He will forgive you though not others There are six excellent comforts unto you who have God to be your merciful God 1. That he will forgive you Though the sinnes of others are sealed up and stand upon record against their souls yet your sinnes shall be forgiven The sinnes of others are written and stand upon record but yours are blotted out He will forgive your great sins 2. That he will forgive your great sinnes as well as your small sinnes From all your filthiness and from all your Idols will I clâ—anse you Ezek. 36. 3. That he will forgive all your sinnes though they have been many though He will forgive all your sinnes there hath been a multitude of them Your God who is rich in mercy and hath riches of mercy and multitude of mercies will abundantly pardon them Isa 55. 7. 4. That he will freely forgive them I am he that blotteth out thy He will freely forgive them transgressions for mine own sake and I will not remember thy sinnes Isa 43. 25. and Luke 7. 42. He will everlastingly forgive 5. That he will everlastingly forgive your sinnes so forgive them as never to mention them more All his transgressions which he hath committed they shall not be mentioned unto him Ezek. 18. 22. Though they be sought for there shall be none and they shall not be found for I will pardon them whom I reserve Jer. 50. 20. 6. That your God will certainly do this I will surely have mercy upon him He will certainly do this God is holiness Jer. 31. 20. 3. God is holinesse He is an holy God Joshua 24. 19. I am the Lord your God ye shall be holy for I am holy Levit. 11. 44. Holy holy Lord God Almighty Rev. 4. 8. Glorious in holinesse Exod. 15. 11. Gods holinesse is his infinitely purenesse without all sinne yea hating of it Being also the cause of all the holinesse and purity in the creature This is one of the great excellencies and the glories of God He were not God if he were not holy and the more that any one partakes of holinesse the more excellent is he Six things affirmed of holiness It is a glory attributed to every person in the Trinity Unto the Father Unto the Son Unto the Spirit There are six things which we can affirm of holiness 1. It is a glory attributed unto every person of the Trinity It is attributed Vnto the Father Holy Father keep through thine own Name those whom thou hast given me John 17. 11. Unto the Sonne that holy child Jesus Acts 4. 27. These things saith he that is holy Rev. 3. 7. Unto the Spirit who is called the Holy Ghost Matth. 3. 11. and the holy Spirit Eph. 4. 30. Grieve not the holy Spirit of God 2. It is a glory attributed unto all creatures and persons and things of excellency It is attributed to all creatures and things of excellency The holy Angels Matth. 25. 31. The holy Prophets Luke 1. 70. The holy Scriptures Rom. 1. 2. 2 Tim. 3. 15 The great City the holy Jerusalem descending out of heaven from God Rev. 21. 10. Holy men of God 2 Pet. 1. 21. And indeed holinesse is our glory and therefore the Spirit of grace is called the Spirit of glory Heb. 10. 29. 1 Pet. 4. 14. And they who are stiled holy Isa 4. 3. are stiled the glory ver 5. 3. It is necessary unto glory unto that glory which shall be revealed unto It is necessary unto glory the exceedingly exceeding weight of glory unto that eternal glory that heavenly happiness as a means is necessary to an end as a lower step to arise unto an higher Heb. 12. 14. Follow holinesse without which no man shall see the Lord. 1 John 3. 3. Every man that hath this hope purifieth himself as he is pure 4. It is necessary unto your present communion with God He cannot take delight in you nor will he be neare you nor impart himself unto you unless It is necessary to our present communion with God you be holy What fellowship hath righteousnesse with unrighteousnesse and what communion hath light with darknesse 2 Cor. 6. 14. You read in the Law that all was holy which had a respect unto God the Altar was holy and the Temple was holy and the offerings were holy and the persons who offered them were holy To intimate unto us that there could or might not be any communion with the holy God without holinesse 5. It is the pawn and pledge of future glory the first-fruits of the Spirit It is the pawn and pledge of future glory Rom. 8. 23. The earnest of the Spirit 2 Cor. 1. 22. The sealing of the holy Spirit is stiled the earnest of our purchased possession Eph. 1. 13 14. 6. It is the distinguishing character of the Covenant No people are an holy people but the people of the Covenant and all those people are holy It is the distinguishing character of the Covenant 1 Pet. 2. 5. Ye are a spiritual house an holy Priest-hood Ver. 9. Ye are an holy Nation a peculiar people Isa 4. 3. He that is left in Zion and he that remaineth in Jerusalem shall be called holy even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem 1 Cor. 3. 17. The Temple of God is holy which Temple ye are Now if God be your God He is and will be your holy God He will Comforts from this that God will be a holy God to you He will make you holy be an holy God unto you and that affords you many comforts 1. He will make you holy They shall call them the holy people the Redeemed of the Lord Isa 62. 12. He will give his holy Spirit unto you Luke 11. 13. Where is he that put his holy Spirit within him Isa 63. 11. As you read of Joshuah the High Priest The Lord said Take away his filthy garments from him Behold I have caused thine iniquity to passe from thee and I will cloath thee with change of rayment Zach. 3. 4. So the Lord deals with every person unto whom he is a God in Covenant He cleanseth them from all their filthinesses I will cleanse them from all their iniquities Jer. 33. 8. I will sprinkle cleane water upon you and you shall be cleane Ezek. 36. 25. So Ezek. 37. 23. They shall not desile themselves any more with their Idels but I will cleanse them so shall they be my people and I will be their God 2. He will encrease your holinesse He will sanctifie you throughout 1 Thes He will encrease your holiness 5. 23. He will give more grace James 4. 6. He will strengthen what he hath wrought Psal 68. 28. Holinesse is like the waters of the Sanctuary in Ezek. 47. â— 4 5. To the ancles to the knees and then a river that could not be passed over It is the field which the Lord will bless and prosper It is
request and shall be owned and heard 5. You have this priviledge that you may not only come into the presence You may with confidence wrestle with God of your God but you may with confidence urge him and importune him and wrestle with him and still renew and reinforce your requests you may take hold of him and challenge and expostulate with him and stay him and not let him alone nor let him go untill he blesseth you And so large allowance of blessednesse is granted unto you that you may in some sort command God it is the Highest Expression that you read of Isaiah 45. 11. 6. You have this priviledge by having God to be your God and by being his You may enter into and survey all the treasures of heaven and lay claime to them people that you may enter in and survey all the rich treasures and jewels of heaven and when you have so done you may lay claime unto them all and say O Lord all these are mine by thy promise and by my right in Christ Thou art mine and thy mercy is mine and thy Christ is mine and thy grace is mine and that glory is mine all this is the purchase of Christ and all this is mine 7. You have this priviledge also that all the seals of the Covenant of grace All the seals of the Covenant are restrained to you alone are restrained unto your selves alone As the Covenant is none but yours and with you so the seals of the Covenant are none but yours and unto you only The seals of the Covenant are to confirme you and to assure you and to revive and comfort you and to establish you there is not any ungodly person on the earth who hath right unto the seals of the Covenant and the reason is because he hath no interest in the Covenant it self you onely are the people of the Covenant and therefore you onely have right to the seals of the Covenant 8. You have this priviledge that you may expect help from your God for all the works which you owe to God You may go to him for grace for strength You may expect help from God in all your works for sufficiency to work in you both to will and to do both to believe and to suffer Phil. 2. 13. and chap. 1. 29. Give thy strength unto thy servant Psal 86. 16. He will give sâ—rength unto his people Psal 29. 11. Gods promises are joyned with his commands this thou wouldest have me to do O Lord give thy Spirit unto me and cause me to do it 9. You have this priviledge that your all is in another Your life stands in the life of another and your righteousnesse in the righteousnesse of another Your all is in another and your satisfying in the satisfaction of another and your defence in the death of another and your title and claime in the obedience and purchase and right of another and your acceptance in another your life lies in the life of Christ and your righteousnesse is the righteousnesse of Christ and your satisfying is the satisfaction of Christ and your defence and answer to all inditements and accusations is the death of Christ and your claime and title is the obedience and purchase of Christ your power is in the power of Christ and your acceptance is in Christ This is a priviledge indeed that you are wholly made up in another and by another that you shall never be found in your own righteousnesse but onely in the righteousnesse of Christ and shall never be tryed by your own righteousnesse but by the righteousnesse of Christ c. 10. You have this priviledge that you live upon free cost all your days The You live upon free cost Covenant of God will finde and provide enough for you you never need to load your selves with anxious thought or care For your God and Father careth for you all your burdens and all your cares are taken off Be careful for nothing cast all your care on him for he careth for you He layeth up for his children and he layes out upon his children his Covenant will finde food for your bellies and rayment for your backs and mercy and salvation for your souls c. 11. You have this priviledge that all the gracious and sweet manifestations of All the gracious manifestations of heaven are to you only heaven are unto you only None know the Father but you none taste of the loving kindnesse of God but you none sup with Christ but you none partake of the joys and comforts of the Holy Ghost but you none have that hope and assurance of glory but you none eat of the Manna but you who have a new name given unto you heavenly banquets for the soul are provided onely for you The Angels of God ministring Spirits for you 12. You have this priviledge that the very Angels of God are ministring Spirits sent forth to minister for you who shall be heirs of salvation Heb. 1. 14. They pitch their tenth and encampe round about them that fear God Psal 34. 7. This seems an high priviledge and yet you have an higher than this For as the Mountains are round about Jerusalem so the Lord is round about his people from henceforth even for â—ver Psal 125. 2. 13. What can I say more Is this any priviledge that whilest you live you God will be your God in life and death may live upon your God and Father and when you dye you shall go to 〈◊〉 God and Father This also is yours who have God to be your God in Covenâ—â—â— God will be your God in life and God will be your God in death and God will be your God after death whiles you live he is yours and with you and when you dye he is yours and you shall be with him reigning in glory for ever and ever and ever Thus have you heard a few things of your happinesse in respect of your Immunities and Priviledges by having God to be your God in Covenant I will 〈◊〉 comfort more unto you and then put an end to this 〈◊〉 SECT XIII THere is yet one comfort more from this that God is your God which is this If God be your God then all is yours As he said Christâ—◠〈◊〉 omnia Christ is mine and all is mine so Deus mens omnia 〈◊〉 If If God be ours all is ours God be your God then heaven and earth are yours whatsoever there is in all the world that may do you good it shall be yours The Apostle expressely delivers as much in 1 Cor. â— â—1 All things are yours Ver. 22. Whether Paul or 〈◊〉 or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things â—â— come 〈…〉 yours He doth not in these expressions intend that Christians have a civil and common interest in all mens earthly possessions but this is it which he intend viz. That God ordains all things
own but sinne and vanity Yea 2ly These are portions for Christians as Themistocles said Give those bracelets to slaves or as Basil when he was offered temporary glory and wealth c answered Give me glory which abides for ever and give me riches which will endure for ever Matth. 6. 31 32. Take no thought what ye shall eat for after all these things do the Gentiles seek Earthly things are a common stock only Spiritual blessings are the Childrens inheritance As God spake of the Levites that they shall have no inheritance among their brethren I will be their portion said the Lord so may we say of temporal and Spiritual blessings God will not have his people to sit down with so low and poor a portion as temporal things but their portion shall be himself his Christ his Spirit his Grace his Peace his Joy his Glory his Blessedness 3. And those are the best portions These do make up our estate indeed now you may sit down and rejoyce for you have possession good enough and safe enough and a better possession than God himself and all Spiritual blesings no soul is capable of Thirdly They are possible I beseech you observe with me a few things They are possible 1. Nothing is impossible which lies in Gods promise because God who promiseth is able also to perform and give whatsoever he is pleased to promise and the donation or accomplishment depends not on us but on God alone on his power and fidelity 2. None ever cordially sought them but did enjoy them If ye seek for them as silver and hid treasures you shall have them Prov. 23. 4 5. You shall seek me and finde me when you shall search for me with all your heart Jer. 29. 13. Nay I dare to say did you seek and pray for these Spiritual blessings as you do for temporal blessings with the same thought and earnestness and diligence and importunity and constancy you might long since have possessed them both plentifully and comfortably Fourthly They are more certain upon right seeking than the temporal They are more certain blessings you may observe concerning these two sorts of blessings 1. That God never gives all the particulars of temporal blessings to any one man but distributes them by parcels some to one and some to another but he gives every Spiritual blessing for the substance unto every one in Covenant 2. That God doth put some Provisoes and Exceptions and Reserves upon temporal blessings so far as consistent with the 〈◊〉 and as is fitting and behoving in such a condition and relation c. bu◠〈◊〉 Spiritual blessings which substantially concern his people he is peremptory he will give them he will not deny them although for a while he may delay them as in the point of Revocation he oft times takes off these outward blessings and yet still continues the Spiritual he will never recall them his loving-kindness shall continue still with them Simile so in point of Donation though he many times denies particular outward things yet he will not deny the Spiritual The Father will not deny food to the Child though he doth deny an apple Fifthly If you could but get the Spiritual blessings they would soon hasten in They will bring in temporal blessings and speed you with such temporal blessings which you need Temporal they often go alone they bring not the Spiritual but the Spiritual brings in the temporal Matth. 6. 33. Seek first the kingdom of God and the righteousness thereof and all these things shall be added unto you tanquam Appendices Cumulo you should have the spiritual blessings which you first of all desire and the temporal which you least of all desire you shall have them in the purchase and over and above the bargain Sixthly And you shall have them with more comfort peace and blessing for And bring them in with more comfort and peace Spiritual blessings do draw off that curse with which our sins have involved our temporal blessings and besides they give them a sweeter relish because we now possess them with the favour and love of God in Christ Use 3 Doth God in his Covenant promise first unto his people all spiritual blessings then you who are his people may hence learn Let Gods people learn To bless God who first blesseth them with spiritual blessings First To blesse your God who in the first place blesseth you with all Spiritual blessings your estate differs from that of other men in two particulars 1 In the Entrance that at the first you possesse the choysest mercies 2. In the End that at the last you shall possesse the highest glory Psal 103. 1. Blesse the Lord O my soul and all that is within me praise his holy Name Ver. 2. Blesse the Lord O my soule and forget not all his benefits Ver. 3. Who forgave thee all thine iniquities and healeth all thy diseases Thus David for forgiveness and health much more then should the people of God bless him who at the very first blesseth them with all Spiritual blessings with his favour with his Christ with Righteousness with Holyness with forgiveness with Peace c. Secondly To be contented although perhaps you have a lesser portion in temporal blessings Am I not better to thee than ten sons said Elkanah to To be contented with a less portion in temporal blessings Hannah 1 Sam. 1. 8. So why do you yet complain and take on are not Spiritual blessings better than all temporal blessings I beseech you by what interest do you judge men bappy by temporal or by spiritual If by temporal why did you so much desire Spiritual if by Spiritual why then are you not contented who have already all Spiritual blessings for your portion especially considering that for asking the daughters of Zelophehad had the nether spring as well as the upper and you but for asking shall have enough for Earth as well as for Heaven I now proceed to a third General Observation viz. SECT III. 3. Doct. THat whatsoever the blessings are which may or do concern the people Whatsoever blessings are dispenced God is the giver of them of God in Covenant God himself doth undertake to give them unto his people Consider the Covâ—â—â—nt Donatives mentioned in this Chapter and elsewhere you shall expresly 〈◊〉 that none but God himself undertakes the Donation of them I will sprinkle clean water upon theâ— and I will give them a new heart and I will put my Spirit within you and I will call for the corn c. v. 25 26 29 30. So Ezek. 11. 19. I will give you one heart Jer. 31. 33. I will put my Law in their inward parts 32. 40. I will put my fear in their hearts Deut. 30. 6. The Lord thy God will circumcise thy heart and the heart of thy seed to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soul that thou mayest live Hos 14. 4.
them both 6. In the forme of inscription as in that the Law of works was written in the heart of Adam so in this the Law of grace is written in the heart of every one confederated 7. In the unchangeablenesse both of the one and of the other both of them are immutable Although that Covenant of works as it is a Covenant for life ceaseth unto believers yet it stands in force upon and against all unbelievers I say notwithstanding all these general concordancies correspondencies and agreements between them they do yet differ in nine particulars which I Nine things in which they differ shall the rather mention that you may understand the infinite goodnesse of God in making this Covenant of grace and his infinite mercy in it and your own happinesse by it if any of you be brought into the Covenant And also to affect your hearts that you may press the more after a personal interest therein Thus then the Covenant of works and of grace do differ 1. In their special end The end which God aimed at in the Covenant of works was the declaration and magnifying of his justice and his end in making In their special end the Covenant of grace is the declaration and magnifying of his mercy In the Covenant of works it is Do this and live if you sinne you dye for it Here is no place for Repentance no place for mercy In the Covenant of works when Adam had sinned there was no commission of enquiry whether he repented or not of what he had done the enquiry was only of the fact What hast thou done Hast thou eaten of the tree whereof I said unto thee Thou shalt not eat and being found guilty death and curse are pronounced against him Gen. 3. 11 19. Thus it is in the Covenant of works The soul that sinnes shall die 〈◊〉 18. 4. In this God reveals his wrath from heaven against all unrighteousnesse and ungodlinesse of men Rom. 1. 18. And thus he makes his power and justice known in that Covenant But in the Covenant of grace his intention and purpose is to glorifie his mercy to proclaim his glory The Lord The Lord merciful and gracious long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth forgiving iniquity transgression and sinne Exod. 34. 6 7. This is the Covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those dayes c. I will be merciful to their unrighteousness and their sins and iniquities I will remember no more Heb. 8. 10 12. In this Covenant there is place for repentance and mercy for the penitent Repent that your sinnes may be blotted out Acts 3. 19. He that forsakes his sins shall have mercy Prov. 28. 13. So that as to the Covenant of works you must be altogether perfect and alwayes so if you sinne at all you are cast and condemned But as to the Covenant of grace the sinner being penitent is received to mercy and spared This is one great difference betwixt the Covenant of Works and of Grace 2. In the condition of man with whom God doth Covenant The Covenant In the condition of man with whom God doth Covenant of works was made with man as perfect upright innocent and then sinlesse and therefore it is called by some Pactum Amicitiae a Covenant of friendship because before the fall there was nothing of variance or enmity betwixt God and man that estate was an estate of love and kindnesse and friendship God was Adams friend and Adam was a friend to God they agreed together and conversed as loving friends But the Covenant of grace was made with man as breaking friendship as fallen off by sinne as under the estate of emnity when his sinnes had separated betwixt him and his God and therefore this Covenant is called Pactum Reconciliationis a Covenant of Reconciliation an agreement made betwixt parties who had fallen out The Lord was pleased to look after man again and to take pity on him and to propose new Articles of life unto him 3. In their foundations The Covenant of works as to our part was founded In their foundations upon the strength of that righteous nature which God gave unto Adam and in him unto us so that his standing was upon his own bottome upon the sufficiency of his own power and will with which he was created But the foundation of the Covenant of grace is Jesus Christ not our own strength but the strength of Christ who is the Rock the Corner-stone the foundation-stone upon which you are built And this is one reason why Adam fell and lost that life promised in the Covenant of works and why such as are brought into the Covenant of grace fall not so as to lose that blessed life promised unto them Adam had more inherent strength of grace than we have he at his first creation was without all sinne yet he being left to the strength of his own will willingly brake with God willingly transgressed and lost all But we though weaker in our selves than he yet being brought into this Covenant of grace though we meet with as great temptations as he yet fall not as he did because the foundation of our strength is greater than his Jesus Christ holds us in his own hands Joh. 10. 28. And we are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation 1 Pet. 1. 5. 4. The Covenant of works was made without a Mediatour There was no The one made without a Mediatour dayes-man betwixt God and man none to stand between them There was none and needed none because there was no difference then betwixt God and man Man was then righteous perfectly righteous A Mediatour is a third person betwixt two different parties to make up the breach which ariseth betwixt them but when the Covenant of works was made betwixt God and man all was righteousnesse and therefore all was peace there was no use of a Mediatour to bring them into peace and set them at one who were hitherto in perfect love and union But in the Covenant of grace there is a Mediatour The other with a Mediatour Jesus the Mediatour of the new Covenant Heb. 12. 24. Man being fallen there is now a necessity of a Mediatour to satisfie Gods Justice to destroy enmity to make peace to bring us neare to God again and to gain us confidence and acceptance with God The Covenant of grace could not have been drawn up without a Mediatour God would never have treated with sinners but by a Mediatour who should satisfie him for the wrong and injury done unto him and who should set mercy as it were at liberty to showr and fall down on sinful man and who should undertake to see all Articles performed Objection It may be objected that the Law given at Mount Sinai was a Covenant of works and yet that was delivered by the hand of a Mediatour Gal. 3. 19. Sol. I shall say no more to this at present but that the
all the people of the Covenant They do take the Lord to be their God and they do resigne surrender up and give themselves to be his people and agree to walk with him But then this ariseth not from their own power and ability but only from the love and power of the Grace of God who in effectual vocation doth not only say You shall be my people but also makes them so to be They become his people but he makes them willing to be so They agree to all that he requires but it is because he enables them so to do Before I passe from this I shall make some Use of it Use 1. Is this the New Covenant That God is to us a God and that we are to him a people That he promiseth that he will be our God and we promise that we will be his people and is this the vital and chief part of the Covenant that This is matter of admiration God is and will be our God Oh then what matter of admiration is this What wonders of love and kindnesse are manifested in this Judas not Iscariot wondred at the peculiar manifestations of Christ unto the Disciples John 14. 22. What is the cause that thou wilt shew thy self to us and not unto the world And David wondred at Gods Promise to establish his house and throne for ever before him 2 Sam. 7. 16. Then went King David and sate before the Lord and he said Who am I O Lord God! and what is my house that thou hast brought me hitherto verse 18. And this was yet a small thing in thy sight Oh Lord God but â—hou hast spoken of thy servants house for a great while to â—ome and is this the manner of man Oh Lord God! verse 19. And Moses wondred at the great work of Providence in the deliverance of Israel and drowning of Pharâ—oh Who is like unto thee O Lord amongst the gods who is like thee Glorious in holinesse fearful in praises doing wonders Exod. 15. 11. All these things and many more there are which afford wonder and admiration to us But this one thing that God is our God and that he promiseth in the Covenant to be our God and that we shall be his people is of all other the most amazing truth and the most wonderful goodnesse Behold what manner of love the Father hath And is most wonderful bestowed upon us that we should be called the sonnes of God 1 John 3. 1. This is most wonderful whether you consider 1. God himself 2. Or our selves Or Whether we consider 3ly The comprehensive efficacy of this Or 4ly Other things in comparison with this Or 5ly The fulnesse of it 1. If you consider God himself In himself he is the Almighty God the God himself great possessor of heaven and earth the eternal God infinite in holinesse and wisdome and power there is no end of his greatnesse He is the Lord the Lord merciâ—ul gracious long-suffering abundant in goodnesse â—nd truth forgiving iniquity transgression and sinne a God high above all gods Now what wonder is it that this God will so farre abase himself as to become our God to give himself and to bestow himself upon us and to own us for his people his peculiar his choyce treasure 2. If you consider us in our selves What is man that thou art mindful of Us in our selves him or the sonne of man that thou visitest him saith David Psalme 8. 4. Much more wonderful is it to say What is sinful man that thou regardest him or what is fallen man that thou shouldest enter into Covenant with him It was much that the great God should make a Covenant with man in the state of innocency it is much more that he should renew a Covenant with him in the state of enmity for the righteous God to covenant with righteous man is not so wonderful as for the holy God to make a Covenant with unholy man To be a friend unto a friend is much lesse than to be a friend unto an enemy To shew favour to one who never deserved wrath is inferiour to this viz. to shew the greatest kindnesse to one who deserves the greatest wrath and utter rejection As to requite evil for good is the greatest ingratitude so to return good for evil is the greatest kindnesse 3. If you consider the comprehensive efficacy of this that God is to us a God The comprehensive efficacy of this in Covenant This comprehends in it all good all love all mercy all blessings whatsoever If God be our God all good must be our good heaven and earth are setled upon you all is given unto you when God gives himself unto you He is your Sunne and your Shield He will give grace and glory and no good thing will he withhold How wonderful is this that God should be our God in a Covenant of grace We wonder at Adams interests and possessions But the interests and enjoyments of the sinner being brought into this Covenant with God as they are more certaine and stable so they are more high and full You are now interessed in such mercies and in such fruitions which Adam never did or could taste of in his original state of righteousnesse All other gifts in comparison with this 4. If you consider all other gifts in comparison with this gift I will be your God The gifts which God bestows upon his people are very many and very rich yet none of them is comparable unto this gift of himself in Covenant None of his earthly and temporal gifts these are lower than his spiritual and eternal gifts they are farre short of them and therefore farre short of God The least spiritual gift transcends all earthly and temporal gifts And none of his spiritual gifts I say none of these is to be matched or compared with himself Grace is not such a gift as the God of grace Mercy is not such a gift as the God of mercy Peace is not such a gift as the God of peace Nor holinesse as is the God of holinesse Nor happinesse as is the God of happinesse No nor Christ himself for the end of giving of Christ is to bring us unto God to the enjoyment of him and surely the end for which any thing is given is above the means for which it is given 5. If you consider the fulnesse of this That God gives himself unto us to be our God It is the uppermost and it is the utmost of all Donations As there is nothing better so there is nothing more to be given God cannot give you a greater nor a better nor any more good when he hath given unto you himself It is as much as you must and as much as you can expect and desire you cannot have more on earth and you cannot have more in heaven The enjoyment of God himself for our God is All. And now tell me whether this be not-wonderful and amazing that
the end for which all other things are desired and it is the full possession of all that we have longed and waited for Now God is the most desirable good He is so in himself for he is goodnesse God is the most desirable good it self and he is desirable for himself alone and so is no other good And he is so in the hearts of his people Whom have I in heaven but thee and there is none on earth that I desire besides thee Psal 73. 25. And God is the most delightful good there cannot be any object whatsoever which can so please and so take and so affect and glad and rejoyce the heart as God doth His manifestations are a very Paradise and a very heaven in the hearts of his people they make them to rejoyce with joy unspeakable and full of glory 2. What that is in and from God which makes up our blessedness or a blessedness What that is in and from God which is a blessedness unto us Propriety unto us There are four things which do it 1. Propriety Though God be an infinite blessedness in and to himself whether we have any interest and propriety in him or not yet he is not our blessedness without propriety he must be our God if he be our blessedness Propriety in blessedness is our blessedness He is rich who hath riches and he is great who hath greatness the seeing of lands makes no estate unto us but the possession of them and propriety in them this doth it 2. Conformity as our unhappinesse consists in dissimilitude the more unlike Conformity any man is to God the more unhappy is that man where nothing of God appears there nothing of happinesse appears for there can be nothing but darknesse where there is nothing of light So on the contrary our happinesse depends upon similitude with God The more like we are to him the more blessed are we The Apostle delivers this as our very blessednesse that when he appears we shall be like him 1 Joh. 3. 2. Hence it is that holy persons are stiled blessed persons Blessed are the pure in heart Matth. 5. 8. and holinesse is happinesse Imperfect holinesse is imperfect happinesse and perfect holinesse is perfect happinesse The more holy you are the more like to God you are and the more like you are to him the more blessed you are The more you partake of the Divine Nature which is the only blessed Nature the more do you partake of blessednesse for God is now the more yours 3. Vnion As dissimilitude with God hinders God from being our blessedness Union so likewise doth distance from God this must necessarily be so for if God be blessedness then a distance from God is likewise a distance from blessedness of necessity there must be a nearness yea such a nearness as makes a union which must make up a blessednesse unto us and indeed here lies our blessedness that God unites himself unto us and we are united to him He unites God unites himself to us By way of donation himself unto us 1. By way of donation in that he gives himself unto us even as an husband gives himself unto the wife Hos 2. 19. 2. By way of inhabitation in that he dwells in us by his Spirit 1 John 3. 24. By way of Inhabitation We know that he dwells in us by the Spirit which he hath given us 2 Cor. 6. 16. I will dwell in them and I will be their God and they shall be my people 3. By way of affection for as we are united to Christ by Faith so God is By way of affection united to us by love when he loves us he joynes himself to us union being an immediate effect of love and where he unites himself there he is a blessedness 4. Communion This Communion of God with us is our great happiness on earth and shall be our everlasting happiness in heaven and it doth consist Communion in Gods gracious opening and manifesting of himself unto the soul not simply in his loving of us but especially in the manifesting that love unto us not simply in his delight but especially in manifesting that delight of his in us towards us and in the imparting of his goodness to us and verily in this communion doth our blessedness consist namely that God doth manifest himself in love and grace and glory to us 3. That every one who hath God for his God in Covenant doth enjoy every Everyone who hath God for his God doth enjoy all these things He hath an interest in God one of these things which makes up blessedness This so clear that I shall not need to insist upon it 1. He hath an interest in God yea such an interest that includes propriety he can say This God is my God and this God is my portion Psal 118. 28. Thou art my God and I will praise thee Thou art my God and I will exalt thee Psal 119. 57. Thou art my portion O Lord. Psal 73. 26. God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever Bernard saith Lord whatsoever we give thee unlesse we give our selves unto thee it doth not satisfie thee So we must say Lord whatsoever thou givest to us it cannot satisfie us It is somewhat to say This house is mine and these lands are mine and these parents and friends are mine but it is infinitely more to say This God is mine this God is my portion The greater that God is above all others the greater is the comfort and the blessedness that he is mine 2. He hath a conformity unto God for he now is made partaker of the He hath a conformity unto God Divine Nature 2 Pet. 1. 4. and is changed into the same image 2 Cor. 3. 18. He carries the very marks and characters of the holy merciful good patient wise loving God in his soul 3. He hath union with God and God with him therefore he is said to be He hath union with God married to the Lord. Thy Maker is thy husband Isa 54. 5. And to be joyned to the Lord 1 Cor. 6. 17. God is in him and dwells in him His heart is the Temple of the Holy Ghost And the Father loves him John 14. 23. If any man love me he will keep my words and my Father will love him and we will come unto him and make our abode with him 4. He hath communion with God Our fellowship is with the Father and He hath communion with God with his Sonne Jesus Christ 1 Joh. 1. 3. The Communion of the holy Ghost be with you 2 Cor. 13. 14. Oh what happiness is this If all that God the Father will impart or if all that God the Sonne will impart or if all that God the holy Ghost will imparâ— can make you blessed you have it all God hath communion with you and you have communion with him he loves you I will marry you
it to perfection to give life to the dead and to give strength to the weak to convert a sinner and to subdue sinnes for he is an Omnipotent God And so likewise for your joy and peace which are but weak your God is able to fill you with joy in believing to make your joy unspeakable and full of glory he is able to give you peace that passeth understanding and to make it as a River And so for temptations which do so much distress you your God is not only able to restrain Satan but also to bruise him under your feet Rom. 16. 20. It is a certain truth that Omnipotency hath no bounds or limits you cannot say that God who works thus farre can work no farther as he can work all things unto their being so he can work them up to that perfection of being of which they are capable 6. If your God be an Omnipotent God then you who are his people are altogether Then his people are altogether safe and secure For their bodies safe and suâ—â— both in respect of your bodies and in respect of your souls For your bodies Is not he safe who hath Omnipotency to be his guard and shield is not Omnipotency it self safety enough unto you Deut. 33. 26. There is none like unto the God of Jeruson who rideth upon the heaven in thy help and in his excellency on the skye ver 27. The eternal God is thy refuge and underneath are the everlasting armes And likewise for your souls they shall never be lost nay they shall assuredly be kept and preserved to glory John 10. 27. My sheep And for their souls hear my voice and I know them and they follow me ver 28. And I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish neither shall any man pluck them out of my Fathers hands ver 29. My Father which gave them me is greater than all and no man is able to pluck them out of my Fathers hands Mark here the comfort and assurance which Christ gives and the reason thereof My sheep shall never perish but they shall have eternal life This is the comfort and this comfort he grounds upon the power of God he is greater than all and no man is able c. As if he should say many assay to hinder them and deceive of that life but they are not able they are in my Fathers hand in the keeping of his power and he is greater he is stronger than all put them all together he is too strong for them 1 Pet. 1. 5. Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation There is not power enough in our selves to keep out selves but there is power enough in God and we are kept by the power of God even unto salvation untill we come to the heavenly glory 7. If your God be an Omnipotent God he can easily help you and enable you He can easily help you and enable you to all good in and to all good What shall I say more for your comfort from the Omnipotency of your God it is an universal comfort unto you in all conditions of life and death Tu non potes sed Dominus tuus potest said Chrysostome he is able to enable you for all your duties I can do all things through Christ that strengthens me Phil. 4. 13. He is able to comfort you in all your sorrows 2 Cor. 1. 4. He is able to deliver you from all your sins and troubles He is able to keep you from falling Jude ver 24. He is able to raise you up being fallen He is able to feed you all your days Gen. 48. 15. He is able to deliver you from the power of death Heb. 2. 14. He is able to present you faultlesse before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy Jude ver 24. 7. A seventh Attribute wherein God is engaged unto you is faithfulnesse your Gods faithfulnesse is engaged for you God is often stiled a faithful God that is one that stands to his word and keeps his Covenant Deut. 7. 9. The Lord thy God he is God the faithful God who keepeth Covenant and Mercy with them that love him c. 1 Kings 8. 23. Lord God of Israel c. who keepest Covenant and mercy with thy servants Nehem. 9. 32. Our God who keepest Covenant and mercy There are foure things in the faithfulnesse of God Four things in the faithfulness of God Sincerity of intention 1. Sincerity of intention God is faithful that is he really intends all the good of which he speaks and which he promiseth unto you his heart goes with his word he doth not speak one thing and minde another ptomise much and never intend to do any thing but his word of promise is bottomed upon the real purpose of his will 2. Fixednesse of resolution God is faithful that is he is stedfast he is still Fixednesse of resolution in the same minde he is not variable and changeable he will never alter his word he abideth faithful he cannot deny himself 2 Tim. 2. 13. 3. Certainty of execution or performance God is faithful that is will Certainty of execution certainly performe unto you whatsoever good he hath promised Gen. 28. 15. I will surely do thee good and I will not leave thee untill I have done that which I have spoken unto thee of said God to Jacob Jer. 31. 20. I will surely have mercy upon him saith the Lord God chap. 32. 41. I will rejoyce over them to do them good and I will plant them in this Land assuredly with my whole heart with my whole soul Hab. 2. 3. The vision is yet for an appointed time but at the end it shall speak and not lye though it tarry wait for it because it will surely come Micah 7. 20. Thou wilt performe the truth to Jacob and the mercy to Abraham which thou hast sworne unto our fathers from the days of old 4. Fulnesse and exactnesse of performance not failing his people in any one Fulnesse and exactnesse of performance promise Jer. 32. 42. I will bring upon them all the good that I have promised them Josh 23. 14. Ye know that in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spake concerning you all are come to passe unto you and not one thing hath This faithfulnesse is your exceeding comfort failed thereof 1 Kings 8. 5 6. There hath not failed one word of all his good promise which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant This is the faithfulness of God and this is your exceeding comfort that your God is a faithful God he remembers his Covenant for ever and his word to a thousand generations Psal 105. 8. Were he as he is an all-sufficiency and full of mercy and Omnifcient and Wise and Omnipotent and never so abundant in goodness yet if he were
one of the persons doth love In respect of love you John 16. 27. The Father himseâ—f loveth you Ephes 3. 19. To know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge Rom. 15. 30. The love of the Spirit There is a twofold love in the persons of the Trinity 1. A natural and necessary love so they love each other The Father and the Sonne and the Spirit do so love one another as that they cannot but love one another 2. A voluntary and gracious love with this love all who are in Covenant with God are loved of the Father and of the Sonne and of the Spirit This love of the Trinity may be considered both in respect of the properties of This love may be considered In respect of the properties of it It is the highest of all love it and in respect of the fruits and vertues of it 1. In respect of the properties of it 1. It is the highest of all loves Nothing which is in the creature can possibly be of that height as that which is in God Holinesse in the creature is not so high as holinesse in God goodnesse in the creature is not so high as goodnesse in God mercy in the creature is not so high as mercy in God love in the creature is â—ot so high as love in God Love in God is purest love there is no mixture in that love love in God is perfect love there is no defect or want in that love The love of Parents to their children and the love of husband and wife they are but weak shadowes of the unutterable and unconceivable love of God unto his people As the essence of the Trinity is the highest essence so the love of the Trinity is the highest love you cannot be loved by any that is higher than the Trinity nor can there be any love higher or equal to their love 2. It is a most special love not only in this respect that no other people besides your selves ate dignified with this kind of love but also in this respect that It is a most special love the love of the persons even unto your selves is most choice and wonderful and this you do read concerning the love Of the Father which is in the same Meridian unto you who are the children of the Covenant as it is uâ—to Jesus Christ John 17. 23. That the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them as thou hast loved me And ver 26. That the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them and I in them What love the Father hath to Jesus Christ such a love hath the Father unto you who are Christs and this doth appear in four particulars 1. When he elected Christ he did then elect you 2. When he did purpose to give Christ to you he did then purpose to give you to Christ 3. That you are of the same relation unto him with Christ and therefore Christ is not ashamed to call you brethren 4. That you are heires of the same Kingdome and glory with Christ Of the Sonne who loved you to the utmost heighth and depth and expression of love Greater love hath no man than this that a man lay down his life for his friends Joh. 15. 13. Ye are my friends ver 14. so Ephes 5. 2. Christ loved us and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God And so for the Spirit He loves you so that he layes out the utmost of his power and the choicest of his gifts and graces upon your souls 3. It is the sweetest of all loves There is no love whatsoever which affords more delight contentment and satisfaction unto the hearts of men Thy love is better It is the sweetest of all loves than wine so the Church speaks of Christ Cant. 1. 2. Thy loving kindnesse is better than life so speaks David of the love of God Psal 63. 3. Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us 1 Joh. 3. 1. so sweet is the love of the Father and of the Sonne and of the Spirit that in the apprehension and enjoyment thereof the soule is satisfied as with marrow It is a kinde of heaven unto us every faculty of the soul is affected with it and by it is filled with joyes and praises and love again to God 4. It is a most tender love the Fathers love unto you is so and the Sons love unto It is a most tender love you is so and the love of the Spirit is so unto you The love of every oâ—â— is tender in a marvellous sensiblenesse of your persons and conditions and in as marvellous a readinesse to help and blesse you There is not any one want upon you not any one distresse but every one of the persons in Trinity is apprehensive of it and looks on it with tender bowels of compassion I pitty them saith the Father I wil help him saith Christ the Son I will support and comfort him in this condition saith the holy Ghost 5. It is a most free love every one of the persons loves you with a love which ariseth It is most free love only from love not from any thing in your selves nor for any benefit which can arise from you unto your selves but only because they will love you and are so pleased to love you the love of the Father doth not finde you but make you children the love of Christ doth not finde you but make you righteous the love of the Spirit doth not finde you but make you holy It is a communicating love all the favour which you have and all the good which you have you have it wholly upon the meere account of the freenesse and goodnesse of their love 6. It is a most permanent love There is no change of it nor end unto it see Rom. It is a most permanent love 8. 35. to the end God is your eternal Father and Christ your eternal Priest and the Spirit is your eternal Comforter there is no end of themselves and there is no end of their love unto your selâ—es Secondly In respect of the fruits and vertues of it The fruits and vertues of the love of the Trinity unto you are high and glorious In respect of the fruits and vertues of this love This love is the foundation of all the good of heaven and earth I will mention some of them 1. This love is the foundation of all the building the springs of all the streames all that future glory in heaven and all the possible enjoyments on earth in reference unto that glory they all flow from this love all the kinde thoughts of God and purposes and Counsels and Acts are built upon this foundation of love 2. This love is the moving wheele it is that which sets all the Attributes of God This love is the moving wheel a working for you the Wisdom and Power and Goodness and Mercifulnesse and Graciousnesse and
heart Faith 4. A fourth is Faith Faith is a receiving grace therefore believing is stiled receiving To as many as received him he gave this dignity to be thâ— Sonnes of God even to them â—hat believe on him Faith receives Christ and receives mercy and receives love and receives righteousnesse and receives blessings and receives all the gifts of God Though God hath all to give yet you have no hand to receive untill you get faith 3. Is the Covenant a giving Covenant Is it such a Covenant wherein the Lord undertakes to give all the good mentioned therein This then yields Comfort to the people of God Hence they may conclude manifold comfort to the people of God who are in Covenant with him 1. If God undertakes to give all then certainly he undertakes to finde all good for us If he undertakes to give a Christ he must finde out that He will find all good for us Christ and if he undertakes to give you mercy he then must finde out that mercy c. 2. If God undertakes to give all then he must finde all from himself and And find all from himself of his own Men many times give away that which is none of their own but God gives nothing but what is his own but what comes out of his own stock and treasury 3. If God undertakes to give all in the Covenance then you shall be surely helped You shall be surely helped you have good reason to expect it for your Father hath all to give How much more shall your heavenly Father give good things to them that ask will not a father give to his poor child Certainly your God is an infinite God a most gracious and glorious God and perfectly al-sufficient he hath heaven and earth in his own possession he hath all the good to dispose of which is good he must needs be infinite in mercy who can give all mercies and infinite in grace who can give all grace and infinite in glory who can give all glory c. For as this shews his infinitenesse that he hath all good to give so this shews his perfection that when he hath given all this yet there is no diminution made in his stock at all 4. If God undertakes to give you all that is in his Covenant then unquestisnably Then he doth unquestionably love you he loves you Indeed he gives many things to the wicked his enemies whom he hares but to undertake to give all the good in the Covenant this proceeds from his great love and from his special love Doth not God love you who is willing to give you his love and to give you his Christ the Son of his love and to give you all the graces of his Spirit the fruits of his love Then God will not deny the least mercies 5. If God undertakes to give you all even the greatest of mercies can you reasonably imagine that he will stick with you for the least of necessary mercies and blessings How shall he not with him freely also give â—â— all things SECT IV. A fourth property of this Covenant is this It is a free or gracious Covenant It is a free and gracious Covenant By grace are ye saved Ephes 2. 5. By grace are ye saved Verse 8. Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God even our Father who hath loved us and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace 2 Thes 2. 16. Being justified freely by his grace Rom. 3. 24. I will love them freely Hosea 14. 4. Whosoever will let him take of the water of life freely Revel 22. 17. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely Revel 21. 6. He freely forgave them both Luke 7. 42. The things that are freely given unto us of God 1 Cor. 2. 12. This Covenant is gracious or free in three respects 1. For the constitution of Free in three respects it 2. For the reception into it 3. For the donations from it 1. For the exceeding framing out or constituting of this Covenant when For the constitution of it in respect of was it and with whom was it and whence was it All these will plainely demonstrate that this Covenant is a very free and gracious Covenant 1. Consider the time when it was made and set forth why immediately upon The time when it was made the fall then when man-kinde had sinned and transgressed the first Covenant then when God might have glorified his justice upon all sinners yet then was the time that he promised this Covenant The seed of the woman shall break the Serpents head Gen. 3. 15. Surely this must needs be gracious then to set up a Throne of grace when sinful man was to receive his sentence at the Bar of Justice 2. Consider the persons with whom this Covenant is made It was made not The persons with whom the Covenant is made with fallen Angels but with men why not with them as well as with us no answer can be given but this of grace I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy Nay and why with fallen men at all no answer can be given for this neither but only the grace of God and his own good pleasure so it pleased him and so it seemed good unto him 3. Consider whence the making of this Covenant did arise Did it arise from Whence the making of this Covenant did arise any goodnesse in any man O no All the world was found guilty before God and every mouth was stopped by reason of sinne Rom. 3. 19. Or did it arise from any desire or entreaty of man not at all but as man first brought in sinne and death so God first thought of mercy and life He is found of them that sought him not Isa 65. 1. O Israel thou hast destroyed thy self but in â—â— is thy help Hosea 13. 9. The Lord set his love upon you to take you into Covenant c. because he loved you Deut. 7. 7 8. 2. For the reception into this Covenant here the graciousnesse or freenesse of it For our reception into it will also manifestly appear Consider the persons taken or brought into this Covenant either absolutely in The persons taken into the Covenant considered themselves or respectively in their dealing towards God or comparatively with others As to all these considerations this Covenant is a very gracious and free Covenant 1. Consider the persons now taken into Covenant what they were is themselves In themselves The Prophet tells you what they were in Ezekiel 16. 3. Thy birth and thy Nativity was of the Lord of Canaan thy Father was an Amâ—rite and thy mother an Hittite Ver. 4. Thy navel was not cut neither wast thou wasted in water to supple thee thou wast not salted at all nor swadled at all Ver. 5. No eye
with power Vers 42. It was he which was ordained of God c. Vers 43. To him give all the Prophets witness that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins 2. Consider him likewise in his Offices these were more darkly revealed in the Old Testament or Covenant in types and figures His Mediatorship was typified in Moses who stood between God and the People his Priestly Office was shadowed in Melchisedec his Prophetical Office in Moses who revealed the mind of God to the people his Kingly Office in David God shall give him the Kingdom of his Father David But in the New Testament these are clearly affirmed of Christ 1 Tim. 2. 5. There is one Mediator between God and man the Man Christ Jesus He is expresly called our High Priest Heb. 4. 15. and chap. 5. 5 6. And expresly called a Prophet Acts 3. 22. And a King Joh. 18. 37. A King of Kings Rev. 19. 16. 3. Consider Christ in the business of Redemption in the Old Testament this was shadowed in the deliverance of the Israelites out of Egypt by Moses and the bringing of them into Canaan by Joshua And in the Brazen Serpent upon which they who were stung with the fiery Serpent and looked were healed But in the New Testament he is expresly called our Redeemer and our Redemption 1 Cor. 1 30. Heb. 9. 15. 4. Consider likewise the Benefits which we have by Christ in the Old Testament our Justification was shadowed in the Passover in the Blood of the Lamb and in the many Sacrifices of that time and in sprinkling the blood of the Sacrifice But in the New Testament this is clearly opened 1 Cor. 5. 7. Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us And Ephes 1. 7. In whom we have redemption through his blood the forgiveness of sin So our Adoption was figured in the first born and our Sanctification in those Legal washings from pollution and uncleanness But now in the New Testament we have it expresly Christ is made unto us of God Wisdom and Righteousness and Sactification 1 Cor. 1. 30. And that in him we receive the Adoption of Sons Gal. 4. 5. And to as many as received him he gave this dignity to be the Sons of God Joh. 1. 12. In Burdens and Liberty 2. The Old Testament had more of Burden in it and the New Testament hath more of Liberty in it Hence it is that the Old Covenant is called a Yoke Acts 15. 10. and a Burden Col. 2. 20. and a Bondage Gal. 4. 3. and an Hand-writing of Ordinances against sinners Col. 2. 14. What a number of Ordinances and daily Sacrifices O what a variety and sometimes costliness of extraordinary Sacrifices for several contingencies of legaâ— pollutions besides the obligation of them to the observation of days and moneths and years and ceremonial Sabbaths again the restriction of the people to worship at Jerusalem where Thrice every year all the males were to come and appear before God Deut. 16. 16. Moreover a great restraint of their liberty in the use of severall Creatures the eating of which was denied unto them But now understand the New Testament or Covenant all these Bonds and Yokes and Restraint are broken Christ hath set us at liberty from the yoke of bondage Gal. 5. 1. and hath blotted out the hand-writing of Ordinances that was against us Col. 2. 14. and any of the creatures is allowed unto us being sanctified by the word and prayer The Church heretofore was as an infant but now it is a childe come to ripe years and enjoys a freedom by Christ 3. They differ as to Weakness and Power The Old Testament had but a very In Weakness and Power weak operation in respect of the New the Spirit was not so plentifully poured out as it is under the New Covenant and therefore the old ministration of the Covenant is called a Letter 2 Cor. 3. 6. and the new the Spirit he speaks comparatively of the one with the other That the old Testament did but as it were declare but the new doth work powerfully and effectually in our hearts Not that the old Covenant had no spiritual influence and operations for we read of many living under it who were choice and rare in grace Abraham for Faith and Moses for Meekness and Job for Patience and Josiah for Tenderness and Hezekiah for Vprightness c. But that the more plentiful effusion of the Spirit was reserved untill Christs Resurrection from the dead and ascention into Heaven at which time the New Covenant began to appear in its glory and efficacy gifts were aboundantly given unto men and Three thousand and Five thousand at once converted c. 4. In Limitation and Extent the Old Testament or Covenant was confirmed to In Limitation and Extent the people of the Jews and such Proselytes as came in amongst them Psal 147. 19. He sheweth his Word unto Jacob his Statutes and his Judgemenns unto Israel Verse 20. He hath not dealt so with any Nation To them were committed the oracles of God Rom. 3. 2. To them pertained the Covenants and the Promises Rom. 9. 4. And therefore said Christ to the woman of Samaria Salvation is of the Jews Joh. 4. 22. But the New Covenant is a more large and open door it takes in the Jews and the Gentiles yea some of all the Nations in the world there is neither Jew nor Greek there is neither bond nor free there is neither male nor female for ye are all one in Christ Jesus Gal. 3. 28. The Gospel publisheth Christ and the Covenant to Jews and Gentiles and it is powerful unto both c. God is become the God of the Gentiles also and not of the Jews only Rom. 3. 29. The great separation between the Jews and the Gentiles began upon the coming out of the children of Israel from Egypt and especially when the Ceremonial Law was set up as a partition wall And this Separation wall was broken down by the death of Christ Ephes 2. 14 c. and proclaimed immediately after his Ascention 5. They do differ in Time and Duration The Old Covenant was but temporary I mean as a Covenant with such and such ceremonies therefore it is called In Time and in Duration weak and vanishing Heb. 8. 13 What should the shadows do when the body it self is come But the New Covenant abides for ever It is the everlasting Gospel And it is an everlasting Ministration both for the matter and manner of it There might be many more differences between them produced but I shall spare to mention them Thus have you heard the betterness of the New Covenant and therewith a discourse of the several dispensations of the Covenant I will make a few useful Applications from what I have delivered and then I shall go on to another general Head of the Covenant Vse 1. See of what antiquity the Grace of God is and of what a length
a distance so that they cannot close that same hinders union Now there are four things which keep the soule and Christ at a distance Christ and we cannot close whiles they continue and faith breaks them all down 1. A proud conceit of our own fulnesse Righteousness sufficiency I came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentance said Christ And the whâ—le need From a proud conceit of our own fulnesse no physitian but the sick And the Son of man is câ—me to seek and to save that which was lost Now faith that unites to Christ breaks this partition wall and levels this mountain it empties the sinner of himself it takes away all confidence in himself and will by no means suffer him to rest upon or to be found in his own righteousnesse Phil. 3. 3. We rejoyce in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh verse 9. And be found in him not having mine own righteousnesse which is of the Law but that which is through the faith of Christ 2. A love of sin This is likewise an absolute hindrance of union with Christ From a love of sin That heart cannot close with Christ which closeth with sin and Christ will not close with that heart which is joyned to sin Ephraim is joyned to Idols let him alone Hosea 4. 17. as if he should say his heart loves Idols and therefore I will have nothing to do with him So Joh. 3. 19. This is the condemnation that light is come into the world and men love darkness rather than light Christ is that light and he presented and offered himself to sinners but they loved thier sins and would not part with them to joyne with Christ Now faith which brings a soule to Christ hath parted that soule and sin it hath given a bill of divorce unto sin it takes off the heart from sin what shall I prefer hell before heaven shall I prefer damnation before salvation shall I for this sinful lusts-sake deny Christ my heart refuse to marry him who is the Son of God the Lord of glory the Prince of Peace the Saviour of sinners What have I to do any more with Idols said Ephraim Hosea 14. 8. Get thee hence said they in Isa 30. 22. How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein Rom. 6. 2. 3. A love of the world He that loveth Father or Mother more than me is not From a love of the world worthy of me and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me Matth 10. 37. If a man saith I will have my ease and I will have my liberty and I will have my pleasures and I will have my profits and I will have my friends and I will have my honours and I will not have Christ with any losse or crosse this man loves the world and this hinders union with Christ The young man lost Christ upon this very account Luke 18. 22 23. But if Faith indeed be wrought in the heart all this language is removed out of the way Faith overcomes the world 1 Joh. 5. 4. The Merchants sold all for to buy the pearle of great price and Moses in Heb. 11. 24 25 26. We have forsaken all and followed thee said the Disciples When a man hath faith he can be content to be Fatherlesse and Motherlesse to be friendlesse and landlesse to part with all rather than he will be Christlesse Faith sees enough in Christ though he should enjoy no more but Christ Faith will enable us to trample upon the world so that we may enjoy Christ it will enable us to break off with all and to breake down all to possesse him who is better than all 4. Vnbelief This locks and shuts up the heart that it cannot move at all to From unbelief Christ cannot see Christ nor hear Christ nor desire Christ nor give consent to Christ But faith breakes down unbelief breaks open the prison and breaks asunder all the shackles and fetters of unbelief answers all exceptions reasonings cavils delayes fears doubts and sets the soule at liberty and works in the whole soule to Christ O beloved try your hearts by what I have spoken in this particular you think that you have this uniting faith But what hath that faith wrought upon you and within you to bring you and Christ together It is not so easie a work to match Christ and the soule together nothing can do that but faith and no faith can do that but such a faith which presents Christ in that height of goodness and beauty and excellency that the soul is drawn out with that strength and vehemency of desire after Christ as to part with all to enjoy Christ c. And who hath found it thus Is there not yet something or other which stand between Christ and our hearts c. 3. Thirdly you may know whether your faith be indeed a faith of union by The acts by which the soul is brought into union those acts or workings in the soule immediately and necessarily to make up an union between a soule and Christ unto which when the soule attains then Christ is ours and we are Christs For as there are some acts which are immediate to constitute a conjugal union twixt person and person without which there is no conjugal relation between them and upon which the relation is immediately made so there are some acts of the soul immediate to the being of the Spiritual union twixt a person and Christ without which there is no relation and upon which there is an immediate relation twixt him and Christ There are two acts upon the soule when the union is made between Christ and us 1. One is an act or work of the Spirit on the behalf of Christ testifying unto our An act of the Spirit testifying that Christ is willing to be ours hearts and perswading our hearts that Jesus Christ is contented is very willing to become ours to be an Husband to us to be our Head to be our Saviour Jesus Christ doth outwardly expresse his consent in the Gospel but he inwardly delivers it unto us by his Spirit As by the spirit he becomes ours If any man have not the Spirit of Christ he is none of his Rom. 8. 9. So by the Spirit he testifies his willingness and consent to be ours yea and that he is ours Hereby we know that he abideth in us by the Spirit which he hath given us 1 Joh. 3. 24. 2. The other is the act or effect of faith on our behalf For the Spirit in testifying unto us the willingnesse and consent of Christ to be ours doth at the same An act of faith in a Reciprocal câ—nsent from us to Christ time work faith in our hearts which draws out a reciprocal consent from us to Châ—ist And therefore as Christ is said to abide in us by his Spirit so he is said to dwell in us by faith These
unto it in holinesse of conversation The condition in which sinners lie whiles under the Law and the curse thereof and without Christ is set forth in the 18 19 20 21. verses I will give you the The Words opened summe of it They have to do with God as a terrible Judge sitting on the Throne of his Justice This is represented by Mount Sinai that burned with fire and where theâ—e was blackness and darkness and tempest verse 18. All which shew unto us that dreadful and burning wrath of God against sinners and when he manifests himself unto them as their offended Judge then they are filled with confusion and perplexity and horror They can neither fly from this God nor yet abide his dreadful presence this is set out in verse 19. 20. as if nothing but death were to be expected and present destruction And truely the manifestations of God were then so terrible that Moses himself said I exceedingly fear and quake ver 21. No not the most righteous person is able to stand before God as a â—udge But now let us consider the other estate unto which Believers in Christ are brought by the Gospel This is set forth in verse 22 23 24. But ye are come unto Mount Sion the heavenly Jerusalem instead of Mount Sinai which was the seat of wrath ye are come to Mount Sion which is the throne of Grace And unto the City of the living God ye are not now in a wilderness condition but brought into a resting place into the heavenly Jerusalem which is the vision of peace where being reconciled by Christ you do abide and enjoy the living God for your God And to Myriades or innumerable company of Angels even the Angels are fellow-Citizens with you in the heavenly Jerusalem and in this life your fellow-servants and Ministers To the general assembly and Church of the first-born which are written in heaven Through Christ ye are made members of the true Catholick Church of the Elect and of all Believers whose names are inrolled in heaven written in the book of life predestinated unto grace and glory And unto God the judge of all who will condemn and punish his adversaries and absolve comfort and reward and save his people according to his faithfull promises And to the Spirits of just men made perfect To the Church triumphant in heaven which is freed from all sin and misery and partakes of perfect holiness and happiness to which you have now a present right and of which are long you shall by Christ have a sure enjoyment with them that are already entred into that Possession And to Jesus the Mediatour of the new Covenant Ye are under a Covenant of grace which proclaimes remission of sin and of which Christ himself is Mediatour and Surety by whom God is satisfied and reconciled And to the blood of sprinkling to the partaking of this blood which was shed for the remission of sins and to cleanse us from sin so that you are now justified and sanctified by him which speaketh better things than that of Abel The blood of Abel spake and cryed out against Cain for curse and vengeance but the blood of Jesus Christ speaks to God for mercy and pardon of sin and peace and life and is effectual for these Thus you see into what a surpassing condition the Gospel brings believers in Christ and of what efficacy the Apostles exhortation of them to holiness should therefore be CHAP. VII The Covenant of Grace considered in relation to Christ the Mediatour THIS last verse I have purposely chosen to carry on farher the discourse of the Covenant of Grace in relation to Christ Jesus as Mediatour The Covenant of Grace considered â—n relation to Christ as Mediatour thereof And let me tell you that herein lies the strongest hopes and the sweetest comforts and the surest grounds that we sinners have that as there is a New Covenant a Covenant of Grace so that Jesus Christ is the Mediatour thereof For set Jesus Christ aside as Mediatour in this Covenant there would be no admission of sinners into it nor any participation of the good things in it nor any ability of our standing or abiding in it I finde in Scripture a seven-fold relation that Jesus Christ hath to the Covenant Christ hath a seven-fold relation to the Covenant He is the substance of the Covenant The principal confederate party 1. He is the substance of the Covenant even the Covenant itself Isa 42. 6. I will give thee for a Covenant of the people Isa 49. 8. He is our very peace and our very life and our very salvation and if I may not be mistaken he it is that fulfils and makes the Covenant good on both sides 2. He is the principal confederate party As Adam was in that Covenant of works standing for himself and all his posterity so Jesus Christ in this Covenant of Grace for himself and all that believe on him Heb. 1. 5. I will be to him a Father and be shall be to me a Son 1 Joh. 20. 17. I ascend to my Father and your Father and to my God and your God 3. He is the Messenger of the Covenant Mal. 3. 1. The Messenger of the Covenant The Messenger of the Covenant whom ye delight in He it is who opens and reports unto us the good will of his Father and the gracious love of the Father and what hath past and hath been agreed on 'twixt the Father and him touching our salvation he reveals this Covenant and treats with sinners about it and shews them the way how to come in and prevailes with them by his Spirit 4. He is the Witness of the Covenant Isa 55. 4. Behold I have given him The Witness of the Covenant for a Witness to the people Rev. 1. 5. From Jesus Christ the faithful witness c. He testifies to the Covenant by word and deed and oath and his testimony is true 1 Tim. 1. 15. This is a faithful saying and worthy all acceptation that Jesus Christ is come into the world to save sinners He is the Yea and Amen to every word of promise and grace that God hath spoken concerning us that it is good and true that God hath said it and that he will performe it 5. He is the Surety of the Covenant Heb. 7. 22. Jesus was made a Surety of The Surety of the Covenant a better Testament and Covenant As God is in some respect a Surety for Christ Isa 52 13. Behold my servant shall deale prudently so Christ is a Surety for God undertaking that his Father shall perform what he hath promised Joh. 6. 37. All that the Father giveth me shall come to me and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out verse 38. For I came down from heaven not to do mine own will but the will of him that sent me verse 39. And this is the Fathers will which hath sent me that of all
2. 12. In him ye have Redemption through his blood the forgiveness of sins The forgivenesse of sins Ephes 1. 7. 6. What shall I say more He hath purchased all for us all is ours because Christ is ours God himself becomes our God by Christ and his Love and Mercy All for us and Promises and Peace and Joy and Hope Heaven it self and all that brings to heaven Christ in you the hope of glory Col. 1. 27. Use 1 Why this is wonderfull comfort unto us that the sufferings of Christ were a purchase That there was such a dignity in them as paid all our debts and such a Comfort to us from this purchase value in them that amounted moreover unto a purchase of all blessings and blessedness They were not a meer Legael Debitum but also a Superlegale Meritum There are three choice comforts in this purchace by Christ 1. You are begotten again to a lively hope There is now good hope through You are begotten again to a lively hope Christ that a poor sinner may see the face of God again and that his poor soul may at last be found in Heaven and that in the mean time he may partake of Grace of the Divine nature and of all that will bring to salvation why so Because Jesus Christs blood and sufferings were a purchace and a purchace of all You have a right to the things purchased these 2. You have now a right to all these things and a sufficient plea Indeed you have no right or title of your own you cannot say Lord I expect and challenge Heaven upon mine own obedience upon mine own righteousness this I am and this I have done and this I have suffered therefore thou owest me heaven and therefore mercy is due to me No no if God should give you no more than what you deserve you should have nothing but wrath and damnation But though you have no right or title of your own yet you have a right and title in and by the purchase of Christ As a stranger hath no title of his own yet if he be adopted to be a Son upon this adoption there falls in a right or title Or as if a poor Beggar should have an estate of Inheritance bought for him by another and setled upon him by another he may now expect and plead for that Inheritance It was purchased and bought for me So may we now go to God and press him humbly and believingly Lord shew me mercy forgive me all my sins give me thy Spirit give me eternal life why saith God who are you and what right and title have you and what have you to shew for such heavenly lands and possessions Lord I have nothing of my own to shew but yet I have the blood of Christ to shew he bought me and he bought all these at thy hands for me it cost him dear even his precious blood therefore give me these things for his Names sake 3. You shall assuredly possesse all that good which Christ hath purchased for You shall assuredly possesse them you The Lord is faithful and just he will not deal injuriously with his Christ nor with us It was expresly concluded in the Agreement 'twixt him and Christ That if he would make his soule an offering for sin he should then see his seed and of the travel of his soul that he should be the Head of the Church and that all that come in to him should have mercy and grace and glory Now the Lord by no means will deal deceitfully with Christ he will not put him to sorrows and deliver him to death and after all his bitter agonies and sufferings deny him what he hath so dearly bought No there is no possession more sure and safe than that which depends upon the purchase of Christ And if that reason of Gods inviolable compact with Christ will not convince you of it Then let this also help to strengthen your weak faith viz. That Jesus Christ who hath purchased and merited all for you He himself is God equal with the Father and as God will himself bestow and settle what as mediatour he hath bought and purchased Joh. 17. 24. Father I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me that where I am they may behold my glory Are the sufferings of Christ a Meritorious purchase Then strive for two things Vse 2 1. To believe them to be so This is not an easie work but this is a necessary work Though we do not perhaps at present so fully weigh it yet ere long Strive to believe the sufferings of Christ to be a purchase we shall see great reason to think on it when we come to dye when we come to the parting way when we come to our last and behold an eternal hell before our eyes which we do deserve and an eternal heaven before our eyes which we deserve not and when our title and right comes to be scanned two things at that time will be extreamly necessary One is to believe that Jesus Christ hath made a purchase of glory and happiness Another is to believe that Jesus Christ hath made this purchase for our soules Object But you will say We do believe both the one and the other Sol. I am afraid that many do not so although they say they do so and I Many do not believe it will give you four reasons for what I say 1. If you do indeed believe that heaven depends upon the purchase of Christ and forgivenesse of sinnes depends upon the purchase of Christ Why then Why else do they depend so much upon themselves do you depend so much upon your selves upon your own righteousness why are not your hopes only fixed upon Christ but you hope to be saved for your good meanings and for your devout servings of God and for your alms and good works Do you believe that salvation is to be had only upon the account of Christs purchase when in the mean time you do set up your own righteousness and deny the righteousness of Christ and place confidence in your selves and not only in Christ 2. If you do indeed believe that salvation and all saving good properly depends Why do you slight Christ so much on the sole purchase of Christ Why then do you slight Christ so much and minde him so little If you do indeed believe that there is salvation in no other Name and mercy in no other Name and peace in no other Name whence is it that your soules are all this while destitute of Christ himself and that he cannot perswade you to hearken unto him so as to come in and obey him that your souls may live Tell me plainly Is not this your fancy that you may have the portion without the Person the blessings which Christ hath purchased though you never give up your hearts unto Christ who makes the purchase But you are mistaken and shall one
on him on his death on his blood O blessed Jesus thy Person have I accepted thy blood have I relyed on on that precious and purchasing blood I have relied hitherto on it and it hath brought grace into my heart and peace into my conscience and joy into my soul and forgiveness of sins and the taste of much mercy and goodness I read and I do believe the future inheritance purchased by thy blood and reserved in heaven for me I die in the faith of it I believe also to enjoy the Crown of Righteousness the Kingdom of glory that eternal life which is the gift of God through Jesus Christ my Lord. 6. I will super-add one great benefit more which results from Christs Suffering The suffering of Christ is the confirmation of the Covenant as our Mediatour which shall be the close of all the rest and that is this The sufferings or death or blood of Christ is the confirmation of the Covenant you read of a two-fold confirmation of the Covenant 1. God confirmed the Covenant and he confirmed it by an Oath Heb. 6. 17. and Psal 89 35. Once have I sworn by my holiness c. 2 Jesus Christ confirmed the Covenant Gal. 3. 17. The Covenant that was confirmed before of God in Christ and Jesus Christ confirmed it by his Oath therefore his blood is called the blood of the Covenant Heb. 13. 20. And the blood of the New Testament Matth. 26. 28. In a two-fold respect His death gives force unto it Now Christ confirms the Covenant in a two-fold respect 1. In that his death gives force unto it To this agrees that of the Apostle in Heb. 9. 16 Where a Testament is there must also of necessary be the death of the Testator verse 17. For a Testament is of force after men are dead In this place the Covenant is called a Testament or a last Will wherein Estates and Legacies are bequeathed and which cannot be challenged untill the Testator dies but upon his death the Testament is of force that is all concerned in the Will and Testament may come and demand and take out the Legacies bequeathed unto them Object And whereas you may object that the Saints before the death of Christ obtained all blessings Sol. It is answered that Jesus Christ was a Lumb slain from the beginning of the world Rev. 13. 8. Jesus Christ was reckoned both with God and with his Church of old as dead and the promise of laying down his life for his people accepted in their time as if it had been performed and his very death appeared unto them in the Sacrifices of the Law and accordingly the Testament was of force unto them 2. In that his death seals the Covenant as firm and stable and unalterable His death seals the Covenant saith the Apostle Gal. 3. 15. Though it be but a mans Covenant yet if it be confirmed no man disanulleth or addeth thereto There is now no question to be made of the intentions of God or of his promises in the Covenant for they are all of them Yea and Amen in Christ they are sure and stable the blood of Christ hath confirmed and ratified all there cannot possibly be an higher confirmation of the Covenant than this If a man offers you his Oath to assure you this is high but if a man will lay down his life upon it if he will take his death upon it he cannot give an Higher Testimony or Confirmation unto a Truth Now to take â—ff all doubtings on our part and fully to settle our perswasions concerning the Covenant as God gives us his Oath swearing by himself Heb. 6. 13. And God could go no higher than to swear by himself So the Son of God gives us his life he takes his death upon it that all shall be performed and further he cannot go Object But will some say What if Christ did die why must there be thereupon a confirmation of the Covenant must all the Covenant be sure for performance because Christ died what was there in his death for such a purchase Sol. I answer The death of Christ was the death of a Surety and of one who was therefore to die that the Covenant might be established There are three things considerable in the death of Christ One is Satisfaction to Gods Justice The other is Merit of all the good which we do need and God will bestow And there is also Efficacie Jesus Christ will see all made good and in these respects his death comes to be a confirmation of the Covenant but I will not stand any longer on this Point only I will make a little Use of it and so passe on Vse 1 Hath Jesus Christ as Mediator confirmed the Covenant not only established it to to be unalterable but made it firm and sure and unquestionable for the performance Why do you that are in Covenant doubt of all the good which God hath therein promised Then you who are brought in to Christ who are the people of God in Covenant you whose treasures are laid up in the Covenant and whose whole portion is setled there why do you doubt and why are ye afraid and why are your hearts troubled you cannot possibly have a better or fuller portion than God hath already setled upon you in this Covenant and you cannot possibly have a better or stronger assurance to confirm you in the expectation of all that good of the Covenant then the Oath of God and the death or blood of Christ You have the Promise of God and the Oath of God and the blood of Christ to assure you what would you have more and what can you have more It was a sharp aggravation of the infidelity of the Jews in John 12. 37. But though he had done so many miracles before them yet they believed not on him And verily it is a just exprobation of our unbelief that though we have the promise of God to perform his Covenant and though we have the Oath of God to perfoâ—m his Covenant and though we have the Blood of Christ to confirm the Covenant unto us yet in every occasion and in every strait we are calling all into question we doubt and fear and suspect and question whether the Covenant of God with us be a faithfull word as if God who cannot lie would deceive and faile us as if the God of Truth would forswear himself as if the Lord Jesus Christ having sealed the Covenant with his own blood might be found a deceiver and a false witness The Lord humble us for this unbelief and cause us to fear and to abhor this sin of unbelief as that which is most dishonourable to God and as most prejudicial and dangerous unto our own soules Vse 2 Hath Christ our Mediatour confirmed the Covenant by his own death Then you who do believe in Christ and therefore are interested in the Covenant make Make out to your God for all your souls do need
with him every Believers name and every one of their wants and necessities and for every one of them makes requests unto his Father 4. Christs Intercession in Heaven is the presenting of his will unto his Father He presents his will unto his Father for the application of the good which he hath purchased on the behalf of his servants Joh. 17. 24. Father I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am c. When you pray for mercy for grace for strength for deliverance for any good then Jesus Christ appears for you Father he is one for whom I undertook for whom I died and satisfied whom I have reconciled unto thee on whose behalf I purchased and merited all this now for my sake and upon my account hear him and answer him This is the Intercession of Christ when his blood speaks good things for us Heb. 12. 24. and obtains the application of all which he hath merited for us 5. The Intercession of Christ is powerfully and effectually prevailing and it is alwayes It is powerfully and effectually prevailing so God the Father is well-pleased with him and with us in and for him and accepteth of our persons and grants our Petitions for his sake Joh. 11. 42. I know that thou hearest me alwayes Rev. 8. 3. There was another Angel that came and stood at the Altar having a golden Censer and there was given unto him much Incense that he should offer it with the prayers of all Saints upon the golden Altar which was before the Throne verse 4. And the smoake of the incense which came with the Prayers of the Saints ascended up before God out of the Angels hand 6. This work of Intercession is a fixed permanent continued work My meaning It is a fixed and permanent work is that as long as there remaines any one Elect person any one Believer on earth untill every one of them be gathered up into heaven so long doth Christs Intercession continue even untill Jesus Christ hath brought them all and every one into his Fathers house and setled on every one of them eternal glory and saith Now you do perfectly enjoy as much and all that I have suffered for and purchased on your behalf 2. Now follows the Vertues and Benefits of and from the Intercession of Christ The benefits of Christs Intercession Accesse unto the Father 1. Accesse unto the Father with whom we may freely hold communion and unto whom we may put up all our requests with confidence Heb. 10. 19. Having therefore boldnesse to enter into the Holiest by the blood of Jesus verse 20. By a new and living way which he hath consecrated for us through the vaile that is to say his flesh verse 21. And having an high Priest over the house of God verse 22. let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of Faith In this Scripture the Apostle exhorts the faithful to seek and to hold up communion with God in heaven And for this end propounds several Arguments 1. Their Liberty by Christ Christ hath opened Heaven for us by his blood so that by this blood we may enter into the Holiest unto the presence of the most holy God by faith in him And we may freely speak all our minds unto him in Prayer so the word boldness signifies a freedom of speech telling God all our mind all our griefs all our fears all our desires 2. The Ground of this Liberty In the price and purchase of it even the blood of Jesus 3. The extent of this Liberty All that are brethren enjoy it all that are the Children of God and Members of Christ are Brethren and though some are strong and others are weak yet they are admitted to come and enter into heaven freely to pour out their prayers 4. There is way made for them a new way that is of grace and upon the account of Christ and a living way Christ ever lives to make intercession for them and to help them and it is consecrated for us set apart on purpose for us 5. They have Christ still for their Priest who once offered Sacrifice for Believers and reconciled them and doth still intercede for the reconciled And he is a Priest over the house of God he hath authority to bring whom he pleaseth and to speed and help them And therefore he presseth them to draw near with a true heart sinners though weak and with full assurance of Faith being setled and fully confident to be accepted through Jesus Christ and find favour and audience and dispatch by his blood and intercession 2. Encouragement against all the shortnesse imperfections and mixtures of our holy Encouragement against our imperfections services and performances Our best services are very weak and imperfect more is to be done than what we do and much sinfulness mingles with our very prayers there is the Candle and the Snuffe the Fire and the Smoake the Gold and the Dross the Wheat and the Chaffe enough in our best doings to undoe them and us to move the holy God to hide his eyes and stop his ears at our Prayers But Jesus Christ our Intercessor covers those imperfections and takes away the dross in our sacrifices and by his Merits makes them to be an acceptable offering unto the Lord and a sweet savor unto him Exod. 28. 36. Thou shalt make a plate of pure gold and grave upon it Holinesse unto the Lord. ver 38. and it shall be upon Aarons forehead that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts and it shall alwayes be upon his forehead that they may be accepted before the Lord. So Jesus Christ c. Rev. 8. 3. He is that Angel having the golden Censer and much Incense to offer it witâ— the Prayers of all Saints upon the golden Altar which was before the Throne Though in respect of our selves and our own services as performed by us we cannot expect acceptance nor answer yet in respect of Christ our Intercessor that promise shall be made good Isa 56. 7. Even them will I bring to my holy Mountain and make them joyful in my house of prayer their burnt-offerings and their Sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine Altar 3. A security against all charges objections and accusations and condemnations Security against all accusations Rom. 8. 33. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect it is God that justifieth ver 34. who is he that condemneth it is Christ that died or rather that is risen again who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh Intercession for us This sin and that failing may be objected against us but Jesus Christ maketh Intercession Father for my sake forgive it and passe it by Heb. 9. 29. Christ is entered into heaven itself now to appear in the presence of God for us and who can appear against us
by the Grounds By the grounds and causes and order of attaining that certainty and Causes and Order of attaining unto that certainty of knowledge and perswasion that Christ died for him For your help in this take notice of three Particulars 1. A right and undeceiving assurance that Christ died for us hath two sure Grounds One is the Testimony of the Word the other is the Testimony of Conscience renewed The Word saith Whosoever believes shall not perish but have everlasting life Renewed conscience saith but thou believest yea thou believest aright thy faith work by love Ergo. 2. A right and undeceiving knowledge it hath very choice causes it ariseth from Faith and it ariseth from the Spirit of Christ no man can give himself this assurance or certain knowledge that Christ died for him As no man can say that Christ is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost So no man can say Christ is my Lord and my Saviour but by the Holy Ghost 3. A right and undeceiving assurance that Christ died for me is attained in an orderly way It is not the first work to be found in us but it follows many precedent works in the soule as the sealing follows the writing viz. it follows 1. Deep sense of sin and misery 2. A Spiritual Conviction of our own impotency and insufficiency and absolute need of Christ 3. Earnest desires after Christ and for faith to lay hold on Christ 4. Many conflicts 'twixt weak faith and doubtings and fears 5. Peculiar supplications for the evidencing of the love of Christ and for particular perswasions of our interest in him and in the benefits of his death 6. Attendance upon God in the Ordinances of Christ c. Seventhly You may know that Christ died for your sins by the concomitant presence of some choice qualities in every person rightly assured of Christs dying By the concomitant presence of some chief qualities for him v. g. 1. A tender mournfulness of heart Zech. 12. 10. They shall look on him whom they have pierced and shall mourn as a man mourns for his only child Never did the child mourn more c. There is a two-fold mourning and both necessary one from sense of sin as grieving God the other from the sense of love in pardoning sin 2. An exceeding joy Rom. 5. 11. We joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we have received the Atonement 3. An inflamed love Luke 7. 47. Her sins which are many are forgiven for she loved much For is not Causal but Illative q. d. therefore she loved much None so loved as this loving Christ 4. A sweet Peace and Tranquillity Rom. 5. 1. Being justified by Faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ when we know that our peace is made by Christ presently peace ariseth in the conscience the storm is over and we are at land Now conscience excuses comforts supports answers c. all is well the Sword is sheathed 8. Lastly you may know that Christ died for you by the fruits and effects By the fruits and effâ—cts which flow from it which do flow from that certaine knowledge and that particular assurance v. g. 1. Singular loathings of sin Rom. 6. 1 2. Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound God forbid How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein 2. Utmost service for Christ 2 Cor. 5. 14. The love of Christ constraineth us acts us fills us carries us on as men possessed or as a ship with the winde Act. 21. 13. I am ready not to be bound only but also to die at Jerusalem for the Name of the Lord Jesus 3. Special delight in Christ and in the word of Christ 1 Pet. 2. 3. As new born babes desire the sincere milk of the word that ye may grow thereby If so be that ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious as if he had said the man that knows that the Lord is gracious and gracious to him and hath tasted of the sweetness of his love to his soul must needs delight in and long after the Word as the Babe doth after the milk of the breast 4. Yet more desires to partake of more from Christ Phil. 3. 10. That I may know him and the power of his Resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings being made conformable to his death verse 12. Not as though I had already attained or were already perfect but I follow after if that I may apprehend that for which I also am apprehended of Christ Jesus 5. Watchful fear by no means to offend or displease Christ so loving a Christ so kind so good a Christ so unwilling and so affraid is the assured person to sin against Christ any more that he could be content presently to dâ—e and to be with Christ where there is no more a possibility to offend him c. 6. Answerable returns unto Christ who suffered and died for me v. g. He loved me and I therefore love him He abased himself for me and I abase my self for him He gave himself for me and I give my self to him He obeyed his Fathers will for me and I obey his will He suffered for me and I am willing to suffer for him in my name in my body in my life He rose for me and I live to him He justified me and I justifie him He pleades foâ— me in Heaven and I plead for him on Earth He hath purchased glory for me and I give glory to him c. Thus have you heard the Decision of this great Practical Question how a person may know that Christ died for him Now beâ—â—re I shut up this Discourse I will propound and give answer unto some Cases of Conscience in relation to this Point in which I am â—iscoursing 1. How one may know that he is deluded in his Conscience that Christ dyed for him 2. What one should do who as yet cannot certainly affirm that Christ died for him 3. Whether every one for whom Christ effectually dyed doth sometime or other in this life attain unto the certain evidence thereof 4. Whether a person having attained to the certain knowledge of Christs dying for him may ever after that doubt and question the same again and whether new doubtings overthrow a certainty of knowledge 5. What advantage any Christian hath by the certain knowledge that Christ died for him as his Mediatour Case 1. How one may know that he is deluded in his Confidence that Christ How one may know he is deluded in his confidence of Christs dâ—ing for him A twofold confidence dyed for him There is I confess a two-fold confidence about the Application of the Death of Christ One arising from Faith and the Spirit of God who beareth witness with our spirits that we are the Children of God The other ariseth from presumption and the spirit of Delusion wherein a person dreams that he eats but he is empty and dreams that he
who is the Donor or Giver of all It suits best with God the Donor of all It doth suit best 1. With his will and pleasure Who in this Covenant will appear and be known to be the Lord the Lord merciful and gracious abundant in goodnesse and truth Exod. 34. 6. 2. With his glory and praise which questionably devolves on himself alone seeing all our blessings come only out of his Treasury and from no reason or merit of ours but only from his own graciousness free gifrs redound unto the praâ—se of the giver only Thirdly This way of gracious giving suiâ—es best with us the receivers of blessings It suits best with us the receivers from God For consider us eiâ—her 1 As meer sinners We have no hope or plea from any thing in our selves we are a company of lost people who have undone our selves and are both insufficient to help our selves and also unworthy that God should help us 2. As made believers Faith can finde no ground to plead with God to challenge him to rely on him to expect anything from him but his promise to give and to give graciously A believer neither may nor can rest on any work or worth of his own all is but drosse and dung he trades only with a gracious God in Christ 3. As Petitioners thus also it suites best with us Gods graciousness is the best ground for us to ask upon O save me for thy mercies sake Psal 6. 4. Answer me in thy truth the surest ground to speed Let us come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need Heb. 4. 16. The most fixed and invariable ground God is for ever the Lord merciful and gracious you will quickly finde a want of worthiness in your selves but you shall never find a want of goodness and graciousness in God Vse 1 Are all the blessings which are in the Covenant given by God unto his people not upon the account or reason of their worthiness but of Gods graciousness A threefold error censuâ—ed Then behold a three-fold error worthy to be censured and shunneâ— First Of the Papists who boast so impudently of their meritorious good Of the Papists works merita de Congruo before men are in the state of grace merita de condigno being in the state of grace They can take up all sorts of merits for soul aâ—d bâ—dy nay heaven itself and eternal glory upon the account of their own merits Hear what Bellarmine saith opera nostra propriè merentur faelicitatem de Lib. 5. de 〈◊〉 cap. 16. 17. congruo Hear what Vashquiz saith opera nostra nâ—n habent dignitatem à persona Christi sed à persona à qua procedunt Hear the Anathema of the Council of Trent against all who deny that the works of justified persons do vere mereri vitam In 1. 2. Tom. 2. Disp 214. c. â— N. 44. Aeternam but against this we may oppose the Scripture Not by the works of Righteousnesse which we have done but according to his mercy he saved us saith Paul Tit. 3. 5. Enter not into judgement with thy servant for in thy sight shall no flesh living be justified saith David Psal 143. 2. How holy a man was Job and how abundant in good works see Chap. 31. 16 17. and yet saith Job Chap. 9. 15. Though I were righteous I would not answer him but I would make my supplication to my Judge and ver 20. If I justifie my self mine own mouth shall condemn me If I say I am perfect it shall also prove me perverse Paul how strict was he and as touching the righteousness which is in the Law how blameless And yet he will be found in Christ Not having his own Righteousness which is of the Law but that which is through the faith of Christ the Righteousness which is of God by faith Phil. 3. 9. Secondly Of the ordinary sort of Protestants who set out something of their Of the ordinary sort of Protestants own as reasons why God should bless them and save them they mean no body any harm and they serve God devoutly and keep their Church and pay every one their due and say their Prayers and their Belelief and their ten Commandements and cry God mercy when they sin and will not all this deserve heaven and a few blessings on earth Thirdly But most of all to be blamed and that with pity are poor broken-hearted Of poor brokenhearted sinners sinners who discern so much sinfulness and unworthiness in themselves and yet are so difficult to place their hopes in the graciousness of God and are hearking extreamly after something of worth in themselves something in themselves for which God would hear and help them if once they could reach unto it It is a great work to break a hard heart It is a greater work to make a broken heart to look up and trust for mercy It is the greatest work to make such an heart to believe for itself that all mercies and blessings are to be had upon the sole account of Gods graciousness Whether this may arise from our exceeding Guilt which fills us with exceedingâ—â—â— slavish fear or from the pride of our hearts which would be something or from the greatness of Gods kindnesse which is so unusual with man or from the particular genius of unbelief which is gone and hath nothing to say more when once we come to acknowledge Gods graciousness for the sole reason of all our blessings and possessions or from all these conjunctively I will not now dispute but sure I am that the broken-hearted sinner is hardly brought off from boasting on himself and is hardly brought on to commit or venture all his hopes and confidences on the graciuosness of God as the entire cause why God should pardon accept blesse and save him And this is a principal cause why his soule dwells so long with fears and tears and sadnesses Doth God dispence all the blessings of the Covenant unto his people not upon the account of their worthiness but only of his own graciousness Then under the Under the sense â—f unworthinesse let us go to God and trust on him sense of all our want yea and of all our unworthinesse let 's go to God and pray to him and trust upon him to do us good for his own Name sake Here is water said the Eunuch to Philip what doth hinder me to be baptized So say I God promiseth to give all blessings unto his people and he promiseth to give them graciously now what should hinder you from going to God and beseeching and trusting of him to perform his good Word unto you You are grieved for your sins what should hinder â—ou to believe the free forgiveness of them You would fain have your hearts sanctified what should hinder you from going to God and trusting on him freely to make them holy You would have
given him yet he may lose the comfortable sight and feeling of it either by some great transgression or by his pride or by his covetousness c. O but do not lose the hive which hath so much honey by all means so preserve this favour and this mercy that still you may fetch joy and comfort and support from it and therefore when you have attained unto the forgiveness of your sins learn then 1. To walk humbly with your forgiving and reconciled God the more is forgiven the more cause of humility confessing still your unworthiness of so great a mercy and that God did forgive your sins not for your sake but for his own Name sake be not lifted up at all but remember still your own sins which God hath forgiven as Paul did and upon what gracious terms God forgave you Who am I said David I am not worthy of the least of thy mercies said Jacob. 2. To walk exactly before your forgiving God David saith in Psal 32. 1. Blessed is the man whose iniquities are forgiven Psal 32. 1 2. Blessed is the man in whose Spirit there is no guile and Psal 119. 1. Blessed are the undefiled in the way who walk in the way of the Lord. Ver. 3. They do no iniquity they walk in his wayes O that my wayes were so directed that I might keep thy statutes 3. To walk stedfastly with so good a God O that we could but attain one thing viz. to keep up that frame of spirit and that path or practice of walking which we found in our selves when God was pleased to let into our hearts the news that our sins were forgiven and that we could still continue so to walk with that thankfulness with that humbleness with that tenderness with that delightfulness with that enlargement then would our Sun still shine with strength then would our forgiveness still appear in sight and would afford unto us a long harvest of joyes and living springs of lastâ—ng comfort Fourthly Improve the forgiveness of your sins so as to be able in your distresses Improve it in distresses and tryals to draw comfortable conclusions from it and tryals to draw out and maintain such Conclusions every way as that mercy is a ground and Foundation for Quest You will say What might one conclude from this that God hath forgiven his sins Sol. I will mention some Conclusions which may infallibly be drawn from it viz. First You may conclude the seasonable enjoyment of lesser mercies because God hath forgiven your sins which is the greater mercy if he fulfils his promise in the As The seasonable enjoyment of lesser mercies greatest blessings surely he will not fail you in the least blessings as the Apostle argued He that spared not his own Son but delivered him to death for us all how shall he not with him freely give us all things Rom. 8. 32. So say I hath the Lord freely pardoned thy sins questionless he will freely give thee other things will he deny thee food and rayment who hath given thee Christ and forgiveness if his love extend to the greatest of mercies will it fail and fly off for the least of mercies Secondly You may conclude that certainly you are his people and that the Lord That you are Gods people and he is your God is your God that you do stand in a near Relation unto him and that he stands in a near Relation unto you why so because forgivenesse of sins is the portion only of the people of God of such who are in Covenant with him A Prince may forgive a Malefactor and yet there be no Covenant between them But God forgives none unless such as are first in Christ and by Christ are in his Covenant of mercy and peace Thirdly You may conclude that in all your changes and losses certainly you are That you are still under grace and love still under grace and love that the Lord hath set his love upon you that his favour is towards you Because forgiveness of sins is an act of special grace and favour and no man is forgiven but the Lord doth love him with an exceeding great love in and by Christ Object I but I am chastened and afflicted Sol. Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth Heb. 12. 6. Fourthly You may conclude certainly that God is reconciled and that his wrath is off and shall never redound unto you and that the accusation and condemnation God is reconciled of the Law are stopt and superseaded c. Fifthly You may conclude that at length your souls shall go to heaven for your And you shall be saved sins are for that end forgiven that you might be brought to glory c. Fifthly Having your sins pardoned in Gods promise rest not untill you have got the notice and assurance of this in your own hearts and consciences Here let me Rest not till you have got the assurance of your pardon God doth sometimes pardon sin and not give the assurance of it speak briefly unto two things First That God doth sometimes pardon sins and yet doth not presently notifie or make the same manifest or evident unto the person pardoned no not though he truely repents As it is clear in David whose sin God did put away and yet it was a long time before David could get the evidence and assurance thereof in his own heart I grant that upon true repentance sin is forgiven and it is as true that sin may be forgiven and yet the forgiven sinner not be assured thereof Whether the Reasons of this may be 1. Because the manifestation of pardon to us is a meer act of grace and divine liberty 2. Or because God would teach us hereby that it is not so easy a matter to get the voice of joy after we have sinned and provoked him and should therefore fear to â—n any more 3. Or thirdly because it is so difficult to believe the forgiveness of sins though promised by God himself when the Conscience hath been previously troubled for sin c. Secondly That the assurance of our own hearts and consciences that God hath pardoned oer sinnes is a mercy much to be desired and would be of great advantage Yet it is a mercy much to be desired and of great advantage for our Setling Satisfying to pardoned sinners For 1. This would exceedingly settle our hearts and put an end to all our hard suspicions and fears and jealousies 2. This would abundantly satisfie the longing desires of our soules to see our great discharge and relief and acquittance under the hand and seale of God Returne O my soule unto thy rest for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee 3. This would admirably enlarge our hearts in the praises of mercy Psal 103. 1 2. Enlarging 4. This would wonderfully inflame our hearts in the love of God the sense of love begets love 1 Joh. 4. 19. We love him because he loved us Loving first 5.
of our sins and judge and condemn and everlastingly punish us for the rest of our sins here would be small cause of rejoycing unto us 4. Again where were the hope of glory hath the unpardoned sinner any hope of heaven doth not every sin deserve the loss of heavenly glory and will it not effectually and eventually prove so unlesse God pardons it 5. Where is the liberty of accesse and boldness of approaching to God if any of your sins are unpardoned the very spirit of fear and bondage lies still on you that God is not reconciled to you but is your enemy and he will not own and bless you but will reject and curse you and will bring on you all the evil that he hath threatned Fourthly A fourth Argument to prove that God will forgive all the sins of We are to forgive all the trespasses against us his people is this We are to forgive all the trespasses of an offending brother in case he repent Luke 17. 4. If he trespass against thee seven times in a day and seven times in a day turn again to thee saying I repent thou shalt forgive him Now we are to forgive our brother as God forgives us Ephes 4. 32. Forgiving one another even as God for Christs sake hath forgiven us his forgiving is a pattern to our forgiving and he would have ours to be universal therefore his is so to us Matth. 18. 32. I forgave thee all that debt because thou desiredst me Verse 33. Shouldst not thou also have had compassion on thy fellow-servant even as I had pity on thee Thus have you heard the Assertion cleared by Scripture and Arguments that God will foâ—give all the sins of his people Now before I passe to the useful Application of 〈◊〉 unto our selves I would speak something unto a Question much agitated amongst the Learned and others viz. SECT II. Quest VVHether God which promiseth to pardon all the sins of his people doth Whether all sins be pardoned together at once pardon all their sins Simul Semel together and at once all sins past which his people have committed and all sins present which they do commit and all sins future which they may hereafter commit Sol. This is I confess a very nice question and hath if it be well weighed something of difficulty in it peremptorily to resolve it And there are very godly and learned men who have spoken and written differently concerning it and yet all of them consent in this That God doth forgive all the sins of his people If it might not be burthensome unto you I would 1. Present unto you the several opinions of men with their chief Arguments for their different opinions concerning this Question 2. Offer my own private thoughts concerning this Controversie First Some are for the Affirmative and their opinion is this that as soon as Some are for the affirmative any are made Believers in Christ and so are within the Covenant Actually all the sins which they have committed in time past and all the sins which they are guilty of as to the time present and all the sins of which they do come to be guilty of in time future they are actually pardoned unto them in general and in particular Neither are Believers ever henceforth to pray unto God for the pardon of any sin which they do or shall commit but only for the assurance of the pardon of them in their own Consciences neither is any future Repentance required to attain the forgiveness of any new and future sin but only for the more comfortable assurance of former forgivenesse unto our selves Nay Repentance is not required of God as an Antecedent work to pardon of sins but only as a consequent work and fruit thereof c. This is their Opinion Quest Now what might be the ground inducing unto this Opinion That all the sins of a believer not only past but also present and to come are pardoned ot once and The grounds for the affirmative actually unto them Sol. The chief which I do find in writing are these First The Covenant expressions Isa 43. 25. I even I am he which blotteth out thy transgressions Heb. 8. 12. I will be merciful unto their unrighteousness and their sins and their iniquities I will remember no more Ergo all is pardoned at once Secondly Again Rom. 8. 1. There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus And Ver. 33. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect it is God that justifieth And ver 38 39. Nor things present nor things to come shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. And Joh. 5. 24. 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 Ergo all sinnes are pardoned at once or else they were in a state of condemnation c. Thirdly A believer even when he sinneth is still united to Christ and is cloathed with the righteousness of Christ which covers all our sins and dischargeth us from them so that no guilt shall redound to us Fourthly A believer is not to fear curse or hell at all which he might do if all his sins were not pardoned at once but some of his new sins were for a while unpardoned Fifthly Repentance is not at all required for our justification where our pardon is only to be found but only faith therefore pardon of sins is not suspended untill we repent of our sins Sixthly Again if new sins were not pardoned untill you do repent then we should be left to an uncertainty whiles our sins be pardoned or when they will be pardoned for it may be long ere we repent and more long ere we can know that we do truely repent of our sins Seventhly If all sins were not forgiven at once then justification is not perfect at once but is more and more increased and perfected as more and more sins are pardoned which as they conceive cannot consist with the true Doctrine of Justification These are the chiefest and strongest Arguments which I have read for the Affirmative Some for the Negative Opinion and I have delivered them rather with advantage than with any prejudice Secondly Neverthelesse there are others of the Negative and contrary Opinion unto this who although they do hold that God hath pardoned all sins past unto believers brought into Covenant with Christ and that he will pardon also all the sins of which hereafter they shall be guilty yet they do conjecture that all these are not forgiven at once unto them but upon though not for their renewed repentance for them and upon a renewed act of Faith on Christ for the particular forgiveness of new and particular transgressions unto them Neither do they lay any Popish reason of worthiness or merit in Repentance as some unjustly do charge upon them for the
are justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God Secondly From all your Idols Having shewed the greatness of the sins of uncleanness I now proceed briefly to shew unto you the greatness of the sin of Idolatry the greatness of that sin Idolatry This people have sinned a great sin and have made them gods of gold Exod. 32. 31. And you shall find it very great First By Gods singular detestation and loathing of Idolatry and Idols Idols are frequently in Scripture called abominations 1 King 11. 5. Solomon went after By Gods singular detestation of it Milcom the abomination of the Amorites Verse 7. And he built an high place for Chemosh the abomination of Moab and for Molech the abomination of the children of Ammon Idolatries are called abominable Idolatries 1 Pet. 4. 3. which the Learned call Epithetum perpetuum non distinguens see Acts 15. 20. That they abstain from pollutions of Idols 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Contaminations filthinesses defilements Therefore Idols are called dunghill-gods stinking filthy and defiling Secondly By Gods special warnings of his people against this sin of Idolatry Jer. 44. 4. Do not this abominable thing which I hate Deut. 18. 9. When thou art come By Gods special warnings into the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee thou shalt not do after the abomination of these Nations Deut. 4. 23. Take heed unto your selves lest you forget the Covenant of the Lord your God which he made with you and make you a graven image the likenesse of any thing which the Lord thy God hath forbidden thee 1 Cor. 10. 14. Flee from Idolatry 1 Joh. 5. 21. Keep your selves from Idols Thirdly By the grievous threatnings of Idolaters read at your leasure Deut 32. By grievous threatnings 15. He forsook God Ver. 16. they provoked him to jealousie with strange gods and ver 19. and when the Lord saw it be abhorred them and ver 20. and I will hide my face from you and ver 22. A fire is kindled in mine anger and shall burn to the lowest hell ver 23. I will heap mischief upon them and will spend my arrows upon them ver 24. they shall be burnt with thunder and devoured with burning heat and with bitter destruction ver 25. The sword without and terror within shall destroy c. Fourthly By the unparallel'd judgments on Idolaters God hath given the bill By unparalleld judgements on Idolaters of divorce and broken them in pieces and rooted them out of their dwelling places and scattered them over all the earth and persecuted them in his wrath untill he hath destroyed them from off the face of all the earth Fifthly And besides all this he hath shut the dore of heaven against Idolaters and threatens them with no less then hell and damnation and the lake that burns The dore of heaven is shut against them with fire and brimstone Sixthly But once more consider the nature or effect of this sin of Idolatry it is so every way contrary to Gods glory of which he is most tender Isa 48 11. The nature or effects of this sin and Isa 42. 8. and will not give it to graven images It is the changing of his glory They changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man and to birds and four-footed beasts and creeping things Rom. 1. 23. and the sordid abasing of his glory to imagin any creature capable of that excellency and of that worship which belongeth to God and verily we do no less than make the creatures to be God when we do conferre on them that worship which is proper unto God or suppose such excellencies to be in them which are to be found only in God It is the exceeding provocation of God Hos 12. 14. Ephraim provoked him to anger most bitterly therefore he shall leave his bloud upon him Idolatry is therefore often called adultery and Idolaters are said to commit adultery with stocks and stones what greater offence and provocation in a wife than to forsake her husband and to play the adultress with strangers the Lord for this sin of Idolatry hath utterly forsaken people he would be their God no more nor would he own them for his people any longer Nevertheless though this sin of Idolatry is so exceedingly high and provoking yet God hath pardoned it unto his people He pardoned it to Abraham Solomon to all the Churches of the Gentiles to those of Rome to the Corinthians Ephesians Galatians Thus you see the Assertion evinced from the Text. Secondly I shall in the next place evince it from other places of Scripture that From other Scriptures God will forgive the greatest sinnes c. 1 Tim. 1. 13. Who was before a blasphemer and a persecutor and injurious but I obtained mercy O what sins were these blasphemy persecution injuriousness even to banishment and death but I obtained mercy In Acts 3. 14. And ye denyed the Holy One and desired a murderer to be granted unto you ver 15. and killed the Prince of life yet Acts 44. Many of them which heard the Word believed and the number of men were about five thousand Isa 1. 18. Though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow though they be red as Crimson they shall be as wooll Thirdly Let us see it further demonstrated by some Arguments Arguments to demonstrate it God is great in mercy 1. God is great in mercy Who is a strong God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity and passeth by the transgression of the Remnant of his heritage Micah 7. 8. Grave est quod habeo sed ad Omnipotentem confugio said Austin Infinite mercy can forgive great iniquity 2. The satisfactions of Christ are great aad full so that by them grace did Christs satisfaction is great super abound He undertook the whole state of the sins of Gods people sins great and small many and few â—gnorance and knowledge all their iniquities and all their trespasses and all their transgressions and did satisfie the Justice of God fully and to the utmost so that in him there is plenteous Redemption The obedience of Christ is as much above our sins as his person is above our persons 3. When the Lord calls upon people to repent as therein he deals with them to leave and forsake all their sins great and small he excuses them in no one God calls us to repent of great sins and promiseth pardon sin but of all sinnes he presseth them to forsake their great sins so to draw and encourage them to this repentance he doth hold out his promise of pardon indefinitely of all their sins this Covenant makes no distinction at all twixt small and great God usually instances in the greatest sins 4. God by the Gospel gathers of all sorts into his kingdom The notorious God gathers all sorts of sinners sinners as well as the
to the principal matter here distinctly promised by God unto his people viz. A new heart and a new spirit CHAP. VIII God gives a new heart and a new spirit to his people in Covenant Doct. 1. THat a new heart and a new spirit God will give unto all his people in Covenant A new heart will I give you and a new spirit c. SECT I. FOr the opening of this great and necessary Truth I will speak unto a few God gives a new heart and a new spirit to his people in Covenant What is meant by heart and spirit Heart taken diversly Questions Quest 1. What is meant by heart and spirit Sol. The word heart is taken Sometimes Physically for that noble and vital part of man which is the seat of the soul and life in man Thus it is not looked on in this place Sometimes it is taken for the soule of man which hath its principal residence in the heart Gen. 6. 5. God saw that every imagination of the thoughts of mans heart was only evil continually of mans heart i. e. of mans soul Prov. 23. 26. My Son give me thy heart i. e. thy soul thy will thy affections thus it is taken in this place Secondly That word Spirit is in Scripture taken sometimes in opposition Spirit how taken to the body of man as in Eccles 12. 7. Then shall the dust i. e. the body of man return to the earth as it was and the spirit i. e. the soul shall return to God who gave it Sometime it is put in a direct distinction from the soule as in 1 Thes 5. 23. I pray God that your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless c. Here the Spirit denotes the intellectual part and the soule denotes the will and affections And so I humbly conceive the word Spirit is taken in the Text Namely for the mind and judgement called the intellectual part of man and the word Heart is taken for the will and affections and by both is meant all the soul the whole soul in all the faculties of it 2. Quest What is meant by the newness of heart and by the newness of spirit What is meant by newness of heart How many waâ—es a thing is said to be new for this is the thing promised Sol. A thing may be said to be new either in respect of substance or in respect of qualities First There is a substantial newnesse where all the materials are so as an house is new and a garment is new and a ship is new being all made of new materials under this notion God doth not give a new heart and a new spirit unto his people i. e. he doth not give unto them another soul for substance from what formerly they had they have one and the same substantial soul still c. all the same essential faculties of the soul still the same faculty of understanding the same will the same affections still Secondly There is an accidental newness where the substance remaines the same yet the qualities supervinient or super-added to the substance are new Simile As when a Garment is cut into a new fashion or a piece of Plate is melted and purged of its dross and made clean and pure we call those new though not for substance yet for qualities Naaman was the same man when he was a Leper and when he was cured the cure was accidental In this respect God gives a new heart and a new spirit i. e. he doth as it were new shape the heart and spirit he puts into them such gracious qualities which are opposite to the wicked or sinful qualities in them before And these are called new not in opposition to our Creation for God made us holy and righteous but in opposition to our degeneration for by the fall we lost all our excellencies and corrupted our hearts and filled them with all unrighteousness with sinful corruptions when God doth purge out of our hearts and infuseth into them the graces of his Spirit then are our hearts said to be new and our This newness of heart spirits are said to be renewed This only in the general Now I shall more particularly discover unto you what this newness of heart is which God doth promise unto his people Described It is that great and eminent change wrought in all the soul by the Spirit of Christ infusing a new principle of grace which inclines and conformes the heart to the whole will of God and opposeth and mortifieth all the old sinful lust formerly residing and prevailing in the heart There are many particulars in this description which I shall in order unfold unto you First A new heart is a changed heart Newness in the very nature of it A new heart is a changed heart implies an alteration for whatsoever is altogther the same that it was cannot be said to be new If the heart was ignorant and so remains still if it was proud and vain and filthy and earthly and so remaines still this heart is an old heart still there is no newness because no change Newness of heart peremptorily implies a change of the heart therefore it is in Scripture called a new birth Joh 3. 3. Except a man be born again And a quickning from the dead Luke 15. 24 This my son was dead and is alive again And a turning from darkeness to light Act. 26. 18. To open their eyes and to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan unto God And a transformation Rom. 12. 2. Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind And a translation 2 Cor. 5. 17. Old things are past away all things are become new And a washing and a cleansing and a refining 1 Cor. 6. 11. 2 Cor. 7. 1. Mal. 3. 2 3. Secondly When the heart is made new there is a great and eminent change made It is an eminent change in it There are three great changes of mans heart 1. One was by sin when man being in honour abode not but fell by transgression and became like the beasts that perish This was a wofull change like that of the apostatizing Angels from heaven to hell 2. Another is by grace wherein we are changed into the very image of God 3. A third is by glory when we shall be like God himself For we shall see him as he is 1 Joh. 3. 2. The change which makes newness of heart is a great and eminent change reckoned therefore amongst the wonders of God called a Creation and a Resurrection and the opening of the eyes of the blind and unstopping the ears of the deaf Isa 35. 5. And loosing the tongue of the dumb It is such a change that others beholding it stand amazed at as they did when they saw Paul appear another man at Damascus from what he was at Jerusalem Acts 19. 21. Yea the very Angels are affected with it and rejoyce I say unto you there is
to perswade you to get a soft and tender heart 2ly I will shew you the way and means to compass and enjoy it 1. The Motives to get a soft and tender heart First The possibility of getting this heart God can give it therefore it is Motives The possibility of it possible to get it God can take away the heart of stone and he can give the heart of flesh Again God hath promised to give it therefore it is possible why should any one think it more impossible for God to give any spiritual good which he hath promised then to give any outward good which he hath promised he having as much power and willingness and faithfulness to perform spiritual promises as he hath to perform temporal promises Nay once more he hath given this soft and tender heart do you not read in Scripture and do you not find in your own experiences many persons of soft and tender hearts and who but God hath made their hearts soft it was God who subdued the pride and stoutness and hardness and rebellion of their hearts and it was God who made their hearts humble and sensible and mournful and teachable and plyable is not God as able as willing as powerful now as ever he was Secondly The necessity of having this heart can you be saved without it what will become of an hardened sinner of the disobedient sinner of the sinner The necessity of it that doth and will walk contrary unto God that will not hearken unto him shall heaven open to to let him into glory who will not open his heart to let in grace can you be brought into this without it if your hearts continue hardened will they not continue unbelieving and if they continue unbelieving will they not continue Christless and if they continue Christless will they not continue hopeless Ephes 2. 12. Without Christ having no hope For Collos 1. 27. It is Christ in you the hope of glory can you find pardon of your sinnes without it Do you find in all the Bible pardon of sins either conferred or promised unto the hardened sinner wrath and destruction are threatned unto unto that sinner but mercy and forgiveness are promised only to the soft and mourning and tenderhearted penitent Thus you see that there is a necessity to get this soft and tender heart if you will be saved if you will have Christ or be Christs and if you will be pardoned Ergo. Thirdly The excellency of this heart As an hard heart is a base heart so The excellency of it the soft and tender heart is an excellent heart Pharach stands upon Record for a hard heart and it is his infamy as long as the world lasts And Josiah stands upon Record for a person of a tender heart and it will remain for his glory as long as the world continues There are five things which are a mans glory and excellency 1. One that he belongs to God in a special relation that God is his Father and that he is one of the children of God why the person of a soft and tender heart is indeed in this relation he is in Covenant with God God is his God and Father and he is a child of God 2. A second that he is a new creature that new creature is an excellent creature he is a glorious creature he is changed into the glorious image of Christ 2 Cor. 3. 18. And made partaker of the Divine Nature 2 Pet. 1. 4. Now every person whose heart God hath made soft and tender he is a new creature God hath changed his heart which was a heart of stone but now is made an heart of flesh 3. A third that he is an humble person Humility is an ornament and God much esteems of the humble and puts honour upon them and will give grace to them but he abhors and resists the proud Now every tender-hearted person is an humble person and the more softness of heart there is the more humbleness of heart there is they alwayes go together as hardness of heart and pride do David Hezekiah Josiah Job Paul the Publican the Prodigal were persons of soft hearts and of humble hearts 4. A fourth that he is one who loves the Lord exceedingly Is not this a mans honour and excellency to love his God! O love the Lord all ye Saints Psal 31. Saw ye him whom my soul loveth Cant. 3. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy soul c. Simile Is it not an honour to the wife that she loves her husband and to any of us to love our friend and to the child that he loves his father Thus doth every person of a soft and tender heart he loves his God he fears to sin and offend his God why he loves him and he is zealous against any dishonour done to God why because he loves him 5. A fifth that he is obedient to the voice and will of God ready to hearken ready to follow willing to obey careful to come up fully to the mind and command of God Is not this our honour and our excellency Speak Lord for thy servant heareth And O that my wayes were directed to keep thy statutes Surely it is a shame and reproach to be disobedient to God For 1. Sam. 15. 22. To obey is better than sacrifice and to hearken than the fat of Lambs Ver. 23. But rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry And certainly the tender heart is an obedient heart very ready to receive the Law from the mouth of God Fourthly The Benefits and helpfulness of this heart It would be of wonderful use and advantage unto you sundry wayes The benefits of a tender heart A help to repentance 1. It would be an help to repentance both initial and renewed It would help you to repent of your old sinful course of life to bring you off from it with shame and grief it would not suffer you to continue in such wayes of dishonouring God any longer but would hasten and compel you out of it with grief and detestation you would quickly cast away your sins as a menstruous cloth saying Get ye hence if the heart were once made soft and tender it would recover you out of particular falls you would quickly see and acknowledge them and bewail them and return to your first husband and do your first works if you had but soft and tender hearts as David Hezekiah Peter and the Church of Ephesus c. 2. It would be a dayly preservative against sin and temptations unto sin A preservative against sin tenderness is the foundation of fear and fear is the Guardian of the soul against sin No man is more secured against sin than the man of tenderness and of faith and of fear as the hardened sinner is presumptuous and will venture on any sin and on the occasions thereof so a tender heart is fearful of the least sin and
through God to the pulling down of strong holds 2 Cor. 10. 1. Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ ver 5. This spiritual Ministry is that with which a spiritual heart doth and can most close O a Ministry which doth most dive into the heart and discovers the depth of sin and the hidden things of the heart and the secret guiles and hypocrisies of our spirits And that Ministry which shames our sins most and rents them out of our bosomes and makes our souls to loath them And that Ministry which like a spiritual Adamant draws a heart to Christ breaking down all the powers of unbelief And that Ministry which discovers and dashes in pieces all our self-deceits and all our self-confideace And that Ministry which presseth and leadeth one to the power of godliness and to the practical expressing of the virtues of Jesus Christ and of him that calleth us And that Ministry which raiseth a drooping soul with spiritual truth and rules though never so strict and contrary to flesh and blood This is a Spiritual Ministry and this is a Ministry of the Spirit and this is the Ministry which every one who indeed hath the Spirit of God doth highly prize doth cordially close with and desires from his soul to live under Psal 139. 23. Search me O God and know my heart try me and know my thoughts Ver. 24. And see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting Such are singularly tender as to the spirit Seventhly They who have the Spirit have this property also that they are singularly tender as to that spirit which appears in four things 1. In no case will they part with the Spirit Psal 6. 11. Take not thy holy Spirit from me 2. They are afraid by anything to grieve the Spirit Ephes 4. 30. Grieve not the holy Spirit of God by whom c. 3. If they have grieved him so as to withdraw himself they are not at rest untill the Spirit returns again in his gracious operations and manifestations Psal 51 10. Renew a right Spirit within me And Ver. 12. Vphold me with thy free Spirit 4. They strive more and more after purity of Spirit that so that good Spirit may take more and more delight to dwell in his temple Thus have I at length finished the Tryals and Characters by which we may know whether the Lord hath given his own Spirit unto us SECT III. 2. Use I Now proceed unto a second Use which shall be of Comfort unto all and every one unto whom the Spirit of God is given who do find him in their hearts in any of those works and saving effects before-mentioned Not without cause doth the Apostle Paul take pleasure in this I have the Spirit of Christ and we have received the Spirit of God and the Holy Ghost is given unto us Yea Christ himself look't upon the sending and giving of the Spirit to be the Comforter unto his Disciples as equivalent unto his own presence with them and as a sufficient cordial against all the troubles of their heart and against all the temptations of the world Quest But will some say What benefit and happiness is there by having the Spirit of God given unto us Sol. I will answer you 1. In the general 2ly In particular unto this Question 1. In the General The presence of the Spirit of God within you it is an infallible evidence of The benefits which come by having the spirit Such are assured of their election your happiness in the whole estate of it from first to last from eternity to eternity from the time past to the time present and the time to come First For the time past Beloved our happiness begins long before we do begin it begins in the eternal love of God and in the election of God before the foundation of the world Ephes 1. 4. The Records of election are Records of Eternity that is the date of writing our names in heaven and in the book of life And questionless this is a great part of our blessedness it is the first stone thereof which is said that we are out of a free and an immutable love and purpose set down and infallibly chosen and ordained for blessedness of which gracious act the presence of the Spirit is a sure evidence unto us 2 Thes 2. 13. God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit Ephes 1. 4. He hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy Secondly For the time present it is you know a common doubt and debate among serious and solid Christians whether their present spiritual condition Such have the spirits presence to assure them that God is their Father be right and sound whether or no they have a real relation to God as their Father and whether Christ be in them of a truth and verily that estate is really good and sound and sure in which there is such a relation and such a profession Now when the Spirit of God is given his presence and work are undoubted evidences of him Rom. 8. 15. We have received the Spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba Father Ver. 16. The Spirit it self beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God 1 Joh. 3. 24. Hereby we know that he abideth in us by the Spirit which he hath given us Thirdly For the time to come there is reserved for all the people of God in heaven an incorruptible and undefiled inheritance that fadeth not away 1 Pet. 1. 4. Assured of their salvation A Crown of life Rev. 2. 10. An exceedingly exceeding and eternal weight of glory 2 Cor. 4. 17. And of this also is the presence of the Spirit a sure evidence unto us Ephes 1. 13 14. The holy Spirit is the earnest of our inheritance q. d. The Lord will hereafter give you full possession he hath promised you no less than an heavenly kingdom and a glorious inheritance for you are his Children and Heirs and to satisfie and assure you of this he hath given you a pledge or earnest and that earnest is his own Spirit in that you have for the present the Spirit of God this is your earnest that you shall hereafter fully enjoy the kingdom of God And now I beseech you tell me whether the enjoying of the Spirit of God be not very happy and comfortable If you look back by this you know that your names are written in heaven If you look on your present condition by this you know that God is your Father and you are his children Christ is yours and you are Christs If you look forward by this also you know that heavenly glory is yours and shortly you shall perfectlâ— anâ— eternally possesse it and all this you may look on
Joh. 14. 23. If a man love me he will keep my words and my Father will love him and we will come and make our abode with him Ver. 16. The Father shall give you another Comforter that he may abide with you for ever The Father dwells in us 2 Cor. 6. 16. I will dwell in them The Son dwells in us Ephes 3. 17. Christ dwells in your hearts by Faith The Spirit dwells in us Rom. 8. 11. Fourthly That all the people of God have the Spirit of God may plainly appear by the works â—f the Spirit which are to be found in every one of them 1. They are sanctified by the Spirit Ye are sanctified by the Spirit of our God 1 Cor. 6. 11. 2. They are led by the Spirit As many as are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God Rom. 8. 14. 3. They are upheld and strengthened by the Spirit Psal 51. 12. Vphold me with thy free Spirit Ephes 3. 16. To be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man 4. They are partakers of the first fruits of the Spirit Rom. 8. 23. Our selves have the first fruits of the Spirit 5. They are helped by the Spirit Rom. 8. 26 The Spirit also helpeth our infirmities and the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groans which cannot be uttered 6. They are taught by the Spirit Joh. 14. 26. The Holy Ghost whom the Father will send in my Name he shall teach you all things 7. They are comforted by the Spirit Acts 9. 31. They walked in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost 8. They are sealed by the Spirit Ephes 1. 13. In whom after that ye believed ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise Quest 3. Why doth the Lord put his Spirit within every one of his Reasons of it people Sol. There may be assigned six Reasons for it viz. 1. Necessity 2ly Congruity 3ly Conformity 4ly Excellency 5ly The love of God 6ly The purchase of Christ First Necessity The presence and enjoyment of the Spirit is necessary for The necessity of it them in many respects 1. For applying of Christ unto them and for the applying of them unto Christ For applying Christ that there is a conjunction or union between Christ the Head and his Mystical body the Church is an unquestionable truth And how Christ who locally in heaven should be joyned or united to his Church here on earth this cannot be done but by the Spirit who doth knit or joyn Christ to us and us to Christ as really as the head is joyned to the body and as the body is joyned to the head But take the instance in any particular believer that Christ is his and he is Christs it is certain but how comes Christ to be his what is that on Christs part which makes this union it is the Spirit and none but the Spirit and what is it on our part which makes this union it is faith and it is caused by the Spirit So that the Spirit is necessary to this union on either part on Christs part to apply or unite him to us and on our part in causing faith which applyes and unites us to Christ And unto this reciprocal union the Spirit is such a necessary agent that without him there cannot possibly be any union at all No man can be united to Christ but by the Spirit neither can Christ I speak it with reverence unite himself to us but by his Spirit 2. For conveying of spiritual life into them or a new being into their souls For conveying of spiritual life Naturally all men are dead in trespasses and sins and every faculty in them is totally defiled and polluted and corrupted and is deprived of the glory of God nor can any man help himself in this case nor can any creature do it None can raise him from his death but that Spirit who raised Jesus Christ from the dead Therefore is the Spirit called the Spirit of life and the Spirit of grace forasmuch as he is the authour of both unto our souls it is the Spirit who quickens them by infusing the life of Christ into them and who renews them by changing of them into the image of Christ 3. For all the actings of grace Take me any Christian though endowed with For all the actings of grace all the principles of grace and great measures thereof now put him upon any particular acting put him upon believing put him upon repenting upon mourning upon any acts of obedience why looâ—â—s no member of the body can move or strive but from an influence from the head no more can we act any grace we have but by an influence from the Spirit of Christ our Head Joh. 15. 5. And we find it in experience that it is with our souls Simile as with a ship which stirs not if the wind stirs not and it stirs more or less as the wind is greater or lesser so if the Spirit of God stirs not in us our graces stir not c. For all our receptions 4. For all our Receptions Would you know any truth of God you cannot know it unless the Spirit of God give you his light to know it 1 Cor. 2. 10 11. would you be acquainted with the love of God you can never perceive it unless the Spirit shed abroad that love in your hearts Rom. 5. 5. would you be clear and satisfied in your relation of sonship unto God as your Father all the men in the world cannot perswade and satisfie as to that unlesse and untill the Sperit beareth witness with your Spirits that you are the children of God Rom. 8. 16. Secondly Congruity It is meet and fit that the people of God should have the Spirit of God For Congruity 1. They are his children and is it not meet that the children of God should have the Spirit of God should they not bear his image if they were led by the same spirit by which the children of this world are led had they not another Spirit they could not be his children 2. They are his servants and therefore they have much to do for him and they have much to suffer for him Is it not meet that the Lord should help his servants The services of the people of God which they are to do for him and to suffer for him are above all their own strength and therefore God will give them his Spirit to enable them for all their services whether active or passive the Spirit can supply them for every work 3. They are his Heirs and intended for eternal glory and is it not fit that they should have the Spirit of grace who must have the Spirit of glory Heirs of God Rom. 8. 17. Before a person comes to heaven it is fit that he should be fitted for heaven be made meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light Col. 1. 12. And who
can fit and prepare us for that heavenly glory but the Spirit c. Thirdly Conformity There is a twofold conformity required in the people Conformity of God 1. To God their Father they must be like their heavenly Father be holy as he is holy be merciful as he is merciful love what he loves hate what he hates honour what he honours c. this cannot be unless they have the Spirit given unto them 2. To Christ their Head they must partake with him of the same Nature of the same Life which cannot be unlesse they partake with him of the same Spirit Fourthly Excellency the people of God are the most excellent people in all Excellency the world they are the precious of the sons of men a chosen generation a royal Priesthood the beauty of the earth there is that in them which exceeds and surmounts all the glories of the world but what is that which doth exalt them and raise them with such a differential excellency it is the presence of the Spirit and the graces of the Spirit As Pharaoh said concerning Joseph Gen. 41. 38. Can we find such a one as this is in whom the Spirit is c. Before they had the Spirit of God given unto them they were but as other men vile in their natures and at the most but of love and ordinary gifts It is the Spirit which changeth into the image of glory From glory to glory 2 Cor. 3. 18. Fithly The love of God unto them which is exceeding great and rich in the The love of God communication of himself unto them he counts nothing too dear for them neither himself nor his Christ nor his Spirit God is their God and Christ is their Christ and the Spirit of God is also their portion Sixthly Christ hath purchased for them all that is happiness and all that makes for happiness and therefore he hath purchased the Spirit of God for Christs purchase them c. Thus you see that God gives his own Spirit unto his people and the Reasons why he doth so now follows the last Question Quest 4. In what measure God gives the Spirit unto his people whether all the people of God have the Spirit given unto them in the same In what measure he gives the Spirit measure Sol. For the resolution of this Question I will lay down these Conclusions First There are different gifts of the Spirit some are extraordinary as were There are different gifts of the Spirit those of speaking with Tongues and those of Miracles in Raising the dead and Healing the sick and of which some did partake in the Apostles times but now are ceased And some are ordinary which are gifts that the Spirit still bestowes and these are either gifts of Edificatation or of Sanctification of which the people of God do partake they have all of them such gifts of the Spirit which do make them good and which do enable them to do good And different measures Secondly There are different measures of the gifts of the Spirit in the same kind some are more and some are less holy And in Faith some arâ— strong in faith and some are weak in faith And in Knowledge some are higher and fuller and some are shorter and flatter As all the people of God have not absolutely the same gifts of edification so all of them have not the same gifts for sanctification in the same measure or degree Thirdly Every one of the people of God hath a portion of the Spirit as all the Every one hath a portion of the Spirit servants had at least a talent the first had five the second had ten and the other had one Matth. 25. 15. so all the people of God partake of the Spirit of God though they differ in their proportion for the Spirit divides to every man severally as he will 1 Cor. 12. 11. yet every one hath a portion though Benjamins mess was five times so much as his brethrens yet every one of his brethren had a mess sent unto him by Joseph Gen. 43. 34. One Christian may have abundant knowledge of Christ yet every Christian hath a knowledge of Christ and one Christian may be strong in faith yet every Christian hath faith some are young men and some are aged in Christ some are babes in Christ yet every one of them is born of the spirit Every one hath but a small portion at the first Fourthly Every one of the people of God hath but a small portion of the Spirit at first therefore the grace given us by the Spirit as to the first plantation of it is compared unto a grain of mustardseed which is sowen in the fields and is the least of all seeds Matth. 13. 31 32. unto a bruised reed which is very weak and to smoaking flax which is newly kindled Matth. 12. 20 and it is called the day of small things in Zech. 4. 10. I believe said the Father of the child Lord help my unbelief Mar. 9. 24. What I would that do I not but what I hate that do I Rom. 17. 15. And to will is present with me but how to perform that which is good I find not ver 18. The people of God in respect of the first workings of the Spirit are called new born babes 1 Pet. 2. 2. and children and little children Gal. 4. 19. and lambs and plants Fifthly Not any one of the people of God hath the Spirit in perfection in None have it in perfection this life he hath not the Spirit in the absolute fulness of the Spirit 1 Cor. 13. 9. We know in part and we prophesie in part now we see as through a glasse darkly but then face to face Now I know in part but then shall I know even as also I am known Phil. 3. 12. Not as though I had already attained or were already perfect but I follow after that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus Though the spirit be perfect we do partake of him imperfectly in this life we have but the first fruits of the Spirit Rom. 8. 23. As the children of Israel had the bunch of Grapes and some of the Figs and Pomgranates before they entred into the land of Canaan Numb 13. 23. Object But do we not read that some were filled with the Holy Ghost and were full of the Holy Ghost as Stephen Acts 6. and Barnabas Acts 11. Sol. There is a threefold fulness of the Holy Ghost 1. Absolute and Intensive as to all degrees this we cannot reach unto in this life none but Christ was thus filled with the Holy Ghost 2. Comparative i. e. more than some or many others this is granted 3. Respective as to such or such a particular work and service unto which the Spirit may let out himself in an eminent and vigorous manner thus were they filled with or were full of the Spirit c.