240 A BEEATHING AFTER GOD.
covers himself, and his excellevt things here, the more we should express ovr thankfulness in labouring to grow in knowledge ; for there is such a breadth in them, that we can never have enough of them, and there is such a daily exigence of spiritual things, of comforts and graces, that are all conveyed in the use of means, that a Christian cannot be without them ; he can no more be without the use of the ordinances than he can without his daily food.
Ohj. Oh ! but what need we be so eager and earnest after these things as some are ? Is not now and then enough ?
Ans. Are we better than David ? See how earnest he was, Ps. Ixxxiv. and Ps. xlii. ' As the hart panteth after the rivers of water, so my soul thirsteth after thee, 0 God,' Ps. xlii. 1, Ixxiv. 2. For there is a presence of God in his ordinances that other men are not sensible of. There is a presence to their spirits that they feel that they marvellously love, and are affected with. And if they want the presence of God, as David here, they are wondrously discouraged. As good Nehemiah, when he heard it went not well with the church, he grew sad; and Da\dd, we see how he takes it here when he was banished, as it were, from the house and ordinances of God. But I will not stand long upon these objections.
Obj. Some think they may as well read at home good books and sermons, and not come to the ordinances.
Ans. But David loi-ed the ordinances ; he loved the place. Might not he think of what he heard before ? might not he have help of the prophets ? Oh ! but there is a blessing in the very meeting, ' Where two or three are met together, I will be in the midst of them,' Mat. xviii. 20. And Christ walks in the midst ' of the golden candlesticks,' Kev. i. 12. There is a more povrerful, gracious presence in the very assemblies of God's people. Put case thou mayest do much good in private, with contempt of the pubUc ordinance ; it is a cursed study. Like manna that did stink when it was gathered out of season. When it was gathered when it should not, it putrefied. There is a cm-se upon that study, and upon that knowledge that we get when we should attend upon the public means. For it is not knowledge that will bring to heaven, for the devil hath that, but it is knowledge sanctified, seizing upon the aftections. Now, what is it that maketh us good ? The Spirit working with the ordinance ; and will the Spirit work when we neglect the ordinance ? It is but a pretence. They spend their time otherwise, it is to be feared not so well. But put the case they should, there never comes good of it. It may enrich them in know- ledge to grow more de\-ilish ; but more holy they cannot be, for holiness comes from the Spirit, and the Spirit will work by his own ordinances. So much for that, and of all other objections in regard of the beauty of God.
I will not raise any objections, but only answer those that commonly popish spirits trouble some withal. I will answer, I say, some of them briefly.
Obj. They trouble us about our churches. Indeed, if your particular churches were churches of God, if you could make that good, then you might delight in them, but you are heretics and schismatics ; your churches are not good churches. Thus they trouble good Christians that are of the simpler sort; especially with this, where was your church a hundred years ago ? before Luther's time ? [d) Your church is an upstart, and your con- gregations are nothing but a meeting of a company of heretics together.*
* The commonplaces of the popish controversy. Consult Faber's ' Difficulties of Romanism.' — G.
A BREATHING AFTER GOD. 241 .
Arts. Beloved, that that malces a church to be a catholic church, to he a branch of the catholic church, which we beheve in the creed, it is the cMholic faith. The faith and truth that is the seed of the church, it is be- gotten of the word of God. Wheresoever the word, the cathohc truth of God, is, there is the church, a branch of the catholic church. Now our faith that we believe hath consanguinity with the first churches ; for what do we believe, but it is fetched out of the Testament, and from the primi- tive church ? And indeed in their own confession, if they would be modest, that might be extorted from them, that we are more catholic, and our doctrine is more cathoHc than theirs. Why ? For that that agrees with the ancient trath, ' and faith once given,' as St Jude saith, ver. 3, it runs through all ages ; and that wherein we agree with them is more agi'eeable and catholic than that they hold severed from us. It is more catholic in regard of all times, before Christ, and in Christ's time, and in the apostles' times ; and that that the papists themselves hold with us, is more catholic than that they hold severed. Now wherein they differ from us, and we account them heretics, they differ from the Scriptm-es, and fi-om the church sis hundred years after Christ ; and many of them are of late standing. Therefore in those tenets of ours we agree with the papists, and with the primitive church. What do we hold but they hold ? But they add traditions that are pernicious. We hold the Scriptui-es. They hold that, and traditions too. We hold two sacraments. They add five more. We hold Christ to be the Mediator. They make saints mediators too. Whatsoever we hold they hold, but they add their own patcheries* to them. Therefore our doctrine is more catholic, because we have the evidence of Scripture for all ours, and we have them to justify ours ; and wherein they differ from us, they have neither Scripture nor antiquity; but they are only a company, a mass of things of their own. But I will not be much in this point. And then, say they, where was your church before Luther's time, and two hundred years ago ? Where was it ? Where their church was. Our church was amongst them, in the midst of them. Witness their fire and inquisition, and persecution ! They found out our church well enough.