Several practical
cases of conscience resolved.
Delivered in some short discourses at church meetings.
These brief
Discourses are included in the folio edition of
But this science was for a time in great favour with the
divines of the Reformation also; though studied and taught by them on
different principles, and assuredly for very different ends.
Casuistry is liable to abuse, and has often been abused.
It tends to foster a morbid subjectivity, and to enervate principle. Every
Christian pastor, however, in the course of his official duties, must
sometimes be called to resolve the doubts
It would be matter of regret, if the prejudice now
entertained against a field of theological discussion cultivated to such an
extent by divines of former generations, should prevent any reader from
perusing the Discourses of our author which follow.
Delivered January 28, 1672.
Question. What conviction of a state of sin, and of the guilt of sin, is necessary to cause a soul sincerely to look after Christ?
Answer. There
is one thing only that I shall at present speak to, and that is this: What
is the lowest condition that hath the nature of conviction in sincerity, so
as that souls may not be discouraged from closing with Christ because they
have had no greater convictions of sin? And I shall speak to it on this
account, — because, although the things that have already been spoken by
others are true, and such as those who have spoken them have found to be
true by the word and their own experience; yet, it may be, others have not
come up in their experience unto such a distinct observation of the work of
conviction as hath been laid down, [so] that they may be discouraged. For,
seeing conviction is so indispensably necessary, some may say, “It hath not
been thus and thus with me, — according as hath been declared.” Therefore,
I would only show what I judge to be so necessary, as that without it a
soul cannot be supposed sincerely to have closed with Christ. And we
having all made our profession of choosing
Therefore, I shall place it upon this: What Jesus Christ
doth indispensably call men unto, in order to believing in him, that is
indispensably required of them. And this I shall manifest out of two or
three places of Scripture:—
Another direction of Christ is, “They that be whole need
not a physician, but they that are sick,”
There is another word of Christ [which] very remarkably
speaks just to the same purpose,
Now, these things I do account indispensably necessary, antecedently to believing, as to the substance of them. And this, I hope, hath been found in all our souls. And if we have obtained so far, we need not then question whether our closing with Christ be sincere or not. This is all that I dare assert to be absolutely and indispensably necessary. Many pretend to believe, though they never were convinced thoroughly that they were not righteous, — never were sick in their lives, — never had fears that they should die. These are contrary to the express rule Christ hath given, “I came not to call the righteous, but sinners;” — not those that say, “There is hope,” but those that say, “There is no hope.”
Delivered February 7, 1672.
Question. Seeing the act of closing with Christ is secret and hidden, and the special times and seasons of our conversion unto God are unknown unto most, what are the most certain evidences and pledges that we have cordially and sincerely received Christ, and returned unto God?
Answer. I do acknowledge the inquiry is very large, and such as we may be straitened in, through the abundance of it. I shall only speak plainly some few things that to me are an evidence of a sincere closing with Christ, and receiving of Christ, — such as I know have been of use unto some.
First. When there is a permanency and abiding in the choice we have made of Christ, notwithstanding opposition against it that we shall be sure to meet withal. I do not speak to the nature of the choice, or the means of it, — how the mind is prepared for it; but I speak unto the poorest, the weakest of the flock, that may be inquiring whether they have made a sincere choice of Christ or not: I say, they may try it by the permanency and abiding in their choice against opposition.
And there are two sorts of oppositions that will try us and shake us, as to our choice, as I have found it, if I have had any experience of these things — 1. Opposition from charges of the guilt of sin and the law. 2. Opposition from temptations unto sin:—
1. There will, even after sincere believing and closing
with Christ, be many a heavy charge brought against a soul from the law,
and the guilt of sin in the conscience. Now, in such a case, the inquiry
is, What the soul abides by when it is shaken? Why, truly, if a man go
only upon mere convictions, on such shaking impressions of the guilt of
sin, he will be very ready and inclined in his own mind to tack about to
some other relief. He puts out fair for his voyage, — the storm arises, —
the ship will not carry him; — he must tack about for another harbour. I
have known it so with some; and experienced, when the wind hath set very
strong that way with myself, — when the guilt of sin hath been charged with
all its circumstances, — the soul hath been very hardly able to keep its
hold, yet notwithstanding resolved, “I will trust to Christ:” but it hath
been tacking about to self again, — “I must remedy this, — have relief for
this from myself; I cannot abide by it, and live wholly upon Christ; and
when the storm is over, then I will out to sea again.” I say, this is no
good sign to
2. There must be a permanency in our choice of Christ against temptations unto sin, as well as against the charges from sin. Truly, the former — of abiding with Christ against the charges from sin — is our daily work: it is sometimes more high and pressing, but it is our daily work. But there are also temptations unto sin, — it may be to the neglect of our duty, or to a compliance in any evil way (which we are subject unto while in the body); and perhaps great sins. Here Joseph’s reply, applied to Christ, is that which doth argue our choice of Christ to be sincere, — “How shall I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” When the soul can draw a prevailing argument from that, “How shall I do this, and relinquish my Lord Christ?” — “I will not do this against him whom I have chosen,” — this is a good argument, if frequently reiterated, that our choice of Christ is sincere.
Secondly. Growing up in a love unto the person of Christ is a great evidence to me of a sincere choice of Christ. It is a blessed field that is before me, but I shall but hint things unto you. When the soul hath received Christ, it cannot but study Christ; and though it is no argument against the sincerity of a man’s faith and grace, that he doth principally regard the offices and graces of Christ, and the benefits we have by him, yet it is an argument against the thrift and growth of it: for a thriving faith and grace will come to respect principally the person of Christ. I mean this; — when the soul studies the person of Christ, — the glory of God in him, — of his natures, the union of them in one person, — of his love, condescension and grace; and the heart is drawn out to love him, and cry, “Doubtless I count all things but loss and dung for the excellency of Christ Jesus my Lord.” “What is thy beloved more than another beloved?” “My beloved is white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand; he is altogether lovely.” To see an excellency, a desirableness in the person of Christ, so as to grow in admiration and love of him, is to me an evidence that, when all fails besides, will greatly support the soul, and persuade it that its choice is true. Nay, it is one of the most spiritual evidences; for I much question whether an unregenerate man can love Christ for his own sake at all. But it is a good sign of growth, when our love to the person of Christ grows, when we meditate much upon it, and think much about it. I could show you wherein the beauty of Christ’s person doth much consist; but I have not time now to do it.
Thirdly. Another evidence to me of the soul’s having made
a sincere choice of Christ is, when it continues to approve, judge well of,
and every day more and more to see, the glory, the excellency, the
Give me leave to add this one thing more:—
Fourthly. That a delight in obedience unto God by Christ, in the ways of his own appointment, is a great evidence that we have chosen Christ, and he us; — chosen him as our king, prophet, and priest. The ways of the worship of God in his church and ordinances, are the ways and worship of God in Christ, which he hath appointed. Take these things abstractedly and in themselves, and we should be apt to say of them, as was said of Christ, “There is no beauty in them, nor glory, that they should be desired.” There is much more outward beauty and glory in other ways, that Christ hath not appointed. But if we love the ways Christ hath appointed, because he hath appointed them, then we choose those ways because we have chosen him to be our king; and that is it which gives them beauty and life. And when the ways of Christ’s appointment grow heavy and burdensome to us, we are weary of them, and are willing to have our neck from under the yoke, — it is a sign we grow weary of him who is the author of them; and this is a great sign that we never made a right and sincere choice of him.
Many other things might be offered as evidences of sincere closing with Christ; but these are some which have been of use to me: and I hope they may be so unto some of you.
Question. What concern have we in the sins of the day wherein we live?
Answer. All sins may be referred to two heads:— First, Irreligion. Secondly, Immorality.
First. Irreligion; and that may be reduced to two heads, — atheism and false worship: you may add, also, particularly, the contempt of all instituted worship. It takes up much of the sins against the first table; however, at present I shall only speak of the first of them:—
As to atheism, then, it may be no age can parallel that wherein we live, considering all the ways whereby the atheism of man’s heart may discover itself. For, take it absolutely, and in the seat of it, it is found only in the heart of man; unless some one or other prodigious instance breaks out sometime, as we have had in our days: but otherwise, “The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God.” The heart is the seat of atheism. But we consider the ways whereby this atheism may and doth manifest itself:—
(1.) By horrid, cursed, blasphemous swearing; which is a contempt of the name of God. And when did it ever more abound in this nation?
(2.) By reproaching of the Spirit of God. Perhaps this is the peculiar sin of the nation at this day; and that the like hath not been known or heard of in any nation under the sun.
(3.) By scoffing at all holy things; — at the Scriptures, — at every thing that carries a reverence and fear of God; so that a man who dares profess a fear of God in what he doth, makes himself a scorn.
(4.) Contempt of all God’s providential warnings is another proof of atheism. Never had a nation more warnings from God’s providence, nor ever were they more despised. These things, brethren, are not done in a corner; they are perpetrated in the face of the sun. The steam of them darkens the whole heaven, and they abound more and more every day.
Secondly. Shall we go to the other head, — namely, Immorality, — and see how it is there? It would be an endless thing, to go over the sins that reign among us: oppression, blood, uncleanness, sensuality, drunkenness, — all to the height, raging and reigning in the nation. I mention these things as a matter to be bewailed before the Lord by us this day; and we ought to be affected with the consideration of them.
Unto this great prevalency and predominancy of sin in the
whole
These things are matter of fact. The whole question is, Whether we are greatly to be concerned in these things or not? “They are the sins of wicked men, and they are the sins of the persecutors of God’s people, and the like; and what have we to do with them?”
The psalmist of old said, that “rivers of waters ran down
his eyes, because men did not keep the law of God.” And you know that God
doth set a special mark upon those, not that are free from the abominations
of the age, but upon those that mourn for the abominations that are in the
midst of us. It will not be enough for us, that we are free from those
abominations, unless we are found to mourn for them. Brethren, our own
hearts know we are guilty in this matter, and that we had need seek the
face of God this day to give us a deeper sense of these things than we have
obtained. The name of God is blasphemed, the Spirit of God reproached, a
flood of iniquity spreads itself over the nation, the land of our nativity,
over the inheritance of Christ, over a nation professing the reformed
religion; — all things go backward, — every thing declines. Indeed,
brethren, if you will not, I do acknowledge here before you, and to my own
shame, I have great guilt upon me in this matter, that I have not been
sensible of the abominations of the nation, so as to mourn for them and be
humbled for them, as I ought to have been. And you will do well to search
your hearts, and consider how it is with you; — whether indeed you have
been affected with these things; or whether you have not thought all is
well, while all hath been well with yourselves and families, and, it may
be, with the church, that may have no trouble upon that account. The
security that is upon the nation is dismal; and, I may
We may do well, brethren, to consider the state of the
church of God in the world, among ourselves, and our own condition. I need
not tell you how it is in the world; but this I can say, that to my
apprehensions, the interest of Christ and the gospel was never so fast
going down in the world since it came into it, as at this day. I will give
you my reason of what I say: When the gospel was first planted and brought
into the world, the devil was not able to bring the church into its
apostasy, under six, or seven, or eight hundred years, and that by degrees.
Since the time of the Reformation, the church was progressive for about
seventy years; it stood at a stay about the same proportion of time; and
ever since, it hath been going backward, straitened in all places: the
power of it decays, and the peace of it is taken away, and destruction
everywhere seems to lie at the door. Many, indeed, are in great misery and
distress: some I have heard of lately sold for slaves, No date is assigned to
this discourse. It was about the time, however, in which these discourses
seem to have been delivered, that many of the Scottish Covenanters were
banished. They were crowded into vessels bound for the West Indies or
North America; and, after enduring fearful sufferings on the passage, were
sold, when they reached Jamaica or Carolina, to work as slaves on the
plantations. By refinement of cruelty, it was provided that this
punishment should be reserved for “such rebels as were penitent”! From the
language of
Then, brethren, let us remember our own church; that God would in an especial manner revive the spirit of life, power, and holiness among us; that he would be pleased to help the officers of the church to discharge their duty, and not suffer them to fall under any decay of grace or gifts, unfitting of them to the discharge of their office to the edification of the church; that he would give them also to beware and take heed of formality as to the exercise of gifts in their administration; and that he would take care of us, since we are apt to fall under these things. Let us pray that we may be acted by the Spirit of God, and enlivened by the grace of God, in all things we do.
Have any of us any particular occasions in reference to temptations, trials, and troubles? — we may bear it upon our hearts to the Lord this day. This is much better than by multiplying a company of formal bills. The Lord help us to know the plague of our own hearts, and to be enabled to plead with the Lord, upon this opportunity, for grace and mercy to help us in every time of need!
Delivered March 24, 1675–6.
Question. How may we recover from a decay of the principle of grace?
Answer. We have been speaking concerning the decay of the principle of grace; and I will now offer you some few thoughts that may be applied unto our recovery from the decay of this principle. In doing which, I shall tell you no more than I think I have found myself.
If we would recover spiritual life, we must come as near as
we can unto, and abide as much as we are able at, the well-head of life.
Before I mention how we should approach unto and lie at this well-head of life, let me observe to you this one thing, — that when there is a general contagious disease (the plague, or the like), every man will look to his health and safety with reference to other occasions, but will be most careful in regard to the general contagion. Now, if forsaking this spring of life be the plague of the age, and the plague of the place where we live, and the plague of Christians, we ought to be very careful lest this general contagion should reach us, more or less, one way or other. It is evident to me, — who have some advantage to consider things, as much as ordinary men, — that the apostasy, the cursed apostasy, that spreads itself over this nation, and whose fruits are in all ungodliness and uncleanness, consists in an apostasy from and forsaking the person of Christ. Some write of how little use the person of Christ is in religion; — none, but to declare the doctrine of the gospel to us. Consider the preaching and talk of men. You have much preaching and discourse about virtue and vice; so it was among the philosophers of old: but Jesus Christ is laid aside, quite as a thing forgotten; as if he was of no use, no consideration, in religion; as if men knew not at all how to make any use of him, as to living to God.
This being the general plague, as is evident, of the apostasy of the day wherein we live, if we are wise, we shall consider very carefully whether we ourselves are not influenced more or less with it; as where there is a general temptation, it doth more or less try all men, the best of believers, and prevail more or less upon their spirits. I am afraid we have not, some of us, that love for Christ, that delight in him, nor do make that constant abode with him, as we have done. We have very much lost out of our faith and our affections him who is the life and centre, the glory and the power, of all spiritual life, and of all we have to do with God, — Jesus Christ himself. I brought it in only to let us know, that if we would revive our spiritual life (and, believe it, if any of us are not concerned in our spiritual decays, these are sapless things, and will be heard with as much weariness as spoken), we are to abide more at the well-head of life. It is the direction of our Lord Jesus Christ, “Abide in me: unless ye abide in me, ye can bring forth no fruit. And every such branch shall be so and so purged.”
But you will say, “How shall we do so? how shall we abide, more than we have done, at this well-head of life?”
1. We are to abide at the well-head of life by a frequency
of the acts of faith upon the person of Christ. Faith is that grace, not
only
I could show you those excellent advantages that we should have by continually being near to Christ, who is the overflowing spring of grace, and from whence it will issue out to us, if we abide with him, be nigh to him, and keep up to this well-head.
2. Abide with him in love. Oh, the warm affections for Christ which some of you can witness concerning yourselves, — that your hearts have been filled withal towards Christ, when you have been under his call to believe on him! And it is a marvellous way of abiding with Christ, to abide with him by love; which is called “cleaving to God and Christ:” it is the affection of adhesion, and gives a sense of union.
“How, then, shall we get our hearts to abide with Christ by love?”
This is a subject that if I were to preach upon, how many things would presently offer themselves to us, from the excellency of his person, from the excellency of his love, from our necessity of him, the advantages and benefits we have by him, and his kindness towards us! All these things, and many more, would quickly present themselves unto us.
But I will name but one thing, and I name it the rather,
because I heard it mentioned in prayer since I came in: Labour to have your
hearts filled with a love to Jesus Christ, as there is in him made a
If we would abide at the well-head of life, we must abide in these things; and let love be excited to Christ under this especial consideration, — as he who represents the supreme object of your love, God himself, in all the glorious properties of his nature.
3. Add meditation hereunto; study Christ more, and all the things of Christ; delight more in the hearing and preaching of Christ. He is our best friend; let not the difficulties of the mystery of his person and grace deter you. There are wonderful things of the counsels of heaven, and of the glory of the holy God, in the person of Christ as the head of the church; if you would be found inquiring into them, an unsearchable treasure of divine wisdom, grace, and love is laid up in Christ: therefore meditate upon them more. Let me assure you this will prove the best expedient for the recovery of our spiritual life. And I will abide by this doctrine to eternity, that without it we shall never recover spiritual life to the glory of God in Christ.
4. And then, brethren, seeing we have, in the next place, felt decays in the midst of the performance of multiplied duties, labour to bring spirituality into your duties.
“What is that,” you will say, “and wherein doth it consist?”
It is the due exercise of every grace that is required to
the discharge of that duty. Let every such grace be in its due exercise,
and that is to be spiritual in duty. As, for instance, would a man be
spiritual in all his prayers? — let him, then, consider what grace and what
exercise of grace is required to this duty. A due fear and reverence of
the name of God; faith, love, and delight in him; an humble sense of his
own wants, earnest desires of supply, dependence upon God for guidance, and
the like; — we all know that these are the graces required to the discharge
of this duty of praying by the Holy Ghost. And let these graces be in a
due exercise, and then you are spiritual in this duty. Is the duty
charity, — giving a supply to the poor? There is to be a ready mind, a
compassionateness of heart,
I shall only farther give you this one caution, — have a
care that your head in notion and your tongue in talk do not too fast empty
your hearts of truth. We are apt to lay it up in our heads by notions, and
bring it forth in talk, and not let it be in our hearts; and this weakens
spiritual life greatly. Ye hear the word preached; and it is of great
concernment what account we shall give of the word that hath been preached
unto you: for we that preach must give an account of our preaching, and so
must you of what you hear; and many a good word is spoken, truly, and yet
we see but little fruit of it. And the reason of this is, that some, when
they hear it, take no farther regard of it, but “let it slip,” as the
apostle speaks,
These things we are diligently to attend unto, if we would recover our spiritual losses that we are complaining of, and that not without just cause.
Delivered April 7, 1676.
Question. It was queried by some, how we may make our application unto Christ; not in general, but under what notion and apprehension of the person of Christ?
Answer. Because some seem to apprehend there might be danger in terminating our worship upon the nature of Christ as a creature, I shall give you my thoughts and directions in it. And, —
First. You must observe we are to have no conceptions, in our acting of any duty, towards Christ or about him, but with respect unto his person as he is God and man in one person. It is not lawful for us to have any apprehensions of Christ, to make any application to him, as man only; nor is it lawful for us to have any apprehensions of him as God only: but all our apprehensions of Christ, and all our addresses unto him, must be as God and man in one person. So he is, and so he will be to all eternity. The union is inseparable and indissoluble; and for any man to make his application unto Christ either as God or as man, is to set up a false Christ. Christ is God and man in one person, and no other. So, in all our actings of faith upon him, and applications unto him, we ought to consider him as he was “the seed of David,” and as “God over all, blessed for ever,” in one person. This makes the great idolatry among the Papists; — in the image of Christ they represent the human nature of Christ separated from his Deity; for they can make no representation of one that is God and man in one person: hereby they become guilty of double idolatry, referring the mind unto one that is a man, and no more, — and doing it by means of an image.
Secondly. The person of Christ is the immediate and proper
object of all divine worship. The worship of Christ is commanded in the
first commandment. By worship, I intend faith, love, trust, subjection of
soul, invocation on the name of Christ, — every act of the soul and mind
whereby we ascribe infinite divine excellencies unto God; which is the
worship of the mind. See
Fourthly. This person of Christ, God-man, must not be so much as severed by any conception of the mind. For distinction, as God and man, he may be considered two ways; either absolutely in himself, or in the discharge of his mediatory office. And this double consideration produceth a double kind of worship to the person of Christ.
1. Consider Christ absolutely in his own person, as the Son
of God incarnate; and so he is the immediate and ultimate object of our
faith, prayer, and invocation. So that a man may lawfully, under the
guidance and conduct of the Spirit of God, direct his prayer immediately to
the person of Christ. You have the example of Stephen in his last prayer.
“Lord Jesus,” saith he, “receive my spirit.” These were the words of our
Lord Jesus Christ when he died, “Father, into thy hands I commend my
spirit.” And Stephen, when he died, committed his spirit into the hands of
Jesus Christ: “Lord Jesus,” (for that is the name of the Son of God
incarnate, “He shall be called Jesus, for he shall save his people from
their sins,”) “receive
2. Consider Christ in the discharge of his mediatory
office. And under that formal consideration, as discharging his mediatory
office, he is not the ultimate object of our faith and invocation; but we
call upon God, even the Father, in the name of Jesus Christ. “We through
Christ have believed in God,” saith Peter in one of his epistles. And it
implies a contradiction to have it otherwise: for the calling him Mediator,
showeth he is a means between God and us; and so it is contradictory to say
our faith is terminated on his mediatory office. This he calls asking the
Father in his name: “You shall ask the Father in my name;” that is,
expressly plead the intervention of the mediation of Christ. And so the
apostle tells us, in that grand rubric and directory of church worship,
All that I shall add hereunto is this:— Seeing there is in Scripture a double worship of Christ that is immediate (for his person is considered absolutely, and as mediator between God and man), which of these ought we principally to apply ourselves unto?
I answer plainly, —
(1.) Our direction for solemn worship in the church
generally respects Christ as mediator, in Scripture. The general worship
that is to be performed unto God in the assemblies of the saints, doth look
upon Christ as executing his mediatory office; and so our address is unto
the throne of grace by him. By him we enter into the holy place, — through
him and by him unto God. “I bow my knees unto (God) the Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ,”
(2.) In treating and dealing about our own souls, under the conduct of the Spirit of God, it is lawful and expedient for us in our prayers and supplications to make addresses to the person of Christ; as Stephen did.
Delivered April 19, 1676.
Question. How may we make our addresses to Christ for the exercise of grace; that is, that we may have grace strengthened, and be ready for all exercise? or, How may we make application to Christ, that we may receive grace from him to recover from decays?
Answer. I think the direction given by our Saviour himself is so plain, and doth so fall in with our experience, that we need not look much farther. Saith he, “Unless ye abide in me, ye cannot bear fruit.” The business we aim at is fruit-bearing; which consists as much in the internal, vigorous actings of grace, as in the performance of outward duties, — to be faithful in our minds and souls, as well as in our lives. “The way for that,” saith our Saviour, “is, ‘Abide in me.’ ” And unless we do so, he tells us plainly, do we whatever we will else, we “cannot bring forth fruit.” So that the whole of our fruitfulness depends upon our abiding in Christ. There cannot, then, be much more said unto this business, but to inquire a little what it is to abide in Christ.
Certainly, it is not a mere not going off from Christ; as we say, a man abides when he doth not go away. For I hope that, under all the decays we have complained of, and want of fruitfulness, yet we have not left Christ, and gone away from him. We have so far abode in him as the branch abideth in the root, from whence it hath its communication and supplies. Therefore there is something in particular included in this abiding in Christ, dwelling in Christ, and Christ dwelling in us.
And there seems to be this in it, — that to abide in Christ, is to be always nigh unto Christ, in the spiritual company of Christ, and in communication with Christ. It doth not lie in a naked, essential act of believing, whereby we are implanted into Christ, and will not go from him; but there is something of an especial, spiritual activity of soul in this abiding in Christ: it is abiding with him, and in his presence.
And as this abiding with Christ must be by some acts of our souls, let us consider what acts those are; which may give a little farther light into this matter. And, First, It must be, certainly, by some act of our minds. Secondly, By some act of our wills. Thirdly, By some act of our affections. And thus we abide with Christ; which is the way certainly to bring forth fruit.
Well, then, we abide with Christ in the acts of our mind, by immediate thoughtfulness and contemplation upon Christ in the night, and upon our beds, and in our walkings, and by the wayside, and in times we set apart for meditation. We are greatly to labour after an intuitive view of Christ; that is, a direct view in the contemplation of Christ.
Secondly. If you will abide with Christ, there must be an
acting of
This is your fruit-bearing, — a direct contemplation upon Christ; wherein I would beg that both you and my own soul might be found more to abound, while we are in this world (and you will find Christ, in the discharge of this duty, will make very near approaches and frequent visits to your hearts, — more in the discharge of this duty than of any other); and to have our hearts in a readiness to comply with every instance of obedience Christ requires at our hands.
Thirdly. There is an abiding with Christ in point of affection. There may be love and delight in all these things; if there be not, very spiritual contemplations will be a bar. There is no duty that is required of any man in this world so spiritual, so heavenly, so evangelical, but, through want of love and delight, a man may be slothful in performing of it. I may tie myself to do so this hour or that hour, and have no benefit to my own soul, nor give any glory unto God, if there be not love and delight in it. They will sweeten the duty, and refresh the heart of God and man, Christ and us. So labour, brethren, and pray greatly for it, that you may abide with Christ with delight, that you may find a sweetness and refreshment in it, and that every season of retiring unto Christ may bring a kind of spiritual joy and gladness to your hearts. Now you have a great opportunity, having shaken off the occasions of life and other concernments, to dwell with Christ; — now it is a good time.
Delivered March 22, 1676.
Question. When our own faith is weakened as to the hearing of our prayers — when we ourselves are hindered within ourselves from believing the answer of our prayers, have no ground to expect we should be heard, or no ground to believe we are heard — what are those things that greatly weaken our faith as to the answer of our prayers; that though we continue to pray, yet our faith is weakened as to the hearing of our prayers? and what are the grounds that weaken men’s faith in such a state?
Answer. If our hearts are not duly prepared to the consideration of the great and glorious properties, presence, and holiness of God, and duly affected with them in our preparation for prayer, it is certain we can have no faith for the hearing of our prayers.
It is also of great importance that we consider aright in what state the things we seek for are promised; — whether temporal things, that are left to God; or spiritual, that lie under a promise, and so we may press God immediately about them.
There are two things that are certainly great weakeners of our faith as to God’s hearing our prayers:—
First. The one is, that intermixture of self which is apt to creep into our prayers, in public especially, in the congregation and assemblies. Self-reputation in the exercise of gifts, or whatever it be, weakens our faith as to the expectation of God’s hearing our prayers.
Secondly. The other is, that we pray with earnestness and fervency, with noise and clamour of speech, but do not industriously pursue the things we pray for. Unless we watch and follow after these things, we shall not have ground of faith for the hearing of our prayers; — as, for instance, when the soul is burdened with a corruption, there is nothing we are more fervent in prayer unto God against; yet, when we have done this, we take no more care to get it mortified. Where is our faith that our prayers may be heard in this thing? We must pursue our prayers, or it will weaken our faith as to the hearing of them. We all pray; but do we believe that God will hear and answer our prayers?
I shall not speak unto the nature of that faith we exercise, or what assurance we may have of God’s hearing our prayers; but I will tell you plainly what hinders in us the answer of our prayers:—
1. We are not clear that our persons are accepted. God had
respect unto Abel and his offering, and not unto Cain and his offering.
2. Another thing is this, — pray while you will, you will not believe your prayers are answered if you indulge any private lust, or do not vigorously endeavour the mortification of it, according to what the Scripture and duty require. If any lust ariseth in the soul, and we do not immediately engage to mortify it, as God requires, it will break out, and weaken our faith in all our prayers. Therefore, if you will be helped to believe the answer of your prayers, labour to search your hearts. Do not think that no corruption is indulged but such as break out into open sin. It may be you do not know the corruption you indulge; labour, therefore, to find it out, and you will find how your faith is weakened thereby.
3. Again; want of having treasured up former experiences of the hearing of prayer. We have not provided as we ought in this matter. If we had laid up manifold experiences of God’s having heard our prayers, it would strengthen our faith that God doth hear them. It may be some have prayed all their days; God hath kept their souls alive, that they have not wickedly departed from God, and they have obtained particular mercies; — why, such ought to keep a constant record of God’s hearing their prayers. Every discovery made of Christ that draws our souls more to love him, and engageth us to cleave unto him, is our experience of God’s hearing our prayers.
4. I might add, when we ourselves are not sensible that we arise unto that fervency of prayer that is required of them that believe. If we pray in the congregation, in our closets, or families, and when we have done, are not sensible that we have risen up unto that fervency that is required, we cannot believe our prayers are answered.
It is the duty of all men to pray unto the Lord; but it is
incumbent
Question. When may any one sin, lust, or corruption, be esteemed habitually prevalent?
Answer. I shall premise some few things before I come to answer the question:—
First. All lusts and corruptions whatsoever have their
root and residence in our nature, — the worst of them. For, saith the
apostle James,
Secondly. Another thing I would premise is this, — that
this root of sin abiding in us, as I have showed, will, upon its advantage,
work unto all sorts of evils; — which should give us a godly jealousy over
our souls, and over one another. Saith the apostle,
Thirdly. If it be so, that sin doth thus always abide in
us, and will upon occasions work to all its fruit, to all manner of
concupiscence, then the mortification of sin is a continual duty, that we
ought to be exercised in all our days.
Fourthly. The fourth thing I would premise is this, — that a particular sin doth not obtain a signal prevalency without it hath some signal advantage; for our corrupt nature is universally and equally corrupt; but a particular sin obtains prevalency by particular advantages.
It would be too long to speak of all those advantages. I shall name two, whereunto others may be reduced:—
1. The inclination of constitution gives particular
advantages unto particular sins. Some may be very much inclined to envy;
some to wrath and passion; and others to sensual sins, — gluttony,
drunkenness, uncleanness, — to name the things which our Saviour names, and
warns us of. It is with respect hereunto that David said he
2. Outward occasions; and I refer them unto two heads:—
(1.) To education. Particular sins get advantage by education. If we do even in education instruct our children to pride, by their fineries and deportment to themselves, — if we teach them to be proud, we heap dry fuel upon them, till such time as lust will flame. Let us take heed of this. It is an easy thing to bring forth a proud generation by such means.
(2.) Society in the world, according to occasion of life, is that which inflames particular corruptions. According as men delight in their converse, so corruption will be provoked and heightened by it.
I have spoke all these things previously, to show you where lies the nature and principle of the danger we are going to inquire into, and how it comes to that condition.
Now, I shall inquire a little into the question itself, — how we may know whether a particular corruption be habitually predominant or no?
Brethren, I take it for granted the vilest of those lusts which our Saviour and his apostles warn us against, to mortify and crucify, may be working in the hearts and minds of the best of us; and that a particular lust may be habitually prevalent, where, for particular reasons, it never brings forth outward effects: therefore, look to yourselves. I say, then, when the mind and soul is frequently and greatly, as there are occasions, urged upon and pressed with a particular lust and corruption, this doth not prove that particular lust and corruption to be habitually prevalent; for it may be a temptation. This may all proceed from the conjunction of temptation with indwelling sin; which will make it fight and war, and use force, and lead captive.
I answer, —
I. It is not from the prevalency of corruption these three ways:—
1. If the soul be more grieved with it than defiled by it, it is a temptation, and not a lust habitually prevalent. In this case, when a heart is so solicited with any sin, sin and grace are both at work, and have their contrary aims. The aim of grace is to humble the soul; and the aim of sin, to defile it. And the soul is so far defiled as, by the deceitfulness and solicitations of sin, consent is obtained. Defilement ariseth not from temptation as active upon the mind, but from temptation as admitted with consent: so far as it consents, whether by surprisal or long solicitations, so far it is defiled. It is otherwise if the soul be more grieved with it than defiled by it.
2. It is so, when the soul can truly, and doth, look upon that particular corruption as its greatest and most mortal enemy. “It is not soldiers who have ruined my estate, nor a disease that hath taken away my health, nor enemies who have ruined my name or opposed me; but this corruption, which is my great and mortal enemy.” When the soul is truly under this apprehension, then it is to be hoped it is the power of temptation, and not the prevalency of lust or corruption.
3. It is so, also, when a man maintains his warfare and his conflict with it constantly, especially in those two great duties of private prayer and meditation; which if once the soul be beat off from, it is driven out of the field, and sin is conqueror. But so long as a man maintains the conflict in the exercise of grace in those duties, I look upon it as a temptation, and not an habitual, prevalent lust.
II. I shall now proceed to show when a corruption is habitually prevalent.
And here is a large field before me, but I shall only speak some few things:—
1. When a man doth choose, or willingly embrace, known occasions of his sin, that sin is habitually prevalent. There is no man that hath the common understanding of a Christian, and hath any corruption or lust working in him, but he knows what are the occasions that provoke it. No man, unless he is profligately wicked, can choose sin for sin’s sake; but he who knows what are the occasions that stir up, excite, and draw forth, any particular corruption, and doth choose them, or willingly embrace them, there is the habitual prevalency of sin to a high degree in the mind of that man, whosoever he be: for sin is to be rejected in the occasion of it, or it will never be refused in the power of it.
3. When a man, upon conviction, is turned out of his course, but is not turned aside from his design, — when he traverseth his way like the wild ass, “In her occasion who shall turn her aside?” — if you meet her, or pursue her, you may turn her out of her way; but still she pursues her design. Men meet with strong convictions of sin, strong rebukes and reproofs; this a little puts them out of their way, but not from their design or inclination; the bent of their spirit lies that way still; and the secret language of their heart is, “that it were free with me to be as in former days!” Certainly a corruption is habitually prevalent, if it seldom or never fails to act itself under opportunities and temptations. If a man who trades cheats every time he is able to do so, he hath covetousness in his heart; or if a man whenever opportunity and occasion meet together to drink, doth it to excess, — this is a sign of an habitual corruption, if he be not able to hold out scarce at any time against a concurrence of temptation and opportunity.
4. When the soul, if it will examine itself, will find it is gone from under the conduct of renewing grace, and is, at the best, but under the evidence [influence?] of restraining grace. Believers are under the conduct of renewing grace; and I grant that sometimes, when, under the power of corruption and temptation, even they have broken the rule of renewing grace, God will keep them in order by restraining grace, — by fear of danger, shame, and infamy, — by outward considerations set home upon the mind by the Spirit of God, which keeps them off from sin: but this is but sometimes. But, if a man finds his heart wholly got from under the rule of renewing grace, and that he hath no leading or conduct but restraining grace, his sin hath got the perfect victory over him; that is, he would sin on to the end of his life, were it not for fear of shame, danger, death, and hell; he is no longer acted by renewing grace, which is faith and love, — faith working by love. A man who hath a spiritual understanding may examine himself, and find under what conduct he is.
5. Lastly, when there is a predominant will in sinning, then lust is habitually prevalent. Sin may entangle the mind and disorder the affections, and yet not be prevalent; but when it hath laid hold upon the will, it hath the mastery.
Delivered April 19, 1677.
Question. Whether lust or corruption, habitually prevalent, be consistent with the truth of grace?
Answer. This is a hard question; there are difficulties in it, and, it may be, it is not precisely to be determined. I am sure we should be wonderfully careful what we say upon such a question, which determines the present and eternal condition of the souls of men.
Supposing we retain something of what was spoken in stating a lust or corruption so habitually prevalent, because this is the foundation of our present inquiry, I shall bring what I have to say upon this question to a few heads, that they may be remembered.
I say, then, —
First. It is the duty of every believer to take care that
this may never be his own case practically. We shall meet with straits
enough, and fears enough, and doubts enough about our eternal condition,
though we have no lust nor corruption habitually prevalent; therefore, I
say, it is the duty of every believer to take care this may never be his
case. David did so,
Secondly. The second thing I would observe is this, —
whatever may be said concerning its consistency with grace, it is certainly
consistent with peace. I wish we could remember what description was given
before of this prevalent corruption, that we might consider the things now
applied unto it. Here (though I would be as tender as of the apple of mine
eye in these things) I will not fear to say this, that the peace which any
one hath concurring with a prevalent corruption, is security, not peace. I
know men may be at great peace
Thirdly. The third thing I would say is this, — that if a prevalent corruption be not inconsistent with the truth of grace, it is certainly inconsistent with the true exercise of grace. It is not, indeed, inconsistent with the performance of duties; but it is inconsistent with the true exercise of grace in the performance of duties. It is often seen and known, that persons under prevalent corruption will multiply duties, thereby to quiet conscience, and to compensate God for what they have done amiss. Persons may multiply prayers, follow preaching, and attend to other duties, when they use all these things, through the deceitfulness of sin, but as a cloak unto some prevailing corruption; but in all those duties there is no true exercise of grace.
The true determination of this question depends upon a
right exposition of
Fourthly. I shall grant this, that spiritual life may be
in a swoon, when the spiritual man is not dead. There is a kind of deliquium of the spirits, called
swooning away, that may befall believers, which suspends all acts of life,
when yet the man is not dead. So I say, though I should see a man, through
the prevalency of corruption, have all the evidences of a spiritual life
cast into a swoon, yet I will not presently conclude the spiritual man is
dead. Take the case of David, from the time of his great fall and
transgression in the matter of Uriah until the coming of Nathan the
prophet. Persons are generally inclined to believe that the spiritual life
was in a swoon, when the spiritual man was not dead. His fall, as an
honest man said, beat the breath out of his body, and he lay a long time
like a man dead, by reason of that power, which one signal sin left in his
soul. And take that as a great instance that one sin, not immediately
taken off by great humiliation, leaves great and even habitual inclinations
in the soul to the same sin. So that some ascribed it unto the corruption
of our nature. For it is a great and difficult question in divinity, how
one particular sin, as the sin of Adam was, should bring in habitual
corruption to our nature. To which some answer thus: That any one single
moral act, performed with a high hand, hath great obliquity in it,
disposing our whole nature to corruption. David, by that single act of
flagrant wickedness, did continue in it for so long a space of time, till
Nathan came and administered some good spirits to him, that relieved him
out of his swoon. Wherefore I say that I will not judge a person to be
spiritually dead, whom I have judged formerly to have had spiritual life,
though I see him at present in a swoon as to all evidences of the spiritual
life. And the reason why I will not judge so is this, — because if you
judge a person
Fifthly. There is a prevalency of sin that is inconsistent
with true grace, which may befall those who have been professors. So the
apostle doth plainly declare,
Sixthly. I shall add but one thing more, and that is this, — there may be a corruption, sin, or lust, habitually prevalent, as to whatsoever evidences the person in whom it is or others can discern; and yet the root of the matter, the root of spiritual life, be notwithstanding in the person.
Suppose, then, there be such a prevalency, that the soul judges to be habitual, how shall we know whether the root of the matter be in such a person or no?
If the soul hath any thing left of spiritual life, there will be something of vital operations in that soul. Now, the vital operations that give evidence the soul is not absolutely slain by prevalent corruption, are opposition and humiliation. So long as the soul, though it be never so much captivated, is conscious to itself of a sincerity in the opposition it makes, there is an evidence of a vital operation; as likewise where it is constant in its humiliation on that account.
But if it be farther inquired, how it may be known that this humiliation is sincere?
I answer, It cannot be known from its vigour and efficacy; for that overthrows the question. For if the opposition was vigorous and effectual, it would break the power of lust and corruption, so that it would be no more prevalent. But two ways it may be known.
1. By its constancy. If the root of the matter be still in us, there will be a constant opposition to every act of any prevailing corruption whatsoever. I do not speak about violent temptations, but ordinary cases; in which I know not whence we should conclude the root of the matter is in that man who doth not make a sincere opposition to every instance of the acting of prevalent corruption. If a man can pass over one and another instance of prevalent corruption without any humiliation for it, the holy, sovereign God show him grace and mercy! but it is to me “the way of a serpent upon a stone,” — I see it not, I know it not.
2. It is sincere, if it be from its proper spring; that is,
if the opposition be not from conviction, light, or conscience only, but
from
This is all I dare say upon this question, — that there may be an habitual prevalency of corruption, which may seem so to them in whom it is, as also to those who converse with them, and yet the root of the matter be in them. We may know the root of the matter by the acting of spiritual life, — in opposition going before, and humiliation coming after. We may know the sincerity of these vital actings by their constancy, and by their spring, — if we are constant in them, and if they arise from our wills.
Delivered May 4, 1677.
Question. What shall a person do who finds himself under the power of a prevailing corruption, sin, or temptation?
Answer. I shall premise only this one thing, and then inquire whether it belongs to us or no:—
This prevalency hath many degrees. It may be a prevalency to outward scandal, or to the utter loss of inward peace, or to the disquieting and divesting of us of that tranquillity of mind usually which Christ calleth us unto. Now, pray consider that I speak to it equally and in every degree. And perhaps there may be none of us but, at one time or other, after inquiry, will have had experience in one degree or other, either to disquietment, loss of peace, or scandal.
What shall such a person then do, who finds it so with him?
I answer, —
First. He should labour to affect his mind with the danger
of it. It is not conceivable how subtle sin is to shift off an
apprehension of the danger of it. “Notwithstanding this,” says the man,
“yet I hope I am in a state of grace, and shall be saved, and come to the
issue of it at one time or other;” and so the mind keeps off a due sense of
the danger of it. I beseech you, brethren and sisters, if this be your
condition, labour to affect your minds that this state, as far as I know,
will end in hell; and let not your minds be relieved from the apprehension
that, upon due and good grounds of faith, these
Secondly. When the person is affected with the danger of it, the next thing to be done is, to burden his conscience with the guilt of it. For the truth is, as our minds are, upon many pretences, slow to apprehend the danger of sin; so our consciences are very unwilling to take the weight of the burden of it as to its guilt. I speak not of men of seared consciences, that, lay what weight you will upon them, will feel none; but even of the consciences of renewed men, unless they use all the ways and means whereby conscience may be burdened, — as by apprehensions of the holiness of God, of the law, of the love of Christ, and of all those things whereby conscience must be made to feel the weight of its guilt. No sooner doth it begin to be made a little sick with a sense of the guilt of sin, but it takes a cordial presently. “Here this sin hath taken place, it hath contracted this and that guilt; I have been thus long negligent in this or that duty; I have thus long engaged in this and that folly, and been so given up unto the world: I must take to Christ by faith, or I am undone.” It is afraid of making its load. But let conscience bear the burden, and not easily shift it off, unless it can, by true faith, guided by the word, load it upon Christ; which is not a thing of course to be done.
Thirdly. “What shall we do in case we have this
apprehension of its danger, and can be thus burdened with its guilt?” Pray
for deliverance. “How?” you will say. There is in the Scriptures mention
of “roaring,” Βοηθέω, (Βοὴ, θέω), to run in answer to a cry for
help,
Fourthly. Treasure up every warning, and every word that
you are convinced was pointed against your particular corruption. There is
none of you who may have the power of particular corruptions, but God, at
one time or other, in his providence or word, gives particular warning,
that the soul may say, “This is for me, I must comply with it;” but “it is
like a man that sees his face in a glass, and goes away, and immediately
forgets what manner of man he was,” — there is an
Fifthly. I shall mind you of two rules, and so have done:—
1. In your perplexities as to the power of sin, exercise faith, that, notwithstanding all you see and find that you are almost lost and gone, there is a power in God, through Christ, for the subduing and conquering of it.
2. It is in vain for any to think to mortify a prevailing sin, who doth not at the same time endeavour to mortify all sin, and to be found in every duty. Here is a person troubled and perplexed with a temptation or corruption; both are the same in this case: he cries, “O that I were delivered! I had rather have deliverance than life! I will do my endeavour to watch against it.” But it may be this person will not come up to a constancy in secret prayer; — he will go up and down, and wish himself free, but will not be brought up to such duties [as] wherein those lusts must be mortified. Therefore, take this rule along with you, — never hope to mortify any corruption whereby your hearts are grieved, unless you labour to mortify every corruption by which the Spirit of God is grieved; and be found in every duty, especially those under which grace thrives and flourishes.
Question. What is our duty with respect to dark and difficult dispensations of God’s providence in the world?
Answer. In answer unto this question, three things are to be considered:— First. What are, in a Scripture sense, those things that make a season of providence dark and difficult? Secondly. What are the open signs of the coming and passing of such a season over us? And, Thirdly. What are our special duties in reference to our entering into, and passing through, such a season?
First. What are those things that make a season of providence dark and difficult?
I find four things in Scripture that make a dark season of providence; and, if I mistake not, they are all upon us:—
1. The long-continued prosperity of wicked men. This you
are sensible is the most known case of all the Old Testament,
2. It is a difficult season of providence, when the church
is continued under persecution and distress in a time of prayer, when they
give themselves to prayer. The difficulty seems mentioned,
As the other difficulty is evidently upon us, so I hope we have this difficulty to conflict withal, that the anger of God continues to smoke against the prayers of his people, as having stirred up many a blessed cry to himself; for there is a time when he will hear and answer their prayers.
3. It is a dark and difficult dispensation of providence,
when the world and nations of the world are filled with confusion and
blood, and no just reason appearing why it should be so. When our Saviour
foretells a difficult season,
4. It adds greatly to the difficulty of a season, when we have no prospect whither things are tending, and what will be their issue.
There is none of these things but make a season difficult, and providence dark; but when all of them concur together, they cannot but greatly heighten it: and I think they are all upon us.
Secondly. What are the open signs of the coming and passing of such a season over us?
There are three tokens or outward evidences of a difficult season. It is so, —
1. When God’s patience is abused. You know that place,
2. It is so when God’s warnings are despised: “When thine
hand is lifted up, they will not see.” That is a difficult season; for,
saith God, “The fire of thine adversaries shall consume thee.” Never had
people more warnings than we have had; — warning in heaven above, and
warning on the earth beneath; warnings by lesser judgments, and warnings by
greater; and warnings by the word. God’s hand hath been lifted up; but who
takes notice of it? Some despise it, and others talk of it as a tale to be
told; and there is an end of it. Who sanctifies the name of God in all the
warnings that are given us?
3. An inclination in all sorts of people to security, and to take no notice of these things. I have spoken unto this business of security formerly, and I pray God warn you and myself of it; for I believe none of us are such strangers to our hearts, but we can say, that under all these warnings there is an inclination to security: if God did not prevent it, we should fall fast asleep under all the judgments that are round about us.
Any of these things shows that we are under a difficult dispensation of providence; but where all concur, — God be merciful to such a people! — it is the opening of the door to let out judgments to the uttermost.
Now if this be such a season, as I do verily believe we are all sensible it is, then, —
Thirdly, What shall we do? what are our special duties in reference to our entering into, and passing through, such a season?
I might speak unto the peculiar exercise of those graces which are required unto such a season; as faith, resignation to the will of God, readiness for his pleasure, waiting upon God, weanedness from the world, and the like; but I will only give you three or four duties, which are peculiarly hinted in such a season, and so have done:—
1. Our first duty is, that we should meet together, and
confer about these things,
That is the first thing, — to speak often one to another; — to sanctify the name of God by an humble, diligent inquiry into the causes of these dispensations, and preparation for these things.
2. The second duty in such a season is, for every one of us
privately to inquire of Jesus Christ, in prayer and supplication, “What
shall be the end of these things?” You have a great instance of it,
See this meaning
supported in
This is the second thing, — frequently confer about these things; and press Jesus Christ to give your souls satisfaction as to these dispensations And then, —
3. Another peculiar duty required in such a season is, to
mourn for the sins that are in the world. That is recommended to us,
4. The fourth and last peculiar duty which I shall mention is, to hide ourselves. And how shall we do that? The storm is coming; get an ark, as Noah did when the flood was coming upon the world: which is stated for a precedent of all judgments in future times. There are two things required to provide an ark, — fear and faith:—
(1.) Fear: “By faith Noah, being moved with fear, prepared
an ark.” If he had not been moved with the fear of God’s judgments, he
would never have provided an ark. It is a real complaint; we are not moved
enough with the fear of God’s judgments. We talk of [as] dreadful things
as can befall human nature, and expect them every day; but yet we are not
moved with fear. “Yet were they not afraid,” saith Jeremiah, “nor rent
their garments.” Nor do we do so. Habakkuk, upon the view of God’s
judgments, was in another frame,
(2.) We cannot well provide an ark for ourselves, unless we be guided by faith, as well as moved by fear. “By faith, Noah prepared an ark.” How many things there are to encourage faith, you have heard; — the name, the properties of God, and the accomplishment of the promise of God. By virtue of all those properties, encourage faith in providing an ark.
Delivered March 14, 1678.
I did at two meetings inquire among ourselves what was required in the time of approaching judgments and calamities, that the world hath been, and is like to be, filled withal? And God was pleased to guide us to the discovery of the necessary exercise of many graces, and the necessary attendance unto many duties, for that end and purpose. And we did design to spend our time this day to beg that God would give us those graces, and stir them up by his Spirit unto a due exercise; and that he would help us unto such a performance of those duties, that when the Lord Christ shall come, by any holy dispensation of his providence, we may be found of him in peace. That was the especial occasion of allotting the present time unto this duty; no ways excluding the reasons, occasions, and matter of prayer, which at other times we attend to for ourselves, the church, and the nation.
I would offer a few words that may stir us up unto this duty:—
The Scripture doth everywhere, upon all such occasions,
call expressly unto us for a special preparation, by the exercise of grace,
in reformation and holiness: “Judgment must begin at the house of God;” and
“what will be the end of them that obey not the gospel?” What, then, is
our duty? Why, saith he, “Seeing that
I could also reflect on those places where God expresseth
his great displeasure against such who did not labour for a peculiar
preparation upon approaching calamities.
Let us, therefore, beg for grace. Though God multiplieth warnings, makes appearances of mercy, and then writes death upon them, and entangles every thing in darkness, yet our work goes slowly on in preparation. Cry earnestly unto God for such supplies of his grace and Spirit that may effectually bring us unto him; that we may no longer abide in the frame wherein we are.
There are three things, and no more, that I know of (others may be named, but they may be reduced unto these three heads), that are required of us in reference unto approaching judgments; and there is not one of them through which we can pass, or which we can perform in a due manner, comfortably unto ourselves, and unto the glory of God, without we have some singular and eminent preparation for it. And they are these:— First. That we ourselves stand in the gap, to turn away the threatened judgments. Secondly. That we may be fit for deliverance, if it please the Lord graciously to give it unto us. Saith Christ, speaking of great calamities, “Lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” Thirdly. That we may cheerfully and comfortably go through the calamities, if they shall overtake us.
First. Who dares among us to propose himself to stand in the gap, to divert judgments from the nation, otherwise than in a formal manner, who is not prepared by these things we have spoken of, and hath not some good and comfortable persuasion of his own personal interest in Christ, and hath not freed himself from those sins that have procured these judgments, and who lives not in a resignation of himself unto the will of God? who dares to do this? We shall provoke God, if we think to stand in the gap, and turn away judgments from the nation, when we see ourselves are concerned in procuring those judgments.
Secondly. We cannot be meet for deliverance, unless we are thus prepared. I have heard a notion preached and spoken upon other occasions, — which I confess I never liked, and the more I consider it, the more I dislike it; and that is, that God, in the deliverance of his people, works for his own name’s sake, that he may have all the glory, — that it shall be seen merely to be of grace: and therefore he will oftentimes deliver his people, when they are in an unreformed and unreforming condition, that he may shame them and humble them by his mercy and grace afterward. I know no rule of Scripture upon which this notion may be grounded, nor one instance or example whereby it may be made out.
Here lies the truth of it, — when there are two things
concurring in the deliverance of the church, God will deliver them,
notwithstanding all their sins and unworthiness, without any previous
humiliation in themselves:— first, When God hath fixed and limited a
certain season in his word and promise for their deliverance; and,
secondly, When, antecedent unto their deliverance, they want means for
humiliation. God delivered the children of Israel out of Egypt when they
were in a very bad condition, — an ignorant, stubborn, faithless
generation; but both these things were concurring:— God was engaged, in
point of his promise, that, at the end of four hundred and thirty years, he
would visit and deliver them; and they were deprived of all ordinances of
worship in Egypt: not a sacrifice could they offer while they were there;
not a Sabbath, I believe, though it is not expressed in Scripture, could
they observe; — the way of worship and knowledge of God was taken from
them. So, when God delivered the children of Israel out of Babylon, they
were in no very good condition; but God was engaged in point of promise as
to that time,
Thirdly. The third thing that may lie before us is, how we may cheerfully go through the calamities which may overtake us. I will say no more unto that, because it is that which we did expressly insist upon in our former discourse. As to the best of us, who have been long in the ways of God, woeful will be our surprisal when the days of calamity come, if we have lived in negligence of complying with the calls and warnings of God that we have had, to bring ourselves unto a more even and better frame. We shall find our strength to fail us, and have our comforts to seek, and be left to inward darkness when outward darkness increaseth, and not know whither to cause our sorrows to go.
These things, brethren, I thought fit to mention unto you, that, if it be the will of God, they may be of use to take us off from those false hopes and false expectations which we are wonderfully ready to feed ourselves withal in such a day as this is wherein we live. It is high time for us to be calling upon God for this end.
The prophet
Daniel tells us, when he understood by books — namely, the writings of the
prophet Jeremiah — that the time wherein
Truly, brethren, we do not know by any Scripture revelation, as he did, that the time is come wherein the long contest and conflict between Babylon and the church will have its issue; but it looks like it in the book of providence, and so like it, that it is a plain duty we should give ourselves unto prayer and supplication, that it do not issue in shame and confusion of face; which belongeth unto us by reason of our sins. It is that contest which is now under consideration, and which seems to be coming to its issue, and all men are in expectation of it. It is the greatest, save one, that ever was; for the greatest contest that ever was in this world was between the person and the gospel of Christ on the one hand, and the devil and the pagan world on the other; and the next to that is the contest between Christ — in his offices and grace, in his gospel and worship — and Antichrist. And it is at this day upon its trial, in as signal an instance as ever it received. The question is, as to us and our posterity, Whether Christ or Antichrist? whether the worship of God or of idols? whether the effusion, and waiting for the effusion, of the Spirit of God in his worship, or all manner of superstitious impositions? This is the present contest; and, it may be, under heaven there never was a more signal instance of the issue of this contest than will be in these nations in these days; I do not say presently or speedily; but this, you all know, is our state.
I mention it only to let you know that there is more than
an ordinary earnestness and fervency of spirit and wrestling with God
required of us at this day for the cause of Zion, the interest of Christ,
and defeating of his adversaries. What way God will work we know not. If
he be at work, he hath said, that when a flood was cast out of the mouth of
the dragon, to swallow up the woman everywhere (and we have had a flood
cast out of the mouth of the dragon to swallow up the whole interest of
Christ in this nation), the earth lifted up herself and helped the woman,
and turned aside the flood. Good old Eli’s heart trembled for the ark of
God. The interest of
I have mentioned these things only for this end, — that if God will, our hearts may be a little warmed, upon all occasions, in this great contest and conflict between Christ and Antichrist, to come in with our prayers to the help of the Lord, and of the ark of the Lord, — that we may see a blessed issue of this trial, and not be covered with that shame and confusion of face which belong unto us.
Delivered February 15, 1680.
This meeting is for conference, and I would ask you a few questions:—
First. Whether do you think there are extraordinary calls and warnings of God towards this nation at this time?
Secondly. If there be, what is the voice of these calls?
Thirdly. Whether any sort of men, believers, or churches,
are exempted from attending unto and complying with these calls of God?
For there lies a reserve in our hearts. The nation is very wicked (I shall
not repeat the sins of the nation), the warning is general to the nation,
the body of the people, and God testifies his displeasure against them.
Now, the inquiry is, Whether there be any rule that we, who profess
ourselves believers, and a church, should count ourselves exempted from a
particular compliance with these extraordinary calls of God, — that they
are for others, and not for us? “If the scourge slay suddenly, he will
laugh at the trial of the innocent,”
Fourthly. What have we done hitherto in order to it, that
may evidence itself to be an answer to, a compliance with, these calls of
God, which we have owned here before the Lord? We have been speaking of
it, and it becomes me to judge that we have had good and sincere desires
after it. And neither the church, nor any one in the church, shall have
any reflections from me beyond evidence. It becomes me to judge that we
have had in ourselves good intentions, and sincere endeavours after it,
though they have been, it may be, no way suitable or proportionable to the
present occasion; and therefore
I hope we may in due time go on to consider all the ways and instances whereby we may reform and return unto God; but in the meantime I offer this to you, — that unless the foundation of it be laid in a deep and broken sense of our past miscarriages and present frames, and I can see in the church some actings of a renewed spirit with vigour and earnestness to pursue our recovery and return to God, I shall much despond in this thing. But let us be persuaded that we are to lay this foundation (I desire we may agree upon this), that it is our duty to get a deep sense upon our hearts, as the first thing God aims at in his calls, of our past miscarriages, and of our present dead, wretched frame; in comparison of that vigour, liveliness, and activity of grace that ought to be found in us. Ought we not to lay the foundation here? If so, then we ought to apply ourselves unto it. It may be, though it be so with some, that they have such a lively, vigorous acting of faith in a deep and humble sense of their past miscarriages, yet it is not so with others; and we are looking for the edification of the whole. And therefore, brethren, do we judge it our present duty to labour to affect our hearts deeply with a sense of our present unanswerable frame unto the mind of God and Christ, and of our past miscarriages.
If it be so, let us every day pray that God would keep this
thing
I know one great means for the beginning and carrying on of this work, is by earnest crying unto God, — by prayers and supplications, and humiliations. I am loath to issue it there; I have seen so many days of humiliation without reformation, that I dare not issue it there: we shall make use of them as God shall help us. I desire the church would do so, if they find in themselves a sense of duty, and a heart crying to God in sincerity and truth. I have now been very long, though very unprofitable, in the ministration of the word; and I have observed the beginning of churches, and wish I do not see the end of them in this their confidence of mere profession, and the observation of these duties of humiliation. God knows, I have thought often of this thing; and I say I dare not issue it there. Let us have as many as we have hearts for, and no more; and as many as shall end with reformation, but no more. But let us all begin among ourselves; and who knows but that God may give wisdom to this church? I am ready to faint, and give over, and to beg of the church they would think of some other person to conduct them in my room, without these disadvantages. The last day will discover I have nothing but a heart to lead you in the ways of God, — to the enjoyment of God.
Job
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Proverbs
Ecclesiastes
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Jeremiah
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Ezekiel
Daniel
Joel
Micah
Habakkuk
Malachi
Matthew
Mark
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John
Romans
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Colossians
1 Timothy
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James
1 John
Revelation