built is as firm Peter when he built on the Word he was wondrous firm he was a rock too A man that stands on a rock is firm Now in believing the Gospel and in being built on the Gospel upon the Prophets and Apostles upon Apostolical truth now we that are weak in our selves are firm The weakest creatures have the strongest shelters and weaknesse is turned by God to be a help for conscience of weaknesse makes us seek for strength out of our selves You know the Conies as Solomon saith they hide themselves in the rock they flee to their burroughs The birds because snares are laid for them below they build their nests on high to secure themselves that way We see the Vine a weak plant it hath the Elm to prop it weak things must have a strong support So man being weak in himself weak in judgment weak in affections he is stablished by God God herein triumphing in our weaknesse over strength For when we have strong Adversaries and we are weak Satan is a strong enemy God himself puts upon him the vizor of an enemy sometimes as in Job's case and Christs on the Crosse when God personates an enemy and the devil is a real enemy And the devils instruments Hereticks and Seducers are strong strong in wit and parts every way and we are weak to encounter with God to wrastle with him and we are weak to encounter with Principalities and powers and with men of stronger parts that are besotted and intoxicated with Satanical temptations and labour to draw all into the snare of the devil with themselves Now when God in weaknesse shall triumph over strength here is glory to God in stablishing us It is God that must stablish us And as God must onely do it so he is ready to do it for in the Covenant of grace it lies upon him God hath promised there to confirm it and therefore the Apostle 1 Cor. 7. 8 9. binds it with the faithfulnesse of God Faithful is he that hath promised who also will do it God is content that our confirmation should lye upon his faithfulnesse and therefore when he accepts us into the Covenant of grace he performs our part as well as his own God is faithful saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 9. who hath called us to the fellowship of Christ who will confirm us to the end he is content to hazard his reputation as it were and to be counted unfaithfull else so that strengthening grace is of God he hath bound himself by his faithfulnesse to confirm and to stablish those that are his Mark here by the way before I come to handle the Doctrine of perseverance what an invincibld Argument you have to prove that a man that is once in Christ can never fall away Say they Indeed God for his part is ready to maintain us to do this but we for our part are subject to fall away as if the carrying of us along in the course of grace to salvation did not lye upon God and Christ. God is faithful to confirm us to the end we being once in the Covenant of grace he doth our part and his own too how can those then that are in the state of grace ever finally fall away Now God doth confirm us by working such graces in us by his Spirit by which we are stablished As for instance I will put my fear into their hearts that they shall never depart from me he stablisheth us by fear Make an end of your salvation with fear and trembling for it is God that works in you both the will and the deed he puts a spirit of jealousie into a man over his corruptions and a reverential filial fear which keepeth him from presuming And likewise he preserveth us by Wisdome as it is Prov. 2. 10 11. When wisdome entreth into thy heart discretion shall preserve thee and understanding shall keep thee And by Faith You are kept saith the Apostle by the mighty power of God through faith to salvation And by Peace of Conscience which is wrought in the heart by the Spirit The Peace of God which passeth all understanding shall guard for so the word signifieth your hearts and minds that is a true Believer that is once in Christ he finds such joy in the Holy Ghost such inward peace of conscience as preserves and guards him from despair from the temptations of Satan from the seeming wrath of God So that God as he stablisheth us so he stablisheth us as it becometh Christians as it becomes men by sanctifying our understandings by working grace in our hearts the grace of fear of wisdome of faith of peace c. so that a Christian now cannot presume save in a holy kind of presumption that God will finish his own good work But of this I say I shall have fitter occasion to speak hereafter To conclude therefore God you see must stablish and God will stablish It is a Point of great comfort every way Comfort from the foundation and root in whom we are stablished and from him that hath taken upon him to stablish us God by his holy Spirit If a Christian should fall God must be unstable or Christ the foundation must be unstable or the holy Spirit by which we are stablished must be unstable but it were blasphemy to think thus I come now to the last thing The subject or the persons that are stablished us with you He that stablisheth us with you We should have honourable conceits of all Christians there is an oyntment runs down upon the very skirts of Aaron's garment there is not the lowest Christian but he receiveth something from Christ the head Perhaps thou hast one grace in an eminent manner it may be he hath another more eminent then thou hast thou may est have more knowledge he may have more humility thou mayest have more strength of judgment he may have more sense of his own wants There is somewhat in every Christian that is valuable that is estimable and precious not only in the eye of God who valued him so as to give his Son for him but should be so also in the eye of stronger Christians therefore S. Paul here a strong Christian out of
the sweetnesse of his spirit joynes us with you he saith not you with us but as if they were as firmly set in Christ as himself he saith us with you he puts them together with himself for indeed all of us one with another weak Christians and strong Christians fetch all that we have from one Fountain draw all from one Spring are led all by one Spirit You have here also the Character of a sound Christian he loves and values all Christians A carnal man may value excellent Christians that have excellent parts of whom he hopes for kindnesse in some peculiar regard but he loves not all the Saints Love to all Christians as they be Christians because they have some anointing of the Spirit some earnest somewhat they have to be valued is a note of a good and sound Christian Another reason why he joynes us with you is to shew that the working of the Spirit it is not in the members severed from the body but as they are in the body The Spirit works in us but in us with you and in you with us that is as all the spirits come from the head and heart to the severall members of the body so they must be united they must be in the body before they can have the benefit of the spirits there must be an union with Christ the head and with the rest of the members before we can have the Spirit to strengthen us and anoint us those that rend themselves from the body cannot hope for stablishing from the head This should be a bond to ty us to the communion of Saints we have all that we have in the body we all grow in the body we are all stones in one building whereof Christ is the foundation therefore as stones in an Arch strengthen one another so should we Let us look for grace to be given in the communion of Saints it is an ill sign when any man will be a solitary Christian and will stand alone by himself As we are knit to Christ by faith so we must be knit to the communion of Saints by love That which we have of the Spirit is had in the communion of Saints It is worth ohserving the better to cherish Christian lovingnesse Thus you see the parts of this sentence in which we have the grace it self here spoken of Stablishing In whom we are stablished In Christ. By whom by God And who those are that are stablished Us with you To make now some Application of all If it be God that stablisheth us let us make this Use of it Let God have the glory of our stablishing If we have it in dependance upon God by Prayer let us return all by praise and thanksgiving all comes of his meer grace let all return to his meer glory Not unto us but unto thy Name give the praise It is the song of the Church on earth and the song of the Church triumphant in heaven that all glory be to God in all the whole carriage of salvation The promises are his stablishing is his that he would make a Covenant it is his that he will perform his Covenant to us it is his that he will enable us to perform the Covenant it is by his strength all is his therefore both the Church here and the Church in heaven our song should be Great and gracious and merciful is the true God that is so gracious and righteous in all his promises Let us labour I beseech you for stablishing especially in these times Is it not a shame that we have gotten no more ground now then we had threescore yeares ago nay that we rather call principles into question The Pope hath been Antichrist and Traditions have been accounted Traditions and not equal with the Word what shall we now stagger in the foundation is here our progresse Oh beloved labour to be stablished in the present truth that you may not be a prey for every subtile man And here especially I would speak to the younger sort that they should labour for this stablishing betimes before they be engaged in the world and before other businesses possesse them over-deeply for falshood hath more correspondency and suits better with our corruption specially if it be forced from subtil wits it prevailes much with unstable dispositions those that are uncatechized and ungrounded they are soon led away and therefore with other studies we should study the truth and remember that our best calling is to be a Christian and our best honour to be able to stand for the truth we professe Labour to have fundamental graces established and then all will be stablished if the root be strengthened the tree stands fast radical graces must be strengthened First Humility The foundation of Religion is very low and humility and abasing is in all parts of Religion every grace hath a mixture of humility because our graces are from God they are dependences Now humility is an emptying grace and acknowledgeth that in my self I am nothing Spiritual poverty with humility acknowledgeth that I in my self am a dependent creature if God withhold his influence if God withdraw his grace I shall be as other men as Sampson when his hair was cut Our strength is in God altogether Let us pray that we may be humble God gives grace to the humble When I am weak saith blessed S. Paul then I am strong that is when I am humble and feel and acknowledge my weaknesse then I am strong or else a man is not strong when he is weak but when he feeles and acknowledgeth his weaknesse Therefore let us labour to grow in humility and self-denial and we shall grow in strength Then again another radical grace to be stablished is Faith Depend upon God altogether for considering our strength is out of our selves and faith being a grace that goes out of our selves and layes hold of that that is out of our selves faith is necessary to our stablishing Believe and ye shall be stablished saith the Prophet Though the Promise be sure in it self yet we must be established by faith How doth God stablish us by working a spirit of faith therefore strengthen faith strengthen all other graces all have their issue from faith And faith comes from sound knowledge knowledge therefore hath the name of faith This is eternal life to know thee strengthen and increase knowledge Historical faith is nothing but knowledge when we know the Word of God to be as it is and that is the ground of justifying faith and dependance For the more I know God in Covenant as he hath revealed himself and the more I know the promise and the more I know Christ the more I shall depend upon him and trust in him They that know thy Name will trust in thee Psal. 9. Therefore let us labour for certainty of knowledge that we may have certainty of faith What is the reason that our faith is weak because men
care not to encrease their knowledge The more we know of God the more we shall trust him The more we know of a man that we have bonds from that he is an able man and just of his word we shall trust him more and the more our security upon his promise and bond is encreased so the more we know of God as he hath revealed himself in his Word and his voluntary Covenant he hath made with us and performed in the examples of Scripture the more we know him the more we shall trust him And this must be a spiritual knowledge not onely a bare naked reading but it must be spiritual like the truth it self We must see and know spiritual things in their own light to know them by their own light is to know them by the Spirit You know the Spirit dictated the Scripture to the Prophets and Apostles the Spirit did all they wrote as they were acted by the Spirit Now the same Spirit must inform our understanding and take away the vail of ignorance and infidelitie I say the Spirit must do it we must know spiritual things in their own light Therefore a carnal man can never be a good Divine though he have never so much knowledge an illiterate man of another calling may be a better Divine then a great Scholar Why Because the one hath onely notional knowledge discoursive knowledge to gather by strength of parts one thing from another Divinity is a kind of Art and as far as it is an Art to prove one thing by another so a natural man may do wonders in it and yet know nothing in its own spiritual light That is the reason the Divel himself knowes nothing he is a spirit of darknesse because he knowes nothing spiritually and comfortably therefore as there must be humility and faith for our stablishing so there must be spiritual knowledge It is said here that God stablisheth us the same God that stablisheth us must give us faith whereby we are stablished and he must give us knowledge Beg of God that he would vouchsafe us his Spirit when we read the Scriptures beg of God that he would open our understanding by his own Spirit that as there is light in the Scriptures so there may be in us You know an eye must have light before it can see the light light is full of discovery of things in it self I can see nothing except there be light in my eye too there must be a double light so there must be a Spirit in me as there is a Spirit in the Scripture before I can see any thing God must open our eyes and give us spiritual eye-salve to see and then the light of the Scripture and our light together is suficient to found a saving faith as stablishing faith on What is the reason that a Christian stands to his profession though he be weak when the greatest learned men in the world flinch in persecution The knowledge of the one is spiritual and heavenly he hatht ligh in him the other hath no divine spiritual light when light is ioyned with light the light in the soul with the light in the Scripture it makes men wondrous confident To this end labour to be acquainted with Gods Word study the Scriptures and other Treatises of that kind that you may be able to hold fast the truth that it be not wrung from you upon any occasion And in reading it is a good course to observe the main principal undeniable truths such Dogmaticall truths as are clear and evident and to lay them up and oft make queries to our selves Do I understanst this or no Yes I do this I know is true build on it then and bottom the soule upon it And so if it be matter of promises these promises are undeniable true I will stay my soul upon them And so when we meet with plain evidences in the Scriptures that crosse our coruptions that meet with our known sins then consider of those places as Jewels and lay them up that you may have use of them as occasion serves All things have not an equall certainty in Scripture to us some things we may have an implicite faith in but the main we must have a clear apprehension of There are some things that concern Teachers more to know then others by reason of their standing in the Church it is sufficient that in preparation of mind we be ready to imbrace further truths that shall be discovered but in fundamentall truths it is not so we must have our hearts stablished upon them that as they are certain in themselves so they may be certain to us And often let us examine our selves Would I die in this and for this would I stand in the defence of this against any this will make us make much of so much truth as we know and labour to grow in truths in that kind And take no scandal to hear that any shrink from the profession of the truth and the maintaining of it that are of great reputation Was Christ the worse for Judas betraying of him and for Peters denying of him was Paul's truth the worse because he had many enemies Elymas the sorcerer and others Is the truth the worse because there are many that have carnall outward dependance that seeme to shrink when they should stand out The truth is not the worse it is the same truth still truths are eternall in themselves and in the good they bring if they be believed The Word of God endures for ever it is not variable as man is and therefore be not discouraged though men discountenance it remember whose truth it is for whose good it is given the Word of God it is a soul saving truth And retain the truth in love Love is an affection with which we should receive the truth or else God will give us over to uncertainties They in 2 Thess. 2 10. had the truth but because they received not the Love of the truth therefore God sent them strong delusions that they should believe a lie O how lovely is the truth The certainty of our estate in Christ the glorious priviledges that come by him that the gifts of God are without repentance that God looks on us not for foreseen faith or works but such as he had decreed to work himself How comfortable how lovely are these truths being the Word of God notwithstanding some seek to shake them These very truths should be retained in love And indeed the truth is not in its own place till it be fixed in the heart and affections and in a good conscience which S. Paul makes likewise the vessel of the truth and those that care not for that they make shipwrack of the truth And what truths you know labour to practise and then you shall be stablished If any man do the will of my Father saith our Saviour Joh. 7. 17. he shall know of the Doctrine whether it be of God
or whether I speak of my selfe Be true to known truths be not false in disobeying them To him that hath shall be given We have a little stablishing by an uniform obedience to the truth we shall have more God will increase it I say let us be faithful to the truths we have ' and not crosse them in any sinful course let us not keep the truth prisoner to any base affection as those in Rom. 1. that had but the light of nature yet because they imprisoned it and held it in unrighteousness and lived in sins contrary to that light rhat God had kindled in them though I say it were but the light of nature God gave them up to sins not to be named much more will he do to us if we withhold the light of the Gospel take heed therefore that we inthral not the truth to any base lust whatsoever and that is a means to be stablished in the truth And be oft in holy conference with others Conference if it be rightly used is a special means to stablish that is most certain which is certain after doubting and debate because that which is doubted of at the first we come to be resolved of at the last comparing reason with reason Remembring alwayes that of S. Ambrose That there must not be striving for victory but for truth And then when we have tryed all we must keep that which is good and not be alwayes as the Iron between two Loadstones haled this way and that way alwayes doubting and never resolved there must be a time of resolution This the Apostle observes to be an excellent way of stablishing oft to confer of things doubtful And labour to get experience of the truth in our selves nothing stablisheth more then experience Our Saviour Christ in Joh. 6. 68. when many left him out of dulnesse not understanding the spiritual things that he taught as many whose wits will serve for matters of the world and to make them great amongst men but when they come to heavenly things they have no understanding they cannot apprehend them he asks his Disciples Will you go away also Peter who had his heart opened by the Spirit of God saith he Lord whither shall we go thou hast the words of eternal life insinuating that the experience that he had of the power of that truth that Christ taught did so establish him in the present truth that with a holy kind of indignation at the question he replyes Whither shall we go thou hast the words of eternal life I have found thy words to have a spirituall life in them So when we come once to have an experimental knowledge of the truths we learn then our hearts are stablished indeed then it is an ingraffed Word as S. James saith then the Word is true leaven when it altereth and changeth the soul in such a case there is no separating from fundamentall truth when it is one with our selves and digested into us And pray to God oft as David did Psal. 86. to knit our hearts to fear his Name Lord my heart is loose and ready to fall off of it self Oh knit my heart it is unsettled Oh settle my unsettled heart settle my judgment and affections this should be our meditation And because it is God that stablisheth alway maintain spiritual poverty in the soul that is a perpetual dependance upon God see the insufficiency that is in our selves that we cannot stand out What is the reason that God suffers great men to fall from the defence of the truth and from the profession of it in their lives as we see it in the case of Peter to shew that we stand not by our own strength therefore we should be alwayes in this temper of spiritual poverty to know that as Samsons strength was in his Hair so our strength is in God God is my strength of my self I have no strength And therefore upon every new defence of the truth when we are called to it we should lift up ejaculations and dart up strong desires to God that God would strengthen and stablish our souls that we may not be traytors to the truth but that we may stand to it for in his owne strength shall no man be established And grow every day more and more in detestation of a luke-warme temper Your Ancipites as Cyprian calls them your doubtful flatterers of the times that have their Religion depending upon the State and the times that are neither fish nor flesh Bats as we say that are neither Mice nor Birds but of a doubtful Religion that out of carnal policy are fit to entertain any thing Oh this is a devilish temper Howsoever we in our luke-warm disposition value the truth God values it highly it was purchased by Christs blood and sealed by the blood of Martyrs and shall not we transmit it to our posterity as safe and as firm and retain it come what will Let us grow into dislike of this temper atemper that we should as much hate as God hates it such a temper as is in Popery they are in an adiaphorisme temper in Religion a luke-warm cold temper a temper of Religion according to reasons of flesh and reasons of policy this will make us be spued out of Gods mouth at the last Do we think to lose Religion alone Oh no never think to part with Religion alone it came with peace and prosperity and if we keep not this Depositum this truth delivered to us God will take it away and that which we betray it for Peace and Plenty Let us labour therefore to be radicated in our Judgment in our Affections in our Love in our Faith in our whole inward man in the truth revealed To be stablished in the truth it is our best inheritance it is that will stand by us when all leaves us What consistence hath a man out of the truth are you rich or honourable death will drive you out of all your riches and honours in the world and strip you of all What stablishing hath any man but in Christ in the truth Take a man that is not bottomed that is not fastened on Christ he is the changeablest creature in the world he is vanity he is nothing Oh love this state that we may say Though I be variable here though I be not so rich as I was or have not that favour of great ones that I have had or it is not with me as it hath been but in all changes I have somewhat that is unchangeable my soul is settled upon Christ and upon the truth in him which is certain As it is a glorious being to be found in Christ so it is an eternal and an everlasting being once Christs and for ever his he will never lose a member Labour we therefore to be stablished in Christ in all the changes and alterations in the world and then we shall have something that is unchangeable to fix and stay our selves upon
imperfection that desires to be searched in preaching hearing searching Sermons and desiring to be searched in Conference and that doubts not his conscience but would be searched throughly When men fret at the searching of their sins they will not be searched and are content to go on in presumptuous courses and think all is well it is a sign there is not so much as an Earnest But not to go farther that in the Revelation shews the truth of a little grace what saith he Thou hast a little strength what doth that little strength move the Church of Philadelphia to do Thou hast kept my Word and hast not denyed my Name Where there is a little strength there will be a keeping of the Word in obedience a keeping of it in conversation where is not a regard to Gods Word a moulding of the soul into it in obedience of it there is not so much as a little strength of grace and therefore those that live in rebellious courses have not so much as an Earnest to them yet Thou hast kept my Word and withal thou hast not denyed my Name Where a little strength is there they will not deny Christs Name they will hold out in the profession of the truth and confesse it if occasion serve and therefore where any are slight in their profession that give in if they be ready to dash upon any displeasure of any one if they be to venture their estates or so then they are ashamed of Christ and that profession which they took upon them they deny his Name at least they do not own it they have not so much as a little strength if they do not recover Peter was in such a temptation but he recovered his strength and got more strength and a firm standing upon it the shaking of Peter was for the rooting of him So God to shame his children suffers them sometimes to have dastardly spirits but they recover themselves they are ashamed of it but those that are common Politicians in this kind that will not stand out in a good cause to maintain their truth and profession when God thrusts his cause into their hands specially at such times when God saith to them Who is on my side who now is the time to appear then if they have not a word for God they will not own the quarrel and cause of God and Religion they have not a little strength for they that have a little strength here keep the Word and have not denyed the Name Those therefore that can fashion themselves to all Religions to all companies they will have a Religion mutable and flexible to their occasions where is the Earnest of the Spirit the Spirit as much as he is is strong and vigorous and powerful these men have not so much as a little strength that are as water which is fashioned to the vessel it is in like to the Samaritans as Joseph the Historian of the Jews writes of them When the Jewes prospered oh then they would be Jewes when the Jewes had ill successe then they were great enemies to the Jewes so you have many that are no friends to the afflicted to the disgraced truth but as long as the Cause of Religion is carried out with the Countenance of the State with the favour of great ones so far they will own it but if Christ once comes to be abased they will not know Christ nor his Cause I beseech you let us take notice of it it is a sign there is no grace at all where there is such an habitual disposition without shame or grief or repentance for Gods children sometimes may be overtaken with a spirit of dastardlinesse which afflicts them sore afterwards that they gather more strength A man may know if he be Gods child in such a state for it is universally true Gods children are never overtaken with a spirit of cowardlinesse and fear but they regain it and grow more strong upon it as we see in Cranmer and others God purposeth sometimes to let them see what they are in themselves without his support and strength but afterwards they gather new resolutions new purposes to stick firmer to the truth then ere before I might adde many other things but I go on to that which followes You see here now how we may try if we have any true Earnest in us at all or no. Now I beseech you let us labour to have this Earnest if we have it not to have this assurance especially let me desire those of the younger sort to labour to have the seal of this Spirit and the Earnest before they be further and further engaged into the world and before they be so hardened that they will not receive a contrary stamp to their corruptions It is a wondrous advantage that Gentlemen and others that are young before the world hath soiled them and before their understandings be darkened and their affections are crooked and carried away much with the stream and errours of the time they have much advantage above others for they have spirits fitter for grace fitter to receive the impression of this seal of the Spirit fitter for the Earnest Let us labour for this Earnest betimes what a comfortable thing will it be to carry along with the Earnest an assurance of a better estate from our youth to our age and from our age to our old age and so to heaven with us what a deal of comfort do young ones deprive and rob themselves of that will not be gracious betimes Let us labour to have the stamp of the Spirit set on us in our prime time in the strength of our years But I will presse the Point if the time will give leave afterwards Now we must know that God gives this Earnest not for himself but for us to secure us and that is one reason why it is called an Earnest There is besides bargaining another state and condition that Earnest is applyed unto which perhaps the Apostle aimes at as marriage whatsoever was before the Consummation of the marriage was a kind of Arrah a kind of Earnest to assure the affection of the contracted person and persons that loved one another till the Consummation of the marriage So Christ now contracts us on the earth and having love to us and taking our Nature on him that he might woo us in our own flesh and in our own nature taking upon him the Earnest of our flesh he gives us the Earnest of his Spirit and to assure us thaâ—… he loves us and that he means to make up the bargain afterwards he sends us love-tokens graces and comfort and joy Even as Isaac when he was to marry Rebecca he sent by his servants Bracelets and Jewels and such things to secure her of his love So Christ in heaven intending the consummation of the Match he sends us here graces and comforts of the Spirit and all to secure us all is for us I say
book comforts against sin comforts against trouble outward and inward and all but till the Comforter come till God send his holy Spirit we shall not make use of them Therefore let us labour to have more communion with God before we come to hear the Word and after we have heard it let us have communion with God again that he would seal whatsoever is spoken to our soules and make it effectual to us Therefore we must learn to give the just due to the Ordinance of God and not to idolize it to make it the means of comfort not to make it the chief Comforter but the Spirit of God by it What is Paul or Apollo what are we but Ministers of faith and by consequent Ministers and helpers of comfort but not the authors of comfort Oh if I had such and such here I should do well I should be so and so Alas all is to no purpose unlesse thou hast the Holy Ghost the Spirit of God that can help by weak means Therefore we must not tie comfort and joy to this or that means but in all means look to the ground of comfort and the spring of all the Holy Ghost The reason why men do nor profit more that they are not more cheared and lift up with the Ministery of the Word which is a Word of reconciliation and of joy and comfort it is because they are more careful in the use of means then in going to God for his Spirit to blesse the means Now these must go together a care of using the means and a care to pray to him that he would give us wisdome and strength and blessed successe in the use of all means Then if we would joyn religiously and conscionably these two together the use of all means conscionably and in the use of all to lift up our hearts to God to blesse them we should find a wondrous successe upon the Ministery and all other good means likewise So much for that I go on to the last clause of the Chapter For by faith ye stand Why doth the Apostle vary the word we have not dominion over your faith but are helpers of your joy whereas the consequence it seems might run thus we do not domineer over your faith but are helpers of your faith he puts joy instead of faith and afterward he brings in faith again for by faith ye stand This is one main reason because joy riseth from faith therefore he names it in stead of faith for the Holy Ghost is not curious of words but when the same Spirit wroks both he names that which he thinks will fittest suit the purpose Faith breeds joy How is that Because faith first of all doth shew to us the freedome from that that is the cause of all discomfort whatsoever it takes away all that may discourage For it takes away the fear of damnation for our sins it shewes our reconciliation in Jesus Christ. Faith shewes liberty and deliverance and so discovering deliverance by a Mediator it works joy Is not a prisoner joyful when he is set at liberty Then likewise faith discovers to us the face of God shining to us in Jesus Christ it shewes not only deliverance but favour It shewes us the ground of all the righteousnesse and obedience of our Saviour whereby we are delivered and brought into favour Now from this comes peace from the knowledge of our deliverance and acceptance with God founded upon the obedience of God-man a Saviour there comes in peace and peace breeds joy because faith discovers all these the ground of reconciliation with God in Jesus Christ and thereupon peace therefore it causeth joy For this is the pedigree and descent of joy as the Apostle hath it Rom. 14. The Kingdome of God is in righteousnesse and peace and joy There must be righteousnesse first of a Mediatur to satisfie the wrath of God and procure his favour From righteousnesse comes peace peace with God peace of conscience From peace comes joy there is no joy without peace no peace without righteousnesse And this whole pedigree of joy as it were is excellently set down Rom. 5. Being justified by faith we have peace with God through Jesus Christ our Lord and have accesse to the throne of grace by which grace we stand and not only so but rejoyce So there is justification by the righteousnesse of Christ and thereupon peace with God and from peace boldnesse and accesse to God and thereupon joy So we see how faith brings in joy because it shewes the spring of joy whence it comes it shewes peace and peace riseth from reconciliation and reconciliation from righteousnesse of Christ Mediator whereupon we are delivered from all that we may fear and set in a state of true joy God being our friend When God is reconciled all is reconciled all is ours have we not cause of joy then Therefore the Apostle saith Rom. 15. The God of peace fill you full of joy in believing shewing that faith is the cause of all spiritual joy And the same you have in 1 Pet. 1. 8. In whom ye rejoyced after ye believed with joy unspeakable and glorious In whom after ye believed that is in Christ you rejoyced with joy unspeakable and glorious And therefore you see the Apostle might well substitute joy in stead of faith because it springs and riseth from faith in Jesus Christ the Mediatour Hereupon we may come to make this Use of tryal how we may know whether our joy be good or no. Among many other evidences this is one that spiritual joy is good if it spring from the Word of faith If it spring from the Ordinance of God unfolded in the Word shewing us the ground of believing For he that truly joyes can shew the ground of his joy Herein joy differs from presumption from presumptuous swelling conceits true joy that is not the joy of an hypocrite it doth shew from whence it comes it riseth from grounds out of divine truth Then again this joy doth more immediately spring from faith in the Word from assurance that God is ours and that Christ is ours that God is at peace with us and that we are at peace with him it ariseth from peace that is wrought by faith Then again this joy if it be sound it is such a joy as S. Peter saith is an unspeakable and glorious joy joy arising from the Word of God and from faith and peace it is above discouragement because we have in the Word of God matter of joy above all discouragements and all allurements whatsoever It is a joy above the joy of riches or pleasures or profits why because the Word shewes matter of joy above all these The Prophet David rejoyced in the Word of God above Gold and Silver as one that had gotten great spoyles you see how oft he repeats it Psal. 119. It was sweeter to him then the honey and the honey-comb Psal.
19. It put his soul out of taste with all other things This joy of the Spirit it puts such a relish in the soul that it makes it undervalue all other things whatsoever the price of other things falls down when a man joyes in the Holy Ghost because it ariseth from the grounds of faith from peace and righteousnesse And likewise if it look forward from the hope of life everlasting and the favour of God the ground of all It riseth from things that are above all other contentments The loving kindnesse of the Lord that faith apprehends that is the ground of joy it is above life it self Now life is the sweetest thing upon earth but the loving kindnesse of God is better then that Therefore those that lose their soules in base contentments and joy in the dirty things of this life that are not fit for the soul to fasten on to place contentment in but are only to be used as those that take a journey to refresh them but those that are swallowed up in these things they know not what spiritual joy is that ariseth from the Word of God from divine truth that ariseth from faith for if they did this joy would raise them higher above all earthly contentments whatsoever Then again where this joy is this spiritual enlargement of soul which is called joy it is from true grounds it is with humility For the same Word that discovers matter of joy discovers matter of humility and grief in our selves by reason of the remainders of sin and of our own deservings So true joy it is a tempered and qualified joy it is not joyned with pride and swelling because it riseth from those grounds that teach us what we are in our selves alas such that we need not be proud in our selves but if we will glory we must glory in God Well it is not that that I mean principally to stand on but only I speak of it because it is placed here for faith as it springs from faith we are helpers of your joy To hasten then to that that followes For by faith ye stand This principally depends upon the first words We have not dominion over your faith because faith is such a grace as you stand by in all conditions Now what you stand by must be firm it must be on a good bottome and what is firm must not be humane but divine therefore we have no dominion over your faith for by faith ye stand Standing is a military word by faith ye stand that is first of all faith gives a standing a certain standing before any conflict it gives a standing in Christianity it sets the soul in a frame in a standing Nay faith helps us we stand by faith not only in a frame of Christianity and furnished with spiritual strength but then we are fit to encounter opposition by faith we stand to it and stand against all opposition we stand and stand to it by faith And standing likewise implies continuance in managing Christianity and opposing all enemies whatsoever by faith we stand and continue standing we hold out in all opposition Standing likewise in the next place implies a kind of safety together with victory at length By faith ye stand you stand so as you are not wounded to death you stand so as you are kept safe especially from mortal wounds and altogether safe so far as you use faith as a shield till you have got perfect victory and faith end in triumph So faith is that grace whereby we stand whereby we are in a frame of Religion fit to stand and whereby we so standiug encouter oppositions and continue so encountering and preserve our selves safe till victory be obtained this is the full expression and comprehension of the word By faith ye stand Now why is it by faith that we have this standing Because faith it is that grace in the new Covenant that makes the soul go out of it self it empties the soul of all things in it self and goes out to somewhat else whereupon it stands For in the new Covenant since Adams fall all our strength is in the second Adam our head we fetch it there And faith is the hand of the soul. Now because faith in the new Covenant is an emptying grace and likewise because as it is a grace that empties the soul so it fastens upon another thing whereupon it relies for faith is an uniting grace as well as an emptying grace now faith emptying and uniting so it makes us stand And likewise faith as it drawes it hath a drawing vertue an attractive force it is a radical grace it is like a root when it knits to Christ it sucks out and drawes vertue from him every touch of faith drawes spiritual strength and vertue so it causeth us to stand by the attractive vertue it hath And then it is the force of faith likewise to make things present For therein it differs from hope hope looks upon things as absent now the things that hope looks on as things remote and distant in time and place faith makes them present therefore it is said to be the evidence of things not seen Now that that makes the soul to be strong and able to stand it must be somewhat present however the full possession of things be reserved not for faith but for vision for comprehenders in heaven where faith ends and determines yet notwithstanding faith drawes so much for the present it sets things to come so far present with such evidence and force as it upholds the soul and makes it stand It is the evidence of things not seen And thereupon it hath a kind of omnipotent power to make things that are not to be Heaven and glory and happinesse they are not for the pesent but faith looking on them in the authority of God and the divine promises faith makes them present by a kind of almighty power that it hath laying hold on an almighty power and hereupon it upholds the soul it is the prop and stay of the soul as in Heb. 11. it signifies to stay up to hold up as a pillar even from this vertue it hath to make things to come present You see then what it is to stand and how faith is fitted for this purpose because as I said it is the grace of the new Covenant emptying us and drawing us to Christ from whom we draw all vertue and because it makes things to come as present By faith wr are set in a right frame and condition again as by want of faith we fell The same grace must set us right for want of which we fell How came we to fall at the first You know Adam hearkened to his wife Eve and she hearkened to the Serpent they trusted not in God they began to stagger at the promises to stagger at the Word of God Satan robbed them of the Word He observes and continues the same Art still to take the Word from us and to
cause us to stagger and doubt whether it be true or no. He comes between us and our rock the Word of God So Adam fell Now we must be restored by the contrary to that we fell we fell by unbelief and distrust by calling Gods truth in question we must learn to stand again by the contrary grace by faith Thus you see the termes something unfolded By faith ye stand To clear it a little further There be four degrees of a slent that the soul hath to any thing The first is a slight assent that we call opinion that is with some fear that it may be otherwise that is a weak a pendulous assent It is a wavering assent it yields not a certain assent Opinion is a weak thing it may be so I but it may not be so it is with a fear of the contrary The second degree of assent is that that hath a better ground that is the assent to grounds of reason a man hath reason to yield and assent to and those reasons satisfy the soul and rest the soul something thereafter as the strength of them is And that assent we call knowledge science this is founded upon grounds of reason There is a third kind of assent and yielding that the soul hath that we call believing which is meerly upon the credit of him that speakes though we know no reason why the thing should be so but only the person it may be is a person of credit and wisdome and knowledge and thereafter as we conceive well of him thereafter we fasten our faith and assent to his authority so that assent to the authority of the speaker we call beliefe The fourth degree of assent is when we do not only assent to the thing because we have reason so to do and arguments or because we have some man to confirm it by authority but because we feel it to be so by experience and by taste As a man assents that fire is hot and that sweet things are so not from reason altogether or from the speech or rehearsing of another man but because he feeles it so indeed he assents to it from experience Now you will say How come we then to stand by faith As faith especially relies upon the authority of God upon Gods Word so we stand by faith because it assents to an authority But Gods Word gives reasons too therefore faith assents to the authority of Gods Word first and then we see divine reason enough too when we once believe God And then experience in Divine things too after we believe there is an incredible sweetnesse in divine things there is a knowledge with a particular taste There is never a Divine truth but it hath an evidence in it when a man believes it once that a man may say I know whom I have believed from experience let the speakers of the things be what they will let them apostatize from that that they have spoken after a man believes he will see the things themselves have Divine reason in them as well as Divine authority stablishing of them Some Divine truths are altogether upon Divine authority we see no other reason but that God hath said it but some truths are both credible and intelligible Credible because God hath said it and there is reason to prove it as a man may prove by Divine reason that all shall work for the best why The Apostle faith We love God and God hath called us according to his purpose therefore all things shall work for them that God hath called to them that answer his Divine call There is both reason and comfort so it is credible as it hath divine truth and intelligible as it hath comfort There are homogeneal reasons with divine authority God doth not only presse us with authority but he gives us reasons Besides this there is experience for the doctrine of divine providence and of the corruption of nature and the doctrine of comfort in the Mediatour Christ altogether The doctrine of faith the doctrine of the issue of all troubles for good we find these by experience however the teacher that teachâ—…h them perhaps may have no sense of them himself let him apostatize and do what he will our faith stands upon them partly because God saith so that is the chief and because there is reason for them and because we find it so by experience in many divine things these three both reason authority and experience concur in faith But to come a Lâ—…de further What doth faith it self stand most on by which we stand that which we stand oâ—… must stand it self Let us examine a little what faith it self stands on by which we stand I shewed you before partly by Divine authority and experience which gives some light to it but we will follow it a little further That faith by which we stand must stand it self therefore it cannot be opinion it must be faith It must not be bare science neither it must be science that hath faith faith must come in Now faith looks to Divine revelation especially it looks to truth revealed from God now faith looking to the Word of God it builds and pitcheth and bottoms it self upon Divine truth Divine authority Divine revelation which we call the first truth the first verity And not only so but faith that it may stand the better hath together with the Word of God the seales for God hath added Sacraments as Seales to the Word that helps the Word to us at least Gods Word is true enough of it self in regard of him but he condescends to us and therefore that faith may stand the better that we may build upon his Word there are his Sacraments there are seales together with his Word and his oath too Again that his Word may be the better foundation for faith it is conceived under the manner of a Covenant the Evangelical part of it the Covenant of Grace wherein God in Christ promiseth to forgive our sins to accept us to life everlasting if we believe in Christ It is a gracious Covenant God condescends to make a Covenant that faith may stand shall not I believe him that hath made a Covenant and bound himself by Covenant that he will do so Nay in the Covenant of grace faith layes hold upon this that he will fulfill and perform both conditions himself both his part and our part For the same truths that are a Covenant are a Testament too in the Gospel A Testament bequeathes things without a covenant and therein it differs from a covenant A Testament is I bequeath and give this Now whatsoever Christ in the Covenant requires because that in the Gospel he makes good the Covenant as a Testament If we believe and repent Now he hath promised to give repentance and belief in the Covenant of grace to all that attend upon the meanes and expect the performance of the Covenant from him For we can no
more perform the conditions of the Covenant of grace of our selves then the Covenant of the Law Nature cannot do it because it must be done by the Spirit altogether Now here is a foundation for faith to stand on God so farre condescends as he gives his Word and his Seal and his Oath with his Word to convey that Word by way of a Covenant and to make that Covenant a Testament and Will to us that he will do this and to seal that Will with his own blood for a Testament is of no force till the Testatour be dead his own blood hath sealed the Testament you see here what ground there is for faith to stand upon Then again the sweet relation that God hath taken upon him in Christ he is our Father faith builds not on naked God divested of his sweet relations for then he is a consuming fire but upon God a Father in Christ what a sweet thing is it to consider God a Father In Christ the nature of God is Fatherly to us and our nature is sweet to him We are sonnes in Christ his nature is sweet to us and ours to him he will surely perform his relations For in Christ he is a Father not in creation onely but in the Covenant of grace Faith relies upon the Word of God upon the Covenant and Testament and upon God himself altered and changed in the Covenant of Grace to be a sweet Father But what is a further ground of this The nature of God himself who is a Father for if God himself were not cloathed with properties that might satisfie faith and satisfie the soul fully though he were a Father it were not a sufficient ground for faith But now who hath taken the relation of a father upon him God who is infinitely good infinitely merciful above all our sins it must be infinite mercy faith would not have footing else For the soul will so upbraid in the sense of sin that if God were not a Father and a Father infinite in mercy nothing but infinite mercy will satisfie the soul when conscience is awaked and infinite power to subdue all enemies and infinite wisdome to go beyond the reach and subtilty of all the Devils in hell God is such a Father as in his Nature is of infinite mercy and wisdome and power here is a foundation for faith to lay hold upon indeed to have a Father and such a Father that is Jehovah there we must rest in his essence he is Jehovah I am he is eternal and immutable an eternal being of himself and he gives being to all and all things have their dependance upon him The Devils in hell and wicked men he can quell them all and substract their being and turn them to their first nothing from whence they came You see if we resolve all to Jehovah I am to the eternity of God and then to his nature cloathed with power and wisdome and mercy and then to his relation of a Father and then how he condescends to convey himself sweetly by way of Covenant and Testament I beseech you is not here a foundation for faith to build upon in the Word of God when God hath thus opened himself to us You see what this standing is And how by faith we stand and what faith stands on and may well stand on To come to some Observations then First of all Observe hence That The foundation of faith must be out of a mans self That bottom that a man must lay his soul upon must be out of himself it must be Divine it must be God For the soul rests not till it come to God and if the Word were not Gods Word it would not rest on that God must open himself by his Word It must be Divine revelation that the soul must stand upon and at last resolve to pitch and build and rest there It must not be humane authority therefore not the authority of any creature that the soul must stand on because that that the soul stands on must stand it self Now nothing hath a firm consistence but that which is Divine Which I prove thus There is no creature but though it be true and good yet it is changeably true and may be otherwise then it is and yet be a creature still and a good creature There is no man but he is changeable and is changeable as a creature and as a creature severed from the consideration of sin he is changeable The very Angels are changeable as they are creatures all things created are mutable it is the Observation of Damascene Now that that is the foundation of faith must not onely be true but infallibly and unchangeably true there must be no danger of errour in that that faith layes it self upon It is an old rule Falshood cannot be under faith because faith must lye upon truth infallible and immutable truth and who is so but God and what revealed truth is so but Divine truth Therefore faith onely relyeth upon the first good and the first truth upon God and his truth Therefore we may see what to judge of that controversie between us and our adversaries that would have our faith to be resolved into the authority of the Church and not of the Scriptures and by consequent not to the authority of God himself The question is Who hath the best standing the Papists or we We say we stand by faith therefore we stand better then they They say they stand by faith too but how Their faith is resolved into the authority of the Church at length and there they rest But I say even by the confession of themselves or of any reasonable man the Word of God is more Divine then the authority of the Church can be For the authority of the Church is therefore infallible and true because the Word of God saith so That he will be with the Church c. and save his Church The ground is determined upon the Word Now the Word to which they have recourse to prove that they cannot erre that must be trusted before them if they have credit from the Word the Word must be believed before them before men for there is no man if God speak by him but he speaks by him so far as he understands the Scripture and builds upon the Scriptures first Therefore we must first found our selves upon the Scriptures and upon men as far as they agree to the Scriptures If the Scriptures were not the Word of God indeed they could not be the foundation of faith we could not stand upon them but they are the Word of God indeed for men wrote as they were inspired by the Holy Ghost Now that that comes from men it is not infallibly the Word of God but if they speak any thing that is good it is so far as it is agreeable to the first truth the Word of God Indeed the resolution of their faith is very rotten and unsound and bewrayes what their
Church is for they come at length in the grand Point of all to meer traditions What is the present Church The Pope is the Church virtually How do they know that he cannot erre he is Peters Successour How do they know he is so the Scripture saith not so it is Tradition so that the foundation of their Religion is meer tradition a thing from hand to hand that is questionable and uncertain that is the foundation of all their Religion what a resolution of faith is this We stand upon this against the gates of hell and against all temptations and tryals whatsoever we believe and fasten our soules upon this truth why It is the Word of God How do we know it is the Word of God Indeed the Church first of all hath an inducing leading power perswading to read to hear the Word of God and to unfold the Word by the Ministery and that is all that the Church doth but when we hear this there is a Divine intrinsecal majestie in the Word it self by which I know the Word to be the Word How do I know light to be light from it self it gives evidence from it self so Divine light in the Scriptures gives light of it self to all those for whom the Scripture was penned For whom was the Scripture penned For Gods people To all that have gracious hearts the Word carries its own evidence with it as light carries its own evidence it discovers it self and all things else so doth the Scriptures You have a sure Word of the Prophets Our Saviour Christ himself founds what he teacheth upon the Word Shall not we therefore ground our faith upon the Word when he that was the Head of the Church brings all to the Word in his teaching Therefore we have a better resolution for our faith then they have For indeed to say the truth as we may say of their kind of prayers when they may to Saints c. They worship they know not what So we may say of their faith they believe they know not what they believe in a 〈◊〉 man for the present Pope is all their Church which is an ignorant man many times in the Scriptures perhaps he never read them and he must determine controversies and get into the Chair and judge that that shall judge him ere long he must judge the Scripture that must be his Judge and the Judge of all mankind I list not to be large in this point a 〈◊〉 discovery is enough I hasten to something more practical We see then that faith hath an establishing power to stand by faith Then hence we may see these truths which I will but touch First that faith is certain it is a certain thing and makes the soul certain it is not a weak apprehension Again in that it is said here By faith ye stand we see here the perseverance of faith But you will say That faith whereby we stand is changeable and therefore we may fall No S. Peter makes a Comment upon this place We are kept by faith to salvation and receiving the end of your faith the salvation of your soules We are kept through faith to salvation So God by his power keeps that faith that keeps us There is a divine power that keeps faith that faith may keep us so we stand by faith and that faith stands to salvation because it hath a firme bottom to stand on and because it is kept by God himself We are kept by the power of God through faith to salvation Mark how it runs along to salvation Salvation is not onely certain in it self but that faith that layes hold on salvation is sure By faith we stand not onely for the present but we continue by faith and stand even to the death Again in the third place which followes from the other faith is a certain thing in it self and we are assured of our continuance we are assured that we shall be saved he that believeth may be assured that he shall be saved First faith is a certain thing in it self laying hold upon a strong foundation the Word of God And it is sure to continue it builds upon the rock Therefore a man may believe and he may know that he shall be saved he may know that he shall continue in a sure faith There is a latitude a breadth in faith and sometimes there is doubting and sometimes faith but yet there is alwayes faith more or lesse There is a little and a great faith but there is alwayes faith By faith we stand These things need not further inlargement I onely shew how they spring from this Text. In a word hence we learn That it is by faith that we stand and withstand all opposition whatsoever for faith is our victory This is your victory even your faith 1 Joh. 5. 4. By faith we overcome the world by it we stand and stand against all opposition whatsoever To make it a little clear The reason is partly because faith doth present to the soul greater good then the world can therefore nothing on the right hand can shake the soul of a believing Christian. Shall pleasures and profits and the honours of the world draw a Christian from his faith when faith presents better honours better pleasures at the right hand of God plesures for evermore No they cannot for there is nothing in the world but there is better in Religion incomparably better There is no comparison of the pleasures of Religion and of the world between the honour of being a child of God and the honours that the world can give Therefore there is nothing on the right hand in the world that can overcome the faith of a Christian but he can stand against all though it be a Kingdome Moses refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter why Faith presented him greater honours in the Church of God he accounted the very reproach the worst thing in the Church better then the best thing in the world the reproach of Christ better then the treasures of Egypt Let discouragements be offered to Faith by Satan and the world let them come with all the terrours and threatenings they can faith is victorious and triumphant against them all it stands against them all because it sets before the soul greater good then the ill that the world can inflict and sets before the soul greater ills if it apostatize then the world can inflict Saith the world If you do not thus and thus you shall be cast into prison or perhaps you shall lose your life O but saith the soul If I yield to the temptations of Satan and my own vile corruptions I shall be cast into hell is not that worse There can nothing be presented to the soul that is terrible but faith will present to it things more terrible therefore if there be faith in the soul it will stand against all those terrours whatsoever Fear not them that can kill the body when they have done
fall into sin from this very ground for why do men fall into sin because at that time they stand not upon the Word of God revealed by conscience to be the Word of God Ask them why they sweat if they did believe the truth the Word saith I will not hold them guilâ—…lesse that take my Name in vain But I am not convinced by the Spirit assuring my soul that it is the Word of God if men did believe it would men bring a curse upon themselves And so whoremongers the Word of God saith Whoremongers and adulterers God will judge would men if they did believe this truth live in these sins But they have only an opinion of these things I hear that these things are divine perhaps they are not so and the knowledge that we have is not divine faith is not mingled with the Spirit Then again from sin we fall into despair for sin at last why because our knowledge of divine truthes is not spiritual nor from inward grounds of Scripture felt by experience the Spirit sealing the Scripture to my heart by some spirituall experience and thereupon men fall into despair for sin at length For Satan plies them with temptations from their own guilty conscience the grounds of their fears are present and the grounds of their terrours are present to their soules for they are there as it were sealed and branded in their very soules but their comforts are overly the promises are overly the Word is not rooted in their hearts by faith it is not sealed there by the Spirit of God the sanctifying Spirit never brought the Word and their soules together Hereupon they fall into desperation when their terrours are present and their comforts are overly If a man have never so sound a foundation if he stand not but float upon it he may fall and sink if a man be never so weak if he lie on a rock the strength of the rock is his so in our temptations if we have a strong foundation if we do not rest on it the foundation will not uphold us Now how can those rest on it that stagger in it that were never convinced by the Spirit that these things are so and that have had no spiritual experience Satan drawes thousands of soules to perdition because their terrours are present and their comforts are overly they are not built upon divine truth by the Spirit of God Again for Apostasie in the times of the alteration of Religion why do men alter as the State alters they are ready to have every Moneth a new faith if the times and Goverment alter why because they were never convinced by the Spirit of God of divine truths They had it from forreign arguments The former State of things countenanced this way now another State countenanceth another opinion therefore I will be of the safest This is because the soul was never convinced of the truth Therefore I beseech you labour to have arguments from the experience of the power of the Word in your soules and arguments from the Spirit of God to your spirits that it is the Word of God I will stand to divine truth I find such a majesty such a humbling pacifying satisfying power in it to all my perplexities and doubts that it cannot but be the Word of God it stayes my soul in all oppositions in all temptations and corruptions it gives a stay and foundation to my soul that no truth in the world else can do When the soul is brought to such a frame such a soul will not fall into grosse sins while it is in such a frame much lesse will it despair for sin and if there be altering of Religion a thousand times it stands as a rock unmovable because it knowes from inward grounds from the Word of God it self sealed by the Spirit to my spirit that it is the Word of God such a soul will hold out and only such a soul. We should labour therefore by all means to have our faith strengthened and amongst other meanes by the use of the Sacrament whereby God sweetly conveys himself to us by way of a banquet strengthening our faith in Christ he presents Christ to us as the food of our soules to refresh us even as the bread and wine doth Our blessed Saviour is wiser then we he knowes what we stand in need of that we have need to strengthen our faith For we have need to strengthen that that must be our strength which is faith And what is the Ordinance of God to strengthen faith is it not the Sacrament The proper use of the Sacrament is to strengthen faith which the Sacrament doth being a visible Sermon to us for here we see in the outward things Christs body broken and his blood shed it is a lively representation a visible crucifying of Christ a breaking of his body and pouring out of his bloud And withall here is an offer of Christ to us in the elements sealing of what it represents to our soules if we come prepared God feeds us not with empty signes but together with the outward things themselves he gives the spiritual to the soul that is a worthy Receiver Therefore come with a humble stooping to Gods wisdom in appointing these Ordinances to this end to strengthen faith And come with a desire to have faith strengthened that will uphold us against all temptations to sin or to despair for sin Oh beloved if we knew what good our faith must do us ere long we would labour to have it strengthened by all means What will become of us in the hour of death and in great temptations we shall be as chaffe driven with the wind if we have no consistence and stability in divine truth if our soules be not built on that if we have not faith whereby our soules may be rooted in Christ we shall be but a prey for Satan Therefore considering that faith is of such wondrous consequence it is the root of all other graces whatsoever as the Apostle saith here By faith ye stand He doth not say By patience or by hope or the like they are drawn from faith Strengthen that and strengthen all other that are infused from it As a tree we cast not water on the branches but on the root all the branches are cherished by the root so strengthen faith we strengthen love and hope and all if we strengthen faith and assurance of Gods love in Christ. Thus I have at length gone over this fruitfull portion of Scripture FINIS AN Alphabetical Table DIRECTING The Reader to the Ready finding out the Principal Points and Matters handled in this Book A. Achaia AChaia the Countrey wherein Corinth was Page 5 Acknowledge Acknowledge or Acknowledgment what p. 316 331 To acknowledge Christ what pag. 331 Christ acknowledged in the Minister p. 331 333 How to know whether we acknowledge the Minister p. 331 332 333 Action Three sorts of Actions good ill indifferent p. 254
abuse Promises of this life 2. Gods Promises wondrously performed 3. God deferreth his performance To wait Gods time Believe contraries in contraries To have Amen for Gods Amen Complaint of Unbelief Faith in the Promises honours God Why God honors faith so much To make the Promises familiar How to make use of former examples What use to make of the story of our own lives Comfort in the false dealing of men To deceive trust odious Comfort in all changes in the world How the Word of the Lord endures for ever To rely constantly on the constant Promises To observe how God daily fulfills his Promises 1. For temporals 2. For spirituals Turn Promises into Prayers Labour to know the Promises Work the Promises on our hearts Evidences of believing the Promises 1. They breed joy 2. They quicken to obedience 3. They purge 4. They quiet the soul. 5. A staying of tâ—…e soul when all iâ—… contrary 6. Faithfulnesse in our Promises to God Quest. Answ. God gives grace to perform the Covenant God promiseth the things be requires Promises Legacies Covenant a Testament Threatnings of God Amen as well as Promises 7. Opposition of flesh and fleshly men Carnal men despise those that trust in Gods Promises To go to God in Christ to perform the promises How to think of Christ. All in the world nothing without Christ. Observ. Gods glory manifested in the Gospel More then in the Creation Our estate in Christ better then Adam's Glory of Gods Justice His Mercy Wisdome Power Truth To see Gods Attributes in Christ. To honour God by believing the Gospel Glory of God by the Ministery Observ. A double Amen 1. In Gods Promises 2. In our Faith Necessity of application Difference between faith and presumption Observ. Stablishing grace necessary Reason 1. In regard of our indisposition 2. In regard of oppositions Difference between true Christians and others Degrees of faith Observ. Christ the foundation of our stability 1. Our Judgment stablished in Christ. 2. Our Will 3. Our affections A Christians stability more then Adam's or Angels None are firm but Christians Observ. God onely can stablish the soul. 1. By shewing our misery and Christs excellency The ground of believing Gods Word Reason of Apostasie The reason of unfruitfulnesse The reason of Despair Spiritual knowledge necessary Observ. God will stablish us 1. Because he is constant All of Grace from God Ground of a Christians not falling away God stablisheth bâ—… working stablishing graces Fear Wisdome Faith Peace To value all good Christians The Spirit works as we are in the body Bond of communion of Saints Use. To give God the glory of our stablishing Strengthen radical graces 1. Humility 2. Faith 3. Knowledge Knowledge must be spirituall 1. Be acquainted with Gods Word 2. Take no scandal at those that shrink 3. Retain the truth in love 4. Practise truths â—…nown 5. Be frequent in holy conference 7. Pray to God to stablish us 8. Be spiritually poor 9. Hate lukewarmnesse Use 2. Examination of our stablishing 1. When it is grounded on the Word 2. When weak men overcome strong temptations 2. By freedome from base fears cares c. Examine our knowledge Examine our course of life None but a Christ an truly couragious in death 2. Desire of Christs coming Why God useth so many several words to secâ—… us What the Spirit is an Earnest of The Spirit an Earnest 1. For security 2. It is part of the whole 3. An Earnest is little to the whole 4. It serves the party receiving it 5. It is never taken away Observ. A Christian man be assured of his estate in grace All in the work of Redemption is for that end Christians not alike assured at all times Double act of saith 1. Direct 2. Reflect The reflect act may be hindred Naughty hearte content with a state of doubling Observ. Gods Children may be assured they shall held out to the end Grace and glory differ but in degrees Observ. Those that look to be happy must first be holy Observ. We may be assured from a little measure of grace The Spirit appears not in all graces at once A Christian is a mixed creature Use 2. To examine the truth of grace We may know grace is true though little 1. The soul mournes that it is little 2. Wait 3. To wait with Patience 4. Constancy 5. To purge our selves 6. Desire of accomplishment Cautions 1. When conscience is wounded 2. Have been carelesse 7. Growth in grace 8. Quieting of the soul. 9. True gold will endure the tryal 10. It will persevere Christians get strength by their falls To labour for assurance Earnest given for our sakes To labour against unbelief Earnest the work of the Spirit 1. He proceeds from Father and Son 2. He only can quiet the soul. How to know we have the Spirit 1. By life and motion 2. By transforming us 3. By Conflict 4. By supernatural obedience 5. It dwells in us 6. It mortifies sin 7. It leads us 8 It is a Spirit of adoption 9. It teacheth to pray 10. And to wait Directions to have the Spirit 1. Attend Gods means 2. Not to grieve the Spirit 1. By cherishing Lusts. 2. Obey the Spirit 3. Pray for the Spirit The Spirit makes impregnable No thankfulnesse without the Spirit No joy without the Spirit No willâ—…ngnesse to dye without it Parts of the Verse Observ. Mans nature prone to suspition Grounds of suspition 1. The infirmity of men 2. Guiltinesse 3. From Probabilities Suspition more then fear lesse then judgment Suspition what Suspition makes the worst construction Why the Devil cherisheth suspition Mischief from suspition Observ. To labour to avoid suspition Suspition a Canker That that is suspected is made unprofitable God labours â—…o free himself from suspition Christ labours to be freed from suspition Sin must be censured and judged Doctr. Gentle courses first to be used Reason 1. It is suitable to â—…ns nature Reason 2. To Gods disposition Reason 3. To the carriage of our salvation Reason 4. Gods course Reason 5. It is most successeful Reason 6. It is tasting Use. To deal gently with others Doctr. When gentle means prevail not severe must be used Reason Men must not spare that God may Against selfrâ—…spects in reproos of sin Use. People to be willing to bear of their sins How to prevent severity in others Vexation in hell to those that were cherished in sin Three-fold correction 1. Private admonition 2. Before others Definition of an Oath None but good men should take an Oath To swear by none but God Invocation in an Oath Imprecation Oath to be taken onely in serious matters An Oath must be 1. In Truth 2. In Judgment 3. In Justice Against equivocation An oath only in matters in determinable Oath lawful Ordinary Swearing forbidden Object Answ. Swearing without good life nothing Object Answ. Custome no plea for swearing Object Answ. Company no excuse for swearing Swearing ordinarily argues a vile heart Original of common swearing 1. Atheisme 2. Cherishing passion 3. Affectation 4. Shame Men should abstain swearing in love to the Kingdome For love to theâ—…r own sam lies Conscience of lessâ—…r oathes Ordinary Swearers curse themselves A Christians life a kind of oath Doctr. No man hath dominion over anothers faith 1. What it is not to have dominion over the faith of others What â—…ranny over the faith of others is Quest. Answ. The Church of Rome domineers over the faith of others 1. By Traditions 2. Will-worship 3. That the Pope cannot erre A grand lie that hinders their Reformation 4. Church Judge of Controversies 5. In the intentioâ—… of the Minister in the Sacrament Confession Satans malice to sit in Gods throne Popery would subdue all Use. To be thankful for freedome from this tyranny How to think of Popery Grounds of spiritual Tyranny Salvation termed joy why Doctr. 1. The state of a Christian is joy Nature teacheth it God gives matter of joy 1. Freedom from ill 2. The good they are brought to Reason 1. That God may have glory Reason 2. It makes active in doing good Reason 3. And able to suffer ill Reason 4. To encourage others Doctr. 2. The Word unfolded helps this joy To comfort what The Ministers helpers of joy 1. By shewing people their ill 2. By shewing the remedy 3. By advice Light Liberty Victory 4. By forcing it as a duty 5. In death Object Answ. Ministers trouble the joy of carnal men Object Answ. Private means will not comfort when publick are neglected Object Answ. The sorrow caused by the Ministery tends to joy Simile Object Answ. Simile Comfort what Use. To esteem the Ministery To open the case of our soules to spiritual Physitians Doctr. 3 Ministers but helpers not the authours of joy Simile Gods Spirit only specks comfort 1. He only knowes our hearts 2. He only can set down the soul. Use To look for comfort from the Spirit by the means Not to idolize the Ordinances why S. Paul varies the phrase Observ. Faith breeds joy 1 Faith takes away all that may discourage 2. It shewes Gods love in Christ. Pedigree of joy Use. To try if our joy be good 1. If it spring from the Word 2. It springs from faith 3. It is above discouragements or allurements 4. It is with humility Standing what meant by it Quest. Answ. Why our stand ing is by faith Four degrees of assent 1. Opinion 2. Knowledge 3. Believing 4. Experience How we stand by faith Quest. Answ. What faith it self stands on God our Father The nature of God Observ. The foundation of faith out of us Faith withstands opposition Quest. Answ. How we stand by faith when conscience is awakened for sin The firmnesse of a Christians standing If our knowledg of Scripture be not spiritual 1. We fall into sin 2. To despair 3. To Apostasie The Sacrament strengthens faith Faith the radical grace