Actually unwilling If a man have so accustomed himself to murder drunkeness stealing or the like wickedness so far that he cannot leave it will you therefore forgive him or will any Judge or Jury hold him excused Or rather think him the more unfit for mercy 5. Note also that the want of a supernatural Habit no nor the presence of the contrary Habit do not Efficiently determine the will to particular acts much less take away its natural Freâ—â—om 6. And that till Habits attain an utter predominancy at least there is a Power remaining in the will to resist them and use means against them Though Eventually the perverse Inclination may hinder the use of it The three and twentieth Excuse I have heard from learned men that God doth determine all Actions Natural and Free as the first Efficient Physical immediate Cause or else nothing could Act. And then it was not long of me that I chose forbidden Objects but of him that irresistly moved me therto and whose Instrument I was Answ This is a trick of that wisdom which is foolishness with God and to be deceived by vain Philosophy 1. The very principle it self is most likely to be false and those that tell you this to err Much more I think may be said against it then for it 2. I am sure it is either false or reconcileable with Gods Holiness and mans liberty and culpability so that its a mad thing to deceive yeur selves with such Philosophical uncertainâ—ies when the Truth which you oppose by it is infallibly certain That God is not the Author of sin but man himself who is justly condemned for it is undoubtedly true and would you obscure so clear a Truth by searching into points beyond homane reach if not unsound as you conclude them The four and twentieth Excuse But at least those learned Divines among us that doubt of this do yet say that the will is necessarily and infallbly Determined by the Practical Understanding and that is as much unresistibly necessitated by Objects and therefore whatever act was done by my understanding or will was thus necessitated and I could not help it Theâ— say Liberty is but the Acting of the faculty aggreeably to its nature And it was God as Creator that gave Adam his faculties and God by providential dtspose that presented all Objects to him by Which hi understanding and so his Will were unvoidable necessitated Answ This is of the same nature with the former uncertain if noâ— certainly false Were this true for ought we can see it would lay all the sin and misery of this world on God as the unresistible necessitating Cause which because we know infallibly to be false we have no reason to take such principles to be true which infer it The understanding doth not by a necessary efficiency Determine the will but morally or rather is regularly a Condition or necessary Antecedent without which it may not Determine itself Yea the Will by commanding the sense and phantasie doth much to determine the Understanding As the eye is not necessary to my going but to my going right so is not the Understandings Guidance necessary to my willing there the simple Apprehension may suffice but to my Right willing There are other wayes of Determining the Will Or if the Understanding did Determine the Will Efficiently and Necessarily it is not every act of the Understanding that must do it If it be so when it saiâ—h This must be done and saith it importunately yet not when it only saith This may be done or you may venture on it which is the common part which it hath in sin I am not pleased that these curious Objections fall in the way nor do I delight to put them into vulgar heads but finding many young Schollars and others that have converted with them assaulted with these Temptations I thought meet to give a touch and but a touch to take them out of their way As Mr. Fenner hath done more fully in the Preface to his Hidden Manna on this last point to which I refer you I only add this The will of man in its very Dominion doth bear Gods Image It is a self Determining Power though it byassed by Habits and needs a Guide As the Heart Vital Spirits by which it acteth are to the rest of the Body so is It to the soul The Light of Nature hath taught all the world to carry the Guilt of every crime to the will of man and there to leave it Upon this all Laws and Judgements are grounded From Ignorance and Intellectual weakness men commonly fetch Excuses for their faults but from the Will they are Aggravated If we think it strange that mans will should be the first cause so much as of a sinful mode and answer all occuring Objections it may suffice that we are certain the Holy Majesty is not the Author of sin and he is able to make all this as plain as the Sun and easily answer all these vain Excuses though we should be unable And if we be much ignorant of the frame and motions of our own souls and especially of that high self determining principle Free-Will the great spring of our actions and the curious Engine by which God doth Sapientially Govern the world it is no wonder Considering that the soul can know it self but by Reflection and God gave us a soul to use rather then to know itself and to know its qualities and operations rather then its Essence The five and twentieth Excuse No man can be saved nor avoid any sin nor believe in Christ but those whom God hath predestinated thereto I was under an irreversible Sentence before I was born and therefore I do nothing but what I was predestinated to do and if God decreed not to save me how could I help it Answ 1. Gods Judgements are more plain but his Decrees or secret purposes are mysterious And to darken certainties by having recourse to points obscure is no part of Christian Wisdom God told you your Duty in his word and on what terms vou must be Judged to Life or Death Hither should you have recourse for Direction and not to the unsearchable mysteries of his mind 2. God decreeth not to Condemn any but for sin Sin I say as the Cause of that Condemnation though not of his Decree 3. Gods Decrees are acts Immanent in himself and make no change on you and therefore do not necessitate you to sin any more then his fore-knowledge doth For both cause only a necessity of Confequence which is Logical as the Divines on both sides do Consess And therefore this no more caused you to sin then if there had been no such Decree And it s a doubt whether that Decree be not negative A willing suspending of the Divine will as to evil or at most A purpose to permit it The six and twentieth Excuse If it be no more yet doth it make my perdition unavoidable For even Gods foreknowledge doth so
might be so useful and wherein he hath so full and unpuestionable propriety The greatest the richest the wisest men that are trusted with most are the greatest Robbers on earth if they live not to God and shall have the greatest punishment 5. Is it not incomparably more honourable to be Gods then to be your own and to live to him then to your selves the object and end doth nobilitate the act and thereby the Agent It is more honourabe to serve a Prince then a Plowman Thâ—â— man that least seeks his own honour or carnal interest but most freely denyeth it and most intirely seeks the honour of God is most highly honoured with God and good men when selfe-seekers defraud themselves of their hopes Most men think vilely or at least suspitiously of that man that seeks for honour to himself they think if the matter were combustible he need not to blow the fire so hard if he were worthy of honour his worth would attract it by a sweet magnetick power so much industry they think is the most probable mark of indignity and of some consciousness of it in the seekers breast If he attain some of his ends men are ready to look on his honour but as Almes which he was fain to begge for before he got it and could he make shift to ascend the Throne so much in the eyes of the wisest men would be detracted from his honour as they did believe himselfe to have a hand in contriving it Quod sequitur fugio c. They honour him more that refuseth a Crown when it is offered then him that ambitiously aspireth after it or rapaciously apprehendeth it If they see a men much desire their applause they think he needs it Solomon saith To scarch their own glory Pro. 25. 27. 6. You can never have a better Master then God nor yet a sweeter employment then his service There is nothing in him that may be the least discouragement to you nor in his works that shall be distastefull The reason why the world thinks otherwise is because of the distempered aversnesse of their souls A sick stomack is no fit Judge of the pleasantnesse of meats To live to God is to live to the truest and highest delights His Kingdome is not meats and drinks but in Righteousness Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost His servants indeed are often troubled but ask them the reason and they I quickly tell you that it is not for being his sevatns or for serving him too much but for fear lest they are not his servatns or for serving him no better It is not in his waies or at least not for them that they meet with their perplexities but in stepping out of them wandring in their own Many besides the servants of God do seek felicity and satisfaction to their minds and some discover where it lyeth but only they attain it and enjoy it But on the contrray he hath an ill Master that is ruled by himselfe A Master that is blind and proud and passionate that will lead you to precipices and thence deject you that will most effectually ruine you when he thinks he is doing you the greatest good whose work is bad and his wages no better that feedeth his servants in plenty but as swine and in the day of famine denyeth them the husks what ever you may now imagine while you are distracted with sensuality I dare say if ever God bring you to your selves you will consider that it is better be in your Fathers house where the poorest servant hath bread enough then to be fed with dreams and pictures and to perish with hunger Reject not God till you have found a better Master 7. If you will needs be your own and seek your selves you disengage God from dealing with you as His in a gracious sense If you will not trust him nor venture your selves upon his promise and conduct but still shift for your selves then look to your selves as well as you can save your selves in danger cure your own diseases quiet your own Consciences grapple with death in your own strength plead your own Cause in judgement and save your selves from Hell if you can and when you have done go and boast of your own sufficiency and atchievements and tell men how little you are beholden to Christ Woe to you if upon these provocations God should give you over to provide for your selves and leave you without any other salvation then your own power if able to effect mark the connexion of this sin and punishment in Deut 32. 18 19 20. Of the Rock that begat thee thou art unmindful and hast forgotten God that formed thee And when the Lord saw it he abhorred them because of the provoking of his Sons and of his Daughters And he said I will hide my face from them I will see what their end shall be As if he should say I will see how well they can save themselves and make them know by experience their own insufficiency 8. Those men that seek themselves and live to themselves and not to God are unfaithful and treacherous both to God and man As they neglect God in prosperity so they do but flatter him in adversity Psal 78. 34 35 36 37. And â—e that will be false to God whose interest to him is so absolute is unlikely to be true to men whose interest in him is infinitely less Hee that can shake off the great obligations of Creation Redemption Preservation and provision which God layeth on him is unlikely be held by such slender obligations as he receives from men I 'le never trust that man far if I know him that 's false to his Redeemer He that will sell his God his Saviour his Soul and Heaven for a litle sensuality vain-glory or worldly wealth I shall not wonder if he sell his best friend for a Groat Self-seeking men will take you for their friend no longer then you can serve their turns but if once you need them or stand in their way you shall find what they esteemed you for He that is in haste to be rich and thereupon respecteth persons for a piece of bread that man will transgress saith Solomon Prov. 28. 20 21. 9. Sanctification consisteth in your hearty resignation and living to God and therefore you are unsanctified if you are destitute of this Without holiness none shall see God Heb. 12. 14. And what is holiness but our sincere dedication and devotedness to God Being no longer common and unclean but separated in resolution affection and conversation from the world and our carnal selves to him It is the Office of the holy Ghost to work you to this and if you resist and refuse it you do not soundly believe in the Holy Ghost but instead of believing in him you fight against him 10. You are verbally devoted to Christ in solemn Covenant entered into Baptism and frequently renewed in the Lords Supper and at other seasons Did you not there solemnly
desolation as they The Question is only Whether God have your hearts and lives and not Whether you denyed them to him with a plausible Civility nay it is meerly for their carnal elves to preserve their reputation that some men do forbear those grosser Crimes when yet God hath as little of them as of the more visibly prophane Love not the world nor the things that are in the world If any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him 1 John 2. 15. 2. If you are wholly Gods live wholly to him at least do not stint him and grudge him your service It is grown the common Conceit of the World that a lâ—fe of Absolute Dedication to God is more adoe then needs What needs all this adoe say they cannot you be saved with less adoe then this I will now demand of these men but an Answer to these few sober Questâ—ons 1. Do you fear giving more to God then his due Is not all his own And how can you give him more then all 2. He is not so backward in giving to you that owes you nothing but gives you plenty variety and continuance of all the good you enjoy and do you think you well requite him 3. Christ said not of his life and precious blood It is too much And will you say of your poor unprofitable Service It is too much 4. Who will you give that to which you spare from God that time and study and love and labour to any that hath more right to it or better deserves it or will better reward you then he will do 5. Are you afraid of being losers by him have you cause for such Fears is be unfaithfull or unable to performe his Promises will you repent when you come to heaven that you did too much to get it will not that blessedness pay you to the full 6. What if you had not wages but your work is it not better to live to God then to man is not purity better then impurity If feasting he grievous it is because you are sick if the be your pleasure it is because you are swine and not because the condition is desireable 7. Will it comfort you more in the reckoning and review to have laid out your selves for God or for the World Will you then wish that you had done less for heaven or for earth Sirs these Questions are easily answered if you are but willing to consider them 8. Doth it be seem those to be afraid of serving God too much that are such bankrupts as we are and are sure that we shall not give him the twentieth part of his due if we do the best we can and when the best that are scorned by the world for their forwardness do abhor themselves for their backwardness yea could we do all we are but unprofitable servants and should do but our duty Luke 17. 10. Alas how little cause have we to fear lest we should give God too much of our hearts or of our lives 3. If you are not your own remember that nothing else is your own what can be more your own then your selves 1 Your Parts and Abilities of minde or body are not your own use them therefore for him that owneth them 2. Your Authority and Dignities are not your own see therefore that you make the best of them for him that lent them you 3. Your Children themselves are not your own design them for the utmost of his service that trusts you with them educate them in that way as they may be most serviceable to God It is the great wickedness of too many of our Gentry that they prepare their Posterity only to live plenteously and in credit in the world but not to be serviceable to God or the Commonwealth Design them all that are capable to Magistracy or Ministry or some usefull way of life And whatever be their employment endeavour to possess them with the fear of the Lord that they may devote themselves to him Think not the Preaching of the Gospel a work too low for the Sons of the Noblest person in the Land It would be an excellent furtherance to the work of the Gospel if Noble men and Gentlemen would addict their Sons to the Ministry that are fit for it and can be spared from the Magistracy They might have more respect from their People and easier Rule them and might better win them with bounty then poor men can do They need not to contend with them for Tythes or maintenance 4. If you are not your own your whole Families are not your own use them therefore as Families that are dedicated to God 5. If you are not your own then your wealth is not your own honour God therefore with your substance and with the first fruits of your increase Prov. 3. 9. Do you ask how Is there no poor people that want the faithful preaching of the Gospel for want of means or other furtherance Is there no godly Scholers that want means to maintain them at the Universities to fit them for this Work Is there no poor Neighbors about you that are ignorant that if you buy them Bibles and Catechismes and hire them to learn them might come to knowledge and to life Are there no poor Children that you might set Apprentices to godly Masters where soul and body might both have helps The poor you have always with you It is not for want of objects for your charity if you hide your Talents or consume them on your selves the time is coming when it would do you more good to have laid them out to your masters use then in pampering the flesh Some grudge that God should have the Tenths that is that they should be consesecrated to the maintenance of his service but little do these consider that All is His and must All be accounted for Some question whether now there be such a sin as Sacriledge in being but little do they consider that every sin is a king of sacriledge When you dedicated your self to God you dedicated all you had and it was Gods before do not take if from him again remember the halving of Ananias and give God all Objection But must we not provide for our Families Answer Yes because God requires it and in so doing you render it to him That is given to him which is expended in obedience to him so be it you still prefer his most eminent interest Lastly If you are not your own then must not your Works be principally for your selves but for him that oweth you As the scope of your lives must be to the honor of your Lord so be sure that you hourly renew these intentions when you set your foot out of your doors ask whether your business you go upon be for God when you go to your Rest examine your selves what you have done that day for God especially let no opportunity over-slip you wherein you may do him extraordinary service You must so
said to be the Accusers Where it is false it can be only the work of Satan the malitious adversary who as we may see in Jobs case will not stick to bring a false Accusation If any think that the Accuser will not do so vain a work at least they may see that potentially this is the Accusation that lyeth against us and which we must be justified against For all Justification implyeth an Actual or Potential Accusation He that is truly accused of final Impenitency or Unbelief or Rebellion hath no other Defence to make but must needs be condemned He that is falsly accused of such non-performance of the condition of Grace must deny the Accusation and plead his own personal Righteousness as against that Accusation and produce that Faith Repentance and sincere Obedience and Perseverance by which he fulfilled that Condition and so is Evangelically Righteous in himself and therefore hath part in the blood of Christ which is instead of a Legal righteousnses to him in all things else as having procured him a pardon of all his sin and a right to everlasting glory And thus we must then be Justified by Christs satisfaction only against the accusation of being sinners in general and of deserving Gods wrath for the Breach of the Law of works But we must be justified by our faith repentance and sincere Obedience itself against the Accusation of being Impenitent unbelievers and Rebels against Christ and having not performed the Condition of the promise and so having no part in Christ and his Benefits So that in Summ you see that the cause of the day will be to enquire Whether being all known sinners we have accepted of Christ upon his terms and so have right in him and his benefits or not Whether they have forsaken this vain world for him and loved him so faithfully that they have manifested it in parting with these things at his Command And this is the meaning of Mat. 25. Where the enquiry is made to be whether they have fed and visited him in his members or not That is whether they have so far loved him as their Redeemer and God by him as that they have manifested this to his members according to Opportunity though it cost them the hazard or loss of all Seeing danger and labour and cost are fitter to express love by then Empty Complements and bare Professions Whether it be particularly enquired after or only taken for granted that men are sinners and have deserved Death according to the Law of works and that Christ hath satisfied by his death is all one as to the matter in hand seeing Gods enquiry is but the Discovery and Conviction of us But the last Question which must decide the Controversie will be whether we have performed the condition of the Gospel I have the rather also said all this to shew you in what sense these words are taken in the text that Every man shall be Judged according to what he hath done in the flesh whether it be good or bad Though every man be Judged worthy of Death for sinning yet every man shail not be Judged to dye for it and no man shall be Judged morthy of Life for his good works It is therefore according to the Gospel as the rule of judgement that this is meant They that have Repented and believed and returned to true though imperfect Obedience shall be Judged to everlasting Life according to these works not because these works Deserve it but because the free Gift in the Gospel through the blood of Christ doth make these things the condition of our possessing it They that have lived and dyed Impenitent Unbelievers and Rebels against Christ shall be judged to everlasting punishment because they have deserved it both by their sin in general against the Law and by these sins in special against the Gospel This is called the Merit of the Cause that is what is a mans due according to the true meaning of the Law Though the due may be by free gift And thus you see what will be the cause of the Day and the matter to be enquired after and decided as to our Life or Death VIII THE next point in our method is to shew you What will be the Evidence of the Cause Answ There is a fivefold Evidence among men 1. When the fact is notorious 2. The knowledge of an unsuspected Competent Iudge 3. The parties Confession 4. Witness 5. Instruments and visible effects of the action All these Evidences will be at hand and any one of them sufficient for the conviction of the guilty person at that day 1. As the sins of all men so the Impenitency and Rebellion of the wicked was notorious or at least will be then For though some play the hypocrites and hide the matter from the world and themselves yet God shall open their hearts and former lives to themselves and to the view of all the world He shal set their sins in order before them so that it shall be utterly in vain to deny or excuse them If any menwill then think to make their cause as good to God as they cannow do to us that are not able to see their hearts they will be fouly mistaken Now they can say they have as good hearts as the best then God will bring them out in the light and shew them to themselves and all the world whether they were good or bad Now they will face us down that they do truly Repent and they obey God as well as they can but God that knoweth the Deceivers will then undecieve them We cannot now make men acquainted with their own unsanctified hearts nor convince them that have not true Faith Repentance or Obedience but God will convince them of it They can find shifts and false answers to put off a Minister with but God will not so be shifted off Let us preach as plainly to them as we can and do all that ever we are able to acquaint them with the impenitency and unholiness of their own heart and the necessity of a new heart and life yet we cannot do it but they will Believe whether we will or not that the old heart will serve the turn But how easily will God make them know the contrary We plead with them in the dark for though we have the candle of the Gospel in our hands when we come to shew them their corruption yet they shut their eyes and are wilfully blind But God will open their eyes whether they will or not not by holy Illumination but by forced conviction and then he will plead with them as in the open light See here thy own unholy soul canst thou now say thou didst love me above all canst thou deny but thou didst love this world before me and serve thy flesh and lusts though I told thee if thou didst so thou shouldst dye Look upon thy own heart now and see whether it be a holy or an unholy heart a spiritual or
the righteous Judgement of God who will render to every man according to his Deeds 4. Moreover All the means which God used for the Recovery of sinners in the day of their visitation will rise up against Impenitent souls in Judgement to their condemnation You can hear Sermons carelessly and sleepily now but O that you would consider how the review of them will then awake you You now make light of the warnings of God and man and of all the wholesome advice that is given you but God will not then make light of your contempt Oh what cutting Questions will they be to the hearts of the ungodly when all the means that were used for their good are brought to their remembrance on one side and the temptations that drew them to sin on the other side and the Lord shall plead his cause with their consciences and say Was I so hard a Master or was my work so unreasonable or was my wages so contemptible that no perswasions could draw you into my service was Satah so good a Master or was his work so honest and profitable or was his wages ' so desirable that you would be so easily perswaded to do as he would have you Was there more perswading Reason in his allurements and deceits then in all my holy words and all the powerfull Sermons that you heard or all the faithfull admonitions you received or all the good examples of the righteous or in all the works of God which you beheld Was not a reason fecht from the love of God from the evill of sin the blood of Christ the Judgement to come the glory promised the torments threatned as forcible with you and as good in your eyes to draw you to holiness as a Reason from a little fleshly delight or worldly gain to draw you to be unholy In the name of God sinners I intreat you to bethink your selves in time how you will sufficiently answer such Questions as these You should have seen God in every creature that you beheld and have read your duty in all his works what can you look upon above you or below you or round about you which might not have shewed you so much of the wisdom and goodness and greatness of your maker as should have convinced you that it was your duty to be devoted to his wil And yet you have his written word that speaks plainer then all these And will you despise them all will you not see so great a Light will you not hear so loud and constant calls shall God and his Ministers speak in vain And can you think that you shall not hear of this again and pay for it one day you have the Bible other good books by you why do you out read them You have Ministers at hand why do you not go to them and earnestly ask them Sir What must I do to be saved intreat them to teach you the way to life you have some neighbors that fear God why do you not go to them and take their good advice and imitate them in the fear of God and in a holy diligence for your souls Now is the time for you to bestir your Selves Life and Death are before you You have gales of grace to further your voyage There are more for you then against you God will help you his Spirit will help you his Ministers will help you every good Christian will help you the Angels themselves will help you if you will resolvedly set your selves to the work And yet will you not stir Patience is waiting on you Mercies are enticing you Scourges are driving you Judgement stayeth for you The Lights of God stand burning by you to direct you And yet will you not stir but lie in darkness And do you think you shall not hear of this Do you think this will not one day cost you dear IX THE ninth part of our work is to shew you What are those frivolous excuses by which the unrighteous may then indeavour their defence Having already shewed you what the Defence must be that must be suffiicient to our Justification If any first demand Whether the Evidence of their sin will not so overwhelm the sinner that he will be speechless and past excuse I answ Before God hath done with him he will be so But it seems at first his dark understanding and partial corrupted conserence will set him upon a vain Defence For Mat. 7. 22 23. Christ telleth us that Many will say to me in that day Lord Lord have we not prophesied in thy name and in thy name have cast out Devils and in thy name have done many wonderful works And then will I profess to them I never knew you Depart from meâ— ye workers of iniquity And in Mat 25. 11. The foolish Virgins cry Lord Lord open to us And vers 44. Then shall they also answer him saying Lord when saw we thee an hungred or thirst or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not Minister unto thee And vers 24 25. They fear not to cast some of the cause of their neglect on God himself Then he which had received the one Talent came and said Lord I knew that thou art an hard man reaping where thou hast not sown and gathering where thou hast not strawed and I was afraid and went and hid thy talent in the earth lo there thou hast that is thine It is cleer then that Excuses they will be ready to make and their full conviction will be in order after these Excuses at least as in their minds if not in words But what the particular Excuses will be we may partly know by these Scriptures which recite them and partly by hearing what the ungodly do now say for themselves And because it is for their present benefit that I now make mention of them that they may see the vanity of all such Excuses I will mention them as I now meet with them in the mouthes of Sinners in our ordinary discourse and these Excuses are of several sorts some by which they would justify their estate some Excuses of particular actions and that either in whole or in part some by which they would put by the penalty though they confess the sin some by which they lay the blame on other men and in some they would cast it upon God himself I must touch but some of them very briefly The first Excuse I am not guilty of these things which I am accused of I did love God above All and my Neighbor as my self I did use the World but for Necessity but God had my heart Answer The all-seeing Judge doth know the contrary and he will make thy Conscience know it Look back man upon thy heart and life How seldom and how neglectfully didst thou think of God how coldly didst thou worship him or make any mention of him how carelesly didst thou serve him and think much of all that thou didst therein Thou rather thoughtest
a full â—ustifiction A Heathens conscience may excuse him from those sins which he was never guilty of but not from all But no more of them 2. The case of those that have had the Gospel is more plainly opened to us in Gods Word Their Sentence is opened in many places of Scripture but most fully in Matth 25. whence we will now collect it There we find that Jesus Christ the Redeemer as King of the world shall sit in Judgement on all men at the last and shall seperate them one from another as a Shepherd divideth the Sheep from the Goats and so shall pass the final Sentence This Sentence is twofold according to the different Condition of them that are judged To them on the right hand there is a Sentence of justification and Adjudication to everlasting glory To them on the left hand there is a Sentence of Condemnation to everlasting Punishment The Sentence on each of these containeth both the state which they are Judged to and the reason or cause of the Judgement to that state For as God will not Iudge any to Life or Death without just cause so he will publish this cause in his sentence as it is the manner of Judges to do If you say Christ will not use a voice Let it satisfie that though we know not the manner yet if he do it but by mental discovery as he shews men what shall everlastingly befall them so he will shew them why it shall so befall them 1. The Sentence on them on the Right hand will contain 1. their Justification and Adjudication to Blessedness that both as generally denominated and as particularly determined and described 2. And the cause of this Iudgement 1. In general they shall be pronounced Blessed Satan would have had them cursed and miserable the Law did curse them to misery Many a fearful thought hath possessed their own brests least they should prove at last accursed and miserable But now they hear the contrary from their Iudge All the Promises in the Gospel could not perfectly overcome those their fears all the comfortable words of the Ministers of the Gospel conld not perfectly subdue them all the tendâ—er mercies of God in Christ dâ—d not perfectly subdue them But now they are vanquished all for ever He that once had heard his Redeemer in Iudgement call him Blessed will never fear being Cursed more For he that Christ Blesseth shall be Blessed indeed The Description of their blessedness followeth Come inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world And also they are called Blessed Of the Father Here is the fountain of their Blessedness The Father and the state of their blessedness in Being the Fathers For I suppose they are called the Blessed of the Father both because the Father blesseth them that is makes them Happy and because these blessed ones are the Fathers own And so Christ will publish it to the world in Judgement that he came to glorifie the Father and will proclaim him the Principal Efficient and Ultimate end of his work of Redemption and the blessedness of his Saints and that himself is as Mediator but the way to the Father It is the Father that prepared the Kingdom for them and from the foundation of the world prepared it Both for them as chosen ones and for them as future believers and Righteous ones It is called a Kingdom partly in respect to God the King in whose glory we shall partake in our places and partly Metaphorically from the Dignity of our Condition For so it is that our selves are said to be made Kings Rev. 1. 6. and 5. 1. 1 Pet. 2. 9. and not that we are properly Kings for then we must have subjects who must be Governed by us Thus we see their Blessedness in the Fountain end and state of Dignity As to the Receptive Act on their part it is expressed by two words one signifying their first entrance on it Come the other their Possession Inherit that is possess it as given by the Father and Redeemed by the Son and hoâ—d it in this Tenure for ever The true Believer was convinced in this life that indeed there was no true blessedness but this enjoyment of God in the Kingdom of heaven The Lord revealed this to his heart by his Word and Spirit And therefore he contemned the seeming happiness on earth and laid up for himself a Treasure in heaven and made him friends with the Mammon of unrighteousness and ventured all his hope in this Vessel And now he findeth the wisdom of that choice in a rich return God made him so Wise a Merchant as to sell All for this Pearl of greatest price and therefore now he shall find the gain As there Is no other true Happiness but God in glory so is there nothing more suitable and welcom to the true Believer O how welcome will the face of that God be whom he loved whom he sought whom he longed and waited for How welcome will that Kingdom be which he lived in Hope of which he parted with All for and suffered for in the flesh How glad will he be to see the Blessed face of his Redeemer who by his manifold Grace hath brought him unto this I leave the believing soul to think of it and to make it the daily matter of his Delightful Meditation What an unconceivable Ioy in one moment his Sentence of Christ will fill his soul with Undoubtedly it is now quite past our comprehension though our imperfect forethoughts of it may well make our lives a continual Feast Were it but our Iustification from the Accusations of Satan who would have us Condemned either as sinners in general or as Impenitent Unbeleiving Rebels against him that Redeemed us in sp cial it would lift up the heads of the Saints in that day After alâ— the fears of our own hearts and the slanderous Accusations of Satan and the world That we were either Impenitent Infidels or Hypocrites Christ will then Iustifie us and prononce us Righteous So much for the Condition to which they are Iudged 2. The Reason or Cause of this Justification of the Saints is given us both 1. In a general denomination and 2. In a particular Description 1. In General it is because they Were Righteous as is evident Mat. 25. 46. The Righteous shall go into life Everlasting And indeed it is the business of every just Judge to justifie the righteous and condemn the unrighteous And shall not the Judge of all the earth judge righteously Gen. 18. 25 God makes men Righteous before he judges them so and Judgeth them Righteous Because they are so He that abominateth that man who saith to the Righteous thou art wicked or to the wicked thou art Righteons who Justifieth the wicked and Condemneth the Righteous will certainly never do so himself Indeed he will Justifie them that are sinners but not against the Accusation that they are sinners but against the Accusation that they are