with persecution When the sun riseth anone 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mat. 13.21 He is offended and withereth quickly some spirit of soft clay for a scrat with a Pin on his credit casteth away all his confidence dispaireth and hangeth himself as Achitophel such a Temptation would not once draw blood of a strong believer Strawes Feathers and Flax do quickly take fire and are made ashes in a moment but not so gold there 's bones and mettall in strong Faith so the Martyrs Faith that could not be broken with torments is proved to be a great Faith Heb. 11.35 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Their bodies were racked out as a drum and beaten to death after racking and they would not accept a deliverance Why Faith looked to a better resurrection He who sweateth panteth up the brow of the mount after Christ and carrieth death on his back must have this strong faith that Christ is worthy of tortures a strong faith can bear Hell on its shoulders the Grave and the sorrows of death and not crack nor be broken Psal. 18.4 5 6. Psal. 116.3 4. 4. That Faith is argued to be strong that hath no light of comfort but walketh in darkness upon the Margin borders of a hundred deaths and yet stayes upon the Lord Isa. 50.11 So this woman had no comfort nor ground of sense of comfort from Christ except rough answers and reproaches yet she believeth and so must be strong in the Faith Psal. 3.6 Davids Faith standeth straight without a crooke when ten thousand deaths are round about him and Psa. 23.4 He feareth no ill when he walks in the cold and dark valley of the shadow of black death Heman Psal. 88.7 Thy wrath lieth hard on me thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves Then in his sense God could do no more to drown him not waves but all waves all Gods waves was on him and above him yet ver 9. Lord I have called daily upon thee then he believed daily Hezekiahs comforts are at a hard pinch Isa. 39.14 Mine eyes fail with looking upward O Lord I am opressed yet praying argueth beleeving Lord undertake for me We must think Christs sense of comforts was ebbe and low when he wept cried Heb. 5.7 and was forsaken of God yet then his faith is doubled as the Cable of an Anchor is doubled when the storme is more then ordinary My God my God David chideth his cast down soul when there 's no glimpse of comfort with strong Faith Psal. 42.11 Hope thou in God for I shall yet praise him In swimming well the less naturall helps to hold up the chin and head the greater wave if the swimmer be carried strongly thorow as it were in despight of the streame there 's the more art Art may counter-value strength and sometime wisedom is better then strength The lesse comfort if yet you believe at midnight when the spirit is overwhelmed the more is the art of believing when an inward principle is weak we help it with externalls That the child must be alured with rewards as with Apples a Penny or the like it is because his sight and desire of the beauty and excellency of learning and Arts is but weak or nothing at all sense and comforts are external Subsidies and helps to Faith and these that cannot believe but upon feelings and sense of the sweetness of comforts are hence argued to have weak and broken inclinations and principles of Faith the more freenesse and ingenuity of spirit that is in believing the more strength of faith for that is most connaturall that hath least need of hire you need not give hire reward or buds to the Mothers affection to work upon her and cause her to love her Childe love can hardly be hired nature is stronger then rewards or any externals Comforts are but the hire of serving of God and the results of beleeving in a sad condition There be some cautions here that are considerable 1. God leadeth some strong ones to heaven whose affections are soft as Davids were Ps. 35.13 and 119.25.28.136.53 Ps. 6.6 And yet Faith is strong Ps. 22.1 God possibly immediatly working upon the assenting or believing faculty leaving the affections to their own native disposition 2. God useth some priviledged dispensations so as a strong Believer shal doubt upon no good ground Ps. 116.11 God so disposing that grace may appear to be grace and the man but flesh 3. Softnesse of affection and light of comfort may by accident concur with strong acts of beleeving for with these in many there is little light much Faith and they should without these apples given to children strongly beleeve and God to confirm his own of meer indulgence sweetneth affections But if God give comforts ordinarily its a sort of indulgence of grace or the grace of grace It s true rejoicing falleth under a Gospel-commandement Phil. 4.4 yet so as God hath not tied the sweet of the comfort of believing to believing that you may know its strength of Faith that is the principle of strong Faith as intense and strong habits maketh strong acts God keepeth some in a sad condition all their life who are experienced believers and they never feel the comfort of faith while the splendor of glory glance on their eyes as one experienced believer kept under sadnesse and fear for eighteen years at length came to this I enjoy and rejoice with joy unspeakable and glorious But he lived not long after Another living in sadnesse all his life died with comforts admirable And 3. let this be put as a case of Conscience why diverse believing and joying much in Gods Salvation all their life yet die in great conflicts and to beholders with little expression of comfort and feeling As divers of the Saints die Certainly God 1. Walketh in liberty here 2. He would not have us to limit the breathings of the Holy Ghost to jump with our hour of dying 3. We may make an Idoll of a begun heaven as if it were more excellent then Christ To conclude little evidence much adherence speaketh a strong Faith SERMON XXIII THe Woman had no aparent evidences of believing yet did she hang by one single thred of the word of the mercies of the Son of David Antonaclasis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The more that the word of promise hath influence in beleeving and the lesse of convincing reason and appearances the greater Faith Rom. 4. Abraham had a promise of a Son in whom the Nations of the world should be blessed But 1. there was no appearance of this in nature Abraham and Sarah at this time were between them two hundred years old lacking one and so no naturall hope of a childe 2. He had but one promise for his Faith we have twenty an hundred yet Rom. 4.18 He against hope believed in hope It s an elegant figure having a form of a contradiction there was no hope yet he had hope 2. ver 19. Not
Reasons proving that Christ was not intrinsâ—cally and formally the sinner p. 253. What righteousnesse of Christ is made ours p. 256. The believer how righteous and Christ how not p. 257. Christs bearing of our sins by a frequent Hebraisme in Scripture is to bear the punishment due to our sins and not to bear the intrinsecall blot of our sins p. 263. How Christ is in our place p. 265. How the debter and the surety be one in Law and not intrinsecally one p. 267. A perplexâ—d conscience in a good sense is lawfully consistent with a justified sinners condition p. 269. A conditionall fear of eternall wrath required in the justified but not an absolute fear and yet trouble of minde for the indwelling of sin is required p. 271. SERM. XX. The conscience in Christ is freed from sin that is from actuall condemnation but not from incurring Gods displeasure by the breach of a Law if the believer sin p. 272.273 I am to believe the Remission of these same very sins which I am to confesse with sorrow p. 276. How the conscience is freed from condemnation and yet not from Gods displeasure for sin p. 272. Eight cases of conscience resolved from the former Doctrine p. 277. To be justified is a state of happinesse most desirable illustrated from the eternity of the debt of sin p. 280 The smallest and worst things of Christ are incomparably above the most excellent things on earth illustrated in six particulars p. 284. What must Christ himself be when the worst things of Christ are so desirable p. 290. The excellency of Christ further illustrated and the foulnesse of our choice evidenced p. 292. How to esteem of Christ illustrated in four grounds p. 294. Degrees of persons younger and older in grace in our Lords house p. 297. Christs Family is a growing Family p. 298 God bringeth great and heavenly works out of the day oâ— small things p. 299 We are to deal tenderly with weak ones upon six consideraâ—tions p. 303 SERM. XXI The prevalency of instant Prayer put forth upon God in eight acts p. 303. Prayer moveth and stirreth all wheels in Heaven and earth p. 304. Five things concerning Faith p. 312. There is a preparation going before Faith ibid. There is no necessary connexion between preparations going before Faith and Faith p. 313. Affections going before Faith and following after differ specifically and not gradually only p. 314. All are alike unfit for conversion ibid. Some nearer conversion then others p. 315. Three grounds or motives of beeleving p. 316. Glory and Christ the hope of glory strong motives of beleeving ibid. Faiths object the marrow of Gods attributes to speak so 318. Faith a Catholick Grace required in all our actions naturall and civill as well as spirituall p. 319. Christianity how an operous work p. 321. The six ingredients of Faith p. 322. Faith turneth all our acts which are terminated on the creature into halfe non-acts p. 324 Faith hath five notes of difference in closing with the promise p. 331. Literall knowledge worketh as a naturall Agent p. 334. Warrants of applying set down in five positions p. 337 SERM. XXII Eight ingredients of a counterfeit Faith p. 347. Thirteen works or ingredients of a strong Faith and how to discern a weake Faith ibid. Strong praying a note of strong Faith ibid. â— Instant pleading a note also ibid. Strength of grace required in beleeving â—bid Christ rewardeth grace with grace p. 349. How grace beginneth all Supernaturall acts p. 350. There is a promising of bowing and predeterminating grace made to supernaturall acts yet so as God reserveth his own liberty 1. How 2. When. 3. In what measure he doth co-operate with the believer in these acts ibid. Four reasons why Grace in the work of faith must begin and so begin as we are guilty in not following p. 351. Grace is on the Saints and to them but glory is on them but not to them p. 352. Grace to an Angel necessary to prevent possible sins p. 356. 3. Note of a strong Faith not to be broken with temptations ibid. 4. Faith staying on God without light of comfort a strong Faith p. 358. The fewer externalls that Faith needeth the stronger it is within p. 359 Comforts are externalls to Faith p. 360. Some cautions in this that some believe strongly without the help of comforts ibid. Reasons why diverse of Gods children die without comfort p. 361 SERM. XXIII The more of the word and the lesse of reason the stronger Faith is p. 362. 6. A Faith that can forgoe much for Christ is a strong faith p. 363 7. It s a strong Faith to pray and believe when God seemeth to forbid praying p. 364. 8. Great boldnesse argueth great Faith p. 365. 9. To rejoyce in tribulation p. 366. 10. To wait on with long patience p. 367. 11. A humble Faith is a strong Faith p. 368. 12. A strong desire of a communiâ—n with Christ p. 369. 13. Strength of working by love argueth a strong Faith p. 370. A great Faith is not free of doubtings p. 371. Diverse sorts of doubting opposite Faith p. 372. Some doubting a bad thing in it self yet per accidens and in regard of the person and concomitants a good signe and argueth sound gracâ— p. 373. Of a weak Faith p. 375. Negative adherence to Christ not sufficient to saving Faith ibid. A suffering Faith a strong Faith p. 378. Faith in regard of intention weak may be strong in regard of extension in three Relations ibid. The lowest ebbe of a fainting Faith p. 379. What of Christ remaineth in the lowest ebbe of a fainting Faith p. 381. SERM. XXIV A stock of Grace is within the Saints our Grace is not all and wholly in Christ though it be all from Christ p. 385. The powers of the soul remain whole in conversion ibid. The stock of grace is to be warily kept p. 386 Four things are to bee done to keep the stock without a craze p. 387. The tendernesse of Christs heart and strength of love toward sinners p. 389. Christ strong in morall acts and strongly moderate in naturall acts the contrary is in naturall men ibid. Christs motion of tender mercy as it were naturall p. 392. How mercy worketh eternally and secretly and under ground even under a bloody dispensation p. 393. Judgement on the two Kingdoms except they repent p. 394. A rough dispensation consistent with tendernesse of love in our Lord p. 395. Free love goeth before our Redemption p. 397. Christ loveth the persons of the elect but hateth their sins p. 398. A twofold love of God one of good will to the person another of complacency to his own image in the person ibid. No new love in Goâ— p. 399. Objections of Mr. Denne the Antinomian anâ—wereâ— p. 400. What it is to be under the Law p. 402. How God loveth us before time and how he now loveth uâ— in time p. 405 By Faith and conversion our state is truely
2.20 Receiving Christ Ioh. 1.11 Having Christ 1 Joh. 5.12 Married to Christ Eph. 5.32 Eating and drinking Christ by Faith Joh. 6.35 47 45. Coming to him as to a living stone 1 Pet. 2.4 Abiding in him as branches in the Tree Joh. 15.4 5. Now if we were justified before we believe we should have a Union by the vitall act of Faith before we be justified and so we should live before we live and be new creatures while we are yet in the State of sin and heirs of wrath 5. This justification without Faith casteth loose the covenant I will be your God But here a condition God is not bound and we free therefore this is the other part And ye shall be my people Now it is taught by Libertines That there can be no closing with Christ in a promise that hath a qualification or condition expressed and that conditionall promises are legall It s true if the word condition be taken in a wrong sence the promises are not conditionall For 1. Arminians take a condition for a free act which we absolutely may perform by free-will not acted by the predeterminating grace of Christ so Jurists take the word but this maketh men Lords of Heaven and Hell and putteth the keys of life and death over to absolute contingency 2. Conditions have a Popish sence for doing that which by some merit moveth God to give to men wages for work and so promises are not conditionall But Libertines deny all conditions But taking condition for any qualification wrought in us by the power of the saving Grace of God Christ promiseth soul ease but upon a condition which I grant his Grace worketh that the soul be sin-sick for Christ and he offereth wine and milk Isa. 55.1 And the water of life freely Rev. 22.17 Upon condition that you buy without money no purse is Christs Grace-Market no hire and sence of wretchednesse is a hire for Christ and the truth is it s an unproper condition if a father promise Lands to a son so he will pay him a thousand Crowns for the Lands and if the Father of Free-grace can only and doth give him the thousand Crowns also the payment is most unproperly a hire or a condition and we may well say the whole bargain is pure Grace for both wages and work is Free-grace but the ground of Libertines is fleshly lazinesse and to sin beâ—cause Grace aboundeth for they print it that all the activity of a Believer is to sin So to beâ—lieve must be sin to run the ways of Gods commandments with a heart inlarged by Grace must be no action of Grace but an action of the flesh 6. Paul in the Epistle to the Romans to the Galatians taketh for granted that justification is a work done in time transient on us not an immanent and eternall action remaining either in God from eternity or performed by Christ on the Crosse before we believe and so never taketh on him to prove that we are justified before we either do the works of the Law or believe in Iesus Christ but that we are justified by Faith which certainly is an act performed by a regenerate person for a new creature only can perform the works of the new creature and Faith is not the naked manifestation of our justification so as we are justified before we have Faith satisfaction is indeed given to justice by Christ on the Crosse for all our sins before we believe and before any justified person who lived these fifteen hundred years be born but alas that is not justification but only the meritorious cause of it that is as if one should say this wall is white since the creation of the world though this very day only it was whited because whitenesse was in the world since the creation justification is a forinsecall sentence in time pronounced in the Gospel and applied to me now and never while the instant now that I believe it s not formally an act of the understanding to know a truth concerning my self but it s an heart-adherance of the affections to Christ as the saviour of sinners at the presence of which a sentance of free absolution is pronounced Suppose the Prince have it in his minde to pardon twenty Malefactors his grace is the cause why they are pardoned yet are they never in Law Pardoned so as they can in Law plead immunity while they can produce their Princes Royall sealed Pardon 5. The properties of the Covenant I call 1. The freedom of it consisting in persons 2. Causes 3. Time 4. Manner of dispensation 1. Men and not condemned Angels are capable of this covenant 2. Amongst men some Nations not others Psal. 147.19 20. 3. So many not any other 4. The Father not the Son the poor not alwayes Kings the Fool not the wise man the husband not the wife not these who were bidden to the Supper but beggers halt withered lame 2. Causes in the first covenant there was Grace not deserving and therefore now as the Law is propounded it is a Pursevant of Grace and the Gospels servant to stand at Christs and the Believers back as an attending servant 2. Yea mercy unto thousands toward those who have but Evangelick love to Christ cometh into the Law Christ having in a sort married the two Covenants 3. I am the Lord thy God Exod. 20. Is Grace standing at the entry of the door to these that are under the Law to bring them out but in the Gospell all is unmixed Grace 1. Not personall obedience is my heaven but I stand still and another doth all that may merit glory Christ saith Do ye but stand still behold me and see friends my garments rolled in blood I bind for you only consent put your hand to the Pen but I am the only undertaker to fight it out for you 3. For time the first breach of the Law is wrath and no place by Law for repentance but here come to Christ who will and when you will after thou hast plaid the Harlot with many lovers bring Hell and sins red as scarlet and crimson come and be washen come at the eleventh hour and welcome fall and rise again in Christ run away and come home again and repent 4. The maner is 1. That so much as would have bought ten thousand worlds of men and devils was given for so many only an infinite superplus of love so as I may say Christ did more then love us Aegypt and Aethiopia was not given for our ransom 2 A sure and eternall Covenant bottom'd upon infinite love Why may not the link be broken and the sheep pluckt out of his hand Why the Father that gave them to me is greater then all Where dwelleth he In what Heaven Who is stronger then the Father The covenant with night and day is naturall and cannot fail confirming Grace in the second Adam is more connaturall 3. Well ordered Christ keeping his
Regenerate from both Principles are to walke in love and holinesse as Christ did the Law directing is not abolished by Grace or by love to Christ and this is no other then the reasoning of old Libertines Paul said Rom. 7.6 Now we are delivered from the Law O then said Libertines We may sin and fleshly walking shall not prejudge salvation nor condemn us v. 7. What shall we say then Is the Law sin God forbid and Rom. 5.20 Where sin abounded grace did much more abound Then said the Libertine chap. 6.1 What shall we then say Shal we continue in sin that grace may abound 2. God forbid then the Law commandeth and directeth not to sin and Christ and Grace being friends speak with the same mouth God forbid that we sin we are not so freed from the commanding power of the Law as that we sin not when we do what is contrary to Gods law we are so far under the Law as not to sin because the rule of Law is removed nay the Law backs a man while he come to Christ and to glory and Christ backs the Law and saith the Law forbiddeth you sin I say Amen Grace saith sin not and Christ also layeth new bands of love and obligation to thankfulnesse on us not to sin but removeth not the ancient bounds Grace and condemnation are opposite but not Grace and the commanding power of the Law Obj. 5. The Law is a letter of death and bondage and can never convert the soul only the Gospel doth that for in the Gospel Grace is given to obey what is commanded Therefore your Law-preachers lead men from the foundation Christ. Ans. 1. The Letter of Law without the spirit of Christ cannot convert any nor can the Letter of the Gospel or Gospel-threatnings without the spirit of Grace convert any both Law and Gospel separated from the spirit are alike in this and neither Law nor Gospel according to this reasoning should be preached Antinomians do in down right tearms teach this for they say 1. That the due searching and knowledge of the Scriptures is not a safe and sure way of searching and finding Christ. The Word saith the contrary Psal. 19.7 8 9. Act. 10.43 Rom. 3.21 Joh. 5.39 Luk. 1. 70.71 2. To do any thing by vertue of a commandement is a Law way not Gospel obeâ—dience Contrary to Psal. 119.6.43 44. v. 11. 2 Pet. 1.19 20. 2 Tim. 3.16 3. All verball Covenants and the word written is but a Covenant of Works and taketh men off from Christ And the whole letter of the Scripture holdeth forth a Covenant of works All Doctrines Revelations and spirits are to be tried by Christ rather then by the Word Those that go from the Sun must at length walk in darknesse Anabaptists of old said the Covenant of Grace was written in the inward parts and in the heart therefore there was no need of word or ministery But when Satan knocketh his knock is dumb and speechlesse he bringeth not the Word and speaketh not according to the Law and Testimony Because he is a dumb Devil Christ bringeth the word with him To all these we can say no other then that they condemn the Scriptures and the Preaching of the word Because nothing can avail us to Salvation without the spirit This is 1. to condemn the wisdom of our Lord who hath appointed that Faith should come by hearing and that the things that are written are written That we in believing might have Eternal life Ioh. 20.31 2. It s to fetter the free operation of the spirit whose winde bloweth when he listeth to the preaching of the word 3. Yea to make Christs Death Resurrection Ascension and Intercession at the right hand of God which all must be the marrow of the Evangel things meerly legall and things belonging to the Covenant of works because all those without the Grace of the spirit are meerly fruitless to many thousands Obj. 6. But repentance in the New Testament is nothing else but the change of the mind and to be of another mind then to seek Righteousnesse by the works of the law even to seek it in Christ alone and mortification is but the apprehension of sin slain by Christ and so Repentance is a part of Faith though Repentance in the Old Testament was to bewail sin and so sake it Ans. But this is to dally with Christ all mortification and dominion over our lusts that fighteth against mercy and justice and the duties of the second Table must be by this means an act of Faith and the New light of Christ in the mind believing our Righteousnesse to be in Christ And so an act of Internall worship belonging to the first Table then as the Scripture saith The sinner is justified by Faith apprehending Christs Righteousnes so might we well say that we are justified by Repentance and by mortification 2. That Repentance layeth hold on Christs Righteousnesse 3. That as to beleeve only without works doth justifie and save so to repent only that is to change the minde and apprehend Righteousnesse not in works but in the Christ without all holinesse and forsaking of sin should save us But this is to acquit men from all duties of the second Table yea and of all the first Table loving of God Praying Praising hearing c. except only we are to beleeve This is clear the way of the old Gnosticks who placed all holinesse in meer knowledge and apprehension of Gods will without love or obedience 2. Repentance is sorrow according to God 1 Cor. 7.9.10 Jam. 4.9 And eschewing evill and doing good 1 Pet. 3.11 And the Crucifying of the old man and the lusts thereof as Fornication Vncleannesse Inordinate affection evil Concupiscence Covetousnesse Col. 3. 5. And these are commanded in the New Testament as the very lesson of the Grace of God Tit. 2.11 It s true in the Old Testament the People were under Tutors and bondage but that was in regard of the carnall commandement of Ceremonies the cognizance of our bloody demerit held forth in bloody sacrifices 2. In regard lesse of Christ and the sweetnesse of the Gospel was then known and the Law chased harder the guilty to Christ. But 1. Servile obedience through apprehension of legall terrors was never commanded in the spirituall Law of God to the Jews more then to us 2. The Jews were not justified by the works of the Law more then we but by Faith in Christ as well as we Act. 15.11 Act. 10.42.43 Heb. 11. 1 Cor. 10.1 2 3. Yea we are justified as David and Abraham were Rom· 4.3 4 5 6 7 8 Yea the Iews seeking of Righteousnesse by the works of the Law is a stumbling at the stone laid in Zion Rom. 9.31.32 33. Yea its blasphemy to say Repentance in the Old Testament was a sorrow for sin and a forsaking of it as if under the New Testament we were Licensed to sin and turn Grace
3. To make an opposition between Christ and his grace the fountain and the stream Ioh. 1.16 Tit. 1.14 1 Joh. 3.8 Obj. If the actions of grace be all turned upon this axle-tree of Gods gracious will what can I do when I am indisposed to do good Ans. If this be a rationall question then is no man condemned because he believeth not in the only begotten Son of God contrary to Ioh. 3.18 36. For Reprobates are finally indisposed to believe 2. Indisposition is our sin that we should be humbled for and Inke water cannot wash a blacked cloth sin excuseth not sin SERMON XV. 25. Then came she and worshipped him saying Lord help me CHrist had denyed her to be His but she wil not deny but Christ is hers See how a Believer is to carry himself toward Christ deserting frowning Christ first answered her not one word 2. He gave an Answer but to the Disciples not to the woman O dreadful Christ refuseth to give her one word that may go between her and Hell and dispair 3. The Answer that he giveth is sadder and heavier then no Answer it s as much As woman I have nothing to do with thee I quit my part of thee Yet she is patient 2. She believeth 3. She waiteth on a better answer 4. She continueth in praying 5. Her love is not abetted she cometh and adoreth 6 Acknowledgeth her own misery Lord help me And putteth Christ as God in his own room to be adored 7. She taketh Christ aright up and seeth the temptation to be a temptation 8. She runneth to Christ she came nearer to him and runneth not from him she claimeth to Christ though Christ had cast her off 1. Patient submission to God under desertion is sweet What though I saw no reason why I cry and shout and God answereth not 1. His comforts and his answers are his own free-graces he may doe with his own what he thinks good and grace is no debt Hear O Lord for thy own sake Dan. 9.19 2. Infinite Soveraignty may lay silence upon all hearts good Hezekiah Isa. 38.15 What shall I say he hath spoken unto me and himself hath done it It is an act of heaven I bear it with silence 2. She believeth Isa. 50.11 There 's a high and noble Commandment laid upon the sad spirit He that walketh in darknesse and seeth no light let him trust in the name of the Lord stay upon his God 2. Fill the field with faith double or frequent acts of Faith Psal. 22.1 My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Two faiths are a double breast-work against the Forts of Hell 3. In the greatest extremity believe even as David in the borders of Hell Psal. 23.4 Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil it s a Litote I will believe good it s a cold and a dark shadow to walk at deaths right side Job 13.15 Though he slay me yet will I trust in him See Steven dying and believing both at once Christs very dead corps and his grave in a sort believing Ps. 16.9 My flesh also shall rest in hope How sweet to take Faiths back-band subscribed by Gods own hand into the cold grave with thee as Christ did vers 10. Thou wilt not leave my soul in grave 4. Faith saith sense is a Lier Fancy sense the flesh will say Job 16.13 His Archers compassed me round about he cleaveth my reins asunder and doth not spare and poureth out my gall on the ground but Faith saith ver 19. I have a friend in Heaven Also now my witnesse is in heaven Job 19.11 Sense maketh a lie of God He hath also kindled his wrath against me and taketh me for his enemy No Iob thou art the friend of God see how his Faith cometh above the water ver 25. I know that my friend by blood or my Redeemer liveth c. 3. She waiteth on in hope and took not the first nor second answer Hope is long breath 't and at mid-night prophâ—sieth good of God Mic. 7.9 Though I fall I shall rise again Jonah 2.4 Then I said I am cast out of thy sight yet I will look toward thy holy Temple There 's a seed of heaven in hope Iob 13. When God did hide his face from him ver 24. Yet ver 16. He also shall be my salvation There is a negative and over-clouded hope in the soul at the saddest time the believer dares not say Christ will never come again if he say it it s in hot blood and in haste and he wil take his word again Isa. 8.17 4. She continueth in praying She cryed Lord Son of David have mercy on me she has no Answer she cryeth again while the Disciples are troubled with her shouts she getteth a worse answer then no answer yet she cometh and prayeth we know the holy wilfulnesse of Jacob Gen. 32.26 I will not let thee go till thou blesse me rain calmeth the stormy wind to vent out words in a sad time is the way of Gods children Psal. 88.7 Thy wrath lieth hard upon me 9. My eye mourneth by reason of my affliction And what then Lord I have called daily upon thee I have stretched out my hands to thee Psal. 22.2 Christ in the borders of Hell prayed and prayed again and died praying 5. She hath still love to Christ and is not put from the duty of adoring 1 Pet. 1.8 Whom having not seen yet ye love The deserted soul seeth little there must be love to Christ where there is 1. Faith in the dark Faith is with child of Love 2. Where the believer is willing that his pain his hel may be matter of praising of God Ps. 77.13 Who is so great a God as our God The Church was then deserted as the Psal. cleareth 6. She putteth Christ in his Chair of State and adoreth him the deserted soul saith bee what I will he is Iehovah the Lord confession is good in saddest desertion Iob 7.20 I have sinned what shall I do to thee O preserver of man Lam. 1.17 The seed of Iacob is in a hard case before God and under wrath v. 12 13 14. Yet v. 16. The Lord is righteous for I have sinned This maketh the soul charitable of God how sad so ever the dispensation be 7. She seeth it is a triall as is clear by her instant persuing after Christ after many repulses It s great mercy that God cometh not behinde backs and striketh not in the dark Psal. 77.10 And I said this is my infirmity he gathereth his scattered thoughts taketh himself in the temptation Its mercy 1. To see the temptation in the face some lie under a dumb a deaf temptation that wanteth all the five senses Cain is murthered in the dark at midnight with the temptation he knoweth not what it meaneth 2. Gods immediate hand is more to be looked at then any
whole captive Church saith The Lord is righteous for I have sinned 3. There is a promise made to these that confesse Pro. 28.13 Who so confesseth and forsaketh their sins shall have mercy Ps. 32.3 When I kept silence and confessed not my bones waxed old c. Vers. 5. I said I wil confesse my transgression unto the Lord and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin And this is not an old Testament-spirit onely for the same promise is 1 Joh. 1.8 9. If we confesse our sins he is faithfull and just to forgive Lev. 26.40 If they shall confesse their iniquity 42. Then will I remember my covenant with Iacob 3. Not to confesse is holden forth as a guiltinesse Jer. 2.35 Yet thou saidst Because I am innocent surely his anger shall turn from me behold I will plead with thee because thou sayest I have not sinned It s a token of impenitencie Jer. 8.6 No man repented him of his wickednesse saying what have I done 2. Ephraim Gods dear child is brought in as commended of God and the Lord telleth over again Ephraims prayers and sorrowing for sin Ier. 31.18 I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself c. We have a precept for it in the New Testament Iam. 4.9 Be afflicted and mourn and weep Let your laughter bee turned to mourning and your joy to heavinesse 10. Humble your selves in the sight of the Lord and he shall lift you up Now there is better reason to mourn for sin because they did lust war and were contentious then because there was afflictions on them Nature will cause any cry when punishment is on them but not nature but Grace not the flesh but the spirit causeth men sorrow for sin as sin Lev. 26.41 If then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity 42. Then I will remember my Covenant with Iacob 2. To mourn for sin is a grace promised under the New Test. Za. 12.10 And I will poure upon the house of David and upon the Inhabitants of Ierusalem the spirit of Grace and supplication and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced and they shall mourn as one mourneth for his onely begotten son 3. Those for whom the consolations of Christ are ordained are the mourners in Zion But the consolations of Christ are not for legal mourners and such as are weary and laden for sin and yet never cometh to Christ nor believeth there 's no promise made to such mourners as Cain and Judas were Can we say that God promiseth Grace and mercy to any acts of the flesh or of unbelief 4. It s a mark of a conscience in a right frame to be affected with the sense of the least sin as David was one in whose conscience there remained the character of a stripe when he but cut the lap of Sauls Robe 1 Sa. 24.5 And when wicked men sin their conscience is past feeling Eph. 4.19 And seared with an hot iron 1 Tim. 4.2 It is not an argument of Faith apprehending sin pardoned not to mourn for sin and confesse it for if this be a good argument that if we being justified cannot but out of unbelief sorrow for a sin that before God is no sin as it is Jer. 50.20 Fully removed and taken away Joh. 1.29 Mic. 7.19 Cast in the depths of the Sea as Libertines argue for then say they we were both to believe that that sin remaineth and maketh the justified person lyable to Eternal wrath and so to sorrow for it as sin before God and also to believe that it is taken away and maketh the person not liable to Eternal wrath which are contradictory If this I say were a good Argument then were we not to eschew evill and to be averse to the acting of sin before it be committed for by the Doctrine of Antino All sins even ere they be committed yea from Eternity say some are as fully taken away pardoned as after they be committed and as when we do now believe and repent For if we were to have a will averse to the acting of sin before it be committed it must be upon this ground that it is sin before God and not taken away by Christs death else we should not abstain from it as sin but this is a false ground to Antinomians and inconsistent with the object of faith which is to beleeve this truth that all sins past present and to come are equally removed pardoned yea and in Christ taken away as if they never had been and so sorrow for sin committed being an act of the sanctified will displeased with sin if it be unlawfull the will of the justified person is not to be displeased with it ere it be committed but by the contrary if he is not to be displeased with sin commited but rather to will its commission not to sorrow for it because he beleeveth its pardoned and in Gods Court it s no sin to him being in Christ by the same ground ere it be committed in Gods Court it s no sin and so neither can he be displeased with it ere it be committed but may also will it and beleeve it s pardoned and he ought to have no act of remorse nor reluctance of conscience which is Gods Solicitour before the committing of it For how is it not equally an act of the flesh and unbeleef to fear sin to be committed as not pardoned in Christ as to fear sin already committed as not pardoned 2. If it be a lie and an act of unbeleef for any justified person to say Lord I have sinned O God thou knowest my foolishnesse and my sins are not hid from thee as justified David saith Psal. 69.5 in regard all his sins are pardoned and the man in faith contrary to the sense of his weak flesh is to beleeve that they are all taken away Upon the same pretended ground of faith he is to say Lord I shall never sin though I am to commit adultery and to murther innocent Uriah to morrow yet thou O God neither to morrow nor at any time dost see my foolishnesse and sins because the sins to come are equally removed and taken away in the free justification of grace as the sins already past Master Eaton saith To hold that when GOD hath justified both us and our works God yet seeth us in the imperfection of our sanctification is another evident mark of an hypocrite that was never yet truly humbled for the imperfection of his sanctification But these imperfections of our sanctification are left in us to our sense and feeling that they may be healed in our justification And hee bringeth pag. 375. diverse Reasons to prove That we are not both righteous in the sight of God and yet sinners in our selves Let me answer That Antinomians in this joyn hands with the Councell of Trent who curse us Protestants because we say The guilt of originall sin is taken away in Baptisme but that sin
them happy so Psalm 10.3 The wicked man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Praiseth the wicked man then he must believe that wickedness maketh men praise worthy and this belief is but presumptuous confiding and resting on a Tower of his own building Now to beleeve in Christ though the decree of Election be not revealed to me is no presumption for I am not obliged before I beleeve to know that I am elected to Glory It being one of Gods secrets not revealed in the Word but made manifest to me After I beleeve and am sealed unto the day of Redemption and therefore in a humble resting on Christ though the soul know not his Election which is not revealed in the word in that condition there can be no Pride nor presumption for he is self wise and presumptuous who intrudeth into those things that he hath not seen Col. 2.18 knoweth not that which God hath revealed and so which he ought to know now the believer ought not to know that he is elected to glory he yet being an unbeleever so his knowledge cannot deviate from a rule which doth not oblige to conformity therewith as with a Rule the Pourtract of Caesar doth not erre from the samplar because it is not like a Bull or a Horse because neither a Bull nor a Horse is the due samplar 2. To warrant an unworthy humble sinner to beleeve there 's no need of a positive Warrant or of a voice to say thou art elected to glory therefore believe the word is near thee in thy mouth yea there is a commandement laid upon the humbled sinner Come O weary and loaden sinner to Christ and be eased Now when the wind bloweth sweetly and fair upon an humbled siner who is elected to glory there goeth the Spirit of the Gospel along with this Commandement and the word of Commandment and the spirit united in one acteth and worketh so upon the soul that the humbled sinner cannot be deluded and led on a rock of presumption for this spirit joyneth and closeth with his spirit and he as one of Christs sheep knoweth this to be the voice of Christ. I grant when the same command of faith cometh to the ears of a Reprobate he may upon a false ground believe or rather presume he neither being rightly humbled and fitted for Christ nor can the Reprobate know and discern the wind of the spirit breathing with the command and acting upon his spirit because that winde neither can nor doth breath upon any Reprobate and there is no need of any positive Warrant to ascertain a child of God to believe beside the commandment of Faith in lived and quickned with the spirit going along with it for that command so quickned doth put such a reall stamp of an evident testimony that he hath claime to Christ on whom the spirit and the command doth so act that he seeketh no more any other evidence to prove his claim to Christ then the Lamb needeth any evidence to prove that of ten hundred sheep this only that offereth to it her paps and milk must be its dam or mother and none of the rest of the flock But how do I know that it is the spirit that goeth along with the Commandment of believing It may be a delusion Ans. Beside that a deluding spirit for the most part doth not go every way along with the word If this spirit keep Gods order to work upon the humbled self-dispairing sinner who is willing to receive Christ upon his own condition it is not like to a deluding spirit for if the word of commandment to believe and the spirit agree in one it cannot be a delusion phancie leadeth no man to Faith 2. When objects of life work upon life they cannot deceive especially all the senses Hearing Seeing Tasting Feeling Smelling the excellency and sweetnesse of Christ going along with the word cannot be delusion a man may imagine that he seeth and heareth and yet his senses may be deceived but that all the senses especially all the spirituall senses and that a man imagineth that he liveth a naturall life and is dead is rare 3. Faith can stand upon one foot even on a generall word hence this is a Gospel word in the Prophets which requireth Faith Turn to the Lord for he is mercifull Jer. 3.12 Joel 2.13 Jon. 4.2 And because a generall promise received with heart-adherence and confidence giveth glory to God and if it be holden forth to an humbled soul who is now within the lists and bounds of Grace and for any thing that the person thus laden with sin knoweth on the contrary for the secrets of Election and Reprobation belongeth to the Lord Christ mindeth and intendeth to him Salvation therefore he is to believe 4. This would be considered that unbelief breaketh with Christ first before Christ break with the unbeliever and the Elect of God findeth no more nor any higher favour in the kinde of externall means to open the Lambs Book of life which is sealed and closed with Gods own hand then the Commandement of believing Now when our Lord maketh offer of the Kingdom of sons to slaves and casteth his Jewell of Christ offered in the Gospel in the lap and bosome of a Bastard what ever be the Lords secret Decree and purpose in so doing The Bastard is to take God at his word and to catch the opportunity of Gods love in so far and if he do it not the Gospel-offer to the Reprobate being a treaty of peace then the treaty breaketh off first upon his side for Christ cometh within a mile of mercy to meet the sinner and the sinner cometh not the fourth part of a mile yea not half a step of love and thankfull obedience to meet Christ and so Christ killeth the unbeliever with the sweetnesse of the preventing courtesie of offered mercy 5. But if the sinner be wearied and loaden and seeth though through a cloud only Christ only must help and save if not he is utterly and eternally lost What is there upon Christs part to hinder thee to beleeve O guilty wretch O saith he I fear Christ only offereth himself to me but he mindeth no salvation to me Ans. Is not this to raise an evill report and slander on the Holy One of Israel For Christs offer is really an offer and in so far its reall love though it cannot infer the love of Election to glory yet the totall deniall of this offer openeth up the black seal of Reprobation to heathens without the Church and therefore its love to thee if thou be humbled for sin 2. And have half an eye to the unsearchable riches of Gospel mercy 3. And be self-condemned 4. And have half a desire of Christ thou mayst expound love by love and lay hold on the promise and be saved An errour of humble love to Christ is no errour That which is next is a word of the Essentiall principle of true Faith and that is a proportionable
measure of grace Phil. 1.29 required in Faith men naturally imagine that faith is a work of nature hence that speech of a multitude of Atheists I believe all my dayes I believe night and day But they never believe at all who think and say they believe alwayes The Jewes asserted that they believed Moses alwayes and so oppose themselves to the man altogether born in sin Joh. 9. ver 28 29. compared with v. 34. But Christ told them they neither believed the Messiah nor Moses chap. 5. ver 35 36 37. Nature worketh alwayes alike and without intermission or freedome The Floods alwayes move the Fountain alwayes cast out streams the fire alwayes burneth the Lamb alwayes fleeth from the Wolf but the winde of the spirit doth not alwayes enact the soul to believe they are not in an ill case who wrestle with unbelief and find the heart and take it in the wayes of doubting and terrours as feeling that believing is a motion up the mount and somewhat violent facill and connaturall acts cannot be supernaturall acts of Faith It s no bad sign to complain of a low ebbe Sea and of neither Moon light nor starre light 2. It s unpossible they can submit to give the glory of believing to God in whose heart there 's a rotten principle destructive of Faith and that is an ambitious humour of seeking glory from men Joh. 5.44 Little Faith there 's in Kings Courts Faith dwelleth not in a high Spirit 3. Such as take Religion by the hand upon false and bastard motives as the Summer of the Gospel and fame ease gain honour cannot believe A thorny Faith is no Faith Matth. 13.22 A Carnall mans Faith must be true to its own principles and must lye levell with externalls so as Court ease the world and its sweet adjuncts are a measuring line to a rotten rooted Faith neither longer nor broader then time it goeth not one span length within the lists of Eternity 4. Phancy cannot be Faith such as have not Gospel knowledge of Christ cannot believe but must do as the Traveller who unaware setteth his foot on a Serpent in the way and suddenly starteth backward six steps for one 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Joh. 6.66 So do they that phancy all the Gospel to be a carnal or a Morall discourse 5. Those cannot have Faith in whose heart the Gospel lyeth above ground Devils and sin having made the heart hard like the Summer streets Mat. 13.19 with daily treading and walking on them A stony Faith or a Faith that groweth out of a stone cannot be a saving Faith Thereâ—s a heart that is a daily walk in which the Devil as it were aireth himself 6. If Christ have given the last knock at the door and all in-passages be closed up and heart-inspirations gone there can be no more any sort of faith there Eph. 4.19 2 Tim. 4.2 The heart is like a dried up arm in some all the oil in the bones are spent 7. Loose walking with greedinesse argues that hell hath taken fire on the out-works of the soul. Hell in the hands and tongue as in the out-wheels must argue hell and unbelief in the heart and the in-wheels 1. Loose believers go to Heaven by miracles I dare go to Hell for a man if such an one go to Heaven who liveth prophanely and saith he hath a good heart within 2. The going in waies of blood Extortion Covetous Idolatrie belyeth the decree of election to Glory Grace leadeth no man to the East with his face and motion close to the West 3. This way of working by contraries is not Gods way God can work by contraries but he will not have us to work by contraries There 's some heaven of holinesse in the court-gate to the Heaven of happinesse 8. Faith over-looketh time Heb. 11.10 Abraham looked for another City Faith in Moses was great with childe of heaven v. 25 He had an eye to the recompence of reward Eternity of Glory is the birth of Faith Oh! we look not to the declining of our sun its high afternoon of our peece of day eleven houres is gone and the twelfth hour is on the wheels I see not my own gray haires It s upon the margin and borders of night and I know not where to lodge We are like the man swimming through broad waters and he knoweth not what is before him he swimmeth thorow deeper and deeper parts of the river and at length a cramp and a stitch cometh on arms and leggs and he sinketh to the bottom and drowns We swim through dayes weeks moneths yeers winters and are daily deeper in time while at length death bereave us of strength of leggs arms and we sinâ— over head and ears in Eternitie Oh! Who like the sleepy man is loosing his clothes and putting off the garments of darknesse and would gladly sleep with Christ Men are close buttoned and like day-men when its dark night It s fearfull to ly down with our day clothes Job 20.11 Sin is a sad winding sheet Oh! what believer faith I would have a suit of clothes for the high Court and Thron to be an Essay to see how a suit of glorie would become me Thus much for Faith SERMON XXII NOw a word of a strong and great Faith and withall of a weak and fainting Faith For the most I go not from the Text to find out the ingredients of a great Faith 1. A strong praying and a crying a Faith is a great Faith So must Christs Faith have been who prayed with strong cries and tears Strong Faith maketh sore sides in praying as this woman prayed with good will there 's an efficacious desire to be rid of a sinfull temptation as Paul prayed thrice to be freed of the prick in the flesh Their Faith is weak who dare not pray against some Idoll sins Or 2. If they pray it s but gently with a wish not to be heard 2. The womans crying her instant pleading in Faith yea 1. Above the Disciples care for her yea above Christs seeming glowmes who denied her to be his who reproached her as a dog argueth great grace great humility with strong adherence and so great faith 2. For Faith â—aileth sometimes with a strong tide and a fair wind according as the Moone hath an aspect on the Sun so is it ful or not ful when the wheels are set right to the Sun the clock moveth and goeth right The fairer and more clear sight that Faith hath of Christ the stronger are the acts of Faith it cannot bee denied but Faith hath a good and an ill day because grace is various it s no strong proof that it s not grace 3. To put Faith in all its parts in light in staying on Christ in affiance in adherance in self-diffidence in submissive assenting forth in all its acts and to lift the soul all off the earth requireth Christs high Spring-tide it s not easie to put all the powers that
God delights to have men and Angels his debtors Grace holdeth an open and a free Inne with all the dainties that Christ can make to all comers and goers for nothing but thanks and heartily welcome Grace maketh no gain of my work The sweating of Angels and of the Thousand Thousands that sing up the glory of Christ before the high Throne is no income to Christs Rent Grace should not be Grace if it could Traffique or buy or sell with a creature Angels and men stand in the Books of Free-grace for Millions of borrowed summes Christs blood and deep love may be praised but never recompenced Christs love hath filled this world and the new Paradice with debtors and Angels can neither read nor sum nor cast up the Accompts of Free-grace 3. That we cannot be masters of one good act without his preventing Grace evidenceth what nature is and maketh Grace both my staffe and my convey in at Heavens Gates Nature and Free-will must stoop and do homage to CHRIST There 's a Glory active and a Glory passive as there 's also Grace active and passive Free-will is active under Grace and passive also therefore Grace and Mercy is to the Saints and upon the Saints Nature emptieth its lamp upon the golden pipe the rich Grace of the Mediatour and Free-will moveth and runneth but not but as moved driven and breathed upon by Free-grace But as concerning Glory it hath a more eminent and noble relation Glory shall be on the Saints as a garment as a Crown for they shall be glorified But no Glory to the Saints but only only to the Lamb to the flower of the Glory of Glory Jesus the Celebrious Eminent most high and adored Prince of the Kings of the earth and therefore there 's room and place left for sin and shame to Free-will in the busines of praedeterminating grace that nature can but sigh and sin and Grace sing and be spotlesse and innocent Christ so draweth as we sin in not being drawen Christ so taketh and allureth that it is our guilt that we are not taken and overcome with the smell of the Kings Oyntments So is sin the field out of which springeth the Rose the flower of free and unhired Grace sin must go with us as near to heaven as to the threshold of the gates that the sinner may halt and crook when he moveth his foot on the threshold stone of Glory that so pardoning Grace may enter the new City with us 4. The Lord will have us take to heaven with us a Book of the Psalmes and Praises of Grace that in that land we may extol and advance Free-grace and may hold the Book in our hand all the way and sigh and weep and sing and adore the Saviour of Free-grace and may take Graces bill in our hand into Heaven with us O how sweet to be Graces drowned and over burdened Debtor It s good here to borrow much and professe inability for Eternity to pay that heaven may be a house full of broken men who have borrowed Millions from Christ but can never repay more then to read and sing the praises of Graces free bill and say Glory Glory to the Lamb that sitteth on the Throne for evermore praising for ever in heaven must be in liew of paying debt 1. God is not behinde nor wanting to the gracious soul for there 's a promise of Grace here 2. There is an intercession at hand and that more mighty now then at Christs first ascension and shall be more mighty when all Israel shall be converted There is a stirring required in a gracious spirit but with sense of natures weaknesse so as he is to arise and be doing and the Lord shall be with him and he is so to blow upon the coals as if he could do his alone though not without the Faith of Dependance upon an immediate acting from Heaven Object 3. But then Adam yet sinlesse was to believe weaknesse and sin in himself before he sinned Ans. Not so but he was to have that which by Analogie answereth to sense of sin that is a sinlesse consciousness and solicitude that if God should withdraw his stirring and predeterminating influence of corroborating him to will and to do you may call it Grace he should fall and that legs in Paradice without actuall assistance could not actu secundo bear the bulk and weight of Adams connaturall and constant walking with God that Adam might know before he was a debtor to justice that he had need of mercy or the free goodnesse of a surety such as Jesus Christ to prevent debt no lâ—sse then to pay debt even as Angels are debtors to Christ their head for Redemption from all possible sinnes no lesse then we are though the degrees of altitude of Grace varieth much the obliged underlings of such a bountifull Landlord for Repemption from actuall misery 3. That is a great Faith that is not broken with a Temptation But 1. taketh strength from a Temptation as some run more swiftly after a fall that they may recompence their losse of time and that is great Faith that argueth from a Temptation as this woman doth 2. That is Jobs great Faith chap. 2.3 That he still holdeth fast his integrity the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hazak is to hold with strength and power He keepeth fast and with violence his innocency and Faith maketh him stronger then he was the word is used Psal. 147.13 For making stronger the Bars of Ports And its Jobs praise chap. 1.22 In all this Job sinned not nor charged God with folly 3. It s a strong faith in this Woman that in a manner Conquers Omnipotency by believing yea Satan Winds Fire from Heaven Wife Sabeans yea apprehended wrath cannot prevail with Job to subdue his Faith in all he standeth by this Job 15.13 Though the Lord should slay me I le trust in him It s great Faith to be at holding and drawing with God and yet believe and pray Hos 12.3 Gen. 32.26 And not let the Lord alone nor give him any rest Isa. 62.6 7. till he answer as suppose thy prayers were never heard and the Acts of believing were but Darts thrown at Heaven and the Throne without any effect yet because Prayer and believing are acts of honouring God though they never benefit thee it argueth strong grace and so great Faith that it can be said there be ten years twenty years of reiterated Acts of Faith and prayers of such a man lying up before the Throne yea in Christ the high Priests bosome Let God make of my faith what he will yet am I to believe continued believing is Christs due though it should never be to me gain of comfort or successe that is a weak man who is thrown down on his back with a blast of wind or made to stagger with the cast of a straw or a feather The temporary faith is in this seen to be soft that its broken
a resurrection as the seed and hope of harvest is in rotting and dying grains of Wheat sown in the cold earth as is cleer Psal. 16.9 1 Cor. 15.42 43 44. Much more the relation of mercy remaineth in Christ toward the wrestling deserted and self dead believer Now this smallest measure of Faith may consist 1. With much ignorance of God as it was with the believing Disciples who continued with Christ in his temptations confessed him believed and adhered to him when many went back and departed from him Luk. 22.28 29. Mat. 16.16 17. Joh. 6.66 67 68 69. And yet were ignorant of great points of Faith as of his death Mat. 16.21.22 Of his resurrection Joh. 20.9 2. So there be great faintings and doubtings when a storm ariseth and the soul is a sinking Mat. 8. v. 25 26 27. Mat. 14.3 Yet a little Faith is Faith As touching a fainting Faith it s not alwayes a weak Faith that fainteth strong and healthy bodies may have fevers and deliquies For the causes of fainting are 1. The want of the influence of mercy and of stirring or exciting Grace causeth fainting 2 Cor. 4.1 As we are mercied 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we faint not we degenerate not It is in the bosome of Christ and lieth about the bowels of our mercifull high Priest that keepeth from fainting If our Intercessor pray not we faint Luke 22.32 I have prayed that thy Faith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may not be ecclipsed The moon is in a certain death and soon in an ecclipse So is Faith under fainting 2. Fear of wrath may cause distraction and hanging of minde and uncertainty where there is strong Faith Ps. 88.14.15 Compared with v. 8 9. As apprehensions report of God so are we affected in believing Yet may it be collected from Mat. 10.19 In that hour it shall be given you that Christ holdeth the head of a fainting believer 3. The dependence of Faith will faint when Christ withdraweth love though he inflict no anger The ingenuity of Grace gathereth fear from a cloud though there be no storm 3. A soul dead in himself and that cannot put out Faith in acts for want of light and comfort is a weak Faith A tree in winter is a living tree There may be life where there 's little stirring or motion 4. That Faith that seemed smallest to the man himself is sometime in it self greatest 1. In sad desertions there 's most of Faith and least of sense of Faith Psal. 22.1 2. A suffering Faith may be small to the sufferer Many of the Martyrs in their own sense were in a dead and unbelieving condition Yet Christ is more commended for a suffering-faith then any Heb. 12.1 2 3. In that he did run indure the crosse for the glory that was before him He saw heaven And his Faith went through Hell to be at Heaven There is a high commendation put on the suffering Faith of these who were tryed with hands imprisonment sawn asunder mocked slain with the sword Heb. 11.37 38. Of whom the world was not worthy This is not put upon the active and doing Faith which is put upon the passive Faith nor is so much said of these who by Faith pulled down the walls of Jericho of Gideon Baruch Sampson and such as by Faith subdued Kingdoms The reason is suffering is a losse of being and welbeing These who by doing give away their evil being for Christ and crucifie their lusts for him are dear to him but such as die for Christ they give away both being and welbeing Moses Paul who in a manner were content to go to hel with believing that Gods glory in saving the people of God was to be prefered to their eternal being and well-being behoved to have great Faith 3. The Faith that is weak in regard of intension of degrees may be a great faith in regard of extension the Children of God whose life is the walk of Faith 2 Cor. 5.7 May have but a small measure of Faith Yet it s a constant and well breathed Faith good at the long race that carrieth a soul through In 1. His naturall capacity to believe God will feed him And 2. In his civill relations as a father son servant magistrate 3. In his spirituall condition in the duties of the first table in all which capacities we are to walk by Faith Yea to eat drink sleep to laugh to weep as concerning the ordering of all these Heaven-ward by Faith All the Saints that go to Heaven believing and ordering all these conditions by Faith have not alwayes a Faith as great as Abraham as Moses Weak leggs carry some through the earth many thousand miles A sorry and small vessell in comparison of others may sail about the Globe of the whole earth The wings of a Sparrow or a Dove can carry these little birds through as much Sea and Land as the wings of an Eagle doth carry the Eagle But ere I go from this point I crave leave to adde somewhat of the least and smallest measure of Faith 2. Of the condition of the childe of God under it Touching the former I onely say There is a degree of fire and a coal so small that lesse cannot be the thing remaining Fire having the nature essence and properties of fire And when any is in a deliquium or swoun the man hath life but it is kept in narrow bounds there is breathing onely 2. Some vitall heat 3. Some internall motion in the heart and vitall and animall spirits but no more to prove life almost then the man is a dead corps yet somewhat there is to difference him from dead clay For friends will not bury a sounding man willingly and knowingly So at the lowest condition of the weakest Faith that the believer is in some fire and coal of love and Faith there is and some smoaking though little fire and possibly we cannot give it a name Yet if the just live by Faith there must be some measure of Faith 2. Some smoaking of love to Christ. 3. Some discerning of an ill condition No man on earth in a sleep hath a reflect act to know that he sleepeth no dead corps knoweth it self to be dead Never sleeping man could say nay not Adam in his first sleep when God formed the woman out of a rib of his side Now I am sleeping No man naturally dead can say Now am I dead and I lie amongst the worms and corruption Death maketh no report of death but the believer can say at his lowest condition Cant. 5.1 I sleep but my heart waketh and he who saith Psal. 119. Lord quicken me must say Lord I am dead yet to say Lord quicken me and to feel and know deadnesse are acts of the life of Grace A Saint in this condition may love Christ through half a dream and half sleeping half waking retain honourable thoughts of Christ Job 13.15 Job 19.25 26 27. Some have said in hell they should
chain of thy neck Holines and the image of God is the object of this love not the cause nor any hire it is not so properly love as the other God rather loveth persons desiring well and good to them then things Mr. Denne is not content with this distinction and why The love of Election and the love of Justification saith he are not diverse loves or divers degrees of love but divers manifestations of one and the same infinite love as when a Father hath conveyed an Inheritance to his son here is no new love from the Father to the son but a new manifestation of that love wherewith the Father loved the son before Answ. Men should not take on them to refute they know not what not any Protestant Divines ever taught that there is a new love in God or any new degree of love in God that was not in him before Arminians indeed tell us of new love new desires and of ebbing flowing love and hatred succeeding one to another in Gods minde these Vorstian blasphemies we disclaim it is indeed one and the same simple and holy will of God by which he loved Peter and John from eternity and choosed them to salvation by which he so loveth them in time as of Free-grace he bestoweth on them Faith Holiness Pardon in Christ and followeth these with his love and the former is called his love of good will to their person ere they do good or ill the latter his love of complacency to their State and the Lords new workman-ship in them as with the same love the husband chooseth such a one for his wife and loveth her being now his married Spouse Obj. 2. Men like those whom they love and so doth God Ans. We grant all these termes of Gods good loving and good-liking are chosen of Divines to expresse the thing God loveth and liketh Jacob not Esau from eternity ere he believe or do good but he doth not so love and like Jacob from eternity to bestow Faith and the Image of the second Adam on him while in time he hear the Word and be humbled for sin and the truth is the love of complacency is not a new act of Gods wil that ariseth in God in time but the declaration of Gods love of good wil in this effect that God is pleased to bestow faith his beauty of holinesse which maketh the soul lovely to God and it is rather the effect of eternall love then love And God hath a love of complacency toward the persons of the Elect love of good will though not of chusing good will toward them for their holiness Cant. 4.9 Obj. 3. It is absurd that God should love the Elect vvith infinite love to chuse them to salvation as touching their persons and withall to hate them with an infinite batred as workers of iniquity Answ. It were absurd I grant if Gods hatred to the Elect as sinners were any immanent affection in God opposite to his love by which he should be averse to their persons But Gods hatred to the Elect because they are sinners is nothing but his displicency against sin not against the person so as he is to inflict satisfactory punishment on the surety Christ for their sin A Father may so love his Prodigall Son as to retain a purpose to make him Inheritor of a Kingdom if he had a Crown for himself and to pay his debts and yet both hate and punish his profuse and lavish wasting of his goods Mr. Denne would teach us how love and hatred toward sinners doth consist The Law saith he and the Gospel speak divers things the one being the manifestation of Gods Justice tells us what we are by nature the other the manifestation of Gods mercy tells us what we are by Gods mercy in Jesus Christ. The Law curseth and condemneth the sinner The Gospel blesseth and justifieth the ungodly Ans. What is this else But that which Mr Denne and other Antinomians condemn in us How can one and the same unchangeable God curse condemn and so hate sinners as to punish them eternally and yet blesse justifie and love to eternall salvation their persons except they teach the same very thing which we do For the Law and the Gospel are no more contrary one to another then love to the persons of the Elect and hatred and revenging justice to their sins Mr. Denne would further clear the point thus What ever wrath the Law speeketh it is to the sinner under the Law although the elect are sinners in the judgment of the Law sense reason yea oftentimes conscience yet having their sins translated into the Son of God in whom they are elected they are righteous in Christ the Mediator Ans. The Law speaketh wrath in regard of its reign and dominion to death to the elect not yet converted and to the reprobate without exception of persons but it cannot speak wrath to the believer though he be one that daily sins and is under the Law that is under the rule of the Law now to be under the Law to Paul Rom. 6. and 7. is to be under the damnation of the Law in which regard believers are not under the Law but under the sweet reign of pardoning grace yet are they under the Law as a Tutor a guide a rule and that the rule and reign of the Law are different is evident 1. because the ruling power of the Law is an essentiall ingredient of the Law without the which the Law is not the Law the reign or damnation of the Law agreeth to the Law by accident in so far as man is a sinner which is a state accidental to the law 2. The Law is a rule and hath a proper guidance and tutory over the confirmed Angels and should have had over man if he had never sinned but the Law can have no reign to death over the confirmed Angels and man in that case as the Iayler hath no power over the man who was never an evil doer 1. We are sinners in the judgement of Law both sin dwelling in vs and 2. the guilt of the Law lying on us to condemnation But being once in Christ and justified we remain sinners as touching the indwelling blot but we are not sinners as we are justified in Christ as touching the Law-obligation to eternall condemnation from which we are fully freed But the justified and redeemed of Christ remain as formally and inherently sinners as Milk is formally white a Raven black Justification removeth not the indwelling of sin and so in regard of sense reason and conscience we are sinners to our dying day but not condemned sinners M. Denne objecteth We pray daily forgive us our sins then we are not righteous in Christ he answereth that Protestants say we begge greater certainty and assurance of forgivenesse but not content with this answer he addeth When we pray for forgivenesse we magnifie his grace who hath freely given us
thing then the sense of justification passed for I may know that I am justified by works of Grace as by witnesse yet I am not justified by works Ob. 3. How fear of Hell oâ— the reward of life eternall hath influence in our not sinning and holy walking Obje Obj. Denne Doctrine of Iohn Baptist. p. 43. Christ is so made the sinner in suffering for sin as there remaineth no sin in the sinner once pardoned as Antinomians teach Crispe Ser. vol. 2. Ser. 3. p. 91 92 93. Ser. 4 p. 108 109 Sin so laid on Christ as that it leaveth not off to bee our sinne Pos. 2. The guilt of sin sin in it self are not one and the same thing An inherent sinful blot in sin the debt guilt of sin 2. things in debt as in sin The blot of sinne 2. wayes considered A twofold guilt in sin one of the fault intrisecall another of the punishment and extrinsecall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Reasons why sin and the guilt of sin cannot be the same 3. Pos. Christ not intrinsecally the sinner Imputation of sin no imagination nor lie Reasons proving that Christ was not intrinsecally and formally the sinner What righteousnes of Christ is made ours The believer how Righteous as Christ how not How Christ is to our place How the Debtor and the Surety be one in Law not intrinsecally one A perplexed conscienc is lawfully consistent with a justified sinners condition A conditionall fear of wrath eternal in the justified An absolute fear of Eternall wrath not required in the justified yet sorrow grief trouble of mind for the indwelling of sin is required How the conscience is freed from sin to wit from the Law obligation to actual condemnation but not frâ—m incurring the displeasur of God by breach of a Law if the beleever shall sin I may believe the remission of these same very sinnes which I am to confesse and for which I am to be sorrowfull Eight cases of conscience resolved from the former doctrine How we are to-sorrow for pardoned sins Use. 1. To be justified is a state of happiness most desireable Simile To be justified is a state of solid felicity in regard of the eternall debt of sin The smalest and worst things of Christ are incomparably above the most excellent things on earth What must Christ himself be in excellencie when the worst things of Christ are so desireable The excellencie of Christ farther illustrated The high esteem of Christ in foure grounds Heb. 11.25 Phil. 3.8 Math 9.36 The prevalency of instant Prayer in 8. acts put forth upon God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ex. 32 10. Five things to betreated on concerning Faith 1. There is a preparation going before faith There 's no necessary and intrinsecall connexion between preparations going before faith faith Affections going before conversion and following after defer specificality All are alike unfit for conversion Some nearer conversion then others are Three grounds and motives of believing Glory Christ the hope of glory strong motives to believe 2. Faiths object the marrow of Gods attributs to speak so Faith a Catholicke Grace required in our actions naturall civill as well as spirituall Christianity is a toilsome and operous work 3. The ingredients of Faith 6. in number Faith turneth all our acts which are terminated on the creature to half acts Faith hath five notes of difference in closing with the promise Literall knowledge worketh as a naturall agent The 4. point concerning faith to wit the warants of believing The warrants claim of a sinner why he should believe Gnuphela femininum est intextu est enallage generum The fifth point of false Faith and the use of all Grace essential to Faith Diverse sorts of people who cannot have Faith A great Faith Ingredients of a strong Faith 1. Strong Praying 2. Instant pleading Strength of grace required in beleeving Obj. 1. Christ rewardeth grace with grace Obj. 2. How grace beginneth all superâ—naturall works Foure reasons why Grace in the work of faith must begin and so begin as we are guilty in not following 3. Grace to the saints and on the saints but Glory is on them not to them How there 's a promise of bowing and paaedeterminating grace made to supernaturall acts yet God reserveth his own liberty 1. How 2. When. 3. In what measure he doth co-operat Obj. 3. Grace to Angels necessary to prevent possible sins 3. Not to be broken with a temptation 4. Faith staying on God without light of comfort strong The fewer externals that faith needeth the stronger it is within Comforts are externals to Faith The more of the word the lesse of reason the stronger Faith is 6 A faith that can forego much for Christ iâ— a strong faith 7. It s a strong faith to pray and believe when God seemeth to forbid praying 8. Great boldnesse argueth great faith 9 To rejoice in tribulation is a strong Faith 10. To wait on with long patience is an Argument of a strong faith 11. An humble Faith is a strong Faith 12. A strong desire of a communion argueth a strong Faith Strength of working by love argueth a strong Faith Rise Reign and ruine of Antinomians Er. 32. pag. 6. A great Faith is not free of boubtings Declar. Remonstraâ—t Exerrore abreptione aut obnubilatione mentis Rise Reign and ruine Er. 20. pag. 4. Diverse sorts of doubting opposit to Faith Some doubting a sin and a bad thing in it self yet Per accidens and Ratione subjecti good sign and argueth Grace in the party Diverse sorts of weake faith Negative adherence to Christ not sufficient to saving Faith A suffering Faith a strong Faith Faith weak in regard of intension may bee strong in regard of extension The lowest ebbe of a fainting Faith What of Christ remaineth in the lowest ebbe of a fainting Faith Rise and Reigne Er. 25. A stock of grace is within the regenerate Our grace is not all wholly in Christ subjectively though it bee all from Christ effectively Rise and Reigne Er. 1. The powers of the soul remaine whole in conversion The tendernes of Christs affection and the strength thereof toward sinners Christ strong in morall acts and strongly moderate in acts naturall the contrary of which is in natural men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Arrias Monta. in Margine angustiis affecta Vatabl. abreviata est anima ejus Christs motion of tender mercy as it were naturall Mercy worketh in secret under a bloody dispensation Iudgements on the kingdoms except they repent A rough dispensation consistent with tenderness of love in our Lord. Pro. 1. Free love goeth before our Redemption Den. Ser Grace mercy p. 33.34 Pro. 2. Confesse of the Belgick Armi. Christ loveth the persons of the Elect hateth their sins Pro. 3. A twofold love in God one of good wil to the person another of complaâ—ency to his own image in the person Ib. p. 35. Obj. i. No new love in
gave thee for a Covenant of the people for a light of the Gentiles Isa. 49.8 I will preserve thee and give thee for a Covenant of the people Christ God and man is all the Covenant 1. Because he is given to fulfill the Covenant on both sides 2. He is the Covenant In abstracto he is very Peace and Reconciliation it self Mic. 5. 5. And this man shall be the peace when the Assyrian shall come unto our Land As fire is hot for it self and all things hot for it and by participation so thou art in so far in Covenant with Christ as thou hast any thing of Christ want Christ and want Peace and the Covenant 2. Mal. 3.1 The Lord whom ye seek shall suddenly come to his Temple even the Messenger or Angel of the Covenant whom ye delight in Christ travelleth with tidings between the parties 1. He reporteth of God to us that its his fathers will that we be saved Joh. 6.39 2. Christ reporteth of himself for it setteth Christ to be a Broker for Christ and wisdom to cry in the streets who will have me Prov 1.21 22. Prov. 9.1 2 3 4 5. It became the Lord Jesus to praise himself Joh. 6.48 Joh. 8.12 I am that bread of life I am the light of the world Joh. 10.9 I am the door v. 11. I am the good Shepherd 3. He praiseth his Father Joh. 15. My Father is the good Husband-man 4. He suiteth us in marriage and commendeth his Father and our father in law You marry me dear souls O but my Father is a great person Joh. 14.2 In my Fathers house are many dwelling places 2. He commendeth us to the Father a Messenger making peace will do all this Joh. 17.8 They have received thy words and have known surely that I came out from thee and they have beleeved that thou didst send me 25. O Righteous Father the world have not known thee but I have known thee and these have known that thou hast sent me Ministers cannot speak of Christ and his father as he can do himself O come hear Christ speak of Christ and of his Father and of heaven for for he saw all O sweet beleever Christ giveth thee a good report in heaven the Father and the Son are speaking of thee behinde-backs A good report in Heaven is of much esteem Christ spake more good of thee then thou art all worth He telleth over again Ephraims prayers behinde his back Jer. 30.18 O woe to thee Christ is telling black tidings of thee in Heaven Such a man will not beleeve in me he hateth me and my cause and my people Christ cannot lye of any man 3. Christ is an Eye-witnesse of the Covenant and heard and saw all the whole Covenant was a bloudy act acted upon his person Isa. 55.4 Behold I have given him for a witnesse to the people Rev. 1. 5. The faithfull witnesse Rev. 3.14 The Amen the faithfull and true witnesse The Covenant saith 1. The Son of man came to seek and to save the lost Luke 19.10 Amen saith Christ I can witnesse that to be true 2. Christ dyed and rose again for sinners Amen saith the witnesse Joh. 1.18 I was dead and behold I live for evermore Amen Christ putteth his Seal to that This is a true and faithfull saying That Christ Jesus came into the world to die for sinners I can swear that is true saith Christ. 3. The world shall have an end saith the Covenant and time shal be no more By him that liveth for ever and ever who created heaven and earth saith this Angel-witnesse Rev. 10.6 that is most true Time shall be no more It s a controversie to the world if Eternity be comming Christ endeth the controversie with an oath 4. Christ shall judge the world and all shall bow to me This Amen of God saith that's true Rom. 14.11 For as it is written as I live saith the Lord every knee shall bow to me The Covenant of Works had a promise but because it was 1. Conditionall 2. To be broken and done away it had no oath of God as this hath O doubting soul thou sayest that thy salvation is not sure Why And it s a sworn Article of the Covenant thou hast Christs great Oath on it Alas God loveth not me hast thou the Son thou hast a true Testimony it s not so and Pro. 14.5 A faithfull Witnesse will not lie Christ has cause to remember that thou art saved he beareth the marks of it in his body Athiest thou sayest who knoweth there 's a heaven and hell Why the Witnesse of the Covenant saith I was in both and saw both 4. Heb. 7.22 Christ is the surety of the better Covenant And in this the Father is surety for Christ if he undertake for David and Hezekiah Psal. 119.122 Isa. 38.14 Far more for his own Son God hath given his word for Christ he shall do the work Isa. 52.13 Behold my righteous servant shall deal prudently Isa. 50.9 Behold the Lord God will help me and again the Son is Surety to the Father And the great undertaker that God shall fulfill his part of the Covenant that the Father shall give a Kingdom to his flock Luke 12.32 Joh. 6.37 38 39. 1. Christ as a Surety for us hath payed a ransome for us 2. Giveth a new heart to his fellow-confederats 3. And is ingaged to lose none of them Ioh. 17.12 But raise them up at the last day Joh. 6.39 If we could surrender ouâ— selves to Christs undertaking and get once â— word that he is become good to the Father for us all were well woe to him who is that loose man as he has not Christ under an Act and band of Surety that he shall keep him to the day of God we make loose bargains in the behalf of our souls 5. As Christ standeth between the two Parties he is the great Lord Mediator of the new Covenant Heb. 12.24 1. Substantially our Text calleth him Lord the Son of David by condition of nature he hath something of God as being true God and something of man as sharing with us hence is he Mediator by Office and layeth his hands on both parties As a days man doth Job 9.33 In which he hath a threefold relation 1. Of a friend to both he hath Gods heart for man to be gracious and satisfie mercy and a mans heart for God to satisfie justice 2. Of a reconciler to make two one to bring down God to a Treaty of Peace to take him off Law and high demands of Law which sought personall satisfaction of us and in his body to bring us up to God by a ransome payed and by giving us faith to draw near to his Father so he may say Sister and Spouse come up now to my Father and your Father to my God and your God and Father come down to my Brethren my kindred and flesh 3. He is a
by his efficacious Grace to will and to do as he hath promised Phil. 2.13 Ezek. 36.26.27 and the regenerate cannot sin at all because its the Lords fault God avert blasphemy that we sin for for without his giving of a new heart and his efficacious moving us to walk in his way to which God is tyed by Covenant Ezek. 36.27 Deut. 30.6 We cannot chuse but sin hence they teach we are not obliged to pray nor do we sin in not beleeving in not praying when the breath of the wind of the Holy Ghost doth not blow and act us to those holy duties Hence also it is taught That none are exhorted to beleeve but such whom we know to be the elect of God or to have his spirit in them effectually working Obj. 3. To do any thing in conscience to a commandement is to be under the Law and contrary to the Covenant of Grace ib. Er. 33. Ans. The Law of Grace or Gospel hath Commandements as Rom. 6.12 Let not sin raign therefore in your mortall bodies And this is backed with a reason taken from the promise of Grace v. 14. For sin shall not have dominion over you for you are not under the Law but under Grace so Phil. 2.12 Work out c. for vers 13. It s God who worketh in you Though we have no Physicall dominion over the assisting grace of God so as I can forceably command the winde of the Spirit to blow when I please yet have we a certain Morall Dominion by vertue of an Evangelick promise so as faith is to have influence in all acts of sanctification to look to the promise of assistance which he who cannot lie hath promised though he be not tied to my time and manner of working yet do I sin in not praying and in not believing even when his wind bloweth not Gods liberty and freedom of grace doth not destroy the Law of either works or grace and free me from a duty Object 4. Beleeving and obedience of Faith is but a consequent of the Covenant not an antecedent so I must beleeve upon other grounds but not in way of the condition of the Covenant for in that tenour I am to do nothing Ans. The Apostle Rom. 10. Expresly distinguisheth between the righteousnesse of the Law vers 5. Which requireth doing as a condition and the righteousnesse of faith ver 6. Which requireth believing ver 10. and Gal. 5.5 We through the spirit wait for the hope of righteousnesse through Faith nor can any have claim to the Covenant but such as beleeve Object 5. The covenant is Gods love to man to take him to himself and that before the children do good or ill and to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace but of debt Ans. The covenant is a fruit and effect of Gods love but it is not formally Gods love for because God loved Israel therefore did he enter in covenant with them Deut. 7.7 8. Ezech. 16.8 and Arminians expound that of Iacobs imbracing of the covenant by Faith and of Esaus rejecting of it through unbelief Whereas Paul speaketh of Iacob and Esau as they lay stated in the eye and view of God from eternity ere they were borne and had as yet neither done good nor ill Now the covenant of Grace or Gospel manifested to Iacob and Esau is not eternall but proposed to them after they are borne and when the offer of Christ in the Gospel is made and how could Esau ere he was born refuse the Gospel except you say he did evil before he did evil which is non-sense 2. Paul saith plainly To him that believeth is the work reckoned Object 6. Our act of believing is a work and no work can be a condition of the covenant of Grace yea Christ alone justifieth faith is not Christ nor any partner with him in the worke yea we are justified before we believe and Faith only serveth for the manifestation of justification to our conscience for we believe no lie when we believe we are justified but a truth then it must be true that we are justified before we believe Ans. 1. Christ alone as the meritorious cause justifieth and his imputed righteousnesse as the formall cause and this way Christ alone justifieth the Patriarchs Prophets Apostles and all believers ere they be born but this is but the fountain ready to wash but believe it Christ washeth not while we be foul he clotheth us not while we be naked he giveth not eye-salve while we be blinde nor gold while we be poor nor is his name our righteousnesse while we be sinners 1. Men not born cannot be the object of actuall righteousnesse the unborn childe needeth no actual application of Christs eye-salve of his gold and righteousnesse now justification is a real favour applyed to us in time just as sanctification in the new birth 1 Cor. 6.11 And such were some of you but ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified then they were sometimes not washed 2. Poverty putteth beauty worth and a high price on Christ sense of sin saith O what can I give for precious Iesus Christ But his Father cannot sell him 2. Yet is Faith a palsie hand under Christ to receive him Ioh. 1.11 It s an Evangelick act and not a meer passion but of grace deputed to be a receiver a certain Inne keeper to lodge Christ and so Christ his alone doth not justiâ—ie us being meer Patients this is not to put Faith in the chair and Throne of Estate with Christ Faith giveth glory to Christ and taketh Grace as an almes but taketh no glory from him Rom. 4.20 But he was strong in the Faith giving glory to God We cannot be justified before we believe 1. We are damned before we believe he that believeth not is condemned already Iohn 3.2 He that is justified is glorified Rom. 8.30 and saved Mar. 16.16 3. We are borne and by nature the sons of wrath Ephes. 2.2 We our selves were sometime disobedient c. But he hath saved us v. 7. That being justified by his Grace we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternall life Rom. 7. Paul maketh clearly two different times and States of the Saints on v. 5. When we were in the flesh and the motions of sins which were by the Law did work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death then our first husband the law was living and we under a mother and father that begat children to death and so we were justified v. 6. But now we are delivered from the Law and Rom. 6.14 Yea are not under the Law but under Grace when Christ our second husband marrieth the widow freed from her first husband the Law then are we under grace and justified and then new Lord new Law 4. By Faith we are only united to Christ possessed of him Christ dwelling in us Ephes. 3.17 Living in me by Faith Joh 11.26 Gal.
they are unrenewed are strangers to inward conflicts of souls praying and not answered of God the fainting and swooning Church Cant. 5.6 7. is pained O dear watch men saw you my Husband Heavy was her spirit but what then v. 7. The watch-men that went about the City found me they smote me they wounded me the keepers of the walls took away my vail from me in stead of binding up her wounds they returned her buffets and pulled her hair down about her ears And the daughters of Ierusalem say to the sick sighing Church pained for the want of her Lord v. 9. What is thy beloved more then another beloved c. Whereof is thy Christ made of Gold or is thy beloved more precious then all beloveds in the world Troubled Hannah grieved in spirit to Eli is a drunken woman The Angels finde Mary Magdalen weeping they leave her weeping they give her a doctrinall comfort Woman why weepest thou he is not here he is risen again 1. If a string in the conscience be broken the Apostles that were with Magdalen cannot tye a knot on it again If there be a rent in the heart so as the two sides of the soul of the woman rent asunder she poor woman still weepeth O why speake you O Angels to comfort me they have taken away my Lord. Angels what are you to me And indeed they cannot sew up the womans rented heart This is the Lords Prerogative Esa. 57.19 I create the fruit of the lips peace I know no Creator but one and I knowÌ„ no Peace-Creator but one Peace of conscience is Grace Grace is made of pure nothing and not made of nature Pastors may speak of peace but God speaketh peace to his people Ps. 85.8 2. There be some acts of nature in which men have no hand to bring Bread out of the earth and Vines men have a hand but in raising Winds in giving Rain neither Kings Armies of men nor acts of Parliament have any influence The tempering of the wheeles and motions of a distempered conscience is so high and supernaturall a work that Christ behoved to have the Spirit of the Lord on him above his fellowes and must be sent with a special Commission to apply the sweet hands the soft mercifull fingers of the Mediator with the art of Heaven Esa. 61.1 That I saith he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 should as a Chyrurgian bind up with splints and bands the broken in heart and comfort the mourners in Sion There must 3. be some immediate action of Omnipotency especially when he sets a Hoast of terrors in battle array against the soul as is evident in Saul in Iob c. 16.13 His Archers compasse me round about that is no lesse then the soul is like a man beset by enemies round about so as there is no help in the creature but he must die in the midst of them Job 6.4 The terrors of God do set themselves in array against me only the Lord of Hoasts by an immediate action raiseth these souldiers the terrors of God he only can calme them What wonder then that Ministers the Word Comforts Promises Angels Prophets Apostles cannot bind up a broken heart friends cannot while a good word come from God It s easie for us on the shore to cry to those tossed in the sea between death and life Saile thus and thus it s nothing to speak good words to the sick yet Angels have not skill of experience in this the afflicted in minde are like infants that cannot tell their disease they apprehend Hell and its real hel to them Many Ministers are but Horse physitians in this disease wine and musick are vain remedies there is need of a Creator of peace she is frantick say they and it s but a fit of a naturall melancholy and distraction The Disciples are Physitians of no value to a soul crying and not heard of Christ. Oh Moses is a meek man David a sweet singer Job and his experience profitable the Apostles Gods Instruments the Virgin Mary is full of grace the glorified desire the Church to be delivered but they are all nothing to Jesus Christ there is more in a piece of a corner of Christs heart to speak so then in Millions of worlds of Angels and created comforts when the conscience hath gotten a back-throw with the hand of the Almighty 24. But he answered and said I am not sent but for the lost sheep of the house of Israel In this answer two things are to be observed 1. The temptation coming from Christ denying he had any thing to do with this woman I am not sent for her 2. The matter of the temptation containing Christs 1. sending 2. to whom To the house of Israel 3. Under what notion The sheep of the house of Israel 4. what sort of sheep The lost sheep In the temptation consider 1. who tempteth 2. the nature of the temptation for the former It s Christ who tempteth Hence these Positions 1. Pos. God tempeth no man to sin Jam. 1.13 Let no man say when he is tempted I am tempted of God for God cannot be tempted neither tempteth he any 14. But every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust God doth try rather then tempt 1. God cannot command sin 2. He cannot actuate the crooked faculties to sin as he that spurreth a Horse putteth the horse to actuall motion But the dislocated legge of the horse putteth in act the halting power of the horse 3. He cannot infuse sinfull habits which are as weights of Iron and Lead to incline the soul to sin 4. He cannot approve sin Satan never tempteth but upon practicall knowledge either that the wheels may run down the mount as he tempted Eve and upon that false perswasion tempted Christ to sin or then he knoweth sin hath oyled the wheels and inclinations and so casteth in Fire-brands knowing that there 's powder and fire-wood within us in our concupisence he should not offer to be a Father to the brood of Hell if he knew not that a seed and mother were within us except Christ by grace cast water on our lâ—sts and coole the furnace wee conceive flames easily 2. Pos. Neither Devils nor men nor our heart may without sin tempt or try the creature by putting it to do that which may prove sin upon any intention to try whether that creature shall obey God or not Had Abraham cooÌ„manded Isaac to kil Iacob his son to try whither Isaac loved God or no it had been a sinful tempting of him A creature cannot put his fellow-creatur upon the margin border of death such as all sin is to try if the creature hath a good head that cannot be giddy God may try duties by events He is the Potter we the Clay but clay is limited to try events upon clay by duties only and not by events duties 3. Pos. Wanton and vain reason would say Why did the
It beleeveth Heaven and worketh Heaven 2. We often go on imagining that we are in a way of back-sliding deserted souls not conscious of the reflect acts of beleeving and longing for Christ think themselves Apostates when they are advancing in their way In great water-works where there be a great multitude of wheels the standing of some five or six is the advancing of the work in other twenty or forty wheels In desertion some wheels are at a stand and move not as often acts of feeling joy self-delight in the actuall beholding of Christ are at a stand and then it s thus I said I am cast out of his sight yet other wheels are moving as 1. Humble and base thoughts of himself 2. Broad and large thoughts of Christ and his grace 3. Hunger and longing for Christ. 4. Self diffidence is much 5. Care and love-sicknesse Saw you him whom my soul loveth is vehement 6. Sense of sin and of wants and spirituall poverty increaseth now 7. Sense of the misery of the combate is much more then before O miserable man that I am c. 8. Believing under hope and against hope is strongest now 9. There 's more tendernesse and humble fear now then before 10. A stronger resolution to entertain Christ more kindly when he shal return again in his fulnesse of presence 11. Sorrow that remembring he said My head is full of dew and my locks with the drops of the night Cant. 5.6 Yet the sleeping soul kept him at the door We are to adore that Dispensation who will have us not stepping one foot to Heaven but upon Grace and upon Graces charges he could make Saints to be sinlesse Angels But what haste We should then not yet being habituated with glory nor confirmed in Heaven think little of Christ. If we be so dependent on Christ we have not ended with all Law directions the Law standeth us yet in good use I mean when Christ hath made us and the Law friends and hath removed the curse and made the Beleever say O how love I thy Law Obj. Can you saith M. Toun separate the directing or commanding power of the Law from the condemning power of the Law can the Law speak to any but to those who are under the Law Is it Law at all if it condemn not Ans. Actuall condemnation may well be separated from the Law as a Lyon is a Lyon and yet being chained cannot actually devour To condemn may well be removed from the Law it could not condemn Adam before sin entred in the world it cannot condemne the Holy Elect and sinlesse Angels yet it had and hath a commanding and obliging power to command and direct both to condemn is accidentall to the Law as the state of sin is accidentall to man 2. The Law may speak by way of direction to Believers but cannot speak to them by way of actuall condemnation because Christ hath removed the curse Obj. 2. Holinesse and walking in the way of holinesse contributeth not one jot to Salvation as causes or as the way thereto Christ hath done that perfectly Ans. I pray you consider three things here 1. The Will of Gad to save yea and to justifie the ungodly 2. Ius the Law right to righteousnesse and salvation 3. Actuall salvation Christs merits are neither cause nor motive nor condition moving God to will to choose or ordain persons for glory this is an act of eternall election to glory which is not from Christs merits nor doth any externall work or condition either good or evill in Iacob or Esau or in the surety Christ move God to such an act of free libertie Libertines are ignorant in so speaking yea faith is no condition cause or motive of such a will 2. Christs merits not faith not holinesse in us must be the cause of our Law-right to righteousnesse and glory Christ his alone gave the price of Redemption for us no Garments were rolled in blood for a patent and right to Heaven but his only his alone trode the Wine-presse of Gods Wrath in those two notions works of holinesse have no footing in the work But 3. as touching actuall salvation the way to it is holinesse without which none can see God It s expresly commanded Be ye holy as I am holy 1 Pet. 1.19 20. and Rom. 6.21 But being now made free from sin and become servants to God ye have your fruit into holinesse and the end life everlasting 2 Pet. 1.10 If ye doe these things ye shall never fall for so an entrance shal be ministred unto you abundantly unto the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Rev. 2.7 To him that overcometh I will give to eat of the Tree of life which is in the midst of the Paradice of God Rev. 3.21 To him that overcometh wil I grant to sit with me in my Throne even as I also overcame and am set downe with my father on his Throne They answer overcoming is by faith But I reply Faith to Libertines is but a believing that Christ hath overcome in their person and place for faith is no more to them a condition or way to salvation then good works for Faith say they is not Christ Christ only is the way to Heaven but this were a vain promise if overcoming were not 1. A duty required of us in time upon the performance whereof we have an entrance made to life eternall 2. If overcoming be but only believing and so an act of the soul only those to whom the promise is made are to do no more but believe Christ hath overcome the persecuting world for them and yield and in profession deny the Faith and accept of conditions of life and so be foyled and yet claim right to the promise contrary to the intent of Christ Rev. 2.13 who commendeth Pergamus for not denying the Faith Now in all this as the walking in the way to a fair Palace to dwell in it in honour and happinesse cannot be the price the ransome the sum given to buy right to that place and to the honour and happinesse thereof so neither can our walking in the way to glory bee the price of glory Obj. 3. But we are saved by Christs merits before we can do any good works then good works cometh not to perfect and make up salvation Ans. So are we in regard of right of purchase saved before we beleeve yet that hindereth not but faith is a way to salvation 2. This concludeth that good works are no cause or way or meane of obtaining the right jus of purchase to Redemption which we yeeld but not that we are actually saved without walking in the way called the way of holines which the uncleane shall not passe over Esa. 35.8 Obj. 4. We are to do good works from the principle of the love of Christ constraining us not from the Law commanding or directing us Ans. 1. These are no way contrary the
double Notion of justification as D. Abbot teacheth us There is a universall and propâ—â—â—y so called justification There is a partiall and unproperly so called justification or give me leave to say There is a justification of the person of the estate or a justification repeated or rather a reiterated remission I doubt if it be called a justification The former justification doth include 1. The Act of Atonement made by Christ on the Crosse for all the sins of all the Elect of God past present and to come this Act is not tyed to believing nor are we properly justified in regard of this Act. But 2. There is a justification formall of which Paul speaketh Rom. 3. and 4. and Gal. 3 4 and 5. Chapters which goeth along in order of cause time and a required condition of apprehending Christs righteousnesse and this justification of the person while he believeth is but once done and that when the believer doth first lay hold on Christ and righteousnesse imputed in his blood There is 3. A remission and taking away of sin Now according to these are we to consider of doing away sin in a threefold Notion for though justification essentially include remission and pardon of sin yet every remission doth not include justification properly so called Asser. 2. This threefold taking away of sins I clear from the Scripture 1. Christ taketh away our sins on the Crosse causatively and by way of merit while as he suffereth for our sins on the Crosse So Joh. 1.29 Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world 1 Cor. 5.21 He was made sin for us Col. 2.14 Christ blotted out the hand-writing of Ordinances that was against us which was contrary to us and took it out of the way nailing it to the Crosse. 1 Pet. 2.24 Who his own self bare our sins on the tree Isa. 53.10 He made his soul an offering for sin This Atonement of blood was typified in Aaaron who Lev. 16.20 21. was to lay both his hands on the head of the Live-goat and to confesse the sins of the people and did translate them off from the people so as the Goat was to bear upon him all their iniquities unto a land not inhabited v. 22. Now this was the paying of a ransome for us and a legall translation of the eternall punishment of our sins but it is not justification nor ever called justification there is a sort of imputation of sin to Christ here and a summe paid for me but with leave no formall imputation no forinsecall and no personall Law-reckoning to me who am not yet born far lesse cited before a Tribunall and absolved from sin when Christ had compleatly paid this summe Christ was justified Legally as a publike person and all his seed fundamentally meritoriously causatively but not in their persons There is a second removall of sin and that is when the beleever is justified by faith Paul Rom. 4.6 Even as David saith he also describeth the blessednesse of the man unto whom God imputeth righteousnesse without works 7. saying Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered 8. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth no sin This is the blessednesse of a man born living beleeving Now we say unproperly the heirs of a King not born are blessed Non entis nulla sunt accidentia So if Christs removall of sins on the Crosse were justification all Christs seed and we believers of the Gentiles who were not then born when Christ died should be blessed and justified before we be born Now in this which is formally the justification of the believing sinner the believers person is accepted reconciled justified and really translated by a Law-change from one state to another I mean not that there is a Physicall infusion of a new habit of sanctification and an expulsion of an old habit as Papists teach confounding regeneration or sanctification with justification But there is a reall change of the state of the person 1 Cor. 6.11 And such were some of you but ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified c. then they were sometime not justified 2. There is here a reall removall of all sins and a pardon and relaxation from the eternall punishment of all sins as well of sins to come and not yet committed as of sins past present and already committed so as sins not yet committed shall no more involve the believer in the punishment of eternall wrath then sins past or present Yet 3. the sins not committed though virtually pardoned with correction and submission are not formally pardoned that which is not sin at all but only in a naked potency it must be pardoned only in that notion that it is a sin and not first formally remitted and then afterward committed yet it is paid for and the person freed from all actuall condemnation for it but with all conditionally and virtually so he believe in Christ and renew his repentance which graces God shall infallibly give him because the calling and gifts of God are without repentance And of this third removall of sin is that Petition that Christ hath taught justified persons to ask of God Forgive us our sins as we forgive them that sin against us And Nathan saith to David 2 Sam. 12.13 The Lord also hath put away thy sin thou shalt not die David before he contracted this horrible guilt of murther and adultery was a man according to Gods own heart and so his person was justified this way God daily taketh away sin Rom. 1.17 For therein is the righteousnesse of God revealed from faith to faith as it is written the just shall live by faith Now the life of faith justifying is not one single act of faith such as is at ouâ— first personall relative and universall absolution but the believer liveth by renewed and often repeated acts of faith such as is To walk from faith to faith The least faith even the Minimum quod sic doth justifie but the Gospel requireth a growth in faith In this sense remission is a continued and one prorogated act of free grace from our first moment of believing to the day of putting the crown on our head If any object that I am contrary to my self in that I sometimes did write that justification is a plenary Pardon in one indivisible act of all sins past present and to come and therefore sin cannot be oftner then once Pardoned If I should answer that the knowledge we have especially in so supernaturall a mystery is but the twilight or the day-Stars glimmering of sinfull men it might suffice but I judge that I speak nothing contrary to that Asser. 3. For two formall justifications of a Beleever I utterly deny which is that which Arminians presse not a little yea and the justification of the person and his acceptance in Gods favour is but one act I never fall from that acceptance
nature 2. And the light of Faith is to moderate us in eating drinking sleeping according to Christian sobriety in the measure of the action 3. Faith teacheth us not to eat that we may eat or for an naturall or civill end Grace hightneth the naturall intention to a supernaturall end and to do all these for God and his service 1 Cor. 10.31 And whatsoever we do though but civil service as servants to earthly masters in a civill calling in trading in arts we are to do all as to the Lord not unto men Col. 3.23 Then Christ acting moving by the light of Faith is the formal reason and principle in which lastly and formally ultimate all our actions are resolved 2. Look of how much worth and price thy soul is of as great necessity is Faith except thou wouldst look for the Gospel-vengeance the day or the ages of Eternall vengeance at Christs appearance 2 Thes. 1.8 Isa. 61.2 Ioh. 3.18.36 chap. 8.24 But if it be so that Faith is required in all that I do the businesse of Salvation may some say is hard and difficill work Where shall I have Faith for every stirring of my foot I Answer as all our actions except where Imagination is Principle of the act must be deliberate and so the actions of a rational man so must they be morall now there is no morality in a man who is a citizen of the Church but the morality of faith for its a duty laid upon every one within the visible Church that all his actions morall be watred and lustered with Faith And the truth is the work of our salvation being compared to sailing Heb. 6.19 and to fighting 2 Tim. 4.7 2 Tim. 2.3 4. It s very like a ship which requireth many hands and much attentive carefulness in the owner and sailors Now the Mast is hurt then somewhat wanting in the Deck now the Helm is faulty then the Cords are to be repaired or the Anchor is broken or she taketh in under-water or the Sail is torn or the motion slow There 's charges to the owner and much work to all hands and how many things are required to a huge body of an Army So many thousand men must be lyable to so many thousand wants Some are sick some wounded some a dying some hungry some naked some fall off the Army and are catched by the enemy some be faint some too bold and precipitate yea Armour Houses Bread Drink Fire Tents Physitions Workmen Mattocks Spades Bridges Lathers Horses Engines of War Art and Skill Medicine Councell Courage Intelligence and a thousand things of this kinde are requisite And seldome is an Army but there be some one inconvenient or other in this needy and cumbersome huge body And when is the businesse of Salvation not at a stand one way or other Is there not either on piece or other the shield of Faith or the Anchor of Hope or the Brestplate of righteousnes or some the like broken or faulty Is not our guide who hath seven eyes ten times a day cumbered with us Must not Christ soader our broken Weapons Sow our torn sails Repair one breach or other in us In a thousand the like Faith is to improve the Free-grace the omnipotence the unchangeable love of Christ to promove his own work and to work in us to will and to do according to his good pleasure Phil. 2.13 Now for the ingredients of Faith 1. There be in us 2 Cor. 10.5 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Great Forts raised against the light of Faith These natural discourses in the mind that are great works and heights strong holds builded against Christ. The prime faculty reason the discoursive power 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that thinketh she hath wit enough against Christ and to keep the man out of all danger of eternall salvation over toppeth and out-groweth all Gospel-truths Christ must over-power carnall fate rank and heady souldiers called thoughts every thought 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and so kill some that will not be taken and led captive other thoughts to the obedience of Faith Reason is a predominant bone in it self The carnall minde neither will noâ— can keep rank as an obedient souldier under the Law of God Rom. 8.7 It s much for fine silken and golden reason to say to Christ Lord Prov 30.2 There 's more of a beast in me then of a man I have not the understanding of a man The learned the schoolmen seldome beleeve except gray haired wit turn a childe and go to school again to learn from Christ the new art of beleeving for there was never an act of unbeleef in any but it grew out of this proud and rank stalke of a lofty wit Therefore Christ breaks out a new window in the soul and brings in a new sun that flesh and blood never saw nor heard of before Mat. 16.17 2. Faith hath low and creeping affections to the creature But when the affections are big with childe of the creature as 1. They are strained and swelled in their acts Faith is no faith but a delusion the rich man speaketh with all his heart and with good will of his full barns and its clear he had neither Faith nor Hope toward eternity Luke 12. v. 19.20 For every word being as we say of the length of a cubit a foot and a half Luke 12.18 He casteth forth words of pulling down building greater houses and scraping in all his goods are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 my goods all my births and bowels and all my good things For he had no other good things and there 's no apostrophe in the words he speaketh them with their full sound and we speak with good will these things that we tell to our soul. Faith hath but half words and half affections â—â—â—ching the world half acts or broken acts in 〈◊〉 affections closing with the creature smell 〈◊〉 a Faith with child of â—â—ernity to make the excellency of the creature a matter of meer opinion to reckon the worlds witchcrafts of lust gain glory but uncertain and topick arguments to conclude a God-head and a golden heaven in the creature is the height of the wisdom of Faith So Paul Gal. 2.20 I am crucified with Christ. O then may some say Paul you are a dead man He saith no. Neverthelesse I live but I live the life of Faith For Christ liveth in me All his motions toward the creature were half dead like the vitall motions of a crucified man half out of the world and his acts of Faith were lively and vitall and high tuned like the highest note in the musick song Faith cannot break and violently rent in sunder the two sides of the affections with too violent and intense acts of love joy fear desire sorrow as these are terminated upon the creature It s true Faith clippeth nothing from the outmost and most superlative pitch of the love of God of desire fear sorrow joy as they act upon God but addeth wind
love Christ. This truth is in it that in such a pain and sad condition of suffering as the damned are in sin despair or Gods hating of them excepted Saints can believe and love Christ Psal. 22.1 at least desire to have leave to love Christ for the evill of sinne may the evill of punishment cannot quench the love of Christ which is stronger then death then hell Cant. 8.6 7. The soul at the lowest condition is like the man who hath ingaged his lands for so great a sum as may be a Just price to buy the land and so in effect he hath sold the land but with a reversion he keepeth the reversion and so by Law within such a time he may redeem his morgaged inheritance The weakest of believers at his lowest ebbe keepeth the reversion of Christ He may by some grievous sinne be under such a terrible desertion as to put the inheritance of Heaven to a too great hazard of being lost and in appearance and in his own sense and in the sense of many all is gone yet then to say nothing of the invisible chain of Gods unchangeable decree of Election which the strongest armes of Devils and Hell cannot break there is fire under the embers sap and life in the root of the Oak tree God saith of the bud of this Vine tree though the man neither see nor hear it destroy it not for there is a blessing in it As touching the second The Question may be What remaineth for him in this condition to know his condition or what can he do I answer 1. When Christ hath left his bed and is gone he is to keep warm the seat that Christ was in I do not say that the Church Cant. 5.6 was at the lowest ebbe yet a desertion there was and a sad one But in this condition she openeth her heart to Christ I rose up to open to my beloved 2. vers 5. There be some droppings of Myrrhe from her hands some sense of Christ. 3. I called him but he answered me not there remaineth a faculty of praying 4. A love-sicknesse hence it is evident in the lowest and ebbest condition of a fainting faith there is something answerable to this and this is to love the smell of Christ that he hath left behinde him when he himself is gone it is to desire to behold with love and longing the print of his feet the chair of love that he sate in hence though you feel no work of sanctification his seat is kept by some spirituall meditations as to consider what a kinde of love it is that Christ hath bestowed on sinners for that he loved his own before he died for them his love being the cause why he died for them and still after the purchased Redemption he loveth them and intercedeth for them up at the right hand of God and this is as much as to say Christ hath loved you and repenteth not of his love love made him die for you and if it were to do again he would die over again for you Rom. 8.33 34. 1 Tim. 3.16 And suppose we that there were need that CHRIST should die twice or foure times or an hundred or millions of times and that he had ten thousand millions of lives and that our sins should have required that he should first die for one believer and then die again the second time for another and then the third time for another and so that hee must for every severall Elect person have died a severall death Love love should have put him upon all these deaths willingly and therefore if the beleever had ten loves as many loves in one as there be Elected men and Angels all had been too little for Christ and when the believer hath been serving and praising up in the highest Temple as many millions of ages of years or a tract of Eternity answerable to that duration of ages as the number of the sand on all the coasts in earth of all the stars in Heaven of all the flowers hearbs plants leaves of trees that hath been or shall be from the Creation of God to the taking down of the workmanship of Heaven and earth yet shal he be as much in Christs debt for this infinit love when that time is ended as when he first opened his mouth in the first breathing out of praises in the state of glory 2 He may turn over in his minde all the promises and the literall revolution of them in the minde though it be but a deed or act of the understanding and memory may cast fire on the affections in which there resideth a habit of grace though there be no fire in the bellows yet blowing with the bellows may waken up and kindle fire in the hearth where there is little The habit of grace is often as sparks of fire on the hearth under the ashes and may be kindled up and made a fire 3. When Faith is weakest and the soul under a winter and a dead eclipse its fit to keep the heart in a passive frame of receiving of him again as to sorrow for sin and to put to door unrepented sins as when the King goeth abroad sweep the Chamber for his return Missing of Christ longing for his return inquisition for him Watchmen saw ye him Love-sicknesse for him putteth the soul in a sweet passive capacity to receive him again Cant. 3.1 2 3 4 5. 4. When the Church is in bed sleeping yet she is charged to open Cant. 5.2 to weep at the noise of Christs knock when you cannot rise is somewhat a prisoner may stir his legs and cause the iron fetters tinckle though he cannot get out there is some strength when we are bidden Heb. 12.12 Lift up the hands that hang down and the feeble knees Motion will make fire 5. Especially Christ sleepeth least when his childe is in a high feaver Love watcheth then most at the bed side SERMON XXIV THY Faith Faith is so Christs as the fountain and the cause that it is ours as agents moved and acted by Christ. Hence it s a foul errour to say that there 's no inherent Rightoousness in the Saints and no graces in the souls of believers but in Christ only There 's water even the spirit powred on the dry ground Isa. 44.3 Gods spirit put within us Eze. 36.26 27. The spirit of grace and of supplication powred on the house of David Zach. 12.10 A well within the saints springing up to life everlasting Joh. 4.14 The Father and the Son through the operation of Grace take up house in them Jo. 14.23 Such a new stock and plant of Heaven set in them as they have the Anointing dwelling in them 1 Joh. 2.27 The seed of God abiding in them 1 Joh. 3.9 Vnfained faith dwelling in Timothy 2 Tim. 1.5 Grace in them as fire under ashes 2 Tim. 1.6 And a new Divine nature 2 Pet. 1.4 An inward man 2 Cor. 4.16 Col. 1.27 Christ in
forgivenesse it were not folly to a condemned person having receied a pardon and being assured of it to fall down and say Pardon me my Lord the King Ans. What Protestant Divines say in this we acknowledge but if we seek only a fuller certainty of forgivenesse in this Petition and not also the application of the generall pardon as appropriated to the sins we daily fall in I see no other thing we seek but a greater measure of faith to lay hold on remission I should ask a warrant of Scripture to prove that forgiveness of sin signifieth assurance of the pardon of sin 2. That to seek forgivenes daily is to glorifie and magnifie him from whom we once received forgivenesse is not to purpose for that is a generall in all Petitions that we put up to God no lesse then in this 3. If a pardoned malefactor having assurance he were pardoned should fall down and begge pardon of the King and not rather tender him thanks and blessings for a received pardon I should believe he called in question the Kings favour but should he every day when he eateth bread beg pardon from the King as we beg daily forgivenesse he might be charged with more then ordinary folly M. Denne God loves us in blood saith he and pollution as well before conversion as after conversion and though faith procure not Gods love and favour yet it serveth us for other uses that we may be sealed by believing Eph. 1.13 and may thereby know the love of God It is said he that believeth not is damned not because his believing doth alter or change his estate before God but because God hath promised that he will not only give us remission but also faith for our consolation and so faith becometh a note and a mark of life everlasting as finall infidelity is of eternall condemnation Ans. 1. It is true God loveth the elect before conversion equally as after conversion in regard of that free love of election that moved him to give his Son to death for them Joh. 3.16 and to call them effectually 2 Tim. 1.9 Eph. 2.1 2 3 4. Tit. 3.3 4. 4. Propos. It is a palpable untruth that the elect by believing in Christ and being translated from death to life in their conversion to God are equally loved of God before conversion as after conversion if we speak of Gods love of complacency for though the inward affection and love of God as it is an immanent and indwelling act in God be eternall and have not its rise in time and be not like the love of man to man which is like the Sea ebbing and flowing or the Moon which admitteth of a cloudy and dark visage and of an enlighted and full condition yet as the same love of God is terminated upon sinfull men or rather that which is called the love of complacency which is indeed the effect of Gods love it is not every way one and the same after conversion and before as it is the same fountain and spring that runneth in its streams toward the South which by Art and industry of men may be made to run toward the North the change is in the streams not in the fountain yet we say the fountain now runneth not Southward as it did afore but Northward also give me leave to doubt if these same very visible Sun beams that did fall upon Adam and Eve doth this Summer fall upon us yet I doubt not but the same Sun that did shine the first six hours of the Creation on the Garden of Paradice shineth upon all our gardens and orchards that now are So Gods love is one the same toward the elect before time and while they are wallowing in the state of sinfull and depraved nature and now when they are changed in the spirits of their mind But it may well be said that God loveth his Church as washed as fair and spotlesse Cant. 4.7 and that he doth now say of her Cant. 4.10 How fair is thy love my sister my Spouse how much better is thy love then wine and the smell of thine ointments then all spices whereas the Lord said before of her Eze. 16.3 Thy birth and thy nativity is of the Land of Canaan thy father was an Amorite thy mother an Hittite 4. As for thy nativity in the day that thou wast born thy Naevell was not cut neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee thou wast not salted at all nor swadled at all 6. And when I possed by thee and saw thee polluted in thy blood I said unto thee when thou wast in thy blood live and all this the Lord might speak to the same Church yet unconverted and at that time the Lord could not utter that expression of love to say to a bloudy and polluted Church as he doth Can. 4.7 Thou art all fair my love there is not a spot in thee now could it be said that the Father and the son loveth such a Church as such as loveth the Father and keepeth the words of the Son as it is Ioh. 14.21.23 what the Church was not fair not spotlesse but filthy polluted not washed not justified as yet and though it be true that faith procure not Gods love and favour it is a calumnie that ever Protestant Divine taught any such thing for the work of Gods eternall love in election to Glory or his hatred in reprobation is not the yesterday or the daies-birth of our faith or our unbelief yet that believing or our effectual conversion maketh no alteration or change in our state before God is a grosse untruth Faith and conversion maketh indeed No change of any state in the ancient of days in the strength of Israel who cannot lie or repent and putteth not God from the State of a Reprobating or hating or a not loving and choosing God whereas before he was such who did love and chuse us to salvation the Lord is our witnesse we asserted the contrary doctrine of Free-grace against Arminians and Papists 5. Prop. Our believing and conversion to God doth alter and change our state before God 1. Because God esteemed an unbeliever that which he was even an unbeliever a child of wrath one that is disobedient serving divers lusts a soul unwashed polluted in his blood before his conversion to God but being once converted and graced to believe his state before God is altered and changed even in the Court of Heaven in the Lords Books he is another man he goeth now for a fair and undefiled soul the Church that was in a polluted filthy and miserable condition Ezek. 16.3 4 5 6 7 8. Is now in Christs heart as a seal Cant. 8.6 so fair as her beauty ravisheth the heart of Christ now Christ nameth things according to their nature 2. The condition is so changed before God that Hos. 1.10 It cometh to passe That in the place where it was said to them ye are not my people there it
Damme it s like a Chariot though it have four wheels yet it moveth only as drawen by the strength of Horses without it it s a Plough of timber only that without Iron and Steel breaketh up no earth The new Seed of God acteth as acted by God hence repenting Ephraim Ier. 31.18 Turn thou me and I shall be turned renewed David is often at this Quicken me quicken me the swooning Church Cant. 2. Stay me with flagons and comfort me with apples 3. Sheep are docile creatures Iohn 10.27 My sheep hear my voice I know them and they follow me There is a Controversie with Papists how we know Scripture to be the Word of God there is two things here considerable one within and another without How knoweth the Lamb its mother amongst a thousand of the Flock Naturall instinct teacheth it From what Teacher or Art is it that the Swallow buildeth its clay House and Nest and every Bee knoweth its own cell and waxen House so the instinct of Grace knoweth the voice of the Beloved amongst many voices Cant. 2.8 and this discerning power is in the Subject There is another power in the Object of many thousand Millions of men since the Creation not one in figure and shape is altogether like another some visible difference there iâ— amongst many voices no voice like mans tongue amongst Millions of diverse Tongues of men every voice hath an audable difference printed on it by which it s discerned from all other To the new Creature there is in Christs Word some character some found of Heaven that is in no voice in the world but in his only in Christ represented to a beleevers eye of Faith there is a shape and a stampe of Divine Majesty no man knoweth it but the beleever and in Heaven and Earth Christ hath not a Marrow like himself Suppose there were an hundred counterfeit Moons or fancied Suns in the Heaven a naturall eye can discern the true Moon and the naturall Sun from them all the eye knoweth white not to be blacke nor green Christ offered to the eye of faith stampeth on faiths eye speces little Images of Christ that the soul dare go to Death and to Hell with it this this only was Christ and none other but he only 4. Sheep are simple fancy leadeth them much therefore they are straying creatures Isa. 53.6 Psal. 119. vers 176. 1 Pet. 2.25 there is nothing of the notion of death or of another life in the fancy of Sheep a mouth-full of green Grasse carrieth the sheep on upon a Pit and the mouth and teeth of Lions and Wolves Fancy is often the guide of weak Beleevers rather then Faith little care we by nature what we shall be in the mixt Generation Fancy and Nature cannot out-see time nor see over or beyond death fair green-like hopes of gaine are to us hopes of reall good we think we see two Moons in one heaven there is a way good-seeming that deceiveth us but black death is the night lodging of it Alas we are journying and know not our night Innes and where we shall lodge when the Sun is going downe poor soul where shall you be all night 1. If Beleevers be such dependent creatures what do Libertines and Antinomians teach us That the soul need not go out to Christ for fresh supply but it is acted by the Spirit inhabiting and dwelling in us also that it is the way of the Law not of the Gospel that we act in the strength of Christ both these are against the Gospel 1. We are commanded to pray even the sons who in faith calleth God Our Father which is in Heaven lead us not into temptation which God doth no other way then by giving us new supply of Grace to actuall resistance and Christ wil have us to pray Lord increase our faith the virgins in love with Christ pray Draw us Paul prayeth that the God of peace would sanctifie the Thessalonians wholly 1 The. 5.23 for this he boweth his knee that the believing Ephesians may be strengthned according to the riches of his glory with might by his Spirit in the inner man that Christ may dwell in their hearts by faith and that with all the Saints they may be able to comprehend the transcendent Love of God in Christ Eph. 3.15 16 17 18 19. and that Author Heb. 13.20 21. That the God of peace may make the Saints perfect in every good work to do his will working in them that which is well pleasing in his sight 2. It s against Christs intercession whose it is to keep the faith of the Saints from failing Luk. 22.32 and who finisheth our faith Heb. 12.2 confirmeth us to the end 1 Cor. 1.8 advocateth for new grace 1 Joh. 2.1 2. appeareth in the presence of God for us Heb. 9.24 3. This cannot stand with the promise of perseverance made in the Covenant of Grace Ier. 32.40 41. Es. 59.21.24 Ezech. 36.27 Ioh. 6.39 40. Ioh. 4.13 14. Nor 4. with the faith of perswasion of perseverance Rom. 8.38 39. Jude v. 24.25 Psal. 6. 2 Tim. 4.18 and 5. This must infer either that the regenerate doe not and cannot sin by not believing and persevering in faith and perfecting holinesse in the fear of God which is blasphemy or that the Saints may finally fall from Grace or that the use of grace and willing and doing in the Saints is not of or from confirming and assisting grace 6. This putteth our stock of Grace in our own hand as if Christ did literally only reveale to us the way to Heaven and leave it to our own free will to guide well or ill And so we are to thank Christ for beginning in the spirit and to thank our selves that we go on and grow in grace or end not in the flesh Nay but Christs dispensation in whose grace we are strong Eph. 6.10 can do all things Phil. 4.13 is nothing but one continuate act of Free grace or a long cord or chain of dependency on Christ yea Grace is glory on the wheels Its glory like wheat in the blade in the way in the flâ—x and tendency to the ear and Harvest depending on the continued aspect of the Summer Sun of Righteousnesse the new creature is the iron in the fire heaven in the moulding and framing and under the hammer and tooles of Christ and a Rose in the opening before it cast out its leaves and in this we are to have these considerations 1. Faith is leasurely to look to Christ in bringing his work out of the mould and taking the new ship off the stocks as a perfected vessell We conceive erroneously that Faith only eyeth Christ as pardoning and that it hath no eye no activity and influence on our owne gracious acts wrought in us by Christ but Faith is an agent as it is a patient and joyneth with Christ and with Free-will to an active purifying of the heart