you give me an answer to these four questions 1. Is a Christian freed from the morall Law yea or no 2. Whether a Christian tempted to sin should strive against sin yea or no. 3. Whether sanctification can evidence justification when justification lies darke 4. How shall a poor soul that hath not the witnesse of the spirit nor cannot se any goodnesse it selfe how I say shall such a soul take comfort or on what foundation shall we tender comfort to such a soul Dear friend I pray fail not to give me an answer I long to speak with you that I may tell you how abundantly my soul is overcome by God and findes sweet content in God since I have had a discoverie of free Grace Which Doctrine I was not onely ignorant of but oppofite unto till I by the love of it was fetched into it and I now see it is not a Doctrine of loosenesse but if any thing indeares a soul to God and makes a soul able to bring forth fruit to God then it is to know God in the way of his love O that the world did but know what the Saints do injoy in this way then the pulpits would not be so full of Calumnies and the presse so full of reproaches against the doctrine of free grace as now they be so in hast I rest leaving you to God Your dear friend in Christ M. W. DEAR FRIEND I Have received your letter I rejoyce much to see and hear of the sweet commings in of Christ I desire to blesse God in your behalfe and for your questions I have here sent you an answer according to my small ability as God hath given in unto me Vale. Four Questions answered 1. Question IS a Christian freed from the Morall Law yea or no Answ Without all question a Christian is thus as it was held out by the hand of Moses and by that expression I mean Rom. 7.4 Rom. 10. 2 Cor. 3.11 Heb. 8.13 as it was a Covenant of workes and so a Law where God did declare himself a God over us and not a God for us except we were for him and so we are not under the Law but as it is handed to us in a Christ By that I mean as it is made known to us in a covenant of grace in which covenant of grace in which covenant God doth engage himself to do by us what in the other covenant and Law hee required of us Ier. 33.8 Heb. 8.10 So that the materials of the Law are not destroyed but much exalted for now it is not only a duty but a high priviledge to work and to walk by the power of God to acknowledge God and so we do not go about to destroy the matter of the Law but the old obligement of the Law was do and live But now wee are to do because we live we are not to do for love but to acknowledge love from the power of the incomes of it self which is in God for us which freely runs out from God to us without reference to any thing in us but to produce in us whatsoever is required of us If any one now object and say this is to lay aside all duty and live as we list To this I answer this is not so for love enjoyed ties and indeares more then love supposed but I know those that are not by God gathered up into the bosome of God and so made able to understand the nature of love within the limits of its own light they wil they cannot chuse but so judge For men judge of a thing according to the nature of that light in which they live I say no more of that Q. 2. Whether a Christian tempted to sin should strive against sin yea or no Answ To which I answer that it is our duty but not our ability The alteration of the covenant doth destroy duty but layes it upon a higher power therfore the Apostle Phil. 2.12 13. in all his exhortations drawes forth duties from the power of priviledges as thus Seeing we have these promises let us cleanse our selves c. And the grace of God which brings salvation teach us to deny ungodlinesse c. Dear friend I may strive and sin in striving there is a way of striving which its our priviledge to be acting in but if selfe strive against selfe and sin we are more wrestled into selfe and sin Or when selfe by the terrours of the old covenant goes about to lay down self by such layings down Or when I strive from such a light as is gathered up which light presents God as set against me and to be altered by somthing done by me this is again to returne to Egypt and to live upon a covenant of works and so we may sin in striving against sin For though the worke as a work be approved on by God yet the way in the work is altogether contrary to the minde of God But when we by the power of God do strive against sinne which is against God the more I strive in this way the better it is and I count it not onely a duty but a high priviledge the Lord make you and I thus to know God that by that light we may be carried out to live upon God and to God in all our actions For dear friend you know that sin is not made lesse but a great deal the more unlovely by the apprehending of God in the light of his own love Let men say what they will this I know that a man is not truly Christianized and really crucified to sin till he see a higher good and excellencie in God presented to him and for him then he can possibly see in any way of sinne So much in answer to that Quest 3. Whether Sanctification can evidence justification when justification lies darke Ans If the question be so I answer it doth not for if I question the acceptation of my person I must needs question so farre the acceptation of my actions For Gen. 4.4 Abel beleeved the acceptation of his person and so of his sacrifice Therfore for me to go about to answer a doubtfull justification by a doubtfull sanctification is to answer a doubt by a doubtfull thing whereas the doubtfulnesse of the thing answering arises from the doubtfulnesse of the thing to be answered and how impossible and uncomfortable this is I leave you to judge which I am confident have otherwise learned Christ Besides acts of sanctification as bare acts they say do not evidence it but as sanctified acts for say they love as a bare act doth not evidence but as an act rising from a right principle which principle is the discoverie of Gods love to me which discoverie produces in me love to himself Now do but take notice of this seriously I may not look upon my love as evidencing further then it arises from Gods love to me discovered So then when there is no discoverie of Gods love to me I
place Hos 10.12 Sow to your selves in righteousnesse reape in mercy Which words seem to hold forth so much according to the language of the old covenan as though we were to act righteousnesse before we receive mercy but beleevers under the covenant of grace are not so to observe it but we are now to observe it so that we act righteousnesse in that we have received mercy For Christ and his Apostles still drawes forth duty from a power of priviledge as appeareth by such expressions as these blessed are they that hunger and thirst the blessednesse is not placed in the future tense as a thing to be got by hungring and thirsting but it is placed in the present tense as that which is the producing cause of it So the Apostle saith seeing we have these promises let us cleanse our selves According to these rules are we to understand this Verse Sowe to your selves in righteousnesse reap in mercy And understanding these words according to the former rules this conclusion will arise Doct. That acts of righteousnesse are fruits of mercy If you aske me in the first place Rom. 2.1 Luk 7.47 2 Cor. 7.1 what I mean by acts of righteousnesse I answer by that I mean the acts of sanctification If you ask me in the next place what the righteousnesse of sanctification is I answer it is a conformity to the will of God produced by the power of God in which the soul is carried out to live to God in perticular acts If you in the next place ask me what I mean by mercy that the acts of righteousnesse is a fruit of I answer by that mercy I mean the sweet glorious commings in of God by which the soul becomes really possessed with God and is made able to live in the light love of God and so is made able from thence to bring forth acts of righteousnesse sutable to God and therefore thus I desire to speak to all that love God act righteousnes sutable to God in that you have received mercy from God The reason to prove this point is this No soul can act a living act without a living power but no soul injoys a living power till he hath received mercy from God therefore no soul can act acts of righteousnesse which are living actes till they have recived mercy from God which is a living power the use of this same is to shew the folly of two sorts of people First those who teach men to work to get mercy and not to act from a power of mercy received they may as well say to a dead man act living acts and I will give you life Secondly it serves to shew the folly of those who say they have received mercy from God and yet walk loosly with God I know not what they say For that heart that really hath received mercy from God in being possessed with God they are so overcome with God that they love to live to him and look upon the duties they are to performe as a high priviledge but no more of this conclusion And for the next words break up your fallow grounds which is an explication of the former or a direction for a right performance of the former for as it is a foolish thing to sowe in unbroken ground so it is an impossible thing to act righteousnesse with an unmelted or unbroken heart from whence observe this conclusion Doct. That a heart is changed and broken by God before he can bring forth acts of righteousnesse to God an old principall cannot bring forth new fruite when I say God breakes the heart I do not mean breaking the heart by the terrours of the Law but a melting of the heart by the commings in of love but I say no more of of that conclusion For the next word It is time to seek the Lord. Iplying that is some speciall times of seeking God or that it is a a speciall thing to seek God thence observe this conclusion Doct. That it is the duty of all souls possessed with God to seek God The ne next words are till I raigne downe righteousnesse upo you implying thus much That that soul that hath power from God to seek to God for the powring down of his mercy shall surely have answere From thence observe this conclusion Doct. That God is not nor God will not be a forsaking God to a seeking people This is cleer if you look upon the promise of God consider the love of God God cannot will not forsake a seeking people Why because it is alone from the enjoyment of God that we seek God and under that sence we may as well say God can as well forsake himselfe as forsake those that seek him from an injoyment of him Vse First to informe us of one corolie that naturally ariseth from the Conclusion and that is this that no soule can seek God til he is found of God the reason to this corolie is this Because the power of our seeking is the fruit of Gods finding then this shewes the folly of those men which stirred up people to seek not from a power of being found but stir them up to seek that they may be found The next use is a use of comfort If our seeking be a fruit of Gods finding this should comfort Gods people thus that there is no sear of failing to finde God when we seek him because the power of seeking God flowes from the priviledge of being found of God and so much of this conclusion and of this verse And for that place in Jer. 4.3 and beginning of the fourth verse which words are these For thus saith the Lord to the men of Iudah and Ierusalem break up the fallow grounds and sow not among thornes Circumcise your selves to the Lord and take away the foreskin of your hearts and had I time I should speak to this Scripture as I have spoken to that in Hosea which is to be understod in the same way and according to the same rules before laid down but at this time I shall speak no more Dear friends according that smal ability I have given me by God I have given an answer to your desires if I had more time more light I should speak more fully and more spiritually but I must needs confesse that it is but a little of God I do yet know but may desire for you and my self is that we may know God from God that we may rather live upon our being known of him then knowing of him so at this time I say no more but leave you to God and the Word of his grace who is able to build you up and to give an inheritance among all them that are sanctified Your loving brother in Christ P. H. DEar friend and brother in Christ my indeared love presented to you giving to you thanks for all your love to me this is to put you in minde of your promise in sending me a leter in the letter I beseech
cannot look upon my love as an Evidencing love further then it arises from Gods love to me therefore by their own argument love cannot make out to me a propertie in Gods love when Gods love is hid and not made manifest to me by a foregoing witnesse of the Spirit And so sanctification is not nor cannot be an evidence of justification when justification lies dark Therefore those Scriptures in the Epistle of Iohn 1 Ioh. 3.14 and elsewhere are not to be understood as first but second evidences But it may be objected if the witnesse of the spirit must go first this is a foolish thing for it is but to light a candle to look upon the Sun To which I answer which is the greatest folly for a man to light a candle to look upon the Sun Or for a man to light a candle to look for his eyes when he hath lost them judge you If you ask me whether there be much danger in preaching pressing men to beleeve in God according to their measure of love and not to presse them to believe a proprietie in love though they cannot love that so they may love to this answer For men to preach and presse men to beleeve a propriety in God according to their measure of love and not presse them to beleeve though they do not love that they may love This is to reduce them again to a covenant of workes So to preach and hear is very dangerous Quest 4. If this be so How shall a poore soul that hath not the witnesse of the Spirit nor can see any goodnesse in it self How I say shall such a soul take comfort or on what foundation shall we tender comfort to such a soul Answ To which I answer that the foundation on wch I am to tender such souls comfort is not the actings of God in them but the unchangable disposition of himself for them which runs out to them without reference to any good in them but to produce in them whatsoever God required of them and this foundation is held out to them in the Gospell where God offers from himself a free God a ful Christ to a nothing creature if the promise of Salvation and Justification had been tendred to us as a looking upon some qualification in us and not bringing in the bowels of it a power to produce all qualifications in us it had not been free but still a covenant of works but it is free therefore there is a great deal of comfort to poor souls although they be nothing yet there is warrant to beleeve they may be something Though they cannot do yet there is ground to beleeve that so beleeving they may do and further know that this foundation is not laid for me to rest upon when I can do but a foundation to rest upon to recover me when I am faln through infirmitie and cannot do that so through believing I may enjoy power to do and this is a great comfort therfore a want of power to do though it be matter of grief yet it is no ground of discouragement to keep us from believing but rather an incouragement to believe the more this I speak not to declare any ability in the creature to believe but the warrantablenesse of a poor soul believing though it be thus and thus with them as before said Thus having given yea a brief answer to your Queries I leave you to the teachings of the truth which is able so to make forth it self to us as to discover what is to be eyed in it and observed from it and to that truth I leave you And rest Your friend and brother in CHRIST P. H. FJNJS