understand they believe not what they read if they believe they apply not what they read If they do understand believe apyly and experience all they read in several Books of our eminent Divines I speak not of all for some write so that they leave nothing for Christians to stumble at then the Christians in England are much richer in Grace than I took them to be and much stronger than as you I find them to be but if they understand believe and cannot experience what they read then they must needs meet with those troubles which others have done unless upon examining their works by the holy Scriptures they have found ease because they have found their works in those particulars which did cause their troubles not to agree with holy Writ To the Law and to the Testimony if they speak not according to this Word Isai 8.20 is a standing Rule and blessed he God we have this to judge by Of these Books some respect the Constitution of a Christian some the Conversation of a Christian constituted The first sort are those which have caused the most trouble some in the preparation of the Soul for Christ amongst which are the Works of the eminent Servants-of Christ Mr. Thomas Hooker and Mr. Thomas Shepherd Others in the work of Faith or the closing of the Soul with Christ amongst whom chiefly is the reverend Mr. Daniel Rogers As for that trouble which the holy men of God Mr. Perkins Mr. John Rogers of Dedham with our ancient Divines have caused through their description of Faith that begins to be removed in great part our late Divines having cleared out the work of Faith in that manner as it was not understood before but for the former I meet with none as yet that have spoken to them though their Works in those particulars have caused great troubles among Christians who through the high respects they bear to the persons of these men being holy and eminent have believed what they write must needs be the Truth of God in every particular I was something troubled at them my self at my first reading them but upon serious examining them I began to question the truth of those particulars and having a little acquaintance with Mr Shepherd I wrote to him about that particular of which I doubted and gave him two or three Arguments against it He was pleased to write to me at large his Letter deserves the Press and had seen it were it not for one passage in it his Answers to my Arguments did not satisfie what they are I shall give the Reader faithfully without leaving out adding or altering one word Preaching once abroad I closed up the Point in hand by applying it to what Mr. Shepherd had delivered to see how those two Doctrines agreed A Gentleman and a Scholar meeting me some time after gave me thanks for the close of my Sermon I asked him why he told me he had a Maid-servant who was very godly and reading of that particular in Mr. Shepherd's Book which I opposed she was so cast down and fell into such troubles that all the Christians that came to her could not quiet her spirit For Mr. Daniel Rogers I have met with several Persons who have felt enough of temptations about their Faith and could not be resolved that ever their Faith was trus because of that which he had written but two I took notice of especially One was a Minister of a gracious spirit and a faithful Labourer in the Lords Vineyard Mr. John Glascock of little Canfield in Essex who laboured much under temptations from this Doctrine of Mr. Rogers The other was a good Woman but under as great desertions as ever I saw one there was another Minister with me in the Room that came to visit her I observed the Womans discourse well and what answers she gave us I perceived at last though I did not know whether the Woman had ever seen the Book she was upon Mr. Daniel Rogers Divinity and so I told the other Minister this is Mr. Daniel Rogers Divinity yea said the Woman presently I read it this morning in his Book long it was before this good Woman got out of this darkness Another Person given much to reading of good Books and I hope made good use of them spake these words to me As for Mr. Daniel Rogers and Mr. Shepherd I am afraid to read their Books they have laid such blocks in my way By these experiences which I had found the Books of these worthy men being in the hands of many Christians I thought there might be many whom I knew not that had met with the same affticting thoughts from them which my self and others had done upon which grounds and partly being moved thereto long since by some godly Divines I have brought their works and with them my self to the tryal professing if they be right then must I go look for another work then ever yet I met withall in my own heart As to Mr. Daniel Rogers what he met with in the close of his life I was a little acquainted with it He was a man of great parts great grace and great infirmities My Father Ward would often say of him My Brother * Mr. Rich. Rogers Father to this married the Widow of Mr. John Ward that excellent Divine of whom Doctor Whitaker would say Give me John Ward for a Text. Rogers hath grace enough for two men and not half enough for himself A most woful temper or rather distemper in his constitution which hindered much the lustre of that grace which was-in him By one passage we may judge of his grace he dined one day at a Knights Table what company was there I knew not but he had not that liberty to be seasoning his meat with savoury and spiritual discourse as he was wont to do to sit at meals and not one word for God was to him strange The next day he comes to my house the man was sadly dejected in such a manner that those who fall into gross sins scarce know so much sorrow What is the matter said I This was the reason that he was a man of such a base dastardly Spirit that he could not speak for God I told him your Father would say in such companies if you cannot sow any good you do well if you can keep out evil Much ado I had to get up his Spirit Though he was a man of such grace yet in the last year of his life coming to my house he threw himself upon my bed in a great Agony with this expression to me Cousin I would change with the meanest Christian-in Wetherfield that hath but soundness of grace God did handle him strangely beat him about in such a manner that had it been another person I should have pitied him more than I could pity him who had troubled so many sincere Christians with his Doctrine and being one of such a Spirit that such poor Creatures as I am must not
the great gates no wider gate is opened for the rich Man then for Lazarus If this do not please you find a better way if you can but be assured the Almighty scorns your greatness as much as you can his straitness Hence since the work wrought is the same in all let not Christians so much perplex and trouble themselves because God wrought not so in them as he did in others or because they cannot tell how God wrought in them they cannot trace out his path for in his working there is much variety but look to that in which all must agree look to regeneration union with Christ that the work be done no matter how God did it Sixth Position To say of a man under Gods working that he is but under a preparatory work and no more is a difficult thing Who can say there is no more but preparation in such a person Mr. Shepherd makes his preparatory works to consist 1. In Conviction there he saith the light is clear real constant p. 32. 2. In Compunction fear sorrows separation from sin p. 65. 3. In Humiliation taken off from self-confidence c. p. 125. Is there a preparatory state in which the soul stands for a time not as yet in a converted state May not the Lord at the very first stroak convey an immortal seed of grace into the soul the light which is so clear constant and real as he saith may it not be as the Lightning which cometh out of the East and shineth even to the West Matth. 24.27 so this shines into the whole soul will and all affections be so bright and clear at the first darting in that the Spirit withall quickens the will We know grace at first lieth in a narrow compass a seed a Mustard-seed is but a small thing Seventh Position To work a man under preparatory works to be as good a Christian as he is when he is actually united to Christ seems very strange When Mr. Hooker preached those Sermons about the Souls preparation for Christ and Humiliation my Father-in-law Mr. Nath. Ward told him Mr. Hooker you make as good Christians before men are in Christ as ever they are after and wished would I were but as good a Christian now as you make men while they are but preparing for Christ But he told him the reason why he thought God let him thus preach because he saw he had not long to stand and so should do his work all at once Let but one observe well Mr. Shepherd's preparatory work and I think we shall find a Christian with a good measure of Grace in my Letter to him I said I thought it strange that such an Act of Grace or Obedience supposing it to be so which yet I do not till I see a Command for it should be performed by a person under a preparatory work to Christ then which I knew none greater could be performed by one who is in Christ for a man to be so subject to the Justice and Soveraignty of God that if he will deny him his love work no grace dispose of him to damnation he is yet quiet contented I knew no Act of self-denial in the Gospel like it yet this is under the preparatory work of humiliation To this he answers I do not think this is the highest measure of grace as you hint any further then as any peculiar work of the Spirit is high for upon a narrow enquiry it is far different from that readiness of Paul and Moses out of a principle of love to Christ to wish themselves anathematized for Israels sake which is a high pitch indeed To which I reply 1. As to the principle it is true there may be some difference formally the principle is not the same yet this is a principle of humble and gracious submission to the Justice and Soveraignty of God and that in such a point as there is not another like it Could I but get it in all other things I should think it an Act of Grace from God to give me such a frame though I be not content to be damned Secondly Whatever be the principle I am sure according to the sense which must be given of Paul and Moses by this holy man they and the prepared soul or preparing for Christ must all meet in the same end or place i. e. in Hell Thirdly But with humble respect to Mr. Shepherd are indeed the Acts of Paul and Moses supposing the sense of the words to be as he takes them such Acts of Grace as are required by God and we bound to imitate if they were Acts of grace performed in obedience to a Command then we are all bound to the same Of necessity then the sense of the words must first be made plain First If the book written Exod. 32.32 be understood of the Book of life i. e. of divine Predestination and if Anathema in Rom. 9.3 be taken in the proper sense and these must be so taken to make Mr. Shepherd's answer good then both these wishes are inconsistent with a man as man and with a Christian as Christian as I shall prove anon to talk of limiting Anathema the sense of it as some would because they saw what this included signifies nothing if you fall a limiting I will limit also Secondly To me it appears further it cannot be the sense because God in answer to Moses ver 33. tells him Whosoever hath sinned against me him will I blot out of my book What out of the book of Divine Predestination I am sure Mr. Shepherd nor those other Divines will admit blotting out of that book the 34. ver tells Moses he will visit their sin upon them and ver 35. he plagued the people Surely God spake in that sense which Moses did Cor. a Lapide indeed affirms upon the Text It is lawful for the salvation of many for a man to wish his own damnation As much as they are for the works of Supererogation I do not believe the Jesuit did ever heartily wish his own damnation upon this account yet if so these Jesuits are so crafty he makes his bargain so that he will get by it for saith he God will reward such a generous and liberal soul with heaps and increase of love grace and other gifts Yes God doth use to fill those who are blotted out of the book of eternal life and accursed from Christ with increase of Love and Grace Let him fry this Other Divines therefore do not understand the book of eternal life or Divine Predestination See Mr. Coryl on Job cap. 24. v. 20. but the Records of the Church or Records of the people of Israel The Jews were wont to number their families and take their names and God commanded a Record of the people of Israel to be written Thus we read David praying Psal 69.28 against his enemies Let them be blotted out of the book of the living and not be written with the righteous Would David pray to
have any blotted out of the book of Divine Predestination Therefore by the latter clause the Church must be meant they seemed once to be men of that Society but they have discovered themselves to be of another alliance blot them out let not their names live in the Church The 13. of Ezek. 9. seems to answer this of the Psalmist They shall not live in the Assembly of my people neither shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel To confirm this interpretation I add first In the tenth verse of this Chapter God bid Moses let him alone that his wrath might wax hot against the people and I will make of thee a great nation God is threatning to blot out the name of Israel cut them off and promiseth Moses to make of him a great nation Nay saith Moses I am so far from this ambition to be made a great nation upon this condition that I will let thee alone that thy wrath may cut this people off that I rather desire thee to blot my name out of the writing of Israel that my name may not stand in that Record as an head of thy people as now I am but let me not so much as be reckoned for an Israelite before thy Name shall suffer thus Secondly That God answers him ver 32. as I said before that he would blot out c. and did visit them and plagued them Thirdly From the Hebrew Text something may be gathered the word which our Translators render I pray thee is rendred Now (a) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by Arias Montanus and Pagnin the word signifies both I pray thee and now I conceive our Translators render it I pray thee because now was once before in the beginning of the verse but the Chaldee Paraphrast renders it also now (b) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 nunc So Jonatham Targum render it now (c) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Blot me now out of the book of the just in midst of which thou hast written my name The Alexand. The Chaldee Paraph. hath the same word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the begining of the verse also Gr. Manuscr 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 blot me also out but neither the Septuagint nor this have the word I pray thee nothing that answers the Hebrew word The Samaritan Text hath not this word in it but it hath another word in the Text the Septuagint and that Text agree If the word be translated now which may well be Moses being now in a great passion his zeal raised for God then this sense doth much confirm the interpretation I am so little desirous to be a great nation that if thou wilt blot out the name of this thy people blot me now also out of that book thou hast written I do not desire to live any longer Munster comments thus upon the words De libro scilicet vitae vel ut Sepharadi exponit De libro legis dele nomen meum ne memoria nominis mei habeatur in eo To this sense also Gomarus (d) In explicat cap. 3. Apocal. de libro vitae assents I think there may be something in this the Text doth not say Blot me out of the book of life but out of the book thou hast written which to me hints a difference between the book of Divine Predestination and that book of which Moses speaks As to Paul's Anathema I think Mr. Caryl saith well That Moses and Paul were moved with the same spirit of zeal for the glory of God in both their wishes and as Moses so Paul wished himself to be an Anathema from Christ that is a person separated or excommunicated from the society or communion of the faithful and so no more to be remembred amongst the Saints or to have his name blotted out of the Church Records though he had been so great a planter and propagater of Churches thus Mr. Caryl Certainly Paul whose heart was so inflamed with love to Christ Could not wish himself accursed from Christ and so an enemy to him as anathematized persons are 1 Cor. 16.22 besides the impossibility of the wish in Moses and Paul as men there were great sin in the wish First with that sense which Mr. Caryl gives agreeth Grotius upon the Text accursed from Christ that is From the Church of Christ which is called Christ 1 Cor. 12.12 Gal. 3.27 As it was the manner among the Hebrews for the Wives to be called by the name of the Husband Isai 4.1 This he saith I would not only want the honour of Apostleship but also to be the most contemptible amongst the Christians as those who are excommunicated thus Grotius In Text. Nor much different is Gomarus who distinguisheth between a temporal and eternal Anathema between Anathema simply so and for ever And secundum quid or after a sort so shows it is a temporal Anathema and after a sort which Paul wisht not the eternal as Christ was an Anathema for us but not for ever He quotes a passage in Nazianzen Oratio 44. in Pentecost wishing the same upon himself in behalf of the Macedonians who judged right of the Father and Son but held the Holy Ghost to be a Creature his love and affection was so great towards them that upon condition they might joyn together and celebrate the Trinity in common 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. it is but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Nazianzen commends them for many things in that Oration he quotes this saying of the Apostle and doubts not to say with him as he did but yet limits it he will not take the extent of the word Learned Rivet saith Whatever be the sense we must not think that Moses and Paul did pray for any thing contrary to Gods will and absolutely and determinately contrary to their own salvation He inclines to that sense I have given In Exod. 31.32 thinking it doth sufficiently argue the ardent desire of the good and salvation of this people to chuse death rather then the Nation of the Jews should be rejected or blotted out Lipomanus whom he quotes looks on it as an Hyperbolical manner of speaking to express the greatness of his affection towards them as if saith Rivet a Son that is very dear to his Father should thus intercede for his rebellious Brother either pardon my Brother or kill me and deprive me of my inheritance To conclude before Mr. Shepherd's answer take me off it must be proved that this is the sense of Moses and Paul which he supposeth to be true but is denied Yet again suppose it were so I have not met with one Divine who will maintain that all Christians are bound to come up to Moses and Paul in their wish but both Mr. Hooker and Mr. Shepherd have made that whereof we now treat a part of the Souls humiliation and preparation for Christ and therefore must be found in all Eighth Position Those works which are called preparatory unto
are the Heads be they more or less by which the Spirit doth usually drive the Soul out of it self Some Christians experience some of these some more of them some fewer no matter how many of them or how few if the Spirit useth any of them they shall do the work he intends For the effects of this work of the Spirit what follows upon it I shall briefly touch them but make no use of it for the reason I gave in my former Head First The good opinions man had of himself are now confuted the high thoughts of himself are taken down he seeth now his money is but brass not so good How highly did Paul value his priviledges his Pharisaical righteousness before Christ came to this work What a low esteem had he of them all after this work that now we are upon Phil. 3.7 8 9. thus it is with all true Converts had the man any opinions in doctrien proud and high they were never so confuted as now did he cry up the great Diana of Liberum arbitrium as most do and we grant it to be Liberum when the Son hath made it free now he calls it Servum arbitrium as Luther did Jansen Augustin tom 2. l. 3. c. 5. p. 182. and blessed Austin long before him as Jansenius in his excellent Work doth manifest in several places and saith he knows not what that new Writer means he doth not name him who saith Nomen servi arbitrii was never heard of in the Catholick Church for fifteen hundred years when as he makes it clear by his quotations out of Austin that he had called it so several times Conses l. 8. c. 5. Blessed Austin vvas not the man alone vvho complain'd of his Ferrea Voluntas here are others vvith him vvho feel it as vvell as that blessed Saint did Had the man slight thoughts of imputed righteousness did he jeer at it as some have done and do still his thoughts are changed he is now convinced of such a necessity of a perfect righteousness that now imputed righteousness is the most precious Doctrine of the Gospel the very life blood of a Christian the Spirit hath so disputed with him in this work of self-emptying that now all the Arguments in the Jesuits Colledge he scorns them he hath sound it felt it Lord if thy free Grace do not save me my free will I am fure will damn me Surely in the Lord not in my self have I righteousness and strength in him only must I glory Isai 45.24 25. Secondly The second effect is this by this work of the Spirit there is made a further and fuller conviction of a mans misery God drives the nail home to the head he was convinced of a miserable state before but now it is confirmed with a witness for though by the former conviction he saw himself to be bad yet not so bad it may be but he might have some good he thought he could do something to help himself set some good works against his bad ones but now he seeth he was mistaken he is convinced with Paul In me that is in my flesh dwells no good thing Rom. 7. He doth not say there dwells but a little good but no good he did not think he had been so wicked so vile void of any thing that good is though he had read The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked Jer. 17.9 yet he did not believe the Text to be true till his own heart became a Comment upon Gods Text and proved it Thirdly Now those Qualifications mentioned in the Gospel Luke 19.10 weary and heavy laden Mat. 11.28 are known experimentally others can prate of them but this Soul feels them Laden he is with the burden of his guilt and woful wicked heart a burden too heavy for him Psal 38.4 The man labours also under this would fain get rid of his load but he finds all is labour in vain no ease no rest comes but undone he is not withstanding all the duties he hath done or can do now he is lost though in his first conviction he saw he had gone astray from God and was going to hell yet he thought he could find the way home to God again by the compass of his own good duties repentance and reformation the new and living way he knew not nor thought there was any need of it but now he seeth he is bewildred quite lost when he hath walked a great while he seeth the Lake of hell fire before him still a way to hell he can find but no way to God Satan that Lion roars Conscience that affrights him in this Wilderness where he is wandring and what an afflicted condition that is lost Souls experience Fourthly Now is the Soul ready to listen to any one who shall direct him to get out of this misery in which he feels he is involved now the news of a Saviour is welcome the voice of the Gospel is pleasant now propound the terms say what you will only save me from my sin and misery and I shall willingly accept of a Christ the Soul now is rightly prepared for Christ It is a practise in some Towns so long as the poor in the Parish have any thing of their own in their houses which is money-worth except a bed or some such thing they will not take them into their Collection but let them make money of what they have and maintain themselves with that or make it over to them they must be poor indeed before they come into their Collection It is a truth I am sure here so long as the Soul hath any thing money-worth that it thinks is worth as Paul did Phil. 3 as it will not come to Christ so in this differs from many who are willing enough to burden Towns though they have something of their own so neither will Christ take them into his Collection or rather relief for he collects nothing he hath fulness enough to relieve all the poor of his Flock but poor they shall be before he will take them So long as the Prodigal could common with the Hogs fill his belly with husks he would not go home he was first brought to the starving point So it is with Souls if they can fill themselves or find any sustenance from their husky duty they will not go home through pride or shame but when brought to starving stay now Christ born in Bethlehem or house of bread And is that living bread becomes precious Thus John hath done his work that is To make ready a people prepared for the Lord Luke 1.17 Here we find this Soul thus far it is come it is prepared for the Lord. No saith holy Hooker and Shepherd there is something else required to a true preparation For Mr. Hooker though I had heard of his Doctrine yet I had not read his Book before I had read Mr. Shepherd and had seriously considered him I see both the Father-in-law Mr. Hooker
of him as of the former as Scholar he was of pretty natural parts bred and brought up under excellent preaching and in a place where he had the examples of excellent Christians so that he must needs have light but proved a debauched person no lust came amiss to him upon a time he sent for me to pray with him I went willingly in my discourse with him he told me that several times not once as he hath been going through the fields to see persons he hath heard one call him by his Sirname and doubled his call bidding him Make haste make haste time is short he could see no body when he looked who it should be that spake this did so affect him as it troubled him he told me oftentimes when he was amongst his Companions that he could not go on so freely in his lewd practises but I wish I could say it had wrought to Conversion his time was but short indeed for he was cut off in the prime of his years within a very few years after he told me of it Concerning these fears and sorrows which men of the world strangers to Conversion call melancholy madness and I know not what send them to the Physitians and Apothecaries shop for cure I shall not insist upon them what other Divines have at large written about the clearness greatness permanency of these fears and sorrows is well known and to some so well known that it hath caused great fears in them that their Conversion was never sound because they have not experienced those great and permanent fears and sorrows they preach and write of Having spoken to Preparations more largely in my first Chapter to which I refer the Reader I shall add but a few Positions here and so come to the resolution of one Question about them which I know those who have been troubled about these preparatory legal works will be willing to read First Position Though many times great sins produce and great sinners meet with great fears great sorrows and terrors yet not alwayes so God doth not keep this method or road alwayes with men as sinners great sinners great terrors less sinners less terrors Sometimes those who have been less sinners then others by far as to outward acts and living in a course of sin have met with greater sorrows fears bruisings then others who have been greater and viler sinners Second Position Great sinners and men of great parts great spirits whom God intends to make of great use these are the men the persons who usually if not alwayes meet with great bruisings terrors fears and sorrows Observe the workings of God and you will find it so those who read Mr. Bolton's life will see my Position made good no wonder though the Lord bruised him and held him under as he did Other Divines I might mention but I shall instance in Mr. John Rogers of Dedham an old man that used in his young time to frequent the house of Mr. Richard Rogers of Wothersfield would tell me this story of him oftentimes which my Grandmother who was Wife to Mr. Rogers told him several times Mr. Richard Rogers did send and help to maintain Mr. John Rogers being his Kinsman in Cambridge it seems he proved so bad that he sold his Books and spent the money my Grandmother moved her Husband to buy him some Books and send him to Cambridge again she being a prudent Woman prevailed Mr. John Rogers spent his Books again Mr. Richard Rogers then would cast him off utterly but my Grandmother renews her request once more and at last prevails to send him again then he held that he was wild enough I conclude from a speech of his own which I mention not and by a speech of Mr. Richard Rogers which he often used when he saw what God had done for his Kinsman I will never despair of a man for John Rogers sake it seems then he was bad enough God intended this man to make him of great use and a choice Instrument he was in Gods hand for conversion of many Souls few men like him but God handled him accordingly bruised him to purpose he would get under bushes in fields pray and cry became an experimental Preacher of legal workings making good what Bishop then Master Brownrig said of him to my Father Ward which was this John Rogers will do more good with his wild Note then we shall do with our set Musick Those that knew his manner of preaching and actings in preaching well knew what the Bishop meant by the wild Note but it was very true though such actions and speeches in other men would have been ridiculous yet in him being a man so holy grave and reverend they went off with as much aw upon a very great and reverent Auditory Third Position Great sinners do not alwayes in their first Conversion meet with great fears and terrors but with great meltings Great showers fall without any thunder-clap I was with a serious Christian who before his conversion was as wicked a person as any in the Town where he lived the drunkards would use to call him Father so bitter an enemy against godliness and godly men that the Minister in that Parish was almost afraid to go by his shop upon a Sermon day in order to preparation to the Sacraments the Minister being gone to preach said this man I will go hear what Wilson would not give him his civil title sayes the Minister being in prayer when he came in he gets into a seat behind the Pulpit where rarely any sat and his heart began to give in prayer time but when Mr. Wilson named his Text which was John 5.14 Sin no more lest a worse thing come unto thee this bitter enemy to godliness that did before so powr in drink did now powr out tears abundantly could not lift up head but sate weeping all Sermon time home he went a new man his Companions came to him but they found a strange change he was no more for their turn on he went two years praying by a Book but that at last did not please him he could not open what he felt and wanted by his Book he layes it by and resolves if he can speak but three words to God yet he would powr out his Soul as well as he could and open his heart with his own words then he told me Satan set upon him with the most horrid temptations that he was in a sad condition but as for those legal terrors though a woful sinner I could never learn by his words that God made him acquainted with them at first he lived and died a precious Christian Fourth Position Many Christians after they have had some acquaintance with Christ and have given good grounds for their effectual calling have met with far more terrors and fears then ever they did at first coming home This is not the case only of those who have sinned after the example of David who I believe never knew
Repentance and Faith are conditions sufficient so saith that Gospel which reveals our salvation To say the Consequence is fallacious because this condition of setting up of the glory of Grace above our salvation is contained in them Say in which Define them both and see if we can find it For Faith in Christ That we said is that saving Grace whereby we receive him as he is offered in the Gospel and so rest upon him alone for salvation This definition agreeth with the Scriptures and is not at all deficient we have proved it before having opened how Christ is offered and how Christ is received c. it is not contained in this For Repentance to life the essence of it lyes in the Souls turning from all sin with grief and hatred of it unto God I will not set down a large description of it Our Catechisme gives it Now how can that condition be contained here being I am not to turn from my own salvation this is no term from which I am called I must turn only from sin God requires no more as to the term from which I turn Arg. 5. Lastly This Condition of setting up the glory of Gods Grace above our salvation must be had in Heaven Therefore to require it here and that upon this penalty the loss of our Souls for want of it agrees not with solid reason Quest Why do you tie it up to Heaven I answer So long as the means to an end is incomplete imperfect so long the end to which that means tends is but imperfectly attained Now so long as believers are in this world with a body of death within temptations from World and Satan without lying in so many dangers and fears every day that many times the Soul knoweth not what to say of it self but thinks it shall one day perish this heart of mine will undo me temptations without drive so hard against the Soul the means as yet is very imperfect though the Soul seeth it is Grace only through Christ which can save it and thinks it shall magnifie his Grace if he will save it yet it fears often it will not be its portion hence as yet God hath not his end or but very little but when the Believer is got into Heaven out of the Gun-shot of all temptations when it is secure and safe for ever knowing danger any more salvation is perfected and the means to Gods end compleated now begin the Songs to the praise of the riches of Grace and the Lamb to be sung and shall be sung to eternity now God hath his end compleated Grace in our salvation and above our salvation for ever triumphing If the authority of Mr. Rogers being a man so eminent in abilities and grace do make you think it must needs be true for such mens Opinions as these do prevail exceedingly upon Christians that are not able to examine Doctrines then take his Opinion which I had from his own mouth for as I preached against this Doctrine when I lived by him so I conferred with him about it and wrote down what he said to me in the Margent of his Book when I came from him his words were these The Soul in its first coming home to Christ doth seek its own salvation after union with Christ it seeks the honour of God and its own salvation subordinate to it It must first have a good savour of God it must first have tasted of his love before it can come to this That is to exalt his glory above its own salvation But this saying and his Books do not agree For if so be the Soul must have union with Christ first and in its union doth and may seek its own salvation and must have a taste of Gods love he must mean by this favour and taste a secret intimation of his reconciled love some good evidence of it before it comes to this setting up the glory of his Grace above its own salvation how is it that this self-love in not subordaining its own salvation to Gods glory which will deprive the Soul of all its labour and pains as he saith so dangerous that it will undo it how is it I say that this is found in a person united to Christ yea and there lieth till the Soul gets a taste of the love of God This I cannot understand How long is it before many poor Souls can get a taste and how little of it when it comes how short a time doth it stay Bara-hora brevis mora Thus I have endeavoured to remove those blocks which were layed in the way by these eminent men whom I do so much honour they have been a trouble to my self as to my own state which hath made me to examine them and weigh them in the ballance of the Sanctuary which must determine all questions and sit Judge upon all our writings the men being holy able and experienced men made me more to fear had they been young men in the heat of their affections I should not have regarded them as I saw one book the Authors name I forgot who gave such signs of hypocrisie that will cut off many a gracious heart but I saw by his picture at the beginning he was but young and so did not regard him How far that I have written may tend to the satisfaction of those Souls who have been or are troubled with these doubts which have been raised by these worthy men to the troubling of the peace and evidence of many gracious Christians I leave to the judgment of judicious and experienced Divines I bless God for my own part I am at rest as to these doubts though I have been disquieted by them unless I meet with better Scriptures and Arguments then yet I have done Having then opened the work of Effectual Calling and shewn how the Spirit of God prepares the Soul for Christ and unites it to Christ I will now make some improvement of the whole by way of Application though in this I intend to be but short by reason there are so many excellent books printed and men of such eminent gifts so excellently skilled in Gospel work that had it not been for these doubts which I know have troubled divers and for some of them no Divines that I knew had spoken to them though I found by discourse with them they were not of the same judgment with these reverend men I say had it not been for this I would never have set pen to paper for I know not for substance what I can write that hath not been written by more able pens yet variety of gifts may please the Reader and help on his spiritual edification From the whole work then I will conclude if this be effectual Calling and that which makes real Christians Then First The number of Real Christians is but small whatever those who are called Christians think Secondly The number of Real Christians is greater than those who are Real Christians giving judgment upon