Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

proposed to those in your condition. And know assuredly, that upon your compliance or non-compliance with them, depends your everlasting blessedness or

Wo.

Consider both call and promise in that word of God's grace: "Go and proclaim these words towards the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the Lord, and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful saith the Lord, and I will not keep anger for ever." Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the Lord thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green. tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the Lord. Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord; for I am married to you: and I will take you, one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion." Add thereunto this blessed promise: "I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely: for mine anger is turned away from them." If you design to live, and not die, it must be by yielding obedience to this call, and pleading this promise before God, mixing it with faith. Your return must be by the word: "I have seen his ways, and will heal him: I will lead him also, and restore comforts unto him, and to his mourners. I create the fruit of the lips. Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near, saith the Lord; and I will heal him." Here lies your great encouragement and direction; herein lies your only relief. As you value your souls, defer not the duty you are called to one moment. You know not how soon you may be without the reach of calls and promises. And he that can hear them without stirring up himself in sincerity to comply with them, hath made already great progress towards that state.

Thirdly, As to those who, on these and the like considerations, do not only desire, but will endeavour also to retrieve themselves from this condition, I shall give no advice at present but this, "Be in good earnest. As the prophet speaks in another case, if you will return, return and come, make thorough work of

it. You must do so at one time or another, or you will perish. Why not now? Why is not this the best season? Who knows but it may be the only time you will have for it? It were easy to multiply all sorts of arguments unto this purpose. Trifling endeavours, occasional resolutions and attempts, like the early cloud, and morning dew, shifting with warnings and convictions, by renewed duties, until their impressions are worn out, will ruin your souls. Unless there be universal diligence and permanency in your endeavours, you are undone. "Then shall you know the Lord, if you follow on to know him."

But now to return.-These things, I say, through our sloth, negligence, and sin may befall us, as to our spiritually renewed affections. Their progress in conformity to spiritual and heavenly things, may be slow, imperceptible, yea, totally obstructed, for a season; and not only so, but they may fall under decays, and the soul therein be guilty of backsliding from God. But this is that which they are capacitated for by their renovation. This is that whereby the grace with which they are renewed doth lead to; this is that which, in the diligent use of means, they will grow up to, whereon our comfort and peace depend; namely, a holy assimilation to those spiritual and heavenly things on which they are set and fixed, wherein they are renewed, and made more spiritual and heavenly every day.

CHAPTER XVIII.

The state of spiritual affections-1. In their Pattern. 2. In their Rule. 3. In their Measure.

It remains only, as to this head now spoken to, that we briefly consider what is the state of spiritual affections thus daily exercised and improved. And this we shall do by showing,

I. What is their pattern.

II. What is their rule.

III. What is their measure, or whereunto they may attain.

First, The pattern which we ought continually to keep in our eye, to which our affections ought to be conformed, is Jesus Christ, and the affections of his holy soul. The mind is the seat of all our affections; and this is what we ought continually to design and endeavour, namely, that "the same mind be in us that was in Christ Jesus." To have our minds so affected with spiritual things, as was the mind of Christ, is the principal part of our duty and grace. Nor do I think that any man can attain any considerable degree in spiritual mindedness, who is not much in the contemplation of the same mind in Christ. To this purpose ought we to furnish our minds with instances of the holy affections that were in Christ, and their blessed exercise on all occasions. The Scripture makes a full representation of them, and we ought to be conversant in our meditations on them. What glorious things are spoken of his love of God, and his delight in him! Whence also he delighted to do his will, and his law was in the midst of his bowels, seated in the throne of his affections. What pity and compassion had he for the souls of men, yea, for the whole human kind, in all their sufferings, pains, and distresses! How were all his affections always in perfection of order under the conduct of the spirit of his mind! Thence was his self-denial, his contempt of the world, his readiness for the cross, to do or suffer according to the will of God. If this pattern be continually before us, it will put forth a transforming efficacy, to change us into the same image. When we find our minds liable to any disorders, cleaving inordinately to the things of this world, moved with intemperate passions, vain and frothy in conversation, darkened or disturbed by the fumes of distempered lusts, let us call things to an account, and ask ourselves, whether this be the frame of mind that was in Christ Jesus. This, therefore, is an evidence that our affections are spiritually renewed, and that they have re

ceived some progress in an assimilation to heavenly things; namely, when the soul is delighted in making Christ their pattern in all things.

Second, The rule of our affections, in their utmost spiritual improvement, is the Scripture. And two things are regarded in them :

1. Their internal actings.

2. Their exercise in outward ways and means, whereby they are expressed. Of both the Scripture is the entire rule.

[ocr errors]

1. Scripture gives one general law or rule that is comprehensive of all others, namely, that "we love the Lord our God with all our hearts, souls, minds, and strength.' The actings of all our affections towards God, in the utmost degree of perfection, is required of us; that, in all instances, we prefer and value him above all things; that we inseparably cleave to him, and do nothing whatever, at any time, that is not influenced and directed by the love of God. This perfection, as we shall see immediately, is not attainable absolutely in this life; but it is proposed to us as that which the excellency of God's nature requires, for which the faculties and powers of our nature were created, and which we ought in all things to design and aim at. But the indispensable obligation of this rule is, that we should always be in a sincere endea vour to cleave to God continually in all things, to prefer him above all, and delight in him as our chief good. When this frame and disposition is habitually fixed in our minds, it will declare and act itself in all instances of duties, on all occasions of trial, when other things put in for a predominant interest in our affections, as they do every day. And if it be not so with us, we shall be at a continual loss in all our ways. This is that which makes us lifeless and heartless in duties, careless in temptations, or occasions of them, forgetful of God, when it is impossible we should be preserved from sin without a due remembrance of his holiness. In brief, the want of a predominant love to God, kept in continual exercise, is the spring of

all that unprofitable profession of religion that the world is filled with.

2. There are outward ways and duties whereby our spiritual affections are expressed. The rule of them also is the Scripture. The way marked out therein is the only channel wherein the stream of our spiritual affections doth take its course to God. The graces required therein, are to regulate themselves by; the duties it prescribes, are those which they stir up and enliven; the religious worship it appoints, is that wherein they have their exercise. Where this rule has been neglected, men's religious affections have grown irregular, yea, wild and ungovernable. All the superstitions that the world is filled with, owe their origin principally to men's affections set at loose from the rule of the world. There is nothing so fond, absurd, and foolish, but to which they have imbondaged the souls of men; nothing so horrid and difficult, but they have engaged them in. And having once taken to themselves this liberty, the corrupt minds of men are a thousand times more satisfied than in the regular exercise of them according to the word of God. Hence they will rejoice in such penances as are not without their austerities; in such outward duties of devotion as are troublesome and chargeable; in every thing that hath a show of wisdom in will-worship, and humility, and neglect of the body. Hence will all their affections be more sensibly moved by images and pictures, and a melting devotion be stirred up in them, than by all the motives and incentives which God proposeth to them, to draw their affections to himself. Nothing is more extravagant than the affections of men, tinctured with some devotion, if they forsake the rule of the Scripture.

[ocr errors]

Third, There is the measure of their attainments, or to what, through due exercise and holy diligence, they may be raised. Now this is not absolute perfection. "Not as though I had already attained, or were already perfect, but I follow after," as the apostle speaks. But there is that attainable, to which those who pretend highly to perfection seem to be

« AnteriorContinuar »