The Christian Armory, Book 2 · Chapter 5
CHAP. V. The complaint of small profiting by the ministery of the Word and Sacraments.
Question.
I Profit very little, and nothing so much as I would by the Word and Sacraments, and therefore J feare that my profiting is to no purpose, and my hearing of the word fruitlesse.
A. Your manner of reasoning and concluding is not good. For first, you bewaile your wants,2. Sam. 24.10. and withall zealously desire to make better procéedings; and this is no worke of nature, but of grace.
Secondly, little increases, as in all naturall things, so in spirituall, are true increases, and many littles make a mickle.
Thirdly, they that find themselues to make such small and leasurely procéedings, doe hold that which they hauehave learned by the ministery of the word, farre more surely, and soundly, then they that so suddenly seeme to profite.
Fourthly, admit that your knowledge be not much encreased by the ministery of the word, yet your affection is much bettered, and your life much more reformed.
Last…y, albeit you doe not forthwith after the hearing of Gods word, and immediately after the receiuing of the Sacrament, find and feele the graces of the spirit reuiued, enceased and confirmed in your selfe, yet you must wait Gods good leasure, and expect the fruit of it in the time appointed. For as the seed cast into the earth doth not instantly fructi…ie: a purgation doth not forthwith worke, and expresse his vertue: and as an Infant groweth not to mans estate in a moment (but time and space is required to all these:) So you must not look that the séede of the word will incontinently worke in you, or the Manna of the Lords Supper presently and sensibly encrease your faith, hope and louelove to God and your Brethren, but let it suffice you, that you grow by degrees, and in truth.
Q. What vse is to bee made hereof?
A. First, you must beware left by the ignorance of your own estate before God, or by too much complayning of your infirmities, you rob not God of the glory of his graces bestowed on you.
Secondly, the lesse that you find your selfe to profit, the more diligent you must be in hearing▪ prayer, conference, &c.
Q. But J am dull in conceiuing the meaning and vse of Gods word preached, how then can I bee a right hearer?
A. First, the apprehension and sense of thy dulnes (if thou be careful to learn) wil make thée more capable of the swéet and heauenly influence of God… word, which he that would be partak…r of must lay aside all conceit of his owne wit, vnderstanding, and capacity.
Secondly, if there be in thee …ut o…e sparke of heauenly vnderstanding,Luk. 24.45 … faith, if it be stirred vp by the breath, of Gods mouth, will soone take the match and …inder of familiar and gratious instruction.
Thirdly, the more dull that thou art, the more attention, sobriety, watchfulnesse, and diligence then must vse, and thou shalt at length preuaile and profite.
Fourthly, a dull wit and modest, is better then a quicke and desperate, for a dull wit, if it once truely apprehend a point, it will long reta…ne, but a quicke wit will soone forget that which it hath quickly and suddenly learned.
Lastly, we for the remedy of our dulnesse must pray vntounto Christ, to open our wits to vnderstand the Scriptures,Psal. 119.18. & 34. and to enlighten our eyes to behold the wonderfull things of his law, and hee that taught his Apostles the whole will of his Father, will teach thee all things necessary for thy saluation.
Q. My memory is very weake, and I remember very little or nothing of so many excellent lessons and instructions tha… are taught me, how shall I comfort and relieue my selfe?
A. First, thou must strengthen, and confirme thy memory by daily exercise: for diligence, indu…y, and methode, will much helpe memory, and supply the wants of it.
Secondly, the more weake and vncertaine that thou findest thy memory,Act. 17.11. the more speedily must thou call things that thou hast heard, to account, an… conferre with thy godly Brethren about them.
Thirdly, thou must be sure to remember the text well, to affect the Minister teaching, and to delight in his good doctrine, and this will much further thee.
Fourthly, thou must remember what vices reproued thou art subiect to, and in what duties vrged by the Preacher thou failest: and apply this particularly to thine owne soule, and thou shalt remember more. Happy art thou if Gods word and Minister find thee, and happy likewise art thou, if thou canst▪ wilt remember that thou art thus found.
Lastly, thou must pray vntounto God to giuegive thee vnderstanding and capacity, and to sanctifie thy memory for the conceiuing and treasuring vp of the best things,Ioh. 14.26. and then God wil heare thée, and send his blessed spirit the comforter to teach thee all things, and bring all things to thy remembrāce that thou hast formerly heard.
Q. But I am hardhearted, and the word of God little or nothing moueth me; what course shall I take to soften & mollifie my heart?
A. First, it argueth grace in thee to be sensitiue of this thine infirmity, and to desire redresse of it.
Secondly, hardnes of heart will alwayes (plus minus) steale vponupon vsus, and haunt vsus, therefore let vsus arme our selues by the word of God against it, and (to this end) let vsus not onelyonly endure priuate admonitions,Psal. 141.5. but suffer Gods blessed Ministers by the hammer of his law and iudgements to worke vponupon our hearts, yea and to breake and bruise them.
Thirdly, thou must by earnest, and continuall prayer,Ezech. 3.4.26.27. Isay 66.2. entreat the Lord to take the stony heart out of thy bowels, and to giuegive thée a fleshy and a soft hart, whereupon God may worke by his word, and wherein his spirit may dwell.
Lastly, thou must bewaile this thine infirmity, and for the remouall of it, and the further sanctifying of thy heart, thou must waite for, and tarry Gods leasure, who will in time cure and ease thee.
Q. What shall they doe, that hauing sundry times receiued the Lords Supper, doe yet complaine that they perceiue in themselues no encrease of faith, hope, and louelove by it?
A. First of all, they must lament, and bewaile their former negligence, & want of preparation.
Secondly, they must for the time to come,1 Cor. 11.2….29. 2 Chr. 30.19. keepe a Court and day of hearing in their owne consciences, and better examine and prepare themselues for so holy a Sacrament: for thus they are commaunded, and without performance of this duety, there is no worthy receiuing.
Thirdly, they must not looke at the very instant, or immediately after the receit of the Sacrament, to find & féele their profiting: for as a good medicine sheweth not forth his vertue at first, nor the seed straight waies groweth and yeeldeth increase: So the Sacrament (though in faith and reuerence receiued) doth not alwaies presently yeeld sensible comfort to the receiuer.
Lastly, they must call vponupon God to bestow further grace vponupon them, and then they must waite his leasure vntill he speede their desire.
Q. How are we to prepare our selues before wee come to bee partakers of the publicke. Ministerie of the Word and Sacraments.
A. First, we must consider the super-excellent maiestie of him,Eccl. 5.1. before whom we appeare, and the most excellent nature, vse, profite, and comfort of the Word and Sacraments, in faith, and reuerence heard and receiued.
Secondly,Psal. 26.8. wee must louelove the habitation of Gods house, and the place where his honour dwelleth,ver▪ 6. and therfore before wee come thither, wee must wash our hands in innocency, wee must lay apart all filthines and superfluity of mali…iousnes, and receiue the word of God with meekenesse,Iam 1.21. and with all readinesse, Act. 17.11.
Thirdly, we must come with a mind to learne and profite; wee must heare what the Lord our God saith vntounto vsus, and by the hand of faith receiue whatsoeuer he offereth vsus.
Fourthly, we must come to the holy assemblies in the louelove of God, and our neighbour, and féeding at Gods Table, both in the preaching of the word, and in the administration of the Supper of our Lord, wee must bring with vsus the wedding garment of faith and true holinesse: otherwise neither the word nor the Sacrament will profite vsus, but rather make vsus worse, and poison vsus.
Psal. 86.11Lastly, we must entreat the Lord by priuate praier, to teach vsus inwardly by his Spirite, and to frame our hearts to the obedience of his will.
Q. How are they to be censured and iudged, and what course must they take for their redresse and comfort, that indeed find in themselues a great desire & zeale to obey, but yet faile often in the Act of obedience?
A. First, a godly man is perfect by imputation by Christs righteousnesse, … not by inherent and begun holinesse; and he is perfite rather in purpose then in his practise: and rather in his desire, then in his déede.
1 Sam. 16.7Secondly, God (in his children specially) looketh vntounto the heart and affection, and not to outward things.
Rom. 15.7 ad 22. 1 Cor. 2.14.Thirdly, it is a signe of a perfect man to find his imperfection; for this procéedeth not from nature (that is altogether blind in matters of regeneration) but from the spirit and grace of God, wherby hee reuealeth to his their estate.
Fourthly, the more that he faileth in obedience, the more humble must hée be, and desire further grace & strength from God.
Fifthly, hee must remember, that yet the Iebusite and Cananite (1. sinnes and imperfections) are in his borders, and therefore he must put on and exercise the spirituall armour, vntill hee hath foyled and subdued them of blasphemous thoughts.
Q. Can they (possibly) hauehave any true sanctification that are often assaulted & encountred with many vile, horrible, & abhominable thoughts?
A. Yea vndoubtedly, for Satan that séeketh to sift al holines out of them, will violently suggest and foist such thoughts sometimes into their minds.
Q. How are these thoughts to bee sorted and distinguished?
A. They either arise from within thē, by reason of the corruptiō of their harts, or else they are outwardly obiected and iniected by Sathan.
Q. What if they arise from within vsus, what must we doe for the remouing and reformation of them?
A. First, we must not onelyonly not consent vntounto, allow, and cherish them, but repent of them, pray against them, stedfastly resist them, and bee carefull by the rule of Gods word to order and compose them, and then God will (in his mercy) passe by, and pardon them all: but if we neglect and omit these duties, then we shall lie open to all the assaults of the diuell.
Psal. 86.11Secondly, we must be frequent in the reading and meditation of the holy scriptures, and entreat the Lord to open our eyes to vnderstand them, and frame our hearts to obey them; and then these wicked thoughts shall either not come into our minds, or else they shall be soone driuen out of possession.
Lastly, we must bee aduised to make more conscience of holy duties, and (especially) of preaching, prayer, and of receiuing the Lords Supper, then formerly wee hauehave done; lest for the omission hereof we be iustly giuen ouer to ill thoughts.
Q. But what if they bee onelyonly from without, by Satan obiected vntounto vsus, and thrust vponupon vsus, wee giuing no assent vntounto them, how shal we comfort our selues?
A. Wee must comfort our selues in this, that our blessed Sauiour was thus tempted by Sathan,Mat. 4.3. & 6. who suggested and iniected due thoughts into his mind; but Christ neuer assented to him, but ouercame him, and hath for vsus broken his head, and dissolued all his works, so that hee cannot preuaile against our faith, or preiudice our saluation.
Q. What course must wee take for our helpe and redresse herein?
A. First, we must not striue against them; seeking violently to driue them away: for then wee shall be the more entangled with them, and like so many Bees buzzing about vsus, they will sting vsus: but we must let them goe.
Lastly, if they continue molesting vsus, then we must turne to Christ and desire his helpe, who hath so conquered them for vsus, that they shal neuer get full victorie ouer vsus.