[3.] Consult not with the flesh, as a friend in the case, when your heart begins to work towards God: Gal. i. 16, ' Immediately I con- sulted not with flesh and blood.' It is notable the word signifies to lay down a burden, to lay down our cares and difficulties in a friend's bosom. When a man hath any trouble upon him he communicates it to his friend. Now, you have a burden upon you, you begin to be sensible you are in a wrong course, and must turn to God. Do not lay down your burdens in the flesh's bosom ; they will tell you this is but a pang and melancholy qualm, and would furnish you with a great many seeming reasons to put it ofi', frivolous excuses, slothful pre- tences, carnal fears, and idle allegations ; therefore consult not with the flesh as with a friend in the case.
[4.] Be not discouraged with tediousness and difficulty, which, upon a trial, you will find in the ways of God. Many that carry on their convictions to a resolution, and their good resolutions to some per- formance, when they find it to be a difficult and tedious business, a thing that is irksome to the flesh, they thrown up all, and there is an end of the conviction that w^as upon them. A bullock at first yoking is most unruly until he be accustomed to it ; so afterwards duty will be more sweet and easy : if you will but take Christ's yoke upon trial, you shall find it is a sweet yoke, Mat. xi. 29. And remember, diffi- culties in the service of God should rather excite than discourage. Will you serve God with that w^hich cost you nothing ? Will you think to go to heaven, and not enter in at the strait gate ? Kemember, this is one of our waymarks. Counterbalance difficulty with reward, and punishment and pains of duty with the pains of hell, the pleasure of sin with the reward of eternal life : urge your souls with the equity in Christ's ways, and the filthiness and turpitude iu those sinful courses.
150 SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. [SeR. LXYIII.
[5.] If 5'ou have discouragements from God, and he seems to with- draw or withhold his grace, remember he is not at your beck : if he gives nothing he oweth nothing. If he should not give present com- fort, strength, and help, usually it may be so for your trial. We are never brought to a thorough obedience until we come to this resolu- tion : Let God do what he will, I w^ill do what he hath commanded ; till we yield to God's sovereignty, and venture through his denials and the suspensions of his grace. As the woman of Canaan, he first answereth lier not a word ; when he answers, his speech is more dis- couraging than his silence, ' It is not meet to take the children's bread and give it to dogs.' She ventures through all these discouragements. Christ yields at length : ' 0 woman, great is thy faith ; be it unto thee as thou wilt.' God will bring his creatures to such a thorough obed- ience. You may have no visits of his love, no beam of his grace ; though you meet with a dumb oracle, and he seems to cast you off, and you have many fears, yet venture through with a holy obstinacy that you will not give over ; as Job xiii. 15, * Though he kill me, yet will I put my trust in him.' When you follow God with such an obstinacy of obedience, though he should appear never so contrary, yet we Avill encourage ourselves in waiting upon him. Thus be severe to your purpose.
2. For positive directions.
[1.] Observe the call of God. There are certain seasons when God more especially doth approach the heart of a sinner, when Christ knocks : Rev. iii. 20, ' Behold, I stand at the door and knock.' How doth Christ knock ? By the motions of his grace, when the word sets conscience a work. One time or other God meets with the heart of every man that lives under the gospel, so that his conscience tells him, I must be another man, or I am an undone man for ever. Then Christ knocks when conscience is thus set awork ; when tlie waters are stirred, then is the time to put in for cure. Now observe this, that you may welcome the authority of his truth. To resist Christ in this work is a dangerous thing. For a woman to destroy the child in the womb is murder ; so to resist Christ in this work that is going on towards the new birth is spiritual murder.
[2.] Be sure this work come to some effect. To stifle convictions, that is very dangerous. There is no iron so hard as that which hath been often heated and often quenched ; so no hearts so hard as those that have had many convictions and have quenched them : 1 Thes. v. 19, ' Quench not the Spirit.' You have great qualms of conscience. Felix he trembles ; ay ! but it came to nothing. Many men's hearts are roused, but it does no good. A man that sleeps upon a bridge may dream that he is falling into the vvater, and so dream that he may shake eveiy limb of him, and so shake and tremble that he may cry out in his sleep. Ay ! but the man doth not awake, and rouse up that he may avoid the danger. So the word of God may work so far that they begin to fear they are even dropping into the pit; they have anxious thoughts about their eternal condition, but still they sleep till their security overcome their fear, and so this work comes to nothing. And therefore, be not contented to have some motions upon thy soul now and then, some involuntary impressions, but see what they come