avoyded are discovered Lex est divinum speculū in quo facienda fugienda refulgent Aug. but it will sentence us to death for the least spot or wrinkle which it doth discover so that it is impossible that a man should see himselfe justified in the glasse of the Law But thou wilt say he may look upon his love sinceritie and works in the glasse of the Gospel And to this I answer that if he look upon them in the glasse of the Gospel which is Jesus Christ then he must put himselfe under the Gospel and look upon himselfe as a man in Christ that so he may see his works good by Jesus Christ which he will never be able to see without the eye of faith which seeth things invisible Heb. 11. and by which wee look upon Christ 1 Joh. 2.1 dwell in Christ Ephes 3.17 Live in Christ Gal. 2.19 And doe living works acceptable to God by the life of Christ in us Heb. 11.4 By faith with open face wee behold as in a glasse the glory of the Lord and are changed into the same Image from glory to glory 2 Cor. 3.18 and see that our good works are the effects of Christs love discovered in himselfe and in his Gospel to our soules And therefore when John doth informe us that we shall know that wee know him if we keep his Commandement He doth propose beleeving as the first Commandement of God without which we cannot assure our selves that we are obedient to his other commands 1 Joh. 3.23 This is his commandement that we beleeve in him whom he hath sent Good works after a man hath faith are not the cause of justification but the consequent they follow a mans justification they doe not precede the act of justification they neither precede the act of Gods grace by which he justifieth a sinner neither doe they precede justification in the Court of Conscience But being justified by faith we have peace Rom. 5.1 in our Consciences This was the doctrine which was frequently preached by those heavenly Carpenters which did first strike at the hornes of the beast Vt dilectio oriatur necesse est praecedere fidem hoe est fiducia misericordiae It is necessary saith Melancthon that faith which is a confidence of Gods mercy doe precede love And in another place Non nititur fides nostra dilectione sed tantum misericordia promissa ut constat nec existere dilectio potest nisi sit apprehensa remissio Faith is not grounded upon our love but the promised mercy of God so that it is manifest that there cannot be true love unlesse remission of sinnes be first apprehended Another reason is from the imperfection of workes wrought by a man after he is justified If any man that is justified look on his works and doe not behold them in the glasse of the Gospel he shall reade his own condemnation for his works There is an imperfection in our works seeing wee doe not love God so perfectly as we should with all our heart all our minde and all our spirit but while the regenerate part through the power of the Spirit runs after God and loves God the fleshly part runneth after sinne and hates God Therefore seeing there is such imperfection in the works that we performe that the best of us are unprofitable servants and that the most holy amongst us doe that for which he may be damned every day if God should not deale with us in the Gospel but in the Law it will follow that a man cannot be justified by the works that he doth after he hath faith and is converted doth works which are wrought by the Spirit of grace It may here be objected that the good works of Saints are perfect For an answer to this I referre the Reader to what shall be delivered from those words That he which is borne of God sinneth not I come now to the next Consideration which is this That wee are not justified by the practise of any Gospel-Ordinances which are commanded by the Lord Jesus Christ There are some who it may be are convinced that they are not justified by works yet I know not what new kinde of Popery they have found out for they thinke to please God by submitting to Ordinances and finding out the true Discipline and government of Christs Church therefore you shall finde a kinde of spirit of bondage in them if they be not satisfied concerning the true discipline government Ordinances of the Lord Jesus Christ Wherefore I shall endeavour to demonstrate this and shew clearly that as we are not justified by works before or after conversion so we are not justified and saved by the submitting to any Ordinance of the Lord Jesus Christ Salvation is not in these there is nothing to be found in these availeable to justification Formes of government and Ordinances doe not make men Christians but a lively faith in the Lord Jesus When Caius Marius Victorinus told Simplicianus that he was turned from Heathenisme to Christianisme and he replyed that he would not beleeve him unlesse he saw him in the Congregation of Christians He wittily thus reprehended the rashnesse of his speech Ergone parietes faciunt Chrisiianos Doe your walls then make Christians So to those that say men are of the world until they are under this or that forme of government and ordinance I may thus speak do these things make Christians Presbytery all government is nothing Independency is nothing dipping is nothing but faith which worketh by love The Apostle clearly proves this poynt Gal. 5.3 I testifie againe to every man that is circumcised that he is a debtor to do the whole Law Christ is become of none effect to you he shall profit you nothing Wee know that Paul circumcised Timothy after he was a preacher of the Gospel and submitted himselfe to many of the rites Ceremonies of the Jewes shaved his head put himselfe under a Jewish vow yet here he saith if a man be circumcised he is a debtor to the whole Law His meaning is this that if a man submit to circumcision as thinking it will any whit availe him to his justification and salvation that man shall not be saved by Jesus Christ but he is a debtor to the whole Law he is not under grace but under the curse of the Law Act. 15.1 When some preached that there was a necessitie for men to be circumcised and keepe the Law of Moses that they might be justified see how the doctrine was disrellished by the Apostles Peter calleth it a tempting of God and laying a yoke upon the necks of the disciples which they nor their fathers were able to beare Paul though as a spiritual man he could become all things to all men to the Jew as a Jew to the Gentile as a Gentile 1 Cor. 9.20 21 22. That by all means he might save some yet how doth he thunder and lighten in the face of those that laid too much upon
of God to salvation as the Apostle saith I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ which is the power of God to salvation to every one that believeth Rom. 1.16 But when it is unskilfully applyed when the flesh only makes use of this doctrine of grace and there is not the spirit of God to teach us to make a right use of it wee turne it into venome and wee are poysoned to our destruction But let us not be offended at the doctrine of Christ for this It hath bin so formerly it is so and will be so Neverthelesse let us continue in the grace of God and looke up to God that wee may continue in it I have one worde now to speake unto those who for the present are not apprehendors and partakers of this grace and shall conclude for this present You see it is onely by grace that you are saved it is only grace that brings salvation to the sonnes and daughters of men Therefore if God hath convinced you that you are sinners now is the day of grace now is the day of salvation I will shew a short and compendious but a true way to happinesse happy are all you that beleeve what is brought to your eares this day concerning Gods free grace God promised to meet his people at the mercy-Seate Exod. 25. which was a type of Christ and wee can never meet with God to the salvation of our soules but by meeting with his grace in the Lord Jesus The Law is the ministery of death it is the Gospel of grace which is the ministery of life and salvation Looke therefore beyond the Law which is a ministery of condemnation 2 Cor. beyond thy own righteousnesse which is impurity to the eye of Justice beholding thee under the Law beyond thy selfe who art an object of misery horrour and confusion and by a spirituall eye of Gods owne making behold his grace in Christ for lost and undone sinners Hearken to what God speakes to thee he invites thee exhorts thee and beseecheth thee to be reconciled he tells thee that thou canst not be justified by thine owne workes but by his free grace that thou art not to be saved by what thou hast done but by what Christ hath done and suffered Though thou hast broaken the Law Jesus Christ hath kept it He is the end of the Law for righteousnesse for every one that beleeveth in and by the grace of God Behold God standing at the doore of thy heart in the Ministery of the Gospel of grace and salvation let the doore of thy heart fly open unto him by beleeving and he will feast thy soule As Christ said to Zacheus so I may say to thee who beleevest what I speake this day salvation is come into thine house God is the God of grace therefore thinke not to please him by any thing but by eyeing of his grace Christ is the Sonne of grace he came to reveale the grace of his Father If thou wouldest with Simeon take Christ and salvation in thine armes graspe not thine owne workes for justification but beleeve what is proclaymed forth to the world concerning salvation onely by grace The Spirit is the Spirit of grace and if thou beleeve thou shalt be assured of sealed to redemption by grace There is no salvation but by grace and no apprehension of grace but by beleeving which is the next thing presented in the Text to our consideration Salvation is not by working but beleeving yee are saved by grace through faith But wee must be enforced to let alone the fuller enlarging of this point untill God shall give us another opportunity For the present I have done * ⎠* Salvation onely by Beleeving SERMON III. Ephesians 2.8 9. c. For by grace yee are saved through faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of God IT hath allready been proved unto us that good workes cannot save us And likewise the grace of God for the salvation of sinners without works hath presented it selfe unto us with the strength sufficiency and glory of it It may now be questioned by some by what meanes the Grace of God in Christ may bee applyed unto our selves and apprehended by us Our Apostle doth fully satifie us concerning this affirming that it is not through working but beleiving Yee are saved by grace through faith The Apostle doth not affirme that wee are saved 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 propter fidem for our faith for the worth merit dignity or excellency of it But 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 per fidem through faith faith being the gift of grace by which grace is revealed and applyed unto us Grace is the principall cause of our justification faith is the Organ or instrument given unto us by God for the discovery and application of his grace unto our own souls As no rational man when he readeth those words of our Saviour to the woman who was diseased with an issue of blood Mat. 9.22 Daughter be of good comfort thy faith hath made thee whole would conclude that because our Saviour saith that her faith did make her whole that therefore she was not made whole by Jesus Christ as the principall cause So no spirituall man should conclude that we are not saved by grace as the principall cause because the Apostle saith wee are saved through faith Desireing therefore that that crowne may stand fast which God hath set upon the head of his owne grace I shall endeavour so shew you that wee are saved by faith or through faith Wee are not saved in a way of working but beleeving Thus God saved and justified the Father of the faithfull to teach his sonnes in what way they are to expect salvation God in a vision informeth Abraham that he was his shield and exceeding great reward Gen. 15.6 And he beleeved in the Lord and he counted it to him for righteousnesse This was the Oracle of truth which Habakkuk standing upon his watch received from the Lord Hab. 2.4 Behold his soule who is lifted up in him is not upright but the just shall live by faith It is by beleeving and not by working that wee are made just Fides justos ab injustis non operum sed ipsa fidei lege discernit Aug. Truth doth make a difference betwixt the just and the unjust not by the Law of worker but by the law of faith The naturall man knoweth no righteousnesse but what is by his own workes The spirituall man doth see himselfe righteous in beleeving Thus our Saviour directed the ignorant Jewes to the right way of righteousnesse when they asked him what they should do that they might work the works of God Io. 6.28 This is the work of God saith he that ye beleeve on him whom he hath sent If any enquire after salvation let him know it is not by works The plaine way to salvation and justification is only by beleeving Tit. 2. The grace of God bringeth salvation teaching us to dâ—ny all
justifiing grace through Christ as the cause of that faith by which he is justified and saved And doth know that his juificaticaon is perfected by grace and in the person of the Lord Jesus before it is completed and effected in him by faith Hee well understandeth that Christ and the soule are betrothed by faith and yet he is not ignorant that he is betrothed to God for ever in righteousnesse and in loving kindnesse and in mercy Hosea 2.19 He is enlightned to see a reconciliation by grace in the person of Christ before God before his reconciliation by faith in his spirit He considereth that when he was an enemie he was reconciled to God by the death of his Son Rom 5.10 Which reconciliation was before his faith and yet denyeth not reconciliation by faith He knoweth that what he beleeveth concerning Gods grace and his redemption and justification by the blood of Christ was true before hee beleeved it and yet hee beleeveth that faith is his righteousnesse for justification Hee confoundeth not the righteousnesse of faith with the righteousnes of God in Christ by whom he is justified But giveth unto God Christ what is to be attributed to God Christ for justification likewise attributeth to faith what is due to faith not looking upō faith as his righteousnes without the object of it but alwayes looketh upon faith for his justification as it hath reference relation to its object which is the favour of God in Jesus Christ And if he shall be asked whether hee bee more righteous by grace and Christ or by faith He will acknowledge that hee is rather justified by grace and the blood of Christ Ro. 5.19 Seeing more righteousnesse for him in the object o◠faith then in faith by which he beholdeth the object and yet still maintaineth that faith is his righteousnesse for justification according to the mind of the Apostle We are saved by faith Eightly We are saved by faith not for the purity and holynesse of it as it is a gift of the sanctifiing spirit For then upon the same ground we should take in Love and other fruits of the spirit which the Apostle doth shut out as having no influence upon us for our justification which the Apohle doth prove in the following words where he saith that we are saved not of workes Because we are Gods workemanship created to good workes Good workes are not the causes of our new creation and justification but the consequents of our new creation through faith So that it is clear that we are justified before sanctification is wrought in us or good workes done by us We are justified by faith without them By which it is evident that faith as an holy gift or quality doth not save us We are saved therfore by faith as that righteousnesse by which we do at the first lay hold upon his grace in his Son for justification by which wee are united unto God and are made one with him Ioh. 17.21 are puryfied from the guilt of sinne in our hearts Act. 15.9 And have peace with him through our Lord Iesus Rom. 5.1 Whom we see imbrace by faith as the Apostle setteh forth the nature of faith Heb. 12.13 And he that thus beleeveth shall be saved he that beleeveth not shall be damned Ninthly We are saved by faith Because by faith we are not onely enabled to beleeve the generall truth of the gospell concerning his grace to those who beleeve in him but because through faith we are enabled to give credit to Gods truth and to rest upon it in reference and relation to our selves Thus Abraham who for the excellency and exemplarinesse of his faith is worthily stiled the father of the faithfull did beleeve what God did speake unto him not onely as a truth which might be beneficial unto others but hee looked upon Christ in reference to himselfe Gen 15. And saw his day and seeing of it was glad Hee looked upon God not onely as a shield and great reward but his shield and great reward By true faith we receive Chrst and his benefits for our selves Paul doth informe us that his life in the flesh was by faith in the Lord Jesus who loved him and gave himselfe for him Faiths sweetenesse doth lye in this that by it we doe not beleeve Christ to be a Saviour and righteousnesse but our Saviour and righteousnesse Therefore Luther affirmed that the sweetnesse of Christianity lay in pronounes When a man can say my Lord and my God and my blessed Iesus This was the faith which the Apostles preached which will be manifest unto us if we consider their intentions when they exhorted men to beleeve They did not intend that their hearers should beleeve in generall that Christ was the Saviour of the world but that hee was a Saviour to them Thus Paul preached to the keeper of the prison Act. 16.31 Beleeve on the Lord Jesus and thou shalt be saved and thy house As when they preached the doctrine of repentance or changednesse of the mind their meaning was that every man ought to be changed so when they urge beleeving for salvation their meaning is that wee should beleeve for our owne salvation in particular The generall truth of faith and repentance is to beleeve by a power enabling us in particular for our selves to beleeve and repent Lastly We are saved through faith Because by faith we heare the inward word of salvation The word which soundeth to the outward eare without this inward word bringeth no salvation As the Philosopher told him who reprehended him for publishing and divulging a booke of philosophy that he had published it and he had not published it his meaning was this that it was so darke and mysticall that though it were published yet it was not published to the ignorant and unlearned so the Gospel in the letter is published to men and not published they heare and doe not heare they see and doe not see But by faith wee so heare that our soules live by hearing Isa 55.3 The dead saith our Saviour shall heare the voyce of the Sonne of God and they that heare shall live Fidei oculi sunt spiritus per quem spiritualia videntur Cypr The Spirit is an eye to a beleeving man by which he seeth and enjoyeth spirituall things wee receive not the Spirit by hearing the Law or doing the workes of the Law but by the hearing of faith Gal. 3.2 Eternall life and Salvation is by hearing the inward word of life salvation and grace God bids the Prophet Ezech 38.5 to prophesie over the drie bones that they might live The Lord Jesus is the great invisible Prophet who prophesieth over drie bones and dead-hearted sinners and by hearing inwardly the inward word of this Prophet they live in hearing and believing And therefore it is said that wee are saved by faith Having by these particulars acquainted you with my Judgement concerning our salvation through faith I shall now by
sonne of God is come and hath given us an understanding that we may know him 1 John 5.20.3 They are all gone out of the way But we can blesse God who through Jesus Christ hath brought us into the way of salvation 4. There is none that doth good no not one and there is none that is righteous But hearken unto the speech of John 1 John 3.7 Let no man deceive you hee that doth righteousness is righteous even as he is righteous I might runne over all the other particulars there laid downe but I shall content my selfe with what is spoken in the 17. 18. its said that the way of peace have they not known and there is no feare of God before their eyes Is a regenerate man an enemie to the way of peace and doe not they feare God to whom God hath sworne Jer. 32.40 That he will put his feare in their hearts that they shall not depart from him Again secondly you would prove it by this argument because hee speaketh of all those who are justified But let me tell you that we must distinguish of a man before and after his Justification Every man is such a man before Justification and in this respect he speaketh of all men but after justification there is a change wrought in a man as I have formerly proved at large unto which I refer the Reader But thirdly you instance in David and Abraham who were regenerated men Answ Wee are not to forget that the Scripture dosh acquaint us that there is a two-fold righteousnesse of a regenerate man The righteousnesse of Justification and the righteousnesse of sanctification Of the first of these the Prophet speaking saith that a man is blessed to whom sin is not imputed of the latter where hee saith of the same verse And in whose spirit there is no guile which the learned Zanchius doth apprehend to be spoken in reference to that sanctification which is in the unregenerated part understand the distinction rightly and you cannot want an answer to this Objection Arg. 3. Wee believe not so stedfastly nor love so perfectly as we ought therefore is our faith love imperfect and sinfull Ans 1. If we should grant the antecedent we may deny the consequence It is true that if a man doth not believe so stedfastly and love so perfectly as he ought that then the man doth sin consider him physically And this wee have alwayes granted but it doth not follow that his faith and love is sin but that which is in the flesh is sin which is the cause that he doth not believe so stedfastly and love so perfectly as he ought Amesius doth give a sufficient answer to this in answering an argument which Bellarmine doth bring against the Protestants to wit that sins doe not please God in Christ It is true saith he that sin doth not please God but the stain of sin being done away the good which remaineth is pleasing unto God Sane quidem certe sedpeccati maculâ in Christo deletâ bonum substratum placet Tom. 4. l. 6. c. 8. 2ly We say that a regenerate man looked upon in the new Covenant doth believe stedfastly and love perfectly His unbeliefe and hatred of God which is in the flesh being covered with the rich mantle of Gods grace and mercy as far as he doth believe truly he doth believe stedfastly and as far as he doth love he doth love perfectly Let not his offend any man that I say he doth love perfectly It is granted by most Protestant writers that a regenerate man hath a perfection of parts though not of degrees A childe may have an humane nature and the parts of a man as well as a man of forty yeares old A sparke of fire hath the true nature of fire a drop of water hath the nature of water in it as wel as all the water in the Sea So a sparke or drop of love hath the divine nature of love in it as well as that which burnes in the breasts of a Seraphim and therefore is not sin or sinfull And for this reason it is said that Abraham was not weak in faith though it is unquestionable that hee had his weaknesse in the flesh as well as other men and that hee staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief but was strong in faith giving glory to God Rom. 4. And this is the meaning likewise of Amesius in the place formerly cited where hee saith That the good works of the faithfull are not only good by the object of them but in reference to all the causes of them the efficient materiall formall and finall cause Opera fidelium non tantum sunt bona ex objecto sed etiam quoad omnes causas efficientem materiam formam et finem Arg. 4. Sanctification in the feare of God is alwayes perfecting whilest we live here in this life 2 Cor. 7.1 and therefore it is not perfected untill the life to come Answ Sanctification is said to be perfecting here in reference to that which is in the flesh which is to be put off that sanctificaiion may come in the place of it not in reference unto that which is already wrought as though that sanctification were not already perfect if we take perfection as it is opposed to that which is sinfull 2. It is said that our Saviour encreased in wisdome Luk. 2.52 will you say that his wisedome was sinfull at first because he did encrease and grow in it You may as well say so as conclude that our sanctification is sinne or sinfull because it doth grow or increase to a greater perfection Arg. 5. If our workes be in themselves perfect then might Paul have desired to have been found in them before God Answ I deny the consequence For these good workes are not wrought in us that they may be the cause or matter of our Justification and therefore Paul will not appeare before God in them for Justification But Paul and every true Saint being justified by faith without them doth dare to bring them in the presence of God as secondary evidences of Gods love to him According to that of John 1 John 3.14 We know that we have passed from death to life because we love the Brethren hee that loveth not his brother abideth in death ver 19. And hereby wee know that we are of the truth and shall perswade our hearts before him Which you maintaining them to be sin and sinful doe not doe Arg. 6. If the new man doth not sinne then he is not the man who is pronounced to bee a blessed man Psal 32. Rom. 4. Answ This is a plaine fallacy You take the new man here physically whom wee take according to Scripture Spiritually and Theologically Justification to speak properly is neither of the new man nor old man but of the person in whom there is an old man and a new man And this man is justified from the sinnes of the old man by the work of
not goe to suffer at Jerusalem as if it were his greatest suffering not to suffer for the Gospel But we have learned this point by roate and it is a thing few understand wee talke of it in a Parrat-like way and we have mumbled it over in our Creed I believe the resurrection of the body but few have dived into the bottome of it or suckt the sweetnesse and spirituality which lies in it or else we should not be so luke-warme in the cause of Christ but for the future let us looke up to God that he may give us spirituall and Heavenly wisdome that so we may have a more Divine and spirituall knowledge of it He that is the resurrection and the life of Saints is the onely teacher of the Doctrine of the resurrection It is reported of the Pelican that her young being poysoned by the Serpent she doth give them life by her own death and bloud so Christ doth quicken us his members to a life of immortality by his owne death and bloud And doth give us the knowledge of life in the knowledge of his death bloudshedding and resurrection which doth inforce the necessity of our resurrection from his who is our head And this is the perswasion of true Saints And as it is reported of the Phenix that when she is to die she brings spices into her nest which being set on fire she her selfe is burned in the fire and turned to ashes and out of her ashes comes a new Phenix so a true Christian knoweth that though he may be burned and turned into ashes yet out of his owne ashes his body shall be raised againe to a new life of glory which doth arme him against the feare of death and persecution in the cause of Christ Again this doth discover what enemies they are to Christ his Spirit and members who by their wiles subtilty and hellish Logick would destroy the Doctrine of the Refurrection They would rob Christ of his members who doth here lay claime to the bodies of dead Saints They would make the Spirit a lier who doth seale up Saints unto the day of Bedemption Eph. 5.30 And in whom they wait for the redemption of their bodies Bom. 8.23 They would rob Saints of their comfort which God doth give them in the beleeving of the resurrection of the same body which is committed unto the earth I am the more earnest against these men because I know these factors for Antichrist are both active and subtle as the Serpent did indeavour to beguile Eve 2 Cor. 11.3 so these indeavour to undermine men and to draw them from the simplicity of the Gospel One and a chiese part of Christs simple Gospel is the Doctrine of the resurrection of our bodies by the power of Christ when Paul preached this at Athens the Stoicks and Epicures did look upon him as a babler And this piece of the Gospel was alwayes accounted foolishnesse to the learned Greeks And as the Apostle was jealous of them for feare they should be drawne from the simplicity of the Gospel so am I jealous over poore Christians knowing that you shall meet with men that pretend to be spirituall men of great light wisdome knowledge and deep understandings and when you have dived into the bottome of their spirits this is all you shall find in them which they will labour to draw you to assent unto to wit that there is no resurrection but in the spirit no corporall resurrection of the body at all These are like those of whom the Apostle speaketh in his time that corrupt or deale deceitfully with the word of God The metaphor is borrowed from cheating Vintners or cousening Merchants that adulterate their commodities to make them vendible as Beza doth well observe so these that their horrid opinions and blasphemies may be vendible they endeavour 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to sophisticate the word and adulterate it from the plaine and simple meaning of the Holy-Ghost Therefore let mee in love to your soules once more desire you that you would be watchfull that none of these draw you away from these truthes of God and the Lord Jesus which have been discovered to you and have been sealed upon your hearts and spirits by his owne blessed Spirit The Devill doth sow the tares of Familisme in mens hearts while they sleep But I am confident that you shall believe them though for a time you may be drawn to question them and the resurrection as those in the 1 Cor. 15. and may be deluded by Familisticall fancies and notions as some good Christians have been yet if God hath laid hold on you and drawne you to him in Christ he will not totally leave you to these damnable opinions If it were possible these Serpents would deceive even the Elect but Christ intimates that it is impossible that they should ever deceive the Elect. And the Apostle when he speakes of such men as these 2 Tim. 2.19 saith that the foundation of the Lord stands sure having this seale of his everlasting election the Lord knoweth who are his Therefore let not men deceive you but live in the light of the Gospel and in that Spirit that is given forth in the Gospel Take heed of these Impostors hug not the Devill in Samuels mantle suffer not the Devill to devoure you in a sheeps skin but walke in the plaine simple path of the Gospel of the Lord Christ And that you may doe this give me leave to give you some few directions for the preserving you in the truth and the securing of you from this infection of Familisme First I wish you to apply your selves to the reading of the Scriptures which are able to make you wise unto salvation through Faith which is in Christ 2 Tim. 5.15 When these men come unto you it may be they will present you with bookes written in a strange Language stuffed with swelling non-sense and affected phrases that none understand but those that are acquainted with their blasphemous horrid and damnable opinions And will indeavour to lead you from the Scriptures and if yous oppose the truth of Scripture against their delusion some of them will affirme that Peter and Paul when they wrote their Epistles had but a little light were but children they are enlightned men growne up unto the stature of perfection labouring to prove that the bright starre of truth doth shine no where so gloriously as in the old Popish Authors and new Familisticall scriblers which they will present unto you Therefore that you may not be drawne away by these keep to the Scriptures and know that there is no booke in which there is more light then in the Scripture or from which you may expect more light if you looke to God for his spirit to open the mind of God in the reading of it Dulcius exipso fonte bibuntur aquae Waters are sweetest at the well-head Antruthes doe present themselves most sweetly unto us in the Scripture which is the
glory so the bodies of the Saints shall be bodies of glory there shall be a heavenly brightnesse on them Therefore Daniel speaking of the Saints at the resurrection hee saith Dan. 12.3 that they that are wise shall shine as the brightnesse of the firmament and they that turne many to righteousnesse as the Stars of Heaven As the Starres are glorious creatures and the brightnesse of the firmament is a great glory to our eyes so there shall be a Celestiall Star-like glory upon the bodies of the Saints they shall not be grosse lumpish and heavie bodies as they are now but spirituall bodies as swift as a Seraphim The bodie is now a clog and weight to the soule it is ergastulum animae as the Platonists say it keepeth the spirit under and presseth it down with the weight of it but then the bodie shall be a spirituall body so that in this body the Saints shall ascend into the aire as in a Charriot of triumph and glory to meet the Lord Jesus As Elias was carried up to Heaven so shall the Saints in these bodies of theirs rise in glorie to meet the Lord Jesus Christ in the ayre Now they are subject to diseases then they shall be freed from all diseases now they are subject to death then death shall be swallowed up and every Saint in his owne person shall appeare as a Conquerour of death and of the grave every Saint shall have this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this song of triumph in his mouth O death where is thy sting O grave where is thy victory The sting of death is sinne and the strength of sinne is the Law but thanks be unto God who hath given us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ Our bodies then shall be incorruptible wholly like the body of Christ therefore the Apostle saith that the bodie it must be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Phil. 3. last conformable in likenesse to the glorious bodie of the Lord Jesus Christ himselfe you see what perfection there shall be in the bodies of the Saints though they be vile now they shall be honourable and glorious then though they be now as pieces of earth they shall be then more bright then the Starres of Heaven or the Sunne in the firmament This glorie God will put upon the bodies of the Saints and being thus made happy in their bodies and spirits when they shall see themselvs in this happy condition filled in their bodies and spirits with the glory of God it cannot but cause great joy If a man lye sick a long while and have a weake distempered crazie bodie when he is restored he rejoyceth that he hath health and strength and is freed from the weaknesse that was upon him shall not there be great joy then when the Saints shall rise when they that had weake crazie and vile mortall bodies here shall see themselves in bodies of glory in bodies as glorious as the body of the Lord Jesus Againe there will be great cause of joy to these Saints when they shall be thus united in their bodies and soules and shall meet the Lord Jesus Christ because they shall have great dignitie put upon their persons they shall bee raised as no meane persons As wicked ungodly and unbelieving men shall be raised as slaves and vassals and be brought forth in chaines and fetters before the dreadfull tribunall of the Lord Jesus Christ so the Saints shall all come forth as Kings every one of them shall be dignified with the glorie and Majestie of a King This is that that is spoken of in the Revelation where it is said that Christ hath made us Kings and Priests and wee shall reigne upon earth We shall reigne in our bodies As an Ambassadour said of the Senate of Rome that he apprehended that there were as many Kings as Senators in the Senate-house Quot Senateres tot Reges So there shall be as many Kings as Saints at the resurrection and every one shall have Kingly glory and Majesty every one together with the Lord Jesus reigning as a King upon the earth Rev. 5.10 Therefore if men rejoyce in the enjoyment of earthly Kingdomes and Crownes which are lined with cares that a King professed that if men knew the troubles which attended upon a Crowne no man would stoop to who it up what joy will there be when wee shall reigne as spirituall and heavenly Kings with the Lord Jesus Againe there will be great joy because all things that may occasion any sorrow or sadnesse shall be quite removed away all teares must then be wiped from the eyes of all the Saints Rev. 7.17 there must be no more sighing no more griefe no more sorrow All earthly infirmities and weaknesses which are accompanied with griefe and paine shall be removed for our bodies shall be Celestiall bodies 1 Cor. 15.40 raised up in incorruption 1 Cor. 15.42 And there shall be no more blindnesse or blacknesse upon our spirits Here so long as wee carrie sinne about us though we know it is pardoned though we know it shall be remembred no more Heb. 8.12 though we know in point of Justification that it may be sought for and cannot be found Jer. 50.20 yet so long as wee feele it opposing the Spirit of glory and holinesse in us by the filthy nature of it so long it will occasion sorrow griefe and some trouble to the soule but at the generall resurrection as sinne is now compleatly taken away in our Justification to those that believe in the Lord Jesus such being those blessed ones spoken of in the 32. Psal whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sinnes are covered So then sinne shall be wholly taken away to our owne sense feeling and apprehension by the Spirit of Sanctification There shall be no corner then in the soule spirit or body for any lust or uncleannesse and consequently no place for sorrow Sinne is like the evill spirit that possessed Saul that made him melancholy and sad and afflicted him in his spirit But when the Lord Jesus Christ shall appeare then all sinne shall be done away to our sense and feeling as it is done away now in our Justification Then we shall be as perfectly sanctified throughout both in bodie and spirit as wee are now perfectly justified Now the life that wee live in the flesh is by Faith in the Sonne of God by seeing how compleatly we are justified from sinnes lusts corruptions those enemies to the Lord Jesus Christ that wee carrie in our bosomes but then wee shall be as perfect in respect of the life of sanctification as wee are now perfect and compleat in respect of our Justification So that the cause of sorrow and trouble shall quite be taken away There shall be no place then left for Evangelicall sorrow the sorrow that now is wrought in the Saints is Evangelicall not Legall but the joy and glory which doth remaine for the Saints hereafter shall be so great that there shall be no
place then left for Evangelicall griefe for any sinne that we have committed And as sin shall not then bring any sorrow upon us so neither shall the Devill who is the troubler of the Israel of God be able to afflict us Here he is permitted to afflict us as he did Job for the tryall of our Faith and patience and though for the present when we looke on Christ in his person we see that wee are conquerours over the Devill in him yet we meet with the Devill his fierie temptations darts and arrowes which he shooteth into our spirits so that he oft-times causeth us to walke something sadly occasioning troubles which Jerome calleth tempestates mentis the tempests of the mind As Paul tells us that he was buffeted by the messenger of Satan But then this wicked Fiend shall be so chained up that he shall never be let loose upon us again Then he shall be so under our feet that hee shall never have any liberty given him to tempt us any more The accuser of the Brethren is cast out of heaven Revelation 12.10 His accusations and complaints against them cannot be heard by the eare of God to prejudice their Justification but he doth persecute the woman upon the earth Rev. 12.13 He afflicts the Church and brings much trouble oft-times to the Saints but at the generall resurrection we shall be freed wholly from the Devill from all temptations from all troubles all enemies that can be thought upon so that then things shall be fully accomplished and compleated for our good The Apostle though he telleth us that Christ for the present hath abolished death and sinne to us 2 Tim. 1.10 and destroyed him who hath the power of death who is the Devill Heb. 2.14 yet he informeth us that the promises of God made to us in Christ are not fully accomplished compleated and perfected till the resurrection as wee may see by that place 1 Cor. 15.54 then shall be fulfilled that saying speaking of the resurrection day Death is swallowed up in victory then it shall be said O death where is thy sting O grave where is thy victory 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Then shall it be that is it shall be in the full accomplishment wee have now what is there promised in the promise of God by Faith then wee shall have what is in the promise in the actuall fruition of the thing promised So that in this respect there will be great joy because then every Saint shall ride in a Chariot of triumph as a Conquerour of all enemies in his own person And as Christ in his owne body and Spirit did ride to Heaven and triumph over the power of Hell Death sinne curse and condemnation and as the life that we live for the present is by beholding this victory of the Lord Jesus Christ with the eye of Faith so at the generall resurrection all the Saints shall imitate the Lord Jesus Christ and in their owne persons shall ride as Conquerours triumphing over all enemies and shall live the life of vision seeing the same thing done in their owne persons which now by Faith they see done for them in the person of Jesus So that all cause and occasion of trouble and sorrow being taken away there must needs be great joy at the resurrection of those who are raised by the Lord. In the next place as the occasions and causes of all sorrow shall be taken away so likewise all things all objects that may move spirituall joy shall be presented to the Saints to raise their spirits to a spirituall joy who shall be raised and made happy with the Lord Jesus whatsoever it be that can be thought upon that can make any one happy that the Saints shal enjoy they shal enjoy God in a full measure and the Lord Jesus Sweet streames of joy will flow into their spirits because God will make himselfe the Author and worker of their joy Sing O daughter of Sion saith the Prophet Zeph. 3.14 Be glad and rejoyce O daughter of Jerusalem But why must Zion sing and shout behold the reason in the 15. verse The Lord is in the midst of thee and in the 17. ver He will rejoyce over thee with singing There is the chiefe ground of their joy laid downe So the 12. of Neh. 43. it is said the people rejoyced for God made them rejoyce with great joy So at the resurrection God shall make them to rejoyce they shall be alway then at the Fountaine at the Well-head In thy presence is fulnesse of joy at thy right hand saith the Psalmist Psal 17.11 there are pleasures for evermore All the Saints shall then bee in the presence and at the right hand of God where there shall be pleasures for evermore they all shall be in the glory of the Lord Jesus God shall emptie himselfe and the rivers and streames of joy which are in himself into their hearts and spirits so that they shall be swallowed up into those streames and rivers of joy and pleasure which are in the enjoyment of a God Macarius speaketh of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the ebriety of the Spirit They then shall be inebriated with the fulnesse of a spirituall joy If there be such rejoycing here in the spirit of a Saint when he hath a light from God to see something of God in the face of Christ what spirituall joy shall there be when our joy shall be at the full If there be such joy in the ebbing of the Spirit here what joy will there be when we shall enjoy the high-tyde of the Spirit in the vision of Gods grace and glory hereafter when wee shall eat of the tree of life when wee shall drinke our fill of those rivers of pleasures which runne in the Paradise of God And if there be so much sweetnesse in spirituall joy here what tongue can expresse or heart conceive what there shall be in that joy that shall be hereafter Great glorious and high are the expressions by which Saints doe set forth the joyes that they feele here but no Saint can tell what the joyes shall be hereafter at the resurrection Psal 94.19 In the multitude of my thoughts within mee thy comforts delight my soule the delight is such here that David had rather have the light of Gods countenance in a Spirit of joy upon him then to enjoy all the glory and great things in the world Thou hast put greater joy into my heart then when the corne and wine of wicked men is increased Psal 4. and in Psal 84. One day in thy house is worth a thousand If there be such joy in the presence of God here in the beholding of his grace in the kisses of his mouth in the imbraces of his Sonne when he doth now sprinkle us with his grace O what joy shall there be when God shall poure out the Spirit of grace and sweetnesse into our soules when he shall open all the treasures of his Spirit and love when
hee shall more freely and fully shew us the things that neither eye hath seene nor eare hath heard neither hath it entred into the heart of man to conceive what they are 1 Cor. 2. Wee have seene great things in the world Crownes Scepters riches worldly pomp and glory but what are all these things they doe not shadow forth the things that wee see here in the Spirit and shall more plainely see hereafter Our fancies and Imaginations worke beyond our eye we fancie greater things then we behold but what eye hath not seene nor eare hath heard nor hath it entred into the heart of man to conceive what they are wee darkly see here and shall fully enjoy hereafter The Poets in their fancies have fancied golden Mountaines and great things the earth doth not afford such things as they have fancied and minted in their poeticall braines but the things that shall then be discovered to us goe beyond the cogitation and thought and workings of mans heart and spirit and these things shall be gloriously revealed to us by the Spirit of God and the Spirit shall shew us that all these things are ours Wee shall see God ours and Christ ours and all the glory of Heaven ours and see our selves in the Kingdome of Heaven So that there shall be the presence of all things that shall make us happy the confluence of all good things that can bring any blisse tranquillity and joy to the spirit and soule of man So that it is evident there will be great joy if wee consider that there will be every thing wanting that may make us sorrowfull and every thing present that may make us joyfull there will be the absence of all evill and the presence of all good there will be God himselfe who is the summum bonum the chiefe good and this God will unvaile himselfe and shew forth his love and shine forth in his glorie beautie and excellency on the spirits of his people and seeing themselves in this happie and blisfull condition they cannot but sing and rejoyce at the resurrection Here the Saints in believing doe rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory 1 Pet. 1.8 How glorious then and unspeakable will be the joy of the resurrection Againe you may take notice that there will be cause of great joy if you confider that all the joy which wee have here is but a shadow of that joy which the Saints shall have hereafter Nay all the joy in the world here cannot shadow forth that joy that shall be hereafter Consider for what men doe rejoyce here and you shall see that they have the same cause to rejoyce for the same things in a full manner hereafter The resurrection day is the Saints Coronation day and their wedding-day Rev. 19.7 Let us be glad and rejoyce and give honour to him for the marriage of the Lamb is come and his wife hath made her selfe ready It is Gods and their harvest day Among men the time of harvest is a time of joy They shall rejoyce before thee according to the joy of harvest Isa 9.3 The resurrection is Gods harvest for the gathering in of Saints When a man sowes his seed he sowes it in expectation of a harvest So God sowes his seed he sowes the bodies of the Saints in the earth he layes them in the surrowes he doth it in expectation of a harvest And the people of God were commanded to rejoyce before him in the time of harvest which did typifie the spirituall joy that the Saints shall enjoy at the generall resurrection which shall be their harvest when their bodies shall spring and come out of the dust in their glory and excellency Againe that I may bring you back to remember what the worke of the day is and enlarge my selfe upon that at which I pointed even now we know that we use to have great joy for great deliverances When God hath suffered us even to come to the brinke of ruine and destruction and then doth pull us from it and save us there is joy with shouting We know how neere wee were to ruine wee had almost been destroyed by the enemies that rose up against us but the Lord hath delivered us and seriously considering this deliverance wee cannot but be thankfull and joyfull for the mercy And our joy for the mercy of this day may imperfectly shadow forth and represent unto you the joy which shall be in Saints at the resurrection For wee that were compassed about with so many enemies in the world that had all the Devills in hell against us and all the wicked men in the world holding forth their hands to draw us and lead us into the broad way that leads to destruction and a base malignant party that wee carrie about us within our selves joyning with the Devill the world wicked men against our selves by the power of God shall we be preserved from all these enemies and made more then Conquerours over all our enemies through Jesus Christ that loved us And so shall have cause to rejoyce in our preservation and deliverance Truely we are not able fully to apprehend our deliverance here and that is the reason that Saints rejoyce so little in the God of grace and his mercies We cannot apprehend fully what it is to be freed from sinne that hath layed the foundation of Hell Wee apprehend not what it is to be in the hands and jawes of the Prince of darknesse and then to be pulled out of his hands and jawes by Christ as David recovered his Lamb out of the mouth of the Lyon 1 Sam. 17.34 Wee doe not apprehend what it is to be by nature children of wrath and yet to be crowned with grace glory and immortality through the goodnesse of God but then we shall fully apprehend our great deliverances by the grace of God and the power of the Lamb and shall sing for joy In the 15. of the Rev. the 3. it is said of Saints that they sing the song of Moses wee sing it here in the spirit in part believing with Zacharias that wee are delivered out of the hand of our enemies but then we shall sing it fully in the fulnesse of spirituall joy It is called the song of Moses because it shall be a song for their deliverance out of the hand of all enemies As Moses when the Israelites were delivered from Egypt called the people to play upon Musick and sing prayse to God so that the Heavens answered and ecchoed to their singing and the joyfull noyse that they made to God for their deliverance So when wee shall apprehend that the Lord by his mighty power hath delivered us from the Egyptian Pharaoh the Devill from the house of bondage the Iron furnace of Egypt from the sting of sinne from the power of darknesse from all curses and condemnation from temporall spirituall and eternall death being fully apprehensive of this deliverance wee cannot but be filled with joy in singing prayses
a Doctrine of great joy so it is a Doctrine that obligeth us to great holinesse The Doctrine of Christ in every part and branch of it leads to holinesse If thou meet with any tenent or opinion that furthereth not holinesse looke on that opinion as an errour for whatsoever is the truth of the Lord it is a truth that leads us to holinesse of life and conversation So doth this Doctrine of the resurrection for if wee consider seriously that the bodie shall be raised and we shall be happie at the resurrection in enjoying of God will not this raise up the spirit of a man to thankfulnesse and where there is true thankfulnesse will not that thankfulnesse be legible in obedience Therefore seeing God intends to glorifie thee with himselfe in bodie and in spirit since thou shalt be ever happie with him shouldest thou not glorifie this God while thou art here in thy life and conversation As the Apostle saith 2 Pet. 3.13 14. We according to his promise looke for new Heavens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousnesse What is the use of this Wherefore beloved seeing ye looke for such things be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace without spot and blamelesse A true assurance of salvation given by the Spirit of grace doth not make us negligent in the performance of good duties it doth not make us loose and licentious in our lives but that assurance that is a right assurance which is wrought in us by the Spirit of grace will as well teach us to be holy as assure our hearts that we shall be happy Lucian speaking sceffingly of the zeale of Christians and their readinesse to help one another doth give this as the reason of it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 These miserable men saith he believe that in bodie and soule they shall be immortall The scoffing Atheist did speake truth in this and found out the true cause of the zeale which was in primitive Christians There can be no holinesse without a perfwasion of happinesse for men after this life If there be no resurrection saith Paul Let us eat and drinke 1 Cor. 15. But when a man is perswaded of this He will purifie himselfe as Christ is pure 1 Joh. 3.3 Againe this shewes the different condition between a Saint and a sinner Looke upon Saints and sinners eye them onely with a carnall eye in respect of the present condition and it may be you shall apprehend a sinner in a better condition then a Saint God oft-times gives temporall blessings to them which he denies to his owne people they are the worlds happie creatures But looke on Saints in this condition and then you shall see a vast difference between the condition of a believer and of a man that is an enemy to Christ the one shall awake and sing He shall awake at the resurrection to be filled with joy to be crowned as a King with immortall glorie The other shall awake and houle As Agag when he thought and was perswaded that the bitternesse of death was past was hewen in pieces so Epicures and prophane men that sing away sorrow feare of Hell and damnation spending their dayes in mirth in a moment they goe downe to the grave Job 21.13 and are raised from thence to suffer torments to eternitie But the Saints sleeping for a while in the grave are raised to felicitie This is elegantly set forth in the book of Wisdome 5. Chap. We fooles thought their lives madnesse and their end without honour and behold they are become the children of God speaking of the Saints vers 6. And in the 8. v. speaking of themselves they doe thus complaine What hath our pride profited us what hath our pomp and riches brought unto us The time will come that wicked men shall wish that they had never been else that some mountaine would be so propitious as to fall on them that they might never come into the presence of God and his Sonne Jesus Christ that shall fit upon the Throne O what a dolefull noyse will it make in the eares of wicked and ungodly men when they shall be called forth to the resurrection of Damnation while the Saints shall be bid to awake to the resurrection of life Who would bee envious at wicked men that grow rich and prosper and flourish in the world that get great estates and leave their estates and houses to their heires if they did but consider that at the resurrection they shall be enforced to take hell as part of their purchase and shall be drawne and dragged as slaves to eternall torments I remember what the Heathen said It is a miserable thing for a man to have been happie Fuisse faelicem miserrimum est Boeth It grieves a man when he comes to povertie to remember that he was once rich when a man is in a disgracefull condition to thinke with himselfe I was honourable this is double misery Remember saith Abraham to the rich man that thou in thy life time didst enjoy riches and poore Lazarus lying at thy gate was denied the crummes falling from thy Table This was the aggravation of the rich mans misery to be put in minde that he had been happy and rich upon the earth Consider this and you shall plainly see that rich and great men without Christ though they live happily to the eye of the world yet they are in a miserable condition and the meanest Saint is in a farre better condition then they The wicked rich men shall awake to howling and screeching to misery and torment eternall the poore Saint to joy rejoycing and happinesse for evermore Wicked men are like the Persians slave who for a day was feasted and had all things provided to delight him that they used to provide for the Emperour and at night he was put to death So wicked men God feasts them as slaves here they have furnished tables and servants children and musicke but poore wretches night comes upon them and death takes off their heads and they are miserable to eternitie Therefore James saith They are nourished as against the day of slaughter God doth but fat them as men use to fat beasts for sacrifice or slaughter so God suffers them to swim in pleasures to live in vanities to get riches to grow fat in the earth but it is to destroy them they are fatted for the day of damnation In this glasse or mirrour see the difference between Saints and sinners Then in the next place seeing it is thus that the people of God shall be made partakers of such happinesse at the resurrection let me exhort you to waite in expectation and desire of it A Ward that knows that when he shall live beyond the dayes of his wardship he shall have his Lands and possessions in his own hands he desires that the time may be expired that he may have all in his own hands that now is in the hands of his Guardian who it may be keepes him
to a short allowance though he be an heire to great possessions Wee are Wards as yee heard even now and wee are under a guardian though wee are rich in reversion happinesse and heaven and all things being ours yet God keepes us low here Let us desire that the time of our wardship may be expired that wee may come to that happinesse which he hath promised that wee may awake and sing and be happie in a more full enjoyment of God and this is the desire of those that are truly faithfull When Christ saith He will come and appeare What doe the Saints answer Even so come Lord Jesus come quickly Rev. 22.2 If a naturall carnall man should speake forth that which lies at the bottome of his heart when Christ saith He will come he would say O Lord never come I am not conformed to thine Image I am not made a new creature by hearing of thy Gospel O let me never see the face of Christ But the man that knows the love of God and truly understands he everlasting Gospel when he heares Christ say I come presently there is this eccho by which he answereth the Lord Christ in his owne Spirit Even so come Lord Jesus come quickly When the Judges are in their circuits malefactors tremble and quake but an innocent man that hath a good cause expects and deâ—â—res to have it heard and is glad that they are â—ome so wicked and ungodly men who are theeves robbers murtherers and malefactors guiltie of all sinnes and lie in imâ—risoned shackled in their own consciences when they heare that the Lord Jesus shall ride is circuit and appeare as a Judge unlesse they have seared consciences they cannot but tremble and quake But the other when Christ shall be as a Judge to the wicked he shall be as a Saviour to them therefore they cannot but desire the coming and appearing of the Lord. Wherefore let us desire the appearing of the Lord Jesus let us not live as the men of the world that are afraid and tremble quake when they heare of a Judgement day Christ coming to judge every man according to his workes but let us continue in the assurance of Gods grace beleeving that our sinnes are pardoned Let not the coming of Christ be our feare but our desire let us desire 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to wait as one doth upon one that he would speake with for the Sonne who shall deliver us from the wrath to come and shall put a Crowne of glory on our heads which he hath promised to all those that love him Againe that I may draw to a conclusion let this sweeten all miseries troubles and afflictions that we shall meet with here below If wee meet with persecution with imprisonment with hatred in the world with reproaches from men let this be sufficient to sweeten all Consider the day is coming it is at hand Christ is at the dore Jam. 5.10 and you shall awake and sing while these that now rejoyce shall howle and lament Beloved Thinke it not strange concerning the fiery triall which is to try you as though some strange thing happened unto you But rejoyce in as much as yee are partakers of Christs sufferings that when his glory shall be revealed yee may be glad also with exceeding joy 1 Pet. 4.13 14. God leads his people to happinesse by straits Heaven is a Palace of glory a spacious place but the way to it is narrow the gate is straite by which wee must enter in unto it Let the joyes provided for us at the end of our journey sweeten unto us the troubles and difficulties of the way God intended to make Job a great man but before God brings him to his full height of greatnesse God first brings him to the dunghill So God will bring us first to the dunghill he will lay us in the dust and then make us such glorious creatures as you have heard the Saints shall be at the resurrection Joseph was to be ruler in Aegypt but first he must be laid in prison so God layes his first in prison he brings them to a low condition to be nothing in the world and afterward layes them in the prison of the grave and then hee raiseth them to be Kings Priests Rulers and Judges with the Lord Jesus Christ Wherefore let this meditation of the resurrection sweeten trouble and perfume the grave unto us And let it likewise sweeten all the comforts that wee enjoy here by looking upon them as pledges of the joy which wee shall have at the resurrection Let it sweeten the mercies of this day which will have little relish in them without this Alas what is it to looke on Nationall deliverances mercies victories and conquests over our enemies unlesse you see your happinesse in the Lord Jesus What is it if the Land have peace if thou hast not peace of conscience by beleeving What is it if the enemies of thy body of the State and Kingdome be wholly routed and put under the feete of those that desire to stand for the liberties of the Subject if in the meane while thou be a vassall and a slave to the Prince of darknesse What is it for thee to be free from corporall enemies and yet to be under the power and led captive by the enemy of thy soule What is it if thou be a freeman in thy body and a slave in thy soule to all lusts filthinesse and ungodlinesse What is it to keepe such a day as this and to rejoyce in a carnall way for outward mercies when thou doest not spiritually rejoyce in the first place that God hath freed thee from the enemies of thy eternall salvation Rejoyce not onely as a Heathen may for nationall blessings but rejoyce as a Christian seeing God reconciled to thee in the Sonne of his love let the joy of the resurrection both sweeten thy troubles and adde spirituall fewell to the flame of thy joy for temporall mercies Truly wee then rejoyce in temporall things and in creature-comforts and mercies aright when we rejoyce in them in a spirituall way when wee see all sweetened to us in the Lord Jesus Therefore improve to the full this doctrine for the heightening of your joyes this day Let there not be an evill heart of unbeliefe in any to keepe him from rejoycing Though there were great plentie of Corne in Samaria yet the Lord that would not beleeve what the Prophet said though he saw it he did not taste of it 2 Kings 7.19 I tell you of great plentie and happinesse I have set it before your eyes as God hath enabled me but unlesse you beleeve you shall never taste of this heavenly Manna you shall never drinke of these rivers of pleasure Here is a cup of salvation you that have the lips of faith drinke and your soules shall be refreshed and comforted in the enjoyment of it but if you lie in unbeliefe you may want the joy and comfort that
debt By this consideration in the first place it will be evident to every man who hath any spirituall knowledge of the purity and justice of the Law that it is impossible for sinfull man to finde out any way but the good old way of Grace to happinesse and salvation Secondly wee are justified by grace that God may have the glory of his grace Man fell by pride therefore God will not estate him in happinesse but by humbling him by bringing him upon his knees to the Throne of Grace that he may have the glory of his grace Naturally we are full of pride and would rise by that by which wee fell wee would be made happy by workes as wee are made unhappy by workes Every man that sees himselfe sees how that the whole streame of corrupt nature runs this way man will be doing working and acting that he may be justified But God will not suffer sinfull man to glory before him in his owne workes least he should loose the glory of grace Rom. 4.2 and therefore there is no salvation for us untill wee lie downe at the doore of grace If God enter into judgement no man living shall be justified in his sight Psal 143.2 God doth stop up all other waies to salvation but the way of grace that he may have the glory of his grace in justifiing the objects and vessells of his grace God doth not so much intend mans salvation by grace as his owne glory and praise He formeth his people for himselfe that they may be happy in himselfe and with himselfe and they may shew forth his praise Psal 43.21 It is the minde and pleasure of God that every man should glory in himselfe therefore he justifies and saves us onely by that Grace which is in himselfe In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified and shall glory And the Apostle when he had dicoursed of the grace of God in our election predestination and adoption doth sweetly acknowledge that grace doth streame forth unto us in all these particulars that it may be to the praise of the glory of his grace Ephes 1.5 6. He maketh us objects of grace that he may receive from us and wee be enabled to give unto him the glory of his grace All the Saints are brought forth standing before the Throne and singing forth this truth Rev. 7.10 Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the Throne and to the Lambe They ascribe salvation not to their owne workes merits deservings or worthynesse but to the grace of God and blood of the Lambe As earthly and grose bodies cannot mount up to Heaven which is a place of puritie and perfection but they fall downe by their owne weight to the earth unable to ascend thether So our works fall downe to the ground as unable to ascend up to the place of Gods purity and glory to justifie us in his sight that salvation may be attributed onely to his owne grace And he will not justifie us in the court of our owne consciences wee shall not read our names written in heaven till hee bring us from our owne workes righteousnesse performances and endeavours to rest upon the strong arme of his grace that we may give him the glory of his grace in our free justification and salvation Thirdly God saves us by Grace because if it were not by grace it had beene needlesse that the Lord Iesus Christ should have beene given to us If it had been possible for man to have wrought out his owne salvation by his own workes there had been no need that the Son of God should have disroabed himselfe of his glory and been made man like us Why should he have lived a life of sorrow and died a death of shame had it been possible for us to have gotten salvation by our own works Therefore the Apostle concludes that if righteousnesse had been by the Law then Christ had dyed in vaine And thus have I opened to you and shewed you the reasons why wee are saved by grace In aword now to make a little use of it and so I shall conclude for the present In the first place that which I have delivered concerning the eternall grace of God sufficiently confutes that error which is in the spirits of many men who thinke that workes and actings of the creature is the cause of Gods love to the creature God doth not love us because wee love him but we love God because he first loved us from eternity God doth not begin to love us when wee are made new creatures but God loveth us that we may be new creatures Faith is not the Antecedent cause but consequent of election Tit. 3.5 Not by workes of righteousnesse which wee have done but according to his mercy he saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the holy Spirit By this passage it is evident that mercy doth precede regeneration and is the cause of spirituall renovation Vocation and justification by faith doe follow predestination if Paul speake the truth Rom. 8.30 Whom he did predestinate them he also called and whom he called them he also justified and whom he justfied them he also glorified God loved us when wee had no beings in our selves or among any creatures to assure us that he did not love us for any thing in us there being nothing at all in us when God first loved us The love of God is not like the love of man man loves something which he sees lovely but God sees nothing in the object which he loves but all the motives and arguments lie in the bosome and breast of God which move him to love his creature Man cannot love before he have some lovely object proposed to him but God loves before we have either being or holinesse Wee beleive in God love him and are made lovely before him in time because he loved us before all time The man spiritually wise doth see his happynesse wrapt up in the eternall bowells of Grace and laid up in the everlasting bosome of unchangeable love for him Fond therefore is there conceit shallow there apprehension and understandings dull who beleeve that any thing done or beleeved by the creature in time can be the primary cause of the creatures salvation to whom grace was given for salvation from eternity 2 Tim. 1.2 c. This doctrine of free grace doth overthrow and annihilate the wisdome of the wise the learning of the learned the righteousnesse of him who is most righteous and a stranger to grace The naturall man with his best sight seeth not a righteousnesse beyond the righteousnesse of his own righteousnesse As the wisdome of the spirit is foolishnesse to the naturall man so the wisdome of the flesh is foolishnesse with God Though there be a spirit in a man by which he may have great knowledge and understanding in the things of nature and reason yet it is the spirit of the Almighty which giveth understanding Job 32.8 Untill
be called a worke 2 Thess 1.11 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yet wee are not justified by it as it is a worke or gracious quality but as it is the hand of the Spirit by which wee receive and are made partakers of those treasures of grace which are freely given unto us in Christ Jesus Christ hath already done what is to be done by way of satisfaction to the justice of his Father and hath already made peace by the blood of his Crosse Col. 1.20 what he doth in us now is to satisfie our consciences concerning our full redemption by him that you in beleeving may be filled with peace of Conscience being perswaded that wee are of the Father in the Son who by the Father is made unto us wisdome and righteousnesse and sanctification and redemption 1 Cor. 1.30 Faith being nothing but a light comming from God Christ discovering God and Christ to our spirits and uniting our spirits to God in Christ By faith we beleeve what is recorded concerning the grace of God in Christ As the Prophet to my apprehension holdeth it forth in those expressions of his Isa 53.1 Who hath beleeved our report and to whom is the arme of the Lord revealed In the latter part of these words the Prophet doth interpret the former part he beleeveth the report of God to whom the arme of God that is his Sonne Jesus is revealed And when a man beleeveth in Christ Christ is revealed to that man Faith being the first thing that is wrought in the spirit of a man whom God doth justifie in his owne conscience by which the grace of God in Christ is revealed unto him for his justification Justifying faith when it is wrought by the powerfull operation of the Spirit in the heart doth remove prevailing doubts concerning our justification the faithfull beholding the all-righteousnesse of free grace applying to his conscience the clensing vertue of the blood of the Lord Jesus Faith is a gift of the Spirit establishing the soule Isa 7.9 If ye will not beleeve surely ye shal not be established The soule can never be firmely setled and quieted but by beleeving Unbeleife doth question and doubt of the promises of free grace for justification But when in the power of faith we are carried above it with Abraham Rom. 4.20 we stagger not at the promise through unbeleife but the spirit is fixed and stands immoveably upon the truth of grace God saith in the Covenant of his grace Heb. 8.12 I will be mercifull to their unrighteousnesse and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more Hee that beleeveth doth set his Seale to the truth of God in beleeving the promise Iohn 3.33 He is confident that God is faithful who hath made this promise to the children of men and by beleeving the great and precious promises of grace he is made partaker of the Divine Nature 2 Pet. 1.4 By an heart of unbeleefe wee depart from the living God Heb. 3.12 but by faith wee draw neere to God and apply Christ to our selves Faith being contrary to unbeleife as in the nature of it so in its operations An unbeleever doth not give credit to the truth of the generall promises of Gods grace and so remaineth unjustified in his conscience A beleever in faith nothing wavering James 1.6 doth give credit to what is reported And the Gospel commeth to him not in word only but in power and the holy Spirit and in much assurance 1. Thessalonians 1.5 Object But some may be ready here to object this against what I have delivered that though I doe acknowledge that by faith grace in Christ is applyed unto us yet in effect I say no more then what I delivered before when I proved that by faith the grace of God in Christ is first manifested and made over unto us Answ They misapprehend me when they conclude that I make faith onely an assurance of because I doe maintaine that it is the first evidence and witnesse of our justification Faith doth assure but it doth not onely assure us of Christ but doth apply Christ and makes a difference between assurance and application which I illustrate by this similitude Suppose one should lye in Prison for debt his debts being paid and he not knowing it and afterwards knowing that his debts were paid hee should rejoyce in the newes and enjoy his liberty this man doth not by the newes which he heareth enjoy only comfort but his liberty so it is with us before we beleeve we lie in prison and yet our debts are paid by Iesus Christ when the newes is brought by the spirit to the eare of the soule wee rejoyce in hearing the newes but besides this presently wee enjoy our liberty and all those riches which our surety who hath paid our debts hath bestowed upon us so that by faith though wee are assured of Gods love in the first place yet wee are not only assured but likewise Christ is applied unto us we are united unto him and doe enjoy all things in him and receive all good things from him Seventhly We are saved by faith which is so to be understood that by the mis-vnderstanding of it wee may not detract from the glory of Gods grace and from that everlasting righteousnesse which we have in Iesus Christ who is Jehovah our righteousnesse Ier. 23.6 Abraham when he beleeved and his faith was counted unto him for righteousnesse had a vision of God and his word did inwardly appeare unto him Gen. 15.1 and he beheld God as his shield and exceeding great reward and supreme righteousnesse so a beleeving man doth so looke upon faith as his righteousnesse that he doth then behold God in Christ as his supreme righteousnesse for his justification Isa 45.25 1 Cor 1.30 As Adam when hee was justified by his righteousnesse and true holinesse did so looke upon his owne righteousnesse for justification that hee did at the same time behold God as his chiefe good and righteousnesse so a beleeving man doth so looke upon faith as his righteousnesse by which hee is saved that hee doth at the same time behold God in Christ as his cheife righteousnesse Though hee acknowledgeth faith his righteousnesse in its place yet he accounteth it as nothing in comparison of that righteousnesse which hee hath in God and his Son Jesus Christ And saith with the psalmist Psal 71.16 I will goe in the strength of the Lord God I will make mention of thy righteousnesse even of thine onely Hee doth not by this undervalue the righteousnesse of faith hee prizeth it above the world and all things in it which carnall men doe value at so high a rate But according to the minde of him whose gift faith is hee sets the gift in his heart and esteeme belowe him who is the giver of it Hee seeth salvation to bee more from the giver of faith then faith it selfe Hee looketh upon faith not as the cause of justifiing grace but looketh upon