not an instrument at all faith only is the instrument â—aith justifyeth me from sinne hereafter as well as before The case is this faith brings life The righteous shall live by his faith as the Prophet Habakkuk speaks What doth then new sinnes do There are two sorts of sinnes one of ordinary incursion which cannot be avoided these break no friendship betwixt God and us these only weaken our faith and make us worse at ease But there are other sinnes which waste a mans conscience A man that hath committed murder adultery and lives in covetousnesse which in the Apostles is Idolatry as long as a man is in this case he cannot exercise the acts of faith we must know faith justifieth not as an habit but as an act applying Christ to the comfort of the soul. Now a wasting sinne it stops the passage of faith it cannot act till it be opened by repentance Physitians give instances for it Those that have Apoplexies Epilepsies and the Falling sicknesse are thought to be dead for the time as it was with Eutichus yet saith Saint Paul his spirit was in him Every one thought him dead yet his spirit is in him however in regard of the operation of his senses it did appear he was dead So if thou art a carelesse man and lookst not to thy watch and to thy guard but art overtaken in some grosse and grievous sinne thou art taken for dead I say not a man can lose his life that once hath it but yet in the apprehension of others and of himself too he may appear to be so As in Epilepsies the nerves are hindred by obstructions so sinne obstructs the nerves of the soul that there cannot be that life and working till these sinnes be removed Now what is repentance why it clears the passages that as faith could not act before now it gives him dispositions unto it As a man in a swound cannot do the acts of a living man till he be refreshed again so here its repentance which clears the spirits and makes the life of faith passe throughout Now when repentance clears the passages then faith acts and now there is a new act of faith faith justifies me from my new sinnes faith at first and at last is that whereby I am justified from my sins which I commit afterwards But this forgivenesse of sinnes what doth it free us from In sinne we must consider two things the fault and the punishment Now consider sinne as it is in it self and as it respects the sinner as acted by him as respecting the fault of the sinner it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a transgression of the Law The punishment is death as it respects the sinner it is guilt The sin is not guilt but the guilt the sinners For instance a man that hath told a lye or sworn an oath the act is past but a thing remains which we call the guilt As if a man commit murder or adultery the act is past but yet if he sleep or walk or wake the guilt follows him If he live an hundred years he is a murderer still and an adulterer still the guilt follows him and nothing can take away the murder or adultery from the soul but the blood of Christ applyed by faith First God takes away the punishment There is now saith the Apostle no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit what nothing in him worthy condemnation God knows we are worthy of a thousand condemnations There are two Judges there is a double guilt when a man is brought to the barre first the Jury judge the fact and then the Judge that sits on the Bench he judgeth the punishment one saith guilty or not guilty the other saith guilty then he judgeth him Now when we are justified we are freed from both these guilts sinne when it is accomplish't it bringeth forth death You know the natural work of sinne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it labours with death now God will stop the acts of it that it shall not do that which it is apt to do which is as good as if the sinne were taken away when there were wilde guords sliced into the pot 2 Kings 4.31 it 's said the Prophet took that venemous herbe away i. e. though the thing were there yet it is as if it were not there it shall do no manner of hurt Bring now and poure out and there was no evil thing So in respect of us though there be an evil thing in punishment and if we had our due would bring condemnation yet when we are sprinkled with the blood of Christ it can do us no evil no hurt it 's said in the Scripture that the stars fell from heaven why the starres are of that bignesse that they cannot fall from heaven to the earth but they are said to fall when they give not their light and do not that for which they were put there so though I have committed sinne yet when God is pleased for Christs sake to pardon it it is as if it were not there at all This is a great matter but I tell you there is more we are not only freed from the guilt of the punishment but which is higher we are freed from the guilt of the fact I am now no more a murderer no more a lyar when I have received a pardon from the blood of Christ he frees me from that charge the world is changed with me now Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect If the Divel lay any thing to thee thou mayst deny it Such a one I was but I am justified but I am sanctified A man hath committed High Treason against the King and the King gives him a pardon for the Treason if I call him a Traytor he can have no remedy against me for he is one the pardon takes not away the guilt But if his blood be restored unto him by Act of Parliament then if I shall call him Traytor he may have remedy against me because he is restored fully and is not lyable to that disgrace This is our case though our sinnes be as red as scarlet yet the die shall be changed it shall not be so bloody Thou hast the grace of justification and this doth not only clear thee from the punishment but from the fault it self See in Jer. 50.20 the place is worth gold In those dayeâ— and in that time saith the Lord the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for and there shall be none and the sinnes of Judah and they shall not be found for I will pardon them whom I reserve what is the matter what a sinful man and no sinne what when there is search made for sinne in such a man shall it not be found you will say this is meant of the grace of sanctification no I will pardon them that pardoning of sinne makes the sin not to be found What a wonderful comfort is this
in the Accursednesse of it p. 384. in the shame of it p. 385. in the painfulnesse of it p. 386 Christ suffered not the pains of Hell proved p. 388. yet he suffered in his Soul immediately from God p. 389 Whether Christ takes away all the sins of the world p. 395. Christ's being offered for us no comfort unless he be offered to us p. 356 That Christ dyed sufficiently for all is an improper speech p. 356 To receive Christ what p. 399. Christ offered freely p. 397 402. He that hath a will to receive Christ hath a warrant to receive him p. 404 Christ the proper and immediate Object of justifying Faith p. 418. Christ loved and valued above all by true believers p. 427. Christ and the Cross go together in this life p. 426 Christ very compassionate p. * 368 Christ is our Peace p * 454 To be a Christian indeed is no easie matter p. 426 Civil Righteousness See Morality Men deceived by Comparing themselves with others p. 46. and with themselves p. 47 The Conditions of Faith and Obedience required hinder not the freedom of Gospel grace p. 389 416 Confession of sin necessary and why p. * 376 Carnal Confidence as to our spiritual estate dangerous the vain grounds of it discovered p. 43 c. Conscience one of the Tormenters in Hell p. 153 Peace of Conscience See Peace Conviction necessary to Conversion p. 39 80 Conviction a work of Gods Spirit p * 364 Two hindrances of Conversion p. 4 A limited time for it p. 9 10 Crucifying a Cursed Shameful Painful death p. 384. c. The manner of it p. 386. The Curse followes sin p. 98 The Curses attending an unregenerate man in this life p. 120 c. The Curses on his Soul p. 127 The Curses at his death p. 130 Custom in sin hardens the heart p. 28 D. DAy of grace limited p. 9 10 34 35. The folly and danger of neglecting it p. 16 17 Death the wages of sin p. 110. The comprehensivenesse of the word Death p. 119 Death terrible p. 112. The teriblenesse of Bodily Death set forth in three particulars p. 131 c. What the first and second Death is p. 141 The Death of Christ described p. 384 c. Death-bed-Repentance See Repentance Deferring Repentance dangerous p. 16 17. The reasons of Carnal mens Deferring Repentance p. 21 c. The vanity of them ibid. Desires after Christ may be stronger in Temporaries then in true Believers p. * 388 The Devil takes possession of those whom God leaves p. 106 107 The Reason of Christians Doubting p. * 438. E. WHat use to make of the Doctrine of Election and Reprobation p. 35 Encouragements for sinners to come to Christ p. 402 Examination of a mans self See Self-Examination F FAith why required to the receiving of Christ since he is a free gift p. 398. Faith consists not in a mans being perswaded that God is his God and that his sins are pardoned p. 402.413 It 's proper and immediate object is not that forgivnesse of sins but Christ p. 418. Faith must have a ground for it out of the word p. 414. What Faith justifies p. * 384. c. Faith jusstifies not as a vertue but in respect of its object p. 419. Faith justifies not as a Habit but as an act p. * 417. The Acts of Faith p. 423. By what sins the Acts of Faith are hindred p. 417. How those obstructions are removed ibid. Faith an instrument to receive Justification not to procure it p. * 424 * 434 Why Faith chosen for an instrument of Justification rather than any other grace p. * 437. A weak Faith justifies as much as a strong p. * 435 yet a strong Faith is to be laboured for and why p * 436. How Faith alone justifies p. * 436 Faith may be certainly known p. * 407. There may be Faith where there is no feeling p. 412 425 * 373 Faith strongest when sense least p. * 451 Encouragements to Faith p. 402 Carnal Fear its sinfulness and danger p. 140 141 Men apt to Flatter themselves as to their spiritual estate 41 Five false glasses that cause this self Flattery p. 43 c. Forgivnesse of sins not a distinct thing from Imputation of righteousness p. 399 c. Forgivness is properly of sins past only p. * 403. It is one continued act p. * 414. and therfore may be prayed for by a justified person ibid. Forgivnesse frees from guilt and punishment p. * 418 419 God forsakes none till they forsake him p. 108 True beleevers forsake all for Christ p. 427 428. Free grace in bringing sinners to Christ p. 398 No Freewill to good p. 404 G TO be given up to our selves a more fearfull thing then to be given up to satan p. 108 109.128 The Gospel not seasonable nor savory till the Law hath been preached p. 80. How the Gospel differs from the Law p. 86 The fulnesse and freedome of the Grace of the Gospel not hindred by the conditions of Faith and Obedience p. 398.416 Guilt of sin taken away in Justification p. * 420. H HArdnesse of heart a hindrance to Conversion p. 2 3 4 Hell for whom provided p. 139 Hell described p. 143 c. That Christ suffered not the pains of Hell proved p. 388. Christians rejoice in Hope p. * 458. The Humiliation of Christ see Christ I IMputation of Righteousnesse See Righteousnesse To be given up to Insensiblenesse a wofull thing p. 129 130 Joy in the sense of Gods love surpasseth all worldly Joy p. 430. It is attainable p. ibid. The reason why many beleevers are strangers to it p. 430 431. Some Joy may be in a Temporary p. * 393. How to try true Joy p. * 360. Means to get it p. * 462 463 Justification what it signifies p. * 396. How the Fathers used the word p. * 732 Justification one simple act of God p. * 400 How we are said to be Justified by Faith and how by Christs blood p. 420. * 422. In what sense we are Justified by Faith according to Paul and in what sense by works according to James p * 398. Impossible to be Justified but by imputed Righteousnesse p. * 402 * 410 411. In the instant of Justification no sins are remitted but those that are past p. * 411 412. A twofold Justification p. * 409 Why a justified person may and must pray for the remission of sins past p. * 413 414. Justification frees from the punishment and guilt too p. * 418 419 420. Justification confounded by the Papists with sanctification p. * 422. The difference between them p. * 423. * 429. No Justification before Faith p. * 440 How we are Justified by Faith alone p. * 439. Judgment in Scripture sometime taken for Righteousnesse inherent p. * 433 How men are deceived in Judging of their spiritual estate p. 43 K KNowledge one act of Faith p. 423 L THe use of the Law p. 79.354 * 366. It is necessary to be
taste it and therefore many Christians on serious consideration would not change their estate for the estate of Angels Why because hereby Christ is my husband I am wedded to him he is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh which the Angels are not capable of Our nature is advanced above the Angelical nature for we shall sit and judge the world with Christ judge the twelve Tribes of Israel And what an high preferment is this Nay observe this and take it for a Rule Never beg of God pardon for thy sins till thou hast done this one thing namely accepted of Christ from Gods hands For thou never canst confidently ask any thing till thou hast him For all the Promises of God are in him yea and Amen This may serve for the Object of faith to shew that the primary Object is Christ crucified and God by him We come now to declare 2. The Acts of faith what they are and there is some intricacy in that too There is much ado made in what part and power of the soul faith is We must not proportionate the Act of faith according to our own fancy For it s no faith but as it hath relation to the Word now look how is the Word presented After you heard the Word of Truth the Gospel of your salvation Now the Word is presented under a double respect 1. It s presented Sub ratione veri After you had heard the Word of Truth and there comes in the Understanding 2. Then Sub ratione boni as a good word that so we should lay hold on it and here comes in the Will For the Will we say challenges that which is good for its Object Now the Gospel of salvation is a good Word its glad tidings worthy of all acceptation that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners And now as the Word is presented as a good Word so must my Act of faith be answerable unto it See in Heb. 11.13 The act of faith answering hereto These all died in faith not having received the Promises What did their faith to them It made them see the Promises a far off and they were perswaded of them and embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims in the earth So that by comparing place with place it appears that first this Gospel was presented as the Word of Truth they were perswaded of it It is the first Act of Faith to perswade men of the truth of the Word and then as it is a good word they embraced it these are the two arms of faith as true it perswades me as good I embrace it We must not now be too curious in bringing in Philosophical Disputes whether one Vertue may proceed from two faculties whether Faith may proceed from the Understanding and the Will The truth is these things are not yet agreed upon and shall we trouble our selves with things not yet decided in the schools as whether the practical Understanding and the Will be distinct faculties or no The Word of God requires that I should believe with my whole heart Act. 8.37 As Philip told the Eunuch if thou believest with all thy heart thou mayest If with the heart but with what faculties may you say Why I tell thee believe with thy whole heart and what shall I peece and devide the heart when the whole is required Now to come to these two The Word is presented 1. As a true Word 2. Then as a good Word a word like Gospel like salvation 1. As a true Word And the Act of faith answering thereto is called in Scripture 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Knowledge and Acknowledgement 1 Titus 1. 1 Peter 3. 1 Knowledge that 's a thing requisite Why because if there be a Remedy able to cure a mans disease if he do not know it what is he the better for it Knowledge is so essential unto Faith that without it there can be no faith In John 17.3 the terms are confounded the one put for the other This is life eternal to know thee to be the true God and whom c. to know thee that is to believe in thee because knowledge is so essential to belief as one cannot be without the other thou canst not believe what thou hast never heard of I know saith Job that my Redeemer liveth that is I believe he liveth and hereupon it s said in Isa. 53. By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justifie many Knowledge is an Act primarily requisite to Faith to be justified by his knowledge is to be justified by faith in his blood this then is the first thing that I know it to be as true as Gospel then comes the acknowledgement 2. The Acknowledgement Joh. 6.69 We know and are assured that thou art that Christ. This is an assurance I say not the assurance of my salvation for that is another kind of thing but an assurance that God will keep touch with me will not delude me but that if I take his Son I shall have life I shall have his favour When God illuminates me I find all things in him when I have him I am made When the Understanding clearly apprehends this then comes the next word it is the Gospel of salvation there being a knowing and acknowledging the Act of the Understanding then comes the Will and it being 2. Propounded as a good word then follows 1. Acceptation 2. Affiance 1. Acceptation which receives Christ. 1 John 12. As many as received him to them he gave power to become the sons of God even to as many as believed on his name Then a man resolves I will take God on his word and thereupon follows A resting or relying on God which is a proper act of faith I need no other place then Rom. 10.13 Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved But how shall they call on him on whom they have not believed that is on whom they have not reposed their confidence Mark the â—postle How shall they call on him on whom they have not believed That Faith which was in the antecedent must be in the conclusion therefore our faith is a relying on God and so in this place this trust is made the same with faith as it is in the Text in whom you trusted after you had received the word of Truth for our trust and belief there is the self-same word Nimium ne crede colori this Credo is to have a great confidence in fleeting and fading things and so it is in justifying faith If I have a knowledge of God and acknowledgement of him and from my knowing my will is conformed to accept Christ and if when I have accepted him I will not part from him this is faith and if thou hast this faith thou wilt never perish suppose thou never hadst one day of comfort all thy life long yet my life for thine thou art saved Perhaps by reason of thy
and feet But that which he shed in the garden in the cold winter time when he shed great drops great clots of blood thickest blood that pierc'd his garment and ran down upon the ground Consider how much blood he lost when he was whipped and lashed when the spear came to the very Pericardium thus let us weigh his torments and it will be a means to make us much affected with his sufferings for us But this is not all there is another thing yet in the blood this was but the outward part of his sufferings Yet some there are who are against Christs sufferings in his soul If it were so say they then something either in the sacrifices of the old Testament or in the new Testament should signifie it What ever such persons object against it I am sure there was as much in the sacrifices of the old Testament as could possibly be in a Type to signifie it Now that I may make this to appear know that in every sacrifice there were two parts or two things considerable and those were the Body and the Blood the whole was to be made a sacrifice viz. both Body and blood the body was to be burned the blood to be poured forth Now nothing in a beast can signifie the sufferings of Christ in soul better then the pouring out of the blood Lev. 17.11 The blood was the life and this is that which had a relation to the soul and was therefore as in the same place appears poured out as an attonement for the soul And to this in our common prayers there is an allusion viz. Grant us gracious Lord so to eat the flesh of thy dear son Jesus Christ and to drink his blood that our sinful bodies may be made clean by his body and our souls washed through his most precious blood And in Isa. 53.12 The Metaphor holds He poured out his soul unto death for us So that whatever some have fondly thought its evident and manifest that Christ suffered both in soul and body both soul and body were made an offering for sin who knew no sin I should have gone further but the time cuts me off FINIS HEB. 4.16 Let us therefore come boldly ùnto the throne of grace that we may obtaine mercy and finde grace to help in time of need IN handling heretofore the Doctrine of the conversion of a sinner I declar'd and shew'd you what mans misery was and what that great hope of mercy is that the Lord proposeth to the greatest sinner in the world I shew'd unto you the means whereby we may be made partakers of Christ and that was by the grace of faith which doth let fall all other things in a mans self and comes with an open and empty hand to lay hold on Christ and fill it self with him I shew'd you also the acts of Faith as it justifies And now because it is a point of high moment wherein all our comfort stands and in which it lies I thought good to resume it all again so farre as may concerne our practice that we may see what the work of Gods Spirit is from the first to the last in the conversion of a sinner from the corruptions and pollutions of the flesh in which he wallowed and to this purpose have I chosen this place of Scripture wherein we are encouraged by Gods blessed Word that what ever we are though accursed and the greatest sinners in the world and that whatever we want we should come to Gods throne of grace And we are to think that whatever sinnes are or have been committed and though our sinnes are never so great yet that they are not so great as the infinitenesse of Gods mercy especially having such not only an Intercessor but Advocate to plead the right of our cause so that Christ comes and he pleads payment and that however our debts are great and we runne farre in score yet he is our ransome and therefore now Gods justice being satisfied why should not his mercy have place and free course This is the great comfort that a Christian hath that he may come freely and boldly to God because he comes but as for an acquittance of what is already paid As a debtor will appear boldly before his creditor when he knows his debt is discharg'd he will not then be afraid to look him in the face Now we may come and say Blessed Father the debt is paid I pray give me pardon of my sinnes give me my acquittance And this is that boldnesse and accesse spoken of Rom. 5.2 In whom we have accesse by faith Now that I may not spend too much time needlesly come we to the ground and matter in the words Wherein there is 1. A preparative for grace 2. The act it self whereby we are made partakers of the grace of God First the preparatives are two The law and the Gospel and wrought by them The first preparative 1. Wrought by the Law The Law works in a time of great need this is the first preparative for a man to be brought to see he stands in great need of Gods mercy and Christs blood so that the sinner cries out Lord I stand in great want of mercy His eyes being thus opened he is no longer a stranger at home but he sees the case is wondrous hard with him so that he concludes Unlesse God be merciful unto me in Christ I am lost and undone for ever This is the first preparative and till we come to it we can never approach the throne of grace The second is 2. Wrought by the Gospel I see I stand in great need but by this second preparative we see a Throne of grace set up and that addes comfort unto me If God had onely a throne and seat of Justice I were utterly undone I see my debt is extreme great but the Gospel reveals unto me that God of his infinite mercy hath erected a Throne of grace a City of refuge that finding my self in need my soul may flie unto And now to fit us for this Gods blessed Spirit works by his Word to open unto us the Law and our wants to enlighten our understandings that we stand in great need to win our affection and open the Gospel and its comforts Therefore first for the time of need the Law reveals unto us our woful condition to be born in sin as the Pharisee said and yet not able to see it Every man may say in generalities I am a sinner yet to say and know himself to be such a sinner as indeed he is to stand in such need that he cannot do This one would think to be a matter of sence but unlesse Gods Spirit open our eyes we can never see our selvs to be such sinners as we are or else what is the reason that the child of God cries out more against his sinne and the weight thereof after his conversion than he did before What are his sinnes greater or more than they were
the man to whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity it 's the most blessed condition as can be it is set down by way of Exclamation O the blessednesse of the man to whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity For justification see what it is the Scripture in St. Pauls Epistles speaks of justification by faith and in St. James of justification by works Now it will be useful for us in this point to know whence justification comes it comes from justice Tsedeck as the Original hath it and to justifie so that justification and righteousnesse depend one upon the other for what is justification but the manifestation of the righteousnesse that is in a man and therefore in Gal. 3.21 they are put for one and the same thing For if there had been a Law given which could have given life verily righteousnesse had been by the Law that is justification had been by the Law Again If righteousnesse be by the Law then Christ is dead in vain Gal. 2. that is also if justification had been by the Law c. justification is a manifestation of righteousnesse and as many wayes as righteousnesse is taken so many wayes is justification which is a declaration of righteousnesse so that if there be a double righteousnesse there must be also a double justification Beloved I bring you no new doctrine be not afraid of that but I shew you how to reconcile places of Scripture against the Church of Rome and those things which the Papists bring against us in this point It stands by reason seeing justification is a declaration of righteousnesse that there must be so many sorts of justification as there be of righteousnesse Now there is a double sort of righteousness Rom. 8.4 That the righteousnesse of the Law may be fulfilled in us see then there is a double righteousnesse there is a righteousnesse fulfilled in us and a righteousnesse fulfilled by us that 's walking in the Spirit The righteousness fulfilled in us is fulfilled by another and is made ours by imputation so we have a righteousnesse without us and a righteousnesse inhaerent in us the righteousnesse without us is forgivenesse of sinnes and pardon of them which is a gracious act of God letting fall all actions against me and accounting of me as if I had never sinned against him all my life time then there is a righteousnesse within me an inherent righteousnesse And if a righteousnesse then justification for that is but a declaration of righteousnesse And so that which the Fathers call justification is taken generally for sanctification that which we call justification they call forgivenesse of sinnes that which we call sanctification they call justification so that the difference is only in the termes Justification we must know is not taken only as opposed to condemnation which is the first kinde of righteousnesse Rom. 6.7 He that is dead is freed from sinne if you look to the Greek or to the Margent it is he that is dead is justified from sinne this is not took in the first sense as opposed to condemnation but in the other sense as it hath relation to final grace The perfection of sanctification is wrought in me for where there is final grace there is a supersedeas from all sinne so Rev. 22.11 Let him that is righteous be righteous still the Greek is let him that is righteous be justified still See then the difference between Saint Paul and Saint James Saint Paul speaks of that which consists in remission of sinnes as in comparing the Apostle with David will appear Blessed is the man whose sinnes are forgiven Saint James speaks of justification in the second acception You need not flie to that distinction of justification before God and justification before men think not that Saint James speaks onely of justification before men Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac on the Altar What justified by killing his son this was a proper work indeed to justifie him before man to be a parricide to kill his sonne though it were not so before God So Psal. 106. we read how God accounted the act of Phine as for righteousness thus you see how works are accounted righteousnesse in the second kinde of righteousnesse In the former righteousnesse we are justified by faith for in righteousnesse inherent there is a goodly chaine of vertues Adde to your faith vertue c. adde one grace to another Adde to vertue knowledge faith is but one part of the Crown Now this justification in the first sense whereby my sinnes are forgiven is called the righteousnesse of God because of Christ which is God because it s wrought by Christ Dan. 9. he is called an everlasting righteousnesse which continueth for ever world without end for do not think the Saints in heaven have onely the second kinde of righteousnesse for they have the same covering by justification by Christ in heaven that they had before God covers their sins not here onely but there also justification follows them for ever Quest. But now what parts hath justification in it we are wont to say that there are two parts one imputation of righteousness the other forgivenesse of sinnes Sol. I answer for my own part I think Justification is one simple act of God and that it is improperly distinguished as parts but rather as terminus a quo is distinct from terminus ad quem And this I shall shew unto you both by reason and authority that faith is but one act Let none say that I take away the imputation of the righteousnesse of Christ No the bringing in of light and the expulsion of darknesse is not two acts but one but there is terminus á quo and terminus ad quem We are accounted righteous and that is we have our sinnes forgiven And the reason is this if sinne were a positive thing and had a being in it self then the forgivenesse of sin must be a thing distinct from the imputation of righteousnesse Scholars know the difference between adversa and privantia white and black are both existent but darknesse and light are not but only a privation one of another Darknesse is nothing of it self but the absence of light The bringing in of light is the suppression of it you must understand sinne hath no being no entity it 's only an absence of righteousnesse the want of that light which should be in the subject which want is either in our nature and then it 's call'd original or in our person and actions and then it s call'd actual transgression Sinne is an absence of that positive being which is as I said either in our nature or works Then thus I will resolve you in another point viz. If sin were a positive thing all the world cannot avoid it but God must be the Author of it for there is nothing can have a being but it must derive its being from the first being God Now how can we avoid Gods being the
Author of sin Why thus it is nothing But what is sinne nothing Will God damne a man and send him to hell for nothing I answer it s not such a nothing as you make it a man is not damned for nothing It 's a nothing privative an absence of that that should be and that a man ought to have As when a Scholar is whip't for not saying his lesson is he whip't think you for nothing indeed he hath nothing he can't say a word of his lesson and therefore it is he is whip't it is for a thing he ought to have and hath not Well if you will say there are two parts of justification do if you please but this I take to be the more proper and genuine explanation Besides it appears by testimony of the Apostle Rom. 4.6 As David describeth the blessednesse of the man to whom the Lord imputeth righteousnesse without works c. Saying blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sinnes are covered The Apostle cites the Prophet David Psal. 42. Mark the Apostles conclusion and how he proves it His conclusion is That man is blessed unto whom the Lord imputeth righteousnesse without works His argument then must needs be thus framed He whom God forgives is blessed But He to whom God imputeth righteousnesse without works hath his sinnes forgiven him Therefore he is blessed Now how could this assumption hold if imputation of righteousnesse and remission of sinnes were two distinct acts for not imputing righteousnesse is not to bring in light which keeps out darknesse but observe the Apostle to the Colossians and Ephesians makes this forgivenesse of sins the whole work way foundation of our redemption But here remember I deny not the imputation of righteousnesse for that is the foundation of the other here 's the point How is Christs righteousnesse imputed to me that positive thing which expels the other Not so as if Christs righteousnesse were in me subjectively for it was wrought by his passion as well as his action The Apostle calls it faith in his blood by faith in Christ Christs passive obedience is imputed to me What do you think the meaning is that God doth esteem me as if I had hang'd on the Crosse and as if I had had my sides pierced No that would not stead me or do me any good that which was meritorious and singular in him did reach to us so that the meaning is this as it is in the Articles of the Church of England That for the merits of Jesus Christ God is well pleased with the obedience of his Son both active and passive as that he takes us to be in that state for his sake as if we had fulfilled all his Laws and never broken them at any time and as if we ow'd him not a farthing this is imputative righteousnesse however the Papists may scoffe at it And this kinde of justification must of necessity be by imputation why because when a man hath committed a sinne it cannot be undone again God by his absolute power cannot make a thing done undone for it implies a contradiction The act past cannot be revoked nor the nature thereof changed murther will be murther still c. How then can I be justified the sinne being past and the nature of it still remaining I say how can I be justified in the first sense any other way than by imputation its said in 2 Cor. 5.19 God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself c. This kinde of justification which consists in remission of sinnes cannot be but imputative sin cannot be changed nor the thing done undone But now cometh a greater question If by justification our sinnes be forgiven us what sinnes are forgiven I pray sinnes past or sinnes to come we are taught that in the instant of justification all our sinnes past and to come are remitted which is in my mind an unsound doctrine for if we look narrowly into it we shall finde that in propriety of speech remission of sinnes hath relation to that which is past it s said therefore Rom. 3.25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood to declare his righteousnesse for the remission of sinnes that are past through the forbearance of God And remission of sinnes hath relation to those that are past as appears by inevitable reason for what is remission of sinnes but sinne covered Now can a thing be covered before it be blot out mine iniquities c. saith David can a thing be blotted out before it 's written this is the thing makes the Pope so ridiculous that he will forgive sins for the time before they are committed but what do we get nothing for the time to come yes yes when the sinne is past by faith we have a new accesse unto God and having risen by repentance we get a new act not of universal justification but of a particular justification from this and that particular sinne But if there be forgivenesse of sinnes past already and I know that I am justified and my sinnes remitted may I now pray for forgivenesse of sinnes past The Papists say it is active infidelity and as absurd as to pray to God to create the world anew or incarnate his Son again But there is no conversion where there is no praying and there is need of praying for the remission of sinnes past and against sinne for the time to come as I shall shew next time as also consider whether there be any interruption of the act of justification by falling into great sins There 's no man hath a mind more against quierks and quillets than I yet for the opening of these things and staying and setling the mind and clearing the understanding give me leave the next time to clear these things unto you ROM 5.1 Therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. IN this Chapter especially in the beginning thereof I shew'd unto you that the Apostle sets down unto us those special comforts that a man receives after God hath wrought that supernatural grace of faith in his heart so that here is set down The Mother-Grace Justification by faith and then the blessed issues or daughters thereof and those are a free access to God a joyful hope of the glory to come and not only a patient but a joyful suffering of all afflictions that shall befall us in this life Concerning justification by faith I laboured to open it unto you the last day three things may well be considered therein 1. What that faith is whereby we are justified 2. What that justification is we have by faith 3. What relation the one of these hath to the other Concerning the first of these I told you that it was not every faith that justifieth not every kinde of faith that a man can live by There is a dead faith and a man cannot live by a dead thing And there is a living faith and
of the thing A thing cannot be remitted before it be committed nor covered before it had an existence nor blotted out before it be written Therefore justification from such or such a fault must have relation to that which is past but for justification for the time to come I will speak anon there I left the last time I have now faith and I believe in Christ I have now relation to him and remission of sinnes past But why then do I pray for it to what end is that Bellarmine objects that it is an act of infidelity to pray for it afterwards but we do it and we ought to do it see Psal. 51. David made that Psalme after the Prophet Nathan had told him his sinne was pardoned See the title of it and we must know that the title is a part of Gods Word as well as the rest A Psalme of David when Nathan came unto him after he had gone in unto Bathsheba Nathan told him that God had took away his sinne Yet he cryeth here throughout the whole Psalme to have his sinne pardoned and blotted out so that though there were faith and assurance yet he still prays for it Now Bellarmine saith this cannot be but doth he dispute against our opinion no he disputes against the Holy Ghost for David having received a message of forgivenesse yet prays Therefore if the Jesuite had grace he would joyne with us to salve the matter rather then through our sides to strike at God But it is a Fallacy to joyne these two together for a man to pray for a thing past it is an act of infidelity as to pray that God would create the world and incarnate his Sonne I answer there is difference between an act done and an act continued when the World was made by God God had finished that work And when Christ took our flesh upon him the act was done but the forgivenesse of sin is a continued act which holds to day and to morrow and world without end God is pleased not to impute thy sinnes but cover them Now this covering is no constant act I may cover a thing now and uncover it again now forgivenesse of sinne being an act not complete but continued and continued world without end and therefore we say the Saints in heaven are justified by imputative righteousnesse Gods continuance of his act of mercy The point then is this As long as we continue in the world and by contrary acts of disobedience continue to provoke God to discontinue his former acts of mercy and our sinnes being but covered therefore so long must we pray for forgivenesse When the servant had humbled himself before his Lord it is said The Lord of that servant loosed him and forgave him the debt but though he forgave him yet he did another act that caused his Lord to discontinue his pardon Matth. 18.33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow-servant as I had pity on thee He had pity on him yet since he doth another act which turns his Lords heart against him therefore he is now cast into prison and he must not come out thence till he hath paid the utmost farthing He had forgave him to day and to morrow and would have continued his forgivenesse if he had not thus provoked him we must pray to God to continue his acts of mercy because we continually provoke him by new acts of rebellion Adde to this The King grants a pardon to a man In all Patents of pardon there is a clause that the man must renew his Patent If forgivenesse may be renewed then those things are to be renewed again by which the renovation of my remission may be wrought God would have me renew my acts of faith and if of faith why not of repentance and of prayer There is a singular place in Ezek. 36.29 35 37. that makes it plain That though God intends to do the thing yet he appoints this to be the means Thus saith the Lord God I will yet for this be enquired of by the house of Israel to do it for them i. e. though I have done it and intend to do it yet will I do it by the means of prayer Howsoever that God had promised Eliah that raine should come upon the face of the earth yet he goes upon the Mount and saw no shew of a cloud The Text saith not what he did but he put his head between his knees Saint James saith he prayed and he opened heaven and brought down raine It was an humble secret gesture A man may be more free in private than in publick He prayed and the heavens opened God had promised it and would do it but yet he would be sought too So we see the mediate cause is prayer so though the Lord will do this yet for all this he will be enquired of It is not with God as with men men who have promised would be loth to be sued to not to break their promise they account that a dishonour to them but it is not so with God God hath promised yet thou shalt have no benefit of it untill thou sue him for it therefore thou must go to God and say Lord fulfill thy promise to thy servant wherein thou hast caused me to trust God loves to have his bond sued out Lord make good this word performe that good word that thou hast spoken God would have his bond thus sued out And as thy faith repentance prayer is renewed so is thy pardon renewed When God will make a man possesse the sinnes of his youth when a man is carelesse this way it pleaseth God to awaken him Thou writest bitter things against me and makest me to possesse the iniquity of my youth Job 13.26 When a man forgetteth the iniquities of his youth and reneweth not his repentance and hath not new acts of faith and petition then God maketh him to possesse the iniquities of his youth he makes his sins stand up and cry out against him by this means his old evidences are obliterated When a man hath a pardon and it s almost obliterated the letters almost worne out that they cannot be read he would be glad to have it renewed to have a new exemplification Every sinne it puts a great blur upon thine old evidence that thou canst not read it It may be firme in heaven and yet perhaps be blur'd that thou canst not read it and therefore if thou wouldst get them clear'd again thou must go to God by prayer and renew them again so that whether our evidences be blur'd or whether it be that God will make us possesse the iniquities of our youth it is necessary to pray for the forgivenesse of those sinnes which have been before forgiven But now you will say when I have sinned afterward how come I then to be justified Then a man would think repentance only doth it and without repentance a man cannot be justified But you must understand repentance is
will not be in good liking that eats but once a year but a man must eat once a day at least A Christian should feed on Christ every day make him his ordinary food renewing every day the acts of his faith receive Christ crucified by faith every day If a Christian would consider that God offers Christ unto him every day and thou renewest thy faith and claspest him every day it would be a special way whereby joy should be raised in the soul. It s said in Rom. 15.13 We rejoyce in the hope of the glory of God Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing that ye may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost Thus when thou hast exercised the acts of faith in believing and then upon that rejoycest then its seasonable and true joy and not the counterfeit joy of the wicked when it arises and springs from believing when that procureth it it likewise distinguishes it from all false joys The Apostle tells us Phil. 1.24 Having this confidence I know that I shall abide and continue with you all for your furtherance and joy of faith It is called the joy of faith because it springs from that principle of rejoycing from the mother grace that your rejoycing may be the more abundant The preaching of the Word whereby faith is wrought brings abundance of joy That place of St. Peter is remarkable 1 Pet. 1.8 Whom having not seen ye love in whom though now you see him not yet believing ye rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory yet believing that is yet exercising the acts of faith which we too much neglect If we did exercise these acts every day we should have our Charter of joy renewed every day yet believing ye rejoyce 3. Pray and be thankful praise and thanksgiving are those fruits which fulfill all our joy when thou prayest thou conversest with God thou speakest with him face to face as Moses did He who can pray spiritually and pray hard unto God as Moses face shined when he talked with God so will thy soul thrive praying hard and being thankful there is no greater means then this to get this joy Psal. 37.1 Rejoyce in the Lord O ye righteous for praise is comely for the upright Upon this hangs all our comfort praise alwayes brings rejoycing the one begets the other In Isaiah The comfort there that Gods children receive is the changing of rayment Christ preaching the acceptable year of the Lord to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion to give to them beauty for ashes the oyle of joy for mourning the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness The ground of praise is joy one follows the other Observe God will give us the oyle of joy Christ was anointed with this oyle above his fellows Christ hath fulnesse of joy this oyle doth not come on his Priesthood alone but it trickles down unto the lowermost hemme of his garment I will adde in the last place when a man considers the great things which are given to him by God and what an estate we get by Christ. I have forgivenesse of sins and blessed is the man whose sinnes are forgiven Christs blood is wine and my name is written in the book of life Do not rejoyce saith our Saviour because the Divels are subject unto you but because your names are written in the book of life When I consider that I am not in the black Roll and it is my faith which strengthens me which makes me reckon Christ my chiefest wealth this makes me rejoyce in mine inheritance and in hope of the glory of God When I consider the great reward in the world to come this is a great cause of rejoycing and therefore Gods children long for the coming of Christ it is made Tit. 2.13 a mark of those that shall be saved That they long for the appearance of Jesus Christ looking for and hastning unto the blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. And in 2 Pet. 3.12 Looking for and hastning unto the coming of the day of God A longing expectation not only they but we also that have the first fruits of the Spirit groan and long for the coming of it and therefore the last breath of the Scripture is breathed in this Rev. 22.20 He that testifyeth these things saith Surely I come quickly Amen even so be it come Lord Jesus there is a sweet Allegory to expresse this in Cant. ult 14. make haste my beloved and be like the Hinde and like the Roe Come Lord Jesus come quickly and come as the Hinde and as the Roe and as a Hart upon the Mountaine of spices Make hast and come quickly be swift and do not tarry and in a better place I cannot end FINIS A TABLE An Advertisement That the Printers mis-paging may be no hindrance to the use of this Table the Reader is to take notice that it refers to the pages as they are figured not as they should be and that whereas after page 431. the numbers take their rise back at 361. and from thence are repeated over again this Asterisk * placed before any figure notes the latter order of pages so figured A ACceptation and Affiance two acts of Faith page 424 Active Obedience See Obedience Aggravations of sin p. 90 A temporary Believer desires Christ only in Affliction p. * 388 389 Assurance no part of justifying faith p. 428. It is attainable p. * 457 Why so many Christians want it p. * 438 B. Baptism what it obliges to p. 54. It hath not its full effect till the day of our death ibid. To believe is a hard matter p. 53.426 To believe is our duty p. 408 Five words or Scripture-wayes that God uses to perswade sinners to Believe in Christ viz. General Proclamation p. 402. Special invitations p. 405. Entreaties p. 406. Commands p. 408. Threatnings p. 409 To Believe is to come to Christ p. * 350 It is exprest by Hungring and Thirsting p. * 372 A Believers case like the Beggars p. * 376 A true Believer distinguished from a Temporary 1. by the ground of his desires p. * 388. 2. by his desiring Grace as well as Mercy p. * 394 3. by his Love to God p. * 395 A Believers priviledge p. * 456 C. GOd Calls sinners to Christ by five words p. 402 Christ's equality with God p. 360. It renders his Humiliation the greater and more meritorious p. 361 Christ's Humiliation the extent degrees and particulars of it p. 363 371 372. Part of his Humiliation to be Gods Servant p. 365. He was a Serant on earth in respect of men p. 367. used and valued at the rate of a bond-man p 368 Christ's sufferings the more meritorious because voluntary p. 374. Christ's Active Obedience in the course of his life p. 375. his Humiliation and sufferings from his Conception to his death described p. 379. c. Christ's death described
precious faith that of the poorest Believer and the greatest Saint Now that we may come unto the point without any more going backwards In the words read there is the point of faith and a thing God confirms it withal a seal In whom also after that you believed you were sealed Faith is of it self a thing unsealed the sealing with the holy Spirit of Promise is a point beyond faith it s a point of feeling and not only of believing of Gods Word but a sensible feeling of the Spirit a believing in my soul accompanied with joy unspeakable and full of glory of which sealing we shall speak more hereafter Observe for the first 1. The Object of it In whom you trusted We speak of Faith now as it justifies as it apprehends Christ for its Object for otherwise Faith hath as large an Extent as all Gods Word Faith hath a hand to receive whatsoever God hath a mouth to speak What is the Object He in whom you trusted It is a wonder to see how many are deceived who make the forgiveness of sins to be the proper Object of faith A man may call as long as he lives for forgiveness of sins yet unless there be the first Act to lay hold on Christ in vain doth he expect forgiveness of sins Untill thou dost accept Christ for thy King and Saviour thou hast no promise We are never Children of the Promise till we are found in him The proper and immediate Object of Faith is first Christ and then God the Father by him for Faith must have Christ for its Object I must believe in none else but God in and through Christ. Now that this is so we may see in that famous place 1 Pet. 1.21 When he had spoken of the precious blood of Christ the Lamb without blemish he goes on and shews that he was manifested in those last times for you who by him do believe in God that raised up Christ from the dead and gave him glory that your faith and hope might be in God There is no true believing in God the Father but by the Son The proper Object of Hope and Faith is God and he that doth believe or hope or trust in any thing else there is Idolatry in it we believe in God by him so that the primary Object of Faith is Christ. Gal. 3.26 Ye are all the Children of God by Faith in Jesus Christ. What 's my Faith then If thou wilt be the Child of God receive hold Christ Jesus accept him for thy Saviour and for thy Lord He is the proper Object of thy Faith Again you must have Christ Jesus and him crucified that should be the highest knowledge in our account To know Christ and him crucified and by it to accept him Hereupon the Apostle to the Romans when he speaks of faith makes the Object of it Christ and Christ crucified Rom. 3.25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood to declare his Righteousness for the remission of sins that are past through the forbearance of God Whatsoever then thou findest in Christ is an Object of thy Faith John 6. The point is He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood that is he who receiveth me and makes me as his meat and drink shall be partaker of me Compare this Rom. 3.25 with Rom. 5.9 for its worth comparing We are said to be justified by his blood Rom. 5.9 By faith in his blood Rom. 3.25 Now both these come to one and they resolve the point and clear the Question whether Faith in it self as a Vertue doth justifie or in respect of its Object surely it s in respect of the Object You that have skill in Phylosophy know that heat if considered as a quality its effects are not so great but considered as an instrument it transcends the sphere of its own activity it doth wonders for its the principle of generation and many other strange effects So here take faith as a Vertue and it s far short of love but consider it as an instrument whereby Christ is applyed and it transcends it works wonders beyond its proper sphere for the meanest thing it layes hold on is the Son of God He that hath the Son hath life c. Some would think this an hard kind of speech when we are justified by faith we are justified by Christ apprehended by faith and yet that place is cleer to be justified by his blood and faith in his blood becomes one faith As if a man should say I was cured by going to the Bath so faith comes unto me faith is the legs A man is not said properly to be cured by going to the Bath nor justified by coming to Christ by the legs of faith but the applying of the Bath the coming to Christ and applying his vertue to make him the Object of my faith this is the way to be justified As it is not the makeing and preparing of a plaister that cures but the applying it so that this concludes this point that the true Object of faith is Christ crucified and God the Father in and by him Here then is the point thou must not look for any comfort in faith till thou hast Christ and to think thou shalt ever have any benefit by God till thou hast Christ thou deceivest thy self It is impossible for a man to receive nourishment by his bread and drink till he partake of it in the substance so thou must partake of Christ before thou canst receive any nourishment by him Christ saith not thou must have forgiveness of sins or thou must have my Fathers favour but take my body and blood take me crucified Buy the field and the treasure is thine but thou hast nothing to do with the treasure till thou gettest the field This is preferment enough to have the Lords Promise to Abraham I am thy exceeding great reward I am my wel-beloveds and my wel-beloved is mine There is a spiritual match betwixt Christ and thee there are many who are matcht with Christ and yet know not how rich they are when a man reckons of what he shall get by Christ only when all his thoughts are on that he marrieth the portion and not the man thou must set thy love on Christs person and then having him all that he hath is thine how rich Christ is so rich art thou he must first be thine He that hath the Son hath life but the Son must first be had Is there any now in this congregation who is so hard-hearted as to refuse such a gift as this When God shall give thee his Son if thou wilt take him is there any so prophane as with Esau to sell his birth c. to pursue the poor pedling things of this life and refuse salvation so high a gift A gift which is not given to Angels they think it an honour to wait at the Lords Table they have not this precious food given to them they never
welcome news of the Gospel comes after the Law hath discovered his disease and says Be not discouraged there is a Throne of grace prepared for thee God hath a seat of justice to deal with Rebels and open Traytors but if thou art weary of thy estate if thou wilt submit to God take Christ for thy King and cast down all thy weapons if thou wilt live like a subject he hath prepared a Throne of grace for thee Christ is thy Atturney in the Court to plead for thee he is not as the Papists make him so stout and one that takes such state on him as that a man may not come near him This is the highest injury that can be offered to Christ to think that any creature hath more mercy and pity than he hath It is to rob Christ of the fairest flower in his garden when we rob him of his mercy and pity Mark that place in Heb. 4.15 that we may not think him austere We have not an High Priest that cannot be touch't with our infirmities with the feeling of our infirmities Christ is no hard-hearted man when you were his enemies he loved you insomuch that he humbled himself and suffered death even the death of the Crosse for you And he hath the self-same bowels in heaven that he had on earth he wept over Jerusalem and the self-same weeping heart carried he to heaven with him the self-same weeping eyes Believe not then the Papists that he is so hard-hearted or so stately and that his mother is more ready to speak for us than he fie on it This is to pervert the Gospel and make Christ no Christ. We have not an High Priest that cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities Heb. 2.17 In all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren that he might be a merciful and faithful High Priest c. Alas poor soul saith Christ what the malice of the Divel is I know by mine own experience in the flesh for Christ was tempted in all things according to us sinne only excepted I know what the temptations of the world are but whereas we have three enemies the Divel the world and the flesh only the two former were his Christ had the temptations of the world and the Divel not of the corrupt flesh for he had no corrupt flesh A man that hath been himself in terrible Tempests on the Sea when he sees a storme out of his own experience he pities those that are in it when as others are not a jot moved for he hath seen that consternation of minde which on every side appeared That plurima mortis imago whereas others having not been there lay not their miseries to heart Christ having suffered himself and being tempted as we were is sensible of our miseries and therefore never count it boldnesse to come boldly to him that gives thee this encouragement Come boldly to the Throne of grace We must understand that all this is before faith we must 1. Know that we have a need 2. That there is a Throne of grace when God enlightens my conscience and encourages me to come And thus having spoken of the preparatives I come to the work the main thing it self Now this is 2. The Act Coming this coming is believing as the feet which carry a man to the place he would be in his feet carry him nearer and nearer If a man cannot be cured but by the Bath his feet must carry him thither Now faith is the legs of the soul the feet that carry us unto Christ whereas we are afar off and draw back as all unbelievers now by believing we draw near Now as unbelievers draw back so believers draw forward and therefore John 1.12 and John 6.35 To come to Christ and to believe in him are the self-same thing He that cometh to me shall never hunger and he that believeth on me shall never thirst Coming is there made an act of faith and the same thing with it The one is the explication of the other thy coming to Christ is thy believing in him When thou hearest of a Throne of grace and seest the Lord of glory stretching out his golden Scepter come and touch it take the benefit of the Kings pardon If a man know there is such a Throne of grace he must come unto it And now begins faith to work And that thou mayst understand it the better know that faith then begins first to work when thou settest the first step towards the Throne of grace And this is the houre in which salvation is come unto thy house None can come to me saith Christ except my Father draw him If thou seest a vertue to come from Christ and to draw thee as an Adamant and thou feelest that loadstone working on thee then begins faith It makes thee draw near to Christ whereas before thou wert a stranger Till then thou art like thy Grandfather Adam thou runnest away and thinkest thy self most secure when thou wast farthest from God but now thou seest no comfort unlesse thou draw nigh unto him now as the Apostle saith Phil. 2.13 It is he that worketh in us the will and the deed this must be wrought in us by God First a will then the deed and then it is not only I would do such a thing but I do it God works not only the will of coming but the deed of coming and all his acts are acts of faith and have a promise God makes no promise till we be in Christ till we have faith we are no heires of the promise when a man sets his face towards Jerusalem and begins to set himself to go to Christ all he doth then hath the promise not a tear now that he sheds but is pretious God puts it into his bottle not a cup of cold water that now he gives but shall have a great reward this is a blessed thing when every thing we do hath a promise annexed to it when every step we step hath a promise made to it Now then the will is the first thing that is wrought in us this is that which makes the act of faith that is I have a will a resolution to do this And the Apostle makes it more than the very deed it self 2 Cor. 8.10 as I may so say For this is expedient for you who have begun before not only to do but to be forward So we translate it but look in the Margent and it s rendred to be willing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Greek hath it as if the will were more than the deed it self for a man to come unwillingly 't is nothing worth the ground-work is the will which is a greater matter than the deed Nothing more separates a man from Christ than to say I will not have this man to raigne over me but if thou canst frame thy will that it shall go perpendicularly on the object and accept Christ on the termes offer'd that 's faith and that
This being an accident we must have a subject for it Now there is a certaine kind of people that have supernatural workings some that are drawn up and down with every wind of Doctrine these are they that have this cold and temporary faith temporary because in the end it discovers it self to be a thing not constant and permanent We read in John 11.26 That they that are born of God never see death shall never perish eternally but yet we must know withal that there may be conceptions that will never come to the birth to a right and perfect delivery And thus it may be in the soul of a man there may be conceptions that will never come to a ripe birth but let a man be borne of God and come to perfection of birth and the case is cleare he shall never see death He that liveth and believeth in me shall not see death And this is made a point of faith Believest thou this There is another thing called conception and that is certain dispositions to a birth that come not to full perfection True a child that is borne and liveth is as perfectly alive as he that liveth an hundred years yet I say there are conceptions that come not to a birth Now the faith that justifies is a living faith there is a certaine kind of dead faith this is a feigned that an unfeigned faith The life that I now live I live by the faith of the Sonne of God Dost thou think a dead faith can make a living soule It 's against reason A man cannot live by a dead thing not by a dead faith Now a dead faith there is A faith that doth not work is a dead faith Jam. 2.22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works and by his works was faith made perfect for verse 26. As the body without the spirit is dead or without breath is dead so faith without works is dead also See how the Apostle compares it as the body without the spirit is dead so faith without workes is dead also The Apostle makes not faith the form of works as the soul is the forme of the man but as the body without the spirit is dead so that faith that worketh not that hath no tokens of life is dead but then doth not the other word strike home Faith wrought with his works It seems here is not as the Papists say fides informis and works make it up as the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of it Compare this with the other places of the Scripture 2 Cor. 12.9 where the Apostle pray'd to God that the messenger of Satan might be removed from him and he said unto him My grace is sufficient for thee for my strength is made perfect in weaknesse What does our weaknesse make Gods strength more perfect to which nothing can be added No it is My strength and the perfection of it is made known in the weaknesse of the meanes that I made use of for the delivery of mans soul from death So here the excellency and perfection of our faith is made known by works when I see that it is not an idle but a working faith then I say it is made perfect by the work when it is a dead faith that puts not a man on work never believe that will make a living soul. In St. Judes Epistle ver 20. it hath another Epithite viz. the most holy faith not holy only but most holy That faith which must bring a man to God the holy of holies must be most holy It 's said that God dwells in our hearts by faith Now God and faith dwelling in a heart together that heart must needs be pure and cleane Faith makes the heart pure It were a most dishonourable thing to entertaine God in a sty a filthy and unclean heart but if faith dwell there it makes a fit house for the habitation of the King of Saints therefore it purifieth the heart Well then doest thou think thy sinnes are forgiven thee and that thou hast a strong faith and yet art as prophane and as filthy as ever How can it be It is a most holy faith that justifieth it is not a faith that will suffer a man to lie on a dunghill or in the gutter with the hog There may be a faith which is somewhat like this but it is but temporary and cometh short of it But now there is another thing which distinguishes it it is the peculiar work of faith In Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but the new creature Gal. 6.15 and againe Gal. 5.6 Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision availeth any thing but faith which worketh by love It 's twice set down Now what is a new creature why he that hath such a faith as works by love not a dead faith but a faith that works but how does it work it not only abstaines from evil and does some good acts which a temporary may do but it s such a faith as works by love The love of God constraines him and he so loveth God as that he hates evil for Gods sake the other does it not out of love to God all the love he hath is self-love he serves his own turn on God rather than hath any true love to serve him Now that we may the better distinguish between these two I shall endeavour to shew you how farre one may go farther than the other I know not a more difficult point then this nor a case more to be cut by a thread then this it being a point of conscience therefore First I declared unto you the nature of faith How God first works the will and the deed and that there is a hungring and thirsting after Christ. First I say there is a will and desire to be made partaker of Christ and his righteousnesse then there is the deed too We are not only wishers and woulders but do actually approach unto the Throne of grace and there lay hold on Christ touch the golden Scepter which he holdeth out unto us but Object Now you will ask Is there not an earnest and good desire in a temporary faith a desire unfeign'd Sol. Yes there may be for a time a greater and more vehement desire in a temporary then in a true believer then in the elect themselves all their life Object Where 's the difference then I thought all had been well with me when I had such a desire as I could scarce be at rest till it were accomplished Sol. I answer beloved It is a hard matter to tell you the difference but you must consider 1. From whence this desire flowes whether it come from an accidental cause as if by accident my heart be made more soft and I more sensible of my condition or whether my nature be changed to give you an instance in iron when iron is put into the forge it is softened and as soon as it 's taken forth we say 't is time to strike while
Again Gods childe not only useth all the means in himself to try himself but he prayeth for the aide of God also he knoweth that his own heart is deceitful and may cozen him but that God is greater than his heart and knoweth all things And therefore he cryeth unto God to try him as Psal. 139. Try me O God and know my heart prove me and know my thoughts look well whether there be any way of wickedness in me and lead me in the way everlasting there is an everlasting righteousnesse and an everlasting way that leads unto it about which these are not content to try themselves only but they desire God to try them also and to make them know the uprightnesse of their own hearts and not to suffer them to be deceived thereby Now that I have done with Consider now what that justification is that is obtained by this true lively faith I shew'd unto you that justification is ordinarily taken for an acquittance from a debt It is derived from justice or righteousnesse therefore I shew'd that justification and righteousnesse are taken for one and the self same thing for if there had been a Law given which could c. that is justification had been by the Law Now as there is a double righteousnesse so there is also a double justification Not that I hold there is any other justification as it comprehends remission of sinnes but only one but otherwayes as many righteousnesses as there are so many justifications there are Now there is a double kinde of righteousnesse the one imputed and the other inherent the one is the righteousnesse of Christ an act transient from another which cannot be made mine but by imputation Besides this there is another which is inherent a righteousnesse in us St. James speaks of the one and Saint John of the other One is opposed to condemnation and the other to hypocrisie The soundnesse of the heart is respected of God for righteousnesse in respect of the graces inherent in us Now to give you a touch of the difference between the one and the other and therein to declare the difference between us and Rome Know then that the question between us and Rome is not Whether justification be by faith or no but Whether there be any such thing as justification or no The doctrine of the Church of Rome is that there is no such grace as this But concerning the first of these that justification which is by the imputation of Christs righteousnesse I shew'd unto you that imputation in this case is as when a man comes to hold up his hand at Gods Barre as it were and it 's demanded of him what he hath to say for himself why he should not dye and then this justification by Christs righteousnesse is opposed to condemnation Then justification by faith is that when I come to stand before God though conscience say I am guilty of a thousand sinnes yet I may go boldly and plead my pardon which will acquit me as if I had never sinned at any time God was thus in Christ reconciling us the world unto himself not imputing their sinnes unto them Now sinne is a thing past which being done cannot be made undone the sin remains still murder is murder still and adultery is adultery still it cannot be undone again Now how shall this man that is guilty of murder and adultery be made just it cannot possibly be but by not imputing his sinne unto him so that God should account it to him as if it had not been done at all by him he puts it upon Christs account Account The word is used in the Epist. to Philemon where St. Paul saith If he hath wronged thee or oweth thee ought put that on mine account A mans sins being thus put upon Christs account he is accepted of God as freely as if he had never owed him any thing or as if he had never offended him Now this is done by transferring the debt from one person to another so that we see this imputation of sinne to Christ and of Christs righteousnesse to us is most necessary It must be so And if there were no testimony for it in Scripture yet reason sheweth that there can be no righteousnesse but by Gods acceptation of us in Christ as if we had never sinned there is the difference then To him that worketh not but believeth in him that justifieth the ungodly his faith is accounted to him for righteousnesse But doth God justifie the ungodly that 's a hard speech we read in the Proverbs He that justifieth the wicked and condemneth the just even they both are abomination to the Lord. But here we must understand this as we do some other Scriptures we read in John that the blinde see the lame walk the dumb speak It 's impossible for a man to be blinde and see to be dumb and speak all at once yet take the chief of sinners suppose Paul and he was so in his own account but the act of justification alters him God justifies the ungodly that is him that was even now so but by the imputation of Christs righteousnesse he is made righteous that is righteous in Gods account But in proceeding in this point I did reflect a little back God findes a man with a number of sinnes full of sinne and forgives these sinnes now I demanded this how farre doth this justification and forgivenesse extend to sins past alone or to sinnes past and to come And I answered that we must consider this matter two wayes First to justifie a mans person simply and then to justifie a man from this or that particular act The phrase is used in Scripture Acts 13.39 And by him all that believe are justified from all things from which we could not be justified by the Law of Moses There is justification from this or that thing There is first Justification of a mans person he that was an enemy is now made a friend he is now no longer a stranger at home but is in the list or Gods houshold Now this we say no sooner doth a man receive it but the self-same houre that he receiveth it the bond is cancel'd the evidence is torn and fastened to the Crosse of Christ and hangs up among the Records whereas before it was an evidence against us and would have layen heavy on us at the bar but now it is fastened to the Crosse as a cancel'd Record the bond is become void Secondly but now when we consider justification from this or that particular act I declared that so a man is onely justified from sins past for it is contrary to reason and Scripture that a man should be justified from sinnes to come For Scripture the Apostle hath it Rom. 3.25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through saith in his blood to declare his righteousnesse for the remission of sinnes that are past through the forbearance of God and it is clear also from the nature
when I shâ—ll come at tâ—e day of judgment and have the benefit of my sanctification the last absolution such sinnes shall not be charged on me my sinnes and iniquities shall not be remembred I will remember their sinnes no more saith God it is a wonderâ—ul thing and a strange mistake in many men eâ—pecially the Papists Did they ever write comfortably of the day of judgment never they make that a terrible day Alas poor souls they knew not that justâ—fication is that that makes sinnâ—s that they shall never be remembred Mark it is said Thou shalt hear of all thy good deeds for thy honour and thy praise but for thy sinnes there shall search be made and they shall not be found when God forgives sinnes he doth it fully it shall never be cast in thy teeth again but thou shalt hear of all thy good deeds not of thy bad Then lift up your heads for your redemption draweth near here is the blessed grace of justâ—fication that we being justified by faith have not only no condemnation but no guilt whereas all the sinnes of the wicked man shall be set before his face and he shall stand quaking and trembling by reason thereof not one good thing that he hath done shall be remembred but in the iniquity that he hath committed in that shall he dye and so I have said somewhat of that point You may remember that I said a word perhaps that some think much of that the question betwixt us and Rome is not Whether we be justified by faith or no but Whether we be justified at all I will make it good Theâ—e are two graces righteouâ—nesse imputed which implies forgivenesse of sinnes and righteousnesse inherent which is that grace of sanctification begun They utterly â—eny that there is any righteousnesse but righteousnesse inherent They say forgivenesse of sinnes is nothing but sanctification A new doctrine never heard of in the Church of God till these last dayes till the spawn of the Jesuites devised it Forgivenesse of sinne is this that God will never charge me with it again They say that forgivenesse of sinne is an abolishing of sinne in the subject where is true remission as much as to say There is no justification distinct from sanctification whereas the Apostle distinguisheth them when as he saith The Sonne of God is made unto us wisdome righteousness sanctification and redemption He is made unto us of God By the way let me expound it unto you Christ hath three offices A Prophetical Regal and Sacerdotical office He exerciseth his Prophetical office to illuminate our understanding He exerciseth his Kingly office to work on our will and affections there are two branches of it the Kingdome of grace and the Kingdome of glory How am I made partaker of Christs Prophetical office He is made unto me wisdome before I was a fool but now by it I am made wise First he enlightens me and so he is made unto me wisdome well he is my Priest how so he is made an expiation for my sinne he is said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Saint John A propitiation for our sinnes and not for ours only but for the sinnes of the whole world There is a difference between 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a bare pardon but this is such a propitiation as the party offended is well-pleased with Christs being made a ransome he is made unto us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the oblation offered unto his Father He is righteousnesse imputed to us And as a King he rules me in the Kingdome of grace and in the Kingdome of glory in the Kingdome of grace he is made unto me sanctification and in the Kingdome of glory he is made unto me redemption it is called by the Apostle the redemption of our bodies these two are thus clearly distâ—nguished The work of Christs Priestly office is to be a propitiation for our sinnes sanctification proceeds from the Scepter of his Kingdome The one is without me the other within me The one receives degrees the other not As a man that is holy may be more holy but imputed righteousnesse doth not more forgive one man than another Imputation is without augmentation or diminution Those things which have divers contraries cannot be one and the same thing Justification and Sanctification have divers contraries The contrary to justification is condemnation but the contrary to sanctification is wickednesse and false-dealing c. Aristotle distinguisheth homonymous words and bids you consider their contraries thus you see the difference between these two I should now come and descend unto the dependence one hath on the other i. e. in what respect doth faith justifie Is faith an instrument to work justification or to receive it only The answer is clear it justifieth in regard of the object If you remember the two places I bid you compare Rom. 3.25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood is that all compare this place with chap. 5.9 Much more then being now justified by his blood we shall be saved from wrath through him we are justified by his blood and by faith in his blood here are two acts which signifie the same thing It is no more then to say I was cured by the Bath or by going to the Bath so that faith is the legs of the soul that bring a man to Christ. And so my faith is an instrument not to procure my justification but to receive it so then seeing faith is an instrument to receive justification and not to procure it then the weakest faith carrieth away as much forgivenesse as the strongest A strong faith rids a great deal of work because it is an active instrument The stronger faith worketh the greater work but in the point of justification it is an instrument whereby my justification is wrought an instrument whereby Christ is received And the weakest hand may receive a piece of gold as well as the strongest we must know that in the point of receiving we live on Gods almes All our justification is his free gift and faith is that Palsie hand which receives all our comfort It is not then a faith that justifieth but faith it is called by Peter a like precious faith Simon Peter a servant and an Apostle of Jesus Christ to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousnesse of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the meanest Christian that hath a trembling hand to pitch on that and draw vertue from him it is a like precious faith in them as in the most great Apostle Peter and all the rest ROM 5.1 Therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. I Havâ— heretofore declared unto you that in theâ—e words and the words following thâ—re are set down these great graces and grâ—at blessings which you have in Christ in
of a candle made of flax as when a candle burns in the socket it s now up now down you know not whether it be alive or dead so in the first conversion of a Christian infidelity and faith hope and despair mount up and down There 's a conflict in the beginning of conversion but he will not give it over untill he bring forth judgment untill he get the victory of all opposition from the flesh And what is the reason Because the god of this world is judged He shall convince the world of an inherent righteousnesse in spite of the Divels teeth because he is condemned He that before worked in the children of disobedience is now cast down The strong man is cast out and therefore upon that ground you have the third point Besides the grace of justification following upon Christs death there is another the Divel shall be dispossessed the Divel is strong where he doth wicked things but he shall be disarmed he shall not touch thee the wicked one shall not hurt thee I now go forward The third thing I noted besides faith and justification was That we must observe what relation one hath to the other and how it comes to passe that justification is attributed to faith there being more noble graces in us than faith I answer the reason is because faith is brought as the only instrument whereby we receive our justification purchased by the merits of Christs death When we say faith is an instrument we must understand it right well we say not faith is an instrument to work my justification Christ alone must do that it 's no act of ours nothing is in us faith is said to be an instrument whereby we get our justification in respect of the object it is a nearing us to Christ it is the instrument of application the only instrument whereby we apply the medicine and the plaister of Christs blood whereby we that were strangers and afar off are made near faith is the only hand which receiveth Christ when the hand layeth hold on a thing it layeth hold on a thing without it self so is faith a naked hand not as a hand that gets a mans living but like a beggars hand that receives a free almes given by the donor as the Apostle speaks Rom. 5.17 For if by one mans offence death reigned over all by one much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousnesse shall reigne in life by one Jesâ—â— Christ. There is abundance of grace and a gift of righteousnesse faith is the only means whereby we receive this gift whereupon I inferred this which was of great consequence seeing faith did justifie not as an active instrument but as it did receive the gift of grace it did follow that the weakest faith that was did get as much justification as the strongest faith of any whatsoever because faith justifieth not only as a work but as it did receive a gift therefore our Saviour saith O ye of little faith yet as little as it was it was builded upon the Rock and though Satan desired to winnow them and sift them as wheat yet they remained firme as our Saviour saith of the faith of miracles If ye had faith as much as a graine of mustard-seed ye should say to this Mountain be removed and it would obey you So for common faith which the Apostle calleth so because it is common to all the Elect if thou hast so much faith thou shalt be able to remove Mountains of corruptions suppose thou hast a trembling hand scarce able to hold yet have the perswasion of the woman in the Gospel If I may but touch him I shall be whole I shall be saved healed if I can but touch him And mark our Saviour The people throng'd about him and he saith Who is it that toucheth me A wonder that he when they crowded him should ask such a question but Christ knew that some body touched him beside the touch of the multitude it s said in the Text The poor woman came trembling and told him all the truth And he said Be of good comfort though thou hast a paralytick and palsie sick-hand yet the touch is enough the least faith brings as much life as the greatest Object But then what need a man look for a great faith Sol. Yes by all means for though thou hast much comfort by a little weak faith yet the more faith the more comfort and therefore 't is to very much purpose to labour after a strong faith Abraham it is said stagger'd not through unbelief if thou hast a strong faith thou wilt have a strong consolation Thou mayst by thy weak faith be healed of thy disease yet by the weaknesse of thy faith mayst want much of the strength of thy comfort therefore thou must go from faith to faith but know this that a new-born childe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is not yet so strong as a man yet he is as much alive as the strongest and tallest man so that again thus thou art yet but a new-born babe not so strong or so lively as one more grown but yet thou hast all the lineaments of the new creature in thee though thou art not so strong and lively as another may be Object Did not you tell me that it was not every faith that did justifie but a working faith how then doth faith alone justifie Sol. I answer When faith justifieth there is one thing said of another the subject and the predicate faith justifies Justification is attributed unto faith Look on the word only whether it doth determine the subject or the predicate doth faith which is alone severed from good works justifie so the proposition is false First that faith which is alone separated from love and the fruits of good works doth not justifie but let the word alone be put to the predicate faith justifieth alone i. e. faith is the only vertue in the soul whereby a man is justified that is true As if a man should say the eye alone seeth 't is true if we put it thus the eye severed from the members of the body seeth its self If the eye were taken out of the head it would neither see alone nor at all but the meaning is this the living eye is the organ whereby a man discerns a visible object so faith though joyn'd with other graces yet takes not other with it for helps of justification Object But why should God select this vertue among others that are more noble Sol. I say as before God had respect to the low estate of his hand-maid it was reason that God should choose the lowest and the meanest God selected this poor beggars hand for two reasons First in respect of God I say 1. Therefore it is of faith that it might be by grace to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed not to that only which is of the Law but to that also which is of the faith
is this peace with God it is not peradventure so with thy self Thou mayst have a turbulent conscience insomuch that thou wouldst give all the world to have it quiet to be assured that there is peace between God and thee that 's not the point The thing thou gettest by faith is peace with God When thou art troubled with thy self and hast but a weak act of faith yet if thou believest thou art more afraid than hurt thou art Cock-sure and shalt be calme and quiet Object But why should Christians be so foolish so troubled what 's the reason the children of God do so disquiet themselves Sol. Because they are fools they stand in their own light are strainted in their own bowels God is liberal and free but there is some hope of worthinesse in us and we do things we should not do We are alwayes poring on our selves and do not bring a naked hand and this is the reason we are so full of distractions Again it is the nature of many peevish people amongst us that they will not be comforted when news was brought to Jacob that Joseph was slain and lost it is said All his sonnes and daughters rose up to comfort him but he refused to be comforted and he said For I will go down into the grave unto my son mourning Gen. 37.35 They have a kinde of pettishnesse and peevishnesse and wilfulnesse they will not be comforted and it may be there is some kinde of pride in it too they would perhaps be thought to be the only mourners of Israel of the Kingdome As Rachel mourned for her children and would not be comforted they shut up their eyes against all comforts God commands them to be comforted and they will not it is no marvaile then that they eat the fruit of their own hands it is a part of our office to bring comfort we have an injunction to it Comfort ye Comfort ye my people saith the Lord we bring the tydings of peace and our feet should be beautiful Rom. 10. we bring good news all is wâ—ll as Noahs Dove coming with an Olive branch in her mouth Comfort ye comfort ye cry aloud spare not If you stop your ears who can help it the Lord is gracious and chargeth us to comfort you and can there be any better news than to say All is peace all your sins are done away I have blotted as a thick cloud thy transgressions as who should say it is the tydings of such good things as all within thee is too little to praise the Lord and therefore it is not a thing to be slighted over blessed is the man whose sins are forgiven Psal. 32. which is no Noun Adjective nor of the singular number neither it signifieth blessedness as it were an heap of blessings They commonly call it the eight beatitudes it is but varied upon divers subjects were there eighty-eight that were all one To have thy sinnes forgiven thee is the comprizing of all happinesse Again when a man sets his eyes too much upon his sinnes more upon his sinnes than upon the mercies of God freely offered in Christ this is a wonderful hindrance of the peace Thou lookest on the wrong object looking too much on thy sinnes when thou shouldst look on Christ that brazen Serpent offer'd unto thee then 't is no wonder that thou seest not Christ though he be near thee Mary Magdalen complains and weeps to the Gardener that they had taken away her Lord and she knew not where they had laid him when as he stood at her elbowe her eyes were so full of tears that she could not behold her Saviour Now therefore stand not in thine own light but look upon Christ as well as upon thy sinnes observe though there be a peace and a calme yet presently all turmoyles will not cease after humiliation When there is a great storme at Sea which lasts perhaps twenty foure houres and then ceaseth what are the waves presently quiet assoon as the storme is over no there will be tossing and rolling many houres afterwards because there must be a time of setling and so though there be peace between God and thee and the storme over yet there must be a time of setling I should now shew you the difference between the peace that wicked men have and this other peace theirs is not peace there is no peace to the wicked It is a truce onely and we must make a great difference between a truce and a peace A truce when it is expired commonly ends in more bitter Warre With them there is a cessation of trouble their consciences do not accuse them but when the time limited is over and conscience again breaks loose it will be more unquiet and unsetled than ever before it will be at open Warre against them ROM 5.1 2. Therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ By whom also we have accesse by faith into this grace wherein we stand and rejoyce in hope of the glory of God HAving out of these words declared unto you the Mother-grace justification by faith I proceeded to the consideration of her Daughters those fruits or graces which spring from a true justifying faith So that here we have the great Charter and Priviledge that a justified man is indowed withall First He hath peace with God Secondly Free accesse unto him Thirdly Unspeakable joy and that joy not only in respect of that delectable object the hope of the glory of God in heaven hereafter but here also that which spoiles the joy of a natural man afflictions c. are made the matter of this mans joy Now concerning peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ the first of these I considered three parts in it 1. What that peace was which the justified man enjoyeth 2. The parties between whom this peace was made 3. Who was the peace maker Concerning the peace I declared unto you what it was that it was an unconceivable thing The peace of God that passeth all understanding a thing which our shallow understandings cannot reach unto we cannot apprehend the excellency of this grace Consider its excellency by the contrary there is no misery in the world like that as when a man stands at enmity with God Do we provoke the Lord are we stronger than he If a man sinne against a man saith Eli the Judge shall judge him another man may take up the quarrel but if a man sinne against God if the controversie be between God and us who shall intercede for us were it not for this our peace-maker Christ Jesus we should be in a woful condition unlesse he put to his hand and took up the matter Now it 's a great matter to come to the fruit of peace the fruit of peace is to them that make peace we have this fruit of peace we do not sow fruit but seed the fruit comes afterwards It is not so with a Christian he is as sure
that which is the whole comfort of a Christian The assurance of his salvation Thus it is indeed with those that have no feeling nor confidence as those who are in hell think there is no heaven and they who teach such uncomfortable doctrine can receive no comfort farther than the Priest giveth it them It s true there is no true assurance but in the true Church but there it may be found And as I began with sowing in tears so I would end with reaping in joy that is the next thing in the Text for which I passe over the other part of it I begin with humiliation but end with joy and not onely that joy which we shall have in the Kingdome of heaven but on earth while we have these things but in hope and expectation A man that would reckon up his estate doth not only value what he hath for the present but he reckons his reversions also what he shall have after such a time what will come to him or his heirs Gods children they have a brave reversion glory and honour and a Kingdome It is your Fathers good pleasure to give you a Kingdome we are all the children of God but it doth not appear what we shall be when he appears we shall be like him and appear as he is He shall change our vile bodies and make them like his glorious body we are here sonnes but yet but in a strange Country no body knoweth what he is and therefore he meets with many affronts The King when he was in France went for an attendant on the Duke and is he troubled at it No he knew that the world knew it not they knew not what he was and therefore he is not troubled at it So is it with the children of God but when they shall appear they shall be advanced and their enemies ashamed By the way let not the people of God be discouraged by the taunts jeers and reproaches of wicked men they know not what you are and therefore make light of you as they did of Christ himself Well besides what we have in reversion the very hope we have of it works wonderful joy in the heart of a Christian David did not live to see the glory of Solomons Temple but he made provision for it and cast the model of it and he took much delight in the contemplation of what it would be The consideration of these hopes makes my flesh rest in hope and my heart rejoyce Psal. 16. The consideration of the resurrection made Davids heart rejoyce The consideration of that which is to come should bring abundance of joy unto a Christian these are strange things not like the joy of a natural man for his heart is sad in the midst of laughter but these rejoyce with a joy unspeakable and full of glory Here are some sparks some beginnings of the glory of heaven and of that great joy which we shall have hereafter but I cannot speak of these things in an houre But forasmuch as the Divel transforms himself into an Angel of light there is no work of Gods Spirit in the hearts of his children but Satan like an Ape labours to imitate in the hearts of wicked men to make them secure we must know that there are joys in some who are not regenerate They that received the Word on the Rock received it with joy the Word if it be apprehended and hath but the least footing brings joy with it But now to know how I may get this joy how comfortable a thing is it to have such a comfort on earth as to know that I have this true joy and to be able to distinguish this joy from the joy from the flashes those fleeting joys of the wicked which are but as the crackling of thornes under a pot for theirs is but as a blaze that suddenly goeth out Now if thou wouldst know thy joy aright and whether it differ from that counterfeit joy which flesh and blood and the Divel suggests Look to the things that go before and produce this joy 1. The first thing that goeth before true joy and produceth it is an opening unto Christ when he knocks at the door of thy heart As in that famous place in Rev. 3.20 Behold I stand at the door and knock If any man hear my voice and open the door I will come in to him and sup with him and he with me There is if thou open a sweet and familiar communication between Christ and thee he communicates himself at dinner and supper A man comes not melancholy to meals Christ will come and make merry with thee he will sup with thee familiarly But how is it with thee Hath Christ knocked and thou hast given him a slievelesse answer and hast thou joy it is a false joy But when Christ knocks at the door of thy heart there must be an opening the door on thy part when he knocks by his Word and Spirit And dost thou give such an answer as the Spouse in the Canticles Cant. 5. I am come into my Garden my Sister my Spouse I have gathered my myrrhe with my spice I have eaten my honey-combe with my honey Now Christ coming to Supper knocks at the door and would bring in a great deal of joy I sleep saith the Spouse but my heart waketh it is the voice of my well-beloved that knocketh saying Open to me my Sister my Love my Dove my Undefiled when God comes and wooes us and desires to communicate himself unto us and desires us to put off our cloaths dost thou look for comfort if thou openest not At last I opened to my Beloved ver 6. But he had with-drawn himself and was gone my soul failed when he spake I sought him but I could not finde him I called him but he gave me no answer When thou givest not Christ entertainment when he comes thou mayst seek and not meet with him It is observed that the Keepers of the Wall are the greatest strikers Those whom God hath set to be Watchmen instead of comforting they smite ver 7. The Watchmen that went about the City they found me they smote me they wounded me they took away my vaile from me she gets raps from them who should protect her because she did not entertain Christ if thou findest any comfort after Christ hath knock't and thou hast opened unto him then it is true joy and thou mayst make much of it 2. If it be true joy there goeth faith before it for being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ So that the exercising of the acts of faith is a spiritual means to raise comforts in our souls John 6. I had need to speak of this for there is want of the exercises of faith is it enough think you to have faith once exercised He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me and I in him It is not enough to eat once a year A man
preached before the Gospel p. 80 * 366 Men are under the Law till they come to Christ p. 84 how fearfull a thing it is to be under the Law p. 84 85. the difference between the Law and the Gospel in three particulars p. 86. Love of God twofold p 415. No temporary beleever loves God p. * 396. To be given up to our own Lusts a more fearfull thing then to be given up to Satan p. 108 109 M WAnt of Meditation one cause why most beleevers have so little joy in God p. 430 431. Mistakes in judging our spiritual estates See Judging Morality too much trusted to p. 49. It 's insufficient to bring men to heaven ibid. N NAtural reason not to be trusted to p. 49 Too short to convince of sin thorowly p. 51 Mans condition by Nature described p. 59. The Natural man dead in sin p. 67. His best works cannot please God and why p. 68 69 The Curses attending a Natural man in this World p. 120 c. Two blowes that God gives a Natural mans soul in this life the one sensible p. 127 the other insensible p. 128. The Curses attending him at Death p. 130 c. O CHrists active Obedience mixed with his passive p. 372. Wherein his active Obedience consisted p. 375. c. Wherein his passive p. 378 Partial Obedience a false glasse to judge our estates by p· 48 To designe only our Old age for God is dishonourable to him p. 22 23. Old age most unfit for Repentance p. 25 27 Men apt to have too good Opinion of themselves p. 41. The causes of it p. 43 c. Men deceived in judging of their estates by the good Opinions of others p. 44 P PArtial Obedience see Obedience Passive Obedience see Obedience Peace a fruit of faith p. * 441 * 447. Why many Christians want the sense of it p. * 442 443. * 450 451 The differences between a true and a false Peace p. * 448 c. The Causes of a Carnal Peace p. * 449. * 452 Christ is our Peace p. * 454 Spirit of Prayer what p. * 377 378 1. The Importunity and efficacie of it p. * 379 380 Why a person already justified may and must Pray for the forgivnesse of sins past p. * 413 414 R NAtural Reason see Natural To Receive Christ what p. 399. What Reformation may be in a natural man p. * 390 392 Repentance prevents ruine p. 7 Repentance not in our own power but in gods gift p. 13 14. The sinfulnesse of deferring it p. 11 c. Death-bed Repentance the hindrances of it p. 30 Not to be trusted to p 31. Hard to prove it sound p. 32 Superficial Repentance is vain p. 57 Repentance in what respects necessary to justification p. * 417 Remission of sin See Forgiveness Resting or Relying upon God a proper Act of Faith p. 425 Righteousnesse two fold p. * 397. * 409 Imputative Righteousnesse what it is p. * 402 * 410. Impossible to be justified without it and why p. * 410 411 S. Sanctification a distinct thing from Justification p. * 423. p. * 429 Satan See Devil A difficult thing to be Saved p. 53 Sealing a distinct thing from Faith p. * 428 The Causes of Security p. * 449 Self-Examination necessary to Conversion p. 39.57 a mark of a sound believer p. * 407 Self-flattery See flattery Self-Love how it deceives men in judging their estates p. 43. Sin continued in hastens Gods judgements p. 3 4 5. Sin compared to a weight p. 26. to Cords p. 27. Sin gets strength by continuance p. 28. The Sinfulnesse of Sin set forth in 6. considerations p. 90 c The dreadfull fruits and consequences of Sin It pollutes the Soul p. 100. It makes men loathsom to God p. 104. It brings the Devill into the heart p. 106. It calls for wages p. 110 The greatness of Sin should be no barr against believing in Christ p. 401 406. No Sin overtops the value of Christ's blood ibid. Encouragemets for Sinners to come to Christ page 401 c. Sin not discovered thorowly but by the spirit p. * 364. Sin may be cast away and yet no true Conversion p. * 392 Sin is only a Privation and no positive being p. * 399 * 400 Sins not pardoned before they be committed p. * 403. The guilt and punishment of Sin taken away in Justification p. * 418 c. Spirit of Bondage what p. * 365 Spirit of Prayer see Prayer T A Temporary Faith how far it may go p. * 388 c. How to know it from true faith p. ibid Temporary beleevers desire Christ only in affliction p. * 388 389 They do but only tast of Christ p. * 393. They desire mercy but not grace p. * 394. They do nothing out of love to God p. * 395 The sinfulness of thoughts p. 102 103. The end of Gods Threatnings p. 7. U UNregenerate Men See Natural Our unworthiness should not keep us from coming unto Christ p. 397. W THe Will wrought by God as well as the deed p. * 371 The Will more then the Deed 372. How God takes the Will for the Deed p. * 374 He that hath a Will to receive Christ hath a warrant to receive him p. 404. God alone inclines the Will to receive Christ ibid. A wofull thing to be suffered by God to have our own Wills in this world p. 355. Our Wills must be crossed here or for ever hereafter ibid. The Willingness of Christs sufferings rendred them the more meritorious p. 374 The Word presented to our faith under a double respect viz. 1 as a true Word p. 403 2 as a good Word p. 424 Works spiritually good cannot be performed by an unregenerate man and why p. 67 68 71. In what sense we are said by James to be justified by Works p. * 398 Wrath a Consequence of sin p. 98 Y YOuth the fittest time to Repent and break off sin in p 25 22 29. FINIS Male dum recitas c. * Lord in special forgive my sins of omission see Dr. Ber. Life and death of the Arch. Bp. of Armagh p. 110 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * Sheffeild in Yorkshire· James Meath Anagram I am the same See Dr. Bernard page 52. See Dr. Ber. Epist. to the Reader in his life and death c. * See the Reduction of Episcopacy to the form of Synodical Government Received in the Antient Church published by Doctor Bernard in a Book entituled The Judgement of the Late Arch Bishop of Armagh c. * 2 Sam. 1.22 * Isa. 50.4 * 2 Cor. 3.2 * Acts 11.21 * Dan 12.3 * Heb. 2.13 * Tim. 4.12 * Mark 6.20 * Acts 1.1 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * Mat 7.29 * 1 Cor. 2.4 5. 1 Cor 14.24 25. * Acts 18.24 Collatis scripturae locis Probans nempe sicuti solent artifices aliquid Compacturi singulas partes inter se comparare ut inter se alia aliis ad amussim quadrent Bez. In Act. 9.22 Efficere condescensionem ut sic dicam id est argumentis propositis efficere ut aliquis tecum in eandem sententiam descendat Mr. Leigh Critic sacr In verb. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * Ser. before K. James Wansted June 20. 1629 page 34 35. * Ecl. 12.10 11 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 * John 16.5 * Psal. 16.3 * Acts 13.12 * Psal. 119.63 * Math. 11 29. * Mal. 2.4.5 6 7 8 9. * Esay 43.27.28 * 1 Sam. 2 30. * Deut. 33 11. * Math. 5.12 and 10.25 * Math 21.44 * Rev. 11.11 * 2 Sam 6.22 * Calvino illustri viro nec unquam sine summi honoris prefatione nominando non assentior Bp Andrews De Vsuris * 3 John 12. * Declarat what books are his what not Dr. Ber. page 20 l 21. * See Dr. Ber. Loc. Citat * See their Epist to the Reader Ibidem * See Mr. Cottons Epist. to Mr. Hildersams Book on John 4. * See Capt. Bell. Narat before Luth. Mensal Colloq * Liber ille â—onvivalium sermonum non est Lutheri nec Luthero approbante aut etiam vivente editus sed est Rapsodia sine Judicio Intellectu consarcinata Polan syntag de canonic Authorit script page fol. 45. * Heb 11.4 * Bp. Andrews serm 7. of Rep. and Fast. * John 3.10.19 Obs. Obs. Obs. Obj. Sol. Obj. Sol. 1. Order of outward things 2. The nature of sin Sin is compared to cords To defer repentance hardens the more The folly of those that defer their repentance till death Obj. Sol. Impediments to repentance on our death-bed Trust not to death-bed repentance It will be hard to prove death-bed repentance to be ound Gen. 6.3 What use to make of Election and Reprobation It 's our wisdom to arm against Satans fallacy and hearken to God in his accepted time 1 Glass Self-love 2 Glass Others good opinion 3 Glass When a man compares himself with others 4 Glasse Partial Obedience· Obj. Sol. Another false Glasse The Devil transforms himself into an Angel of light Superficial repentance will not change the nature of man No morality nor external change of life will do without quickning grace and a new life wrought Quest. Ans. Obj. Sol. Doct. Obj. No natural man doth judge himself so bad as he is The best works of a natural man cannot please God Look to the oginal of duties Look to the end of duty It 's necessary to preach the Law before the Gospel This is the 1 Instance 2 Instance 3 Instance Noâ—e Well Our Remedy or our Redempâ—ion by Christ. Christs humiliation in life and death The second degree of his humiliation that he might become a servant Christ accounted as a bâ—ndman Exam. Joseph for the calcu 14400000. drachms (x) Which were 120000. (z) Have the quotient 120 Drachms Four Drachms went to a Shekel so divide 120. by 4. your quotient is 30. shekels for each man which was the ordinary rate c. Gen. 9.25 John 13.21 Now this Obedience is two fold 1. Active 2. Passivâ— 1. For his active obedience in the whole course of his life 2. For his active Obedience after his Death