The Spirit of Bondage and Adoption, Treatise 1 · Chapter 5
CHAP. V. Wherein are ſeveral Cautions emerging from the premiſes.
NOr will this truth yield us leſſe matter of Caution. In theſe particulars.
1. Take heed how you carry your ſelves towards the Spirit of God, you hardened ſinners; When the Spirit wooes you with Goſpel language, draws with cords of love, preſenting you with the incomparable lovelineſs of him for whom he ſollicites, the beauty of his perſon, the vaſtneſs of his power, the riches of his inheritance, the unfainedneſſe of his love, and beſeecheth you for Chriſts ſake to be reconciled to God. Friends do not grieve, vex, reſiſt, quench the ſpirit of Grace. Let me tell you, if cords of love will not draw you, he hath chains of wrath to hamper you in; if you will follow other lovers Hoſ. 2. 6.he hath hedges of thorns to h…dg up your way withal; if he can not draw you by the love of Chriſt to love him again he can take another courſe with you to make you love him for your own need. Remember friends, he that now offers upon eaſie tearms to become a Spirit of Adoption to you, if you receive him, can and will be a Spirit of Bondage to you if you refuſe him. If he let looſe the Law upon you, he can in a moment damp all your comforts; if he ſhoot terrours into your ſpirits, all the World cannot eaſe you; if he command the leaſt ſinne to ſeize upon your conſciences, he can make a cloud of an hands bredth to cover the whole heaven of all your comforts; if he lay but the little finger of one curſe or threatening upon your backs he can make it heavier then the loyns of all the griefs, & troubles that you ever underwent in all your lives; if he command horrors of ſpirit to rack you, they will quickly break your bones, and drink up your ſpirits, and make your eyes old with weeping, and your Pſal. 51. 8. Iſa. 38. 13. Pſal. 6. Pſal. 31. Pſal. 38. 77. Pſal. 4.couches ſwim with your tears, and your hearts pant, and your ſtrength fail, and your wounds ſtink; he can quickly fill your loins with a loathſome diſeaſe, he can keep your eyes waking, diſtract you with his terrours, and turn your moiſture into the drought of ſummer, and make Pſalm 88. 15. Iſay 38. 15.you go ſoftly, in the bitterneſſe of your ſoul. And if all this will not do, he can deliver you over to Satan at laſt, to give you a taſte of hell here, and tranſlate you from that to a worſe hereafter.
2. Take heed you carnal wretches, do not miſcal the Spirit of Bondage. Men too often look upon troubles of ſpirit as bare effects of a melancholy diſtemper, more proper for the Phyſician to deal withal then the Divine, and are too apt to impute that to the infirmity of body which is indeed the immediate hand of God upon the ſoul. Ignorant people, becauſe they are unacquainted with the dealings of God in this kind, often blaſpheme the work of the Spirit of Grace, and call it downright madneſs, and reproach ſuch preachers as God makes uſe of to wound the conſcience, as thoſe that make men mad. True, the body and ſoul are ſuch near friends as there can be no trouble in the one but the other ſympathizeth, and ſo diſtemper of body may poſſibly heighten a ſouls trouble, yea and poſſibly occaſion it. Yet muſt we take heed how we darken the work of the Spirit by too much looking at that in ſuch troubles. A diſcerning Miniſter or Chriſtian obſerving the ground and occaſions of the trouble, the coherency or incoherency of diſcourſe, the eveneſſe or unevenneſſe of carriage, and the like ſymptomes, need not to be much miſtaken in judging the caſe of a perſon in the firſt particular. Oh friends, take heed what you do; look with reverence and fear upon ſuch dealings of God towards your friends, and acquaintance; rather do what Job calls for from his friends, Take pitty upon them, for the hand of the Lord hath ſmitten them. Job 19. 21. Remember, 'twas old Elies uncharitable cenſure to take Hannah for a drunken woman, when ſhe was a woman of a ſorrowful ſpirit, 1. Sam. 1. 14 Take heed of perſecuting him whom the Lord hath ſmitten, and talking to the grief of him whom he hath wounded. Pſal. 69. 26
3. Take heed of judging the condition of thoſe whom the ſpirit hath thus brought under bondage. Indeed, their wounds are grievous, and appear incurable; yet conſider, he that lanced them ſo deep, is a wiſe and skilful, and tender, and experienced Chirurgeon. Take heed how you think them the greateſt ſinners whom he lays moſt fetters upon. It is the Lord whoſe priſoners they are, and he may have gracious ends of Acts. 16. 24.that ſeverity. He may lay a Paul and Silas in the inner priſon, and put their feet into the ſtocks, that he may the more exalt himſelfe in their delivery; he may hurt the feet of his Joſephs with fetters, and their ſouls may come into irons (as the original reads) Pſ. 105. 18. and all this to exalt them and comfort others.
4. Take heed how you attempt to break looſe, you who are in the Spirits fetters. Herein 2 Cor. 1. 6▪we too often offend more ways then one.
1. There is nothing more uſual then to endeavour to obliterate thoſe impreſſions of the holy ſpirit by civil, and ſometimes by uncivil diverſions: 'tis no ſmal evil when we will (as Felix did Pauls Sermons of righteouſneſſe, and temperance, and the judgment to come, Acts 24. 25.) put off the Spirits motions, till a more convenient time. Men are loath (as the Devils, Mat. 8. 29.) to be tormented before their time, and therefore are willing to make any ſhift for the preſent to caſt thoſe truths out of their minds which may diſturbe the quiet of their conſciences; ſuch ſerious truths muſt be diſmiſt till a ſerious time; in ſickneſſe, on the death bed, they will ſend for them again; when the Phyſician can do no more then they will admit the Divine.
It ſeems too contrary to nature, and too grievous to fleſh and bloud to ſuffer a ſcrupulous inquiry after the things of eternity, which they think they ſhall not have to doe with for many years, to deprive them of carnal contents in that age which is only capable of enjoying them. And therefore if conſcience be clamorous, and ſerious queſtions intrude, company and imployment muſt be made uſe of, to plead an excuſe for our laying them aſide; youthfull pleaſures muſt bee admitted to rarify the ſpirits into a temper inconſiſtent with their gravity; nay youthful l…ſts, if they will yet take no denyal, muſt fight for their quarters, and d…ive the new intruders out of doors. Friends. I appeal to your own ſpirits, how many Parents and Maſters are there in the World, who if their childr…n and ſervants begin to entertain any rel…gion ſcruples (though never ſo neceſſary) are apt to lay to them as Pharaoh to the Iſr…elites, ye are idle, ye are idle, the…efore you are ſo inquiſitive after thoſe things; Go the…efore now and work. Exod. …5. 17. 18 And thus becomes the word of our Saviour ver…fied upon them: the cares of this wo…ld, and the deceitfulneſſe of riches, choak the ſeed and i… becometh unfrui…ful. Mat. 13. 2…. Thus a… the nai…s which the Spirit faſtens by the Maſter …f …ſſemblies driven out by others Eccleſ. 13. 11of the World… making. How many pr…f…ne ſc…ffers jear out ſuch bleſſed gueſts out of the ſoul of thoſe with whom they are familiar? Laſtly how many idle drunk…n c…mpanions drown the bleſſed convictions of the Spirit of God in themſelves and ot…ers together with their own eſtates and parts in ſtrong liquors? Oh you that have often by ſcurrilous ſcoffe, broken theſe bonds of the conſciences of others, take heed, when the Spirit comes to fetter your own (if ever you be ſo happy, and that is ſomewhat rare to thoſe that ſit in the ſeat of the ſcornfull) your bonds will be made ſtrong. Iſ. 28. 22. You that (to ſecure your ſelves from thoſe motions) have many a time made the Tavern your aſylum, your refuge (I cannot ſay, Sanctuary) thinke when God ſhall give your conſciences a commiſſion to keep an Aſſizes in your ſouls, you will not find ſo eaſie a diſcharge from its Court as from a drawers bar, and a Vintners reckoning. You have broken the Spirits priſon once and again, it may be, and therefore take heed, when he takes you next, you'l pay for all, hee'l lay you faſt enough for flinching. His own iniquities ſhall take the wicked, and he ſhall be holden with the cords of his own ſinnes, Prov 5. 22. or (I am almoſt affraid to read the next words [v. 23.] yet take them for your warning) it may be, it will be worſe with you, the ſpirit may leave you to die without inſtruction. &c.