ye believed in Christ saith Paul ye were sealed with the holy Spirit of promise which is the earnest of our inheritance untill the redemption of the purchased possession unto the praise of his glorie Eph. 1. 13 14. And thirdly he hath it in Christ by possession Christ hath taken possession of it and prepared it for all believers I go to prepare a place for you saith he And if I go and prepare a place for you I will come again and receive you unto my self that where I am there ye may be also Joh. 14. 2 3. And whither I go ye know saith he verse 4. For that Kingdom which was prepared for you from the foundation of the world upon promise of satisfaction I go to prepare for you after performance of satisfaction Where it shall be said unto you Come ye blessed of my father inherâ—t the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world as Math. 25. 34. What Soul can wish a more compleat assurance But haply you will say we do not doubt but every true believer is sure enough to have eternal life by Jesus Christ But what assurance have we of those good things that do concern this life Indeed the Prophet David telleth us There be many that say who will shew us any good Psal 4. 6. But in this case also we have both promise example and experience for our assurance For matter of promise God hath said I will never leave thee nor forsake thee Heb. 13. 5. But what is it poor Soul thou art afraid of Art thou afraid of poverty or want Why a little that a righteous man hath is better then the riches of many wicked For the arms of the wicked shall be broken but the Lord upholdeth the righteous The Lord knoweth the dayes of the upright and their inheritance shall be for ever They shall not be ashamed in the evil time in the dayes of famine they shall be satisfied Ps 37. 16 17. 18 19. Trust therefore in the living God who giveth us richly all things to injoy 1 Tim. 6. 17. Art thou afraid of discredit afraid to lose thy good name and reputation Why the Lord is able to make thee a name and a praise among all people of the earth as Zepha 3. 20. Admit that thy good name be reproched by the mouth of a scorner here upon the earth yet thou hast cause to rejoyce for that thy name is registred in heaven as Luke 10. 20. Art thou afraid of thine enemies Consider that of the Prophet David The Lord saith he is my light and my salvation whom shall I fear The Lord is the strength of my life of whom shall I be afraid When the wicked even mine enemies and my foes came upon me to eat up my flesh they stumbled and fell Psal 27. 1 2. And the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand saying unto thee fear not I will help thee as in Isa 41. 13. Art thou afraid of death Behold the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him that hope in his mercie to deliver their Soul from death and to keep them alive in famine Psal 33. 18 19. But why should any man be such a coward as to fear an enemy that is already conquered Yea abolished or destroyed 2 Tim. 1. 10. Swallowed up in victory 1 Cor. 15. 54. Truely dear Christian thou hast cause to triumph over these enemies after this manner O death where is thy sting O Grave where is thy victorie The sting of death is sin and the strength of sin is the law But thanks be to God which giveth us the victorie through our Lord Jesus Christ as at 1 Cor. 15. 55 56 57. In a word whatsoever thou fearest or whatsoever thou feelest Thou shall finde God thy refuge and strength a very present help in trouble as well as David did Psalm 46. 1. Onely be carefull That thou suffer not as a Murderer or as a Thief or as an evil doer or as a busie-bodie in other mens matters And then assure thy self That the Lord is faithfull who shall stablish thee and keep thee from evil According unto St. Pauls confidence 2 Thes 3. 3. Again consider What doest thou desire Doest thou desire safety preservation deliverance victory wealth honour long-life or salvation after a moderate and godly manner Acquaint thy self with the substance of the 91 Psalm And with the 3 first verses of the 112 Psal In these words Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord that delighteth greatly in his Commandments his seed shall be mighty upon earth the generation of the upright shall be blessed wealth and riches shall be in his house and his righteousnesse endureth for ever And to confirm thee in thy confidence peruse the 6. 7. and 8. verses of the same Psalm Surely he shall not be moved for ever the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance He shall not be afraid of evil tidings his heart is fixed trusting in the Lord. His heart is established he shall not be afraid untill he see his desire upon his enemies Thus of the promises If thou desirest yet further to establish thine assurance In the next place see and observe the stories of Abraham Isaac Jacob of Joseph Moses Mordecay David and Hezekiah And consider how the Lord guided and governed preserved and prospered exalted and incouraged them together with all his Prophets and Apostles and all the godly every where and in all ages And verily thou shalt finde sufficient cause to say with that discerning Prophet David The Lord hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servants Psal 35. 27. And lastly recollect thine own experience and meditate how graciously the Lord thy God hath dealt by thee in his outwad blessings and inward consolations his tender mercies and fatherly loving-kindnesses his patience and long-sufferings supplying thy severall necessities with sutable comforts preservations and deliverances wherein he hath prevented not onely thy deserts but often times thy desires also And when thou shalt thus walk with thy God in wisdom and singlenesse of heart Thou shalt finde sufficient in him and from him to say with that holy Prophet Return unto thy rest O my soul for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee Psal 116. 7. And furthermore to make thee confident That he shall deliver thee in six troubles yea in seven there shall no evill touch thee In famine he shall redeem thee from death and in war from the power of the sword c. Job 5. 19. to 27. Thus through ouâ— own discreet experience the saints exemplary prosperity And our dear Saviours never-failing promises as well spiritual as temporal we shall be sure to meet the full assurance of all or every kinde of happinesse Provided still that Christ be with or in us For where the true Christ is there is assurance And this assurance always brings in peace This is the fifth attendant that still waits upon the person of our royal Bridegroom And where
thirdly it is by this carnall joy that we rejoyce in spirituall things after a carnal manner or to the satisfying of the flesh by any present of future commodity or injoyment whatsoever As for example when we do delight to professe religion to hear Gods holy word or to partake in any other of his Ordinances either for custom curiosity lucre or pride preferment or vain-glory Doubtlesse it was in reference to these or some of these or the like indirect intents or purposes That Herod heard John gladly Mar. 6. 20. And soon after commanded him to be beheaded verse 27. And that the Jewes were willing for a season to rejoyce in his light John 5. 35. And yet walked in darknesse and ignorance and unbelief neverthelesse verse 37. 28. That Simon the sorcerer would have purchased the gift of the holy Ghost Acts 8. 13. And was therefore reproved for an hypocrite verse 21. And that such hearers as our Lord resembleth to the seed that fell upon the rock receive the word with joy and in time of temptation do fall away Luke 8. 13. Verily it were much to be desired that all such false time-servers and self-servers were separated now from Gods true saints that so we might discover love and honour the Lords true Members with a safer conscience Christians let us not deceive our selves whosoever delighteth in any such thoughts words or works as are meerly carnal or rejoyceth in common or indifferent good things sensually or carnally or in spiritual things in order unto these or any of these foresaid or any the like carnall ends or purposes I say his joy is carnal or hypocritical For these are the abortives the unseasonable and unsanctified conceptions of a carnal minde And therefore contrary to the Spirit of God For to be carnally minded is death Because the carnall minde is enmity against God for it is not subject to the law of God neither indeed can be saith our Apostle Rom. 8. 6. 7. But the fift is a compleat joy And this is always in our Saviours presence In his presence is fulnesse of joy c. Psal 16. 11. And truly this most happy kinde of joy is not so much external or extream as it is both internal and eternal For albeit A merry heart maketh a cheerfull countenance as saith the wise man Pro. 15. 13. And the Prophet David exhorteth all lands To make a joyfull noise unto the Lord to serve him with gladnesse and to come before his presence with singing as Psal 100. 1. 2. Yet these joyful expressions are but the indices or evidences of a more joyful heart For this true christian joy is mainly spiritual and effectual very answerable unto the fountain from whence it proceedeth and the Object upon which it is placed and both these are the same God in Christ For whosoever can derive his joy from God in Christ reconciling the world unto himself he is likewise able to place his joy upon God in Christ and rateably upon all those Gospel mercies which as mediatour he hath procured and purchased for the sons of men And these Gospel mercies are of two sorts first such as are spiritual in nature and secondly such as are spirituallized by grace Those Gospel mercies which are spirituall in their own nature are such as are offered and evidenced and sealed unto us by the Spirit of God And which we do apprehend imbrace and apply and rely upon spiritually by Faith Those that are spirituallized by grace are such as are common to all mankinde upon the account of a generall dispensation or distribution But are received injoyed and imployed onely by the children of God after a spiritual manner And all these mercies whether they be spiritual or spirituallized are to be rejoyced in spiritually According to the exhortations examples and incouragements of our blessed Saviour and his dear saints by the Testimony of his most holy Spirit The first spiritual mercy which is also the first Object of a christians joy is our Election This our Lâ—rd Jesus Christ exhorteth us to rejoyce in Rejoyce not saith he that the spirits are subject unto you but rather rejoyce because your names are written in heaven Luke 10. 20. The second is our Redemption Look up and lift up your heads for your redemption draweth nigh saith our Redeemer himself Luke 21. 28. This is celebrated with a new song by all Gods elect both under the old and new Testaments as Reve. 5. 8 9. The third is our effectual calling and conversion manifested by our true Repentance For which If there be joy in heaven as Luke 15. 7. How much more ought we also to rejoyce on earth who do continually injoy the benefit thereof The fourth is our Justification Be of good cheer thy sins be forgiven thee saith our Saviour to the man sick of the palsie Mat. 9. 2. This was the matter of Saint Pauls triumph who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods elect saith he it is God that justifieth who is he that condemneth it is Christ that died yea rather that is risen again c. Rom. 8. 33 34. And in another place O death where is thy sting O grave where is thy victory The sting of death is sin and the strength of sin is the law But thanks be to God who hath given us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ 1 Cor. 15. 55 56 57. Who hath given us the victory by justifying us both against sin and the law The fifth Object of our joy is our sanctification Let thy saints rejoyce in goodnesse This was part of Solomons prayer And it was Pauls profession our rejoycing saith he is this the testimony of our conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God we have had our conversation in the world 2 Cor. 1. 12. The sixth is our Salvation This was the matter of good Hannas joy And Hanna prayed and said my heart rejoyceth in the Lord mine horn is exalted in the Lord my mouth is inlarged over mine enemies because I rejoyce in thy salvation 1 Sam. 2. 1. And of Davids rejoycing I will rejoyce in thy salvation saith he Psal 9. 14. And thus do all the godly in all ages with joy draw water out of the wels of salvation Isa 12. 3. The seventh Gospel mercy that we are to rejoyce in is Gods Ordinances I was glad when they said unto me let us go into the house ef the Lord saith holy David Psal 12 2. 1. And wherefore should David go into the house of the Lord but to partake of his Ordinances But principally we are to rejoyce in the word of God the voice of Christ in his Gospel These things have I spoken unto you that my joy might remain in you and that your joy might be full saith the Son of God John 15. 11. The eighth is the faithful ministery together with the lawful portions thereunto belonging For thus the Jews whom God had
towards eternal death Yet originally and as it affordeth a being to the Creature without which he could not be capable of everlasting life So it may properly be said to be part of Christs purchase and included within the compasse of this Covenant of Grace The next is the spiritual life For that was not firsi which is spiritual but that which is natural and afterward that which is spiritual 1 Cor. 15. 46. This spiritual life is the fruit of that regeneration or new birth whereby we are said to be born of God John 1. 13. And this birth is perfected when the seed of the word is quickned by the Spirit in the womb of Faith First the seed of this new birth must be the word of God Being born again not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible by the word of God which liveth and abideth for ever saith Saint Peter 1 Pet. 1. 23. 2ly this word must be quickned by the Spirit It is the Spirit that quickneth the flesh profiteth nothing the words that I spake unto you they are spirit and they are life saith the Son of God John 6. 63. And thirdly this word must be quickned by the Spirit in the womb of Faith Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God saith S. John 1 John 5. 1. And this may really be called a life for it shall never be overcome of death If ye live after the flesh ye shall die but if ye through the spirit do morâ—ifâ—e the deeds of the body ye shall live Rom. 8. 13. Live eternally for none can live this spiritual life this life of grace but he that is raised from the death of sin Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection on such the second death hath no power but they shall be Priests of God and Christ and shall reigne with him a thousand yeaos Rev. 20. 6. A thousand years Not according to the Millenaries account who dream of an earthly Kingdom to continue for a thousand years contrary to that of Christ himself My Kingdom is not of this World saith he John 18. 36. But whilest they contend for this earthly Kingdom doth it not appear that Their wisdom is earthly sensual c. According to that of St. James Jam. 3. 15. But a thousand years The thousand years of the great Sabbath that eternal Jubilee that shall be celebrated by the Saints of God in that everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ 2 Pet. 1. 11. Verily this spiritual life is the greatest good that we can injoy in this World Whilest we live a meer natural life we live at the best but to our selves and we shall finde our selves but bad pay-masters He is an empty Vine that bringeth forth fruit unto himself saith the Lord by his Prophet Hosea 10. 1. But in serving our selves we commonly serve worse Masters then our selves For we serve sin also Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin saith our Lord Christ Joh. 8. 34. And the wages of sinne is death saith St. Paul Rom. 6. 23. Yea and in serving sin and our selves we serve the Devil too In time past ye walked according to the course of this world according to the prince of the power of the aire the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience Eph. 2. 2. And from such a cursed Master we can expect but a sorry reward The Devils wages is a Mark Rev. 13. 16. But he that receiveth that Mark The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy Angels and in the presence of the Lamb Rev. 14. 10. But being by this new birth or this spiritual life delivered from these bad Masters we are sure of a blessing For being made free from sin and become servants to God Ye have your fruit unto holinesse and the end everlasting life Rom. 6. 22. And the end everlasting life You see here that the end of this spiritual life is everlasting life But in regard that many do dis-relish and dislike this spiritual life as disquiet and uncomfortable therefore I shall desire you to take the peacefull life in your passage St. Paul exhorteth That supplications prayers intercessions and giving of thanks be made for all men for Kings and all that are in authority that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godlinesse and honesty 1 Tim. 2. 1 2. I will not deny but there are many enemies both spiritual and temporal that do continually endeavour to infest and molest this happy passage towards eternity But what hurt or hinderance can it be to a well resolved spirit though the Devil with all his smoaky legions do thunder forth their phantastick false alarums The Lord will give strength unto his people the Lord will blesse his people with peace saith that man of War Psal 29. 11. Peace I leave with you my peace I give unto you not as the world giveth give I unto you let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid saith Christ to his Disciples Joh. 14. 17. And he that said it is well able to perform it For he is the prince of peace Isa 9. 6. This is the peace of God and it is more then an ordinary peace It is a perfect and a perpetual peace an infinite and an inward peace First it is a perfect peace Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose minde is stayed on thee because he trusteth in thee saith that Evangelical Prophet to his and our God Isa 26. 3. Secondly it is a perpetual peace The Mountains shall depart and the Hills be removed but my kindnesse shall not depart from thee neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee According to that of the same Prophet Isa 54. 10. Not so perfect and perpetual that it shall never be interrupted but so perfect and perpetual that it shall never be utterly overthrown Thirdly it is an infinite peace it passeth all understanding And fourthly it is an inward peace It keepeth your hearts and mindes The peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and mindes saith the Apostle Phil. 4. 7. Yea and it is an outward peace also when a mans wayes please the Lord. he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him saith that wise man Prov. 16. 7. Or if they will not it shall be upon their own peril For his heart is established he shall not be afraid untill he see his desire upon his enemies Psal 112. 8. This is the peacefull life or the spiritual mans peacefull passage to eternal salvation or everlasting life which is the fourth and last degree and that which is expressed here in this Copy as the onely intire happinesse and perfection of all the former For the matter what
said unto thee when thou wast in thy bloud Live yea I said unto thee when thou wast in thy bloud Live I have caused thee to multiply as the bud of the field and thou hast increased and waxen great and thou art come to excellent ornaments thy breasts are fashioned and thine haire is grown whereas thou wast naked and bare Ezek. 16. 6 7. See here the wonderfull incomprehensible goodnesse of our God not onely in pitying and reviving the poor Soul miserably polluted and even dead in the gore and filth of her natural sins and corruptions But also in supplying and inriching her with most beautifull Ornaments Allegorically relating to the graces and indowments belonging to a spiritual life Now when I passed by thee and looked upon thee behold thy time was the time of love and I spread my skirt over thee and covered thy nakednesse yea I sware unto thee and entered into a Covenant with thee saith the Lord verse 8. And what Covenant can any man imagine this to be but an expresse or a discovery of that eternal Covenant of Grace For who can expect these undeserved favours but by and through Jesus Christ our Lord the onely Mediatour of that Covenant And being such blessings as no man can receive from God but by the hand of a lively faith according to the condition of that Covenant We come now to prove that the peacefull life or the spiritual mans peacefull passage to eternity is vouchsafed unto us in and through Jesus Christ by virtue of this Covenant of Grace Wherein I desire you to understand that it is not an outward or a worldly peace that I intend in this place For albeit the Lord promiseth his people upon their reconciliation and return That in that day he will make a Covenant for them with the beasts of the field and with the fowles of Heaven and with the creeping things of the ground and that he will break the bow and the sword and the battle out of the earth and make them to lie down safely as Hos 2. 18. Yet without doubt this promise was neither generally nor absolutely intended but conditionally even as he in his wisdome should see it to be good and neceâ—â—ary for his own people and conducible to his own glory For our Saviour telleth his Disciples plainly These things have I spoken unto you saith he that in me ye might have peace in the world ye shall have tribulation John 16. 33. A Child of God shall never want adversaries so long as the Devil hath any agents or instruments abroad yet he is not without his several comforts and preventions For when he first discovers them he considers them to be Gods enemies also and therefore he leaves them wholy unto Gods ordering Secondly when they begin to rouze themselves he looks the more narrowly to his own wayes least his indiscretion should give them the greater advantage And lastly when they pursue him with violence he maketh merily towards his covert his strong hold He trusteth in the Lord for ever for in the the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength Isa 26. 4. The peace of a true believer may be shaken but not utterly overthrown All the world cannot beat him from his confidence in God for albeit he is very sensible of his own weaknesse yet he is sure of a powerfull Peace-maker Being justified by faith we have peace with God through Jesus Christ our Lord saith Saint Paul Rom. 5. 1. Yea The peace of God which passeth all understanding shall keep your hearts and mindes through Jesus Christ saith the same Apostle Phil. 4. 7. You will say This is by Christ but how is it by Covenant I will make a Covenant of peace with them it shall be an everlasting Covenant with them saith the Lord concerning his Church Ezek. 37. 26. This indeed is a Covenant of peace you will say and an everlasting Covenant But what is this to that eternal Covenant of Grace I answer first had it not been for that eternal Covenant No Creature after Adams rebellion had ever been capable of any other Covenant for good Secondly we may be confident that God did never make any Covenant whatsoever to or with mankinde since the Creation but it hath its relation to that Original Covenant of Grace The very Covenant of works made with Adam and exemplified to the Israelites as a rule of life in the Moral Law or the Law of the ten Commandments discovereth unto us that enmity between God and us together with our own infirmities and inabilities and sendeth us to seek for reconciliation by Jesus Christ By whom we have now received the atonement Rom. 5. 11. And thirdly the gift that God vouchsafed unto us in that Covenant of Grace was Jesus Christ the onely begotten Son of God And he is our peace Eph. 2. 14. The fourth and highest degree is everlasting life in the Kingdom of glory This also is given unto us in and through Jesus Christ our Lord. The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord Rom. 6. 23. He that believeth not God hath made him a lyar because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son And this is the record that God hath given us eternal life and this life is in his Son 1 John 5. 10 11. And it is assured unto us in and by this eternal Covenant For it was promised before the world began Tit. 1. 2. But what need we any further proof then the expresse words of this Copy God so loved the world that he gave his onely begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life This is the glorious inheritance which the Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God hath purchased for the sons of men in and by this Covenant of Grace delivered unto us in this Copy under the Title of Everlasting life Our blessed Saviour in his description of the day of judgement calls it a Kingdom Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world Mat. 25. 34. This is that which old Jacob expected upon his death-bed saying I have waited for thy salvation O Lord Gen. 49. 18. And that inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not away reserved in Heaven As St. Peter sets it forth 1 Peter 1. 4. Seing therefore that we have such a hopefull and such a happy inheritance presented unto us in this eternal Covenant I conceive it will be very necessary that we search out the right Heire thereunto Lest peradventure the numerous or numberlesse pretenders should deceive both themselves and others by presuming upon their unwarrantable interests without any considerable evidence or assurance And in order unto this discovery It will be very convenient that we do first lay down this firm foundation That Faith is the onely evidence which either
full of cursing and deceit and fraud under his tongue is mischief and vanity verse 7. Indeed it is a rare thing to hear a wicked man speak well For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh saith our Saviour Mat. 12. 34. But when the recollected Christian becometh so speechlesse That no corrupt communication will proceed out of his mouth but that he putteth away all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamour and evll speaking with all malice And that he cannot suffer fornication and uncleanness and covetousness to be once named neither filthiness nor foolish talking nor jesting which are not convenient According to the severall exhortations of the Apostle Ephe. 4. 29. 31. and 3 4. I say the loss of this and the like ungodly language is another evident symptom whereby we may pronounce such a one to be dead unto sin A third sign is loss of memory It is a sad thing to consider what an everlasting memory a carnall man hath concerning those things that are evill He can sooner forget a thousand great benefits then one small offence And so in all other particulars his memory may be called the ready Register by whom all his flesh-pleasing vices are entered upon record And when his opportunity will not license him to commit them it is no little recreation for him to remember them The children of Israel wept and said we remember the fish which we did eat in Egypt freely the Cucumbers and the Melons and the Leekes and the Onyons and the Garlick Numb 11. 4 5. But the children of Belial laugh and say we remember since we could have satiated our lusts with variety of strong flesh commanded the tongues and hands of so many tall fellows purchased so many acres by meer policy sate so many dayes and nights together at gameing caroused so many cups to a health and spent so many crowns at a sitting Thus they delight their memories in the contemplation of their own mischiefs As enemies to the crosse of Christ whose end is destruction whose God is their belly whose glory is their shame who mind earthly things According to that of the Apostle Phil. 3. 18 19. But when any one of these unhappy heads shall so lose his memory as that he shall forget those delights which he conceived in the time of his former lewdness when the remembrance of all his fore-passed sins is become so grievous and offensive unto his soul that he can cordially and constantly cry out with the Apostle What fruit had I then in those things whereof I am now ashamed for the end of those things is death Rom. 6. 21. Truely we may be confident to say concerning such a man that he is dead unto sin The fourth and last is a most infallible sign And that is loss of motion When a man hath so utterly forsaken the love of sin that he can by no means be reduced or restored thereunto The divell can no longer seduce him The world cannot win him neither can the lusts of the flesh allure him so far forth as to afford them any hope of his future obedience I will not say but they may inforce their charming drugs upon him as if one should force drink into the mouth of a dead man But his soul doth so extreamly abhor all means of recovery that nothing will stay with him nothing can work upon him Haply the loss of Appetite may be restored by a skilfull Physitian so may the loss of speech and the loss of memory too Provided that the patient be willing to receive the medicine and that his body is able to assist it But when the patient will not obey or if his body cannot cooperate we say that such a man is absolutely a dead man Doubtless in every spirituall conflict the divell is very industrious to preserve his declining patient And to that purpose he presenteth him with his guilded pills and his perfumed potious his cordials and his restoratives in expectation of a speedy cure But when the soul perceiving his pretence so sets it self against his blind Receipts that nothing can move it nothing work upon it so as to return it to its former vomit Then that happy body that is the cabinet or companion to such a blessed soul may chearfully give thanks unto the Father which hath made him meet to be partaker of the inheritance of the Saints in light having delivered him from the power of darknesse and translated him into the kingdom of his dear Son In whom he hath redemption through his blood even the forgivennesse of sins As in Collo 1. 12 13 14. This man is undoubtedly dead indeed unto sin And so consequently he is planted into Christ according to the likeness of his death And whosoever is planted into Christ according to the likeness of his death he is likewise planted into Christ according to the likeness of his resurrection as we have formerly observed out of those words of the Apostle Rom. 6. 5. But it may be demanded when a man may be said to be planted into Christ according to the likeness of his resurrection I answer when he is alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. For as by the vertue of Christs death we are dead unto sin so by the vertue of his resurrection we are alive unto God Therefore we are buried with him by baptisme into death that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father even so we also shâ—uld walk in newnesse of life Rom. 6. 4. And whosoever walketh in newness of life upon the true account of a new creature he onely is alive unto God in or through Jesus Christ our Lord. Again it may be demanded How a man may know and assure himself that he is planted into Christ according to the likes ness of his resurrection To which I answer That this he shall finde by his resemblance or likeness to this Tree of righteousness by which the Lord sets forth a true Beleever And therefore let him first consider if he be well rooted You know that when a tree is removed it may be said to be dead as in relation to that ground out of which it is taken And therefore that it may live again it is necessary that it be replanted And for that purpose the husbandman doth commonly make choice of a better and a more fertile soyl then that from which it did Naturally or Originally proceed That so it may be the more inriched and the better inabled to spread forth its root and to bring forth fruit accordingly And that it may appear to thrive and prosper the principall care to be taken is this That it be well rooted For the life of the plant consisteth in the root We are all by nature unprofitable shoots sprung from old Adam that degenerate shrub and have neither roote nor fatness nor fruit in our selves And therefore it is needfull that we be plucked from our corrupted stock and that
over her and covered her nakednesse and sware unto her and entred into a Covenant with her and made her his own Then he washed her and anointed her he decked her with the richest Ornaments both of Jewels and Rayment he fed her with the chief est nourishment And her beauty was made perfect through his comelinesse that he had put upon her Ezek. 16. 8. to the 15. verse And in consideration of these so great so undeserved favours she crieth out with that good Prophet David O give thanks unto the Lord for he is good for his mercy endureth for ever Psal 107. 1. And so thirdly she falleth upon his mercy which she cannot but mightily commend for that so soon as she became sensible of her own lamentable condition he then appeard to her most mercifull For no sooner did she finde her self to be by nature the child of wrath Eph. 2. 3. And by sin the child of the Devil 1 Joh. 3. 8. But suddenly she perceived that he had redeemed her to God by his bloud Rev. 5. 9. That when she was yet his enemy he had reconciled her to God by his death and most assuredly saved her by his life Rom. 5. 10. And all this without the least satisfaction by or from her self For not by works of righteousnesse that she had done but according to his mercie he saved her Tit. 3. 5. And she is most confident that he will continue her in her now happy estate For he hath said I will never leave thee nor forfake thee Hebr. 13. 5. Neither can she doubt but what he hath said he will most certainly perform For she findeth Fourthly That he is full of Grace and Truth John 1. 14. Yea he is the very Truth it self John 14. 6. And therefore she sings with David Her Lord is good his mercie is everlasting and his truth endureth to all generations Psal 100. 5. Nor Fifthly is she afrighted at his Justice But rather she rejoyceth therein For albeit The wages of sin is death Rom. 6. 23. And every transgression and every disobedience must receive a just recompence of reward As Hebr. 2. 2. Yet the law of the Spirit of life in her Lord Christ Jesus hath freed her from the law of sin and of death Rom. 8. 2. And in such a case it is not the office of Justice to condemn but to acquit protect and justifie And sixthly she can never forget his wisdom who is the wisdom of God 1 Cor. 1. 24. She apprehendeth by faith that it was he which made the earth by his power which established the world by his wisdom and stretched out the heaven by his understanding As Isa 51. 15. He knoweth them that are his 2 Tim. 1. 19. And he knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgement to be punished 2 Pet. 2. 9. And she doubteth not but she may most safely and savingly resign her self to his direction and disposition For in him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge Colos 2 3. The soul that adds a thousand fold to these shall yet fall short a thousand thousand fold of his essentiall super-excellencies and lose her self at last in admiration Yet by these dear indearing contemplations she acts and strengthens and improves her Love and works it to a prosperous conditon For as the roote by vertue of the Sap causeth the tree to put forth fair green leaves So worketh Faith by Love and fits the soul the chast soul for a flourishing profession ANd now though somewhat bashfull yet she dares discover her affections to her friends the sweet companions of her virgin Love I charge you O daughters of Jerusalem if you finde my beloved that ye tell him that I am sick of love Saith she Cant. 5. 8. And therefore as the virgin lover first delighteth much to meditate upon the rare perfections of her Paramore So in the second place she will be talking of him very often extolling and comending his person parts and properties that so he may the better come to the knowledge and assurance of her intire affection towards him In like manner the love-sick soul that panteth after Christ will not omit the least occasion or opportunity of conference concerning her dear Lord but will evermore be magnifying his goodness loving-kindness and the like and setting forth the promises due thereto Because thy loving-kindness is better then life therefore my lips shall praise thee saith David Psal 63. 3. And to that purpose she consorts her self with his true servants his trustie friends whom she inviteth kindly to a sweet harmoneous concord and conversation O come saith she let us sing unto the Lord let us make a joyfull noise to the rock of ovr salvation Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving and make a joyfull noise unto him with Psalms For the Lord is a great God c. Psal 94 to the 8. And from hence she proceedeth to a more eminent and evident Profession of her true zeal and pure integrity which will appear the more infallibly by loving that which he is known to love and hating that which he abhors and hates Resolved thus She findes he loveth righteousnesse and hateth wickednesse Psal 45. 7. And therefore she directeth her affections of love and hatred towards the same Objects In the first place she loveth righteousness whether it be the righteousness of faith which justifieth the person or the righteousness of the law which justifieth the faith of the person For she knoweth that as the one is the cause of her justification so the other is the evidence of her sanctification And this her Love appeareth very precious upon the account of these four properties First it is Cordiall secondly it is Constant thirdly it is Confident and fourthly it is Comprehensive First I say it is cordiall It is no brain-sick fancy begotten by imagination brought forth by opinion nursed by ignorance and maintained by impudence Neither is it an outward formall profession modalled by self-seeking and magnified by self-conceit These are degenerate monsters bastard brats abominable to her virgin brest She owns no other love but what proceeds from the assurance of a saving faith infused by the Spirit of her Lord into the hidden corners of her heart I sleep saith she but my heart waketh Cant. 5. 2. her loving heart is evermore in labour Neither can any thing prevent or hinder her amourous desires from running out towards the righteousness of her dear Lord Because He is the Lord her righteousnesse Jer. 23. 6. Secondly her love is constant She regardeth not the face of the times nor the course of the tide the praise of a parasite nor the partling of a Parrat Neither will she take the spirit of giddiness for her guide least by any means she should wax wanton against Christ and wed her self to some unworthy creature like the younger widows Tim. 3. 11. Profits Pleasures and preferments
and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour Eph. 5. 2. In whom our gracious God was fully pleased Math. 3. 17. Which so increased and confirm'd his love that he concludes this Covenant of Grace And certainly there being no possibility to be expected from decayed mankinde for the repairing of themselves either by desert satisfaction intercession or any other way or means whatsoever we must needs conceive consider and assure our Souls That whatsoever God or Christ or God in Christ or God for Christ his sake either did do or shall do in order unto Mans salvation or whatsoever else may truely be called a blessing They did do and shall do it meerly by virtue of that undeserved Love which they vouchsafed in this Covenant Had not that prevailed man had been destroyed and God had lost the glory of his grace which shines most clearly through mans Redemption Without doubt it is in reference to this eternal Covenant That our Redemption is said to be eternal Hebr. 9. 12. our Salvation eternal Hebr. 5. 9. And our Inheritance eternal Hebr. 9. 15. And the onely Consideration or Motive that procured all this was Gods eternal or everlasting Love wherewith he loved us Jer. 31. 3. He loved us generally as his Creatures He loved us particularly as those Creatures by whom he intended chiefly to advance his glory He loved us more especially as bearing his own Image He loved us compassionately as foreseeing our fall in Adam our old Grand-Father But he loved us most effectually upon the intercession of Christ his own dear Son And thus God so loved the World But that this truth may gain our full belief let us surveigh his gift his onely Son For God so loved the World that he gave his onely begotten Son This is the next branch which in the third place sets forth it self unto us in this Copy of the Covenant of Grace Being the Gift or Grant conveyed assigned and set over by the said Covenant or Deed of Gift WHerein I am to shew unto you these three particulars First That Jesus Christ the onely begotten Son of God was the Gift conveyed in that eternal Covenant Secondly What manner of Son he was And thirdly How and to what purpose God did so assign him For the first be pleased to remember what I have formerly delivered concerning this Precontract How God the Father and his blessed Son fore-seeing mans destruction by his fall Least by that means their purpose concerning the Creation should miscarrie The Son Christ Jesus gives himself to God a surety for the Creature And in case of mans default to satisfie the law on mans behalf And thereupon the Lord returns his Son by designation debtour to the law which he must to the uttermost discharge by suffering death which man of right must suffer Not presently for yet there was no cause why he should answer what was yet undone Nor at the very instant of mans fall The Lord was pleased to take his single Bond And to deferre the execution untill his own appointed time should come Neverthelesse by virtue of this Covenant God gave his Son for mans Redemption intentionally and by way of preordination before all time 1 Pet. 1. 19. effectually in the beginning of time Rev. 13. 8. And actually in the fulnesse of time Gal. 4. 4. Now albeit these several times were farre distant the one from the other in our apprehension Yet they were not so in Gods repute and acceptation for with him all times are present Eternity is evermore Gods present Tense And thus it may appear that the Gift which God the Father gave in this eternal Conant was his onely begotten Son And that he then gave him not onely intentionally according to our discretion But effectually and actually according to his own purpose and satisfaction Moreover if we consider the occasion why God and Christ did make this Covenant Namely to save man from that wofull curse which he did voluntarily incurre And yet to clear Gods Justice so ingaged us in the Covenant of works Then we shall finde that nothing could avail to bring to passe that intricate designe but the onely Son of God both God and Man Gods Justice seiseth upon every sin from which nor men nor Angels were quite free Prov. 28. 9. and Job 4. 18. And none but onely God might stay Gods hand But man hath sinned and man must suffer for 't And therefore in Mans Nature Christ must die and Christ as God and Man must satisfie Gods violated Justice And very punctual to this purpose is that of the Prophet Isaiah Vnto us a childe is born unto us a son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulder and his Name shall be called wonderfull Counseller The mighty God The everlasting Father The Prince of peace Isa 9. 6. These glorious expressions were too high for any but the eternal Son of God who was then or at that time neither born nor given otherwise then by way of promise and prevention And that by this eternal Covenant Now that we may be the more sensible of that incomparable Love which Almighty God vouchsafed us in this most precious Gift Let us consider for what kinde of Son the word of truth hath set him forth unto us He is Gods own Son Rom. 8. 32. His onely begotten Son which is in the bosome of his Father John 1. 18. His beloved Son in whom he is well pleased Mat. 17. 5. His dear Son or the Son of his Love Col. 1. 13. Whom he hath appointed heir of all things Heb. 1. 2. In whom his Soul delighteth Isa 42. 1. Who never displeased him John 8. 29. Did God give this near dear delightfull Son of his to suffer death a cursed death to save accursed rebels from destruction Truely the though thereof if any thing serious will inforce us to conclude with that beloved Disciple Herein is Love the very power efficacy and excellency of Love Not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins 1 John 4. 10. But happily 't will be demanded how and to what purpose did God give his Son in this eternal Covenant of Grace I answer thus God being simply and essentially one considering mans eternal separation both from his presence and his favour too occasioned by mans rebellion The same one God did graciously decree to take upon him in the Person of the Son of God the Name and Nature of the Son of Man By that mysterious meanes to reconcile mankinde unto himself And thus as God the Father in his Justice opposeth mans contempt so God the Son in mercie intercedes and pacifies Gods wrath for Mans offence And therefore very much to this purpose is that of the Apostle Paul There is one God saith he and one Mediatour between God and men the man Christ Jesus who gave himself a Ransome for all to be testified in due time 1 Tim. 2. 5 6. In
of the Church of Sardis Thou hast a name that thou livest and art dead Rev. 3. 1. The cordial death if I may so call it or the death of the heart is that which happeneth upon the sense or apprehension of some extream danger or distresse when discreet Abigail had told her husband Nabal of the danger he was in by reason of his churlish behaviour towards Davids young men The Text saith That his heart died within him and he became as a stone 1 Sam. 25. 37. And Pharaoh in the plague of locusts desired Moses and Aaron to intreat the Lord that he might take away that death onely Exod. 10. 17. The natural death consisteth in the dissolution of nature or the separation between the body and the Soul It is said That when Rachels Soul departed she died Gen. 35. 18. And when the widow of Zarephaths son was dead Elijah cried unto the Lord and said O Lord my God I pray thee let this Childes Soul come into him again And the Lord heard the voice of Elijah and the Soul of the Childe came into him again and he revived 1 King 17. 21 22. The last is eternal death consisting in those eternal torments which the damned shall be cast into upon that peremptory sentence Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels Mat. 25. 41. In these four sorts or degrees of death are comprehended all the discomforts mischiefs and miseries that mankinde can suffer or suspect whether they be spiritual temporal or eternal And now I shall prove that every one of them is the reward or punishment of sin First the spiritual death is the reward of sin Because that when they knew God they glorified him not as God neither were thankfull but became vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkned professing themselves to be wise they became fools And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man and to birds and to four-footed beasts and creeping things Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleannesse through the lusts of their own hearts to dishonour their own bodies between themselves Rom. 1. 21 22 23 24. For this cause God gave them up to vile affections c. verse 26. Secondly the cordial death or the death of affliction trouble and distresse that is also the reward or the punishment of sin We grope for the wall like the blinde and we grope as if we had no eyes we stumble at noon day as in the night we are in desolate places as dead men We roar all like bears and mourn sore like doves we look for judgement but there is none for salvation but it is far off from us For our transgressions are multiplied before thee and our sins testifie against us for our transgressions are with us and as for our iniquities we know them Isa 59. 10 11 12. Thirdly the natural death that is also the wages of sin And unto Adam God said Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife and hast eaten of the tree of which I commanded thee saying thou shalt not eat of it cursed is the ground for thy sake in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the dayes of thg life Thorns and Thistles shall it bring forth to thee and thou shalt eat the Herb of the field In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread untill thou return unto the ground for out of it wast thou taken for dust thou art and to dust thou shalt return Gen. 3. 17 18 19. And lastly eternal death is the punishment of sin And it shall come to passe that from one new Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another shall all flesh come to worship before me saith the Lord. And they shall go forth and look upon the carcases of the men that have transgressed against me for their worm shall not die neither shall their fire be quenched and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh Isa 66. 23 24. Thus we see that sin hath laid us open to every degree of death and destruction And verily the penalty annexed unto the breach of the Covenant of works that original rebellion importeth no otherwise In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die Gen. 2. 17. Dying thou shalt die saith the original Thou shalt die every kinde of death And now if it be demanded how it may be said that we are redeemed from these miseries distresses and calamities by this Covenant of Grace I answer that Almighty God hath redeemed us from them by taking away the onely cause of them which we find here to be sin And that for and through the merits and mediation the sufferings and satisfaction of Jesus Christ his onely begotten Son whom he gave us and for us in this Covenant Provided alwayes that we receive him by faith according to the condition of this Covenant And here we may do well to take notice That the evil of sin is three-fold That is to say The guilt of sin The punishment of sin And the power of sin And it is necessary that all these be removed before we can certainly be said to be redeemed For where the guilt remaineth the punishment is not to be avoided and whilest the power continueth neither shall the guilt be forgotten nor the punishment forgiven You know that whosoever transgresseth the Law and is found guilty thereof he must suffer punishment according to the nature of his offence And whosoever committeth sinne transgresseth the Law For sin is the transgression of the Law 1 John 3. 4. Now where is that Soul that dares stand upon her own justification and plead Not guilty to the whole Law of God Or whether our own hearts condemne us or not God is greater then our hearts and knoweth all things 1 John 3. 20. It is in vain for us to dissemble or conceal our iniquities For all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do Heb. 4. 13. Verily the Lord sees our sins before we commit them I knew that thou wouldest deal very treacherâ—usly saith he and wast called a transgressour from the womb Isa 48. 8. And he that transgresseth the Law in the least particular he is cursed For it is written Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things that are written in the book of the Law to do them Gal. 3. 10. And being cursed he can expect no better then to be condemned unto eternal torments For the Son of Man sitting upon the throne of his glory shall say unto them Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels Math. 25. 41. But being possessed of the Lord Jesus Chriâ—t by an effectual faith according to the tenour of this Covenant of Grace we are redeemed both from the Curse For Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us Gal.
these Covenanters do injoy in this eternal life we finde it shadowed out unto us under the notion of Abrahams bosome Luke 16. 22. as being the secure and safe receptacle for all the seed of Abraham according to the faith Of Paradise Luke 23. 43. Of a Kingdom Math. 25. 34. Of a Crown of righteousnesse 2 Tim. 4. 8. Of an exceeding and eternal weight of glory 2 Cor. 4. 17. With other the like alluring expressions For the manner how the faithfull are to enjoy this everlasting life St. John telleth us that They are before the Throne of God and serve him day and night in his Temple and he that sitteth on the Throne shall dwell among them They shall hunger no more neither thirst any more neither shall the Sun light on them nor any heat For the Lamb which is in the midst of the Throne shall feed them and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes Rev. 7. 15. 16 17. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God and the song of the Lamb saying Great and marvsllous are thy works Lord God Almighty just and true are thy wayes thou King of Saints Rev. 15. 3. But to set forth the truth and perfection either of the matter or manner of those glorious infinite and unconceiveable injoyments by these or any other expressions visions or revelations were to shew you the brightness of the Sun by the light of a Candle For eye hath not seen nor ear heard neither have entred into the heart of man the things which God hath prepared for them that love him 1 Cor. 2. 9. And now I am to prove that every one of these several sorts or degrees of life is part of Christs purchase conferred upon us for and through his merits and mediation and that in and by this Covenant of Grace And for the more clear manifestation hereof I desire you still to consider that whatsoever Christ hath done or suffered for and on the behalf of mankinde the same he did and suffered before the world began not onely intentionally according to our understanding but effectually and actually according to the tenor of Gods will and the satisfaction of his justice He was the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world Rev. 13. 8. And thus the Prophet Isaiah He was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities c. Isa 53. 5. You know though a man hath a bad or a bankrupt debitour yet if he hath a good sufficient surety he will not be hasty to exact the penalty upon the poor principal in regard that he is well assured of full satisfaction from the surety and haply upon that security he keeps the bond unsued for divers years after the forfeiture even till his own occasions call upon him Christ is our surety in this Covenant And Christ his promise stands for present pay his free ingagement for full satisfaction He gave himself a ransome for all to be testified in due time saith St. Paul 1 Tim. 2. 6. Not presently but even at such a time as God determined and agreed upon And next I desire you to call to minde what Moses that man of God hath delivered concerning the Creation How God in creating the light the firmament the waters the earth and those other Creatures necessary and convenient for mans use and sustentation He onely said let it be so and it was so But coming in conclusion to make man he calls his privy Councel Son and Spirit and sayes Let us make man in our own image after our likenesse and let him have dominion over the fish of the Sea and over the fowle of the aire and over the Cattel and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth Gen. 1. 26. As if he had said this is our great vicegerent this is he for whose sake and for whose posterity we have created this great universe And on whose behalf we did conclude that Covenant of Grace to take effect at the instant of his fall That so both he and all his seed may know it is not of themselves whereby they stand but meerly of our goodnesse and our grace which apprehended by a lively faith their faith will work obedience by love Therefore let us make man in our own image c. In the first Chapter of Genesis verse 27. Man is created in the 28. verse he is blessed in the 29. verse he receives his Commission In the second Chapter at the 16. and 17. verses he receives his charge The Covenant of works In the third Chapter at the sixth verse he forfeits his recognisance In the ninth verse God gives him summons And in the fifteenth verse he shews him his Saviour The seed of the woman Neverthelesse least man should grow too idle too insolent or too old in his iniquity In the 19th verse of the same third Chapter God shews him his Task his Original and his End In the sweat of thy face thou shalt eat bread till thou return unto the ground there is his task For out of it wast thou taken there is his original For dust thou art and unto dust shalt thou return there is his end But you will say If there were such a precontract such a Covenant of Grace formerly provided as you speak of why did not Christ thereby deliver Adam and his posterity from this tedious task this sense of their base extraction and this subjection to a sad return I answer that in the first place we may conceive that our Creatour thought it necessary to leave us in perpetual imployment thereby to keep us still in action we have a proverb that idlenesse is the mother of all evil But without doubt idlenesse is the Devils best opportunity It is like that the Serpent found Eve gazing as Shechem found Dina gadding otherwise the one had not been so soon deceived nor the other so easily defiled Secondly he was pleased to continue us under the sense of our contemptible original to keep us from presumption pride Had Adam formerly considered the simple stuffe whereof he was created haply the haughty desire of being like his Master had not made him Gods enemy Behold saith Abraham I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord which am but dust and ashes Gen. 18. 27. There is his humility And he was called the friend of God James 2. 23. And thirdly he left us subject unto death even by that means to better our condition Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord saith the Spirit that they may rest from their labours Rev. 14. 13. And likewise that in the interim in the time of this natural life he might keep our Souls in action as well as our bodies whilest we walk by faith and not by sight According to that of the Apostle 2 Cor. 5. 7. But where is then the benefit you will say of this eternal Covenant
of Grace I answer that as our Lord Jesus Christ did therein and thereby redeem us from all manner of death as it is a curse or a punishment for sin as I have already proved so I shall now endeavour to prove that he hath therein and thereby purchased and procured for us every sort or degree of life as it is a part of or a passage to eternal salvation And first concerning the first kinde being the natural life This Adam injoyed but conditionally In the day that thou eatest of the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil thou shalt surely die saith the Covenant of works But Adam eateth and must die therefore his present farewell to this natural life must be his welcome to eternal death When in that very instant Christ our Saviour appears for Man And by virtue of that precontract he stayes Gods justice and preserves mans life And by this means we all injoy our lives For had Adam then died according to his desert we had all died in him as the fruit dieth in the root It were little wisdom to expect a posterity from him that never did beget a Child And it appeareth that he had not begotten any before that great rebellion of his which called for present death But afterward in the time of his reprive Adam knew Eve his wife and she conceived and bare Cain Gen. 4. 1. And she again bare his brother Abel Gen. 4. 2. And Adam knew his wife again and she bare a son and called his name Seth Genes 4. 25. And the dayes of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years and he begat sons and daughters Gen. 5. 4. And whosoever hath lived heretofore do now live or shall live hereafter They did do and shall receive their natural life originally from that old feeble stock And therefore his life being preserved to a posterity by Christ in this Covenant of Grace It follows necessarily that we do all receive our natural lives meerly by virtue of that Covenant The second sort or degree is the spiritual life This as I said is the fruit of regeneration or of the new birth In our first birth we are born men In our second birth we are born Christians good men blessed men The first benefit that we received by this Covenant of Grace is our Election in Christ before the foundation of the world Eph. 1. 3 4. The second benefit is our natural life which we received in Adams reprive by virtue of the said Covenant Yet I dare not call this a benefit absolutely or otherwise then as it putteth us into a possibility of attaining unto this spiritual life And therefore the first Lesson that our Saviour taught unto Nichodemus was the necessity of Regeneration saying verily verily I say unto thee except a man be born again he cannot see the Kingdom of God John 3. 3. The next absolute and undeniable benefit proceeding from this Covenant is the spiritual life whereby we become the sons of God not according to any carnal condition but according to the Spirit of adoptition Rom. 8. 14 15. By this spiritual life we likewise become sensible of the first benefit conveyed unto us in this Covenant being our Election which cannot be perceived either in us or by us in the state of nature before we begin to live this life of grace And for this spiritual life also if we desire to know it either in our selves or others we shall finde that it consisteth in the putting off the old man and putting on the new Ye ought so to learn Christ that ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitfull lusts And be renewed in the spirit of yâ—ur minde And that ye put on the new man which after God is created in righteousnesse and true holinesse Ephes 4. 22 23 24. And to the Galatians walk in the spirit and ye shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh saith the same Apostle Gal. 5. 16. In this spiritual life it pleased the Father of our Lâ—rd Jesus Christ to communicate unto us his divine nature 2 Pet. 1. 4. His Image 2 Cor. 3. 18. And his spirit 1 John 4. 13. And by this means it cometh to passe that they which live this spiritual life Their eyes are opened they are turned from darknesse to light and from the power of Satan unto God that they may receive forgivenesse of sins an inheritance with them which are sanctified by faith which is in Christ Jesus Acts 26. 18. And all this we injoy in and through Jesus Christ our Lord. If Christ be in you the body is dead because of sin but the Spirit is life because of righteousnesse saith the Apostle Rom. 8. 10. I have not read of any whom I conceive to have lived this life of grace more fruitfully then St. Paul did Neither was he ashamed to confesse how and from whom he received it I am crucified with Christ saith he neverthelesse I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me Gal. 2. 20. Likewise reckon ye also your selves to be dead indeed unto sin but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord saith the same Apostle Rom. 6. 11. Verily our Lord Jesus Christ is not onely the procurer and purchaser of this spiritual life but also the Authour and the essence thereof The dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God and they that hear shall live for as the Father hath life in himself so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself Joh. 5. 25. 26. And again I am the Resurrection and the life saith Christ he that believeth in me though he were dead yet shall he live John 11. 25. Though he were dead in sin yet shall he live by grace And you being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh hath he quickned together with Christ having forgiven you all your trespasses saith St. Paul Col. 2. 13. And as this great benefit is conferred upon us in and by the Lord Jesus Christ so is it likewise confirmed unto us in and by this Covenant of Grace As for thy Nativity in the day thou wast born thy Navel was not cut neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee thou wast not salted at all nor swadled at all None eye pitied thee to do any of these things unto thee to have compassion upon thee but thou wast cast out in the open field to the loathing of thy person in the day that thou wast born saith the Lord by his Prophet Ezek. 16. 4 5. Here is the wretched estate of every Soul by nature in regard of sin delivered expresly concerning Jerusalem but is to be applied to Adam and all his posterity But when I passed by thee saith the Lord and saw thee polluted in thine own bloud I
David saith the Lord by his Prophet Isa 55. 3. And thus his onely Son verily verily I say unto you he that heareth my word and beleeveth on him that sent me hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but is passed from death to life John 5. 24. And fiftly we have no president or example of any that beleeved by reading But we find that many thousands beleeved by hearing Acts 2. 41. and 4 4. and 13. 48. and 17. 12. For it pleased God by the foolishnesse of preaching to save them that beleeve 1 Cor. 1. 21. And you know that preaching hath its relation to hearing and not to reading But you will say to what purpose then do we bring up our children to reading or what do we with our Bibles and other godly books if reading in them be so unnecessary as you say it is Good Christians I pray mistake me not I do not say it is unnecessary But I say it is not so necessary or commodious for the getting of faith as hearing is The word which we read in the book is not so powerfull so full of spirit and life as that which we hear from God by the mouth of his ministers The words that I speak unto you they are spirit and they are life saith our Lord Christ Joh. 6. 63. Nevertheless I am so farr from condemning reading although it may be much abused as the best things too often are That I commend it for a beneficiall and a blessed excercise to all sorts of people both unbeleevers and beleevers For in relation to unbeleevers First it prepareth them for hearing by acquainting them with the history and making them familiar with the body of the Scriptures And you know that a man will more freely and willingly receive and entertain that which is familiar unto him then that which is strang or unknown unless he be of such an Athenian or Atheisticall spirit as to spend his time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing as Acts 17. 21. Secondly it inableth them to hear with the greater discretion and the more readily to find out the severall places of Scripture cited by the Minister either at the present or at their better leisure The Jews to whom Paul preached at Berea were commended for the more noble In that they received the word with readiness of mind and searched the Scriptures daily whether those things were so Acts 17. 11. Therefore many of them beleeved vers 12. And as for the true beleevers who are neither wedded to their own understandings nor captivated by their own corruptions For the Spirit of God is with them And where the Spirit of God is there is liberty 2 Cor. 3. 17. To them I say reading is yet more profitable and proper For it serveth to assist their memories to improve their meditations and likewise to strengthen and confirm their Faith And questionless it was principally for these ends and purposes that the Apostles did write their Epistles to be read in divers churches or congregations which they dedicated to the Saints of God Such are were in Christ Jesus by faith whereunto they had been formerly converted by hearing the Gospell preached unto them either by the Authours of the same Epistles or by some other of the Apostles or Evangelists And therefore I say unto all men women and children concerning reading and hearing as Paul some time said to the Corinthians concerning spirituall gifts and prophesying 1 Cor. 14. 1. Desire reading but rather that ye may hear For faith cometh by hearing and hearing cometh by the word of God preached How can they hear without a preacher saith the same Apostle Rom. 10. 14. Now the reason why I have thus taken upon me to answer this question concerning reading is this Because many think to excuse themselves very well from attending upon God in his publick Ordinances by pretending that they do benefit themselves as much by reading good books at home But truely they do very mightily deceive themselves He that knoweth God heareth us he that is not of God heareth not us hereby know we the Spirit of truth and the Spirit of errour Saith that loving and beloved Disciple John 4. 6. WE are now come to answer the fift and last Question compleatly pertinent to the examination of this Beleevers evidence which is this How shall a man know whether he hath this saving faith or not That we may possess our selves of a right understanding in a matter of such consequence let us exactly consider that place of the Prophet Jeremy Where he compareth or likeneth a faithfull person to a goodly Tree that is richly planted well rooted full of sap flourishing fair and fruitfull You shall finde in the seventeenth of the Prophesie of Jeremy at the seventh and eighth verses In these words Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord and whose hope the Lord is For he shall be as a Tree planted by the waters and that spreadeth out her roots by the River and shall not see when heat cometh but her leaf shall be green and shall not be carefull in the year of drought neither shall cease from yielding fruit First this Tree is richly planted For she is planted by the waters And Job telleth us That though a Tree be cut down and that the root thereof wax old in the earth yet through the sent of water it will bud and bring forth boughs like a plant Job 14. 7 8 9. Secondly she is well rooted for she spreadeth out her roots by the River she spreadeth out her roots and that by the River Not by filthy myery or muddy waters but by the pure and pleasant streams When the Lord had planted a Garden in Eden with every Tree that was pleasant to the sight and good for food He provided a River to water the Garden Genes 2. 10. And it was the first commendation of the land of Promise That it was a good land a land of brooks of water of fountains and depths that spring out of vallies and hills Deut. 8. 7. Thirdly she is full of sap The Trees of the Lord are full of sap saith the Psalmist Psal 104. 16. And how can she be otherwise seeing she is so richly planted and so well rooted And therefore she shall not see or be sensible when the parching heat passeth over her Fourthly this Tree is flourishing for her leaf shall be green Her leaf shall not wither saith the Prophet David upon the like occasion Psal 1. 3. Fifthly she is fresh and fair and so she shall continue For she shall not be carefull in the year of drougth she shall put forth beautifull buds and blossomes never the lesse Sixthly and lastly she is fruitfull very fruitfull For she shall not cease from yielding fruits But you will say what resemblance or likenesse is there between this flourishing Tree and a true believer I answer let this be alwayes considered that those things which are spoken
11. With Paul Thou shalt know the Lord Jesus Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable unto his death Phil. 3. 10. And thou shalt know that if thine earthly house of this Tabernacle were dissolved thou hast a building of God an house not made with hands eternal in the heavens with the same Apostle 2 Cor. 5. 1. And when these and the like observations have brought thee to this and the like experience And experience hath setled thee in the faith Then thou shalt know likewise that thou art well rooted in Christ by faith Fourthly we must not be moved away from the hope of the Gospel This is the last sign expressed in this gradation The Devil hath fear but no hope The Reprobate hath hope but no fear I mean no filial fear He may sometimes in spight of his heart fear to appear in Gods presence as he is a just Judge But he cannot at any time or by any means fear to offend God as he is a loving Father for he cannot conceive him so to be he cannot rightly apprehend him under that notion upon any present condition whatsoever And as his fear is commonly desperate so his hope is alwayes doubtfull and dangerous He is soon moved away from his hope for his hope is not the Hope of the Gospel But the true Believer cannot be moved away from the Hope of the Gospel It is the sure and steadfash Anchor of his Soul Hebr. 6. 19. I cannot say but a ship when she rideth at Anchor may be tumbled and tossed by a violent Tempest yet so long as her Anchor continueth firm and stedy she rideth securely be the storm never so outragious But if her Anchor faileth her her danger is dreadfull especially if the Channel where she rideth be Rocky narrow or otherwise unsafe Even so the Soul that is sustained by Hope may peradventure be moved or shaken by some strong distemper Neverthelesse so long as her hope remaineth sound setled and stedfast she is able to bear up in the greatest extremity But if she be quite moved away from the hope of the Gospel 't is dangerous that she is lost for ever And the rather for that the whole Ocean is not so full of Rocks and showls quick-sands wherewith to bulge and break a crasie vessel as the wild world is full of snares offences and temptations to ruine and destroy a silly Soul But you will say what is the difference between an ordinary Hope and this Hope of the Gospel I answer that an ordinary hope is commonly carnall but this hope of the Gospel is altogether spiritual And they differ in these particulars First in their Authour The carnal hope proceedeth of the Devil or Satan It was he that gave hope to the woman that she should not die in her transgression Genes 3. 4. It was he that gave Ahab hope of good successe 1 Kings 22. 21. And it was Satan that filled the heart of Ananias with hope that his Hypocrisie should not be discovered Acts 5. 3. And he feeds and fills us with these false hopes in his malice and emnity to mankinde For he is our adversary who as a roaring Lion walketh about seeking whom he may devour 1 Peter 5. 8. But it is God that giveth us this Gospel-hope and that of his love and grace It is our Lord Iesus Christ himself and God even our Father which hath loved us and hath given us everlasting consâ—lation and good hope through grace 2 Thes 2. 16. Secondly they differ in their foundation The carnal hope is commonly built upon casualties upon perhaps oâ— peradventures When Balak besought Bâ—lam to curse the people of God Come I pray thee saith he I will bring thee to another place peradventure it will please God that thou mayest curse me them from thence Num. 23. 27. But this Gospel hope is built upon Christ that never-failing foundation The riches of the glorie of this mystery among the Gentiles is Christ in us the hope of glorie Col. 1. 27. Thirdly they differ in their objects The carnal hope aimes altogether at riches honours pleasures long life or the like worldly injoyments vanity of vanities saith the preacher vanity of vanities all is vanitie Eccles 1 2. But the Gospel hope looks upon the Lord Jesus Christ which is our hope saith the Apostle 1 Tim. 1. 1. And eternal life which God that cannot lye promised before the world began Tit. 1 2. Or if she meets with any worldly good as necessary to this present life she lookes upon it not as a reward but as a blessing from her God in Christ Fourthly they differ in their evidence For what hath a carnall man to shew for all his hopes but onely his own blinde conceptions and imaginations whereas the Gospel hope is evidenced by Gods holy word For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope Rom. 15. 4. Fifthly they differ in their effects for the carnall hope doth onely serve to harden us in sin and so to run us up to ruine and destruction But every man that hath this hope in him this Gospel hope he purifieth himself even as God is pure 1 John 3. 3. And lastly they differ in their alliance or society The carnall hope confederates it self with doubts distrusts and a distracted conscience And therefore Zophar telleth Job That the hope of the wicked shall be as the giving up of the Ghost Job 11. 20. But this Gospel hope is the companion of faith and love and that unto the benefit of both For as this hope supporteth and sustaineth her mother faith in her tedious travail towards eternal happiness So likewise she comforteth and confirmeth her sister love by assuring her that her labour is not in vain in the Lord. And therefore the Apostle hath most fitly placed her between them both 1 Cor. 13 13. Having thus considered this Rule of the Apostle according to the four degrees thereof we finde That whosoever continueth in the faith even in the furnace of affliction That groundeth his faith upon that eternall design of Gods glory That is setled in the faith by the constant observation and experience of the favour and loving kindness of God in Christ And is not moved away from the hope of the Gospel He may without any doubt assure himself That he is well rooted in Christ by Faith NOw in the second place if we desire to know whether we beplanted into Christ as trees of Righteousnesse we must consider whether we be full of Sap And this Sap is Love For as the Root draws fatness from the soyl and sends it through the body or the stem in the Sap to every Member Bough and Branch supplying every part with life and nourishment according to its place and property Insomuch that in the Root it may be called life In the Body nourishment In the
behold his blessed entertainment when he was yet a great way off his father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him And the like happinesse shall every soul receive for certain from her heavenly Father that hath a true sense and feeling of her transgressions that is really moved and troubled for them that resolveth seriously to forsake them that proceedeth in the right course to be delivered from them According to that life which her Beloved brings along with him But as the resolutions and actions of the aforesaid lepers and likewise of the prodigal were undertaken and carried on meerly by necessity and probably might have been as dangerous as they proved advantagious So in like case the soul that is thus newly revived and ingaged upon the like compulsive principles may be exceeding liable and subject to many perilous mistakes O Lord I know that the way of man is not in himself it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps saith the Prophet Jere. 10. 23. And therefore whensoever Jesus Christ appeareth savingly to such a soul he giveth light to rule and guide that life And thereupon the Apostle Awake thou that sleepest and arise from the dead and Christ shall give thee light Ephes 5. 14. And thus the Lord of himself I am the light of the world he that followeth me shall not walk in darknesse but shall have the light of life John 8. 12. This is not a new light But the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world John 1. 9. Not an external but an internal light For God who commandeth the light to shine out of darknesse hath shined in our hearts saith the Apostle 2 Cor. 4. 6. Not to inlighten the eyes of the body but to inlighten the eyes of the understanding That the eyes of your understanding being inlightened c. Saith the same Apostle Ephes 1. 18. The light of the body is the eye saith our Saviour Math. 6. 22. And as the light of the body is the eye so the light of the soul is the understanding For as the eye is that member of the body whereby the body receiveth light so the understanding is that faculty of the soul whereby the soul receiveth light also And this spiritual light albeit for substance it is alwayes the same Yet in regard of the several proceedings or degrees thereof it may be said to be threefold The first degree is in Christ or God in Christ essentially The second is in the Gospel exhibitively The third is in the godly derivatively First I say this light is in God essentially and originally God is light saith S. John 1 Joh. 1. 5. And so it is infinite perfect and perpetual First it is infinite It is said that in the Creation God made two great lights the greater light to rule the day Gen. 1. 16. And that greater light is the Sun Psalm 136. 8. But there is no lesse difference between this light of God or this light which is God and the light of the Sun then there is between light and darknesse The Sun cannot shine in all places at one and the same time for we see by experience that the night hideth us from the light thereof But thus the Prophet David unto the Lord If I say surely the darknesse shall cover me even the night shall be light about me yea the darknesse hideth not from thee but the night shineth as the day the darknesse and the light are both alike unto thee Psal 139. 11 12. And upon whom doth not his light arise saith Job Job 25. 3. Verily this infinite light may not be limited It shineth upon all persons in all places and at all times And if any man be not inlightened thereby it is for that he loveth darknesse rather then light because his deeds are evil as John 3. 19. Secondly this infinite light is perfect God is light and in him is no darknesse 1 Joh. 1. 5. Neither is he capable of any the least alteration The Sun may be stayed in his course as in the dayes of Joshua Josh 10. 13. Or turned back as in the dayes of Hezekiah Isa 38. 8. But in this Father of lights there is no variablenesse neither shadow of turning Ja. 1. 17. I am the Lord I change not saith he Mala. 3. 6. Thirdly this perfect light is perpetual or everlasting The Sun shall be turned into darknesse and the Moon into bloud before the great and the terrible day of the Lâ—rd come Joel 2. 31. But the Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light saith that Evangelical Prophet Isa 60. 19. He shall not onely inlighten thee all thy days in this his Kingdom of grace but he shall be also thine onely light in his Kingdom of glorie Rev. 21. 23. The second degree of this everlasting light is in the everlasting Gospel as S. John calleth it Rev. 14. 6. And here it is communicable conformable and comfortable First it is communicable As the Sun disperseth his light by his beams so the Lord communicateth his light by his Gospel That grace which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ who hath abolished death and hath brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel saith St. Paul 2 Tim. 1. 9 10. And thereupon St. John The darknesse is past saith he and the true light now shineth 1 Joh. 2. 8. The darknesse of the Law which was vailed under types figures is done away and the true light now shineth in the Gospel And St. Peter thus We have not followed cunningly devised fables when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ but were eye-witnesses of his Majesty for he received from God the Father honour and glorie when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glorie This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased And this voice which came from Heaven we heard when we were with him in the holy Mount We have also a more sure word of prophesie whereunto ye do well that ye take heed as unto a light that shineth in a dark place untill the day dawn and the day-star arise in your hearts 2 Peter 1. 16 17 18 19. Briefly thus The Gospel of Jesus Christ saith he is no fable for we were eye-witnesses of his Majesty and ear-witnesses of his Fathers Testimony altogether agreeable to the Records of the Prophets which might serve to convince the Soul of ignorance and unbelief untill the Lord Jesus Christ is pleased to reveal himself more abundantly by the light of his Gospel But it may be demanded how God is said to communicate or discover his light by his Gospel seeing the Apostle telleth us That the Gospel is a mysterie which hath been hid from ages and from generations and is now made manifest unto the Saints onely Col. 1. 26. I answer
Christ is you cannot want for Peace He is The mighty God the everlasting Father The Prince of Peace Isa 9. 6. But as there is scarce any kingdom where there are not three self-ended sichophants for one true-hearted faithful loyal subject So there are four sorts or kinds of peace yet onely one that is secure or safe The first sort of peace is a sluggish peace The second is a slavish peace The third is a deceitful peace .. And The fourth is the safe peace The first I tell you is a sluggish peace And this is when a man lies snorting in the filthy bosom of a sinful corrupt conversation without any feeling of Gods fierce wrath or of his own desperate condition as being subject even that very instant to be swallowed up of that most horrible and dreadful gulph of everlasting death and endlesse torments This kinde of sluggish peace is very much illustrated by Jonah his example in the first Chapter of his history where the Lord commandeth Jonah to go and cry against Nineveh But Jonah disobeyeth Gods command and goeth down to Joppa where finding a ship bound for Tarshish he payeth the fare thereof and goeth down thereinto to fly unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. And in the middest of that mighty tempest whereby the ship is likely to be broken Jonah is laid fast a sleep in the sides of the ship until the Ship-master rouzeth him up and soon after casteth him over-board into the raging Ocean So the Lord commandeth all men every where to repent Acts 17. 30. He exhorteth us to watch and to stand fast in the faith 1 Cor. 16. 13. And to examine our selves whether we be in the faith 2 Cor. 13. 5. Neverthelesse we wilfully rebel against the Lord our God we do despise his Precepts and his exhortations and slighting his Ordinances we betake our selves unto the sloathfull cabin of security we say in our hearts God hath forgotten he hideth his face he will never see it As David speaketh of a wicked person Psal 10 11. And to deceive our selves the more sincerely we keep at a distance with our own hearts and make our selves great strangers even at home in our own consciences we do evill and hate the light neither come we to the light least our deeds should be reproved According to that saying of our Saviour John 3. 20. From whence it proceedeth that like fools we go laughing to the correction of the stocks never fear the rod until we feel it And thus with Jonah we sleep peaceably even in the jawes of danger and distresse and never dreame of our approaching ruine Or if at any time the terrours of conscience do hap do seize upon us and afright us yet they are but as so many troublesome dreams we soon forget and fall a sleep again untill the day of the Lord cometh as a thief in the night And when we say peace and safety then suddain destruction cometh upon us as travail upon a woman with child and we shall not escape as in the 1 Thes 5. 2 3. This is the sluggish peace The second is a slavish peace when a man is contented to submit unto the slavery of sin and Satan without endeavouring or desiring to recover himself out of the snare of the Devill but is taken captive by him at his will as 2 Tim. 2. 26. To instance in one onely particular Is it not a sad thing to see how most men and women do more willingly and chearfully serve the Devil every hour in the day then they will serve God one day in the week yea and in that day I mean the Sabbath day which God hath set apart for his own publick worship if we shall consider how few will afford him their presence for one hour and how many of those few do imploy that hour in wandring thoughts or worse behaviour rather then in sincere and pure devotion verily we shall finde that of the Apostle to be too too true That even the whole world liveth in wickednesse 1 John 5. 19. Lieth in wickednesse not so much as attempting to stir out of it on to strive against it And is not this to serve God despightfully and the Devil obsequiously Indeed this may seem to be a kinde of present peace but it is very dishonourable and no lesse dangerous to hold the Devil in friendship and God at defiance For whilest we do thus promise unto our selves comfort and security by siding with Satan and complying with our own corcuptions we do betray our most hopeful expectations to all manner of temporal distraction and our poor souls to eternal destruction According to that of the Lord by this Prophet Isaiah Because ye have said we have made a covenant with death and with hell are we at agreement when the overflowing scourge shall passe through it shall not come unto us for we have made lies our refuge and under falshood we have hid our selves Isa 28. 15. Therefore thus saith the Lord Your covenant with death shall be disanulled and your agreement with hell shall nâ—t stand when the everflowing scourge shall passe through then ye shall be troden down by it From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you for morning by morning shall it passe over by day and by night and it shall be a vexation onely to understand the report Isa 28. at the 18 and 19 verses The third is a deceitful peace And this is when a man buildeth his peace upon false foudations And that either through ignorance or through errour First through ignorance as when we either know no danger at all or else when we do not know our danger to be so great as in truth it is When a man knoweth no danger he feareth no danger and therefore he is as confident of his own security as he that is altogether free from danger And likewise he that conceiveth not his danger to be so great as in truth it is albeit he hath not so much peace as he that is altogether ignorant yet he imagineth that his danger is not so great as that it requireth much trouble or travail to prevent or avoid it But all the sinners of my people shall die by the sword which say the evil shall not overtake nor prevent us saith the Lord Amos 9. 10. And in the sixth Chapter of the same prophesie at the third verse c. to the eighth Ye that put far away the evil day and cause the seat of violence to come near that lye upon beds of Ivory and stretch themselves upon their Couches and eat the Lambs of the flock and the Calves out of the midst of the stall that chaunt to the sound of the Viol and invent to themselves instruments of Musick like David that drunk Wine in bowls and anoint themselves with the chief oyntments but they are not grieved for the affliction of Joseph Therefore now shall they go captive with the first that go captive
Souls of the wicked And the Devil who is a strict observer of all our actions is thereby so well acquainted with our several inclinations that he will hardly lose his opportunity to present us with such sensual objects and such suteable assistants as will most easily allure us and as easily carry us on to a cursed conclusion If Absalom delighteth in ambition and will ascend thereunto by an unnatural conspiracie he shall neither want for councellers nor confederates 2 Sam. 15. If Ahab delighteth in the commodiousnesse of his Neighbours inheritance he shall not want for the furtherance of a bloudy wife of false witnesses or of corrupt Magistrates as 1 King 21. If Judas delighteth in covetousnesse he shall have a bribe to betray his Master and the malicious chief Priests Captains shall be as glad to give him money as he is to receive it Luke 22. 4 5. Or if Herod delighteth in vain-glory he shall have enough to cry him up Acts 12. 22. All these together with many others attained unto their several purposes and pleasures I cannot say that they injoyed them though they rejoyced in them For therewithall they verified Zophars proverb The triumphing of the wicked is short and the joy of the Hypocrite but for a moment Job 20. 5. Verily it is a cursed joy that endeth in damnation and such is the reward of all those that have pleasure in unrighteousnesse 2 Thes 2. 12. And therefore let those idolatrous Israelites sit down to eat and to drink and rise up to play Exod. 32. 6. unto their shame verse 25. And let those insulting Philistines when their hearts are merry call for Sampson out of the prison-house to make them sport Jud. 16. 25. unto their destruction verse 30. Yet Moses will chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God then to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season as Hebr. 11. 25. And Job will protest against rejoicing at the destruction of them that hated him Job 31. 29. It is a hard matter to perswade scorners not to delight in scorning as Prov. 1. 22. And evil men not to rejoyce to do evil as Prov. 2. 14. And fools not to make it their sport to do mischief as Prov. 10. 23. But these are infallible signs That they do not joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we have received the atonement According to the practice of the Saints Rom. 5. 11. And so consequently they do not love the Lord Jesus Christ And if any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ let him be Anathema Maranatha Let him be accursed or had in execration even unto the death saith the holy Ghost by St. Paul 1 Corinth 16. 22. The second is a counterfeit joy And this is when a man seemeth outwardly to be merry whereas inwardly and in truth his heart is sorrowfull This is to put a good face upon a bad case To sing songs to a heavy heart saith Solomon Prov. 25. 20. And in another place he compareth the fained laughter of a fool to the crackling of thorns under a pot where the noise is more offensive then the heat is beneficial Eccles 7. 6. Sometimes this counterfeit mirth is very hurtfull and injurious unto others For as a mad man who casteth fire-brands arrows and death So is the man that deceiveth his Neighbour and saith Am not I in sport Prov. 26. 18 19. Sometimes it is more hurtfull unto our selves For it contradicteth the cry of an accusing conscience which otherwise might happily perswade us to a godly sorrow working repentance unto salvation not to be repented of like that in St. Paul 2 Cor. 7. 10. But at the best it is both preposterous in the use and uncomfortable in the end For even in laughter the heart is sorrowfull and the end of that mirth is heavinesse Pro. 14. 13. The third is a carelesse joy when a man will rejoyce at every trifle when a man rejoyceth in a thing of nought as the Prophet speaketh Amos 6. 13. Yea folly is joy to him that is destitute of wisdom saith the wise man Prov. 15. 21. Of this sort are they that will be merry meerly for company sake but nothing according to St. Paul's exhortation Rom. 12. 15. For albeit they will rejoyce with all that rejoyce yet they will not weep with any that weep Neither will they rejoyce either with godly men or in a godly matter or after a godly manner according unto Pauls intention And therefore we may say with St. James All such rejoycing is evil Ja. 4. 16. And as it is evil so it is also unsafe They take the Timbril and Harp and rejoyce at the sound of the Organ They spend their dayes in mirth and in a moment go down to the grave Job 21. 12 13. They die in the midst of their jollity And whither then Verily to judgement Rejoyce O young man in thy youth and let thy heart cheer thee in the dayes of thy youth and walk in the wayes of thine heart and in the sight of thine eyes but know thou that for all these things God will bring thee into judgement Eccles 11. 9. Yet this is but the beginning of sorrows The Harp and Viol the Tabret and Pipe and wine are in their feasts but they regard not the work of the Lord neither consider the operation of his hands saith the Prophet Isa 5. 12. There is their carelesse mirth Therefore Hell hath inlarged her self and opened her mouth without measure and their glorie and their multitude and their pomp and he that rejoyceth shall descend into it verse 14. There is their endlesse misery The fourth is a carnal joy As when a man rejoyceth or taketh delight in such things as are meerly carnal such things as are altogether pleasing to the flesh and no lesse displeasing unto God Such are all impure lustfull idle envious malitious ambitious treacherous covetous proud or blasphemous thoughts All flattering foolish filthy lewd lying prophane prejuditious or provoking words Together with all ungodly unjust injurious uncharitable and dishonest actions And whosoever delighteth in these or in any one of these it is evident that his joy is carnal sensual and sinfull Secondly this carnal joy doth manifest it self by rejoycing carnally and sensually in things that are otherwise indifferent as being usefull and beneficial for the managing or carrying on the affairs of this life As when the wise man glorieth or rejoyceth in his wisdom the mighty man in his might or the rich man in his riches or the like which God forbiddeth Jer. 9. 23. Thus great Goliath boasted in his strength 1 Sam. 17. 10. Benhadad of his forces 1 Kings 20. 10. Rabshakeh of his victories 2 Kings 18. 35. Hanan of his advancement Esther 5. 11. The Pharisee of his works Luke 18. 22. And Pilate of his power John 19. 10. And in all these the words of James were verified They rejoyced in their boastings all such rejoycing is evill James 4. 16. And
when the Soul deliberately findeth she is confirmed she hath found her Lord. ANd now the chiefest thing that she desireth is to be sure of his affection And to that purpose she indeavoureth to satisfie her self in these three Queries whereof the first is this whether the Lord who is of purer eyes then to see evil and cannot look upâ—n iniquitie Habak 1. 13. Can notwithstanding set his love upon such simple Creatures as the sons of men Seeing we are all as an unclean thing and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags as Isa 64. 6. Therefore to be resolved in this point she turns her self towards the word of God and sets her self to search the holy Scriptures where her dear Lord directeth her to these and many the like precious promises The mountains shall depart and the hills be removed but my kindnesse shall not depart from thee saith the Lord that hath mercie on thee Isa 54. 10. Can a woman forget her sucking Childe that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb Yea they may forget yet will I not forget thee saith the same loving Lord Isa 49. 15. But I saith the Soul am very sinfull exceeding subject to transgresse True saith the Lord thou hast made me to serve with thy sins thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities But I even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake and will not remember thy sins Isa 43. 24 25. I knew that thou wouldest deal very treacherously and wast called a trunsgressour from the womb but for my name sake will I defer mine anger c. Isa 48. 8 9. Again the Soul objects against her self But I have felt the goodnesse of my God and sometimes tasted something like his favour whereby I have been seriously resolved to give my self for ever to his service And yet as one forsaking her first love I have returned to my former courses and lost the hold of all my precions hopes Why I will heal thy back-sliding and will love thee freely saith her good Lord Hos 14. 4. Thus comforted the weary Soul proceeds to ruminate upon her Lords performances The wonderfull works that he hath done for the Children of men The glorie which thou gavest me I have given them that they may be one even as we are one I in them and thou in me that they may be made perfect in one and that the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them as thou hast loved me saith our Lord in his prayer to his father on the behalf of his Apostles together with all other believers John 17. 22 23. I lay down my life for the sheep saith our good shepheard John 10. 15. No man taketh it from me but I lay it down of my self saith he again verse 18. And greater love hath no man then this that a man lay down his life for his friends Jo. 15. 13. Most true it is no man hath greater love But our dear Lord both God and Man hath greater for he did lay down his life for his enemies when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his son Rom. 5. 10. These are excellent arguments of his more excellent affection Yet to confirm her faith beyond all scruple she will examine some of his chief witnesses And first St. Paul who testifieth that our Lord hath purchased his spouse with his own bloud Take heed therefore unto your selves saith he and unto the whole flock over the which the holy Ghost hath made you overseers to feed the Church of God which he hath purchased with his own bloud Acts 20. 28. Again Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law being made a curse for us Gal. 3. 13. And ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold c. But with the precious bloud of Christ as of a lamb without blemish and without spot saith St. Peter 1 Pet. 1. 18. c. his own self bare our sins in his own bodie on the Tree that we being dead to sin should live unto righteousnesse by whose stripes we are healed saith the same Apostle 1 Pet. 2. 24. Now hereby perceive we the love of God because he laid down his life for us saith that beloved Disciple 1 John 3. 16. And therefore unto him that hath loved us and washed us from our sins in his own bloud and hath made us Kings and Priests unto God and his father to him be glorie and dominion for ever and ever amen Rev. 1. 5 6. Scarcely for a righteous man will one die saith our Apostle Rom. 5. 7. But that the onely begotten Son of God whom he hath made Heir of all things should die a cursed death to redeem the foul Souls of filthy despicable sinners Hear O Heavens and be astonished O earth This is an unconceiveable love a bottomlesse affection But now the Soul having perused his promises considered his performances and examined his witnesses till she is well resolved in this truth In the next place she asks to what intent did Christ redeem us at so deer a rate And learned Paul informs her Eph. 5. Husbands love your wives saith he even as Christ also loved the Church and gave himself for it that he might sanctifie and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word That he might present it to himself a glorious Church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing but that it should be holy and without blemish c. Eph. 5. 25 c. But can so great a Lord vouchsafe such grace as to betroth or marry to himself such wretched weak and undeserving creatures As Paul in that place seems to intimate This is the second question in which the Soul desireth to be satisfied And thereupon she runs to his Records and there by his assistance findes it written I will betroth thee unto me for ever Hosea 2. 19. And by his Prophet Jeremy Turn O back-sliding Children for I am married unto you Jer. 3. 14. Having considered these testimonies Then from his word she frames such arguments as may confirm her in this blessed truth First it appeareth that the Lord doth marry his Church unto himself In that he ealleth her his spouse Cant. 4. 8. Come with me from Lebanon my spouse And in the four next ensuing verses of that Chapter he extolleth her beauty her affection her profession and her ehastity four several times under the title of his spouse his sister his spouse His sister in regard that he had taken unto himself her flesh And his spouse in regard that he had joyned her unto himself in the spirit Secondly it is evident that the Lord marrieth his church unto himself For that he will have her call him husband Thou shalt call me Ishi that is in the Originall my husband and shalt call me no more Baali that is my Lord saith he to his church of the Jews Hos 2. 16. Thirdly it
is plain that the Lord marrieth his church unto himself In regard that he calleth himself her husband and her his wife Thy maker is thy husband the Lord of hosts is his name and thy Redeemer the holy one of Israel the God of the whole earth shall he be called For the Lord hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit and a wife of youth Isa 54. 5. 6. And fourthly it is manifest that he marrieth his church unto himself In respect that he will have her called after his own name we finde that his holy Spirit directeth us to call him by the name of The Lord our righteousnesse Jere. 23. 6. And this is the name wherewith she shall be called The Lord our righteousnesse saith the same Spirit by the same Prophet Jer. 33. 16. And in that it is said this is the name wherewith she shall be called it is evident that she was not so called formerly And we know that there is no ingagement no relation whatsoever that can make a woman capable of any other name then what she formerly had but that of marriage onely Again the soul demands this question How is it that our gracious Lord vouchsafeth so great an honour to his church to own her according to that high degree of marriage And after some expostulation she thus resolves her self Surely it is to evidence unto us that intire Union that exceeding nearnesse that is between the Spirit of our Saviour and the dear souls of his beloved saints There is a near relation among countrymen and kindred Insomuch that Paul professed he could wish himself accursed for his kinsmen according to the flesh Rom. 9. 3. Yet we see they little deserved it at his hands Acts 24. 1 c. Some what more near then that is the relation among brethren Behold how good and how pleasant it is brethren to dwell together in Vnity saith David Psal 133. 1. Yet we finde that Cain killed his brother Abel Gen. 4. 8. And Esau intended the like to his brother Jacob Gen. 27. 41. There is also a near ingagement among friends A friend sticketh closer then a brother saith Solomon Prov. 18. 24. Yet we know that there is falshood in friendship Joab slew his great friend Absalom 2 Sam. 18. 14. And Judas abused that sweet attribute most basely Mat. 26. 50. But very strict and very binding are those Obligations between the parents and their children lo children are an heritage of the Lord and the fruit of the womb is his reward As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man so are children of the youth Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them they shall not be ashamed but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate Psal 127. 3 4 5. And therefore St. Paul Honour thy father and thy mother which is the first commandment with promise saith he Ephes 6. 2. Neverthelesse our Lord acquainteth us That the brother shall deliver up the brother to death and the father the child and the children shall rise up against their parents and cause them to be put to death Mat. 10. 21. And have not we seen or credibly heard of the like unnatural actions performed in our dayes But so ought men to love their wives as their own bodies he that loveth his wife loveth himself No man ever yet hated his own flesh but nourisheth and cherisheth it even as Christ the Church saith Paul Ephes 5. 28 29. Here indeed is the right cordial relation that strict and strong Obligation that nothing should cancel but death He is not worthy of the name of man that forsaketh or abuseth his own wife No man ever yet hated his own flesh but nourisheth and cherisheth it There is the lovely shaddow of a tender compassion even as the Lord the church There is the true substance of a dear and dureable affection And therefore the main reason as the soul conceiveth why the Lord vouchsafeth this most acceptable expression of marriage is to shew us that integrity that exact and absolute Union and communion that is betwixt himself his church He that is joyned unto an harlot is one body saith the Apostle Paul 1 Cor. 6. 16. Where Paul insinuateth that marriage is so strict a tie that the very abuse thereof is of an uniting quality But he that is joyned unto the Lord is one Spirit saith he verse 17. Now whatsoever is carnal is mortal and dubious but that which is spirituall is eternal and glorious O! saith that sweet and amorous soul that I were sure my Lord had such a love to me as that he would espouse me to himself I am perswaded now that he hath such a love unto his church in general But how shall I appropriate the same unto my self or how may I be sure that I shall thus in joy my gracious Lord For this is the circumstance wherein the soul desireth satisfaction And thereupon she listens to St. Paul The life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me Gala. 2. 20. True saith the tender soul if I were such a chosen vessel as was good St. Paul I might triumph with the like confidence yet after some debate within her self she thus replies why what had Paul but what he did receive Or what made him to differ was it not my Lord with whom there is no respect of persons as Paul himself saith Rom. 2. 11. Doubtlesse my God who onely can fit me for this preferment he looketh not upon the man but his Mediatour he regardeth not the metall but the stamp the image and superscription whose is that Surly if the image of Christ be graven in me it makes no matter either what I am or how I am called For there is neither Jew nor Greek there is neither bond nor free there is neither male nor female for we are all one in Christ Jesus Gala. 3. 28. And as neither nation nor sex nor any outward state or condition nor any other earthly distinction can make a difference in the sight of God so neither can sin exclude me from his favour For God commendeth his love towards us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us saith St. Paul Rom. 3. 8. These things considered the Soul begins to be perswaded that her Lord both may and will love her as well as any other For now she sees ther 's no impediment that can destroy or contradict her hopes Yet still she 's sick of love nor can her minde receive or cure or comfort till she meets with such an argument of his affection towards her self in every degree as is both certain and infallible Therefore she cries and gives her Lord no rest until he openeth her understanding that she may learn this mystery of love That never any soul did love the Lord but the same soul was first beloved by him And this must
and new Testament Neither are these severall voices divided severally into certain Books or Pages or Chapters seeing we do somtimes meet with them both in one and the same verse The wages of sin is death there is the voice of the law Rom. 6. 25. But the gift of God is eternall life through Jesus Christ our Lord. There is the voice of the Gospel in the same verse The like may be observed 1 Cor. 15. 22. And in many other places wherefore that we may arive at a right understanding in these so necessary differences or distinctions we will first lay down two generall rules and afterwards proceed to more particular observations First when we finde any work injoyned to be done or the contrary commanded not to be done under any penalty either temporall or eternall whether it be curse or captivity famine or pestilence destruction death or damnation or any promise made upon doing or not doing This we must understand to be the voice of God in his Law Secondly wheresoever the subject matter is of Christ or his kingdom or the promise of grace or the condition faith and the reward either spirituall in its own nature or spirituallized by grace This we may be sure is the voice of Christ in his Gospell These we shall finde to be the two generall Rules From whence we will deduct these following particulars First the voice of God in his Law is a voice of command These words which I command thee this day shall be in thine heart Deut. 6 6. This thing commanded I them saying obey my voice and I will be your God and ye shall be my people Jer. 7. 23. But the voice of the Gospel is a voice of intreaty As though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christ stead be ye reconciled to God 2 Cor. 5. 20. Secondly the voice of the law is a voice of compulsion If his Children forsake my law and walk not in my judgements If they break my statutes and keep not my commandments Then will I visit their transgression with the rod and their iniquitie with stripes Psal 89. 30 31 32. But the voice of the Gospel is a voice of attraction or invitation I have loved thee with an everlasting love therefore with loving-kindenesse have I drawn thee Jer. 31. 3. Come unto me all ye that labour and are beavie laden and I will give you rest c. Mat. 11. 28 c. And him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out saith the Son of God Jo. 6. 37. Thirdly the voice of the law is a voice of bondage cursed is every one that continueth not in all thing which are written in the book of the law to do them Gal. 3. 10. But the voice of the Gospel is a voice of liberty The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek he hath sent me to binde up the broken hearted to proclaim libertie to the captives and the opening of the prison to them that are bound c. Isa 61. 1. c. Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free Gala. 5. 1. for if the Son shall make you free ye shall be free indeed John 8. 36. Fourthly the voice of the law is a voice of enmity Ye adulterers and adulteresses know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God whosoever therefore will be a friend to the world is the enemy of God James 4. 4. And God shall wound the head of his enemies Psal 68. 21. But the voice of the Gospel is a voice of reconciliation when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Sons Rom. 5. 10. And God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself not imputing their trespasses 2 Cor. 5. 19. Fifthly the voice of the law is a voice of wrath The law worketh wrath Rom. 4. 15. For by it the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodlinesse and unrighteousnesse of men As Rom. 1. 18. But the voice of the Gospel is a voice of love God commendeth his love towards us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us Rum 5. 8. And therefore the love-sick soul in the Canticles It is the voice of my beloved that knocketh saying Open to me my sister my love My dove my undefiled Cant. 5. 2. Sixthly the voice of the law is a voice of terrour I heard thy voice in the garden and was afraid So Adam to God Gen. 3. 10. And when the Lord gave the law unto the Israelites There were thunders and lightnings and a thick cloud upon the mount and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud so that all the people that was in the camp trembled Exod. 19. 16. And this did fore-shew the effects of the law to all such as are under the law for ever But the voice of the Gospel is a voice of comfort The Lord shall comfort Zion he will comfort all her wast places c. Isa 51. 3. And Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted Saith the Son of God Mat. 5. 4. Seaventhly the voice of the law is a voice of conviction By the law is the knowledge of sin Rom. 3. 20. For I had not known sin but by the law saith St. Paul Rom. 7. 7. And sin by the commandment is become exceeding sinfull saith the same Apostle Rom. 7. 13. But the voice of the Gospel is a voice of Appeal For the Father judgeth no man but hath committed all judgement unto the Son John 5. 22. And he is not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities but was in all points tempted like as we are yet without sin let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and finde grace to help in time of need saith the Apost He. 4. 15 16. Eightly the voice of God in his law is a voice of condemnation The soul that sinneth it shall die Saith the Lord Ezek. 18. 4. And cast ye the unprofitable servant into utter darknesse Mat. 25. 30. But the voice of Christ in his Gospel is a voice of pardon verily verily saith he I say unto you he that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but is passed from death to life John 5. 14. And this pardon hath three degrees First a Reprive Secondly an Intercession And Thirdly a Satisfaction The first I say is a Reprive And this hath been generall to all mankinde since the fall of Adam He was the first that received the benefit thereof And meerly by vertue of the said Reprive both he and all of his posterity have do and shall injoy their naturall lives some shorter and some longer according to the blessed will and pleasure of Christ our Lord and onely Mediatour I have the Keyes of hell
and of death saith he Reve. 1. 18. Whereby it may appear that there is no passage that way but when and by whom he pleaseth to appoint it This I conceive to be the first degree in order to this free and gracious pardon The second is our Saviours Intercession He made intercession for the transgressours Isa 53. 12. And he ever liveth to make intercession for them Heb. 7. 25. The third and highest is his satisfaction He was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed Isa 53. 5. His ownself bare our sins in his own body on the tree saith St. Peter 1 Pet. 2. 24. Now if we shall in time of this reprive lay hold and rest upon his Intercession by an effectuall embracing faith then we are certain that we shall injoy the benefit of his full satisfaction And so we may be truly confident that this our pardon is both signed and sealed Due satisfaction is acknowledged Gods justice is compleatly vindicated his indignation throughly pacified And what can hinder us from being saved For it is God that justifieth who is he that condemneth It is Christ that died yea rather that is risen again who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us Rom. 8. 33 34. But if through all the time of our reprive we shall reject relinquish or neglect so great salvation as is offered in this intercession and satisfaction Then as the voice of God in his law hath passed upon us the sentence of condemnation So the voice of Christ in his Gospel shall passe upon us the sentence of execution For he that believeth not shall be damned This is part of that Gospel which the Lord Christ commanded his Apostles to preach unto every creature Mark 16. 16. The Scriptures mention other voices also As of Prophets that prophesie lies Jer. 23. 25. Of those that speak perverse things to draw Disciples after them Acts 20. 30. That by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple Rom. 16. 18. That speaks lies in hypocrisie 1 Tim. 4. 1. That speaks evill of dignities 2 Pet. 2. 10. That speake evill of the things they understand not 2 Peter 2. 12. That speak great swelling words of vanity 2 Pet. 2. 18. That speak great things and blasphemies Rev. 13. 5. These voices are remembered in the Scriptures but they are all condemned by the Scriptures And these with every other of like nature may be referred to the voice of Strangers John 10. 5. Which though they be extolled and applauded by giddy multitudes of brain-sick beasts of old ordained to this condemnation Jude 4. This constant Lamb of Christ will by no means incline to hear or listen after them Least they should drive her into mire and dirt As Isa 57. 20. Or draw her from her Shepheards tender bosom As Isa 40. 11. Such were the watchmen that did smite and wound the searching soul The keepers of the walls that rifled her and took away her vail Cant. 5. 7. And therefore she avoids them day and night their publick musters and their private meetings As swarms of hurtfull locusts that proceed out of the smoak of hells infernall furnace As to the sacred voice of God in his law she doth believe it as it is the voice of such an Authour Exod. 20. 1. She learned it as a Rule to guide her goings Phil. 3. 16. She loves it as an argument of Love John 14 15. But looks upon it as a cancelled scroul a dead caracter in relation to any Obligation or ingagement Col. 2. 14. And so she leaves it with much reverence And listens to her Lords voice in his Gospel Jo. 7. 37. And being thus instructed when and where she is to seek for her beloved Lord. In the third place she sets her self to learn How she may seek him so as that she may be sure to finde him And to that intent She goeth her way forth by the foot-steps of the flock and feedeth her Kids besides the shepherds tents According to her Lords direction Cant. 1. 8. She walketh in the pathes of Christs own sheep to feed and fill her ears with his pure doctrine delivered by his faithfull Ministers As for her mortall enemies the Divell the World and Flesh that labour to betray and intercept her in her heavenly search with these she holdeth a continuall combate As for example when the Divel meets her in her delightfull way unto the word And would divert her by his lewd suggestions as that she shall be rebuked and reproved for her sins and threatned with misery death and destruction for her transgressions against the law of God with such like terrours not to be indured She telleth him that she hath been already at mount Sinay that might not be touched and that burned with fire and with blackness and darknesse and tempests c. Heb. 12. 18. But now the law like a good Schole-master leading her from thence unto mount Sion and unto the city of the living God the heavenly Jerusalem and to an innumerable company of angels to the generall assembly and Church of the first born which are written in heaven and to God the judge of all and to the Spirits of just men made perfect and to Jesus the mediatour of the new covenant c. Heb. 12. 22 c. And therefore with the Prophet David She will hear what God the Lord will speak for he will speak peace unto his people and to his Saints Psal 85. 8. When by his black mouth'd execrable agents the shame and bane of Church and Common-Wealth the Devil doth revile the Ministers of Jesus Christ with base reproachfull titles of purpose to blow up the zealous blaze of his own smoaking firebrands and to darken or quench the pure light of the glorious Gospel That so she may not be able to see when the Sun of righteousnesse shall arise with healing in his wings As Mala. 4. 2. The good soul onely renders him that answer wherewith the angels of the Lord reproved him long since upon the very like occasion The Lord rebuke thee O Satan Zech. 3. 1 2. And when that subtile serpent now perceiving that all his hellish engines cannot hinder the soul from listening to the word of God endeavoureth by all means possible to steal it from her least it should prove fruitfull She tells him plainly that she will both hear the word of God and keep it for so she shall be certain of a blessing Luke 11. 28. Next when the world would win her from the word by his most specious invitations of pleasures profits or preferments She answers That to live in pleasures on the earth is to nourish her self as in a day of slaughter James 5. 5. But the word will direct her to the Lord her God In whose presence is fulnesse of joy and at whose right hand are pleasures for