go along with them and for ever despair of Gods Mercies Let them enjoy this World no wise man will envy them They are left to themselves They that are wilful let them be wilful still Ob Many say they know no better Ans There are many things they might know if they had a mind to know but these men revel away all their Time and never regard to know any thing that is good Who can pretend ignorance that there is a God and that he should do as he would be done by Not one For these are Common Principles And as for Consequences men might easily make them if they would take the pains upon several occasions in life As to say when they dissemble How do I look when I Lye Do I not hide falsehood under my Tongue and is there not a Lie in my right hand Do I spend vast Sums upon vanity of Apparel and Riotous living and should I grutch to pay the Minister his small dues or to give a little to the Poor No man but might say and do these things and such as these whensoever occasion is offered in his business amongst men But men sleep or Pot away their dayes and forget all goodness and in a moment they go down to the Grave and Rottenness takes fast hold upon them In a Word for there is no end of writing Books upon such Subjects to informe and rebuke all men at all times as they have need for all their wild Extravagancies Let us hear all in a little Fear God and keep his Commandments keep Faith and a good Conscience yet more briefly Love is the fulfilling of all Gods Commandements FINIS An APPENDIX for PEACE Transition I Have in my former Discourses endeavoured to satisfy and comfort weak fearful and melancholy spirits who though they have true Faith yet by reason of their own Distempers within and the Temptations without complain for want of that Faith and Assurance which they have already 1. It remains that I should farther put on to satisfy concerning Children that dye before they attain to Faith or the use of Reason in what condition their souls are in 2. As also concerning Innocents and Fools that all their life long are suspended from the use of Reason 3. As also concerning Mad-men who after the Exercise of Reason have been deprived thereof for ever or have lost it for a time and then recovered it and lost it again 4. As also of them that perish by Fire or Water or dye suddenly by any other accident 5. As also concerning them that in their health of Body enjoy health of mind but when Sicknesses have violently seized upon their Bodies their Souls have lost all sober use of understanding will or memory to the outward appearance only the Fancy abounds with absurd Idaeas and representations of things never acted by them or sometimes by any other And thence proceed expressions of Blasphemy Uncleanness Nonsense to the great trouble and amazement of their weak friends especially if they chance never to recover their wits again 6. And lastly concerning those honest Heathens that have excelled in virtue and the fear of God either upon the stock of natural knowledge and their own practice or some farther secret Revelation that God hath made unto them In what state or condition their Souls may be thought to be in And these are all the cases of doubt that I can think on upon this present Subject To these I shall strive to give a modest answer with submission to better Judgments being farr from a Magisterial Spirit of absolute Determination in any thing save what God hath most cleerly revealed to all 1. I say then as to the first Case of Infants that dye in that estate Chap. 1. I think their souls are in a very safe condition Reason And the Reason is from Gods infinite justice as well as Grace That though their Fathers have eaten sown Grapes yet they their childrens teeth shall not be set on edge They must dye because they are the children of the first Adam by Nature that brought in death by his Sin which is the wages thereof But they shall not dye everlastingly because they are the children of the Second Adam by Grace that brought in life everlasting by his Righteousness which is the Reward thereof As for their actual non-stipulation such as is required in ordinary Covenants and in the Covenant of Grace I suppose their incapacity which God puts them in of such Stipulation for want of Power to use Reason shall not render them incapable of the Grace of God to excuse them by extraordinary favour for what they could not help For notwithstanding the impossibility of actual acceptation of their Will yet probably God may convey that Grace unto them which he hath promised to the faithful and their Seed though at present they do not know it yet hereafter they shall know it to their great admiration of that Grace that brought them unto Glory And what should hinder them from being susceptible of the benefit of Gods Promises although they understand not Faith For are they not innocent and will God condemn the innocent as he doth the wicked shall not the Judge of all the World do right This be farre from God to judge unrighteous Judgment and this be far from us to think of God after such a fashion Are not Infants free from all love of the World or malicious wilfulness to put by Grace or to grieve the Spirit of God whereby they are sealed unto the day of their Redemption And is it not an exuberancy of Love and such as becomes the God of Love to help those poor creatures that cannot help themselves And can he in Justice create such innumerable and helpless Souls and give them but a short life without all knowledge or sense of pleasure on purpose to damn them to everlasting pain and make them fuel for Hell-fire only to shew what he can do Certainly Gods thoughts are not like mans thoughts so cruel neither are his wayes like mans wayes so unjust But they are of a better fashion neither may we think God to be such a one as our selves Secondly concerning Innocents and Fools Chap. 2. that have lived long and yet never attained to the use of a Rational Soul I think these are more miserable wretches then children that dyed in their Infancy but not more sinful but both are alike innocent and harmless before God That stained condition that they as Sons of Traitors are in by Law that have forfeited their Estates is a sufficient punishment for this World by Grace they are most certainly free from the punishment of the next World For these poor Lambs what have they done that never were in a capacity so much as to will good or bad And 't is a true saying Nihil ardet in inferno nisi propria voluntas Nothing suffers in Hell but the sinful Will What does Baptisme consign Chap. 3. but an
pleased He intended farre higher Duties unto which he led them by the hand if they had had the wit to observe it according as the Prophets did often hint unto them But they rested in the Letter and in the worke-daies and would not understand what God farther intended no not when they were sorely slasht in the Babilonish Captivity nor in the time of the Maccabees nor under the sore Yoke of Antiochus nor yet of the Romans when the Gospel began to dawn nor yet in the dayes of Christ himself and his Apostles when the cleer day-spring from an high did visit them and that God did fully reveal what worship he meant should continue for ever and that all their rude and beggarly elements should be laid aside as being added only because of Transgressions till the Promised Seed should come It was therefore necessary that the Patterns of things in the Heavens should be purified with these Heb. 9.23 but the heavenly things themselves with better Sacrifices then these But still they stumbled at the Old stumbling-stone of a Temporal Covenant established upon Temporal Promises and commanding Temporal Services And from hence many Christians first taken from the Nation of the Jews and afterwards from all the Heathen Countries have erred exceedingly Partly by mixing Judaisme and partly by mixing Paganisme with Christianity which both of them are not out of us unto this very day although the Apostles made it their business as they had then too much occasion to overthrow these two maine errors from whence all other Heresies have been derived and that Christ himself did so much speak against the continuance of the Jewish way and the Introduction of Heathenish customs by Preaching a more Spiritual Law and declaring Eternal Promises All though God hath winked at the Nonage of the Jews and the Ignorance of the Gentiles Chap. 9. Châ—iâ—â—â—anisme yet now God will have all men every where to aspire to perfection and learn better things commanded in a better Covenant that is established upon better Promises especially in the dayes of Adversity when we are pinched with long and sore Warrs with plagues of Fire and Water and sundry kinds of Death It is high time now for the World to grow wiser to come off from the Vanities and Pomps of this Life and walk highly with God in the Spiritual Exercise of Faith and Repentance Away then with this Loose and Carnal way of Living This will not do The Gospel calls for higher things 1. This Loose and Carnal Life will never satisfy the Conscience nor please God 2. This formal and outward Worship will not serve the Turne You must come up to the pure Gospel-way to the life of Faith and to the worship of the spirit or you can never please God Be honest and just in your words and Actions Be dutiful and obedient to the Laws Be decent and orderly in Gods Worship But still I shew you a more excellent way This is to be done and you are not to leave the other undone For thus it becometh us after Christs own Example To fulfil all Rigteousness To offend none but to give unto Caesar the things which are Caesars and unto God the things which are Gods APPLICATION I have set before you two wayes Faith and Sight Spirit and Flesh choose therefore the better part that shall never be taken away from you 1. Cherish the life of Nature by Temperance Sobriety and Chastity 2. Regulate the life of sense by Reason Prudence and Moderation 3. Order the Moral life by Virtue Justice Obedience and Honesty 4. Maintain the Civil Life by dutiful submission to Rulers and their Laws for the publike Good 5. Keep the Spiritual Life above all by Faith 1. Which may Sanctify Nature Sense Morality and Laws 2. Which may transcend all carnal Profits Pleasures Honours Arts Powers Glories Liberties Beauties Friends Health Peace Orders c. 3. Which may overcome all Carnal Pains Wants Shames Ignorances Weaknesses Disgraces Deformities Enemies Diseases Warrs Bondage Confusions c. 4. Which may regulate all Passions of Love Hatred Hope Despair Joy Grief c. 5. Which may sublimate all Faculties Understanding Will Memory Conscience 6. Which may arrive at the height of true Wisdome Peace and Tranquility of Minde 1. By exemption from vulgar Errors Vices and Passions 2. By aiming at Universal Liberty in Judgment and Will still submitting to Faith 3. By learning true essential simple honesty and plainness of Spirit 4. By Practicing true Piety 1. Free from Jewish worship 2. Free from Heathenish Idolatry This is the high and noble way of the New Testament of Jesus Christ which is of the spirit that giveth life not of the Letter that killeth Thus we overcome sin from ruling in our mortal Bodies that we should be obedient unto the lusts thereof Thus we overcome the Temptations and miseries of the World Thus we overcome the Devil and bruise Satan under every one of our Feet and through Jesus Christ are more then Conquerors And thanks be to God which giveth us this victory through Jesus Christ our Lord. Look therefore on things Spiritual and not on things Carnal Chap. â—0 Faith on things Eternal and not on things Temporal For the things that are seen are temporal and carnal but the things which are not seen but believed are Spiritual and Eternal Believe your sins are blotted out of Gods Book for so they are when forsaken Though you cannot see your Pardon sealed by Gods spirit by your sense yet by your Faith you may see it Believe the Peace of God of your own Consciences though the sense discern it not yet your faith may Believe the Judgments of God are escaped and shall not hurt you though you feel present pain in the Flesh as is needful for you Believe the Devil is overcome though he sift you as the wheat is sifted yet Christ hath prayed for you that your Faith shall not fail you and his Grace shall be sufficient for you Believe you shall live though you die and see corruption for you shall die in Faith This is Faith to believe above sense above hope and contrary to hope the judgment of flesh and bloud This is Faith To be present with God in the Spirit though you be absent from him in the Flesh This is Faith to rejoice in Misery to glory in Tribulations to be ravished with Spiritual comforts during the enjoyment of Temporal To find Rest in God in the midst of Trouble to rest upon Gods Promises of Pardon and Blessedness in the midst of Sins and Miseries I will believe though I see not nor feel not any comfor This shall be my joy comfort in believing I will believe though I can give no Definition nor Reason for my Faith I will live in the Spirit though I live in the Flesh for I do not live after the Flesh I will worship God in the Spirit though I use a Forme and outward Ceremony I will Eat
and Drink and be merry in the Lord. I will suffer patiently in the Lord. I will Live and Die in the Lord. Tell me not of Temptations I know who is on my side and will deliver me Tell me not of Tribulations I know who will Save me Tell me not of Death and Hell I know who will Redeem me Yea He hath Delivered He hath saved He hath Redeemed me already The Forgiveness of my Sins past present and to come is already present with me The Deliverance from all my Sufferings is already present with me Eternal Life and Salvation is already present with me I know in whom I have Trusted Here will I fix say the World the Flesh or the Divel what they will or can But with a Carnal Life Chap. 11. Carnal mâ—n this Faith and Hope cannot consist Of all Tempers these are most opposite to Faith 1. Outward uncleanness Rioting and Drunkenness Chambering and Wantonness Strife and Envy Cursing Damning Oppression and Cruelty and such like 2. Inward Hypocrisy Lying and Cheating c. 3. Open Rebellion Sacriledge Sedition and murmuring and such like The Carnal mind understandeth not the things of God neither indeed can it because they are spiritually discerned Thus it becometh us to Preach and you to practice Grace Faith Repentance Patience c. It is too Legal to preach Laws Duties Curses Threatnings Damnation The Gospel is Faith Love Hope Joy in the Holy Ghost Grace mercy pace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ Till we perswade you to Faith we shall never do our work nor your work for you Believe only and you shall be saved This will bring works and duties and mortifications and all shall be pleasing to God and without this nothing shall be pleasing unto him for without Faith it is impossible to please God Say not You cannot understand this Spiritual Doctrine of the Gospel and this Rule is too high for you to walk by it is too hard a Taske to lead this life of Faith Sol. I answer Chap. 12. Gospel Easy It is easy to understand this Doctrine and he that is willing shall be made to know the mind of God and to do the same It is as easy to understand this Gospel-Precept Thou shalt not Lust or Hate as to understand this Legal Command Thou shalt not commit Adultery or Thou shalt not Kill It is as easy to understand That the thoughts of the Heart and the desires of the Will are to be regulated as the words of the Tongue or the works of the Hand It is as easy to understand Faith as Works to Believe as to Live To accept of the Covenant of Grace as of works As for the Mysteries of Faith in the Trinity Incarnation Descension Intercession of Christ and such like They are more easily and safely to be believed then disputed And the spirit is given to all that Believe that they might understand and do the Will of God That they might know the heighth and length and breadth and depth of the Love of God which passeth all knowledg It is as easy and farre more to hear of Grace Mercy and Peace as to hear of Law Curses and Damnation It is as easy to hope as fear to rejoyce as to mourn to be free as to be slaves to walk in light as in darkness To understand the good of the Soul as of the Body the life to come as this life present Wise are we to know this World Gain Honor pleasure c. and wiser we might be to know the World to come Ob Ob. A hard saying who can hear it Sol. Sol. An easy and true saying and very pleasant and may be heard Yea and he that hath Ears to hear let him hear for he may hear if he will none so deaf as they that will not hear The Charmer charmes often and wisely unless we stop our Ears with the deaf Adder and refuse to hear the voice of this Charmer though he charms unto us never so often never so wisely There is a voice behind us yea within us which saies unto us This is the way walk in it Turn from the ways of wickedness pass by them and come not neer unto them for fear iniquity be your Ruin for why will ye Dye O when will it once be The Sun of the Gospel shines very cleerly but the World shuts her eyes upon it The light is come into the world but men loved darkness rather then light because their deeds are evil The opposers of this heavenly way of walking with God in Faith and spiritual Duties are 1. Outward Formalists and Will-worshippers Chap. 13 â—ormaliâ—ts which rest in the Letter and in the outward work done as in Fasts Feasts Forms Austerities Almes Justice Temperance c. yet there is a more excellent way to go on to perfection not to draw neer to God with our Lips but our hearts As the proud Pharisee that fasted twice in the Week that made long Prayers that paid Tithe of all that he possessed that thanked God that he was not like other men nor as that Publican But the poor Publican went home to his house Justified rather then the other And the very Publicans and Harlots shall enter into the Kingdome of Heaven by their Faith when these Hypocrites shall be shut out 2. Law-Preachers Chap. 14. Law-Preachers and hearers of Curses and Damnation Are we Saved by the Works of the Law or by the Faith of the Gospel By the works of the Law no flesh living shall be justified What Law had the Heathens Preached unto them They were never under the Law they needed it not after they did believe nor Wee God did write in the Law in their hearts by his Spirit in the dayes of the Gospel and the Kingdome of Heaven is within us The royal Law of Love The perfect Law of Liberty is written upon the Tables of our hearts and this is a sufficient Rule to bring us to Heaven Mockers of Faith Chap. 15 Mockers Self-denyal Mortification Purity of heart Poorness of Spirit Mourning Meekness hungring and thirsting after Righteousness Mercifulness Peace-making Suffering Persecution Rejoycing in Persecution which are the spiritual commands of Christ to which Blessedness is promised Such Prophets as speak of these things are counted Fools and such spiritual men esteemed mad by the voluptuous and Luxurious men of the World and by the Zenonian Fatalists that depend upon absolute Decrees and put all to a venture What then remains but that all Reasonable men should be satisfied with this reasonable service of Faith which is above their Carnal Reason but agreeable with all spiritual and Right Reason and none but unreasonable and absurd men will deny it I will resolve therefore with my self Chap. 16. Soul-Resolution to go out of my self and trust no longer in my Flesh nor in any Creature I will resolve with my self to understand better things and to know my self more perfectly 1. How
Ablution from Original Sin and a Death to all Sin and a life to Righteousness and thereby exemption from the state of Damnation to the state of Salvation and that to Infants as well as others that are Baptized with water and if not Baptized it was none of their fault And whither outwardly Baptized or no what can hinder the Inward Baptisme of the Spirit to them if they Dye presently before or after Baptisme or to others if they live long to believe and keep that Faith in which they were Baptized except they make Shipwrack both of Faith and a good Conscience by breaking the Vow and Promise made by them None can deny but the Spirit of God is free as the Wind to blow where and when and how it listeth and who so fit objects to receive the gifts of his Grace for life Eternal as these poor Creatures that are so miserable as not so much as to enjoy the comforts of this life Temporal Do not Rights belong to Children and Fools by Law but Grace gives Rights above and contrary to Law Especially the Grace of God which is so Gracious that our shallow understandings and stammering Tongues are not able to apprehend and express it I will therefore stand still admire and hold my peace when I cannot fathom his Infinite Mercy 3. Thirdly Concerning Mad-men who have had Reason and Faith Chap. 4. Untimely Ends. and afterwards without their own fault have lost the use of both at least Quoad nos to outward appearance either wholly or for a certain time or times coming and going I am as favourable to judge of them as I did for Infants and Fools I know well God is favourable and his Royal Laws most favourable and to be most favourably interpreted as good men will allow their own Laws to be And therefore it becomes me and all men to come as neer unto God for kindness as we may and it is most safe so to do I say then as favourably as I can thus As they have had Reason and Faith before their distraction so they have them still under their Distraction The Habits they retain the Acts they cannot shew It is all alike to God though not to us He knows what the Inward Man is though we do not but by the expressions of the Outward Man to guess only 4. Fourthly Chap. 5. Untimely ends Concerning such as have been understanding and faithful both and fruitful in Wisdome and Goodness and yet have suddenly pershed by Fire or Water or the Sword or any other fatal Contingency I answer I do not judge amiss of their Souls at all for the grievous misery that hath happened unto them No not if they have in their Passion or Provocation of uncharitable Censures thrust out their own Souls out of their Bodies supposing they were such as constantly feared God before They have not lost the life of their Souls though they have lost the life of their Bodies they have not lost an Eternal though they have lost a Temporal life All these Changes and Chances of a long Life or a short of a natural or violent Death of a Single or a Married life of Poverty or Riches of Beauty or Deformity of Ignorance or Learning c. are nothing to the farthering or hindering of the state of a Blessed Eternity 5. Fiftly Chap. 6. Sickmen distracted Concerning them that in their health of Body have enjoyed health of minde with Faith and a good Conscience but afterwards have been distracted by violent Diseases and never recovered But as other Madmen that walk abroad or are shut up as otherwise healthy and strong they do talk not only idly and fantastically but wickedly and profanely and act altogether ragingly I am not afraid to answer that notwithstanding all these things have happened unto them through Gods Providence against their own Wills yet their Souls are in as good and as safe a condition as ever they were before Obj. But what will you say may some object of them Chap. 7. Malefactâ—rs that for and by the guilt of some grievous Sins as Murder Rebellion c. or for some grievous Misery as Love Want loss of Children c. have fallen Sick and lost their Wits withal 'till they have dyed either by meer sickness or by laying violent hands upon themselves I answer And what will you say that make this objection or what can any man say of these men whither they repented or no between the Bridge and the Water or of God whither his wayes be not often secret but alwayes just And whither think you is safest for me to say they are damned or to hope the best that by the favour of God punishing them here they may be spared hereafter If you can give a better Judgment then I in this Case then do I leave them to that God that made them who is infinitely just and good and knows how to relieve the weak And hope the best 'T is dangerous to walk upon the Ridges of headlong and slippery Places as the Tops of Towres and steep Rocks or Brinks of deep Waters 6. Sixthly and lastly Chap. 9. Heathens There is one Case more and it is as much as I can think of concerning those honest Heathens that have excelled in virtue and the fear of God though never Circumcised to the Jewish Law nor Baptized to the Christian Gospel but only for ought we know have grown good upon the Stock of Natural Light or some secret supernatural Illumination in what state or Condition their Souls may be thought to be in I answer as well as I can That their Creed is to believe that God is and that he is a rewarder of all such as diligently seek him And so they came to God and whither he rejected them after they came to him as well as they could let the wise judge If then they do believe that God was a Rewarder Chap. 9. Jewes then there is no Reward but in Christ And what did the Jewes know cleerly of Christ or of the Resurrection were they therefore damned They had a dark Dispensation of Resemblances of Heavenly things by the Patterns of Earthly Ceremonies and Promises and these a darker by natural light and impulse If Spiritual and Eternal things were generally hinted unto them and they walked according to what they knew as the best Jews did God will â—equire no more at the hands of the Jew or Gentile then what he hath given them The one shall be judged by that Law they had in Tables and the other by that Law they had in their hearts and the Christians by that Spiritual Law of the Gospel the Perfection of both the former And God will have all men every where to repent and in every Nation and at all times they that fear God and worship him and do justly as well as they can shall be accepted of him And whatever their condition be which yet we have no cause to judge