that we may live And they plead not for doing of Duties as obliged thereunto by the Authority of the Law given of God by Moses but only in obedience to the Commands of Christ in the Gospel Neither do they plead for Salvation by sincere Obedience without Christ but only by Christ and through his Merit and Righteousness and they acknowledge that both Salvation itself and sincere Obedience are given to them freely by the Grace of Christ so that all is of Grace They acknowledge also that their Salvation is by Faith because sincere Obedience is wrought in them by believing the Gospel and is included in he nature of that Faith which is the entire Condition of our Salvation And some call it the resignating Act of Faith but all these Reasons are but a fallacious Vizard upon a legal way of Salvation to make it look like pure Gospel as I shall evince by the following particulars First All that seek Salvation by the sincere performance of good Works as the procuring Condition are condemned by the Apostle Paul for seeking Righteousness by the Works of the Law and not by Faith Rom. 9.32 and for seeking to be justified by the Law and falling from the Grace of Christ Gal. 5.4 This one Assertion if it can be proved is enough to pluck off the fallacious Vizard from the Condition of sincere Obedience and to make men abhor it as a damning legal Doctrine that bereaveth its Followers of all Salvation by Christ And the proof of it is not difficult to persons that warily consider a point of so great moment for their Salvation The Jews and Judaizing Christians against whom the Apostle chiefly disputeth in this whole Controversie did not profess any hope of being justified by perfect Obedience according to the rigour of the Law but only by such Obedience as they accounted to be sincere and not hypocritical And we have no cause to doubt but that the Judaizing Galatians had learned by the Gospel to distinguish sincere Obedience from Hypocrisie The Jewish Religion bound all that professed it to acknowledge themselves to be Sinners as appeareth by their anniversary Humiliation at the day of atonement and several other Rights of the Law and many clear Testimonies in the Oracles of God that were committed to them Psal 143.2 Prov. 10.9 Eccles 7.20 Yet they knew they were bound to turn to the Lord with all their Hearts in Sincerity and Uprightness and that God would accept of sincere Obedience for which Cause they might better put it for the Condition of the Law than we can of the Gospel Psal 51.6 10. Deut. 6.5 Deut. 30.10 So that if the Apostle had disputed against those that held only perfect Obedience to be the Condition of Justification he had contended with his own shadow And they might as readily judge sincere obedience to be the condition of Justification under the Law as we can judge it to be the condition under the Gospel Neither doth the Apostle condemn them meerly for accounting sincere Obedience to the Law as given by Moses to be the Condition of their Justification but more generally for seeking Salvation by their own Works And he alledgeth against them That Abrabam who lived before the Law of Moses was not justified by any of his Works though he did perform sincere Obedience and that David who lived under the Law of Moses was not justified by his Works though he performed sincere Obedience and was as much bound to obey the Law given by Moses as we are to obey any Commands of Christ in the Gospel Rom. 4.2 3 5 6. Neither doth he condemn them for seeking their Salvation only by Works without respecting at all the Grace and Salvation that is by Christ for the Judaizing Galatians were yet Professors of the Grace and Salvation of Christ though they thought Obedience to the Law a necessary Condition for the partaking of it as also many other Judaising Believers did And doubtless they accounted themselves obliged thereunto not only by the Authority of Moses but of Christ also whom they owned as their Lord and Saviour And we may be sure it was no damning Error to account Moses's Law obliging at that time for many thousands of the Jews that were sound Believers held the Ceremonies of Moses to be in force at that time and Paul was tender towards them in it Acts 20.20 21. Acts 15.5 And other Jews sought Justification not only by their sincere Works but also by trusting on the Promise made to Abraham and on their Priesthood and Sacrifices which were Types of Christ And the most legal Pharisees would thank God for their good Works as proceeding from his Grace Luke 18.11 And they could as well acknowledge their Salvation to be by Faith as the Assertors of Salvation by sincere Obedience can in these days for they accounted that their sincere Obedience was wrought in them by believing the Word of God which contained Gospel as well as legal Doctrin in it and therefore that it must be included in the nature of Faith if Faith were taken for the Condition of their whole Salvation Let the Assertors of the Condition of sincere Obedience learn from hence that they are building again that Judaism which the Apostle Paul destroyed whereby the Jews stumbled at Christ Rom. 9.32 And the Galatians were in danger of falling from Christ and Grace Gal. 5.2 4. And let them beware of falling under that Curse which he hath denounced on this very occasion against any Man or Angel that shall preach any other Gospel than that which he hath preached Gal. 1.8 9. Secondly The difference betwixt the Law and Gospel doth not at all consist in this that the one requireth perfect doing the other only sincere doing but in this that the one requireth doing the other no doing but believing for Life and Salvation Their terms are different not only in degree but in their whole nature The Apostle Paul opposeth the Believing required in the Gospel to all doing for Life as the Condition proper to the Law Gal. 3.12 The Law is not of Faith but the man that doth them shall live in them Rom. 4.5 To him that worketh not but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly his Faith is counted for righteousness If we seek Salvation by never so easie and mild a Condition of Works we do thereby bring our selves under the Terms of the Law and do become Debtors to fulfill the whole Law in perfection though we intended to engage our selves only to fulsill it in part Gal. 5.3 for the Law is a compleat Declaration of the only Terms whereby God will judge all that are not brought to despair of procuring Salvation by any of their own Works and to receive it as a Gift freely given to them by the Grace of God in Christ So that all that seek Salvation right or wrong knowingly or ignorantly by any works less or more whether invented by their own Superstition or commanded of God in
this Mercy-seat was a sign of God's Favourableness to a sinful People in residing among them and was called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 9.5 Now this Doctrine appears confirmed for these Reasons 1. Because Christ by the will of God gave himself a Ransom for us to redeem us from Sin and Punishment Wrath and Curse Tit. 2.14 He gave himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity He gave himself to Death for us was delivered for our Offences his Death was the Price of our Redemption that we might be justified in Gods Sight God gave him up to Death he spared him not that he might be made Righteousness 1 Cor. 1.30 and Mat. 20.28 He gave his own life a Ransome for many And so 1 Tim. 2.6 He hereby bought us by this Price 1 Cor. 6.6 He Redeemed us not with Silver and Gold but with his precious Blood as of a Lamb without spot 1 Pet. 1.18 19. 2 Pet 2.1 Rev. 5.9 He suffering the Penalty due to us for Sin 1 Pet. 2.24 He bare our Sins in his Body on the Tree Gal. 3.13 He was made a Curse for us thereby redeemed us from the Curse of the Law and that he might be made a Curse he was made sin for us 2 Cor. 5.21 Isa 53.5 6. He subjected himself to the Law both in active as well as passive Obedience Gal. 4 4. And obeyed his Father even to Death doing and suffering at his Commandment John 14.31 Heb. 10.7 And his Obedience was for our Justification Compare Rom. 5.19 with Phil. 2.8 So Christ satisfied both for our Debt of Righteousness and Debt of Punishment for our Faultiness taint of Sin and want of Righteousness as well as for our guilt and obnoxiousness to punishment that we might be free from Wrath and deemed Righteous in God's Sight His Suffering was the consummating Act of Redemption and so all is attributed to it Heb. 2.9 10. Even to his Blood though other doings and sufferings concur 2 Cor. 8.9 We are righteous by him as we were guilty by Adam Rom. 5.12 2 God accepted this Price as a Satisfaction to his Justice which he shewed in raising Christ from the Dead and so acquitting him from all our Sins He was justified by the Spirit 1 Tim. 3. ult for us Rom. 4. ult raised for our Justification see Rom. 8.34 It is God that Justifieth Who is he that condemneth It is Christ that dyed yea rather that is risen from the Dead And Heb. 10.5 14. By one Offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified And Eph. 5.1 2. This Sacrifice was a sweet smelling savour unto God If Christ had sunk under the weight of our sins and not been raised the Payment had not been finished and so the Debt not discharged John 16.10 Of Righteousness because I go to my Father 3. This Righteousness is in Christ as to the benefit of it So that it can't be had except we be in Christ and have Christ So the Text expresseth and sheweth that he is the Propitiation and as so he is our Righteousness 1 Cor. 1.30 We have Redemption and Righteousness in him Eph. 1.7 2 Cor. 5.21 And therein our freedom from Condemnation Rom. 5.1 Christ dyed that his Seed might be justified Isa 53.10 11. Those that are in him by Spiritual Regeneration 1 Cor. 4.15 Observ VI. The formal cause of Justification or that wherein it consists is the Remission of Sin i. e. not only the Guilt and Punishment is removed but fault because it 's a Pardon grounded on Justice which cleareth the fault also By him we are justified from all things that the Law chargeth us with Act. 13.39 In Men subject to a Law there is no middle condition between not Imputing of Sin and Imputing of Righteousness and so these terms are used as Equivalent Act. 13.36 39. Through this Man is Preached Forgiveness of sins And by him all that believe are justified c. Rom. 4.6 8. 2 Cor. 15.19 21. Rom 5.17 This is through the Bloodshed of Christ Eph. 1.7 Mat. 26.28 Observ VII God Justifieth a Sinner through Faith in Christs Blood Faith is the Instrumental Cause of receiving this Benefit Faith in the Blood of Christ 1. This Faith is believing on Christ that we may be justified by him Gal. 2.16 Knowing that a Man is not justified by the Works of the Law but by the Faith of Jesus Christ even we have believed in Christ that we might be justified by the Faith of Christ and not by the works of the Law we believe in Christ for Justification out of a sence of our inability to obtain Justification by Works 2. This Faith doth not justify us as an Act of Righteousness earning and procuring our Justification by the work of it for this would have been Justification by works as under the Law diametrically opposite to Grace and free Gift which excludes all consideration of any works of ours to be our Righteousness under any denomination or diminutive terms whatever whether you 'l call it Legal or Evangelical though you reckon it no more then the payment of a Pepper-corn Rom. 11.6 Faith in this case is counted a Not working Rom. 4.5 And it 's not Faith that stands in stead of the Righteousness of the Law but the Righteousness of Christ which satisfieth for what we ought to have done or suffered as hath been shewed 3. God Justifieth by Faith as the Instrument whereby we receive Christ and his Righteousness by which we are Justified properly and we are justified by Faith only Metonymically by reason of the Righteousness received by it and to be justified by Faith and Christ is all one Gal. 3.8 Rom. 5.1 By Faith we receive remission of sins Act. 26.18 and Chap. 10 43. It s effect is the reception of Justification not the working of it as a man may be said to be maintained by his hands or nourished by his mouth when those do but receive that which nourisheth his food and drink the Cup is put for the Liquor in the Cup 1 Cor. 11.26 27. See Rom. 1.17 and 13.22 Christ is in us by Faith Eph. 3.17 perceived eat drunk Joh. 1.12 Chap. 9.49 53. 4. This Faith is to be understood Exclusively to all our works for Justification we defend against the Papists Justification by faith only and there is nothing more sully expressed in Scripture Phrase Rom. 3.28 Gal. 2.16 Phil. 3.8 9. Rom. 4.16 5. We must understand faith in a full sence of receiving Remission of the sault as well as of the punishment we believe that God accounts not the fault to us of the least sin and where faith is said to be accounted for Righteousness it is because of the object it receives Rom. 4.6 7 8. 2 Cor. 5.19 21. We believe Christs Righteousness imputed to us as our sins to him or else we receive not remission of Sins by believing which is contrary to charging us with sin and condemnation which charging signifieth imputing sin Rom. 8.33 34 together
by meer conviction of the Truth such as wicked Men and Devils may be brought to when they had rather it were false Neither must our believing on Christ be only constrained for fear of Damnation without any hearty Love and Desire towards the enjoyment of him but we must receive the Love of the Truth by relishing the Goodness and Excellency of it and we must account all things loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord and count them but dung that we may win Christ and be found in him 2 Thess 2.10 Phil. 3.8 9. esteeming Christ to be all our Salvation and Happiness Col. 3.11 in whom all fulness doth dwell Col. 1.19 And this Love must be to every part of Christ's Salvation to Holiness as well as Forgiveness of Sins We must desire earnestly that God would create in us a clean Heart and right Spirit as well as hide his face from our sins Psal 51.9 10. not like many that care for nothing in Christ but only Deliverance from Hell Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled Mat. 5.6 The former of these Acts doth not immediately unite us to Christ because it is terminated only on the means of Conveyance the Gospel yet it is a saving Act if it be rightly performed because it enclineth and disposeth the Soul to the latter Act whereby Christ himself is immediately received into the Heart He that believeth the Gospel with hearty love and liking as the most Excellent Truth will certainly with the like heartiness believe on Christ for his Salvation They that know the name of the Lord will certainly put their trust in him Psal 9.10 Therefore in Scripture saving-Saving-Faith is sometimes described by the former of these Acts as if it were a meer believing the Gospel sometimes by the latter as a believing on Christ or in Christ Rom. 10.9 If thou believe in thine heart that God raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved 11 the Scripture saith Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed 1 John 5.1 Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God 13 These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God that you may know ye have eternal life and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God For the better understanding of the nature of Faith let it be further observed that the Second and Principal of it believing on Christ includeth believing on God the Father Son and Holy Ghost because they are one and the same infinite God and they all concurr in our Salvation by Christ as the only Mediator betwixt God and us in whom all the promises of God are yea and amen 2 Cor. 1.20 By him as mediator we believe on God that raised him from the dead and gave him glory that our faith and hope might be in God 1 Pet. 1.21 And it is the same thing with trusting on God or on the Lord which is so highly commended in the whole Scripture especially in the Old Testament as may easily appear by considering that it hath the same Causes Effects Objects Adjuncts Opposites and all the same Circumstances excepting only that it had a respect to Christ as promised before his Coming and now it respecteth him as already come in the Flesh Believing in the Lord and trusting on his Salvation are equivalent terms that explain one another Psal 78.22 I confess that trusting on things seen or known by the meer Light of Reason as on our own Wisdom Power Riches on Princes or any Arm of Flesh may not so properly be called believing on them but trusting on a Saviour as discovered by a Testimony is properly believing on him It is also the same thing that is expressed by the terms of resting relying leaning staying our selves on the Lord because it is the Ground of that Expectation that is the proper Act of Hope though our Believing and Trusting be for the present as well as future benefit of this Salvation The reason why it is so commonly expressed in the Scriptures of the New Testament by the terms of believing on Christ might be probably because when that part of Scripture was written there was cause in a special manner to urge believing the Testimony that was then newly revealed by the Gospel Having thus explained the nature of Faith I come now to assert its proper Use and Office in our Salvation That it is the Means and Instrument whereby we receive Christ and all his Fulness actually into our Hearts This excellent Use and Office of Faith is encountered by a multitude of Errors men naturally esteem that it is too small and slight a thing to produce so great effects as Naaman thought washing in Jordan too small a matter for the cure of his Leprosie They contemn the true means of entring in at the streight Gate because they seem too easie for such purpose and thereby they make the Entrance not only difficult but impossible to themselves Some will allow that Faith is the sole Condition of our Justification and the Instrument to receive it according to the Doctrine maintained formerly by the Protestants against the Papists but they account that it is not sufficient or effectual to Sanctification but that it rather tendeth to Licentiousness if it be not joyned with some other means that may be powerful and effectual to procure an holy Practice They commend this great Doctrine of Protestants as a comfortable Cordial for Persons upon their Death-beds or in Agonies under Terrors of Conscience but they account that it is not good for ordinary Food and that it is Wisdom in Ministers to preach it seldom and sparingly and not without some Antidote or Corrective to prevent the licentiousness to which it tendeth Their common Antidote or Corrective is That Sanctification is necessary to Salvation as well as Justification and that though we be justified by Faith yet we are sanctified by our own performance of the Law and so they set up Salvation by works and make the Grace of Justification to be of none effect and not at all comfortable If it had indeed such a malignant influence upon Practice it could not be owned as a Doctrine proceeding from the most holy God and all the Comfort that it affords must needs be ungrounded and deceitful This Consequence is well understood by some late Refiners of the Protestant Religion and therefore they have thought fit to new-model this Doctrine and to make Saving-Faith to be only a Condition to procure a Right and Title to our Justification by the Righteousness of Christ which must be performed before we can lay any good claim to the enjoyment of it and before we have any right to the actual receiving of it and this they call an accepting of or receiving Christ And that they may the better secure the practice of Holiness by their Conditional Faith they will not have trusting on God
we must perceive it to make us love him for if we look upon him as a God contrary to us that hateth us and will damn us our own innate Self-love will breed hatred and heart-risings against him in spite of our Hearts that love which is the end of the Law must flow from Faith unfeigned 1 Tim. 1.5 And if Hatred work in thee more than Love how canst thou expect good thoughts of God or any other than blaspheming or at least murmuring thoughts of him in this condition ill-will never speaketh or thinketh well The first right holy Thoughts thou canst have of God are thoughts of his Grace and Mercy to thy Soul in Christ which are included in the Grace of Faith Get these thoughts first by believing in Christ and they will breed in thee love to God and all good thoughts of him and free thee from blasphemous and murmuring Thoughts by degrees for love thinks no evil 1 Cor. 13.9 Then wilt thou be able to account God just and merciful if he had damned thee and extended his Grace to others and thou wilt be able to think well of his Holiness and of his Decrees which many cannot endure to hear of The way to get rid of thy raging Lusts is by Faith that purifieth the Heart and worketh by Love Act. 15.9 Gal. 5.6 The Soul must be brought to take pleasure in God and Christ by Faith or else it will lust after fleshly and worldly Pleasures and the more you strive against Lusts without Faith the more they are stirred up though you prevail so far as to restrain the fulfilling of them beg a holy Fear of God with fear of coming short of the promised Rest through unbelief Heb. 4.1 Such a Fear is an Ingredient of Faith and it will breed in us a reverential yea a Child-like fear of God and his Goodness Heb. 12.28 Hos 3.5 We must have Grace whereby we may serve God with Reverence c. It is in the Margent we must have or hold fast Grace and there is no other way to hold fast Grace but by Faith and this will quickly calm all pannick and tormenting Horror And if you would be free from carelesness and slightning the Wrath of God your way is first to avoid dispairing by believing for People grow careless by dispairing and for their own quiet they will endeavour to slight Evils which they have no hope to prevent according to the Proverb Let us eat and drink for to morrow we shall die 1 Cor. 15.32 True Humiliation for Sin is either a part or fruit of Faith for on our believing we shall remember our own evil ways and doings that were not good and shall loath our selves in our own sight for all our Abominations Ezek. 36.31 We shall also then willingly renounce our own Righteousness and account it but dung that we may win Christ by Faith Phil. 3.7 8. But Beggars will make the most of all their nasty Rags till they be furnished with better Cloaths and Cripples will not cast away their Crutches until they have a better support to lean on Godly Sorrow for Sin is wrought in us by believing the pardoning Grace of God as it is found by experience that a Pardon from a Prince will sometimes sooner draw tears from a stubborn Malefactor than the fear of a Halter will thus the sinful Woman was brought to wash Christ's Feet with her Tears Luke 7.37 38. We are not like to be sorry for grieving God with our Sins while we look upon him as an enemy that will ease himself well enough of his burthen and right himself upon us by our everlasting destruction The belief of God's pardoning and accepting Grace is a necessary means to bring us to an ingenuous Confession of Sins The People freely confessed their sins when they were baptized of John in Jordan for the remission of sins Mark 1.4 5. The Confession of Despairers is forced like the extorted Confessions and Cryings out of Malefactors upon the Rack A Pardon sooner openeth the Mouth to an ingenuous Confession than confess and be hanged or confess and be damned therefore if you would freely confess your sins believe first that God is faithful and just to forgive your sins through Christ 1 Joh. 1.9 And if you would pray to God or praise him with lively Affections you must first believe that God will hear you and give you what is best for you for Christ's sake Joh. 16.23 24. otherwise your praying will be only from the Teeth outward for how shall you call on him on whom you have not believed Rom. 10.14 You must come first to Christ the Altar by Faith that by him you may offer the Sacrifice of Praise to God continually Heb. 13.10 15. Finally to pass from Particulars to the general Assertion laid down in the Direction if you ask What shall we do that we may work the Works of God or get any saving Qualifications I must direct you first to Faith as the Work of Works and the great saving Preparatory to all good Qualifications by answering in our Saviour's words This is the Work of God that ye believe in him whom he hath sent Joh. 6.28 29. DIRECT VIII Be sure to seek for Holiness of Heart and Life only in its due order where God hath placed it after Vnion with Christ Justification and the Gift of the Holy Ghost and in that order seek it earnestly by Faith as a very necessary part of your Salvation EXPLICATION I Hope the Reader will observe warily in all these Directions that the Holiness aimed at as the great End in the whole Discourse consisteth not in the Grace or Act of Faith required peculiarly by the Gospel which though it be a saving Gift of Christ yet is here considered rather as a means precedent to the Reception of Christ and all his Salvation then a part of his Salvation received But the Holiness aimed at consisteth in Conformity to the whole Moral Law to which we are naturally obliged if their had never been any Gospel or any such Duty as believing in Christ for Salvation Now in this Direction three Things are contained that are very necessary to guide us to the attainment of this great End and therefore worthy of our serious Consideration First It is a Matter of high concern to be acquainted with the due Place and Order wherein God hath settled this holy Practice in the Mystery of our Salvation and a great Point of Christian Wisdom to seek it only in that order we know that God is the God of Order and that his infinite Wisdom hath appeared in appointing the Order of his Creatures which we are forced to observe for attainment of our ends in worldly things so also in Spiritual things God hath made an everlasting Covenant ordered in all things and sure 2 Sam. 23.5 the Benefits of it have an orderly dependence each upon other as Links of the same golden Chain though several of them and a Title to them
When the Gentiles heard the Word of God they were glad and as many as were ordained to eternal Life believed The Apostle Paul was constrained by the Love of Christ to give up himself to live to Christ 2 Cor. 4.14 15. I dare appeal to the Experience of any that obey God out of hearty Love let them examine themselves and consider whither they were brought to give up themselves to serve God in love without comfortable apprehensions of the Love of God towards them I dare say there are no such Prodigies in the new Birth Seventhly What comfortless Religion do those make that allow People no comfort before hand to strengthen them for holy Performances that are very cross displeasing and grievous to their natural Inclinations as the plucking out of a right Eye cutting off of a right Hand but would have them first to do such things with love and delight under all their present Fears Despondencies and corrupt Inclinations and to hope that by doing the Work throughly and sincerely they shall at last attain to a more comfortable State All true spiritual Comfort as well as Salvation is indeed quite banished out of the World if it be suspended upon the Condition of our good Works which hath already appeared to be the Condition of the Law that worketh no Comfort but Wrath Rom. 4.15 This makes the ways of Godliness odious to many they think they shall never enjoy a pleasant hour in this World if they walk in them and they had rather comfort themselves with sinful Pleasures then have no Comfort at all Others labour a while in such a comfortless Religion with inward fretting and repining at the Bondage of it and at last grow wearry and throw of all Religion because they know none better They that bind such heavy burthens upon Men and grievous to be born will plead that they are not to be blamed because they do but preach the Gospel of God and Christ whereas indeed they preach a Gospel of Man 's own forging contrary to the nature of the true Gospel of Christ which is glad tidings of great joy to all People Luk. 2.10 An uncomfortable Gospel cannot proceed from God the Father who is the Father of Mercies and the God of all Comfort 2 Cor. 1.3 Nor from Christ who is the Consolation of Israel Luk. 2.25 nor from the Spirit who is the Comforter Joh. 14.16 17. God meeteth him that rejoyceth and worketh Righteousness Isa 64.5 He will be served with gladness and singing as he shewed by the Type of variety of Musick and great numbers of Musicians in the Temple Christ speaks to us by his Gospel that his joy may abide in us and that our joy may be full Job 15.11 No sorrow is approved of by God except Godly sorrow which can never be in us without some comfort of the Love of God towards us They that are offended at the Uncomfortableness of a Religious Life never yet knew the true way of Religion else they would find that the ways of Wisdom arâ— ways of pleasantness and all her Paths peace Prov 3.17 DIRECT X. That we may be prepared by the Comforts of the Gospel to perform sincerely the Duties of the Law we must get some assurance of our Salvation in that very Faith whereby Christ himself is received into our Hearts Therefore me must endeavoar to believe on Christ confidently perswading and assuring our selves in the Act of believing that God freely giveth to us an Interest in Christ and his Salvation according to his gracious Promise EXPLICATION IT is evident that these Comforts of the Gospel that are necessary to an Holy Practice cannot be truly received without some assurance of our Interest in Christ and his Salvation for some of those Comforts consist in a good Perswasion of our reconciliation with God and of our future Heavenly Happiness and of Strength both to will and to do that which is acceptable to God through Christ as hath been before shewed Hence it will clearly follow that this assurance is very necessary to enable us for the Practice of Holiness as those Comforts that must go before the Duties of the Law in order of nature as the Cause goeth before the Effect tho' not in any distance of time My present work is to shew what this assurance is that is so necessary unto Holiness and which I have here asserted that we must act in that very Faith whereby we receive Christ himself into our Hearts even in justifying saving Faith This Doctrine seemeth strange to many that profess themselves Protestants a late days whereas it was formerly highly owned by the chief Protestants whom God made use of to restore the Purity of the Gospel and to maintain it against the Papists for many Years they commonly taught that Faith was a Perswasion or Considence of our own Salvation by Christ and that we must be sure to apply Christ and his Salvation to our selves in believing And this Doctrine was one of the great Engines whereby they prevailed to overthrow the Popish Superstition whereto doubtfulness of Salvation is one of the principal Pillars But many of the Successors of those Protestants have deserted them and left their Writings to be shamefully insulted over by the Papists and this innovation hath been of longer standing amongst us than several other parts of our new Divinity and maintained by those that profess to abhor that corrupt Doctrine which the Papist have built upon such Principles Modern Divines may think they stand upon the Shoulders of their Predecessors whose Labours they enjoy and that they can see farther than they as the School-men might have like thoughts of the ancient Fathers but for all this they may not be able to see so far if the eyes of their Predecessors were better enlightned by the Spirit of God to understand the Mystery of the Gospel and why may we not judge that it is so in the present Case The Eyes of Men in these late Years have been blinded in this point of Assurance by many false Imaginations They think that because Salvation is not promised to us absolutely but upon condition of believing on Christ for it therefore we must first believe directly on Christ for our Salvation and after that we must reflect our Minds upon our Faith and examine it by several Marks and Signs especially by the Fruit of sincere Obedience and if upon this examination we find out certainly that it is true saving Faith then and not before we may believe assuredly that we in particular shall be saved On this account they say that our Salvation is by the direct and our assurance by the reflect act of Faith and that many have true Faith and shall be saved that never have any assurance of their Salvation as long as they live in this World they find by Scripture and Experience that many precious Saints of God are frequently troubled with doubtings whither they shall be saved and whither their Faith and Obedience
this be truly believed it will exclude Doubtfulness concerning your Salvation Secondly Several places of Scripture declare positively and expresly that we are to be assured of our Salvation in that Faith whereby we are justified and saved I shall produce some Instances We are exhorted to draw near to God with full assurance of faith Heb. 10.22 Many apply this Text to that which they call the reflect Act of Faith because they imagine that all Assurance must needs be by Reflection but the Words of the Text do clearly teach us to understand it of that Act of Faith whereby we draw near to God that is the direct Act and it is that very Faith whereby the Just do live even justifying saving Faith verse 38. And this Assurance must be full at least in the true and proper Nature of it in Opposition unto mere Doubtfulness and Uncertainty though we are yet further to labour for that which is full in the highest Degree of Perfection And the same Faith whereby we are exhorted to draw nigh unto God and whereby the Just liveth is a little after Chap. 11.1 affirmed to be the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen Why should saving Faith have these high Titles and Attributes given to it if it did not contain in it a sure Perswasion of the great things of our Salvation hoped for which maketh them to be evident to the Eyes of our Mind as if they were already present in their Substance though yet not visible to our bodily Eyes that Faith whereby we are made Partakers of Christ and to be Christ's House must be worthy to be called Confidence and accompanied with reioycing Hope Whose house are we if we hold fast the confidence and rejoycing of the hope firm unto the end Heb. 3.6.14 What is Confidence concerning any thing but trusting concerning it with a firm Perswasion of the Truth of it If we have only a strong Opinion concerning a thing without any absolute certainty we use to say that we are not altogether confident of it The Faith whereby we are justified must be in a measure like to the Faith whereby Abraham against Hope believed in Hope that his Seed should certainly be multiplyed according to the Promise of God though by reason of the Deadness of his own Body and of Sarah's Womb he could have no Evidence from his own Qualifications to assure himself of it but all Appearances were rather to the contrary as the Apostle teacheth clearly Rom. 4.18 19 23.24 As absolute as this Promise was thus made Abraham yet it was not to be fulfilled without this Assurance of Faith and by the like Faith the free Promises of Salvation by Christ will be absolutely fulfilled to us The Apostle James expresly requireth that we should ask good things of God in Faith nothing doubting which includeth Assurance manifestly and he telleth us plainly that without it a Man ought not to think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord therefore we may firmly conclude that without it we shall not receive the Salvation of Christ James 1.6 7. And that which the Apostle James requireth us not to doubt of is the obtaining the things that we ask as we may learn from an Instruction to the same purpose given to us by Christ himself What things soever ye desire when ye pray believe that ye receive them and ye shall have them Mark 11.24 More places of Scripture might be alledged to the same purpose but these are sufficient to evince that we are bound to assure our selves of our Salvation in Faith it self or else we are never likely to enjoy it and that it is not Humility but rather proud Disobedience to live in a state of mere Suspense and Doubtfulness concerning our Salvation and that this Assurance must be in the direct Act of Faith whereby we are justified and saved For as for that which is called the Reflect Act of Faith it is a certain Truth and generally owned that it is not absolutely necessary to Salvation to any and that it is sinful and pernicious to many to believe that they are already entred into a state of Grace and Salvation Thirdly God giveth us sufficient ground in Scripture to come to Christ with confident Faith at the very first trusting assuredly that Christ and his Salvation shall be given to us without any Failing and Delay however vile and sinful our Condition hath been hitherto The Scripture speaketh to the vilest Sinners in such a manner as if it were framed on purpose to beget Assurance of Salvation in them immediately Acts 2.39 Chap. 3.26 This Promise is unversal That whosoever believeth on Christ shall not be ashamed without making a Difference between Jew and Greek Rom. 10.11 12. And this Promise is confirmed by the Blood of Christ who was given for the World and lifted up upon the Cross for this very end that whosoever believeth on him should not perish but have everlasting life John 3.14 15 16. His Invitation is free to any If any man thirst let him come to me and drink and this Drink is promised to every one that believeth John 7.37 39. The Command of believing is propounded not only in general but in particular and the Promise of Salvation upon believing is also applyed personally and that to such as have been hitherto in a state of Sin and Wrath as to the wicked persecuting self-murdering Jaylor Acts 16.31 Believe on the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved and thine house God commanded them that walked altogether in Sin hitherto to call him their own Father in their very first returning Jer. 3.4 So Hos 2.23 God saith he will say Thou art my people and they shall say Thou art my God confidently averring their personal Interest in him God hath joyned Confidence and Salvation inseparably together In returning and rest ye shall be saved in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength Isai 30.15 What a poor slender Use and Improvement do many make of these Discoveries of the rich Grace of God towards Sinners who say that if we see that we have performed the Condition of believing then we may take Christ confidently as our own they skip over the first and principal Use they ought to make of them the very Performance of the Condition is to take Christ as our own immediately and to eat him and drink him by believing consiently on him for our Salvation If an honest rich Man say to a poor Woman I promise to be thy Husband if thou wilt have me say but the Word and I am thine may not she presently answer confidently Then thou art my Husband and I claim thee for my Husband and should she not rather say so then say I believe not what thou sayest If an honest Man say Do but take this Gift and it is your own do but eat and drink and you are freely welcome may not I take the Gift and eat and drink at first
long accustomed to seek Salvation by the procurement of our own works and to account the way of Salvation by Free Grace foolish and pernicious when our Lusts encline us strongly to the things of the flesh and the World when Satan doth his utmost by his own suggestions and by false Teachers and by worldly Allurements and Terrors to hinder the sincere performance of this Duty Many works that are easie in their own nature prove difficult for us to perform in our Circumstances To forgive our enemies and to love them as our selves is but a motion of the mind easie to be performed in its own nature and yet many that are convinced of their Duty find it a hard matter to bring their hearts to the performance of it It is but a motion of the mind to cast our Care upon God for worldly things and rich Men may think that they can do it easily but poor Men that have great Families find it a hard matter That easie comfortable Duty which Moses exhorted the Israelites to when Pharoah with his Chariot and Horse-men overtook them at the Red Sea Be ye not afraid stand still and see the Salvation of the Lord which he will shew you this day Exod. 14.13 was not easily performed The very easiness of some Duties makes their performance difficult as Naaman the Assyrian was hardly brought to wash and be clean because he thought it to be too slight and easie a Remedy for the Cure of his Leprosie 2 Kings 5.12 13. even in this very case people are offended at the Duty of Believing on Christ as too slight and easie a remedy to Cure the Leprosie of the Soul they would have some harder thing enjoyned them to the attainment of so great an end as this everlasting Salvation The performance of all the moral Law is not accounted work enough for this end Mat. 19.17 20. However easie the work of Believing seemeth to many yet common Experience hath shewed that Men are more easily brought to the most burdensome unreasonable and inhumane Observations as the Jows and Christian Galatians were more easily brought to take upon their Necks the Yoke of Moses's La w which none were able to bear Acts 15.10 The Heathens were more easily brought to burn their Sons and their Daughters in the Fire to their Gods Deut. 12.31 The Papists are brought more easily to the Vows of Chastity and Poverty and Obedience to the most rigorous rules of Monastick Discipline to macerate and torture their Bodies with Fastings Scourgings and Pilgrimages and to bear all the excessive Tyranny of the Papal Hierarchy in a multitude of burdensome superstitious and ridiculous Devotions They that slight the work of Faith for its easiness shew that they were never yet made sensible of innumerable sins and terrible Curse of the Law and Wrath of God that they lye under and of the darkness and vanity of their Minds the corruption and hardness of their Hearts and their bondage under the power of Sin and Satan and have not bin truly humbled without which they can't Believe in a right manner Many sound Believers have found by experience that it hath bin a very hard matter to bring their Hearts to the Duty of Believing it hath cost them vigorous struggles and sharp conflicts with their own Corruptions and Satans Temptations It is so difficult a work that we can't perform it without the mighty working of the Spirit of God in our Hearts who only can make it to be absolutely easie to us and doth make it easie or suffer it to be difficult according as he is pleased to communicate his Grace in various degrees unto our Souls 3. Tho we cannot possibly perform this great work in a right manner until the Spirit of God work Faith in our Hearts by his mighty Power yet it is necessary that we should endeavour And that before we can find the Spirit of God working Faith effectually in us or giving strength to Believe We can perform no holy Duty acceptably except the Spirit of God work it in us and yet we are not hereby excused from working our selves but we are the rather stirred up to the greater diligence Work out your Salvation with fear and trembling for it is God that worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure Phil. 2.12 13. The way whereby the Spirit works Faith in the Elect is by stirring them up to endeavour to Believe and this is a way suitable to the means that the Spirit useth i. e. The Exhortations Commands and Invitations of the Gospel which would be of no force if we were not to obey them until we find Faith already wrought in us Neither can we possibly find that the Spirit of God doth effectually work Faith or give strength to Believe until we Act it for all inward Graces as well as all other inward Habits are discerned by their Acts as Seed in the Ground by its Springing We cannot see any such thing as Love to God or Man in our Hearts before we Act it Children know not their Ability to stand upon their Feet until they have made trial by endeavouring so to do so we know not our spiritual Strength until we have learned by Experience from the use and exercise of it neither can we know or assure our seives absolutely that the Spirit of God will give us Strength to Believe before we Act Faith for such a Knowledge and Assurance if it be right is saving Faith it self in part and whosoever trusteth on Christ assuredly for strength to believe by his Spirit doth in effect trust on Christ for his own Salvation which is inseparably joyned with the Grace of saving Faith Tho the Spirit worketh other Duties in us by Faith yet he worketh Faith in us immediately by hearing knowing and understanding the Word Faith cometh by Hearing and Hearing by the Word of God Rom. 10.13 And in the Word he makes no absolute Promise or Declaration that he will work Faith in this or that unbelieving Heart or that he will give strength to Believe to any one in particular or begin the work of Believing in Christ for Faith it self is the first Grace whereby we have a particular Interest in any saving Promise It is a thing hidden in the secret Counsel and Purpose of God concerning us whether he will give us his Spirit and saving Faith until our Election be discovered by our Believing actually Therefore as soon as we know the Duty of Believing we are to apply our selves immediately to the vigorous performance of the Duty and in so doing we shall find that the Spirit of Christ hath strengthned us to Believe tho we knew not certainly that it would do it before-hand The Spirit cometh undiscernably upon the Elect to work Faith within them like the Wind that bloweth where it lists and none knoweth whence it cometh and whither it goeth but only we hear the sound of it and thereby know it when it is
us God hath promised that the wayfaring Men tho Fools shall not err in the way of Holiness and that he will teach sinners in the way the Meek will he guide in Judgment and the Meek will he teach his way Psal 25.8 9. and he commandeth them that lack Wisdom to ask it of God in Faith nothing doubting Jam. 1.5 6. But however we are to know that God guideth us only according to the rule of his Word and we must endeavour to learn the right way of Believing out of the Word or else we are not able so much as to trust rightly on God for guidance and direction in this great Work To help you herein I have given you before in this Treatise a Description of saving Faith and have shewed that it containeth two Acts in it the one is Believing the Truth of the Gospel the other is Believing on Christ as revealed and freely promised to us in the Gospel for all his Salvation Now your great endeavour must be to perform both these Acts in a right manner as I shall shew concerning each of them in particular In the first place you are highly concerned to endeavour for a right belief of the Truth of the Gospel of Christ that so you may be well furnished disposed and encouraged to Believe on Christ as revealed and promised in the Gospel hereby you are to remove all discomfortable thoughts and objections of Satan and your own Conscience and to overcome all corrupt Inclinations that hinder a chearful embracing of Christ and his Salvation It is found by experience that when any fail in the second Act of Faith the reason of the failing is commonly some defect in this first Act. There is some false imagination or other in them contrary to the belief of the Truth of the Gospel which is a strong hold of Sin and Satan that must be pulled down before they can receive Christ into their Hearts by Believing on him If they knew the Name of Christ as he is discovered in the Gospel and judged aright of the Truth and Excellency of it they would not fail to put their Trust in him And we are in great danger of entertaining such false Imaginations and to account many Truths of the Gospel strange Paradoxes yea foolish and pernicious because of our Ignorance Self-conceitedness guilty Consciences corrupt Affections and manifold Errors wherewith our Judgments are prepossessed in matters of Salvation and because Satan laboureth to beguil us as he did Eve through his subtilty to corrupt our minds from the simplicity of the Gospel that is in Christ 2 Cor. 11.3 I shall therefore give you some particular Instructions that are of greatest moment to prevent such defects as we are most lyable to in the first Act of our Faith 1. You must Believe with a full perswasion that you are a Child of Wrath by Nature as well as others fallen from God by the sin of the first Adam dead in Trespasses and Sins subject to the Curse of the Law of God and to the power of Satan and to insupportable misery to all Eternity And that you cannot possibly procure your reconciliation with God or any spiritual Life and Strength to do any good work by any endeavouring to get Salvation according to the terms of the Legal Covenant and that you cannot find any way to escape out of this sinful and miserable Condition by your own Reason and Understanding without supernatural Revelation nor be freed from it except by that infinite power that raiseth the Dead We must not be afraid as some are to know our own vileness and sinfulness neither must we be willing to think our selves better than we are but must be heartily desirous and glad to know the worst of our own Condition yea when we have found out the worst that we can of our selves Yea we must be willing to believe that our Hearts are deceitful and desperately wicked beyond all that we can know and find out Jer. 17.9 This is all necessary to work in us true Humiliation Self-despair and Self-loathing that we may highly esteem and earnestly seek the Salvation of Christ as the one thing necessary It maketh us sick of sin and sensible of our need of the great Physician and willing to be ordered according to any of his prescriptions whatsoever we suffer rather than to follow our own Wisdom Mat. 9.12 It was for want of this Humiliation that the Scribes and Pharisees were not so forward to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven as the Publicans and Harlots Mat. 21.31 2. You are to believe assuredly That there is no way to be saved without receiving all the saving benesits of Christ his Spirit as well as his Merits Sanctification as well as remission of sins by Faith It is the ruin of many Souls that they trust on Christ for remission of sins without any regard to Holiness whenas these two Benefits are inseparably joyned in Christ So that none are freed from Condemnation by Christ but those that are enabled to walk holily i. e. not after the flesh but after the spirit Rom. 8.1 It is also the ruin of Souls to seek only remission of sins by Faith in Christ and Holiness by our endeavours according to the terms of the Law whereas we can never live to God in Holiness except we be dead to the Law and live only by Christ living in us by Faith That Faith that receiveth not holiness as well as remission of sins from Christ will never sanctifie us and therefore it will never bring us to heavenly Glory Heb. 12.14 3. You are to be fully persuaded of the All-sufficiency of Christ for the Salvation of your self and of all that believe on him that his blood cleanseth from all sin 1 Joh. 1.7 tho our sins be never so great and horrible and continued in never so long yet he is able to deliver us from the body of Death and mortifie our Corruptions be they never so strong We find in Scripture that abominable wicked persons have bin saved by him Idolaters Adulterers Effeminate Covetous Drunkards Extortioners c. 1 Cor. 6.9 10. Such as have sinned against the Light of Nature as the Heathen and the Light of Scripture as the Jews such as have denied Christ as Peter and persecuted and blasphamed him as Paul many that have fallen into great sins are ruined for ever because they do not account the Grace of Christ sufficient for their Pardon and Sanctification when they think they are gone and past all hope of recovery that their sins are upon them and they pine away in them and how shall they live Ezek. 33.10 This despair works secretly in many Souls without much trouble and horror and maketh them careless of their Souls and true Religion The Devil sills some with horrid filthy blasphemous thoughts on purpose that they may think their sins too great to be forgiven tho commonly such thoughts are the least of the sins of those that are pestered
promised to us in the Gospel for all his Salvation The Spirit of God doth habitually dispose and encline our Hearts to a right performance of this act by enabling us to perform the first Act according to the former instructions by believing assuredly those great things of the Gospel whereby we are delivered into a form of doctrine Rom. 6.17 which we are to obey from our hearts and to follow as our pattern in the manner of our Acting Faith in Christ for Salvation Therefore I need only to exhort you briefly to Act your Faith in Christ according to that form and pattern in which you have bin already so largely instructed You are to believe in Christ as alone sufficient and all-sufficient for your Happiness and Salvation despairing altogether of any attainment of Happiness by your own Wisdom Strength works of Righteousness or any fleshly worldly Confidences whatsoever We must be as dead People to all other Confidences and account them to be loss for Christ according to the example of the blessed Apostle Phil. 3.3 7 8. We must not be grieved that we have nothing to trust upon besides Christ for our Salvation but rather we are to rejoyce that we need nothing else and that we have a sure foundation to rely upon incomparably better than any other that can be imagined And we must resolve to cast the burden of our Souls wholly on Christ and to seek Salvation no other way whatsoever becomes of us If the Cripple lay not the whole weight of his Body upon a strong Staff but part of it on a rotten one he is like to receive a fall If the Swimmer will not commit his Body wholly to the Water to bear him up but catch at Weeds or struggle to feel out Ground he may sink to the bottom Christ will be all our Salvation or nothing if we seek to be saved by any other ways as the Galatians did by Circumcision Christ will profit us nothing Gal. 5.2 You are also to receive Christ meerly as a free-gift given to the Chief of sinners resolving that you will not perform any Conditions to procure your selves a right and title to him But that you will come to him as a lost sinner an ungodly Creature trusting on him that Justifieth the ungodly and that you will buy him without mony and without any price whatsoever Rom. 4.5 Isa 55.2 Look not on your own Faith or Love or any good Qualifications in your selves as the ground of your trusting in Christ but only to the free Grace and loving-kindness of God in Christ How excellent is thy loving-kindness O God! therefore the Children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy Wings Psal 30.7 For if you make your Faith Love or good Qualifications to be your first and principal Foundation and you build Christ upon them instead of building all upon Christ you invert the order of the Gospel and Christ will profit you nothing Another thing to be observed diligently is that you must come to Christ for a new holy Heart and Life and all things necessary thereunto as well as for deliverance from the wrath of God and the torments of Hell You must also come to him with an ardent Love and Affection to him and esteem him better than a thousand Worlds and the only excellent Portion loathing and abhorring your self as a vile sinful and miserable Creature and accounting all things Dung in comparison of his Excellency that you may be able to say from the bottom of your Heart Whom have I in Heaven but thee c. Psal 73.23 Lastly You must endeavour to draw near with full assurance of Faith Heb. 10.22 trusting on Christ confidently for your own particular Salvation upon the account of that general promise That whosoever believeth on Christ shall not be ashamed Rom. 9.33 You must check your selves for all doubtings fears staggerings concerning your own Salvation by Christ saying with the Psalmist Why art thou cast down O my Soul c. Psal 42.11 The third thing contained in the direction is The avoiding of all delay in the performance of this great work of Believing in Christ Until we have performed it we continue under the power of Sin and Satan and under the wrath of God and there is nothing betwixt Hell and us besides the Breath of our Nostrils It s dangerous for Lot to linger in Sodom lest Fire and Brimstone come down from Heaven upon him The Man-slayer must flee with all haste to the City of refuge lest the avenger of blood pursue him while his Heart is hot and slay him Deut. 19.5 6. We should make haste and not delay to keep Gods Commandments Psal 119.60 and flee for refuge to the hope set before us Heb. 6.18 And God commandeth us to flee thus by Faith without which it is impossible to please God in other Duties The work is of such a nature that it may be performed as soon as you hear the Gospel As soon as they hear of me they shall obey me Psal 18.44 As soon as Zion travailed she brought forth her Children Isa 66.8 We have many examples of those that received the Word by Faith at the first hearing of it Three Thousand were added to the Church on the very same day wherein Peter first published the Gospel in Jerusalem Acts 2.41 so many Jews and Gentiles were converted at the first hearing of the Apostle Paul at Antioch Acts 13.43 The Jaylor with all his house believed and were baptized the same Night wherein Paul first preached to them Acts 16.33 34. The Gospel came at first to the Thessalonians not in Word only but in Power and in the Holy Ghost 1 Thes 1.5 6. If God open the Hearts of his People to attend diligently they may be instructed in the knowledge of the Gospel by one brief Sermon sufficiently to begin the practice of saving Faith and when they know their Duty God requireth immediate performance without allowing us the least respit in the state of Unbelief When Satan cannot prevail with People to reject wholly the Duty of Believing his next attempt for the ruin of their Souls is to prevail with them at least to delay and shift off the performance of it from time to time by several false reasonings and imaginations which he putteth into their minds the most ignorant and sensual are easily prevailed with to defer this Duty until they have taken their fill of the pleasures profits and honours of this World and are summoned to prepare for another World by Infirmities Age Sickness praying and hoping that a large time of Repentance will be granted unto them before they dye But such delays shew that they are really unwilling to Repent and Believe until they are forced by necessity and that they prefer the pleasures prosits and honours of the World above God and Christ and their own Souls Thus they unfit themselves more and more for this great Duty by their customary walking in sin and by
bring us at last to perfection of Holiness through Jesus Christ our Lord. And we should carefully observe in all things that good Lesson of the Apostle not to think of our selves more highly than we ought to think but to think soberly according as God hath dealt to every Man the measure of Faith Rom. 12.3 DIRECT XIII Endeavour diligently to make the right use of all meansappointed in the word of God for the obtaining and practising of Holiness only in this way of believing in Christ and walking in him according to your new State by Faith EXPLICATION THis might have been added to the Instructions in the Explication of the former Direction because its Use is the same to guide us in the mysterious manner of practising Holiness in Christ by the life of Faith but the weight and comprehensiveness of it maketh it worthy to be treated of by it self as a distinct Direction Two things are observable in it First That though all Holiness be effectually attained unto by the life of Faith in Christ yet the use of any means appointed in the Word for attaining and promoting Holiness is not hereby made void but rather established This is needful to be observed against the Pride and Ignorance of some carnal Gospellers that being puft up with a Conceit of their feigned Faith imagine themselves to be in such a state of Perfection that they are above all Ordinances except singing Halelujahs And also against the Papists that run into the contrary Extream by heaping together a multiude of means of Holiness which God never commanded neither ever came they into his Heart and that Slander the Protestant Doctrin of Faith and Free Grace as if it tended to destroy all diligent use of the means of Holiness and Salvation and to breed up a company of lazy Solifidians We do indeed assert and profess that a true and lively Faith in Christ is alone sufficient and effectual through the Grace of God to receive Christ and all his Fulness so far as is necessary in this Life for our Justification Sanctification and eternal Salvation But yet we also assert and profess that several means are appointed of God for the Begetting Maintaining and Increasing of this Faith and the Acting and Exercising of it in order to the attainment of its End and that these means are to be used diligently which are mention'd in the Sequel True Believers find by Experience that their Faith needeth such Helps and they that think themselves above any need of them do reject the Counsel of God against themselves like to those Prond Pharisees and Lawyers that thought it a thing beneath them and refused to be baptized of John Luk. 7.30 yet we account no means necessary or lawful to be used for the attainment of Holiness besides they that are appointed by God in his Word We know that Holiness is a Part of our Salvation and therefore they that think that Men may or can invent any means effectual for the attainment of it do ascribe their Salvation partly to Men and rob God of his Glory in being our only Saviour and they do thereby plainly shew That though they draw nigh unto God with their mouth and honour him with their lips yet their hearts are far from him and in vain do they worship him teaching for Doctrins the commandments of men Mat. 15.7 8 9. The Second thing observable and principally design'd in this Direction is the right manner of using all the means of Holiness for the obtaining and practising of it in no other way besides that of believing in Christ and walking in him according to our new State by Faith which hath been already demonstrated to be the only way whereby we may effectually attain to this great End We must use them as helps to the life of Faith in its Beginning Continuance and Growth and as Instruments subservient to Faith the principal Instrument in all its Acts and Exercises whereby the Soul receiveth Christ and walketh in all Holiness by him We must beware lest we use them rather in Opposition than in Subordination to the way of Sanctification and Salvation by Free Grace in Christ through Faith and lest by our Abuse of them they be made rather Hindrances than Helps to our Faith We must not Idolize any of the means and put them into the place of Christ as the Papists do by trusting in them as if they were effectual to conferr Grace to the Soul by the work that is done in the use of them Neither may we use them as works of Righteousness to be performed as Conditions for the procuring of the Favour of God and the Salvation of Christ Neither must they be accounted so absolutely necessary to Salvation as if a true Faith were void and of none effect when we are debarred from the Enjoyment of several of them The holy Scriptures with all the means of Grace appointed therein are able to make us wise unto Salvation no other way than by faith in Jesus Christ 2 Tim. 3.18 and therefore our wise Endeavour must be not to use â—hem in any opposition to the Grace of God in Christ For God's Ordinances are like the Cherubims of Glory made with their Faces looking towards the Mercy-Seat They are made to guid us to Christ for Salvation by Faith alone If any turn them to another use it is a great Violation of divine Institutions as if any Sacrilegious Person had presumed to turn the Faces of the Cherubims from the Mercy-Seat some other way This right use of the means of Grace is a Point wherein many are Ignorant that use them with great Zeal and Diligence and thereby they do not only lose their Labour and the benefit of the means but also they wrest and pervert them to their own Destruction The Jews under the Law of Moses enjoyed many more Ordinances of divine Worship than we do under the Gospel but their Table became their Snare and they fell miserably from God and Christ because the Veil of Ignorance was upon their Hearts that they could not look to the end of those Ordinances even to the Lord Jesus Christ And they sought not salvation by faith but by the ordinances as works of righteousness and by other works of the law for they stumbled at the stumbling stone Rom. 9.31 32 and 10.4 5. 2 Cor. 3.13 14. That you may not stumble and fall by the same pernicious Error I shall shew particularly how several of the principal means of Holiness appointed in the Word of God are to be made use of in that right manner expressed in the Direction 1. We must endeavour diligently to know the Word of God contained in the Holy Scripture and to improve it to this end That we may be made wise unto Salvation through saith which is in Christ Jesus 2 Tim. 3.15 Other means of Salvation are necessary to the more abundant well-being of our Faith and of our new State in Christ but this is absolutely
therefore we have directed to seeking of Holiness by the Spirit of Christ and willing good freely by a spiritual Power as new Creatures partakers of a divine Nature in Christ Yea it s necessary to know the first Adam that we may know the second Rom. 5.12 To believe the fall and original Sin that we may be stirred up to fly to Christ by Faith for Holiness by free Gift knowing that we cannot attain it by our own Power and Free Will 2 Cor. 1.9 Mat. 9.12 13. Rom. 7.24 25. 2 Cor. 3.5 Eph. 5.14 There were no need of a new Man or a new Creation if the old were not without strength and Life Joh 3.5 6 Eph. 2.8 But original Deadness cannot hinder Gods working Faith and Hungrings and Thirstings after Christ by the Spirit through the Gospel in those that God chooseth to walk holily and blamelessly before him in Love 1 Thes 1.4 5. Act. 26.18 And so we are made alive in a new Head and become Branches of another Vine living to God by the Spirit not by Nature 2. It confirms us in the Doctrin of Predestination which many deny because they say it takes Men off from Endeavours as fruitless by telling Men that all Events are predetermined This Argument would be more forcible against Endeavours by the power of our own Free Will but not at all against Endeavours for Holiness by the Operation of God giving us Faith and all Holiness by his own Spirit working in us through Christ we are to trust on Christ for the Grace of the Elect and Gods good Will towards Men Matt. 3.17 Luke 2.14 Psal 106.4 5. Election by Grace destroys seeking by Works but not by Grace Rom. 11.5 6. And we are here taught to seek for Salvation only in the way of the Elect and we may conclude that Holiness is to be had by Gods Will and not by our own and it may move us to desire Holiness by the Will of God Rom. 9.16 Psal 109.32 And seeing it appears by this Doctrin of Sanctification through Christ that we are Gods Workmanship as to all the good wrought in us Phil. 2.12 13. Eph. 2.10 We may well admit that he hath appointed his Pleasure from Eternity without infringing the Natural Liberty of our corrupt Wills which reacheth not unto good Works Acts 15.18 compare with 30. Mans Natural Free Will may well consist with Gods Decree as in Paradise Decretum radii contingentia 3. It confirms us in the true Doctrin of Justification and Reconciliation with God by Faith relying on the Merits of Christs Blood without any Works of our own and without considering Faith as a Work to procure Favour by the Righteousness of the Act but only as a Hand to receive the Gift or rather as the very Eating and Drinking of Christ actually than any kind of Condition intitling us to him as our Food This great Doctrin of the Gospel many hate as breaking the strongest Bonds of Holiness and opening a way to all Licentiousness for they reckon that the Conditionality of Works to attain Gods Favour and avoid his Wrath and the necessity of them to Salvation are the most necessary and effectual Impulsives to all Holiness and they account that the other Doctrin opens the Flood-gates to Licentiousness And truly this Consideration would be of some weight if People were to be brought to Holiness by Moral Suasion and their natural Endeavours stirred up by the Terms of the Law and by slavish Fears and Mercenary Hopes for the Force of these Motives would be altogether enervated by the Doctrin of Justification by Free Grace but I have already shewed that a Man being a guilty dead Creature cannot be brought to serve God out of love by force of any of these Motives and that we are not sanctified by any of our own Endeavours to work Holiness in our selves but rather by Faith in Christ's Death and Resurrection even the same whereby we are justified and that the urging of the Law stirs up Sin and that Freedom from it is necessary to all Holiness as the Apostle teacheth Rom. 6.11 14. and 7.4 5. And this way of Sanctification confirms the Doctrin of Justification by Faith as the Apostle informeth Rom. 8.1 For if we are Sanctified and so restored to the Image of God and Life by the Spirit through Faith it is evident that God hath taken us into his Favour and pardoned our Sins by the same Faith without the Law or else we should not have the Fruits and Effects of his Favour thereby to our eternal Salvation Rom. 8.2 Yea his Justice would not admit his giving Life without Works if we were not made Righteous in Christ by the same Faith And we cannot trust to have Holiness freely given us by Christ upon any rational Ground except we can also trust on the same Christ for free Reconciliation and Forgiveness of Sins for our Justification Neither can guilty cursed Creatures that cannot work by reason of their Deadness under the Curse be brought to a rational love of God except they apprehend his loving them first freely without Works 1 John 4.19 The great Objection and Reason of so many Controversies and Books written about it is because they think that Men will trust to be saved however they live But Sanctification is an Effect of Justification and floweth from the same Grace and we trust for them both by the same Faith and for the former in order to the latter And such a Faith be it never so confident tendeth not to Licentiousness but Holiness And we grant that Justification by Grace destroys Holiness by legal Endeavours but not by Grace So that there is no need to live a Papist and die an Antinomian 4. It confirms us in the Doctrin of Real Union with Christ so plentifully held forth in Scripture which Doctrin some count a vain Notion and cannot endure it because they think it worketh not Holiness but Presumption whereas I have shewed that it is absolutely necessary for the Enjoyment of Spiritual Life and Holiness which is treasured up in Christ and that so inseparably that we cannot have it without a real Union with him 2 Cor. 13.5 1 John 5.12 John 6.53 ch 15.5 1 Cor. 1.30 Col. 3.11 The Members and Branches cannot live without Union with the Vine and Head nor the Stones be part of the living Temple except they be really joyned mediately or immediately to the Corner-stone 5. In the Doctrin of certain final Perseverance of the Saints John 3.36 c. 6.37 5.24 1 John 3.9 1 Thess 5.24 Phil. 1.6 John 10.23 29. c. 4.14 They think this Doctrin maketh People careless of good Works I answer It maketh People careless of seeking them by their own Natural Strength and in a way of slavish Fear but careful and couragious in trusting on the Grace of God for them when they are brought by Regeneration heartily to desire them Rom. 6.14 Numb 13.30 setting upon the doing of them in that Grace 1 Thess 5.8
of God by faith i. e. the redeeming and propitiation-righteousness of Christ whereby he desired only to be justified and which he believed in for that end opposing it to any thing inherent in himself which therefore he calls his own righteousness Phil. 3.6 8 9. Rom. 4.5 3. Dost thou trust with any confidence in Christ not continuing in a meer suspence In a way of meer doubting we can receive no good thing from God James 1 6 7. meer doubting will not loose the conscience from the guilt of sin Heb. 10.22 but leaveth the Soul under terrors Abrahams confidence is the example and pattern of our justifying saith that we should endeavour to come up unto believing with a fullness of perswasion in hope against hope Rom. 4.20 24. though a believing Soul may be assaulted with many doubtings but it fights against them and doth not give up it self to the dominion of them Psal 42.11 Marâ— 9.24 it hath always some thing contrary to them and striving with them 4. Dost thou come to Christ for Remission of Sins for the right end namely That thou may'st be freed from the dominion of Sin before the Living God Heb. 9.14 Psal 130. Tit. 2.14 1 Pet. 2.24 otherwise thou dost not receive it for the right end and desirest not really the favour and enjoyment of God and to be in friendship with him 5. Dost thou walk in holiness and strive to evidence this Justification by the fruits of faith in good works otherwise thy faith is but a dead faith for a true faith purifieth the heart Act. 15.9 If Christ be thine he will be sanctification as well as righteousness 1 Cor. 1.30 Rom. 8.1.9 Joh. 13.8 If God hath taken thee into his favour he will doubtless cleanse thee though faith alone justifie without the concurrence of works to the Act of Justification yet that faith is not so alone as not to be accompanied with good works As the eye alone seeth yet it is not alone without other Members So the Apostle James declareth faith that is alone to be dead and biddeth us shew our faith by our works which is to be understood not as if works were the conditions of attaining Justification but sure evidences of Justification attained by faith and very necessary Jam. 2.14 15. The Gospel is no Covenant of works requiring another righteousness for Justification by doing for life works justifie us from such accusations of men as will deny us to have Justification by faith or that we have a true and lively faith or are good Trees Mat. 12.33 37. not as being our righteousness themselves or conditions of our having Christs righteousness or qualifying us for it Vse III. It serveth for Exhortation to several Duties 1. To the wicked its dehortation unto them from continuance in sin under Gods wrath running headlong to Damnation for here is a door of Mercy opened to them a Righteousness prepared that they may be freely accepted of God some men are Desperadoes over Shooes over Boots they are resolved to run the risque of it and please themselves they shall speed as well as others And some men would be justified but seek for it in some wrong way some will go to the Pope to quiet their Consciences by his Deceits some to their own works and performances but you are Exhorted to look out for the true Righteousness Christ saith in the Gospel Behold me behold me the Kingdom of Heaven is open mercy and righteousness are freely offered Isa 55.6 7. Jer. 3.12 Repentance is preached with Remission of sins Luk. 24.47 Act. 2.38 Beware you do not neglect this acceptable time this day of Salvation Heb. 2.1 For 1. If you do you remain under the wrath of God Joh. 3.36 under the curse of the Law which like a Flood sweeps away all that are found out of this Ark the Lord Christ Psal 11.5 6. 2. Your condemnation will be aggravated by refusing so great Salvation Heb. 2.3 you will have no cloak for your sins when you refuse mercy Joh. 15.22 you cannot say you are undone by your past sins beyond recovery and therefore it is in vain to strive for behold Remission of sins is proclaimed unto you Ezek. 33.10 11. and what an horrid sin is it to despise the blood of the Son of God Joh. 3.11 Obj. I. If God justifie the Vngodly what need I forsake Vngodliness at all Rom. 6.1 A. Thou canst not seek Justification truly except thou hast a mind to live to God in friendship with him for Justification is Gods way of taking us into friendship with him Rom. 5.1 2. and of reconciling us 2 Cor. 5.19 The use that thou art to make of it it is to seek Gods friendship by it and the enjoyment of him why doth a Man seek a pardon if he intend to go on in Rebellion and stand out in desiance to his Prince 1 Pet. 2.24 They seek pardon in a mocking way that intend not to return to obedience Gal. 6.7 8. Obj. II. My sins are so great that I have no encouragement to hope A. Christs Righteousness is for all sorts of Sinners that believe whether Jews or Gentiles and now great sinners were of both sorts Rom. 1.2 3. and even for those that killed and murdered the Lord of glory Act. 2. for the chief of sinners 1 Tim. 1.15 Act. 16. Where sin abounds grace superabounds Rom. 5.20 your sins are but the sins of a Creature but his righteousness is the righteousness of God Joh. 6.37 Rom. 10.11 13. Exhort II. It Exhorts those that have a mind to turn to God to turn the right way by faith in Christ for Justification Let them not seek by Works as most in the World do and all are prone to do Rom. 9.31 32. but this Doctrine seems very foolish yea pernicious to a Natural man Become a fool that thou may'st be wise 1 Cor. 3.18 otherwise you will labour in the sire and weary your selves for very vanity and be under continual discomforts and discouragements for you can do no good work while you are in the flesh under the Law and its Curse before God have received you into favour for Justification is in order of Nature before true Holiness of Heart and Life 1 Tim. 1.5 Heb. 9.14 Faith is the great Work and Mother Duty Joh. 6.29 Gal. 5.6 Isa 55.2 therefore while you believe not you dishonour Christ and his Death Gal. 2.21 ch 5.2 3 4. therefore come boldly though a great sinner Act. 10.43 and seek Righteousness in Christ with Holiness Rom. 8.1 Q. But how shall I get Faith A. Faith is the gift of God Eph. 2.8 and by the Gospel Rom. 1.15 10 17. Faith comes by hearing the Gospel preached and that comes in working of faith not in word only but in power 1 Thes 1.5 beyond what can be done by natural or humane attainment Joh. 6.63 therefore If thou hast no beginning in thee of it thy only way is to attend to the Gospel and to meditate
without blemish that he might redeem us from all iniquity by his precious Blood 1 Pet. 1.18 19 20. and he had the same Spirit then which filled his humane Nature with all its fulness afterwards and raised it from the dead and he gave that Spirit then to the Church 1 Pet. 1.11 3.18 19. Now this Spirit was able and effectual to unite those Saints to that Flesh which Christ was to take to himself in the fulness of Time because he was the same in both and to give out to them that Grace with which Christ would afterwards fill his Flesh for their Salvation as well as ours Therefore David accounted Christ's Flesh to be his and spake of Christ's Death and Resurrection as his own before hand as fully as any of us can do since their Accomplishment Psal 16.9 10 11. My flesh also shall rest in hope for thou wilt not leave my soul in hell neither wilt thou suffer thine holy one to see corruption thou wilt shew me the path of life Yea and Saints before Davids time did all eat of the same spiritual meat and drink of the same spiritual drink even of the same Christ as we do and therefore were Partakers of the same Priviledge of Union and Fellowship with Christ 1 Cor. 10.3 4. And when Christ was manifested in the Flesh in the fulness of time all things in Heaven and on Earth all the Saints departed whose Spirits were then made perfect in Heaven as well as the Saints that then were or should afterward be on Earth were gathered together in one and comprehended in Christ as their Head Ephes 1.10 And he was the chief corner-stone in whom the building of the whole Church upon the foundation of the Prophets before and the Apostles after his comming being fitly fromed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord Ephes 2.20 21. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and to day and for ever Heb. 13.8 His incarnation death and resurrection were the cause of all the Holiness that ever was or shall be given to Man from the Fall of Adam to the end of the World and that by the mighty Power of his Spirit whereby all Saints that ever were or shall be are joyned together to be Members of that one mystical Body whereof he is the Head DIRECT IV. The Means or Instruments whereby the Spirit of God accomplisheth our Vnion with Christ and our Fellowship with him in all Holiness are the Gospel whereby Christ entereth into our Hearts to work Faith in us and Faith whereby we actually receive Christ himself with all his Fulness into our Hearts And this Faith is a Grace of the Spirit whereby we heartily believe the Gospel and also believe on Christ as he is revealed and freely promised to us therein for all his Salvation EXPLICATION THAT which I asserted in the foregoing Direction concerning the necessity of our being in Christ and having Christ in us by a mystical Union to enable us for an holy Practice might put us to a stand in our Endeavours for Holiness because we cannot imagine how we should be able to raise our selves above our natural Sphere to his glorious Union and Fellowship until God be pleased to make known to us by supernatural revelation the means whereby his Spirit maketh us Partakers of so high a Privilege But God is pleased to help us at a stand to go on forward by revealing two Means or Instruments whereby his Spirit accomplisheth the mystical Union and Fellowship betwixt Christ and us and whereby rational Creatures are capable of attaining thereunto by his Spirit working in them One of these Means is the Gospel of the Grace of God wherein God doth make known to us the unsearchable Riches of Christ and Christ in us the hope of Glory Eph. 3.8 Col. 1.27 and doth also invite us and command us to believe on Christ for his Salvation and doth encourage us by a free Promise of that Salvation to all that believe on him Acts 16.31 Rom. 10.9 11. This is God's own Instrument of Conveyance wherein he sendeth Christ to us to bless us with his Salvation Acts 3.26 It is the ministration of the spirit and of righteousness 2 Cor. 3.6 8 9. Faith cometh by the hearing of it and therefore it is a great instrument whereby we are begotten in Christ and Christ is formed in us Rom. 10.16 17. 1 Cor. 4.15 Gal. 4.19 There is no need for us to say in our Hearts Who shall ascend into Heaven to bring Christ down from above Or who shall descend into the deep to bring up Christ from the dead that we may be united and have fellowship with him in his death and resurrection For the word is nigh to us the Gospel the word of Faith in which Christ himself graciously condescendeth to be nigh to us so that we may come at him there without going any further if we desire to be joyned to him Rom. 10.6 7 8. The other of these means is Faith that is wrought in us by the Gospel This is our Instrument of Reception whereby the Union betwixt Christ and us is accomplished on our part by our actual receiving of Christ himself with all his Fulness into our Hearts which is the principal Subject of the present Explanation The Faith which Philosophers commonly treat of is only an Habit of the Understanding whereby we assent to a Testimony upon the Authority of the Testifier Accordingly some would have Faith in Christ to be no more than a believing the truth of things in Religion upon the authority of Christ testifying them but the Apostle sheweth that the Faith whereby we are justified is Faith in Christ's Blood Rom. 3.24 25. not only in his Authority as a Testifier And tho' a meer assent to a Testimony were sufficient Faith for knowledge of things which the Philosophers aimed at yet we are to consider that the Design of Saving Faith is not only to know the Truth of Christ and his Salvation testified and promised in the Gospel but also to apprehend and receive Christ and his Salvation as given by and with the Promise Therefore Saving Faith must necessarily contain two Acts believing the Truth of the Gospel and believing on Christ as promised freely to us in the Gospel for all Salvation By the one it receiveth the Means wherein Christ is conveyed to us by the other it receiveth Christ himself and his Salvation in the Means As it 's one act to receive the Breast or Cup wherein Milk or Wine are conveyed and another act to suck the Milk in the Breast and to drink the Wine in the Cup and both these acts must be perform'd heartily with an unfeigned love to the Truth and a desire of Christ and his Salvation above all things this is our spiritual Appetite which is necessary for our eating and drinking Christ the Food of Life as a natural Appetite is for Bodily Nourishment Our assenting unto or believing the Gospel must not be forced
the Old or New Testament shall at last stand or fall according to those Terms Thirdly Sincere Obedience cannot be performed to all the Commands of Christ in the Gospel except it be also performed to the Moral Law as given by Moses and as obliging us by that authority Some Assertors of the Condition of Salvation by sincere Obedience to the Commands of Christ would fain be free from the authority of the Law of Moses because that justifieth none but thundereth out a Curse against all those that seek Salvation by the Works of it Gal. 3.10 11. But if they were at all justified by sincere Works their respect to Moses's Authority would not hinder their Success for many that were good Christians accounted themselves bound to obey not only the moral but the ceremonial Law and if they had sought Justification by any Works they would have sought it by those Acts 20 20 21. They knew not of any Justification by sincere Works as commanded only in the Gospel yet if they had erred in any thing absolutely necessary to Salvation the Apostles would not have tolerated their weakness And whether they will or no they must seek their Salvation by the Works of the moral Law as given by Moses or else they can never get it by sincere Obedience to the Commands of Christ Christ never loved their new Condition so well as to abolish the Mosaical Authority of the moral Law for the establishment of it he came not to destroy the Law and the Prophets but to fulfill them in the Practice required by them and hath declared that those that break one of the least of these Commandments and teach men so shall be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven but whosoever shall do and teach them the same shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven Mat. 5.17 19. He commandeth us to do to men whatsoever we would they should do to us because this is the Law and the Prophets which is sufficient to prove that He would have us to account the Law authoritative to oblige us in this matter He requireth his Disciples to observe and do whatsoever the Scribes and Pharisees bid them because they sate in Moses's Seat Mat. 23.23 And to come to the point in hand when Christ had occasion to answer the Questions of those that were guilty of the same Error that I am now dealing with in seeking their Salvation by their own Works He shewed them that they must obey the Commands as they were already established by the Mosaical Authority in the Scripture of the Old Testament What is written in the Law how readest thou This do and thou shalt live Luke 10.26 If thou wilt enter into life keep the Commandments which are Thou shalt do no Murder Thou shalt not commit Adultery c. In like manner the Apostles of Christ urged the performance of moral Duties upon Believers by the authority of the Law given by Moses The Apostle Paul exhorteth to love one another because He that loveth another hath fulfilled the Law Rom. 13.8 and to honour our Father and Mother which is the first Commandment with Promise Ephes 6.2 The Apostle John exhorteth to love others as no new but an old Commandment The Apostle James exhorteth to fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self and to keep all the Commands of the Law one as well as another because He that said Do not commit Adultery said also Do not kill Jam. 2.8 10 11. Sound Protestants have accounted the denial of the Authority of the moral Law of Moses to be an Antinomian Error tho' our late Prevaricators against Antinomianism maintain this Error yet they establish a worse Error of Justification by their sincere Gospel-works I think the denomination of the Antinomians arose from this Error The Law of Moses had its Authority at first from Christ for Christ was the Lord God of Israel that ordained the Law by Angels on Mount Sinai in the hand of Moses a Mediator for the Israelites who were then his only Church and with whom we believing Gentiles are now joyned as fellow-Members of one and the same Body Eph. 3.6 And though Christ hath since abrogated some of the Commandments then given by Moses concerning figurative Ceremonies and judicial Proceedings yet he hath not anulled the obligative Authority of the moral Law but hath left it in its full force to oblige us in moral Duties that are still to be practised as when some Acts of any Parliament are repealed the Authority of the same Parliament remaineth inviolable in other Acts that are not repealed I know they object that the Ten Commandments of the Moral Law the Ministration of Death written and engraven on Stones are also done away by Christ 2 Cor. 3.7 but this maketh altogether against their Conditional Covenant for they are the ministration of Death and done not as they commanded perfect Obedience for even Christ himself commandeth us to be perfect Mat. 5.48 but as they were Conditions for procuring Life and avoiding Death established by promise of Life to the Doers and a Curse to the Breakers of them Gal. 3.10 12. The Covenant made with Israel on Mount Sinai is abolished by Christ the Mediator of the new Covenant Heb. 8.8 9 13. And the Ten Commandments bind us not as they were words of that Covenant Exod. 34.28 I mean they bind us not as Conditions of that Covenant except we seek to be justified by Works for the Law as a Covenant doth still stand in force enough to curse those that seek Salvation by their own Works Gal. 3.10 and if abolished it is only to those that are in Christ by Faith Gal. 2.19 20. 15.15 But the Ten Commandments bind us still as they were then given to a People that were at that time under the Covenant of Grace made with Abraham to shew them what Duties are holy just and good well pleasing to God and to be a Rule for their Conversation The result of all is that we must still practise moral Duties as commanded by Moses but we must not seek to be justified by our Practice If we use them as a Rule of Life not as Conditions of Justification they can be no ministration of Death or killing Letter unto us their Perfection indeed maketh them to be harder Terms to procure Life by but a better Rule to discover all Imperfections and to guide us to that Perfection which we should aim at And it will be our Wisdom not to part with the Authority of the Decalogue of Moses until our new Divines can furnish us with another System of Morality as compleat as that and as excellently composed and ordered by the Wisdom of God and more authentick than that is 4ly Those that endeavour to procure Christ's Salvation by their sincere Obedience to all the Commands of Christ do act contrary to that way of Salvation by Christ's Free-grace and Faith discovered in the
and be your Friend if I can find that you believe it and that you take me for a Friend but their fallible Word is not sufficient ground to make us perswade our selves absolutely that we shall have their promised favour The Faith of Miracles gives us some light in this matter Christ assured them on whom they were wrought and who had Power given them of working them that the Miracles should be wrought if they believed without doubting of the Event Mark 11. And there is a Reason for this Resemblance because the end of working Miracles was to confirm the Doctrine of the Gospel of Salvation by Faith in Christ's Name as the Scriptures clearly shew and indeed the Salvation of a Sinner is a very great Miracle It is reported that Wizards do often require those that come to them that they should believe that they shall obtain what they desire of them or at least that they are able to fulfil their Desires whereby the Devil the Master of those Wizards sheweth himself to be God's Ape and that he would fain have that Honour and Glory ascribed to himself that is due to God alone Having thus explained the Nature of that Assurance which I have directed unto I shall now produce several Arguments to prove that there is and must necessarily be such an Assurance or Perswasion of our Salvation in Saving-Faith it self First This Assurance of Salvation is implyed in the Description before given of that Faith whereby we receive Christ and his Salvation into our Hearts I described Faith to be a Grace of the Spirit whereby we heartily believe the Gospel and also believe on Christ as he is revealed and freely promised to us therein for all his Salvation and I shewed in the Explanation that believing on Christ is the same with resting relying leaning staying our selves on Christ or God through Christ for our Salvation It may be some will like that Description the better because Faith was there described by Terms that are ordinarily used even by those that deny the necessity of Assurance but those ordinary Terms do sufficiently include Assurance in the nature of Faith and they cannot stand without it and this sheweth that many hold the Doctrine of Assurance implicitly and profess it though they think the contrary Believing on Christ for Salvation as freely promised to us must needs include a Dependance on Christ with a Perswasion that Salvation shall be freely given as it is freely promised to us Believing with a divine Faith grounded on the infallible Truth of the Free-promise if it did not in some measure exclude a mere Suspence and wavering Opinion or Conjecture were not worthy to be so called Some may be so absurd as to say that Faith is only a believing that we shall be saved by Christ if we perform such Conditions as he requireth and then indeed it will leave us where it found us as to any certainty of Salvation until those Conditions be performed but I have already prevented such an Absurdity by shewing that this believing on Christ is it self not only the Condition of our Salvation but also the Instrument whereby we actually receive it Believing being the proper Act of Faith must needs have the same contraries to it as staggering Rom. 4.20 Wavering Heb. 10.29 Doubting Matth. 14.31 Fear Mark 5.36 These contraries do much illustrate the nature of Faith and do shew that believing must have some Confidence in it else it would have doubting in the very nature of it for what Man that understandeth the Preciousness of his immortal Soul and his Danger of loosing it can ever avoid Fear Doubting and Trouble of Heart by any believing whereby he doth not at all assure himself of his Salvation The other Terms of trusting and resting on Jesus Christ c. whereby Faith is often described by orthodox Teachers must include Assurance of Salvation because they signifie the same thing with believing on Christ the Soul must have its sufficient Support to beat it up against Oppressing Fears Troubles Cares Despair that it may thus trust and rest The right manner of trusting and hoping in the Lord is by assuring our selves against all Fears and Doubtings That the Lord is our God and he is become our Salvation I trusted on thee O Lord I said thou art my God Psal 31.14 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer my strength in whom I will trust Psal 18.2 Behold God is my salvation I will trust and not be afraid Isa 12.2 O my soul hope thou in God who is the health of my countenance and my God Psal 42.16 True hope is grounded on God only that he will bless us that it may be an anchor for the soul sure and stedfast Heb. 6.17.18 19. If you trust relie and stay your selves on Christ or hope in him without assuring your selves at all of Salvation by him you make no better use of him than if he were a broken reed and if you would stay your selves on the Lord you must look on him as your God as the Prophet teacheth Let him trust in the name of the Lord and stay upon his God Isai 50. 10. If you will rest in the Lord you must believe that he dealeth bountifully with you Psal 116.7 or else for ought you know you make your Bed in Hell and you will shew little regard of Christ and of your own Soul if you dare to rest under the Wrath of God without any Perswasion of a sure Interest in Christ People may please themselves with such a trusting or resting c. when they are at ease but in time of Temptation it vanisheth away and appeareth to be no true Faith but is turned into Shame The Soul that liveth in such wavering and doubting concerning Salvation doth not stay it self nor rest at all but is like a Wave of the Sea driven with the Wind and tossed he is a double minded man unstable in all his ways Jam. 1.6 If you continue in meer Suspence and Doubtfulness of Salvation by Christ your Desire to trust is but a lazy woulding without any fixed Resolution and you dare not yet venture to trust on him stedfastly If you call it only your desire to trust and relie on Jesus Christ I may answer that you cannot do thus much in a right manner except you desire and venture to perswade and assure your selves of your Salvation by Christ notwithstanding all the Causes that you have to doubt and fear the contrary If it be objected that we may trust on Christ only as a sufficient means of Salvation without any Assurance of the Effect I shall acknowledge that the sufficiency of God and Christ is a good ground for us to rest on but we must understand by it not only a sufficiency of Power but also of Good-will and Mercy towards us For what have we to do more with the Sufficiency of God's and Christ's Power than fallen Angels without his Good-will towards us and if
from your evil ways for why will ye die O house of Israel Ezek. 33.11 Christ testifieth that he would often have gathered the Children of Jerusalem as a hen c. and they would not Mat. 23.37 And the Apostle Paul testifieth that God will have all men to be saved c. 1 Tim. 1.4 you are to reject and abandon all thoughts that are contrary to this persuasion What if few be saved Thy Salvation will not make the number too great for few will follow thee in the Duty of Believing What if the Wrath of God be revealed from Heaven against thee in many terrible Judgments and the Word and thine own Conscience condemn thee and Christ seem to reckon thee no better than a Dog as he did the Woman of Canaan Mat. 15.26 Thou art to make a good interpretation of all these things that the end of them is to drive thee to Christ as this was the End of the Curses of the Law and all the terrible Dispensations of them Rom. 10.4 If a Prophet or Angel from Heaven sent of God on purpose to declare that the Sentence of Everlasting Damnation is declared against thee it would be thy Duty to believe that God sent him to give thee timely warning for this very end that thou mightest Believe and turn to God by Faith and Repentance Jeremiah prophesied against the Jews that God would pluck them up pull them down and destroy them for their sins yet he himself taught them If they turned from their evil ways God would repent of the evil Jer. 18.7 8 11. Jonah preached nothing but certain Destruction of Nineveh to be executed upon them within 40 days Chap. 3.4 yet the intent of that terrible message was that those Heathenish People might escape Destruction by Repentance The most absolute and peremptory denunciations of Divine Vengeance against us while we are in this World must be always understood with a secret reserve of Salvation for us upon our Faith and Repentance And we are to account that the reason why God doth so terribly denounce his Judgments against us by his Word is that we may escape them by flying for Refuge to his free Mercy in Christ Take heed of fostering any thoughts that God hath absolutely decreed to shew no saving Mercy to you or that you have already committed the unpardonable sin or that it is in vain for you to attempt the work of Believing because God will not help you in it If such thoughts prevail in your hearts they will do you more hurt than the worst blasphemous thoughts that terrifie you or any of the grossest Abominations that ever you were guilty of because they obstruct your Believing on Christ for Salvation The Spirit and the Bride say Come Christ saith Whosoever will let him take of the water of Life freely Rev. 22.17 Therefore we are to abandon all thoughts that hinder our coming to Christ as very sinful and pernicious arising in us from our own Corruptions and Satan's Delusions and utterly opposite to the mind of Christ and teachings of the Spirit and what ground can we have to entertain such unbelieving thoughts Hath God made us of his Privy-Council that we should be able to know that God hath decreed us to Damnation before it be manifest by our final unbelief and impenitence As for the unpardonable sin it consisteth in renouncing the way of Salvation by Christ with the whole heart after we have attained to the knowledge of it and are convinced of the Truth of it by the Gospel It s the sin that the Christian Hebrews would have bin guilty of if they had revolted from Christianity to the Religion of the unbelieving Jews that accounted Christ to be an Impostor and were most rancorous persecutors of him and his ways Heb. 6.4 5. They that have committed that sin continue implacable malicious Enemies to Christ and his ways to the end without any repentance Therefore if you can but find that you desire seriously to get an interest in Christ and to be better Christians than you are if you be troubled and grieved that your Hearts and Lives are so wicked and that you want Faith Love and true Obedience yea if your Hearts be not maliciously bent to persecute the Gospel and prefer Atheism Licentiousness or any false Religion before it you have no cause to suspect your selves to be guilty of this unpardonable sin 6. Add to all these a full persuasion of the incomparable glorious Excellency of Christ and of the way of Salvation by him You are to esteem the enjoyment of Christ as the only Salvation and true happiness and such an happiness as hath in it unsearchable Riches of Glory and will make our Cup to run over with exceeding abundance of Peace and Joy and full of Glory to all Eternity We must account all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord c. Phil. 3.8 Incline your Wills and Affections to choose and embrace Christ as the Chief Good and never to rest satisfied without the Enjoyment of him and to reject every thing that stands in Competition with him or the Enjoyment of him Christ is precious in the esteem of all true Believers 1 Pet. 2.7 Their high esteem of his incomparable preciousness and excellency induceth them to sell all that they may buy this Pearl of great price Mat. 13.46 this maketh them to say Lord evermore give us of this Bread that cometh down from Heaven and giveth Life to the World Lord to whom shall we go thou hast the Words of Eternal Life Joh. 6.32 33 68. because of the savour of his good Ointments his Name is as Ointment poured forth therefore do the Virgins love him Cant. 1.3 They are sick of love to him because he is in their Eyes the chiefest of ten thousand Cant. 5.8 10. As the Glory of God that appeared in the wonderful Beauty of the Temple and in the Wisdom and Glory of Solomon drew Worshipers to God from the utmost parts of the Earth so the unparallel'd excellency of Christ which was prefigured by the Glory of Solomon and the Temple doth more powerfully draw Believers in these Gospel-days The Devil who is the God of this World knows how necessary it is for our Salvation to discern all the Glory and Excellency of Christ and therefore where the Gospel is preached he maketh it his great work to Eclypse the Glory of Christ in the Ministry and to blind the minds of the People lest the Light of the glorious Gospel of Christ should shine into them 2 Cor. 4.4 One that is convinced of the truth of the Gospel may be averse to the embracing of it until he see also the goodness of it that Christ is altogether lovely and excellent I come now to the second principal Act of Faith whereby Christ himself and his Spirit and all his saving Benefits are actually received into the Heart which is Believing on Christ as revealed and freely