Balm for Bleeding England and Ireland, Sermon 4
USEFULL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THESE Evill Times.
COLOSS. 1.11.
Strengthened with all might according to his glorious power, unto all patience and long ſuffering wiih joyfulneſſe.
TIs as it ought to be, when apprehenſion makes full and due impreſſion upon affection: When the ſoule workes out for God in deſire and Prayer, according as it apprehends the neede of him; the neceſſity of his power, love, or the like, for himſelfe or others. Suitable to what the Apoſtle apprehended, he prayed: ſuitable to what hee judged theſe would neede of GOD, of his Power and might, ſo hee heartily wiſhed to them.
Apprehenſion is placed ſentinell in the ſoule by God, the actions of it ſhould ſtirre all. It's a power in man to ſee at a diſtance, and to give warning to all other powers, that the heart may more looke out, and worke out according to what is or will be needed.
God is come within ſight of man, when apprehenſiō reacheth him. According to what of God is in ſight, ſo ſhould the ſoule ſtir. I have heard of thee by the hearing of the eare, but now mine eye ſeeth thee, I abhorre my ſelfe in duſt and aſhes and repent, Job. 42.5, 6. Whil'ſt Iob had not ſuch an apprehenſion of Divine power as it was, the leſſe ſinfull that his ſoule did not ſtir in reference to it as he ought, but aſſoone as hee rightly underſtood it, all other powers ſtirr'd thoroughly, and Iob anſwerably repented and went about his buſineſſe to ſtoop to that power which he ſaw above him.
Every faculty muſt have the honour of its place; Divine Ordination muſt have the honour of its end or the man dies for it. When you ſee theſe things ſay that winter is neare, &c. Saith the Scripture. That is, make uſe of what you apprehend, and anſwerably ſtir and prepare or you wil periſh with the world. So you ſhall have expreſſions frequent, when you heare this or that then doe thus and thus. That is, when one faculty does its Office let all the reſt doe ſo too, or elſe you are loſt men. If any ſentinell ſhoot off and be not regarded, the whole army dies for it.
Any ſoule-power miſworking overthrowes all; ſo any ſoule-power diſobeyed in working by other powers, overthrowes all. If apprehenſion bee blinde and ſleepy the ſoule is undon; If apprehen ſin ſee and ſpeake in and by conſcience, and yet the heart lie ſtill, all will miſcarry by ſurpriſe. Apprehenſion is a power placed to prevent ſurpriſe; Sad things concerning man, by Divine Ordination, worke at a diſtance for a time; that man has his eyes in his head that ſees this ſaith Solomon: that is, apprehenſion diſcharges its office, if this Office, and power bee ſleighted by other powers in the heart, all is taken by ſurpriſe.
I thinke apprehenſion now, does its Office in moſt of you, how is it obeyed in heart, in other maine powers of the ſoule? Surely now no man but muſt needs apprehend, that hee may want much of God ſpeedily, as much as the Apoſtle apprehended theſe might doe, much might, all might: now what ſtirring of heart under all that you apprehend? yee are convinced; are yee converted? Doe yee ſtir now for your ſelves as the Apoſtle did for theſe? Doe yee wreſtle hard with God for all that yee apprehend, yee may need? Can yee apprehend the neceſſity of much and be ſtirr'd little? Can yee ſee bloud and death in the Land and lay nothing to heart? Can'ſt thou ſee better bloud then thine own ſhed, and yet make no preparation for the loſſe of thine. Though many be ſlaine yet ſhall not I: ah Lord! that ſoule is ſlaine already; 'twill be wofull when that body comes to be ſlain too.
Doſt thou ſee a Sword in the land ſeparating between ſoule & body, and doeſt thou not yet ſet to ſeparate between ſin and thy ſoule? Art thou reſolved to die in thy ſinne? wilt thou bleed to death in thy ſinne? this will make every drop of bloud that comes from thee as gaſtly as Hell. What a deadly bleeding is that, when ſoule and body bleed to death together? when the ſoule bleeds as faſt with wounds from conſcience, as the body with wounds from man. When ſoule and body bleed mortally together, ah Lord! let mee not be neere that man: how will hee ſigh? how will hee looke, ſpeak, gaſpe and groan? and yet many ſuch ſad ſights may be for ought I can diſcerne, in many mens preparations to this houre.
Sinners, God deales with you now as with Balaam, he ſtands before you with a drawen ſword, hee threatens your bloud, your death if yee make a ſtep further; yee cannot but apprehend this now as well as I; Balaam and his Aſſe too muſt needs ſee it now. What now will yee doe? will yee make no uſe of ſuch palpable apprehenſion? How exceeding ſinfull wil that ſin become which rids it out now againſt bloud and death, and will live when the man muſt no longer live. I beſeech you all conſider the dealings of God, and conſider your eternall ſtate. Chriſtians what doe yee ſee? what doe yee doe? yee ſee bloud, good bloud, a great deale of good bloud fall, does good bloud ſtir in you? You ſee death moſt deadly comming towards you, upon the point of a mercileſſe ſword, as mercileſſe I dare ſay you Londoners ſhall finde it if it prevaile, as ever was drawn, doe yee fit and prepare for it? to be hewed to pieces, drag'd to death, trod to death under Horſe-feet? yee cannot but apprehend that things may goe very bad, and that yee may need very much ſpeedily; does apprehenſion make due impreſſion? Doe yee worke out Heavenward, as the Apoſtle doth here anſwerable to what yee apprehend you and yours may want?
Sinne is in great power where the ſoule will not give up, when he ſees God comming againſt him. Thy love to ſin will be an everlaſting love, that dies not to ſinne now; thou and it will goe to Hell together. Affection to evill becomes Almighty, unconquerable, and there is no way but one with the man. Man muſt die or his ſinne, that juſtice is at worke which will kill one or tother. I bleed and mourne to ſee how ſome men ſinne in the face of Juſtice, at ſwords point; ſweare, curſe, and drinke drunk and yet going about deadly workes. I ſee plainly now, that a man may ſee miſery and yet not ſeeke out to be bleſſed; hee may ſee himſelfe and others very open to and very neere upon deadly danger, and yet neither ſeeke out for himſelfe nor others; why elſe doe we ſee ſo many continue ſtill yet as they were? Pauls ſpirit ſurely is few mens happineſſe to ſtir effectually towards God as they apprehend juſt cauſe.
Apprehenſion workes divinely upon affection, as it keepes it ſelfe pure from unbeliefe, and no otherwiſe. Unbeliefe is full of ſhift and evaſion, the life of apprehenſion dies in this. Apprehenſion made from the Word of God, or works of God, workes no longer nor no ſtronger, then as faith workes with it. Why doe ſuch mighty apprehenſions as wee raiſe ſometimes by the word, die and come to nothing, but becauſe faith dies? men believe but whilſt they ſee us and heare us ſpeake. Keepe faith alive, you will elſe ſee Hell often and feele it too and yet doe nothing to ſhun it. Yee will ſee miſery and yet not prepare for it, yea, yee will ſee judgement at the doore and yet ſcoffe at it; ſo did they of the old World; and another old World is this.
Apprehenſion workes divinely upon the heart as the will is ſubdued. A ſtubborne man fights againſt all apprehenſion he does not like; he ſhootes at God a great way off, and kills him before he can come neere the heart, to doe any good there. I will not heare him ſay's Ahab, hee never propheſis good to mee. A ſtubborn heart does prejudge, kill things before they can come neere him. Apprehenſions worke as wee manage them; the ſtrongeſt are quickly kill'd if wee fight againſt them, the trueſt quickely made deluſive if an unſound heart be in us.
Apprehenſions are beſt and worke beſt, as they come from God and are carried to God. Some apprehenſions ariſe from Satan and his temptations, theſe often worke ſtrongly, but run the ſoule ſtill againſt ſome truth, and off ſome duty. That truth which is jaſſel'd againſt muſt diſcover ſuch apprehenſion to bee temptation and ſet the ſoule in againe. A man muſt fight againſt apprehenſion as it fights againſt Gods Will, and takes us off from our duty. A man muſt not make apprehenſion from fiction as ſome tempted ſoules are taken up this way, but from reall words or works of God, theſe are onelyonly of ſanctifying power upon the ſpirit. And yet theſe which riſe well, muſt be kept up well, or elſe theſe will be powerleſſe too. A man much in apprehenſion muſt bee much in Prayer, things will die elſe in the braine as they ly, and derive no influence downe upon the heart. God muſt heare much of what we ſee, or elſe our viſion will not be glorious; taking, fiilling, and leading the heart. Divine apprehenſions are Gods joggings of man, and man muſt jogge God againe often to underſtand them well, and to uſe them well, to know fully what God would to us in them, and what we ſhould be to him by them. Apprehenſions come in confuſed, and are ſhap'd and made plaine by Prayer; as they come from God they are ofttimes above us; as carried back againe to God by Prayer, they are made plaine and eaſie to us, and very effectuall upon us. I judge theſe things very ſweete to ſome of you, but I doubt they are very uſeleſſe to many, they doe ſo little lay their Eye or Eare to Gods Word or Worke, ſo little buſie apprehenſion about any thing that is Divine. Apprehenſion workes much (I believe) this yeare, but (I doubt) not very Divinely if it did ſurely we ſhould ſee better hearts and lives then we doe.
FINIS.