Works, Part 4 · Religious tract 2
More speciall directions to be obserued, for the comfort of afflicted Consciences.
1. Tēptation.ACcording to the measure of Temptations, GOD is accustomed to giuegive graces afterward.2. Tēptation.
Belieue that GOD the FATHER doth gouerne your Temptations; that the HOLIE GHOST shall, and doth assist you; that IESVS CHRIST was tempted to ouercome in you; that the Saints on earth doe pray for you, euen those which neuer knew you, but doe pray for the tempted ones.
Vse the Word, Prayer, and Sacraments, Psalmes, Conference, Fasting, Vowing.3. Exercises of religion.
Nothing must trouble you, but God his Word truely vnderstood, nor comfort you, but the same.4. Comfort & discōfort.
A false feare doth often trouble and vexe one more, then that which is a true one.5▪ False feare
None can iudge of the worke of the Spirit, but by the light of the Spirit: as none can6. To discerne the spirit. iudge the light of the Sunne, but by it selfe.
None can say they are asleepe, which are so indeede: So none can say they are secure,7. Carnall securitie. which in heart confesse their securitie.
Leaue off reasoning and complaining of your owne corruption: but aboue all things8 Complaining. beware you complaine not of God.
Dispute not with GOD, least you be confounded; nor with Sathan, least you bee ouercome.6. Disputation.
Be still perswaded that your punishment is farre beneath your sinne.10▪ Punishment.
Beware to say you cannot be helped; this is to hinder the worke of God: if you hauehave so said, repent you heartily thereof, aske God forgiuenes therefore for Christ his sake.11, Not to distrust Gods helpe.
Thinke not, nor speake not that secretly (vnlesse it be complaining of your selfe) which you would not openly thinke or speake.
Enuie not the gifts of God in anie, neither thinke too hardly of anie for their infirmities:12. Secret thoughts and speeches. fret not your selfe for the prosperity of the wicked. Iudge not too hardly of your selfe, because you see so manie of Gods graces in others, which you cannot finde in your selfe.
Take not pleasure in hearing or seeing euill in anie, or of anie, but be grieued rather: reioyce13. Enuie. in the good of others.14. How to be affected in others weale & woe.
In such multitude of God his mercies as you enioy, maruell not you hauehave some crosses: God sends blessings with crosses, least wee should despaire: likewise crosses with blessings, least we should presume.
In any outward blessing which you see you cannot hauehave, beseech God you may neuer15. Crosses with blessings be vexed for it. Any spirituall or corporall, inward or outward blessing which you trust God will giuegive you in time, beseech God you may not couet them too much, but …arie his16. Want of an outward blessing. good houre vntill you doe enioy them. If you will hauehave an outward blessing, be well content to want it: If you would hauehave a crosse remoued, be content to goe vnderunder it, and beare it vntill the Lord remoue it: If too greedily you couet any such things, it is longer, or ere you shall enioy them, and more danger to abuse them when you hauehave them.17 Calling.
A wi…e walking in your calling is a meanes to auoyde Temptations.18. Motiues vntounto prayer.
1. Our neede, &c. 2. God his goodnes to his creatures. 3. His commandements. 4. His promises 5. Examples of others. 6. The benefits receiued before vnasked. 7. The assistance19. Sinne. of the holy Ghost. 8. The mediation of Iesus Christ. 9. The ministerie of the holy Angels.20. Iustification and sanctification.
10. The communion of the Saints. 11. Psalmes and prayers, made of others, read of vsus.
Thinke nothing so vile as sinne: Nothing so precious as Gods merciemercy.
Water and bloud were especially vsed in sacrifices; water signifieth clensing, bloud reconciliation: therefore there gushed out of Christs side both water and bloud, to declare21 The bloud of Christ must be sprinckled by the holie Ghost in our heart. that by him we hauehave both sanctification and iustification.
The bloud of the beasts which were sacrificed was not onelyonly shead, but also sprinkled vponupon the holy vessels, vponupon the booke, vponupon the Tabernacle, & vponupon the Altar; to signifie that the shedding of Christs bloud is vnprofitable to vsus, vnles our harts be sprinkled with it by the holy Ghost; and that God accepteth no sacrifice at our hands, except his spirit come vponupon it to sprinkle it with the blood of Christ.
Our Lord Iesus Christ fasting and praying at the entrance of his calling, is our instruction: first, in respect of the greatnes of the calling: secondly, of gifts needfull: thirdly, ofChrist fastīg and prayer. the grieuous perils which may insue: fourthly, of the losse of our labours at the least. Hee prayed in his own ministerie often: and when he sent foorth others, Matth 9▪ and Luke 21.
As Abraham feared more, so likewise Iob, the neerer they came to the presence of God. Iob 39. 37. and 42. 5. Gen. 18. 27.
Circumcision was neglected in the wildernesse fourtie yeers, likewise the Paschal Lamb more; yet the Church of God was among them.
Certaine rules for an afflicted minde, concerning seuerall temptations.
THose temptations shall be laid to your charge, whereunto you yeeld, &c. No motion1 shall hurt you, whereunto you giuegive not consent in heart. You hauehave no sin, Whilest in heart you long to be free from it: you want no goodnes, which in heart you couet to hauehave. Rom. 7.
Where sicknes is at the highest, there is hope of diminishing: so likewise in temptation.
It is a great merciemercy of God to discerne a temptation, in time of temptation.2
When you would doe any good, or receiue any good, offer vp your endeuours, actions3 and meanes, in a sacrifice to God in Christ, beseeching God to giuegive his holy spirit to sanctifie his owne sacrifice.
As you pitie your childe in the fit of an ague, so the Lord will pitie you in a temptation.4
If you hauehave receiued but a little release of temptation, giuegive thankes, and you shall hauehave5 more.
It is a sinne as well to denie God his gifts, as to presume of them.6
Temptations smothered, as fire burne more inwardly.7
Be perswaded alwaies you are in the presence of God, and of his Christ.8
Be more afraid of secret sinnes, than of open shame.9
Lay this foundation sure, that there is merciemercy with Christ Iesus.10
Remember the former mercies you hauehave receiued; and thinke your present estate to be11 none other, than the estate of Gods children. If you bee grieued, pray to God; if relieued, praise him: there is a vicissitude of griefe, and comfort, as of light and darknes.
Beware of a discontented minde in any case, yea be contented to hauehave your desires denied12 you of God; and if your prayer be not heard, vexe not your selfe too much: neither vehemently couet, nor be grieued for any thing, sauing the hauing or losse of the fauour of God.
Let nothing pearce your heart deepe, either in griefe or feare, but sinne and vnbeliefe.13 Labour for meeknes and patience, bee readie to kisse the rod, and to offer vp all to him, of whom you hauehave receiued your selfe: for if you struggle, it will fare with you, as with a bird in a grinne; the more she striueth, the faster she is, and more twitched. Wee must vse the word in troubles and temptations, as a sicke man doth meate; which though he eate against his stomacke, and presently feeleth no benefite of it, yet we knowe by experience it doth him good, and himselfe afterward shall receiue the same.
In our great feare, we are lesse to be feared; those are to feare, which feare not.14
Sometimes the Lord doth bring vnbeleeuers that wander from him by crooked waies,15 vntounto himselfe.
Reuerence those words and workes of God, which you vnderstand not.16
As the sense of an aguish man is corrupt; so is the iudgement of one that is in temptation,17 (Muscul.) so that things that are, either seeme not to be, or not such as they are.
The patient bearing of miserie, is an acceptable sacrifice vntounto God. When the Goldsmith18 putteth a peece of gold into the fire to make better vse of it; it seemeth to the vnskilfull that he vtterly marreth it: so the children of God in affliction seeme to the iudgement of the naturall man vndone and brought to nothing: but spirituall things are spiritually discerned.
As none can discerne of the Sunne, but by his owne light: so neither of the Spirit. Hereof19 arise the diuers iudgements of the tempted, of themselues; because sometime the goodNote well this rule. spirit doth inlighten them, and other times they are left in their naturall blindnes, and Satan also easily deluded them.
Beleeue alwaies your estate to be the worke of God, and varie not therein, for your humiliation,20 your consolation, the glorie of God, and the good of others.
Beware that you doe not often alter your iudgement of your estate, as saying, sometimes21 it is God his worke, sometimes Melancholie, sometimes your weaknes and simplicitie, sometimes witcherie, sometimes Satan, for these diuers thoughts will much trouble you: you may thinke Melancholie may bee an occasion, but no cause, and so of the rest. Looke stedfastly to the hand of God, surely resting on this, that hee not onelyonly knoweth thereof, but that whatsoeuer is done, directly, or indirectly, by meanes or immediatly, al is done and gouerned by him.
Beware of reasoning, of musing, of solitarines, of impatiencie of spirit, of murmuring, of22 anger, enuie, wishes suspitions, ielousies, too often eating, &c. or fastings, much medling with wordly businesse, or much idlenes, lying musing in bed, vaine mirth.
Say not you cannot be helped: for that may hinder the worke of God. Say not if I were23 in such and such a place, I should be well.
Whereas in consideration of the falling away of many excelling you, both in the ages24 and graces of the new birth, you feare you shall not perseuere to the end: your meditation and collection is good so long as it preserues you from the carelesnesse of your flesh: but it is euill, when it would dissolue the assurednes of your faith. Indeede so long as you looke vponupon your selfe you hauehave cause of feare, because you are vnable to prolong, as you are to begin new birth: but if you looke to God, you hauehave nothing but matter of faith, for that whom he once loueth, he loueth for euer. Againe, as a man swimming in deepe waters isSimile. neuer in danger of drowning, so long as his head continueth aboue the waters: so, though you swimme in deepe feare of dangerous temptations, yet you are sure and secure, because Christ Iesus your head is still aboue all your troubles, and therefore is able to draw you his member to the shore of saluation, without all perill of perishing.
It is hard to take vp and beare the yoke of Christ: but much harder it is to continue,25 drawing and panting in it vntounto the end. This caused a godly father to pronounce, that in godlines not so much the beginnings as the endings are to be looked to. Iudas began gloriously, but he ended shamefully: Paul began ill, but he ended well. Then let vsus say to our owne soules, Good Lord, what if our first louelove be growne cold, how fearfull is it to come a great way out of Sodome; and in the end to become a pillar of salt? Oh, let vsus neuer putA sweete Prayer. our hand to the plough, and looke backe: keepe vsus deare God, from the beginning in the spirit, and ending in the flesh. Oh, suffer vsus not to be the first in outward vocation, and the last in inward sanctification: let vsus feare, hauing beene once lightned, to be darkened.
Remember how sometime thy heart hath wrought and trauelled in prayer, how the26 springs of your ioy hauehave beene in the Lord, and his Christ: how all thy delights hauehave been in his Saints: how it hath beene thy glorie in singing and praising to be familiar with thy God. These former fruites make me looke for after fruites.
A streight course of religion is somewhat an vncomfortable companion: but blessed27 be that mortificatiō which so farre estrangeth vsus from the world, that it chāgeth vsus to the similitude of Christ, to whom we must be cōformed in sufferings, that we may be like him in glorie. Suffer not your heat to bee straight, narrow, and vncomfortable in heauenly things: this draweth away both the breath and bud, and the life of true godlinesse. The Lord keepe you from euill, and the Lord satisfie you with gladnesse, the Lord giuegive you the spirit of prayer, and heare your prayers, the Lord bee your teacher, your guide and your comfort, oh pray, pray, pray, it is the best sacrifice to God, and the most comfortable duty you can do…. I am not loth to put you in minde of these things, you hauehave many carefull for you in other things; O pardō me if I be bold in this one thing, I trust I reioyce more in the good of your soule, than euer I should reioyce in the fruite of mine owne bodie: it would be a thousand deaths to me, as tenne thousand hels to see your soule misca…ie. O let me be accepted more than a ciuill friend, more than a friend of the world, giuegive me this benefit to be thought further than a friend in the flesh.
No griefe, shame, or sorrow pleaseth the Lord, which goeth altogether separated from28 a sweete perswasion of his fauour. Againe, no pleasing our selues in the assurance of pardon is acceptable to God, which altogether reiecteth the care of espying, bewailing, and auoiding of sinne. Wherefore let this be the barre and bound of your affections in these cases: so long as Christ goeth with you, so long as the mercies of God accompanie you, soA sweete counsell. long as the grace of the Spirit shineth vponupon you, be dealing with your sinnes, and condemne them to death: likewise while you are tender of conscience, afraide of sinne, reuerently prepared to walke holily with your God, laugh at Sathans accusations, despise destruction, and set at nought the terrors of hell. You neuer erre one way or other, but by failing of one or both of these: that is, either in your griefes you are grieued without comfort, or in your ioyes you reioyce without reuerence: whereby it falles out in the end, that as in vnnecessarie griefes you can finde no spirituall pleasure, so in vnaduised ioyes you can find no spirituall profit.
He was not so much moued at the reproches of his enemies, as at the not profiting of29 his friends. Yet herein he had this comfort: first, if all profited not by his speeches, yet soFriends not pr…fiting in godlinesse. that one among tenne profited, he thought he had the winnings that Christ had: secondly, if they profited not which he spake to presently, yet they might profit hereafter: thirdly, if none of them profited, yet he knew the word should not be in vaine.
It is the policie of Satan, as to blinde, and beset the world with a quiet possession of an30 vniust mirth, thereby to keepe them from the true sight of their sinnes: so to oppresse the sillie flocke of Christ with false and causelesse feares, thereby to keepe them from the gloriousFalse feare. feeling of their redemption. He knoweth to his griefe that your ioy may temporally be interrupted, but not finally or eternally be denied you: therefore he plieth himselfe, though he cannot extinguish it, yet to diminish your iust and royall right in your Christ: in regard wherof, you stād guiltie of not maintayning the Lords royaltie giuē to his elect, if in the least measure you yeeld to these slauish feares of the aduersarie. This subtill Serpent is not ignorant, that by these pensiue practises, he doth weare to a dulnes the edge of your prayers: and that he draweth from you with an vncomfortable tediousnes the fruits of your faith: and consequently by these meanes, you are depriued of the fruit of a more comfortable seruice to your God: the weake ones fearing also by your example the profession of Christ to be strict and comfortlesse.
Of the power and priuiledges of Gods word.
THhe Word of GOD is mightie, & liuely in operation, Heb. 4 12. 13. This place commendeth vntounto vsus the Word, by it effects shewing, that it is not a sound in the aire to tickle mens eares, & please their conceits, but it worketh with further power like a two edged sword to humble men, and being humbled, to raise them vp againe. Hereunto therefore is due a speciall prerogatiue and honor, because the worke of it shal be ratified in mens consciences, whether they be good or euill, elect or reprobates. For the word is the power of GOD to all, that an Anatomie of our corruptions laide before vsus, wee might be driuen out of our selues to IESVS CHRIST.
First, of the words, then of obseruations out of the doctrine.
The word is liuely. Therefore not dead, as the wisdome of Philosophie. It is sharper then a two edged sword. This Metaphor is vsed Esay. 48. 2. where the Word is compared to a sword or an arrow, wherewith men are shot at. Also Ephes. 6. it is compared to a sword.
And entreth to the deuiding asunder of the soule and the spirit, &c. This declareth, how the word reuealeth inward hypocrisie, and telleth vsus that all our holines is but dissimulation, all our wisedome foolishnes, all our righteousnes as a defiled cloth.
And of the ioynts, and of the marrow. This is added to shewe, that though wee hide our hypocrisie, and would …urie it in the most secret parts, yet euen the bones shall tremble, and the marrow in the bones shall turne to rottennes: as Iob. 33. 19. Psal. 51▪ 8 Psal 32.
And is a di…cerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Here we see, that where no law of man can take hold of vsus, there the Lord will finde our intents by his word, and will gage vsus to the bottome.
Hence arise three questions. First, how the word doth thus worke in men? It is when we vse good meanes, and God his Spirit worketh vponupon the meanes. The vsuall meanes are hearing, reading, conferring, and meditating, and praying. This we may see 1. Corinth 10. Pro…. 29. Ephes 4. 1. Thess. 5. by the vertue of the word preached. To preaching we must ioyne reading of it, Act. 17. As for conference and meditation, we must know, that neuer any shall come to the marrow of knowledge without this meane. For meditation is the life of learning, the want where of causeth, that the greatest Clerkes are not the wisest men, Of prayer, Matth. 6. and 11. 1. Cor. 2. how needfull this is so many must acknowledge, as confesse the word to be a mysterie, and therfore not to be conceiued without the working of God his Spirit, which we must pray for. 2 Cor. 4.
Secondly, it is asked of what part of the word this is meant? I answere of both, that is of the Law, and of the Gospell. Z…ch 12. 1. Cor. 14.
Thirdly: In whom these effects of the word are found? Both in the godly and in the wicked, though not alike. Where we must know, that there is a feeling in both of these men, which is inward and not seene. Secondly, this power is not alwaies presently felt, but it worketh in God his appointed time. We shall see the word will often strike the vngodly, though they be loth to heare; and although when they hauehave heard, they would shake it off, by inglutting their hearts with eating, drinking, and sleeping, yet it will wring them on their beds, at their tables, in their chambers, when they are with their companions. And although God his deare children do not alwaies feele this power to saluation, yet they hauehave it in greater measure at one time or at another.
Hence obserue three vses. First, we must come to know the word. For the diuell moueth this fearefull question vntounto many: How knowest thou this is the word, rather than any other doctrine? To leaue grosse heresies, I answere by an interrogatorie. Whose words, if he were but a man, and spake as a man alone, did euer driue thee to hell? whose words, did euer rip vp thy secret and close sinnes? who hath drawne teares out of thine eyes and sorrow out of thy heart with a conscience of thy sinne, at which thou wert wont to laugh? Whose words hauehave taken thee from the hell of thy conscience, to heauen? who hath giuen thee ioy in sorrow, comfort in trouble? What words of Philosophers can make of a Leopard a Lambe, of a viper a childe, of a leacher a chast person, of a couetous carle a liberall man? All eloquent Oratours without the word, are bare Physitions to a troubled minde.
Secondly, the word needeth none other helpes. 1. Cor. …. and 2, and 3. 2. Cor. 2. and 3. and 4. Howbeit we may vse other words besides the bare phrase of the Scripture: but we must beware of humane inuētions, & take heed we vse not vncertain phrases for certaine. If we vse the authoritie of Heathen men, we doe ill. We may alleadge them, but most sparingly, and not naming them, but by way of an argument we may shew, that the Heathen saw this and that, and therefore we should not be ignorant of it. Similitudes may be vsus…d, if they be naturall, and not constrained. We must vse them as sauce to prepare vsus for better things. We must not straine them, least we presse out corruption. The milke in the breast not strained is pure, too hard pressed it is corrupt.
Thirdly, the word worketh by diuers meanes. And I hope with Eliah that there be …oe profit by the word, than I see. Iohn Baptist came mourning, Iesus Christ came piping, but few profited. For many would follow Iohn, vntill he required repentance. They would heare Christ, vntill he spake of the crosse. Great is the wisedome of God in vsing the vehemencie of one, the mildnes of another, the zeale of another. But some will neither profit by Iohn nor by Iesus Christ, who will rather be offended at the infirmities of the speaker, being few, than by his good speeches profit, though they be many.
FINIS.