towards eternal death Yet originally and as it affordeth a being to the Creature without which he could not be capable of everlasting life So it may properly be said to be part of Christs purchase and included within the compasse of this Covenant of Grace The next is the spiritual life For that was not firsi which is spiritual but that which is natural and afterward that which is spiritual 1 Cor. 15. 46. This spiritual life is the fruit of that regeneration or new birth whereby we are said to be born of God John 1. 13. And this birth is perfected when the seed of the word is quickned by the Spirit in the womb of Faith First the seed of this new birth must be the word of God Being born again not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible by the word of God which liveth and abideth for ever saith Saint Peter 1 Pet. 1. 23. 2ly this word must be quickned by the Spirit It is the Spirit that quickneth the flesh profiteth nothing the words that I spake unto you they are spirit and they are life saith the Son of God John 6. 63. And thirdly this word must be quickned by the Spirit in the womb of Faith Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God saith S. John 1 John 5. 1. And this may really be called a life for it shall never be overcome of death If ye live after the flesh ye shall die but if ye through the spirit do morâ—ifâ—e the deeds of the body ye shall live Rom. 8. 13. Live eternally for none can live this spiritual life this life of grace but he that is raised from the death of sin Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection on such the second death hath no power but they shall be Priests of God and Christ and shall reigne with him a thousand yeaos Rev. 20. 6. A thousand years Not according to the Millenaries account who dream of an earthly Kingdom to continue for a thousand years contrary to that of Christ himself My Kingdom is not of this World saith he John 18. 36. But whilest they contend for this earthly Kingdom doth it not appear that Their wisdom is earthly sensual c. According to that of St. James Jam. 3. 15. But a thousand years The thousand years of the great Sabbath that eternal Jubilee that shall be celebrated by the Saints of God in that everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ 2 Pet. 1. 11. Verily this spiritual life is the greatest good that we can injoy in this World Whilest we live a meer natural life we live at the best but to our selves and we shall finde our selves but bad pay-masters He is an empty Vine that bringeth forth fruit unto himself saith the Lord by his Prophet Hosea 10. 1. But in serving our selves we commonly serve worse Masters then our selves For we serve sin also Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin saith our Lord Christ Joh. 8. 34. And the wages of sinne is death saith St. Paul Rom. 6. 23. Yea and in serving sin and our selves we serve the Devil too In time past ye walked according to the course of this world according to the prince of the power of the aire the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience Eph. 2. 2. And from such a cursed Master we can expect but a sorry reward The Devils wages is a Mark Rev. 13. 16. But he that receiveth that Mark The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy Angels and in the presence of the Lamb Rev. 14. 10. But being by this new birth or this spiritual life delivered from these bad Masters we are sure of a blessing For being made free from sin and become servants to God Ye have your fruit unto holinesse and the end everlasting life Rom. 6. 22. And the end everlasting life You see here that the end of this spiritual life is everlasting life But in regard that many do dis-relish and dislike this spiritual life as disquiet and uncomfortable therefore I shall desire you to take the peacefull life in your passage St. Paul exhorteth That supplications prayers intercessions and giving of thanks be made for all men for Kings and all that are in authority that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godlinesse and honesty 1 Tim. 2. 1 2. I will not deny but there are many enemies both spiritual and temporal that do continually endeavour to infest and molest this happy passage towards eternity But what hurt or hinderance can it be to a well resolved spirit though the Devil with all his smoaky legions do thunder forth their phantastick false alarums The Lord will give strength unto his people the Lord will blesse his people with peace saith that man of War Psal 29. 11. Peace I leave with you my peace I give unto you not as the world giveth give I unto you let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid saith Christ to his Disciples Joh. 14. 17. And he that said it is well able to perform it For he is the prince of peace Isa 9. 6. This is the peace of God and it is more then an ordinary peace It is a perfect and a perpetual peace an infinite and an inward peace First it is a perfect peace Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose minde is stayed on thee because he trusteth in thee saith that Evangelical Prophet to his and our God Isa 26. 3. Secondly it is a perpetual peace The Mountains shall depart and the Hills be removed but my kindnesse shall not depart from thee neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee According to that of the same Prophet Isa 54. 10. Not so perfect and perpetual that it shall never be interrupted but so perfect and perpetual that it shall never be utterly overthrown Thirdly it is an infinite peace it passeth all understanding And fourthly it is an inward peace It keepeth your hearts and mindes The peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and mindes saith the Apostle Phil. 4. 7. Yea and it is an outward peace also when a mans wayes please the Lord. he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him saith that wise man Prov. 16. 7. Or if they will not it shall be upon their own peril For his heart is established he shall not be afraid untill he see his desire upon his enemies Psal 112. 8. This is the peacefull life or the spiritual mans peacefull passage to eternal salvation or everlasting life which is the fourth and last degree and that which is expressed here in this Copy as the onely intire happinesse and perfection of all the former For the matter what
full of cursing and deceit and fraud under his tongue is mischief and vanity verse 7. Indeed it is a rare thing to hear a wicked man speak well For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh saith our Saviour Mat. 12. 34. But when the recollected Christian becometh so speechlesse That no corrupt communication will proceed out of his mouth but that he putteth away all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and evll speaking with all malice And that he cannot suffer fornication and uncleanness and covetousness to be once named neither filthiness nor foolish talking nor jesting which are not convenient According to the severall exhortations of the Apostle Ephe. 4. 29. 31. and 3 4. I say the loss of this and the like ungodly language is another evident symptom whereby we may pronounce such a one to be dead unto sin A third sign is loss of memory It is a sad thing to consider what an everlasting memory a carnall man hath concerning those things that are evill He can sooner forget a thousand great benefits then one small offence And so in all other particulars his memory may be called the ready Register by whom all his flesh-pleasing vices are entered upon record And when his opportunity will not license him to commit them it is no little recreation for him to remember them The children of Israel wept and said we remember the fish which we did eat in Egypt freely the Cucumbers and the Melons and the Leekes and the Onyons and the Garlick Numb 11. 4 5. But the children of Belial laugh and say we remember since we could have satiated our lusts with variety of strong flesh commanded the tongues and hands of so many tall fellows purchased so many acres by meer policy sate so many dayes and nights together at gameing caroused so many cups to a health and spent so many crowns at a sitting Thus they delight their memories in the contemplation of their own mischiefs As enemies to the crosse of Christ whose end is destruction whose God is their belly whose glory is their shame who mind earthly things According to that of the Apostle Phil. 3. 18 19. But when any one of these unhappy heads shall so lose his memory as that he shall forget those delights which he conceived in the time of his former lewdness when the remembrance of all his fore-passed sins is become so grievous and offensive unto his soul that he can cordially and constantly cry out with the Apostle What fruit had I then in those things whereof I am now ashamed for the end of those things is death Rom. 6. 21. Truely we may be confident to say concerning such a man that he is dead unto sin The fourth and last is a most infallible sign And that is loss of motion When a man hath so utterly forsaken the love of sin that he can by no means be reduced or restored thereunto The divell can no longer seduce him The world cannot win him neither can the lusts of the flesh allure him so far forth as to afford them any hope of his future obedience I will not say but they may inforce their charming drugs upon him as if one should force drink into the mouth of a dead man But his soul doth so extreamly abhor all means of recovery that nothing will stay with him nothing can work upon him Haply the loss of Appetite may be restored by a skilfull Physitian so may the loss of speech and the loss of memory too Provided that the patient be willing to receive the medicine and that his body is able to assist it But when the patient will not obey or if his body cannot cooperate we say that such a man is absolutely a dead man Doubtless in every spirituall conflict the divell is very industrious to preserve his declining patient And to that purpose he presenteth him with his guilded pills and his perfumed potious his cordials and his restoratives in expectation of a speedy cure But when the soul perceiving his pretence so sets it self against his blind Receipts that nothing can move it nothing work upon it so as to return it to its former vomit Then that happy body that is the cabinet or companion to such a blessed soul may chearfully give thanks unto the Father which hath made him meet to be partaker of the inheritance of the Saints in light having delivered him from the power of darknesse and translated him into the kingdom of his dear Son In whom he hath redemption through his blood even the forgivennesse of sins As in Collo 1. 12 13 14. This man is undoubtedly dead indeed unto sin And so consequently he is planted into Christ according to the likeness of his death And whosoever is planted into Christ according to the likeness of his death he is likewise planted into Christ according to the likeness of his resurrection as we have formerly observed out of those words of the Apostle Rom. 6. 5. But it may be demanded when a man may be said to be planted into Christ according to the likeness of his resurrection I answer when he is alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. For as by the vertue of Christs death we are dead unto sin so by the vertue of his resurrection we are alive unto God Therefore we are buried with him by baptisme into death that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father even so we also shâ—uld walk in newnesse of life Rom. 6. 4. And whosoever walketh in newness of life upon the true account of a new creature he onely is alive unto God in or through Jesus Christ our Lord. Again it may be demanded How a man may know and assure himself that he is planted into Christ according to the likes ness of his resurrection To which I answer That this he shall finde by his resemblance or likeness to this Tree of righteousness by which the Lord sets forth a true Beleever And therefore let him first consider if he be well rooted You know that when a tree is removed it may be said to be dead as in relation to that ground out of which it is taken And therefore that it may live again it is necessary that it be replanted And for that purpose the husbandman doth commonly make choice of a better and a more fertile soyl then that from which it did Naturally or Originally proceed That so it may be the more inriched and the better inabled to spread forth its root and to bring forth fruit accordingly And that it may appear to thrive and prosper the principall care to be taken is this That it be well rooted For the life of the plant consisteth in the root We are all by nature unprofitable shoots sprung from old Adam that degenerate shrub and have neither roote nor fatness nor fruit in our selves And therefore it is needfull that we be plucked from our corrupted stock and that
otherwise grace is no more grace saith Saint Paul Rom. 11. 6. It is the nature of grace to be free we are justified freely by his grace saith the same Apostle Rom. 3. 24. If we shall look upon Gods words and works we shall finde that it is the will of God to give us his onely begotten Son Christ Jesus together with all his benefits and blessings altogether freely without cost without desert without assistance and without seeking First without our cost or charge Thou hast not brought me the small cattel of thy burnt-offerings neither hast thou honoured me with thy sacrifices I have not caused thee to serve with an offering nor wearied thee with Incense Thou hast bought me no sweet Cane with money neither hast thou filled me with the fat of thy sacrifices but thou hast made me to serve with thy sins thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities I even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake and will not remember thy sins saith the Lord Isa 43. 23 24 25. Now this obliteration or remission of sins is part of Christs purchase and we cannot receive the one without the other No Christ no forgivenesse of sins In him we have redemption through his bloud even the forgivenesse of sins saith St. Paul Eph. 1. 7. Neither did Christ himself set his own graces to sale when he stood cried saying If any man thirst let him come unto me and drink he that believeth on me as the Scripture hath said out of his belly shall flow Rivers of living water But this he spake of the spirit which they that believe on him should receive John 7. 37 38. 39. Secondly God giveth his Son with all his benefits c. without our desert We our selves also were sometimes foolish disobedient deceived serving divers lusts and pleasures living in malice and envy hatefull and hating one another But after that the kindnesse and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared Not by works of righteousnesse 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 saith St. Paul Tit. 3. 3. 4 5 6. And to the Ephesians God who is rich in mercie for his great love wherewith he loved us even when we were dead in sins hath quickned us together with Christ by grace ye are saved And hath raised us up together and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindnesse towards us in Christ Jesus Eph. 2. 4. 5 6 7. All this he did for us when we were dead in sins And alas what can sinfull dead men deserve Thirdly he vouchsafeth us his Son Jesus Christ with all his graces and blessings without our assistance For if by one mans offence death reigned by one much more they which receive abundance of grace and the gift of righteousnesse shall reign in life by one Jesus Christ Therefore as by the offence of one judgement came upon all men to condemnation even so by the righteousnesse of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life Rom. 5. 17 18. And if freely and meerly by one then without our Assistance Fourthly and lastly God gives us Christ without our seeking When we shall see him there is no beauty that we should desire him He is despised and rejected of men a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief and we hid our faces as it were from him he was despised and we esteemed him not saith the Prophet Isa 53. 2 3. The lost sheep sought not the Shepheard but the Shepheard sought his lost sheep Luke 15. 4. c. I am found of him that sought me not saith the Lord our Redeemer Isa 65. 1. Thus you see that it is the nature of grace to give altoger freely And therefore it is of faith that it might be by grace Rom. 4. 16. For to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace but of debt Rom. 4. 4. By grace are ye saved through faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of God Eph. 2. 8. And this I conceive to be a second and a solid reason why God requireth nothing but Faith Because whatsoever had been required with or besides Faith it would have been destructive to the very nature of this Covenant of Grace THe fifth branch growing in this Paradise this Eden of the Covenant of Grace is the prevention freedom from destruction should not perish should not be destroyed I conceive it will not be denied by any sound Christian but that Adams transgression against the Covenant of works did draw an universal guilt and punishment over the face of the whole earth Insomuch that every man woman proceeding from Adam after a natural generation is become guilty of his sin and by that means liable to his penalty First we are all polluted by his sinne Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean not one saith Job Job 14. 4. Behold saith David I was shapen in iniquity and in sin my mother conceived me Psal 51. 5. And St. Paul tells us That the children of God by grace were the children of wrath by nature Eph. 2. 3. And it is onely sin that subjecteth us to Gods wrath Col. 3. 5 6. And secondly as Adams corrupted nature hath ingaged us in his damnable sin so hath his sin likewise exposed us to his deadly punishment For as by one man sin entred into the world and death by sin so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned or in whom all have sinned saith St. Paul Rom. 5. 12. Thus we see that the contagion or the infection of Adams sin and likewise the certainty of his punishment are both become universal And therefore this Hereditary corruptition hath put us into a perishing condition although we had no sin of our own to answer for But then if we shall consider all our sins both original and actual our sins of omission and our sins of commission together with their several circumstances and aggravations Who can forbear to cry out with Saint Paul O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death Rom. 7. 24. The body of this death or the power of this death And verily we shall perceive the power of this death to be far more dangerous then ordinarily it is conceived to be If we shall consider it according to the several sorts or degrees of death Which we finde to be four viz. The spiritual death the cordial death the natural death and the eternal death The spiritual death is that whereby we are said to be dead in sin Eph. 2. 1. And therefore St. Paul tells us The widow that liveth in pleasure is dead while she liveth 1 Tim. 5. 6. And thus the Spirit to the Angel
of the Church of Sardis Thou hast a name that thou livest and art dead Rev. 3. 1. The cordial death if I may so call it or the death of the heart is that which happeneth upon the sense or apprehension of some extream danger or distresse when discreet Abigail had told her husband Nabal of the danger he was in by reason of his churlish behaviour towards Davids young men The Text saith That his heart died within him and he became as a stone 1 Sam. 25. 37. And Pharaoh in the plague of locusts desired Moses and Aaron to intreat the Lord that he might take away that death onely Exod. 10. 17. The natural death consisteth in the dissolution of nature or the separation between the body and the Soul It is said That when Rachels Soul departed she died Gen. 35. 18. And when the widow of Zarephaths son was dead Elijah cried unto the Lord and said O Lord my God I pray thee let this Childes Soul come into him again And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah and the Soul of the Childe came into him again and he revived 1 King 17. 21 22. The last is eternal death consisting in those eternal torments which the damned shall be cast into upon that peremptory sentence Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels Mat. 25. 41. In these four sorts or degrees of death are comprehended all the discomforts mischiefs and miseries that mankinde can suffer or suspect whether they be spiritual temporal or eternal And now I shall prove that every one of them is the reward or punishment of sin First the spiritual death is the reward of sin Because that when they knew God they glorified him not as God neither were thankfull but became vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkned professing themselves to be wise they became fools And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man and to birds and to four-footed beasts and creeping things Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleannesse through the lusts of their own hearts to dishonour their own bodies between themselves Rom. 1. 21 22 23 24. For this cause God gave them up to vile affections c. verse 26. Secondly the cordial death or the death of affliction trouble and distresse that is also the reward or the punishment of sin We grope for the wall like the blinde and we grope as if we had no eyes we stumble at noon day as in the night we are in desolate places as dead men We roar all like bears and mourn sore like doves we look for judgement but there is none for salvation but it is far off from us For our transgressions are multiplied before thee and our sins testifie against us for our transgressions are with us and as for our iniquities we know them Isa 59. 10 11 12. Thirdly the natural death that is also the wages of sin And unto Adam God said Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife and hast eaten of the tree of which I commanded thee saying thou shalt not eat of it cursed is the ground for thy sake in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the dayes of thg life Thorns and Thistles shall it bring forth to thee and thou shalt eat the Herb of the field In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread untill thou return unto the ground for out of it wast thou taken for dust thou art and to dust thou shalt return Gen. 3. 17 18 19. And lastly eternal death is the punishment of sin And it shall come to passe that from one new Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another shall all flesh come to worship before me saith the Lord. And they shall go forth and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me for their worm shall not die neither shall their fire be quenched and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh Isa 66. 23 24. Thus we see that sin hath laid us open to every degree of death and destruction And verily the penalty annexed unto the breach of the Covenant of works that original rebellion importeth no otherwise In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die Gen. 2. 17. Dying thou shalt die saith the original Thou shalt die every kinde of death And now if it be demanded how it may be said that we are redeemed from these miseries distresses and calamities by this Covenant of Grace I answer that Almighty God hath redeemed us from them by taking away the onely cause of them which we find here to be sin And that for and through the merits and mediation the sufferings and satisfaction of Jesus Christ his onely begotten Son whom he gave us and for us in this Covenant Provided alwayes that we receive him by faith according to the condition of this Covenant And here we may do well to take notice That the evil of sin is three-fold That is to say The guilt of sin The punishment of sin And the power of sin And it is necessary that all these be removed before we can certainly be said to be redeemed For where the guilt remaineth the punishment is not to be avoided and whilest the power continueth neither shall the guilt be forgotten nor the punishment forgiven You know that whosoever transgresseth the Law and is found guilty thereof he must suffer punishment according to the nature of his offence And whosoever committeth sinne transgresseth the Law For sin is the transgression of the Law 1 John 3. 4. Now where is that Soul that dares stand upon her own justification and plead Not guilty to the whole Law of God Or whether our own hearts condemne us or not God is greater then our hearts and knoweth all things 1 John 3. 20. It is in vain for us to dissemble or conceal our iniquities For all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do Heb. 4. 13. Verily the Lord sees our sins before we commit them I knew that thou wouldest deal very treacherâ—usly saith he and wast called a transgressour from the womb Isa 48. 8. And he that transgresseth the Law in the least particular he is cursed For it is written Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the Law to do them Gal. 3. 10. And being cursed he can expect no better then to be condemned unto eternal torments For the Son of Man sitting upon the throne of his glory shall say unto them Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels Math. 25. 41. But being possessed of the Lord Jesus Chriâ—t by an effectual faith according to the tenour of this Covenant of Grace we are redeemed both from the Curse For Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us Gal.
that Apostles testimony Gal. 1. 29. Now if we shall apply our selves to the examination of this his evidence It will be necessary for us to propound and answer these five questions First what is this justifying and saving faith Secondly where or in what place hath this faith its residence or being Thirdly upon what foundation must it be built Fourthly how is it to be obtained And fifthly how shall a man know whether he hath this justifying and saving faith or not FIrst therefore if you ask what this justifying and saving faith is I answer It is that gift of God whereby we are inabled to believe the promises of God in Christ according to his Gospel to repose and rest our selves confidently thereupon and willingly and cheerfully to receive the same God in Christ for our Saviour and our Soveraign Lord. I conceive it may be worth our pains to consider this definition according to six particulars therein contained First this Faith is the gift of God It is not in the power of any man to believe effectually or savingly except it be given him of God To one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit To another Faith by the same Spirit saith our Apostle 1 Cor. 12. 8 9. And in another place I say through the grace given unto me to every man that is among you not to think more highly of himself then he ought to think but to think soberly according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith Rom. 12. 3. And thus the Son of God himself There are some of you saith he that believe not For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not and who should betray him And he said therefore said I unto you that no man can come unto me except it were given unto him of my Father John 6. 64 65. Secondly by Faith we are inabled to believe the promises of God This is proved by the Apostle Paul in the example of Abraham Who against hope believed in hope that he might become the Father of many Nations according to that which was spoken So shall thy seed be And being not weak in Faith he considered not his own body now dead when he was about an hundred years old neither yet the deadnesse of Saras womb He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief but was strong in Faith giving glory to God Rom. 4. 18 19 20. And in the eleventh Chapter to the Hebrews we see how the Patriarchs and other Saints of God did believe and adhere unto the promises of God by Faith throughout that whole Chapter Thirdly faith inableth us to believe the promises of God in Christ or As God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself as 2 Cor. 5. 10. If we look upon God out of Christ upon God essentially without a Mediatour As he is a great God a mighty and a terrible which regardeth not persons nor taketh reward as Deuter. 10. 17. As he is a consuming fire even a jelous God as Deut. 4. 24. who shall bring every work into judgement as Eccles 12. 14. And will by no means clear the guiâ—ty Ex. 34. 7. I say If we shall think upon God according to these truths we shall never dare to believe any promise that he hath made unto us for good we shall rather believe that he holdeth us for his enemies that he writeth bitter things against us Like patient Job in the extremity of his passions Job 13. 24 26. But if we shall consider God as he was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself not imputing their trespasses Now we dare be bold to believe him For we can assure our selves by Faith that we are upon terms of peace and that he hath received us into favour Being justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ By whom also we have accesse by faith into the grace wherein we stand and rejoyce in hope of the glory of God Rom. 5. 1 2. But haply you will say How is it to be understood That God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself Truely this is a question well worth the asking and answering For it is the great mystery of the Gospel and that which but few do rightly understand God was in Christ That is God did take unto himself the nature of man and so became God in Christ personally that so he might reconcile the world unto himself being still the same God essentially When we would meditate upon God according to his acting or working we must conceive of him as one God in three persons distinctly when we would consider him according to his essence or being we must conceive of him as of three persons in one God substantially and individually So then as God was reconciling the world he was Deus cum Deo God with God personally But as he was reconciling the world unto Himself So he was Deus in Deo God in God essentially And thus God was in Christ divers wayes or rather according to divers forms or kinds of administration For whatsoever was concluded or done either intentionally virtually or actually by the Son of God as Mediatour for mankind The same he did as he was God in Christ And therefore to passe by that infinite essence or being of the three Persons in the Godhead according to their incomprehensible co-existency as a secret too deep and intricate for the creature And therefore not revealed unto us by the Creatour either in his word or works We find that God was in Christ In the Covenant of Grace personally In the Creation apparantly In the Promise representatively In the ceremonial Law typically or figuratively In his Incarnation perfectly and compleatly In his Life obediently In his death passively and patiently In his Resurrection victoriously In his Ascension triumphantly And In his Kingdom gloriously First I say God was in Christ in the Covenant of Grace personally that is to say in the second person of the Trinity preparing a remedy against that ruine which he foresaw mankind would run into by Satans malice and their own rebellion And therefore Peter intimateth That Christ was fore-ordained for our redemption before the foundation of the world 1 Pet. 1. 18 19 20. And Paul That we are saved and called by God according to his grace given us in Christ Jesus before the world began 2 Tim. 1. 9. This Covenant of Grace was the first originall record that ever directed us to this personal distinction Secondly God was in Christ in the creation apparantly For so St. John In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God The same was in the beginning with God All things were made by him and without him was not any thing made that was made John 1. 1 2 3. If you ask what this Word was I answer The same Word that was afterward made flesh
of this fruitfull Tree are natural and those things that are to be spoken of the faithfull man are spiritual and then we shall finde that they agree in all these particulars For as this natural Tree is richly planted well rooted full of Sap flourishing fair and fruitfull So the spiritual man is likewise richly planted well rooted full of sap flourishing fair and fruitfull The ground wherein he is planted is Jesus Christ His root is faith his sap is love his green leaves are gracious professions his fair and beautifull blossoms are blessed and holy desires and his good fruits are godly performances or good works And whosoever shall thus resemble this flourishing Tree according to these six properties I dare avouch him for a true believer And therefore we will now begin to examine whether we be in the faith according unto these particulars First we must be richly planted That is we must be planted into Christ We finde that they which are made partakers of the benefits and blessings of Jesus Christ are called Trees of righteousnesse the planting of the Lord Isa 61. 3. Verily we are all originally wilde slips every man and woman must say with David Behold I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me Psal 51. 5. This is a very bad ground to thrive upon This is all the comfort that we have received or may expect to receive from our earthly old man For in Adam all die And therefore it is necessary that we be removed and planted into the heavenly new man For as in Adam all die even so in Christ shall all be made alive as in 1 Cor. 15. 22. Hereby we shall injoy a double benefit Namely the benefit of Christs death and the benefit of his resurrection For if we have been planted together in the likenesse of his death we shall be also in the likenesse of his resurrection saith the Apostle Rom. 6. 5. Where he teacheth us that whosoever is planted into Christ according to the likenesse of his death he shall be also planted into Christ according to the likenesse of his resurrection For in that he died he died unto sin but in that he liveth he liveth unto God Likewise reckon ye also your selves to be dead indeed unto sin but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord saith the same Apostle in the same Chapt. at the 10. and 11. verses But it may be demanded how a man may be said to be dead indeed unto sin seeing that so long as a man liveth in the flesh he shall never be altogether free from the lusts of the flesh the snares of the world and the assaults of Satan which will continually provoke unto sin and sometimes prevail even in the most sanctified Soul the best disposed and the most retired Christian under heaven Insomuch that Paul cries out The good that I would I do not but the evil which I would not that I do Rom. 7. 19. And in the 23. verse of the same Chapter I see another Law in my Members warring against the Law of my minde and bringing me into captivity to the Law of sin which is in my Members And the Apostle James In many things we offend all James 3. 2. And likewise John the beloved If we say that we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us 1 John 1. 8. I answer that I understand these words dead indeed for very near dead or even as good as dead And not for totally or absolutely dead For so I conceive a man shall never be dead indeed unto sin untill this corruptible shall have put on incorruptiâ—n and this mortal shall have put on immortality then and not till then shall be brought to passe the saying that is written Death is swallowed up in victory 1 Cor. 15. 54. And therefore how the Perfectionaries dare to give God the lie and their own consciences the blinde baffle is a thing beyond mine apprehension Neverthelesse as there are certain symptomes or signes or accidents by which we may be able to judge when a man is naturally a dead man as we say or at least so far spent that there is no hope of his recovery and that before his Soul hath utterly forsaken his body So if we shall consider the same symptomes or signes after a spiritual manner we shall be able thereby to conjecture when a man may be said to be dead indeed unto sin before he is wholy freed from the corruption of nature There are many signs that may confirm our judgements in this particular I shall instance onely four Namely losse of appetite losse of speech losse of memory and losse of motion The first is losse of appetite and that is when sin begins to be odious or loathsome The Soul of the wicked desireth evil saith the wise man Prov. 21. 10. But when a man beginneth to die unto sin that which before was his desire is now become his disease he loaths that most which formerly he most longed after We read that David being in a hold and a garrison of the Philistines in Bethlehem David longed and said Oh that one would give me to drink of the water of the Well of Bethlehem which is by the Gate And three mighty men brake through the Host of the Philistines and drew water out of the Well of Bethlehem that was by the Gate and took it and brought it to David Neverthelesse he would not drink thereof but poured it out unto the Lord or before the Lord And he said be it far from me O Lord that I should doe this Is not this the bloud of the men that went in Jeopardy of their lives Therefore he would not drink it 2 Sam. 23. 14 15 16 17. This was much in a King to deny himself in that which even now he so vehemently desired But little or nothing in comparison of that repugnancy or opposition that is usually found to be in the Saints of God For whereas before their effectual calling and conversion their carnal desires may peradventure be so pressing and importunate upon them that they can devour widdows houses drink iniquity like water and work all uncleannesse with greedinesse Yet when through the grace of God they begin to be sensibly sick of sin their appetites are so strangely altered that they do not onely dislike and distaste every thing that is unlawfull but likewise they do utterly abhorre it as it is odious or displeasing in the sight of God They abstain from all appearance of evil according to that precept of the Apostle 1 Thes 5. 22. This is one sign whereby we may discover when a man may be said to be dead unto sin Another is losse of speech The tongue saith the Apostle is an unruly evil full of deadly poison James 3. 8. And David describing a wicked person saith That he oasteth of his hearts desire and blesseth the covetous whom the Lord abhorreth Psal 10. 3. Yet his mouth is
First if it deserveth the right name of hatred it is impartial And therefore he that truely hateth sin he doth hate all manner of sin and in all manner of persons He must hate all manner of sin He may not hate riotousnesse and love covetousnesse hate swearing and love lying hate publick prophanesse and love private perfidiousnesse or the contrary I hate every false way saith good David Psal 119. 128. And to that purpose he prayeth unto his God saying Incline not my heart to any evil thing Psal 41. 4. Doubtlesse 't is hard to finde a man whose heart is not inclin'd to many evil things But wher 's that Soul amongst us that is not so wedded unto some bewitching lust some Dalila one bosom sin or other of which we are inclineable to say as Lot did sometime say concerning Zoar Is it not a little one Gen. 19. 20. Yet every sin is a transgression of the Law 1 Joh. 3. 4. And cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the Law to do them Gal. 3. 10. And therefore the Prophet David Search me O God saith he and know my heart try me and know my thoughts And see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting Psal 139. 23 24. And the Apostle Paul Let us cleanse our selves from all filthinesse of the flesh and spirit perfecting holinesse in the fear of God 2 Cor. 7. 1. And likewise St. Jude exhorteth To hate even the Garment spotted by the flesh Jude 23. Alluding haply to those forbidden things of the Law whereby their very Garments were defiled And intimating to us under the Gospel That we ought to abstain even from all appearance of evil according to that of Paul 1 Thes 5. 22. And as we must hate sin in general so we must hate all sinne in every person A man would think there had been no great cause of offence for Jehosaphat to assist Ahab in the recovery of Ramoth Gilead They were both of the stock of Abraham joyned in affinity professed the same Religion the cause was just and the enemy an idolatrous Heathen Neverthelesse Jehu the Seer said unto Jehosaphat the King Shouldest thou help the ungodly and love them that hate the Lord Therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord 2 Chron. 19. 2. And are there not too many amongst us that do professe much detestation against the miscarriages of such as are either averse or unprofitable to our designs whereas a little affinity or friendship or faction or the like carnal complyance will easily over-rule us to approve and patronize the most abomiâ—able actions Like wicked Ahab who hated the saving truth in the mouth of Micaiah because it was contrary to his intention and imbraced a pernitious lye from the mouths of his false Prophets because it was agreeable to his present resolution as in the 2 Chron. 18. Yea such is the damnable deceitfulnesse of self-love that many of us are thereby bewitched to censure those sins most severely in others which we our selves are ten times more notoriously guilty of And thinkest thou this O man that judgest them which do such things and dost the same that thou shalt escape the judgement of God saith Paul Rom. 2. 3. Verily this carnal self-love must of necessity be turned into spiritual self-hatred either temporal or eternal For we are sure that the judgement of God is according to truth against them which commit such things as saith the same Apostle Rom. 2. 2. Nothing is so offensive unto God or so destructive to our selves as sin The pestilence in our bloud the poyson in our bowels and the sword in our sides all these together can but kill the body according to a temporary death But sin is of so desperate a strain that it destroyes both soul and body too and hurries them into eternal torments And therefore he that hateth not all sin and in all persons chiefly in himself his seeming hatred is Hypocrisie and his love to God and his own Soul is nothing bettter Therefore be not deceived God is not mocked Gal. 6. 7. Secondly hatred if 't is true and perfect it is impetuous or violent nothing will satisfie it but the death or the destruction of every thing whereon it resteth We finde that Esau hated his brother Jacob because of the blessing wherewith his father had blessed him And Esau said in his heart the dayes of mourning for my father are at hand then will I slay my brother Jacob Genes 27. 41. And doubtlesse he had done as he intended had not the Lord his God preserved Jacob according to his power Gen. 32. 11. We likewise finde how that the sons of Jacob did hate their brother Joseph Gen. 37. 4. And they consulted together to slay him verse 20. And if we deal more kindly by our sins it is a sign we are but angry with them we do not hate them with a perfect hatred like that of David wherewith he did hate the haters of his God Do not I hate them O Lord saith he that hate thee And am I not grieved with those that rise up against thee I hate them with a perfect hatred Psal 139. 21 22. There are two great evils in and belonging unto every sin to wit the evil of iniquity Psal 32. 5. And the evil of punishment Lam. 3. 39. Whereof the first is essential and offensive to the spirit the second is accidental and offensive to the flesh And from hence it proceedeth that the spiritual man hateth sin for the iniquity thereof In reference to God But the carnal man is angry with sin onely because of the punishment thereof in relation to himself God is not in all his thoughts saith David Psal 10. 4. And therefore because he hateth not the iniquity which he ought to hate the punishment which he hateth shall fall upon him unto his confusion Gen. 4. 13. Whilest he which hateth that which God doth hate shall surely be approved of by God Rev. 2. 6. And therefore it will be of special use unto us to consider with what vehemency the Prophet David endeavoureth to aggravate the violence or the severity of his hatred against sin and sinners in his 101. Psalm Wherein he maketh divers protestations or promises unto this very purpose saying I will see no wicked thing before mine eyes I hate the work of them that turn aside it shall not cleave to me verse 3. A froward heart shall depart from me I will not know a wicked person verse 4. Who so privily slandereth his neighbour him will I cut off him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer verse 5. He that worketh deceit shall not dwell within my hâ—use he that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight verse 7. I will early destroy all the wicked of the land that I may cut off all wicked doers from the citie of the Lord verse 8. Thus
c. The second sort of these deluded Souls are such as ground their peace upon mistakes perswading themselves that God is as it were ingaged to defend and preserve them And why Because say they he is mercifull It is true indeed the Lord is very mercifull For so he proclaimeth himself Exod. 34. 6 7. But what is all that to thee He will by no means clear the guilty as in the same 7th vers God cannot be so mercifull as to be unjust his justice must be fully satisfied which thou art never able to perform And therefore unlesse the guilt of thy sins be washed away by the bloud of Jesus Christ thou hast no present interest in Gods mercy Thou art still in thy wickednesse And the wicked are like the troubled Sea when it cannot rest whose waters cast up mire and dirt There is no peace saith my God to the wicked Isa 57. 20 21. Now every one of these three sorts of peace is such a judgement as exposeth us to Gods just wrath and indignation For he that blesseth himself in his heart saying I shall have peace though I walk in the imagination of my heart to add drunkennesse to thirst The Lord will not spare him but then the anger of the Lord and his jealousie shall smoak against that man c. Deut. 29. 19 20. But the fourth sort of peace is a safe peace And this is that which doth inseparably attend upon the person of our Lord. And for our better understanding and satisfaction in this particular we must know that this true peace must be grounded upon the assurance of that reconciliation which God in Christ hath concluded between himself and us For it pleased the father that in him should all fulnesse dwell And having made peace through the bloud of his Crosse by him to reconcile all things unto himself by him I say whether they be things in earth or things in heaven And you that were sometimes alienated and enemies in your minde by wicked works yet now hath he reconciled in the bodie of his flesh through death to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight Colos 1. 19 20 21 22. Now whosoever hath been formerly sensible of that great emnity that was between God on the one part And his own corrupt sinfull nature and conversation on the other part And is now fully satisfied and assured by a lively faith That God was thus in Christ reconciling the world unto himself not imputing their trespasses unto them As likewise the same Apostle 2 Corinth 5. 19. That Soul I say may confidently boast that she injoyes a safe and solid peace For that she is joyned unto the Lord of Hosts in an offensive and defensive league And is thereby impowred both to fight the good fight of faith and so to lay hold on eternal life as at 1 Tim. 6. 12. And also to resist the Devil and to make him flee as James 4. 7. By which we may perceive that this true peace consisteth not in an absolute freedom from war but in the assurance of Gods Almighty favour and protection Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose minde is stayed on thee because he trusteth in thee saith that Prophet unto the Lord Isa 26. 3. Not such a perfect peace as feeleth no interruption but such a perfect peace as feareth no dissolution He shall not be moved for ever saith the Psalmist Psal 112. 6. He may be moved by some violent incounter But it will not be long before he returneth unto his resting place Doubtlesse it maketh much for Gods glory to exercise his Souldiers in a continual warfare That so he may make bare his own holy arm in the eyes of all the Nations and that all the ends of the earth may see the salvation of our God as Isa 52. 10. Verily the godly nor are nor ever shall be without adversaries Neither do they wrestle onely against flesh and bloud but against principalities against powers against the rulers of the darknesse of this world against spiritual wickednesse in high places wherefore they take unto them the whole armour of God that they may be able to withstand in the evil day according to Saint Paul's direction Eph. 6. 12 13. And in truth the servant of Jesus Christ is still more doubtfull of some intestine treachery then of any forraign invasion And therefore he keepeth his heart with all diligence according to that word of command Prov. 4. 23. He placeth a strong century in that center And for his outworks He walketh righteously and speaketh uprightly he despiseth the gain of oppressions and shaketh his hands from holding of bribes he stoppeth his ears from hearing of bloud and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil according to those safe postures Isa 33. 15. And therefore he shall dwell on high his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks bread shall be given him his waters shall be sure His eye shall see the King in his beauty they shall behold the land that is very far off verse 16. 17. Briefly thus He shall rest securely and fare sufficiently He shall see the King in his Majesty and travail safely under his protection And in every conflict he is sure of conquest I can do all things through Christ which strenghteneth me saith he with St. Paul Phil. 4. 13. And therefore with the Prophet David he likewise concludeth saying I will love the Lord my strength The Lord is my Rock and my fortresse and my deliverer my God my strength in whom I will trust my buckler and the horn of my salvation and my high Tower c. Psal 18. 1. c. This is the godly mans garrison and it is invincible And in this confidence I will both lay me down in peace and sleep saith he for thou Lord onely makest me dwell in safety as in Psal 4. 8. This indeed is a safe peace Such a peace as passeth all understanding And he belongeth to our Saviours guard For he shall keep our hearts and mindes through Christ Jesus Philip. 4. 7. And where this peace is quartered he provides to entertain his pleasant partner joy This is a compleat Courtier whose office most properly proclaims his Prince his presence Psal 16. 11. But being of that frolick disposition he is much mistaken and as much abused by some that seem to be his fellow servants For you shall hardly meet with one in forty but is deceived in this particular which we shall very easily maintain when we shall finde there are five sorts of joy whereof the first is a cursed joy The second is a counterfeit joy The third is a carelesse joy The fourth is a carnal joy And the fifth is a compleat joy The first I say is a cursed joy And this is when a man rejoyceth in any evil either against God or his Neighbour Their Soul delighteth in their abominations saith the Lord Isa 66. 3. Every sin hath some sweetnesse wherewith it delighteth the
is plain that the Lord marrieth his church unto himself In regard that he calleth himself her husband and her his wife Thy maker is thy husband the Lord of hosts is his name and thy Redeemer the holy one of Israel the God of the whole earth shall he be called For the Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit and a wife of youth Isa 54. 5. 6. And fourthly it is manifest that he marrieth his church unto himself In respect that he will have her called after his own name we finde that his holy Spirit directeth us to call him by the name of The Lord our righteousnesse Jere. 23. 6. And this is the name wherewith she shall be called The Lord our righteousnesse saith the same Spirit by the same Prophet Jer. 33. 16. And in that it is said this is the name wherewith she shall be called it is evident that she was not so called formerly And we know that there is no ingagement no relation whatsoever that can make a woman capable of any other name then what she formerly had but that of marriage onely Again the soul demands this question How is it that our gracious Lord vouchsafeth so great an honour to his church to own her according to that high degree of marriage And after some expostulation she thus resolves her self Surely it is to evidence unto us that intire Union that exceeding nearnesse that is between the Spirit of our Saviour and the dear souls of his beloved saints There is a near relation among countrymen and kindred Insomuch that Paul professed he could wish himself accursed for his kinsmen according to the flesh Rom. 9. 3. Yet we see they little deserved it at his hands Acts 24. 1 c. Some what more near then that is the relation among brethren Behold how good and how pleasant it is brethren to dwell together in Vnity saith David Psal 133. 1. Yet we finde that Cain killed his brother Abel Gen. 4. 8. And Esau intended the like to his brother Jacob Gen. 27. 41. There is also a near ingagement among friends A friend sticketh closer then a brother saith Solomon Prov. 18. 24. Yet we know that there is falshood in friendship Joab slew his great friend Absalom 2 Sam. 18. 14. And Judas abused that sweet attribute most basely Mat. 26. 50. But very strict and very binding are those Obligations between the parents and their children lo children are an heritage of the Lord and the fruit of the womb is his reward As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man so are children of the youth Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them they shall not be ashamed but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate Psal 127. 3 4 5. And therefore St. Paul Honour thy father and thy mother which is the first commandment with promise saith he Ephes 6. 2. Neverthelesse our Lord acquainteth us That the brother shall deliver up the brother to death and the father the child and the children shall rise up against their parents and cause them to be put to death Mat. 10. 21. And have not we seen or credibly heard of the like unnatural actions performed in our dayes But so ought men to love their wives as their own bodies he that loveth his wife loveth himself No man ever yet hated his own flesh but nourisheth and cherisheth it even as Christ the Church saith Paul Ephes 5. 28 29. Here indeed is the right cordial relation that strict and strong Obligation that nothing should cancel but death He is not worthy of the name of man that forsaketh or abuseth his own wife No man ever yet hated his own flesh but nourisheth and cherisheth it There is the lovely shaddow of a tender compassion even as the Lord the church There is the true substance of a dear and dureable affection And therefore the main reason as the soul conceiveth why the Lord vouchsafeth this most acceptable expression of marriage is to shew us that integrity that exact and absolute Union and communion that is betwixt himself his church He that is joyned unto an harlot is one body saith the Apostle Paul 1 Cor. 6. 16. Where Paul insinuateth that marriage is so strict a tie that the very abuse thereof is of an uniting quality But he that is joyned unto the Lord is one Spirit saith he verse 17. Now whatsoever is carnal is mortal and dubious but that which is spirituall is eternal and glorious O! saith that sweet and amorous soul that I were sure my Lord had such a love to me as that he would espouse me to himself I am perswaded now that he hath such a love unto his church in general But how shall I appropriate the same unto my self or how may I be sure that I shall thus in joy my gracious Lord For this is the circumstance wherein the soul desireth satisfaction And thereupon she listens to St. Paul The life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me Gala. 2. 20. True saith the tender soul if I were such a chosen vessel as was good St. Paul I might triumph with the like confidence yet after some debate within her self she thus replies why what had Paul but what he did receive Or what made him to differ was it not my Lord with whom there is no respect of persons as Paul himself saith Rom. 2. 11. Doubtlesse my God who onely can fit me for this preferment he looketh not upon the man but his Mediatour he regardeth not the metall but the stamp the image and superscription whose is that Surly if the image of Christ be graven in me it makes no matter either what I am or how I am called For there is neither Jew nor Greek there is neither bond nor free there is neither male nor female for we are all one in Christ Jesus Gala. 3. 28. And as neither nation nor sex nor any outward state or condition nor any other earthly distinction can make a difference in the sight of God so neither can sin exclude me from his favour For God commendeth his love towards us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us saith St. Paul Rom. 3. 8. These things considered the Soul begins to be perswaded that her Lord both may and will love her as well as any other For now she sees ther 's no impediment that can destroy or contradict her hopes Yet still she 's sick of love nor can her minde receive or cure or comfort till she meets with such an argument of his affection towards her self in every degree as is both certain and infallible Therefore she cries and gives her Lord no rest until he openeth her understanding that she may learn this mystery of love That never any soul did love the Lord but the same soul was first beloved by him And this must