all are not, so they be added, and not sought for: as our Saviour distinguisheth, "First, seek the kingdom of God, and these things shall be added."* But if you seek them, which is to love them for themselves, and above the kingdom of God, it is like a man that carries a piece of timber at breadth upon his back; there is no room for a man to get in with such an impediment upon his shoulders. It is not the gate that excludes him, but he thrusts himself out with his own improvidence. 66 Thirdly; there are thousands of scandals, millions of errors, to be avoided, but truth and holiness are in the middle, in a little compass; and happy is he that shuns extremes, and falls perpendicularly upon the golden mean. The commandments of God are but "ten words;"† the inventions of men, and the forms of will-worship are innumerous. "Pray, fast, give alms;" Christ comprehends much external duty under those three heads, but the traditions of men are more than can be put in a catalogue. Call upon God in the time of trouble;" that, and no more, is the pole-star of faith in prayer; but what a compass doth monkishness take in, to drop beads in the invocation of angels and saints! Profaneness neglects the honour of God: superstition falls into needless excesses about it: the true fear of God is in the centre, as far from the one extreme as from the other. As in an accurate song, you must keep minim time, or else you will put the whole choir out; so look that you sing the new song of the Lord with trembling and accurate observation, miss neither cliff nor note, that is, neither sound doctrine, nor pious practice. These are the reasons why it is so hard to get access to Christ in a narrow way, and through a strait gate. If these difficulties be not discerned by some, it is because they take up Christianity as it is in use * Matt. vi. 33. + Deut. iv. 13. amongst men, and as they are born to it. But they that came to it in their years of understanding, and were trained up in church discipline many years before they were baptized, and all that time were put to exact trial what they would prove, and were taught it over and over, how the laws of Christ were far stricter than any other laws in the world;- these were pre-acquainted with the covenant which they must perform, and then received it, with the largest and hardest conditions. Yet they were brought on with two special comforts: first, that God did behold from heaven the mightiness of the task, which we took upon us, the troubles of persecutions, the dangers of temptations, the infirmities of man to resist them. "He knows whereof we are made, he remembereth we are but dust:" it puts him to admire the performances of his saints, as Jesus marvelled at the centurion's faith.* Secondly, when we are under our hazards, we shall have an answer from the Lord, as St. Paul had, "My grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in weakness."+ Therefore, as the Lord said of David, when he had chosen him, "I have laid help upon one that is mighty" so we, casting ourselves upon the help of God, upon one that is almighty, though of ourselves we have gathered little into our omer, the blessing of God upon it will not let us lack. "Every hard matter that rose among the people was brought to Moses."§ So in every hard cause, desire the Lord to plead it, and to judge it; bring it to him, leave it in his court, and he will end it. These are the cordials to revive hope, touching the difficulties it finds, in the way to obtain that good which is set before it. CHAPTER III. HOW A CHRISTIAN'S COMFORTS FLOW FROM THE INHABITATION AND TESTIMONY OF THE HOLY GHOST; AS ALSO FROM THE SANCTIFICATION OF THE SPIRIT UNTO ALL OBEDIENCE, AND THE FRUITS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. I HAVE insisted with so much length and variety upon Hope, because it is the largest inlet of Christian consolation. Yet, in the third place, that which carries it on, nay, that which causeth it, is the Holy Ghost. As the air is the medium through which the eye doth see all things, yet it is the light that shines in it that makes all things visible: so hope is the principal means, enlivened by faith, through which we rejoice with joy unspeakable, and full of glory; yet it is the Spirit inhabiting, that kindles it, that enlightens it, which makes it affect its object, and cleave unto it. Our Saviour left the world, and ascended into heaven, for many reasons; one was, 'to give gifts unto men,' which gifts, though very many, are all united in their fountain, the Holy Ghost. Of which legacy, Christ gave warning before his death. "I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever. The world knows him not, because it sees him not but ye know him, for he shall dwell with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless, I will come to you."* "If I go not John xiv. 16-18. away, the Comforter will not come unto you: but if I depart, I will send him unto you.' This Comforter, the everlasting Spirit, to speak after the phrase of men, is the proxy of Christ, his representative in our hearts. And so it was fulfilled: for when the Spirit descended in great abundance upon the church, St. Peter says, "This is that which is come to pass." "Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance." And for the evidence of it, it is said, "The churches were edified, walking in the fear of God, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost."‡ Which text begets this note, that Christian solace consists in two things, which we may call the root and the fruit. The root is the Holy Ghost taking up his tabernacle in us, so that " our body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in us."§ To walk by it in the fear of God is the fruit of sanctification in all manner of obedience. 1. Unto the former, the in-dwelling of the Spirit, let this be premised. When we speak of any one dwelling in safety, the great question is, Who keeps the house? When David fled from Jerusalem for fear of Absalom, there was no likelihood that his palace would hold out, for "he left ten women, that were concubines, to keep the house."|| So if we leave our concubines, our lusts and carnal desires, to keep our conscience, they will betray us to Satan to get the possession. "But who can take the city, if the Lord keep it?" How impregnable are we, if he dwell in us, and we in him, "because he hath given us of his Spirit."** All that one can say unto this, who is doubtful in faith, will be, 'Show me that the Father of mercies • John xvi. 7. § 1 Cor. vi. 19. + Acts ii. 16 & 28. + Acts ix. 31. Psalm cxxvii. 1. and the God of all comfort is entered into me, and it sufficeth.' I answer, I cannot show, that is, demonstrate it to another, that this eternal life is in him; but I can persuade an apt scholar to stir up the grace which is in him, that he may show it to himself. I say, he may do it, if he give his mind to it. Else, St. Paul made a question to no purpose, "Know ye not that ye are the temples of the Holy Ghost, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you ?”* I deny not but the devil hath a way to fetch it about, to make you misknow, and take no heed of that you do perceive, if he did not stagger you with delusions. This is the first lesson that he reads out of his morals, 'That distrust is a high point of wisdom; and be not over-reached with opinion: you are sure of that you see, and of no more.' But to meet with this fallacy: Is nothing certain, or at least so certain as that which may be seen? Why, the wind will blow away this objection, the air will confute it. What can you make up so close, that the air and the wind will not get into it? Yet you see it not, you know not whence it comes, it is an invisible messenger: "So is every one that is born of the Spirit." Breath is an imperceptible expiration; therefore, Christ breathed on his apostles, and said, "Receive ye the Holy Ghost." Some gales of western winds, in the spring, make the earth glad with their gentle blast, and open the buds and flowers so there is a breath of omnipotent virtue, which fans the heart that was hot in sin, with its coolness; which carries away the caterpillars that eat up the tender leaf of our first greenness; which widens our blossoms, to make their expectation show itself openly; which perfumes the evil scents of scandals that annoy us, as it is express to that intent in 1 Cor. iii. 16. + John iii. 8. # John xx. 22. |