unto you both how it hath been wieh mee formerly and how it is with me for the present wherefore I would intreat you to tell me plainly and truly what you think of my condition Evan. Why truly I must tell you it appears to me by your relation that you have gone as far in the way of the Covenant of works as the Apostle Paul did before his conversion but yet for ought I see you have not gone the right way to the truth of the Gospell and therefore I question whether you be as yet come truly to Christ. Neo. Good Sir give me leave to speak a few words By the hearing of your discourse concerning the Covenant of works and the Covenant of grace I was moved to feare that I was out of the right way but now having heard my neighbour Nomista make such an excellent relation and yet you to question whether hee bee come truly to CHRIST or no makes me to conclude absolutely that I am far from Christ surely if he upon whom the Lord hath bestowed such excellent gifts and graces and who hath lived such a godly life as I am sure he hath done be not right then woe be unto me Evan. Truly for ought I know you may be in Christ before him Nom. But I pray you Sir consider that though I am now throughly convinced that till of late I went on in the way of the Covenant of works yet seeing that at last I came to see my need of Christ and have verily believed that in what I come short of fulfilling the Law hee will help mee out me thinks I should be come truly to Christ. Evan. Verily I doe conceive that this gives you no sure evidence of your being come truly to Christ then some of your strict Papists have for it is the doctrine of the Church of Rome that if a man exercise all his power and doe his best to fulfill the Law then God for Christs sake will pardon all his infirmities and save his soule and therefore you shall see many of your Papists very strict and zealous in the performance of duties morning and evening so many Avie-Maries and so many Pater-nosters yea and many of them doe great deeds of charity and great works of hospitality and all upon such grounds and to such ends as these the Papists sayth Calvin cannot abide this saying by faith alone for they think that their own works are in part a cause of their salvation and so they make a hotch potch and mingle mangle that is neither fish nor flesh as men use to say Nom. But stay Sir I pray you are mistaken in me for though I hold that God doth accept of my doing my best to fulfill the Law yet doe I not hold with the Papists that my doings are meritorious for I believe that God accepts not of what I doe either for the work or workers sake but onely for Christs sake Evan. Yet doe you but still goe hand in hand with the Papists for though they doe hold that their works are meritorious yet they say it is by the merit of Christ that they become meritorious or as some of the moderate sort of them say our works sprinkled with the bloud of Christ become meritorious but this you are to know that as the justice of GOD requires a perfect obedience so doth it require that this perfect obedience be a personall obedience viz. it must bee the obedience of one person onely the obedience of two must not bee put together to make up a perfect obedience So that if you desire to be justified before God you must either bring to him a perfect righteousnesse of your own and wholy renounce Christ or else you must bring the perfect righteousnesse of Christ and wholy renounce your own Ant. But believe me Sir I would advise him to bring Christs and wholy renounce his own as I thank the Lord I have done Evan. You say very well for indeed the Covenant of Grace terminates it selfe onely on Christ and his righteousnesse God will have none to have a hand in the justification and salvation of a sinner but Christ onely and to say as the thing is neighbour Nomista Christ Jesus will either be a whole Saviour or no Saviour hee will either save you alone or not save you at all for among men there is given no other name under heaven whereby we must be saved sayth the Apostle Peter and Jesus Christ himselfe sayth I am the way the truth and the life and no man commeth to the father but by mee so that as Luther truly sayth besides this way Christ there is no way but wandering no verity but hypocrisie no life but eternall death and verily sayth another godly writer We can neither come to God the Father bee reconciled unto him nor have any thing to doe with him by any other way or means but onely by Jesus Christ for we shall not any where finde the favour of God true innocency righteousnesse satisfaction for sin help comfort life or salvation any where but onely in Jesus Christ he is the summe and centre of all divine and evangelicall truths and therefore as there is no knowledge or wisdome so excellent necessary or heavenly as the knowledge of Christ which made the Apostle tell the Corinthians that he determined to know nothing amongst them but onely Jesus Christ and him crucified so is there nothing to be preached unto men as an object of their faith or necessary element of their salvation which doth not some way or other either meet in Christ or refer unto Christ. Ant. O Sir you doe please me wonderous well in thus attributing all to Christ and surely Sir though of late you have not been so evangelical in your teaching as some others in this City which hath caused me to leave off hearing you to hear them yet have I formerly perceived and do now also perceive that you have more knowledge of the doctrine of free grace then many other Ministers in this City have and to tell you the truth Sir it was by your means that I was first brought to renounce mine owne righteousnesse and to cleave onely to the righteoasnesse of JESUS CHRIST and thus it was After that I had been a good while a legall professour just like my friend Nomista and heard none but your legall Preachers who built me up in works and doings as they did him and as their manner is At last a familiar acquaintance of mine who had some knowledge of the doctrine of free grace did commend you for an excellent Preacher at last prevailed with me to goe with him to hear you and your text that day I wel remember was Tit. 3.5 Not by the works of righteousnesse that we had done but according to his own mercie he saved us whence you observed and plainly proved that mans own righteousnesse had no hand in his justification and salvation whereupon you dehorted us
behalfe of all his chosen perfectly fulfilled the Law as it is the covenant of works divine justice delivered that bond in to Christ who utterly cancelled that hand-writing so that none of his chosen were to have any more to doe with it nor it with them and now you by your believing in Christ having manifested that you are one that was chosen in him before the foundation of the world his fulfilling of that covenant and cancelling of it is imputed to you and so you are acquitted and absolved from all your transgressions against that covenant either past present or to come and so you are justified as the Apostle saith Freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ. Ant. I pray you Sir give mee leave to speake a word by the way was not he justified before this time Evan. If he did not believe in Christ before this time as I conceive hee did not then certainly he was not justified before this time Ant. But Sir you know as the Apostle saith It is God that justifieth and God is eternall and as you have shewed Christ may be said to have fulfilled the covenant of works from all eternity and if he bee Christs now then was he Christs from all eternity and therefore as I conceive hee was justified from all eternity Evan. Indeed God is from all eternity and in respect of Gods accepting of Christs undertaking to fulfill the covenant of works he fulfilled it from all eternity and in respect of Gods electing of him he was Christs from all eternity and therefore it is true in respect of Gods decree hee was justified from all eternity and hee was justified meritoriously in the death and resurrection of Christ but yet he was not justified actually till he did actually believe in Christ for saith the Apostle By him all that believe are justified so that in the act of justifying faith and Christ must have a mutuall relation and must always concur and meet together faith as the action which apprehendeth and Christ as the object which is apprehended for neither doth Christ justifie without faith neither doth faith except it bee in Christ. Ant. Truly Sir you have indifferently well satisfied me in this point and surely I like it marvellous well that you conclude no faith justifieth but that whose object is Christ. Eva. The very truth is thuogh a man believe that God is mercifull and true of his promise and that he hath his elect number from the beginning and that he himselfe is one of that number yet if this faith doe not eye Christ if it be not in God as he is in Christ it will not serve turn for God cannot be comfortably thought upon out of Christ our mediator for if we finde not God in Christ saith Calvin salvation cannot bee known wherefore neighbour Neophytus I will say unto you as sweet Master Bradford said unto a gentlewoman in your case Thus then if you would be quiet and certain in conscience then let your faith burst forth through all things not onely that you have within you but also whatsoever is in heaven earth and hell and never rest untill it come to Christ crucified and the eternall sweete mercie and goodnesse of God in â—hrist Neo. But Sir I am not yet satisfied concerning the point you touched before and therefore I pray you proceed to shew me how far forth I am delivered from the Law as it is the covenant of works Evan. Truly as it is the covenant of works you are wholy and altogether delivered and set free from it you are dead to it and it is dead to you and if it be dead to you then it can doe you neither good nor hurt and if you be dead to it you can expect neither good nor hurt from it consider man I pray you that as I said before you are now under another covenant to wit the covenant of grace and you cannot bee under two covenants at once neither wholy nor partly and therefore as before you believed you were wholy under the covenant of works as Adam left both you and all his posterity after his fall so now since you have believed you are wholy under the covenant of grace Assure your selfe then that no Minister or Preacher of Gods Word hath any warrant to say unto you hereafter either doe this and this dutie contained in the law and avoid this and this sin forbidden in the Law and God will justifie thee and save thy soule or doe it not and Hee will condemne thee and damne thee no no you are now set free both from the commanding and condemning power of the covenant of works so that I will say unto you as the Apostle saith unto the believing Hebrews You are not come to Mount Sinai that might not be touched and that burned with fire nor unto blacknesse and darknesse and tempests but you are come unto Mount Sion the City of the living God and to Jesus the Mediator of the new Covenant so that to speak with holy reverence God cannot by vertue of the covenant of wotks either require of you any obedience or punish you for any disobedience no he cannot by vertue of that covenant so much as threaten you or give you an angry word or shew you an angry look for indeed he can see no sin in you as a transgression of that covenant for saith the Apostle Where there is no Law there is no transgression And therfore though hereafter you doe through frailty transgresse any or all the ten Commandements yet doe you not thereby transgresse the covenant of works there is no such covenant now betwixt God and you and therefore though you shall hereafter heare such a voice as this if thou wilt be saved keep the commandements or cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are writen in the book of the Law to doe them nay though you heare the voice of thunder and a fearfull noyse nay though you see blacknesse and darknesse and feel a great tempest that is to say though you heare us that are Preachers according to our commission Lift up our voice like a trumpet in threatning hell and damnation to sinners and transgressors of the Law though these be the words of God yet are you not to thinke that they are spoken to you no no the Apostle assures you â—hat there is no condemnation to them that â—â—re in Christ Jesus believe it man God never threatens eternall death after he hath once given to a man eternall life nay the truth is God never speaks to a believer out of Christ and in Christ hee speaks not a word in the terms of the covenant of works and if the Law of it selfe should presume to â—ome into your conscience and say herein and herein thou hast transgressed and broken â—â—e and therefore thou owest so much and â—o much to divine Justice which must be
Anti. Why then Sir it seemes that those who were saved amongst the Jewes were not saved by the workes of the Law Evan. No indeed they were neither justified nor saved either by the workes of the Morall Law or the Ceremoniall Law for as you heard before the Morall Law being delivered unto them with great terrour and under most dreadfull penalties they did finde in themselves an impossibilitie of keeping it and so were driven to seeke helpe of a Mediatour even Iesus Christ of whom Moses was to them a Typicall Mediatour so that the Morall Law did drive them to the Cerimoniall Law which was their Gospel and their Christ in a figure for that the Cerimonies did prefigure Christ direct unto him and require faith in him is a thing acknowledged and confessed by all men Nom. But Sir I suppose though believers amongst the Iewes were not justified and saved by the works of the Law yet was it a rule for their obedience Evan. It is very true indeed the law of the tenne Commandements was a rule for their obedience yet not as it was the Law of workes or Covenant of workes but as it was the Law of Christ as it will appeare if you consider that after the Lord had the second time written them in tables of stone with his owne finger he delivered them to Moses commanding him to provide an Arke to put them into which was not onely for the safe keâ—ping of them but also to cover the forme of the Covenant of works that was formerly upon them that beleevers might not perceive it for the Arke was a notable type of Christ and therefore the pâ—tting of them therein did shew that they were perfectly fulfilled in him Christ being the end of the Law for righteousnes to every one that beleeveth the which was yet more clearly manifest in that the booke of the Law was placed betweene the Cherubims and upon the Mercy-seat to assure beleevers that the Law now came to them from the Mercy-seat for there the Lord promised to meet Moses and to commune with him of all things which he would give him in commandment to them Ant. But Sir was the forme quite taken away so as the ten Commadements were no more the Covenant of works Evan. Oh no you are not so to understand it for the forme of the Covenant of works as well as the matter on Gods part came immediatly from God himself and so consequently is eternall like himselfe whence it is that our Saviour saith Mat. 5.18 Till heaven and earth passe one jot or one title shall in no wise passe from the law till all be fulfilled so that either man himselfe or some other for him must performe or fulfill the condition of the Law as it is the Covenant of works or els he remaines still under it in a damnable condition but now Christ hath fulfilled it for all believers and therefore I said the forme of the Covenant of works was covered or taken away as touching the believing Jewes but yet was it neither taken away in it selfe nor yet as touching the unbelieving Jewes Nom. Was the Law then still of use to them as it was the Covenant of works Evan. Yea indeed Ant. I pray you Sir shew of what use it was to them Evan. I remember Luther saith there be two sorts of unrighteous persons or unbeleevers the one to be justified and the other not to be justified even so was there amongst the Jews Now to them that were to bee justified as you have heard it was still of use to bring them to Christ as the Apostle saith Gal. 3.24 The Law was our Schoolmaster untill Christ that we might be made righteous by faith that is to say the Morall Law did teach and shew them what they should doe and so what they did not and this made them go to the Ceremonial Law and by that they were taught that Christ had done it for them the which they beleeving were made righteous by faith in him And to the second sort it was of use to shew them what was good and what was evill and to be as a bridle to them to restraine them from evill and as a motive to move them to good for fear of punishment or hope of reward in this life which though it was but a forced and constrained obedience yet was it necessarie for the publike common-wealth the quiet thereof being thereby the better maintained and though thereby they could neither escape death nor yet obtaine eternall life for want of perfect obedience yet the more obedience they yeelded thereunto the more they were freed from temporall calamities and possessed with temporall blessings according as the Lord promised and threatned Deut. 28. Ant. But Sir in that place the Lord seemeth to speak to his own people and yet to speak according to the tenor of the covenant of works which hath made me thinke that believers in the Old Testament were partly under the covenant of works Evan. Do you not remember how I told you before that the Lord did manifest so much love to the body of that nation that the whole posterity of Abraham were brought under a State-Covenant or Nationall Church so that for the believers sakes he infolded the unbelievers in the compact whereupon the Lord was pleased to call them all by the name of his people as well unbelievers as believers and to be called their God And though the Lord did there speak according to the tenor of the covenant of works yet I see no reason why he might not direct and intend his speech to believers also and yet they remain only under the covenant of grace Ant. Why Sir you said that the Lord did speak to them out of the tabernacle and from the mercy-seat and that doubtlesse was according to the tenor of the covenant of grace and not according to the tenor of the covenant of works Evan. I pray you take notice that after the Lord had pronounced all those blessings and curses Deut. 28. in the beginning of thâ— 29. chap. it is said These are the words of thâ— covenant which the Lord commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab beside the covenant which he made with them in Horeb. Whereby it doth appeare to me that this was not the covenant of works which was delivered to them on mount Sinai for the form of that Covenant was eternall blessings and curses but the form of this Covenant was temporall blessings and curses so that this rather seems to be the pedagogie of the Law than the Covenant of works for at that time these people seemed to be carried by temporall promises in the wayes of obedience and deterred by temporall threatnings from the wayes of disobedience God dealing with them as in their infancie and under-age and so leads them on and allures them and feares them by such respects as these because they had but a
small measure of the spirit Nom. But Sir was not the matter of that Covenant and this all one Evan. Yea indeed the Ten Commandements were the matter of both Covenants only they differed in the forms Ant. Tâ—â—n Sir it seems that the promises and threatnings contained in the old Testament were but temporary and terrestiall only concerning the good and evill things of this life Evan. This we are to know that like as the Lord by his Prophets gave the people in the old Testament many exhortations to be obedient to his Commandements and many dehortations from disobedience thereunto even so did he back them with many promises and threatnings concerning things temporall as these and the like Scripâ—uâ—â—s do witnesse Isa. 1.10 Heare the word of the Lord ye Rulers of Sodom give eare unto the law of our God ye people of Gomorrah Iâ— ye be willing and obedient ye shall eat the good things of the land but if ye refuse and rebell ye shall be devoured with the sword for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it And Jer. 7 3 Amend your wayes and your doings and I will cause you to dwell in this place But ye steal murder commit adultery and sweare falsly by my name therefore thus saith the Lord God behold mine anger and my fury shall be powred out upon this place And surely there be two reasons why the Lord did so First because as all men are born under the covenant of workâ— they are naturally prone to conceive that the favour of God and all good things do depend and follow upon their obedience to the Law and that the wrath of God and all evill things do depend upon and follow their disobedience to it And that mans chief happinesse is to be had and found in terrestriall paradise even in the good things of this life So the people of the Old Testament being neerest to Adams Covenant and Paradise were most prone to such conceits And secondly because the Covenant of Grace and Celestiall paradise were but little mentioned in the Old Testament they for the most part had but a glimmering knowledge of them and so could not yield obedience freely as sonnes therefore the Lord saw it meet to move them to yield obedience to his lawes by their own motives and as servants or children under age Ant. And were both believers and unbelievers that is such as were under the Covenant of Grace and such as were under the Covenant of Works equally and alike subjâ—ct as well to have the calamities of this life inflicted upon them for their disobedience as the blessings of this life conferred upon them for their obedience Evan. Surely the words of the Preacher do take place here when he saith All things come alike to all there is one event to the righteous and to the wicked Were not Moses and Aaron for their disobedience hindered from entring into the land of Canaan as well as others And was not Josiah for his disobedience to Gods command slâ—in in the valley of Megiddo Therefore assure your selfe that when believers in the Old Testament did transgresse Gods commandements Gods temporall wrath went out against them and was manifest in temporall calamities that befell them as well as others only here was the difference The believers temporall calamities had no eternall calamities included in them nor following of them and their temporall blessings had eternall blessings included in them and following of them And the unbelievers temporall blessings had no eternall blessings included in them nor following of them and their temporall calamities had eternall calamities included in them and following of them Ant. Then Sir it seemeth that all obedience that any of the Jewes did yield to Gods commandements was for feare of tempoâ—â—ll punishment and in hope of temporall reward Evan. Surely the Scâ—ipâ—ure seemes to holâ— forth that there were three several sorts of people who endeavoured to keep the law of God and they did all of them differ in their ends The first sort of them were true believers who according to the measure of their faith did believe the resurrection of their bodies after death and eternall life in glory and that it was to be obtained not by thâ—â—orkes of the Law but by faith in the Mâ—ssiâ—h oâ— promised seed And answerably as they believed this answerably they yielded obedience to the Law freely without fear of punishment or hope of reward but alas the spirit of faith was very weak in the most of them and the spirit of bondage very strong and therefore they stood in need to be induced and constrained to obedience for feare of punishment and hope of reward The second sort of them were the Sadduces and their Sect and these did not believe that there was any Resurrection nor any life but the life of this world and yet they endeavoured to keep the Law that God might blesse them here and that it might go well with them in this present life The third sort and indeed the greatest number of them in the future ages after Moses were the Scribes and Pharisees and their Sects and they held and maintained that there was a Resurrection to be looked for and an eternall life after death and therefore they endeavoured to keep the Law not onely to obtaine temporall happinesse but eternall also for though it had pleased the Lord to make known unto his people by the ministrie of Moses that the Law was given not to retaine men in the confidence of their own workes but to drive them out of themselves and lead them to Christ the promised seed yet after that time the Priests and the Levites who were the expounders of the Law and whom the Scribes and Pharisees did succeed did so conceive and teach of Gods intention in giving the Law as though it had been that they by their obedience to it should obtaine righteousnesse and eternall life and this opinion was so confidently maintained and so generally imbraced amongst them that in their book Mechilta they say and affirme that there is no other Covenant but the Law and so in very deed they conceived that there was no other way to Eternall life then the Covenant of workes Ant. Surely then it seemes they did not understand and consider that the Law as it is the Covenant of workes doth not onely binde the outward man but also the inward man even the soule and spirit and requires all holy thoughts motions and dispositions of the heart and soule Evan. Oh no they neither taught it nor understood it so spiritually neither could they be perswaded that the Law doth require so much at mans hands for they first laid this downe for a certaine truth that God gave the Law for man to be Justified and saved by his obedience to it and that therefore there must needs be a power in man to doe all that it requireth or else God would never have required it
by the body of CHRIST Now by the body of CHRIST is ment the passion of CHRIST upon the Crosse or which is all one the suffering of CHRIST in his humane nature and therefore certainely wee may conclude with godly Tindall that all such are dead concerning the Law as are by faith crucified with Christ. Nom. But I pray you Sir how doe you prove that the Law is dead to a believer Evan. Why as I conceive the Apostle affirmes it Romams 7.1 6. Nom. Surely Sir you doe mistake for I remember the words of the first verse are how that tbe Law hath dominion over a man as long as hee liveth and the words of the sixth verse are But now we are delivered from the Law that being dead wherein wee were holden c. Evan. I know right well that in our last Translation the words are so rendred but godly and learned Tindall renders it thus Remember yee not brethren that the Law hath dominion over a man as long as it endureth and B. Hall paraphraseth upon it thus Know yee not brethren that the Mosaicall Law hath dominion over a man that is subject unto it so long as the said Law is in force So likewise Origen Ambrose and Erasmus doe all agree that by these words while Hee or it liveth wee are to understand as long as the Law remayneth And Peter Martyr is of opinion that these wordes while Hee or it liveth or indifferently referred eyther to the law are to the man for sayth hee The man is said to bee dead Verse the fourth and the law is said to bee dead Verse the sixth even so because the word He or it mentioned Verse the first doth signifie both sexes in the Greek Chrysostome thinketh that the death both of the law and the man is insinuated And Theophylact Erasmus Bucer and Calvin doe all understand the sixth Verse of the law being dead And as the death of a believer to the law was accomplished by the death of Christ even so also was the laws death to him Even as M. Fox in his Sermon of Christ crucified testifieth saying Here have wee upon one Crosse two Crucifixes two the most excellent Potentates that ever were the Sonne of God and the Law of God wrastling together about mans salvation both cast downe and both slaine upon one Crosse howbeit not after a like sort first the Sonne of God was cast downe and took the fall not for any weaknesse in himselfe but was content to take it for our victory by this fall the law of God in casting him downe was caught in his one trip and so was fast nayled hand and foot to the Crosse according as we read in S. Pauls words 1 Col. 2.14 And so Luther speaking to the same point sayth this was a wonderfull combate where the law being a creature giveth such an assault to his Creatour in practizing his whole tyranny upon the Sonne of God now therefore because the law did so horribly and cursedly sinne against his God it is cursed and arraigned and as a thiefe and cursed murderer of the Son of God looseth all his right and deserveth to be condemned the law therefore is bound dead and crucified to mee it is not only overcome condemned and slaine unto Christ but also to mee believing in him unto whom hee hath freely given this victory now then although according to the Apostles intimation Romans the seventh at the beginning though the Covenant of workes and man by nature bee mutually engaged each to other so long as they both live yet if when the wife bee dead the husband bee free then much more when he is dead also Nom. But I pray Sir what are wee to understand by this double death or wherein doth this freedome from the law consist Evan. Death is nothing else but a dissolution or an untying of a compound or a separation between matter and forme and therefore when the soule and body of man is separated wee say hee is dead so that by this double death wee are to understand nothing else but that the bargaine or covenant which was made betweene GOD and man at first is dissolved or untyed or that the matter and forme of the Covenant of works is separated to a believer so that the Law of the ten Commandements doth neyther promise eternall life nor threaten eternall death to a believer upon condition of his obedience or disobedience to it neyther doth a believer as hee is a believer eyther hope for eternall life or feare eternall death upon any such termes no wee may assure our selves that whatsoever the Law sayth on any such tearmes it sayth to them who are under the Law But believers are not under the Law but under Grace and so have escaped eternall death and obtained eternall life onely by faith in Jesus Christ For by him all that believe are justified from all things from which they could not be justified by the Law of Moses For God so loved the World that he gave his onely begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life And this is that Covenant of Grace which as I told you was made with the Fathers by way of promise and so but darkly but now the fulnesse of time being come it was more fully opened and promulgated Ant. Well Sir now I doe perceive there was little difference betwixt the Jews Covenant of Grace and ours Evan. Truly the opposition betwixt the Jews Covenant of Grace and ours was chiefly of their owne making they should have been driven to Christ by the Law but they expected life in obedience to it and this was their great errour and mistake Ant. And truly Sir it is no great marvell though they in this point did so much erre and mistake who had the Covenant of Grace made known to them so darkly when many amongst us who have it more cleerly manifest do the like Evan. And truly it is no marvell though all men naturally do so for man naturally doth apprehend God to be the great master of heaven and himselfe to be his servant and that therefore he must do his work before hee can have his wages and the more work he doth the better wages he shall have And hence it it was that when Aristotle came to speak of blessednes to pitch upon the next means to that end he said it was operation working with whom also agreeth Pythagoras when he saith It is mans felicity to be like unto God as how by becoming righteous and holy and let us not marvell that these men did so erre who never heard of Christ nor of the Covenant of grace when those to whom it was made known by the Apostles of Christ did the like witnesse those to whom the Apostle Paul wrote his Epistles and especially the Galathians for although hee had by his preaching when he was present with them made
of the Law be an error yet it seemeth that by Luthers own confession it is but an error on the right hand Evan. But yet I tell you it is such an error that by the Apostle Pauls own confession so far forth as any man is guilty of it He makes his services his Saviours and rejects the grace of God and makes the death of Christ of none effect ond perverteth the Lords intention both in giving the Law and in giving the Gospel and keeps himselfe under the curse of the Law and maketh himself the sonne of a bond-woman a servant yea and a slave and hinders himselfe in the course of well doing and in short he goeth about an impossible thing and so loseth all his labour Nom. Why then Sir it should seeme that all my seeking to please God by my good works all my strict walking according to the Law and all my honest course of life hath rather done mee hurt then good Evan. The Apostle sayth that without faith it is impossible to please God that is sayth Calvin Whatsoever a man thinketh purposeth or doeth before hee be reconciled to God by faith in Christ is accursed and not onely of no value to righteousnesse but of certain deserving to damnation so that sayth Luther Whosoever goeth about to please God with works going before faith goeth about to please God with sin which is nothing else but to heap sin upon sin to mock God and to provoke him to wrath nay sayth the same Luther in another place If thou beest without Christ thy wisdome is double foolishnesse thy righteousnesse is double sin and iniquity and therefore though you have walked very strictly according to the Law and led an honest life yet if you have rested and put confidence therein and so come short of Christ then hath it indeed rather done you hurt then good For sayth a godly writer vertuous life according to the light of nature turneth a man farther off from God if he add not thereto the effectuall working of his Spirit and sayth Luther they which have respect onely to an honest life it were better for them to be adulterers and adulteresses and to wallow in the mire And surely for this cause it is that our Saviour tels the strict Scribes and Pharisees who sought justification by works and rejected Christ that Publicans and harlots should enter into the Kingdome of God before them And for this cause it was that I sayd for ought I know my neighbour Neophytus might bee in Christ before you Nom. But how can that be when as you know he hath confessed that he is ignorant and full of corruption and comes far short of me in gifts and graces Evan. Because as the Pharisee had more to doe before he could come at Christ then the Publican had so I conceive you have more to doe then he hath Nom. Why Sir I pray you what have I to doe or what would you advise me to doe for truly I would be contented to bee ruled by you Evan. Why that which you have to doe before you can come at Christ is to undoe all that ever you have done already that is to say whereas you have endeavoured to travail towards heaven by the way of the Covenant of works and so have gone a wrong way you must goe quite back again all the way you have gone before you can tread one step in the right way And whereas you have attempted to build up the ruines of old Adam and that upon your selfe and so like a foolish builder to build a tottering house upon the sands you must throw down and utterly demolish all that building and not leave a stone upon a stone before you can begin to build anew and whereas you have conceived that there is a sufficiencie in your selfe to justifie and save your selfe you must conclude that in that case there is not onely in you an insufficiencie but also a non-sufficiencie yea and that sufficiencie that seemed to be in you to bee your losse in plain termes you must deny your selfe as our Saviour sayth Matthew 16.24 That is You must utterly renounce all that ever you are and all that ever you have done All your knowledge and gifts all your hearing reading praying fasting weeping and mourning all your wandring in the way of works and strict walking must fall to the ground in a moment briefly whatsoever you have counted gain to you in the case of Justification you must now with the Apostle Paul count losse for CHRIST and judge it to be dung that you may win CHRIST and bee found in Him not having your own righteousnesse which is of the Law but that which is through the faith of Christ the righteousnesse which is of God by faith Neo. O but Sir What would you advise me to doe Evan. Why man what ayleth you Neo. Why Sir as you have been pleased to heare them two to declare their condition unto you so I beseech you to give me leave to doe the same and then you will perceive how it is with me Sir not long since it pleased the Lord to visit mee with a great fit of sicknesse so that indeed both in mine own judgement and in the judgement of all that came to visite mee I was sick unto death whereupon I began to consider whither my soule was to goe after its departure out of my body and I thought with my selfe that there was but two places heaven and hell and therefore it must needs goe to one of them then my wicked and sinfull life which indeed I had lived came into my minde which caused me to conclude that hell was the place provided for it which caused me to bee very fearfull and to bee very sorry that I had so lived and desired of the Lord to let me live a little longer and I would not faile to reforme my life and amend my ways and the Lord was pleased to grant mee my desire since which time though indeed t is true I have not lived so wickedly as formerly I had done yet alas I have come far short of that godly and religious life which I see other men live and especially this my neighbour Nomista and yet you seem to conceive that he is not in a good condition and therefore surely I must needs be in a miserable condition alas Sir what doe you thinke will become of me Evan. I doe perceive that although wee have by the Lords assistance our comming together opened and cleered the new and living way to eternall life yet the Lord hath not been pleased to open your eyes to see it so that you would still be going thither the old and naturall way and therefore as a further means to discover it to you I pray you consider that although in the making of the covenant of works at the first God was one party and man another yet in making it the second time God was on both sides
and so out of judgement discretion and election able to make choice of his way and therefore it was meet there should be such a covenant made with him that he might according to Gods appointment serve him after a reasonable manner Secondly it was meet there should be such a covenant made with him to shew that he was not such a Prince on earth but that he had a Soveraigne Lord therefore God set a punishment upon the breach of his commandement that man might know his inferiority and that things betwixt him and God were not as betwixt equals Thirdly it was meet there should be such a covenant made with him to shew that he had nothing by personall immediate and underived right but all by gift and gentlenesse so that you see it was an equall covenant which God out of his prerogative royall made with mankind in Adam before his fall Nom. Well Sir I do perceive that Adam and all mankind in him were created most holy Evan. Yea and most happy too for God placed him in paradise in the middest of all delightfull pleasures and contents wherein he did enjoy most near and sweet communion with his Creator in whose presence is fulnesse of joy and at whose right hand is pleasures for evermore So that if Adam had received of the tree of life by taking and eating of it while he stood in the state of Innonencie before his fall he had certainly been established in a happy estate for ever and could not have been seduced and supplanted by Sathan as some learned men do think and as Gods own words seem to imply Gen. 3.22 Nom. But it seemeth that Adam did not continue in that holy and happy estate Evan. No indeed for he disobeyed Gods expresse command in eating the forbidden fruit and so became guilty of the breach of the Covenant Nom. But Sir how could Adam who had his understanding so sound and his will so free to choose good be so disobedient to Gods expresse command Evan Though he and his will were both good yet were they mutably good so that he might either stand or fall at his own election or choice Nom. But why then did not the Lord create him immutable or why did he not so over-rule him in that action that he might not have eaten the forbidden fruit Evan. The reason why the Lord did not create him immutable was because hee would be obeyed out of judgement and free choice and not by fatall necessity and absolute determination and withall let me tell you it was not reasonable to restraine God to this point to make man such a one as would not or could not sin at all for it was at his choice to create him how he pleased but why he did not uphold him with strength of stedfast continuance that resteth hidden in Gods secret Counsell howbeit this we may certainly conclude that Adams state was such as served to take away from him all excuse for he received so much that of his own will he wrought his own destruction because that act of his was a wilfull transgression of a Law under the precepts whereof he was most justly created and unto the malediction whereof hee was as necessarily and righteously subject if he transgressed for as by being Gods creature he was to be subject to his will so by being Gods prisoner he was as justly subject to his wrath and that so much the more by how much the precept was most just the obedience more easie the transgression more unreasonable and the punishment more certaine Nom. And was Adams sinne and punishment imputed unto his whole off-spring Evan. Yea indeed for saith the Apostle Death passed upon all men for that all have sinned or in whom all have sinned that is in Adam the very truth is Adam by his fall threw down our whole nature headlong into the same destruction and drowned his whole off-spring in the same gulfe of misery and the reason is because by Gods appointment he was not to stand or fall as a single person only but as a common publike person representing all mankind to come of him therefore as all that happinesse all those gifts and endowments which were bestowed upon him were not bestowed upon him alone but also upon the whole nature of man and as that Covenant which was made with him was made with whole mankinde even so he by breaking Covenant lost all as well for us as for himselfe as he received all for himselfe and us so he lost all both for himselfe and us Nom. Then Sir it seemeth that by Adams breach of Covenant all man-kinde was brought into a miserable condition Evan. All mankind by the fall of Adam received a twofold damage first a deprivation of all originall goodnesse Secondly an habituall naturall pronenesse to all kind of wickednesse for the image of God after which they were created was forthwith blotted out and in place of wisdome righteousnesse and true holinesse came blindnesse uncleanesse falshood and injustice the very truth is our whole nature was thereby corrupted defiled deformed depraved infected made infirme fraile malignant full of venome contrary to God yea enemies and rebels unto him so that saith Luther this is the title we have received from Adam in this one thing we may glory and in nothing else at all namely that every Infant that is born into this world is wholly in the power of sinne death Sathan hell and everlasting damnation nay saith Musculus the whirlpoole of mans sinne in paradise is bottomlesse and unsearchable Nom. But Sir me thinks it is a strange thing that so small an offence as the eating of the forbidden fruit seemes to be should plunge whole mankind into such a gulfe of misery Evan. Though at the first glance it seem to be a small offence yet if you look more wishly upon the matter it will appeare to be an exceeding great offence for thereby intolerable injury was done unto God as first his dominion and authority in his holy command was violated Secondly his justice truth and power in his most righteous threatnings were despised Thirdly his most pure and perfect image wherein man was created in righteousnesse and true holinesse was utterly defaced Fourthly his glory which by an active service the creature should have brought to him was lost and despoiled nay how could there be a greater sin committed then that when Adam at â—hat one clap brake all the ten Commandements Nom. Did he break all the ten Commanâ—ements say you Sir I beseech you shew â—e wherein Evan. 1. He chose himself another God when he followed the Devil 2. He idolized and defiled his own belly â—s the Apostles phrase is He made his belly â—is god 3. He took the name of God in vain when â—e believed him not 4. He kept not the rest and estate whereâ—â— God had set him 5. He
second thing and first tell us when the Lord began to make a promise to help and deâ—ver fallen mankind Evan. Even the same day that he sinned wâ—hich was the very same day he was created for Adam by his sin being become the child of wrath and both in body and in soule subject to the curse and seeing nothing due to him but the wrath and vengeance of God he was afraid and sought to hide himself from the presence of God whereupon the Lord promised Christ unto him saying to the serpent I will put enmity between thee and the woman and between thy seed and her seed He that is to say the seed of the woman for so is the Hebrew text shall break thy head and thou shalt bruise his heele This promise of Christ the womans seed was the Gospel and the only comfort of Adam Abel Enoch Noah and the rest of the godly Fathers untill the time of Abraham Nom. I pray you Sir what ground have you to think that Adam fell the same day he was created Evan. My ground for this opinion is Psal. 94.12 which text in the Hebrew is thus read Adam being in honour did not lodge a night in it Ant. But Sir do you think that Adam and those others did understand that promised seed to be meant of Christ Evan. Who can make any doubt but that the Lord had acquainted Adam with Christ betwixt the time of his sinning the time of his sacrificing though both on a day Ant. But did Adam offer sacrifice Evan. Can you make any question but that the bodies of those beasts whose skins went for a covering for his body were immediately before offered in sacrifice for his soulâ— Surely those skins could be none other but of beasts slain and offered in sacrifice for before Adam fell beasts were not subject to mortality nor slaying And Gods cloathing of Adam and his wife with skins signified that their sin and shame was covered with Christs righteousnesse And questionlesse the Lord had taught him that his sacrifice did signifie his acknowledgment of his sin and that he looked for the seed of the woman promised to be slain in the evening of the world thereby to appease the wrath of God for his offence the which undoubtedly he acquainted his sons Cain and Abel with when he taught them also to offer sacrifice Ant. But how doth it appeare that this his sacrificing was the very same day that he sinned Evan. It is said Ioh. 7.13 concerning Christ â—hat they sought to take him yet no man laid hands on him because his houre was not yet come But after that when the time of his sufferings was at hand he himself said The houre is come which day is expresly set down by the Evangelist Mark to be the sixth day and ninth houre of that day when Christ through the eternall Spirit offered up himself without spot to God Now if you compare this with Exod. 12.6 you shall find that the Paschall Lamb a most lively type of Christ was offered the very same day and houre even the 6. day and 9. houre of the day which was at 3 of the clock in the afternoon and the Scripture testifieth that Adam was created the very same sixth day and gives us ground to think that he sinned the same day And do not the fore-alleaged Scriptures afford us warrant to believe that it was the very same houre of that day when Christ entred mystically and typically upon the work of redemption in being offered as a sacrifice for Adams sin And surely we may suppose that the covenant as you heard being broken between God and Adam Justice would not have admitted of one houres respite before it had proceeded to execution to the destruction both of Adam and the whole Creation had not Christ in the very nick of time stood as the Ram or rather the Lamb in the bush and stepped in to perform the work of the covenant And hence I conceive it is that St. Iohn cals him the Lamb slain from the beginning of the world For as the first state of creation was confirmed by the covenant which God made with man and all creatures were to be upheld by meanes of observing the law and condition of that Covenant so that Covenant being broken by man the world should have come to ruine had it not been as it were created anew and upheld by the covenant of grace in Christ. Ant. Then Sir you think that Adam was saved Evan. The Hebrew Doctors hold that Adam was a repentant sinner and say that he was by wisdome that is to say by faith in Christ brought out of his fall yea and the Church of God doth hold and that for necessary causes that he was saved by the death of Christ yea saith Mr. Vaughan it is certain he believed the promise concerning Christ in whose commemoration he offered continuall sacrifice and in the assurance thereof he named his wife Heva that is to say life and he called his son Seth setled or perswaded in Christ. Ant. Well now I am perswaded that Adam did understand this seed of the woman to be meant of Christ. Evan. Assure your self that not only Adam but all the rest of the godly fathers did so understand it as is manifest in that the Thargum or Chalde bible which is the ancient translation of Ierusalem hath it thus Between thy son and her son Adding furâ—her by way of comment So long O serpent â—s the womans children keep the Law they â—ill thee and when they cease to do so thou â—tingest them in the heele and hast power to â—urt them much but whereas for their harm â—here is a sure remedy for thee there is none for in the last dayes they shall crush thee all to â—eeces by means of Christ their king And â—his was it which did support and uphold their faith untill the time of Abraham Ant. What followed then Evan. Why then the promise was turned into a covenant with Abraham and his seed and oftentimes repeated that in his seed all nations should be blessed Which promise and covenant was the very voice it self of the Gospel it being a true testimony of Jesus Christ as the Apostle Paul beareth witnesse saying The Scripture foreseeing that God would justifie the Gentiles through faith preached before the Gospel unto Abraham saying In thee shall all the nations of the earth be blessed And the better to confirme Abrahams faith in this promise of Christ it is said Gen. 14.19 that Melchisedec came forth and met him and blessed him Now saith the Apostle this Melchisedec was a Priest of the most high God and king of righteousnesse and king of peace without father and without mother and so like unto the son of God who is a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec and both king of righteousnesse and king of peace yea and without
father as touching his manhood and without mother as touching his Godhead Whereby we are given to understand that it was the purpose of God that Melchisedec should in these particulars resemble the person and office of Jesus Christ the son of God and so by Gods own appointment be a type of him to Abraham to ratifie and confirm the promise made to him and his seed in respect of the eternall covenant to wit That he and his believing seed should be so blessed in Christ as Melchisedec had blessed him Nay let me tell you more some have thought it most probable yea and have said If we search out this truth without partiality we shall find that this Melchisedec which appeared unto Abraham was none other then the son of God manifest by a speciall dispensation and priviledge unto Abraham in the flesh who is therefore said to have seen his day and rejoiced Joh. 8.56 Moreover in Gen. 15. we read that the Lord did again confirm this covenant with Abraham for when Abraham had divided the beasts God came between the parts like a smoking furnace and a burning lamp which as some have thought did primarily typifie the torment and rending of Christ and the furnace and fiery lamp did typifie the wrath of God running between and yet did not consume the rent and torne nature and the blood of circumcision did typifie the blood of Christ And the resolved sacrificing of Isaac on mount Moria by Gods appointment did prefigure and foreshew that by the offering up of Christ the promised seed in the very same place all Nations should be saved Now this Covenant thus made and confirmed with Abraham was renued with Isaac Gen. 26.4 and made known unto Jacob by Jesus Christ himself for that man which wrestled with Jacob was none other but the man Christ Jesus for himself said that Jacob should be called Israel a wrestler and prevailer with God and Jacob called the name of the place Peniel because he had seen God face to face And Iacob left it by his last will unto his children in these words The scepter shall not depart from Iudah nor a law giver from between his feet till Shilo come That is to say Of Judah shall Kings come one after another and many in number till at last the Lord Jesus come who is King of Kings and Lord of Lords Or as the Thargum of Jerusalem and the Onkelos do translate it until Christ the anoâ—nted come Nom. But Sir are you sure that this promised seed was meant of Christ Evan. The Apostle puts that out of doubt Gal. 3.16 saying Now unto Abraham and to his seed were the promises made He saith not and to seeds as of many but as of one and to thy seed which is Christ and so no doubt but these godly Patriarks did understand it Ant. But Sir the great promise that was made unto them as I conceive and which they seemed to have most regard unto was the land of Canaan Evan. There is no doubt but that these godly Patriarks did see their heavenly inheritance by Christ through the promise of the land of Canaan as the Apostle testifieth of Abraham Heb. 11. saying He sojourned in a strange country and looked for a city having a foundation whose builder and maker is God Whereby it is evident saith Calvin that the height and eminency of Abrahams faith was the looking for an everlasting life in heaven The like testimony he gives of Sarah Isaac and Jacob saying All these dyed in the faith Implying that they did not expect to receive the fruit of the promise till after death And therefore in all their travels they had before their eyes the blessednesse of the life to come which caused old Jacob to say at his death Lord I have waited for thy salvation The which speech the Chaldee paraphrases expound thus Our father Jacob said not I expect the salvation of Gideon son of Joash which is a temporall salvation nor the salvation of Sampson son of Manoah which is a transitory salvation but the salvation of Christ the son of David who shall come and bring unto himself the sons of Israel whose salvation my soule desireth And so you see that this Covenant made with Abraham in Christ was the comfort and support of these and the rest of the godly fathers untill their departure out of Egypt Ant. And what followed then Evan. Why then Christ Jesus was most clearly manifested unto them in the Passeover lamb for as that lamb was to be without spot or blemish Exod. 12.5 even so was Christ 1 Pet. 1.19 And as that lamb was taken up the tenth day of the first new moon in March even so on the very same day of the same moneth came Christ to Jerusalem to suffer his passion And as that lamb was killed on the fourteenth day at even just then on the same day and at the same houre did Christ give up the ghost And as the blood of that lambe was to be sprinkled on the Israelites doores Exod. 12.7 Even so is the blood of Christ sprinkled on believers hearts by faith 1 Pet. 1.2 And their deliverance out of Egypt was a figure of their redemption by Christ their passing through the Red sea was a type of Baptisme when Christ should come in the flesh And their manna in the wildernesse and water out of the rock did resemble the sacrament of the Lords supper and hence it is that the Apostle saith they did all eat the same spirituall meat and did all drink the same spirituall drink for they drank of that spirituall rock that followed them and that rock was Christ. And when they were come to mount Sinai the Lord delivered the Ten Commandements unto them Ant. And were the Ten Commandements as they were delivered to them on mount Sinai the Covenant of works Evan. Yea indeed were they Nom But by your favour Sir you know that these people were the posterity of Abraham and therefore under that covenant of grace which God made with their father And therefore I do not think that they were delivered to them as the covenant of works For Sir you know the Lord never delivers the covenant of works to any that are under the covenant of grace Evan. Indeed 't is true the Lord did manifest so much love to the body of this nation that all the naturall seed of Abraham were externally and by profession under the covenant of grace made with their father Abraham though 't is to be feared many of them were still under the covenant of works made with their father Adam Nom. But Sir you know in the preface to the Commandements the Lord cals himself by the name of their God in generall and therefore it should seem that they were all of them the people of God Evan. That is nothing to the purpose for many wicked and ungodly men being in the visible
and therefore whereas they should first have considered what a straight rule the Law of God is and then have brought mans heart and have laid it to it they contrariwise first considered what a crooked rule mans heart is and then sought to make the Law like unto it and so indeed they expounded the Law literally teaching and holding that the righteousnesse which the Law required was but an externall righteousnesse consisting in the outward observation of the Law as you may see by the testimony of our Saviour Matth. 5. So that according to their exposition it was possible for a man to fulfill the Law perfectly and so to be justified and saved by his obedience to it Ant. But sir doe you think the Scribes and Pharisees and their seed did yield perfect obedience to the Law according to their own exposition Evan. No indeed I think very few of them if any at all Ant. Why what hopes could they then have to be justified and saved when they transgressed any of the Commandements Evan. Peter Martyr tels us that when they chanced to transgresse any of the Ten Commandements they had their sacrifices to make satisfaction as they conceived for they looked upon their sacrifices without their significations and so had a false faith in them thinking that the bare work was a sacrifice acceptable to God in a word they conceived that the blood of Buls and Goates would take away sinne And so what they wanted of fulfilling the Morall law they thought to make make up in the Ceremoniall law And thus they separated Christ from their sacrifices thinking they had discharged their duty very well when they had sacrificed and offered their offerings not considering that the imperfection of the Typicall law which as the Apostle saith made nothing perfect should have led them to find perfection in Christ but they generally rested in the work done in the Ceremoniall law even as they had done in the Morall law though they themselves were unable to do the one and the other was as unsufficient to help them And thus Israel which followed the law of righteousnesse did not attain to the law of righteousnesse because they sought it not by faith but as it were by the works of the Law for they being ignorant of the righteousnesse of God and going about to stablish their own righteousnesse did not submit themselves to the righteousnesse of God Ant. Then Sir it seemeth that their ignorance was the cause of their error Evan. Yea indeed was it for this vaile of ignorance that was over their hearts or this vaile of blindnesse which was over their minds made their sight so weak and dim that they were no more able to behold the glorious beauty of the Lords holy and pure nature manifested in the Law as it was the covenant of works than the weak eye of man is able to behold the bright sun when it shineth in full strength And therefore we read that when Moses came down from the mount with the two tables wherein were wriâ—ten the words of the covenant of works the Ten Commandements his face did shâ—ne so bright that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold it for the glory of his countenance and therefore Moses was glad to put the cloudy vaile of shadowing Ceremonies over it that so they might bee the better able to behold it Ant. But yet Siâ— it seemeth that the vaile of Ceremonies did not help their vaile of Ignorance Evan. No indeed for the generality of them were so addicted to the letter of the Law that they used it not as a pedagogie to Christ but 〈◊〉 justification by it and opposed Christ they terminated their eye-sight in thâ— shadow and did not see through it to thâ— substâ—nce to wit to the end of the Law which is Christ. Some indeed there were which did otherwise but alas the number of them were very few especially in the future ages after Moses for their blind guides had so levened the people with their corrupt doctrine that at the time of our Saviours comming in the flesh we reâ—dâ— but of two to wit Simeon and Anna that desired him or looked for him for although all of them had in their mouths the Messiah and the blessed estate of the kingdome of David yet they dreamed that this Messiah should be some great Monarch that should come in outward pompe and power and save and deliver them from the Romans of whose bondage they were very sensible and weary but as for their spirituall bondage under the law and sinne they were not sensible of it and so indeed saw no need of deliverance from it and all because their false teachers had turned the whole Law into a Covenant of Works to be done for Justification and Salvation yea such a Covenant as they were able to keep and fulfill if noâ— by doing yet by making satisfaction with their sacrifices And though Jesus Christ himself for the removing of this vaile did in the fifth of Matthew take occasion truly to expound the Law as it is the Covenant of Works shewing that it did not only require externall righteousnesse but internall also of them that would bee justified by the works thereof and so removing that false glosse which the Scribes and Pharisees had put upon it Yea and though both he himselfe and his Apostles by their preaching and teaching did endeavour to let them understand that all the Sacrifices and Ceremonies did but point at him and so were of no further use Yea and though at the death of Christ the vaile of the Temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottome to shew that the shadowes of Moses Law should vanish away at the flourishing light of the Gospel and that the mysteries of Christ which were formerly hid were now laid open Yet notwithstanding after that when the Apostle wrote to the Corinthians he saith concerning the Jewes Even to this day when Moses is read the vaile is over their hearts And though for the removing of this vaile the same Apostle as it is probobably thought did write to them that Divine and Spirituall Epistle called the Epistle to the Hebrewes wherein he plainly and fully declareth that all the Sacrifices Ceremonies and Tabernacle ordinances in the old Testament were but types of Christ and given to them that they might see Christ through them who being now exhibited and come in the flâ—sh all types and shadows were to vaâ—â—sh away and give place yet notwithstanding we may say of them at this day as the Apostle did to the Corinthians untill this â—ay remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old Testament the Lord be mercifull unto them and remove it in his due time Nom. Sir as I conceive you have now spoken sufficiently both of Gods purpose and promise concerning the helping and delivering fallen mankind wherefore I beseech you let us
the Citie and wee shall die there and if we sit still here we die also nâ—w therefore come and let us fall into the hands of the Assyrians if they save us we shall live and if they kill us we shall but die even so say I in mine heart if I goe back to the covenant of works to seek justification thereby I shall die there and if I sit still and seek it no way I shall die also now therefore though I be somewhat fearfull yet am I resolved to go unto Christ and if I perish I perish Evan. Why now I tell you truly the match is made Christ is yours and you are his this day is salvation come to your house your soul I mean for what though you have not that power to come so fast unto Christ and to lay such firme hold on him as you desire yet comming with such a resolution to Christ to take him you need take no care for doing it you may be sure that Christ will enable you to do it for is it not said John 1.12 But as many as received him to them hee gave power to become the sonnes of God even to them that believe on his name O then I beseech you stand no longer disputing but be peremptory and resolute in your faith and in casting your selfe upon God in Christ for mercy and let the issue be what it will yet let me tell you to your comfort that such a resolution shall never go to hell nay I will say more if any soule have a roome in Heaven such a soul shall for God cannot finde in his heart to damne such a one I might then with as much true confidence say unto you as John Careless said unto John Bradford Hearken ô ye Heavens and thou ô earth give eare and beare me witnesse at the great day that I do here faithfully and truly the Lords message unto his deare servant and singularly beloved John Bradford saying John Bradford thou man so specially beloved of God I doe pronounce and testifie unto thee in the word and name of the Lord Jehovah that all thy sins whatsoever they be though never so many grievous or great be fully and freely pardoned released and forgiven thee by the mercy of God in Jesus Christ thy onely Lord and sweet Saviour in whom thou dost undoubtedly believe as truly as the Lord liveth he will not have thee die the death but hath verily purposed determined and decreed that thou shalt live with him for ever Neo. O Sir If I have as good warrant to apply this saying to my self as Mr. Bradford had to apply it to himself I am a happy man Evan. I tell you from Christ and under the hand of his spirit that your person is accepted your sins are done away and you shall be saved and if an Angell from Heaven should tell you otherwise let him be accursed therefore you may without doubt conclude that you are a happy man For by means of this your matching with Christ you are become one with him and one in him you dwell in him and he in you Hee is your welbeloved and you are his so that the mariage union betwixt Christ and you is more then a bare notion or apprehension of your mind for it is a spirituall reall union it is an union betwixt the nature of Christ God and man and you it is a knitting and closing not onely of your apprehension with a Saviour but also of your soule with a Saviour whence it must needs follow that you cannot be damned except Christ be damned with you neyther can Christ be saved except you be saved with him And as by means of corporall marriage all things become common betwixt man and wife even so by means of this spirituall marriage all things become common betwixt Christ and you for when Christ hath married his spouse unto himselfe hee passeth over all his estate unto her so that whatsoever Christ is or hath you may boldly challenge as your own He is made unto you of God wisdome righteousnesse sanctification and redemption and surely by vertue of this neer union it is that as Christ is called the Lord our righteousnesse Jer. 23.6 so is the Church called the Lord our righteousnesse Jer. 35.16 You may by vertue of this union confidently take unto your selfe as your own Christ watching abstinence travails prayers persecution slanders his tears his sweat his bloud and all that ever he did and suffered in three and thirty years with his Passion Death Resurrection and Ascention for they are all yours and as Christ passeth over all his estate unto his spouse so doth he require that shee should passe over all unto him wherefore you being now married unto Christ you must give all that you have of your own unto him and truly you have nothing of your own but sin and therefore you must give him that say thou unto Christ without fear I give to thee my dear husband my unbelief my mistrust my pride my arrogancie my ambition my wrath my anger my envie my covetousnesse my evill thoughts affections and desires I make a bundle of these and all my other offences and give them unto thee thus was Christ made sin for us which knew no sin that wee might be made the righteousnesse of God in him now then saith Luther let us compare these things together and we shall finde inestimable treasure Christ is full of all grace life and saving health and the soule is fraught full of all sin death and damnation but let faith come betwixt these two and it shall come to passe that Christ shall bee loaden with sin death and hell and unto the soule shall be imputed grace life and salvation who then saith he is able to value the royalty of this marriage accordingly who is able to comprehend the glorious riches of this grace where this rich and righteous husband Christ doth take unto wife this poore and wicked harlot redeeming her from all evils and garnishing her with all his own jewels so that you as the same Luther saith through the assurednesse of your faith in Christ your husband are delivered from all sins made safe from death guarded from hell and endowed with the everlasting righteousnesse life and saving health of your husband Christ and therefore you are now under the covenant of grace and freed from the Law as it is the covenant of works for as M. ball truly saith at one and the same time a man cannot be under the covenant of works and the covenant of grace Neo. Sir I doe not yet well know how to conceive of this freedome from the Law as it is the covenant of works and therefore I pray you make it as plain to me as you can Evan. For the true and cleer understanding of this point you are to consider that when Jesus Christ the second Adam had in the
right well that Luther sayth the conscience hath nothing to doe with the law or works and that Calvin sayth the consciences of the faithfull when the affiance of their justification before God is to be sought must rayse and advance themselves above the Law and forget the whole righteousnes of the Law and lay aside all thinking upon works Now for the true understanding of these two worthy servants of Christ two things are to be concluded First that when they speak thus of the law it is evident they mean only in the case of justification secondly that when the conscience hath to doe with the law in the case of justification it hath to doe with it onely as it is the covenant of works for as the law is the Law of Christ it neither justifies nor condemns and so if you understand it of the Law as it is the Covenant of works according to their meaning then it is most true that they say for why should a man let the Law come into his conscience that is why should a man make any conscience of doing the Law to be justified thereby considering it is a thing impossible nay what need hath a man to make cōscience of doing the law to be justified thereby when he knows he is already justified another way nay what need hath a man to make conscience of doing that law that is dead to him and hee to it hath a woman any need to make any conscience of doing her duty to her husband when hee is dead nay when shee her selfe is dead also or hath a debter any need to make any conscience of paying that debt which is already fully discharged by his surety will any man be afraid of that obligation which is made void the seale torne off the writing defaced nay not onely cancelled and crost but torne in pieces I remember the Apostle saith That if the sacrifices which were offered in the Old Testament could have made the commers thereunto perfect and have purged the worshippers then should they have had no more conscience of sins that is their conscience would not have accused them of being guilty of sins now the blond of Christ hath purged the conscience of a believer from all his sins as they are transgressions against the covenant of works and therefore what needs his conscience be troubled about that covenant but now I pray you observe and take notice that although Luther and Calvin doe thus exempt a believer from the Law in the case of justification and as it is the law or covenant of works yet doe they not so out of the case of justification and as it is the Law of Christ. For thus saith Luther out of the matter of justification wee ought with Paul to thinke reverently of the Law to commend it highly to call it holy righteous just good spirituall and divine yea out of the case of justification we ought to make a God of it And in another place saith he there is a civill righteousnesse and a ceremoniall righteousnesse yea and besides these there is another righteousnesse which is the righteousnesse of the Law or of the ten commrndements which Moses teacheth this also we teach after the doctrine of faith And in a third place he having shewed that believers through Christ are far above the Law adds howbeit I will not deny but that Moses sheweth to them their duties in which respect they are to be admonished and urged wherefore such doctrines and admonitions ought to be among Christians as it is certain there was among the Apostles whereby every man may be admonished of his estate and office And Calvin having said as I told you before that Christians in the case of justification must raise and advance themselves above the law adds neither can any man thereby gather that the law is superfluous to the faithfull whom notwithstanding it doth not cease to teach exhort and prick forward to goodnesse although before Gods Judgement seat it hath no place in their conscience Ant. But Sir if I forget not Musculus sayth that the law is utterly abrogated Evan. Indeed Musculus speaking of the ten commandements sayth if they be weak if they be the letter if they do worke transgression anger curse and death and if Christ by the law of the spirit of life delivered them that believed in him from the law of the letter which was weake to justifie and strong to condemne and from curse being made a curse for us surely they be abrogated Now this is most certaine that the ten commandements doe no way worke transgression anger curse death but onely as they are the covenant of works neither hath Christ delivered believers any otherwise from them then as they are the covenant of works and therfore wee may assuredly conclude that they are no otherwise abrogated then as they are the covenant of works Neither did Musculus intend any otherwise for sayth he in the words following it must not be understood that the points of the substance of Moses covenant are utterly brought to nothing God forbid for a Christian man is not at liberty to do those things that are ungodly and wicked and if the doing of those things which the law forbids do not displease Christ if they be not much different yea contrary if they be not repugnant to the righteousness which we received of him let it be lawful for a christian man to do them or else not but a Christian man doing against those things which be cōmanded in the Decalogue doth sinne more outragiously then hee that should so do being under the law so far off is he from being free from those things that be there commanded Wherfore friend Antinomista if eyther you or any man else shall under a pretence of your being in Christ exempt yourselves frō being under the law of the ten cōmandements as they are the law of Christ I tel you truly it is a shrewd signe you are not yet in Christ for if you were then Christ were in you if Christ were in you then would he governe you and you would be subject unto him I am sure the Prophet Isaiah tels us that the same Lord who is our Saviour is also our King and Law-giver truly he will not be Jesus a Saviour to any but only to those unto whom he is Christ a Lord for the very truth is whersoever he is Iesus a Saviour he is also Christ a Lord therfore I beseech you examine your self whether he be so to you or no Ant. Why then Sir it seemeth that you stand upon marks and signes Evan. Yea indeed I stand so much upon marks and signes that I say unto you in the words of the Apostle John in this the children of God are manifest and the children of the Devill whosoever doth not righteousnesse is not of God for sayth Luther he that is truly baptised is become a new
and so indeed they are the fruit and works of a bond-servant that is moved and constrained to doe all that heâ— doth for fear of punishment and hope of reward For saith Luther The Law given on mount Sinai which the Arabians call Agar begeteth none but servants and so indeed all that such a man doth is but hypocrisie for he pretends the serving of God whereas indeed hee intends the serving of himselfe and how can hee doe otherwise for whilst he wants faith he wants all things He is an empty vine and therefore must needs bring forth fruit unto himselfe till a man bee served himselfe he will not serve the Lord Christ nay whilst he wants faith he wants the love of Christ and therefore he lives not to Christ but to himselfe because he loved himselfe And hence surely we may conceive it is that Doctor Preston saith all that a man doth and not out of love is out of hypocrisie wheresoever love is not there is nothing but hypocrisie in such a mans heart But when a man through the hearing of faith receives the Spirit of Christ that spirit according to the measure of faith writes the lively law of love in his heart as Tindall sweetly sayth whereby hee is inabled to work freely and of his own accord without the coaction or compulsion of the Law for that love wherewith Christ or God in Christ hath loved him and which by faith is apprehended of him will constrain him to doe so according to that of the Apostle the love of Christ constraineth us that is it will make him to doe so whether he will or no hee cannot choose but doe it I tell you truly answerably as the love of Christ is shed abroad in the heart of any man it is such a strong impulsion that it carries him on to serve and please the Lord in all things according to the saying of an evangelicall man The will and affection of a believer according to the measure of faith and the spirit received sweetly quickens and bends to choose affect and delight in what ever was good and acceptable to God or man the Spirit freely and cheerfully moving and inclining him to keepe the law without feare of hell or hope of heaven for a christian man saith sweet Tindall worketh onely because it is the will of his Father for after that he is overcome with love and kindnesse he seeks to doe the will of God which indeed is a christian mans nature and what he doth hee doth it freely after the example of Christ as a naturall sonne aske him why he doth such a thing why sayth he It is the will of my Father and I doe it that I may please him for indeed love desireth no wages it is wages enough to it selfe it hath sweetnesse enough in it selfe it desires no addition it pays his own vvages and therefore it is the true childe like obedience being begoten by faith of Saraah the free-woman by the force of Gods love and so it is indeed the onely true and syncere obedience for sayth Doctor Preston to doe a thing in love is to doe it in syncerity and indeed there is no other defâ—inition of syncerity that is the best way to know it by Evan. But stay Sir I pray you would you not have believers to eschew evill and doe good for feare of hell or hope of heaven Evan. No indeed I would not have any believer to doe either the one or the other for so far forth as they doe so their obedience is but slavish and therefore though when they were first awaked convinced of their misery and set foot forward to goe on in the way of life they with the prodigall would be hired servants yet when by the eye of faith they see the mercie and indulgence of their heavenly Father in Christ running to meete them and embrace them I would have them with him to talke no more of being hired servants I would have them so to wrastle against doubting and so to exercise their faith as to believe that they are by Christ delivered from the hands of all their â—nemies both the Law sin wrath death â—he devill and hell that they may serve the Lord without feare in holinesse and righteâ—usnesse all the dayes of their lives I would â—ave them so to believe Gods love to them â— Christ as that thereby they may be conâ—trained to obedience Nom. But Sir you know that our Saâ—iour sayth Feare him that is able to destroy â—oth soule and body in hell And the Apostle â—yth We shall receive of the Lord the reward 〈◊〉 the inheritance is it not sayd that Moses â—ad respect unto the recompence of reward Evan. Surely the intent of our blessed â—aviour in that first Scripture is to teach all â—elievers that when God commands one 〈◊〉 and man another they should obey â—od and not man rather then to exhort â—â—em to eschew evill for feare of Hell And as for those other Scriptures by you alâ—â—aged if you mean reward and the means 〈◊〉 obtayn that reward in the Scripture sense 〈◊〉 it is another matter but I had thought 〈◊〉 had meant in our common sense and not 〈◊〉 the Scripture sense Nom. Why Sir I pray you what diffeâ—â—nce is there betwixt reward and the means to obteyn the reward in our common sense and in the Scripture sence Evan. Why reward in our common sence is that which is conceived to come from God or to be given by God which is a fancying of Heaven under carnall notions beholding it as a place where there is freedome from all misery and fulnesse of all pleasures and happinesse and to be obteyned by our own works and doings But reward in the Scripture sence is not so much that which comes from God or is given by God as that which lyes in God even the full fruition of God himselfe in Christ. I am sayth God to Abraham thy shield and thy exceeding great reward And whom have I in heaven but thee sayth David And there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee and I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likenesse And the means to obteyne this reward is not by doing but by believing even by drawing neere with a true heart in the full assurance of faith and so indeed it is given freely And therefore you are not to conceive of that reward which the Scripture speaks of as if it were the wages of a servant but as it is the inheritance of sons and when the Scripture seemeth to induce believers to obedience by promising this reward you are to conceive that the Lord speaketh to believers as a father doth to his young son doe this or that and then I will love thee whereas we know that the father loveth the sonne first and so doth God and therefore this is the voice of believers Wee love him because
he first loved us the Lord doth pay them or at least giveth them a sure earnest of their wages before hee bid them work and therefore the contest of a believer according to the measure of his faith is not what will God give mee but what shall I give God What shall I render unto the Lord for all his goodnesse for thy loving kindnesse is before mine eyes and I have walked in thy truth Nom. Then Sir it seems that holinesse of life and good workes are not the cause of eternall happines but onely the way thether Evan. Doe you not remember that our Lord Jesus himself sayth I am the way the truth and the life And doth not the Apostle say to the believing Colossians As ye have received Jesus Christ the Lord so walk in him that is As you have received him by faith so goe on in your faith and by his power walk in his Commandements so that good works as I conceive may rather be called a believers walking in the way to eternal happinesse then the way it self but however this wee may assuredly conclude that the summe and substance both of the way and walking in the way consist in the receiving of Jesus Christ by faith and in yielding obedience to his law according to the measure of that receiving Neo. Sir I am perswaded that through my neighbour Nomistas asking you these questions you have been interrupted in your discourse in shewing how faith doth enable a man to exercise his christian graces and performe his christian duties aright And therefore I pray you go on Evan. What should I say more for the time would fail me to tell how that according to the measure of any mans faith is his true peace of conscience for sayth the Apostle being justified by faith wee have peace with God yea sayth the Prophet Isaiah Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee because he trusteth in thee here there is a sure and true grounded peace therfore it is of faith sayth the Apostle that it might be by grace and that the promise might be sure to all the seed and answerably to a mans believing that hee is justified fully by Gods grace through that redemption that is in Jesus Christ is his true humility of spirit so that although he be endued with excellent gifts and graces and though he performe never so many duties he denyes himselfe in all hee doth not make them as ladders for him to ascend up into Heaven by But desires to be found in Christ not having his own righteousnesse which is of the law but that which is through the faith of Christ he doth not think himselfe to be one step neerer to Heaven for all his works and performances and if hee heare any man prayse him for his gifts and graces hee will not conceit that he hath obteined the same by his own industry and pains taking as some men have proudly thought neyther will hee speak it out as some have done saying these gifts and graces have cost mee something I have taken much pains to obtain them but he sayth Not I but by the grace of God I am that I am and not I but the grace of God that was with me And if he behold an ignorant man or a wicked liver he will not call him carnall wretch or prophane fellow nor say stand by thy selfe come not neere to mee for I am holier then thou as some have said but he pitieth such a man and prays for him and in his heart he sayth concerning himself who maketh thee to differ And what hast thou that thou hast not received And thus I might goe on and shew you how according to any mans faith is his true joy in God and his true thankfulnesse to God and his patience in all troubles and afflictions and his contentednesse in any condition and his willingnesse to suffer and his cheerfulnesse in suffering and his contentednesse to part with any earthly thing yea according to any mans faith is his ability to pray aright to heare or read the Word of God aright to receive the Sacrament with profit and comfort and to do any duty either to God or man after a right manner and to a right end yea according to the measure of any mans faith is his love to Christ and so to man for Christs sake and so consequently his readinesse and willingnesse to forgive an injury yea to forgive an enemy and to doe good to them that hate him and the more faith any man hath the lesse love he hath to the world or the things that are in the world to conclude the greater any mans faith is the more fitter he is to die and the more willing he is to die Neo. Well Sir now I doe perceive that faith is a most excellent grace and happie is that man that hath a great measure of it Evan. The truth is faith is the chief grace that Christians are to be exhorted to get and exercise and therefore when the people asked our Lord Christ what they should doe to worke the worke of God he answered and said this is the work of God That ye believe on him whom he hath sent speaking as if there were no other duty at all required but onely believing for indeed to say as the thing is believing includeth all other duties in it and they spring all from it and therefore sayth one Preach Faith and preach all Whilst I bid man believe sayth learned Rollock I bid him doe all good things for sayth Doctor Preston truth of belief will bring forth truth of holinesse if a man believe works of sanctification will follow for faith draws after it inherent righteousnesse and sanctification wherefore sayth he if a man will goe about this great worke to change his life to get victory over any sin that it may not have dominion over him to have his conscience purged from dead works and to bee made partaker of the divine nature let him not goe about it as a morall man that is let him not consider what Commandements there are what the rectitude is which the Law requires and how to bring his heart to it but let him goe about it as a Christian that is let him believe the promise of pardon in the bloud of Christ and the very believing the promise will be able to cleanse his heart from dead works Neo. But I pray you Sir whence hath faith its power and vertue to doe all this Evan. Even from our Lord Jesus Christ for faith doth ingraft a man who is by nature a wild olive branch into Christ as into the naturall olive and fetcheth sap from the root Christ and thereby makes the tree bring forth fruit in its kind yea faith fetcheth a supernaturall efficacie from the death and life of Christ by vertue whereof it metamorphoseth the heart of a
and apprehend him by faith as blessed be God you see our Neighbour Neophytus hath done and then shall you finde the like loathing of sin and love to the law of Christ as he now doth yea then shall you finde your corruptions dying and decaying daily more and more as I am confident hee shall Neo. I but Sir shall I not have power quite to overcome all my corruptions and to yield perfect obedience to the law of Christ as the Lord knows I much desire Evan. If you could believe perfectly then should it be even according to to your desire according to that of Luther If wee can perfectly apprehend Christ then should wee be free from sin But alas whilest we are here wee know but in part and so believe but in part and so receive Christ but in part and so consequently are holy but in part witnesse James the just including himselfe when he sayth In many things we sin all and John the faithfull and loving Disciple when he sayth If we say we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us yea and witnesse Luther when he sayth a Christian man hath a body in whose members as Paul sayth sin dwelleth and warreth and albeit he fall not into outward and grosse sins as murther adultery theft and such like yet is hee not free from impatience and murmuring against God yea sayth hee I feele in my selfe coveteousnesse lust anger pride and arrogancie also the feare of death heaviness hatred murmuring impenitencie so that you must not looke to bee quite without sin whilst thou remain in this life yet this I dare promise you that as you grow from faith to faith so shall you grow from strength to strength in all other graces wherefore sayth godly Hooker strengthen this grace of faith and strengthen all nourish this and nourish all so that if you can attain to a great measure of faith you shall bee sure to attain to a great measure of holinesse according to the saying of Doctor Preston hee that hath the strongest faith hee that believeth in the greatest degree the promise of pardon and remission of sins I dare boldly say he hath the holiest heart and the holiest life And therefore I beseech you labour to grow strong in the faith of the Gospell Neo. O Sir I desire it with all my heart and therefore I pray you tell me what you would have me to doe that I may grow more strong Evan. Why surely the best advice and counsell that I can give you is to exercise that faith which you have and wrastle against doubtings and be earnest with God in prayer for the increase of it forasmuch sayth Luther as this gift is in the hands of God onely who bestoweth it when and on whom he pleaseth thou must resort unto him by prayer and say with the Apostles Lord increase our faith and you must also be diligent in hearing the word preached for as faith commeth by hearing so is it also increased by hearing and you must also read the word and meditate upon the free and gracious promises of God for the promise is the immortall seed whereby the spirit of Christ begets and increaseth faith in the hearts of all his and lastly you must frequent the Sacrament of the Lords Supper and receive it as often as conveniently you can Ant. But by your favour Sir if faith be the gift of God and he give it when and to whom he pleaseth then I conceive that mans using such means will not procure any greater measure of it then God is pleased to give Evan. I confesse it is not the means that will either beget or increase faith but it is the Spirit of God in the use of the means that doth it so that as the means will not doe it without the Spirit neither will the Spirit doe it without the means where the means may be had wherefore I pray you doe not you hinder him from using the means Neo. Sir for mine own part let him say what he will I am resolved by the assistance of God to be carefull and diligent in the use of these means which you have now prescribed that so by the increasing of my faith I may be the better inabled to subject to the will of the Lord and so walk as that I may please him but yet I doe perceive that in regard of the imperfection of my faith I shall not be able perfectly to apprehend Christ and so consequently shall not be able to live without sin therefore I pray you Sir tell me how you would have mee to be affected when I shall hereafter through frailty commit any sin Evan. Before I can give you a true and full satisfactory answer to this your necessary question I must intreat you to consider with me First that in Rom. 6.14 it is sayd concerning believers Yee are not under the Law but under grace And in like manner Rom. 1.6 it is sayd But now we are delivered from the Law And yet it is said concerning a believer 1 Cor. 9.21 Being not without Law to God but under the Law to Christ And in like manner Rom. 3.31 it is sayd Doe wee then make voyd the Law through faith God for bid yea by faith we establish the Law Secondly That in 1 John 3.6 It is sayd That whosoeuer abideth in Christ sinneth not and in like manner ver 9. Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin And yet it is sayd concerning such 1 John 1.8 If we say we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us and in like manner Jam. 3.2 In many things we offend all Thirdly That in Numb 23.21 It is sayd concerning believers Hee that is to say God hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob neither hath he seen perversnesse in Israell in like manner Cant. 4.7 It is sayd behold thou art all faire my love and there is no spot in thee And yet it is sayd Prov. 5.21 as well concerning believers as others that the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord and hee pondereth all his goings and in like manner Heb. 4.13 All things are naked and open unto the eyes of him with whom we have to doe Fourthly That in Isai. 27.4 the Lord sayth concerning believers Anger is not in me and in like manner Isai. 54.9 it is sayd As I have sworn that the waters of Noah shall no more goe over the earth so have I sworn that I would no more be wrath with thee nor rebuke thee and yet it is sayd Psal. 10.40 That because the people went a whoring after their own inventions therefore was the wrath of the Lord kindled against this people insomuch that he abhorred his own inheritance And in Deut. 13.1 Moses a true believer sayth The Lord was angry with him Fifthly That in Isai. 40.2 The Lord sayth concerning believers Speake yee
content with what is most repugnant to its desire as with hunger cold nakednesse yea and with death it self such is the wonderfull working of the hearts quiet and rest in God So that although such a mans senses be still exerâ—ised in and upon their proper objects yet is not his life sensuall for his heart taketh no contentment from any such exercise but is still for the most part exercised in a more transcendent communion even with God in Christ so that he useth the world and the things of the world as though hee used them not and receiveth no cordiall contentment from any sensuall exercise whatsoever and that because his heart is withdrawne from them which withdrawing of the heart is not unaptly pointed at in the speech of the Spouse Cant. 5.2 I sleep sayth she but my heart waketh so that it may be sayd that such a man he is sleeping looking hearing tasting eating drinking feasting c. but his heart is withdrawne and is rejoycing in God his Saviour and his soul is magnifying the Lord so that in the midst of all sensuall delights his heart and secretly sayth I but my happinesse is not here Nom. But Sir I pray you why do you call rationall and religious exercises a wildernesse Evan. For two reasons first because that as the children of Israel when they were got out of Egypt did yet wander many yeers in the wildernesse before they came into the land of Canaan even so doe many men wander long in rationall and religious exercises after they have left a sensuall life before they come to rest in God whereof the land of Canaan was a type Secondly because as in a wildernesse men often lose themselves and can finde no way out but supposing after long travell that they are neere the place whither they would goe are in truth further off even so fareth it with many yea with all such as walk in the way of reason they lose themselves in the woods and bushes of their works and doings so that the longer they travell the further they are from God and true rest in him Nom. But Sir you know that the Lord hath endued us with reasonable souls would you not then have us to make use of our reason Evan. I pray you doe not mistake mee I do not contemn nor despise the use of reason onely I would not have you to establish it to the chief good but I would have you to keep it under so that if with Hagar it attempt to beare rule and Lord it over your faith then would I have you in the wisdome of God like Sarah to cast it out from having dominion in few words I would have you more strong in desire than curious in speculation and to long more to feele communion with God then to be able to dispute of the genus or species of any question eyther humane or divine And presse hard to know God by powerfull experience and though your knowledge be great and your obedience surpassing many yet would I have you to be truly nullified anihilated and made nothing and become fools in all fleshly wisdome and glory in nothing but only in the Lord and I would have you with the eye of faith sweetly to behold all things extracted out of one thing in one to see al in a word I would have in you a most profound silence contemning all curious questions and discourses and to ponder much in your heart but prate little with your tongue Be swift to heare but slow to speake and slow to wrath as the Apostle James adviseth you and by this meanes will your reason be subdued and become one with your faith for then is reason one with faith when it is subjugated unto faith and then will reason keepe its true lists and limits and you will become ten times more reasonable then you were before so that I hope you now see that the hearts farewell from the sensuall and rationall life is not to be considered absolutely but respectively it doth not consist in a going out of either but in a right use of both And now for a conclusion let mee tell you when any of your souls shall thus forget her own people and her fathers house Christ her King shall so desire her beauty and be so much in love with her that like a Load-stone this love of his shall draw the soule in pure desire to him again and then as the Hart panteth after the rivers of water so will your souls pant after God yea then will your souls be so ravished with desire and so sick of love that it will bee manifest by your seeking him whom your soul loveth and so shall your soule come to have a reall rest in God and according to the measure of your faith be filled with joy unspeakable and glorious and how can it bee otherwise when your soule shall really communicate with God and by faith have a true taste and by the Spirit have a sure earnest of all heavenly preferments having as it were one foot in heaven whilst you live upon earth ô then what an Eucharisticall love will arise from your thankfull heart extending it selfe first towards God and then towards man for Gods sake because his everlasting love in his Christ is made known to your soule so that then according to the measure of your faith you shall not need to frame and force your selfe to love and doe good duties but being so assured of Gods love to you in his CHRIST your soule will stand bound ever more to love God and according to the measure thereof you will stand bound to the keeping of all his Commandements and this love of God in the heart will cut down selfe love so that now you will be for God and it will be your meat and drinke to doe his will whilst you live on earth and much more when you come to heaven the place of perfect and everlasting rest whither our Lord JESUS CHRIST bring us all in his due time Amen And now Brethren I commend you to GOD and to the word of his grace which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified Neo. Well Sir at this time I will say no more but that it was a happie houre wherein I came to you and a happie conference that wee have had together surely Sir I never knew Christ before this day ô what cause have I to thanke the Lord for my comming hither and my two friends as a means of it and Sir for the payns that you have taken with me I pray the Lord to requite you and so beseeching you to pray the Lord to increase my faith and to helpe mine unbeliefe I humbly take my leave of you praying the God of love and peace to be with you Nom. And truly Sir I doe believe that I have cause to speake as much in that case as you have for