love thee Men may have notional knowledge parts and gifts and this may but puffe them up with pride and do their souls no good but if a man so know God as to love him and delight in him that is the man that is known of God owned and approved of him Quest what are the signes of love to God Answ 1 High and raised thoughts of God fixed and setled in the heart are a signe of love to God an habituall frame of heart to look upon God as most excellent and glorious and to adore him as well for his holiness and infinite purity as for the exceeding riches of his grace in Christ. It is true a Saints love to God is not come to perfection in this life it is not come to its height by a Thousand degrees yet there is such an impression of love to God upon the heart of a Believer and amongst other things for his wonderful dispensation of grace in Christ that he thinks and well he may that he can never love and prayse the holy Lord as he should do And sometimes it may be his heart waxes hot and this fire of love to God burneth and flameth in him and he can cry out to this effect Oh O Lord how excellent is thy name in all the earth and thy glory is above the heavens Look Look O my soul upon this great King the King of glory the King eternal and immortal and admire him and love him for ever O thou infinite goodness O thou Fountain of Life wilt thou vouchsafe to be loved of me O thy condiscention thy condiscention that thou wilt not account it presumption for me to love thee such a poor worm as I am so vile and sinful O blessed Lord if I may love thee then O my base unworthiness that I love thee no more O love love flame out flame out here is thy right object this is he that is to be loved with all my heart with all my Soul with all my might and with all my strength here is infinite power here is infinite wisdom here is infinite holiness here is infinite mercy more love more more love for the holy and blessed lord what shall I love him no more O my soul are thy faculties enlarged to love as far as a poor finite creature is capable to love O my soul love as Jehovah is to be loved love suitably to the Object thou art now set upon love not as if thou wert loving a creature love not at such a poor and low rate but love as one that is loving an infinite and glorious God love as one that is loving him that is love it self and hath manifested it in sending his only begotten Son into the world to save sinners O what manner of love was this and O with what manner of love should this blessed God be loved O Lord thou art above all love above all praise O that ever I have loved any thing else besides thee when there was thy self to love O that ever I should love such a vile thing as sin and such a poor trifle as the world is Lord now set my love right put my heart into the highest pitch of love to thee that poor clay is capable of and there hold me to eternity Thus possibly a poor Believer may sometimes finde his heart raysed to God in love and delight in him however there is a rooted grounded setled affection in the soul of a Believer to God so that he doth not only see reason why he should love God but it is his desire to love him and delight in him above all things though the actings of this love may be much kept down by manisold temptations and by the opposition of the flesh as the actings of other graces in us are also 2. Hating of sin because God hates it because it is displeasing to him is a signe of love to God ye that love the Lord hate evil Psal 97.10 it is not onely their duty to do so but in some measure it is so with every Child of God Though after conversion sin doth yet remain it is hated and abhorred so that it is in the heart to say O Sin what dost thou here thou art not onely my greatest enemy but thou art an enemy to that holy and blessed God whom my soul loveth O when shall I be rid of thee time was when thou and I were all one we were wedded together but now I see it was an unlawful marriage I was to be for the Lord and not for another therefore I will love thee no more O if it be so that thou wilt not leave me till death us do part I wait for that good hour when the Lord will take me to himself that so I may be freed from thee wholly and for ever and be with my heavenly Head and husband 3. Love to the Saints is a sign of love to God he that saith he loveth God and hateth his Brother is a lyar he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen how can he love God whom he hath not seen 1 John 4.20 He that loveth not the Image of God in grace and holiness which he seeth in his people how can he love God whom in his glorious essence he hath not seen An universal love to all in whom we see the grace of Christ is a certain sign of our love to God so that one that truly loves God can in some measure appeal to God to this effect O Lord however I have hated thy people in time past and my heart hath secretly risen against them for the good that was in them yet since thou hast been pleased to turn me from darkness to light I make an high account of thy people I look upon them as the excellent on the earth I am troubled that I love them no more and that I can do no more for them I love them not meerly because they are of my judgment in some lesser points but I love them because they fear and love thee because they repent of their sinning against thee and believe on thy Son and desire to walk so as to please thee so far as thou art pleased to give them the knowledge of thy will My heart is knit to them whose hearts are knit to Christ who cleave in their hearts to that one Mediatour that one Offering that one Sacrifice for sins for ever so far as they manifest this they are dear to me they must needs be precious to me to whom Christ is precious And though because of some errours and mistakes that in my poor thoughts I may judge some of them to be in I cannot comfortably joyn with such in some things yet O Lord thou that knowest all things knowest that I love them and though through passion and ignorance and misguided zeal I may carry it unscemly sometimes to some of thy servants and have a hand in their troubles and sufferings as it is possible for the Saints
without some competent measure of knowledge Therefore such as are grosly ignorant and scarce know from any inward illumination whether there be a Christ or no or whether they have any need of him to deliver them from the wrath to come are not to flatter and deceive themselves in thinking they believe in Christ because it is not the way of God to make a New Creation in persons grown up to years and having the exercise of reason but he saith Let there be light Commanding Light to shine out of darkness and shinning into them to give them the knowledge of Jesus our Lord. I know there is great difference of mens parts education and the means of knowledge that men have but God hath none of his Children borne blind altogether spiritually blind and ignorant Though men go blindfold to Hell yet they do not go blindfold to Heaven but the Lord shews them first how they are out of the way that leadeth unto Life and are in the broad way that leadeth to destruction and then revealeth Christ to them as the way to Life and that Faith in him repentance and holiness do accompany Salvation Therefore those that are grosly ignorant are certainly in a bad estate though they are loath to see it let them consider what the Scriptures say of them This is a People of no understanding therefore he that made them will not have mercy on them and he that formed them will shew them no favour Jsaiah 27.11 They do alwayes erre in their hearts they have not known my wayes Heb. 3.10 Which shews that Men must needs erre in their hearts and can never walk with God when they do not know his wayes at all There is none that understandeth there is none that seeketh after God Rom. 3.11 Until men come to have some understanding that they have lost the favour of God and his Image and that there is a way in Christ to come unto God and be accepted with him they will never seek after God if haply they may find him and so we see by Luke 1.70 That those that sit in darkness and totall ignorance and blindness they also sit in the region and shadow of death In the very Suburbs and gate of Hell 2. 'T is a penitent Faith that is true Faith is alwayes accompanied with true repentance this distinguisheth it from that notional Faith that many have they pretend to believe in Christ but they never mourn for sin they do not loath themselves for their iniquities Some may talk of Free Grace and of believing in Christ but look upon sorrow for sin as a bondage-frame and know not what it is to be vile in their own eyes and abhor themselves for their evil ways and doings against the Lord Where it is so there is not true faith their faith is but a fancy and a meer notion who make sin a light matter and have their hearts never rent and broken for it 3. 'T is an affectionate Faith that is true Faith is accompanied with Love to the person of Christ in whom we do believe Indeed that which first affecteth a poor convinced sinner towards Christ is that he is a Saviour and Deliverer from the guilt of sin but in the looking towards him as a Saviour the Soul falleth in love with him also as he is God blessed for ever and as he is filled with the spirit of Grace in our Nature so that union with him is every way desirable to the Soul to them that do believe Christ is precious not onely for his Benefits but for his Person that when a poor Sinner looks to Christ with an eye of faith he looks to Christ with an eye of love too and it is in his heart to say O Lord Jesus to whom I come as a poor lost Sinner to be washed from my sins with thy blood I love thee I prize thee thou are excellent and glorious Didst thou vouchsafe to be manifest in the flesh Didst thou come to seck and save that which was lost My heart cleaveth to thee in love And O that I could love thee more O thou excellent most excellent Lord Jesus O thou art fairer then all the children of men fairer then all the Angels in Heaven O a Saviour and such a Saviour the brightness of the Fathers Glory and the express Image of his Person O thy Name is as an Oyntment poured forth there is none like unto thee I believe in thee and love thee too thou art most sweet thou art altogether lovely O my dear Lord Jesus I first cast mine eyes towards thee as a Redeemer and Saviour being forced and necessitated to look out for a rest for my weary Soul and being a little acquainted with thee thou hast taken my heart with thy glorious person O thou art the mighty God one with the Father O I be hold something of thy glory as of the onely begotten Son of God thou art God manifest in the flesh O 't is Immanuel God with us 'T is the Lord of glory that was crucified for poor sinners He is worthy to be praised he is worthy to be beloved Blessing and glory and honour to this great Mediatour Praise him O ye Sons of men Praise him all the Angels that excell in strength How little can I one poor creature do in praising and admiring of him O help help to praise him help to admire him help to love him let every one have a Psalm of praise to him utter your Songs aloud aloud sing Hallelujahs to this King of glory But if any man doth not admire and love the Lord Jesus neither doth he believe in him 4. 'T is an holy Faith not onely in regard of the Object of it the Lord Jesus Christ the holy One but in regard of the effects of it true Faith is always accompanied with Holiness in some comfortable measure with the principal desire and endeavour of Holiness Our Hearts are purified and sanctified by Faith for he that doth rightly looks to Christ as a Saviour submits to him as a Sanctifier also and it is in his heart to say O Lord Jesus thou art a blessed Mediatour indeed thou art able not onely to save me from the guilt of my sins but to deliver me from the power of my vile lusts Come in thou blessed of the Lord come into my heart set up thy Throne there cast down all my lusts to the ground turn me from my iniquities bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of thee let me be partaker of a second benefit not onely be justified by thee but sanctified by thee Come in thou blessed of the Lord stand not without welcome Christ as a Saviour welcome Christ as a Sanctifier thou art he whom my Soul delighteth in come into thy Temple drive out all my lusts even all of them as thou once didst the Buyers and Sellers out of the Temple shew the power of thy grace O mighty one go forth conquering and to conquer
sins which if it had been laid upon us would have been eternal but he overwrastled it made satisfaction put away sin by the sacrifice of himself made peace and obtained eternal redemption for us whereof he hath given assurance unto all men in that after he had the iniquities of all his people laid and charged upon him yet he rose again the third day is gone unto the Father and is set down at the right hand of the Majesty in the Heavens By one offering upon the Cross he did the work he being an infinite Person God as well as Man his short suffering was of an infinit value He dieth no more there is no need at all of it in referance unto those for whom he made his soul an offering for sins he hath done the work fully to whom be glory for ever This is the Summ and substance of the Gospel Now if any hearing of the danger they are in of the wrath of God for their sins and sensible of the Rebellion and perversness of their hearts and wayes against God would have a Saviour and a sanctifier that it may go well with them for ever this is he Jesus the Son of God He is not here now upon earth to be seen with bodily eyes he is gone into Heaven and is on the right hand of God Look up to him there with an eye of Faith put your trust in him he is able to save to the uttermost all that come to God by him Get the knowledge of him out of the word search the Scriptures for they testify of him they tell you what he is what he hath done and what he hath suffered to bring us to God Think of him continually prize him set your hearts on him if you flight him you will find there is no other Saviour no other Mediatour no other advocate with the Father If the work be yet to be done even now whilst thou readest these things look to him close with him give up thy self to him to be saved and Sanctified by him fall in love with him you will never repent of your choice Poor soul what saist thou to a Pardon for all thy sins what saist to peace with God what saist thou to eternal life Come to Christ and thou shalt have all these and a New Heart and spirit to walk in holiness and obedience before God too O doth the Lord affect thy heart for he doth this great work that thou art taken with Christ and art a thirst for this water of life then take it freely as excellent and precious as the Lord Jesus is he bestowes himself freely upon poor sinners the best qualification you can have for receiving Christ is to see your need of him and that you are altogether unworthy of him do you see your sins now the multitude of them the hainousness of them let not your sins drive you from Christ but drive you to Christ Come poor sinners come to Christ his blood cleanseth from all sin his righteousness is able to cover all your unrighteousness Come to Christ but with a true Heart to give him all the glory of your salvation and to desire now to have him reign over you and fear not he is mighty to save Jesus is the Lord of glory consider his God-head in your looking to him to take away your sins Never any Patient came to this Phisitian and missed of cure come with all the spiritual Vlcers running Sores and Bloody Issues of sin touch the hem of his Garment by Faith as the Woman in the Gospel did and you shall see there is vertue enough in Christ to make you whole The Devil labours to make men confident and presumptuous when they are going on greedily in sin but when they are convinced of their lost estate and are looking after Christ then he endeavours to puzle them with many doubts and suspitions as if they were past cure and it were too late now to lock after Christ Ah poor souls do not you see that the hand of Sathan is in all this When you went on in ignorance and prophaness he would not endure you should hear when Ministers preached of damnation and now that you are convinced and stopt in your vile courses and are thinking how you may make peace with God now the Devil cannot endure you should hear of Salvation in Christ the Son of God least you should come unto him that you may have life Thus I have set before them that are not yet converted life and death pardon of sin peace with God and eternal life if the Lord giveth them hearts to repent and close with Christ The Wrath of God and eternal destruction If they still go on in their ignorance prophaness and slighting of Jesus Christ If any that read these things shall say in their hearts they shall have peace and shall do well enough whatsoever some zealous preachers say though they cast Gods law behind their backs and never look after a work of Grace and conversion upon their souls the anger of the Lord and his Jealousy shall smoake against those persons and burn against them for ever But if they shall now tremble at the word of the Lord and lay hold upon the offer of Christ believing on his name and submitting unto him their sins shall be forgiven them for his names sake and they shall be the heir of eternal life through him for though the wages of sin is death even eternal death yet the gift the free gift of God is life even eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord to whom be glory for ever Amen FINIS Books Printed for and Sold by Henry Mortlock at the Phaenix in S. Pauls Church-Yard and at the White Hart in Westminster-Hall THe Saints Ebenezer and Pillar of hope in God when they have none left in the Creature Or the godly-mans Crutch or Staff in times of sadning disappointments sinking discouragements shaking dissolations wherein is shewed the Transcendent Excellency of God his Peoples help and hope with the unparalell'd hapiness of the Saints in their confidence in him over-balancing the Worldlings carnall dependance both as to sweetness and safety by F. English A word in season or 3 great dutys of Christians in the worst of times viz abiding in Christ Thirsting after his instruction and submission to his providence to which is added by way of appendix the advice of some Ministers to their people for the receiving the power and practice of godliness in their familys Oct. The freeness of the grace and love of God to believers discover'd in reference to First Their service and suffering Secondly their consolations Thirdly their salvation and eternal glory together with the Excelency of the fear of God The goodness and pleasantness of brotherly Love the wisdom of hearing the voice of the Rod repentance the only way to prevent Judgments delivered in several Sermons by William Bridg sometimes Preacher of the Word at Yarmouth Death unstung in 8 Sermons Preached at the Funeral of Tho. Moseley an Apothecary who died July 1669 With a brief Narrative of his Life and Death Also the manner of Gods dealings with him before and after his Conversion drawn up by his own Hand and Published by James Janeway Oct. A Fathers Testament Written long since for the benefit of the Particular Relations of the Author Phineas Fletcher sometimes Minister of the Gospel at Hillgay in Norfolk The voice of one crying in a Wilderness or the business of a Christian both Antecedaneous to Concomitant of and consequent upon a Sore and heavy Visitation represented in several Sermons First Preached to his own Family lying under such Visitation and now made publick as a thank offering to the Lord his healer by S. S. a servant of God in the Gospel of his Son FINIS
Article of Religion is held forth in such Scriptures as these In the Lord shall all the house of Israel be justified and shall glory Isa 45.25 This is the Name whereby he shall be called speaking of Jesus Christ The Lord our righteousness Jer. 23.6 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption which is in Jesus Christ Rom. 3.23 But to him that worketh not but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly his faith is counted for righteousness Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works Rom. 4.5 6. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus who is made of God unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption 1 Cor. 1.30 Most excellently doth the holy Scripture set sorth this Point telling us That there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus that their Sins are blotted out remembred no more cast into the depths of the Sea not imputed unto them cast behind Gods back and that in Christ Believers are righteous all fair and no spot in them God beholding them cloathed and beautified in the best Robe the Garment of Salvation he is not ashamed to be called their God and their Father but taketh them near unto him to stand before him for ever The Lords marrying of a Soul to Christ by giving us Faith in him doth actually acquit us from the debt of Sin Christ our heavenly Husband answereth all As we need no more to bring us into an actual state of Condemnation but that we come to be actually in the first Adam so we need no more to our actual Justification then that we be actually in Christ the second Adam who is a root of Justification and communicateth Righteousness to all that are in him As there is a Fountain and first Vnion between Adam and his Posterity in the Covenant of Works So there is a Fountain and first Vnion between Christ and the Elect in the Covenant of Redemption And as Wrath and Condemnation stand ready to seize upon us as soon as we come to be actually in Adam because of what he hath done in our own room as our Head and publick Person So Life and Justification stand ready to be bestowed upon the Elect as soon aâ— they come to be actually in Christ because of what he hath done and suffered iâ— their room and stead As we are not actually in Adam till wâ— come to be quickned in the Womb of Nature So we are not actually in Christ tiâ—â— we come to be quickned in the Womb oâ— Grace As when we come actually to have imputed to us the Guilt of Adams Sin we have an inherent taint and corruption of our Nature from him So when we come to have the Righteousness of Christ actually imputed to us we have inherent Grace and Sanctification of our Nature from him So that as the first Adam is the Root both of Condemnation and Corruption to us So the second Adam is the Root both of Justification and Sanctification to us When the Scripture saith We are justified by Faith it is not meant that we are justified by it as a work or quality but that by this Grace of Faith we receive Christ who justifies us The Righteousness by which we are justified is a righteousness without us the righteousness of another wrought by another inherent in another it is the righteousness of Christ God-Man That Robe of Righteousness which covers our Sins is put on by Faith and we wear it here and for ever in Heaven But though it be upon us as the Apostle speaketh the righteousness of God which is by faith in Jesus Christ is unto all and upon all them that believe Rom. 3.22 Yet it is never inherent in us but only imputed to us No man under Heaven hath a persect Legal righteousness of his own to justifie him therefore he must have an Evangelical righteousness that is a righteousness that answers the Law but is brought to light by the Gospel No man hath a righteousness of his own to justifie him therefore he must have the righteousness of another even the righteousness of Jesus our Lord. Justification is perfect when we first believe in Christ though not as to our participation of all the joy and comfort and blessed effects of it so it extends it self to everlasting yet 't is perfect in it self because the righteousness of Christ which we receive in our first believing is a perfect righteousness we never have any other to justifie us at Gods Bar neither do we need any other We rejoyce and glory more and more in the righteousness of Christ are more taken with this best Robe and are more thankful for it But this Robe of righteousness that covers Sins and makes us lovely in the eyes of the Lord is the same for ever Justification and Sanctification must by no means be confounded The Grace of Justification is for one purpose the Grace of Sanctification for another Justification is for the taking away of the guilt of sin Sanctification for the taking away of the filth and power of it Justification brings us into a state of favour and acceptation with God Sanctification is to enable us to walk suitable to this New and happy Estate The Lord Jesus is not our Half-Saviour and works the other half or any part of a Saviour but Christ is All in this business There is a washing of Regeneration which is also from Christ our Saviour Titus 3.5 But this is of another nature and to other ends and purposes then the washing of Justification Not only Ministers but all Believers should labour to have a clear and distinct knowledge of the Doctrine of Justification for it is our Life When the Apostle James saith That Abraham was justified by works the meaning is That he was approved declared and manifested to be a true Believer by his works When the Holy Scriptures speaks of the Lords giving rewards and eternal life upon working and obedience Those Scriptures must be understood declaratively not casually that is as nothing and declaring who are the persons to whom he gives eternal life and not as shewing the cause thereof for that is only his free grace in Christ Likewise those Scriptures shew the certain connexion that there is between Grace and Glory that where the Lord freely gives Glory hereafter there he gives Grace here What is Glory in heaven for the substance of it but Grace Holiness and Communion with God perfected So that such Scriptures hold forth no more but this That whom the Lord justifies freely by his Grace in Christ and sanctifieth in him he trains them up in holiness obedience and fellowship with him until he brings them to the fulness of that which at first they have but the last and the first fruits of So that when afterwards in this Discourse I speak of a saving work of the Spirit wrought in those whom the Lord bringeth unto life You must not
factor feareth the Judge not as a dutiful Son feareth a good Father and that upon judgments that God sends some are said to fear the Lord 2 Kings 17.32 33. that is with a slavish fear yet v. 34. 't is said of the same persons They fear not the Lord nor do after his Statutes that is they had not a gracious and obedient fear of God And likewise because the very Devils are said to tremble Jam. 2.19 that is they even shake with fear of the wrath of God therefore it is necessary to distinguish between that slavish fear of God that is in the very wicked of the World and in the Devils themselves and that right gracious fear of God that is in those that are truly converted which may be done in these following particulars 1. A right fear of God is accompanied with hope in his free mercy in Christ The Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him in those that hope in his mercy Psalm 147.11 Some they pretend to hope in Gods mercy in Christ but they do not fear God their hearts are not awed with his Majesty nor afraid to offend him such a hope is not right on the other hand some pretend to fear God and fear sinning a gainst him but they hope not in his mercy but in their own merits they go on under a Covenant of works cast not their Souls upon Christ will not lay their hold upon the hope that is set before them in the Gospel These men have not a right fear of God He that is so moved with fear of the Majesty and Wrath of God that he gets into Christ the Ark that God hath prepared for the saving of Souls and placeth all his hope for his eternal safety in Christ the Son of God this is the man that feareth the Lord aright But if men fear God only as a Judge and Avenger of Sin and look upon him as a hard Master and so are afraid of him and their hearts secretly rise against him but they never look towards his Mercy-seat that they may set their hope in his grace in Christ such have not a right fear of God neither a right reverential nor a right filial fear of God but onely a slavish and servile 2. A right fear of God is accompanied with eschewing evil Job is said to be a man fearing God and eschewing evil Job 1.1 The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart that there is no fear of God before his eyes Psalm 36.1 The gross and horrible profaneness of some wicked men proclaims to every one that they are so far from having a right fear of God such as he puts into the hearts of his people that they have no fear of God no common awe of a Deity at all in their ordinary course for they live as if there were no God that regarded the ways of the Sons of men and would bring them into judgment But where there is a right fear of God there is not a bare eschewing evil but an eschewing evil from an inward principle of the fear and love of God in the heart and delight in his Commandments Now when eschewing evil is made a sign of the true fear of God in the heart it must not be so understood as if Job of whom that character is given in the place above-mentioned or any other who yet truly fear God can so totally eschew evil in this life as to be wholly free from sin for we see by the holy Story that Job himself of whom this is spoken had his passions and sinful failings for which he confessed to God he was vile and abhorred himself in dust and ashes but when such are said to eschew evil the meaning is that they do so in a comfortable measure and in the sincere and earnest desire and endeavour of their Souls 3. A right fear of God is not an involuntary passion and fear which torments the mind but is a pleasing and delightful thing to the Soul Fear hath torment 1 John 4.18 Slavish sinful and irregular fear hath so but a right reverential fear of God is delightful to the Soul it hath no torment in it to the mind The Angels in Heaven and the Saints in all their glory have an high degree of this reverential fear of God And so they find here in this World that they never have sweeter duties then when their hearts are most filled with a reverential fear of God and so in their whole conversation they find that the more they walk in the fear of the Lord the more they walk in the comfort of the Holy Ghost Indeed in such extraordinary appearances of God by outward signs of the Glory of his Majesty as were to Abraham Gen. 15.12.17 to Moses when the Lord appeared in the flame of fire out of the midst of the bush Exod. 3.2 6. to Elijah 1 Kings 19.13 and to Isaiah Chap. 6.5 the best Saint in this mortal state may be over-set and faint and be troubled at the Lords presence for 't is said that when God so appeared to Abraham an horrour of great darkness fell upon him 't is said of Moses he hid his face and was afraid to look upon God and at another time when God spake out of the fire upon Mount Sinai Moses said I exceedingly fear and tremble Elijah hid his face in his Mantie and Isaiah cries out Wo is me I am undone for mine eyes have seen the King the Lord of hosts But it is to be considered that it was not meerly the apprehension of the greatness and glory of the Majesty of God and the reverence of God thereupon that caused this trouble to their spirits but these extraordinary signs of Gods presence which their bodies and spirits in this frail and mortal state could not bear That nevertheless it stands good what hath been laid down that a reverential fear of God is a most pleasing and delightful thing to the Soul of a Christian yea it helps much to compose the body and natural spirits in the service of God and walking with him In a word to distinguish a right feare of God from a slavish or hipocriticall feare it is of that nature that the more we feare him the more we hope in his mercy the more we feare him the more obedient we are to him the more we fear him the more we would fear him and desire to feare his Name and the more we fear him the more we love him he that findeth in any measure such a feare of God put into his heart as is here described is converted and in the state of grace 4. Speciall grace and conversion is held forth in the Scripture by love to God 1 Cor. 8.3 If any man love God the same is known of him Ephes 6.24 Grace be with all them that love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity John 21.17 Simon Son of Jonas lovest thou me and Peter said Lord thou knowest all things thou knowest that I
speech or wisdom of the Preacher that doth convert the Hearers All the Oratory in the World cannot convert a Soul Arguments Promises Threatnings and Intreaties set forth with the Tongues of Men and Angels if they were to assume humane shape and speak to Sinners about their everlasting concernments could not prevail to bring them from Sin to Christ except the Lord put forth his Almighty power 5. It is not from any power of Nature that before lay dormient and idle that now awaketh and yieldeth obedience to the Word that a Soul is converted For there is no such power of Nature 't is an idle speculation of those that think it is so for in conversion the Spirit of God is put into us and the fear of God and so consequently the Seed and Principle of Faith and Repentance and other Graces is put into our hearts where before it was not 2. Positively I answer That the efficacy power and vertue of the preaching of the Word when a Soul is converted by it is wholly from the Spirit of God When the Scripture saith That faith cometh by hearing 't is only as an outward means that God worketh by when it pleases him for bare hearing of the Gospel worketh Faith in no man for Faith is the gift of God Ephes 2.8 Philip. 1.29 The fruit of the Spirit Galat. 5.22 And when the Gospel is said to be the power of God unto salvation it is not to be understood as if the bare preaching of the Gospel did save and convert men but it is called the power of God unto salvation in opposition to the Law and the Covenant of works because it reveals and holds forth the way of Grace in Christ by which God saveth lost Sinners which the Law doth not How the Spirit of God doth work in and by the preaching of the Word for the conversion of Souls is a deep mystery And O that we may experimentally know that the Holy Ghost hath made use of the Word to convert our Souls though we cannot exactly conceive of the way and manner of his working thereby The workings of the Holy Ghost in Conversion are compared to the wind as for the freeness and powerfulness so for the mystery that is in them As the wind bloweth where it listeth and thou hearest the sound thereof but canst not tell whence it cometh and whither it goeth so is every one that is born of the Spirit John 3.8 But for further light into this Question let us observe these Scriptures following It is said The Lord opened the heart of Lydia that she attended to the things that were spoken by Paul Ministers do but call and knock at the doors of mens hearts 't is God that by a secret work of his Spirit openeth their hearts Acts 16.14 And it is said Acts 10.44 While Peter yet spake these words the Holy Ghost fell on all them that heard him Peters preaching and the Holy Ghosts falling upon them that heard him were two distinct things the one might have been without the other the one was the work of man the other was the work of God And that which is said 1 Thess 1.5 will make it yet far more evident For our Gospel came not unto you in word only but in power and in the Holy Ghost and in much assurance The Gospels coming to people in word and in the bare preaching of it is one thing and the Gospels coming to them in power and in the Holy Ghost is another to some the Gospel comes only in word they hear a sound of words and as they are rational men they may have a notional knowledge thereof but unto the Elect it comes with power and with the Holy Ghost even with such powerful workings of the Spirit as turns them from Sin to Christ Of these things this is the sum the preaching of the Word shews us the way of salvation it is the Spirit of God that by a secret and strong hand puts us into that way The preaching of the Word shews us our lost estate by Nature it is the Spirit that inwardly makes us sensible of it and affecteth our hearts with it The preaching of the Word shews us Gods Grace in Christ holds up Christ as the Brazen Serpent it is the Spirit that gives us an eye of faith to look to him that we may live The coming to the Ordinance to hear the Word is like the Woman in the Gospel touching the hem of Christs garment others touched him as well as she but there came a secret vertue from Christ to heal her of her Bloody Issue Many come to the preaching of the Word and to some of their Souls there cometh secret vertue from Christ that they find in themselves that now they are humbled for sin now they prize Christ now they cleave unto the Lord with a full purpose of heart to walk in his ways Praise the Lord for ever It was not the Minister it was not the bare preaching of the Word that could make this change but this was the day of the Lords power to thy Soul and vertue came secretly from our blessed Lord Jesus to thy Soul admire him and love him and cleave to him to carry thee on by the same power of his Spirit unto the end It may be many others in the same Sermon found no vertue come from Christ to their Souls it was a burden and tedious to them Admire free Grace and love the Lord Jesus for ever When we find good to our Souls by the preaching of the Word we must not look upon poor Ministers with admiration of them as if by their power and holiness we had such a change wrought in us but know that God hath made bare his own arm and glorified his own power and the exceeding riches of his grace in Christ Jesus to us-ward And this is one reason why God makes use many times of persons of meaner parts and small repute to be Instruments of converting more Souls than he doth of others that excel them that it may appear that the high and excellent power that converts the Soul is of God and not of man It is not fit that the Glory of God should be given to Ministers and Ordinances if we get any good to our Souls by them look upon them but as the Conduit-pipes and let all the Glory be given to him who is the Fountain of life for thine O Lord is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory for ever CONVERSION Wrought by the POWER of GOD CHAP. V. Shewing that whatsoever Outward Means the Lord makes use of for the Conversion of Souls the Work is done by his own Almighty Power IT hath been shewn that the Lord in Converting Souls doth usually make use of Outward Means and especially the preaching of the Word Now let us enquire more fully how those that were spiritually dead come to be made alive and those that were darkness come to be made light in the Lord. Those