Put that question to thy conscience which Saint Iames puts Iam. 2. Shew me thy faith by thy workes Shew the coates and garments which this Dorcas hath made And so many works of obedience as thou canst shew so many witnesses shalt thou produce of the truth of thy faith But if thy faith be idle slothfull to doe service a faith that workes not suspect the truth of it and know that such a faith will not serve to admit thee to the eating of the Sacrament For the Apostles injunction in that case 2 Thess 3. 10. That if any would not worke neither should he eat holds as true in this case of an idle faith as in that case of an idle man 2 Secondly true faith beleeves God and depends upon him in all things and at all times It beleeves him not only in some things but in all not only at some times but at all It beleeves Gods promises for spirituall things Gal. 3. 22. for temporall things Psal 37. 3. It beleeves Gods Commandements to be his Commandements to be just holy and good Psal 119. 66. I have beleeved thy commandements It beleeves Gods threatnings Ion. 3. 4 5. Yet forty dayes c. So the people of Nineveh beleeved God It beleeves God not only in time of peace but in times of distresse affliction and tentation Psal 73. 1. Yet God is good to Israel Yea even then when all things goe against it Iob 13. 15. Though hee slay mee yet will I trust in him Psal 46. 2. Hab. 3. 17 18. faith it beleeves All things Luke 24. 25. O slow of heart to beleeve all that the Prophets have spoken Faith beleeves God in all Examine thy faith by this put these interrogatories to thy conscience Beleevest thou God in his promises for this life as well as for a better For thy daily bread as well as for thy salvation Beleevest thou all Gods Commandements without questioning any whether it be his or no Beleevest thou his threatnings as well as his promises Doest thou hang upon him and his promise and live upon that in all thy pinches straights and exigents As thou canst answer these so mayest thou answer for thy faith But this will convince many not to bee faithfull but faithlesse Oh they do beleeve Gods promises with all their hearts but what promises for life and salvation But how beleeve they Gods promises for the things of this life Let that be judged by their covetousnesse worldlinesse their carking immoderate cares He that beleeves makes not haste Isay 28. Therefore he that makes haste doth not beleeve Such haste to be rich such haste after the world such carking caring such pining and whining what doth it but proclaime their grosse distrust in Gods providence and promises Thou that beleevest not God for thy body beleevest him lesse for thy soule Thou that beleevest not God for a crust beleevest him lesse for a Crowne Try men in Gods Commandements pinch and presse them with the very letter of the Law Tush they will never beleeve that God requires such strictnesse Try them with threatnings and thunder them ever so against them yet they have not so much faith as the divels who beleeve and tremble Let meanes bee wanting or meanes be against them and they are of Thomas his profession Except I see and feele I will not beleeve Whilest all is with men as they would have it they are full of faith but let God pinch them and bring them into a strait and where is their faith then 3 Thirdly A sweet and holy boldnesse of accesse unto the Throne of Grace with confidence in Gods goodnesse and his gracious acceptation of us Why are yee afraid O yee of little faith It was spoken in another case But yet the more faith the lesse feare in any case A guilty conscience 〈…〉 5. 7. if awake hath no great list to come before GODS face but when once by true faith in CHRISTS bloud guilt is taken off and by faith a man is made friends with GOD Iames 2. 23. Then shall a man have the boldnesse of a friend to come to the LORD in prayer Many that have not a dramme of faith are bold enough For who so bold as blinde Bayard as ignorant and silly ones are But yet there is a great difference betweene the boldnesse of a friend and the boldnesse of a stranger For Strangers may bee bold with a kinde of sawcinesse and intrusion but they are not so welcome as bold neither hath a stranger that ground for nor that contentment in his boldnesse that a friend may have his heart will secretly check him though hee face it out for the present and be ready to tell him that hee goes further than civility and good manners can warrant him But a friends boldnesse is out of that sweetnesse of interest and acquaintance and intimate communion each with other So that boldnesse which faith breeds is from that knowledge of God that peace communion and acquaintance it hath with God in Christ This is that boldnesse spoken of Ephes 3. 12. In whom we have boldnesse and accesse with confidence through the faith of him Heb. 4 16. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace But how shall we doe to come boldly See Heb. 10. 22. Let us draw neere with a true heart in a full assurance of faith A man may therefore try his faith by the carriage of his heart in prayer If with a friendlike boldnesse and with a confidence of his gracious acceptance we can come unto God and with such a boldnesse can powre out our hearts unto him it is a comfortable evidence of the truth of faith The contrary shewes how far most men are from faith Deale truly with thy self speakest thou not to God in prayer as to a stranger as to one with whom thou hast no intire familiarity or acquaintance Certainly true faith is better acquainted with God than so 4 Fourthly a desire of Christs appearance and his second comming to judgement We walke here by faith and not by sight But where faith is it longs to be turned into sight and to have the immediate fruition of the Lord Iesus Therefore the voice of faith is that Cant. 8. 14. Make haste my beloved and be like unto the Roe And that Apoc. 22. Come Lord Iesus come quickly not onely come but quickly that is make haste with that speed that the Roe runnes withall Hence beleevers are said not only to looke for the blessed hope and appearing of our Saviour Christ but also to hasten the appearing of him 2 Pet. 3. 12. Looking for and hasting unto the comming of the day of God For though in another case it is true which the Prophet speakes Isay 28. Hee that beleeves makes not haste yet in this case hee that beleeves most makes most haste and cannot but make haste and therfore makes haste because he beleeves And no wonder that faith in her desires hastens the appearance of CHRIST
against which a man hath an indignation hee must needs put it and cast it away from him see Isay 30. 22. Thou shalt cast them away namely their Idols and why so Because they loathed them they were as a menstruous cloath and because they had indignation against them Thou shalt say unto it Get thee hence So that let there once be abomination and indignation and there will be a casting away Try thy repentance by this consider what have thy sins thy beloved sins beene is thy drunkennesse with loathing and indignation forsaken are thine oathes uncleannesse covetous courses c with loathing and indignation Nam qui plangit peccatum iterum facit peccatum quasi si quis lavet laterem crudum qui qui quanto amplius laverit tam amplius faciet lutum Bern. de modo bene vivendi abandoned it is a good signe But how idely talke they of repentance who because they have blubbered out a few teares thinke all is well when yet they still live and lye in their sins and hold them as fast as ever The Mariners when they found out Ionas yet faine they would have saved him wondrous loath to cast him over-board Many see their sins and know them to be dangerous sins but yet exceeding loth to shake hands with them loth to throw them into the sea but will rather adventure their owne casting away than cast them over-board Never deceive thy selfe though thou hast sighed cried prayed beg'd mercy yet if still thou live and goe on in thy sinfull courses there is no truth of repentance in thee 4 Fourthly A walking in holinesse and obedience and bringing forth the fruits thereof Bring forth fruits meet for repentance There is mention Rom. 6. Of fruits in holinesse and Phil. 1. 11. Of fruits of righteousnesse and Col. 1. 5. Of fruits of obedience Now such fruits are meet for repentance Bring forth fruits saith S. Iohn meet for repentance It is a metaphor taken from trees transplanted or grafted into other stocks Before their grafting they bring forth fruit but it is bitter and sowre fruit wildings and crabs but new siances grafted upon those stocks there is new fruit brought forth A Pepon being grafted upon a Crab stock the stock brings forth no more Crabs but Pepons a new and a good fruit Such a change and renovation is there in repentance it makes a man a new man walking in newnesse of life Ephes 4. 23 24. Be renewed in the spirit of your minde and put on the new man How shall it appeare that this is done Amongst other things by that Vers 28. Let him that stole steale no more there is the former thing in the forsaking of sin But that is not all there is yet more to be done But rather let him labour working with his hands the thing that is good that he may have to give to him that needs So that repentance not only bindes the hands from theeving but opens them to giving It makes a theefe become a mercifull man It was the Churches sin Cant. 5. 3. that when Christ knockt and would have had her opened unto him she neglects him and puts him off with excuses But afterwards V. 4. Her bowels were moved for him or in her her bowels made a troubled noise sounded and rumbled that is she was exceedingly grieved and disquieted that she had done so foolishly But that doth not serve her turne to grieve for her fault but shee will mend it too and fals to doing of duty Vers 5. I rose up to open to my beloved Many have their bowels move within them but yet it will not move them out of their beds they lye still but I rose up and open'd sayes the Church and makes after CHRIST whom she had foolishly neglected Try thy repentance by it Sonne goe worke to day in my Vineyard sayes the Father in the Parable to his Son he answered and said I will not but afterwards he repented and went Mat. 21. 28 29. He repented because he was not only grieved for his former disobedience but also because he went did his Fathers work in the Vineyard If thou doe the like if thou so grieve for former disobediences as that now thou fallest to thy Fathers worke and fallest hard and close to it then thou repentest The contrary convinces men of impenitency It is not weeping but working that must evidence repentance wee may see many weepe but we cannot see them worke and all that repent must turne to God and doe workes meet for repentance Acts 26. 20. Where no such workes of holinesse and obedience there is no turning to God nor truth of repentance Chap. 13. The Examination of Love COme we now in the next place to the Examination of Love There is deceit and hypocrisie in love as well as in faith Let love sayes the Apostle bee without dissimulation Rom. 12. 9. or without hypocrisie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Pet. 1. 22. Vnto unfained love of the brethren 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vnto a love of the brethren without hypocrisie So that there may be hypocrisie in love and a man may play the hypocrite in his love as well as in the profession of his faith God hates hypocrisie wheresoever as well in the second Table as the first And therefore requires sincerity in our love to our brethren 1 Iohn 3. 18. My little children let us not love in word neither in tongue but in deed and in truth Men must have love in their tongues and love in their words but CHAP. 13 that is not all men must have and shew love in their deeds Love that is all words and all tongue and no deeds is hypocri 〈…〉 and dissembling love Iames 2. 15 â—6 There we finde love in words a loving tongue but where 〈…〉 deeds There is no loving hand Notwithstanding ye give them not those things c. Love that hath a smoth and a kinde tongue and yet hath a withered hand shewes it selfe in no good deeds and workes it is but a fained and a dissembling love It is no more than an hypocrite may doe Nay a man may have a loving tongue and be like Nepthali Gen. 49. 21. Give goodly words yea and may doe goodly deeds not be wanting in outward actions and expressions and yet for all this may play the hypocrite and his love not be without dissimulation Therefore the Apostle yet addes one thing more Let us love in deed and in truth Therefore there may be words and tongue and deeds and yet not truth And so long as that is wanting bee there else what there will all is but hypocrisie words tongue and deeds may bee without truth 〈…〉 uth will never be without them 〈…〉 ve will creep where it cannot goe That therefore the Apostle gives in cha 〈…〉 to elder men belongs to all Tit. 2. 2. That the aged men be sound in faith and charity It is not enough to be sound in faith but we must be
when as it is the beleeving soules solemn mariage day What espoused Bride longs not for the mariage day when shee shall enjoy her Bridegroome Faith unites Christ and the beleever and contracts them together Now when once the contract is past there followes a longing for the mariage-day And this longing after the mariage-day is a signe of a contract made by faith Doth thy soule then long for those blessed nuptials with the Lord Christ when thy soule shall have the fill of his Love Doth the Spirit in thee cry Come Lord Iesus make haste my beloved Oh happy signes of true faith But now enter into thy soule O thou covetous worldling and thou voluptuous epicure c. Deale seriously and honestly and tell the plaine truth Is there any one thing in the world thou thinkest lesse upon wishest lesse or dreadest more than the comming of Christ When S. Paul disputed of Righteousnesse and the judgement to come before Foelix he trembled How many boast of righteousnesse even of the righteousnesse of faith but how troublesome are the thoughts of the judgement and Christ to come unto them How heartily could they wish oh that that day might never come Let such as cannot rejoyce in the thoughts of that day in some measure and desire it as the day of their refreshing question if not the truth yet the strength of their faith 2 Secondly The effects of faith in regard of our selves And they are these 1 First the Operation and effectuall working of the Word upon our hearts faith is that which makes all Gods Ordinances effectuall and so the word 1 Thess 2. 13. The word of God which effectually workes in you that beleeve Indeed the word workes on those that beleeve not workes their hearts to rage and rebellion workes to their hardning and damnation But it workes no good thing when faith is not to set it on worke Heb. 4. 2. The word which they heard profited them not because it was not mixed with faith The Gospell is the power of God to every one that beleeves Rom. 1. 16. Faith is as the vitall and naturall heat of the soule If the body be dead and without naturall heat give a man the most stirring and working Physick that is and yet it workes not because there wants a principle of life and heate to set it on worke Iust so is it here The word dispensed in the most powerfull manner that can bee workes not upon an unbeleeving heart because the heart is dead without faith but if any faith in the heart it makes the Word worke effectually Try thy selfe by this workes the Word upon thy soule workes it thee to a conformity to it selfe so as thou art cast into the mould of it Such efficacy of the Word argues a presence of faith in thine heart But how many discovers this to be void of faith How many have lived all their dayes and are even growne gray under the Gospell and yet what grace or goodnesse have all the Sermons that ever they have heard wrought in them more than in such as scarce in all their dayes ever heard Sermon Nay what is wrought in many but scorne rebellion resolution of disobedience wrath swelling and hellish boiling of the heart both against Minister and doctrine Are these the workes of faith or is it rather a signe that he workes in their hearts that effectually workes in the children of disobedience This is a fearfull signe that a man is in the state of unbeleefe 2 Secondly Sanctification and holinesse of heart and life Acts 15. 9. their hearts were purified by faith Pharisisme may wash thy hands but faith washes hand and Heart Pharisisme washes cleane the outside of the cup and platter but Faith makes cleane the inward part also yea there faith begins the worke Faith is not onely an holy but an hallowing grace Acts 26. 18. Amongst them which are sanctified by faith We finde a woman in the Gospell that had beene troubled twelve yeeres with a bloudy issue who was healed but how came shee to be healed She touches the garment of Christ touches but the hem and yet straightway the Fountaine of her bloud was dried up Marke 5. 29. It is true that it was Christ that healed her It was vertue that went out of Christ that healed her Vers 30. and yet Vers 34. Thy faith hath made thee whole Faith then fetches healing vertue from Christ and heales diseases The faith that is true faith fetches healing vertue from Christ Every mans heart naturally hath such a spirituall disease as shee had a bodily That disease which the woman had did typifie under the Law the naturall filthinesse of our hearts Prov. 4. 24. Observe the heart from thence are the issues of life Every action issues from the heart the Fountaine of all our actions This Fountaine is a Fountaine of bloud and all the issues from this Fountaine in our thoughts words actions all these issues are bloudy issues and very filthy and loathsome before God Mat. 15. 18 19 20. Hence hands defiled with bloud Isay 59. 3. Bloudy filth Isay 4. 4. Their way was before me as the uncleannesse of a removed woman Ezek. 36. 17. and Hos 4. 2. Bloud toucheth bloud Many bloudy issues out of the heart one issue meets with another and so bloud touches bloud Now when faith is once wrought in the heart it workes strange cures both in heart and life There were wont to be filthy issues out of the heart in vile loathsome noisome thoughts of uncleannesse wantonnesse covetousnes worldlinesse There was wont to be a filthy issue at the mouth a deale of vaine filthy rotten communication bloudy oathes and curses There was wont to bee issues in all the severall actions and passages of the life But now when faith comes into the heart that presently carries a man unto Christ touches him fetches healing vertue from him that dries up this Fountaine of bloud in some good measure and so heales all those loathsome bloudy issues It is true that where faith is there may be stil some ouzings of this Fountaine but yet the flux of it is nothing so aboundant and so continuall as formerly A mans heart naturally is like the Sea Psal 104. 25 26. This great and wide sea wherein are things creeping innumerable both small and great beasts There goe the Ships there is that Leviathan whom thou hast made to play therein In the sea there be vast Whales huge Leviathans that sport themselves and play in the deepes thereof but besides those huge Whales what a world of creeping and crawling smal creatures are there to be found therein Such is the heart of a naturall man there be therein not only some Leviathans some speciall uncleane and foule lusts some speciall Sea-monsters but there are also creeping things innumerable a world of crawling bugs and baggage vermin That looke as is said of Gods Angels Dan. 7. 10. Thousand thousands ministred unto him and ten thousand times
brotherly fellowship Brother-hood implyes sometimes fellowship as Zech. 11. 14. I will breake the brother-hood betweene Iudah and Israel The naturall relation between them could not be broken but their mutuall society and fellowship should be broken they should be divided and dispersed each from other So then they that love the godly love their brother-hood their company their conference and communion with them This evidenceâ— tâ—â— truth of Davids love Psal 1â— 3. All my delight is in the Saints on earth my delight is in their company and conference Many in the world magnifie the Saints in heaven yea some over magnifie them whilest they would give divine worship to them but in the meane time make little account of the Saints on earth nay hate them imprison kill and burne them Apoc. 13. 7. but David delights in the Saints on earth Psal 119. 63. I am a companion of all them that feare thee and of them that keepe thy precepts Try then where lyes thy delight What is the company and society thou affectest If it be the society of the godly thy love is to them But this discovers the hypocrisie of many mens love They doe love godly men with all their hearts But yet examine who be their companions and marke who they be in whose society they delight and are they such as are godly and religious Take they not more delight in the fellowship of drunkards vaine and â—â—â—thy persons Is not godly company the most irkesome wearisome thing in the world to them What can cleere it more that men love not the godly It may be thou commendest them and speakest all good of them but if thou joyne not in society with them thou doest but as those before spoken of Acts 5. 13. They gave the beleevers good words but they durst not joyne themselves unto them It may be thou speakest not against them not because thou lovest them but because thou lovest thy selfe that they may not speake against thee It may be thou speakest well of them and all because with good words thou wouldest buy good words againe This is love in word in tongue but not in deed and in truth Look where thy delight and company is there is thy love 5 True love is hardly angred easily pleased Hardly angred 1 Cor. 13. 4. Charity suffers long Vers 5. It is not easily provoked It will suffer long and beare much ere it will break It may be provoked but not easily Easily pleased 1 Cor. 13. 4. Charity is kind Iames 3. 17. The wisdome that is from above is gentle easily to be intreated God is love sayes the Apostle 1 Iohn 4. 8. And God is slow to anger Ps 103. 8. He suffers long Exod. 34. 6. He is not easily provoked And he is easily reconciled Psal 103. 9. Neither will he keepe his anger for ever Nay not easily to be intreated but he intreates and beseeches us the offending parties to bee reconciled 2 Cor. 5. 20. Now what makes God so slow to anger so quick so easie to be appeased Because God is love It is the nature of love so to be and love is his nature The Apostle presses Christians to two speciall things Col. 3. 13. For bearing one another and forgiving one another if any man have a quarrell against any I but these bee hard things to bee done how shall a man come to be able to doe these things Therefore the Apostle teaches us a way how to doe it in the very next verse and words And above all things put on charity which is the bond of perfectnesse The way to do these things is to get charity and love Mark then the nature of love It is not easily provoked it is hardly angred it is a forbearing grace It is easie to be pleased It is a forgiving grace It is hardly angred because it forbeares It is easily pleased because it forgives Love is a forbearer and a forgiver Try thy selfe by this If thou art exceeding loth to be provoked sufferest much and sufferest long and art willing to beare till the number and weight of the burthens grow so heavie and unsupportable that thy back is ready to breake before thou complaine If thou art willing to swallow injuries and wrongs one in the neck of another so long as they are swallowable that they would not choake or poison thee if thou shouldest offer to swallow any more for no charity bindes a man openly to wrong himselfe such forbearance argues that thou hast put on charity If offences be given thee and wrong grosse wrong done thee yet if thou canst readily cheerefully willingly and cordially forgive it is a good signe of true love But how farre are many from the truth of this grace in their hearts who are easily off the hookes and presently provoked and all to peeces upon a small offence given nay it may be upon no offence given at all only upon an accidentall slip or a faile in a formality and complement No forbearance argues small charity As far are they from love that are of implacable irreconcileable spirits once lost and lost for ever whom no kindnesses can overcome whom no satisfactions can appease nor no wisdome can set in joynt againe Quest But what if a man have done me wrong and diverse wayes injured me by offensive carriages whether am I bound to forgive him or no hee seeking no reconciliation with me Am I bound to forgive where forgivenesse is not sought and must I stay from the Sacrament because I have not forgiven one that wrongs me and seekes not peace Answ In forgiving of an offender there be three things 1 The letting fall of al wrath malice and desire of revenge 2 The testification of forgivenesse A solemne profession of remission 3 The re-acceptance and re-admission of an offendour into former society communion and familiar converse For the first A man is bound to forgive in that respect whether the party offending aske forgivenesse or aske it not A man must so forgive as that he must beare no malice nor nourish any thoughts of revenge For though mine adversary sinne in his obstinacy yet his sin will not warrant me to sin in malice and thoughts of revenge If mine enemy will not doe that which belongs to him yet I may not doe that which belongs to God Therefore for matter of revenge and malice we must alwayes forgive and unlesse a man doe so forgive as to let fall all malice and thoughts of revenge he sins in comming to the Sacrament For the second Our Saviour gives a rule Luke 17. 4. If he trespasse against thee seven times in a day and seven times in a day turne againe unto thee saying It repents me or I repent thou shalt forgive him He doth not say If thy brother offend against thee seven times thou shalt forgive him seven times but if he say I repent Whether he say so or not I must forgive him in regard of malicious and vindictive thoughts But I
am not bound to testifie my forgiving him and to say to him I forgive thee unlesse he say I repent To forgive is one thing and to say I forgive and make a solemne profession of remission is another For the third A man is not bound in that particular to forgive till just satisfaction be given Satisfaction being duly given I must forgive so far but satisfaction obstinately denied I may refuse society and fellowship with him Religion bindes not to receive an enemy into bosome communion now so long as he stands out in his enmity he can be interpreted to be none other so long as hee sayes not It repents him yea and though a man doe not forgive in these two cases yet may he with a good conscience come to the Sacrament And therefore marke how our Saviour speakes Matth. 5. 23 24. If there thou remembrest that thy brother hath ought against thee go thy wayes and bee first reconciled c. He doth not say If there thou remembrest that thou hast ought against thy brother Thereby shewing that the barre is against the party delinquent and that a person receiving injury and wrong so he come without malice and forgive in the first respect is not debarred Gods ordinance though he remit not in both the last just satisfaction not being tendred upon wrong done 6 Sixthly true love loves fervently fervent love and unfained love are joyned together 1 Pet. 1. 22. True love will abound and increase more and more 1 Thess 4. 10. Yee love all the brethren but we beseech you that ye increase more and more It sets it selfe no sint nor bounds it is ready and willing to give and take all occasions for increase and confirmation As fire is not only ready to kindle when blowne but ready to catch of it selfe any combustible matter being ministred True love hates all hypocriticall reservations and le ts out it selfe to the giving and imbracing of all opportunities that may prove incentives to it Thereby try and examine the truth of thy love A sparke will kindle to a flame if it bee true But this one thing discovers a great deale of hallow-hearted hypocriticall love in the world There bee that for their turnes and ends can doe more and dispense further than they will for God and his Commandement if God and his Commandement and coales heaped upon their heads call for the letting fall of their stomacks they cannot stoope to it nay with scorne and pride of spirit reject tenders and offers of love But if some end of their own to be compassed or turn of their own to be served then they can make a shift to make some shewes of love and desire of friendship but yet with resolutions to keepe a faire distance that there shall never bee an intire knitting and mutuall closing of affections and therefore set themselves bounds and a stint beyond which they are resolved never to passe They will not be wanting in common courtesies civill correspondencies but yet for intirenesse and intimate familiarity will be sure to block up the way thereto by affected distances and reservations of themselves They will be pardoned for familiarity that is more than needs A carriage faire to the worlds eye that the world shall not see but all is well they will frame to but further they resolve never to goe Surely they were as good say they will play the hypocrites with men and that their love shall be with dissimulation For love which sets it selfe bounds and bars beyond which it will not step that love steps not beyond hypocrisie That love which will not kindle which will neither bee blowne to a flame nor take flame it is love dissembled True fire though it bee ever so little a spark may be blowne and be brought to a flame but all the blowing in the world will never make painted fire burne Such persons are but like Salomons silverd potsheard Prov. 26. 23. Burning lips and a wicked heart are a potsheard covered with silver drosse What ever faire silverly shewes they make they are potsheards slubbered over with drosse Such love as is not fervent is fained So much for the examination of love Chap. 14. The Examination of Obedience CHAP. 14 THe last thing whose truth is to be examined is Obedience There is deceit in obedience and much hypocrisie may be in it Saul glories in his obedience 1 Sam. 15. 13. I have performed the commandement of the Lord. Behold I have obeyed God Yea after Samuel had pinched him with so close an answer he still stands to it Vers 20. Yea I have obeyed the voice of the Lord and have gone the way which the Lord sent me And yet Samuel charges him still with rebellion and disobedience and leaves him not till he makes him confesse his sinne So ready are men to deceive themselves in their obedience to God as if their obedience were good and acceptable when there is no such matter Men will not be borne downe but that they are obedient people to God I have performed the commandement of the Lord Behold I have obeyed God sayes Saul and so say many as well as he as farre from it as was he But as Samuel there convinced Saul 1 Sam. 15. 14. so may men be convinced of disobedience What meanes then sayes Samuel this bleating of the sheepe in mine eares and the lowing of the Oxen which I heare There was not an Oxe that Iowed not a Sheepe that bleated but openly and loudly proclaimed Saul a disobedient person So men say they doe obey God and they are wronged to be charged with disobedience But what then meanes the bleating and the lowing of their oathes What meanes then the neglect of God in the publike ordinances in their private families what meane their Lords-day profanations what meane their whoredomes drunkennesse and other not bleating not lowing but crying loud crying sins in the eares of God and man It is needfull therefore that men examine their obedience whether it be such as is required in him that will be an orderly Communicant True obedience then may be knowne by these things 1 The Grounds of it 2 The End of it 3 The Properties of it The Grounds of obedience are 3. 1 First the ground of true obedience is the authority and will of God Gods will is that such a thing bee done and his power is soveraigne and absolute to command so as whatsoever hee commands it must bee done because he commands Therefore we shall finde Levit. 19. that in that one Chapter this one reason I am the Lord is used thirteene severall times The meaning whereof is this such and such commandements I enjoyne you if you will know the ground why you shold obey thē this is the ground I am the Lord a God of soveraigne power and authority and my will it is that such things be done And therefore it is that Gods will is brought in Scripture as the reason of the obedience that is required