Directions and Persuasions to a Sound Conversion, Direction 2
DIRECT. II. If you would not have the work of your Conversion miscarry, when you understand what is offered you, then Search the Scripture daily to see whether those things be so or not.
So did the Bereans, Act. 17. 11. and the Text saith, that therefore they believed. We come not to cheat and deceive you; and therefore we desire not that you should take any thing from us, but what we can prove to you from the Word of God, to be certainly true. We desire not to lead you in the dark, but by the light to lead you out of darkness: and therefore we refuse not to submit all our Doctrine to an equall tryal. Though we would not have you wrong your souls by an unjust distrust of us; yet would we not desire you to take these great and weighty things, meerly upon our words: For then your Faith will be in man; and then no marvell if it be weak, and uneffectual, and quickly shaken: If you trust a man to day, you may distrust him to morrow; and if one man be of greatest credit with you this year, perhaps another of a contrary mind may be of more credit with you the next year. And therefore we desire no further to be believed by you, then is necessary to lead you up to God, and to help you to understand that Word which you must believe: Our desire therefore is that you search the Scripture, and try whether the things that we tell you be the truth. The Word will never work on you to purpose, till you see and hear God in it, and perceive that it's he and not man only that speaks to you. When you hear none speaking to you but the Minister, no marvell if you dare despise him: for he is a frail and silly man like your selves: When you think that the Doctrine which we preach to you, is meerly of our own devising, and the conjecture of our own brain, no marvell if you set light by it, and will not let go all that you have, at the perswasion of a Preacher. But when you have searcht the Scripture, and find that it is the Word of the God of Heaven, dare you despise it then? When you there find that we said no more then we were commanded, and God that hath spoken this Word will stand to it; then sure it will go nearer you, and you will consider of it, and make light of it no more. If we offered you bad wares, we should desire a dark shop; and if our gold were light or bad, we would not call for the Ballance and the Touchstone. But when we are sure the things that we speak are true, we desire nothing more then tryal. Beauty and comliness have no advantage of loathsome deformity, when they are both together in the dark: but the light will shew the difference, Error may be a loser by the light, and therefore shunnes it, Joh. 3. 19, 20, 21. But truth is a gainer by it, and therefore seeks it. Let Papists hide the Scripture from the people, and forbid the reading of them in a tongue which they understand, and teach them to speak to God they know not what; we dare not do so, nor do we desire it: Our Doctrine will not go off well in the dark; and therefore we call you, to the Law and to the Testimony, and desire you to take our words into the light, and see whether they be according to the Word of the Lord. Nothing troubleth us more then that we cannot perswade our hearers to this tryal. Some of them are so hardened in their sinne and misery, that they will not be at so much labour as to open their Bibles, and try whether we say true or not. Some of them will not trouble their minds with the thoughts of it; Psal. 10 4. God is not in all their thoughts. And some are already too wise to learn; they will not so long abate their confidence of their former opinions; though, poor soules, their ignorance doth threaten their damnation. And some are so engaged in a sinfull party, that their companions will not give them leave, to make so much question of the way that they are in: And some will scarce take the Scripture for the Rule by which they must try and be tryed; but look more to custom, and the will of those in power over them. And most are unwilling to try, because they are unwilling to know the truth, and cannot endure to find themselves miserable, nor see the sinne which they would not leave, nor see the duty which they love not to practice. And thus we cannot get them to try whether the things that we teach them be so.
For want of this it is that men deceive themselves, and think their case to be safe when it is miserable, because they will not try it by the Word. This makes them rage and be confident in their folly, Prov. 14. 16. and laugh, and sing, at the brink of Hell, and swimme as merrily down the stream to the devouring gulf, as if no evil were near them. This makes them in the depth of misery to have no pitty on themselves, and to do so little to escape it: Though they have time, and means and helps at hand, yet there are not hearts in them to make use of them; yea, they runne themselves daily further on the score: and all because we cannot get them to search the Scripture, and try whether sinne be so small a matter, and whether this will not be bitterness in the end. Hence it is that they are so easily drawn by a temptation; and that they dislike a holy life, and have base thoughts of them that are most diligent for salvation, and are most precious in the eyes of God, and that they can even deride the way that they should walk in, Prov. 1▪ 22. Psal. 1. 2. because they will not search the Scripture to see what it saith to these matters. The Word is a Light, and would do much to open their eyes, and winne them over to God, if they would but come to it with a desire to know the truth. You think that the ungodly that are rich and great, are in a better condition then a godly man that is poor and despised. And why is this? but because you will not go into the Sanctuary, and see in what a slippery place they stand, and what will be the end of these men, Psal. 73. 16, 17, 22. In a word, this is the undoing of millions of souls. They are all their life time out of the way to Heaven, and yet will not be perswaded to ask the way; but they runne on and wink, and put it to the venture. Many a thousand are gone out of the world, before they ever spent the quantity of one day in trying by the Scripture whether their state were good, and their way were right. Nay, let their Teachers tell them that they must be sanctified and take another course, they will differ from their Teachers, though they be never so wise or Learned; and they will contradict them, and not believe or regard them. And yet we cannot get them to come to us, and put the case to the tryal, and let the Scripture be the jndge. Would they but do this, they could never sure have such hard thoughts of their Teachers, and be offended at their plainest closest dealing. You would then say [I see now the Minister saies not this of himself; he speaks but that which God commandeth him: And if he would not deliver the Message of the Lord, he were unworthy and unfit to be his Embassadour: He were cruel to me if he would not pull me out of the fire, by the plainest closest meanes, Jud. 23. He hated me, if he would not rebuke me, but suffer sinne upon me, Lev. 19. 17. If he would please men, he should not be the servant of Christ, Gal. 1. 10. I know it is no pleasure to him to trouble me, or to provoke me: but it would be his own destruction if he tell me not of my danger, Ezek. 3. 18. And I have no reason to wish him to damn his own soul, and suffer me to do the like by mine, and all for fear of displeasing me in my sinne.] These would be your thoughts if you would but try our words by the Scripture, and see whether we speak not the mind of God.
And sure it would go somewhat deeper in your hearts, and it would stick by you, and be more before your eyes, when you once understood that it is the Word of God.
This then is my request to you, sirs, that the work of your Conversion may not miscarry, that you would carry all that you hear to the Scripture, and search there, and see whether it be so or not: that so you may be put out of doubt, and may be at a certainty, and not stand wavering; and that your Faith may be resolved into the Authority of God; and so the work may be Divine, and consequently powerfull and prevailing, when the Ground and Motive is Divine. If you be not satisfied in the Doctrine which the Minister delivereth to you, first search the Scripture your selves, and if that will not do, go to him, and desire him, to shew you his grounds for it in the Word of God, and joyn with you in Prayer for a right understanding of it. Do you question whether there be so severe a judgment, and a Heaven and a Hell, as Ministers tell you: Search the Scripture, in Mat. 25. & 2 Thes. 1. 8, 9, 10. Joh. 5. 29 Matth. 13. Do you question whether a man may not be saved, without conversion, regeneration, and holyness? Open your Bibles, and see what God saith, John 3. 3, 6. Mal. 18. 3. 2 Cor. 5. 17. Rom. 8. 9. Heb. 12. 14. Do you think a man may be saved without Knowledge. Let Scripture judge, 2 Cor. 4, 3, 4. Joh. 17. 3. Hos. 4. 6. Do you think a man may be saved that doth as the most do? and goeth in the common way of the world. Search the Scripture and see, Mat. 7. 13. and 20. 16. and 22. 14. Luke 12. 32. Do you think an unhumbled Soul may be saved? that never was contrite, and broken hearted for sin? Try by Isa. 57. 15. and 66. 2. Psal. 51. 17. Luke 4. 18. Mat. 11. 28. Do you think a man can be the Servant of God, that liveth a fleshly life, & will keep his sin? Try by Rom. 8. 13. Joh. 3. 19. Ephes. 5. 5, 6. 1 Joh. 3. 9, 10. Do you doubt whether it be necessary to make so much adoe to be saved, and to be so strict, and make Religion our cheifest business? Try by Psal. 1. 1, 2, 3. 1 Pet. 4. 18. Heb. 12. 14. Luke 10. 42. Luke 13. 24. Ephes. 5. 15, 16. Do you think a man can be saved that is a worldling? whose heart is more on Earth then heaven. Try by 1 Joh. 2, 15. Phil. 3. 19. Col. 3. 1. Luke. 14. 26, 33. Do you doubt whether you should serve God with your families? and instruct them, and pray with them. Try by Jos. 24. 15. Deut. 6. 6, 7. Dan. 6. 10. 11. Exod. 20. 10.
Thus if you will in all these weighty matters, but goe to the Scriptures, and see whether it say as your Teachers say, you might soone be resolved, and that by the surest authority in the world. If you think that your Ministers may be deceived, I hope you will confess that God cannot be deceived, If you think that your Ministers are passionate, or felf-conceited, or speak out of ill will to you, I hope you dare not say so by the Lord: he owes you no ill will, nor speaks a word but what is most sure. If you think us partiall, sure God is impartiall, what better judge can you have now, then he that is infallible, and must judge you all at the last? If any Papist put it into your head to ask [who shall be judge of the sence of Scripture] I answer, who shall be judge of the judge of all the world? The Law is made to judge you, and not to be judged by you. None can be the proper judges of the sence of a Law, but the maker of it: Though others must judge their cases by the Law. Your work is to discern it, and understand and obey it, and your work is to help you to understand it, but it's neither our work nor yours to be the proper, or absolute judges of it. At least where it speaks plaine, it needs no judge.
Come then to the word in meekness and humility, with a teachable frame of Spirit, and a willingness to know the truth, and a resolution to stand to it, and yield to what shall be revealed to you, and beg of God to shew you his will, and lead you into the truth, and you will find that he will be found of them that seeke him.