punishment 9. Judicium discernens voluntatem Dei pertinet ad quemlibet pro semetipso The judgment to discern the will of God belongs to every one for himself 10. Lex Dei in mente est regula Conscientiae The Law of God in the mind is the rule of Conscience 11. Conscientia est ignis Inferni Vermis rodens The Conscience is the fire of Hell the Worm that never dies 12. Coelum Terra in Corde humano Heaven and Hell are seated in the Heart of Man 13. Conscientia ante bonum calcar post bonum consolatio The Conscience is a spur unto good and a comfort afterward 14. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We do not easily fairly judg of our selves without partiality 15. Inter Deum Conscientiam noli vereri nisi causam tuam Betwixt God and thine own Conscience fear nothing if thy cause be good if thy Heart be honest The CONTENTS Transition Old Man Old Leaven Natural Man Carnal Mind New Man New Lump Spiritual Mind New Birth First Resurrection Old Creation Concurrency of God and Man TITLE VI. Of a New Creature Transition THe Conscience being rectified to do all its offices faithfully argues the rectification of the Understanding and Will and all the passions which is the change of the whole Man or the New Creature SECT I. Old Man The New Creature implyes the Old Creature done away which is called in Scripture 1. The Old Man Our Old Man is crucified with him Old Man Ro. 6.6 that the Body of sin might be destroy'd that from henceforth we should not serve sin Put off concerning the former conversation Eph. 4.22 which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts and be renew'd in the Spirit of your minds Put off the Old Man with his deeds and put on the New Man Col. 3.9 which is renew'd in knowledg after the image of him that created him SECT II. 2. Old Leaven Purge out therefore the Old Leaven Old Leaven 1 Cor. 5.7 that ye may be a New Lump as ye are unleavened for Christ our Pass-over is sacrificed for us SECT III. 3. Natural Man Natural Man 1 Cor. 2.14 The Natural Man received not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness unto him neither indeed can he because they are spiritually discerned SECT IV. 4. Carnal Mind The Law is spiritual but I am carnal Carnal mind Ro. 7.14 Ro. 8.7 sold under sin Because the carnal mind is enmity against God for it is not subject to the Law of God neither indeed can be I speak unto you as unto Spiritual not unto Carnal even as unto Babes in Christ 1 Cor. 3.13 Ro. 8.6 2 Cor. 10.4 c. To be carnally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is life and peace The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but spiritual mighty through God to the pulling down strong holds casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth it self against the knowledg of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ and being in a readiness to revenge all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled 5. Gall of bitterness Act. I perceive that thou art in the gall of bitterness and bond of perdition 6. Flesh That which is born of the flesh is Flesh and that which is born of the Spirit is Spirit 7. Old Birth Joh. 3. Except a Man be born again of the Water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven This is the old heart the old Spirit the stony-heart the wrong Spirit old affections and lusts c. SECT V. 2. The New Creature which is called in Scripture 1. The New Man Put on the New Man New Man Eph. 4.24 Col. 3.10 2 Cor. 5.17 which after Christ is created in Righteousness and true Holiness Put on the New Man renewed in knowledg after the image of him that created him If any Man be in Christ he is a New Creature SECT VI. 2. The New Lump Purge out therefore the Old Leaven New Lump 1 Cor. 5.7 that ye may be a new Lump c. SECT VII 3. Spiritual mind To be carnally minded is death Spiritual mind Ro. 8.6 Ro. 12.2 Tit. 3.5 but to be spiritually minded is life and peace Wisdom and Spiritual Understanding Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind that ye may know what is that good and perfect Will of God By the washing of Regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost For this cause we faint not but though our outward Man perish 2 Cor. 4.16 yet the inward Man is renewed day by day Be ye renewed in the Spirit of your mind Hebr. 6.6 c. If they shall fall away to renew them again by repentance Col. 3.1 c. Set your affections on high seek those things which are above c. SECT VIII New Birth Joh. 1.13 4. New Birth Born of God born not of Blood nor of the will of the Flesh nor of the will of Men but of God He that is born of God doth not commit sin 1 Joh. 3.9 for his seed remaineth in him and he cannot commit sin because he is born of God 1 Joh. 4.7 Every one that loveth is born of God and knoweth God 1 Joh. 5.4 18. He that is born of God overcometh the World and this is the victory that overcometh the World 1 Joh. 2.29 even our Faith Every one that doth righteousness is born of him Tit. 3.5 The washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost SECT IX First Resurrection Rev. 20.5 6. 5. The first Resurrection He that hath his part in the first Resurrection upon him the second death shall have no power This is the New heart the heart of Flesh the new Spirit the right Spirit Ez. 11.19 I will put a new Spirit within you I will take the stony-heart out of the Flesh Ez. 18.31 and I will make you a new heart and a new Spirit for why will ye dye Ez. 36.26 O ye House of Israel A New heart will I give you and put a new Spirit within you Ro. 7.6 and I will take away the stony-heart and give you an heart of Flesh 1 Pet. 2.2 Serve God in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the Letter As new born Babes desire the sincere milk of the Word that ye may grow thereby Gal. 2.20 This is crucifixion with Christ I am crucified with Christ I live yet not I Gal. 52.4 but Christ that liveth in me They that are Christs have crucified the Flesh with the affections and lusts Gol. 6.14 This is living in the Spirit and walking in the Spirit Glorying in the Cross of Christ by which the World is crucified unto us and we unto the World This is a death unto sin a burial with Christ a rising with him a partaking of the Divine
Election Grace Gift Good-will Will Testament Covenant and Promise all which are Jural Words signifying the causes of our Justification 2. As by such words which do confirm or assure a Right as Seal Earnest for the holy Spirit is the Seal and Earnest of that inheritance whereto we are Justified as Liberty Freedom Communion Fellowship Propriety Gift Grace Inheritance Possession Glory all which and many more are the results and effects of our Justification 3. As by such words as are opposite to Justifying as injuring condemning outlawing reprobating As to be injured is against law to lose some right which by law was due and to be condemned is according to law to lose some right which by law was to be lost and to be outlawed is to lose all benefit of Law which the person in-lawed had so a Person justified is one who beyond and above all Law is made to have some right which before he had not or which by Law he could never have or one who by or according to Law is made to have and hold some right which by Law was due to him being inlawed And as condemnation and outlawing is the imputation of a present Sin to a future punishment So justification and inlawing is the imputation of a present right to a future blessing and imputation is a Genus to them both Seeing then injuring and condemning and outlawing are jural words therefore justifying acquitting and inlawing are jural words also 4. As by such words which are of affinity and nearness and subordinate to justifying and comprehended under it As Naturalizing Legitimating Manumizing Redeeming Pardoning Adopting and such like which are the several kinds of justifying which is the Genus to them all For Naturalizing is a justifying of an Alien born in a far Country by imputing to him the right of a Native or home-born As Legitimating is the Justifying of a Bastard by imputing the right of a lawful birth to him that was unlawfully born As Manumizing or Enfranchizing is the Justifying of a Villain or Bondman by imputing the right of freedom to him that was born a Slave As Emancipating is the Justifying of a Minor by giving right of Livery to him that was under Guardians As Ransoming or Redeeming is the Justifying of a Captive by imputing the right of Enlargement to him who before was a Prisoner As Pardoning is the Justifying of a Malefactor by imputing the right of indempnity to him who before was condemned As Adopting is the Justifying of a Son and Heir of another Family by imputing the right of a Son and Heir to him that hath no Son nor Heir of his own Family All these are justifying especially when an Alien a Bastard a Bondslave a Captive and more especially when a Rebel or Malefactor is made the Son and Heir of a Kingdom without any suit mediation or motive this is exceeding gracious because it passeth from one extream to another meerly upon the Donors kindness and pure love And such is our Justification as by this Treatise hath and will hereafter be demonstrated 5. As by words of Attribute whereby the justified ones are called in Scripture as Sons and Heirs of God and Co-heirs with Christ Thou art no more a Servant but a Son and an Heir of God through Christ Gal. 4.7 The Spirit it self beareth witness with our Spirits that we are the Children of God and if Children then Heirs Heirs of God and Joynt-heirs with Christ As Fellow-Citizens and Domesticks of God Ro. 8.16 17. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and forreigners but Fellow-Citizens with the Saints Eph. 2.19 and of the houshold of God as the Lords Free-men For he that is called in the Lord being a Servant is the Lords Free-man This last word Free-man comprehends under it all the former For Freedom is the original and fundamental Right without which a Man is dead in Law and hath no Will nor capacity to sue for or possess any Right And these two words Free-man and Justified are adequate and reciprocal to denote the same Person A Free-man is a Person justified to have some right being absolutely opposed to a Bond-man who is a Person condemned to have no right at all and so to an Alien or Stranger and to a Bastard or Prisoner c. Hence the word Justified is put for Freed By Christ all that believe are justified i. e. freed from all those things Acts 13.39 from which we could not be justified or freed by the Law of Moses And sometimes is translated by the word Freed He that is dead is freed i. e. justified from sin Rom. 6.7 Justifying is not only a Jural word but a Curial word or Court word not of a Court contentious in which Jus dicitur in Suits by declaring the Law and pronouncing the Sentence according to Law as in England is done in the Courts of the Kings Bench and Common Pleas where the Judges represent the King for his Justice But rather of a Court of Grace and Favour ubi jus fit datur in Suits voluntary and where the Sentence is the Decree of the Supreme Judge in equity and love in which that right which was not in Being before is made to be according to the kindness and good will of the Prince wherein the iniquities and rigours of the Law are rectified according to conscience by the Praetor or Chancellor to the King and Pardons for offences are granted by the King and Patents for Honours Profits and Priviledges are bestow'd above and contrary to the Letter of the Law As in England in the Courts of Request and Chancery where the Persons president are not called Judges but by other Names as Masters of Requests and Chancellor and do represent the King for his Mercy and Grace Lastly Justifying is a Testamentary word of the same nature with Institution or ordaining of an Heir or the devising of a Legacy For whosoever in a Testament is instituted as an Heir or ordained a Legatary that Person is justified or made to have a right to that inheritance or Legacy The co-incidence of these two words is the more proper partly because Justification is a most gracious act proceeding from the free Grace of God spontaneously granted to those that never sought it nor none for them As commonly Institutions and Devices are made in Wills and Testaments especially ad pias causas which are and others should be acts of Mercy and meer Grace but chiefly because Justification is a Testamentary act of God arising from his last Will and Testament wherein all Believers are instituted and ordained his Heirs to the Inheritance of Eternal Blessedness By this Testamentary act of God in justifying Sinners it appears that as a Man is legally Righteous according to Law and morally Righteous above the Law and jurally Righteous as a proprietary and owner So God is much more eminently and transcendently righteous all these waies but not so properly legally because he is the maker of
Adopted Sons of God by Grace 2. We are sealed with the holy Spirit of Promise 3. We are renewed by Regeneration 4. We are Justified by his Grace through Faith 5. We are invited by his glorious Promises greater than we can understand Now he that considereth this state of things and hopes for the state of blessings will proceed in duty and love towards the perfection of God never giving out till he partake of the purities of God and his utmost Glories perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord till he obtain an inheritance among them that are sanctified by faith in Christ Jesus In the practice of these spiritual duties there is no difficulty but what is made by the careless lives and actions of outward Christians and by their lazy and unholy Principles So that after the rate such Christians live now it is hard to know how and in what instances and in what degrees our duty ought to excell that of Moses's disciples though a Greater than Moses is here But they that love will do the thing that is good and so understand the Rule of perfection Obedite intelligetis Obey and ye shall know all that is necessary to be known for God shall lead you into all truth and love is the fulfilling of the whole Law We cannot be too careful for ignorant and weak and carnal persons especially for hypocrites because both pretend the one sort really as knowing no better but the other falsely and basely to the shame of Christianity that 1. This so high and spiritual worship inclines the minds of men to scruples and dislikes of all orders and rules in the Church and so because Christians must have but few Rites therefore they will endure none at all or such only as are of their own making We protest utterly against this spirit of men that it is an abuse of Christian Liberty and a cloak of maliciousness in hypocrites and a grievous cheat to all weak and well-meaning Christians 2. That this leads into rebellion against the religious Powers that according to their bounden duties do establish order and decency in all things belonging to the Service of God It is the principal care of the Magistrate to see that God be honourably served in Publick with decency at set times and places with set forms and postures to avoid confusion Now these pretenders to spirituality only do strongly set themselves against the face of Authority under the shew of Conscience This is a very wicked thing most contrary to the meaning of the Spirit and Power of Godliness For God hath ordained Princes to rule and Subjects to obey But these unruly Spirits under a feigned zeal for God's Cause set up their own Cause and set the whole world on fire by their ungodly Rebellions Take heed therefore of this one thing The True gospel-Gospel-Spirit minds most of all a True Spiritual Service But if Lawful and Religious Power commands a few innocent Forms to be observed in publick only to avoid Distraction they submit peaceably and still continue to worship God in the Spirit in publick In the Time Appointed by Law In the Place Appointed by Law In the Posture Appointed by Law In the Form Appointed by Law And in private too at any time place and in any form or posture as they themselves shall please What can be done more If men were not unreasonable they would be contented and come in to the Publick Worship and not proudly separate themselves as they do This did not the Jews though they had different opinions otherwise and this do not the Papists though they have several Orders and Perswasions amongst them For all Jews came to the same Temple and all Papists to the same Mass But our Sects are more unfortunately cross and more unhandsomely disobedient to Ecclesiastical and Temporal Authority than all the world besides the more is our misery Learn to be wiser and make it a matter of Conscience to fulfil all Righteousness to take your liberty in God's name in private no body desires to hinder you in the least Have ye not houses to pray in Mat. 3.13 Why despise ye the House of Prayer Shall I praise you for this I praise you not Do not forbear the assembling of your selves together as the custome of too many is to do It is spiritual Pride it is not only rebellious but uncivil and very rude to flock together to unlawful meetings or to stay at home or walk in the fields or streets or be at Ale-houses or Taverns as people unconcerned when better men than you are gathered together in the fear of God and Obedience to the Laws to Pray and Praise God and to hear his Word and to give Alms to the Poor O how decent a thing it is for Brethren to meet together in Unity And how prudent is that Devotion that places all the substance of Religion in the heart and yet uses the circumstances of order to avoid the confusion of wild Extravagancies Certain it is that if every one were left to serve God in his own way there would be no Face of a Church One would be Working or Playing while another was Preaching or Praying ignorant men and women would take upon them to teach and the blind would lead the blind till they both fall into the ditch We have greater cause therefore to bless God for establishing Powers over us without which we should be as herds of Wild Beasts rather than sober men and fall foul of one anothers persons and estates But God is the God of Order not of Confusion and we have no such unmannerly Custome nor ever had the true Churches of God Abhor therefore if you be wise all Fanatick Expressions That all Time all Places are alike so they are but not for publick Offices and that any Postures Gestures or Habits may be used so they may but not in Publick Service God and Man have given us our Liberty in Private only for the Publick we are restrained This is enough to give content to all Parties if Reason would do it for this is decent and comely in the sight of God and Man And thus it becometh us to dispute no more about such matters but to fulfil all Righteousness Spiritual Perfection From what hath been delivered at large I collect these Reasons for Spiritual Worship and Gospel-Perfection Reas I Because the Ritual Worship induced by God is abolished Believe me Ritual Worship abolished John 4.23 the hour cometh when ye shall neither in this Mountain nor yet at Jerusalem worship the Father But the hour cometh and now is when the true Worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth for the Father seeketh such to worship him God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit Col. 2.16 c. and in truth Let no man deceive you in meat or in drink or in respect of an holy day or of the new Moon or of the Sabbath
own instructions and satisfactions in a miraculous and extraordinary superabundant manner Then by their and their Disciples means the same Assurance and Satisfaction in an ordinary but sufficient manner was given by the same Spirit to their Hearers and their Successors for ever who were sealed and to be sealed after they believed with the same Holy Spirit of promise Eph. 1.13 That the Blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through Faith But a promise is received only by acceptance for we have no other right to the thing promised but by accepting the promise thereof And an acceptance of God's promise is Faith Seeing then the Spirit is a promise of God and God's promises are received by Faith therefore also the Spirit is received by Faith So the Spirit by exalting our Native Spirit exalteth also the faculties thereof and so it exalteth our Faith into Knowledg by making us to know that which before we did believe And it exalteth our Faith into Assurance for whereas our Faith was our right to Blessedness firm and sure the Spirit makes it more firm and more sure by confirming and assuring that right which was in us before and which also in some measure was firm and sound before Whence by the way we may take notice That the Spirit is not the cause or means of our justifying or of our right to Blessedness for we are not justified because or by means of the Spirit but contrarily our justifying or right to Blessedness is the cause or means of the Spirit For because or by means of our justifying we receive the Spirit so that the Spirit follows after our justifying or right to Blessedness and goes before our possession of it for it is that present Assurance which God maketh unto us And the Reasons why the Spirit is our Assurance are chiefly three Assurance 1. Ability Because the Spirit is an Ability in us to perform the condition of Blessedness The Condition whereupon we are to possess Blessedness is Resipiscence or Repentance i. e. an after-wisdom whereby we withdraw our love and affections from vanity and earthly things to settle them upon Blessedness and things Heavenly For thus runneth the Tenour of the New Testament Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand i. e. Matth. 3.2 Blessedness is at hand as it was preached by John the Baptist and by Christ Matth. 4.17 Repentance then is the summary precept of the New Testament and the precepts of a Testament are the conditions upon which the Legacies or Promises are to be claimed and possessed Now if this Precept or Condition of the New Testament be impossible to be performed it will thereupon follow that it is frustrated and void because a Condition impossible to be performed makes void the disposition whereunto it is adjoyned which to say of the New Testament is to derogate from the wisdom and goodness of God who is the Testator and from Christ the Mediator thereof But although the Condition of a Testament be yokes and burdens for it is not against reason that they should be so seeing he who receiveth an excellent benefit ought in reason to bear the burden thereto requisite Yet that Condition which is the burden and yoke of the New Testament is so far from being impossible that Christ pronounceth it easy and light For my yoke is easie and my Burden is light Math. 11.30 And to make it the more easie and light unto us God gives us his Holy Spirit which is a super-natural ability helping our infirmity for the performance of this Condition of Repentance and an ability to perform the Condition of a Legacy or Promise doth mightily assure us of the thing devised The Spirit therefore which is an ability to perform the Condition of Blessedness must needs be unto us an Assurance for Blessedness 2. The second Reason why the Spirit is our Assurance for Blessedness Seal is because the Spirit is a Seal for our present right to Blessedness Unto Charters Feofments Testaments and other evidences made for the conveyance of Rights there is annexed a Seal for the more assurance of the deed because the Seal is a witness to the Deed and the principal witness thereunto as the Feoffer or Testator acknowledgeth in the final clause where he saith In witness whereof I have hereunto set my Hand and Seal Now the two Testaments of God as in themselves they are different so they have different Seals For unto the Old Testament the Seal was Circumcision which made an impression upon the flesh For when God gave Abraham a right to the Land of Canaan Abraham accepting it by his Faith received Circumcision as a Seal for the right Ro. 4.11 And he received the sign of Circumcision a Seal for the Righteousness i. e. of the Right of Faith which Right he had yet being uncircumcised But unto the New Testament the Seal is the Holy Spirit which makes an Impression upon the Native Spirit of Believers For hence Believers after their believing are said to be sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise Eph. 1.13 In whom after that ye believed ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise And by the same Spirit they are sealed unto the day of Redemption Eph. 4.30 And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God by which ye are sealed unto the day of Redemption And God sets this Seal in witness of our Alliance with him as his Sons and Heirs The Spirit it self beareth witness with our Spirit Ro. 8.16 that we are the Children of God and if Children then Heirs Heirs of God and Joint-heirs with Christ And hence also it appears that the Seal of the New Testament is so much better than that of the Old by how much an Inspiration upon Man's Spirit is better than a Circumcision of the flesh Seeing then the Spirit is a Seal of our present Right to Blessedness therefore it is an Assurance unto us for Blessedness Earnest 3. The third and last Reason why the Spirit is an Assurance for Blessedness is because the Spirit is an Earnest for our future possession of Blessedness Upon the Donation of a present Right where there is not a present delivery of the thing given as is done in all Promises there the future possession of the thing is commonly assured by an Earnest which is something given in hand for the present instead of the thing to come as a pledg or pawn for the future possession of it Gen. 38.17 18. So when Judah had promised Tamar to send her a kid from the flock he left in her hand his Signet his Bracelet and his Staff by way of Earnest or pledg until his delivery of the kid where the Hebrew word for pledg signifies an Earnest And so upon a Contract of future Marriage a Ring or piece of gold is given by way of earnest to assure the