the great Comprehensive Duties but there is not any one thing more mistaken then what this good conscience is Too many Preachers presse this carnally and carnall people go away with it that they have Faith yea they never doubt it and for a good conscience they discharge it I have spoken of Faith already but now that which such poor seduced souls take to be a good Conscience is onely to wrong no body to be just to all not to purloyn others goods to take and keep nothing but their own they take it to be chiefly conversant about the duties of the second table concerning their Neighbour A little to rectifie this soul-damning mistake 1. A Scripture-Conscience is an enlightened conscience which before was shut up in darknesse Eph. 1.18 The light of the word of God is set up in the conscience whereby it discovers those truths in their power and worth which before it was dark unto 2. A good conscience is a conscience searcht by the power of the word convinc'd to be under sin and guilt and pollution whereby trouble doth arise in it God laying in the weight of guilt the damnableness of sinne the pollution of it upon the Conscience so that the soul cries out What shall I do How shall God be pacified and the soul saved 3. And hence it is an awakened Conscience which before was asleep Awake thou that sleepest Eph. 5. The voice of the Spirit doth awaken that Conscience that before was asleep in sinful security 4. A good Conscience is convinced that all the keepings of the Law and keeping a Conscience to men cannot justifie the soul before God cannot commend it to God which a Second-Table-Conscience imagines it will and so is in peace Paul kept a Conscience as to many things Act. 23.1 I have lived in all good Conscience before God untill this day meaning I conceive from his youth up when he was a Pharisee but when his Conscience was convinced and awakened and came to see Jesus Christ he saw that all his keeping a Conscience as to many Sins and Duties could not in the least commend him to God 5. A good Conscience is sprinkled with the bloud of Jesus Christ Heb. 10.22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of Faith having our hearts sprinkled from an evil Conscience How much more shall the blood of Christ who through the Eternal Spirit offered himself to God purge your Conscience from dead works to serve the living God Heb. 9.14 So that this is the efficacy of the bloud of Jesus Christ upon the Conscience of a Believer it pacifies it in the sense of the forgiveness of sins towards God so as it can draw near to God and it purgeth it from dead works sin and pollution to serve God acceptably This is a good Conscience indeed 6. A good Conscience respects all the Precepts of God as well of Holiness to God as Goodness to men which the Conscience we have been speaking of doth not Such a one makes not conscience of this great and absolute Precept Be ye holy 1 Pet. 1. It makes not conscience of purging the heart of secret mourning to God of the purity of Gods Worship It makes no Conscience of lesser sins as we have shew'd not of all sin as Herod heard the Word gladly but made no conscience of persecuting John to death when he stood in the way of his Lusts Now I say a good Conscience respects precepts of Holiness secret as well as publique Duties inward as well as outward sins lesser sins as well as greater 7. A scripture-Scripture-good Conscience is much taken up about godly sincerity So Paul 2 Cor. 1.12 For our rejoycing is this the testimony of our Consciences that with simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly Wisdome but with the grace of God we have had our Conversation in the World c. Thus a soul that walks with a good Conscience towards God labours to a prove it self in all things with a godly sincerity to do all as unto God Lastly a good Conscience labours to keep it self pure and undefiled it is accompanied with a pure heart 1 Tim. 1.5 Now the end of the Commandement is love out of a pure heart and of a good Conscience and of Faith unfeigned A soul that would keep the Conscience good would keep it pure and the whole inward man pure as a Temple unto God Vse Now see how many ingredients go to make up a good Conscience in a Scripture-sense and what a great mistake is in this weighty matter and how far abundance of people that make conscience of their dealings with men conclude thence they have a Scripture-good-conscience to God when they are not savingly enlightned their Conscience never searcht by the power of the Word and throughly awakened out of a natural condition never humbled for resting in themselves and their Duties not having their Conscience sprinkled with the bloud of Jesus Christ and purged thereby not having a tender respect to all the Precepts of God not to walk before him in godly sincerity nor with a pure heart You then that are short of these things you are wholly to seek in that which you so much pretend to and speak peace to your selves in the having or keeping a good Conscience you have as yet no part in this matter 2. What hath been spoken of a good Conscience may be for instruction and direction to the Called Ones of Christ how to preserve the Conscience good and peaceable and so to live and dye in the peace and comfort of it through Jesus Christ our Lord. Get it sprinkled with the bloud of Jesus Christ every day and under the searchings of the Word and awake unto God and pure and undefiled respecting all the Holy Precepts of God as binding to your Conscience so will the Conscience be tender and peaceable and God will witness in your Consciences your acceptance with him in his Son Jesus Christ I would give out further some Notes of Tryal Whether you rest in false common grace or not as to what we have already spoken in so weighty a matter 1. By your never-suspecting the truth of your grace but taking all upon trust never doubting but you have Faith and do repent and so of all the rest That soul that never suspected his grace may well fear that his pretended grace is no more then what a Hypocrite may reach unto The poor called Children of God are exceedingly jealous their Faith is not sound that they are short in every grace because of the woful mixtures that they find more Unbelief then Faith more hardness of heart then softness more pride then humiliation and so of all Now that soul that goes away with an unsuspected confidence of every grace sure flatters himself and his way will be found to be deceitful 2. That soul that draws back his Conscience from the searching power of the Word when it gives out ways of tryal of sincerity and
may and doth leave a sinner without all excuse for sinning against him this the Apostle argues as to this very purpose Rom. 1.20 For the invisible things of him from the Creation of the world are clearly seen being understood by the things that are made even his eternall power and god-head so that they are without excuse c. The creatures could not say we will make our selves thus and thus and subsist in such an order and harmony therefore there was one first Infinite being who made all things and by the same power doth uphold them to which first Being all the creatures must owe their homage and conformity Now though such a glimmering of light can never suffice to lead a soul to the true worshipping of God as the Apostle there argues yet it leaves the creature without excuse which is that I am proving from it 6. All the Children of men do sin presumtuously willfully and obstinately against the Law of God mans sin being not so much from his weaknesse to obey the law though weak he is but from the rebellion of his will against God and his law As it is in the case of disobeying the call of the Gospel also Now whatsoever a man doth presumptuously willfully it leaves him without all excuse And this is it that is charged upon the Children of men by the holy Ghost in the word that their sin was obstinate rebellion against the great God From all these the truth of the assertion doth appear that every transgressour of the law is without all excuse before God 7. As the creature hath no excuse for his sin so it followes he hath no pretence against the righteous judgment of God we are sure the judgment of God is according to truth Rom. 2.2 and Chap. 3.4 That thou mayst be justified in thy sayings and clear when thou art judged that is what ever any sinner may dispute to the contrary God is righteous when he judgeth If the Law be just and holy and good once written in his heart and had a power to have kept it that God hath given out this law again to him the remnants of it in his heart so much to be known of God in the creatures and that he sins presumptuously and wilfully against God and so blessed a law made for his own good certainly must every sinner conclude The Lord is righteous when he judgeth and every mouth must be stopped Use 1. If it be so that no sinner in the world hath any justifiable excuse for his sin then let this truth come in into your consciences and strike off all vain pretences and wretched excuses when you have sinned against the Lord which usually are such as these when sinners break forth into this or that rebellious way they cry Oh t is my nature my naturall disposition and then they think that excuseth or allayeth the matter whereas it aggravates for we ourselves corrupted our natures Saith another I have bin so accustomed to such a way to drink to excesse sometimes to swear to use the Lords name vainly and as a by-word whereas the custome of sinning is the greatest and most grievious aggravation of it Saith another 't is my company that drawes me or the example of others or 't is my temptation when they are under the Spirit that worketh in the Children of disobedience Or that they do keep the law as well as they can and think this will excuse whereas nothing no plea that ever a sinfull deceitfull heart put up or that the Devil suggests can before God excuse any sinner in the world rich or poor knowing or ignorant from the exact and perfect keeping of the law if they are yet under the law but upon one transgression of it the law doth most justly condemn and curse them Nothing is more naturall to fallen man under sin then when having sinned to devise an excuse and thinks and surmiseth that because such an excuse will be taken by his own blinded conscience therefore God will also accept of it so flatters himself in his own eyes till his iniquity be found to be hatefull Psal 36.2 Thus Adam as assoon as he had sin'd he thought how to excuse the matter puts it off to the woman and the woman to the devil which trade sinners have well learnt and have driven it on ever since to their own damnation Observe this If every sinner yet under the law and the power of sinne had not some vain pretence and excuse to ensilence conscience and foolishly thinks to insinuate unto God he or she must needs fall down before the Lord see all their pretences and coverts to be damnable flatteryes and soul-cheatings and so Judge themselves and pronounce God most righteous if he damn them for ever Oh therefore sinners Away with all your pretences no more excusing but judging and go to the great God and fall down at his feet crying out oh I am a transgressour the law condemns me no excuse will be taken my mouth is now stopped what ever God do with me he is most holy and righteous If I were going to Hell I must justifie God and cannot say unto him why doest thou thus Thus t is with a poor soul when the Lord by his word and spirit opens sin reveales the law layes it in upon the conscience discovers the holinesse and exactnesse of his justice that the law shewes no mercy but cryes out for fulfilling or pronounceth absolute condemnation then I say a sinner cryes out Oh I am cast by the Law I am gone by the Law All my pleas are found too light All my endeavour to keep it is worth nothing if guilty in the least while I am under the law I must find out a righteousnesse else where another way or condemnation just condemnation is my portion for ever Here 's the first stroke of a convinced sinner when God is outing him from himself and all his coverts or excuses and brings him naked to put on the righteousnesse of his Son Jesus Christ freely held out in the gospel which is the work in hand 2. If no excuse can be heard or taken for the transgression of the law for but one breach of it but every mouth is stopped how much lesse will any excuse be taken for withstanding the gospell of grace by Jesus Christ saith our blessed Lord. If I had not come and spoken unto them they had not had sin that is not so great sinne and condemnation but now they have no cloak nor excuse for their sinne If a righteous law leave all the world without excuse much more a gospel that offers free grace and pardon and righteousnesse by Jesus Christ to any sinner condemn'd by the law that will come in as so condemn'd and accept of the free gift of righteousnesse by him But that I may yet a little further labour to bring in the sense of guilt upon the soul I shall prove every soul guilty before God of the
soul and so longest for such exercises as the joy and strength of thy heart Nothing lesse Thy own conscience being Judge but hear drowsily and negligently it may be despisingly revile the preacher speak evil of the word out of thy grosse ignorance and hatred to be reformed speak vainly carnally worldly with such as are like thy self Here 's guilt enough to send thee to a thousand Hells if God smite not thy heart for it and thou turn not unto him for pardon and a better heart to be given to thee Adde to all this an unthankfull and unholy use of Gods good Creatures it may be thou hast bin betrayed by the devil thy own ready heart to some secret sins which thou thinkest enough if thou canst hide from man not considering the judgment of God that hangs over thee But if not so yet a heart full of uncleannesse envy wrath malice which our Lord Jesus Christ in his opening the law in its spirituality Mat. 5.21.22 27 28. convinceth to be murder and adultery which it may be thou hast never considered of so thou hast not bin an actuall adulterer or murderer In a word There 's not a vain thought in thy heart the first rising of it but brings thee under the guilt of condemnation of the law and as thou art under the law as if a transgressour in thought word and deed of the whole Law This may seem strange to thee but see it proved James 2.10 For whosoever shall keep the whole law and yet offend in one point is guilty of all But it hath bin proved that thou art guilty of the breach of every Commandement of God from thy youth up But see further sinner that some word of God or other may hit thee this law could not condemn thee wouldst thou have bin convinced of guilt and made in to grace by Jesus Christ but thou art under the guilt of Gospel Contempt Come sinner saith Jesus Christ and see what I can and will do for thee I le save thee from this condemning Law I le take away the curse I le remove all thy guilt blot out all the charge that is against thee I le put a righteousnesse upon thee I le bestow my spirit upon thee I le give thee a heart to love God and his law and in the inward man to delight to walk in it and then take thee to Heaven and fill thee with glory for ever All this Heaven of mercy and free grace thou hast sleighted and sinned against and brought thy self under greater condemnation than by the law And yet by the way Jesus Christ will do as much for thee still as I have spoken of and more though thou hast thus sinned against law and gospel if thou wilt come a poor undone guilty soul unto him which is that I aime at in thus pressing upon thee And were the sense of guilt indeed upon thy soul thou wouldst seriously hearken to me Therefore yet futher bear with me Take home this guilt to thy conscience And say Oh guilty guilty of all that hath bin this day charged from the righteous God upon me Oh may the Lord find thee out this day and lay-in the fresh sense of the guilt of sins even of such thou hast long since committed Do not justifie nor excuse thy self any longer for that 's the naturall way of thy heart as thou hast bin shewed Never did guilty prisoner at the barre find more shifts more subtle pleas then the proud and shamelesse heart of a sinner will do till God himself pronounce guilt in the conscience and then the guilt of one sin laid-in brings in the guilt of all other and they sometimes come in like waves and billowes upon thy soul oh let the sense of thy lying swearing profaning the Sabbath slighting the word refusing Jesus Christ out of thy secret hatred of holinesse reproaching the people of God because in their practise they condemne thee or thy being guilty of the blood of the Lord Jesus 1 Cor. 11.27 a crying sin indeed Oh let this any all seize upon thee and fly not from it but go and lye low before the great God in it judging charging condemning thy self and say God and his word hath found me out this day and I go home with an arrow of God in my conscience I am the man or woman that am found the guiltyest soul in the Congregation how to be delivered and saved from it that 's my businesse now Blessed be the advice and counsell now which formerly I despised of any good man that speakes in the name of the Lord unto me and will shew me There is yet hope for so wretched a Creature as I am Particularly these are the effects of the sense of the guilt of sin wrought by the holy Ghost upon the conscience of a poor soul in order to his salvation 1. Fear of wrath to come more or lesse possesseth the heart Can a man be guilty and not fear if truly sensible of it This was upon Adam after he had sinned and heard Gods voice which struck him with sense of guilt Gen. 3.10 I heard thy voice and was afraid so when guilt came upon Belshazzar his thoughts troubled him Dan. 5.6 Felix trembled Acts 24.25 The Jaylour came trembling Acts 16.29 The fear of wrath the fear of a mis-carrying soul the fear of eternity seizeth upon the spirit of a poor creature and then t is an infinite weighty matter with a poor soul to be saved 2. Shame is another effect of guilt brought in upon the conscience so Adam likewise was ashamed and hid himself because he was naked Gen. 3. What fruit had you in those things whereof ye are now ashamed Rom. 6.21 So Ezek. 16. last That thou mayest remember and be confounded and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame when I am pacified towards thee for all that thou hast done sayth the Lord See also Ezek. 43.10 11. Oh how is a sensibly guilty soul ashamed before God Angels men of such wayes and carriages in which he impudently before delighted himself and lyes down in his shame and confusion of face even covering his face before God and ashamed to look up unto him 3. The soul walkes up and down with a burthened spirit those creature-comforts delights contentments which before would still the spirit now will not sense of guilt eates out the heart of them the soul must now have something else than wind and vanity for so are Creatures become to such a poor soul It may be the deceitfull heart carryes a poor creature to this thing and that but finds no satisfaction there the burthen stills remaines the arrow that God hath shot sticks fast till Jesus Christ pluck it forth and heales all with his blood and spirit 4. Guilty souls make out for deliverance sue to heaven are enquiring how the law may be satisfied how guilt may be removed how atonement may be had how bondage taken off in a
word how he may come to see the face of a blessed God reconciled in Jesus Christ and so love him and blesse him to eternity Why now carelesse sinner Is' t not better be thus then be hardening for Hell and have the guilt of sinne as nothing to thee till the books shall be opened all thy sins written in Letters of blood against thee Conscience accused charged and witnessing against thee and so away screeking to Hell without all remedy and canst not be heard a word for thy self nor any one Saint or Angel for thee Now thou mayest be heard if thou wilt speedily acknowledge thy guilt not cover thy transgression nor hide thy iniquity in thy bosome Job 31.33 but come with fear and shame burthen'd with thy guilt to him whose armes are yet open to receive thee and is ready to take away thy iniquity off thee and take off thy burthens put his hand under thy soul and if thou wouldst know who it is t is that blessed Jesus who loves to save such a sinner as he loves his life therefore away to him But the heart of a guilty sinner will now urge Well if it be so that some guilt is upon me yet I have done many things well or as well as I could will not that take off my guilt and will not God impute the good to me and passe by the evil Or will not God accept of the will for the deed Or if I set my self for the time to come to keep the law as well as I can will not that make God amends Alas poor soul these refuges will undo thee if thou get not out of them No No Thy good shall not be imputed nor thy will accepted nor thy obedience for time to come satisfie I mean still as thou art under the law As well as thou canst will not he heard here If thou indeed gets justified in Christ and rooted in him and so from a new principle of life in thy soul thou bring forth new and holy obedience then thy will is accepted and thy new obedience but not upon this account as to justifie thee before God or as to expiate and take off guilt from the soul This therefore is the next thing I am to prove to thy Conscience if God will Namely Observ 4. No man or woman under heaven can ever arrive at such a keeping of the law as to be accepted with God for and by such a keeping of it I would presse this as plainly as I may for till this conviction be thoroughly and practically received into the conscience a soul cannot make a saving cloze with Jesus Christ What I mean by these deeds of the Law is I presume understood I mean The professed owning the true God and frequenting his ordained worship and ordinances observing the Sabbath making good prayers doing some good as to helping thy neighbour and giving of Almes making conscience of wronging or defrauding any man and refrayning many grosse sins I mention these things because most men that go thus farre as your more civill sort of people think that is it impossible but God must accept them in and for all this that 't is for great sinners to be damned they thank God they are not so By the way soul I shall not doubt to prove that there 's more hope of the vilest drunkard in the Country then of such a one and that this thy good keeping of the law and that as well as thou canst will stand thee in no steed at all and God looks upon thee no more for it then if thou wert the greatest sinner in the world How sayst thou soul to this 1. From clear Scriptures I shall demonstrate it and Scripturall reasons and examples of such kind of persons rejected of God and so labour to drive this nail home upon thy conscience What need we go further then the words of my Text By the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in his sight The Apostle speakes of such who professed to own and make Conscience of keeping the law as well as they could such as were within as you call it the pale of the Church and frequented the worship of God and were sober people see Act. 13.39 From which meaning their sins they could not be justified by the law of Moses They could not an utter impossibility of it though they kept the law of God as well as they were able and hoped for pardon thereby yet sayth Paul which exceedingly troubled them they could not be justified thereby Rom. 9.31 But Israel which followed after the law of righteousnesse hath not attained to the law of righteousnesse Though they followed after it and laboured to keep the Law of God to their utmost yet they faild of their purpose Gal. 3.10 11. c. For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse that is such as insist upon works of the law they are so far from being the more accepted for all the good they did all the evil they refrained that they were under the curse as well as any sinners in the world besides Briefly Paul who well knew the experience of this it having bin his own case as I shall shew spends two Epistles of the Romans and Galathians to convince chiefly what I am now upon therefore peruse them over and over Now the Reasons of it are these namely why any sinner's keeping of the Law to his best power cannot justifie him or make him the better or at all accepted with God for it This doctrine goes to the quick and I know naturally you do not love it and 't is irksome and disquieting the Lord make it disquieting and unsettling to purpose Reason 1. The best keeping of the law cannot make a soul more accepted with God while under the law not in Christ because of the holiness of Gods Justice which being violated by sin it being also proved that All do sin cannot again be made up by any act of the Creature the severity of his justice cannot admit of it therefore if the Law be transgressed the sinner must dye as he is under the law and stands to the law or God is not righteous which to assert were exercrable blasphemy And if your thoughts should prevent me with a generall notion of mercy know and consider it well that the law shewes no mercy but calls for justice and justice it shall have upon every trangressour whosoever if he stand to his endeavour to keep the Law The soul that sinneth it shall dye From whence by the law I say by the law there 's no appeal what you may do when you renounce the Law for righteousnesse and fly wholly to a mercy-seat is another case This the first reason 2. The best keeping of the law will not be accepted because of the exactnesse of the Law it requires full entire perfect fulfilling and obedience or all stands for nothing If this were throughly weighed and layd to
works and there 's no life in them or from them therefore they stand no soul in stead while under the law as under it he is while he goes upon this account 7. The main reason of all which is now but to be touched is this If a soul endeavouring to keep the law of God as well as he can may be accepted of God thereby what need Jesus Christ to have dyed t is Pauls great argument Rom. 8.3 4. For what the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh God sending his own son in the likenesse of sinfull flesh condemned sin in the flesh that the righteous of the law might be fulfilled in us c. Mark ye what the law could not do that it could not give us a righteousnesse whereby God might accept us therefore God sent his son in the flesh and condemned sinne upon him which otherwise had bin condemned upon the sinner himself Another place to this purpose is Gal. 2. last I do not frustrate the grace of God for if righteousnesse come by the law then Christ is dead in vain If there were a possibility of a Creatures attaining to such a degree of keeping the law as well as he can that might render him accepted with God and procure pardon wherein he failed then the dying of Jesus Christ was in vain to no purpose at all Take heed you that are outwardly righteous that you do not frustrate the grace of God and the death of Jesus Christ for ever to your own souls by thinking you indeavour to keep Gods law as well as you can and make some conscience of it and there fix your hope wholly or in part and so be undone for ever Another place in the same Epistle Gal. 4.4 5. speakes out the same truth But when the fulnesse of time was come God sent forth his son made of a woman made under the law To redeem them that were under the law that we might receive the Adoption of Sons What need Jesus Christ to have dyed to redeem the elect from under the law if they had bin able to reach forth to such a keeping of it that God might be well pleased with and with them in it Now Jesus Christs being made under the law implyes these things which I now but hint forth 1. His being under the punishment of the law which was due to such as were under it what ever the law pronounced to the transgressours of it Jesus Christ in effect did undergo it See Gal. 3. Christ hath redeemed us from the Curse of the law being made a curse for us If good prayers making a conscience in dealing outward sobriety harming no body giving of Almes to poor people could have taken away the curse did the wise and blessed God do well in giving out his Son to be made a curse were prayers righteousnesse good deeds made a Curse They will be indeed in another sense if thou thinkest to be accepted by them 2. Jesus Christ being made under the Law was to satisfie Gods offending justice for the breach of the Law for such as shall be saved to make atonement for God Rom. 5.11 If now all that thou hast done or shalt ever do could make the least satisfaction or atonement to God in thy good keeping the Commandements as well as thou canst as hath been shew'd God might have kept his Son in Heaven and not sent him to make atonement for any sinners 3. To reconcile sinners unto God Rom. 5.10 When we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son c. If reconciliation to God can be had no other way but by the death of Jesus Christ will thy good endeavours for the time to come to keep the Law of God as well as thou canst and take up from a loose course will those I say reconcile thee to God See poor creature how little need thou thinkest thou hast of Jesus Christ and what a mere notion a Saviour is to thee when it comes to the tryal 4. Jesus Christ dyed to purchase righteousnesse for all that shall be saved Now if thou couldst come up to such a degree of being righteous by thy fair and good carriage as thou thinkest to God and man this purchase of Jesus Christ was to little purpose Rom. 10.4 Christ is the end of the law for righteousnesse to every one that believeth Now see mistaken soul how thy hope to please God well enough and make him amends for thy sin by thy good endeavours to serve him in his law as well as thou mayst makes void the whole designe of God in the glorious gift of his eternall Son as much as in thee lyeth and robs him of the glory of his grace and makes thy salvation if it might be had in such a way not of grace but of debt Rom. 4.4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of debt but of grace And thus thou in effect becomest thy own Saviour Yet bear with me a little further because a sinner can never be too thoroughly convinced of this matter let me shew you some examples in the Scriptures of such that thought as you do and as all men naturally do that they by their honest and conscionable endeavour to worship God and harm no body they should be saved and yet were found light in the balance The first is that Pharisee Luke 18.11 He thanks God he was not as other men are Extortioners Unjust Aduterers c. Here was hope for his acceptance with God He was not so bad as others as many riotous profane persons were not unjust in his dealings no Adulterer And should any one question his Salvation and going to Heaven Enough for great sinners to misse of Heaven and not such as he was reputed a good and honest man in his Country and amongst his neighbours well thought of by most And yet for all this confidence and security a great sinner was accepted before him and he not justified in the sight of God though he was in his own sight and the sight of others See another Mat. 19.20 which place hath bin at large opened to you There came a young man a man of parts a Ruler with the same confidence to reason with Jesus Christ about his condition The man conceived he wanted nothing that a man should have or do for Heaven All these things saith he I have kept from my youth up meaning specially the second Table of the Law which Christ gave out not as thereby to put him upon the law but to find him out and discover him under the law When Iesus Christ searcheth the mans heart and finds him under the power of the love of the world as a reigning soul-damning sin for all his outward blamelesnesse and so to discover his heart to himself puts him upon tryall of self-denyall Away the man packs as mute as a fish and would hear no more as worldlings now of such doctrine unlesse he
part in this blessed Redemption we have been treating of 6. Now to encourage a poor sinner to this coming to God with the Plea of Christ's bloud in his heart and mouth and to draw forth the Faith of a poor humbled doubting soul Consider the All-sufficiency and worth of the price of the death of Iesus Christ to satisfie the justice of God and procure pardon and sanctification for a poor sinner which may appear from such like Scriptures The Apostle in the 7th of the Hebrews having been opening the excellency of Christ's Priesthood which is chiefly conversant in this Work of Redemption in the offering up of himself a Sacrifice concludes v. 25. of that Chapter Wherefore he is able to save them to the utmost that come unto God by him To the utmost that is with a perfect Salvation that nothing more can be desired to it So in the 9th Chap. v. 11. c. the Apostle reasoning from the Levitical Sacrifices to this of the bloud of Christ argueth the full perfection of it By his own blood he entred in once into the holy place namely into Heaven having obtained eternall Redemption for us and thence concludeth verse 14. How much more shall the blood of Christ purge the conscience c A much more upon that above all the Sacrifices that were offered up to God Which will appear 1. Because of the eternall God-head of Christs person by which he offer'd up his bloud unto his Father Heb. 9.14 Who through the eternall Spirit offered up himself without spot to God Which put an infinite value and efficacy upon the offering of his bloud Inasmuch as Jesus Christ was God as well as Man though he could onely dye in his humane nature yet the efficacy of his God-head had an influence upon the price of his dying which put an infinite worth upon it and so renders it full and perfect redemption 2. The price of the bloud of Jesus Christ did not onely give a bare satisfaction to the justice of God but it had an infinite merit in it a redundancy of merit whereby it deserved at the hands of God that sinners that are interessed in it should have remission of sins grace the love of God and glory to come spirituall blessings which the death of Christ purchased for the elect which being also by the free purpose and Compact of God there must necessarily arise an infinite merit in it 3. The all-sufficiency of the price of Christs blood is evidenced by his resurrection ascension into glory implying that he wrought forth full and perfect Redemption by his death therefore he is said to rise again for our justification Rom. 4. last and to be justified in the Spirit 1 Tim. 3. last that is God by raising him from the dead justified him in the atonement he had made by his death and that he did chearfully accept of satisfaction by it 4. The blood of Christ procures boldnesse of accesse to God therefore there is an infinite worth in the price of it Heb. 10.19 Having therefore Bretheren boldnesse to enter into the Holiest by the blood of Jesus which boldnesse doth arise from the full satisfaction that is made to Divine justice in as much as God upon the acceptance of it hath nothing to charge upon the sinner himself no quarrell against him having charged his sins upon Christ and therefore the poor sinner may come with an humble boldnesse into the presence of God and this is that which puts boldnesse into the Conscience of a believer when he appears before God 5. From the experience of it the foulest sinners that have come unto it have bin washed from their sins by it as 1 Cor. 6.11 Idolaters Adulterers Sodomites Drunkards Revilers have bin washed and justified and sanctified by it The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth from all sin 1 John 1.7 6. It cleanseth and perfects them for ever therefore call'd eternall redemption once for all and for ever Heb. 10 10 19. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified once justified and for ever Now from this satisfaction merit all-sufficiency of the sacrifice of the blood of Jesus to cleanse a sinner to commend him to God how safely may a sinner venture his soul upon it which is the first act of faith A poor sinner when under conviction and the terrour of the Lord hath taken hold of him lyes trembling before the Lord whether God will let out justice or mercy upon him he is ready to give glory to the Justice of the Lord if he reject him for ever But now if a poor soul get a sight of the blood of Christ how it deales with the justice of God what full and all-sufficient satisfaction it hath made to God for the sins of such as plead it to him how God more delights in it then in the condemning of the sinner what a stay is this to the wavering doubtfull Spirit of a poor sinner when he can come to see justice to have its due and so God can freely let out remission to a poor soul upon the very first Act of a poor sinners closing with it though not presently evidenced in his conscience Oh sinner venture the issue of all upon this price of the blood of Jesus thou mayst see thou hast the greatest reason in the world to do so thou wilt never come to have a safe bottome for thy soul till thou comest thus to deal with the justice of God as fully satisfied by the blood of Jesus Christ thou wilt still be off and on about free mercy till thou come to fix here and be in some good measure establisht in it Be daily in exercising thy soul in such ventures and castings upon it and the spirit will at last witnesse peace and reconciliation to thy conscience In a word sinners you that have had no stay to your spirits for the forgivenesse of your sins but a blind hope of mercy look up look up to the Justice of God and see this way of accesse to God for you by the blood of Jesus Oh! let not any profane sinner trample it under foot cast it back upon the blessed face of God Say not in thy heart let God take the blood of his Son to himself I le not be washed from my sins I le not be sanctified I le rest as I am Desperate sinner Of how much sorer punishment shalt thou be thought worthy then any sinner under Heaven who rejectest the onely worthy price of a sinners salvation Know the great God will let out all his Justice upon thee to the utmost and Oceans of his death shall fall upon thee if thou thus a-abuse the blood of his Son a greater guilt then all thy ungodlinesse thou hast hitherto bin wallowing in from thy youth up Oh! Come thou despiser and cast thy soul under the droppings of this blood and it shall cleanse thee though thy soul were as black as Hell Zach. 13.1 And
perform their Duties as returnes to God Every called Believer saith in his heart as David Psal 116.12 Oh! What shall I render to thee How gracious hath God been and now how holy should I be Who shall love the Lord and fear before him and praise him if I shall not To whom shall his Name Laws Ordinances be precious if not unto me Who is more bound to love the blessed God then I and how shall I love him but by obeying him Thus doth a Believer perform his obedience as a testimony of a thankful return to God though I do not say that this is all his motive 10. By the Obedience and Holiness of Believers God is much glorifyed in the World 't is the greatest glory that God designs to himself in the World even by the holiness and willing-gracious obedience of his people to him When the World lyes in wickedness and makes War against the great and holy God this is that which Honours God that he hath a people called by his grace that set forth the glory of holiness in the world that are witnesses to the holiness of God the holiness of his Worship and all his Ways and profess and endeavour to walk in them and by this others are brought on to glorifie God on their behalf 1 Pet. 2.12 Vse 1. It may serve for instruction and information of your judgments and Consciences that there are other blessed and necessary and holy Ends in the Sanctification and Obedience of a Believer though they do not pacifie God nor justifie the Believer nor procure mercy by way of worthiness to a poor Soul called thereunto which may therefore serve to discover the damnableness of such kind of Doctrines that teach and cry in this day Grace is free Christ hath done all what need you pray and have Ordinances and be holy This is of the wicked one and comes from his Instruments and Factors who are sent abroad to damn Soules You may see that not one of those Ends mentioned but is of weight enough to convince a soul of the necessity of Holiness Duties and Obedience and such mens pretences are not a Scripture-way of Free-grace 2. If there are blessed and holy Ends of a Believers Duties and Obedience though he is not thereby justifyed It may serve to take off that prejudice of heart through misunderstanding and ignorance that is apt to be upon the hearts of such as are Carnal when they hear that all their Duties Sobriety and Righteousness is to be accounted as loss for Christ You see there are good and necessary Ends of all Duties of Obedience onely still take this with you and to your Consciences that till you come as poor and naked to Iesus Christ for your justifying Righteousness and so get life in and from him and so are carryed on in a way of Duty Your Duties serve you for no end and purpose unless for a lesser degree of Torment in Hell onely be encouraged to wait upon the means for the receiving of the Spirit for the Knowledge of Jesus Christ And these things I have spoken may be your Experience 3. It may further direct Believers what ends they are to propose to themselves in the way of their Duties and Obedience to be carryed on in them through the grace of GOD and the daily supply of the Spirit as one great end of your Redemption that you should serve the Lord in Holiness to eye the Soveraign and Absolute Command of God over you that thereby you are made conformable to God and shew forth his Image and to the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ that there is an equity and goodness in all the Holy and Righteous Ways of God And see that the love of God be shed abroad in your hearts to draw out your love to him and so be acted in your obedience Get your hearts taken with the beauty and glory of the Lord Jesus and so long after likeness to him See that you look after Communion with God in your Duties and that you do not neglect your Evidence for the Pardon of your sinnes by the sight of your Sanctification and your Universal Obedience And perform them not as to procure mercy by any proportion thereunto in your Duties but as Returns to God and consider how much God is glorifyed in the World by the Obedience of his people And thus may you carry on your progress in Holiness and a sweet and consciencious performance of Duties and walking with God and yet live by your Faith for your justification by the rich and Free-grace of God through the Righteousness of Jesus Christ as if you had never obeyed at all In a word If thou hast felt the power and vertue of the bloud of Jesus Christ upon thy Soul coming as a poor naked polluted guilty Soul unto it as thou hast been shewed and hast received life from Jesus Christ by a believing closing with him and art waiting for a sight and sense of thy justification but doest yet want it Remember still that in the performance of thy Duties thy heart which it is very apt to do lay no stress upon them as in them to appear before God and to procure the favour of God but still go forth to the grace bloud righteousness promises of Christ and there fix for thy acceptance with God and be much in renewing of Acts of Faith that is casting thy Soul upon them and Evidence will come in yet go on in humbling praying waiting reforming sanctifying obeying as to the ends mentioned And the peace of God fill thy heart 2. Believers that have some sense of their Justification do you remember that you obey God not that thereby you were are or ever may be justified but because you are justified therefore you obey the Lord and delight in his wayes keep this in your eye and 't will keep the heart from going to bottome upon your selves as gracious and partly righteous which mixtures render Duties uncomfortable and keep souls from assurance No Believer performs his Duties so spiritually sweetly and comfortably as that soul that labours to keep the sight of his justification still upon the account of Free-grace and out of himself that soul enjoys sweetest Communion with God in the way of his Duties and gets to Heaven with most comfort and assurance AMEN The End of the Second Treatise of the Gospel New-Creature The Third Treatise THE Gospel-New-Creature In Christ positively opened The false appearances thereof in the Legal-new-Creature so called plainly refuted And the true Evidences thereof particularly held forth to the Experience of the weak Believers 2 COR. 5.17 If any man be in Christ he is a New Creature I Have been opening the difference between the Righteousness of the Law and the Gospel shewing the Necessity Nature and Way of obtaining Gospel-justification by the bloud of Jesus Christ and have discovered a soul estated therein I shall now endeavour to open the Gospel-New Creature peculiarly as distinguisht
repentance and regeneration is and then think they have it themselvs because they can tell what it is and do believe it to be such There may be much knowledge in the head and yet no renewing grace in the heart That knowledge that is saving brings with it a power upon the soul to love delight in to experience the goodnesse vertue sweetnesse of what it knows It transforms the soul into the image of what is known 2 Cor. 3. last It is spirituall and it makes the heart the affections spirituall 8. A misconceit of the grace of love is also a false ground in this matter As that a poor soul will think that he loves God when he hath no knowledge of him nor delight in him nor Communion with him nor doth love his Image which is holinesse And that he loves All every one whereas much envy and malice reigns in the hearts if but a little provoked And for the people of God truly so called they hate them for Hypocrites Schismaticks and what not or if a little better thoughts of them t is not love to Christ and his Image in them that acts them which is the nature of the grace of love 9. So is patience humility meeknesse mistaken some natural dispositions are more patient and meek and these poor Creatures are apt to mistake for grace when 't is nothing but mere nature and more candid disposition And such Souls from naturall temper can bear much and it hath an appearance of grace But yet here may be no work of the Spirit all this while humbling meekning the soul in its own vilenesse no mortification of contrary lusts No humbling for pride of heart without which no true gracious humility No meekning by the Gospell and the power of Christs love upon their Spirits And yet upon this account you shall have poor carnall souls pretend much as I have often heard it urged by them to the fruits of Spirit mention'd Gal. 5.22 of love joy peace goodnesse patience temperance when t is nothing but disposition ingenuity or from civil education 10. As great a deceit there is about the fear of God many poor souls do fear the punishment and wrath of God which is all they do and then they think this is the fear of his servants The fear of the Lord which God promiseth to put in the hearts of his own people Jer. 32.40 is a fear of God because he is holy because he is gracious because he hath pardoned iniquity They shall fear the Lord and his goodnesse Hos 3. last which fear is mixt with a sweet and blessed love to God and consolation of the Spirit 11. A misapprehension of good workes causeth a mistake of the New-Creature many are convinc'd that workes of mercy and charity and Justice are to be done and so from a pittifull nature or from vain-glory or from a secrer thought to appease God or from Legall conviction at least they will be ready to do Charitable works things good in themselves and this they think discovers their Faith And herein lyes a common deceit in the vulgar professours of the people of England Now all the good works falsly so call'd done out of Christ are fleshly and not accepted with God A papist and many a carnall protestant even also for the sin of his soul doth much this way But good works properly so called do flow from a living faith from love to Jesus Christ and designe not a self-justification but the glory of God And gracious souls do find it very hard to performe them with holy ends 12. Mistake of a good conversation which may onely be a morall conversation civill sober righteous as to men but mindes not holinesse to God which is the speciall part of a Gospel-Conversation And yet the most of people go away with this that they are believers and in a good estate for heaven because they have a good conversation which they greatly mistake That which the word of God calls a good conversation as an evidence of faith is not onely a mere outward blamelesnesse which the Pharisees had but to walk with God from a Gospel-principle from Gospel-Grace and the love of God in the heart chiefly respecting holinesse to the Lord and the fear of the Lord upon the heart now a soul that hath nothing of this may be outwardly blamelesse a Jew and heathen may be so and nothing of the grace of God upon them Vse Now the Lord make this to be a convincing searching word to you you that have left some grosse sins from the word upon your consciences from afflictions from worldly advantages from age be it known unto you this you may do and more and be still the Children of wrath in an unpardoned condition and not the New-Creatures we are speaking of yea though thou hast taken up to new duties and makest conscience of many sins and many duties thou mayst still be out of Jesus Christ And you that call your daily sins which have dominion over you your infirmities when not humbled nor mourn for them nor cry for strength against them this your way is your folly and the Devil and your own hearts greatly deceive you yea you call such sins your infirmities meaning as if they were the infirmities of the Children of God that cannot consist with truth of grace such as common lying and common profaning the Lords name in your mouths and neglecting to sanctifie his Sabbaths and living in the neglect of secret spirituall prayer And such of you that have some striving in your consciences before and after the sin know it it may be so and yet not a drop of saving grace in you no regenerate part wrought forth in you And yet how many bear up themselves upon this score and think thence they allow not themselves in the sins they commit in Paul's sense look to this or you may for ever perish in this snare I have given some markes how you may know it Take you heed also that you take not that which is called Common-Grace which is Common to Reprobates for true grace There 's is a false faith a false Repentance a false Hope and so of the rest in which you may assuredly go to Hell you may have a harmelesse conversation and do some good works of Charity and yet perish for ever you may have nothing of the New-Creature in you and yet give all your goods to the poor In a word you may leave outward grosse sins have convictions of wrath to come have purposes such as they are to be better take up to New-Duties have common grace think you have faith repentance hope that you are humble patient have a good conversation and do good works and yet not be New-Creatures in Jesus Christ as we shall further evince I have yet one more deceit to discover and that is the mistake of a Scripture good conscience It is true that the Apostle in 1 Tim. 1.5 19. puts faith and a good conscience as