walk according to the Principles and Practices of your old natural state and you will be moved thereby to yield to the Dominion of Sin and Satan to withdraw your selves from God and Godliness as Adam was moved from the sight of his own Nakedness to hide himself from God Gen. 3.10 Therefore your way to a holy practice is first to conquer and spoil such unbelieving thoughts by trusting confidently on Christ and persuading your selves by Faith that his Righteousness Spirit Glory and all his spiritual Benefits are yours and he dwelleth in you and you in him In the might of this Confidence you should go forth to the performance of the Law and you will be strong against Sin and Satan and able to do all things through Christ that strengthens you This consident perswasion is of great necessity to the right framing and disposing our Hearts to walk according to our new state in Christ The Life of Faith principally consisteth in it And herein it eminently appeareth that Faith is an Hand not only to receive Christ but also to work by him and that it cannot be effectual for our Sanctification except it contain in it some Assurance of our Interest in Christ as hath bin shewed Thus we act as those that are above the Sphear of Nature advanced to Union and Fellowship with Christ The Apostle maintained in his Heart a perswasion that Christ had loved him and given himself for him and hereby he was enabled to live to God in Holiness through Christ living in him by Faith He teacheth us also that we must maintain the like perswasion if we would walk holily in Christ We must know that our old man is crucified with him and we must reckon our selves dead indeed unto sin and alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord Rom. 6.6 This is the means whereby we may be filled with the Spirit strong in the Lord and the power of his might which God would not require of us if he had not appointed the means Eph. 6. Christ himself walked in a constant perswasion of his excellent state he set the Lord always before him and was perswaded that because God was at his right hand he should not he moved Psal 16.8 How should it be rationally expected that a Man should Act according to this new state without Assurance that he is in it It s a rule of Common Prudence in all worldly Callings and Conditions that every one must know and consider well his own State lest he should act proudly above it or sordidly below it and it is a hard thing to bring some to a right estimate of their own worldly Conditions If the same rule were observed in Spiritual things doubtless the knowledg and perswasion of the Glory and Excellency of our new state in Christ would more elevate the hearts of Believers above all sordid Salvery to their Lusts and enlarge them to run chearfully the ways of Gods Commandments If Christians knew their own Strength better they would enterprize greater things for the Glory of God This Knowledge is difficultly attained it is only by Faith and spiritual Illumination the best know but in part and hence it is that the Conversation of Believers falleth so much below their holy and heavenly Calling 6. Consider what Endowments Priviledges or Properties of your new State are most meet and forcible to incline and strengthen your Heart to love God above all and to renounce all Sin and to give up your self to Universal Obedience to his Commands and strive to walk in the persuasion of them that you may attain to the Practice of these great Dutiesâ— I may well joyn these together because to love the Lord with all our Hearts Might and Soul is the first and great Commandment which influenceth us to all Obedience with a hatred and detestation of all Sin as it 's contrary and hateful to God The same effectual means that produceth the one will also produce the other and Holiness chiefly consisteth in these So the chief Blessings of our holy State are most meet and forcible to enable us for the immediate performance of them and are to be made use of to this end by Faith Particularly you must believe stedfastly that all your Sins are blotted out and that you are reconciled to God and have access into his Favour by the Blood of Christ and that he is your God and Father and altogether Love to you and your all-sufficient everlasting Portion and Happiness through Christ Such Apprehensions as these do present God as a very lovely Object to our Hearts and do thereby allure and win our Affections that cannot be forced by Commands or Threatnings but must be sweetly won and drawn by Allurements We must not harbour any Suspicions that God will prove a terrible everlasting Enemy to us if we would love him for there is no fear in Love but perfect Love casteth out Fear because Fear hath Torment he that feareth is not made perfect in Love we love him because he first loved us 1 Joh. 4.18 19. David loved the Lord because he was persuaded that he was his Strength Rock Fortress his God and the horn of his salvation Psal 18.1 2. Love that causeth Obedience unto the Law must proceed from a good Conscience purged from sin and this good Conscience must proceed from Faith unfeigned whereby we apprehend the remission of our sins our Reconciliation with God by the merits of the blood of Christ 1 Tim. 1.5 with Heb. 9.14 For the same end that your Hearts may be rightly fitted and framed for the performance of these principal Duties the Holy Scripture directeth you to walk in the perswasion of other principal Endowments of your new state As that you have fellowship with the Father and the Son 1 Joh. 1.3 That you are the Temple of the living God 2 Cor. 6.16 That you live by the Spirit Gal. 5.25 That you are called to Holiness and created in Christ Jesus unto good works That God will sanctisie you wholly and make you perfect in holiness at the last 1 Thes 5.23 24. Eph. 2.10 That your old man is crucified with Christ and through him you are dead unto sin and alive unto God and being made free from sin you are become the Servants of Righteousness and have your Fruit unto Holiness and the End Everlasting Life Rom. 6.6 22. You are Dead and your Life is hid with Christ in God When Christ who is your Life shall appear then shall you also appear with him in Glory Col. 3.3 4. Such perswasions as these when they are deeply rooted and constantly maintained in our Hearts do strongly Arm and Encourage us to practise Universal Obedience in opposition to every sinful Lust Because we look upon it not only as our Duty but our great Priviledge to do all things through Christ strengthning of us and God doth certainly work in us both to will and to do by these Principles because they properly belong to the Gospel
Rom. 8.7 8. Therefore that they may be encouraged and rationally enclined to Holiness they must hope that God will work savingly in them Now I leave it to considerate Men to judge whether such an Hope can be well grounded without a good Perswasion of such a Reconciliation and Saving-love of God to us as dependeth not upon any precedent goodness of our Works but is a cause sufficient to produce them effectually in us Yea we know further if we know our selves sufficiently that our Death in Sin proceeded from the Guilt of the first Sin of Adam and the Sentence denounced against it Gen. 2.17 And that it is still maintain'd in us by the Guilt of Sin and the Curse of the Law and that Spiritual Life will never be given us to free us from that Dominion except this Guilt and Curse be removed from us which is done by actual Justification Gal. 3.13 14. Rom. 6.14 And this is sufficient to make us despair of living to God in Holiness while we apprehend our selves to be under the Curse and Wrath of God by reason of our Transgressions and Sins still lying upon us Ezek. 33.10 Thirdly The nature of Duties of the Law is such as requireth an Apprehention of our Reconciliation with God and his hearty Love and Favour towards us for the doing of them The great Duty is Love to God with our whole Heart and not such a contemplative Love as Philosophers may have to the Object of Sciences which they are concern'd in no further than to please their Fancies in the knowledge of them but a practical Love whereby we are willing that God should be absolute Lord and Governour of us and all the World to dispose of us and all others according to his Will as to our temporal and everlasting Condition and that he should be the only Portion and Happiness of all those that are happy a Love whereby we like every thing in him as he is our Lord his Justice as well as any other Attribute without wishing or desiring that he were better than he is and whereby we desire that his Will may be done upon us and all others whether for Prosperity or Adversity Life or Death and whereby we can heartily praise him for all things and delight in our Obedience to him in doing his Will though we suffer that which is never so grievous to us even present Death Consider these things well and you may easily perceive that our Spirits are not in a fit frame for the doing of them while we apprehend our selves under the Curse and Wrath of God or while we are under prevailing Suspitions that God will prove an Enemy to us at last Slavish Fear may extort some slavish hypocritical Performances from us such as that of Pharaoh in letting the Israelites go sore against his Will but the Duty of Love cannot be extorted and forced by Fear but it must be won and sweetly allured by an Apprehension of God's Love and Goodness towards us as that eminent loving and beloved Disciple testifieth 1 Job 4.18 19. There is no fear in love but perfect love casteth out fear because fear hath torment He that feareth is not made perfect in love we love him because he first loved us Observe here that we cannot be before hand with God in loving him before we apprehend his Love to us And consult your own Experience if you have any true Love to God whether it were not wrought in you by a sense of God's Love first toward you All the goodness and excellency of God cannot render him an amiable Object to us except we apprehend him an agreeable good to us I question not but the Devils know the excellency of Gods Nature as well as our greatest Metaphysical Speculators and this doth but fill them the more with tormenting horror and trembling that is contrary to Love Ja. 2.19 The greater God's Excellency and Perfection is the greater Evil he is to us if he hate us and curse us and therefore the Principle of Self-preservation deeply rooted in our natures hindreth us from loving that which we apprehend as our own Destruction if a Man be an Enemy to us we can love him for the sake of our loving reconciled God because his Love will make Man's Hatred to work for our good but if God himself be our Enemy for whose sake can we love him Who is there that can free us from the evil of his Enemity and turn it to our Advantage until he be pleased to reconcile himself to us Fourthly Our Conscience must of necessity be first purged from dead works that we may serve the living God and this is done by actual Remission of Sin procured by the Blood of Christ and manifested to our Consciences as appeareth by Christ's dying for this end Heb. 9.14 15. and 10.1 2. 4. 14 17 22. That Conscience whereby we judge our selves to be under the guilt of sin and wrath of God is accounted an evil Conscience in Scripture though it perform its Office truly because it is caused by the evil of sin and will it self be a cause of our committing more sin until it can judge us to be justified from all sin and received into the Favour of God Love which is the end of the Law must proceed from a good Conscience as well as from any other cleanness of Heart 1 Tim. 1.5 David's Mouth could not be opened to shew forth the Praise of God until he was delivered from Blood-guiltiness Psal 51.14 15. This evil guilty Conscience whereby we judge that God is our Enemy and that his Justice is against us to our everlasting Condemnation by reason of our sins doth strongly maintain and increase the Dominion of Sin and Satan in us and worketh most mischievous effects in the Soul against Godliness even to bring the Soul to hate God and to wish there were no God no Heaven no Hell so we might escape the Punishment due to us It so disaffecteth People toward God that they cannot endure to think or speak or hear of him and his Law but strive either to put him out of their minds by fleshly Pleasures and worldly Imployments and thus they are alienated from all true Religion only blinding it and stopping the mouth of it It produceth Zeal in many outside religious Performances and also false Religion Idolatry and the most inhumane Superstitions in the World I have often considered by what manner of working any Sin could effectually destroy the whole Image of God in the first Adam and I conclude it was by working first an evil guilty Conscience in him whereby he judged that the just God was against him and cursed him for that one Sin and this was enough to work a shameful Nakedness by disorderly Lusts a turning his Love wholly from God to the Creature and a desire to be hidden from the Presence of God Gen. 3.8 10. which was a total Destruction of the Image of God's Holiness And we have cause to
they know at what time and by what Text of Scripture they were converted and can make large Discourses of the workings of God upon their Hearts and are prone to talk unseasonably with Vain-glorying of their own Experiences when at last all their Experiences are not sufficient to evidence that they ever attained to the least measure of true saving Faith Therefore that we may not unjustly condemn or justify our Faith by proceeding on in-sufficient Evidences in its Tryal our best way is to examine it by the inseparable Properties of a true saving Faith by putting to our selves such Questions as these Are we made throughly sensible of our Sinfulness and of the Deadness and Misery of our natural State so as to despair absolutely of ever attaining to any Righteousness Holyness or true Happiness while we continue in it Are the Eyes of our Understandings enlightned to see the Excellency of Christ and the alone Sufficiency and All-sufficiency of his Grace for our Salvation Do we prefer the Enjoyment of him above all things and desire it with our whole Heart as our only Happiness whatsoever we may suffer for his sake Do we desire with our whole Heart to be delivered from the Power and Practice of Sin as well as from the Wrath of God and the Pains of Hell Do our Hearts come to Christ and lay hold on him for Salvation by trusting him only and endeavouring to trust on him confidently notwithstanding all Fears and Doubts that assault us If you find in your self a Faith that hath these Properties though as small as a Grain of Mustard-Seed and opposed with much Unbelief and manifold Corruptions in your Soul you may conclude that you are in a state of Salvation at present and that your remaining work is to continue and grow in it more and more and to walk worthy of it you should also examine the Fruits of your Faith and try whether you can shew your Faith by your works as you are taught Jam. 2.18 that you may be sure not to be deceived in your Judgment concerning it And though it be true as I have noted that Doubts concerning your Faith will breed doubting concerning the Sincerity of other Qualifications that are Fruits thereof yet possibly you may get such clear Evidences of your Sincerity as may overcome and expell all your Doubts And here you are not only to enquire whether your Inclinations Purposes Affections and Actions be materially good and holy but also by what Principles they are bred and influenced Whether it be by slavish fears of Hell and mercenary hopes of getting Heaven by your Works which are legal and carnal Principles that can never breed true Holiness or by Gospel Principles as by love to God because God hath loved you first and to Christ because he hath dyed and by the hope of eternal Life as the free Gift of God through Christ and dependance on God to sanctify you by his Spirit according to his Promises Remember that the New Testament is the ministration of the Spirit 2 Cor. 3.6 and the Spirit will sanctify us not by legal but by Gospel Principles Take notice further that you need not trouble your self to find out a multitude of Marks and Signs of true Grace if you can find a few good ones Particularly you may know That you are passed from death to life if you love the brethren 1 Joh. 3.14 i. e. if you love all whom you can in Charity judge to be true Believers and that because they are true Believers and for the Truth Sake that dwelleth in them As Solomon discerned the true Mother of the Child by her Affection towards her Child so the Mother Grace of Faith may be discerned by the Love that it breeds in us toward all true Believers To conclude this Point Happy are you if you can find so much Evidence of the Fruits of your Faith as may enable you to express your Sincerity in these moderate Terms Pray for us for we trust we have a good conscience in all things willing to live honestly Heb. 13.18 3. Meditation on the Word of God is of very great use and advantage for the attainment and practice of Holiness through Faith in Christ It is a Duty whereby the Soul doth Feed and Ruminate upon the Word as its Spiritual Food and digesteth it and turneth it into Nourishment whereby we are strengthned for every good Work Our Souls are satisfied therewith as with marrow and fatness When we remember God upon our Beds and meditate on him in the Night-watches Psal 68.5 6. The new Nature may well be called the Mind Rom. 7.25 because it liveth and acteth by minding of and meditating on spiritual things Therefore it is a Duty to be practised not only at some limited times but all the day Psal 119.97 yea day and night Psal 1.2 even in our ordinary Employments at home and abroad An habitual knowledge of the Word will not profit us without an active minding it by frequent Meditation Some think that much Preaching of the Word is not needful where a People are already brought to the knowledge of those things that are necessary to Salvation But they that are regenerated by the Word find by Experience that their Spiritual Life is maintained and encreased by often minding the same Word And therefore as new born Babes they desire the sincere milk of the Word that they may grow thereby 1 Pet. 2.2 and would by the Preachers be put often in remembrance of the same things that they may feed upon them by Meditation tho they know them already and are established in the present Truth 2 Pet. 1.12 But here our greatest Skill and chiefest Concernment lies in practising this Duty in such a manner as that it may be subservient and not at all opposite to the Life of Faith We must not rely upon the performance of a daily task of Meditation as a work of Righteousness for the procurement of the Favour of God instead of relying on the Righteousness of Christ as indeed we are prone to do to catch at any Straw rather than to trust only on the Free Grace of God in Christ for our Salvation And the end of our Meditation must not be meer Speculation and Knowledge of the Truth but rather the vigorous pressing it upon our Consciences and the stirring up our Hearts and Affections to the Practice of it And in stirring up our selves to holy Practice we must warily observe how far the several parts of the Truth of God are powerful and effectual for the attainment of this End that we may make use of them accordingly We must not imagine as too many do yea and some great Masters in the Art of Meditation that we can bring our Hearts effectually to the Love of God and Holiness and can work strange Metamorphoses and work or frame in our Hearts any holy Qualifications or Vertue meerly by working in our selves strong Apprehensions of God's eternal Power and God-head his
they love darkness rather light They deserve to be Partakers with the Divels in Torments as they partake with them in evil Lusts and their Inability to do Good will no more excuse them than it excuseth the Divils Eighthly Neither will this Assertion make it a vain thing to preach the Gospel to natural People and to exhort them to true Repentance and Faith in Christ for their Conversion and Salvation For the Design of our Preaching is not to bring them to Holiness in their natural State but to raise them above it and to present them perfect in Christ in the Performance of those Duties Col. 1.28 And though they cannot perform those Duties by their natural Strength yet the Gospel is made effectual for their Conversion and Salvation by the Power of the Holy Ghost which accompanieth the Preaching of it to quicken those that are dead in Sin and to create them a new in Christ by giving to them Repentance unto Life and a lively Faith in Christ The Gospel cometh to the Elect of God not only in word but also in power and in the Holy Ghost and in such Assurance that they receive it with joy of the Holy Ghost 1 Thess 5.6 The Gospel is the ministration of the Spirit that giveth life 2. Cor. 3.6 8. It is mighty through God 2 Cor. 10.4 It dependeth not at all upon the Power of our Free-will to make it successful for our Conversion but it conveyeth into the Soul that Life and Power whereby they receive and obey it Christ can make those that are dead in Sin to hear his voice and live John 5.25 Therefore he can speak to them by his Gospel and Command them to repent and believe with good Success as well as he could say to dead Carcases Tabitha cumi Mark 5.41 Lazarus come forth John 11 43 44. And to the Sick of the Palsie Arise take up thy bed and go unto thine house Matth. 9.6 Ninthly There is no reason that the Examples of Heathen Philosophers or any Jews or Christians by outward Profession that have lived without the saving Knowledge of God in Christ should move us by their wise Sayings and renouned Attainments in the Practice of Devotion and Morality to recede from this Truth that hath been so fully confirmed out of the holy Scriptures Have we not cause to judge that the Apostle Paul while he was a zealous Pharisee and at least some few of the great Multitude of the Jews in his time that were zealous of the Law and had the Instruction of the holy Scriptures attained as near to that true Holiness as the Heathen Philosophers or any others in their natural State Yet Paul after he was enlightned with the saving Knowledge of Christ judged himself the chief of sinners in his highest former Attainments though in the Judgment of others he was blameless touching the Righteousness which is in the Law and he found it necessary to begin to live to God in a new way by Faith in Christ and to suffer the loss of all his former Attainments and to count them but dung that he might win Christ 1 Tim. 1.15 Phil. 3.6 7 8. And none of the great Multitude of Jews that followed after the Law of Righteousness did ever attain unto it while they sought it not by faith in Christ Rom. 9.31 32. What Performances are greater in outward Appearance than for a Man to give all his goods to the poor and to give his body to be burnt and yet the Scripture alloweth us to suppose that this may be done without true Charity and therefore without any true holiness of the heart and life 1 Cor. 13.3 Men in a natural State may have strong Convictions of the infinite Power Wisdom Justice and Goodness of God and of the Judgment to come and the everlasting Happiness of the Godly and Torments of the Wicked and these Convictions may stir them up not only to make an high Profession and to utter rare Sayings concerning God and Godliness but also to labour with great earnestness to avoid all known Sin to subdue their Lusts to perform universal Obedience to God in all known Duties and to serve him with their Lives and Estates to the utmost and to extort out of their Hearts some kind of Love to God and Godliness that if possible they may escape the terrible Torments of Hell and procure everlasting Happiness by their Endeavours Yet all their Love to God is but forced and feigned they have no hearty liking to God or his Service they account him an hard Master and his Commandments grievous and they repine and fret inwardly at the burden of them and were it not for fear of everlasting Fire they would little regard the Enjoyment of God in Heaven and they would be glad if they might have the Liberty to enjoy their Lusts without danger of Damnation The highest Preferment of those that are born only after the Flesh in Abraham's Family is but to be children of the bond-woman Gal. 4.23 And though they do more in God's Service than many of his dear Children yet God accepteth not their Service because their best Performances are slavish without any Child-like Affections towards God and no better than glistering Sins and yet these natural Men are not at all beholden to the goodness of their Natures for these counterfeit Shews of Holiness or for the least abstaining from the grossest Sin If God should leave Men fully to their own natural Corruptions and to the Power of Satan as they deserve all Shew of Religion and Morality would be quickly banished out of the World and we should grow past feeling in Wickedness and like to the Canibals who are as good by Nature as our selves But God that can restrain the Burning of the siery Furnace without quenching it and the flowing of Water without changing its nature doth also restrain the working of natural Corruption without mortifying it and through the greatness of his Wisdom and Power he maketh his enemies to yield feigned obedience to him Psal 66.3 And to do many things good for the matter of them though they can do nothing in a right holy manner He hath appointed several means to restrain our Corruptions as the Law Terrors of Conscience terrible Judgments and Rewards in this Life Magistrates humane Laws Labour for Necessaries Food and Raiment and those Gospel means that are effectual for Sanctification serve also for Restraint of Sin God hath gracious ends in this Restraint of Sin that his Church may be preserved and his Gospel preached in the World and that these Natural Men may be in a better Capacity to receive the Instruction of the Gospel and that such of them that are chosen may in due time be converted and that those of them that are not truly converted may enjoy more of the Goodness of God here and suffer the less Torments hereafter As vile and wicked as the World is we have cause to praise and to magnifie the Free
the testimony of a good conscience 1 Joh. 3.19 21. that so our Hearts may be more strongly comforted by Faith and established in every good work and that if our ways be evil we may turn from them to the Lord our God through Christ without whom none cometh to the Father Lam. 3.40 Joh. 14.6 But your great care in this work of Self-examination must be to perform it in such a manner that it may not hinder and destroy the Life of Faith as it doth in many instead of promoting it Therefore beware lest you trust upon your Self-examination rather than upon Christ As some do that think they have made their Peace with God meerly because they have examined themselves upon their Sick-Bed or before the Receiving of the Lords Supper though they have found themselves Stark Naught and do not depend on Christ to make them better but on their own deceitful Purposes and Resolutions Think not that you must begin this Work with doubting whether God will extend Mercy to you and save you and that you must leave this a Question wholly under debate until you have found out how to resolve it by Self-examination This is a common and very pernicious Error in the very foundation of this Work which is hereby laid in the great Sin of Unbelief which as soon as it prevaileth doth by its great Influence Dash and Obscure all inward gracious Qualifications of Peace Hope Joy Love to God and his People before they be at all tryed whether they can give any good Evidence for their Salvation And it makes People willing to think their own Qualifications better than they are lest they should fall into an utter Despair of their Salvation and thus it wholly marreth the good work of Self-examination and maketh it destructive to our Souls For to them that are defiled and unbelieving there is nothing pure Tit. 1.15 You should rather begin the work with much assurance of Faith that though you find your Heart never so wicked and reprobate at present as many of God's choicest Servants do often find yet the Door of Mercy is open for you and that God will certainly save you for ever if you put your trust in his Grace through Christ I have formerly shewed that this confident Persuasion is of the nature of saving Faith and that we have sufficient Ground for it in the Free Promises of the Gospel when we walk in Darkness and can see no Light shining forth in our gracious Qualifications If we begin the work with this Confidence it will make us impartial and not afraid to find out the worst by our selves and willing to judge that our hearts are deceitful above all things and desperately wicked beyond what we can find out Jer. 17.9 And if we have any holy Qualifications this Confidence will preserve them in their Vigour and Brightness that they may be able to give clear Evidence that we are at present in a State of Grace Mark well the difference betwixt these Two Questions whether God will graciously accept and save me though a vile Sinner through Christ as before was said and whether I am already brought into a State of Salvation The former of these I say is to be resolved affirmatively by a confident Faith in Christ the latter only is to be inquired into by Self-examination Mis-spend not your time as many do in poring upon your Hearts to find whether you be good enough to trust on Christ for your Salvation nor to find whether you have any Faith before you dare be so bold as to act Faith in Christ But know that though you cannot find that you have any Faith or Holiness yet if you will now believe-on him that justifyeth the ungodly it shall be accounted to you for righteousness Rom. 4.5 And if you love Christ and your own Soul mis-spend not your time in examining whether you have committed the unpardonable Sin against the Holy Ghost except it be with a full Purpose to assure your self more and more that you are not guilty thereof for any Doubtfulness in this Point will but harden you in Unbelief Remember well that the Question to be resolved is Whether you be at present in a state of Grace and to resolve it you must be willing to know the best by your self as well as the worst And you must not think that Humility bindeth you to overlook your good Qualifications and to take notice only of your Corruptions But your great work must be to find whether there be not some Drop of saving Grace in the Ocean of your Corruption And it will consist well with Humility to take notice of and own any Spark of true Holiness that is in you because the Praise and Glory of it belongeth not to you but to God Phil. 1.11 And you must try inherent Grace by the Touch-stone not by the Measure by its Nature not its Degree not denying any Lustings of the Spirit in you because of the strong Lustings of the Flesh against the Spirit nor denying that you are Spiritual in some degree and Babes in Christ because you find your selves carnal in a more prevailing degree and the old man bigger than the new Gal. 5.17 1 Cor. 3.1 Especially you are to examine and prove whether you be in the Faith for if you make sure of this you make sure of all the things that pertain to Life and Godliness and if you doubt of this you will certainly doubt of the Truth of any other Qualifications and will suspect them to be meerly Carnal and Counterfeit because it is a known Truth that to the Vnbelieving there is nothing pure and that all that have not truly received Christ by Faith are at present in an unregenerate State though they seem never so Pure and Godly 2 Cor. 13.5 Tit. 1.15 And let not the Issue of this Tryal depend at all upon your Knowledge of the time when or of the Sermon Conference or Place of Scripture by which you were first converted to the Faith though that is good to know too if it may be And some who have formerly lived in gross Ignorance or in a manifest Opposition to true Faith and Holiness may know such Circumstances of their Conversion and may reflect upon them comfortably as the Apostle Paul did who was turned of a suddain from his Persecuting Rage to be a Disciple and an Apostle of Christ yet others sincere Believers may be wholly Ignorant of them as John the Baptist who was filled with the Holy Ghost from his mothers Womb Luk. 1.15 and they that have been trained up religiously and known the Holy Scripture from their Childhood as Timothy 2. Tim. 3.15 Yea and many that are first turned from gross Ignorance and Profaneness to some external Reformation and then in process of time brought nearer to the Kingdom of Heaven by insensible Degrees before they be really new begotten by the Spirit of Faith There are also some that deceive their Souls by imagining that
in vain when you utter Petitions for the coming of his Kingdom and doing of his Will and yet hate Godliness in your Heart This is Lying to God and slattering with your Lips but no true Prayer and so God takes it Psal 78.36 and you must have a sense of your wants and necessities and that God only can supply 2 Chron. 20.12 And fervency in those desires is required Jam. 5.16 And you must pray with attention minding your selves what you pray or else you cannot expect that God should mind it 1 Pet. 4.7 Watch to it Dan. 9.3 Set your selves to this Duty intently God seeth where your Heart is wandring when you pray without attention Ezek. 33.31 When you say never so many prayers without Understanding Attention Affection it is not praying at all but sinning and playing the Hypocrite as Papists mumble over their Latin Prayers upon the Beads by Tale prating like Parrots what they cannot understand And thus ignorant People say over their Forms of English Prayers and account they have well-discharged their Duty tho their Heart prayed not at all and were minding other things This is a meer Lip-labour and bodily Exercise offering a dead Carcass to God plain deceit Mal. 1.13 14. a form of Godliness with denying the Power 2 Tim. 3.5 whereby Popery hath cheated the World of the Power of this and all other Holy Ordinances They say God minds and knows what they speak and approves it I answer He doth so as to Judg them for Hypocrites and profane persons for not knowing minding and approving what they utter themselves He hath no pleasure in Fools Eccles 5.1 2. They would not deal so with an Earthly Prince 2. You must pray in the Name of Christ for the Spirit glorifies Christ Joh. 16. and leadeth us to God through Christ Eph. 2.18 As I have shewed that walking in the Spirit and walking in Christ is all one so praying in the Spirit and by and through Christ And as we are to walk in the Name of the Lord and to do all things in his Name as is commanded Joh. 14.13 14. It is not enough to conclude our Prayers through Jesus Christ our Lord but we must come for Blessings in the Garments of our elder Brother and must depend upon his Worthyness and Strength for all So also we must praise God for all things in his Name as things received for his sake and by him Eph. 5.20 We must lay hold on his Strength only and plead nothing and own nothing for our Acceptance but him We must not plead our own works arrogantly like the proud Pharisee Luk. 18.11.12 except only as Fruits of Grace and Rewards of Grace Isa 38.1 2. Praying in the Spirit is upon Gospel not legal Principles Rom. 7.6 with 2 Cor. 6.3 with great Humiliation and sense of Unworthyness Psal 51. with a broken Spirit with Despair of Acceptance otherwise than upon Christ's Account Dan. 9.18 If your Enlargements Struglings Meltings have been never so great yet without this all is Abominable 3. Hence you must not think to be accepted for the Goodness of your Prayers and trust on them as works of Righteousness which is making Idols of your Prayers and putting them into the place of Christ quite contrary to praying in the Name of Christ Thus Papists hope to be sav'd by saying their Tale of Prayers upon their Bead-Rows and they have Indulgences granted upon their saying so many Prayers and of such a sort Yea some ignorant Protestants trust on their Prayer as Duties of Righteousness and they think one Prayer to be more acceptable than another by reason of the Holiness of the Form if it were made by Holy Men especially the Lords Prayer which they use to help them in any Exigence or Danger how little soever they can apply it to their own Case they make an Idol of it And some use it and other places of Scriptures as a Spell or Charm to drive away the Devil And others think their Prayers more acceptable in one place than in another by reason of the Holiness of the place Joh. 4.21 24.1 Tim. 2.8 Others trust on their much speaking Mat. 6. which they call the enlarging of their Hearts They think to put off God and stop the Mouth of Conscience with a few Prayers and so to live as they list 4. Pray to God as your Father through Christ as your Saviour in Faith of Remission of Sins and your acceptance with God and the obtaing of all other things which you desire of him as far as is necessary for your Salvation Jam. 1.5 6 7. ch 5.15 1 Joh. 5.14 15. Mar. 11.24 Heb. 10.24 and Psal 62.8 and 86.7 and 55.16 and 57.1 2. and 17.6 This is praying in Christ Eph. 3.12 and by the Holy Ghost the Spirit of Adoption Rom. 8.16 Gal. 4.6 Without this Prayer is Lifeless and Heartless and but a dead Carcass Rom. 10.14 Psal 77.4 By this you may judge whether you have prayed rightly more than by your melting Affection or largeness in Expression Though you be not assured that you shall have every thing that you ask yet every thing that is good This Faith you must endeavour to act and therefore if any Sin lye on Conscience you must strive first to get the Pardon of it Psal 32.1.5 and 51.14 15. and Purisication from it by Faith that you may lift up holy hands without wrath and doubting 1 Tim. 2.8 The sin of wrath there is especially mentioned because that is contrary to Love and forgiving others Here lyes the Strength Life and Powerfulness of Prayer Set Faith on work and you will be powerful and prevail 5. You must strive in Prayer to stir up and act every other sanctifying Grace through Faith moving you thereunto Thus your Spikenards will yield their Smell as godly sorrow Psal 38.18 peace Isa 27.8 joy Psal 105.3 hope Psal 71.5 desire and love to God Psal 4.6 and love to all his commands Psal 119.4 5. and to his people out of love to him Psal 122. you must seek the Spirit it self in the first place Luk. 11.13 Psal 37.5 and all spiritual things Mat. 6.33 Praying only for carnal things shews a carnal Heart and leaves it carnal Pray for faith Mar. 9.24 and for such things as may serve most for the glorifying God 2 Chron. 1.11 12. and for outward things you must act in submission to his Will and thus Prayer sets you in a holy frame Mat. 26.42 Luk. 22.42 43. Hallowing Gods Name must be your aim Mat. 6. not your Lusts Jam. 4.3 6. Strive to bring your Soul into order by this Duty however disordered by Guilt Anguish inordinate Cares or Fears Psal 32.1 5. and 55.16 17 20 22. and 69.32 Phil. 4.6 7.1 Sam. 1. A Watch must be often wound up you must wrestle in Prayer against your Unbelief Doubting Fears Cares Reluctancy of the Flesh to that which is good against all Evil Lusts and Desires Coldness of Affection Impatience trouble of Spirit every
God 3. They have no need to seek Salvation by Works of the Law and so are delivered from a Yoke that cannot be born from endless observances that Pharisees and Papists have heaped up from the continual frights doubts fears and terrors by the Law Act. 15.10 Rom. 8.15 from a Wrath-working Law Rom. 4.15 from a Sin irritating Law Rom. 7.5 from a killing Law a Ministration of Death and Condemnation 2 Cor. 3.6 7 9. Mount Sinai which gendreth to Bondage Gal 4.24 4. Hence they are delivered from a condemning Conscience which otherwise would still gnaw them as a Worm Heb. 9.14 If the Blood of Bulls and Goats sanctified to the purifying of the flesh how much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternal spirit offered himself without spot to God purge your conscience from dead works c. A guilty conscience is a foul conscience and it will make all his services and duties dead works unfit for the service of the living God it s the blood of Christ applied by Faith that takes off this foulness of guilt from the conscience therefore the blood of Christ hath the only efficacy this way to take off the conscience of Sin Heb. 10.1 2 3 4 c. Hence they come to have a good conscience 1 Pet. 3.21 void of offence toward God Act. 24.16 5. It is an everlasting Righteousness by which their standing in Christ is secured Heb. 9.12 It s an eternal Redemption that is obtained So Dan 9.24 Whereas by the Law those that were justified to day typically might fall under condemnation so far as to need another sacrifice for Sin they had no real purgation of conscience from sin by those Sacrifices and therefore could not have a lasting delivery of their consciences from guilt by them here it is far otherwise here is an effectual compleat and perpetual Redemption reaching the conscience of the Sinner and for the purging away all sins past present and to come 1 Joh. 1.7 6. It 's a Righteousness of infinite value because it is the Righteousness of one that is God and his Name is Jehovah our Righteousness Jer. 23.6 Heb. 9.14 It is therefore more powerful to save than Adams sin was to destroy or condemn Rom. 5. Christ is here the power of God 1 Cor. 1.24 thence we are powerful and conquer by Faith likewise there 's a marvelous plenty of Mercy and Grace that is brought to us by Jehovah our Righteousness plenteous Redemption Psal 130.7 it must be most plentiful because infinite though no creature could satisfie for sin yet Jehovah could do it abundantly and therefore in Christ Gods merey prevails high above our sins Psal 103.11 12. 7. Gods Grace and Justice is both ingaged on our behalf in this Righteousness Justice is terrible and seems to be against mercy and dreadful to Natural people but it is otherwise to Believers it 's pacified and appeased through this Righteousness it 's satisfied in Christ for our sins Justice becomes our Friend joins in with Grace and instead of pleading against us it 's altogether for us and it speaks contrary to what it speaks to sinners out of Christ Josh 24.19 20. We may also plead Justice for forgiveness through mercy in Christ Rom. 3.26 8. We may be sure of Holiness and Glory of delivery from the power and dominion of sin as well as the charge of it before God and guilt in our own consciences for this was the end of Christs death Tit. 2.14 Rom. 6.6 Rom. 8.3 4. ch 6.14 c. 8.30 Whom he hath justified them hath he glorified The Law was the strength of Sin for sin had its title to rule in us by reason of the Curse and thence Satan also rules but here is our deliverance from Sin and Satan yea from Death too Heb. 2.14 15. Hos 13 14. And by the same reason we are raised by this excellent Righteousness to a better State than we had in Adam at first for Christ died that we might receive the Adoption of Sons and the Spirit that we might be brought under a new Covenant and be set in the right way of Holiness serving out of Love Gal. 3.14 1 Joh. 4.19 Gal. 4.4 Heb. 9.15 Rom. 5.11 Mat. 22.37 38. Col. 2.13 9. We may be sure hence of a concurrence of all things for our good all things shall work for good through Grace to bring us to Glory because God is for us who is the Creator and Governor of all things Rom 8.28 31 33. God will never be wroth with us nor rebuke us in anger any more Isa 54.9 Rom. 5.3 10. Hence we may come before God without confusion of face yea with boldness to the Throne of Grace in Christs Name Joh. 14.13 14. and expect all good things of him Eph. 3.12 in whom we have boldness of access with confidence by saith in him Heb. 10.22 23. Let us draw nigh with full assurance of faith Christs blood pleads for us in Heaven Heb. 12.14 and we may and are to plead boldly a satisfaction on his account 11. We live in those times when this righteousness is fully revealed and Sin made an end of Rom. 3.21 22. this is our happiness above those that lived before Christs coming who were under Types and Shadows of this righteousness when as we have the substance in its own light and so we are not under the Law which they were under as a School-master we are not Servants but Sons called to liberty Gal. 3.23 26. 4 7. 5 13. The preaching of the old Covenant as a Church Ordinance to be urged now is ceased the Law is not to be preached now in the same terms as Moses preached it for Justification Rom. 10.5 6 7 8. 2 Cor. 3.6 7. Gal. 3.12 21. its contrary in terms to saith though it were subservient Vse II. For Examination whether we be in Christ and have received this Justification by faith with all our hearts 1. Consider whether you be made really sensible of Sin and your Condemnation by the Law this is necessary to make us fly to Christ and for this as one great end was the Law given Gal. 3.22 23 24. Mat. 9.13 Act. 2.37 without sense of sin no prizing of Christ or desire of Holiness but rather abuse of Grace to carnal security and licentiousness those that were stung with the fiery Serpents looked up to the brazen Serpent 2. Dost thou trust only upon free mercy for Justification in Gods sight renouncing all thy works whatever in this point as not able to stand in them before Gods exact Justice crying mercy with the poor Publican Perfectionists and Self-righteous persons have no share in this matter Luk. 18.13 14. and Paul notwithstanding all that the World might think he had to plead for himself yet he counted all but dung that he might win Christ and be found in him not having his own righteousness which is of the Law but that which is of the faith of Christ the righteousness which is
of God by faith i. e. the redeeming and propitiation-righteousness of Christ whereby he desired only to be justified and which he believed in for that end opposing it to any thing inherent in himself which therefore he calls his own righteousness Phil. 3.6 8 9. Rom. 4.5 3. Dost thou trust with any confidence in Christ not continuing in a meer suspence In a way of meer doubting we can receive no good thing from God James 1 6 7. meer doubting will not loose the conscience from the guilt of sin Heb. 10.22 but leaveth the Soul under terrors Abrahams confidence is the example and pattern of our justifying saith that we should endeavour to come up unto believing with a fullness of perswasion in hope against hope Rom. 4.20 24. though a believing Soul may be assaulted with many doubtings but it fights against them and doth not give up it self to the dominion of them Psal 42.11 Marâ— 9.24 it hath always some thing contrary to them and striving with them 4. Dost thou come to Christ for Remission of Sins for the right end namely That thou may'st be freed from the dominion of Sin before the Living God Heb. 9.14 Psal 130. Tit. 2.14 1 Pet. 2.24 otherwise thou dost not receive it for the right end and desirest not really the favour and enjoyment of God and to be in friendship with him 5. Dost thou walk in holiness and strive to evidence this Justification by the fruits of faith in good works otherwise thy faith is but a dead faith for a true faith purifieth the heart Act. 15.9 If Christ be thine he will be sanctification as well as righteousness 1 Cor. 1.30 Rom. 8.1.9 Joh. 13.8 If God hath taken thee into his favour he will doubtless cleanse thee though faith alone justifie without the concurrence of works to the Act of Justification yet that faith is not so alone as not to be accompanied with good works As the eye alone seeth yet it is not alone without other Members So the Apostle James declareth faith that is alone to be dead and biddeth us shew our faith by our works which is to be understood not as if works were the conditions of attaining Justification but sure evidences of Justification attained by faith and very necessary Jam. 2.14 15. The Gospel is no Covenant of works requiring another righteousness for Justification by doing for life works justifie us from such accusations of men as will deny us to have Justification by faith or that we have a true and lively faith or are good Trees Mat. 12.33 37. not as being our righteousness themselves or conditions of our having Christs righteousness or qualifying us for it Vse III. It serveth for Exhortation to several Duties 1. To the wicked its dehortation unto them from continuance in sin under Gods wrath running headlong to Damnation for here is a door of Mercy opened to them a Righteousness prepared that they may be freely accepted of God some men are Desperadoes over Shooes over Boots they are resolved to run the risque of it and please themselves they shall speed as well as others And some men would be justified but seek for it in some wrong way some will go to the Pope to quiet their Consciences by his Deceits some to their own works and performances but you are Exhorted to look out for the true Righteousness Christ saith in the Gospel Behold me behold me the Kingdom of Heaven is open mercy and righteousness are freely offered Isa 55.6 7. Jer. 3.12 Repentance is preached with Remission of sins Luk. 24.47 Act. 2.38 Beware you do not neglect this acceptable time this day of Salvation Heb. 2.1 For 1. If you do you remain under the wrath of God Joh. 3.36 under the curse of the Law which like a Flood sweeps away all that are found out of this Ark the Lord Christ Psal 11.5 6. 2. Your condemnation will be aggravated by refusing so great Salvation Heb. 2.3 you will have no cloak for your sins when you refuse mercy Joh. 15.22 you cannot say you are undone by your past sins beyond recovery and therefore it is in vain to strive for behold Remission of sins is proclaimed unto you Ezek. 33.10 11. and what an horrid sin is it to despise the blood of the Son of God Joh. 3.11 Obj. I. If God justifie the Vngodly what need I forsake Vngodliness at all Rom. 6.1 A. Thou canst not seek Justification truly except thou hast a mind to live to God in friendship with him for Justification is Gods way of taking us into friendship with him Rom. 5.1 2. and of reconciling us 2 Cor. 5.19 The use that thou art to make of it it is to seek Gods friendship by it and the enjoyment of him why doth a Man seek a pardon if he intend to go on in Rebellion and stand out in desiance to his Prince 1 Pet. 2.24 They seek pardon in a mocking way that intend not to return to obedience Gal. 6.7 8. Obj. II. My sins are so great that I have no encouragement to hope A. Christs Righteousness is for all sorts of Sinners that believe whether Jews or Gentiles and now great sinners were of both sorts Rom. 1.2 3. and even for those that killed and murdered the Lord of glory Act. 2. for the chief of sinners 1 Tim. 1.15 Act. 16. Where sin abounds grace superabounds Rom. 5.20 your sins are but the sins of a Creature but his righteousness is the righteousness of God Joh. 6.37 Rom. 10.11 13. Exhort II. It Exhorts those that have a mind to turn to God to turn the right way by faith in Christ for Justification Let them not seek by Works as most in the World do and all are prone to do Rom. 9.31 32. but this Doctrine seems very foolish yea pernicious to a Natural man Become a fool that thou may'st be wise 1 Cor. 3.18 otherwise you will labour in the sire and weary your selves for very vanity and be under continual discomforts and discouragements for you can do no good work while you are in the flesh under the Law and its Curse before God have received you into favour for Justification is in order of Nature before true Holiness of Heart and Life 1 Tim. 1.5 Heb. 9.14 Faith is the great Work and Mother Duty Joh. 6.29 Gal. 5.6 Isa 55.2 therefore while you believe not you dishonour Christ and his Death Gal. 2.21 ch 5.2 3 4. therefore come boldly though a great sinner Act. 10.43 and seek Righteousness in Christ with Holiness Rom. 8.1 Q. But how shall I get Faith A. Faith is the gift of God Eph. 2.8 and by the Gospel Rom. 1.15 10 17. Faith comes by hearing the Gospel preached and that comes in working of faith not in word only but in power 1 Thes 1.5 beyond what can be done by natural or humane attainment Joh. 6.63 therefore If thou hast no beginning in thee of it thy only way is to attend to the Gospel and to meditate
on thy sin and misery and Christs excellency that so thou may'st be inclined in thy heart to believe Song 1.3 Gal. 2.16 Ps 9.10 for this is the way God useth to beget faith Isa 55.3 But if thou hast a desire and inclination to fly from thy self to Christ in the bent of thy heart so that thou preferrest Christ above all then the spirit hath begun and will carry on the work so that now thou mayst pray confidently for faith Cant. 1.4 Luk. 11.13 Mar. 9.24 Obj. III. But without holiness no Man shall see God Heb. 12.14 And how shall I do to get holiness And I cannot sanctifie my self and this confidence you speak of may slacken my diligence A. If thou hast Righteousness in Christ God will make thee holy and this confidence is the only way to get Holiness because of that Righteousness Rom. 5.21 The new Covenant is confirmed in him which promiseth a new Heart if sin be forgiven thou shalt be delivered from the power and quickned by the same Death and Resurrection of Christ whereby thou art Justified Col. 2.12 13. Exhort III. It Exhorteth them that are justified by Faith 1. To walk humbly as nothing of themselves to acknowledge themselves Enemies to God by Nature and acknowledge sins in the greatness and heinousness of them that they are saved freely by a Righteousness of another not by their own yea so far fallen that the Justice of God would have been against them if it had not been satisfied Psal 71.16 Rom. 3.27 but now see that Christ hath satisfied and his Righteousness is above their Sins Ezek. 26.31 2. To praise and glorifie God through Christ for this Grace Oh! what abundant grace and love appears in Gods washing and cleansing us by his Sons blood Rev. 1.5 Gal. 2.20 and in making his Son Sin and Curse for us Rom. 5.5 8. 1 Joh. 4.9 10. Ch. 3.16 2 Cor. 8.9 and what a glorious excellent Righteousness hath God given us in Christ Isa 61.10 3. To walk comfortably upon the account of this Righteousness Isa 40.1 2. Triumph over Sin and Affliction Rom. 8.33.39 Be confident in expecting great things from God Heb. 10.22 for though you be unworthy and grace will shew you your own unworthiness yet you stand upon the Righteousness of Christ glory in the hope of Gods glory for if Christ died to reconcile you when you were Enemies much more will he save you by his life now you are reconciled Rom. 5.3 10. Ask boldly for what you want for God is in Christs Manhood as the Mercy-seat when ever Sin stings you and objections trouble you look to the Brazen Serpent confess Sin and trust for Pardon meditate on Christs Righteousness and the abundance of grace in him Rom. 8.32 If you find never so much Ungodliness no good qualifications yet Christ is at hand for your comfort Isa 50.10 2 Thes 2.16 17. In all your Sins apply your selves to this Fountain Zach. 13. 1 Joh. 1.7 If Sin lye on conscience it weakens peace and spiritual strength lye not under guilt with a slavish fear you have a Righteousness to deliver you from it applying it by Faith that you may have no more conscience of Sin as condemning Heb. 10.2 Psal 32. you have a better Righteousness than any Perfectionists can have Exhort IV. Hold fast this way of Justification notwithstanding all the noise that is made in the World against it for the Devil will strive to scare you out of it or steal it from you as he did from the Jews from the Galatians the Papists and many Protestants Gal. 1.6 And the Apostle reckons it 's by a Spiritual bewitchery he will strive to get you to trust on Works and tell you it is for the promoting of Holiness and to trust on Works to get Christ and to lay Works lowest in the foundation If you lose this Righteousness of Christ under any colour or pretence whatever you lose all Gal. 5.2 3. Do not so dishonour Christ as to think of procuring that by Works which you have fully in Christ think not that the Gospel requires another Justification to gain this for the Gospel is no legal Covenant but a Declaration of the Righteousness of Faith and we being Justified are Heirs by Adoption and Promise Gal. 3.25 This is the Doctrine which glorifieth God and abaseth the Creature which is a great mark of its truth Beware therefore of carnal reason which will go quite contrary and make Christs righteousness a stumbling Stone to thee 1 Pet. 2.8 Rom. 9.32 â—3 V. Walk as one that enjoys the favour of God in Christ Let him have the honour of it walk therefore in Holiness knowing by what price you are redeemed 1 Pet. 1.17 18. 2 Cor. 5.14 15. 2 Pet. 1.5 11. 1 Cor. 6. last Love God that hath loved you first 1 Joh. 4.19 Psal 116.16 Believe that God will inable to Holiness Rom. 6.14 Particularly walk in Love to the Saints exercise forgiveness to your Enemies sense of your own Sins and Gods forgiving you will cause you to pity and forgive others else you cannot pray or trust for forgiveness of your own Sins upon reasonable grounds Eph. 4.31 32. Mat. 6.14 15. Mat. 18.21 Desire grace may be exalted upon others and wait patiently for the full Declaration of Justification at the great day Gal. 5.5 Act. 3.19 for here your Justification is known only by Faith but in outward things you are dealt with as a Sinner then your Righteousness shall appear openly and you shall be dealt with according to it FINIS