very Bowels of Christendom that is a Succession of Hereticks who Having a Form of Godliness but denying the Power thereof 2 Tim. 3.5 under the Name and Profession of Christians do sadly weaken Christ's and most effectually Promote the Interests of Satan's Kingdom And who have spilt more Blood perhaps in Establishing their Heresies their Idolatries and Superstitions than was ever done by Heathen Rome and all the other Pagan Persecutions put together So much you see it is the Endeavour of Satan utterly to destroy the Church of Christ from off the Face of the Earth And now all Christians are so far to Renounce Satan with respect to those his persecuteing Temptations as to submit to the sorest Sufferings which Satan and his wicked Instruments can Inflict rather than deny Christ or his Truths And now the Question is What it is and how far we are to Renounce the Devil with respect to these his persecuting Temptations and fiery Tryals And if it should be the good Pleasure of God for Ends best known to himself to let loose the Fury of the Dragon upon us as there is hardly any Age from the very Foundations of Christianity down to our present Times in which he has not and does not in some Part or other of the Church exercise the Faith and Patience of the Saints Why then our Part must be after the Example of those who have gone before us in the Fiery Tryal to submit to the sorest Sufferings which Satan and his wicked Instruments can Inflict upon us rather than deny Christ or his Truths Millions I say of Martyrs and Confessors have gone before us in this way of Renouncing the Devil and his Persecuting Methods of Tempting And the time would fail me to tell what Tryals they had of cruel Mockings and Scourgings yea moreover of Bonds and Imprisonments how they were Stoned were Sawn asunder were Tempted were Slain with the Sword how they wander'd about in Sheep-skins and Goat-skins being Destitute Afflicted Tormented Heb. 11.36 37. And all this they suffer'd rather than they would Deny the Faith or in the least Comply with Idolatry or Heresy or with any Sin and Wickedness to which Satan and his Instruments would have forc'd ' em And so must we likewise we must all of us in the same manner utterly Renounce the Devil and Resist unto Blood his Tempting us to Heresy or Sin if call'd thereunto our Blessed Saviour having made it the indispensible Condition of all his Followers so to do Matth. 16.24 If any man will come after me let him deny himself and take up his Cross and follow me And indeed those are the Happy men who are Persecuted for their Adherence to Christ and true Religion against Satan and his wicked Inventions Blessed are they which are Persecuted for Righteousness sake for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven Matth. 5.10 Their Persecution tends in the End both to their own greater Reward Great is their Reward in Heaven ver 12. And to the farther Increase and Propagation of Truth when the Devil has done his worst the True Church of Christ like the Palm-Tree being found to spread the wider for being Opprest And therefore II. When those bloody Methods fail Satan then does endeavour so to corrupt Men's Notions of God and Religion that by their very Christianity they may dishonour him Secondly When those bloody Methods fail him and instead of extinguishing Christianity the Blood of the Martyrs proves the Seed of the Church then with all the Art and close Contrivance possible does he endeavour to corrupt Men's Notions of God and Religion so that by their very Christianity they may Dishonour him The Dishonour of God and the Debasing his Authority amongst Men together with the Subjection of Man to himself and the Ruine of our Souls is the thing he aims at and provided he compasses this End he cares not by what means it is whether by Force or by Fraud And accordingly he has his Titles given him in the Scripture from both where he is call'd a Lion from his Fury a Serpent from his Subtilty And indeed if by the former he Has Slain his Thousands by these He has Destroy'd his Ten Thousands So that of all his methods to Ruine us it does infinitely concern us That we be not Ignorant of these his Devices Now these Politick Methods of his These Politick Methods of his discover'd to us under the Parable of a malicious Enemy coming privately in the Night sowing Tares where the Husbandman had before sown good Seed whereby he Endeavours To Corrupt Men's Notions of God and Religion so that by their very Religion they may dishonour him are discover'd to us in the Gospel under the Parable of some malicious Enemy who coming privately in the Night sows Tares where the Husbandmen had before sown good Seed The Parable runs thus Matth. 13.24 The Kingdom of Heaven is liken'd unto a Man which Sowed good Seed in his Field but while Men slept his Enemy came and sowed Tares among the Wheat and went his way But when the Blade was sprung up and brought forth Fruit then appeared the Tares also And in the 37 38 39 ver Our Saviour himself gives us this Explication of it He that soweth the good Seed is the Son of Man the Field is the World the good Seed are the Children of the Kingdom that is the Ministers of Religion and their good Doctrine The Tares are the Children of the wicked One that is Hereticks and their Evil Principles The Enemy that sowed them is the Devil From which Parable and Explication of our Saviour's we may observe Like a skilful Husbandman he is choice about the Nature of the Seed the Temper and Preparedness of the Soil the Fitness of the Season and the skilfulness of the Seeds-man That the most skilful Husbandman is not more curious about the Nature of his Seed the Temper and Preparedness of the Soil and the Fitness of the Season and the Skilfulness of the Seeds-man than Satan is choice and considerate about the Nature of his Erroneous Doctrines the Preparation of Men's Minds to Receive 'em about the most proper and seasonable Times of dispersing 'em and the Capacity and Qualities of those his Agents whom he Imploys to sow them in the Souls of Men. And * First As to the Nature of the Seed he takes care his Heretical Opinions and Practices should bear some Resemblance of Divine Truth in order to conceal their Discovery First I do take it to be infinitely worth your while to consider That those Heretical Principles and Opinions which Satan does choose to Blend with Christianity Do generally bear some Resemblance of Divine Truths in order to conceal their Discovery So that as the Tares which the Enemy sowed were not Distinguishable till the Wheat grew up and bore Fruit So the Heretical and Impious Doctrines of Satan's infusing can scarcely be Known but by their Fruits to which way of Trying 'em
between Good and Evil. 101 The Mind of Man naturally desirous of encreasing Knowledge Experimental Knowledge of Sin clouds the Reason and stupifies the Sence of Spiritual things And even meer Curiosity after less Profitable things takes off from the Knowledge of God and our Selves and the Means of Happiness 102 By these Means he brings that Ignorance in Divine Matters which reigns in most Men's Minds And being spiritually Ignorant Men are easily led into whatever Sin and Misery This therefore another Wile of Satan's which must be carefully avoided 103 Thirdly By Bribing the Affections with something nearest our Hearts and rather than disoblige and lose which we will commit any thing that is Evil. And by whatever we most place our Affections upon does he still Inveigle us to do what is Forbidden And therefore our Saviour would have us bear that Indifferency of Affection towards our nearest Relations as to be able to Forsake them and their Interests rather than God Lastly By exciting their Lusts and Appetites after the forbidden Fruit by proposing the fairest Objects and most delicious Dainties to their Senses 104 And by the same Methods does he prevail to this day upon the far greatest part of Mankind to Rebel against God For Man being made up very much of Sense so that nothing enters into the Soul but through the Doors of our Senses we are easily prevail'd upon by what gratifies our Senses Especially the Senses of Seeing and Tasting 105 But our being taken only with Outward things is such an high Ingratitude to God who hath provided so much better for us and such an Abuse to our Souls which are capable of relishing higher Enjoyments as is not to be Endur'd 106 LECT XI What Temptations Satan levels against the Church of Christ God recovers out of the fallen Race of Mankind a Body of Men the Church to his Service Listed 'em under Jesus Christ to Fight against Satan The Devil enrag'd to have his Prey snatcht out of his Teeth continually Attacks it His first and chief Endeavours are utterly to destroy it from off the Face of the Earth 107 This he Endeavour'd to do in the Person of Abel And when afterwards Recruited in the Family of Seth yet he Reduc'd it again by the Bloody Posterity of Cain to Eight Persons in the Days of Noah When after the Flood God chose Abraham and his Posterity to be a special People unto himself Satan endeavour'd utterly to have Extinguisht that People by his Servant Pharaoh And in all Periods till our Saviour's coming he stir'd up the Idolatrous Nations their Neighbours especially the Four Monarchies to Harrass them But soon after that Christ appeared in the World did he most vigorously Exert his Malice against it 108 So that for the first 300 Years we hear of nothing but of bloody Persecutions The Emperors of Rome the Instruments but Satan the Instigator And wheresoever any Attempt is made to Convert a Country from Paganism he does instigate the Princes and People thereof to Persecute and Destroy the Preachers of the Gospel And he is no less Industrious to drive Christianity out of those Countries whereof it had once Possession And he has an Anti-Christian Party within the Bowels of Christendom most sadly weakning Christ's and most effectually promoting the Interest of his own Kingdom 109 And now all Christians are so far to Renounce Satan with respect to those his persecuting Temptations as to submit to the sorest Sufferings which Satan and his wicked Instruments can inflict rather than deny Christ or his Truths Secondly When those bloody Methods fail Satan then does endeavour so to corrupt Mens Notions of God and Religion that by their very Christianity they may dishonour him 110 This Politick Method of his discover'd to us under the Parable of a malicious Enemy coming privately in the Night and sowing Tares where the Husbandman had before sowed good Seed Like a skilful Husbandman he is choice about the Nature of the Seed the Temper and Preparedness of the Soil the Fitness of the Season and the Skilfulness of the Seeds-man First As to the Nature of the Seed he takes care his Heretical Opinions and Practices should bear some Resemblance of Divine Truth in order to conceal their Discovery Thus especially he Gilds his Errors where the Light of the Gospel does most clearly shine as here First When under the plausible Appearance of Advancing God's Honour in some of his Attributes he renders him odious and dispis'd in Others 111 Secondly When under the Colour of Advancing Gospel-Truths he propagates Heresies which do undermine Religion and the Necessity of a Holy Life Thirdly when he teaches to prefer some eminent Christian Duty or some part of a Duty or one Way of performing a Duty to the Disparagement of another As to prefer Prayer to the neglect of Preaching or Sermons to the contempt of Prayers As also Praying in Spirit to the regard of Bodily Worship And Extemporary Prayer to the utter Contempt of Forms of Prayer 112 By this latter Means Satan has utterly Defeated those excellent Helps we have in our Church and brought in a great Neglect of Publick Family and Private Devotion 113 Secondly As to the Temper and Preparation of the Soil in Churches where the Scriptures are Lockt up and Ignorance prevails he imposes the grossest Heresies as Articles of Faith Especially he introduces Idolatry and Superstition whereby he is most immediately and directly serv'd Thirdly As to the fitness of the Season he is dexterous in accommodating his Counsels his Actions and his manner of Acting to such Seasons as are most proper to his Purpose of seducing Men. 114 Hence in dark and ignorant Ages nothing so common as the Apparitions of Saints as was pretended to introduce the Belief of Purgatory Image-Worship and the like Superstitions And in Learn'd and Philosophical Ages he is as shy in appearing lest he should destroy the prevailing Sadducism Fourthly As to the skilfulness of the Seeds-man Satan is wonderfully Cunning in making choice of fit and proper Instruments and in furnishing those with the proper Arts of Deceiving and with suitable Qualities whom he employs to sow the Seed of corrupt Doctrine in the Souls of Men. 115 Such as place all Religion in Morality shall be adorn'd with Humanity Such as turn it all into Mystery shall be gifted with Canting 116 And yet sometimes the Crooked Serpent by Men seeming Godly will propagate Principles extreamly Immoral The most difficult Part of a Christian's Warfare is to preserve One-self untainted with Heretical Pravity colour'd over with the Varnish of Gospel-Truth But yet by trying it by proper Rules it may be done viz. First By its tendency to an Ill Life Secondly By its taking off from our Dependance upon the Mediation of Christ for the acceptance of a good One. 117 LECT XII Thirdly Satan's great Industry is to gain over to his Party or to Tempt to some scandalous Enormity such Persons as are more than ordinarily Eminent
and why It is not only from God's Decree or established Law to the contrary that he cannot but also from the utter incapacity of his Nature as corrupt Wherefore all the Vessels of Mercy are such as God aforehand prepares unto glory Rom. 9.23 They are such as are made meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light Col. 1.12 Such as God hath wrought for the self same thing 2 Cor. 5.5 So that as I said there is a necessity in the nature of the thing that if God would design the Restoration of the Nature of Man to Happiness that in order thereto he should design a Restoration of it to Holiness as indeed he hath He hath chosen us to Salvation through Sanctification of the Spirit 2 Thes 2.13 And therefore the end of Christ's great undertaking for the Redemption and Restoration of Man is described by his saving his People from their sins By his redeeming them from all iniquity and purifying to himself a peculiar People zealous of good Works By his washing and sanctifying of them that he might present them to himself a glorious Church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing That this was the design of God's Promise to Abraham appears in that at the very first it was propounded to him by way of Motive to quit the Idolatry of his Fathers and the evil Customes of his Country for they served other Gods Josh 24.2 Get thee out of thy Country and from thy Kindred and from thy Father's house and I will make of thee a great Nation and thou shalt be a blessing and in thee shall all the Families of the Earth be blessed Gen. 12.1 2 3. In which God had a farther design than to reform Abraham only His design in him and by him was to set on foot the Reformation of the World and the recovering the Nations thereof from the dregs of Idolatry into which they were sunk And therefore God said unto him Thou shall be a Blessing And this he designed not only in giving him a numerous Issue and making them a great Nation whose Education in the Worship of the true God was founded in Abraham but also in making both him and them eminent Examples of his special favour in the sight of the Nations by which they might see how much better it was to serve the God of Abraham than the Gods of the Nations And thereby to invite and draw them from their Idolatry Superstition and Ungodliness to Worship and Serve the true God And God in promising to Abraham both the Messias in his Seed and also that he would bless them that should bless him and curse them that should curse him and that his Seed should possess the gate of his Enemies had it should seem this in design viz. to encourage and quicken them to a holy Life Luke 1.72 73 74 75. To perform the Mercy promised to our Fathers and to remember his holy Covenant The Oath which he sware to our Father Abraham that he would grant unto us that we being delivered out of the hands of our Enemies might serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life But besides all this considering that the Promise made to Abraham was the New-Covenant as it was then exhibited as I have shewed before the benefits therein promised had a proper tendency in them to restore Man again to a likeness to God in the Moral perfections of his Nature For the great and precious Promises contained in the New Covenant as such are given for this very end that by them we might be partakers of a Divine Nature the glory whereof is knowledge purity and charity 2 Pet. 1.4 And for God by such Promise to make overtures unto Man of Love and Good-will and of desires of Reconciliation is the direct way and method of recovering faln Man from a state of enmity against God to a mind reconciled to him to think well of him to love him and delight in him For we love him because he first loved us 1 Joh. 4.19 And God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself and how by not imputing their trespasses to them but being willing upon their repentance and returning to their duty to forgive them 2 Cor. 5.19 God useth the same way of overcoming Mans enmity against him which he hath taught us to use to overcome Mans enmity against us and that is by overcoming their evil with our good Rom. 12.21 David dealing so with Saul though a bitter Enemy melted him into Tears and made him cry Is this thy voice my son David 1 Sam. 24.16 And to whom much is forgiven the same Person loveth much Luke 7. 42 47. And if God by these methods do once recover Mans love to him he will quickly recover him to his loyalty and duty of which Love is the proper Source and Spring If a Man love me he will keep my Words Joh. 14.23 Now that God's Promise to Abraham did contain expressions of wonderful grace and love and consequently what is most apt to beget in Man a love to God again and all the desireable effects of it will appear if we consider the special benefits comprehended in that Promise which is the third thing now to be considered Sect. 3. The special benefits contained in the Promise made to Abraham were such as these 1. It contained a Promise of the Messias a Promise of sending Christ into the World and that he should come of his Seed In thy Seed shall all the Nations of the Earth be blessed Gen. 12.3 and 18.18 and 22.18 which Seed is Christ as is said Gal. 3.16 And in this Promise of sending Christ were implyed the things he was sent for the things by which he should bless the World as his Death and Resurrection and what else pertained to his Mediatory Office because these are the things by which the Nations of the Earth became blessed in him which was the thing expresly promised That such things were implyed in the Promise appears not only by the reason of the thing but also from St. Paul's Testimony Acts 13.32 33. We declare unto you glad tidings how that the Promise which was made unto the Fathers God hath fulfilled the same unto us their Children in that he hath raised up Jesus again I do not say that Abraham from a Promise that was but so generally expressed as that was could apprehend in particular what the Messias should both do and suffer though they were wrapt up in it He apprehended so much by it in general that God Would send the Messias into the World and that he would send him upon such terms as that his coming should be matter of great benefit to the World Abraham had such a prospect of this though at that distance as made him rejoyce and be glad So saith our Saviour himself John 8.56 Your Father Abraham rejoyced to see my day and he saw it and was glad And the Promise
act with that Decency and Becomingness as shall advance the Reputation thereof Hence the Lawyer as he cannot ordinarily endure except he be a profligate Person his Profession of the Law nor the Physician his nor the Tradesman his to be run down Expos'd and made Ridiculous so each of these will be as much as possible for maintaining in their several Dealings a Reputation of Fairness and Honesty as that alone which will raise and Preserve an Esteem for them And how then comes it about that a Christian can endure to hear his Christian Profession reproach'd and scorn'd by reason of his scandalous Living Whence is it but from the greater Zeal Men generally have for the Honour of their worldly Callings and Professions than for the Honour of their Christian Religion Profession and Calling And now therefore Thirdly Let me Exhort you An Exhortation therefore to Christians to stand upon the Dignity of their Christian Name and Profession to stand upon the Dignity of your Christian Name and Profession by living such good Lives as may be an Honour not a Disgrace unto it Let me therefore Admonish you from this very Name wherewith you are Honoured to render your selves wholly conformable to those Christian Principles and Doctrines to which you have given up your Names to be governed by and which being taught you in your Catechism I shall by God's leave with all the Plainness and in the most useful manner I can explain unto you And pray let me Entreat you my Dear Youth seriously and diligently to hearken to me your Spiritual Father that studies no less the Eternal Interest of your Souls and to make you Heirs of Heaven than your Natural Parents do your Temporal Interest to gather you Riches and to leave you Estates in this World You have been Ask'd and you have Answer'd to your Christian Name and you see with what Title you are dignify'd viz. with the Name of Christians And First Wonder not at what I say those Titles of Honour I. As that which is more considerable than Titles of Honour which we daily hear sounding in our Ears and which are so much admired and doted upon I mean the Titles of Emperors Kings Dukes Earls Lords ought to be accounted as very inconsiderable in respect of our Christian Title They are but Earthly Glories and will soon decay and vanish away but this is of a Divine Original which will never fade but will Ennoble you to all Eternity I beseech you therefore seriously consider this and let a due Honour and Regard to so worthy a Name continually admonish every one of you that you never commit in your whole Lives any thing that does unbecome it I do also Secondly II. Because of that near Alliance there is between the Christian Name and Profession Entreat every One of you to consider the near Alliance there is betwixt your Christian Names and your Christian Profession insomuch that they both began and will both end together In your Baptism you put on both your Name and your Profession of Christianity together and if ever you should abjure your Religion which God forbid you must also therewith abjure your Christian Names so near are they linkt one with another And therefore let this ever admonish you to Adorn your selves with Christian Graces Temperance Chastity Charity Justice Piety and not to defile your selves with Heathenish Brutish Vices Drunkenness Uncleanness Cruelty Infidelity Thirdly III. Because the primitive Christians did in vertue of the Christian Name resist the fiercest Temptations And is it Examples of this good Use of your Christian Name that you want Why the Christians of old took Courage from this very Name whereby they overcame all their Enemies both Bodily and Ghostly the World the Flesh and the Devil and encourag'd themselves thereby to the Discharge of their Christian Duties In the Vertue of this Name they extinguisht their Lusts they overcame Tyrants they put to flight the Devil Their Persecutors with Fire and Fagot and all manner of cruel Torments would have forc'd them to Blaspheme Christ to sacrifice and burn Incense to Devils to worship Idols But they in the midst of Flames and Torments would answer with Smiles on their Faces We are Christians we cannot do these Things Forbear your Assemblies and Church-meetings would the Heathen Persecutors say We are Christians and must not therefore Forsake the Assembling our selves together would they answer Such great things did the Primitive Christians perform under the Power of the Christian Name And let your very Christian Names likewise my Christian Youth encourage you to all manner of Vertuous and Religious Practices in imitation of those Blessed Primitive Christians and to the Examples of those that shall come after you IV. Because of the Indecency of Living unsuitable to the Christian Name and Profession Nay Fourthly Look upon it ever as a most monstrous piece of Wickedness for Christian Men to live Antichristian Heathenish Lives but on the contrary ever look upon your selves as you are Christians bound even in Decency to Abstain from all Appearances of Evil 1 Thess 5.22 What shall you that have given up your Names to Christ and are in Covenant with God fight the Devil's Battels Know you not that your Bodies are the Members of Christ and shall you take the Members of Christ and make them the Members of an Harlot God forbid 1 Cor. 6.15 Shall you that are Heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven walk in Darkness Have you Renounced the Devil the World and the Flesh and shall you for all that yield your selves slaves to the Devil the World and the Flesh You Believe the Gospel and all the Articles of your Christian Faith and shall any of you live as those that neither know nor fear God nor dread the Devil You have vowed Obedience to God and shall you trample under Foot all Laws Divine and Humane You have been dedicated to God and have given up your Names to him in your Baptism and shall you live as if you had been Listed in Satan's Service Nothing so contrary so contradictory as these things V. That to quite other Purposes we gave up our Names to be Christians Alas Consider Fifthly That you have given up your Names unto Christ for other Reasons than that you should fight under the Devil's Banner and do the works of the Flesh Namely that you might ever live to the Honour of God You have been call'd forth out of the World not that you should add by your own to the Iniquities of the Times but to nobler Purposes that you might re-establish the World now tottering and ready to sink under the weight of Wickedness that you might re-establish it I say by the Practice of all Christian Graces and Vertues And for that reason it is you must consider that you Christians are called the Salt of the Earth Matth. 5.13 the Light of the World ver 14. A Candle put upon a Candlestick that
having him our High-Priest over the House of God we may hence-forward draw near with a true Heart in full Assurance of Faith having our Hearts sprinkled from an evil Conscience Heb. 10.19 20 21 22. that is Every Christian provided he comes not with the guilt of any unrepented Sin upon his Conscience may himself now Offer up his own Prayers to God through Christ without the Mediation of any other Priest or Sacrifice and that with a full Assurance of being graciously heard and answer'd And that this Faith and full Assurance with which we may Approach unto God to Pray to him for the Forgiveness of Sins is our Priviledge only as we are the Sons of God by Adoption is plain from St. Paul Rom. 8.15 Ye have not received the Spirit of Bondage again unto fear as under the Law but ye have received the Spirit of Adoption whereby we cry unto God Abba Father And again Gal. 4.6 Because ye are thus made his Sons God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts crying Abba Father And now Lastly If there be any other very considerable Priviledge Lastly A Child of God is more surely instated in the Inheritance of Heaven than others accruing to a Child of God from such his Relation it is That God will more surely Instate him in the Inheritance of Heaven than he will do others that have no such Relation to him And indeed if Children of God then Heirs we are told Heirs of God and Joint-Heirs with Christ Rom. 8.17 But the Vastness of this will be best consider'd by us when we come to the Explication of that Third and the last of those Priviledges made over to us on God's Part in the Covenant of Grace viz. What it is to be an Inheritor of the Kingdom of Heaven The infinite reason we have to praise God for these Advantages And now upon the Review of what has been said in the Exposition of this present Article In what Admiration of God's Goodness may we all of us cry out with St. John 1 Epist 3.1 Behold what manner of Love the Father hath bestow'd upon us that we should be call'd the Sons of God And what infinite Reason have we with St. Paul thankfully to Praise him for it Eph. 1.3.5 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath Blessed us Christians with all Spiritual Blessings in and concerning Heavenly Places and Concerns of the World to come through Christ having Predestinated us to the Adoption and Priviledges of Children by Jesus Christ unto himself according to the good Pleasure of his Will He Adopted us to be his Children according to the good Pleasure of his Will This Priviledge that we should be his Children is Attended with very rich Advantages all which have accru'd to us not from any Merit and Desert of ours being suppos'd Enemies unto him but only from his free Goodness towards us which was pleas'd so to determine it And as it is both Great and Free we ought certainly with all possible Acknowledgments to Magnify and Extol both his infinite Condescension and Goodness and our own unspeakable Priviledge and Dignity therein Indeed for God to be a Father by Creation and Providence as One observes tho' it be a Mercy yet it is no Priviledge for in that Sence he is Parens rerum the common Parent of all things But that God should be thy Father by Adoption that he should make thee his Son through his only Begotten Son that he should rake up Dirt and Filth as thou art and lay it in his Bosom that he should take Aliens and Strangers near unto himself and Adopt Enemies and Rebels into his Family Register their Names in the Book of Life make them Heirs of Glory Co-heirs with Jesus Christ his Eternal Son as the Apostle doth admiringly re-count it Rom. 8.17 This is Mercy and Miracle both It is indeed an invaluable Grace and Favour that we should be Adopted his Children were it only for this that he will be ready to Pardon our Sins and Infirmities and will Admit us favourably to Address our Selves and Prayers to him But this Priviledge of being his Children will farther appear to be beyond all Expression Great since if Children as the Apostle infers Rom. 8.17 then Heirs Heirs of God and Joint-Heirs with Christ If a Child of God then which Crowns all the rest of his Covenanted Mercies Inheritors of the Kingdom of Heaven which yet it is said we shall be But what and how Great that Third and Last Priviledge of the Covenant is I am in the Explication of the next Article to declare unto you THE Eighth Lecture And an Inheritour of the Kingdom of Heaven HAving hitherto spoke to the Two First Priviledges made over to us in the Covenant of Grace that thereby we are First made Members of Christ and Secondly Children of God Having both Explain'd to you the Meaning and Importance of those Two Articles and laid out to you the Vastness of those Priviledges and Advantages contain'd therein I come now in like manner to Explain to you the Third which is that we are made thereby Inheritours of the Kingdom of Heaven And indeed this Last does necessarily follow from the other For as St. Paul speaks Rom. 8.17 If Children then Heirs Heirs of God and Joint-Heirs with Christ This is the Perfection of all God's Promises and Favours vouchsafed in the Second Covenant It comes last and Crowns all the rest And it will be the certain Reward of all those that persevere to the end of their Lives in well-doing and in sincere Obedience notwithstanding all Temptations to the contrary to God's most Righteous Commands Be faithful unto Death says our Saviour and I will give thee a Crown of Life Rev. 2.10 And that you may throughly understand the vast greatness of this most extraordinary Priviledge made over to you by Covenant so as to be excited thereby to render your selves worthy to be Partakers thereof according to my usual Method I will Explain to you First What is meant by the Kingdom of Heaven Secondly What it Imports to be an Inheritour of it And then Lastly I will lay out before you the Vastness of our Priviledge in being made Inheritours of the Kingdom of Heaven And First I am to Explain unto you By the Kingdom of Heaven is meant in Scripture either First the Kingdom of Grace in this Life or Secondly the Kingdom of Glory in the Life to come what is meant by the Kingdom of Heaven The Kingdom of Heaven is an Expression we do meet with above Thirty times in the New Testament and I think we may safely say That we are constantly to understand by it either First The Kingdom of Grace in this Life or Secondly The Kingdom of Glory in the Life to come By the Kingdom of Grace in this Life I mean that Happy and Blessed State of us Christians now under the Gospel wherein we Enjoy the Happiness
shame of that will engage you to commit another to hide the former And therefore it is I say the usual Policy of Satan when he has Tempted any Person to commit a Wickedness then to lay the Shame and Disgrace thereof so sensibly before him that he shall again commit a worse on purpose to cover the Knowledge of the former from the Eyes of Men. And then Tenthly When he has once Engag'd a Person into many Sins either he will lull him into a fatal Security X. Having once Engaged a Person into many Sins he either lulls him in security or drives him into despair whereby he foolishly perswades himself that God will deal more mercifully with him than he has declared in his Word or else Satan will not fail to present at last to such an enormous Sinner's Conscience the infinite Guilt and Horrour of his Crimes to make him despair if he can that ever they will be Forgiven they are so many and Monstrous That so he may never endeavour to Repent or so much as fly to God in Prayer to have Mercy on him At first he presented to the Sinner's Fancy nothing but the Beauty the Conveniency the Pleasure the Glory of the Things of this World as of the Pleasures Riches and the Honours of this Life with all their Advantages without any thing of that Sting and Remorse and Trouble that must necessarily attend them if unlawfully pursued and obtain'd But when by this Means the Sinner has run on without the least stop or stay into a vast Number of wasting Sins some of them perhaps of such a Nature that no Reparation or Restitution can be made for them as Adultery and Murder Then will he pour in all of a sudden whole Broad-sides such an Horrour and such an amazing sence of Guilt into the Soul of such a Sinner that thinking it to no purpose to Retreat he shall push on to commit the most outragious Villanies till at length when Death seizes him he goes down into Hell desperately Cursing the Day he was Born and Blaspheming that God who gave him a Being And now Lastly I shall not mention any other way wherein Satan tempts Men except it be when God in Punishment to some sort of Sinners does abandon them to the Devil Lastly there are those whom God does in a great Measure give up to the Delusion of Satan Others whom he does wholly Abandon to the Power of the Devil to be wholly in a manner Ordered and Acted by him And there are Three sorts of Sinners that do seem to be thus abandon'd by God and given up some in a great measure others wholly to the Management of Satan First Such ill-dispos'd Minds as out of Hatred to the Ways of God and out of Love to their own Lusts do endeavour to possess their Minds with such Principles and do seek such Teachers as will make Sin easy to their Consciences and will reconcile the Hopes of Heaven and a bad Life together And such are in danger of being justly left in a great measure to the Delusion of the Devil As to such Men because They receive not the Love of the Truth that they might be Saved God does threaten to send them strong Delusions that they should believe a Lye 2 Thes 2.10 11. And because the Generality of the World is so ill-dispos'd that it cannot endure sound Doctrine which would discover or hinder or gall their Consciences in their evil Practices God does therefore most justly permit so many to be Deluded by Satan I. Such ill-dispos'd Minds as out of love to their Lusts seek after such Principles Teachers as will make sin easy to their Consciences are justly left to the Delusions of Satan into the most vile Principles and Prâ—ctices Hence no doubt has the Church of Rome in these latteâ—â—ays as 't was foretold it would 1 Tim. 4.1 Departed from the Faith giving heed to Seducing Spirits and Doctrines of Devils And hence also amongst our selves do so many particular Persons When they will not endure sound Doctrines heap to themselves Teachers having itching Ears and do turn away their Ears from the Truth and are turned unto Fables 2 Tim. 4.3 4. There are a Second sort of Sinners who seem'd to be wholly abandon'd by God and yielded up to Satan to be Tempted by him at his Pleasure and they are such II. Such as by a long Course of many Damning Sins have laid wast the Conscience and have baffled all the Methods of God's Grace to Reclaim 'em these are sometimes even in this Life abandon'd by God to be acted by the Devil Who in a long Course of many damning Sins that lay wast the Conscience have baffled all the Methods of his Grace to reclaim them and have resisted and grieved his Holy Spirit so long till Grace be wholly withdrawn from them Such are called Children of Disobedience Eph. 2.2 which in the Phrase of Scripture does signify Persons extreamly Disobedient and of such it is said in the same Verse that the Evil Spirit worketh in them He does act them as the Soul does the Body and does hurry them into such vicious Extravagancies and to commit such outragious Impieties that they seem to be Devils Incarnate Thus did the Devil enter into Judas Luk. 22.3 after he had formerly Baffled all the good Admonitions of our Saviour to reclaim him from his Thievery and other Villanies and at length spur'd him on to commit the Blackest Crime that ever was heard of even to Betray the Lord of Life into the Hands of his Enemies And there are many ungodly Wretches now a-days who do seem to sin with so much Enmity and Despite against God that it is hard to say whether they are not Devils in Humane Shapes But it is the same thing they have sinn'd themselves to that Degree that God has given them up and the Devil seems to Animate them And lastly so are Witches Magicians and Conjurers who have Covenanted away both Body Soul to the Devil on Condition he will be for some time at their Beck to execute their vile and malicious Purposes A Third sort of Persons abandon'd by God and that utterly to the Power and Management of Satan to actuate them as he pleases Are Witches and Magicians or Conjurers such as was that Woman of whom we read 1 Sam. 28. And these are a sort of miserable Wretches so far forsaken of Grace and the Fear of God that they have expresly Covenanted away both Body and Soul to the Devil on Condition he will be at their Beck to Execute their vile and malicious Purposes For Envy Malice and Revenge seems to be the Soul that animates these Children of the Devil or else the Pride and Vanity of doing Wonders and an insatiable Curiosity of knowing those secret Things to come which belong to God alone to know has put 'em upon making such a Contract with Satan And these wretched Miscreants sure must be suppos'd
You shall be sure to be accounted Fools Mad and Rude for your Pains And it is odds but you shall be reproacht as Hypocrites that would fain seem Better than others but can privately be as Bad as they But have infinite Encouragements to such Fidelity from God But consider the more you suffer for the Honour of your Lord the more like good Souldiers you behave your selves and the better he will reward you Consider what a glorious Thing it is to be Evil-spoken of for Well-doing Blessed are ye when Men shall Revile you and say all manner of Evil against you falsly for my sake Rejoice and be exceeding glad for great is your Reward in Heaven Matth. 5.11 12. Consider your Saviour and Leader who suffer'd worse Reproaches and The Disciple is not above his Master nor the Servant his Lord if they have called the Master of the house Beelzebub how much more shall they call them of his Houshold Matth. 10.24 25. Consider that a Christian must not fear the Face of any Man but must suffer Martyrdom it self in the Cause of Christ if call'd out to it Fear not them which kill the Body but are not able to kill the Soul but fear him who is able to destroy both Body and Soul in Hell ver 28. Nay consider lastly that this Standing up resolutely for the Honour of God and Religion is the next Degree to Martyrdom and will be rewarded like it It is call'd a Confessing of God before Men and on the other side a fearing and forbearing to appear in His behalf a Denying of him and consider what our Saviour declares concerning such who do so Confess or Deny him Whosoever shall Confess me before Men him will I Confess before my Father which is in Heaven but whosoever shall Deny me before Men him will I also Deny before my Father which is in Heaven Matth. 10.32 33. So much it concerns you to refuse Conformity to the Evil Company of the World And so much for this time THE Eighteenth Lecture First That I should Renounce the Devil and all his Works the Pomps and Vanity of this wicked World and all the sinful Lusts of the Flesh THAT which I am now upon is to Forwarn you against the Temptations of the wicked World by shewing you the dangerous Ones you shall meet withal from the Wicked Men of the World and in what Sence and how far you must Renounce both them and their wicked ways of Tempting others to Sin This I have already done as to their Evil Examples and Evil Company and have deliver'd these Instructions to you that by God's Help may I hope be sufficient to prevent your being infected by the Poison of either But the wicked Men of the World have other ways of Tempting Men to Sin and what they are and how bravely you must Resist them I am next to declare unto you III. Flattery a great Temptation to Sin Thirdly Then amongst the greatest Temptations proceeding from Evil Men we may deservedly reckon their Flatteries Now the Flatterer is One who observing the general Self-love and Pride of Mankind who cannot endure Reproof or any thing that shews a Dislike of what they say or do does compose himself to Admire and Extol or at least-wise to Approve as Well-done very bad Actions or at best such as if Good in themselves are but indifferently Perform'd The Ground thereof our own immoderate Self-love The Ground of his Flattery I say is That immoderate Self-love he observes Natural to most Men whereby they do extravagantly esteem and admire their own Performances and can see no Defects therein And therefore whoever shall endeavour to discover their Faults tho' in never so Prudent a manner to any of these Self-admirers he is presently lookt upon as One that either envies his Abilities and good Qualities or as St. Paul was to the foolish Galatians He is therefore become his Enemy because he tells him the Truth Gal. 4.16 And now the Flatterer observing this predominant Humour in him puts on the Vizard of a Friend And composes himself to Admire and Extol or at least-wise to Approve as Well-done his very bad Actions or at best such as if Good in themselves are very indifferently Perform'd The Flatterer's care is to Please not to Profit him to whom he pretends to be a Friend to make a Prey of the besotted Self-admirer and therefore sooths him up in his Vices he calls his Profaneness Wit she that is Superstitious Devout the Prodigal and Profuse he stiles Bountiful and Liberal and the Covetous Worldling from whom he expects an Estate or Legacy he Extolls to his Face for his Prudence in managing his Affairs The Oaths and Curses the Riot and Debaucheries of the wicked Crew he happens amongst he laughs at as brave Exploits and applauds them as the Standards of Wit and Bravery And as to such things which are tolerably well Perform'd but might be Better'd for fear of mortifying the Vanity of the Creature whereby he might possibly displease him he discovers nothing of that but All is well and admirably Perform'd And now this Flattery to the Vices and Imperfections of Men is of mischievous Consequence to ' em So Prov. 26.28 This Flattery keeping Men ignorant of the good or ill Qualities in 'em thereupon A flattering mouth worketh Ruine and 29.5 A man that flattereth spreadeth a Net For why The Flatterer as Plutarch observes endeavours to make every Man his own Cheat by keeping him ignorant of the good and ill Qualities which are in him whereupon the Good never come to Perfection and the Ill grow Incorrigible By this means I say The Good never come at Perfection The Good never come to Perfection There is many a Person of a Generous Temper who delights to do Good to Mankind whose Head is working for the Publick and loves to relieve the Needy but all this 't is visible he does too much out of Ostentation and to get the Praise of Men and so loses his Reward from God But now if he had but a faithful Monitor that would fairly represent to him the Vanity and Affectation that appears in the Good he does and which others can see tho' he himself is not sensible of And that it is but to direct it to a right End and then he will obtain a Reward in Heaven and moreover merit the Praises of Men too A little of this Sincerity and Freedom would make that Man an excellent Person whom now his Vanity and Braging of the Good he does renders Troublesom and Hateful even to those whom he most Obliges There is also many a One who in his Projects concerning his own Advantage and that of the Publick out of an over-fond Conceit of his own Methods disdaining to ask Counsel or if he did they flattering every thing and not sincerely giving their Advice the Design it self therefore and the measures of obtaining it tho' Good in the main has for that very
be ready to call you Vngrateful the most odious Reproach that can be cast on any One Nay and wicked Men will not sometimes stick to Bribe you also with Promises and Proposals of Profit and Advantages if you will serve 'em in their ill Designs This One would think not so dangerous a Temptation to Sin because more open and not so Insinuating a way as the former but God knows too many do knowingly and wilfully barter away their poor Souls and plainly sell 'em to the Devil contracting to commit this or that Sin as for Instance to take a false Oath to forge Writings to make a Lie in another's behalf upon the Promise or Intimation of some Reward for so doing Thus will wicked Men some by Kindnesses some by Promises Oblige you if they can to serve 'em by your Sins And some on the other hand will be no less Industrious by Discouragements nay Threatnings to hinder you in the discharging your Duty and a good Conscience Religion will sometimes put you upon doing those things that will Prejudice your worldly Interests and stir up the Wrath of those that are Superiour to you And indeed in this Case a Man's worst Enemies shall be those of his own House and when either you must Sin or Suffer none will be so forward to Tempt you to Sin rather than to Suffer as your nearest Relations and Acquaintance And what must Wife and Children and Family do if you should talk of Forsaking all and of following Christ in the Preservation of a good Conscience will be the Argument that the Friend of your own Bosom will strongly urge you withal But the more common Temptation discouraging Men in the Discharge of their Duty especially such as are of a low Rank and Condition in the World are the Frowns and Threats of those that are above ' em Hence a Minister in low Circumstances shall venture hard if he offers to Reprove a Great Man tho' a Great Sinner And you shall scarcely ever know an Officer tho' never so strictly oblig'd thereunto by his Oath present in order to Punishment the Man of Power and Interest in his Parish for his Oaths his Riots and the most outragious Immoralities which he so scandalously commits I. Kindnesses must not corrupt us to Sin And now what shall be done with reference to these manifold Encouragemetns to Sin and Discouragements to Vertue which you shall meet withal from wicked Men Why in the first Place have a special Care you be not Inveigled by the pretended Kindness of any Person be he who or what he will Let not the Obligations of your Friend or Acquaintance cause you to strain Truth when you are call'd to give Testimony in his Cause Take care you be not then wrought upon by any Sence of Kindness to Perjure your selves for him by declaring either more than Truth or by speaking not the whole Truth when it would make against him Consider what Kindness has been done you if you must sin against God and your own Soul to Pleasure your Friend in Return for it It was but a Bait to take you a Snare to Entrap you and a pleasant Poison given to destroy you You ought indeed as an honest Pagan says excellently well to be assistant to him in his honest Endeavours but not in his Knaveries in his Counsels not in his Tricks in appearing as Evidence for him but not in a Cheat and you must bear a Share in the misfortunes of your Friend but not in his Acts of Injustice II. Promises must not bribe us Secondly As to any Promises wherewith wicked Men may so Tempt you as to Hire you to Sin God forbid there should be a Necessity to bid you Reject and Detest them But if there be any need to Fortify any here against such a Temptation the meer Foolishness of the Bargain you will make will sufficiently move you to spurn at them for if it be an unprofitable a very unprofitable Bargain tho' a Man should Gain the whole World and lose his own Soul as it is said Mark 8.36 Oh! What ill Husbandry what Stupidity is it for a Trifle of worldly Wealth or Advantage to barter it away III. Discouragements must not hinder us from discharging our Duty And Thirdly As for those who shall hereafter discourage you from suffering for Righteousness sake when call'd thereunto by laying before you the Ruine you will thereby bring upon your selves and Families why you must consider that in such Case our Saviour tells us that a Man must even Hate Father and Mother and Wife and Children and Brethren and Sisters yea and his own Life also or he cannot be his Disciple and that whosoever doth not bear his Cross and come after him shall not be his Disciple Luk. 14.26 27. Nor Fourthly must Threatnings or Frowns fright us from it Nor Lastly must a Souldier of Jesus Christ be frighted out of the way of his Duty or aw'd into any sinful or slavish Compliance by the Threats and Frowns of any Man living Shrink not from the Exercise of Religion and Uprightness because many about you and they perhaps Above or Richer than you are profane and lewd and utterly regardless of any thing that is Good and moreover do Discourage and Affront it For this if you should you will most certainly offend your Great Lord and Master the Lord of Heaven and Earth and who has call'd upon you not to fear a mortal Man no tho' he could Kill the Body but to be afraid of displeasing him rather who is able to destroy both Body and Soul in Hell Yea I say unto you fear him Luk. 12.4 And now Lastly I cannot call to Mind any other Temptations Lastly the evil Customs which have prevailed in the World are a powerful Temptation to Sin usual amongst wicked Men to Tempt others to Sin besides some Evil Customs so rife amongst many That the Heathen Idolatries and those filthy Practices committed in 'em were so universally Complied with by all sorts of Men in the Pagan World was because they were Commended and Established by Publick Custom Many of their wisest Men and Philosophers had other Conceptions of God than to think it was fit to Change the Glory of God into the Similitude of an Ox that eateth Grass and thought also he ought to be Worshipt not by Fooleries and Impurities but with a chast Mind and a clean Heart And yet even those Men submitted to Common Custom and whatever they thought or spoke Privately amongst themselves they acted and spoke in Publick as the rest did And it was to the Prevalency of Custom that the Apostle imputed those Enormities of the Ephesians before their Conversion telling 'em that In time past they walked according to the Course of this World Eph. 2.2 And indeed so great is the Power of Evil Custom that it does still amongst Christians constrain Persons to do many ill Things even contrary to their Natures and Inclinations as well
and oblige our selves thereby to do He is appeal'd to as a Judge of our Performance whether we are faithful or not And as he is a God that will not be mocked he will certainly be a Revenger and a severe one too if we shall falsly and perfidiously break our Vows of Renouncing the World the Flesh and the Devil of Believing in God and Obeying him and shall on the contrary give our selves up to the service of Sin and Satan live like those that Believe not God nor the Christian Religion and in perfect contradiction to the Apostle's Rule deny not all Vngodliness and Worldly Lusts as we are commanded and have promised but deny to live Soberly Righteously and Godly in this present World In such a case I say he will be a severe Revenger of our Perjury and of our Apostacy I say of our Apostacy for he will then consider us not as ordinary Sinners but as those who have in effect renounced our Religion and will allot to us therefore not the ordinary measures of Punishments due to unbelieving Jews Turks and Infidels but extraordinary ones such as are due to faithless and perfidious Renegado's Oh it had been happy for us if we had never been Baptized if after those Vows we have therein made to do all we can to destroy Satan's Kingdom and the Power of Sin in the World we shall fight against God by our impious and wicked Deeds Better it is that thou shouldst not Vow than that thou shouldst Vow and not pay Eccl. 5.5 It is a less fault not to Vow at all than having Vowed not to perform the one being but a Neglect the other an Affront nay a Contempt of his Majesty who will not suffer a scorn to be put upon himself What shall I say why take therefore the Advice of the Wise Man v. 4. When thou vowest a Vow unto God deferr not to pay it for he hath no pleasure in Fools pay that which thou hast Vowed And say resolutely with Holy David Psal 119.106 I have sworn and I will perform it that I will keep thy righteous Judgments I have solemnly resolved and bound my self by the most sacred Ties which I will never break but do now confirm that I will carefully perform my part of the Covenant which I find to be most just and good The End of the First Volume THE XXVII Lecture And by God's Help so I will And I pray unto God to give me his Grace that I may continue in the same unto my Live's End IN those several Expositions I have made upon the Words of your Catechism I have now fully declar'd unto you first the general Nature Terms and Conditions of the Covenant of Grace secondly the Sacrament whereby you solemnly enter'd into it And last Day have represented to you those vast Obligations lying upon you faithfully and conscientiously to discharge the same And I know nothing so fit next to be spoke of as the Means whereby we shall be enabl'd to perform this our Covenant and what they are these Words I have now read do declare unto you And by God's c. In which you are given to to understand I. That in order to perform the Covenant with God you must put on a fix'd and firm Resolution faithfully to discharge the same II. But a Resolution it must be took up not in Confidence of our own Strength but of God's Grace and Assistance III. And accompany'd therefore with most earnest Prayers to God not to let us to our selves but to be always present with us So I will These Words import the firm Resolution By God's Help so I will These shew it must be a Resolution made not in Confidence of our own Strength And I pray unto God to give me his Grace that I may continue in the same unto my Live's End These express how necessary Prayer will be to obtain that Assistance which alone can fortifie our Resolutions I shall inlarge here only on the former namely First That to put on a fix'd and firm Resolution faithfully to discharge your Covenant with God will be a great Means towards your Performance of it In order to make which appear 1. I will briefly reflect upon the Nature of your Baptismal Covenant 2. I will shew you what kind of Resolution you ought to put on to perform the same And 3. I will then manifest to you how much such a Holy Resolution will conduce to your Performance of it And First let us briefly reflect upon the Nature of our Baptismal Covenant And the Summ of what has been said upon the Doctrine of your Baptismal Covenant is briefly this namely that in your Baptism you were Incorporated into that Holy Society of Men which is call'd the Church of Christ and were made your selves Members of it You were Adopted to be his Children and such as he would have a peculiar Care of and would indulge with singular Favours And as the Perfection of all you had then an Inheritance of the Kingdom of Heaven insur'd to you so as to have a legal Right conferr'd upon you to all those unspeakable Joys contain'd in that State All these peculiar Favours you had then conferr'd upon you on God's part on these Terms and Conditions to be made good on yours namely That you would first utterly Renounce those great Enemies of God the Devil the World and the Flesh The Devil because he had Rebell'd against his Creator for which he was Banish'd Heaven and has been ever since endeavouring to withdraw Mankind to partake and side with him in the same wicked Revolt But you have Covenanted with God that you will utterly abhor so base a thing as to side with so cursed a Spirit either by your own Sins or by tempting of others to sin And that you will be always upon your Guard against all his cursed Wiles whereby he would withdraw you into so foul an Apostacy from God As to the World because the greatest Part of Mankind have been prevail'd upon by this wicked Spirit to desert their Creator you have Covenanted to Renounce their Ways so as not to be tempted by their Examples their Company their Persuasions their Threats or their Promises to desert also the great Captain of your Salvation Jesus Christ And as to the Material World that neither the Riches the Honours nor the Pleasures of it should allure you nor the evil and vexatious things of it should fright you into Sin And lastly as to these Enemies of God and us you did solemnly engage your selves to exercise a continual Warfare against the Corrupt Lusts of your sinful Nature which are ever and anon Rebelling against the Dictates of your own Reason and of the Holy Spirit of God Thus in your Baptism you did Covenant to Renounce the Devil the World and the Flesh And you did on the contrary then engage as you have seen that you would give a hearty and ready Assent to all those Divine Truths reveal'd to you in
be less efficacious to the subduing the Temptations arising from the Flesh that is from our own Lusts and Appetites there being no Considerations of that force to oblige us to deny all Vngodliness and worldly Lusts and to live Soberly Righteously and Godly in this present World as all the Articles of our Creed particularly the looking for that blessed Hope and the glorious Appearing of the Great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ who gave Himself for us that he might Redeem us from all Iniquity and purifie to himself a peculiar People zealous of Good Works Tit. 2.12 13 14. A thorough Perswasion apply'd home to the Heart by serious Consideration that the Son of God did Himself descend from Heaven by wonderful and amazing Methods to rescue us from the Slavery of our brutish Lusts and Appetites and that he will again come in Glory to Judge and Reward us for the Victory we shall gain over 'em are enough to work upon all Reasonable and Thinking Creatures and nothing can prevail with us to abandon our Lusts if these will not And III. Lastly but above all 3. The Devâ—â— the great Power and the glorious Effects of Faith are seen in the Victories it will enable us to obtain over that Great Adversary the Devil We had need to put on the whole Armour of God that we may be able to stand against the Wiles of the Devil For we wrestle not against Flesh and Blood a contemptible Enemy in comparison but against Principalities against Powers against the Rulers of the Darkness of this World against spiritual Wickedness in High Places Wherefore St. Paul does warn us to take unto us the whole Armour of God that we may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand But above all to take the Shield of Faith wherewith we shall be able to quench all the fiery Darts of the Devil Eph. 6.11 12. The Temptations and Assaults of the Devil which the Apostle does here so solemnly rouze us up to resist are I suppose the terrible Persecutions that Satan does in all Ages raise against one part or other of the Church and these tho' dreadful indeed and most likely to over-power us yet are conquerable by a firm Faith Looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our Faith who for the Joy that was set before him endured the Cross despising the Shame and is set down on the Right hand of the Throne of God For if we consider him that endured such contradiction of Sinners against himself we shall not be weary nor faint in our Minds Heb. 12.2 3. So that in short the true and genuine Effects of Faith are constant and perpetual Victories against the World the Flesh and the Devil and an universal Obedience notwithstanding any of 'em to the Commands of God And therefore since so much depends upon a true Faith that he who believeth shall be saved Mark 16.16 And by the Grace of God we are saved through Faith Eph. 2.5 It does infinitely concern you to examine your selves whether ye be in the Faith and to prove your selves 2 Cor. 13.5 And the only way to prove the Sincerity of your Faith is by examining the fore-mention'd Fruits of it in your own Lives and Conversations and by seeing whether it produces a good Life For this we may assure our selves having the Authority of an Apostle for it Jam. 2.26 That as the Body without the Spirit is dead so Faith without Works is dead also So that except upon examination you shall find your spiritual Enemies in a great measure subdu'd and an Habit of Vertue rooted in your Souls your Faith is not sincere THE XXX Lecture I Believe HAving already explain'd and laid before you the Nature and Effects of Faith or Believing I might now proceed to the Consideration of those main Fundamental Doctrines of Christianity summ'd up in the Apostles Creed and which are to be Believ'd accordingly But since so great Weight is laid in the Covenant of Grace upon Faith that on Condition thereof we are said to be sav'd Sirs said the Keeper of the Prison to Paul and Silas What must I do to be saved And they said Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved and thy House Act. 16.30 31. since whosoever Believeth in Christ shall receive Remission of Sins c. 10 43. And which has most perplexed Persons Heads to understand the meaning of it and from the misunderstanding of which the most Fatal Errors have ensu'd since a Man is Justified by Faith without the Deeds of the Law Rom. 3.28 And being Justified by Faith we have Peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ Rom. 5.1 And lastly since a true state of this Doctrine of Justifying Faith will above any other single Doctrine excepting that of the Covenant of Grace let you into the full Understanding of the Nature Texture and Constitution of the Whole Christian Religion For all these Reasons I think I ought not to dismiss this Subject of Faith without giving you a State of the Doctrine of Justifying Faith and without distinguishing betwixt it and other sorts of Faith which will fail us in the great Business of Justification and Salvation And in order to the Explication of so considerable a Point I. I will give you to understand what is meant by Justification II. I will then shew by what sort of Faith we are accordingly Jâ—nstified And III. And lastly in what sence we are said to be Justified by Faith without the Deeds of the Law And I. I will give you to understand what is meant by Justification Justification defin'd And Justification is God's Adjudging us through Christ as Just and Righteous according to the Terms of the Covenant of Grace and his acquitting of such from the Punishment of those Sins of which according to the Terms of the First Covenant there was no place for Pardon To make this Description more plain to you I will a little enlarge upon it and prove the several Parts thereof And 1. There are Just and Righteous Persons since the Fall First I say there are those who even in this lapsed and fallen state of Man have the Testimony of God Himself that they are Just and Righteous Men. Thus Abel obtained witness that he was Righteous God testifying of his Gifts Heb. 11.4 And Lot is also mention'd in Scripture as a Righteous Man 2 Pet. 2.8 And Joseph Simeon Cornelius and others are said in the Gospel to be Just Men and at the end of the World the Angels shall come forth and separate the Wicked from the Just Matth. 13.49 Which supposes that all those who shall be saved shall be Just and Righteous Persons 2. It is according to the Terms of the Gospel that any are such Secondly Those who are thus Just and Righteous are such according to the Terms of the Gospel Justice and Righteousness are to be measured according to some Rule in conformity to which