Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A33721
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A discourse of faith in two points, viz ... / by Thomas Cole ...
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Cole, Thomas, 1627?-1697.
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1689
(1689)
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Wing C5029A; ESTC R35625
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51,040
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130
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to a supernatural end which they could not of themselves tend unto and let it not seem incredible to us that God should do this he can do no evil from the perfection of his Nature and for the same reason all good must needs be in the power of his hand the greatest good that can be done to fallen Man is thus to restore him In this new Nature are wrapped up the seeds of all Grace which by the efficacy of the Spirit are drawn out into act with the free consent of Mans Will Should God determine the Will of Man to a good act whilst it is in a bad state and under a corrupt nature this would imply force and violence but to lead out a man according to his new Nature is not to put a force upon him If Sin had that efficacy upon Man in his perfect state to encline his Will to Evil why should not Grace have the like efficacy upon Man fallen to encline his Will to good Though an inclination to Evil in Man standing was possible from the liberty of his Will in which he was created yet such an actual inclination was inconsistent with his perfect state and left such an inherent crookedness in his perverted Nature that nothing but Grace can rectifie and make streight again What is a principle of Grace but liberty to Good restored to fallen man from whence an actual inclination to choose what is good do's follow of course when God calls and excites him thereunto here is no force put upon mans Will it acts freely in the choice of good and it cannot be otherwise since Grace enters as a new Nature ingenerating a powerful Principle of Holiness in the Soul that do's incline a man freely to comply which the efficacious grace of God exciting him to those acts of Holiness so agreeable to the Nature of the new Creature as Sin reigns unto Death so Grace will reign through Righteousness unto Eternal Life Rom. 5. 21. Shall not he that raises the dead be able to quicken a dead Soul but we are more sensible of that power that God puts forth upon the bodies of Men then of that which he puts forth upon their Souls that you may know that the Son of man hath power to forgive sins Take up thy bed and walk Mat. 9. 6. This you all see but the actings of my saving power upon the souls of men that power that works within Eph. 3. 20. you see not let this that you see convince you of that which you see not and never dispute my power more to forgive sin I can heal the diseases of the Soul as well as those of the Body the power that God has to forgive sin is the great prerogative of God belonging to the soveraignty of his grace God walks invisibly thorow the World doing his mighty works of Grace he touches some mens hearts not others he draws some and not others by the sweet yet irresistable force of his Grace we see nothing but man mans Will mans Choice mans Act and therefore conclude all is by mans own power because we see not the wheel within the wheel the Spirit of God setting the whole soul in motion towards Christ This arcanum Iehovae this secret of the Lord is with them that fear him Psal. 25. 14. The way of the Spirit of God in the hearts of men is discerned by few 't is a very hard matter to understand how God works in us to will and to do because we find it to be our own act to believe repent and turn to God we ascribe all to our selves as if our own arm had saved us The truth is God in all the efficacious operations of his grace upon the hearts of men loves to conceal himself he will not be seen by others to do what he do's in and for his Saints no noise in the streets Matth. 12. 19. The kingdom of God comes not with observation Luke 17. 20 21. All is done within secretly and silently non are privy to this heart-work but they that feel it this is the hiding of his power from the observation of those whom he never intends to work upon and for the hardening of their hearts that they may still retain an opinion of their own ability to do that which they see others so freely and willingly addicting themselves unto Though this be a cause of stumbling to many who boast of a supposed power and freedom of will to believe and repent when they please yet such in whose hearts God has wrought these mighty works of his grace they see and feel the weight of his Arm revealed upon their souls they know it is Gods doing that a divine power has touched their hearts and carried them out to all these acts of Faith that they put forth they openly acknowledge this 1 Cor. 15. 10. Phil 4. 13. 2 Cor. 3. 5. Gal. 2. 20. Not I but Christ. When they feel themselves most strengthned by Christ they are then most sensible of their own self-insufficiency and weakness I can do all things through Christ yet not sufficient of our selves to think a good thought when I am weak then am I strong 2 Cor. 12. 10. They would not say so if they did not find a power more then humane exerting it self within them and strengthning them with might in their inward man I live yet not I but Christ lives in me till we can thus distinguish between Nature and Grace and see God influencing our Wills in all their free motions to that which is good we shall vainly assume to our selves a power that never yet reduced it self to the least real act of Faith in any man whatever 't is easie talking of a power to believe before we come to believe in good earnest then our strength fails us if God do not support us and help our unbelief I believe help my unbelief 〈◊〉 I can't hold it my faith will fail if God do not put his Everlasting Arms underneath if we consider what difficulties what strong Objections unanswerable by Reason Faith Acts against in keeping up a lively hope of Pardon in the Conscience of a convinced sinner we must needs say 't is the work of God that we believe we may wonder at our selves as men when we consider what we believe as Christians I have spoken all this to shew that God is the Author and Finisher of our Faith 't is he only can open the heart and dispose it to give Credit to the Word of his Grace Application By way of Discovery viz. How we may know when Faith comes by Hearing even at the time of Hearing and whether it be yet come into your hearts by all you have heard hitherto Faith is a secret and a sudden work when it comes it gives some sense of it self to an observing Christian that quickly convinces us of a change in our selves a heart truly turned to God is not the same it was before not in the same posture not
after all the Law as a Covenant of Works does not seek to bring a sinner to Repentance but to Punishment the Law cannot give Repentance unto Life because it cannot give Life upon our Repentance You 'l say then is the Law against Repentance I don't say so neither for take Repentance as 't is a just equitable thing as a holy disposition of mind so the Law is not against it where ever it may be found as it is not against any other act of Moral Righteousness as such that a man may do and yet for all this 't will condemn a man for his sin and all his righteousness shall not be remembred though the Law be not against Repentance yet it will not accept of repentance as a satisfaction for past sins but the Gospel provides full satisfaction for the Law and promises sufficient and effectual Grace to the sinner to bring him to repentance having rescued him from the Curse of the Law enables him to walk worthy of the blessing of the Gospel if those who are justified were not sanctified they would live to the scandal of the Gospel The Law cannot contradict it self having already pronounced a peremptory sentence of death upon the sinner 't is impossible the Law should ever give repentance unto Life the Law insists upon the Execution of its own Judgment and will not be satisfied till that be done in this the Gospel yields to the Law to have execution done upon man for sin and provides a man on purpose the man Christ Iesus who bore our sins in his own body upon the cross 3. This Evangelical Repentance implies real Sanctification but the Law sanctifies no man because it can't convey its own Holiness to another can't alter the Nature of a Man but only shew him what mischief his sin has done him shews him his sin in this or that instance to his great terror but if he happen to out-live those terrors and not die in the fit as Iudas his evil heart will encline him as strongly to sin as ever it did before his former Convictions they made him give a present start backwards but he will quickly recover himself and return to his wretched course he cannot cease from sin though he know it displeases God yet he likes it never the worse for that might he but escape the punishment 't is not the wrath of God in it self that he fears but only as it goes forth in the penal effects of it against himself else he could suffer God to be angry and not be troubled at it whereas this goes most to the heart of a Child of God that he has incurr'd his displeasure There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger Psal. 38. 3. The Law alone never works any real Sanctification in a sinner 't is indeed the rule of Judgement it judges us according to what we are but cannot make us better 4. Repentance is a turning unto God but the Law gives no encouragement to a sinner to turn to God it holds forth the Wrath of God against him that makes him run from the presence of an angry God and hide himself as Adam did how can dry stubble stand before a consuming Fire but God out of Christ is a consuming Fire to a sinner he dares not come near him 5. The law by it self can't work a saving Conviction 't is very Instrumental in conjunction with the Gospel to do this but of it self it cannot Saving Conviction is of the essence of Evangelical Repentance Saving Conviction hath these four properties 1. It apprehends upon Scripture grounds a possibility of a sinners Salvation and not only so but a fair probability of it upon the due use of those means appointed by God in order thereunto and leads out the sinner to seek relief in Christ under some hope of obtaining it 2. It works a hatred of sin as sin strongly inclines and disposes the heart of a sinner to break off from his sins and to betake himself to a strict course of Holiness God offers Grace to sinners because he intends to give Faith and Repentance to as many as are ordained unto Life Faith inclines us to beg Repentance disposes us to it laies open the foulness of sin so plainly so convincingly that we cannot but repent of it under such a saving Conviction as Faith works in us I call it a saving Conviction because it puts us upon the diligent use of all means tending to Salvation a man is so convinced that he cannot rest till he has found out an effectual remedy to cure so deadly a disease nothing will satisfie him but Christ we see not all that is in sin till we see an absolute necessity of Christ to save us from it Here is a deep discovery of sin indeed when we know nothing but the Blood of Christ can take it away Behold the Lamb of God c. a Sacrifice of Gods providing all the Bulls Goats Sheep and Lambs of Mans procuring will never expiate sin nothing that is among men can do it but God has a Lamb cherished in his own bosom from Eternity this Lamb must be slain to take away the sins of the World 't is very astonishing to think what God parted with from himself to satisfie his own Justice his Attributes conspire together to heighten and advance each other infinite Grace lays out it self to satisfie infinite Justice and satisfied Justice gives way to infinite Grace to glorifie it self in mans free Redemption 3. It convinces us not only of particular sins but of the general Corruption of our Nature 't is by a Divine supernatural Light that we discern this we have a feeling of it in our selves from an inward Principle of a higher Life raised up in us by the power of God in our Regeneration which will not suffer us to walk any more after the flesh we cry and complain of that proneness that is in us to evil O wretched man that I am c. Rom. 7. No unconverted man is brought in complaining of the Corruption of his Nature only David and Paul and such like but none else When we look upon the old man with the eyes of the new we see that deformity that never appeared to us before 4. It Convinces us not only of the severity of the Law in punishing but also of the Holiness of the Law in all its just and reasonable Commands Rom. 7. 12. This is a main difference between Legal and Evangelical Repentance that Conviction and Sense that is in a Legal Repentance of the Holiness of the Law is very small next to none at all and that which is proceeds chiefly from the remainders of light in all natural Men left on purpose in the Conscience that all reverence of God and his Law might not be quite cast off and something of this may now and then appear under strong legal Convictions of sin as in Iudas but all this never begets any true love to Holiness for still