will is so Thus the Apostle proveth it was no unrighteousnesse in God to love and chuse Iacob and to hate and reject Esau before either of them had done good or evil even before they were borne because his holy will was so Rom. 9.14 15. What shall we then say Is there unrighteousnesse with God God forbid For he saith to Moses I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion And this is the first ground and reason of the Doctrine taken from the consideration of the Iudge himselfe The second respecteth them that are judged and corrected by the Lord. We must needs cleare the Lord from wronging any man in any of his judgements because he never judgeth nor punisheth any man before he hath deserved that and much more then that that God layeth upon him This reason Elihu giveth Iob 34.10 11. Hearken unto me ye men of understanding farre bee it from God that he should doe wickednesse and from the almighty that he should commit iniquitie for the worke of a man shall he render unto him and cause every man to find according to his wayes And the Apostle Rom. 3.19 That every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before God As if he should have said Seing all the world is guilty before God and lyable to his curse for the transgression of his Law every mouth must needs be stopped if not yet certainly at the day of the Lord no man shall be able to open his mouth against or charge him with injustice in any of his judgements upon men Now this Doctrine serveth unto two uses especially 1. For instruction and the informing of our judgements 2. For exhortation and working upon our will and affections For the first This Doctrine serveth notably for convincing of an errour that hath too much place in the minds of most men All men by nature are apt at least secretly in their hearts to question the righteousnesse of God in many of his judgements When the Apostle had made this objection Rom. 3.5 Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance He addeth presently these words I speake as a man saith he As if he should say Every naturall man is apt to speake and thinke so This appeareth evidently by the generall opposition that is made against the doctrine of predestination which both our Church and other reformed Churches have long taught and received by cleare warrant of the word of God For not onely the Papist and the Anabaptist and the Pelagian but every naturall man in the world is apt to cavill against this Doctrine to account it a most absurd and unreasonable Doctrine and all because they cannot conceive how it can stand with justice that God should make such a decree as that is But the Doctrine you have now heard and the reasons of it being well understood and beleeved will stop their mouthes and convince their errour in this point This will be evident unto you if you will but observe these foure points First God had done no wrong if in his eternall decree he had chosen no man unto life but reprobated all men unto destruction For he is our absolute soveraigne Lord as we have heard and it was lawfull for him to doe with his owne what himselfe pleased And who hath deserved that God should choose him unto life As the Apostle speaketh in this very case Rom. 11.35 Who hath first given unto him and it shall be recompensed to him againe Secondly God never condemneth any nor did decree to condemne any but for sinne For he will render to every man according to his workes Rom. 2.6 So that if any man be damned the Lord is not the cause of it but himselfe Thou hast destroyed thy selfe saith the Lord to the wicked Iewes Hos. 13.9 And we have more cause to admire the mercy of God that he hath ordained to save any when he did foresee that all would cast away themselves then to doubt of the justice of God in appointing some to destruction which hee did foresee they would by their voluntary and wilfull transgression most justly deserve Thirdly Though God did foresee that such and such would by their sinnes and continuance in infidelity justly deserve eternall damnation yet it was not the end God aimed at and propounded to himselfe in the decree of reprobation that wicked men might perish for that is a thing God never tooke pleasure in As I live saith the Lord God Ezek. 33 11. I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked But the thing that moved God to make that decree and the end he intended and aimed at in it was the manifestation of his owne glory Pro. 16.4 The Lord hath made all things for himselfe yea even the wicked for the day of evill 1. The manifestation of his glorious justice and wrath against sinne upon the reprobate Rom 9.22 2. The manifestation of his glorious mercy towards his elect which could never have beene so glorious if it had beene common to all mankind And this reason also is gven by the Apostle Rom. 19.23 Fourthly The Lords decree as it is not the cause of the damnation of any but their owne sinne so neither is it the cause of their sinne It doth not impose a necessity upon any to sinne but notwithstanding this decree every man sinneth voluntarily and unconstrainedly neither is the Lord but his owne corruption onely and Satan the cause of his sinne Iam. 1.13 14. So that to conclude this first use Let every one of us strive to suppresse and to reject with detestation and trembling all thoughts that shall rise in our hearts to call into question the righteousnesse of God in any of his decrees or judgements According to the example of the Apostle Rom. 3.4 who when he had but by occasion of this doctrine of reprobation mentioned this objection Is there unrighteousnesse with God abhorreth it presently and rejecteth it in this manner God forbid saith he And if we be not able to comprehend how any thing that the Lord hath decreed or done can stand with equity and justice let us ascribe it rather to our owne weaknesse and shallownesse of understanding then impute the least shadow of injustice unto the Lord and check our selves in that manner that holy Iob did Iob 42.3 I have uttered that I understood not things too wonderfull for me which I knew not Lecture L. On Psalme 51.4 Febru 27. 1626. IT followeth now that we proceed unto the second use that this Doctrine serveth unto And that is to stirre up every one of us that we should strive and labour for this grace to be able to do as David doth heere when it shall come to be our owne case to yeeld this passive obedience unto God in all the degrees of it that we have heard of whensoever or howsoever the Lord shall be pleased to judge and correct us The necessity
endure for us Iohn 18.11 The cup which my father hath given me shall I not drinke When we are once assured God is our father wee shall be made well content to take the bitterest potion from his hand And thus doth the holy Apostle reason Rom. 5. for when he had said that being justified by saith wee are able even to glory in tribulations hee giveth this for the reason of it verse 5. Because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the holy Ghost that is given unto us As if hee had said When once the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts and soaketh into them so as we have a comfortable sense and feeling of it how can we choose but beare tribulations patiently and even glory in them Thirdly and lastly Faith maketh the heart that hath it undoubtedly certaine of those promises God hath made to his people in their afflictions of which we heard when I spake of the motives unto this duty as namely 1. That they shall tend to our good in the end Heb. 12.10 Hee correcteth us for our profit And 2. that in the meane time he will not forsake us in them but assist and support us Psal. 91.15 I will be with him in trouble I will deliver and honour him These promises I say faith maketh the heart certaine of Heb. 11.1 Faith is the evidence of things not seene And he that is sure of these promises how can he choose but beare affliction patiently And say with David Psal. 56.4 In God will I praise his word as if he should say I will praise God for his word and promise And what followeth in the same verse In God have I put my trust I will not feare what flesh can doe unto me Let me apply this briefly 1. By way of exhortation 2. By way of comfort First Seeing faith will stand us in that stead in the evill day and yeeld us that strength and comfort in all afflictions it standeth us upon to get it in time and to looke well to our selves that that faith we thinke we have be such as will abide the tryall in the fornace of affliction such as will not deceive us in the evill day It is the exhortation of the Apostle 2 Cor. 13.5 Examine your selves whether you be in the faith prove your owne selves For alas if we have no true faith no sound assurance that we are in Christ when death shall come when the troublesome time of persecution when the sword of the bloody enemy shall come what shall we doe How shall we be able to beare it What patience what comfort can wee looke to have in that day 1. Extreame affliction is wont to awaken the conscience and set it on worke to bring a mans sins to his remembrance that he never thought of nor was troubled with before As you have heard from the example of Iosephs brethren Gen. 42.21 And what will quiet the conscience when it falleth on brawling and exclaiming upon a man Certainly nothing but faith that sprinkleth the bloud of Christ upon it as the Apostle teacheth us Heb 9.13 14. 2. In the evill day Satan will be apt to cast into mens soules his darts of desperation his fiery darts as the Apostle calleth them And what is it that will quench these darts Surely nothing but faith as the Apostle teacheth Ephe. 6.16 Above all take the shield of faith whereby yee shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of that wicked one Let us therfore looke well to our faith sith our patience and comfort in affliction dependeth so much upon it Two notes I will give you to try it by First By the meanes and manner how it was wrought in thee How camest thou by it Did the Lord worke it in thee by the ministery of his word Did thy saith come by hearing Rom. 10.17 Canst thou say that before ever Christ came into thy heart Iohn Baptist came before him to prepare his way Mark 1.2 That the ministery of the law that effectually discovered thy sins and miserable condition unto thee was thy schoolemaster to bring thee to Christ Gal. 3.24 That before the Lord spake peace to thy heart by the still soft and sweete voice of his Gospel he prepared thy heart to receive it as he did Eliahs 1 Kin. 19.11 12. by great terrour This is certainly the ordinary way whereby God bringeth his elect to faith If thou came not to thy faith this way but in some other more extraordinary manner as I doe not deny but it is possible thou mightest for who can limit the holy one of Israel Psal. 78 41. or tye him to certaine rules thou hast the more cause to suspect it and to try it the more diligently by the second note and that is this Secondly Try it by the effects of it in thy selfe How hath thy faith thou sayest thou hast in Iesus Christ wrought with thee What change hath it made in thee Wee have all of us very lately renewed our faith and made solemne profession of it and confirmed it in the holy Sacrament In it we have by faith fed upon the Lord Iesus or els that bread we did eate at the Lords Table will be as gravell betweene our teeth one day as Solomon speaketh in another case Prov. 20.17 that cup we drunke of there will be as a cup of deadly poison unto us As therefore I exhorted you the last day to examine your selves well before you went to the Lords table so do I now exhort you to an after examination of your selves Hast thou Indeed by faith fed upon the Lord Iesus so lately Then certainly 1. Thou shalt find some abatement of the strength of thy corruptions and lusts Where Christ is by faith received he will purifie the heart Act. 15.9 The woman that had the bloody issue when she had by faith touched but the border of his garment she felt such vertue comming from him as dryed up stanched the issue of blood as you shall find Luke 8.44 And is it possible that wee should have by faith not only touched his garment but eaten and drunke his very body and bloud and yet feele no vertue at all come from him to dry up the fountaine of our corruption but it runneth as fresh and freely as ever it did 2. If thou hast by faith fed upon the Lord Iesus some increase of spirituall strength to resist tentation and to walke in Gods wayes is wrought in thy foule by it Didst thou ever with a good appetite eate thy corporall food but thou receivedst some refreshing and strength by it Arise and eate saith God to Eliah the second time 1 Kin. 19.7 8. for thou hast a great journey to goe and he arose and did eate and drinke and went in the strength of that meat fourty dayes and forty nights And is there not as much vertue in the body blood of Christ being fed upon by faith to give and increase
The sixt meanes labour to bee willing to die Ibid. There is in the best great unwillingnesse and feare to die but for this cause we should be willing because till then wee shall never be rid of our corruption p. 324 325. Lect. 66. The seventh meanes Hie to Christ by faith for strength against it Till one have faith he can mortifie no corruption p. 326. True faith will mortifie sin Ibid and two reasons for that p. 327 c. Lect. 67. For the mortifying of sin faith a most be exercised we must put it forth and make use of it p. 330. Christ cured all that came to him for help and the cure is still ascribed to their faith Christ required nothing else of them to make them capable of cure p. 331. Goe to Christ likewise for helpe in all diseases of thy soule and with faith as they did Ibid foure grounds wee have for our faith in this 1 Christ is able to cure out soules as bodies 2 He is as willing 3 This is the chiefe work he came into the world to do p. 332. 4 Hee hath bound himselfe by promise for this We have his promise for curing us of 1 our ignorance 2 hardnesse of heart 3 profanesse 4 inconstancy p 333. 5 every other sin p. 334. We should stirre up our selves to lay hold on these promises Ibid. Objections against this answered 1 I am so unworthy I dare not go to Christ 2 my faith is so weake I cannot say hold of these promises 3 None of the godly though they have faith can thereby mortifie their corruptions p. 335. Lect. 68. The consideration of the vilenesse of our nature should cause us to admire Gods goodnesse towards us p. 336. Even in his restraining grace towards others that men being so lewd we live so safely and peaceably by them yea that many of them are so kinde to us p. 337 338. Secure thy heart in Gods providence in the worst times and places Ibid. But specially in his restraining grace towards our selves 1 many foule sins that we have the seeds of never shew themselves in us 2 Many foule sins we have felt our selves inclined to have not set upon us with their full force p. 339. 3 God lets us not know all the vilenesse that is in us but hideth a great part of it from us p. 340 341. How farre forth the discovery of sin to us is a blessing Ibid. Lect. 69. The wonderfull power and goodnesse of God is seene in our conversion p. 342. 1 that he sought us out and made us turne when we drew back 2 that he made love to us and sought reconciliation 3 that he should so change us and worke any goodnesse in such hearts as ours p. 343. Errors touching mans conversion p. 344. God hath set a just time for nations and particular persons and wee must count the present time to be that p. 345. Rejoyce if thou have any grace in truth though in the least measure p. 346. Lect. 70. It s an admirable worke of God that any of us should be able to persevere for any time in the state of grace viz. either 1 in the profession of the truth or 2 in the comfortable assurance of Gods favour or 3 in a Christian course of life p. 347. Considering 1 what a world age we live in 2 what the malice power and subtlety of Sathan is Ibid. 3 How fearefully others have fallen 4 what corrupt hearts we have p. 348. Our Perseverance to bee ascribed onely to God viz. 1 to his power 2 to his goodnesse p. 349. Therefore 1 Seeke saving grace its th' only durable riches 2 if thou have it blesse God for it and admire his power and goodnesse in it 3 be not proud of thy standing but ascribe it to God 4 Be not secure but watchfull and fearefull least thou fall p. 350 351. Lect. 71. The faithfull apt to thinke they have lost al grace because they have lost their first love delight and fervency in good duties 2 their faith and assurance of Gods favour 3 their strength to overcome tentations to sin Two preservatives against this tentation 1 The best of Gods servants have beene thus subject to variablenesse in their spirituall estate p. 352. God seeth it good they should bee so p 353. Object Wicked men will bee apt to stumble at this Ibid. 2 Though thou thinkest in this case thou hast lost all grace yet it is not so 1 if thou wouldst examine thine heart well thou wouldst finde grace in it still 2 though thou cannot another may 3 Though neither thy selfe nor another can discerne it yet certainely it is in thee for no elect childe of God called according to his purpose can so fall as utterly to loose all grace p. 354. This evident in all the three degrees of their spirituall decayes p. 355. Obj. But though I be now in the state of grace I feare when the fiery tryall shal come I shall fall I shall not be able to stand in the last and sharpest combat I shall have with Sathan at my death Answ. Certainely thou shalt not perish irrecoverably if there be the fruit of Gods eternall love and election in any truth of grace in thee two pillars thou hast to uphold thee 1 Gods power 2 his will p. 355 356. Lect. 72. Admirable it is that God should respect any service commeth from such as wee are that have so filthy and corrupt hearts considering 1 how corrupt we and our best services are a how pure and holy the Lord is p. 357. 3 Yet 1 he taketh notice of all the poore services we doe 2 winks at and passes by the staines and blemishes of them p. 358. 3 delights in them 4 rewards them p. 359. Reasons why he doth so 1 Because he seeth our hearts are good and upright in them 2 They are fruits of his owne Spirit 3. They are in Christ p. 360. Lect. 73. Carnall men have no just cause to stumble at this that God is so apt to winke at and passe by the slips of his children for 1 They are not his children p. 361. 2 If they were he would not beare with such faults as theirs no not in his children Ibid p. 362. 3 To theÌ„ that are wicked he will bee every whit as rigorous as he is indulgent to his children for 1 he will not beare with the least fault in them 2 he will take nothing in good part they do Ibid. 3 he liketh the worse of them even for the service they presume to doe unto him p. 363. Yet must the most wicked men pray and do other duties for all this and may receive good thereby three waies for 1 this will lessâ—n his condemnation 2 This will procure him temporall blessings and deliverances Ibid. 3 He may thus further his own salvation p 364. It s the fault of Gods people 1 that they of all other have the saddest hearts most subject to feare whereas they have three
p. 448. 2 The taskes God sets his servants are not hard nor heavie 1 Indeed to wicked men they are not onely difficult but impossible Ibid. 2 To the godliest the commandements of God as the law enjoynes them are impossiâ—le 3 To yeeld Evangelicall obedience to the commandements of God is very difficult to the regenerate in respect of the remnants of naturall corruption in them p. 449. Yet is not the service of God so painefull as needs discourage us from it for 1 The Commandements are possible to the regenerate 2 yea to the weaker Christian they are easie as Christ enjoynes them 3 They are to them in respect of the inward man nothing grievous p. 450. This none can doubt of that considers the gracious disposition of the Lord and master we doe service to p. 551. This appeares in foure points 1 his aptnesse to passe by and winke at our offences and failings in his service Ibid. 2 his aptnesse to accept of that little we are able to do 3 when he enjoynes services of extraordinary difficulty hee gives extraordinary supply of strength and assistance p. 452. 4 The wages and reward he giveth Even in this life if we serve him we shall be sure 1 of his countenance and speciall favour 2 of protection and safety in times of greatest danger 3 of competency in outward things 4 when time of paiment commeth we shall be abundantly recompensed for all the paines wee have taken p. 4.53 The consideration of this wages and the hope of it should make us go through with our work cheerefully p. 454. Lect. 92. This doth greatly aggravate the sinne and damnation of wicked men that they have no grace nor are saved because they have no will nor desire to have grace and to bee saved p. 454. Wicked men are apt to impute all to Gods decree and will onely Ibid. But as the Lord is not the cause of any mans sinne but man himselfe so is not God the cause of any mans destruction but man himselfe p. 455. for 1 they will take no paines to obtaine grace and to escape damnation Ibid. 2 when they may have the meanes of grace and salvation without charge or paines they neglect them and account them a burden p. 456. 3 when God forceth good motions upon them they resist them 4 They doe in their hearts despise grace and salvation Ibid. Obj. This cannot be because 1 a man is dead in trespasses and who can blame a dead man for not desiring to live 2 the matter of mans salvation dependeth wholly upon the will of God 3 God can if he will overcome this unwillingnes that is in man Answ. 1. God is not the cause why man is dead in sin but himselfe 2 God is not bound to restore him to life 3 He is not so dead but there 's enough left in him to make him inexcusable he may do more then he doth p. 457. for he may if he will 1 forbeare many sinnes that make him more uncapable of grace and will increase his damnation 2 do many good workes 3 frequent the meanes even the best meanes Ibid 4 So observe and take to heart the Word and judgements of God as to bring his heart thereby unto Legall repentance and humiliation p. 458. 5 Out of the sense of his owne wretchednesse not onely desire the prayers of others but himselfe also pray and cry to God for mercy p. 458. Obj. All this that the naturall man can do is nothing worth nor pleasing to God Answ. Yet 1 he is nearer to salvation that doth thus what lieth in him then any other naturall man is 2 though by doing all this he cannot deserve nor be assured God will give him grace yet may he hope herein to finde mercy because 1 God so infinite in goodnesse Ibid. 2 he seeketh to the vilest sinners 3 he hath shewed much respect even to these endeavours of sundry naturall men p. 459. 3 They that doe not thus what they are able are hereby 1 made more inexcusable 2 worse and worse and 3 shall receive greater damnation Ibid. Lect. 93. Gods Ministers are of all workes of their ministery most bound to comfort th' afflicted soules p 459. Obj. They apt to doubt they are hypocrites that they have not one of the signes of uprightnesse in them p. 460. Answ. 1. The having some dregs of hypocritic or other sins will not prove one an hypocrite or wicked man unlesse it reigne in him p. 461. 2 Hypocrisie nor any other sin doth reigne in him that discernes it and feeleth it to be a burden Ibid. 462. 3 He that cannot take comfort in any of the rest of the signes of an upright heart may in this if he finde that in his minde he consents to the Word and unfeignedly also desires to please God in all things and to doe his will Ibid. Because he that hath this hath all the rest p. 463. This confirmed by three forts of proofes Ibid. Foure signes of an heart that 's set to please God and truly desires grace p. 465. Lect. 94. Motives to perswade us to labour to be upright in heart Such God hath promised to be good unto p. 466. 1 in outward things viz. 1 in their habitations and dwellings 2 in their children 3 in al other good things 4 yea in times of common calamity p. 467. And in spirituall things also for such 1 shall never loose Gods favour and grace 2 shall have strength from God to endure any tryall p. 468. 3 Have a joyfull issue out of all their tentations and spirituall desertions p. 469. Meanes to purge us from hypocrisie and to get and preserve uprightnesse 1 The heart must be broken before ever it can be found 2 Get true faith in Christ 3 Take heed of living in knowne sin Ibid. 4 Thinke oft of this that Gods eye is upon thee 5 Complaine to God of the falsehood of thine heart and beg an upright heart of him p. 470. Lect. 95. What 's meant by knowing of wisdome in the hidden part p. 472. True and saving knowledge is the principall work of Gods grace in the conversion of man For 1 in every one whom he converts he worketh saving knowledge Ibid. 2 This the first worke of grace 3 The change and conversion of a sinner consists chiefly in this p. 473. Reason 1 Because it is the foundation and that gives stability and durablenesse to all other graces 2 It is the seed and beginning of all other graces p. 473 477. Lect. 96. We are bound to desire procure so farre as in us lyeth that all men may have the meanes of knowledge for we are bound to pitty the estate of all even the worst men that live and to desire their salvation and knowledge is the onely meanes to bring them to salvation p 477 478. A sound ministery the greatest outward fruit of Gods mercy to a people 478. The Gospell hath beene more fruitfull in good works then popery p.
479. Though it be the great sin of many professors of the Gospel that they give little or nothing to charitable pious uses yet the greatest work of charity mercy that can be don is to provide for a people able Ministers and to maintaine and encourage them Ib. 480. Parents and masters of families must use their utmost endeavour to bring their children and servants to knowledge and by what meanes p. 481. Ministers first and chiefe care must be to bring the people to knowledge Ibid. and therefore must 1 Catechise them 2 teach plainely 3 ground all their application upon sound doctrine 4 study for their Sermons p. 482. Lect. 97. All Gods people should seeke for knowledge 1 not resting in any good thing they seeme to have without this 2 not contenting themselves with every small measure of knowledge but seeke for a setled and well grounded knowledge and certainty in religion p. 483. Yet is there a kinde of knowledge in religion and divine things that 1 many hypocrites doe attaine unto Ibid. 2 and wherein they excell most Christians 3 yea which is the greatest barre and impediment to grace of all others p 484. The knowledge wee should labour for is sanctified knowledge such as Gods Spirit worketh in the regenerate Ibid. Wee should examine whether our knowledge be such or no. Signes of saving knowledge p. 485. 1 th' object of it is the Word 2 Specially such parts of it as are most usefull and most concerne us Ibid. 3 It s a cleere and certaine knowledge 4 There 's no fullnesse nor satiety in it but the more a man hath it the more he feeleth the want of it and desires it p. 486. Lect. 98. Saving knowledge may be knowne by the effects of it 1 It humbleth them that have it and puffs them not up p. 487. 2 It workes upon the heart to stirre up good affections p. 488. 3 It s operative and powerfull to reforme the heart and life of him that hath it p. 489 490. 4 It strengthens a man against tentations p. 491. Lect. 99. Motives to seeke knowledge 1 The matters we are exhorted to get knowledge in concerne all one as well as another for 1 all challenge an equall interest in God therefore it concernes one as well as another to know him his will p. 492. 2 all Gods people have equall interest in the holy Scripture one as much as another and therfore it concernes all to be well acquainted with them and expert in them p. 493. 2 Great is the necessity and benefit of knowledge and great is the danger and mischiefe of ignorance for 1 knowledge is a duty commanded a grace highly pleasing to God and such as hath a promise of blessing Ibid. Whereas ignorance is a sin which much grieveth and provoketh God yea such a sin as he hath revealed his wrath from heaven against by judgements both corporall spirituall and eternall p. 494. 2 Knowledge is a comfortable signe of a mans election and that hee is in covenant with God and that his heart is upright pag. 495. Whereas ignorance is a signe of reprobation and that one still remaines under the power of Sathan and hath a wicked and naughty heart p. 496. 3 He that hath knowledge will bee constant in religion and not be corrupted by any seducers whereas hee that is ignorant will easily bee drawne away from the truth hee professeth Ibid. 4 He that hath knowledge walketh boldly and comfortably in all his waies whereas hee that is ignorant must needs bee full of doubts and feares p. 497. Lect. 100. Meanes of sanctified and saving knowledge 1 None can attaine it that is not sensible of his owne ignorance p. 498. 2 nor he that hath not an heart truly humbled Ibid 3 nor that doth not attend diligently conscionably upon the sound ministery of the Word preached p. 499 502. 4 Reading of the Word is also a good meanes to confirme and establish the heart in knowledge So is 5 Meditation 6 good conference and 7 Prayer p. 502. Lect. 101. The Conversion of a man is to bee ascribed wholly unto God and the mighty working of his grace 1 of God it is that any man enjoyeth sufficient meanes of grace even a sound ministery in this Gods speciall hand and goodnesse is to be acknowledged p. 503. 2 This is no common favour but a speciall and rare favour of God p. 504 505. 3 The right use of the light of nature cannot deserve God should give his Gospell to any neither hath he respect to any goodnesse in man but is mooved to it onely by his owne free grace p. 506 507. Lect. 102. That the meanes of grace become effectuall to the conversion of any is to be ascribed onely to the Spirit of God not to the meanes themselves Why so much is ascribed in Scripture to the Word it selfe and to the ministery thereof p. 507 509. Powerfull and effectuall grace is not given to all men that enjoy the meanes to profit be converted by them if they will p. 510. The worke of grace in the conversion of man is most free it dependeth wholly upon the will good pleasure of God Ibid. 511 Lect. 103. No man is able to attaine to that knowledge of the truth as is sufficient to salvation by any ability that is in him by nature without the supernaturall worke of Gods grace p. 512. for 1 though the Scripture be plaine and lightsome and all truths needfull to be knowne are clearly and evidently delivered in it specially in the New Testament and more especially being interpreted to us in the ministery of the Word yet are we all by nature blind Ibid. p. 513. and void of capacity and a vaile is over our hearts which till God do cure and remoove we can make no use of that light p. 514. Proportionable to the work of the Spirit in opening our eyes and curing our blindnesse shall our knowledge be God perfects not this cure in any during this life nor doth hee so fully cure it in some of his good servants as in other some but in heaven this cure shall bee perfected Ibid. 2 Though some naturall men have attained to a great measure of knowledge yet not such as is sufficient to salvation for it is but literall and historicall it is not a full assurance of understanding it s not spirituall knowledge that none can attaine unto without supernaturall grace Ibid. p. 515. This supernaturall work of Gods grace as it is extraordinary and miraculous so is it rare and vouchsafed but to few Ibid. 516. Th' onely cause why God vouchsafeth it to one rather then another is his owne good pleasure and will nothing in man himselfe Ibid. Lect. 104. Every man by nature is dead in trespasses and our conversion is the reviving or raising of a dead man p. 516 517. From the Scripture similitudes doctrines may be taught and errors convinced p. 517 518. Though
receive whatsoever God shall teach you With such a heart came Cornelius to heare Peter Act. 10.33 We are all here present before God to heare all things that are commanded thee of God It is the suit of Christ to his Church Cant. 5.2 Open to me my sister my love my dove shut not thy heart against me and my Word To this also a promise is made Ps. 24.7 Lift up your heads ô ye gates and be ye lift up ye everlasting doores and the King of glory shall come in And Revel 3.20 If any man heare my voice and open the doore I will come in to him and will sup with him and he with me Certainely if men would come to the Word with such open and teachable hearts ready to receive and learne whatsoever God shall teach they would profit must more then they do But alas most that heare us come with prejudicate and forestalled hearts they have certaine imaginations and errors of their mind which they are resolved to hold concerning the Sabbath and recreations and even this point that I have now so largely handled touching the necessity of living under a sound and profitable ministery and diverse other things And these imaginations and errors of their judgement serve as strong holds to keepe Christ and his truth out of their hearts 2 Cor. 10.4 5. With this mind many a one comes to heare us I know the preacher well enough he differs from me in judgement in sundry things but it is no matter I can heare him and hold mine owne well enough I like his gifts well and will receive his doctrine so farre as I judge it to bee true but if once he fall upon his owne conceits there I will leave him And do so still in Gods name if any preacher teach his owne conceits though he had the gifts of an Angell beleeve him not Gal. 1.8 9. But take heed thou count not that his conceit which he teacheth thee by good warrant of Gods Word For in that case if thou receive not whatsoever he teacheth thee I will assure thee that that which thou seemest to receive will doe thee no good For certainely these men that in their hearing do thus limit and gage the Word and spirit of God would if it lay in their power as those wicked men mentioned Esay 30.10 Say to the Seers see not and to the Prophets prophesie not unto us right things speake unto us smooth things And those that did so the Lord calls despisers of his Word verse 12. Sixthly come with a heart resolved to obey and practise whatsoever God shall teach and command thee With such a heart came David to the Word Psal. 119.33 34. Teach me O Lord the way of thy statutes and I shall keepe it unto the end give me understanding and I shall keepe thy law yea I shall observe it with my whole heart To this the promise is made Ioh. 7.17 If any man will do his will he shall know of the Doctrine whether it be of God or whether I speake of my selfe Such shall attaine to a setled and certaine knowledge of the truth And Luk. 8.15 They that with an honest heart heare the Word keepe it and bring forth fruit with patience Mica 2.7 Doe not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly And how can they then profit by the ministery of the Word that in their hearing seeke nothing but knowledge intend nothing lesse then to practise ought they heare like those Ezek. 33.31 They heare thy words but they will not do them But rather resolve before hand they will be still as they were they will do as their neighbours doe as Zeâ—echia did 2 Chron 36.13 He sâ—iffaed his worke and hardned his heart from turning unto the Lord God of Israel No preacher shall alter them they can heare them they trow and ver do still as they list What Wee were wise men indeed if wee should practise what we heare leave our good fellowship bring religion into our families so should we be counted Puritans God forbid we should ever become such fooles Oh take heed God forbid it not indeed When Pharaoh had hardned his owne heart against the meanes God had used to soften it Exod. 8 15. ye read oft in that book afterward that God hardned his heart Exod. 9.12 O therefore take heed of this Heb. 3.7.8 If ye will heare his voice harden not your hearts Seventhly come in faith to the hearing of the Word and in a certaine expectation to receive that good from the Lord in this his ordinance which he hath promised to doe and worke by it We should thinke and meditate of the promises God hath made to this duty and expect by faith the performance of them Christ hath promised he will be with his servants in their ministery to the end of the world Mat. 28.20 Beleeve this and expect his gracious presence to make his ordinance effectuall in thine heart He hath said Luk. â—1 28 Blessed are they that heare the Word Consider who spake this beleeve him of his word and expect a blessing from him in thy hearing The Lord hath said Psal. 19.7 The law of the Lord is perfect converting the soule And Rom. 1. â—6 â—t is the power of God unto salvation Thou feelest sundry corruptions which thou wouldest faine have power to overcome and thy heart converted from them unto the Lord beleeve this which God hath said of his Word and expect to finde this converting power of God in this his ordinance So the Lord hath said of this ordinance Acts 20.32 that it is able to build his people up and to persit the worke of grace begun in them and thou wouldst grow and art troubled that thou growâ—st to better come in saith to it and looke to receive this benifit by it So the Lord hath said Esa. 57.19 that he createth and ordaineth the fruit of the lips to be peace peace to them that are nâ—are and to them that are a far of And thou wâ—ntest peace in thy conscience beleeve what God that cannot lie hath said and look verily to have peace wrought in thy heart by this meanes In a word God hath said of this his ordinance Esa. 55.3 Heare and your soule shall live And Iam 1.21 That it is able to save your soules beleeve this then and expect life and salvation by it How should the most of our hearers then receive any good by this ordinance of God when few or none come to it in this faith They never stirre up themselves to thinke of these promises or to expect any such good by it As it was with them that desired to receive good by Christs divine power in working miracles they must bring faith with them Marke 9.23 Iesus said to him that came to have his sonne dispossessed If thou canst beleeve all these things are possible to him that beleeveth And still according to their faith so they sped Matth. 9. â—9 So
is it in this case They that desire to receive good by the divine power of God in this his ordinance must bring faith to it and according to their faith so shall they speed And as it is said of Christ Matth. 13.58 He did 〈◊〉 are 〈◊〉 works in Nazareth because of their unbeliefe So may it be sayd of our Church assemblies now adayes God sheweth not his saving power much in them because of the unbeliefe of our hearers Eightly and lastly If thou wouldest profite by thy hearing pray before thou hearest No good thing ye know can bee expected from God with a blessing if it be not sought by prayer Deut. 4.7 The Lord our God is nigh unto us in all that we call upon him for And in this particular it is the duty of Gods people to pray for their teachers that they may so speake as they ought to speake Col. 4.4 and specially that in their ministery they may so apply the word as it may effectually meet with their corruptions Let the righteous smite me saith David Psal. 141.5 it shall be a kindnesse and let him reprove me it shall be as an excellent oyle For themselves also they should pray that through Gods assistance they may heare profitably and be blessed in their hearing Thus did David go to the Word Psal. 19.18 Open thou mine eyes that I may behold wonderous things out of thy law For the Lord only is he that can teach us to profite Esa. 48.17 I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profite To this is the promise made Pro. 2.3 5. If thou cryest after knowledge and liftest up thy voice for understanding then shalt thou understand the feare of the Lord and find the knowledge of God And surely this is one chiefe cause why there is so little profiting by the ministery of the word For before they come to Church pray either for the preacher or themselves nay few when they are at Church have any heart to joyne with the Preacher in the prayer that he maketh before the Sermon But that complaint may bee made in this case which the Prophet maketh Esay 64.7 There is none that calleth on thy name that stirreth up himselfe to take hold of thee Lecture VI. On the Title of Psalme 51. Novemb. 23 1625. IT followeth now that we proceed to the other two parts of the use of Direction And for the better stirring up of your affection to that which I am to deliver you must know this that to heare the word profitably is a laborious and painefull thing The bringing of your bodies hither and lending of your eares is not all though that be painfull to you that come farre but there is more belongs to it then so there is a labour of the mind and heart required in this worke Strive saith our Saviour Luk 13.24 to enter in at the strait gate Every gate every part of that way whereby wee must come to life eternall is strait and narrow and without much striving labour it is not possible to passe through it To pray aright you that are acquainted with the conscionable performance of this duty find it to be a painfull and laborious thing Rom. 15.30 Strive together with me saith the Apostle in your prayers to God for me And surely it is no lesse painfull a thing to heare spiritually and profitably Labour saith our Saviour Iohn 6.27 not for the meate which perisheth but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life And no marvell For 1. there is an utter indisposition of our owne hearts by nature to every thing that is good being alienated in our minds from God as the Apostle speaketh Colos. 1.21 and estranged as David saith Psal. 58.3 from the very wombe 2. Satan also is very busie with us when wee goe about this worke of hearing Gods Word to hinder us by all the cunning he hath from hearing it fruitfully Luke 8.12 Those by the high-way side are they that heare then commeth the devill and taketh away the Word out of their hearts lest they should beleeve and be saved 3. The Lord though he first converted us without any helpe of our owne will and endeavour for wee were by nature dead in trespasses Ephes. 2.1 yea he converted us against our will Rom. 10.21 All the day long have I stretched out my hands unto a disobedient and gain-saying people Yet will he not save us nor build us up in grace nor blesse the meanes of grace unto us without the helpe of our will and endeavour but when he hath once regenerated and renewed our will hee will have usâ— imploy it in his worke Phil. 2.12 Worke out your owne salvation Wee had need therefore to take paines with our owne hearts and strive to heare profitably For certainely as a great cause why we profit so little by the Word is this that we will not do that that lyeth in us to make our hearing profitable we will take no paines in this worke so if we would take a little paines for it we should find that the fruit and comfort we should receive by it would abundantly recompence all the paines wee have taken in it That which Solomon saith of labour in our lawfull callings Pro. 14.23 In all labour there is profite and 13.11 He that gathereth by labour shall increase there is a secret blessing of God upon men that labour in the meanest calling that is that they are able to live and thrive by it may fitly be applyed to this purpose they that labour and will take paines in the worke of their owne salvation to make all meanes of Grace profitable unto themselves shall certainly thrive and increase in Grace whereas the lazy soule under the best meanes of Grace that are shall still be like Pharaohs Kinâ— lâ—ane and ill-favoured Gen. 45.21 VVe find by experience that it is not the greatnes of a mans living that maketh him rich but the good imploying and carefull husbanding of it A little ground if a good husband a carefull and painfull man have the occupying of it proves oftentimes more fruitfull then a great deale more land will doe in the hands of a lazy and carelesse husband though it be of it selfe a better soile and have more helps from God and nature then the other hath Pro. 24.30 3â— I went by the field of the slothfull and by the Vineyard of the man void of understanding and loe it was all growne over with thornes and nettles had covered the face thereof and the stone wall thereof was broken downe So it is not the greatnesse and excellency of the ministery that a man liveth under and daily frequenteth that will make one rich in Grace but the care and endeavour himselfe useth to make it profitable to him A weaker ministery with this care will be more availeable to inrich the heart then the strongest can be without it As I therefore shewed you the last day what you must do before you come
I may use to you the words of the Prophet Esa. 42.23 Who among you will give eare to this who will hearken and heare for the time to come Thirdly and lastly Admit there were but one or two among you that had present need of comfort and none of the rest of you either needed it now or were like to stand in need of it hereafter yet stand I more bound to respect the two poore afflicted soules then al the rest of you though you were as many more as you are and rather let you all go without that portion that belongeth to you then those two And I have three reasons to move me to it First the example of the Prophet Elisha 2 King 4.27 who had tender respect to the Shunamite when her soule was vexed within her Yea of Christ who is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the chiefe shepheard and pastour who professeth this to be his chiefe care Ezek. 34.16 I will bind up that which was broken and will strengthen that that was sicke And that this was the chiefe worke God appointed him to when he sent him to preach Esa. 61.1 2. He hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted and to comfort all that mourne in Zion And gave an experiment of this in Peter and Mary whom because they were afflicted in conscience he shewed more care of after his resurrection then of all the rest of the Disciples Mar 16 9. 1 Cor. 15.5 Ioh. 21.15 Secondly the charge and commandement of Christ which he hath given all his Ministers concerning these as appeareth Esa. 40.1 2. Comfort ye comfort ye my people saith your God speake ye comfortably to Ierusalem And in that charge to Peter Ioh. 21.15 Feed my lambes Thirdly as these poore soules have need to be comforted and have this evill usually accompanying their other misery that it is a hard thing to fasten any comfort upon them their soulâ— usually refuseth comfort when they are in this case as David speaketh Psal 77.2 So the ministery of the Word being ordained to this very end 1 Cor. 4.3 hath more force and God sheweth his power more in it this way then in any private meanes According to that Esa 57.19 I create the fruit of the lips peace peace to him that is farre off and to him that is neere saith the Lord and I will heale him Now therefore hearken unto me so many of you as feare the Lord and yet are much subject to trouble of mind and heavinesse of heart and to use the words of the Evangelicall Prophet Esa. 51.1 hearkâ—n unto me ye that folow aâ—â—â—r righteousnesse ye that seeke the Lord. Stirre up your hearts to admit of the word of consolation Foure things I have to say to you for your comfort First It is the will of God that such as you are should be cheerefull and comfortable in your spirits He hath oft charged you in his Word to be so yea as oft and as earnestly as ever he charged you to feare him and to lead a godly life Psal. 32.11 Be glad in the Lord and rejoyce ye righteous so I would wilt thou say if I were so but marke what followeth and shout for joy all ye that are upright in heart Yea Psalme 105.3 Let the heart of them rejoyce that seeke the Lord. Yea Phil. 4.4 Rejoyce in the Lord alway and againe I say rejoyce To omit many other places as Psalme 2.11.33.1.48.11.68.4.97.12.149.2.5 Matth. 5.12 Luke 10.20 Rom. 12.13 Phil. 3.1 1 Thess. 5.26 By all which you may perceive this that God greatly delighteth to see you cheerefull and comfortable Secondly I must intreat you to consider the mischiefe that commeth by your giving so much way to your heavinesse and feares 1. You give occasion to wicked men to blaspheme and speake evill of the good waies of God as if this preaching and profession made men mad or mopish that follow it and so yee alienate their hearts from religion and make them hate preaching As the spies that brought an evill report of the land of promise and said Numb 1â— 32 It was a land that devoured the inhabitants of it alienated the hearts of the people from it and made them murmur against Moses and Aaron Numb 14.2 It is said Acts 9.31 that while the faithfull walked in the feare of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost they multiplied That is the way to add to the Church and gaine others to it when Christians walke cheerefully and comfortably and so the contrary is a stumbling blocke to keepe men from it 2. By yeelding to this heavinesse you give advantage to Sathan and make your selves lesse able to resist his tentations Neh. 8.10 Be not so sorrowfull for the joy of the Lord is your strength 3. By yeelding to this heavinesse and feare ye make the duties and services ye do to God lesse acceptable unto him For as God loveth a cheerefull giver 2 Cor. 9.7 so doth he a cheerefull worshipper Psalme 100.2 Serve the Lord with gladnesse The Lord would have us call the Sabbath a delight Esa. 58.13 And threatneth captivity even for this Deut. 28.47 Because they served him not with joyfullnesse and with gladnesse of heart Thirdly I must desire you to consider how just cause such as you are have to be comfortable and cheerfull in the Lord what cause soever you have of humbling in your selves For certainly yeare in a blessed state Psal. 128.1 Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord. 1. You are the people to whom the kingdome of heaven doth belong Mat. 5.3 Blessed are the poore in spirit for theirs is the kingdome of heaven And all things that befall you shall certainely tend to the fitting of you for it and therefore you have just cause of joy Feare not little flock saith our Saviour Luk. 12 3â— it is your fathers good pleasure to give you the kingdome Rom. 8.28 All things worke together for good to them that feare God Rom. 5.2 We rejoyce in hope of the glory of God Yea we glory in tribulation also verse 3..2 You are the people whose sins are forgiven and for whom Christ hath fully satisfyed the justice of his father so as though you may be chastised sharply for them punished you shall never be In that day there shall be a fountaine opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Ierusalem for sinne and for uncleannesse Zach. 13.1 In what day See that Zach. 12.10 when God shall poure upon them the spirit of grace and supplications so as they should looke upon him whom they had pierced and mourne for him And therefore thou hast just cause of joy Esa. 40.2 Speake ye comfortably to Ierusalem and cry unto her that her warfare is accomplished the battell is fought and victory obtained against all her enemies that her iniquity is pardoned for she hath received of the Lords hand double for all her sinnes 3. You are the people that how ever men esteeme you or you thinke of
had not knowne sinne effectually for doubtlesse hee did by nature know many sins or to my good and comfort but by the Law The word is a lampe unto our feete and a light unto our pathes as David calleth it Psalme 119.105 It is a glasse that will discover unto us what manner of men wee are Iames 1.23 24. Let us therefore even for this cause desire not onely to live where wee may have this light but to increase also in the knowledge of the Word Let us therfore make this use of the light we live in and use the word as a glasse that we may know our sins better the more light wee have the better we may discerne what is amisse about us It is made the property of a wicked man to hate the Word for this and refuse to come at it because it discovereth to him his sins Iohn 3.20 Every one that doth evill hateth the light neither commeth bee to it lest his deeds should be reproved And on the contrary it is said of every one that hath grace that he loveth the Word the better even for this cause Iohn 3.21 He that doth truth that is practiseth what he knoweth and maketh conscience of his waies commeth to the light that his deeds may be made manifest Secondly He that would be able to confesse his sins unto God aright must observe his own waies well bethink himselfe well before hand or when he doth ought whether it be lawfull or no. He that never mindeth nor regardeth what he doth whether it please God or no how should he ever know his sins or confesse them aright unto God We are therfore oft commanded to set our minds and hearts upon that wee doe Pro. 4.26 Ponder the path of thy feet Hag. 1.5 Consider your wayes And the godly man is described by this property Pro. 14.15 The prudent looketh well to his going Yea this is spoken of as a speciall mean and help unto repentance Ps. 119.9 Wherwith shall a young man cleanse his way By taking heed thereto according to thy word ver 59. I thought on my wayes and turned my feete unto thy testimonies And on the other side this is made a chiefe cause why men commit many sins and never see them nor are troubled with them that they go rashly on in their waies at all adventures Keri Levit. 26.21 that they never consider what they do Esa. 1.3 that they despise their wayes regard them not as if they should never be called to account for them Pro. 19.16 And yet as light account as thou makest of them know God will reckon with thee for them one day Matt. 12.36 If men would thinke and consider what they do it would either keepe them from doing evill or when they had done amisse they would be able to discerne it and make their peace with God Solomon saith of the wise man Eccl. 2.14 that his eyes are in his head and in your worldly businesses when you buy or sell or do any worke in your calling you will mind that you goe about that you receive no hurt by your carelesnes and want of taking heed O that wee could learne to bee as wise for our soules to mind and set our hearts upon every thing wee doe least wee offend God by it This is required of us not only in our recreations and in the ordinary affaires of our calling but even in the services we doe unto God Take heed how you heare saith our Saviour Luke 8.18 Take heed to thy foote saith Solomon Eccle 5.1 when thou entrest into the house of God As if hee had sayd Marke what thou dost and consider whether thou performe thy service to God as thou shouldest doe and be more ready to heare then to offer the sacrifice of fooles for they consider not that they doe evill As if hee should say this is the cause why most men offer such foolish sacrifices unto God they consider not what they do Thirdly He that would be able to confesse his sins unto God aright must use to take a dayly account of himselfe and of his wayes This examination of our selves wee find oft prescribed in the word as a speciall meanes and helpe to bring us unto true repentance Lamentati 3.40 Let us search and try our wayes and turne againe unto the Lord. Psalme 4.4 Tremble and sinne not examine your owne heart upon your bed And on the other side the neglect of it is mentioned as a chiefe cause and signe of impenitency Ieremy 8.6 No man repented him of his wickednesse saying what have I done And as this examination of our selves is profitable and necessary so the oftener wee use it the more profitable it will be Three notable benefits wee shall receive by it if wee would accustome our selves to use it every day 1. It would be a good meanes to bridle us and restraine us from sin when wee considered this with our selves this I must account with God and mine owne conscience for before I sleep As the dayly thinking of the generall account wee must one day come to is most effectuall this way as is plaine in that speech of the Apostle 2 Corinth 5.10 11. so would the thought of this particular account wee bring our selves to doe us great good also 2. It would free us from the feare of sudden death which may befall any of us and we would be prepared for it when we suffer no sin to lodge with us all night that we have not repented of Watch yee therefore saith our Saviour Marke 13.35 36. for yee know not when the master of the house commeth lest comming suddenly hee find you sleeping When a man hath made his peace with God he may sleepe quietly he need not feare death Psal. 4 8. I will both lay me downe in peace and sleepe 3 By this meanes a man may remember his sins and the circumstances of them much better and so more fully and effectually confesse them unto God Whereas if wee suffer our selves to runne long upon the score wee shall bee apt to forget much and not bee so sensible as when our sins were fresh in memory In this case we may say as Iob. 13.12 though he speaketh it there in another sense our memories are like unto ashes Fourthly Hee that would confesse his sinnes in an effectuall manner unto God must not onely observe and call himselfe to an account for his daily sins which happily will not much affect him but keepe in mind and call oft to remembrance his old sins such as he hath most fouly offended God by in times past that he may renew his repentance for them Deut. 9.7 Remember and forget not how thou provokedst the Lord to wrath in the wildernes Thus doth David remember the sins of his youth Psal. 25.7 Fiftly and lastly He that would fully and effectually confesse his sins to God must beg grace and helpe of God to doe it For wee have heard it is a
And Ioh 6.44 No man can come unto me except my father draw him 2. That God doth all in this worke himselfe alone and hath no helpe from man and it is therefore called a creation Ephes. 2.10 a regeneration Iohn 3.3 a raising of one from the dead Ephes. 2.5 6. 3. That this worke that God doth in mans conversion is no common worke For 1. It is evident hee giveth not so much as the outward meanes of grace and conversion in particular to all men Yea to the most of the nations in the world by farre he hath denied his word altogether and suffered them as the Apostle speaketh Acts 14.16 to walke in their owne wayes And even those nations that hee hath vouchsafed his word unto that may bee said of this spirituall raine which he speaketh of the materiall Amos 4.7 I caused it to raine upon one City and caused it not to raine upon another City one piece was rained upon and the other piece whereupon it rained not withered In Phrygia and Galatia Paul preached as you may see Acts. 16.6 7. but was forbidden of the holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia In Misia hee preached but when hee assayed to goe into Bithynia the spirit suffered him not 2. To many of those that hee doth give the meanes unto hee doth not give effectuall grace to bee converted by them To you it is given to know the mysteries of the Kingdome of heaven saith our Saviour Matth. 13.11 but to them it is not given This saving grace it is a rare grace found in very few even of them that doe enjoy the meanes in one of a City or two of a Tribe as the Prophet speaketh Iere. 3.14 Many are called but few are chosen Matth. 22.14 Acts 13.48 As many as were ordained to eternall life beleeved Secondly If this be so let no vaine man thinke that he can repent and will repent before hee dye though hee take his pleasure in sin a while Can the Aethiopian change his skin or the Leopard his spots Iere. 13.23 then mayest thou bee able to repent when thou wilt No no it is the worke of God alone yea the wonderfull and miraculous and rare worke of God to convert a soule And therefore bemone thy state to God with Ephraim Ieremy 31.18 19. and say turne thou mee and I shall bee turned else shall I never bee turned surely after I was turned I repented Till God convert and change thy heart thou canst never repent Apply thy selfe therefore to the meanes that God hath appointed to convert thee by and when hee by his word and spirit offereth to convert thee resist not but yeeld thy selfe unto him Remember the fearefull sentence of God against such as despise or neglect the meanes of their conversion Ezek. 24.13 Because I have purged thee that is offered to doe it given thee the meanes whereby thou mightest have beene purged and thou wast not purged thou shalt not bee purged from thy filthinesse Because thou hast neglected the time of thy visitation as our Saviour speaketh Luk. 19.44 either the meanes shall bee taken from thee or being continued shall bee as a dead letter to thee and never doe thee good And doubtlesse God in his eternall and secret counsell hath set a just time to every one of us that by such a time the meanes shall worke upon us and convert us or they shall never doe us good That which Iob saith of the life of man Iob 14.5 may as truly bee said of all things that fall out in the life of man and specially of his conversion his dayes are determined the number of his moneths are with thee thou hast appointed his bounds that hee cannot passe There is mention made of the times of the Gentiles Luke 21.24 Ierusalem shall bee troden downe till the times of the Gentiles bee fulfilled which is expounded by the Apostle in another phrase Rom. 11.25 untill the fulnesse of the Gentiles bee come in Every nation hath her time set her of God how long shee shall have the meanes of grace and how long the meanes shall become effectuall in her and accompanied with the life and power of Gods spirit and in this time all her fulnesse the full number of those that God hath appointed unto life shall come in God hath set a time for Bohemia and for Germany and for the Palatinate and so hath hee set a time for England also certainely And as God hath set a time for whole Nations so hath he for every Towne and for every person also God hath set a time for this place and God hath set a time for every soule of us that are here if wee come not in by such a time wee may feare wee shall never come in As it is said of Iezabel Revel 2.21 I gave her a space to repent so may it bee said of every one of us here God hath given thee and mee a space too If wee come not in that space we shall never come in When once the master of the house saith our Saviour in a parable Luke 13.25 is risen up and hath shut to the doore and yee then begin to stand without and to knocke at the doore saying Lord Lord open unto us then it will bee to late Now the just period of this time that God hath set to any nation or person is knowne to God alone No man can say of any nation their time is out nor of any person his time is out no nor of himselfe neither my time is out the master of the house hath shut the doore it is to no purpose for mee now to knocke and cry Lord Lord open to mee it is too late for mee to repent It is not for you to know the times or the seasons which the father hath put in his owne power as our Saviour telleth the Apostles themselves Acts 1.7 This is too great a secret for the wisest or learnedst man in the world to know Every man is bound so long as he liveth to use the meanes of grace and hath no cause to despaire of mercy while life lasteth To him that is joyned to all the living there is hope saith Solomon Eccle. 9.4 But yet seeing 1. God must convert thee or thou canst never bee converted and 2. God hath directed thee to meanes whereby hee will doe this worke if ever hee doe it and 3. Hee hath set a certaine time how long thou shalt have these meanes and in which space these meanes shall worke upon thy heart or they shall never work and 4. Thou knowest not how neere this thy time is to an end how soone the master of the house will shut the doore Therefore it standeth thee upon presently and without delay to make thy best use of the meanes of thy conversion God giveth thee and to yeeld thy selfe to his word and spirit whereby hee offereth to draw thee Heb. 3.7 8. To day if yee will heare his voice harden not your hearts Behold
good part and delighteth in them yet will he take nothing in good part that thou doest What have I to doe saith the Lord Esa. 1.11 with the multitude of your sacrifices As if he had said What care I for them And ver 12. Who required this at your hands to tread in my courts As if he should say What doe you heere Any other place were fitter for you then this Certainely in doing any service to God thou doest but a thankelesse office thou doest but lose thy labour while thou art unconverted Thirdly and lastly Though the Lord will reward and doe good to his children for the poorest and weakest service they doe unto him yet doth he even abhorre such as thou art and the very service that thou dost presume to doe unto him As a Prince would doe him that having a plague sore running upon him should presume to come into his presence and wait at his table The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination unto the Lord saith Solomon Pro. 15.8 Incense is an abomination unto me saith the Lord Esa. 1.13 the new Mosnes and Sabbaths and calling of assemblies I cannot away with You see how small cause wicked men have to presume of Gods mercy or of any good thing they know by themselves O that God would be pleased to awaken them that they could see and consider aright of their wofull estate and labour to get out of it If any man shall object and say Would you not then have wicked men to come to Church Would you not have them to pray and read the Word Would you have no man to doe any good worke but such as are godly I answer Yes verily For first Though in doing this they doe not God any service that will please him yet is there a necessity laid upon them and wo be to them if they do it not These are duties of the morall law that all men stand bound unto The wickedest man in the world is strictly bound by the commandement of God to pray God blameth most wicked men for neglect of this Hos. 7.7 None among them calleth unto me and ver 14. They have not cryed unto me with their heart Yea he condemneth the very Atheist Psal. 14.4 for this because he doth not pray And will poure his wrath upon every family Ier. 10.25 and consequently upon every person that doth not call upon his name So is the wickedest man living bound to heare the Word For hee that turneth away his eare from hearing the law saith Solomon Pro. 28.9 his prayer shall be abominable So God requireth of every man Mic. 6.8 to doe justly and to love mercy and to walke humbly with him So that though he can neither pray nor heare nor give almes but he must needs sinne yet must he pray and heare and give almes for all that An indifferent thing a man is bound to forbeare if he cannot use it without sinne If he cannot use such or such a recreation without chasing or swearing or losing too much time he is bound to forbeare it But duties commanded of God he may not omit because he cannot use them without sin For there are degrees of sinne and he is guilty of a greater sin and sheweth greater contempt to God that doth not pray or heare or give almes at all and so disobeyeth him totally then he doth that doth pray and heare and give almes but not with an honest and good heart and so disobeyeth God but in part only Secondly Though no wicked man can have assurance to receive any reward from God for the best thing he doth because he hath no promise for all the promises of God belong onely to them that are in Christ 2 Cor. 1.20 and to the godly 1 Tim. 4.8 nay though he doe deserve further wrath from God by the best thing he doth yet by being carefull to abstaine from evill and to doe good even after his manner and as he is able hee may receive good three waies For 1. Though he should never find mercy with God unto salvation yet will this lessen his condemnation in hell where every man shall receive torment proportionable to his workes and to that dishonour he hath done to God heere Rom. 2.6 2. This may free him from many temporall judgements and bring upon him many temporall blessings in this life For the Lord out of the infinitenesse of his goodnesse hath oft shewed so much respect unto good things that have beene done even by wicked men though they have beene but the dead carcase and have wanted the life and soule of good workes as to reward them temporally The Lord that is said to feed the young ravens when they cry unto him Iob 38.41 hath oft had respect to the prayer that a man void of grace hath made unto him in his misery As profane a wretch as Ishmael was when he was cast out of his fathers house for his profanesse Gen. 21.9 10. yet when he cried to God in his misery it is twice said in one verse Gen. 21.17 that God heard the voice of the lad and relieved him And we know how much even Ahabs prayer that he made when he was humbled by feare prevailed with God 1 King 21.29 Therefore also Daniel exhorteth Nebuchadnezzar a most wicked man Dan. 4.27 to breake of his sins to cease from oppression and cruelty How By righteousnes that is by making restitution to them that he had wronged And how els By shewing mercy to the poore And why did he counsell a man so void of grace to do so good workes as these Was it not all one as if he should have bidden a dead man to walke Marke the reason and motive the Prophet useth to perswade him to this if it may be saith he a lengthening of thy tranquility As if he should have said It may be these good workes performed even as thou art able to do them will prevent the judgement which God by this dreame that thou hast had doth threaten to bring upon thee and prolong thy peace 3. He may by doing that that lieth in him to do further the eternall salvation of his owne soule For though no wicked nay no naturall man can use the meanes of grace aright nor so as to please God therein yet if the wickedest man that is frequent the ministery of the Word there is hope he may be converted and have grace wrought in him both because it is the meanes ordained of God to breed grace where none is Rom. 10.17 Faith commeth by hearing and because as wicked men as live have been woon to God by their hearing as appeareth not onely by daily experience but by those two notable examples that are recorded in the Word The one 1 Cor. 14.24 25. of the man that was an ignorant man and an infidell before And the other Iohn 7.45 46. of them that came to heare Christ with a most wicked heart to intrap and apprehend him And so much
and whether it be right Thus did Hezekiah approve the truth of his heart Esa. 38.3 Remember now ô Lord I beseech thee how I have walked before thee in truth and have done that which is good in thy sight And indeed this is all in all Circumcision is nothing saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 7.19 nor uncircumcision is nothing but the keeping of the commandements of God Certainely if a mans doings if his life and conversation be naught his heart is false and naught whatsoever shewes he maketh how good soever his profession be In this saith the Apostle 1 Iohn 3.10 the children of God are manifest and the children of the divell whosoever doth not righteousnesse is not of God But some may object against this Surely this can bee no good note of uprightnesse of heart seeing many that are farre from that doe many good deeds and live very unblameably 1. Many an hypocrite will compare with Gods best servants in this and glory in many good workes they have done and confidently conclude from thence that they are in a good estate that their hearts are right See three notable examples of this The first is Saul who meeting with Samuel after he had destroyed the Amalekites saluted him thus 1 Sam. 15.13 Blessed be thou of the Lord I have performed the commandement of the Lord. The next is Iehu of whom wee read what a deale of good he did and that as it seemed in obedience to the commandement of the Lord. He utterly destroyed Baal out of Israel 2 Kings 10.28 And the Lord himselfe saith thus to him verse 30. Because thou hast done well in executing that which is right in mine eyes and hast done unto the house of Ahab according to all that was in mine heart thy children of the fourth generation shall sit on the throne of Israel And upon this his obedience he grew so confident that he was Gods faithfull servant that meeting with Iehonadab the sonne of Rechab an holy man Come with me saith he to him 2 King 10.16 and see my zeale for the Lord. The last example is of those hypocrites we read of Esa. 58.2 3. They seeke me daily saith the Lord of them and delight to know my waies as a nation that did righteousnesse they aske of me the ordinances of justice they take delight in approaching to God And see the confidence they reposed in this they were perswaded their obedience and service was such as God could not choose but like of Wherefore have wee fasted say they and thou seest not Wherefore have wee afflicted our soules and thou takest no knowledge 2. The Papist will compare with the best Christian in this and glory in his good workes we know as the Pharisee did Luke 18.11 Nay a great deale more then ever any Pharisee did for hee can perfectly keepe Gods law he saith and merit heaven by it 3. And lastly The morall and civill honest man will also compare in this with them that are most religious he liveth unblameably and doth many good workes The Gentiles which have not the law no true religion no respect to the meanes of saving grace saith the Apostle Rom. 2.14 do by nature the things contained in the law So that it should seeme by all these instances that no certainty can be had of the truth of grace of the uprightnesse of a mans heart by the goodnesse and unblameablenesse of his life by any good workes he is able to do To this I answer That though all these sorts boast of their good lives of the good deeds they doe yet did none of them ever do one good work in all their lives but of them all that may bee said which the Apostle speaketh Romanes 3.12 They are altogether unprofitable there is none that doth good no not one All those three sorts may even by those workes those good lives they brag of bee sufficiently discovered to have no truth of grace nor uprightnesse in their hearts And of them that may bee said which our Saviour speaketh Matth. 7.16 Yee shall know them by their fruits doe men gather grapes of thornes or figs of thistles How is it possible for such kind of men to doe any one worke that is truly good and acceptable unto God None but he that hath an upright heart can in any measure yeeld true obedience to Gods commandements nor doe any good worke By our obedience and the care wee have to keepe Gods commandements we may certainely approve to our selves the uprightnesse of our owne hearts and find even in this that we have more in us then either any Papist or hypocrite or meere civill man in the world could ever have Except your righteousnes saith our Saviour to his hearers Mat. 5.20 and so say I to you exceed the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisees of the hypocrite and civill man ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdome of heaven But the righteousnesse and obedience of the weakest Christian that is upright in heart doth exceed the righteousnesse and obedience of them all in foure properties And by them must every one of us try the truth and sincerity of our obedience and consequently the truth and uprightnesse of our hearts The first is the ground and matter of our righteousnesse and good workes the rule we follow in it The second the root and fountaine from whence our obedience and righteousnesse doth spring The third the extent of it how farre it reacheth The fourth and last the manner how it is performed with what affection we do it what ends we aime at in it Lecture LXXVII On Psalme 51.6 Ianuary 8. 1627. IT followeth now that we proceed to speake particularly of those foure properties of true righteousnesse and goodnesse which I onely propounded unto you the last day And in the handling of them you shall better understand my meaning in them and find that a good life is a certaine and infallible signe of an upright heart The first of these properties then is this True righteousnesse and goodnesse must be materially good it must have a right ground it must be done according to the right rule And in handling of this first property I must shew you two things 1. What that right rule and ground of all true righteousnesse is 2. That the following of that rule in all the good things we doe is a good note of an upright heart Now the onely rule of true righteousnesse is the Word of God As nothing is a sin how great a shew of evill soever it beareth but that which swerveth from the direction of Gods Word 1 Iohn 3.4 Sin is a swerving from the law So is nothing a good worke how great a shew of goodnesse soever it carry but onely that which God in his Word hath directed us to doe Thus the Apostle defineth good workes Ephes. 2.10 to be such as God hath ordained that wee should walke in them And so doth Moses define true righteousnesse Deut.
Ioh. 5 3. His commandements are not grievous But wee have also the experience of the faithfull in all ages who have beene so farre from finding of that hardnesse in the yoke of Christ as was in the yoke of Moses that terrour in the law of Christ as was in the law of Moses that they have found more sweetnesse in it then in any thing else in the world And by how much the more the inward man and grace of regeneration hath growne and increased and as the flesh and corruption hath decayed and bin weakened in them by so much the more easie they have found the commandements of God to be by so much the more sweetnes and delight they have felt in them We know how plentifull and patheticall David is in expressing this Oh how love I thy law saith he Ps. 119.97 ver 143. Thy cōmandements are my delights As if he had sayd they are to me in stead of all delights pleasures in the world And thus the Prophet professeth Ier. 15.16 Thy word was to me the joy rejoycing of my heart And whence commeth this strange alteration and difference betweene the people of God Moses quaked at and found terrour in the Law David joyed and felt sweetnes in it all Gods people at the delivery of the law desired they might heare no more of it Paul and Ieremy delight rejoyce in it O see beloved what Christ hath done for us he hath taken out the sting of the law that it is no more a killing letter See the difference betwixt Christ and Moses betwixt the law and the Gospell And thus have I finished the second part of my answer and shewed you that the Lord setteth no such hard taskes to his servants as Satan pretendeth The commandements and duties that God enioyneth unto them that are in Christ are not impossible nor hard to be performed it is nothing but this cursed flesh of ours that maketh us so to complaine of the commandements of God and repine at the yoke of Christ as we use to doe Now come wee to the third and last part of my answer to this slander that Satan hath raised against the religion and service of God wherein I will shew you that it is so farre from being a bondage and drudgery that it is the most happy and comfortable life in the world And for proofe of this I will lead you no further then unto the consideration of the person that wee doe service unto how gracious and good a master the Lord our God is unto all that serve him We find among men that great men that have honour and power and authority can want no servants every one coveteth that themselves and their children may belong to such And whose service is so much to bee desired in that respect as the Lords is Who would not feare thee saith the Prophet Ieremy 10 7. ô King of nations for to thee it doth appertaine As if he had said All greatnesse and Soveraignty all power and Majesty belongeth unto thee But when unto greatnesse and power goodnesse also and graciousnesse of disposition is added when men can say of a man that he is not only a great man but hee is also one that useth to bee good and bountifull to his servants this hath wonderfull force to draw the hearts of all men unto him For a good man saith the Apostle Rom. 5.7 some will even dare to dye for such a one men thinke they can never doe too much And certainely if wee knew the Lord well and how gracious and good hee is towards his servants there is none of us here but would desire and long to bee in his service And that which David saith Psalme 9.10 of putting our trust in him may also bee said of doing him service They that know thy name will be glad to serve thee And surely Satan deceiveth men and keepeth them from serving God and being religious by no device more then by this that he perswadeth them as he did the lazy and unprofitable servant Matth. 25.24 that the Lord is an hard master hard to be pleased apt to exact rigorously of his servants more then they are able to performe Observe therefore I pray you that you may perceive how false a slander this is the gracious disposition of the Lord whom we do service unto in these foure points especially First His aptnesse to winke at and passe by our offences Whereas we can doe no worke hee setteth us about so well but wee shall offend many wayes in it and find cause to cry him mercy for it as good Nehemiah did Nehem. 13 22. the Lord is not apt to marke and observe strictly every thing that is done amisse but useth to winke at and is ready to passe by and remit many slips and failings of his servants in this kind I will spare them saith he Mal. 3.17 as a man spareth his sonne that serveth him If thou Lord shouldst marke iniquity saith David Psalm 130 3 4. ô Lord who shall stand As if hee had sayd Who could endure thy service But there is forgivenesse with thee that thou mayest be feared As if he had said That aptnes that is in thee to forgive thy servants their slips would make any man that is not a very beast willing to serve thee This made the Church break out into these words of admiration Mic. 7.18 Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage As if he should say Where shall a man find such a master as thou art Secondly Observe his aptnesse to accept of that little wee are able to doe That whereas wee are oft so untoward unto good duties that wee find our selves unable to doe any thing To will is present with us as the Apostle speaketh Rom. 7.18 but we find no ability at all to performe that that is good we have nothing in us but an unfeined desire to doe well and a griefe that wee cannot doe it this good Lord and master of ours is apt to take even that in good part if wee but doe what wee can and accounteth that as perfectly performed by us which hee seeth us unfeinedly desire and endeavour to doe If there bee first a willing mind saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 8.12 it is accepted according to that that a man hath and not according to that that a man hath not And whereas wee when wee have done our worke best are apt to bee ashamed and discouraged in our selves because wee have so slubbered it over and done it so illfavouredly this good master of ours is apt to accept of in Christ and to take in good part these poorest services that are done in faith and obedience unto him Yea hee is apt to delight in them and to praise us for them Our spirituall sacrifices the Apostle telleth us 1 Pet. 2.5 are acceptable to God by Iesus Christ. And let mee see thy countenance
saith Christ to his Church Cant. 2.14 let mee heare thy voice for sweet is thy voice and thy countenance comely And well done good and faithfull servant saith the Lord to him Matth. 25.23 that had but two talents And who can complaine of such a master Nay who that knoweth and beleeveth this would not bee glad to serve such a master as is so ready to accept of and delight in to commend and applaud such poore service as wee are able to doe unto him Thirdly Observe how ready hee is to helpe his servants in the worke that hee setteth them about Whereas the Lord is sometimes pleased to enjoyne his people duties and services of more then ordinary hardnesse and difficulty he presseth them with affliction out of measure above strength as Paul saith hee was 2 Cor. 1.8 He bringeth them to the fiery tryall that the Apostle speaketh of 1 Peter 4.12 He setteth the messenger of Satan to buffet them with strange tentations as Paul was 2 Cor. 12.7 in such a case the Lord is wont to put to his owne hand to the worke in an extraordinary manner and to helpe his poore servants that they may be able to goe through with it It is said 1 Chron 15.26 that God helped the Levites that bare the arke of the covenant of the Lord. And the Apostle speaking of the great tryall of affliction that Gods servants are sometimes brought unto telleth us Rom 8.26 that in that case the spirit it selfe helpeth our infirmities The greater that the tryall is that God shall be pleased to exercise us by the greater degree of strength will hee minister unto us for the bearing of it And what need the weakest of Gods servants feare the heaviest burden that can bee laid upon them when he hath such a one to helpe and support him When those everlasting armes that Moses speaketh of Deut. 33.27 are underneath him Nay why may wee not in all dangers secure our hearts in this and say Lord give thou strength to beare it and lay on me what thou wilt The things that are unpossible with men saith our Saviour Lu. 18.27 to his Disciples when they were astonied out of measure with a Doctrine hee had taught as Marke 10.26 are possible with God So when Paul prayed thrice that is often unto God to bee delivered from that messenger of Satan that buffeted him so as it may bee some of you have done against those blasphemous thoughts whereby you are buffeted hee received this answer from God 2 Cor. 12.9 My grace is sufficient for thee As if hee had said Feare him not I will warrant thee thou shalt be strong enough for him he shall not be able to overcome thee my grace and helpe will be sufficient enough for thee in this very case to uphold and strengthen thee And this made Paul speake so confidently Phil. 4.13 I can doe all things through Christ that strengtheneth me Fourthly and lastly Observe what wages God giveth to his servants He is many wayes good unto them besides their wages as all good masters are they have many availes as we speake from him even in this life many are the priviledges of Gods servants First If wee bee his faithfull servants wee shall have his countenance and favour When David had spoken of the happinesse of them that dwell in Gods house he mentioneth this for one part of it Psal. 48.11 For the Lord God is a sunne to such the light of his countenance useth to shine upon them And this is such a priviledge as is worth all the paines wee can take in his service though it were a thousand times more Cause thy face to shine saith the Church Psalm 80.19 and wee shall bee saved As if she had said We have even enough Secondly If wee bee Gods faithfull servants we may bee assured of protection and safety in times of greatest danger For what master is there that will not defend and beare out his servants specially in the service they have done unto him And this also David reckoneth for another part of their happinesse that dwell in Gods house and serve him Psal. 84.11 the Lord will bee a shield unto such Thirdly If we be Gods faithfull servants we shall be sure to want nothing that shall be necessary for our comfort in this life For what good master is there that will not provide for his owne especially those of his owne house as the Apostle speaketh 1 Tim. 5.8 And this David reckoneth for a third part of the happines of those that dwell in Gods house Psal. 84.11 No good thing will he with-hold from them that walke uprightly Fourthly and lastly If we be Gods faithfull servants we shall be sure when the time of payment commeth that is not till the even be come as our Saviour speaketh Matth. 20.8 till our day bee done till this life bee ended to receive such a reward of our service as no tongue can expresse no heart can conceive how great it shall bee Our Saviour speaking of the reward of such of Gods servants as had done but little service unto God even so little as themselves tooke no notice of it saith he will say thus to them at the day of judgement Matth. 25 34 35. Come yee blessed of my father inherite the kingdome prepared for you for I was an hungred and yee gave me meat I was thirsty and ye gave me drinke Alas what was that that they had done to be rewarded with a kingdome Certainly there is no proportion betweene the service and the wages but this it is to serve such a master thus will the Lord reward all that serve him And therefore admit the service that God should imploy us in all our life long either in doing or suffering were never so hard and painefull yet the certaine hope wee have of this reward in the end were sufficient to make it easie unto us yea to make us cheerefull and comfortable in it and even to sing at our worke as Paul and Silas did even at midnight when they had bin grievously scourged and were then in a dungeon and their feete fast in the stocks as you shall read Actes 16.25 And what was it that made Moses not only willing to forsake the pleasures of sinne and all those wicked liberties and delights that worldly men dote so much upon but to betake himselfe to the service of God and joyne himselfe to the people of God even then when they were in greatest affliction and reproach yea to account their life a farre more happy and comfortable life then the life of any courtier or of Pharaoh himselfe but onely this that he had respect to the recompense of reward as the Apostle telleth us Hebr. 11.26 For this cause wee faint not saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 4.16 17. but though our outward man perish yet the inward man is renewed day by day our delight in Gods service and in his holy law increaseth daily for our light affliction which
is but for a moment worketh for us a farre more exceeding and eternall weight of glory Rejoycing in hope saith the Apostle Rom. 12.12 patient in tribulation As though he should say The hope of this reward is able not onely to make you patient in any tribulation how great soever it may be but even comfortable and joyfull in it also O that all this that we have heard might through Gods gracious and mighty working with it become effectuall to make us all in love with Gods service O that we could count it our happinesse and honour to be admitted into it and thinke and say of it as David doth Psal. 65.4 Blessed is the man whom thou choosest and causest to approach unto thee that he may dwell in thy house and be one of thy houshold servants And 116.16 O Lord truly I am thy servant thy servant and the son of thine handmaid thou hast loosed my hands As if he had said I was a bondslave till I became thy servant but thou hast brought me out of that bondage and by making me thy servant hast loosed my bonds and made me a free man And then followeth verse 17. I will offer unto thee the sacrifice of thankesgiving As if hee should say I will praise thy name for this so long as I live Lecture XCII On Psalme 51.6 Iune 24. 1628. IT followeth now that we proceed to the third and last point which I propounded to handle in this first part of the application which concerneth those that refuse to serve God and to be religious and it is to shew the dangerous estate that they are in that doe so to reprove and terrifie all wicked men specially such as live in the Church and under the meanes of grace We have heard in the handling of this third and last note of an upright heart That if there be in a man but an unfeigned desire to be saved and to please God he is accepted of God he hath certainely truth of saving grace in him That no man is rejected of God no man shall perish that hath in him a true desire to be saved and to please God This point if it be well considered is of great force to humble all naturall men to take all excuse from them and to make them ashamed of themselves For what goodnesse can there be in that man that hath not in him so much as a desire to be good What can that man pretend why he should not be most justly condemned and cast into hell that never had in him a true desire to be saved and to flie from the wrath to come And surely thus it is with every wicked man that liveth in the Church and under the meanes of grace to that man I may boldly say thou canst not repent nor leave thy sinnes because thou dost not desire to repent and forsake thy sinnes thou hast no grace because thou dost not desire grace thou canst not beleeve because thou dost not desire to beleeve thou shalt perish everlastingly because thou hast no true desire nor will to be saved Wicked men are apt and ever have beene blasphemously to impute all this wholly unto the Lord and his will to cast all upon God and to say of their future estate I shall doe as it pleaseth God if it be the will of God and he have so decreed I shall be saved if it be otherwise how can I helpe it And of their present estate if God would give me the grace I should be better then I am and till then how should I mend Thus did our first father plead for himselfe so soone as ever he was fallen from God The woman saith he Gen. 3.12 which thou gavest to be with me she gave me of the tree and I did eate As if he had said I may thanke thee for that that I have done If thou hadst not given me this woman I had never sinned And thus did the unprofitable servant pleade for himselfe Matth. 25.14 I know thou art an hard maâ— reaping where thou never sowedst As though he had said Exacting fruit of holinesse and obedience where thou didst never bestow the seed of grace And thus the Apostle bringeth in wicked men objecting against the Lord Rom. 9 19. Why doth he yet find fault for who hath resisted his will As if he had said How can I justly be blamed or punished for being as I am if it be the will of God I shall be no better How can I be said to be the cause of mine owne damnation when it is the decree and will of God that I should perish But as I told you these are but the pleas and pretences of wicked men These pleas will not hold Certainely as God is not the cause of any mans sinne but himselfe as the Apostle teacheth us Iam. 1.13 14. Let no man say As if he had said I know men are apt to say so but it is folly and sinne for a man to say when he is tempted or moved to any sinne I am tempted of God for God cannot be tempted of evill neither tempteth he any man but every man is tempted when he is drawne away of his owne lust and enticed So neither is God the cause of mans destruction but himselfe It is the fruit of his owne way as the Holy Ghost speaketh Pro. 1.31 And as of every temporall crosse that befalleth a man in this life of what kind soever it be a man may justly smite himselfe upon the breast and say to his owne heart as the Lord speaketh Ier. 2.17 Hast thou not procured this to thy selfe He may truly say Whatsoever hand God or man had in this evill that is befaâ—len me I am sure I was the chiefe cause of it my selfe so may it truly be said to every wicked man of his spirituall and eternall death and destruction as the Lord speaketh to Israel Hos. 13.9 O Israel thou hast destroyed thy selfe but in mee is thy helpe that is though thou canst not save thy selfe nor worke any goodnesse in thy selfe that must come wholly from my meere grace By grace are ye saved through faith saith the Apostle Ephes. 2.8 and that not of your selves it is the gift of God yet thou hast destroyed thy selfe thou art thy selfe the cause why thou hast no grace why thou canst not repent nor leave thy grosse sinnes why thou canst not beleeve nor take any comfort in Christ why thou shalt be damned and perish everlastingly Yea how apt soever men are now to plead thus for themselves and to impute all unto God there will come a day when as the Apostle speaketh Rom. 3.19 every mouth shall be stopped and all the world shall become guilty before God No man shall have any such thing to say for himselfe but shall cleare the Lord he shall cry guilty and acknowledge himselfe to have beene the onely cause of his owne destruction The bookes shall be opened as the Apostle speaketh Revel 20.12 the bookes of
further his owne salvation He is not so dead but there is enough left in him to make him without excuse as the Apostle plainely teacheth Rom. 1.20 He may doe more then he doth to avoid damnation he may doe more then he doth to further his owne salvation and because he will not doe what he may therefore he is inexcusable therefore he is the cause of his owne destruction Why what can he do will you say I answer First He hath power enough left in him by nature to curbe and restraine himselfe from all grosse sinnes from drunkennesse and whoredome and such like sinnes yea and from haunting of lewd company that may draw him to such sinnes he may forbeare these things if he will he hath enough left in him to make him able to live a civill and unblameable life There is many a man that even by the strength of nature can truly say as he said Luk. 18.11 I thanke God I am no extortioner nor unjust in my dealings with men nor an adulterer Secondly He hath enough left in him to make him able to doe many good workes I meane workes that are materially and morally good He can if he will make restitution of that that he hath gotten unjustly and doe workes of mercy also to the poore Els would not Daniel 4.27 have spoken thus to such a man as Nebuchadnezzar was Breake off thy sinnes by righteousnesse and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poore And that which the young man saith of the outward observation of all the commandements of the second table Matth. 19 20. All these things have I kept from my youth up that the Apostle speaketh even of many a Gentile Rom. 2.14 The Gentiles do by nature the things contained in the law And in the Church many a man is even by the strength of nature able to say not of the second table onely but of the three latter commandements of the first table also so farre forth as the letter and externall observation of them all these have I kept Thirdly He can if he will frequent the ministery of the Word the plainest and most powerfull ministery and that constantly When thou wert young saith our Saviour to Peter Iohn 21.18 thou girdest thy selfe and walkedst whither thou wouldest So much freedome of will every man hath by nature so much power even by that generall and common grace and assistance that God communicateth unto all men that he may goe to Church if he will yea he may if he will ride or goe many miles to a Sermon ordinarily as well as he may to an market so farre The Lord speaking of such as were no better then naturall men telleth the Prophet Ezek. 33.31 They come to thee as the people commeth and they sit before thee as my people and they heare thy words Fourthly He may if he will so seriously marke and observe the Word that is preached unto him and the judgements of God which he seeth and feeleth as he may bring himselfe thereby unto legall repentance even to such a sight and sense of his sinne and of the wrath of God as may make his heart to quake and judge himselfe to be in a most miserable estate Of them that were no more then naturall men we do read Esa. 58.3 that they did use in the time of Gods judgements upon them to fast and afflict their owne soules And of Ahab and Felix we read how by hearing the Word and observing what they heard they were wrought upon Ahab 1 King 21.27.29 rent his clothes put sackcloth upon his flesh fasted and humbled himselfe before God And Felix Acts 24.25 trembled exceedingly Fiftly and lastly He may be able out of this sense he hath of his owne miserable estate not onely to desire the prayers of others as Pharaoh did Exod. 10.17 and Ieroboam 1 King 13.6 but even himselfe also to cry importunately and pray to God for mercy So it is said of the mariners Ionah 1. that in the extreame feare they were in through the apprehension of Gods wrath they cried not onely every man unto his God verse 5. but unto the Lord also unto Iehovah verse 14. So it is likewise said of Saul Acts 9.11 Behold hee prayeth When our Saviour exhorteth the hypocriticall Iewes in an allegoricall speech to make their peace with God in time while this life and the day of grace lasteth Luke 12.58 59. he maketh this preface to that exhortation verse 57. Yea and why even of your selves judge ye not what is right As if he had said You have so much light and judgement in your selves even by nature as to discerne that that is fit and necessary to be done Even by the light of nature a man may be able out of the apprehension and sense of his owne fearefull condition to desire reconciliation with God and to cry earnestly for it Now if any man shall aske me and what is all to the purpose that you say a naturall man is able to doe seeing none of all this is any thing worth in the sight of God or pleasing unto him seeing there is no true goodnesse in any of this that a naturall man doth Without faith it is impossible to please God Hebrewes 11.6 I answer First That though this be so yet I may say to the naturall man that doth these things that doth thus what in him lyeth as our Saviour said to the Scribe Marke 12.34 Thou art not farre from the kingdome of God such a man is nearer to heaven then any other naturall man in the world is Secondly That though by doing all this that lyeth in his power 1 he cannot deserve neither ex condigno nor ex congruo as the Papists speake that God should save him or give him his grace for Gods grace is free he worketh in men both to will and to doe of his owne good pleasure as the Apostle speaketh Phil. 2.13 2 He can have no certaine assurance when he hath done all this that lyeth in him to doe that he shall find mercy with God for there is no promise made to these things All the promises of God are in Christ yea and Amen as the Apostle speaketh 2 Cor. 1.20 till a man be in Christ he hath no promise from God yet may the naturall man be greatly incouraged to doe thus what lyeth in him to flie from the wrath to come and to please God and may conceive hope that by doing these things as well as he is able God will be pleased out of his infinite goodnesse to shew mercy on him And these grounds he hath out of Gods Word for his encouragement therein 1. Because the Lord hath revealed himselfe in his Word to be so infinite in mercy and goodnesse Exod. 34.7 and hath sworne Ezek. 33.11 that hee hath no pleasure in the death of the wicked 2. Because God seeketh to the vilest sinner in the ministery of his word 2 Cor. 5. â—0
he that doth not heartily desire this did never yet know how to pray aright Now if any of us doe indeed pity the estate of wicked men and desire that they may bee saved let us then pray and procure for them so farre as in us lyeth that they may have the meanes of knowledge For this is the way yea this is the onely way to bring them unto salvation God will have all men saith the Apostle 1 Timothy 2.4 that is some of all sorts of men for that phrase cannot bee properly meant of any that shall perish God will have all men to bee saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth As if hee had said Looke whom God will have to bee saved them hee will bring to the knowledge of the truth So when the Church maketh so fervent a prayer unto God for the conversion of all nations Psalm 67 3 5. shee prefixeth this as the meanes whereby that was to be effected and brought to passe verse 1 2. God be mercifull unto us to the whole catholique Church to the whole number and company of his Elect for so that prayer is to bee understood God bee mercifull unto us and blesse us and cause his face to shine upon us that thy way may bee knowne upon earth and thy saving health among all nations As if shee had said This is the greatest mercy and blessing the greatest fruit of Gods speciall favour unto a people when hee giveth them the meanes whereby they may know his wayes how to serve and please him and his saving health how to attaine unto the eternall salvation of their owne soules and till this mercy bee vouchsafed to them as appeareth by the coherence of the third verse with these two men can never praise God nor worship him aright This is the greatest outward fruit of Gods mercy and goodnesse towards men of all others when hee giveth them able and faithfull teachers to bring them unto knowledge As the Apostle also teacheth us Ephes. 4.8 When Christ ascended up on high and led captivitie captive went up in his triumph after he had conquered Satan upon the crosse he gave gifts unto men And what were those gifts which that great King and conqerour at such a time when hee would expresse his bounty to the full did bestow upon men Surely they are expressed verse 11. He gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and teachers As if he had said He gave able ministers unto his Church as the greatest outward gift that he had to bestow upon them And as this is the greatest outward worke of mercy and love in God towards man so is it certainly the greatest worke of mercy and charity in man towards man to provide for them the meanes of sound knowledge and instruction The Papists glory much of their good workes and thinke they have therein a great advantage against us And if their religion were indeed more fruitfull in good works then ours is they had a just and great advantage against us for you shall know them by their fruits saith our Saviour Mat. 7.16 But what are the workes whereby they teach men they may merit most at Gods hands Surely to give largely to the Church To what end Was it to provide thereby that the people might bee taught and instructed how to know God and to worship him aright No no the whole endeavour of their Church hath beene to take from men the key of knowledge as our Saviour speaketh Luk. 11.5 2. that is the meanes of knowledge whereby as by a key men are to have their entrance into the kingdome of heaven all that was given to their Church wherein as their fore-fathers the Pharisees did they teach men to put such confidence was to maintaine a sort of idle fellowes to say masses and sing dirges for their soules And what goodnesse I pray you was there in these workes No no blessed bee the Lord our God the Papists have no just cause of glorying against the Gospell in this behalfe For though we have too many amongst us whom the Lord hath greatly blessed with worldly wealth that neither in their life nor at their death doe honour God with their substance as the holy Ghost telleth us Prov. 3.9 they are bound to doe and that even with the first fruits of all their increase As if hee had said God should have the first part of all Though wee have many I say that are too strait-handed and hearted this way that being of great ability give nothing to God or at least nothing proportionable unto their estates that when they make their wills and find they have hundreds and thousands to dispose of yet never thinke of God give nothing to speake of unto pious uses all is too little they thinke for their children and kindred And shall their children and kindred prosper the better for this thinke you when God is robbed of his part No no the sentence of God shall stand which hee pronounceth of the man that is bountifull in the workes of charity Psalm 37.26 Hee is ever mercifull and lendeth and his seed is blessed his children shall bee never the poorer for that Though wee have I say too many such of our profession yet is not this the fault of our religion our religion teacheth the necessity of such good workes as much as Popery doth this is onely the fault of these carnall and worldly minded professours of our religion having a shew of godlinesse but denying the power of it as the Apostle speaketh 2 Tim. 3.5 these are spots in our Church as the Apostle speaketh Iude 12. they blemish and shame our religion But though wee have too many such yet is it thanks bee to God notorious to the world that the Gospell hath beene more fruitfull in all sorts of good workes that have beene good workes indeed then ever popery was More hath bin given in this land within these threescore yeeres to the building and increase of hospitals of Colledges and other schooles of good learning and to such like works as are truly charitable then were in any one hundred yeeres during all the time and reigne of popery But this is a good worke passing all other wherein the Gospell glorieth and triumpheth against popery that the Gospell hath made men carefull and liberall to provide for the soules of Gods people to provide meanes of knowledge and sound instruction for them That there have beene so many good Lectures founded of late That there hath bin such care taken and cost bestowed for the redeeming of Impropriations restoring of them to the Church That even in this last Session of Parliament there was so earnest endeavour used by the state and God be mercifull unto them that were the hinderers of so honourable and pious a worke that out of every impropriation in the land there should bee so much taken as might make a competent maintenance for an able teacher These these
are the works which as they be proper and peculiar to the Gospell and such as popery could never skill of so are they of all other the best works most acceptable unto God and most profitable unto men And certainly to conclude this first branch of my exhortation of all good workes of all workes of charity that any man can doe this is the best and that that will yeeld him most comfort when he hath beene the instrument to provide the meanes of knowledge and instruction for a people to settle and establish a sound ministery among them that had none before and to maintaine and so to give incouragement to an able and conscionable minister that is already setled and placed among a people It is said of good Iehoshaphat 2 Chron. 7.6 that his heart was lift up in the wayes of the Lord. As if the holy Ghost had said thus of him Hee did most zealously seeke to promote and advance the true religion of God And how did hee most shew his goodnesse and zeale That you shall see in the three next verses Hee provided carefully that all his people might bee well taught and instructed he sent teaching Levites and able ministers into all parts of the land and magistrates also with them to protect and encourage them in their ministery And this is noted for one of the best works that ever Hezechiah did 2 Chron 30.22 He spake comfortably to all the Levites that taught the good knowledge of the Lord 1. he encouraged and heartned he spake to the heart saith the originall of all the Levites 2. hee encouraged them because they were able and conscionable teachers because they taught the good knowledge of God to the people And hee did not so himselfe onely but it is said further of him 2 Chron. 31.4 Hee commanded the people to doe the like to give the portion of the Priests and the Levites that they might bee encouraged in the Law of the Lord. Hee knew they could never doe their duty with any heart and encouragement if due maintenance were with-held from them See yet a third example for this in King Iosiah of whom wee read also 2 Chron. 35.2 3. that hee encouraged the Priests and Levites to the service of the house of the Lord. No good worke wee can doe will better argue that wee are truly religious and feare God indeed then the kindnesse and bounty wee shew to Gods faithfull ministers Obadiah feared God greatly 1 Kings 18.34 and marke the reason is given to prove this for when Iezebel cut off the Prophets of the Lord Obadiah tooke an hundred Prophets and hid them and fed them And it is worthy further to be observed in the example of Iehoshaphat 2 Chron 17.7 that hee is said to have sent his princes to teach in the cities of Iudah They were not preachers certainely hee sent them onely to countenance and encourage the Levites and even for that cause they are said to teach in the cities of Iudah And so all you that doe encourage the ministers of God that doe comfort and protect them in their ministery are your selves doers of this blessed worke So saith our Saviour Matth. 10.41 Hee that receiveth a Prophet in the name of a Prophet shall receive a Prophets reward A Prophets reward is due to him that doth the worke of a Prophet but every one that doth entertaine and encourage the faithfull ministers of the Gospell any way doth the worke of a Prophet for he shall receive a Prophets reward I know well this is a great paradox to many now a dayes 1. they thinke they may bestow their bounty twenty wayes better then in placing and maintaining of able ministers 2. they thinke there is no want of preaching there are preachers enough and too many too every where 3. they thinke it a great priviledge to give nothing to the maintenance or to increase the maintenance of a preacher 4. they are so farre from encouraging the minister by any free gift for the increase of his maintenance that by spoyling and with-holding from him that which is his due they discourage him in his ministery all that they can But to these men I have foure things to say First That in the judgement of those three worthy Kings nay in the judgement of the holy Ghost who noteth and commendeth them for this to place and maintaine able ministers is a chiefe good worke a principall worke of mercy above all others Secondly That notwithstanding the plenty of teachers they talke of yet there bee still a great number of congregations that want able teachers whose case is extreamely to bee pitied thinke of their case and judge of it by the Prophets words Now for a long season saith he 2 Chron. 15.3 Israel hath beene without the true God and without a teaching Priest and without law Thirdly That the want of sound knowledge and instruction is the chiefe cause of all the wickednes in the land and that so many perish in their sins as appeaâ—reth by that complaint the Lord maketh Hos. 4.6 My people perish for want of knowledge Fourthly and lastly To him that is still resolved notwithstanding all that hath beene said it is no good worke no deed of charity to place and maintaine able ministers it is no sinne at all to shew no kindnesse to give no encouragement that way to his teacher no nor to with-hold from him what hee can I can say no more but what the Angell of God saith Revel 22.11 Hee that is unjust let him bee unjust still But let him withall blot out of his Bible and so his owne name also out of the booke of life that expresse commandement of God Gal. 6.6 Let him that is taught in the word communicate with him that teacheth in all good things And this shall suffice for the first branch of my exhortation that concerneth the duty wee owe unto other men wee are bound to desire and procure so farre as in us lyeth that all men may have the meanes of knowledge Secondly If knowledge bee both the foundation and the seed also of all other graces as wee have heard it is then such of us as have charge of others as all we that are parents and governours of families have are bound to use our best endeavour to bring them to knowledge that are under our charge It is a vaine thing for us to hope that either by correction or example or by any other meanes of civill education they can bee brought to grace till the knowledge of religion bee first wrought in them This is plaine by that direction the Apostle giveth unto parents Ephes. 6.4 and that that he saith to parents of their children may as well bee said to masters of their servants And yee fathers provoke not your children to wrath but bring them up in the instruction and information of the Lord. To this end 1. We must hold our selves bound to teach them our selves God established a testimony in
and let us goe into the mountaine of the Lord to the house of the God of Iacob and he will teach us his waies and we will walke in his paths There is I confesse a kind of knowledge in religion which a man may attaine unto and to a great measure of it also by his owne study and reading though hee never frequent Gods Sanctuary nor regard the publique ministery of the Word at all but a sanctified and saving knowledge that man shall never be able to attaine unto That which the Apostle saith of faith Rom. 10.17 Faith commeth by hearing he saith in another place of every saving grace of Gods sanctifying spirit and consequently of saving knowledge Gal. 3.2 This onely would I learne of you received ye the spirit by the workes of the law or by the hearing of faith that is the doctrine of faith preached The ministery of the Gospell is the ministration of â—he spirit as the Apostle calleth it 2 Cor. 3.8 So that in this respect the old sentence holdeth true auditus est sensus disciplinae of all the senses God hath given to man hearing even hearing of the Word preached is the sense whereby we get knowledge saving knowledge especially In which respect we shall find that when the Prophet speaketh of Gods mighty worke in the conversion of a man who was by nature both blind and deafe he useth to joyne these two workes together the opening of the eyes and opening of the eares too Esa. 35.5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened and the eares of the deafe shall be unstopped Yea he oft putteth the opening of the eare before the opening of the eyes In that day shall the deafe heare the words of the booke saith he Esa. 29 18. and the eyes of the blind shall see out of obscurity and out of darknesse And 42.18 Heare ye deaf and looke ye blind that ye may see To teach us two things 1. That God doth never use to open his eyes and to give him saving knowledge whose eares he doth not also open and make both willing to heare and able also to heare profitably 2. That he usually openeth the eare first and maketh a man a hearer a conscionable hearer before he open his eyes and bring him to any cleare and saving understanding of his will Certainely even we that are preachers though we have greater helps to bring us to knowledge then other men yet shall we never attaine to a cleare a certaine a sanctified knowledge of the things we teach if we dispise the ordinance of God if God have not as well opened our eares as either our eyes or our lips if he have not made us both willing and able to heare conscionably In which respect also we find that though the Apostles had both their calling and gifts immediately from God yet Christ thought it fit to have them with him during the whole time of his ministery that they might bee continuall and constant hearers of his Sermons as well as eye-witnesses of his workes and miracles of his passion and resurrection and saw it good even by this meanes to bring them to knowledge and to prepare them and make them fit to preach well And the Apostle noteth this for the credit of their doctrine and ministery Hebrewes 2.3 that they were hearers of Christ themselves At the first saith he it was spoken by the Lord and was confirmed to us by them that heard him Two reasons there bee given for this why the frequenting of a sound ministery is the chiefe mean of all other to bring a man to saving knowledge First In respect of the gifts God hath bestowed on his Ministers that is to say the gift of interpretation and application of the Word which are great and effectuall helps to breed knowledge in men The manifestation of the spirit saith the Apostle 1 Corinthians 12.7 is given to every man to profit withall As if he had said There is not the meanest faithfull Minister in the Church but some gifts of Gods spirit doe manifestly appeare to be in him which as hee ought to use to the profit of the Church so the Church may receive profit by them Nay there is not the best preacher of us all but wee may profit by hearing of the meanest of our brethren if the fault be not in our selves Secondly But the chiefe reason of the point is this that God hath beene pleased to ordaine this to be the meanes whereby hee will worke all saving grace and consequently this in the hearts of his elect and to promise to worke with and blesse this above all other It hath pleased God saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 1.21 by the foolishnesse of preaching to save them that beleeve And even as God under the law promised his people that he would meet them in the Sanctuary and declare himselfe to be present there in a more comfortable manner then in any other place in the world Exod. â—9 42 And David saith Psal. 6â— 1 2. his soule thirsted to see God so as he had seene him in the Sanctuary So hath God promised to be present in a speciall manner in the publique ministery of his Gospell and meet his people there I will be with you saith Christ Matth. 28.20 to the end of the world And to blesse them in their hearing Pro. 8.34 Blessed is the man that heareth me and Esa. 55.3 Heare and your soule shall live and Mar. 4.24 To you that heare more shall be given And these promises of God every conscionable hearer that commeth so prepared to this ordinance of God as you have heard with sense of his owne ignorance and with an humble heart may and ought to beleeve and expect the performance of them to himselfe and even claime and challenge them at the hands of God And although alas many that heare much because they come not thus prepared nor heare conscionably receive no good by it at all and so discredit this holy ordinance yet wisedome is justified of her children Luk. 7.35 and daily experience proveth that the onely men that attaine to a sound and setled knowledge of the truth whom no Papist nor other seducer can pervert are they that have beene constant and conscionable frequenters of a sound ministery And of them that have beene seduced it may bee said for the most part as the Prophet speaketh Ezek. â—4 â— they were scattered and divided from the rest of the flocke because there was no shepheard they had no sound and ordinary ministery to depend upon This being so Let me exhort every one of you beloved 1. To know your owne happinesse such of you as doe enjoy the benefit of a sound ministery prize it be thankfull for it Though God should give you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction as the Prophet speaketh Esa. 30.20 yet so long as your teachers are not removed into a corner any more but your eyes may see your teachers in the solemne
give you Pastours according to mine heart which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding It is the Lord of the harvest that sendeth forth labourers into his harvest as our Saviour speaketh Matth. 9.38 And even as hee did at the first in the Primitive Church not onely send forth his Apostles his chiefe labourers into his harvest but did also appoint them the speciall field and part of the field where they should worke Goe not into the way of the Gentiles saith our Saviour to them Matthew 10.5 6. and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not but goe rather to the lost sheepe of the house of Israel And after when hee did send them to the Gentiles to worke in that field hee still had a speciall hand in appointing them what part of the field they should worke in He forbad them to preach the Word in Asia Acts 16.6 and verse 7. Hee suffered them not to goe into Bythinia and verse 10. hee called and commanded them to goe into Macedonia and to preach the Gospell there And even so now also though not so sensibly as then because visions and revelations are now ceased yet as truly and powerfully the Lord hath still a speciall hand in disposing the ministery of his Word who shall enjoy it and who shall want it how long it shall continue where it is and when it shall bee removed from thence It is hee that holdeth the seven starres that is all the starres of the Churches in his right hand as our Saviour speaketh of himselfe Revel 2.1 he disposeth of them as it pleaseth him And hee also protecteth and maintaineth them no man shall bee able to plucke them out of his hand or to remove them till they have done the worke that hee hath appointed them to doe and hee lay them downe himselfe And so the Lord speaketh of his two witnesses that is of that competent number of faithfull teachers that God said hee would raise up to his Church to discover and oppose Antichrist Revel 11. not onely that the just period of time even to a day was determined by him how long they should prophesie verse 3. even a thousand two hundred and threescore daies but also verse 7. that till they had finished their testimony and done that work which the Lord had appointed them the beast that ascended out of the bottomlesse pit should not make warre against them nor overcome and kill them Let no man impute it either to chance or to the goodnesse or policy of man that the Gospell which is banished out of the Palatinate and many other places is preached in this land and among us so plentifully that it hath continued and made it abode with us for so long a time No no let us acknowledge Gods speciall hand and goodnesse towards our land and towards our selves in this and let him have all the glory of it Certainely if wee had hearts rightly to consider and weigh this with our selves wee would find just cause to say of this as the Church doth in another case Psal. 118.23 This is the Lords doing and it is marvellous in our eyes It is of the Lord certainely and of his speciall goodnesse that any man doth enjoy the benefit of a sound ministery whereby hee hath his outward calling unto grace and which is the ordinary meanes of his conversion And even in this first respect the conversion of a man is to be ascribed unto God alone Secondly As God giveth the meanes of grace to all such as doe enjoy them it is of his gift and goodnesse onely that they have them so is this a speciall and rare favour of God not common unto all men All men have not meanes given them of God sufficient to convert them and bring them to saving grace This is a peculiar favour that God vouchsafeth but unto some it is not common to all men It is an errour to thinke that God doth in this respect love and desire the salvation of all men alike that hee giveth to one as well as to another without difference the meanes to bring them to grace and salvation These two things indeed cannot be denyed 1. That God doth vouchsafe the meanes of saving grace yea as excellent means to many a reprobate as hee doth to any of his elect When the sower went forth to sow Matth. 13.3 8. there fell every whit as good seed upon the high-way side and upon the stony and thorny land as upon the good ground But his maine aime is for the elects sake that live amongst them as our Saviour also teacheth us in another case in the Parable of the tares Matthew 13.29 30. 2. To all men even to all the reprobate God vouchsafeth some meanes of grace some meanes to convert them and bring them unto repentance Christ lighteth every man that commeth into the world saith the Apostle Iohn 1.9 Every man hath received from him the light of nature and doth in many things know what is good and what is evill and that which may be knowne of God saith the Apostle Rom. 1.9 that is to say that there is a God and that hee is to be feared and worshipped is manifest in them in their very hearts and consciences for God shewed it unto them even unto all men by nature God hath given this knowledge unto them And they that have this light and knowledge cannot bee denyed to have meanes given them of God to bring them unto grace and unto repentance Nay the Apostle teacheth us Rom. 2.4 that the goodnesse of God whereof all men living doe taste leadeth them unto repentance is a notable meanes to turne and convert their hearts unto God Yea he telleth us ver 15. that the Gentiles have the worke of the law that is to say that which the law requireth written in their hearts and that thereupon they doe by nature the things contained in the law verse 14. But all this that men have by nature these helpes that God thus vouchsafeth unto all men are not sufficient meanes of grace and conversion They are sufficient indeed to make them without excuse and to that end they serve as the Apostle expressely teacheth us Rom. 1.10 By giving unto all men this light and these meanes God hath not left himselfe without witnesse against them as the Apostle speaketh Act. 14.17 But to breed saving grace and to worke sound conversion in the heart they are not sufficient No no it is not the light of nature not that knowledge of God that is gotten by the contemplation of the creature nor the worke of the law that is written in all mens hearts but the Gospell onely that is a sufficient meanes of grace and conversion The Gospell is the ministration of the spirit as the Apostle calleth it 2 Corinth 3.8 And therefore hee telleth the Ephesians 2 12. that while they were without Christ while they were strangers from the covenants of promise they were without hope Till Christ
Prophet telleth us Zach. 4.7 that when the temple which was a type of the spirituall house and Church of God should be built by Zerubbabel this should be the generall acclamation of al Gods people they should shout and cry grace grace unto it As though he had said They should praise God and ascribe the beginning the proceeding and the perfecting of Gods house this whole spirituall building to the grace of God alone and to nothing els By grace ye are saved saith the Apostle Ephes. 2.5 and not contenting himselfe to have said so once hee saith it againe and saith it most emphatically verse 8 9. By grace ye are saved through faith and that not of your selves it is the gâ—â—t of God not of workes lest any man should boast Marke three points in this Doctrine which the Apostle doth thus earnestly presse upon Gods people 1. Hee contenteth not himselfe to say Wee are saved by grace but he addeth not by workes What needed this superfluity of speech may some say O he knew there were then and ever would bee in the Church erroneous spirits that would seeme to ascribe much to grace in this worke of mans salvation and yet they wouâ—d give somewhat also unto workes somewhat unto that man himselfe being helped a little by Gods grace is able to do Now therefore he opposeth the one to the other the one quite excludeth the other If by grace then not by workes saith he Rom. 11.6 otherwise grace is no grace As if he had said ascribe never so little to workes to that that a man himselfe is able to doe as any cause of his salvation and ye renounce Gods grace utterly Whatsoever glorious words you give of Gods grace you doe indeed and effect denie you are saved by grace 2. Observe that he addeth Not of our selves Our selves have no hand at all in this worke as of our selves all is to be ascribed unto Gods grace 3. He giveth this for the reason why God would not have us to be saved by our workes but by faith onely why he so ordained that we our selves should have no hand at all in this worke but all should be of grace lest any man should boast The same reason he giveth of that marvellous liberty God is pleased to use in the calling and conversion of men in giving the meanes of conversion and grace to profit by them to such as are most unworthy and unlikely and denying it to others that are more worthy more likely men 1 Cor. 1.29 That no flesh should glory in his presence And verse 31. this is given for the reason why Christ is made unto us of God wisedome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption all in all that he that glorieth might glory in the Lord. God cannot abide that any flesh should glory in his presence that any matter of boasting or glorying should bee given unto man His maine drift in his Word and workes is to abase man to pull downe his pride to make him even to despaire in himselfe and on the other side to advance and magnifie the glory of his owne free grace Hee that glorieth let him glory in the Lord saith he and in him alone Wee are the circumcision saith the Apostle Phil. 3.3 that rejoyce in the Lord Iesus and have no confidence in the flesh They onely are the true Israel of God that make Christ the onely ground and matter of their joy and comfort and renounce all confidence all ground of hope and comfort in themselves or in any thing they are able to doe Thirdly and lastly This is the best rule and note to try all doctrines and religions by This is given by our blessed Saviour as a sure note and rule to try all teachers and doctrines by Iohn 7.18 Hee that speaketh of himselfe seeketh his owne glory humane doctrines doe all tend one way or other to the glory of man to the advancing of him but he that seeketh his glory that sent him is true and there is no unrighteousnesse in him As if hee should say That teacher that in his Doctrine giveth no glory to man at all but all unto God alone hee is the onely true teacher that is the onely true Doctrine and religion of God So the Apostle proveth the Doctrine of justification by works to be a false Doctrine and that of justification by faith onely to be a true doctrine by this argument Rom. â— 27 Where is boasting then It is excluded saith he By what law or Doctrine By workes No but by the law or Doctrine of faith As if he should have said That doctrine that doth excluâ—e and shut out all matter of boasting of rejoycing or comfort in himselfe but onely in the Lord that must needs bee the true doctrine of God that that leaveth unto man any matter of boasting at all that must needs bee an earthly and false Doctrine Let us now make some application of these three points 1. Vnto such erroneous and false teachers as trouble and oppose this doctrine 2. Vnto our selves For the first There are two sorts of false teachers that doe most oppose this doctrine the Papist I meane and the Pelagian Both these doe in their Doctrine derogate from the grace of God they give unto man some part of the glory of his own salvation they leave unto man some matter of boasting and glorying before God and therefore their Doctrine must needs be a false and damnable doctrine Of the Papist this will easily be beleeved their doctrine of justification by workes of merit of satisfaction to be made by our selves unto God for our sins either in this life or in purgatory their doctrine of works of supererogation proveth them so palpably to be adversaries of the grace of God thaâ— I shall not need to spend any more time in confuting of them But Pelagius and his followers of old do in words some times seeme to ascribe much to Gods grace in the work of mans conversion but it hath beene the ancient practise of most dangerous seducers as the Apostle teacheth us Rom 16.18 by good words and faire speeches to deceive the hearts of the simple If they that hold damnable opinions should not make some shew of truth and piety few would be deceived by them They shall speake lies in hypocrisie saith he 1 Tim. 4.2 But marke how they expresse themselves and you shall find that for all their good words and faire speeches they are indeed adversaries of the grace of God and hold and teach that that doth greatly derogate from the glory of Gods grace and doth give much matter of boasting and glorying unto man himselfe I will not stand to prove this from their other Doctrines touching our election our redemption our justification and perseverance to the end the maine grounds on which the hope of our salvation and comfort is built all which they have corrupted and poisoned and in all which they derogate from the glory of Gods grace and give too
much unto man But I will insist onely upon that which they teach touching the worke of Gods grace in the conversion of man which concerneth the present Doctrine I have now in hand And in three points they teach concerning that you shall find that whatsoever they pretend they do indeed impeach the grace of God and give either all or almost all the glory of this great worke unto man himselfe For first They teach that all that God doth upon the will of man in the worke of his conversion is no more but this He doth by his Word offâ—r Christ unto us and shew us what obedience he requireth of us and he doth also by his Word with most strong and effectuall arguments perswade us unto faith and obedience but he doth not conferre or inspire any such grace into the will whereby it is actually inclined and caused to receive Christ and to yeeld obedience unto God but leaveth it absolutely unto it owne liberty whether it will receive Christ and yeeld obedience unto God or not Whereas the Scripture expressely teacheth that God by his grace doth much more then so he actually enclineth reneweth and changeth our wills or we could never be converted This was that worke of Gods grace that David prayed for Psal. 119 36. Encline my heart unto thy testimonies And Solomon in the dedication of the Temple 1 King 8 58 The Lord our God incline our hearts unto him to walke in all his waies This is that which God promiseth to worke by his grace in them whom he will convert and save Ezek 36.26 A new heart will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you Secondly They teach that all that God doth in the worke of mans conversion he doth it for one as well and as much as for another for the reprobate as well as for the elect he did as much for Iudas and for them that are now damned in hell as for Peter or any of the Saints that are now in heaven hee loved all men before their conversion with an equall love his grace is universall and he giveth it to one as well as to another Whereas as you have heard it 〈◊〉 in the Doctrine the Scripture expressely teacheth That hee doth more for them that are converted then he doth for any other he did more for Peter then he did for Iudaâ— that the Lord doth not give the grace of conversion to all 〈◊〉 Psal. 147.20 He hath not dealt so with every nation neither have they knowne his judgements To you it is given saith our Saviour Matth. 13 â—1 to know the mysteries of the kingdome of God to them it is not given That this is a fruit not of the common love he beareth to all men but of his speciaâ—l love The Apostle speaking of that love of God whereby he was moved to qâ—icken and convert his people Ephes. 2 4 calleth it his great love â—e saith he shewed himselfe therein to be rich in mercy yea he saith ver 7. he did it to â—hew the exceeding riches of his grace in this his kindnesse towards us This is a fruit of that love which is in a speciall manner borne unto his elect As many as were ordained to eternall life beleeved Acts 13.48 Whom he predestinated them he called Rom. 8.30 All that the father giveth me saith our Saviour Ioh 6.37 shall come unto me that is beleeve in me as he had expounded himselfe ver 35. None but those that are given to Christ can beleeve in him and all such shall certainely beleeve Ye beleeve not because ye are not of my sheepe saith our Saviour Iohn 10.26 27. my sheepe heare my voice Thirdly and lastly they teach That as no man can convert himselfe without the helpe of Gods grace so Gods grace doth not convert any man without his owne helpe that when God hath done his part and given most sufficient grace unto any man for his conversion it lieth in the power of a mans own will whether the grace of God shall be effectuall to his conversion or â—o he is able of himselfe either to accept of it or to reject it so that in very deed they doe ascribe more to man himselfe in the work of his conversion then unto the grace of God God say they doth offer us his grace he perswadeth and stirreth up our stupid will to receive it but man of himselfe whereas he could reject it if he list doth not reject it God maketh us able to beleeve to turne unto God to repent and obey if we will but man doth of himselfe a 〈◊〉 convert and beleeve and repent and obey which is more Wherâ—as the Scripture expressely teacheth that man in the first act of his conversion is a meere patient no agent at all God in the worke of our conversion doth not onely offer his grace but cause us to accept of it doth not onely make us able to convert to beleeve to obey if we will but he doth cause us actually to convert to beleeve to obey hee doth all in all in this worke Turne thou me and I shall bee turned saith Ephraim Ier. 31.18 Christ turneth every one of us from our iniquities saith the Apostle Acts 3.6 He giveth repentance unto Israel Actes 5.31 I will cause you to walke in my statutes and ye shall keepe my judgements and doe thâ—m saith the Lord Ezek. 36.27 It is God that worketh in you both to will and to doe Pâ—al 2 1â— By the grace of God I am what I am saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 15. â—0 And thus have I made application of these three points I delivered unto you in the use of instruction unto such as are erroneous teachers Now let mee make some application of it to our selves in a word or two And herein I will conclude my speech unto you as the Apostle Peter did his first Epistle 1 Peter 5 1â— he made application of the doctrine he had taught them by exhorting and testifying unto them 1. By testifying and earnestly protesting to them And what did hee thus testifie Surely that that was the true grace of God wherein they did then stand And so doe I testifie and confidently avouch and protest unto you that that Doctrine and religion which hath through the marvellous goodnesse of God beene taught in this famous and Orthodox Church of England now by the space of these seventy yeares and in the profession whereof wee all now stand is the onely true Doctrine and religion of Christ. Because it onely giveth the whole glory of mans salvation unto Gods free grace in Christ but it abaseth man and giveth him no matter of boasting or glorying at all 2. The Apostle in his application of his Doctrine exhorted them And what was his exhortation That is not expressed but it was doubtlesse the same that Paul and Barnabas used Acts 13. â—3 They perswaded them to continue in the grace of God that is in the Doctrine of grace which they had
us to judge surely for these and these sins God hath thus and thus plagued them Thus David saith Psalme 52.6 7. that when the righteous should see the strange judgements of God that should fall upon Doeg and his posterity they should say Loâ— this is the man that made not God his strength but trusted in the abundance of his riches and strengthened himselfe in his wickednes As if they should say He thought that so long as he was in such place and authority and favour with Saul he need not care what he did against David or against the Lords Priests but see now the end of this persecuting wretch The judgement of God that followed him kept his sin in their remembrance and made them oft to talke of it And doubtlesse so should the judgements of God that we see upon such as have bin notoriously wicked for whoredome for oppression for hatred of religion the judgements I say that we see upon them and their families should keepe their sins in our remembrance and cause us oft to thinke and speake of them Nay for as much as those poore Churches of Christ in the Palatinate and Germany and Rochel have bin notoriously knowne to offend generally in the ordinary profanation of the Sabbath the sin that God saith was a chiefe cause of the Iewes captivity Ezekiel 20.13 In the contempt of the ministery of whom the Lord hath said Deut. 12.19 Take heed to thy selfe that thou forsake not the Levite as long as thou livest upon the earth Forasmuch as I say they have bin notoriously knowne to offend generally this way besides the loosenesse of their lives in drunkennesse and lasciviousnesse professing outwardly religion having a forme of godlinesse as the Apostle spreaketh 1 Tim. 3.5 but denying the power thereof it is not unlawfull for us to impute all this marvailous severity of God towards them unto these their sins But then I answer secondly that there be two wayes whereby wee may offend greatly in this case First When only for the afflictions that they endure and the judgements of God that we see upon any we judge them guilty of some great sin though we know no sin by them nor can justly taxe their conversation any way As it was in Iobs case This I say is a great sin For it is evident by the scripture that the holiest of all Gods servants have bin most sharpely afflicted Such as of whom the world was not worthy as the Apostle speaketh Hebr. 11 37 38. were stoned and sawne asunder were tempted were slaine with the sword they wandered about in sheep-skins and goat-skins being destitute afflicted and tormented And God doth not alwayes in afflicting his children correct them for sin but he doth it sometimes only to try their faith patience and to make them examples of faith and patience unto others You are in heavinesse saith the Apostle 1 Peter 1.6 7. through manifold temptations that the tryall of your faith being much more precious then gold that perisheth though it be tryed with fire might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Iesus Christ. And sometimes he doth it for other causes which he keepeth secret unto himselfe and which the wisest and holiest men under heaven have not beene able to conceive yea this maketh much for his glory that he doth so as we read Prov. 25.2 That the Lord is righteous in all his wayes and holy in all his workes every faithfull man hath ever beene ready to acknowledge Psalme 145.17 Ieremy 12.1 But the wisest and holiest of Gods servants have oft beene astonished at the beholding of his judgements and unable to discerne his meaning in them but have beene constrained in a holy reverence and admiration to cry out as Esa. 45.15 Verily thou art a God that hidest thy selfe And Romanes 11.33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisedome and knowledge of God how unsearchable are his judgements and his wayes past finding out As if he had said His judgements are so deepe and unsearchable that no man is able to found them to find out the ground and reason of them The second way wherby we may much offend in this case is when though we know sins and great sins too in them whom God thus afflicteth we do by reason of the greatnesse and strangenesse of their afflictions judge them to be no better then hypocrites or greater sinners then our selves or other men whom the Lord doth not so plague as he hath done them For we have heard in the Doctrine God doth use to affliâ—t his owne deare children for sin more sharply in this life then he doth any other It was a strange judgement that fell upon old Ely that he should with a fall breake his necke and dye 1 Sam. 4.18 and doubtlesse his sin in bearing too much with his children in their profanesse was the cause of it yet he were a mad-man that would doubt whether he were a good man and dyed in Gods favour for all that or that would thinke he was a greater sinner then any other in Israel because of that So it was a strange judgement that befell the young Prophet 1 Kings 13 24. and certainely his sin was the cause of it And yet the old Prophet by his mourning for him and charging his sons verse â—9 31. that when he dyed they should bury him in his grave declared that he was undoubtedly assured that he was Gods deare child dyed in his favour for all that O take heed therfore of judging of those poore Churches that have so strangely perished or of any other persons to have beene hypocrites and void of true grace or to have bin greater sinners either then our selves because of the miseries that they have endured Take heed of despising or thinking the worse of any for their afflictions and miseries This is a corruption too strong in all men by nature Prov. 14.20 and 19.17 Eccles. 9.15 16. This is the first sin that is taxed and reproved by the Doctrine that we have heard And there be three things that may discover to us both the folly and the wickednesse and danger also of this humour First That God hath expresly said in his word that we may not judge them the greatest sinners that are most afflicted No man saith the holy Ghost Eccl. 9.1 knoweth either love or hatred by all that is before him that is by any outward thing that doth befall men as he expresseth himselfe verse 2. Suppose ye saith our Saviour Luk. 13.2 3. and to shew the certainty and necessity of this truth he repeateth it againe and giveth another instance of it verse 4 â— Suppose yee that those Galileans were sinners above all the Galileans because they endured such things They were murdered by Pilate even while they were sacrificing and serving God a strange judgement and yet heare what Christ saith I tell you Nay As if he should say you may not judge so you sin
good works by all their prayers and intercessions to merit of God for any man the pardon of the least sin And in this also Popery doth miserably and damnably deceive the world We know they teach men to trust and expect mercy from God in the pardon of their sin by the merits and intercession of the Saints specially of the blessed Virgin And it is notorious to the world that their whole Church in their publique Liturgie doe oft beg of God the pardon of sinne and deliverance from his wrath for the merits and intercession of such and such Saints Miserable comforters are they that teach poore soules in this case to leane upon the staffe of this bruised reed Of all the Saints that have beene most rich in grace and good workes that may truly bee said which David speaketh of the worldly rich men Psal. 49.7 8. None of them can by any meanes redeeme his brother nor give unto God a ransome for him for the redemption of the soule is precious No Saint was ever able with all his holinesse and good works to pay a price sufficient to satisfie the justice of God for one soule Nay I say more no Saint or Angel durst ever so farre mediate with God as to intreat him for his sake to pardon any one sin to any soule If one man sin against another saith old Ely to his sons 1 Sam. 2.25 the judge shall judge him satisfaction may bee made for the offence by the authority of the magistrate but if a man sin against the Lord who shall intreat for him As if he had said No Saint or Angel dare presume to be so much as a mediatour of intercession unto God for any that hath sinned against him Call now saith Eliphaz to Iob 5.1 if there be any that will answer or speake for thee and to which of the Saints wilt thou turne No none but Christ onely durst ever doe so much for any poore sinner And this is the first point in this Doctrine that doth discover to us how heavy and heinous a thing sin is Secondly Christ himselfe could not cleanse thee from thy sins nor procure thee the pardon of the least of them any other way but by dying for thee The holinesse of his life and that exact obedience he yeelded to the law of God in all points fulfilling all righteousnesse as himselfe speaketh Matth. 3.15 was doubtlesse of great merit and wee received much benefit by it As by one mans disobedience many were made sinners saith the Apostle Rom. 5.19 so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous We are justified in part even by his active obedience for by it we obtaine the imputation of that perfect righteousnesse that giveth us title to the kingdome of heaven For seeing it was not possible for us to enter into life till wee had kept the commandements of God Matth. 19.17 and wee were not able to keepe them our selves it was necessary our surety should keepe them for us And hee by performing to the full for us not for himselfe for he being God and not man only and his manhood having no personall substistance without the Godhead was not bound to keep the law for himselfe he I say by fulfilling the whole law of God did thereby purchase heaven for us and merit that God should account us righteous and perfect fulfillers of his law By this means he brought in everlasting righteousnesse as the Prophet speaketh Dan. 9.24 In which respect also the Apostle saith Rom. 10.4 that Christ is the end of the law for righteousnesse to every one that beleeveth As if he should say The end of the law is to justifie them that fulfill it and this Christ hath done for every one that beleveth in him and so hath made him righteous before God And for this cause the Apostle saith also Rom. 3.31 Doe we then make void the law through faith God forbid Yea we establish the law As though hee had said The Doctrine of justification by faith in Christ doth no way derogate from the law for it acknowledgeth a necessity not only of satisfaction for the penalty that is due to the transgression of it but also of a full and perfect observation of it in all points by them that would enter into life But though this be so yet Christs active obedience his good works and holy life could never have bin meritorious for us could never have justified us nor brought us to heaven if he had not dyed for us And therefore both our justification and our obtaining of heaven is ascribed to his bloud as if that alone had done both Being justified by his bloud saith the Apostle Rom. 5.9 we shall be saved from wrath through him And we have boldnes to enter into the holiest that is into heaven Heb. 10.19 by the bloud of Iesus So the scripture ascribeth much to the intercession that our Saviour daily maketh for us in heaven much comfort doubtlesse we may receive by this that we have such a friend in the court such an advocate to speake and plead and pray for us unto his father He is able saith the Apostle Heb. 7.25 to save them to the uttermost that come to God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them But his intercession could never have bin meritorious for us it could never have prevailed with God for us to the procuring for us the pardon of the least sin if he had not by his death given full satisfaction to the justice of God for us When Christ is described unto Iohn Rev. 5.8 9. as the only mediatour of intercession for his Church unto whom the foure and twenty Elders representing the whole Catholike Church and company of all Gods Saints do bring their golden viols full of odours which are the prayers of the Saints to be presented by him unto his father he is represented to him in the likenes of a lambe that was slaine ver 6.11 And the foure and twenty Elders ver 9. give this for the reason why they bring their prayers unto him and make him their only mediatour of intercession aswell as their only Prophet interpreter of his fathers will Thou art worthy say they to take the booke and to open the seales thereof for thou wast slaine and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood Hee could not have beene our Prophet neither could his intercession and prayers have ever beene meritorious for us if hee had not dyed for us It is the death of Christ that giveth vertue and merit to his intercession and prayers for us It is the blood of sprinkliâ—g that speaketh better things then that of Abel saith the Apostle Hebrewes 12. â—4 It is that that speaketh for us and pleadeth with God continually for mercy as the other did for vengeance Thirdly Christ himselfe could not by dying for thee have cleansed thee from thy sins nor procured the pardon of the least of them if he had not dyed
experience 1 of Gods marvellous providence in sundry extreamities as Abraham had 2 of Gods gracious presence revealed to us in his house and in the use of his ordinances as Iacob had 3 of the comfortable answer that God hath given to our prayers as hee did to Hannah 4 specially of the fruit happy successe we have found in our fasts the great deliverances we have received by them as Gods people in the daies of Iehosaphat and Mordecai did that we should likewise take heed of forgetting these experiments use all the meanes we can to keepe them in remembrance for ever And that for this very cause because as the Apostle saith Rom. 5.4 Experience worketh hope And that upon this ground because though we be variable the Lord is constant in his love Whom he loveth he loveth to the end Iohn 13.1 In him is no uariablenesse or shadow of turning Iames 1.17 The fourth and last meanes that they must use who desire to obtaine assurance of Gods favour in Christ to preserve it when they have it and to recover it when it is lost is this They must renounce themselves and looke for it onely through the free grace and mercy of God in Iesus Christ. When a man can neither 1 by diligent examination find any goodnesse in himselfe for the present 2 nor call to mind any goodnesse that hath beene in him formerly 3 nor can remember any such speciall mercy or fruit of Gods love that he hath received in times past upon which he can ground any assurance yet if he can then with an humbled soule despairing to get it any other way cast himselfe upon the free grace and mercy of God in Christ and cry with Gods people 2 Chron. 20.12 We know not what to doe but our eyes are upon thee he may obtaine assurance and comfort by this meanes when he cannot doe it by any other By this means David looked to receive his comfort and assurance as you may find by that speech he useth to his owne soule Psalme 42.5 which he repeateth againe verse 12. Why art thou cast downe O my soule and why art thou disquieted within me Hope thou in God for I shall yet praise him for the helpe of his countenance He looked verily to recover the comfortable assurance of Gods favour How looked he to recover it Surely by hoping in God and resting in his mercy So by this meanes the faithfull professe they looked to obtaine the comfortable assurance of Gods love Psal. 33.20 22. Our soule waiteth for the Lord for our heart shall rejoyce in him because we have trusted in his holy name Let thy mercy O Lord be upon us according as we hope in thee Why but you will say can any man hope for mercy from God that can find no goodnesse in himselfe at all The righteous God loveth righteousnesse as we have heard out of Psal. 11.7 Ye that feare the Lord trust in the Lord saith David Psal. 115.11 The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting saith David Psal. 103.17 upon them that feare him But on the other side Such as have no goodnesse in them but are wicked men his soule hateth as David teacheth us Psal. 11.5 To this I answer That though no impenitent sinner can expect mercy from God neither would I have any such snatch at any thing that I shall say they have nothing to do with it yet the humbled and penitent sinner may as may appeare by examples Sundry that could find no goodnesse in themselves at all and therefore judged themselves utterly unworthy of mercy have yet relyed upon God trusted and looked to receive mercy from him neverthelesse for that Such a one was the Centurion Matth. 8.8 who though he judged himselfe unworthy that Christ should come under his roofe yet did trust to receive mercy from Christ for all that And the woman of Canaan who though she knew no goodnesse in her selfe but counted her selfe no better than a dog Mat. 15.27 yet trusted confidently in Christ for all that And two plain reasons there be for this First because they knew Gods mercy is free and not grounded upon any goodnesse that is in us I will love them freely saith the Lord Hos. 14.4 I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious saith the Lord Exod. 33.19 and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy Secondly Because they have trusted to receive mercy from God onely through Christ. In him they knew there was goodnesse enough though there were none in them Looke upon the face of thine annointed saith David Psal. 84.9 As if he should have said Though thou canst see no goodnesse in me for which thou shouldst shew me mercy yet thou maist see enough in him to content thee Cause thy face to shine upon thy Sanctuary that is desolate saith Daniel 9.57 for the Lords sake Christ hath deserued that God should be mercifull to all the belieue in him And whatsoever goodnesse is in him is theirs He is made to us of God saith the Apostle 1 Corinth 1.30 wisdome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption So that an humbled sinner may rely upon and expect mercy of God through Christ though he can discerne no goodnesse at all in himselfe Nay I say more that because thou findest in thy selfe no goodnesse at all therefore art thou of all men the fittest to receive mercy from God through Christ. Hâ—e every one that thirsteth saith the Lord Esa. 55.1 come ye to the waters and he that hath no money As if he had said He that hath no goodnesse in him nothing whereby he may hope to purchase and deserve mercy is neverthelesse capable of mercy for that nay he is the more capable of it because of that that he finds himselfe so As the emptier a glasse is the fitter it is to receive any precious liquor that should be put into it Blessed are the poore in spirit saith our Saviour Matth. 5.3 And To him that worketh not but believeth in him that justifieth the ungodly saith the Apostle Rom. 4.5 To him that hath not any goodnesse not one good work to trust unto but can do God that honour as to believe in him expect and rest upon him for mercy though he know himselfe to be an ungodly man and void of all goodnesse to him his faith is imputed for righteousnesse As if he should say O that is a justifying that is an excellent faith indeed But though a man that feeleth no goodnesse in himselfe may yet expect to receive mercy and assurance of favour from God if he can rest himselfe upon the free grace and mercy of God in Christ and trust to receive it that way and that way alone yet how can such a one as I that am so full of feares and doubts and infidelity ever be able to do that my infidelity barreth me from all hope of mercy If Christ could do no mighty worke in Nazareth because of their infidelity
faith in meditating and feeding upon the goodnesse and love of God towards him in Christ and of those promises of God which through Christ hee hath title unto doth quicken and increase every saving grace in his heart And nothing hath that force to quicken and increase grace in us as this hath The better wee know the love of Christ that passeth knowledge the more assurance wee have of it the more oft and seriously wee thinke of it and meditate upon it the more we shall bee filled with all the fullnesse of God that is with all spirituall and saving and sanctifying grace as I shewed you the last day out of Ephes. 3.19 And the apprehending and beleeving of the promises of God these exceeding great and precious promises that God hath made to us in Christ hath great force to quicken and increase grace in the heart of man By them saith the Apostle 2 Peter 1.4 wee are made partakers of the divine nature O Lord saith Hezekiah in the prayer that hee made after that God had given him a promise to restore him to life Esa. 38.16 ô Lord saith he by these things by these gracious promises of thine men live and in all these things is the life of my spirit so thou wilt recover mee and make mee to live As if hee should say Though I be not fully recovered yet having thy promise for it I am revived in my spirit by these promises of thine thy people doe live thy promises are the life of their spirit If you aske mee what promises of God they bee that are so effectuall to breed and quicken grace in the heart of man I answer All Gods promises are very forcible and effectuall that way for in them all Gods marvellous love and goodnesse towards us is manifested And these bands of love as the Lord calleth them Hos. 11.4 have great force to draw the heart of Gods child unto him By them thou hast quickned mee saith David Psalme 119 93. But yet there is a speciall promise which above all other is most effectuall this way and that is that God hath promised to all them that are in the covenant of grace that are reconciled to him in Christ that hee will give them his holy sanctifying spirit A new heart will I give you saith the Lord Ezekiel 36.26 27. and a new spirit will I put within you and I will put my spirit within you and cause you to walke in my statutes As if hee had said Hee will by his holy spirit worke sanctifying and saving grace in his people And yet more particularly God hath promised that as wheresoever Christ came when hee was upon earth he restored the deafe to their hearing and the blind to their sight and the lame to their lims and even the dead to life as wee read Matthew 11.5 Yea hee made that woman goe straight and upright that had had a spirit of infirmity eighteene yeeres and was so bowed together that shee could not lift up her selfe of whom wee read Luke 13.11 13. Even so the Lord hath promised to worke the same mighty workes in the hearts of all his people that have by a lively faith received and entertained Christ. The eyes of the blind shall bee opened saith hee Esa. 35.5 that is they that were ignorant shall have knowledge wrought in them and the eares of the deafe shall bee unstopped they that could not heare heavenly things with any affection or fruit shall bee made able to heare the Word feelingly and fruitfully the lame man shall leape as a hart they that were before reprobate to every good worke shall bee made able cheerefully and willingly to walke in Gods waies and the tongue of the dumbe shall sing they that could not speake of any goodnesse before shall bee able to speake graciously for in the wildernesse shall waters breake forth and streames in the desart they whose hearts were most barren before of all goodnesse shall bee made most fruitfull in grace and good workes Now the promises of God all that are reconciled to God in Christ all true beleevers have just title unto they are all heires of the promises of God as the Apostle calleth them Hebrewes 6.17 the promises of God are their chiefe inheritance They are set downe in Christs testament and wee may challenge them as our legacy And if wee would make use of our faith when wee find in our selves most want of any grace or are most troubled with the poverty of our spirits and lay claime to these promises of God that in Christ wee have so just title unto certainely wee might bee farre more rich in grace then wee are Why are wee still so blind and so deafe so dumb and so lame so barren and unfruitfull Surely because though God have made us promises to helpe us in all these things wee doe not stirre up our faith to lay hold of and make claime unto them and therefore wee have so little benefit by them That as wee read Christ did not many mighty workes in his owne countrey Matthew 13.58 nay it is said Marke 6.5 hee could doe no mighty workes there and the reason is given because of their unbeleefe so it may truly bee said that the true cause why the Lord hath not in all this time wrought more spirituall miracles in our hearts is because of our unbeleefe either wee doe not at all beleeve these promises or at least wee doe not stirre up our faith nor make use of it in making claime unto them and challenging our right in them as wee ought to doe But I shall make this plainer unto you by handling it more particularly and distinctly and shewing you the force that is in justifying faith 1 to breed every saving grace in the heart 2 to enable a man unto every good duty And for the first I will instance but in foure particular graces by which you may easily judge of all the rest The first of them is saving repentance What is it that maketh a poore sinner when hee hath offended willing and able to turne unto God againe and seeke reconciliation with him Not the knowledge of Gods justice and power to consume him though I know there is a kind of repentance a legall repentance such a one as Iudas his was of whom wee read Matthew 27.3 that when hee saw Christ was condemned and what a gulfe of misery hee had cast himselfe into by his sinne hee repented himselfe that is wrought thereby But this will never worke saving repentance in a man it will never cause him to turne unto God and seeke reconciliation with him no no it will make a man hide himselfe from God and flie from him if possibly hee could as Adam did Genesis 3.8 It is the apprehension and perswasion the heart hath of the mercy of God and of his readinesse to forgive him upon his repentance and turning to him and that onely that giveth a man a heart to repent and turne unto God when
faith that God hath so loved him hee cannot choose but love him againe and serve him out of love and not out of feare onely Faith worketh by love saith the Apostle Galathians 5.6 As if hee had said The first and chiefe fruit that it putteth forth and whereby it sheweth that life and efficacy that is in it is this it breedeth in the heart that hath it an unfained love unto God Yea proportionable to our faith and the assurance wee have of Gods love to us will our love unto God bee Many sinnes are forgiven her saith our Saviour Luke 7.47 for shee loved much but to whom little is forgiven the same loveth but a little Certainely beloved the true cause why the most of us beare no more love to God and goodnesse then wee doe is this that either wee have no faith no assurance of Gods love to us in the pardon of our sinnes or els wee have knowne but few sinnes by our selves and have beene but a little humbled for sinne and therefore we are not much affected with the mercy and love that God hath shewed to us in the pardon of our sinnes Now for the force that is in justifying faith to quicken and enable us unto every good duty which is the second particular that I promised to speake of I might be large in the handling of it There is no good duty either towards God or man that thou findest thy selfe most backward in but if thou hadst faith to assure thee of Gods love to thee in Christ and to beleeve the promises that God hath made unto that duty and if thou wouldst also stirre up and exercise thy faith in meditating of Gods mercy and love and of those particular promises thou shouldst find thy selfe thereby made farre more able to performe that duty and to performe it in a holy and comfortable manner then thou art This is that whereby David was wont to prepare himselfe to Gods publique worship I will goe to thine house saith hee Psalme 5.7 in the multitude of thy mercies But I will instance and that briefly too but in two particular duties that is to say the hearing of the word and prayer For the first No man can heare the Word with any affection and fruit till he have faith and be thereby perswaded of Gods love to him in Christ. As new borne babes desire the sincere milke of the Word saith the Apostle 1 Pet. 2.2 3. that you may grow thereby if so bee yee have tasted that the Lord is gracious As if he should say Then and not till then you shall be able to doe it God hath made many promises to such as heare his Word Generall promises 1. Hee will ever assist this ordinance and worke with it Matthew 28.20 Goe teach all nations and loe I am with you to the end of the world 2. That hee will save the soules of his people by this ordinance Iames 1.21 Esa. 55.3 3. That by this ordinance hee will begin grace and convert the soule Psalme 19.7 4. That by this ordinance hee will increase and perfect grace where hee hath begun it Vnto you that heare shall more bee given saith our Saviour Marke 4.24 And Acts 20.32 I commend you to God and to the Word of his grace which is able to build you up And particular promises God hath also made to them that attend upon this ordinance 1. That hee will by this ordinance give them strength to overcome their strongest corruptions Even a young man may cleanse his way thereby Ps. 119.9 2. That he will by this ordinance worke peace in their consciences Esa. 57.19 How falleth it out then that many of us heare constantly and find no such thing Surely the cause is rendred Hebrewes 4.2 The Word preached did not profit them not being mixed with faith in them that heard it In our hearing wee make not use of our faith to make claime to these promises and expect the performance of them unto us Secondly For prayer Till a man have some assurance by faith of the pardon of his sinnes and of Gods favour hee can never pray aright nor with any heart and affection Romanes 10 14. How shall they call on him in whom they have not beleeved It is the spirit of grace that is the spirit of supplications Zach. 12.10 He that goeth to God must apprehend him and conceive of him as of his father Matthew 6.9 And on the other side hee that is by faith perswaded that God is his gracious father cannot choose but resort much to him in hearty prayer Galathians 4.6 O God thou art my God saith David Psalme 63.1 early will I seeke thee And 86.4 5. Vnto the Lord doe I lift up my soule for thou Lord art good and ready to forgive and plenteous in mercy to all that call upon thy name Many are the promises that God hath made unto prayer Generall promises that he will heare and answer us Esa. 30.19 Hee will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry when hee shall heare it he will answer thee And Iohn 16.23 Whatsoever ye shall aske the father in my name hee will give it unto you And particular promises 1. Deliverance from any trouble and affliction Psalme 50.15 Call upon me in the day of trouble I will deliver thee Or strength and patience to beare it Iames 1.5 If any of you lack wisdome let him aske of God and it shall be given him 2. Whatsoever spirituall grace we stand in need of Luke 11.13 Your heavenly father will give his holy spirit to them that aske him 3. Inward joy and peace of conscience Iob 33.26 Hee shall pray to God and hee will bee favourable unto him and hee shall see his face with joy Aske and ye shall receive that your joy may be full Iohn 16.24 Why then have wee no more heart to prayer Why receive wee no more good by it Surely wee doe not make use of our faith in thinking of and trusting to these promises of God when we goe to prayer and that is a maine cause of it And let not that man thinke saith the Apostle Iames 1.7 that hee shall receive any thing from the Lord. And thus have I finished those foure Motives I promised to give for the enforcing of this exhortation Lecture CXLII On Psalme 51.7 March 2. 1629. IT followeth now that we proceed unto those signes and notes that I promised to give you whereby they that have received Christ and are justified by him may be knowne And surely there is great need that we should have signes and notes given us in Gods Word whereby this may be discerned and judged of For we finde by experience of all ages that many doe verily thinke that Christ and all his merits doe belong to them who yet did never receive him nor have any title to him at all Many will say to me in that day saith our Saviour Matth. 7.22 23. Lord Lord have we not prophesied in
that none shall receive benefit by the death of Christ but such only as doe beleeve in him God so loved the world saith our Saviour himselfe Ioh. 3.16 That he gave his only begotten Sonne that whosoever beleeveth in him should not perish but have life everlasting And it is certaine that all men have not faith as the Apostle speaketh 2 Thes. 3.2 Nay it is evident that there be but very few of them that live in the Church and professe the truth that have true faith And when thy conscience shall be awakened beloved thou wilt finde that there is in thee an evill heart of unbeleefe as the Apostle calleth it Heb. 3.12 that there is no one sinne that thou art more strongly inclined to then to infidelity that though now in the time of health and peace thou thinkest it the easiest thing in the world to beleeve in Christ it is a matter of of extreame difficulty to beleeve aright Two evident reasons there are for it First All men are by nature utterly unable to beleeve There is in the bloud of Christ a fountaine opened to us by the Gospell for sinne and for uncleannesse as the Prophet speaketh Zach. 13.1 And if we could get into that fountaine if we could make use of and apply to our selves the water of that fountaine certainely it would cleanse us perfectly from all our sinnes But alas we are like unto that poore impotent man that lay at the poole of Bethesda Ioh. 5.7 he knew well enough that if he could have got into the poole so soone as the Angell had stirred the water he should have beene perfectly cured but he could not of himselfe get into the poole And so is it with every one of us by nature the fountaine of Christs bloud is able to cleanse us throughly from all our sinnes and this fountaine is by the Ministery of the Gospell opened even unto us it is not shut against any of us none of us are barred or excluded from it but though it be thus opened we cannot get into it of our selves No man can come to mee saith our Saviour Ioh. 6.44 Except my Father which hath sent me doe draw him The Lord must by his spirit change our hearts he must draw us unto Christ by his mighty and out stretched arme and make us able to beleeve in him or we shall never come unto him Yea the Apostle calleth this Eph. 1.19 a worke of the exceeding greatnesse of Gods power that any man is made able to beleeve in Christ aright And this helpe this grace God doth not vouchsafe to all he draweth not all but whom it pleaseth him The winde bloweth where it listeth saith our Saviour Ioh. 3.8 So is every one that is borne of the Spirit The Sonne quickneth whom he will saith hee Ioh. 5.21 Nay hee vouchsafeth this mercy but to few Who hath beleeved our report saith the Prophet Esaâ— 53.1 And to whom is the arme of the Lord reveiled And this is the first cause why so few doe truely beleeve The second is this that some are through Gods just judgement upon them for some former sinnes smitten of God with a supernatuall inability to beleeve Therefore they could not beleeve saith our Saviour out of the Prophet Esay Ioh. 12.39 40. because God had blinded their eyes and hardned their hearts Oh then beloved seeing there be so few in comparison that shall have any benefit by Christ it standeth us upon to take heed we be not deluded any longer with a conceit of the common interest that all men have in Christ but diligently to enquire whither wee our selves be of that small number or no whether we can finde in our selves those notes whereby Christ hath marked his owne sheepe and whereby hee will owne them for his Certainely as the Lord himselfe knoweth them that are his as the Apostle speaketh 2 Tim. 2.19 so he hath set that marke upon them as whereby themselves also may know that they are his I know my sheepe saith he Ioh. 10.14 And I am knowne of mine Wee know saith the Apostle 1 Ioh. 4.13 that we dwell in him and he in us O what a happinesse is this to a Christian to be sure of this And on the other side what sound comfort can a man have in life or death if he be not sure of this Alas the more confident that any man is of his interest in Christ the more wofull will his case bee if when hee shall appeare before Christ Christ will not owne him because he findeth not his marke upon him or if when his owne conscience shall be awakned he shall looke and search for Christs marke upon himselfe and cannot be able to finde it When Christ shall say to them that were confidently perswaded that they had great interest in him I tell you I know you not whence you are depart from me as we read Luke 13.27 28. he will one day say to many such persons there shall bee weeping and gnashing of teeth saith our Saviour If you aske mee What marke is that Christ useth to brand his sheepe withall whereby he will owne them and whereby themselves may know that they are his I answer It is his holy Spirit which he giveth to all that truly believe in him He that is joyned to the Lord saith the Apostle 1 Corinth 6.17 is one spirit As if he had said He hath in him the very same spirit that is in Christ. If any man have not the spirit of Christ saith the Apostle Romans 8.9 hee is none of his Therefore also is the holy Spirit called the Lords seale that he setteth upon his and whereby he doth use to marke them After ye believed in Christ saith the Apostle Ephes. 1.13 ye were sealed with the holy Spirit of promise When once a man findeth that he hath this seale this marke upon him he may confidently and comfortably conclude that certainely he is Christs and Christ is his and till then hee can never know it Hereby wee know saith the Apostle 1 Iohn 3.24 that he abideth in us by the spirit which he hath given us and 4.13 Hereby we know that we dwell in him and he in us because he hath given us of his spirit But may not this marke be counterfeited will you say May not a man easily mistake and be deceived in this and thinke he hath the Spirit of Christ when he hath it not indeed I answer Yes that hee may or els wee should not bee so oft and so earnestly charged as we are 2 Corinth 13.5 to examine our selves to prove our owne selves and Galat. 6.4 Let every man prove his owne worke But yet by the fruits and effects of the Spirit that he findeth in himselfe the true believer may certainely know that the Spirit of Christ doth dwell in him indeed I have oâ—t had occasion heretofore to speake of sundry fruits of faith and effects of the Spirit whereby he that is in Christ and hath
gives to know his Elect by Iohn 10.5 a stranger one that brings new and strange Doctrine other Doctrine then such as their shepheard doth teach they will not follow but will flee from him Lest they should follow him and bee mislead by him they will flee from him if they should not flee from him they feare they might bee seduced by him Yea though Timothy was himselfe a preacher and a man of rare and excellent gifts too yet the Apostle forbids him to reason much with wrangling spirits and such as would use their wits to dispute against the truth Perverse disputings saith hee 1 Timothy 6.5 of men of corrupt mindes and destitute of the truth From such withdraw thy selfe And if such a man might not bee allowed to reason much with heretickes nor to delight to heare what they could say against the truth and for their errours how much lesse may a private Christian bee allowed to doe thus Say not I shall by hearing and reading what they say discerne the absurdity of their opinions the better and bee confirmed in the truth For first This is not the meane that God hath sanctified to confirme his people in the truth but expressely forbidden it as you have heard heare them not saith hee avoid them flee from them Secondly The way that God hath sanctified to confirme thee in the truth sufficiently and abundantly is the sound ministery of his Word Paul and Barnabas by their preaching confirmed the soules of the Disciples Act. 14 21 22. And Paul sent Timothy by his ministery and preaching to establish the Thessalonians 1 Thess. 3.2 Thirdly This will be a meane to weaken thee rather and breed doubts in thee and pervert thee then to confirme thee in the truth Remember what Eve got by giving her selfe liberty to conferre and reason with the Serpent specially when she was alone yet was she then in the state of innocency Gen. 3.1 2. If thou wilt needs heare and read what such men can say bee sure thou have some with thee that is able to detect and confirme thee against their errours Neither say secondly But I know my selfe to bee so setled in the truth that nothing they can say against it shall bee able to move mee but I shall bee rather able to convince them For first Many that oppose the truth and teach errour are full of sleight and cunning craftinesse as the Apostle speaketh Ephes. 4.14 and will speake with farre greater probability and shew of reason then thou art aware of Secondly Heresies are workes of the flesh as the Apostle teacheth us Galathians 5.20 and therefore wee are all by nature much more apt and enclined to receive any heresy then the truth No tow no tinder is apter to take the fire then wee are to receive errour Thirdly Of the Minister of God it is indeed required that hee should bee able by sound Doctrine to convince the gainesayers Titus 1.9 hee hath a calling unto it and therefore hee may safely so farre as the necessity of the Church shall require it heare and read what they can say for themselves For while we walke in any of our waies that God hath appointed us to walke in wee have a promise of protection from God Psalme 91.11 Hee will give his Angels charge over us to keepe us in all our waies But of every private Christian God requireth not this that hee should bee able to convince the gaine-sayer and answer all his cavills they have no calling unto it and therefore cannot expect the like protection from God to bee kept from taking hurt by it Fourthly and lastly Thou hast just cause to feare that because thou presuming upon thine owne strength dost willfully disobey his commandement who hath forbidden thee to heare them commanded thee to avoid them to flee from them God will leave thee and suffer thee either to bee corrupted or unsetled in thy judgement by them Take Salomon for an example of this who because hee did contrary to the commandement of God presume upon his owne understanding and strength hee was so forsaken of God that every one of his strange wives corrupted him in his judgement and drew him to approve of and practise their severall idolatries 1 Kings 11.8 And certainely many now adaies are daily either altogether corrupted or made unsetled in religion by their voluntary and needlesse reasoning with and reading the bookes of Papists and other hereticks To conclude therefore this first direction Bee not so desirous to heare what such men can say but rather as our Saviour Matth. 10.16 commands us to be wise as Serpents learne that wisedome of the Serpent which the Prophet speaketh of Psalme 58.4 5. Stop thine eare and hearken not to the voice of these charmers charme they never so wisely The second direction of the first kind is this If thou do desire to be constant in thy religiō to keep thy self from being corrupted in thy judgemēt that way take heed of affecting in religiō the knowledge of intricate curious unprofitable things There is a desire of knowledg that is most necessary such as al Gods people are to be exhorted unto and there is a desire of knowledge that is most dangerous and which we must warne you all to beware of Concerning the former First It is certaine that whatsoever God hath hath revealed in his Word as it doth concerne all so all Gods people may and should desire to attaine unto the knowledge of it Nay there is not a Chapter not a verse in all the holy Bible but every one of Gods people might make a profitable use of it if the fault or defect were not in himselfe The things revealed saith Moses Deut. 29.29 belong unto us and to our children for ever that we may doe all the words of this law There is no part of Gods revealed will but it would further us in our obedience to God if we understood it as we ought to doe Rom. 15.4 Whatsoever things were written aforetime in the Old Testament and then much more in the New were written for our learning that we through patience and comfort in the Scriptures might have hope Whatsoever is written in the holy Scriptures would further us in our faith and increase our patience and comfort and hope in all our afflictions if we did understand it aright Secondly No man ought to envy unto the people of God any measure or degree of knowledge in the holy Scriptures that they are able to attaine unto but desire and rejoyce in it rather Wee doe not cease to pray for you saith the Apostle Col. 1.9 and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will Nay though any of our people should equall our selves who are their teachers in the knowledge of the Word and be able to discerne when any of us teach unsoundly or mistake the meaning of the Scripture or play the trevants study not for our Sermons but doe the worke of the Lord
spoken by Esaias the Prophet saying himselfe tooke our infirmities and bare our sicknesses he meaneth our sins the infirmities and sicknesses of our soules When the name Iesus is given to him the reason is said to be this Matth. 1.21 Because he shall save his people from their sinnes And that not onely by procuring pardon for them by justifying and delivering them from the guilt and punishment of them but also by sanctifying them and healing their natures by killing sin in them All Christians will be ready to acknowledge and magnifie the all-sufficiency of Christ for procuring pardon at Gods hands for their sins and are apt to run to him for ease and comfort when their consciences are oppressed with the burden of them but few or none will run to Christ for strength against their corruptions for helpe in their spirituall combate and wrestling with them whereas he came into the world to yeeld us helpe that way as well as the other to sanctifie us as well as to justifie us to deliver us from the power of sinne as well as from the guilt and punishment of it For this purpose saith the Apostle 1 Ioh. 3.8 was the sonne of God manifested that he might destroy the workes of the divell that he might destroy sin And he is made to us of God saith Paul 1 Cor. 1.30 not onely wisdome and righteousnesse but sanctification also and redemption He gave himselfe for us Tit. 2.14 that he might redeeme us from all iniquity And how are we redeemed from it if it still be suffered to reigne and domineere in us and purifie to himselfe a peculiar people zealous of good workes Fourthly and lastly We have his expresse promise whereby he hath bound himselfe to yeeld us helpe that come to him for the healing of our soules and for strength against our corruptions which we do not read that any of them had that came to him for cure of their bodily infirmities Indeed the spirit of God did extraordinarily worke in them a full assurance that they should receive help from him For els Christ would never have said they had faith but an expresse promise of God which the Apostle calleth the word of faith Rom. 10.8 they had none as we have Why but will you say hath every member of Christ any such promise from God that no sin shall reigne in him That he shall have strength given him to master any head-strong and unruly lust that troubleth him if he will seeke to Christ for it I answer Yes verily hee hath the expresse promise of God and that not onely in particular against some speciall corruptions but also in generall against all Foure speciall corruptions there are that Gods people use much to complaine of for which we have the Lords promise in particular that we shall have helpe against them First Ignorance blindnesse and blockishnesse of minde that we cannot learne or carry away any thing no not from the best meanes Many good soules say that of themselves which Paul speaketh of bad ones 2 Tim. 3.7 I am ever learning and can never come to the knowledge of the truth But see what a promise we have against this Esa. 35.5 In Christs kingdome the eyes of the blind shall be opened and the eares of the deafe shall be unstopped 2 Cor. 3.16 When the heart shall turne to the Lord the evill shall be taken away And thus our Saviour expresly speaketh Ioh. 9.39 I am come into the world that they that see not might see And 12.46 I am come a light into the world that whosoever beleeveth in me should not abide in darknesse Secondly Hardnesse of heart is another great corruption that Gods people much complaine of they cannot repent nor mourne for sin nor be affected with Gods judgements there is a feared thick skin upon their hearts they are so brawny and hard See also what a promise we have from God for helpe against this Deut. 30.6 The Lord thy God will circumcise thy heart and take away this thick skin from it And Ezek 36.26 I will take away the stony heart out of you and give you an heart of flesh And Acts 5.31 God hath exalted Christ to be a Prince and a Saviour to give repentance unto Israel and forgivenesse of sinnes Christ will give thee grace to repent as well as forgivenesse of sins Thirdly O but saith many a good soule I thinke no body in the world hath so profane a heart I cannot feare nor stand in that reverent awe of God that I should but have oft most blasphemous thoughts rising in me against his Majesty his providence his Word c. Have I any promise of helpe against this Yes verily Ier. 32.39 I will give them a heart that they may feare me for ever And verse 40. I will put my feare into their hearts Fourthly O but I am so unconstant saith many a Christian in every thing that is good that I feare much there is no truth of grace in me I have by fits good motions and desires and can performe good duties with some comfort but all my goodnesse is like the morning dew as the Prophet complaineth of hypocrites Hos. 6.4 Have I any promise for helpe against this Yes indeed hast thou Hos. 14.4 I will heale their backeslidings Fiftly and lastly Whatsoever other sin and corruption any child of God can be troubled withall be it pride or worldlinesse or uncleannesse or frowardnesse or any other whatsoever he hath promise through Christ to receive helpe and strength against it Ezek. 36.25 I will poure cleane water upon you and ye shall be cleane from all your filthinesse and from all your Idols I will cleanse you And lest that should be understood onely of that washing we have by the blood of Christ in our justification he addeth verse 26. A new heart also will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you And Mal. 4.2 Vnto you that feare my name shall the sun of righteousnesse arise with healing in his wings When the sun of righteousnesse doth arise in our hearts he shall heale our nature and dry up the issues of corruption that are in it And so speaketh the Apostle Peter Acts 3.26 God hath sent his sonne to blesse you in turning away every one of you from your iniquities Christ will turne every one from his iniquities whom he is sent of God to be a Saviour unto Many more such promises I might alledge whereby God hath bound himselfe to sanctifie all such as are in Christ and to purge them from all their sins yea to strengthen them against the strongest of all their corruptions and tentations also that they can be subject unto as Ier. 33.6 2 Pet. 1.3 4. Mat. 5.6 Act. 26.18 Rom. 16.20 To conclude therfore If Christ be 1 as able now to heale our soules of all their diseases as he was to cure all corporall infirmity when he was upon earth 2 If he be as willing to
yeeld his people helpe this way as he was the other and more willing too 3 If the principall worke he came into the world for was not to cure the bodies of men but to heale their soules 4 If we have his expresse promise for the healing of our soules of all their corruptions which they had not for the curing of their bodily infirmities How commeth it to passe that so many then were cured by him of all their bodily infirmities and we have little or no helpe at all from him for the healing of our soules Surely one of these three things must needs be the cause of it 1. Either we doe not so earnestly desire helpe for our soules this way as they did for their bodies the punishment of our sins we would faine be delivered from but whether we be freed from the power of them or no we are indifferent 2. Or we doe not seeke to Christ for helpe in this case of ours as they did in theirs Pardon of sin and mercy with God and comfort and peace we looke to have through Christ alone but we seeke not to him for grace to sanctifie us and mortifie sin in us nor looke to receive that benefit by him also Or els 3 we seeke not to Christ for helpe this way in that manner as they did that is in faith and full assurance of heart to receive helpe from him in this case But of us it may be said in this case as the Apostle speaketh in an other Iam. 4.2 3. We desire to have grace and cannot obtaine we fight and warre against our lusts and yet have not victory over them because we aske not we seeke not to Christ we aske and receive not because we aske amisse that is we aske not in faith in confidence and assurance to obtaine it of God through Christ. Let us therefore stirre up our selves to take hold of Christ and these promises and confidently expect the performance of them to our selves in our owne particular cases and so by faith draw vertue from Christ to drie up all the filthy issues that are in our foules As the Israelites looking on the brasen serpent in faith healed them Num. 21.8 9. So let thine eyes be upon Christ with expectation dependance upon him as Iehoshaphat speaketh 2 Chron. 20.12 in another case for helpe and vertue will be derived from him to cure thee All things saith our Saviour Mat. 21.22 whatsoever ye shall aske in prayer beleeving having his promise for them as in this case we have ye shall receive And if thou canst beleeve saith he thou maist have helpe against that spirit that hath possessed thy son from his very childhood though my Disciples could not cast him out Mar. 9.23 all things are possible to him that beleeveth Certainely it were possible enough for any of us to get power over our strongest corruptions and to attaine to a farre greater measure of mortification then we are yet come unto if we would imploy our faith in this worke if we would make claime to these promises and rest upon them and confidently expect strength and helpe from God through Christ against them Say not any of you alas I am so sinfull and unworthy a wretch that I dare not presume to beleeve and be so confident that Christ will helpe me For First Thy unworthinesse will not barre thee from receiving helpe from Christ. In all the cures he did upon men he had no respect at all to the worthinesse of the persons Mat. 8.16 He healed all that were sicke without all respect of persons He selleth not his grace but giveth it freely Esa. 55.1 Every one that thirsteth come ye to the waters and he that hath no money Secondly The more unworthy thou feelest thy selfe to be the more fit thou art to receive helpe from him For God giveth grace to the humble Iam. 4.6 And among all that received helpe from Christ those had the strongest faith and did most confidently expect helpe from him that had in themselves the deepest sense of their owne unworthinesse as is evident in the example of the Centurion Luke 7.7 8. and of the woman that had the bloudy issue Mar. 5.27 33 34. and the woman of Canaan Mat. 15.27 28. Neither say secondly Alas I cannot beleeve I go to Christ I pray against my hardnesse of heart and against my frowardnesse and against my blasphemous thoughts c. but I cannot pray in faith nor certainly beleeve that God will give me helpe against them For First Do as the poore man did that went to Christ to have his sonne dispossessed Mar. 9 24. mourne and weepe for thy unbeleefe that thou canst not give credit unto God Secondly Do againe as he did pray heartily to God to helpe thy unbeleefe Mar. 9 24. Thirdly Then know assuredly thou hast a true faith though a weake one and that this weake one will be sufficient to procure helpe to thee from him as it did for that poore man Mar. 9.25 Thirdly and lastly Say not this is contrary to mine owne experience and to the experience of all the godly who though they have had true faith yet they could never obtaine power from Christ to vanquish their lusts I have in my prayers against my corruptions called to mind these promises you have spoken of and made claime to them and am never the nearer Yea Paul though he had so much faith yet complaineth Rom. 7.23 that the law of his members did bring him still into captivity to the law of sinne The faithfull do indeed receive from Christ their justification in this life fully and perfectly but as for their sanctification it is but litle that many of them do receive as appeareth by the strong corruptions that may be discerned even in the most of them To this I answer First Christ doth not utterly destroy sinne in any beleever so long as he liveth here For he seeth that would not be good for us in many respects as we heard in the handling of the Doctrine Secondly He doth give to some of his servants a greater measure of sanctification and power to overcome their corruptions then he doth unto other Ephes. 4.7 To every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Thirdly Every beleever is in some measure sanctified by Christ and his corruption hath received from him a deadly blow that it shall never reigne more he hath so much strength given him as he shall never be quite overcome nor brought under the dominion of sinne any more but shall be made able to maintaine warre against it For Christ hath made us all Kings and Priests unto God Rev. 1.6 And Rom. 6. â—4 Sinne shall not have dominion over you for ye are not under the law but under grace Fourthly Proportionable to the measure of our faith shall our sanctification be and our strength to overcome our corruptions And
Rom. 3.24 And thus runneth the promise Revel 21.6 I will give to him that is a thirst of the fountaine of the water of life freely To this I answer that though the pardon of our sins and salvation of our souls be in respect of Christ our surety no free gift but a deare purchase neither do we obtaine it till it was dearely bought and purchased for us Ye are bought with a price saith the Apostle 1 Cor. 6.20 Yea such a price as the Apostle 1 Tim. 2.6 calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fully answerable in worth to the soules of all Gods redeemed ones and to that which God hath given us yet in respect of our selves and of our obtaining of it it is meerly of grace it is the free gift of God It is meerly of mercy and free grace that any of us are saved This will evidently appeare unto us in five points First It was the free grace of God and nothing els that first moved him to find out and appoint this way to save us by and to satisfie his own justice for us He purposed this in himselfe saith the Apostle Eph. 1.9 there was nothing out of himselfe that moved him to it He devised this way how to make satisfaction unto himselfe God was in Christ saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 5.19 and reconciled the world of the elect he meaneth for certainly all are not reconciled unto him to himselfe This was certainly the free grace and meere mercy of God and nothing els that moved him to do this Yea his love and mercy to his elect appeared more in this than if by his absolute prerogative and soveraignty he had forgiven us without exacting any satisfaction for us at all God so loved the world saith our Saviour Ioh. 3.16 that he gave his onely begotten Sonne c. Secondly It was the free grace of God and nothing els that moved him to give any of us to Christ and to appoint us in his eternall counsell to be of that small number that should receive mercy by him He predestinated us saith the Apostle Eph. 1.5 unto the adoption of Children by Iesus Christ to himselfe according to the good pleasure of his will As if hee had said The good pleasure of his owne will and nothing els moved him to do this In this respect our Saviour saith of his faithfull Disciples Ioh. 17.6 Thine they were and thou gavest them me And Verse 9. I pray not for the world but for them that thou hast given mee for they are thine Thirdly It was the free grace of God and nothing els that moved him to give to any of us that grace to receive Christ by faith being offered unto us in the ministery of the Gospell No man can come to me saith our Saviour Ioh. 6.65 except it were given unto him of my Father Fourthly It is the free grace of God and nothing els that moveth him to accept of that satisfaction which Christ our Surety hath made for us and not to exact it at our own hands And that maketh the Apostle to say Ephes. 1.6 that it is to the praise of the glory of his grace that he hath made us accepted in his beloved nothing hath bound him to do it but his owne free promise and grace onely Fiftly and lastly It is the free grace of God and nothing els that moveth him after we have received Christ by faith and thereby are brought into covenant with him to performe his promise and to keepe covenant with us considering how oft we break our covenant with him how weake and wavering our faith and obedience is And this made Solomon breake forth into those termes of admiration and wonderment 1 King 8.23 O Lord God of Israel there is no god like unto thee who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants that walke before thee with all their heart As if he should have said It is the marvellous mercy of God that hee keepeth covenant even with the best of his servants considering how many their failings be And thus have I finished my Answer to the Question and shewed you that though our salvation were not free to Christ but hee payed deare for it yet to us it is free we obtaine it onely through the free grace and mercy of God Lecture CXIX On Psalme 51.7 May 26. 1619. IT followeth now that we proceed unto the uses that this Doctrine serveth unto and those are three principally 1. For instrustion 2. For exhortation 3. For comfort For the first This Doctrine will teach us to judge rightly of sinne and to esteeme of it as it doth deserve Foure points there are to be observed in this Doctrine that do notably set forth the odiousnesse and hainousnesse of sinne First no creature in heaven or earth can cleanse thee from the least of all thy sinnes nor procure thee a pardon for it Christ Iesus onely was able to doe it He is the propitiation for our sinnes saith the Apostle 1 Iohn 2.2 and he alone In Popery men are taught that many will doe it Pardons may be bought of the Pope we know and the larger summ a man is content to disburse for it the larger shall his pardon be They teach also that men may by their almsdeeds and good works specially by doing good to the Church redeem and buy out their iniquities and make satisfaction to the justice of God for the temporall punishment that is due to them for sin so that the more bountifull a man is that way the lesse he shall need to feare the fire of Purgatory or any other temporall punishment whatsoever And this hath certainly been a most profitable and gainfull Doctrine to the Church of Rome But a most blasphemous Doctrine it is and such as mâ—keth the Crosse of Christ of none effect a Doctrine directly contrary to the holy Scriptures and to that which the Apostle Peter whom they make the rock upon which their Church is built did teach Ye know saith he 1 Pet. 1.18 that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as siluer and gold from your vaine conversation received by tradition from your fethers No silver and gold though we had never so many thousands to give unto pious uses can redeeme and buy out the least of our sinnes no not our vaine conversation our unprofitable walking our sinnes of omission or any part of the punishment that is due to us for it And this ye know saith the Apostle this was a truth clearely knowne to all Gods people then The Churches that were planted by the Apostles were fully perswaded of it And if the present Church of Rome had beene of the Apostle Peters founding as they pretend certainly silver and gold could not be of such use and worth there for procuring pardons for sinne as all the world knoweth that now it is But what speak we of silver and gold Not all the Angels or Saints in heaven or earth were ever able by all their holinesse and