liberty thou hast in Christ which is full and sweet Gal. 5. 13. 11. Learne to distinguish between thy Justification and thy personall Sanctification the first is perfect and compleat in Christ the latter is in our selves and is weak and uncertaine untill a soule be setled in the point of Justification the soules objections cannot be answered he that understands not the true nature and doctrine of Justification cannot injoy true setled constant peace and consolation for in the right understanding of Justification lieth the life of the Saints comfort 12. Let not thy comfort depend upon thy personall Sanctification because from it there can no sure setled constant comfort flow the seeking of comfort from our Sanctification is a cause of much trouble in many weake beleevers 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 should comfort us Justification depends not upon our apprehending it not in our receiving it but upon what the Lord Jesus hath done for us Justification is effected by Christ and it s apprehended by faith Heb. 11. 1. The Spirit and faith doth evidence to us our Justification all that beleeve are Justified Acts 13. 39. It s possible to have a full assurance of faith Heb. 10. 22. 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 the soule that apprehends his Justification by Christ not onely knoweth it but may live upon it and injoy the sweet fruit of it peace joy strength without any sanctificatioÌ„ in himselfe Seeing Christ is made Sanctification to a beleever 1 Cor. 1. 30. why may not a soule live upon that and say I have Sanctification in Christ which is perfect my actuall Righteousness doth often faile me but his indures for ever Psal 111. 3. Therefore I will fetch all my comfort from Christ and my Justification by him And as we are not to conclude our Justification from any effect of Sanctification so we are not to conclude that apprehension of Justification to be from God as shall take men off the meanes and rules of Sanctification because its a dishonour for men not to walke holily according to the word of God Titus 2. 14. 13. Be sure yee allow your selfe in no sin but in the strength of God hate and abhorre with the greatest indignation all sin and the appearance of it it is better to die then to sin There is that which accompanieth sin which strikes at a beleevers peace and comfort it will damp straighten and oppresse the soule it will hinder their comfort joy and peace in God unlesse God doth wonderfully strengthen their faith in him we finde by experience that sin is a let to our faith and comfort it having often unsetled and disquieted us in our peace comfort though we ought not to be so 14. Trouble not thy selfe with the feare of what may befall thee in case thou wert certaine great troubles shall befall thee be not troubled at any trouble much lesse at future troubles nor thinke to encounter with supply a future trouble with a present strength if many and great troubles come God is all-sufficient he will remove them or give strength to beare them when they come 1 Cor. 10. 13. 15. Minde seriously those promises that are sutable to thy condition and apply them God hath imparted himselfe in his promise and it is our wisdome and duty to rest upon it Seperate thy selfe to meditate on them Pro. 18. 2. There is strength and sweetnesse in the promise thou maist safely venture thy soule upon God in his promise and live upon it thou knowest not but God may reveale the promise more to thee in thy meditation of it and settle it by his almighty power upon thy soule Eph. 1. 19 20. Let not the promise of God be strange to thee be not willing to leave a promise untill thou beest refreshed by it yea raised and ravished with thankfulnesse for the exceeding riches of his mercy Eph. 2. 9. his plenteous redemption Psal 130. 7. The promise in Heb. 10 17. Their sinnes and iniquities I will remember no more is enough to quiet and settle a troubled soule it s so full of sweetnesse and life 16. 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 help Psal 63. 7. I was brought low and he helped me see 2 Tim. 4. 17 18. Psal 89. 49. Therefore he will helpe me if thou didst treasure up the experiences of Gods goodnesse to thy soule it would be a means to quiet thy soule c. But who among you will give eare to this who will hearken and heare for time to come Isa 42. 23. 17. Keep thy heart calme and quiet from all passion feare and griefe the still soule can best know and heare Christs voice where feare vexation and distemper dwells they are not aware of Christ and themselves and commonly they feare most who have least cause as appeares Luk. 2. 9 10. When the soule is troubled with passion it is not at the command of faith Luk. 24. 41. the violence of their joy hindered their faith Let not your hearts be troubled Joh. 13. 1. If they be you cannot injoy God nor your selves quietnesse is the stay of the soule to doe or receive many by supposed feares draw upon themselves reall sorrowes ând unnecessary discontents many are possessed with bitter sorrowes from supposed sufferings 18. Be content with thy present estate and sill not thy head heart or hand with more buisinesse then thou must needs Consider Heb. 13. 5. Take heed of the cares of this life Luk. 21. 34. 15. 19. 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 and want of diligence to dispatch what necessity requires to be done in its right place and time hath produced such inconveniences as have unavoidably caused trouble and a disquiet and an unsetled spirit 20. Walk with God in his wayes ordinances and meanes appointed by him for thy comfort strength joy and peace in him there is no quiet to those that worship the Beast Rev. 14. 10 11. Use the meanes and live upon God in them Rom. 18. 2. 4. 21. Doe not slâ—ght nor refuse Gods consolations Are the consolations of God small to thee Job 15. 11. Let not them seeme small to thee wilt thou not own the comfort God gives thee if it doe seeme small to thee own it because it is
causeth us to be accepted Eph. 1. 6. Actions without faith are not accepted neither for Christ nor for faith Our happinesse consists not in Gods accepting our actions but in our union with him and in that our sinnes are not imputed unto us Psal 32. 1. Our actions are accepted because our persons are accepted Gen. 4. Ans It s strange you will offer to say so oh the horrible and tragicall effects that naturally flow from this doctrine that he that beleeves cannot sinne or his sinfull actions are accepted if so then Davids adultery and murther was accepted yea all the sinnes of beleevers are accepted we abhorre to open such a gap for sinne to enter The word Reconcile declares that God is at enmity with us and we with him Re signifieth againe con signifieth together ciliation to call or move to how is there a removing where there was never a removing how together of those who were never asunder how againe unlesse the onenesse had been broken apieces Ans Though the word signifie so it will not follow that God was ever at enmity with the Elect. We are full of movings and removings because changeable but it s not so with God although the Elect sinne and depart from God yet the Scripture saith not that God was at enmity with them or that they fell from the love of God or that God hated the Elect consider 1 Joh. 5. 16. Isa 27. 4. Rom. 5. 9 10. Heb. 13. 8. In saying God was never an enemy to the Elect you make the fall of Adam in whom the Elect were included a fiction and the story of Christs sufferings a fable and Christs passion a vanity and overthrow the nature of God whose purity cannot indure sinne ye deny many Scriptures which testifie that God was at enmity with the Elect Eph. 2. Isa 63. 10 11. Lev. 26. 40 41 42. Ezek. 16. 62 63. Ans These are hard words and high charges indeed Jud. 13. 15. like the raging waves of the Seas that looke big and rise high and fall as suddenly so will your words fall into meere fables or slanders for no such thing will follow we say the â—all of Adam Christs death are no fictions nor fables but reall things by nature in Adam the Elect did sin and fell in Adam c. And had not Jesus Christ been made a curse for us we had perished therefore the death of Christ did more then reveale love men can reveale love each to other without dying much more could God in the love of God and Christs death lyeth our eternall happinesse Consider whose doctrine is against the purity of God yours or ours You say we deny many Scriptures tell us of one we deny not any we deny your false glosses and mis-interpretations I pray tell us in what place of Scripture we may reade that God was ever at enmity with the Elect or that he did not love them untill they did beleeve You say Till conversion comes God is an enemy with the Elect. Ans The Scripture you alledge to prove it says not as you doe the word wrath Eph. 2. is the curse that nor any other place doth not say that by the word wrath is meant Gods enmity against the Elect if it doe we will say so too In Isa 63. 10 11. is the word enmity viz. In some of his dispensations he was so for he fought against him So Levit. 26. God walked contrary to them yet it will not follow that God did so from any enmity and hatred to them for he did then love them and own them for his as appeares vers 45. I have given the dearly beloved of my soule into the hands of their enemies Jer. 12. 7. As for Ezekiel 16. 62 63. When I am pacified towards thee it appeares by the foure last verses that it s to be understood of the knowledge of his love for he saith Thou shalt know that I am the Lord thy God Joh. 14. 20. God may seeme angry yea seeme an enemy and hide himselfe and handle them roughly and yet love them not the worse for that as Jer. 31. 20. He changeâ—h not Mal. 3. 6. He saith He is the same yesterday to day and for ever Heb. 13. 8. Anger is not in me Isa 27. 4. Therefore your brother was very much mistaken to conceive that there was anger in God till he was pacified If Gods enmity had not concurred with Eves enmity against him shee had not in all likelihood eaten the forbidden fruit Ans You are hard put to it and have no Scripture to prove that you affirme it appeares you have no more but a likelihood for it therefore we must take that or nothing The fall was not from any enmity in God against her but God by that meanes was pleased to bring about his glory see Eph. 1. 6. to 12. Rom. 3. 19. God is a God of wrath to us till faith in Christ comes Eph. 2. Rom. 5. 1 2 It s as evident as evident may be that by faith in Christ God is reconciled to us and we to him Ans It s as evident as may be in your booke though the Scripture say not so Faith is a cause of Justification Ans You ascribe as much to faith as to Christ a cause this your opinion is very dishonourable to Christ in setting faith above Christ in making it a cause whereas Christs death is but a meanes a cause is above a meanes the cause is the love of God I say actually God cannot be said to be reconciled to man while man is not reconciled to God Ans I see you say it and say more then you can prove we say and prove that we were reconciled to God by the death of his Sonne Rom. 9. 10. What Christ did was actuall unlesse you will make it a fable if Christ dyed before we beleeved we were reconciled before we did beleeve Faith brings us into Christ Eph. 2. 8 9. Joh. 6. 37. Joh. 3. Ans You say into Christ and that faith is a part of Christ and a part of the divine nature but the Scripture doth not say so the divine nature is God and incommunicable if it could be divided in parts it were not infinite we partake of it by union not by inâ—usion it s no wonder ye ascribe all to faith as you doe if ye thinke faith is God So you ask â—f God saves us without our being in Christ and whether God doth not love to see us in Christ rather then out of him is this to speake like a Doctor Tell me how could we be chosen in Christ before the world if God did not consider us in him Eph. 1. 4. Can you â—ell when God considered us out of Christ or or in what Scripture it is said that ever any of the Elect were out of Christ or that they by â—inne fell out of Christ or out of the love of God When in Ephes 2. 5. doth not import a difference of time Ans
deny himselfe Such as are often angry have but little â—udgement and consideration wisdome and discretion A foole is soone angry but not so soon pleased Concerning Books Books doe much good or much hurt There are too many Books and because there are so many there needs more It 's best for ordinary capacities to read but few books and such as are sutable to their conditions Many reade much to little purpose for want of wisdome in choosing books and wisdome to distinguish truth from error and for want of a serious consideration and meditation on that they reade There is more true knowledge and comfort in the study of the Scriptures then in all other books And seeing what God saith must stand it 's best and safest to minde what God saith in his Word and to sleight whatsoever any else say if they speake not according to them Of beleeving No joy and peace without beleeving Our beleeving in Christ is sooner discerned by us then our personall sanctification There is more reason to beleeve God then man but it 's easier to beleeve man then God Oft-times we are willing to beleeve that to be which we would have to be We beleeve more then we see and feele Concerning the body The beauty of the body is a vanity it will soone decay The more we prize our bodies the lesse we prize our soules To spare the body and keepe it tenderly spoyles it and makes it good for nothing He is an enemy to his body that gives it all it craves A moderate dyet is good for soule body The wise prize preserve health of body The most of the paines and diseases of the body are occasioned by excesse in eating and drinking Oft-times that we thinke best to preserve the body will soonest destroy it To pamper the body with costly fare will cause it the sooner to be diseased to perish and rott Many doe so feed and pamper their bodies that they cannot rule them it will end in sorrow The way to be sick is to fill the body with meat and drinke Many thinke that the costliest dyet and drinke is best for the body but it doth not alwayes prove it Sometimes water is better for the body then wine and fasting better then feasting That fasting sweats colds and toile that are immoderate are ill for the body The bodies of many want necessaries because they overflow in superfluities Few men know what is good for their bodies till it be too late Bondage Liberty to sinne is the greatest bondage that can be Outward bondage is not much to a free and inlarged spirit Nothing can doe much hurt when all is well within What can be grievous to him whose eye is fixed on Heaven and knows it to be his own Of outward blessings It 's a great mercy to injoy outward blessings The more common and largely God bestows his blessings the less they are regarded In the want of blessings we come to prize them Of causes Every cause depends upon the first cause The cause and the effect are inseparable Naturall causes will have their operations So much as we judge of things by secondary causes so much we judge amisse Of comfort The immediate and divine comforts are the sweetest Those comforts are the greatest and sweetest that flow from the love of God to us He that lives by faith wants not comfort Full and setled comfort a beleever cannot have untill it be witnessed unto him by the Spirit Comfort without the Word is but false comfort and the Word without the Spirit yeelds but dark comfort Neither the Word nor the Spirit doth teach us to take comfort so much in the work of Christ in us as from Christ himselfe He that grounds his comfort upon a right bottom rightly his comfort will hold and be the same because God is the same To build our comfort upon the change of our lives is a sandy foundation which will fail There is no comfort that will last long but that which is drawn from or confirmed by the word of God We oft seek comfort from the creature which have no power to comfort God takes from his their comfort to give them comfort upon better grounds and for ever God mixeth crosses with comforts and comforts with crosses Soul-afflictions imbitter outward comforts Many consent with Satan to take away their comforts and then say they want comfort Loose walkers shall meet with sorrow in stead of comfort If a childe of God fall into a grosse sâ—nne it will so grieve the Spirit as he shall not injoy so sweet comfort in his soule sin will breake the bones of his comfort The Saints comfort is in Christ who will provide for them while they live and receive them when they dye Consolation After consolation look to meet with temptations and trialls of one kinde or other Crosses Crosses are sent by God to let out selfe Great crosses are good physick for great stomacks Even good men without some crosse are prone to grow corrupt and carelesse Selfe makes the crosse to pinch if selfe be removed the crosse is easie The more crosses a Saint hath the more they doe him good and make him more like Christ All the Saints crosses are appointed by God to doe them good Crosses that come onely by providence wee have most comfort in Though crosses be not pleasing to the flesh they are profitable to our spirits There are but few that make others crosses their own God crosseth men that they may rest on his providence When we are crossed and tempted we shew what mettle we are made on Of cares Cares cause feares and distractions Worldly cares doe greatly distract and make men drunke The cause we are so full of cares feares is because we have so little faith and selfe-deniall and are not content with a little The poore are more freed from care then the rich The consideration of Gods care and providence in providing for birds c. and the wicked besides the promise of God is a speciall means to prevent immoderate care for food and raiment for we are better then lillies or sparrows and our life is more then meate Custome Custome so shutts mens eyes that they cannot see the true visage of things Custome makes hard things easie and bondage no burden and addes delusion to blindnesse Custome without truth is but an old error Forme and custome are deadly enemies to spirituallnesse The rich observe customes and the poore pay deare for them they are starued by them for if that which is spent at burials were wisely bestowed upon the poor it would be much better and so in other needlesse customes Custome by degrees eats out and destroyes Conscience Delight and custome so wraps a man up in sinne that he cannot get free from it Men rock themselves asleepe in the cradle of custome Corruption Corruption cannot be teformed Corruption neither will nor can subdue corruption Concupiscence Concupiscence is strong and raging and hardly
As a mans end is in his eye proportionably he useth the meanes to attaine it When the chiefe end is apprehended and minded nothing can divide between the soule and it The more God is intended the more he is desired When God is chiefly desired no bounds nor limits is set to the desires and endeavours to attaine it Every thing rests in it's proper place the attaining the end quiets the heart Unlesse we know and minde our end we cannot have the comfort of our obedience The chiefe end beareth the greatest power in us Such as a mans principle is such is his end The end declares to us the goodnesse of our action The end rules the meanes and is above them We may know what is our chiefe end by the place and power of it A man is constant to that which is his end and acts freely to attaine it Wee are strongly inclined and moved to our end willingly diligently patiently constantly to attaine it As we attaine our end so are we contented so farre as we intend God we desire him The end is first in the intention and last in execution A beleever is true to his end however he may faile in the meanes The place of the end is in the intention and affection Not the endeavour but the ground of it discovers the end whether it be God or selfe Error Ignorance is the foundation of error It is the property of all men to erre and be deceived When errors prove profitable many will imbrace them It 's common for error to be called truth and truth to be called error One way to suppresse errors is silence for by this meanes they will dye alone whimsicall persons that affect novelty will lay them downe as fast as they took them up if you will let them alone Excuses It is easie to frame an excuse for any evill To cover an evill with an excuse is to cover à lesser evill with a greater When we have sinned Satan and our corruptions will helpe to cover it with excuses Such things as we cannot justifie we oft excuse Extremities No extremitie holds long It 's common to run from one extremitie to another It 's hard to be angry without sinning to grieve for sinne without despairing to feare without doubting to be merry without lightnesse to be sad without heavy and unprofitable dumpishnesse Most men love extreames men eate too little or too much and worke too little or too much Of education Good education doth oft cause an outward Reformation Evill education is a great provocation to evill Election The doctrine of election and appointment unto wrath and how much the first cause causeth all actions the certainty of the event the certainty of the state of every person and the like doctrines cause a corrupt heart to be more loose and carelesse therefore to teach these to the world is to cast holy things to dogs witnesse experience Examples The worst examples are most observed The examples of men are forcible when they are universall An evill example of a good man is very dangerous The examples of the best men ought not to be a Rule for us to walke by Excesses Most men are drowned in adversitie or drunke with prosperity The drinking healths is an excessive wast To drinke others healths is the way to loose our own Effects Effects are in order to second causes not to God who most certainly necessarily and wisely hath willed them nothing falls out accidentall to him whose knowledge and purpose reacheth every thing The eye Davids roving eye caused him to fall greatly and procured him much sinne shame vexation and griefe who would have thought an idle glance could occasion so much mischiefe Fancy will take fire before we be aware It 's in vaine to expect better fruit if we suffer our hearts to run after our eyes Experiences By observation we get experience Experience makes men wise because it gives understanding Experience teacheth what doth helpe or hinder a gracious temper in us Experience strengthens faith Without experience we know not where our strength and weaknesse lieth Things imaginary historicall traditionall will vanish in time of need Envie Envie torments the minde and dryeth the bones No good man can escape the envie of others Expressions Such as leave the Scripture expressions will soone loose the faith of Christ and receive error in stead of truth Extraordinary To doe to all as we would be done unto is extraordinary For men not to seek themselves is extraordinary For a man to deny himselfe is extraordinary To practice the truth against great oppositions is extraordinary To imbrace disgrace poverty prison and paines rather then to deny any truth is extraordinary To be more humble by knowledge and to goe against custome is extraordinary To be more humble when exalted is extraordinary For the rich to take reproose willingly and profitably from their inferiors is extraordinary For to refuse to joyn house to house when he can is extraordinary To part with riches as freely as they were received is extraordinary For man to seek not his own but others welfare is extraordinary To tell great persons of their faults in love wisely is extraordinary A minde that cannot be provoked is extraordinary To be willing to leave the world and to be zealous for God in prosperity is extraordinary Eternity Untill we have some serious thoughts of eternity we minde not our soules Serious thoughts of eternity will weane us from the world The favour of men The favour of some is much desired The favour of men is a vanity The favour of men is uncertain oft soone got and sooner lost The more some desire the favour of men the more God denieth them to exercise their faith or to weane them from the world or because we performe not our duties to them Folly It 's folly to meddle with other mens businesse and neglect our own Many never see their folly untill it be too late A fooles minde is all for thingâ— below and present but the wise prize most the things above they look beyond this life A foole multiplieth words Feares We feare what we should wish and wiâ—h that we should feare Feares make the understanding weake and the judgement dull Of all passions anger and feare doth most disquiet the heart The feare of an evill doth more afflict then the evill it selfe To be alwayes in feare is to be alwayes in misery it 's painfull to dwell upon the expectation of evill Feare betrayes care and hinders reason of affording it's help Feares hinder faith Feares multiply evills but faith diminisheth them Feares make dangers greater and helpes lesse then they are Feares present too many wayes of helpe So much as we feare men so much we slight and forget God Faith Faith is the staying of the minde upon God Faith quiets comforts and strengthens the soule Faith excludes not all doubting but fights against it Faith is under God the supporter of the Saints under many
if we are to act faith continually to be justified because we sin continually it will follow we are not justified for ever and that we may despaire of ever injâ—ying one quarter of an houres sweet injoyment of Justification because in lesse time we sinne and so are unjust and to be justified againe and if it be so no man can say three minutes together he is a justified man because in lesse time he sinneth and then he is by faith to be justified againe but this it is for a man to justifie himselfe as the blind Pharisees justified themselves Luk. 16. 14 15. Call you this Justification which will last no longer and is to so little purpose it s but a shadow there is no truth nor substance in it they are like the Priests under the Law and their worke to lesse purpose Heb. 10. 11. Geree For satisfaction that they may see we derogate not a jot from Christ see Wards Sermon p. 68. Ans It seemes Wards Sermon saith they doe not therefore they doe not this is proofe enough for those that will thinke it so Geree How can this be a derogating unto Christ or an abrogating unto faith to say by beleeving we live and are justified from sinne c. Joh. 3. 33. p. 92. Ans How can it be otherwise seeing yee dishonour Christ and put him to open shame it is a very great evill yee doe your evill is great and grievous For 1. Christ should be lifted up but yee pull him downe in that yee deny him his perfection and glory yee derogate from his sacrifice in that yee deny it to be sufficient to save us 2. Yee bring in workes beleeving and repentance c. as joynt causes of salvation and deliverance from wrath 3. In desiring something beyond his perfection yee make Christ an imperfect Priest and his sacrifice imperfect 4. Ye disgrace Christ in adding your righteousnesse to his ye deny the efficacy of his death and deny him to be able to save to the uttermost 5. In that ye would have something done for salvation ye deny it depends alone upon Christ for it depends not alone upon him if it also depends upon any other condition or additions 6. Ye deny salvation to be a free gift freely given us if we must doe for it and so earne it else as you say we shall not have it and so you make salvation uncertaine and doubtfull 7. Ye make Christ a meere shadow in comparison of your workes in saying the promise of God and the death of Christ is frustrate to us unlesse we performe such conditions 8. In saying we are justified by beleeving ye deny we are justified by Christ which is dangerous though it hath a shew of truth because Christ and beleeving are two things so that it s to divide our Justification between God and man Christ and us his workes and ours 9. Ye deny Justification and Salvation to be accomplished by Christs obedience in making it to depend upon our obedience and so ye impute it in part if but in part to our selves so overthrow the death of Christ 10. Ye make not Christ but faith and repentance c. the meanes of our salvation 11. Ye give that to beleeving c. which is proper to Christ in that ye attribute Justification which is the chiefe and maine thing Christ hath done for us to beleeving Isa 45. 24. 53. 11. 12. You make beleeving a cause of Justification in saying without it we cannot be justified 13. In saying beleeving is imputed for righteousnesse ye make it our righteousnesse or charge God to impute that for righteousnesse which is not righteousnesse 14. Your opinion ingendreth unto bondage it leaves the conscience in feare it robs it of peace joy and consolation it s an enemy to a chearfull and free serving of God 15. To say that we are justified by Christ and faith together is dishonourable to Christ for if we be justified by both then not by one and so Christ is made no Saviour in their judgements he is but a halfe Saviour I desire to know how it can be made out that we are justified by Christ if we be justified by beleeving if we are justified by his bloud Rom. 5. 9. Unlesse beleeving be his bloud we are not justified by beleeving the Scripture doth not say that any one is justified from sinne by beleeving but we have been taught so and it is no easie matter to unlearne and leave a corrupt principle 16. Christ hath not all the glory of our salvation if we joyne beleeving or workes to Christ as a copaâ—ner with him faith must have a part of it and we our selves for wee beleeve as you confesse p. 6. 17. In saying we are not loved nor accepted untill we beleeve ye deny we are accepted for Christ sake 18. Ye attribute righteousnesse in part to our selves in attributing it in part to beleeving many please themselves with a conceit that they doe not dishonour Christ in attributing salvation to beleeving because faith is from Christ 19. If we may ascribe Justification to beleeving then by the same Reason we may ascribe Justification to love patience temperance c. yea to all our performances our good workes prayers teares c. Because the power by which we doe these is Christs Without me ye can doe nothing Joh. 15. 5. 20 You make Christ no Saviour at all though you confesse Christ dyed for us yet you affirme beleeving and workes save us He is all yet you make him nothing at all unlesse man please â—o make him and what he hath done something by beleeving c. Christ will be all 〈◊〉 thing in that if ye make him not all ye 〈◊〉 upon him O ye sonnes and daughters of the most High lift up your voyce and cry no inherent holinesse no workes of the Law to Justification It s not of workes of righteousnesse we have done but according to his mercy he saved us Titus 3. 5. to 9. In the Lord have I righteousnesse he is our righteousnesse Jer. 23. 6. My tongue shall talke of thy righteousnesse even of thine onely Psal 71. 16. 24. Geree Methinkes Ezek. 36. 26 27 28. should make him blush if he were alive they shall be my people and I will be their God p. 79. Ans You have cause to blush for writing your selfe a Preacher of the Gospel and are so ignorant a Preacher of the Law yea of Popery to be a Minister of the Law is to be a Minister of the Letter as appeares 2 Cor. 3. 6 7 8 9. Such a Minister you are 2. Such as belong to the Election of grace ever were and shall be the people of God yea all the world and all in it is Gods he saith My Gold it s his Ezek. And the beasts of ten thousand mountaines the world and all in it is his but when God saith I will be their God and they shall be my people the meaning is he will declare
prophesie of Christ who by his death washed us cleane in his own bloud Rev. 1. 5. Christ gives remission of sinnes after we beleeve Ans The question is not when Christ gives it nor when we receive it but when sin was destroyed and washed away and we made just if there were not remission of sinnes in Christ for us before we beleeve how could it be given us afterward We are to aske pardon Mat. 6. 12. Ans The word pardon is not in the Text the word debts is to be understood betwixt man and man first for we pray to be forgiven as we forgive we forgive not perfectly will an imperfect forgivenesse of our sinnes from God be sufficient for us Secondly Because Gods forgiving us our sinnes against him is not on that condition if we forgive others as this is see Mark 11. 25 26. Luk. 17. 3. 2 Cor 2. 7. And as for the forgivenesse of sin in 1 Joh. 1 9. is to be understood for the manifestation of forgivenesse the assurance and injoyment of it in the conscience its usuall in Scripture to put the cause for the effect and the effect for the cause Pro. 8. 36. It s so to be understood because there is nothing of pardon obtaineable but the manifestation of it therefore not to be prayed for since Christs death all that is to be done is onely to declare its done and for whom it s done for Christ will dye no more it s in vaine to pray for the pardon of that sin which was not washed away in his bloud Heb. 10. 18. 2 Cor 5. 19. It is no mocking of God to pray to God to manifest to us what he hath done for us as David Psal 51. 9. 12. I grant Christ hath borne our sinnes there is a difference betwixt Christs bearing them and giving us pardon for them Ans If Christ hath borne them and satisfied for them seeing God is satisfied now we know it we are satisfied in that God hath not any thing to lay to our charge Rom. 8 33. 2 Tim. 1. 9. speakes of his purpose Ans Christ by his death did save us according to his purpose before the world marke the words His purpose to save us was before the world He saith not that we were saved before the world He saved us by his death so that its said He hath saved us 2 Tim. 1. 9. see Titus 3. 5. Joh. 3. 36. 5. 24. Col. 2. 10. Eph. 1. 3. 2. 5. 8. Heb. 10. 14. 1 Joh. 5. 11 12 Phil. 3. 12. Rom. 8. 24. We have all in Christ Rom. 8. 23. We wait for the adoption yet we are now the Sonnes of God 1 Joh. 3. 2. and our Redemption Eph. 1. 4. Yet by Christ we are redeemed Luk 1. 68. We have redemption in him Col. 1. 14. for Eph. 1. 3. In our selves imperfect there is no perfection in us nor in this life Heb. 10. 10. Proves that by one act Christs death God was satisfied Ans It s enough seeing God is satisfied we are satisfied though others cavell and be unsatisfied Forgivenesse of sinne conveyed to us by the Spirit is called pardon Ans It appeares from Isa 40. 1 2. That their sinnes were pardoned before it was declared unto them God cals it pardon yet they knew it not nor had it in their consciences Comfort ye my people tell her that her iniquity is pardoned 2. Pardon of sinne or justification in the conscience is not justification is selfe but onely the knowledge of it Justification depends not upon our assurance of it or knowledge of it but upon Christ Isa 45. 25. It consists in taking away sinne that which is in the conscience is the knowledge of it and comfort of it 1. That pardon of sin or justification consists not in the declaring of it nor receiving of it for if to declare one to be just makes him so then he was not so before God and wisdome are said to be justified by men Mat. 11. 19. Luk. 7. 35. Rom. 3. 3 4. did it make him so 2. God by his Spirit declareth a soule to be just and righteous but if he were not made so by Christ before it will follow he justified the wicked which is abomination Pro. 17. 15. They are just or wicked guilty persons or not guilty he saith he will by no meanes cleare the guilty Exod 34. 7. Deut. 25. 1. Therefore they that are righteous before God will declare them to be so God will not have men to declare any to be just and righteous unlesse they appeare to be so The Elect are made just by Christ therefore they appeare so to God and in his time he declares it 3. If to declare one to be just could make him so it were good to doe it for its good to make evill good if the wicked and their actions were to be declared to be just yet would they remaine wicked and sinfull still 1. Neither is Justification a taking sin out of the conscience if it were faith justifieth not nor doth it take sin out of the conscience nor assure the conscience that he is a childe of God for that is the worke of the holy Spirit of God 2. A man may feare the Lord and obey Christ and yet walke in darknesse and see no light and yet God is his God Isa 50. 10 11. If he be not a beleever how doth it appeare that God is his God If sin be taken out of his conscience he assured that God is his God how doth he walke in darknesse and see no light to see all Christ hath done to be for us and sin taken out of the conscience which is the fruit of the former is a great light 3. If the knowledge that a man is a beleever takes away sin then faith takes it not away for it is one thing to beleeve and another to know I beleeve as it is one thing to see and another to know I see the latter is by a reflection by this reason it will follow that nothing justifieth but the taking sin out of the conscience which is assurance and 4. If assurance be justification then a beleever may be an unjustified man because he may want assurances and be so clouded and deserted that he may not injoy the assurance of pardon but very much doubt whether his sinnes be pardoned or noâ— thus it was with Heman Psal 88. and many other beleevers 5. If justification consists in taking sin out of the conscience it will follow that if conscience accuse he is an unjustified man and so be a justified and unjustified man in ten minutes for idle thoughts and words are sins and conscience will accuse for them and they may lie heavy upon the conscience 6. Also by this reason it will follow that none are converted nor have faith untill they have assurance they appeare to be in their sinnes no faith but assurance yet assurance is no faith at all for they are two things Joh. 6.