soul the cockatrice of Adams sin was first hatched I will not now dispute whether it was in the understanding being first blinded or in the will being first perverted this I know that the will is apt to be seduced by a blinde understanding and the understanding as apt to be clouded by a perverse will The understanding * moves the will by proposing the object which the will cannot affect except the understanding knowes it the will †moves the understanding to judge and consider the object which the understanding cannot consider except the will command it Lord illuminate my understanding that it may direct my will to affect the things that thou commandest and rectifie my will that it may command the understanding to exercise its act in meditating on the things which thou commandest LXIIII. If Christs obedience had been necessarie or naturall and not voluntarie he had not been like to us in all things except sin neither had he been subject to the tentation of disobedience nor had his obedience been meritorious nor had it been more excellent then the obedience of Angels but in this was his obedience more noble then theirs in that he yeelded that obedience willingly which they doe necessarily I will strive whilst I am here to obey willingly that hereafter I may obey necessarily for though voluntary obedience be the nobler yet necessarie obedience is the surer for I may disobey in the one I cannot but obey in the other LXV Though the sufficiencie of Christs death be extended to all yet the efficacie thereof is not applied to all nor did he pray and make intercession for all By his death he procured pardon for us and by his intercession he applies that pardon to us Lord in thy birth thou acceptedst my nature in thy death thou representedst my person by thy intercession put away my sins and pardon my offences that the mediation which thou begannest in thy birth and didst accomplish in thy sacrifice and passion may be fully made effectuall to me by thy prayers and intercession LXVI Action followes the affection therefore we love and hate actually because these affections are in us radically Though hatred be no affection in God yet we conceive it as an affection God therefore rejected Esau because he hated him but he did not hate him because he rejected him Lord I know thou maist justly reject me because in me there is that pravitie for which thou maist justly hate me repaire therefore in me the lost image of thy Son and so I shall escape thy just wrath and indignation LXVII The acts of Christs righteousnesse are ours not as they are performed by him but as they are imputed to us imputed I say by his merit and goodnesse and apprehended by our faith though in much weaknesse Then I see Lord that without faith thy righteousnesse will not availe me and without thy merit and goodnesse my faith cannot prevaile with thee give me then the hand of faith that with the Hemorroisse I may touch thee and by thy merit strengthen that hand that with Jacob I may hold thee LXVIII Christ first suffered before we could be redeemed and we are redeemed before it is applyed or can receive benefit by it then are we fully redeemed when we are from Satan and sin delivered Though Christ in suffering hath sufficiently paid the ransome yet whilst we are here subject to sin and Satan we are not fully partakers of redemption Heaven not earth is the place where that shall be perfected I will therefore lift up my head with joy because by death the day of my redemption draweth nigh LXIX A double benefit we have by Christ one that he hath purchased Redemption for us by his bloud the other that he hath applyed that Redemption to us by his Spirit if he had not died I could not have beleeved if I had not beleeved he had not applyed his death and merits to me Redemption is the cause of Faith and Faith the cause of Application Lord produce Faith in me by the vertue of thy passion that by Faith I may injoy thee in a true and spirituall Application LXX That the Church injoyes life eternall she is bound to Gods dilection but that she injoyes that life alone she is bound to his election because he loved her he hath bestowed this happinesse upon her because he chose her he hath appropriated this happinesse unto her Lord I will praise thy love by which I was elected and I will praise that election by which I am separated from the reprobate LXXI Gods will is the cause of preterition his justice is the cause of predemnation he was not bound to give grace to all therefore he passed by some without prejudice to his goodnesse he was bound to punish sin in all therefore he preordaines the death of his own Son and eternall paines for reprobates that he might not suffer prejudice in his justice Lord if thou hadst passed by me I could not have blamed thy goodnesse if thou shouldst punish me eternally I cannot blame thy justice for if thou givest grace to all where is thy libertie if thou forgivest all where is thy justice and equitie LXXII God is a most free Agent because he can doe what he pleaseth not because he can doe every thing his will is the supreme cause of all externall things but not of his justice which is internall as he cannot doe that which is evil so he cannot will that which is unjust as goodnesse is the object of his actions so justice is the rule of his will Lord make my actions subordinate to thy will as thy wil is subordinate to thy justice that as thou canst not will that which in justice thou maist not so I may not doe that which in wisedome thou wilst not LXXIII Though God foresaw sin in all yet he rejected not all sin was the occasion why he rejected some his will was the cause why he rejected but some his will was the cause of discrimination but sin of reprobation Lord I confesse it was not for want of sin in me that thou didst not reject me but because there was no want of goodnesse in thee therefore thou didst elect me my sin was the cause why I might have been rejected but thy mercie is the cause why I was not rejected LXXIIII God hindred Adams sin morally by his law not physically by his power he gave a law to guide him threatnings to affright him promises to induce him sufficient grace to strengthen him but used no violence or force to restraine him he would not thwart or destroy by any violent restriction that libertie which he gave him by Creation Thus we see his prudence in not restraining sin physically and withall his goodnesse in curbing it morally LXXV God willeth the death of a sinner because he foresaw the impenitencie of the sinner this is his consequent not his antecedent will in this his will depends not on the creatures
thee that by the cordiall of a generall pardon my soule may be cured and totally saved by thee II. So severe is the great Judge of the quick and the dead that when he shall come to judge the world in righteousnesse at his presence the powers of Heaven shall shake the elements shall melt the starres shall fall the sun shall be darkned the sea shall roare and the moone shall give no light yea the heavens shall be rolled up like a scrole and shall passe away with a noise Lord if the righteous shall scarcely be saved where shall sinners appeare If there be no puritie in the Angels nor stabilitie in the heavens nor holinesse in thy Saints what shall become of me who am sold under sin and drinks in iniquitie as water But my comfort is that thou hast committed all judgement to thy Son who died for sinners Shall I feare to be judged by a brother or appear before a Saviour He that left Heaven to suffer death for me will he after death shut Heaven against me I will not feare from that mouth the sentence of condemnation which by prayer hath been the meanes of mediation between God and me Surely he that came to seek that which was lost will not loose that which he came to seek III. Such is the severitie of Gods Justice that he will not exempt his own children from temporarie punishments though he died for them 1. Because like gold they must shine in the furnace of affliction 2. That they may not be damned with the world 3. That they may be the better fitted for Heaven for they must be baptized in this red sea before they can obtain that heavenly Canaan and through the temple of Vertue must passe into the temple of Honour 4. That the wicked may have lesse cause to complain when they see Gods own Sonnes not spared 5. That by chastisements sin may be suppressed as Pauls pride by an Angel of Satan was buffetted 6. That the Patience Faith and Obedience of the Saints might be manifested and exercised that the metall of their vertues may not for want of exercise be rusted 7. That in some sort they might be made conformable to Christ their Master for if he suffered for sin that knew not sin shall we escape punishment that are born live and die in sin Shall the head be wounded with thornes and the members sleep in beds of Roses 8. That others by their example may be animated to run with patience the race which is set before them 9. That Gods love to them may be testified for he passeth by bastards and corrects those whom he loves Lord with all reverence I kisse thy rod by it I am bettered thy flail doth not break me but separates the chaffe from me thy fire purifieth but consumeth me not in thy morter the more that the spices of my vertues are bruised the more they are made fragrant My spirituall Camomell by thy treading is not spoiled but made more redolent in thy Presse though like grapes I am squeezed yet the pretious liquor of my vertues are not lost but increased the more that the stormes of afflictions beat upon me so much the more like a strong Cedar let my roots be fastned in thee the darker the night is I will like a star fastned in thy firmament shine the cleerer and the more burthen thou layest upon me with the Palme I will rise the higher I acknowledge Lord thy goodnesse in that thou hast not drowned the Ark of my soul in the flood of afflictions but hast raised it higher then the highest mountaines Thy rod hath sweetned my bitter waters and thy salt hath preserved me from rottennesse IIII. Such is the severitie of Gods Justice that some mens temporarie sinnes are punished with eternall paines because the person offended is eternall the happinesse which they lost is eternall their desire to sinne is eternall the malice of Satan in tormenting men is eternall the Justice of God is immutable the fire of hell is inextinguishable the repentance of wicked men in hell is impossible the wrath of God without Christ is implacable Lord make me seriously to meditate upon these infernall paines which for acerbitie are unspeakable for varietie innumerable for permanencie interminable that I may not run the hazzard of suffring endlesse torments for the injoyment of a few short and fruitlesse vanities make me to prevent thy wrath by timely repentance that I may before I goe hence obtain thy favour and indulgence V. As God in his Justice suffers his Children to lye under the rod of correction and adversitie so doth he permit wicked men to flourish with all outward prosperitie Lazarus starves whilst the rich Glutton surfets whilst Ioseph is a prisoner his brethren are at libertie and whilst Belshazzar is feasting Gods people are in captivitie This God is pleased to suffer 1. That his goodness may appeare which causeth his sun to shine upon the good and bad 2. To make the wicked inexcusable who have not wanted the bait of outward blessings to bring them to goodnesse 3. That we may know worldly prosperities to be none of Gods choicest blessings seeing bad men injoy them and outward adversities to be none of his chiefest judgements seeing good men are annoyed by them 4. That the wicked may not complain for wanting the reward of their good actions verily they have received their reward here let them be content with their temporarie blessings that is all the reward they shall have let them take then that which is their own and goe their way 5. The more outward prosperitie is heaped on them the greater judgements are prepared for them 6. It stands with Gods Justice that these temporall vanities which they preferre to life eternall should be the occasion of their stumbling and downfall 7. Here is the comfort of Gods Children that he who heapes so many outward and earthly benefits on his Enemies will not forget to bestow inward and heavenly blessings on his Friends if the few good actions of wicked men are here so plentifully rewarded surely the many sufferings of good men cannot be forgot and obliterated O my God as thy outward blessings which are but temporall content not my desires which are immortall neither am I assured by them that thou lovest me seeing thou bestowest them on such as hate thee therefore Lord conferre on whom thou wilt wealth and honour that which I desire of thee is thy love and favour VI It stands with Gods Justice to suffer us to fall into divers doubts and tentations when we are puffed up with pride and conceit of our own excellencies he will by such meanes humble us that we may see our own infirmities he will suffer us with Peter to sink in these waters that with him we may flie to our Master Jesus the Angel of Satan is permitted to buffet us that we may with Paul pray to him whose grace is sufficient for us God himself in these
for the second Adams obedience but we have no cause to suspect thee of crueltie in condemning us for the first Adams disobedience LII Punishment was prepared in Gods decree as well for the sin of Iacob as of Esau both having sinned alike in Adam but it was pardonable in the one unpardonable in the other which difference proceeded from grace not from nature Lord I confesse thou couldst see no more originall sin in Judas then in me yet thou wast pleased to punish him and to spare me if thou hadst condemned us both thou hadst done justly but in sparing the one thou hast magnified thy mercie LIII There is a two-fold grace the one of Creation the other of Election the one was the gift of God without Christ the other was the gift of God in Christ the one was the image of God the other was the renovation of that image the one was lost in Paradise the other shall never be lost in Heaven Lord thou hadst no other inducement but thine own goodness to create me to thy image but now thou hast another inducement to wit thy Sons merits to renew in me that decayed image the one thou mightst not have done the other thou canst not but doe for though thou wast not bound in the creation to bestow thy image on me yet now thou art bound by thy Sonnes satisfaction to repaire this image in me LIIII Adam could have abstained from the externall act of touching by naturall grace only but in him could not be the inward and permanent affection of obeying without supernaturall grace also Lord if Adam could not yeeld constant obedience to thee in his estate of integritie how shall I be able to persevere in obedience without thy speciall grace being now in the estate of iniquitie LV Though the habit of justice as it is the essence of God be necessarily in him yet the actions of justice which are not his essence are not necessarily performed by him He is necessarily just but a voluntarie agent He doth necessarily hate injustice but freely and voluntarily he punisheth it and decreed punishment for it Lord what should become of me and of all the other wretched sonnes of Adam if it were as necessarie for thee to punish as it is to be just But my comfort is that as justice is so necessarie in thee that thou canst not be unjust so thy actions are so free and voluntarie that thou canst pardon my sin and yet notwithstanding thou canst not be but just LVI There was no necessitie why God should manifest his justice in punishing sinners seeing he had power to manifest that in punishing his own Son for sinners In the one he shewes himself to be a God of mercy not of revenge in sparing his enemies in the other he shewes himself a God of justice in punishing his beloved Son who became suretie for his enemies LVII There is a two-fold cause of predemnation the one is sin the other is Gods decree the one is necessarie the other voluntarie sin is the cause why God may condemne all Gods decree is the cause why he will condemne but some he looks on sin as it is pardonable in some unpardonable in others the one eye by which he lookes is justice the other is mercie Lord thou didst look upon my sin with justice and severitie when thou punishedst it in thine own naturall Son therefore look on it as it is in me with meeknesse and mercy and pardon it in me that am thy adopted son LVIII Every man is not a reprobate that falls into sin but he that finally perseveres in sin for all men fell into sin by the permission of providence but wicked men only continue to the end in sin by the permission of preterition Lord that sin which was voluntary in Adam is necessary in me but although in thy just judgements there is a necessitie that I should be tainted with originall contagion yet there is no necessitie why I should lye still and persevere in actuall transgression without thy providence I could not fall without thy assistance I cannot rise as by thy providence thou hinderest not my falling because the glory of thy justice was thereby manifested so I pray thee further by thy assistance my rising again that the glory of thy goodnesse may be thereby magnified LIX In Gods externall actions there is neither naturall nor coactive necessitie for both nature and coaction exclude libertie the fire burnes naturally the bullet flyes upward violently therefore both necessarily but Gods internall actions on himself are naturall therefore necessarie the Father begot his eternall Son neither willingly nor unwillingly but naturally and necessarily so because Gods attributes are naturall and essentiall to him they are necessarily in him he is necessarily not voluntarily good because he cannot be but good he doth voluntarily not necessarily make man good because he can forbeare if he would to make him good Lord I confesse that the more free Agent thou wast in the work of my conversion the lesse free am I but the more necessitated to praise thy goodnesse and wisdome for how can I choose but honour and obey thee who couldst have chosen whether thou wouldst have redeemed and saved me LX Faith is both an habit and an action if it justifie as it is an habit I will not dispute this I know that it justifieth as it is an action for Abraham beleeved and so was justified The life then of Religion consisteth in action not onely of the outward works of the hand but also of the inward work of the heart for this is the work of God that we beleeve in him O Lord faith is thy work and it is mine too it is thy work to infuse it it is my work to apprehend Christ by it let thy work be first performed in me and then I know my work if thou assist shall be performed by me LXI Though we are not actually free from sin in this life yet there is a possibilitie that we may be free if either we consider the power of God who can mightily effect it or the will of a regenerate man who doth so earnestly affect it Lord in that I may be free from sin it argues thy omnipotencie but in that I am not free from sin I must blame my own impotencie There is in me a desire to be freed from this body of death and in thee there is power to free me who art the Lord of life LXII There was in Adam a directive light of the minde while he was falling to let him see his danger but there was not in him that perswasive light which might powerfully restrain him from danger that light had kept him from falling had he followed it and this light had kept him from falling had he received it Lord though thou didst not give Adam this light thou art unblameable seeing thou didst give him so much of that light as made him inexcusable LXIII In what facultie of the
actions but on his own prescience his will may be Posterior to the foreseen sin of the creature but no wayes depending on the will of the creature In willing the death of sinners he shewes his justice in willing the death but of some sinners he shewes his goodnesse LXXVI All men may beleeve only some men will beleeve in all there is a possibilitie in some only a velleitie the possibilitie to beleeve is the gift of nature but the will to beleeve is the gift of grace the one we have by Creation the other by Regeneration Lord what is possibilitie without will and nature without grace As in Generation thou gavest me a reasonable soul that had a capabilitie to beleeve in thee so in my Regeneration give me a sanctified will that I may actually and constantly beleeve in thee LXXVII He that bestoweth Faith upon sinners bestoweth also Salvation upon repentant sinners by faith we are brought to repentance by repentance we are prepared for salvation Lord if thou hadst not bestowed faith upon Peter to beleeve in thee he had not repented for denying thee and if he had not repented he had not been saved lead me then by the hand of faith to the Iordan of repentance that being washed there from my spots I may see Heaven opened with Christ and with him injoy thy Spirit and light of thy Countenance LXXVIII There is in Gods will both a necessitie and a libertie he wills necessarily what concerns himself he wills freely what concerns other things besides himself he did necessarily will his own glorie he did freely will and decree my felicitie Lord thou couldst not but will thine own honour and goodnesse thou couldst not have willed my happinesse the more free thou wast from necessitie in willing my felicitie the more am I bound to praise the glorie of thy mercie LXXIX Gods will hath a two-fold consideration one as it is concealed another as it is revealed the former hath relation to his own actions the other to ours what he will doe himselfe is concealed what he will have us doe is revealed this will is not alwayes forcible the other is powerfull and irresistible Lord let me follow the directions of thy revealed will and not meddle with the hid secrets of thy concealed will I will not be too forward to know what thou hast not revealed nor will I be too backward to doe what thou hast commanded LXXX God hath decreed to bestow on man first grace then glory to the decree of giving grace preterition is opposite to the decree of giving glory reprobation no man is debarred from glory but he that was first deprived of grace preterition then is the antecedent to reprobation and the want of grace to the want of glory Thus they whom God doth here honour with the spirituall crown of grace shall be hereafter graced with the eternall crown of honour LXXXI That is a just law which is given by him that hath right to impose it and imposed on him who hath power to performe it such was the law that God gave to Adam the one had power to give the other power to keep it Lord thy law is just which thou hast given to me because thou hast power to impose it this law will not be the lesse just if thou wilt assist me and give me power to obey it LXXXII As Gods will hath relation to his own actions it is accompanied with omnipotencie as it hath relation to our actions it is regulated by justice for when he will doe what he hath determined he cannot be resisted so when he will have us doe what he hath commanded he cannot be unjust what he himself will doe is best known to him what he will have us do is not unknown to us Lord as it is thy will that I doe that which thou commandest wherein thou shewest thy justice so let it be thy will to command that which by thy help I can doe and therein shew thy goodnesse LXXXIII He that opposeth Gods revealed will which can be resisted deserveth to be hardned by Gods concealed will which cannot be resisted for that will of God which is not done by him shall be done on him Lord assist me to follow the direction of that will which is revealed that I may avoid the destruction which by that other will is decreed for although by the secret will of thy * pleasure thou hast determined death for obstinate sinners yet by the pleasure †of thy revealed will thou hast proposed life to penitent sinners LXXXIIII God in his goodnesse made man a vessell of mercy Satan in malice made him a vessell of miserie therefore God in his justice hath made him a vessell of his wrath and furie God made the vessell which whilst it staid in his hand remained sound falling from thence it hath received a crack therfore by this crack being made unserviceable it is rejected Lord the substance of the vessell is thine the crack is mine I have made my self unfit to serve thee therefore justly maist thou refuse to honour me LXXXV God hated Pharaoh not because he hardned him but because he obstinately resisted God therefore he hated him and consequently hardned him and that not by the force of his omnipotencie but by his patience and longanimitie Lord if I by thy goodnesse should take occasion to become obstinate in wickednesse why maist not thou take occasion by my perversenesse to obdurate me in my sins and to debarre me from grace and happinesse Therefore I pray thee keep me from obstinacie that thy patience by my sins may not be turned into fury LXXXVI There be two sorts of carnall men some are carnall in knowledge some in affections the former sort are children who are fed with milk and not yet with spirituall men able to judge of all things the other sort are wicked men who walk after the flesh not after the spirit and have not mortified the deeds of the flesh now God is a Spirit and will be worshipped in spirit Lord remove from me all fleshly understanding that I may conceive thee spiritually and remove from me all carnall affections that I may love thee spiritually Give me the love of knowledge that I may attain to the knowledge of thy love Make me by the spirit of understanding to come to the understanding of thy Spirit LXXXVII Goodnesse hath a two-fold residence one in the minde the other in the flesh when 't is there I will good when 't is here I doe good 't is good to have the knowledge of good and that is in the minde 't is good to subdue and mortifie sinfull lusts and that is in the flesh the former goodnesse is sometimes in wicked men the other is onely in good men Lord place in my minde the goodnesse of knowledge whereby I may see and understand thee and place in my flesh the goodnesse of holiness whereby I may love and injoy thee for what is knowledge without
goodnesse and sight without injoyment It is by knowledge I see it is by love I enjoy LXXXVIII 1. There is in us an inward man so there is an outward 2. There is a new man so there is an old man 3. There is a law of the minde so there is a law of the members and there is a law also of the spirit of life 4. There is a voluntarie dominion in sin and there is an involuntarie 5. There is an universall tyrannie of sin and there is a particular 6. There is a regeneration in the minde and will and there is a regeneration in the members and affections 7. There is a complete will or volition and there is an incomplete will or velleitie 8. There is a generall or confused judgement and there is a more particular or distinct judgement 1. The inward man is the minde the outward man is the body 2. The new man is grace the old man is sinne 3. The law of the minde is knowledge and conscience the law of the members is sin the law of the Spirit of life is saving grace 4. The wicked are under the voluntarie the godly under the involuntarie dominion of sin 5. Originall sin is an universall tyrant actuall sins are particular tyrants 6. Regeneration in the minde and will is knowledge and desire Regeneration in the members is action or working the will of God 7. Volition followes the last judgement of reason velleitie followes the antecedent or confused judgement 8. By a generall and confused judgement my will affects the good which is commanded by Gods law by a particular and distinct judgement my will affects the evil which is condemned by Gods Law Lord 1 as I praise thee for the inward and the outward man 2 so will I much more praise thee if thou wilt strengthen in me the new man of grace and weaken the old man of sin 3 if thou wilt give me the law of the spirit of life to illuminate the law of the minde and to debilitate the law of the members 4 Make my service of sin involuntarie 5 and though I cannot be free from that catholike tyrant of originall sin yet in thy mercy deliver me from the insolencie of these particular tyrants my actuall sinnes 6 And let not my Regeneration be only intellectuall but also operative and effectuall 7 Rectifie and cleere my judgement that it may direct my will 8 And make my will to affect the good which thou câ—mmandest and to dis-affect the evil which thou condemnest LXXXIX Though Predestination as it is an act or work of God can nothing be furthered or hindered by our good or wicked lives yet salvation which is the effect of Predestination may be furthered by prayers and holinesse hindered by our infidelitie and wickednesse for God who preordained Salvation preordained also the means which may help forward our Salvation Lord let not the conceit of my Election dull me with securitie or puffe me up with presumption but assist me that by good works I may make my Election sure and in feare and trembling I may work out my Salvation XC There are three books of life the one is Gods Register book the other is Gods book of Statutes the third is his book of Records In the first as in a Register are set down all the names of the predestinate in the second which is the Scripture are set out all the duties that are to be performed by the predestinate in the third are set down all the good actions and sufferings of the predestinate Out of the first we cannot be blotted for our names are written in Heaven and though an earthly mother may forget the fruit of her womb yet our heavenly Father cannot forget the fruit of his Spirit Out of the third book we may be blotted because our sinnes may occasion him to forget our good works and to slight our suffrings Lord I confesse that I have slighted thy sacred Book of divine Statutes therefore thou maist justly blot me out of the book of thy remembrance but in that thou hast not blotted my name out of thy first book I ascribe it to thy immutabilitie and if thou wilt not blot out my patience and suffrings out of thy other book I will admire and praise thy mercy XCI Though God loves all men yet he saves not all men he loves them because he made them he saves them not because he willed it not he could not in justice will all mens Salvation seeing man by his voluntary unjustice deprived himself of Salvation he loves his own image but hates that which defaced his image he loves the man but hates the sin and if it were not for sin he would not punish man Lord thy love to man is unspeakable in that thou savest some and thy justice is unsearchable in that thou savest not all I cannot blame thy justice but my sins that caused my miserie I cannot brag of my merits but of thy goodnesse that moved thee to mercie XCII God hates the sins of man because he loves his own justice with the love of †complacencie he hates the miseries of man because he loves mans welfare with the love of * amitie but by accident he loves the death of wicked men because he hates the works of iniquite Thus it is as naturall for God to hate evil as it is to love himself and as impossible for him to love evil as it is to hate himself XCIII Christ loved us when we were his enemies and he loves us being his friends when we were his foes he suffered death for us being his friends he hath purchased life to us that love was greater then this if we consider the object this love is greater then that if we consider the benefit O my God how am I bound to thee who when I was thine enemie didst weare the crown of thornes for me and being now thy friend hast bestowed a Crown of glory on me Let not the servant repine to beare the reproaches of so gracious a master who was content to beare the sins and shame of so ungracious a servant XCIIII God did first will his own glory 2. Mans existence 3. His righteousnesse 4. His own Promises 5. The execution or accomplishment of them concerning mans happinesse Gods glory is the great wheele of this clock which moves all the rest the finall cause which moves all other causes Had it not been for his glory I had neither had being nor well-being he gave me existence he made me to his image he promised me happinesse and he hath performed it to the end I might glorifie him Shall I then dishonour thee O God by whom I am what I am when I look on my creation and am by grace what I am not by nature when I look on my regeneration Therefore I will praise the glory of thy power for my existence the glory of thy goodnesse for my righteousnesse the glory of thy mercy in promising
and the glory of thy truth in performing what thou hast promised though thus I have not deserved XCV All the afflictions of Gods people are either punishments chastisements or probations punishments for sins past chastisements to prevent sinnes to come probations to make triall of our Christian vertues and though Christ was punished for our sinnes to free us from eternall torments yet we are not thereby exempted from temporarie punishments he died to save us from death eternall not from death temporall he both suffered and satisfied we suffer though we cannot satisfie our sufferings are to shew our conformitie with Christ but not to shew any insufficiencie in the death of Christ Thou O Lord hast paid a plenarie ransome for sin and thou that knewest no sin becamest sinne and didst suffer death as a punishment for us that we who are born in sin might be free from sin that death might not be a punishment but a chastisement to us XCVI As by one simple act God knowes his own Essence so by one simple act he wils his own goodnesse which will whether we take it for an act or for an habit is eternally in God and differs but in some respects from his essence and therefore is immutable infinite and holy as his Essence and though many things are willed by him yet there is but one will in him which cannot be moved by any efficient end or object different from himself Lord though my will cannot attain that simplicitie infinitenesse and immutabilitie that is in thee yet let it obtain some measure of holinesse that in desiring of that only which is good it may in some measure resemble thine XCVII All have not had the happinesse to heare of Christ and yet there is no happinesse without Christ in this God is not unjust for they who either in themselves or in their parents have rejected him are not worthy of him besides God hath not left himself without a witnesse for he hath left a law written in all mens hearts and so much light of his goodnesse and justice as may make all men excuselesse If therefore they shall be rejected that had not that light of knowledge which we have how can we think we are elected who have even spurned at the knowledge of that light which they have not XCVIII Regeneration which is the killing of the old man and quickning of the new hath for her ushers Sorrow and Contrition for her Attendants Faith and Hope for her followers the works of Charitie if any of these be defective Generation will be little effective neither is this the work of nature but of grace for nature by generation can give us a mortall essence but grace by regeneration gives us an immortall existence in our first birth we had a new nature from our corporall parents in our second birth nature is renewed by our spirituall parents So easie is the work of physicall generation that it 's performed in the instant of our conception so difficult is the work of hyperphysicall regeneration that we cannot be consummately reformed till the instant of our dissolution Lord the great world was with greater facilitie by thee created then the little world of man could by thee be re-created that was done only by uttering thy externall word this could not be done but by the suffering of thy internall Word therefore as I am bound to thee for the tempor all life which in my generation by thy spirit thou breathedst in me much more am I bound for that eternall life which in my regeneration by thy Sonnes death thou hast purchased for me XCIX In thy sight O Lord no flesh can be justified if we consider the puritie of thy nature the rigour of thy justice the infirmities of our flesh and the imperfections of our righteousnesse For the first the Angels are not pure in thy sight much lesse we who dwell in houses of clay For the second if thou shouldst marke Lord what is done amisse who could abide it For the third there is no man that doth good no not one we are all gone out of the way For the fourth the justest man falleth seven times a day and our righteousness is like a menstruous cloath Therefore we acknowledge Lord there is no righteousnesse inherent in us by which we can be saved but that righteousnesse which is inherent in thee and imputed to us and by that we are justified and there is in thee exuberance of mercies by which we may be pardoned C. We are justified by grace formally by faith instrumentally by the word ministerially by good works demonstratively by sorrow and repentance preparatively by Christs death and obedience meritoriously and by God himself principally if then God be the efficient cause if Christs active and passive obedience be the materiall if grace be the formall if Gods glory be the finall cause of our justification how can we claime any share in it We are only subjects and patients no wayes agents our good works are but fruits and effects no wayes causes our sorrow and repentance are effects of preventing grace not of free-will our faith is from above not from our selves Therefore O Lord I disclaime all merit of congruitie and condignitie all efficacie of Sacraments all suffrages of Saints all power of Romane Prelates all absolution of Priests all observation of humane tradition and all will-worship from my justification I acknowledge no other merits but thy mercies by thy grace thou preventedst my merits my merits are thy suffrings my holinesse is thy goodnesse my righteousnesse is but a sparkle of thy brightnesse a drop of that Ocean a grain of that heap a stone of that immense mountain of thy incomprehensible goodnesse for which I am indebted to thee not thou to me Therefore not unto us O Lord not unto us but to thy Name we glve the glory DIVINE MEDITATIONS UPON Gods Justice I. GOD will not pardon any sin except we repent of every sin for as he that breaks one command is guiltie of the breach of all so he that faileth in repenting of one sin repenteth of never a sin God loves not to doe things by halves he will pardon all or none and he will have us repent of all or none for as it stands not with his goodnesse and perfection to give an imperfect pardon so it consisteth not with the sinceritie of repentance to conceale any sin not repented as he ejected seven divels out of one and a legion out of another without leaving any behinde in the possessed so he will have us cast out all our sinnes without hiding of any unrepented What availes it to be freed from Satans power in casting us into the water of drunkennesse if he can when he pleaseth fling us into the fire of concupiscence O thou that art the great Physician of my soul to thee I open all my wounds and disclose all my maladies make me by the vomit of confession to cast up all my sinfull humours before
sinceritie II. A great argument of Gods goodnesse and mercie is his forbearance and longanimitie he stretcheth out his hands all day long to a rebellious generation Why will you die O house of Israel As I live saith the Lord I will not the death of a sinner Many miracles did he work to turn Pharaohs heart sixscore yeares did he spend to bring the first world to repentance many Prophets did he send before he would destroy the Jewes he would have healed Babylon but she would not be healed he would have gathered Jerusalem as the hen gathereth her chickens under her wings but she would not be gathered How loath was he to cut down the fig-tree though fruitlesse how loath was he to destroy his Vineyard though grapelesse how loath to overthrow the Jewes though gracelesse O Lord I confesse that thy forbearance in punishing me so great a sinner proceeds not from any liking thou takest in my sinning for thou art most good nor for any neglect in correcting for thou art most just nor for any ignorance that can be in thee for thou art omniscient nor for any impotencie that can befall thee for thou art omnipotent but onely out of thy goodnesse and mercie towards me who delightest not in any mans destruction but patiently waitest for the sinners conversion Lord I am more bound to thee for thy long forbearance then the Angels who sinned in Heaven and Adam in Paradise they had no sooner offended thee but they were rejected by thee I have oftentimes sinned and yet I am spared O let me not abuse thy long animitie by presumption but let it work in me a true and speedie conversion III. God sheweth his great mercie towards us in using so many meanes to call us when we are wearie he bids us come to him and he will ease us when we are thirstie he bids us come and drink that with these waters of life he may refresh us when we are hungrie he bids us come and eat for with his own body he will feed us when we have fought and got the victorie he will bid us come to receive the Crown of glorie which he hath laid up for us He calls us by his Spirit inwardly and by his Word outwardly Every good motion is a call and an inward knocking every Preacher is a Messenger every Sermon is a Summons every Scripture is a Love-letter by which he invites and calls us Besides every benefit that we receive from him is a Messenger to invite us to him every morning the sun riseth not onely to give us light but to invite us unto him who is the fountain of light every night the moon or stars appeare not only to lessen the darknesse of the aire but also to drive away the darknesse of the minde to call us both out of corporall and spirituall obscuritie Every drop of rain every flower in the field every eare of corne every grape in thy Vineyard every increase of thy flock every addition to thy stock are so many trumpetters of Gods mercie to stirre up and call thee Again every crosse and affliction he layes upon us whether sicknesse povertie banishment imprisonment or infamie are so many Heraulds sent to summon and call us Besides all these the horrour of hell-darkness which shall never be illightened of that fire which shall never be extinguished of that thirst which shall never be quenched of that worm that shall never be consumed of that weeping and gnashing of teeth which shall never be ended are proposed to us as so many sad Apparitors to summon us But lastly if none of these will prevaile with us then the joyes of Heaven are painted out unto us the light that knowes no darknesse the joy that knowes no sorrow the life that knowes no death the comfort of Gods countenance the beautie of the new Jerusalem the societie of holy Angels the companie of Christ and of all the blessed Soules the rivers of delight fulnesse of joy and pleasures for evermore O God how wonderfull is thy goodnesse which thou hast shewed to me in profering so many baites to catch and draw me out of the turbulent sea of this world unto the shore of eternall happinesse But I have not obeyed thy outward invitations nor inward motions I have not taken notice of thy benefits nor of thy chastisements not of thy threatnings nor of thy promises Lord I am so backward thou must not only call me but compell me thou must not only warne me but thou must draw me and then I will cheerfully run after thee IIII. The mercy of God appeares also in this that after our relapses he is ready to receive us his mercies are those sweet oyntments which make the Virgins follow him He came to call sinners to repentance to save that which was lost he rejected not that sinfull Mary Magdalene nor Matthew though a Publican nor the Canaanitish woman though a dog nor the Thief upon the Crosse nor Peter that denied him nor the Jewes that crucified him nor Paul that persecuted him that loving Father in the Gospel did not receive his prodigall Son when he returned nor the shepherd that sheep which went astray nor the woman her groat which she had lost with so much joy and gladnesse as he will us if we return to him by repentance O Lord I have gone astray like a lost sheep from thee I have like a Prodigall spent that patrimonie of grace which thou gavest me I have gone a whoring after this vain world and have forsaken thee O thou that art a carefull Shepherd a pitifull Father a loving Husband reject not thy lost sheep thy prodigall sonne thy disloyall wife Shall I dispaire to come unto thee whose armes are stretched out on the crosse to embrace me whose head bendeth downward to kisse me whose heart is opened to receive and entertain me V. Gods mercie is to be considered either as it is in him or as it is from him as it is in him it is his act or habit as it is from him it is his effect as it is in him it is immutable as it is from him it is changeable as it is in him it is necessarie as it is from him it is voluntarie for he will have mercie on whom he will as it is in him it is his * power as it is from him it is his †operation as it is in God it is God for nothing is eternall except God but his mercy is eternall from generation to generation saith David it is not lawfull to trust in any but in God yet David trusteth in Gods mercy doubtlesse then his mercy is himself and being it is so his mercy and justice are all one though the effects of his justice and mercy are different Lord as thy justice is seen in punishing sinners so is thy mercy manifested in sparing them as thy justice was unspeakeable in punishing thy Son for my sin so is thy mercy incomprehensible in pardoning my
sin by the punishing of thy Son VI As Christs active and passive obedience is the meritorious cause so is Gods free mercy and grace the impulsive cause of our Justification and Salvation And although God was bound in justice to pardon our transgressions having received full satisfaction by his Sonnes death and mediation yet was he not bound in justice to send his Son into the world or to make him an attonement for our prevarications to send a Mediatour who by his obedience might make satisfaction and consequently save us was an act of his free grace and mercie to which he was not tied but having sent a Mediatour who by his obedience hath made satisfaction it is an act of justice now to save us and to this he is necessarily tied O my God how much am I bound to love and honour thee who hast bound thy selfe to justifie and save me I pray thee as thou hast divested thy self of thine own libertie in condemning me and hast freely subjected thy self to necessity that thou mightest save me so debarre me from all libertie in offending thee and impose on me this necessitie that all my dayes I may love and serve thee VII To shew mercy and to pardon sin are not of equall extent for God shewes mercy to all that are in miserie but he only pardons their sinnes whom he meanes to glorifie he is mercifull to the wicked in causing his sun to shine and his rain to fall and in bestowing of many outward blessings on them but he pardoneth only the sins of them who by repentance turn from sinne to him and by faith lay hold on Christ that died for them And although God be mercy it self or mercifull in the highest degree yet without satisfaction he will not pardon iniquitie because pardoning is an act rather of his free will then of his mercy neither is it essentiall to his mercy to pardon for so he should pardon all to whom he is mercifull which is not true and though he is mercifull to all those whom he pardoneth yet the act of pardoning is not mercy but the effect of mercy for his mercie is essentiall immutable necessarie but to pardon is a free and mutable act therefore as Gods justice is not prejudiced by punishing one for the sinnes of another seeing that other undertook voluntarily to suffer punishment so neither is Gods mercy wronged by pardoning that sin for which satisfaction is made because the satisfaction was not made by the party that offended it was justice then in God to punish Christ for our sinnes because voluntarily he took upon him our sinnes so it was mercy in God to pardon that sinne for which Christ had fully satisfied It was justice in God the Son having become our surety to satisfie for us so it was mercy in God the Father to apply and impute his Sonnes satisfaction to us I confesse Lord that though thou art bound in justice to pardon my sinne for which thou art fully satisfied yet thou art not bound in justice to impute that satisfaction or to account it mine seeing by my personall righteousnesse thou hast not been satisfied I will admire thy justice in punishing thy Sonne for the sins which by him were not committed and I will magnifie thy mercie in forgiving my sinnes for which I have no wayes satisfied VIII The highest degree of Gods mercy was in sending of his only begotten Sonne into the world to be our Jesus to procure Salvation for us which he did not by shewing us the way of Salvation onely or by declaring his Fathers will unto us or by shewing us the example of his life and death but by paying the price of our Redemption for we are reconciled to God by the death of his Son Rom. 5. 10. we are redeemed by the precious bloud of that immaculate Lamb 1 Pet. 1. 18. his bloud was given for the remission of sins Matth. 26. 28. we are justified by his bloud Rom. 5. 8. he was made a curse to free us from the curse of the law Gal. 3. 13. by his death he hath abolished death c. Heb. 2. 14. the Son of man came to give his life for the Redemption of many Mat. 20. 28. his bloud cleanseth us from all sin 1 Ioh. 1. 7. by his stripes we are healed Isai. 53. 5. he made himselfe a sacrifice for sin Isai. 53. 10. therefore it is by his bloud by his sacrifice by his death by his stripes that we are saved expiated justified redeemed cleansed healed and it was for our sinnes that he suffered Rom. 4. 25. for our iniquities that he was bruised Isai. 53. 5. our transgressions he bore in his body on the tree and upon him was laid the iniquitie of us all Isai. 53. 7. neither did he undertake this wretched condition for us forcedly but freely nor was the death temporall but eternall in the intention and greatnesse of the torments neither was Christs death a bare manifestation but a just price of our Redemption for in him we have Redemption by his bloud remission of sins c. Eph. 1. 5. we are redeemed by the precious bloud of that immaculate Lamb Christ Jesus 1 Pet. 1. 18. which was represented by the Leviticall sacrifices save onely that the Leviticall Priest offered for his own sinnes and for the sinnes of the people but Christ had no sins of his own for which he should offer And as the Priests office was to offer sacrifice and to make intercession Christ performed the one upon the Crosse when by his death he made satisfaction and blotted out the hand-writing of Ordinances but the other Christ performes in Heaven interceding for us and applying his death unto us for we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous 1 Ioh. 2. 1. whose Intercession must not be confounded with his oblation because this was once performed and cannot be iterated for he cannot die often Heb. 9. 25. and with one oblation he hath consecrated for ever those that are sanctified Heb. 10. 14. but his Intercession is performed daily for he is entered into Heaven that he might appeare in the sight of God for us Heb. 9. 24. by vertue of whose propitiatorie sacrifice we are not taught the way to offer and reconcile our selves to God but by him we are reconciled redeemed justified saved O my God who is able to comprehend the height depth breadth and length of thy unspeakable mercy In height it reacheth to the heavens in confirming the Angels in depth it reacheth to hell for thou deliveredst David from the nethermost hell in breadth it extends from East to West over all the world even over all thy works and the length thereof is from generation to generation Therefore there is none of thy Attributes so gracious and admirable as thy mercy for as there is nothing greater in thee then that thou canst so there is nothing better then that thou wilt have mercy on those that are in misery FINIS †Supralapsarians * Sublapsarians * Consequentiae * Consequentis * Quoad speciem actus †Quoad exercitium actus * Voluntas placiti †Voluntas signi †Amor benevolentiae * Amor amicitiae * {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} †{non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman}