no more Heb. 10. 17. So that now wee may draw neere with a true heart in full assurance of faith for he is faithfull that promised vers 22 23. Let not thy comfort depend upon thy personall Sanctification because from it there can no sure selected constant comfort flow To seek comfort from Sanctification and not from their Justification in Christ is a cause of much trouble in many a weake beleever for Sanctification hath nothing to doe with Justification nor salvation as any cause of it Also Sanctification admits of degrees but Justification admits of neither rules nor degrees and is more glorious then Sanctification our Justification depends not upon our apprehending of it nor in our receiving of it but upon the effectualnesse and merit of what our sweet Lord Jesus hath done for us Heb. 10. 14. 18 19. So that now wee may well have boldnesse to enter into the Holiest by the bloud of Jesus vers 20. Justification is apprehended by faith Heb. 11. 1. Joh. 8. 56. Faith doth evidence to us our justification for the Scripture saith all that beleeve are justified Act. 13. 39. It is possible to have a full assurance of faith Heb. 10. 22. therefore faith is an unquestionable evidence and when faith is hidden and doubtfull Justification is not apprehended and when faith is hidden and doubtfull Sanctification is not evident but doubtfull and so cannot evidence to us our Justification the effects of Sanctification cause men to question their Justification therefore no effect of Sanctification can evidence to the soule its Justification and that soule that by Faith apprehends his Justification by Christ not onely knoweth it but may live upon it injoying the sweet fruit of it peace joy strength without any considering the effects of Sanctification in himselfe And seeing Christ is made Sanctification to a beleever 1 Cor. 1. 30. why may not a beleever live upon his own and say I have Sanctification in Christ which is perfect my actuall righteousnesse doth often faile me but Christs righteousnesse indures for ever Psal 111. 3. therefore I will fetch all my comfort from Christ and my Justification by him and as wee are not to conclude our Justification from any effect of Sanctification so wee are not to conclude that apprehension of Justification to be from God as shall take men off the meanes and rules of Sanctification because it is to the dishonour of God for men not to walke holily according to the word of God Tit. 2. 14. Prize and preserve the peace of thy conscience Be sure yee allow your selves in no sinne but in the power and strength of Christ to hate and abhorre with the greatest indignation all sinne and the appearance of evill it is better to dye then to sinne there is that which accompanieth sinne which strikes at a beleevers peace and comfort and will damp straiten and oppresse their comfort joy and peace in God unlesse God doth wonderfully strengthen their faith in him And such as live by faith and injoy sweet peace in him have found sin to be an enemy and a let to their faith and comfort it having often unsetled and disquieted and clouded their soules peace though indeed it ought not so to doe for we are to remember that sweet place Heb. 10. 17. Their sinnes and iniquities will I remember no more This alone is able to settle a soule it being full of sweetnesse and life Doe not trouble thy selfe with any thing that may befall thee in case thou wert certaine great troubles shall befall thee be not troubled at any trouble much lesse for future trouble nor thinke not to incounter with supply a future trouble with a present strength if many and great troubles come God is alsufficient and will remove them or give strength to beare them when they come 1 Cor. 10. 13. Mind seriously those promises of God that are sutable to thy condition separate thy selfe to meditate upon them as Prov. 18. 2. hide them in thy heart as Mat. 13. 44. There is strength and sweetnesse in the promise thou maist venture thy soule upon God in his promise and live upon it thou knowest not but God may reveale his promise to thee and settle it sweetly and fully upon thy soule by his almightie power as Ephes 1. 19 20. Therefore let not Gods promises be strange to thee but feed upon them eat them Eate O friends drinke abundantly O beloved Song 5. 1. Leave not the promise untill thou beest refreshed revived raised ravished with Gods rich grace and infinite free love and thy heart inlarged with thankfulnesse and obedience unto God againe for the exceeding riches of his mercy Eph. 2. 9. His plenteous Redemption Psal 130. 7. Treasure up experiences of Gods goodnesse unto thy soule but who among you will give eare to this who will hearken and heare for the time to come Isa 42. 23. Remember the dayes of old I have considered the dayes of old and the yeares of ancient time Psal 77. 5. Thou hast been my helpe Psal 63. 7. I was brought low and he helped me see 2 Tim. 4. 17 18. Psal 89. 49. Keepe thy heart calme and quiet from all passions as feare griefe c. The still soule can best heare and know Christs voice his still voyce but where feare vexation and distempers dwell they are not aware of Christ nor themselves and commonly they that feare most have least cause as they had the Angel of the Lord came upon them and the glory of the Lord shone round about them and they were sore afraid and the Angel said unto them Feare not for behold I bring you tidings of great joy Luk. 2. 9 10. When the soule is troubled with any passion it is not at the command of faith Luk. 24. 41. the violence of their joy hindred their faith Let not your hearts be troubled Joh. 13. 1. Quietnesse is the stay of the soule to doe or receive Be contented with thy present estate and fill not thy head heart or hand with any more businesse then thou must needs Consider Heb. 13. 5. Take heed of the cares of this life Luk. 21. 34. 15. Trouble not thy selfe with needlesse supposed feares if thou doest thou drawest upon thy selfe reall sorrow and unnecessary discontent there be many that are possessed with bitter sorrows from supposed sufferings Order thy conversation aright To him that ordereth his conversation aright will I shew the salvation of God Psal 50. 23. Want of wisdome to dispose of of diligence to dispatch what necessitie requires to be done in the right time and place hath produced such inconveniences as hath unavoydably caused trouble a disquieted and an unsetled spirit Walke with God in his wayes ordinances they are for thy comfort strength joy and peace in him there is no quiet to those that worship the beast Rev. 14. 10 11. Use Gods means but live not upon ordinances but upon God in them for meanes alone are not sufficient to doe
delivering them over to Satan their lusts to be hardened God oft punisheth sin with sin Rom. 1. 74. Sundry interrogations in Scripture as Rom. 10. 14 15. have the force of a negative that is to say they cannot Some againe do so aske a question as they require have an expresse answer Psal 15. 1. Rom. 11. 1. 3. 12. It is to quicken attention or to urge more vehemently the affection or to prepare way for some weightie discourse 75. The title God is sometimes put absolutely and in the singular number then it notes the Creator or the essence Sometimes it is used with an addition as in Exodus I have made thee God of Pharaoh or in the plurall number Psal 84. I have said yee are Gods and vers 1. In the assembly of Gods then it belongs to the Creator see Rom. 1. 7. Sometimes essentially as Joh. 4. 24. God is a Spirit So the word Father is sometimes put essentially for the deity Mat. 6. Our Father Sometimes distinctly The Father is greater then I. Ignorance in these Rules causeth errors concerning God 76. Words of knowledge and sense doe signifie besides action and affections as God knoweth the wayes of the righteous Psal 1. 6. And that he knoweth who are his 2 Tim. 2. 19. Apoc. 2. 3. is meant he knowes them with love favour and approbation to reward and crown them Also it is said whom he foreknew Rom. 11. 2. with 1 Pet. 1. 2. is meant his eternall love imbraceth these as his owne for he knew barely before all reprobates and devils and their works too but not with favour and allowance Also the word Remember is a word of sense yet it often importeth care love delight 1 Cor. 11. Doe this in remembrance of me Gen. â—8 77. Legall and Evangelicall promises must not be distinguished by bookes but by the nature and condition of the promises for Legall promises may be found in bookes of the New Testament as Rom. 2. 7 8 9 10 11 12 13. 10 5 Gal. 3. 10. 12. And Evangelicall promises of grace are in the old Testament as Psal 132. 1 2. Jer. 32. 31 32. c. Observe them according to these two rules following 78. If promises of temporall or eternall things are propounded upon condition of workes they are Legall Christ onely hath kept the Law and they which beleeve are to claime them by this tide conveyed to them by faith in Christ 79. All promises for this life or a better which are made as one condition of beleeving repenting working for these are workes though imperfect are onely effects and fruits of faith and not conditions nor causes but are onely to declare what persons God will save Godlinesse hath the promises c. 1 Tim. 6. He that beleeveth c. Joh. 3. And to understand them in any other sense is Legall see Psal 1. 1 2 3 2 Cor. 7. 10. 80. Touching such places where morall duties are commended and commanded they must be understood according to these Rules following as 1. though no word be spoken oâ— Christ yet it must be understood that he alone is the whole cause of every part of our salvation Act. 4. 12. 81. All morall duties are then commended in any partie when the partie which doth them is first in Christ and his sinnes pardoned through his death as 1 Pet. 2. 5. Heb. 11. 6. Our best duties are imperfect if in Christ accepted if out of Christ mens best duties cannot cause them to be accepted 82. All good workes must have a pure heart Gods glory for the beginning and the end having a conscience to God in obedience to his Word unlesse the person be accepted the bare deed or action cannot please God 83. Where blessednesse is promised to morall duties doing those places are not to be considered as causes thereof for Christ is the cause of all out onely to declare what persons they are which God doth save and what the Saints dutie is to doe 84. These duties must not be understood in the strictnesse and rigour of the morall Law but of a continuall and unfained desire purpose and indeavour to doe them This rule prevents scruples and feares which weake ones have through the sense of their wants and failings 85. The Scriptures use to call them sonnes which by nature are no sonnes to them whose sonnes they are called but they are sonnes legally and by succession thus Salathiel being sonne of Neri naturally Luk. 3. 27. is legally and by succession made the son of Jechoniah whom he succeeded in the kingdome as Mat. 1. 12. 86. After this manner Zedekiah or Jehoiakim 1 Chron. 36. 10. and his sonne 1 Chron. 3. 16. His brother by generation his sonne by right of succession By this Rule the two Evangelists Matthew and Luke are reconciled in their Genealogie for Luke followeth the naturall order and Matthew the legall order 87. Many things are said in Scripture by anticipation and recapitulation 88. In Scripture some things are spokeÌ„ well when righteous things are taught rightly as Repent and beleeve c. Or secondly when evill things are taught evilly when wicked things are perswaded as To curse God and dye Or thirdly when good things are uttered evilly when some right thing is said with a perverse mind as Joh. 9. Be thou his Disciple Or fourthly evill things well spoken and dishonest things uttered in honest termes as David went in to Bathsheba and Rom. 1. 26. 89. The Scripture speaks many things in the person of the ungodly men whose crooked words it doth report unto us as well as their deeds 90. That word which seemeth to forbid goodnesse or to command wickednesse is a figurative speech as Vnlesse a man eate my flesh c. This is wickednesse because the word is pure it cannot allow any thing against honesty of manners or veritie of faith 91. Tropes and figures in Scriptures are not to be accounted lies as for Christ calling Herod a Fox and himselfe a Vine a Dore c. Because there is no purpose to deceive in them but by meet resemblance to expresse the truth 92. Similitudes are rather to make darke things plaine then to prove any doubtfull thing similitudes are not argumentative as Stewards in Joh. 15. 93. To make allegories and figures where none are in exposition is licentious dangerous and hurtfull 94. In things that be subordinate the affirming the one doth not sollow the denying of the other 95. All interpretations must be fit as well as true 96. It is a ready way to all error to interpret Scripture by prejudice in favour of some opinion of our owne 97. In Scripture a betrothed woman is called a wife Mat. 1. 20. and so of the man Deut. 22. 23. Because betrothing is an essentiall part of marriage yet the solemnization is necessary unto comelinesse and avoyding of offence 98. That interpretation is corrupt that builds not up in faith and love 99. A figurative speech in Scripture does more
for in thy sight shall no man living be justified Psal 143. 2. Dan. 9. 18. Tit. 3. 5. 7. All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags c. Isai 64. 4. 6. God reveales to a soule Christs righteousnesse and the soules interest unto it Joh. 16. 14. To comfort the soule and cause the soule to love God againe he doth not comfort us in the sight of our own righteousnesse before he declares and comforts the soule in the righteousnesse of Christ Righteousnesse in him That righteousnesse which justifieth us before God as it is not ours so it is not in us but as it is Christs righteousnesse so it is in him In the Lord have I righteousnesse and strength in me you shall have righteousnesse and strength Isa 45. 23 24 25. The cause or forme of our justification is by a reciprocall translation of our sin unto Christ and his righteousnesse unto us both which is done by God for us That we might be made Whatsoever Jesus Christ hath done and suffered was for those whose sinnes were laid upon him who are stated in him Ephes 1. 4. and are fully pardoned by him Rev. 1. 5. By the obedience of one man viz. Christ many are made righteous Rom. 5. 19. By his stripes we are healed Isa 53. 5. The bloud of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin 1 Joh. 1. 7. In him God considers his to be in Christ before they had a beeing in themselves Ephes 1. 4. and he never lookes upon his children out of him for they are never out of him They dwell in Christ Joh. 6. 56. and shall ever live Joh. 9. 25. and be found in him Phil. 3. 8. Christ and all true beleevers are so united together that they are but one one body one spirit bone of his bone oh what union is like to this that is so reall full and intire wonderfull glorious spirituall eternall and infinite 1 Cor. 6. 17. Gal. 5. 30. c. Joh. 15. 5. Joh. 17. 22 23. If our faith in Christ were as strong as our union with Christ wee should ingrosse and possesse all that is in heaven and nothing in the earth could trouble us The state of a beleever in Christ as considered in him is an estate of perfection We are complete in him Col. 2. 9 10. 13. As Christ is so am I as I am so is Christ Joh. 1. 17. What is Christs is mine what is mine is his Christs righteousnesse is mine I am all righteous I need no more nor no other righteousnesse as I am in Christ I am as righteous and as acceptable as Christ God seeth no sin in me because there is none for I am all faire there is no spot in me Song 4. 7. Song 2. 10. Ephes 5. 25 26 27. For as he is even so are we in this world 1 Joh. 4. 17. Thou hast cast all my sinnes behinde thy backe Isa 38. 17. As far as the East in from the West so far hath he removed our transgressions from us Psal 103. 12. Seventy weeks are determined upon the people and upon the holy Citie to finish the transgressions and to make an end of sinnes and to make reconviliation for iniquitie and to bring in an everlasting righteousnesse to seale up the vision and prophecy and to anoynt the most Holy Dan. 9. 24. I will greatly rejoyce in the Lord my soule shall be joyfull in my God for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation he hath covered me with the robe of righteousnesse Isa 61. 10. All Saints are alike clothed with Christs righteousnesse the meanest the weakest as the best and is as acceptable by it as the best oh they are all alike perfect righteous and glorious as they are in Christ oh here is strong consolation for thy fainting heart to refresh it selfe withall Drinke O friends and make yee merry O welbeloved yea drink drink abundantly in this fountaine that is bottomlesse and therefore can never be drawne dry Song 5. 1. In the most perfect Saints as they are in themselves there is much sin 1 Joh. 1. 10. and God doth see it yet God cannot condemne them to wrath for it no more then God can condemne Christ for it who shall appeare without sin Heb. 9. 28. They being in him who hath suffered for it and Justice neither will nor can exact the payment of a debt twice now it 's justice in God to justifie Rom. 3. 25. yea God is as just in pardoning a sinner by the bloud of Christ as he is just in condemning any and now thou hast a full pardon by justice as well as mercy therefore drinke freely Song 5. 1. For us That which is spoken in generall to beleevers every beleever is to apply it to himselfe in particular so Paul he loved me and gave himselfe for me Gal. 2. 20. For us for me The word and promise of God that it is for me is that which my soule should fix its eye upon and by faith for ever relie upon and be a full satisfaction to my soule knowing that the word and promise of God is the onely ground of my faith and is securitie sufficient for my salvation As soone as the soule is convinced that Jesus Christ is made sin for me and that I am made the righteousnesse of God in him all the soules doubts feares objections vanish and Christ is beleeved in and lived upon with thankfulnesse and joy Jesus Christ being made sin for me is as good for me yea better for me then if I had never sinned as much better as a spirituall body is better then a naturall as much better as the image of the heavenly is better then the image of the earthly yea as much better as strength is better then weaknesse and as heaven is better then earth 1 Cor. 15. 43 44. to 55. But saith a discouraged soule I cannot beleeve the Lord Jesus was made sin for me Why not for thee Because my sins are greater then others be for my sins have all the aggravations upon them that can be For mine are many So were theirs in the second and third Chapter of Jeremiah yet notwithstanding God pardoned them all as appeares Jer. 3. 21. to 25. But my sins are great and hainous So were theirs and so were Manassehs as appeares 2 King 21. 4. 9. 11. 16. and so was the womans Luk. 7. 47. and so was Pauls 1 Tim. 1. 15. yet God pardoned them all as he hath done others But my sins are against the Gospel So was Pauls he persecuted them that professed the Gospel and made havock of the Church entring into every house haling men and women and committed them to prison Act. 8. 3. And Christ died for them that slew him Act. 2. 23. 38. But mine are afâ—er many mercies So was Solomons who sinned against God after the Lord appeared unto him twice 1 King 11. 9.
like Christ Great crosses are good physicke for great stomackes Contentment Earthly contents are present to our sense No earthly thing can give content Joy in God breeds content So much as wee deny our selves so much contentment we have Contemplation Divine contemplation makes us high in thoughts and rich in expectation Contemplation of Gods free love and the soules interest in it doth revive raise and inlarge the soule To contemplate on the things above is most pleasant of all things to them who have tasted the sweetnesse of them Covetousnesse Such as are not contented with that they have are covetous Distrust of God causeth covetousnesse which is the root of all evill So much as we are discontented with our estates so much covetousnesse there is in us Covetousnesse doth us and others more hurt then we are aware of Such as thinke themselves least covetous are most covetous A child of God knows not how to be revenged upon his selfe for his covetousnesse of the things of this world Contraries Every contrary the more it is resisted the more it appeares Deadnesse of spirit Deadnesse of heart is an enemy to action he that will support diligence must support chearfulnesse deadnesse is the grave of many graces Such as come to God unchearfully oft returne unthankfully Spirituall deadnesse is a great griefe to a childe of God Delayes Delayes a rise from sloath The more we delay the more we may By deferring wee presume upon that we have not and neglect that we have To morrow to morrow cozens many a man Death Death hath something to say to every man and would faine be heard but men are not at leisure Every man must dye The day of death is the first day of life He whose hopes are in heaven is not much afraid of death Death is to him no misery whose hope is in eternitie Death when it seemes to dispossesse a Saint of all it possesseth him of all things Such as are spiritually dead are not aware of it they onely mind and savour the things of the flesh Difficulties Difficulties are discouragements and handsome excuses are welcome to a sloathfull heart Love will carry on through all difficulties and to undergoe all manner of torments Dreames An evill dreame shews some evill that prevailes in the heart By dreames God may foreshew some sin to come which we are in danger to fall into which we are not afraid of Selfe-deniall They live the sweetest lives that most deny themselves There are very few that do deny themselves but many can deny Christ and his truth Selfe may be denyed a little in one kinde if it may please selfe much in another Distractions Distractions of minde in duties is either from our minding other things or resting in our own strength or from a not serious setting our minds on the thing propounded by us for that which the heart is throughly set upon it is so attentive to it that it can be present to no other thing at that instant especially to hinder the thing in hand The want of a wise ordering and dispatch of businesse causeth a great distraction in men Duties It is no wonder some doe so much because they expect heaven for what they doe Such duties as flow not from faith and love are legall and slavish Many will own and confesse their dutie in the generall that will wholly deny it in particular especially when it concernes themselves A beleever as he is a beleever he doth fetch all from God refer all unto God and doe all for God Examples The examples of men is not to be any rule to walke by Mens example is very forcible when it is universall The worst examples are most observed Excuses When we have sinned Satan and our corruptions help us to cover it with excuses which is to cover a lesser evill with a greater It is easie to frame an excuse for any evill Education Good education doth oft cause an outward reformation Evill education is a great provocation to sinne Excesses Men doe too little or too much men love extreames as many eate too little or too much worke too little or too much Most men are drowned in adversitie or drunke with prosperitie Extraordinary For men not to seeke themselves is extraordinary To practise the truth against great opposition to be the more humbled by knowledge and to goe against custome is extraordinary For a man to refuse to joyne house to house when he can is extraordinary For the rich to take reproofe willingly and profitably of the poore is extraordinary For to part with riches as freely as they were received is extraordinary Ends in duties The end rules the meanes and is above them A beleever is ever true to his end but he often failes in the meanes Error When errors prove profitable many will imbrace them Ignorance is the foundation of error It 's common for error to be called truth and truth to be called error Effects Effects are in order to second causes not to God who most certainly necessarily and wisely hath willed them and nothing falls out accidentally as referred to him whose wise intention reacheth every thing Favour of men The favour of men is a vanitie yet much desired The favour of men is an uncertaine thing soone got and soone lost Men desire the favour of men God denies it to some to exercise their faith weane them from the world or because we performe not our duties unto them Folly Many never see their folly untill it be too late Feares Feares make the understanding weake and the judgement dull Feares hinder the certainty of faith So much as we feare men wee forget and sleight God Faith Where God gives faith he gives trials also to exercise it Faith quiets comforts and strengthens the soule We injoy Christ by faith and not by feeling When faith is at the greatest then there is the least feeling As our faith is so are we incouraged to obey God The more faith the lesse feare God Gods presence in every place is a great comfort to his They that live upon God alone live most comfortably for there is satisfaction and no changes he feares nothing that can befall him he lives comfortably in all Grace Grace is exceeding strong especially faith love to carry a man through all God will exercise the graces that are in his The more grace any have the more need to pray because Satan is most ready to tempt such Griefe We cannot heartily be grieved for that sin in another of which wee make not conscience in our selves It is a griefe to a childe of God to speake of any good they finde a want of in themselves If we did not immoderately love outward things we would not grieve at the losse of them nor keepe such a doe to get them Of gifts The greater gifts spirituall or temporall the prouder the flesh is and the readier Satan is to assault Good A man may doe good in the strength of a