The Doctrine of Fasting and Prayer, Sermon 5
SERMON V.
Octob. 12. 1625.
TWo Uses this Doctrine serveth unto principally,Vse. First for exhortation, and then for comfort.
And first to exhortus,1. that we would all of us strive to a…teine to this grace that David heere speaketh of, and hath beene commended unto us in this Doctrine; that is, to be able to afflict our owne soules with godly sorrow. And for my better proceeding in handling of this use, and for the help of your memory, and edification, I will deliver unto you, 1. The motives whereby you may be provoked to seeke this grace. 2. The meanes you must use for the atteyning of it. 3. The signes and tokens whereby you may discerne it.
First, Motives, I say; for you had need to have forcible reasons shewed you why you should desire it; none of us desire it as we ought, most men abhorre all sorrow; they put farre away the evil day, Amos 6. 3. and give themselves to all meanes of mirth, that they can devise Amos 6. 5, 6. And even in these times wherein the Lord by so many meanes cals to mourning, and to weeping, behold joy, and gladnesse, every where as it was in the Prophets time, Esa, 22. 12, 13. Every mans heart is in the house of mirth, Eccle. 7. 4. You had need therefore have forcible motives given you to persuade you to seeke, and labour for godly sorrow, for an afflicted and humbled heart. In the stone of the kidny or bladder men need not be persuaded to desire or seeke remedy, but in the stone of the heart they doe.
First,Motive 1. Consider the examples of Gods servants, whom God in his Word hath commended to us, and whom we count happy men, as the Apostle speaketh, Iam. 5. 11. and we shall see they were men of tender hearts, they were deeply humbled, and much given to mourning and weeping for their sinnes, David was much given to weeping for sinne, he spent whole nights in weeping abundantly, Psal. 6. 6. And Peter when he repented wept bitterly, Mat. 26. 75. & Paul was so humbled all his dayes for the sins he committed before his calling, that hee counted himselfe not worthy to be called an Apostle, 1 Cor. 15 9 Yea he judged himself lesse then the least of all Saints, Ep. 3. 8. Yea they have been brought to the very point & brink of despaire, before they could come to comfort. So was Asaph when he cryed, Psal. 73, 26. My flesh and my heart faileth. And so was Heman when he complained, Psal. 88. 15. While I suffer thy terrours, I am distracted. And so was David also when he said thus in his prayer unto God, Psal. 40. 12. Mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so as I am not able to looke up, they are more then the haires of my head, therefore my heart faileth me.
But these were fouler sinners (thou wilt say) then ever thou wert. I will shew thee therefore examples of such as whose sinnes were as small as thine. Iob was never tainted with so fowle sinnes as thou hast been; and yet his eyes were wont to poure out teares unto God, 16. 20. He for that very forwardnesse and impatiency he shewed in so great affliction abhorred himselfe, and repented in dust, and ashes, Iob 42. 6. Davids heart was so soft and tender, that it smote him when he had but cut off the skirt of Sauls garment, 1 Sam. 24. 5. The poore man whose child Christ dispossessed burst out into teares even for the weakenesse of his faith, Mar. 9. 24. Paul was marvellously humbled even for his originall sinne, Rom. 7. 24. O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
Consider these examples well, and thou must needs conclude with thy selfe; 1. Surely it must needs be a good thing; 2. Surely it must needs be a necessary thing, that all Gods people have beene so much given unto; Surely I have as much cause as they had to weepe, and bee deeply humbled for my sinnes.
But I will give thee another example farre greater then all these thy blessed Saviour that had no sin, was much given to mourning, and weeping for the the sinnes that thou, and such as thou art have committed, Mar. 3. 5. He mourned for the hardnesse of the hearts, even of his enemies; He wept over Ierusalem, Luc. 19. 41. His soule was exceeding sorrowfull, unto death, Mat. 26. 38. He offred up prayers and supplications, with strong crying, and teares, Heb. 5. 7.
Say not I have the lesse cause to grieve for my sinnes, because hee grieved so much for them, Esay 53. 4. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrowes.
For thou must become conformable unto him in his sufferings, or thou shalt never have comfort in them, Rom. 8. 29. & 6. 5.
Say therefore to thine owne soule, if all Gods people have beene so apt to weep and mourne, what am I?
But before I proceede to the second Motive, two questions and doubts must be ansvered, that may arise from the first.
Can I not be in the state of grace,Object. 1. unlesse I match these examples, and be so tender hearted, and apt to mourne as they?
I answer,Answ. 1. first thou mayest. All Gods children have not beene humbled, nor broken in heart in the same measure, and degree, and two reasons there be of the difference.
First, In the persons themselves. Some of them have beene more hainous sinners then others. And according to the proportion of mens sins hath, and must be the measure of mens humiliation. The hainouser the sinne, the deeper, and of the longer continuance must the sorrow be.
Of Manaf…es it is said, 2 Chron. 33. 12. He humbled himselfe greatly before God. Of David, Psal. 51. 8. that his anguish and sorrow for sin, was like to the paine a man feeleth that hath his bones broken. Of Mary Magdalen that she wept so aboundantly as she could wash Christs feet with her teares, Luc. 7. 38. Thinke upon this thou that hast beene guilty of murther, persecution, whoredome, or such like hainous sinnes, thy sorrow must be proportionable to the hainousnesse of thy sinnes.
The second reason of the difference is in the Lord, who is the only worker & giver of this grace. For as in other graces he is pleased to give them in greater measure to some of his elect, then to others, Mat. 13. 23. In some elect ground, the seed of the Word yeelds but thirty, in some sixty, in some an hundred fold. So is it in this.
Ordinarily the Lord useth by the spirit of bondage, and legal terrors to prepare men to their conversion, and deeply to humble them, to give them the spirit of bondage, Rom. 8. 15. But we read of no such thing in the first conversion of Matthew: though he had beene a Publican. For at his very first conversion he made a great feast to Christ, Mat. 9. 9, 10. nor in those that Peter converted, for though they were pricked in their hearts and deeply humbled before they beleeved, Act. 2. 37. Yet did their sorrow, and feare continue nothing so long upon them, as Davids did, they quickly attained to comfort in the assurance of pardon, Act. 2. 41. 46 Lydias example I doe of purpose omit, for shee (though shee beleeved not in Christ till she heard Paul, Act. 16. 14. yet) was converted, and feared God before Verse 13.
Secondly,Answ. 2 Yet know this that all Gods elect. 1. Find in themselves this humiliation even with legall terrours at one time or other. For Christ was sent to preach the Gospell to none, but to the broken-hearted, to the captives, to the bruised, Luk. 4. 18. that is to such as had the spirit of bondage, Rom. 8. 15.
2. All Gods faithfull, and true hearted people are in some true measure humbled, and can mourne, and afflict their soules for sinne, for they are all oft in scripture stiled by this title. They are called the humble, Psal. 34. 2. an afflicted and poore people, Zeph. 3. 12. the poore of the fl…ck, Zac. 11. 7. 11. poore (he meanes) in spirit, Ma…. 5. 3. Psal. 34 6, 3. They hold themselves bound to aime at the best marks, and to strive to be like them that have most excelled in this grace of brokennesse of spirit, & ability to mourne for sin, Phil. 3. 17. Brethren be followers together of mee, and marke them that walke so, as ye have us for an ensample. Thou art then in a wofull case if thou neither canst mourne for thy sinne, nor strivest to doe it.
But yet there is a second question to be resolved.Quest. 2. For we heare (may some say) that Iob, and David, & Peter, and Paul, and Hezechia, and Iosia, and Christ, have been much given to weeping, in their mourning for sinne they have wept much. Can I not bee in the state of grace, can I not have truely repented, nor beene humbled for my sinne, unlesse I can doe as they did, unlesse I can weepe for my sinne?
I answer▪ Answ. 1.First, That the griefe, and mourning for sinne be absolutely necessary unto unfained repentance, teares are not alwayes so. And I will shew you two reasons of the difference that is to be observed betweene Gods people in this point.
First, The constitution of some mens bodyes makes them much more unapt to weepe then others are.
Secondly, The very extreamity of griefe sometimes so oppresseth, and overwhelmeth mens hearts (as David complaineth of himselfe, Psal. 143. 4. My spirit is overwhelmed within me, my heart within mee … desolate) as they cannot ease themselves either by words or teares. Gods people have beene oft in that extreamity of griefe as they could not pray, I meane not expresse in words the desires of their heart, but with sighes, and groanings, Rom. 8. 26. In extreamity of sorrow some men cannot weepe. It is said of David, and his company, 1 Sam. 30. 4. they had no more power to weepe. So that I may say to thee that if thou canst, by the signes that I shall by and by give thee, approve that thou art able soundly to mourne, and bee humbled for thy sinnes, though thou canst not weepe for them, thou mayst be in the state of grace for all that.
But secondly,Answ. 2. I answer, That if the constitution of thy body will serve thee to weep for other things and yet thou couldst never weep for thy sinnes, surely thy case is fearefull. As to the man that can remember other things well enough, a tale, a play, but a sermon, a chapter of the Bible, he cannot remember, and excuseth the matter thus, my memory is naught, I may say it is naught indeed with a witnes, it is sinfully, it is damnably naught; so to thee that canst weepe for other things but not for sinne, I may say, flatter not thy selfe but strive to bee able to doe as thou hearest other the good servants of God have done, and that God hath beene so highly pleased with them for, strive to bee able to weepe for thy sinnes.
The second motive to persuade you to seeke for this grace,Motive 2. is the consideration of the manifold promises God hath made in his word to them that can afflict their soules, and be rightly humbled for sinnes, and the great benefite that this grace will bring with it.
First,Promise 1 This sorrow shall not be everlasting, Rev. 7. 17. but it shall end in comfort, Iohn 16. 20. Yee shall be sorrowfull, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy, Psal. 126. 5. They that sow in teares, shall reap in joy. It is appointed unto them that mourne in Zion, that they shall have the …ile of joy given them for their mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heavines, Esa. 61. 3. The Lord who is the father of mercies, & God of all consolation is cald a God that comforteth al those that are cast downe, 2 Cor. 7. 6. Never found Gods people that cōfort in Gods mercy & in the assurance of the pardō of their sins as when they have beene most humbled, and able to weep most for their sinnes, Esa. 29. 19. The meeke shall increase their joy in the Lord, and the poore among men shall rejoyce in the holy one of Israel. The day of humiliation when Gods people afflict their soules before him, is called a day of attonement, Levit. 23. 27. For so is Gods promise, Zac. 13. 1. In that day there shall be a fountaine opened to the house of David, and to the inhabitants of Ierusalem, for sinne, and for uncleannesse.
First, No man need feare hee shall bring himselfe to desperation if he give way to this tendernesse of heart, and sorrowing for sinne. For there is no such medicine in the world to free thy heart from legall, and desperate feares, and sorrowes, and to bring thy heart to sweet peace, and comfort in God, as this is, if thou couldst rightly mourne, and be humbled for thy sinne. When those poore wretches that had crucified Christ, and were pricked in their hearts, with intollerable feares, and sorrowes, and anguish of soule for it, and cried out to the Apostles what shall we doe? Act. 2. 37. Marke what remedy Peter prescribes them, verse 38. Repent, saith he. Why? Did they not repent already, of that they had done? Yes, with legall repentance for endaungering themselves, but his meaning is, repent and mourne that you have offended God. And indeed so is Gods promise. Esay 57. 15. I will dwell with him that is of a contrite, and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. He may be sure to have his heart revived, and comforted that can be humbled enough.
Secondly, Yea there is no such remedy against wordly sorrow as this; if when we feele our hearts dejected with any sorrow for any worldly crosse, we would labour to turne our heart from the consideration of the crosse, to the consideration of our sinne that hath beene the cause of it. And this remedy you shall finde prescribed, Lam. 3. 39. Wherefore doth a living man complaine, (chafe, and fret, and disquiet himselfe) a man for the punishment of his sinnes? let us search, and try our wayes.
I beseech you lay this second Motive to your hearts every one of you.Applic. 1. Many of you never yet had any comfort in God, in the assurance of the pardon of your sinnes, never found sweetnesse in Christ nor in Gods promises. 2. Many of you are much disquieted with legall and desperate feares. 3. Many of you are alwayes heavy hearted, somtimes by reason of crosses you meet with, and sometimes you know not why. And what is the true cause of all this? You were never yet rightly humbled for your sinnes. Why will you continue in this uncomfortable estate? Learne to mourne and weepe for thy sinnes, and that will help all.
The second promise made unto it,Promise 2 and benefit this sorrow will bring, is, that it will make us capable of, and able to thrive in every saving grace. This benefit you shall find pressed as a motive unto this, 1 Pet. 5. 5, 6. God giveth grace to the humble, humble your selves therefore (saith the Apostle) under the mighty hand of God. Iam. 4. 6, 7, 9. God giveth grace to the humble, submit your selves therefore to God, bee afflicted, and mourne and weep. Men use not to come to the rock to be well grounded, and setled in grace till they have digged deep, Luk. 6. 48. Such shall attaine to a cleare and certaine, and sanctified knowledge of the truth, Psal. 25. 9. The humble he will teach his way. Such shall get power over their corruptions, 2 Cor. 7. 10. Godly sorrow worketh repentance unto salvation not to be repented of. Eccle. 7. 3. Sorrow is better then laughter: for by the sadnesse of the countenance, the heart is made better. These teares are of a purging, and cleansing nature; no sope, no nitre is so effectuall to get the spots, and staines out of cloth, as these are to wash out the spots of thy soule. That which Salomon saith of a slanderer, Prov. 25. 23. An angry countenance will drive him away; may be said of this: if sinne be not cockerd, and made much of, if we would shew our selves discontented, sad, and heavy, while it tarrieth with us, this would drive it away.
Take this also to heart,Applic. I pray you. 1 Many of you complaine, or have just cause to complaine, you thrive not in any saving grace, you are like Pharaohs kine, though you live in never so good pasture, yet are you still as ill favoured, and leane as ever you were, Gen. 41. 19. 21.
2. Many of you are extreamely ignorant, and unsetled in your religion, unstable soules, as the Apostle speakes, 2 Pet. 3. 16.
3. Many of you complaine you cannot overcome nor get power over any corruption; you cry with the Apostle (though not with that successe that hee did) Rom. 7. 15. That which I doe I allow not; for what I would that I doe not, but what I hate that doe I. Learne to know the true cause of all this, you were never yet rightly humbled for sinne. If thou couldst be humbled and learne to mourne for thy sinne, God would give thee more grace.
Thirdly,Promise 3 The Lord hath promised his speciall protection, assistance and mercy in the evill day, the day of his wrath, and judgements, unto such as are rightly humbled, and can mourne for their sinnes, Psal. 18. 27. Thou wilt save the afflicted people, and 34. 18. He saveth such as be of a contrite spirit, Iob 22. 29. When men are cast downe then thou shalt say, there is a lifting up, he shall save the humble person. And this promise God hath been wont to make good, one of these three wayes.
1. Either by turning away the judgment that he had threatned as 2 Chron. 32. 26. Hezechia humbled himselfe for the pride of his heart (both he, and the inhabitants of Ierusalem) so that the wrath of the Lord came not upon them in the dayes of Hezechia. Yea to shew what sound humiliation is able to doe, the very counterfait of it hath beene very effectuall this way for the turning away of judgements, 2 Chron. 12. 12 When Rehoboam humbled himselfe, the wrath of the Lord turned from him, so that he would not destroy him altogether, and also in Iudah things went well. The like we may see in the example of a worse man then hee, 1 King. 21. 29. Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himselfe before me? therefore I will not bring the evill in his dayes.
Or 2. by hiding his servants from the judgement, and providing for their safety in the common calamity, as he did Iust Lot, that was vexed with the filthy conversation of the Sodomites, 2 Pet. 2. 7. This our God can doe, verse 9. The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of tentations; For to him belong the issues of death, Psal. 68. 20.
Or 3. (if he see it not good to do either of the former) by sealing them, & setting his mark upon them, giving them by his spirit further assurance of his favour, and strength of grace to indure the calamity (for that is Gods seale, and marke, Ep. 1. 13.) and so did the Lord with those humbled soules that went into captivity, Ezek. 9. 4. Goe through the midst of the City, through the midst of Ierusalem, and set a marke upon the foreheads of the men that sigh, and that cry for all the abhominations that be done in the midst thereof.
Consider well of this benefit I pray you.Applic: 1. We live now in an evill time: The plague hath devoured many thousands already; and we all may see cause enough to feare, it may come neerer to every one of us then yet it hath done.
2. The Lord doth also threaten us with the sword. You have heard of the intentions of our enemies abroad.
3. All mens hearts are disquieted with feare; few have any inward peace, and security in their minds. Learne therefore to know how wee might remedy this. Certainly if we could learne to afflict our selves and mourne for our sinnes, we need not feare either the plague, or the papists: God would be a refuge for us, a refuge in times of trouble, Psal. 9. 9. O that Gods people throughout the land could humble themselves more for sin, for the sinnes of the land, and for their owne sinnes. O that we could doe it, that are here now. Remember what is said, Prov. 14. 26. In the feare of the Lord is strong confidence, and his children shall have a place of refuge.
Fourthly,Promise 4 The Lord hath promised that the prayers of such shall prevaile mightily with him both for themselves, and others. You know what is said of Iacob, Hos. 12. 4. He had power over the Angel, and prevailed, he wept and made supplications unto him. And of Hezechiah, Esa. 38. 5. I have heard thy prayers, I have seene thy teares, behold I will adde unto thy dayes 15. yeeres. And what need we more examples when we have the Lords expresse Word, and promise for this, Psal. 10. 17. Lord thou hast heard the desire of the humble, thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine eare to heare, Psal 34. 17. When the Prophet had said, The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth them, he giveth this for the reason, verse 18. The Lord is nigh to them that are of a broken heart, 2 Chron. 7. 14. If my people that are called by my name, shall humble themselves and pray, then will I heare from Heaven. Yea for others also, God will heare them, Iob 42. 8. My servant Iob shall pray for you, for him will I accept.
1. Wee all complaine,Applic. and not without cause, as Iob did, Iob 30. 20. I cry unto thee, and thou dost not heare me: I stand up, and thou regardest me not.
2. And we account it (if we be as we should be) the cheif priviledge, and comfort we have in this life to have audience and respect with God in our prayers, 1 Iohn 5. 14. This is the confidence that wee have in him, that if wee aske any thing according to his will, he heareth us.
3. Take notice of a cheif cause thereof: and as thou desirest God should have more respect to thy prayers, labour thou to be more humbled for thy sinnes.