The Right Method for a Settled Peace of Conscience, Direction 28
DIRECTION XXVIII.
Be very Careful that you create not perplexities and terrors to your own ſoul, by raſh miſ-interpretations of any Paſſages either of Scripture, of Gods Providence, or of the Sermons or private Speeches of Miniſters: But Reſolve with Patience, yea with Gladneſs, to ſuffer Preachers to deal with their Congregations in the moſt ſearching, ſerious, and awakening manner: leſt your weakneſs ſhould be a wrong to the whole Aſſembly, and poſſibly the undoing of many a ſenſual, drowſy or obſtinate ſoul, who will not be convinced and awaked by a Comforting way of Preaching, or by any ſmoother or gentler means.
HEre are three dangerous enemies to your Peace, which (for brevity) I warn you of together.
1. Raſh Miſ-interpretations and miſapplications of Scripture. Some weak-headed Troubled Chriſtians can ſcarce read a Chapter, or hear one read, but they'l find ſomething which they think doth Condemn them. If they read of Gods Wrath and Judgement, they think it is meant againſt them. If they read, Our God is a Conſuming Fire, they think preſently it's themſelves that muſt be the …ewel: Whereas Juſtice and Mercy have each their proper objects: The burningſt Fire will not waſte the Gold, nor is Water the Fewel of it: But combuſtible matter it will preſently conſume. An humble ſoul, that lies proſtrate at Chriſts feet, confeſſing its unworthineſs, and bewailing its ſinfulneſs, this is not the object of Revenging Juſtice: Such a ſoul bringing Chriſts Merits, and pleading them with God, is ſo far from being the Fewel of this Conſuming …ire, that he bringeth that water which will undoubtedly quench it. Yet this Scripture-expreſſion of our God, may ſubdue carnal ſ…curity even in the beſt, but not diſmay them or …ſcourage them in their hopes. Another … in Pſal. 5. I will ſet thy ſins in order … ; and he thinks, certainly God will d…l thus by him. Not conſidering, that God chargeth onelyonly their ſins upon them that …ha…ge them not by true Repentance on themſelves, and Accept not of Chriſt who hath Diſcharged them by his blood. It is the excuſers, and mincers, and defenders of ſin, that love not thoſe that Reprove them, and that will not avoyd them, nor the occaſions of them, that would not be Reformed, and will not be perſwaded, in whoſe ſouls Iniquity hath Dominion, and that Delight in it, it is theſe on whom God Chargeth their ſin: For this is the Condemnation, that Light is come into the world, and men Love Darkneſs rather then Light: and come not to the Light, leſt their deeds ſhould be Reproved, Joh. 3.20, 21. But for the ſoul that trembleth at Gods Word, and Comes home to God with ſhame and ſorrow, Reſolving to return no more to wickedneſs, God is ſo far from Charging his ſins upon him, that he never mentioneth them, as I told you, is evident in the Caſe of the Prodigal. He makes not a poor ſinners burthen more heavy by hitting him in the teeth with his ſins, but makes it the office of his Son to eaſe him by disburthening him.
Many more Texts might be named (and perhaps it would not be loſt labour) which Troubled Souls do miſ-underſtand and miſapply: but it would make this Writing tedious, which is already ſwell'd ſo far beyond my firſt intention.
2. The ſecond Enemy of your Peace here mentioned, is, Miſ-underſtanding and miſapplying Paſſages of Providence. Nothing more common with Troubled ſouls, then upon every new Croſs and Affliction that befals them, preſently to think, God takes them for Hypocrites! and to queſtion their ſincerity! As if David and Iob had not left them a full warning againſt this Temptation. Do you loſe your Goods? ſo did Iob. Do you loſe your Children? ſo did Iob: and that in no very Comfortable way. Do you loſe your Health? ſo did Iob. What if your godly friends ſhould come about you in this Caſe, and bend all their wits and ſpeeches to perſwade you that you are but an Hypocrite? as Iobs friends did by him? Would not this put you harder to it? Yet could Iob reſolve, I will not let go mine Integrity till I dye. I know Gods Chaſtiſements are all Paternal Puniſhments: and that Chriſtians ſhould ſearch and try their hearts and ways at ſuch times; but not conclude that they are Graceleſs ever the more for being Afflicted, ſeeing God chaſteneth every ſon whom he receiveth, Heb. 12.6, 7. And in ſearching after ſin it ſelf in your Afflictions, be ſure that you make the Word, and not your ſufferings, the Rule to diſcover how far you have ſinned; and let Afflictions onelyonly quicken you to try by the Word. How many a Soul have I known that by miſ-interpreting Providences, have in a blind Jealouſy been termed quite from Truth and Duty, ſuppoſing it had been errour and ſin? and all becauſe of their Afflictions? As a fooliſh man in his ſickneſs accuſeth the laſt meat that he ate before he fell ſick, though it might be the wholſomeſt that ever he ate, and the diſeaſe may have many Cauſes which he is Ignorant of. One man being ſick, a buſy ſeducing Papiſt comes to him (for it is their uſe to take ſuch opportunities) and tels him, It is Gods hand upon you for forſaking or ſtraying from the Roman Catholick Church; and God hath ſent this Affliction to bring you home: all your Anceſtors lived and dyed in this Church, and ſo muſt you if ever you will be ſaved. The poor Jealous affrighted ſinner hearing this, and through his Ignorance being unable to anſwer him, thinks it is even true, and preſently turns Papiſt. In the ſame manner do moſt other Sects. How many have the Antin… mians and Anabaptiſts thus ſeduced? finding a poor ſilly woman (for it's moſt common with them) to be under ſad doubts and diſtreſs of ſoul, one tels her, It is Gods hand on you to convince you of errour, and to bring you to ſubmit to the Ordinance of Baptiſm: and upon this many have been Re-baptized, and put their foot into that ſnare which I have yet ſeen few eſcape and draw back from. Another comes and tels the troubled ſoul, It is Legal Preaching, and looking at ſomething in your ſelf for Peace and Comfort, which hath brought you into this diſtreſs: As long as you follow theſe Legal Preachers, and read their books, and look at any thing in your ſelf, and ſeek Aſſurance from Marks within you, it will never be better with you. Theſe Preachers underſtand not the nature of free Grace, nor ever taſted it themſelves, and therefore they cannot preach it, but deſpiſe it. You muſt know that Grace is ſo free that the Covenant hath no Condition: You muſt Believe and not look after the Marks: and Believing is but to be perſwaded that God is Reconciled to you, and hath forgiven you: for you are Juſtified before you were born if you are one of the Elect, and can but Believe it; 't is not any thing of your own by which you can be Juſtified: Nor is it any ſin of yours that can unjuſtifie. It is the witneſs of the Spirit onelyonly perſwading you of your Juſtification and Adoption, that can give you Aſſurance; and fetching it from any thing in your ſelf, is but a reſting on your own Righteouſneſs, and forſaking Chriſt. When the Antinomian hath but ſung this Ignorant Charm to a poor Soul as Ignorant as himſelf, and prepared by terrours to entertain the Impreſſion, preſently it (oft) takes, and the ſinner without a wonder of Mercy is undone. This Doctrine which ſubverteth the very ſcope of the Goſpel, being entertained, ſubverteth his Faith and Obedience; and uſually the Libertiniſm of his opinion is ſeen in his Liberty of Conſcience, and Licentious practiſes: and his trouble of mind is cured, as a burning feaver, by opium, which gives him ſuch a ſleep▪that he never awaketh till he be in another world. Yet theſe errours are ſo groſs, and ſo fully againſt the expreſs Texts of Scripture, that if Miniſters would condeſcendingly, lovingly and familiarly deal with them, and do their duty, I ſhould hope many well-meaning Souls might be recovered. Thus you ſee the danger of raſh interpreting, and ſo miſinterpreting Providences. As ſuch interpretations of proſperity and ſucceſs deludeth not onelyonly the Mahometan world, and the Prophane world, but many that ſeemed Godly; ſo many ſuch Interpretations of Adverſity and Croſſes do; eſpecially if the Seducer be but kind and liberal to relieve them in their Adverſity he may do with many poor Souls almoſt what he pleaſe.
3. The third Enemy to your peace here mentioned, is, Miſinterpreting or miſapplying the Paſſages of Preachers, in their Sermons, Writings, or private Speeches. A Miniſter cannot deal throughly or ſeriouſly with any ſort of ſinners, but ſome fearful troubled ſouls apply all to themſelves. I muſt intreat you to avoid this fault, or elſe you will turn Gods Ordinances, and the daily food of your ſouls into bitterneſs and wormwood, and all through your miſtakes. I think there is few Miniſters ſo preach, but you might perceive whom they mean, and they ſo difference as to tell you who they ſpeak to. I confeſs it is a better ſign of an honeſt heart, and ſelf-judging conſcience, to ſay He ſpeaks now to me: this is my caſe: then to ſay, He ſpeaks now to ſuch or ſuch a one: this is their caſe. For it is the property of Hypocrites to have their eye moſt abroad; and in every duty to be minding moſt the faults of others: and you may much diſcern ſuch in their prayers, in that they will fill their confeſſions moſt with other mens ſins, and you may feel them all the while in the boſom of their neighbours, when you may even feel a ſincere man ſpeaking his own heart, and moſt opening his own boſom to God. But though ſelf-applying, and ſelf-ſearching be far the better ſign, yet muſt not any wiſe Chriſtian do it miſtakingly▪ for that may breed abundance of very ſad effects. For beſides the aforeſaid embittering of Gods Ordinances to you, and ſo diſcouraging you from them, do but conſider what a grief and a ſnare you may prove to your Miniſter. A grief it muſt needs be to him who knows he ſhould not make ſad the ſoul of the innocent, to think that he cannot avoid it, without avoiding his duty. When God hath put two ſeveral Meſſages in our mouthes, Isa. 3.10, 11. Say to the R…ghteous, it ſhall be well with him: and Say to the wicked, it ſhall be ill with him; He that believeth ſhall be ſaved; He that believeth not ſhall be damned, and we ſpeak both; will you take that as ſpoken to you, which is ſpoken to the unbeliever and the wicked? Alas, how is it poſſible then for us to forbear troubling you? If you will put your head under every ſtroke that we give againſt ſin and ſinners, how can we help it if you ſmart? what a ſad caſe are we in, by ſuch miſapplications! We have but two Meſſages to deliver, and both are uſually loſt by miſapplication. The wicked ſaith, I am the Righteous, and therefore it ſh…ll go well with me: the Righteous ſaith, I am the wicked, and therefore it ſhall go ill with me: The Unbeliever ſaith, I am a Believer, and therefore am juſtif…d; The Believer ſaith, I am … Ʋnbeliever▪ …nd therefore am condemned: nay▪ it is not onelyonly the loſs of our preaching, but we oft do them much harm: for they are hardened that ſhould be humbled; and they are wounded more that ſhould be healed A Miniſter now muſt needs tell them, who he means by the Believer, and who by the Unbeliever, who by the Righteous, and who by the wicked: and yet when he hath done it as accurately, and as cautelouſly as he can, miſapplying ſouls will wrong themſelves by it: ſo that becauſe people cannot ſee the diſtinguiſhing line, it therefore comes to paſs that few are comforted, but when Miniſters preach nothing elſe but comfort: and few humbled, but where Miniſters bend almoſt all their endeavors that way, that people can feel almoſt nothing elſe from him: But for him that equally would divide to each their portion, each one ſnatcheth up the part of another, and he oft miſſeth of profiting either: And yet this is the courſe that we muſt take.
And what a ſnare is this to us, as well as a grief? what if we ſhould he ſo moved with compaſſion of your troubles, as to fit almoſt all our Doctrine and Application to you? what a fearful guilt ſhould we draw upon our own ſouls▪
Nay, what a ſnare may you thus prove to the greater part of the Congregation? Alas, we have ſeldom paſt one or two, or three troubled Conſciences in an Auditory (and perhaps ſome of their troubles be the fruit of ſuch wilful ſinning, that they have more need of greater humbling yet) ſhould we now neglect all the reſt of theſe poor ſouls, to preach only to you? O how many an ignorant hardhearted ſinner comes before God every day! Shall we let ſuch go away as they came, without ever a blow to awaken them and ſtir their hearts! when alas, all that ever we can do is too little! when we preach you into tears and trembling, we preach them aſleep! Could we ſpeak ſwords, it would ſcarce make them feel, when you through miſapplication have gone home with anguiſh and fears; how few of all theſe have been pricked at the heart, and ſaid, What ſhall we do to be ſaved? Have you no Pity now on ſuch ſtupid ſouls as theſe? I fear this one diſtemper of yours, that you cannot bear this rouſing preaching, doth bewray another and greater ſin; look to it, I beſeech you; for I think I have ſpy'd out the cauſe of your trouble: Are you not your ſelf too great a ſtranger to poor ſtupid ſinners? and come not among them? or pitty them not as you ſhould? and do not your duty for the ſaving of their ſouls? but think it belongs not to you but to others? Do you uſe to deal with ſervants and neighbors about you, and tell them of ſin and miſery, and the remedy, and ſeek to draw their hearts to Chriſt, and bring them to duty? I doubt you do little in this (and that is ſad unmercifulneſs:) for if you did, truly you could not chooſe but finde ſuch miſerable ignorance, ſuch ſenſeleſneſs and blockiſhneſs, ſuch hating reproof and unwillingneſs to be reformed, ſuch love of this world, and ſlavery to the fleſh, and ſo little ſavour of Chriſt, Grace, Heaven and the things of the Spirit, and eſpecially ſuch an unteachableneſs, intractableneſs (as thorns and bryars) and ſo great a difficulty of moving them an inch from what they are, that you would have been willing ever after to have Miniſters preach more rouſingly then they do, and you would be glad for their ſakes when you heard that which might awake them and prick them to the heart. Yea, if you had tried how hard a work it is to bring worldly formal Hypocrites to ſee their Hypocriſie, or to come over to Chriſt from the creature, and to be in good earneſt in the buſineſs of their ſalvation, you would be glad to have Preachers ſearch them to the quick, and ranſack their hearts, and help them againſt their affected and obſtinate ſelf-deluſions.
Beſides, you ſhould conſider that the… Caſe is far different from yours. Your diſeaſe is pain and trouble, they are ſtark dead: You have Gods favour and doubt of it: they are his enemies and never ſuſpect it: You want comfort, and they want pardon and life: if your diſeaſe ſhould never here be cured, it is but going more ſadly to heaven: But if they be not recovered by Regeneration, they muſt lie for ever in Hell: And ſhould we not then pitty them more then you? and ſtudy more for them? and preach more for them? and rather forget you in a Sermon then them? ſhould you not wiſh us ſo to do? ſhould we more regard the comforting of one, then the ſaving of an hundred? Nay more, we ſhould not onelyonly neglect them but dangerouſly hurt them, if we ſhould preach too much to the caſe of troubled ſouls: For you are not ſo apt to miſapply paſſages of terror, and to take their portion, as they are apt to apply to themſelves ſuch paſſages for comfort, and take your portion to themſelves.
I know ſome will ſay, that it is preaching Chriſt, and ſetting forth Gods Love that will win them beſt, and terrors do but make unwilling Hypocrital Profeſſors. This makes me remember how I have heard ſome Preachers of the times blame their Brethren for not preaching Chriſt to their People▪ when they Preached the danger of rejecting Chriſt, diſobeying him and reſiſting his Spirit. Do theſe men think that it is no preaching Chriſt (when we have firſt many years told men the fulneſs of his ſatisfaction, the freeneſs and general extent of his Covenant or Promiſe, and the riches of his Grace, and the incomprehenſibleneſs of his Glory, and the Truth of all) to tell them afterwards the danger of refuſing, neglecting, and diſobeying him? and of living after the fleſh, and preferring the world before him? and ſerving Mammon, and falling off in perſecution, and avoiding the croſs, and yielding in Temptation, and quenching the Spirit, and declining from their firſt Love, and not improving their Talents, and not forgiving and loving their brethren, yea and enemies? &c. Is none of this Goſpel? nor preaching Chriſt? yea, is not Repentance it ſelf (except deſpairing Repentance) proper to the Goſpel, ſeeing the Law excludeth it, and all manner of hope. Blame me not, Reader, if I be zealous againſt theſe men, that not only know no better what preaching Chriſt is, but in their ignorance reproach their Brethren for not preaching Chriſt, and withal condemn Chriſt himſelf, and all his Apoſtles? Do they think that Chriſt himſelf knew not what it was to preach Chriſt? or that he ſet us a patern too low for our imitation? I deſire them ſoberly to read Mat. 5.6, 7, 10, 25. Rom. 8. from the firſt verſe to the 14. Rom. 2. Heb. 2. & 4. & 5. & 10 and then tell me whether we preach as Chriſt and his Apoſtles did. But to the Objection: I Anſwer firſt, we do ſet forth Gods love, and the fulneſs of Chriſt, and the ſufficiency of his death and ſatisfaction for all, and the freeneſs and extent of his offer and promiſe of mercy, and his readineſs to welcome returning ſinners: this we do firſt (mixing with this the diſcovery of their natural miſery by ſin, which muſt be firſt known) and next we ſhew them the danger of Rejecting Chriſt and his offer, 2. When we finde men ſettled under the preaching of free Grace, in a baſe contempt or ſleepy neglect of it, preferring the world and their carnal pleaſures and eaſe before all the Glory of heaven, and Riches of Chriſt and Grace, is it not time for us to ſay, How ſhall ye eſcape, if ye neglect ſo great ſalvation? Heb. 2.3. and of how much ſoarer puniſhment ſhall he be thought worthy that treads under foot the blood of the Covenant? Heb. 10.26 when men grow careleſs and unbelieving, muſt we not ſay, Take heed leſt a promiſe being leſt of entring into his Reſt, any of you ſhould ſeem to come ſhort of it? Heb. 4.1. 3. Hath not Chriſt led us, commanded us and taught us this way? Except ye Repent, ye ſhall all periſh, was his Doctrine, Luke 13.3, 5. Go into the world, and preach the Goſpel to every creature: (whats that Goſpel?) He that believeth ſhall be ſaved, and he that believeth not ſhall be damned, Mark 16.16. Thoſe mine Enemies that would not I ſhould raign over them, bring hither and ſtay them before me, Luke 19.27. Doth any of the Apoſtles ſpeak more of hell-fire, and the worm that never dyeth, and the fire that never is quenched, their Chriſt himſelf doth? And do not his Apoſtles go the ſame way? even Paul, the greateſt preacher of faith, 2 Theſſ. 1▪7, 8, 9. and 2.12, &c. What more common? Alas, what work ſhould we make, if we ſhould ſtroak and ſmooth all men with Antinomian language? It were the way to pleaſe all the ſenſual prophane multitude; but it is none of Chriſts way to ſave their ſouls. I am ready to think that theſe men would have Chriſt preached, as the Papiſts would have him pray'd to; to ſay, Jeſu, Jeſu, Jeſu, nine times together, and this oft over, is their praying to him; and to have Chriſts name oft in the Preachers mouth, ſome men think is the right preaching Chriſt.
Let me now deſire you hereafter, to be glad to hear Miniſters awaken the prophane and dead-hearted hearers, and ſearch all to the quick, and miſapply nothing to your ſelf: but if you think any paſſage doth neerly concern you, open your mind to the Miniſter privately, when he may ſatisfie you more fully, and that without doing hurt to others: And conſider what a ſtrait Miniſters are in that have ſo many of ſo different conditions, inclinations and converſations to preach to▪,