1) This is a main difference between a godly man, and a hypocrite. Many things may affect an evil man for the present hearing of the Word: sometime he may hear a novelty with great affection, but as children delight in a new toy for an hour, but presently contemn and lose it. Sometimes the power of the Word makes a hypocrite tremble, as Felix, and grow to some with himself, and perhaps to some purpose and resolution of amendment: So Israel hearing the Lord speak in so terrible a voice, promise fair, “All that the Lord our God says by thee (if he will no more speak of himself) we will hear it, and do it.” But the Lord saw there was “no such heart in them,” Deut. 5: 27, 29. Sometime some affliction prepares them to hear, and now while the iron is in the fire, and the hammer upon it, it may be wrought to some fashion till it be cold again: so Pharaoh sometime will confess his sin, and acknowledge God’s righteousness, and beg prayers of Moses; but only so long as the plague is upon him. Sometime some natural motion, or some spiritual motion may stir them, as for a flash they are earnestly resolved for Heaven; so the young man comes hastily, and hears gladly, but not purposing to do all that is required, goes away heavily.
The hypocrite in all these motions is like Ephraim, whose goodness was “as the morning dew,” suddenly dried up, Hos. 6:4. The Word comes into a bottomless heart, wherein is a bottomless gulf of guile and deceit, and all is lost at length. But the godly man, by the Words dwelling plentifully in his heart, attains the commendation pronounced upon the church of Thyatira, Rev. 2:19, ‘I know the works, the faith,’ &c., that they be “more at the last than at the first.” He has on him a mark of one that is planted by the Lord in the House of the Lord; he is “more fruitful in his age, more fat and fresh” daily, and exceeds his former times in ferocity,1 and fruitfulness in good works and graces [Psal. 92:14].
In a word, whereas all other things are common to all, the Heavens, the Earth, the Creatures, yea the ministry of the Word, Sacraments, Prayer and many common graces wrought by them; this alone is the special right of believers, incommunicable with hypocrites, to have the Word of God everlastingly fixed in their hearts: Esa. 8:16, “Seal up the Law among my disciples: now a seal is the means of secrecy from them whom the matter concerns not, and of assurance to them whom the business concerns. Thomas Taylor, “The Parable of the Sower and of the Seed,” in The Works of the Judicious and Learned Divine Dr. Thomas Taylor (London: Printed by Tho. Ratcliffe for John Bartlet the Elder, sometimes living at the Gilt Cup inn the Goldsmiths Row in Cheapside, now in the New-Building on South-side of Paul’s neer St. Austins Gate, 1659), 2:66-67. [Some reformatting; some spelling modernized; italics original; marginal references and comments cited inline; and underlining mine.]
2) But can an evil or carnal heart thus rejoice, which has no part in Christ, no portion among the Sons of God, no spirit, but that which rules the world, no portion but on earth? No, their joy is lower than so: in their wisdom, wealth, strength; in their wives, children, cattle; in honor, pleasure, lusts, and sins. “The stranger enters not into this joy,” Prov. 14:10.
3. Gives itself
wholly to
Christ who
has given
himself
wholly to it.
Thirdly, a good heart seeing, that Christ has given himself wholly unto it. Gives itself wholly to him. For by virtue of the mutual covenant made between Christ and the believing heart, and the spiritual contract and marriage, Christ the true and loving husband of his Church, gives himself and all his substance to the faithful soul: And she being allured by his loving and faithful promises, gives herself wholly to him in duty and affection: Cant. 6:2, “My well-beloved is mine, and I am his.” He is mine.] not in common graces, or general favors, but in special and saving graces, by an inward and secret presence, by a most near and individual conjunction. For two persons to say they are man and wife, only because of some common favors passed, ‘He did me a good turn, gave me such a gift,’&c, is absurd. It is the chamber and bed-presence, secret and inward company, that is a sign of marriage. So say, Christ is thine, not by common favors, but when he meets thy soul with sweet refreshings, and comes and lodges in thee by the faith of thy heart. Thomas Taylor, “The Parable of the Sower and of the Seed,” in The Works of the Judicious and Learned Divine Dr. Thomas Taylor (London: Printed by Tho. Ratcliffe for John Bartlet the Elder, sometimes living at the Gilt Cup inn the Goldsmiths Row in Cheapside, now in the New-Building on South-side of Paul’s neer St. Austins Gate, 1659), 2:115. [Some reformatting; some spelling modernized; italics original; marginal references and comments cited inline; and underlining mine.]
3) Patience what
it is.
1. Patience is a grace of God, by which we passively obey God in all the crosses he imposes upon us, willingly, quietly, and constantly. It is a grace of God.] a fruit of the Spirit, Gal. 5:22, not a growing in our own grounds, but derived from God, who is therefore called the God of patience, Phil. 4:14. Not a common grace, but a special issue of faith and love; never sown nor sprouted in the waste of the world, among the Heathens, but specially bestowed on the Elect and believers. Thomas Taylor, “The Parable of the Sower and of the Seed,” in The Works of the Judicious and Learned Divine Dr. Thomas Taylor (London: Printed by Tho. Ratcliffe for John Bartlet the Elder, sometimes living at the Gilt Cup inn the Goldsmiths Row in Cheapside, now inn the New-Building on South-side of Paul’s neer St. Austins Gate, 1659), 2:170. [Some reformatting; some spelling modernized; italics original; marginal references and comments cited inline; and underlining mine.]
4) A second sort, far different from the former, “are such as have attained more knowledge, but never yet attained this high point of practice to live godly;” they can make a show of godly life, and Pharisaical righteousness, but all is unsound within; they can with Herod do many things at John’s preaching, but it is but for a brunt newfangleness, they can seek God, but either in affliction, or for corn and oil; but after freedom from the one, or fruition of the latter, let him alone till they need him again; nay more, they can be zealous for good and quickly enflamed, but it is as fire in straw, a blaze and away; they can reprove others for sin, but can abide no reproof themselves’ they can rejoice in the Word and be ravished, but as a man with sweet odors in the Apothecaries shop small of herbs, so long as he is in the garden, but no understanding or diligence to gather of every kind some to carry with him, that so he might have the benefit of the garden when he is a great way from it. They can further attain to many good things, as to delight in good men’s fellowship, so did Judas in Christ’s communion; gather from them many common graces of understanding, speech, ability to pray, teach, comfort, exhort, but all to their own hurt; for either they hide these talents in napkins, not using them at all, or in using them without humility abuse them; yea no seldom making them bolder to offend God, and more careless of duties unto men, by means of such gifts, than if they had them not; but here is yet no teaching of grace, and better had it been such had never known the way of truth, than thus to depart from the way of righteousness. Thomas Taylor, “A Commentary Upon the Epistle of St. Paul Written to Titus,” [Printed for A.K. and R.I. and are to be sold by William Gilbertson, in Giltspur-street without New-gate, at the sign of the Bible, 1658] in The Works of the Judicious and Learned Divine Dr. Thomas Taylor (London: Printed by Tho. Ratcliffe for John Bartlet the Elder, sometimes living at the Gilt Cup inn the Goldsmiths Row in Cheapside, now inn the New-Building on South-side of Paul’s neer St. Austins Gate, 1659) 2:345-346. [Some reformatting; some spelling modernized; italics original; marginal references and comments cited inline; and underlining mine.]
5) Resist after victory, when Satan seems not to resist; hold on thy harness, and expect the enemy when he seems absent; perhaps he feigns himself foiled, when he is but renewing his assault, or as a pirate hangs out a flag of truce to board us, or dissembles a flight to draw us out of our holds, and then has an ambush against us; and this is his sorest fight: or he will seem of yield the victory to them, whom he knows cannot tell how to use it, but either they will grow proud of it, or secure, and lay off their watch, and then whom he could not in war overcome while he was resisted, in their peace he spoils them, when they think he needs no resistance.
Use 3. This reproves the idle conceit of men, who think to be safe from the Devil without resistance; as I. Many ignorant men who will spit at the mention of the Devil, and bless themselves from the soul fiend, and yet are sure enough in his power: these never knew what it meant to resist the Devil; they want knowledge in the word, and are willingly and willfully ignorant; they want faith, and never require after it: they live according to nature, and fashion and custom of the times, are ordinary swearers, and Sabbath-breakers, and worldlings, and they think it was never well since there was so much preaching. And for the Spirit of God, if he were not present to restrain them with common grace, it were no living near them; but for their renewing of the Spirit, to set them out of Satan, to set them out of Satan’s power, and the corruption of their own sins, he so far from them, as the may say truly with John’s disciples, Acts 19:2, “We know not whether there be an Holy Ghost or no.” Alas, how pitiful is the state of these men, who think Satan is fled from them, when he is their only counselor and familiar, ruling them at his pleasure. Thomas Taylor, “An Exposition of Christ’s Temptations. Or Christs Combate and Conquest” [London: Printed for A.K. and R.I. and are to be sold by Elisha Wallis at the Golden Horse-Shoe in the Old-Bayley, 1659] in The Works of the Judicious and Learned Divine Dr. Thomas Taylor (London: Printed by Tho. Ratcliffe for John Bartlet the Elder, sometimes living at the Gilt Cup inn the Goldsmiths Row in Cheapside, now inn the New-Building on South-side of Paul’s neer St. Austins Gate, 1659), 1:240. [Some reformatting; some spelling modernized; italics original; marginal references and comments cited inline; and underlining mine.]
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1Original has “feracity.”