hath given him Authority to execute judgment also because he is the Son of God We see all along here that the Lord speaks of his power and judgment when he again comes And again he saith Marvel not at this for the hour is coming in which all that are in their graves shall hear his voice And shall come forth they that have done good unto the resurrection of life and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation Here the Lord speaks in the Scripture way of speaking in that he so nearly joyns his coming to judge the World with that last judgment like that of his joyning the destruction of Jerusalem and of the World together according to which all the Scripture is so joyn'd Now these two judgments are clearly to distinct things for in the first it is said the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God and it was those that did hear did live therefore this is at the first resurrection when the Lord again comes at which time all the promiss'd Elect shall be call'd in whom he hath promised mercy and with the dead Bodies of the Saints shall hear the voice of the Son of God and live And the other is the eternal judgment which is spoken of in the Revelations where it is said the Sea and Death and Hell delivered up the dead As to what the Lord saith in John 5. from the 20. v. to the 29. v. The Lord there speaks of the two judgments as I have elsewhere proved to you and therefore what he saith in the 24. v. is concerning them that are believers at his coming that they have everlasting life and that they shall not come into condemnation but where the Lord saith John 6.47 Verily verily I say unto you he that believeth on me hath everlasting life And the Apostle also saith 1 John 5.11,12,13 This is the record that God hath given us eternal life and this life is in his Son He that hath the Son hath life and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God that ye may know that ye have eternal life That is God hath renewed us in Christ and given us eternal life by him if we are true Believers and what that belief is that is required of us I have elsewhere proved to you But the everlasting life that is given the Believer is as it was given Adam in Paradise the which was as long as he continued in his obedience And so it is with us the which the words of the Lord doth fully explain where he saith John 8.51 Verily verily I say unto you if a man keep my sayings he shall never see death And Christ saith again John 15.9,10,11,12 As the Father hath loved me so have I loved you continue ye in my love If ye keep my commandments ye shall abide in my love even as I kept my Fathers commandments and abide in his love These things have I spoken unto you that my joy might remain in you and that your joy might be full This is my commandment that ye love one another as I have loved you By all this we plainly see that the eternal life given the Believer is theirs no longer than they persist in their obedience So Adam's eternal life that he had given him in Paradise was lost by his offending for had he persisted in his obedience he had never dyed And as I have already proved to you that if we are regenerated so as our wills are brought over into an intire resignation of our selves to God and Christ then we are accepted of him and then is the righteousness of Christ imputed to us but it is afterward there comes a day of trial either by temptation or affliction or a cloudy dark day may overtake us and therefore it is best for every true Christian to arm themselves for the worst that they may be able to stand in the evil day so whilst we continue in our obedience the perfect righteousness of Christ is imputed to us and then as the Apostle saith are we complete in him and afterward what sins are not willfully committed will not destroy us because Christ is our Advocate with the Father 1 Joh. 2.1 but let him that standeth take heed lest he fall And St. John saith 1 John 3.6,7,8 Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not whosoever sinneth hath not seen him That is they give themselves no liberty to sin and what is not willingly committed is not imputed Little Children let no man deceive you he that doeth righteousness is righteous even as he is righteous That is if we continue in well-doing as I before shewed we have the perfect righteousness of Christ imputed to us for it is said we are complete in him He that committeth sin is of the Devil for the Devil sinned from the beginning for this purpose the Son of God was manifest that be might destroy the works of the Devil That is he that willfully committeth sin is of the Devil for the Devil committeth no sin but what he committeth willfully And the Apostle saith 1 John 1.6,7,8,9 If we say we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness we lye and do not the truth But if we walk in the light as he is in the light we have fellowship one with another and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin This is that which makes us appear clean and white in the sight of God But he saith again If we say we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us For we cannot live without sin as sins of infirmity and sins of ignorance and too often overtaken in the sins of Negligence and sometimes overtaken with the Sins of Surprisal Therefore he saith in the 9. v. If we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteouness That is all our unrighteousnesses upon our Conversion are forgiven if we seek to God by Confession and Contrition And whereas the Lord saith in Mat. 5.46,47,48 For if ye love them which love you what reward have ye do not even the Publicans the same and if ye salute your Brethren only what do ye more than others do not even the Publicans so Be ye therefore perfect even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect That is be you perfect or sincere in your Love to others as God was sincere or perfect in his Love to you in that he gave the Son of his Love for you according to his Promise And in Luke 17.5,6 And the Apostles said unto the Lord increase our Faith And the Lord said if ye had Faith as a grain of Mustard-seed you might say to this Sycamine Tree be thou pluck up by the Root and be thou planted in the Sea and it should obey you
for them it was fore-ordained by him that in good works they should walk before him Now these places are not fitly appliable to us for it is evident that we are not now in that gross darkness neither are we strangers to the Covenant of Promise as they were neither are we made partakers of the Holy Ghost as they were The like he saith of the Church in Titus chap. 3. v. 4,5,6,7 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to his mercy he saved us by the washing of Regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour That being justified by his grace we should be made heirs according to the hope of Eternal Life Now by these places it is clear that he spake this concerning them of the Then Times For it is known to all that there has been no such abundant pourings forth of the Spirit upon the Chuches since the Apostles Times And these are they of whom the Apostle saith Called of God according to his purpose For whom he did fore-know he also did predestinate to be conformed to the Image of his Son Rom. 8.28,29 According to which he saith Ephes 1.12 That they should be to the praise of his glory who first trusted in Christ. And St. Paul saith Acts 13.48 As many as were ordained to eternal life believed This he also speaks of the Then Times and of the Churches that first trusted in Christ who were afore chosen of God according to his purpose which was to confirm the Truth of the Gospel to the following Generations and God gave to them more abundantly of his Spirit to secure their standing as well as to confirm the Truth of the Gospel so as if they did not disinherit themselves by wilful sinning they could no ways miss of Salvation for they were ordained chosen and appointed to it of God as Israel was for the Land of Canaan but neither of them was to have the fruition of that which was promised without their own endeavour Therefore St. Peter saith Save your selves from this untoward Generation Acts 2.40 And make your Calling and Election sure 2 Pet. 1.10 And by the abundant pourings forth of the Spirit upon the first Churches they generally stood and the major part in Scripture is always reckoned as the whole whereas the Apostle saith As many as were ordained to eternal life believed This plainly shews that this Ordination was to the first Churches for if all that were ordained to eternal life then believed it makes it clear that to us that follow after there remains no such Ordination According to this St. James saith Acts 15.14 Simon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles to take out of them a people for his Name How a people for his Name That is for the greater graces here and for the greater glory hereafter As in Ephes 1.12 That they should be to the praise of his glory who first trusted in Christ Ephes 2.7 That in the Ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness towards them through Christ Jesus Now at that time when God called in the Gentiles was the time when God made his Promise good to Christ and Abraham in that the Gentiles were taken into Covenant they then being justified by the Righteousness of Christ without the deeds of the Law and so by Christ they became the Seed of Abraham and were thereby brought into subjection to the Commands of God and the Moral Law Matth. 29.17 Matth. 20.28 Rom. 2.13 and so with Israel become Heirs to the Covenant of Promise which Covenant of Promise they were before strangers unto Eph. 2.12 and at the publication of the Gospel was the acceptable time and the great day of Salvation to the Gentiles when the Lord then thus took them into Covenant with himself and justified them freely by his grace without the deeds of the Law that thereby he might bring them and their Children in as Heirs with Israel to whom the promise belonged And also to shew that the Apostle had his chief reference to those times he saith 2 Cor. 5.19 To wit that God was in Christ reconciling the World unto himself not imputing their trespasses unto them and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation And he saith in chap. 6. verse 1,2 We then as workers together with him beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain For he saith I have heard thee in a time accepted and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee Behold now is the accepted time Behold now is the day of salvation For then was the accepted time that free grace was freely administred only by the change of their wills and affections and that done by the power of God but he beseeches them that they receive not the grace of God in vain for if they wilfully again were intangled in sin the grace of God was received in vain by them And whereas he saith Rom 3.25 Whom God hath set forth to be a Propitiation through faith in his blood to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past Here he fully declareth that in the acceptable day it was their past sins were then pardoned and afterward they were to walk in newness of life And accordingly he saith in verse 26. To declare I say at this time his righteousness that he might be just and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus Thereby clearly shewing that this Justification had in it a chief reference to those times at which time the Apostle did conclude as in verse 28. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the Law But when they were brought in as Heirs to the Covenant of Promise the case was altered with them for then there was required their sincere obedience to all God's Commands and Precepts and therein to remain faithful to the death if they would have the Crown of Life by the Everlasting Covenant secured to them for then they and their Children were to retain that Doctrine which was at first so powerfully delivered Heb 2.1,2,3,4 Therefore we ought to give the more diligent heed to the things which we have heard lest at any time we should let them slip For if the Words spoken by Angels were stedfast and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward how shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him God also bearing them witness both with signs and wonders and with divers miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost according to the will of God Thus it was the will of God so powerfully to confirm the Doctrine of the Gospel For as the outward glory was
that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be Reprobates Now in the Apostle's time there was a twofold way of Christ's being in the Churches for Christ said to his Disciples The Spirit that dwelleth with you shall be in you John 14.17 because unto them was given the Holy Ghost to be in them which afterward also was but with the Churches But Christ in every true Believer must be so in them as to have the ruling-power in their hearts and affections in that their wills must be brought into subjection unto Christ by a complying frame of spirit to his will And thus Christ dwells in every true Believer For whosoever is in Christ in them is required a mind agreeable to the will of Christ that he thereby may rule in the heart Now the Corinthians having embraced the faith in yielding their consent to be obedient unto Christ and had also received the Spirit of whom St. Paul afterward heard of their disorderly walking therefore he writes to them to examine themselves whether they were in the faith and to prove themselves whether Christ were still thus in them or not for if Christ were not thus in them then they had rebelled from their subjection unto him and thereby grieved the Spirit of God and so become Reprobates But those that had never yielded their obedience to God or Christ cannot properly be said to be Rebels or Reprobates because they did never own themselves as servants to them but did all along yield themselves servants to sin for which they shall receive their punishment tho' not as Rebels or Reprobates But Israel whom God had taken into Covenant with himself they likewise were termed Reprobates for their wilful disobedience for which they were rejected of God Jer. 6.28,30 They are all grievous revolters walking with slanders they are Brass and Iron they are all corrupters Reprobate Silver shall men call them because the Lord hath rejected them Now tho' the Lord saith The Spirit like the Wind bloweth where it listeth but it listeth not to blow on them by whom it is grieved and therefore Israel was rejected Now some of them of Corinth were fallen into great iniquity and also had spoken evil of St. Paul and some other Disciples Therefore he saith in verse 6. But I trust that ye shall know that we are not Reprobates As much as to say ye shall know that we have not rebelled from our great Master and therefore not Reprobates For it is said Every one is his servant To whom they yield themselves to obey his servants they are to whom they obey whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness Rom. 6.16 Chap. XV. The Everlasting Life that is now given the Believer explained JOHN 6.47 Christ saith He that believeth in me hath everlasting life Now we have misapprehended the words of Christ for the everlasting life that is now given the Believer is no otherwise given except to the standing Witness than it was to Adam and Eve in Paradice For when sin in the Soul is pardoned the will changed Christ's Righteousness imputed then it is the everlasting life lost by Adam again takes place of which everlasting life nothing can again disinherit them but wilful and presumptuously sinning or negligently and carelesly departing from the ways of God Therefore Christ saith Rev. 3.2,3 Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain that are ready to die for I have not found thy works perfect before God If therefore thou wilt not watch I will come upon thee as a Thief and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee And likewise St. Paul cautions the Church of Corinth fearing lest the Serpent should beguile them as he beguiled Eve 2 Cor. 11.3 For if Adam and Eve had never sinned they had never died Now the Churches thus standing were to take heed lest they should fall and to fight to keep their ground thereby to make their Calling and Election sure 2 Pet. c. 1. v. 10. And St. Paul saith Phil. 2.12,13 It is God that worketh in them both to will and to do according to his own good pleasure That is it was so far the good will and pleasure of God to restore them and renew them by his Spirit and to put them into a capacity of sincere obedience in which capacity they were to use their utmost diligence to work out their salvation with fear and trembling So likewise are we to do the same also For those that received the Talents were to improve that which was given them and he that did not according to his ability improve that which he had received was therefore condemned Matth. 25.15 Chap. XVI A Believer not coming into Condemnation explained CHrist saith John 5.24 He that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but is passed from death unto life These words of the Lord may admit of a two-fold meaning That is whilst the Believer continues believing that Salvation is to be had according to the promise of the Lord in the Gospel in the way of their love and obedience Whilst he thus believeth he shall never come into condemnation But this which the Lord here saith hath its peculiar reference to his second Coming at which time he cometh to judge the world and restore all things as in verse 22. The Judgment is then committed unto Christ at which time as in verse 23. All men shall honour the Son as they honour the Father The which never yet hath been done for the generality of the Jews hitherto have not honoured the Son as they honour the Father Neither by the Turks is the Son honoured as the Father Therefore this the Lord spake for the time when he again shall come That whosoever he shall then find a true practical Believer shall not come into condemnation For then the everlasting life that is now given the Believer will be secured to their persons for at that time they will be put into a capacity never more to offend For not only the raised Saints but the living Believer will then receive the Crown of Life For when the Lord again cometh the Crown of Righteousness is given to all that love his appearing 2 Tim. 4.8 For when an inherent perfect Righteousness is given and the continuance of it secured to us by the establishing of the now-promised new everlasting Covenant then is Life crowned to the Soul This is the Covenant of Promise which now the Believers with Israel are but Heirs to And if ye be Christ's then are ye Abraham 's seed and Heirs according to the Promise Gal. 3.29 but when the Lord again comes his other Sheep will be brought into that Fold with them that do securely stand For the Lord saith At that time when there is one Fold there shall be but one Shepherd John 10.16 Therefore this will not be till the Lord again comes But we taking all the Promises as
the hearers of the law are justified before God but the doers of the law shall be justified That is as I tell you they were upon their first conversion and resignation justified by their faith in Christ but after we are converted and justified by faith then whilst we have life we must use our diligence to walk in obedience and to perfect holiness in the fear of the Lord. And here we see he acknowledges the moral law to the greatest height and tells us that we must be judged by it and the Gospel 2 Cor. 7.1 For he saith in the 16. v. In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my Gospel Therefore as St. Peter saith 2 Pet. 3.14 We must be diligent that we may be found of him in peace without spot and blameless And the Apostle saith again 1 Pet. 1.13,14,15 Wherefore gird up the loyns of your mind be sober and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ As obedient Children not fashioning your selves according to the former lusts in your ignorance But as he which hath called you is holy so be ye holy in all manner of conversation That is endeavour to be holy in all your conversations And as it is said in Heb. Heb. 12.14 Follow peace with all men and holiness without which no man shall see the Lord. By which we see nothing but a close walking with Christ will keep us in the love of Christ for if we sin willfully after we have thus received the knowledge of the truth I find no hope of mercy for the greater light we sin against the greater condemnation we fall under as witness when the Lord was in the Camp of Israel the man that gathered sticks on the Sabbath day was utterly cut off from the Congregation of the Lord. Rom. 15.29,30,31,32,35 Because he despised the word of the Lord therefore was he cut off in his iniquity and was stoned to death So also underneath the evident manifestations of the Spirit of God in the Apostles time we see in the Acts by Ananias and Saphira his Wife Acts 5.1,2,3,4,5 that having joyned themselves to the Church and in that they hypocritically would appear in the sight of the Apostles more devoted to the interest of the Church then really they were therefore St. Peter tells them they had not lyed unto man but unto God for he saith likewise whiles it remained was it not thine own and after it was sold was it not in thine own power why hast thou conceived this in thine heart thou hast not lyed unto men but unto God And Ananias hearing these words fell down and gave up the Ghost By which we see of what dreadful consequence it is for us to pretend to be more holy than we really are Therefore let this be a warning to us to be better than we pretend to be for 't is God that knoweth the heart and tryeth the Spirits of men And also God saith Ezek. 33.12 Therefore thou Son of man say unto the Children of thy people the righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his transgression as for the wickedness of the wicked he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turneth from his wickedness neither shall the righteous be able to live for his righteousness in the day that he sinneth And the Apostle saith Heb. 6.5,6 that if they willfully sin after they have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the World to come they cannot be renewed by repentance For if we are only of the outward Church we fall short of Salvation and must have our share in the threatned misery and if we deferr repentance and check the good motions of the Spirit we thereby lose the day of grace and so are left of God And if we go to hear the word and do not benefit thereby we are like the Earth which drinketh in the rain Heb. 6.3 yet bearing thorns and briars is rejected and is nigh unto cursing whose end is to be burned And if we are willfully ignorant It is said it is only the Fool hates knowledge Pro. 1.22 And God saith my People are destroyed for lack of knowledge Hosea 4.6 And whereas the Lord saith John 5.20,21,22,23,24 For the Father loveth the Son and sheweth him all things that himself doeth and he will shew him greater works than these that ye may marvel For as the Father raiseth up the dead and quickneth them even so the Son quickneth whom he will For the Father judgeth no man but hath committed all judgment to the Son By this we may plainly see that Christ spake this for the time to come in which he will jduge the World for when he then came it was to teach and to suffer and now as he is at the right hand of God it is said he sits there as an Advocate with the Father but when he comes again he is then our Judge therefore this is spoken for that time when all judgment shall be given to him The Lord saith That all men should honour the Son even as they honour the Father he that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him Now the Jews and Turks honour him not as they do the Father therefore spoken for time to come And he saith Verily verily I say unto you he that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but is passed from death unto life That is when the Lord again cometh that them which he then findeth thus will have everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but then will be passed from death unto life And he saith John 5.24,25,26,27,28,29 Verily verily I say unto you the hour is coming and now is when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God and they that hear shall live For as the Father hath life in himself so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself By all the foregoing words it doth evidently appear to be the first resurrection the which will be at the coming of the Lord and here spoken in the usual way of Scripture speaking in mentioning that which is to come as though it were already come Now although the wicked are termed to be dead in sin yet in the foregoing words there was made no mention of them but of the judgment that was committed to Christ Neither is the voice of Christ after his Ascension said to call home any but St. Paul And the Holy Ghost was not given till after the People were brought home by the voice of his Messengers in the call of the Gospel Therefore this must needs be meant of the first Resurrection which will be when Christ again cometh And the Lord saith Joh. 5.27,28,29 And
but forbids his Prophets to pray for them as in Jer. 7.16 the Lord said Therefore pray not thou for this people neither lift up Cry nor Prayer for them neither make intercession unto me for I will not hear thee And God also saith in Jer. 11.14 Therefore pray not thou for this people neither lift up Cry nor prayer for them for I will not hear them in the time that they cry unto me for their trouble By which we see that Repentance will not be accepted at all times For the Lord also saith Jer. 14.12 When they fast I will not hear their cry and when they offer burnt-offerings and an oblation I will not accept them but I will consume them by the Sword and by the Famine and by the Pestilence And it is said Jer. 14.10 Thus saith the Lord unto this people thus have they loved to wander they have not refrained their Feet therefore the Lord doth not accept of them he will now remember their Iniquity and visit their sins We see here that the Lord doth not require of them that which they could not do but that which they could do for they might have refrained their Feet and laid a restraint upon themselves Therefore the Lord saith Isa 50.1 Thus saith the Lord where is the Bill of your Mothers Divorce whom I have put away or to which of my Creditors is it to whom I have Sold you behold for your iniquities have you sold your selves and for your Transgressions is your Mother put away Here the Lord declareth that he was Married to Israel but because of their Sins they were put away And here the Lord speaketh in derision to them Wherein he saith Unto which of my Creditors have I sold you As much as to say I have kept Covenant with you but you for your Iniquities have sold your selves Now had God Reprobated these before the Foundation of the Material Heavens and Earth to Sin Death and Damnation there is no deceit can be like it seeing God has thus here declared against it and in Ezekiel by his Oath and word avouched it But whilst we were too much poring on the sayings of St. Paul since we no better understood them and too slightly passing over the Oath and Word of God and not weighing the dangerous consequence that doth attend a mistake herein But our usual saying is fore-warn'd fore-arm'd but we were not so wise as to take the warning for St. Peter cautions us that in St. Paul's Epistles there are some things hard to be understood which some wrest to their own destruction And this St. Peter saith where he speaketh of the New Heavens and Earth of which St. Paul saith in some places before the World began and also he saith from the foundation of the World and again he saith the World to come Now the words of St. Peter are these in the 2 Pet. 3.13 Nevertheless we according to his promise look for New Heavens and a new Earth wherein dwelleth Righteousness 14. v. Wherefore beloved seeing that ye look for such things be diligent that ye may be found of him in Peace without spot and blameless 15. v. And account that the long-suffering of our Lord is Salvation even as our beloved Brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you 16. v. As also in all his Epistles speaking in them of these things in which are some things hard to be understood which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest as they do also the other Scriptures unto their own destruction Now St. Peter doth make it clear that in all St. Paul's Epistles he did speak to them of these things that is of the World to come and of their Election and Choice for that World before that World began the which St. Peter here terms the New Heavens and Earth Now whereas he saith That it is they that are unlearned and are unstable that did wrest the Scriptures to their own destruction And now tho we have men of Learning and stable in these our days amongst us Yet those that first brought in this darkness were neither learned nor stable in the school of Christ And whereas St. Paul saith Heb. 1.2 God hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son whom he hath appointed Heir of all things by whom also he made the Worlds Now what were the Worlds that were made To which I Answer First The Material Heavens and Earth Secondly The world of People that did proceed from Adam the which is generally called the old World Thirdly The world of People which did proceed from Noah of whom we sprang And also the World to come the Foundation of which is Israel as I have already proved for the Earth is said to be set fast in them And St. Paul saith 2 Tim. 1.9 Who hath saved us and called us with an Holy calling not according to our works but according to his own purpose and grace which was given us iâ— Christ Jesus before the World began That is at the first Establishing of the Gospel there was a general call not of their works but according to a purpose in God which was given in Christ before the World began which is the World to come for in Heb. 2.5 he tells It is the World to come of which he speaks Now whereas he saith in 2 Tim. 1.10 But now is made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ who hath Abolished Death and brough life and immortality to light through the Gospel Now here he speaks in the Scripture way of speaking In that he saith hath abolished Death and brought Life and Immortality to Light At which time Death was not Abolished therefore spoken for time to come which then at the appearing of Christ all the Dead Bodies of the Saints will be raised and his Living Saints so chang'd that there shall be no more fear of their falling off so as to tast Eternal Death And he tells us how this Life and Immortallity comes to light That the knowledg of it is through the Gospel of which he saith He was made a Minister Now seeing Life and immortality comes to light through the Gospel we should in all things labour to walk in Obedience thereunto which Gospel includes the whole Moral Law The which is if we perform the Conditions we shall be made partakers of the Promises which is Immortality and Eternal Life For now God expecteth Fruit from â—s as he did from Israel But if there is no other found with us than was with them that is in shew only we must ook to be hewen down and cast into the Fire at his coming Now whereas St. Paul saith in Titus 1.2 In hope of Eternal Life which God that cannot lie promised before the world began Now this Promise without doubt was all along as to Adam and before the World which sprang from him and so to Noah Before this World was that sprang from him But I believe
in the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats That the Sheep went into everlasting Life That is that none of them which the Lord then will receive into Mercy shall ever see Hell but have Everlasting Life although they may afterward taste of a Temporal Death According to which the Lord saith in John 8.51 Verily verily I say unto you if a man keep my sayings he shall never see Death Now it is very clear that the Lord did not mean that they should not die a Temporal Death because vve see that all die So the Lord said of all the Sheep that they went into Everlasting Life because they were all of them then secured from Hell And St. John saith to them to whom he wrote wherein he includes himself John 3.14 We know that we have passed from Death to Life because we love the brethren And the Lord saith John 6.50 This is the Bread which cometh down from Heaven that a man may eat thereof and not die We see when the Lord hath taken away the sting of Death from his people he afterwards counts their departure hence not a dying So the Lord after this way of speaking said of his Sheep in the Parable that they vvent into Life Eternal Now if we will ever understand the Scriptures we must understand the Scripture way of speaking and when the Lord comes at which time his Sheep will be gaihered then will Christs Sheep be brought into One Fold and then shall we be all taught of God Then it is there will be One Fold and One Shepherd And then also shall Japhet dwell in ths Tents of Shem. And now as the very Elect follows the Lord through all Persecutions and Afflictions so Israel shall obey him in the fullness of all things Now the Lord when he was upon the Earth spake to the Jews in dark Sentences and Parables because they seeing might not see and hearing they might not understand The which makes the sayings of Christ more dark to us Now that the Waldenses and Albigenses are the very Elect spoken of by Christ it does certainly appear because they have ever remained undeceived by the Beast and False Prophets when all the rest of the World was fallen off according to the Declaration of the Angel in Rev. 17.8 The Beast that thou sawest was and is not and shall ascend out of the bottomless Pit and go into Perdition and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder whose names were not written in the book of Life from the foundation of the Wâ—…ld Now these Waldenses and Albigenses continuing stedfast and being never drawn off by the beast it doth certainly appear they are the very Elect spoken of by Christ Matt. 24.24 Now the Lord said to his Disciples Luk. 10.20 Rev. 21.27 Your Names are witten in Heaven But he did not say to them that their Names were written in Heaven from the foundation of the World and altho it doth appear that the Names of the Children of the Church are written in Heaven by what God said to Moses in Exod. 32.33 And the Lord said to Moses whosoever hath sinned against me him will I blot out of my book And by what David saith of the Enemies of Christ as in Psal 69.28 Let them be blotted out of the Book of the Living and not be written with the Righteous By which it doth appear that the Children of the Church as they come into the World that their Names are written in Heaven till by their Sin their Names are blotted out thence for the Covenant being made with them and their Children the which shews that the Childrens Names must be written in the Book of Life till such time that by their wilful sinning they Exclude themselves from the Mercy promised by that Covenant and then are their Names blotted out of the Book of Life Now whereas St. Paul in Ephesians saith That they were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the World So here in the Revelations those that should remain a standing Witness are said to be Written in the book of Life from the foundation of the World the which fully declares there is a two fold meaning in it The which is as I have already proved to you Now it being impossible to deceive the very Elect it does thereby appear to be the Jews because there was a certain select number chosen of the Jews the which was according to the Election of Grace the which the words of St. Paul makes appear and the words of Christ doth seem to signify as much where he speaks of the Sheep which his Father had given him as in John 10.27,28,29 Now the Christian Jews were said to be all warned to go out of Jerusalem before the Destruction thereof but where they went we know not And they being Christians and living amongst the Christians it might be those that retained their Religion when all the rest fell away And so these Waldenses and Albigenses do therefore appear to be these Christian Jews because there is said there is a certain number of the sews that does follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth And also it is said when the Servants of God were to be Sealed there was a certain number of every Tribe Sealed excepting Dan Rev. 7.3,4 The Angel saying hurt not the Earth neither the Sea nor the Trees till we have sealed the Servants of â—od in their foreheads And I heard the number of them that were Sealed And there were Sealed an hundred forty and four thousand of all the Tribes of the Children of the Israel In the first place he saith he heard the number of them that were sealed but he does not tell us what that number was but leaving that he goes on and tells us how many were Sealed of all the Tribes of the Children of Israel And in the following verse he saith of every Tribe there was Sealed twelve Thousand And having spoken of the Sealing he saith in Rev. 9. After this I beheld and lo a great multitude which no man could number of all Nations and Kindreds and People and Tongues stood before the Throne clothed with white Robes and Palms in their Hands 10. v. And cried with a loud voice saying Salvation to our God which siteth upon the Throne and unto the Lamb. This appears to be spoken of the raised Saints and the Glorious Tabernacle where the Throne of God will be And whereas he saith in the 11. v. And all the Angels stood round about the Throne and about the Elders and the four Beasts and fell before the Throne on their Faces and worshiped God Now these four Beasts doth seem to be the People of the Nations that are saved alive to live upon the Earth after the Glory of the Lord is manifest that then they will be gathered to Canaan to Worship where the Throne of God will be in the glorious Tabernacle Now in Rev. 4. There is no mention made of the multitude of People of all Nations that
rewarder of them that diligently seek him Heb. 11.6 And to shew the immutability of God Therefore it is said of God That whom he loves he loves to the end for he is unchangeable in himself for according to his promise whether Condition aâ—or Absolute he never first with-draws from any And therefore Châ—…st saith If ye keep my Commandments ye shall abide 〈◊〉 my live Joh 15.10 ERRATA Page the â—4 is wâ—…ting in the last â—re hest thou that thou diâ—st not receive And p. 75. l. 25. Psa 90.23 Chap. I. This is to prove when and at what time the Believer is justified by Faith without the deeds of the Law THAT it is at the Believer's first Resignation of himself to Christ in a willingness to take his Yoke upon him so as to render his sincere Obedience to him then is Christ's Righteousness imputed to him for his Justification This being according to what St. Paul saith concerning the Churches at their first Reception they being brought out of sin darkness and errour Therefore he saith of them Rom. 3.24 Being justified freely by his grace through the Redemption that is in Jesus Christ whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood to declare his Righteousness for the remission of sins that are past In these words he fully shews it was their sins which were committed before conversion which upon their conversion and resignation of themselves to Christ they received remission for those past sins Rom. 3.28 Gal. 2.16 Therefore the Apostle concludes that a man was justified by faith without the deeds of the Law Gal. 2.16 that is as before said at his first resignation of himself to Christ to yield him his love and sincere obedience he is then justified by Christ without the deeds of the Law from all his past sins Therefore he saith Rom. 8.33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's Elect it is God that justifieth for upon their conversion they received remission so as none of their past sins should be laid to their charge for God had then justified them by the imputation of Christ's Righteousness and therefore he saith Rom. 10 4. Christ is the end of the Law for Righteousness to every one that believeth the which belief must be in Christ and his VVord in which he requires our love and sincere obedience in all things as in Mat. 28. v. 20. and then is Christ the end fulfilling or comâ—…eating of the Law for their Justification for they are no sooner thus justified by Christ but they must live unto Christ and then he will persist to fulfil and compleat the end of the Law in them who continue to walk in sincere obedience to him And so the Apostle clearly explains these words where he saith Rom 8 4. That the righteousness of the Law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit Here he shews what us these are to whom the Law is thus fulfilled That it was to as many of them as walk not after the flesh but after the spirit And he also saith verse 6. For to be carnally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is life and peace v. 7. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God For it is not subject to the Law of God neither indeed can be Now tho' the carnal mind is at enmity against God yet the Man is no longer at enmity against â—…od than he retains that carnal mind So neither is the believer any longer a believer than he retains a mind and will in Subjection to the Law of God For he saith Chap 6.16 His Servants ye are to whom ye obey whether of Sin unto Death or of Obedience unto Righteousness Now whereas the Apostle saith to the Church of Ephesus Eph. 2.10 We are his Workmanship Created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God had afore ordain'd that we should walk in them VVhich shews they were no sooner justified and set clear from the guilt of sin by the imputation of Christ's Righteousness but it was also fore-ordained of God that they should live in Good works and therefore Christ saith The Tree is known by its fruit Mat. 7.17,20 And whereas St. Paul saith Rom. 10.9,10 That if thou confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved For with the heart man believeth unto Righteousness and with the Mouth confession is made unto Salvation VVhich shews if the belief in us does not produce a Righteous life then it is altogether unavailable And whereas St. Paul saith Tit. 3.5 It is not by works of Righteousness which they had done but according to his mercy he saved them by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost This also shews when they were thus saved from their Sins That it was at their first conversion and resignation of themselves to Christ And he further shews how they were saved That it was by the washing of Regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost which was shed on them abundantly This was only at the establishing of the first Christian Churches for it is evident that there was no such abundant pourings forth of Spirit upon believers afterwards Therefore these places of Scripture are not fitly applicable to us who are born Children of the visible Church and have the Call of the Gospel from whom is expected an improvement of the season of Grace that God hath put into our hands For altho' the Gentiles that had not the knowledge of God were taken into mercy without works of Righteousness yet the Jews who had the knowledge of God were then excluded his mercy because there was not good works found in them as God by all the Prophets and Christ himself declareth Matth. 23.23,24,25,26,27 Wo unto you Scribes and Pharisees Hypocrites for ye pay Tithe of Mint and Anise and Cummin and have omitted the weightier matters of the Law judgment mercy and faith these ought ye to have done and not to leave the other undone Here these that had the knowledge of God and the Law the Practical part was first requir'd of them as justice and mercy before any ground for a true faith to take place And whereas the Apostle saith in Galatians c. 3. v. 21,22,23,24,25 Is the Law against the promises of God God forbid for if there had been a Law given which could have given life verily Righteousness should have been by the Law But the Scripture hath concluded all under sin that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe But before faith came we were kept under the Law shut up unto the Faith which should afterwards be revealed Wherefore the Law was our School-master to bring us unto Christ that we might be justified by faith But after that faith is come we are no longer under a School-master Now whereas he saith the Law was their
was one of those who then upon his conversion had his iniquities forgiven and his sins covered yet he said Wo be to him if he preacht not the Gospel 1 Cor. 9.16 Whereby he sheweth he must yield his obedience or else vengeance would overtake him Heb. 10.30 And also after that Abraham had been obedient in leaving his Countery and his kindred the Lord again appeared to him Gen. 17.1 and said I am the Almighty God walk before me and be thou perfect The which shews God requires our continuance in our obedience to him The which in being sincere therein is man's perfection And after God further tryed and proved Abraham whether he would obey in all things even to that in which the desire of his Soul was set upon which was in the offering up of his Son Isaac And that God commanded him to do without a promise of reward but afterwards for his willingness to be obedient therein God redoubled his promise to him For God's promises are generally attain'd and retain'd in the way of our love and obedience And St. Paul saith Rom. 6.16 Know ye not that to whom ye yield your selves Servants to obey his Servants ye are to whom ye obey whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness By these words the Apostle puts it out of all dispute clearly shewing that we are his Servants to whom we do yield our selves Servants to obey And the Apostle saith to the Church in the following verse That they were the Servants of sin but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of Doctrine which was delivered you Now the form of Doctrine was that they should observe all things whatsoever Christ had commanded This being the last charge Christ left with his Disciples promising such as did accordingly obey that he would be with them to the end of the world Matth. 28.20 Rom. 4.2 If Abraham were justified by works be hath whereof to glory but not before God That is not before God as tho' he had by his good works merited all those great blessings that God had promised him No this is quite contrary to truth and contrary to the understanding that still remains in us that he or we by our poor endeavours when at the best should for them deserve an everlasting inheritance and an eternal weight of glory and that procured by the Sacrifice of the Son of his love No so to think is an offence to God And also the Lord Christ saith When ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you say ye are unprofitable Servants Luk. 17.10 For God needed not us for his eternal blessedness would not have been diminished if we had eternally perished For he would have remained eternally blessed without us altho' we should have remained eternally miserable without him For a poor Soul before God has no more reason to glory than a poor condemned Malefactor that a great Prince had taken pity of therefore paid his ransome taken him into his Service withal promising him as long as he kept to the Rule or way that he had set him and did not wilfully depart from it he would be with him to carry him through all difficulties and that if he so continued to do he would not leave him nor forsake him and that for the short time that he should set him if he therein was found faithful to his service he then would adopt him his Son and give him an inheritance as a Son of his Now should this Servant boast and glory before his Prince and say I think for the small time of service that thou requirest of me I deserve all that thou hast done or hath promised to do for me this would immediately disinherit him of his Princes favour But on the contrary if this Servant's heart is drawn out in love and obedience to his Prince for the great kindness received and for the future promises made to him he having a sense how infinitely above any thing that his deservings could be his Prince had promised to reward him And therefore he resolving to do his utmost endeavour that he might be found faithful in his service he having strong confidence and faith in his Prince that if he was found diligent in his Service his Lord would not only be willing but had power according to his promise to reward him His Prince also giving him orders that he should come to him upon all occasions for fresh supplies whereby he might be enabled to do him service This Servant observing diligently all the orders his Lord gave him therefore at the appointed time receives the promised reward But not as tho' he had merited these great things but that his great benefactor had promised such great rewards to all his Servants that should be found faithful in his Service So Christ of his free grace and mercy hath paid the ransom for sinners for all that will yield to him their love and sincere obedience And at the time he takes them into his Service he then clears them of all their past sins and for the time to come promises his assistance whilst they keep the way which he hath set them and do not willingly depart from it And if they should be overtaken in a fault against their wills they then shall not be utterly cast down for Christ remains an Advocate for them And if they accordingly continue faithful to the death hath promised then to give them the Crown of life but not as tho' their service had merited so great a reward but that of his great mercy and rich grace he hath promised such great rewards to all that are faithful in his Service Accordingly God said to Abraham That he would be his exceeding great reward Gen. 15.1 Thereby shewing that God would reward him for what he did and exceedingly above what he deserved So Christ is said to be the Author of Eternal Salvation to all them that obey him Heb. 5.9 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory honour and immortality eternal life Rom. 2.7 Now tho' Abraham or any other cannot have whereof to glory before God yet they may rejoyce in that they have walked in sincere obedience to him whereby they at last become accepted of him as to have the reward of the Crown of life For whosoever renders their sincere obedience to God and Christ comes in as an heir to the promise of life For he shall have the righteousness of Christ imputed to him for his justification Acts 10.35 whilst others thro' their unwary walking go out of the way that God hath set them whereby they fall away and so lose that Crown which otherwise they might have had Rev. 3.11 and 2.10 And those that by their wary walking have kept the way tho' they have not to glory before God yet for their so doing they shall have praise of God 1 Cor. 4.5 And tho' St. Paul saith in the 7. v. Who maketh thee to differ
of God by halves as to the threatnings and mercy which is contained in the word which is the promise of Salvation to the obedient and likewise punishments to the disobedient But they like us believing the word of God by halves performed the lesser matters of the Law but left the weight ier undone for which Christ was laid in Zion as a stumbling stone so as they should not believe in him but this their disobedience was appointed them for their former rebellion and the stroke fell upon their Children that were alike partakers with them in iniquity Now the Faith that had been so long wanting in them was that which Christ in a more particular manner spake to In that they believed the word of God by halves is clear by the parable which he put forth concerning Lazarus and the rich Man in his request to Abraham that he would send Lazarus to his Brethren to warn them that they might escape that place of torment but Abraham said They have Moses and the prophets let them hear them but he still persisted Saying If one went to them from the dead they would repent But Abraham said If they hear not Moses and the Prophets neither will they be persuaded tho' one rose from the dead Luke 16.27 c. Whereby it clearly shews that they did not believe Moses and the Prophets as they should have done so as to have lived a holy life Saint Peter saith of Christ Acts 10.43 To him give all the Prophets witness that thro' his Name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins That is such as believe in him according to the tenour of his Word and Gospel in which he requires our observing to do whatsoever he commands us Matth. 28.20 And upon the will 's consenting to these conditions they received remission of sins And whereas it is said in the following verse While Peter spake these words the holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word Now these that at this time heard the word on whom the Holy Ghost thus suddenly sell were before proselytes of the Gentiles who truly feared God wrought righteousness as in ver 34. and 35. But others that believed of the first Churches which had before lived in sin were to repent and be haptized before they could receive the Holy Ghost Chap. V. Such as have Believed may afterwards fall away SAINT Peter saith Acts 3.19 Repent ye therefore and be converted that your sins may be blotted out when the time of refreshing shall come from the persence of the Lord. By these words he sheweth that upon Repentance and Resignation of themselves to Christ for him to have the ruling power in the heart at which time it is that such receive the remission of their sins Yet their sins according to the text are not blotted out until the time of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord. So as if they again wilfully yield to Sin their former trespasses will again be required of them The like the Lord saith in the parable concerning the Servant that owed ten thousand Talents who besought his Lord for Pardon and his Lord forgave him the debt But for the Cruel usage of his Fellow-Servant his Lord again required his former debt for which he delivered him to the tormentors for that debt which he had before forgiven him Matth. 18.24,26,27,30,34 And the Lord saith Ezek 33.13,14,15 When I shall say to the Righteous that he shall surely live if he trust to his own Righteousness and commit iniquity all his righteousness shall not be remembred but for his iniquity that he hath committed he shall die for it Again when I say to the wicked thou shalt surely die if he turn from his sin and do that which is lawful and right he shall surely live he shall not die Here we see that the promise of life is no longer to the righteous man than he continues to do righteously Neither is the threatned death to the wicked any longer than he continues to do wickedly So likewise neither is the eternal life promised the believer of any longer continuance than he persists believing that Salvation is to be had according to the tenour of the Gospel In which Gospel is required our love and sincere obedience Matth. 10.37 Christ saith He that loveth Father or Mother more than me is not worthy of me And he also saith Mark 8.34,35 Whosoever will come after me let him deny himself and take up his Cross and follow me For whosoever will save his life shall lose it but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the Gospel the same shall save it Whereby it clearly shews that we must part with the delights advantages and pleasures of this world for Christ as well as life it self when call'd for And Christ saith of some that they receive the word with Joy and for a while believe and in time of temptation fall away Luke 8.13 Whereby the Lord fully declares the promise is no longer to the believer than he remains believing in him and his word Which word requires our practical obedience The which if we perform then are we his Disciples indeed For not the hearers of the Law are just before God but the doers of the Law shall be justified Rom. 2.13 But the first Churches being in a particular manner chosen and called unto whom the holy Ghost was given whereby they generally stood tho' some fell away by making shipwrack of Faith and a good Conscience 1 Tim. 1.19 but to the succeeding generations of the Gentile-Churches that came in by the call of the Gospel with the assistance of the good motions of the Spirit of God of whom Christ saith Many are called but few are chosen because of their not improving of their day of grace which God had put into their hands Matth. 20.16 Chap. VI. The Conversion of the Jaylor COncerning the Jaylor Acts 16.30,31,32,33 when after he was awakned by the Miracle he saw he then said Sirs VVhat must I do to be saved And they said Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved and thy house And they spake unto him the words of the Lord and to all that were in his house The which words of the Lord was that which he commanded his Disciples to teach Which was the condition upon which Christ had offered Salvation Mat. 28.20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you The which upon their wills consenting to yield their love and obedience in a belief that Christ was able to save them they were baptized And concerning Philip and the Eunuch Acts 8.35,36,37 Then Philip opened his mouth and began at the same Scripture and preached unto him JESUS And as they went on their way they came to a certain water and the Eunuch said See here is water what doth hinder me to be baptized And Philip said If thou believest with all thine heart thou mayest and he answered and said
Brother sin a sin which is not unto death he shall ask and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death Now were there none but those that were so absolutely chosen of God that they could not fall away it could not then be so properly said of them that prayers should give them life that never were in danger of death And so on the contrary if others by the determinate Counsel of God were left under a necessity of damnation then prayers for such would be altogether unavailable it being impossible that the offender should receive life by them neither would the Apostle have given orders for them to have been so prayed for Chap. XII How it is that he that is born of God sinneth not and keepeth himself that the evil one toucheth him not THE Apostle saith 1 John c. 5. v. 18. We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself and the wicked one toucheth him not These words admit of a two-fold meaning First That there was a remnant of Israel so secured in Christ as they could not be deceived Secondly They have a reference to all that that are born of God so as to be brought off from the ways of sin And whilst they are thus born or brought off from sin so as to maintain a continual combat with the World the Flesh and the Devil Such an one theâ— cannot wilfully commit sin because their wills and inclinations are set against sin And if they in their wills and inclinations remain thus stedfast it keeps them in a continual resistance so as the evil one cannot touch them Now we are to take notice that by their improving their season of grace or the Talents which God had given them the Apostle saith They kept themselves so as the evil one toucheth them not For they which had the five Talents were to improve them as well as they which had the two and one But whosoever is again brought off from the ways of God to the World as to yield themselves again servants to sin the grace of God was by them received in vain Rom. 6.16 Know ye not that to whom ye yield your selves servants to obey his servants ye are to whom ye obey whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness And St. John saith chap. 2. v. 3,4 And hereby we do know that we know him if we keep his Commandments He that saith I know him and keepeth not his Commandments is a lyar and the truth is not in him This is so plain that it needs no explanation to shew that it is the practical knowledge of God that is required Chap XIII The meaning of being born again explained JOHN 3.1,2,3 There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus a Ruler of the Jews the same came to Jesus by night and said unto him Rabbi we know that thou art a Teacher come from God for no man can do these Miracles that thou doest except God be with him Jesus answered and said unto him Verily verily I say unto thee except a man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God This the Lord said to a man that was a Pharisee and a Ruler in Israel and to a man that had a desire after the knowledge of the Lord but was ashamed to come to him in the sight of the World and so came to Jesus by night and therefore the Lord said unto him as in the foregoing words in which the Lord had only his reference to such as were ashamed to own him before men and such as live after the flesh Now Nicodemus wondering at the answer of the Lord in verse 4. said unto him How can a man be born when he is old can he enter the second time into his Mothers womb and be born ver 5,6 Jesus answered Verily verily I say unto thee except a man be born of Water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the spirit is spirit These words of the Lord here has no reference to Children as to their thus being born again nor to those persons that have always lived in a holy in and upright conversation For first the Believers Children are in Covenant and if they die in their Infancy are accepted in and thro' Christ And John Baptist was moved by the Spirit of God with joy in his Mothers womb upon the salutation of the blessed Virgin And Christ saith Suffer little Children to come unto me and forbid them not for of such is the Kingdom of God Mark 10.14 Therefore what is here spoken by the Lord of being born after the flesh hath not its reference to the natural birth But as the Lord had a figurative meaning in saying they must be born after the Spirit or they cannot enter into the Kingdom of God So the Lord hath here a figurative meaning as to these here spoken of which are born of the flesh That is those that embraced the desires of the flesh and the world and thereby begotten or born of it from which they must be again new born that is brought off by forsaking that which before they delighted in and their wills and affections brought into a complying frame to the Spirit of God or they cannot enter into the Kingdom of God John 3.8 The Lord saith The Wind bloweth where it listeth and thou hearest the sound thereof but thou canst not tell whence it cometh and whither it goeth so is every one that is born of the Spirit By these words the Lord doth seem to have a reference in the first place to them that were in a peculiar manner chosen and appointed to partake of the Holy Ghost and also these words have a reference in general to all to whom the Word of the Gospel should come accompanied with the good motions of the Spirit of God as thereby to be brought off from sin And also it did signifie the Lord 's then withdrawing his Spirit from Israel the which was for their sinfulness for which cause also it was the twice fallen Children of Ham became more estranged from God And tho' the Spirit compared to the Wind bloweth where it listeth yet the Spirit listeth not to blow on them by whom it is grieved Therefore it is said grieve not the holy Spirit of God Ephes 4.30 Accordingly it is said concerning them that were sanctified That if they did sin wilfully they then did despight to the Spirit of grace and to such the Lord will recompence vengeance Heb. 10.26,29,30 For tho' the Disciples or standing Witnesses could not be ensnared nor drawn off by the Devil yet the others of the first Churches did not so securely stand Chap. XIV Of being in the Faith or turning Reprobate SAInt Paul saith 2 Cor. 13.5 Examine your selves whether ye be in the faith prove your selves know ye not your own selves how
method of Salvation which if accordingly be lieved they should be saved Therefore Christ saith to the Church Rev. 3.3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard and hold fast and repent If therefore thou shalt not watch I will come on thee as a thief and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee Here we see the Lord calls upon them to put in practice what they have heard Which if they do not he will come upon them at an hour they are not aware of And as the Thief comes to destroy so the Lord will come to the destruction of them that have his word and will not according thereunto wait for him with a prepared heart in love to receive him For he saith If ye keep my Commandments ye shall abide in my love John 15.10 and in the 14. v. Ye are my Friends if ye do whatsoever I command you And also the Lord saith John 8.31 If ye continue in my word then are ye my Disciples indeed And the offer of mercy by Christ is to all that will take his Yoke upon them Matth. 11.29 And the Lord saith Mark 8.34,35,36 Whosoever will come after me let him deny himself and take up his Cross and follow me For whosoever will save his life shall lose it but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the Gospel the same shall save it For what shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own Soul This losing of the life for Christ is to be taken under a twofold head Not only when we are called to lay down our life for the defence of the Gospel but also in denying our selves the pleasures delights and advantages of this world for this is spoken in general to all that will save their lives to life eternal According to this the Lord saith John 12.25 He that loveth his life shall lose it and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal And Christ saith Matth. 7.21 Not every one that saith unto me Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in Heaven Matth. 7.24 Christ saith Whosoever heareth these sayings of mine and doth them is like to a wise man that built his house upon a rock So if we lay hold upon the promise of life according to the conditions offered by Christ we build upon that rock that will never fail us So as when the greatest storm ariseth that man will securely stand because he is faithful that hath promised But if we believe in Christ for justification yet walk according to our own imaginations and not according to his Commands it is building upon a sandy foundation for which they will have damnation According to the word of the Lord when he sent his Disciples to teach the Doctrine of the Gospel which was the conditions of the Covenant of grace He then said He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved but he that believeth not shall be damned Mark 16.15,16 That is it was the Gospel which then Christ sent forth his disciples to teach which they that heard were to believe Accordingly the Lord saith Matth. 28.19,20 Go ye therefore and teach all Nations baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I command you and lo I am with you to the end of the world That is with the race of the Disciples which is of the remnant he will be with to the end of the World for they are those that none can pluck out of his hand And of whom it is said they follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth And also he will never forsake any whilst they keep his way in observing to do whatsoever he Commands them Now the Belief in Christ that is saving is to be grounded upon the words of Christ that his righteousness is to be applied for the justification of the sinner according to the conditions as it is tendred by him which is in the observing to do whatsoever he commanded them For tho' at the first receiving of the Gospel by his free grace they were saved from their sins by yielding to the conditions that Christ required Yet all of them that were not immediately taken away by death were to be judged according to the performance of those conditions before they could be thought meet to partake of the Crown of life And in every believer is required the faith of God's Elect that in the way of their love and obedience they shall become Heirs to the promise Zacheus desired to be a Disciple of the Lord and he knew in being so his Obedience was required Therefore he said Lord half of my goods I give to the poor and if I have taken any thing from any by false accusation I will restore him fourfold Luke 19.8 But many of us like the Jews of old by their Tradition made the Commands of God of no effect So many with us by their half-faith or believing but half way in that they leave out the conditions upon which life and salvation is offered by Christ have made their faith in Christ of none effect to the saving of their Souls because the promise of life is upon condition of our Obedience In which whosoever remains faithful to the death shall have the Crown of life But for any to think that Christ dyed to give them a liberty to sin it is of such God saith Thou thoughtest that I was altogether such a one as thy self but I will reprove thee and set them in order before thine eyes Now consider this ye that forget God lest I tear you in pieces and there be none to deliver Psal 50.21,22 This forgetting God is forgetting their duty as to yield Obedience unto his Commands But for our having Faith in the righteousness of Christ separate from good works is dead standing alone James 2.20,21,22 But wilt thou know vain man that faith without works is dead Was not Abraham our Father justified by works when he had offered Isaac his Son upon the Altar Seest thou how faith wrought with his work and by works was faith made perfect Thereby shewing that a lively and perfect Faith always includs good works As first the inward work upon the will and affections and afterwards good works put in practise Therefore he saith in the 26 verse For as the body without the Spirit is dead so faith without works is dead also And Chap 1. v. 25. But whoso looketh into the perfect Law of Liberty and continueth therein he being not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work this man shall be blessed in his deed Now why is it term'd the Law of Liberty Because such as walk in obedience thereunto are by Christ set free from the condemning power of sin and death 26. v. If any man among you seem to be religious and bridleth
tells us who they are that shall be gathered It is the Nations that are then upon the Earth at his coming And the Lord in the 33. V. saith He shall set the Sheep on his right hand but the Goats on the left V. 34 Then shall the King say to them on his right hand come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the Foundation of the world Now whereas the Lord saith come ye blessed that is they were blessed because they were excepted and also there was that found in them that did distinguish them from the wicked of the world Here by these words of our Lord we are fully informed that they are to enter into the Kingdom that was prepared for them from the foundation of the World and we know what Kingdom that was which was then prepared at the foundation of the World that it was this material Heaven and Earth and the Garden of Eden and when Christ comes it is this will be again restored to Israel and the rest of the Elect with them whom Christ will set at his right hand as being part of his Sheep but this setting them on the right hand and left is but a figurative Speech and spoken by way of Parable as I shall prove by several places of Scripture And whereas the Lord saith in Mat. 25.35 I was an hungred and ye gave me meat I was thirsty and ye gave me drink I was a stranger and ye took me in V. 36. Naked and ye clothed me I was sick and ye visited me I was in prison and ye came unto me V. 37. Then shall the Righteous answer him saying Lord when saw we thee an hungred and fed thee or thirsty and gave thee Drink V. 38. VVhen saw we thee a Stranger and took thee in or nake and clothed thee V. 39. Or when saw we the sick or in prison and came unto thee V. 40. And the King shall answer and say unto them verily I say unto you in as much as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren ye have done it unto me V. 41. Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand depart from me ye cursed into everlasting Fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels V. 42. For I was an hungred and ye gave me no meat I was a thirsty and ye gave me no drink V. 43. I was a stranger and ye took me not in naked and ye clothed me not sick and in prison and ye visited me not V. 44. Then shall they also answer him saying Lord when saw we thee an hungred or a thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison and did not Minister unto thee V. 45. Then shall he answer them saying verily I say unto you in as much as ye did it not to one of the least of these ye did it not to me V. 46. And these shall go into everlasting punishment but the Righteous in to Life Eternal That is the Lord then giveth them an assurance of their Eternal Salvation So as they are for ever after past the power or fear of the Second Death Now when Christ said to them on his Right Hand Inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the Foundation of the World he did not then say any thing to exclude a Temporal Death but at the conclusion of the whole matter the Lord said The Righteous shall go into Life Eternal That is then they shall have the assurance of Eternal Life for then by the New Covenant-Promise which will then be made with them they are put past the power of the second death And the Lord by his Word counts a Temporal Death not a dying as in John 8.51 Verily verily I say unto you if a man keep my Sayings he shall never see death And when they are again restored then they will be put into a capacity never to offend any more by the Promised New Covenant that then will be made with them of which the Christian that is now become a New Creature will be partaker of that promis'd New Covenant with them but how few is there of such And whereas it is said in Matth. 25.32 that before him shall be gathered all Nations and that he shall separate the one from the other and that he shall set the Sheep on his Right Hand and the Goats on his Left But yet when the blessing was by the Lord pronounc'd the Word All was not then included And if it had all the innocent children and the poor had been all excluded because the one had no knowledge how to do good upon which the blessing was pronounc'd and the poor had it not to do withal Nor doth the Lord include the Word All in that Everlasting Sentence of Condemnation but this Sentence was chiefly to them that knew him but would not live in Obedience to him nor do the good that was required of them for they did not deny the knowledge of the Lord but said Lord when saw we thee thus and thus Whereupon the Lord saith In as much as ye did it not to one of the least of these ye did it not to me You have not obeyed the great Commandment I left with you at my departure which was to love one another and that you should bear one another's burdens and you knowing most of my Revealed Will wherein my Mercy and Love is comprehended and in that you have shewed no Mercy to the Elect or Sheep of God now there remains no Mercy for you the which I left upon Record by my Servant James chap. 2.13 That he shall have judgment without mercy that have shewed no mercy Now if their Punishment be so great to them that has done no good in their Generation according to their Capacity how much severer Punishment must those Christians expect that are committing all those Evils which this Nation and the rest of the Christian World doth abound in accompanied with the Romish Cruelty to the Servants of Christ And as St. Peter saith 1 Pet. 4.18 If the Righteous scarcely be Saved where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear that are filling up their days in commiting iniquity since every sin doth augment their Punishment And the Lord also tells us Mat. 7.19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good Fruit is hewen down and cast into the Fire V. 20. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them V. 21. Not every one that saith unto me Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but he that doth the will of my Father which is in Heaven V. 22. Many will say unto me in that day Lord Lord have we not Prophesied in thy Name and in thy name cast out Devils and in thy name done many wonderful works V. 23. Then will I profess unto them I never knew you depart from me ye that work iniquity Here the Lord doth in a more clear manner Figure out to us the Papists with their signs
hath committed he shall die for it According to this is the Words of Christ in the Gospel where he saith He that believeth in me shall be saved the which Words includes no longer than they so continue believing which belief must be a practical belief the which is to believe in Christ and his Word so as to live in Obedience thereunto for it is said Without Holiness no man shall see the Lord. And between Holiness and Righteousness it is hard to make a distinction But as to what the Lord saith John 5.24 was spoken for the time to come when God shall have committed all Judgment to the Son for which time this was spoken that is those that then shall be found believers are then passed from Death to Life so as they shall never come into condemnation And as for the Sheep that so securely stand of whom Christ saith none can pluck them out of my Fathers Hand is spoken of those that are Christs standing Witnesses thorough the World they being those very Elect of whom Christ said it was impossible to deceive and of whom it is said in the Revelations they follow the Lamb wheresoever he goeth This being clearly proved where I have spoken of the very Elect I do but here mention it that thereby we may know that we do not so securely stand but as St. Paul saith in Hebrews We like Israel having a Promise of entering into life should take heed lest any of us should sall short of entering into that promised Rest therefore he advises us to make our Calling and Election sure and Christ also invites sinners to come to Repentance and if we are not wanting to our selves Christ will not be wanting to us And by the Watchmans Warning there may be great part of the people saved from the near approaching danger by what God saith in Ezekiel for there is but few Soldiers but when they have the warning given them but they will seek to deliver themselves and God saith in Ezekiel 33.5 He that taketh warning shall deliver his Soul Methinks this promise should make us with life and vigour laborious to gain life for our souls so as we may be delivered from the near approaching danger for that we are in the time in which the Lord will come is certain The which time will be according to that of the Children of Israel with signs and wonders the which we have seen what the Lord foretold should be before his coming And now with the Prophet Daniel's Vision made good to us so that knowledg shall be increased by the unsealing of the Book at the now time of the end the which will occasion great running to and fro so as knowledg may be increased to prepare for the coming of the Lord according to which the Lord saith in Luke 14.17 That he sent forth his Servants at supper time to say to them that are bidden come for all things are now ready The which gives us also certain information that Light should break forth as thereby warning should be given for preparation to be made for the coming of the Lord to Judg the World and give rewards to the Righteous the Old World had by Noah warning given them whom the Scripture terms a Preacher of Righteousness but because they would not believe and amend therefore they were destroyed And the Lord saith in Mat. 25.6 At midnight there was a cry made behold the Bridegroom cometh go ye out to meet him Which shows in midst of the Night of darkness as to the coming of the Lord that light will break forth so as the cry of the Voice of his Ministers may be heard to warn the People for to prepare to meet the Bridegroom yet upon the Wicked unbelieving World it will come as a Thief in the Night And also as to the Day and Hour no man knoweth Now whereas God saith in Isaiah That that day shall come as a snare upon all flesh Yet as I have already proved the word all in Scripture doth not signify the whole but the major part Now as to what is faid in Rev. 14.6 And I saw another Angel flying in the midst of Heaven having the everlasting Gospel to Preach unto them that dwell on the Earth to every Nation Tongue and People 7. Saying with a loud voice fear God give glory to him for the hour of his Judgment is come and worship him that made Heaven and Earth the Sea and the Fountains of Water This appears to be after the Lord comes in the Clouds with his Saints and Angels and that as the Christians that were before bidden and sent to by his Servants at Supper time to come to his Supper So it doth appear that those that knew him not may afterwards be invited by the Angel by which means Israel and the Promised Elect may be brought in For John Baptist first Preached Christ to the Jews before he was made publick to the World Afterwards when he was made publick the Lord sent his Disciples to Preach the Gospel to the Gentiles Now this being most agreeable to the word and what I apprehend 't will be but however the Ministers may press forward for a publication of the Gospel every where but if they find not blessed success to forbear and to bestow their Labour amongst the Christians and Turks and such as have the Knowledg of God who must stand or fall as their Master finds them but as for the Jews and promised Elect if they come not in they will be sure to be received into Mercy after the Lord comes as many as have not estranged themselves from God by wicked Practices Now whereas the Lord saith in Daniel 12.11 And from the time the daily Sacrifice shall be taken away and the Abomination that maketh desolate set up there should be a thousand two hundred and ninety days And in the following Verse 't is said Blessed is he that waiteth and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days Here is 45 days of years difference between this and the forementioned number And it is said that he is blessed that waiteth and cometh to the last Number of the Thousand three hundred and five and thirty days Now this being the exact number of years Israel knew after they were delivered out of Egypt before they had Conquered their Enemies so as to be settled in the Land of Canaan for they lay forty years in the Wilderness and five years they were Conquering their Enemies before they peaceably settled in the Land of Canaan Now the like time being mentioned in Daniel whereby it doth appear from the time of the visible signs of the Lord 's Coming till the time he comes and also until the time that all the wicked are cut of doth seem to be the exact number of years because the Lord saith he that waiteth and cometh to the five and forty days of years beyond the forementioned Number are said to be blessed which Argues by
that time all the wicked will be cut off from the Face of the Earth for he that liveth to that time being blessed signifies that there will be none living but what will then be blessed And that we may be made partakers of this blessedness here is a short Account of the Faith we are to believe For Faith in Christ is to believe that he is become the Author of Eternal Salvation to all them that obey him And those that would be made partakers of this blessedness must go to God by daily and servent Prayer and imploy their Diligence in his service Jam. 2.20,22 For Faith without works is Dead and by works is Faith made perfect And without Holiness no man shall see the Lord. Heb. 12.14 And in Ephes 2.3 to the 10. v. For we are his workmanship Created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before Ordained that we should walk in them It is of the great mercy and rich Grace of God in that he gave the Son his Love a ransome to make satisfaction and Reconciliation for as many as shall come unto God by him and therefore it is of Grace that any is saved and we no sooner Repent and believe if done in sincerity but we are excepted of Christ and then his Righteousness and good Works is imputed to us as though we had been Created so Notwithstanding we had been before great sinners But after we are received into Mercy God hath fore-ordain'd that we should walk in good Works which if we will not we shall have neither part nor lot in this Portion and the Apostle saith It is of Faith that worketh by Love is required and there is no such obedience as that in which the Heart is concern'd A Belief Now to believe in Christ for Salvation is to believe his word for it and if we believe his word for it we believe that Salvation is attainable according to his Word the which we no sooner believe but weare by his word put into his Vineyard to work therein and then begins the Race that we are to run and the Armor is prepared for us to put on in which we are to maintain a continual Combat with the World the Flesh and the Devil and that unto our Lives end we must continue in and hold out and overcome if we ever intend to have the Crown For altho some of these Enemies may get the Advantage at some time yet besure keep so good a guard that when you find any breaking in of the Enemy go to the Lord with Submission Contrition and Acknowledgment begging new Strength from him that you may be able to Conquer these your Enemies and that you may have grace of him so to withstand them as they may not break in upon you And as for our saying that God is merciful and we trust in God yet walk according to our own imaginations and fancies is but to trust God to destroy us for although God is exceeding Merciful yet his Mercies will be distributed according as he hath declared in his word And whereas the Lord saith in Luke 13.24 Strive to enter in at the steight Gate for many I say unto you will seek to enter in and shall not be able This hath a special reference to the time of the Lord 's Coming to Judg the World but what reference it hath to the present time is to those that either strive in a false way or else go out in their own strength with a resolution to serve the Lord and amend their Lives When withal they should go to God to beg strength of him to fulfil these their Resolutions and also for his continual Assistance in this their Pilgrimage and if so he hath said he will never leave us nor forsake us for if we do not so in Temptations and Afflictions we shall fall away for the best of men are not able in their own strength to grapple with the World the Flesh and the Devil And for our Example St. Peter putting too much confidence in himself therefore so fouly fell as to deny his Master and how often have some of us known those that have made Vows and Protestations for their amendment but putting confidence in themselves thinking they had Power to perform it without seeking to God for his continual assistance in their performance of these their Resolutions and for want of so doing how soon hath all these Vows and Protestations been Vanquisht But if we take to the means and go in the way then unto them the Lord saith He that asketh receiveth and he that seeketh findeth and unto him that knocketh it shall be opened And whereas the Lord saith Many are called but few are chosen That is after they were called so as to be brought into the knowledg of the Truth which afterwards they not imploying their utmost endeavour to make their calling an Election sure in improving the Talent that he hath given them therefore they will not be chosen of him All these controversal points being clearly Answered where I spoke of Election And whereas it is said Revel 21.7.8 He that overcometh shall inherit all things and I will be his God and he shall be my Son but the fearful and unbelieving and the abominable and Murderers and Whoremongers and Sorcerers and Idolaters and all Liers shall have their part in the Lake which burneth with Fire and Brimstone which is the second Death Now whereas he here saith the fearful That is those that are mistrustingly fearful of the Promises Power or Providences of God and therefore throw themselves out of the way of his Mercy either by Dispair or presumptiously running into all excess of Riot Now as a mistrustful fear in God shall be punished with Hell Fire so on the contrary them that are fearful by reason of their own weakness least they should miscarry they are promised by the Lord deliverance as in Heb. 2.15 And deliver them who through fear of Death were all their life time subject to bondage Now whereas God saith by Moses Dan. 32.40 that he lives for ever And also it is said of the material Earth Heb. 7.14 that it abideth for ever Yet ever cannot comprehend what is here expressed Psal 104.5,6 But God may sometimes use this method in speaking as to himself and other things by such words as do fall short of expressing the full meaning of that is signified to us by them because he hath a secret in his word which nothing but Prayer Self-Resignation and Meditation can give us a light therein as to the understanding of it and as to the Prophesies time has much explained if we in the forementioned way consider it And we also are to take notice that altho ever is attributed to that which cannot be comprehended by it yet Eternity or Everlasting is never attributed to that which cannot reach it But God is termed Isa 6.9 The Eternal God and the Everlasting Father And it is said Heb. 5.9 Christ is
Maker 〈◊〉 Heaven and Earth and all things â—…rein contained whether visible or inâ—…ble and that out of the Gen. 2.7 dust of the â—…und God created Man and breathed inâ—… him the breath of life and thereby â—…n became a Gen. 28. living Soul and was plac'd 〈◊〉 God in Gen. 1.26,27 Eden the Garden of God in â—…oly happy blessed State and God â—…ve them Power over the Fish of the 〈◊〉 the Fowl of the Air and the Beast 〈◊〉 the Field and over all the Earth and over every thing that creepeth on the Earth And Man should have so continued in this blessed and happy State Gen. 2.17 never to have known decay sickness forrow or death had he not there sinned against his great Creator and his most liberal Benefactor Gen. 3.4,5 in that they did adhere to the Enemy of God which is the Devil and believed what he said and did not believe the God of Truth for which they were turn'd out of Paradise Gen. 3.23 and became more vile and miserable than all Creatures that have their Being upon Earth and so 't would have succeeded to his unborn Posterity Job 14.4 Psal 51.5 Job 4.8 for now their Natures became corrupt so as Righteousness and Holiness and Wisdom which was the Image of God stampt upon them now had left thâ—m and was quite defaced in them and they became 〈◊〉 like the Prince of Darkness which is â—…e Devil who for his Pride and Rebelâ—â—n against God he and his Adherents were cast out of Heaven and from glorious Angels became Devils in Hell and are kept in Chains of Darkness unto the Judgment of the Great Day of God who are to be punished eternally in Hell-fire Joh. 3.44 Joh. 3.8 Jude 6. 2 Pet. 2.4 But God looking on Mankind in their forlorn and miserable Condition with an eye of pity and compassion gave them a word of Comfort which was That the Gen. 3.15 Seed of the Woman should bruise the Serpent's head which is the Devil and God said that he would put enmity between the seed of the Woman and the seed of the Serpent And in that God had compassion on Mankind rather than upon the fallen Angels so as to send them a Saviour Luk. 2.11 Mat. 1.21 There was this reason the fallen Angels were the principal and alone Causes of their own Rebellion but Mankind was stirr'd up to it through the subtil Insinuations and Lyes of the Devil Gen. 3.1 and therefore Mankind had a Tender of Grace offered them if we receive it according to the condition as it is offered us which is with Repentance towards God and Faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ with Love and Obedience to him to whom all the Prophets bear witness â—…aring he should be born of a Virgin 〈◊〉 speaking of his Sufferings and of his Death and of his Rising again Act. 20.21 Act. 4.12 Act. 3.23,26 Isa 7.14 Isa 53. Ps 16.10 Act. 2.24 13.34 I believe in this Lord Jesus Christ â—hat he is the onely begotten Son of God who gave himself to satisfie Divine Justice and to make Reconciliation for poor â—ost and undone Creatures which were dead in Trespasses and Sins through that â—f Adam's Transgression Joh. 1.14 Joh. 10.15,18 Eph. 2.1 Heb. 9.14 2 Cor. 3.5 Gen. 6.5 Rev. 3.17 Rom. 7.15 Job 4.20 Isa 30.33 2 Pet. 2.4,5 whereby our Nature became so corrupt that we have â—est us neither Strength to stand 〈◊〉 Willâ—… striâ—… nor 〈…〉 〈…〉 in which woful condition we should have spent some few Days here and after which been plunged into Hell it self for ever and there to have been tormented with the Devil and damned Spirits Luk. 16.32 Jud. 7. Isa 5.15 Deut. 32.22 Joh. 1.1,2,3 without any redress had not the Son of God the second Person in the Trinity who to fulfil his Fathers promise and for the wonderful Love he bare to his Creatures he left the Throne of his Fathers Glory where he had been from all Eternity and did vouchsafe to take upon him the means of our Flesh and therein was conceived by the Power of the Holy Ghost in the Womb of the Virgin Mary Matt. 1.20,21 Luk. 1.30,31,32 but born of her without sin and when he came into the World he then suffered the Miseries of this Life the Wrath of God and the cursed Death of the Cross that through Death he might destroy him that had the Power of Death which is the Devil and deliver them who through the fear of Death were all their Life-time subject to bondage Luk. 23.35,36 Luk. 23.33 and 44 45 46. Heb. 2.14,15 and the Lord of Life was buried descended into Hell and continued under the Power of Death till the third Day Luk. 24.6,7 in which he rose again from the Dead as a triumphant Victor over Sin Death and Hell and after his Resurrection he was seen oâ— all his Apostles 1 Cor. 15.5,6 and of above 500 Brethreâ— at once and remained upon the Earth for the space of forty Days and then he went to Mount Olivet with his Disciples and more Witnesses Act. 1.3.9,10,11,12 and from thence he ascended up into Heaven and now sitteth at the Right-hand of God the Father and there maketh intercession for the Saints according to the Mind of God Heb. 1.3 Joh. 12.41 Rom. 8.34 Heb. 6.7.25 I believe also that assuredly there is Life and Salvation to be had through our Lord Jesus Christ if we come to him by faith and repentance so as to confess and forsake our sins and believe in him and his word so that we unfeignedly love and fear to offend him we shall be beloved of him and made eternally blessed by him through his perfect Righteousness which shall be imputed to us who is able to preserve us in time and in Eternity I believe in the Holy Ghost that he is the Sanctifier of our Natures whereby our Wills are renewed so as to desire to serve the living God in truth and in sincerity and also in time of trouble he doth often administer comfort and consolation to the Saints Acts 20.21 and 3.19 John 14.21 Joh. 8.31 Jer. 23.6 Rom. 8.14 1 Cor. 3.15 Gal. 5.16 1 Cor. 1.22 Joh. 5.26 I believe there is a Holy Catholick Church a member of which is every sincere hearted Christian throughout the World that worships the Lord in spirit and truth for our blessed Lord saith John 4.23,24 that the Father seeketh such to worship him I believe there will be the Resurrection of the Body and Life everlasting for the Righteous and eternal Damnation for them that go on in their wicked Ways I believe also that the Lord will come in the last Day in the Clouds of Heaven to render vengeance to his Adversaries and those that know not God and will not obey the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ 1 Cor. 15.21,22 Joh. 5.28,29 Col. 1.18 Matt. 25.46 John 11.24 Acts 1.11 2 Thess
having slighted his mercy Therefore this is no incouragement to us that live under the call of the Gospel to deferr repentance For the day of grace and the day of life have not one and the same date For if we will go on frowardly in the ways of our own hearts God will leave us to blindness of mind and hardness of heart Now God said that David was a Man after his own heart and why because his heart immediatly answered the call of God by his Word or Messengers as the Psalmist saith Psal 27.8 When thou saidst Seek ye my face my heart answered unto thee thy face Lord will I seek This is the voice which God requires of us The which he found not in Israel As saith St. Paul Rom. 10.21 To Israel he saith all the day long I have stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying People And also in Proverbs Prov. 1.24,26 Because I have called and ye refused I have stretched out my hand and no man regarded I also will laugh at your calamity I will mock when your fear cometh By this we may plainly see God complain'd of them because they were wanting to themselves in not improving the season of grace which he had put into their hands Therefore God saith in the 32. v. Prov. 1.32,33 The turning away of the simple shall slay them and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them But whosoever shall hearken unto me shall dwell safely and be quiet from fear of evil What is here spoken is to the foolish and wise Christians and of the near approaching time to come Now the Epistle to the Romans St. Paul sent presently after their conversion when as dayly there were new converts brought over to the Church for their comfort to let them understand that if they should immediatly after their conversion be taken away by a natural death or a violent one upon the account of their faith that they should no ways be startled or dismayed because they had not time after their conversion to do any good action even so much time as to be baptized but only believed as the Thief did and thereupon called upon the Lord for mercy and so departed this life yet they should be saved upon which occasion they were baptized for the dead as the ancients say and of which St. Paul speaketh 1 Cor. 15.29 What shall they do which are baptized for the dead if the dead rise not at all why are they then baptized for the dead Now that they that call upon God so as to have salvation his following words make out where the Apostle saith Rom. 10.14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed By which we see their calling is insignificant without believing and if they savingly believe it must be according to the tenor of the Gospel Which requires of us repentance from dead works and love to and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and if we live amendment of life for he that is in Christ must become a new Creature and walk as he himself walked 1 Joh. 2.6 And as St. Paul to the Romans saith Rom. 8.1,8 There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit 6. v. For to be carnally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is life and peace By which we may plainly see St. Paul's meaning was not that they might remain in their own natural state and so call upon God and be saved but that his meaning was as I before shewed you for what is set down here and what is set down in the 10. Ch. was writ at one and the same time being one and the same Epistle And the Jews wisely tell us that we must look to the words which go before and the words that follow after if we intend to come to a right understanding of the Scripture Now God by the Prophet Jeremiah makes mention of the miscarriage of Judah and how she did but feignedly call upon him as in the 10. v. Jer. 3.10 And yet for all this her treacherous Sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart but feignedly saith the Lord. And the Apostle saith Rom. 6.16,17,18 Know ye not that to whom ye yield your selves servants to obey his servants ye are to whom ye obey whether of sin unto death or obedience unto righteousness But God be thanked that you were the servants of sin but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you Being then made free from sin ye became the Servants of righteousness The which is an evident token that we have no share in Christ's righteousness if we our selves walk not in the ways of righteousness And also we sin our sins over again if we do but delightfully think on them And the Apostle relates to Titus what they were before they were converted Titus 3.3,4,5,6,7,8 For we our selves also were sometimes foolish disobedient deceived serving divers lusts and pleasures living in malice and envy hateful and hating one another But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared Not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to his mercy he saved us by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour That being justified by his grace should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life This is a faithful saying and these things I will that you affirm constantly that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works The Apostle having here set down what they were before the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared And whereas he said Not by the works of righteousness which they had done but according to his mercy he saved them by the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost Here we see was an inward change wrought in them from whence did arise their hopes of salvation And whereas he said that the Spirit was shed on them abundantly it was for the establishing the Gospel And as to what he saith as to their being justified by his grace they should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life That is as I before told you upon their first conversion and resigning themselves up to Christ to be wholly guided and governed by him according to the rule of his word then it is the righteousness of Christ is imputed to them whereby they become justified in sight of God And whereas he saith I will that they affirm constantly that they that have believed in God might be carefull to maintain good works The which he said to let them understand that if they did not persevere in a holy life they might be cast off According to what the Lord saith Joh. 15.2.6,8,9,10,14 Every
had brought down his will into subjection to Christ in hopes to obtain eternal salvation by him and his love a full satisfaction Therefore he saith after he had spoken of the righteousness of Abraham Gal. 3.7,8 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith the same are the Children of Abraham And the Scripture foreseeing that God would justifie the heathen through faith preached before the Gospel unto Abraham saying in thee shall all the nations be blessed This is as I before told you was upon the publication of the Gospel that all that were converted thereby so as to be brought into the fold of Christ they no sooner so believed but that all original and actual sins that they had aforetime committed were done away and they accepted as perfectly righteous in and through the imputed righteousness of Christ by faith in him And so they were excluded from the curse oâ— the law for all their past sins before conversion done by them Gal. 3.9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham That is if they continue faithful as he did And St. Paul farther saith Gal. 3.13,14 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us for 〈◊〉 is written cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ that we might receive the promise of the spirit through faith That is if we have not our spirits brought over into a conformity and suitableness to the spirit of Christ then are we not of this faith and so not delivered from the curse of the law And it is further said Rom. 8.6 For to be carnally minded is death but to be spiritually minded is life and peace And St. Paul also saith Rom. 3.20,21,22 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight for by the law is the knowledge of sin That is we cannot fulfill the law to that perfection as to become justified thereby But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested being witnessed by the law and the prophets That is by the law with the paschal Lamb and the bloody Sacrifices by the Prophets in that they did all along Prophesie of him Rom. 3.23,24,25 Even the righteousness of God which is by â—aith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all â—hem that believe for there is no difference 〈◊〉 all have sinned and come short of the â—…ry of God Being justified freely by his â—ace through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ Whom God hath set forth to â—e a propitiation through faith in his blood 〈◊〉 declare his righteousness for the remission 〈◊〉 sins that are past through the forbearance 〈◊〉 God Here he tells them when their â—ns are to be forgiven that it was their â—ast sins before they were brought into â—e faith of Christ that upon their conâ—ersion were all forgiven them As the â—postle saith Rom. 3.26 To declare I say at this â—ne his righteousness that he might be â—ct and the justifier of him which belieâ—…th in Jesus Whereas he saith that â—e might be just which was in that he â—…t the Son of his love according to his â—…omise and so justified them that belieâ—ed in Jesus which belief is as I beâ—…e proved to you for we are no sooner 〈◊〉 Christ but we must become new Creaâ—…res 2 Cor. 5.17 And he saith Rom. 3.27,28 Where is boasting â—en it is excluded by what law of works â—y but by the law of faith Therefore we â—nclude that a man is justified by faith â—ithout the deeds of the law Here Paul â—akes this conclusion that a man is juâ—…fied by faith without the deeds of the law For he here wrot to the Gentiles that had been given to all sin and idolatry to let them understand how they became justified that it was by faith which faith has as large an extent as I have before shewed you and that it must be a faith like Abrahams And in the 25. v. before-mentioned He there tells them when their sins are forgiven so as they become justified without the works of the law Rom. 3.25 that it is upon their conversion that then their forepast sins shall be forgiven them and that they are then justified by faith without the deeds of the law so that iâ— they are suddenly after taken away by death they shall be accepted through the righteousness of Christ And St. Paul saith Rom. 3.29,30 Is he the God of the Jews only is he not also of the Gentiles Yes of the Gentiles also Seeing it is one God which shaâ—… justifie the circumcision by faith and the uncircumcision through faith Now Stepheâ— saith to the Jews Acts 7.51 they were uncircumcifed in heart and ears although they were circumcised in the flesh Now the Gentiles were not circumcised yet they aâ—… said to be circumcised by faith then thaâ— must be in heart and ear by which wâ— may also see that this justifying faith 〈◊〉 such as doth produce a holy life Anâ— the Apostle saith Rom. 3.31 Do we then make voâ—… the law through faith God forbid ye 〈◊〉 establish the law That is none can obey the law with that sincerity delight and desire as those that are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands And St. Paul saith of the outward circumcision Gal. 5.6,7,8 For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but faith which worketh by love Ye did run well who did hinder you that you should not obey the truth This perswasion cometh not of him that calleth you We also here see that saving faith worketh by love and there is no such obedience as that wherein the heart is engaged And he here tells the Galatians that they did run well who did hinder them that they should not obey the truth And before he told them that they had begun in the Spirit by which it was certainly sure they were in the right And he farther lets them understand that it was not of him that called them that this delusion or perswasion came therefore it was by the wiles of Satan and his Instruments that they foolishly were insnared But St. Paul saith Rom. 2.7,8,9,10,11,12,13 To them who by patient continuance in well-doing seek for glory and honour and immortality eternal life But unto them that are contentious and do not obey the truth but obey unrighteousness indignation and wrath Tribulation and anguish upon every Soul of man that doeth evil of the Jew first and also of the Gentile But glory honour and peace to every man that worketh good to the Jew first and also to the Gentile For there is no respect of Persons with God For as many as have sinned without the law shall also perish without the law and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law For not
is done to the Figtree but also if ye shall say unto this Mountain be thou removed and be thou cast into the Sea and it shall be done 22. And all things whatsoever ye shall ask in Prayer believing ye shall receive This Christ spake to his Disciples unto whom he afterward gave as great power to as that of the removing of Mountains when he sent upon them the Holy Ghost and the Power of working Miracles and there is no doubt but if they had said to the Mountain be thou removed into the Sea but it should have been done as well as when Elijah called for Fire to come down from Heaven But these promises belong not to us but those that find they have Power to do these Miracles may believe they do belong to them Now here is some difference betvven vvhat is said in these Verses and vvhat is said in the former for there it is said that they shall say to this Mountain be thou removed and it shall be done but in these last Verses it is said if you shall say to this Mountain be you removed and it shall be so In the former there should be nothing impossible for them to do But in these vvhatsoever they should ask believingly they should receive Now as St. Paul saith 1 Cor. 13,2 And tho I have the gift of Prophecy and understand all Misteries and all knowledg And tho I have all Faith so that I could remove Mountains and have no Charity I am nothing 3. Altho I bestow all my goods to feed the Poor and tho I give my hody to be burned and have not Charity it profiteth me nothing Now these Mountains that St. Paul here speaks of doth appear to be some inbred Corruption which a man might find some inconvenience in And so for fear of Hell he becomes terrified and therefore no longer willing to live in them having all Faith as to believe the whole Revealed Will of God in his Word And therefore when he finds that he in his own strength was not able to overcome them then he goes to fetch strength from the the Lord in making his Addresses to him for his Assistance and having thereby gain'd power to remove these Mountains yet if his Heart is not drawn out in the Love of God and Christ thereby he is still nothing for it is our Love that God requireth and it is that which will launch with us into the World that is to come As to that word which in these new Translations is termed Charity is in the old Translation Love as in the Original For by Love vve extend our selves to God as vvell as to our fellovv Creatures vvhich by Charity vve cannot do Now as for those places of Scriptvre vvhere Christ and his Apostles saith he that believeth in me or he that believeth in Christ shall be saved is only in short to remember them of the Lord 's Revealed Will in his Word vvhich if they do so believe in the Lord as to make his Commands and Precepts the rule of their Lives to live according thereunto they shall be saved The vvhich is a clear demonstration that the Lord hath by himself and his Apostles left us Instructions vvhich vve are to believe by vvhich Salvation is attainable The vvhich St. Paul's vvords does farther clear 1 Cor. 15.1 Moreover Brethren I declare unto you the Gospel which I preached unto you which also ye have received and wherein ye stand By which also ye are saved if ye keep in memory what I Preached unto you unless ye have believed in vain And St. Peter faith 1 Pet. 1.21,22 Who by him do believe in God that raised him up from the Dead and gave him Glory that your Faith and Hope might be in God Seeing ye have purified your Souls in obeying the Truth through the Spirit see that ye Love one another with a pure Heart fervently We here see this Faith purifieth the Soul and extendeth it self in Love for God is Love And St. Peter saith in Acts 15.9 That God put no difference between us and them purifying their Hearts by Faith By vvhich vve see if vve have a saving faith it vvill vvork the same effect in us This is spoken of the Election 〈…〉 and 〈◊〉 of those that were Christ's standing witnesses thro' the World of whom the Lord faith in John 10.27,28 That none can pluck them out of his hand Concerning the Indwelling of Christ in us NOW as to Christ's being in us and as to the indwelling of the Spirit with us I shall here set down what St. Paul saith 2 Cor. 13.5 Examine your selves whether ye be in the Faith prove your own selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be roprobates Now we are to take notice what he here saith in the former part of the verse the which was that we should examin our selves whether we are in the Faith and that we should prove our selves as much as to say that is the way to know whether Christ is in us or no And in the Ephesians he tells us plainly how it is Christ is said to dwell in us where he saith in Ephes 3.17 That Christ may dwell in your Hearts by Faith that ye being rooted and grounded in Love By which we may clearly see it is by Faith and Love that Christ is said to dwell in our Hearts And therefore St. Paul saith in 1 Cor. 16.22 If any Man love not the Lord Jesus Christ let him him be Anathema Maranatha The which is let him be Accursed and if accursed besure he is a Reprobate Now if the indwellings of Christ in us is by Faith and Love then the best way to know whether Christ hath such an Indwelling in us or no is by our Obedience to him in our close walking with him according to his Revealed Will in his Word And if so we shall have the Spirit which is the Comforter more or less bearing Witness with our Spirits that we are the Children of God And St. Paul here speaks of the Works of the Flesh where he saith Rom. 8.5 to the 10. v. They that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit For to be carnally minded is Death but to be spiritually minded is Life and Peace Because the carnal mind is entirely against God for it is not subject to the Law of God neither indeed can be So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God But ye are not in the flesh but in the Spirit if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his And if Christ be in you the Body is dead because of sin but the Spirit is Life because of righteousness We see that the Spirit here spoken of is no other but a Spirit of Complaiscency to God and Christ in that their Wills are brought over into the Love
Lord is my Helper Now Moses rehearsed the Covenant of the Lord to Israel before his Death Where he saith in Deut. 30.10 If thou shalt hearken unto the Voice of the Lord thy God to keep his Commandments and his Statutes which are written in the Book of the Law and if thou turn unto the Lord thy God with all thine Heart and with all thy Soul V. 11. For this Commandment which I command thee this day it is not hidden from thee neither is it far off V. 12. It is not in Heaven that thou shouldst say who shall go up for us into Heaven and bring it unto us that we may hear it and do it V. 13. Neither is it beyond the Sea that thou shouldst say who shall go over the Sea for us and bring it unto us that we may hear it and do it V. 14. But the word is very nigh unto thee in thy Mouth and thy Heart that thou maist do it This you see was spoken to the Church that was Elected Called and Chosen out of the whole World and so far Renewed and Inlightned as to be put into a Capacity of Obedience so as they might have done it as Moses saith If they had used their Diligence therein and with Prayer sought to God for his Assistance then the Lord according to his Promise would not have fail'd them nor forsake them Now the Heathen had neither the word in their Mouth nor in their Heart and some of them must have crossed the Seas if they would have had it Now Moses saith in the 15th v. See I have set before thee this day Life and Good Death and Evil. V. 16. In that I command thee this Day to Love the Lord thy God to walk in his ways and to keep his Commandments and his Statutes and his Judgments that thou mayest live and multiply and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the Land whether thou goest to possess it V. 17. But if thine Heart turn away so that thou wilt not hear but shalt be drawn away and Worship other Gods and serve them V. 18. I denounce unto you this day that ye shall surely perish and that ye shall not prolong your days upon the Land whither thou passest over Jordan to go to possess it V. 19. I call Heaven and Earth to record this day against you that I have set before you Life and Death a blessing and a Cursing therefore choose Life that both thou and thy Seed may live Now this was said to the whole Jewish Church that God had brought out of Darkness and given them the knowledg of himself and his Law Upon which Moses absolutely saith that he hath set Life and Death before them which he could not have said had their Destruction been absolutely decreed before the foundation of the Material World was I do not deny a fore-knowledg in God that Man mightmiscarry but I absolutely deny that God made a Decree for Mans Damnation before ever man was Created or the World in which they Transgressed but that the Decree was passed according to the saying of the Angel after Man had offended Neither do I deny but that some particular persons are so chosen or their Election to be such so as they shall not be cast off But that which I deny is That the Jewish Church was not so chosen or Elected but that by their sinning they might be cast off For it was but a conditional Covenant that then God made with them But as to that New Covenant the which God hath promised to make with them to give them a New Heart and a New Spirit that they should not sin against him and that they should be all taught of God from the least of them to the greatest of them and that he would never leave them nor forsake them nor leave them so as to forsake him but then he will rain down Righteousness and shower down blessings upon them Hos 10.12 Isa 65.22 Ezek. 24.34 Jer. 31.33,34 Jer. 32.40,41 Isa 60.21 But this Promised Covenant still remains to be made with them which God has Promised by his Oath shall be made with them and confirm'd unto them the which Promise will be made good to them at the Restitution of all things which will not be till Christ again comes to which St. Paul's Epistles do most of them drive at wherein he speaks of Election And as to that of Esau and Jacob whom God hath set as the Figure of both Worlds Esau being the Figure of this World and Jacob of that which is to come therefore it is said I have loved Jacob and hated Esau because the Glory was intended for the other World which is Jacob and that they of this World that are of Esau will part with their Birth-right rather than withstand a Temptation or wrestle with Affliction in the day of Tryal which Birth-right is the Promise of Salvation if they hold out to the end for which we must all Pray Wrestle and Run or else we shall not receive the Prize For now the Body of the Christian Church stands on no other Conditions than Israel then did as to their Calling and Election That is they are so far renewed as to be brought into the knowledge of God and put into a capacity of Obedience in which as the Apostle saith 2 Pet. 1.10,11 We are to use all diligence to make our Calling and Election sure For if ye do these things ye shall never fall For so an entrance shall be ministred unto you abundantly into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ And St. Paul to the Philippians saith Phil. 2.12,13,15,16 Work out your own Salvation with fear and trembling And in the next Verse it is said For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure That is it is so far the good will and pleasure of God as to call us renew us and enlighten us in the knowledg of himself whereby he hath put us into a capacity of working out our own Salvation with Fear and Trembling And he saith in the 15th Verse That ye may be blameless and harmless the Sons of God without rebuke in she midst of a crocked and perverse Nation among whom ye shine as Lights in the world Verse 16. Holding forth the word of Life that I may rejoyce in the Day of Christ that I have not run in vain nor laboured in vain Now he knew there was a possibility of their miscarriage by the Admonition that he gave them which if they did it would take away his rejoycing in the Day of Christ in that he had laboured for them in vain And the same Apostle to the Hebrews saith Heb. 10.22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith having your hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and your bodies washed with pure water And here the Apostle tells us what is required of us if we are made partakers of
that ye walk not in the ignorance of Youthfulness and Fornication wherein I over shot my self and defiled the Bed of my Father Jacob. For I assure you that the Lord did therefore strke me with a sore Plague in my Flanks the space of seven Months and I had perished if my Father Jacob had not Prayed to the Lord for me because he was minded to have slain me I was thirty years old when I did this evil in the Sight of the Lord and seven Months was I sick to Death and with a free heart did I afflict my self seven years before the Lord I drank no Wine nor Strong Drink no Flesh came within my Mouth I tasted not any fine Bread but I mourned fot my Sin for it was great and there shall none such be done in Israel And my Sons hear me that I may shew you what I saw concerning the seven Spirits of Error in my Repentance Belial giveth seven Spirits against a Man which are the Well-Springs of Youthful Works seven Spirits are given a Man in his Creation whereby all his Works are dore the first is the Spirit of Life wherewith is Created his Being The second Is the Spirit of Seeing wherewith cometh Lusting The third The Spirit of Hearing wherewith cometh Learning The fourth The Spirit of Smelling wherewith cometh delight by drawing of the Air and breathing it out again The fifth I the Spirit of Speech wherewith Knowledg is made The sixth Is the Spirit of Tasting whereof comes the feeding upon things that are to be Eat and Drank and through them is ingendred strength The seventh Is the Spirit of Seed and Generation wherewith entereth in the Lust of Pleasute Fot this cause it is the last of Creation and the first of Youth because it is full of Ignorance and Ignorance leadeth the younger sott as a blind body into the Ditch and as an Ox to the Stall Amongst all these is the Eight which is of Sleep with whom is Created the wasting away of Nature and the Image of Death With these Spirits are mingled the Spirit of Error whereof the first is the Spirit of Lechery who lieth within the Nature and Senses of a man The Second Spirit of unsatiableness lieth in the belly The Third Spirit of Strife lieth in the Liver and in Choler The Fourth Syirit is of Bravery and Gallantness that the party may seem comely by Excess The Fifth is the Spirit of Pride which maketh a man to mind over-great things or to think well of himself And the sixth is the Spirit of Lying or vain-gloriousness in boasting a man's self and in desire to fill his Talk concerning his own Kindred and Acquaintance The Seventh is the Spirit of Unrighreousness which stirreth up the Affections that a man should perform the lustful pleasures of his heart for Unrighteousness worketh with all the other Spirits by taking Guile unto him Unto all these Spirits is matched the Eighth Spirit which is the Spirit of sleep or sluggishness in Error and Imagination and so the Souls of Young Folks perish because their minds are darkned and hidden from the Truth and udderstand not the Law of the Lord neither obey the Doctrine of their Fathers as befell me in my Youth But now my Children love the Truth and that shall preseve you For Fornication is the destruction of the Soul separating it from God because it leadeth the mind and understanding into Error For Whoredom hath undone many men And although a man be Ancient or Noble yet doth this make him a Laughing Stock But Joseph because he kept himself from all Women and cleansed his Thoughts from all Fornication found Favour both before the Lord and Men. Therefore my Sons fly Fornication charge your Wives and Daughters that they trim not their Heads and will them to chasten their Looks for every woman that dealeth deceitfully in these things is reserved to the punishment of the World to come That is to the Sentence of Judgment which will be in the World to come Now since it was Woman that was first in the Transgression therefore Women and Gentlewomen imploy all your Diligence to escape the near approaching Judgment of the World to come Now whereas Kuben saith had not his Fathers Prayers prevailed with God that God would have killed him Yhe which had the Lord then taken him off where would then have been the Twelve Tribes To which I answer God could raise up Two Tribes out of One Stock as there was of Joseph or God could have given Jacob another Son in his stead For Ruben did at time lose his birthright And Eve said when she had born Seth that God had given her another Seed instead of Abel whom Cain slew Gen. 4.25 And God said unto Cain before he committed that Murder Gon. 4.7 If thou doest well shalt thou not be accepted And if thou dost not well sin lieth at the door And also the rest of the Patriarchs that was guilty of that sin against Joseph they at their Death declared what terrible Afflictions they fell under for that sin of theirs and the great Repentance they had for it And Judah likewise gives an account of his Affliction and Repentance for the sin that he was overtaken in And where the Old World is spoken of Gen. 6.3 The Lord said my Spirit shall not always strive with man The which words argue the striving of the Spirit of God with Man that had not Man been wanting to himself but had used his utmost endeavour he might have obtained salvation For although after the Fall of Adam the Entrances into Life were made strait yet not so strait but with Labour and Diligence thro' the promised Messiah it was and is attainable But it is said in the fifth verse God saw the wickedness of Man was great in the Earth and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth and it grieved him at his heart And the Lord said I will destroy man whom I have created from the Face of the Earth both Man and Beast and the creeping things and the Fowls of the Air for it repenteth me that I have made them But Noah found Grace in the Eyes of the Lord. Noah was a just man Now whereas the Lord doth express that it repented him that he had made man and that it grieved him at his heart the which shews a concern in God that man had not then lived up to his Decree whereby his Mercy was attainable Numb 23.19,20 Now whereas it is said That God is not a man that he should lie neither the Son of Man that he should repent Hath he said and shall he not do it or hath he spoken and shall he not make it good I have received Commandment to bless and he hath blessed and I cannot reverse it Now whereas it is said that God is not a man that he should lie neither the Son of
him also freely give us all things That is God will freely give us all things if we will receive it according to the tender of his Grace in his Word and with patience wait for it as these did And whereas he saith in 33. v. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's Elect it is God that Justifieth 33. Who is he that condemneth it is Christ that died yea rather that is risen again who is even at the Right hand of God who also maketh interessione for us That is as I elsewhere said that we are no sooner converted and brought into an holy Resignation of our selves unto God but we are accepted of God through the satisfaction made by the Death of Christ who now lives to make intercession for such And as to what we were before we were Converted those sins will not be laid to our charge But this is no incouragement to us to sin and defer Repentance for those Romans never had the knowledg of the truth before But we are born Children of the visible Church and if we defer Repentance and check the good motions of the Spirit and refuse to be obedient to the word thinking it will be time enough hereafter to look after Heaven In so doing we tempt God to leave us to hardness of Heart and blindness of mind therefore the Apostle doth so earnestly exhort the Hebrews To day whilst it is called to day not to harden their Hearts That is not to put off Repentance till to morrow And when we are brought home to Christ by Repentance and resigning up our selves to him we are then no sooner in him but we must walk in newness of Life Of which St. Jude puts in remembrance Jude 6.7 Of the Angels which kept not their first estate but left their own habitations he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the Judgment of the great day Even as Sodom and Gomorrha and the Cities about them in like manner giving themselves over to fornication and going after strange Flesh are set forth for an Example suffering the vengeance of eternal Fire By which we see if we give our selves a liberty to sin God does with hold his restraining Grace from us and so through sin we become subjects of God's wrath And whereas St. Paul saith Rom. 8.35 Who shall separate us from the Love of Christ shall tribulation or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or peril or sword 36. As it is written for thy sake we are killed all the day long we are accounted as Sheep for the Slaughter 37. Nay in all these things we are more than Conquerers through him that lovedus 38. For I am perswaded that neither Death nor Life nor Angels nor Principalities nor Powers nor things present nor things to come 39. Nor height nor depth nor any other Creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. By these words we see that St. Paul was of this perswasion That they being once in Christ that it was not any nor all of these forementioned things should be able to separate them from the Love of God through Christ By which we see there is nothing but wilful sin that can separate the Soul from the Love of God in Christ if once accepted And whereas St. Paul saith 2 Thes 2.13.14 We are bound to give thanks alway to God for you Brethren beloved of the Lord because God hath from the beginning chosen you to Salvation thro' Sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth whereunto he called you by our Gospel to the obtaining of the gloey of our Lord Jesus Christ Now whereas St. Paul saith That God from the beginning chose the Thessalonians to Salvation Now were these words to be taken as hitherto we have done there is a contradiction in the Apostles own words For in the Ephesians he there saith that they were chosen in Christ before the Foundation of the World And here in the Thessalonians he saith from the beginning Now were they chosen from the beginning of the material Heavens and Earth or from the beginning of the first world of People which was in the seed of Cain and Seth. Then were they not chosen before the foundation of the World but at the foundation of the World therefore these words admit of a contradiction And from the beginning here spoken of could not reach to God and Eternity for there is neither beginning nor end therefore his words here and in the Ephesians admit of two meanings The first is as I before proved to you That the Churches that first trusted in Christ was made choice of for the glorious Tabernacle and so will appear to the praise of his Glory as being approv'd of of God as to matter of choice or liking in God for the glorious Tabernacle sooner then Israel or before Israel which is the foundation of the world here spoken of as I have already clearly proved Now whereas he saith that the Thessalonians were chosen from the begining to Salvation is no other then from the begining of the preaching of the Gospel The which begining I shall make clear to you by the words of our blessed Lord and St. John First what the Lord saith to his Disciples in John 15.27 And ye shall also bear witness because ye have been with me from the begining And St. John saith 1 John 2.24 Let that therefore abide in you which ye have heard from the begining If that which ye have heard from the begining shall remain in you ye also shall continue in the Son and in the Father By what is here said it is evident that the Apostle had no other meaning then from the begining of the publishing of the Gospel by reason Christ and the Apostles did express themselves so And the Apostles own words are to the like effect in Phil. 1.5 For your fellowship in the Gospel from the first day until now which is no other then from the first day they heard the word Now the Thessalonians their being chosen to salvation was not so absolute but that they might through their own neglect fall short of salvation as St. Pauls own words make appear Because he saith in the 2 Thes 1.11 Wherefore also we pray alwaies for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness and the work of faith with power By what is here said it doth appear that the Thessalonians being chosen to salvation was like that of the children of Israel who was chosen of the Lord for the Land of Canan for God brought them out of the Land of Egypt That was God by his own out stretched arm brought them out of Egypt and through the red Sea This being that which lay not in their power to do But when he brought them into the Wilderness they were to fight for the Land of Canan or else they were never to
forsaken of him For the new Heart and the new Spirit which God requireth we should make us is that they should desire Holiness and Righteousness as they did heretofore sin and wickedness and also to use their utmost diligence for attaining unto an Holy Life desiring God's Assistance for he will never leave us nor forsake us if we so do for God withdraws not the good motions of his Spirit from any of his People till such time as they fall away from him And this new Heart and new Spirit in the Capacity he hath put us and by the means set before us we are able to make us by his promised assistance but this is not the new heart which he hath promised to give Isa 45.19 By which we may see it is our slothfulness and slugishness and also in our giving way to Temptations and to our own inclinations and affections whereby Satan for our want of bridling them hurries the Soul which way he pleaseth and so for want of watchfulness diligence and labour in the service of the Lord They lose the promised blessing which is Eternal Life and so come to have their Portion in Hell it self but if we are found in the ways of God as St. Paul tells us God doth not forget our Work and Labour of Love And twice in this foregoing Chapter of Ezekiel God saith I have no pleasure in the Death of him that dieth Now after the fall of Man the decree was that the entrances into life should be made strait so as those that will not wrestle for the blessing cannot have it And whereas St. Paul saith in Rom. 11.13 For God hath concluded them all in unbelief that he might have mercy upon all That is Israel also being sinful and therefore God left them to blindness of mind and so concluding them all in unbelief that is the greater part of them that they might taste the fruit of their own doings in the weight of his displeasure and that afterward he might make some of all sharers of his mercy And the Lord saith in Amos 3.6 Shall a Trumpet be blown in the City and the people not afraid Shall there be evil in the City and the Lord hath not done it This is spoken of the Evil of Punishment as all the Chapter makes appear For as man is the committer of the Evil of sin so God is the inflictor of the Evil of punishment And also the like is said in Isaiah 42.24 And St. Peter speaking of Christ saith in Acts 2.23,24 Him being delivered by the determined Counsel and fore-knowledge of God ye have taken and by wicked hands have crucified and slain Whom God hath raised up having loosed the pains of Death because it was not possible that he should be holden of it This being most certain that the Jews could have had no power to crucifie the Lord of Life had it not been done by the determined Counsel and Foreknowledge of God But by these words there is not one syllable from whence we may gather that this Counsel was before the material Heavens and Earth but rather the contrary in that he mentions them not And as to what St. Peter saith Acts 4.27,28 For of a truth against thy Holy Child Jesus whom thou hast anointed both Herod and Pontius Pilate with the Gentiles and the people of Israel were gathered together 28. For to do whatsoever thy Hand and thy Counsel determined before to be done Now God eclipsing the Glory of Christ and Christ taking upon him the Form of a Servant and he speaking against their Wicked Ways the which the Jews could not bear and thereupon Satan made them his Instruments to accomplish his Hellish Design by which he thought to have conquered the Lord of Life but he thereby wrought his own eternal perdition and thereby the determined Counfel of God was brought to pass in Satan's Overthrow and man's salvation Now whereas it is said by the Angel where he mentions the Beast and the Kings Rev. 17.17 For God hath put in their hearts to fulfil his will and to agree and give their Kingdom unto the Beast until the words of God shall be fullfilled Now we may say Wherefore was it the Will of God to put in the Hearts of these Kings to agree in giving their Power to the Beast until his Word should be fullfilled The Reason is this There was a Foreknowledge in God of their miscarriage And upon that foreknowledg of their miscarriage God did determine to leave them to delusion till such time his Words should be fullfilled according to which St. Paul saith 2 Thes 2.9,10 where he speaks of the Beast Even him whose coming is after the working of Satan with all Power and Signs and Lying Wonders 10. v. And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish because they received not the love of the Truth that they might be saved We see this was so determined of God by reason God foreseeing they would have no delight in his Ways nor receive the Truth in the Love thereof Therefore they were given up by God to follow the delâ—sions of the Beast and the Devil Now whereas it is said in Acts 13.46,47,48 Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold and said it was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you but seeing ye put it from you and judg your selves unworthy of everlasting life lo we turn to the Gentiles for so hath the Lord commanded us saying I have set thee to be a light to the Gentiles that thou shouldest be for Salvation unto the ends of the Earth And when the Gentiles heard this they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord and as many as were ordained to eternal Life believed Now by the Ordaining here spoken of if we take it for granted that there was a certain number of the Gentiles as there was of the Jews so absolutely given to Christ as they should never fall away and that they were here so chosen at Antioch where St. Paul spake this for Antioch was an eminent place for Believers insomuch that they were first there called Christians Yet however this does no way prove that all believers are so Ordained to Everlasting Life so as they shall never finally fall away for by the word of God it is absolutely the contrary as I have here proved But as to the Ordaining here spoken of when explained according to the Tenor of the Gospel it does appear to be no such thing for the Believer upon his believing that Christ is the Author of Eternal Salvation to all them that obey him Heb. 5.9 by which his Heart is drawn out in thankfulness love and obedience to Christ Gal. 5.6 for it is a Faith that worketh by Love is required the which the sinner no sooner so believeth but that all his past Sins are then forgiven him and the Righteousness of Christ imputed to him so as the Believer becomes compleat in him for God by
reign over the house of Jacob for ever and of his kingdom there shall be no end Now as to what the Pen-man of Psal 99. saith in the rehearsal of the message sent by Nathan to David which has its special Reference to Christ beginning at the 27. v. of Psal 89. Also I will make him my first born higher than the Kings of the Earth 28. v. My mercy will I keep for him for evermore my Covenant shall stand fast with him 29. v. His seed also will I make to endure for ever and his Throne as the days of Heaven 30. v. If his Children forsake my Law and not walk in my Judgment 31. v. If they break my Statutes and keep not my Commandments 32. v. Then will I visit their Transgressions with a Rod and their iniquity with stripes 33. v. Nevertheless my loving kindness will I not utterly take from him nor suffer my faithfulness to fail 34. v. My Covenant will I not break nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips 35. Once have I sworn by my Holiness that I will not lie unto David 36. v. His Seed shall endure for ever and his Throne as the Sun before me This being peculiarly meant by Christ in the time of his glorious Kingdom and that to us and the body of the Jewish Church it belongs not in that God Christ St. Peter and St. Paul do declare the contrary for St. Paul saith Heb. 6.5,6 If we wilfully fall away after we have tasted the good word of God and of the Powers of the World to come the Apostle saith we cannot be Renewed again by Repentance And therefore this Promise is not made to us And also now God proves and tries his and here in this world commonly God's best Saints suffers the greatest Afflictions And as the Apostle saith Hebrews 12.6 For whom the Lord loveth he chastneth and scourgeth every Son whom he receiveth 7. If ye endure Chastening God dealeth with you as Sons For what Son is he whom the Father chasteneth not 8. But if ye be without Chastisement whereof all are partakers then are ye Bastards and not Sons And after all if we fall away as in Heb. 10.26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledg of the truth there remaineth no more Sacrifice for sins 27. v. But a certain fearful looking for of Judgment and fiery indignation which shall devour the Adversaries But when this promise was made annext to this Threatning there is no Afflictions threatned to them that do well Now Israel at their first entring into the Land of Canaan was upon their Obedience promised Prosperity and Plenty of all things as in Deut. 28. but we by the Gospel are promised no such thing but on the contrary sorrow affliction and persecution and if we hold out to the end we shall receive a Crown of Life which the Lord the righteous Judg shall give at that day unto all them that Love his Appearing 2 Tim. 4.8 not only to the raised Saints but unto them that he will find so at his coming for when we are put past the power of the Second Death and all sin and sorrow done away then we receive a Crown of Life And the Lord saith of them that keep his sayings John 5.24 That they shall never see death and if so after sin and sorrow is gone then it is we have the Crown of Life When Christ again comes to take the Kingdom then Israel will be so fixt in the Lord as they shall not sin against him And for the thousand years that the Glory of the Lord is more eminently visible and Satan bound up then shall all the Families of the Earth be blessed in Christ But after that time when the Eminent Glory of the Lord is not so Visible and Satan again loosed then will he seek for the new Brood of the young ones that was left of the old Stock and who these young ones are said to be I have already told you was sold by Israel and so scattered upon the Earth and he will draw off as many of the Gentiles as he can with them with the chief Prince of Meshech and Tubal which are of the Race of Japhet as in Gen. 10.2 and in 1 Chr. 1.5 which will be the Gog and Magog spoken of in Ezek. 38.2 Son of Man set thy face against Gog the land of Magog the chief Prince of Meshech and Tubal and Prophesy again him And in Rev. 20.8 There is Gog and Magog again spoken of Now after Satan has deluded these to their Destruction then it is said Zac. 14.16 It shall come to pass that every one that is left of all the Nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King the Lord of Hosts and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles Now these here spoken of that are left of all the Nations that came against Jerusalem are those that came not up to Fight against Jerusalem for as many as went up to Fight against Jerusalem of all the Nations as many as were left of them will be destroyed by the Plagues that are set down in the 12. v. of the same chap. and after the Destruction of Gog and Magog the Devil is said to be cast into Hell for ever and for ever which signifies it will be a long time before the final Judgment because there is mention made of two evers For the next World consisteth of one ever Now after the destruction of these forementioned Enemies of Israel the Lord saith in Zach. 14.17 And it shall be that whosoever will not come up of all the Families of the Earth unto Jerusalem to worship the King the Lord of Hosts even upon them shall be no Rain Here we see God threatens them but with a Temporal Punishment So when this glorious time is come that Christ and his People hath the Supreme Power then will this Promise in the 89. Psalm be of force to the People of the World to come For altho Israel will be so secured in the Lord that they cannot sin against him Yet the other promised Elect will not so securely stand And here finding in Zachariah but a Temporal Punishment threatned after that last overthrow I therefore do believe that the words in the Psalms hath a reference to that time to come For where this Chastisement is spoken of in that Psalm it is also said in the 29. v. That his Throne shall continue as the days of Heaven And now this particular Throne of Christ is not for he is said to sit now on the Throne of his Father as in Heb. 10.12,13 But this man after he had offered one Sacrifice for sins for ever sate down on the right hand of God From henceforth expecting till his Enemies be made his Footstool The ever here Spoken of is meant of the ever of this World which World is the wicked People and when the ever of their time is
by-end or other neither out of hatred to good but to attain that which they have desired And that through the fervent Prayers of the Faithful God hath made the Devil to Resign up their bond again the which Faustus thought to do but in the end he was miserably deceived And whereas St. John saith 1 John 2.1,2 My little Children these things write I unto you that ye sin not And if any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the Righteous He is the propitiation for our sins And he farther saith in 1 John 5.16,17 If any man see his Brother sin a sin which is not unto Death he shall ask and he shall give him Life for them that sin not unto Death There is a sin unto Death I do not say that he shall pray for it All unrighteousness is sin and there is a sin not unto Death And the Lord saith Mat. 12.31,32 All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men but the Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven unto men And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man it shall be forgiven but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven him neither in this world neither in the World to come That is whosoever ignorantly speaks against the Son of Man which is Christ it shall be forgiven him But if he speaks against the Son of Man Christ Knowingly so as the Spirit of God doth bear Witness to them that he is the Son of God then there appears to be no forgiveness for them in this World nor in the World to come And although all these sins and Blasphemies are to be forgiven unto men except the sin against the Holy Ghost The which forgiveness is before Conversion upon Repentance but after they are Regenerated there is no such Pardon for such crying sins as the words of St. Paul makes clearly Evident as in Heb. 6.4,5,6 and in Heb. 10.26,27,28,29 2 Pet. 20.21 and Christ himself saith in Mat. 10.33 Whosoever shall deny me before men him will I also deny before my Father which is in Heaven Now the sins in the Saints consists of three sorts First sins of Ignorance Secondly sins of Infirmity Thirdly sins of Surprisal The which if we so fall it is said in Psal 37.24 He shall not utterly be cast down for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand Now Peter is no example to us for the Lord withdrew from him for having any confidence in himself and to admonish us that we might not trust ourselves but go to God for strength Of the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledg both of good and evil When God Created Man he so far Created them as he did the Angels in that he gave them Eternal Life so if they had never sinned they had never died and also in that God made Man perfectly Righteous and gave them a freedom of will so as they might have chosen the Good and refused the Evil but there being then in Paradice an opposite to God and all Good God forewarned Man of it underneath the Name or by the representation of the Tree of Knowledg of Good and Evil for all was of God made Good but by the Devils departure from him he became Evil and so thereby he became as the Tree of Knowledg of Good and Evil. Now where the Trees are spoken of Gen. 2.9 And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every Tree that is pleasant to the Sight and good for Food the Tree of Life also in the midst of the Garden and the Tree of Knowledg of Good and Evil. Whereas it is said That out of the Ground the Lord made to grow every Tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for Food after which it is said the Tree of Life also in the midst of the Garden and the Tree of Knowledg of Good and Evil. Now it is not plainly said that these two Trees grew out of the Ground but by the words that go before we have taken it to be so But by what Esdras saith it appears but as a Vail put on that word but however it is certain that the Tree of Life was the representative of Christ and the Tree of Knowledg of Good and Evil was the representative of the Devil And had Man first taken and eaten of the Tree of Life without doubt he had then been past the power of Satan's delusion so that he should in no wise have adheard to him which in Scripture is term'd eating as in John 6.57 As the living Father hath sent me and as I live by the Father So he that eateth me even he shall live by me So Adam eating of the contrary Tree it became Death in him for they had no sooner eaten of that Tree but the whole mass of mankind was corrupted and then they found their Natures and Inclinations changed whereby the shame of their Nakedness did appear and by which way Satan got an entrance into the Soul so as to suggest what he pleaseth and also to sute his temptations according to our inclinations but when the time of restitution cometh as the bodies of the Saints are raised and Israel again restored then in paradice also is the Tree of Life but then the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil is not there but seal'd up from them as in Esd 8.51 But understand thou for thy self and seek out the Glory for such as be like thee 52. v. For unto you Paradice is opened the Tree of Life is planted the time to come is prepar'd plenteousness is made ready a City is builded rest is allowed the perfect goodness and wisdom 53. v. The Root of evil is sealed up from from you weakness and the moth is hid from you and corruption is fled into Hell to be forgotten Here the Lord saith the evil root shall be sealed up And in Revelations it is shewed who this evil root is that will be sealed up As in the Rev. 20.1 And I saw an Angel come down from Heaven having the Key of the Bottomless Pit and a great Chain in his hand 2. v. And he laid hold on the Dragon that Old Serpent which is the Devil and Satan and bound him a thousand years 3. v. And Cast him into the Bottomless Pit and shut him up and set a seal upon him that he should not deceive the Nations no more till the thousand years be fulfilled And after that he must be loosed a little Season Here it is clearly shewed who this evil root is that shall be sealed up and although it said he shall be loosed for a little season yet never after to deceive them of the Glorious Tabernacle nor Israel And in Rev. 22.2 There is made mention of the Tree of Life but no mention of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil Therefore by all these places it is sufficiently proved that the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil