and procured by the Word there the Word by means of this Faith works effectually to the raising or producing of that love which is the end or design of the Commandement It 's said of some Heb. 4.2 that the word did not profit them not being mixed with Faith in them that heard it The Word is then said not to profit men when it looses it's end and design of good towards them when it does not work in them and procure from them that frame and disposition of Soul and habit of behaviour which does answer its nature and scope as when the Doctrine of Love is preached to them and yet no such thing is wrought in them But the cause of this disappointment is the not mixing the Word with Faith If men do not verily beleeve it to be a Word from the Lord or that it comes from him upon like or far better termes than hearty counsel from a Friend as both able and faithful to advise and direct upon the best termes for good or if they think themselves and their own good not much concerned in it and the like no marvel if it profit them not if it procure not that complyance from them which should give it an abiding place in the Soul to work there as seed does which is wont to bring forth Fruit according to its kind But where the Word the Doctrine of Love for example is mixed with Faith with respect to the authority power wisdom design of good in the author and the conducibleness of the word it self to the real and substantial happiness and felicity of the person himself in whom this Faith is there it prospers in the thing for which it is sent Sect. 4 Having now thus shewed how Faith works by love by contributing to its being and consequently to its motions and operations and considering that Faiths working by love is the characteristical mark and distinguishing property of that Faith which shall avail men unto salvation let us now put our selves upon the tryal of our Faith and so upon our title to life by this evidence And I will begin with that love which is wrought by Faith to the Lord. Hath then the sight and sence which Faith hath given you of the wonderfulness of the Fathers love and of the Sons love in doing suffering and designing such marvellous things for Persons so unworthy of them and so worthy of what is directly contrary to them as we are as may well astonish the rational part of the whole Creation I say hath the sight and sence of this divine fire of Love kindled upon your souls and caused a heavenly burning of affection to the Lord. Hath the sence which Faith hath given you of his love to you exceedingly endeared your souls by way of return in love to him Hath your Faith opened such a passage for Christs love to come at the Soul as that you can say with the Saints of old The love of Christ constraineth us because we thus judge that if one dyed for all then were all dead and that he dyed for all that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves but unto him which dyed for them and rose again 1 Cor. 5 14 15. Hath it such a force and influence upon you in causing you to devote your selves your lives to him as his love to you had upon him in causing him to give his life for you and himself unto you Sect. 5 1. To what degree any Man or Woman loves another to the same degree they are usually wont to be desirous and careful to please them And therefore the Apostle supposeth this to be the natural effect of that conjugal relation and affection that is between Husband and Wife viz. the ones caring to please her Husband and the others caring to please his Wife 1 Cor. 7.33 34. And there 's no doubt but it is so with all those that love the Lord indeed the more they abound in that affection to him the more desirous the more thoughtful and the more careful are they how to please the Lord in every thing they do and in every thing he would have done And therefore the Scripture measures mens love to the Lord by their care to do his commands which are indeed the things that please him 1 John 5.3 For this is the love of God that we keep his Commandements And again John 14.15 If ye love me keep my Commandements And verse 21. He that hath my Commandements and keepeth them he it is that loveth me And again verse 23. If a man love me he will keep my words And yet again verse 24. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings 1 John 2.5 But whoso keepeth his word in him verily is the love of God perfected And therefore when men are not full of thought and care about what will please and what will displease the Lord and desirous and industrious to come at his mind hereabout but are untender and do things at a venture either in his Worship their own calling or in their converse with men not laying it close to the heart to give glory to God in all it argues that things are not yet as they should be with them in their love to the Lord. Sect. 6 2. Again where the Soul by means of Faith hath had a taste of the exceeding sweetness and preciousness of the Lords love 1 Pet. 2.3 If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious and is thereby brought in love with his love as highly prizing it and the sence of it there the soul will be wonderful fearful of acting or doing any thing that might make any breach between the Lord and it that might offend or grieve him or that should cause him to turn away in displeasure or to hide his face or to with-hold the influences of his quickening and comforting grace And if at any time through want of care and watchfulness such a soul hath been surprized and drawn to speak or act yea though but in the in most parts of the soul that which tends to grieve the Spirit to provoke the Lord and to work any estrangement O what humbling is there what taking of shame what begging crying and earnest intreating that God would passe it by that it might not obstruct the course of their communion with the Lord And if it hath wrought any distance and the Lord hath hereupon withdrawn himself a little O how the poor soul is cast down how earnest in her pursuit after her Beloved that hath withdrawn himself and is gone and how restless till the breach be made up and the Lord hath smiled again upon the soul by some gracious effects of his presence there Such things as these are undoubtedly found in greater or lesser proportion where true and entire love to the Lord hath been raised by Faith in the Soul Ps 51.7 8 9 10 11 12. Cant. 5.2 8. Sect. 7 3. Furthermore to what degree Faith works by Love to
line 27. for for us read far as pag. 11. line 31. for Jews r. Jew page 12. line 5. blot out as A Glass of Justification Wherein the Apostles Doctrine touching JUSTIFICATION without the DEEDS of the LAW is opened and the sence in which Gospel-Obedience is absolutely necessary to Justification is stated CHAP. I. Containing an Introduction to the following Treatise Romans 4. Ver. 5. But to him that worketh not but beleeveth on him that justifieth the ungodly his Faith is counted unto him for Righteousnesse AMongst other things in Pauls Epistles which as the Apostle Peter observes 2 Pet. 3.16 are hard to be understood and which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest to their own destruction there is too much cause to suspect the Text now before us to be one For whoever shall but judiciously consider the Epistles of the Apostles James Peter John and Iude besides other Scriptures may easily perceive that many professors of the Gospel then did so bear themselves upon a me form of knowledge and Faith as if the promise of Salvation had been entailed to that alone without respect had to that holy life enjoyned in the Gospel without which no man shall see the Lord Heb. 12.14 Into which most dangerous deadly snare its like enough they might be brought by mis-understanding and wresting such Scriptures as my Text which makes the man that Worketh not but Believeth the capable subject of Justification And is there not cause to fear that multitudes of poor Souls to this day are still under the same desperate and destructive mistake Whence else proceeds that high confidence in the most amongst us of their being saved by Christ although but strangers to the life of God having this saying to defend themselves against the reproof of their sinful life no man shall be saved by his Works or else not by the works of righteousnesse which we have done but according to his mercy he saved us leaving out that which follows viz. by the washing of regeneration and renewng of the Holy Ghost Tit. 3.5 Whence is it also that multitudes of Professors under various forms as well that which is right as those which are wrong take themselves to be rich and to have need of nothing more than they have to entitle them to remission of sins and Salvation when as they are meer beggars and bankrupts as to a humble sober self-denying life Is it not that they value themselves by that stock of brain-knowledge and barren Faith which they are sure they have and thereupon think themselves sure of those promises which are made to those that know and believe the truth Nay hath not the doctrine of Justification without Works as commonly asserted from that Text which I have chosen on which to found my present Discourse and other of the like nature proved a Temptation even to many good men to have a lighter and lower esteem of good Works and of the necessity of them to Justification and Salvation than of right belongs to them Yea I am perswaded that the strenuous urging of such Texts against the Papists in disputes about Justification without that due care which ought to be had in distinguishing the works which my Text speaks of from those of another nature hath occasioned many honest hearts to content themselves to write but fifty which otherwise would have subscribed an hundred towards the promoting of the Gospel designe in themselves and others had they clearly understood the mind of God in this business What shall I say Christ Jesus himself though sent on purpose to save and not to destroy and not only to shew but to be the very way unto life and glory yet the ignorance and mis-understanding of the counsel of God touching the termes how and after what manner he is so hath rendred him to very many a stone of stumbling a rock of offence a snare and a gin a means of a more dreadful condemnation than ever they should have fallen into had Christ never been offered to them as a Saviour But to whom is he so but as Peter tells us to those that stumble at the Word 1 Pet. 2.8 not understanding but mistaking the nature and temres of the doctrine of grace and the Scripture expressions thereabout either thinking that Faith will save without Works otherwise than the Scripture intends or that this or that Belief is the Faith unto which Justification and Salvation are promised when as it is neither this nor that but another So that when Peter sayes that such as are unlearned and unstable wrest the Scriptures of Paul and others to their own destruction 2 Pet. 3.16 it is not meant of such as are unlearned in humane arts but unlearned in the method and termes of Gods proceeding with men to bring them to Salvation being carried away with a sound of letters and words not being carefull to order themselves in their understanding of Scripture expressions by those principal heads and veins of Doctrine which are but few unto which a great variety of words and scripture expressions do relate A piece of unlearnedness unto which the wise and prudent of the world Doctors and Rabbies of the times have been and may be more liable and in which more intangled than others who in comparison of them have been but Babes and sucklings as these and the like Scriptures do witness Mat. 11.25 John 7.48 49. 1 Cor. 1.26 27. one main reason whereof is this because they I mean the wise and learned of the world by their wisdom and learning being vessels better fitted and prepared for worldly glory than others are are in that respect under the greater temptation to seek and receive honour one of another and not that honour that comes from God onely and consequently by their greater parts to over-master bend and bow wring and wrest under plausible pretences and fair flourishes the holy Scriptures in their several forms of expression so as that they may not so much as seem to contradict but to countenance their designe of worldly glory and interest and their worldly honour and interest likewise as intermixt with their Gospel profession not so much as seem to obstruct but to accomodate the designe of God and the affairs of the Gospel in themselves and others The prevailing of which carnal device of corrupting the Word reducing and accommodating the pure Gospel doctrine and life unto a nearer complyance with the principles of worldly wisdom and interest than would consist with the simplicity which is in Christ was that which proved the bane of those flourishing Churches which were planted by the Apostles and at this day is the great enemy of the life and power of godliness and such as betrayes men into a soul-deceiving way of professing the Gospel as might easily be shewed might I now stand upon it On the other hand whereas the babes and sucklings I mean persons who by reason of their natural capacities education or rank in the world are but
Thorns Lusts and sinful Affections may grow up too and dwell together in the same man But then there are other words of the same Lord and of the same Gospel of Salvation which put men upon denying themselves to please the Lord and crossing their own sinful inclinations and wills that they may fulfill the will of the Lord there are words that enjoyn us to crucifie the Old-man with the affections and lusts to mortifie our members which are upon the earth to cut off the right hand and pluck out the right eye to put our selves to the utmost extremity of suffering and distasting the flesh rather than to harbour any guest in the soul to distast our dear Lord. But now here the word is encountred by sinful affections the love of mens own selves their ease their pleasure their reputations with men and for the maintenance and support of these the love and desire of riches takes place with them and their desire and love to these puts them upon many unlovely strains to compass them in a word they love to please and to be pleased of men and to have all things go on smoothly with them and here the word of Christ and their wills fall cross his honour to be by them upheld in a close following of him and the upholding of their own honour among men clash Christs spiritual interest and their carnal interest will not consist but one must give way if they will please the Lord they must many times displease themselves and others too and to enjoy his love and keep a good conscience must be content to be without much and sometimes to loose all those worldly accomodations which the flesh priseth very much And however the other part of the Word and lust might grow up together yet this part of the Word and lust cannot remain in any power and operation in the same subject but will be fighting and if the affections as a third party side with lusts against the Word or if more corditially adhere to them than to the Word the Word is presently choked and over-born by the power of the flesh as the Corn by Thorns and brings no fruit to perfection These are the Men and this their character who are the hearers and professors of the Word of the Gospel resembled by the thorny ground which as I intimated before go a step further than those that do believe for a time only and consequently must not only be such as do in a sence believe as the others did but also such as hold out and persevere in their Faith unto the end Neither probably is that the reason why their Faith holds out rather than the others as if it were a Faith of a better kind or constitution or stronger than theirs but rather because it is not put to that stress and tryal which the others Faith could not endure it 's very like that if the Faith of the thorny-ground hearer should be put to it by persecution as the Faith of the stony-ground hearer is said to be his Faith might give in and fail as well as the others For the reason why the stony-ground hearers Faith fail'd him is because it is not rooted and grounded in love he loves his Honour his Estate his Relations or at least his Life more than Christ which whosoever does cannot be his Disciple or be deemed worthy of him whatever his Knowledge or Faith otherwise may be and therefore when by the tryal of persecution he is put to his choice to renounce his Faith or his Life or other Enjoyments he adheres to that which he loves most to wit his outward enjoyments and declines the Lord in his Word Worship and Wayes which he loves less Though it does not alwayes follow that those who upon a carnal account will not publickly own the Lord when the confessing of him and his truth proves so costly to them do at the same time let go that inward perswasion which they had of him and his truth before the tryal came the Rulers at the same time while they durst not confess Christ openly yet then inwardly believed on him John 12.42 A practice set on foot by some in the Apostles times and as it seems avouched as lawful by some outwardly to deny Christ in time of persecution if they did in the mean time inwardly believe in him which surely is one of those damnable heresies Peter speaks of privily brought into the Church by false Teachers 2 Pet. 2.1 There shall be false Teachers among you who privily shall bring in damnable heresies even denying the Lord that bought them and bring upon themselves swift destruction If they had taught Men not to believe at all on Christ it would not have been called heresie but either infidelity or apostacy nor could they lightly have privily brought such a Doctrine into the Church but would easily have been discerned by all Christians to be Enemies to Christ besides those that followed their pernicious tenents and wayes did occasion the way of truth to be evil spoken of verse 2. Which would not have been if they had been profest Enemies to it the pernicious ways of a Man after he is turned Jew or Turk though once a Christian does not cause the Christian Religion to be Evil spoken of But however whether Men fal away totally both from the inward perswasion and outward profession of the Faith they had once imbraced or only in part from the publick profession of it so far as to secure themselves from persecution it proceeds from the same cause and that is the want of that ingredient in their Faith which is the peculiar property of the Faith of Gods Elect to wit an affectionate cleaving to Christ as more desirable than life There 's the same reason as to the internal cause why the Faith of the thorny ground-hearer falls short of Salvation and that is the want of that mixture of Love I speak of For though they may believe Christ to be the Saviour and expect Salvation by him and for that cause bear some good affection to him yet their Love working stronger to Riches Honours and Pleasures for their sakes to ways and things by which these may be enjoyed thence it comes to pass that the Lusts of these things carry it against Christ and his Word who draw another way Now because this sort of men may hold that dead Faith which they have and the profession of it too and yet retain their Worldly Lusts also yea and make an outward and fleshly advantage of such a Faith and profession many times thence it comes to pass that they do not fall away as the other but persevere herein unto the end the difference of the ones falling and the others standing does not lye in the difference of their Faith but in the different nature of their temptations the one is necessitated to part with his Faith or Lusts the other is not This latter sort of ground therefore clearly resembles
like to go with him touching his final Justification in the grand Session of the Judge of all the world by that preparatory tryal which hath been impartially made in the Court of a mans own Conscience as I noted before If he be acquitted justified here by the testimony and verdict of Conscience grounded upon the Statutes of Christ and agreeable to matters of Fact he will be full of a comfortable confidence of speeding well at the Judgement seat of Jesus Christ 1 John 3.21 Beloved if our heart condemn us not then have we confidence towards God But if a mans conscience which if it err on any side it 's like to be in favour to the man himself if this find a man guilty and obnoxious to the condemning sentence of Christs Law there 's smal hopes for that man to expect a sentence of Justification and absolution at the tribunal of Christ unlesse he can upon the sence of what condition he is in bestir himself in the mean time to procure his pardon by taking such a course of amendment as by which through infinite Grace it may be had 1 John 3.20 For if our heart condemn us God is greater than our heart and knoweth all things hath a more piercing sight to discern a mans guilt than Conscience it self hath and therefore will condemn much more Sect. 7 O Sirs how does it then concern every one of us to carry all things fair in the sight of our Conscience which indeed is privy in a manner to all our doings and to maintain Friendship with that and to take heed of wronging and abusing that or making that ill affected towards us Sin and unworthiness of behaviour in word or deed is that which defiles Conscience which troubles and disturbs it which grieves and ill affects it and disables it from pleading a mans cause before the Lord or giving testimony on his side so that it can never send a man with boldness before the Lord till that which hath defiled and offended it be taken away Heb. 10.22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of Faith having our hearts sprinkled from an evil Conscience Mark to the drawing near to God in full assurance of Faith with boldness and confidence of being accepted with him this we see is absolutely necessary viz. that the heart be first sprinkled from an evil conscience that that be taken away which made the Conscience evil while it was there and what 's that but sin So long as the guilt of sin and filth of sin remain upon the heart the Conscience will be evil if sin trouble the Conscience Conscience will trouble the man and fill him with those fears as that he will be far from drawing nigh to God with confidence and full assurance of Faith but rather like Adam in that case run away and hide himself from God if it were possible Paul no doubt well knowing this to the end he might maintain his hope and confidence in God touching the Resurrection-day in good plight and might alwayes have his Conscience on his side and ready to present him unto God with a good testimony what did he do What! Herein saith he do I exercise my self to have alwayes a Conscience void of offence towards God and toward men Acts 24.16 In all his behaviour God-ward Men-ward and that alwayes he was so intent upon this thing of gratifying his Conscience that he made it his constant exercise was wonderful fraid of giving his Conscience any offence of offering any injury or wrong to that for he knew if he did that would spoil his hope towards God As the mysterie of Faith 2 Tim. 3.9 so the confidence of Faith must be held in a pure Conscience indeed it 's able to live in no other ayre A pure heart a good Conscience and Faith unfeigned these are linkt together 1 Tim. 1.5 where you find one there you will find all and where any one is wanting to be sure there the other will be missing If a good Conscience be once put away as it is where a pure heart is not kept it 's in vain for men to boast of their Faith and confidence in God 1 Tim. 1.19 Holding Faith and a good Conscience which some having put away concerning Faith have made shipwrack If a good Conscience be once put away the next news you hear is the ship-wrack of Faith Men may have a liveless form of Faith as the body and bulk of a Ship sometimes remains after a Wrack but is rendred useless and unserviceable and so is Faith when once a good Conscience is gone it 's of no use to entitle a man to the Promise and consequently of no use to give a man confidence towards God or to imbolden him to come before him If therefore to have Conscience which is Judge under Christ to be your Friend be any thing in your eye if to have that to plead your cause and to be a witness for you against the subtile insinuations malicious accusations and violent prosecutions of the Devil be a thing desirable to you if to have Conscience to send you to Christs Barr with Letters testimonial in your hand signifying that your cause hath been tryed in that Court and evidences and witnesses impartially heard and considered on both sides and your cause found good and you your selves under the Justification and protection of Christs Gospel I say if such things as these be any thing worth with you then be sure you use Conscience well which hath its eye upon you alwayes do not trouble it do not provoke it do not disoblige it at any time by any means and then the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus Friends these are great matters and you your selves every one of you greatly concerned in them if you have not the sence of it now yet know ye that the time is coming apace wherein ye will better understand what these things mean But take heed this sence come not upon you too late when the opportunity of acting the part of a good Conscience is over remember how the foolish Virgins were then to provide themselves of Oyl for their Lamps when the wise by the light of that which they had provided in due time entred in with the Bride-groom and the door was shut against the other I have now done with giving this piece of instruction caution and advice and the good Lord prosper it to those that have heard it and to those that shall read it it remains on our part every one of us that we be presently up and doing according to it or else it will be a witness against us in the day of the Lord. And I my self who have been holding forth to you these great things am very sensible God knows that I am but a very poor and weak Creature and have had many a trembling of heart for my self as well as others whilst I have been writing these matters of mighty moment lest I should strike upon any of those Rocks whereof the troublesome sea of this sinful world is very full and of which I have been warning others before I make the fair Haven towards which I am steering And I dare say you will be never the near the danger if you be under the same sence and fear too But O then set us all away to God and follow him day and night with our fervent supplications to be upheld and kept by him taking hold of his strength trusting under the shadow of his love depending upon Christ for supplies of all necessaries for the Christian life carefully avoiding all things that might distast or grieve him and cause him to withdraw and leave us and with like care to do alwayes those things that please him so may we be certain that his eye will be alwayes on us and his heart towards us for good and his right hand shall uphold us and preserve us to his Heavenly Kingdom Amen THE END
had built a Wall of partion about them viz. his Ordinances to distinguish them from the Nations of the Gentiles and to make them as a Garden enclosed and had also set a Hedge of his special Providence and Protection about them and had watered them with Rain from Heaven in the Doctrine of the Law and Prophets whose Doctrine did drop as the Rain and whose speech did distil as the dew and then according to his cost looking for the good Grapes of Judgement and Righteousness yet instead thereof meeting with the unsavoury and wilde Grapes of Oppression and Crying what does he do with his Vineyard in this case What He commands the Clouds that they rain no rain upon it Isa 5.6 So that the Complaint was The Law is no more her Prophets also find no Vision from the Lord Lam. 2.9 Whereupon followed a Famine not of Bread nor thirst for Water but of Hearing the Words of the Lord Amos 8.11 The partition Wall also to wit the Law of Commandements contained in Ordinances Ephes 2.14 15. he brake down upon which this Lamentation was taken up saying He hath violently taken away his Tabernacle as if it were of a Garden he hath destroyed his places of the Assembly the Lord hath caused the solemne Feasts and Sabbaths to be forgotten in Zion and hath despised in the indignation of his anger the King and the Priest The Lord hath cast off his Altar he hath abhorred his Sanctuary c. Lam. 2.6 7. Finally The Lord pluckt up and brake down the Hedge of his Protection which had been a Defence to them in their enjoyment and solemnization of his Publick worship exposed them unto the grievous molestation and oppression of the enemy upon which followed that doleful Complaint Psal 80.12 13. Why hast thou broken down her Hedges so that all they that pass by the way do pluck her The Boar out of the Wood doth waste it and the wilde Beast of the Field doth devour it Behold here you have a taste of Gods sore displeasure against his own and only Vineyard of old when unfruitful after sufficient cost and care bestowed on it to make it fertile And if God spared not the natural Branches take heed lest he also spare not thee was the Watch-word of the great Apostle of the Gentiles to a Gentile Church at Rome Rom. 11.21 And I beseech you Brethren let his Admonition sink down into your ears and take warning betimes For where are now I pray you those once famous and flourishing Churches of Corinth Galatia Philippi Colosse Thessalonica the seven Churches of Asia yea and of Rome it self which were planted and watered too by the Apostles themselves Are not those golden Candlesticks removed out of their place Are not those Vineyards laid waste Are not those Fig-trees cut down as cumbering the ground And what 's the reason of all this Of a truth unfruitfulness hath been the cause of all and the true reason why the Lord hath let forth his Vineyard to other Husbandmen to see if they will render him fruits in their season Matth. 21.41 And you my Friends among others are those other Husbandmen unto whom the Lord hath how for the present let forth his Vineyards expecting that Fruit from you which those other Churches now desolate with-held from him He is now proving you by frequent dressings prunings waterings rainings upon and watchings over to see if you will bring him forth fruits meet for Repentance and worthy amendment of life And if not remember that word And now also is the Ax laid to the root of the trees Every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewen down and cast into the fire Matth. 3.10 And again Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away Joh. 15.2 And a third time also Luke 13.7 Then said he unto the Dresser of his Vineyard Behold these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig-tree and find none cut it down why cumbereth it the ground Upon how many Churches have these words taken hold since they first came forth from the Lord And the edge of them is not at all blunted with cutting down so many but is as keen and as ready to do execution now as at the first and will first or last cut down all unfruitful Churches and take away all unfruitful branches And therefore it exceeding nearly concerns you my dearly beloved and so it does all the Churches to take special care that you bring forth fruit and that your fruit may remain according to Christs word John 15.16 Sect. 7 For it is not enough if you have run well hitherto and brought forth fruits until now except your fruit remain except you be as a tree planted by the waters which shall not cease from yielding fruit Jer. 17.8 For how did the Apostles many times glory over those first Churches that were planted by them because of the first fruits of their Faith love and patience wherein they did for a time richly abound Rom. 1.8 2 Cor. 9.2 2 Thes 1.4 and yet how soon was the glory departed especially from among some of them as if their goodness like Ephraims had been but as a morning cloud or as an early dew that goeth away Hos 6.4 And the Apostles even while they were yet among them had too much cause to change their voice concerning them Gal. 4.20 For many there were then while the Apostles had the dressing of them who lead the way of that dreadful decay first and apostacy after in which the Churches themselves as the event gives cause to fear following in time came to utter desolation They were as Jude describes them Trees whose fruit withered without fruit twice dead plucked up by the roots Jude 12. The foundation of their utter eradication and final desolation was laid we see in the withering of their fruit first I I pray you observe it and fear It should seem at the first they were not altogether without fruit but their misery was they fell into spiritual decayes their Fruit withered grew harsh and unkindly thin shriveled and blasted And that which in a short time followed this was their total barrenness being without fruit by which it being manifest they were stark dead and so no hope left of their bearing Fruit any more the sad conclusion was plucking up by the roots There were at the first excellent good things found in the Church of Ephesus for which Christ commended her Rev. 2.2 3. but having lost her first love and fallen into some decay he threatens her that except she were made sensible of her sinking condition remembred from whence she was fallen and so repented and did her first works and recovered her self again he would come unto her quickly and remove her Candlestick out of its place which since hath come to pass Behold then my Brethren and be astonished and fear lest you at any time expose your selves to like danger by like declinings Look to your selves
because it is so long before her desolation comes Surely no. For the tenor of Christs threatnings against Churches under the true Form when once they grew Formal and carnal run thus I will come unto thee QUICKLY and will remove thy Candlestick out of his place except thou repent Rev. 2.5 Repent or else I will come unto thee QUICKLY and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth Rev. 2.16 In that God therefore is wont to be so swift a witness against a people under the right Form of professing his name when provoked by unsuitable walking and yet is so slow as experience proves to take vengeance of the Harlot Church who hath broken the everlasting Covenant and changed the Ordinances the Church of Rome I mean which hath now stood undemolished for many ages well may the examples of Gods severity against some of your Profession be a rouzing admonition to you my brethren to fear and tremble before the Lord and to take heed of Formality in Religion of unfruitfulness in your way of scandalous walking and of espousing any tenent or practice dishonourable to the Gospel or prejudicial to the glorious propagation thereof the usual fore-runners of Church Desolation but may not as I conceive by any means be received as any valid argument against that part of the Form of your Profession it self wherein you differ from other Christians I mean of Baptizing after profession of Repentance and Faith as the onely Scriptural way of entring and admitting persons into visible Communion with the Church but rather as a proof of the divine original of it Sect. 12 But though as I am very sensible the many taunts and reproaches vilifyings odious representations and upbraidings of your Profession it self with the miscarriages of some Professors and Gods displeasure following such by which some seek to render both you and your way odious is very apt to provoke and the flesh would fain gain an advantage thereby to pay such in their own coyn and to render evill for evil reviling for reviling and to take all advantages to lay open their weaknesses and to set them in the very eye of all men as their manner is towards those of your way yet as I hereby beseech all other our Brethren to refrain herefrom so I am bold towards you by vertue of my charge to enjoyn you in the name of the Lord and by authority from his word to do no such thing For behold I will set before you a better pattern and that is of him who when he was reviled reviled not again when he suffered he threatned not 1 Pet. 2.23 and of them who when they were defamed intreated 1 Cor. 4.13 and when they had mischievous things spoken against them were as a deaf man that heareth not and as a dumb man that openeth not his mouth and in whose lips are no reproofs Psal 38.12 13 14. And the injunction is strong upon you 1 Thes 5.15 See that none render evil for evil unto any man and again be not overcome of evil but overcome evil with good Rom. 12.21 And I must needs warn you against the use of those unhandsome reflections and that broad language which I find some too apt to use towards their antagonists in their controversal writings which I utterly dislike and bear my witness against as that which is unbeseeming the sobriety and humility of Saints and which doth greatly wrong and prejudice the cause they plead in the minds of sober people It s no matter how sharp and cutting your arguments be but let them alwaies be wrapt up in soft words And if ever you would have truth to gain upon men by your mannagement of it let the manifestation of love and good-will to the men themselves prepare them to consider and receive what you have to offer And let it be and be made appear to be matter of real grief to you that darkness on either side should make you and other good men to differ Avoid as muuh as in you lies both heights and heats of spirit and language Speak evil of no man but be gentle shewing all meekness unto all men Tit. 3.2 and remember that the servant of the Lord must not strive but be gentle unto all men apt to teach patient in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves 2 Tim. 2.26 25. Sect. 13 And when you have done your best to make others of your mind but cannot take heed if you have no better ground then that of questioning their integrity Remember how that the Apostles of our Lord heard from Christ but understood not a Doctrine as great as that of Baptisme and declared with as much plainness and expresness of words as ever that of Baptism was and that was the Doctrine of Christs Suffering and Resurrection see the place Luke 18.31 32 33 34. Then he took unto him the twelve and said unto them behold we go up to Jerusalem and all things that are written concerning the Son of Man shall be accomplished For he shall be delivered to the Gentiles and shall be mocked and spitefully intreated and spitted on and they shall scourge him and put him to death and the Third day he shall rise again And they understood none of these things and this saying was hid from them neither knew they the things which were spoken Why did they understand none of these things Was it because the Doctrine was obscurely delivered certainly no for neither that nor any other Doctrine could lightly be more plainly delivered then it was Or did they wilfully shut their eyes against a plain truth that I suppose no Christian can imagine But the true reason doubtless was because they were pre-possessed with a contrary notion and opinion as their Brethren the Jews amongst whom they lived and with whom they had been trained up in the tradition of their Fathers generally were and that was that the Messias should not dye and consequently not Rise again as you may see John 12.34 and 20.9 And therefore while this was rooted in their minds and their thoughts ran strongly upon it the plainest words of a contrary import could not enter into their Soul And wherefore do I present you with this but to let you know that it s not only possible but greatly propable and to me unquestionable that the disagreement of many in Judgement with you proceeds from the like cause of a preintanglement of mind and that the true reason why many who do truly fear the Lord as the Disciples under the foresaid mistake did do not receive your Allegations and grounds for your way in opposition to Infant Baptism nor can understand them to be of God though as we think plainly enough built upon the Scripture is because they are deeply prepossessed with the contrary opinion which they have drunk in under the approbation and authority of an ancient Tradition and recommended to them not only as a common custom of the most that profess Christianity but also
at the last day and the eternal judgement that will follow thereupon which are two great Arricles of the Christian Faith and fundamental Doctrines Heb. 6.2 does depend upon our beleef of the Resurrection of Christ For if Christ the Son of Gods love him in whom his soul delighteth more than in any man should not have been raised by the glory of the Father there would have been little reason for any other man to expect so great a favour But now is Christ risen from the dead and is become the first fruits of them that slept 1 Cor. 15.20 as a pledge of their Resurrection also In that any have a lively hope of being raised again to an inheritance uncorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not away they are thereunto begotten by the resurrection of Iesus Christ from the dead so saith the Apostle 1 Pet. 1.3 4 And again verse 21. In that God raised him up from the dead and so gave him glory it was that our Faith and hope might be in God that he will do so to us likewise For God hath both raised up the Lord and will also raise up us by his own power 1 Cor. 6.14 For if we beleeve that Iesus dyed and rose again even so them also which sleep in Iesus will God bring with him 1 Thes 4.14 Because I live ye shall live also saith he who is the Resurrection and the life Iohn 14.19 and 11.25 And that there shall be a righteous Judgement following the Resurrection and that Christ Jesus shall be the Judge is such a thing of which the Father hath given assurance or offered Faith unto all men in that he hath raised him from the dead Acts 17.31 Sect. 8 5. The Word Gospel or Doctrine of Christ and of his Apostles is so the object of Faith as that salvation is promised unto the right beleef thereof Mark 16.15 16. Go ye into all the World and preach the Gospel to every Creature he that beleeveth and is baptized shall be saved 2 Thes 2.13 Because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and beleef of the truth 2 Thes 1.10 When he shall come to be glorified in his Saints and to be admired in all them that beleeve because our testimony among you was beleeved in that day The Doctrine of Christ and of his Apostles may well be counted the object of Faith inasmuch as to beleeve it is all one as to beleeve that the Father hath set forth his Son to be a propitiation for sin through Faith in his blood and so it is to beleeve that Christ dyed for our sins according to the Scriptures and that he rose again the third day according to the Scriptures because the Doctrine of the Gospel is a testimony and declaration of these things and he that beleeves the one beleeves the other also Gods giving his Son to dye and Christs dying and rising again without a declaration of the mind and counsel of God thereabout as viz. for what cause upon what account and for what end he did so as also upon what termes and conditions men shall reap the fruit of his Death Resurrection and Intercession I say the one without the other does not seem to be the adequate object of Faith but both together are For which cause the Doctrine of the Gospel in its Enunciations Precepts and Threatnings as well as in its Promises is the object of Faith And because the Doctrine of the Gospel contains declares and amply sets forth all these things together with those things which are to come viz. the Resurrection of the Dead and Eternal Judgement in order to which the former first take place as being all of them matters about which Faith is busied therefore is it that the Doctrine of the Gospel is frequently called the Faith Gal. 1.23 and 3.2 5 23. Acts 6.7 Romans 1.5 1 Tim. 4.1 Iude 3. And so now I have done with my first point touching Faith viz. the object of it or the beleeving of what it is that shall be imputed for righteousness CHAP. V. Shewing that that Faith which consists onely in assenting unto the truth of that report which the Gospel makes touching Christ his being the Son of God and of his coming into the World to save Sinners by dying for them will not availe to Iustification and Salvation as a Gospel-Faith of the right kind will do Sect. 1 HAving briefly shewed from the holy Scriptures the beleef of what it is objectively that hath the promise of Salvation annext to it I shall now in the next place come to enquire what and what manner of beleeving it is subjectively that hath the same promise or whether every act of beleeving that is placed on a right object hath this great priviledge of Justification entailed to it And upon due enquiry it will be found that not any act or acts of Faith one or more be they never so many of them that fall short of engaging the Soul in true Love and sincere obedience unto the Lord Jesus will avail the man in whom they are unto the saving of the soul If I mistake not all the acts of a saving Faith may be reduced to and comprehended under these three heads The first I call an act of Credence the second an act of Adherence and the third an act of Confidence in the exertion of which three acts of Faith having Christ for their object the whole soul mind will and affections are engaged which make up the beleeving with all the heart which the Gospel calls for Acts 8.37 By that act which I call an act of Credence I mean the assent of the mind unto the truth of what the Gospel reports especially touching Christ and Gods love to mankind in him as that he is the Son of God and Saviour of the world that he was sent of God the Father to shew unto men the way of salvation and then to dye rise again and after his ascension to make intercession to bring that salvation about and that remission of sins is to be had through his name By that act of Faith which I call an act of Adherence I understand the souls fast cleaving unto the Lord Jesus in affection and subjection as counting him more worthy of both than any Creature or thing in all the world as also taking hold of that grace and strength which is in Christ for deliverance from the power of sin and of bringing the soul back again to God in point of holiness And lastly by an act of Confidence I mean the Souls relyance rest or dependance upon Christ or on the Father through Christ for remission of sins acceptation and eternal salvation the committing of the Soul to his mercy the throwing it upon his grace These three acts of Faith relate to each other by way of dependance the second depending upon the first as the acts of the Will do upon the Understanding and the third upon both the
the state and condition of sensual and carnal Christians who live in such times and places as we now do in which Men may believe in Jesus Christ and publickly own their Faith especially if it put them upon no extraordinary strains of self-denyal without running any hazzard of persecution but shall rather expose themselves to suffering in case they should not own the Faith which is the Religion of the Country And in such places Faith such as it is is as common as silver was in the dayes of Solomon All men in a manner do believe that Christ dyed for sinners and that Salvation is to be had by believing in his Name that their believing wil justifie them without Works too as they have been generally taught which is their snare Hereupon they live they dye in hope of salvation upon this very account that they do believe though there is too much cause to fear that the conversations and tempers I would I could not say of far the greatest part even of these do give too loud a testimony that their Faith is but the dead Faith they being not renewed to God and born again by it and consequently that their confidence of Salvation by Christ is but a vain confidence and such as will deceive them I profess it is a very sad thing so to say and that which occasions many a sorrowful thought to my Soul and my love to Men and my desire after their Salvation exceedingly inclines me to hope better things concerning these men of whom I speak if I had but any Scriptural ground to relieve such a hope But I am either quite mistaken in the nature of holiness and of the New Creature or else such Scriptures as do positively affirm that without holiness no man shall see the Lord and that except a man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God that neither Circumcision nor uncircumcision avail but a New Creature with many the like I fear do fast barr the door of life against the confidence of a vast multitude of professors of belief in Jesus unless the generality of those I know not be better than very many of those I know Sect. 8 Not to multiply more Scriptures to demonstrate that mens belief in Christ and relyance upon him for Salvation will not avail them unless it draw the Soul in love and reverence to him carefully to obey him and to avoid such things as he hates for a close seriously lay to heart those piercing words of Christ which are worthy our utmost consideration hereabout Mat. 7.21 22 23. Not every one that saith unto me Lord Lord shall enter into the kingdom of Heaven but he that doth the will of my Father which is in Heaven Many will say to me in that day Lord Lord have we not prophesied in thy Name and in thy Name cast out Devils and in thy Name done many wonderful Works And then will I profess unto them I never knew you depart from me ye that work iniquity By Luke thus chap. 13.23 24 25 26 27. Then said one unto him Lord are there few that be saved And he said unto them strive to enter in at the strait gate for many I say unto you will seek to enter in and shall not be able When once the master of the house is risen up and hath shut to the door and ye begin to stand without and to knock at the door saying Lord Lord open unto us and he shall answer and say unto you I know you not whence you are then shall ye begin to say we have eaten and drunk in thy presence and thou hast taught in our streets But he shall say I tell you I knew you not whence you are depart from me all ye workers of Iniquity That which I first observe from these wakening words of our Lord as to this present occasion is that the persons of whom Christ here speaks had Faith which appears by this in that as they themselves will plead they cast out Devils in the Name of Christ and in his Name did many other wonderous Works which according to Christs words were signes which he promised should follow those that should believe Mark 16.17 Though all that did believe did not do such wonders yet none but such as did believe did Neither is it any wise likely but that they whose Faith was so strong as in the Name of Christ to do such wonders had a particular knowledge and belief that Christ was the Son of God and Saviour of the World Neither was this Faith of theirs wholly destitute of Works you see they made such a profession of Christ as that they instructed others in his Religion they Prophecied in his Name and did Works which caused Men to wonder they heard Christ preach and had so much familiarity with him as to eat and drink in his presence greater matters than I fear thousands of thousands will have to plead for themselves who now bear the Name of Christians and profess belief in Christ and hope of salvation by him Secondly that which I further note hence is this that these men of whom Christ speaks because of this Faith they had and those Works which proceeded from it take unto themselves a kind of confidence that they shall be admitted by Christ into his Kingdom For though they are brought in by Christ here as pleading for admittance at the last day and not taking Christs first denial but following him with earnest vehement solicitations backed with arguments and pleas from what they had received from him and done for him as if they wondered that Christ should refuse them yet it is not to be thought but that in their life and at their death they were possessed with hopes of being owned by Christ at the Last day upon these very grounds upon which they are brought in as building their plea. For surely they do not meet with any new confidence or grounds of hope in the Grave or state of Death Me thinks these words of Christ give a kind of cast as if many Men shall dye with so strong a confidence of being owned and received by Christ at the Resurrection and Judgement day as that they shall exceedingly wonder and stand amazed to find themselves so strangely deceived and disappointed as they will be when they shall be turned off by Christ with I tel you I know you not I profess I never knew you As if Christ could hardly possess them with such a thought that he should not acknowledg and own them and therefore he is fain not only once plainly to tell them I know you not but again with more earnestness to affirm the same thing and to say I tell you I know you not whence you are as if he should say will you not believe me I tell you again I know you not whence you are Yea as Matthew hath it he will then professe unto them that he never knew them which stil argues how hard
you remain in the same condition until death what judgment you shall have There 's no fear of the Judges awarding of any sentence contrary to Law contrary to the Doctrine of the Scriptures If your cause be good by that you do not need to fear the Judges being made against you if your cause be naught in the account of that there 's no hopes of deceiving or bribing the Judge as your cause is in the eye of the Law so and no otherwise will it be in the sentence of the Judg. And for your ease and accomodation in this great and weighty affair of your Souls and to the end you may not be mistaken in your own cause by mistaking the nature terms and true intent of the rule of your tryal by which you must be justified or condemned ignorance wherein and mistakes whereabout are wonderful dangerous I have in this Book laboured to fit things to your hands by opening the Doctrine of Justification especially in those parts of it that are most liable to mens mistakes and to deliver it from the incombrance of those crooked notions and mis-apprehensions by which men are in danger of making that to become a snare to them which God hath prepared for a Table That therefore to which I exhort you is that you put your selves upon the tryal now before-hand as men who are to run a race or to try masteries otherwise are wont to be proving their ability by a more private running of the Race or enuring of their bodies to other exercise before the day of publick striving for mastery comes Deal faithfully with your own Souls in trying your selves before the Barr of your own Conscience now for the present by that Doctrine of Faith here laid before you The Conscience is as it were Christs Delegate deputed by him to make Judgement by the rule of his Word of a mans spiritual condition in the interim before the solemn Assize and day of publick tryal come And therefore mens thoughts are said in the mean while mark that word in the mean while to accuse or excuse one another Rom. 2.15 that is to justifie or condemn as it finds a man guilty or not guilty according to that rule by which he is to be tryed by Chaist It is true the Conscience does not alwayes make that infallible Judgement in a mans case as Christ himself will do either for want of a right understanding of the rule of Judgement or the true state of a mans cause as being defiled and darkened and the eye of it made dim by too much communion with sinful lusts which it may be have corrupted and bribed it partially to favour the mans cause or at least to be neuteral as not to justifie so not to condemn but to leave things in doubt But to what degree it is truly enlightened in the nature of Christs Law and the nature of a mans cause that is to be tryed by it so far it will and can hardly do otherwise than make the same judgement and determination concerning a mans condition if a man will bring his cause before it as Christ himself will do Otherwise there would not be that ground of spiritual triumph and rejoycing in the verdict of Conscience which was found in Paul and his Christian companions upon that account 2 Cor. 1.12 For our rejoycing is this the testimony of our Conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God we have had our conversation in the world Sect. 3 The Devil as he makes it his work and business to accuse the very servants of God themselves before God day and night Rev. 12.10 so at certain times and seasons which he watches for on purpose as after some notable slip in the Christian walk or in time of some deep affliction and especially towards the hour of death he will accuse them at the Judgement-seat of their own Consciences and bring their cause to a tryal there to force them if possible to despair of any good issue when they shall come to be tryed before the Lord which he will say hard to if he can but confound and puzzle them in the evidences of their Justification and defence in the Court of their conscience And you shall find still in the issue and upshot that the stress and pinch will lye upon the evidence of the goodness of a mans Faith for if a man be but sure he have a right shield of Faith in the hand of his Soul he will easily be able to quench all the fiery darts of the Devil Ephes 6.16 If he lay to their charge and set before them the greatness and multitude of the sins and miscarriages which they have been guilty of at times heightened with all the provoking circumstances of aggravation the plea and defence will be that Christ the lamb of God taketh away the sin of the world John 1.29 That the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin 1 Joh. 1.7 That he is the propitiation for our sin and not for ours only but also for the sin of the whole world 1 John 2.2 And that not only few and small offences but even all manner of sin and blasphemy that against the Holy Ghost excepted shall be forgiven unto men Mat. 12.31 If he tell you though that be granted yet it will not follow that therefore your sins are forgiven or that you are actually cleansed by the blood of Christ because though Christ gave himself a ransom for all yet all shall not be saved by him for that wide is the gate broad the way that leads to destruction and many there be that go in thereat Mat. 7.14 And so put you upon proving your title to the promise of Remission of Sin by his Blood your plea will be your belief in him as that to which the promise of Justification and eternal Salvation is made in whomsoever found John 3.16 Mark 16.16 Acts 16.31 Rom. 3.25 But then its like he will go further with you and argue against you that it does not follow that because you have some Faith in Christ as that he is the Son of God that he dyed was buried and rose again that therefore you are justified and shall be acquitted before the Lord because there is a certain kind of formal feigned and dead Faith which will not save James 2.14 And that Simon Magus did believe though for all that he were in the gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity Acts 8.13 and so did others who for all that were in no very good condition John 2.23 and 12.42 43. If therefore he shall lay to your charge that yours is but a Faith of this sort and kind and consequently that it will not avail you nor render your title to the promise valid you have no other way to deal with him and so defend your selves against this Article of Indictment but by producing such proofs and evidences of the truness goodness