will never be quiet untill repentance be renewed and God appears to be pacified Thirdly If we have hearts spiritually soft and tender this will appear by the respectiveness of our hearts to the word of God And there are ten Properties of a tender heart in relation to the Word of God 1. It sets up the Word as a Light and Rule So Psal 119. 105. Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my paths ver 133. Order my steps in thy Word 2. It studies the Word and meditates therein to understand the mind of God concerning it Psal 119. 15. I meditate in thy precepts and have respect unto thy ways ver 148. Mine eyes prevent the night watches that I might meditate in thy Word 3. It layes up and gives special heed unto what God saith in his Word 2 Pet. 1. 19. We have also a more sure word of Prophesie whereunto ye do well that ye take heed Psal 119. 11. Thy Word have I hid within my heart that I might not sin against thee Prov. 7. 1. My son keep my words and lay up my commands with thee ver 3. Bind them upon thy fingers write them upon the table of thine heart 4. It stands in awe of the Word Psal 119. 161. My heart stands in awe of thy Word 5. It is led and guided by the Word Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel Psal 73. 24. Thy testimonies are my delight and my counsellors Psal 119. 24. My sheep hear my voice and follow me Joh. 10. 17. 6. It keeps close to the Word in all matters of faith and practice receives all and admits no more will not go without it and dares not strive against it 7. It conformes itself unto the Word Teach me O Lord the way of thy statutes and I shall keep it even to the end Psal 119. 33. All that the Lord hath said will we do and be obedient Exod. 24 7. O that my wayes were directed to keep thy statutes Psal 119. 5. He will teach us his wayes and we will walk in his paths Isa 2. 3. Ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine whereto ye were delivered Rom. 6. 17. Moulded cast 8. It is quickly reduced wrought upon and recovered by the Word As in Davids case when Nathan said Thou art the man 2 Sam. 12. 7. David said unto Nathan I have sinned against the Lord ver 13. So Judges 2. 2. Ye have not obeyed my voice why have you done this ver 4. And it came to passe when the Angel of the Lord spake these words unto all the children of Israel that the people lift up their voice and wept ver 5. And they called the name of that place weepers Bochim and they sacrificed there unto the Lord. 9. It will often review and try itself by the Word lest it hath sinned or lest it should sin against God Psal 77. 6. I communed with my own heart and my spirit made diligent search Psal 119 59. I considered my wayes and turned my feet unto thy testimonies 10. It desires and endeavours to comply with all the Word of God and to fulfill all the will of God and to walk according to it in all things I have lived in all good Conscience unto this day Act. 23. 1. We trust we have a good conscience Heb. 13. 18. I have respect unto all thy commandements Psal 119. 6. Zachary and Elizabeth walked in all the Commandements and Ordinances before the Lord blameless Luke 1. 6. Fourthly If we have hearts Spiritually soft and tender this will appear by By our sensibleness in cases of Gods honour or dishonour our sensibleness and choice behaviour in the cases of Gods honour and dishonour This I think is one of the fullest discoveries of a soft and tender heart and therefore I will insist the more upon it by shewing unto you 1. The several wayes how God is honoured 2. The several expressions of a tender heart in relation unto Gods honour 3. The several wayes of Gods dishonour 4. The several affections and workings of a tender heart in the case of Gods dishonour First The several wayes of Gods being honoured God may be and is honoured How God is honoured As â—â— his Name and Attribuâ—es 1. As to his glorious Name and Attributes Deut. 28. 58. That thou mayest fear this glorious and fearful Name the Lord thy God When we do acknowledge and admire and exalt God in his holiness and goodness and mercifulness and Omnipoâ—ency and wisdom and greatness and authority and justice and faithfulness c. Exod. 15. 11. Who is like unto thee O Lord amongst the Gods who is like thee glorious in holiness fearful in praises doing wonders Job 9. 4. He is wise in heart and mighty in strength Exod. 34. 6. The Lord the Lord God merciful and gracious long-suffering abundant in goodnesse and truth Ver. 7. Keeping mercy for thousands forgiving iniquiâ—y transgressions and sins and that will by no means clear the guilty Deuter. 7. 9. Know that the Lord thy God he is God the faithful God which keepeth Covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandements to a thousand generations 2. As to his worship and service Psal 29. 2. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his Name or as it is in the Hebrew the honour of his Name worship the As to his Worship Lord in the beauty of holiness When we set up the true worship of God and serve him only and worship him only in Spirit and in truth and keep faithful unto it now we do honour and glorifie our God Thou hast not honoured me with thy sacrifices Isa 43. 23. The place where God is worshipped is called the place where his honour dwelleth 3. As to his Word and truths when they are magnified believed and embraced At his Word and upheld and obeyed when they have liberty and prosperity and success of efficacy 4. As to his works of Providence whether merciful respecting the good As to his Works of his people or judicial respecting the punishment of his adversaries in both which very much of God is to be seen and admired and blessed Secondly Now a soft and tender heart is exceedingly affected with Gods honour How the tender heart is affected in case of Gods honor and glory and with all the wayes publick and private for the honouring of God Such a person will take much pains to recover and restore the honour of God as you may see in Jehoshaphat and Hezekiah and Josiah to restore the true worship of God such a person will be at much cost to promote the honour of God 1 Chron. 29. 3. Because I have set my affection to the house of my God I have of mine one proper goods of gold and silver which I have given to the house of my God over and above all that I have prepared for thy holy house even three thousand talents of gold of the
That though a satisfaction for sin were necessary yet there was some kind of Relaxation in exacting of that satisfaction 4. That Jesus Christ did really make a satisfaction 5. That his satisfaction was not only for our good but also in our stead and therefore it was in our stead that it might be for our good 1. That God could not Salvo jure passe over the sin of man so as absolutely God could not let sin go unpunished to let it go unpunished It being against his Justice and against his Truth Every sinner is worthy of death They which commit such things are worthy of death Rom 1. 32. Now God is just and Righteous It is a righteous thing wiâ—h God to recompence tribulation to them that trouble you 2 Thes 1. 6. yea and God did therefore set forth Christ to be a propitiation through faith in his blood Rom. 3. 25. To declare his Righteousness that he might be just verse 26. If God be a Just and Righteous God then sin cannot absolutely escape unpunished for it is just with God to punish the sinner who is worthy of punishment And truly God must deny himself if he will not be just But God cannot deny himself 2 Tim. 2. 13. And besides this as God cannot but be just and therefore sinne cannot escape unpunished so God cannot but be true and if he cannot but be true then what he hath threatned against sin that must be performed But he hath threatned punishment for sin In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt die the death and the soule which sins shall die Object And whereas some do object That it is lawful for any man de jure suo remittere quantum velit To abate of his right as much as he pleaseth and therefore God may do so Sol. I answer 1. That is not a true Rule absolutely amongst men A Magistrate cannot dispence with any so that the Lawes may be violated and Justice be overthrown Nor a father with the wickednesse of his Children so that they shall go wholly unpunished David did so indeed about Absolom and Eli about his sons but they paid dear for it Only it holds in some cases which are not in fraudem tertij or salvo jure tertij 2. And as for God it holds not for although God may be pleased so far cedere de jure as to admit of a Surety yet he cannot so far yield as to abrogate his own Law and quietly to sit down with injury and losse to his own justice himself having established a Law c. 2. That God will not let sin go unpunished Exod. 34. 7. He will by no meanes God will not let sin go unpunished clear the guilty He is unchangable Ezek. 18. 20. The soule that sinneth it shall die And the wickednesse of the wicked shall be upon him Rom. 2. 6. He will render to every man according to his deeds Look on sin in any Creature whatsoever God would not let it pass unpunished 1. In the Angels that fell Jude verse 6. The Angels that kept not their fiâ—st estate but lost their own habitation he hath reserved in everlasting chains of dâ—rknesse unto the judgement of the great day 2. In Men whether Reprobate or Elect. If Reprobate and unbelievers then they must bear their own punishment of sin for ever If Elect and Believers yet Christ must bear their punishment for God will not suffer sin to passe unpunished he doth perfectly hate and abhor it his wrath is sealed against it he will give no encouragement for any to sin but would utterly deter men from it and his Righteous Law must and shall be maintained 3. That though a satisfaction for sin be necessary yet there is some kind of Relaxation Though a satisfaction was necessary yet there was a relaxation in exacting that satisfaction and mitigation in the exacting of that satisfaction for although God as just must and will punish sin yet it is not against Justice for to exact the punishment or that the satisfaction of it may be joyned with some mitigation therefore we distinguish of Justitia Rigida Temperata Indeed in Justitia vindicante per modum rigoris which we call summum jus there is no mitigation at all neither of the substance of punishment nor of the circumstances of it but in Justitia temperara where there is a mitigation of levying the punishment this is not contrary to justice And with this kind of justice did God prosecuâ—e the sinnes of his Elect for which though he would be satisfied yet it was with a moderation which I call a mitigation of justice For whereas in Rigour of Justice God might 1. Have insisted strictly with sinners as to their own person to have suffered for their sins yet he did not so but allowed of a Surety on their behalf to bear their sins and to suffer for them 2. Might have refused what another offered for them although in it self sufficient to satisfie his Justice yet he did accept thereof 3. Might have challenged an eternal duration of punishment which he had threatned and the nature of sin did deserve yet he did repute the dignity of the person who did suffer and die for their sins as Aequivalent unto an eternal duration of suffering and dying and the suffering of such a Person it did vertually amount thereunto and in all these respects there was a temperature or moderation of Justice in the exacting of satisfaction for the sinnes of the Elect. 4. That Jesus Christ by his death and sufferings did really and truly make satisfaction For whether you take satisfaction for punishment endured Christ by his death and sufferings did really make satisfaction equal to the fault committed or for so much done and suffered and ipso facto as de jure did solvere debitum discharge the debt to be paid so that God in justice cannot Renew the suite against us but ought to acquit us having Received a full Payment In both these respects did Christ make satisfaction 1. Jesus Christ did endure punishment equal to the fault What our sinnes He endured punishment equal to the fault did deserve and what justice might lay upon us for those sins all that did Christ suffer or bear and therefore certainly Christ did make satisfaction If you will admit of any satisfaction at all in criminal cases for sinnes and offences it must of necessity lie in the commensuration of the punishment with the fault when so much punishent is sustained for sin as justice requires for the guilt of that sin Now Jesus Christ did so suffer for our sinnes as that his sufferings were fully answerable unto the demerit of our sinnes And I think I may safely deliver it That God in justice for the satisfying of it could not in genere poenarum require any more or lay on any one more punishment than Jesus Christ did suffer for our sinnes And my Reason is this because Christ
from us The second Proposition is as clear That all the good we have or can do is from God Every good and perfect gift comes from him Jam. 1. 17. What hast thoâ— that thou didst not receive 1 Cor. 4. 7. We are not sufficient of our selves to think any thing as of our selves but our sufficiency is of God 2 Cor. 3. 5. By the grace of God I am what I am 1 Cor. 15. 10. It is God which worketh in you to will and to do of his good pleasure Phil. 2. 13. Vnto you it is given to believe Phil. 2. 29. If God will give them repentance 2 Tim. 2. 25. 2. No debt which we owe to God hath merit or worthinesse in it Doth any man merit ought at any hand by paying unto me what he ows unto me Simile But all the good we have or can do is a debt which we owe to God Ergo cannot merit any thing from him Doth not our believing fall under a Divine Precept This is his Commandment that we believe on the Name of his Son Jesus Christ 1 Joh. 3. 23. Doth not our repenting fall also under a Divine Precept But now God commandeth all men everywhere to repent Act. 17. 30. Doth not praying likewise fall under a Divine Precept Call upon me Psal 50. Pray without ceasing 1 Thes 5. 17. Do we any thing but what we ought to do when we believe or repent or pray or walk in newness of obedience and if no more be done by us than what ought to be done by us where is our merit or worthiness 3. If we fall short in the best and most that we do then we cannot merit by any thing that we do but we do fall short in the best and most that we do the line which we write may be written fairer the good that we do may and should be done better Domine said one lava lachrymas me as yea so short that we need mercy for our best performances and Christs Mediation and Intercession for them Aaron was to bear the iniquities of the holy Offerings Exod. 28. 38. And the prayers of the Saints were to go up with the Incense of the Altar Rev. 8. 3. Nehem. 13. 22. Remember me O my God concerning this also and spare me according to the greatnesse of thy mercy Secondly A personal worthinesse for any good from God is inconsistent with a A personal worthinesse is inconsistent with the Covenant of grace Covenant of Grace and likewise with the Office of Christ the only Mediatour of that Covenant It is inconsistent with the Covenant of Grace for according to that Covenant all is given and all is freely given in that we are freely loved and freely justified and freely blessed and saved yea the worthiness of our works and the riches of Gods grace do one destroy and remove the other Rom. 11 16. If by grace then it is no more of works otherwise grace is no more grace but if it be of works then it is no more of grace otherwise work is no more work And with the Mediatorship of Christ who alone is the merit and purchase And with the Mediatorship of Christ of all grace and glory of all blessings and blessedness Hath Christ merited all or hath he not If his Alsufficiency hath not can our insufficiency do any thing or where do you find any one word in Scripture that Jesus Christ hath left any thing for us to merit or that any of our works gain so much of his Prerogative as to merit by his merits the merits of Christ do make our good works accepted with God but they do not make our works to merit for he himself had not merited had he not been both God and Man â—hirdly There is in us an indignity or unworthinesse of any mercy and God Theâ—e is in us an unworthiness of any mercy would have us to acknowledge so in our Requests for and Receits of his blessings First An unworthiness of any mercy Gen. 32. 10. I am not worthy of the least of all these mercies and all the truth which thou hast shewed unto thy servant Luke 15. 19. I am no more worthy to be called thy Son Secondly And God will have us to acknowledge our selves unworthy Deut. And God will have us acknowledge our selves unworthy 26. 3. Thou shalt go unto the Priest that shall be in those dayes and say unto him I professe this day unto the Lord thy God that I am come unto the Country which the Lord sware unto our Fathers for to give us Ver. 4. And the Priest shall take the basket out of thine hand and set it down before the Altar of the Lord thy God Ver. 5. And thou shalt speak and say before the Lord thy God A Syrian ready to perish was my Father and he went down into Egypt and sojourned there with a few â—nd became there a Nation great mighty and populous c. Deut. 8. 10. When thou hast eaten and art full then thou shalt blesse the Lord thy God for the good land which he hath given thee Ver. 17. Beware least thou say in thine heart My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth Deut. 9. 4. Speak not thou in thine heart after that the Lord thy God hath cast them out from before thee saying For my Righteousnesse the Lord hath brought me in to possesse this land Ver. 5. Not for thy Righteousnesse or for the uprightnesse of thine heart c. Ver. 6. Vnderstand therefore that the Lord thy God giveth thee not this good land to possesse it for thy righteousnesse for thou art a stiffe-necked people Thirdly And rejects us pleading of our own worthinesse looks on it as pride And rejects us pleading our own worthinesse and vain-glory as the Pharisee who insisted on his own worthinesse And thus you see that our worthiness is not admitted as any Reason or Cause of Divine blessings whence it must necessarily follow that God then gives them unto us upon the sole account of his own graciousness Quest 2. And what the Reasons thereof are is the second particular to be spoken unto viz. Why all blessings are given unto us upon the account of Reasons of it Gods graciousness Sol. The Reasons briefly are these First This way of giving suits best with a Covenant of grace In which the reasons of our mercies as well as the mercies themselves are to be found nay the This way of giving suits best with a Covenant of grace reasons of our mercies do most of all illustrate this Covenant of grace and do principally constitute it for with reverence be it spoken this Covenant would lose the nature of being a Covenant of grace if the mercies or blessings promised were not given unto us upon the reason or account of Gods graciousness alone Gratia est nullo modo quae non est gratuita omni modo Secondly This way of giving suits best with God
by Divine mercy Sol. But Beloved there is no such matter and no such dealing of God with us the sinner may provocare he may appeal from the Court of justice unto the Throne of Gods mercy and of this he may rest assured that the definitive sentence in the Court of mercy about the forgiveness of sins is like the Laws of the Medes and Persians which stood fast for ever and remains unchangeable And as Isaac spake of his blessing of Jacob I have blessed him and he shall be blessed that may we affirme of Gods forgiving any sinner he hath forgiven him and he shall for ever continue forgiven and the Scriptures give full testimony unto this which I now deliver unto you Jer. 50. 20. The iniquity of Israel shall be sought for and there shall be none and the sins of Judah and they shall not be sound for I will pardon them whom I reserve Ezek. 18. 22. All his transgressions which he hath committed they shall not be mentioned unto him q. d. I will never speak of them any more Jer. 31. 34. I will forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more And besides these places there are three other which though metaphorically yet do notably express the eternal passing over sin in Gods forgiveness of it viz. Isa 43. 25. I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake Here our sins are compared to debts written in a book and Gods forgiving of them is compared to the blotting of them out of the book if a debt-book be crossed this would much satisfie us for that supposeth a discharge but if the debt be blotted out now it can never be read against us any more it is utterly defaced and nothing of a debt can be made to appear Micah 7. 19. Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depth of the Sea If a man be cast upon the Sea or into the Sea yet he may recover again but if he be cast into the depths of the Sea into the very profundum of it he is drowned and gone the meaning of the place is that when God forgives the sins of his people they shall never rise up and appear before him again you have a phrase for the effect of this concerning Babylon Rev. 18. 21. A mighty Angel took up a stone and cast it into the Sea saying thus with violence shall that great City Babylon be thrown down and shall never be found no more at all And in this respect often God is said to cast our sins into the depths of the Sea his meaning is they shall be like men that lie drowned and buried in the bottome of the Sea and Ephes 2. 16. Having slain the enmity thereby the enmity here principally meant is sin but this by the blood of Christ is slain Mark he doth not say it is imprisoned nor it is wounded but it is slain killed out right thus when God in the blood of Christ forgives our sins they are as it were slain they dye and cease to be and can never raise a quarrel or variance more between God and us 6. What shall I say more when God forgives any man his sins all displeasure Upon forgivenesse all displeasure ceaseth ceaseth the forgiven party is now looked upon and received with that love and favour as if he had never offended God and as if God had never been offended by him Object You will say this is incredible Sol. It is a very truth and worthy to be believed and received with all thankful acceptation Hosea 14. 4. I will love them freely for mine anger is turned away from him in ver 2. Israel prays for the forgiveness of sin take away iniquity and receive us graciously this petition God heard and granted and now observe in what a posture God appears toward them not of displeasure or anger mine anger is turned away from him but of kindness and favour and tender love I will love him freely Isa 54. 8. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment but with everlasting kindnesse will I have mercy on thee saith the Lord thy Redeemer Ver. 9. For this is as the water of Noah unto me for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth so have I sworn that I would not be wrath with thee nor rebuke thee Luk 15. 21. And the son said unto him Father I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight and am no more worthy to be called thy son Ver. 22. But the Father said unto his servants bring forth the best robe and put it on him and put a ring on his hand and shooes on his feet Ver. 23. And bring hither the fatted Calf and kill and let us eat and be merry Here the sins of the Prodigal are pardoned and his father receives him with such expressions of love and bounty and familiarity as if he had never sinned against him Hence it is that you read of such sweet kind tender loving comforting expressions of God towards those whose sins he hath pardoned Jer. 31. 16. Refrain thy voice from weeping and thine eyes from tears Ver. 20. Is Ephraim my dear son is he a pleasant child Matth. 9. 2. Son Be of good chear thy sins are forgiven thee Thus you see what forgiveness of sins is which God promiseth unto his people Some scruples arising from this description removed in Covenant and before I proceed any further I judge it convenient to remove some scruples which may arise upon this description of the forgiveness of sins now delivered unto you Four Quaeries 1. If our sins be thus removed covered blotted out and made to pass away in forgiveness of them whether then that assertion be not true God sees not sin in the justified 2. If God upon the forgiveness of sins be not longer displeased and will proceed against them no more how is it that we read of his anger and displeasure with his people and sharp correcting of them 3. If sins be thus blotted out and the parties forgiven be received into special love and favour with God whether then have pardoned persons any reason to mourn for their sins and repent of them 4. Whether persons justified may charge sin on themselves Whether God sees no sin in justified persons Quest 1. Whether the removing and covering and blotting out of sins in forgiveness doth not strongly hold out that assertion that God sees no sin at all in persons justified Answered Sin doth remain in them Proved Sol. For answer unto this Quaery I shall lay down these conclusions viz. First That sin doth remain even in justified and forgiven persons and four things do infallibly demonstrate it so to be 1. By Scripture 1 Joh. 1. 8. If we say that we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us 1 Kings 8. 46. There is no man that sinneth not Eccles 7. 20. There is not a just man
gold of Ophir and seven thousand talents of refined silver to overlay the house withall such a person will exceedingly rejoyce in any way by which God is honoured 2 Joh. ver 4. I rejoyced that I found of thy children walking in truth 3. Joh. ver 3 4. So Paul in Phil. 1. 18. That Christ is preached I do rejoyce yea and I will rejoyce So David Psal 122. 1. I was glad when they said unto me Let us go into the house of the Lord Such a person will be content to lose his own honour so that God may have honour David will be yet more vile and counted so that he may the more promote Gods honour 2 Sam. 6. 20 21 22. John must decrease that Christ may increase and this was the fulfilling of his joy Joh. 3. 29 30. Such a person will make all his parts his gifts his graces his power and authority yea his very life serviceable to the honour and glory of God yea his very eating and drinking Whether ye eat or drink er whatsoever you do do all to the glory of God c. 2 Cor. 10. 31. Thirdly Now on the contrary there are several wayes of dishonouring of God The wayes of dishonouring God both publick and private as swearing blaspheming looseness of walking pulling down his true worship setting up a false worship forsaking the truth and holding error reproaching the true God the Persons of the Trinity the Gospel the whole Scripture the Ordinances of Christ and the practical wayes of Christ in holinesse and godliness c. Well A soft and tender heart is passionately sensible and working in the apprehension The workings of a tender heart in case of Gods dissionâ—r of any dishonor cast on God a person of such a heart will be troubled and mourn in this case When Hezekiah heard the blasphemies vomited out by Rabshakeh against the Lord he rent his clothes and covered himself with sackcloth and went into the house of the Lord this day is a day of trouble and of rebuke and of blasphemy Isa 63. 1 2 3. Will be stirred in his spirit as Paul when he saw the people of Athens given to idolatry his spirit was stirred in him Act. 17. 16. he could not bear it he could not hold he must testifie against it He will put himself to the utmost of his place and power as Phineas did against Zimri and Cosby and as Josiah did against all the idolatry and wickedness in his dayes Will hazard and expose all his honour and estate and his very life as Elijah did and Daniel did and the three children and those in Rev. 12. who loved not their lives to the death Will bear any reproach and injury done unto themselves more patiently and quietly than those done to God he can sit down under them and weep and makes his moan to God when they tear his own name but when comes to Gods Name now his zeal is kindled c. Fifthly If we have hearts spiritually soft and tender this will appear by By the acquitting of our selves in duties both for matter He makes conscience of duties to God and men the acquitement of our selves in duties both for matter and manner 1. For the matter concerning which observe these conclusions 1. A person of a tender heart makes conscience of duties both to God and to men not only of duties unto God nor only of duties unto men but of the duties which he doth repectively owe unto them both Acts 24. 16. Herein do I exercise my self to have alwayes a conscience void of offence toward God and toward men Mat. 22. 21. Render therefore to Cesar the things which are Cesars and unto God the things which are Gods Tit. 2. 11 12. The grace of God teacheth us to live soberly and righteously and godly in this present world Mar. 12. 29 30. The first of all the Commandments is Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy minde and with all thy strength verse 31. And the second is like namely this Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self Many plead a conscienciousness of duty unto men they dare not but deal justly and squarely and honestly and yet they make no conscience of duties unto God no conscience of praying of keeping the Sabbath of fearing an oath of walking holily and many pretend a conscienciousness of duty unto God but yet they make no conscience of duty unto men they dare to revile and to controle and to oppress and rob a man of his right and to slander and reproach Neither of these are persons of soft and tender hearts but of deceitful and hypocritical hearts who fear not God and follow not him but their own lusts A person of a tender heart indeed dares not with-hold from God what is due to God nor from man what God requires to be done in way of duty unto man but as the Apostle speaks of subjection unto powers ordained of God That it must be for conscience sake Rom. 15. 5. so say I of a tender heart it performs duties to God and duties to man even for conscience sake it dares not defraud the one or the other Object But will some say What if God and man be contrary in their commands how can I obey and perform duty to them both Sol. I answer 1. There is no duty which God commands to himself and unto men which admits of contrariety but of subordination 2. If man commands any thing of us contrary to Gods command we must do as the Apostle did obey God rather than man Secondly A person of a tender heart makes conscience of all duties to God and of all duties unto all sorts of men unto whom he ows duty Of all duties unto God He makes conscience of all duties to God and man of fearing of him as of praying and of praises as well as of rejoycing in him of repenting of sinnes as well as of believing the pardon of sinnes of walking uprightly as well as of trusting in the promises of keeping the Sabbath c. Of all duties unto all sorts of men If they be his Superiors to honour and yield obedience to them if they be his Inferiours to regard and condeseend unto them if they be his enemies to love them and to pray for them if they be poor to pity and help them on whatsoever and to whatsoever God is pleased to lay a command there the person of a tender heart hath a readiness and willingness to obey Thirdly The person of a tender heart makes conscience of relative duties There is a Relation twixt He makes conscience of relative duties 1. The Magistrate and the people 2. 'Twixt the Minister and his flock 3. 'Twixt the husband and his wife 4. 'Twixt the Parent and the child 5. 'Twixt the Master and the Servant And many are the duties which reciprocally do concern all these persons in all their
men destitute of the Spirit though we be civil and courteous and friendly and helpful if we be born of the Spirit c. Gal. 4. 29. as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit even so it is now Here is Ishmael born after the flesh i. e. an ungodly and wicked wretch and here is Isaac born after the Spirit i. e. according to the promise of the Spirit and according to the powerful and gracious renewing of the Spirit and presently he is persecuted by Ishmael That must needs be good which Nero persecutes so he must needs be good he must needs have the Spirit of God against whom all the scoffings and mockings and reproaches and persecutions of the wicked are raised Fourthly They that have the Spirit do walk in the Spirit and after the Spirit you read those expressions Gal. 5. 25. and Rom. 8. 4. We walk not afâ—er Such walk in the Spirit the flesh but after the Spirit Now as to walk after the flesh is to set anâ— order the course of our life after our corrupt reason and wills and affections following them as our guides so to walk after the Spirit is to dispose and order our conversation according to the rules and motions of the Spirit so to lead our lives and move on in our courses as the the Spirit of God doth teach us in the Word and stirs us up inwardly to follow Thus doth every one who hath the Spirit of God he walks after the Spirit his conversation is in heaven Phil. 3. 20. His course of life is the course of new obedience that newness of life which the Word sets forth He walks not as the men of this world walk nor according to his own lusts in the times of his ignorance but before God in Holiness and Righteousness for by the Spirit he is sanctified to obedience 1 Pet. 1. 2. 1. He prayes with David Psal 119. 133. Order my steps in thy Word Ephes 5. 10. Proving what is acceptabe to the Lord. 2. For the paths Psal 119. 101. I have refrained my feet from every evil way Ver. 8. I will walk in thy statutes Isa 26. 7. The way of the just is uprightnesse 3. For the end so as to advaace the Kingdom and advance the Gospel a living unto the Lord. Fifthly They that have the Spirit are spiritual worshippers The true worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and truth for the Father seeketh Such are spiritual worshipers such to worship him God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in Spirit and in truth John 4. 23. 24. So Paul in Rom. 1. 9. God is my witness whom I serve with my spirit in the Gospel of his Son Phil 3. 3. We are the circumcision which worship God in the Spirit Beloved take these two things for certain truths viz. 1. Carnal men are but carnal worshippers a form of worship satisfies them bodily service outward performance Isa 29. 13. This people draw near me with Carnal men are carnal worshipers their mouth and with their lips do honour me but have removed their heart farre from me c. Jer. 12. 2. Thou art near in their mouth and farre from their reins 2. But spiritual men or men of the spirit are spiritual worshippers they do worship God in spirit Object But you will say What is it to worship God in spirit Sol. I answer to worship God in spirit is First To have our inward man taken up imployed and acting in all those Religious duties which we do owe and which we do present unto him As when What it is to worship God in Spirit we draw near to him in prayer for power to repent to believe to obey c. not only our mouthes do pray but our very hearts also do pray and our prayers are the lifting up of our hearts Vnto thee O Lord do I lift up my soul Psal 25. 1. Let us lift up our hearts with our hands unto God in the heavens Lam. 3. 41. And the very desires of our souls Isa 26. 8. The desire of our soul is to thy name And when you come to him in confession of sins not only your lips do acknowledge them and condemn you for them but your very hearts are ashamed of them and bewail them and judge them And so when you come to hear the Word a bodily presence doth not satisfie you but your hearts do come with your bodies and your hearts do hear and your hearts are ready to receive the Word with gladness and fear Secondly To have an edge upon our hearts in the services of God a kind of heavenly vigor and strenuousnesse so that our souls do come in to it with all the actual strength which they have for the present Indeed a Christan hath sometimes a stronger and quicker keeness of spirit than he hath at other times but still he puts forth as least in his desires and endeavours what power he hath in his communion with God As he seeks God with his mouth so he seeks him with his whole heart Psal 119. 10. With my whole heart have I sought thee he doth not serve the Lord with a cold formal indifferent spirit but as the Apostle speaks Rom. 12. 11. He is fervent in spirit serving the Lord He prayes and hears fervently and repents fervently and believes fervently 'T is true that he falls very short yet what he doth to the Lord he doth the same in good earnest it is his work and his business and if he finds it otherwise with himseâ—f if he finds a dulness and deadness upon his spirit this troubles him and he strives to shake it off by stirring up himself as the phrase is Isa 64. 7. and that of 2 Tim. 1. 6. and by awaking of his heart and graces I my self will awake saith David Psal 108. 2. and beseeching of the Lord to quicken and to enlarge his heart I will run the way of thy Commandements when thou shalt enlarge my heart Psal 119. 32. Sixthly They who have the Spirit of God are most pleased and delighted in Such delight in spiritual ministrations spiritual and vigorous ministrations which deal most with their spirits and do in a spiritual power most reach their hearts and spiritual condition Beloved this you shall find in experience that a profane heart cannot endure but alwayes hates and despiseth a spiritual and searching Ministry A formal heart hath most satisfaction in a formal Ministry A gracious heart is alwayes best pleased with a spiritual and powerful Ministry with that Ministry which doth come in power and in the demonstration of the Spirit and makes it self manifest unto the consciences of men which is quick in operation and piercing even to the dividing asunder of the soul and spirit and of the joynts and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart Heb. 4. 12. and which is mighty