be the Law of God writ in my Conscience And again I take the Word in the Heart and Mouth to differ very little from the Law in the Mind namely that God speaks immediatly in the Mind the sound thereof goeth forth into the Heart writing the same Law there and the Tongue speaking according to the abundance of the Heart declareth the Law to the whole Man as conceived by the Heart So as the Line goeth forth through the whole Earth of the little World and where the Heart is faithful God dictates from the Mind it believeth unto Righteousness and the Mouth doth confess unto Salvation but where the Heart takes part with the sensual Part Satan prevails in that Warfare and the Voice of God from the Conscience becomes a severe Judg and Executioner Whence I understand this thus He that bringeth no Reproach upon his Mind nor whom his Conscience reproacheth not who brings no scandal upon his Warfare nor Captain-General our Lord but like a faithful stout Souldier followeth him wheresoever he goeth 10. Now this is the sixth Link of the same Chain for until we have learned to walk in Love not to reproach or do evil to them that revile us we cannot keep our Consciences free from Spots nor follow our Captain 's steps who when he was reviled reviled not again But for those so learned we are in a capacity of being enrolled in his Host by which we as yet may not conclude that all Tears are already wiped from our eyes but to hope that by our Faithfulness we are in a sure way of obtaining it but not without Bickerings and many Blows Thorns in the Flesh and Buffetings from our irreconcileable Enemy Satan whom yet at length God shall tread under our feet Now this Spiritual Warfare is the keeping a good Conscience and the preserving of it unspotted is the fighting this good Fight As Paul to Timothy 1 Tim. 16. This Charge I commit unto thee That thou by them mightest war a good Warfare holding Faith and a good Conscience And the Weapons thereof as he next sheweth Chap. 6.11 are Righteousness and Godliness by consumption Faith which is the Shield Love Patience and Meekness with which saith he Fight the good Fight of Faith lay hold on Eternal Life And the Enemies against which we are to fight are not only the Flesh and Blood but Principalities and Powers Rulers of Darkness Eph. 6.12 That is You are not only to strive against those Spiritual Lusts and Infirmities which proceed from the Flesh as common to all Men but also those Spiritual Evils of the Heart and Mind which Satan would ensnare you in Superstition Idolatry Dependencies in Duties in Angels Spirits of just Men or any Power in Heaven or in Earth which is under Christ our Sun and Shield For when the Soul will not be captivated by the Lusts of the Flesh Satan that he may not lose his possession will transform himself into an Angel of Light and will preach even from Scripture-Texts Spiritual Idolatry as he did to our Captain-General For setting him upon a Pinacle above the Temple and holy City which were Gospel-Types he takes a Text and produces a Promise wherein a great Christian Prerogative is contained and all to ensnare our Lord in presumptuous Sin If thou beest the Son of God cast thy self down for it is written He shall give his Angels charge concerning thee c. Now this is a Spiritual Wickedness because he ensnared therein abuseth Grace and Love from Heaven into Wantonness a sore Evil and frequent in our Days So when Satan would persuade to live upon the Bread of our own purveying and not of the Word made Flesh 't is one of his Strong-Holds against which we are to fight in the way and words of our Captain-General Man lives not by Bread onely c. And therefore the Apostle adds Take the whole Armour of God the Breast-plate of Righteousness Helmet of Salvation Sword of the Spirit Prayer and Supplication but above all the Shield of Faith wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery Darts of the wicked One That is will be able to preserve the Answer of a good Conscience from all Guilt which wounds it as a flaming Fire Again which helps to clear this our Exposition 2 Cor. 10.4 For tho we walk in the Flesh yet do not we war after the Flesh for the Weapons of our Warfare are not carnal but mighty through God to the pulling down of Strong-Holds casting down Imaginations or Reasonings and every high thing that exalts it self against God and bringing into Captivity every Thought to the Obedience of Christ That is The Strong-Holds of Satan or Nature or whatsoever thing it be that would set up it self in our Hearts as a Mediator or Saviour or any way pretend to the Offices of our Lord must be utterly subdued and cast down Again 2 Tim. 2.4 Thus thou therefore endure Hardship as a good Souldier of Jesus Christ No Man that warreth intangleth himself with the Affairs of Life to the end he may please him who hath chosen him to be a Souldier And if a Man also strive for Masteries yet is he not crowned except he strive lawfully Wherein again three Duties more are required in this Warfare First That he resolve to undergo all hardships and temptations the frost of Winter and heat of Summer want of Bread or Water in the Wilderness he must neither yield to the hardships of Legal Duties nor to the ease or pleasure of the Flesh Secondly He must not intangle himself with Martha in the Cares of this World but with Mary chuse the better Part or with Moses rather chuse to be afflicted with his Brethren and Fellow-Souldiers than to enjoy the Contents of a Carnal Life for a Season wholly give himself up to the Service of God who elected and called him to the War and be in all things obedient to his Captain And lastly He must strive lawfully not doing violence to any accusing no Man falsly nor murmuring at his hard Service and shortness of Pay but be content with such Wages and Rewards as God sees fit both when and how to give him and patiently wait for the Crown the final Reward neither must he break Parrole with an Enemy or tell a lie for the honour of his Captain because thereby he indeed defames him as if he could not conquer without Sin when indeed the end of the Warfare is by perfect Righteousness to subdue Sin and all its Supporters Lastly We shall add one Text more which shews the Reward of the Faithful Souldier 2 Tim. 4.7 8. I have fought a good Fight I have finished my Course I have kept the Faith henceforth there is laid up for me a Crown of Righteousness which the Lord shall give me at that day and not to me only but unto every good Souldier of Jesus Christ Which agrees exactly with the intent of the Prophet for what Paul calls a Crown David
Perfection as is in Peace and Absolution or Compensation perfect and blind like the Servant of Jehovah That is If a Man have Eyes to see Beauty in or Ears to hear the Flatteries of his own Performances he is not perfect before God but yet as the next Verse saith he ought to see much and not perceive and to open his Ears and not hear that is he ought to be diligent in all Duties Jehovah hath commanded but to use them as he used them not confessing himself an unworthy Servant And in the like harmony our Saviour again speaks John 12.24 Verily I say unto you Except a Corn of Wheat fall into the Ground and die it abideth alone but if it die it bringeth forth much Fruit. He that loveth his Life shall lose it and he that hateth his Life in this World shall keep it Now compare this with Mat. 3.14 Luke 9.24 and the Interpretation is plainly thus He that denies himself and follows Christ in Death shall find Life Eternal and if he do not he cannot walk in Integrity So as Gospel Tummim Perfection is to walk in the total Consumption of his own Perfection which the Apostle to the Philippians fully asserts for having boasted of his Legal Preheminences Phil. 3.8 he concludes thus But what things were Gain to me I accounted Loss Dung and Dross for Christ and to be found in him not having my own Righteousness which is of the Law but that which is through the Faith of Christ The same also is fitly represented as it refers to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in both sences Legal and Evangelical in the Law of Leprosy Levit. 13.11 12 17. For if a Man was quite clear from the Scab he was clean or if the Scab was spread over the whole Body so as no part was free then also he was clean but if there was but one and that never so small a Scab and one other small place free the Party was unclean and forbidden the use of holy things And the same Rule holds under the Gospel for if a Mans Righteousness be perfect he needeth not a Mediator but if he hath failed in one point he ought to pronounce himself unclean and vile throughout and to hate his own Life to be blind and deaf that thereby he might be made capable of a new Birth And surely this Perfection in Consumption is that the Gospel-Believer ought to aim at for thereby alone is he made capable of the Answer of a good Conscience and that Union which maketh him one with God in Christ And this is walking in Gospel-Integrity 2dly And worketh Righteousness Both Sister-Texts omit the first Clause Walking in Integrity but imply it in this as Psal 24. that is innocent of Hands Now Innocence consists in emptiness and not being full of good deeds but void of evil and therefore must be attained in already nocent Nature by evacuation of its spots that is by consumption And indeed Integrity and Innocence in Man are the same thing Hence our Prophet I will wash mine Hands in Innocence and so will go to thine Altar which is as much as I will wash my Hands in Integrity by * Psal 26.6.73.13 Consumption and to have so washed is to begin the Works of Righteousness That of Isa 33. saith for both Walking in Righteousness taking the Verb of the first and Substantive of the latter But the Text hath it working Righteousness And indeed this hangs upon the former and is drawn in by it as one Link of a Chain draweth in another for until a Man hath attained Perfection by Consumption or washed his Hands in innocent emptiness and believeth in Christ he cannot work Righteousness but that effected the way is made smooth and easy into the Treasures thereof for if he lay hold of the true Mediator in whom and in whom alone the Lord is well pleased he becomes one with him and consequently Co-heir and Partaker of all his Righteousness And indeed such is the Prerogative of Saints in this case that according to the measure of their Faith so much of the Fulness of Christ they may call their own This was Christ's usual word when he healed the Infirmities of the Body Be it unto thee according to thy Faith And surely in the same words he healeth Souls consumed unto Integrity as it were leading them into his boundless Treasures and bidding them take according to their Faith and tho they have Faith can bear away Mountains yet shall it not be said to them ye take too much or yet shall any require a price for what they take Yet here it is especially to be regarded that in this State a Man is not discharged from the Rule of Obedience for surely here lies a Rock in the Mystery of Salvation upon which some even choice ones have stumbled and others once in a hopeful way have dashed to pieces for being come into the Treasures of Grace and Faith they perceive their Works and Merit of small force and strait grow slack in Duties and cold in Charity which makes shipwrack of Faith and a good Conscience for that Faith which hopes to live upon Grace and quits the rule of Obedience is no more Faith but blind bold Presumption For when a Man is adopted unto Sonship with Christ also his Obedience and Cross is entailed on him for if he a Son ought Obedience much more we that are Servants and therefore it is not enough for him that will work Righteousness to rest upon Faith without Works or Works without Faith but to weave both in a due Temperament together for Abraham our Father was justified in both for he believed and it was counted for Righteousness before the Covenant of Works was yet not without Works of Obedience to the Command of God for by Works he was justified when he offered Isaac Seest thou how Faith wrought with his Works and by Works Faith was made perfect and the Scripture fulfilled Abraham believed God and it was imputed to him for Righteousness And therefore Faith alone cannot attain our Prophet's Rule because he that works not at all cannot work Righteousness nor yet he that worketh in his own Merit And therefore the Work of Righteousness beginneth in Integrity by consumption of all Creature-Dependencies so far as the Soul may find it stands in need of a powerful Mediator that can forgive Sins which is Christ alone to whom it must next seek to be united which is by Faith for to believe in him is to be one with him And this effected the next is to apply zealously to good Works and Duties Charity Mercy Meekness for he is the true Vine every Branch in him that bringeth not forth fruit the great Husbandman taketh away And therefore now begins the right season of working for until now was but a plowing and sowing in Sorrow and now cometh a reaping in Joy for through this Union by Faith Christ pours forth his living Righteousness upon our dead Works giving them
to imitate in all for he not being called to that Trial tho he well knew he was to pass it before thirty years of Age he did not hast into it but was as Nature requires subject to his Mother and supposed Father Joseph and having received the Baptism of John and confirmation of his Witness This is he of whom I spake He that cometh after me c. And lastly a Testimony from the Father This is my beloved Son c. Yet did he not straitway challenge Satan to the Combat but stayed till he was led or as St. Mark hath it driven or compelled by the Spirit to be tempted of the Devil So as from his example we must not thrust our selves upon this Trial until a certain spiritual Compulsion impose it And the like we are taught by a Figure from those Israelites who first murmured because they thought the War was too hard for them but after finding God was angry at their diffidence then they would make their Peace with a presumptuous Attempt before their Call to it and were smitten and pursued unto Hormah by interpretation a cursed thing So as it is desperate to thrust our selves upon this good Fight that is to hasten out of our Legal and Wilderness-Estate until Christ leads and by a certain Spiritual Enforcement drives us unto it 16. But now to discern the time I say when a faithful Servant of Christ begins to perceive in the Inwards of his Mind that he doth not find that lively Relish Peace and Comfort in hearing the Word Prayer and other Duties as formerly he was wont I counsel him straightway to call his Heart under strict examination and betimes to be careful he bring not reproach upon his Conscience for some great matter is at hand either for better or worse And first let him enquire upon this account whether his Soul grow heavy and slothful in his wonted Performances without any trouble from his Conscience And if he do let him be assured it is of Satan who hath gotten a desperate advantage against him and if he beware not will bring him back to Egypt before he is aware and his latter end shall be worse than the beginning But if on the contrary he finds that in this juncture his Hungers and Thirsts after Righteousness encrease and his Desire to Duties and Love to his Brethren faint not then may he hope it is of Christ who now is ready to lead him forth to the Trial of his Faith whereof he may be further assured if he straight shall perceive disorder in his Soul and Mind that is to say Warrings and rumors of Wars For now shall his Heart charge the Conscience that its Government is too rigid and severe that it the Heart hath done all its Commands with faithfulness and yet cannot procure one smiling Look from it And the Conscience shall charge the Heart that it reserves still some hypocritical Corner and darling Sin in a dark place and therefore threatens it with the Law And in the mean time a Thorn in both and a certain Irksomness and fore-dooming in the whole Houshold that Wrath is at hand Persuasion rising against Persuasion and Duty against Duty one charging another with the cause of this Disturbance Faith says Thou hast neglected me and doted upon Works and Duties and Works say No but Sloth in Duty and Alms hath brought these Evils upon us and Prayer says If thou hadst been fervent in my way none of these things had befallen us And this as our Lord foretold is the beginning of Sorrows In the mean while the hungry thirsting Soul is ready to try all ways but if it say with it self 'T was Unbelief and I will now believe it will find no footing for Faith but Distrust increasing If it say My Duties have been few but now I will hear and pray twice for my former once it will be in fact easy to do so but they shall not satiate because he grounds upon a Spiritual Delusion believing that he hath it in his own Fingers by Works to save himself Now if the Soul finding it felf frustrated be convinced that Man lives not by Bread only but by the Word made Flesh a Spiritual Strong-Hold is beaten down and Christ hath got his end But seldom is Satan so easily cast forth and therefore the hungry Soul straight flies to another Delusion namely That it heard not with that attention and diligence it ought to have done Which is a most just Charge upon all and perhaps proceeds from Christ who is now watchful over it for indeed it points at that Confession and Self-condemnation which is the root of the Matter yet still hath a secret implication that it is in a Man's Power to hear with such diligence as may accomplish Peace But upon trial finding that he cannot so set and fix his Heart but it will run after its imaginations in two minutes forgetting its last good resolutions yea perhaps may in the middle of the next Duty fall asleep and he in vain seeks to rouze it up or yet as it happened to the Apostles even in the Combat of our Lord when he bad them watch with him the natural Eyes so heavy as the Soul in all its Vertues cannot persuade them to watch one hour with it Now again if upon this Conviction the Soul concludes 't is a weak unworthy Hearer and cannot hear as it ought unless Christ vouchsafe to hear in it then shall it raze to the ground one of Satan's Master-pieces a Fort-Royal And this may happen in part in a pliant and gracious Soul Yet not usually is the proud Heart of Man so easily humbled but having drawn it in from the Breast of its first Mother will thrust its own Fault upon another Either the Preacher spake not in Spirit and in Life or the Prayer was not lively or Text not well chosen seeing says it I went with a prepared Heart it could not have been if he had spoken to it that such a Sloth could have befallen me and therefore I will go hear another but tho thou change ten times yet assure thy self as long as thou layest the blame here or upon any but thy self thou shalt not tho an Angel preach to thee hear with comfort This therefore being found Vanity and vexation of Spirit the hungry Soul casts about again saying Surely the Ordinances are not rightly administred either the Minister is not rightly called or his laying on by hands was not Orthodox as the Apostles appointed or he is not gifted for the Ministry or the Ordinance it self is not administred in the right Form Now in this as in many of the former there may be a certain truth because these have been and still are disposed for private ends gain and self-interest made sale of even at Simon Magus's price and may call for reformation But to apply it to the present Crisis I say tho these should be reformed to the exact Rule of the Apostles yet
than a Teacher abounding more in Alms in Charity in washing of the Feet of the Saints and those other Vertues which will not suffer her to be barren in the knowledg of our Lord Jesus Christ than a Master in Arts yet is not skilful in the greater Mysteries of Redemption but well skilled in a naked Christ and in chearful Obedience freely cast in her two Mites into his Treasury and consequently gives more than many others of far greater Abilities 17. And now the consideration of this reneweth upon us the great Commandment of Love more strongly than before For it is not enough only to love but also to honour And what then shall we say of our selves if we convert Honour into Dishonour and Love into Hatred Persecutions Envyings Defamations May not two of different Minds or Ways in many things both fear the Lord And shall that difference which is not manifestly decided in the Word but from the doubtfulness thereof and abilities of the Professors springs up into two Opinions break this so positive and often enforced a Command of Honour and Love Whence is it that some doubt in Mind touching the Service of God Is it not for fear of offending And is not that Fear rooted in the Fear of God How then shall we persecute and compel a Doubter seeing it is also a plain Text He that doubteth is damned because it is not of Faith Neither surely doth this Text need an Interpreter When ye so sin against your Brethren and wound their weak Consciences ye sin against Christ Canst thou give Bail for the Sin of another drawn into the Offence by thy means Canst thou bring back thy weak Brother for whom Christ died and is now perished by thy inducement If thou canst not who will plead thy Cause In what City of Refuge wilt thou hide thy Head from the Avenger of Blood Shall it not be less tolerable for thee than for him in the Day of Judgment And therefore I judg it a safe and excellent Rule Honour them that fear the Lord. 18. Here another Query offers namely Seeing this Fear Jara is an initiating Grace so necessary through the whole Warfare as without it no attaining of the immoveable State why the Psalmist did not at first require it and impose it as a Requisite To which I answer Tho it is not expresly named yet it is fully required for if it make every poor Cottage of Clay honourable where it is found much more is it self honourable and desirable If it was gross Idolatry in the Pharisees to prefer the Gold to the Temple and Gift to the Altar because those were the Sanctifiers and these but sanctified by them it is without controversy that the Gift which maketh honourable is more honourable than the thing by it made honourable Secondly The reason why it was not before required was not because it was not of special use before for as the Apostle hints all godly Conversation ought to be coupled with Fear and which is more our Obedience is vain without it our Warfare must miscarry and we left without the Seal of Sonship But because that even now a time draws near wherein its Master-piece-Service will be required And again because it now ought to appear in a renewed or rather regenerated State dying to tormenting Fear and living in the Love of Christ For in this great Crisis of our dying with Christ he makes all things new and not only so but he permits Satan to send for his Principalities of Darkness in new counterfeit Angels of Light For under the Legal State whilst it was Do this and live his Text was Live upon carnal Ordinances Stones made Bread and not to have regard to the Words or Spirit proceeding out of the Mouth of God but to walk on confidently and without fear in the Merits of his own Arm like the rich Man Soul take thy rest But now these Strong-holds being broken down he flies to a new Text teaching free Grace to Security and Presumption Fear not to dash thy Foot against a Stone for Angels shall bear thee up And now against this regenerate or Gospel-Fear which takes more of Love is the best Weapon for verily under the Law this Fear did oft-times put on frowardness and when Satan persuaded Confidence in superstitious Works and posted on to Idolatry this Fear armed the Conscience and it thrust thorns into the Flesh resisting the Pride thereof and convincing it was not able to perform what was required and consequently urged it to such Duties of Humiliation and Contrition as the Law required and still wrought more by fear and terror of Evil and Judgment to come than by the more gentle and noble Principles of Love But now the Table 's turned the whole Man and Pride of the Flesh become vile in its own eyes Do this and live abolished and in place thereof Believe and be saved and a Canopy of Love spread over them Satan also changes the Weapons of his Assault for if in the way of his old Deceit he should say Do and live one Whisper of free Grace would have rendred his Temptation ridiculous if he should sollicit the Arm of Flesh to buckle on its Armor again it would cry out O thou Deceiver from the beginning I am bruised and broken in thy Service I am less than a Worm And therefore he now comes in a new Disguise knowing his former Visage was discovered-and detested instead of Do and live he saith Stand still and live and for Work out thy Salvation by thine own Arm Work not at all thy doing and working is rotten and filthy they contaminate and hinder the work of the Spirit in thee sit still and let Grace make a perfect Work And now I say is the time that the regenerated Fear of God girds up its Loins to resist this Hypocritical Mocker with its two-edged Sword Legal and Evangelical threatning and entreating How darest thou O Worm as thou knowest thou art tempt the Lord thy God whom by late experience thou perceivest is a consuming Fire How canst thou hope for Salvation without giving all diligence to make thy Election sure in fear and reverence Then turning the other Edg I grant as the Tempter said Do and live is abolished but consider who brought it about if it was it self then go on and boast but if it was another then forget not how from thee a perishing Wretch he took that heavy Burthen which pressed thee deep as Hell and laid upon thee another which was easy and light and wilt thou not bear it for his sake Consider how he raised thee from Death and made thy dead Carcase a living Member of himself and wilt thou take his Members and make them the Members of an Harlot in Sloth and Lust If he hath given thee much dost therefore owe him less If all thy legal and painful diligence could not deliver thee will Abuse of Grace and Contempt of thy Deliverer carry thee to the far end