WHen the Jaylor fell down at the Apostles feet, Acts 16. 30. and said, What shall I do to be saved? The Apostle answers, Beleeve in the Lord Iesus Christ, and thou shall be saved. When Ruler fea­red, Christ saith, Be not afraid, onely beleeve, Mar. 5. 36. When the poor man came for mercy for his son, Mark 9. 32. Christs tells him, If he could beleeve, all things were possible to him: When we pray, if we can but beleeve, we shall receive, we shall surely not fail. Many glorious things are spoken of this mother of graces, that faith seems to be the whole duty of man.

Demosthenes was askt, how many things were ne­cessary for an Orator, he answers three; First, action, secondly, action, thirdly, action; meaning, action was more than all: And when a certain Prince askt a great Commander, what was necessary for War; He answers him three things, money, money, money; meaning, that that is the ligaments and nerves of War. And truely, if any should ask me, what is [Page 2] the unum necessarium, the one thing necessary for a Christian, I would say, faith; if he should ask me again, I would say, faith; if the third time, still I should say, beleeve: To the first, pray for [...]aith; to the second, use faith; to the third grow and increase in faith. Faith and beleeving, is the whole duty of a Christian, in a safe sence; for it supposeth humilia­tion, and it commandeth newnesse of life. Prepa­ratory qualifications are but faiths harbingers, to prepare a room for faith; and the works of sanctifi­cation are but faiths retinue, fed from Faiths table, and accordingly maintained as Faith is more or lesse strong, and able to maintain them. This hath made the Devil more beleaguer the castle of Faith, then all the other petty holds (comparatively) that christian maintaineth against him: That as the King of Aram, 1 King. 22. 31. said to his thirty and two Captains over his chariots; Fight neither with small or great, save onely against the King of Israel; so the Devil seems to make it his great designe to fight, and to have given it as his sole or chiefest injunction, to the Captains of his Chariots, to all his forces, and all his instruments, to fight neither with small nor great, but onely against the King of graces the Christians Faith. Now all of Faith is, First, either the Doctrine of Faith; Or secondly, the practice of Faith; The Devil hath mustered his forces against both; first, against the Doctrine of Faith. It is a note of Chem­nitius (as learned an observer of hereticks and here­sies, as any) that there have been more dangerous heresies about the Doctrine of Faith, then any one Doctrine in Christian Religion: He knows dirt in the fountain, will pollute the streams. Secondly, [Page 3] Nor hath he lesse, but indeed far more malice a­gainst the practice of Faith; he understands well e­nough, that it is not knowing and having but acting Faith, that doth the Christian good. This makes him do what he can, to perswade the soul to rest in a false faith, and hinder the soul from beginning to act a true Faith, or darken the souls sence of Faith; or if all will not do, yet he will turn every stone to hinder the growth, and increase of Faith; that every Christian had need with the Apostles here pray, Lord increase our Faith. The occasion of these words, is an hard lesson, that christ had been teaching his Disciples, ver. 3. 4. concerning for­giving injuries, they must forgive four times in a day; upon this the Apostles say unto the Lord, increase our Faith. The words are a prayer, in which you may observe,

• 1. The Supplicants, the Apostles.
• 2. The Supplicated, the Lord.
• 3. The Supplication, increase our Faith.

We may consider the prayer, either in it self, absolutely, or with the former words, relatively: Re­latively, and so we may learn this Doctrine,

First, That hard duti [...]s and strength to them, must be 1 done and got by prayer from God. 2. Mark what they pray for, as the means to convey strength into their souls to this duty, That is Faith: note,

Secondly, That Faith in the soul, is that which quic­kens 2 and instrumentally strengtheneth the soul to diffi­cult duties of obedience, and especially to this duty of for­giving injuries.

Thirdly, If we consider the words in themselves 3 absolutely, as a prayer, we may not these things.

[Page 4] 1. That even the Apostles had need pray: they are not got beyond prayer the best of Christians are under the duty of prayer.

2. They say to the Lord, All our prayer ought to be directed to God.

3. The prayer it self is, Lord increase our Faith, for an increase of Faith; in it we have something suggested and implied, and that is, That they were sensible their faith was weak: The best of Christians are and ought to be sensible, as of their imperfection in all graces, so especially of the gra [...]e of Faith. 2. We have something here exprest, they pray for an in­crease of Faith: First, they pray to God [to the Lord] It is God onely that can increase Christians Faith: they pray for it, The way for us to have our Faith increased from God, is to pray to him.

Lastly, the Apostles pray, Lord increase our Faith. It is the duty, not onely of the weakest, but even of the strongest Christians, as to be sensible of weaknesse, so to labour and pray for the increase of their Faith. I intend not to handle all these in their order, but to pick out one of them, be build a large discourse up­on: I shall pitch upon the eighth.

The Apostles praying for their increase of Faith, argued their sence of the weaknesse and imperfection of their Faith.

The Doctrine is this: Doctr. That as the best of Christi­ans have weaknesse and imperfection in their Faith, and it is their nature to be sensible of it, yea and their duty [...], so it is also their duty to labour and strive against it. This I might make good from Scripture, from se­verall places in the severall Branches.

1. They may have weaknesse and imperfection [Page 5] in their Faith, Mat. 6. 30. ca. 8. 26. ca. 14. 31. in all which places, Jesus Christ, checks even those which were his Disciples, for their little Faith; and yet in checking them for little Faith, he acknowledgeth they had some Faith. So,

2. For the second Branch, it were easie to prove, that the childe of God will be sensible of the weak­nesse of its grace, especially this grace of Faith; take but one instance of it, Mar. 9. 24. Lord I beleeve, help my unbelief, and so 1 Cor. 13. 9. 12.

And for the third Branch, that they will labour and strive against it, he prayed, Lord help my unbe­lief, Mar. 9. 24. The Apostles pray, Lord increase our Faith; to which we may adde that known place, Phil. 3. 13. I count not myself that I have attained to it, but one thing I do, I forget that which is behinde, and indeavour my self to that which is before, &c. Besides, the experience of the children of God is abundant proof, for every particular. I might also give many reasons: First, why the Faith of Gods children is weak. As,

First, Because the state of mortallity is imperfect, 1 1 Cor. 13. 9, 10, 11, 12.

Secondly, Because of the inconstant condition of a 2 gracious heart h [...]e: It is not alwayes high water, or full moon, in a gracious heart; the sun will be in the eclipse sometime, and the moon in the wane. Now we ordinarily beleeve by sight, it is an hard thing to make Faith out-run the eye, Ye have seen (faith Christ) therefore you beleeve, Joh. 20.

Thirdly, Another cause may be the multitude of 3 our renewing corruptions: The bowl of Faith runs nimbly, if the ground of the soul be even, but so [Page 6] long as the ground that it runs on is rugged, we must expect Faith should meet with rubs, and be a short cast sometimes, and sometimes more home. Doubts and fears are rubs in the way of Faith, and all Christians know, that they are the creatures of mortallity, and the attendants of corruption. There is a great deal of reason you see, why the Apostles Faith should be weak, In many things we sin all, and the more we sin, the lesse we beleeve.

There is much reason too may be given, why the weak (if true) beleever should be sensible of his weaknesse. As,

1 First, If we consider, that it is his work to be constant­ly laying his heart to his eye: The workman, by laying the timber to his eye, often sees, how far it differs from the square; the Christian, by laying his heart to his eye, sees the crookednesse of it, and how much it wants, and the irregularity in the best Christian in not so little, but the examining eye will discover it easily.

2 Secondly, If we consider, that as the beleever lays his heart to his eye often, so he lays the square to his heart alwayes: The Carpenters eye may deceive him, if he thinks it doth, he lays the square to it, and that mends the errour of his eye; The square of a Chri­stian is Gods Word, the Christian lays it to his heart, considering how much faith that requires, and discovering how much disagreement there is be­tween his heart and that, Psal. 119. 105. Thy word is a light to my feet, and a lanthern to my paths, Psal. 19. 11. By the judgement of the Lord, David was made circumspect. And,

3 Thirdly, if we consider that the Christian is not self-opinionated: [Page 7] He cares not for false glasses, and is more apt to behold his graces in a diminishing then a mul­tiplying glasse; the sincere Christian concerning himself, is as ready to miscall a mountain a mole-hill, as the hypocrite is to misjudge every mole­hill a mountain; almost as ready to miscall his good evill, as the other to nickname his evill good.

And for the third Branch of the Doctrine, That as it is the duty of Christians to be sensible and groan un­der the defect of Faith, so it is their duty (and they will) not stand still but strive and pray for an increase of it, Much reason might be given for that too: As,

First, From the nature of the spirit of God that wor­keth 1 and dwelleth in them: Faith is the spirits work, 1 Cor. 12. 9. Flesh and blood never revealed it. Now the spirit is a quickning spirit, 1 Pet. 3. 18. It is life, Rom. 8. 10.

Now where there is a principle of life, there will be growth: It is a working spirit, that phrase we have often, The spirit which worketh in you, &c. Now the spirits work is not to undo what it hath done, but to work further and more.

Secondly, If we consider The end of the Christian 2 in the acting of all his graces, Phil. 3. 13. The Apostle expresseth it fully: Perfection is his butt, he knows he must draw his bow with all his strength, and his arrow to the head, if he means to reach the butt, and he shall not hit it neither. The Christians voice is, Heb. 6. 1. Let us go unto perfection. It is the hypocrite sets himself bounds in Religion, and sayes hither will I go and no further. And to adde no more,

Thirdly, The Christian knows, that the more he hath 3 of Faith, the more he hath of Christ: he knows that [Page 8] there is a depth of sweetnesse in Christ, that can ne­ver be [...]adomed; something more to be understood when he understands as much as he can of him; when the soul hath as much as its narrow hand can grasp of him, whole Christ is too big to be enclosed in mortall arms: Now the soul knows that Faith is the hand must squeeze that essence of sweetnesse, the arm that must claspe him, and he knows that the lon­ger his arm of Faith is, the more he shall graspe of him, though he shall never be able to comprehend immeasurable Christ, Eph. 3. 16, 17, 18. This makes him alwayes complain of his dwarfishnesse, that his hand of Faith is not big enough, and his arm of Faith is not long enough, he cannot get in so much of Christ into his soul as he would do; this makes him pray for an increase of Faith, and so often com­plain of the shortnesse of his arm, he cannot beleeve as he would: This makes him say with our Apostle here Lord increase my Faith.

I come now to the application: and here is mat­ter of Consolation and Exhortation.

For all Christians,1. Cons. especially those that are most sensible of the weaknesse of their Faith. There have been and are more dwarfs besides thee Christian; Perfection is a white was never hit, the best ar­chers come an handfull short. It is indeed the mark at which every one ought to levell his arrows, but all the souls of Christians, like the arrows of Ionathan, have flown, some over into glory, some short, some on this hand, some on that, none hath hit the mark. Be of good comfort Christian, weak Faith is Faith, little ones are true children of the Father, that casts none a­way that comes (though creeping) to him: Hea­ven [Page 9] hath room for babes as well as men. A childe may pull the latch of heavens door, and go in, and be welcome to the knee of the King of Glory, to the bosome of him, Isai. 40. 11. Who feeds his flock like a shepheard, and carries the lambs in his bosome. Jesus Christ hath his arms full of tender sucking lambs, or at least, that were so upon the earth. The youn­gest Christian, if he be an heir, is of age to take up his land in heaven, nonage is no bar. The Garden of God hath more slips then old stocks in it, now in­deed they are become stocks, but here they were but tender slips while Christ took them up out of the land of grace and transplanted them. But,

Secondly,E [...]hor. Is it so, that the best of Christians have but a weak Faith, in comparison of that perfection we ought to aspire to, and that it is the duty of Christians to be sensible of it, and pray, and strive against it? Let us all then look upon it as our duty; Let us pray, Lord increase our Faith; Let us strive after that we shall never attain to, even perfection, Heb. 6. 1.

Now here many directions might be given.

The first I will give shall be to remove those things which hinder the growth of it, as scruples, cavillings, &c. From hence shall I take my rise, for a subject which with the blessing of God I do intend for some time to insist upon, to satisfie the souls of some poor Christians, in those scruples which may per­plex them, touching this grace of Faith.

The removing of which, will not a little conduce to the increasing of this grace in their souls: I will begin with the first. And here though I spend many Sermons, I trust I shall not be tedious, having inten­ded [Page 10] to make it my work, in these Lectures to satis­fie doubting Christians in cases of conscience, and to begin with those which concern this radical grace at which the Devill bends so much of his force and malice.

Therefore wouldest thou grow in Faith,Direct. 1. remove those scruples which hinder the beginning and progresse of Faith in thy soul.

There are two notes of a weak Faith, in a gracious soul.

• 1. A sence of no Faith.
• 2. A fear of a false Faith.

First, A sence of no Faith. Many a soul doth be­leeve, that perswades it self it neither doth nor ought to beleeve; you shall often meet with Chri­stians, and especially in the beginning of their con­version, that will cry out, O they cannot beleeve, nay what have they to do to beleeve? Faith were but a pre­sumption in their soul if they could hatch it up: Or if not so,

Secondly, Yet you cannot make them think that they do beleeve, no, Faith and they are strangers, &c.

Now as it is in the diseases of the body, the cure is scarce wrought untill the cause be first disco­vered and removed; so it is likewise in the troubles and disquietments of the soul, we shall scarce be a­ble to remove them out of the souls way, unlesse we first finde how they came there, and if we can but truely understand the cause we shall easily remove the effect.

In generall, we must know these complaints are to be understood concerning the Acts of Faith. I dare not, or cannot, or do not [beleeve] that is, apprehend [Page 11] and apply, and rest upon Christ as my Saviour. We speak not of Faith as it is an infused habit, and the gift of God to us, but as it is an inherent grace, and operative in us. Now then we will,

• 1. Enquire what the causes of such complaints in gratious souls may be.
• 2. We will consider, how to satisfie the soul in such troubles and scruples.

For the first complaint, I cannot, I dare not rest up­on Christ and beleeve in him: There are many causes of it which I shall speak to.

One ordinary cause of it is,Scrap. 1. The souls to much eying of preparatory qualifications. I do not say the souls eye­ing, but the souls too much eying of them.

Hence it is, that if you ask a poor soul under that trouble, whats the reason thou darest not rest thy self upon Christ? Faith is a pretious flower, that grows as well in the poorest beggars, as the greatest Prin­ces, garden: The meanest arm may as boldly lean on Christs shoulder, as that which is gayed with gold­lace. Alas (saith such a poor soul) Gods justice proceeds according to method: First, he useth to pull down, and then to exalt; First, to lay the soul low licking the dust, then to say to it, I am thy salvation. Alas, I was never enough humbled! I never saw hell yet; would God rend my heart in pieces, I could beleeve he would bind it up; would he humble me, &c.

Now in order to the satisfaction of a soul under this trouble it would be first enquired,

• 1. Whether humiliation goeth before Faith, or no.
• 2. If it doth, what may comfort a soul under this af­fliction of spirit, and what it ought to do in relation to its peace.

[Page 12] For the first, it is a question variously tossed, and determined, understood, and concluded in these times, in which God hath cast our lot; some utterly denying any such work, some too eagerly contend­ing for measure, some limitting Gods dealings, o­thers misinterpreting, if not wilfully mistaking, the terms. It will not therefore I trust be a lost labour, first, to enquire the truth of that question, which is ordinarily thus termed.

Quest. Whether Faith goeth before Repentance, or Repentance before Faith.

Now for the fuller determination of it, I shall first explane the terms, Then conclude the truth, and prove it by Scripture and Reason, And lastly, answer those Objections ordinarily made against it.

First, I will spend a little time to open the terms, which (when rightly explaned) I am confident will put the question out of question, to those Christi­ans that have any experience of the Lords dealings: for the ambiguity of every term, hath onely darkned the clearnesse of this truth.

1 First, let us understand what is meant by Faith, both in the kinde, and in the act. There are divers kinds, and divers acts of Faith. There is an histori­call Faith, which consists onely in the knowledge and assent to the truth of an History, There is a Faith of miracles, There is a temporary Faith, and there is a true justifying Faith. The question is one­ly to be understood of the latter, which hath also se­verall Acts. First, [...]: Secondly, Relyance: Thirdly, Perswasion. The question is to be under­stood of the second Act, Whether God gives the soul power, comfortably and truely, to relye upon Christ, and [Page 13] the promises for salvation, before he hath wrought repen­tance in the soul.

Secondly, the term Repentance, is subject to am­biguity 2 too. Repentance is sometimes taken large­ly for the whole work of conversion, and so Godly sorrow is an effect of it; sometimes strictly; and when we speak of Repentance in the question, we onely understand the first parts of it, consisting in conviction, contrition, and humiliation, by which the soul is carried out into a loathing of it self, both for its sins, and in its righteousness: And the question is, Whether God doth not work in a soul, a sorrow of heart and loathing of it self for sin, before the soul hath power to rest upon Christ, for salvation, and relye upon him as its Saviour.

Lastly, we must safely understand what is also 3 meant by going before: First, we do not understand [by going before] a precedency in Gods hidden operation; he at once infuseth the habits of grace into the soul: But secondly, by going before, we understand a going before in a gratious Act, and in a comfortable apprehensi­on. Neither farther is the question to be understood, as if we thought Humiliation went before Faith, as a work wrought by our own strength. We acknowledge Humiliation to be a work of Gods speciall grace in the soul. And the question is plainly thus,

Whether God ordinarily gives a poor soul power to act Faith, by relying upon Christ, and the promises of life and salvation, before, in some measure, he hath brought the soul to be sensible of its lost and undone condition?

We say he doth not.

We will grant to our Brethren that are unsatis­fied concerning this truth,

[Page 14] 1 First, That a man must beleeve, before he can mourn: But how? not by any saving act of justifying Faith. He must beleeve there is a sin-pardoning Saviour, that hath fulnesse and freenesse of mercy, and enough in his fulnesse for him; and that, though he hath sin­ned, yet there is hope in Israel concerning this thing. Then he puts his mouth in the dust, if so be there may be hope.

2 Secondly, we will easily grant, that a man must have saving and justifying Faith, before the work of re­pentance and humiliation will be perfect in his soul: As we maintain it to be a precedent work, so we de­nye it not to be a subsequent effect.

3 Thirdly, we will grant, that it is not a work to be done by our own strength, it is Gods work, onely our dispute is concerning Gods usuall order in working. The same spirit that works a power in the soul of dependence upon Christ, takes also away the heart of stone, and gives an heart of flesh.

4 Fourthly, we will grant, that the habits of these graces are both together in the soul. We onely questi­on which God gives the soul power to act first.

5 Fiftly, We dispute not concerning the measure, but concerning the thing. We do not question, whether the soul must be thus far, or thus much, or thus long humbled, before God will give it power to act Faith, by a comfortable reliance on Christ. We onely say it must be humbled.

6 Sixtly, We do not limit the workings of God, and say it is so necessary on Gods part, that he cannot give the soul power comfortably to apply Christ and the promises: but we say, it is not his usuall course and ordinary may of dispensing grace, to do it. Yet his dealings are various, [Page 15] he works not alike to all; he may, and sometimes doth go out of his beaten road. The question is not concerning a necessity on Gods part, but onely con­cerning a necessity on our part; not concerning his miraculous power, but his gracious will; nor con­cerning any extraordinary operation, but concer­ning his ordinary way of dispensations. This is the question truely stated, which I shall endeavour to maintain as a truth of God, in this following po­sition.

That God in his ordinary way of dispensations of spe­ciall Grace,The que­stion [...] stated. doth not give a poor soul power to apprehend Christ, as its Saviour,The Ne­gative part maintai­ned. and accordingly to rest and relye upon him for salvation, before in some measure or other he hath brought such a soul to be sensible of its lost con­dition by Nature, and humbled it for its going a [...]ray from him.

This I shall labour to make good, From Reason, Scripture, and Experience; and clear from those Objections, and Arguments, brought against it.

First, The soul cannot come into Christ, till it be gone 1 out of it self, nor can the soul know that Christ is come into it, till is knows it is gone out of it self. The reason of the latter is plain, for it is impossible the soul should know that to be which cannot be. But Christ cannot come into a full soul. Now the soul is not gone out of it self, not will it go out of it self, till it see the danger of continuing in it self; this danger works fear, this fear sorrow, and this sorrow is hu­miliation.

Secondly, Christ will onely come into such a soul, and 2 give such a soul power to rest, and relye upon, and comfor­tably to apprehend him, as will prize him. But till the [Page 16] soul be humbled, it will never prize Christ. For the first, that Christ will onely come into such a soul as hungers and thirsts after him, it is plain by the many promises made to such. But that soul that is not emptied of it self, it is impossible but it should loath Christ, according to that of the wise man, Prov. 27. 7. The full soul loatheth the honey comb. The Apostle saith, To you that beleeve he is precious. If Christ be not precious to the soul, the soul doth not, will not, cannot, beleeve in him. Now so long as sin is sweet, and lust sweet, how shall Christ be sweet to the soul? Is Christ and sin both of a taste, think we? What fellowship hath light with darknesse? (saith the Apostle) If Christ be precious to them that beleeve, then certainly sin must be bitter to them that beleeve, if light and darknesse be contra­ry as the Apostle speaks. But Christ is precious to them that beleeve.

3 Thirdly, That soul can never be willing to rest upon Christ, that is not willing to leave sin, for sin and Christ are contrary: and it is impossible for a man to please his lusts and Christ too, You cannot serve God and mammon. Now it is impossible that the soul ever should leave sin (which is naturall unto it) and im­brace Christ, (whose goodnesse and sweenesse some­thing more then nature, more then flesh and blood must reveal) before it be convinced, that sin is vile and bitter. A reasonable creature is acted by rea­sonable principles. Nabal could say, Shall I take my bread, and my water, and my flesh, that I have killed, for my shearers, and give it unto men whom I know not what they be. Who is David? and who is the son of Jesse? (saith he) The figtree in Iothams parable saith, [Page 17] Shall I forsake my sweetnesse and my good fruit? and go to be promoted over the trees. So saith a poor soul when it is proud, who is Christ? and who is the Son of God that I should leave all? Sacrifice my lust and my corruptions unto him? What! (saith the proud sinner) shall I forsake my sweet lust and sweet corruptions, to yeeld to Christ? The soul must be convinced that sin is evill, yea, and the greatest evill, or it will never imbrace good. Now it is impossible that the soul should be really con­vinced, that sin is the greatest evill, and God the greatest good, but the soul will be grieved, that it hath forsaken the fountain of living waters, the greatest good, to cleave to the greatest of evils. But why should I dive into the dispensations of God, by the bucket of reason? Let us see what Scripture and experiences of the Saints of God, recorded in Scripture, tell us, Mat. 21. 32. And ye when you had seen it, repented not afterward that you might beleeve: A learned and pious commentator [Zuinglius] hath this note upon this Text, Grace and mercy exhibited to the world in Christ, is not esteemed by those who do not feel their sins and grieve for them. Christ complains in the Text, that they would not repent that they might beleeve, not that they would not beleeve that they might repent. Will you know to whom the promises are made, for whom Christ comes, and to whom he comes. Isa. 55. 1. He came to seek that which was lost. He came not to call the righteous, Mat. 5. [...], 4, 6. and 11. 22. but sinners to repentance. He is a Physitian, and he tells us, The whole need not the Physitian, but the sick. Rev. 21. 6. He hath told you, that He fills the hungry with good things, Mat. 9. 12. but the rich he sends emp­ty away. He hath pronounced them Blessed that [Page 18] mourn, Luk. 19. 10. and 15. 4. 6. for they shall be comforted, that are poor in spi­rit, for their is the Kingdom God; that Go out wee­ping, Mat. [...]5. 24 and carring precious seed, Psal. 126. 6. for they shall return rejoycing, and bring their sheaves with them. Now certainly, if Christ Jesus onely came into the world for such, and none can have any assurance that Christ came to save him, till he hath disclamed his own righteousnesse, and is convinced he is a mise­rable lost creature, Surely then they cannot be­leeve before, for Faith is the uniting grace that knits the soul to Jesus Christ.

Secondly, If the promises onely belong to such as hun­ger and thirst, as are weary and heavy laden, and do not belong to them before they are so, then certainly they cannot beleeve before they are weary and heavy laden. For the same instant that the soul beleeves, and is married to Christ, the same instant are the promi­ses intailed to the soul, being its proper jointure, Gal. 3. 22. Eph. 1. 13.

Thirdly, If the blessing onely belong to such, surely they must be such before they can act Faith, or else a be­leever may be in the state of condemation, and under the curse. But to such is the blessng pronounced, Mat. 5. 3, 4, 6.

Infinite Arguments might be drawn from Scri­pture: Shall we see a little experience. Let us search out Gods ordinary dealings, to whom hath he re­vealed himself in any comfortable apprehension? what beleevers can we finde in Scripture, who in coming to Christ had not their feet dipt in bitter waters? Shall we take that troop of converts at Pe­ters Sermon? Act. 2. 37. They were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the Apo­stles, [Page 19] Men, and brethren, what shall we do? O lost un­done creatures? what shall we do? Act. 16. 29. The Jaylor came trembling before Paul and Silas, and fell down at their feet, and said, sirs! what must I do to be sa­ved. Take the great convert Paul, Act. 9. what asto­nishing sorrow was he swallowed up in? he was even humbled to the grave before you read of his Faith: Let every Christian examine his own experience, whether ever he should have received, or prized Christ, if he had not first been strucken with the sence of his own misery. Enough hath been said for it, let us hear a little what can be said against it.

1. Obj. No man will be humbled except he beleeve what shall make me run to God and mourn, except I be­leeve he will pardon?

Answ. We do not dispute of any Faith, but a ju­stifying Faith. To beleeve, and be perswaded I may be pardoned, is not a distinguishing act of a justify­ing Faith, this was granted before; tis one thing to beleeve I may be pardoned, so may an hypocrite, Tis another thing to beleeve I am pardoned, or to re­lye on Christ for pardon, this is proper to a justi­fied person, nor can he beleeve he is pardoned till he is humbled.

2. Obj. Repentance is the effect of Faith, now the cause must alwayes go before the effect?

Answ. We distinguished before of Repentance: Repentance hath two parts. The aversion of the soul from sin, and the conversion of the soul to God; the latter part of it is onely an effect of Faith, the former part of it, the turning of the soul from sin, is also an effect, but not onely an effect, it is be­gun before Faith, though it be not ended till our [Page 20] life be at an end. Secondly, The turning of the soul from sin, and the imbittring sin to the soul, is an effect of Faith, or rather a consequent of Faith, viz. a generall common Faith in the beginning, but not alwayes a consequent of saving justifying Faith.

3. Obj. Christ must work this humiliation, or it is good for nothing: now if Christ be in the soul working humiliation, then there is Faith: Therefore Faith must go before humiliation.

Ans. First, Though Christ work this humiliati­on in the soul, yet it doth not follow that Christ is in the soul, for it may be a work of common grace, and Christ is not in every soul upon which his com­mon grace works. But secondly, to answer more ful­ly, I am of the minde of Master Shepheard, and Ma­ster Hooker, that although there be an humiliation which is indeed the work of common grace, which an hypocrite may have, yet there is an humiliation which is the work of special grace, and that this like­wise precedes the exercise of Faith: And although it is true, that Christ cannot be in the soul, but in the same instant the soul is in Christ, for Faith is the marriage grace, yet it doth not follow, that the soul is inabled by an act of Faith to apply Christ to it self, assoon as Christ is in the soul, and the habit of Faith is infused into the soul; and therefore the question is stated, not concerning the habit of Faith, but concerning the act of Faith; viz. Whe­ther God gives the soul power to receive, relye up­on, and apply Christ, or receive any comfortable apprehensions of Christ, and the soul in respect of us (who can onely judge of the habit by the act) can­not be said to have Faith, before it hath acted hu­miliation [Page 21] or repentance: The question is not which the soul must have first, in respect of Gods gift, but which it acts first for our apprehension.

4. Obj. The preaching of this puts souls upon di­ [...]pair, and hinders Faith, they do not beleeve, because they cannot finde that they are so humbled as God requi­res.

Ans. 1. The sun must not be hid, because it hurts fore eyes: What is the truth of God must not be concealed, because wicked men and seducers grow worse and worse.

Secondly, No [...]oul that is elected can dispaire, if God hath given them to Christ, the Devil shall ne­ver pluck them out of his hand; the word must be preached, though to some it must prove the savour of death unto death: To the Gentiles foolishnesse.

Thirdly, We do not say, they must repent to such and such a degree, mourn so many tears; we dispute not how much sorrow there must be, but maintain there must be some.

Fourthly, True sorrow ought not to hinder Faith, for the end of it is onely to bring the soul to be wil­ling to exercise the grace of Faith, by comming to Christ, resting and relying upon him for salvation, &c.

5. Obj. But God works not his acts of speciall grace after the manner of men, he works them together, there­fore faith and repentance are together wrought.

Ans. We dispute not how God works them, but how the soul acts them, not which is in the soul first, but which appears out of the soul first. Iacob and E­sau may be twins, and in their mothers womb toge­ther, but shall it therefore follow that they shall [Page 22] come out together? may not Esau put out his hand before Iacob, and be seen first by the mother and world too?

6. Obj. But this is to take away free grace, to say God will not save a poor creature before it be thus and thus humbled.

Ans. 1. It is not to take away the freenesse of grace, but to teach men to take heed, that they do not turn the grace of God into wantonnesse; it does not destroy free grace, to enjoin qualifications and conditions of Gods own making.

Secondly, You may as well say it destroyes free grace, to say, none shall be saved but those that be­leeve, which is the expresse language of Scripture, He that beleeveth not is damned already.

Thirdly, Free grace is established hereby: For, 1. Is it not free grace to give a soul Christ, if it will but mourn and be humbled and beleeve? is it not a free gift to give a kingdom unto me, upon con­dition I will throw away a knife, with which I was about to cut my own throat? 2. We do not say, that this humiliation and precedent sorrow, doth deserve any such free grace for the performance of the action, therefore the grace is still free. 3. We say, that free grace works this humilation, a man can as well break a rock, as break his own heart with­out the work of this powerfull spirit, and the spirits operations are free, even like the winde that blows where it listeth, Ioh. 3. 8. We exalt free grace, and make it yet more free; onely we would not have men turn the grace of God into wantonnesse to their own confusion, and therefore their vain obje­ction that this brings us again under the covenant of [Page 23] works, (do this and ye shall live) falls in pieces of it self; for we neither hold that it is in the power of any creature to do this, to break his heart and mourn for sin, nor yet that any shall merit any sal­vation by doing of it: we abhor that doctrine of merits, that God justifies either for any works of grace acted of our own, or for the merit of any graces which he hath infused into us.

7. Obj. But when the Iaylor asked Paul, what shall I do to be saved? he doth not say, mourn and be saved, [...] fast and pray and be saved, but beleeve and be saved; and when we read of the conversion of Lydia, we do not read, that she had any such humiliation as these Le­gallists talk of, the text onely sayes, that God opened the heart of Lydia.

Ans. 1. To that of the Jaylor, it is true, that Paul doth not say, mourn and be saved, &c. Paul had learned more wisedom then to afflict the afflicted; the Text sayes, He came trembling and fell at the A­postles feet. Now the Apostle seeing him thus ama­zed with terrour, bids him beleeve, and though he knew not what to do, yet he might be saved; and how this proves that there is no need of humilia­tion, let the discreet reader judge, because when the Jaylor was so terrified that he was ready to dye, Paul doth not bid him still be humbled, but beleeve, therefore there is no need of humiliation. It is plain out of the Text, that his humiliation although it was sudden and short, yet it was strong: First, It made him tremble and fall down at the Apostles feet: Secondly, it wrought fully to its appointed end, to beat the sinner out of himself, Sirs! saith he, W [...]at shall I do to be saved? I know not what to do, is [Page 24] implied, for if he had known what to do, he would never have askt, what shall I do?

8. Obj. But some will say his trembling and falling down, was for fear the prisoners were gone.

Ans. That is cleared out of the Text, Paul had cried unto him, Do thy self no harm for we are all here, after all this cometh his trembling, and crying, what sall I do? But secondly, we may shape ano­ther answer to it, Paul saith to the Jaylor, only beleeve and thou shalt be saved; beleeving doth here include humiliation, Faith is an act of an humbled soul, and no soul will or can beleeve, that hath not been truly humbled; therefore the great hurt that those do, that preach down humiliation under a pretence of preaching up Faith, is dealing too deceitfully with peoples souls: First, Preaching onely Faith, Se­condly, Perswading them that a sinner as a sinner, drun­kard, whoremunger, &c. is the subject of Faith, and not a sinner as an humbled sinner. For the example of Lydia and the Eunuch, which is all, that there is any pretence to boast of; We answer,

First, That God opened her heart without any knoc­king, is easier for us to denye then for them to prove.

Secondly, (saith Master Shepheard) ‘These were examples of souls converted unto God before, who did beleeve in the Messias, but did not know that this Iesus was the Messias, which they soon did when the Lord sent the means to reveal Christ, so that it doth not fol­low she had never sorrowed because she did not the [...] sor­row, vid. Shepheard, Sound beleever, p. 54.’

Thirdly, ‘In examples recorded in Scripture (saith he) of Gods converting grace, do not think they had no sorrow for sin, because it is not set down in all places, [Page 25] and quoteth, 1 Tim. 1. 13, 14. Paul was a persecu­tor, but the Lord received him to mercy, doth it follow therefore he was received without humiliation? see the contrary, Act. 9.’

Fourthly, Gods works are not alwayes alike in all, therefore in stating the question: I put in (in Gods ordinary way of dispensations) Elijah went to heaven in a fiery charriot, but every one must not look to be coacht thither: See Master Shepheards eight Rules, concerning this, in his Sound beleever, a p. 48. ad pag. 57.

And now I leave every Christian reader to de­termine, by Reason, Scripture, and his own expe­rience.

Whether Faith goes before Repentance (or sorrow for sin) or whether that goes before Faith.

Cap. 2.
The way of comforting a soul under that trouble of con­science. I am not enough humbled, &c.

THe last day you may remember, I discust the question, Whether hu­miliation goes before Faith, or no: which being premised, I shall come now to speak something by way of satisfaction to such souls, as la­bour under this perplexity of spirit.

Ah! (saith a Christian) I cannot beleeve, I dare not rest my soul upon Christ, nor upon the promises. Alas! I was never yet sufficiently humbled, were my heart bro­ken enough, then I might be bound up by resting upon the premises. World God lay me low enough, then I might hope to be exalted; but would you have such an hard flint [...]-hearted wretch as I, think I beleeve? what one that hath such a proud stiff-neck? how is it possible, that [Page 27] I should have any ground of Faith? Faith (they say) is a flower, that grows nowhere but just upon the brink of the lake that burns with fire and brimstone, it must be bottomed upon the sense and pain of a lost condition, the way to be found is to be lost, could I be weary and heavy loaden once, I might think to be cased by Faith. This is the sad affliction that many a good but sad­ded poor soul groans under. Now for my more me­thodicall proceedings in speaking something to the satisfaction of poor souls, groaning under this trou­ble of spirit, I will first speak a word by way of pre­mise▪ Then I will offer some considerations to com­fort a soul under such a perplexity and distresse of spirit; Lastly, I shall speak something by way of direction and caution.

For the first of th [...]r [...] by way of Premise,Premise. We use to say, there is no errour but hath some truth in it; no ore but hath something of gold; as no field of wheat but hath some tares, nor scarce a field of tares but there is some ear or two of wheat: And so it is in this complaint of the soul, here is some­thing of truth, as well as something of mistake, up­on what the complaint is grounded; that therefore no soul might presume from what I shall speak by and by, not to oil up a presumptuous soul, but to establish a fainting soul, Let me premise,

First, That it is a truth, and that which must stand if all the world be found liers to it, That God seldom or never gives the soul power to apprehend and apply Iesus Christ, and truly to rest upon him, before that he hath first of all shewed the soul its lost and undone condition. God makes humiliation to act first in the soul, in re­gard of our sight, and hence are the promises made, [Page 28] not to sinners as sinners, but to sinners as humbled sinners, I mean, that God hath humbled and brought low. I proved this sufficiently the last time. Christ came to seek, and to save that which was lost: not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance. I say this is a truth, and we must grant it, yea, and we must grant too, that it is according to the ordina­ry dispensations of his grace; and if any come to heaven another way, it is beyond Gods ordinary course of dealing with sinners, for this is his usuall course, first, to throw down to hell, then to lift up to heaven, and a rule must not be cast away for one exception, nor a summer made with one swallow. And therefore let no soul presume, and say, well I can beleeve and rest upon Christ, and yet I never was humbled; without question where is a false apply­ing and a false resting upon the Lord Jesus Christ, and there are some that pretend they rest upon Jesus Christ, to whom Christ will be as a bruised reed, and as a broken staffe another day: See it plain, Mat. 7. 20, 21. But on the contrary, there may be and is a great mistake upon this truth, in troubled and fainting souls: And therefore I shall in the next place apply my self to them, to offer something by way of consolation to them, to support and stablish them, and by way of succour to them, to strengthen them against this temptation of Sathan. For Faith is the radicall and fundamentall grace of the soul, and as he said to his souldiers, Fight not against either small or great, but onely against the king of Israel (He knew if he were over thrown, his army would quick­ly be ro [...]ed) So saith the Devil, if I can but over­throw his Faith, and stave him off from the promi­ses, [Page 29] I shall easily overthrow his soul; He that belee­veth not is condemned already; but if he gets that ca­stle, he is safe: therefore I say, to throw the De­vils snares out of the way, I shall offer something to souls whose complaint is this, O I cannot, I dare not beleeve, I have not been humbled enough, &c.

First, Be comforted, knowing that although God hath every where called for humiliation, and sorrow of heart for sin, yet he hath no where set a measure for it. The promises are not made to sinners as sinners, (as An­tinomians, and Libertines, tell us) they must make us a n [...]w Bible before they will shew us any such promises; but it is as true on the contrary, that they are not made to sinners just thus far, and thus deeply humbled. That there must be some, God hath revealed that in his word; but for the measure of it, God will have that to order and dispose as he plea­seth. Be comforted (Christian) that never man was damned for degrees of grace, for want of grace ma­ny a soul hath perished, but for degrees of grace ne­ver soul was yet in danger. Mustard seed Faith is as much saving Faith, as the bulwark Faith of assu­rance. God holds his bottle, as well to those eyes that from a sincere heart, drop one tear, this to day, and another to morrow, as for those that make their heads fountains of tears, & their eyes rivers of water, Zac. 4. 10. Who hath despised the day of small things? Do yo remember Christ gathered up the fragments of the bread, which he had created, the least of thy tears is a christall drop, if from the sincerity of the heart, the very minimum quod sic, the least of a pe­nitent: Why wilt thou make a block in thy own [Page 30] way, and throw a bone in thy own dish? Why wil [...] thou set God a bound, as if he could not or would not save thee, till thy sorrows flood had come up to such a landmark, when God hath set thee no bound, saying, Hitherto shalt thou go, and no further?

Secondly, Consider, as God hath assigned no mea­sure for thy humiliation, so neither can any man set thee a stint, to say, whosoever is or shall be saved, shall be, and must be, to this, or this degree humbled. I say no man is able to do it, because Gods dispensations are vari­ous: God will not be tract in his goings, who hath found out his footsteps? His wayes are past finding out, they are like the way of an Eagle in the air. Now God hath many wise ends in the variety of the di­spensations of his free grace: There are severall sorts of people, that God deeply humbles often­times.

As 1. Those that he intends for some great service in his Church, either to preach the Gospel, for the conver­sion of so many, as paul Act. 9. Or when it may be he in­tends, that they shall come out, and become witnesses for his truth: These fine vessels, God usually hammers and files very much.

2. Such as God perhaps sees, have quick and high spirits, and will be enclinable to filthy pride, The Lord layeth them low, that they may have their spirits tamed, and be brought into a lowly subjection to Jesus Christ; And this might be one cause of Pauls humiliation too, deeper then any other of the Apo­stles we reade of.

3. Such as have been notorious publick [...] sinners: Ma­nasses must be brought to Babylon, laid in irons, then received to mercy; half hang'd, then the rope [Page 31] must be cut, and the man saved; just sinking in hell, then lift up by the chin; he had been a persecutor, he had made Jerusalem swim with innocent blood, and that might be another reason of Pauls so deep hu­miliation.

4. And yet, In these the wayes of God are not the same to our eye. Peter an eminent preacher, yet we reade of no such humiliation in him. Mary Magdalen a grievous devil-possest sinner, and yet we reade of no such sorrow in her: God will not be tract in his ways, we must not know the manner of his workings with his Saints, he will chuse whom he list, and why he lists, and he will bring them in how he lists, and when he lists, Eccl. 3. 11. No man can finde out the work of God, that he maketh from the beginning to the end. Gods wayes are like the wayes of a serpent upon a rock, and although think with M. Shepheard, that we cannot conclude, because we do not reade of the like humiliation of Lydia, ☜ and others of the Apo­stles, therefore they had no such humiliation as Paul; Yet I cannot but think, that therefore their sorrows are not revealed, that we might not stumble upon them, and tye up God to such and such dispensa­tions, as if God could work but one and the same way.

5. Besides, There may be a cause in the temper and variety of dispositions, upon which God makes his speci­all grace glorious. God hath some that are rough pieces of knotty timber, these he hewes, and cuts much before he makes them fit for his Sanctuary: Others of more genuine, and meek, and ingenuous tempers, would be chopt in pieces, if so much should be hewen off them. Some grounds need not [Page 32] such stubbing, and digging, and plowing, and harrow­ing, they will be fit to receive the seed without so much labour.

6. Some dispositions are not so fixt, as to settle long up­on an object, as to be so deeply affected with it, as others are. ‘Moveable dispositions (saith Doctor Sibbs) are not long affected with any thing, and therefore (saith he) one main use of crosses, is to take off the soul from that it is so dangerously set upon, and fix our running spirits: Again (saith he) the spirits may be sometimes weak, ana so wasted, that they would not be able to in­dure so strong a conflict of grief as others that are of fresh, and strong, and stout spirits:’ And in such a case God hath promised, not to fix his wrath upon the soul too heavily, Isai. 57. 16. For I will not con­tend for ever, neither will I bee alwayes wroth, for the spirits should then fail before me, and the souls which I have made. Be comforted (Christian) when thou considerest the variety of Gods dispensations, though thou doest not finde him acting in such a di­spensation to thee, as possibly he hath done to o­thers: It may be he hath not appointed thee for such an eminent service, he intends not perhaps to call thee to martyrdom; Possibly thou wert by nature of a dejected melancholly spirit, and more indisposed to pride, then others; Perhaps he had not suffered thee to run into such outragious wickednesses, as o­thers did, for which they must pay more tears to his bottle? Possible thou wert not of so morose and rugged a temper, as others; that thou didst not need such stubbing and digging; not so knotty, that thou shouldst need so much cutting and hewing; though thou hadst as many bad humours as others, by na­ture, [Page 33] yet it may be that they were not so setled, and putrified by vitious custome; or if they were, yet be comforted in this, that God acts not with great sin­ners and perverse natures, and proud tempers, and eminent vessels, alike. Who art thou to tract the Al­mighty? to limit the holy one of Israel? and if that God acts in such various dispensations, know that it is not in the power of man to set a measure.

Thirdly, Consider the end of humiliation, and if the end be wrought, take no thought for the means. The ends of humiliation are chiefly these two. First, To make sin bitter to the soul, to bring the soul into a loa­thing and detestation of sin. Secondly, To make the soul in a capacity of acting Faith,

1. The first end, is to bring the soul into a loa­thing and leaving of sin; That Ephraim may speak two words, First, What have I done? Secondly, What have I to do with Idols? Consider, thou sayest I have not been humbled enough, how shall we judge that? 1. Hath thy humiliation made thee to loath sin? That thou sayest as Iob 42. 6. I abhor my self, and repent: Mark, the end of repentance is self-horring. Doest thou say with David? Psal. 119. 163. I abhor and hate lying, and every falseway, vers. 104. And I hate vain thoughts, vers. 119. And I hate them that hate thee, Psa. 139. 21, 22. This is enough, rest thy thoughts in it. Heb. 1. 9. Thou hast loved righteousnesse, and hated iniquity; therefore thy God, eventhy God, hath anointed thee with the oyl of gladnesse above thy fellows. That which was there spoken of God concerning Christ, is true of all his members; hath thy little humiliation (which thou thinkest is not enough) wrought thus in thee▪ that whereas [Page 34] thou wert a drunkard, liar, swearer, unclean per­son, a vain proud person, a companion of fools, Now thou canst say, and say heartily, that thou ha­test drunkennesse, swearing, lying, sabbath-breaking, vanity, formality, yea, and those that do these things? Why now thy humiliation hath wrought its end. Why shouldst thou not love righteousnesse, rest upon Christ, apply the promises, &c. To say now, I cannot think I have ground to beleeve, is as much as if one should say, when he hath made use of a scaffold to build a great building, Alas! I can­not beleeve that I may lay the top-stones of my buil­ding, my scaffold is not high enough, or it is not strong enough; when it hath proved it self both high enough, and strong enough, in holding to ac­complish the work.Sibbs soul conflict. P. 379. Doctor Sibbs, in answer to this question, When is Godly sorrow such as that the soul may stay it self with comfortable thoughts abouts its conditions? Giveth these Rules.

• 1. When we finde strength against that sin which we formerly fell into,
  5. Rules.
  and ability to walk in a contrary way.
• 2. When that which is wanting in grief, is made up in fear.
• 3. When after grief, we finde inward peace.
• 4. When after it, we value the grace and mercy in Christ, above all the contentments in the world.
• 5. When it springs from hatred, and works true ha­tred against all sin.

First, Now (saith he) true hatred is carried against all sin.

Secondly, Especially, against those sins which are most near. Sorrow for sin proceeds from the affection of the soul, Hatred from judgement, and we ought rather to [Page 35] rest in our hatred of sin, proceeding from our judge­ment, then in our sorrow for sin proceeding from our passions: Considering that the fountain of passions, is deeper in men of a melancholy, and reserved tem­per, then in others of a quick and chearly temper, and yet these may hate sin as well as the other.

2. The second end of humiliation, is to make us in a capacity of receiving Christ. Every soul is not in a capacity of receiving Jesus Christ, when the soul is willing, and desirous to receive Christ, then it is in a capacity of receiving him. And the soul can­not act Faith, by resting upon Christ, till it be made willing. Some will say, doth not Jesus Christ work this willingnesse? yes without question, It is he that worketh both to will and to do, according to his good pleasure, Phil. 2. 13. But yet he first worketh to will, before he worketh to do, and before the soul is willing, it is not in a capacity of doing. Rev. 22. 17. Whosoever willeth, let him drink of the water of life, freely: First, will, then take, then drink, and yet it is free. They shall indeed be willing, in the day of his power, Psal. 110. 3. God draws the will, but he makes us willing first, before he gives us power to receive, and apply Christ, which is the act of Faith. Now God useth means to work this willingnesse, and that is humiliation. Hos. 5. 15. I will go and re­turn to my place, till they acknowledge their offences, and seek my face. In their affliction they will seek me early. Now if thy humiliation hath wrought this effect in thy soul, that thou art now made willing to receive Christ Jesus, O beleeve, act thy Faith, let thy measure of humiliation never trouble thee, it hath wrought its end.

[Page 36] 3. I might name a third [...]nd of humiliation, and that is to inhance the price of Iesus Christ to the soul. Christ would not be so sweet, if sin were not so bit­ter. Doest thou finde this end wrought? that now Christ is more precious to thee then thousands of gold and silver, more sweet then thousands of lusts and corruptions? That thy heart now sayes, O that I had Christ, though I had nothing in the world? That I had the bread of life to eat, and the water of life to drink, Though I begd my bread, and wanted water, all the dayes of my life? O that I had the robes of his righteousnesse, to cloth my soul though I went naked! O give me Christ, O give me Christ, above all, for all, instead of all, or else I dye. Here now be comforted, the end is wrought again, and thou hast no ground not to beleeve, because thou art not enough humbled. The cause must not de­stroy the end, The end of humiliation, is as you have heard. What serves humiliation for, but to bring thee to it? If thou beest already by humiliati­on brought, that thou art grieved for sin past, that thou hatest sin present, that thou loathest the thoughts of embracing sin for the time to come, that thou art made willing to close with Jesus Christ, that thou prizest him above all the earths content­ments whatsoever; thou hast no ground, nay thou sinnest in letting thy Faith stumble upon this threshold.

4. Consider, that it is possible thou mayest mis­judge thy self in this point of the measure of humi­liation too: The fountain of humiliation is often so deep, that we cannot fadom it; the well may be deep, though we see but a little of it. First, Consi­der, [Page 37] that in thy humiliation, you must measure length and bredth, and all. Secondly, Consider, thou must measure inside, as well as outside. Thirdly, You must remember it is not done, though it may be done enough for thee to apply a promise, and rest upon Iesus Christ, and receive, and apply him to thy soul.

First, Many Christians mistake upon this Princi­ple. Why doest thou think thy humiliation is not enough? They will answer you, alas, I was never in such a depth of amazing sorrow, as Paul was, as I have heard such and such a Christian was, they were even in the jawes of hell. My work was a slight work to theirs. Half so much broad-cloth, of a great bredth, will make a suit as well, as so much again of some that is not half the bredth; the bredth makes amends for the length of the other. Others, God hath given them deep sorrow, but short, perhaps he hath given thee long sorrow, but not so broad and deep; there may be as much water in a shallow pond, that is broad, as in a deep well that is straight. It may be thou hast been divers moneths, weeks, years, under thy sorrow, though it was not such an heart-rending sorrow, as others might be. They had sorrow that even rent their heart in pieces, but it lasted not so long as thine, before they had joy: God measured out their measure in depth, and thinc in bredth.

Secondly, Consider, if you will measure your humi­liation right, you must measure both inside, and outside. Possibly, you judge you are not humbled enough, because you have not shed so many tears as others have, you measure it onely in the outside, alas, ma­ny tempers are not so disposed to tears as others. [Page 38] Suppose two men were wounded, the one bleeds no­thing or little at all, the other bleeds that the blood stains all his apparell, runs down the streets; you see scarce a drop of blood come from the other, but the wound closeth; will you therefore say, that the one bleeds not so much as the other? nay surely you will say, that he bleeds more desperately, he bleeds inwardly. The seat of humiliatiō is the heart, not the eye. Humiliation is not to be measured by wet handkerchiefs; the swoln face, is not alwayes the outside of a most broken heart; possible your heart weeps, your soul is ready to burst with groa­nings, but you want the vent of your eyes, they are tongue tied. The measure of your humiliation for all this may be greater then the other.

Thirdly, Possibly some may say, O but can I think that God requires no more tears? no more sadnesse? for those thousands of sins that I have in my life time committed against him? Consider therefore Chri­stian, that your humiliation is not past, when you have apprehended and applyed Christ to your souls. You must reserve some tears for the time to come, you have humiliation-work after Faith, Zach. 12. 10. Though the seven Devils be cast out, and Mary be set by Christ, yet she may wash his feet with the tears of her eyes, and wipe them with the hairs of her head: She may come again, and stand behinde him weeping, you have to do to look upon him whom you have pierced and mourn. As the man that takes physick, it works before he takes his broth, but that sets it working again, and more; So though be­fore you apply Jesus Christ there will be some hu­miliation, yet your receiving him and resting upon [Page 39] him by Faith, doth not stop up your fountain of tears, you shall have a mourning time after that; save an handkerchief to wet then.

Fifthly, For thy comfort consider, that humili­ation ought not to be, 1. A ground of Faith, 2. Is not a ground of acceptation. The first will depend upon the latter.

First, Consider, thy humiliation is not a ground of thy acceptation: Thou art not therefore accepted, be­cause thou art thus and thus humbled. If we watch not our nature (saith reverend Sibbs) ‘There will be a spice of Popery, which is a naturall Religion, in this great desire of more grief, as if when we had that, we had something to satisfie God withall, and so our minde still runs too much upon works.’ If free-grace did not clarifie tears, and the greatest sorrow we could have for sin, those bitter waters would be more filthy then the puddles of the street. If the blood of free-grace doth not cement a broken heart and accept it, and merit for it, hell is its de­sert and portion, for all any merit in it. It is a good piece of a prayer, Psal. 20. 3. The Lord accept thy sa­crifice, or [make far thy sacrifice] or [turn thy sa­crifice into ashes] A broken, and a contrite heart is the Lords sacrifice, which he will never despise, Psal. 5 [...]. 17. But the Lord must, 1. Turn it into ashes, 2. Make it fat, 3. Accept it—And therefore this can be no sufficient remora in thy way of Faith: For couldst thou make thy head a fountain of water, and thine eyes rivers of tears, they should merit no sal­vation; heaven is not to be bought with sighes, nor art thou therefore accepted, because thou art hum­bled, but even thy humiliation must have an acce­ptation, [Page 40] otherwise God should save us not for his own sake, and for his Name sake, (as indeed he doth) but for our tears sake, for our humiliation sake, for our works sake; for Christians must warily con­sider, that God doth not save his people and accept his children for those works, which his own spirit worketh in them: This is a Doctrine of Popery, who to wash their hands of the Doctrine of merits wherewith they are charged, tell us they hold no such matter, as that a Christian may be saved by his own works, but God gives him grace to work good works, and for them he accepts, for them he saves. We say no, for even the works of Gods spirit of grace, acting in us, are our works, and salvation is not of works, but of grace. And this Evangelicall lesson is hinted to us, even in the Ceremoniall Law; The Lord commands a yearly day of atone­ment, Levit. 16. for the sins of the holy Place. To prove this, I might instance in all those Text of Scripture, of which the Epistle to the Romans, and Galatians, are especially full, and so the Epistle to the Ephesians, which treat concerning the Doctrine of Justification, and clear it not to be of works, nei­ther internall, nor externall, but of grace: But I will instance but in one, Titus 3. 5, 6, 7. But after that the kindenesse (saith he) and the love of God our Saviour, toward man appeared. Not by works of righteousnesse, which we have done, but according to his mercy he sa­ved us, by the washing of regeneration, Mark ye, by it, not for it: Gods mercy and free-grace, is the ground of the souls acceptation, and therefore consider upon what principle thou runnest, that concludest, I have not yet been enough humbled, for to be ac­cepted [Page 41] as if thy humiliation were the reason and ground of Gods acceptation. Indeed we ought never to think that we are enough humbled, & yet we ought alwayes to think that humiliation too much, and that sense of our sins too much, which hinders Faith; for it destroyes its end. Therefore why art thou thus trou­bled (Christian) with this conceit, that your Faith is no Faith, because before it you wept not just so ma­ny tears? It is Faiths work, to beleeve and apprehend the souls acceptation before God. Now Gods acce­ptation, as you have heard, is never for the souls hu­miliation; and therefore, what should hinder thy Faiths working, in apprehending thy acceptation be­fore God, because thou art not accepted for this work any more then any other—Nay,

Secondly, Thy humiliation is not a ground of Faith▪ Thou doest not therefore apply Christ, because thou art so and so humbled. Put case, that a great Prince should be willing to bestow his son in marriage up­on a poor peasant; onely (saith he) I will make this term or condition, that when you come to marrie him, you shal come in sackcloth, to shew what ye are; he shal give you a better garment afterwards; wil any one say, that this maids coming to the marriage ar­raied in sackcloth, is a ground of her so rich mariage? or will any say it is a meritorious condition, that she deserveth such a match, to come so attired? Sure­ly no, the ground of all is the Princes delight in her; this is the ground of his taking her to wife, and yet the King commanded that attire. So the Lord saith, Poor! vild wretch! I will give thee my Christ in marriage, but thou shalt come weeping, to shake hands with him weeping for thy sins; he shall after­wards [Page 42] take off thy sackcloth garments. Can any say, that this is either a meritorious cōdition, or a ground of acceptation, or Faith? Consider (Christian) wert thou never so much humbled, thou couldst not say, I will therefore beleeve because I am hum­bled. Humiliation is a necessary antecedent to Faith, [...] ground of Faith. Let [...] that there­fore be a stumbling block to thee, which cannot be a pillar and foundation to thee; if thy Faith cannot stand upon it, let it never stumble upon it.

And thus I have done with the second thing I pro­pounded, which was, to propound such considera­tions to such souls, as were under this temptation, as might comfort their hearts, and strengthen and stablish them: Onely, I beseech you remember to whom I have been speaking all this while, not to hard-hearted stony souls, but to broken and hum­bled souls; not to those that regard not to get their souls humbled at all, but to those that are humbled, that they can be humbled no more, and that groan under the hardnesse of their own hearts; not to those that presume to apply their hot boiling lusts and corruptions, to the blood and wounds of Jesus Christ, flattering themselves with a notion of Faith, and conceiting they do beleeve; but to those that are humbled, though they cannot have a good thought of themselves.

I would not be misunderstood, to have spoken one word to slight the work of humiliation, or to cherish that licentious novell Doctrine, that there is no need at all of it, and a Christian shall not need regard it; but what I have spoken, hath been not for dead men, (what should they do with cordialls?) [Page 43] but for dying, fainting, swooning Christians; not for them that consider their sins too little, but for them that so dim their eyes with poring on them, that they cannot see the absolute covenant of God, and the free-grace of Christ, and lay hold upon the promises of life. There is an extream on either side; the sober Christian avoids either, and keeps the mean. So I have done with the second thing I pro­pounded, viz. to propound some considerations, which might comfort the afflicted soul under this af­fliction, and strengthen it to resist this temptation: For without question, as the Devil hath a designe upon many a soul, to run it upon a rack of pre­sumption, and carry it on in a blind notion of Faith; so he hath a designe upon some souls, to wrack them upon the sands, and sink them in a pit of despair. The Devils devouring voice to souls, is either; There is no need of humiliation, or, there is no hu­miliation enough. I come now to the last thing which I propounded, which is, to give some directi­ons to such souls as are burthened with this afflicti­on▪ and groan under this temptation, how to de­mean themselves and what to do. I will reduce all that I shall speak, by way of direction, to these heads.

First, Eye the nature of the covenant, and grace, and promises of God more. Secondly, Eye the na­ture and cause of humiliation more. Thirdly, La­bour to get thy heart more humbled.

First of all, Eye the nature of God, declared in the free dealings out of his grace to thee. This I shall enlarge in three instances.

• 1. Eye Gods covenant, and the nature of that.
• 2. Eye Christs grace, and the nature of that.
• [Page 44] 3. Eye the Promises and the nature of them.

First, Eye the nature of God in his covenant more. The cause of this affliction is Christians too much eying, and poring upon their sins, and themselves; the penitent beleever ought to have two eyes, one to look downward, another to look upward. This is that which David comforted himself with; when he considered his own unworthinesse, and the unwor­thinesse of his house, 2 Sam. 23. 5. Although my house be not so with God, yet he hath made with me an ever­lasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure, for this is my salvation, and all my desire, although he maketh it not to grow. David, though a man according to Gods own heart, yet had a wicked house, Absolom had slain his brother, rebelled against his Father, lay with his Fathers concubines; Amnon had defloured his sister, &c. Now David looking upon this personall unworthinesse, both of his own person, and of his children, was humbled for it, and in sadnesse of heart saith, Although my house be not so ordered with God, &c. Not so ordered as it should be, not orde­red according to the mercies that I have received from God: Yet see how he casts up another eye, and views the covenant of God; yet saith he, The Lord hath made with me an 1. Everlasting covenant, 2. Or­dered, and 3. Sure, for this is my salvation, &c. Chri­stian do thou the like; thou porest upon thy self, and readest a great deal of personall unworthinesse, seest thousands of sins, the least of which might damn thee and damn a world; seest much mercy bestowed up­on thee by God, and all mercies abused by thee, to the dishonor of God; yet comfort thy self by ey­ing Gods covenant, and say, Although my heart, al­though [Page 45] my life, be not so ordered with God, al­though my soul be not so humbled before God; yet the Lord hath made with me an everlasting cove­nant, and a sure covenant; the covenant of peace and grace with my soul, was from eternity, and therefore free and without cause in the creature. I had neither an hard heart, nor a soft heart, when God made that covenant with me, and it is a sure co­venant; as God never made a covenant with me for the softnesse and tendernesse of my heart, so neither will he cast me off, for the hardnesse of my heart, and it is a covenant ordered in all things. He hath made a covenant with me, as to give me salvation, so to give me such an heart as he requires of me, in or­der unto my salvation; and for this is my salvation. I shall not be saved for the worthinesse of my house, nor for the worthinesse of my person, nor for the tendernesse of my heart, but because he hath made a covenant with me: Here is the ground-work, here is the cause of my salvation.

Thus Christian, eye 1. The eternity of the cove­nant. 2. The surenesse of the covenant. 3. The free­nesse of the covenant. 4. The particularity of the cove­nant. God hath not made his eternall covenant at random, with those souls that shall be broken hear­ted, and shall beleeve: No (saith David) he hath made with me a sure, well-ordered, everlasting covenant; the other is Arminian and licentious Doctrine. God hath made a covenant with thee, and an everla­sting covenant with thee, and a sure covenant with thee; eye this and say, Well, though my heart be not so humbled before God as it ought to be, though my soul be not so broken, though my whole man be not [Page 46] so ordered, yet God hath made with me in particu­lar, an everlasting covenant, sure, well-ordered, and for this is my salvation.

Secondly, Eye the nature of God and Iesus Christ, in the dispensations of his grace more. The truth of it is, the covenant, the eternall covenant that God hath made with sinners, is but a declaration of his grace; but I conceive, there may be a difference concei­ved between Gods declarations of his grace, and his dispensations of his grace; though that every dispen­sation of grace be a declaration of his grace, yet every declaration of his grace, is not a dispensation: Declations of Grace may be generall, Dispensati­ons of grace are particular. God declared his grace and love to mankinde, when he made that promise, The seed of the woman shall break the serpents head: But now he made a dispensation of his grace, when he gives a gracious soul power to draw out its part in this promise. Now doest thou sit troubled, that thy soul is not thus and thus humbled, not enough brought low, &c. eye the dispensations, the par­ticular dispensations of Gods grace. Consider to whom God hath made dispensations of his grace. 1. In what manner God hath dispensed (and revealed the di­spensations of) his Grace. Sit down and think of the Saints of God, that God hath dealt out his saving grace too, and thou shalt finde them the most worth­lesse and vile wretches. To Paul the persecuter, the blasphemer, so hard-hearted, that he could spill the blood of the tender-hearted Saints of God; yet this Paul the Lord humbled, and dealt out his grace to: To Manasses, so hard-hearted that he filled the land with innocent blood, that nothing would hum­ble [Page 47] but a gaole and shackles and setters, yet this Manasses tasted of the divine dispensations of grace. 2. Consider in what manner God hath dispensed his grace, and revealed the dispensations of his grace to these poor creatures. Indeed I am apt to beleeve, that of all those Saints in Scripture, not one saw Christ with­out a weeping eye, & a mourning hea [...]; but yet this is certain, that God hath not in his word set out to us the like humiliation of Lydia as of Paul, and of the Gaoler: Though I am of M. Shepheards minde, that Lydia was humbled as well as Paul; yet I conceive there are two things that we may gather for a souls comfort, from the holy Ghosts so variously set­ting down Gods dealings with those souls whom he hath brought home to himself; so fully and deeply expressing the sorrows of some, as of Paul, and Manas­ses, and the Gaoler, and so tacitely concealing the sorrows of others, as of Lydia, or so moderately revealing of them; as concerning those converted at Saint Peters Sermon, concerning whose humiliati­on we have onely this upon record, that they were prickt at the heart. I say, I conceive there are two things that we may gather from it, for a souls com­fort under this affliction.

First, That Gods dealings in this particular, are not alike with every soul that he humbleth, some more and deeplyer, some lesse for his own end: Which I hinted you before.

Secondly, I conceive, we may gather this from that various dealing of the holy Ghost, in the word of God, in expressing Gods way with his people, viz. That it is Gods will that souls should not stumble up­on this rock, and stick here; we are not yet enough hum­bled, [Page 48] not thus and thus humbled; we ought to look for some, but not to stick at the want of the same mea­sure of humiliation, which some of the Saints of God have had. Consider these things Christian! weigh the reason of Gods so various dealing with his converts, and various expressions (of his dealing with them) in his revealed word, and let this com­fort and direct thee, and raise thee up: say with thine own heart, My soul! why should these thoughts hin­der thee from going on? Gods dealings with all his converts, is not alike; and God would have in the same even manner, surely have revealed the sorrows and humiliations of all his children, as of any, if he would have had me stumbled at this, and made this a block in my way to him.

Thirdly, Eye Gods nature in his promises. Mark how the promises run, whether absolutely o [...] conditi­onally; and if conditionally, whether upon this condition, that the soul should be thus and thus deep­ly humbled. O (saith a gratious soul) do you set me to eye them? they undo and ruine me, I finde the pro­mises of Gods giving Christ to my soul, run all upon conditions of hungring and thirsting, Isai. 55. 1, 2, 3. Of being weary and heavy laden, Mat. 11. 29. Of being lost and undone, and this is that which I stick upon. I will answer thee in this particular.

First, Tis true, such is the tenor of the promises, they do require hungring and thirsting, &c. Though not as meritorious conditions; yet consider, That they re­quire no more then God hath promised to giv [...]. See this Zach. 12. 10. Ezek. 11. 19, 20. and 36. 26, 27. Where God hath promised to give that same tender, broken, contrite heart, which other promises require the [Page 49] soul to have, that doth apply them to it self.

Secondly, Consider, that those promises that seem to require humiliation and brokennesse of heart, as condi­tions or qualifications (call them what you will) do no where require such and such a measure; they require rem, but not mensuram.

Lastly, And for thy great comfort consider; that 3 those originall promises, in which God hath promised to give that tendernesse and brokennesse of heart, which he seemeth to require in other promises, as a condition and qualification for the soul, to whom of due it belongs to apply those promises; I say, those promises are absolute: for this take but two instances, Ezek. 11. 19, 20. and 36. 26, 27. which are much the same. ‘And I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within you, and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a [...] heart of flesh, that they may walk in my statutes, &c.’ As if he should say, they cannot walk in my statutes, and keep my ordinances, untill their stony heart be gone, and they have an heart of flesh. Secondly, They cannot have this heart of flesh till I give it them; And thirdly, I will give it them. Now sit down and eye the promises say thus: It is true God doth require an heart of flesh, before I can apply the pro­mises of pardon to me▪ but the same God hath pro­mised to give it me; and there must, there can no­thing be done of me, in relation to that first gift God hath freely promised, to prepare me to apply his salvation, and to walk in his statutes, by taking a­way my heart of stone, and giving me an heart of flesh, and beleeve, but this, that God will fulfill this free and absolute promise unto mee. It is thy [Page 50] duty not onely to beleeve that God will pardon thee, but also to beleeve that God will humble thee; and not to stick upon, I am not humbled enough to ap­ply the promise, but to say, I will labour to apply the promises of salvation, and to beleeve that God will humble me more, and make good (amongst others) that promise to my soul, that he hath made to his people, that he will take away their heart of stone, and give an heart of flesh, &c.

And thus I have done with the first direction to the afflicted soul. Eye the nature of God more in his covenant: Secondly, In the dispensations of his grace: Thirdly, In his promises. I come now to my second direction, and that is,

Secondly, Consider the nature of humiliation; and this thou mayest consider: First, In its originall; Secondly, In the manner of the operation of it; Thirdly, In its end. The two latter I have handled at large, in my considerations I propounded to com­fort the soul in its affliction; I will but name them. First, Think that thy humiliation may be as great as it should be, though not so deep as others have been, it may be it hath been longer. Secondly, It may have a more inward work. Thirdly, Its working is not done, it will have a work as long as thou livest. 2. Consider the nature of it, in its end: First, Medi­tate that the end of thy humiliation, is but to bring thee to loath sin; secondly, Leave sin; and thirdly, To make thee prize Christ. If this be done, it hath done its work. But this I enlarged my self upon be­fore. 3. (which should have been indeed first) Consi­der the nature of humiliation in its originall, and effi­cient cause, which is God, Zac. 12. 10. Ezek. 11. 19. 20. [Page 51] and sit down now and say, Certainly, God hath a good work begun in my soul, otherwise, why should sin trouble me at all? or why should I be troubled, that I am not troubled for my sin? and now how unreasonable a thing is it for me, to start from applying the promises, because, in my con­ceit, I am not enough humbled? It is God that hath humbled me at all, and it is he that must perfect the work in my soul; and surely, if he sees it is not e­nough, he will work more, and he must do it, if he will have it, for I am not able to humble my soul. Thus far my direction hath reached to help thee to ease thy self, and direct thee what to do in point of meditation, and consideration. My third reacheth thy practice.

Lastly, Labour after more and more humiliation. 3 Neither keep thy heart from beleeving, in infide­lity out of a conceit of the want of it, nor yet slight and neglect it: Both these rocks must be avoided, as pernicious rocks for poor souls, and between which there is a safe passage. Let the world think what they will,Sound be­leever, p. 104. and opinion [...] cry down that great work: Want of humilitation, saith Master Shepheard, is the cause of so much counterfeit [...], Ib. p. 146. as is in the world; and again (saith he) we shall observe, if there be little hu­miliation, there is little of Christ; if much of humili­ation, much of Christ; if inconstant humiliation, in­constant fruition of Christ; if reall humiliation, reall pos­session of Christ; if false humiliation, imaginary fruit [...] ­on of Christ. Therefore, though I would not have thee so weep, but thou should I have a spare eye to look up to the free grace of Christ, yet I would not have thee so much fix thy eye upon the mercy, and [Page 52] free grace of Christ, that thou shouldst have never an eye to weep for thy sins. Humiliation and Faith are two things, that are consistant together; Thats the last direction.

Labour to get the soul more humbled. I know thou wilt say, how shall I do that? truely I might give infinite directions,Ib. p. 150. but this is so ordinary a point, in which so many pious men have laboured, that I shall but name to you some directions that, they point out, as helps to the soul in this work. Master Shepheard gives those helps.

• 1. Remember whose thou art, Rom. 9. 20.
• 2. Remember what thou art, a vild wretch, Job. 40. 1 3, 4.
• 3. Remember what thou hast been, and how long thou hast been so, and why should God choose thee.
• 4. Remember what thou wilt be, Isa. 64. 6. good for nothing in his service, &c.

Doctor Preston gives these directions, vol. 4.

• 1. Labour to see the greatnesse of thy sin.
• 2. To see the inability to help thy self.

For the first he propounds this.

• 1. Fix your thoughts upon some great sin.
• 2. Think of the number of thy sins.
• 3. Make past sins present, think of youth sins, &c.
• 4. Be not willing to exi [...]nuate, or excuse any sin.
• 5. Make sorrow abide upon your hearts.

2. Consider the inability to help thy, self.

• 1. Think of Gods greatnesse and strictnesse.
• 2. Of thy weaknesse and sinfulnesse.

And in another place he gives these directions.

• 1. Every day search thy heart, for the sins thou hast committed that day.
• [Page 53] 2. Study the Scriptures, they will discover your vile hearts more to you.
• 3. Keep your hearts and wayes upright, that is the way to keep them from ha [...]dning.
• 4. Bediligent in your calling.
• 5. Remember times and sins past.
• 6. Distinguish betwixt grace in thee and thy self, of thy self.

Many other directions have been and may be gi­ven, I will reduce all to these two or three heads.

• 1. Consider the nature of thy sin.
• 2. Consider the mercy of thy God.
• 3. Run unto God.

Now these may be branched out, into severall particulars.

• 1. Consider sins in the filthinesse of them.
• 2. In the greatnesse of them.
• 3. In the multitude of them.
• 4. In the aggravations of them.
• 5. In the effects of them.
• 6. In the dangerous consequence and guilt of them.

2. Consider the mercy of God.

• 1. That hath spared thee from hell so long.
• 2. That yet will pardon thee.
• 3. That yet will give thee heaven and glory.

3. But, when thou hast done all what thou canst this way, these are but poor helps; the surest way is, to Fly to God by prayer, and intreat him to work his own work. So the Church, Hos. 14. 2. Here thou mayest plead with God: First, His promises, Zach. 12. 10. Ezek. 11. 19, 20. Secondly, Thine own inabi­lity, to do any thing towards this work, though thou hast tried much; and after all this, rest upon God [...] [Page 52] [...] [Page 53] [...] [Page 56] to such doubting Christians. Now there are divers other things, which lye in the souls way, in relation to this also; some of which I will speak something to, being such as are more ordinary, and as I my self have met with, from some Christians, either arising from their too curious inquisition in­to Gods hidden decrees, or too much poring upon their own unworthinesse. For the first of these, I shall speak something to it at this time.

Cap. 3.
How such Christians may be satisfied and comforted, as think they have no warrant to beleeve, because they conceive they are not elected, or do not know whether they be elected or no.

ALas! saith a poor Christian, why do you tell me of beleeving? Sure I am, none can be saved, that is not elected; I can see no ground to make me think, that God hath chosen me to life, before the foundations of the world; nay, I am confident God hath not elected me, but past me over in his eternall decree. Now to this trou­ble of spirit, I will speak something: first, by way of promise; secondly, by way of consolation and di­rection.

First, By way of promise. It is an ill way of curing such a wound, by breaking truths head, to make a plaister; as the Arminians, Papists, and Antino­mians do. Let me therefore, first, shew you what the truth is, and then shew you, with what considerati­ons, in a consistancy with the truth, a Christian so [Page 57] unwarrantably by this scruple stopt in its way of be­leeving, may be set a going again; and there will be left an even-path upon the road of truth for a troubled spirit to goe on in its way of beleeving; and that both steadily, and nimbly. Know therefore,

First, It is a truth, That from all eternity, God made choice of a particular and determinate number of persons, to save them and none other; nor can any be saved, but those who were so elected, and whosoever are so elected, shall not fall away. This is the truth of God, which must stand firm against whosoever they be, that ei­ther say there is no election, or an election at ran­dom; (as the Arminians hold) or a slippery one, that is, alterable, (as Papists hold) or that it is made in time, &c.

Secondly, It is a truth, That God never elected any, because he foresaw they would beleeve, and repent and walk holily; but because he hath elected them, therefore they beleeve, and repent, &c.

Thirdly, It is a truth, That those that are thus from all eternity elected, may come to knew, and particularly, and fully, and assuredly to know, they are so elected, and chosen of God.

Nay fourthly, It is a truth, That it is the duty of e­very Christian, to strive to make his calling and election sure, to labour to know that his name is written in the book of life. It is that which the Apostle Peter calls for at Christians hands.

Nay fiftly, It is a truth, That there are but a very few elected, and whosoever is elected, shall beleeve, and more then are elected, neither can nor shall beleeve; Many are called and few are chosen; and those that are ordained to the end, are ordained to the means, they are crea­ted [Page 58] to good works. These are those propositions which I desired to premise, and those which the De­vil and his instruments abuse, to the unwarranta­ble perplexing of poor souls. These are (all) the truths of God, which do and shall remain true, though all the world be found liars; but what of all this? I know none of these premises that will warrant such a conclusion as this, Then I have no ground to beleeve, except I knew that I were one of those few, whose names God hath written in his book of eter­nity. The Papist, and Arminian, and Libertines, now take another course, to cure the perplexed spirit, and make no bones of it; to stay a truth, to heal a consci­ence. To this end, they have devised such charms to hang about the necks of sick souls, as these are, There is no such matter as any decree of election, or God elects us for foreseen works; and if there be an election, it is not particular, but the decree is entered thus at randome, in the Court rolls of eternity. All that beleeve shall be saved, without a particular entrance of the number, or names, as if God had not said, I know thee by name; and if there be any elected, they stand upon slippery ground, Elected names may be blotted out, or added in; as if Gods book were more blotted then a Mercers shop-book. Or if there be any elected, yet, it is impossible to know that I am ele­cted, nor can I have any assurance of my mansion-house in glory, till I have taken possession of it. But this is to bruise the head, for a plaister for the heel. On the contrary, another generation maintain, election to be the object of Faith, and ignorantly maintain, Faith to be the eye of the soul, reading its name written in Gods book, from all eternity, an apprehension of our [Page 59] particular election, &c. But, as these do unwarranta­bly wound tender consciences, so the other are bad chirurgions to heal such wounds. If I mistake not, we shall finde cordials enough to refresh such swoo­ning spirits, without buying them at so dear a rate, as the [...]ale of a dram of pretious truth. Therefore leaving these premises, to be held and maintained, as the sure pillars of eternall truth, I come in the next place to propound some considerations that may comfort and satisfie poor souls, thus unwarran­tably troubling themselves, [salva veritate Dei] the head of truth yet remaining without a wound or scar. That is my next work, and to that end con­sider:

First, Thou sayest, If I knew I were one of those that God had elected, then indeed I had some ground, in order to my salvation, to relye upon the promises; but unlesse I be elected, such reliance will be rather a fond and un­warrantable presumption, then a warranted and well-grounded Faith.

First, Consider, (Christian!) That Faith is not an apprehension of particular election, but an applica­tion of generall promises. Thou art mistaken (with­out any ground) in the object of true Faith, Christ calleth upon all, to whom the Lord Jesus Christ is preached,Isai. 55. 1. 2. in his Gospel,1 Ioh. 7. to beleeve. He, every one that thirsteth, come, and buy. Iohn was sent to bear witnesse of the truth, Ioh. 6. 29. that all men through him might beleeve, Joh. 6. 29. Christ layeth it as a duty upon all the people, That they should beleeve on him whom God had sent. Now can we imagine, that the meaning of Christ was, that they should beleeve, that all of their names from eternity, were in the [Page 60] Court-rolls of eternity. The Gospel obligeth all that hear it, to beleeve; but doth the Gospel lay an obligation upon any, to beleeve a lye? Faiths object is the promises of the Gospel of the Lord Je­sus Christ. It is Faiths work in the soul, not to close with the decree of God, and to bosome that, but to close with the promises, and imbrace them. It is Faiths work, to eye Christ, in a particular ap­prehension, through the prospective of a promise, not to eye Christ, as the souls faviour, through the my­stery of Gods predeterminate purposes, Heb. 10. 23. Let us hold fast the profession of our Faith, without wa­vering; Hebr. 10. 23 well, but upon what grounds, the next words tell us, For he is faithfull, that hath promised, the sure word, not the sure decree of God, is the object of our justifying Faith. Now, where hath God left thee such a line of promise, as this? Thou shalt be elected to glory, or, I will elect thee to glory. God hath said, I will pardon, I will heal, I will ease you; and these words, God calls thee to rest upon, as sure and faithfull words: God hath said, He that beleeveth on the son, Joh. 2. 36. hath everlasting life; but he hath never said, He that beleeveth in my decree, hath everlasting life. Indeed, if our election were that which were to be the first thing to be beleeved: it were something to scruple a Christian, and it would be enquired into how we should know that we are elect; for it is necessary, that we have some certainty of knowledge of that which is to be beleeved, that it should be e­vident to us; but there is no such matter. The pro­mises of the Lord Jesus Christ, are our object, which not being particular, but generall, make our way smooth; As for example, we have a promise, [Page 61] Ioh. 3. 16.Joh. 3. 16. Whosoever beleeves in him, shall not perish but have eternall life. This promise now, it is thy work to beleeve, viz. that beleeving in him, I shall not perish, but have everlasting life. Doest thou say, how shall I know this promise is made to me? what ground hast thou for that question? when as in the promise, there is no restriction, Whosoever beleeves. The writing runs, To all persons to whom these presents comes, what should they do? beleeve in the Lord Ie­sus; rest and relye upon the Lord Jesus Christ, for eternall life. The generall promise is by thee par­ticularly to be applyed. Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden (saith Christ) and I will ease you. This is now thy duty, to come unto Christ, but sayest thou, I cannot come, I do not know I am ele­cted; Christian, does Christ say, Come unto me all you that are elected, and I will ease you? No he saith, Come unto me all you that are weary. Mat. 5. 29. Suppose a man had an intention to give to such a particular number of persons, such a quantity of money, and were re­solved with himself, to give to none other but those, yet should make a Proclamation, that whosoever came to him acknowledging their poverty,Simile. he would relieve, in the mean while, secretly with him­self determining,☜ not to give a penny to any, but those whose names he had in his book, and who should come; and knowing that none of the rest would come, but be too proud to come and take it, were it warrant enough for any to refuse coming up­on this score? I hear he hath made a book, and though he makes a generall offer, yet he will give but to a few persons, and for my part I do not think I am one of them. If he wil send me word, I am one of those whose name [Page 62] is in his book, I care not though I go. It is thy case Chri­stian, apply it in secret; wilt thou not beleeve and go to Christ, because thou doest not know thou art par­ticularly elected? fear lest for this cause salvation be denyed thee. But so much for the first.

Secondly, Consider, That thy election cannot be known to thee, till thou doest beleeve. Papists say, It cannot at all [...] known assuredly to thee, till thou comest to see thy name in heaven thy self; but that is false; but this is truth, that till thou doest beleeve, thou canst never know whether thou beest elected or no. The eternall decrees of God, are only demonstra­ble to us [a posteriori] from the effects, who hath as­cended up unto heaven at any time, to search the records of eternity?

First,Ioh. 6. 46. All that is recreated of God is by the Son, Ioh. 6. 46. No man hath seen the father save he which is of God, he hath seen the father. Nor can any thing be known of the father,Mat. 11. 27. but by the Son, Mat. 11. 27. Now, where hath the Son revealed the fathers secret decrees any where? when there was but a question concerning the time of those great things menti­oned,Mat. 24. 36. Mat. 24. 36. ver. 1. Christ tells them, ver. 36. Of that day and hour knoweth no man, no nor the Angels, nor the Son, Mark 13. 32. but the father onely. Whe­ther the Son as man, did not know Gods secrets so far, or whether (according to Aquinas) ideo dicitur nescire quia nos scire non faciet, he therefore be said not to know, because he will not suffer us to know, I shall not dispute, either of both will serve our turn; Gods particular decree of election, is a secret, lockt up in the bosome of him who is the auncient of days, of which, either Christ himself [as man] was igno­rant, [Page 63] or concerning which (to be sure) he was so se­cret, as ne [...]er to reveal his fathers thoughts; he was indeed (as God) the Privy-counsellor of eternity, but a secret keeper of his fathers thoughts, and coun­sels, as well as an obedient Son to his commands in revealing his fathers will: Christ indeed tells his Disciples,Ioh. 15. 26. He had chosen them, but it was though, not because they beleeved that he chose them yet after that he had called them, and they were come to him, and had walked constantly and obediently with him, that he told them so. Christ hath not revealed par­ticular election to any before Faith.

Secondly, Nor ever will be. Will Christ think you ever reveal the secrets of eternity to those that actually are his utter enemies? Election is one of Gods secrets; it is the roll wherein the eternall co­venant, betwixt this or that particular soul, and the King of eternall glory, is written, and inrolled: Now the Scripture indeed saith,Psal. 25. 14. The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him, and he will shew them his covenant. But hath the Scripture ever said, the se­crets of the Lord are with unbeleeving damned wret­ches? for (he that beleeveth not is damned already) no, when the soul is once called, and beleeves on the Lord Jesus Christ, then God in his due time reveals the secrets of eternity to such a soul, and puts it on spectacles to reade the particular cove­nant, that he hath made entred, and enrolled in the court of heaven, which is written in small and invi­sible characters, and cannot be read but with enlight­ned eyes guided by the eternall spirit. Besides,

Thirdly, Consider the phrase of Scripture, how it doth reveal to us our particular election. Peter calls [Page 64] to them, to Strive to make their calling and election sure. First your calling, then your election, 1 Ioh. 2. 5. and 3. 6, 10.1 Joh. 2. 5. It is the constant language of Scri­pture,3 Ch. v. 6. 10. and the sense of all the Apostles, that by our Faith, and fruits of our sanctification, which are the consequents, and attendants upon Faith, We must know, whether we be in God, or no; whether we be the sons of God, or no; our particular electi­on must be known to us by the effects; doest thou therefore stick at this? I must know that I am ele­cted, otherwise I cannot beleeve, thou cuttest off the means by which thou shouldst attain to thy end. Thy end is to know thy election. Now the means by which thou shouldst attain to this particular know­ledge and assurance, must be Faith and the fruits of it: This thou casts off, a thing so absurd that thou wouldst condemne it in any worldly matter. Third­ly,3 Con. Consider thou hast no ground for thee to thinke thou art not elected, unlesse it be thy unbeleefe. God hath made open Proclamation: Whosoever beleeveth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life: Whosoever commeth unto me, I will in no wise turne him away. Let all come, and I will ease you. Suppose a King should make a Proclamation concerning some Malefactors: Let every one that will, come to me and beg his pardon, and he shall have it. Though he hath a secret reservation of thoughts in his bosome to pardon none but such and such, because he is confident the rest will be too proud and stout to come; yet upon what justifiable ground shall any Malefactor think the King intends not to pardon him before he comes to him and hum­bly begs his pardon: Shall he stand, and at a distance say, Let the King send me a particular pardon, and [Page 65] then I will come for it and thank him; but till I am sure he intendeth to give it, I will never take the pains to go. Upon what grounds shall such a male­factor think the King intends not to give him his life? hath he not good cause to think his stoutnesse is the clearest and proximate cause? God saith come, be­leeve, and you shall live; Thou saith now, no, I do not think I shall live, let me know that, and then I will beleeve; what ground hast thou to think thou shalt not have the end, but because thou wilt not use the means? Suppose a man lay very sick, his Phy­sicians should prescribe him such and such means,☜ in order to his recovery; no not he, he remembers, His time is in Gods hand, and he cannot passe it, he is sure, he will see first whether God will let him live, or no, and if God will send him a lease of his life, then he will use means. Suppose now such a man should dye, what might any think the cause why he dyed so soon? What? the period that God had set to his dayes? or his own refusing the means to su­stain his life? But this will be further enlarged in a fifth consideration.

Fifthly, Consider but this, That all those whom God hath elected, he hath not onely elected to the end, but to the means. Gods eternall decree of election, is not entred thus in the Court-book, Be it ordained, that such or such a person shall live eternally: But, be it or­dained, That such or such a person, shall in time be cal­led, and beleeve the Gospel, and walk holily like one of my children, and after receive the crown of glory. We were predestinated, That we should be to the praise of his glory, Eph. 1. 12. and 2. 10. For we are his work­manship, created in Iesus Christ unto good works, which [Page 66] God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. God hath ordained the means, as well as the end, and you must first know by your calling and beleeving, that you are elected to them, before you can know you are elected to eternall life; the same God that hath made it a decree of eternity, this and that man shall be saved, hath also made it a decree, that this or that man should beleeve. Beleeving that I am e­lected and one chosen of God to eternall life, is a piece of sense, not of justifying Faith (saith learned and pious Rutherford) and it is a piece of sense too, to think I beleeve, as I have at large heretofore shewed, but it is an higher thing, to beleeve and be fully perswaded that I shall infallibly be saved, then to think I truely beleeve, it is a step higher; the de­monstration is plain, because no Christian can think that he shall be undoubtly saved, unlesse he thinks, first, that he doth truely and savingly beleeve. Now therefore thy first work must be to get a sense of Faith, to beleeve that thou beleevest; for thou wilt never know that God hath ordained thee to life, un­lesse thou first know that he hath ordained thee to beleeve, 1 Thes. 5. 9. For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Iesus Christ, that is, by beleeving in the Lord Jesus Christ. There­fore we are said to be elected in Christ, that is, to ob­tain salvation in Christ, and by beleeving in Christ, which is the true sense of that place, what ever Armi­nians wrest it for. But I passe on to a sixth.

Sixthly, Consider, That by standing at this scruple, thou doest not onely sinfully, and unwarrantably, and endiessely perplex thy self, and hinder thine own souls peace, but also thou callest in question gods wisdom, and [Page 67] slanderest his charters of free grace. First, Thou callest in question Gods wisdom.

1. God in his wisdom hath thought it fit, that his par­ticular election of any soul to eternall life, should be con­cealed from it till it hath beleeved, to let Faith go be­fore sense; thou sayest no, but it is better for me to know I am elected, and then I have ground of be­leeving; God saith, beleeve, and then thou shalt see, and this is the way of his wisdom with souls; thou sayest, no, let me see, and then I will beleeve; God saith trust me, I will be faithfull; thou saist, no, I will not trust thee a jot further then I can see thee.

2. God in his wisdom hath thought it a sufficient ground for a soul to beleeve in him, and trust to him, that in the promulgation of his Gospel, he hath shut none out of heaven, that have not shut out themselves. Thou saist, no, I will know whether God hath shut me out, before God shall know whether I will shut out my self, or no; God judgeth it most fit, that the sin­ner should speak first, and tell him, whether he will accept of his grace tendred, or no; thou saist no, but I will know first, whether God that hath made his large tenders of grace, will make good what he ten­ders, nay, thou standest upon Gods seal, as if thou durst not trust his word; God sends thee his procla­mation and cause [...]h it to be proclamed in thine ears; thou saist, This is not enough, let me have his broad-seal.

Secondly, Nay, herein Thou slanderest his charters of free-grace, Those say, Whosoever beleeveth shall live; thou saist, in effect, no, for if I be not elected, nay, if I do not know I am elected, I can have no ground to [Page 68] beleeve; what doest thou but slander the charter of free-grace; as invalid and insufficient, and good for nothing? and is it fitting that the creature should thus deal with the Creator?

Seventhly, If thou wilt but beleeve, nothing that is in Gods decree, shall or can hinder thee of salvation: The whole Gospel runs in this language,Ioh. 3. 16, 36. and 6. 40, 47. and 11. 25. Whosoever be­leeves in him shall not perish but have everlasting life. He that beleeveth on the Son hath everlasting life. Lay thy damnation, Christian, to Gods charge, if be­leeving thou perishest. O Israel (saith God) thy dam­nation is of thy self. Never fear it Christian, God will wash his hands and clear his word to, of thy blood, or any sinners in the world; The righteous Judge of the whole earth, will do no unrighteous action, nei­ther shall any falshood proceed out of his lips, He is not as man that he should lye. Thou shalt never, nor shall any damned creature ever say, if the thred of Gods word had not broke, I had not faln into this pit. Thy damnation shall be of thy self, not of him, nor for any fail of his faithfulnesse.

Lastly, Consider, Heaven and glory are not so incon­siderable things, but they are worth adventuring for, if thou hadst but a possibility of obtaining them, though thou hadst no certainty. Thou saith, except I were sure God had elected me, to what purpose should I be­leeve? unlesse I be pre-ordained to salvation, it is impossible I should be saved. Christian! hast thou so cheap and low thoughts of heaven and glory? a vain student, that hath but heard of such a thing, as a Philosophers stone, which they say hath a vertue in it, to turn other metals into gold, he hath but heard that there is such a thing to be found out, or [Page 69] perhaps doth but fancy such a thing findable, with the expence of much time and study, and money; he upon this conceit, lays out a great deal of his e­state, expends a great deal of time, thinks no time too much to spend, no money too much to be expen­ded to try a conclusion, he hath no certain confi­dence perhaps of such a things possibility; however, no certainty, that he hath found out the very way of finding it; perhaps, he hath many discouragements from divers that have spent their estates, busied their brains, lost abundance of time, and yet never could finde it, yet he goes on carried on with a strong fancy, hoping not to fail. Queen Esther, when she went into the King, had no certainty of finding fa­vour, yea, she wanted not some disheartnings, in regard of a custome in the Court of Persia, that none should come in to the King, till they were called, and yet more, she had not been called of thirty dayes: (an extraordinary time) Yet see her reso­lution, her businesse was extraordinary, many lives depended upon her venturing her life, she puts on a gallant resolution to go in, and saith, If I perish I perish, and God blessed her enterprize, and she ob­tained the holding out of the golden Scepter, and the answer of her desire. Thou saith, I am not sure I am elected; I say yet, beleeve, Thou art or mayest be sure, if thou doest beleeve, thou shalt live; thou hast the word of God for it, It is but the expence of a little time in praying, hearing, fasting, &c. Ne­ver was their one experience of one, that beleeved and was damned, to dishearten thee; God calls thee to it, if thou doest not, not the lives of others but thy own soul is in danger of perishing; God hath pro­mised [Page 70] the golden Scepter, Heaven and Christ, are worth venturing more for, then thou canst adven­ture; Go in, resolve to rest upon Christ, do it true­ly, and my soul for thine if thou perishest. Thus I have shortly indeavoured to speak something, how little soever, and in how much weaknesse soever, to poor souls pleading this bar to Faith; Consider of it, you see this still remains the great work of a Christian to obey Gods revealed Law, not to search into his secret will: Hear O man! what God hath required of thee, Beleeve and be saved, make not blocks in thine own way. Art thou weary and heavy laden? come unto him that saith, Come unto me all you that are weary and heavy laden, and I will ease you: Ah! but (wilt thou say) I am a poor vild unworthy wretch, what have I to do to rest my impure hands upon a pure Christ? But for this I shall God wil­ling, speak something the next time.

Cap. 4.
How to satisfie a poor soul doubting whether it may be­leeve or no, because of its many and great sins past, or its continuing corruptions, and so deemeth it self unworthy.

FIrst of all consider, Gods grace is enough for thee, This scruple of thy spirit, ariseth from scant, & streightned thoughts of rich incomprehen­sible grace: Be convinced therefore, that there is a fulnesse enough in the ocean of infinite grace to swal­low up thy soul, however loaded with a burthen of sin; observe but how the Scripture setteth out infi­nite love, take one place for all, Eph. 3. 17, 18, 19. That Christ may dwell in your hearts by Faith, that you being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to compre­hend [Page 73] with all Saints, what is the bredth, and length, and depth, and heigth; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that you might be filled with the ful­nesse of God. Mark how the Apostle expresseth free grace, by all dimensions; are thy sins in the heighth? there is an heighth of love; are they in the depth? there is a depth of love; are they long, broad? are they all? yet there is mercy enough in this Christ, for such is his love that it passeth know­ledge; are they a mountain? why who art thou (O great mountain before Zerubbabell) thou shalt be made a plain; do thy sins cry up to heaven? his mercies are a­bove the heavens; are thy sins more in number then the haires of thy head, his mercies are more in num­ber then the sand which lieth on the sea shore. Now this is easie to be conceived, if we do but conceive, and know that the mercies of God are infinite; God is an infinite God, and every mercy of his, is as in­conceivable as himself is. His love passeth all under­standing (saith the Apostle;) have no low thoughts (Christian) of the heighth of free grace which rea­cheth up to the heavens, yea, and above the heavens; Is the filthy garments of thy wickednesse of a larger extent thinkest thou, then the long white robe of his righteousnesse, Who was made for thee righteousnesse, wisdom, sanctification, and redemption. Is the fountain set open for Iudah, and Ierusalem, for sin, and for uncleannes so shallow that thou canst not bath in it? Mistake not (Christian) it is a bath of capacity to hold all filthy souls, be their uncleannesse what it will, if they will but come and wash, and be clean; those that have the rottenest wounds, the fil [...]hiest sores, the most un­sound [...]arkasses, may fetch balm from Gilead enough [Page 74] to heal their wounds. When Christ was upon the earth, the Evangelist tells us, Matth. 4. 24. They brought unto him all sick people, that were sick of divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and he healed them. When vertue went out from Christ, to heal the poor woman [...] [...]ouched the hemme of his garment, it went [...] [...]im as light goeth out of the sun, that there is [...] for what goeth out. Christ never had any vertue went out of him, so as by such emission he lost any. How many Saints think you, since old Abrah [...]m (who was the father of the faithfull) to this day, have touched the hemme of his garment? vertue went out and hea­led every one, and yet his garments are all oily with mercy and grace still. How many drops of blood have thirsty Saints had from Davids time to this hour, and yet the fountain of cleansing blood, hath not a drop lesse in it? Grace in Christ is like the heat of the fire, or light of the sun, take how much you will of either, you shall not rob either; nar­row, not the breadth of incomprehensible love; when thou hast measured for beleevers ten thousand yards, there shall not be a nail lesse on the piece of free-grace. The sea, though a thing infinite, will hardly be measured out by quills, much lesse shall the un­fadomable ocean of infinite love, be measured by drops for the washing poor souls from the stains and filth of their sins. The boy could tell the father, he would have done emptying the sea into an hole with a spoon, before he should have opened the Doctrine of the Trinity; And sooner shalt thou get all the light out of the body of the sun, and hear out of the fire, then put Jesus Christ to pant for his breath of [Page 75] free-grace. Oh, that sinners had but as willing leggs as he hath capacious arms; we see hands are washed every day, and have been these thousands of years, now how long can we think it would yet be, should we get the dirtiest hands we could make, before all the seas, rivers, fountains, and streams in the world, would be exhausted; yea, though they should wash seven times a day? infinitely sooner (Christian) then the fountain of free-grace shall be exhausted, with all the buckets that come to draw the water of life from it. Seest thou a steeple, as Pauls in London, or the like, of a very great heighth; seest thou the highest mountain that seems to have married the clouds, and sit in their lap: Suppose now that mountain or steeple in the deepest place of the ocean, how much wouldst thou see on it? nay, were another on the top of that, there would not be a spier of grasse, nor a grain of dust discernable; were thy mountain of sins, that with their heighth seem not to threaten the clouds at all, but God himself, were I say, that, yea and another, and a third, thou­sands of them piled up and thrown into the ocean of infinite love, the bottomlesse depth of his meritori­ous blood, the waters of free grace would still be as much higher, as the heavens are higher then the earth, yea, infinitely higher then the highest planet is above the lowest spring. O the depth! Suppose thou sawest the highest Cedar in Lebanon, the highest Pyramide upon the earths Make thy self a ladder of ten thousand staves if thou canst, and rear it up, how much higher would the sun be thinkest thou? infinite higher are the mercies of thy Saviour, Chri­stian, above the heighth of thy transgressions. There [Page 76] is mercy enough, thats the first—But this is easie enough to be evinced, a Christian will tell you he cannot, dare not, doth not doubt this, he doubteth not of the power, but of the will of God.

Secondly, Consider therefore, That there is will e­nough in the God of mercies, as well as power enough to save thee, if thou wilt but beleeve in him. It is a note of Pious Master Rutherford, That none can doubt, or say they doubt of Gods will, Rut. triall of Faith, p. 128. but they must really doubt of Gods power; for if thou beleevest his power, thou must at the same time beleeve his will; But for this it is easie enough to evince the good will of God, to save the greatest of sinners. Where shall we finde his will but in his word? and how shall we judge of it but by his acts?☜ It is a known and certain rule, That the Gospel shuts none out of heaven, but those that by un­beliefe, lock the gate against themselves; Enquire but into Gods promises, is there the least parenthesis of any exception in all the pages of free grace? Isai. 1. 18. Come now (saith God) Let us reason together, Though your sins be as scarlet, I will make them as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be white as wooll. There is no sinners sin that is died in grain, but such as have sinned the sin against the Holy-ghost; hast thou been a murtherer? thy sin is yet but a scarlet die, I will make it as snow (saith God;) hast thou been a blasphemer? All sin and blaspemy shall be forgiven (saith Christ) Mat. 12. 31. Hast thou been an idolater? an unclean wretch? I will sprinkle clean water upon you (saith God) and you shall be clean, from all your filthinesse, and from all your idols will I cleanse you, Eze. 36. 25. What? hast thou abused Christ, and spoken against him? who is thy onely salvati­on? [Page 77] Whosoever (saith Christ) speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him, Matth. 12. 32. Heark (Christian) is there not as much infinitenesse in thy Christs will (thinkest thou) as in his power?

Secondly, Nay, consider, his will is not onely full e­nough of power, but there is an earnestnesse of desire in his will to save the greatest of sinners, that leaving their sins, will turn to him; this will be easily enough evin­ced from his expressions and actions, tending to that end; He speaks, he swears, he pleades, he e [...]postulates, he weeps, he invites, he comes, he dies.

1. He speaks, that you have heard, he saith, I will save scarlet, crimson, sinners; I will say to them that are in their blood, live, I will powre out water upon the unclean.

2. He swears, and hath bid us to tell you his oath, Ezek. 33. 61. say unto them, As I live (saith the Lord) I desire not the death of a sinner, but had rather that he should turn from his wickednesse and live. Lo, he could swear by no greater, he swears by himself. O happy creatures (saith Tertullian) for whom God is pleased to put himself to his oath; O unbeleeving wret­ches, if we will not trust our God swearing. Yet further,

3. He pleades, Turn ye, turn ye from your evill ways, why will ye die O ye house of Israel? Micah 6. 3. O my people! what have I done to thee? and wherein have I wearied thee? testifie against me. He expostulates, Isai. 5. 4. What could I have done more, for my vineyard then I have done. Wherefore when I looked that it should bring forth grapes brought it forth wilde grapes.

4. He appeals to the mountains and foundations of the earth, Mic. 6. 1, 2, 3. to the sinners themselves, Isa. 5. 3, 4. Iudge now O ye inhabitants of Iudah and Ieru­salem.

[Page 78] 5. He wishes groaning, Deu. 5. 29. O that there were such an heart in them that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments alwayes, that it might be well with them, and their children for ever. And again, Deut. 32. 29. O that they were wise, that they under­stood this, and would consider their latter end.

6. He professeth he knoweth not how to destroy them. Hosea 11. 8.Hos. 11. 8. How shall I give thee up Ephraim? How shall I deliver thee O Israel? How shall I make thee as Admah? How shall I set thee as Zeboim, my heart is turned within me, my repentings are kindled together.

7. He weeps when he came nigh Jerusalem, he wept over it and said, O Ierusalem, Ierusalem—how oft would I have gathered thee, as an hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, Mat. 23. 37, 38. but thou wouldst not? Mat. 23. 37, 38. Christ would, but the sinner would not.

8. He invites, Isa. 55. 1, 2, 3. Isai. 55. 1, 2, 3. Ho, every one that thirsteth come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money come ye buy and eat without money, and without price; and again, vers. 3. Incline your ear and come un­to me, and your soul shall live; Heark how he calls Mat. 11. 29.Mat. 11. 29. Come unto me all ye that are weary, and heavy laden and I will ease you. The Father saith come, the Son saith come, the Spirit saith come, you that are in the hedges come, he sends out his servants to highway-people, Mat. 22. 9. Matth. 22. 9. To as many as are found there; why stay you disputing his will, when he so often saith come,Rev. 22. 17. come? Rev. 22. 17. The Spirit and the Bride say come, and let him that heareth say come, and let him that is a thirst come, and whosoever will let him drink of the water of life freely. Is not all this enough to let thee know God is willing, and Christ is willing to receive thee? Lo, Christ will come to thee.

[Page 79] 9. See that essence of glory, bowing the heavens and coming down, laying aside his robes of Maje­sty, and putting on thy filthy garments, see him ti­ring himself in going about from place to place, up­on no other errand then this, to cry at the markets, Oh, if any sinners love life, happinesse, if any will go to heaven, let them come to me, I will shew them the way to my fathers bosome, and endear them to my fathers heart. Read his Sermons, observe his pains, thou wilt finde a willing Saviour, not excepting Publicans, and Harlots, from the Kingdom of God.

10. Wouldst thou have more tokens of his will yet?Mat. 21. 31. See him dying, hanging upon the crosse, dropping out his last blood, breathing out his last breath, stretching out his dying arms, to encircle sinners should run into him, breathing out the breath of free-grace i [...] his very last act upon a theefe, that had not an hour to live; Who shall dispair? who shall say Christ is not willing to save him, and not blaspheme eternall love? speak truth! corrupt heart say thou art not willing to be saved.

11. Is not this yet enough? Observe him setting Ministers in his Church, left thou shouldst not reade, and none should tell thee the truth of his eternall love, to speak out his good will in thine ears: All our errand is nothing but this, sinners Christ is willing to save you, And as Embassadours for Christ as though God did be­seech you by us, we pray you in Christs stead be ye recon­ciled to God, 2 Cor. 5. 20. 2 Cor. 5. 20. Why canst thou not be­leeve his will? Consider in thy Saviours will, there is not onely a latitude for, but an eagernesse of thy eternall salvation: Why therefore doest thou say, my sins are so great that God will not pardon me? [Page 80] Beleeve, O blaspheme not the God of infinite good­will.

But thirdly, Consider, That Gods eye of free-grace hath looked fauourably upon, and Christs blood hath wa­shed as filthy and polluted creatures, as thou art or canst be. Christ hath planted in the wildernesse, The shit­tah tree, Esa. 41. 19. the mirtle, and the oil-tree, and hath set in the desert the fir-tree, and the box, and the pine tree; He hath made as bad crab-stocks,Esa. 51. 13. as thy soul is, bring forth pleasant and delitious fruits. It is a note of Master Rutherfords, That the dew of grace, hath ordi­narily faln upon the most gracelesse souls. Possibly thou mayest see and finde presidents of actuall sinners, born as black as the Ethiopian, and that have made it their work to colly themselves with the soot of sins, as much as thou hast, and that have dried in sin with as long customary continuance, as thou hast done; yet Christ took them and washed them milk-white; hast thou been an idolater? a persecutor? so was Manasses; hast thou been unclean? so was David; hast thou crucified Christ? so had they that were converted at Peters Sermon;Act. 2. hast thou denied Christ? so did Peter himself; hast thou been a blasphemer? so was Paul, yea, the chiefest of sinners, yet received to mercy; hast thou had seven devils? so had Mary Magdalen, yet purged and dispossest; hast thou put off all to the last cast? so did the theefe upon the crosse. Lo here! souls all mire and dirt, that no­thing could be discerned in them but filth and pu­trefaction; their faces were so mired with sin, that nothing of goodnesse could be discovered, yet these are now in heaven, all purified Saints, in whom there is no blemish, no spot, all crowned spotlesse [Page 81] heirs of glory, without the least speck of the ink of sin upon them. Hast thou sinned beyond these thin­kest thou? it is hardly credible, but suppose that free-grace hath not (so far as thou canst finde) any where set a stamp of love upon a soul so actually wicked as thou art before God; Yet secondly, There is never a Saint this day in glory, that was not as seminal­ly and habitually wicked, as thou art or canst be, And free-grace looked upon him in restraining the cor­ruptions of his heart, and preventing him, other­wise he had run with thee to the same excesse of riot and wickednesse; David was as filthy a wretch, when he wallowed and tumbled in his naturall blood, as thou art or canst be. But to passe on to a fourth consideration, which will hang upon a chain with this.

Fourthly, If thou couldst suppose that infinite free-grace, never yet did so great a work, as to wash and save such a sinfull soul as thine is, yet this could not in reason be a just hinderance to thy Faith; because, the depth of infinite love and free-grace, was never yet sounded. Though thou couldst truely say, God never mani­fested his power and good will, in pardoning such a creature of hell, as I am; yet what would follow? Therefore God cannot pardon me, or therefore God will nor pardon me: Did ever God do his utmost, Christian? thousands of thirsty, filthy creatures, since the world began, have been bring­ing their buckets, and diving into the infinite depth of eternall love, but did ever any Ethi­opian soul, dive so low as to bring up a stone from the bottome? was ever any sinfull soul, that was brought to the streams of free mercy, such a [Page 82] capacious bucket, that it could not be filled with­out grating upon the bottome of unfadomable love? nay, did ever any carry away so much for their own wants, that they left the living fountain at a low wa­ter? Paul brought as large a bucket, as any, and had as much need of a great measure of free-grace: Well, he plungeth himself in, but doth he dive to the bottome, or doth he not, almost drowned in that depth of eternall sweetnesse, turn head, and come up again with his belly and throat, and mouth, full of living waters, from the springs of eternall love?Rom. 11. 33. And cries out [...], O the depth of the riches, &c. mark how he puts all the children of love upon diving into the depth, but puts them out of hope of finding the bottome or top of that height, and depth, and length, and breadth of love, Eph. 3. 17, 18, 19,Eph. 3. 17, 18, 19. which passeth knowledge. It is not so much to thee whom God hath pardoned, as whom God will par­don; is not the fountain of his love dry? are the springs yet running? nay, can he pardon beyond the measure of his former mercies? then how can thy sins be too great to be pardoned? were there never such sinners pardoned?Esa. 43. 18, 19. Behold (saith God) I will do a new thing in the earth, I will make a way in the wil­dernesse, and rivers in the desert; therefore remember not the former things, consider not the things of old, not to stint the Lord by them; What? do you tell me (saith God) what I have done? I can do more then ever I yet did; I am not tied to presidents, I can make them.

Fifthly, There is as much reason on thy part for Iesus Christ to receive thee, though thou beest (as thou sayest) the worst of sinners, as ever there was in Noah, Dani­el, [Page 83] or Job, for him to receive them. This is Master Ru­therfords note,Rut. triall of Faith, p. 20. What internall cause was there thin­kest thou, in any spotlesse Saints of glory, why Jesus Christ gave them Faith here, and hath now crowned them with a crown of glory? was there any? Esa. 43. 25.Esa. 43. 25. I (saith God) am he that blotteth out trans­gressions for mine own names sake. God for his own sake elected them, therefore Christ died for them; Christ of his own good will powred out his blood for them, therefore he gave them power to beleeve, and come to him; here is all the cause (ab extra) from without still. And is there lesse cause in Christ for thee, then there was for them? look in his Gospel promises; or is there lesse cause in thee, then a mere nothing? But I shall make this more full in a sixth position, which I shall commend to thy considera­tion, which is this.

Sixtly, That God never received any soul, because it had a portion to set it off. Thou sayest, O I cannot be­leeve, &c. why I am not worthy of salvation, I am a great sinner, I have been an auncient sinner. Well then, suppose that thou never hadst to thy know­ledge committed actuall sins, but wert (as thou thinkest) clean, and spotlesse, then thou couldst come to Jesus Christ, and think he would accept of thee. Thy money perish with thee; doest thou think that Christ, that gift of God, can be purchased with the money of thy merits? Doth Christ take any souls, because they are worthy? or doth he therefore take them, that he might make them worthy? doth Christ therefore take a filthy mired sinner, because it is unclean? or that he might wash it from it un­cleannesse? God gives his Son, thou mistakest if thou [Page 84] thinkest he can be bought of thee, either for love, or money? canst thou make Christ rich with the coblers ends of thy righteousnesse? thinkest thou he that hath the inexhaustible treasury of righteous­nesse, doest thou think he cares for thy farthings? wilt thou bring thy drops to the bottomlesse ocean of his bloody merits? ‘Your penny-worths cannot roll about that everlasting wheele of free-grace, the decree of election, nor bow, nor break Christs free-heart to save you more then another.’ The Garden of free-grace (Christian) hath never a weed of humane merit in it; no nor yet is there a space to set it in. The Robe of Christs righteousnesse is rich, and full enough, and needeth not the dunghill patches of thy merits? That new-cloth will not endure to be pat­ched with thy old rags. Christ is a Noble-Bride-groom, that would take a portion with his spouse, if she could bring a proportion for him; Adam, if he could have got it up, might have been married to God with a dowry. But for as much as now that cannot be, perfection is not attainable. Christ scorns thou shouldst say, Thou hast brought him a farthing. The men of the earth shall not make him rich. The first marriage-contract God made with man, he demanded a portion, and proffered the jointure of glory: But when man with all his scra­pings could not pay it, Come, saith Christ, I will take thee with nothing then. Do all, or take all, is Christs Dilemma to the children of men.

Lastly, Consider, That by how much the greater and more abominable sinner thou art, by so much shall the Lord Christ attain his ends more fully which he aims at, in saving any souls. Doest thou ask what that is? It [Page 85] is his own glory, the glory of his free-grace. God when he declares his free-grace to any soul, makes a particular Proclamation, Come, let all the world see the power of my mercy, and the good will that is in my bowels, that I can wash such a stained soul that is nothing else but sin, that I will pardon such an old inveterate sinner; Now by how much thy sins are more and greater, by so much God more sets out the vertue of his balm, in healing such old pu­trified stinking wounds.

Secondly, God knows, such sinners once pardoned and changed, will more glorifie him. They that have much forgiven, will love much.

Thirdly,Luk. 7. 47. God shall have glory from such a sinner, in that others by his example, shall be kept from despair, and quickned to leave their sins, and trust in Gods mercy, Psal. 34. 6. and 51. 13. Come therefore, beleeve, rest on Christ, Let not thy unworthinesse, thy great, thy many sins, keep thee from Christ. Eusebius in his third book of Eccles. Hist. cap. 20. hath a story of Iohn the Apostle, who at Ephesus finding a young man of a goodly body, gracious face, and servent minde, commended him to one of the Bishops or Elders to take care of him; The Elder accordingly did instruct him, and at length baptized him; This young man afterwards became very wicked, and dis­solute, seduced by wicked companions: First, be­came a companion of their feasts, and cups, and then of their theeving, and robberies, at last grew to a very great heigth of disorder and outrage, and be­came a robber on the mountains.Eusch. Ec­cles. hist. l. 3. c. 20. Iohn returning to Ephesus, enquiring for the young man of the Elder, hears this news; Saint Iohn after rebuking the Elder [Page 86] for his negligence, rode to the mountain, which this young man (now grown to be a Captain of rob­bers) kept, Saint Iohn being taken of the theevish watch, desired to be brought to their Captain, and accordingly was; when he saw him coming, and knew it was Iohn, he was stricken with shame, and fled away; Saint Iohn pursueth after him crying, My son, why flyest thou from thy father? O son, tender my case, be not afraid, as yet there remaineth hope of salvati­on, I will undertake for thee with Christ, I will dye for thee if need be, as Christ dyed for us, I will hazard my soul for thine, trust to me, Christ hath sent me. He hea­ring this, stood still, trembled, and wept, embraced Saint Iohn, and wept bitterly. The Apostle, when he had promised, and protested to procure pardon for him of our Saviour, prayed upon his knees, kissed him, and brings him to the Church, preach­eth to him, fasts with him, and leaves him not, be­fore he had restored him a penitent beleever. Is this thy condition Christian? hast thou been well prin­cipled? and hast thou forget all the Sermons and ad­monitions, given or preacht to thee, and art thou turnd dissolute, disorderly, guilty of all wicked­nesse? and now in stead of coming to Christ by Faith, doest thou, wouldst thou fly from him? See▪ thy Christ pursuing thee, calling, inviting, Ah, why doest thou fly from me, that dyed for thee? turn, turn, be­leeve, be not afraid, as yet there remaineth hope of sal­vation in my merits, I will under-take with my father for thee, I have dyed for thee, I will hazzard my favour with my father, for thine; trust to me, O now stand still, tremble, weep, pray, turn, trust in the Lord Iesus Christ: Thou art unworthy, but Christ is worthy, he hath grace suf­ficient [Page 87] for thee; He hath a good will to save thee, yea, eagerly bent to thy salvation; he perswades, he swears, he pleades, he appeals, he wishes groaning, he pro­fesseth he knows not how to destroy thee; he weeps over thee, he invites thee, he comes from heaven to call thee, he dies for thee, he sends messengers to invite thee, he hath washed as filthy wretches as thou art; If he hath not, yet he can, he never shewed the utmost of his free-grace, he hath as much reason to save thee, as ever he had to save any of his Saints, for themselves. He never took penny-worth of merit with any; He shall have the more glory, by how much thou art more unworthy; Free-grace shall more shew it self; Thou (if once forgiven) wilt love him the more; Other great sinners will be ready to trust in him from thy example. Come now, turn, beleeve, eschew evill; do good, Though your sins were as scarlet, they shall be as snow, Though as crimson, they shall be white as wooll.

Cap. 5.
How to satisfie a poor soul that conceives, that it hath sinned the sin against the Holy-ghost, and therefore ought not, may not beleeve.

ALas! (saith a poor Christian) Why do you tell me of beleeving?The Com­plainant. I know sir, there is a fulnesse, and freenesse, of mercy in Iesus Christ, for poor sinners, yea, though their sins have been many and great; But I [Page 90] am sure, the sin against the Holy-ghost shall never be for­given, and I and confident that very sin have I commit­ted. I have sinned against light and knowledge, I have had blasphemous thoughts, and have in heart denied Christ, and been tempted to deny the truth of Iesus Christ, &c.

Now to the satisfaction of a poor soul under this perplexity of spirit, let me speak something: First, By way of premise; Secondly, By way of consi­deration.

First, By way of Premise, It is a truth that there is such a sin may be committed, as is the sin against the Holy-ghost, and being committed, it is unpardonable. That such a sin there is, is plain from severall places of Scripture,Mat. 12. 31. Mat. 12. 31. But the blasphemy against the Holy-ghost shall never be forgiven men: Mark and Luke both make mention of the same passage of truth from our Saviours mouth,Mar. 3. 28. Mar. 3. 28. Lu. 12. 10. The Apostle Iohn makes also mention of it,Lu. 12. 10. 1 Ioh. 5. 16. There is a sin to the death; 1 Ioh. 5. 16. And the Apostle to the He­brews, in two Chapters, makes a more full, and spe­cifical discovery,Heb. 6. 4, 5, 6. and 10. 26, 27. Heb. 6. 4, 5, 6, 7. and 10. 26, 27. It is called the sin against the Holy ghost, not that it is onely against the third person in the Trinity,Vsher. who is the Holy-spirit,Vrsia. for the sin is against the whole Trinity,Pareus. the three persons making but one divine Essence; but because it is a direct opposition, and resistance of the light of knowledge, with which the Holy-ghost hath enlightned the heart of him that hath committed it; [...] Tri­nitatis ad extra lunt indivisa. for although the work of en­lightning be a work of the God-head, without it self, and so a work of all the three persons jointly, ac­cording to the known rule of Divinity; yet it is a [Page 91] worke which in the order of working, is ordinarily attributed to the third person in Trinity. There is such a sin, called by Christ, Blasphemy against the Ho­ly-ghost, he being that Person, whose office it is, in the order of the God-heads working, to enlighten the mindes with knowledge of the truth,Eph. 1. 17, 18. Eph. 1. 17, 18. Heb. 6. 4.—Secondly, This sin once commit­ted is unpardonable;Heb. 6. 4. this is also directly proved from those forementioned places in the Gospel, Mat. 12. 31.1 Ioh. 5. 16. &c. Heb. 6. 4. and therefore is called by the Apostle Iohn, The sin unto death, In respect of the end, and punishment of it.

Secondly, It is as true that the elect ones cannot com­mit this sin, Ioh. 10. 28. or ever be guilty of it. Christ hath said, He hath given unto them eternall life, and they shall not perish. 2 Tim. 2. 19 The foundation of God standeth sure, 2 Tim. 2. 19. They shall be kept through the power of God unto salvation, 1 Pet. 1. 5. 1 Pet. 1. 5. They that fall away were never in, nor ever of the number of the elect; for if they had been of them, they would (no doubt) have continu­ed with them. But in that they go out and fall away, it is that they might be made manifest they were not of them, 1 Epist. of Iohn 2. 19. Who so sin, First, Can never be saved, Christ hath said, These shall never pe­rish: Secondly, They can never repent and beleeve. Christ hath ordained, that the elect shall repent, and beleeve, and although they may slip, and fall, yet he hath ordained they shall rise again, and by repen­tance be recovered. These things being premised, Let me come in the next place to propound some considerations, that being seriously meditated and made use of, may serve to stay, and comfort, and settle the hearts of such Christians, as yielding to [Page 92] this temptation, have troubled and perplexed their own spirits.

First of all consider, That as it is a certain truth, that there is such a sin commissible, that a creature may be guilty of, yet it is as incertain what this sin is; None ever could yet determine it, or if they have done it, it hath been unwarrantably, I mean for the speci­ficall [...]in; Innumerable almost have been the opini­on of the Antients; Some have thought it to be malice against the Brethrens-graces; others, Finall im­penitency; others, despair of Gods mercy. The Pa­pists make six species of it.

1. Impenitency.

2. Despair: (these two seem to be but consequents of it.)

3. Obstinacy in wickednesse: (All obstinacy in wic­kednesse cannot be, and how high, what degree of ob­stinacy constitutes it, they leave us to seek.)

4. The resisting of a known truth: This comes nea­rest it; but yet for the heighth and degree of resi­stance, they also leave us in the dark, and every re­sistance is not.

5. The malice against our Bretheren for grace and goodnesse: This hath something in it tending to it, but reacheth not the full neither.

6. A sinning out of presumption of Gods mercy. That presumption is an ingredient in this sin is certain,Aq. 22 [...]. q. 14. Att. 2. and that the sin against the Holy-ghost, is a sin of presumption, but every sinning upon presumption of Gods mercy, certainly is not unpardonable: It is certain that blasphemy against the Holy-ghost may be variously taken.

First, L [...]terally, when any blasphemous speech is spo­ken [Page 93] against the Holy-ghost. As if any should main­tain the Holy-ghost, is not God, &c. So many of the antient fathers took it.

Secondly, It is sometimes, and so we take it to be▪ meant here for a sin against the Holy-ghosts proper ope­rations and workings, as his enlightening grace, &c. Heb. 4. 6, 7. For whosoever sins the first way, sins not unpardonably,Aus. T. 10. though dangerously; as Saint Au­stine largely proves,Serm. 11. de Verbis Din. p. 47. Copi­ose tractat. that the Texts, Mat. 12. 31. &c. are not to be meant of every blasphemous word, but there is (quadam blasphemia & quoddam verbum) a certain word, and a certain kinde of blasphemy: Now what this is, that we are in the dark for, nor have any (except the Papists unwarrantably) dared certainly to define or describe it, so as to say, This is the unparponable sin; Now therefore, Christian, upon what ground doest thou say, Thou hast sinned the sin against the Holy-ghost, when neither thou nor any other can say, this or that is the sin against the Ho­ly-ghost? why doest thou accuse the soul of thou knowest not what? Judge if this be not an irratio­nall yielding to a groundlesse temptation. But saith a poor Christian, I have refused the enlightening spirit, I have refused instruction, and hated counsell, and what is this, but the impardonable sin? or have [...]in­ned against knowledge, such and such a truth I have denied, disputed against it, &c. To make therefore a little progresse, though positively it cannot be said, nor specifically determined, what the sin against the Holy-ghost is, that is unpardonable (for it is cer­tain, that every sin against the Holy-ghost, is not unpardonable; A lye against knowledge, is a sin a­gainst the Holy-ghost, Act. 5. 3. yet not unpardon­able, [Page 94] Jacob committed it for the blessing:) Yet,

1. It may be shewen negatively, what it is not.

2. Severall ingredients may be discovered, that must be in this compound of iniquity. And in re­lation to thy complaint consider,

Secondly, That none can be guilty of it, but such as have had a great measure of knowledge of Gods truth, Heb. 6. 4, 5, 6. They must be such as have been en­lightned, that is, such as the Gospel hath been preacht too, and receive by, so that it hath cleared up his understanding from that darknesse and mist of naturall blindnesse, and ignorance, in which Adams fall left us.

Secondly, Such as have tasted of the heavenly gift, that is, Faith (saith Pareus) such as having heard the word, have not onely been convinced of it, but gi­ven a firm assent of Faith to it; for it can onely be understood of a temporary Faith of assent, not of true justifying Faith, for that in whomsoever it is, is kept by the power of God to salvation, 1 Pet. 2. 5.

Thirdly, Such as have tasted of the good word of God, Such as have had the Gospel preacht to them, and have apprehended it good and sweet, received it with joy;Heb. 10. 26. Heard it gladly (as Herod) Heb. 10. 26. They must be such, as have received the knowledge of the Truth; It must be a defection, and a declination from knowledge, and a profession, as is clear from that place, Heb. 10. 26. from whence is plain, that a naturall man that never was enlightned, or an hea­then that never heard the word of God, or those that though they have heard, yet have not had hearts to regard and received what they hear, and give assent to it, These cannot be guilty of this unpardonable [Page 95] sin; why doest thou therefore trouble thy self, that thou hast refused the Gospel, and therefore thou hast sin­ned the sin against the Holy-ghost, When the Gospel was never made known to thee, so far as to enlighten thee? possibly thou heardst the word, but under­stoodst not, regardest nothing. Those that cruci­fied Christ, were converted at Peters Sermon, Act. 2. have thine ears been stopt to the means of grace? be humbled for it, but dispair not because of it, though thou beest called at the ninth hour, yet if thou wilt come in at the eleventh, thou shalt be received, and welcome, onely come. God winked at the time of thy ignorance,Act. 17. 30. Act. 17. 30. This sin must be against the word, heard, received, tasted, &c. It is not a bare piece of originall corruption, consisting in a priva­tion of knowledge, or aversenesse unto knowledge, or vanity of heart in not regarding knowledge; but it is the highest piece of actuall rebellion, not for a while to stand at a distance from a pardon offered, but to begin to reach out an hand to take it, and then draw back, and spit in the face of that God that of­fers thee; This is plain, for it is a blasphemy a­gainst the Holy-ghost in his workings; now the spi­rit doth not alwayes work with the preaching of the word, much lesse is the law of nature the work of the sanctifying spirit: But the work of illumination and sanctification, those are the spirits works, in which we must take heed of opposing him. This sin is not petty-iarceny, but high-treason against God. But alas! will a poor Christian say, yet I fear, for I have received and tasted the word of truth, and I have made a shew of rejoycing in the good word of God, and after this have I been in my heart, thinking to deny Christ to [Page 96] be the Saviour of the world, to deny the word to be the word of truth, and sinned against knowledge.

Thirdly, Therefore consider, This sin which is the unpardonable sin, must be a setled sin of thy own, contin­ued in without repentance, and will be more then a sin of thy heart. That it is first begot in the heart, as all o­ther sin is, is a truth, but it goeth out of it; blas­phemy is properly committed with the tongue, without question, the heart, and tongue, and hand, have all a portion in this sin unpardonable, but it is not in the thought onely: Besides, 2. It may be thy blasphemous thoughts, which thou hast in thy heart, are none of thine own; for such thoughts there are oft times in a Christian, that are meerly cast in by Sa­than into the soul, neither bred in, nor nursed by the soul, nor delighted in, but are like the childe that was dead, laid (by the true mother) by another wo­mans side. It is a little question, whether these thoughts be sins, or no, if spurned out, and rejected by thee? whether they shall be put upon thine, or upon Sathans score,The con­trary is de­termined by most of our divines. to answer for? It is by all gran­ted, that if they be sins, they are the least of sins; as suppose I should have a thought in my heart, that there is no Christ, but he whom the Gospel speaks of were an impostor; I know not how this thought came there, I have a suggestion to beleeve it, but my heart rises against it, cries avoid Sathan, I pray against it, hum­ble my self, that my base heart should ever have such a guest; for my part, I make a great question, whe­ther these thoughts be a souls sins, any more then if a strumpet should come and lay a childe in an o­pen porch or entry of an honest woman, it would prove that the honest woman were the mother, be­cause [Page 97] the bastard lay in her entry or house, unlesse the law so adjudged it, in regard the door or entry was open; So unlesse you will say, that the heart sins by being no better shut, then to let such a thought be thrust in, questionlesse the very thought as a formall sinfull thought or motion, is not the souls, but Sathans: But however, if it be thy sin for which thou hast cause to be humbled; Yet it is far from this sin, this must be a constant owner and possessor of thy heart, and a sin of a far higher nature, then ten thousand such thoughts are.

Fourthly, Thou sayest, O but I have sinned many times against knowledge, against the light of my con­science. Consider therefore, That though this sin be a sin aginst knowledge, yet every sin against knowledge, is not this sin: Without question Iacob [...]inned a­gainst knowledge, in saying he was his fathers son, His very son Esau; and David in committing mur­ther, and adultery; and Peter in denying his Ma­ster. All these were sins against knowledge, and yet none of them sins against the Holy-ghost. It must be a sin against the knowledge:

1. Of a divine Truth.

2. Of some fundamentall truth of the Gospel.

3. Distinctly made known to thee. This is plain from the sixth of the Heb. 4, 5, 6. and 10. 26. And from the Pharisees commission of this sin, Mat. 12. 31. They were [...]onvinced of it as a truth, that Jesus Christ was the [...] of God, and did those miracles he did by the power of the Divine Nature; yet sin­ned in their saying before the people, This man cast­eth out Devils by Beelzeb [...] the Prince of Devils: Sins of knowledge against the law directly, are far from [Page 98] this sin also, the sin of our first parents, it is a sin against the enlightening grace of the spirit of God, yea, though thou hast denied some truth, not funda­mentall, &c. Indeed for all such sins as these are, thou hast very great cause to be humbled (Christi­an,) and to [...]it down and mourn bitterly, that these wickednesses may be forgiven, and doing so thou needst not despair of the pardon of them. But alas, (saith a poor Christian) I have in a passion or sicknesse, when I knew it was the hand of God, blasphemed God, or I have at such a time for fear of threats of death, deni­ed the work of God, and the truth of God, &c.

Fifthly, Therefore consider, That though the deni­all of thy knowledge and the truth of God, be a great piece of this sin, yet it is not enough to constitute it, and besides, it must be another manner of deniall, then that which thou complainest of.It must be a deliberate and advi­sed deniall, not rash, and sud­den. It is not enough to consti­tute this sin, for there must be a blasphemy: Se­condly, An opposition to it.

Secondly, It is true, that deniall is an ingredient in this unpardonable [...]in: But it must be,

1. A wilfull deniall, free, not arising from fear. Pe­ter so denied his Master, and many of the Martyrs denied, yea, and abjured the Faith; But either, First, Sathan by his temptations, Secondly, Or the weak­nesse of their flesh, occasioned it, for they at the same time loved Christ, and the truth of Christ.

2. It must be a deniall, on purpose to discredit the truth, out of a venome and malice of heart to it. I may deny a fundamentall truth, in an argument and dis­putation, to see how another can prove it, yet I have not sinned the sin against the Holy-ghost I hope.

3. It must be a constant deniall. If they shall fall a­way, [Page 99] [...] [it signifies falls all in shatters] so as an old rotten house not well at first put together. Comfort thy self therefore Christian, thou hast not sinned the sin against the Holy-ghost, though thou hast possibly inadvisedly spake with thy lips, yea, though through the violence of Sathans temptati­ons and wickednesse, or weaknesse of thy heart, (for fear) thou hast denied thy Saviour and his truth; onely go out and weep bitterly, renew thy love, regain thy favour, confesse him before men; Thus many of the Martyrs did, rending their recantations, or abjurations, and suffring Martyrdom gloriously. But yet will some poor Christian say. Alas! yet I fear I have sinned this sin, I have hated such a godly man, envied that goodnesse which I saw in him, I could hard­ly endure such a man, whom I am confident is the Saint of God, &c. Consider therefore in the sixth place,

Sixthly, That the hatred and envy of every godly man, nor every envy of his goodnesse, or every opposi­tion against him for it, doth not make thee guilty of this unpardonable sin. It is possible thou mayest hate a man that is a godly man, for some civill injury he hath done thee, or thy friend, possibly thou maye [...] do it ignorantly, verily thinking he is nought; possi­bly thy envy of him, may be an emulation, not being sorry that the truth lives in him, but angry to see the graces of Gods spirit live in him, and not thee; these now are far from unpardonable sins, nor is e­very opposition of the truth of Jesus Christ, or the professors of the truth, an opposition sufficieut to constitute this sin, it may be a pers [...]cution out of ig­norance as Pauls was, and God pardoned it, 1 Tim. 1. 13.

It must be first an hatred of, and opposition against, [Page 100] the truth and godlinesse of such men. Not when thou malicest godlinesse, because it is in him that hath done thee a personall injury, but when thou malicest and hatest a man, because he is holy, and loves the truth of God, and lives before God strictly.

Secondly, It must be with a secret desire to extin­guish and spoil the credit of God, and his truth. When a wretch is mad to see Gods name exalted, and to see the truth of God prosper, and would fain spoil all its market.

Thirdly, And it must be an opposition to the truth, that to the wretch is known, and he is convinced, that this is a truth of Jesus Christ, yet he hateth a per­son, because, he entertains it and walks accordingly, and seeketh how to cut off him, and the truth; such manner of malice was the Pharisees malice, Mat. 12. 31. Yet, alas! (saith a poor Christian) Since I have re­ceived the Holy-ghost, and tasted his guifts, I have sinned thousands of sin, renewing them every day, &c. From what hath been already said, That this sin must be an opposition, a knowing, wilfull, open, malicious opposition, to the truth of Christ, were enough to answer this. But consider,

Seventhly, It must be a totall falling away from the truth, Religion and profession of Iesus Christ, Heb. 4. 6. Many are the Saints failings, this must be a totall falling from all grace and holinesse; When a man clear leaves all manner of profession of holinesse, and falls into all manner of wickednesse; Now darest thou accuse thy heart of this Christian? or doest thou sometimes slip, but presently renew thy cove­nant made with God, by a seasonable repentance, praying, crying, bettering thy life and conversati­on, [Page 101] &c. Never fear this sin; it hath many dr [...]ms of the weight of hell in it, more then thou complai­nest of.

Eighthly, It is not probable (saith Master Ruther­ford) That thou shouldst be guilty of that sin against the Holy-ghost, and none but thy self complain of it. It ordi­narily breaketh out into prodigious acts of wicked­nesse, it is no chamber closet sin, though it be hatcht in thy heart, yet it goes into the mouth, and defiles that, that sinner with that reviles, and raves, and blas­phemes Christ; and commonly it shews it self fur­ther, the sinner (with Iulian) persecuteth the Saints, whom his heart knows are Saints, with fire and sword; didst thou ever do any of these things? (Chri­stian) mistake not thy self, be humbled for thy sins and failings, but transgresse not by despairing with­out a cause. Consider further,

Ninthly, If thy sin that thou complainest of so to be the unpardonable sin as thou unwarrantably thinkest, be a trouble and a grief of heart to thee, thou mast be sure, that it is not that sin that thou takest it for, Heb. 4. 6. It is impossible (saith the Apostle) that they, that com­mit it, should be renewed again by repentance. The meaning of which place, is not that if they do repent yet it is impossible that they should be pardoned, that were to put a lye upon the promises of the Gos­pel; But it is impossible, that ever they should repent to be renewed:Aus. T. 10. Ep. de Ver­bis Domini 11. p. 45. This makes Saint Austine de­termine finall impenitency to be▪ the unpardona­ble sin; when the wretch abusing the mercy of God that should leade him to repentance, according to the hardnesse of his heart, refuseth repentance, and treasureth up wrath against the day of wrath. [Page 102] Now though I do not think (with Saint Austine) that this is the whole formality of that sin; nor yet (with Aquinas and the Papists) that it can be properly cal­led a species of that sin, yet I think with almost all sober Divines, that it is an undoubted consequent of that sin; God after the commission of that sin, by any poor wretch giving him over to a blindnesse of minde, and a finall hardnesse of heart, that he can­not repent: But like Esau, If he seeks repentance care­fully with tears, yet he finds it not. Now if thy sin be a trouble, and grief of heart to thee, thou mayst be assured it is not that sin, for the undoubted consequent of that is an hardnesse of heart, and a reprobacy of minde.

Tenthly, Consider, The [...]in against the Holy-ghost, neither in respect of it self and its own greatnesse, nor yet in respect of the power of Gods mercy, is unpardonable. Be it never so great, it is not infinite, as the mercies of thy God are; It is indeed a scarlet sin, But scarlet sins to the returning penitent, may be pardoned, Isai. 1. 16.Isai. 1. 16. It is unpardonable (say some) in respect of Gods will, God can, but he neither ever did, nor will pardon it, for it is a sin of malice directly against pardoning mercy: Gods mercy would be stained in the pardoning of it. Secondly, It is unpardonable (say others, and those the most) In regard that it is impossible that the sinner should repent and beleeve, without which, there is no hope of pardoning mercy, from any Gospel promise: And this is question­lesse true, for God hath said, Perditio tua ex te, Thy damnation O Israel is of thy self, not of me. Though a poor wretch be damned for this sin, yet he may (proximately) thank the hardnesse and impenitency, [Page 103] and unbeleef of his own heart, not Gods will. But yet further consider,

Eleventhly, That this can be no sufficient excuse for thee, for not beleeving, bec [...]use though it doth take away from thee the power of beleeving, yet it doth not excuse thee from the duty of beleeving. Beleeving is a Gospel duty, it is a law enjoined to all, every one is called to it, Ioh. 3. 16. Mat. 11. 29. Isai. 55. 1, 2, 3. Yea sal­vation is proffered to all those that do beleeve in the Lord Jesus Christ; doth the Gospel any where say, Come you that have not sinned the sin against the Holy-ghost, come and beleeve and you shall not perish? No surely, it calls to all, be you what you will, let your sins be what they can, how many, how great soever they can, come, beleeve, and you shall not perish. It is unwarrantable then to disobey a Gospel precept, upon a beleeving the temptations of thine enemy the Devil, or the groundlesse suggestions of thine own spirit.

Lastly, Consider, If thou hadst sinned that unpardo­nable, thou couldst not by any infallible demonstration conclude thyself guilty of it, before thy dying day and hour. How wilt thou demonstrate it, from thy hard­nesse of heart, and going on in unbeleef? thou must do it so or no way; for though thou beest a maliti­ous persecutor and hater of God, and goodnesse, yet according to the tenour of the Gospel promises, if thou repentest and beleevest, thou art forgiven; now if this hardnesse of heart, joined with thy ma­lice and unbeleef, be not finall, it is no infallible effect of this sin; how wilt thou know it is finall be­fore thou diest? canst thou not yet repent and be­leeve? strive then Christian, God may give thee po­wer, [Page 104] and call thee in at the eleventh hour,V. Aust. T. 10 Ep. 11. de Verbis Domini, p. 46. copiose. just at thy dying hour (as the theef upon the crosse) which if he does, thou hast unjustly and cruelly condemned thy self, and belyed thy own soul. To [...]umme up there­fore all in a word▪ You hear Christians, beleeving yet remains your great duty; It stands firm, be­leeve, and you shall be saved. You have seen one block more thrown out of your way. I have shewed you this temptation, or suggestion, cannot hinder, where by the way you have accidentally heard something of the nature of this unpardonable, which being well understood by Christians, will be enough to satisfie Christians against this doubt. And from all that hath been said concerning this, You may gather this discription of the sin against the Holy-ghost; which is consonant to the sense of most sober and Ortho­dox Divines concerning it, and conteins the mar­row of what most of our Divines have said concer­ning it, Take it thus.

It is for a man that hath been first enlightened by the Holy-ghost.A Discrip­tion of the sin against the Holy-ghost.

With secondly, Fundamentall Gospel truths.

Thirdly,1. A subje­cto. Distinctly.—Against, first knowledge, And secondly, Deliberation, Thirdly, Directly, Fourthly,From the degree. Freely and wilfully, Fifthly, Openly, Sixthly,A causa pro­creante. Maliciously, Seventhly, Desperately.—Without any provocation, but the corrupt wickednesse of his own heart, (drawn out occasion­ally upon the making known of some Divine Evan­gelicall fundamentall truths, or propagating of them, he himself being convinced, that they are the truths of God) In his heart to envy the credit of the truth amongst others, and out of his malice to [Page 105] God,From the acts of it. whose the truth is, and to the truth, because, it is true; to blaspheme, and revile the truth of God, and oppose it in others malitiously, and to blas­pheme those gifts of the Holy-ghost,From the object of it. and that truth which he had formerly been convinced of, and re­ceived,From the end of it. and to set himself in such malicious oppo­sition against it, as to desire and do what in him lies, to spoil the credit,From the conse­quents of it. and extinguish the light of the truth, and destroy the friends of it, because they are so, and in this wickednesse to go on, making a gene­rall defection from God, and the wayes of God, and maliciously persisting in such opposition without any repentance, and finally perishing in it; despai­ring of Gods mercy, if at any time he should have any kinde of remorse.

This I conceive is a full description of it, which if such Christians as ordinarily complain of this burthen, would learn, they would quickly finde their complaint groundlesse. If any yet remain un­satisfied in, I shall refer them to a little (but full) Book concerning this subject, called, A Discourse of the sin against the Holy-ghost, composed by Master Brad­shaw, in which they shall finde as much as can be said upon this subject. Here I shall break off.

And now I have done with answering the Scru­ples of those that think they ought not, and pre­tend they dare not, beleeve. Either,

• 1. Conceiting they are not enough humbled. Or,
• 2. Because they do not know they are elected. Or,
• 3. Because they conceive themselves unworthy. Or,
• 4. Upon a conceit they have sinned the unpardo­nable sin against the Holy ghost.

[Page 106] I should now come to a second note of a weak Faith, which is a fear of a false Faith, which is ordinarily a note of a true Faith: O they are confi­dent they do not beleeve, so many are their doub­tings, so little is their perswasion and assurance, so weak the actings of their graces are, but of this here­after.

Cap. 6.
How to satisfie those that are conceited against the work of Faith in their souls, viz. against the truth of it.

NOw for satisfaction to such Christians, let us search out the cause of such complaints; I conceive there may be a double cause.

1. A mistake in the nature and acts of Faith.

2. A misjudging of the effects of Faith.

First, The complaints of such a soul, which yet all this time truely beleeves, may arise from a mi­stake concerning the nature and acts of Faith; and therefore the way to satisfie it will be rightly to in­form it concerning them, and to this end, I shall but propound to such a soul to consider these two things.

1. That there are many acts and more degrees then one, of true saving Faith.

2. That true Faith is of so good a nature, that it will and may dwell with many doubtings, and weaknesses, in a poor soul.

These two things cleared, I trust many souls will be satisfied; for commonly the mistake is grounded upon ignorance, conceiving there is no Faith, but Faith of assurance, and that Faith comes to be no Faith, if but a dram of doubting be mingled with it, &c.

Consider therefore I say, First, That true Faith hath severall acts, and severall degrees. A fulnesse of perswasion is not the least act, or degree of Faith, [Page 109] no not of true justifying Faith. There are notes un­der that Ela. There is great quarrelling concerning the nature and essence of true justifying Faith; some will have it to be a bare knowledge. Thus (saith the Apostle) The devils beleeve, and tremble: Some will afford us a little more, and tell us that Faith consists in an assent, but beyond this they will not stride; some in too full opposition to these denying any certainty of perswasion and assurance to be, have described Faith by an assurance and full perswasion, which is the highest, and not the direct, but the re­flex act of Faith, when indeed the very essence of justifying Faith lieth betwixt these, in an act of ad­herence to, and reliance upon Jesus Christ.

To Faith we grant a knowledge is required of Gods word. But this we say is rather supposed to Faith, then an act of true justifying Faith.

First, The lowest act of Faith is an assent, a yiel­ding in thy soul to the word of God, an agreement to the truth of it, Exod. 14. 31. Israel beleeved the Lord, and his servant Moses, [viz.] gave credence and assent, agreed that it was just, and good, and true, that the Lord spake, and relied upon the authority of him that spake it; So by this act of Faith, doth the beleever, when he hears the word of God revea­led concerning his salvation, he closeth with it; as suppose that, Ioh. 3. 16. God so loved the world that he gave his onely begotten Son, that whosoever beleeves in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Or that of the Apostle, There is no other name under heaven, whereby a man may be saved, but the name of Iesus; or that again, This a faithfull saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Iesus Christ came into the world to save [Page 110] sinners. Faith now doth not onely know this, but closeth with God in these truths: And so concerning the promises of salvation, when God sayes, Though your sins were as scarlet, I will make them as snow, though they were as crimson, yet they shall be white as wooll. Faiths work now is to perswade the soul to an assent to, and credence of the truth of this good word of God, yea, and it is not every assent that is an act of Faith neither.

First, It must be a stedfast assent, The beleever doth as verily beleeve the promise of God, as that he doth live; he sayes in his heart, and with his whole heart: First, The word that tells me this is the world of an ever-living and unchangeable God, and it is undoubtedly his Word. Secondly, It is the word of a true and faith­full God; The Apostle calls Gods Word, The word of truth; And it is the word of truth either material­ly, the matter of it is truth, or objectively, the ob­ject of it is truth. It hath the God of truth for the Author, It is whole truth for the matter. And this the beleever gives full and stedfast credit unto.

Secondly, Yea, and he gives credit to every truth that the word of God holds out to him as truth. Faith quickens the soul, to thirst after full discoveries of truth, and quickens the soul, to receive every beam of the light of truth, that shines into it. The Hebrews say, That there is not the least tittle of the law, upon which great mountains do not depend. The beleever saith, there's not the least jot in the word of God, upon which great mountains of truth do not depend, not any leaf but the God of truth is wrapt up in. I remember that it was Gods command in the 28. cha. of Deut. That when the severall curses were read, all [Page 111] the people should say Amen; and that not to this or that curse, but at the denuntiation of every curse all the people said Amen; I do not reade the like command when the blessings were pronounced, yet (without question) their assent was required to them as well as the other. But our hearts are ready enough to say Amen to blessings, and promises, but we would not say Amen to threatnings and curses: Now the beleever gives assent and credence to the word of God,V. Balls Treat. of Faith. 1. p. even there where it seemeth most to strike at his own interest, and happinesse; he be­leeves all things that are written in the law, and the Pro­phets, Acts 24. 14.

Yea, and he gives thirdly, a clear assent to the word of God, and every portion of it. He is not like him that saith Amen to any thing, he will give his assent to every piece of the word of God, and yet not a blinde assent to any piece of it; but every truth that he assents unto, shines into his soul with a light as clear as the suns at high-noon-day. As Christ told the woman of Samaria, Ioh. 4. 22. You worship you know not what, but we know what we worship. The dis­course had been very high about very great myste­ries; Christ had told her of a strange gift he would give her, Living water, v. 10. That should have a strange quality, even a quality to quench thirst for ever, v. 14. She gave some assent to this, the water pleased her tast, but it was but a blinde assent, for▪ she dreamed of such a water as might satisfie her bodily thirst, that she might no more come thither to draw. And v. 20. When she made a confession of her Faith to Jesus Christ▪ that it was just of the same length & bredth of her fathers, not an inch lon­ger [Page 112] nor shorter (a Faith of the same last with most now a dayes.) Christ told her that in the dayes to come, there should be a strange kinde of worship­ping the Father, Neither at Ierusalem, nor yet in that mountain. Ye worship saith he you know not what, but we know what we worship. Many assent this day to the word of God, They assent to it that there is a Christ come into the world to save sinners, &c. None will deny this, but it is in their brains but as a dark no­tion, or else they have received it as a tradition of their fathers. (Our forefathers religion is a great plea in these dayes) The Samaritans they worship­ped▪ they gave a kinde of a blinde credence, and as­sent to some things that were truths in the word; But alas! they worshipped they knew not what, they had no clear distinct knowledge of those truths that they made an orall profession of, and with their mouths did pretend assent to. So wicked and pro­fane men now a dayes give a kinde of an assent to the word of God, and to the Doctrine of Jesus Christ, but it is far from the meanest, and lowest act of true Faith. When they hear or have received it from tradition, that Christ was born of a Virgin, or that Christ though eternall God yet was also per­fect man, that he died for sinners, &c. The wret­ches will tell you they beleeve these things; But a­las! they assent not to them as clear distinct truths, made out evidently and convincingly to their souls, they say they professe they worship they know not what. They understand not these things▪ The natural man receiveth not the things of God, for they are foolish­nesse unto him, 1 Cor. 2. 14. nor can he know them for they are spiri­tually discerned. He gives his blinde assent, and per­haps [Page 113] will set his hand to them, but he doth but set his hand to a blank if he does; Nor can it be other­wise, for the carnall man hath nothing but the buc­ket of carnall reason to draw with, out of the unfa­domable depth of the mysteries of salvation; and while he hath nothing else, thus reason disputes, and cannot but dispute in his soul; If Christ be God, How could he be born or dye? reason cannot an­swer these questions, therefore they seem dark to the poor blinde wretch, and though he professes he gives credence to the word of God, in these parti­culars; Yet his assent is but a dark and forced act of his will, not a voluntary and clear act of it, closing with the truth, and embracing of it; nor can it be, because (as I have shewed) his assent of his will can­not proceed from a well enlightned understanding, without the precedency of which the will is but ra­vished into an assent. The understanding is that which holds the candle to the will in the soul: Now the assent and credence which every true beleever gives to the word of truth, though it be an act of the will (for it is the wills act to delight in, and close with and [...]eal) yet it proceeds from a spiritually, and clearly enlightened understanding, for it is the un­derstandings office to dictate to the will: Now as­sent in the wicked man, is but an act of his will without any clearnesse in the understanding, the un­derstanding onely presenting the truth, as a notion, or tradition, or commonly received opinion, this is far from an act of Faith, but such as the devils have. It is like the Athenian devotion, Paul coming to Athens, Act. 17. 23. found an Altar with this su­perscription, [...], To the unknown God. Their [Page 114] worshipping argued some assent of the will, and the will alwayes following the dictate of the understan­ding, It is certain that there was some knowledge; the truth was this, Their understanding had gather­ed up some generall notions of the Deity [That there was a God, &c.] and these might be seen by the light of nature, or heard from their forefathers, and suckt in by tradition. And it is plain it was no more, for they ingenuously confesse, that the God whom they worshipped, was unknown to them; they knew that there was a God, and possibly, that this God was a spirit, and that this God must be worshipped, Naturall eyes discern all this, but it was not a clear and distinct knowledge, and assent, they worshipped they knew not what, their Altar was to the unknown God, As many name-Chri­stians, beleevers at large, now a dayes mutter over their common-prayers to their unknown God, and come to Church to worship an unknown God, one­ly their fathers or mothers have told [...]hem, there is a God, and a Christ, and this [...]rist came into the world to save sinners, and they must be good Church-men and serve God, &c. But now where this is an assent in the soul (to a truth) as an act of true Faith, it is out of a distinct and clear under­standing. It conceives a great deal of reason, why it should beleeve such a truth, close with such a pro­mise, assent to such a word, and the soul so clearly and brightly sees the truths, that it sets its hand and heart unto, that it wonders at the blindenesse of carnall men, that they should not see it as clear as they do, but yet be blinde to the things of God; when for their parts they are as clear to their souls [Page 115] as the sun when it shineth at bright noon-day. And therefore Faith is called, Heb. 11. 1. The evidence of things not seen. The word translated, evidence, is [...], which signifies, a convincing demonstration, it commeth of the Greek verb [...],Leigh, critica. which signifies (say criticks) so to convince, and bring evidence and reason for a thing, and prove it by demonstra­tion so clearly, that no man can either deny it or ob­ject against it, or so much as pretend an objection against it. Such is Faith to the gracious soul, it perswadeth the soul so to assent, that the soul is clear­ly convinced of the thing to be assented to; Faith hath so fully perswaded the soul of the word, truth, promise, that it desires its hand and heart, to that the soul is fully satisfied in it, and is clear in it. Though the beleeving soul neither doth see, nor ex­pects to see the brightnesse of sublime mysteries, by the eye of carnall reason; yet it sees by another eye, and so clearly every thing that it assents to, that it conceives there can be no darknesse in it, no reason nor objection pretended against it, but frivolous and vain, and of no value. This is Faiths first act, stedfast clear assent. Now in this the soul may possi­bly deceive it self.

The second Act of Faith (which we ordinarily say is the very marrow, and essence of justifying Faith) is reliance, and dependency upon Jesus Christ, when the soul having been perswaded of the word of truth, and assented to it; doth in the next place hang, and depend upon it, as the word upon which it must live, and commits his soul to Christ, and hangs upon him as the Christ, by which he onely can be saved; This I say is that Act which justifieth. [Page 116] A learned Author hath noted six words in Scripture,Ball in his Treat▪ of Faith. by which the Holy-ghost doth expresse to us, the na­ture and work of beleeving.

First, Faith ex­prest by six words. Beleeving put in opposition to fainting, Psa. 27. 13. I had fainted unlesse I had beleeved.

Secondly, Trusting put in opposition to fearing Psal. 78. 22. They trusted not in his salvation, they were afraid of the Canaanites.

Thirdly, Betaking to as to a castle, Psal. 2. 12. Our translation reades it, Blessed are all they that trust in him: But Mollerus saith it signifies Protectionis causâ aliquò confugere, & se recipere (verbum appositum, saith he) to fly to some place for protection, as to a castle in a time of danger.

Fourthly, By a word that signifieth, To lean and relye upon, as an old man leaneth on a staff, 2 Chron. 16. 7, 8. Because thou didst relye upon the Lord, he did deliver them into thy hand, verbatim (say Expositors) because thou didst lean upon him as thy staff.

Fifthly, By another word, That signifies to stay up the minde, as with a prop, Esau 48. 2. You stay your selves upon the Lord, from fearing despairing, from sinking dejections, &c.

A sixth word by which it is exprest, is rolling and hanging upon, as a drowning man on a boy, Psal. 37. 5. So that we may say▪ That the very essentiall act in which consists the marrow of justifying Faith, is this—When the soul being perswaded of the truth of Gods eternall word, gives a f [...]ll and fixt assent, and cre­dence to it; to every curse and threatning, as well as to every promise, and yet doth not faint, nor sink in de­spair, nor drown in sorrow; but in this apprehension of its lost and undone condition, runs to Iesus Christ, as a [Page 117] safe castle, and hangs upon him, committing the whole burthen of its soul unto him, and stayes there, leaning up­on him, and the promises of life, made in him to the soul. This is now justifying Faith, which afterwards cre­ates in the soul a quiet [...]esting in God, a sweet de­lighting in God, a stedfast hope in him, and a pa­tient waiting for him; and at last a confident assu­rance of him: But this is certainly Faith, so far as is upon pain of damnation, necessary to salvation: The going out of the soul unto Christ, and the whole application of it self to the promises of salvation made in and by him; and whosoever doth this sin­cerely, and with a faithfull heart, is passed from death to life, and shall never perish, neither in this life nor in the life to come; it puts its trust in him that never fails them that do so.

There is indeed a third Act of Faith, Which is an act of assurance and full perswasion, commonly called by Divines, The reflex act of Faith. Now this Act of Faith, Is when the soul is fully and throughly per­swaded, that Iesus Christ hath actually pardoned all its sins, and that it is his, and he is hers. This is not that Act of Faith, concerning which the Apostle speaks, Rom. 5. 1. Being justified by Faith, we have peace with God. It is rather a consequent of justifying Faith, that peace which floweth to the soul, as a fruit, and a sweet effect of justification; and that this is not that Act of Faith which justifieth, is plain, Because the soul must be justified before it can put forth it self in this Act. This is a comfortable but not a necessa­ry Act of Faith, and is more properly called [fides justificati, then fides justificans] the Faith of a justi­fied person, then justifying Faith: It is good and [Page 118] speciall justifying Faith, for the soul heartily and sincerely to desire, and thirst and hunger after the par­don and forgivenesse of its sins, through the free grace of Iesus Christ, and confidently to rest upon the pro­mises of free remission and pardon. But it is another pitch of Faith, and of an higher nature to be confi­dently assured, that all my sins are really and fully par­doned. It is one thing to beleeve, that my sins, how many and how great soever, shall be taken away, and that God will smile upon me, and we shall not finally perish; And another thing to be fully assu­red, that now God is well pleased with us, and all our sins are blotted out; Yea it is one thing to be perswaded, that our names are in the white book of election, and our sins decretally pardoned, which was from eternity, and meritoriously par­doned, which was, if ever, in Christs death, And another thing to beleeve that God hath acquitted us actually from the obligation to death, that is in them; God so pardons in time, and in the Act of justification. It is truth, we ought to strive after a Faith of assurance, but we are not necessarily ob­liged to an assurance upon our justification; Faith precedes actuall, and formall justification in our consciences, it is the instrument to apprehend it. Now the Gospel doth not, when it calls to me to beleeve, oblige me to a lye: If before I am justi­fied, I should be tied to beleeve I am actually ju­stified, the Gospel would oblige me to that in or­der to my justification, which I cannot upon war­rantable grounds beleeve, till after my justificati­on: So that we cannot conclude, that we have not true justifying Faith, that we do not beleeve, be­cause [Page 119] we cannot be confident God hath actually and formally, in the court of our consciences, ac­quitted us from the guilt of our sins; for the es­sence of justifying Faith, doth not consist in that: And yet we may not altogether shut out confidence, and perswasion, out of the justifying Act of Faith, give me therefore leave to adde a word or two con­cerning it.

CHAP. 7.
How to satisfie such poor Christians as think they doe not truly beleeve, because they have many doubtings and weaknesses.

ALas!Complaint. (saith a poor Christian) I am confident my faith is not true, but false; I am so full of doubt­ings and feares, and every act which I should think an act of faith is so weak, &c.

To this Complaint now I shall apply my second consideration, viz. That true faith is of so good a nature that it will (keeping its truth) consist with much weaknesse in the severall acts, and dwell in a soule where many doubts are.

This is my Thesis: Now concerning this▪ di­vers have treated so largly, that I shall be very brief, and rather repeat what they say, following them, then lead you a worse way of my own.Sedgwicks dou­bting Christi­an. I finde Mr. Sedgwick (who hath made it his work in his Book called, The doubting Christian, to handle this very point, and hath done it fully) laying down foure or five conclusions by way of premise; for the right understanding of this point, I shall name them to you.

[Page 123] First, It is without question, that all Doubtings are [...]infull, they are the smoakings of our corruptions, they are begotten of sinne, the depravation of our originall light, with which God in innocencie en­lightned Adam, that is the cause, and they hinder grace, and hinder us in our duty, &c.

Secondly, They be no part of faith; in that a man doth beleeve, he doth not doubt; Faith and Doubting may dwell under the same roofe, but they marry not, nor mingle any bloods together, they are not at all of a family. Faith is of the family of Heaven, Doubtings are of the family of Hell; they are inmates, but have little acquaintance one with another, none at all with one anothers na­tures; they are two things, though in one soule.

Thirdly, They cannot consist at the same instant with the act of faith, Ib. p. 16. for it is impossible that Faith should formally doubt; the beleever while he beleeveth, and in what he beleeveth, doth not doubt; I cannot at the same time lay my hand upon the Rock, and not lay my hand upon it, &c. But,

Fourthly,Christ dying. p. 27. (saith he) Actuall doubtings may be in a soule who hath habituall faith; for as he saith, they are not opposed as life and death, but as cold and heat; water may have some cold, and some heat in it at the same time,Rutherford. as life and sicknesse (saith Mr. Rutherford) sicknesse is neighbour with life.

Nay fifthly, I may say more I thinke, Faith and Doubting may be at the same time in the soul, though not in the same thing; I cannot beleeve this truth, and yet doubt the same; but I may beleeve this, and doubt some other [...] Yea,

Sixthly, There is no beleever lives, but hath had, or [Page 124] hath doubtings. Abraham, Gen. 15. 2, 3. David, Psal. [...]16. 11. See more, p. 17, 18, 19. ib. The mor­ning dawning of light, may be light, though there be some darknesse mixed with it.

Now to prove this position, that Faith may con­sist with Doubtings;Christ dying. I can say no more then pre­cious Mr. Rutherford hath said, p. 27. who proveth it by these five Arguments.

First, because Faith and Doubtings are not con­tradictories, as life and death, which mutually deny and expell one another; but opposites, as sick­nesse and health in the same body, may be succes­sively.

Secondly, Because Christ, when he rebuked doubting, yet supposed faith, and acknowledged faith, though a little faith in his Disciples, Mat. 14. 31.

Thirdly, Because the Disciples prayed, Lord, in­crease our faith, what needed that? they had been at Ela, at the highest pitch and note of faith, if they had been above all doubtings.

Fourthly, Because Christ prayed for Peter, that when Satan winnowed him, his faith might not fail; it could not faile, if every true faith were above all doubtings.

Fifthly and lastly, from the various condition of the Saints of God here, sometimes they have a full Moon, [...]non no Moon-light at all, but a dark Eclipse.

I might adde the constant experience of Gods Saints. Who lives, and doth not thus sinne against God? I appeale to the best experiences of Gods earthly Saints. These things I thought good to [Page 125] premise, for the right understanding, and for the proving of this conclusion.

Now I will not enter into so large a field, as to shew you all the Doubts that Christians may have. Mr. Sedgwick hath done a great deale in this work in the Book before quoted; but thus much I will doe.

First, I will shew you what doubts and weaknesses and imper [...]ections may consist with true Faith in a gracious soule, in relation to the severall acts of it.

Secondly, I will shew you the differences be­twixt those Doubts which often arise in (and are consistent with Faith in) a gracious soul, and those which are damning dispairing doubts of Repro­bates: And first of the first of these.

CHAP. 8.
What Doubtings and weaknesses, in respect of know­ledge, may consist with true Faith in a gracious soule, and how to satisfie the soule in this trouble.

THough some dispute knowledge to be a [...] act of Faith, yet we say, that it is required to the lowest and meanest act of Faith (which is assent) rather then an act of Faith of it self; yet in regard many Christians that strive and labour after know­ledge (having wanted those meanes that others have had, either in regard of hearing the Word, or in regard of education) have not attained to what they desire, walk yet troubled about their condi­tion, in respect of their ignorance, and because of this are ready to deny the grace of God in the work [Page 126] of true Faith in their soules: Give me leave a little to speak something by way of satisfaction to such poor souls; you shall heare them complain in this manner.

Complaint. Alas! I beleeve? I have not yet stept the first step of a Christian. I have not so much as a know­ledge of Gods Word, I am a poor ignorant soule, I know not halfe the mysterious doctrines of salvation; can such an ignorant wretch as I be a beleever? Besides for what I know I am ready to deny it; sometimes I think this is the word and truth of God; sometimes again I think it is not; I fully beleeve nothing, I know nothing, I cannot read, nor understand when I heare; many things in Scripture I know not; and for what I know I know nothing as [...]ought to know it.

Here's the complaint; now satisfaction.

Now to speak a word or two by way of com­fort and stay to the soule, that labours under this trouble.

For thy knowing nothing as thou oughtest to know (as thou complainest) it is happy for thy soule, (if thou speakest from thy heart,) that God hath wrought thy heart into so low an opinion of thy self. See what the Apostle speaketh, 1 Cor. 8. 2. And if any man think that hee knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know it. But now for thy reall ignorance that thou so much complainest of, I shall propound a few considerations, which wil shew thee how much ignorance may consist with true faith in the soule, and then conclude all with a caution or two.

For the first,

First, consider, Thou mayest be ignorant in many [Page 127] points of Religion which are fundamentall in some sense, and yet have faith, true faith; I think, when we speak of fundamentals, we ought to distinguish; some fundamentalls are absolutely necessary, our salvation stands upon them as; to beleeve, That Iesus Christ came into the world to save sinners, that he be­came man, a Iesus, a full Savior, that he dyed for us that we might live; that there is no salvation in any other but in him, and that in him there is a fulnesse of salva­tion, &c. These now are those pillars upon which our salvation stands, and the knowledge of which is alwayes supposed to true justifying faith; none can be ignorant in these, and beleeve; For how shall they beleeve in him, of whom they have not heard (which was the Apostles question?) but now there are other do­ctrines which are ordinarily called fundamentalls, because they are such as Christians learn, even in the beginning of their conversion, such as are first taught, and laid for a foundation to build other truths upon; the doctrine of the imposition of hands, resurrection of the dead, &c. are reckoned up by the Apostle for fundamentalls, Heb. 6. 1, 2. Now for these it is very possible that a Christian may be ignorant of them, and yet have a true faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; The Doctrine of the Trinity of the persons, viz. That in the Deity there are three distinct manners of being, three distinct sub­sistences, distinguished each from other by their severall properties; This is without question a fundamen­tall point of the second sort, such as is usually taught Christians as a piece of the foundation of Religion; yet I do verily beleeve that a Christian may beleeve, and be in the state of grace, and yet not [Page 128] be instructed fully, but be ignorant in this. Suppose a Minister should go preach to Heathens, and preach what need men in naturall condition have of Jesus Christ, what a wofull condition they are in without him, what a readinesse there is in Christ to save them: and upon this presse faith; doe you think it is not possible, that some soule may be startled, and run out of it self, and rest truly up­on Christ, and yet not be for the present so well in­structed, as to give you an account of the Trinity of persons? And yet without question it is a truth and a fundamentall truth too, Acts 19. v. 2. Paul came to Ephesus, and found certain men that were Disciples, v. 1. He asks them if they had received the Holy Ghost; they ingenuously confest, that they were so farre from receiving the gifts of the Holy Ghost, that they had not so much as heard whether there was an Holy Ghost or no: I know most of ex­positors construe it of the gifts of the holy Ghost; but for my part I cannot subscribe to their opini­on, but think the latter clause hath more then the former, and that there is an emphasis in their an­swer; and so Ioh. 20. v. 9. we find the Disciples of Christ ignorant in the point of Christs Resurre­ction from the dead, and Christ chides his Disci­ples for their ignorance in this point,The Disciples were ignorant concerning the Father, Ioh. 14. 8. Lord shew us the Fa­ther, and it suf­ficeth us. Luk. 24. v. 5. The very Apostles were ignorant in the point of Christs Kingdome, and rule, and dreamt of Christs restoring the temporall Kingdome to Israel, Act. 1. v. 6. This is the case of many a poor Christian; it may be it cannot read, or it hath not lived where there hath been any faithfull powerfull soule-en­lightning preaching; but when Gods time comes, [Page 129] he brings the soule to heare, and it doth possibly heare of its poor, naturall, undone condition, and that there is none other name by which the Chri­stian may be saved, but onely the Name of Jesus: yet this now being the work of Gods Spirit, the spi­rit carries on its own work, and creates faith in the soule, brings the soule to trust and rely on Iesus Christ. There may be divers fundamentall points that the soule all this while hath not heard a word concerning; as how many yeare sometimes doth a Minister preach, and not directly meddle with the Doctrine of the Trinity, &c? How many weeks, and not preach the Doctrine of the Resurrection? But here is now the condition of such a Christian, after the Spirit of God hath enlightned him, and con­vinced him, &c. the poor soule (that regarded not instruction before) now begins perhaps to learn to read, pray; now he heareth the Word more, en­quireth concerning God more, &c. and every day discovers more truth then other, to which the soul by nature was blinded; then begins Satans work; the soule reflects upon it self, and begins to say, now, Wo is me! I have my work still to begin! I have made my self beleeve I have been a beleever so long; and alas! I have been a poor, blind, ignorant wretch, blind to the truths of Iesus Christ, &c. how could I beleeve while I knew so little? Yes Christian, thou mayest be a Scholler, though thou beest but in thy Acci­dence; there are some truths which are the Creden­da ad salutem, the very foundation upon which salvation standeth; Now true faith is not consist­ent without these▪ I cannot rest upon Christ, and Christ onely for salvation, and yet not know that [Page 130] there is a Christ, nor what this Christ is, how pro­portionate a Saviour for me; without question, the knowledge of the Doctrine of faith in Iesus Christ the Son of God, and the Saviour of man, what he is, what he hath done, what need we have of him; what a fulnesse there is in him; what a sufficiencie of salvation for every soule that belee­veth, &c. is so much knowledge as is absolutely necessary, and without which no soule can be sa­ved; yet this must not be understood without some caution, as I shall shew you anon; for though it be truth, such a blind soule may be enlightned so far, as truely to beleeve; yet if so, it will deny no truth, but labour and thirst after the knowledge of every truth: A man may be a Grecian, and yet not know every word in the Greek tongue, no not every Radix: Beleevers shall not bee saved by their Book.

Secondly, A Beleever may be ignorant in many cir­cumstanciall points of Religion, and yet be a true Be­leever; this is clear from many examples in Scrip­ture. Peter himself did not know he might eat those birds and beasts,Acts 11. which to the Iewes were unclean. The beleeving Romanes did not know their liberty in point of holy-dayes,Rom. 14. and eating of meats first offered to Idolls,Gal. 4. which maketh the Apostle take a great deale of paines for setting Rules to strong Christians how to carry themselves in relation to their weak brethren,Gal. 5. whose consciences were stum­bled at their eating; both in the 24. Chap. of his Epistle to the Romanes, and also in his Epistle to the Corinthians, he harps upon the same string a­gain. The Churches of Galatia and Colosse were [Page 131] ignorant about the point of Christian liberty. The indulgent Master will not throw away the childs Exercise for want of a Comma: Christ rejects not the Christians Faith because it is not fringed with a knowledge in every circumstantiall in Religion: I call no truth circumstantiall (as by a slighting and neglective terme) for it is a beame of God; but as comparatively, though they be truths to be known, embraced, loved, practised, yet they touch not the vitals of salvation, as I may say: They are not necessary to be known [ad esse] to make a true beleever.

Thirdly, a Christian may be ignorant in the History of the Bible, and yet have true justifying faith. Every Scholler is not a Chronologer, nor an Historian, no more is every beleever; I may know what Christ was, though I know not what Moses and Aa­ron were; I may know which way Christ took, to bring my soule out of darknesse into marvellous light, though I do not know which way Moses took to bring the children of Israel out of Egypt; I may know there is but one King of Kings, though I do not know how many Kings there were of Israel and Iudah. The Disciples did not know all the Pro­phets had spoken, Luk. 24. 25.

Fourthly, a Christian may be a true beleever, and yet not know the meaning of many places in Scripture. God would never have appointed expounders of the Law, if every Christian, qua Christian, were to have been a generall Commentator. That Well is deep, and every one hath not a Bucket to draw. There are that tell us, that [...]e Spirit reveales the meaning of Scripture to the beleever, and would [Page 132] thence evince, that whoso hath the Spirit, must needs bee fit to unty every knot, and unriddle eve­ry mystery of Scripture; but every one that hath the Spirit, hath not the Spirit of prophesie: For those Scriptures which it is necessary in point of salvati­on every beleever should know, every beleever un­derstands the nature of them: God hath made the water shallow, that the Lambs may wade; but for those places through which the beleevers passages do not lie to Heaven, in which the Elephants may swim, God doth not require that every Lambe should sound those depths.

Fifthly, A Christian may be so farre ignorant in the fundamentalls, as that he cannot make them out, and yet be a true beleever; he may be ignorant in the parti­culars, by which the generals are demonstrated; as for example, he may know that Christ dyed for him, and rest upon the merits of his death for eter­nall life, and so truly beleeve, and yet not be able to make this out, by reason of his ignorance, how Christ being God, should be capable of death; how the humane and divine Nature were conjoyn­ed; hee may know that Christ satisfied by his active obedience for his actuall sinne, and yet not perfectly understand how Christ being man should be free from sinne, being conceived by the Holy Ghost. The boyes Exercise may be true Latin, though he cannot pierce every word. The Disci­ples were beleevers, yet were ignorant concerning the Resurrection, yea, concerning Christs uni­on with the Father,Luk. 24. 25. Ioh. 14. 4, 5, 6. The know­ledge may bee cleare to them in the generall, though through their infirmity and ignorance they [Page 133] be not able to cleare it up in the severall parti­culars.

Lastly, They may bee so farre ignorant in the sub­stantialls of Religion, as that they cannot dispute them: The faculty of beleeving, and the art of dis­puting are two things: I may know and beleeve that which I cannot maintaine upon dispute: It is a knowne speech of that female Martyr, I cannot dispute, but I can dye for Christ; if she had not beleeved, she would not have dyed; she could maintain her faith with her blood, which shee could not maintaine with her tongue: As every Scholler, so every beleever is not a disputant: It is good Logick in Divinity, for the Christian to hold the conclusion, though he knowes not what to say to the Sophisters premises: But lest now some should thinke and say, that I have laid Hea­ven a little too wide open; I must limit what I have said with two Cautions. To satisfie the poore doubting Christian in point of ignorance, I have laid downe the truth in these Conclusions, and shewed you how farre it is possible that a man may bee ignorant, and yet a true Belee­ver; But,

First, It must bee provided hee bee not content with this ignorance, but useth the meanes to in­crease knowledge, searcheth the Scripture, and heares the Word; that this ignorance pro­ceeds meerly out of infirmity, not of wilfulnesse; otherwise this knowledge will not bee sufficient. It is given as the character of unbeleevers,2 Pet. 3. 5. 2 Pet. 3. That they were willingly ignorant; Wee have an High-Priest who can have compassion on the igno­rant, [Page 134] and on them that are out of the way, for as much as hee also was compassed about with infirmity. Heb. 5. 2. But for the wilfully ignorant, the High-Priest was to offer no Sacrifice▪ Know therefore Chri­stian, that thou canst have no comfort that thou beleevest though thou beest ignorant, unlesse (ap­pealing to thine owne heart) thou canst say, I have done what I can to dispell these mists of ig­norance, and learne the whole truth of God. Christ Jesus will take the blind man by the hand,Mar. 8. 23, 24, 25. if he beseecheth him to touch him, provided hee be willing to receive his sight; And as hee did not cast off the blinde man that at first saw men walking like Trees: So hee will not cast off the Christian that at his first illumination sees di­vine truths like Trees, not clearely, distinctly, and fully; but as he dealt with that blinde man, hee left him not there, but hee put his hands againe upon him, and made him see every man clearly: So if thou belongest to Christ, hee will put his hands againe upon thee, and make thee see every portion of his divine truth more clearely; hee will make thy dawning twilight be growing up to a mid-day of knowledge. [...] Pet▪ 3. 18. Therefore Saint Peter layes it as his necessary injunction upon Beleevers, That they should grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ. That's the first Caution.

Secondly, this gnorance may bee consistent with true Faith in thee, provided thou dost not deny the truth that thou dost not know; Thou mayest have faith, though thou dost not know what the Tri­nity is, or how it is; but if thou denyest the Tri­nity, [Page 135] I make a question of thy truth of faith, or possibility of salvation: Ignorance of some truths, is not damnable, but the denyall of every truth (when revea [...]ed) is damnable; want of a cleare knowldge is not damnable; but denyall of the truth because thou canst not clearely make it out, is damnable. Speak not evill of what thou knowest not, but wait untill, and pray that God would re­veale it unto thee,1 Tim. 5. 8. 1 Tim. 5. 8. He hath denyed the Faith, and is worse then an infidell. There was a great difference betwixt the Disciples that had not yet learnt, and the Sadduces that denyed the Re­surrection; I never yet learnt or read, that any of the latter were beleevers; the Disciple had not yet known the Father, nor yet the son well, Ioh. 14. 7, 8, 9.Io. 14 7, 8, 9. But the Apostle sayes, He is Antichrist that denyeth the Father and the Sonne. Ignorance of truth will be borne with, but denyall of truth shall not. Take heed of denying the truths thou dost not know. Thus I have shewed you how true Faith may consist with doubtings concerning the point of knowledge, which though it be not properly called an act of faith, yet it is supposed in the lowest act; and to satisfie you, I have shewed you what igno­rance may be consistent with true Faith, and what not; and with what Cau [...]ions a Christian may bee comforted concerning his faith, notwithstanding his ignorance in some truths, and some things not unnecessary to be known.

CHAP. 9.
Concerning those doubts and weaknesses which may con­sist with true Faith, in respect to its act of Assent, and how to comfort a soule under such troubles.

I Shall now go on to shew you what doubts a Christian that truely be­leeves, may have consistent with his Assent, which I laid down as the first act of faith; for knowledge is rather supposed to faith, then an act of it. You may remember I told you As­sent is an act of faith whereby the Beleever doth firmly, fully, and clearly agree to the truth of God revealed in his Word. Now (sayes the doubting Christian) Alas! I have no faith, I scarce assent to the Word of God at all; or if I do, many truths there are that I cannot assent unto; and those which I doe [Page 137] assent to, sometimes me thinks I do assent to them, and sometimes again no; and when I am at the best, my as­sent is so misty and dark, that I almost assent to I know not what: Now I shall shew thee how much weak­nesse and doubting, in relation to this act of faith, may yet be consistent with true justifying saith in thee; I shall shew it for thy direction and establish­ment in these particulars:

First of all, A Christian that is a true beleever, may think that he doth not assent unto the Word of God, when indeed he doth. It is a known maxime in Di­vinity, That faith may be true without sense of faith; True Faith is one thing, and sense of faith is another; and as it is with the other acts of faith, so it is with this also: As a man may cheat him­selfe that he doth assent, and consequently truely beleeve, though all the world may see that he doth nothing lesse by his irregular walking contra­ry to his professed assent: So it is as true, that a Christian may truly assent unto the truth of God, though he conceits he doth not assent; wee are ordinarily ill Judges of the acts of our mind, be­cause they are secret and occult acts which traffique between the soule and Heaven in an invisible way; and therefore the truth or falshood of these acts is ordinarily discerned by the outward acts of our body, as if I hear a man professing that his soule doth assent and close with that portion of Gods Word, 1 Cor. 6. 9. Neither fornicators, nor idolators, nor adulterers, nor effeminate persons, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor theeves, nor covetous per­sons, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners shall inherit the kingdom of God; & yet at the same time see [Page 138] he lives in them very sinnes; he shall pardon me, if I do think that he doth not assent; and whatso­ever his tongue speaks, yet his heart doth not close with it as a truth of Jesus Christ: So on the con­trary, if I heare a true Christian complaining that he cannot get his heart to close with the Word of God, and what ever the world thinks, hee doth not assent to the truth, yet if I see this man fearing to sin against God, and trembling at the threatning Word of God, and walking as even as he can set his feet, according to the directive part of Gods Word, that as David, he makes the Word of God a light unto his feet, and a lanthorn unto his paths; Let them think what they will, they shall give me leave to think that they doe assent unto, and close with the Word of God. Take a proof of it, Ionas 3. v. 5. Ionas there had preached against Ni­neveh, Ion. 3. v. 4. yet 40 dayes, and Nineveh shall be destroyed; v. 5. So the people of Nineveh be­leeved God; that is, gave a full assent and [...]redence to the Word of God, were perswaded that that which Ionah spake to them in the Name of the Lord, was true: But how shall we know that? the Holy Ghost tells us, it was evident by the effects, they proclaimed a fast, and put on sack-cloth, from the greatest of them to the least; it was manifest by their actions, in relation to this Sermon, study­ing and labouring what they could to pacifie the wrath of God before the 40. dayes were come a­bout, that they did verily think it was a word of truth that Ionas spake to them, and that they were perswaded, and from this assertion of the Holy Ghost we may certainly conclude, that when we see [Page 139] men living, and acting according to the Word of God, and squaring their lives by the compasse of it, they do beleeve [that is, assent unto it] as a word of truth, whether they will confesse so much or no: As when we see a man build houses, purchase lands, give great portions to his children, keep a great house, we may conclude he is rich, though he goes as if he were not worth a groat, and though he will tell you he is not worth a groat. The heart is the seat of assent, and the throne of faith; confessi­on is not essentiall, nor sense materiall to it. Sense of faith is comfortable, but truth and sincere reality of faith is that which is necessary: Confession of faith with our lips, brings glory to God externally; but it is the reality of faith in the heart, which brings glory to God internally: It is he that doth assent, that doth the will of God; not he alwayes that saith he doth it, or thinks he doth it. Mat. 21. 28. We have a parable propounded by Christ to his Disci­ples; it was of a man that had two sonnes, and hee came to first and said, Son, go work to day in my Vine­yard; he answered, and said he would not, but yet hee repented and went: And he came to the second, and said likewise; and he answered and said, I go Sir, and went not: whether of the twain (saith Christ) did the will of his Father? They said unto him, The first. To apply it. God sayes unto all men, Beleeve, and close with, and be perswaded of my truth. One sayes, I do beleeve and assent; but his irregular life is such, that all the world [...]ees he gives his tongue the lye. Another sayes, Lord, I doe not assent to and beleeve it; yet he dares not swerve a foot from it; Which of these, do you think, does the will [Page 140] of Christ? Surely the latter, though he will not say nor think that he doth it, but suffers his tongue to give his heart the lye; indeed, sense and per­swasion of faith is that which we ought to strive after, to be perswaded that we do close with the truth of Christ; but yet many a one doth that which he doth not know he doth; the Christian is his own worst Judge, and doth, and will do more a great deale for God then he will speak of. But I hasten to the second.

Secondly, A true beleever may sometimes doubt whether the Word of God be the Word of God, or no (or indeed may be tempted to do it, rather then do it) this is that which troubles many a gracious Christian; Alas! they do not beleeve the Word of God, they are troubled with many Atheisticall and blasphe­mous thoughts, that they cannot tell what to think; whether the Word be the Word of God, or onely (as Atheists dreame) a modell of Scripture drawn by some to keep mens consciences in awe, &c. and this makes them conclude, Tush! I cheat my own soule, to think I have faith, when I question even the principles of Christianity, &c. and shake the foundation with one shake; and yet at the very same time they live, close to the rule of it, and it hath a strict and severe command over their consci­ences. Now this I say is rather a temptation to doubt of the truth of Gods Word in their soules, then a reall and positive doubt. The Devill is very busie in such manner of temptations; yea, even Christ himselfe shall not be without them, Mat. 4. 6. he had set Christ upon the pinacle of the Tem­ple, and bid him cast himself down; for it is writ­ten, [Page 141] he shall give his Angels charge, &c. in which words I conceive as the Devill tempted Christ in an unwarrantable way to rest upon the promise, so he also tempted him to doubt of the truth of the Scripture: As if he should have said, If the Scrip­ture be true, and you beleeve it, try a little, throw thy self down, thou hast a promise to catch thee, Psal. 91. 11. Throw thy self down, and thou shalt see now how true the Scriptures are, &c. So the De­vill deales with Christians often, sets upon them to deny the Scriptures, and puts such thoughts in­to their hearts, &c. which are but temptations, and argue not a nullity of their assent to the Scriptures, but an assault made upon their faith by Satan. But may a Christian say, If I could know this, it were something; how shall I know whether such thoughts be the spawn of unbeleefe, and procee­ding from an internall cause, my own infidels heart, or whether they be, as you say, meerly the tempta­tions of Satan, and assaults upon my faith. I shall labour to tell thee briefly.

First, They are ordinarily but Disputations, and Queries, not determinations: Thou oftentimes hast Quaeries in thy soule, What should I think are the Scriptures, the Word of God or no? They have strange things in them, one would wonder they should be the Word of Truth; thou never commest positively to determine in thy soule, Tush, they are not the Word of God. God gives Satan leave to play the Opponent sometimes, to see what a Respondent the Beleever can be; but hee alwayes keeps the office of the Moderator to him­selfe, when they never go beyond a dispute in thy [Page 142] heart, that thou dost not determine in thy heart the contrary, nor declare with thy lips, nor pra­ctice with thy life the contrary; it is a sign they are but temptations, though they argue weaknesse, and thou oughtest to bee troubled and humbled for them; if they were children of thy owne begetting, thou wouldst nourish them better.

Secondly, If they be onely temptations, thou findest a striving against them. Tell me Christian, when thou hast such an Atheisticall thought laid at the doore of thy heart, that the Scriptures are not the truth of God, what dost thou do with it? what dost thou take it, and suckle it, and rock it, and nurse it as thy owne childe? Dost thou please thy self with such thoughts, and labour to coine ar­guments to maintaine and hug them? This is a note of a base heart: Or art thou impati­ent of it, but presently cryest out, Ah Lord! what a base heart have I? And dost thou labour to beat such thoughts out of thy heart, and pray against them, and never listen to any argument Satan would bring to tempt thee to the beleefe of it? I beleeve this is thy tempter, and know if it be, thou mayest have such thoughts and doubts, and yet be a true beleever.

Thirdly, If it be not reall unbeliefe, but a meere temptation to unbeliefe, thy thoughts will not be long. Iames 4. 7. Resist the Devill, and he will flee from you. The Devill, if he be left to stand upon his own legs, is as very a coward as lives; he will come and tempt a beleever, to deny the Scriptures to be the word of truth; the beleever findes these filthy thoughts cast into his heart, he considers Arguments to resist [Page 143] this temptation, cryes and prayes, and sayes, I be­leeve, Lord help my unbeleefe; Away goes Satan presently, will answer never an Argument, but yeeld the field, and the beleevers heart is fixed presently. I mark this in 4. Matth. we read there of three weapons the Devill took up at Christ, v. 3. Hee tempteth him to distrust Gods providence. Christ resists this, v. 4. The Devill hath done with this, not a word more to say; well, he flyes to another, v. 5. tempts him to presume unwarrantably upon Gods providence, and to deny the truth of the Scriptures. Christ resists this, v. 7. The Devill durst not reply, but leaves this too; well, he be­takes himselfe to another, v. 8. Christ resists this, v. 10. Satan hath not a word to say but the coward quits the field, packs up and gets himselfe away, v. 13. Try thy thoughts, are they dwelling thoughts, or transient? if they abide not, they are Satans, that carries bag and baggage with them when he leaves thee.

Fourthly, Thou mayst know if they be temptations, by thy life; thou art sometime ready to think that the Scriptures are not the word of truth, thou canst not as­sent to them; but at this very time durst thou live con­trary to the rule of the Scripture? Darest thou now go and be drunk and be unclean? for what now should keep thee in awe? Darest thou? then 'tis unbeleefe. But at this very time, if thou durst not but live according to that Word of Truth which yet thou art in doubt, whether it be the Word of truth or no, say what thou wilt, thou dost assent un­to it, and Satan would but fool thee of thy faith: Thus you have heard how a Christian may doubt, [Page 144] or rather be tempted to doubt sometimes, whether the Scriptures be the Word of Truth or no, and yet have and give a true and firm assent unto it as the Word of Truth; and you have heard me giving some notes how a Christian may know, whether such thoughts proceed from a principle of unbeleef and dissenting to the Word of Truth, or from the temp­tations of Satan; I come to the third Conclusion, which is this;

Thirdly, A Christian may be a true beleever, and yet not fully assent to some particular truth in the Word of God: There are many pieces of Gods Truth in Gods Word: The Word is the word of an eternal wisdom, and of a depth too deep for us (that have but narrow capacities, and finite buckets) to finde the bottom of it: Now I conceive it is not essen­tiall to a true beleefe and assent, that I should assent to every thing in the Word of God; nay, which of us doe doe it? The causes of this may be these:

1. Ignorance. I shewed you before when I hand­led that point, that there may be a great deal of ig­norance consist with true faith; ignorance in point of Doctrine, and ignorance in circumstantialls, ignorance in divers things which are not of abso­lute necessity to salvation: Now I conceive that assent doth alwayes imply knowledge. How shall they beleeve on him of whom they have not heard (was the Apostles question:) Now I conceive as­senting to a particular truth, as the truth of God, doth nor consist in a bare negation, but hath some­thing positive in it: I conceive, that I cannot bee said to Assent to all things from which I doe not dissent; but if I assent, I doe ful [...]y agree and close [Page 145] with something as a truth, and it hath the attest of my heart. Now in this regard a Christian cannot be properly and positively said to assent unto any truth of God which he doth not know, though it be contained in the Word of Truth, to which hee doth fully and firmly assent: As for example, it was a truth that the beleeving Romanes were not after Christ was come, tyed to dayes and meats, it was a truth of Gods Word; yet it is cleare, [...]4 Rom. 4, 5, 6. &c that they did not know, and were not con­vinced of this truth, and so consequently did not, could not assent unto this particular truth, though in Gods Word; yet it is clear, that they were true beleevers, and so consequently did assent unto the whole word of truth conjunctim, though not to every particular portion and piece of truth contain­ed in that word divisim; Phil. 3. 15. there is a further revelation of truth for beleevers: If any (saith the Apostle) be otherwise minded, God shall reveale this to him; but till that revelation, there cannot be expected a full assent; onely thus farre, The Christian that is the true beleever, doth not dissent from any truth in the Word of God, but prayes for the increase of know­ledge, that so his faith also may increase in the clo­sing with the truth, and giving full assent unto the Truth of the Lord Jesus Christ.

2. It may be occasioned through weaknesse: Possi­bly something may be taught from the Word of God, which is the Truth of God, that I heare, and cannot altogether and firmly assent unto, and close with for truth. As put case it be the baptizing of infants, without question it is the truth of God, and a truth revealed in his Word, that infants ought to [Page 146] be baptized, and it is a robbing of the child of its right, not to bring it to that holy Sacrament; yet through weaknesse, some that yet do assent to the Word of God, and would gladly close with every portion of truth revealed in it, dare not assent to this particular portion of Truth, but are grieved for their weaknesse in it, and desire to walk up to every portion of truth they know in the word; shall wee say their faith is not true in any clearely revealed piece of truth, because to this they cannot declare a full assent, though even frō this they do not dissent, so as to deny this to be a truth, but labour after a more cleare manifestation of it? God forbid; hee that conceales the Truth in unrighteousnesse, in­deed cannot bee said to beleeve; but he that to some particular portion of truth (not absolutely ne­cessary to salvation) is a debtor through weaknesse, I conceive cannot come alwayes within the censure of an infidell: 'Tis one thing peremptorily to de­ny any particular portion of truth; and another thing not to subscribe to it, and by a present assent not to close with it.

Fourthly, A Christian that is a true beleever, may possibly not assent to the true meaning of Scripture, yea close with a false meaning in this or that particular place, Beleevers judgments are not all of a Last, and many a one that doth fully and firmly assent to eve­ry tittle of Gods Word, doth not, cannot alwayes subscribe to the judgement of this or that man, or to the ordinarily received opinion of godly men concerning such or such a portion of Scripture. Scripture is very deep, who can finde it out? and though the Holy Ghost hath left some shallowes [Page 147] that the meanest Christian may wade through, yet there are also some depths which are past finding out; places, about which the learned in the world have posed themselves: VVe see it an ordinary ex­perience even in the dayes wherein we live; such or such an Exposition hath been received almost of all former Writers; yet when one of us cometh to ex­amine the grounds of such or such a sense, and to weigh the context, and compare it with other pla­ces of Scripture, though we assent to the truth (if it be one) as wrapt up in some other portions of Scripture, yet we cannot assent to it, as the truth of that place; and yet possibly it may be too, that theirs is the truth of it and ours is the errour: E­very misbeleever is not an unbeleever; nay yet fur­ther, A man may misunderstand some places of Scrip­ture, and thereupon hold that to be truth which is not; (so it be not in the points that are necessary and funda­mentall to salvation) and yet have true faith, and yeeld true assent unto the Word of God. Every particular imperfection in a righteous mans life will not argue that a man is an unrighteous man in the generall; nor every deviation from truth, argue a man an he­retick; nor every mistake of truth, argue that a man doth not assent unto the truth of Gods Word. The Disciples did verily beleeve that Christ should have a reall Kingdome upon the face of the earth, that should break in pieces all other Kingdomes, and consume them utterly,Acts 1. 6. as is cleare, Acts 1. 6. They asked of him Wilt thou at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? And the mother of Zebedees children was speaking for Courtiers places for her sons, which was but a plaine and cleare mistake of that place in [Page 148] the 2 of Daniel, 44. yet who durst but say they had true faith?2 Dan. 44. So, many in these dayes do clearly be­leeve that Christ shall reign personally here upon earth, a thousand years, with his Saints (it is the Millenaries opinion) which for my part I do not think it is true (and I think that is the opinion of the most) and I think it is a cleare mistake of that place,Rev. 20. 4. and other pla­ces. Revel. 20. v. 4. yet I would be loth to say, that one cannot assent, and truly assent to the Word of God, that runs upon this mistake; surely such an opinion is consistent with true faith; indeed if a man doth not fully assent to those truths revealed in Scripture that hold the foundation of faith firm and stedfast, then you may suspect the truth of his pretended faith. I come to the last Conclu­sion.

Fifthly, A Christian may truly beleeve, and truly, and clearly assent unto the truth of God, though he can­not in all things give a cleare evidence for his assent. This is that which puzleth many a Christian: Alas! I cannot clearly discern the truth of God in his Word, I may think I assent, but can I be said to assent to that which I cannot clearly see, and comprehend, and make out? Yes, without question, there are but very few truths of God which the Christian hath a clear and full sight of, and gives a cleare assent unto; for a clearnesse of assent must proceed from a clearnesse of knowledge. Now a truth may be cleare to a mans soule two wayes▪

• 1. To the eye of his Reason.
• 2. To the eye of his Faith.

There are some truths which are clear even to the naturall man, to the eye of his reason, as that [Page 149] there is a God; that we are all gone a stray from the wayes of God, in which we were first see; to these even the carnall man may give a cleare attest, for he sees a great deal of reason that demonstrates these and such like truths unto him: But now there are some truths, which to the eye of Reason are as dark as midnight, as Christs assuming the humane nature, and the Doctrine of the Trinity, and the sublime Doctrine of Christs union with the soule, &c. Now these also in some manner are cleare to the spiritu­all mans eye of Faith, in regard that he doth beleeve the Word of God, and that so plainly holds out these divine truths, it is clear to him that they are truths, he sees a great deale of reason for him to beleeve contrary to reason; but yet when he comes to think how should these things be? and so puzle his faith with reason, he doth not clearly then see that upon a particular enquiry, which in a generall notion seemed very cleare unto him; as in parti­cular, that truth concerning the essentiall and reall union betwixt Jesus Christ and the soule, the true Beleever thinks he sees it very clearly, and beleeves it very stedfastly, while he onely considers the [...] of it, and looks upon it as it is a truth; but now when he comes to consider how should this be? there, that knowledge which seemed cleare before, appeares very dark and misty; and so concerning as­sent which followes the knowledge of any truth. I remember a passage of a Reverend Divine of our owne, ‘There is a manifestation of things by rea­son, and by revelation; an evidence direct, and not direct; and evidence direct, and by consequence; an evidence of the thing in it selfe, and by the effect; [Page 150] matters of faith are manifest by revelation, but in reason insearchable and incomprehensible.’ The Divinity of the Scripture is in it self evident to the spirituall man; so is it that there is a providence. other things are evident from this ground. Ball upon faith, p. 22. thou mayest not judge that thou hast no faith, or that thou dost not assent to the truth of God, because every truth in the Scripture is not in it self evident unto thee, so as thou canst give a cleare and rationall assent unto it; it may be a clear assent to the truth in generall, though not in the particulars; there it may be dark, as in that Doctrine of the Trinity: I may be perswaded, and clearely to my thinking see that there is a Trinity, it may be a notion as cleare as the Sunne unto me, because I take the witnesse of Gods Word as a sufficient evidence to me; but yet if I will go pose my Faith with Reason, I shall not be able from an evidence of Reason to give direct assent unto that truth: It may be cleare as any thing to my faith, That Gods essentiall presence is wholly every where; yet when I come now to look to see this with reason, how the incomprehensible God should be wholly in this or that roome, when I come neer I have a very dark sight, and my assent is scarce clear to this truth: Some Pictures, the further you stand off them, the more you see of them; it is a clearer sight that you have of the picture at a distance then close by it: So it is with some divine truths, they seem very cleare to the Christian aloofe off, while he onely views them with the eye of his faith, and does not come neer them with the feet of his rea­son: but if once he drawes neer with those earthy [Page 151] feet to them, they seem very dark. And thus I have shewed you what doubts a Christian may meet withall in relation to his assent; what weaknesses may be incident to it, and consistent with it, though arguing imperfection and weaknesse.

1. He may doubt whether he doth assent or or no, and yet at that time truly assent and close with the Word of Truth.

2. He may doubt whether the Scriptures be the Word of God or no, or at least may be tempted to doubt; and there I have given some marks by which a Christian may distinguish a temptation to doubt­ing from a reall doubting proceeding from un­beleefe.

3. Hee may doubt concerning some particular truths in the Word of God, and through ignorance or weaknesse not fully assent to them, and yet fully close with the Word so farre as is revealed to him.

4. He may doubt concerning the meaning of this or that portion of Scripture▪ and dissent from the (ordinarily received) truth of it, and yet truely assent to the Word of God; yea, he may mistake a Scripture, and hold that as a truth from that Scrip­ture upon his mistake, which is indeed an errour, and yet savingly assent to the Word of Truth, so it be not in necessary fundamentals.

Lastly, he may not clearely by an evidence of Reason, or a direct and distinct evidence of Faith, assent unto severall truths which are in the Word of God, and yet truly assent unto the Word.

Thus you see true Faith may consist with much weaknesse and doubting; as with much imperfection [Page 152] and ignorance in respect of the required knowledge; so with much imperfection and doubting in relation to the act of assent: Make use of this, to see Gods goodnesse that wil take such sacrifices at our hands; not to presume to hug these imperfections, but be alwayes striving against them,1. Caution, provided we alwayes strive against them. that thou dost not wilfully cherish any of them; there are many, and may bee many deficiencies in the understanding that God will passe over; but if they come to bee the rebellions of the will, thou shalt know hee is angry. It is said, Rom. 4. 19. 20. that Abraham stag­gered not through unbeleefe; Abraham doubted through infirmity though, when he lay with Hagar, and bid Sara say she was his sister. Strive against these weak­nesses, and let them be thine meerly through weak­nesse (if they be) not of wilfulnesse; meerly of in­firmity, not through unbeleef, and the Lord is mer­cifull, and thy faith may be true. If thou dost sted­fastly assent to all the Truth of God, that is the foundation of faith, and necessary to salvation, and fully and impartially close with the whole Word of God, and every particular portion of truth in it, when it is once cleare to thee that it is a syllable of that Word of Truth, and livest a life answerable to it, though for the present thou think­est thou dost not assent, and though thou mayest be tempted sometimes to doubt of the whole Scrip­ture, and though thou mayest doubt concerning some particular truths that are taken for truths, and are so, and concerning this or that portion of Scrip­ture, and mayest take up that as a truth which is an errour from it, and though thou mayest not for the present by a cleare evidence of reason, or a direct [Page 153] and distinct evidence of faith assent unto severall truths which are in the word, provided,

1. That thou assentest to all truths that are neces­sarily to be beleeved to salvation, and the foundations of Faith.

2. Provided thou strivest against other doubt­ings, and labourest to get a sense of Faith, and a strength to resist the Devils temptations, and to be convinced of every particular truth, and of thy errour (if it bee one) which thou hast taken up from some mistaken portion of Scripture, and labourest for a more cleare and distinct knowledge of every truth, that so thy assent may be more cleare every day than other.

CHAP. X.
Concerning those weaknesses which may consist with true faith in a gracious soule, and how to satiisfie the soule that conceives it doth not truly rely upon Christ because it doth not finde that it can rely so fully and constantly as it desires, nor upon all the promises alike.

ALas! (sayes a poor soul) I cannot think that I do really rest and r [...]l my self upon Iesus Christ and the promises for eternall life; when I do rest, as I think, I am ready again to think I doe not, and if I be in a frame of heart one day, that I think that now I can roll my self upon Christ and trust his promises; another day a­gain I can trust nothing; if sometimes I do cleave to the word of life as sweet and pretious and imbrace it as true, and prize Christ, and value his Word above all sensuall delights whatsoever, and hunger and thirst [Page 157] after it and after Christ; another while again I cleave to a sensuall good more then to a spirituall promise, or an heavenly Christ; and besides I cannot rely upon God for the fulfilling of every promise; there are some of Gods promises that I think I could rest upon God for fulfilling of; others again I cannot for my life (though I am perswaded that they are equall words of truth with the other) trust God for, nor can I be fully perswaded that the promises do really and peculiarly belong to me. Now to satisfie the soule in this particular, I will shew you what doubtings and weaknesses may be in the soule, and yet the soule at that time may have received, and may rest, and rely, and roll it self upon the Lord Iesus Christ for the promises of salva­tion, and may at the same time have true saving justifying faith; this is my work to which I am to addresse my selfe.

Know for thy comfort.

First, Thou mayest fully and wholly rely thy soule up­on Iesus Christ, and yet not beleeve thou dost fully and wholly rest: Reliance and dependance is neces­sary to Faith, not full perswasion of such a reli­ance, I meane justifying faith; Reliance is a ne­cessary act of Faith, full perswasion of such a reliance is a comfortable act of Faith; depen­ding and relying is the act of this hand (hel­ped by Gods Spirit;) full perswasion of this reli­ance is more the shining of Gods face then the act of our soules; Labour more to get evidences of the truth of thy act of faith then of the degrees of it; Christ may be in the room, and yet not seen, he may be in the midst of thy heart, and saying, Peace be to this soule, and yet the doores of thy sense be [Page 158] shut: Heaven is a thing unseen, and he that mea­sureth his faith by his eye, may call an Ephah an Omer, especially if thou wilt not think that thou hast faith, unlesse thou canst see a truth of the very act, and refuse to take an evidence for thy sense from the effects of faith: The acts of the minde are secret acts, of which (as I said before) we are very ill Judges; Resting and relying upon Christ is an act of the minde, and is an hidden and mysticall act which we cannot weigh in any scales to try whe­ther it be full weight yea or no; here's the trouble of many Christians; ask them whether they rest and rely upon Jesus Christ for salvation yea or no, they will tell you, they cannot think they do; yet they will confesse, that if they do not rely upon him, they rely upon nothing; their sinnes and duties, their morality and civility they have utterly dis­claimed, and will cry out of these as menstruous clothes and filthy rags, yea and confesse that they would not, they durst not sin against God for a world; yet they cannot think they rest truly upon Christ for salvation, though they will confesse they desire it, and hope they do it, and they make the Law of Christ the rule of their lives, and they have a secret soule-enflaming love to Christ; but because they cannot understand the secret mystery of the internal act, therefore they will not, they can­not flatter their souls into a faith and apprehension that they do truly beleeve, when indeed there is no act of the mind, the nature of which, and truth of which, we can discover from the knowledge of it clearly in it selfe, but must be forced to examine the truth and falshood of it by the effects; and it [Page 159] must be the infinite and rare work of God to per­swade our sense of the truth of our faith; may it not be possible, think you, to finde one that is beau­tifull, very beautifull, and yet all her friends shall not perswade her that she hath any beauty at all? we may have that which we will be not known of: The woman hath seen her face in a false glasse, or doth not know what beauty is, and therefore will not be perswaded by other mens eyes to rectifie her owne judgement: So it is with Beleevers, they may have a beautifull face of faith, and yet not thinke so.

Secondly, A Christian may have a true faith, and truly rely upon Christ, and really think he doth not at all trust and rely upon Iesus Christ. Sense in a Chri­stian may not onely have a mist cast before its eyes, but have its eyes clearly put out. Suppose a man had put up a Petition to the King for some place of honour and trust, this Petition lyes unanswered a great while, at last the King answers this Petition, and grants that place or dignity to him; the Sub­ject being at a distance from the Prince may have this place or honour conferred, and yet not know of any such matter, but verily beleeve his Petition lies like a cast paper, hath he not his dignity be­cause he knows it not? Christians are misjudging creatures, and too ready to suspect their owne hap­pinesse, they may call their resting and beleeving, presumption; their faith, boldnesse: The Hypo­crite calls his drosse Gold, his Alchymie Silver, and the self-suspecting Christian is as ready on the other hand, to call his Gold Brasse, and his Silver Lead: It is a rare thing to finde a Christian that [Page 160] will look his gracious face in a true Glasse, the mo­dest creature is afraid he should be proud, if hee should look upon his beauty: Heaven may bee hid under the dark and cloudy apprehensions of a terrible, dismall hell: Christ may be saying in Heaven, Thou art saved, Thou art saved, while thou art saying upon earth, O I am damned, I am dam­ned! The Angels may be keeping holy-day for thee there, while thou art keeping Fridayes here: There may be joy in heaven for the same cause, and at the same time for which and in which there may be sorrow on earth; thou mayest have more friends in Heaven then thou knowest of; Christ at that very time may be pleading hard at Heavens Barre for thee, while thou art thinking he is reading an Enditement against thee; thou mayest at that time have Christ in thy armes, when thou thinkest he is as far from thy soule as Heaven from Hell: F [...]om hence will follow:

Thirdly, Thou mayest question and doubt whether thou doest truly rest or no, and yet truly rest; Dispu­ting argues weaknesse of the act, and want of sense, but not a totall want of the act. This is lesse then the o­ther, but I have mentioned it, because I have found this to be the temper of many Christians: pinch upon that piont, ask them whether they wholly rest and rely upon Christ for salvation; they dare not tell you they think they do not, nor they think they doe; but they cannot tell what to think, they k [...]ow not whether they do or no; though they dare not conclude the falshood and nullity, yet they dare not assert the reality and verity of any act of Faith in their soules, they live at great incertainties, and [Page 161] this makes them think they do not beleeve. They are sure disputing is no beleeving.

To this I answer in this conclusion;

That thou mayest make a question whether thou beleevest or no, and yet truly beleeve. It is true, dis­puting is no beleeving; but though they be not things of the same nature, yet they are not so ill neighbours but they may dwell under the same roof of the soule.

First, Thou mayest doubt whether thou beleevest or no, and yet beleeve; this is not a question about the object of faith in which thou mayest for all this re­maine unshaken, but meerly about thy act of faith; thus disputing, thou dost not dispute whether the promise be true or no, but whether thou art (as thou shouldest be) perswaded of the truth of it, and dost (as thou oughtst) rest upon it for a word of truth; and yet some disputes and doubtings about the object are not inconsistent with faith, as I have shewed before. It is a soule-destroying opinion which some Libertines have hatched in these dayes, that a Christian ought not to question the truth of his Faith: Such an unbeleefe shuts not men out of Heaven, nor argues a nullity of Faith: Paul was wrapt up into the third Heaven, whether in the bo­dy he could not tell, or whether out of the body he could not tell, yet without question Paul was wrapt up in the body, if wrapt up at all: The Beleever may be in the like doubt concerning his Faith that S. Paul was concerning his rapture, and yet have reall true Faith; though we ought not to content our selvs with it, yet we may know for our comfort, that we may go disputing our faith to Heaven, and [Page 162] many a one hath such an hot dispute with his own soule, that his death is forced to prove the Mode­rator when he receives his end of his Faith, even the salvation of his soule. And thus I have shewed you in three particulars, how the Christian may doubt concerning his resting and relying upon Christ, and yet truly rely.

1. He may question whether he truly relies or not.

2. He may not be able to affirm nor think that hee doth truly relie; yea further, he may through a misjudging himselfe think he doth not rely, and notwithstanding all this truly and really rely and rest. Now these kinds of misgivings may arise from severall causes: God may please for his ends to keep the soule in darknesse, to keep it humble, and to keep it in a strict way of adherence, &c. But I shall rather meddle with the subordinate and in­strumentall causes, and assigne three or foure causes:

The first may be blindnesse and ignorance, there may be, yea is a great deale of darknesse in the soule; there was a thick darknesse surprized Adams under­standing when he fell, and this still clouds all the children of Adam; we are not able to discerne or judge of the nature of the internall acts of the minde; we cannot come to a certaine knowledge of them as they are in themselves, but as I said be­fore, must judge them by the effects; the soule doth not understand what affiance is, and this makes her question whether she doth rely or no, and not think she doth, being never ready to think well of her selfe.

[Page 163] A second cause may be the Devils temptations; such winds will make strong houses shake sometimes: It is Satans great designe to keep the soule from beleeving, and if he cannot keep the edifice of Faith from being built in the soule, yet he will keep it (if possible) from standing sure. Luke 22. 31. Simon, Simon, (saith Christ) Satan hath desired to winnow thee like wheat; the word signifies to shake up and downe as in a fan wheat is used, the kernells scarce ever lie still: Satan is almost alwayes sha­king the Christian by the shoulders, he desires to winnow them, and as with Iob, because he had no power over his life, he executed his power to the utmost upon the comforts of his life: So he deals with the soule, because he hath no power over the life of Faith, therefore he will execute his power to the utmost over the soul, that it may never come to have the comfortable sense of Faith; and no wonder if when he brings his rammes to batter, the poor mud wall of a Christian shakes, especially con­sidering how smooth an Orator he is to perswade, and how subtill a Sophister he is to prove: Even as it is as easie with a good Logician to make a poor simple creature beleeve, so as he cannot deny that the Sun doth not shine; so it is an easie thing with the Devill to perswade the soule, that it doth not rest and rely, when indeed it doth; especially if we consider,

Thirdly, What a misgiving nature and suspicious frame there is ordinarily in the hearts of Beleevers. They are alwayes fearing and suspecting, lest they should not doe their duty, they know that in many things all sinne, and they are afraid lest they should [Page 164] cozen and deceive themselves; now when Satan takes a flint and a steele, and falls a striking, and he meets with such a box of ready dry'd tinder, no wonder if hee quickly strikes fire; Besides,

A fourth cause may be melancholy, cloudy vapours, that for the present the soule is darkned with, and can see nothing with a cleare sight, but is like a man in a phrenzie.

And a fifth cause may be, a Christians wilfulnesse, when the Christian will take no evidence of his faith by the effects of it: The best evidence that we either have, or can have of the truth of our faith, and of our justification is the effects of Faith; now if it comes to this, that the soule will not take any evi­dence of the truth of the act of Faith, but onely un­der the Broad Seale of Heaven, the apprehension and assurance, and full perswasion of it, the soule may live without comfort a great while, if with Thomas it must see the wounds and holes; Now here's many a good soules condition; he questions the truth of his Faith; we come to him and tell him, could there be such an hungring and thirsting after the Word, that thy eare is unsatisfied with hearing, unlesse thou didst beleeve this was the word of God, and rest upon it as the Word of truth? Could there be such a care to please Christ, and a feare of offending him to be found in thy whole life and conversation, if thou didst not rely upon him for salvation? Could there be such a willing­nesse to part with all thy estate for Christ, and rather then thou wouldst deny him or not enjoy him in his Ordinances, if thou didst not rely upon God as thy portion? No, the soule will not look upon this as [Page 165] a sufficient evidence, but cryes out, All this an Hy­pocrite may doe, sanctification is imperfect, mine is hypocrisie; No, would God seale it to me, then I would beleeve it. Now where this is found, the soule may for a long time sit in darknesse, and see no light; yea, it may be, go down to the grave in its owne thoughts, like Erasmus hanging betwixt Hea­ven and Hell. But I proceed.

Fourthly, Thou mayst not at all times trust with alike confidence, and yet at all times truly trust. The truth of trust and affiance is one thing, the degrees of it another; the truth of Faith never grows more or lesse, the degrees of Faith do; as the least drop of water is water, so the least dram of faith is faith as much as the highest degree of it: This the ex­perience of every Christian will tell you; some­times they will say, I think if the Devill had hold of me I could trust God for Heaven. Though hee kills me (saith Iob) yet I will trust in him; that was not Iobs temper alwayes, and yet without question Iob did alwayes beleeve. Paul was not in the same temper Rom. 7. that he was Rom. 8. 38. Peters cry­ing Master save me, or else I perish, did argue his faith was under water more then his head. Davids temper, Psal. 27. 1, 2, 3. was not the same with his temper, 1 Sam. 27. 1. In the first he would not bee afraid of an Host encamping round about, no though the Host consisted of ten thousand, Psal. 3. 6. But in that place, 1 Sam. 27. 1. tells us hee was afraid of one Saul, and that after many expe­riences. So a poor Christian is ready to think, O I do not truly trust and rely upon God, &c. Some­times I think if I had not a bit of bread, nor a drop [Page 166] of water, yet I would not feare, my faith should be like that Hab. 3. 17. Another time my heart is so farre from it, that though I have for the present e­nough, yet my base heart can hardly keep from co­vetousnesse; sometimes I think that if God would take me away in a massacre, I should not yeeld my blood with a repining word; another time I so doubt of my interest in Christ, that I should not know how to dye upon my bed, but am crying, Lord take me not away with the wicked. Christian, thus thou mayest be. David, Psal. 3. would not be afraid of his soules going out of his body if ten thousand swords were ready to cut out a passage for his soule out of his body. Another time hee cryes O spare a little, give me space, that I may re­cover strength before I go from hence, and be no more; and again, Take me not away with the wicked. One while David is troubled to see the wicked flourish like a green Bay tree; and himselfe like a withered tree without a leafe; another time hee is not trou­bled at it, but can as well trust God when he sends to Nabal for almes, as when he sits at his Kingly Table and; yet his faith was alwayes true. Faith may be interrupted, that the pulse of it cannot alwayes beat alike, and yet while there is life the pulse of Faith beates, though by reason of some sicknesse in the soule the pulse may beat more faintly and deadly then at other times; Corruptions, though they are never wholly the Christians Masters, yet they may be their Masters sometimes more then others; the minde may be more clouded with earthly thoughts; the tide of passions may bee higher, and the stream of Lusts greater; the body [Page 167] may be sometimes sick and lesse active, and yet li­ving: So the soule may be sick, and Faith act more weakly then at other times, yet Faith may be alive.

Fifthly, Thou mayest not so fully and equally rely upon some promises as upon other, and yet truly rely upon all. It is a truth, that the true beleever closeth with every promise; but it is also true, that the best Beleever findes a great deal of difficulty more for his soule to close with and rely upon some par­ticular promises then upon others; and a beleever shall finde, if he be put to it, that it is harder to re­ly upon God for his promises for this life, then for his promises for eternall life; God hath made promises for this life, Earth is made over by In­denture to the Saints as well as Heaven, Mat. 6. 32. God hath made promises of protection in times of danger, of sufficiencie in time of peuury; now a Christian will finde it harder, if he be put to it for want of bread, to rely upon Gods feeding promises, then upon his promises for eternall life; O it is hard for a poor creature to trust God for bread and water. Hence comes distrusting and di­stracting care, hence covetousnesse and earth­lymindednesse in Gods own people. And if a Chri­stian be surrounded with swords, and be in the midst of dangers, it is a hard thing now confidently and without feare to rely upon Gods shield and buck­ler, and trust himselfe within the Castle of his pro­vidence. I am confident when David manifested such an evident distrust of Gods promise for pro­tection of him, 1 Sam. 27. 1. he did not at all dis­trust God for saving of him; we read not a word [Page 168] of such a distrust: Now I conceive the reason of it may be two-fold:

First, Because here the flesh is sensible and concerned in it. Dangers are obvious to sense; The eye sees swords and trembles, it sees present dangers; but it sees not that speedy reliefe which the promises hold out; it must be the spiritually enlightned eye of the soul must see that: Elisha's man could see the mountain about Elisha full of charrets and horses; but it was onely Elisha himselfe that could see the power of God assisting and defending; Elisha was faine to pray before his man could have the scales fall from his eyes to see that; Now for beleeving those promises where flesh and sense have a share, and a present share, the soule will finde it hard; for though the flesh will never help the soule in re­lying and resting upon any promise, yet it will hin­der the soul very much, and very often; I appeal to any of you, whether you have not found it an easier thing to rely upon a promise for salvation and strengthning and quickning grace which meerely concerns the soule, then when you have been in some bodily straights, you have found it to rely upon the promises for succour, and support, and deliverance: As take a married man, that hath a minde to the warres, possibly the man is a very vali­ant and couragious man, and values his life at as cheap a rate as any, but his wife cryes, and keeps a stirre; that if hee were single, though the designe were the same, and the danger the same, yet hee findes it ten times more hard, then if hee were to goe a single man: So the soule married to the bo­dy, is ten times more troubled to close with a [Page 169] promise, and venture into thickets of a danger, by the bawlings and fearings of the flesh, then it would be if it were to act single in statu separato, or then it doth when it acts clearly for it self.

There is also a second reason may be given of this, viz. Because wo may have more cause to feare Gods fulfil­ling his promises for this life, and for temporall mercies in this life, then it hath, or can have, to feare his promises for spirituall mercies, and for eternall life. The soule that findes an heart changed, and walkes with God, can give no reason why it should not beleeve Gods spirituall promises; I meane the promises for spiri­tuall mercies, and his promises for eternall life. What reason canst thou give, why thou shouldest not beleeve Gods promises for pardon of sinnes? What? because thou art a backslider? The promise is made to such, Hos. 14. 4. Is it because thou hast an hard heart? the promise is made to such, Ezek. 11. 19, 20. But now come and ask the soule when dangers are at hand, and the soul is ready to mistrust Gods protecting promises; here the soule will tell you, Alas! I have been a back­sliding creature, and though the sins and backslidings of Gods people be no sufficient reason to warrant the soules distrust for salvation, yet there is a great pre­tence of reason that the soul hath from hence why it should a little fear Gods wonted dispensations of tem­porall mercies to it; for this is a sure rule, that although when God hath elected and justified any, he hath made a sure promise they shall never again be cast out of his eternall favour and love, yet for their sins he will let them know his anger by withdrawing his temporal dis­pensations of love and mercy, in relation to which are the promises of protection and temporall mercies given [Page 170] to chasten them with the rods of men, and with the stripes of the children of men, 1 Sam. 7. 14, 15. See an experience of this in in David, when he had backsliden so far as to commit those two great sins of Murder and Adultery, 2 Sam. 12. David testified his repentance, and Nathan said to him, the Lord hath put away thy sinne, thou shalt not dye, v. 13. but the sword should never depart from his house, v. 10. his wives should be given to be defloured by his Neighbour, v. 11. The childe should die, v. 15. Now though that David could not reason­ably, because of this backsliding, distrust Gods pro­mise for the pardon of his backsliding, yet he could not reasonably rely upon his promises for the blessing of his house with temporall mercies so as before. And thence it is cleare, that a Christian may truly rest upon the promises for salvation, and pardon of his sinnes, though he doth not so easily rest, nor so constantly, nor fully rely upon him for some particular promises of temporall mercies.

The sixt is this, Thou mayst hang tremblingly upon the promises, and yet hang upon them truly. And there is a seventh, Thou mayst truly rely, and dwell upon the pro­mises, and yet not truly appropriate and peculiarize them, and dwell on them as thy own portion, to thy apprehension; but of these afterwards.

CHAP. XII.
Concerning those weaknesses that may accompany the high­est act of faith, viz. Assurance: And how to satisfie the soule that scruples its faith, because it cannot be assured at all, or weakly and unconstantly.

MY subject is to discover what doubts and weaknesse may be in relation to the last and highest act of Faith in a gracious soule; for there is no­thing more ordinary then to heare such complaints as these from a gracious soule: Alas! never tell me of faith, I have no opinion at all that ever I shall be saved; never did poor soule live at such incertainties; I pray, I look upward, I desire, I faint, I groan, I swoon, and yet [Page 206] not a drop of cordiall water of perswasion that my Christ will afford me to revive my dying spirit; or if I do some­times catch up a perswasion in my soule, and come to think that I have an interest in God, it is but a bare thought, and so weake, that it is scarce able to [...]nd a day; sometimes indeed for a day, or a week, or a month together, I could blesse my soule in a good condition; but then againe, I am as full of doubts and feares; and is there any certainty in this faith? am I not like a wave of the Sea, tost about with thousands of winds? One while I think I am sure of heaven and glory, and am as it were wrapt up into a third heaven, and the diademe of glory is fitting on to my head, another while I am thrown down to hell, and me thinks every Devill is tracing mee. I will (with the help of my God) endeavavor to satisfie thee, and shew thee what weaknesse may consist with this act, and in relation to this act of Faith, in these ensuing Con­clusions.

Conclus. 1. Thou wayst have a true and certaine faith, and such a one as will richly save thee, and yet have no assurance of thy salvation. Indeed, my severall Sermons that I preacht upon this Subject, doe all concurre to the proofe of this truth; for if a Christian may have saving Faith, and yet so much weaknesse and doubting consist and be contemporaneous with it in the soule, it will necessarily follow, that Assurance is not the minimum quod sic, the least degree of saving Faith. But now it lying in my way, I shall speak something more di­stinctly to it. There are Opinions on the right hand and on the left concerning this sublime act of our Faith.

1. The Papist denies any possibility of Assurance, and reviles that pretious Doctrine as licentious; and [Page 207] pleads only for a generall faith, to believe the history of the Word, and the Articles of Faith &c.

2. The Antinomians on the other side, deny any Faith to be true Faith that is accmpanied with any kind of doubt­ing; a full assurance they will make the minimum quod sic, the least Faith that can help a man to hea­ven. Some Reverend Writers living neare the time of the reign of that Popish Doctrine, denying anything of perswasion to come into the nature of true saving Faith, and setting themselves in full opposition to it, have not a little (though unwillingly) contributed to the last opinion, defining Faith to be a perswasion of the pardon of our sins, and of a pardon past and done &c.

I have already shewed you, that the essence and marrow of justifying Faith consists in the soules rol­ling it selfe and relying upon God for eternall salvati­on, not in the soules assurance that God is its God; in the soules goings out, not in its commings in; in its direct act, not in its reflect act; And therefore our Divines make a distinction betwixt a soules applicati­on of its self to the promise, and a soules application of the promise to it selfe, and grant that there may bee in the soule a certainty of Faith in respect of the object, though not an assurance of Faith in respect of the subject. Wee will a little enquire how perswasion comes into the nature of justifying Faith. There is a double distinction, which I have noted before, and shall here repeat, would be observed concerning this per­swasion.

First there is a difference betwixt a Perswasion, and a beleeved Perswasion, on a full Perswasion.

Secondly there is a great deale of difference betwixt a perswasion eying the future, and relating to the present; [Page 208] There may be in a gracious soule a perswasion, though he sayes he is not perswaded; There is a great deale of difference betwixt Faith, and the Sense and feeling of Faith, as I shall shew you more hereafter.

Secondly there may be in a soule a certain perswa­sion, though not a full perswasion▪ In all Faith there is a perswasion, but in all Faith there is not a full perswasion; the word in Scripture translated full per­swasion is [...] Rom. 4. 21. It is said that Abra­ham was fully perswaded, it is put in opposition to doubting of unbeliefe, being so, saith the text, hee staggered not through unbeliefe, and so Rom. 14. Let him that eateth be fully perswaded, that is, so perswaded that hee doth not eate with any scruple of mind or doubt­ing of spirit; I may be perswaded of a thing that yet I am not fully perswaded of, but have some doubts of; yet when my reasons for the affirmative are more then for the negative, my mind begets a perswasion, and enters a perswasion in my soule from the major vote of reason; Now I cannot be said to bee fully perswaded, unlesse my soule runs without a rub [...] as it is ordinary amongst us, when wee are informed by cre­dible Witnesses of such a thing done, wee may bee perswaded it is true, and really beleeve the truth of it, and yet will not sweare it, and perhaps shall have scru­ples and doubts, unlesse we saw it our selves &c. So a Christian may be perswaded that Gods love is to­wards him, but till he feeles it as well as thinkes it, he will hardly have [...] a full perswasion without any manner of doubts or scruples concerning it.

Again, There is a great deale of difference betwixt a perswasion for the present, and a perswasion for the fu­ture: I am forced to put it in these Termes for want [Page 209] of other; I meane betwixt an assurance that my sinnes are actually pardoned, and a perswasion that they are pardonable, and decretally and me [...]itoriously pardo­ned, and I shall feel at last the seale of Gods love; I must speake here according to the manner of men: it is true it may sound harshly, that a Christian should beleeve only that God will pardon his sins, and will justify him, I know there be some learned and pretious men that hold that the elected soule is pardoned, and formally justifyed before he beleeves, and so would make our justification, (as Master Burgesse saith wit­tily) nothing but the fetching a Coppy out of the Court­r [...]ll; but I am of his mind in his late Treatise of justi­fication, p. 17. 8. where hee gives severall Arguments against this opinion, As,

First, If it bee so, then all the Elect were then made blessed and happy, their sins not being imputed, contrary to Eph. 2. 3.

Secondly, because this Doctrine would make justi­fication onely to bee declarative; when the Scriptures tell us that our sinnes are charged upon us till wee be­leeve.

Thirdly, because Christ cannot as an head represent those that are not his members: now before actuall belee­ving we are no members of Christ; Indeed meritorious­ly and vertually our sinnes are pardoned before wee beleeve,See the Argu­ments a­gainst this answered in Mr▪ Bur­gesse his Treatise of justifi­cation p. 180▪ 181. and our soules are justified before we beleeve: but I (with him) cannot see how we are formally and actually justified before we beleeve: and to his Ar­guments give me leave to add a fourth.

Fourthly, Pardon of sin and justification, it is an ac­quitting of the guilty soule before God for the righteous­nesse of another; now how the soule should be actually ac­quitted [Page 210] before it be actually and formally guilty, I cannot understand: And therefore I say, a soule may be per­swaded that its sins are pardonable, and shall be pardo­ned, and accordingly truly rely upon the Lord Iesus Christ for the pardon of them, which is true Faith, though it cannot be fully perswaded that its sinns are pardoned. And thus much may briefly serve to have noted how far perswasion and assurance necessarily come into the nature of true and saving Faith, and how not: And concerning it I shall only nominate these con­clusions to you, as containing the whole truth con­cerning it.

First, That a Christian may have saving Faith, though he cannot be fully perswaded that God hath actually pardo­ned and blotted out his sins, and formally justified him; for a beleeving that my sins are formally pardoned, is to beleeve I am justified: and is the Faith of a justi­fied person, not justifying Faith (properly so cal­led.)

Secondly, That a Beleever may have true saving Faith, though he could never yet at all be perswaded that God had actually and formally justified his soule by pardoning his sins. This is still the application of the promise to the soule, and a reflex act of Faith which condu­ceth more to the soules comfort then its formall justi­fication.

Thirdly, That a Christian may have true justifying Faith, though he cannot at all times be fully and unquesti­onably perswaded that God will pardon his sins; a rationall man in a Feaver may have lost his actings of reason, though while he hath the being of a man, reason hath a being in him; the tongue may belye the heart when the actions cleer it; A Christian may be at will God [Page 211] pardon me with his tongue, when his heart really thinks he will, and he manifestly shewes it by crying, fasting, fearing to sin, lying groveling at the doore of free grace.

Fourthly, That a Christian cannot have true saving ju­stifying Faith, unlesse he doth (I doe not say unlesse hee think he doth or unlesse he sayes hee doth, but unlesse he doth) beleeve, and is perswaded that God will pardon his sins: it is easily perceived by its resolving not to leave crying, praying, walking holily and circumspectly, that it is perswaded in this particular, that it is best both simply and in comparison to draw near to God, and rely upon his grace,Ball upon Faith. 82. p. and so in event (saith Mr. Ball) is sure of salvation, and yet would give a world to be assured of Gods favour, and fully perswaded that its sins are pardoned.

Fifthly,Willets Sy­nopsis Pa­pismi [...] p. 974. 975. That it is false that the Papists say, no particu­lar assurance ought to be lookt for, or may be procured, it may be procured, and it ought to be sought for; this might easily be proved:Perkins 3. vol. 220. 2. d. 1. vol. 542▪ 2. b. 143. 1. c. 564. 1. d▪ 543. [...]. d. but I shall not meddle with it, it being not my work, and it being a question would take up a great deale of time: but I shall rather refer him that doubts of this to those learned men that have sufficiently managed this quarrell against the Papists. Ball upon Faith, 1. Part. ch. 8. p. 79. 80. 81. Dow­nams▪ Warfare, part. 1. l. 2. c▪ 8. p. 102. §. 2. p. 103. col. 1. 30. 104. §. 6. c. 9. p. 106. part. 1. l. 2. c. 11. p. 118.. cap. 13. p. 127. §. 1. cap. 14. c. 11. and many o­thers who have largely discussed this point,Ruther­fords Christs dying for sinners v. codicem. and main­tained this truth.

Sixthly and Lastly, It is as false that the Antinomi­ans and Libertines hold, that without this well-grounded full perswasion, there is no faith in the Soule; this a learn­ed [Page 212] Writer of▪ our owne in severall parts of his book hath made out against them; Thou mayest have true sa­ving faith, though for the present thou canst not be fully perswaded that thy sins are pardoned: yea though thou mayest think that they are not pardonable (through some accidentall temptation over-powring thee, or some corruptions hindring the actings of Faith:) yet thou mayest be perswaded that they are pardonable, and at that time it will appear to all the world that thou art perswaded they shall be pardoned to thy soule; by thy fearing to offend God, and thy carefulnesse to please him by thy crying, fasting, weeping, lying at the feet of divine grace, and resolving if thou perishest, to perish at the gate of heaven, and meet with hell there if thou meetest with it anywhere; Nay, be not mista­ken, this thy Faith is ¹ certaine, and ² strong as well as saving.

First, It is saving, That I have already shewed you, when I fully shewed you that the essence and pith of justifying Faith was a fiduciall rolling our selves and hanging upon the Lord Iesus Christ for pardon. Now as it is saving,

Secondly so it is strong; That Faith (saith a preci­ous Authour) is argued to be strong that hath no light of comfort, but walkes in darkenesse upon the mar­gin and borders of an hundred deaths. Davids Faith was a strong Faith, when though all Gods waves were upon him, yet he called upon God daily. Psa. 88. 7, 8, 9. when the soule is so far from being perswaded that it is a lovely one in the Lords eyes, that it conceives it self a damned wretch in the Lords sight, and onely sees a sparkling light in at a crevis of the window, and by a little pinhole, a beam of hope comes in, and it thinks, [Page 213] well, my sinnes are yet pardonable, yet I dare not say there is no hope: yet I know not what to think, my sins are great Gaole-sinns, I am perswaded if my name be in the Charter of grace, it is in the bottom, and it is sometimes ready to think that the little glimmering of light it sees, is rather the counterfeiting light of a Glow-worm then the triumphing light of the Sun: yet the soule is ravished with that particle of light, and goes and kisseth the hole that gives it a passage, and sayes, well, here's all my comfort, my sinnes are yet pardonable, I see the ship of my soule is wrackt; pos­sibly this bit of board may save my life, I will on to it, if I perish I perish; I will not lose this pin-hole light, I will cry, fast, weep, and pray; Lord, say my sinnes are pardoned, I am perswaded thou canst pardon them, and if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean; Lord! here will I lie, filthy, bloody, full of sores at the Poole of Bethesda, I will not stirre a step from the Poole, I will lie in the way till thou hast cured mee. I say, this doth argue a strong faith; the perswaded assured soule hath cables of comfort, who would fear the break­ing of them? God doth not rap his fingers so often as this poor soule; This Believer hath but a twine thred to hang upon; yet he catcheth hold, and sayes, this straw shall bear my souls weight; yea, God raps off his fingers often, his life is full of doubts and feares, yet he holds and will not stirre a step; doth it not argue a great a reliance? The woman of Canaan had no assu­rance of Christs favour, Matth. 15. 21. she cryed, he answered her not a word, v. 23. nay, when she made friends to him, he would neither heare her nor her friends me­diation, (though they were Christs own Disciples) still she comes and worshippeth him, he chides her; (this [Page 214] yet argued no assurance) she replyes; he sayes, Great is thy Faith, v. 28. Mr Ru [...]therford noteth sweetly upon that, that the fewer Externals that faith needeth, the stronger it is within; little evidence, much adherence speaketh a strong faith. Now though that perswasion be an inward work, yet the grounds are externals; for the strength or weak­nesse of perswasion is moved by the compasse of sence; the lesser my grounds are, if my adherence be the same, the stronger is my faith; if I will trust my friends little finger as much as his whole hand, doth it not the more argue my confidence in his strength, & my reliance upon him, that he will do what he can to hold me? Oh! it is a sweet thing to see a soul hang upon Christs little finger, that only apprehendeth a generall promise, & is perswa­ded that its sins are pardonable, & sometimes doubts of this too; yet it cryes, and hangs, and weeps, and relies, & scorns to lay its little finger upon any thing else, any self sufficiency, any creature-righteousnesse to bear it up; it argues a strong faith: O soul, be not deceived! Great is thy faith; nay, and such a faith may be certain too, thou mayest live at uncertainties upon a certain faith: The bruised reed is not broken, the smoaking flax is not quenched, thy faith is doubly certain, though thy life of faith be full of incertainties.

• 1. It is certaine in respect of the Object.
• 2. It is certaine in respect of the Event.

1. In respect of the Object: A weak faith doth not argue weaknesse in Free grace, or weak efficacy in the blood of a pretious Jesus; the pur-blinde eye doth as certainly see the Sunne as he whose eyes are best, the weak pur-blind-eyed soule doth certainly see, appre­hend, and rely upon Christ though not so clearly and comfortably.

[Page 215] 2 Thy faith is certain in respect of the Event: Even as eve­ry thing that hangeth upon a pin or a peg, is as sure as the pin or peg on which it hangeth: So that soule that hangs upon the mercy and Free-grace of the Lord Je­sus Christ and the rocky promises of salvation, is as sure as the promise, &c.

And thus I think I have sufficiently cleared the first thing, that a Christian may have a true saving Faith; yea and such a one as shall be strong and certain, both in respect of the object and event, that yet hath not this sublime act of Faith, which is assurance. I hasten to a second conclusion, and all the rest of my Propo­sitions with respect to a full perswasion that our sins already are actually and formally pardoned.

2. Conclus. Thy Assurance and perswasion that thy sins are pardoned, may be a true perswasion and assurance, though but weak; or to speak more properly, you may have this reflex act of faith, and be perswaded that your sins are pardoned, and this perswasion may be a true reflex act of faith, and yet not constant in degrees. Sometimes it may be weaker, sometimes stronger. I call the weakest perswasion wrought in the soul, that its sins are pardo­ned, a reflex act of faith; for I doe not think that it is a piece of Faith necessary to the justification of a soule, that it should believe that its sinnes are really and actually pardoned, though it be a beame of grace that the soule should love, and look after more then the world; and it is and ought to bee more pretious to a believing soule, then all the rocks of gold, or mountaines of silver or beds of spices, or ten thousand rivers of oyle; yet I say, I doe not take it to be an act of justifying Faith, but of the justifyed soule. Now this may be true in the soule, though it be sometimes [Page 216] weaker, and sometimes stronger; That soule that all times is perswaded that its sins are pardoned and actu­ally remitted, is not alwayes a like perswaded of it. It is a beame of Gods manifestative love which admirs of degrees. Now as upon the earth, in the day time there is alwayes some light, though through some interpositi­ons of clouds the light is not alwayes alike; so in Christians that the Lord hath brought to this degree that they doe really believe that their sinnes are par­doned, though through the sun-shines of Gods mani­festative love upon their soules, they for the most part think so, yet they are not alwayes alike perswaded of it. I doe verily believe that David generally was in this temper; and who so peruses his pretious book of Psalmes, will finde that he takes the pardon of sinnes for granted; yet who so againe peruses the severall Psalms, will easily perceive that Davids perswasion was not alwayes alike, as any one may see by comparing, Psal. 6. and Psal. 41. vers. 11. you shall finde him in some Psalmes altogether singing, and praysing, and triumphing, not a mention of a teare; but in others, declaring perswasion, yet wants; expressing confidence, yet teares; as in that sixth Psalme, vers. 1. 2, 3, 4. com­pared with vers. 9. Sometimes the heavens are so cleare to gracious soules, that the shinings of grace dazzle their soules so much, that nothing will satisfie them but heaven; Now Lord let thy servant depart in peace; O that now I might dye and be incorporated into glory! they are so wrapt into the third heavens, that they cannot speak their joy; another while it is lower water with their soules; the Moones influence is not as it was. David, I am confident, would have beene glad of an errand to have sent him out of the world to hea­ven, [Page 217] Psal. 34. But the good man again in the 39 Psalm, prayes as heartily for his life, as any poore wretch could have done, that lay under an apprehension of a past sentence in hell against him, 1 Pet. 1. 8. we read of a rejoycing, with which believers should rejoyce, even with joy unspeakable, but there was not such a constant overflowing and full tide of joy alwayes sure. It is a sure note, that manifestative love hath its degrees, and it is from a strong influence of Gods manifestative love to the soule that the soule hath such a perswasion; now had I leasure, I might at large here tell you, at what times commonly the spring-tide of assurance flowes highest, and on the contrary, what may make the apprehension weaker, and at what times it is ordi­narily most weak.

1. Commonly just upon Gods return after a long deserti­on and sad expectation, the souls assurance is very great, and its perswasion very high: God turns mid-night into mid-day: The soule then brings the Lord Jesus Christ into her mothers house, into the chambes of her that concei­ved her: commonly when the husband comes home, after a long absence and long expectation, more then ordinary tokens of love, and passages of love are discer­ned betwixt him and the wife of his bosome; Christ comes in then to make amends for his frowns and lowrings, with the sweetest kisses and imbraces: Mid-winter is turned into a Mid-sommer, this you shall finde constantly in Davids Psalmes; and so on the con­trary, when the soule is under desertions, if there bee left yet a perswasion, that though God doth hide his face, yet hee doth not hide his heart, yet it is but a weak and just living perswasion.

2. And commonly at greatest distresse, God comes in with [Page 218] strongest perswasions and fullest assurance, as when the Christian is cal'd to Martyrdom or cal'd to dye, or cal'd to do any great services, that it distrusts its own strength, and is ready to feare of faint, that nothing but the most reviving quick and hot cordiall water can keep the soule cleane, and able to undergoe that great and ex­traordinary service that God cals for at his hands; ordinarily now at such times, the Lord is pleased to come in with a fulnesse into the soul. (It was but yester­day you heard by my Reverend Brother, that ordinari­ly God comes in with sighes which are evidences to sence, when the soule is in greatest streights;) and we shall finde that Gods promise made to Abraham was often renewed to him and to Isaac, and to Iacob; but the diligent Reader shall observe, that God pickt out that time, or those times when he called his Saints to some hard work in doing, of which their hearts might sink concerning the Lords promise. The originall promise was in Gen. 12. 7. it was renewed to him, chap. 13. v. 15. when he was to goe out of the land, he scarce knew whither, and leave it to others to possesse; and to Isaac when he went to Gerar, Gen. 26. 4. and to Iacob going down to Egypt, Gen. 46. 4. At such times the children of God are to doe double work, and had need of double strength, and so a double subsistence; when Eliah was to go in the strength of his meat forty dayes, he had need eat a good meale; the Angel therefore twice admonished him, to arise and eat, 1 Kings, ch. 19. 6. 7. The journey was great which he had to go, the fre­quent Stories of the Martyrs make this good; when the Lord cald them to their great service at the stake, he prepared them for their double work with double comforts, ravishing their soules with glory, and so [Page 219] often, that God makes many of his deare Saints live upon short commons all their life time, when he brings them to the hard work of dying, he gives them a glimpse of glory; This is a note of a pretious Divine,Ruther­ford, Tryal of faith. who gives experi­ences of it, and it is especially when they die strong tor­turing deaths; for alwayes it is not seen; it may be they have had all comforts before, and may die in conflicts; God will try how they can walk in the strength of what they have had, or if they have had no bread till then, God will hardly call them to die without giving them a crust; yet (as he sweetly sayeth) God walks in liberty here, and will not have us to limit the breathings of the holy Ghost to jump with the hour of our dying; for we may make an idol of a begun heaven, as if it were more excel­lent then Christ. By this you see (in stead of much might bee said) that assurances may bee weaker and stronger, yet true; and this will be further made good by my last Conclusion, which I will but touch, And that is this:

Concl. 3. Thou mayest have had, and againe have a true assurance and full perswasion, and for the present have none at all: I have spoken so much to this before, that I shall need adde very little: It is necessary to consti­tute the true direct act of Faith, that it be a continued act; and that soule never did truly rely at all, that ever since it began to rely ceased to rely; but for a reflex act, it may be wanting even in the soule that hath had it, and may have it againe if God will please to turne his face towards it; nay, I will question whither ever that Christian had true assurance or no, that hath had it, as he pretends, without any intermission; for so long as there remaines a Devill to tempt, or a flesh to allure to sin, there will be sometimes wants of full assurance; [Page 220] yea, if there were none of them both, I would make it a great question, whither the wise God would ever keep such a despensation of his love in a full Sun-shine to any soule (though loved never so dearely;) I am afraid though we have much talk of Faith of assurance now adayes in the world, if the Lord should come to sift the hearts of his poor creatures, he would scarce finde the mustard-seed Faith of adherence. 1. Overpowring temptations. 2. Overgrowing corruptions. 3. Natu­rall distempers of Melancholy. 4. Divine desertions shall hinder assurance, and make the act to cease; and judge you then what soule it is probable shall have it an incessant constant act. But I have done with this last thing, and now I have shewed you what doubts and weaknesses may consist with every act of Faith in a truly gracious soule. Now I should shew you from what principle these doubts arise, and how they differ from the doubts of unbelieving desparing wretches.

CHAP. XIII.
How to comfort that soule that thinks it hath not true Faith, because it doth not feele God strengthning it to those acts of Grace which it ought to act.

I Will take leave here (apprehending it a seasonable place) to bring it in, to speak something to one scruple of conscience, which doth often perplex many a good Christian; and that is want of feeling of Gods love &c. Ah! (saith many a poore soule) did I but indeed know that God and Christ were my Redeemer and portion, then I think I should not need be mu [...]h intreated to cast away this sadnesse and dejection of spirit, but I cannot feele any such [Page 222] thing. And this makes a Christian think that it nei­ther doth nor may believe.

Now there is a double feeling, for the want of which, many good soules often complaine, and upon the want of which they raise to themselves conclusions against believing. For want of a distinction I will pre­sume for once to coyne one, There is a feeling of peace, and a feeling of strength.

1. The feeling of peace, is, when a poor Christian ap­prehends God appeased to its soule, and feels him saying, I am thy God, the God of thy salvation; this is that per­swasion which is that highest reflex act of Faith of which I spake the last time, and shewed you what de­grees and abatements it might meet with in a true Be­liever: Now this a true Christian may want, though he doth feel Gods spirit carrying him on to acts of mor­tification and vivification &c. Of this I shall not speak, having spoken the last time, how farre it may be wanted, weakened, or abated, or discontinued, even in Gods true and dear children.

2. But there is another feeling which for distincti­on sake, I call a feeling of strength; when a Christian, though he doth not feele Gods peace sealed up and assured unto his soule, yet he cannot deny but hee feels his soul carryed out by God unto duties, to love him, to desire him, to delight in him &c. Now this latter feeling ought to satisfie the soul, when, though God doth not please as yet to apply the promise to his soule; yet he feels God enabling him to apply himselfe to the promise, when he feels God changing and renewing his heart and affections &c. But here is that which ma­ny poore Christians want, and complaine for the want of; they will confesse, that could they but feel God [Page 223] strengthening them against their corruptions, and car­rying out their hearts in acts of love, and desire towards him &c they would quiet themselves, and bee very thankfull to him, if he would but give them so much of the morsels of Free-grace as would keep spirituall life in them, and keep their hearts from dying for want of mouth-fuls, although God would not yet please to let them sit down at the banquetting table of assurance, and eat of the sweet meats of that peace which passeth all understanding. If God would please to give them but such sips of his flaggons as might stay them, though they wanted such dishes of apples as to comfort them, it would suffice; but alas! this they want, and how can they believe? &c.

Now all that I shall speak to a Christian in this perplexity I will reduce to these two heads.

• 1. Something by way of Consolation: And
• 2. Something by way of direction.

First, By way of Consolation, I should propound these few things, as considerations which may tend through the bles­sing of God to the comforting of such souls in such streights.

Consid. 1. That not feeling, doth not argue a not be­ing: A thing may be though it be not felt; it is no Logick to inferre a negative conclusion from ou [...] sense. Sometimes wee see not the beames of the Sun; the interposition of the Moone doth hinder us in an eclypse from beholding its light; yea, dark clouds we see ordinarily will doe it; what shall we therefore conclude that the Sun doth not shine? or that the Sunne doth not cast an influence upon the creatures? this we should call ridiculous. In like manner thou sayest, I doe not feele God casting his influence of grace upon my soul, strengthening me against my cor­ruptions, [Page 224] nor so shining upon me with beames of en­livening quickning grace, my heart is not quick in his service, it is dead unto duties, and dull in them, I doe nor feel the heat of the Son of Righteousnesse warming my soule with beames of love &c. therefore wilt thou conclude God doth not doe it? The Psalmist cryes out for want of feeling,Psal. 22. v. 1. Psal. 22. v. 1. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me, and art so farre from my health, and from t [...]e words of my roaring? and so hee goes on, v. 2. O my God, I cry by day time and thou hearest not, and in the night, and have no audience. Mark Christian! ho­ly men may sometimes want feeling; did not God think you heare David? had he indeed no audience according to his sad thoughts? Ah! (saith a Christian) but there was some comfort, though he did not feele peace, yet hee did feele strengh; he felt God enabling him to pray, and cry, and seek him; but I cannot feele this. Heark yet once againe to Asaph, Psal. 77. v 4. I am so troubled that I cannot speak, David, Psal. 51. v. 10. 11, 12. He prayes to God, to create a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within him, and v. 14. to confirm him with a free spirit. And yet shall we think that at this time David had not the sweet influences of Gods holy Spirit? if so, we are confuted from the foregoing verse, Cast me not away from thy presence, take not thy holy spirit from me. By all which it may easily appeare that it is one thing not to feel God strengthening and quickning us, and another thing for him not to doe it: The working of Gods Spirit within us is very secret, according to the nature of the Spirit; we doe not feele the starres in­fluence upon us, nor yet the actings of our soules with­in us, and yet it is certaine, they have an influence upon us: and that our soules do subtilly and secretly [Page 235] act in all, in every part of our bodies: and there­fore secondly,

Consid. 2. That the truth of Gods love to thee in his acting in thee, is not so easily to bee discerned in the act­ing and working of God, as in the effect of such acts and operations; secret acts of spirituall substances are not to be discerned and understood in agendo, but in affecto, not in the doing but when they are done; we cannot feel the soules conveying of its influence and power of working through every part of the body, wee cannot understand or see or feele the time when it doth it, nor the manner how it doth it &c. yet we know it is done, and that is enough for us; thou canst not see nor feel the acting of the vegetative soule in the plant, thou canst not feel how it growes, or see when it growes or understand the moment of its shooting out, yet thou sayest it doth act▪ the plant is grown, and the vegetative soule in it hath questionlesse been the internall prin­ciple of its growth. You may possibly see a man in some lethargick disease or in a trance, that you shall not see or discern that his soule is yet in his body; you shall not discerne his pulse to beat, nor discern him to breath, but all possibly in the room may judge him dead: yet his body keepes still warme, doth not stiffen, or grow cold, his eyes are not set, nor his chap fallen, and possibly by applying a glasse to his mouth you may discern he yet breathes, and lives, and conse­quently you may gather the mans soule hath not yet taken its leave of the body, for then you know hee would grow stiff and cold: and so you conclude that his pulse doth still beat, though so obscurely that you cannot feele or discerne it; so it may bee with thy soule (Christian); the invisible worke of [Page 336] God in acting his grace in thee, quickning, strength­ning thee, moving thee to spirituall duties, if thou lookest to see it and feele it acting, as thou mayest feel the beating of thy pulse upon thy wrist, thou mayst be deceived, it may beat darkly and secretly, it is a secret work of a spirituall substance; and yet thou may­est be comforted in it, if thou wilt but look to the effects; if thy soul and body do not grow stiffe and cold & stinking with old sins and lusts and base corruptions: there is some spirituall life that keeps thy soule warm; though thou canst not feele Gods secret and spiritu­all working in thy soule in the very act of warming and quickning thee, and enabling thy soule to love him, and desire after him; yet speake truth, does not thy soule love him? doest thou not delight in him? doest thou not desire after him? come, let us put a glasse to the mouth of thy soule; here's a base lust and cor­ruption, which if thou actest, thou shalt bewray the hatred of thy God to all the World; darest thou doe it wilfully and knowingly? here is a prophane compa­ny that would be glad of thy company; and at the same time here's an Ordinance of God, at which if thou wilt be, thou mayest possibly suck a great deale of sweetnesse, and taste much of thy God: where wilt thou be? wilt thou baulk thy communion with God, rather then with prophane and ungodly men? If thou darest so, it is something; but on the contrary, doth no communion, no company please thee so as the company of the Saints of God? and doth no commu­nion like thee so as the communion thou hast with thy God in his Ordinances? If so, thou hast some spirituall life in thee; for the dead man hath no such judicious pallat; and if thou livest a spirituall life, [Page 237] it is not thou that livest, but Christ that liveth in thee, and thou livest by Faith in the Son of God; thus thou mayest easily discern that in the effects, which thou couldst not in the working of the cause. But Alas! (saith a poore Christian) my willing and desiring is nothing; for though to will bee present with me, yet I have no strength to performe. And what will you make a desire to beleeve and pray Faith and Prayer? I answer, ‘raw desires and wishes are no more beleeving, then Esaus weeping for the blessing was the blessing, or Balaams wish to dye the death of the righteous was the happy end of such as dye in the Lord. But the sincere desires and good will of justified persons are accepted of the Lord for the deed; and when Christ pronounceth such blest as hunger and thirst after righ­teousnesse, we say in that sense a sincere desire to pray and believe,Ruth. p. 14 [...]. is materially and by concomitancy a neigh­bour, and neere a kin to beleeving and praying. A verball or semina [...] intention to pray, beleeve, love Christ, do his will, is in the seed of praying, beleev­ing &c. when the intention is supernaturall, and of the same kind with the act, as the seed is the tree: we say not so of naturall intentions or desires; As Abrahams sincere intentions to offer up his sonne, was the offring of his son &c.’ But I go to a third consideration.

Thirdly therefore consider that feeling at the best is but a deceivable and disputable evidence; ofttimes conclusions grounded upon sense are false and sink in time. If thou judgest thy condition by feeling, thou mayest ofttimes think God doth nothing for thee, though he be at that instant fully enlivening thee &c. and againe think that God is at peace with thee, [Page 238] and that hee carrieth thee out to duties &c. when there is no such matter, and it is nothing but the strength of natuarall parts that carrieth thee out &c. Saul thought he had a great deal of feeling, 1 Sam. 15. 13. when he came to meet Gods messenger, he cryes out, Blessed be thou of the Lord; I have kept the Commandments of the Lord; But yet the following part of that story will tell you that Saul was far enough off from any true feeling of peace and comfort: So without que­stion those in Mat. 7. 22. judged themselves to have a great deale of feeling of Gods strength, when they had prophesied in Gods name, and in his name cast out Devils, and in his name done many wonderfull workes; yet Christ professeth he would say to many such, I never knew you, depart from me yee workers of iniquity; thou cryest, thou dost not feele God car­rying thee out in duties as many other Christians are, and that which thou callest Gods spirit in them, or in thy selfe, may be no such matter; it is not the courting of God with elegant e [...]essions that argues the strength of God assisting; there is many a stam­mering non-sence prayer that hath more of the sweet spirit of God in it: there may be a full heart, though it runs not out of the lips so fast, yea oftentimes the fulnesse of the heart causeth the straitnesse of the lips, just as the fulnesse of the vessell may occasion the water to run slowly out of the hole for want of vent or wind.

The Apostle sayes, that the Spirit of God hel­peth our infirmities, with cryes and groanes which can­not be uttered; it doth not say it helpeth our infirmi­ties with courtly expressions that cannot be pa [...]alleled: thou mayest when thou thinkest that God carrryes [Page 239] thee out with more strength and enlargement to duties, call and misconstrue that to be the strength and assi­stance of the spirit of God which is occasioned meer­ly from thy owne clearenesse of naturall spirit, when thou art in a little better vein of Rhetorick then thou wert. Mistake not, there is a distinction betwixt Praying gifts, and Praying graces; I observe it is said Iacob wrestled with God, (by vertue of strength from him subintellige.) This is the strength of the spirit: the spirits worke is not to carry out our tongue in expressions, but our heart in zeale and im­portunity. It is not said that Iacob scraped leggs with God; no; he wrestled; wee are but ill ludges of feeling commonly, which makes feeling but a de­ceivable and disputable evidence.

Fourthly, consider that No Christian feeleth alwayes alike, yea, perhaps, hath no cause to feele alwayes ali [...]e. God to the best of his dearest servants doth sometimes measure but an Ephah, and sometimes but an Omer; distinguish alwayes betwixt the truth of Gods love to his deare children, and the actings, I meane the visible actings of his love; that of God which is not seene, is alwayes full and certain to Christians, I meane his elective love, the yernings of his heart towards his deare children; there is of God also that may be seen, Psal. 68. 24. They have seen thy goings O God, even the goings of my God in the Sanctuary; Gods go­ings in a poor soule are sometimes very visible to a gracious soule, but sometimes his goings are more se­cret and invisible, yet he is alwaies going in acts of love and grace to his poore fervants, only his goings are more mysterious and dark; God sometimes goes a meere foot pace, just sets one foot before another in [Page 240] them and towards them, sometimes hee goes faster and more strongly in them▪ and apparently towards them.

First, Gods soft going in the soule may sometimes bee a cause why the soule cannot feel. Peter had no rea­son to feel the strength of God alike, when he shame­fully denied his Master in the high Priests Hall, as when hee durst venture to walke on the Sea towards him.

Secondly, God withdrawes some degrees of his strength sometimes to try whether a Christian can stand upon the true legs of Faith, as well as upon the wooden legs of sense; the mother withdrawes her hand sometimes to see how the child can goe without trusting to the feeling of her hand guiding and supporting it.

Thirdly, another cause may be in the Christian why he cannot feele God carrying him out to acts of his grace in his strength alwayes alike; The soule may possi­bly have lost its feeling; the benummed member doth not feele; In sicknesses and deseases of the body, Nature may sometimes bee so much infeebled, that sometimes the party affected falls into a dead swound▪ wherein he is dei­prved for a time, not only of the use of his understanding, reason and memory, but also of his sense, motion, and vi­tall functions. So it may be with a Christian; sin or the violence of some temptations of Sathan may bee such, that the Christian cannot feele any thing; the soule cast into a swound, and deprived of all the spiri­tuall faculties of it, faith love, life &c. no wonder the soule for the present doth not feele: the leg of the soule is asleep, the whole soule is benummed, how should it feel? but let it alone a little: as such body (if not quite dead) will quickly returne to its sense again [Page 241] and live, and feele, and move &c. so likewise will the gra­cious soule quickly come to recover its life, and sense, and motion againe; though the soule seemes (to the judgement of sense) to have no sap or principle of life in it; yet consider it is winter-time with the soule, stay but till the spring and summer, while the frost hath done nipping and discolouring, and the soule will have its sap visible, and recover i [...]s beauty againe: there is fire in the soule, though it be caked up in the night; wait but till the morning that the ashes be blown away, you shall see the fire of Gods spirit is not ex­tinguished in the soule. I sleepe, (saith the Spouse) but my heart waketh: there is a waking heart, though there be no waking eye, the soule (as well as the body) in sleep is bereaved of sense: wait but till the morning, and the soule will confesse it seeth, and hath recovered its senses again. Thus for thy comfort know Christian, that thou couldst not justly expect to feele alwayes a­like: for first God doth not dispense alwayes alike: and secondly if he did dispense alwayes alike, yet a be­nummed, ashy, winter-sleepy soule hath not that beau­ty [...]or that sense which a lively, healthy, well-tempered, clear-spring-awakened soule hath.

Fifthly, consider That Gods strength may be then seen in thee, when it is not seen and felt by thee. The graci­ous soule is not alwayes, nay, is very seldome a compe­tent Judge of it self; the high Christian may often have a very low, yea, too low an opinion of himselfe; the Christian is his own worst construing Book, and especially too at some times: if Paul may be judge of himself, sometimes he is the least of Saints, and the chiefest of sinners, and unworthy to bee called an Apostle. If David may be judge of himselfe, Psal. 22 v. 6. He [Page 242] is a worm and no man, yea, the very reproach of men. So if many Christians may be judges of themselves: Alas! they cannot pray, they cannot love God, they cannot be­leeve, they feel nothing of the rength of God carrying them out; when (if standers by may be judges) there is a great deale of the strength of God manifested in their hearts and carriages of their lives, and God is glori­ously discovered in carrying out their hearts so glori­ously, and sweetly, and firmely for him as he doth: take a true Christian, and this is a sure rule, that God and Gods people have far better opinions of him, then he hath of himselfe; now this may comfort thee, when o­ther better and more experienced Christians (by thy own confession) then thy self, can see more in thee, then thou canst feele; the body in a dead swound feels no life in it selfe, but all its vitall motions and functi­ons are hindred: now therefore at such a time, others in the roome are Iudges of its life or death, they by observing the warmth of the body, the motions of the pulse, or applying a glasse to the mouth of the swoun­ding person, do perceive life in the man that to his owne sense, and perhaps to the sense of some others is a dead carkasse.

Sixthly and lastly, consider that it is no Argument to warrant thee not to beleeve, because thou doest not feele God carrying thee out by his armes of strength in such a manner to spirituall duties, and the acts of spirituall and saving graces as thou desirest, or perhaps expectest; the rea­son of this is plain, because it is my duty as well to beleeve for strength, as for any thing else; Sure I am, Gods pro­mises are as much for strength to act grace as for any thing else: and the promises of God are the object of my Faith; it is my duty to beleeve the promises, [Page 243] I will strengthen thee (saith God,) I will help thee and uphold thee with the hand of my righteousnesse: thou sayest this cannot I believe. Why? because God doth not strengthen me and help me carry out my heart in an act of Faith: Thus thou beggest the question; the question is not whither thou oughtest to believe when thou feelest God carrying thee on to believing &c. But whither thou oughtest not to believe that God will strengthen thee, and carry thee out to acts of believing and lo­ving &c. But some may say, What doth this differ from Free-will doctrine? Can I believe unlesse God doth strengthen me to believe? Why, doe you call upon a man to lay hold when he complaineth that he wants hands▪ or upon a man to walk, when he tells you he can­not find that he hath any legs? Mistake not Christian; God hath said, I will strengthen thee, I will help thee, and uphold thee with the hand of my righteousnesse: Now I say it is thy duty to believe this promise of strength & help, and I confesse that it is not in thy power to believe this promise, but God must strengthen thee and help thee before thou canst believe this promise that he will strengthen thee and help thee; but yet I doe not call upon one that hath no hands to lay hold, nor upon one that hath no legs to walk, but upon one that saith he doth not feele his legs, I call upon him to walk, and I call upon one that doth not know and feele that hee hath hands to lay hold &c. And this is sense, and war­rantable Divinity; Faith is not sensible and visible to a Christian in the habit, but only in the acts; I call to thee to shew forth the habit of faith. Now it shall not excuse thee from this duty, that thou canst not feele thou hast any habite of Faith; the habite of this pre­tious grace is invisible. Thus have I given thee some [Page 244] considerations, which duly weighed and considered, may comfort thy soule under this perplexity. I have only one thing more to doe, and that is to speak a word or two of direction to such soules to shew them what to doe, that they may be comforted, in which I will be briefe.

First, then by way of direction, Finde out the cause and remove it; the causes may bee various; I cannot name them all; but the great and ordinary causes may be, first Gods will; secondly, thy own temper.

1. Gods will; he will not please perhaps to lead thee with so strong an arm at one time as at another; hee will try how thou wilt live by faith; sense is bread; he will have thee not to live by bread only, but by every word that commeth out of the mouth of God. Now sence and feeling, that is bread; if this be the cause (as it was in Peter) thou must not dispute but submit to it.

2. The cause may be in thy self; it may be thou art under some violent temptations of Sathan, or under the clouds and darknesses of some sinnes or corruptions, or thy expectation of feeling or sense may be too high, or thou mayest be wilfull, and not feel when thou mayest. These causes must bee removed by faith, repentance, endeavour, obedience &c. Hath sin benummed thee? be humbled for this sinne, and thou shalt feele: Art thou in desertion? believe and hope, and thou shalt feele again. It is a known maxime, Take away the cause, and the effect will cease. But

Secondly, Wait for feeling; this is is a part of thy duty in relation to this want, especially caused by Gods will, Is. 40. 31. They that wait upon the Lord, shall renew their strength like the Eagle. Psal. 27. 14. Wait on the Lord, be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart; wait [Page 245] I say on the Lord: wait with faith and hope, and pa­tience.

Thirdly, Learn to live upon Gods Word: Man shall not live by bread only, but upon every Word that commeth out of the mouth of God: We are not to live by faith upon the incertainty of sense: All that that speakes is not Go­spel; but we have a more sure and certain livelihood, even the unchangeable goodnesse, and infallible good­nesse of a God that cannot lie nor repent. Sense is deceiving, truth is infallible; doth sense say God doth not strengthen me? and doth Gods word say, these things I could not doe if God did not strengthen me? whither it be now better to believe God, or de­ceivable sense, judge thou.

Fourthly, Learn to acknowledged Gods little finger? thou doest not finde God lending his whole hand, per­haps not strengthening thee in such a measure to act grace in such a degree; but know the least stirring of the soul in a spirituall manner to a spirituall action is from God; flesh and blood could not doe it; find ou [...] out Gods little secret workings, look for these, thou wilt finde some of them in thy soule.

Fifthly and lastly, Act contrary to thy minde: we bid the sick man eat against his stomack; thou sayest I can­not pray, I cannot believe: why? I doe not find God giving me an heart to it; doe it against thy minde; thou shalt finde strength to doe it, and comfort from doing of it.

This learned Mr Rutherford gives great Reason for; as 1. Because it is ordinarily seen that a Christian may be­gin to pray with sad and fleshly complaints of unbeliefe, yet going on, the breathing of the holy Ghost will fill the sailes &c. if we be doing, the Lord will be with us. 2. Our [Page 246] indisposition is a sinne, and doth not free us from our duty. 3.Ruth. We are to pray against weaknesse and indisposition,Christ dying. and for strength, and freedome of spirit. 4. We are commanded in the day of trouble and temptation to pray, Psal. 50. 15. Math. 6. 13. [...] 5. It is a sinfull omission in us not to pray and act, not to doe what we can, though we feele a weak­nesse &c. and severall other Reasons he gives, p. 486. 487. &c. Now doest thou not feele the strengthening influence of Gods Spirit carrying thee on to thy duty? yet doe it, that is the way to come to have a feeling; stirre up the grace of God that is in thee, 2. Tim. 1. 6. God complained, Esay 64. v 7. That there was none that cal'd upon his name, or stirred up himself to lay hold upon him. It is the ordinary practice of Free-grace, to send in sense and strength upon thy endeavours, yet freely, not as merited by them. And thus I have shortly dispatcht all that I have to say to this scruple of conscience, where the soule complaines for want of feeling &c.

CHAP. XIV.
How to know whither our doubtings be such as may con­sist with true faith in a gracious soule.

IN regard of this, it will bee necessary that I should difference doubts, and shew you wherein the Chri­stian may be comforted, being assured his doubts are not such as are inconsistent with true faith; for thy comfort therefore, know that there is a vaste diffe­rence betwixt the doubts of Gods people and the doubts of reprobates, apparent in these five parti­culars.

First, they differ in their ground and principle from which they arise. The principle from which the doubts arise, which are in the Saints of God, is infirmity, Rom. 4. 19. 20. The Apostle sayes, Abraham staggered not at the Promise of God through unbeliefe, but was strong in [Page 249] faith, giving glory to God. He doubted not through in­fidelity, (saith Mr Ball) but he doubted of infirmity, when he took Hagar to his bed, for the raising of him a seed, Gen. 16. v. 2. 3. and God (Gen. 15. v. 4.) had di­rectly promised him an Heire; yea, so many children, that the Starres of heaven should be a lesser number; yea, did he not doubt Gen. 17. 17. when the Lord had promised him a sonne? hee laughed and said in his heart, shall a child be born to him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah that is ninty yeares old beare? I know St Austine sayes, Abrahams laughing was risus exultantis, non derisio diffidentis, the laughing of one that rejoyced, and not the scorning of one that di­strusted; but (with all due reverence to that learned and pious man) I doe not think that he hath fully solved the knot. I doe not think it was a mocking of distrust, nor yet that it was a bare laughter of rejoycing. I humbly conceive there was an exulting, but yet mixt with a little doubting or disputing; he rejoyced con­sidering the faithfulnesse of the word, but yet his sence (through infirmity) quarrelled with his faith about it. In the joy of his heart, he said as Mary upon the like tidings, Luk. 1. v, 38. Behold the servant of the Lord, let it bee now unto me according to thy word; and yet through infirmity, he said, How can these things be? and therefore in the very next words, v. 18. he sayes unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee: which words, as they plainely expresse Abrahams good will, and wishing to Ishmael; yet (under correction to better judgements) I conceive also from a comparing of the words before and immediatly after, that they intimate a kinde of doubting of Gods fulfilling his word: As if Abraham should have said, Lord! I am overjoyed, and know not [Page 250] how to believe this glorious word; I trust God will be as good as his word, but yet (to make sure) Oh that Ishmael might live before thee! This (I conceive) wee may see is intimated partly by comparing the words with the former; God had just then promised him a Sonne by Sarah, vers. 16. and upon it he uttereth this speech; secondly, by comparing the words with those that immediatly follow, as Gods reply upon that desire of Abraham, v. 18. And God said, Sarah thy wife shall beare thee a sonne indeed, and thou shalt call his name Isaac; As if God should have said, Art thou disputing Abraham? Indeed, my words shall come to passe, I am not in jest with thee; nay more (to con­firme thee) thou shalt call his name Isaac. God addeth two things in his reply to confirm Abrahams faith. 1. The word indeed, 2. He particularizeth his Sonne by name, which he should have. So that it is plain he doubted, yet (saith the Apostle) he staggered not through unbeliefe: unbelief was not the predominant principle, for he did believe it; but infirmity was the principle from whence his doubting flowed. Let us a little con­sider the words of the Apostle, [...], &c. and they will fully open this particular, Rom. 4. 20. He staggered not at the pro­mise of God through unbeliefe, but was strong in faith gi­ving glory to God.

1. He staggered not at the promise, did not quarrell at the truth of Gods word, that he believed was true and faithfull; his doubt was from himself; he was a hundred years old, and his wife ninty; indeed, it is said, v. 19. That he did not consider his own body now dead. I con­ceive it is to be understood in fine, he did not so consi­der it as to let it conquer his faith in the promise.

2. He staggered not at the promise through unbeliefe: [Page 251] That was not the principle, a totall unbeliefe; it was weaknesse for the present, not unbeliefe.

Thirdly it was not such a donbting, but hee gave glory to God, in resting upon his word as a true and faithfull word, and waiting upon him for the accom­plishment. Possibly there may be some thing in that distinction which some of the Schoole-men make be­twixt disceptatio and dubitatio to our purpose; Abra­ham did a little too much dispute with his sense upon this, and said to his flesh a little too loud, How can these things be? otherwise he would never have gone in unto Hagar his maid: his sense of weakenesse said, what shall I thinke? shall this come to passe? it is out of the course of nature: but he did not doubt of unbelief. I conceive doubting doth argue a more set­tlednesse of thought in the negative, then a meer dis­puting doth; when a man is almost confident of a thing, yet hath some scruples against it. I might further add, that the word in the verse translated unbe­liefe, is by Criticks noted, to signifie rather a perfidi­ousnesse and rebelling against, and falling away from God, then a bare not believing of his promises fully for the present; and therefore the Schole-men make a great distinction betwixt incredulity and infidelity. Abraham was for the present incredulus, but not infide­lis: he did not doubt with such a doubting as is the doubting of an Infidell, that beleeved not the word of God, but was for the present incredulous in respect of his [...]nfirmity; now on the contrary, the Reprobates doubting proceedes meerely from a root of unbeliefe, he beleeves not that the God that hath promised is faithfull and just to performe, but secretly denieth God in his heart, and doth not indeed so much discep­tare [Page 252] or dubitare, as apertè negare, not so much dispute or doubt, as openly and plainly deny Gods truth in his word. Now examine thy doubtings by this marke▪ from whence are they? do they arise from unbeleef, or from infirmity? as for example, suppose that pro­mise, Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden and I will ease you; concerning this thou doubtest now, whether this promise belongs to thy soule, or may be applied by thy particular soule yea or no, and thou thinkest he that doubts this is damned. But peace (Christian;) whence springs this thinkest thou? The promise is this in substance, that Christ will ease those weary and heavy-laden soules that come unto him; doest thou not now beleeve this? yes; but thou doest not beleeve the promise doth belong to thee: and why? Oh! thou art not weary and heavy-laden: thou art not in this [ [...]] one that doubts about the Promise of God, but one that disputes his owne basenesse: and in regard of that doest not so ful­ly beleeve. Thou wilt say, Ah! I know that that word is a word of truth, whose matter is truth, and whose Author is truth, but I doubt whether the truth of that word doth belong to me: and this is the truth of thy heart, which doth not doubt of the truth of the pro­mise to those to whom it doth belong, but of thy in­terest in it. I say this doubting may be in the dearest Saint of God; the unbeleever he doubts the truth of the promise, he will not plainly say so with his mouth, but in his heart he altogether denies God, and denies his word. So that thou [...]eest here is a great difference betwixt the one and the other, in respect of the Prin­ciple from which the doubtings of each spring.

Secondly, there is a great difference betwixt their [Page 253] doubtings, in respect of the occasion upon which they spring in eithers soule. The occasion in the Saints of God, may be various.

1. Sathans temptations. Sathan is alwayes desiring to winnow us like wheate: if [...]e hath the fanning of us, it is no wonder if our hearts be shaken with doubting; hence often what the child of God hath firmely and sted fastly believed a great while, al upon the suddain he doubts: such a sudden doubting now contrary directly to the former temper of our mind, is most like to be a temptation of Sathan, when it is I say sudden and con­trary to a firme Faith precedent and subsequent.

2. When thou doubtest only in respect of thy selfe, that Sathan cannot prevaile with thee, so much as to have a dishonourable thought of God, or Iesus Christ, or the promises of the Gospel. Sometimes the occasi­on of thy doubtings is thy present sense of thy unworthi­nesse: either thou hast been a great sinner, or since re­pentance thou hast been a backslider, or thou findest a continued dulnes and deadnesse and indisposition of spirit. Sometimes again the occasion of thy doubting may be a divine desertion: God hath left thee in the dark, and now thou criest where is my God become? sometimes the occasion again of thy doubting may bee a totall absence of sence, when God takes away sense al­together, and oppresseth thee with a present danger. This was Peters case Matth. 14. 28. he was sinking, over­whelmed with a present danger. These are now the oc­casions with many more such like, which make the child of God doubt; and take him at another time, when Sathan doth not batter him, when the sense of his unworthynesse doth not terrifie him, when God hath not withdrawn himselfe from his soule, when hee [Page 254] is not opprest with a floud of danger suddenly over­whelming him, the man doubteth not at all. But now the reprobates doubts are occasioned by despair­ing thoughts; God sayes to him as Ier. 2. 25. With­hold thy foot from being unshod, and thy threat from thirst; but thou saidst there is no hope; the case is desperate with me; and there is good reason for his despairing: for at that same time that he sayes There is no hope, he also sayes, no: For I have loved strangers, and after them will I go; I have loved my sinnes, and lived in them, yea, and I will love and live in them; and for such wretches they truly say There is no hope. Here's a great difference betwixt the Beleever and the Reprobate in doubting; the Reprobates hope is cut off from before the Lord, their hope is as the giving up of the ghost, as Iob speakes Iob 11. v. 20. Now the Saint of God though hee doubts, yet hee doubts not without abundance of hope: hee hath a strong and lively hope for that con­cerning which he doubteth. The Lord sayes to the wicked, Returne you now every one from his evill way and make your wayes and your doings good (the blessing upon it is not exprest:) And they, There is no hope, and what then? Wee will walke after our owne devices, and we will every one do after the imagination of his evill heart. Now the Beleever although he be ready to dye with doubt­ing, yet he hopes Pro. 14. 32. The righteous hath hope in his death; So that the occasion of the wicked wretches doubting, is either an atheisticall ignorance, or a plain despair of mercy. They say there is no hope; and hence it is that terrors make the wretches afraid; and this is easily seen: for if despaire be their principle or occasion, they will resolve to damne themselves to purpose, and say with the Iewes Wee will walk after our [Page 255] own wayes &c. seeing there is no hope as we conceive that God will doe us good, we will resolve to do him as much mischiefe as we can; this is the second note. Now Christian examine thy doubtings by it: doest thou think there is no hope, and therefore doubtest whether the promise belongs to thee or no? or hath Sathan been busie with thy soule by his temptations? or hath God withdrawn his comfortable presence a little? or art thou under the sense of a present sad danger? and have these occasioned thy present doubt­ing? Thus the best Saints of God may doubt.

Thirdly, thou mayest distinguish thy doubting by the object about which thou doubtest; examine the object of thy doubting.

1. Something in God is ordinarily the object of the wick­eds doubt, but the object of the Beleevers doubting is ordi­narily something in himselfe, something below the Creator. The Beleever hath ordinarily high thoughts of God and Jesus Christ: his low base thoughts are of himself▪ he lookes upon God as a God mighty in his power of mercy, free of his loving heart to poor creatures: but he sayes, Lord I am unworthy that thou shouldst come under my roofe, therefore I doubt whether thou wilt or no; will the Lord, pardon one that hath refused pardon, denyed him, slidden back from him? the Beleever sayes not, God cannot save me, nor yet God will not save me, but I will not bee saved. Ah! Sir, it is my base heart is my damnation, I cannot goe to Iesus Christ. Ah! I cannot beleeve, therefore I am full of doubts: hee doubts of his own goodnesse, not of Gods, he hath all this while high admiring thoughts of the free grace of a sinne-pardoning Saviour. Now the wicked wretch he sayes God is not mercifull enough; God doth but jug­gle [Page 256] with sinners, his Gospell cals all sinners, his electi­on book sayes he will call but some: I doubt whether I be one of those that am called but not chosen; thus the wretch layes all the fault upon God, Christ never dyed for me &c. God will never save me &c. still the the wretch makes the mole in Gods eye, and forgets the beame which is in his owne eye; the power of God, the free will and grace of God, upon these is all the blame laid, and concerning these he doubts. The reason of this difference is very plaine.

First, because it is naturall to every carnall wretch to exalt himselfe, no fault must be in themselves: no, they pray, they fast, they are good Churchmen, they read, &c. they beleeve as well as any in the Country where they live, they tythe mint and annise; now therefore if God will not save them, it is not because of their blindnesse and sin, for are they blinde? like the Papist, if he mis­seth Heaven, it shall not be because he doth not mer­rit it, but meerely because God will not giue it him; like those Matth. 7. 24. Lord, wee have prayed in thy name, and we have prophesied in thy name, and in thy name we have cast out Devills, therefore open to us. Naturall unbeleeving wretches build Castle [...] in the ayre, have high opinions of their owne doings, they never doubt their owne worthinesse, but Gods willingnesse. It is not a doubting of humility▪ Lord, who am I &c. Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldst come under my roofe; but it is a doubting of Gods willingnesse.

Secondly, It is not a doubting of Gods willingnesse, bottomed upon a deep and horrid sense of their own unwor­thinesse, but a doubt of Gods willingnesse, yet supposing their owne worthinesse. The best child of God may some­times have so low apprehensions of himselfe, and his [Page 257] own vilenesse and unworthinesse, that he may seeme a little to doubt of Gods willingnesse, or at least dispute: he may (disceptare, if not dubitare) say, will God be mer­cifull to such a wretch as I am? though hee hath a good measure of confidence and perswasion in the in­terim that he will, not understanding that even in this there is a secret dishonouring of God, and slandering of the Charter of free grace.

Secondly, now on the contrary, the childe of God makes something in himselfe the object of his doubting, in regard of the exceeding low thoughts of himselfe, and pre­sent understanding of infinite love; he looks upon him­selfe all filthy and polluted, a monster of sinning, a [...]it object for wrath; upon all his righteousnesse as a men­struous cloth and a filthyrag, and cries out, what is thy servant? a dead dog, that my Lord should make this promise to me; no, surely it is to some else that is not of so unclean an heart, that hath not so base an heart as I have; though yet I say here is a misunderstanding of infinite love: for Christ came not to call the Righteous, but [...]inners to repentance; hee that comes as a buyer of free grace, must carry his money where it is to be sold; here it is to be had, but not to be sold: Christ hath a Granary of free grace, but all money shall be returned againe in the sacks mouth: it shall never be said that the deserts of a creature made the King of free grace rich. Thus thou mayest by a third marke, difference the doubts of thy beleeving soule from the doubts of carnall unbeleeving wretches.

Fourthly, Thou mayest difference them in their duration and continuance. It is truth, the best Saints of God sometimes doubt, but they do not alwayes doubt: they have theiitwilights, but they have their noondayes too. [Page 258] Hence you shall often heare the children of God com­plain of the inconstancy of their spirits; at sometimes their spirits are as cleare as fountaine-water, not soiled with the least mud of doubting: sometimes again there is nothing of clearnesse scarce in them: sometimes not a cloud in their soules: sometimes they are full of clouds; and as it is ordinarily with the clouds of hea­ven, one passeth and another commeth, none returneth, but passeth and vanisheth; so it is ordinarily with the poor soule that with its true Faith hath a mixture of doubting. Give me leave to commend unto you four or five Notes, which in my little experience I have observed concerning the doubts of beleeving soules.

First, ordinarily, they are most in the morning, In the beginning of their conversion; it is a country observa­tion that the greatest darkenesse is just about break of the day; the greatest doubt of a Christian is just about the breaking out of the day of grace in their hearts, when the Son of righteousnesse is comming forth glo­riously, darknesse is his usher; it is an ordinary note. It is Gregories note in his comment on the 33. chap. of Iob, [...] quidem quisque &c. every Christian (saith he) in the beginning of his conversion hath abundance of sweet consolation, but presently suffers hard labour &c. It is then the Devill one while perswades his sins are not so great to need so much repentance, and by and by againe that they are too great to be pardoned; one while he would oile them up to presume, another while hurle them downe to despaire; one while they doubt whether they bee elected or no, another while whether they bee sufficiently humbled or no: then they feare their sinnes are too great to bee pardoned: [Page 259] anon they think they have sinned the sinne against the holy Ghost &c. experience makes this good; and be­sides the Devill knowes that yet a little while and they will be too strong for him &c.

Secondly, It is possible that when their day is come they may have some clouds too: You know that the fairest day may have a cloud, and an Ecclipse may cause a dark­nesse at brightest noone. So the children of God after they have got beyond their rugged way, and be past the threshold, may be thickned through the remaining va­pours of corruption in the heart of the Christian; it may bee ecclipsed, through the withdrawing of the favour of God from it, by the interposition of the De­vill; this is possible. The experience of David, and Peter and all the Saints of God in this life proves it; who lives the life of grace and doubts not?

But thirdly, Those in the Christians day, are weaker and fewer then those of his morning, ordinarily.

1. The darknesse occasioned by a transient cloud, or by an ecclipse, is seldome so much as that which is at the day-breaking; when the Christian hath got over his first feares and sorrowes. I dare not acquit him for ever. No, no, the dayes will not come (be­fore eternity be our portion) when all teares shall bee wiped from the Saints eyes, and they shall not hunger nor thirst any more. But this I dare say, they shall ne­ver meet with so many clouds interrupting their light againe; their worst and hardest work is over, although all their work bee not over; they shall never have so many thornes in their flesh, though they may have a pricking of thornes afterward.

2. No nor shall they be so strong: The reason of this is plaine, The weaknesse of grace is the strength of doubt­ing, [Page 260] and the strength of corruption is the sinewes of doubting; now the Christian hath got more strength of grace, and corruption hath been overcome in many a battell, and though the child of God hath not cleane rooted it out, yet hee hath routed it in many a set battell, weakned the strength of it; therefore it is, that though the Saint meets with feares and doubts, and they thrust out their strength against him, yet he hath not so hard work. For

1. He is grown in knowledge: Ignorance was a great cause.

2. He is grown in grace: Want of faith was a great cause.

3. He is grown in experience: He begins to know the wiles and stratagems of the Devill now; thence it is that thou shall seldome see a Christian so long tugging under a doubt or temptation, when once his first hard work is over, as he was with some of his first doubts.

A fourth note that I have observed concerning believers doubts, is this, Those that once passe, seldome returne. If a Christian hath once doubted his faith upon a conceit he is not enough humbled, or that he is not elected, or that he hath sinned the sin against the holy Ghost &c. Let him (I say) but once have got over, and you shall seldome see him stumble upon the same stone; possibly, till the wound be fully cured, there may bee breakings out againe. It may be afterwards he may doubt his condition; but if he doth, it shall be upon another score, something else that he hath found out to quarrell with his own soule upon: His enemies are like the Egyptians, those doubts his enemies, which he sees this day, hee shall see no more from hence forth even [Page 261] for ever: or if they see them afarre off, they shall flee at first sight, they shall see them as conquered captives, that their sight is but as a Generals over-looking the field, when he hath slaine the Enemy; he will tell you Sathans objections, but he will shew you the bullet that kild him; hee cryes out, O doubts where are your stings? O hell! where is your Victory? Thus they are like the clouds of the heaven, which passe and vanish and return not again, but like prisoners in fetters to doe homage to their Conquerour.

Fifthly, This I have observed, That believers have no doubts but they conquer at last: Doubts are but pieces of corruption guilded a little; the doubt is chaffie, though it be ten to one but there is a kernell of wheat in the eare darkned from our eye by the intervening of the chaffe. Now God never conquered a Saints heart, to let any fierce corruption (though the most fair-lookt limb of hell) rule over it. God gives doubts leave to try their skill, but upon this condition, that they shall be content to be trodden under foot: God hath said to Sathan after much intreaty, Behold, all his comfort and peace and quiet, (and yet that but for a moment, a little moment neither) is in thy power; only upon himself [his life and being] thou shalt not put forth thy hand. Thou shalt (saith God) if thou wilt, be a combatant, but he shall be the conquerour. There is scarce a child of God but hath his heart full of ensigns, conquered colours of his enemy hanging up there. Now Chri­stians, by this you shall know whither your doubts bee such as are consistent with saving faith in your soules: have not you gotten the day over some of your doubts, concerning which you can say, The God of peace hath already trodden Sathan under your feet? and doe [...]ot [Page 262] you fight against your present doubts, with great hopes that shortly you shall tread upon the necks of these too? have you not found that Sathan hath put his strongest cavalry in the front, and most assaulted you in the morning of your conversion unto God? have not you found that those doubts which you have since met with are fewer and weaker then those of the first sort? doth not Sathan begin to draw his bow as if hee wanted strength, and his arm were now grown feeble, and he began to quit the field? hath he not done his worst think you? have not you found that the clouds that have past are vanished? doe you finde your con­quered enemies revive? or are they not rather slain be­fore you? their not returning as it proceeds from Sathans policy, that will not rally his beaten forces againe for feare of a second rout, so it also proceeds from the encrease of knowledge and grace in your soules. These are notes that may assure you your doubtings are not the doubtings of carnall despairing wretches; their doubts return still, they are at the same stumble, God will not save us, he cannot save us. Let us doe what we will, yet say they, there is no hope. But I hasten to a conclusion.

Fifthly and lastly, therefore, you may difference your doubtings from the doubtings of unbelieving wretches by the effects: Let us see a little what the effects of doubtings are, both in unbelieving wretches, and also in the servants of God.

Quest. What are the Effects of those doubtings which are in unbelieving wretches?

Answ. A going away from God; they say, It is in vain to serve Lord, in vaine to pray more or heare more, in vaine to wait upon God. This evill is of the Lord (said [Page 263] that wretch,) Why should I wait for him any longer? So these say, our damnation is of the Lord, why should we pray to him any longer? Why should we mourn any more? There is no hope: No, Come! let us eat and drink, for to morrow we shall dye. Mark this, in that 18^th of Ier. 11. 12. And they said there is no hope: What then? Wee will walk after our own devises, and we will every one doe the imagination of his own heart: Here's the effect, that the doubting of unbelievers works in their hearts; a wilfull, desperate departing from God, and resolving to walk contrary unto him. But now, on the other side:

Quest. What Effects doth doubting, work in the the hearts of believers?

Ans. I conceive that the doubtings of the Saints of God produce these foure or five contrary Effects in the hearts of them that feare God.

First, A complaining unto God: The believer runs to God and sayes, Ah Lord! I know not what to do? but my eyes are towards thee: Ah Lord! I know not what to answer: Lord! doe thou answer for me: I have a base heart, cloudy; Lord cleare it! yea, and he com­plaines of himselfe, he sayes with Iob, Iob 10. v. 1. I will leave my complaint upon my selfe. The unbelieving wretch, he complaines indeed, but he leaves his com­plaints upon God.

A second Effect that the believers doubts work in his heart, is, a begging mercy of God: Lord help (saith he) my eyes are to thee: Lord, satisfie my poore doubt­ing soule; Thus did Iob, and David constantly. The un­believer never carries the burthen of his spirit to Jesus Christ that he might have ease: The believer never keeps his burthen upon his own shoulders till it break [Page 264] his back: The unbeliever sayes, there is no hope; his dead heart hath no principle of life in it in the world to car­ry it out to God, but he sincks like lead in the mighty waters.

A third Effect that the believers doubts work in his heart, is, a striving and struggling against them: He strives thus to make his calling and election sure, he looks out for strength, searches the Word of God to satisfie him in his scruples, enform him in his mistakes, to deliver him from his feares, and comfort him in his sadnesses and dejections of spirit, he enquires at the mouth of Gods Ministers, he goes about the City and streets and broad places, enquiring, saw yee him whom my soule loveth? If hee meeteth with the watch-men, hee enquires of them, Cant. 3. 4. He doth not look upon it as his duty to sit still as dead. On the contrary, the other strives not; he sayes, There is no help: To what purpose is striving then?

A fourth Effect that the doubts of the believer produce, is, a waiting for God; his sight is cloudy, yet hee waits; I will stay saith he, and see if God will not satisfie my soule in this difficulty: The other sayes, as he, 2 King. 6. 33. This evill is of the Lord, why should I wait for him any longer? The Saint sayes: Yes, Is. 8. 17. I will wait upon him that hides his face from the house of Iacob. I will wait upon him that yet covereth me with a cloud, and makes darknesse to be round about me; hee stands at Gods doore yet, crying, craving, waiting, till the Lord comes into his soule.

A fifth Effect (which shall be the last I will name) which doubting produceth in the believing soule, is, a walking with God: What sayes the doubting believer, Well, though I doe not know whither I am enough [Page 265] humbled, yet I am weary, I will goe to Christ for ease; though I doe not know whither I be chosen of God or no, yet I will chuse God to be my God. I will not de­part from him though he kills me, I will walk as neare as I can, according to the rule of his word; though I be full of feares, I will not start from his precepts; though thou killest me, yet I will trust in thee. The wicked doth contrary, as you heard before, from Ier. 18. 11, 18.

And now Christians, try your selves by this note; what effects doe your doubtings work in your hearts? You doubt sometimes (possibly) whither you belong to God or no; doe you then resolve to make sure of it by a wilfull departure from God, and a rebellion against God? or doe you at this time complaine to God, cry unto him, to lift up the light of his countenance upon you, strive against your doubts, wait for Gods Revelations of his love? and at this instant in the midst of all your sad doubts, walk closely with God according to the rule of his word? Canst thou say, Though I have been afflicted very much, yet have I not departed from thy judgments: Bee of good comfort (Christian) God shall wipe these teares from thy eyes. And the God of Peace shall bruise Sathan under your feet shortly, Rom. 16. 20.

And now I have done with such doubts and scruples as may arise in gracious soules, concerning the nature and acts and degrees of Justifying Faith.

To God only wise be glory through Iesus Christ for ever, Amen, Rom. 16. 27.