and word of Christ no Decree of God shall ever hurt him 2. Though the Decree of God be as determinate in other matters as in that of Salvation and Damnation yet no man rests upon that God hath fixed the period of every mans life His days are determined Job 14.5 the number of his months is with thee thou hast appointed his bounds that he cannot pass Now will any man neglect his meals because God hath determined his days Will he say If I eat and drink I shall live never the longer if I never eat more I shall not dye a day the sooner There is no man so bereft of sense as to leave his life upon the decree of God without using means to preserve it for 3. The Decree is not only of the end but also of the means Faith and obedience are as much decreed by God as eternal life Hence ye read of being chosen to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth 2 Thess 2.13 And the Apostle to the Ephesians says God hath chosen us in him viz. Christ before the foundation of the world that we should be holy Ephes 1.4 Holiness is as much decreed as happiness There is no such thing in all the Scripture as Election to Salvation separate from faith and holiness The means and the end go together the Scripture is not made up only of promises for the incouragement of hope but of directions for the furtherance of holiness And therefore 4. Though the Kingdom of Heaven be prepared by the Decree Matt. 29.34 yet it must be sought by an early diligence in duty Though it is Gods good pleasure to give it Luk. 12.32 Matt. 6.33 yet it must be our work to seek it though it be designed for us yet it must suffer violence by us and we must take it by force Matt. 11.12 or we shall never injoy it notwithstanding Gods choice and Christs purchase The land of Canaan a type of Heaven was a land of Promise but yet they cannot possess upon the promise without fighting their way to the inheritance 5. In the day of Judgment God will not proceed with men upon Election and Reprobation but upon their obedience or disobedience to his Law He will render to every man according to his deeds To them who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory and honour Rom. 2.7 8.9 and immortality eternal life But to them that are contentious and do not obey the truth but obey unrighteousness indignation and wrath It is said God will judge the world in righteousness Acts 17.31 Now righteousness in judgment is to distribute to every one according to his works God will vindicate the justice of his proceedings in that day by making the Word the rule of his Judgment to all that are under it John 12.48 And every mans Conscience a witness in the case Rom. 2.15 Let no man therefore deceive himself by groundless conclusions about the secret Decrees of God and so indulge himself in a sinful neglect of duty to the eternal ruine of his Soul Object 2. Another stumbling-block that lies in the way of young ones to hinder their taking up the Yoke of Christ is this That early Religion seldom comes to any thing They that mind Religion young seldom hold out long A young Saint and an old Devil * Angelicus juvenis senibus satanizat in annis Answ The design of the Devil and wicked men in this Objection is to decry early holiness as if it were time enough to seek after God and grace when we are dropping into the grave Now to such I would say three things Answ 1. This Objection is founded upon a notorious falshood for it supposes that true grace is utterly loosable that a Child of God may perish for ever which the Scripture doth expresly consute Where the seed of God is once sowed in the heart it never dies it is never lost nor plucked up it remains in him 1 John 3.9 Solomon says Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it Prov. 22.6 So that this Proverb of a young Saint and an old Devil is none of Solomon's 2. It is true that where a profession of Religion is taken up in Hypocrisie it commonly ends in Apostasie So that it may be said A young Hypocrite and an old Apostate But where do you find that any that truly feared God did ever depart from him Obadiah feared the Lord from his youth 1 Kings 18.12 2 Kings 22.2 and as he began with God so he ended Josiah was good betimes at eight years old and he held it to the last He turned not aside to the right hand or to the left David was a young Convert and he died an old Saint Psal 71.5 Thou art my hope O Lord God thou art my trust from my youth there is his beginning My flesh and my heart faileth Psal 73.26 but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever there is his ending I might instance in Samuel Jeremy John Timothy c. these began with God in their youth took up the Yoke betimes and so they continued all their days He that chuses God for his chief good and highest Lord at first finds so much happiness in him that he will never leave him at last Besides the Covenant of God is sure and one branch of it is I will put my fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from me Jer. 32.40 3. Should not the great uncertainty of life silence this Objection We have no security for another day much less that we shall live till the keepers of the house tremble and the grinders cease and they that look out of the windows be darkened c. As Solomon elegantly describes old age Eccles 12.3 Our candle may blow out as well as burn out One dies in full strength being wholly at ease and quiet his breasts are full of milk and his bones moistned with marrow Job 21.23 24. And shall we be afraid of taking up the Yoke of Christ too soon Or suppose you should live to old age yet such as turn their backs upon Christ while they are young it is rare if ever they come to take up the Yoke of Christ when they are old as a young Saint will never leave Christ so an old Sinner will hardly ever embrace him Or if he would it may be too late his season of grace may be past It is storied of Hannibal Plutarch that when he could have taken Rome he would not and when he would have taken it he could not And is it not the case of many When they may find Christ they will not seek him and when they would seek Christ they cannot find him when they may have mercy they don't prize it and when they would have mercy they can't obtain it He that in his youth reckons it too early
apply the marks of Grace to his own heart as he finds them laid down in the word he might certainly know that his state is good for the fruits of the spirit Gal. 5.22 are as manifest as the works of the flesh As God is principium essendi the cause of the being of Grace so the word of God is principium cognoscendi the rule by which we judge of the truth of Grace and therefore to the law and to the testimony Isai 8.20 Solomon says The commandment is a lamp and the law is light Prov. 6.22 as a lamp it is the guide of our way as a light it is the tryal of our state And so the former verse clears it when thou goest it shall lead thee there it is a lamp to guide us when thou awakest it shall talk with thee there it is a rule to try us Try your state therefore by this rule and believe nothing either for or against your selves but according to the word of God This is the rule God will try us by and therefore we should try our selves by it The judgment of God concerning us will be according to the word John 12.48 Rom. 2.16 So should ours be But in making use of the word for a rule of tryal it will be your wisdom to observe these three directions 1. You must take negative and positive signs together Many judge themselves by negative signs only and not by positive but this is to deceive themselves for negative holiness can never commend us to God whose commands are positive as well as negative A man may abstain from that which is positively evil and yet be but negatively good So did the Pharisees Luke 18.11 2. In trying your selves by the word you are not to look so much to the habit and principle of Grace in its being as to the properties and effects of Grace in its working for properties best prove principles and effects bear witness to their causes That which constitutes godliness is the habit and principle of Grace but that which evidences godliness is the properties of it Formae nos latent We do not know the internal forms of things but their natures become known by their properties and effects Our knowledge is for the most part à posteriori from effects the principles of Grace in us are not evident to us but by the motions and effects of them in our souls and lives 3. In judging your estate by the word you are not to look for perfect signs in your selves I mean such as do exactly answer to the latitude of the Law for these are not to be found in any Believer upon earth And if we look for such signs we shall be so far from receiving any satisfaction concerning our state that the more we try the more we shall distrust the more we prove our subjection to Christ the more we shall disapprove it We are to look for true signs but not for perfect for such as are common to the weakest believer not for such as are above the strongest The least grace discovered in a believer if sincere and true is a sure sign of his good estate in Christ though it be not enough to satisfy his desire yet it is enough to satisfy his judgment though it be not sufficient to fill up his measure in Christ yet it is a sufficient sign to make out the truth of his interest in Christ And that is the seventh general rule laid down for the carrying on the tryal of our state that we be sure to make use of a right rule Rule 8. As the word of God must be your rule so Conscience must apply it and give testimony according to it for the word of it self proves nothing but as conscience applys it and argues from it The word doth no where say this or that man is converted to Christ is a child of God and in a state of salvation no but it describes that state to which salvation is promised and then Conscience evidences that to be our state and so infers a certainty of salvation from the word The word lays down things in plain propositions Conscience makes the assumption and then draws the conclusion The word says Any man that is in Christ is a new creature 2 Cor. 5.17 there is the proposition now the good mans Conscience helped by the spirit as I shall shew anon that makes the assumption thus but I am in Christ and then draws the conclusion therefore I am a new creature The word says They that are Christs sheep hear his voice and follow him John 10.27 Conscience says but I hear his voice and follow him and thence concludes therefore I am one of Christs sheep And this is that wherein the true testimony of Conscience doth consist in giving evidence according to the rule laid down and by that either condemning or acquitting Hence that of the Apostle He that believes on the son of God hath the witness in himself 1 John 5.10 truly so hath the unbeliever too for Conscience by the light of the word witnesseth against him if he would but hear it The word says the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God 1 Cor. 6.9 but says Conscience Thou art unrighteous and thence concludes therefore thou shalt not inherit the kingdom of God And hence the Apostle speaks of a condemning Conscience 1 John 3.20 If our hearts condemn us It witnesseth in the sinner to condemnation and in the Believer to justification Object 1. But you will say if it be thus why doth not every Believer know his own state why are they so often calling the goodness of their state into question and so full of doubts and fears about their condition if they have a witnessing Conscience why is it thus Answ It is possible they may have witnessing Consciences and yet may know little of the goodness of their state For First They may not possibly be acquainted with their own Consciences nor keep up a communion with their own hearts as they ought Psal 4.4 It is no new thing for a good man to be a stranger to himself who might otherwise be satisfied from himself Prov. 14.14 Secondly They may have Conscience witnessing to the goodness of their state and yet not credit the testimony As a bad man is deaf to the testimony of his Conscience when it witnesseth against him from the power of self-love so is a good man to the testimony of his conscience when it witnesseth for him from the power of jealousie and suspicion He can look forward to apprehend the right object but can't look inward to apprehend his own act He can believe the testimony of the word but cannot believe the testimony of his own Conscience though it speaks according to the word though he hath truly received Christ yet he will not receive the testimony of Conscience witnessing to his state in Christ Thirdly Many may have witnessing Consciences and yet
Conscience may not witness it s witnessing act may for a time be suspended and this is frequently so Partly from the contraction of new guilt when sin is committed Conscience is silenced guilt spoils the testimony Partly from the hidings of God for Conscience speaks no peace to us unless God speak peace to that And therefore it is very possible that a good man may not always know his own state and yet he may have the witness in himself And would he but be careful to keep Conscience clean from guilt and defilement and be diligent to attend to its testimony he would quickly attain to satisfaction in his spiritual state for Conscience purged and sanctified is a faithful witness that will not lye especially when joyned in its testimony to that which is the great witness of all and that is the spirit Rom. 8.16 The spirit bears witness with our spirits that we are the Children of God And that brings me to the last general rule to be observed in this tryal Rule 9. The way to come to a true satisfaction about your state is to call in the assistance of the spirit of God beg his testimony for there is no witness like his And that First Whether ye look to the clearness of it no testimony can be so full It is such a testimony as removes all perplexing doubts and fears 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysost what room for questionings and hesitancies against the spirits testimony * Culverwell's Whitt Stone p. 113. Hereby we know that we dwell in him and he in us because he hath given us of his spirit 1 John 4.13 No witness so satisfying as this if God should send an Angel from Heaven as he did to Daniel Dan. 9.23 to tell us we are greatly beloved it would not be so full and satisfying as this Secondly It is a sure testimony and that 1. Whether you look to the object of his testimony the work of God in the heart he never witnesses to the goodness of that state where there is not a work of Grace wrought and therefore to talk of comforts and ravishing joys from the spirit without a true conversion to Christ first wrought is a meet self delusion the spirit of God hath no hand in it and so to boast of the comforts of the spirit while we walk not in the counsels of the spirit it is a meer pretence there is no such thing found among Christians as this The spirit witnesses to his own work and therefore cannot be deceived in the object of his testimony 2. If you look to the nature of the testimony for it is the witness of him who is truth it self and therefore he is called the spirit of truth John 16.13 the testimony that he gives to the goodness of a believers state is infallible and certain Thirdly It is a prevailing testimony that bears down all the testimonies that can any way be brought against us As the intercession of Christ in Heaven for us prevails over all charges that are brought there against us sin may charge and Satan may charge and the Law may charge but yet the intercession of Christ prevails against all and silences all Who is he that condemns it is Christ that dyed yea rather that is risen again who is at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us Rom. 8.34 So is the testimony of the spirit in the heart a prevailing testimony the believer hath many adversaries wicked men whose tongues are set on fire of Hell reproaching traducing of them and ready to witness falsely against them And Satan is not wanting to bring in new charges against them but this blessed witness of the spirit in the heart prevails against and carrys the Soul above all Fourthly It is an abiding testimony that lasts till testimonies shall be needed no more There would be no need of witnesses if things were clear and not apt to be called in question but so it is with the work of God in the heart it is ever and anon called in question and hence arises the need of the spirits testimony There will be no need of this way of witness in Heaven for there is no doubts nor fears nor calling our state into question but during the present state it is necessary for new hidings and new temptings and new sinnings will cause new doubtings and questionings concerning our state and therefore the testimony of the spirit shall abide and out last all our doubts and fears I know this testimony may be and is sometimes suspended a good man may not have it at all times it is rare that any one hath Sometimes nay too often he sins it away sometimes for wise ends God takes it away for it is an arbitrary priviledge but he that hath had it once really shall never lose it finally though it may be suspended it shall never be totally lost for it is an abiding witness and therefore he that hath it is said to he sealed to the day of redemption Ephes 4.30 this sealing is not to be taken for the regenerating work of the spirit but for his witnessing work for it is a sealing that follows after believing After that ye believed ye were sealed with that holy spirit of promise Ephes◠1.13 and this seal shall never be broken off it shall abide to the Day of redemption And therefore above all things beg the testimony of the spirit concerning your condition for neither the word of God nor Conscience can evidence the goodness of our state without the witness of the spirit nay the highest measure of Grace wrought in the heart cannot of it self be an evidence of the goodness of our state without the spirits testimony as Grace cannot act it self without the spirits help so nor can it evidence it self with out the spirits light as the being of Grace is from the work of the spirit renewing so the evidence of Grace is from the work of the spirit witnessing And therefore in this work rely much upon the testimony of the spirit And thus I have answered the question more generally CHAP. XIII Shews the truth of our subjection to Jesus Christ by some things necessarily antecedent to it Secondly I come now to a particular and distinct answer to the question How a man may know that he is indeed under the Yoke of Christ There are two ways by which you may make a judgment of your selves A Priori A Posteriori 1. By such things that always precede it and are antecedent to it or causal of it 2. By such things as are the natural effects and consequences of it First By such things as are antecedent to it For you must know that taking up Christs Yoke is not presently done it is not the next work of a carnal sinner there are many things to be done in him and upon him before this work can be done by him No natural man as such can bear Christs Yoke it is impossible
to the Divine Will Holiness is the being of the Spiritual Life in us Obedience is the operation of that Life according to the degrees of it in the Soul For there is a great difference in the degrees of Spiritual Life in Believers it is variously Communicated to one more to another less All Believers have it but some have it more abundantly Joh. 10.10 and according to the measure of the life of holiness in us such is our strength to obey and according to the strength of our obedience such will the evidence of our subjection to Christ and his Yoke be 2. What greater evidence can there be of our subjection to Christ then that which is the proper and essential act of the new creature and that obedience is It is not more essential to the eye to see nor to the ear to hear then it is for a renewed heart to obey God A Believer doth but act his nature in obeying and that appears from that pleasure and delight which so far as renewed he takes in it Acts of nature are acts of delight hence that of the Apostle Rom. 7.22 I delight in the law of God after the inner man And that of David I delight to do thy will O my God And whence this delight arises the next words tell you Thy Law is within my heart Psal 40.8 The principle of grace within makes obedience to the law of God a delight and delight in obedience to the law of God proves the truth of that Principle within All delight in doing arises from a suitableness between the Principle and the Precept the heart and the work If there are precepts injoyned us and a defect of Principles in us much may be done but there can be no delight in doing the commands will be grievous But it is not every kind of Obedience that can prove the truth of our subjection to Christ A hypocrite may go far in the outward part of obedience he may have a form of Godliness 2 Tim. 3.5 and what is that but a resemblance of a Christian in all the outward lineaments of Godliness He may be able to do all external acts of obedience in common with Believers But there are some things essential to Believers as such the goodness whereof doth adhere intrinsecally to this work done as to love God to fear God to trust in God to delight in God These mingled with our outward duties make them to be obedience of the right kind and these no hypocrite can attain to and therefore cannot perform any one act of true obedience For obedience consists in a full conformity to the will of God as revealed in his word from a Principle of holiness within Many profess subjection to Christ in word but deny it in works calling him Lord Lord but not doing the things which he sayes Luk. 6.46 And many have flexible knees but stiff necks bowing the former to the name Jesus but will not bow the latter to the Yoke of Jesus being abominable disobedient and to every good work reprobate Tit. 1.16 There is no such Testimony of your being under the Yoke of Christ as conformity to the will of Christ By this then you may make a judgment in this matter When the spies returned from searching the Land of Canaan they brought with them a cluster of Grapes and Pomegranates and Figs Numbers 13.23 and when they came to give an account of their search they shewed them the fruit of the Land and said surely it flowes with milk and hony and this is the fruit of it ver 27. q. d. the Land that yields such good fruit must needs be a good Land The fruit of being under Christs yoke is dying to sin and living to God in a Holy Obedience And by these two Characters your State may certainly be known The heart that yields such fruit is surely a good heart Pray observe that of the Apostle Rom. 6.16 Know ye not that to whom ye yield your selves servants to obey his servants ye are whom ye obey whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness It is not being Baptized into the name of Christ nor taking up the outward profession of Christ and Religion that can distinguish between the servants of Christ and Satan Here is a surer rule He that obeys sin is the servant of sin and he that obeys Christ is the servant of Christ CHAP. XV. Exhorts to thankfulness to God who inclined the heart to this Yoke The wisdom of taking up this Yoke manifested THE last use shall be of Exhortation and I shall direct it to two sorts of persons 1. To them that have taken up the yoke of Christ in their youth 2. To such as have never yet taken up the yoke of Christ to this day Exhortat 1. To them that have taken up the yoke of Christ in their youth that have made it their work to mind Religion betimes to remember their Creator in the dayes of their youth There are three duties I would commend to such by way of direction Duty 1. The first is thankfulness Though this contributes nothing to God yet it is that which he is delighted with It shews the honesty and integrity of the heart in ascribing effects to their proper causes Thankfulness diminishes the creature to himself and magnifies God It shews a man looks upon himself as nothing and God as all Therefore bless God and be thankful for this great mercy Is there not a cause For 1. How came you to take up Christs yoke Rom. 6.17 Isa 26.13 Time was when ye were the servants of sin other Lords had dominion over you Time was when you were slaves to lust How came you to take up the yoke of Christ It was not natural for by nature we are enemies to grace and holiness It was the fruit of the wisdom of God impressed upon the Soul it was he that gave thee counsel to make this choice and therefore bless him So David sayes in the like case I will bless the Lord who hath given me counsel Psa 16.7 Counsel for what to take the Lord for his Lord and that implies taking up his yoke O my soul thou hast said to the Lord thou art my Lord ver â— thou art my Lord that implies subjection Thou hast said thou art my Lord that implyes a Covenant resignation So that here he chooses God for his portion and chief good and for his highest Lord and how he came to make this choice he tells you ver 7. It was the Lord that counselled him to this and therefore he resolves the praise and glory shall be to him I will bless the Lord who hath given me counsel Go you and do likewise bless the Lord who hath perswaded and over power'd your hearts to close with Christ For no man comes to Christ except the Father draw him Joh. 6.44 2. It is the wisest choice that ever you made to choose Christ for your Lord and
salvation of others then we ought not to count our lives dear IV. When external duties are commanded internal obedience is therein required and chiefly intended For every precept is given to the whole man and therefore binds the inward man as well as the outward or else we are obliged to be hypocrites and seem what we are not When we are commanded to repent to hear to pray to do good works they are not the outward acts only that Christ calls for but the inward graces and affections And therefore you never obey the precept whatever duties you perform unless they be done in spirit and truth V. Observe the station and condition God hath set thee in and the circumstances thou art under and attend to the duties thereof For that which is the duty of one may not be the duty of another and that which is a great duty at one time may be no duty at another One man may be a Magistrate another a Minister and so may be obliged to those duties which are no duties to another VI. Lastly whatever duties conduce most to Gods glory whatever have the greatest tendency to our own salvation and the salvation of others whatever may put the greatest honour upon religion and render it lovely among men and put to silence the ignorance of the foolish 1 Pet. 2.15 in these things lye the proper acts and exercises of obedience And therefore these are the works chiefly to be attended to by all that are under the Yoke of Christ but we must not so be concerned in the greatest as to neglect the least Qui minima spernit paulatim decidit Spiritual decays begin in the neglect of lesser duties Remember that of Christ to the hypocritical Pharisees These ye ought to have done and not to leave the other undone Matt. 23.23 And that in Matt. 5.19 Whosoever shall break one of these least commandments shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven 3. If you would carry it becomingly under the Yoke of Christ as you must look that the principles of your obedience be right and that the matter of your obedience be in right exercises so you must see to the manner of your obedience It is not the bare doing what God commands that is obedience unless it be done in a right manner Most men miscarry herein taking up in a bare performance of duty and resting in opere operato in the work done Like the blind Papists that bead out their devotions and serve God by tale How few watch over their hearts in duty or look to the frame of their spirits in obedience whereas this is the great thing God looks at And therefore the precept doth not only direct in the matter to be done but also in the manner of doing not only what but how Take heed how ye hear Luke 8.18 Take heed ye do not your alms before men Matt. 6.1 Now what doth our Lord Christ mean by these take heeds but to shew us how possible it is for a man to miscarry in the very doing of duty if he do not make as much conscience and shew as much care in the manner of doing as in the matter to be done Malum ex quolibet defectu Tho all requisites must concur to make an action morally good yet any defect makes a good thing evil And therefore in all instances of obedience the manner is carefully to be attended to For 1. This is the great distinguishing character between a true believer and an hypocrite It is not in the matter done but in the manner of doing both may be ingaged in one and the same duty and yet it may be an act of grace in one and an act of sin in the other The good man prays so doth the hypocrite but the one prayes with faith and fervency the other draws nigh to God with his lips when the heart is far from him Matt. 15.8 The good man serves God so doth the hypocrite but the one brings the male of the flock Mal. 1.13 the other brings the torn and the lame and the sick The one serves him deceitfully the other acceptably Heb. 12.28 2. A duty that is materially good may be formally evil by failing in a right maner Good becomes evil and duty is turned into sin by an undue manner of performance It is iniquity even the solemn meeeting Isa 1.13 3. It makes God disown his own appointments and reject the very performances which the precept makes a duty When ye come to appear before me who hath required this at your hand to tread my courts Isa 1.12 It was Gods requirement as you may see Deut. 12.5 To the place which the Lord your God shall choose to put his name there to his habitation shall ye seek and thither ye shall come So that they had the command of God for treading his Courts and yet here God rejects his own appointments Who hath required this at your hand Though God required it yet not of such as they were nor in such a manner as they appeared So in v. 13. Bring no more vain oblations incense is an abomination to me But were not these oblations and incense of Gods own institution Yes but because they were feignedly performed therefore they were not accepted and so became vain and abominable But there is a farther hint in the words for oblations were from the people incense was from the priests so that when he saies their oblations are vain and incense an abomination he doth therein reject the specious worship and services both of priests and people He that offereth an oblation is as if he offered swines blood Lev. 11.7 and he that burneth incense as if he blessed an Idol Isai 66.3 And if God rejects that worship which he himself appointed and so was right for the matter because not done in a right manner what shall become of that worship which is neither right for matter nor manner where the commandments of God are made of none effect by the traditions of men this Matt. 15.6 wherever it is renders the worship of God vain for so the Lord Christ himself hath determined the case Matth. 15.9 In vain do they worship me teaching for Doctrines the commandments of men O that our superstitious will-worshippers would consider this who have to use the Phrophets phrase the broth of abominable things in their vessels Isa 65.4 and as ever they would avoid the devils meat let them shun feeding upon his broth For little innovations in the worship of God open a door for the gradual entrance of the most abominable idolatries And so the house of prayer becomes by degrees a den of thieves Matt. 21.13 4 A man may lay himself under great vengeance and judgement from God in the doing the very thing which God commands for want of a right manner Cursed be the deceiver that hath a male in his flock and voweth and sacrificeth to the Lord a corrupt thing Mal.