can happen to His There can be no other Event of them but what He setly intended The least of His Purposes shall never suffer disappointment much less that great Design of Men's Salvation by the Death of Jesus Christ For 1. The Thing it self iâ— feasible Millions of Souls are gon to Heaven on His accompt 2. It was so wisely contrived That all Interests concern'd are secured and satisfied God is Just in Jâ—stifying The Sinner saved even whiles Vengeance is taken on his Sins and Christ well pleased with a Seed to serve Him 3. The way of obtainment is such as will certainly compass the End The Divine Power is engaged in it which rests not in the least on the concourse or compliance of any frustrable Instrument 4. His Heart cannot be taken off from it It is That which His blessed thoughts have run upon from Eternity and those Thoughts of His stand fast to all Generations And 5. No higher Power can supersede His Decree He is Sovereign Lord and controlleth all There he divers Arguments which readily offer to confirm the Matter in hand I. The first is from the Nature and Import of Redemption Arg. 1. It was not the mere depositing of the Ransom demanded as a pledge to secure the Creditor's Satisfaction in case the Treaty took effect Nor was it such a pledge as might be resum'd or paid-back in case it succeeded not Neither yet was the Price of that undervalue and imperfection as to need the addition of any thing from without it self to make it effectual But such a Price it was so paid so accepted and so qualified as for ever concludes all Parties and Interests concern'd in it It was in all respects Adequate to and worthy of the Purchase design'd by it Redemption is a term of large comprehension It is next to Election and carries in it All that Election hath Chosen us to It does not barely make Men Releasable or Capable of pardon but the Actual and Eternal Deliverance from Sin Satan Death and the Law together with the full and perfect Salvation of Redeemed Ones is included in it And this is not barely affirm'd but evident proof will make it good A Witness or two for each of these 1. The Redemption wrought by Christ imports Satisfaction Without this the World had not been Reconciled Nor could it be said the pleasure of the Lord had prospered in His hand But both these are affirm'd Isa 53. 10. 2 Cor. 5. 18 and 19. and Heb. 2. 17. expresly That He made Reconciliation for the Sins of the People Yea our Grand Creditour proclames Himself satisfied by His sending from Heaven to Release our Surety 2. Justification or Deliverance from Guilt Eph. 1. 7 In whom we have Redemption through His blood the forgiveness of Sins Gal. 3. 13 Christ hath Redeem'd us from the Curse of the Law being made a Curse for us He blots out the Hand-writing against us Nailing it to His Cross Col. 2. 14. 3. It imports the vanquishing and binding of the Strong Man who would not else have let-go the Prey By death He destroyed Him who had the power of death that is the Devil Heb. 2. 14. By the blood of His Cross He spoiled Principalities and Powers and triumphed over them Col. 2. 15. 4. Freedom from the power of sin Rom. 6. 6 Our old Man was Crucified with Him that henceforth we should not serve Sin Upon which it follows Sin shall not have dominion over you ver 14. 5. Inherent Holyness or Sanctification Col. 1. 21 You that were somtimes enemies in your mind now hath He reconciled in the Body of His flesh through death to present you Holy c. ver 22. We are sanctified through the offering of the Body of Jesus Christ Heb. 10. 10. and Rom. 6 18 Being then made free from Sin ye became the Servants of Righteousness And that it was by virtue of Christ's death appears by ver Heb. 9. 14. 8 For if we be dead with Christ we shall also live with Him 6. It likewise imports Resurrection Joh. 6 54 55 I will raise Him at the last day For my flesh is meat indeed that is as Crucified Christ dying was the death of death Hos 13. 14. 7. It also extends to the actual possessing of Redeemed ones with blessedness and Glory Rom. 8. 30. Whâ—m He justified them He glorified Liberty of entring into the holiest is by the blood of Jesus Heb 10. 19. and Rev. 5. 9 10. That hast Redeemed us unto God by thy blood and hast made us Kings and Priests It is the voice of Those in Heaven Now All these are in Redemption they proceed out of Christ's fulness as a Redeemer And for this cause it was that Paul cared not to know any thing but Jesus Christ and Him Crucified It is true That the Resurrection of Christ His Ascention Sitting at God's right hand and Intercession have their respective influence into every of those particulars aforenamed but they all spring from His Crucifixiâ—n If He had not dyed He had not been a Priest for ever as He is after the order of Melchisedeck Heb. 9. 12. II. Another Argument is from the inestimable worth and dignity of the Ransom that was given Arg. 2. It was the life of the Son of God Matth. 20. 28. Heaven and Earth will bear no proportion in value to this price of Redemption which therefore could not be parted-with for a doubtful or uncertain Purchase In this lies the stress of the Apostle's Argument Who when He would set forth the happy estate of God's Elect and prove them above the Reach of danger He doth it in two words but very significant ones Christ hath dyed Who shall condemn It is Christ that dyed Rom. 8. 38. The Eminency of the Person and the sufferings He submitted to as they greatly illustrate His love to Men So they strongly affirm and insure the event of His death If reconciled to God by the death of His Son much more Saved by His life Rom. 5. 10. It may truly be said of every one He died for Ezek. 18. 9. He is just He shall surely live But this in the same respect and sense as those then unborn were said to be sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ Heb. 10. 10. And their Old Man to be crucified with Him Rom. 6. No Man is actually justified till he actually believes But Repentance and Faith being purchased by Christ for those He died for They shall as certainly be made to Repent and Believe as that Christ died for them Phil. 1. 29. III. The Righteousness of Christ is more prevalent and effectual to His Seed Arg. 3. than Adam's transgression was to his All his Posterity indeed fell under the Curse by it yet so that there was still through the Intervention of Grace a possibility of Release But the Righteousness of Christ hath so perfectly recovered and ' stablished His Seed that their justified '
It is sometimes called The Way of life Prov. 12. 28. Sometimes the fountain and well-spring of life Chap 14. 27. And it tendeth to life Rom 11. 16. Chap. 19 22. For if the Root be holy the branâ—hes cannot be otherwise 'T is so likewise with Sin Death follows Sin not onely as a punishment for delinquency but as its natural off-spring Original corruption is the Root Pro. 23. 29 30. Sin the Stalk that grows next upon it and Death the finishing or full corn in the ear This pedigree of it ye have in James Chap. 1. 14 15. If there were no Justice to Revenge Sin Sin would be vengeance to it self Sinners lie in wait for their own blood Pro. 1. 18. Pro. 13. 21. It is their own wickedness that corrects them Jer. 2. 19. The way of Sin inclineth to death and its footsteps to the Dead Ch 2. 18. Ch. 5. 5. Its steps take hold on â—ell Vnbelief may be an instance for all as out of which all Sins else are derived This was the Root of Adam's apostacy Num. 14. 11. Rom. 11. 20. Heb. 3. 12. and of all that Peoples Rebellions in the Wilderness Faith is that which holds the Soul to God its life and blessedness Vnbelief its departing from Him or the letting go of its hold the loosing of the knot upon which the Soul falls off of its own accord And the first step from God sets in a way of Death As a branch breaking off from its Stock dies of itself This was Adam's unbelief In all Men since it is a Refusing to Return This Doctrine is still further confirm'd by the general unanimous consent and affirmation of Those best able to Judge Arg. 7. 1. They assert it Job a Man of great Wisdom and integrity Not his like in all the Earth Job 1. 8. and none so sorely afflicted yet sayes Elihu to him by way of Counsel as what himself would do in the like case I will ascribe Righteousness to my Maker Job 36. 3. And Surely God will not pervert Iudgement Chap. 34. 12. God is known i. e. He is known to be God by the Judgements which He executeth Psal 9. 16. The Lord is Vpright there is no Vnrighteousness in Him Psal 92. 15. He loveth Righteousness and hateth Iniquity Psal 45. 6 7. The Scepeer of his Kingdome is a Right Scepter ver 6. Righteousness and Judgement are the habitation of His Throne Ps 97. 2. Deut. 32 4. Rev 19. 2. That True and Righteous are his Judgements is the voice of those in Heaven 2 They submit to it even then when most provoked by Mens injurious dealings with them for His sake and when the Lord 's own hand hath been most severe towards them Aaron held his Peace Levit. 10. 3. It is the Lord saith Eli let Him dâ—as seemeth Him good 1 Sam. 3. 18. 2 K. 20 19. Hezekiah also Good is the word of the Lord. Yea they have done thus when by the light of natural Reason they could see no reason for it Witness Job who when plundred of all because he feared God and eschewed evill and could justifie himself to the height as to any hypocrisy Job 9. 15. yet sayes he I will make supplication to my Iudge Look on our Lord and Saviour Himself and see His confession Our father 's cried unto thee and were delivered But I Ps 222. 4. though day nor night I am not silent Thou hearest me not How does He close His complaint Not Thou dealest morâ— hardly with Me who less have deserved it but Thou art Holy Jeremy indeed began to object because the way of the wicked prospered and they were happy that dealt treacherously But he presently bethinks himself withdrawes his plea and yields the cause Ier. 12. 1. Bighteous art thou O Lord when I plead with thee I might instance the Suffrage even of wicked Men and of the most obdurate among them whose Consciences at times have enforced their confession of this Truth and the testimony of an Adversary proves strongly â— haraoh subscribes to it The Lord is Righteous I and my People are wicked Exod. 9. 27. As also doth Adonibezek and Saul Judg. 1. 7. 1 Sam. 24. 17 19. 3 The Saints triumph in the Righteousness of God as well they may and call upon others to do the like The Lord Reigneth Let the Earth rejoyce Psal 93. 97. 99. O Let the Nations be glad and sing for joy Ps 67. 4. Ps 96. 11 13. For thou shalt judg the People Righteously Let the Heavens rejoyce and the Earth be glad before the Lord For He cometh For He cometh to judge the Earâ—h Rom. 53. c. And hence it was that Paul and the rest of them though the present sense of their suffering was grievous yet they gloried in them And Rejoyced greatly in hopes of that Glory 2 Tim. 4. 8. and Crown of Righteousness which God as a Righteous Judge had prepared for them Eightly Arg. VIII The Righteousness of God is yet further illustrated by The End and Event of his darkest dispensations Isa 10. 22. The consumption decreed shall overflow with Righteousness and Nothing else shall be in it His people though long under oppression He brought them forth at last with the greater Substance His leading them about in the Wilderness as it were in a Maze fourty years together and bringing them back again to the place they had bin at many yeares afore Ps 107. 7. yet it proved to be the Right way And it was for their good in the latter end Deut. 8. 16. Davids long persecution by Saul made him the fitter for the Kingdom and adapted him for the Office of principal Secretary to the Great King opportunely acquainting him with all the affairs of the heavenly State and Councel that are fit to be known of men And by his hand and experience they are Firmed to us and this amongst the Rest Blessed is the Man whom Thou chastenest Ps 94. 12. and teachest him out of thy Law We see it also by the end the Lord made with Job Job 23. 10. 42. 12. He brought him forth like gold and doubled His blessings upon him The Basket of good figs were sent into captivity for their good Jer. 24. 5. Phil. 1. 19 Paul's afflictions turn'd to his Salvation Even Christ himself whose temptations sorrows and sufferings where such as never were known by Men Heb. 2. 17 18. they were intended and accordingly did perfect and inable Him for His Office of Mediator Lastly Arg. IX Consider the Elect those precious Soules whom the Lord had loved from everlasting and determin'd to bring them to Glory yet having sinn'd Not one of them shall enter there without satisfaction first given to His Justice Ro 3. 26. Heb. 6. 20. with Ch. 9. 12 23 Even These He will not Justifie but in such a way as to be Just in so doing The Mercy-Seat it self must
to Christ IV. Let every One that is of this Body Infer 4. be well apaid with his Lot Be glad and Rejoyce for ever in this your Portion James 1. 9. This is the Exaltation the brother of low degree should value himself by Whatever your Rank or condition may be in the World Rest contented with your place and be thankful for it Desire not your self to change it But strive to fill it up and be as useful in it as you can Look also for Troubles and think them not strange The Captain of your Salvation was made perfect through sufferings and the servant may not look to fare better than his Lord. Heb 3. 10. V. If Jesus Christ be your Head Infer 5. Be confident then of all Love Councel Care and Protection from Him Union with Him intitles to All He hath It is Natural to the head to love and to Cherish the Body and every Member of it To Contrive and Cast-about for its welfare and safety As a Man cherisheth his own flesh so doth Christ His Church Eph. 5. 29. What though be in thy self an uncomely Member 1 Cor. 12. 23. He will put the more Comeliness upon thee He will cloath thee and Feed thee and Physick thee He will give Grace and Glory and No good thing will He with-hold from thee Ps 84. vlt. For He being the First born Prince and Head of the family all the younger Brethen are to be Maintained upon His Inheritance VI. Rest also assured of safe Conduct to the Promised land Infer 6. Adversaries and difficulties you will certainly meet with Remaining Corruptions like the mix'd multitude will be tumultuating and tempting within The Amalelâ—ites and People of His wrâ—th will stand in your way without Or be falling on your Rear to Cut-off the weak and feeble And the Serpent will yet be Nibling and bruising your heel But higher than that he cannot touch your heart and your head are out of his Reach and therefore you are safe yea this Serpent himself shall be bruised under your feet shortly-Come will your Captain say to you Come Rom. 16. 20. set your feet on the Neck of this King of pride Iâ—sh 10. 24. Rev. 18 6. and do by him as he hath done by others and would have done also by you Give him double according to his works This is the time when ye shall Judge Angels Cor. 6. 3. And all under the Conduct of this your Head and Captain Who will Now present you to His Father even before the presence of His Glory Jude ver 24. with exceeding Joy II That Christ gave Himself a Ransom for the Elect Or. The Redemption wrought by Jesus Christ was peculiarly designed for Elect Persons The Most High who divided to the Nations their Inheritance He gave the Elect to Christ as His portion And though Satan through their ill husbandry in Adam hath got a temporary Mortgage upon them yet the Fee-simple or Right of Inheritance remains in Christ and therefore at the year of Jubilee that is in the time appointed by the Father they return to Him as the Right heir though not without both Conquest and full Price By Christ's giving Himself a Ransom I understand the whole of His humiliation What ever He Did or Suffered as Mâ—diatâ—r from His Incarnation to His Resurrection All which are Summarily express'd by the bloud of his cross as all the preciâ—us fruits of His death Eph. 1. 7. Coll. 1. 11. are by Forgiveness of Sins This was the price wherewith He bought them that should be Saved Election is the Original Patern according to which the line and compass of Redemption is to be measured The Sâ—n can do nothing but what He sees the Father do Joh. 5. 19. To make Redemption larger than Electing love is to Overlay the Foundation and what is so built will surely suffer loss It therefore behoves us to see That we seperate not what God hath conjoyn'd either by stretching or streightning the Bounds He hath set The Jews were opinion'd That the Promise of the Messiah belong'd only to Them exclusive to the Gentiles Others since would extend it to all the Sons of Men universally and alike Not considering the Reason why the Promise was made to the Woman's feed and not to Adam's But the Messiah Himself who best knew the End of His Coming and Line of the Promise exempteth none but extends it to all Nations indifferently Yet so Isa 53. 10. as that He Restrains it to the Elect among them These are called His Seed and the Travel of His Soul with respect to whom He should make His Soul an Offering for Sin These also He terms His Sheep and Himself the Good Shepheard as well He might Whose own the Sheep are and for whom He dy'd Joh. 10. 15 I lay down my life fâ—x the Sheep And that He might not be taken to in tend Those only of the Jewish Nation He presently adds And other Sheep I have which are not of this Fold them also must I bring And the Evangelist sayes in Chap. 11. That He should not die for that Nation only but for the Children of God which are scattered abroad This â—e expresses by Gathering together which was the effect of his death according to Ephes 2. 13. Where they are said to be made nigh by the blood of Christ and that He Reconciled both i. e. Jews and Gentiles or The Elect scattered among both unto God in one body by the Cross according to the Father's Compact made with Him and Recorded in Isa 49. 6. It also appears by Isa 53. that they were Sheep whose iniquities were laid upon Christ ver 6. And again ver 8 For the transgression of my People was He stricken Where note That we do not find any party of Men termed Sheep the People of God and His Children in distinction from Others but with respect to some peculiar Interest He hath in them above others And what that Interest may be excepting Election doth not appear to us For those other Sheep were not yet Called and therefore not yet Believers and Sheep on that accompt but as they were of Gods Elect. For though All Men were lost Christ was not sent but to the lost Sheep of the House of Israel that is Those Persons of the lost and perishing world whom God had chosen for His Peculiars as He did the House of Israel from among the Nations and who in that respect were a special type of the Spiritual Election And on this account the Promises of the New Covenant were made to the Church under such Names and Titles as were proper to that People as distinguished from other Nations In Isa 62. We find Holy and Redeemed applied to the same persons Whether it be meant of Elective Holiness or Actual it comes to One For both of them together with Redemption do refer to the same Subject For as Actual Sanctification is the Fruit and
Redemption do not redound to any but Elect persons Arg. 3. What ever is onewhere ascribed to Redemption as â—he special fruit and consequent thereof is elsewhere ascribed to Election and to This as the first â—nd Original Root And that Redemption it self is the Fruit of Electing love is evident by the 1 Pet. 1. 2. quoted afore Elect unto Obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ They are also said to be Blessed with all spiritual blessings in Christ Eph. 1. 3 4. according as He had Chosen them in Him And if all spiritual blessings be dispensed by the Law of Election then all the saving benefits of Redemption which are the same with those of Election must be dispensed by the same Rule and so to the same persons onely We also find Joh. 17. 6. That Christ's actual distribution of the Gifts He received for Men is guided answerably He manifests the Father's name to the Men He had given Him â—ut of the world To These He expounds that in private which to others He spake in parables And thus He did Because to them it was given to know the Mysteries of the Kingdom of God Math. 13. 34. 36. ver but to the Multitude it was not given And Election was That as gave it them as it followes there For So it seemed good in thy sight In like manner the Apostle in Rom. 8. puts Election and Redemption together as pertaining to the same persons And Justification which is the next effect of Redemption he makes also an unquestionable consequent of Election Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's Elect It is God that justifieth Who shall condemn It is Christ that dyed The question being put concerning God's Elect and the Answer referring to those for whom Christ dy'd is a plain implication That Redemption and Iustification are commensurate with Election That either of them concerneth onely the same persons and that neither of them extends to any but whom the other also taketh-in IV. The price of Redemption was of that Precious and Matchless Value Arg. 4. that it could not be parted-with but with respect to the Certainty of the End for which it was paid Now the End of Redemption was the Salvation of Men below Which there could not be an End worthy the death of Christ And This Nothing could secure but Election The Elect alwaies have abtain'd and shall This is a Rule affirm'd in Rom 11. 7. But for the Rest they are blinded that is They are left to their own voluntary Misunderstanding And being so Not only they Do not Job 12. 39. but they câ—nnot believe And to what end should Christ make His Precious Soul an Offering for Such Men that never shall believe and consequently never be Saved Surely To no better purpose than for the World of ungodly whose Spirits were in prison two thousand years afore Those whom the Lord intends to save alive He appoints an Atonement to be made for them Numb 16. ver 46 47. But for those He intends to kill which is alwaies done justly He will not accept an Offering Judg. 13. 23 and therefore not appoint it As He did not under the Law for those Crimes which Men were to dye for V. I confine Redemption to Elect persons Arg. 5. because Intercession which is of equal latitude with Redemption is limited to These exclusive to Others The Priests of old were to pray for those whose sacrifice they offered And what they did was a patern of our Saviour's Priestly office Whom likewise we finde to Sacrifice and pray onely for the same persons He is an Advocate for those for whose sins He is a Propitiation 1 Joh. 2. 1. Whose transgressions He was smitten for For them He makes Intercession Isa 53. 8 12. For their sakes He Sanctified Himself and for Them it was that He made that solemn prayer in the 17 of John And He now prayes for them as being just now to offer their Sacrifice He also shuts out the World expresly from having any interest in it I pray not for the World but for them which Thou hast given Me. And He adds the Reason the foundation Reason why He would pray for These For they are Thine i. e. They were the Father 's by Election For in all other respects the Earth is the Lord's and the Fullness thereof VI. This Doctrine is further Warranted Arg. 6. by those Genuine and Necessary Conclusions which follow from divers express Scriptures touching this Subject As 1. That those who are planted with Christ in His death shall be also in His Resurrection Rom. 6. 5. 2. That those for whom Christ was Crucified their old Man was Crucified with Him That the body of sin should be destroyed Rom. 6. 6. 3. That those dead with Christ are freed from sin and shall appear with Him in Glory Rom. 6. 7. and Coll 3. 3 4. 4. That those for whom Christ dy'd are Justified and Reconciled Rom. 5. 8 9 10. 5. That for whom He was made sin and a Curse They are made the Righteousness of God in Him 2 Cor. 5. 21. 6. They that are Redeemed do follow the Lamb and are made Kings and Priests unto God Rev 5. 9 10. Chap. 14. 3 4. All which blessings with many the like are the inseparable fruits of Redemption But it is obvious to all That all men are not like unto Christ in Newness of life All have not the body of sin destroyed in them All are not freed from sin Nor shall All appear with Christ in Glory All are not Justified and Reconciled All are not made the Righteousness of God in Christ All do not follow the Lamb Nor are All made Kings and Priests unto God Whence it should follow That All are not Redeemed VII Another Argument for Peculiar Redemption Arg. 7. is founded on the End of Christ's death with the Merit and Efficacy of it Tit. 2. 14. He gave Himself That He might Redeem those He dyed for from all iniquity Hence it follows That if Christ dyed for all then All shall be saved for iniquity only can be their Ruin Or else That Christ fails of the End of his Death But Christ cannot fall short of His End in dying For all power in Heaven and Earth is committed to Him for the Making of it good And yet All Men are not saved The Saved Ones are but a Remnant Therefore He gave not Himself to Redeem All. It is the Father's will That of All He hath given to Christ He should lose Nothing but should give them Eternal life Hence it follows Either That all men were not thus given to Christ or if they were Then All must have Eternal life And if they have Not The Father's Will is Not done But The Father's Will is done as is abundantly evident and yet All men are not saved Therefore That which Christ layed down His life for That He Merited And what He Merited
ever liveth to make Intercession for Those He died for Heb. 7. 25. There is great weight put upon this in Rom. 8. 34 Who is he that Condemneth It is Christ that died yea rather that is Risen again Who also maketh Intercession for us And the sum of His Prayer is 1 That Those given to Him might be kept from evil John 17. 15. 2 That they might be One in the Father and Himself v. 21. And 3 That they may be Where He is to behold His Glory v. 24. Now then If the Salvation of Those He died for was the End of His death If it be the Father's Will that they should be saved If also this Salvation be the Thing for which He prays Joh. 11 22. And whatsoever He asketh of God He will give it It needs must follow That the End of His death cannot be frustrate Inferences I. This Doctrine Infer 1. holding forth the Impossibility of Frustrating the end of Christ's death is a Manifest proof and Argument for the Doctrine of Peculiar Redemption before asserted For If the Salvation of Those He died for was the End of His dying and the Intent of His death cannot be frustrate Then He had not in His eye and design the Salvation of them that are Not Saved II. It gives Believers high encouragement in their Conflict against sin Infer 2. For if our old Man was Crucified with Christ That the body of sin might be destroyed in us and the intent of His death cannot be frustrate Then sin shall not have Dominion over you Than which there is Nothing more strengthens your hands in fighting against sin as is Argued in Rom. 6. 6 12 14 and 22 verses The truth is We have nothing to do in comparison but to take the prey for the enemy is beaten to our hand Eleazar slew 2 Sam. 23. 10. and the people return'd after him only to Spoil So is it here Our business now is to display our General 's Trophees To tell of His Victories and prepare our selves for His triumph That we may be suitable Attendants on Him at that Glorious and long'd-for Day There are Stragling parties indeed who watch for our halting and seldom else can they have advantage against us But their heart is broken and if followed in our Captain 's victorious Name they 'l still be Recoiling Nothing daunts them more than to see you stand to it Your Adversary would make you a Bridge of Gold or any thing even to the half of his Kingdom so you would sound a Retreat or speak no more in that Name Gird up therefore the loyns of your Mind let an holy Magnanimity possess you as knowing your Conflict shall end in your being Crown'd You Run not for an Vncertainty therefore fight not as they that beat the air For it is Nevertheless true that your enemy is stubborn and your constant pursuit will make him desperate Since he may not have quarter he 'l do all he can Not to die alone He will stand on his Stumps when his legs are off or lye on his back and fight for his Malice is implicable He will never give-over till quite out of breath and yet he will not be quite without whiles we have any We must expire together But here lies the odds That We dying in the Conflict shall rise again with Marks of honour and our Laurel hold green to Eternity yea we shall sit with our Glorious Captain in His Triumphal Chariot Rev. 3. 21. but our enemy lies in eternal silence and his Name shall Rot or be Remembred only to Greaten our Glory Only as before be sure you stand to it set your face as a flint as your Lord and Master did and know That as he was not Confounded so neither shall you All that he had you have on your side and the Merit of His improvement added to it What Power the Father gave to Him He delegates to you even a power over all the power of the enemy As it were an Antidote or Supersedeas to invalidate all that comes against you Wherefore then should we doubt Though they come about you like Bees In the Name of the Lord you shall destroy them Remember the advantages you have Besides the bruifing of your enemie's head and that incurably your own Head is in Heaven and He is there as on a Mount to behold both yours and your enemies posture and to send-in relief which He never fails to do at a dead lift And He makes intercession for you whiles you are fighting His hands are up and never weary and therefore you may be confident of success It was by virtue of His prayer that Peter's faith did not fail when there was but an hairs breadth between him and death Pro. 30. 4. Jer. 31. 10 11. The Devil Winnow'd but Christ stood-by and held the Wind in Hist fist The Lord will keep His people because He hath Redeemed them III. Since the Lord hath So firmly Secured the blessedness of His Redeemed Ones Infer 3. Then let None who hope themselves of that happy Remnant darken their evidences Do Nothing Omit Nothing whereby your Interest in Redemption may be rendred doubtful to you lest you loose the Comfort and Strength which the Lord intends His People by thus firmly insuring of it IV. This also Confirms the Doctrines of Peculiar and Absolute Election Infer 4. Effectual Calling and Final Perseverance As is very obvious to them that will seriously Mind it Every of which hath something of that kind under those respective heads And so I come to Effectual Calling as the next great effect of peculiar Redemption OF Effectual Calling THe Doctrine of Calling which I term Effectual to distinguish it from that which is Outward only and prevails not respects the Means whereby and the Manner how God's Elect are actually prepared for that Salvation He hath chosen them to It is God's revealing His Son in them and He doth it by the Holy Ghost whose office it is to Sanctifie Whom the Father hath Elected and Christ Redeemed These three acts of Grace are peculiar to the Three Persons respectively as ye have it in Jude v. 1. Next to the Glory of His Grace and the honour of His Son the Lord hath placed the Blessedness of His People as the principal End and Scope of all He hath done in the World or will do till He foldeth it up It could not therefore stand with His holy wisdom to leave those He was pleased to choose unto Salvation to the conduct of their own Understanding and Will with such other helps as they have in common with other Men and thereon to hang the whole of His great design For by such a course it would not only be frustrable but certainly defeated For prevention whereof and that the purpose of His Grace might stand He hath made it of the very substance of Predestination to prepare and apply the Means as well as to appoint the End
and Prun'd-off Joh. 15. 2. the true Branches are preserved and Cherished They shall bring-forth fruit in their old age Pâ— 92. 14. 1 Joh. 3. 2 9. chap. 2. 27. 2 ep Joh. v. 2. They that are Now i. e. Once They that are Once the Children of God shall never be Otherwise save only in a greater likeness to their Father And tho' their living on Him and their likeness to Him be very weakly especially at times as the Natural life of Infants is yet being born they must be kept And the Will and Care of their Father is Eph. 4. 13. To Nurse them up to a Perfect Man You ' I say perhaps That never had any such cause of Complaint as you and possibly it may be so To be sure you know not that They had And those you compare your self with have said as much of themselves and they had the like Cause for our hearts are fashion'd alike Onely each one best knows the plague of his own Agur a Man of great Wisdom and Holiness says of himself That he was more brutish than any Man Prov. 30. 2. But suppose it be true That Others corruptions have not broke-out as yours have done yet May not this put your faith to a â—tand Much less Make you weary Recoil or to faint in your Minds For the same Grace that prevented them can pardon you and will if you cast your self upon it Ye may indeed be allow'd to complain of your sins for Nothing els have ye to complain of Therfore Complain and Cry-out as loud as you will Rom. 7. 24. Oh wretched Man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death But withall Betake you to the same Refuge that he did ver 25. abide by it I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord Here you may triumph over all both Complaints and the Causes of them It must always be granted That to Overcome Sin Combin'd Intrench'd and fortifi'd as it is is a great Undertaking and must be gon-through with There is no Retreit to be sounded Nor Armour provided for your back Every Mother's son must either kill or be kill'd in this Combate There 's no Compounding the Difference Nor discharge in this Warfare till the day be perfectly Won But What a Recruit is there levied and always stands ready as a sure Reserve viz. That though the Conflict be sharp the success is sure In order whereto amongâ—t other Rules and Articles of War bear in mind these few following 1. Intangle not your self but shun and avoid whatever may prove a clog or unfit you for duty 2. Exercise yourself in things that will teach you to handle your Arms and tending to Nourish your faith 3. Stand on your Guard watchfully that ye be not surprised by sudden excursions or under pretence of friendship 4. Arm your self with the same Mind that was in Christ set your face as a flint and conclude That ye shall not be confounded 5. Submit to the place your General hath set you in It must have been some bodie 's lot and why not yours and the hotter it is the more honourable 6. Look that ye fight with proper weapons which are onely to be had at the Covenant of Grace and the Cross of Christ And There they are never wanting And be sure ye go not down to the Philistines either to forge or sharpen 7. Fight not as one that beats the ayr but as having indeed a sturdy adversary to deal-with whom yet you are sure to Overcome 8. Look still on your Captain to observe what He says and Does and do likewise To take-up your Cross and endure hardship are necessary accoutrements to a Soldier of Christ 9. Wait on the Lord to Renew your Strength who then bestirrs Himself most when your strength is gon Then He lays hold upon Shield and Buckler Ps 35. 2. and stands-up for your help 10. Lastly and to Influence all Mind the Lord of his Covenant even Then when it may be your self think on it with trouble as doubting your interest in it Pray Him to remember it for you and with the same Good-will wherewith He made it Beseech Him to look-on His Bow in the Cloud which Himself hath set there as a sure sign between God and you That tho' the skies be Red and lowring The Clouds return after the Rain and the Billows go-over your head you shall not be deluged by them By this it is that ye are hedged-about and walled-up to Heaven Therefore Stand not like Men in suspense as unresolved to fall-on or doubtful how to come-off But On On the day 's your Own The Lord of Hosts pursues them And let all the Sons of God shout for joy Sixthly Infer VI. since Believers onely are interessed in the Covenant and that Faith is a Necessary Instrument which the Covenant wil not work without without which you cannot work with it Nor see your Interest in it Look-well to your Faith first That it be of the right kind viz. such as Renounces Self lives upon Grace And then having found it such Be sure ye keep it well and improve it to the utmost Two uses especially are to be made of it 1 As your Shield to supply the place of all other peeces of your Armour when broken or loose as well as to safeguard them when they are whole and Tite about you If your helmet be out of the way and fiery darts come pouring down Hold up your Faith between your head and them Faith is the truest quench-coal to the fire of hell If your Sword be forgot or laid-aside or wants an edge c. your Shield if well applyed will Retort your enemies weapons on his own Pate 2 Faith is your spiritual Optick which shews you things of Greatest Moment and Not Otherwise Visible Even Chariots and horsmen of Fire are not discernible without it If temptations from the World do indanger you Turn your Faith that way and through it view and consider how Shallow and short-liv'd the pleasures of it are and how Momentany your sufferings Then look-at the World to come The Glory of it and your interest in it And how much your Crown will be Brightened by the scowrings you have pass'd-under here and dwell on the contemplation of it Bend not your eye so much on the peril or length of your passage as on the long'd-for shore that lies beyond it And reckon the Surges of that dreadfull gulph which is yet betwixt you and It but as so many strokes to waft you Thither Heb. 11. 26. This was the course that Moses took and Christ Himself Nothing so blunts the edge of Satan's temptations Chap. 12. 2. or the World's as this Faith of God's Elect. Therefore see that you hold-fast your Faith Keep it as your life keep That and it will keep you and let it not go until ye die Then indeed it will leave you because then it will have done