I. TEMPTATION,

BLasphemous Spi­rit; It is not the ignominy of the Crosse that can blemish the honour of my Saviour; Thou feelst to thy [Page 2] endlesse pain and regret, that he who would die upon the tree of shame hath triumph't victoriously over death, and all the powers of hell; The greater his abasement was, the greater is the glory of his mercy: He that is the eternall God would put on man, that he might work mans redemption, and satis­fie God for man; Who but a man could suffer? and who but a God could conquer by suffering? It is man that had sinned; it is God that was offended; who but he that was God & man could reconcile God unto man? He was crucified through weak­nesse, yet he liveth (and trium­pheth) 2 Cor. 13. 4. in the power of his (omnipotent) God-head; Nei­ther [Page 3] was it so much weak­nesse to yeeld unto death; as it was power to vanquish it; yea, in this very dying there was strength; For here was no violence that could force him into his grave; who should offer it? I and the Father are one, saith that word of Truth; and in U­nity there can be no con­straint; And, if the persons be divers; He thought it no Philip. 2. 6. robbery to be equall with God the Father; and there is no authority over equals; and for men or Devils, what could they do to the Lord of life? I lay down my life, Joh. 10. 17, 18. saith the Almighty redee­mer, that I might take it a­gain; No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of my [Page 4] self. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to [...]ke it againe; Oh infinitenesse both of power and mercy met in the center of a wil­ling death!

Impudent tempter, doest thou not remember thine owne language? The time was, indeed, when thou couldst say, If thou be the Son Matth. 4. 3, 6. of God; but when thou foun­dest thy self quelled by that divine power, and saw'st those miraculous works fall from him which were only proper to an infinite God-head; now thou wert forced to confesse, I know who thou Mar. 1. 24. art, even the holy one of God; and againe, Jesus the Son of the most high God; and yet Mar. 5. 7. againe, What have we to do Mat. 8. 20. [Page 5] with thee, Jesus the Son of God? art thou come to torment us before the time? Lo then, even in the time of his hu­mane weakness, thou couldst with horrour enough ac­knowledge him the Sonne of the most high God, and dar'st thou now that he sits crowned with celestiall glo­ry, disparage his ever-bles­sed Deity?

Thy malice hath raised up, as in the former, so in these later daies, certaine cursed imps of hereticall pravitie, who under the name of Christians, have wickedly re-crucified the Lord that bought them; not sparing to call into que­stion the eternall Deity of him whom they dare call [Page 6] Saviour; whom if thou hadst not steeled with an hellish impudence, certainly, they could not professe to admit the word written, and yet the whiles, deny the perso­nall Word: How clear testi­mony doth the one of them give to the other? when thou presumedst to set upon the Son of God by thy per­sonall temptations, he stopt thy mouth with a Scriptum est; how much more shall these Pseudo-Christian a­gents of thine be thus con­vinced? Surely, there is no truth, wherein those Oracles of God have beene more clear and punctuall; Are we not there required to Joh. 3. 13, 18. be­leeve in him as God, upon the promise of eternall life, [Page 7] Joh. 18. under the paine of everla­sting condemnation?

Are we not commanded Mat. 28. 29. Act. 2. 35. to baptize in his name as God? Is not the holy Ghost 10. 48. given as a seale to that bap­tisme? Are we not charged to give divine Psal. 22. 27. honour to him? Is not this required and reported to be done not only by the Psal. 72. 11, 15. Kings of the earth, but by the Rev. 5. 11, 12. & 4. 9, 11. Saints and Angels in heaven? Is he not there declared to be Philip. 2. 6. e­quall with God? Is he not there asserted to be Joh. 10. 30. 1 Joh. 5. 7. one with the Father? Doth he not there challenge a joynt Joh. 16. 15. & 17. 19. right with the Father in all things both in heaven, and earth? Are not the great works of divine power at­tributed to him? [...]sa. 45. 12. Psal. 33. 6. & 102. 26. Hath not [Page 8] he created the earth, and man upon it? have not his hands stretched out the hea­vens? hath not he comman­ded all their host?

Are not all the Attributes of God, his? Is he not e­ternall? Is it not he of whom the Psalmist, Psal. 45. 6, 7. Thy throne O God is for ever and ever; the scepter of thy kingdome is a right scepter? Is not he the Esa. 9. 6. Father of eternity; Revel. 1. 17. the first and the last; Micah 5. 2. have not his goings forth been from everlasting? Joh 17. 5. Had not he glory with the Father before the world was? Is not he the Joh. 1. 1. Word which was in the beginning; the word that was with God; and the word that was God?

Is he not infinite and in­comprehensible? [Page 9] Is it not he that Ephes. 4. 10. filleth all things; Joh. 3. 13. that was in heaven, whiles he was on earth?

Is he not Rev. 1. 8. Almighty? even the Esa. 9. 6. mighty God who upholds all things by the word of his power▪ Yea, is he not expresly stiled▪ the Lord, Esa. 40. 3. & 45. 21, 22. Jehovah, The Esa. 45. 13. Esa. 6. 3. Lord of hosts; Rom. 9. 5. God blessed for ever; 1 Joh. 5. 20. The true God, and eternall life; Tit. 2. 13. The great God and Saviour; 1 Cor. 2. 8. The Lord of glory?

Hath he not abundantly convinced the world of his Godhead, by those miracu­lous works which he did both in his owne person whiles he was here on earth, and by the hands of his fol­lowers? works so transcen­ding [Page 10] the possibility of na­ture, that they could not be wrought by any lesse then the God of nature? as eje­cting of Devils by com­mand; raising the dead af­ter degrees of putrefaction; giving eyes to the borne blind, conquering death in his own resuscitation, ascen­ding gloriously into heaven? charming the winds, and waters, healing diseases by the very shadow of his tran­sient disciples?

Yea tell me, by what power was it that thine O­racles (wherby all the world was held in superstition) were silenced? What-power whereby the Gospel so op­posite to flesh and bloud hath conquered the world, [Page 11] and in spight of all the vio­lence of Tyrants, and op­pugnation of rebellious na­ture, hath prevailed?

Upon all these grounds how can I do lesse then cry our with the late-believing disciple, My Lord, and my God? Joh. 20. 28.

Malignant spirit, thou dost but set a face of checking me by my Saviours Crosse; thou knowest and feel'st that he was the Chariot of his Tri­umph, whereupon being ex­alted, Colos. 2. 15. he dragged all the powers of hell captive after him, making a show of them openly, to their confusion, and his glory; Thou knowst that had it not been for that Crosse, those infernall regi­ons of thine had been peo­pled with whole mankind; [Page 12] a great part whereof is now delivered out of thy hands, by that victorious redemp­tion. Never had heaven been so stored; never had hell been so foyled, if it had not been for that Crosse.

And canst thou think to daunt me with the mention of that Crosse, which by the eternall decree of God was determined to be the means of the deliverance of all the soules of the elect? Dost thou not hear the Pro­phet say of old; He was cut Esa. 53. 8, 9. off from the land of the li­ving; for the transgression of my people was he striken; And, he made his grave with the wicked and the rich in his death. He hath poured out his soule unto death, and he was Esa 53. 12. [Page 13] numbred with the transgres­sors; and he [...]ar [...] the sin of many? Didst thou not hear my Saviour himself, after his glorious resurrection, checking Cleopas, and his fel­low-traveller, for their ig­norance of this predetermi­nation? O fools, and slow of Luke 24. 25, 26. heart to believe all that the Prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?

Yea lastly, when had my Saviour more glory then in this very act of his ignomi­nious suffering, and cruci­fixion? It is true, there hangs the Son of man de­spicably upon the tree of shame; He is mocked, spit Luke 23. 35, 36. upon, buffered, scourged, [Page 14] nail'd, revil'd, dead: now have men and Devils done their worst; But, this while, is the son of God acknow­ledged and magnified in his almighty power, both by earth and heaven; The Sun for three hours hides his head in darknesse, as hating to behold this tort offered to his Creator; the earth quakes to bear the weight of this suffering; The rocks Mat. 27. 51. rend in peeces, the dead rise from their graves to see, and wonder at, and attend their late dying, and now risen Sa­viour; The vayle of the Mat. 27. 54. Temple tears from the top to the bottome, for the blas­phemous indignity offered to the God of the Temple; And the Centurion upon [Page 15] sight of all this, is forced to say, Truly, this was the son of God. And now after all these irrefragable attestations, his Easter makes abundant a­mends for his passion; There could not be so much weak­nesse in dying, as there was power in rising from death; His resurrection proves him the Lord of life and death, and shews that he died not out of necessity, but will; since he that could shake off the grave, could with more ease have avoided death: Oh then the happy and glorious conquest of my blessed Sa­viour, declared to be the Son Rom. 1. 4. of God with power, according to the spirit of holinesse, by the resurrection from the dead! Go now wicked spirit, and [Page 16] twit me with the Crosse of my Saviour; That which thou objectest to me as my shame, is my onely glory; God forbid that I should glory Gal. 6. 14. save in the Crosse of my Lord Jesus Christ; whereby the world is crucified unto me and I unto the world.

II. TEMPTATION,

WIcked Spirit; when thou presumedst per­sonally to tempt my Savi­our; and hadst that cursed mouth stopped by him, with [Page 18] an [It is written] thou da­redst not then, to raise such a blasphemous suggestion a­gainst this word of truth: Successe in wickednesse hath made thee more impudent; and now, thou art bold to strike despitefully at the ve­ry root of religion: But know, that after all thy malicious detractions, this word shall stand, when heaven and earth shall va­nish; and is that, whereby both thou, and all thy com­plices shall be judged at that great day: It is not more sure that there is a God, then that this God ought to be served and worshipped by the creature: Neither is it more sure that God is, then that he is most wise, most [Page 19] just, most holy; This most wise just and holy God, then, requiring and expe­cting to be served, and wor­shipped by his Creature, must of necessity have im­parted his will to his crea­ture, how, and in what man­ner he would be served, and what he would have man to believe concerning him­selfe, and his proceedings; Else, man should be left to utter uncertainties, and there should be a failing of those ends, which the infinite wis­dome, and justice, hath pro­posed to it selfe: There must be therefore some word of God, wherein he hath re­vealed himselfe to man; and that this is, and must be ac­knowledged to be that onely [Page 20] word▪ it is clear, and evi­dent; for that there neither was, nor is, nor can be any other word, that could, or durst stand in competition, or rivality with this word of the Eternall God: and, if any other have presumed to offer a contestation, it hath soone vanished into con­tempt, and shame; Moreo­ver, this is the only word, which God ownes for his; under no lesse stile then [Thus saith the Lord,] which the son of God hath so acknow­ledged for the genuine word of his eternall Father, as that out of it (as such) he hath pleased to refell both thy suggestions, and the malici­ous arguments of his Iewish opposites.

[Page 21] It drives wholly at the glory of God; not sparing to disparage those very per­sons, whose pens are im­ployed in it; in blazoning their owne infirmities in what they have offended; which could not have been, if those pens had not been guided by an higher hand; It discovers, and oppugnes the corruptions of nature, which to meer men are ei­ther hid; or, if revealed, are cherished, and upheld; it laies forth the misery, and danger of our estate under sin; and the remedies, and means of our deliverance, which no other word hath ever pretended to undertake.

Besides, that there is such a Majesty in the stile where­in [Page 22] it is written, as is unimi­table by any humane author whatsoever; the matter of it is wholly divine; ayming altogether at purity of wor­ship, and integrity of life; not admitting of any the least mixture either of Idolatry & superstition, or of any plau­sible enormities of life; but unpartially laying forth Gods judgements against these, and whatever other wickednesses. This word re­veals those things which ne­ver could be known to the world by any humane skill or industry; as the Creati­on of the world, and the or­der and degrees of it; and the course of Gods admini­stration of it, from the be­ginning; thousands of years [Page 23] before any records of histo­ry were extant; As it was onely the Spirit of the most high God in Daniel that Dan. 2. 11. could fetch back and give an account of a vision fore-pas­sed; All the Soothsayers and Magicians confesse this a work of no lesse then divine omniscience.

And as for things future, the predictions of this word of things to be done after many hundreds, yea some thousands of years (the e­vents having then no pre­existence in their causes) be­ing accordingly accompli­shed, show it to proceed from an absolute unfailing, and therefore infinite pre­science.

And whereas there are two [Page 24] parts of this word; The Law, and the Gospel: The Law is more exact then humane braines can reach unto; meeting with those aberra­tions, which the most wise and curious Law-givers could not give order for; extending it selfe to those very thoughts which nature knows not to accuse, or re­strain; Rom. 7. 7. The Gospel is made good, as by the signes and wonders wrought in all the 2 Tim. 3. 15. primitive ages; so by the powerfull operation that it hath upon the soul; such, as the word of the most pru­dent man on earth, or of the greatest Angel in heaven should in vain hope to paral­lel: And whereas the pen­men of both these, were Pro­phets, [Page 25] and Apostles; The Pro­phets are sufficiently attested by the Apostles, to be men 2 Pet. 1. 21. holy, & inspired by the Holy Ghost; the Apostles are abun­dantly attested by the Holy ghost powred out upon them in their Pentecost, & (besides variety of tongues) enabling them to do such miraculous works, as astonished, & con­vinced their very enemies. To these may be added the per­fect harmony of the Law, & the Gospel; the Law being a prefigured gospel, & the go­spel a law consummate; both of them lively setting forth Christ the redeemer of the world, both future & exhibi­ted. Neither is it lightly to be esteemed, that this word hath been by holy men in all [Page 26] ages received as of sacred and divine authority; men, whose lives and deaths have approved them eminent Saints of God; who have not only professed, but sea­led with their bloud, this truth which they had lear­ned from him that was rapt into the third heaven, That all 2 Tim. 3. 16. Scripture is given by inspirati­on of God; a truth which can­not but be contested by their own hearts, which have sen­sibly found the power of this word, convincing them of sin; working effectually in them a lively faith, and unfaigned conversion; which no humane means could e­ver have effected.

Lastly, it is a strong evi­dence to my soule, that this [Page 27] is no other then the word of a God; that I find it so eager­ly opposed by thee, and all thy malignant instruments in all ages; Philosophers both naturall, and morall, and politique, have left large Volumes behind them in their severall professions, all which are suffered to live in peace; and to enjoy their o­pinions with freedome, and leave; but, so soon as ever this sacred book of God looks forth into the world, hell is in an uproar, and rai­ses all the forces of malice, and wit, and violence a­gainst it; Wherefore would it be thus, if there were not some more divine thing in these holy leaves, then in all the monuments of learned [Page 28] humanity: But the prote­ction is yet more convi­ctive then the opposition, that not withstanding all the machinations of the powers of darknesse this word is pre­served intire; that the sim­plicity of it, prevails against all worldly policy; that the power of it subdues all nati­ons, and triumphs over all the wickednesse of men and devils; it is proof enough to me that the God of heaven is both the author, and ow­ner and giver of it: Shortly then, Let my soul be built upon this rocky foundation of the Prophets and Apo­stles; Let thy storms rise, and thy flouds come, and thy Mat. 7. 24, 25. winds blow, and beat upon it; it shall mock at thy fury, [Page 29] and shall stand firme against all the rage of hell.

III. TEMPTATION,

WIcked tempter, thou wishest me to my losse; wo were to me if I were but a man; and if I had no better guide to fol­low, then that which thou call'st Reason; it is from na­ture that I am a man; it is from grace that I am a man regenerate; Nature holds forth to me as a man, the dim and weak rush-candle-light of carnall reason; The grace of regeneration shows me the bright torch-light, yea, the sun of divine illu­mination; Thou bid'st me, as a man, to follow the light of reason; God bids me as a [Page 31] regenerate man to follow the light of faith; whether should I beleeve, whether should I listen to? It is true, that reason is the great gift of my Creator, and that which was intended to di­stinguish us from brute crea­tures; but where is it in the originall purity to be found under heaven? Surely it can now appear to us in no other shape then either as corrup­ted by thy depravation, or by Gods renovating grace restored; as it is marred by thee, even naturall truths are too high for it; as it is re­nued by God, it can appre­hend and imbrace superna­turall verities: It is regene­rate reason that I shall ever follow; and that will teach [Page 32] me to subscribe to all those truths, which the un-erring Spirit of the holy God hath revealed in his sacred word; how ever contrary to the ra­tiocination of flesh, and bloud; Onely this is the right reason, which is illu­minated by Gods spirit, and willingly subjected to faith; which represents to me those things, which thou sugge­stest to me for unreasonable and impossible, as not fai­sible only, but most certain. That in one Deity there are three most glorious persons; distinguished in their sub­sistences; not divided in their substance; That in one person of Christ the Media­tor, there are two natures, divine and humane, not con­verted [Page 33] into each other; not confounded each with o­ther; That the Creator of all things should become a creature; That a creature should be the mother of him that is her God; how ever they be points which carnall reason can not put over, yet they are such, as reason illu­minate and regenerate can both easily, and most com­fortably digest: Great is the 1 Tim. 3. 16. mystery of godlinesse; God manifested in the flesh: What mystery were there in god­linesse, if the deepest se­crets of religion did lie open to the common apprehensi­on of nature? My Saviour, who is truth it self, hath told me, that no man knoweth the Father, but the Son, and he to Mat. 11. 27. [Page 34] whom the Son will reveal him; and with the same breath gives thanks to his heavenly Father, that he hath hid Mat. 11. 25. these things from the wise and prudent (who were most likely, if reason might be the meet judge of spirituall mat­ters, to attaine the perfect knowledge of them) & hath revealed them to babes. It is therefore Gods revela­tion, not the ratiocination of man that must give us light into these divine mysteries. Were it a matter of humane disquisition, why did not those sages of nature, the learned Philosophers of for­mer times, reach unto it? But now a more learned man then they, the great Doctor of the Gentiles, tels [Page 35] us, that the Gospel and preach­ing Rom. 16. 25, 26. of Jesus Christ yeelds forth the revelation of the mysteries, which was kept secret since the world began; But now mani­fested by the Scriptures of the Prophets, and, according to the commandement of the everla­sting God, made known to all nations, for the obedience of faith; Lo, he saith not to the obedience of reason, but of faith; and that faith doth more transcend reason, then reason doth sense, Thou ur­gest me therefore to be a man; I professe my self to be a christian man; it is rea­son that makes me a man, it is faith that makes me a christian; The wise & boun­tifull God hath vouchsafed to hold forth four severall [Page 36] lights to men; all which move in four severall orbes, one above another; The light of sense, the light of reason, the light of faith, the light of ecstaticall, or divine visi­on; and all of these are taken up with their own proper objects: Sense is busied a­bout these outward and ma­teriall things; reason is con­fined to things intelligible; faith is imployed in matters spirituall and supernaturall; divine vision in objects ce­lestiall, and infinitely glori­ous; None of these can ex­ceed their bounds, and ex­tend to a sphere above their owne; What can the brute creature, which is led by meer sense, do, or apprehend in matters of understanding [Page 37] and discourse? What can meer man who is led by rea­son, discerne in spirituall and supernaturall things? What can the Christian, who is led by faith, which is the evidence of things not seen attain unto in the clear vision of God, and heavenly glory? That God, who is a God of order, hath deter­mined due limits to all our powers, and faculties: Thou that art a spirit of confusion goest about to disturb, and disorder all those just ranks; labouring to jumble toge­ther those distinct orbes of reason, and faith; and by the light of reason, to extinguish the light of faith; & wouldst have us so to put on the man, as that we should put off the [Page 38] Christian; but I have lear­ned in this case to defie thee; grounding my self upon that word, which is mighty 2 Cor. 10. 4, 5. through God to the pulling down of strong holds; ca­sting downe imaginations, and every high thing, that exalts it selfe against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity eve­ry thought to the obedience of Christ; I will therefore follow my sense so far as that will lead me; and not suffer my self to be beaten off from so sure a guide; Where my sense leaves me, I will betake my self to the direction of reason, and in all naturall & morall things, shall be willingly led by the guidance thereof; but when [Page 39] it comes to supernaturall and divine truths; when I have the word of a God, for my assurance, farewell reason, and welcome faith; as when I shall have dispatcht this weary pilgrimage, and from a Traveller shall come to be a Comprehensor, fare­wel faith, & welcome vision.

In the mean time I shall la­bour what I may to under­stand all revealed truths; and where I cannot apprehend, I shall adore; humbly submit­ting to that word of the great and holy God; My thoughts Esa. 55. 8, 9. are not your thoughts; neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord; For as the heavens are higher then the earth, so are my wayes higher then your wayes, and my thoughts, then your thoughts.

IIII. TEMPTATION

DEceitfull spirit; How thou goest about to per­swade me to that, which thy [Page 41] selfe would be most loathe should be true? for if the soule of man expired with the body, what subject shouldest thou have of that tyranny, and torment which thou so much affectest? How willingly dost thou seem to fight against thy selfe, that thou mighrest overcome me? But this dart of thine is too blunt to pierce even a ratio­nall brest; Why dost thou not go about to perswade me that I am not a man, but a brute creature? such I should be, if my soul were no other then theirs; For as for bodi­ly shape, there are of them not much unlike me: Why dost thou not perswade me, that those brute creatures are men; if their soules were as [Page 42] ours; What were the diffe­rence? Canst thou hope I can so abdicate my self, as to put my selfe into the ranke of beasts? Canst thou think so to prevaile with thy sugge­stions, as to make reason it selfe turne irrationall? How palpably dost thou confound thy selfe in this very act of Temptation? For, if I had not a soul beyond the condi­tion of brute creatures, how am I capable of sinning? Why dost thou perswade me to that whereof my nature (if but brutish) can have no capacity? Dost thou labour to prevaile with thy tempta­tions upon beasts? Dost thou importune their yeil­dance to sinfull motions? If they had such a soul as mine, [Page 43] why should they not sin, as well as I? why should they not be equally guilty? Con­trarily, are those brute things capable of doing those works which may be pleasing unto God; the performāce where­of thou so much envyest un­to me? Can they desire and indeavour to be holy? are they capable of making con­science of their waies? Know then, O thou wicked spirit, that I know my selfe anima­ted with another, and more noble spirity, then these other materiall creatures; and that I am sufficiently conscious of my own powers; that I have an inmate in my bosome of a divine originall; W ^ch, though it takes part with the body, whiles it is included in this [Page 44] case of clay; yet, can and will (when it is freed from this earth) subsist alone, and be eternally happy in the pre­sent, and perpetuall vision of the God that made and re­deem'd it: and in the meane time exerciseth such facul­ties, as well shew whence it is derived; & farre transcend the possibility of all bodily temperament? Can it not compare one thing with ano­ther? Can it not deduce one sequel from another? Can it not attaine to the knowledg of the secrets of nature, of the perfection of Arts? Can it not reach to the scanning of humane plots; and the ap­prehension of divine myste­ries? Yea, can it not judge of spirits? how should it doe [Page 45] althis, if it were not a spirit? How evidently then doth the present estate of my soul con­vince thee of the future? Al operations proceed from the formes of things; and every thing works as it is; Canst thou now denye, that my soule whiles it is within me, can, and doth produce such actions, as have no derivati­on from the body, no depen­dence on the body? for how­ever in matter of sensation, it sees by the eyes, and heares by the eares, and imagines by those fantasmes that are represented unto it; yet when it comes to the higher works of intellectuall elevations, how doth it leave the body below it? raising to it selfe such notions, as wherein the [Page 46] body can challenge no inte­rest? how can it now denude and abstract the thing con­ceived from all considerati­on of quantity, quality, place; and so work upon its owne object, as becomes an active spirit? Thou canst not be so impudent, as to say the body doth these things by the soule; or that the soule doth them by the ayd & concurrence of the body; and if the soule doth them alone, whiles it is thus clog­ged; how much more ope­rative shall it be when it is alone separated from this earthen lump? And if the very voice of nature did not so sufficiently confute thee, that even thine owne most eminent heathens have here­in [Page 47] taken part against thee, living and dying strong as­sertors of the soules Immor­tality; how fully might thine accursed mouth be stopped by the most sure words of divine truth? Yea, wert thou disposed to play at some smaller game, and by thy damnable clients to plead, not so much for the utter ex­tinction, as for the dormiti­on of the soule, those ora­cles of God have enough to charme thee, and them; and can with one blow cut the throat of both those blas­phemies: That penitent theefe, whose soule thou madest full account of, when he was led to his execution, (which yet my dying Savi­our snatcht out of thy hands) [Page 48] could hear comfortably from those blessed lips, This day Luk. 23. 42. thou shalt be with me in Para­dise: shal we think this male­factor in any other, in any better conditiō then the rest of Gods Saints? Doth not the chosen vessel tel us, that upon the dissolution of our 2 Cor. 5. 1. earthly house▪ of this Taber­nacle, we have a building of God not made with hands eternal in the heavens? Pre­sently therfore after our flit­ting hence, we have a being, & that glorious; who can think of a being in heaven without a ful sense of joy? Doth not our Saviour tell us, that the soul of poor Lazarus Luc. 16. 22. was immediately carried by Angels into Abrahams bo­ome? The damned glut­ton [Page 49] knew so wel that he was not layd there to sleep, that he sues to have him sēt on the message of his refrigeration: Did not the beloved disciple, when he was in Pathmos, up­on the opening of the fifth Revel. 6. 9. feale, see under the altar the Soules of them that were slaine for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held? Did he not heare them cry, How long Lord, ho­ly▪ and true? What? Shall wee think they cryed in their sleep? Did he not see and heare the hundred forty four Revel. 14. 1, 3. thousand Saints, before the throne, harping, and singing a new song to the praise of their God? Canst thou per­swade us they made this hea­venly musick in their sleep? [Page 50] Doth he not tell us most plainely from the mouth of one of the heavenly Elders, that those which stood be­fore the throne & the Lamb, Revel. 7. 14. cloathed with white robes, and palmes in their hands, were they that came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb; there­fore 1. are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his Temple; and he that sitteth on the throne shal dwell a­mong them; They shall hun­ger 16. no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the Sun light on them, nor any heat; For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne, shall 17. [Page 51] feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountaines, and God shall wipe away all teares from their eyes; This service both day and night, and [...] leading forth can suppose nothing lesse then a perpetu­all waking; Neither is this the happy condition of holy Martyrs and Confessors on­ly; but is common to all the Saints of God, in what ever profession; Blessed are the Revel. 14 13. dead, which dye in the Lord; How should the dead be bles­sed, if they did not live to know themselves blessed? What blessednesse can be in­cident into those that either are not at all, or are sense­lesse? They rest, but sleepe not; they rest from their la­bours, not from the improve­ment [Page 52] of their glorified facul­ties: Their works followthē: yea and overtake them, in heaven; to what purpose should their works follow the if they lived not to injoy the comfort of their works?

This is the estate of all good soules, in despight of all thine infernall powers; and what becomes of the wicked ones, thou too well knowest; Dissemble thou how thou wilt those tor­ments; and hide the sight of that pit of horrour from the eyes ofthy sinfull followers; He that hath the keyes of Revel. 1. 18. hell and of death hath given us intimation enough; Feare not them which kill the body, Mat. 10. 28. but are not able to kill the soule; but rather feare him, who is a­ble [Page 53] to destroy both body and soul in hell: Neither is he more able out of his omnipotence, then willing out of his ju­stice, to execute this righte­ous vengeance on the impe­nitent, and unbeleevers; Tri­bulation Rom. 2. 9. and anguish upon eve­ry soul of man that doth evill.

In vaine therefore dost thou seek to delude me with these pretences of indemni­ty, and annihilation; since it cannot but stand with the mercy, and justice of the Al­mighty, to dispose of every soule according to what they have beene, and what they have done; To them who by Ro m. 2▪ 8. patient continuance in well-do­ing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternall life; But unto them that are conten­tious, [Page 54] and doe not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousnesse indig­nation and wrath: shortly, after all thy devillish sugge­stions, on the one part, The Wisd. 2. 1. soules of the righteous are in the hand of God, and there shall no torment touch them: On the other, In flaming fire shal ven­geance 2 Thess. 1 8, 9. be taken on them that know not God, and that obey not the Gospell of our Lord Jesus Christ: who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power.

V. TEMPTATION

NO, Tempter, it is true and holy faith, which thou reproachest for fond credulity: Had I to doe with no greater power then thine, or then any Angels in heaven, that is, meerely finite; I might well be cen­sured for too light beleefe in giving my assent to so dif­ficult a truth: but now that [Page 56] I have to doe with omnipo­tence; it is no lesse then blasphemie in thee, to talk of impossibility: Doe not thy very Mahumetan vassals tell thee, that the same pow­er which made man, can as well restore him? and canst thou be other then apposed with the question of that Jew, who asked whether it were more possible to make a mans body of water, or of earth? All things are alike easie to an infinite power. It is true, The resuscitation of the body from its dust is a su­pernaturall work; yet such as whereof God hath beene pleased to give us many ima­ges, and prefigurations even in nature it selfe; In the face of the earth, doe we not see [Page 57] the image of death in winter season; and in the spring of a cheerfull resurrection? Is not the life of all herbs, flow­ers, trees buried in the earth, during that whole dead sea­son? and doth it not rise up againe with the approching Sun, into stemmes and bran­ches; and send forth blos­somes, leaves, fruits, in all beautifull variety? What need we any other then the Apostles instance; Thou foole, 1 Cor. 15. 36, that which thou sowest is not quickned except it die: And 37, that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare graine; it may 38. chance of wheat, or of some o­ther graine; but God giveth it a body as it pleaseth him, and to every seed his own body; Lo, [Page 58] it must be rottenesse and cor­ruption that must make way for a flourishing increase: If I should come to a man that is ignorant of these fruitfull productions of the earth; and shewing him a little naked grayne should tell him; This which thou seest shall rot in the ground; and after that, shall rise up a yard high, into divers stalkes, and every stalk shall beare an eare; and every eare shall yeild twenty or thirty such graines as it selfe is; or shewing him an akorne, should say; this shal be buried in the earth, and after that, shall rise up twenty or thirty foot high; and shall spread so far, as to give comfortable shade to an hundred persons; Surely, I should not win be­leefe [Page 59] from him; yet our ex­perience daily makes good these ordinary proofes of the wonderful providence of the Almighty? Or should I shew a man that is unacquainted with these great marvells of nature, the small seed of the Silk-worme, lying scattered upon a paper, and seemingly dead, all winter long; and should tell him, these little atomes, so soon as the mul­berry tree puts forth, will yeild a worme; which shall work it selfe into so rich a house, as the great Princes of the earth shall be glad to shelter themselvs with & af­ter that, shall turn to a large flye; and in that shape, shall live to generate, & then spee­dily die; I should seem to tell [Page 60] incredible things, yet this is so familiar to the experiēced that they cease t owōder at it.

If from these vegetables we shall cast our eyes upon some sensitive creatures; Do we not see snayles, and flyes, & some birds lye as senslesse, and livelesse all the winter time, & yet, when the spring comes, they recover their wonted vivacity? Besides these resemblances, have we not many clear instances and examples of our resurre­ction? Did not the touch of Elishaes bones raise up the partner of his grave? Was 2 Kings 13. 21. not Lazarus called up out of his sepulcher after four daies possess [...]ion; and many noy­some degrees of rottenesse? Were not the graves opened [Page 61] of many bodies of the Saints, Mat. 27. 52, W ^ch slept? Did not they arise, and come out of their graves, after my Saviours resurrecti­on, 53. and go into the holy city, and appeare unto many?

Besides examples, have we not an all sufficient pledg of our certaine rising againe, in the victorious refurrecti­on of the Lord of life? Is not he our head? Are not we his members? Is not he the 1 Cor. 15. 20. first fruits of them that slept? Did not he conquer death 1 Cor. 15. 57. for us? Can the head be a­live and glorious, whiles the limmes doe utterly perish in a finall corruption? Cer­tainely then, if we beleeve that Iesus dyed & rose again; 1 Thes. 4. 14. even so them also which sleep in Iesus, wil God bring [Page 62] with him. And if there were no more, that one argument wherewith my Saviour of old confounded thy Sadduces lives still to confound thee, God is the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the Mat. 22. 32. God of Jacob; But God is not the God of the dead, but of the living: The soule alone is not Abraham; whole Abra­ham lives not if the body were not to be joyned to that soule.

Neither is it onely certain that the resurrection will be; but also necessary that it must be: neither can the con­trary consist with the infinite wisdome, goodnesse, justice, mercy of the Almighty: For, first, how can it stand with the infinite goodnesse [Page 63] of the all-wise God, that the creature which he esteemes dearest, and loves best, should be the most miserable of all other? man is doubtlesse the best piece of his earthly workmanship; holy men are the best of men; Were there no resurrection, surely no creature under heaven were so miserable as the holiest man: The basest of brute creatures find a kind of con­tentment in their being, and (were it not for the tyranny of man) would live and dye at ease; And others of them in what jollity and pleasure do they wear out their time? As for wicked men who let the reynes loose to their li­centious appetite, how doe they place their heaven here [Page 64] below, and glory in this that they are yet somewhere hap­py? But for the mortifyed christian, were it not for the comfort and amends of a resurrection, who can ex­presse the miserie of his con­dition? He beates down his body in the willing exercises of sharp austerity; and (as he would use some sturdy slave) keeps it under, holding short the appetite (oftentimes) e­ven from lawfull desires; so as his whole life is little o­ther then a perpetuall pe­nance; And as for his mea­sure from others, how open doth he ly to the indignities, oppressions, persecutions of men? how is he trampled upon, by scornful malignity; how is he reputed the off­scouring [Page 65] of the world? how is he made a gazing stock of reproch to the world, to An­gels, and to men? Did there not therefore abide for them 1 Cor. 15. 19. the recompence of a better estate in another world, the earth could afford no match to them in perfect wretched­nesse: which how far it ab­horreth from that goodnesse which made all the world for his elect, and so loves them, that he gave his owne Son for their redemption, let any enemy besides thine accur­sed selfe, judge: How can it stand with the infinite justice of God (who dispenseth due rewards to good and evill) to retribute them by halves? The wages of sin is death, the gift of God is eternall life; [Page 66] both these are given to the man not to the soule; The body is copartner in the sin, it must therefore share in the torment; it must therefore be raysed that it may be punish­ed; Eternity of joy or paine, is awarded to the just, or to the sinner; how can the bo­dy be capable of either if it should finally perish in the dust? How can it stand with the infinite mercy of God, who hath given his Sonne intirely for the ransome of the whole man, and by him salvation to every beleever, that he should shrink in his gracious performances, ma­king good onely one part of his eternall word to the spi­rituall halfe, leaving the bo­dily part utterly forlorne to [Page 67] an absolute corruption? Know then, O thou wicked one, that when all the rabble of thine Athenian scoffers, and Atheous Sadduces, and carnall Epicureans shall have mis-spent all their spleene, my faith shall triumph over all their sensuall reason, and shall afford me sound com­fort against all the terrors of death frō the firme assurance of my resurrection; and shall confidently take up those precious words, which the mirror of patience wished to be written in a book, and Job 19. 23 graven with an iron pen in 24, 25, the rock for ever; I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the lat­ter day upon the earth: and though after my skin worms 26. [Page 68] destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: and my soule shall set up her rest in that triumphant conclusion of the blessed Apostle, This 1 Cor. 15. 53, corruptible must put on incor­ruption; and this mortall must put on immortality; So when 54, this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mor­tall shall have put on immorta­lity, then shall be brought to passe the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victo­ry? O death where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? 55, The sting of death is sin; the 56. strength of sin is the Law; But thanks be to God which giveth 57. us the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ.

VI. TEMPTATION

THy damned scoffers were betimes foreseene to move this question, even by that blessed Apostle, whose eyes saw his Saviour ascend­ing 2 Pet. 3. 3. [Page 70] up to his glory, and who then heard the Angell say, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye Act. 1. 11. gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. What dost thou and they but make good that sacred truth, which was delivered before so ma­ny hundred generations? Dissemble how thou wilt, That there shall be a gene­rall assise of the world, thou knowest, and tremblest to know: what other couldst thou meane, when thou ask­edst my Saviour that questi­on of horror, Art thou come Mat. 8. 29. to torment us before the time? That time thou knowest to be the day, in which God will judge [Page 71] the world in righteousnesse by Acts 17. 31. that man whom he hath ordai­ned; whereof he hath given assurance to all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead; How clear attestation have the inspired Prophets of God given of old to this truth? The ancientest Pro­phet that ever was, Henoch the seventh from Adam, in the time of the old world, foretels of this dreadful day; Behold, the Lord commeth, Jude 14. 15. with ten thousand of his Saints to execute judgement upon all; and to convince all that are un­godly among them, of all their ungodly deeds, which they have ungodly committed; and of all their hard speeches which un­godly sinners have spoken a­gainst him; From the old [Page 72] world is this verity deduced to the new, and through the succession of those holy Se­ers derived to the blessed A­postles; and from them to the present generation; Yea, the sacred mouth of him, who shall come down, and sit as Judge in this awfull tri­bunall, hath fully laid forth not the truth onely, but the manner of this universall ju­dicature; The Sonne of man shall come in his glory, and all Mat. 25. 31. the holy Angels with him; Then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory; And before him shall be gathered all nations; and he shall separate them one from a­nother, as a shepheard divideth his sheep: And if this most sure word of the Prophets, Apostles, yea, and of the e­ternall [Page 73] son of God be not enough conviction to thee; yet to my soul they are an abundant confirmation of this main point of my Chri­stian faith, that from heaven he shall come to judge both the quick and the dead; Indeed, thus it must be: How many condemned innocents have in the bitternesse of their souls, appealed from that un­righteous bar of men, to the supreame Judge, that shall come; those appeals are en­tred in heaven and sued out; how can it stand with divine Justice that they should not have a day of hearing?

As for mean oppressors, there are good laws to meet with them; and there are [Page 74] higher then the highest to give life of execution to those lawes; but if the great­est among men offend, if there were not an higher then they, what right would at last be done? Those that have the most power and will to doe the greatest mischiefe, would escape the fairest: And though there be a privy Ses­sions in heaven upon every guilty soule, immediatly up­on the dissolution; yet the same justice, which will not admit publique offences to be passed over with a private satisfaction, thinks fit to ex­hibite a publique declarati­on of his righteous venge­ance upon notorious sinners, before men and Angels: So [Page 75] as those very bodies which have been ingaged in their wickednesse, shall be in the view of the whole world, sent downe to take part of their torment; and indeed wherefore should those bo­dies be raised, if not with the intent of a further dispo­sition either to joy, or paine? Contrarily, how can it con­sist with the praise of that infinite justice, that those poore Saints of his, which have been vilified and con­demned at every barre: per­secuted, afflicted, tormented, and have passed through all Heb. 11. 37. manner of painful & ignomi­nious deaths, should not at the last be gloriously righted in the face of their cruell e­nemies? Surely, faith the A­postle, [Page 76] it is a righteous thing 2 Thesl. 1. 6, with God to recompence tribu­lation to them that trouble you; and to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus 7. shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty Angels. What is it, O thou wicked spirit, whereto thou art reser­ved in chaines of dark­nesse? Is it not the judge­ment Iude 6. of the great day? what is it whereto the manifesta­tion of all hidden truthes, and the accomplishment of all Gods gracious promises are referred? Is it not the great day of the Lord? shall the all-wise and righteous Arbiter of the world decree, and reverse? Hath he not from eternity determined, and set this day; Wherein we [Page 77] must all appear before the judg­ment Seat of Christ, that every 2 Cor. 5. 10. one may receive the things done in his body; according to that he hath done, whether it be good, or evill? That there is there­fore such a day of the Lord; in the which the heavens shall 2 Pet. 3. 10. passe away with a great noyse, and the Elements shall melt with fervent heate, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burnt up; where­in the Lord himself shall de­scend from heaven with a shout, 1 Thes. 4. 16. with the voice of the Archan­gel, and with the trump of God, is no lesse certaine then that there is an heaven from whence he shall descend. All thy cavill is concerning the time; Thou, and thine are ready to say, with the evill [Page 78] servant in the Gospell, my Master defers his comming; And was not this wicked suggestion of thine foretold many hundred yeares agoe, by the prime Apostle, and by the same pen answered? Hath he not told thee that 2 Pet. 3. 8, our computations of time are nothing to the infinite? That one day with the Lord, is as a thousand yeares, and a thousand yeares as one day? Hath he not told us, that this mis-construed slacknesse 9. is in mans vaine opinion, not in Gods performance? He is slack to man that coms not when he is lookt for, he is really slack that comes not when he hath appointed to come; Had the Lord bro­ken the day which he hath [Page 79] set in his everlasting counsel, thou mightst have some pre­tence to cavill at his delay; but now that he onely over­stayes the time of our mis­grounded expectation, [...]he doth not slacken his pace, but correct our errour: It is true, that Christians began to look for their Saviour be­times; insomuch, as the bles­sed Apostles were fayne to perswade their eyes not to make such haste; putting them in mind of those great occurrences of remarkable change, that must befall the Church of God (in a generall apostasie, & the revelation of the great Antichrist) before 2 Thess. 2. 1. that great day of his appea­rance. And the prime Apostle sends them to the last dayes [Page 80] (which are ours) for those scoffers, which shall say, 2 Pet. 3. 3. Where is the promise of his comming? If they lookt for him too soon, we cannot ex­pect him too late; He that is Amen, will be sure to be within his owne time; when that comes, he that should come will come, and not tar­ry: In the meane while, not onely in the just observation of his owne eternall decree, but in much mercy, doth he prolong his returne, mercy to his elect, whose conversi­on he waits for, with infi­nite patience; it is for their sake that the world stands; The Angel that was sent to Gen. 19▪ 22. destroy Sodom could tell Lot, that he could doe nothing till that righteous man were [Page 81] removed; no sooner was Gen. 19. 22. Lot entred into Zoar, then Sodome is on a flame: mercy, even to the wicked, that they 24. may have ample leisure of repentance; Neither is it a­ny small respect that the wise and holy God hath to the exercise of the faith, and hope, and patience of his deare servants upon earth; faith in his promises, hope of his performances, and pa­tience under his delayes; whereof there could be no use in a speedy retribution. In vaine therefore dost thou, who fearest this glorious Judge will come too soone, go about to perswade me, that he will not come at all: I beleeve, and know, by all the foregoing signes of his [Page 82] appearance that he is now e­ven at the threshold; Lo, he commeth, he commeth for the consummation of thy torment, and my joy; I ex­pect him as my Saviour, tremble thou at him as thy Judge, who shall fully re­pay to thee al those blasphe­mies which thine accursed mouth hath dared to utter against him.

VII. TEMPTATION

FAlse tempter; there is not the least of those harmelesse sinnes, which thou wilt not be ready to aggravate against me, one day, before the dreadfull [Page 84] tribunall of that infinite ju­stice: those that are now small, will be then hainous; and hardly capable of re­mission: thy suggestions are no meet measures of the de­grees of sin: It is true that there are some sinnes more grievous then others; there are faults, there are crimes, there are flagitious wicked­nesses; If some offences be foule, others are horrible, and some others irremissible; but that holy God, against whose onely majesty sin can be committed, hath taught me to call no sin, small: The violation of that Law which is the rule of good, cannot but be evill; and betwixt good and evill there can be no lesse then an in finite dis­proportion: [Page 85] It is no smal proofe of thy cunning, that thou hast suborned some of thy religious panders to pro­claime some sinnes veniall, and such, as, in their very nature, merit pardon: Nei­ther thou, nor they, shall be Casuists for me, who have heard my God say; Cursed is every one that continueth Gal. 3. 10. Deut. 27. 26. not in all things that are writ­ten in the booke of the Law to doe them. Sin must be great­er, or lesse according to the value of the command, a­gainst which it is commit­ted; there is, (as my Savi­our hath rated it) a least Com­mandement; Mat. 5. 19. and there are mo points then one in that least Command; now the Spirit of truth hath told me, [Page 86] that whosoever shall keepe the whole Law, and yet offend in Iam. 2. 10. one point, he is guilty of all; And shall he that is guilty of the breach of the whole Law escape with such ease? I am sure a greater Saint then I can ever hope to be, hath said, If I sin, thou markest me, Iob 10. 14. and wilt not acquit me from mine iniquity; and, old Eli, as indulgent as he was to his wicked sonnes, could tell them; If one man sin against another, the Judge shall judg 1 Sam. 2. 25. him; but if a man sin against the Lord, who shall intreat for him? What need is there, thou sayest, of any intreaty? Gods mercy is such that he will pardon thy sinnes un­asked; neither will he ever stick at small faults; Malig­nant [Page 87] spirit, how fain wouldst thou have Gods mercy, and justice clash together? but thou shalt as soon wind thy selfe out of the power of that justice, and put thy selfe into the capacity of that mer­cy, as thou shalt set the least jarre between that infinite justice and mercy; It is true, it were wide with my soule, if there were any limits to that mercy; That mercy can doe any thing but be un­just; it can forgive a sinner, it cannot incourage him; forgive him upon his peni­tence, when he hath sinned; not incourage him in his re­solution to sin: If thou Lord shouldest marke iniquities, O Psal. 130. 3, 4. Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgivenesse with thee [Page 88] that thou maist be feared. I know therefore whither to have my recourse, when I have offended my God; e­ven to that throne of grace where there is plenteous re­demption; free and full re­mission; I heare the heavenly voice of him that saith, I, e­ven Esa. 43. 25. I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for my own sake, and will not remember thy sins; but, I dare not offend be­cause his grace aboundeth: justly doth the Psalmist make the use and effect of his mercy, to be our feare: we must feare him for his mercyes; and for his judge ments, love him; so far am I from giving my selfe leave to sin because I have to doe with a mercifull God; as [Page 89] that his judgements have not so much power to drive me, as his mercies have to draw me from my dearest sinnes. As therefore my greatest sinnes are not too bigge for his mercy to remit, so my least sinnes are great e­nough to deserve his eternall displeasure. He that shal come to be Judge at those great Assises, hath told us, that even of eve ry idle word that Mat. 12. 36. men shal speak they shal give an acccount; What can be sleighter then the wind of our words? and what words more harmelesse then those which have no evill quality in them, though no good? such are our idle words; yet even those may not passe without an account; and if [Page 90] our thoughts be yet lesse then they; even those must so try us, as either to ac­cuse or excuse us; and, if evill, may condemne us: Rom. 2. 15. Think not therefore to draw me into sin because it is little; Mat. 15. 14. The wages of sin is death; here is no stint of quantities; If sin be the work, death is the wages; Perswade me now, if thou canst, that there is a little death for a little sin; perswade me that there is a lesser infinitenesse; and a shorter eternity: til the great Judge of the world reverse his most just sentence, I shall looke upon every sin as my death, and hate thee for the cause of both. But as thy suggestion shall never move me to take liberty to my [Page 91] selfe of yeilding to the smal­lest sin; so the greatnesse of my most hainous sin, shall not daunt me whiles I rely upon an infinite mercy; e­ven my bloodiest sinnes are expiated by the blood of my Saviour; that my all-suffici­ent surety hath cleared all my scores in heaven; In him I stand fully discharged of all my debts; and shall (after all thy wicked temptations) hold resolute, as not to com­mit the least sin, so not feare the great­est.

VIII. TEMPTATION

NAy rather, these are blasphemies not fit to [Page 93] fall from any but a malig­nant Devill: what is this but to flatter man, that thou maist sclander God? Is not the anger of a just God de­servedly kindled against man for sin? Do not our iniquities Esa. 59. 2. separate between us & our God? Do not our sins hide his face from us, that he will not hear? Are we not all by nature the Eph. 2. 3. childrē of wrath? Doth not the wrath of God come (for sin) upon Eph. 5. 6. the children of disobedience? Doth not every willing sinner (after his hardnesse and Rom. 2. 5. impenitent heart) teasure up un­to himself lest he should not have enough wrath against the day of wrath, & the revelati­on of the just judgment of God? why do not thy Socinian cli­ents go about to perswade us [Page 94] (as wel) that God is not an­gry with thee, though he torment thee perpetually; and hold thee in everlasting Iude 6. chaynes under darknesse? what proofes can we have of anger but the effects of dis­pleasure? was it not from hence that man was driven out of Paradise? was it not from hence that both he, and we in him, were adjudg­ed to death? as it is written, By one man sin entred into the Rom. 5: 12. world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all men have sinned: yea, not only to a temporal death, but, By the offence of one, judg­ment Rom. 5. 18: came upon all men to con­demnation. Thou who art the dreadfull executioner know­est too wel who it is that had [Page 95] the power of death; over Heb. 2. 14, 15. those who through the feare of death were all their lives long subject unto bondage. Under this wofull captivity did we lye; sold under sinne, Rom. 7: 14. vassals to it, and death, and thee; till that one Mediator Rom. 6: 16. between God and man, the man Christ Iesus was plea­sed to give himselfe a ransome 1 Tim: 2: 5. for all; that he might redeem us from all iniquity; who Tit. 2. 14: by his owne blood entred in once into the holy place Heb: 9. 12. making an eternall redemp­tion for us: Lo, it is not do­ctrine, and example, it is no lesse then blood, the blood of the Sonne of God shed Eph. 1. 7: for our redemption, that ren­ders him a perfect Mediator, and cleanseth us from all sin, 1 Ioh. 1. 7. [Page 96] He hath loved us, and hath gi­ven Eph. 5. 2: himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour: He hath re­deemed Gal. 3: 13: us from the curse of the Law; from the power of dark­nes; Col. 1. 13: & hath reconciled us in the body of his flesh, through death Col. 1. 22. to present us holy, unblameabl; & unreproveable in his sight, 1 Pet. 2. 24: He it is that bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we be­ing dead to sinnes, should live unto righteousnesse. So abun­dant and cleare testimony hath God beene pleased to give to the infinite merit, and efficacy of the bloody satisfaction of his Sonne Ie­sus made for us, that wert thou not as unmeasurably impudent as malicious, thou couldst not indeavour to out­face [Page 97] so manifest a truth: Thinke not to beate mee off from this sure & saving hold by suggesting the improba­bility of anothers satisfacti­on, and obedience becom­ming mine; what is more fa­miliar then this? Our sins are debts, (so my Saviour Mat. 6. 12: hath styled them) how com­mona a thing is it for debts to be set over to anothers hand? how ordinary for a bond to be discharged by the surety? If the debt then be paid for me, and that payment accep­ted of the Creditor, as mine, how fully am I acquitted?

Indeed, thou dost no other then sclander our title; The righteousnesse wherby wee stand just before our God, is not meerly anothers; it is by [Page 98] application ours; it is Christs; and Christ is ours; He is our Head, we, as members, are united to him; and by vertue of this blessed union, partake of his perfect obedience, and satisfaction: It is true, were we strangers to a Saviour, his righteousnesse could have no relation to us; but now that wee are incorporated into him, by a lively faith, his graces, his merits are so ours, that all thy malice cannot se­ver them: I, even I who sinned in the first Adam, have satisfied in the second: The first Adams sinne was mine; 2 Cor. 5. 21. The second Adam was made sin for me; I made my selfe sinfull in the first Adam, and in my selfe; My Christ is made to me of God righteous­nesse 1 Cor. 1. 30. [Page 99] and redemption: The curse was my inheritance; Christ hath redeemed me from Gal. 3: 13: the curse of the Law; being made a curse for me, that I might be made the righteous­nesse 2 Cor. 5: 21. of God in him. It is thy deep envy thus to grudg un­to man, the mercy of that re­demption, which was not extended to thy self; but in despight of all thy snarling, and repining, wee are safe. Being justified by faith, wee Rom. 5. 1. have peace with God through our Lord Iesus Christ.

IX. TEMPTATION

BLasphemous spirit; that which is thine own guise [Page 101] thou art ever apt to impute unto the holy one of Israel; It is indeed thy manner to draw on thy clients with golden promises of life, wealth, honour, and to say (as once to my Saviour) All these will I give thee, when thou neither mean'st, nor canst give any thing but mi­sery and torment. As for my God, whom thou wickedly slanderest, his just title is, Holy, and true: his promises Rev. 6. 10. 2 Cor. 2. 20: Revel. 1. Numb: 23. 10. are Amen, as himself: Thy Balaam could let fall so much truth, that God is not a man that he should lie, nor the sonne of man that he should repent; Hath he said, and shall he not do it; or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? Cast thine [Page 102] eyes back upon his dealings with his Israel, a people un­thankfull enough: and deny, if thou canst, how punctuall he was in all his proceedings with them? Heare old Jo­shua, now towards his par­ting, professe: Behold, this Josh. 23. 14. day I am going the way of all flesh, & ye know in your hearts, & in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spake concerning you; all are come to passe unto you, and not one thing hath failed ther­of; Heare the same truth at­tested many ages after by the wifest King; Blessed be the 1 King. 8. 56. Lord (saith he) that hath given rest unto his people Israel, ac­cording to all that he promised: There hath not failed one [Page 103] word of all his good pro­mise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his ser­vant. And lest thou shouldst cavil that perhaps God takes greater liberty to himself in matter of his promises un­der the Gospel, then he for­merly did under the Law; Let me challenge thy malice to instance in any one abso­lute promise, which God hath made since the begin­ning of the world unto this day, which he hath failed to performe; It is not, I grant, uneasie to name divers con­ditionate ingagements, both of favours, and judgements, wherein God hath been plea­sed to vary from his former intimations; and such alte­ration doth ful-well consist [Page 104] with the infinite wisdome, mercy, and justice of the Al­mighty, for where the con­dition required, is not per­formed by man, how just is it with God either to with-hold a favour, or to inflict a judgement; or, where he sees that an outward blessing pro­mised (such a disposition of the soul as it may meet with­all) may turn to our preju­dice, and to our spirituall losse, how is it other then mercy to withdraw it? and in stead thereof to gratifie us with a greater blessing unde­sired? In all which, even our own reason is able to justifie the Almighty; for can we think God should be so ob­liged to us, as to force fa­vours upon us, when we will [Page 105] needs render our selves un­capable of them? or so tied up to the punctuality of a promise, as that he may not exchange it for a better?

The former was Eli's case who received this message from the man of God sent to him for that purpose: The 1 Sam. 2. 30. Lord God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father should walk before me for ever; but now the Lord saith; Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed. God meant the honour of the Priesthood to the family of Eli; but what? was it in so absolute termes, that how ever they dishonored God, yet God was bound to [Page 106] honour them? All these pro­mises of outward favours do never other then suppose an answerable capacity in the receiver; like as the menaces of judgement (how ever they sound) do still intend the fa­vourable exception of a timely prevention by a seri­ous repentance. And though there be no expresse mention of such condition in the pro­mises and threatnings of the Almighty: yet it is enough that he hath once for all made knowne his holy in­tentions to this purpose by his Prophet; At what instant I shall speak concerning a na­tion, Jer. 18. 7, and concerning a king­dome to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it; If that nation against whom I have 8, [Page 107] pronounced, turn from their e­vill; I will repent of the evill that I thought to do unto them; And, at what instant I shall 9, speak concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom to build and to plant it; If it do evill 10. in my sight, that it obey not my voice, then I will repent of the good, wherewith I said I would benefit them.

The message of Hezekiah's death, and Niniveh's destru­ction was, in the letter, abso­lute, but in the sense and in­tention, conditionate; with such holy and just reservati­ons are all the promises and threats of the Almighty in these temporall regards; whiles they alter therefore, he changeth not; but for his spirituall ingagements, that [Page 108] word of his shall stand e­verlastingly, I will not suffer Psal. 89. 33, 34. my faithfulnesse to faile; My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my mouth: Indeed this is the Tentation, wherewith thou hast formerly set some prime Saints of God, very hard: How doth the holy Psalmist hereupon break out into a dangerous passion? Will Psal. 77. 7, the Lord cast off for ever? and will be favorable no more? Is his mercy clean gone for ever? 8, doth his promise faile for ever­more? hath God forgotten to be gracious? hath he shut up his tender mercies in displea­sure? 9, Lo, the man was even falling, yet happily recovers his feet; And I said, this is 10. mine infirmity; thine infirmity [Page 109] sure enough (O Asaph) to make question of the ve­racity and unfailablenesse of the sure mercies, and promi­ses of the God of truth: Well was it for thee, that thy God, not taking advantage of thy weaknesse, puts forth his gra­cious hand, and staies thee with the seasonable conside­ration of the years of the v. 11. right hand of the most high; with the remembrance of the works of the Lord, and of his wonders of old; these were enough to teach thee the omnipotent power, the never-failing mercy of thy maker and redeemer. In no other plight through the impetuousnesse of this tem­ptation was the man after Gods owne heart, whiles he [Page 110] cried out; I was greatly affli­cted, I said in my haste all men Psal. 116. 10, 11, are liers: the men that he mis-doubted were surely no other then Gods prophets, w ^ch had foretold him his future pros­perity, & peaceable setlement in the throne; these (upon the cross occurrences he met with) is he ready to censure as lyers, and through their sides, what doth he but strike at him that sent them? But the word was not spoke in more haste, then it was re­tracted; I believed, therefore v. 10, I spake; and then sense of mer­cies doth so overtake the sense of his sufferings, that now he takes more care what 12, to retribute to God for his bounty, then he did before how to receive it, & pitches [Page 111] himselfe upon that firme ground of all comfort, Oh 16. Lord, truly I am thy servant; I am thy servant, and the son of thy handmaid; Thou hast loosed my bonds. Here shall I stay my soul against all thy suggestions of distrust, O thou malicious enemy of mankind; building my self upon that steddy rock of Israel, whose word is, I am Jehovah, I change not.

Thou tel'st me of deliveran­ces promised, yet ending in utter mis-carriages; of pro­visions vanished into want: Why dost thou not tell me that even good men die? These promises of earthly favours to the godly declare to us the ordinary course, that God pleaseth to hold in [Page 112] the dispensation of his bles­sings: which he so ordereth, as that generally they are the Lot of his faithfull ones, for the incouragement and reward of their services; and contrarily his judgements befall his enemies, in part of payment; But yet the great God, who is a most free a­gent, holds fit to leave him­selfe at such liberty, as that sometimes for his own most holy purposes, hee may change the scene: which yet he never doth, but to the advantage of his owne; so as the oppressions & wrongs which are done to them, turn favours; The Hermite in the story could thank the thiefe that rob'd him of his provision, for that he helpt [Page 113] him so much the sooner to his journies end; and indeed, if being stripped of our earthly goods, we be sto­red with spirituall riches; if whiles the outward man pe­risheth, the inward man be renewed in us; if for a little bootlesse honour here, we be advanced to an immortall glory; if we have exchanged a short and miserable life, for a life eternally blessed; final­ly if we lose earth, and win heaven, what cause have we to be other then thankfull? whereto we have reason to adde, that in all these graci­ous promises of temporall mercies, there is ever to be understood the exception of expedient castigation, and the meet portage of the [Page 114] Crosse; which were it not to be supplied, Gods chil­dren should want one of the greatest proofs of his father­ly love towards them: which they can read even written in their own bloud; and can blesse God in killing them for a present blessednesse. So as after all thy malice, Gods promises are holy, his per­formances certain, his judg­ments just, his servants hap­py.

X. TEMPTATION

IT is not for good that thou makest such liberall tenders to my soule; thou well know'st how ready mans nature is to lay hold on any just liberty that may [Page 116] be allowed him; and how repiningly it stoops to a re­straint; but this which thou craftily suggestest to mee (wicked spirit) is not liber­ty, it is licentiousnesse: Thou tell'st me the way to heaven is as wide as the world; but the spirit of truth hath taught me, that strait is the Mat. 7. 13. gate, and narrow is the way, that leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it: I know there is but one truth, and one life, and one way to that life; and I know who it was that said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. He who is one of these, is all; My Sa­viour who is life, the end of that way, is likewise the way that leads unto that end; neither is there any [Page 117] way to heaven but he; All that is besides him, is by-pathes and errour; And if any Teacher shall enlarge, or straiten this way Christ, let him be accursed. And if any Teacher shall presume to chalk out any other way then Christ, let him be ac­cursed; Tell not me there­fore of the multitudes of men, and varieties of religi­ons that there are in the world; If there were as ma­ny worlds as men, and every of those men in those worlds, were severed in re­ligion; yet, I tell thee, there is but one heaven, and but one gate to that heaven, and but one way to that gate; and that one gate, and way, is Christ; without whom [Page 118] therefore there can be no entrance. It is thy blasphe­my to charge cruelty upon God, if he do not (that, whereof thou wouldst most complaine, as the greatest loser) set heaven open on all sides to whatsoever com­mers: Even that God and Saviours which possesseth and disposeth it, hath told us of a strait gate, and a nar­row way; and few passagers. In vaine dost thou move me to affect to be more chari­table then my redeemer: He best knows what he hath to do with that mankind, for whom he hath paid so dear a price; Yet, to stop thy wicked mouth; that way, which in comparison of the broad world is narrow, in it [Page 119] selfe▪ hath a comfortable la­titude; Christ extendeth himselfe largely to a world of believers: This way lies open to all; no nation, no person under heaven is ex­cluded from walking in it; Yea all are invited by the voice of the Gospel to tread in it: and whosoever walks in it with a right foot, is ac­cepted to salvation.

How far it may please my Saviour to cōmunicate him­selfe to men, in an implicite way of beliefe; and what place those generall and in­volved apprehensions of the redeemer may find for mer­cy, at the hands of God, he only knows that shall judge: this I am sure of, that with­out this Saviour, there can [Page 120] be no salvation; That in e­very nation he that feareth Act. 10. 35. God, and worketh righteous­nesse is accepted with him; That he that hath the Son, hath 1 Joh. 5. 12. life, and he that hath not the Son hath not life.

As therefore we do justly abhor that wild scope of all religions, which thou sug­gestest; so we do willingly admit a large scope in one true religion; so large as the author of it hath thought good to allow: For we have not to do with a God that stands upon curiosities of beliefe; or that, upon pain of damnation, requires of e­very believer an exquisite perfection of judgment, con­cerning every capillar veyne of Theologicall truth; it is [Page 121] enough for him if we be right for the main substance of the body; He doth not, call rigorously for every stone in the battlements, it sufficeth, for the capacity of our salvation if the founda­tion be hold in tire: It is thy sclander therefore that wee confine Truth; and blessed­nesse to a corner of Refor­med. Christians▪ no; wee seek and find it every where, where God hath a Church and Gods Church we know to be Universall: Let them be Abassines, Cophties, Ar­meniant, Georgians, Jaco­bites, or what ever names either sclander, or distinction hath put upon them; if they hold the foundation firme (howsoever disgracefully [Page 122] built upon with wood, hay, 1 Cor. 3. 12. stubble) wee hold them Christs, we hold them ours. Hence it is, that the new Je­rusalem Revel. 21. 12. is for her beauty, and uniformity set forth with 12 precious gates, (though for use and substance, one) for that from all coasts of heaven there is free accesse to the Church of Christ, and in him to life and glory.

He who is the Truth and the life hath said, This is e­ternall life to know thee, and him whom thou hast sent. This knowledge which is our way to life, is not alike at tained of all; fome have greater light, and deeper in­sight into it then others, That mercy which accepts of the least degree or the true [Page 123] apprehension of Christ, hath not promised to dispense with the wilfull neglect of those who might know him more clearly, more exactly: Let those carelesse soules, therefore, which stand in­different betwixt life and death, upon thy perswasi­on, content themselves with good meanings, and genera­lities of beliefe, but for me I shall labour to furnish my self with all requisite truths; and above all shall aspire to­wards Philip. 3. 8, 10. the excellency of the knowledge of my Lord Jesus Christ; that I may know him, and the power of his resurrecti­on, and the fellowship of his sufferings.

I. TEMPTATION

EVen with the face of an humble penitent, justly confounded in himself, in the sense of his owne vilenesse, but awfully [Page 128] confident in a promised mer­cy: Malicious tempter; how like thou art to thy selfe? when thou wouldst draw me on to my sins; then, how small, sleight, harm­lesse, plausible they were? now thou hast fetch't me in, to the guilt of those foule offences, they are no lesse then deadly and irremissible. May I but keep within the verge of mercy, thou canst not more aggravate my wic­kednesse against me, thē I do against my selfe; thou canst not be more ready to accuse, then I to judge and condemn my selfe; Oh me, the wret­chedest of all creatures, how do I hate my selfe for mine abominable sins; done with so high a hand, against such [Page 129] a Majesty, after such light of knowledge, such enforce­ments of warning, such in­dearments of mercy, such re­luctations of spirit, such check of conscience; what lesse then hell have I deser­ved from that infinite ju­stice? Thou canst not write more bitter things against me, then I can plead against my owne soule; But when thou hast cast up all thy ve­nome; and when I have pas­sed the heaviest sentence a­gainst my selfe, I, who am in my selfe utterly lost, and forfeited to eternall death, in despight of the gates of hell shall live, and am safe, in my Almighty, and ever-bles­sed Saviour who hath con­quered Death and hell for [Page 130] me. Set thou me against my selfe; I shall set my Saviour against thee; urge thou my debts, I show his full acquit­tance: Sue thou my bonds, I shall exhibit them can­cell'd, and nayled to his crosse: presse thou my hor­rible crimes, I plead a par­don sealed in heaven: Thou tell'st me of the multitude, and hainousnesse of my sins, I tell thee of an infinite mer­cy; and what are numbers and magnitudes to the infi­nite? To an illimited power what difference is there be­twixt a mountaine and an ant-heape? betwixt one and a million? were my sins a thousand times more and worse then they are, there is worth abundantly enough in [Page 131] every drop of that precious blood which was shed for my redemption, to expiate them: Know, O tempter, that I have to doe with a mercy which can die my scarlet sins, Esa. 1. 18. white as snow; & make my crim­son, as wooll; whose grace is so boundlesse, that if thou thy selfe hadst, upon thy fall, been capable of repentance, thou hadst not everlastingly perished; The Lord is graci­ous, Psal. 145. 8, and full of compassion, slow to anger, and of great mercy; The Lord is good to all; and his tender mercies are over all his 9, works; And if there be a sin of man unpardonable, it is not for the insufficiency of grace to forgive it, but for the incapacity of the subject that should receive remissi­sion.

[Page 132] Thou feel'st to thy paine, and losse, wherefore it was that the eternall sonne of God, 1 Tim. 1. 15. Jesus Christ, came into the world; Even to save sinners! and if my owne heart shall conspire with thee to accuse me as the chiefe of those sin­ners, my repentance gives me so much the more claim, and interest in his blessed re­demption: Let me be the most laden with the chaines of my captivity, so I may have the greatest share in that all-sufficient ransome.

And if thou who art the true fiery serpent in this mi­serable wildernesse, hast by sin stung my soul to death; let me (as I do) with peni­tent and faithfull eyes but look up to that brazen ser­pent [Page 133] which is lift up far a­bove all heavens, thy poyson cannot kill, cannot hurt me. It is the word of eternall truth, which cannot faile us, If we confesse our sins, he is 1 Joh. 1. 9. faithfull and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousnesse.

Lo, here, not mercy only, but justice on my side; The spirit of God saith not only, if we confesse our sins, he is mercifull to forgive our sins, as he elswhere speaks by the pen of Salomon: but more; Proverb. 28: 13. he is faithfull and just to for­give our sins; Our weaknesse and ignorance is wont to flie from the justice of our God, unto his mercy; What can we feare, when his very ju­stice yeilds remission? That [Page 134] justice relates to his gracious promise of pardon to the pe­nitent; whiles I do truly re­pent therefore, his very ju­stice necessarily infers mer­cy, and that mercy forgive­nesse: Think not therefore, O thou malicious spirit, to affright me with the menti­on of Divine Justice; Wo were me if God were not as just, as mercifull; yea if he were not therefore mercifull because he is just; mercifull in giving me repentance, just in vouchsafing me the pro­mised mercy and forgive­nesse, upon the repentance which he hath given me.

After all thy hainous exag­gerations of my guilt, it is not the quality of the sin, but the disposition of the sinner that [Page 135] damns the soule; If we com­pare the offensive acts of a David, and a Saul, it is not easie to judge whether were more foul; thou which stir­red'st them up both to those odious sinnes, madest ac­count of an equall advantage against both; but thine ayme failed thee; the humble and true penitence of the one sa­ved him out of thy hands, the obdurednesse, and false­heartednesse of the other gave him up, as a prey to thy malice; It is enough for me that though I had not the grace to avoid my sinnes, yet I have the grace to hate and bewaile them; that good spirit which thought not good to restraine me from sinning, hath beene graci­ously [Page 136] pleased to humble me for sinning. Yea such is the infinite goodnesse of my God to my poor soule, that those sins which thou hast drawn me into, with an in­tent of my utmost prejudice, and damnation, are happily turned, through his grace, unto my greatest advantage; for had it not been for these my sinfull miscarriages, had I ever attained to so cleare a sight of my owne frailty and wretchednesse? so deep a contrition of soule? so re­all experience of temptati­on? so hearty a detestation of sin? such tendernesse of heart? such awe of offen­ding? so fervent zeale of o­bedience? so sweet a sense of mercy? so thankfull a re­cognition [Page 137] of deliverance? What hast thou now gai­ned, O thou wicked spirit, by thy prevalent temptations? What Trophees hast thou cause to erect for thy victory and my soyle? Couldst thou have won me to a trade of sinning, to a resolution in e­vill, to a pleasure as in the commission, so in the memo­ry of my sin, to a glorying in wickednesse, & then mightst have taken the advantage of snatching mee away in a state of unrepentance, thou mightst have had just cause to triumph in thy prey; but now, that it hath pleased my God to shew me so much mercy, as to check me in my evill way, to work in me an abhorring of my sin, and of [Page 138] my selfe for it, and to pull me out of thy clutches, by a true and seasonable repen­tance, thou hast lost a soule, and I have found a Saviour; Thou maist upbraid me with the foulnesse of my sins, I shall blesse God for their im­provement.

II. TEMPTATION

MAlicious tempter, it is my no small happinesse that thou art not admitted to keep the key of my heart, or to look into my brest, to see what is in my bosome; and therefore thou canst not, out of knowledge, passe any cen­sure of my inward dispositi­ons; onely wilt be sure to suggest the worst; which the falser it is, the better doth it become the father of lies; But that good spirit which hath wrought true repen­tance in my heart, witnes­seth, [Page 140] together with my heart, the truth of my re­pentance. Canst thou hope to perswade me, that I do belie, or mis-know my own grief? Do not I feele this heart of mine bleed with a true inward remorse for my sinnes? Have I not poured out many hearty sighs, and tears for mine offences? Do I not ever looke backe upon them with a vehement loa­thing and detestation? Have I not with much anguish of soule confessed them before the face of that God whom I have provoked?

Think not now to choak me with a Cain, or Saul, or Judas, which did more, and repented not; & to fasten up­on me a worldly sorrow that [Page 141] worketh Death; No wicked one, after all thy depravati­ons, this grief of mine looks with a farre other face then theirs, and is no other then a Godly sorrow working repen­tance 2 Cor. 7. 10. to salvation, not to be re­pented of; theirs was out of the horror of punishment, mine out of the sense of dis­pleasure; theirs for the doom and execution of a severe Judge, mine for the frownes of an offended father; theirs attended with a wofull des­paire, mine with a weeping confidence; theirs a preface to Hell, mine an introducti­on to salvation. And since thou wilt needs disparage, and mis-call this godly dis­position of mine; Lo, I chal­lenge this envie of thine to [Page 142] call it to the Test, and to ex­amine it thoroughly whe­ther it agree not with those unfayling rules of the symp­comes and effects of the sor­row, which is according to God: Hath not here been a 1 Cor. 7. 11. true carefulnesse; as to be freed and acquitted from the present guilt of my sin; so to keep my soul unspotted for the future; both to work my peace with my God, and to [...] it? Hath not my heard earnestly▪ laboured to cleare it selfe before God▪ not with shuffling excuses, and flattering mitigations; but by humble and syncere confessions of my owne vile­nesse? Hath not my brest swell'd up with an angry in­dignation at my sinfull mis-carriages? [Page 143] have I not seri­ously rated my selfe, for gi­ving way to thy wicked temptations? Have I not trembled, not only at the apprehension of my owne danger by sin, but at the very suggestion of the like of­fence? have I not been kept in awe with the jealous feares of my miserable frail­ties, lest I should be againe ensnared in thy mischievous ginnes? Have I not felt in my selfe a servent desire a­bove all things to stand right, in the recovered fa­vour of my God; and to be strengthned in the inner man with a further increase of grace; for the preventing of future sins; and giving more glory to my God, and Savi­our? [Page 144] Hath not my heart within me burn'd with so much more zeale to the ho­nour and service of that Ma­jesty which I have offended, as I have more dishonoured him by my offence? hath it not been inflamed with just displeasure at my selfe, and all the instruments & means of my mis-leading? Lastly, have I not falne foule upon my selfe for so easie a sedu­ction? have I not chastised my self with sharp reproofs▪ have I not held my appetite short, and upon these very grounds punished it with a deniall of lawfull content­ments? have I not thereup­on tasked my selfe with the harder duties of obedience▪ and doe I not now resolve, [Page 145] and carefully indeavour to walke conscionably in all the wayes of God; Maligne therefore how thou wilt, my repentance stands firme a­gainst all thy detractions, and is not more impugned by thee on earth, then it is accepted in heaven.

III. TEMPTATION

NOr thus can I be discou­raged by thee, malicious [Page 146] spirit; The mercy of my God hath not [...]et any stint to the allowed measure of re­pentance; Where hath he ever said; Thus farre shall thy penitence come, else it shall not be accepted? It is truth that he calls for, not measure; That happy thief, whom my dying Saviour rescued out of thy hands, gave no other proofe of his repentance, but, We are just­ly Luke 23. 41. here; and receive due re­ward of our deeds; yet was admitted to attend his Re­deemer from his Crosse to his Paradise.

Neither do we heare any words from penitent David after his foule crimes, but, I have sinned, Not that any true penitent can be afraid [Page 147] of too much compunction of heart; and is ready to dry up his teares too soone; ra­ther pleasing himselfe with the continuance and paine of his own smart; but that our indulgent father, who takes no pleasure in our misery, is apt to wipe away the teares from our eyes, contenting himself only w ^th the syncer­nesse, not the extremity of our contrition: Thy malice is altogether for extreams; either a wild security, or an utter desperation; that holy and mercifull Spirit, who is a professed lover of man­kind, is ever for the meane; so hating our carelesnesse that he will not suffer us to want the exercises of a due humiliation; so abhorring [Page 148] despaire, that he abides not to have us driven to the brinke of that fearfull preci­pice. As for my repentance, therefore it is enough for me that it is sound, and serious for the substance; yet, with­all, (thanks be to that good Spirit that wrought it) it is graciously approveable even for the measure; I have hear­tily mourned for my sinnes, though I pined not away with sorrow; I have broken my sleep for them, though I have not watered my couch with my teares; and, next to thy selfe, I have hated them most: I have beaten my brest, though I have not rent my heart; and what would I not have done, or given that I had not sinned? Tell not [Page 149] me that some worldly cros­ses have gone nearer to my heart, then my sins; and that I have spent more teares up­on the losse of a sonne, then the displeasure of my hea­venly father; The father of mercies will not measure our repentance by these crooked lines of thine; he knows the flesh and bloud we are made of; and therefore expects not we should have so quick a sense of our spirituall, as of our bodily affliction; it con­tents him that we set a va­luation of his favour, above all earthly things; and e­steeme his offence the grea­test of all evils that can befall us: and of this judgement and affection it is not in thy power to bereave my soule.

[Page 150] As for my relapses; I con­fesse them with sorrow and shame: I know their danger; and (had I not to do with an infinite mercy) their deadli­nesse: Yet after all my con­fusion of face, and thine en­forcement of justice, my soul is safe; for upon those peri­lous recidivations my hear­ty repentance hath made my peace; The long-suffering God, whom I have offended, hath set no limits to his re­mission: After ten miracu­lous signes in Egypt, his Is­rael tempted him no lesse Numb. 14. 22. then ten times in the wilder­nesse, yet his mercy forbore them: not rewarding their reiterated sin with deserved vengeance; Hath not that gracious Saviour of mankind [Page 151] charged us to forgive our of­fending brother no lesse then seventy times seven times? Mat. 18. 22. and what proportion is there between our mercy, and his? Could'st thou charge mee with incouraging my selfe to continue my sin upon this presumption of pardon, thou hadst cause to boast of the advantage, but now that my remorse hath been syncere, and my falls weak, my God will not with-hold mercy from his penitent; that hath not only confessed but forsa­ken Prov. 28. 13. his sin.

As for the late season of my repentance, I confesse I have highly wronged and hazarded my soule in the delay of so often required, and so often purposed a [Page 152] worke; and given thee faire advantages against my selfe, by so dangerous a neglect; but blessed be my God that he suffer'd not these advan­tages to be taken; I had been utterly lost, if thou hadst sur­prized me in my impeni­tence: but now, I can look back upon my perill well passed, and defie thy malice: No time can be prejudiciall to the king of heaven; no season can be any barre ei­ther to our conversion, or his mercifull acceptance: It is true, that latenesse gives shrewd suspitions of the truth of repentance; but where our repentance is true, it cannot come too late. Object this to some formall soules, that having lavisht [Page 153] out the whole course of their lives in wilfull sensuality & profanenesse, thinke to make an abundant amends for all, on their death-beds with a fashionable, Lord have mer­cy; These whom thou hast mockt and drawn on with a stupid security all their days, may well be upbraided by thee, with the irrecoverable delay of what they have not grace to seek; but that soule which is truly touched with the sense of his sin; and in an humble contrition makes his addresse to God, and in­terposes Christ betwixt God and it selfe, is in vain scarred with delay; and finds that his God makes no difference of houres. Do I not see the Prodigall in the Gospel, [Page 154] after he had run himselfe Luke 15. 14, 15, &c. quite out of breath & means, yet at the last cast, returning, and accepted▪ I do not hear his father austerely say, Nay, unthrift, hadst thou come whiles thou hadst some bags left, I should have welcomed thy returne as an argument of some grace, and love: but now that thou hast spent all; and necessity, not affection drives thee home, keep off, and starve; but the good old man runs, and meets him; and falls on his neck and kis­ses him, and calls for the best robe, and the fatted calfe: Thus, thus deals our heaven­ly Father with us wretched sinners; if after all refuges vainly sought, and all graci­ous opportunities carelesly [Page 155] neglected, we shall yet have sincere recourse to his infi­nite mercy the best things in heaven shall not be too good for us.

IV. TEMPTATION

AWay thou lying Spirit; I am afflicted; but it is not in thy power to make me miserable: And did I yet smart much more, wouldst thou perswade me to mea­sure the favour of my God [Page 156] by these outward events? Hath not the Spirit of Truth taught me that in these exter­nall matters, All things come Eccles. 9. 2. alike to all; there is one event to the righteous and to the wic­ked; to the good and cleane, and to the uncleane; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not; as is the good, so is the sinner; & he that sweareth, as he that feareth an Oath: But if there were a­ny judgement to be passed upon these grounds, the ad­vantage is mine; I smart, yea I bleed under the hand of my heavenly father; Whom Heb. 12. 6. the Lord loveth he chasteneth; and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth: Lo, there can­not e so much paine in the stripes, as there is comfort in [Page 157] the love of him that layes them on; He were not my father if he whip't me not; Truth hath said it, If ye be Heb. 12. 8. without chastisements, ye are bastards, and not sonnes: He cannot but love me, whiles he is my father: and let him fetch bloud on me, so he love me: After all thy malice, let me be a bleeding son to such a father; whiles thy base­borne children enjoy their ease.

Impudent tempter, how canst thou from my suffe­rings argue Gods disfavour, when thou knowest that he whom God loved best, suf­fered most? The eternall Sonne of his love, that could truly say, I and the Father are one, indured more from [Page 158] the hand of that his heaven­ly Father then all the whole world of mankind was ca­pable to suffer▪ Surely he hath Esa. 53. 4, borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; He was wounded for oue transgressions, he was 5, bruised for our iniquities▪ the chastisements of our peace were upon him▪ the Lord hath laid 6. on him the iniquities of us all. What poore flea bitings are these that I am afflicted with▪ in respect of those torments which the Sonne of God un­der went for me?

Thou that sawest the bloudy sweat of his agony, the cruell tortures of his cru­cifixion, the pangs of worse then death, the sense of his Fathers wrath & our curse, dost thou move me, whom [Page 159] he hath bought with so dear a price, to murmur, and re­coyle upon divine provi­dence for a petty affliction?

Besides, this is the load which my blessed Saviour hath with his owne hands laid upon my shoulders; If Luk. 9. 23. Mat. 16. 24. Mar. 8. 34. any man will come after me, let him deny himselfe and take up his crosse daily, and follow me. Lo, every Crosse is not Christs; each man hath a crosse of his owne, and this crosse he may not think to tread upon, but he must take up; and not once perhaps in his life, but daily, and with that weight on his neck he must follow the Lord of life, not to his Tabor only, but to his Golgotha: And thus fol­lowing him on earth, he [Page 160] shall surely overtake him in heaven; for if we suffer with 2 Tim. 2. 12. him, we shall also reigne with him▪

It is still thy policy, O thou envious Spirit, to fill mine eyes with the crosse, and to represent nothing to my thoughts, but the horror and paine of suffering, that so thou may'st drive me to a languishing dejectednesse of spirit, and despaire of mercy; But my God hath raised and directed mine eyes to a bet­ter prospect, quite beyond thine, which is a crowne of glory. I see that ready to be set upon my head after my strife, and victory, which were more then enough to make amends for an hell up­on earth: In vaine should I [Page 161] hope to obtaine it without a conflict; how should I over­come if I strive not? These struglings are the way to a conquest; After all these as­saults the foyle shall bee thine, and mine shall be the glory and triumph; The God of Truth hath said it: Be faithfull to the death, and I will give thee a crown of life.

Thine advantage lies in the way, mine in the end; the way of affliction is rug­ged, deep, stiffe, dangerous; the end is faire, and greene, and strewed with flowers; No chastening for the present Heb. 12. 11. seemeth to be joyous, but grie­vous; neverthelesse afterwards, it yeeldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousnesse unto them which are exercised thereby.

[Page 162] What if I be in paine here for a while? The sufferings Rom. 8. 18. of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

It is thy maliciousnesse that would make the affli­ction of my body the bane of my soule: but if the fault be not mine, that which thou intendest for a poyson shall prove a cordiall: Let patience Jam. 1. 4. have her perfect work, and I am happy in my sufferings: For our light affliction, which 2 Cor. 4. 17. is but for a moment, worketh for us a farre more exceeding, and eternall weight of glory▪ Lo; it doth not only admir of glory, but works it for us; so as we are infinitely more beholden to our paine, then [Page 163] to our ease; and have reason not onely to be well apayd, but to rejoyce in tribulations; knowing, That Tribulation Rom. 5. 3. worketh patience, and patience experience, & experience hope; and hope maketh not ashamed.

Tell mee if thou canst, which of those Saints that are now shining bright in their heaven, hath got thi­ther un-afflicted? How ma­ny of those blessed ones have indured more, then my God wil allow thee to inflict upon my weaknesse? Some more, and some lesse sorrowes; all some, yea many: so true is that word of the chosen ves­sell, That through much tri­bulation we must enter into the Act. 14. 22. kingdome of God.

By this then I see that I [Page 164] am in my right way to that blessednesse I am travelling towards; Did I find my self in the smooth, pleasant and flowry path of carnall ease and contentment; I should have just reason to think my selfe quite out of that happy road; Now I know I am going directly towards my home; the abiding City which is above; So far there­fore are my sufferings from arguing me miserable, that I could not be happy if I suffered not.

V. TEMPTATION

IT is thy maliciousnesse, O thou wicked spirit, ever to mis-interpret Gods actions; and to sclander the footsteps of the Almighty; But not­withstanding all thy mis­chievous suggestions, I can read mercy, and favour in my affliction; neither shall it be in the power of thy [Page 166] temptation to put me out of this just construction of my sufferings; For, what? Is it the measure of my smart that should argue Gods displea­sure? How many of Gods dearlings on earth have in­dured more? What say'st thou to the man, with whom the Almighty did once chal­lenge and foyle thee, the great patterne of patience; was not his calamity as much beyond mine, as my graces are short of his? Dost thou not heare the man after Gods owne heart say, Lord, remember David and all his troubles? Dost thou not hear the chosen vessell who was rapt up into the third hea­ven, complaine, We are trou­bled on every side, yet not di­stressed; 2 Cor. 4. 8. [Page 167] perplexed, but not in despaire; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast downe, but not destroyed. Of the Jewes five 2 Cor. 11. 24, times received I forty stripes save one; Thrice was I beaten 25, with rods; once was I stoned; thrice I suffered shipwrack, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journying often, 26, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by my owne countrymen, in perils by the heathen, &c. In wearinesse and 27, painfulnesse, in watchings of­ten, in hunger and thirst, in fa­stings often, in cold and naked­nesse; Yea which was worse then all these, dost thou not heare him say, There was given to me a thorne in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me? Dost thou not [Page 168] too well know (for thou wert the maine actor in those wo­full Tragedies) what cruell torments the blessed Martyrs of God in all ages have un­dergone for their holy pro­fession? None upon earth ever found Gods hand so heavy upon them, none up­on earth were so dear to hea­ven; The sharpnesse there­fore of my pangs can be no proofe of the displeasure of my God; Yea contrarily, this visitation of mine (what ever thou suggestest) is in much love and mercy: Had my God let me loose to my owne waies, and suffered me to run on carelesly in a course of sinning without check, or controll, this had been a manifest argument of [Page 169] an high and hainous displea­sure: God is grievously an­gry when he punishes sin­ners with prosperity; for this shows them reserved to a fearfull damnation; but whom he reclaims from evil by a severe correction, those he loves, there cannot be a greater favour then those sa­ving stripes; When wee are 1 Cor. 11. 32. judged, we are chastened of the Lord that we should not be con­demned with the world.

Besides, the manner of the infliction speaks nothing but mercy; for, what a gentle hand doth my God lay up­on me? as if he said, I must correct thee, but I will not hurt thee; what gracious re­spites are here; what favou­rable inter-spirations; as if [Page 170] God bade me to recollect my selfe; and invited me to meet him by a seasonable humiliation; This is not the fashion of anger and enmity; which ayming only at de­struction, indevours to sur­prise the adversary, and to hurry him to a sudden exe­cution.

Neither is it a meer affli­ction that can evince either love or hatred; all is in the attendants, and entertain­ment of afflictions; Where God means favour, he gives together with the crosse an humble heart, a meek spirit, a patient submission to his good pleasure, a willingnesse to kisse the rod, and the hand that wields it, a faithfull de­pendence upon that arme [Page 171] from which he smarts; and lastly, an happy use and im­provement of the suffering, to the bettering of the soule; who so finds these dispositi­ons in himselfe may well take up that resolution of the sweet singer of Israel, It is Psal. 119. 71, 75. good for me that I have been afflicted; I know, O Lord, that thy judgements are right; and that thou in very faithfulnesse hast afflicted me: Contrarily, where God smites in anger, those stroakes are followed and accompanied with wo­full symptomes of a spiri­tuall maladie; either a stu­pid senslesnesse and obdured­nesse of heart; or an im­patient murmuring at the stripes; saucy and presump­tuous expostulations, fret­ting [Page 172] and repining at the smart; a perverse alienation of affection, and a rebellious swelling against God; an utter dejection of spirit, and lastly an heartlesse despaire of mercy. Those with home thou hast prevailed so far as to draw them into this dead­ly condition of soule, have just cause to thinke them­selves smitten in displeasure, but as for me, blessed be the name of my God, my stripes are medicinall, and healing: Let the righteous God thus smite me, it shall be a kindnesse; and let him reprove me, it shall be an excellent oyle that shall not break my head.

VI. TEMPTATION

THe Lord rebuke thee, Satan. Even that great [Page 174] Lord of heaven and earth, whom thou so wickedly blasphemest; wouldst thou perswade me that he who is infinite in power, is not also infinite in providence? He whose infinite power made all creatures, both in heaven above, and in earth beneath, shall not his infinite provi­dence govern and dispose of all that he hath made? Lo, how justly the spirit of wis­dome calls thee, and thy cli­ents, fools, & brutish things; They say, the Lord shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob Psal. 94. 7, regard; Vnderstand ye brutish 8, among the people; and ye fools, when will ye be wise? He that planted the eare, shall he not 9, heare? he that formed the eye, shall not he see? he that tea­cheth 10. [Page 175] man knowledge, shall not he know? It was no limited power, that could make this eye to see, this eare to heare, this heart to understand; and if that eye which he hath given us, can see all things that are within our prospect; and that eare that he hath planted, can heare all sounds that are within our com­passe; and that heart that he hath given us, can know all matters within the reach of our comprehension; how much more shall the sight, and hearing, and knowledge of that infinite Spirit (which can admit of no bounds) ex­tend to all the actions and e­vents of all the creatures, that lie open before him that ma [...]e them?

[Page 176] It is in him that we live, Act. 17. 28. and move, and have our being; and can we be so sottish, as to think we can steale a life from him, which he knows not of? or a motion that he discerneth not?

That word of his by whom all creatures were made, hath told me, that not one sparrow Mat. 10. 29. (two whereof are sold for a farthing) can fall to the ground without my heavenly Father; yea, that the very hairs of our v. 30. heads (though a poor, neg­lected excrement) are all num­bred: and can there be a­ny thing more sleight then they? How great care must we needs think is taken of the head, since not an haire can fall unregarded?

The Lord maketh poor and 1 Sam. 2. 7, [Page 177] maketh rich; he bringeth down and lifteth up: He raiseth up v. 8. the poor out of the dust, and lif­teth up the begger from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them in­herit the throne of glory; for the pillars of the earth are the Lords, and he hath set the world upon them.

Even Rabshakeh himselfe spake truer then he was a­ware of; Am I now comne up 2 Kings 18. 25. without the Lord against this place? No certainly, thou insolent blasphemer, thou couldst not move thy tongue, nor wag thy finger against Gods inheritance, without the providence of that God, who returned answer to thy proud Master, the King of Assyria, I know thy abode, [Page 178] and thy going out, and thy com­ming in, and thy rage against 2 Kings 19. 27, 28. me; Thy rage, and thy tumult is come up into my ears; there­fore I will put an hooke in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest: So true is that word of Elihu; His eyes are upon the waies of Job 34. 21. man; and he soeth all his go­ings; there is no darknesse, nor shadow of death, where the wor­kers of iniquity may hide them­selves; Seconded by the ho­ly Psalmist; The Lord look­eth Psal. 33. 13, 14. from heaven, he beholdeth all the sons of men; From the place of his habitation he look­eth upon all the inhabitants of the earth.

Neither is this divine pro­vidence confined onely to [Page 179] man, the prime peece of this visible creation; but; it ex­tends it self to all the work­manship of the Almighty: O. Lord how manifold are, thy Psal. 104. 24, works; in wisdome hast thou­made them all; the earth is full of thy riches: So is the great 25, and wide Sea; wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts; these wait all upon thee, that 27. thou maist give them their meat in due season, thou givest it them, they gather; thou o­penest thy hand, they are filled with good: The young Lyons Psal. 104. 21. roar after their prey; and seek their meat from God; The ra­vens Luk. 12. 24, neither sow nor reap, no [...] have any store-house, or barne, yet God feedeth them; The Lil­lies 27. toyle not, nor sp [...], yet the [Page 180] great God cloaths them with more then Salomons glo­ry. Who knoweth not in all Job 12. 9, 10. these, that the hand of the Lord hath wrought this? In whose hand is the soule of eve­ry living thing; and the breath of all mankind. What dost thou then, O thou false spi­rit, thinke to choak divine providence with the smal­nesse, and multitude of ob­jects? as if quantities or numbers could make any dif­ference in the Infinite? as if one drop of water were not all one to the Almighty, with the whole deep? One corne of sand with the whole masse of the earth? as if that hand which graspeth the large circumference of the highest heaven could let slip [Page 181] the least flye, or worme upon earth? When thou feelest, to thy paine, that this eye of omniscience, and this hand of power reaches even to thy neither most hell; and sees and orders every of those torments wherewith thou art everlastingly punished; and at pleasure puts bounds to thy malicious indevours against his meanest creatures upon earth?

Thou tellest me of the wickedest mens prosperity; This is no new dart of thine, but the same which thou hast throwne, of old, at many a faithfull heart; Holy Job, David, Jeremie felt the dint of it; not without danger, but without hurt.

It is true; Wicked men [Page 182] flourish; what marvell is this? The world loves his owne: Doth any man won­der to see the weeds over­top the good herbes? They are natives to that soyle, whereto the other are but strangers. Wicked men pro­sper; It is all the heaven they are like to have; and yet, alas, at the best, it is but a wofull one; how intermix­ed with sorrows and discon­tentments? how full of un­certainties? how certain of ruine, and confusion? It is a sure and sad interchange, whereof Father Abraham minds the man who was now more full of torment, then formerly of wealth; Son, remember, that thou in thy Luk. 16. 25. life time receivedst thy good [Page 183] things, and Lazarus evill; but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.

The wicked man pro­spers; but how long? I have Psalm. 37. 35, 36. seen the wicked in great power; and spreading himselfe like a green bay-tree; yet he passed a­way, and, lo, he was not; I sought him, but he could not be found.

The wicked prosper; A­las, their welfare is their judgement; God doth not owe them so much favour, as to afflict them: They walk on mertily towards a deadly precipice: The just God lets them alone; and will not so much as molest their jollity with a painfull check.

The wicked thrive in the world; How should they do [Page 184] other? Mammon is the God they serve, and what can he doe lesse then blesse them with a miserable advantage? for thus their wealth is made to them an occasion of fal­ling; The prosperity of fools Prov. 1. 32. shall destroy them.

The wicked prosper; Let me never prosper if I envy them: Do not I see their day coming? Do not I know that they are meerly fed up to the slaughter? Where­fore do the cram'd fowles, and fatted Oxen fare better then their fellows? Is it out of favour, or is it that they are designed to the dres­ser? Amnon is feasted with his brethren, those that serve him see death in his face: Belshazzar triumphs in [Page 185] mirth, and carouseth freely in the sacred vessels; The hand writes upon the wall, Thy dayes are numbred, thy Dan. 5. 26. kingdome finished: The re­velling of the wicked, is but a lightning before an eter­nall death.

Thou tell'st me on the the contrary, that the godly are persecuted, afflicted, tor­mented. It is true; None Heb. 11. 37. knows it better then thy selfe, who under the permis­sion of the most High, art the author of all their suffe­rings. It is thou, the red Dra­gon, Revel. 12. 4, that standest ready to devoure the masculine issue of Gods Church; It is thou, 13, that when the persecuted woman flees into the wil­dernesse, powrest out of thy [Page 186] mouth, after her, flouds of water to drowne her: It is thou that inspirest Tyrants v. 15. w ^th rage against the innocent Saints of God; and actuatest their hellish cruelty: But, when thou hast all done, the most wise and mighty arbi­ter of heaven turnes all this to the advantage of his deare ones upon earth: The bloud of the Martyrs doth, and shall prove the seed of the Church; whereof every grain yeelds thirty, sixty, an hun­dred fold: Neither had the Act. 7. 52. Church of God been so nu­merous, if there had been lesse malice in thy prosecu­tion: And as for those seve­rall Christians, that have un­dergone the worst of thy fu­ry, they are so far from fin­ding [Page 187] cause of complaint, that they rejoyce and tri­umph in the happy issue of their intended miseries; They can say to thee as Jo­seph said of old, to his once-envious brethren; Thou Gen. 50. 20. thoughtst evill against us, but God meant it unto good; they had not now sate so glori­ously crowned in the high­est heaven, if thou hadst not persecuted them unto bloud.

None are so afflicted (thou saist) as the godly; True, their Saviour hath told them before hand what to trust to; In the world ye shall have Joh. 16. 33. Mat. 24. 9. Luk. 21. 12, 13. Joh. 15. 18. 2 Tim. 3. 12, 19. tribulation; Have they any reason to looke for better measure then their blessed redeemer? If the world hate you, (saith he) ye know that it [Page 188] hated me before it hated you: If ye were of the world, the world would love his owne, but be­cause ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you; Now, welcome, welcome that hate that is rai­sed from our deare Saviours love and election; Wo were us if we were not thus hated: Let the world hate, and hurt us thus still, so we may be the favorites of heaven.

None fare so ill on earth as the godly, both living and dead; The dead bodies of Gods servants, have they given to Psal. 79. 2, be meat to the fowls of the hea­ven, the flesh of his Saints, un­to 3, the beasts of the field, their bloud have they shed like wa­ter, and there was none to bury [Page 189] thē; They are become a reproach 4. to their neighbours; a scorn and derision to them that are round about them. Oh the poor im­potent Rev. 16. 6. malice of wicked spi­rits, and men! What mat­ters it if our carcasses rot upon earth, whiles our souls shine in heavenly glory? What matters it, if for a while we be made a gazing­stock 1 Cor. 4. 9. to the world, to Angels, and to men; whiles the Son of God hath assured us of an eternall royalty? To him that Rev. 3. 21. over-commeth will I grant to sit with me in my throne; even as I also overcame and am set downe with my Father in his throne.

None are so ill intreated as the godly: It is true, for none are so happy as they: [Page 190] Blessed are they which are per­secuted Mat. 5. 10, for righteousnesse sake; for theirs is the kingdome of heaven. Blessed are ye, when 11, men shall revile you, and perse­cute you, and say all manner of evill of you, falsly, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad, 12. for great is your reward in hea­ven: Who would not en­dure wrongs a while to be everlastingly recompenced? Here is not place onely for patience, but for joy, and that exceeding; in respect of a reward so infinitely glori­ous. It is no marvell then, Mat. 5. 44. if we be bidden to pray for them which despitefully use us, and persecute us; these are the men that are our great Benefactors, & (though full sore against their wills) [Page 191] contribute to our eternall blessednesse.

The wicked triumph, whiles the righteous are trampled upon; What mar­vell? we are in a middle re­gion betwixt heaven, and hell; but nearer to this lat­ter, which is the place of con­fusion: It is but staying a while; and each place will be distinctly peopled with his owne; there is a large and glorious heaven appoin­ted for the everlasting recep­tacle of the just, an hell for the godlesse: till then, the eternall wisdome hath deter­mined for his most holy ends to give way to this confused mixture, and to this see­ming-inequality of events. How easie were it for him to [Page 192] make all heaven; but he hath a justice to glorifie, as well as a mercy: and (in the mean time) it is the just praise of his infinite power, wisdome, goodnesse, that he can fetch the greatest good, out of the worst of evils.

All things go crosse here; the righteous droop, the wic­ked flourish: The end shall make amends for all; The world is a stage; every man acts his part; the wise com­piler of this great interlude hath so contrived it; That the middle Scenes show no­thing but intricacy; and per­plexednesse; the unskilfull spectator is ready to censure the plot; and thinks he sees such unpleasing difficulties in the carriage of affaires, as [Page 193] can never be reconciled; but by that time he have sate it out, he shall see all brought about to a meet accordance; and all shut up in a happy applause. Blessed is the man Jam. 1. 12. that endureth temptation; for when he is tried, he shall re­ceive the crowne of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

The world is an Apothe­caries shop, wherein there are all manner of drugs, some poysonous, others cordiall; An ignorant, that comes in, and knows only the quality, not the use of those receits, will straight be ready to say; What do these unwholsome simples, these dangerous mi­neralls, these deadly juices here? But the learned, and [Page 194] skilfull artist knows how so to temper all these noxious ingredients, that they shall turn Antidotes, and serve for the health of his patient. Thus doth the most high and holy God order these earthly (though noxious) compositions, to the glory of his great name, and to the advantage of his chosen: So as that suggestion, where­with thou meant'st to batter the divine providence of the Almighty, doth invincibly fortifie it; his most wise per­mission and powerfull over­ruling of evill actions and men through the whole world to his owne honour, & the benefit of his Church.

VII. TEMPTATION

HOw boldly can I defie thee, O thou lying spi­rit, whiles I have the assu­rance of him, who is the word of Truth; How con­fidently dare I challenge thee upon that unfailing te­stimony, which shall stand Mat. 5. 18. till heaven and earth shall passe; Ye that have believed Ephes. 1. 13, in Christ, are sealed with that [Page 196] holy spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance, untill the redemption of the 14. purchased possession unto the praise of his glory: Lo here a double assurance, which all the powers of hell shall in vaine labour to defeat; The Almighties Scale, and his Earnest: both made, and given to the believer; and therefore to me: In spight of all temptations I believe, and know whom I have belie­ved; I can accuse my faith of weaknesse, thou canst not convince it of untruth; and all the precious promises of the Gospel, and all the gra­cious ingagements of God, are made, not to the mea­sure, but to the truth of our beliefe, and why should not [Page 197] I as truly know that I relie upon the word of my Savi­our, as I know that I distrust, and reject thine? Since then I am a subject truly capable of this mercy, what can hin­der me from enjoying it? Cheare thy selfe up there­fore, O my soule, with this undefeisible confidence, that thou hast Gods seale, and his earnest for thy salvation. Even an honest man will not be lesse then his word; but if his hand have seconded his tongue, he holds the ob­ligation yet stronger; but if his seale shall be further ad­ded to his hand, there is no­thing that can give more va­lidity to the graunt, or con­tract: yet, even of the value of Seales there is much dif­ference: [Page 198] The Seale of a pri­vate man carries so much au­thority as his person; the seale of a Community hath so much more security in it, as there are more persons in­teressed: But the signet of a King hath wont to be held, to all purposes, authenticall; as we find (to omit Ahab) in the signatures of Ahasuerus, and Darius; Who desires any better assurance for the estate of him and his posterity, then the Great Seale? And behold here is no lesse then the great seale of heaven for my election and salvation; Ye are sealed with the spirit of promise.

But lest thou shouldest plead this to be but a graunt of the future, and therefore, [Page 199] perhaps, upon some interve­nient mis-deamures, or un­kindnesse taken, reversible; know that here is yet fur­ther, an actuall conveyance of this mercy to me; in that here is an Earnest given me before-hand of a perfect ac­complishment: An earnest, that both binds the assu­rance, and stands for part of payment of that great sum of glory which abides for me in heaven. This seale I shew, this earnest I produce; so as my securance is unfai­lable: And, that thou maist not plead this Seale to be counterfeit, set on only with a stamp of presumption and self-love; know that here is the true and cleare impressi­on of Gods spirit in all the [Page 200] lines of that gracious signa­nature; a right (though weak) illumination of mind in the true apprehension of heavenly things, sincerity of holy desires, truth of incho­ate holiness, unfainedness of Christian charity, constant purposes and indeavours of perfect obedience: And as for my earnest, it can no more disappoint me, then the hand that gave it; My soule is possessed with true (how ever imperfect) grace: and what is grace but the be­ginning of glory? and what is glory but the consumma­tion of grace? What should I regard thy cavils, whiles I have these pledges of the Almighty? It is not in thy power, malicious spirit, to [Page 201] sever those things which Gods eternall decree hath 2 Pet. 1. 10. put together: Our calling▪ and election are thus conjoy­ned from eternity; All the craft and force of hell can­not divorce them: Whom he Rom. 8. 30. did predestinate them also he called; and whom he called them he also justified; and whom he justifieth them also he glorifieth; It is true that out­wardly many are called, but few chosen; but none are inwardly called which are not also chosen: in which number is my poore soule, whereto God hath shewed mercy in singling it out of this wicked world, into the liberty of the sons of God; For, do not I find my selfe sensibly changed from what [Page 202] I was? am I not evidently freed from the bondage of those naturall corruptions, under which thou heldst mo miserably captiv'd? Do I not hate the courses of my former disobedience? Do I not give willing eare to the voice of the Gospel? Do I not desire and indea­vour to conforme my selfe wholly to the will of my God and Saviour? Do I not heartily grieve for my spirituall faylings? Do not I earnestly pray for grace to resist all thy temptations? Do not I cordially affect the means of grace and salva­tion? Do I not labour in all things to keep a good con­science before God, and men? Are not these the in­fallible [Page 203] proofs of my calling, and the sure and certaine fruits of mine election? Canst thou hope to per­swade me, that God will be­stow these favours where he loves not? that he wil repent him of such mercies? That he will lose the thanks and honour of so gracious pro­ceedings? Suggest what thou wilt; I am more then Philip. 1. 6. confident, that he who hath be­gun this good work in me, will perform it untill the day of Jesus Christ.

Do not I heare the chosen vessel tell his Thessalonians, that he knows them to be e­lected of God? And upon what grounds doth he raise this assurance? For (saith 1 Thessal. 1. 4, 5. he) our Gospel came not to [Page 204] you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost: That which can assure us of another mans election, may much more secure us of our owne: the entertainment & successe of the Gospel in our souls. Lo, that blessed word hath wrought in me a sen­sible abatement of my cor­rupt affections; and hath produced an apparent reno­vation of my mind; and hath quickned me to a new life of grace, and obedience; this can be no work of na­ture; this can be no other then the work of that Spirit, whereby I am sealed to the day of redemption; My heart Ephes. 4. 30. feels the power of the Go­spel; my life expresses it; maugre all thy malice; there­fore [Page 205] I am elected. When the gates of hell have done their worst, none of Gods children can miscarry; For Rom. 8. 17. if children, then they are heirs; heirs of God, and joynt-heirs with Christ. Now, as many as Rom. 8. 14. are led by the spirit of God, they are the sons of God; and this is the direction that I follow. There are but three guides that I can be led by; my own will, thy suggesti­ons, the motions of Gods spirit. For my owne will, I were no Christian if I had not learn'd to deny it, where it stands opposite to the will of my God; as for thy sug­gestions, I hate and defie them; they are onely there­fore the motions of that good Spirit which I desire to [Page 206] follow; and if at any time, my owne frailty have be­traied me to some aberrati­ons, my repentance hath o­vertaken my offence; and in sincerity of heart, I can say with an holier man; I have gone astray like a sheep: seek Psal. 119. 176. thy servant, for I do not forget thy commandements: All thy malice therefore cannot rob me of the comfort of mine adoption.

It is no marvell if thou, who art all enmity, canst not abide to heare of love; but God, who is love, hath told me; that love is of God, and 1 Joh. 4. 8. 4. 7. that every one that loveth is borne of God; and that by this we know that we have pas­sed 1 Joh. 3. 14. from death to life, because we love the brethren; now, [Page 207] my heart can irrefragably witnesse to me, that I love God because he is good; in­finitely good in himself, and infinitely good to me; and that I love good men be­cause they are his sons, my brethren; I am therefore as surely passed from death to life, as if I had set my foot over the threshold of hea­ven.

VIII. TEMPTATION

IS it any wonder that thou should'st sclander the gra­ces of God, who art ever ready to calumniate the gi­ver? No, tempter; Canst thou challenge this faith of mine, which thou censurest, [Page 209] to be thine owne worke? such it should be, if it were presumption; Were it pre­sumption, would'st thou op­pose it? would'st thou not foster and applaud it as thine? The presumption is thine, who darest thus dero­gate from the gracious work of the Almighty; and fasten sin upon the holy Spirit; Mine is faith; yet so mine, as that it is his that wrought it: There is not more diffe­rence betwixt thee, and an Angel of light, then betwixt my faith, and thy presumpti­on: True faith (such is mine, after all thy sclanderous sug­gestions) is grounded upon sound knowledge, and that knowledge upon an infal­lible word; Whereas pre­sumption [Page 210] rests only upon o­pinion, and conceit, built up­on the sands of self-love: Whence it is that the most ignorant are ever the most presumptuous; when the knowing soule sees what dangers it is to encounter, and provides for them with an awfull resolution.

True faith never comes without carefull and diligent use of meanes; The word, sacraments, praier, medita­tion are but enough with their conjoyned forces to produce so divine a work; whereas presumption comes with ease; it costs nothing, no strife, no labour to draw forth so worthlesse and vici­ous a disposition; yea ra­ther corrupt nature is for­ward [Page 211] not only to offer it to us, but even to force it upon our admission; and it is no small maistery to repell it.

True faith struggles with infidelity; this Iacob is wrest­ling with this Esau in the womb of the soule; and, if at any time, the worse part (through the violence of a temptation) get the start of the better, the hand laies hold on the heel, and suffers not it selfe to be any other then insensibly prevented; but recovers the light ere the suggestion can be fully compleated; and at last so far prevails, that the elder shall serve the younger; This is 1 Joh. 5. 4. the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith:

Whereas presumption is [Page 212] ever quiet and secure; not fearing any perill; not com­bating with any doubt; plea­sing it selfe in its owne ease and safety; and in the confi­dence of a perpetuall prospe­rity can say, I shall never be Psal. 30. 6. moved.

True faith, wheresoever it is, purifieth the heart, and will not suffer any known Act. 15. 9. sin to harbour there; and is ever attended with care, aw­fulnesse, love, obedience:

Whereas presumption im­pures the soule, and works it to boldnesse, obduration, false joy, security, sensles­nesse.

True faith grows daily; like the graine of mustard­seed in the Gospel, which from small beginnings arises [Page 213] to a tall, and large-spreading plant: presumption hath e­nough, and sits down con­tented with its own measure, applauding the happinesse of its own condition.

True faith, like gold, comes out pure from the fire of Temptation; and, like to sound friendship, is most helpfull in the greatest need; Presumption, upon the ea­siest triall, vanisheth into smoak and drosse, and is ne­ver so sure to faile us as in the evill day.

So then this firme affiance of mine, being grounded up­on the most sure promises of the God of Truth, upon fre­quent use and improvement of all holy means; after ma­ny bickerings with thy mo­tions [Page 214] of unbelief; being at­tended with holy and puri­fying dispositions of the soule; and gathering still more strength, and growing up dayly towards a longed­for perfection; and which, now, thy experience convin­ces thee, to be most present and comfortable in the hour of Temptation, is true faith, not as thou falsly suggestest, a false presumption.

It is true, my unworthi­nesse is great, but I have to do with an infinite mercy; so as my wretched unwor­thinesse doth but heighten the glory of his most merci­full pardon and acceptation. Shortly then, where there is a divine promise of free grace and mercy, a true ap­prehension [Page 215] and embracing of that promise; a warrant and acceptance of that appre­hension, a willing relyance upon that warrant, a sure knowledge and sense of that relyance, there can be no place for presumption; This is the case betwixt God and my soule; His word of pro­mise, and warrant that can­not deceive me, is: He that Joh. 3. 36. believeth on the Son hath ever­lasting life; and, He that be­lieves Joh. 5. 24. in him that sent me hath everlasting life; and shall not come into condemnation, but hath passed from death to life; My owne heart irrefragably makes out the rest; which is the truth of my apprehen­sion, relyance, knowledge. Mine therefore is the faith; [Page 216] the presumption in casting sclander upon the grace of Gods spirit is thine owne.

IX. TEMPTATION

BE not discouraged, O thou weak soule, with this malicious suggestion of the enemy: Thou art not the [Page 217] first, nor the holiest that hath been thus assailed; So hard was the man after Gods owne heart driven with this Temptation; that he cries out in the bitternesse of his soul, Will the Lord cast (me) Psal. 77. 7. off for ever? and will he be 9. favourable no more? hath God forgotten to be gracious? hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? Is his mercy cleane 8. gone for ever? doth his pro­mise faile for evermore? Thy case was his for the sense of the desertion, why should not his case be thine for the remedy? Mark how happi­ly and how soon he recovers himself: And I said, This is 77. v. 10, my infirmity; But I will re­member the years of the right 11, hand of the most high; I will [Page 218] remember the works of the Lord; surely I will remember the wonders of old; I will me­ditate 12. of all thy works: Lo, how wisely, and faithfully David retreats back to the sure hold of Gods formerly­experimented mercies, and there finds a sensible reliefe: He, that when he was to en­counter with the proud Gi­ant, could before-hand arme himselfe with the proof of Gods former deliverances and victories, (Thy servant 1 Sam. 17. 36. slew both the lyon and the bear; and this uncircumcised Phi­listim shall be as one of them;) now animates himself after the temptation against the spirituall Goliah, with the like remembrance of Gods ancient mercies, and indear­ments [Page 219] to his soule; as well knowing that, what ever we are, God cannot but be him­self; God is not as a man, that Num. 23. 19. he should lie, neither the son of man, that he should repent; Having loved his own, which Joh. 13. 1. were in the world, he loved them unto the end: Hast thou therefore formerly found the sure testimonies of Gods fa­vour to thee, in the reall pledges of his holy Graces; live thou still, whiles thou art thus besieged with temp­tations, upon the old store; know, that thou hast to do with a God, that can no more change, then not be: Satan cannot be more con­stant to his malice then thy God is to his everlasting mercies. He may for a time [Page 220] be pleased to withdraw him­self from thee; but it is, that he may make thee so much more happy in his re-appea­rance: It is his owne word, For a small moment have I Esay 54. 7, forsaken thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee. In 8. a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindnesse will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy redeemer.

In the case wherein thou now art, thou canst be no meet Judge either of Gods respects to thee, or thine owne condition; Can the aguish palate passe any true judgement upon the tast of liquors? Can the child en­tertaine any apprehension of his parents favour whiles he [Page 221] is under the lash? Can any man looke that the fire should give either flame or heat, whiles it lies cove­red with ashes? Can any man expect fruit, or leaves from the tree in the midst of winter? Thou art now in a fit of temptation; thou art now smarting under the rod of correction; thy faith lies raked up under the cold ashes of a seeming de­sertion; the vegetative life of thy soul is, in this hard season of thy triall, drawne inward, and run downe to the root; thine estate is ne­ver the lesse safe for this, though more uncomfor­table: wait thou upon Gods leisure with all humble sub­mission; the event shall be [Page 222] happy; when the distemper is once over, thou shalt re­turne to thy true relish of Gods mercy; when thine heavenly father shall smile upon thee, and take thee up in his armes, thou wilt see love in his late stripes; when those dead ashes shall be re­moved, and the gleeds of grace stirred up againe in thee, thou shalt yeild both light, and warmth; when the Sun of righteousnesse shall approch to thee, and with his comfortable beams draw up the sap into the branches, thou shalt blossome and flourish; In the meane time feare nothing; only believe, and thou shalt see the salva­tion of the Lord; Thy soule is in surer hands then thine [Page 223] owne, yea then of the grea­test Angel in heaven; far out of the reach of all the Coloss. 3. powers of hell; For our life is hid with Christ in God; Hid; not lost, not laid open to all eyes; but hid; hid, where Satan cannot touch it, cannot find it; even with Christ in the heaven of heavens.

Feare not therefore, O thou feeble soule, any utter dereliction of thy God; Thou art bought with a price: God paid too deare for thee, and is too deeply ingaged to thee, to lose thee willingly; and for any force to be of­fered to the Almighty, what can men or Devils do?

And if that malignant spi­rit shall challenge any for­feiture; [Page 224] plead thou thy full redemption: It is true; the eternall and inviolable law hath said, Cursed is every one Galat. 3. 10. that continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the Law to do them; and, the soule that sinneth shall die; Death and curse is there­fore due to thee; But thou hast paid both of these, in thy blessed redeemer; Christ Galat. 3. 13. hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law, being made a curse for us; Where sin abounded, Rom. 5. 20, grace did much more abound; that as sin hath reigned unto 21. death, even so might grace raigne through righteousnesse unto eternall life by Iesus Christ our Lord; It is all one to pay thy debt in thine owne per­son, and by thy surety; Thy [Page 225] gracious suerty hath staked it down for thee to the ut­most farthing: Be confident therefore of thy safe condi­tion; thou art no lesse sure, then thine adversary is ma­licious.

X. TEMPTATION

THis is language well­befitting the professed make-bate betwixt God and man; but know, O thou [Page 227] false tempter, that I have re­ceived sure and infallible te­stimonies of that speciall love, which is proper to his elect: First then, (as I have to do with a bountiful God, who where he loves, there he inriches; so) I have re­ceived most precious gifts from his hands; such as do not import a common, and ordinary beneficence, (w ^ch he scatters promiscuously a­mongst the sons of men) but such as carry in them a dear­nesse, and singularity of di­vine favour: even the grea­test gifts, that either he can give, or man receive; For first he hath given me his spirit, the spirit of Adoption, 1 Joh. 4. 13. Rom. 8. 15, whereby I can call him Fa­ther; for the assurance where­of, [Page 228] The Spirit it selfe beareth witnesse with our spirit, that 16. we are the children of God: Deny, if thou canst, the in­valuablenesse of this heaven­ly gift; and if thy malice cannot detract from the worth, but from the pro­priety; yeelding it to be great, but denying it to be mine; know, O thou envi­ous spirit, that here is the witnesse of two spirits com­bined against thine; Were the testimonies single, sure­ly I had reason to believe my owne spirit, rather then thine, which is a spirit of er­rour; but now, that the spirit of God conjoines his iner­rable testimony together with my spirit, against thy single suggestion, how just [Page 229] cause have I to be confident of my possession of that glo­rious, and blessed gift? Nei­ther is that good spirit dead, or dumb, but vocall, and o­perative: it gives mee a tongue to call, God, Father; it teacheth me to pray; it Rom. 8. 26. helpeth mine infirmities, and maketh intercession for me, with groanings which can­not be uttered; It worketh effectually in me a sensible conversion; Even when I was dead in sins and trespas­ses, Ephes. 2. 1, God, who is rich in mer­cy, 4, for his great love where­with he loved me, hath by this spirit of his quickned 5, me together with Christ, and hath raised me up toge­ther 6. with him: By the bles­sed effects therefore of this [Page 230] regenerating Spirit happily begun in my soule I find how rich a treasure the Fa­ther of mercies hath con­veighed into my bosome. Besides, my life shows what is in my heart; it was a gra­cious word, that God spake to his people of old, and holds for ever; I will put my Ezek. 36. 27, spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes; I will 29. also save you from all your un­cleannesses; The spirit of God can never be severed from o­bedience; If the heart be taken up with the holy Spi­rit, 1 Joh. 5. 3. the feet must walke in Gods statutes; & both heart and life must be freed from all wilfull uncleannesses; I feel that God hath wrought all this in me; from him it [Page 231] is, that I do sincerely desire, & indevour to make straight steps in all the ways of God; and to avoid, and abhor all those foule corruptions of my sinfull nature; Flesh and bloud hath not, would not, could not work this in me; The Spirit therefore of him who Rom. 8. 11. raised up Jesus from the dead dwels in me; And if this be not a pledge of his dearest love, heaven cannot yeeld one.

Moreover, he hath be­stowed upon mee another gift, more worth then all the world; his own son, the son of his love, the son of his nature by eternall generati­on; Whom he hath not on­ly given for me, in a genera­lity with the rest of man­kind, [Page 232] but hath by a speciall donation conveighed unto me, and, as it were put into my bosome; in that he hath enabled me by a lively faith to bring him home unto my soule; and hath thus by a particular application made him mine: so as my soule is not more mine, then he is my soules; And having given me his son, he hath with him given me all things: If there can be greater tokens of love then these, let me want them.

Besides his gifts, his car­riage doth abundantly ar­gue his love; were there a strangenesse betweene God and my soule, I might well feare there were no other then overly respects from [Page 233] him towards me: but now, when I find he doth so free­ly and familiarly converse with his servant, and so gra­ciously imparts himself to me; renuing the daily testi­monies of his holy presence in the frequent motions of his good spirit, answered by the returns of an humble and thankfull obedience; here is not love onely, but intire­nesse. What other is that poor measure of love, which our wretched meannesse can return unto our God, but a weak reflection of that fer­vent love which he bears unto us? It is the word of Divine Wisdome, I love them Prov. 8. 17. that love me, and the disciple of love can tell us the due order of love, We love him, 1 Joh. 4. 19. [Page 234] because he first loved us. The love of God therefore which is shed abroad in our hearts, by Rom. 5. 5. the Holy Ghost, which is given unto us, is an all-sufficient conviction of Gods tender love unto us: My heart tels me, then, that I love God truly, though weakly; God tels me that he embraceth me with an everlasting love, which thy malice may snarle at, but can never abate.

I. TEMPTATION

IT is right so as wise Salomon observd of old: [Page 238] Because sentence against an evil worke is not executed speedily; Eccles. 8. 11. therfore the hearts of the sons of men are fully set in them to do evill. Wicked spirit; What a deadly fallacy is this which thou puttest upon miserable soules? Because they have aged in their sins, therefore they must die in them: be­cause they have lived in sin, therefore they must age in it; because they have pro­spered in their sin, therefore they must live in it; whereas all these should be strong ar­guments to the contrary; There cannot be a greater proofe of Gods disfavour then for a man to prosper in wickednesse; neither can there be a more forcible in­ducement to a man to for­sake [Page 239] his sin, then this, that he hath entertain'd it: What dost thou other in this then perswade the poor sinner to despise the riches of the Rom. 2. 4, goodnesse and forbearance, and long suffering of God; which should lead him to repentance; and after his hardnesse, and impenitent 5. heart to treasure up unto himselfe wrath against the day of wrath, and revelation of the righteous judgement of God? What an horrible abuse is this of divine mer­cy? That which is intended to lead us to repentance, is now urged by thee to draw us from repentance; Should the justice of God have cut off the sinner in the flagrance of his wicked fact; there [Page 240] had been no roome for his penitence, and now God gives him a faire respite for his repentance, thou turnest this into a provocation of sinning; Let the case for the present be mine; If sin have so far bewitcht me as to win me to dally with it; must I therefore be wedded to it? or if I be once wedded to it, through the importunity of Temptation, shall I be tyed to a perpetuall cohabitation with that fiend, and not free my self by a just divorce? Because I have once yeilded to be evill, must I therefore be worse? Because I have happily, by the mercy of my God, escaped hell in sinning, shall I wilfully run my self headlong into the pit, by [Page 241] continuing in sin? No, wic­ked one, I know how to make better use of Gods fa­vour, and my own miscarri­ages: I cannot reckon it a­mongst my comforts, that I prospered in evill; Let ob­dured hearts blesse them­selves in such advantages; but I adore that goodnesse, that forbore me in my ini­quity; neither dare provoke it any more. Thinke not to draw me on by the lucky successe of my sin; which thou hast wanted no indea­vour to promote; Better had it been for me, if I had fared worse in the course of my sin­ning; but had I been yet out­wardly more happy, do I not know that God vouchsases his showers, & his sun-shine [Page 242] to the fields of those, whose persons he destines to the fire? Can I be ignorant of that, which holy Iob observed in his time, That the Tabernacles Job 12. 6. of the wicked prosper; and they that provoke God are se­cure, into whose hands God bringeth abundantly; That Job 21. 13. they spend their days in wealth, and in a moment go downe to the grave; and (as the Psal­mist seconds him) There are no bands in their death; but Psal. 73. 4. their strength is firme; They are not in trouble like other men, therefore pride compasseth them about as achaine; And let these jolly men brave it out in the glorious pompe of their unjust greatnesse; The same eyes that noted their exaltation, have also [Page 243] observed their downefall. They are exalted for a little Iob 24. 24. while (saith Job) but they are gone, and brought low; they are taken out of the way, as all o­thers; and cut off, as the tops of the ears of corne. And in his answer to Zophar; Where are the dwelling places of the wicked? Have ye not asked them that go by the way, and do ye not know their tokens? That the wicked is reserved to the day of destruction; they shall be brought forth to the day of wrath; The eyes of the wicked Job 11. 20. (even those scornfull and contemptuous eyes, which they have cast upon Gods poor despised ones) shall faile, and they shall not escape; and their hope shall be as the giving up of the ghost.

[Page 244] How false an inference then is this, whereby [...] goest about to delude [...]y soule; Thou hast hitherto prospered in thy wickedness, therefore thou shalt prosper in it still, and ever; To mor­row shall be as yesterday, and more abundant; As if the just God had not set a period to iniquity? As if he had not said to the most insolent sinner, as to the ra­ging Sea, Here shalt thou stay thy proud waves: How many rich Epicures have with Crassus, sup't in Apollo, and broken their fast with Beelzebub, the prince of De­vils? How many have lien downe to sleep out their fur­feit, and have waked in hell? Were my times in thy hand, [Page 245] thou wouldst not suffer me long to enjoy my sin; and forbeare the seizure of my soule; but now they are in the hands of a righteous God, who is jealous of his owne glory, he will be sure not to over-pass those hours, which he hath set for thy torment, or my account.

Shortly therefore, I will withdraw my foot from e­very evil way; and walk ho­lily with my God; however I speed in the world; Let me with the conscientious men beg, or starve in my in­nocence; rather then thrive in my wickednesse and get hell to boot.

II. TEMPTATION

OF all the blessed Attri­butes of God, whereby he is willing to make him­self known unto men, there [Page 247] is none by which he more delights to be set forth, then that of mercy; When there­fore he would proclaime his stile to Moses, this is the title which he most insists upon: The Lord, The Lord God; mer­cifull Exod. 34. 6. Num. 14. 18. Psal. 103. 8. Psal. 145. 8, 9. Exod. 20. 6. Psal. 86. 15. Nehem. 9. 30, 31. Lament. 3. 31. Jona. 4. 2. Mic. 7. 18. Psal. 72. 13. and gracious, long suffe­ring, and abundant in good­nesse, and truth; keeping mer­cy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, and transgression, and sin; And all his holy He­ralds the Prophets have still been carefull to blazon him thus to the world; Neither is there any of those divine Attributes, that is so much abused by men, as this which is most beneficiall to man­kind; For the wisdome of God every man professes to adore it; for the power of [Page 248] God every man magnifies it; for the justice of God, every man trembles at it; but, for the mercy, and long-suffe­rance of God, how apt are men and devils to wrong it by a sinfull mis-application? Wicked tempter, how rea­dy art thou to mis-improve Gods patience to the en­couragement of my sin; and to perswade me therefore to offend him, because he is good; and to continue in sin, because grace abounds; Thou bidst me sin still; God forbids me upon paine of death to sin at all; whether should I listen to? God cals me to a speedy repentance, thou perswadest me to defer it; whether counsell should I hold more safe? Surely [Page 249] there cannot be but danger in the delay of it; in the speed there can be nothing but a comfortable hope of acceptation: It is not possi­ble for me to repent too soone; too late I may: To repent for my sin, when I can sinne no more, what would it be other then to be sory that I can no more sin? And what thank is it to me, that I would, and am dis­abled to offend? Thou telst me that mine age, and death-bed are meet seasons for my repentance; As if time and Grace were in my power to command; How know I whether I shall live till age? yea till to morrow? yea till the next hour? Doe not I see how fickle my life is? [Page 450] And shall I with the foolish Virgins, delay the buying of my oyle, till the doores be shut? But, let me live; Have I repentance in a string, that I may pull it to me when I list? Is it not the great gift of that good Spirit, which breatheth when, and where it pleaseth? It is now offered to me in this time of Grace; if I now refuse it, perhaps I may seek it, with teares, in vaine: I know the gates of hell stand alwaies wide open to receive all commers, not so the gates of heaven; they are shut upon the impeni­tent, and never opened but in the seasons of mercy; The porches of Bethesda were full of cripples expecting cure; those waters were not al­waies [Page 251] sanative; if when the Angel descends and moves the water, we take not our first turne, we may wait too long: But of all other, that season whereon thou pitch­est, my death-bed, is most unseasonable for this work, most serviceable for thy pur­pose; How many thousand souls hast thou deluded with this plausible, but deadly, suggestion? For then, alas, how is the whole man taken up with the sense of paine, with grapling with the dis­ease, with answering the condoling of friends, with disposing the remainder of our estate, with repelling (then most importunate) temptations, with encoun­tring the horrours and pangs [Page 252] of an imminent dissolution; And what roome is there then for a serious task of re­pentance? No, wicked one, I see thy drift; thou wouldst faine perswade me to do like some idle wanton servants, who play, and talk out their candle-light, & then go dark­lings to bed; I hate the mo­tion, and do gladly embrace this happy opportunity, which God holds forth to me, of my present conver­sion.

Thou tell'st me how hard it would be, if I should not have one mouth-full of breath, at the last, to implore mercy; I tell thee of many a one that hath not had so much; neither hath it been hard, but just, that those [Page 253] who have had so many and earnest solicitations from a mercifull God, and have gi­ven a deafe eare to them; should not at the last have a tongue to aske that mercy, which they have so often refused.

But let me have wind e­nough left to redouble the name of mercy; am I sure upon so short warning to obtaine it? How many are there that shall say, Lord, Lord; and yet shall be an­swer'd, with Depart from me, I know you not? Do I not hear that God, whom vaine men frame all of mercy, say, even of his Israel; I will not pity, Jerem. 13. 14. nor spare, nor have mercy, but destroy them? There is a time for judgement, as well as a [Page 254] time for mercy; neither of these may encroach upon o­ther; as judgement may not be allowed to seize upon the soule, during the season of mercy, so neither may mer­cy put forth it selfe to rescue the soule in an execution of judgement; both must have their due turnes; let me sue therefore for grace, ere the time of grace be over-passed; Heaven is as a strong castle, whereto there is but one way of entrance; the draw-bridge is let down all the day; all that while the passage is o­pen; let me stay till night; the bridge is hoysed up, the way precluded; I may now stand without, and call long enough for an hopelesse ad­mittance.

[Page 255] It shall be my care to get within those gates, ere my Sun be set; whiles the wil­ling neglecters of mercy shal find hell open, heaven inac­cessible.

III. TEMPTATION

DEceitfull tempter; now thou wouldst faine flat­ter me into hell; and make Gods favour a motive of my damnation; I doubt not but I am, through Gods mercy, one of his chosen; his free grace in Christ my Saviour, hath put upon me this ho­nour; neither will I fear to [Page 257] challenge any of the happy priviledges of my Election; But that this should be one of the speciall prerogatives of Grace, that God should see no sin in me, I hate to hear; That God imputes no sin to his elect, is a divine truth; but that he sees no sin in his Elect, is a conceit hatch't in hell: For, tell me, thou Antinomian spirit, if God see no sin in his Elect, is the reason on the behalfe of God, or of the sin? Ei­ther for that there is no sin at all to be seen, or for that though there be sin in them, yet God sees it not; If the former; it must be either in relation to the person of the sinner, or to the act and na­ture of the sin: Either, that [Page 258] he cannot do that act which is formally sinne, or, that though he do such an act, yet in him it is no sin. If the lat­ter; it must be either for the defect of his omniscience, or upon a willing connivence; In each of these there is grosse errour, in some of them blasphemy: For first, what can be more evident then that the holiest of Gods elect upon earth fall (and that not infrequently) into sin? Who can say, I have made Prov. 20. 9. my heart clean, I am pure from my sin? was the just challenge of wise Salomon; and his fa­ther before him said no lesse, There is none that doeth good, Psal. 14. 3. Rom. 3. 12. no not one; And, elswhere, Who can understand his er­rours? Cleanse thou me from Ps. 19. 12. [Page 259] my secret faults: We all (saith Esa. 53. 6. the Prophet Esay) putting himself into the number, have like sheep gone astray; we have turned every one to his owne waies: And wherefore were Levit. 4. 2. 13. 22. Num. 15. 24. those legall expiations of old by the bloud of their sacrifi­ces, but for the acknowled­ged sins both of Priests, and people? Perswade us if thou canst, that our election ex­empts us from being men: for certainly, whiles we are men we cannot but be sinners: So sure is that Parenthesis of Salomon, There is no man 2 Kings 8. 46. 1 Joh. 1. 8, 10. that sinneth not, as that, If we say we have no sin, we both de­ceive our selves, and make God a lier.

What then? That which in it self is sin, is it not sin [Page 260] in the Elect? Doth evill turne good as it falls from their person? where did the holy God infuse such vertue into any creature? Surely, so deadly is the infection of sin, that it makes the person evill; but that the holinesse of the person should make the sin lesse evill, is an hellish monster of opinion; Yea so far is it from that; as that the holinesse of the person addes to the haynousnesse of the sin; The adultery had not been so odious, if a Da­vid had not committed it; nor the abjuration of Christ so grievous, if it had not fallen from him that said, Though all men, yet not I: Sin is sin even in an Angel; and the worse for the eminence [Page 261] of the actor: For what is sin but the transgression of the law in whomsoever? whersoever Jam. 3. 2. therefore Transgression is; there is guilt; And such the best of all Gods Saints have acknowledged & lamented in themselves; Wo is me, saith Esa. 6. 5. the Prophet Esay, for I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips: The evill that I Rom. 7. 19. would not doe, that I doe, saith the chosen vessel; Yea in ma­ny Jam. 3. 2. things, saith St. James, we offend all. It is true, that as the beloved Disciple hath taught us, He that is borne of 1 Joh. 5▪ 18. 1 Joh. 3. 9. God sinneth not; Not that he may not fall into the same act of sin with the most car­nall man, but that he sins not in the same manner; The one sins with all his heart, [Page 262] with the full sway of his will, the other not without a kind of renitency: The one makes a trade of his sin; the other steps onely aside through the vehemence of a Temptation; The one sins with an high hand, the other out of meer infirmity; The one walks on securely and resolutely, as obfirmed in his wickednesse, the other is smitten with a seasonable re­morse for his offence. The one delights and prides him­selfe in his sin; the other, as he sinned bashfully, so he hates himself for sinning; The one grows up daily to a greater height of iniquity; the other improves his sin to the bettering of his soule; But this difference of sin, as [Page 263] it makes sin unmeasurably sinfull in the worst men; so it doth not quite anull it in the holiest; It is their sin still, though it raigne not in them, though it kill them not.

Whiles then there cannot but be sin in the Elect, is it possible that God should not see it there? Is there any thing in heaven, or earth, or hell that can be hid from his all-seeing eyes? where should this sin lurk, that he should not espy it? Do not the secrets of all hearts lie o­pen before him? Are not his Rev. 1. 14. eyes a flame of fire? Is it not expresly noted, as an aggra­vation of evill; Iudah did e­vill 1 King. 14. 22. in the sight of the Lord; And, Our transgressions (faith Isaiah) are multiplied before [Page 264] thee: It is out of his infinite holinesse, that he cannot a­bide to behold sin; but it is out of his absolute om­niscience, that there is no sin which he beholds not; and out of his infinite justice, that he beholds no sin which he hates not.

Is it then for that sin hath no being, as that which is onely a failing, and privati­on of that rectitude and inte­grity which should be in us, and our actions, without any positive entity in it selfe? upon this ground God should see no sin at all; no not in the wickedest man upon earth; and, whereas wicked men do nothing but sin, it should follow that God takes no notice of most of the actions [Page 265] that are done in the world; whereof the very thought were blasphemy.

Since then it cannot bee out of defect of knowledge, that God sees not the sinnes of his elect; is it out of a fa­vourable connivence that he is willing not to see, what he sees? surely, if the meaning be, that God sees not the sinnes of the penitent with a revengefull eye; that out of a mercifull indulgence, he will not prosecute the sins where­of we have repented, with due vengeance, but passes them by, as if they had not been; we do so gladly yeeld to this truth, that we can ne­ver blesse God enough for this wonderfull mercy to poore sinners; it is his graci­ous [Page 266] word, which we lay redy hold upon; I, even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions Esa. 43. 25. for my own sake, and will not remember thy sinnes. But if the meaning be, that God beares with sin, because theirs; that he so winkes at it as that he neither sees nor detests it, as it falls from so deare actors; it is no other, then a blasphemous charge of injustice upon the holy one of Israel; Your iniquities, faith Isaiah, speaking of Gods Esa. 59. 2. chosen people, have separated between you and your God; and your sinnes have hid his face from you, that he will not hear; who was dearer to God then the man after his own heart; yet when he had given way to those foule sinnes of adul­tery [Page 267] and murder; Nathan tells him from God; Now 2 Sam. 12. 10, therefore the sword shall never depart from thine house, be­cause thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Vriah the 11. Hittite to be thy wife; Thus saith the Lord, Behold I will raise up evill against thee out of thine owne house &c.

How full and clear is that Psal. 90. 78. complaint of Moses the man of God? We are consumed by thine anger, and by thy wrath are we troubled; Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sinnes in the light of thy countenance; And Ieremy to the same purpose; We have Lam. 3. 42, transgressed and have rebelled, thou hast not pardoned; Thou 43. hast covered with anger, and persecuted us, thou hast slaine, [Page 268] thou hast not pityed us: Thou hast covered thy selfe with a 44. cloud, that our prayer should not passe thorough: Doubtlesse then God so sees sin in his e­lect: that he both more notes and hates sin more in his dearest children then in any other. Upon this impious supposition of Gods not see­ing sin in his chosen, wouldst thou raise that hellish sugge­stion, that a man must see no sin in himselfe; no repen­tance for sin: Then which, what wider gappe can be o­pened to a licentious stupidi­ty? For, that a man should commit sinne, as Lot did his incest, not knowing that hee doth the fact, what is it but to bereave him of his senses? To commit that fact which [Page 269] he may not know to be sin, what is it but to bereave him of reason; not to be sorry for the sin he hath commit­ed, what is it but to bereave him of grace? How contrary is this to the mind and pra­ctise of al Gods Saints? Ho­ly Iob could say; How many Iob 13. 13. are mine iniquities and sinnes; make me to know my transgres­sion and my sinne? and at last, when God had wrought ac­cordingly upon his heart; I Iob 42. 6. abhorre my selfe and repent in dust and ashes; Penitent David could say, I acknow­ledg Ps. 51. 3. my transgression, and my sin is ever before me; and else­where, I will declare mine i­niquity, Ps. 38. 18. and be sorry for my sin; and Solomons suppliant that would hope for audi­ence [Page 270] in heaven, must know the plague of his own heart. carry on therefore thy delu­ded 1 Kings 8. 38. clients in a willing igno­rance of their finnes, and a secure regardlesnesse of their repentance; for me, I will ransack my heart for my se­cret sinnes; and finde no peace in my soule till it bee truly sensible of my owne repentance, and Gods re­mission.

IV. TEMPTATION

THe suggestion is pernici­ous; and such, as that Sa­tans quiver hath not many shafts more deadly; for where ever it enters, it ren­ders a man carelesly despe­rate, and utterly regardlesse [Page 272] either of good, or evill: be­reaving him at once both of grace, and wit. The story tells us of a great Prince tainted with this poyson; whom his wise Physician happily cured; for being cal­led to the sicke bed of him, whom he knew thus dange­rously resolved; in stead of medicine, he administers to his patient this just convicti­on: Sir, you are conscious of your stiffe opinion con­cerning predestination; why doe you send to mee for the cure of your sicknesse? Ei­ther you are predestinated to recover and live, or else you are in Gods decree appoint­ed to dye: If you be ordain­ed to live and recover, you shall live, though you take [Page 273] noe helps of physick from me; but if to dye, all my art and meanes cannot save you. The convinced Prince saw, and felt his errour, and re­canted it: as well perceiving, how absurd, and unreasona­ble it is, in whatsoever decree of either temporall or spiri­tual good, to sever the means from the end; being both e­qually determined; and the one in way to the other: The comparison is cleare and ir­refragable; Gods decree is e­qually both certaine, and se­cret, for bodily health, and life eternall; The meanes ap­pointed, are food and medi­cine for the one, and for the other, repentance, fait [...], obe­dience: In the use of these we may live, we cannot but [Page 274] dye in their neglect: were it any other then madnesse in mee to relye upon a pre­supposed decree, willingly forbearing the while the means whereby it is brought about? To say, If I shall live I shall live, though I eat not; If I shall dye, though I eate I shall not live; therefore I will not eate, but cast my self upon Gods providence, whe­ther to dye or live: In doing thus, what am I other then a selfe murderer? It is a pre­vailing policy of the Devill so to work by his temptati­ons, upon the heart of man, that in temporall things he shall trust to the meanes without regard to the provi­dence of the God that gives them; In spirituall, he should [Page 275] cast himself upon the provi­dence of a God, without re­spect to the meanes, where­by they are effected; where­as, if both these goe not to­gether, we lose either God, or our selves, or both.

It is true, that if God had peremptorily declared his absolute will concerning the state or event of any crea­ture, we might not indevour, or hope to alter his decree; If God have said to a Moses; Goe up to the Mount and dye there, it is not for that obedient servant of God, to say; Yet I will lay up some years provision, if perchance I may yet live; Although, e­ven thus, in the minatory de­clarations of Gods purpose (because we know not what [Page 276] conditions may be secretly intended) we may use what meanes we may for a diver­sion: The Ninivites heard that expresse word from Io­nah [Yet fourty daies and Ni­neveh shall be destroyed] and though they beleeved the Prophet, yet they betooke themselves to an universall humiliation for the preven­tion of the judgement: Da­vid heard from the mouth of Nathan; The child that is born 2 Sam. 12. 14. unto thee shall surely dye; Yet he besought God, and fasted, and lay all night upon the earth, and could say, Who can tell whether God will bee ▪verse 22. gracious to mee that the child may live? good Hezekiah was sick unto death, and heares from Isaiah; Set thy house in [Page 277] order, for thou shalt dye and not 2 Kings 20. 1, 2. live; yet he turnes his face to the wall, and praies; and makes use of his bunch of verse 7. figges; and recovers; But, where the counsell of God is altogether secret, without the least glimpse of revelati­on, for a man to passe a per­emptory doome upon him­selfe, and either thereupon wilfully to neglect the knowne meanes of his good, or to run willingly upō those courses which will necessa­rily work his destruction, it is the highest degree of mad­nesse, that can be incident into a reasonable creature.

The father of mercies hath appointed meanes of the sal­vation of mankind, which lye open to them, if they [Page 278] would not be wanting to themselves; but especially to us, who are within the bo­some of his Church, he hath held forth saving helpes in abundance. What warnings, what reproofes, what exhor­tations, what invitations, what intreaties, what impor­tunities, hath he forborn for our conversion? what me­naces, what afflictions, what judgments hath he not made use of, for the prevention of our damnation? Can there be now any man so despe­rately mad, as to shut hea­ven gates against himselfe, which the mercifull God leaves open for him? or, as to breake open the gates of hell, and rush violently into the pit of destruction, which [Page 279] God had latched against him?

Thou sayst, If I be pre­destin'd to life, my sinnes cannot damne me. Man; thou beginnest at the wrong end; in that thou takest thy first rise at Gods eternall coun­sails, and then judgest doubt­fully of thine owne waies; It is not for thee to beginne first at heaven, and then to descend to earth; this course is presumptuous and damna­ble; What are those secret and closed bookes of Gods eternall decree, and preordi­nation, unto thee? They are onely for the eyes of him that wrote them; The Lord knoweth them that are his; Look if thou wilt upon the outer seale of those Divine [Page 280] secrets; and, read, Let every one that nameth the name of 2 Tim. 2. 19. Christ depart from iniquity.

Thy way lies from earth to heaven; The revealed wil of God, by which onely wee are to be regulated, is; Re­pent, beleeve, obey, and thou shalt be saved; live and dye in thy sinnes, impeni­tent, unbeleeving, thou shalt be damned; According to this rule frame thou thy courses, and resolutions; and if thou canst be so great an enemy to thine own soule, as determinately to contemne the meanes of salvation, and to tread wilfully in the paths of death, who can say other, but thou art faire for hell? But if thou shalt carefully use and improve those good [Page 281] meanes which God hath or­dained for thy conversion, and shalt thereupon find that true grace is wrought in thy soule; that thou abhorrest al evill waies, that thou dost truly beleeve in the Lord Ie­sus, and heartily purposest, and indevourest to live ho­lily, and conscionably in this present world, thou maiest now as assuredly know thy name written in heaven, as if thou hadst read it in those e­ternal characters of Gods se­cret counsell: Plainely, it is not for thee to say, I am predestinate to life, therefore thus I shall doe, and, thus I shall speed; but contrarily, thus hath God wrought in me, therefore I am predesti­nate; Let me doe well, it can­not [Page 282] but be well with mee; Glory, and honour, and peace to every man that worketh good; Rom. 2. 10. Let me doe my utmost dili­gence to make my calling and 2 Pet. 1 10. election sure; I am safe, and shall be happy.

But if thou hast been mis-carried to lewd courses, and hast lived as without God in the world; whiles thou dost so, thy case is fearefull: but who allowed thee to [...]it judg upon thine own soule? and to passe a peremptory doome of necessary damnation up­on thy selfe? Are not the meanes of grace (Gods bles­sed ordinances) stil held forth unto thee? Doth not God still gratiously invite thee to repentance? Doth not thy Saviour stand ready with his [Page 283] armes spread abroad to re­ceive thee into his bosome? And canst thou be so despe­rately, and presumptuously mercilesse to thy selfe, as to say, I shall be damned, there­fore I will sinne? Thou canst not be so wicked but there may be a possibility of thy reclamation; whiles God gives thee respite, there may be hope; Be not thou so in­jurious to thy selfe as to u­surpe the office both of God, and the Devill; of God, in passing a finall judgment up­on thy selfe; of the Devill, in drawing thy selfe into damnation. Returne there­fore, O sinner, and live, break off thy sinnes by repentance, and be saved; But if other­wise, know, that Gods de­cree [Page 284] doth neither necessitate thy sin, nor thy damnation; Thou maist thank thy selfe for both; Thy perdition is of thy selfe, O Israel.

V. TEMPTATION

PLausible tempter, what care wouldest thou seeme to take of my ease, and repu­tation, that, in the mean time, thou mightst run away with my soule? Thou perswadest mee not to be singular a­mongst my neighbours; it shall not be my fault if I bee so: If my neighbours bee good, and vertuous, I am with, and for them; let mee be hissed at, to goe alone; but if otherwise, let me rather go upright alone, then halt with company: Thou tellst mee of censures; they are spent in vaine that would dishart­en mee from good, or draw [Page 268] me into evill; I am too deep rooted in my resolutions of good, then to be turnd up by every slight wind, I know who it is that hath said, Bles­sed are ye when men shall revile Mat. 5. 11. you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evill against you falsly for my names sake. Let men take leave to talk their pleasure; in what I know I do wel, I am censure­proofe. Thou bidst me bee wise, and doe as the most; These two cannot agree to­gether; Not to follow the most, but the best, is true wis­dome; My Saviour hath told me, that the many goe in the broadway, which leadeth to de­struction; Mat. 7. 13. and it is the charge of God, Thou shalt not follow Exod. 23 2. a multitude to doe evill; whiles [Page 287] I follow the guidance of my God, I walk confidently, as knowing, I cannot goe a­misse; as for others, let them look to their own feet, they shall be no guides of mine.

Thou bidst me dispense with my conscience in small matters; I have learnt to call nothing small, that may of­fend the Majesty of the God of heaven; Dispensations must onely proceed from a greater power; Onely God is greater then my consci­ence; where he dispenseth not, it were a vaine presump­tion for me to dispense with my selfe:

And what are those small matters wherein thou solici­test my dispensation? To lend a ly to a friend; why dost [Page 288] thou not perswade mee to lend him my soule? Yea to give it unto thee for him? It is a sure word of the wise man; The mouth that lyeth, Wis. 1. 11. slayeth the soule; How vehe­ment a charge hath the God of truth layd upon me, to a­void this sinne, which thou, the father of lies, wouldst draw me unto? What mar­vell is it, if each speak for his own? He who is truth it Ioh. 8. Lev. 19. 11. Col. 3. 9. selfe, and loveth truth in the inward parts, justly calles for it in the tongue; Laying aside lying (saith the Spirit of Eph. 4. 25. God) speak every man truth with his neighbour; Thou, who art a lying Spirit, wouldst be willing to ad­vance thine own brood un­der the faire pretence of­friendship; [Page 289] But what? shall I to gratifie a friend, make God mine enemy? shall I to rescue a friend from danger, bring destructi­on upon my selfe? Thou shalt Psal. 5. 6. destroy them that speake lea­sings, saith the Psalmist: With­out Rev. 22. 15. shall be every one that lov­eth, or maketh lies. If there­fore my true attestation may availe my friend, my tongue is his, but if he must be sup­ported by falshood; my tongue is neither his, nor mine; but is his that made it.

To swallow an oath for fear? No, tempter; I can let down none such morsels; an oath is too sacred, & too aw­full a thing for me to put o­ver out of any outward re­spects [Page 290] against my consci­ence? If I sweare, the Oath is not mine, it is Gods; Exod. 22. 8. Eccl. 16. 59. and the revenge will be his, whose the offence is. It is a charge to be trembled at; Yee shall not sweare by my name falsly; neither shalt thou pro­fane Lev. 19. 12. the name of thy God, I am the Lord; And if the word of charge be so dreadfull, what terrour shall we find in the word of judgment? Lo, God sweares too; and because there is no greater to sweare by, he swears by himself; As I live, surely mine oath that he hath despised, and my Cove­nant Ezek. 17. 19. which he hath broken, e­ven it will I recompence upon his owne head: It was one of the words that were deliver­ed in fire and smoak and [Page 291] thunder and lightning, in Si­nai; The Lord will not hold Exod. 20. 7. him guiltlesse that taketh his name in vaine. I dare not therefore feare any thing so much as the displeasure of the Almighty; and (to dye for) will neither take an un­lawfull oath, nor violate a just one. As for that socia­ble excesse, whereto thou temptest me, how ever the commonness of the vice may have seemed to abate of the reputation of hainousnes, in the opinion of others, yet to me it representeth it so much more hatefull; as an univer­sall contagion is more grie­vous then a local: I cannot pu­chase the name of good fel­lowship with the losse of my reason, or with the price of [Page 292] a curse; Dayly experience makes good that word of So­lomon, that Wine is a mocker, robbing a man of himselfe, Prov. 20. 1. and leaving a beast in his roome: And what woes do I heare denounced against those that rise up earely in the morning that they may follow Esa. 5. 11. strong drink, that continue till night til the wine inflame them: If any man thinke he may pride himselfe in a strong brain, and a vigorous body; Woe to them that are mighty to drink wine, & men of strength Es. 5. 22. to mingle strong drinkes: Let the Iovialists of the world drink wine in bowles, and feast themselves without feare, Amos 6. 6. let me never joyne my selfe with that fellowship, where God is banisht from the [Page 293] companie. Wouldst thou perswade me to falsifie my word for an advantage? what advantage can be so great as the conscience of truth, and fidelity? That man is for Gods tabernacle, that swear­eth Psal. 15. 4. to his owne hurt, and changeth not; Let me rather lose honestly, then gaine by falshood and perfidiousnesse. Thou biddest me serve the time; So I will doe; whiles the time serves not thee; but if thou shalt have so corrup­ted the time, that the whole 1 Ioh. 5. 19. world is set in wickednesse, I will serve my God in oppo­sing it: gladly will I serve the time in all good offices, that may tend to rectifie it, but to serve it in a way of flattery, I hate and scorn.

[Page 294] I shall willingly frame my selfe to all companies; not for a partnership in their vice, but for their reclama­tion from evil, or incourage­ment in good; The chosen vessell hath by his example taught me this charitable, and holy pliablenesse; Though I be free from all men, yet have 1 Cor. 9. 19. I made my self a servant unto all, that I might gain the more. To the Jewes I became as a 20. Jew, that I might gaine the Jewes; to them that are under the Law, as under the Law, that I might gaine them that are under the Law; To them that are without Law, as with­out 21. Law, (being not without Law to God, but under the Law to Christ that I might gain them that are without Law; To the 22. [Page 295] weake I became weake that I might gaine the weake; I am made all things to all men that I might by al means save some: My onely scope shall be spi­rituall gaine; for this will I (like some good Merchant) trafique with all nations, with all persons.

But for carnall respects, to put my selfe (like the first matter) into all formes, to be demure with the strictly-se­vere, to be debaucht with the drunkard, with the A­theist profane, with the Bi­got superstitious, what were this but to give away my soule to every one, save to the God that ownes it; and whiles I would be all, to be nothing; and to professe an affront to him that hath [Page 296] charged me be not conformed to this world. Shortly, let me be despicable, and starve, Rom. 12. 2. and perish in my innocent integrity, rather then be warme and safe, and honour­ed upon so evill conditions.

VI. TEMPTATION

Even this was the very no [...]e of thine old Epicurean clients, Let us eat and drink, 1 Cor. 15 32. for to morrow we shall die, I ac­knowledg the same dart and the same hand that flings it; a dart dipped in that deadly poison that causeth the man to dye laughing; a dart that pierceth as deeply into the sensuall heart, as it [Page 298] easily retorted by the rege­nerate. These wilde infe­rences of sensuality are for those, that know no heaven, no hell: but to me that know this world to be no­thing but a thorow-fare to eternity either way, they ab­horre, not from grace onely, but from reason it selfe; In the intuition of this immor­tality, what wise man would not rather say, my life is short, therefore it must bee holy? I shall not live long, let me live well; so let mee live for a while, that I may live for ever? These have been still the thoughts of gracious hearts, Moses the man of God, after he hath computed the short periods of our age, and confined it Psal. 90. 10. [Page 299] to fourescore yeares, (so soon Psal. 90. 10. is it cut off, and we fly away) in­ferres with the same breath, So teach us to number our daies that we may apply our hearts to 12. wisdome; As implying that this holy Arithmeticke should be an introduction to Divinity; that the search of heavenly wisdome should be the true use of our short life; and the sweet singer of Israel after he hath said, Behold, thou hast made my daies as a span Psal. 39. 4. 5. long, mine age is nothing to thee; findes cause, to look up from earth to heaven, And now, Lord, what wait I 7. for? surely my hope is even in thee: He that desired to know the measure of his life, findes it but a span; and recom­pences the shortnesse of his [Page 300] continuance, with hopes everlasting, as the tender mercy of our God pities our frailtie, remembring that we are but flesh, a wind that pas­seth away, and cometh not a­gaine; Ps. 78. 39. So our frailty sup­ports it selfe with the medi­tation of his blessed eternity; My daies (saith the Psalmist) Ps. 102. 11, 12. are like a shadow that decli­neth, and I am withered like grasse; But thou, O Lord, shalt endure for ever, and thy re­membrance to all generations.

As therefore every man walketh in a vain shadow, in respect of his transitorinesse, so the Good man in respect of his holy conversation, can say, I will walke before the Lord in the Land of the living; Ps. 16. 9. and knowes himselfe made [Page 301] for better ends then vaine pleasure; I shall not dye but live, and declare the works of Ps. 118. 17. the Lord It is for them who have their portion in this life; Ps. 117. 14. who have made their belly their God, and the world their hea­ven, to place their felicity in these carnall delights; Gods secret ones injoy their high­er contentments; Thy lov­ing Ps. 63. 3. kindnesse is better then life, saith the Prophet; Thou hast Ps. 4. 7. put gladnesse in my heart, more then (they had) in the time that their corne and their wine in­creased.

Miserable worldlings, who walke in the vanitie of their mindes, being alienated from Eph. 4. 17 18. the life of God, through the ig­norance that is in them, because of the blindnesse of their hearts; [Page 302] who being past feeling, have given themselves over to lasci­viousnesse, 19. to work all uncleane­nesse with greedinesse: What wonder is it, if as their life is meerely brutish, so the happinesse that they affect is no other then bestiall; and if they snatch at those va­nishing shadowes of plea­sure, which a poore momen­tany life can afford them: ac­cording to the improvement of our best faculties, so is our felicity; The best facultie of brute creatures is their sense, they therefore seeke their happinesse in the delectati­on of their senses: Mans best facultie is reason; he places his happinesse therefore in the delights of the mind, in the perfection of knowledg, [Page 303] and height of speculation; The Christians best sacultie is faith; his felieity there­fore consists in those things which are not perceptible by sense, not fadomeable by reason, but apprehensible by his faith, which is the evidence of things not seen, either by Heb. 11. 1. the eye of sense or reason: and as his felicity, so is his life, Phil. 1. 21. spirituall. To mee to live is Christ, saith he that was rapt Gal. 2. 20. into the third heaven; I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in mee, Our life is hid with Christ in God, and, When Christ Col. 2. 3, 4. which is our life, shall appeare, then shall we also appeare with him in glory. Lo then, when the worldling dies, his life dies with him, and, to him, the world is gone with both; [Page 304] but when I die to nature, I have a life that lives still; a life that cannot die; a life that both is, and makes mee glorious: It is not for mee therefore to hunt after these unsatisfying, and momen­tany pleasures, which perish in their use, and shut up in re­pentance; but to lay up those sure comforts, which shall never have an end, but after this transitory life shall accompany mee to eter­nity.

Tell not mee therefore of taking my full scope to the pleasures of sinne; I know there is an hell, and I looke for an heaven; up­on this short moment of my life depends everlast­ingnesse.

[Page 305] Let me therfore be carefull to bestow this short life, as that I may be sure to avoid eternity of torments, and to lay up for eternity of blessednesse.

VII. TEMPTATION

VVIcked tempter; I know thou wouldst have me go any waies, save good; were those new waies, right, thou wouldst never per­swade me to walk in them; [Page 307] now I have just reason to mis-doubt and shun those paths which thou invitest me unto; both as private, and as new: It is enough that they are my owne; for canst thou think to bring me to believe my selfe wiser then the whole Church of God? Who am I, that I should over-know not the present world of men only, but the eminent Saints, and learned Doctors of all for­mer ages? Why should I not rather suspect my owne judgement, then oppose theirs? When the Church in that heavenly marriage-song inquires of the great shep­heard of our souls; Tell me, Cant. 1. 7. O thou whom my soule loveth, where thou feedest, where thou [Page 308] makest thy flocks to rest at noone; for why should I be as one that turneth aside by the flocks of thy companions? she receives answer; If thou know 8. not (O thou fairest among wo­men) go thy way forth by the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids beside the shepheards tents. Lo, the tracks of the flock, and the tents of the shepheards are my direction to find my Saviour; if I turn aside, I misse him, and lose my selfe.

It is more then enough that those waies are new: for truth is eternall; and that is therefore most true, that comes nearest to eternity; as contrarily, novelty is a brand of falshood, and er­rour: Thus saith the Lord; Jer. 6. 16. [Page 309] Stand ye in the ways, and see; and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk there­in, and ye shall find rest for your soules: Far be it from me then, that I should be guil­ty of that contempt, where­of the Prophet, with the same breath, accuseth his Jewes; But they said, We will not walk therein. It is a fear­full word that I heare from the mouth of the same Pro­phet; Because my people have Jer. 18. 15. forgotten me; and have caused them to stumble in their waies from the antient paths, in a way not cast up: I will scatter 17. them as with an East wind be­fore the enemy; I will show them the back and not the face in the day of their calamity; Wo is me for these heavy times, [Page 310] wherein it is not the least part of our sin, nor the least cause of our miseries, that we have stumbled from the ancient pathes, into the un­trodden waies of schisme and errour, and find not the face, but the back of our God turned to us, in this day of our calamity; O God, thou art just; we cannot complain that have made our selves miserable.

It is true, where our fore­fathers have manifestly star­ted aside like a broken bow; and having corrupted their Gen. 6. 12. Jer. 18. 15. wayes, have burnt incense to vanity, we must be so far from making their prece­dent a warrant for our imi­tation, as that we hear God say to us, Be ye not like unto 2 Chro. 30. 7. [Page 311] your fathers; Walk not in the Ezek. 20. 18. statutes of your forefathers, neither observe their judge­ments; For those that turne Ps. 125. 5. aside to crooked waies, the Lord shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity; But where wee see them walke with a Gal. 2. 14. right foot, in the holy waies of God, and continue sted­fastly in the faith which was Jude 3. once delivered to the Saints, we have reason to be follo­wers of them, who through Heb. 6. 12. faith and patience inherit the promises; that walking in their waies, we may attaine to their end, the salvation of our soules.

Let me see those steps wherein the holy Prophets have trod; those wherein the blessed Apostles have [Page 312] traced the Prophets, those wherein the Primitive Fa­thers and Martyrs have fol­lowed the Apostles; those wherein the godly and lear­ned Doctors of the succee­ding ages have followed those primitive Fathers; and if I follow not them, let me wander, and perish; It is for true men to walke in the Kings high-way, theeves & suspected persons crosse over through by-paths, and make way where they find none.

Thou tell'st me of new lights; I ask whence they rise: I know who it was that said, I am the light of the world, he that followeth me shall Joh. 8. 12. Joh. 12. 46. not walk in darknesse, but shall have the light of life; and I know that light was the true Joh. 1. 8, 9. [Page 313] light; of whom holy David spake long before, Thou art 2 Sam. 22 29. Ps. 36. 10. my lampe, O Lord; and the Lord wil lighten my darkenesse; and in thy light shall we see light; Those that doe truly hold forth this light shall be my guides, and I shall follow them with all confidence; and shall find the path of the just, as the shining light, Prov. 4. 18. that shineth more and more un­to Iob 22. 28. the perfect day; As for any new light, that should now break forth, and shine upon our waies; certainely it is but darknesse; such a light as Bildad prophesied of long Luc. 11. 35. agoe; The light of the wicked shall be put out, and the sparke Iob. 18. 5. 6. of his fire shall not shine; The light shall be darknesse in his Tabernacle, and his Candle [Page 314] shall be put out with him; So as the seduced followers of these new lights may have just cause to take up that complaint of the Prophet, We wait for light, but behold Esay. 59. 9. obscurity, for brightnesse, but we walk in darknesse; we grope 10. for the wall like the blinde, wee stumble at noone day as in the night. Shortly then, that light which the father of lights hath held forth in his will revealed in his word, as it hath been interpreted by his holy Church in all ages, shal be my guide, till I shall see as I am seen; as for any other lights, they are but as those wandring fires that appear in damp marishes, which lead the travailer into a ditch.

VIII. TEMPTATION

YEa, there thou wouldest have mee; this is that deadly dart, wherewith thou hast slain millions of soules; Hence it is that the Mahume­tan Saints may commit pub­lique filthinesse with thanks; Hence, that corrupt Christi­ans bury such abominable crimes in their cowls Hence, that false professors shroude so much villanies under the shelter of piety; Hence, that [Page 316] the world abounds with so many sheep without, wolves Math. 7. 15. within; faire tombes full of Mat. 23. 27. inward rottennesse; filthy dunghills covered over with snow: rich herse-clothes hiding ill-sented carkasses; Pro. 26. 23. broken potsheards covered with silver drosse; Hence, that the adversaries of Iudah Ezr. 4. 2. offer to Zerobabel their aid in building the Temple; The harlot hath her peace offer­ings; Pro. 7. 14. Absolom hath his vow to pay; Herod will worship Mat. 2. 8. the infant; Iudas hath a kisse for his Master; Simon Magus Mat. 26. 49 will be a Convert; Ananias Acts 8. 13. and Sapphira will part with all; The Angell of the Rev. 3. 2. church of Sardis will pre­tend to live; The beast hath hornes like a Lamb, but Rev. 13. 11. [Page 317] speakes like a dragon; in a word, the wickedest of men will counterfeit Saints, and false saints are very Devills: for so much more eminent as the vertue is, which they would seeme to put on, so much the more odious is the simulation both to God and man: now the most eminent of all vertues is holinesse: 1 Pet. 1. 19. Lev. 11. 44. 19. 2. whereby we both come nea­rest unto God, and most re­semble him: of all creatures therefore out of hell, there is none so loathsome to God as the hypocrites, & that upon a double provocation; both for doing of evil, & for doing evil under a colour of good; the face that the wicked man sets upon his sin, is worse then the sin it self: Bring no Isa. 1. 13. [Page 318] more vain oblations, (saith the Es. 1. 13. Lord) incense is an abominati­on to mee; the new moones and Sabbaths, the calling of Assem­blies I cannot away with; it is iniquity; even the solemne meeting; Your new Moones, and 14. your appointed feasts my soule hateth, they are a trouble to me, I am weary to be are them. How faine wouldst thou therefore draw mee into a double con­demnation both for being evill, and seeming good, both w ^ch are an abomination to the Lord; Doe I not hear him say, For as much as this Isa. 29. 13. people draw neare me with their mouth, and with their lips doe honour mee, but have removed their hearts from me; therefore 14. behold I will proceed to doe a marvellous work amongst this [Page 319] people, even a marvellous work and a wonder, for the wisdome of the wise shall perish; Doe I not heare him say by his pro­phet Jeremiah; They will de­ceive every one his neghbour Ier. 9. 5. and will not speake the truth: Their tongue is an arrow shot 8. out, it speaketh deceit; one speaketh peaceably to his neigh­bour with his mouth, but in heart he layeth his wait; shall 9. I not visit them for these things, saith the Lord: shall not my soule be avenged of such a na­tion as this? Indeed this is the way to beguile the eyes of men like our selves; for who would mistrust a mortifyed face? an eye and hand lift up to heaven? a tongue that speakes holy things? but when we have to doe with a [Page 320] searcher of hearts, what mad­nesse is it to think there can be any wisdome or under­standing, or counsail against the Lord? Woe bee to them Isa. 29. 15. therefore that seeke deepe to hide their counsell from the Lord; and their workes are in the darke, and they say, Who seeth us; and who know­eth us? Woe bee to the rebel­lious children, saith the Lord, Isa. 80. 1. that take counsell, but not of mee, that cover with a cover­ing, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin. Shall I Mat. 23. 25. then cleanse the out-side of the cup, whiles I am within full of extortion, & excesse? shall I fast for strife and de­bate, and to smite with the fist of wickednesse? shall I under pretence of long pray­ers Esay 58. 4. [Page 321] devoure widowes hou­ses? Mat. 23. 14. shal I put on thy forme, and transfigure my selfe into 2 Cor. 1. 14. an Angell of light? shall not the all-seeing eye of the righteous God find me out in my damnable simulation? Hath not he said, & wil make it good, Though thou wash thee Ier. 2. [...]2. with nitre, and take thee much sope, yet thine iniquity is mark­ed before mee? Hath not my Saviour, who shall be our Judge, said, Therefore thou Mat. 23. 14. shalt receive the greater dam­nation? Can there be any hea­vier doom that can fall from that awfull mouth, then, Re­ceive thy portion with hypo­crites? Let those therefore that are ambitious of an higher roome in hell, main­taine a forme of Godlinesse, and [Page 322] deny the power of it: face wick­ednesse 2 Tim. 3. 5. with piety: stalke under religion for the aimes of policy: juggle with God and the world, case a devill with a saint, and row to­wards hell whiles they looke heaven-ward. For me, All the Iob 27. 3. while my breath is in me, & the spirit which God gives mee, is in my nostrills, I shall walke in mine uprightnesse: All false Psal. 26. 11 waies, and false semblances shal my soule utterly abhorre: that so at the parting, my rejoice­ing 2 Cor. 1. 12. may be the testimony of my conscience, that in simplicity, and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdome, but by the grace of God I have had my conver­sation in the world.

IX. TEMPTATION

IF pride were thy ruine, wicked spirit, how faine [Page 324] wouldst thou make it mine also? This was thy first kil­ling suggestion to our first parents in paradise, soone after thine owne fall, (as if it had been lately before, thy owne case) Ye shall be as Gods, knowing good and evill: That Gen. 3. which thou foundest▪ so deadly to thy selfe, thou art enviously willing to feoffe upon man, that if through thy temptation, Pride may Psal. 73. 6. compasse him about as a chaine, he may beare thee company in those everla­sting chaines wherein thou art reserved under darknesse Jude 6. to the judgement of the great day. Thou well know­est that the ready way to make me odious unto God, is to make me proud of my [Page 325] selfe; Pride and arrogancy, Prov. 8. 13. and the evill way doth he hate; The day of the Lord of hosts Esa. 2. 11, 12. shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, saith the Pro­phet: He hath scattered the Luke 1. 51. proud in the imaginations of their hearts, saith the bles­sed Virgin; God resisteth the Jam. 4. 6. 1 Pet. 5. 5. proud, and giveth grace to the humble, saith the Apostle; The Lord will destroy the house Prov. 15. 25. of the proud, saith Salomon; and his father David before him, Thine eyes are upon the 2 Sam. 22. 28. haughty that thou maist bring them downe; Downe, indeed, even to the bottome of that pit of perdition. Make me but proud therefore, & I am thine; Sure I am, God will not owne me; and if I could be in heaven with this sin, Esa. 14. 12. [Page 326] would cast me downe head­long into hell.

Thou bidst me not to lose any thing of my height; A­las, (poore wretched dwarfe that I am!) what height have I? if I have but grace e­nough to know and bewaile my owne misery, and no­thingnesse, it is the great mercy of my God; Who 1 Cor. 4. 7. maketh mee to differ from a­nother? and what have I that I have not received? and if I have received it, why should I glory in it as my owne? Whatsoever thou perswa­dest me, let me rather lose of my height, then adde to my stature, and affect too high a pitch; That humility is re­warded with honour, this pride with ruine; It is the [Page 327] word of truth himselfe, Whosoever shall exalt himselfe Mat. 23. 13, 14. Luc. 14. 11. 18. 14. shall be abased; and he that shall humble himselfe shall be exalted; The way then to lose my whole height, yea my being, is to be lifted up, in, and above my selfe; for though I should build my nest as high as the Eagle; or advance a throne among the stars, yet how soone shall he cast me downe into the dust; yea, (without my repen­tance) into the nethermost hell?

Thou telst me that (which the Pharisee said of him­selfe) I am not as others; True, for I can say with the chosen vessell, that I am the chiefe of sinners: Thou wouldst bring me into an [Page 328] opinion that I am more ho­ly, and more wise then my neighbours; I am a stranger to other mens graces, I am acquainted with my owne wants; Yea I so well know my own sinfulness and folly that I hang downe my head in a just shame for both; I know that he who was ho­lier then I, could say, I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing; Rom. 7. 18. and he that was wiser then I, could say, Surely I am more brutish then any man, and have Prov. 30. 2, not the understanding of a man; I neither learned wis­dome, 3. nor have the knowledge of the holy: All the holinesse that I have attained unto is to see and lament my defects of holinesse; and all my wis­dome [Page 229] is to descry and com­plaine of my own ignorance and foolishnesse.

Am I better gifted then a­nother? Thou art an ill judge of either, who enviest the gifts of both; But if I be so, they are gifts still; and such gifts as the donour hath not absolutely given away from himselfe to me, but hath given (or lent them rather) to me, for an improvement to his owne use; which I have no more reason to be proud of, then the honest factor, of his masters stock; received by him, not for possession, but for trafique.

Am I more inlightned then others? the more do I discerne my owne darknesse; and the more do I find cause [Page 330] to be humbled under the sense of it; But if the greater light which thou saist is in me, were not of an humane imagination, but of divine irradiation, what more rea­son should I have to be proud of it, then that in this more temperate clime I have more sun shine then those of Lapland and Finland, and the rest of those more northerne nations; so much the more reason have I to be thank­full; none to be proud.

Why should I therefore over-looke the meanest of my fellow Christians; who may perhaps have more interest in God then my selfe; for it is not our know­ledge that so much indeares us to God, as our affections; [Page 331] perhaps he that knows lesse may love more; and if he had been blessed with my means, would have known more; Neither is it the di­stribution of the Talents that argues favour, but the grace to imploy them to the benefit of the giver: if he that received the one Talent had gained another, he had received more thanks then he that upon the receit of five Talents had gained one.

The Spirit breathes where it listeth; and there may lie secret graces in the bosome of those, who passe for com­mon Christians, that may find greater acceptation in heaven, then those whose profession makes a fairer o­stentation of holinesse.

[Page 332] I can pity therefore those that are ignorant, and appa­rently gracelesse; but for those that professe both to know, and to love Christ; whiles their lives deny not the power of godlinesse, I dare not spend upon them either my contempt, or cen­sure, lest whiles I judge wrongfully, I be justly jud­ged: much lesse dare I sepa­rate my self from their communion as contagious; Thou knowest how little it were to thine advantage, that I should be perswaded to depart from Num. 16. 20, 21. 2 Cor. 6. 17. Ephes. 5. 11. the Tents of the notoriously wicked; and to have no fellow­ship with the unfruitfull works of darknesse; as too well un­derstanding that evill con­versation corrupts good man­ners; [Page 333] and that a participati­on in sin drawes on a part­nership Num. 16. 26. in judgement; Nei­ther know I whether thou shouldst gaine more by my joyning with evill society, or my separating from good; infection follows upon the one, distraction upon the o­ther: Those then which cast off their communion with Christ and his Church, whe­ther in doctrine or practise, I shall avoid (as the plague) soone, and far: But those who truly professe a reall conjunction, with that head, and this body: Into their se­cret let my soule come, and unto their assembly let mine honour be united: But if, where I find weaknesse of grace, and involuntary fai­lings [Page 334] of obedience, I shall say, Stand by thy selfe, come not neer me, for I am holier then Esay 65. 5. thou; how can I make other account then that this pride shall be a smoke in the no­strils 6. of the Almighty, a fire that burneth all day; and that he will recompence it into my bosome?

Shortly, I know none so fit to depart from, as from my selfe, my owne pride, self love, and the rest of my inbred corruptions; and am so far from over-looking o­thers, that I know none worse then my selfe.

X. TEMPTATION

VVIcked tempter, I know there is nothing upon [Page 336] earth, that so much either troubles thee, or impairs thy kingdome of darknesse, as the zeale of conscionable Prea­chers; those, who lift up their voice like a trumpet, and shew Esa. 58. 1. Gods people their transgressi­on, and the house of Jacob their sin; this is it that rescues mil­lions of souls from the hand of hell, and gives thee so ma­ny foyles in thy spiritu­all assaults; This godly and faithful zeal represents mens sins to them as they are, and, by sins, the danger of their damnation; which thy ma­licious subtilty would faine blanch over, and palliate to their destruction; But when thou hast all done, it is not in their power to make sin worse then it is, or in thine to make [Page 337] it better: As for those favou­rable temperaments which thou mentionest, they are meere Pandarismes of wick­ednesse; faire visors of de­formity: For to cast a glance upon each of them; Age is not a more common plea, then unjust: The young man pretends it for his wan­ton, and inordinate lust: The old, for his gripplenesse; te­chinesse; loquacity: All wrongfully, and not without foule abuse.

Youth is taught by thee to call for a swing: and to make vigour, and heate of blood, a priviledge for a wild licentiousnesse; for which it can have no claime but from a charter sealed in hell: I am sure that God [Page 338] who gives this marrow to his bones, and brawne to his armes, and strength to his si­newes, and vivacity to his spirits, lookes for another improvement; Remember thy Ecl. 12. 1. Creator in the days of thy youth, saith Solomon; And his fa­ther before him; Wherewith­all Psal. 119. 9. shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed there­to according to thy word: Lo, the young mans waies are foule with lusts and distem­pered passions, and they must be cleansed; and the way to cleanse them is attendance (not of his owne vaine plea­sures, but) of the holy ordi­nances of his maker: Thou wouldst have him run loose like the wild Asse in the de­sert, God tells him, It is good [Page 339] for a man to beare the yoake in Lam. 3. 27. his youth; even the yoke of the divine precepts, the stooping whereunto is the best, & truest of al freedoms, so as he may be able to say with the best Courtier of the wickedest King; I thy ser­vant Obadiah in 1 Kings 18. 12. feare the Lord from my youth; The aberrations from which holy lawes of God are so far from finding an excuse from the prime of our years, as that holy Iob cries out of them in the bitternesse of his soule, Thou hast made mee to Iob 13. 26. possesse the iniquities of my youth: and as David vehe­mently deprecates Gods an­ger for them; Remember not, Psal. 25. 7. Lord, the sins of my youth; so Zophar the Naamathite notes it for an especiall brand of [Page 340] Gods judgement upon the wicked man, that his bones Iob 20. 11. are full of the sins of his youth; and God declares it as an e­speciall mercy to his people; Thou shalt forget the shame of Esa. 54. 2. thy youth; The more head­strong therefore my youth is, the more straite shall I curbe it, and hold it in: and the more vigorous it is, so much the fitter it is to be consecrated to that God who is most worthy to be served with the best of his own.

As for old age, it hath I grant its humours and infir­mities; but rather for our humiliation, then for our ex­cuse. It is not more common then absurd and unrea­sonable, that when we are necessarily leaving the [Page 341] world, we should be most fond in holding it; when wee are ceasing to have any use of riches, then, to endea­vour most eagerly to get them; when we should bee laying up treasure in heaven, to be treasuring up wrath for our selves, and baggs, for we know not whom: To be unwilling to spend what we cannot keep; and to be mad on getting what we have not the wit or grace to spend: If then thou canst perswade any man to bee so gracelesse, as to make his vi­cious disposition an apology for wickednesse, let him plead the faults of his age for the excuse of his avarice.

As for morosity of nature, and garrulity of tongue, they [Page 342] are not the imperfections of the age, but of the persons; There are meek spirits under gray haires, and wrinkled skinnes; There are old men, who, (as that wise heathen said of old) can keepe silence, even at a feast; He hath ill spent his age that hath not attained to so good an hand over himselfe, as in some meet measure to mo­derate both his speech and passion.

If some complexions both incline us more, and crave indulgence to some sinnes, more then other, (the san­guine to lust, the cholerick to rage, &c.) wherfore serves grace but to correct them? If we must be over-ruled by nature, what doe we profes­sing [Page 343] Christianity? Neither humours, nor stars can ne­cessitate us to evill; whiles thou therefore pretendest my naturall constitution, I tell thee of my spirituall regene­ration; the power whereof if it have not mortified my e­vill and corrupt affections, I am not (what I professe to be) a Christian.

The strongest plea for the mitigation of sinne, is Cu­stome; the power whereof is wont to be esteemed so great, as that it hath see­med to alter the quality of the fact, and of sin, to make no sin: Hence the holy Pa­triarchs admitted many con­sorts into their marriage­bed, without the conscience of offending; which, if it [Page 344] had not been for the media­tion of Custome, had beene justly esteemed no better then criminous: But how­ever where is no contrary injunction, Custome may so far usurp, as to take upon it to be no lesse then a law it selfe; Yet, where there is a just regulation of law, the plea of Custome is so quite out of countenance, as that it is strongly retorted against it selfe; neither is there any more powerfull reason for the abolition of an ill use, then that is a custome; so much the more need there­fore to be opposed and re­formed. Hence was that ve­hement charge of God to his Israel: After the doings of the land of Egypt, wherein ye Lev. 18. 3. [Page 345] dwelt, shall ye not do; and after the doings of the land of Cana­an, whither I bring you, shall ye not do; neither shall ye walk af­ter their ordinances. Ye shall v. 30. keep mine Ordinance, that ye commit not any of these abo­minable customes, which were committed before you; and that ye defile not your selves there­in, I am the Lord your God.

It is too true that the bonds of Custome are so strong and close, that they are not easily loosed; in so much as Custome puts on the face of another nature; Can the Ethiopian change his Jer. 13. 23. skin, or the Leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to doe evill; How stifly did the men of Judah, (after all the dread­full [Page 346] threatnings of the Pro­phet) hold to their Idola­trous customes, which they had learn't in Egypt; Wee will burne incense to the Queen Jer. 44. 17. of heaven, and poure out drink­offerings to her, as wee have done; we, and our fathers, our Kings, and our Princes, in the Cities of Judah▪ and in the streets of Jerusalem; It is with ill customes, as with diseases; which if they grow inveterate, are so much the harder to be cured; but shall I therefore hug my malady, because I have long had it? because it will not part away with ease? Shall I bid a theefe welcome, because he had wont to rob me?

Shortly then, so far is an ill custome from extenuating [Page 347] my sin, as that it aggravates it; Neither shall I offend the lesse, because I offend with more; but rather double it, both, as in my act, and, as in my imitation; in follo­wing others amisse, and in helping to make up an ill precedent for others follow­ing of me.

As for the profit that may accrew by sinning; let those carnall hearts value it, that have made the world their God; To me, the greatest gain this way is losse: Might I have that house-full of gold and silver that Balaam Num. 24. 13. talke of; or all those king­domes of the earth, and the glory of them which thou shewedst to my Saviour, what are all these to the [Page 348] price of a sin, when they meet with a man that hath learnt from the mouth of Christ; What profit shall it be Mat. 16. 26. Mark. 8. 36. to a man, if he shall gaine the whole world, and lose his owne soule?

Importunity is wont to be a prevalent suitor; How many have been dragg'd to hell by the force of others solicitations, who never else meant to have trod in those pathes of death? What mar­vell is it, if that which mo­ved the unjust judge to do right, against the bent of his will, be able to draw the weak sinner awry? But if in these earthly angariations, one mile (according to our Saviours counsel) may bring Mat 5. 41. on another; yet in spirituall [Page 349] evill ways, no compulsion can prevaile upon a resolved spirit.

It is not the change of stations, nor the building of Num. 23. 14. & 29. twice seven altars, nor the sacrificing of seven bullocks and seven rams that can win a true Prophet of God to curse Israel; The Christian heart is fixed upon sure grounds of his own, never to be removed; If therefore his father sue to him; if his mo­ther weep, and wring, and kneele; and beseech him by the womb that bore him, and the brests that gave him suck; if his crying children cling about his knees, and crave his yeildance to some advantageous evill, or his declining some bitter suffe­rings [Page 350] for the cause of Christ, he can shake them off with an holy neglect; and say, What do you weeping and brea­king Act. 21. 13. my heart? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die for the name of the Lord Jesus; None of these things Act. 20. 24. move me, neither count I my life deare unto my self, so that I may finish my course with joy; And if any soule be so weak, as to be led rather by the ear­nest motions of others, then by his owne setled determi­nations, he shall find no o­ther ease before the Tribu­nal of heaven, then our first Parents did in shifting the guilt of their sin, the man to the woman, the woman to the serpent; In the meane while that word shall ever [Page 351] stand with me inviolable, My son, if sinners entise thee, Prov. 1. 10. consent thou not.

Lastly, what can be the necessity which may either induce to sin; or excuse for sinning? What can the world do to make me say I must doe evill? Losse, re­straint, exile, paine, death are the worst, that either malice can do, or patience suffer; These may put me hard to the question, but, when all is done, they must leave me free, either to act, or indure; I need not therefore sin, since there is a remedy against sin, suffering.

It is true that we are in the hands of a most gracious and indulgent God, who considers what we are made [Page 352] of, pities our infirmities, and knows to put a difference be­twixt wilfull rebellion and weak revolt; his mercy can distinguish of offenders; but his justice hath said, Without shall be the fearfull; Finally then howsoever these cir­cumstantiall temperaments may receive pardon, after the fact, for the penitent at the mercy-seat of heaven; yet none of them can be plead­able at the bar of divine ju­stice; And if any sinner shall hearten himselfe to offend out of the hopes and confi­dence of these favorable mi­tigations, the comfort that I can give him, is, that he may howle in hell, with thee, for his presumption.