to excellencie and honor and shall not thy perswasions draw my heart to recover my lost estate and should not each day seem ten to us when wee may regain it till the Lord hath setled it again in Christ upon us Vse IV. It should teach us much more to believ how admired hee can make himself in all his Saints by his second Creätion especially at his second coming and the whil'st in repairing his image more perfectly in those that believ faith being a greater excellencie and tending to a neerer Union then ever any perfection of Adam Oh! it should convince us of the goodness of mercie and cast out that emnitie of ours which cannot beteam God one good thought ARTIC II. ADAM fell from his integritie by wilfull transgression HIs sin was a Compound of all sins in one a proud disloyall needless distrustfull revolting discontented unthankfull rebellious departing from the blessed GOD to a base Creature even when hee was set in the midst of all perfection above all base objects Hee was indeeed actually God's image but not unchangeablie so Therefore having his will left in her freedom and unestablished by gracious determineing thereof to good Lo when a sensible object is presented by the Devil first shee as the weaker then hee by her means freely chose to leave God and to embrace the Creature And hereby when hee was made able if hee would to stand although so as hee might fall hee turned this voluntarie might into a necessitie of falling and impossibleness of return by himself This sin is more fully set forth by two things 1. By the description of the holy Ghost 2. By the parcels of the sin I. The Scripture call's it That disobedience That offence That transgression Sol. Eccl. 7. ult call's it a findeing out of inventions No man can finde out any thing that good is beyond God God had found out and bestowed on Adam and Eve all goodness in perfection yet they would finde out beyond him and bee wiser then hee supposing to better their estate but they found out nothing but their own findeings Sin and Sorrow as it was just they should do who would go beyond God they found out work which God never set them and then devised lies and shifts but they found out miserie to their portion when all the rest vanished and left them in sad confusion II. By the parcels of their sin considered 1. By the circumstances 2. By the fall it self The circumstances are as the persons belonging to it viz. 1. the Serpent the subtillest creature the fiittest instrument for Satan to work by hee set's upon the woman the weaker and that alone 2. Satan who had been an Angel of light but fel by pride and now full of rage against man 3. Eve and Adam jointly who did most immediately concur to their own transgression In their fall consider two things 1. The remote causes 2. The more neer and proper The former were 1. Changeableness of their will whose habitual holiness wanted a confirmation in grace and so was corrupted to a passive capableness of evil but they used not that power to stand which God had put into them 3 The aptness of the temptation By the strong bait of sweetness hee attempt's the affection and so corrupt's the judgment The neer or proper caus is three-fold I. Inward tickling of their affection not suddenly but by steps Satan suspend's the act of goodness in them bring 's them to a slack remissness and corrupt's their bent of spirit This was the first spawn of the sin which stood in foolish credulitie curiositie and dalliance Credulitie to secure herself of her own welfare as if nothing could or would hurt her Curiositie to enter change talk with a creature shee being the Ladie of all creatures Then Dalliance in bandying so many replies one after another who know's how many and ventureing to prate of so weightie a thing as her happiness not doubting that so nice a point threatned her ruine These three brought forth the second which was II. Snareing for by this tickling of her shee take's the Devil's snare into her will and thoughts so far that as a bird in the grin shee could neither go backward nor forward but is limed and hampered with that which at first shee was free from And so in the third place succeed's III. Secret assent to the temptation and yeeld's up the inward weapon of her innocencie to the Devil So God leave 's her to call evil good and good evil And so shee took it eat it gave it her husband who though hee were not first yet hee was last in the transgression and yeeldded to do as the Devil had drawn her to do and so both of them disobeyed In the fall it self consider not onely the act of the transgression but with it a fardel of abundance of foul corruptions of heart and these are of two sorts Special or General The Special were 1. Pride 2. Securitie and Sloth 3. Vanitie 4. Sensualitie 5. Discontent 6. Salriledg 7. Crueltie and Injustice with the like The General 1. Woful distrust of God 2. Rebellion against God 3. Vnthankfulness 4. Apostasie totally from God Vse I. Learn from the Serpent who abused his parts not to boast our selvs or rest in no outward gift of God for it self Seeing if unsanctified it may bee instrumental to such villanie and dishonor to God either in our publick or private places and so prejudicial to our own Salvation as wee should wish rather wee had been Idiots then so egregious Vse II. From Satan learn to suspect him in his sweet inchantments and when hee attempt's Eve that is out sensual part overthrowing our Adam and judgment thereby then to handle him roughly knowing him by his messenger not to bee far off Vs III. From Eve and Adam learn to beware of dalliance and admitting parlee with temptations of sensualitie least wee fare as Sampson by Dalilah and would fain get off the hook but cannot being snared Vse IV. Bless God that in Christ hath changed old Adam's perfection to a better and surer from a self-subsistence in grace according to our own freedom to a subsisting in another Betrusting us no more with our own treasure but keeping it under the lock and key of his own power in Christ Vse V. It teache's us highly to esteem of self-denial Adam fell by too much trusting himself wee stand by the grace of self renouncing ARTIC III. Adam's sin made him miserable Both in respect of sin and punishment 1. HIs actual sin brought forth Original his Original all Actual sins and both these procured all penalties So that by the wrath of God was inflicted upon him the loss of God's image standing in righteousness and true holiness a deprival of the glorie of God both in Soul and bodie Hence came that utter impotencie of minde and members to purpose to will or execute any good Nay an utter aversness from it an utter uncapableness of it a
translate us from this our poor walking with him to bee with him and to bee rid of all our clogs which hinder us from so doing and go from this our doing God's will as it is in heaven to do it in Heaven Give GOD the prais FINIS A TABLE Containing the Method and Principal Heads of the whole book Part I. Article I. pag. 1. II. pag. 7. III. pag. 12. IV. pag. 18. V. pag. 20. VI. pag. 22. VII pag. 58. II. Article I. pag. 64. II. pag. 72. III. pag. 107. IV. pag. 113. V. pag. 129. VI. pag. 172. VII pag. 185. III. Article I. pag 216. II. pag. 224. III. pag. 242. IV. pag. 253. V. pag. 272. VI. pag. 291. VII pag. 302 PART I. Artic. I. In Adam mankinde was creäted in perfection of light and holiness pag. 1. According to God's image pag. 1. 1. For matter p. 1. 2. For manner p. 2. 3. In respect of endowments p. 2. 4. In his bodie p. 2. This image of God is more distinctly considered in three things I. In the bodie 1. In the Production of it p. 2. 2. In the Frame of it beeing made p. 3. II. In the soul 1. In the nature of it p. 3 2. In the functions p. 3. III. In the whole person 1. In his reverend and awfull behavior p. 4. 2. In his honorable entertainment p. 4. Uses pag. 4. c. Artic. II. Adam fell from his Integritie by wilful transgression p. 7. This sin is set forth by two things 1. By the description of the holie Ghost p. 7. 2. By the parcels of the sin p. 8. In the fall consider the causes 1. Remote 1 Changeableness of their will 2. Unarmedness 3. Aptness of the temptation p. 9. 2. More neer and proper 1. Inward tickling of their affection p. 9. 2. Snareing p. 9. Secret assent to the tentation p. 10. Corruptions of heart flowing from this fall are of two sorts Special 1. Pride 2. Securitie 3. Vanitie 4. Sensualitie 5. Discontent 6. Sacriledg 7. Crueltie and injustice c. p. 10. General 1. Distrust of God p. 10. 2. Rebellion against God 3. Unthankfulness 4. Apostasie p. 10. Uses pag. 10. c. Artic. III. Adam's sin made him miserable pag. 12. This miserie hath two branches Miserie of sin Original p. 13. Actual p. 14. Miserie of punishment Of Soul Of Bolie p. 15. Vses pag. 16. c. Artic. IV. The whole race of mankinde is guiltie of Adam's sin p. 16. Vse pag. 19. c. Artic. V. There is no possibilitie for man of himof himself to escape this miserie p. 20. Vses pag. 20 c. Artic. VI. The convinceing Ministerie of the Moral law reveal's our miserie p. 22. c. The works of the Law are of two sorts 1. To the godlie it is a pattern and direction of righteousness p. 22. 2. In the Wicked it work 's two things 1. Knowledg 2. Conviction p. 22. The Law discover's sin 1. By dispelling ignorance p. 23. 2. By remooving the barrs against it viz. 1. Prejudice 2. Custom in darkness p. 23. 3. Hardness of heart p. 23. 4. Dulness 5. Slightness 6. Self-love p. 24. 7. Errors ibid. The Law enlighten's to discern actual sins both 1. In themselvs sundrie waies by her 1. Autoritie p. 24. 2. Harmonie p. 24. 3. Royaltie p. 25. 4. Intâ—gritie ibid. 5. Extent p. 27. II. In the penalties p. 28. The Lord discover's original sin to the soul 1. By the Special tearms of his Word 2. By Comparison 3. By the properties of Original sin 1. It is eminently sinful p. 29. 2. Predominantly ibid. 3. Perpetually p. 30. 4. It is an over-flowing sin p. 30. 5. It is an enslaveing sin ibid. 6. Unlimited p. 30. Vses pag. 30. c. Conviction is twofold 1. Of the judgment which the Law effect's by remooving three Letts 2. Of the whole soul called Terror and Bondage p. 37. 1. Deadness of spirit p. 33. 2. Loos incogitancie and carelesness ibid. 3. Subtiltie and slieness ibid. This Legal Terror is explained by the the consideration of three things 1. The difference p. 30. 2 The nature effects and end of it ibid. 3. The extremities and abuses of it which are two 1. Legal presumption p. 45. 2. Final despair p. 46. Vses pag. 53. c. Artic. VII The LORD leav's not the souls of his Children in this miserie but uphold's them by the hope of the Gospel p. 58. Reasons of the point p. 59. c. PART II. Artic. I. That there is a deliverance ordained and granted to miserable man out of this thraldom Note 1. There is a Deliverance p. 65. 2. Appointed by the Lord. p. ibid. Uses pag. 67. c. Artic II. The onely instrument of working out this deliverance is the Lord Jesus p. 72. The whole work of his Mediation may bee referred to two heads 1. The Qualification of his Person p. 73. 2. The Actual performance of the satisfaction it self p. 74. The Qualification of his person hath two parts 1. Union p. 73. and Unction p. 74. The Performance it self stand's of two parts 1. Meriting this price for all the Flect p. 74. 2. Applying it to them p. 75. These are called wâ—â—l-springs of salvation becaus they are so many grounds of justifying faith whereof there are seven heads I. InCarnation p. 78. II. Divinitie of Christ p. 80. III. The personal Union p. 82. Hence the Unction of 1. Priesthoad p. 84. 2. Prophecie p. 86. 3. Kingdom p. 87. IV. Actual Obedience p. 91. V. Passive Obedience p. 91. VI. Conquesi of Christ p. 100. VII Applying of Christ's merit p. 104. Artic. III GOD'S imputation of the merits of CHRIST'S righteousness to a sinful soul is the formal caus of our justification Expressed by divers phrases p. 108. Vses pag. 109. c. Artic. IV The Gospel and the offer of Grace in it is the Revealer of this deliverance The special properties of this offer are three p. 120. 1. Libertie 2. Simplicitie 3. Fidelitie Uses pag. 121. c. Artic. V. The Lord offer 's Christ to the soul furnish't with all his benefits Concerning these benefits of Christ consider three things I. The Difference p. 140. II. The Order p. 131. III. The Nature and Use of them p. 131. 1. Vocation p. 132. 2. Union p. 134. 3. Regeneration p. 138. 4. Justification p. 145. 5. Reconciliatian p. 148. 6. Adoption p. 153. 7. Redemption p. 160. 8. Sanctificatiin p. 167. 9. Glorification p. 167. Artic. VI. The Church of GOD is the true and onely Object of all the former good things Two things here considerable I. The subject of it the Church it self distinguished into 1. Visible p. 172. 2. Invisible p. 173. 3. Militant p. ibid. 4. Triumphant ibid. 5. Malignant p. 174. II. The Adjunct of the Church the Communion of Saints in which consider 1. Qualification p. 176. 2. Due exercise of Communion p. 180. The Spirit of Communion may bee discovered in two particulars 1. In Preserving Communion and this it doth 1. By Separation of fals
uttered by man In this it is differenced first from the ignorant erroneous and superstitious conscience not fearing at all or fearing amiss Secondly defiled conscience dallying with God half convinced and half whole Thirdly seared and hardned conscience which by long rebellion and resistance of the law hath got the masterie of the law and is waxen sensless and useless forgetting her offices Fourthly The act of the law in all this is to cast down the soul at the feet of God For there is in nature an intolerable bearing up a mans self in his estate a prideing of himself boldness boasting of sin Hee is so far from beeing ashamed that till the law com home to him thus bee is alive Rom. 7. 9. that is jollie jocand merrie as the fool that cast's arrowes darts and saith Am I not in sport A Sinner's crown is not his bare sin in corners and by stealth that is his wo his law but his crown is his libertie of spirit in it to do what hee list to run ride talk practice to drink swear lie and couzen and no man controll him Now this jollitie and boldness and pride in sin the Lord in his ministerie of the law resist's and that hee doth when hee pull's the sinner upon his knees cast's his crown in the dirt dismount's him as hee did Saul from his Palfrey Acts 9. and the desperate Jaylor in his profaneness and crueltie Acts 16. 27. And those killers of Christ Act. 2. saying Lord what wilt thou have mee to do Oh then hath wrath seazed upon the soul when it hath killed this jollitie and let out this pleurisie out of it And hence it is called the Sacrificeing-knife sharper then any two-edged sword the killing letter that which slew Paul not by mortification but by shedding the blood and bowels of sins jollitie to the ground The effects of this terror are usually three 1. Stoopping in a cours of evill This differ's from the effect of providence whereby the Lord doth limit the number and measure of sin in the wicked for the preservation of peace and civil societie For though that bee a divine work yet it is not the immediate work of the law but either a Providence without a word or els by the general power of the word restraiing sin but this is a special kinde of restraint issueing from the work of the law for the good of the soul so restrained And it is a loathsomness of the soul findeing no joy in old courses beholding them with repenting and irking of thoughts wishing them undon and abhorring to return to them through the terror of conscience beeing under this whip of the law 2. The second effect is shakeing of a rotten peace scil fals secure peace which it take's to herself when God debar's her of all sound peace Esay 57. ult A sinners life is his rotten peace both without a law and with or under a law by sumdrie practice and colors viz. 1. By nuzling himself under flattering meanes 2. Withdrawing from stirring ones 3. Holding off conviction with obstinate error or faneness and coloring with half yeelding and and shew of consent the heart being rotten 3. The third effect of the law is the spirit of bondage The Lord aime's by this to hold and keep the soul whom hee will save from all revolt to former lusts and liberties The spirit of bondage is the frame of a fearful heart held under slaverie and chaines of the law from all escapeing As wee say such a man hath the spirit of mirth or covetousness in which hee is rooted So the Woman is said to have a spit of infirmitie when her diseas had so prevailed over her that shee was crazed by ha bit So the Spirit of bondage Gal. 4. 7. is to bee one sold to it that cannot get out Vse I. Of Admonition to beware wee rest not in this servile estate For it differ's from true fear as much as from true libertie for 1. True filial fear is a load-stone to attract the soul to God this rather of it self drive's from God 2. This fear hath a respect to sin as the occasion onely to punishment as a caus as the slave look's not at sloth but at the whip But true filial fear look's at sin as the proper caus of fear but at punishment as the occasion 3. True fear soften's this rather harden's and imbitter's the heart Examples in Josiah and Ahab 4. It hath excess in it both for the constant assault of it without all intermission in all places duties and occasions and also for the dangerous inconveniences it bring 's after it oftentimes hinder's all fitness of spirit both to dutie and in dutie and defile's all 5. It differ's from true filial fear as doth the fear of an harlot and a loyal wife the one fear's danger and hurt from her husband the other reverence's him for love Vse II. Let none stumble at it for although it bee no better in it self yet the Lord can moderate correct it and guide it so that it shall bee a special medicine to prepare the heart for that which lightness and giddiness would disable it from attaineing God's End in setting thus his law on work is to make way for a sinners reconciliation which otherwise were not possible to work Assoon catch an hare with a taber as a wilde wilful sinner by the charm of the Gospel This appeare's sundrie waies 1. By this meanes God joine's all wholesom doctrine together For it is not his purpose to leave the soul in this case to seek out of herself after eas seeing it 's not in her power But hee himself will have his Minister to join all doctrines together in the order of Catechism both of remedie and miserie in their due order 2. By this consternation hee doth trie and wearie the spirits as in a Labyrinth working them to an utter hopelesness in themselvs to bee better that in such a case the least inkling of mercie might bee as newes out of a far country 3. That by the hear-say of it their hearts might bee raised up to make serious inquisition after it and not to perish in their miserie When the Prodigal was brought to husks at the trough then and never till then the notion of a father pierced him really Vse I First observ how God prevent's a sinner by his wisedom For what is all the complaint of a poor soul when the promise is offred Oh it 's true if I were loaden I doubt not of eas thou liest against thy self thou doest doubt of eas by the promise for of the former thou canst not doubt haveing been enlightned cast down and convinced by the law That then which is the more easie to grant the Lord work 's first as a part of the condition of Grace that is to bee loden that when the harder com's to bee urged that is Faith then the condition already wrought might bee readie to comfort the poor soul 2ly Wonder thetefore
at this wisdom which most fitly to the soul's condition doth even work by contraries life out of death and order out of confusion and descant not by carnal reason against it 3ly In all the ministerie of the Word let the Minister and people of God still fix their eie upon the scope of God moving onwards with him and going even pace with his ordinance for the effecting of his own ends and the glorie of his grace in our salvation III. The extremities and abuses of this legal work The extremities are two 1. Legal presumption 2. Final despair 1. Touching the first it is called Legal becaus there is another and a more dangerous one by the Gospel This presumption is twofold One this when the sinner waxe's bold and venturous to shake off this yoak of the law before his spirit bee convinced and cast down this sin made Adam and all us cursed even presumption against threats The second is when the consternation of the law seazing without addition of the Gospel cause 's the soul to wax confident of it's own welfare becaus it hath been humbled and perhaps hold's som impression of it still not dareing to resist her light But this is rare and where it is dangerous for it 's a sign that the heart is secretly fals 2. The second extremitie is Despair offending as much on the left hand thorow the excess of terror Thus Saul and Judas And it commonly growe's from the first Satan never seeking more to poison with presumption and dalliance with the law then where hee meane's to snare with the contrarie of Despair Doubtless it is the sin of the damned to live in the perpetual despair of releas and in perswasion that Grace is unable to do them good Vse I. Learn wee dailie to root this cursed root of bitterness out of us by two things ensuing First a Spirit of Humilitie and Fear to keep our selvs under the bondage of of our School-master rather then to affect the libertie of presumers and in so doing to beseech the Lord to proportion out our stripes according to our strength and to keep our despair within the compass of our selvs and any thing in us but to be far from the least thought of enlargeing our baseness above the infiniteness of mercie Secondly to nourish in our hearts above all those meditations of mercie and grace in Christ which may set us upon a rock above our-selvs and all fearful distrust and carrie us in the stream thereof with holy irresistableness Frequent holy and loveing thoughts of God are the surest remedies against this hideous monster The abuse of the Law is double First on the right hand many abuse it when they nourish themselvs in a needless bondage whereas they know they are in case to hearken after the remedie and will not pretending they have not been cast down or troubled enough What madness is this to nourish a diseas against Physick or to think that our trouble pleaseth God or to think that to bee of substance of Grace which onely is for preparation to it Secondly on the left hand those who do far wors abuse this doctrine who beeing wearie of terror and bondage assoon as they fall into it cast with themselvs how they may shake it off pretending that this is no estate to serv God in and so they return som to their sport and pastimes som to their pleasures som to their profits som to their old companions Let these know that the cours they take is violent and much like to them who to stop the crie of their infants put into the brazen bellie of Moloch did oppress their own ears with the nois of pipes and tabret Obj. Paul Rom. 7. 7. saith When the Law came sin revived how then is terror the law's work Answ Both may stand together in one unregenerate man according to divers parts For when the law had slain conscience then concupiscence revived and wee must distinguish between the natural work of the law and the accidental Terror is the proper work of it and when it 's wrought it is as it ought to bee but when rebellion ariseth it 's otherwise then ought to bee When the Sun ariseth and sweeten's the earth it work 's properly when it drawe's up the noysom stench of a dunghill to poyson the air it 's accidental coming from the loathsomness of the dunghill So when sin rebel's shee doth her kinde yet this rebellion shall not hinder the killing power of it It shall rather encreas it for when the soul come's to see how loathsom sin hath made her this make's her conclude her self out of measure woofull by sin and out of measure sinfull And when rebellion begin's to bee tamed the heart growe's more and more under fear although nothing hinder why both may not at one time bee together Onely in the bad commonly it encreaseth till it hath cast out all terror and strengthen's the jollitie of sin In the godly the Lord will inlarge terror and conviction so far that rebellion shall not stand it out but stoop with confusion under the power of it Paul by Sin mean's Original sin bodie and members by himself hee mean's the powers of soul and bodie Sin was alive in point of her stilness peace and quietness without any distemper Paul was alive that is merrie jollie lustie secure without any fear Again note sin's death and Paul's life caused this deep consent between them both I say her quietness and his jollitie made them as close as buckle and thong For why Sin was glad to see Paul lustie and Paul was glad to see her quiet Thus it was between them ere the law came But how since oh quite contrary Sin revived Paul died How Sin perceiving the law resolved not to give over till it had divided her and Paul who had so long lived at peace together and traded with gain and pleasure each by other and to scour her hous of her guests whom shee so corrupted the minde the will affections conscience and members of Paul beeing the creation of God begin's to revive to bee no longer quiet as before when her trade prospered but to fret rage and bee unquiet On the other side Paul also seeing the law also to gaster him out of his wicked haunt what doth hee Die's is all amort forsake 's his old mistress Concupiscence and begin's to bee wearie of his trade Now what is it against Paul's dying that sin reviveth what is it against the guest's shame and dying to their trade that their old hostess rageth Rebellion is in her not in them they are ashamed and flaited though shee will know no law conscience and concupiscence are two things Three sorts of Rebellion 1. Natural 2. Penal 3. Mix't 1. Natural when the Word or Law com's so to the corrupt Soul that as yet it carrie's no power or authoritie over the soul with it but still the soul hold's her own for then so close is sin and
Abhor thirdly a presumptuous heart which haveing heard of som hope abuseth it to forestall the Lord's work Abhor fourthly all means of Satan which might turn off quite or dash and quench this work Yeeld not to the impossibilitie of recoverie run not into despair take not thought for thy sweet sin God will make thee no looser Sculk not into corners to eas thy self of this yoak let God that put it on hold it on his time till hee hath trulie tamed thee If it seem long know there is a caus Vse IV. Let it teach us to pitie the loos and jollie in sin oh they make either work for hell or if God re-call them for the law for their chains must bee hereby increased and they shall meet with a Jailor that will handle them accordingly Oh! hear counsel betimes the counsel of minister husband wife parent master friend yea childe or servant to yeeld to God at the first that so thy yoke may bee the easier Vse V. Of exhortation Burie not this work of the Spirit under these clods of flesh streighten not the spirit of conviction Beg of God that by all these six staires thou maiest fall lower and lower till thou art brought to the earth Ask thy self When Lord shall my laughter light frothie merrie quiet heart bee met with thorowly Lie under this work and suffer affliction Say I see the Lord is in earnest hell is no painted fire the eas of a sinfull cours differ's from that little eas of the law I am in a streight I know not whither to turn mee No wealth friends credit marriage honor eating sleep play or musick can help now Away now all old companions the Lord hath laid sorrow upon my soul such as no tales or jigs can put by my meat is now mingled with gall and God seem's to forsake mee wrath hell and horror are upon mee my nights are wearisom and my daies miserable Chuse rather to bee thus for the killing of thy flesh then at libertie for the death of thy soul And wait in this estate upon God till hee caus light to break out ARTIC VII The LORD leave 's not the Souls of his Children in this miserie but uphold's them by the hopes of the Gospel The Lord where hee mean's to save keep 's not the soul alway in this anguish but cause 's som upholding of his secret spirit to keep up the soul of him whom hee will save from utter extremitie This hee doth by shewing them a door of hope in the wilderness as hee saith in Hos 2. 15. causing som glimps afar off to appear to them as a crevis of light in a Prison-wall as to consider that God hath had a gracious meaning to thousands whom hee hath thus humbled that by hell lie's the way to heaven that God delight 's not in this cours if the rebellion of the heart did not require it that God doth that which the soul shall not know till after hee mean's to make Christ sweet precious and welcom hee begin's to lay som ground of mortisication which in due time the Gospel shall perfect By such glimps of the gospel which God require's to bee joined with the law the Lord keep 's his from revolt to old base lusts from a despair of mercie and undoing themselvs or from a careless dissoluteness which end goe's forward And so haveing upheld them by the chin from sinking for a time hee doth let in light by such degrees as hee see 's them meetest to bear and to keep them low from waxing bold and venturous till at length hee sâ—ttle them upon his promise The Reasons why God useth this method are Reas I. First to keep the Soul from extremities of presumeing or despairing both being dangerous rocks the one separateing the means from the end running to their old liberties and yet hopeing to fare well the other separateing the end from the means after all their humblings yet thinking there is no mercie for them See Jer. 2. 25. Reas II. Secondly hee encourage's such to bear the yoke of the law which otherwise for the tediousness of it would shake it off Reas III. Hee deale's according to the capacitie of their weakness becaus they cannot bear much terror hee ease's them and becaus they dare not hearken to much comfort at once hee giv's them little at once Reas IV. Hee doth it for the honor of his own work of calling hee hath promised to call those whom hee hath chosen which hee should not do if hee left them in these briers Reas V. By this hope hee shewe's them hee is as able to give them his full promise and the effect thereof sound peace as hee can stay them up from sinking when they are at so low an ebb of casting down The LORD work 's this hope By presenting to them duly the sight of a possibilitie to get out of this terror That hee deal's not in afflicting his as with the wicked Esel 27. 7 8. Hee will do it in measure That hee abhor's excess in his terrors Esay 64. 12. That hee bar's none from him who bar not themselvs 2 Chron. 15. 2. That there is a necessitie of afflicting them with such tedious terrors or els hee delight 's not in it That hee hath not don this to destroy but to humble And all these doth hee caus them to digest and to stay themselvs by and fasten upon in more or less measure to keep them from extremitie causing terror to decreas and hope to succeed as wee see in his cours with Job as tedious as it was This hope goeth before faith yet it is such as the Lord enableth to uphold them between the horrors of the law and the grace of the Gospel The marks of this Hope 1. the entrance it is very weak and staggering between fear and hope very doubtful 2. Yet this little hope keep 's from the hardest and desperatest attempts 3. It rather bend's the eie to the end why God troubleth the soul then at the trouble it self in a plodding manner who know's whether hee will asswage and shew mercie for all this 4. It 's wearie of trouble rather by that eas which God sheweth then by tediousness See Hab. 3. 16. 5. It weakly turn's the thoughts to muse what would follow upon it if God should shew mercie Oh this is great newes to one that was so oppressed Oh now therefore to swither up with thoughts of welfare is a great change 6. And lastly trouble decaye's and hope encrease's as that little oyl and meal wasted not till plentie came Vse I. Instruction to God's Ministers to discern wisely of the season of staying the troubled heart For els they may spend much labor in vain It fare's with an heavie heart as with the bleeding wound and the deep humor of Melancholie while the dint is they refuse plaister and counsel And again when they see the season com let them applie God's fittest mid'cines Let terrors serv for the
desperate and refractorie sinners that they may com under God's chain but as are bound in it already must not bee oppressed more as if there were no succor for them no Balm in Gilead Vse II. Let such as are to receiv their counsel beware of beeing stout and obstinate by melancholie and sullenness Many people make their chains heavier then God make's them and will not suffer a thought of hope to enter through the anguish of bondage All such as becaus they cannot feel so strong comforts as they fancie therefore quarrel with God and reject such as hee offer 's them No let not God bee tempted by thy frowardness when hee seek's to trie thy humilitie Vse III. It 's exhortation to all poor troubled souls First to get and pray for readie and willing hearts to hear and see God's voice and steps for for eas and do not devour their own flesh Prov. 9. 12. Get Abraham's wisedom Gen. 22 13. who although Isaac had the knife at his throat yet had an ear to hear the Angel and an eie to see the Ram caught in the bush instead of his son Secondly although your hope bee small yet becaus your streight is great consider whether it bee not better to venture upon uncertain hope then upon assured wo 2 King 7. 4. Vse IV. Suffer not bondage to swallow you up in legall sorrow think not hell an heaven custom but as speedily as you can get out at this privie door blessing God for such a mitigation of miserie that in the discharge of the duties of your places you may attend upon the further work of God abhorring to think your selvs well becaus the Law hath you under bondage till the Gospel hath comforted you THE SECOND PART ARTIC I. That there is a deliverance ordained and granted to miserable Man out of this thraldom TItus 3. 4 5 6 c. But after that the kindeness and love of GOD our Savior toward Man appeared not by works of righteousness which hee had don but according to his mercie hee saved us through the washing of Regeneration and renewing of the Holie-Ghost which hee shed on us abundantly by JESUS CHRIST our Savior Here is a cleer view of a deliverance of a Sinner from this miserie together with the use of it to all that want it The scope is to oppose deliverance to miserie q d. Thus indeed it was by our deservings and God's justice but yet the Lord could not finde in his heart to let us lie in this woful and shiftless estate but when hee saw none to save himself saved us as a man seeing a perishing creature in a ditch and readie to despair for lack of present help himself stepped forth to help it out hee of dutie the Lord of meer goodness hee found out a way to set man on drie land out of the gulf of miserie so that the one was not so hideous as this is pretious and gracious So that First note that in this woful ruine of man there is a deliverance Eph. 2. 1. 1 Thes 1. vlt. Luke 1. 74. Esay 63. 5. Secondly it is appointed by the LORD out of the uusearchable treasure of his wisedom And this appear's partly by his eternal purpose within himself and partly by that expression of himself to his Church and to his elect Both these the intention of his heart towards them and the declaration thereof to them in his word do shew that it was not the will of God that man sunk in the dungeon of wo should lie there still and perish but recover out of it and live and this hee would have no secret in his own bosom nor hidden from us but known and revealed The Lord from eternitie purposed with himself to exempt a number known to himself out of this destruction and out of his justice to pass by others as not bound to rescue them and leav them in their corruption still and this to manifest his infinite justice against sin The Covenant of Grace is the promulgation and publishing of this his purpose in and by his word i e. by his Son the eternal word of the Father And this Covenant reache's equally to Election and no further and the sum of it is that GOD will bee their God to pardon sanctifie protect and save them will not bee ashamed to bee so called by them nor of them to bee his own beloved but hold them in this everlasting Covenant of his till hee receive them to immediate fruition of himself There is another general Covenant of ordinary calling by the ofter of the Gospel and the common badg of Baptism which is made to all without exception who exclude not themselvs but differeth from the former and is much larger then Election This offer must bee universal 1. Because whom the Lord call's hee call's and cull's out of the universal world those who receiv it shew themselvs elect those who finally reject it perish by their own unbelief and shew themselvs to bee none of God's number 2. His Ministers beeing his ordinarie instruments cannot put difference between the elect and the not-elect therefore they are to publish it generally to all 3. If the Covenant should bee dispensed with restraint this might strengthen the rebellious in their cavilling against the decree and fasten the caus of their perdition upon God which is onely from themselvs Vse I. It should teach us to adore the wisedom of God in this manner of manifesting himself This Covenant was darkly before shadowed by ceremonies but in due time revealed clearly Vse II. Break off thy league with sin and embrace the Covenant of mercie the sure mercies of David Vse III. Thouh Redemption bee the undivided work of the whole Trinitie yet even in this there bee several and incommunicable works of everie person concurring The Son merit's and work 's out the way of redemption The holie-Ghost work 's the perswasion of it in the soul But God the Father is the first mover and ordainer of it as the wel-spring whence the purpose and also the manifestation thereof proceeded Beware then least wee either confound these three actions or yet exclude any of the persons from their own operations But let us adore them all The Spirit in the work of applying Christ and the Father in the work of giveing Christ and in that love of his from which both Christ and the satisfaction came Vse IV. Behold in the Father an infinite depth of love and mercie toward sunken man thus to repair him Here is love not that wee loved him first but hee loved us haveing nothing but odiousness in us even that hee might shew what was in his heart and what hee could do Therefore judg aright of this first love and secondly profit by the meditation of Judg of it to bee the very fulness of all in all to bee a length depth height and bredth neither to bee reached unto searched into comprehended or attained but onely by faith embraced and rested upon