Christs Sheep that hear his voice and follow his steps and keep by the Shepherds Tents Is this a conceeist that it shall fare better with the Friends of Christ then with his Enemies or that those are the friends of Christ who are the friends of Holiness Is this a conceit that it shall fare better with the servants of Christ then with strangers Or are those the best servants who waste their Talents or bind them up in a Napkin Will Christ say in that day Away thou faithful Servant away from me ye workers of Righteousness You have loved me too much you have pleased me too well you have followed me too close you have given your selves to too much praying too much praising too much fasting you have been too conscientious too tender too watchful too holy you would not be merry and idle and vain you would not go along with your Neighbours to their sporting to their Revellings to their Pleasures but must needs deny your selves and take up your Cross and follow me you could not be content with an Earthly happiness but you must have Glory and Honour and Immortality you could not be content to venture on a groundless hope of Glory but you must needs make sure of it by patient continuance in well-doing Away from me you workers of Righteousness you that have followed me in the Regeneration get you gone get you down to everlasting destruction Will this be the voice of the Judge at that day Will he call to sinners Come ye wantons come ye Wine-bibbers come ye Swearers Lyars Scoffers Whore-masters come ye blessed Crew inherit the Kingdome All this must be so if godliness be but a fancy and do you not yet see Sinners what men of Reason what men of Judgement you are and how much truth or weight there is in your charge against the Saints Oh Christians you see I hope sufficiently how little ground you have to take the least notice of or discouragement from these confident Adversaries who in proclaiming you Phanaticks must proclaim themselves either Infidels or Ideotâ— Thus I have shewed that the principles of Godliness are not Phanatical 2. The Duties and Comforts of Godlinesse are no fancies I shall instance in such duties and those parts of duties which are most obnoxious to this censure the most spiritual duties the most spiritual parts of duties which being most out of fight and above the reach of the carnal world are most of all thus censuted by them I shall mention onely two which indeed are comprehensive of all 1. Worshiping God in the Spirit 2. Walking in the Spirit 1. Worshiping God in the Spirit If this be a fancy the Apostle Paul with the Christians his Contemporaries were the great Phanaticks of their time who saies thus of himself and them Phil. 3. 3. We are the Circumision who worship God in the spirit We are the Circumcision that is We are the People of God we are they who are circumcised with the Circumcision which is without hands circumcised in heart which is all one as if he had said we are Christians who worship God in the spirit Worshipping God in the spirit notes 1. The worship of the soul or heart-worship 2. The worshipping God through his Spirit or in the Holy Ghost 1. The worship of the soul or inward worship and that 1. As it stands in opposition to meet bodily worship I say not as it is oppos'd to bodily worship but to meer bodily worship 2. As it stands in opposition to the Antiquated Jewish worship which was more external pompous and ceremonious We worship God in the spirit that is we worship God in the heart and in the simplicity and plainness of gospel-Gospel-worship heart-Heart-worship is the true worship the worship of the soul is the soul of worship The body without the soul is dead and bodily worship without spiritual iâ— dead worship John 4. 24. God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in Spirit and in Truth The latter word Truth is exegitical of the former Spirit signifying that worshiping in Spirit is worshiping in Truth This is the true worship worship indeed The worship of the body the uncovering of the head the bowing the knee the lifting up of the hands or voice these are but the outside and carcase of worship and so far only capable of being accounted worship as they are helpful to and expressive of the devotions of the soul As bowing of the knee signifies the bowing of the heart as the uncovering of the head either expresses or helps toward the inward reverence of the soul so far as they worship and no farther and even then but improperly so câ—lled But as they stand single and separated from the inward worship they are no worship no more then a carcase is a man but are meer shadows and fansies There is no such Phanatick as the Formalist who whilest with those Heathens Mat. 6. 7. He thinks to be heard for his much speaking doth but play the hypocrite and Lyar Look what the Courtiers Complements are such are the Formalists devotions smooth words tongue-courtefies flâ—ttering salutes fawning cringes Your servant Sir your servant command me what you please I am ready to serve you Here is a great shew of respect and kindness but what is there in it What wise man will regard it And what more is there in the Formalists devotions What is it but meer complementing with the Holy God Very devout and lowly as to all appearance and a great noise is there that such Devotion makes but what is there in it What awe and Soul-reverence of God what heart-striving and wrestling with God what heart-elevation or lifting up the Soul to God is there in all this Is there no such thing as heart-striving and Soul-reverence required in the Worship of God or are these but shadows of worship and is the soul of it onely in the Lips or Knees Doth he whose Soul is poured out in prayer whose Spirit strives with the Lord doth he but pray in conceit worship God in conceit and those whose Eyes and Tongues and Hands onely pray have they gotten the substance are these the true Worshippers Beloved be not deceived God sees not as man sees he sees what is within man he sees what is within our duties they are not shews or sounds that can blinde hiâ— Eye or please his Ear. Ephes 5. 19. Be ye filled with the Spirit speaking to your sâ—lve in Psalmes and Hymns and Sriritual Songs singing and making Melody in your hearts to the Lord. Believe it Christians Heart-musick is the best Church musick Heart-praying and Heart-singing makes the best Melody in the Eares of the Lord of Sabbath My work and intent is not to decry all external worship as useless or unacceptable We must glorifie God in our bodies as well as in our spirits Our Lips must bear their parts in our praises and practises but I would not that you should take the body of
worship to be the Soul and the Soul to be nothing Be not conceited that the outward part is the worship and the inwaâ—â— but a conceit Brethren the living God will have living services the God of our spirits will have the service of our spirits the worshipping God in spirit this is the true worship God will not be and take heed you be not cheated with shews When all the men of the world with their wits parts and interists have commended garnished and magnified the carcass of Religion and decryed and disgraced its soul and life yet this shall still stand as an irrefragable Truth They are the circumcision who worship God in the spirit and rejoyce in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh 2. Worshipping God through the spirit through the help and assistance of the Spirit of God as to instance in prayer Jude 20. Praying in the Holy Ghost Rom. 8. 26. The Spirit it self helpeth our infirmities The Spirit of God affords a three-fold help in prayer 1. He indites our requests suggests matter of Prayers to us who as the Apostle there tells us Know not what we â—â—â—uld pray for as we ought Carnal mens lusts do often make their Prayers and then no wonder they ask amiss when they should be seeking the death of their lust they ask meat for their lusts we often not knowing what we ought to ask do ask we know not what we ask a stone a Serpent a Scorpion somtimes when we think we ask bread If God should alwaies give his people their prayers their prayers would undo them When we are poor we ask riches and it may be if God should give us them our riches might undo us Somtimes we ask ease or credit or liberty and if we had what we ask it might be our ruine the Spirit of God knows what 's fit for us and accordingly guides our prayers He helps us to understâ—â—â— our sins and so teaches us what confession to make carnal men will confess sins but any sins rather then their own He helps us to understand our wants and so teaches us what to ask He helps us to understand our mercies and so teaches us what to give thanks for carnal men often come before the Lord with mock praises give thanks for their election justification sanctification hope of glory when it may be the power of sin and the wrath of God abides upon them and they remain without Christ and without hope and without God in the world the Spirit of God if they had him would make their devotions more reasonable and regular 2. He excites and quickens and enlarges their hearts in prayer The Spirit of God comes in and influences upon the heart and draws forth the soul and this is the import of the following words The Spirit it self maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered that is he sets up a groaning and sighing after the Lord. Groaning notes the strentgh and ardency of desire which through the servency of it puts the Soul to paine and an holy impatience till it be heard in which sence it s used verse 21. For we our selves who have received the first fruits of the spirit groan within our selves waiting for the adoption even the redemption of our body It works such groanings as cannot be uttered it sometimes makes the hearts of Christians too big for their mouths their desires more larger then their expressions as much warmth and life and strength of affection as there does appear without there 's more withinâ—t Oh how flat and dead are our hearts oftentimes how much are we straitned in our prayers we stand as men struck dumb when we come before the Lord or if there be words in our mouths there is scare any word in our hearts sometimes we cannot speak and if we can speak we cannot groan the Spirit doth either put words in our mouths or else supply the want of words by kindling and enlarging inward desires helping us to groan out a prayer when we cannot speak it out and silent groans will sound in the ears of the Lord when the loudest cryes may not be heard 3. He encourages and emboldens the heart in prayer enables us to call God Father to pray to him to cry to him to be confident of audience and acceptance with him upon this ground Gal. 4. 6. God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts crying Abba Father And hereby he furnisheth us with a mighty Argument to plead with God Father hear me Father forgive me Father pity me Father help me Am not I thy childe thy Son or thy Daughter To whom may a childe be bold to go With whom may a child have hope to speed if not with his Father Father hear me The Fathers of our Flesh are full of bowels and full of pity to their Children and know how to give good things to them when we ask them when they ask Bread will they deny them when they ask cloaths or any thing they want will they deny them And is not the Father of Spirits more full of bowels more full of bounty than the Fathers of our Flesh Father hear me This is praying in the Spirit and if this be a fancy with you I must tell you sinners that it is such a fancy as experienced Christians that have most proved it would not lose for all your substance But will you stand to it Is this Fanatical praying indeed then bring your Index expurgatorius and expunge these Textâ— out of the Scriptures or else if you let them stand and look over them again you will next say Their Bible is as Fanatical as themselves But let me add one word to convince you from your own judgement if you understand what you doe that praying in the Spirit is no fancy and this by putting this one Question to you Dare any of you all when you goe to God in Prayer deliberately refuse to begge the assistance of his Spirit Whether you use a Form or Pray without a Form that is not so material The assistance of the Spirit is needed as well of those that use a Form as of those that pray without it Nor dare you I say when you goe to pray deliberately refuse to beg the assistance of the Spirit Dare you say Lord I need not nor desire any such assistance I will not ask it of thee that thy Spirit may be given into me to help mine infirmities If you beg the assistance of the Spirit you hope to have it and if you have it there is that praying in the Spirit which you cry down for a fancy Judge now whether you do not condemn the things which your selves allow and in your Judgement and Practice justifie the reallity of that Duty which with your mouths you decree for Fanatical Will you also be his Disciples Will you also be Fanaticks 2 Walking in 〈◊〉 Spirit this is no fancy Gal. 5. 25. If we live in the Spirit let
Lord will give I doubt not but such a Prayer will be heard and my ground is this as it is the justification or acceptance of our persons so it is in the acceptance of our duties 〈…〉 our person will doubt less justifie our prayers and that weakness or wavering which will not hinder the one will neither hâ—nder the other Now it is universally granted that our persons may be justified even when we are strongly perswaded of the contrary and know no reason why the like must not be granted concerning our prayers I note this the rather for the support and comfort of many of the poor weakling servants of Christ or such as are in a troubled or deserted estate who after they have sign'd out their broken prayers because their own misgiving hearts return them a negative answer conclude that God doth so too my prayers are lost the Lord doth not regard them Why how can you tell God doth not regard them How can I tell why I cannot believe the Lord will hear none but the Pâ—ayers of Faith and I cannot believe I cannot be perswaded that God doth hear But by what hath been said you may perceive your â—â—istake you cannot be perswaded that God hears you therefore you do not believe Why you may even then believe when you want this perswasion Have you offered up your Prayers in the Name of Christ Have you committed them to his hand to present them to his Father and leaving them with him and adventuring them upon his Interest can you now but wait what answer the Lord will give This is that Faith which will secure your Prayers from being lost Having thus in brief shewed you what it is to pray in Faith what remains but that you practice accordingly study the Attributes of God his Power Goodness Mercy and Truth Study Christ his Office Interest Sufficiency and Faithfulness study the Promises and the stability of them let your faith set its seal to all this that God is good merciful mighty and true that Christ will be faithful in his Office that his Name is mighty with the Father that the Promises of God are in him Yea and Amen Strengthen your selves here and so go before the Lord let God be in your heart Christ be in your hand the Promise in your eye when ever there is a Prayer in your mouth Let your Prayer be so presented your dependance be so settled and your confidence as much as may be so raised as before you have been directed or whether you can attain to this confience or no yet do not fail of such dependance and then see what a rich return your prayers will sooner or later bring down upon you But he that will pray without thus believing let not that man think to receive any thing of the Lord and if he doth get nothing let him not lay the blame on Prayer as if this were an empty useless thing but on his unbelief The answer which God gives to Prayer is alwayes this Be it unto thee according to thy Faith And in this is included Be it unto thee according to thy unbelief This is the first means or help to a godly life Prayer THe second special Duty I shall direct you in is holy Meditation And touching this my purpose is not to insist upon the general nature of it but onely to give you some directions for your putting it in practice The directions which I shall give shall be such as concern 1. The matter of it 2. The Method Concerning the former I shall reduce the chief matters to be ordinarily meditated on to seven heads which as I shall afterwards advise may save an Head for a day and so in every week you may go over the whole I. Head concerning God BEgin with him who is the beginning of all things in whom we have our being in whose nature as well as his will is the very foundation of Religion In the spiritual nature of God is the reason of our spiritual worship his wisdom is the reason of our submission to him his power of our dependance on him his holinesse of our conformity to him his justice of our fear his goodnesse of our love his truth of our trust his grace of our prayers his glory of our praiser Now there are two things especially that I may contract all into as narrow a room as possible which you may pitch your thoughts and exercise your meditations upon concerning God Namely his Dreadfulnesse Goodnessâ— Direct 1. In order to the bringing you to a due apprehension and sense of the dreadfulness of God set before your eyes what the Scriptures speak of the Majesty Glory Omnipotenâ—â— Omniscience Holiness Severity and Righteousness of God The Scriptures speak of the Name of God as a fearful Name Deut. 28. 58. That thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful Name the Lord thy God And this dreadfulness of God is set forth 1 By the greatness of his power Jer. 5. 22. Fear ye not me saith the Lord Will ye not tremble at my presence Luk. 12. 5. 2 By the immensity of his Nature Psal 139 7. Whither shall I go from thy Spirit Whither shall I flee from thy presence 3 By the Glory of his Holiness Exod. 15. 11. Who is like unto thee O Lord who art glorious in Holiness fearful in Praises doing Wonders 4 By his Justice and Severity Hebrews 10. 31. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the Living God Heb. 12. 29. For our God is a consuming Fire Direct 2. That you may understand and be duly affected with the goodness of God confider what the Scripture speaks concerning his All-sufficiency loving Kindness Mercie Faithfulness Patience c. Gen. 15. 1. Fear not Abraham I am thy Shield and thy exceeding great Reward Psal 36. 7 8 9. Thy mercie O Lord is in the Heavens and thy Faithfulness reacheth unto the Clouds How excellent is thy loving Kindness O God therefore the Children of Men put their â—ust in â—hee They shall be abundantly satisfied with thy fatness for with thee is the Fountain of Life in thy Light we shall see Light Psal 10. 5. For his anger endureth but a moment in his favour is Life Psal 73. 26. My flesh and my heart faileth but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever Psal 91. 4. He shall cover thee with his feathers and under his wings shalt thou trust his Truth shall be thy Shield and Buckler Psal 84. 11. The Lord God is a Sun and a Shield These Scriptures set forth the Lord as a sufficient portion wherein his people may be happy and a sure refuge wherein they may be safe He is a Fountain of Light Life Joy Rest Peace Everlasting blessedness and Everlasting safety He is the inheritance of the Saints wherein they shall be satisfied and their defence wherein they shall be safe for ever Direct 3. Ask thy heart these Questions Quest 1. Is not this God worthy
the Gospel and the more necessary and weighty Duties of Religion sufficiently understood and practised Are your Souls safe Is your Calling and Election sure Is the Love and Life and zeal of God grown up to that maturity that you need not mutual help this way Have you any spare time from those things to spend in perplexing controversies Build up one another in your most Holy Faith provoke one another to Love and to good works encourage establish and strengthen one another in the known wayes of holiness and if you find not this both better work and work enough for you then take your liberty These things do live in peace and love and the God of peace shall be with you Hear Oh â—ye freinds of Christ by what oblique Names soever unhappily distinguished will you come and be Friends one with another Are you for peace Your God is the God of Peace Your Jesus is the Prince of Peace Your Gospel is the Gospel of Peace and will you not be perswaded to be Sons of peace Your God is one your Mediator is one your Faith one your Baptism one your Hope one you are one Bodie one Spirit and will you not yet be one Soul Oh how hopeful would our condition be were our hearts generallie set upon peace We should certainly obtain did we more resolvedlie pursue it and what should hinder have you not yet enough of your contentions and quarrellings have not your Souls been sufficiently neglected your Lusts strengthened your Faith weakened your Love withered your comforts wasted your names blemished your holy Profession blamed Hath not your God been sufficiently provoked and the Devil sufficiently gratified are your bellies so filled with gall and your mouths with gravel and have you not yet enough of your contentions Christians Slight not these Counsels and Warnings As you would prove your selves the Friends of Christ be ye followers of peace Studie oh studie these things that make for peace Follow peace with all men as much as in you is but especially with the houshold of Faith Let there be no longer strife betwixt us for we are brethren Yet alwaies remember I am pressing you to an holy Union whilst I perswade you to follow peace I must still add and holiness I perswade you not to pursue peace upon tearms dishonourable or prejudicial to Truth They must have both together that will be blessed in either Truth without Peace is as a Jewel without its Cabinet Peace without Truth is as a Cabinet with nothing in it Peace without holiness is as a fair and promising shell with a rotten or worm-eaten kernel holiness without peace is as a pretious kernel under a crack'd and broken shell They that have peace without truth have nothing worth the securing they that have truth without peace have little security for what they have Peace without truth is beauty without worth Truth without peace is worth with its beauty marred Let both go together and then they will be both the Columina Ecclesiae the Pillar of the Church rendring it consistent within it self and the Corona Ecclesiae its Crown rendring it comely and glorious before the World Be it thus wiâ—h us and then Sathan look to thy self thy Kingdom shall down amain when thou canst no longer hold up division thou losest thy dominion Then Saints lift up your heads your Communion shall be sweet your glory shall be great your light shall shine your fruit shall abound the smell of your spices shall flow forth your adversaries shall envy and your King shall greatly delight to see your beauty Oh may this Grace this Peace be granted us from the Lord and let all that love the prosperity of Sions say Amen 2. In an an united Contention Striving together saith the Apostle for the Faith of the Gospel Unite but strive strive not one against another Christian against Christian but strive together Let your Contention be in Communion Strive together against sin and unbelief against Hypocrisie and earthliness strive against strife and debate and envyings and judgings strive together with God in your prayers and supplycations We often pray but our prayers do not agree by keeping at such distance we know not one anothers hearts and are so many men so many minds every one prayes according to his single apprehension and affections What one prayes another unprayes insomuch that we should put the Lord to do contradictions if he must give particular answer to all our prayers And possiblie that may be the reason why the Lord defers his answer so long he will stay till we are better agreed what we would have Matth. 18. 19. If two of you agree on earth touching any thing that they shall ask it shall be done for them of my Father which is in Heaven Strive together in all holy and united endeavours to comfort confirm and establish one another in the Faith of the Gospel Keep up the Communion of Saints and an united contention against sin and unbelief Remember Heb. 10. 25. 3. In an holy boldness in nothing terrified by your Adversaries In nothing that is either in no degree not at all terrified or else in nothing that you have to do be frighted out of no part of your duty or else at nothing that they do or threaten to do against you Be not afraid to be holy Tell your Adversaries when they have said and done their worst you must and you will make bold to serve your God Fear them not and they cannot hurt you they never hurt you unless they divert you from your duty To establish your hearts in this holy boldness and against your carnal fears 1. Consider That 1. By how much the more you fear God by so much the less you will fear men 2. By how much the more you fear sin by so much the less you will fear trouble 3. By how much the less your adversaries fear God by so much the less need you to fear them 2. Believe Psal 27. 13. I had fainted but that I believed Faith is a buckler against fears and faintings Ephes 6. 16. Above all take the shield of faith whereby you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the Devil The shield of faith A shield is a wall of partition interposed betwixt a person and harm 'T is only our apprehensions of harm that raise our fear Faith will save a Christian harmless and thereby preserve him fearless The shield is ordained for a security to all parts and against all assaults Some pieces of our armour are appropriated to one part only the Helmet is for the head the Breast-plate for the brest the Girdle for the loins the Shooes for the feet but the shield is a moveable that is to be lifted up where-ever the blow comes Faith is an universal security Faith may be said to be a Shield 1. Instrumentally As it provides us of a shield as it lifts up a sheild and sets a guard upon the Soul to secure it