as it beleeves the blood of Christ to be it and it alone that is in it self and by the ordination of God fully sufficient to take away sin the guilt of it or the condemning power or destroying nature of it so accordingly does it relye upon this blood of Christ under the gracious appointment of the Father to do this great thing for him to particular in whom this Faith dwells Rom 8.25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through Faith in his blood In this Scripture there are three things that are especially to be marked in relation to the point in hand 1. That Christs blood is the blood of propitiation or that Christ himself is the propitiation by means of his blood i. e. the reconciler the procurer of savour in pardon or remission 2. That God hath ordained him in his blood thus to be and accordingly hath proposed and offered him to all the world as a publick propitiation but yet so and upon condition that men have Faith in his blood i. e. do believe it to be of it self and by the appointment of the Father of sufficient efficacy force and vertue to purge them from their sins Which Faith also must be of the right kind or else it will not interesse any man in this great benefit 3. That which is moreover implyed is that the Faith of a man feeling so good a foundation and ground under it as is the blood of Christ in conjunction with the Fathers will as by which to be confident of a plenary purgation from all sins how great or how many soever they have been does accordingly safely and securely build thereupon Sect. 7 4. Christ as being risen from the dead is the object of justifying Faith Rom. 10.9 If then shalt confess with thy meuth the Lord Iesus and shalt beleeve in thy heart that God raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved Rom. 4.25 Who was delivered for our offences and was raised again for our Iustification And no marvel that the Resurrection of Christ should be the object of saving Faith inasmuch as in it is included the beleef of the main foundation Doctrines of the Gospel and without it Faith could have no firm footing to rest upon touching other great Gospel-truths As 1. The beleeving of him to be the Son of God which is an ingredient absolutely necessary in the Gospel-faith doth at least in great part depend upon the Faith of his Resurrection For Faith can ground its belief touching his being the Son of God upon nothing else than that which declares him to be so But now he is declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness by the Resurrection from the dead Rom. 1.4 2. The keeping promise and Covenant with the holy Patriarchs and their Seed which Faith must needs eye did depend upon Gods raising Christ from the dead Acts 13.32 33. And we declare unto you glad tidings how that the promise which was made unto the Fathers God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children in that he hath raised up Iesus again as it is also written in the second Psalm Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee And again Acts 2.30 31. Therefore being a Prophet and knowing that God hath sworn with an Oath to him that of the fruit of his loyns according to the flesh he would raise up Christ to sit upon his throne he seeing this before spake of the Resurrection of Christ that his soul was not left in hell neither his flesh did see corruption 3. The Resurrection of Christ is so necessary to Justification and to the Faith of it that take away this and Justification and the beleef of it are all laid in the dust 1 Cor. 15.14 17. And if Christ be not risen then is our preaching vain and your Faith is also vain And again vers 17. And if Christ be not raised your Faith is vain ye are yet in your sins Without beleeving is no justification and if there had been no Resurrection of Christ there could have been no Faith touching that attonement that is now made by his death For could men have beleeved that the death of Christ had been of sufficient force and vertue to expiate sin had it not been manifested by his Resurrection surely no. For so long as he was under the power of death he was under the power of sin of which death is but the wages For in that he dyed he dyed unto sin saith the Apostle Rom. 6.10 The sting of Death to wit that which gives it power of prevailing over the creature is sin 1 Cor. 15.56 And the time when that saying O death where is thy sting O grave where is thy victory shall be brought to passe is not till the day of Resurrection When this corruptible shall have put on incorruption and this mortal immortality 1 Cor. 15.54 And therefore as the Saints shall not actually and perfectly be delivered from all the effects of sin till the day of their Resurrection so neither was Christ delivered from that burden of other mens sins which he bore in his own body untill he rose from the dead And if sin had been too hard for him in keeping him under the power of death it would much more have been too hard for us But in that God raised Christ from the dead he did as it were thereby acknowledge satisfaction for the debt of mens sins which he by his death as a surety had discharged While he lay in the grave he was detained as a prisoner for other mens debts but when the prison doors were opened and he let out the Father acknowledged satifaction and did as it were seal him in the behalf of those for whom he undertook a release and discharge By his entring into suffering he took the sins of the world upon him but by his Resurrection by which he came out of his suffering-state he put them off As in his suffering he was made sin for us and dealt with as if he had been a sinner so by his Resurrection he was justified from those sins which were imputed to him And unlesse he had been first justified from our sins which were imputed to him all the while he suffered we could not have been justified from them our selves And therefore no marvel that the Apostle should attribute our Justification with a Rather unto the Resurrection of Christ than to his Death as he does Rom. 8.33 34. Who is he that condemneth it is God that justifieth it is Christ that dyed yea rather that is risen again He seems to feel a firmer footing for his Faith in the Resurrection of Christ than in his death more to bear him out against the accusations of any that had a mind to condemn him the answer which a good conscience makes it is by the Resurrection of Christ from the dead 1 Pet. 3.21 4. I might here add that the beleef of the Resurrection of our bodies
like to go with him touching his final Justification in the grand Session of the Judge of all the world by that preparatory tryal which hath been impartially made in the Court of a mans own Conscience as I noted before If he be acquitted justified here by the testimony and verdict of Conscience grounded upon the Statutes of Christ and agreeable to matters of Fact he will be full of a comfortable confidence of speeding well at the Judgement seat of Jesus Christ 1 John 3.21 Beloved if our heart condemn us not then have we confidence towards God But if a mans conscience which if it err on any side it 's like to be in favour to the man himself if this find a man guilty and obnoxious to the condemning sentence of Christs Law there 's smal hopes for that man to expect a sentence of Justification and absolution at the tribunal of Christ unlesse he can upon the sence of what condition he is in bestir himself in the mean time to procure his pardon by taking such a course of amendment as by which through infinite Grace it may be had 1 John 3.20 For if our heart condemn us God is greater than our heart and knoweth all things hath a more piercing sight to discern a mans guilt than Conscience it self hath and therefore will condemn much more Sect. 7 O Sirs how does it then concern every one of us to carry all things fair in the sight of our Conscience which indeed is privy in a manner to all our doings and to maintain Friendship with that and to take heed of wronging and abusing that or making that ill affected towards us Sin and unworthiness of behaviour in word or deed is that which defiles Conscience which troubles and disturbs it which grieves and ill affects it and disables it from pleading a mans cause before the Lord or giving testimony on his side so that it can never send a man with boldness before the Lord till that which hath defiled and offended it be taken away Heb. 10.22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of Faith having our hearts sprinkled from an evil Conscience Mark to the drawing near to God in full assurance of Faith with boldness and confidence of being accepted with him this we see is absolutely necessary viz. that the heart be first sprinkled from an evil conscience that that be taken away which made the Conscience evil while it was there and what 's that but sin So long as the guilt of sin and filth of sin remain upon the heart the Conscience will be evil if sin trouble the Conscience Conscience will trouble the man and fill him with those fears as that he will be far from drawing nigh to God with confidence and full assurance of Faith but rather like Adam in that case run away and hide himself from God if it were possible Paul no doubt well knowing this to the end he might maintain his hope and confidence in God touching the Resurrection-day in good plight and might alwayes have his Conscience on his side and ready to present him unto God with a good testimony what did he do What! Herein saith he do I exercise my self to have alwayes a Conscience void of offence towards God and toward men Acts 24.16 In all his behaviour God-ward Men-ward and that alwayes he was so intent upon this thing of gratifying his Conscience that he made it his constant exercise was wonderful fraid of giving his Conscience any offence of offering any injury or wrong to that for he knew if he did that would spoil his hope towards God As the mysterie of Faith 2 Tim. 3.9 so the confidence of Faith must be held in a pure Conscience indeed it 's able to live in no other ayre A pure heart a good Conscience and Faith unfeigned these are linkt together 1 Tim. 1.5 where you find one there you will find all and where any one is wanting to be sure there the other will be missing If a good Conscience be once put away as it is where a pure heart is not kept it 's in vain for men to boast of their Faith and confidence in God 1 Tim. 1.19 Holding Faith and a good Conscience which some having put away concerning Faith have made shipwrack If a good Conscience be once put away the next news you hear is the ship-wrack of Faith Men may have a liveless form of Faith as the body and bulk of a Ship sometimes remains after a Wrack but is rendred useless and unserviceable and so is Faith when once a good Conscience is gone it 's of no use to entitle a man to the Promise and consequently of no use to give a man confidence towards God or to imbolden him to come before him If therefore to have Conscience which is Judge under Christ to be your Friend be any thing in your eye if to have that to plead your cause and to be a witness for you against the subtile insinuations malicious accusations and violent prosecutions of the Devil be a thing desirable to you if to have Conscience to send you to Christs Barr with Letters testimonial in your hand signifying that your cause hath been tryed in that Court and evidences and witnesses impartially heard and considered on both sides and your cause found good and you your selves under the Justification and protection of Christs Gospel I say if such things as these be any thing worth with you then be sure you use Conscience well which hath its eye upon you alwayes do not trouble it do not provoke it do not disoblige it at any time by any means and then the peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus Friends these are great matters and you your selves every one of you greatly concerned in them if you have not the sence of it now yet know ye that the time is coming apace wherein ye will better understand what these things mean But take heed this sence come not upon you too late when the opportunity of acting the part of a good Conscience is over remember how the foolish Virgins were then to provide themselves of Oyl for their Lamps when the wise by the light of that which they had provided in due time entred in with the Bride-groom and the door was shut against the other I have now done with giving this piece of instruction caution and advice and the good Lord prosper it to those that have heard it and to those that shall read it it remains on our part every one of us that we be presently up and doing according to it or else it will be a witness against us in the day of the Lord. And I my self who have been holding forth to you these great things am very sensible God knows that I am but a very poor and weak Creature and have had many a trembling of heart for my self as well as others whilst I have been writing these matters of mighty moment lest I should strike upon any of those Rocks whereof the troublesome sea of this sinful world is very full and of which I have been warning others before I make the fair Haven towards which I am steering And I dare say you will be never the near the danger if you be under the same sence and fear too But O then set us all away to God and follow him day and night with our fervent supplications to be upheld and kept by him taking hold of his strength trusting under the shadow of his love depending upon Christ for supplies of all necessaries for the Christian life carefully avoiding all things that might distast or grieve him and cause him to withdraw and leave us and with like care to do alwayes those things that please him so may we be certain that his eye will be alwayes on us and his heart towards us for good and his right hand shall uphold us and preserve us to his Heavenly Kingdom Amen THE END
and Saviour of the world alone not justifying faith the reason why 44 Antinomian Doctrine touching sins past present and to come being pardoned upon mens first being in Christ decryed as erronious and dangerous 95 Apostacy and decay the cause of it what 122 Alms-giving must answer the Estate of the Giver and what to be thought thereabout 145 B BLood of Christ nothing to be joyned with it in merit or atonement making 25 Believing and obeying put one for another 70 Believing and receiving of Christ equivalent 73 Bounty where wanting an argument there 's no right Faith 143 Badness of mens condition no reason why it should not be looked into 160 C COntinue to continue well is harder than to begin well Ep. S. 17 Covenant Attributing that to the blood and obedience of the first Covenant which properly belongs to the Blood Faith and obedience of the Second Covenant was the Jews grand mistake 21 22 Christ in what respects he is the object of justifying Faith 37 Confidence of Salvation without ground whence it proceeds 49 51 Confidence of being saved may be strong in men both while they live and when they dye and yet suffer disappointment in the Resurrection and judgement day 64 Conquer to conquer and more what 134 Conscience Christs Delegate and how to have it on ones side in time of tryal 166 D Decayes of spiritual sense and affection how repaired Ep. § 1 Deceive the Devils craft to deceive Ep. § 4. Dead Faiths being dead what 54 E Esteem of People to their Pastors the mischief of it when it grows low Ep. § 17 Epistle of Christ how the Church is so Ep. § 19 F Fruit upon what account due to God as procured by the labours of men Ep. § 2 Fruit Being yielded to God comes home to ones self Ep. § 2 Fruit yielding fruit the way to enjoy more cost and care from God Ep. § 3 And to be fenced from devourring temptations Ep. § 4 5 Fruit the want of it the cause of Apostacy and Church desolation Ep. § 6 7. Form the danger of turning Religion into Form Ep. § 8 9 Father how and in what respects Justification is ascribed to God the Father 33 154 Faith as it Justifies hath three acts credence adherence and confidence 43 Faith how acted on God the father in relation to Justification 36 Faith how acted on Christs death and bloud in relatioa to Justification 38 Faith a reprobate Judgment concerning it and a Form of godliness oft found in the same person 57 Faith and Love their near affinity 71 Faith without repentance cannot justifie 76 Faith without Love cannot justifie 77 Faith when found in Abrahams seed walks in the steps of Abrahams faith 84 Faith magnifies the word and power of God though crossed with greatest unlikelihood and humane improbability 84 Faith of right kind engageth to obey the hardest precepts 87 Faith eyes and adheres to Gods counsels for the way as well as his promise for the end 98 Faith depends on the Lord for supply of strength to do his will 109 Faith derives from Christ the power by which the Christian life is led 110 Faith how supported in dependance for supplies 114 Faith works by Love and how 127 Faith how it is not and how it is counted for Righteousness 150 Faith in its justifying office or power depends wholly on Gods will and its matter of great comfort that it does so 154 Faith not strictly and properly a mans Righteousness but does him the service of a Righteousness in the account and imputation of grace 156 Forgiving of wrong want of it an argument such have no justifying faith 148 G Grace the womb that bears justification 33 Ground what faith is resembled by the thorny ground hearers 59 H Holiness in men as well as the happiness of men Gods aim in contriving the terms of salvation 68 I Integrity not to be questioned meerly for difference of judgment in the point of Infant-Baptism Ep. § 13 Justification without Works the danger of mistaking the Scripture thereabout 2 Justification by Works in what sense opposed by the Apostle 12 to 17 Justification the necessity of Works thereunto not opposed by the Apostle no not among the Jews in all respects 21 Justification depends upon after acts of faith as well as the first 90 Justification attributed not only to faith but also to those works that flow from faith 94 Justification from eternity or before faith disproved 156 The ill consequence of that opinion touched 158 Judgment day the issue of that dayes proceeding in relation to ones felf to be known now 162 L Love to the Lord how known 121 Love how it casteth out fear 133 Love to men how known 137 M Ministers of the Nation how to be treated by the Baptists Ep. § 14. Maintenance for Gospel Ministers in what respect necessary Ep. § 16 Miscarriages in life proceed from want of faith 106 N Negative Christianity not to be rested in Ep. § 20 O Opinions four Opinions of the Jews contradictious to the Gospel opposed by Paul in opposing their seeking of Justification by Works 7 to 11 Opinion that holds Justification by Faith to be Justification not before God but in mens conscience proved rotten 157 Offence giving when shunned an argument of what 138 P Power to justifie by what means soever depends on the will of God 33 35. Promises indefinitely made to beleeving how to be understood 67 70. Perseverance in grace why found in persons of weak parts when many times those of greater parts fall 123 Power of the creature undue thoughts about it very dangerous 127 Q Quakers how deceitful Ep. § 4 R Reading or hearing how to profit by it Ep. § 1 Reflections unseemly and provoking in controversies condemned Ep. § 12. Relyance on Christ for Salvation not justifying without obedience 49 Resurrection of Christ how excellently it contributes to our Justification 39 Receiving Christ what it imports 73 Result of Scriptures duely compared a wise mans guid 79 S Scandals the mischief of them Ep. § 10 19 Study the necessity of it in order to the most profitable preaching Ep. § 15. Steps of Abrahams Faith what 84 Supplies from Christ how received by Faith 112 Spirit how received by Faith 118 T Terms of Salvation the danger of mistaking them 2 25 Tryal of ones state in Faith backwardness therein an ill sign 159 Temptations about ones present and future good condition not to be vanquished but by substanal evidences of a holy Faith 163 W Works that are the same in themselves differ in respect of different Covenants enjoyning them in different respects 19 Works of what sort they are that accompany true Faith in its first justifying acts 27 Works evangelical in what sense necessary to Justification 26 55. Works evangelical their necessity to Justification a Protestant Doctrine 28 30 Word or Gospel how the object of justifying Faith 36 41 Wresting the Scriptures to destruction what 3 ERRATA PAge 4.
for it we have this Evangelists word for it as appears by the latter part of the fore-cited verse where he sayes that they viz. the Devils knew that he was Christ If any should think that possibly the Devils may have the same faith that would justifie men if it were in them though it will do them no good as not being in the like capacity of grace as men are yet that passage in Iames 2. 19. will oppose such a thought For wherefore does the Apostle mention the faith of Devils there but to disparage the unprofitable and dead faith of some Christians and to give them to know that if their faith rested only in the beleef of things and did not carry out the soul in love both to God and men it was even no better a faith than is in the devils and consequently would save them no more than it would save the devils Sect. 5 3. The Faith of Assent as it is the act of the understanding is frequently forced the mind compelled to beleeve the truth of divine things by the strength of conviction which sometimes is so great that it is not in the power of men to dis-beleeve them which I concieve is the plain case touching that faith which the Devils have and the faith which some wicked men under despair have of the judgement to come who would be glad if they knew how to believe otherwise than what they do believe they would be glad if they knew how to believe that there is no God no Heaven no Hell and it is their torment to believe there is the Devils believe and tremble and so do some men And it is very like that those believers of which we heard before Iohn 2.23 and 12.42 had that Faith which they had concerning Christ forced upon them by the hand of those miracles of Christ in conjunction with his holy life and doctrine which were too hard for their consciences and evinced with power him that wrought them to be the Son of God And it may be they might have a desire to have stifled that light and to have overcome that conviction which they had as that which did oppose that carnal interest of praise which they had with men which it seems they loved more than Christ and therefore would not let it go for his sake And is not this the case of such who hold the truth in unrighteousness Rom. 1.18 when the light of divine truth breaks into the mind and cannot be kept out but convinces the conscience that things have been so and so done by the Father and by his Son Jesus Christ in favour to man-kind and that therefore men ought to love the Lord and in love to obey him and that it is the way to be happy so to do and yer for all that this truth which hath thus far compel'd the conscience to assent to it is detained and held as prisoner in the mind by the power of lust so that it does not walk abroad in the life of such a man the thorns spring up with the seed and over-top it the seed springs up in the mind by its power of conviction shewing what should and ought to be but the thorns of lust spring up in the affection and determine what shall be and what shall not be in such a mans life Such a man indeed hath received the truth as he assents to it to be truth but hath not received the love of the truth by consenting to and affectionately imbracing what it enjoynes And shall we think that God will reward with the great and unspeakable blessing of Justification and Salvation such an act of the Creature as is not voluntary but forced from him whether he will or no surely he will not 2 Thes 2.10 Because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved c. No other receiving of the truth then will be rewarded with Salvation but the receiving it in love and what 's more voluntary than love If a man had all faith never so strong a perswasion touching the vertue and power of Christ So that he could remove mountains and have not love it would profit him nothing 1 Cor. 13.2 If there be first a willing mind it is accepted c. 2 Cor. 8.12 that 's surely a necessary ingredient to render any act of the creature acceptable to God and consequently rewardable by him 1 Cor. 9.17 For if I do this thing willingly I have a reward Take heed then of venturing your precious souls upon this Faith that lies but in a naked and bare assent to the general truth of the Gospel CHAP. VI. Further discovering that neither the act of Relyance or Dependence upon God or Christ for Salvation without the concurrence of a loving and loyal adhesion to him will avail to Salvation Sect. 1 HAving already shewed that Faith by the first of those three acts mentioned in the former Chapter will not justifie without the addition and concurrence of more I shall now likewise shew you that neither will this act of trust confidence dependance or relyance upon the Lord for Salvation though added unto the former of assenting to the truth of that report which the Gospel makes of Christs being the Son of God his dying for sinners c. prove effectual to justifie save unless it be found in conjunction with an obediential cleaving to Christ to be delivered by him from the power and dominion of sin as well as the guilt and condemnation of it That there may be found in men a presumptious leaning upon the mercies of the Lord and his promises and acts of grace and an expectation of being thereupon secured by God from destruction while in the mean time they cut off their claim and title to those promises and acts of grace by loving of and cleaving to their inward lusts or outward enormities instead of cleaving to those precepts and promises touching holiness which would carry them out of those sins is a thing very visible in the Scriptures as well as obvious to experience It was so with men under the Old Testament Mica 3.11 The heads thereof judge for reward and the Priests thereof teach for hire and the Prophets thereof divine for money yet will they lean upon the Lord and say is not the Lord among us none evill can come unto us The Lord had indeed made many gracious promises to that people of his being their God of his dwelling and walking among them of saving them from those evils which he would bring upon their enemies but all upon condition that they would be to him a people in love loyalty and obedience as he to them a God in protection and blessing Levit. 26. Deut. 28. but these men Judges Priests Prophets Sinners of sundry sorts eye the promises over-looking the condition upon which they were made and would needs lean upon these as if God were obliged to them by these to secure them from those evils
of Saviour in a moral sence he does not at all receive him that does not receive him in that capacity which is proper to him no publique Ambassador would judge himself received by him to whom he is sent in case he should be received in the capacy of a private person only when he is not sent as such Neither let any deceive their own souls and think that they do receive him as their Lord because they are wont to call him so as frequently as any unless they make it their design and the care and business of their Lives to wait for his counsel promote his interest faithfully to do his business fulfil his Will and do his commands Why call you me Lord saith he to such and do not the things which I say Luke 6.46 As if he counted himself but wronged and disgraced by such a claim what he to be their Lord that have this vile sin and that base Lust to be their Lord yea more their Lord than Christ and more observed and obeyed than he He only their titular Lord but their worldly and fleshly Lusts their real And is not that a horrible disparagement to Christ for him to be joyned with such Masters and to be made one of the number yea inferior to them as having less command over such persons than their Lusts have Do you not know that the Father designed as well the glory and honour of his Son in your salvation and in the way of bringing you to it as your Salvation it self That all men might honour the Son even as they honour the Father Iohn 5.23 and do you think then that he will suffer his Son to be dishonoured and disgraced by you while you do but mock him in calling him Lord but denying him your faithful obedience and yeild your subjection to his utter Enemies like those that crucified him who indeed bowed the knee before him and cryed hail King of the Jews as well as you Do you think it will serve your turn to neglect Christ all your dayes as you do if you do not serve him in holiness and righteousness and then think he should save you when you can serve his enemies no longer O I beseech all such to consider it betimes for God will not be so mocked by you 3. A receiving of Christ clearly implies in it a receiving of his Word and Doctrine for whoever doth not receive that does not receive him but whoever does receive that does receive him 2 Iohn 9. Whosoever transgresseth and abideth not in the Doctrine of Christ hath not God he that abideth in the Doctrine of Christ he hath both the Father and the Son Iohn 12.48 He that rejecteth me and receiveth not my Word hath one that judgeth him where not to receive the Word of Christ and to reject him is constructively the same thing Whereto that also agrees Psalm 81.11 But my people would not hearken to my voice Israel would none of me in refusing his voice God took himself to be refused as any King would do whose Laws and Commands should be refused Look then into the Scriptures the 5 6 and 7. Chapters of Matthew and elsewhere and see what holy and strict injunctions the Lord hath laid upon his Disciples and then look into your hearts and see if you can find them there not only in the notional knowledge of them but as having begotten principles dispositions and affections in their own likeness and from thence proceed to your conversations words and wayes and see how they answer the pattern in the Mount and if World Lust abide there with more authority and command than the Doctrin of Christ you may be confident you have not yet received Christ for he is King and his Laws in chief regard where ever he dwels And thus you see what receiving of Christ that is which is interpreted to be a believing in his Name and consequently what a true and sincere belief in Christs name carries in it to wit a loving and loyal cleaving to him and an imbracing of him and his Word Sect. 6 4. Remission of sin and Salvation are suspended upon Repentance from dead Works and therefore when pardon of sin and Salvation is promised unto believing indefinitely it may not safely be understood of any other Faith than such as actually turns the Soul to God from serving of sin to serve him from the love of vanity to the love of piety wherein the work of Repentance does consist Remission of sin is the next and immediate effect of a sound Faith Acts 10.43 and so is it the next and immediate effect of true Repentance Luke 24.47 Acts 2.38 and 5.31 and 3.19 yea Pardon does so depend upon Repentance that it 's not to be had without it Luke 13.3 5. Except ye repent ye shall all perish And so actual Salvation which is the last compleating effect of Faith 1 Pet. 1.9 is likewise the finishing effect of Repentance and therfore called Repentance unto life Acts 11.18 and repentance unto salvation 2 Cor. 7.10 If then Repentence begins ends with Faith sets out with it and runs along with it to the end of its race in the effects produced by both impossible it is that any Faith should justifie or save but such as hath the nature of Repentance in it or which does inseparably accompany it By which consideration alone their Faith is detected of invalidity and unavailableness what ever the object of it may be whose hearts and lives are not reformed by it but still remain under the power of some thing or other condemned by the Word of the Lord and their own Consciences enlightened by it yeilding themselves rather unto the impositions of fleshly Lusts in some way of pride covetousness or carnal pleasure than unto the sweet motions of the Holy Spirit calling to humility sobriety temperance love mercy serious devotion and holiness towards God As it is true that Men shal be saved by Christ and justified by Faith so it is as true that that Faith by which they shall be justified does purifie the heart Acts 15.9 i. e. work out evil affections sinful motions and unclean inclinatinations as nature where it is not overcome by the strength of a Disease by degrees works out those malignant humours which do ill affect the body and which otherwise would be the overthrow of it as the other of the Soul and therefore where Faith doth not work this way there 's the same reason for a Man to be confident that that Faith is not right as there is to be confident thar a right Faith will save having the same word for the one as for the other Sect. 7 5. The same is true of unfeigned Love to the Lord the same promise of Life is made to that as is to Faith Iames 1.12 and 2.5 1 Cor. 2.9 Nay the want of this does as well render a man unworthy of Christ and that which comes by him and layes him as open to
hand Therefore wait thou on God and keep his way and he shall exalt thee saith he Psal 37.34 Here he is teaching other men the trade which he himself had learned viz. Waiting on God for exaltation but still in keeping his way Sect. 5 Now that which had been the beaten road of the Faith of the Saints recorded in the old Testament as we have seen the same does the Apostle John affirm to be the tract of the Saints hope and confidence under the New 1 Joh. 3.3 And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself even as he is pure Mark it he saith every man none excepted that hath hope of being like Christ in glory endeavours for the present to be like him in purity which is but the same thing with walking in the path of Gods Commands the way that is called holy or the depending wholly upon his counsel will and pleasure Psal 119.1 Blessed are the undefiled in the way who walk in the Law of the Lord. 1 Pet. 1.22 Seeing ye have purified your Souls in obeying the truth c. And the same Word of grace that ministers any ground of hope to men of being like Christ in glory does declare that they are the pure in heart that shall see God and that no unclean thing shall enter into that glorious state and that without holiness no man shall see the Lord Mat. 5.8 Rev. 21.27 Heb. 12.14 And therefore all they that are not Reprobate or of an injudicious mind concerning the Faith have respect to both parts of Gods declared Will and do beleeve it 's as necessary for them to be holy as possible for them to be happy and accordingly do depend upon the Lord for the one in a faithful prosecution of the other And accordingly does the Apostle Peter from the Lord advise and perswade the Christians to exercise their Faith or dependance upon God in the way of well-doing as that which would secure them indeed 1 Pet. 4.19 Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their Souls to him in well-doing as into the hands of a faithful Creator To commit the keeping of the Soul to God is certainly an act of Faith respecting both the ability grace and fidelity of God to secure save and make happy the soul so committed to him 2 Tim. 1.2 For I know whom I have beleeved or trusted and I am perswaded that he is able to keep that which is committed to him against that day The beleeving or trusting God and the committing to him the keeping of the soul against that day is the same thing in which act the power of God and his trustiness is mainly eyed But then that which I would have especially noted also is That the sphear in which this trust and confidence is to be acted is well-doing let them commit the keeping of their souls to him in well-doing which is the proper element of Faith out of which it is not able to live having no Promise to feed and support it And Paul expresseth the natural and common working of his and others of the Saints Faith thus For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach because we trust in the living God who is the Saviour of all men especially of those that beleeve 1 Tim. 4.10 Their trust and dependance upon God as Saviour as offering Salvation to the Beleevers caused them both to labour and suffer reproach i. e. diligently to labour in the Lords Work and carefully to please him in all things though their doing so exposed them to reproaches and persecutions their painful labouring to approve themselves in faithfulness to God alwayes and in all things did grow out of their confidence in God and in his Salvation The same which this Apostle Paul expresseth concerning himself singly in another place Acts 24.15 16. And have hope towards God c. and herein do I exercise my self to have alwayes a Conscience void of offence towards God and towards men His hope toward God touching the Resurrection and the glory that shall follow put him upon this continual labour and exercise of having alwayes a Conscience void of offence toward God and men that is of carrying the matter so and that alwayes in his behaviour and discharge of his duty to God and to men as that he might not give his Conscience the least occasion of being offended And he sayes it was his exercise so to do that is the labour and business of his life the same to which he exhorteth his beloved Timothy saying And exercise thy self rather unto godliness 1 Tim. 4.7 A word as it is rendered by some properly importing to strip himself A Metaphor taken from Harvest-labourers and other work-men who to the end they may effect their business upon the best terms when they are very intent upon it are wont to cast off their upper garments that they might have no incumbrance upon them This you see was the way of the working of the hope and confidence which blessed Paul had in God And the same Paul sheweth that the twelve Tribes as many of them as truly feared the Lord expected the Promise of future happiness upon no other terms than upon their instant serving of God day and night Acts 26.7 Vnto which Promise our twelve Tribes instantly serving God day and night hope to come As they beleeved the promise of future bliss so they beleeved it was not to be had but upon a faithful serving of God and therefore the same Faith which by one act took hold of the Promise by another act took hold of the Precepts and in order to their coming into their hope they steered the course and travelled the way that directly led thither and that is an instant serving God day and night To name no more Instances of this kind but only that Heb. 10.34 35. For ye had compassion of me in my bonds and took joyfully the spoyling of your Goods knowing in your selves that you have in Heaven a better and an enduring substance Cast not away therefore your confidence which hath great recompence of reward Mark Their confident perswasion of that better and enduring substance in heaven as promised by God and as expected and desired by them caused them closly and intirely to adhere to the Doctrine and holy wayes of the Lord though their doing so cost them the loss and spoyling of their Goods they were confident the Doctrine of Christ stuck to would bring them to the enjoyment of that better and enduring substance and therefore they followed that though it led them out of the midst of what they possest and enjoyed for the present And thus now we have seen the common nature and working of the Faith of Gods Elect from age to age both under the former and latter dispensation of things appertaining to eternal life by which a just ground is ministred of suspecting their Faith to be none of the Faith of Gods Elect that
large enough to support themselves and houshold-relations in a free if but in a sober and moderate way of living and yet withall to strengthen the hands and to refresh the bowels and ease the burdens of many poor so neither is it necessary nor as I think Christian for them whose Estates are grown to their full stature so as to be in a competent capacity of answering all a mans truly necessary and convenient occasions according to the rules of Christian moderation and sobriety for them still to be every year making their heap higher Joyning house to house and laying field to field the thing of which the Lord complains Isai 5.8 Surely when Christ saith Lay not up for your selves treasures on earth where moth and rust doth corrupt and Thieves break through and steal Mat. 6.19 He would have men to set some bounds unto themselves in heaping treasure together for the last dayes James 5.3 And therefore it may be necessary for one whose Estate is of competent growth to dispose in a way of charity so much of his yearly Income as is found to be the whole surplusage of necessary expences in a sober way of living though it should amount to as much or more than the whole of his expences do when the same thing cannot be thought to be the duty of another whose occasions as a Christian may call for some augmentation of his Estate if providence vouchsafe opportunity As for those who when they have more then enough already and so much as proves far more frequently a sad occasion of destruction to their Childrens souls as there is cause to fear and many times of bodies too than of any spiritual advantage to them shall yet make it their business to their dying-day to be heaping up more and more while in the mean time many Families are in great distress through want and they contributing little to their relief I dread to think what account they will be able to make unto the Lord who hath directed them to make themselves Friends in a spiritual sence of their unfaithful Mammon and charged them to be rich in good works ready to distribute willing to communicate and hath declared them stark Fools that lay up treasures for themselves and are not rich towards God Luke 12.20 21. and 16.9 1 Tim. 6.17 18. But now since the different circumstances of mens cases do render any one rule of proportion as unlike to suit every man in this case as it 's impossible for the same shooe to fit every mans foot therefore we must leave this matter of proportion to every mans Conscience which faithfully consulted with it having it self first faithfully consulted with the Word of God and the arguments and motives unto bounty which are there will be a competent guide unto a man herein Only let it be remembred to take aime by that before the Law the principles of Love and Godly devotion dictated to the Patriarch Jacob to give the Tenth of what God gave him unto God Gen. 28.22 And under the Law 1. Every third years tenth was to be put apart for charitable uses Deut. 14.28 29. and 26.12 13. 2. Part of the corners of the fields were purposely to be left unreaped Levit. 19.9 10. and 23.22 And 3. Besides this a certain proportion for gleaning was to be left for the poor both in the field and Vineyard Levit. 19.9 10. 4. The forgotten sheaves in the Field Deut. 24.19 And 5. Besides all this a special Law for Relieving with that which was sufficient for his need any poor Brother that was fallen to decay Deut. 15.7 8 9. All which put together did arise to a considerable proportion of a mans yearly increase which was also deeply charged with a Tenth for the Priests and with Sacrifices and oblations otherwise And the law of Love under the Gospel is not lessened but rather much improved and heightened by the great example and obligation of Christs signal love which is propounded as our pattern John 13.34 1 John 3.16 And therefore Christs precepts for charity run very high saying Sell that ye have and give Alms Luke 12.33 And again Give to every man that asketh of thee and from him that would borrow of thee turn thou not away Luke 6.30 Mat. 5.42 Yea as the case may be our very Lives which are more than Estates must be laid down for the Brethren 1 John 3.16 All which considered though a just proportion cannot be set as a Tenth of the whole proceed of the capital stock or the like which is the rule of proportion which some Christians of a middle rank in the world do set unto themselves yet in ordinary lesse than a liberal free and frequent distribution of Alms according in proportion to every mans ability cannot be understood to be the expresse will of our Lord besides what is to be done extraordinarily in extraordinary cases I cannot stand so much as to touch the variety of motives and great encouragements that belong to this duty But if such as profess themselves to be Christians indeed and would be thought to be none of the lowest rank of them neither would but convert their superfluous expences upon back and belly and other bravery and vain delights wherein too too many of the professors of this Age do abound to the great scandal of Religion into works of charity and mercy it would turn to a thousand times better account both in point of evidence of the goodnesse of their Faith and Charity and in procuring reverence and respect to their profession in the Consciences of men and as being that also which would abound to their account Phil. 4.17 in that great day of account which is shortly to come wherein what good soever any man hath done the same shall he receive of the Lord whether he be bond or free But while their superfluity and vanity instead of their moderation Phil. 4.5 is made known unto all men and their worldly glory instead of the light of their good works shines before men Mat. 5.16 I am sure they make but bad provision for that spiritual assurance of the soundnesse of their title to the promise of Justification by Faith and Eternal Life the worth whereof when they come to dye will be discerned and the vanity of the other discovered to the Conscience and their present folly in sowing so liberally to the flesh and so sparingly to the Spirit will then be lamented and bewailed Sect. 17 8. Moreover as giving so forgiving is such an act of love and mercy and so necessary to the evidencing of a mans Faith to be right as without which no man can prove his Faith to be such as by which he shall be justified For when Christ declares this to be the Law of Heaven saying But if ye forgive not men their trespasses neither will your Father forgive your Trespasses Mat. 6.15 and 18.35 He does as good as tell all such in plain words whose hearts serve them not to
atonement for sin without which the Creature is undone and without which Faith cannot justifie And therefore that which is impossible as to it self in this respect it hath from another from Christ Who is the propitiation for our sins So then righteousness coming upon or accruing to men upon or by means of their beleeving and yet proceeding or issuing principally by way of result from that which is extrinsical to Faith to wit the blood of Christ and unspeakable grace of God there is good reason why Faith though it be a mans righteousness or that upon or by means of which he enjoyes the priviledges of a just and righteous man yet he should have and hold this great and blessed benefit by way of imputation or altogether upon the account of Grace as having that transferred to his account in the result of it which resides in another and which indeed hath the greatest stroke in his Justification Sect. 8 Which Doctrine of Faiths being counted to men for Righteousness according to the explanation given if it be true then the opinion and Doctrine of some who hold and teach that men are justified before beleeving or when Christ suffered or from eternity must needs be false For if there be no Justification but by the blood of Christ and no application of this blood in the justifying vertue of it to persons of years of discretion for of such I speak but by Faith which is the thing ordained by God to interess them in the justifying vertue and saving benefit of it then there can be no actual justification of men till they do beleeve but that there is no Justification by the blood of Christ nor right to or saving application of that Blood without beleeving is that which from the Scriptures hath been asserted in the first head of explanation and might be abundantly further made out from the Scriptures if what hath been already said on this behalf were not sufficient And so again if that be true that whosoever shall be justified must be justified declaratively or sententially by the Gospel and acquitted by that and that the Gospel acquits no man but such as perform the termes and fulfill the condition of it upon which its promises of Justification do depend and that the Gospel-termes or condition upon which it promises Justification and eternal life is Beleeving then certainly till men do indeed Beleeve the Gospel does not will not cannot acquit and justifie any man but cast and condemn him But that no man shall be justified without the acquittance or discharge which the Gospel gives and that it gives this acquittance or discharge to none but such as perform its condition and fulfill its terms and that the said terms or condition is Beleeving are things that lye very fair and obvious in the Scriptures and are in part to be seen in the second head of explanation of the Doctrine of Faiths being counted for Righteousness Sect. 9 By the light of the same Doctrine of Faiths being imputed for Righteousness that opinion also which holds that the Justification by Faith which the Scripture speaks of is not meant of mens being justified in the sight of God but only in the Court of their own Conscience by way of evidence or assurance is proved to be darkness and not light For when Faith is said to be counted or imputed for Righteousness the meaning is not that when a man comes to Beleeve he thereby comes to know himself to be what indeed he was before viz. justified in the sight of God but that then indeed he comes to be that which till then he was not viz. a man acquitted and discharged from his sins and accepted in the sight of God as one reconciled by the Death of his Son which till then who not actually applyed for his Justification as one under the protection of the Gospel which till then thundred out wrath and judgement against him as it does against all while in the state of unbelief Mark 16.16 John 3.18 36. Which threatnings would be really inconsistent with their safe condition by Justification in the sight of God if there were such a thing as Justification in his sight before Believing For those threatnings are true or else they are false if true as most certainly they are then whosoever dyes before he believes and so before he is justified by Faith is damned and if damned then not justified in the sight of God Sect. 10 And I the rather mention these things as well for caution as confutation because the Doctrine of mens Justification before believing as grounded on the Doctrine of particular and personal Election before Faith hath I fear in these late years rendred the work of Faith with power in the heart and life of too many a matter not of that mighty importance which indeed it is in the Scripture account But hath been a temptation upon them to think that Faith hath not been absolutely and essentially necessary to the being of a Christian or a mans safe standing before God but necessary only unto his comfortable and well being in respect of evidence and assurance And so hath rendred their care and diligence about their proving themselves to be in the Faith proportionably less by how much an assurance of ones good condition is less than ones good condition it self CHAP. XIII Containing an Exhortation by way of vse for Men to behold themselves in this Glass of Iustification and by the help of the precedent Discourse to prove the goodness or badness of their title to life And shewing the ill abode of negligence and the real advantage of care and diligence herein and what must be done to obtain a good testimony from Conscience as Iudge Delegate under Christ touching the goodness of mens spiritual condition in the eye of the Gospel and in the sight of God Sect. 1 DEarly Beloved as you have heard some parts of the Doctrine of Justification more briefly opened so you have had the nature of that Faith by which you are to be Justified if ever justified more largely handled according to that measure of understanding in it which God hath given me By which means you have opportunity given you of beholding as in a Glass your own spiritual state and condition before the Lord whether justified or not and whether your title to that incomparable priviledg be tite and sound or crackt and flawed It remains now that according to the Apostles Exhortation 2 Cor. 13.5 You prove your own selves whether you be in the Faith or no whether you have that Faith in you which hath been discovered to you to be that only kind of Faith which will be counted to them that have it for righteousness As for such as shall be negligent careless and slight in a matter of this moment it 's a shrewd sign that all is not well with them When Trades-men are backward and unwilling to cast up their Books and to see how the case stands with them
you remain in the same condition until death what judgment you shall have There 's no fear of the Judges awarding of any sentence contrary to Law contrary to the Doctrine of the Scriptures If your cause be good by that you do not need to fear the Judges being made against you if your cause be naught in the account of that there 's no hopes of deceiving or bribing the Judge as your cause is in the eye of the Law so and no otherwise will it be in the sentence of the Judg. And for your ease and accomodation in this great and weighty affair of your Souls and to the end you may not be mistaken in your own cause by mistaking the nature terms and true intent of the rule of your tryal by which you must be justified or condemned ignorance wherein and mistakes whereabout are wonderful dangerous I have in this Book laboured to fit things to your hands by opening the Doctrine of Justification especially in those parts of it that are most liable to mens mistakes and to deliver it from the incombrance of those crooked notions and mis-apprehensions by which men are in danger of making that to become a snare to them which God hath prepared for a Table That therefore to which I exhort you is that you put your selves upon the tryal now before-hand as men who are to run a race or to try masteries otherwise are wont to be proving their ability by a more private running of the Race or enuring of their bodies to other exercise before the day of publick striving for mastery comes Deal faithfully with your own Souls in trying your selves before the Barr of your own Conscience now for the present by that Doctrine of Faith here laid before you The Conscience is as it were Christs Delegate deputed by him to make Judgement by the rule of his Word of a mans spiritual condition in the interim before the solemn Assize and day of publick tryal come And therefore mens thoughts are said in the mean while mark that word in the mean while to accuse or excuse one another Rom. 2.15 that is to justifie or condemn as it finds a man guilty or not guilty according to that rule by which he is to be tryed by Chaist It is true the Conscience does not alwayes make that infallible Judgement in a mans case as Christ himself will do either for want of a right understanding of the rule of Judgement or the true state of a mans cause as being defiled and darkened and the eye of it made dim by too much communion with sinful lusts which it may be have corrupted and bribed it partially to favour the mans cause or at least to be neuteral as not to justifie so not to condemn but to leave things in doubt But to what degree it is truly enlightened in the nature of Christs Law and the nature of a mans cause that is to be tryed by it so far it will and can hardly do otherwise than make the same judgement and determination concerning a mans condition if a man will bring his cause before it as Christ himself will do Otherwise there would not be that ground of spiritual triumph and rejoycing in the verdict of Conscience which was found in Paul and his Christian companions upon that account 2 Cor. 1.12 For our rejoycing is this the testimony of our Conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God we have had our conversation in the world Sect. 3 The Devil as he makes it his work and business to accuse the very servants of God themselves before God day and night Rev. 12.10 so at certain times and seasons which he watches for on purpose as after some notable slip in the Christian walk or in time of some deep affliction and especially towards the hour of death he will accuse them at the Judgement-seat of their own Consciences and bring their cause to a tryal there to force them if possible to despair of any good issue when they shall come to be tryed before the Lord which he will say hard to if he can but confound and puzzle them in the evidences of their Justification and defence in the Court of their conscience And you shall find still in the issue and upshot that the stress and pinch will lye upon the evidence of the goodness of a mans Faith for if a man be but sure he have a right shield of Faith in the hand of his Soul he will easily be able to quench all the fiery darts of the Devil Ephes 6.16 If he lay to their charge and set before them the greatness and multitude of the sins and miscarriages which they have been guilty of at times heightened with all the provoking circumstances of aggravation the plea and defence will be that Christ the lamb of God taketh away the sin of the world John 1.29 That the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin 1 Joh. 1.7 That he is the propitiation for our sin and not for ours only but also for the sin of the whole world 1 John 2.2 And that not only few and small offences but even all manner of sin and blasphemy that against the Holy Ghost excepted shall be forgiven unto men Mat. 12.31 If he tell you though that be granted yet it will not follow that therefore your sins are forgiven or that you are actually cleansed by the blood of Christ because though Christ gave himself a ransom for all yet all shall not be saved by him for that wide is the gate broad the way that leads to destruction and many there be that go in thereat Mat. 7.14 And so put you upon proving your title to the promise of Remission of Sin by his Blood your plea will be your belief in him as that to which the promise of Justification and eternal Salvation is made in whomsoever found John 3.16 Mark 16.16 Acts 16.31 Rom. 3.25 But then its like he will go further with you and argue against you that it does not follow that because you have some Faith in Christ as that he is the Son of God that he dyed was buried and rose again that therefore you are justified and shall be acquitted before the Lord because there is a certain kind of formal feigned and dead Faith which will not save James 2.14 And that Simon Magus did believe though for all that he were in the gall of bitterness and bond of iniquity Acts 8.13 and so did others who for all that were in no very good condition John 2.23 and 12.42 43. If therefore he shall lay to your charge that yours is but a Faith of this sort and kind and consequently that it will not avail you nor render your title to the promise valid you have no other way to deal with him and so defend your selves against this Article of Indictment but by producing such proofs and evidences of the truness goodness
and soundness of your Faith and thereby the validity of your title to the promise as will satisfie the Judge Delegate Conscience and make that on your side and then you have cast your adversary and foiled him in his suit he can proceed no further with you his accusation and Bill in this kind being thrown out of the Court of Conscience as malicious and scandalous Sect. 4 But then O how does it concern us to have the evidences and proofs of the goodness of our Faith which is our title to be alwayes in a readiness and not to seek for to be sure shall they be wanting or should they be lost or but defaced and blur'd or but in a capacity of delivering themselves ambiguously our Adversary the Devil is so diligent to prie into matters of this nature as that there will be no hiding them from him and so subtile to improve advantages in this kind given as that we shall hear of him in such a time and season which of all other we have least need to be troubled by him And therefore as you would not have your bitter and cruel Enemy the Devil to vex perplex and worst you in the Court of your own Conscience be careful above all things so to shew forth your Faith by your Works James 2.18 as that you may put the Devil out of heart as it were of attempting you in this kind or if he do that you may be sure he shall but loose his labour He that is begotten of God sinneth not but keepeth himself that the wicked one toucheth him not 1 John 5.18 It 's sinning and matter of miscarriage unevenness and faultering in ones way that gives the Devil advantage against one and power of impleading him but those that are truly careful to walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing mark that Col. 1.10 as those that are begotten of God do they keep themselves out of the Devils reach that the wicked one toucheth them not though he diligently seeks it yet he cannot get this advantage against them It 's in vain for the Devil to bring his accusations against a man at the Barr of his Conscience if Conscience it self which is Judge in the case be able to bear a man witness that his Faith is of that kind that in the tenour of his life worketh by such acts which argue unfeigned love both to God and men This brest-plate of Righteousness will effectually safeguard the Soul from all the thrusts of the Devil that he shall not be able to wound the Spirit Ephes 6.14 Righteousness keepeth him that is upright in the way Prov. 13.6 it 's that to the Soul which a coat of Mail is to the body it preserves the Soul from the molestations of the Devil his weapons cannot enter his insinuations touching a mans bad condition before God cannot take place The armour of righteousness is armour of proof on the right hand and on the left 2 Cor. 6. â—7 If a man have that on the Devil can find no way to enter or to draw blood of the Soul but let a man leave off that but a little and he shall soon feel the Devils darts striking through his Liver to allude to Prov. 7.23 and his Sword passing through his Soul and such aches paines and gripes occasioned thereby in the Soul as sometime caused a stout Souldier of the Lords upon that occasion to roar for the disquietness of his heart Psal 38.8 and to complain of broken bones Ps 51.8 Sect. 5 And truly for Conscience it self which is such a Judge as next to the supream Judge is privy to all a mans wayes inward outward it cannot take a mans part against the Devils accusations and pleas before its Barr touching the unsoundness of his Faith and brokenness of his title to the promise of Justification and life if it discern not in him those spiritual qualifications as will in the eye of the holy Law of Jesus evince his Faith to be living and not dead For as it is the living and not the dead among men in whom the title in Law rests and is alwayes so judged so is it the living and not the dead Faith in which the title in the sence of the Gospel rests and will be alwayes so judged by an upright Conscience And therefore if you would have Conscience to pass the sentence on your side and against the impleadings of your enemy and to be a witness for you in your cause be you sure you do nothing at any time to offend Conscience and to disoblige it or to make it a witness against you For if the Devil shall appeal to Conscience it self which is the Judge whether it be not able to witness that at such and such a time such and such offences and transgressions of the holy Law were committed and done in word or deed not only in its sight but contrary to its items and checks and the Conscience knows it to be true can the Conscience think you in such a case vindicate a mans cause against his Enemy surely no but must give the Devil his due and say as he sayes so far as he speaks true And how far a few instances of this nature will go towards the spoiling of a mans cause when he comes to be tryed for his integrity I leave to every Soul seriously to consider A few acts of this nature will go further to evince a man to be unfaithful and false to God and under the condemnation of his Law in the maine than a great many good actions in company of these will do to prove him to be faithful and under the protection of the Law Ezek. 33.12 13. The righteousnesse of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression Again When I shall say to the righteous that he shall surely live if he trust to bis own righteousnesse and commit iniquity all his righteousnesse shall not be remembred but for his iniquity which he hath committed he shall dye for it Which surely remains in force where true Repentance which consists of contrition and reformation hath not altered the case which otherwise is indeed a remedy against the Sin of backsliding as well as against other evills where it takes place Sect. 6 Again Conscience in its testimony or verdict is that which does not only acquit a man from the accusations of the Devil when calumnious but which also gives him boldness towards God of receiving a gracious and merciful sentence of final Justification and absolution from Christ when the day of his solemn and publick tryal shall come For as here in London at the Sessions of Peace an inferior Court things are prepared and made ready for tryal at the Grand Sessions so that a man may guesse by the verdict of the petty Jury in the lower Court how things are like to go with him in the Upper Court even so may a man be able to make a kind of certain Judgement how things are