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A59685 The sound beleever, or, A treatise of evangelicall conversion discovering the work of Christs spirit in reconciling of a sinner to God / by Tho. Shepard ... Shepard, Thomas, 1605-1649. 1645 (1645) Wing S3133; ESTC R3907 171,496 360

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beleeved doe enter into rest verse 3. so say I to you of all delusions fear this lest when you come to Christ and rest upon Christ for life and salvation that you rest not in Christ I tell you saith Christ to those that came to him and were constant followers of him Iohn 6.53 except you eat the flesh and drinke the blood of the Sonne of God you have no life in you what is this eating and drinking verily sipping and tasting is not properly eating and drinking tasting your meat will not satisfie you and therefore will not nourish life in you to eat and drink Christ is so to receive him as to satiate and satisfy the soul with him to quench all your desires your hungring and thirsting in him untill thy soule saith as he said in another case it is enough that Joseph lives so Lord I have enough now I have this love this grace of Christ to be my portion now you rest in Christ. For if there be some great good a man enjoyes if there bee any good wanting in it it is not possible that his whole heart should be set upon it Ex. gr a man hath food but if hee wants clothes and his bread will not cloath him his whole heart will not be set upon his food but upon that which may cloath him also so on the contrary if there bee an eminent good wherein he finds all in one no good out of it that is wanting in it it is certain that the whole soule is carried after this good so it is here when the soule so comes to Christ as that it comes for all good to him and so finds all good in him that he now only supports the sinking soule verily the whole soule is now come because as it felt before it came all wants and evills out of him so now it finds all fulnesse in him and whither should the whole soule be carried but after such a good when the Lord calls to the soule to come and take all with nothing take all or nothing And hereupon it comes and drinkes as it is Iohn 7.37 satisfying it selfe there and professing Lord I now desire no more I have enough Oh brethren what faith there is among men at this day I cannot tell but this I am sure was Abrahams faith Gen. 17.1 and Davids faith 2 Sam. 23.5 and Peters faith Iohn 6.68 and Pauls faith Phil. 3.8 9. Gal. 6.14 When the soule thus rests upon the rock Christ the gates of hell may availe but never prevaile against such a one he that hath set the whole world at his heeles and sold himselfe out of all for this pearle and this abundantly recompenceth all his losses such a one hath Christ his owne and shall never be deprived of him againe the Lord never gives his elect any rest out of Christ that they may find rest at last in Christ. When thus the soule is entred into rest the whole soule is drawne here and this is the great reason why many men famous in their generations and times in the eyes of others for Faith yet rotten at the heart and thence turne Apostates one proves covetous another ambitious another voluptuous another growes conceipted another growes contentious another growes formall What is the reason of this verily they did rest upon Christ but did never find rest in Christ and therefore their whole soule never came to him Christ after some time of profession grew a dry and common Christ unto them though at first they wondred at him and he was very sweet unto them and hence they departed from him as from an empty dry pit in Summer time where they found nothing to refresh them but the Lord Jesus carries it towards all the faithfull as Elkanah did toward Hannah though she was in a fit much vexed and troubled for want of children yet because he loved her exceeding dearly he quiets her againe with this Am not I better unto thee then ten sonnes so though they may be unquiet for some odde fits for want of many things yet because Christ loves them hee brings them back unto their rest saying Am not I better then then all friends all creatures all abilities all spirituall created excellencies and hereby they find rest to their soules in him againe But is there any beleevers heart so knit unto Christ but that there is a heart also after other vanities doe they find such rest in him as that they find no disquietnesse is there not an unregenerate part and much unbelief remaining is any mans faith made perfect that the whole soule must come or else there is no true faith It is true there is an unregenerate and a regenerate part in a godly man but not a heart and a heart the note of a wicked man in Scripture phrase there are disquietings in the hearts of Saints after that they be in Christ even Solomon himselfe may sometime seek out of Christ for rest in his orchards and gardens knowledge and wisdome yet there is a great difference between these that are in the Saints arising from the unregenerate part and those that be in the wicked arising from a heart and a heart or a double heart and this difference is chiefly seen in two things A double minded man who hath a double heart makes not a dayly warre against that heart which carries him away from resting only in Christ for Christ quiets his conscience and the world comforts his heart Christ gives him some rest and because this is not full his heart runs out to the creature and to his lusts for more and so betweene them both hee hath rest and hee is quieted with this because he feeles what he sought for and therefore he must needs have Christ else his conscience cannot be quiet and hee must needs have his lusts his ease and this world too else his heart is most unquiet but let him have both he is now quiet Micah 3.11 The Priests teach for hire there the world quiets them yet they will leane upon the Lord too because this also comfo●ts them what doe they now doe they make war against this wofull frame No no but ●lesse themselves in it saying No evill shall come to us but a poore bel●●ver whose heart is upright it is true there are many runnings out of his heart after other vaniti●● and much unquietnesse of spirit yet the regen●rate part makes warre against these 〈◊〉 Gods enemies and the disturbers of the peace of Christs Kingdome Psalme 42. David professeth his teares were his meat day and night verse 3. and his heart was wofully sunke and fallen yet what doth hee first hee chides himselfe Why art thou cast down oh my soule and then secondly he makes his mone to the Lord of it verse 5 6. Lord my soule is cast downe oh Lord pity me you shall see also Psal. 73.2 his eyes were dazled with the glory of the world and the wicked in it that he had almost forsaken
blessed and happy estate John 5.24 Psal. 2. ult IF the Question be What is that happy condition they are made partakers of I answer this appeares in these six priviledges or benefits principally 1. Iustification all their sinnes are pardoned 2. Reconciliation peace with God 3. Adoption they are made the Sonnes of God 4. Sanctification they are restored to the Image of God 5. Audience of all their prayers to God 6. Glorification in the Kingdome of heaven in eternall Communion with God SECT I. First Iustification THis is the first benefit which immediately followes our union unto Christ by Faith that look as we are no sooner children of Adam branches of that root by naturall generation but we immediately contract the guilt of his sin and so originall pollution so we are no sooner made branches of the second Adam by vocation and so united unto Christ by Faith but immediately wee have the imputation of his righteousnesse to our justification after which we receive in order of nature not time our sanctification There is no truth more necessary to bee knowne then this it being the principall thing contained in the Gospell Rom. 1.17 the Law shewing how a man may bee just and live but it hath not the least word how a sinfull man may be just and not dye this is proper to the revelation of the Gospell let me therefore give you a tast of the nature of it Our Justification is wrought by a double act 1. on God the Fathers part he by a gracious sentence absolves and acquits a sinner accepts of him as righteous 2. on God the Sons part procuring the passing of this sentence by his satisfaction imputed and applyed the Father being the person principally wronged hath chiefe power to forgive yet in justice he cannot acquit nor in truth account a man unrighteous as righteous unlesse the Son step in and satisfie for whose sake he forgives as the Apostle expressely saith Eph. 4. ult so that our Justification is wholly out of our selves and we are meerly passive in it Justification is not to make us inwardly just as the Papists dreame but it is a Law-tearme and is opposed against condemnation Rom. 8.33 now look as condemnation is the sentence of the Judge condemning a man to dye for his offence or sin so Iustification is the sentence of God the Father absolving a man from the guilt and punishment of sin for the sake of the righteousnesse of Christ That you may more particularly understand me take this description of it Iustification is the gracious Sentence of God the Father whereby for the satisfaction of Christ apprehended by faith and imputed to the faithfull he absolves them from the guilt and condemnation of all sin and accepts them as perfectly righteous to eternall life Let me open the particulars herein briefly in severall queries What it is in generall to justifie T is to passe sentence of absolution to pronounce a sinner righteous t is Gods pardon remission of sinnes this appeares from the opposition mentioned it stands in unto condemnation as a Iudge pardons a man when he saith he shall live or as a man manifestly forgives another when he gives him a promise or a bill of discharge so that note this by the way that our Iustification is not Gods eternall purpose to forgive but it is Gods sentence published a sinner is justified intentionally in election but not actually till this sentence be past and published The difficulty only here is where this sentence is pronounced for answer where of note that there is but a double Court wherein t is passed 1. Publikely in the Court of Heaven or in the Court-rolls of the Word for there is no other Court of Heaven where God speaks but this 2. Privately in the Court of Conscience By the first we are justified indeed from personall guilt by the second we feele our selves justified by the removall of conscience guilt The first is expresly mentioned Act. 10.43 and Rom. 1.17 the second is expresly set downe also Psal. 32.4 The first is the cause and foundation of this second the second ariseth from the first otherwise peace of conscience is a meere delusion the first is sometimes long before the second Psal. 88.15 as the sentence of condemnation in the Word is sometimes long before a man feeles that sentence in his own conscience the second comes in a long time after in some Christians The first is constant and unchangeable the second very changeable he that hath peace in his conscience to day may lost it by to morrow So that you are not in seeking the testimony of your justification to look for a sentence from heaven immediately pronounced of God but look for it in the Court of his Word the Court of Heaven which though we heare not sometime yet it rings and fills heaven and earth with the sound of it viz. There is no condemnation to them that beleeve for hereby the Lord mercifully provideth for the peace of his people more abundantly As when a poore Creditor is acquited or a malefactor pardoned I beseech you saith he let me have an acquitance a discharge a pardon under your owne hand and this quiets him against all accusers so t is here the Lord gives us an Acquitance in his VVord under his owne hand and seale and so gives us peace Heb. 6.18 VVho is it that justifieth T is God the Father Rom. 8.34 Father forgive them saith Christ. And hence Christ is an Advocate with the Father 1 Iohn 2.2 All the three Persons were wronged by sin yet the wrong was chiefly against the Father because his manner of working appeared chiefly in creation from the righteousnes of which man fell by sinne The Father forgives primarily by Soveraign authority the Sonne of Man Christ Jesus forgives by immediate dispensation and commission from the Father Iohn 5.22 Mat. 9.6 the Apostles and their successors forgive ministerially Iohn 21.23 The Father forgives by granting pardon the Sonne by procuring the Ministers where the Spirit also is by publishing or applying pardon so that this is great consolation that God the Father the party chiefly incensed t is he that justifieth t is he that passeth this gracious sentence and then who can condemne Why doth the Father thus justifie T is meerly his grace and out of grace And hence I call it his gracious sentence Rom. 3.24 justified freely by his grace What is his grace The Prophet Esay expounds it to be not our grace or works of grace although wrought by grace but his owne name sake In some respect indeed it is just for God to forgive viz. in regard of Christs satisfaction 1 Ioh. 1.7 Rom. 3.20 The Mercy-seat and the Tables of the Law in the Ark may well stand together but that Christ was sent to satisfie justice and that thy sinnes were satisfied for and not anothers thus it s wholly of grace If therefore you
vanish and perish from under the sunne and the good Lord reduce all such who in simplicity are mis-led from this blessed truth of God I will not now enter into that depth concerning the means of our sanctification in mortification by Christs death and vivification by the resurrection of Christ this may suffice for explication of the nature of it Onely see and for ever prize this priviledge all you blessed soules whom the Lord hath justified thou hast many sad complaints what is it to me if I be justified in Christ and be saved at last by Christ and my heart remaine all this while unholy and unsubdued unto the will of Christ that hee should comfort me and my holy heart be alway grieving of him what though the Lord save me from misery but saves me not from my sinne oh consider this benefit It is true thou findest a wofull sinfull nature within thee crosse and contrary unto holinesse and leading thee daily in captivity yet remember the Lord hath given thee another nature a new nature there is something else within thee which makes thee wrastle against sinne and shall in time prevaile over all sinne Mat. 12.20 this is the Lords grace sanctifying of thee Oh be thankfull that the Lord hath not left thee wholly corrupt but hath begun to glorifie himselfe in thee and to blesse thee in turning thee from thine iniquities 1. By this thou hast a most sweet and comfortable evidence of thy justification favour with God he that denyes this must what ever distinctions he hath abolish many places of Scripture especially the epistles of Iames and Iohn who had to doe with some spirits that pretended faith and union to Christ and communion with him and so long as it was thus this was evidence sufficient to them of their justified estates What faith Iames Thou sayst thou hast faith shew it me then prove it for my part saith he I le prove by the blessed fruits and works which flow from it as Abraham manifested his Iam. 2.18 22. What saith Iohn You talk saith he of fellowship and communion with Christ and yet what holinesse is there in your hearts or lives If you say you have fellowship with him and walk in darknesse we lye and doe not the truth but if you walk in the light then although your holinesse and confession and daily repentance for sinne doth not wash away sinne yet the blood of Christ doth wash us 1 Iohn 1.6 7. Againe you say you know Christ and the love and good will of Christ toward you and that he is the propitiation for your sinnes how doe you know this saith he He that saith I know him and keeps not his commandements is a lyar 1 Iohn 2.4 True might some reply he that keeps not the commands of Christ hath hereby a sure evidence that he knowes him not and that he is not united unto him but is this any evidence that we doe know him and that we are united to him if we doe keep his commandements yes verily saith the Apostle hereby we doe know that we know him if we keep his commandements verse 3. and againe verse 5. Hereby know we that we are in him What can be more plain What a vanity is this to say that this is running upon a covenant of workes Is not sanctification the writing of the Law in our hearts a speciall benefit of the covenant of grace as well as justification Heb. 8.10.12 and can the evidencing then of one benefit of such a covenant by another be a running upon the covenant of workes is it a truth contained in the couenant of grace viz. that he that is justified is also sanctified and he that is sanctified is also justified And is an errour against grace to see this truth that he that is sanctified is certainly justified and that therefore he that knowes himselfe sanctified may also know thereby that he is justified Tell me how will you know that you are justified You will say by the testimony of the spirit and cannot the same spirit shine upon your graces and witnesse that you are sanctified as well 1 Ioh 4.13 24. 1 Cor. 2.12 Can the Spirit make the one cleare to you and not the other Oh beloved its a sad thing to heare such questions and such cold answers also that sanctification possibly may be an evidence may be is it not certaine Assuredly to deny it is as bad as to affirme that Gods owne promises of favour are true evidences thereof and consequently that they are lyes and untruths for search the Scripture and consider sadly how many Evangelicall promises are made unto severall graces i. e. unto such persons as are invested with them you may only take a taste from Mat. 5.3 4 c. where our Saviour who was no legall Preacher pronounceth and consequently evidenceth blessednesse by eight or nine promises expresly made to such persons as had inherent graces of poverty mourning meeknesse c. there mentioned the Lord Jesus leaving those precious Legacies of his promises unto his children that are called by those names of Mourners poore in spirit pure in heart c. that so every one may take and bee assured of his portion manifested particularly therein That I many times wonder how it comes to passe that this so plaine and ancient principle of Catechisme for so it was among the Waldenses many 100 yeeres since grounded on so many pregnant Scriptures should come to be so much as questioned in our dayes sometimes I thinke it ariseth from some wretched lusts men have a minde to live quietly in desirous to keepe their peace and yet unwilling to forsake their lusts and hence they exclude this witnesse of water the witnesse of sanctification to testifie in the Court of conscience whether they are beloved of God and sincere hearted or no because this is a full witnesse against them and tells them to their faces that there is no peace to the wicked Isa. 57. ult Deut. 29.19 20. and that they have nothing to doe to take Gods name into their lips that secretly hate to bee reformed Psal. 50.16 In others I think it doth not arise from want of grace but because the Spirit of grace and sanctification runs very low in them t is so little that they can scarce see it by the help of spectacles or if they doe they doubt continually of the truth of it and hence because it can speake little and that little very darkly and obscurely for them they have no great mind that it should bee brought in as any witnesse for them Others I thinke may have much grace and holinesse yet for a time cast it by as an evidence unto them because they have experience how difficult and troublesome it is to finde this evidence and when t is found how troublesome to read it and keep it fair and thereby have constant peace and quietnesse and hence arise those speeches why doe you looke to your sanctification
and death for sin that this end might be attained Gal. 3.22 And therefore feeling of sin and death and misery being the meanes must precede the other as the end and therefore as grace may be seen by conviction of misery so the sweetnesse of it only can be felt by feeling misery in this worke of compunction But you will say What is this compunction and wherein doth it consist This is the third particular to be opened in generall it is whereby the soule is affected with sin and made sensible of sin but more particularly compunction is nothing else but the pricking of the heart or the wounding of the soule with such feare and sorrow for sin and misery as severs the soule from sin and from going on toward its eternall misery so that it consists in three things 1. Feare 2. Sorrow 3. Separation from sin The Lord Jesus when hee comes to rescue his elect look as Satan held them in their misery First by blinding their eyes from seeing of it Secondly by hardening their hearts from feeling of it So the Lord Jesus having cut asunder the first cord of Satan by conviction breakes asunder the second by compunction and causing the soule to feele and be aff●cted with its misery and as the whole soule is unaffected before he comes so he makes the whole soule sensible when hee comes and therefore hee sils the conscience with feare and the heart with sorrow and mourning so as now the will of sinne is broken which was hardened before these feares and sorrowes seised upon it Let me open these particularly that you may tast and try the truth of what now I deliver I s●y the Lord Christ in this work of compunction lets into the heart of a secure sinner a marvellous fear and terrour of the di●efull displeasure of God of death and hell the punishment of sin Oh beloved look upon most men at this day this is the great misery lying upon them they doe not feare the wrath to come they feare not death nor damning even then when they heare and know it is their portion but their hearts are set to sin Eccles. 8.11 The Lord Christ therefore lets in this feare that look as the Lord when hee came to conquer the Canaanites Exod. 23.27 28. He sent his hornets before him which were certaine feares which made their hearts faint in the day of battell and by this subdued them so the Lord Christ when hee comes to conquer a poore sinner that hath long resisted him and would goe on to his owne perdition le ts in these feares that the soule shrinkes in with the thoughts of its woefull estate and cryes out secretly Lord what will become of me if I dye in this condition Paul trembles astonished at his misery and wickednesse and now he begins to cry out the Jay●●ur was very cruell against Paul but when the Lord Jesus comes to rescue him from this condition you shall see him trembling The Lord had let in that feare that now he is content to doe any thing to be saved from the danger he saw he was now in when a man sees danger and great danger neare and imminent now man naturally feares it before Christ come the soule may see its misery but it apprehends it farre off and hoping to escape it and hence doth not feare it but when the Lord Jesus comes hee presents a mans danger death wrath and eternity neare unto him and hence hath no hope to escape it as now he is and therefore doth feare and seeing the misery exceeding great he hath an exceeding great though oft times deep feare of it as men neare death and apprehending it so begin then to be troubled and cry out when it is too late The Lord Jesus deales more mercifully with the elect and brings death and eternity neare them before they draw neare to it whiles it is call●d to day the poore Jaylor began to think of killing himselfe when feares were upon him and so many under this stroke of Christ have the same thoughts because they see no hope but this measure is not in all this work is in all Put them in feare oh Lord that they may know they be but men before this feare comes men are above God and think they can stand it out against him the Lord therefore le ts in this feare to make them know they bee but men and that as proud and stout great as they are yet tha● they are not above God and that it is in vain to kick against the pricks and go● on as they have done for if they doe he will not endure it long The spirit of Bondage makes makes men feare before the spirit of Adoption comes these feares therefore are such as the regenerate after they have received the spirit of Adoption never have and therefore they are such as pursue the soule with some threatning of the word pronouncing death and perdition to him in that estate Ex. gr He that beleeves not is condemned already thus the word speakes to conscience Iohn 3.17 Thou beleevest not saith a mans owne conscience the Spirit witnessing with it therefore thou art condemned saith conscience now the spirit of Bondage is the testimony of Gods Spirit witnessing to both the premisses and conclusion now this Spirit no regenerate man indeed ever hath after this time but the feares he hath arise from another principle of corruption of conscience and malice of Satan through the present desertion of the Spirit leaving him not from any positive witnesse of the Spirit of any such untruth which yet is truth while the soule is under this str●ake and not regen●●ate marke therefore diligently that this ●eare is the worke of the Spirit of the Lord Jesus and hence it followes 1. That these Fears are not meerly naturall as those Rom. 2.15 arising from naturall conscience only which only accuse of sinne but never affect but they are supernaturall they are arrowes shot into the conscience by the arme of the Spirit so dreadfull that no word nor meditation of death and eternity can beget such feares but creates them 2. Hence it followes that they are cleare feares for the Spirits work is ever cleare before he leaves it Eph. 5.13 they are not blind confused feares and suspitious and sad conjectures whereby many a man is afraid and much afraid and affrighted like men in a dreame that thinke they are in hell yet cannot tell what that evill is which they feare but they are cleare feares whereby they distinctly know and see that they are miserable and what that misery is 3. Hence it followes that they are strong feares because the almighty hand of the Spirit sets them on and shakes the soule they are not weak feares which a man can shake off or cure by weake hopes sleep or businesse c. like some winds that shake the tree but never blow it downe but these feares cast down
before God What need or necessity is there of this Because 1. When the Lord hath wounded the hearts of his elect this is the immediate work of their hearts if the Lord prevent them not by his grace as many times hee doth they look to what good they have or if they find little or none they then seek for some in themselves that thereby they may heale their wound because they think thus that as their sinnes have provoked God to anger against them so if now they can reforme and leave those sinnes or if not repent and be sorry for them if now they pray and heare and doe as others doe they have some hope that this will heale their wound and pacifie the Lord towards them when they see there is no peace in a sinfull course they will therefore try if there be any to be found in a good course And look as Adam when he saw his own shame and nakednesse hid himselfe from God in the bushes and covered his nakednesse with fig-leaves so the soule not being able to endure to see its own nakednesse and vilenesse not knowing Christ Jesus and he being far to seek doth therefore labour to cover his wickednesse and sinfulnesse which now he feeles by some of these fig-leaves And hence Micah 6.7 they enquire wherewith they should come before the Lord should they bring rivers of oyl or thousands of lambes or the first borne of their body to remove the sinne of their soule Paul did account these duties gaine and set them at a high rate because he thought that God did so himselfe When the Lord hath wounded the soule the first voyce it speaks is What shall I doe Doe saith Conscience leave thy sins doe as well as others doe with all thy might and strength pray heare and confer God accepts of good desires and requires no more of any man but to doe what he can Hence the soule plyes both oares though against wind and tide and strives and wrastles with his sinnes and hopes one day to be better and here he rests And observe it look as sinne is his greatest evill so the casting away of his sins and seeking to be better is very sweet to him and being so sweet rests in what hee hath and seeks for what he wants and so hopes all will be well one day and so stayes here although God knowes it be without Christ nor cannot rest on him though hee hath heard of him a thousand times And hence it is if they cannot doe any thing to ease themselves then their hearts ●ink or it may be quarrell with God that he makes them not better But beloved it is wonderfull to see how many times men rest in a little they have and doe 2. But whiles it is thus with the soule he is uncapable of Christ for he that trusts to other things to save him or makes himselfe his owne Saviour or rests in his duties without a Saviour he can never have Christ to save him Rom. 9.32 it is said the Jewes lost Christs righteousnesse because they sought it not by faith but ●ought salvation by their owne righteousnesse He that maketh flesh his arme as all duties and endeavours of man be when trusted to the Lord saith Cursed be that man Ier. 17.5 6. Onely the Lord doth not leave his Elect here he that is marryed unto the Law Rom. 7. cannot be matcht unto Christ till he be first divorced not from the duties themselves but from trusting to them and resting in them And therefore saith Paul I through the Law am dead to it that I might live unto God He that trusteth to riches cannot enter into the kingdome of heaven no more then a Camell through a needles eye because it is too big for so narrow a roome so he that trusteth to his duties and abilities is too big to enter in by Christ the Lord must cut off this spirit and lay it low and make it stoop as vile before God before it can have Christ in this estate the Lord must not onely cut it off from this selfe-confidence in duties but also so farre forth as that the soule may lye under God to be disposed of as he pleaseth And the reason is because such a soule as is unwilling to stoop is unhumbled and he that is so doth not onely on his part resist God but the Lord also resists him Iames 4.7 8. And hence you shall observe many a one hath laine long under distresse of conscience because they have either rested in their duties which could not quiet or because they have not so cast off their confidence in them so as to lye downe quietly before God that he may doe what he will with them being so long objects of Gods resistance not of his grace By what meanes doth the Lord worke this In generall by the Spirit immediately acting upon the soule for after a Christian is in Christ he hath by the habit of humility and the vertue of faith some power to humble himselfe but now the Spirit of Christ doth it immediately by its own omnipotent hand else the proud heart would never down For we are first created in Christ which is by Gods omnipotent immediate act unto good workes before we do from our selves or by the power of Faith put forth good workes Eph. 2.10 These acts of self-confidence may not be stirring in all Christians but in all men there is this frame of spirit never to come to Christ if they can make any thing else serve to heale them or save them and therefore the Spirit cuts off this sinfull frame in part in all the elect he hewes the roughnesse and pride of spirit off that it may lye still upon the foundation it is now preparing for Now though the Spirit works this yet t is not without the Word the Word it works chiefly by is the Law Gal. 3.19 I through the Law am dead to it i. e. from seeking any life or help from it that I might live unto God Now the Law doth this by a foure-fold act 1. By discovering the secret corruptions of the soule in every duty which it never saw before It once thought I shall perish for my sinne if I continue therein without confession of them or sorrow for them but it also did think that this confession sorrow and trouble for sinne will serve to save it and make God to accept of it but the Law while the soule is earnestly striving against his sinne discovering that in all these there is nothing but sinne even secret sinnes it did never see before hereupon it begins thus to think Can these be the meanes of saving of me which being so sinfull cannot but be the very causes of condemning of me I know I must perish for the least sinne and now I see that in all I doe I can do nothing else but sinne What made Paul alive without the Law You shall finde Rom. 7.7 it was because he