spent in all fulnesse of obedience and in perfect freedome from sinne crowne them in the end with eternall glory for such vnspotted holinesse of life might carry a shew of claiming life for the dignity thereof but the guiltinesse of manifold weaknesses doth stop the mouth of euery man before the Lord and forceth all that haue any wit in their heads and feeling in their hearts to acknowledge that they are freely saued by his grace and that of his owne will not by the workes which they had done Secondly the Lords will is 2. That we may be conformable to Christ in afflictions and goe to heauen the same rough way that he did to make vs conformable to Christ our Head and to goe to heauen the same way that he went before vs namely through manifold afflictions that so out of the sence and feeling of the burthen of sinne and out of our long and troublesome wrestling with it we might be become more heartily and abundantly thankfull vnto him for our deliuerance Therefore the Apostle tels vs that we must suffer with Christ before we can raigne with him and himselfe tels vs that whosoeuer will be his Disciple must take vp his crosse and follow him for he will haue triall of the loue fortitude and patience of his souldiers and see whether for his sake they will endure the conflict afore he set the Crowne vpon their heads Now if he should not leaue vs in a state subiect to some sinne we could not be subiect to any affliction for where there is no fault imputed to be punished nor none inherent to be purged there it should bee vnrighteous with the Lord to lay any punishment for iustice will not suffer that the creature bee made subiect to correction where hee is not subiect to blame Hence the Lord of heauen that would haue vs pledge our Sauiour in the bitter cup of sorrowes on earth before we feast with him with the new wine of consolation in his Kingdome hath left the reliques of our flesh in vs to exercise vs that though sinne haue not dominion ouer vs yet it hath a dwelling and working in vs as the remnants of the Cananites kept vnder tribute If any shall obiect within himselfe How can it be that creatures so full of sinne should possibly be vnited vnto Christ how can it agree with his holinesse to take men and women defiled with corruption and make them so neere vnto himselfe as flesh of his flesh and bone of his bone for so we are made vnto him in this life The answere is ready that the fruitfull branches at the time of their ingraffing into Christ are made partakers of the blessing spoken of by Dauid in the Psalme viz. Their transgression is remitted their sinne is couered and the Lord imputeth not iniquity vnto them Through the imputation of Christs perfect righteousnesse vnto them and acceptation thereof for them all their sinnes are made as if they were not and therefore cannot possibly hinder them from being in their measure vnited vnto Christ and reconciled vnto God For all the sinnes of the penitent beleeuers that euer they haue committed or shall commit are in respect of God fully and wholly forgiuen and quite done away God pronouncing them perfectly iust in his sight and not imputing to them any iniquity at all whence it must needs follow as from the next and immediate ground thereof that they shall neuer fall away from grace for God can neuer pronounce him vniust whom hee hath once pronounced iust nor neuer impute iniquity to him againe to whom once hee imputed none iniquity because this were a manifest change and alteration whereof there is no shadow at all in God And so you haue this poynt sufficiently cleered We will shew you also what good vse you are to make of it CHAP. VII Containing the first vse of the poynt for the refutation of two errours viz. the merit of workes and the conceit of perfection in this life NOw this truth in the first place Vse 1 is strong enough to ouerthrow two grand errours at once A confutation of two errours 1. of the merit of workes dreamed of by Romanists The first is of the Papists of the merit of works No obedience can possibly merit in any kind of meriting but that which is compleat absolute and perfect For the life promised by the Law cannot bee chalenged by vertue of the Law vnlesse the condition whereupon the Law doth promise it bee wholly and in euery part and particle fulfilled seeing if one man make a couenant with another of giuing him such a reward vpon condition that he doe goe to such a place and dispatch for example foure seuerall businesses the man with whom this bargaine is made cannot by vertue of the bargaine chalenge from the bargaine-maker the reward specified if he goe to the place and dispatch but halfe the businesses or all or any of them but by the halues for a conditionall promise in reason and equity bindeth not the promise-maker but vpon the perfect fulfilling of the worke for which the promise was made Now the Law the couenant by which we must chalenge life if wee will stand vpon any kind of merit saith Doe this and liue and that we may know its meaning to bee do it fully perfectly exactly without any failing it explicates it selfe saying Cursed bee the man that confirmeth not all the words of this Law to doe them Wherefore by vertue of the Law vpon the worth and desert of the workes thereof no man can lay claime to life vnlesse hee can say I haue done this I haue confirmed the whole Law to doe it Now whosoeuer hath sinnes and corruptions and disorders in him whosoeuer offendeth in many things whosoeuer doth the euill he would not cannot say that he establisheth the whole Law by doing it and our poynt hath made it plaine that the best of all Gods Saints the Apostles Paul Iames Iohn Peter not excepted and I hope none will be bold to thinke himselfe better then these pillars must bee faine to confesse that they transgresse in many things and must not dare to say that they haue no sinne in this life wherefore it followes ineuitably plainly cleerly incontrollably to any reasonable mans vnderstanding that they can in no sort lay claime to heauen by any manner of worth or deseruing of their workes And in very deed the Papists themselues are faine to yeeld vs this cause in somwhat a close manner and with a faire couer of words that they may not seeme to yeeld it For they tell vs that these workes of the Saints are dipt in the blood of Christ and so being cleansed of all staine and blemish what hinders but that they may merit This is in a shew of difference to come vnto vs and grant the poynt controuerted For now who sees not that if there bee any worth in these workes it doth not abide in themselues nor grow from themselues
the other by the names of greater and lesser or grosser andlesse grosse because the degree of preuailing in one is farre higher and fuller than in the other As euen of Leapers some were not so much leprous as others though both leapers vncured And of diseases some are more vehement than others though both mortall And of wounds some are deeper and broader than others though both deadly Now a grosse hypocrite is he in whom hypocrisie so farre preuaileth The gross hypocrite is he that knowes himselfe but to dissemble and yet cares not for it that he knowes himselfe but to make a shew of goodnesse for some sinister respect and yet cares not for it out of the most exceeding story-hardnesse of his heart This hypocrite hides himselfe from the world but not from himselfe he cousens others but himselfe doth not deceiue himselfe for hee is full well acquainted with his owne intentions and perfectly priuy to the windings of his behauiour in very deed sometimes euen smiling to thinke how he beguiles the world with a certaine finenesse of outward carriage and seeming Many a man maketh a shew to be religious by doing diuers good things in the meane space knowing full well that he doth not in heart regard any of these things but alone that hee thinkes it fit so to wooe the times or to fish for the fauour of some particular man or to compasse some or other of his owne earthly and self-respecting proiects Many a parishioner commeth to Church vsually each Sabbath and receiueth the Sacrament commonly when his neighbours doe who doth in his heart no more esteeme of Church nor Sacraments than a very Pagan and so much hee doth know by himselfe too and yet is neuer touched with any remorse of heart for his so palpable and to-himselfe-euident dissembling Yea it is to be feared that many a Diuine studies hard preacheth not learnedly alone but holily too for matter and words and yet in his owne soule maketh no more account of preaching than of a play-booke but that hee seeketh by this meanes to liue in the world and to attayne a Benefice Many a sonne and seruant of a godly father or master will hearken diligently at Sermon and bring home by memorie of writing all the substance of the Sermon yea and be diligent at prayers in the family and perhaps also pray himself with very good and commendable petitions and words when as all this while he is guiltie to himselfe of making no reckoning of any goodnesse and in truth careth for nor thinketh of any thing else but winning the fauour of his parent or master or credit and reputation with those amongst whom hee liueth and yet his soule is no more moued with sorrow for this his most grosse guile then if he were the truest hearted person vnder heauen For in truth of all sinnes in the world nothing doth bring a greater extremitie of deadnesse and senselesnesse vpon the soule then this abominable hollownesse when it preuaileth in this degree that now I am intreating of Such hypocrites as these were Absolon and Achitophel Did not Absolon know that hee regarded not the religion of a vow Did not Achitophel know that he made nothing of Gods house and the sacrifices but euen as a staule the better to attaine the fauour of Douid and his owne aduancement Doubtlesse they were well enough seene in their owne purposes and proiects and could not but confesse at the barre of their owne conscience but that they would not consider of it that in very truth they did but serue themselues and not God in all their seeming religiousnesse Such hypocrytes also were the greater number of the Pharisies which made our Sauiour Christ so tart and earnest against them at all times for well did hee see that they did all their good workes to be seene of men and that their formes of pietie and godlinesse were meere paintings and that they regarded nothing but to make themselues great in the earth and euen vnder colour of long praying sought onely to deuoure widowes houses Phil. 1.15.16 Such also were those Preachers of whom the Apostle affirmeth that they did teach Christ not purely but of contention as it were to put downe Paul and to winne the Garland from him and so to adde affliction to his bands And these be grosse hypocrites Now there are a sort of dissemblers The close hypocrite is hee which is an hypocrite and yet doth think himselfe vpright not so notorious nor so grosse as these and yet still vnder the power and dominion of guile who thinke themselues to bee true Christians and make account that they haue that religion and piety which they seeme to haue and yet in very truth haue it not but as S. Iames 1.22 Iames speaketh deceiue their owne selues as well as others though the worst for them is they cannot deceiue God There are a number of professors of Religion in the Church of whom all that know them haue a very good opinion supposing them to be most worthy Christians yea which in their owne hearts doe verily thinke of themselues that they bee indeede the sonnes and daughters of God and that they serue him and not themselues when as in very deede they doe nothing else but cousen themselues and the whole world for within they also are very rottennesse and serue themselues alone and not the Lord Iesus Christ Such an hypocrite was the Apostle Paul before his calling who was strict in all the Legall obseruations Philip. 3.6 and vnrebukeable before men Acts 22.3 and zealous of the Law and as he thought earnest for the God of his fathers yea Rom. 7.9 who was aliue before the Law came in his owne esteeme and made full account to goe to heauen and yet for all that hee was but a whited tombe and a rotten carkasse a Iew without before men not within before God as himselfe afterwards did know how euen by experience of his owne case to distinguish Now if any man demand The close hypocrite accoūteth himselfe vpright alone out of ignorance or for want of searching into himselfe how it should be possible for a man so farre to beguile himselfe as to thinke that he hath that vertue indeede which he hath alone in shew The answere is that children and fooles will easily take a guilded copper ring for a ring of gold and so blindnesse and want of vnderstanding is the cause that many men doe so farre mis-take themselues And againe the answer is that many a man thinkes himselfe a great scholler whose learning yet doth nothing excell his neighbours because hee compareth himselfe with himselfe and doth not prooue himselfe by exercises of learning and by comparing himselfe with others and so many a man esteemes his estate to be very good when indeed hee is a plaine banquerout and oweth more than he is worth onely because hee is slacke and carelesse in casting vp his reckonings euen
degrees of sinne euen the very beginnings and the first risings thereof in heart as our Sauiours more narrow interpreting of the Law declaring the scantling of a godly mans endeauours aboue the Pharisies doth manifestly conuince Hee looketh to the motions and desires of his heart and suffers not the lesser euils to goe vnobserued and vnlamented So the difference is manifest in the first part of a good life freedome from sinne Now in the second-part care of wel-doing wee will tracke the dissembler The hypocrite often excels in ciuill righteousnes and bounty c. and take him halting First he doth oftentimes excell in ciuill righteousnesse and abound in workes of bountie and mercy Who more liberall in great doles than the Pharises yea haue not many Heathen men and an hypocrite may surely attaine as much good as an infidell been famous for diuers morall vertues and by name most exact obseruation of iustice in their dealings yet here the defiance is not hard to find out if a man could looke into the heart of him that is hollow at heart The hypocrite in his deeds of mercy c. aithem at applause the true Christian reiecteth such fancies First in regard of the end of doing good this way the hypocrit doth serue himselfe in vaineglory seeking the credit and applause of men and to be commended in the world and therefore for the most part he is carelesse of doing such good deeds if there bee no witnesse present nor no likelihood of their being knowne abroad Mat. 23.5 This our Sauiour noteth and taxeth in the Pharisies who did all things to be seene of men and euen cherished in themselues those fond and foolish conceites and desires of being so commended so respected so well thought of and so full of glory for their good deeds but the true Christian is earnest to withdraw his heart from listning vnto the worlds plaudit he laboureth to approue himselfe vnto God and for the thoughts of worldly esteem hee is ready to fall out with himselfe for making account of such foame of mens mouthes He can say of himselfe in other things as well as Paul of himselfe in one thing that hee seeketh not to bee commended he doth not goe a wooing for credit So they shoote both with one arrow but aime at a farre different marke and this difference is plaine enough to be discerned Againe The hypocrite will deale well with a friend and one that is not a foe but the true Christian with his presently professed foes the hypocrite will shew kindnesse and mercy and charitie to his friends or such as haue neuer done him any great matter of wrong or if they haue made him amends and repayred the breaches of amitie by some proportionable submission or benefit But for his enemy that hateth him that persisteth to wrong him that for the present seeketh to doe him hurt he cannot finde in his heart to do him good and scarce to practise righteousnesse not at all kindnesse and mercy to such an one yea with the Pharisie such is his modell and square of liuing that hee will loue his quiet neighbour but hate his troublesome enemy as Christ doth taxe them for peruerting the meaning of the Law The true-hearted Christian standeth farre otherwise affected he remembreth Matth. 5.43 that God did loue him when hee was an enemy and therefore also for his sake hee will neuer leaue pressing himselfe till he haue brought his heart to loue his enemy and to do good to them that doe euill to him and not alone to deale squarely but louingly kindly mercifully and if need be bountifully with his bitterest and most causelesse aduersaries If his enemy hunger he feedeth his enemy if his enemy thirst he giues drinke to his enemy if his enemy be falne he lifts him vp if wronged he defends him and so doing good there where nature and reason is most auerse from doing good he shewes himselfe perfect as his heauenly Father is perfect as our Sauiour Christ exhorteth Thus the extent of a sincere mans goodnesse doth distinguish it from the hypocrites and in one word in such cases and to such persons as he doth not nor cannot expect reward from men yet the true Christian will execute mercy and iudgement The hypocrite euer faileth where humaue motiues faile And so for workes of mercy and iustice wee haue shewed what ods betwixt the sincere and guilefull there are also exercises of piety and religion wherein the hypocrite is often very forward Let it not seeme out of place that I here speake what I forgat before The hypocrite maketh no bones of the smaller degrees of euill the true Christian striueth against the smallest degrees Math. 5. For of the close and grosse hypocrites there are two kinds that must be distinguished each from other because their differences are remarkable There are cold hypocrites that are carried forward in the vessell of the time and loue not to ouerrunne the common pace in matters of religion as your ordinary ciuill man who yet is a very hypocrite euen in that which he doth attaine vnto others be more forward and feruent and carrie then selues with a shew of more life in matters of religion such was Paul before his calling such were the Pharisies in their times such were Ananias and Saphira Now these latter sort of hypocrites doe not alone as the former abound in workes of mercy and iustice An hypocrite may be very forward in duties of religion but also in duties of religion and pietie they loue preaching and praying and take delight in the company of men renowned for pietie they haue a very greene blade of being forward in Gods seruice to the keeping of prayer in their families and accustoming to repeate Sermons and other like commendable acts of deuotion The thorny and stony ground you know did yeeld some more than common shewes of goodnesse And the wicked Simon conuersed with Philip yea the sinfull Iewes were as abundant in sacrifices and fat beasts as their godly forefathers Paul was zealous of the Law and there were many very forward Preachers in Pauls time also whom a man would haue thought feruent for the spreading abroad of the Gospell yet they did it not sincerely And did not the Pharisie keepe his weekely fasts and other like obseruations yea and did not Iehu also professe speaking as hee thought in his heart that hee was zealous for the Lord Mark therefore the difference which stands in two things First in the end The hypocrite in all duties of religion serues himselfe either in vaineglory or superstitiō or licentiousnesse the true Christian aimeth at God in his seruices Galat. 4.17 then in the matter of their workes of piety they stand farre asunder one from the other For the hypocrite he doth alwayes serue himselfe either in vaineglory or in superstition or in both So the false teachers in Galatia were zealous ouer the Galathians but it was with an
euill zeale as Paul taxeth them seeking to ingrosse the people to themselues and endeauouring to exclude Paul that they might wholly be admired And did not the flaunting fellowes at Corinth plainely preach themselues as being couetous of applause and followers And so Diotrephes loued to be had in principall account in the Church he desired to be reputed the onely man which is the louing of first-hood 2. Iohn as the Apostle calles it The hypocrite if he be a Preacher doth labour as with childe of a longing desire to be counted the best or one of the best Preachers in the country if he be onely a priuate man he desireth to be esteemed one of the forwardest professors and pleaseth himselfe well in such fancies yea he hath a sensible edge and a kinde of kore against those that stand betwixt him and this reputation Neyther can he well away with such as beare away the credit and applause from him as you may perceiue plainely in Diotrephes and in the Pharisies so his religiousnesse hath a tacke of the same fault that his ciuill righteousnesse hath But the true-hearted Christian serueth God in humility of spirit not heeding what men deeme of him further than their want of respecting him will bee an impediment to his doing of good 1. Thes 2.6 He seekes not praise of men neither of you nor others as Paul sayth to his Thessalonians Wherefore he doth not things of contention whetting himselfe on and putting an edge vpon himselfe with a hope and desire of doing better than such an one or putting downe such an one but purely out of a longing desire to glorifie God sets himselfe to doe the best hee can reioycing with his whole heart to see the wel-doing of others yea glad at the soule to see them farre exceede himselfe and wishing with Paul that all men were like him yea beyond him in all graces And if contentious vain-glorious emulatory conceits arise within him hee knits his browes against them with as true heate of anger against himselfe as Moses had once against Ioshua when hee chode him sharply saying Dost thou enuy for my sake Numb 11.29 But happily it may fall out that the hypocrite will be driuen from seruing himselfe in this vaine-glorious fashion yet then hee looketh to himselfe with a more sinister eye if more may be for he becomes a seruant to his owne heart superstitiously as those great sacrificers in the Prophet Micah 6 6 7. that would faine come before God with thousands of Rammes and with Riuers of Oyle yea that would giue their children for their sins the fruit of their body for the faults of their soules refusing no cost nor hardnes to earne pardon and deserue remission or make satisfaction or redeeme to themselues an hope of libertie to sinne in some other kinde They would pay GOD for their euill deeds with such good deeds and after the custome of men cut scores with him and therefore they doe not likely that are so disposed content themselues with enioyned seruices but seeke some deuice of their owne or some other sect master whereby they haue great hope to winne God vnto them Now the true Christian he is of a farre other minde he cotuits all dung and all drosse yea he reputeth all losse so that he may get Christ vpon him he relyeth to him hee cleaueth and neuer dreames of other merits than those that he findes in him for hee renounceth himselfe being the true circumcision that puts no confidence in the flesh And hence it is that hee doth not dare to tolerate himselfe the more in any sinne because of his deuotion and zealousnesse in other points So the scope of the sound and hollow is opposite the ones eye lookes heauen-ward the others is bent still to himselfe The matter also wherein their deuotions shew themselues will manifest whence they come from truth The hypocrite most forward in publike seruices that others may know of the Christian in secret that none cā know of but himselfe or from guile For the hypocrite his greatest deuotion vnlesse it be when superstition like as a bree doth the poore beast doth pricke him forward is in duties that may be and are done with a witnesse as for those that are priuate or rather secret he is key-cold in them at least vsually neither in truth doth he trouble his Closet often with priuate meditations and prayers Hence it is that our Sauiour correcting the mis-intended deuotion of the Pharisies doth confine them to their Closet where God alone beholdeth and heareth intimating that they had little lust to pray in secret where God that saw in secret should be their sole rewarder So you may know if you dissemble yea or no. The dissembling man can preach well to others hee cannot digest what himselfe hath cooked and preach it to himselfe in his priuy meditations He can pray when others stand by but most times vnlesse he be whipped forward by a crosse for a fit he is tongue tied and dumb-stricken in his chamber So he loues to heare Sermons and to repeate them in company but he loueth not to get alone and concoct the Sermon in his owne meditation considering and remembring what he hath heard and how it concerneth himselfe But now the true Christian is rather more vehement in priuate than in publike prayers and can much rather omit the calling vpon God with others than those secret and inward communications with God wherein he may freely powre his whole soule forth vnto the Lord and hee satisfieth not himselfe in hauing heard the Sermon vnlesse hee haue chewed the cud and considered if those things were so and examined himselfe by that rule He is constant also in priuate seruices as well as publike and the most secret as well as those that must haue companions Moreouer for the matter or rather manner of their performing these duties of pietie The hypocrite rests himselfe satisfied in the act formally done the true Christian is not well vnlesse he finde the inward power of it The hypocrite doth rest himselfe satisfied in the formality of religion in the externall act in a good and formall fashion discharged not greatly heeding the power of religion in his soule and the secret disposition of his heart If hee haue framed a good prayer in fit words and vttered it in conuenient gestures he is well apaide and hopes the seruice shall be accepted though hee had not any working of feruour in his heart any life any feeling any true touch of the things which his tongue did vtter If he haue sayd good words with a good intent all is well though his affections had not the impression of the matter of his words setled in them So if hee heare the Word with decent intention and can carry away a good part of it to speake of afterwards if occasion serue it is well hee is herein satisfied and contented though his soule hath not beene stirred with
be vpright BVt now some I doubt not in this tryall The true Christian must inioy the comfort of his truth will bee found to haue no guile that is no predominant hypocrisie in their spirits There be in the Churches true-hearted Christians good ground sheep and good corne and those amongst you that in trying doe finde your selues such and by this infallible proofe can cleare it to your selues because you haue often heeretofore found out discouered and bewayled those effects of hypocrisie which haue beene deliuered doe you I pray you enioy the comfort of your vprightnesse and let God that wrought it haue the glory Notwithstanding his fearefulnesse The good Christian is almost as fearefull to settle himselfe in a good opinion of himselfe as the false vnwilling to be driuen from it But there is no reason wherefore the innocent should be condemned A man may bee wrongfull and iniurious to God and to himselfe in being ouer fearefull to confesse the good worke of God in himselfe Christ hath liuing members in his body if thou beest one of them acknowledge it and be glad of it that thou mayest with all due care proceede in the wayes of godlinesse now that thou knowest thou hast set in to some purpose If Satan cannot keepe a man from truth yet hee will endeauour to hinder him from taking the comfort of it And Satans tentations but let not his lies beguile thee any longer Say vnto him I find mine owne faults more burdensome to me than others I find my selfe carefull of mine inward man as well as of mine outward I find my selfe humbled euen by my freedome from grosse sinnes and if at any time any fruit of hypocrisie doe shew it selfe as alacke too too often it doth I make haste to bring it before God and there I condemne it there I humble my selfe for it wherefore I am sure I am true-hearted O Lord I blesse thy name that hast made me true and I pray thee make mee more and more true Surely beloued it will be a great hinderance to your thankefulnesse if you doe not labour against those cauils by which Satan would faine couer your comforts from your eies He will tell thee of thy censoriousnesse of thy falling againe and againe and againe into such a fault perhaps grosse of thy deadnesse in priuate exercises of religion and of thy many vaine-glorious fancies and of thy much selfe-conceitednesse and many other things and he will labour to make thee thinke that it is not possible that heart should haue any truth in which so many fruits of hypocrisie may be found Thou must answer him that thou confessest thy selfe to be very full of these effects of dissimulation and that therefore also thou acknowledgest the roote from which they grow to be too too strong and bigge within thee But thou mayest say withall I haue been taught and I know it is true that not the man in whom hypocrisie is but he in whom it ruleth must be called an hypocrite and for thy selfe though it abide in thee yet thou knowest it raigneth not because thou fightest against it and against the euill brood of it with sighes and groanes with confession and griefe with requests and prayers and with daily renewed supplications Say vnto thy selfe I know and God knoweth that my censoriousnesse my dulnesse in priuate duties mine often carelesnes of mine heart and loosenesse of the inward man my vaine-gloriousnesse my slipping againe and againe into the same sinne and other fruites of dissembling within me that these and all these are too rife but withall that they are felt that they are marked that they are confessed that they are lamented and that they doe daily driue mee to my knees and make me come vnto God with humble intreaty for mercy through his onely Sonne and therefore I am sure that hypocrisie raigneth not but that truth preuaileth and therefore I am a true Christian and so I will take my selfe to be and will with all my soule praise him that hath made mee such continuing still to striue to grow in sincerity and truth that when these graces are become stronger they may become also more comfortable vnto me O all yee whose feeble spirits are shaken with feare and to whom nothing is more troublesome than this thought that sure you be but hypocrites and yet you doe bitterly lament the effects of hypocrisie in your selues and desire nothing in all the world so much as to be found vpright with your God I pray you confirme your soules in peace and accept the consolation that the Lord doth offer you Take your portion of comfort be knowne to your selues to be what you are vnderstand and see how great things God hath done for you in creating a right spirit in you Doe no longer ioyne with Satan in belying your selues as you haue a ready too much often done to the great hinderance of your soules Weak Christians apt to accuse themselues too much Your custome hath been whensoeuer your corruptions haue been any thing strongly wrought vpon when any bad motion hath been violent especially if your passions in any kinde haue broken foorth to some actuall euill then to fall vpon your selues with grieuous accusations and to take part with the diuell in slaundring your selues then you haue cryed out and exclaymed against your selues and sayd Sure I am but an hypocrite and a dissembler that haue yet still within me such euill thoughts am still disquieted with such passions and still drawne to such wicked deedes But I say vnto you this is no true inference as the hypocrite in a fit confesseth his sinne and is sorry for it but yet returneth againe to follow it so the true hearted in a fit doth commit sinne but againe returneth to abhorre it and to renew his couenant with God of amending it As the hollow heart is good in a passion so the true hearted may be bad in a passion but looke to the course of thy life to the setled purpose of thy soule to the established desires of thy mind and so long as there is a constant striuing against all sinne by spirituall weapons so long thou art good before God and for Gods sake and must take thy selfe to be vpright The true Christian shall neuer gaine any thing by calling himselfe an hypocrite But this gets them nothing to see his hypocrisie to lament it to shame himselfe before God for it this shall much aduantage his soule but to deny the worke of Gods grace in him and to ranke himselfe amongst dissemblers from whom he alwaies differs as much as a man that is sicke of any sicknesse from him that is dead of that sicknesse this doth no good to him but interrupts his prayers hinders his humiliation estrangeth him from God and turneth godly sorrow for his sinne into desperate sorrow for the punishment of sinne Remember therefore that there be true Christians in the Church who yet are not free
a tree must first liue afore it beare and no man is vnfruitfull but because hee is destitute of the worke of Gods spirit so forming him into a new creature because hee hath neglected or resisted it Now it is certaine that whosoeuer hath the spirit of sanctification in him is a true Christian he that hath it not is none Wherefore from ones being fruitfull or not fruitfull it may be infallibly concluded whether he be true or hollow Againe no man bringeth forth the fruit of good liuing vntill the word of God haue entred into his heart and taken deepe roote in the very bottome of his soule and contrarily where this fruit doth not shew it selfe there the Word of God did neuer enter into the soule neither was soundly rooted therein and it is doubtlesse that if GODS Word haue copious dwelling in vs we be true Christians if not we bee but dissemblers Wherefore the bearing or not bearing of fruit is a sound proofe of truth or want of truth Againe looke we to the effects of fruitfulnesse or its absence and it will vndeniably appeare that these two doe best distinguish betwixt the sincere and hollow hearted for the ground that bringeth fruit must obtaine a blessing The reward of a good life here is eternall life hereafter but the end of the ground that beareth not fruit is cursing and burning and euill-led life shall end in death eternall Now none can be saued but the true Christian and no Christian is damned but the false wherefore from this point the most essentiall and formall difference of Christians the branches in Christ must be taken CHAP. XV. Shewing what this fruitfulnesse is SO wee haue proued the point in hand It is needfull that wee doe soundly explaine it also that it may be truely vsefull vnto vs. For this explication What fruitfulnesse is one thing alone is necessary namely to declare plainely what fruitefulnesse is Concerning which wee say in generall In generall a godly life that fruitefulnesse is the same thing which the Apostle meaneth when hee tells vs 2. Tim. 3.12 of liuing godly in Christ Iesus and againe of hauing our conuersation as beseemeth the Gospell of Christ Iesus Philip. 1.27 Not the doing of an action now and than good and commendable for the matter of it as giuing almes labouring in ones calling dealing iustly or the like is to bee called fruitefulnesse but the leading of a godly course of life and of an holy conuersation But more particularly that you may be thorowly informed in this point Fruitefulnesse must bee set forth vnto you in the matter motiue end and properties thereof any of which foure if it bee wanting the rest are also wanting indeed though an appearance of them may be present In speciall and the true nature of fruitfulnesse is not to be found For the first of these The matter of fruitfulnesse the matter of fruitfulnesse is A desire and endeauour to know and to doe the whole will of God reuealed in his Word Euery word that wee haue vsed in this description would be marked and considerd of A desire First I call it a desire a firme and stedfast bending of the will and inclination of the heart to the thing desired For a good man must bee measured and is by God accepted more according to the desires of his heart and the earnest propension and mouing of his soule than according to the effect therof In action he comes far short of what he should in the desire purpose carnest and sound inclination of his soule he doth reach after the perfection required of him by God and for this cause is accepted and accounted in Christ as if he were perfect Hee would be void of al sin he would be rich in euery good work he would haue euery thing within him and euery thing that comes from him perfectly conformable to the will of God and acceptable to his Maiestie In the depth of his soule these hearty wishes are found continually working Psal 119.5 10.32.57.93.106 173.40 O that my wayes were directed to keepe thy statutes O let mee not wander from thy commandements I will runne the way of thy commandements I haue said that I will keepe thy words I will neuer forget thy precepts I haue sworne and will performe it that I will keepe thy righteous iudgements I haue chosen the way of truth I long for thy precepts and many such like This is the disposition of his will these the determinations resolutions conclusions of his soule thus hee saith to and within himselfe that doubtlesse he will depart from the pathes of wickednesse and that hee will walke in the waies of righteousnes and thus is he busied in renewing and establishing the purposes of his soule to walke with his God And though he find no meanes to performe according to his desire yet still his desire standeth to the law of the Lord. And this desire being a true and setled desire And endeauour must needs be seconded with endeauour It is not a poore faint sluggish wishing and woulding by which a man as it were betwixt sleeping and waking doth thinke t were well if I did and sure I will and I would if I could as a sluggard lieth stretched in his bed and faintly wisheth O that I could arise It is not I say such a feeble powerlesse auert desire as this which is but as one would say the tenth part of the consent of the will to the thing willed but it is a desire so mighty and effectuall as doth bring forth an endeauour It makes a man put forth himselfe to essect the thing desired Hee wisheth to obey as a resolute souldiour wisheth victory so as he will fight for it and draw his weapon and meete his enemy in the face and hazard limme and life and giue and receiue blowes and leaue nothing vndone that his wit serues him to thinke of for the atchieuement of victory A coward also would faine diuide the spoile and feede himselfe with the fatnesse of a good booty but his wishes do not dispearce themselues into his hands and legges nor stirre vp his spirits and his limmes to be entring battaile and to ioyne hand to hand with the foe so a good mans desire of obedience sets his head and heart and hand on worke to the attainement of obedience He thinkes Ah that I could be good according to Gods commandement And further hee thinketh What may I doe to get power against such a sinne to attaine strength to doe such duties And when hee sees what is to be done he sets about it he calles vpon himselfe he calles vpon God he vrgeth his owne heart hee entreates the Lord Iesus for helpe he blames himselfe hee condemnes himselfe hee inforceth vpon himselfe the remembrance of Gods commandements Gods iudgements Psalm 25 9.48 Gods promises and as Dauid saith he lifts vp his hands to the Law of God which hee hath loued He is
loue of God constrayned him to preach the Gospell for thus did he iudge that seeing one died for al therefore all were dead and that hee dyed for all that they which liue should hereafter liue not to themselues but to him that dyed for them The holy Ghost at what time it incorporateth the Christian into Christs body and maketh him a true branch of this Vine doth ground in his soule a setled and firme perswasion of the vnspeakeable loue of God vnto him in Christ his Mcdiatour And though he haue not alwaies a sence of this loue yet the perswasion of it doth alwayes take such deepe roote in him that it euidently shewes it selfe in drawing his soule to be one with God making his heart still to hang towards him and to bee affected with great good will vnto him Now loue is an affection that tendeth to vnite the things loued and because there can be none vnion betwixt the Creature and the Creator vnlesse the Creature do euen resigne and yeeld vp his will to Gods will to bee carried mooued and guided by it hence it is that the soule louing God must needs subiect its will vnto him and therefore be carefull to know and do his will because it is his will that he should so endeuour to know and doe And so is the Christian heart allured forward to obedience for wee loue God because he loued vs first 1. Iohn 4.19 faith the Apostle and then must our loue needs bring foorth this obedience And this thing is of so absolute necessitie in the point of good liuing that without it no seeming goodnesse can bee acceptable vnto GOD. 1. Cor. 13.2 For so we haue the Apostle plainly affirming vnto vs that though a man giue his body to be burned and though he giue all his substance to the poore yet if he haue not loue all is of no worth or reckoning Whatsoeuer therefore doth not arise out of his fountaine and grow from this roote it is not to bee called fruit vnlesse you will meane rotten and worme caten fruit And we may say assuredly that vnlesse the thing inducing vs to the care of knowing and doing Gods will bee a deare and hearty affection which wee beare in our soules to him out of a perswasion that we haue of the great and tender compassion that hee bare vnto vs in Christ and an apprehension of the infinite riches of his grace and wisedome shewed in his Sonne our indeauour is not accepted neyther can be called holy But the people of GOD doe find themselues so linked and tied vnto God in regard of that his most wise gracious and fauourable dealing with them in his sonne and those insinite excellencies which from the sight of this goodnesse they begin to discerne in him that out of the sweete and gentle motions of this loue they are fully resolued to obey him Thus there is a joynt operation of faith and loue in their obedience it being vtterly impossible that the creature should loue God but out of some true perswasion of Gods loue to him Wherefore how godly or good soeuer any mans life be in shew and appearance if the maine motiue to that goodnesse bee the loue of men alone or the loue of himselfe or any such like and not the loue of God springing from an inward and grounded apprehension of Gods grace towards him in the face of Christ it is not to be called Goodnesse indeed neither is so in Gods account Let vs instance in one or two particulars A man meeting with a miserable person is liberall towards him with money for his reliefe The thing that induced him thereto was the entreaty of the party or a kind of naturall compassion or the labour of some friend but he neuer considered that God who so infinitely loued him as to make his onely Sonne poore that hee might be made rich hath required such duties of loue and bounty at his hands towards his brethren for his sake neyther did prouoke and stirre vp himselfe to exercise this bounty with lifting vp his mind to Gods commandement and good pleasure and to the goodnesse and kindnesse of God towards him to whom it were a shame of all shames for him to deny so small a matter as the bestowing of a little pittance of his owne wealth at his appoyntment This almes-deed this act of liberalitie is not a fruit of piety it is not a fruit of Faith it is not a fruit of Christianity it is not in him and to him a good deede or an act of obodience to the Lord but another meeting with the like person is pronoked by the forenamed meditations to helpe and comfort him and by the stirring of such thoughts in his mind hath his heart inclined to giue him what hee needeth or if the sodainenesse of their meeting or some other like occasion cause that hee hath not these thoughts presently stirring in his minde yet they haue been in him often before to beget in him an habite of liberality this now is a fruit of grace this is to bring forth fruit in Christ this is a true good worke and such as God himselfe accepteth and accounteth good So in going to Church to heare the Word or to receiue the Sacraments in labouring in a mans calling in doing of iustice and in all other particular points of goodnesse if we be not moued to these by loue to God in obedience to his Commandement out of faith to his gradious promises in Christ but by considerations taken meerely from our selues whether in regard of the present life or that that is to come we cannot say that wee be fruitfull branches neither doe wee indeed serue God in such duties but when our minde doth lift it selfe vp to God and by the consideration of his good will and pleasure doth stirre vp it selfe to doe good because wee know hee would haue it to be done whom we so loue that we cannot but desire that his will should be satis fied and accomplished for he that loueth any person doth also carefully binde himselfe to fulfill his will whom he loueth vnlesse his will be to haue that done which would be for his owne hurt which can neuer befall the Lord of heauen because of his perfect and infinite wisedome when I say our mindes do thus stirre vp themselues to doe good or auoyde euill then doe wee truly serue God and this is such obedience as God doth take pleasure in as it were in grapes of good taste that grow vpon the Vine of his owne planting Furthermore The end of fruitfulnesse is Gods glory the end of our doing Gods will must be Gods glory or which is all one that wee may please him for in seeking to please him wee glorifie him and these two things are alwayes coincident 1. Cor. 10.31 So the Apostle directeth saying Whatsoener you do Ephes 1.12 let all be done to the glorie of God And againe That we may be to
absolute inferiour to the Lord. For God cannot in any thing be deceiued or commaund amisse in any matter For men it is lawfull to deny subiection to them in many things because they may mistake and erre in many things and because their power and authority is limited but GODS will is without all restraint and limitation to be yeelded vnto because he hath a full and perfect soueraignty ouer vs. And indeed no man is mooued by the loue of God or aymeth at his glory in any thing vnlesse he be vniuersally obedient so that is but a counterfeit obedience which is not generall Here is no place left for picking or chusing neither may we lawfully refuse his commaundement in any particular but must say as once the Israelites did Whatsoeuer the Lord our God commaundeth Deut. 5.27 that will we doe There is no sinne forbidden by GOD but our resolution must be to leaue it no duety commanded but our resolution must be to doe it and when in any poynt wee faile wee must euen condemne and chide our selues for fayling labouring still after perfection and praying for more and more strength to obey and it must be our greatest burden and continuall griefe that we cannot attain to fulnesse of knowledge and obedience Agayne Constancy constancy must accompany our obedience we must not walk in this way for a spirt a litle now and then and afterwards giue ouer but we must proceede in a settled course without any giuing ouer or desisting A good man followeth goodnesse as a Trades-man doth his trade hee is at it to day and to morrow and the third day and all the dayes of his life as Dauid saith I will keepe them to the end Psal 119.33.112 And againe I haue inclined mine heart to perfor me thy statutes alwayes euen to the end And Psal 1.2 Blessed is the man whose meditation is in the Law of God day and night The most painefull labourer hath now and then a fit at play and sometimes hee meeteth with an holy-day but vsually though not still with the like intention of paines yet in a setled course he is found in doing his worke and busines So a Christian man is not alwayes a like earnest yea sometimes he makes indeed an holy-day or a loytering idle day for which hee doth well shent himselfe afterwards but yet vsually and in a stedfast course he followes after goodnesse and is still still applying this great and necessary worke of a godly life for God who hath appointed him this taske doth not allow him any discontinuance And this is fruitfulnes or a good life when a man out of a perswasion of Gods tender loue vnto him in Iesus Christ doth intertaine in his soule such an carnest and hearty loue vnto God as maketh him carefull to please and honour him by continuall striuing to know what is his good holy and acceptable will and framing himselfe in all things to doe what he biddeth leaue the contrary without any finall surceasing so that though he slacke his pace now and then and some dulnes do creep vpon him yet he quickens himselfe and sets to it againe resoluing neuer to giue ouer quite so long as life lasteth This is to liue as beseemeth the Gospell of Christ this is to heare the Word of God and doe it this is to walke in the truth of God this is obedience better than all sacrifices And so haue wee sufficiently explicated the point wee must now make some vse of it CHAP. XVI Containing the first vse ANd first we must call vpon euerie soule to make a true triall of himselfe whether he be fruitfull yea or no. The Word of God must iudge vs all at the last day let vs therfore iudge our selues by it in the meane that we may the better hold out Euery man must trie whether he be fruitfull yea or no. in that finall and terrible iudgement If we heare not Gods word in such sort as thus to apply it to our owne soules our hearing is but losse of time and paines and wil but make our reckoning heauier at the end Weigh your selues in these ballances and touch your selues at this touch stone Mans heart is very prone to beguile it selfe to be beguiled by Satan searching it by the word of God is the surest means to saue it from the danger of being beguiled Some men mistaking fruitfulnes esteem themselues fruitfull when they be nothing lesse others againe for want of sound information in the matter condemn themselues as vnfruitfull when indeed they be fruitfull Before we either affirme or deny it is needfull for vs to proue our selues vnpartially that our affirmations may not puffe vs vp with counterfeit and windy comforts our denialls cast vs downe with harmefull and vnnecessary deiectednesse Tell me then that come from GOD or rather tell the Lord that comes by me to inquire of thy selfe concerning thy selfe Art thou a fruitfull branch in Christ yea or not That thou art a branch a Christian in name and profession it is yeelded thy comming hither seemeth to affirme so much But say Art thou a fruitfull branch or not Make not ouer-great haste to answer this question eyther way but deliberate well of the poynt and call to mind what hath beene formerly spoken concerning this fruitfulnesse and accordingly answer for or against thy selfe say in truth and without dissembling which way goe the greatest number of thy thoughts and to what end are the chiefest cogitations of thy mind-directed Aime they at this Busie they themselues about this To please the liuing God the Author of thy life by knowing and doing his most righteous will Art thou carefull and desirous to become acquainted with thy duty To that purpose giuing thy selfe to heare and reade the Word of God and performe all such good exercises as thou hast meanes to performe that thou mayest know it Art thou likewise carefull and desirous when thou hast found it out to put it in practise also and that not in some things alone but without exception in all things Doth thy soule thirst after Gods statutes Doth thine heart often daily continually raise vp it selfe with such heartie wishes O that I could vnderstand what I might doe to please God! O that I could hold my feete fast in his precepts Dost thou make it the chiefe businesse of thy life to keepe thy selfe vnspotted of the world and be found plentifull in all the good workes that the Law of God requireth Dost thou muse of this ponder of this and fixe the strongest of the desires of thy soule on this still recalling thine heart and turning thy selfe againe to these desires and wishes when thou findest them wandring to by-matters Can thy soule witnesse for thee before God that thou dost put forth thy selfe after thy strength and labour to gather more strength to get vnderstanding of Gods will and that thou vrgest and inforcest thy selfe to the constant obeying of it reioycing and
praysing God when in some measure thou canst doe it and when thou failest grieuing and afflicting thy selfe condemning and blaming thy carelesnesse and weakenesse and arming thy selfe still and still against all such hindrances as thou meetest withall findest thou thy selfe carried forward this way with the wings of that loue of God which is inkindled in thy brest towards him the God of thy saluation and that with an earnest intention to please him and shew thy selfe regardfull of his greatnesse It bootes not at all to lye and faine and dissemble but true and plaine dealing is necessary when thou hast to deale with him that searcheth the heart and demaunds of thee these things not because himselfe is ignorant of them but because he would not haue thee remaine ignorant to thy owne destruction Wherefore consider aduisedly and answere truly Can thine heart say in Gods hearing that these things are found in thee or that they are not found Doubtlesse brethren it is as possible for vs to tell and that certainely and infallibly whether we follow the trade of godlinesse as any other manuall trade or occupation Hee that tills the ground he that tendeth cattell hee that is a Smith or a Carpenter or the like I say euery one of these can tell that he followes such a Calling one can say Mine hand is often at the Plow and I am still about the husbanding of my ground I am thinking of sowing of reaping of soiling and such like another can say I am still attending my cattell I follow my sheepe I fodder them I dresse them another I am conuersant in building houses and my thoughts and my hands are taken vp in framing and preparing timber or stone for that purpose Doubtlesse it is as plaine whether a man follow godlines as whether he follow any of these vocations A man may if hee will know whether he be taken vp with thoughts and desires of pleasing God of auoiding sinne of subdoing his corruptions of planting and watring grace of doing his dutie which he hath learned out of Gods word or whether hee bee a stranger to these things and whether he do them constantly or by starts whether he be heedfull in all things or spare himselfe in some thing and whether he study to please God in these things or looke wholly or chiefly to himselfe these things are not performed so secretly and vndiscernably but that hee which performeth them may easily find and feele that hee doth performe them Wherefore be not ignorant of thy selfe for want of in quiring into thy selfe and for want of a due consideration of thy life doe not mistake thy life whether it be a fruitful life in Christ Iesus or else idle and vnprofitable And if any man find not this generall endeauour to please God it is not the giuing of now and then an almes or a piece of money to the poore it is not the reading of now then a Chapter or comming to heare a Sermon or doing here and there some good and commendable worke that can intitle him to the name of a fruitfull branch And if any man doe find in himselfe this vniuersall stable endeauor to glorifie and please God in the knowing and doing of his whole will it is not the failing and comming short of his desires it is not the being ignorant or mistaking of many things it is not the slipping into many sinnes and faults though sometimes too too grosse and palpable that can dispossesse him of this name and make him to be accounted no fruitfull branch It is very needfull and withall possible and easie for thee to know what thou art therefore be entreated to consider of it seriously and vnfainedly and not to mistake through heedlesnesse or wilfulnesse CHAP. XVII Containing the second vse AND in the next place The vnfruitful must see their vnfruitfulnesle and their danger by reason of it for those that are found in this triall vnfruitfull let them not hide it from themselues let them not deceiue themselues but let them see and consesse it and withall see and feele their vnhappinesse in regard of it for in Gods name wee must deale plainely with them and assure them that whatsoeuer hitherto either they haue thought of themselues or others haue thought of them they be no better than very plaine hypocrites For all their hanging vpon the Vine for all their flourishing greenenesse of profession for all their faire and pleasant leaues of comming to Church delighting to heare Sermons louing some good men commending Preachers speaking against profanenesse and common abuses dealing truly with men and such like for all these I say and an hundred more things which they trust vpon if an hundreth more there be of the like kind they be but dissemblers guilefull persons goates in sheepes skins painted tombes rotten-hearted persons and very ranke hypocrites Brethren I pray you conceiue not that wee delight in disgracing men in terrifying their consciences in discouraging their hearts in making their states and themselues appeare euill if they were not so Alacke what good shall we get by your discomfort or disgrace what benefit will your misery bring vnto vs Nay verily wee haue no pleasure yea we haue much griefe in pronouncing against men that they be hypocrites But wee must needes speake the truth that God hath put into our mouthes and that with all plainenesse and with all earnestnes and with all authoritie yea so much the plainer and more earnest must we bee in this matter by how much we do better vnderstand both the needfulnes of discouering to the hypocrit his hypocrisie and withall the difficulty of making him perceiue it though it be discouered For you know in how many places the Scripture tells vs of such as in seeing see not which must needes bee verified in this matter as well as in any other An hypocrite is exceeding loath to count himselfe an hypocrite an harlot will scarce call her selfe a harlot a theefe will scarce giue to himselfe the name of theefe how much lesse will those that sinne in dissembling take to themselues their owne names Out of the naturall loue of our selues which doth inordinately possesse vs and out of some common notion that euery man hath of the vilenesse of many sinnes it comes to passe that most sinners are vnwilling to intitle themselues by their sinnes But of all others the dissembler the principall piece and businesse of whose occupation it is to hide that which is euill out of sight will be most backward to thrattle his hypocrisie as it were by laying his hand vpon the throate of it and drawing himselfe to a round confession in plaine termes saying In very deed I am but an hypocrite A man that hath been thought by himselfe and others to be worth many thousands is very vnwilling to acknowledge himselfe a bankerout and it sounds as terrible as death in his eares to say I haue cast vp my reckonings find my selfe not worth a groat
promises and threats and to say within your selues this good or euill shall surely be performed vnto me accordingly And so mighty is the Word of God that if it be thus hidden in the heart it shall surely purge the heart make it good if it be ingraffed in the soule it is able to saue the soule if it bee couered with earth it wil bring forth a crop neither is any branch so barren and vnfruitfull but by thus applying the Word to it selfe in priuate meditation it shall by little and little be made fruitfull But many men doe want the power of the Word because they content themselues barely to reade or heare the Word or if they marke it a little for the present they esteeme-that sufficient neuer taking care to goe alone and lay it fast vnto their owne hearts Take knowledge I pray you brethren of the true cause why the Word of God doth not profit the most of your soules you come hither to heare it perhaps also you gine some reasonable heede to it and can remember what was spoken and can talke of it a little if occasion serue but the world with its businesses or delights doth so bewiteh and beguile you that you can find neither heart nor time neither wil nor leasure to call againe to mind the things that you haue heard and to aske your selues Doe I this dutie am I guilty of this sinne doth not this reproofe pertaine to me haue I any part in this promise and accordingly to striue with your owne hearts to be either humbled or comforted and so to resolue on amendment and reformation according to the Word This is the cause that we haue so too too many fruitlesse hearers Hence it is that so much is taught so little practised How long will you continue to neglect this most sauing and most profitable exercise of binding the Word on the tables of your hearts and of incorporating it into your soules and being Gods instruments to ingraue it in your owne minds by meditating on it and by busying your cogitations vpon it afterwards as a thing that much concerneth you How often haue you been told that much hearing without meditation wil breede nothing but a swimming knowledge that it will not beget holinesse that it will not renew the soule but that hearing seconded with meditation will quicken and will sanctifie I pray you take notice of this fault amend it Redeeme time as to come and hearken to the voyce of God speaking to thee so likewise to get alone afterwards and apply it to thy selfe in thy serious meditations Certainely if we did thus declare our high esteeme of Gods Word and make it appeare that our soules did account of it as of a thing most pretious and healthfull to our soules the Lord of heauen would not faile to giue his blessing and to make it mighty to the working of a godly conuersation in vs it should bring forth the fruit of good liuing But lastly Lastly pray to God to make vs frui full by his Spirit you must also ioyne with your meditating which he that meditateth cannot but doe he that meditates not can hardly doe in any earnestnesse constant prayer vnto God for his holy Spirit to write his Law in your inward parts to engraue it in the fleshly tables of your hearts and to moue and incline your wills to obedience that so you may become the Epistle of God ministred by men For fruitfulnesse is a supernaturall effect it comes not from any power inherent in mans soule or arising from his owne wil but it is an effect of the spirit of life and grace which is sent from Christ the Vine as it were sap into the seuerall branches that doe sucke and draw it from him in his ordinances and by name by faithfull and earnest and continuall requesting it at his hands You must therefore make conscience to call vpon God for the good worke of his spirit to helpe you to liue holily to make you assured of his loue feruent in loue to him zealous of his glory and constant in walking in his lawes And in particular you must daily beg of him to strengthen you for the performance of such and such duties and leauing of such and such sinnes as from time to time the Word of God which you heare doth call vpou you to leaue or to performe God will be entreated for all good things and hee hath bound himselfe not to deny the requests of all that call on him Matth. 7.8 Euery one that seeketh findeth O comfortable and large promise answering all obiections and able to stay vp the soule against all discouragements Neuer any man was so wicked sinful but if he would come to the Lord earnestly beseech him for his name sake to change his heart and life and continue constant in following this suite the Lord did surely hearken vnto him and make him godly You cannot be good of your selues but you may if you will not winke see your owne badnesse and your owne impotency You may if you will not harden your owne hearts and make your selues carelesse of your owne soules cry and call to God to make you good and importune him with perpetuall supplications to bow and incline your hearts to keep his precepts to open your eyes to see and your hearts to entertayne his holy Law that you may conuert and he may heale you This I say you may doe if you do not make your selues wilfull and obstinate by contemning the exhortations of Gods Word and euen stopping your eares against it and by wilfull turning your hearts after other matters I haue shewed you now how the barren may become fertile how the dry may be filled with sap and how the liues of them may be made godly and Christian which are yet farre from godlinesse and Christianitie See your barrennesse and to attentiue hearing ioyne diligent meditating on the Word you heare and constant prayer vnto GOD for the strength of his Spirit to make his Word effectuall and to giue you grace to obey it then shall you surely be made branches bringing forth fruit for then do you abide in Christ and his word abideth in you and that our Sauiour himselfe doth after wards prescribe as an infallible way to bring forth much fruit CHAP. XIX Containing the fourth vse BVt now it is time that we turn our selues vnto the fruitfull branches The sruitfull must be comforted therein to diuide vnto them that comfort which GOD hath allotted vnto them which this text affordeth and they stand in need of For all those therfore that do bring forth fruit in Christ in such sort as hath bin shewd we haue much good to speake and ioyfull tidings to deliuer Wee are to assure and secure them against all the feares of their owne hearts against all the cauils of Satan and false censures of the wicked world that they be not hypocrites but true-hearted and
you may see that in these words we are led to speake of foure most necessary points The destruction of hypocrites The corruptions of Gods true Saints in that they need pruning The helpe they haue against these corruptios by pruning And the good they get by this pruning viz. growth in godlinesse of which whilst I doe speake with as much plainenesse and euidence as I can let me craue you also to attend with all diligence and reuerence CHAP. II. Shewing the certaine destruction of hypocrites and the degrees and meanes thereof Doct. 1 All hypocrites must be destroyed COme hither therefore I pray you in the first place and behold the end of the hypocrite He is to be cut off All false-hearted guilefull and hollow professors of Christian Religion that are not in truth which they seeme in appearance shall by degrees be surely brought to nought and destroyed The Lord will no more suffer such persons to remaine in his Church vndiscouered and vnconfounded then a good husbandman will suffer dry and rotten branches to remaine vpon the trees of his Orchard vncut off So you haue it in the other Parables also Matth. 3.10 The tree that bringeth not foorth good fruit is hewne downe and cast into the fire saith Iohn the Baptist to the men that came to his Baptisme The house that was built vpon the sand when the winde raine and tempest did beate vpon it was quickly tumbled vnder foot Matth. 7.17 and the fall thereof was great saith our Sauiour in the conclusion of his Sermon on the mount The stony ground also withered away in the heate and the thorny was ouerrunne with thornes The earth that drinketh in the raine which commeth vpon it and bringeth forth no better fruit then thornes and bryers is neere vnto cursing whose end shall be burning saith the Author to the Hebrewes And from him that hath not meaning in truth that shall bee taken away which he seemed to haue as our Sauiour tells vs. Saint Iohn doth giue vs examples of this ruine of dissemblers saying of many in his time They went out from vs because they were not of vs. Thus hath the Lord beene abundant in discouering his intended vengeance against the counterfeit Christian That you may the better conceiue of Gods Wisedome and Iustice herein we will shew you in what degrees and by what instruments the Lord doth cut off these dry branches The degrees are likely these and thus they follow one vpon another First whereas they had some workes of common grace bestowed vpon them as the inlightening of their mindes in some measure to conceiue diuine truths the framing of their wils to a liking of exercises of piety a gladnesse to heare and speake of the Word a gladnesse of the company of good men and the like these workes are by Gods iust Iudgement because they refuse to make a good vse of them in turning all to the thorow changing of their hearts and reforming of their liues euen quite withdrawne from them and so there followes a sensible withering they care not for the Word they care not for the company of the Saints that once contented them and Religion seemeth nothing so goodly a thing vnto them as somtimes it did Secondly whereas they had once the spirit of restraint bestowed vpon them to hold downe their corruptions and to keepe the badnesse of their hearts from shewing it selfe in extremity the Lord doth now please to remooue these bars so to auenge himselfe vpon their ingratitude and stubbornnesse that did winke with their eyes and resist the offers of loue made to them and refuse to open the doore when hee stood there and knocked and to giue them ouer into the hands of their owne euill natures that they may breake foorth openly and discouer themselues how rotten they were at heart by running into some such vile practice as carries them quite away so that they neuer returne againe by repentance nor neuer shew themselues to be soundly humbled for the same Then doth he send the temptations of Satan together with the affrightments or allurements of the world whereby they are so cleane pule away from the shew of godlinesse that at last they grow professedly cold and carelesse in open shew bearing before them an allowance of themselues in such their luke-warmenesse yea perhaps also they turne very enemies of that goodnesse which they seemed to haue fall out with those persons that they seemed best to loue brooke least that company that seemed most to satisfie them and become bitter harsh sharpe violent in speaking euill of those persons and things that were once approoued by them and lastly some miserable and fearefull end wherein they are either swallowed vp of horrible despaire or sold ouer to the most stony hardnesse that may be doth rent them from the land of the liuing and send them downe to hell And so is fulfilled that of our Sauiour in the sixth verse The branches that abide not in him are cast foorth and wither and gathered and cast into the fire and burnt Now the meanes of cutting them off are many euen all things that doe befall them for all workes together to the ruine of them that sell themselues ouer into the hands of sinne as well as for the good of them that worke righteousnesse but chiefly the Word of God it selfe a two-edged sword because they will not yeeld vnto it that it might cut off their corruptions from their soules becomes a sauour of death a weapon of vengeance to cut off their soules from God for by their often resisting it and much setting of their wits and consciences vpon the tenters to shift and dally with it they become blinder and blinder and harder and harder till at length they bee sold ouer vnto vtter blindnesse and giuen cleane into the power of sinne and Satan from which they seemed once to be redeemed And thus was Iudas cut off as the Scriptures shew vs. Hee was first a thiefe allowing himselfe in his couetousnesse and purloyning and not heeding the checkes of his owne heart which euery man must needs know would be apt to be moouing within him being a person of so great knowledge as he was and after he prooued a very deuill when he dipt his hands into the warme and innocent blood of his heauenly Master and well-knowne Sauiour The Lord to punish his guile in not opposing his couetousnesse and falshood put him cleane vp into the hands of the deuill and his owne both rage and lucre till Satan had possessed him with a full purpose of turning on the Pharises side where he saw more likelihood of rising and of making himselfe a faire way into their fauours by selling his Master vnto them for a little money And those reproofes and warnings of our Sauiour Christ which should haue withdrawne him from this reuolt and treason did nothing else through his desperate wilfulnesse but inrage imbitter and inuenome him prouoking him more and more against
make him shame thee before the whole world at the last Iudgement or make thee shame thy selfe to no purpose before many on thy death-bed Euery secret thing must be made open euery hidden thing must bee brought to light O now drag this corner-seeking and light-shining vice into the open view by a free and plaine confession as thou hast beene exhorted that it may not at that day remaine to bee laid open to thine eternall confusion If thou tellest me that thou hast bin long time a professour of religion hast long accounted thy self the child of God therfore if the matter be brought to that passe that after all this while thou must be faine to take vpon thee the name of an Hypocrite thou canst not see any hope of euer being true I answere thee that this is a vaine feare with which Satan seekes to hinder thee from doing that that is absolutely needfull to thy saluation for this is one and a principall cause that thou wast neuer yet true because thou wouldest neuer yet be made to see thy felse false But remoue this impediment by the much perswaded confession I call for at thine hands and whatsoeuer thou hast been and how long soeuer thou shalt bee made true for God comes hither now in this his ordinance to make thee true if thou doe not make thy selfe vncapable of truth by refusing to acknowledge thy want of truth wherefore breaking thorow all vnwillingnesse and delayes and laying aside all shifts and defences fall vpon thy knees in thy secret chamber and there say vnto thy selfe and in more words complaine against thy selfe vnto God that thou art as yet an Hypocrite a barren branch that standeth euery houre in perill of being cut off This done 2. A constant lamenting of his hypocrisie in the second place frame thy selfe to mourning and sorrow for thine hypocrisie and ferret out thy guile by lamenting it For there is no sinne or corruption in the heart of man so tyrannous and ouer-ruling but that godly sorrow will fetch it downe and ouer-master it Indeed a little whimpering griefe a sigh or two a teare or two a sad countenance for a Sermon time or so will not preuaile The best medicine that is will not heale a sore if there bee not a sufficient quantity of it applyed if it bee not constantly applyed and followed close He that will be content to grieue a little at Church or so for his guile and out of the present euidence of the Spirit working with the Word will perhaps yeeld to see and to lament his hollownesse but lets the matter passe quickly and takes no more paines about it shall anger the sore as it were and not heale it and by carelesse neglecting of Gods grace in such motions offered hee shall cause his hypocrisie to fester more and grow more incurable for euen this weake worke of the Word will helpe out of his owne erronious disposition to coozen him and to make him too soone thinke himselfe vpright and so he shall neuer become vpright But the sorrow I speake of must be a settled and constant sorrow which a man must let rest vpon his soule and willingly entertaine within himselfe many a day together though not in a violent manner to hinder his other occasions yet in a still quiet maner to make his thoughts in the middest of all other occasions as well they may without offering any wrong vnto such occasions be still running vpon the matter of his guile and in an inward and silent manner continuing to bemone the same within himselfe A spirit of griefe will not change an Hypocrite into a true Christian a constant griefe will This then doe as he that hath a grieuous sore or wound applies the curing of that wound aboue all things vntill it be whole set thy selfe for a good space of time together to make it thy principal worke to obserue the working of thine hypocrisie and to bewaile the same Sometimes be earnest with thy selfe and in thy solemne and secret prayers and confessions labour to rend and breake thine heart with grieuous sorrow and to bee wonderfull vile in thine owne eyes because of thy long continued hypocrisie and striue to doe as Peter did for his denying his Master for a counterfeit following him is little better then a denyall of him euen to get alone and weepe at least grieue which may well be without weeping very bitterly and when thine other occasions call thee from thy chamber yet hold thy thoughts still on worke and let the plaister lye to the sore all the day Be thinking Ah wretched creature I that haue so great a space of time continued an Hypocrite a professor of Religion not changed in heart not washed in the inner man not made a new creature O how great cause hath God to abhorre me haue I to abhorre my selfe that haue so long gone about to coozen God and to mocke mine owne soule And so whatsoeuer thou beest doing let thine heart bee feeding on this bitter herbe of inwardly bemoning thy guile and thine irreformednesse and vnchangednesse of heart Bid these cogitations welcome as thou sittest at meate and count them as the best sawce for thy meat yea as the best dish on thy table In company let these cogitations be thy most esteemed companions and in solitarinesse giue thy selfe ouer to them and so continue to doe till thou find a plaine change of thine heart a manifest alteration and so euident a framing thee to be another then thou wast before that at last thou mayest be able which if thou wilt not be weary of striuing within no long space of time thou shalt be able to say Now I finde and feele that I am made new Brethren if any of you had a very sore leg or arme he would be content to goe to some Chirurgion to dresse the same euery morning and euening and let perhaps a smarting plaister lye vpon it all day long and all night too for three weekes or a moneths space together that he might be healed and not lose his ioynt O why should not he that hath an heart diseased with that grieuous fistula of hypocrisie be contented as it were to dresse it twice a day by some solemne secret and earnest lamenting it before God and to let the plaister of griefe lye at it all day by frequent renewing of his sorrowfull thoughts for it that this foule and festered sore may be healed and he may not lose his soule and body both by it Wilt thou not bestow as much time paines care in healing thy soule as thy leg or arme Doubtlesse this care would goe happily forward for God himselfe would be the Chirurgion and health would follow without faile for the medicine is soueraigne and hath been tryed by many and prescribed by an excellent and skilfull person Saint Iames bids wauering-minded and double-hearted men hee meaneth Hypocrites to turne their laughter into teares and to afflict themselues and
of vprightnesse We cannot ouercome the smallest corruptions of our hart in our owne strength but it must be a diuine power which must inable vs to preuaile against sinfull dispositions Now this strength the Lord of heauen the strong God the author of all strength is ready and willing to bestow vpon all that humbly sue vnto him for it for he giueth to all liberally and hitteth no man in the teeth Beg then for the spirit of power and of a right mind and beg heartily and confidently because thou beggest of him that is able to giue and much more willing then thou art to receiue He that hath made others of weake to become strong and of false to become true can and will performe the same grace to thee according to his promise For hee commandeth all to aske and shuts vp his mercies from none that truly and heartily beseech the same at his hands Perhaps the diuell may seeke to turne thee from this exercise of prayer by casting in a cauill against thee to this purpose that the prayers of Hypocrites cannot be accepted and thou hauing been hitherto but an Hypocrite how should thy prayers preuaile in heauen For the settling of thy soule against this doubt know that the prayer of an Hypocrite that doth not see and lament his hypocrisie cannot indeed bee bidden welcome in heauen but all that are heauy laden with sinne haue a command to come vnto Christ Iesus and a promise that they shall be refreshed wherefore now thou hauing begun to see and detest and bee burthened and grieued with thy guile good warrant hast thou to aske helpe and good assurance that thine asking shall not be in vaine Therefore I say againe lift vp thine heart and voyce and cry mightily to God for the powerfull worke of his Spirit to make thee sincere before him O Lord say thou which art onely able to forme the soule of man anew within create thou in me a new heart and forme a right spirit within me make me sound in thy precepts and let not iniquity haue dominion ouer me Make me Lord a true Israelite in whose spirit there is no guile Make mee truly good good for thy sake and because thou wouldest haue me good that I may please thee and not onely or chiefly that I may serue mine owne turne yea or saue mine owne soule yea generally and vniuersally good good in all things with such a goodnes as thou accountest perfect in thy Son Christs perfection because he in whom it is doth striue labour after perfection Follow this suit most closely and earnestly and giue not ouer till thou findest it granted if thou canst not go on in variety of words yet repeat ouer the same petition often and often and be not weary for so they be hearty feruent the Lord of heauen will neuer be weary of such repetitions Our Sauiour hath spokē a Parable to the intent that we shuld pray alwayes and not waxe faint Thou knowest I presume what the parable is A poore Widdow by importunity forced an vnrighteous Iudge to do her iustice against her aduersary How much more shall the righteous God auenge the cause of his seruants that cry day and night vnto him And if his compassion be such towards them that he will auenge them of their externall enemies which onely seeke to make their liues tedious by persecutions shall hee not much rather assist them against their inward corruptions which tend to bring their soules to destruction wherefore resolue thy selfe to be importunate and to take no nay nor euer to giue ouer till thou hast sped in thy suit wherin nothing can hinder thee from speeding but thine owne too soone giuing ouer the suit through wearinesse Men are troubled with earnestnesse and importunity and amongst them many times a stout begger hath a stoutnay because they condemne it as a matter of impudency to be a stout begger but to God nothing is more pleasing then this stirring vp our selues to take hold vpon his name and this giuing him no rest day nor night till hee heare our prayers and with him onely faint suitors that will take a repulse easily and bee soone put backe doe goe away empty of the thing they sued for Know then that thy saluation dependeth vpon this matter and therefore as in a case of the greatest importance in the world make thy desires feruent and resolue neuer to cease asking till thou shalt receiue the Spirit of truth and vprightnesse And know that God doth not deny to heare thy prayers at first because he is not able or willing to grant them or because hee counts it a matter too troublesome for him but alone to indeare the benefit obtained to make thee see the worth of it and become the more thankfull Pray therefore and pray feruently and pray continually O Lord create a right spirit in me and make me sound in thy precepts And to prayers 4. To meditate often on the excellent nature of God ioyne in the fourth place holy meditations of the nature of God for hee that knowes God thorowly and is to any purpose acquainted with the excellency of his nature in himselfe and sees the beauty of his grace in the face of Christ cannot but be so farre in loue with him as euen to be good for his sake and to make him the beginning and ending of all his desires and indeuours It is alone ignorance of God that makes vs set our selues in Gods roome and aime at our owne benefit in stead of his glory But he that will take paines to cleere vp his owne eyes and to behold the glory of God as he hath reuealed it in his Word and in his Gospell shall be so affected with the splendor thereof as that now he will account nothing worth any thing but that surpassing glorious Maiesty that infinitely excels all things and so hypocrisie must needs vanish The knowledge of God will make a man to perceiue how little it shall auaile him to disguize himselfe The knowledge of God will make him to see how worthy the Lord is of all the seruice of all creatures The knowledge of God will make his heart to become in loue with God and no man will dissemble with him whom he loueth wherefore labour to get and to grow in this knowledge by a frequent pondering and musing vpon the nature of God and beholding in his Temple the beauty of his Maiesty as Dauid speaketh Tell thy selfe often of his infinitenesse and eternity and that all things are from him and by him and for him and hee alone is from and of himselfe Say vnto thy soule hee is the owner of all things and the ruler of all things All the good properties of all creatures be but drops of his sea and sparkes of his flame and there is infinitely more of all good things in him alone then in all them and whatsoeuer is in them it is more his then theirs and their
their owne sinfull lusts that by smarting for them they may bee more humbled vnder them and made more carefull to see and resist them afterwards Thus Peters fall before the high Priests seruants was a meanes to make him a better that is to say a more humble and selfe-contemning man for his whole life after and in a sence a man may well tearme it an happy fault for him And so the Prophet Dauids hainous and presumptuous sinne did excellently prune him by helping to abate that conceit of himselfe which the great prosperity of a rich and flourishing kingdome had wrought in him So wee may say of many a Christian man that hee would neuer haue been good if some of his actions had not been starke naught and had not the Lord giuen him ouer to the committing of such and such grosse sinnes hee would neuer to any purpose haue been conuinced of sinne and so neuer haue been cleansed of it Wee thinke not our selues subiect to all manner of euils we make no great matter of the lower degrees of sinne and so grow slithy and fashionable and dead in our confessions because we thinke wee haue nothing worth speaking of to reckon for before the Lord. Hence the Lord is prouoked to giue vs vp vnto our selues that by some notable foyle or soyles we may be made to know what is in vs and so be inforced to set about the cleansing of our selues with much more care and earnestnesse then otherwise we would haue done So haue you heard the Lords meanes of purging Know also the manner of doing it The manner of weakening sin 1. By small degrees and that is to bee conceiued of thus First he doth it by degrees secondly by making a mans selfe a voluntary worker of it The Lord doth at once in one act within himselfe iustifie perfectly each beleeuer fully acquitting him of all sinne whatsoeuer through the imputation of Christs perfect righteousnes vnto him though this bee manifested vnto his soule by degrees as he doth particularly seeke the sight of it vpon occasion of his particular sinnes but sanctification is not wrought in an instant yea it is effected by little and little some now some then as a sore is healed by laying on of one plaister to day which draweth out some corruption and makes the wound or vlcer lesse filthy and another to morrow another next day wherby it groweth lesse and lesse filthy and lesse deep and lesse wide For indeed such an extreme change from the vtter foulenesse of corrupted nature to perfect holinesse cannot possibly bee wrought in an instant vnlesse the Lord himselfe should please euen immediately and more then miraculously to worke it which it seemeth not good vnto him to doe Hence it is that hauing ordained to purge vs by meanes and namely those that you heard of before hee performeth it in such manner as sorteth to the nature of the meanes alone this is to bee noted that still the change of Gods seruants from sinne to holinesse is made more apparant by making the corruptions more felt as they be more healed contrary to that which falleth out in bodily sores For if a mans hand bee wounded the neerer it is to healing the lesse paine he feeles with it and the lesse troublesome it is to him but if the soule bee wounded with any corruption for example with pride or worldlinesse or the like the more it is cleansed from him and the lesser degrees of it remaine in him the more troublesome and offensiue will those remnants proue vnto his soule so that the little pride and worldlinesse that remaineth behind vnhealed will vex him more then the greater quantity of those vices did when they were lesse healed Euermore sinnes prooue most tedious and cumbersome when a man hath attained a greater perfection of strength against them For the soule the more holy it is the more it hateth vnholinesse and the more sensible it must needs be of the thing that it more hateth A man in his vtter vnregeneracy is dead in sinne so that he doth not feele it at all to bee burthensome vnto him but when grace comes in small degrees it begins to be felt and the more mighty grace growes the more it is felt till at last in that measure of perfection that is in this life attainable the smallest imperfections are more discontentfull and breed more anguish then at first the greatest did Hell and death and the punishment of sinne is more bitter to Gods seruants in their weaker estate but sinnes and disorders and corruptions are most bitter as they grow most confirmed in spirituall strength But as this helpe against sinne doth come by small degrees 2. Gently by making them willing instruments of it so likewise it commeth vnto them by a sweet and gentle manner of working God drawing and alluring their wills and mouing them to become willing instruments of purging themselues according to the words of the Prophet Wash you make you cleane and againe Wash thine heart O Ierusalem and againe Make you a new heart and so faith Saint Iohn Hee that hath this hope purgeth himselfe The Lord doth not make a Christian man good as it were in despight of his heart and whether he will or no but doth worke in him a desire of goodnesse and inclineth his will to wish and pursue it and stirreth vp in him a detestation of sinne and turneth away his will from it and so is he a fellow-worker with God to his owne cleansing when the Lord hath once breathed the breath of a new life in him By his owne crying striuing labouring praying resoluing resisting opposing hee gets the victory against his sinnes and becomes more then a conquerour The Lord will not beate downe the sinnes of his people as sometimes he did the Canaanites with hailestones without any helpe of their owne that they should without fighting come after alone to the spoyle but they must fight against their fleshly lusts and must worke with God as it is said that Ionathan did and so God doth subdue their enemies vnder them by working in them a resolution care and indeuour to vanquish them and stirring them vp to meditate pray cry and vse the spirituall weapons of this holy warfare And thus doth the Lord purge the branches in this Vine Now hauing sufficiently proued and cleered the poynt we must make some vse of it CHAP. XIII The first vse of the poynt to shew their misery that are not pruned FIrst Vse 1 this poynt doth euidently difcouer the wretchednesse of those men that finde no pruning The misery of those whose sins doe not abate but rather increase no growth of mortification at all none abatement of their corruptions no diminishing of their carnall lusts and disordered affections but after much hearing of the Word of God and a long formality of Religion they remaine still as wrathfull and impatient as lustfull and vncleane as worldly and vniust as voluptuous as
vaine glorious and in other things as much disordered as euer they were The Lord hath come neere them in his Word it hath not purged them he hath come neere them in afflictions and loe their drosse will not bee melted from them nay their sinnes seeme to waxe stronger and stronger and their corruptions grow euery day more heady and violent then other and yet they see not this impairing of their soules with griefe and shame of heart but rest themselues well satisfied in so miserable an estate Brethren there are not a few people inhabiting vnder the roofe of Gods House the Church with whom it fareth directly in this manner that I haue described to whom wee haue a dismall tidings to deliuer and that is this that they bee not fruitfull branches in Christ because they want that which our Sauiour Christ affirmes that euery true branch obtaineth Whatsoeuer person he is that liueth a reputed member of the Church frequenteth the ordinances of God meeteth with diuers sorrowes and calamities and thus hath a long while continued and yet seeth no more sinne in himselfe then before is no more troubled at his sinne then at first gets no more power against his sinne then at the beginning but goes along still in a kind of settled ciuility of liuing to men-ward and there resteth himselfe neither perceiuing nor greatly caring to perceiue any healing of priuie pride of secret guile of deadnesse and coldnesse of spirit of vnbeliefe of the loue of earthly things of wrath of reuengefulnesse of other naughty lusts of his euill heart let this man come hither and out of this text of Scripture truly interpreted truly applyed collect and gather a most fearefull conclusion against his owne soule in this wise Euery fruitfull branch in the Vine that is euery true member of Christ euery sound-hearted Christian is purged that is healed and cleansed of the sinfulnesse and corruptions of his heart and life but I though I haue beene trained vp in the bosome of the Church and inioyed all Gods ordinances and haue also tasted of some sowrenesse too in my dayes which should haue helped to my reformation haue found no purging nor cleansing am no whit helped against my sinnes of all sorts wherefore I am not a fruitfull branch I am not a true member of Christ I am no sound-hearted Christian Is not this a sound certaine and infallible conclusion that is so directly plainly and truly inferred out of the words of our Sauiour And how then can you flatter your selues in vaine O all yee that are not cleansed of your iniquities How can you make your selues beleeue you are good Christians how can you promise to your selues remission of sinnes and saluation and all other priuiledges of true Christians and inioy a kind of false content in a false hope of finding fauour with God Doubtlesse it is true that Salomon saith There is a generation that are cleane in their owne eyes and yet are not purged from their filthinesse These persons that haue no pruning feele no need of pruning and are most apt to brag of cleannesse by how much they are more vnclensed But miserable is that man whose best remedy against misery is this that he will not see it I pray you therefore if you bee branches destitute of pruning that you would not suffer your selfe-loue to hinder you from taking notice of your vncleansednesse nor from a serious consideration of your misery following thence in that it is most certainly concluded from this Scripture that you be but Hypocrites at the best And yet let not my weak Christian misconceiue this poynt to his owne needlesse and causelesse vexation concluding against himselfe that if that be no true branch which wanteth pruning then himselfe is doubtlesse in an hard case for alacke diuers of his corruptions are so far from being purged from him that they doe rather gather strength and preuaile more and more within him For doubtlesse it may befall euen a true sanctified man Some one or other corruption may grow more strong in a true Christian to haue some sinnes more violent and headstrong in him after that hee hath a long time continued in the profession of Christian Religion then they were at the first and the corruptions of his heart in some kind may discouer themselues by much and often breaking foorth which informer time he was better able to keep as wee know it by record of holy writ to haue falne out to Dauid Asa and other of Gods faithfull children Farre be it therefore from the heart of a Christian to conclude he hath no soundnesse because hee findes some one or other disorder rather grow more mighty in him This may be and yet he inioy the benefit of pruning which God performeth to all true branches if hee see and feele the working of this corruption whatsoeuer if he lament it if he continue to striue against and become vile in his owne eyes because of it this sin doth not rule in him and this is the very pruning promised which shall at length so far preuaile till that he himselfe doe perceiue a very sensible conquest ouer this lust So long then as sinnes in generall doe decay But sinne in generall doth decay and that sinne is seene and lamented and becomes matter of humiliation and that one sinne that lifteth vp it selfe more then before is seene lamented resisted a man may and must account himselfe a liuing branch But the men whom I condemned as Hypocrites and dry branches are those which satisfying themselues in a formall performance of outward exercises of piety are quite destitute of the efficacy of them for the subduing of sinne so that further then credit and naturall respects do sway with them they follow any sinfull lust of their hearts and yet feele not their misery in that behalfe but applaud themselues in their estate all the while that they are free from such grosse practices as would cast them into reproch and obloquie amongst men A man professing Religion and being thus vncleansed of his filthinesse is sure no better then a withering branch which yet these kind of men will scarce euer be made to confesse Wherefore leauing them wee will make a second vse of the poynt to comfort all Gods Saints that if they will not deny the good worke of Gods grace in them must needs confesse that the Lord hath mercifully vouchsafed to prune them CHAP. XIIII The second vse of the poynt to comfort them that are pruned HEarken therefore Vse 2 all ye seruants of God Comfort to them that finde pruning whom hee hath pleased to purge and cleanse and whiten whose corruptions hee hath much abated and subdued hearken you I say and accept of that portion of comfort which the Lord doth allot you Doe you not finde in your selues that selfe-same operation of God which our Sauiour heere doth appropriate to liuing branches why then collect a ioyfull assurance to your selues that you are
indeed true members of Christ seeing that the Lord hath pleased to make you knowne for such by doing that for you which hee doth performe for all true Christians and onely for them I confesse that there is a kinde of cleansing A kind of cleansing may befall an vnsanctified man which is not from Gods sanctifying Spirit such as hath bin found euen in Heathen men without the Church and without Christ This is such a leauing of some one or other outward grosse sin as ariseth from age or misery or other like naturall causes the heart in the generall disposition still remaining the same for a mans owne rod may so beate him as the common Prouerbe speaketh that he may be forced from those euill practices which once he followed as the vnthrifty man after he hath wasted his estate almost to the bottome and perceiueth penury comming against him may so farre returne to himselfe as to cease to bee riotous and the theese that hath beene frighted once or twice with the narrow escape of hanging may cease to giue himselfe ouer to theeuery and the man whose age and bodily decay doth not serue the turne to performe his vnchaste pleasures may cease to follow harlots and so in other like particulars This departing from a few outward acts of euill the heart remaining still impoysoned with the wonted inward disorders or other as bad is not the cleansing which the Lord doth afford to the true branches of the Vine neither may any man intitle himselfe to the comfort wee haue in hand from such a maimed kind of reformation But if any man doe finde himselfe cleansed in soule from the loue and liking of all known euils proportionably that what by the Word what by afflictions or such like meanes hee hath been made to take notice of more corruptions in himselfe then euer before he thought to haue beene there and seeing the same to detest them and abhorre himselfe for them before God crauing his strength and power to reforme them and by crauing strength hath obtained at Gods hands though not a totall release from these corruptions yet a great decay of them and a farre greater ability to leaue them then in former time Let these men reioyce in the liuing God and take this worke of his Spirit in them for an assured proofe of their being truly ingraffed into the body of Christ Those that doe mortifie the deeds of the flesh by the Spirit they shall liue those that are crucified together with Christ shall raigne with him and hauing beene made conformable to his death shall also be made conformable to his glory Wherefore as Samson fed on the honey which he found in the carkase of the Lion that hee had slaine so let all Gods people feede vpon the comfort which growes vnto them from the sinnes that they haue ouercome For doubtlesse nothing is more auailable to increase the worke of mortification then with ioy to looke vpon the good beginnings thereof and comfortably to behold the dying of sinne that a man may say to himselfe Loe now mine inward and spirituall enemies are smitten downe before me and become like foes that are put to flight and many of them slaine in the chase When a man lookes into himselfe and comparing himselfe with himselfe findes that by Gods grace such and such euils doe lesse preuaile within him then they were wont yea that now the least motions of them are more hatefull to him then formerly some grosse outward faultings therein and that the inclinations of that kind which hee feeleth in himselfe are either fewer or weaker or both that hee sooner spyeth more heartily and inwardly lamenteth and condemneth more carefully and diligently resisteth and opposeth them at least is much more humbled and abased to himselfe by meanes of them then formerly This is to be pruned and this is a true signe of a liuely branch in the true Vine Christ Iesus Neither let the people of God take lesse comfort in this pruning because it is not totall nor all at once but if they finde it to goe forward though slowly and by small degrees and to haue been attained by their spirituall industry in the vse of spirituall meanes now let them clap their hands and triumph in God saying Through God I haue done valiantly for he hath troden downe mine enemies that rose vp against me We must not suffer our selues to be so much vexed with the remainders of our corruptions as to depriue the Lord of the glory and our owne soules of the comfort which wee might reape from the beginning of their ouerthrow but must make our selues exceeding glad of this their first falling before vs that so we may more assuredly conclude as they doe concerning Haman when he began to fall before Mordecai that he should not preuaile but should surely fall quite before him When wee obserue the fruits of our faith as meanes to confirme our faith and the good workes of Gods grace as arguments to assure vs that wee are receiued into the state of grace this is an excellent meanes to make these fruits of faith and workes of grace to grow stronger and stronger in vs. An heart cheered vp in beholding and acknowledging the goodnesse of God that hath in some measure blessed his indeuour against sinne shall bee greatly furthered in this spirituall combate It animates souldiers to fight when as Ionathan speaketh concerning Sauls souldiers they eate the spoyle of their enemies but when they doe keepe themselues fasting as it were like as Saul did his souldiers pretending thereby to make them more eager in following the chase this makes them to be faint and weary and so doth very much hinder the slaughter of the foe Wherefore ye Christian souldiers that haue fought manfully vnder Christ your Lord with the weapons of the Word and Prayer and the like and haue found that your holy meditations and prayers haue diminished the force of your corruptions in some good measure eate you the spoyle of your spirituall enemies comfort your selues in the sence of this good worke and with great contentment of spirit conclude for your selues that you are true branches because the Husbandman doth bestow the paynes of pruning vpon you CHAP. XV. Containing the third vse of the poynt to incourage the Saints in striuing against sinne because the Lord will helpe them in this labour and they shall surely preuaile BVt this poynt doth yeeld likewise a third vse Vse 3 Incouragement to proceed in resisting of sinne to animate the people of God to a resolute opposing of all their corruptions because loe the God of heauen is ready at hand to cut off those euils which they are hewing at A man is sure of successe in the worke of mortification if he want not diligence to labour in that worke The flesh must downe corruptions shall tumble the Spirit shall bee victorious stronger is he that is in vs then he which is in the world and certainly the grace
till hee be fully vnited to Christ and walke no longer by faith but by sight seeing as he is seene and knowing as hee is knowne Wee must conclude then to be walking forwards till we lye downe in graues for neuer are we at our iourneys end till then Secondly Reason 2 God hath offred them sit meanes of growing the Lord hath affoorded and prouided vs sufficient meanes and helpes to grow The Word of God is able to build vs vp yet further the Sacrament of the Lords Supper doth bring the body and blood of Christ vnto vs to be our spirituall food The Spirit of God that worketh in and with these and all other meanes is a spirit of life and serueth not alone to mortifie the deeds of our flesh but to quicken our inward man also till wee come to bee perfect men in Christ and haue his Image fully renewed in vs. We want none helpes this way that wee can desire if we want not care to vse them and we may bee well assured that hee which hath prouided them did neuer intend that they should bee prouided in vaine but that hee would haue vs vse them and by the vsing attaine the fruit of them Thirdly Reason 3 if we grow not better If they grow not better they shall soone grow worse it cannot bee long afore we grow worse There will bee a sensible decay of grace after a little while if there bee not some addition to it Wee moue either vpward or downeward and wee cannot long hang in the middest for things that doe but tend to perfection and haue not yet gotten it if they approch not neerer to it will bee remoued further from it If the fire be not fed with fewell it will goe out and a young tree if it cease shooting vp its branches doth quickly cease to liue All naturall motions are more and more earnest towards their ending and so much more swift by how much they grow neerer to their proper place of rest so must all the motions of goodnes be in Gods Saints Last of all Reason 4 our growing in grace here Growth in grace will procure growth in glory shall procure vnto vs a growth in glory hereafter The more holinesse we attaine in this world the more happinesse wee shall attaine in the other world Euery dram of grace shall bee rewarded as it were with a pound of glory If we be rich in the worke of the Lord our labour shall not bee in vaine in the Lord but hee will exceeding plentifully requite all the seruices which wee haue performed for him and all the vertues which wee haue for his sake laboured to get and exercise He that sowes liberally shall reape liberally hee that sowes sparingly shall also reape sparingly This life is our seedes-time that to come must be our haruest Who would not bee incouraged by so inestimable rewards to straine himselfe to all painfulnesse that he may grow So it is possible to grow in grace for we haue sufficient helpes and meanes it is profitable for we shall grow in glory and that also proportionably it is necessary for we are not yet come to our full growth yea it is of absolute necessity so to grow for else we shall grow worse and worse euen from ought to nought as the Prouerbe speaketh and all these reasons confirme the poynt and shew that it is the duty of Gods people to wax better and better onely it may be demanded whether that all the Saints of God do performe this duty and bee in act more holy and vertuous euery day then other To which I answere that it is with Gods people as with children who are subiect to many sicke sits in which they doe weare away and euen lose their flesh and strength but yet for all that they recouer and come to be men at last yea and strong men too A Christian oftentimes doth goe backward for a season Sometimes Gods people for a time doe grow worse but they recouer and become more humble that is better at length but hee recouers himselfe feeles his going backe returneth and at the last becomes better indeed though not in his owne feeling then euer he was For after it may bee some long fainting and fading of grace hee is brought backe with a deeper sence of his owne basenesse then euer he had before and so growing in humility growes likewise in all graces for with the growth of that all doe grow though perhaps he may not liue to doe so many excellent workes as formerly hee had done and so the story of holy Writ doth shew that it was with Dauid who seemed worse after his settling in the Kingdome then before and was so for a while but rising vp againe hee was more holy then euer before though he fought not so many battels as before CHAP. XVII Containing the first vse of the last poynt viz. a terrour to them that grow worse NOw this poynt concerning the branches bringing forth more fruit Vse 1 Terrour to them that decay rather serueth to discouer the vnhappinesse of those men in whom no such growth is found but the quite contrary viz. that are grown backwards and falne behinde hand being more feeble in all graces and scant in all good workes then formerly they were wont to be And thus alacke it is with many a man Time was when they were frequent in hearing the Word of God and could not bee kept from it by any meanes now their hunger after it is turned into fulnesse and the least occasion that is will detaine them from it yea rather then faile they will quarrell with the Minister either for some poynt of doctrine which hee teacheth contrary to their minds or for some faultinesse in the manner of teaching or for some mis-behauiour of life or for some thing or other against which they can alleage any probable shew of quarrell rather then that they will not seeme to themselues to haue cause of not caring to come to heare They were wont to reade much and pray often and take time to meditate vpon those things which they had heard but now all these things are either quite laid aside or very seldome performed once they were abundant in workes of mercy now they are scant and sparing formerly they were liuely in their seruices now little lesse then dead and so it is with them that any man which hath occasion of conuersing with them may plainly perceiue them to be changed from better to worse O this is a lamentable condition hauing its originall in the ouergrowth of voluptuousnesse worldlinesse pride or some other like carnall affection and shall haue its issue either in some grieuous sinne or heauy calamity or both euen though they bee Gods children I dare not say brethren that it may not befall a true Christian thus to fade for a season and yet the withering of the blade is a sore signe of a stony ground But this I dare
say that vnlesse they doe seasonably recouer themselues and returne to their former goodnesse or more the Lord will surely chastise them in grieuous manner sending some or other heauy calamity vpon them either inward or outward or if hee doe not so fetch them home againe this decay of seeming graces is in truth the first degree of the cutting off of Hypocrites So long as a man continues thus in the wane hee can inioy no comfortable assurance of himselfe nor can other men maintaine any full perswasion of him that hee was vpright but he must needs be subiect to the misery of being alwayes questioned both in the opinion of others and in the account of his owne heart for matter of his intirenesse and truth and so though it were rashnesse to say that all they are dissemblers that fare in this manner for a man may recouer himselfe as I shewed aboue yet this may one safely say of such that they are so like to dissemblers as neither others nor scarce themselues can distinguish them from Hypocrites Indeed there is one note of difference betwixt the winter of a true branch and the withering of a dead which we will anon shew vnto you but yet this note of difference will afford but a small quantity of comfort to them with whom it is winter Let that man therefore whose soule is guilty of such decrease in piety see and take notice of its vnhappinesse Wofull is the estate of him that if he be not an Hypocrite yet is now become so neere in likenesse to that euill brood as his owne heart will hardly bee perswaded to take him for better I will shew you a true note of distinction betwixt a liuing branch 〈◊〉 the decayes that it may suffer and a dead branch thus beginning to be cut off from the Vine that wee may not leaue the vpright hearted destitute of that comfort which appertaineth vnto him euen though he be at his worst that euer hee can The false hearted man doth likely please himselfe in his growing backward conceiting that he was too forward before but is now growne sober and stayed and wise though indeed what he formerly did was no more then he ought to haue done and so he satisfieth yea and magnifyeth himselfe in his lamentable decayes But the true Christian is exceeding weary of his going downe the wind for his soule It is a clog to his soule to find himselfe worse then he was yea if hee seeme to himselfe but to stand at a stay it is an anguish vnto him and his life is tedious when hee findes not that life of Religion and goodnesse in himselfe that once he felt Now then if your decayes bee by you thus felt and bewailed if they be an heauy load and burthen to you very troublesome and discontentfull to your minds you may haue bin true-hearted for all these faintings and swoones and yet your case is much to be pityed for the Lord must be at paines to prune you that you may bring forth more fruit because it is nothing else as I said before but the ouer-growing of some corrupt lust that hath brought you to this euill passe But if any amongst you bee so falne away from his former shewes or beginnings of piety that he be well apayd with this his backwardnesse and take it for his glory that hee is now growne luke-warme so boasting in his shame let that man know that hee was but an hypocrite before and that this is a beginning of his cutting off from the Vine yea and that his estate is not recouerable without exceeding much labour and paines Take notice therefore I intreat euery soule amongst you whether it bee decayed and in what manner it stands affected vnder these decayes that you may accordingly censure your selues and fruitfully accept this reproofe of the Word For giue me leaue a little to reason with you on Gods behalfe What vnfaithfulnesse what niggardize what churlishnesse haue you found in the God of heauen now alate that you shoul bee lesse zealous and carefull in doing him seruice then you were formerly accustomed Is God grown worse to you that you are so changed towards him Is the Word of God lesse mighty to bring you to saluation Is prayer lesse effectuall to draw good things from heauen Are holy meditations lesse comfortable to the soule Are the exercises of repeutance and of godly sorrow lesse gainfull that you doe now bestow lesse time and care in these duties then in former season or is the feare and loue of God humility faith mercy bounty zeale lesse pleasing to God lesse beautifull lesse sweet lesse profitable in it selfe and to the possessours then once it was that you haue now suffred your selues to be lesse studious of any of thē O consider how extremely you do dishonour God and goodnesse and indamage your selues and discourage others by this your going backe in the way of goodnesse Consider how wrongfull it is to the whole Church and how euery way exceeding scandalous if your decayes be publike that you are waxen lesse good then you were Lay these things to heart and put not off a reproofe lightly Consider with your selues what corruption it is that as a bad humour becomming excessiue hath brought your soules into this consumption Lament before God your shamefull folly in bringing the estate of your soules behinde and cease not confessing bewailing and praying till you find your selues quickened and restored Assure your selues that if you haue been any other then arrant Hypocrites and dry branches who being cut off are cast out and wither till they bee gathered vp to burne you must sometime or other take the paines of thus restoring your selues to your ancient fruitfulnesse Were it not as good accept of this admonition as tarry longer and make the worke harder by delayes If words will not bring you to a sence of your misery in that your soules are so ill affected you shall compell the Lord to become seuere in chastisements for much rather had he to make you smart then to see you perish See see the sicknesse of thy soule which hath made thee to grow weake and feeble in all inward graces and holy duties and suffer not thy selfe to be so hardened that the hearing of these words should bee in vaine vnto thee Shew thy selfe not to haue been a dissembler in thy former forwardnes by suffering thy selfe to be restored to it againe by this exhortation Make it appeare that all was not false which did aforetime seeme to be in thee by recouering thy first estate and doing thy first workes O now yeeld to the call of the liuing God and let these words of his in his own ordinance be as a good restoratiue to thy sick soule to make it whole strong again CHAP. XVIII Containing an exhortation to all true Christians to increase in goodnesse with directions for that purpose ANd let me in the next place call earnestly vpon each soule amongst you Vse 2
But some man may haply demand How shall one get his soule a good stomacke To this question I answere that the bodily appetite is stirred vp by two things sharpe sawce and due exercise The way to get a good appetite 1. Sharpe sawce that is the renewing of godly sorrow for sinnes past and so is the appetite of the soule after grace Now the sawce of the soule in which by dipping its morsels it may prouoke its desires after holinesse and vertue is the renewing of sorrow for sinnes past and present And when a good man findeth himselfe to grow dul in holy desires if he will set a little time apart to call himselfe to account for his sinnes past and to consider the greatnesse and multitude of them the heauy punishment he hath deserued and Christ hath suffered for them the exceeding great dishonour he hath done to God by them and how exceeding vile and base they haue made him and heerehence to inforce himselfe to be sad and heauy and to sigh and grone for these offences of his This will quicken his spirituall desires this will reuiue and stirre vp his longings and make him earnestly couetous after grace But exercise is needfull to get a stomacke 2. Exercise that is a setting our selues to practise what we learne and the soules exercise is to set it selfe on worke about good duties to stirre vp frequent acts of vertue within it selfe often bending his heart in loue to God-ward melting it in compassion toward the afflicted inlarging it in congratulation to those of Gods Saints that are in good estate and so in other vertues especially when we haue been taught any good worke in the Word to watch the next opportunity of doing that duty and to set our selues for some good space of time together principally to looke to the practice of some principall vertue the loue and feare of God ioy in the holy Ghost godly sorrow confidence in God and the like This addressing ones selfe to the practice of good duties will beget a desire of grace And this is the second thing necessary to cause an increase of grace The third is good food 3. Good food will make one grow and Christ is our food and other things so farre as they leade to Christ And the food of our soules is Christ Iesus offered vnto vs in the Word and in the Sacraments and in some sort also in the workes of God that wee may feede vpon him and grow strong in him and in the power of his might Christ Iesus is the bread of life when by the Word and Sacraments and workes of God wee are moued and drawne to goe out of our selues to rest cleaue stay vpon him for grace life saluation strength all good things then we doe euen fill our soules with him and then we are sure to waxe strong In all the ordinances of God we must bee directed to Christ neither can they doe vs any good further then they guide vs to Christ and to a depending vpon him If you remaine in me saith our Sauiour by and by after you shall bring forth much fruit Lo our food In the Word and in each part of it we must seeke Christ in the Sacraments wee must seeke Christ All the workes of Gods hand must leade vs vnto Christ I meane to looke to him for grace to stay vpon him for all good things when the Word teacheth any good thing it must cause vs to rest on the Lord Iesus for strength to performe it when it discouereth any sinne it must driue vs to Christ for power to amend it and fauour to pardon it when it promiseth good it must still draw vs to the same Christ in him to obtaine the promises when it threatens euill it must driue vs to Christ that we may trust by him to escape it So the Sacraments must conduct vs to Christ and settle our soules in assurance of attaining all good things in him When we receiue blessings of any kind at Gods hand they must make vs taste the sweetnesse of his loue in Christ when we feele the sharpenesse of his chastening hand it must spurre vs forward to a more earnest seeking of our reconciliation with him in Christ and thus all that God doth to vs and all his ordinances that wee inioy by leading vs vnto the true Bread of life shall happily confirme and strengthen vs in the inner Man For if wee abide in Christ and Christs Word in vs then shall we be surely fruitfull The last thing to helpe growth 4. Good digestion is needfull to growth and our digesting is serious pondering and meditating of good things is good digestion when the bodily food is conueyed into the stomacke and there concocted by the natiue heate then it becomes fit to be dispersed abroad to the strengthening of euery limme and ioynt so the Word of God the Commandements the promises the threats and the workes of God both of mercy and iustice must be mused meditated pondered vpon A man must set himselfe seriously to consider how true those promises be and how much they concerne him and so settle his heart more and more in the imbracing of them He must tel himselfe how holy those Commandements be how much he is bound to obey them and so euen inforce his heart to a resolued purpose of following the direction of them A light perfunctory hearing and speaking of the diuine truths of the Word concerning God Christ our selues and our duty and the like will affoord little or no strength but if a man will bestow paines and time to consider of these things seriously and to make his thoughts dwell vpon them some good while together striuing to beate them into his heart and to frame his affections accordingly this would be as sure a means of strength vnto his soule as good and wholesome concoction of good food vnto his body And thus my brethren so many of you as are liuing and true branches in Christ may see what is required of you that you may bring forth more fruit in him Lay to heart that which you formerly heard consider the profit possibility necessity of this growth and be not a sluggard for thy soule Thou seest how the worldly-minded man doth toyle his head and body in seeking to grow in riches thou seest how the ambitious man bestirres himselfe in getting more preferment thou seest with what an eager and vnsatisfiable greedinesse the voluptuous man doth pursue his pleasures why shouldest not thou that art a Christian and a spirituall man with at least some measure of the like diligence addresse thy selfe to thriue in the goods of the soule to get an higher degree of this best promotion and to inioy more and more of these most pleasant of all pleasures No profit is so profitable no honour so honourable no pleasure so pleasurefull as to bee fruitfull in good workes and to abound more and more in the vertues of the inward man