The Spirit of Bondage and Adoption, Treatise 1 · Chapter 17
CHAP. XVII. A further touchſtone for Examination.
THis Theſis alſo lends us a touchſtone for Examination. Here is a touchſtone whereby to try your regeneration, and converſion whether it be ſound or no. And oh that I could hide this Chapter from all tender conſciences, that I might have a free liberty to lay about me a while among the reſt! But ſeeing it is neceſſary truth, and I muſt not defraud many hundred of their portion for your ſakes, the Lords good Spirit, I hope, will ſo guide me and guard you, that no one blow ſhall light but where it is intended.
Obj. Brethren, the World is full of pretenders to grace and Chriſt now a days. Heretofore it was a kind of diſgrace to be a Saint, and in thoſe times, it was not to be wondred at, if there were few that pretended to the name without the thing. No man will perſonate a Saint, of purpoſe to be perſecuted for bearing the badge of a counterfeited holineſſe. But, now God hath made the name o Religion honourable (though truly except the people of God had been generally better fitted to manage the condition God hath brought them to, it may be it had been better for the credit of the Goſpel hereafter, that it had rather ſtill layen under hatches then been abuſed by Politicians; to bear the name of Pilot, whiles they indeed ſteere the veſſel to their own ends:) but I ſay, the Lord hath for ſome late years made the name of Religion honourable, he hath put a diadem of glory upon its head, the appearance of it hath been in divers places the main qualification for preferments, and places of advantage; and 'tis ſtrange to ſee how many converts, the meer complexion of the times hath made. Religion is become the mode, and he is no body that how courſe ſoever his cloth be, doth not beſtow ſome of the trimming of the Age upon it. There were not more Jews made by fear in the days of Heſter and Mordecai, then there are Chriſtians in theſe dayes by Covetouſneſſe, and Ambition. Chriſtians, ſaid I? Chreſtians rather, (that I may apply more truly the alluſive nickname which the Heathens in Tertullians time falſly put upon the Primitive Saints:) ſuch as make their preferment and profit the ſaddle, and Religion the ſtirrup to help them into it, the World the Throne, and Chriſt the footſtoole, whereby to mount unto it. O friends, what an eaſie change is there in the World from the higheſt (ſhall I ſay?) or loweſt Forme of ſinners into the moſt ſublime, noble, Angelical order of Saints. He that a few hours ſince, was as inſeparable an adjunct of an Alehouſe as a buſh at the door, that was a monſter of intemperance and uncleanneſſe, a prodigious ſwearer, a notorious ſcoffer at Religion, Sabbath-breaker, earthworme, a man that he that would have drawn a picture of the Devill, had not wronged, if he had ſet him for his pattern; Verterit hunc Dominus, momento turbinis exit Marcus dama:—let the PerſiusDevil his Maſter but change his coate turne the dark ſide inward, and the light outward, perſwade him for his own baſe ends to leave, or perhaps but hide his former ſinnes, and ſprinkle his diſcourſe with the holywater of a few religious phraſes, this man without any ſight or ſenſe of his ſinnes, without any ſorrow for them, firſt gives himſelf the name of Saint, and then is angry if any ever after deny it him. O ſirs, 'tis well if Chriſt will own you for ſuch at the laſt day. Hee will not Judge you then according to your aſſumed Titles, but he will know how you came by them. Believe it (ſirs) the paſſage from death to life, is a rocky and a ſtormy paſſage to the moſt that enter into it. And you muſt give me leave to aske many of you ſeriouſly, as they did our Saviour, when they ſaw him on the other ſide of the lake of Tiberias, contrary to their expection, Sirs, when came you hither? You pretend to Saintſhip, but when or how came you by it? You think you are paſſed from death to life, but when, and how got you ſo quick a paſſage? For my part, I cannot believe, that you were tranſported by miracle, as 'tis ſaid Chriſt and the Diſciples were immediately at the land whether they went. If you were converted in an extraordinary way, though not miraculous, I expect eminent fruits of holineſſe from ſuch a change. For God will not do extraordinary works, but they ſhall quit his coſt. But when I ſee all that is extraordinary in ſuch perſons (for the moſt part) is, pride, covetouſneſſe, injuſtice, oppreſſion cenſoriouſneſſe, ſcorne and contempt of Miniſters, and ordinances, fearfull and horrible blaſphemies & hereſies, O (Sirs) ſhall I tell you what I think of your extraordinary converſion? Truly (friends) I fear twil prove your extraordinary condemnation; for Atrociùs ſub nominis ſancti profeſſione peccat, ſaith Salvian, and the Hell of Hypocrites ſhall be the ſtandard to that of all other ſinners, ſaith our Saviour, Mat. 24. 51.
If your converſion were in the ordinary way, that is the way which I have before deſcribed by its ſeveral ſtages.
Try then, hath the Spirit ever convinced thee of the holineſſe, perfection, equity of the Law of God, and (thereby) of thine own filthineſſe, imperfection, unrighteouſneſſe, of thine own wretched, curſed, damnable condition under it? didſt thou ever fear and tremble, quake and quiver at the thoughts of the wrath and vengeance of a juſt and righteous, Infinite, Almighty and Etern…l God? Didſt thou ever break a nights ſleepe, or loath thy ordinary food, or diſreliſh thy beloved pleaſures out of the perplexity and anguiſh of thy ſpirit? waſt thou ever at ſuch a deſperate loſſe in thy ſelfe, as to make it thy main enquiry what thou ſhouldſt do to be ſaved? ſuch a loſſe as thou ſaweſt no way out of it, but onelyonly by an infinite, unſpeakable, unconceivable mercy? ſuch a loſs that thou accountedſt it even a miracle of goodneſſe if ever thou eſcapedſt out of that condition, that thou judgedſt all that thou couldeſt do towards thine own recovery, though thou couldſt weep an Ocean of tears, faſt longer then Moſes or our Saviour Chriſt himſelf, and pray more devoutly and fervently then all the Saints on earth, hear Sermons endited by a general aſſembly of all the Angells in he…ven, ſo ſhort of righteouſneſs that not any or all of them could …e…ieve thee or bring thee one ſtep ne…er happineſſe; ſuch a loſſe that thou ſaweſt an abſolute neceſſity of obtaining Jeſus Chriſt and his righteouſneſſe, whatever it coſt thee, to ſeek him at Gods hands importunately ſo as to be put off with nothing elſe; ſo as to be contented to be denyed all other things, but him onelyonly; ſo as to be willing to part with all thy luſts, and all thy pleaſures, and all thy profits, and all thy honors, to be moulded perfectly into the image of the ſecond Adam, to entertain, love, delight in, and profeſſe holineſſe, though accompanied with poverty, diſgrace, diſpleaſure of friends, hatred and perſecution of enemies, priſons, racks, exile, death it ſelf? And Laſtly, after all this, haſt thou in an holy ſelfe condemnation, and an humble acknowledgment of thy own deſerts, and Gods juſtice acquitted God, though (notwithſtanding all this) he ſhould turn his back upon thee, and ſhut his ear to the voice of thy roaring? Couldſt thou lay thy mouth in the duſt, impute thy deſtruction to thy ſelfe, and charg the ſole cauſe, and occaſion of thy ruine upon thy own ſins, and (in that conſideration) ſit down under thy preſent condition, and ſay, Let the Lord do with me as ſeemeth him good. If he will damme me for ever, tis my deſert; if he ſave me, 'tis his meere mercy; if I goe to hell I will cary this acknowledgment thither in my mouth, Lord thou art righteous when thou judgeſt, and juſt when thou condemneſt. If I dye, I muſt thank my ſelfe, if I live, I muſt thank thee and thee onelyonly? And in theſe ſad, and dolorous thoughts and workings of heart, when thou haſt been (in thy own apprehenſions) in the very belly of Hell, haſt thou received a beam of light through a chink of a door of hope, ſo that in this ſinking condition thou haſt eſpied a plank to keep thee above the waves, a twig to lay hold on to preſerve thee from drowning, whereupon thou haſt by a ſecret power from the Spirit been enabled to faſten, ſome free promiſe, which although thou canſt not call thine, yet thou art told it may bee thine, and (thine or not) thou waſt reſolved to lay hold on it, and if in ſo doing God ſhould cut off one of thy hands, thou waſt reſolved to lay hold on it (as the Captain in the Hiſtorian on the ſhip) with the other; and when thou couldſt hold no longer with that, thou waſt reſolved to drown looking towards his holy Temple, and in theſe acts of holy reliance, haſt thou received a whiſper Jonah 2. 4.from Gods Spirit? Well, then ſeeing thou wilt take no denyal, no repulſe, be it unto Mat. 9. 29.thee according to thy faith; if thou wilt needs have Chriſt, take him, and Salvation with him. Be of good cheer, thy ſinnes are forgiven thee, Chriſt is thy peace, and I am thy ſalvation. Mat. 9. 2. Epheſ. 2. 14. Pſal. 35. 3.Haſt thou felt theſe works more or leſſe? If thou haſt not, friend, I doubt thou ſetſt up a profeſſion of Saint-ſhip, without the Spirits leave. I would adviſe all of you that are in this caſe to begin again, draw your indentures a new, intreat the Spirit to admit you into his houſe of bondage, that the ſon may make you free indeed, in his own time and way. O be not aſhamed to unravel all that clew of ungrounded confidence, which thou haſt deluded thy ſelfe by all this while, and begin upon a new bottome. A miſtake here is recoverable; hereafter, 'tis for ever irremediable. O think how much better 'tis to take the ſhame of an error upon thy ſelfe here, whiles …t may do thee good, then to be ſhamed hereafter before God, Angels, and men, to thine eternal deſtruction and confuſion in hell fire. I find it an hard matter to get out of this ſubject, becauſe I know there is nothing in this Goſpel-ſurfeited age, which damns more ſouls then a preſumptuous, and heady confidence of ignorant and beſotted men, that run away with a few ſhredds, and odd ends of Goſpell, and build a general perſwaſion upon them, that they are the perſons to whom they belong; and yet they never had any ſuch work wrought upon them, as may give any judicious Miniſter or Chriſtian any grounds of hope, that they are within a thouſand leagues of the borders of the Kingdome of God,