Heavenly Merchandise, Sermon (2 of 3)

Heavenly Merchandise · Sermon (2 of 3)

p. 591. The world hath not hitherto bid them a valuable price for the Truth, nor any thing near one; and therefore no wonder if they blow upon it with holy scorn … Satan either could or would have performed that offer which he made to the man Christ, Mat. 4. 8, 9. All this will I give thee, &c. upon his parting with the Truth, yet if he had accepted it, he had been undone by the bargain. If men that come to you to buy your earthly merchandize, do proffer you a price far short of that which you value the commodity at, it will greatly incense you, and you will scarce vouchsafe so much as to give them an answer, but turn your backs upon them and be gone, as looking upon your selves to be mockt: and it is out of question, that when Satan and his Instruments have made their largest offers to godly men to win them from the Truth; when they have told them, they shall have their lives, enjoy their liberties, their estates, p. 60yea, and be advanced to great honours and preferment, and made to enjoy whatsoever the world can afford to make them happy, they have offered them but a Counter for a Guiney, but a Bristow-stone for an Oriental▪ Pearl; yea, not so much as that, but indeed hath sought to impose upon them the greatest cheat that they possibly can: and yet if they do not readily and chearfully, embrace the motion, and take in with the offer, they are fools, and sots, and what not? in mens esteem; whereas if they should be induced to part with it on these tearms, it must need argue them either of gross ignorance, or in deliberate folly; either that they have not a right understanding of the value of Truth, or are surprized unawares with a deluding false opinion of the worth of these worthless things. But he that hath truly bought the Truth, knows its worth too well to lay it in the ballance against these things, and finds every day more of experimental sweetness in it, then to put it off for such gewgaws and childish fooleries as are here offered to him; and what a vile and injurious thing is it for any to make offers to men to make fools of them, and when they have so done, to rail at, and call them so, because (through p. 61grace) they have been too wise to accept of the offer?

2. There would greater harm arise to them from parting with it, then all that the worlds malice can bring upon them for keeping of it. They are too precipitant who think that every thing is presently to be thrown away as useless, which hath some little inconveniences that attend it, for upon this score men must sooner or later put themselves out of all: but all circumstances and consequences are to be weighed, and men must set the advantage over against the damage. The Merchant will bear many a puff of wind, and suffer great difficulties and dangers before he will cast his Wares Over board, especially if they be of great worth; and here are two points of wisdom which have great sway with him in the deliberating on this case, viz.

1. That if he keep the Truth safe, it will plentifully reward him for all these sufferings. Why did Moses prefer Affliction for Truths sake, before the Egyptian Crown? see Heb. 11. 26. The man is well satisfied that earth and hell can never undo him so long as he keeps the Truth, he can p. 62never be ruined whilst this is his portion. This will pay for estate, credit, liberty life; make plentiful amends for revilings, confications, reproaches, imprisonments, bonds, and the cruellest tortures which the spiteful wit of man can invent or inflict; hence none of all these things moved Paul, but his whole care was (whatever bofell him) not to forgo the Truth, Acts 20. 22, 23, 24. and in the midst of all fore: and bitter oppressions, the Church comforteth her self with that, that she had not forsaken the Truth, Psal. 44, 17. … that is come upon us, yet have we not forgotten thee, nor dealt falsely in thy Covenant.

2. That if he sells the Truth to buy his peace with the world, he lays down too great a summe for it, and shall certainly purchase to himself the greater misery, when God sold him the Truth, it was under the straitest and most solemn engagement never to sell it again; this was one of the articles in the contract which past between them and how shall be do this great wickedness, and sin against God? he knows that by keeping of it (let the worst come that can) he shall but purchase to himself a created malice, which can p. 63no farther vent it self but by inflicting—bodily sufferings upon him; he shall no more but expose himself to their fury, whose farthest power can extend but to kill the body, and he sees no reason to be amazingly affrighted at that, having the prospect of an endless life in his eye; but he is certain that if he shall cowardly or perfidiously betray his trust, and part with the Truth, he shall procure to himself the sorest indignation of the great God, incurr his infinite displeasure, and throw himself upon his wrath, who can destroy both Soul and Body in hell for ever; and that he is with highest reason afraid of: he bears it in remembrance continually who it is that hath said, whosoever shall be ashamed of me, and my words, in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of Man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his father, with the holy Angels, Mat. 8. 18. and he thinks it a thousand time more eligible to undergo the worst that the world can do, rather than to throw himself upon the woful hazard of being disowned by the Lord of glory, in that day when it will be nothing less than hell so to be: and hence he hath drawn up, and fixeth himself upon this resolve, that he will leave himself to the soveraign dispose of Gods Providence, and if he p. 64sees meet so to permit, let them do their pleasure, and glut their rage upon this clay house, till they can do no more, but when they have done all, the Truth they shall never pluck from me, but I will live and dye by it; and if thus to do must be accounted to be mad, and to play the fool, let every true Christian be resolute to be yet more mad, and still to play the fool more, for the sake of Christ and the Truth.

USE III. For Exhortation and Direction: and there are two branches of the Exhortation; Buy the Truth, and Sell it not: which may be applied distinctly.

1. In the first place, let it be to invite customers to come and Buy. Truths market is kept up in these Ordinances, which we are called to dispense; and here are a great many lookers on that vouchsafe to come where this heavenly treasure is opened, and exposed to their view; and you do well (so far) that you do come; who knows but that God may perswade you to buy also before you go? his preventing grace may meet with men unexpectedly. But let me ask what (I pray) do you come for? is there any thing here to be had that you are apprehensive p. 65that you have a need of, and are therefore making enquiry after? if they be the worlds dignities and preferments that you would have, you are more like to lose than get them by coming hither; you must go to Princes Courts, or Kings Palaces if you hope to find them: it it be the Earths Gallantry and outward Bravery, or any other thing which may afford content to your carnal Lusts that you are inquisitive after, neither do we pretend to offer such things as these, but counsel you to mortifie such lusts, and to exercise sobriety in the use of those things; but if you are resolved to have them, you must go to the Worlds Market for them: here is nothing but truth set out at this Fair, and if you have no occasion for that, you are like to lose your labour in coming hither: But if that be it which you do indeed stand in need of, here it is, and you shall have it good cheap: and why will you not Buy the Truth? One would think that this Trade should never be dead, that Truth should never have occasion to complain for want of Customers; that this Market rather than any other, should be crouded so full of Buyers, that there should be no room left for Gazers. But the truth is, the bigger part by far of the Children of men have p. 66other Bargains in making, and are deeply engaged in contriving and pursuing of them; and all their business in turning in hither, is only for a little diversion, and yet so, they can hardly divert their minds from that which they have in chase; but whiles their bodies are in the house of God, their hearts are after their covetousness. But give me leave now to borrow the liberty of a few words with you who never have bought the Truth, since you seem for the present to have a little leisure to be spoken withal. It may be some of you can call to your remembrance, that the best and most profitable Bargains that ever you made in all your lives, were some that you lighted upon unexpectedly, and never dreamt of them before: I am sure God himself hath said in our present case, I am found of those that sought me not, Isai. 61. 1. the Grace of God evermore prevents the wills of men, and begins the happy Bargain between them and him, for which they shall bless his Holy Name for ever: and therefore, what though you are come hither on no such errand, nor had the least intent of buying any thing that is here to be sold, but it was the furthest thing from your thoughts; yet what if God and you should make a match before you part? suppose you p. 67should buy up truth, and get a sure Possession of it as your own before you leave this place; what harm? why may it not be so? I am sure God (whose the Truth is) is willing to it; & I am resolved (by his help) to do the utmost that I am able to set it forward: give me leave therefore to do these two things. 1. To commend this Commodity to your buying. 2. To instruct you in or about the buying of it.

1. By way of Motive: And here I might preface this commendation, by blowing upon all other Commodities whatsoever, and telling you what poor, empty, unprofitable trash they are in comparison with this: what childish Baubles and Rattles all the Worlds Honours are; What Shells and Husks, and Chaffe are all its Riches; What Shadows and insubstantial things are all its pleasures; that he who labours for them, doth but labour for the East-wind; he that layes out Money for the procuring of them, doth it for that which is not bread; he that purchaseth and possesseth them, inherits nothing but vanity and vexation of spirit: & he that hath taken the greatest pains, and been followed with the best success inquest of them, after all his toil, travail and expence, sits down in the conclusion as unsatisfied as p. 68ever, and when I have said it, I might make it all good (and a great deal more) as by the testimony of the Word of God, which is full and clear in this point, so by the confession of a great multitude of Men, who have found it to be so by unhappy experience; and let not this consideration be neglected. But let me acquaint you, that Truth needs no foil to set it off, it having sufficient worth and excellency in it self, to commend it to the Children of men; though they observe it not by reason of inadvertency, who if they did consider his Field, would surely buy it: and to help you to this discovery, and to engage your Minds, and Hearts to it.

1. Let me advise you to ask of them that have bought the Truth, and that have paid the dearest for it, how they like their Bargain, and whither ever they saw cause to repent of it. Abraham left his native Land, and his Fathers House, he turned a Pilgrim and Stranger in the Land of Canaan, where he had no possession of his own, besides a Burying place; nor had he any fixt abode, but went to and fro, dwelling in Tents, and all this for the Truth.

Isaak and Jacob continued in the same p. 69Land after him, and went through the like hardships; and did they ever study after a return? The Apostle acquaints us that they had the opportunity easily to have done it, if they had had any mind to it, Heb. 11. 15. Moses was another, and he voluntarily forewent the riches and glories of a Kingdom (and that one of the most flourishing then in the World) for the Truth and that not in a pang of rain and heady zeal, without deliberation; but he did it upon a free and premeditated Choice; he laid them together weighted them in the ballance, and he refused the one on purpose that he might enjoy the other; and that was not when Truth was drest up in outward bravery, having power, prosperity and credit attending upon it, but when it was beset with all manner of difficulties and afflictions, and he saw that he must throw himself into a world of trouble for its sake, this hindred not his Election, nor discouraged his heart in it,. ver. 24. and do we find that ever he revoked it, or so much as befooled himself for being guilty of a mistake in what he had done? No, neither he, nor any other that did as he, and with the same sincerity ever repented them. The Truth hath given unto all those that have been possessed of it such plentiful satisfaction, p. 70that for sweetness it outdid the Honey-Comb, and for preciousness it went beyond the most refined gold in their estimation, Psal. 19. 9, 10. and they have both verbally and practically acknowledged that it was so. If you can meet with but one true Christian in the whole World, that will upon advice asked of him, give you counsel against it, and tell you that it is to dear a penniworth; nay, if they do not tell you that there is so much to be gotten by the purchase, and they have already experienced so much of excellency & ravishing delight in it, that they would not exchange it for the quintiscence of earthly treasures; and that nothing repents them but only that they drave this Bargain no sooner, but foolishly stood off trifling so long; then let it alone and say no more; but this shall you never do. I have read the story of a Christian, who bound over all his estate to a Heathen for security, assuring him that if he would embrace the Truth, it should never repent him, but that he should be enforced to say there was unspeakably more of soul satisfaction in at than in the whole world beside: nor was it long before he returned him his Bond cancelled, assuring him that he had enough in hand for his acquittance, and better security for that which was remaining; and why will not you try too?

p. 712. Listen to such as have the Truth offered to them, and they have been so imprudent as to refuse to come to the price of it, and hear how they bewail it. The Wise man brings in such an unhappy wretch thus bewailing and bemoaning himself, Prov. 5. 12, 13. How have I hated instruction, and my heart despised reproof? and have not obeyed the voice of my Teachers, nor inclined mine ears to them that instructed me? Did you never take a turn with some forlorn creature, that had so long despised the Gospel offers, till he was forsaken of God, and given up to the rack of a tormenting conscience? or did you never stand by the bedside of a profligate Prodigal, that had spent his market day in buying trifles, in following of his lustful pleasures, and in hording up of earthly treasures, and perceived his parting Soul stand trembling upon his quivering lips, and groaning out this its last ejulation? Oh how wretchedly have I outstood the happy advantage of Truths Market? how seriously, how solemnly, how frequently did God offer it to me? at how easy rates might I have been made the blessed owner of it? how long did he stand waiting upon me, and knocking at my door? what pathetical and heartmelting arguments did he use with me to have perswaded me? and oh how happy had I p. 72now been, had I but accepted of it? but I slept out that precious harvest; I loytered out that opportunity of the Market; I despised the offer that was made unto me; I entertained a vile and low opinion of the Truth, and took delight in scoffing at counsels, and quenching of the strivings of the blessed Spirit with me: and now the day is over, the time is gone, the opportunity is lost: and I for this vile neglect of mine am lost for ever: Oh for one of those Sabbaths, those Lectures, those precious seasons of grace! That I had but known those things of my peace in the day of them! but they are hidden from me; and because I despised them whilst I did enjoy them, I must have them no more; and for want of that slighted Truth, which once I might have been owner of, I am undone and must perish everlastingly. And what impression doth this make upon your hearts? let me tell you these are no fansies, nor Romantick Stories, but realites; take them then as rouzing hints to awaken you from your souldestroying carelesness, and put you upon it to use utmost endeavours, whilst you may, to prevent such deadly reflections of your own souls. But,

3. The last and principal motive which I shall urge, is this, viz. Consider that if once p. 73you can make the Truth yours, it will certainly make you happy. All men are naturally inquisitive about felicity; it being that which the natural cravings of the rational appetite, put into man in his Creation, are restlesly carried forth after: there is none of the children of men but are saying, who will show us good? The great design which every man hath on foot is to compass it; though the greatest number of them labour of woful disappointments: now, I can assure you, that that Happiness which men are at so much study in seeking after, and have been at so much labour and pains to obtain, and have yet been so horribly cheated of their expectation after all,. is in this way infallibly to be attained, viz. Buy the Truth and you without doubt shall purchase felicity with it. Prov. 8. 34, 35. Blessed is the man that heareth me, watching daily at my gate, waiting at the posts of my doors; for whosoever findeth me, findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the Lord. Truth is it self the Blessedness of the Understanding, and it brings that good with it which must needs happily the whole man. I have offered something already under the former use, in the deserved commendation of Truth, in vindication of p. 74the wisdom of all those that drive a constant trade in it: but such is the great worth and most admirable excellency of it, that there cannot be too much said in its praise here: therefore let me further say of it,

1. It will make you inchoatively happy in this Life. Buy the Truth and it will bring you into acquaintance with the beginnings of glory, and that in these several respects;

1. It will be a safeguard to you in your passage through an evil world. It will keep and preserve you from all those uncountable mischiefs that lye strewed in the way you have to go: no enemy can do you any harm, no Devils or evils can prevail upon you, whilst you keep a firm possession of the Truth. It is a well fortified Garrison, and as long as you keep your selves within it, you cannot be wounded: do you but keep the Truth, and it will undoubtedly keep you, Prov. 2. 10, 11, 12. and chap. 4. 5, 6. Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee; love her, and she shall keep thee. We shall therefore find David when complaining of the Oppression of his enemies, making of such a request, Psal. 43. 3. O send forth thy light, and thy Truth, let them lead me, and let them p. 75bring me unto thy holy hill: he looked upon it as his sufficient security: his meaning is, that he would be under the conduct of Gods Word, or of those Saving Truths of God, and that shall satisfie him, he desires no more; and Psal 86. 11. Teach me thy way, O Lord! I will walk in thy Truth. It was a day of sore trouble, as appears by the beginning of the Psalm; and this is the help which he seeks against it. If you had all the world in combination against you, and all the Devils of hell added to them, to strengthen the Conspiracy, yet under this banner you should vanquish them all: this will make discovery of all those secret designs that are contrived against you; it will point you to the places where their ambushments are laid to entangle you, and help you to escape them, yea it will give you the victory, and afford you a glorious triumph after all the furious skirmishes that you have been engaged in; You shall see a thousand to fall at your right-hand, and ten thousand at your left, but it shall not come nigh unto you: It was never yet known that Truth ever left any, whom it undertook to be a convoy unto, till it had brought them clear through the deserts, and set them beyond the reach of any mischief.

p. 762. It will be a sure light to guide you through all the intricacies of the way that you have to go in. David professeth this concerning the Word of God, which is the Truth I am now treating of, Psal. 119. 1…5. Thy Word is a Lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. If you will but follow the guidance of the Truth, and hearken to its direction, you shall never wander: you have abundance of the darkness of ignorance within you, and it is not in man of himself to direct his own steps; but this will shew you the right-way, and direct you to the path you should go in: There are a great many of, stumbling blocks that lye in your way, which Satan and his instruments are laying there, that they make you to stumble and fall, but this shall help you over them all: There are a great many by paths and cross ways which lead into danger, and will certainly leave those that take them in a pathless wilderness, where they shall be in peril of being lost; but this shall deliver you from them, and point you out the right way, and teach you how to keep it: This shall be a voice behind you saying this is the way, walk in it, when you are ready to turn to the right, or to the left-hand. Hearken to its voice, and you shall never go astray, take its directions, and there is no p. 77danger of your being bewildred and lost; follow its advice, and you shall not be drawn aside, Prov. 7. 4, 5. and chap. 2. 9. Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgements, and equity, and every right path.

3. It will be a good companion unto you; it will stand by and stick close to you, when all other of your friends and companions shall be removed far away from you; it will be a friend at all times, and cleave closer to you than a brother; when father and mother shall forsake you, then will it take you up: in the house of mourning, it will be a comforter: the Psalmist found it so to him, Psal. 119. 50: as you are travelling through this sollitary and howling wilderness, it will keep fast by you; so that you shall never be left alone, or need to want good company; but shall have the benefit of this sweet counsellor to afford you direction and consolation; though you should be carried to Prisons, and thrown into dungeons, there it will hold conference with you, and give you its advice.

4. It will furnish you with sufficient supply in all your adversity. As it will be a portion which you can never be robbed of, so it will be a full and satisfying portion when you are p. 78stript of every other thing: It will (in the absence of them) be to you instead of father and mother, wife and children, houses and lands, gold and silver, food and raiment, health and strength; these may all of them be taken away from you, but. Truth never can: David prefers it to great spoil, Psal. 119. 162: This Truth contains in it great and precious promises, with which, he that hath them may live well enough upon a rock; here is laid up that hidden manna, which will satisfy your hungry souls in the desert; this is it which will give you your fill in the time of famine, that will deliver you from all fear of evil, when there is nothing else but evil encompassing you round about, and will carry you secure through a land of drought.

5. It will be a Cordial to you in all your spiritual faintings; David therefore prays for this in his deepest dejection, Psal. 119 25. my soul cleaveth to the dust, quicken me according to thy word. This will give you songs in the night, when all creature comfort is withdrawn, it will derive secret and solid refreshment to your spirits, when they are under never so great pressures: There are wonderful Consolations are wrapt up in this Truth, p. 79such as are able to fetch a dying soul to life again, aud restore it to vigour: it will hold your heads, chear up your hearts, and bind up your wounds; David sound all this by plentiful experience, Psal. 94: 19. In the multitude of my thoughts within me, thy comforts delight my soul.

6. It will advance you to the highest communion in this life; even to Communion with God himself. God hath declared himself to be a God of Truth, and therefore if Truth dwells with us, God also dwells with us: if we have Truth for our Possession, then we have God for our portion, and if we abide by the Truth, he also will abide by us. The Truth will lead us, and bring us to the Holy Hill and Tabernacle where God dwells, as Psal: 43. 3. nay, it is that which will make us to abide in God, 1 John 2. 27. and hence one great end of preaching the Gospel of Truth, is to promote this communion, 1 John 1. 3. That which we have seen and heard, declare we unto you, that ye may have fellowship with us, and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. God loveth the Truth, and all those that love it, and his secret shall be with them: and what can this be p. 80less then happiness in this life, to live in the fellowship of the Great God?

7. It will support you under, and carry you chearfully through the agonies of Death. Then to be sure (if not before) all other comforts will fail you, every other prop that hath sometime been a relief to you, will then slip from under you, but then Truth will underset you, and keep your souls from sinking; this holds up Hezekiahs heart in the very prospect of a grave and rottenness, Isa. 38. 3. Remember now, O Lord, I beseech thee, how I have walked before thee in Truth This makes Paul to clap his hands, when he apprehends the time of his offering to approach, 2 Tim. 4. 7. I have kept the Faith. Look over all these things, and now say, what would you have more of happiness, till you are landed in the place of full enjoyment? why Buy the Truth, and it shall be all this to and do all this for you: but then,

2. After it hath been so advantageous to you in this life, it will also lead you safe home into the fruition of perfect felicity in the other life; and here observe,

1. It will bring you to the Beatifical Vision. p. 81All streams do naturally lead down to the Ocean; and all Divine Truths do as certainly carry us home to God himself, who is the Essential Truth. As Truth comes from God, so it leads back to God; and although this vision be not the whole of Eternal Felicity, yet it is both a main and principal part of it, (hence Heavens Glory is so often expressed by it in the Scriptures; as in Mat. 5. 8. They shall see God, i. e. be happy: So 1 John 3. 2. We shall see him as he is: and Heb. 12. 14. Without which no man shall see God;) and also it implies all the rest, whatsoever can be thought of with it; for all joyes and pleasures accompany this vision, Psal. 16. 11. In thy presence (or sight) is fullness of Joy. The purchase of Truth gives us an imperfect sight here, and that is in order to perfection: Heaven therefore may be included in that Holy Hill, which David prays that the Truth may bring him into; Psal. 43. 3.

2. It will place you upon an Heavenly Throne, and put upon your heads an Everlasting Crown, Prov. 4. 8, 9. a Crown of Glory shall she deliver to thee. This is contained in all those faithful and true promises, which all of those embrace, and purchase for their own, who buy the Truth: and if these promises p. 82are parts of the Truth, then they must of necessity be fulfilled, or else Truth it self might become false, which is impossible. God himself hath by his own word and engagements, annexed an Eternal Kingdom, an Immortal Crown, an Everlasting Weight of Glory to the Truth, and they go together inseparably; so that he that Buys the Truth, hath all this into the Bargain, and that fully and inviolably confirmed to him in the same hour that he buys it: hence Believers are called the Heirs of Salvation, because it is part of Truths Inheritance, and is with it confirmed to them.

3. In a word, that I may summe up all in one; it will fulfill for you all the promised good▪ and give you the full and everlasting possession of it. This Truth is the security of the promise, it is the first fruit of the purchase, it is the earnest of the Inheritance, and therefore in it he that buys it may find all the good that is to be had in the Kingdom of Glory, secured to him: and who can tell the vastness of the store, the infiniteness of the treasure that is laid up there? if that saying of the Apostle, 1 Cor. 2. 9. Eye hath not seen, p. 83&c. may truly be applied to those things which the people of God have in hand, which are but the sips and foretasts, but the esseys and earnests of glory, what tongue then can express, or heart conceive, what are those reserves in the Covenant, which are kept for the entertainment of those happy souls afterward, who have had so much wisdom here as to sell all and Buy the Truth? Doubtless those that are happifyed with the Fruition of these ineffable things, can after a more ravishng manner use the words of the Queen of Sheba, and say; that they had (in the Country of their former abode) heard glorious things reported of those mansions of delight, and high happiness which was reserved for them, yea so much as the credit whereof induced them to adventure their all upon the hopes of enjoying it; but that the one half was not told them: Nor indeed are the narrow souls of the children of men capable of making room enough to entertain the apprehension of these things, so long as they are straitned in a body of frail flesh; & now, what do you say to all this? will you blow upon the Truth still? will you yet despise it? or will you not rather say, is this the excellent profit of buying the Truth, what p. 84shall we do then that we may become owners of it.

2. It now follows that I proceed to give some Direction about what is to be done by you, if you would not fail of getting and possessing the Truth as your own, or obtaining a sure and never failing title to it: and here,

1. In order to your making of this purchase, you must come to the Truths Market, with a real purpose to buy it, and that you may thus do, it is requisite that you apprehend, believe and practice such things as these;

1. You must believe that there is such a thing as Truth. Ignorance is an unavoidable ground of negligence; many a man doth therefore live contentedly without a thing, and never so much as makes enquiry after it, because he knows not that there is any such thing to be had, which if he were well informed of, it would be the next thing that he would be laying out for: Now that there is such a Rule by which fallen man be sufficiently directed to the attainment of eternal life; that the sinner is not left under an absolute necessity of perishing, for want of a p. 85clue to guide him in the right-way to escape the wrath, and obtain the favour of God; that infinite mercy hath not only provided a remedy for all that misery which mans Apostacy hath brought upon the world, but also pointed out the way by which he may come at it, the Scriptures do abundantly assure us; yea Christ affirms it of himself that he is so, John 14. 6. I am the way, the Truth, and the life; and all the counsels and encouragements propounded in the Gospel, are given to this end, to perswade us that this is attainable by us in some way or other.

2. You must also believe that you have it not in your own possession by nature: it is a Rule which the Apostle lays down, and it is to be applied universally, 1 Cor. 3. 18. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. It is the everlasting undoing of a great many men, that they are blown up with a fond conceit that they are born possessed of the Truth; that they have in them naturally a sufficient light to direct them in the right way, and guide them safely home to blessedness, see Job. 11. 12. Vain man would be wise though man be born like the Wild Asses Colt▪ Vain▪ Hebr. Empty; i. e. empty of wisdom, p. 86of knowledge, and of Truth; viz. that which is Divine and Saving. Would be wise; i. e. he would be thought so to be, he challengeth it to himself as his priviledge: Wild Asses Colt; which are reported the most sottish, stupid and foolish among all the sensitive creatures; and this is one great reason why so few came to draw water at these wells of Salvation, to buy Truth at this Fair, because they are conceited that they have it already: and who will lay out his mony to buy that of which he hath store enough at home? This will either keep men from coming at all to Wisdoms School (and some there be who have said, why should we go to the Ordinances? we can hear no more there than what we already know as well as the Preacher,) or else if they do come, because it is the custom so to do, it will carry them forth, to carp, scoff, flout, & deride at every thing that is there offered; and so they are far from being like to barter: they are the thirsty that are invited to come; Isa. 55. 1. but he that is full cannot thirst; the full soul loaths the honey comb.

3. You must apprehend that you do really want it: the former will be insignificant without this be added to it. That which p. 87a man knows he hath not, if with all he is not apprehensive of a need that he hath of it, but supposeth that he can do well enough without it, nay possibly would esteem it not a favour, but a burden to have it, he will very contentedly let that thing alone: I before intimated that Thirst drives men to the waters; now to Thirst there is supposed, not only the absence, or not having of drink, but also a craving appetite, filling us with a real sense of the want of it, and convincing us of mischief and misery likely to ensue, if we cannot obtain it, and to such as these it is that these waters are nextly offered on sale, John 7. 37 If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. You must see and find that you have lost the way of peace, and are bewildred in the crooked paths that lead to destruction, and be convinced that the more you seek to disentangle your selves, the more you are beswampt in this desert place: that you are benighted in this land of darkness, among the horrible pits, into which falling, you may well reckon that you tumble into ruine; and that except it please God to enlighten you with his Truth, and send that forth to guide and lead you, you must inevitably be lost eternally: you must be deeply convinced that your everlasting happiness p. 88depends absolutely upon your having the Truth to be your Pilot to steer your course for you; your Lamp to enlighten your darkness, and shew you the path of life. It is fullness that gives encouragement to sloth, and perswades men to fold their hands; but want, when once it comes to be throughly felt, and the misery of it pincheth the man, it will drive him to seek out for a supply.

4. You muts apprehend & believe where Truth is to be had: the want of a right understanding of this hath proved the ruine of many an one, they mist the right place; and so were put off with a cheat. The Truth is not opened in every mart, nor to be bought at every shop; but if you would know where you may find it, and not miss of it, know, that it is laid up in the Word of God, and in these chambers you may be sure to meet with it; and therefore your way is to be much in converse with the Holy Scriptures, so you may be enriched with this treasure; hear David, Psa. 119. 98, 99. Thou through thy Commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies, for they are ever with me. I have more Understanding than all my Teachers, for thy Testimonies are my meditation. God by his Spirit sells the Truth, to those that seek it, James 1 5. If p. 89any man lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth liberally. You must therefore be much and earnest in prayer to God for it; so was David, Psal. 119. 18, 33, 34. It is to be found in our sequestred retirements from all other encumbring affairs, and setting our selves to ponder upon it, Prov. 18. 1. through desire, a man having separated himself, seeketh and intermedleth with all wisdom. You must therefore disengage from these distractions, and get liberty to make this your business: It is to be had in the company and communion of the people of God, Prov. 13. 20. he that walketh with wisemen, shall be wise; you must then chuse such as these are for your companions, and forsake the society of the worlds fools, i. e. of ungodly men, for it follows, but a companion of fools shall be destroyed. It is especially to be gained in the house of God; and at his Ordinances, in which (by Gods own appointment) the Truth is brought forth, sometimes one part of it, sometimes another; and he hath given to his servants in charge, that they do present it before, propose the terms to, and use their best endeavour to drive the bargain with men; these therefore must be frequented; hence they are the persons who are declared p. 90blessed who wait at the posts of the doors of Wisdoms House, Prov. 8. 34.

5: You must not only come hither, but it must be with a purpose to buy the Truth: this ought to be your design, the very errand that brings you hither, the business that you come about; and therefore you must ask and enquire after it. It is true, Gods grace prevents us, and first begins with us, and he always offers before we ask: but yet it is as true, that before a bargain be throughly driven bebetween God and a Sinner, he is wont to make us to feel our emptiness and want, and thereupon raise up in our hearts such a sense as drives us to ask, to wait for, and to cheapen it: the man before that time, was wont to go to the House of God; he frequented the Ordinances after a formal and customary manner; and if a reason had then been asked of him why he went, and what he went for, it would have put him hard to it, to have given a rational answer, for indeed he went he well knew not for what, and thereupon he used to come away again, as wise as he went, and this is the lamentable case of the greatest number of those that live in places of Gospel Light, and sit under the dispensation of the means of grace: But now the case is altered, p. 91and he can resolve you, that it is the Truth he is seeking after, he feels a destroying want of it, and hath heard that here it may be gotten, and this makes him to set himself to hearken with diligence, and bend his mind to receive the conception of things, and to wait upon God for his Spirit to make application of them to his Soul; and this is the first thing to be done, if you would buy the Truth.

2. Beware of a cheat, and therefore endeavour, so be well perswaded that it is the Truth before you buy it. If it be Truth that you come to the market for, take diligent heed to your selves that you do not carry home a lye with you in the room of it, and to put you upon it to be exceeding cautious here, let me offer these considerations.

1. There are a great many of Cheats going up and down the World, seeking to vend Falshoods under the specious pretense of Truth. If all those that open Shop, and hang out a Sign for the Truth, were indeed authorized, and set up by divine approbation, the danger would be by much the less: but there are the Locusts of the bottomless pit, the Spawn of Hell, the spirits of Devils, Satan's p. 92Factors, employed by him, to go up and down seeking by all means to seduce and draw souls away after them: and if they can but obtain to be believed, they will perswade us that it is nothing but Truth which they bring with them to put off: they set that mark upon the Doctrines of Devils, hoping that by such an imposture simple and inconsiderate Souls will be drawn into the cheat: & that they may make these to pass the better, and find the more ready reception among men, they call themselves New-Lights, and they are new-Truths, which they bring with them to impart unto us; Truths that have lain hid (in some by corner) from the World for many Ages, and it hath laboured of great unhappiness for the want of them, but they have by some strange and wonderful way made the blessed discovery of them, and being loth to keep them only to themselves, they are (in good will) greatly desirous to expose them for the common benefit of man kind; these our Saviour Christ would have us to beware of, & that for this reason, Mat. 7. 15. Beware of false Prophets, which come to you in Sheeps clothing, but inwardly they are ravening Wolves.

2. These Impostors have a wonderful art of palliating p. 93and settlng off their false Wares: they have gotten such a strange faculty to make a ly to look so like unto the Truth that without an exceeding diligent inspection into it, it will not be discovered; they can readily and fearlesly father all their falshoods upon God, and call him in to patronize them, as they Ezek 13. 7. Ye say, the Lord saith it, albeit I have not spoken. They can horribly wrest the Scriptures. and loudly plead them to be of their mind; 2 Pet. 3. 16. They that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as also they do the other Scriptures. But their main and most pernicious cunning of all is, by insinuation, and stealing into the hearts and affections of men; and so to colloegue them into an admiration of their persons, which (when obtained) will mightily draw them to the approbation of their Doctrines`: they can cunningly carry before them a great deal of seeming Mortification, and look as if they were the most zealous men breathing for the keeping up to the highest pitch of Holiness and Worship, Col. 2. 23. and they are often making very great pretenses, how much they are concerned for the good of Souls; how grieved they are to see such numbers deluded and misled by such as pretend to direct them; how mightily their notions (if embraced) p. 94would tend to magnifie God, and encourage sinners: thus the Apostle describes them, Rom. 16. 18. They that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple. 2 Cor. 11. 13, 14, 15. Such are false Apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the Apostles of Christ, &c. 2 Tim. 3. 6. Of this sort are they which creep into houses, & lead captive silly Women laden with sins And one main engine which they make use of further to promote their design, is a strange faculty that they have gotten of undermining & scandalizing the true and faithful servants of Jesus Christ, of which sort Paul met with not a few, in the pursuit of his Ministry: there is therefore need of a great deal of wisdom and caution to be used by all those that would not be deceived.

3. Adde to this, and that makes it of the more weight; There is a foolish inclination in mans nature more readily to take up contented with a ly, than with the Truth. It is not to be denied but that Truth is the proper and adequate object of the understanding, which is therefore by its natural inclination carried out in the enquiry after it: Hence it follows, that men do not embrace a ly as such, but it must come to them under p. 95the notion and consideration of Truth, if ever they give any credit thereunto: But this doth not make the present case any whit better, but if well considered it renders it much worse; because if they who are so seduced could be but perswaded that it is false, it were then an easie thing to beat them off from it; but because they are confidently built on it that it is true, this makes them to hold it tenaciously; and this still makes it the farther perillous, because the fall hath so crazed the mind of man, and confounded his apprehension of things, and so rendred his judgment so perverse, that he naturally calls good evil, and evil good, light darkness, and darkness light. His spiritual Opticks are strangely discoloured, the principles of his natural reason are become corrupt, the Rules by which he measures and weighs things are depraved: he hath gotten to him false ballances, the ballance of deceit. The Psalmist gives the right character of a natural man in respect of his intellectuals, Psal 58. 3. The wicked are estranged from the womb, they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies. And … it follows, that a ly easier finds entertainment with him than the Truth; he is more … to close in with falshood than … understanding, p. 96proceeding according to its false reasonings, is perswaded to believe that it sees sufficient reason for it: and this plainly speaks that there must needs be the greater reason for us to be exceeding wary to our selves, when we consider that we must in our search after Divine Truth, go against our own natural Bias.

4. Thus to be deceived will prove a very pernitious thing. If you buy up error in stead of the Truth, the best of it is You lay out money for that which is not bread; you lose all the labour and cost which you have been at in seeking after it: and if this were all (though it is a great deal to much) it were not so bad; but there is a worse thing in it than so; for he who buyes falshood for Truth, buys a mischief instead of a blessing: and though all errors are not alike poyson, yet they are all of them infectious. All lies are of a kin, they are directly opposite to the Truth, and therefore have a natural tendency to subvert and destroy it: To be mistaken in circumstantials, is not so deadly as for a man to be so in substantials; to erre in the superstructure, is not so dangerous as to do it in the foundation: but still, every ly believed, carries a man so far away from God, who is p. 97Truth it self; and not only so, but it also exposeth men wofully unto more; as a man that is out of his way, is more like to get further from it, than to return again, so long as he perswades himself that he is right. A man cannot love an error, but he must consequently hate the contrary truth, and that is of it self a most woful thing; but that which is far worse is, it is the ready way to be left to fall further, yea, till there be no recovery: awful is that saying of the Apostle, 2 Thess. 2. 19, 20, 21. Because they received not the love of the Truth, that they might be saved: and for that cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a ly; that they all might be damned who believed not the Truth. There are some errors (though all are bad) which if they were stood at, and men made no farther progress, we might have much charity for many that hold them, but the great unhappiness is, that they have proved to be the postern, at which, such as have made an eminent profession for a while, have gone back to the most damnable Apostasie; and to have at length altogether lost so much as any footsteps or marks of their former Religion: and this also saith that there cannot be too great caution used by men against p. 98their being seduced, since it hazards their utter ruin.

Now because there is so much of weight in the right improvement of this Direction, it being of all cheats the most notoriously mischievous, to be put off with a guilded error instead of a shining Truth; I shall endeavour to give some special help here, and that,

1. By way of Caution:

2. By way of Direction.

1. By way of Caution: and here in general, Beware that you judg not of Truth by false Rules. Every smooth stone, is not to be counted a touch stone, nor will it distinguish of Mettals; there are many Ballances that Men make, in which a thing may bear weight, which when it is brought to the Standard will there be found too light.

But more particularly, let me caution you in special against such things as the generality of men are wont to suffer themselves to be abused by: And here,

1. Receive nothing for a Divine Truth upon the …: And therefore have a care p. 99of having mens persons too much in admiration; the Apostle complains of such, Jude 16. Having mens persons in admiration because of advantage. That may be true which men teach, but it is not therefore so because they teach it: it derives not its verity from their authority: hence you have a description of a right entertaining of the Word of God, in 1 Thess. 2. 13. When ye received the Word of God, which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but (as it is in Truth) the Word of God. That which is it self false, cannot alter the property, or become otherwise, though it should come with the authority of an Angel; hence, that, Gal. 1. 8. Though we, or an Angel from Heaven, should preach any other Gospel than that we have Preached, let him be accursed.

And here in particular.

1. Make not great men your Rule. It is an evident note of a practical Atheist, that will alwayes be of the Court Religion where he lives, be it what it will; I mean to make that the Rule of his Profession and look no farther: They put the highest affront imaginable upon man-kind, who bind them always to believe as the Church believes, thereby, meaning their Rulers and Leaders; and how p. 100rationally soever those Pharisees and Elders supposed themselves to argue against the common peoples believing in Christ, I am sure they argued irreligiously, Joh. 7. 48. Have any of the Rulers, or of the Pharisees believed on him? Great men are not alwayes wise, I am sure not spiritually and savingly so, and to Judg of Truth by them, is to try it by a Lesbian Rule, that will bend it self to the mutable humors of men, and is the ready way to make Truth (which of it self is immutable) every whit as changeable as the times and fashions.

2. Make not Wise and Learned Men your Rule. Men may be intimately acquainted with all the mysteries of Art and Nature, and yet be strangers to the saving Truths of the Word of God: We should constantly carry about with us that solemn expression of Paul, 1 Cor. 1. 26. Not many wise are called; & that of our Saviour Christ, Mat. 11. 25. Thou hast hid those things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes; even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight. It is a worthy Observation of one, That all the Heresies that have been so mischievous to the Christian World, were nothing else but the trimmings and flourishes of humane Learning. Not that p. 101Learning and Knowledg are therefore to be contemned; that of Solomon is observable, Eccles. 2. 13. Wisdom excelleth folly, as far as light excelleth darkness. but withal we must remember that many men while they have thought to be wise, became fools in their imaginations; yea, how often doth it sadly prove a Truth, that the Worlds Wise men, improve their wisdom against the Truth; and counting the Doctrines of Christ to be foolishness, do set themselves directly to subvert them?

3. Make not Holy Men, your Rule; I mean such as make the greatest shew and appearance of it. For as there is a feigned Holiness, which is the worst iniquity, so the best of men are but men; and because they are so, must be liable to mistakes: good men have had their errors, and those sometimes great ones too; however, they are not of themselves infallible: those that were the Penmen of the Holy Scriptures, wherein they were guided by an infallible Spirit, and wrote as they were inspired; yet in other things they had their mistakes; Peter himself was once at least to be blamed, Gal. 2. 11. how much more then have we reason to suppose that others know but in part? and if we take p. 102all their maxims for Oracles, we may easily be misled. When Paul himself was the Preacher, yet the Bereans are commended, that they took not up his Doctrine on trust, but searched the Scriptures to find out the truth of it, Act. 17. 11.

2. Judge not of Truth by the reception that Doctrines find in the World, or the number of followers which they have.

And here is a double danger to be avoided:

1. There are a great many that run with the multitude, and make a loud cry, that which every one saith must needs be true: but this rule will not hold universally, if men trust to it, it will many times deceive them; the Scripture tells us of a time, when the whole World shall wonder after the Beast, Rev. 13. 3. and when the Inhabitants of the Earth shall be made drunk with the wine of the Fornication of the great Whore, Chap. 17: 1, 2. and this properly aims at the time when there shall be a general Apostasie from the profession of the Truth, and men shall be intoxicated with the false Doctrines of Antichrist: The Scripture informs us that there was once a time when there was but one Elias to maintain the Truth of Gods Worship p. 103against four hundred of Baals Prophets: and Ecclesiastical History makes report, that once there was occasion for such a speech, Unus Anastasius contra totum mundum; when there was but one Paphnutius to withstand an whole Council in defence of the honour of Matrimony: when the Church was driven into the Wilderness, Truth went with her, whiles error took the Chair and ruled at pleasure. and it is too certain that Truth doth not alwayes gain the major vote in the Christian World, but is many times confronted by the greater part of pretenders to it.

2. There are others who think to find out Truth by the fewness of its followers, and that which is consequent thereupon, the ill entertainment which it finds with the greatest number of men: and though these may possibly come nearer to it ordinarily then the others, by reason of the natural pravity of Man kind; yet neither is this a sufficient Criterion to judge of it by. There have been those happy times, wherein whole Councils have condemned the Heresies of a few; when the Synod at Jerusalem could unanimously bear witness against the Judaizing Christians, who would have subjected the connected Gentiles to the law of Moses, Act. 15. p. 104When the Nicene Council bare a plump Testimony against the Blasphemy which Arrius vented to the dishonour of the Son of God, and many the like. God sometimes gives Truth a signal victory over falshood, and it triumphs: and it is certain that Heresies, at their first rise, have met with but a few defenders or abettors, though afterward they have gathered by rolling, like a Snowball; pride and ambition giving a lift to promote them, till such time as the light and heat of Truth hath melted them again.

3. Determine not of Truth according to your own natural relish: Sin that dwells in men, hath made them flesh pleasers, and the power of inbred concupiscence hath bribed their judgments, so as to perswade them to embrace the dictates of their own senses, and according as that relisheth Doctrines, accordingly, either to entertain or reject them: and this is none of the least reasons why error makes its way so fast, and so soon into the hearts of men, because there is never an one but what is cut out and adapted to give satisfaction to one Fleshly Lust or other in the Soul: And men naturally have entertained so good and charitable an opinion of themselves, and their own inclinations, that whatsoever notion is broached, which gives p. 105the least encouragement to any of these, goes down glibly, and hath a good relish with them: and hereupon Satan & his factors, easily espying the advantage, & readily taking hold of it, have so accommodated false Doctrines, as to sute every fleshly lust in men, in so much as all tempers and humors may have their choice, and fit themselves with one or other to their great content. Well, Truth is of a contrary nature, and is levelled directly against all these lusts of the hearts of men, & mainly designs the battering of them down, or the mortification of them, 2 Cor. 10. 4, 5. the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God, to the pulling down of strong holds, casting down imaginations, &c. if therefore you meet with any Doctrine which endeavours to gratify your corrupt part, conclude upon one of these two, that either it is not the Truth, or if it be, that you do not rightly resent it.

4. Rest not in the Judgment of your own Reason: Determine not of Truth and Falsehood by the ratiocinations, and comprehensions of your Judgments. There are some who would be counted and called Rational Professors, and these lay it down for a maxim, that nothing is to be received for a truth in Relegion, but what our reason can fathom, p. 106and make a Demonstration of, so that this must be made the very standard, and supream judge of Truth: whereas the Word of God acquaints us, that the Christian Religion is a great mystery, 1 Tim. 1. 3. 16. Great is the mystery of Godliness. It is true indeed, that there is highest reason to give credit to Divine Truths, because they are born witness unto, by him who is the Truth: and the authority of Divine Testimony, carries in it more force to command our credit to the things which it asserts, then all the arguments which our invention can fetch out of the Topicks of Reason, or borrow from the observation of our senses, God being to be believed for himself, because, he cannot ly: But to think to be able to sound the depth, and reach the bottom of these things with the short plumbline of our Understanding, is truly madness; our breath is lost before we have dived half the way; and for us to resolve to believe no more than what we are able to grasp with our reason, is distraction; and carries in it an implicit resolution to banish the most necessary and Soul Saving Truths out of our Creed: Consider here, … Your Natural Reason is prejudiced, for which consideration it cannot be a competent judge. To talk of a Jesus Crucified no p. 107way agrees with a Grecians logick, and therefore he counts it foolishness, 1 Cor. 1. 23. We preach Christ crucified, to the Greeks foolishness: and hear what a Commentary Festus makes of it, Acts 25. 19. and of one Jesus which was Dead, whom Paul affirms to be alive. The Doctrine of the Resurrection, contradicts an Athenians Philosophy, and if Paul himself preacht it, he shall pass under the reputation of a Babler, Acts 17. 18. some said, what will this babler say? because he Preached unto them Jesus and the Resurrection. Yea, indeed the whole counsel of God meets with enmity to oppose it in a carnal mind, no wonder then if he cannot subject his reason and judgment to it, Rom. 8. 7.

2. Your Reason is too narrow to comprehend it. Truth is a Sea unnavigable, a gulf that will not be fathomed by us; the length and breadth, height, and depth of it pass our knowledge; Job. 11. 8, 9. It is as high as heaven, what canst thou do? deeper than hell what canst thou know? the measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than the Sea. Our Understanding will soon be Non-plust in these contemplations; for Faith it self is rapt into the transports of an astonishing admiration, Paul that had been admitted to p. 108take a view of the glories of the Third Heaven, yet here he stands upon the brinks, and cries out, Oh the Depth! Rom. 11. 33. If our Saviour Christ doth but discourse with Nicodemus about the A B C of Christianity, (the Doctrine of Regeneration) this great Doctor and Master in Israel is put to a nonplus, and demands how can these things be, Joh. 3. 9. Truths light is truly dazling, and the eyes of our Understandings are very weak and sore. Truth is Immense, and our Reason is Finite; and however opiniated we may be of our selves, and proudly presumptuous of our large reaches, yet it is certain, that we may as soon comprize the Ocean in an Eg shell, as comprehend all Sacred Truths in our Reason But,

2. Let it be by way of Direction, & here if we would not be mistaken;

1. In general, the Written Word of God is the proper and only touch stone by which we are to try and find out the Truth. Whatsoever is needful to be known in Order to our enjoyment of Communion with God in this life, and attaining eternal felicity in that which is to come, is contained in the Holy Scriptures, and there is no particular rule of practice for our guidance in the cases p. 109which we can meet with, but the solution of it, is there, either expressed in so many words, or implied by necessary and undeniable consequence. Scripture perfection is one main Article of the Christian Religion, 2 Tim. 3. 16, 17. All Scripture is given by Inspiration of God, and is profitable for Doctrine, &c that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works; whatsoever Doctrines are not according to it, are to be repudiated as false, Isa. 8. 20. To the Law and to the Testimony; if they speak not according to this word it is because there is no light in them. God, who knew his own mind best, hath herein communicated it to the children of men, and hath limited our enquiry to it, Deut. 29. 29. The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed, belong unto us and our children for ever. And he hath declared it as a dangerous thing for us to make any additions hereunto, Prov. 30. 6. add not unto his word, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar. Whatsoever therefore men may say; or their own thoughts dictate, be sure to ask if the Scriptures say so too, and if not, count them for fansies in Religion. But,

2. I may descend to lay down some more p. 110particular help for the finding out of the truth, to which end take these following Rules.

1. Be much in prayer to God for the illumination of his Spirit: It is not enough to be much in reading and studying of the Scriptures, though that also must be attended; for if we go about it with a proud confidence, leaning to our own Understandings, we expose our selves to be lost: It is easy for us to be deluded, and we know that the vilest Hereticks have sought to make the Word of God to patronize their most absurd opinions and none that labour so much as they to fill up their pages with Scripture citations, which they put upon the rack, hoping to make them confess their lies to be true. None knows the mind of God in the Scripture but his own Spirit, and such to whom he will reveal it, 1 Cor. 2. 12, 13. and such as would be best informed, must ask his Illumination; Luther's bene Orasse, bene studuisse, belongs not to Ministers … but also to all Christians. The Word indeed is a Lamp, and the Law is light, but the misery is, our eyes are out, and it is not this light will open them of it self, but only the author of it. As our dependance upon the teachings of the Spirit ought not to encourage our neglect of the reading of the Word of p. 111God, and attending upon those helps to acquaint our selves with it which God affords us in the Publick Ministry; so neither should we confide in our own pains, or be satisfied with our skill: we have David here for a pattern, who professeth Gods Law to be his meditation day and night, and declares that this meditation was an help to his gaining of more skill than the ancients; yet how often have we him at prayer earnestly begging, for skill, teaching, illumination, so acknowledging the subordination of his endeavours, Psa. 119. 18, 27, 33, 34.

2. Make use of and carry about with you some distinguishing marks of Truth, whereby it may be known and discerned from falshood and error: be sure to carry them imprinted on your minds, and be always ready to make application of them in your reading and hearing. I here shall purposely wave any discourse about the logical Analysing of the Scripture, the searching out of the scope of the Text, and accommodating of all the arguments that are used to the principal drift or design, which are of excellent use to such as are furnished with the skill so to do, and also necessary for men of Learning, especially those who undertake to p. 112be Teachers of others; and do require a great deal of time and study, rightly to perform it; yea and the neglect whereof, is one great reason why the Scriptures are often quoted impertinently, and besides the genuine intention of them: But this is not a thing to be attained to by every Christian, whom yet it concerns to be built upon the Truth, and warily to avoid the infection of error: there are therefore some more easily observable Criteria, the improving whereof will be of great use to prevent our being mistaken in this matter; & here I shall in the first place lay down this general Rule, from whence those more particular marks may be drawn; viz. Every Truth of Religion, contributes to the great ends of it; which are, the Glorifying of God, and the furthering of our Salvation. That these are the two main ends of the Christian Religion, every Catechise will readily inform us: Now the proper business of every Art, Science, or Doctrine is to lay down such Rules, Precepts, and discoveries, as may be proper and suitable means for the advancement of the genuine end of it: and whatsoever is not truly serviceable hereunto, is in no wise to be acknowledged as belonging to that Doctrine, but aliene from it; so that whatsoever Doctrine either robs God of his deserved p. 113glory in any point, or is destructive to the Salvation of Souls; and no ways tends to further them towards eternal life, is to be accounted falshood; and if this Rule be duly observed, it will afford us several particular inferences, which will stand as so many differiencing notes by the which the Truth may be known, viz.

1. Every Truth agrees with the whole, and with every other Truth. The whole body of Divine Truths is Uniform: Truth is but one, whereas error is manifold: Truth its self consenting, but error its self contradicting: there is a sweet harmony in the whole Word of God; there are no contradictions to be found there; if any shall judge that there are such, the mistake is not in the Scriptures, but in their deceived Understandings. They do all come from the same God, with whom there is no Variableness or Shadow of Turning▪ James 1. 17. they are nothing else but the expressions of his mind, who is always of one mind, Job 23. 13. and have been delivered in Holy Writ by him who perfectly knows his own meaning, and is not at a loss how to express it. So that whensoever you meet with two Doctrines, between which you observe a manifest inconsistency, you may and p. 114must conclude, that both of these cannot possibly be true, and also that that must be so, which is consonant with the whole Analogy of Faith, or the body of Saving Truths: such is the direction given by the Apostle, 1 Tim. 6. 3, 4. If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholsom words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the Doctrine which is according to Godliness; he is proud, knowing nothing.

2. Every Truth pays some honour to God; if the great business of Religion be to teach men how to live to God, as we are assured that it is, 1 Pet. 4. 2. i. e. how to please him, to glorifie him, to do that which is acceptable to him; then every part of it must of necessity reflect some honour upon him, give him some praise: it must either discover him to us in some of his glorious perfections, or direct us to such courses wherein we may be fitted to advance his declarative glory. As God did at the first make all things for himself, so he particularly appointed reasonable creatures to glorifie him actively; and that they might not miss it in this design, he hath directed them to the way wherein they may rightly accomplish it, and this Direction of his, is that which we do by way of preheminence p. 115call Truth: Truth therefore is our guide, Psal. 43. 3. Send forth thy Light and thy Truth, let them lead, (or guide) me, from thence we infer, that every Doctrine which speaks of God unbecomingly, which in any point derogates from his Prerogative, and Divine Perfections, which reflects any dishonour upon any of his Works, and denies him his just right in any one thing that is his due, is false: And such also is that to be esteemed by us, that dischargeth man from any part of his homage and subjection to God, and opens any door of licenciousness to him, or would give him the least encouragement to do any of those things by which Gods Holy Name may be dishonoured by him; that indulgeth him in any sinful way or course.