THIS Chapter is made up of Parables, with which Christ at this time Apparel'd his Sermon to the people: He spake ma­ny things unto them in Parables, Ver. 3, at which his Disciples wondred, and asked him, Why speakest thou unto them in Para­bles, Ver. 10? i. e. Sir, the rude multitude do not understand thee, they cannot see the soul of thy meaning through the body of thy Parables: And therefore, Why speakest thou unto them in Parables?

His Disciples wonder at it. Where observe an Example of [Page 2] Ignorance in the Disciples, they knew not the cause why Christ spake in Parables to the multitude.

Obs. 1. Saints are ignorant of the Reason of Gods Actions, till he make it known.

2. We admire why God doth do many things, till he disco­vers the Reason.

3. Good hearers and Christians are not ashamed to profess and acknowledg their Ignorance.

4. The Saints are very desirous to know the Reason of Christs Actions: Why speakest thou unto them in Parables?

5. Beginnings of Grace and Knowledg are very earnest after more: Good hearts are very Inquisitive and diligent to ask and understand the Mysteries of Heaven.

Dub. 1. And indeed it is a wonder that Christ who loved souls so dearly, and thirsted after their Salvation, who was sent into the world by his Father to Ʋnmask the way to Heaven; and who had before Explained the Law, and taken the Vizor off from the face of it, and convinced the Proud, and Preached so home to the heart, that he Preacht with Authority: He Preached plainly when he said, Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand: He preached plainly when he said, Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the King­dom of Heaven, &c. and now to cloathe his Sermons with such dark Parables, it is a wonder.

Resp. To this the Lord Jesus Answers, That he therefore preached in Parables: i. e. darkly and obscurely, Because he preached in Judgment unto some that were present: He preacht that they might not understand him.

Dub. 2. But why should his Disciples admire that he preach­ed now in Parables, seeing it was always his custom to do so? And Parables do illustrate and clear things more to the un­derstanding, than plain phrases?

Resp. Christ was wont to preach in Parables, and therefore that is not the Disciples Query, at least not the meaning of it, why he did now use Parables (for he did ordinarily use them); but when he did use them, he did Explain them; Luk. 15. 4-7. and 16. 1-8, 9.

But now Christ did preach in Parables, and not Explain them as he was wont to do.

And before we leave this Query of the Disciples, [ Why speakest thou unto them in Parables]? Observe further,

First, Their Charity.

Secondly, Their Modesty.

1. Their Charity and love to the souls of others, Why speakest thou [to them] in Parables? They understand thee not: they first ask Christ why he spake to them in Parables, before they ask him to Explain the Parables to them.

Obs. Good hearts desire the Salvation of others, as well as their own: aeque, though not aequaliter.

2. Their Modesty towards Christ: They do not question Christ's Doctrine, or manner of Teaching in publick, but ask him in private to Explain himself, When he was alone, Mar. 4. 10. and Mat. 13. 36.

Obs. People ought not to question and move doubts against their Ministers Doctrine in publick, but in private; lest they should by their importunity create stirs and tumult, and give to others occasion of doing any thing unseasonably and out of due time: Therefore his Disciples move questions in private.

We shall now descend to the words of our Text: To you it is given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but to them it is not given: For whosoever hath, to him shall be gi­ven, and he shall have more abundance.

To you] The word [ to you] hath Emphasis in it: Vobis & vestri similibus, To you, and such as you.

1. To you Elect, for Christ speaks of the Elect under the Apostles Persons: To you it is given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven.

2. [ Vobis (amantibus videlicet, Sicientibus (que) veritatem) To you, Guilliandi. who love and thirst after Truth; to you, that are godly and gracious; the Spirit gives to you, not only to hear and see these things; but to know them, and believe, and feel them in your hearts: And therefore these are no mysteries to you, but Salvation and truth Revealed.

'Tis given] that is, it comes to pass,

• 1. Not [ Casu] by chance.
• 2. Nor [ Necessitate] by necessity.
• 3. Nor [ Natura] by nature, or natural industry: That [Page 4] you know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven: But 'tis given.

He discovers the gift and Grace of God: For, O man, What hast thou which thou hast not received?

Obs. The knowledg of the mysteries of the Kingdom of Hea­ven, is a Supernatural gift; a gift from above.

None can understand the mysteries of Heaven, but they to whom it is given:

The gifts of God are two-fold,

• 1. The gifts of Nature.
• 2. The gifts of Grace.

It was given them by Nature that they could hear or see: But it was given them by Grace that they should hear the Gospel, and see the Miracles and Face of Jesus Christ; but more Grace yet, that they could Receive the Gospel, and Be­lieve in Christ, and know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven.

It was outward Grace to have the Gospel given them to hear it, and Christ given them to see him.

It was inward Grace to have knowledg to see into the Mysteries of the Gospel, and to have Faith to distinguish and apprehend Jesus Christ the Lord of Glory.

There's the Gospel of Grace, and the Grace of the Gospel.

To have the Gospel of Grace preached to them, and to have Grace to receive the Gospel, is a double Grace.

The mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven,] Is a Periphrasis, of the Gospel, and of those things which lye hid in the Gos­pel.

Obs. The Gospel is a mystery. The Doctrines of the Gospel are mysteries.

[ Mysterium significat secretum aliquod, quod remotum est ab oculis, at (que) absconditum, praecipuè vero in verbis: ut cùm ali­quid dicitur quod obscurum est, & intellectu difficile, Solemus dicere, hoc mysterium est: Subest his verbis tectum aliquid & abstrusum.———Mysterium—sic enim consuevit appellare Scriptura, quae praeter spem, & prae­ter humanam fiunt Opinionem, Ecce mysterium vobis dico, Omnes quidem, &c. Guilliandus in Loc.— 1 Cor. 15.

The mysteries of God therefore are Faith and the Gospel [Page 5] concerning Christ: nay, Christ himself is called a mystery, be­cause he is a Spiritual thing, and remains hid and covered, till the Spirit unvail him: For whatever the Gospel preacheth, they Mat. 11. 25. 1 Cor. 2. 6, 7, 8. are remote from sense and reason, that the whole world cannot apprehend them, till they are Revealed by the Spirit.

You shall see many preach, and many hear, that Christ was de­livered for us to Redeem us; but these words are only [ in ore] in the mouth, not [ in corde] in the heart: For

1. Neque ipsi suis verbis credunt] neither do they themselves believe their own words.

2. Neque gratiam hanc aliquatenus sentiunt] neither do they feel the Grace of the Gospel.

But to them it is not given,] Luke hath [...], Mark hath Luke 8. 10. Mark 4. 11. [...], qui for is sunt, sive exteris.]

To them that are without] By which he understands not only them that are strangers all their time from the Kingdom of God, as the Gentiles; but also all those that have been for a time the children of the Kingdom, and by their wickedness and unbelief deserved that a bill of Divorce should be given to them, and cast Mat. 8. 12. out of the Kingdom.

To them that are without] i. e. Who only hear with the out­ward Guilliandus. Ear; who hear with the outward Ear as well as you, but want Faith, and care not for the Truth, seeking rather their own than Gods glory, their earthly rather than heavenly Treasures: For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance, &c.

1. To him that hath [Faith] shall be given the knowledg of Hilarius sic Exponit, q [...]d. Habens fidem, mysteria fidei percipiet, at Judaei fidem non habentes, Legem quoque quam habue rant, Perdide­runt. the mysteries of the Kingdom of God, for these cannot be known without Faith: As if he should say, To you [Apostles] who believe in me, as in the Messias; to you it is given, daily to hear and clearly to understand of me the mysteries of Heaven: But from the Scribes and Pharisees that have not, i. e. Faith, will not believe in me as the Messias, God will take from them That which they have: i. e. That slender knowledg of God and sense of Heaven which they have; their Church, Kingdom, Priest-hood, Temple, Sacrifices Country; he will take from them, and make them no people, no Church, no not in outward Profes­sion.

2. To him that hath] i. e. That hath an hearing ear Mat. 13. 9, 12. and Mark 4. 24. That is, that bring with them an hum­ble [Page 6] and sincere affection, namely, a pure desire of Faith and Truth (which the Apostles by the gift of God have) to them shall be given: i. e. I will Explain and clearly open to them The mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven: I will increase their know­ledg, and add beams to their Light; but they that have not, i. e. this pure desire of truth, but are indulgent to their lusts, and to the pride of their own understanding, as the Scribes and Pha­risees; from them the little knowledg which they have shall be taken away, and they shall be made blind; and therefore it is that I speak not clearly to them, but obscurely in Parables.

Dub. But doth not this prove a power in man to do something naturally, that he may gain something that is supernatural? To do something morally, to attain the gift of Grace that is spiri­tual? And are not these words a promise, Faecienti quod in se est, Deus non denegat gratiam?

Res. I answer, no, It argues no such thing, it doth not speak a passage out of Morality through the use of natural gifts, into the state of Grace: As it appears,

1. From the 11th, Ver. To you it is given to know the myste­ries Mat. 13. 11. of the Kingdom of Heaven. [to you,] i. e. To you my A­postles and Disciples, who have more than good nature in you; who have blossoms of heaven already in you: to you it is given, To know, i. e. (to know further, to know more of) the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven: to you that have the buddings of knowledg in you, to you shall be given the ripeness of knowledg in the mysteries of Heaven: And then he adds in the 12th Ver. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given: i. e. Whosoever hath the infant and young workings of grace and knowledg (as you have) to him shall be given, that is, an higher stature of grace and know­ledg shall be given him.

2. From Ver. the 10th, The Disciples when they heard the Parable, said to Christ, Why speakest thou unto them in Parables? i. e. Why dost thou preach so Obscurely and Aenigmatically to them? Why dost thou not open thy self more plainly to them? They are never the better for what thou saiest; neither they nor we understand thy meaning: And therefore they without doubt Mar. 4 10-13. asked Christ in private to unlock the Cabinet of the Parable to them, and shew them the Jewel, or meaning of it: Now saith Christ, [ to you, (i. e. Who desire of me spiritual knowledg) it shall be given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven.] [Page 7] For whosoever hath (i. e. Such holy desires (as you have) to in­quire and move after the knowledg of Heavenly-mysteries) to him it shall be given (as it is to you) and he shall have more abundance.

3. Jesus Christ in the 13th Ver. gives his Disciples an account why he spake to the Pharisees in Parables, Because they seeing, see not: i. e. They are wilfully blind, they see the wood, and yet will not see the trees: they see my Works, and yet will not see me to be Christ.

In seeing they see not] i. e. They have seen me and believe not. Joh. 6. 36. They see me and my Miracles with the eye of sense, and yet will not see me with the eye of faith.

And hearing they hear not] i. e. They hear with the sense of Audientes cor­poris sensu, non audiunt cordis assensu. Au­gust. the ear, but hear not with the assent of the heart: they hear and are convinced, but will not be converted; as you have it in the 15th Ver. They perceive, but will not receive the knowledg of the truth. For to hear, is to receive and submit to what we hear: It implies the affection with the Organ.

Now in opposition to them, saith the Lord Christ to his Dis­ciples, Ver. 16, Blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear: Your eyes see me, and are taken with the sight of me; your eyes see me, and your hearts are in love with me: your sight of me hath wounded you with the love of espousals to me: And your ears hear and suck in the truths you hear from me. You hear and submit to the Authority of the Word you hear from me: You see with an amorous eye, and you hear with a believing ear: And therefore to you (saith Christ) it shall be given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but to them it is not given, i. e. It shall not be given: For whosoever hath, (that is, whosoever hath a Believing eye, and an Obediential ear) to him shall be given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Hea­ven: And he shall have more abundance of knowledg and grace added to him.

4. So that the sense and mind of the Text is this: Whosoever hath, by the gift of God, any true beams of Light, to him shall be given further Revelations: God will give him higher degrees. Whosoever hath, to him shall be given: i. e. He gives after he hath given: as a Spring runs when it hath run.

So that the words speak not a word of the Improvement of Nature, but of the gifts of Grace, both in the beginning and [Page 8] in the increase: Whosoever hath, it is by gift; and whosoever hath more, it is by further gift: So that this phrase [ whosoever hath] speaks a gift, in that he hath: For what hath any man 1 Cor. 4. 7. which he hath not received?

The meaning is not then, whosoever hath the improvement of Nature, to him shall be given true Grace; but whosoever hath true Grace given to him, to him still it shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: God will heap favours on them. i. e. The beginning of Grace is a pawn of more Grace, and every former Grace shall be a pledg of future.

First, God gives Grace, therefore we have it: whosoever hath, then he adds more to it, to him it shall be given.

1. The words are a Reason why Christ said to the Apostles, Ʋnto you it is given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Hea­ven: For (or because) whosoever hath, to him shall be given: I pray, mark it, I say, It is a Reason, not why natural men should have Grace given them, but why the Disciples should have Grace given them.

2. Having, or not having, is to be understood of Saving Grace.

Therefore speak I in Parable to them, because they seeing, see not: and hearing, they hear not, neither do they understand, Ver. 13. Here Christ gives the Reason clearly (which he toucht in Ver. 11, But to them it is not given) why he spake to the Scribes and Pharisees in Parables, because hearing Christ be­fore preach plainly the Kingdom of Heaven, they would not understand, nor believe, nor obey him: Hearing, they would not hear.

And seeing his Holiness and his Miracles, they would not be­lieve nor receive him for the Messia: Thus seeing they would not see: And therefore they deserved that Christ should now preach in obscure and cloudy Parables to them.

We see then the cause of Christ's preaching in Parables, was the obstinacy of some who were present; and they were not meer simple men, unlearnd men, but the Scribes, and Pharisees, and Priests, who follow Christ only to carp at, and catch him. (2) To deride him; and he was not to give holy things to Dogs: From these the mysteries of Heaven were justly vailed, because in seeing and hearing they did not, and would not see, nor hear, and understand: Observe hence,

Obs. Such minds as hearers bring to Christ, such Sermons doth he preach to them.

Because they would not understand, they shall not: When they will not understand those things that are clear and mani­fest, Christ involves his speeches in darkness; because the Dis­ciples do plainly and honestly receive what is given, they are worthy, i. e. counted worthy, to whom more secret myste­ries should be Communicated.

Obs. As it is the mercy and gift of God, that some hear and un­derstand what they hear; so it is the dreadful judgment of God, that some in hearing, hear not, nor understand.

Having travel'd thus far in the Explanation of our Text, we now arrive at the several Theses, or Doctrines contained in it; upon which we will lay the Structure of the following Dis­course.

1. Doct. The matters of the Kingdom of Heaven are Myste­ries.

2. It is a matchless aend blessed Priviledg to know the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven.

3. The Divine knowledg of the Mysteries of Heaven is given to some, not to others.

4. Where there are beginnings of true Graece, though never so weak, God makes rich additions of more.

Of these we will treat in order as they lye before us.

1. Doct. The matters of the Kingdom of Heaven are Myste­ries.

1. Jesus Christ is a great Mystery: The Creator became a Creature: He who made Man, was made Man: He was born of the Virgin-Mother, and yet made his Mother: He that was the Father of Eternity, was born in time.

He never offended his Father, and yet was the greatest offender in the world: A sinner, and no sinner: For he knew no sin, and yet was made sin for us.

He was David's Son, and yet David called him Lord. Mat. 22. 42, 43.

2. Justification by Jesus Christ, is a great Mystery.

There is a Curse denounced against them that break the Law: Gal. 3. 10. and yet the Saints are not cursed, though they never kept the Law.

The Saints cannot be Justified by the Law, and yet the Law Gal. 5. 23. cannot but Justifie them.

There's nothing hinders Acceptance but Sin; yet Sin doth 1 Tim. 1. 13. not hinder their Acceptance.

3. Faith is a Mystery. The Apostle saith, Faith is the sub­stance Heb. 11. 1. [or subsistence] of things hoped for, and the Evidence of things not seen. See and not see; things not seen, and yet Faith sees them; Things to come, and yet makes them present, and gives them present Being; It is a Mystery: Christ was born some thousand years after Abraham, and yet Abraham saw John 8. 56. his Day.

By Faith Moses saw him that is Invisible, saith the Text: [ Invisible] and yet saw him, It is a Mystery; He saw him by Faith, who could not be seen by Sense.

It is said of Abraham, that against hope, he believed in Rom. 4. 18. hope.

4. Regeneration is a Mystery: That a man should be born again, and yet not enter into his Mothers Womb, it is a Mystery: How can a man be born when he is old? (saith Nicodemus) John 3. 4. Can he enter the second time into his mothers Womb, and be born?

So Conversion is a Mystery; That a man should be the same, and not the same; the same man for soul and body, and yet not the same in regard of supernatural Life and Being put into him; It is a Mystery:

To see a mans Judgment and Affections turned backward; He that was proud before, now turned humble; and he that was ambitious before, now despise the vain World, it is a strange Mystery: The men of the World stand wondring at it (as 1 Pet. 4. 4. the Israelites did at Saul: Is Saul also among the Prophets?) And the Church admired at Paul. Act. 9. 21.

5. Humility is a Mystery: The Saints know themselves to be Kings, and yet refuse not to be every mans Servant.

To lye lowest, is the only way to rise highest: Whosoever shall humble himself, the same is the greatest in the Kingdom of Matth. 18. 4. Matth 23. 12. August. de Temp. heaven: But whosoever doth exalt. himself, shall be abased. Videte magreum miraculum, &c. saith Austin; See here a great miracle; God is on high; and yet the higher thou liftest up thy self, the further thou art from him; and the lower thou hum­blest thy self, the nearer thou art to him.

The Angels, those great Courtiers and Princes of Heaven, such is their humility, they become Ministring spirits to the [Page 11] Saints; surely the Angels humility is a Mystery.

Again, That a man should use the World, as if he did not 1 Cor. 7. 29. 30, 31. use it: weep, as if he did not weep [weep and not weep], re­joyce, as though he rejoyced not [rejoyce, and not rejoyce]: And they that buy, as though they possessed not; [buy, and not buy] that they that have Wives, he as though they had none, [mar­ried, and yet unmarried], it is a Mystery.

6. Self-denial is a Mystery: For take a Saint, there's no man denieth himself so much as he; and yet there's no man 1 Cor. 9. 27. seeks himself so much as he.

7. Affliction is a Mystery: That God should kill his people, and yet love them, and put them in his bosom; it is a My­stery.

Again, Persecution for Jesus Christ is a Mystery: That who­soever Matth. 16. 25 will save his life, should lose it [save, and not save]: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake, should find it; [lose, and not lose it], it is a Mystery.

That a man should hate himself, and yet love himself; nay, love himself best, when he hates himself most for God, it is a Mystery.

8. Patience in Affliction, is a strange Mystery; for a man to sit down cheerfully, and be content with his Condition in all changes and varieties, is a Mystery: That a man should be tossed, and moved up and down, and yet be unmoveable, it is a Mystery: To be at home, and yet to be a Stranger, and a Pil­grim in his own House, and among his own Children, is a My­stery.

And therefore, saith St. Paul, I know both how to be abased, Phil. 4. 12. and I know how to abound; every where, and in all things I am instructed [The word is, [...], Instituor in sacris, i. e. I am instructed in this Mystery; [...], Diodor. Siculus. Instituo in sacris, Pa­sor], I am instructed in this Holy Mystery, both to be full, and to be hungry; both to abound, and to suffer need.

9. When God is destroying his Church, he is multiplying his Church; when he is pulling her down, he is setting her up: As when you see a man pulling down an old or deformed house; you say, surely he is building up a fairer: when a Taylor is ripping the Cloath, and cutting it into shreds and pieces, he is making a comely Garment.

Again, Sometimes when a Sinner is galloping in the high way of Sin and Hell, he is in his way of pardon and salvation: God meets him in the way, and makes his way from Heaven, his way to Heaven: As Paul, when he was going to Damas­cus, Acts 9. went (in his Intention) to undo the Saints, but went (in Gods Intention) to be made a Saint.

Doct. 2. It is a matchless and blessed priviledg to know the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven.

In my Discourse upon this subject I shall (through Divine assistance) shew you,

1. What are the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven?

2. Why it is such a Priviledg to know the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven?

1. What are the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven?

1. They are Latent and secret things; they are hidden trea­sures; and therefore are they called Mysteries: [...]:

Now [...] some derive from [...], which is [ Claudo] to shut up under secrecy.

For secret things are not spoken, but lockt up in the heart. But I rather think, that [...] comes from [...]—whose root is [...] to hide, or keep close: And from the same word [...] came Saturnus, who hid himself in Italy (as the Poets Fable) which was therefore called Latium.

Upon this account are the matters of the Kingdom of Hea­ven called Mysteries, because they are unknown to Nature, they are hidden, till they are revealed: Man could never have known them, had God never revealed them: And though they are revealed, yet they are still Mysteries to carnal men who hear the Gospel, and yet do not understand it.

2. They are excellent and stately things, because they are the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven: They are high My­steries, for they are Mysteries of a Kingdom, and of the highest Kingdom too, for they are the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven. Never were there any such Mysteries of State as these: and truly, they that are acquainted with them, are of Gods Privy-Council.

Thus you see why they are called Mysteries:

But what are they?

They are the Plot or Design of Gods wisdom which he hath contrived in order to Mans salvation, the sacred Principles [Page 13] and Doctrines of Christian Religion: the Plat-form and Draught of his Will, according to which he will save Man. For the Church is stiled a Kingdom, and Jesus Christ is the King; and the Laws of this Kingdom are Mysteries, because it is a spiri­tual Kingdom, the Kingdom of Heaven; they are Laws of an higher and more sublime nature, than the Laws that any world­ly Kingdom hath.

If the Common Law of England be a Mystery to silly Coun­trey-men; what are the Imperial Laws of the Crown of Heaven?

More particularly,

1. The Incarnation of Christ is called a Mystery: Without controversie great is the Mystery of godliness, God manifest in the flesh.

This is a Mystery, not only not known by Nature, to humane 1 Tim. 3. 16. Reason, but being known and revealed, far transcends the conception thereof. We do not so much believe it by our un­derstanding, as understand it by our belief.

This is the Mystery of all the Mysteries; the Master-piece and flower of all the rest.

2. The Ʋnion and conjunction of Christ and the Church, Paul saith, This is a great Mystery, and I speak (saith he) concerning Christ and the Church; that Christ and his Church should be Man and Wife! that there should be a conjugal one­ness between them! that a person of such Majesty and Distance should marry so poor a Bride, and make her his Queen!

2. Why is it such a Priviledg to know the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven?

Reas. 1. Because Knowledg is wondrous desirable, and sa­tisfactory to the Nature of man: for man is a rational creature, and therefore desires to know all things that are knowable: There's a rational desire in man breathing after Knowledg: Knowledg is (as it were) mans Element, wherein he breathes and lives: as sense is the Element of bruits and beasts, they wallow in sense, and walk within the circumference of sense, higher they cannot go: so Knowledg is the Element of man, his native air (as it were) wherein he is born and bred, and which he sucks in delightfully: The air of Knowledg is won­drous pleasant to man; and therefore he loves to take the air, read Books, and search after Knowledg.

Reas. 2. The Knowledg of the Mysteries of Heaven, is a Knowledg that will save thee. It is [ Scientia scientiarum] [Page 14] the science of sciences, the Knowledg of all Knowledges: it is a Knowledg that will save thee, and do thee most good, and stand thee in the greatest stead; it is a Knowledg that will do thy soul good, a Knowledg that will put thee into Heaven: It is the Object that makes the Knowledg: Knowledg derives its Excellency from its Object; Therefore saith Paul, I count all things but loss and dung for the excellency of the Knowledg of Christ Jesus my Lord, that I may be found in him. The Know­ledg of natural things, leaves thee but a natural man, a well­polished Phil. 3. 8, 9. natural man; but the Knowledg of Christ makes thee a Saint; the Knowledg of Jesus saves thee from thy sins; the most exquisite Knowledg of all natural things leaves thee in thy sins, but the Knowledg of Jesus Christ saves thee from thy sins: And therefore saith Paul, I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ and him crucified: Because Paul knew, that no Knowledg would save himself, and no Knowledg 1 Cor. 2. 2. he made others know, would save them, but the Knowledg of Jesus Christ and him crucified.

If all the men in the World were wounded, and lay at the point of Death, and there were but one herb in all the World that would heal them; How would they all send abroad to know that one Herb, and to know the virtue of it, and how to use it, and apply it? How happy would they count them­selves in the Knowledg of it?

My Beloved, All the Men and Women in the World are wounded, they are wounded to death, and lye gasping for life; and there is but one Herb in all the World that can heal and save them, and that is Jesus Christ, whose Divine nature did grow out of the bosom of God the Father from all Eternity, and whose humane Nature did grow out of the sanctified Womb of the Virgin; Oh! how precious should be the Knowledg of Jesus Christ then unto you? Surely it is the greatest priviledg to know him.

3. Grace begins in Knowledg, in the Knowledg of the My­steries of the Kingdom of Heaven, as the stream begins in the spring: for Knowledg is the spring of Grace: the Knowledg of God is the spring of our Love to God: the Knowledg of the Power and Truth of God, is the spring of our Trust in God. They that know thy name, will trust in thee. Psal. 9. 10.

Knowledg that saves us, is not a bare notion of God, it knows [Page 15] his power, and therefore fears him; knows his justice, and there­fore serves him; knows his mercy, and therefore trusts him; knows his goodness, and therefore loves him.

Reas. 4. Because it is a Knowledg above the reach of Na­ture; to know the Mysteries of Heaven is beyond the sphear of Nature and Reason. They are foolishness to the natural man, 1 Cor. 2. 14. neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. Natural men cannot know supernatural Mysteries: Carnal reason cannot apprehend spiritual Objects.

Surely they are some rare and stately things that stand thus aloft above the reach of Reason: For mans Reason is an Eagle, and flieth high, and therefore these Mysteries of Heaven must needs be some high and glorious things, which mans reason soar­ing upon its loftiest wings, cannot attain unto.

Reas. 5. Because few do know them: we count that a great Priviledg, which is committed but to a few: and that's the signification of the word [ Privilegium].

Reas. 6. Because they are Mysteries, i. e. hidden and secret things: Now, to know not plain and common things, but to know Mysteries, we count it a great Priviledg: How did the Philosophers study to know the Mysteries and secrets of Nature? and in what Honour were they had, because they knew them? What a priviledg is it then to know the Mysteries of Heaven?

And because they are such deep and rare Mysteries, the An­gels themselves desire [ [...]] to peep into them.

Reas. 7. Because they are Mysteries of God; and is it not a 1 Pet. 1. 1 [...] superlative priviledg to know the Mystiries of God? A man counts it an high priviledg to be of a Kings Privy-Council, and to know his Royal secrets. What a point of Honour is it then to know the Mind and Mysteries of the great God, and have his Divine secrets communicated to them. God can do no more, unless he should make us God: They that know the Kings secrets, are next unto the King himself: So doth God make them that know his secrets, next unto himself. First, God makes all his secrets immediately known to Christ, and Christ is next to God; and Christ made known his secrets to the Apostles, and they are next to Christ.

Reas. 8. Because the Mysteries of Heaven are lovely things to see to; they are bright beauties, and exquisite rarities to look upon.

God is a lovely and beauteous thing; therefore saith David, Psal. 27. 4. One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to be­hold the beauty of the Lord.

His beauty is such, that if we could but see some little of it, it would enamour and ravish our hearts; 'twould wrap us into such an Extasie and Admiration of him, that all other (even the most excellent) things would appear to be but base to him: For,

First, God is the only satisfactory Object of mans Knowledg: The Knowledg of all other things (could you behold them all with one intuitive Act) is but an hungry, beggarly Knowledg, a sick Knowledg, till thou know him: The soul of Man, her Ap­petite is never filled, nor satisfied, till she know God.

When I read some Authors, and view their Ignorance of God, I cannot but sit down and say, Oh! what a Priviledg is it to know God! I will give you an Instance:

Pliny, A man of vast parts, who writes the History of Na­ture; Lib. 2. Cap. 7. Quisquis est Deus, si modo est Alius, &c. Irridendum ve­rò agere curam rerum humana­rum illud quie­quid est sum­mum: Ibidem Annè tam tristi atque multipli­ci Ministerio non pollui cre­damus, Dubite­musvè. Ibidem. Verùm in his Deos agere cu­ram rerum hu­manarum credi, ex usu vitae est. Ibidem. Verùm in his Deos agere cu­ram rerum humanarum credi, ex usu vitae est. Paenasquè Maleficiis aliquandò seras (occupato Deo in tanta mole) nunquam autem irritas esse: Ibid. and you would think he had fathom'd the very bottom of Nature; yet when he comes to speak of God, saith he, God, whosoever he be, if haply there be any other but the World.

Again, saith he, That the chiefest Power, whatsoever it is, (meaning God) hath care of mankind, or of mens affairs, is a thing to be derided or scorn'd at.

What dreadful darkness is this! How uncomfortable to us, that we have no God to mind our Conditions, or manage our Events!

And his Reason is this (as poor as his Assertion), Can we be­lieve, that he should not be polluted with so sordid, or base, and so trouble some a service? As if the Sun cannot shine upon a dung­hil, but it must be defiled.

And yet afterwards he saith, Howbeit to believe, that the Gods have care of mens Estates, is useful and expedient for this life.

Whether he speaks this, being forced by Conviction, or out of Pollicy (to keep men within Bounds) rather than of Faith, I know not, though I conceive the latter by his following words: To believe that the Gods have care of mens Estates, is useful for [Page 17] this life; As also that the punishment of Malefactors is sometimes late (because God is busily employed otherwise in so vast a frame as this World is) but never misseth in the end.

Where you may see how poor an opinion he hath of God, as if he were forced to put off the punishment of Sinners out of ne­cessity, because he could not have while; could not do many things at once, his affairs being too great for his head.

But he goeth on, and saith, That the chief comfort that man hath for his imperfection and weakness of nature is, That even Imperfectae ve­roin homine na­turae praecipua solatia, nè Deum quidem posse omnia: Ibidem. Nam nec sibi potest mortem consciscere, si velit—Nec mortales aeternitate donare, nec revocare defunctos; nec facere, ut qui vixit, non vixerit, qui Honores gessit, non gesserit, nullumque habere in praterita jus, praeterquam Oblivionis: Neque (ut facetis quoque Argumentis Societas haec cum Deo copuletur) ut bis dena Viginti non sint, Ac multa similiter efficere non posse; Per quae Declaratur haud dubiè Naturae Potentia, Idque esse quod Deum vocamus: Ibidem. God himself cannot do all things.

And he doth Instance in some things very sadly, That God cannot [Mortales aeternitate donare, aut revocare defunctos] Crown mortal men with everlasting life, nor recal or raise the dead; which speaks his own miserable Condition. And ye Saints of God, if this were truth, then ye also of all men are the most miserable.

But he doth instance also in other things which God cannot do, and which we grant. For we say, That God cannot do those things which imply Contradiction. And these things God cannot do, not because he is not Omnipotent, but [ Quia Praedicatum Repugnat subjecto] because the Praedicate is Repug­nant to the subject. Thus God (to use his own Instances) can­not bring to pass, that one who lived, did not live; or he that bare Honourable Offices, was not in place of Rule and Dignity. God cannot make things that are past, not to be past. And he goeth on to break a jest upon God in these things: For saith he [ Ʋt facetis quoquè Argumentis societas haec cum Deo copu­letur] That by Facetious and merry Arguments we may prove our Fellowship therein with God, he cannot cause that twice ten should not make twenty. Whereby without doubt (saith he) is proved the power of Nature, and that it is she, and nothing else, which we call God.

Thus doth this great Man (for want of Divine Knowledg) [Page 18] advance Nature into the Throne of God, and degrade God so low as to be nothing else but Nature: How was he benight­ed in dark and dreadful Ignorance!

Do you not by this time see, That it is a most superlative Priviledg to know God? And indeed it is so, if we would believe but Scripture, This is life-eternal (saith Christ) to John 17. 3. know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.

God himself is the great Soul and Excellency of all the My­steries of Heaven; all the rest are but so many lines that lead us to him the Center: he is the root of all the Mysteries of Hea­ven, and the Ʋltimate end of them all; were it not for God, they would all be worth nothing.

2. Jesus Christ is a lovely thing: The brightness of his fathers Heb. 1. 3. glory, and the express image of his person: All the beauty and glory of God is engraven upon Christ: he is a lovely thing. He was a sweet flower, planted in the Womb of a Virgin, and grew out there without the least spot of sin. Surely, as man, he is a very lovely thing, how much more as he is God, shining with the same Rays of Glory that God hath!

But is not Christ a lovely thing as our Mediatour? Do you not love to look upon him sitting at Gods right hand, and pleading your Cause for you? How lovely is he in this Office?

3. Justification by Christ is a lovely thing: It is a glorious Garment, and beauteous Robe; more beauteous than the Righteousness of the most holy Angels: Whoever puts it on, are as pure as if they had no spot or dirt of sin upon them.

4. Pardon of Sin is a lovely thing: every Saint longs to have a sight and tast of it: it made the poor woman that came in weeping, to go out rejoycing from Jesus Christ, [Her sins which are many are forgiven her], it was the most golden day that ever came over her head.

5. Peace of Conscience is a lovely thing: The Saints are ravished with the sweetness of it: it grows like a Rose in their bosoms (when 'tis once planted there) and they can never cease smelling at it: it fills their senses with delicate Odour, and makes them look fresh and green all their days.

Reas. 9. It is a transcendent Priviledg to know the Myste­ries of the Kingdom of Heaven, if we consider how unworthy [Page 19] we are to know them; unworthy to have such Jewels hang at our ears; unworthy to have such Wine put into our old Bottles; and to have such golden Mines grow in the earthy Bowels of our Minds and Understandings. As the Apostle saith, We 2 Cor. 4. 7. have this treasure in earthen vessels. The Mysteries of the Gospel are Gods Treasures, and we are but poor earthen Ves­sels, unworthy to have such Divine treasures put into such earthen Caskets, such Oyster-shells: The Angels, those golden Vessels and Velvet-Caskets, think themselves unworthy to have his Mysteries and Treasures put into them, unworthy to know him, and see him; and therefore the Seraphims, each of which Isa. 6. 2. had six Wings, with two they did flie, to signifie [ Celerrimae Ministeria] the swiftness of their Ministry; and with two did cover their faces, as men do when they look upon the Sun, to signifie, That they cannot endure the splendor and brightness of Gods face; and withal, that they are unworthy to see his face; and with two they did cover their feet, that is, their secret parts, for so doth the word [ feet] signifie in Scripture, not only our feet wherewith we go upon the ground, but the secret and unclean parts of Man. Isa. 7. 20.

The Angels therefore appearing in the shape of Man, did cover those parts, not as if there were any stain of sin upon those blessed Creatures, but as ashamed of their perfections, as imperfections in comparison of God's infinite and incomperable perfections.

If the Angels, how much more are Men, who are Sinners, unworthy to know God in Jesus Christ?

We shall now pass to the Application of this Doctrine:

And first,

Ʋse 1. Prize then the preaching of the Gospel: that's the looking-glass in which you behold the Mysteries of Hea­ven.

1. It lays open the Mysteries of Heaven to you: there may be a great deal of Riches wrapped up in a Treasury, but this opens and unlocks the Treasury: The Ministry of the Word is ordained to lay open the Treasure to Gods People, that they may know what Riches they have by Jesus Christ.

There be rich Mines in the Scripture, but they must be digged up: The Ministry serves to dig up those Mines, and [Page 20] lay them open above-ground, that the Saints may see them, and be in love with them.

2. The Preaching of the Gospel casts the sweet savour of the Mysteries of Heaven abroad the World, and renders them lovely.

As the Woman that brought her Box of Oyntment to anoint the Lord Jesus with it, when she opened the Box, the room was filled with the Odour of the Oyntment: were not the Box opened, the Oyntment would not smell: so the preaching of the Word, is the opening of the Box.

The Gospel (which is a rich compound made up of the Fra­grant spices and Mysteries of Heaven) I say the Gospel is a Box of sweet Oyntment, and the Preaching of it is the opening of the Box; if it be not opened, it casts not its sweet savour abroad the World. The publishing of the Word, is the open­ing of the Box, and the casting of the perfume of it abroad the World: Hence saith the Apostle, Now thanks be unto God, 1 Cor. 2. 14. which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh mani­fest the SAVOƲR of his Knowledg by us in every place.

3. The preaching of the Gospel applies the Mysteries of Heaven to mens Souls in particular: It distributes the porti­on to every Child of God: The Ministers of God are the Stewards of God to distribute the Mystery of comfort, and the Mystery of pardon, and peace, to whom they belong: Now where there is an equal and convenient distribution of the por­tion to every one, this makes the Ordinance of God so beauti­ful, and the Mysteries of Heaven so delicious; this makes the people taste them, taste the Mystery of comfort, and the My­stery of peace and pardon; when the Waters of Life are de­rived from the spring of the Scriptures, to every mans particu­lar use, they taste them, and relish them.

And 'tis this that makes the Word in the Application of it so sweet a thing: I say the Word in the Application of it is a sweet thing; for good things, the nearer they are brought home, the more delightful they are; as a Rose on the Tree is a sweet thing; whether you smell it, or smell it not, 'tis sweet; but if it be brought home to you, and put into your bosom, then you smell it sweet: So the Mystery of peace and pardon, as it grows upon the Tree of the Promise, is a sweet thing; but if the Hand of Application bring it home to you, and put [Page 21] in thy bosom, there thou art sweetned with it.

Ʋse 2. England! See thy priviledg: God hath revealed to thee the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Ah London! See thy priviledg: Thy Fleece is wet with the dew of the Mysteries of Heaven: Thou art Goshen, when the greatest part of the Kingdom is Egypt, dark Egypt.

And the rather (oh England!) see and prize thy privi­ledg [ The Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven] lest God re­move them, lest God depart from us.

The Glory of God departed out of the Temple before the De­struction of Jerusalem; so the Glory of God departs from a Church, the Beauties and Excellencies of God remove, when we esteem them not.

And if any thing in the World make God to leave a Church, as he left the Jews, and as he may leave any particular Church, it is because there is not a prizing of the Heavenly Mysteries we have.

For however we esteem these things, God sets an high price upon them; and if we do not, God will deprive us of them, and of the Power and Beauty of them.

Ʋse 3. Oh the love of God that will communicate the Knowledg of himself unto us; that is not content we should know any thing, unless we know him!

1. He knows himself to be our chiefest good, and therefore knows that the Knowledg of all other things would do us no good, without the Knowledg of himself.

All the Creatures are but his Servants; the Sun, Moon, and Stars, are but the Creatures and Servants of the High God; and to know them; and all their motions, would not advantage us, unless we know their Master. As a man that is ambitious of Honour, and high places, he useth acquaintance with a Kings Servants but as an Introduction to acquaintance with their Lord and Master: He knows that the Donation of Honours, and Collation of places and offices, is in the hand of the King, and therefore to know his Servants will do him no good, only the Knowledg of the King himself: So God is the Fountain of Honour and Glory, all the Creatures have but a Glory De­rivative from God; they can confer no Glory on their fellow-Creatures, and they will part with none of their own: There's no Creature will part with its Glory, or lose its Glory, to [Page 22] confer it on thee: The Sun will not lose its Light and Place in the Heavens to translate it to thee: if they would, it is not their own to dispose of.

Besides, the Sun may shine upon thee, but cannot shine Peace of Conscience into thee. The earth may afford thee Wine and Oyl, but cannot yield thee the grapes of saving joy, and the Oyl of gladness to anoint thy soul with.

To know any thing, the Knowledg of Jesus Christ would be of greatest worth unto thee; and yet to know Christ, would not advantage thee, but as a means and door to let thee in to acquaintance with God himself: The Knowledg of Christ would not save thee, did not the Knowledg of him lead thee into the Knowledg of, and acquaintance with God himself. And therefore saith Christ, I am the way, [not the end] no man John 14. 6. comes unto the Father, but by me: Thou must not terminate the Knowledg of Christ, in Christ himself; but use it as a Medium and Way to bring thee to the Father. Therefore saith the Text, Who by him do believe in God that raised him up from 1 Pet. 1. 21. the dead, and gave him Glory, THAT YOƲR FAITH AND HOPE MIGHT BE IN GOD.

2. It is a wondrous priviledg that any man affords us, to let us know him, and to be intimate with him: What can he do more, than to unvail himself to us, and let us see his inside, and let us peep into the Cabinet of his secrets, and make us ac­quainted with all his Excellencies? It is the greatest love that can be: A man may invite us often to his Table, and make us sit down with him, and yet not let us know himself; nay you may live with him all your days, and converse with him, and yet he not let you know his inward self, nor what is in himself: Hee'l make himself known to none, but whom he makes his second self!

Ah then! how are we engaged to God? That thou wilt let us know thy face, and know thy mind, and know thy heart; What is this, but to make us thy second self?

3. God doth not only let us know him, but he knows us: As the Apostle saith to the Galatians, But now, after that ye Gal. 4. 9. have known God, or rather are known of God: We know not God so much as He knows us. We are rather known of him, than know him: 'tis more that he knows us, than that we know him: As when a poor man lives by a great man, [Page 23] and knows him, it doth not do him so much good that he knows the great man, as that the great man knows him, and communicates some of his greatness to him; The great mans Knowledg of him makes him a great man: though he knows the great man, yet if the great man know not him, and take not notice of him, he's never the better: So we may by nature know God, and by the Scripture know the Attributes of God, yet this doth us no good, unless the Lord know us, and communicate his riches and greatness to us. It is the happiness of the Subject, that his Prince will know him: All the Honour of one that is in low degree, springs from the Know­ledg his Superior takes of him. Zacheus ran and went up in Luk. 19. 3. to the Sycamore-tree, that he might see Christ, and know him; but it was Zacheus happiness (and the rise of his Ho­nour) that Christ would know him, and cast an eye upon him.

Ʋse 4. The next Ʋse is an Ʋse of Tryal.

Try your Knowledg of the Mysteries of Heaven: Every one is prone to approve and think well of his own Knowledg: especially those that have higher parts of Understanding than others, that can discourse of Divine things, that have a spe­culative apprehension, and quick fancy.

And therefore try your Knowledg of the Mysteries of Hea­ven.

By way of Preface into this Ʋse of Tryal, let me shew you three things:

There are three ways to know God:

1. By the Contemplation of the Creatures, which is proper to the Gentiles: I say, proper to the Gentiles in this sense, That they had no other glass to see God in, no other book in which they could read the Divine Excellencies: The book of the Creature was the only Scripture they had, wherein God was discovered to them, and in it they might have seen and read much of God, as the Apostle argueth: For the invisible Rom. 1. 20. things of him from the creation of the World are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and God-head, so that they are without excuse.

2. By the report of Scripture, and the reading of Scripture: and this was proper to the Jews: This was their priviledg or advantage (as the Apostle saith) For unto them were com­mitted Rom. 3. 2 [...]. [Page 24] the oracles of God; that is, they received all the Reve­lations of his Will, the Law and the Prophecies, they were the only people with whom God thought fit to deposite all these: they were the only Cabinet in which God laid up the Jewel of the Scripture: To them and for them he wrote his Law: He sheweth his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his judgments Psal. 147. 19, 20. unto Israel; he hath not dealt so with any nation: and as for his judgments they have not known them.

3. By Christ, which is proper to Christians.

The Knowledg of God, which they get, who know him by the Creatures, is like that Knowledge which we have of a man only by seeing some of his Workmanship which he hath wrought.

The Knowledge of God, which they get who know him by the holy Scriptures (I mean a literal Knowledg) is like to that Knowledg which another gets of a Famous learned Man, by reading the things which he hath written.

The Knowledg of God which they get who know Christ, is like to that Knowledg which one hath of the King by having seen his Image, or rather his Son, who is the true and very Image of his Father: Hence saith Christ to Philip, When he said, Shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us: saith Christ, John 14. 9. Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? He that hath seen me, hath seen the Father, and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?

Now through Gods infinite mercy we have the benefit of all these.

We have the book of the Creature, wherein we may read the Being and Subsistence of God.

We have (besides that) the book of the Scripture, where­in we may read the Will of God; which is a step or stair be­yond the other: for in the book of the Creature we can read no more than the Being, and some attributes of God, that God is, and that he is wise and powerful, &c. but not one tittle of his Will there: only the book of Scripture shews us the VVill of God, the VVill of his Commands, what our duty is, and what we must do that we may be saved:

And the VVill of his Decrees disposing of Men and Angels to their last end or eternal state.

But besides these, we Christians have another book, written [Page 25] as it were) with the Rays of the Sun, who is stiled the bright­ness of his Fathers glory, even Jesus Christ; I call him a Book, for he is stiled [ [...]] the Word of God. But he is a book not made of Ink and Paper, but [ [...]] a living Book, in whom we read the Treasures of his Fathers Glory, Wisdom, Love and Mercy to us in our Redemption: Of him the first Testament prophesied; Him the new Testa­ment declared.

He was from everlasting, yet may be said to be printed and set forth when he was born of the Virgin.

This is the Christians Book, and God was never known visi­bly till Christ came, for he is God manifest in the flesh.

And, 'tis the property of the Christian to take up the Knowledg of God in Christ, and to believe in God through Christ, and to converse with God in Christ: He is the Ker­nel of all the Mysteries of Heaven: the sap and quintessence of Religion.

These being premised, we will now give you some Tryals of a saving Knowledg of the Mysteries of Heaven:

First, They that know the Mysteries of Heaven savingly, know them clearly. For this is a spiritual Knowledg, not only in respect of the Object, but also of the Princi­ple.

Though it be not without the Scripture, yet it springs not a­lone from the Scripture, but from the effectual Irradiations of the spirit of Wisdom and Revelation.

That, look as the literal Knowledg makes an Addition of fur­ther discoveries to the natural; so this spiritual Knowledg superadds even to the literal, namely clearness of light. My Beloved, you must understand it thus: The things which the Holy Ghost discovers, are no other for substance, but those very things which are in Scripture, only he gives a clearer light to discern them by.

To Instance,

That God is: Every man saith he knows this, and believes it, as well as the godly doth. But I must tell him, That the godly man seeth a great deal further into it: he seeth that God is, as truly as he seeth that the Sun is, when it shines upon him: And therefore God is in all his thoughts.

The wicked man will tell you, he knows that God is present [Page 26] in all places, and yet he will be drunk in God Presence, swear and lye in Gods Presence, cheat, and deal unjustly in Gods Pre­sence: How can this man say, he believes that God is present where he is? But now the godly Man seeth that God is pre­sent in all places, as clearly as if God appeared visibly to him.

Secondly, They know feelingly: they feel what they know: what they know in the head, they feel in the heart.

And they count themselves to know no more than they feel: as Melancthon makes mention of a godly Woman, who having strong conflicts upon her Death-bed, and was afterwards much comforted, brake out into these words, Now, and not till now, I understand the meaning of those words [Thy sins are forgiven thee].

The Knowledg of Divine Mysteries is rather a spiritual sen­sation, than speculation: It lyeth more in sense and feeling, than in understanding of them: [...], the soul it self hath its sense, as well as the body; And there­fore when David would teach us how to know what the Divine goodness is, he calls not for speculation, but sensation, Taste and see how good the Lord is.

Know God, as thou wouldest have God know thee; know Christ, as thou wouldest have Christ know thee.

Thou wouldest have God know thee, and take care of thee; so must thou know him, and take care of his Glory: Thou wouldest have God know thee, and succour thee in dangers, as the Disciples (when the Waves covered the ship) said to Christ, Master, carest thou not that we perish? So must thou Mark 4. 38. know God and his Cause, so as to prop it up in difficult times, lest it perish.

Thou wouldest have Christ know thee, so as to dye for thee; Lord if thou dye not for me, I must be damned; so must thou know Christ, so as to dye for him and his Truth; I am ready, Acts 21. 13. not only to be bound, but to dye at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.

Thou wouldest have Christ know thee, so as to love thee, and put thee in his bosom [ Who loved me, and gave himself for me] Gal. 2. 20. So must thou know Christ, so as to love him, and put him into thy bosom, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. John 21. 16.

Charity, or love, is the most eminent of all the Graces, inas­much [Page 27] as Faith shall fail, when there shall be nothing to believe, nor to have confidence in; and Hope shall fail, when Christ re­turning, and the resurrection of the just being made, there shall be nothing more to hope for.

Only Love shall never fail: for there shall be always what to love, and what to taste: For in eternal life we shall love God and Christ, and we shall find a perpetual relish and savour in the contemplation of God, and of Jesus Christ.

Know the things that are prepared and given thee of God: Therefore is the spirit given us, that me may know the things 1 Cor. 2. 12. that God hath given us: What is it to know Heaven, unless thou knowest that Heaven is given thee of God? What is it to know Christ, unless thou knowest that Christ is given thee of God? What is it to know God himself, unless thou knowest him to be thy God? What is it to know the Scriptures, unless Valdesso. Consid. 70. thou believest and holdest for certain all that is contained in the Scriptures, and hast confidence in the Divine promises, as if to thee properly and principally they had bin made?

Forgiveness of sin is a blotting out of iniquity as a cloud. Isa. 44. 22.

A Cloud is by the Power of the Heavens nullified; neither form nor matter to be found, not any circumstances like it, to note that ever such a thing was.

Forgiveness notes Remission, which is the Term in the Greek [...] Remission. Remittere, quasi Remittere; to send a thing back again, the unravelling, and undoing of a thing misdone, the nullifying of an unlawful Action. As sin makes void the Law, and nullifies it, so doth forgiveness nullifie and make void sin.

When we are remitted, we are [ retromissi] sent back again to our first Condition, as when we were in Paradise; no more mentioned, and no more thought of, than of Adam before his fall.

Know thy self, what need thou hast of them: a Damned man, and therefore need of eternal life; a guilty man, and therefore need of Justification; a lost man, and therefore need of a Saviour; A man under Satans power, and therefore need of Redemption.

Thirdly, They know powerfully: Their Knowledg comes like an Armed man upon them, and carrieth them Captive into the Tents of those things they know, 2 Cor. 10. 5. [Page 28] And therefore Christ is said, To ascend up on high, and to lead Psal. 68. 18. captivity captive: It binds the soul up in chains: Lord, I am thy Prisoner, I yield to thee, and will be no more a Re­bel.

It layeth a soul flat at the feet of Christ, as it did Paul, he fell to the Earth, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? I'le swear no more, only pardon me, Lord: and I'le be drunk no more, I'le persecute the Saints no more; pardon me only, and I'le deal unjestly no more.

I'le serve thee upon thine own terms, and do what ever thou bidst me.

Fourthly, They know delightfully: Their Knowledg stamps upon their hearts Impressions of delight in the things they know: because true Knowledg presents the Mysteries of Heaven lovely to them, and layeth a Net to catch their souls in love with them.

Spiritual Science is steeped in affection, taking delight in the things known: not barely apprehending, but relishing and sa­vouring what it apprehends with abundance of love and com­placency.

Fifthly, They know admiringly. Their Knowledg catch­eth them up into the third Heaven of admiration: They that know aright the Mystery of Redemption, know and admire the Wisdom of God in contriving such a curious piece of reconciling Justice and Mercy to save a poor sinner: As Paul calls it, The manifold wisdom of God: For consider, Gospel-Mysteries Eph. 3. 10. are the Mysteries of a Kingdom, and fit for admiration.

For, 1. Kingdoms have Majesty. Solomon had Lyons about his Throne to set forth the Majesty of it, to make Transaction between that and all other people with Awe.

So Christ manageth his way in this World with Majesty: Heaven and Earth tremble at his Presence: he utters his voice to the great World, and the Rocks rend: Thunder is the voice of God to the great World: and in what Majesty doth he express himself to all Creatures below in that voice?

As there be Thundrings without, so there be Thundrings within: In great Majesty doth Christ speak to the soul some­times; Ask your Consciences else; ask Faelix, the Jaylour, and Cain else; yea, ask your Father Adam else; what a case were all these in, when Christ did but reason with them! [Page 29] Yea, I ask you Hypocrites (if any here) is not the way of Christ full of Majesty? What means those loads that gather about your hearts, and that fearfulness which surpriseth you? Thou dost but touch the mountains, and they smoke (saith the Psalmist), so God doth but touch your Consciences, and they smoke: he doth but whisper within, and your spirits fly about every where, into the fingers, into the face, and up into the head, and the heart within beats for want of them, ready to swoon away.

Ask wounded spirits whether Gods Word be not full of Ma­jesty: Twenty years time not enough to heal the wound of a word of Gods mouth: Oh the Majesty of that word!

Look upon the whole Creation, upon the Earth, upon the Sea, upon the Heavens, do they not all-speak the Majesty of Christ? God is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the Mighty waves of the Sea. The tossings, rollings, and roarings of the Sea, Do they not speak loudly the Majesty of Christ? But, ah sinner! The tossings, rollings, and roarings of a troubled soul, speak the Majesty of Christs word much more: Knowing therefore the terrour of the Lord, we perswade men.

2. Kingdoms have Supremacy: This is Basis Majesta­tis.

Christ is a great King over all, as the Psalmist titles him. Psal. 29.

God hath set Christ over all, so should we; as God hath set him, so do you, over all, in all things.

Now self-denyal is an excellent means that Christ may Reign: Thou must deny thy Kingdom, that Christ may have his; you must lay down your Crowns at his feet, that he may wear his Crown upon his Head.

And this is a sweet Testimony of Grace in the heart, if the heart can endure Tribulation, that Christ may Reign; If it can suffer all things, that Christ may do all things; if it can lye low, that Christ may be exalted; when we are most annihila­ted, our Lord and his Mysteries are most admired.

Sixthly, They know thankfully. The beams of Knowledg that shine into them, melt them into pangs of Thankfulness, that they should have the Honour and Happiness to know those things that they know.

They would not be without Christ whom they know, not for a thousand Worlds.

They would not be without the miracles of love, and peace, and pardon in Christ which they have and know, for all the Worth of India.

They count themselves to have been no better than brutes and beasts all the time they were without the Knowledg of those Divine Rarities which now they lay up so close in their hearts.

They adore God, that they should know and see those saving secrets which are hid from the eyes of so many round about them.

Seventhly, The true Knowledg of spiritual things doth spiri­tualize. True Knowledg of Religion makes a man Religious.

Religion in Scripture is called Godliness: Without controver­sie great is the Mystcry of godliness; that is, The principles of 1 Tim. 3. 15. Christian Religion. Godliness is great gain, i. e. Christianity. The Christian Religion is great gain: Thus the Truths them­selves are called Godliness; Why so? Because the true Know­ledg of them begets an inward godliness.

As Religion it self is called Faith, and the grace in the soul is also called Faith: Why so? To shew that Faith begets Faith; that is, the Truth revealed begets Faith, and must be received by Faith.

Therefore one word includes both the Object, the thing be­lieved, and likewise the Disposition of the soul to that Object. So Religion is called Godliness, because the true Knowledg of it begets Godliness.

Oh! See then what makes a true Christian: What, when a man nakedly believes Divine Truths? When he knows the Principles of Faith, doth that make him a true Christian? No: But when Religion makes him Religious, when these Tit. 1. 1. Truths work Godliness: for Religion is a truth according to godliness. Where the Truths of Religion are embraced, there is Godliness with them: A man cannot embrace Religion in Truth, but he must be godly; because Religion is Godliness, so it is called, for that it tends to beget all Piety, and Virtue, and Godliness in the heart.

And therefore if the Mysteries of Heaven work not God­liness, a man hath but an Humane Knowledg of Divine things.

When Lucius a bloody Persecutor offered to confess his Faith, hoping thereby to gain an opinion that he was Ortho­dox, Russin. Hist. Eccles. l. 2. c. 6. Moses a Religious Monk refused to hear him, saying, The [Page 31] eye might sometimes judg of one's Faith as well as the Ear; and that whosoever lived as Lucius did, could not believe as a Chri­stian ought.

A man knows no more of Christ, than he is sanctified; he knows no more of Divine things than he esteems and affects: he knows no more of the Mysteries of Heaven, than he brings the whole inward frame to be like the things; He that saith, 1 John 2. 4. I know God, and keepeth not his Commandments, is a lyar, and the truth is not in him.

No doubt but Hophni and Phineas being Priests, had a literal Knowledg of God; yet being prophane, they are said expresly not to have known him, They were sons of Belial, they knew 1 Sam. 2. 12. not the Lord.

Eighthly, If we know God aright, we know God in us: for we come to know God savingly by Regeneration, and so by little and little we come to know God in us, knowing in our selves those Divine perfections which the Holy Ghost attributes to God.

We know the Holiness of God by the Beam of Holiness which he hath irradicated into our hearts: We know the love of God by the working of love in us towards him, and towards his Saints: We know hatred of sin in God, by knowing in our selves an hatred of sin; we know the Mercy of God, by find­ing in our selves an Image of his Mercy towards our Enemies; As Christ saith, Be ye merciful, as your heavenly Fathers is mer­ciful. Luk 6. 36.

And it is a clear case, We could never know in God Truth, Justice, Goodness, were we not in some measure true, just, and good; it being natural for Man to judg of others, according to that which he knows in himself.

The spirit makes me to know Omnipotency in God, through the great Power which he shews in me, mortifying me, and making me alive: The spirit makes me know Wisdom in God, by the Wisdom which I get through his Holy Spirit; he makes me know Justice in God, because he justifieth me in Christ; he makes me know Truth in God, because he keeps promise with me: he makes me know goodness and mercy in God, be­cause he bears with my slothfulness and sins.

Ninthly, This leads me to another, much like it; true Know­ledg of the Mysteries of Heaven is experimental.

A man never stands firm, and solid, and constant in the Faith, till he hath in himself some experience of that which he knows and believes.

And 'tis certain, That he holds so much firmness, as he holds of experience in himself, and no more.

It befalls us in believing and knowing the Gospel, as it doth in knowing at first some wise and godly Man.

As long as we know the Wisdom and Godliness of such a man, only by the relation of other men, we are so disposed, that other men coming, and making a contrary relation, we change our opinion we had of him, at least doubt of it, till at last having strict familiarity with him our selves, we know by experience that the relation of him is true, which was made to us, and then no man is able to perswade us to the con­trary.

So long as we believe the Gospel, and the Mysteries of Hea­ven only by the relation of Preachers, we believe it, till other Preachers come and tell us the contrary, and then we believe the other way, or at least doubt of the Truth we had from the first Preacher, till by having experience of that which is preach­ed in the Gospel, we stand firm and constant in that which we know and believe; and then all the men in the World are un­able to unsettle or change our Faith and Knowledg, after 'tis con­firmed by our own experience.

As for example, here's a Gospel-Mystery, That God hath punished all our sins upon Christ, and redeemed us from wrath, if we believe in him.

Now thy great work and design should be to get the experi­ence of this Mystery in thee, that God hath punished thy sins in Christ, and redeemed thee from wrath.

Quest. You will say, how is the experience of Faith gotten?

Answ. Then a man hath experience of that which he be­lieves, when he hath peace in his Conscience; when he hath the fruit of that which he believes in himself; being assured in himself, that he can appear in the Judgment of God, with that self-same security wherewith he would have appeared, if he had lived with that innocency wherewith Christ lived, and had (by Gods will) fuffered that which Christ suffered.

Ʋse. 5. If it be such a transcendent priviledg to know the [Page 33] Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven; Oh, then act your souls with disires and endeavours after the Knowledg of these Di­vine things: For,

1. Our souls are made for these things: What are our souls made for, but for excellent things? And what is excellent, but the Mysteries of Heaven? Is the soul made to lay her mouth to the breasts of the World, and suck in wealth and riches which she must spit out again? I tell you, these are but dunghils to a soul.

2. They put Glory upon the soul: They are glorious, and make us glorious: The Knowledg of God in Christ is a glorious Knowledg: and the Gospel is called a glorious Gos­pel: these things put a Glory upon our souls.

VVhat a glorious thing is it, when (by the Mysteries of Heaven) a weak man shall have power againsta a strong De­vil?

VVhen a poor Creature (flesh and blood) shall (by some virtue distil'd through the Mysteries of Heaven into him) have such a strong Faith in the promise of forgiveness of sins, and such a mighty Faith in the promise, that all shall turn to his good; that all the gates of hell shall not prevail over that weak soul? VVwhat a glorious thing is this?

And what a glorious thing is it, when an impotent and unable soul shall by an Ordinance of God have strength over those corruptions and sins which others are slaves to? That mean men of low and cheap education and parts, should not be taken with those things that others are besotted with, that are of more excellent natural parts than they? VVhat a glory of grace is this!

3. Did ye know the Mysteries of the heavenly Kingdom, ye would wonder at nothing in the world besides.

VVhat is the reason that silly men are taken up with ad­miration of small and poor things here below; but because their thoughts are not employed nor raised up to these high and great Excellencies?

The Poet saith,

Nil admirari, prope res est una numici, Hor. Epist. 1. Epistol. 6.

Sola (que) quae possit facere & servare beatum.

To wonder at nothing, is the only thing to make us happy.

VVhilst men stand wondring at the glory and foolish lustre of the VVorld, Oh! this honour, and that greatness is a goodly thing, they are undone; they are taken with it, and so un­done: This makes those whose names are not written in the book Revel. 17. 8. of life, to wonder at the beast, (as it is in the Text), say­ing, Oh! what a godly order have they among them, one un­der another? And this makes them worship him, as it is in another Text; All that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, Revel. 13. 8. whose names are not written in the book of life.

As the Philosophers speaking of the Knowledg of Causes, say, That the Knowledg of the cause takes away admiration, O [...], He that wonders, seems to be ig­norant: Arist. 1. Me­taph. cap. 2. As Countrey-men, that wonder at the Eclipse of the Sun, or at a Blazing-star, or at an Earth-quake, it is from their Ignorance of the Causes: a Philosopher wonders not at these things: And therefore Pythagoras said, That the end of Philosophy is, that we should wonder at nothing.

So, They that wonder at the Glory of the World, and of earthly Dignities (Oh! It is a fine thing to be rich, and to shine in greatness), it springs from their Ignorance: It is the nature of shallow men to wonder at the things of this World.

A wise man wonders at nothing, because he knows greater things; he hath seen greater matters than those the world can shew: Do you think a wise Christian will stand wondring at great and rich men, at great places and honours, and such things?

Alas, He hath had greater matters in the eye of his soul; and what can be great in this world to him, to whom the World it self is not great?

What is great in this world to him that hath seen Christ, and conversed with God?

Oh! come then, and know the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven: These will so dazle your eyes with their glory, that you shall wonder at nothing in the world besides.

To dwell in the favour of men, and to rise up into high places, and have the world smile upon you, are these the things ye wonder at?

Truly Sirs, If we would wonder, let us come to Religion, there we have him whose name is Wonderful, that is Jesus Isa. 6. Christ.

There we have his Laws and Testimonies, which are won­derful; Thy testimonies are wonderful, therefore doth my soul Psal. 119. 129. keep them.

There is peace that passeth all understanding: joy unspeakable and full of glory.

There we have the ways of his Wisdom, and his dealings with the Saints, which are wonderful, as Job saith, Things too Job. 42. 3. wonderful for me, which I knew not: To bring us to life by death, to glory by shame, to perfect his work in abasement, to bring it low, that he may raise after.

But how may we know these Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven?

1. You must use all means; you must read, and hear, and discourse; you must study the things of God, and converse with the Saints to whom God hath revealed these Mysteries.

The Ministry of the Word is the golden pipe through which these Divine Mysteries flow down into your Know­ledg.

And then meditate of these things, till the heart be warmed: fasten your thoughts on them every day: It is your Wisdom to spend consideration on them, Oh that my people were wise, that they would consider their latter end; I say it is your wis­dom to consider the Excellency of these Mysteries of Religion, the Beauty of them in themselves, the fruit and sweetness of them in this world, and in the world to come.

An ingredient in the use of means after this Knowledg, is, that you must search for it: The promise of finding Knowledg, is only to such as search for Knowledg: It is such a precious treasure, that it lyeth deep in the bowels of Scripture: Thou Prov. 2. 4. shalt find wisdom—if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures.

There are two places, two veins especially, where wisdom is to be found; there is the Book of Gods Word, and the Book of Gods Works; the Book of Scripture, and the Book of Provi­dence.

In these two Books we are to search and study out the Know­ledg of the Mysteries of Heaven: The Word reveals them, the hand of Providence doth dispense them: The Word unfolds them, Providence makes all things to further them in the soul.

And let me tell you, One great means to irradiate your Knowledg of the Mysteries of Heaven, is to know that My­stery of sinfulness that is in you, and that Mystery of misery that lieth upon you: It is not to be conceived (as Jeremy saith), How deceitful the heart is, and how desperately wickea, what a depth of corruption lyeth there?

The cursed and woful state we are in by nature, is not to be conceived: Man's apprehension is too little to take in all the Dimensions of it: to lye under the eternal wrath of God, what head can comprehend it? VVhat created soul can fa­thom in her widest thoughts the wrath of an infinite God? Who can tell what Hell is? And how hot the fire is which Gods Almighty wrath hath kindled to all eternity? As eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entred into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for those that love him: so neither hath eye seen, nor ear heard, nor can the heart of man conceive those depths and treasures of misery that men are in by nature: Here we may cry out, Oh the depths! There­fore the more transparent Knowledg we have of the Mystery of Corruption, and of the dreadful misery we are in by sin, the more we shall wonder at the unparalell'd goodness of God in the Mystery of our salvation; the one will sharpen the appe­tite of the other.

Truly Sirs, if you are yet in the state of sin, consider how little there is between you and eternal Death; you are ready to drop into Hell immediately and irrecoverably: Did these things sit sadly and seriously upon your spirits, how would it advance the Knowledg of the Mysteries of Heaven?

2. That you may know the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, bring Humility, and self-denial.

Humble reason, and make her give place to Faith: for the humility (we here speak of) is a Denial of our own Parts and Wits, though they be never so capacious.

In this case the Intellectus must be rasa tabula: I say, the understanding must be as a Table scraped, all the Writings and Notions of humane Wit and Reason must be scraped out: It must be like the Wax that hath no Character, that it may receive the Impression of the Seal.

That which reason should do in supernatural things, is to stoop to Faith, to believe the things of God upon the sole Au­thority [Page 37] of God: Here it is the greatest reason to yield to Faith; In Divine Mysteries Faith is the reason of reason; and the highest reason is to yield to God that hath revealed them: And therefore Faith stands with the greatest reason that can be; for is it not the greatest reason in the world to believe him, that is Truth it self? Reason it self saith, It is the greatest reason to believe God who is the first Truth.

3. Wait upon the spirit. Give the spirit that Honour to re­veal these Mysteries to you.

For your eyes are blind: you have an inward darkness upon you: the Gospel takes away the Vail from the things, but the spirit takes away the Vail from our souls.

The Jews had a Vail of types and shadows thrown over the things themselves; now I say, Our Gospel takes away the Vail from the things, but the spirit must take away the Vail from our hearts.

In Nature there is need of a double light, that we may be­hold Objects.

1. A light someness upon the Object it self through the Me­dium; and therefore men cannot see in the night, because the air, which is the Medium, is dark.

2. A light besides in the Organ, that is the eye; and there­fore blind men cannot see in the day; because though the Sun shines, and things may be seen in themselves, yet they want a light in the eye.

So, though the former darkness which lay upon the Mysse­ries of Heaven be taken away, those legal shadows and curtains are removed, and the Sun of the Gospel shines full upon our faces, yet we are blind within, there lyeth an inward darkness upon our faculty: and the spirit must open our eyes, and give us a vital light to joyn with the outward light.

4. Send up your prayers to Heaven: The holy Vapours of Prayer ascending, the spirit comes down in showres upon the soul: The earth must send up Vapours, before the Clouds can give down rain: And therefore Paul prays for the Ephesians, That God would give them the spirit of Wisdom and Revelation, Eph. 1. 17, 18. that the eyes of their understanding being enlightned, they might know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints.

5. He that would find the knowledg of Divine Mysteries, [Page 38] must seek it with a sanctified mind.

That which enables us to know, and understand aright the things of God, must be a living principle of Holiness in us.

As Plotinus saith, The eye cannot behold the Sun [...] En. 1. l. 6. unless it be Sun-like, and hath the form and re­semblance of the Sun drawn in it: so neither can the soul of Man behold God, [...], unless it be God-like; hath God formed in it, and made partaker of the Divine Na­ture.

As in the natural body, it is the heart that sends up good blood, and warm spirits into the head, whereby it is best enabled to its several Functions: So in the spiritual fabrick, 'tis the heart that sublimates the head, and stores it with pure influences: the affections beget imaginations.

As the Treasurers of an Army give out Corn and Provision to the Soldiers.

Some men have too bad hearts to have good heads: they cannot be good at Theory, who are so bad at the Practice.

Our Lord Christ hangs all true acquaintance with Divine Truths upon the doing of Gods will: If any man will do his John 7. 17. will, he shall know of the Doctrine, whether it be of God.

Such as set themselves to do the will of God, shall know the Doctrines and Mysteries of God.

Corrupt passions and earthly affections are apt of their own nature to disturb all serene thoughts, to precipitate our Judg­ments, and warp our Understandings.

There is an inward sweetness and deliciousness in Divine Truth, which no sensual mind can taste or relish.

And therefore the Platonists solicite so much [ [...]] A separation from the body in all those that would [ [...]] purely understand truth.

The more our souls dive into our bodies, the more will reason and sensuality run into one another, and make up a most unsavoury and muddy kind of Knowledg.

And therefore wicked men, (let them imagine what they please) have no true Knowledg of God: Such as men themselves are, such will God himself seem to be.

It is the Maxim of most wicked men, that the Deity is some [Page 39] way or other like themselves; their souls do more than whis­per it, though their lips speak it not.

That Idaea which men generally have of God, is nothing else but the picture of their own complexion.

6. Know things as God doth know them: God, to exercise the wisdom that he hath given to man, hath planted a difference in the Creatures, and hath given a faculty to man to know, and make a right choice in those differences; and then man doth know things aright, when he knows them as God knows them; and then man makes a right choice, when he chuseth as God chuseth.

Now God knows that riches are but little things; and that credit in the world is but a shadow, and that honours in high pla­ces are but like leaves on the top of a tree; And who would climb a tree to fetch a leaf?

But God knows that pardon of sin is a choice rarity.

7. Know things and judg of them as they are in another world: Whilst thou livest in the world, and hast all things before thee, know and judg of them as thou wilt; when thou art going out of the world, and hast all things behind thee; ah! my Be­loved, when thy last sand is run out, thou wilt have a far dif­ferent opinion of the World, from what now thou hast.

Ʋse 7. As I desire you to know the Mysteries of Heaven, so I would have you to know your selves, that you have an Interest in these blessed Mysteries; that they are yours:

Salvation is a Mysteries; but if you know that salvation is yours; and the way to salvation is a Mystery, but if you know that you are in the way; Ah! this is the soul and sweetness of the Knowledg of the Mysteries of Heaveb: This is [...], the Greece of Greece, the wheel in the wheel, the Heaven of that heavenly Knowledg.

It is to no purpose to know that these things are Myste­ries, unless we know they be for us, and for our good, that Christ is ours, and that God is reconciled to us.

Ʋse 8. You Saints and Children of God, who enjoy this great priviledg; Oh! go you, and bless God, For unto you it is given to know the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Would it not have greatly ravisht your hearts, had you been the persons present to whom Christ spake these words? Surely it would: But though Christ be in Heaven, yet he [Page 40] hath left this Text behind him, to speak to you, and to tell you, It is given unto you to know the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Hea­ven, but to them it is not given.

Observe here two things:

1. It is a gift: To know the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven (saith Christ) it is given to you: Dear souls! Flesh and Hath. 16. 17. blood hath not revealed these things unto you, but your Father which is in heaven.

Now gifts are received with thankfulness: even small gifts are taken thankfully [...]. Hom Odys. Plutarch. de Artaxcrxe Longimen.

It is said of Artaxerxes [...]; There was no gift so small which he received not kindly.

I say, we take small gifts thankfully, how much more spiri­tual gifts? Such gifts as have Heaven and Salvation wrapt up in them? Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Eph. 1. 3. Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in hea­venly places in Christ: These gifts are blessings; and for such blessings, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Thy Being is a gift, but grace added to it is a blessing: to be born is a gift, but the new birth put to it is a blessing; other­wise, It had been good for that man (saith Christ) if he had never been born: To have Understanding and Knowledg is a great gift, but to know the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven is a great blessing; Blessed are the eyes which see the things that Luke 10. 23. ye see.

2. They are Mysteries: and will ye not bless God, that he should make Mysteries known to you? They are Mysteries of his bosom; and is it nothing to be Gods bosom-friends? They are the Mysteries of his secret, wise, and eternal Counsels; And is it nothing to be Gods Privy-Counsellors? They are the Mysteries of eternal life; And is it nothing to know the Rolls and Records of eternity? (Saints, God hath made ye his Cutodes Rotulorum) is not eternal life a delicate flower to smell at? Is it nothing to see within the vail? Surely it is a great priviledg; therefore you may rejoyce in it, and bless God for it.

And this leads us to the third Doctrine, which is this:

Doct. 3. The Divine Knowledg of the Mysteries of Heaven is given to some, not to others.

In this Doctrine there are three things clear and obvi­ous.

1. The Knowledg of Divine Mysteries is a gift. [To you it is given to know the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven].

What is given, is a gift: Divine Knowledg is a Divine gift: The Knowledg of the Mysteries of Heaven is a gift from Hea­ven: To know God, it is from God: Christ is the gift of God; and to know Christ is another gift: And therefore the Apostle saith, That faith is the gift of God. Eph. 2. 8. Psal. 119. 125.

And therefore saith David, Give me understanding, that I may know thy testimonies: To understand the Divine Testimo­nies is a gift: God must not only give us the Objects of Know­ledg, but also the Knowledg of those Objects.

Man lost his Knowledg; and therefore must be created again, and renewed in Knowledg after the image of him that Col. 3. 10. created him.

God must set him up again with a new stock of Knowledg, else Man can know nothing.

The Mysteries of Heaven in themselves are intelligible; they are glorious and radiant Objects, they sparkle with splendour in our eyes; but blind men cannot see light without a light: we are dark within, while the Mysteries of Heaven shine (like the light) round about us: And therefore God must give the opening of the eye to see the out-breaking of the light upon us.

2. The Knowledg of the Mysteries of Heaven is given to some: [To you it is given to know the Mysteries of the King­dom of Heaven]. I know (saith Job) that my Redeemer liveth, Job. 19. 25. Vers. 26. and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin, worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God.

Job knew the Mystery of Redemption, and in that glass he saw the Mystery of the Resurrection. He knew one Mystery in another: In that he knew he was redeemed, he knew he should rise again: Our redemption implieth our resurrection: Job, though he lived in dark times, yet he knew these My­steires; because to him it was given to know them: I know, Psal. 119. 5. O Lord (saith David) that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me. He knew

First, The judgments and dispensations of Divine Providence.

Secondly, And he knew that those Judgments were right.

Thirdly, And he knew the mystery and meaning of them, That God in faithfulness had afflicted him.

Christ saith, That his sheep know his voice: I am the good John 10 14. shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.

They are gifted with discerning, that they know the voice or Doctrine of Christ: they are so well acquainted with the My­steries of Heaven, that they know what is the Doctrine, and what is not the Doctrine of Jesus Christ.

When it pleased God (saith Paul) to reveal his Son in me: Gal. 1. 15, 16. There was a time when the Mysteries of Heaven were vailed from Paul, and afterward were revealed to Paul; God in his time gave him to know, what he did not know before.

Thus you see the second point, That the Knowledg of the Mysteries of Heaven is given to some.

3. The Knowledg of the Mysteries of Heaven is not given to others. Ye have seen all that the Lord did before your eyes in Deut. 29. 2. the land of Egypt unto Pharaoh, and unto all his servants, and to all his land. The great temptations which thine eyes have Vers. 3. Vers. 4. seen, the signs, and those great miracles: yet the Lord hath not GIVEN you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear unto this day

They saw much, and yet they saw little: They saw great things, and yet they saw nothing; nothing to purpose: they had not a spiritual apprehension and use of the great works they did see.

In Psal. 82. 5, They know not, neither will they understand, Psal. 82. 5. they walk on in darkness, all the foundations of the earth are out of course.

The Psalmist speaks of such as were great men, the Judges of the earth, they knew not how to administer Justice uprightly and impartially.

In Isa. 1. 3, The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his ma­sters Isa. 1. 3. crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider. They are more brutish than the brutes: Asses indeed, more sottish than the Ass: they eat and drink, and seed upon Gods Provisions, and yet know not God who provides all for them.

The Papists in their Legends abuse this place, and coyn a Fa­ble, that an Ox and Ass being in the stable where Christ was [Page 43] born, took notice of him, and did cherish him with their warm breath, as he lay in the manger.

The story is meer Fiction; but Sinners are so brutish, that they do not, what the others fained the Ox and Ass to do.

The Lord Christ is come into the world, but they take no notice of him, he is laid in the Manger of the Gospel, but they know him not; Did Christ lye in a Manger for you, and shall he not lye in your bosoms? Ah Sinners! more brutish than the Ox, and more silly than the Ass.

In Acts 14. 1, 2, There 'tis said that Paul and Barnabas Acts 14. 1, 2. so spake, that a great multitude of the Jews, and also of the Greeks, believed: but the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gen­tiles].

Here to some was given to know the Mysteries of the King­dom of Heaven, but to others 'twas not given.

In the 17th of the Acts, at the 32, 34 verses, When they Acts 17. 32. heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked, but others 34. clave to Paul, and believed]. Here to some was given to know the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but to others 'twas not given.

In Acts 28. 24, 'Tis said, That some believed the things Acts 28. 24. which were spoken, and some believed not]. Here to some was given to know the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but to others it was not given.

The Heathens could observe,

That God doth not give all things to all men.

To one man God gives Martial skill for War, to another the Art of dancing, to another that of singing, and of musick; but to another he gives a wise and prudent mind.

In this dispensation of God (wherein to some he gives the [Page 44] Knowledge of Divine Mysteries, to others he doth not) I say in this dispensation there is both

• Soveraignty
• and
• Justice:

First, In that he gives not to some the Knowledg of the Myste­ries of Heaven, there appears Soveraignty: For in another Text the Lord Christ saith, Father, thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes— Mat. 11, 25, 26. Even so; Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight.

Here Jesus Christ gives no other reason why the Mysteries of Heaven were hid from the wise, and revealed to babes, but only his Fathers good will and pleasure.

Secondly, In this dispensation of God, wherein the Know­ledg of Divine Mysteries is not given to some, the Justice of God appears: Which, that you may understand, I lay down these two Propositions.

1. God hath instituted means for the obtaining of super­natural grace.

2. Where God gives grace (in the use of means) he gives it freely; to whom God gives not grace, he denies it justly.

1. God hath instituted means for the obtaining of supernatu­ral grace: For faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God: The Lord hath set the stamp of Institution upon means wherein he will be found, as hearing the word, And when they heard this, they were pricked at the heart.

Reading the Word, Prayer, and Meditation.

2. Where God gives grace in the use of means, he doth it freely; and to whom God gives not grace, he denieth it justly.

1. Where God gives grace in the use of means, he gives it freely. Whether it be in the outward means, or the inward preparatory work: for he is not tyed by the means to us.

Some say [ Facienti quod in se est, Deus dabit Gratiam ulteriorem], To him that doth what he can do, more shall be given him; but though God should sometimes (or always) answer man in this kind, where do we find that he hath bound himself by Promise to do so?

Now I must shew you, That where God gives not grace, he doth it justly.

Under the Gospel, where God denieth grace, he never doth it but justly.

God observes a distributive Justice in it.

For the Saints (through grace) use the means to gain more grace; and Sinners, they refuse all grace: For

1. In the Church, salvation according to Gods Promise is of­fered to all.

2. In the Church, the administration of grace is so high, as that it is sufficient to convince all.

3. Sinners perish, and go without grace through their own fault. For,

1. They neglect the means of the Knowledg of the Myste­ries of Heaven.

2. They despise the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven: And this reason Christ renders of it at the 13th verse. There­fore spake I to them in parables, because they seeing, see not: and hearing, they hear not, neither do they understand: As if he had said, such Minds as they bring to hear, such Sermons do I bring to them, cloath'd with parables and obscurities: They that will not understand things that are manifest, to them I wrap up my Sermons in clouds and darkness: They have eyes to see my manifest signs and miracles, yet being blinded with envy, they will not see what they see; They have ears, and hear the truth that is irresutable, and yet in hearing they will not hear, i. e. they will not receive it, neither do they un­derstand, that is, it is so clear, that they may, but they will not understand.

To speak more particularly,

1. Some will hear the Word, but not mind, it so as to understand it: their punishment is, That as they will go no fur­ther with God, so God will go no further with them, but denieth unto them the spirit of Illumination, leaves them blind as he found Math 13. 19. them, and suffers Satan to take the word from them.

2. Some receive the word so far, as to understand it, but are not willing to do it, they cannot digest the holiness of it; their lusts, and its purity cannot stand together; their punish­ment is, That God will not make it further effectual to promote their spiritual happiness; though they may receive the spirit [Page 46] of Illumination, yet not of Conversion.

3. Some receive the word so far into their hearts, as to delight in it, and to do something commanded, and obey it in some degree; They proceed to Profession, and several mea­sures thereof, but advance not to sincerity and perfection; their punishment is, That the spirit of Sanctification and Adop­tion is denied unto them, and for fear of Adversity, or love of the World, they deny the truth in a day of tryal.

Thus when we say, The Knowledg of the Mysteries of Hea­ven is given to some, and not given to others; to those to whom it is given, it is given freely; to those to whom it is not given, it is denied justly: For this denial is a punishment, and therefore just: sinners deserve it, that it should be so.

The elect can speak of underserved-grace, and the reprobate of deserved punishment.

God is so just, that he doth not condemn any but for sin: so gracious, that he doth not condemn all that do sin.

Though God will save miserable men without their merits, because he is good; yet he will not damn any without their demerits, because he is just.

But to give you a clearer Prospect of this Truth, that the Divine Knowledg of the Mysteries of Heaven is given to some, not to others; Observe,

First, Sometimes God makes choice of an Alien, an Hea­then, before his own people in Covenant with him: As you may see in Jeremiah 38. 7, 8. verses, He gives an Ethiopian Jerem. 38. 7, 8. grace, which he gave not to many a Jew: Ebedmelech was an Ethiopian, yet a Saint; a black Ethiopian, but a white Saint: V None speaks for the Prophet but he: an Ethiopian saves the Prophet, whom the Jews did persecute:

Where observe

1. How God picks one out of a whole Nation: God makes choice of Ebedmelech above all the Nation of the Ethiopians:

The whole Nation of his Countrey-men lay under the black Vail of darkness and ignorance, while he knew the Mysteries of Heaven.

2. The wonder of Gods Providence, how it brings about the Salvation of a person, whom he means to save.

God brings Ebedmelech out of his own Countrey, to make him a Saint: how he came thither, to live in the King of Ju­dah's [Page 47] Court, there's no mention of it; but this we know, that he was brought thither upon the Wing of Providence, to know God, and to be saved.

3. God gives grace to Ebedmelech, and makes choice of him before many of his own people in Covenant with him.

Secondly, He prefers the Servant before the Master: All the Phil. 4. 22. saints salute you, chiefly they that are of Caesars houshold: This Cae­sar was Nero, in whose palace Saint Paul's bonds were made Phil. 1. 13. manifest: So that some of his Servants were made Christians, who afterwards proved Martyrs, namely Evellius and Torpetes, if we may believe the Roman Martyrology; here the Vassal receives the Gospel, which the Emperor doth not: The ser­vants are made lambs while their Lord and Master remains a Lyon; for so is he stiled in 2 Tim. 4. 17.

Thirdly, God prefers the poor before the rich: a poor Lazarus before a rich Dives: he drops his golden showres of grace up­on a low shrub, and over-looks the tall Cedar: The truth of it is, Dives was poor, Lazarus was rich; Lazarus had more gold in his Soul, than Dives had in his Purse.

Hath not God chosen the poor in this world, rich in faith Jam. 2. 5. [i. e. to be rich in Faith] and heirs of the Kingdom? As we Jam. 2. 5. read it, Hath not God chosen the poor in this world, rich in faith: Some would argue, that they were chosen, because rich in faith, as if their faith foreseen were the cause of their choice: but the meaning is, Hath not God chosen the poor in this world [to be] rich in faith.

[ [...]] is understood, as in many other Texts].

Fourthly, Christ Jesus in the dispensations of grace, preferred strangers above natural relations: He gives not grace accord­ing to natural relation: he passed by many of his kin­dred: For neither did his brethren believe in him. John 7. 5. Trap. in Loc.

And this the Jews at this day, read with such wonderment, that they take occasion from this Text to slander our Saviours miracles, sith his own kindred believed not in him: but they are ignorant of the Mystery of Free-grace.

And indeed, a man would have thought, that Christ Jesus would have given grace to his kindred before others; that he would have passed by none of his kindred; but though they were kin to him in the flesh, yet he was God, and so above all Kindred and Relation to them: In respect of his Humane [Page 48] Nature, he was of the same blood with them; but as God, he had no relation to them; Kindred and Consanguinity is below the God-head: Consanguinity runs in a line of blood, but God partakes not of flesh and blood.

Obj. But you will say, methinks the Humane Nature of Christ should have desired the conversion of his kindred more than others, and prevailed with the God-head for grace for them.

Resp. 1. The nearer one is united to God, the less he par­takes of himself, and the more of God: Christs Humane Na­ture united to the Deity, willed nothing with a private will, but all with an elevated will, moving according to the will of the God head.

2. A Saint, as far as he is sanctified, wills nothing, but what God wills; but Christs Humane Nature was united personally to the God-head.

The Saints are mystically united to God by Faith, morally united to God in love and affection; but Christs Humane Na­ture was personally united to the God-head, and therefore was more nearly united to God, than to all natural relation or kindred.

Fifthly, Sometimes he passeth by the Children of Saints, and graffs in the Children of a prophane stock: he takes pearls out of Toads-heads, and digs golden mines out of a barren and dry earth; for ordinarily golden and silver Mines grow in the most barren Grounds and Mountains, not in your fruitful and rich soyls.

Samuel was a noble plant, yet his Children degenerate 1 Sam. 8. 3. branches; His sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and perverted judgment.

Josiah was a curious and rare flower; yet his Sons that came 2 Kings 23. 30, 32, 34, 37 verses. from him were the worst that might be.

Sixthly, Sometimes he puts a difference between Sons of the same Womb; takes the one, and passeth by the other; Seals the one, and leaves a blank on the other: Jacob and Esau were twins of the same Womb; two Kernels in the same Pomgranate, and the Lord put a difference between them betimes, [ The chil­dren Rom. 9. 11. being not yet born, neither having done either good or evil] makes choice of the one, repudiates the other, [ Jacob have Vers. 13. I loved, but Esau have I hated].

Seventhly, Sometimes he prefers the younger before the elder; and so makes the first, last, and the last, first: and thus the Lord crosseth man; for man writes Praerogaetive upon his first born, and makes him the first in his love; but God comes and writes quite contrary, and faith, I chuse this for mine, and leave the elder.

As Zachary, when all his friends would have his Son called Luk. 1. 57. 63. Zachariah (his Fathers name) he, when the writing Tables are brought him, writes his name, John; and they admired at it: So when men write their eldest Sons, heirs of Heaven; God comes, and strikes out their names, and writes the younger in his Book of Life: Thus did God by Jacob and Esau, the elder Rom. 9. 12. shall serve the younger; And when Isaac resolved to lay the blessing upon Esau, God ordered it so, that Jacob the younger should have it.

As when Joseph brought his two Sons to Jacob to bless, he prefers the younger before the elder.

David was Jesses youngest Son, despised among his Brethren, 1 Sam. 16. 6. 7, 14. verses. he was Jesses youngest Son, but the Lord made him the eldest.

Among the three Sons of Noah, there is a controversie about their Primacy.

Cham, though the youngest, yet will be preferred above his Brethren, if we stand to the judgment of the Poets, who de­rive Jove (or Jupiter) from Cham.

Again, We shall give the first place to Japhet, who was the eldest Son, if we follow the order of Nature; but to Sem, if we follow the order of Grace, whom God prefer'd before his Brethren, not of merit, but out of free grace, and meer in­dulgence.

That Cham was the youngest of the Sons of Noah, you have an express in Gen. 9. 24, and that Sem was not the first-born, Gen. 9. 24. it is manifest out of Gen. 11. 10, Where 'tis said, That Sem Gen. 11. 10. was one hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood: That is in the year of Noah's age, six hundred and two; for the flood came in the six hundredth year of Noah, Gen. 7. 11, It follows that Noah begat Sem in his year five Gen. 7. 11. hundred and two; seeing he had begotten his first-born two years before, for he began to beget Children in his year five hundred, Gen. 5. 32. Therefore Sem was two years younger Gen. 5. 32. [Page 50] than his brother that was first-born, that is Japhet, who is therefore called the elder, Gen. 10. 21. Gen. 10. 21.

Therefore Japhet being the first-born of all the three, yet God prefer'd Sem before him; to shew that his Election was fire, and not tyed to the prerogative and worthiness of Age; and to shew that there was not the same order of Grace, which is of Nature.

For nature gave many priviledges to the first-born; and presently from the beginning of the World, God subjected Abel to Cain his elder brother; unto thee shall be his desire, Gen. 4. 7. and thou shalt rule over him; yet in grace he subjected Cain to Abel: The Lord had respect to Abel, and to his offering: Vers. 4, 5. but unto Cain and his offering, he had not respect.

Eighthly, He prefers the child before the father; he gives grace to the child, which he denieth the father; makes choice of the child, refuseth the father.

The Prophet said of the wicked Jeroboams Son, All Israel shall mourn for him, for he only of Jeroboam shall come to the grave, 1 King. 14. 13. because in him there's found some good thing toward the Lord God of Israel.

And sometimes he chuseth the Father, and passeth by the Child: he forgave Adam his sin (though he damn'd the whole world) and cast off Cain for ever.

Ninthly, God makes some sharers in the same deliverance, who share not in the same grace: as the ten Lepers, he gave them the same cure, not the same grace: he gave them all a cure, only to one grace: Were there not ten cleansed? where are Luk. 17. 17. the nine? There are not found that return'd to give glory to God, save this stranger.

So the Sons of Noah, were all saved in the same Ark, and yet not all made partakers of the same Faith.

We shall now give you the Application of this Point; And first,

Ʋse 1. See by what tenure the Saints hold and receive all their grace; By gift.

1. The first work of grace in the soul is a gift: No man can come to me (saith Christ) except it were given him from John 6. 65. Rom. 5. 5. above: and Romans 5. 5, All is given: It is grace that [Page 51] we have grace: the grace of God, that we have grace from God.

2. The addition and increase of grace is a gift; every little degree of grace is a gift; and when he gives more, still it is more gift.

3. Heaven it self is a gift: The gift of God is eternal life: Rom. 6. 27. mark the whole verse; The wages of sin is death: but the gift of God is eternal life.

Eternal death is a wages, eternal life is a gift: men deserve it, when they are damn'd: but they deserve it not, when they are saved: their sins are worthy of Death, but their graces are not worthy of Life; And the reason is,

1. Because mens sins are their own, and therefore deserve death.

As Christ speaking of the Devil, saith, When he speaketh a John 8. 44. lye, he speaketh of his own: Our lyes and our sins are our own works, but our graces are not our own: we are beholden to God, in that we have grace: when we serve him with our graces, we serve him but with his own.

2. Because our sins being perfectly sinful, are worthy of death; but our graces being not perfectly gracious, are not worthy of life.

Ʋse 2. Is grace a free gift? then serve God freely: We cannot be too free in serving him, from whom every thing is a free-gift.

I may rightly apply that Text to the Saints; Freely ye Math. 10. 8. have received, freely give: I am sure you have freely received grace; serve him freely with your grace: And therefore a Servant is in Greek called [...], which comes from [...], Luk. 15. 17. a reward; because servants serve not their Master freely (as his Sons do, meerly, because he is their Father) but for re­ward.

What is it to serve God freely?

1. To count it a greater good to serve God, than to be saved: not as if a man should not serve God with an eye to his salvation; for 'twere a sin if he should not, because the recompence of reward is the great Promise; and 'twere a sin not to prize, and eye, and look up to any promise of God; I say we are bound to serve God with an eye to the recompence of reward, because it is the Promise of God; now we are to make [Page 52] the best of every promise; to improve the promise, and to make the best advantage of it, for the quickning of our graces, and the cheering up of our spirits: The promises are helps, and we are bound to use all Gods Helps. And there­fore Heb. 12. 2. we may set our salvation befor us, and aim at it.

But yet (still) this we should do, (and if we serve God freely, will do it) count it a greater good to serve God, than to be saved; to glorifie God, than to be glorified.

Indeed the Lord saith. Them that honour me, I will honour; This is his goodness; yet Gods Honour is a greater good than our honour: It is a greater good that God be glorified, than that we should be glorified: because the Glory of God is the good of the Creator; but our glory is but the good of the Creature.

2. To serve God freely, is to serve him willingly: As we say of a man that doth a thing willingly, he doth it freely: for that is the very essence of the Will: that which is not done freely, is not done with the Will.

Oh observe thy self! Thou [Professor] it may be prayest in thy closet, but if thou durst omit it, thou wouldest not pray; thou art not drunk; but if thou durst for shame, thou wouldest not be so temperate; now thou dost not pray nor abstain from sin willingly and freely.

3. To serve God freely, is to serve him abundantly: to be liberal in his service: He that is no niggard, but is liberal in his gifts, we call him free: So he that serves God freely, is no niggard of his service; he is very liberal of his service to God: As we say of a man that's liberal of his Fare, and liberal in his House; he is free, he cares not what he spends upon his friends; he provides bountifully for them; he calls for his Wines and Sweet-meats about him, and thinks nothing too much for them; we say this man hath a free and noble spirit: so the Saints that serve God freely, think they can never do enough for him: he makes abundant Provision to entertain Christ, and sets a long Table full of Services, like so many dishes before him.

When Christ said to Zachaeus, To day I must abide at thy Luk. 19. 5. house: How did Zachaeus entertain him? Wondrous liberally: saith he, Behold Lord, half of my goods I give to the poor: Verse 8. and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusa­tion, [Page 53] I restore him four-fold: Zachaeus was wondrous free; Christ Jesus might have any thing of him without speak­ing.

A Saint cares not what he spends upon Christ; wilt thou have me give away one lust? yea, saith Christ; there it is; another, saith Christ; there it is Lord, another yet, saith Christ; there 'tis Lord; nay all, saith Christ; take all then.

Veniat, veniat, Verbum Domini (saith one) Et submittemus ei sexcenta, si nobis essent, Colla: Let the Word of the Lord come, let it come; and wee'l submit six hundred necks to it, if we had them.

Nay, but not thy lusts only, but thy life too, saith Christ; take it then: saith St. Paul, I am ready not to be bound only, Acts 21. 13. but also to dye at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Je­sus.

Ʋse 3. Is grace a gift? then count thy work a gift: not a burden, but a gift; not a toyle, but a gift: look upon every labour, and every service and obedience for God, as a gift: As a Woman, though she travel in pain, yet counts her Child a gift from God: As the Text saith, Lo, Children are an heri­tage Psal. 127. 3. of the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is his reward: The mother counts her child a gift: for who can create a soul in the Womb but the Lord? Who can form the shape and structure of a man in the Womb, but the Lord? So, though thou la­bour and travel in birth of Service for the Lord, though thy Service for God may cost thee many a pang; yet count it a gift: As Jesus Christ did, The works which the Father hath Joh. 5. 36. John 17. 4. GIVEN me: And I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do: Lo, Our Saviour counts his work a gift; so should we take it for a favour, that he employs us, that we may do him any service, or have any office about him.

Nay to suffer for Christ, and lose all for Christ, count it a gift; As Paul tells the Philippians, Ʋnto you it is given in Phil. 1. 29. the behalf of Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for his sake: To suffer for Christ, was given them, as a great favour: sufferings are a gift, as well as Faith.

As Latimer said, The greatest promotion that God gives in this world, is to be such Philippians, to whom it is given not only to believe, but also to suffer.

And Ignatius professed, he had rather be a Martyr, than a Monarch: And the Apostles rejoyced, that they were graced, Acts 5. 41. so as to be disgraced for Jesus Christ.

Ʋse 4. Make sure of Heaven then, since the Knowledg of the Mysteries of Heaven is a gift to some, not to all.

How should we make our calling and election sure, since many are called, and but few chosen?

Give diligence to make thy calling sure, seeing he gives grace but to some, not to all; since he sends pardons but to some, not to all.

We need not doubt the attaining of that which none at all miss, nor any are ever put by it: But when a thing of price and worth is given only to some, not to all, there we should make sure work.

You that hope for Heaven, make sure of Heaven; for hopes disappointed will break the heart: If hope deferred makes the heart sick, surely hopes disappointed will make the heart break.

Oh do not hang upon rotten hopes: as a man that hangs over a deep River by a Rope or Cord, there he hangs and hopes, and hopes and hangs, but if his Cord break and snap asunder, there he falls, and never riseth more; so many hang over Hell by the Cord of hope; and if thy Cord of hope breaks (as it will, if it be but rotten) thou art gone; Man, thou art gone if thou hadst a thousand souls: And therefore do not hang upon a weak Cord of uncertain hope; but upon the golden Cord of Faith and Assurance.

I answer you,

First, God gives assurance in Gods way: if God gives as­surance, certainly he will give it in God's way: Therefore, Sirs, never expect it in a way of sin; for sin is not God's way.

I am told by a most learned man, That Assurance by our Di­vines Mr. Wool­bridge of Hustification, Pag. 292. is wont to be made a part of Sanctification, and may very well be included in the sanctification of the spirit, (1 Thes. 5. 23.) as distinct-from Soul and Body.

Secondly, Seek not assurance in the way of the World: the [Page 55] World is a stranger to assurance; this is such a flower, as grows not in the Worlds garden; the world and assurance are Antipodes: And therefore if ever you would meet with as­surance, do not as the world doth: For do ye not know, That narrow is the way that leads to life, and few there be that find it? And therefore you run from assurance, if you follow the world: Oh tremble then to go in the way of the world! If thou wilt follow the most, I tell thee, the most will be dam­ned: Assurance lyeth East, and the world goeth West; if thou follow the world, the Sun of assurance will set upon thee.

The Apostle saith, That the Devil is the God of the world, who 2 Cor. 4. 4. hath blinded their minds.

And he tells you, That the Saints are chastened of the Lord, 1 Cor. 11. 32. that they may not be CONDEMNED with the world.

Where then can the world or her Children meet with as­surance? They may be assured of Hell, but not of Hea­ven.

Our Lord Christ saith, I pray not for the world, but for John 17. 9. them which thou hast given me, for they are thine: The Lord Jesus doth not spend one breath to pray for the world; and where then is the assurance of the world?

Thirdly, It is but a few special ones that wear the golden chain of assurance about their necks: and therefore you must be choice Christians if you would have this white stone, and the new name written in it.

It is not every measure of true grace that affords assurance: ordinary Saints have it not; and therefore advance; Sirs, you must advance higher, you must be peculiar ones, if you would enjoy assurance: All the Children know not their Fathers secrets, but the choicest of them.

Fourthly, Assurance is a work of the greatest diligence: And therefore saith Peter, Give all diligence to make your calling and election sure.

Lazy souls will never arrive at it: he that would have it, must be familiar and intimate with God.

Enoch, who was translated, was one that walked with God; and you that would be translated into the Heaven of assu­rance, must be persons walking with God: You must take many a turn with him: you must dwell in his Presence; you [Page 56] must pray hard, and lay fast hold upon him.

As it is said of Thetys, that when she came to ask a request of Jupiter,

She laid fast hold upon his knees, and held him as if she had been ingrafted into him, and would not leave him.

So vigorously must you pursue God in Prayer that would have assurance; you must wrestle with him, and lay hold on him, as if you were incorporated into him.

Ʋse 5. Tremble at the severity of God in his spiritual ad­ministrations.

His judicial punishments upon the souls of men are very dreadful.

To you it is given to know the Mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven]: here is exceeding mercy.

But to others it is not given], here is exceeding seve­rity.

The Lord knows how to meet with sinners in their own way: to shape his judgments to their deservings.

Ignorance is their sin, and Ignorance shall be their punish­ment.

He will speak in parables to them, and he will act in parables to them; his Word shall be parables, and his Works shall be parables to them: They shall understand nothing that he saith, and nothing that he doth: he will walk every step in the dark towards them, all his paths shall be covered with Clouds: in all his teachings, and in all his walkings, there shall be a mist before their eyes: though he saith, This is the way to hea­ven, walk in it; yet they shall not see the way: they would not, and now they shall not.

Oh that thou hadst known in this thy day the things that belong to thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes: They did hide their eyes from their peace, and now their peace is hid from their eyes.

Consider, What are the things whose Knowledg is not given you: The Mysteries of the Kingdome of Heaven: What, Sirs, Is it the matters of Heaven that are kept from you? A [Page 57] curtain drawn between you and heaven? Now God's angry indeed: A cloud set up to darken salvation and eternal life from you? Lord, here is thy greatest severity.

Nay, he infatuates the wise, and takes the understanding from the prudent.

He is a severe God to those that act against the light.

God hath made thee mad, who can make the wisest man a fool, and strip him of his Intellectuals.

Do we not see men whom we call wise, damn themselves un­derstandingly?

God draws an horrid Eclipse upon their minds, and their See Isa. 29. 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 verses, Sun of Wisdom sets upon them; they run madly upon their ruine, and most skilfully plot their own destruction.

God struck Nebuchadnezzar mad, and he was driven from Dan. 4. 33. men, and did eat grass as Oxen; his hairs were grown like eagles feathers, and his nails like birds claws: he was turned into a beast by the Judgment of God.

And therefore Sinners are called in Scripture, Lyons, and Bears, and Wolves, and Dogs.

God bereaves them of their understanding, they bark against Religion, like Dogs, and bite the Saints like Dogs; they run about snarling and snapping at Gods ways and his People, like mad Dogs.

Thus God is severe in his spiritual Judgments, he infatuates the wise, and makes them fools: they carry on most artificially their own damnation.

Ʋse 6. Sinners, see your spiritual misery: and my God open your eyes, that you may see it.

1. You have seen many things, and if you see not your own misery, you see nothing: It may be you have seen miserable Objects; but if you see not your soul-misery, you have seen nothing.

You have seen War in the Land; you have seen garments rolled in blood; you have seen your own or other mens estates plundred; you have heard the noise of the Trumpet, and the [Page 58] beating of the Drum in your streets.

But now, if in a day of peace, you see not God at War with your selves; if you see not the Mysteries of the King­dom of Heaven denied to you; if you see not your selves plundred of Heaven, and stript of light and life; if you see not your spiritual estate wallowing in its blood; if you hear not the Trumpet of the Gospel calling you to Repentance; if you hear not the Drum of Conscience beating against sin in your own bosoms; whatever you have heard, or seen, you have seen and heard nothing.

2. Much communicable, and nothing had, is not this misera­ble? Heaven drops, and it drops fatness, and yet your souls so lean, is not this a Mystery? So much to be had, and so little enjoyed, makes me wonder and grieve. Light communicable, and yet men have no light; Grace communicable, and yet men with­out grace; Heaven communicable, and yet men drop every day to Hell: This is an aggravation of Misery: Ah sinners! in your Fathers house is bread enough, feasting, banquetting, glo­rious dishes in Wisdoms house; how is it that you have no­thing?

3. Your sins are aggravated, and so will your condemnation be; you seeing, see not; and hearing, you hear not; you hear and see, and yet understand not: Doth not this aggravate your sins, and make them exceeding sinful? You are called, and yet you have refused: God hath stretched out his hands, and yet you have not regarded; you shut your eyes, and stop your ears, lest you should be converted; and doth not this greaten your sins, and make them odious? Glorious power works in the world, and yet men lye in their sins: Power works gloriously, but you feel none, you are under the power of sin, as if there were no Power of God at all working in the World.

Sinners, this leaves you wholly without excuse; there is power enough working to subdue the strongest lust; what can you plead? How great is that sin which is committed under the neglect of glorious power! within the reach of a glo­rious arm! As there is a glorious power, so there be glorious sins, splendida peccata, scarlet, crimson sins; and these are such as are committed against glorious means, glorious light, grace, and aid.

Men sin, and lay it upon their weakness, and so rest and rub on: Ah Lord! what a life is this! God will judg you, and lay it upon your wickedness and wilfulness: for is not glorious Power present to raise you up? Weakness becomes wickedness, when it is rested in, and pleaded for: A soul given to shifting, hath no mind to leave his sin; there is no damning temper like this: you say, you have no power to come out of sin; 'tis not fo, there is the Power of God in the Gospel present and ready for you to lift you up: And therefore there must be no pleading for sin, no not for any sin, though never so great and strong: The remedy, the power is so gloriously All-sufficient.

Dub. But I pray you, Sir, tell us, How shall we know that the Knowledg of the Mysteries of Heaven is not given unto us?

Answ. 1. You that sleep in your lost estate, to you the Knowledg of the Mysteries of Heaven is not given: The My­steries of Hell and Damnation are made known to you, and yet you awake not: What soul is there that doth awake?

2. When a man can love a sin in the very face of Divine Mysteries, in the very face of Mercy, and the face of Glory.

3. When the more God forbids a sin, the more you bid for it: When the more the Commandment comes, sin becomes the more sinful, and the heart the more stubborn; when the more the spirit strives, the more sin thrives; the more the spirit strives against thy lust, the more thou strivest to hold fast thy lust: From this man is the Knowledg of the Mysteries of Heaven shut up: let him look to himself be-times.

Ʋse 7. Sinners, go not on to provoke God to deny you the Knowledg of the Mysteries of Heaven.

I told you (in the Explication of this Point) that God in denying to some the Knowledg of the Mysteries of Heaven, observes a Method of Justice; that is, Sinners deserve it and procure it at the Hands of God: I say Sinners deserve blind­ness and obduration.

First, [sensu Negativo] in a Negative sense, because they deserve not softness of heart, that God should mollifie them; they deserve not this special mercy.

Secondly, They deserve blindness and hardness of heart in an Affirmative sense; because by their Additional sins, and daily resistings, they deserve a further Hardness and Tradi­tion [ [...]] to a Reprobate mind.

Ʋse 8. Try your graces: Gifts will not save you: see that you have not the gift of Knowledg, but the grace of Know­ledg: not the gift of Prayer, but the grace of Prayer: See that you have not good parts, but parts in Christ, as our Lord said, Mary hath chosen that good part which shall not be taken Luk. 10. 42. from her.

No man hath good parts, till he hath part in Christ.

Would you try your graces? know then,

1. Grace acts inwardly. It works upon the heart, upon the vitals: it works upon the subject it is in: as physick works upon Nature, so doth grace; it works upon the very nature and constitution.

2. It acts Divinely: it doth all for God, and for Divine ends: He that hath the gift of Prayer, prays for himself, that he may shew himself, as David said to King Achish, Thou shalt 1 Sam. 28. 2. know what thy servant can do: But he that hath the grace of Prayer, prayeth for God; he doth not only pray to God, but for God, that he may have more of God, and less of himself: more communion with God, less communion with himself: he that hath the grace of Prayer, prays for grace.

He that hath the grace of patience, suffers Divinely; because God will have him suffer; as David said concerning Shimei, Let him alone, (saith he) for God hath bid him curse Da­vid. 2 Sam. 16. 10.

He that hath the Grace of Obedience, obeys Divinely, he acts with Divine raptures of love to God, and zeal for his Glory.

3. It acts universally: As the Sun being in the Heavens, runs its course over all the World; so the soul that is fixed in an Heaven of grace, runs its course and motion through all the Commandments.

As the Apostles being universal pastors, were not fixed to any place, but went Preaching the Gospel all the world over; so those that are universal Saints, limit and fix themselves to no Commandment, but travel over all the world of Gospel­precepts.

Ʋse 9. This speaks admirable comfort to many sorts of men, who start up doubts and scruples against themselves, and fol­low the scent of them too far, so as to hinder them in the way of believing.

Dub. 1. Saith a doubting soul, I am a poor man, and despised in the world, and will the Lord reveal his Mysteries of Hea­ven to me? Will the Lord look upon me?

Sol. And why not upon thee? Though the Lord be high, yet he looks low: He humbleth himself to behold the children of men.

1. The Lord will not despise thee in that thou art poor, because 'tis the condition himself hath put thee in: Now the Lord doth never despise his own work: he despiseth Satans work, and Mans work, which is sin; but he doth never despise his own work; he that made thee poor, will not despise thy poverty.

Thou canst not be worse than a beggar, a blind beggar; we count a beggar to be in a low condition, but a blind beg­gar that cannot see to work for his living, we count him very low; and yet Christ gives grace to such, Mark 10. 47, He was blind, and yet he saw Christ by Faith: for as soon as ever he heard it was Jesus, He cryed out, Jesus, thou Son of Da­vid, (i. e. the Messiah) have mercy on me.

Christ Jesus before he came at him, sent his spirit to teach him to say [ Jesus thou Son of David] Christ Jesus came by that way on set-purpose to reveal himself to the poor beg­gar.

2. Thy Saviour was poor, and therefore no marvel if the poor be saved: He that made Christ poor, will make the poor, Christians.

3. To chuse, God will reveal his Mysteries to the poor ra­ther than to the rich: not that he doth despise riches, but because the rich despise him; they are proud of their riches, and think that God is engaged to save them above others, because they are great above others: They that are rich in estate; are rich in conceit.

Dub. 2. But I have but an ordinary Trade; and will the Lord give grace to me?

Sol. Why not to thee? The Lord had as leif Trade with thee, as with any other.

The Apostles (many of them) were but Fishermen, and yet the Lord Christ caught them in his Net: his spirit mov'd upon their Waters, and took them out of the depths of sin, and revealed the glories of Heaven to them, so as to none ever be­fore or after them.

A Fisherman is as ordinary a Trade as any in the World, and yet Christ preferred them above all the World, and made them the greatest men in Heaven and Earth; for himself sits next the Father, and the Apostles next him.

Dub. 3. But I am a Servant, an Apprentice, I am an Hand­maid, whose work is the meanest drudgery in the house, and will the Lord reveal to me the Mysteries of Heaven?

Sol. And why not to thee? especially if thou art humble: If thy Master trust thee with his Estate and Cash, will not God trust thee with his Jewels and Graces?

God is an humble God, and will sit with the servant at the lower end of the Table, as well as with the Master at the upper end of the Table.

Nay with God all are round Tables, there's no upper end; he respects not the Master more than the Servant, in matters Eph. 6. 9. of grace.

Thou sayest, I am but a servant, I sit not down with my Ma­ster at Table, I wait:

So doth Free-grace, it waits too:

Thy condition is not so low, but Free grace goeth lower: God waits to be gracious. Isa. 30. 18.

Dogs are lower than Servants: and yet Christ gives grace to Dogs; to the Woman of Canaan, whom he called a Dog, Oh woman great is thy Faith!

The Children of Israel were but Servants and Bondmen in Egypt; and yet God appeared to them, not to Pharaoh: Thou dost the basest service in the house, and they made Brick, and yet God appeared to them, not to Pharaoh.

Joseph was but a servant, and yet how familiar was God with him? It is worth your noting: Joseph was a Servant all along. A servant to his Brethren, they sold him (as his Ma­sters) into Egypt.

He was a servant in Potiphar's house, and yet God reveals his Presence to him there: When his Mistris tempted him, saith he, How can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?

A man may be a servant to men, and yet not a servant to his lusts, and then God appears to thee:

Joseph, when he was cast in the Prison, was worse than a ser­vant, and yet God was with him there: God keeps company with Joseph from service to prison, and gives him favour in the Jaylours eyes, and he trusts him with all his Prisoners: When men have command over their lusts, God gives them command over men.

Dub. 4. But (yet saith a soul) I am a foolish man, an un­learned man, and will the Lord reveal his Mysteries to me?

Sol. And why not to thee? The Lord loves to be making the foolish, wise: and Jesus Christ saw a great deal of beauty in it, when he said I thank thee, oh Father, that thou hast hid Mar. 11. 25. these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.

What Beauty may we read in this work?

The wondrous skill and power of God, appears in it: you count him a rare School-master that can make Idiots and Fools Scholars; How do you admire his Art in Teaching? This sets out the Lords skill, and speaks him admirable: When the scribes and pharisees saw the boldness of Peter and John, and Acts 4. 13. perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they mar­velled; and they took knowledg of them, that they had been with Jesus.

Is it not a rare sight to see a child speak sentences, and pose an aged man with Wisdom? Thus when Christ was but a child (twelve years old) and posed the Doctors, in the Temple; The Text saith, They were astonisht at it.

Ʋse 10. Oh! awake your selves then: feed not your selves with idle dreams of an universal grace, as if ye could not miss of Heaven.

Is it not time to awake, when salvation (like a Rose) grows not in every ones garden? When the Beams of grace shine not [Page 64] in at every ones Window? when there are so many professors, and so few saints? When the Knowledg of the Mysteries of Heaven treads not over every mans threshold, but only goes into that heart where God sends them.

There were two Thieves crucified with Christ on the Cross, the one is taken, the other left: Two Sons in Rebeccha's Womb, ( Jacob and Esau) the one is taken, and the other left. There were ten Virgins, five of them taken, and five left: Ah, Lord, how narrow is thy number!

Whilst the Minister is Preaching, the spirit, like an Archer, shoots the arrow of Conversion into such an one's heart, and hits him, and passeth by many an one; he shoots his Arrow by so many, and hits one or two.

Oh, how should this awake you! Lord, hit my heart: Lord, make me thy mark; do not miss my soul, but hit, Lord: I am an unclean wretch, make my black heart, thy white to shoot at: Lord, I am a drunkard, level thine Arrow of grace at my heart: shoot stedy, Lord, take thine aim, and shoot thy Darts through my deadly lusts.

Lord, I am an unbeliever, I cannot believe the promise; take such a word of pardon, and dart it into my soul, that I may believe.

Lord, I have heard many Sermons, and thou hast not hit me yet; I have sate under the showres of grace a long time, and every drop hath yet fallen besides me: thine Arrows have fled about mine ears, and not one yet stuck in my sides.

Content not your selves then, in that ye live under the means of grace.

Object. But is not this an hindrance to our conversion, a great block in our way, in that God gives grace to some, not to all? In that many are called, but few are chosen?

Answ. No, none at all; nay it is a huge furtherance to grace and conversion, in that it is the gift of God.

I think grace may sooner be had, in that it is in Gods hand to give, than if it were in our power to get: Who would doubt of having grace from such an hand? I say, from such an hand, who hath such a large and bounteous heart? And therefore if you ask, should we not be more certain if our [Page 65] salvation did depend on none but our selves.

I answer, no: For we ought to be much more distrustful of our selves than of God, who loves us more than we love our selves: And in a doubtful and difficult case, 'tis better to commit our selves to the mercy and goodness of God, than to our own power.

And therefore I would demand of thee, Canst thou ask for grace?

Who ever went without grace, but 'twas his own fault? he had it not, because he would not seek it: he went without it, because he did not care for it.

Object. But in that grace is the gift of God, and not in the dispose of man; Is it not enough to take men off from duty and endeavour, and make them secure, and negligent of their sal­vation?

No such matter: For seeing on the one side, we cannot say, Grace shall be denied us; and on the other side, we are bound to Co-operate with grace, and work out our salvation; we ought therefore so to act [ Ac si Gratia semper adesset] as if grace were always present; and yet so, as if the whole business lay in us: We should walk between sloth and pride: God is to be sought and prayed to, as if the whole did depend upon him; and we must so act, as if the whole did depend upon us: We see this in Scripture, [ Work out your salvation with fear and trem­bling] as if the whole lay upon us; [ For it is God that work­eth in you both to will and to do] as if the whole lay upon him.

God told Joshuah and the Israelites by express Revelation, that he would fight for them against the Nations, and give them victo­ry; and yet they did act themselves, and pursue their business, as if the whole success were in their power.

Election is not to be look'd on but in Christ, nor Repro­bation Mr. Bradford. but in Sin; seek to be delivered from sin, and fear not Reprobation: But if thou wilt not, thou shalt find no excuse in the last day.

2. Thou makes a wrong use of this sort of Doctrine in Scripture, [ Many are called, but few are chosen: to you it is given to know the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, to them [Page 66] it is not given]: For this is set down in Scripture, not to feed thee with infidelity, but to terrifie thee from the fame, to stir thee up to believe; not to hinder, but to put thee on to believe, to make thee more careful to believe.

3. As the command of believing reacheth to you, so doth the promise: The promise belongs to you all (though not the benefit of the promise; but only to so many as do believe), I say the promise belongs to you all.

To clear this:

1. See Heb. 4. 1, Let us therefore fear, lest a promise being Heb. 4. 1. left unto us of entring into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it (through unbelief).

Mark the words, [ there is a promise left unto us]; so doubt not but the promise belongs to thee; only beware thou come not short of it through unbelief.

Thou fearest that the promise belongs not to thee; but the Apostle bids thee fear, lest a promise being left thee (or be­longing to thee), thou come short of it through unbelief.

'Tis clear, That the promise is to those, who come short of it.

2. So Acts 2. 39, Repent, and believe, for the promise is to Acts 2. 39. you, and to your seed, and to all that are afar of, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.

Mark here [ the promise is to you] is laid down as an Ar­gument to believe; as a Motive to believe; and therefore did belong to them before they did believe: for the Cause is be­fore the Effect.

Yes (you will say) to them, to the Jews, but not to us: mark the next words, [ And to all that are afar of, even to as many as the Lord our God shall call]

Object. But God gives not Grace to all, and that's the thing that fears me.

Answ. What is that to thee? As Christ said unto Peter: Peter asked Christ such a question, Lord what shall this man do? Joh. 21. 21, 22. saith Christ to him, What is that to thee? follow thou me.

So God gives not grace to all: What is that to thee? follow thou me, believe thou in me, saith Christ.

Object. Oh! but I am a great sinner, and will he pardon me, and give grace to me?

Answ. 1. The Covenant of grace is a free Covenant; from the Lord's free favour, without any respect to any thing in thee: it looks at nothing in thee: no worth in thee can procure it.

The Covenant, is not only a Covenant to grace, but a Co­venant of grace; not only a Covenant to grace, to give more grace where it is; but a Covenant of grace, to give grace where is none.

2. The greatness of thy sinfulness will manifest, and set out the greatness of his mercy: For his names sake he pardons ini­quity. Isa. 43. Now the greater, and the more thy sins have been, the greater will be the name of his mercy.

Quest. But how may we attain the Knowledg of the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven?

Answ. 1. Let not sin stand between you and the glorious light of the Mysteries of Heaven: Cease love to sin, if you would have an Heaven upon Earth, a glorious Presence of God in you.

Render your spirits free to God; let them not be ensnared with any lust: such entanglement spoils your Glory: pure hearts shall see the face of God, Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

You poor souls, who are purging your selves, will you be­lieve your Saviour? then you shall see God.

Purity makes capacity of Heaven: The holyest men ever had the most glorious visions; as Daniel and John.

A man may see Hell in his sin, but shall never see Heaven.

2. Would you have the Knowledg of these Mysteries? Then get upon some hill; the air of the lower region is thick and misty: I mean, live above, abstract your selves (as much as may be) from the world: God chuseth his place to make Heaven: he makes Heaven above; in Jerusalem, that is above: in souls that are above; above the vanities of this World, he makes an Heaven, and there the Mysteries of the Kingdom (like so many stars) shine.

Moses is led up to a mount to see Canaan: Christ upon a mount had his glorious Transfiguration, he had his Heaven upon a mount.

Love must mount above all these low things, ere the soul can see Heaven, enjoy glorious Presence.

It falls out unhappily still with man, when he goes about to make an Heaven here; when he sets love at work, to take her fortune, to make her Glory and Felicity here below as she can: This checks the working of a glorious light in any heart: it sets a Divine Power a working another way, to whip the man with vexation of spirit, for seeking Heaven in Earth, in glorious vanities.

No man shall have two Heavens, or but very few.

3. Let thy heart be Crystal: The Mysteries of Heaven shi­ning upon such an heart, reflect gloriously: I mean, an heart that is a pure glass, clear from all hypocrisie: God descend­ed like a Dove, upon a Dove; sweetly and gloriously upon him, In whose mouth there was no guile.

It was upon Jesus Christ there came a voice from Heaven, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.

God never proclaims himself well-pleased in that heart, which makes not him his pleasure: A heart, and a heart hath none of Gods heart.

Divine Power works not gloriously, where the heart, works basely.

An hypocrite hath least of Heaven of any man, and most of Hell.

4. As men draw near to God, so they see him: near to him in Quality, and near to him in Duty. Sirs, We see Heaven best upon out knees: At the Throne of grace we find grace: Hea­ven at Gods feet: When most in his Presence, most in Hea­ven: A man must live in Heaven, to have Heaven live in him; much going to Heaven, brings Heaven at last down along with one.

Ʋse last, Then, Oh ye Saints, bless the Lord: Admire the Lord that hath revealed his Mysteries to you, not to others; that ye know those things which others do not. Oh! fall ad­miring God and Free-grace.

The fourth and last Doctrine.

Doct. 4. That where there are beginnings of true grace, though [Page 69] never so weak; God makes rich Additions of more grace [Who­soever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abun­dance].

Now to evince this, I will give you the Testimony of Scrip­ture: And

1. In Phil. 1. 6, Paul cheers up their hearts, by telling them, that he was confident, [i. e. assured] That God who Phil. 1. 6. had begun a good work in them, would perfect it, until the day of Jesus Christ.

The Apostle writing to the Thessalonians, praiseth God for them, Because (saith he) your faith grows exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth. 2 Thes. 1. 3.

Where God plants, he makes to grow; and where he sows, he watereth into an increase.

2dly, John 10. 10, I came (saith Christ) that they might have John 10. 10. life, and that they might have it more abundantly: or that they might have abundance: So Musculus reads it, Et abundantiam habeant.

For it is not [...], that is, [ Abundantius] but [...], which word signifieth Abundantiam, copiam, & affluentiam, i. e. Qui vivere de­dit, dabit & reliqua ad vi­tam hanc cae­lestem necessa­ria: Nec dabit parce, sed liberaliter & opulente: Musculus in Johan. Quid dat for­mam, dat consequentia formam. He that gives life, will give all things necessary to this Divine life, to maintain it richly. an abundance and affluence of spiritual and heavenly Additi­ons to the least grace.

3dly, Isa. 42. 3, A bruised reed shall he not break, and the Isa. 42. 3. smoaking flax shall he not quench, [The Negative here im­plieth an Affirmative], A bruised reed shall he not break, i. e. he shall strengthen it; and the smoaking flax shall he not quench, i. e. he shall be so far from quenching, that he shall make it flame, and blow it up into a blaze: He shall bring forth judg­ment unto truth; which Matthew (following the Septuagint) Matth. 12. 20. saith, He shall bring forth judgment unto victory.

And this is the meaning of that Text, Of his fulness have John 1. 16. we all received [ [...]] and grace for grace, [...]. (i. e.) one grace for another. The latter for the former: for having mentioned the fulness of Christ, he saith, That not one, but many graces are drawn and derived from him: not one, but many graces; the first whereof is the cause of [Page 70] the second, the second of the third, and the third of the fourth, and so along; always the latter is given for the former, till all the gifts of grace being compleated, beatitude it self is at last perfected.

Not as if more grace were given for the right use of grace; for that were to take us off from Christ to our selves: whereas 'tis the Apostles scope to fix us wholly on Christ; but the Con­dition and Nature of Saving-grace, which is such Ʋt prima Trahat alteram) that the first draws the second; they are as it were so concatenated, as one Ring in a chain draws another; and for the former that is given, the latter is given; that is, God, because he hath given the one, will give the other; such is the Order and Method he observes; he give grace for grace; that is, where he finds one grace, he gives another; and where he finds some, he gives more.

Or Grace for Grace; (i. e.) Gratiam super Gratiam, grace upon grace; ( i. e.) abundance of grace: having scarce received one, but presently receive another; and after that, another, which ( Musculus saith) the Hebrews express [...] as the Apostle shews it in Rom. 8. 30. From the fulness of Christ, we have received the grace of our Calling; and upon our call­ing, the grace of Pardon and Justification; here's grace upon grace; and upon our Justification, the grace of Adoption and Sanctification; here's grace upon grace; and upon our Adop­tion, the grace of Glory and Salvation: still grace upon grace, as the Apostle expresseth it in Ephes. 1. 3, 4, &c.

We shall now give you the Reasons of the Point, why it is that where there are beginnings of true grace, though never so weak, God makes rich additions of more grace: And,

Reas. 1. Because, grace in a Saint is God's own child: the infant grace is the Spirits little babe, begot in the Womb of the soul, by the Spirit: the soul is the Mother of it, and the Spi­rit is the Father of it: Now, you know, a Father is very ten­der of his young babe; he takes it up in his Arms, and looks upon it, he reads his own Image in it, and puts it in his bosom; he handles it as gently as ever he can, and preserves it from the least harm: So when the Infant-grace is born in the soul, the Spirit is very tender of his young babe; he makes won­drous much of it, and is as Preservative of its life, as ever he [Page 71] can: As you may see in Paul; he had been in sore pangs of Travel three days and three nights together; and the child [ Grace] was newly born, and see what care the Spirit had of it; said he to Annanias, Arise [do not stay, saith he; but Acts 9. 11. arise] and go into the street which is called Straight, and en­quire in the house of Judas, for one called Saul of Tarsus: for behold, he prayeth: The child [ Grace] as soon as it was born, began to cry, and the Spirit presently takes care of it.

1. The Spirit (when the soul is brought to bed, and safely delivered of her Man-child [ Grace] sets the little babe to nurse, and provides suck for it, and gives it the Breasts of the Ordinances; as the Apostle saith, And I brethren, could not speak 1 Cor. 3. 1 1 Pet. 2. 2. unto you, as unto spiritual, but—as unto babes in Christ; I have fed you with milk: And [in 1 Pet. 2 2.] As new born babes desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.

A babe, when 'tis new-born, must have milk, which is the most nutritive food in the world: so must the little new crea­ture, when it is born, it must have milk; and therefore the Spi­rit provides it for him; The Ordinances are the Breasts, and the Ministers are the Nurses which give it suck; As the Apostle saith, We were gentle among you, even as a nurse che­risheth 1 Thes. 2. 7. her children.

2. The Spirit dades his little child [ Grace] and teacheth it to go; As God saith, When Israel was a child, I loved him, Hos. 11. 1. Verse 3. and called my son out of Egypt—I taught Ephraim also to go, taking them by their arms.

And therefore are we said to be led by the spirit, and to walk Rom. 8. 14. in the spirit.

3. The Spirit teacheth his little child [ Grace] to speak: as a Father (you know) takes up his little one upon his knee, and teacheth him to Articulate words, and to call [ Dad]: so doth the Holy Spirit teach the child [ Grace] to cry, Abba, Gal. 4. 6 Father. Because ye are Sons, God hath sent forth the spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

Reas. 2. Where there are beginnings of true grace, God makes rich Additions of more grace; because (such is the Lords [Page 70] [...] [Page 71] [...] [Page 72] noble Nature, that) he loves to be giving: To give, is an Act Dare, honestum quid est, Reci­pere utile: Dans exercet Actum Monest­um, Accipere utilem: Agit ille, hic patitur potius. for a Prince, rather for a God: poor men receive, rich men give; Subjects receive, Princes give: Creatures receive, the Creator gives: The more noble and eminent natures are, the more they give, and the less they receive: The heavenly bodies glance their light, and dart their influences upon the Earth be­low, but receive nothing from the Earth: To give is an Act of perfection; to receive is a note of imperfection: were we not imperfect, we need not be receiving.

He that gives, imitates God, who gives and receives not again, because he wants not any thing: And therefore it was a saying of Christ, It is more blessed to give, than to receive: Acts 20. 35. It is a part of Gods Beatitude, that he is all things, and hath all things to give; that he can give and not be beholden to re­ceive: that he is an overflowing Sea, always pouring out his gifts and golden streams upon the Creature: When he hath given thee grace, he hath more grace still to give: And being a God (and not man) he gives continually; to give, he makes his continued Act: He'l never cease giving to his Saints, not only in this life, but in the life to come: he will be giving out unto his Saints eternally.

As the Sun is always giving out its heat and virtue to the World, so will God be always giving out his sweetness to his Saints throughout Eternity.

So that, he that hath grace, shall have more grace: he that hath it in the bud, and in the beginning, shall have it in the perfection: fear not (poor creature) if thou art always want­ing, God will be always giving; and being a God, he is not weary or remiss in any of his Acts. He takes more pleasure in giving, than thou canst in receiving; such is his Noble and Princely spirit.

To give, is (as it were) an Act connatural to him, an eter­nal Act: he gave his Essence to his Son from all eternity, and John 5. 26. John 3. 16. Rom. 8. 32. in time gave his Son to lost Sinners (see, he loves to give) and with his Son will give us all things.

Reas. 3. To him that hath grace, God gives more, because he knows there he shall not bestow his grace in vain: he shall have fruit from his Plantation: the grace he sows there, will return him a crop.

Oh, how happy a thing is it to have a soul seasoned with [Page 73] true grace! The person gains, and God himself is a gainer by such an one: the poor soul gains by it; for he that hath true grace, shall have more; and God gains by it, for the more grace God gives such an one, the more fruit shall God have from such an one: and that's the Lords delight: it is the vine-dressers delight to see his Vines (which he plants and prunes) deckt with grapes: It is the Husbandmans delight to walk and see his Field (which he tilled) cloathed with stately Corn: Now God is an Husbandman (as Christ saith) I am John 15. 1. 1 Cor. 3. 9. the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman: And ye are Gods husbandry,

Saints, it doth delight God to see his Vines full of grapes; and to see his Field clad with fruit: ye are his Field, ye are his Vines; ye must be always bearing, because he is always watering: The gardener delights to Water those herbs that will grow, and yield him profit: he bestows no drops upon the Flowers that are dead and wither'd.

'Tis so with God, Every branch that beareth fruit (saith John 15. 2. Christ) he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit: here's the reason of it; he that hath grace, and bears some fruit, God will give him more grace, that so God may have more fruit.

Reas. 4. Because it is his design to perfect his Saints, and the work of grace in his Saints: he means to make every one of them as Holy as Adam was in Paradise: God doth not mean that we should come short in Christ, of what we were in Adam.

Christ Jesus came in place to repair us up all that we lost in Adam, and more than that all: only Adam was made perfect at once, and we are perfected by degrees: but this is no disad­vantage to us, for Adam was made perfect at once; but he lost it as soon, he lost it at once; and we are not made perfect at once, but by degrees, but we shall never lose it.

As a Limner, that intends a curious picture, at first makes but a rude Draught, and lays his dark Colours; but then by degrees he comes over with his beauteous and bright Colours, and draws out the perfect proportion of a curious piece: So God (that glorious Artist) in repairing man, intends some stately piece; he hath in his thoughts the Idaea of some glo­rious piece: Indeed 'tis Jesus Christ that stands by him, after [Page 74] whom he means to draw man's picture. As a Limner that seeth a beauteus person, draws his picture, whilst he is in the room with him, and takes it wondrous lively, because he hath him be­fore him; So God the Father hath Jesus Christ, the beauty of Heaven and Earth, before him; and looking upon Christ, draws every Saints picture, and will make his Saints exactly like to Christ; every Saint shall be Christs perfect picture: And there­foe he that hath grace, be it never so small, shall have more, nay shall have all; because God intends to make his Saints per­fect in Christ Jesus.

We shall now make some Improvement of this Point; And in the first place,

Ʋse 1. This shines with excellent comfort upon the weak Saints; upon you that complain, you are but weak Christi­ans; and you cannot match others in performances, you can­not do as others can; and if we do believe, we believe but little; and if we do love Jesus Christ, we love him but little.

To you, to you, I say if you have the least drop of true grace,God will give you more, and you shall have abundance: Do you believe but a little? Be of good comfort, you shall believe a great deal: Do you repent but a little?you shall have given you a greater store of repentance: Canst thou pray but a little? canst thou but scarce pray? It shall be given thee to pray mightily, to pray down mountains and strong sins.

I pray you consider these things:

1. Though thou hast but little grace, yet thy little may be true grace: Thou art suspicious of thy self, and art wont to say, Surely if my grace were true, it would be more than it is; it is so little, that I cannot think it is true grace.

But I say unto thee, though thou hast but little, yet thy little may be true grace: as a little piece of gold is true gold.

Object. 1. Oh! But I enjoy rich means of grace; I lye down in the fatting pastures of the Gospel, which would in a short time [Page 75] plump up the weakest grace, if it were true: I sit daily under the nourishing showres of the Word, and yet my grace is but little, and therefore (I fear me) is not true.

Answ. The Disciples sate under the most powerful Ministry that ever was, under the droppings and the honey-dews that fell from Christs lips: Never man spake as the spake: He was the Prince of Preachers, that had the tongue of the learned.

To be with him, was to be in Heaven upon Earth: They saw his wondrous miracles every day, and conversed with Christ himself; his lips did drop the choicest fatness, and yet under all these golden shrowres they had but a little Faith: For the Lord Christ upon an occasion saith unto them, Why are Matth. 8. 26. ye fearful, oh ye of little faith?

Object. 2. But I cannot trust God for the smallest matters: Food and Raiment are the smallest matters, and he that cannot trust God in the least matters (I fear me) hath a faith less than nothing.

Answ. The Disciples of Jesus Christ had many experiences of God Providence and Provision for them, they went about with Christ from place to place; and though they had no victuals, yet they found victuals every where; they saw so many thousands sed with so few loaves; and yet they were Mat. 6. 30, 31. troubled, What shall we eat? what shall we drink? and where­with shall we be cloathed?

Thus, thou seest, thy little grace may be true grace.

2. God will own thy little grace: thy grace, though it be never so little, yet he will own it: As you may see in Rev. 3. 8, where writing to the Church of Philadelphia, saith Christ, Thou hast a little strength, and hast ept my word: She had but a little strength, and Christ takes greatnotice of her little strength; Christ makes much of a little grace: As the Father dandles his little child, so Jesus Christ dandles a little grace up­on the lap of his Commendation: Though thy grace be but low, yet he hath an high esteem of it.

3. God's giving some grace, engages him to give more: Hath God given thee a little grace? His giving thee that little, puts an engagement upon him to give thee more: one of his gifts bind him to give another.

When God went about to destroy Sodom, saith God, Shall I Gen. 18. 17, 18. Hide from Abraham that thing which I do, seeing I mean to make him a great and mighty nation? As though one kindness did bind him to give another: with God, the bestowing of one favour binds him to add another.

If God begin to give thee grace, he is engaged to go on, and give thee more grace, not for thy sake, but because 'tis his own work; and therefore if he should not carry it on, he should lose what he had begun: If God hath pardon'd thee some sins, and should not pardon thee all the rest, all his for­mer Pardons would be thrown away, like precious water spilt upon the ground: If God hath begun to give thee some grace, he is engaged to give thee more, for the sake of the former; I say he is engaged to give thee more for the sake of the for­mer, and to give thee more yet; nay more yet, for the sake of that grace that went before: As man that ploughs a piece of Land, counts himself engaged to sow it; and if he sow it, he counts himself engaged to fence it, and make it thrive; because one work is for another, the former for the latter; plowing is for sowing, and sowing is for growing, and growing is for reaping, and therefore one labour calls for the help of ano­ther: So when God puts a little grace into thee, it is for ano­ther, to bring on another, and that the former grace may not be in vain; one gift calls for the help of another.

4. A little grace is a pledg of more: I say, the little grace thou hast, is a sure pledg of more; as a little piece of money is an earnest of the whole sum: God, speaking of the effusion of his gifts and graces, saith, I will pour out my spirit: God gives his spirit as freely as he gives rain: now (you know) first it rains small drops, and after greater; and the small are the signs of the great.

5. Jesus Christ makes intercession for a little grace: Peter, (saith Christ) I have pray'd that thy faith fail not: thou hast but a little faith, and I have prayed for thy little faith, for thy weak faith, that it fail not: if any man sin, we have an 1 John 2. 2. advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.

Ʋse 2. What saith this Principle to Sinners, that are with­out grace? Surely, Sirs, it should much deject you, and make you smite upon your hearts: When Christ saith, It is given to [Page 77] you to know the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but to others it is not given, should it not make those tremble that have not the gift? that have not this special gift, To know the Mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven? When our Lord saith, To him that hath shall be given, should it not shake the heart of the man that hath not so much as the first gift of grace yet bestowed upon him? Sinner, thou hast not so much as the Foundation, the first stone of the building yet laid in thee: Lord, what a sad case am I in? whilst thou art promising the addition of grace to others, thou hast not planted so much as the beginnings of grace in me!

1. While the saving-work in others is going on, it is not yet begun in thee: While others are upon their growth, thou art not yet born; I say, not born again. Sinner, thou hast not yet so much as the first preparation of Heaven in thee, while others are upon their Progress; thou art not as yet in the Race, while others are running to the Gole: thou lyest dead, while others are raised and enlivened; thou hast not yet set out toward Heaven, while others are a great way upon their Journey to Glory: thou art left sleeping in Sodom, till the sparks of fire and brimstone fall down from Heaven, and fly about thine ears, while the Lots are carried out by the Angel of the Lord: Oh Sirs! see your misery.

2. Sinners, you are ugly and mis-shapen Creatures without grace: you want the Image of God upon you: Holiness is our comeliness, and Grace is the only handsom garment: What are thy sins but thy deformities? and thy lusts but thy lepro­sies? Thou carest not what thou art in the eye of the godly; but carest thou not what thou art in the eye of God? Thou feest no unhandsomness in sin, thou seest not thy self ugly, but art thou therefore the less ugly?

A Toad or a Snake hath no odious apprehensions of it self; it is above their reach to apprehend what they are; so Sin­ners cannot discern their own deformities, their Judgments fol­low their Natures and Dispositions.

3. If Jesus Christ doth not conquer you, he'l slay you: In Rev. 6. 2, there saith John, I saw, and behold; a white horse, Rev. 6. 2. and he that sate on him had a bow, and a crown was given to him and he went forth conquering, and to conquer.

1. Here John saw an horse, which is mystically the Gospel; [Page 78] because of its swiftness: The Apostles and Apostolical Preach­ers of the Primitive times, were Horses, for their nimble and swift Preaching of the Gospel through the World.

2. This is a white horse, to signifie,

1. The Purity of the Gospel, or Divinity of its Do­ctrine.

2. to signifie the joy and peace it offers to the Sons of Men: it is called glad tidings, and the Gospel of peace: A white Flag is an Ensign of Peace.

3. To signifie the Glory of Christ: white robes are Emblems of Glory: Princes and Nobles did go in white.

4. To signifie the Triumph of Christ; white horse in sign of victory and Triumph.

The Romans, when they rid in Triumph, had white Horses to ride on, or to draw their Chariots.

The Lord Christ will get the day, he will triumph over souls, either in their submission or destruction: And therefore it is said,

3. That he that sate on the white horse, had a bow given him.

This Horse-man, or Prince, the Lord Christ, had a bow in his hand, and a Bow presupposeth arrows, that is, terrors, and threatnings against his Enemies, that will not submit to his mercy; he hath his Arrow prepared upon the string, and will shoot at the rebellious Sinner.

It may be thou hast some of Christ's Arrows sticking in the ribs of thy Conscience, and art wounded for some sins; thy very heart is galled with the threatnings that fly (like Ar­rows) out of the Bow of the Ministry; but thou frettest: in­stead of being converted, and falling at his feet, thou ragest: Well, Christ rides on still in the Chariot of his word, conquer­ing, and to conquer: one or other way conquer he will: if he cannot conquer thee with love, he'l kill thee in wrath: Those that do yield, he saves; those that will not, he slays.

4. Christ will Preach over all these Truths again in Hell­flames to thee.

Thou keepest thy sins and lusts, and wilt by no means send them away; thou makest nothing of the Word of God, be­cause dispensed by Man: I tell thee, all the Sermons thou now hearest against thy sins, all the Truths of God shall one [Page 79] day be Preach'd over again in flames of Fire to thine eternal horrour; and that will be a long Sermon.

All the Sermons of Repentance and Grace thou heard'st here in thy life-time, shall in Hell be brought fresh to thy me­mory, thy Conscience shall then Preach them all over to thee in Hell-flames, and then 'twil be a woful Sermon: Now the Sermon is but an hour long, look upon the glass, 'tis turned; and while the glass is running, we are Preaching, Preaching thee (if it be possible) into a state of grace; this Sermon is but a short Sermon, it will end anon; and while this glass is running, thy glass is running, and thy life is hastening: but in Hell, there's no glass turned up; This, and all the Sermons thou ever heard'st, will there in flames be Preach'd over to thee again throughout eternity; Oh tremble at it! It will be a woful Sermon, and a long Sermon, 'twill never have an end.

Ʋse 3. Here's rare comfort to weak grace. To them that are but new beginners: you complain your grace is but little; My Beloved, you shall have more.

1. Grace at first is but little: An Infant, when 'tis new­born, is but little: a Tree, when 'tis first planted, is but a little Graff: The Cloud that over-spreads the Heavens, was at first no bigger than a mans hand.

Object. 1. But I am a Christian of long standing, and yet my grace is but little: Were I but a new beginner, 'twere something: but I am a long stander, yet a short Christian.

Answ. 1. Truly ( my Beloved) blame thy self then: chide thy self that thou art a Christian of a long standing, and of a short stature: It is a disgrace to be so; as 'tis a disgrace to be an old man, and yet a dwarf: Christ chides his Disciples for it, though they were but of one or two years standing in his School; yet he chides them, because they had so little Matth. 8. 26. Faith.

Besides, Those that have less Grace, shall have less Glory.

But yet I must say this much:

2. That every thing in this life is but little: David saith, Psal. 39. 5. Thou hast made my days as an hand-breadth: A small mea­sure [Page 80] the Lord knows! David lived in all probability three­score years and ten, he was King of Judah and Israel forty years, and yet he called it but an hand-breadth.

3. Thou measurest thy grace, with what thou should'st be, and then it seems but little: A great deal of grace measured with what thou should'st be, is but little: As Augustine saith [ Maxima eorum quae scimus, Minima eorum quae Ignoramus;] The much, nay most we know, is the least of what we do not know: so the most we are, is the least of what we should be; the most we do, is the least of what we should do.

Great Saints are but little to what they should be.

4. Compare thy grace with times past, and then it may be it is not little; and that thou must do.

Object. 2. But I have trifled away my time, the time I should have got grace in; The Ant provides her meat in summer, and gathers her food in the harvest: But I have spent my time of gathering, and is there any hope that I shall have more?

1. Humble thy self: for 'tis a wondrous sin to lose time: because we have but a time to glorifie God here: and by our losing of time, God doth lose his Glory.

2. Yet, though thou hast loytered away thy time, do not limit Gods time: because thou hast past away thy time, do not say, that Gods time is past.

3. It may be thy time of growing is not come yet: As Chil­dren, some shoot up presently, in their first years; others do not grow till they are sixteen or twenty years, and these at last out-grow the others; some Saints grow more at first, others grow more at last.

Trees bring forth their fruit in different seasons, some sooner, and some later.

There is the first ripe fruit, and there is the latter fruit: some Trees have their fruit ripe and ready with the spring, others not till August, others not till Winter; there's the Summer-fruit, and there is the Winter-fruit: One tree goeth before, and hath her fruit ripe one month, another hath its fruit the next month, another follows and hath its fruit the next month after that.

And this is the Masters Wisdom, that he may have new fruit [Page 81] every month to serve his Table, and please his palate; so doth God.

Object. 3. But I am a withered tree, I did bear fruit, but now do not; I was once fresh and green, but now am dry and blasted; I am in part an Apostate, I am fallen from my first love: I was good, and now am worse: I do not bear the fruit I did: Is there any hopes for me?

Answ. Yes: thou mayst recover, and therefore away to Prayer, and send quickly for the spirit: Lose no time: I will give you an Instance in another case.

Nebuchadnezzar was a great tree, whose height did reach Dan. 4. 11. 12, 14, 15. to heaven, and the sight thereof to the end of all the earth: The leaves thereof were fair, and the fruit thereof much: the beasts of the field had shadow under it, and the fowls of the hea­ven dwelt in the boughs thereof, and all flesh was fed of it.

And this great Tree [ Nebuchadnezzar] was lopt down fear­fully, and withered dreadfully, he was driven from among men, and cast off from his Kingdom seven years.

But yet the stump of his roots was left in the earth with a band of Iron and Brass: To signifie, that his Kingdom was reserved for him, and that he should revive again: So thou hast been (it may be) an high Tree, whose top of profession did reach up to Heaven, and all the fowls of the air, the Saints that live about thee, were wont to fly, and sit under the boughs and branches of thy gifts, to receive Counsel and Direction from thee: And now thy leaves are fallen, and thy branches cut, thy graces lopt, thy gifts withered, and thou thinkest therefore, thou art forsaken.

But, oh man! Is not there a stump of thy roots left in the earth, with a band of Iron and Brass? A stump of Faith and Repentance, and panting after Christ? As long as there is a stump left, thou wilt revive again.

Ʋse 4. Shall more grace be given to them that have grace, be it never so small? Then, Saints, see what your work is; What's that? to receive.

How may we receive more grace?

First, Open thy soul to receive grace: For to receive a thing, is [Page 82] sometimes a motion of the subject or faculty, opening it self to receive it: As the hand doth open it self to receive a gift; and a vessel must be opened to receive oyl or cordial pour'd into it. The earht opened her mouth, and swallowed up Corah: And Numb. 16. 32. Gen. 4 11. the earth (as God said to Cain) opened her mouth to receive thy brothers blood from thy hand.

1. In believing the Promise; when the soul believes, its door stands open to receive the golden Treasures of Grace that are brought into it out of the store-house of the Promise; And therefore (saith the Text), They rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto Acts 14. 27. the gentiles.

2. In love to grace promised: for love is an opening grace: When a man loves a friend dearly, he opens his Arms to em­brace and receive him: so when a man loves grace, he opens his heart to welcom grace into it: And therefore ye shall find this passage between Christ and his Spouse; saith Christ, Open to me my love; And saith the Spouse, I rose up to open to Cant. 5. 2. Vers. 5. my beloved.

He that loves Christ, will open the two-leav'd gates of his soul, to let in Christ with all his train.

3. In desire after grace promised: for the desire of grace is an opening of the soul to receive grace: As the Lord saith, Psal. 81. 10. Open thy mouth wide, [i. e. ask freely, open thy mouth in Prayer, as wide as thou wilt], And I will fill it.

2dly, Lye low: The valleys that receive all the showres and floods into their bosom, lye low under all the high hills, and proud mountains: so the humble Saints (that lye in the bottom of self-abhorrence under all the rest) receive the showres of grace; the floods stay upon them, and they drink them in; they are overflown like your low grounds) with abundance of grace.

3dly, Accept of grace: to receive grace, is to accept of grace: As Jacob said to his brother Esau, Nay, I pray thee, if now I Gen 33. 10. have found grace in thy sight, then receive my present at my hand: i. e. accept of my present at my hand.

Ʋse 5. What shall I do that have no grace? To him that hath shall be given: But what shall I do that have not?

Consider grace is a gift; and therefore,

1. God can give grace, where it is not: he gives grace, where is none: he doth good to them that are not good: A gift is be­stowed, where it is not: See Isa. 44. 3, I will pour water upon Isa. 44. 3. him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine off-spring: i. e. as I pour Water and Floods upon the dry and thirsty ground that hath none; so will I pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine off-spring. Where observe,

God gives showres of grace, where there's not a drop before.

2. He can give grace to whom he will: he can love whom he will; and he can give grace to whom he will: this is the Prerogative of Gods Love, he can love any one: Man (being a narrow creature) cannot love any one; one that is fowl, and ugly, and crooked; but God can love any one, he can love un­handsom and deformed Creatures, and marry them, and make them lovely: Naaman the Syrian was a Leper, and therefore wondrous ugly, he was a Leper in Body and Mind too: The beauty of the mind presents a crooked person comely to us: but Naaman had beauty in neither part; he was a Leper in body, and an Idolater in mind; and yet God loved him, and (by a poor maid in his house) sent him to the Prophet of Is­rael, and healed his outside, and healed his inside, made his Body comely, and made his Soul comely.

3. He makes notorious sinners, noteable Saints: he makes Per­secutors, Preachers; As he did Paul, and all the Church admi­red it; But they had heard only, that he who persecuted us Gal. 1. 23. in times past, now PREACHETH the faith, which once he DESTROYED: See the Work and Free-grace of God! Would God shew mercy to him that destroyed the Faith? Yes, he gave Faith to him that destroyed the Faith: Paul, if he could, would have kil'd Christ, and yet God gives him Christ.

The Gentiles were the greatest Sinners in the World, and they were at the height of sin, when the Gospel began to be Preached to them; they were counted unclean, the unclean Act 10. 14, 15. beasts (swine and other Beasts) which the Jews under the Law might not eat; did signifie the Gentiles; and the Jews not [Page 84] eating the unclean beasts, did signifie that they should have no communion with the unclean Gentiles; yet on the GEN­TILES Vers. 45. Acts 11. 17. also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost: And, forasmuch as God gave them [i. e. the Gentiles] the like gift as he did unto us.

4. Sometimes God makes his greatest Act of Love to pass upon the greatest sinner: Paul (you know) was a Saul in­deed, chief of sinners, he saith it of himself; and yet notwith­standing Acts 9. 3, 4. Christ Preached from Heaven to him: he sent men to Preach to others, (as Philip to the Eunuch), but Jesus Chrrist doth himself Preach to Paul.

Jesus Christ, when he was on Earth in the form of a servant, called the other Apostles; as Matthew at the receipt of custom; and Peter, when he was fishing; follow me; but when he was on his Throne, in Majesty, he Preacht from Heaven to Paul: Won­drous love to a wondrous sinner!

5. He bids thee pray, and he'l give: Ask and it shall be Matth. 7. 7. Luk. 11. 13. given you.

But you'l say, he saith this to Saints?

Sol. See what our Lord Christ saith to the Woman of Sa­maria, If thou knew'st the gift of God, and who it is that saith John 4. 10. to thee, Give me to drink, thou would'st have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

Dub. But I ask, and yet 'tis not given.

Resp. Questionless, he that bids us ask, means to give: As we bid our Children say, I pray you father give me such a thing; we do it not, but when we mean to give it them.

Object. But I cannot pray, I cannot pray for grace.

Answ. 1. He that will give thee grace when thou prayest, will give thee grace that thou mayest pray: As God first formed Adams body, and it lay dead before him on the ground, without breath, or life, or soul in it; and God breathed into his nostrils the breath of life [or spirit of lives [...]] Gen. 2. 7. and man became a living soul: So when thou lyest dead before the Lord without any life, or breath of Prayer in thee; thou canst not so much as breathe before him; he'l breathe a Soul of Prayer into thee, he'l put breath into thee, as he did into Acts 9. 11. Saul, Behold he prayeth, saith God.

2. Sometimes a man sends a gift to one, that never asked [Page 85] him for it; so doth God sometimes send his gifts of grace to them that never ask for it, he gives them, before they ask it.

Opposers and Persecutors are said to be the greatest Sinners; yet saith Christ upon the Cross, Father, forgive them, they know not what they do: he spake it of those that put him to Death.

Some might have said, Lord, they are opposers of thee, even to the Death; be it so, saith Christ; I have mercy for opposers too, and for persecutors too; Father, forgive them, they know not what they do: But Lord, they do not beg for pardon, wilt thou give such a kindness to them that ask not for it? They do not acknowledg their fault: if thou wilt shew mercy to them, stay till they acknowledg their fault, and be humbled, and ask pardon: nay (saith Christ) I will prevent poor sinners with my love; Though they do not ask forgiveness, yet I beg forgiveness, Father, forgive them.

But Lord, these are great sinners, and less mercy would serve the turn; forgiveness is a great mercy: no, (saith Christ) no mercy less than forgiveness will serve the turn, they'l be never the better for any mercy without forgiveness, therefore they shall have it; Father, forgive them: but forgiveness is a great mercy: be it so, saith Christ; I know what I do: I have great mercy, the greatest mercy for the greatest sinners; and because they cannot ask it, I will ask it for them, Father, forgive them.

Ʋse 6. Wo to you Professors, that have not true grace; from Matth 13. 12. Luk. 8. 18. them shall be taken away, even that which they have: Luke saith, From them shall be taken that which they seem to have.

For if we speak of true grace, they have not grace, only seem to have it: They seem to be holy, and their seeming holiness shall be taken from them: They seem to believe, and their seeming Faith shall be taken from them: They seem to repent, and their seeming Repentance shall be taken from them: They Matth. 13. 20. seem to joy in Christ, and in Mercy, and the Promises; but their seeming joy shall be taken from them.

The spirit doth but assume them; he doth not inform them, nor enliven them: As the dead bodies which Angels assume for a time, they seem to live, and talk, and eat and drink; but when the Angel leaves them, because they were not the Angels [Page 86] proper bodies, they vanish away, and lose that life they did seem to have: So the Spirit of God doth assume and act the souls of many men in the Church for a time, to do service for God by them; and all that while, they pray, and preach, and hear, and walk up and down in Duty, out of one Duty into another; and the Spirit leaves them, because he did but assume them, and then they drop down dead, as indeed they are, and always were.

Thus the Spirit did assume Judas for a time; Judas was but a dead man in soul all the time he was with Christ, only the Spirit of God assumed him, and acted him, and he followed Christ, and went about Preaching the Gospel with the other Disciples: but when the Spirit left him, he betrayed Christ for thirty pieces of silver (that was his proper work) and despaired, and dyed.

Ʋse 7. This should put the Saints upon a serious Tryal of their graces.

The Point tells you, that where there are beginnings of true grace, God will make rich Additions of more grace: Oh then, try what grace yours is: if it be true grace, God will give more grace; As the Apostle saith, He that hath begun a good work in you, will perfect it; If it be a good work, God will perfect it; he will cherish his own work.

Sirs, God will not nurse up a spurious seed, Bastard grace, whereof he is not the Father: Oh! then all you that would taste comfort from this Point, try your graces.

The Evangelical Hypocrite is he I aim at: There is Gospel-Hypocrisie, so I call it: for where the Gospel comes, there are two sorts of Persons that walk beside it.

1. Some directly oppose the Doctrine of it, and those are Justitiaries, that set up their own Righteousness, as the Jews Rom. 9. 31, 32. did.

And therefore it is said, That Christ came to his own, and his John 1. 11. own received him not.

And such are the Papists at this day, who are justly by our Divines said to answer to the Jewish Pharisees.

These are Christian Pharisees, they receive Christ in Name; but set up their own Righteousness, and will be justified by their [Page 87] own Works, and saved by their own Merits.

2. Others there are, that receive the Gospel, and so decry all their own Righteousness, and cry up Christ; they see nothing in themselves, and look for all from Christ, renouncing their own Righteousness, and resting upon Christ alone for sal­vation.

These are of divers sorts.

1. Some receive Christ with an Historical, lifeless Faith: they believe in Christ, but will not part with their sins: they gladly embrace Christ as a Saviour, but oppose Holiness, and will not change their lives; and because Christ came into the World to save sinners, they take liberty to sin, and hope to be saved as well as any: These are those we call our large Prote­stants, who are as great Enemies to Christ as Papists are.

The Papists persecute the true Christians in the Point of Do­ctrine, and these Enemies within us persecute the true Christi­ans in Point of Holiness.

The Papists they will be saved by works without Faith, these will be saved by Faith without works. These are spots in our feasts; The Epistles of James and John were written as Anti­dotes against this kind of poyson.

And Jude writes against these men, ungodly men, turning the Vers. 4. grace of God into lasciviousness: Arguing from mercy to liberty, which is the Divils Logick, Continuing in sin, that grace may abound.

And (my Beloved) in this lyeth the very form of an Evan­gelical Hypocrite, in denying his own Righteousness, to establish his sin; he will advance Christ, to advance his lust.

Dub. But how can open sinners keep their lusts, live in visible prophaneness, and yet believe in Christ?

Sol. Because the Gospel brings the sweetest and highest Con­solations along with it.

And therefore every man under sense of sin, will fly thither for Sanctuary, and hide himself under the Canopy of the Gos­pels mercy.

A man that travels under the fiery Beams of the Sun in an hot day, the cool shadow of a Tree is very refreshing, and he will sit there and rest himself under it.

Men that have their feet or their arms scalded, will put them into cold water which gives them ease, though it gives them no cure; yet, because it gives them ease, there they keep them: So men, whose Consciences are scalded with wrath; Oh! now the Gospel, and Justification by Faith in Christ is very sweet: And so they are eased by it, never cured by it; and therefore you shall find them disclaim all works, and cry up grace only; when Christ is offered, and general notice given them, that there is Mercy and Hope for great Sinners, this fills them with joy and peace.

But wherein doth these mens hypocrisie appear?

They receive Jesus Christ only for ease: I say, a false heart receives Christ only to ease him, to ease him of the terrour of Conscience, and to ease him of the work of Obedience. And here prophane Sinners find great ease: The weight of their guilty Consciences would press and sink them down, but that they bear up upon the Righteousness of Jesus Christ: Oh! he dyed for Sinners, and paid our debt, and now they are cheerful and easie: they can sin, and be easie; follow their drunkenness, and be easie; swim in their uncleanness, and be easie; for they make the Righteousness of Christ their Bladder to swim upon; and say what you will to them, they will not sink.

If you ask one of these drunkards, and haters of the Saints, and railers at godliness; I say, if you ask them, Do you believe in Christ? yes, say they: Believe, yea, we believe exceedingly: and so they do: the truth is, they believe beyond measure: but they believe and rest upon Jesus Christ, to ease themselves of sanctifica­tion: they cannot but see the want of it, and they cannot ease themselves, but by pleading, that Christ is holy, and that though they have it not, yet Christ hath it: This is a great ease to their thoughts at the present; and thus they receive Christ.

Oh Sirs! that you would consider the sad condition of this man, whose plagues shall be made wonderful, whose Consci­ence suits him still for sin, and then looks up to Christ, and rests there; and hears Sermons, but then salves up all with the Righteousness of Christ, and considers often that his ways are evil, but never suspects his faith to be evil: Then he is taken with Death, and then looks up to Christ; at last the snuff dyes, and his Sun sets, and darkness approacheth, and then instead of heaven embraceth flames: and what is it that hath deceived [Page 89] these men? Oh! their Faith hath deceived them: they believed they might have had Christ and Sin too: and then in Hell they wish, Oh! that I had considered, and feared this before: and will you not fear now?

I charge you then, think not your Estates good, because you rest on Christ, and look for salvation by him only.

2. There are others who receive Jesus Christ not only into their belief, but into their bosoms; not only into their heads, but also into their hearts: They have a great work upon them, the Gospel doth not only Irradiate their minds, but also (in a great measure) Captivate their Wills: they have affections to Christ, and sweet motions to holy things kindled in their hearts: They receive the word with joy and delight; Matth. 13. they fall into raptures of love to, and admiration of Jesus Christ; they do not only assent to the Doctrine of Justifica­tion by Christ, but are made partakers of the Holy Ghost; There is a change wrought in them, they seem to be washed 2 Pet. 2, 20. and sanctified in the blood of Christ, having escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledg of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ: And so they shine in the surface of their outward lives.

The hypocrisie of the heart springs from defect of light in the mind: The want of saving Illumination in the understand­ing, is the reason of the hypocrisie of the heart.

These two faculties [the Ʋnderstanding and the Will] live very near one another, if they be not really the same: some say, they are but one and the same power or faculty of the soul, and so there is a real Identity of the Will and Understanding; saying, that the Will is Intellectus extensus; others affirm, that they are faculties really distinct.

However it is by all concluded, that there must (in order of nature) be light before choice, knowledg before election; the Intellectual creature must see, before it can determine or resolve upon.

Now I say, the imperfect and unsound resolution of the soul flows from defect of light: The hypocrisie of the heart springs from the want of a saving Illumination in the Under­standing.

This appears in the Parable of the Virgins, of whom the Lord Christ saith, That five were wise, and five were foolish: The vanity of the one sprang from their folly; the provision [Page 90] of Oyl the others made, sprang from their Wisdom.

You know it's frequent in Solomons Proverbs, to call the up­right and godly man, the wise man; the sinner and hypocrite, the fool; the power of sin lyeth in the power of darkness: The strength of a State, in the Wisdom of its Council.

1. The Understanding is the first inlet of Sin and Grace: this is that which opens and shuts to all life and sin.

When Satan laid his Train and Powder-plot to blow up all the World by the sin of one man, he first enters into dispute with Eve, and (as the Apostle saith) deceived her; The woman was deceived, and so darkned her mind with a mist: 1 Tim. 2. 14. the serpent crept into her heart through the door of her Ʋn­derstanding.

There could no sin get into the Will, were there not an error first in the Ʋnderstanding.

2. And as the mind is the first inlet into sin, so it is the first door that lets in grace: Sanctifie them through thy truth, thy John 17. 17. John 12. 35. word is truth: Walk while you have the light, lest darkness come upon you.

Satan knew, if light came in, Christ would come in. Matth. 13. 15.

3. Divine light is very powerful: it hath a mighty influ­ence to change and renew the heart. We all with open face be­holding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory as by the spirit of the Lord: All Divine light of glory works strongly: if hypocrites had it, their hearts would be sincere: Not that bare light can change the will, but the Lord works by it: When the Lord comes with life, he comes with light. Awake thou that sleepest, Ephes. 5. 14. arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

When the spirit comes, all his work is expressed by con­viction, of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment: convince one effectually, and you convert him: You shall know the truth John 8. 32. (saith Christ), and it shall make you free; that is, from your bondage of sins, you shall be set at liberty.

I say, all hypocrisie springs from some want of this Di­vine light: The young man saw some worth in Christ, but not enough, and therefore forsook Christ.

A man may see the Lord Jesus in the letter of the Scripture, which though it be necessary to the saving Knowledg of Christ; yet to see the Lord Jesus no otherwise than in the letter, by [Page 91] the strength of Fancy and Understanding, this is no saving Knowledg of Jesus Christ.

Between the palpable ignorance of Christ without the Gos­pel, and the saving Knowledg of Christ in the Gospel, there is this middle Knowledg of Christ, which is literal, whereby a man doth see; yet in seeing, seeth not.

Now saving Illumination,

1. It is a peculiar Illumination: The greatest Scholar that ever lived, never had one such thought or apprehension of the Lord, and the things of the Lord, as the Saints have: To them the Lord reveals some things that the wisest in the world ne­ver knew.

2. It is a glorious and shining Illumination.

1. They behold a Glory in Christ's person: the Lord re­veals his hidden glory to them, such as never entred into their hearts before, or into the minds of other men; which, though others may talk and discourse of, yet they cannot see it in that manner as they do: It is therefore called a marve­lous light.

In John 1. 14. They saw Christ vailed in our Humane Na­ture, and darkned under the Cloud of a mean condition; And yet they beheld his glory, as of the only begotten of the John 1. 14. father.

The Jews saw the same Christ, yet could not see the same Glory in him.

2. They behold a glory in the holiness and graces of Jesus Christ: his graces strike a Majesty of him in their hearts: Oh that I were like him!

3. They behold a glory in his Covenant and Promises: Oh, that all those promises might be made good to me! this is all my desire.

4. They behold a glory in all the Ordinances of Christ: Oh Psal. 63. 1. Vers. 2. God! my soul thirsteth for thee—To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. How amiable Psal. 84. 1. Vers. 10. are thy Tabernacles, Oh Lord of hosts! A day in thy court is better than a thousand.

Oh the fellowship of Saints! Oh the lustre and beauty of his Sabbaths!

5. They behold a glory in the Commands and Will of Christ: [Page 92] Oh, if once I could in every thing give content to his heart! Such a soul had rather lose all, than cross his Will in a small thing: he seeth a glory in the least truth.

6. They see a glory in all his Dispensations: Have I but a little estate? This is the allowance he provides for me: I am less than the least of all thy mercies: His glory therefore appears, that I have a bit of bread to eat.

7. They behold a glory in the Cross of Christ; glory in all their sufferings: I am not worthy to suffer shame for the name of Christ: Moses esteemed the reproaches of Christ greater riches than the Treasures of Egypt.

We shall find a false heart ever fall short here.

3. It is a soul-humbling Illumination: One every way so fit and suitable to them, according to all their wants and woes; so far in Splendour and Majesty surpassing their unworthiness, and yet laying his greatness flat at the feet of their necessities and miseries; that when the soul doth see it, it usually fills the head, and heart, and eyes with tears: Oh, that I have despised him so glorious! Acts 2. 36, 37.

4. It is an endearing and attractive Illumination.

Sinners may (like Balaam) see the glory of the Tents of Is­rael, and the Star of Jacob; but they esteem him not in all his glory.

Many reprobates under a lively Ministry, may see some glory in Christ, and in his Saints; to think them the happy men, yet not esteem of him in all his glory.

The damned in Hell see a glory in Christ, else they would never grieve for the loss of him; yet they cannot love him, nor rejoyce in his glory.

But the light the Saints have of him, makes Christ transcen­dent in their eyes, and precious in their hearts: they esteem him beyond ten thousand Worlds.

3. But yet further; The secret Gospel-hypocrites have not hearts effectually to use and improve the means unto salva­tion: Salvation is the great end they would have; but they come short in the use of means; they draw not the Arrow to the head; they drive not home enough in the use of means.

The closest hypocrites discover themselves in an ineffectual use of the means unto salvation.

Men out of the Church, they perish because they have no [Page 93] remedy, no saving means to help: But why do those perish that are within the Church? Is it because there is no remedy? No: but because they do not use the remedy: Is it because they want means? No; but because they do not effectually improve the means: Here they fall short, herein they discover themselves.

Sirs, There is a Spirit of sloath and slumber which the Lord ever leaves the best hypocrite unto: The last Enemy God conquers in a man is his sloath: Now this hangs upon the most refined hypocrite to the end: he will Act, but 'tis remisly in order to salvation: he'l not act at all, or will not act throughly.

In the Parable of the Talents, one of the servants was cast Matth. 25. 24, 25. away, Why so? because he had no Talent? No; but because he had no mind, nor list to use his Talent: he was idle, and did not make his gain out of it, to attain his end; And therefore the Lord saith unto him, [ Thou wicked and sloath­ful Vers. 26. servant].

My Beloved, all the Ordinances of God, and all that time we have under them, are Talents: Now wherein do hypocrites fail? There is a secret gain of Ordinances which hypocrites regard not.

Why have many souls set a great price upon Christ, and yet have lost him, and gone without him? Because like indiffer­ent chapmen, they have had a desire to the Commodity, but have been loth to be at the full cost for him.

The Lord sets before you the highest and most glorious end, but 'tis through many difficulties that we must arrive at it; now there being a spirit of Security and sloth within, and those dfficulties without; a hypocrite sits down and rests under the shadow of his negligence; and saith, 'Tis hard; and because he cannot do so, he hopes 'tis but an infirmity, and God will ac­cept of his desires. And here he perisheth.

The Israelites (you know) were bound for Canaan, they aimed at it; but when their spies had told them of the difficul­ties, their spirits sunk within them, only Caleb and Joshuah had upright hearts, and followed the Lord fully.

These spiritual merchants do prize and earnestly desire the Treasures of Heaven, here's their end: But to be at the cost to prepare a Ship, to embark upon the trouble of an Heaven­voyage [Page 94] to fetch this Treasure, to sail through a dangerous Sea of Temptations, through evil and good report, through the powers of darkness, through the oppositions of the World, and the contradictions of a sinful and unbelieving heart; to lanch from one depth, and wave to another: This the best hypocrite fails in, and loseth all at last.

My Beloved, here you may see the root of all the complaints that are in the mouths of many Professors, they are ever com­plaining and crying out of wants, but never feel supplies; ever confessing their sins, but never triumphing over their sin; ever hoping, never having; ever wishing that they had the Lord, but never enjoying the Lord: Why? what's the cause of this? Is heaven so barren, that there are no golden mines there? Are the fields of Gods Ordinances so empty, that there is no treasure to be found there? Surely no: Gods Store-houses and Granaries are full, but Christians are lazy; there is the Treasure, but they cannot, or will not dig for it: If thou cry­est Prov. 2. 3, 4, 5. after knowledg, and liftest up thy voice for understanding: If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her, as for hid treasures: Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledg of God.

Men pray against sin, and if a few sighs will fetch in strength, well and good; if not, they cast that shovel by, Dig I cannot.

They spend some time in mourning, and laying sin to heart; but if they cannot presently feel the bitterness of it, I cannot help it (say they) Dig I cannot.

You complain, you seek and find not; but do you seek dili­gently? He that cometh to God, must believe that he is, and that Heb. 11. 6. he is a rewarder [...] to those that seek him diligently and earnestly.

You complain that your hearts are fugitive and wandring, undisposed to what is good.

But I pray you, Do you keep them with all diligence? Are you at pains to keep your hearts? There, there it lyeth, you are idle and slothful, you love not to sit up and watch your hearts.

Keep thy heart (saith Solomon) with all diligence: Prov. 4. 23.

Above all keeping: That is, more than any of those things or treasures, which thou dest keep, though never so strictly.

You complain you meet not with assurance: but you can [Page 95] live well enough without it, and make up the want of it with other comforts: Your contentments in the world make up the absence of Christ from you, and is not this a neglect of him? Yet you complain you want assurance, but do you use the ut­most cost and care to make it sure? As the Apostle saith, Give all diligence to make your calling and election sure. 2 Pet. 1. 10.

Oh! come then and examine your selves by this rule: Tell me, you poor Creatures, Do you not often find checks for sin, desires against it; Christ and Mercy weeping at your knees, and your hearts almost perswaded? Do you not find some movings towards the Lord, but yet withall a dead, sloathful heart stays you again, and will not let you offer violence to your selves?

4. An hypocrite, his turning from sin, is but an exchange of one sin for another.

Many will say unto me, I am no hypocrite; for I have left these, and those dear lusts which pleased me very well: My drunkenness pleased me, but I have left it; my carnal mirth was my daily Cordial, but I have thrown away the Cup and spilt it; I was an oppressour and dealt unjustly, but I have left it off: Well, this is well done; but hast thou entertained no other sin in the stead of it?

I tell you, An hypocrite his turning from sin, is but an ex­change of one sin for another: When one sin is cast away, another steps in the room of it; and when that is gone, ano­ther supplies the place of that too; and commonly the strongest sin and temptation is the last.

The reason is, because his Nature is not changed.

The sin of Nature only is most properly the reigning sin.

It hath been a Question, What is a mans reigning sin? his Ma­ster-sin? But no sin is able to reign over any man, but by Commission and Power from his sin of Nature: As the weeds can never grow tall, but by virtte of their soyl where they grow: All the Boughs flourish by virtue of the root on which they grow; And therefore we shall see, let Satan sow his seeds of pride, or lust, or passion in a man whose nature is changed, 'tis impossible they should come to any perfection there; but they will dye away within a time, because the heart of the soyl is gone.

Hence also it comes to pass that a mans Master-sin may be [Page 96] changed: Those sins that are his Master-sins in his youth, are not in his old age; those that are at one time, in one place, are not in another.

Now there could never be such change of Governours and Vice-roys, unless there were some great King that sets up one, and pulls down another, Satis pro imperio.

This therefore is the reigning sin, which pulls down one sin, and sets up another under it, which gives strength to every sin.

Now a gracious change is a full change; not only a change, but a full change; not only a Conversion (for an hypocrite may be converted) but a full Conversion: 'Tis said of Ama­ziah, That he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, 2 Chron. 25. but not with a PERFECT HEART: Judah turned to 2. Jer. 3. 10. the Lord, but not with her whole heart.

So then, you see hypocrites may be converted: There may be a turning to the Lord, but not a whole turning: there are many that have a Conversion, but not a full Conversion.

What is a full Conversion?

• First, It is a deep Conversion.
• Secondly, It is a universal Conversion.
• Thirdly, It is an high Conversion.

1. It is a deep Conversion; it strikes at the root, and subdues the very natural corruption; I say, more or less it kills the natural corruption, and so by degrees ruinates the very foun­dation of sin: so that in true Conversion, nature it self is slain, I mean corrupt nature; it dyes and rots like a root in the earth; and in this, the superficial Conversion falls short.

That you may understand it, you must know, there are two corruptions of Nature:

• 1. The one natural.
• 2. The other acquired.

The natural depravation is expressed by David, I was con­ceived in iniquity; and in that of Job, Who can bring a clean thing out of filthiness?

The acquired Corruption of Nature is expressed in that Text, All flesh had corrupted his ways. From the natural Corruption proceeds the acquired, and by the acquired, the natural corruption is inflamed.

The natural corruption cannot be repaired but by grace and regeneration.

The acquired Corruption of Nature was got by custom and habit, and so it may be lost by habit.

A man may free himself from his acquired Corruptions, he may by care and industry of his own, mortifie his acquired de­pravations of Nature.

As we read of many, Socrates and Plato, who by their Wis­dom and Industry freed themselves from the slavery of many sensual appetites and passions, which their corrupt nature and evil company had led them into, and yet the natural corrup­tion remained still.

Thou thinkest thou art converted, because thou hast over­come thy drunkenness; but drunkenness is but an acquired cor­ruption, thou didst get it by custom, and mayst break it by custom, and yet nature remain still unchanged.

5. The change of the heart chiefly appears in the change of the ultimate or utmost end.

As the Pollution of the whole man, and all his Actions, Moral, Civil, and Religious, consists chiefly, and appears in seeking self, or making our selves our utmost end; so our san­ctification lyeth in this, and appears chiefly in making God the ultimate end of all we do.

A man before he is sanctified, desires God and Christ, only to keep his sores from aking: for so I look upon all men made up of wants; if the body ake with diseases and pains, the stomack with hunger, conscience for sin; all their happi­ness lyeth in the easing thereof, here lyeth their bliss: They seek after God only as a Physitian to heal or cure them, but not as the end of their cure: The sick man sends for the Phy­sitian, but his health and recovery is his end; so do men be­fore their Conversion, in their pangs of Conscience, their afflictions, their wants and necessities; they seek to God, and make use of God as an instrument, but their ease and inter­ests are their ends: Jehu sought the Lord, but his last end was himself.

But when the heart is sanctified, then God is their end; in­stead of their lusts and sins, God is the only end in their eye; instead of the riches or comforts of the World, God is the Object in their eye: Whom have I in heaven but thee? and Psal. 73. 25. there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee: God was instead of all things to him.

1. The soul seeth its own vileness, and the Lord in his Glo­ry: This is the first Principle of seeking the Lord: the soul seeth all his good laid up in the Lord, more than in him­self; nay wholly in the Lord, not at all in himself: All my springs (saith the soul) are in thee: All my treasures of Righteousness and Redemption, all my riches of Wisdom and Sanctification, they are all in thee; and therefore the Saints, when they see their own vileness, and the Lord in his Glory, are so far from seeking, that they loath themselves.

2. The soul slights the creatures, as vessels of meer vanity.

Oh try your selves then by this touchstone!

A carnal heart may cross his own Will, but not his own ut­most end.

A man may seek the Lord with delight, and follow the Zech. 7. 5, 6. Isa. 58. 4, 5. Ordinances, and fast, and pray, but himself is his end still.

How shall we know we make God our end?

1. When you make him your happiness: those that are throughly sanctified, make the Lord their last end and hap­piness: Happy art thou, O Israel; who is like unto thee, O Deut. 33. 29. Psal 144. 15. people! Happy are those people, whose God is the Lord.

The full rest and peace of the soul is to be found only in the Presence of God, in this Being of Beings: his perfections are in himself, he keeps a perpetual sabbath of rest in himself: And in this rest only the gracious soul seeks his rest; God is the journeys-end of all his Labours, Life, and Travels.

When Solomon had tyred out himself in his Travels through all the things of this World, at last he returns empty and cry­ing home; and now when he sums up all his Glory, he saith, The words of the preacher the Son of David, King in Jeru­salem. Eccl. 1. 1.

He stiles himself,

1. A man gathered to the Church, to be as near God as he can.

2. The Son of David, to whom the promises were made.

And then thirdly, King of Jerusalem, the least and last of all.

Secondly, When you do the Lords work purely for the Lord: the Hypocrite will do the Lords work, but 'tis, be­cause his own Interests are bound up with it. As a man that [Page 99] goes to the City, he will do your business, but he would not go, unless he had affairs of his own to do there.

But the gracious heart will go for God, and ride for God, meerly upon the Lords occasions.

Thirdly, When you carry all things down the stream to­ward God: As a River running toward the Sea, many springs fall and run into it, but it carrieth them down all with it; so the upright soul, there are many occasions, hinderances, businesses, but he carrieth them all down along with him; they must all go with him, they shall not divert him, but he will over-master them, and lead them his way; nay the more he is hindred, the more violent is his motion; It is time for thee, O Lord, to work, for they have made void thy Psal. 119. 126. 127. law, therefore love I thy Commandments above gold, yea above fine gold.

Fourthly, Therefore they that are sanctified, love the Lord fully, that is above all.

A man is highly endeared to that which he makes his end: his end commands his affections: to love the Lord, and to be beloved of the Lord, and behold his Glory, is the main end of the upright heart.

Fifthly, They that are sanctified, dedicate themselves to the Will of God; I mean to the whole Will of God: Their will is emptied into his will: Teach me to do thy will, Psal. 143. 10. Psal. 40. 8. O God: I delight to do thy will, O my God, yea, thy law is with­in my heart.

The Hebrew word for an holy man, is a consecrated man, [...] a man seperated from common to a Divine use.

The sanctified man, is a man separated from his own will, and set apart to do Gods Will; he is gone out of his own Will, and lives at a distance from it; he is sorry that he hath served his own will so long, and is weary of the service.

1. They that are sanctified, do Gods Will, purely because it is his will; because it pleaseth him: there is a dear propen­sity in the Saints to do Gods Will, because it pleaseth him. Thus saith the Lord unto ths Eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, Isa. 56. 4. and chuse the things that please me: This is their choice, it is in their hearts to do it, because it pleaseth the Lord: I will Psal. 69. 30. praise the name of God with a song, and magnifie it with thanks­giving: This also shall please the Lord better than an Ox or Vers. 31. Bullock that hath Horns and Hoofs.

This is the Motive and loadstone of their Obedience, in that it pleaseth him: This is the joy of their work, and that which makes musick upon the strings of their hearts, because it plea­seth him.

It is with every man, as it was with Sampson, he would needs have a wife of the Philistins; Why so? because she plea­seth Judg. 14. 3. me.

So why do men seek themselves, love themselves, and espouse these and those lusts, but because it pleaseth them: Look then, as the soul, when he loved himself, did seek to please only his own will in every thing and 'twas good, because it plea­sed him; so the Saint, whose heart is now endeared to Christ, though he cannot perfectly do it (that's in Heaven), yet he seeks to give the whole will of Christ content, because it plea­seth Christ.

He that is unmarried (saith the Apostle) careth for the 1 Cor. 7. 32. things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord.

2. The upright heart, though he cannot joy in the Lords Love, yet he will joy in the Lords Will: His delight is in the Psal. 1. 2. Law of the Lord, and in his Law doth he meditate day and night.

3. They close with the whole Will of God as their hap­piness.

It is not only good to do the Lords Will, (for thus men may seek the Lord, as thinking it good so to do) but as their Blessedness; else 'tis not their last end, and so not sought as their last end.

The sanctified soul obeys God as his Blessedness; Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the Law of the Lord: Psal. 119. 1. Vers. 2. Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart: This makes them seek God with the whole heart, because they count this their Blessedness; this makes a gracious heart prize service to God above the whole Creation, and set an higher rate upon a good work, than up­on a miracle; he had rather be obeying, than working mi­racles; rather humbling his soul, than removing mountains, because he is doing the Will of God.

Ʋse 8. Saints reach after more grace: It should not con­tent a Saint to have grace, but to have more grace: As it [Page 101] doth not content God to give grace, but to give more grace; so it should not content a Saint to have grace, but to have more grace: Because,

1. The more grace thou hast, the more of God thou hast in thee: And he that is full of grace, is full of God: To know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might Eph. 3. 19. be filled with all the fulness of God.

2. Abundance of grace is lovely; for grace is the beauty of the soul; the quintessence and sweetness, that doth dulci­fie and perfume the soul.

A little sugar doth not sweeten a cup; especially if it be a bitter cup, such as mans nature is: we say of a little, that 'tis as good as none at all.

A little Frankincense doth not perfume a room, especially if it be a stinking room, such as mans impure nature is.

Where grace is predominant, there a Saint is lovely.

Ah my Beloved! God would have the Saints lovely in his eye, and lovely in the Worlds eye: Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorifie your Father which is in heaven. There must be abun­dance of light in thee to shine over all the Horizon of thy Conversation; as there is abundance of light in the Sun that shines over all the Hemisphere we live in, and therefore 'tis a great body; so must thou be a great Saint to shine before all men; and therefore the little stars do not shine scarce to our eye.

Ah my Beloved! This is the reason why many, who call themselves Saints, are not lovely in the eyes of the World; they have not abundance of grace; they have abundance of profession, but not abundance of grace; abundance of pro­fession, but little grace; and this makes them so odious in the World; abundance of profession (without grace) makes them but the more odious in the world: The world seeth so much pride, and so little humility in them; so much worldliness, and so little of Heaven in them; so much unjust dealing, and so little truth in them, that the world is apt enough to conclude, that either this is not the Gospel which they profess, or that they are not true to their profession.

John the Baptist had abundance of grace, and he was very lovely in the eye of the World; he was lovely in Herods eye. Mark 6. 20.

3. Abundance of grace is lively: for grace is the life of the soul; and where life is but weak, there the actings are not lively: A weak man cannot run; But saith David, I will run the way of thy Commandments: He was lively, for he had Psal. 119. 32. abundance of grace.

Moses was mighty in Prayer; saith God, Let me alone, that Exod. 32. 10. my wrath may wax hot against them, i. e. hinder me not by thy Prayer from punishing them: Moses had abundance of Spirit, he was too hard for God himself (as I may say with reverence): Saints, had ye abundance of Faith, ye would be lively in believing: As 'tis said of Abraham, He was strong Rom. 4. 20. in Faith.

4. The more grace thou hast, the more terrible to the Devils: The Devil trembles at the mighty Prayers of a gra­cious man; the Devil trembles at the strong Faith of a gra­cious man: Oh! Who would not have grace? And who would not have much grace?

When the Apostles (acted by Faith) came (as Christ said) to cast out Devils; Did not the Devils tremble at them? Saint, he fears thee, more than thou needest fear him: Jesus, I know, Act. 19. 15. and Paul I know; said the Devil: That is, I know them to my fear; they have put me to flight many a time: And if you were such as they, I should fear you also: Believe it, Soul, he trembles at thy holiness, he trembles at thy Faith; put it forth in Prayer, and thou shalt see him run: Resist the Devil, Jam. 4. 8. and he will flie from you.

5. The more grace thou hast, the more thou shalt-serve the Lord, which is the true and proper end of thy Cre­ation: Lord (saith one) is it much that I serve thee, whom Thom. a Kem­pis, l. 3. c. 10. all creatures are bound to serve? It ought not to seem much unto me, to serve thee; but this rather seems much and marve­lous to me, that thou vouchsafest to receive into thy service one so poor and unworthy to serve thee: He goeth on, Behold, all is thine which I have, and whereby I serve thee: and yet in very deed, thou rather servest me, than I thee.

6. Nothing but grace will bring thee to Heaven: Vanity of vanities, and all is vanity, but only to love God, and wholly to serve him.

Knowledg is Vanity: yea Knowledg of God himself is Va­nity, and of Christ himself is Vanity, without grace to love [Page 103] him, and live to him: As one saith, What will it avail thee Tho. a Kempis. to dispute profoundly of the Trinity, if thou be void of grace, and displease the Trinity? High words surely make a man neither holy, nor just, but grace makes him dear to God.

It is vanity to seek after fading riches, it is vanity to gape after withering honours; vanity it is to wish to live long, and to be careless to live well.

But now many will say, grace doth increase in us: we do reach after more grace: and this many false hearts say they do. My Beloved, false grace may grow, and doth lengthen out in desires and dimensions: many that are Hypocrites glory in this, that their graces grow.

I must therefore shew you the difference between the increase of true grace, and counterfeit grace.

1. The Hypocrite grows out of Emulation: The true Saint grows out of love to goodness: The Hypocrite is grieved that others go beyond him, and over-match him; not love to grace, but a spirit of envy makes him to advance: The true Saint grows out of Duty to God, to bring in more glory to his Name: The growth of others is matter of his joy, not of his repining: He is glad that God is better served, though it be by another; his only grief is, that himself can serve him no better.

2. The Hypocrite (another sort of them) groweth in Parts, but not in the Power of godliness; in gifts and curiosities, but not in vital and Divine quicknings: In Knowledg and Specula­tions, but not in strength against sin and temptations.

Judas by conversing with Christ, could not but grow in Knowledg; but being not incorporate into Christ, never grew in grace.

But the true Saint grows in his spiritual life, in Union to Christ, in Communion with God.

The Hypocrite may grow in quantity, but not in quality; the real Saint grows as much in quality, as in quantity.

3. The Hypocrite may grow more and more in hearing the word, but the Saint grows in tasting the word; and in tasting that most deliciously, which is most spiritual: The Hypocrite longs more after new truths, but the Saint tastes old Promi­ses with new affections, and old truths with a new appetite: The Knowledg of an Hypocrite may grow bigger, but the [Page 104] Knowledg of a Saint grows more savoury and judicious: The Hypocrite may know more Objects than he did before; but the Saint relishes the things more sweetly which he knew before.

The Hypocrite may grow in enlargements, and pour out lon­ger Prayers; but the Saint prays more spiritually.

The Hypocrites zeal may be a great fire; but the Saints zeal is more heavenly and discreet; there is more incense in his golden censer, his love more solid and active, more to God, and less to himself and the world.

The hypocrite is like a tree, that bears great Apples, but they are sower; but the Saint, the fruit he bears it may be are not such big Apples, but they are sweet Apples, the juice is better, that gives them a more pleasant relish in Gods palate.

There is a sweeter juice of love and kindness, and godly sorrow, and filial delight in God, in a Saints duties; and here the Saints growth chiefly lyes, his fruit groweth more ripe and mellow, and so more pleasant and sweet: His Prayers are not bigger in quantity, but better in quality; he grows in choiceness of spirit; he comes to the Throne of grace with a more precious esteem of Christ upon his heart: He comes to the word with a dearer thirst upon his palate; 'tis the same Christ that is set still before him, but he relisheth Christ more sweetly, receiveth and tasteth the same promises more ra­vishingly, trembleth at the same threatnings more tenderly and meltingly: Whereas the hypocrite is cloyed with the word, if it be not dish'd up to his palate; but the Saints pa­late is spiritualized to the word.

The hypocrites tast of Sermons, is flatted by reading of Books; but the Saints taste is quickned by the sense of his wants.

For this is the true use of reading, and the end of Know­ledg, To make ƲS more sensible of our wants, and make Christ more excellent in our eyes.

Therefore in taking notes, the hypocrite picks out matter here and there according to his nice and licquorish palate; but the hungry Saint takes all, and feeds upon all that comes be­fore him, feeling his need to be stirred up to consider what he knows.

Ʋse 9. Here's a sweet ground to assure the Saints perse­verance: To him that hath grace, he shall not lose it, but more shall be given him; he shall not lose what he hath, but he shall have more than he hath; he shall not fall away, but stand faster.

They that fall away, are those that have not truth of grace at all; Whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away, even that he hath.

But the poor Saint, that hath, To him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance.

He shall be so far from losing grace, that he shall have more grace.

Dub. But my grace is but little, I cannot stand.

Sol. God shall make thee stand, Rom. 14. 4. Where dis­puting of him that is weak in the faith, (Vers. 1.) saith he, (Vers. 4.) HE shall be holden up, for God is able to make him stand.

The more weak thou art, the more tender God will be over thee; if thou canst not stand, he will make thee stand, thou shalt stand in his arms.

In Christ, you have not only the graces of Christ, but the spirit of Christ.

I pray you mark it.

1. If Adam had stood (how long, we know not; it may be, had he stood the first shock of Satans temptation), all his Posterity should have had that assistance of the Spirit, that they should have never fallen; as the Holy Angels, that were contented with their first station, and abode in the truth (when the other Angels fell), this was their Obedience, that they were loyal in the day of their great Tryal, when the others their Fellow angels rebelled, and their reward was, That they are confirmed in their happy condition, and secured in it; so if Adam hemself (in whom we were all one man) had stood, I say, if he therefore had stood it out to the last, both he and all his Posterity should have had the continual and con­stant assistance of the Spirit, and been confirmed, so as never to have fallen.

And the ground is, the rule of Justice; for if he falling, all his Posterity are forsaken of God, and put under the Reign of Sin, and Death, and Satan; then, he standing, all his Posterity [Page 106] should have had the perpetual Presence of Gods Spirit, and been under the everlasting Reign of the Spirit of grace and life.

2. But now Jesus Christ the second Adam (who was the Head of the new seed and family) he stood; and therefore propagates to all his Posterity the perennious Presence, and constant assistance of the Spirit, whereby (being once begot­ten of him), they live for ever, and abide in him.

As in Adams fall, we all fell, so in Christs standing, we all stand; the Lord Jesus having stood, they cannot fall; because by virtue of his standing, they have the eternal Presence of the Holy Ghost: I say the ground is Christs standing; for though there are many reasons, why the Saints shall not fall from Christ, as the immutable love of God, the Covenant of Grace, the spirit of Grace, and the Intercession of Jesus Christ: yet all these are bottomed upon Christs standing and fulfil­ing the first Covenant: For therefore is the Covenant of grace unchangeable, and the federal love of God to us in that Covenant immutable, and the dwelling of the spirit eternal, and the sealing of the spirit indelible, because built upon the unchangeable Priesthood of Jesus Christ, such a Priest as stood and finished the work, so stood as to satisfie Justice, and van­quish Satan: And the Intercession of Jesus Christ in Heaven for us is built upon the standing and perseverance of Jesus Christ; had not Christ stood, his Intercession had not now been standing; had he fell, that had fell to the ground also: had he fell, the Holy Ghost had not been given.

Hence it is that the Covenant of grace reigns to life Rom. 5. 21. eternal.

Hence it is that they who receive Christ, shall be sure to Vers. 27. reign with him.

Hence it is, that our Justification by Christ is not a tottering or fallible Justification, that may be lost, but a Justification Vers. 18. unto life.

In a word; hence it is, that the Spirit when he comes, he comes to dwell and abide in Believers. Rom. 8. 11.

He is called the spirit that abides for ever.

And now I am returned where I began; Saints, your per­severance is certain in it self (though not perhaps to you), because in Jesus Christ you have not only the graces of [Page 107] Christ, but the spirit of Christ: the spirit dwelling and abi­ding in you.

1. The spirit knits the soul to the Lord, and never suffers that Love-knot to be untied again: This knot the spirit makes, is stronger than the Gordian-knot, which cannot only not be loosed, but cannot be cut asunder.

The Gordian-knot, Alexander the Great, when he could not loose it, cut it asunder; but this knot whereby the Saints are tyed to Christ, 'tis such a knot as can neither be untied, nor cut asunder.

2. When the poor soul is careless of himself, the spirit keeps him; he sleeps, and the spirit sits by him: The wise vir­gins took a nap as well as the foolish; they fell into a sleep of carnal security, but the spirit watcht by them, and awa­ked them.

3. When the poor soul is weak, the spirit helps him.

4. When the froward soul offers to run from the Lord, the Spirit follows him: Jonah run from God, but the Spirit fol­lows him into the Sea, and into the Whales belly, and there he prayeth, and looks again toward the holy Temple: Is not this your wonder?

5. When the unkind soul grieves the spirit, yet the spirit still keeps the house, and will not depart from him, and so not suffer the soul wholly to depart from the Lord: When David sinned and defiled himself, he grieved the spirit, he pol­luted the house, and yet the spirit would not leave the house; the spirit stai'd to keep grace alive in the embers, and to blow it again into a new flame at Nathans Sermon.

Ʋse 10. You, to whom God hath given grace; the be­ginnings of grace; here's a great deal of work for you to do.

1. Give the Lord the Honour of his grace: And now (the Lord knows) I know not to whom I speak: The Lord knows who are his.

Some that make the least appearance, may have the great­est grace; and some that cast the greatest lustre, may have no grace; a slight Impression upon the soul, among men, goeth for grace: But you that have searched your hearts, and found the pearl there, give the Lord the Honour of his grace, [Page 108] that ever he should plant such a flower in your bosoms.

For the last end of all the Elect is to admire and honour the riches of Gods grace. Eph. 1. 5, 6.

Beloved, This is Heavens work, Oh! learn this song before you go thither, which none learn but the redeemed and sealed Rev. 14. 3. of the Lord.

The Lord in all his dealings with his people, seeks lastly to bring about the glory of his grace.

1. He leaves them a long time in their graves of sin, before he gives them the resurrection of grace: that they live like other men, wallow in sin as other men; which is strange, that he that loved them so long, should leave them so long to be as bad as any; yet this he doth, because it makes for the praise of his grace, Eph. 2. 2, 4, 7, 8 verses.

And this doth so confound Gods People, that they wish not only Heaven, but Earth and Ages to come, may record this love.

2. Out of men fallen he picks out usually the poorest and the vilest: The younger Brother, most despised, and least re­spected in a Family, and leaves the elder: Jacob have I loved, Rom. 9. 11, 13. 1. Cor. 1. 26. Esau have I hated.

This is strange that the Lord should chuse thus; but this he doth to blur the Glory of all the World.

3. The Lord leaves many wants in his People, under which they sit sighing, and sometime very long: Sometimes he takes away those feelings, those enlargements they had, hides his face from them; that if ever he returns in love, his grace may be the sweeter, and last the longer,

4. Sometimes he refuseth to hear their Prayers, that when he doth answer them; at last his free-grace may be adored and cryed up.

5. Sometimes he humbleth them with vexing sins, and pricking distempers, and it is to advance grace. 2. Cor. 12. 7, 9.

6. In a word, you shall find the Lord so strangely carrying on matters (as if he did not love, nor care for his people) a­gainst the hair and grain of their desires; and when all comes to winding up, 'tis to advance grace.

All a mans good days, and bad days; all Gods frowns and smiles; all the Lords food and physick; all God cares for, works, and plots for, 'tis to do his people no more hurt than [Page 109] this, To advance his grace in them, and by them.

All his hewings and hammerings of you, his knocking you a pieces, and new melting, and new casting of you 'tis that you may be vessels of his glorious grace, that you may be able to live in the Air of Gods grace, to suck in, and breathe out grace; and let all the powers of Hell seek to blur it, yet grace shall conquer: Who would not be under grace! Oh poor creature! Satan is tempting, sin vexing, yet grace must reign.

2. Act for Jesus Christ: Do the work of Christ, and finish it: Christ gives grace, because he hath given work for grace to do: Christ sets up a work in you, that he may do work by you for himself: every Principle is for Operation: The eye for seeing, and the ear for hearing: so grace is for work.

Now, I say, Christ hath begun a good work in you; be you then at his work daily, and finish it.

As it was with Christ the Head, so should it be with all his members; I have finished the work which thou gavest me Joh. 17. 4. to do.

The Apostle speaking to the Saints that had grace begun in them, saith he, As you have yielded your members servants Rom. 6. 19. to uncleanness, and to iniquity—Even so now yield your mem­bers servants to righteousness, unto holiness.

Peter writing to them, saith, The time past of our life may 1 Pet. 4. 3. suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles.

Sirs, before you had grace, you served sin; and having grace, will you not stir up your selves to serve Jesus Christ? Your so long service to sin, should set a keen edg upon you to serve Jesus Christ.

You live in Times and Places wherein men have so much work of their own to do, that Christ is neglected; and few men walk with God, or act for God.

Some take mens Examples for patterns and copies, and con­tent themselves to do as others do.

Others are apt to put off Christ with desires, but serve Sa­tan indeed: Others are catching at comforts and promises, but neglect Precepts; the Commands of God are tedious and burthensom to them: Surely then, you in whom the work of grace is begun, it stands you upon to be at work for God: [Page 110] whilst others shut up shop, and are Bankrupts, you should drive on a Trade for him.

1. For he hath set you up again: he hath underlaid and stockt you with Principles of Action; he hath put you into a way of doing, and given you wheels to move upon; he hath made you Wings to fly.

Object. Many excuse their negligence by pretending inability: How often do Saints put a fine dress upon their laziness! Alas I am nothing of my self: except God give me an heart and strength, what can I do? Without me ( saith Christ) ye can John 15. 5. do nothing.

Answ. Do not deceive your selves, God will not be mocked.

1. The words of Christ have this meaning, without me, that is, separate from me, ye can do nothing; that is, till you are planted in me: Now you say, you are planted in Christ, and therefore your excuse is but a lye: This expression of Christ speaks no more but this, that till you be knit to Christ, you are but dead and barren Branches, as Christ explains him­self; As the branch cannot bring forth fruit of it self, ex­cept it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Vers. 4. me.

Now you say, you are knit and united to Christ; and therefore away with these couzening vizors and palliations: If you are not yet in Christ, then confess it; if you say you are in Christ, then say not, you can do nothing.

2. The regenerate have a power to Act for God, and to do work for Christ.

First, Else there is no specifical difference between a man regenerate, and unregenerate, if both were without strength.

Secondly, We should not have as much benefit by the se­cond Adam, as we had by the first Adam: The first would have communicated his Power to do good, and being cor­rupted, doth communicate Power to do evil: Therefore much more by Christ have we a Power to act for God in our mea­sure.

Thirdly, If you are in Christ, you are living Branches, [Page 111] vital Members, and all life is a Power to act.

Fourthly, What is grace but a repairing of that Holiness and Image of God, which we lost in Adam? But that was a Power to do what God required, therefore so far as that Image is renewed, so far there is a Power.

And therefore Saints, Act for Jesus Christ: I say, you have wings, and therefore fly upon action, soar up a lost in Service for Jesus Christ: God hath given you feet, and therefore run the way of his Commandments.

God hath said to you, as Peter did to the man that was Act 3. lame from his mothers Womb, In the name of Jesus Christ rise up and walk, and your feet and ancle-bones received strength: And therefore God expects that you should be upon employ­ment for him.

If you say, It is true, we have habitual grace, a new frame of heart; but we must have assisting grace and influence, else we can do nothing; the work is hard, and we cannot act without new breathings.

I say, Let the duty be to nature impossible, yet the Lord is at hand to help, even when there is no strength: He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might, he Isa. 40. 29. increaseth strength.

You know how the Israelites pleaded impossibilities, and then the Lords anger rose when they were ready to enter Canaan.

If you had no Christ, no Spirit, no Promise to assure you to help, you might then let fall Duties, and cease to action, and say 'tis impossible I should ever overcome such sins, or at­tain such a measure of grace; or bear the Cross, or do any thing

But when Promises to assure you, and Christ and Spirit to breathe upon you, are at hand; now to plead impossibility, is to reproach the Lord: If you were under the Law, you might plead this; but under Grace 'tis horrible to make this excuse: Remem­ber therefore Gideon, and Sampson, and David, who went out in the Name and Spirit of the Lord, and they were helped.

3. Know this, that the more difficult any work or duty is, the more sweetness shall you find in it, if you break through it: He that overcomes, shall eat of the hidden Manna: Have you not found your selves dead to Prayer? yet you fell to [Page 112] it, and then would not but have took the season for a world: The husbandman that hath laboured, eats afterward of his 2 Tim. 2. 6. fruit.

You plead the difficulty of a Christian life, and therefore taste not the sweetness of it: If you can do no more than what is easie, and pleaseth self, the Lord will never let you taste the sweetness of pleasing him.

4. What do you mean to be? Like whom? Christ teach­eth you to breathe out this Prayer, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven: Do you look for Heaven, and will you not act as they do in Heaven? whom do you make your pat­terns? If you are not like Heaven, you are Bastards, not Sons: I am sure Angels are content to come out of Heaven to do the work of God; nay the Lord Christ himself came down from Heaven, and was made lower than the Angels to do the Work of God; and shall your hands shrink at it? or will you think your selves too good to do it? You have here the noblest patterns, and most unparallel'd Copies to write after: Like whom then do you mean to be? Will you draw back from Angels work? from the work the Son of God was at? If you mean to shine as Angels, do the Work of God with Angels; if you would be where Christ is, be at the work that Christ was.

And let me tell you, your time is but short, and you have done but little work, none at all to purpose; and 'tis not long till your Crown shall be put upon your head; and will you not be ashamed then to wear so rich a Crown for so poor a Service? To have God pay you so great wages for so little work done. Certainly, if ever it come to your share to be saved, you will (when the Crown is putting upon your head) blush for shame to think of your cowardise, and your laziness, that you should wear a Crown, that have done so little work.

Fifthly, The Lord will do thy work: do thou but his work, and he will do thine: The Lord will take the care and charge of thee, to bring about thy ends for thee: many of you are spa­ring in Christs work, because of so many distractions of your own; others of you wave Christs work out of love to your own, I mean the World; What will become of my Family, Wife and Children? Oh unbelieving wretches! set your hearts [Page 113] to do Gods Work, and he'l take the care of your Families and Children upon himself: set thy face to the Sun, and these shadows will follow you: The Lord is a sun and a shield, the Psal. 84. 11. Lord will give grace and glory, [the Lord will give grace, i. e. honour and esteem among men, the favour of men, and glory too in the World], No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly: Set thy face then toward this glo­rious Sun, serve him, and these shadows will follow thee.

Solomon, you know, askt for Wisdom, that he might discern between good and bad, and judg the people; and God tells him, because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked riohes and honours, therefore I will give thee riches and ho­nours.

Solomon, his great care and work was to rule a State well, and the Lord gave him all the rest; he set his face to the Sun, and the shadows followed him: Oh then, Sirs, Act for God, up and be doing, do his work, and he'l do yours.

There are these three Things attend the man that gives himself to do work for God.

1. There shall not any evil hurt thee: The three children were in the fire, and yet the fire did not, could not hurt them: In the fire, and in the water (saith God) I will be with thee, there shall not any evil hurt thee: Whereas, if thou dost not, thy good things shall, they shall hurt thee: Thy riches, and thine honours, they shall lift thee up, and there make thy head giddy upon the top of thy glory, and then thou comest tumbling down, like a drunken fool, into shame and hell it self: Tolluntur in altum, ut lapsa graviore ruant.

2. All creatures in Heaven and Earth shall serve the man that serves his God: The Whale shall serve Jonah to carry him to the shore; Indeed the poor man at that time ran from Gods work, yet because he was his Servant, the fish shall swallow him, that it might save him: The Ravens shall feed Elijah: I will hear the heavens, (saith God) and they shall Hos. 2. 21. 22: hear the earth: and the earth shall hear the corn, and the wine, and the oyl, and they shall hear Jezreel.

Thus all creatures in Heaven and Earth shall serve that man that serves his God: Whereas else, they all groan under thee, [Page 114] and above thee: The Heavens above groan over the sinner, and cry out, How long, Lord, how long shall we bestow our influence upon this Enemy of thine? The Earth groans under the unprofitable servant, and crys out, How long, Lord, how long shall I bear this useless burden? Nay Christ himself is weary of this fruitless Tree; how long shall we stand? Cut it down, why cumbers it the ground?

3. Thou that art at thy Lords work, the Angels shall come out of Heaven to guard thee: thou art a greater man than the greatest General under the Sun: thou hast the An­gels to be thy Life-guard: Are they not all ministring spi­rits Heb. 1. 14. sent forth to minister for them, who shall be heirs of sal­vation?

And therefore let's see who dare touch thee? Take heed Matth. 18. 10. (saith Christ) that ye despise [or hurt] not one of these lit­tle ones: For I say unto you, that in heaven their angels do al­ways behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.

Jacob saw a ladder reaching from Earth to Heaven, and An­gels descending and ascending.

Ʋse 10. The last Ʋse shall shew you, how God makes Ad­ditions to his Saints graces: And herein his Methods are vari­ous, if not unsearchable: yet by fathoming we may sound some of them, though not the bottom.

As grace it self is a Mystery, so the increase of grace, espe­cially being carried on by such Mysteries.

And therefore the contrivement whereby God increaseth grace is excellent, worth the knowing; that we may know what he is doing with us in his Providences, and may read the Mind of God in many of his proceedings; In a word, how shall we help on the work, if we know not Gods Method in working?

1. The Lord increaseth grace in his People by their Faith: Faith is one of the Graces, and therefore needs support her self; but she is the mouth of all the rest, that speaks for them to God in Prayer, and sucks nutriment for them out of the Breasts of the Promises.

Sirs, The case is this; Faith lives upon Christ, and all the Graces live upon Faith: When there is a famine in the Land of the soul, Faith goeth up to our Brother Joseph in Egypt, and [Page 115] brngs home Corn: Faith is the Mother-grace, and as the old bird, the Dam flyeth abroad, and fetcheth in food to her young ones, and distributes it to them all in the nest: So Faith takes Wing (when the graces sit hungry, and in want at home) I say, then Faith takes Wing and flyeth to Christ in the promise; she comes home with her mouth full, and serves all the graces, they are fed by her; And therefore the Scripture saith, That the just lives by faith.

Which expression the Apostle Paul makes use of in two of his Epistles. First in Rom. 1. 17, The just shall live by faith; that is in respect of forgiveness of sin, and in respect of Righte­ousness or Justification before God.

But in Heb. 10. 38, where he useth this same phrase, The just shall live by faith; The Apostle speaks of the Saints perse­verance, and standing fast in all their troubles and temptations.

Now Faith is the prime grace, that helps and succours all the rest: Hope lives upon Faith; for the hope of a Christian is but poor in fruition; we can hope no longer than we be­lieve: He that hopes and expects the things promised, must by Faith live upon the certainty of the promise, and the power and goodness of the promiser.

Love lives upon Faith: we can love God no longer than we believe: When the imaginary Faith of wicked men (like a candle) dyeth within them, their supposed love to God goeth out with it also: They hate him in Hell, and can do no other: we love God no longer than we have a good opinion of his love to us; 'tis Faith that seeds this Lamp with Oyl: We love him, because he first loved us: And therefore when the spring of Faith is low, the stream of Love is very ebb.

Prayer lives upon Faith; we pray no longer than we be­lieve Prayer shall be heard: We knock no longer at Gods door, than Faith seeth we are welcom.

When a man feels guilt of sin, yet Faith seeth the Lord will pardon it for his own name-sake: Who is a God like un­to Mica 7. 18. thee, that pardons iniquity, and passeth by the transgressions of the remnant of his heritage?—He will turn again, he will have compassion on us, he will subdue [i. e. pardon] our ini­quities [so the word signifies], and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.

When a man feels the strength of sin, yet Faith seeth that [Page 116] the Lord will waste and subdue it; and doth not this bear up grace from sinking? With what courage doth grace fight against sin, when Faith tells her, God is on your side, and you shall overcome?

Faith finds and feels rest in trouble; Ʋnto the upright there Psal. 112. 4. ariseth light in the darkness: The life of a Christian, is a life of Faith, which is a life contrary to sense and reason: when the Lord kills, what, Doth he intend then to save me? yes that he doth; saith Faith; and therefore, Though he kill me, yet will I trust in him; and thus is grace inlivened.

When the Lord binds me in Cords of misery, doth he in­tend me any good? Yes, saith Faith, he intends to teach thee, and instruct thee; Blessed is he whom thou chastenest, O Lord: Psal. 94. 12. Vers. 13. and teachest him out of thy law: that thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity: WHILE the pit is digged for the wicked.

Faith informs the Soul, that God is upon a good work, whilst he is binding and breaking his people: Oh! he is teach­ing them some high and holy lesson, his corrections are their instructions: He is preparing them for a day of prosperity; As 'tis in the next verse, That thou mayst give him rest from the days of adversity, while the pit is digged for the wicked.

Where take notice of these two Things:

1. While God is chastising his People, he is preparing them for a day of smiles and felicities: When he was breaking Job upon the wheel of Affliction, he was but preparing him for a greater day of Honour and Prosperity.

2. While God by chastisements is preparing his people for some greater happiness, at that very time he is preparing a Gallows for the wicked, he is digging their pit to bury them in [ That thou mayst give him rest from the day of adversity: while the pit is digged for the wicked].

While the Jews were under a Cloud, and God preparing de­liverance for them, he was at that very time preparing Ha­mans Gallows: The wicked (like condemned men) are suffer­ed to live, till their Gallows and Grave be made ready.

Now Faith is well read in Divine Mysteries, in Gods pro­ceedings; she acquaints the soul, that God by chastising and touching the Body, is teaching her, that his strokes are not huntful; Nocumenta sunt Documenta.

Secondly, The Lord increaseth grace in his People, by pre­serving a tenderness upon their Consciences; 'tis grace that makes the Conscience tender, and that tenderness nurseth up grace with exquisite care in the soul: The most tender hearted nurse is not more chary of her dear Babe, to give it suck, keep it clean, preserve it from harms, and see it come on and prosper, than the tender Conscience is of her grace, the sweet Babe of the Holy Ghost within her: Blessed, yea thrice blessed are they, to whom God hath given a tender conscience: As grace withers and shrinks up by an hardness coming upon the heart; so grace improves mightily in a soft and tender soyl.

1. The tender Conscience startles at secret sins, as well as open sins; to sin in the dark as well as in the light; his Memento (or if you please his Motto) is, Shall not God search this out? Psal. 44. 21. He fears Gods Eye more than all the Worlds eye.

The tender Conscience trembleth at your cunning arts and ways of sinning, whereby in your bargains you can bring about your covetous desires under hand, and no man discern you.

You call only those sins secret, that are done in a corner; but if in your publick dealings, you can by your subtilties come over another; Are not these secret sins too? Tender conscience cannot swallow them: And is not grace growing now?

2. Tender conscience is quick and sensitive of small sins, vain thoughts, idle words, lesser oaths, wanton glances, wishes and motions to sin: He knows no duty small, because there's no Commandment small; he calls no sin little, because there's no poyson little, no death little, no hell little; and doth not this give strength to grace?

3. The tender conscience smites the Saint after he hath sin­ned, as oft as he sinneth: After sin committed, his heart gives him no rest, till he hath made his peace with God: If corrupt nature cannot but sin, yet renewed conscience cannot but repent of sin; it cannot but rise again, if God be offended; it cannot but meet him with humiliation: if Man be wronged, it cannot but make restitution, or satisfaction, as Zacheus did: When David had sinned in numbring the people, his heart smote him, I have sinned greatly in that I have done. Surely 2 Sam. 24. 10. grace gets ground by this.

4. Tender conscience trembles at the appearance of evil, as some eyes cannot abide to look on the Picture or Image of a Toad; that which looks like sin, he abhors it: it scares a holy soul from any enterprize, if it be but male coloratum, an ill aspect.

Every thing that might any way redound to the wounding of Religion, or at which any offence might be taken, he en­tertains it not; and doth not this give nutriment to grace?

5. Tender conscience is jealous of the appearance of good: as it hates the appearance of evil, so it dares not always trust every appearance of good: The tender conscience (as far as it hath light) will try all things, and hold fast only what is good, not what seems so: Satan deceives more easily, and de­stroys more dangerously, when he assumes the shape of an An­gel of light: That which is highly esteemed among men, is abo­mination Luk. 16. 15. in the sight of God.

6. Tender conscience takes heed of what he knows lawful: He doth not only fly what appears evil, and try what appears good, but is coy of what he knows lawful.

You will say, this is pure niceness, nee lless preciseness.

I tell you, you know not the Scriptures: All things are law­ful, but all things are not expedient: All things are lawful for 1 Cor. 6. 12. 1 Cor. 10. 23. me, but all things edifie not.

The judicious, tender conscience, asks Bernards three Questi­ons, An Liceat? An Deceat? An Expediat? Is it lawful? May I do it and not sin? But suppose it be lawful, Is it comely? Is it becoming me a Christian? May I do it, and not reflect upon my Profession? Is it expedient? May I do it, and not of­fend my weak Brother? There are some things we must deny our selves for others sakes: Things that are evil, we must de­ny them for our own sakes; and many lawful things we must deny for others sakes: If meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no 1 Cor. 8 13. flesh while the world stands, lest I make my brother to offend.

7. The tender conscience observes as well what he hoth not, as what he doth; regards omissions, as well as commissions. Our Lord Christ was as much displeased with Peters disswasi­on of him from suffering, as with Satans perswasion to fall down and worship him; his answer was the same to both, Get thee behind me, Satan.

Thou must as well observe what thou doest not, as what [Page 119] thou doest: The tender conscience takes notice of every op­portunity he hath to do good, trembleth to neglect duty, as much as to act sin.

Thirdly, God advanceth grace in his People, by preserving their appetite to Ordinances: They that are not hungry, cannot feed: It is uncomfortable to come with a full stomack to a full Table: They look upon the dishes, while others eat of them: These may talk of Christ and Religion, but the o­thers feed on them: A mans graces cannot grow strong, un­less he feed; and he cannot feed, unless he is hungry: And therefore God adds strength to his Saints graces, by preserving appetite in them to his Ordinances.

When Peter was hungry, he heard a voice, saying, Rise and Act. 10. 13. eat. It is Gods delight to fill the hungry with good things: Luk. 1. 53. Matth. 5. 6. And this it is, that Christ stiles them Blessed: Blessed are they which hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.

Hunger, though it speaks want, yet there's a blessedness at­tends it, They shall be filled.

'Tis a strange promise, that a man should be filled for no o­ther reason, but because he is hungry: Among men it is not so: In the Gospel the poor mans hunger is his Blessing: In the World the poor mans hunger is his misery, because men are not willing to feed him as oft as he is hungry; and therefore the poor man of the world could wish he might be never a hungry: But in the Gospel (through Gods free-grace and bounty), Blessed are the hungry, for they shall be filled.

Their appetite makes them eat Christ, and eat promises, and eat pardon of sin, and eating makes them strong.

Their hunger makes them prize Ordinances, and the Gos­pel provisions; when they are called, they come to the mar­riage; they do not make excuses, but come to the supper; and these guests God himself bids them welcom, and carves unto them; and therefore their graces must needs thrive.

God accepts our appetite as much as if we paid ready mo­ney for his graces; Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the Isa. 55. 1. waters, buy and eat: Their hunger is instead of a price, their thirst pleaseth him as much as payment; and therefore, Blessed are the hungry, for they shall be filled.

What made Davids graces thrive so well, but his appetite [Page 120] to the Ordinances? One thing have I desired of the Lord—that I may dwell in the house of the Lord, and to enquire in his Psal. 27. 4. temple:—O God, thou art my God,—My soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee—To see thy power and thy Psal. 63. 1, 2. glory, so as I have seen thee in thy sanctuary.

David had a keen-appetite after the Ordinances, and his appetite made his graces strong: I say, his appetite made him relish the word; How sweet are thy words unto my taste! Psal. 119. 103. yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth.

And this made him feed so heartily when he came; My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness. Psal. 63. 5.

And now grace must needs grow, because their palate is qualified for such delicates; they taste them with a transport­ing delight, and feed upon them with extream pleasure.

Thus God animates and strengthens his Saints graces by preserving a fresh appetite in them to Ordinances.

And how doth he preserve their appetite to Ordinances? Because this is so necessary to keep grace alive and vigorous in the soul, therefore you shall find God runs various Methods to accomplish it.

1. He keeps their sins in their eye, or some special sin up­on their Conscience: My sin (saith David) is ever before Psal. 51. 3. me.

Quietness within, no trouble upon the Conscience, will in time dull the appetite: Men surfeit upon their peace within: As a long peace corrupts a State, and breeds sins and vices in it; a still and standing pool is full of mud, so a continued peace in the soul begets much vanity, and many diseases in her.

Quietness takes away her stomach: And therefore God re­presents some sin that we have done to the soul, and stings the conscience with it; and then the soul runs, and looks up to the brazen Serpent: God will not suffer your consciences to be quiet, his design is to maintain an appetite in you to Ordi­nances.

2. He hides their graces from them; they think they have no grace at all, or not true grace; they have it, there it is, but God sends it to hide it self behind the curtain; they cannot find it; and then they cry, and their spirits are stirred up, now their appetite is rowsed; they find an appetite to Prayer, an appetite to Self-examination, an appetite to Christ, [Page 121] and to Ordinances; God is fain to deal thus with them, to hide their graces from them, and then when they think they are lost, they go from place to place to find them, and at last they come (as Joseph and Mary did) to the Temple, and there they find Christ: This God doth to preserve and keep up your appetite.

3. The growth of grace is hidden and concealed from them: and here they make heavy complaints, and conclude sadly against themselves: Surely my graces are not of the true blood, of the royal descent, because they do not grow in me; were they vital, they would grow; or else God hath forsaken me, and I am under his sore and sad dissertion: Thus they lye under the black Cloud; their graces (being true) without question do grow, and yet their growth of grace is hid from them: And why doth the Lord carry things thus with them, but to quicken and stir up their appetite, that they may have an edg upon their spirits to the Ordinances?

And thus (though under many fears, and much doubting, yet) grace increaseth in them; for as a lively and quick appe­tite to the Ordinances is a sign of growth, so it is a means of the growth of grace.

4. The Lord increaseth grace in his people by the communi­on of Saints: It is not good (saith God) for man to be alone: As man is a sociable creature, so grace loves company; nay grace needs company and society: Exhort one another daily (saith the Apostle) while it is called to day. Travellers are sensible how dangerous it is to ride alone: Who knows what or whom they may meet with in the way?

Communion of Saints is a Divine Ordinance: Grace cannot thrive well without it, and we must not think to grow in grace, when we will live without an Ordinance.

In Communion, there is Communication; in the Communi­on of Saints, there is a Communication of Graces, and Experi­ences, and Influences: There cannot be a building, unless there be a meeting of stones, Saints, together.

In the Communion of Saints, there is a bearing up of one ano­ther: As in a Fabrick, one stone holds and bears up another; Bear you one anothers burdens, and so fulfil the law of Gal. 6. 2. Christ.

In the Communion of Saints there is a praying for one ano­ther: [Page 122] Pray one for another: And what an help is this to the Jam. 5. 16. growth of grace?

In the Communion of Saints there is a telling of one another their faults; an opening of the wound, that it may let out Matth. 18. 15. the corrupt matter; a friendly conviction to nip the sin in its bud, that it may go on no further; and doth not this contri­bute much to the growth of grace?

In the Communion of Saints there is a mutual mourning over 2 Cor. 12. 21. one another, a shedding of tears for one another, which fall­ing like dew, cannot but moisten and mollisie the withering herb, and repair decaying grace; Tell me, Doth not this ad­vance the work?

In the Communion of Saints, there is a restoring of one ano­ther, a setting of bones that are out, into joynt again, like curious and tender Chyrurgeons, with gentle handling of the diseased party, not roughly, but by putting him to as little pain as may be (for so [...] signifies), If any be over­taken Gal. 6. 1. in a fault—Restore him with the spirit of meekness: And doth not this help to perfect grace wonderfully?

In the Communion of Saints, there is a consolation of re­penting sinners, a providing of Cordials for lapsed souls, that faint under the sense of their sins; an Application of comforts to them under their grief and shame: Forgive him (saith the 2 Cor. 2. 7, 8. Apostle) and comfort him, lest perhaps such an one should be swallowed up with over much sorrow—confirm your love to­ward him.

And tell me how, Doth not this cheer up grace exceed­ingly?

This is another means whereby God furthers grace in his People; the Communion of Saints: And are ye not now asha­med of your selves, that you use this Ordinance no more a­mong you? Do you not find your graces to wither in you for want of it?

There are strong Saints, and there are weak Saints, and the weak ones should receive quicknings from the Benign influence of the stronger. As Pliny tells us of a Territory in Africk, Nat. Histor. l. 18. c. 22. in which a City called Tacape is situate; I say, in this Territo­ry (as he tells us in his time), there stood a mighty great Date­tree, having under it growing an. Olive, under which there is a Fig-tree, and that over-spreads a Pomgranate-tree, under the [Page 123] shade whereof there is a Vine—Every one of these (saith he) live, joy, and thrive under the shade of each other: Such is the Communion of Saints rightly planted; a company of precious Trees, where the Olive grows under the Date-tree, the Fig-tree under the Olive, the Pomgranate under the Fig­tree, and the Vine under the Pomgranate, the weak Saints un­der the shadow of the stronger.

5. By want of assurance: I say, the Lord quickens his peoples graces, by withdrawings of his Presence, and interposi­tions of black darkness: They lye out in a night of sad fears and wants of assurance: Not that God delights in these Me­thods, but he is fain to do so, the necessities of his Saints call for it; otherwise they would be stark naught: They would forsake God, if God did not forsake them for a while. For,

1. Did they always enjoy Gods smiles, they would grow fearless of God: Fear of God is a great preservative of grace, and antidote against sin: Now fearlesness of God is a distem­per which the Saints are apt to grow into: As children are wont to grow sawcy and irreverent, when their Father dan­dles them too much upon the lap of familiarity; and there­fore he is fain sometimes by his frowns and distance to take down their spirits: So though God be a Father, yet he will be feared: Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoyce with trembling: Psal. 2. 11. And therefore to correct the sinful boldness of his Children, and cause them to stand in awe of him, he sometimes shuts in his favour, and takes state by concealing himself; as the Persian Kings shunned familiarity, and were seldom seen, that they might be the more honoured.

The fear of God is one of the main pillars of his Throne; and so far as he is not our fear, he is not our God: And there­fore to advance his fear in the hearts of his people, he with­draws his face; and where fear grows, grace grows: For the fear of the Lord, is the beginning of wisdom, i. e. the chief or principal part of our wisdom: The Saints fear of God keeps them from Apostacy, I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall never depart from me: and to quicken their fear, they shall sometimes feel his absence.

2. The Lord leaves his people in wants of assurance, to cure them of slightness of heart: There is a trifling disposition in the hearts of Saints, they are apt to be superficial in their ways, and this God visits upon them.

They dally with duties, do them as if they did them not; without heart, in a lazy and liveless manner: you are in an evil frame of heart, when you can do the weighty things of God with slightness.

There are three evils in a slight and formal Commnnion with God.

1. Ʋnfaithfulness: A slothful servant is an unfaithful ser­vant: He that is faithful, doth his masters work with all his might: And certainly a slight communion with God, speaks a slight love to God: Where then, there is idleness, and indis­posedness, God comes in a way of anger to whip up the sloth­ful and unfaithful spirit: and this stirs up grace: Negligence and dallying with duties would kill grace; and therefore it is a mighty mercy of God to shadow himself from his Saints, that they may be more serious in their duties.

2. The other evil in a slight and formal Communion with God in Duties, is unthankfulness: Duties of godliness are not only a debt to God, but a reward to us: Therefore in slightness, there is not only unfaithfulness, but unthankfulness: Both the Majesty and Mercy of God is despised: and can God be well pleased with such things?

3. There is a third evil in a slight Communion with God in Duties, and that is unfruitfulness; we get nothing from God in duties, we pray slightly, and therefore get nothing by Prayer; we hear the word slightly, and therefore profit not by it. Now that the Lord may cure his people of this slightness of heart, and make their graces grow, he useth this dispensation, to leave them in want of assurance.

6. God increaseth his Saints graces by terrors within: he not only suspends their comforts, but afflicts their souls, he writes bitter things against them.

1. These rowse them up to seek God: They that see them­selves lost, will find a way to God: They that have Hell-fire burning in them, will value Heaven, and pardon, and the least drop of Gods love: Oh! now promises are precious, and Gods love neglected, is now sweeter than the honey and the honey-comb: Now they cry, Come Lord Jesus, come quickly.

2. These fright them out of their dreams, and carnal slum­bers; as the cry made at midnight; that the Bridegroom cometh, awoke the virgins out of their sleep.

Among the other diseases of the soul, Divine desertions cure deadness and dulness of heart: Sometimes living men are in a lifeless state, their hearts are so benummed, that they seem to lye among the dead: They can hear the word carelesly, and sleep out whole Sermons; there is no vigour nor activity in their graces at home, and therefore the Lord hangs their souls over the mouth of Hell, and makes them drink of that red wine, the dregs whereof the wicked of the earth shall Psal. 75. 8. wring out and drink them, that by this strong potion he may rowse them up, and quicken their dull and drowsy spirits.

3. These terrors work them more closely to Christ: And for this cause God gives his People sad visions of sin and wrath, he shakes the soul with Earth-quakes, that she may stand faster upon her true Basis and Foundation: These storms make their hearts gather in to Christ: That I may be found in him, saith Paul: The soul must have some dry land to stand upon; and when the flood of Gods terrors overflow the soul, then she flyeth to Christ, as Noah's Dove to the ark.

7thly, The Lord increaseth grace in his Saints by afflictions: he makes them by marring them: Divine Wisdom works by contraries: he makes them shine brighter by their Eclipses, and clears up their light by darkness, Schola crucis, Schola lucis.

And truly, It is the property of true-born grace to grow the greater by the cross: As the laurel tree is not smitten Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 2. c. 55. nor blasted with lightning; no more is heaven-born grace hurt by any afflictions, but much bettered by them.

1. God increaseth his Saints graces by sharp sicknesses, by diseases unto death, i. e. this startles mightily: Oh Lord! thou didst surprize me unprovided; and if thy hand had cut me off with that disease, my soul had been cut off from heaven for ever: This enters deep upon the soul, and strikes terrour upon the heart; the Lord (I hope) shall never find me so again: This stirs up thankfulness to the Lord, that hath not only (in this tryal) saved me from the grave, but also from Hell.

2. Sicknesses deaden the Saints to the world: They that in sicknesses, are always leaving the world, learn to dye unto the world: They have death always in their eye: They see themselves still upon the borders of the grave: They are ever [Page 126] and anon lanching in eternity: and this makes grace grow.

3. Sicknesses are searchers: Thou enquirest after mine ini­quity Job 10. 6. (saith Job) and searchest after my sin: When God smites our bodies, he searcheth our hearts, and makes enquiry in our lives; and now (saith the soul) Let us search and try Lam. 3. 40. our ways: When God is searching ƲS, it is high time for ƲS to search our selves; and this also makes grace to grow.

4. Sicknesses dig Wells of godly sorrows in the heart: They are (as it were) Gods Mattocks and Spades, whereby he delves deep into the center of the heart, and digs Wells of repentance, which send forth streams of confession of sin, which before would not run, because they had no vent, be­ing covered and stopt with the earth of lust, and hardness, and worldliness upon them; but now they find a passage: When I kept silence, my bones waxed old, through my roaring all the Psal. 32. 3. 4. 5. day long: for day and night thy hand was heavy upon me, and my moysture is turned into the drought of summer: I acknow­ledged my sin unto thee—and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.

2. By poverty and narrowness of estate: Many men must Aquilone max­ime gaudent, densiores ab afflatucjus, lae­tioresque, & materiae firmi­oris, Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 17. c. 2. Jer. 6. 22. be kept short and bare, that they may thrive in grace. Pliny saith, That trees generally like best, that stand to the North­wind: It causeth them, to spread thick, and more flourishing, and makes the Timber more strong and solid.

The Lord threatneth the Jews with a people from the North-Countrey, the Chaldean Army, which should carry them cap­tive into Babylon: The North wind winnowed them, and fan­ned all their Idolatry: They flourished gallantly in Religion, after the North wind had blown upon them.

1. The cold blasts of poverty correct pride, and moderate high thoughts: Make a man poor, and you make him humble: Pride is an absolute enemy to grace, and prosperity is the semi­nary of pride.

The North-wind of poverty cools the courage, and tames the spirits of men; and now they know God and themselves: Their Plumes fall, and now they will digest a reproof, and sit upon even ground with the lower Saints: When the world frowns upon them, they seek the smiles of God; before they were too high for him.

2. Poverty teacheth them to pray: they can now fall upon their knees: those that never called upon God, learn now to visit the Throne of grace; and cry, Lord, Give us this day our daily bread: Nay, they long for the spirit of Adoption, cry­ing, Abba, Father.

Nay those that have prayed in their fulness, now pray feel­ingly: They can go to God in sense of wants: before they did not hear nor feel their own Prayers: In their prosperity, they did not care what Prayers they put off God with: Now they set the highest rate upon Prayer, for they are fain to live upon Prayer.

An hungry belly makes a Saint hungry after Ordinances, and after Gods Presence: When a mans debts and poverty make him say, I know not what to do, then his soul saith, Mine eyes are up unto thee, O Lord.

3. When a man seeth, that God blasts all his projects and endeavours, and that he shall not be rich in this world; then he looks after grace, and so a poor estate makes a rich soul.

A man for a while ascribes his poverty to his great charge and family, or to his carelesness and improvidence, or to his superfluous expences; and therefore brings himself into a nar­rower room, and saith, I will try this and that way; and he riseth up early, and goeth to bed late; And now, saith he, I shall be rich: But when he seeth all will not do, his good husbandry and pains do not enrich him; let him improve his utmost diligence, yet all his care cannot add one cubit to his stature; then he looks upward, and saith, Now I see, it is God alone that gives wealth, riches are only in Gods hands; I per­ceive now, that God will not have me rich in this world; And therefore, Lord, Lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon me; give me grace instead of greatness, humbleness of heart instead of Honour, God instead of gold.

8. God increaseth grace in his Saints, by awakening sin in the soul: As long as sin lyeth a sleep, the Saint thinks it is not there: He conceives of himself better than he is: A dis­ease lying hid and dormant in the body, is supposed to be out of doors; we think we have not, what we feel not, and there­fore God awakens sin in the soul: For,

1. Thereby it is discovered.

2. Thereby the War is maintained against corruption, till [Page 128] it be rooted out: God increaseth grace in the Saints by their continual War and conflict with sin: The enemy is destroyed by rising: their rising is their ruin: had they lain still, they had lain safe.

What made Zedekiah and his people to be carried captive, 2 Chron. 36. 13. but because they rebelled and rose up against Nebuchadnezzar? When sin riseth, the Saint riseth and gathers forces against it; and therefore God awakens sin in the Saints that they may raise Armies, and get new Victories over it: Were there no War, there would be no Conquests; did not sin rise, there would be no War against it; and therefore Sirs, God awakens pride, lusts, and sins in his Saints, that they may hew them down; such a sin assaults them, and takes the field against them, that in a pitcht Battel they may tread it under foot, and make an end of it for ever.

And therefore I would advise you to two Things:

1. Do not think thou art under the Power of thy sin, when thou art at War with thy sin, and it with thee: When the soul many times hath had sweet rest in God, then to break his joy again in pieces; Satan hath stirred up a sin to assault him, and now he cryeth out, That all his sweet joys were but delusions; were my state right, should I be thus assaulted again? And he thinks he is under the power of sin, because there is a new rising of sin against him.

To answer thee, thou must know, that there is difference between time of War, and time of Victory, between the day of conflict, and the day of conquest: Now is our day of conflict; and that of sin which remains in thee, must rise again in thee, that it may be subdued: When Rebeccah had twins in her, she was troubled, and marvelled at it, and went to the Lord, who told her, The elder shall serve the younger: So there is flesh and spirit in the Saints, and these two are contrary, so that you cannot do the things that you would, and sometimes cannot will: yet something opposeth this; well, know it, that the elder and stronger, shall serve the younger: Lord, it shall be so, because thou hast said it.

A man that is at War with another, and is able to raise Forces against him, hath received power against him, but Victory is not gotten presently: 'Tis so here: The bruised reed shall he not break, till he bring forth judgment unto victory; Though [Page 129] Thou art bruised in the conflict, yet there's no fear of break­ing; if God will not do it, none shall do it: Now, Christ will not break thee, [ The bruised reed shall he not break], and therefore thou shalt get the Victory: only know, for the pre­sent thou hast power: Thou goest to all Ordinances, to or­dinary duties, thou prayest daily, and strivest daily; and when thou meetest no help there, thou goest to extraordinary du­ties, thou dost fast, and lye in sack-cloth against thy sin, and raisest the powers of heaven, Oh Lord, awake! Awake, thou arm of the Lord! here's a continual and hot War now against sin: And this is the first thing I would have you consider; Do not think thou art under the power of thy sin, when thou art at war with thy sin, and it with thee.

2. The thing I would advise you to, is this, Be sure to im­prove your utmost strength, and rise with all your might against the Lords Enemies; I mean your sins: do not the work of God negligently, which is an accursed thing, [ Cursed is he that doth the work of the Lord negligently]; And for this cause God casteth you into sore straits.

The Israelites should have done the work perfectly, when they were commanded to root out the Canaanites; but because they were slack, and did it unfaithfully; therefore God left them as Briars and Thorns, to be always an affliction to them: And this is the reason why God leaves such a lust or sin in you to be a perpetual scourge to you in your bosoms; when you are pressed to take up Arms for Christ against the sins of your hearts, if you fight not with all your strength, and pursue not the Victory to the utmost, till you find your Enemies dead before you, God may give you into their hands, to lead you into captivity, and to hold you in chains, that will eat in­to your souls, and may in this distress stand afar of, as one that knows you not.

9thly, God increaseth his Saints graces by the work of hum­bling.

Many within a while forget that they have been humbled: Time wears out all those Characters of humiliation, that were at first engraven upon them; their wounds and bruises they had at their first Conversion, are healed up again, and upon this they have decayed in grace, and at last become Apostates, and the greatest enemies to the Saints.

And therefore God (to preserve his Saints graces, and to increase them), keeps up still the life of humiliation in them: As the radical moysture in the body is the pabulum caloris na­turalis, the nutriment of the natural heat, and the Oyl is the food of the Lamb, which its light lives upon; so humiliation is the humidum radicale, the radical moysture, the fundamen­tal sap, that keeps Faith and Prayer, and the other graces alive: They that humble themselves will pray, and seek the 2 Chr. 7. 14. Lords face, and turn from their wicked ways: When they hear the words of the Lords threatnings, they will rend their clothes, 2 Chr. 34. 27. and weep before the Lord: They that are humble, they will accept of the punishment of their iniquity; they will kiss Lev. 26. 41. the Rod of their correction, glorifie his Justice, and implore his Mercy: The proud man thinks his little, much; the hum­ble man thinks his much is too little: The proud man thinks he hath grace enough, the humble man thinks he can never have enough: The proud man hath high conceits of himself, the humble man hath high conceits of God: The proud man seeks himself, the humble man seeks Gods Glory, and therefore his desires of grace are infinite, because no measures are suffi­cient to serve Gods Glory: The proud man reflects upon what he is, the humble man reflects upon what he was, that he was unprofitable, he did serve sin a long time, too long: Many years were spent before he was called, and all that while God lost by him, and therefore now he must Row hard, and ply his Oars with quickest diligence; he did God much wrong, and therefore now he must work and labour hard for him; As Paul did, I am the least of the Apostles, that am not meet to 1 Cor. 15. 9, 10. be called an Apostle: because I persecuted the Church of God, I laboured more abundantly than they all.

The proud man reflects upon his attainments, and what he hath done; the humble man forgets those things which are be­hind, Phil. 3. 13. Ad humilita­tem pertinet, ut Homo de­fectus proprios considerans, seipsum non ex­tollat: Aquin. 22ae. q. 35. ad. 3. and reacheth forth unto those things which are before: Is it possible that grace should not thrive here? Oh! now it goes on amain: The proud man casts his eye upon his Beau­ties; the humble man turns his eye upon his Deformities; the proud man looks upon his graces, the humble man looks upon his sins, and then crys out, Oh! how much dirt and dross have I yet within me, that must be purged out! My sins out-weigh my graces; so much levity of heart in me yet to be mortifi­ed: [Page 131] so much self will to be expunged, and self ends to be de­throned, and carnal wisdom to be dismounted; so much want of love to God and his Saints, which must be heightned; so much slavish fear in me, which must be turned into filial fear; so much studying mine own preservation, more than the Ho­nour and Interest of the Lord; studying my safety, more than my duty; asking how I may be saved, oftner than how I may serve God; how little I rejoyce at the prosperity of the Gos­pel, if my self be in adversity; and how little I grieve in the adversity of the Church, if I my self be in prosperity: Thus the humble Saint, by considering his imperfections, advanceth on to perfection; by advising with his own wants, is still draw­ing more water out of Christs fulness.

10thly, God increaseth his Saints graces, by making them­selves to improve and increase them: God increaseth their stock by their own good husbandry.

When the noble man (in the Parable) called his Servants, Luk. 19. 12. and gave a stock of money among them, to traffick with in his absence; he charged them to improve it to his best advantage; and one of them said, Lord, thy pound hath gained ten pounds; and another came and said, Lord, thy pound hath gained five pounds: So when the Lord Christ gives a stock of grace, and sets up a soul, he looks that your own care should come in, and that by your own good husbandry you should add to it: You suppose the work of increasing grace lyeth in Christ alone:

This is, and is not true.

1. It is true in this sense, that the increase flows only from Christ, the increase is his blessing: As Paul said in another case, Paul planteth; and Apollo watereth, but God giveth the increase: 'Tis he alone that adds to the first stock wherewith he set you up: None can create grace in the soul but Jesus Christ: Every addition is a new creation; When David (after his great fall) prayed for increase of grace; He saith, Create in me a clean heart, O God: When Paul stirreth them Psal. 51. 10. Eph. 4. 23, 24. up to be renewed in the spirit of their mind, he adds, which is created: As the first platform of the new man is created, so is every degree of it.

This is the difference between the growth of nature, and of grace: In natural growth there ariseth out of nature a [Page 132] new addition, but in the growth of grace there is a new crea­tion. Thus far, that all your increase of grace lyeth in Christ alone, is true.

2. But in another sense it is not true, that is, without the en­deavour: For you must act, that Christ may give the increase: You must work out your salvation with fear and trembling, though God must work in you both to will and to do: And therefore 'tis said to you, Add to your faith virtue, and to virtue knowledg, and to knowledg temperance: The Disciples came to Christ, and said Lord increase our faith; And Paul prays for the Thessalonians, The Lord make you to increase: and yet he saith to them, We beseech YOƲ, brethren, that ye increase more and more.

11thly, God increaseth grace in his Saints, by keeping them awake: The sluggard, and the sleeper goeth behind­hand, it is impossible he should thrive, or keep cart on wheels.

And therefore God to increase their graces, keeps his Saints awake.

Sleep is [ Ligatio sensuum] the binding of the senses; and therefore to be awake, is when the senses are free, and at their liberty.

1. Sleep shuts up the eye; the man that sleeps, seeth no more than the man that's blind: And therefore God keeps his Saints eyes open to see Temptations, and spiritual dangers, to see the snares that are laid for them at their feet; to see things invisible, to see Judgment at hand, to see the Tribunal set, and the Books opened, and the Judg sitting with innumerable Angels round about him; and now repentance thrives, and self-examination is at work, and making your calling and election sure, goeth on, and spinning of fine linnen, and washing of our robes white in the blood of the lamb, and preparation for the nuptials with the Bridegroom: While the eye of Hope is 1 Joh. 3. 3. kept open, the man purifieth himself as Christ is pure.

2. Sleep locks up the ear: As long as a man is drown'd in a dead and deep sleep, he hears no noise about him; and there­fore the Lord (to increase his Saints graces) keeps their ear open; they hear the word of the Lord: they hear and be­lieve, they believe and tremble, they tremble and obey, they obey, and set upon action; they read, they run, they pray, they consult with the Saints, they enquire how did the Lord [Page 133] work upon you? What signs and evidences of grace can you produce as fruits of your Election, and first fruits of your Sal­vation? When you passed through the new birth, what were your pangs? How were your throws?

3. Sleep takes away sense and feeling: The man that is lockt up in sleep, as he hears not, when you call him, not seeth you, though you stand before him, so he feels not, though you jog him by the elbow: And therefore God (to increase his Saints graces) keeps their feeling awake and lively: their sense of sin is still fresh in them upon their Consciences; God keeps open their wounds of godly sorrow, that they bleed afresh upon every good occasion: they feel their wants, and spiritual defects, their spiritual poverty; they feel how little they grow in grace, they feel how weak their spiritual life is, how feeble their strength, how faint their faith, how languid their Com­munion with God, how cold their affections are to Christ; and are therefore very sedulous to supply what is lacking to their graces, and to be found in an acceptable state at their Lords coming.

1. They feel the knocks of the spirit, and are ready to open unto, and receive him.

2. They feel Gods retreat, and absence from their souls.

3. They feel when they work by the spirit, or by their own strength: When they pray in the spirit, or by their own gifts and parts.

12thly, God increaseth his Saints graces, by their exercise of their graces: Herein do I exercise my self (saith Paul) to Act. 24. 16. have always a conscience void of offence towards God and towards man. Paul by exercising a pure Conscience, kept a pure Con­science: so must every Saint, that would be skilful at his wea­pons, be training and exercising himself in his postures.

1. There's no grace the Christian hath, but the Lord calls for its daily exercise: Pray, but how? continually: Continue in Col. 4. 2. prayer.

Rejoyce: But when? Alway: Rejoyce in the Lord alway. Phil. 4. 4. Give thanks, for what? In every thing.

2. What makes garments breed moths, but lying in the 1 Thes. 5. 18. Chest or Coffer? And Iron to rust, and the stone to gather Moss, but to lye still? What makes water in a pond to gather Mud, but because 'tis standing water?

3. This makes God to exercise our graces: It may be, YOƲ will not exercise grace your selves, and therefore God steps in, and doth it for you: he provides service and work for your graces: And truly, though (when God comes to exercise your graces) it is sharp for the time, and tedious, yet it is gainful to you, and very advantageous: Graces do never increase and thrive so much, as when God himself doth exercise them, and find employment for them.

Oh ye Saints! God seeth your graces would decline and go behind-hand in you, did he not cut out work for them: He brings thee into a Labyrinth of straits to exercise thy Faith: In thy prosperity and fulness, Faith in God is laid aside as useless; and thou relyest upon thine own props, and therefore God plungeth thee into straits, that thou mayst exercise thy Faith on him: He loads thee with reproaches, to exercise thy humility; he encounters thee with the other affliction, to ex­ercise thy patience: Poor occurrences, and trifles not worth the naming, that meet thee every day in thy way, these distem­per thee, and make thee peevish, and then God sends some weighty load of affliction on thee, to exercise thy humility and patience to purpose; saith he, I will make thee cry out for some­thing.

Oh ye secure Saints! that have laid down your Watch, and are grown remiss in your walkings, I do assure you, God hath some sharp scourges and severities to exercise you with.

There are some of you, whom I know God hath a sharp scourge for.

4. Exercise of grace keeps Satan out of us, at a distance from us, from being able to close in with us: What keeps an Ene­my from coming in to a man, but by acting his weapon, and holding him still at the swords point? What is it that keeps an Army at distance, but the playing of the Ordinance? else they would come up to the City, and scale the walls. So my Beloved, 'Tis the exercise of your graces, that stand between Satan and your graces: The exercise of Divine Meditation, keeps Satan out of your Thoughts and Meditations.

5. Either exercise thy grace, or Satan will act thy corrup­tion: As one Bucket goeth down, the other riseth: There is a principle of sin within, which (like a malignant party) watch­eth for such a time to step into the saddle; and it is easier to keep it down, than to pull it down.

13. God keeps up, and improves the graces of his peo­ple, by giving them discontents in the creature: he affords them no ease nor rest in any condition: The Lord crosseth them of what they look for in this world.

They desire such and such a comfort; and if they might have it, oh! they promise themselves much happiness and rest in it: Will ye see now, how the Lord deals with them, if they be­long to him?

Either he flatly denieth them the comfort they desire, they shall not have it: or else he gives it them, but with an hun­dred crosses and discontents with it: He imbitters the hap­piness and sweetness they promised themselves in it; and then they cry out, Now we see that all is vanity and vexation.

See ye it not by experience, That what outward comfort a Saint delights in most, in that God crosseth him most? When they sit down to feed upon, and enjoy it, the Lord mingleth some tart sauce or other with it, that their expectation is bro­ken, and find it not what they promised it would be to them; like Beer, it hath a tang with it, something that doth displease them with it.

Thus (I say) doth the Lord deal with his Saints that be­long to him; their dearest comfort, he pours some or other unpleasing ingredient into it, they shall not have their full plea­sure in it, that he may wean them from it to himself: Saints, if God hath a mind to save you, he'l let nothing go away with your love from him; and therefore he will put into every worldly comfort some correctives to abate your delight in it, and that you may not take up your rest in it.

If such an outward comfort be sweet, it shall be a sweet­bryar to thee, and scratch thee.

If another comfort be a Rose to thee, which thou delightest to smell at, it shall be a Rose with prickles to thee; God will make it so, that thy heart may be indifferent to it.

I say thou shalt have discontent in every thing, in every comfort thou enjoyest, in every kind of life thou livest; the single state, and the married state, shall have their thorns and burdens: If thou hast an Husband, or a Wife, thou shalt have them with prickles, thou shalt have riches and wealth with ad­hering crosses and vexations; thou shalt have credit with en­vy and biting emulations; thou shalt have content in nothing; [Page 136] and now grace thrives exceedingly; when the soul saith, All the world, all my dearest comforts in the world are but vanity and vexation; now the Lord is magnified, and his comforts are prized, and his presence is desired: Oh, saith the soul! none but Christ, none but Christ: It is good for me to draw nigh to God: And therefore,

14. In the next place: You shall find God increasing his peoples graces, by taking away comforts from them: It may be their discontents and crosses in their creature-com­forts is too weak physick for them; they can digest the cross, if they may enjoy the comfort still? and therefore God is fain to part them and their comforts: Nothing will divorce their heart, but the death of the comfort: Their heart is wrapt up in such a comfort, and their delights and desires go out from God to it; now the comfort must be gone, that the soul be not lost; their affections which God should have, they put them into such a creature-comfort, such a glass bottle; now the Ves­sels must be broken, that all those affections may be spilt; the object must be removed, that their affections may again be recalled home to God; and now when nothing is left them to love, but God, oh! the soul seeth, and repents of its folly, looks upward, and spies a beauty in Heaven worth all.

15. God increaseth his peoples graces, by denying them peace in the world: This alienates the Saints from the world, and makes them weary of it; and now grace thrives and gets upward: Did the world entertain us with smiles, and bid us weclcome; how fond would we be of it? How would it bewitch us? Our houses would be our Heaven, and our pos­sessions would be our paradise.

The worse the world useth us, the less we love the world: Saints, you that complain that your conditions are no more quiet in the world, Do you not remember that of Paul? The world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. Truly, well Gal. 6. 14. met: The world cares not a pin for me (saith Paul) and I care as little for the world.

Sirs, This is that which crucifieth you to the world; the worlds unkindness to you.

The Lord hedgeth up his peoples way with thorns, that while they are saluting these worldly Dalilah's, being prick­ed and wounded, they may fall back again into the embra­ces, [Page 137] of their first Husband: They go away with a thorn stick­ing in their sides, and then they cry out, I will return to my Hos. 2. 7. first husband, for then was it better with me than now.

Oh happy prickings, now grace is revived and increased: They cry, Oh something hurts me, the world will not let me alone; and O happy Oh! now is Christ prized, and his em­braces valued, Kiss thou me (saith the soul) with the kisses of Cant. 1. thy mouth: I went to kiss the world, I wooed it, and went to kiss it, and it pricked my lips; Oh Lord Jesus, kiss thou me, there are no thorns in thy kisses, thy lips hath honey, not thorns in them: When the Saint finds no rest in the world, then he cryeth out, Return unto thy rest, O my soul: The Bil­lows and Tossings of the Sea makes men desire dry land; the rest­lesness of the Waves makes them love the stableness of the shore.

1. Sirs, your want of peace in the world, doth it not make you keep peace within? Let me have some peace (saith the soul); If I cannot have peace abroad, let me have peace at home; if I cannot have peace without, let me have peace with­in; if not in the world, yet in my conscience: Oh, this makes the upright Saint nourish a tender Conscience in himself, that having no rest nor quiet in the world, he may yet enjoy a sweet serenity in his own soul.

2. Want of peace in the world, doth it not make you prize your peace with God? Would you ever have prized your peace with God so much, had you had no distractions and in­terruptions in the world? I doubt of it.

Sixteenthly, Another method whereby God advances grace in his people, is by reproaches from men: Oh! this is a great Mercy of God to his People, that men revile them, and wick­ed men hate them: Did wicked men hug you in their arms, you would catch the plague of them; Their affection would be your infection.

The more the Tares embrace the Corn, the more they kill it: Necat & hedera vinciens (saith Pliny), the Ivy by clip­ping Lib. 17. c. 24. and clasping the Trees, binds them too hard, and hastens their death: The hissing of the Adder prevents your being stung by her: When wicked men hiss at you, and spit their enmity upon you, the more you run from them: And now grace grows, the Saints shun their company, and thereby their corruption.

The hatred of the wicked makes the Saints flock together; it increaseth their love to one another: There would not be such Communion among the Saints, did not the hatred of the world drive them closer together; and now they grow stronger: their love to one another, and their prayers for one another grow stronger.

Aelian tells us that the Chii had a great Sedition among them, Var. Hist. l. 14. c. 25. [...]. some of the one side would have had their Adversaries wholly expelled out of the City; no, saith a wise man, [...], by no means; but when we have got the victory (saith he) let us leave some among us, least having no adversaries, we war among our selves: So God in his Wisdom leaves wicked men among us, least the Saints should fall out among themselves.

But the misery is, you know not how to improve the re­proaches of men to the advantage of your graces: They slander you to be hypocrites, and proud, and covetous, and self-con­ceited, and that you are secretly as bad as others.

You will say, How should we improve grace upon this?

If they judg you to be Hypocrites, and base, do you judg your selves: It may be there is some special cause that you should judg your selves: God suffers other men to judg you, to awake you to self-judging; however make this use of it, and you are sure to be no losers by the reproach: If they say, I am an hypocrite, I will try my self whether I am an hypo­crite: If they call me covetous, or proud, I will call my self to an account: Would you not be gainers by this?

Oh! then get within your hearts, and search them through­ly before the Lord, and see if there be any way of wickedness in you which you have not yet discovered; and never be quiet, till you have found out your sin, or be sure that you are clear: And would not this be an exceeding gain to you?

2. And then when you have upon deep search clear'd up your Consciences, then consider, that though you are not what they censure you to be; yet you are sinners, I say, Sin­ners before God: You know your sins in other kinds are so many, and so great, that you should bear the more patiently to be hardly thought of, when you know you are so bad.

If you are in truth godly, you have seen a sink of unclean­ness in your selves, and have loathed and condemned your selves often; and do you think much then to be condemned by the world?

If you judg your selves to be so bad, should you be troubled that you are thought by others to be bad? If you condemn your selves, is it suitable for such a spirit that hath been con­demning himself, to be vexed in that he is condemned by o­thers? Conclude therefore, it is no great matter to be con­demned by the world, so long as we are not condemned with the world.

Seventeenthly, Again, yet God goeth higher with his Saints, he assaults them with the reproaches of Saints: Oh! the godly wound me, and speak ill of me: If 'twere others, I could pass it by; but those that are godly are upon me, and whet their tongues against me: What shall I do now? Is God do­ing me good by this? Yes, by this, if thou knowest how to make use of it: How? now judg thy self most of all: when the Servants of God think hardly of you, and above all, if it be wise and impartial men that are acquainted with you; it is then your duty to be very jealous of your hearts and ways, to fear least you are guilty, and to search the more dili­gently.

Eighteenthly, Yet further, God increaseth his Saints graces by Temptations, by all sorts and varieties of Temptations: And therefore if you would look to grow in grace, you must expect and make account of all Temptations whatsoever; I say, you must look to dwell in the air of perpetual temptations; and so have the four cardinal winds of temptations to be always (nay, sometimes at once) blowing on you, and blustering about your ears: You must never think to be free: you would fain have it always a calm and serene air; but be not mistaken, look for an air full of windy exhalations; for the end and use of the winds, is to open the pores of the earth for fructification, to ventilate and fan the air, thereby to purge it, and keep it from putrefaction, to gather the Clouds together, and then dissolve them to water the Earth, and nourish the fruits of seeds, plants, and trees; so that as the end for which God made the Winds, is for life and growth; so doth he in his Wisdom make use of Temptations to serve the growth of your graces.

For to be tempted, is the Way and Conduct of God over his Church, and over all souls, and was a part of the life of the Son of God: It must be also part of the life of a devout soul, [Page 140] and we must not doubt but God hath great designs upon them whom he puts into this state: For as Gods Power, so 2 Cor. 12. 9. our grace also is made perfect by weakness; thence she re­ceiveth lustre; God purifies us by contradictions and subver­sions; he confirms and assures us by temptations.

You shall need to take great notice of what hath been said, be­cause there are Christians that are of two different Judgments about this point.

1. Some expect the way of Religion should be very facile and easie to them; and that as soon as ever they are Saints, they should sail always with a secûnd or prosperous wind.

But they are far deceived, who think Piety grows among Lillies; that the way toward perfection of grace is strew'd with flowers; who imagine nothing but sweetness; and that devotion is a Land flowing with Milk and Honey, and consequently, that there is or should be nothing that is difficult: Which yet they are the sooner perswaded to, in that they only seek a certain satisfaction, and ease to their own flesh, using no vio­lence, but fastning only upon this, That it is sufficient for a man to do what he can.

2. There are others on the contrary, that look upon the exercises of Religion, as so rigorous, strict, and painful, that they say of it, as the sensual Jews did of the Land of promise, It is an ill Countrey, possessed of Gyants, and that eateth up the in­habitants.

Here are two different sentiments, lying in extreams, and consequently faulty: both deceive themselves.

To remedy this, the truth we are to say, is, That godliness is indeed a lilly, but growing among thorns: Religion hath its thorns, they prick, it may be hurt us, but these thorns are laden with Roses.

As Moses found God in the burning bush of thorns; so a Christian finds God, and Grace, and Comfort, in a Bryar­bush of Conflicts and Temptations.

And as temptation was the life of Jesus, so it is the life of our souls; to believe otherwise, were to flatter our selves.

And yet 'tis certain, there is much content in this warfare; for the grace and help of God is always present, which will never fail us as long as we dispose our selves to receive it; in this respect it is that Religion is all sweetness, in that we are [Page 141] able to do all in him who strengthens us, in him who comforts us.

But lastly, God tempts his Saints by Satan, by the Devil him­self; and thence I argue, that God increaseth his Saints graces by the very temptations of the Devil: God sets the Devil upon his own Saints, unlooseth the chain, and lets him out upon them, as a Mastive, and there leaves them fighting hand to hand: Sa­tan is a Mastive in Gods Chain, and therefore could not come out at all to bait us, unless God loose him, and set him on us: Was not Satan fain to get leave of God, before he could assault Job? Yes, surely, Satan had his Commission from God to deal with Job: The power the Devil had, God puts it into his hands. That part of the conference between God and Satan, is worthy your notice; saith Satan to God, Put forth thine hand now— Job 1. 11. and he will curse thee to thy face: Saith God to Satan, Be­hold, Vers. 12. all that he hath is in thy power: Satan moved, that God would put forth his hand against Job, and God puts Job into Satans hand.

Was not our Lord Christ led by the Spirit into the wilderness, to be tempted of the Devil?

Paul had a messenger of Satan, sent by God himself to buf­fet 2 Cor. 12. 7. him.

Why then should you think much, that God in his Sove­reignty, useth this discipline to exercise and increase his peo­ples graces, as though some strange thing happened unto you? 1 Pet. 4. 12. And what (I pray you) will the issue hereof be, but that you may be found unto praise, and honour, and glory, at the ap­pearing 1 Pet. 1. 7. of Jesus Christ?

Deo soli Honor & Gloria.

THE way to Heaven is encounter'd with difficulties, and Travellers are in danger of two things, Robbery and Murder: We are Travellers towards Glory, and therefore we must arm our selves against both these: for there is one master-Thief, namely, Satan, which hath Interest in all the rest: Therefore saith the Apostle, Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

The occasion of these words is this, There was a sad sin that sprang up (like a weed) in the garden of the Church of Corinth: There was a man that had married his Fathers Wife: If she were his own natural Mother, the sin was most [Page 144] prodigious and unnatural, that the child of her womb, should be the Husband of her Bed; the Son of the Father, the Father of Sons by her! an high crime! a sin which the Heathens stamp­ed Infamy upon.

Aristotle writes of a Camel, that killed his keeper for causing Histor. animal. l. 9. c. 47. him to cover his Dam; and of an Horse that cast himself down head long, after he had done the like.

If she were his Mother-in-law, yet 'twas against the Law of Reverence; if but his step-mother, yet 'twas a foul step beyond Nature, for the Son to uncover the Fathers nakedness: 'twas such a sin (saith the Apostle), as is not so much as named 1 Cor. 5. 1 [...] among the Gentiles. The sin therefore, though it were bad enough in it self, yet there was an adjunct that made it far worse, in that he that had done it, was a Christian, a member of the Church, and therefore Paul chargeth them, to deliver him unto Satan, for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit 1 Cor. 5. 5. may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. This he writes in his first Letter to them: and the Corinthians were soft-wax to his Impression; he commands them, and they obey him: This spiritual physick applied to the offender, had a good success and effect upon him; for being punished, he punisheth himself, he mourns and grieves: being cast out of the Church, he casts away his sin.

And therefore the Apostle in this his second Letter or Epistle 2 Cor. 2. 7. to them, desires them to forgive their patient, and to comfort him: and that for two ends: The first is in vers. 7, Lest he should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow.

The other is in the words of my Text, Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

The first reason hath respect to the patient, the poor crea­ture that had sinned, and was now humbled, Lest he should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow.

The second reason casts its aspect upon the Interest and com­mon good of the Church, Lest Satan get an advantage of us: In the first, he desires them to forgive the penitent for his sake, Lest he be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow: In the se­cond, he desires them to forgive him for their own sakes, for (saith he) I forgave him for your sakes, lest Satan get an ad­vantage Vers. 10. 11. of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

Quest. What was the advantage that Satan was like to get of them, and of the Church, if they did not forgive him?

Answ. To lead them into sin: Satan would have made an advantage of their zeal to lead them into sin.

1. In abusing that power which God had given them for edification, to the destruction of a precious soul.

2. By heightning them up (under a notion of zeal) into a rigid austerity, and uncharitableness to their offending bro­ther.

3. By making them guilty of spiritual murder: In whose hands (had they gone on) this patient had been so roughly handled, that he had died in the cure, and run into de­spair.

4. Their rigidness towards their lapsed brother: Satan would have made use of it to ruine the Church, and dissolve the Society: It would have bred ill blood in the body, begot schisms and divisions among them, offended the weak, and made the stubborn more obstinate; if a poor penitent sinner may not be received again into the bosom of the Church, who would be the Child of such a Mother? Thus they would have mur­mured, and not without some reason: They that favoured the offending party, would have cryed down Discipline and Go­vernment.

Besides, if pastors and sheep be not mutually careful of one anothers souls, by Counsel and Admonition, to prevent the fall of some, and to raise up others that are fallen; to heal the broken, to strengthen the weak, to comfort the feeble, to cure the wounded; if all of them take not care of every one, how should that flock subsist and continue long?

5. The false Apostles, those Apostles of Satan, who were Pauls Adversaries, and the Gospels, would have made a strong advantage to accuse the Doctrine of Christ, and draw a party to themselves. Thus Satan under the Mask of just Discipline, went about the perdition and ruine not of one sinner only, but also of the whole Church: And therefore saith Paul, IF Vers. 10, 11. I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave it: for your sakes for­gave I it, lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

Now to look a little into the words, the Original words [Page 146] are [...].

1. Which Ambrose renders, [ Ne possideamur a Satana], lest we be possessed by Satan, lest he get us into his pos­session.

2. Erasmus renders it, Ne occupemura Satana, the Vulgar reads it, [ Ʋt non circumveniamur a Satana], lest we be circum­vented by Satan, lest he cunningly come about us, and beguile us by his wiles.

And this to me seems the right sense and mean­ing of the word: and so Tertullian rendred it, [ Ne fraude­mur Lib. de pudici­tia. a Satana] lest we be over-reached or deceived by Satan, for his way is to work by policy; he plays his game by craft of wit, rather than by strength of hand: And thus the Scripture tells us of his [...], which we translate the wiles of the Devil: Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able Eph. 6. 11. Id est, adver­sus, Insidias. Technas, de­ceptiones Dia­boli. to stand, [ [...]] against the cunning Methods, Arts, and Deceptions of the Devil.

Methodus Graecis est Ars & Techna: Method with the Grecians, is Art and Skill, and is taken in an ill sense for craft, a method of cunning, an art to deceive: so the Ancient [...]. Glosses expound [...], circumvenire, id est, fallere, to de­ceive, & [...], circumventio, that is, a deceiving: so that [...] and [...] signifie the same thing, only with this different respect, he that deceives, is said [ [...]] to do it methodically, for his handsom art and skill to do it: He that deceives, is said [ [...]] from his end and scope; for there­fore do men deceive, [ Ʋt [...]], that they may have more than they should, more than is their own.

And this it is which our Translation aims at, lest Satan should get an advantage of us, that is, deceive us to our great loss, and his gain: As if the Apostle had said, I exhort you not to continue the severity of Discipline any longer toward the penitent offender, but receive him again with all tender­ness, and make haste to do it, lest Satan deceive you into such an over-sight, as upon your ruine to make himself an infinite gainer; not only by your austerity to undo one poor soul a­lone, but the whole Church, raising schisms and quarrels among you, filling the mouths of his false Apostles with mat­ter against us, and by your immoderate rigour making the Gospel more hateful. For we are not ignorant of his devi­ces: [Page 147] [...], for we are not ignorant of his notions: The Devil is full of deep and strong notions, or plots against us: [...] consilia. The words being opened with the key of Interpretation, affords us several Observati­ons: [Lest we be circumvented, or deceived by Satan].

Observ. 1. Satan hath a great spite to poor souls.

Observ. 2. But he is especially inflamed with malice and malignity against the Saints and Church of Jesus Christ.

Observ. 3. Satan is wondrous busie and active to circum­vent the Saints, and catch them in the Net of his deceits. And which is observable,

Observ. 4. Satan doth practise upon the Saints by their own graces: he makes an advantage of their zeal; by it (that was his Gunpowder-plot) to blow up their sick patient into de­spair, and them into ruine: Therefore forgive him (saith the Apostle) lest we should be circumvented or deceived by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his devices: Where observe these Doctrines:

Doct. 1. That Satan is a learned and exquisite Artist in the Trade of deceiving souls. He is full of his cunning methods and devices.

Doct. 2. The Saints (especially Ministers) are, or should be well acquainted with the devices or plots of Satan. For we are not ignorant of his devices. Paul takes it for granted, that every Saint doth in some measure understand them: He is but an ill fencer, that knows and observes nothing of his Enemies play: But my discourse shall fix upon the former of these two, to treat of, namely,

Satan is a learned and exquisite Artist in the Trade of de­ceiving Doctrine. souls. Or if you please, take it thus: Satan is a skil­ful artist, weaving up continual plots and devices to catch poor souls. He is full of methods and devices: as he hath an heart, so he hath an art to deceive—

Satan exercised this device against the Church of Corinth, and this incestuous man, to lull them asleep, lest they should awake the power of Discipline against his sin, by which he was in a way to get advantage. First, Against the incestuous [Page 146] [...] [Page 147] [...] [Page 148] man. And Secondly, Against the Church of Corinth.

1. Against the incestuous man, by their security to lull him asleep in his sin: He would lay him asleep in his sin, by lay­ing the Church asleep from taking notice of his sin.

2. Against the Church of Corinth.

1. By making them guilty of his sin, not in doing, yet in par­taking; not in operation, yet in toleration: The Church be­comes guilty of those sins she doth not bend the brows of Discipline upon: Church-officers make other mens sins their own sins, by not admonishing, reproving, and not drawing the bow of Discipline against them.

2. By infecting the Church of Corinth with more of the same, or the like sins in the long run. And therefore saith Paul, Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? 1 Cor. 5. 6. Paul was not ignorant (here) of Satans device: he knew that as one weed (suffered to grow) doth shed its seed, and beget many: As a stone cast into the water begets one circle, which by multiplication begets many more: So one incestu­ous sin (tolerated) would beget another, and it another, and that another: or the toleration of that scandalous sin would speak for the toleration of another: If they would digest incest, they would much more in time tolerate and concoct adultery and drunkenness, and I know not what well: But when Paul had wrought upon the Church of Corinth to de­liver the offender unto Satan, observe how Satan doth spin a new thred of device against them, of which Paul speaks in this place. Well,

You have heard the Doctrine, which is, That Satan is a learned and exquisite Artist in the Trade of deceiving souls. He is full of methods and devices: As he hath an heart, so he has an art to deceive.

1. I shall discourse how busie and skilful Satan is to under­mine us. And then I shall arm you against his devices: and if you have skill in both these, you may walk the safer to Heaven.

I shall (in the first place) shew you how busie and skil­ful Satan is to undermine you: And that,

1. Because he is a very intelligent creature. He is [...], and therefore hath [...]: As the Holy Angels are wise to do good, so the lapsed Angels are wise and subtil to do evil. [Page 149] The Angels that fell, lost the goodness of their understanding, not the essence of their understanding: I say, Satan has lost the goodness of his understanding, but not the essence of it; he can make pitfolds, and lay snares to catch poor souls. Satan is a very intelligent creature.

First, He is a great Scholar. And then, Secondly, He is a deep head-piece.

1. He is a great Scholar: exceeding well read. First in the Book of the Creature. And secondly in the Book of the Scripture.

First, He is well read in the Book of the Creature. He knows all natural things with the causes and secrets of them, and therefore can work marvels and wonders, though not miracles. And,

Secondly, He is exceeding well read too in the Book of the Scripture: He studieth Scripture, not to convert, but to pervert poor souls: yet I say, he studieth hard the Scripture, and therefore he hath the Scripture at his fingers ends: as you may see in his Dispute with Christ: IF thou be the Son of Matth. 4. 6. God, cast thy self down: For it is written He shall give his angels charge concerning thee, and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.

Secondly, He is a deep head-piece. He hath a strong brain: he is not (as we say) a meer Scholar; a man may be a great Scholar, and yet but a fool in other things: But Satan is not so, he is a very elaborate polititian: Eagle-eyed to carry about his designs very exactly. I will shew you in these seven follow­ing things:

1. Satan can trace or find out the temper and disposition of the heart. He can feel your pulse, and (as the Physitian) can find out your temper: I do not say, he knows the heart as well as God, but he knows our hearts better than our selves: I say, he feels the pulse, and finds out the darling sin; he studies more our hearts than we our selves, and therefore we had need to be wary.

2. When he hath found out mans temper, his darling sin, he can lay a bait of Temptation suitable to it. He discerns a proud heart, or a covetous heart, and then he lays his Temp­tation to Harmonize with it. Thus you may see in Job, Jobs [Page 150] Oxen were plowing, and the Asses feeding beside them; and the Sabeans fell upon them and took them away: and why Job 1. 15, 16. the Sabeans? The Sabeans were a thievish people (inhabiting Arabia Felix) given to Robbery; now Satan finding out their temper, he presently sets before them rich spoils, these are a taking Object: See (saith Satan to them), yonder is a brave prize for you, Jobs cattel. Satan finding out their disposi­tion, he presents an Object to them, which hits it fully: Sa­tan (like a fisher) baits his hook according to the appetite of the fish: and as Christ took men in their own Element: He appeared to man in the garden, like a gardener, so doth Satan, [ Fit fera, Fit volucris, Fit toto corpore serpens], becomes all things to seduce all men.

3. Satan is wise and watchful to take the fittest time for temptations. Thus he sets upon Christ, when Christ had fast­ed Matth. 4. 1, 2. forty days, and forty nights, and afterwards was an hungry; then the tempter came, he lays hold on this advantage: Ob­serve, he would not come till Christ was hungry, to perswade him to turn stones into bread. Oh what a strength had this Temptation from the season? Who would not make bread for himself, if he could, when he is hungry? Hunger is keen: had Christ been full, there had not been such an edg upon, such a weight in the Temptation.

It might seem absurd to some, that Christ should answer the tempter, who was not worthy an answer, but a check and chiding, because his malice was incorrigible; he was uncapable of any profit or edification: and holy things were not to be cast unto dogs.

But it is sufficient to us, that our Lord would and did answer the tempter. For

He did not answer for the tempters sake, but for our sake. For as he would be tempted only for our good, so he did enter­tain the tempter, and overcome him in that way (that is, of answer) for our good: for although he answered, none being present but the tempter; yet he did answer, (and it is record­ed by the Spirit) for the use of the whole Church, and the consolation of all Believers.

Thus how many doth Satan provoke to turn stones into bread, when he comes to them in their hunger? Thou art in a strait, like to starve and perish; turn stones into bread, that [Page 151] is, procure thy self meat and provision by unfaithful and sin­ful ways: This is indeed to turn stones into bread: so he came 2 Sam. 17. 23. to Ahitophel (in the fittest time) when he was in a passion, and saw his Counsel cheap, and at a low rate in the Court: And when Ahitophel was not followed, he hanged himself, and dyed.

4. Satan tempts by doing the like things which God doth. Thus he hardned Pharoahs heart, (and for ought I know Exod. 7. 9, 10, 11. hindred his Conversion) by doing works like the same miracles which Moses and Aaron did: When Moses turned his Rod into a serpent, the Magicians did so. And mark what fol­lows, Pharaohs heart was hardned. Moses turned the waters of the River into blood, so did the Magicians. And what fol­lowed? Pharaohs heart was hardned: Moses and Aaron Vers. 22. Exod. 8. 6, 7: brought frogs over all the land of Egypt, so did the Magi­cians.

Thus to blind the ten Tribes, and take them from the true worship in Jerusalem, Satan sets up a worship in Dan and Bethel, 1 Reg. 12. 32. and Jeroboam ordained a feast in the eight month, on the fif­teenth day of the month, like unto the feast that is in Judah.

So you shall find Satan imitating Scriptural-truths, but with Adams on 2 Pet. 1. 20, 21. p. 362. the addition of his own lyes: He had his Poets and Fabulists, whose Mythologies went for true reports: that the great Army of Senacherib was destroyed, both Isaiah and Herodotus agree, but Isaiah saith, It was by the Angel of God; Herodotus saith, It was by an infinite number of Mice, which in the night-time did eat up the Leathers of their Armours, Targets, and Bridles, and hereupon they fled.

So the Gentiles had the same stories of Scripture, but under borrowed names, as Augustine observes: In allusion to the true History of Jonah, his fwallowing, and egestion by the Whale; Herodotus writes of one Arion, who for his money being thrown over Ship-board, a Dolphin took him on his back, and being delighted with his musick, carried him to Tenarus, from whence he went to Periander at Corinth, informing him of his received injury, and strange deliverance.

Satan knowing that it was prophecied of Christ, that he Isa. 35. 6. should open the blind eyes, and the deaf ears, and make the lame leap like harts, and the tongues of the dumb to sing; he feign­ed an Aesculapius, and gave out as strange wonders of him: [Page 150] [...] [Page 151] [...] [Page 152] And for better facilitating his purpose, called him the Son of God.

The Devil would make them believe, that the fensts of the Jews were derived from the Gentiles; when indced they came to the Gentiles from the Jews: Plutarch saith, that some of the Jews feasts, yea, their Sabbath day, and the word Sab­bas, was derived from the feasts of Bacchus; but indeed the solemnities of Bacchus came from them, being not so ancient as Moses. And thus the Devil damns many a soul, by letting them do the like things which God doth in the Saints: Doth a true Saint believe? Satan can suggest a motion like believing into the soul: Doth a true Saint repent? Satan will do the like in some of his, and suggest something like re­pentance into the hearts of his: and therefore is he said to transform himself into an angel of light. How is Satan said to 2 Cor. 11. 14. transform himself into an Angel of light?

When he suggests things that seem to savour of Piety, Zeal, See Annotat. upon the place. and Holiness, as if the motion proceeded from an Holy Angel: Whereas those things which he suggesteth, as he suggesteth them, tend wholly to Gods dishonour, and the souls ruine.

5. Satan tempts by dropping good things into your thoughts, when they should be employed upon other good things. Thus when you are praying or hearing a Sermon, there will come into your minds very gracious Meditations and desires, good resolutions of doing this or that good work, sometimes good affections, as of grief for your sins, and the like, all which were good at another time, but not at that time, because the Devil throws them in unto you, to take off your thoughts from the present duty: He will let your thoughts wander in Prayer, upon good things, that you may be never the better for that Prayer.

And he will raise up good and holy motions in you, whilst you are hearing a Sermon, that they might divert your thoughts from the present Sermon: Here our deceitful hearts will be ready to think that those come from the Spirit of grace (oh cunning Devil), but the truth is, they come from Satan: for the Spirit of God hath no such office to draw away mens minds from hearing the word, nor to trouble mens minds in prayer, with thoughts impertinent.

6. Satan makes choice of such instruments to tempt by, as [Page 153] are likely to be most effectual. Thus (you know) he did Gen 3. 6. 1 Reg. 21. Job 2. 9. overcome Adam by Eve his second self: Again, thus he tempted Ahab by Jezzabel, a prevailing instrument. And thus he tempted Job by his wife: and thus he tempted Christ Matth. 16. 22. 23. by Peter, and therefore said Christ to Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan.

Satan can make use of our friends to do us hurt by: He tempts not only by himself, but by instruments; and not only by such as are at a distance from us, but by those who are nearest in relation, and by those most: He can make a friend, a child, a wife, instrumental for our ruine: As Saul married his Daughter to David, that she might be a snare to him. 1 Sam. 18. 21.

6. Satan tempts us by our own selves. He makes use of our own reason or understanding to deceive our selves: he draws reason out of our own bowels to destroy us: and here you have the first particular, where you find how busie Satan is, and how skilful an artist Satan is to undermine us: he is a very intelligent creature.

2. Satan is armed with malice against souls. That's a rea­son 2 Particular. Psal. 41. 7. that sets him upon devising devices against us: As David saith, All that hate me, whisper together against me; against me, do they devise my hurt: And in another place, While Psal. 31. 13. they took counsel together against me, they devised to take away my life. So that hatred and malice is the root of plotting and evil devices against one: When we hate one, and bear him ill will, then we set upon devices against him. Now Sa­tan is full of malice against God, and then against the Church and People of God.

1. His malice against God. To tempt men is a pleasure to his malice, thinking himself by this means somewhat revenged of God: As he that defaceth the picture of his enemy, when he cannot come at his person, easeth his spleen a little: so the Dog gnaws the stone, that cannot reach the thrower: so Sa­tan makes it his work to raze Gods Image out of man, because he cannot reach God himself.

2. Satan is boundless in his malice against Gods People, and against the Church of God. Therefore saith Paul,. God is 1 Cor. 10. 13. faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted (namely by Sa­tan) above that you are able: As if he had said, Satan would with all his heart lay more upon you, than you are able to [Page 154] bear; Satan would break your backs, if he were let alone, but God will not suffer it. Observe here these four things:

1. Satans extream malice is seen in tempting us against God, and in tempting God against us. He doth not only tempt us to sin against God, (that were malice enough) but when we little think of it, when we are asleep, or in our business, he is trying and tempting God against us: O extream ma­lice! Thus God himself acknowledgeth in Job, Thou movedst Job 2. 3. me against him, to destroy him without cause. Pure malice stir­reth up Satan against the People of God; though he always pretends somewhat in them, yet the cause is in himself: and therefore Satan hath two names in Scripture, [...], a tempter. [...], slanderer or accuser, noting his two special works, Temptation, Accusation.

He solicites good men to do evil against God; hence he hath his name, the tempter; and he solicites God to conceive evil of good men; and hence he hath his name, the slanderer, or accuser.

2. When Satan cannot obtain against us, by one means, he endeavours it by another. He will not give off for the loss of one game: he is not wont to give his cause over for lost, because he cannot carry it at first: he will try, and try again. As it was with Balaak, when he sent for Balaam to curse the Numb. 23. 27. people, and saw the business did not prosper; Balaam could not curse them; he brought him to another place, Come (faith he) I pray thee, I will bring thee to another place: peradven­ture it will please God that thou mayest curse me them from thence; though you could not do it in one place, you may in another: Satan (if he cannot work his will one way) will try a second or third; and observe, that when Satan try­eth a second means after a first, he tryeth a way more probable and efficacious for his ends than the former.

3. When a weaker will not do it, he provides stronger means: As God in punishing or chastising sinners, when a lesser Judg­ment will not humble them, he sends a greater: God comes not only with another, but with sorer Judgments: I F ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish ye seven Lev. 26. 18. times more for your sins. So Satan, if you will not hearken unto him in one temptation, he will tempt you seven times [Page 155] more, and seven times stronger, as he did Job. Job 2. 5. Job. 1. 14, 15, 16, 19.

Before he got leave to touch Jobs cattel and goods, and to touch Jobs Children, Sons and Daughters, here was one greater than the former: for a mans children are more than all that he hath in the world besides: A mans children are himself; in every child is the Father multiplied: the child is the Fathers bowels, and therefore this affliction reached to the very bow­els of Job. Then after all this, he gets leave to smite Jobs body: Put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his Chap. 2. 5. flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.

And this is greater still than the former: Jobs children were near to him, but himself was nearer: and therefore said Sa­tan, Touch his bone and his flesh, that is, afflict his body; the bone and the flesh are the two chief parts, the material parts of the body: of them the whole Fabrick doth consist.

The bone is as the stone or Timber in this house, and the flesh is as the Lime and Morter, filling of it up: Touch this, faith Satan; and here he aims at sore affliction: for if he had said only thus, [ Touch his flesh] that might have been made affliction great enough: But when he saith [ Touch his bone and his flesh], he aims at deep affliction: Touch him so, as that his very bones may shatter, that the very pillars may shake: Touch him so, as that the pain and distemper may sink into his very bones, into his marrow; the bone it self is a part without feeling, yet to touch the bone, impotts the great­est pain that can be felt.

4. Satan, if he prevails at the first on-set, in the beginning of a temptation, he drives on furiously, and takes advantage to rout the whole soul: As a Troop of Horse, that having once broke the rank, goeth on fiercely, hoping thereby to rout the whole body; so doth Satan: you may see it in the pitcht battel which he sought with Peter: Peter (you know) goeth after Jesus to the high priests Palace, there Peter una­wares doth (as it were) draw out into the field. Well, the Devil resolves to enter into Battalia with him, ( Simon, Simon, saith Christ, Behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that Lnk. 22. 31. he may sift you as wheat): And there he doth first skirmish with Peter, and sends out a Damsel against him, Thou also Matth. 26. 69. 70. wast with Jesus of Galilee: but he denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest.

Here she breaks the rank, and gets in upon Peter: and what doth Satan do now? He drives on furiously, takes the present advantage, and sends another maid, and she chargeth him more strongly: for she saith to them that were there, This Vers. 71. fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth. Mark ye [ this fel­low], and she saith it unto them that were there round about him: A worse charge than the former, And again he denieth with an oath: But Satan follows on still, and now draws up Vers. 72. Vers. 73. his whole body against Peter, After a while came unto him [they] that stood by (a stronger multitude still), and said unto Peter, Surely thou also art one of them, for thy speech bewrayeth thee. Vers. 74. Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man. And now he routs Peter, and disperseth all his forces; for saith the Text, He began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man: And here you have a second particular, Satan is armed with malice against souls.

Thirdly, Satan is armed with pride: As David saith, The 3 Particular. Psal. 10. 2. wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: Let them be taken in the device they have imagined.

Fourthly and lastly, Another reason that helps Satan on well 4 Particular. in his devices, is, because he hath a large conscience. Indeed he hath no conscience; Satan hath conscience of sin, but he makes no conscience of sin; he hath conscience of sin, that is, smiting him with sense of guilt; but he makes no conscience of sin, and therefore can do any thing: As a man that makes nothing of sin, to swear nor lye, he may carry on any design, he may grow rich: Now the Devil is such, he will swear, and dissemble, and lye, and therefore may carry any design on foot: He did lye to Eve in paradise: and he was a lying spirit in the mouth of Gen. 3. 5. 1 King 22. 22. Ahabs Prophets.

Ʋse 1. The first Ʋse is this, If Satan be so learned and exquisite an artist in the Trade of deceiving souls, then let us not be ignorant of his devices, as the Apostle saith, but be fore-warn'd, and fore-arm'd. In the handling of this Ʋse, I shall discover Satans plots and temptations: Satan doth tempt men, First, Before conversion. Secondly, Satan tempts men in conversion. And thirdly, Satan tempts men after con­version.

1. Satan tempts men before conversion, that they may not be converted.

First, To delay their repentance till they be sick: When we are sick, then we will repent: Pain and weakness of body is no advantage to repentance, and returning unto God: it unfits the soul for action: Hence observe what the Apostle James saith, when he reckons up the several conditions of the Saints: Is any among you afflicted? let him pray: [he speaks Jam. 5. 13, 14. that in general] but saith he, Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the Church, and let them pray over him: As if he had said, a sick man can hardly pray for himself: Is any among you afflicted? let him pray: In afflictions a man can pray for himself: But is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the Church, and let them pray over him: As if he should say, a sick man cannot pray for himself: he hath enough to do to wrestle with his pain and conflict: he hath need to call others to pray for him: A diseased body unfits the mind for holy duties: and therefore sick Hezekiah's pray­ing, Isa. 38. 14. is called chattering; like a crane or a swallow, so did I chat­ter: The pain of his body wrought such a disquietness and un­composedness upon his spirit, that he could not pray, but chat­ter; or [ like a crane or a swallow, so did I chatter], that is, I Annotat. could not speak, but sigh and groan; or, I was so full of pain, that my Prayers were very quick and short: not sentences, but words, not words, but syllables: not plain syllables, but chat­terings: How pitiful then are they mistaken, who put off re­pentance till their bodies be in pain, till they are sick or weak? They do it upon this ground, because when the body is sick, they think repentance is easie: It is quite other­wise.

And therefore did Satan aim to make Job sick: Satan was Job 2. 5. confident to trouble the mind of Job, by casting Darts and Diseases into his body: by making Job sick, he hoped to make Job blaspheme and curse God; Touch his bone, and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face. If Satan thought by pain and sickness to make Job blaspheme God, Dost thou think that pain will be an advantage to thee to turn to God?

It is said in Revelations, at the pouring out of the fourth Chap. 16. 9. vial, when they were scorcht with great heat, they blasphemed God, and they repented not, to give him glory: Let wicked men be scorcht with a feaver, or with a pestilence or sickness, and 'tis the way to make them blaspheme God; and therefore 'tis a [Page 158] woful thing to put off repentance to a pained body: pain in its own nature, fits us rather to blaspheme and fly upon God, than fly to God.

Never think (it is one thing what God may make use of; but do you never think) to have help for the cure of your souls, by the diseases of your bodies: Usually we find, that either sick persons repent not, or theirs is but a sickly repentance: Indeed a long and lingering sickness may do much; there is a time wherein the understanding may act deliberately, and the work may be digested: but a short sickness, and a short re­pentance, such as it is, I ever doubt of.

I say, Satan tempts before Conversion, namely to hinder us from entring the ways of grace, and to keep us out of Christ: For, if we be once in Christ, we are gone from him; he can hurt us no more than he can Christ: and you may see how far his malice can reach, The seed of the woman shall break the serpents head, that is, his power: The seed of the serpent shall bruise his heel, that is, his humanity. When thou art once in Christ, he can bruise but thy heel, he may stir up affliction, bring thee to thy grave, but shall never bring thy soul to Hell.

At the best, pain can but restrain your lusts, it cannot heal them: A disease can but abate the acts of sin, it can never destroy the life of sin: Death it self cannot kill sin: the sins of wicked men live, when they are dead: The grave cannot consume them: nor the fire of hell waste their strength: the sins of unbelievers shall remain, not only in their guilt, but in their power to all eternity.

Quest. But how does Satan hinder our conversion?

Answ. By kindling a stronger love in us to sin. There is in all men by nature a love to sin, and Satan comes and blows that fire into a flame, and so our love becomes predominant: and afterwards it becomes a great work to un-love that sin.

2. Satan tempts the unconverted these two ways:

1. By inspiring his false Prophets and Ministers. Thus he 1 King. 22. 22. 1 King. 22. 4, 5. devised Ahabs destruction: I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And again, Ahab [Page 159] King of Israel asked Jehosaphat King of Judah (who came to see him) whether he would go with him to Battel to Ramoth Gilead? Well, the King of Judah promised the King of Israel, and told him, saying, I am as thou art, my people as thy people, my horses as thy horses: Afterwards Jehosaphat said nnto the King of Israel, enquire I pray thee, at the word of the Lord to day: Then the King of Israel gathered the prophets [that is, Vers. 6. the false prophets inspired by Satan] together, about four hun­dred men, and said unto them, Shall I go against Ramoth Gilead to battel, or shall I forbear? and they said, go up, for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the King. Consider it seriously, They that admininister the Oracles of God, are the greatest mercies, or greatest curses: When they drop from their lips nothing but Gods mind, they are mercies; if not, they are curses.

2. Satan tempts the unconverted, by numbering more false prophets than true. For when Satan cannot act for Truth on his side, he will act by number: He will weigh the balance by number, when he cannot by truth: he will disgrace truth by the greatness and multitude of number against it: for he knows what will take among carnal and ignorant men: they are carried with quantity more than quality: What are you (saith Satan, that are but one or two) wiser than so many? Can truth sit upon the lips of so few? If it were truth, why should not others know it as well as you? Why should so many be ignorant of it? Thus he carried his device upon the wings of multitude against Ahab: to hatch his design against 1 Reg. 22. 6. Ahab, he did sit upon the spirits of four hundred prophets, a­gainst one Micajah: so there are many loose lives against one Christ: though there be many (now a days) that teach men by their words and doings, that men may live loosely; yet Christ saith, Broad is the way to destruction, and narrow is the way to life: So that the fewness of those that carry on the way to life, is a Testimony of the truth of it.

3. Satan tempts the unconverted, by putting men out of conceit with the godly, that they are proud and Hypo­crites.

Secondly, Satan tempts men in conversion: He can play his part here also: he is cunning everywhere to destroy: if he cannot keep sinners from conversion, he will hinder them in con­version: [Page 160] Now Satan temps men in conversion,

1. By putting hard thoughts of God himself into them; and therefore no marvel if they have hard thoughts of god­ly men: When such a soul is coming unto God, he is by Sa­tan way-laid with this, namely, that God will never pardon him; he would repent, but dares not: he takes God for his Enemy: Satan would fain make a poor soul that's coming un­to God, think that God is his Enemy, and will not save him; it is one of his Master-pieces to bring the love and good-will of God into suspition: Oh! saith he, why should I repent? I shall not be accepted: and this is no small weapon.

And thus Satan deals with grown Saints, and strong Christi­ans; and therefore surely the temptation is a strong Engine, it hath more than ordinary strength in it: He practised thus a­gainst Job 1. 16. Job, The fire of God (saith the messenger) is fallen from heaven, and hath burnt up the sheep: Mark ye, why did Satan consume Jobs sheep with fire? He stirred up the Sabeans Vers. 14, 15. to take away his Oxen and Asses, and why not the sheep? why, to provoke Job (if he could) to be passionate against God, and (for that was his great design) to curse and blaspheme God, to beget an opinion in Job, that God was now his Enemy, as well as Man: The fire of God is fallen upon the sheep, thou canst not put this off as thou mightst do the other, and say, this is but the malice or covetousness of the Sabeans, that rob me of my goods; no, thou shalt see now, that God himself is angry, heaven frowns upon thee, the fire of God consumes thee: Turn over the Records of all antiquity, and see whe­ther ever God dealt thus with any, but those cursed Sodomites, upon whom God rained fire from heaven: Was God their enemy in that punishment? Behold, he sends such an one up­on thee; though God hates nothing so much as sin, yea no­thing but sin, yet he would fain save the sinner: Now then bring your souls to this, either I will be a natural man still, or else I will get into Jesus Christ: Sirs, If you live in sin, you will lose your souls: if you throw away sin, you shall be re­ceived into the bosom of Christs love.

2. In conversion one device by which Satan tempts is, when poor creatures are coming home to God, to fright them with fearful blasphemies. As for example, he will first tempt or suggest to thee, that there is no God; and this temptation springs [Page 161] immediately from Satans hatred of God: he would annihilate God.

But now to oppose Satan in this his device, how shall I en­counter him? Thou must arm thy self against this temptation, thus:

Answ. 1. Tell him, Satan thou knowest there is a God: thou wouldst have me believe there is no God, and yet thou knowest that there is a God: The Devils also believe [that is, that Jam. 2. 19. there is one God] and tremble.

Answ. 2. (And observe it): in that the Devil tempts thee, that there is no God, should be a means and argument to thee to believe more certainly that there is a God: Satan would keep you from believing that which he cannot but believe: And this should be a strong argument to make us believe that there is a God: for were there no God, the Devil would never tempt to think that there is a God.

3. Another temptation to men in conversion is this, My heart is hard, I cannot repent of sin: I cannot be sorry for my sins.

Oh! you must venture your soul upon Jesus Christ, for free pardon and justification; you must take Christ, and he will give you a soft heart, he will give you repentance unto life: Acts 5. 31. You must take Christ for pardon, and for repentance also, that you may be pardoned.

Quest. But may I before I repent, take hold of Christ for par­don? May one that cannot repent, lay holy and lean upon Christ?

Answ. 1. There's difference between one that cannot repent, but would:

2. And one that doth not repent, and will not; cares not to repent.

1. He that doth not repent, and will not, he may not take hold of Christ, nor lay claim to him.

2. But he that cannot repent, but would, he may lay hold of Christ, that he may repent: and he will go to Christ (nothing shall stave him off) to fetch repentance from him: I say, he may go to Christ for repentance: See how David did do so, Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

There are two snares and nets which the Devil sets for people.

1. One is, that they hope to be saved by Christ, and never care to be humbled, nor to be sanctified: and in this the pro­phane are caught.

2. Another snare which Satan layeth, is to make men labour for Humiliation, Holiness, Mortification, Obedience, and not labour to believe: and in this well-meaning people are caught. For the first:

First, They that hope to be saved by Christ, and never care First snare. to be humbled, nor to be sanctified, these are sadly in Satans snare: he holds them deadly: for Faith which justifieth, makes holy, though it doth not justifie by its holiness: Faith makes thee a new creature: that Faith is none of Gods making, that doth not make thee a new man: And therefore it was the speech of Francis Spira, in his desertion and anguish of spirit, Pag. 114. I will not (saith he) derogate from the certainty of saving­faith, and the promises of the Gospel, for they are most sure; but yet take heed of relying on that faith that works not a holy and unblamable life, worthy of a Believer; believe me (quoth he) it will fail, I have tryed it: and therefore he much commended to them the Epistles of Peter, which press sanctity and chastity.

Secondly, The other snare which Satan layeth, is to make men Second snare. dig and labour in the Mines of Humiliation and Holiness, and subduing their sins, and not take pains to believe.

1. Here's labour in vain, for that which can never bring thee Christ, nor salvation, and that Satan knows, and there­fore puts men on it, to make them spend time and pains to no purpose: he puts them in a way where Christ is not, that they may not find Christ where he is: As Rahab sent the men of Josh. 2. 5, 6. Jericho away towards Jordan to seek for the spies, when she hid them in the stalks of flax: So Satan sends men a travel­ling after Christ over Hills and Dales, over the hills of Duty, and high strains of Holiness, and days of Humiliation: And therefore as Christ said to Martha, so say I to these, Ye are careful about many things [how to subdue your sins, and be humbled for them] but one thing is needful, that is, to come to Christ, and believe in him: do this, and you shall be saved.

2. When ye have believed and received Christ, then you shall [Page 163] be able to do all things; then you shall have, 1. Mortificati­on and Victory over your lusts. 2. Sanctification and Abi­lity to duty, and not before: These be the Births of believing; you must believe before you can have these: As a woman must be married to a man, before she can have lawful children by him: Were it not a simple thing for a woman to expect chil­dren legitimate by a man, and then she would marry him?

As absurd it is to expect, First to have legitimate graces in the soul, and then to believe, to be sanctified, and get victory over sin, and then to believe in Christ; for Faith (which doth espouse thee to Christ) is the cause of all true Mortification and Holiness, as marriage is of children: As the Apostle tells you, Ye are married to another, even to him who is raised from Rom. 7. 4. the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. Christ is (as it were) the Father of all our graces (of him we received grace for grace); and when he hath married us to himself, he be­gets them in us.

Of his grace he conveys grace to us, and he never doth it but by our Faith in him: for it is by Faith that he lives in us, and we in him: and holiness is the means by which Christ af­ter he is believed in, brings them that believe in him, to sal­vation.

And this removes that objection that troubles many, repen­tance Act. 2. 38. and conversion is requited to pardon of sin: Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the holy Ghost. Again, Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may Act 3. 19. be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. Once more, For him hath God exalted Act. 5. 31. with his right hand, to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give re­pentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. How then shall I believe his promise of mercy to the pardon of my sins, that cannot clear my Conversion to my Conscience? None can en­ter into the Kingdom of God, except they be born again of the John 3. 3. Rom. 8. 13. spirit: If I live after the slesh, I shall dye.

Here are two questions consounded, they must be distinguish­ed and taken asunder.

1. What manner of persons they be whom God admits into Heaven?

2. What manner of persons may receive. Christ unto Justifi­cation of life? For the first,

1. God indeed receives none into Heaven, but those on whom he hath written the golden Characters of sanctification.

And now brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of Act. 20. 32. his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inhe­ritance among all them which are sanctified. For the second, who may receive Christ?

2. I say, any one (whoever he be) that finds his own guilti­ness and death, and is affected with it in his heart. Every burdened sinner, hearing Christ propounded in the Covenant of Grace, with this only condition of believing in him, may come to him for life.

Christ and the Covenant of Grace is offered to unregeneraete Mr. Wilson Help to Faith 80, 81. Ibid. men, who being enabled by Gods Spirit to perform the con­dition [which is to believe in Christ] Christ is theirs.

A man must not stay to receive Christ, till he first find in him­self regeneration and repentance towards God, which is wrought out of it: but he must first believe, that in Christ he may re­ceive the promised Spirit unto his new creation, or conver­sion unto God: for Christ is given, to give us these things: he is sent to bless men, in turning them from their sins: And Act. 3. 26. Act. 5. 31. him hath God exalted with his right hand, to be a prince and a saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.

And therefore we are not to look first to find Repentance and Conversion in our selves, and then come to Christ to ob­tain forgiveness; but we must seek both in him: we must take Christ, that we may have these from him: as the woman that had an incurable Issue,

1. Believed that she should be healed, if she touch't the Hem of Christs garment.

2. She ventured and resolved in her self to touch him.

3. Upon the touch, felt in her self that she was healed; so poor sinners that feel loathsom diseases of sin in them, are to go. and venture to touch Christ, and to expect pardon and ho liness from him: And therefore see your error, you who will not believe, till you have first grace strengthening you to duty, and subduing sin in you: if you could clear up your Conver­sion, and find these things in you, then you could believe, and not else; and therefore thou must first believe in Christ, be­fore thou canst clear up thy Conversion to thee: To answer [Page 165] this Branch, how shall I believe, till I clear up my Conver­sion?

Thirdly, There is a double Act of Faith.

1. There is (indeed) an act of Faith which cannot be had Mr. Arcker, P. 30. till this be had, which Divines call the reflect act: where by a soul believes that it doth believe, believes that it is in Christ, be­belives that it is in a saved condition; before this act can be, there must be repentance and holiness, and tryal of our graces. Examine your selves, whether ye be in the faith: prove your own 2 Cor. 13. 5. selves: know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? This act presupposeth Faith, and is a knowing, that we have Faith: This is not the necessary means to salvation, but to assurance and comfort.

2. There is another act of Faith, namely the direct act, which is believing: not a believing that I do believe; nor a believing that Jesus Christ is mine: but a believing on Christ, that Christ may be mine, and that I may be saved and sanctified by him: and this must be before we can repent: we must not stay from this act of Faith, till we can clear up our Conversion to us; but believe in Christ, that we may love God, and clear up our Conversion to our selves: For (mark you) Faith is one part or grace of thy Conversion: Thou canst not clear up thy conver­sion, till thou dost believe; surely, then thou must first believe also in Christ, as well as repent, that thou mayst clear up thy conversion to thy soul. And therefore when Satan shall tempt thee, what hast thou to do to cast thy self upon Christ, seeing thou knowest not that he is thine? What right hast thou to put thy self on Christ, and art not sure he is thine? Oh, saith a soul, if I might trust my self on Christ, I would.

Thou mayst cast thy soul upon Christ, before thou knowest Note. him to be thine: Observe, there is a twofold trusting and re­lying upon Christ: 1. The one is at a venture, without a per­swasion Mr. Archer, p. 20. of an Interest in him, grounded on Gods free offer of him to all sorts of people: This is the ground of our first be­lieving, on our first coming to him, and entertaining of him; for if this were not, people would never receive him: This seems to be no more than a confidence in his ability and willing­ness to save all that come to him: Thus the man that had the leprosie, came and cast himself on Christ at a venture: he knew that Christ could heal him: and therefore faith he, Lord, if thou [Page 166] wilt, thou canst make me clean. He is not sure that Christ would heal him, only makes a venture upon the pleasure and goodness of Christ to heal him.

2. The other is a more certain thing, grounded on the Know­ledg of an Interest in Christ: Because a soul knows it hath Christ for its own. therefore it rests on him confidently for salvation. This [ trust] follows the Knowledg of our believing, and is a further act and degree of Faith, and comes after our coming to him, and receiving of him: The Lord is my rock, and my for­tress, Psalm. 18. 2. and my deliverer: My God, my strength in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my tower.

O my God, I trust in thee, let me not be ashamed: let not mine Psalm. 25. 2. enemies triumph over me.

And therefore poor sinners, let me (oh let me) invite you to Jesus Christ: I tell you, Christ and Justification by Christ, are free for any person whatsoever, to obtain by believing: See John 6. 35, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me, shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst: [He that cometh, he that believeth] that is, any one that cometh, any one that believeth: It is an indefinite proposition, and is equiva­lent to an universal: It is as much as to say, whosoever comes; as it is elsewhere expressed, [ That whosoevrr believeth in him, John 3. 16. should not perish, but have everlasting life] that is, any person whosoever may [upon believing] obtain Christ and Life by him: The meaning is not only, that Christ is free for all sorts of people (for all sorts of people shall actually have Christ, because God hath his elect of all sorts, both poor and rich, bond and free, Jews and Gentiles, young and old, men and women, wise and foolish, one nation and another); but that there is no particular person in the world (to whom the Gospel comes) who may not by believing have Christ and Salvation by him: Christ is so freely tendered to all comers, to all receivers, to all that believe in him, that there is no person of any Countrey or Condition, of any Age or Sex, or Sins whatsoever, but by believing he may have Christ, and Grace, and Holiness by him.

This was typified by the years of Jubilee: In those years any servant of the Hebrews might go from his master, and be set free, if he would accept of it: which did teach and typifie, that any person whosoever, that is by nature a servant unto [Page 167] Sin and Satan, might go out, be set free by Christ under the Gospel, if he would accept of it: for the years of freedom, and of Jubilee, typified the year of grace by Christ, as you may see in Luk. 4. 19, where Christ is said to preach [ [...]], Ainsworth. the acceptable year of the Lord, that is, the Jubilee: for he dy­ing Lev. 25. 10. in the last Jubilee that ever the land had, set all free for ever that would receive him. So the brazen serpent was a fi­gure Numb. 21. 8, 9. of Christ: Now the law of the brazen serpent was this, That if a Serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the ser­pent of brass, he lived: Every one (saith God) that is bitten, when he looks upon it, shall live. What's the meaning of this? That whosoever believes in Christ (mark ye, whosoever, any Joh 3. 14, 15. one, every one that will look upon him, and believe in him) should not perish, but have eternal life, as himself expounds it.

The brazen serpent was free for any Israelite that was stung, any one might go and look on't, and be healed; so Christ is free for any sinner that would be healed, as he explains it: God so loved the world (that is, the Gentiles as well as Jews), that whosoever believes in him, shall not perish, but have ever­lasting Vers. 16. John 12. 32. Mark 16. 15. Vers. 16. life. And in another place, And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to me: And therefore Christ ap­points his Disciples to preach the Gospel to every creature (that is, to every man and woman ye meet with, to any Gentile, as well as to any Jew,) and then adds, He that believes shall be saved. Christ then (and salvation by Christ) is free for any person, if he will believe.

Indeed where the Gospel is not preached, the people are not commanded to believe; and so obedience cannot be exacted from them, nor they punish't for the want of it: yet the com­mission of mercy and pardon given out, is no way limited [in regard of persons] but tenders mercy and pardon without re­striction of persons upon believing: and therefore where-ever it comes, it offers Christ and Salvation free for every person of them whatsoever, to be obtained by believing.

In a word, this was typified by the Proclamation of Cyrus: ye know their coming out of Babylon was a figure of our com­ing 2 Chr. 36. 23. out of our spiritual captivity: Now the Proclamation of Cyrus ran thus, Who is there among you of all his people? The Rev. 22. 17. Lord his God be with you, and let him go up. Like that in the Revelations, Whosoever will, let him drink of the water of life freely.

Any Jew might have liberty and freedom from captivity, upon the terms of accepting it, for it was granted to all who­soever, to depart, that would depart: Now, though it is true, all did not take it, and so were not delivered; yet freedom was free for every one that would accept it.

And therefore, sinners, I do here invite ye all to come to Christ, not only for pardon, but for grace, and for conversion and repentance: It is true, he will never give you pardon with­out conversion, but he will give you conversion for pardon: Do not keep off from Christ, till ye are converted; but go to Christ for conversion; he will receive you all, if you will all go to him.

I am a most loathsom creature, a most loathsom wretch: and Object. will God look on me? will he love me if I go to him? May such a vile loathsom sinner as I go to so a Holy God? will God put me into his bosom? And therefore when a poor soul is enlight­ned to see his sin, he is at a stand, he dares not go and converse with God for a pardon: Arm thy self against this Temptation, in these following things I shall give you.

1. Therefore if thou art loathsom, thou hast the more need Answ. to go to God, that thou mayst be cleansed: because thou art loathsom, thou hast the more need to fly to him: Thy foulness and loathsomness should not stave thee off from Christ, but drive thee unto Christ: because men have filthy diseases, there­fore they go unto the Bath: because Naaman had a leprosie, therefore he went and washed in Jordan: so because thou hast dirt on thy soul, go to the blood of Christ to wash thee.

2. Though God be holy, yet he will receive loathsom sinners when they come to him, that they may be purged: As when Isaiah cryed out, Wo unto me, I am undone, because I am a man Isa. 6. 5. of unclean lips. Thou thinkest thy self undone (because thou art unclean) if thou goest to God; and Isaiah thought him­self undone (because he was unclean) in that God came to him: But what then? what was the issue? Then flew one of the Sera­phims Vers. 6, 7. to me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the Altar; and he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips, and thine iniquity is ta­ken away, and thy sin purged.

Isaiah crys out, I am undone, because I have seen the Lord, and am unclean: But the Angel saith, Be of good cheer, thine [Page 169] iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. Soul, thou sayst thou art unclean, but wouldst thou be purged? I dare not go to God, because I am unclean, but wouldst thou be purged? Then thou shalt have a live cole from his altar, a holy cole dropt down from heaven: He will baptize thee with the holy ghost, and with fire.

3. If loathsomness of sin should keep us off from going to God, then none should ever be saved: because loathsomness and uncleanness is the state of every man: But we see God hath entertained loathsom sinners, say they, why not me?

4. Thou art loathsom and filthy by sin; well, thou canst ne­ver cleanse thy self: thou art not able to put beauty on thine own soul; thou canst not thy self wash one drop of dirt off thy na­ture, and therefore surely thou mayst and must go to Christ, that he may cleanse thee, else it will never be done: As the Apostle tells us, The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from 1 John 1. 7. all sin.