he we are always confident vers 6. Again vers 8. We are confident I say and willing rather to be absent from the Body and to be present with the Lord. q.d. We do not run as at uncertainties nor fight as Men that beat the Air but know whom we have trusted and that he will not fail our trust This is the Faith we walk by at present till we come to the World of immediate sight and fruition Vers 7. And now let us return to the words of the Text and consider more distinctly both the literal and real importance of them Now he that hath wrought us i. e. made formed or fitted us The word signifies to fashion or polish a thing which was rude or unshapen before and so 't is used by the Septuagint Exod. 35.33 1 Kings 6.36 For the self-same thing viz. That blessed State in which Mortality shall be swallowed up of Life whereof he had been speaking just before vers 4. or if you understand it of those desires and groanings Heaven-ward which are wrought in the Souls of Believers it comes all to a sense for none but those who are prepared for Heaven do rightly and judiciously desire it as shall be shewn more at large hereafter Is God even he that hath provided that Glory for us vers 1. hath also fitted us for it The Order and Tenour of the words is very remarkable God is not the Subject but the Predicate of this Proposition It is not thus expressed now God hath wrought us for this tho that had been true but the same Truth is spoken with a more piercing Emphasis and Majesty as the words are here placed He that hath wrought us is God q. d. Would you know the reason of our Confidence Hope and earnest Desires after Heaven Why we are wrought for it Do you ask how we came to be so or who hath thus wrought us 'T is God that hath done it who always acts like himself therefore this work is divine beseeming its great Author such as none but he could effect the Finger of God is plain in it and for that reason we doubt not but the Issue will be answerably glorious and excellent The same way of expression ye have Chap. 1.21 Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ and hath anointed us is GOD. As for the real importance of the words the only remaining difficulty if that be any is what divine work the Apostle here speaks of In answer to this I shall only take notice of the three following particulars which are most full and comprehensive in the case 1. God as he is our Creator and the God of Nature hath given us immortal Souls furnish'd with faculties to prepare for a better Life He hath made them pure spiritual noble intellectual Substances noâ— consisting of any contrary Principles which by acting upon or against each other might infer the dissolution of the whole Now in that he has given the Soul such a Nature 't is manifest that he designs it for an eternal State because he doth nothing in vain but always fits his Creatures for the respective ends whereunto he hath appointed them And since both Gracâ— and Glory presuppose Nature that is the Fundamental Capacity of the Subject therefore this particular may well enough be taken in tho it cannot reasonably he imagined that this is the main much less the only thing intended in the Text. The Souls of the vilâ—â— Men yea even the Devils themselves are thus faâ— wrought for an Everlasting State But it is not mâ—â—â— Immortality but a glorious and blessed Immortality that 's here spoken of So that to be wrought for this self-same thing must needs signify something peculiar unto true Believers for they only have a right to the Heavenly Glory and besides the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 seems not so naturally to signify the creating of a Soul as some subsequent work upon it already created to which it 's natural essence is presupposed not produced by it 2. As our Redeemer and the God of governing reconciling Grace he hath opened the way to Heaven for us and so deals with us upon Terms of Mercy and Compassion in order to our recovery from that sinful and miserable state into which we had brought our selves To this end the Eternal Son of God in the fulness of time sanctified a Portion of Humane Nature and took it into union with the Divine and in it fulfilled all Righteousness perfectly obeyed the Law offered up himself a Sacrifice to satisfy Divine Justice conquered Satan Death and Hell died arose ascended and was glorified that we might chearfully and believingly follow him Thus Human Nature in the Person of our great Mediatour was wrought through â—ariety of Labours and Sufferings till it arrived to the highest Advancement that from hence we might be assured how great things are intended for us if we do not reject the Counsel of God against our selves He that spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us all how shall he not with him also freely give us all things Rom. 8.32 He is gone before to prepare a place for us and to take possession c. his Arms are ever open to receive returning Sinners the more weary and heavy laden with the Burden of Sin the fitter for him to exercise his Office upon He will cast out none that sincerely come to him None are excluded who do not by wilful and final Impenitency exclude themselves On his part all things are ready what then remains but that we thankfully lay hold on this Tree of Life and by Faith feed thereon that we may live for ever 3. As he is our Sanctifier and the Applyer and Perfecter of all to fit us for Glory he works in the Souls of his People those holy Qualifications Tendencies and Affections whereby the Heavenly State becomes con-natural and agreeable to them or rather they to it To live and have a being in a furture State is oâ—â— thing to be happy therein another Meer Immortality fits you for the former immediately but only in a more remote sense for the latter O Sirs it is but cold comfort to know that your Souls are immortal if in the mean time ye be utterly in the dark whether it shall be well or ill with them hereafter Live they must to all Eternity but if a great deal of care be not taken in time that Life is like to prove worse than Death Therefore ye know that Eternal Life is usually taken in the best sense Mat. 25.46 The Righteous into Lisâ— Eternal Rom. 6.23 The Gist of God is Eternal Lisâ— Those in Hell live too because they cannot not because they would not die Know then that you Souls are no less capable of exquisite Torment and Misery than of Joy and Blessedness in another World their everlasting Weal or Woe depends moâ—â— directly and nearly upon Moral Qualities than upon their Natural Essence As wicked Men are silling
Promise should do more with you than just keep you from sinking See also Psalm 40.1 2. I waited patiently for the Lord c. It is good that a Man should both hope and quieth wait for the Salvation of the Lord. Lam. 3.26 Remember God waited long on you before you â—ould take up any serious thoughts of repenting â—â—d down in sullen discontent because he doth not â—â—smediately give you the Comforts of Assurance â—ne would think common Ingenuity should teach â—â—ou better Light is sown for the Righteous â—nd sooner or later they shall reap the blessed Fruit But in as much as 't is sown it is meet â—hat they should wait till this precious Fruit grow â—â—p or rather till they themselves be grown to a â—â—aturity and fitness for it God's time is the â—â—st time He knows perfectly what Degrees of Comfort are sittest for you and what the fittest â—easons to bestow it The Husbandman after he â—â—â—h cast his Seed into the Earth doth not imâ—â—diately expect an Harvest nor yet say I have â—â—boured in vain I will pull up the Hedg and lay â—ll waste No no his God instructs him to greater Discretion Isa 28.26 He waits till the appointed Season So do you in the present Case wait God's time for Comfort give an early check to the least strivings of Impatience Say not Why should I wait upon God any longer as he 2 King 6.33 but rather as the Psalmist Psal 42.11 Why art thou cast down O my Soul c. hope thou in God for I shall yet praise him c. CHAP. XIII Directions to those who have attained to greater degrees of Assurance and Comfort WE come now to the third Branch of Exhorcation namely to those who through Grace have attained unto greater Measures of Assurance and are enabled comfortably to conclude that they are past from Death to Lise to such I would say In general Hold fast what you have that no Max take away your Crown Rev. 3.11 Keep close to God and your Redeemer live in the Spirit walk in the Spirit Be stedfast and unmoveable always abounding in the Work of the Lord c. 1 Cor. 15.58 You know whom you have trusted gird up therefore the Loins of your Minds We must tug a while with the Diffificulties of our present State and Work but these will soon be over Heaven is in view we are almost there and shall certainly reap if we faint not But I proceed to Particulars Direct 1. Whatever you do be sure to keep humble look upon Pride as the first-born of the Devil 'T is a Sin which God doth in an especial manner see himself against God resisteth the Proud 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jam. 4.6 He stands in battle array or in direct defiance and opposition against them God still counteracteth the Proud as Dr. Manton observes upon the place 'T was this which turned Angels into Devils as may be observed from that of the Apostle 1 Tim. 3 6. Lest being lifted up with Pride he fall into the Condemnation of the Devil Pride is still the fore-runner of some fall and mischief or other And tho in the truly Godly it be in some measure mortified yet is it not utterly rooted out but sticks very close to our Natures and if it be not carefully watched against it will be taking occasion to shew it self even from our spiritual Gifts or Graces And whatever it comes near is tainted and corrupted by it O let us think and think again how unsutable it is to our condition to be lifted up with high thoughts of our selves how much disingenuity there is in is what have we that we have not received What were we before we received it And what should we quickly be again if we were not upheld by the Divine Power We bear not the Root but the Root beareth us Rom. 11.18 Without him we can â—o nothing Joh. 15.5 Let us therefore endeavour to be cloathed throughout with Humility this is as one says a Christian's Livery without which Christ will not own us as his Servants Let us learn of him to be meek and lowly in Heart Let this Mind be in us that was in Christ who made himself of no Reputation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 emptied himself c. Phil. 2.7 Let us exercise our selves frequently and solemnly in Self-Annihilation that is in affecting our Hearts with a deep sense of our own Nothingness in the sight of God and this I advise you to do as a set Duty by it self and all little enough to subdue the Pride of our Hearts Think not that some slight Thoughts or general Acknowledgments of your own Unworthiness will serve the turn but labour to feel what you say and to be nothing in your own Eyes Go therefore into your Retirements sit down and consider the glorious Excellencies of the great God before whom the Angels vail their Faceâ— who looketh upon the Sun and it shineth not neither are the Heavens clean in his sight Who doâ—â— great things and unsearchable marvelous things without number Job 5 9. Get your Hearts as full as they can hold of adoring and admiring Thoughts of God And when you have so done reflect upon you selves and you will find abundant reason to cry out Lord what am I A Worm and no Max sinful Dust and Ashes foolish and ignorant and as a Beast before thee Less than the least of aâ—â— thy Mercies nothing or worse than nothing c. c. c. I know not any thing more sutable to our Condition more pleasing in the sight of God more conducive to our spiritual Safety and Comfort than to be much employed in such exercise as this Be not desirous of vain Glory do not affect the Applause of Men if you meet with it watch your Hearts as you would do Gun-powder Tinder or Flax when Fire is near Still say give Glory to God I am a poor vile worthless Sinner Direct 2. Press earnestly towards the Mark You have not yet attained there is a great deal of Work still on your Hand many Enemies to conflict withal You have run well hitherto O have a care of making a stand Ad ulteriora tendens semper nilque putans actum dum quid superesset agendum as it was said of Julius Cesar is a fit Motto for a Christian still pressing forward aiming at greater Attainments and thinking nothing done while any thing remains undone Phil. 3.13.14 Forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forth unto those things which are before I press toward the Mark c. Under this Head you may observe the following Particulars 1. Carry on a continual Warfare against your remaining Corruptions the Flesh will be lusting against the Spirit so long as we are here on Earth Labour therefore to keep under the Body and to bring it into subjection Do not indulge your corrupt carnal Inclinations how agreeable soever to your Constitutions or worldly Interest Have a care of being in love with
to labour after more tho' still it is God that worketh in them Heb. 13.20 21. Fifthly and Lastly The Souls of Believers are at their death made perfect in Holiness Somewhat hath been spoken of this already which is now to be further illustrated and proved The Scripture assures us that the Souls of the Godly being separated from their Bodies do pass into Glory or into the Presence of Christ Abraham's Bosom Thus our Lord tells the Penitent Thief Luk. 23.43 To Day shalt thou be with me in Paradise So the Apostle in this Context We are willing rather to be absent from the Body and to be present with the Lord. vers 8. We are also told that the Angels shall be our Convoys to bring us thither Luke 16.22 Now 't is certain that no unclean thing nothing that defileth can enter into the heavenly state From whence it follows that the Souls of the Faithful shall then be perfectly freed from all sinful Weaknesses and therefore must need be perfectly holy For 't is Non-sense to suppose a middle state in this case viz. in a rational Creature obliged by the Law of its Nature to a perfect conformity to the Will of its Creaton But what needs further reasoning when we are plainly told of the Spirits of just Men-made perfect Thus 't is evident that when Death hath opened the Womb of Time or drawn aside the Vail and let us into Eternity all our sinful Imperfections will be lest behind us and never trouble us more How weak soever our present Insant-staâ—e on Earth is there is nothing above but perfect Holiness and Love Thus the Day of Death is the Birth-day of the gracious Soul's Perfection This is our third Birth as one speaks and therefore no wonder if there be some Pangs and Difficulties in it As there was in the Birth of Nature and in that of Grace so in this of Glory Should not the thoughts of this make Death welcome It may be you will say Death is an Enemy to Nature But is it not a conquered Enemy Has not our Lord Jesus Christ even in our Nature overcome it Has he not taken away the sting of it And in so doing gained us the victory 1 Cor. 15.55 c. Yea by the Power and Wisdom of our mighty Redeemer this Enemy Death is turned to our advantage To die is gain Is in terrible to Nature What is Faith for but to conquer such Fears Must we not die in Faith as well as live by is But to return to the Point 'T is no wonder if such sinful imperfect Creatures as we be much at a loss in our apprehensions concerning a State of Sin less Perfection both as to the nature of it and the manner how 't is brought about But for all this it is not hard to conceive that there are several things which may greatly contribute thereto I will just name three Particulars 1. These Bodies will then be laid aside and who knows not what heavy Weights what Prisons what Snares they have been to our Souls Bodies of Sin and Death God knows Rom. 7.23 24. 2. And therefore those holy Habits which had the commanding Influence upon the Hearts and Lives of true Believers but were miserably obscured and kept at an under by the Mists and Darkness of the aniâ—nal State shall then display themselves and appear in their own likeness Which is not unintelligible especially if the nature of an habit consist in a secret deep â—mperceptible constant act of the Soul and who can say it doth not so 3 The admission of the Soul into the sight of the glorious God this is much to be considered in this matter 'T is easy to enlarge upon all these but to what purpose Tu ratiocinare ego credam The Physician of â—our Souls knows how to perfect their Cure in ways to â—us incomprehensible Thus we have considered the several Steps whereby the work of Grace is begun and carried on till it come to Perfection I would only add that in this whole Business no violence is done to our natural Faculties Grace presupposeth Nature which it heals and rectifies but doth not destroy tho' the workings of the Spirit in this matter be powerful and efficacious yet they are also sweet and agreeable They will act most freely when made free by Grace 't is so determin'd that it also determines it self that is it moves spontaneously towards God or having received the influx of his Grace actively concurs therewith viz. Being first animated and quickened thereby And thus much for the explication of the Doctrine CHAP. V. Plain Proof from Scripture and thâ— nature of the thing that none caâ—â— come to Heaven till they be wrought or prepared for it by Divine Grace THO' what has been already said in order 〈◊〉 the opening of the Doctrine hath at the saiâ—â— time carried the Proof thereof along with it thâ—â— great Truth having so much Self-evidence in it thâ—â— one would think being once understood it could noâ— but be assented to yet because 't is exceeding common for Men to bear up themselves with the hopes of Heaven tho' they be utter Strangers to this great work of Grace and withal because it is very dangerous sâ—â— to do Therefore let me give you the Proof of whâ—â— has been thus far explained and set before you Men are slower of belief as to this great Article 〈◊〉 the Christian Doctrine than to most I might say aâ—â—y other as a Learned Man observes Mr. How 's Blessedness of the Righteous pag. 242. But Let God be true but every Man a Liar Rom. 3.4 Therefore 1. None are chosen to Salvation but through Sanctification of the Spirit God's eternal decree of Election connecteth the End and the Means Holiness and Happiness Grace and Glory together The Scripture is most full and plain in this case Rom. 8.29 Whom he did foreknow them he also did predestinate to be conformed to the Image of his Son And what follows Them he also called justified glorified Ephes 1.4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the Foundation of the World that we should be holy and without blame before him in LOVE 2 Tim. 1.9 Who hath saved us and called us with an holy Calling not according to our works but according to his own Purpose and Grace which was given us in Christ Jesus before the World began See more 2 Thess 2.13 1 Pet. 1 2. Is it not plain from these Scriptures that there is such a thing as Election of particular Persons to eternal Life And that as God doth decree to give eternal Life upon certain conditions so he doth also decree to give those conditions to certain Persons And the execution of the Decree is ever answerable to the Decree it self Ephes 1.11 Being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own Will Deny this and you may deny any thing Will you reverse the Decrees of Heaven or deny them