in or by Christ so that his very Attributes of Wisdom and Love and Holiness and Justice and Mercy c. which Christ came purposely to declare are by some denyed blasphemed or abused on pretence of extolling Christ and our Redemption as if we might sin that grace may abound Rom. 6.1 2. But if while we seek to be justified by Christ we our selves also are found sinners is therefore Christ the Minister of sin God forbid Gal. 2.17 Direct 3. Distinguish between the common and the special benefits of mans Redemption by Christ and see how the latter do suppose the former and set not these parts against each other which God in wisdom hath joyned together To pass by all other the great and notable common benefit is the conditional Covenant of grace or the conditional pardon of sin and gift of eternal life to all without exception John 3.16 Mark 16.15 16. Rom. 10.9 Mat. 6.14 15. Mat. 22.7 8 9. And this general conditional promise must be first preached and the preaching of this is the universal oâ— common call and offer of grace And it must be first believed as is before said But the actual belief of it according to its true intent and meaning doth prove our actual personal title to all the benefits which were before given but conditionally John 3.16 1 John 5.10 11 12. 2 Cor. 5.19 20 21. Direct 4. Accordingly judge how far Redemption is common or special by the common and special benefits procured For no man can deny but it is so far common as the benefits are common that is so far as to procure and give to sinners a common conditional pardon as aforesaid as Dr. Twisse very often taketh notice And no man can affirm that it is common to all so far as absolutely or eventually to give them actual pardon and salvation unless they dream that all are saved But that some eventually and infallibly are saved all confess And we had rather think that Christ and the good pleasure of God is the chief differencing cause than we our selves Direct 5. Set not the several parts of the Office of Christ against each other nor either depress or forget any one part while you magnifie and meditate only on the other It is most ordinary to reduce all the Office of Christ to the Prophetical Priestly and Kingly part For it is more proper to call them three parts of one Office than three Offices But it is hard to reduce his Incarnation or his infant-humiliation and his whole course of obedience and fulfilling the Law to any one or all of these totally Though in some respect as it is his example it is teaching and as it is part of his humiliation it may be called a part of his sacrifice yet as it is meritorious obedience and perfection it belongeth indeed to our High-Priest but not formally to his Priesthood No nor yet as he himself is the sacrifice for sin For it is not an act of Priesthood to be himself a sacrifice But yet I think the common destribution intimateth to us that sense which containeth the truth which we enquire after For the word Priesthood is applyed to Christ in a peculiar notion so as it is never applyed to any other and therefore is taken more comprehensively as including all that good which he doth for us as good by the way of Mediation with the Father and all his acts of Mediation with God as the Prophetical and Kingly parts contain his other acts toward men But yet a more plain and accurate destribution should be made in which it should be manifested also to what heads his many other assumed titles of Relation are to be reduced But this is not a work for this place But that which now I advise you to avoid iâ— the errour of them who look so much at Christs Mediation with God that they scarce observe his work with man And the errour of them who look so much at his work on man that they overlook his Mediation with God And theirs that so observe hâ—s sacrifice as to make light of his continual intercession or that observing both make light of his doctrine and example Or that observe these so much as to make light of his sacrifice and intercession Or that extol his doctrine and example and overlook his giving of the Spirit to all his living members Or that cannot magnifie any one of these without depressing or extenuating some other If Christs Kingdom be not divided Mat. 12.25 sure Christ himself is not divided nor his works 1 Cor. 1.13 Direct 6. Still distinguish between Christs work of Redemption which he hath already wrought on earth to constitute him our Mediatory Head and that which he was further to do for us in that Relation that you may ground your faith on the first as a foundation laid by him and may seek after the second as that which requireth somewhat from your selves to your own participation The first part is commonly called the Impetration the second the Application or rather the Communication As God did first do himself the work of Creation and thence result his Relations of our Owner our Ruler and our Chief Good or our Love or End or Benefactor so Christ first doth the works which make him our Redeemer towards God and then he is also our Owner our Ruler and our communicative Benefactor hereupon And this seemeth intimated by those phrases Heb. 5.8 2.9 10. where he is said to learn obedience by the things which he suffered that is as a subjâ—ct exercised obedience and so learnt to know by experience what obeying is And that the Captain of our salvation was made perfect by sufferings and for suffering death was crowned with glory because his sufferings did constitute him a perfect Captain or Redeemer in performance though before he was perfect in ability As he that undertaketh to redeem some Turkish gally-slaves by conquering their Navy is made a perfect Redeemer or Conquerour when he hath taken the fleet though yet the prisoners are in his power to release them on such terms at seem best to him And as a man is a perfect Chirurgeon when besides his skill he is furnished with all his instruments or salves how costly soever though yet the cure is not done Or as he that hath ransomed prisoners is a perfect Ransomer when he hath paid the price though yet they are not delivered nor have any actual right themselves to claim deliverance by I here mention this because the building upon that foundation which is supposed to be already laid and finished and the seeking of the further salvation which yet we have no possession of nor perhaps any title to are works so very different that he that doth not discern the difference cannot exercise the Christian faith Because it is to be necessarily exercised by two such different acts or different waies of acting and applying our selves to our Redeemer Direct 7. Still think of Christs nearness
and capacities by prayer and such distant means if they can do no more And the Religion which giveth every man so great an interest in the good of all others and engageth all men to do good to one another is evidently good it self 1 Cor. 12. Ephes 4.15 16. 29. And all this good is not destroyed but advantaged and aggravated accidentally by our sin So that where sin abounded there grace did superabound Rom. 5.15 16 17 18 19. Grace hath taken occasion by sin to be Grace indeed and to be the greater manifestation of the goodness of God and the greater obligation for gratitude to the sinner 30. Lastly All this Goodness is beautified by harmony it is all placed in a perfect order One mercy doth not keep us from another nor one grace oppose another nor one duty exclude another As it is the great declaration of Mercy and Justice wonderfully conspiring in God Mercy so used as to magnifie Justice Justice so used as to magnifie Mercy and not only so as to consist so also it worketh answerably on us It setteth not Love against filial fear not joy against necessary sorrow nor faith against repentance nor praise and thanksgiving against penitent confession of sin nor true repentance against the profitable use of the creatures nor the care of our souls against the peace and quiet of our minds nor care for our families against contentedness and trusting God nor our labour against our necessary rest nor self-denyal against the due care of our own welfare nor patience against due sensibility and lawful passion nor mercy to men against true justice nor publick and private good against each nor doth it set the duty of the Soveraign and the Subject the Master and the Servant the Pastor and the Flock nor yet their interest in any contrariety but all parts of Religion know their place and every duty even those which seem most opposite are helpful to each other and all interests are co-ordinate and all doth contribute to the good of the whole and of every part Ephes 4.2 3 15 16. And now peruse all this together but let it have more of your thoughts by far than it hath had of my words and then determine indifferently whether the Christian Religion bear not the lively Image and superscription of GOD the prime essential GOOD But all this will be more manifest when we have considered how POWER hath in the execution brought all this into effect CHAP. VI. The Image of Gods Power III. THE third part of Gods Image and superscription on the Christian Religion is his POWER And as mans own corruption lyeth more in the want of Wisdom and Goodness than of Power therefore he is less capable of discerning God in the impressions of his Wisdom and Goodness than of his Power seeing therefore he is here most capable of conviction and acknowledging the hand of God I shall open this also in the several parts in some degree 1. In the history of the Creation the Omnipotency of God is abundantly set forth which is proved true both by the agreeableness of the history to the effects and by much subsequent evidence of the Writers Veracity 2. The same may be said of Gods drowning the old world and the preserving of Noah and his family in the Ark. 3. And of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah with fire from Heaven 4. The many miracles done by Moses upon Pharaoh and the Egyptians and in the opening of the Red Sea and in the feeding of the Israelites in the wilderness and keeping their cloths from wearing for forty years and the pillar which went before them as a fire by night and a cloud by day for so long time and the darkness and thunder and trembling of the Mount at the giving of the Law with the rest of the Miracles then done not in a corner or before a few but before all the people who were perswaded to receive and obey the Law by the reason of these motives which their eyes had seen And if all this had been false if no plagues had been shewed on Egypt if no Red Sea had opened if no Pillar had gone before them if no such terrible sights and sounds at Mount Sinai had prepared them for the Law such reasons would have been so unfit to have perswaded them to obedience that they would rather with any reasonable creatures have procured scorn And to shew posterity that the history of all this was not forged or to be suspected 1. They had the Law it self then delivered in two Tables of stone to be still seen 2. They had a pot of Manna still preserved 3. They had the miracle-working Rod of Moses and Aaron kept likewise as a monument 4. They had an Ark of purpose to keep these in and that in the most inviolable place of worship 5. They had the brazâ—n Serpent till Hezekiah broke it still to be seen 6. They had the song of their deliverance at the Red Sea for their continued use 7. They had set feasts to keep the chief of all these things in remembrance They had the feast of unleavened bread which all Israel was to observe for seven daies to keep the remembrance of their passing out of Egypt in so great haste that they could not stay to knead up and make their bread but took it as in meal or unready dough They had the feast of the Passeover when every family was to eat of the Paschal Lamb and the door posts to be sprinkled with the blood to keep in remembrance the night when the Egyptians first born were destroyed and the Israelites all preserved And if these had been instituted at that time upon a pretended occasion which they knew to be untrue they would rather have derided than observed them If they had been afterwards instituted in another generation which knew not the story the beginning would have been known and the fiction of the name and institution of Moses would have been apparent to all and the institution would not have been found in the same Law which was given by Moses And it could not have been so expresly said that the Israelites did all observe these feasts and solemnities from the very time of their deliverance but in those times when the forgery began all would have known it to be false 8. And they had many other words and ceremonies among them and even in Gods Publick Worship which were all used to keep up the memory of these things 9. And they had an office of Priesthood constantly among them which saw to the execution and preservation of all these 10. And they had a form of civil Policy then established and and the Rulers were to preserve the memory of these things and the practice of this Law and to learn it themselves and govern by it so that the very form of the Common-wealth and the order of it was a commemoration hereof And the Parents were to teach and tell their children all
which Christ hath made for our pardon is in it self sufficient yea and effectual as to that end which he would have it attain before our believing But our actual pardon is no such end Nor can sin be forgiven before it be committed because it is no sin Christ never intended to justifie or sanctifie us perfectly at the first whatsoever many say to the contrary because they understand not what they say but to carry on both proportionably and by degrees that we may have daily use for his daily mediation and may daily pray Forgive us our trespasses There is no guilt on them that are in Christ so far as they walk not after the flesh but after the spirit nor no proper condemnation by sentence or execution at all because their pardon is renewed by Christ as they renew their sins of infirmity but not because he preventeth their need of any further pardon Therefore as God made advantage of the sins of the world for the honouring of his grace in Christ that grace might abound where sin abounded Rom. 5.12 16 17. So do you make advantage of your renewed sins for a renewed use of faith in Christ and let it drive you to him with renewed desires and expectations of pardon by his intercession That Satan may be a loser and Christ may have more honour by every sin that we commit Not that we should sin that grace may abound but that we may make use of abounding grace when we have sinned It is the true nature and use of Faith and Repentance to draw good out of sin it self or to make the remembrance of it to be a means of our hatred and mortification of it and of our love and gratitude to our Redeemer Not that sin it self doth formally or efficiently ever do any good But sin objectively is turned into good For so sin is no sin because to remember sin is not sin When David saith Psal 51.3 that his sin was ever before him he meaneth not only involuntarily to his grief but voluntarily as a meditation useful to his future duty and to stir him up to all that which afterward he promiseth Direct 13. In all the weaknesses and languishings of the new creature let Faith look up to Christ for strength For God hath put our life into his hand and he is our root and hath promised that we shall live because he liveth John 14.19 Do not think only of using Christ as you do a friend when you have need of him or as I do my pen to write and lay it down when I have done But as the branches use the Vine and as the members use the Head which they live by and from which when they are separated they die and wither John 15.1 2 3 c. Ephes 1.22 5.27 30. 4.4 5 12 15 16. Christ must even dwell in our hearts by Faith Ephes 3.17 that is 1. Faith must be the means of Christs dwelling in us by his Spirit and 2. Faith must so habituate the heart to a dependance upon Christ and to an improvement of him that objectively he must dwell in our hearts as our friend doth whom we most dearly love as that which we cannot chuse but alwaies think on Remember therefore that we live in Christ and that the life which we now live is by the faith of the Son of God who hath loved us and given himself for us Gal. 2.20 And his grace is sufficient for us and his strength most manifested in our weakness 2 Cor. 12.9 And that when Satan desireth to sift us he prayeth for us that our faith may not fail Luke 22.32 And that our life is hid with Christ in God even with Christ who is our life Col. 3.3 4. That he is the Head in whom all the members live by the communication of his appointed ligaments and joynts Ephes 4.14 15 16. Therefore when any grace is weak go to your Head for life and strength If faith be weak pray Lord increase our faith Luke 17.5 If you are ignorant pray him to open your understandings Luk. 24.45 If your hearts grow cold go to him by faith till he shed abroad the love of God upon your hearts Rom. 5.3 4. For oâ— his fulness it is that we must receive grace for grace Jâ—hn 1.16 Direct 14. Let the â—hief and most diligent work of your faith in Christ be to inflame your hearts with love to God as his Goodness and Love is revealed to us in Christ Faith kindling Love and working by it is the whole summ of Christianity of which before Direct 15. Let Faith keep the example of Christ continually before your eyes especially in those parts of it which he intended for the contradicting and healing of our greatest sins Above all others these things seem purposely and specially chosen in the life of Christ for the condemning and curing of our sins and therefore are principally to be observed by faith 1. His wonderful Love to God to his Elect and to his enemies expressed in so strange an undertaking and in his sufferings and in his abundant grace which must teach us what fervours of love to God and man to friends and enemies must dwell and have dominion in us 1 John 4.10 Rev. 1.5 Rom. 5.8 10. John 13.34 35. 15.13 1 John 3.14.23.17 4.7 8 20 21. 2. His full obedience to his Fathers will upon the dearest rates or terms To teach us that no labour or cost should seem too great to us in our obeying the will of God nor any thing seem to us of so much value as to be a price great enough to hire us to commit any wilful sin Rom. 5.19 Heb. 5 8. Phil. 2 8. 1 Sam. 15.22 2 Cor. 10.5 6. Heb. 5 9. John 14.15 15.10 1 John 2.3 3.22 5.2 3. Rev. 22.14 3. His wonderful contempt of all the Riches and Greatness of the world and all the pleasures of the flesh and all the honour which is of man which he shewed in his taking the form of a servant and making himself of no reputation and living a mean inferiour life He came not to be served or ministred to but to serve Not to live in state with abundance of attendants with provisions for every turn and use which pride curiosity or carnal imagination taketh for a conveniency or a decency no nor a necessity But he came to be as a servant unto others not as despising his liberty but as exercising his voluntary humility and love He that was Lord of all for our sakes became poor to make us rich He lived in lowliness and meekness He submitted to the greatest scorn of sinners and even to the false accusations and imputations of most odious sin in it self Phil. 2.6 7 8 9. Heb. 12.1 2 3. Matth. 26.55 60 61 63 66. 27 28 29 30 31. Matth. 11.29 30. 20.28 2 Cor. 8.9 which was to teach us to see the vanity of the wealth and honours of the world and
goodness of Gods Laws Whether the Promise and â—â—eward be the end of Obedience or Obedience the end of the 〈…〉 Reward Of Scripture examples 232 Chap. 5. How to live by faith on Gods Promises What will of God it is according to which they must ask who will receive Of a particular faith in prayer Is the same degree of grace conditionally promised to all Directions for understanding the Promises The true nature of faith or trust in Gods Promises opened at large Affiance is in the understanding will and vital power Whether Faith be Obedience or how related to it Ten acts of the understanding essential to the Christian Faith in the Promises Several acts of the will essential to Faith And in the vital power whether all true Faith have a subjective certainty of the truth of the Word Choice and venturing or forsaking all is the sign of real trust Promises collected for the help of Faith 1. Of Pardon 2. Of Salvation 3. Of Reconciliation and Adoption 4. Of pardon of new sins after conversion 5. Of Sanctification 6. Promises to them that desire and seek 7. To Prayer 8. To groans that want expression 9. Promises of all that we want and that is good for us 10. To the use of Gods Word and Sacraments 11. To the humble meek and lowly 12. To the peaceable 13. To the diligent 14. To the patient 15. To Obedience 16. To the Love of God 17. To them that love the godly and are merciful in good works 18. To the poor 19. To the oppressed 20. To the persecuted 21. In dangers 22. Against temptations 23. To them that overcome and persevere 24. In sickness and at death 25. Of Resurrection final Justification and Glory 26. For children of the godly 27. To the Church 241 Chap. 6. How to exercise faith on Godâ— Threatnings and Judgements How far belief of the threatnings in good necessary and a saving faith How saving faith is a personal application How to perceive true faith 297 Chap. 7. How to live by faith for Pardon and Justification In how many respects and waies Christ justifieth us Of the imputation of Christs Righteousness Twelve reasons to help our belief of pardon How far sin should make us doubt of our Justification 308 Chap. 8. 58 Dangerous Errours detected which hinder the 〈…〉 faith about 〈…〉 and the contrary truthâ—â—ssertedâ— 321 Chap. 9. How to live by faith in the exercise of other graces and duties And 1. Of the doctrinal Directions What Sanctification is How God loveth the unsanctified How 〈◊〉 loveth 〈◊〉 in Christ Of Preaching meer Morality â—61 Chap. 10. The practical Directions to promote Love to God and Holiness 367 Chap. 11. Of the order and harmony of graces and duties which must be taken all together Of the parts that make up the new Creature 1. The intellectual order or a method or scheme of the heads of Divinity 2. The order of Intention and Affection 3. The order of practice Of the various degrees of means to mans ultimate end Of the grace necessary to concur with these various means The circular motion by divine communication to our Receiving Graces and so by our Returning Graces unto God again The frame of the present means of grace and of our returning duties Rules about the order of Christian practice which shew that and how the best is to be preferred and which is best in fifty three Propositions How mans Laws bind conscience and many other cases resolved A lamentation for the great want of order and method and harmony in the understandings wills and lives of Christians Many instances of mens partiality as to truths graces duties sins c. Twenty Reasons why few Christians are compleat and entire but â—ame and partial in their Religion Ten Consectaries Whether all graces be equal in habit Religion not so perfect in us as in the Scriptures which therefore are the Rule to us c. 373 Chap. 12. How to use faith against particular sins 417 Chap. 13. What sins the best are most in danger of and should most carefully avoid And wherein the infirmities of the upright differ from mortal sins 421 Chap. 14. How to live by faith in prosperity The way by which faith doth save us from the world General Directions against the danger of prosperity Twenty marks of worldliness The pretences of worldly minds The greatness of the sin The ill effects 428 Chap. 15. How to be poor in spirit And 1. How to escape the Pride of prosperous men The cleaks of Pride The signs of Pride and 〈…〉 446 Chap. 16. How to escape the 〈…〉 by faith The mischiefe of serving the appetite 〈…〉 465 Chap. 17. How faith must conquer sloth and idleness Who are guilty of this sin Cases resolved The evil of idleness The remedies 474 Chap. 18. Vnmercifulness to the poor to be conquered by faith The remedies 491 Chap. 19. How to live by faith in adversity 493 Chap. 20. How to live by faith in trouble of conscience and doubts of our salvation The difference between true and false repentance How to apply the universal grace to our comfort The danger of casting our part on Christ and of ascribing all melancholy disturbances and thoughts to the spirit Of the trying the spiriâ— and of the witness of the Spirit 503 Chap. 21. How to live by faith in the publick Woshipping of God Overvalue not your own manner of Worship and overvilifie not other mens Of communion with others 519 Chap. 22. How to pray in faith 527 Chap. 23. How to live by faith towards children and other Relations 530 Chap. 24. How by faith to order our affections to publick Societies and to the unconverted world 535 Chap. 25. How to live by faith in the love of one another and to mortifie self-love It is our own interest and gain to love our neighbours as our selves Objections wherein it consisteth What is the sincerity of it Consectaries Loving others as your selves is a duty even as to the degree 539 Chap. 26. How by faith to be followers of the Saints and to look with profit to their examples and their end and to hold communion with the heavenly Society Reasons of the duty The nature of it Negatively what it is not and Affirmatively what it is Wherein they must be imitated 556 Chap. 27. How to receive the sentence of death and how to die by Faith 589 Chap. 28. How by faith to look aright to the coming of Jesus Christ in Glory 594 Reader The first and great Errour of the Printer iâ— that he hath not distinguished the three distinct Parts of the Treatise Therefore you must write Page 1. PART 1. and Pag. 81. PART 2. Chap. 1. and Pag. 168. PART 3. Chap. 1. IN the Preface Page 3. l. 16. put If you would have p. 8. l. 8. put out have p. 31. l. 31. put out out p. 40. l. 22. for that r. the p. 51. l. 37. for yoâ—r r. their p. 54. l. 13. for believe r.
those things that are not seen Or you may take the sense in this Proposition which I am next to open further and apply viz. That the nature and use of faith is to be as it were instead of presence possession and sight or to make the things that will be as if they were already in existence and the things unseen which God revealeth as if our bodily eyes beheld them 1. Not that faith doth really change its object 2. Nor doth it give the same degree of apprehensions and affections as the sight of present things would do But 1. Things invisible are the objects of our faith 2. And Faith is effectual instead of sight to all these uses 1. The apprehension is as infallible because of the objective certainty though not so satisfactory to our imperfect souls as if the things themselves were seen 2. The will is determined by it in its necessary consent and choice 3. The affections are moved in the necessary dâ—gree 4. It ruleth in our lives and bringeth us through duty and suffering for the sake of the happiness which we believe 3. This Faith is a grounded wise and justifiable act an infallible knowlâ—dge and often called so in Scripture John 6.69 1 Cor. 15.58 Rom. 8.28 c. And the constitutive and efficient causes will justifie the Name We know and are infallibly sure of the truth of God which we believe As it 's said John 6.69 We believe and are sure that thou art that Christ the Son of the living God 2 Cor. 5.1 We know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved we have a building of God an house not made with hands eternal in the Hâ—avens Rom. 8.28 We know that all things work together for good to them that love God 1 Cor. 15.58 You know that your labour is nâ—t in vain in the Lord Joh. 9.29 We knâ—w God spake to Moses c. 31. We know God heareth not sinners John 3.2 We know thou art a Teacher come from God So 1 John 3.5 15. 1 Pet. 3.17 and many other Scriptures tell you that Believing God is a certain infallible sort of knowledge I shall in justification of the work of Faith acquaint you briefly with 1. That in the Nature of it 2. And that in the causing of it which advanceth it to be an infallible knowledge 1. The Believer knows as sure as he knows there is a God that God is true and his Word is true it being impossible for God to lie Hâ—b 6.18 God that cannot lie hath promised Titus 1.2 2. He knows that the holy Scripture is the Word of God by his Image which it beareth and the many evidences of Divinity which it containeth and the many Miracles certainly proved which Christ and his Spirit in his servants wrought to confirm the truth 3. And therefore he knoweth assuredly the conclusion that all this Word of God is true And for the surer effecting of this knowledge God doth not only set before us the ascertaining Evidence of his own veracity and the Scriptures Divinity but moreover 1. He giveth us to believe Phil. 1.29 2 Pet. 1.3 For it is not of our selves but is the gift of God Ephes 2.8 Faith is one of the fruits of the Spirit Gal. 5.22 By the drawing of the Father we come to the Son And he that hath knowledge given from Heaven will certainly know and he that hath Faith given him from Heaven will certainly believe The heavenly Light will dissipate our darkness and infallibly illuminate Whilest God sets before us the glass of the Gospel in which the things invisible are revealed and also gives us eye sight to behold them Believers must needs be a heavenly people as walking in that light which proceedeth from and leadeth to the celestial everlasting Light 2. And that Faith may be so powerful as to serve instead of sight and presence Believers have the Spirit of Christ within them to excite and actuate it and help them against all temptations to unbelief and to work in them all other graces that concur to promote the works of Faith and to mortifie those sins that hinder our believing and are contrary to a heavenly life So that as the exercise of our sight and taste and hearing and feeling is caused by our natural life so the exercise of Faith and Hope and Love upon things unseen is caused by the holy Spirit which is the principle of our new life 1 Cor. 2.12 We have received the Spirit that we might know the things that are given us of God This Spirit of God acquainteth us with God with his veracity and his Word Heb. 10.30 We know him that hath said I will never fail thee nor forsake thee This Spirit of Christ acquainteth us with Christ and with his grace and will 1 Cor. 2.10 11 12. This heavenly Spirit acquainteth us with Heaven so that We know that when Christ appeareth we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is 1 Joh. 3.2 And we know that he was manifested to take away sin 1 Joh. 3.5 And will perfect his work and present us spotless to his Father Eph. 5.26 27. This heavenly Spirit possesseth the Saints with such heavenly dispositions and desires as much facilitate the work of Faith It bringeth us to a heavenly conversation and maketh us live as fellow-citizens of the Saints and in the houshold of God Phil. 3.20 Eph. 2.19 It is within us a Spirit of supplication breathing heaven-ward with sighs and groans which cannot be expressed and as God knoweth the meaning of the Spirit so the Spirit knows the mind of God Rom. 8.37 1 Cor. 2.11 3. And the work of Faith is much promoted by the spiritual experiences of Believers When they find a considerable part of the holy Scriptures verified on themselves it much confirmeth their Faith as to the whole They are really possessed of that heavenly disposition called The Divine Nature and have felt the power of the Word upon their hearts renewing them to the Image of God mortifying their most dear and strong corruptions shewing them a greater beauty and desirableness in the Objects of Faith than is to be found in sensible things They have found many of the Promises made good upon themselves in the answers of prayers and in great deliverances which strongly perswadeth them to believe the rest that are yet to be accomplished And experience is a very powerful and satisfying way of conviction He that feeleth as it were the first fruits the earnest and the beginnings of Heaven already in his soul will more easily and assuredly believe that there is a Heaven hereafter We know that the Son of God iâ— come and hath given us an understanding that we may know him that is true and we are in him that is true even in his Son Jesus Christ This is the true God and eternal life 1 Joh. 5.20 He that believeth on the Son hath the witness in himself Vers 10. There is so
grace and therefore he is an heir of Hâ—ll and belongs to me I ruled him and I must have him What would you think of a life of sin if once you had heard such accusations as these How would you deal by the next temptation if you had heard what use the tempter will hereafter make of all your sins 7. What if you had seen the damned in their misery and heard them cry out of the folly of their â—mpenitent careless lives and wishing as Dives Luke 16. that their friends on earth might have one sent from the dead to warn them that they come not to that place of torment I speak to men that say they are believers what would you do upon such a fight If you had heard them there torment themselves in the remembrance of the time they lost the mercy they neglected the grace resisted and wish it were all to do again and that they might once more be tried with another life If you saw how the world is altered with those that once were as proud and confident as others what do you think such a sight would do with you And why then doth the believing of it do no more when the â—hâ—ng is certain 8. Once more suppose that in your temptations you saw the tempter appearing to you and pleading with you as he doth by his inward suggestions or by the mouths of his instruments If you saw him and heard him hâ—ssing you on to sin perswading you to gluttony drunkenness or uncleanâ—ess If the Devil appeared to you and led you to the place of lust and offered you the harlot or the cup of excess and urged you to swear or curse or raâ—l or scorn at a holy life would not the sight of the Angler maâ— his gâ—me and 〈◊〉 your courage and spoil your sport and turn your stomâ—chs would you be drunk or filthy if you saw him stand by you Think on it the next tâ—me you are tempted Stout men have been apaled by such a sight And do you not believe that it 's he indeed that tempteth you As sure as if your eyes behâ—ld hâ—m â—t's he that prompteth men to â—â—er at godâ—iness and puts your wanton ribbald speeches and oaths and curses into yoâ—r mouths He is the Tutor of the enemies of grace that teacheth them docâ—è delâ—rare ingeniosè insanire ingeniously to quarrel with the way of life and learnedly to confute the arguments that would have saved them and subtilly to dispute themselves out of the hands of mercy and gallantly to scorn to stoop to Christ till there be no remedy and with plausible eloquence to commend the plague and sickness of their souls and irrefragâ—bly maintain it that the way to Hell will lead to Heaven and to justifie the sins that will condemn them and honourably and triumphantly to overcome their friends and to serve the Devil in mood and figâ—â—re and valiantly to cast themselves into Hell in despite of all the laws and reproofs of God or man that would have hindered them It being most certain that this is the Dâ—vils work and you durst not do it if he moved you to it with open face how dare you do it when faith would assure you that it 's as veriâ—y he as if you saw him More distinctly answâ—r these following Questions upon the foregoing suppositions Qâ—est 1. If you saw but what you say you do believe would you not be convinced that the most pleasant gainful sin is worse than madness and would you not spit at the very name of it and openly cry out of your open folly and beg for prayers and love reprovers and resolve to turn without delay Quest 2. What would you think of the most serious holy life if you had seen the things that you say you do believe would you ever again reproach it as preciseness or count it more ado than needs and think your time were better spent in playing than in praying in drinking and sports and filthy lusts than in the holy services of the Lord would you think then that one day in seven were too much for the work for which you live and that an hour on this holy day were enough to be spent in instructing you for eternity Or would you not believe that he is the blessed man whose delight is in the Law of God and meditateth in it day and night Could you plead for sensuality or ungodly negligence or open your mouths against the most serious holiness of life if Heaven and Hell stood open to your view Quest 3. If you saw but what you say you do believe would you ever again be offended with the Ministers of Christ for the plainest reproofs and closest exhortations and strictest precepts and discipline that now are disrelished so much Or rather would you not desire them to help you presently to try your states and to search you to the quick and to be more solicitous to save you than to please you The patient that will take no bitter medicine in time when he sees he must die would then take any thing When you see the things that now you hear of then you would do any thing O then might you have these daies again Sermons would not be too plain or long In season and out of season would then be allowed of Then you would understand what moved Ministers to be so importunate with you for conversion and whether trifling or serious preaching was the best Quest 4. Had you seen the things that you say you do believe what effect would Sermons have upon you after such a sight â—s this O what a change it would make upon our preaching and your hearing if we saw the things that we speak and hear of How fervently should we importune you in the name of Christ How attentively would you hear and carefully consider and obey we should then have no such sleepy preaching and hearing as now we have Could I but shew to all this Congregation while I am preaching the invisible world of which we preach and did you hear with Heaven and Hell in your eye sight how confident should I be though not of the saving change of all that I should this hour teach you to plead for sin and against a holy life no more and send you home another people than you came hither I durst then ask the worst that heareth me Dare you now be drunk or gluttonous or worldly dare you be voluptuous proud or fornicators any more Dare you go home and make a jest at piety and neglect your souls as you have done And why then should not the believed truth prevail if indeed you did believe it when the thing is as sure as if you saw it Quest 5. If you had seen what you say you do believe would you hunt as eagerly for wealth or honour and regard the thoughts or words of men as you did before Though it 's only the Believer that truly honoureth his Rulers for none else honour
Essence or that which streameth further to other creatures And this last is either that which it sendeth to us before its own appearing or rising or that which accompanieth its appearing or that which leaveth behind it as it setteth or passeth away so must we distinguish in the present case But all this is but One Light and One Spirit So then I should in order speak 1. Of that Spirit in the words and works of Christ himself which constituteth the Christian Religion 2. That Spirit in the Prophets and Fathers before Christ which was the antecedent light 3. That Spirit in Christs followers which was the concomitant and subsequent Light or witness And 1. In those next his abode on earth And 2. Of those that are more remote CHAP. IV. The Image of Gods Wisdom 1. AND first observe the three parts of Gods Image or impress upon the Christian Religion in it self as containing the whole work of mans Redemption as it is found in the works and doctrine of Christ 1. The WISDOM of it appeareth in these particular observations which yet shew it to us but very defectively for want of the clearness and the integrality and the order of our knowledge For to see but here and there a parcel of one entire frame or work and to see those few parcels as dislocated and not in their proper places and order and all this but with a dark imperfect sight is far from that full and open view of the manifold Wisdom of God in Christ which Angels and superiour intellects have 1. Mark how wisely God hath ordered it that the three Essentialitieâ— in the Divine Nature Power Intellection and Will Omnipotency Wisdom and Goodness and the three persons in the Trinity the Father the Word and the Spirit and the three Causalities of God as the Efficient Directive and final Cause of whom and through whom and to whom are all things should have three most eminent specimina or impressions in the world or three most conspicuous works to declare and glorifie them viz. Nature Grace and Glory And that God should accordingly stand related to man in three answerable Relations viz. as our Creatour our Redeemer and our Perfecter by Holiness initially and Glory finally 2. How wisely it is ordered that seeing Mans Love to God is both his greatest duty and his perfection and felicity there should be some standing emâ—nent means for the attraction and excitation of our Love And this should be the most eminent manifestation of the Love of God to us and withall of his own most perfect Holiness and Goodness And that as we have as much need of the sense of his Goodness as of his Power Loving him being our chief work that there should be as observable a demonstration of his Goodness extant as the world is of his Power 3. Especially when man had fallen by sin from the Love of God to the Love of his carnal self and of the creature and when he was fallen under vindictive Justice and was conscious of the displeasure of his Maker and had made himself an heir of Hell And when mans nature can so hardly love one that in Justice standeth engaged or resolved to damn him forsake him and hate him How wisely is it ordered that he that would recover him to his Love should first declare his Love to the offender in the fullest sort and should reconcile himself unto him and shew his readiness to forgive him and to save him yea to be his felicity and his chiefest good That so the Remedy may be answerable to the disease and to the duty 4. How wisely is it thus contrived that the frame and course of mans obedience should be appointed to consist in Love and Gratitude and to run out in such praise and chearful duty as is animated throughout by Love that so sweet a spring may bring forth answerable streams That so the Goodness of our Master may appear in the sweetness of our work and we may not serve the God of Love and Glory like slaves with a grudging weary mind but like children with delight and quietness And our work and way may be to us a foretaste of our reward and end 5. And yet how meet was it that while we live in such a dark material world in a body of corruptible flesh among enemies and snares our duty should have somewhat of caution and vigilancy and therefore of fear and godly sorrow to teach us to rellish grace the more And that our condition should have in it much of necessity and trouble to drive us homeward to God who is our rest And how aptly doth the very permission of sin it self subserve this end 6. How wisely is it thus contrived that Glory at last should be better rellished and that man who hath the Joy should give God the Glory and be bound to this by a double obligation 7. How aptly is this remedying design and all the work of mans Redemption and all the Precepts of the Gospel built upon or planted into the Law of natural perfection Faith being but the means to recover Love and Grace being to Nature but as Medicine is to the Body and being to Glory as Medicine is to Health So that as a man that was never taught to speak or to go or to do any work or to know any science or trade or business which must be known acquisitively is a miserable man as wanting all that which should help him to use his natural powers to their proper ends so it is much more with him that hath Nature without Grace which must heal it and use it to its proper ends 8. So that it appeareth that as the Love of Perfection is fitly called the Law of Nature because it is agreeable to man in his Natural state of Innocency so the Law of Grace may be now called the Law of depraved Nature because it is as suitable to lapsed man And when our pravity is undeniable how credible should it be that we have such a Law 9. And there is nothing in the Gospel either unsuitable to the first Law of Nature or contradictory to it or yet of any alien nature but only that which hath the most excellent aptitude to subserve it Giving the Glory to God in the highest by restoring Peace unto the Earth and Goodness towards men 10. And when the Divine Monarchy is apt in the order of Government to communicate some Image of it self to the Creature as well as the Divine Perfections have communicated their Image to the Creatures in their Natures or Beings how wisely it is ordered that mankind should have one universal Vicarious Head or Monarch There is great reason to believe that there is Monarchy among Angels And in the world it most apparently excelleth all other forms of Government in order to Vnity and Strength and Glory and if it be apter than some others to degenerate into oppressing Tyranny that is only caused by the great corruption of humane
though we must not with Fanatical persons put first our own interpretation upon Gods works and then expound his Word by them but use his works as the fulfilling of his Word and expound his Providences by his Precepts and his Promises and Threats Direct 7. Mark well Gods inward works of Government upon the soul and you shall find it very agreeable to the Gospel There is a very great evidence of a certain Kingdom of God within us And as he is himself a Spirit so it is with the Spirit that he doth most apparently converse in the work of his moral Government in the world 1. There you shall find a Law of duty or an inward conviction of much of that obedience which you owe to God 2. There you shall find an inward mover striving with you to draw you to perform this duty 3. There you shall find the inward suggestions of an enemy labouring to draw you away from this duty and to make a godly life seem grievous to you and also to draw you to all the sins which Christ forbiddeth 4. There you shall find an inward conviction that God is your Judge and that he will call you to account for your wilful violations of the Laws of Christ 5. There you shall find an inward sentence past upon you according as you do good or evil 6. And there you may find the sorest Judgements of God inflicted which any short of Hell endure You may there find how God for sin doth first afflict the soul that is not quite forsaken with troubles and affrightments and some of the feeling of his displeasure And where that is long despised and men sin on still he useth to with hold his gracious motions and leave the sinner dull and senseless so that he can sin with sinful remorse having no heart or life to any thing that is spiritually good And if yet the sinner think not of his condition to repent he is usually so far forsaken as to be given up to the power of his most bruitish lust and to glory impudently in his shame and to hate and persecute the servants of Christ who would recover him till he hath filled up the measure of his sin and wrath be come upon him to the uttermost Ephes 4.18 19. 1 Thes 2.15 16. being abominable and disobedient and to every good work reprobate Titus 1.15 16. Besides the lesser penal withdrawings of the Spirit which Gods own servants find in themselves after some sins or neglects of grace 7. And there also you may find the Rewards of Love and faithful duty by many tastes of Gods acceptance and many comforts of his Spirit and by his owning the soul and giving out larger assistance of his Spirit and peace of conscience and entertainment in prayer and all approaches of the soul to God and sweeter forecasts of life eternal In a word if we did but note Gods dreadful Judgements on the souls of the ungodly in this age as well as we have noted our plagues and flames and if Gods servants kept as exact observations of their inward rewards and punishments and that in particulars as suited to their particular sins and duties you will see that Christ is King indeed and that there is a real Government according to his Gospel kept up in the consciences or souls of men though not so observable as the rewards and punishments at the last day Direct 8. Dwell not too much on sensual objects and let them not come too near your hearts Three things I here perswade you carefully to avoid 1. That you keep your hearts at a meet distance from all things in this world that they grow not too sweet to you nor too great in your esteem 2. That you gratifie not sense it self too much and live not in the pleasing of your taste or lust 3. That you suffer not your imaginations to run out greedily after things sensitive nor make them the too frequent objects of your thoughts You may ask perhaps what is all this to our faith why the life of faith is exercised upon things that are not seen And if you live upon the things that are seen and imprison your soul in the fetters of your concupiscence and fill your fancies with things of another nature how can you be acquainted with the life of faith Can a bird flye that hath a stone tyed to her foot Can you have a mind full of lust and of God at once Or can that mind that is used to these inordinate sensualities be fit to rellish the things that are spiritual And can it be a lover of earth and fleshly pleasures and also a Believer and lover of Heaven Direct 9. Vse your selves much to think and speak of Heaven and the invisible things of Faith Speaking of Heaven is needful both to express your thoughts and to actuate and preserve them And the often thoughts of Heaven will make the mind familiar there And familiarity will assist and encourage faith For it will much acquaint us with those reasons and inducements of faith which a few strange and distant thoughts will never reach to As he that converseth much with a learned wise or godly man will easilier believe that he is learned wise or godly than he that is a stranger to him and only now and then seeth him afar off So he that thinketh so frequently of God and Heaven till his mind hath contracted a humble acquaintance and familiarity must needs believe the truth of all that excellency which before he doubted of For doubting is the effect of ignorance And he that knoweth most here believeth best Falshood and evil cannot bear the light but the more you think of them and know them the more they are detected and ashamed But truth and goodness love the light and the better you are acquainted with them the more will your belief and love be increased Direct 10. Live not in the guilt of wilful sin For that will many waies hinder your belief 1. It will breed fear and horrour in your minds and make you wish that it were not true that there is a day of Judgement and a Hell for the ungodly and such a God such a Christ and such a life to come as the Gospel doth describe And when you take it for your interest to be an unbeliever you will hearken with desire to all that the Devil and Infidels can say And you will the more easily make your selves believe that the Gospel is not true by how much the more you desire that it should not be true 2. And you will forfeit the grace which should help you to believe both by your wilfull sin and by your unwillingness to believe For who can expect that Christ should give his grace to them who wilfully despise him and abuse it Or that he should make men believe who had rather not believe Indeed he may possibly do both these but these are not the way nor is it a thing which we can expect
and use the language the motives and the employments of the Country and people where they live so he that is most familiar with such as live by Faith upon things unseen and take Gods promise for full security hath a very great help to learn and live that life himself Heb. 10.24 25. 1 Thes 4.17 18. Phil. 3.20 21. Direct 20. Forget not the nearness of the things unseen and think not of a long continuance in this world but live in continual expectation of your change Distant things be they never so great do hardly move us As in bodily motion the mover must be contiguous And as our senses are not fit to apprehend beyond a certain distance so our minds also are finite and have their bounds and measure And sin hath made them much narrower foolish and 〈◊〉 sighted than they would have been A certainty of dying 〈◊〉 last should do much with us But yet he that looketh to live long on earth will the more hardly live by Faith in Heaven when he that daily waiteth for his change will have easily the more serious and effectual thoughts of the world in which he must live next and of all the preparations necessary thereunto and will the more easily despise the things on earth which are the employment and felicity of the sensual Col. 3.1 2 3. Phil. 1.20 21 22 23. 1 Cor. 15.31 As we see it in constant experience in men when they see that they must presently die indeed how light then set they by the world how little are they moved with the talk of honour with the voice of mirth with the sight of meat or drink or beauty or any thing which before they had not power to deny and how seriously they will then talk of sin and grace of God and Heaven which before they could not be awakened to regard If therefore you would live by faith indeed set your selves as at the entrance of that world which faith foreseeth and live as men that know they may die to morrow and certainly must be gone ere long Dream not of I know not how many years more on earth which God never promised you unlâ—ss you make it your business to vanquish faith by setting its objects at a greater distance than God hath set them Learn Christs warning to one and all To watch and to be alwaies ready Mark 13.33 35 37. 1 Pet. 4 7. Mat. 24.44 Luke 12.40 He that thinketh he hath yet time enough and day-light before him will be the apter to loiter in his work or Journey When every man will make haste when the Sun is setting if he have much to do or far to go Delaies which are the great preventers of Repentance and undoers of the world do take their greatest advantage from this ungrounded expectation of long life When they hear the Physician say He is a dead man and there is no hope then they would fain begin to live and then how religious and reformed would they be whereas if this foolish errour did not hinder them they might be of the same mind all their lives and might have then done their work and waited with desire for the Crown and said with Paul For I am now ready to be offered and the time of my departure is at hand I have fought a good fight I have finished my course I have kept the faith henceforth there is laid up for me a Crown of Righteousness which the Lord the Righteous Judge shall give me at that day and not to me only but to them also that love his appearing 2 Tim. 4.6 7 8. And so much for the General Directions to be observed by them that will live by Faith I only add that as the well doing of all our particular duties dependeth most on the common health and soundness of the soul in its state of grace so our living by Faith in all the particular cases after instanced doth depend more upon these General Directions than on the particular ones which are next to be adjoyned CHAP. I. An Enumeration of the Particular Cases in which especially Faith must be used 1. How to live by Faith on GOD. THE General Directions before given must be practised in all the Particular Cases following or in order to them But besides them it is needful to have some special Directions for each Case And the particular Cases which I shall instance in are these 1. How to exercise Faith on GOD himself 2. Upon Jesus Christ 3. Upon the Holy Ghost 4. About the Scripture Precepts and Examples 5. About the Scripture Promises 6. About the Threatnings 7. About Pardon of sin and Justification 8. About Sanctification and the exercises of other Graces 9. Against inward vices and temptations to actual sin 10. In case of Prosperity 11. In Adversity and particular Afflictions 12. In Gods Worship publick and private 13. For Spiritual Peace and Joy 14. For the World and the Church of God 15. For our Relations 16. In loving others as our selves 17. About Heaven and following the Saints 18. How to die in Faith 19. About the coming of Christ to Judgement GOD is both the object of our knowledge as he is revealed in Nature and of our Faith as he is revealed in the holy Scriptures He is the first and last object of our Faith It is life eternal to know him the only true God and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent Ye believe in God believe also in me was Christs order in commanding and causing Faith Joh. 14.1 Seeing therefore this is the principal part of Faith to know God and live upon him and to him I shall give you many though brief Directions in it Direct 1. Behold the glorious and full demonstrations of the Being of the Deity in the whole frame of nature and especially in your selves The great argument from the Effect to the Cause is unanswerable All the caused and derived Beings in the world must needs have a first Being for their cause All Action Intellection and Volition all Power Wisdom and Goodness which is caused by another doth prove that the cause can have no less than the total effect hath To see the world and to know what a man is and yet to deny that there is a God is to be mad He that will not know that which all the world doth more plainly preach than words can possibly express and will not know the sense of his own Being and faculties doth declare himself uncapable of teaching Psal 14.1 49.12 20. Isa 1.2 3. It is the greatest shame that mans understanding is capable of to be ignorant of God 1 Cor. 15.34 and the greatest shame to any Nation Hos 4.1 6.6 As it is the highest advancement of the mind to know him and therefore the summ of all our duty Prov. 2.5 Hos 6 6· 2 Chron. 30.21 22. Isa 11.9 2 Pet. 2.20 Rom. 1.20 28. Joh. 17.3 Direct 2. Therefore take not the Being and Perfections of God for superstructures and
have access by Faith into this grace wherein we stand and rejoyce in hope of the Glory of God The Love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given to us For when we were without strength in due time Christ died for the ungodly God commended his Love to us that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us So Ephes 3.17 18 19. Let Christ dwell in your hearts by Faith and it would help you to be rooted and grounded in Love and to comprehend with all Saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height and to know the Love of Christ which passeth knowledge and so to be filled with the fulness of God If Faith be the way to see Gods Love and Faith be the way thereby to raise our Love to God then Faith in Christ must needs be the continual instrument of the Spirit or that means which we must still use for the increase of the Spirit Direct 25. The works of the Spirit next to the excitation of Life Light and Love do consist in the subduing of the lusts of the flesh and of the power of all the objects of sense which serve it Therefore be sure that you faithfully serve the Spirit in this mortifying work and that you take not part with the flesh against it A grat part of our duty towards the Holy Ghost doth consist in this joyning with him and obeying him in his strivings against the flesh And therefore it is that so many and earnest exhortations are used with us to live after the Spirit and not after the flesh and to mortifie the lusts of the flesh and the deeds of it by the Spirit especially in Rom. 8.1 to the 16. and in Gal. 5. throughout Rom. 6. 7. Col. 3. Ephes 5. Direct 26. Take not every striving for a victory nâ—r every desire of grace to be true grace it self unless grace be desired as it is the lovely Image of God and pleasing to him and be desired before all earthly things and unless you not only strive against but conquer the predominant love of every sin There are many uneffectual desires and strivings which consist with the dominion of sin Many a fornicator and glutton and drunkard hath earnest wishes that he could leave his sin when he thinketh of the shame and punishment and hath a great deal of striving against it before he yieldeth But yet he liveth in it still because his love to it is the predominant part in him Rom. 6.2 How shall we that are dead to sin live any longer therein Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into Christ were baptized into his death We are buryed with him by Baptism Knowing this that our old man is crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed that henceforth we should not serve sin For he that is dead is freed from sin V. 12. Let not sin reign therefore in your mortal bodies that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof V. 13. Neither yield your members servants of unrighteousness unto sin For sin shall not have dominion over you Know ye not that to whom you yield your selves servants to obey his servants ye are to whom ye obey whether of sin unto death or of obedience unto righteousness Rom. 8.13 If ye live after the flesh ye shall die but if ye through the Spirit do mortifie the deeds of the body ye shall live See Gal. 5.16 18 19 20 21 22 23. They that are Christs have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts V. 24. and 2 Tim. 2.19 The foundation of God standeth sure having this seal The Lord knoweth who are his And let every one that nameth the Name of Christ depart from iniquity Object But it is said Gal. 5.17 The flesh lusteth against the Spirit so that ye cannot do the things which ye would Answ That is every true Christian would fain be perfect in Holiness and Obedience but cannot because of the lustings of the flesh But it doth not say or mean that any true Christian would live without wilful gross or reigning sin and cannot that he would live without murder adultery theft or any sin which is more loved than hated but cannot We cannot do all that we would but it doth not follow that we can do nothing which we would or cannot sincerely obey the Gospel Object Paul saith Rom. 7.15 18. To will is present with me but how to perform that which is good I find not and what I would that I do not Answ The same answer will serve To will perfect Obedience to all Gods Laws was present with Paul but not to do it He would be free from every infirmity but could not And therefore could not be justified by the Law of Works But he never saith that he would obey sincerely and could not or that he would live without heinous sin and could not Indeed in his flesh he saith there dwelleth no good thing but that denyeth not his spiritual power who so often proposeth himself as an example to be imitated by those that he wrote to Thousands are deceived about their state by taking every unâ—ffectual desire and wish and every striving before they sin to be a mark of saving grace misunderstanding Mr. Perkins and some others with him who make a desire of grace to be the grace it self and a combatâ— against the flesh to be a sign of the renovation by the Spirit whereas they mean only such a desire of grace as grace for the Love of God as is more powerful than any contrary desires and such a combating as conquereth gross or mortal sin and striveth against infirmities And of this this saying is very true Direct 27. Strive with your hearts when the Spirit is striveing with you and take the season of its spâ—cial help and make one gale of grace advantageous to another This is a great point of Christian wisdom The help of the Spirit is not at our command take it while you have it Use wind and tide before they cease God will not be a servant to our slothfulness and negligence As he that will not come to the Church at the hour when the Minister of Christ is there but say I will come another time will have none of his teaching there so he that will not take the Spirits time but say I am not now at leisure may be left without its help and taught by sad experience to know that it is fitter for man to wait on God than for God to wait on man More may be done and got at one hour than at another when we have no such help and motions Direct 28. Be much in the contemplation of the heavenly Glory for there are the highest objects and the greatest demonstrations of Gods Love and Goodness and therefore in such thoughts we are most likely to meet with the Spirit with whose nature and design they are so agreeable We fall
Gods Love And so the gift of the Spirit of Miracles and Infallibility for writing and confirming Scriptures was promised to the first age which is not promised to us Direct 17. Take not any good mans observation in those times for an universal promise of God For instance David saith Psal 73. I have been young and now am old yet did I never see the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging their bread But if he had lived in Gospel times where God giveth greater heavenly blessings and comforts and calleth men to higher degrees of patience and mortification and contempt of the world he might have seen many both of the righteous and their seed begging their bread though not forsaken yea Christ himself asking for water of a woman John 4. Direct 18. Take heed of making promises to seem instead of precepts as if you were to do that your selves which God hath promised that he will do If God promise to deliver his Church or to free any of his servants from trouble or persecution you must have a precept to tell you what is your own duty and what means you must use before you mâ—st attempt your own deliverance What God will do is one thing and what you must do is another This hath been the strange delusion of the people that call themselves the Fifth-Monarchy men in our times who believing that Christ will set up righteousness and pull down Tyrants in the earth have thought that therefore they must do it by arms and so have been drawn into many rebellions to the scandal of others and their own ruine Direct 19. Take heed of mistaking Prophecies for Promises especially dark Prophecies not understood Many things are foretold by God in Prophecies which are mens sins Herod and Pontius Pilate and the people of the Jews fulfilled Prophecies in the crucifying of Christ and all the persecutors and muderers of the Saints fulfil Christs Prophecies and so do all that hate us And say all manner of evil falsly against us for his sake Mat. 5.11 12. But the sin is never the less for that It is prophesied that the ten Kings shall give up their Kingdoms to the beast that in the last daies shall come scoffers walking after their own lusts and in the last daies shall be perilous times c. These are not Promises nor Precepts It hath lamentably disturbed the Church of Christ when ignorant self-conceited Christians who see not the difficulty grow confident that they understand many Prophecies in Daniel the Revelations c. and thereupon found their presumption miscalled faith upon their own mistakes and then form their prayers their communion their practice into such schism and sedition and uncharitable waies as the interest of their opinions do require as the Millenaries before mentioned have done in this generation Direct 20. Think not that all Gods Promises are made to meer sincerity and that every true Christian must be freed from all penal hurt however they behave themselves For there are further helps of the Spirit which are promised only to our diligence in attending the Spirit and to the degrees of industry and fervour and fidelity in watching praying striving and other use of means And there are heavy chastisements which God threatneth to the godly when they misbehave themselves Especially the hiding of his face and with-holding any measure of his Spirit The Scripture is full of such threatnings and instances Direct 21. Much less may you imagine that God hath made any Promise that all the sins of true Believers shall work together for their good They misexpound Rom. 8.28 who so expound it as I have elsewhere shewed For 1. The context confirmeth it to sufferings 2. The qualification added to them that love God doth shew that the abatement of love to God is none of the things meant that shall work our good 3. And it sheweth that it is Love as Love and therefore not the least that is consistent with neglect and sin which is our full condition 4. Experience telleth us that too many true Christians may fall from some degrees of grace and the Love of God and die in a less degree than they once had and that less of holiness doth not work for their good 5. And it is not a thing suitable to all the rest of Gods method in the Scriptures that he should assure all beforehand that all their sins shall work for their good That he should command obedience so strictly and promise rewards so liberally and threaten punishment so terribly and give such frightful examples as Solomons Davids and others are and at the same time say Whatever sin thou committest inwardly or outwardly by neglecting my Love and Grace and Spirit by loving the world by pleasing the flesh as David did c. it shall all be turned to do thee more good than hurt This is not a suitable means to men in our case to keep them from sin nor to cause their perseverance Direct 22. Vnderstand well what Promises are universal to all Bâ—lievers and what are but particular and proper to some few There are many particular Promises in Scripture made by name to Noah to Abraham to Moses to Aaron to David to Solomon to Hezekiah to Christ to Peter to Paul c. which we cannot say are made to us Therefore the Covenant of Grace which is the Vniversal Promise 〈◊〉 especially be made the ground of our faith and all other as they are branches and appurtenances of that and have in the Scripture some true signification that they indeed extend to us For if we should believe that every Promise made to any Saint of God as Hannah Sarah Rebecca Elizabeth Mary c. do belong to us we should abuse our selves and God And yet to us they have their use Direct 23. It is of very great importance to understand what Promises are absolute and which are suspended upon any condition to be performed by us and what each of those conditions it As the Promise to the Fathers that the Messiah should come was absolute God gâ—ve not a Saviour to the world so as to suspend his coming on any thing to be done by man The not drowning of the world was an absolute Promise made to Noah so was the calling of the Gentiles promised But the Covenant of Promises sealed in Baptism is conditional and therefore both parties God and man are the Covenanters therein And in the Gospel the Promises of our first Justification and Adoption and of our after pardon and of our Justification at Judgement and of our additional degrees of grace and of our freedom from chastisements have some difference in the conditions though true Christianity be the main substance of them all Meer Christianity or true consent to the Covenant is the condition of our first Justification And the continuance of this with actual sincere obedience is the condition of non-omission or of continuance of this state of Jâ—stification And the use of prayer and other
and the everlasting miseries of the damned in Hell being the due effects or punishment of sin are the second cause of our necessity of pardon And therefore these also must be thought on seriously by him that will seriously believe in Christ 4. The Law of God which we have broken maketh this punishment our due Rom. 3. 5. 7. And the Justice of God is engaged to secure his own honour in the honour of his Law and Government Direct 2. Vnderstand well what Christ is and doth for the Justification of a sinner and how not one only but all the parts of his office are exercised hereunto In the dignity of his person and perfect original holiness of his natures divine and humane he is fitly qualified for his work of our Justification and Salvation His undertaking which is but the Divine Decree did from eternity lay the foundation of all but did not actually justifie any His Promise Gen. 3.15 and his new Relation to mâ—â— thereupon did that to the Fathers in some degree which his after-incarnation and performance and his Relation thereupon doth now to us His perfect Obedience to the Law yea to that Law of Mediation also peculiar to himself which he performed neither as Priest or Prophet or King but as a subject was the meritorious cause of that Covenant and Grace which justifieth us and so of our Justification And that which is the meritorious cause here is also usually called the material as it is that matter or thing which meriteth our Justification and so is called Our Righteousness it self As he was a sacrifice for sin he answered the ends of the Law which we violated and which condemned us as well as if we had been all punished according to the sense of the Law And therefore did thereby satisfie the Law-giver and thereby also merited our pardon and Justification so that his Obedience as such and his Sacrifice or whole humiliation as satisfactory by answering the ends of the Law are conjunctly the meritorious cause of our Justification His New Covenant which in Baptism is made mutual by our expressed consent is a general gift or act of oblivion or pardon given freely to all mankind on condition they will believe and consent to it or accept it so that it is Gods pardoning and adopting instrument And all are pardoned by it conditionally and every penitent Believer actually and really And this Covenant or Gift is the effect of the foresaid merit of Christ both founded and sealed by his blood As he merited this as a mediating subject and sacrifice so as our High Priest he offered this sacrifice of himself to God And as our King he being the Law-giver to the Church did make this Covenant as his Law of grace describing the terms of life and death And being the Judge of the world doth by his sentence justifie and condemn men as believers or unbelievers according to this Covenant And also executeth his sentence accordingly partly in this life but fully in the life to come As our Teacher and the Prophet or Angel of the Covenant he doth declare it as the Fathers will and promulgate and proclaim this Covenant and conditional Pardon and Justification to the world and send out his Embassadours with it to beseech men in his Name to be reconciled to God and to declare yea and by sacramental investiture to seal and deliver a Pardon and actual Justification to Believers when they consent And as our Mediating High Priest now in the Heavens he presenteth our necessity and his own righteousnesses and sacrifice as his meritâ— for the continual communication of all this grace by himself as the Head of the Church and Administrator of the Covenant So that Christ doth justifie us both as a subject meriting as a sacrifice meriting as a Priest offering that sacrifice as a King actually making the Justifying Law or enacting a general Pardon as a King sententially and executively justifying as a Prophet or Angel of the Covenant promulgating it as King and Prophet and Priest delivering a sealed Pardon by his Messengers And as the Priest Head and Administrator communicating this with the rest of his benefits By which you may see in what respects Christ must be believed in to Justification if Justifying Faith were as it is not only the receiving him as our Justifier It would not be the receiving him as in one part of his office only Direct 3. Vnderstand rightly how far it is that the righteousness of Christ himself is made ours or imputed to us and how far not There are most vehement controversies to this day about the Imputation of Christs Righteousness in which I know not well which of the extreams are in the greater errour those that plead for it in the mistaken sense or those that plead against it in the sober and right sense But I make no doubt but they are both of them damnable as plainly subverting the foundation of our faith And yet I do not think that they will prove actually damning to the Authors because I believe that they misunderstand their adversaries and do not well understand themselves and that they digest not and practise not what they plead for but digest and practise that truth which they doctrinally subvert not knowing the contrariety which if they knew they would renounce the errour and not the truth And I think that many a one that thus contradicteth fundamentals may be saved Some there be besides the Antinomians that hold that Christ did perfectly obey and satisfie not in the natural but in the civil or legal person of each sinner that is elect representing and bearing as many distinct persons as are elect so fully as that God doth repute every Elect person or say others every Believer to be one that in Law sense did perfectly obey and satisfie Justice himself and so imputeth Christs Righteousness and satisfaction to us as that which was reputatively or legally of our own performance and so is ours not only in its effects but in it self Others seeing the pernicious consequences of this opinion deny all imputed Righteousness of Christ to us and write many reproachful volumes against it as you may see in Thorndikes last works and Dr. Gell and Parker against the Assembly and abundance more The truth is Christ merited and satisfied for us in the person of a Mediator But this Mediator was the Head and Root of all Believers and the second Adam the fountain of spiritual life and the Surety of the New Covenant Heb. 7.22 1 Cor. 15.22 45. and did all this in the nature of man and for the sake and benefit of man suffering that we might not suffer damnation but not obeying that we might not obey but suffering and obeying that our sinful imperfection of obedience might not be our ruine and our perfect obedience might not be necessary to our own Justification or Salvation but that God might for the sake and merit of this his perfect obedience and
after pardon that your faith may be firm and powerful and quieting especially consider the following grounds 1. Gods gracious Nature proclaimed even to Moses as abundant in mercy and forgiving iniquitys transgressions and sins to these and upon those terms that he promiseth forgiveness though he will by no means clear the guilty that is will neither take the unrighteous to be righteous nor forgive them or acquire them in judgment whom his Covenant did not first forgive 2. The merciful Nature and of our Redeemer Heb. 2.17 3. How deeply Christ harh engaged himself to shew mercy when he assumed our nature and did so much towards our salvation as he hath done Heb. 8 9. 4. That it is his very office and undertaking which therefore he cannot possibly neglect Luke 19.10 2.11 John 4.42 Acts 5.31 13.23 5. That God the Father himself did give him to us and appoint him to this saving office John 3.16 18. Acts 5.31 13.23 Yea God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself not imputing to them their trespasses 2 Cor. 5.18 19. And God made him sin that is a sacrifice for sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him that is might be the publick instances of Gods merciful Justice as Christ was of his penal Justice and this by a righteousness given us by God himself and purchased or merited for us by Christ 2 Cor. 5.21 yea and be renewed in holiness and righteousness according to his Image 6. That now it is become the very interest of God and of Jesus Christ himself to justifie us as ever he would not lose either the glory of his grace or the obedience and suffering which he hath performed Isa 53.19 Rom. 5.12 13 18 19 c. Rom. 4. throughout 7. Consider the nearness of the Person of Christ both to the Father and to us Heb. 1 2 3. 8. Think of the perfection of his sacrifice and merit set out throughout the Epistle to the Hebrews 9. Think of the word of Promise or Covenant which he hath made and sealed and sworn Heb. 6.17 18. Titus 1.2 10. Think of the great seal of the Spirit which is more than a Promise even an earnest which is a certain degree of possession and is an executive pardon as after shall be declared Rom. 8.15 16. Gal. 4.6 11. Remember that Gods own Justice is now engaged for our Justification in these two respects conjunct 1. Because of the fulness of the merits and satisfaction of Christ 2. And because of his Veracity which must fulfil his promise and his governing or destributive Justice which must judge men according to his own Law of Grace and must give men that which he himself hath made their right 2 Tim. 4.7 8. 1 John 5.9 10 11 12. 12. Lastly Think of the many millions now in Heaven of whom many were greater sinners than you and no one of them save Christ came thither by the way of innocency and legal Justification There are no Saints in Heaven that were not redeemed from the captivity of the Devil and justified by the way of pardoning grace and were not once the heirs of death John 3.3 5. Rom. 3 4. Upon these considerations trust your selves confidently on the grace of Christ and take all your sins but as the advantages of his grace Direct 9. Remember that there is somewhat on your own parts to be done for the continuing as well as for the beginning of your Justification yea somewhat more than for the beginning even the faithful keeping of your baptismal Covenant in the essentials of it and also that you have continual need of Christ to continue your Justification Many take Justification to be one instantanious act of God which is never afterwards to be done And so it is if we mean only the first making of him righteous who was unrighteous As the first making of the world and not the continuance of it is called Creation but this is but about the name For the thing it self no doubt but that Covenant which first justified us doth continue to justifie us and if the cause should cease the effect would cease And he that requireth no actual obedience as the condition of our begun Justification doth require both the continuance of faith and actual sincere obedience as the condition of continuing or not losing our Justification as Davenant Bergius Blank c. have well opened and I have elsewhere proved at large As Matrimony giveth title to conjugal priviledges to the wife but conjugal fidelity and performance of the essentials of the contract is necessary to continue them Therefore labour to keep up your faith and to abide in Christ and he in you and to bring forth fruit lest ye be branches withered and for the fire John 15.2 3 7 8 9 c. And upon the former misapprehension the same persons do look upon all the faith which they exercise through their lives after the first instantanious act as no justifying faith at all but only a faith of the same kind but to what use they hardly know Yea they look upon Christ himself as if they had no more use for him either as to continue their Justification or to forgive their after-sins when as our continued faith must be exercised all our lives on the same Christ and trust on the same Covenant for the continuation and perfection of that which was begun at the time of our Regeneration Col. 1.23 1 John 2.24 Heb. 3.6.12 13. Heb. 6.11 12. 10.22 23. Direct 10. Vnderstand that every sin which you commit hath need of a renewed pardon in Christ and that he doth me prevent your necessity of such pardon And therefore you will have constant need of Christ and must daily come to God for pardon by him not only for the pardon of temporal chastisements but of everlasting punishments Of the sense of this I shall say more anon the proof of it is in the fore recited Promises and in all those texts of Scripture which tell us that death is the wages of sin and call us to ask pardon and tell us on what terms it may be had Direct 11. Yet do not think that every sin doth put you into a state of condemnation again or nullifie your former Justification For though the Law of nature is so far still in force as to make punishment by it your natural due yet the Covenant of Grace is a continually pardoning act and according to its proper terms doth dissolve the foresaid obligation and presently remit the punishment and as its moral action is not interrupted no more is our justified state There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus c. Rom. 8.1 John 3.16 18. 1 John 5.11 12. If any man sin we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous and he is the Propitiation for our sins 1 John 2.1 2. If we confess our sins be
is faithful and just to forgive us our sisn and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness If all need of pardon had been prevented by Christ what use were there of his advocation for our future forgiveness Direct 12. Remember that though unknown infirmities and unavoidable ones have an immediate pardon because the Believer hath an habitual Faith and Repentance yet great and known sins must have actual Repentance before the pardon will be plenary or perfect though the person is not in the mean time an unregenerate nor unjustified person 1. That great and known sins must have a particular repentance appeareth 1. In that it is utterly inconsistent with the sincerity of habitual Repentance not to be actual when sins are known and come into our deliberate remembrance 2. By all those texts which require such repentance confession and forsaking 1 John 2.1 2. 1 John 1.9 Prov. 18.13 Psal 32. 51. 2 Cor. 7.11 Rev 2.5 16. Luke 13.3 5. Jam. 5.14 15. Luke 6.37 11.4 Repentance consisteth chiefly in forsaking sin and if men forsake not such known wilful sins they are wicked men and therefore are not pardoned 2. That unavoidable frailties and meer infirmities and unknown faults are pardoned immediately to them that are truly godly and have a general and implicit Repentance is plain because else no man in the world could be saved because every man hath such infirmities and unknown sins 1 John 1.10 3. Yet David himself is not put by his sin into a meer graceless state and as a person that hath no former Justification for he prayeth God not to take his Spirit from him and he was not deprived of the true love to God which is the character of Gods children But he had incurred heinous guilt and put himself in the way towards utter damnation and caused a necessity of a more particular deep Repentance before he could be fully pardoned than else he needed Before the world had a Saviour we were all so far unpardoned that a satisfying Sacrifice was necessary to our Justification But afterward all men are so far pardoned that only the Acceptance of what is purchased and freely though conditionally given is necessary to it Before men are converted they are yet so far unpardoned that though no more Sacrifice be necessary yet a total conversion and renovation by turning from a life of sin to God by Faith in Christ is necessary to their actual justification and forgiveness When a man is turned from a life of sin to God and liveth in the state of grace all his following sins which consist with the loving of God and holiness above the world and sinful pleasures are so far forgiven immediately upon the committing that they need neither another Sacrifice nor another Regeneration or Justification quoad statum but only an acting of that Faith and Repentance which habitually he hath already But the unknown errours and faults of such godly persons are pardoned even without that actual repentance and infirmities without forsaking of the sin overcomingly in practice And so every one liveth and dyeth in some degree of sinful defectiveness and omission of his love to God and trust and hope and zeal and desire and love to men and care of his duty and watchfulness and fervency in prayer meditation c. And in some degree of sinful disorder in our ill governed thoughts and words and affections or passions and actions we are never sinless till we die Direct 13. Remember that you must neither think that every sin which is a cause of Repentance is a sufficient reason for you to doubt of your present state of Justification nor yet that no sin can be so great as to be a necessary cause of doubting If every sin should make us doubt of our Justification then all men must alwaies doubt And then it must be because no sin is consistent with sincerity and the knowledge of sincerity which is apparently false If no sin should cause our doubting then there is no sin which is not consistent both with sincerity and with the knowledge of it which is as false and much more dangerous to hold 1. There are many sins that are utterly inconsistent with true godliness otherwise the godly were ungodly and as bad as others And if you say that no godly man commiteth these it is true and therefore it is true that he that committeth them is not a godly man or justified And how shall a man know his godliness but by his life as the product of his inward graces It is arguing from an uncertainty against a certainty to say I am justified and godly and therefore my wilful sins of drunkenness fornication oppression lying malâ—ce c. are consistent with Justification and it is arguing from a certain truth against a doubted falshood to say I live in ordinary wilful heinous sin therefore I am not justified or sincere Ephes 5.5 6. For this ye know that no whoremonger nor unclean person nor covetous man who is an Idolater hath any inheritance in the Kingdom of Christ and of God Let no man deceive you with vain words for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience 1 Cor. 6 9 10. Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the Kingdom of God Be not deceived neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers nor effeminate nor abusers of themselves with mankind nor thieves nor covetous nor drunkards nor revilers nor extortioners shall inherit the Kingdom of God And such were some of you but ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified c. Rom. 8.1 13. There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit If ye live after the flesh ye shall die c. Gal. 5.20 21 22 23 24. 2. And there are many sins which consist with true grace which will not consist with the assurance of its sincerity And that 1. From the nature of the things because the least degree of grace conjunct with and clouded by the greatest degree of sin which may consist with it is not discernable to to him that hath it He that is so very near a state of death and so very like to an unjustified person can never be sure in that case that he is justified 2. And also God in Wisdom and Justice will have it so that sin may not be encouraged nor presumption cherished nor the comforts which are the reward of an obedient child be cast away on an uncapable child in his stubborn disobedience Psal 51. 32. 77. Therefore for a man that liveth in grost sin to say that he is sure that he is justified and therefore no sin shall make him question it is but to believe the Antinomian Devil transforming himself into an Angel of Light and his Ministers when they call themselves the Ministers of Righteousness and to deny belief to the Spirit of Holiness and Truth And if a
true Believer should come very near such a state of death common reason and the due care of his own soul obligeth him to be suspicious of himself and to fear the worst till he have made sure of better Heb. 6. 3.10 Heb. 4.1 12 13 14. 1 Cor. 10. John 15.2 7 8 c. Direct 14. Let not the perswasion that you are justified make you more secure and bold infinning but more to hate it as contrary to the ends of Justification and to the love which freely justified you It is a great mark of difference between true assurance and blind presumption that the one maketh men hate sin more and more carefully to avoid it and the other causeth men to sin with less reluctancy and remorse because with less feat Direct 15. When the abuse of the Doctrine of Justification by Faith alone and not by Works doth pervert your minds and lives remember that all confess that we shall be judged according to our works as the Covenant of Grace is the Law by which we shall be judged And to be judged is to be justified or condemned I need not recite all those Scriptures to you that say that we shall be judged and shall receive according to what we have done in the body whether it be good or evil And this is all that we desire you to believe and live accordingly Direct 16. Remember still that Faith in Christ is but a means to raise us to the Love of God and that perfect Holiness is higher and more excellent than the pardon of sin And therefore desire faith and use it for the kindling of love and pardon of sin to endear you to God and that you may do so no more And do not sin that you may have the more to be pardoned The end of the Commandment is Charity out of a pure heart and a good conscience and faith unfeigned Rom. 6.1 2. Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound God forbid How shall they that are dead to sin live any longer therein See Titus 3.5 6 7. Rom. 5.1 4 5 6. Rom. 8.1 4 9 Gal. 4.6 5.24 26. So much for those practical Directions which are needfull for them that love not Controversie CHAP. VIII The pernicious or dangerous Errours detected which hinder the work of Faith about our Justification and the contrary Truths asserted THere is so much dust and controversie raised here to blind the eyes of the weak and to hinder the life of Faith and so much poison served up under the name of Justification and Free Grace that I should be unfaithful if I should not discover it either through fear of offending the guilty or of wearying them that had rather venture upon deceit than upon controversie And we are now so fortified against the Popish and Secinian extreams and those whom I am now directing to live by Faith are so settled against them that I think it more necessary having not leisure for both and having done it heretofore in my Confession to open at this time the method of false doctrine on the other extream which for the most part is it which constituteth Antinomianism though some of them are maintained by others And I will first name each errour and then with it the contrary truth Errour 1. Christs suffering was caused by the sins of none as the assumed meritorious cause or as they usually say as imputed to him or lying on him save only of the Elect that shall be saved Contr. The sins of fallen mankind in general except those rejections of Grace whose pardon is not offered in the conditional Covenant did lye on Christ as the assumed cause of his sufferings See John 1.29 2 Cor. 5.18 19 20. John 3.16 17 18 19. Heb. 2.9 1 Tim. 2.4 5 6. 1 John 2.2 1 Tim. 4.10 2 Pet. 2.2 See Paraeus in his Irenicon Twisse vind alibi passim saying as much and Amyrald Davenant Dallaeus Testarduâ—Vsher c. proving it Errour 2. Christ did both perfectly obey and also make satisfaction for sin by suffering in the person of all the Elect in the sense of the Law or Gods account so that his Righteousness of obedience and perfect holiness and his satisfaction is so imputed to us as the proprietaries as if we our selves had done it and suffered it not by an after donation in the effects but by this strict imputation in it self Contr. The contrary Truth is at large opened before and in my confession Christs satisfaction and the merit of his whole obedience is as effectual for our pardon justification and salvation as if Believers thâ—mselves had performed it and it is imputed to them in that it was done for their sakes and suffered in their stead and the fruits of it by a free Covenant or donation given them But 1. God is not mistaken to judge that we obeyed or suffered when we did not 2. God is no lyar to say we did it when he knoweth that we did it not 3. If we were not the actors and sufferers it is not possible that we should be made the natural subjects of the Accidents of anothers body by any putation estimation or mis-judging whatsoever no nor by any donation neither It is a contradiction and therefore an impossibility that the same individual Actions and Passions of which Christs humane nature was the agent and subject so many hundred years ago and have themselves now no existence should in themselves I say in themselves be made yours now and you be the subject of the same accidents 4. Therefore they can no otherwise be given to us but 1. By a true estimation of the reasons why Christ underwent them viz. for our sakes as aforesaid 2. And by a donation of the effects or fruits of them viz. pardoning and justifying and saving us by them on the terms chosen by the Donor himself and put into his Testament or Covenant as certainly but not in the same manner as if we had done and suffered them our selves 5. If Christ had suffered in our person reputatively in all respects his sufferings would not have redeemed us Because we are finite worms and our suffering for so short a time would not have been accepted instead of Hell sufferings But the person of the Mediator made them valuable 6. God never made any such Covenant with us that he will justifie us and use us just as he would have done if we had our selves perfectly obeyed and satisfied They that take on them to shew such a Promise must see that no wise man examine it 7. God hath both by his Covenant and his Works ever since confuted that opinion and hath not dealt with us as he would have done if we had been the reputed doers and sufferers of it all our selves For he hath made conveyance of the Benefits by a pardoning and justifying Law or Promise and he giveth us additional pardon of renewed sins as we act them and he addeth threatnings in his Law or
Covenant and he inflicteth penalties yea some that are very grievous even the with-holding of much of his Spirits help and grace all which are inconsistent with that conceit nor would he so have used us if we had been perfectly innocent and had fully satisfied for our sins our selves 8. All men would have had present possession of Glory if God had so reputed us the perfect meriters of it For his Justice would no more have delayed our reward than denyed it 9. All that are saved would have equal degrees of holiness and happiness as well as of righteousness because all would equally be reputed the perfect fulfillers of the Law And as no penalty could ever be justly inflicted on them here so no degree of glory could be denyed them hereafter for their sin or for want of perfect righteousness 10. The opinion of this kind of imputation is a most evident contradiction in it self For he that is imputatively a satisfier for all his own sin is therein supposed to be a sinner And he that is imputatively a perfect innocent fulfiller of the Law is thereby supposed to need no satisfaction to Justice for his sin as being imputatively no sinner 11. By this all Christs sacrifice and satisfaction is made a work of needless supererrogation yea unjust or rather impossible For if we perfectly obeyed in him he could not suffer for our disobedience 12. Hereby pardon of sin is utterly denyed for he that is reputatively no sinner hath no sin to pardon If they say that God did first impute the satisfaction for sin then there was no room after for the imputation of perfect obedience We cannot feign God to receive all the debt or inflict all the penalty and then to say now I will esteem thee one that never didst deserve it If they say that he doth neither impute the obedience or the suffering to us simply and to all effects but in tantum ad hoc or secundum quid only so that we shall be pardoned for his suffering and then judged worthy of Heaven for his obedience this is but to come up towards the truth before you are aware and to confess that neither of them is given us in it self but in the effects as being it self paid to God to procure those effects But withall the matter must be vindicated from their unfound inventions and it must be said that Christ dyed not only for our sins of commission but of omission also and that he that is pardoned both his sins of commission and omission is free from the punishment both of sense and loss yea and is reputed as one that never culpably omitted any duty and consequently fell short of no reward by such omission so that there remaineth no more necessity of Righteousness in order to a reward where the pardon is perfect save only N. B. to procure us that degree of reward which must be superadded to what we forfeited by our sin and which we never by any culpable omission deserved to be denyed And thus much we do not deny that somewhat even Adoption which is more than meer Pardon and Justification must confer on us But withall as we hold not that the Sun must bring light and somewhat else must first banish darkness that one thing must cure death and another cause life that satisfaction must procure the pardon of sins of omission and commission as to the poenae damni sensus and make us esteemed and used as no sinners and then imputed obedience must give us right to that reward which the poenae damni deprived us of so N. B. we maintain that Christs sufferings have merited our eternal salvation and our Justification and Adoption and that his obedience hath merited our forgiveness of sin And that both go together the merit of the one and of the other to procure all that we receive and that the effects are not parcelled out as they have devised Though yet we believe that Christs sufferings were paid to God as for our sins to satisfie Justice and that in the Passive Obedience it is first satisfactory and then and therefore meritorious and in the active it is meerly meritorious 13. And the maintainers of the contrary opinion besides all the forementioned evils could never agree how much of Christs Righteousness must be in their sense imputed some holding only the passive a second sort the active and passive a third sort the habitual active and passive a fourth sort the divine the habitual the active and the passive But of all these things there is so much written against them by Cargius Vrsinus Olevian Piscator Paraeus Scultetus Alstedius Wendeline Camero Bradshaw Gataker and many more that I need not to add any more for confutation Errour 3. That no one shall suffer whose sins lay on Christ and were suffered for by him Contr. Many such shall suffer the sorer punishment for sinning against the Lord that bought them and treading under foot the blood of the Covenant wherewith they were so far sanctified as to be a people by their own Covenant separated to God Heb. 10.25 26. Heb. 6.4 5 6. 2 Pet. 2.2 Heb. 4.1 2.3 12.29 Errour 4. That no godly man say some or Elect person though ungodly say others is ever punished by God because Christ suffered all their punishment himself Contr. Every godly man is chastened of God and all chastisement is a fatherly correcting punishment And many justified persons are punished to their final loss by the denyal of forfeited degrees of grace and consequently of glory Heb. 12.7 8 9 10. 1 Cor. 11.32 1 Thes 5.19 Ephes 4.30 But sad experience is too full a proof See my Confession Errour 5. That God were unjust if he laid any degree of punishment on those that Christ died for or say others on the justified because he should punish one sin twice Contr. It is certain that God punisheth the Justified in some degree much more the Elect before conversion and it is certain that God is not unjust Therefore it is certain that the ground of this accusation is false for it was not our deserved punishment it self or the same which was due in the true sense of the Law which Christ endured but it was the punishment of a voluntary sponsor which was the equivalens and not the idem that was due and did answer the ends of the Law but not fulfill the meaning of the threatning which threatned the sinner himself and not another for him seeing then it was a satisfaction or sacrifice for sin which God received for an attonement and propitiation and not a solution or suffering of the sinner himself in the sense of the Law the charge of injustice on God is groundless And no man can have more right to Christs sufferings or benefits than he himself is willing to give And it is not his own will into whose hands all power and judgement is committed that we should be subject to no punishment because he suffered
us just in title by Covenant-pardon and therefore he sentenceth us as just that he may take off all penalty and give us the felicity due to the righteous and may use us as those that are made just There is much truth in most of the foresaid opinions inclusively and much falshood in their several exclusions of all the rest unless their quarrel be only de nomine which of all these is fitliest called Justification For 1. There is no doubt but our pardon or constituted Justification in Covenant-title is a virtual sentential Justification 2. And there is no doubt but God doth esteem them just that are first made just and no other bâ—cause he erreth not And that this estimation is sententia concepta as distinct from sententia prolata 3. And it is certain that those Angels that must execute his sentence must first know it And it is probable that the Joy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the presence of the Angels of God doth intimate that God useth ordinarily to notifie the converâ—iod of a sinner to Angels whether the joy here be meant as Dr. Hammond and others think Gods Joy signified to Angels or rather the Angels Joy by their presence being in Choro Angelorum or among them that is in them or both 4. And it is granted that God doth usually give some notice of his pardon at one time or other more or less to a sinners conscience though that is too late too uncertain too low and too unequal and too unconstant to be the great and famous Justification by Faith 5. And it is clear that till death or Judgment there is no such solemn plenary judicial sentence or declaration as there will be then 6. And it is certain that at death and judgment Christ as Man a creature can speak or express himself as the blessed creatures do to one another 7 And its certain that God hath a way of expressing himself to creatures which is beyond our present understandings But we may conceive of it by the similitude of Light which in the same instant revealeth millions of things to millions of persons respectively Though that is nothing to his present Justification of us by Faith unless as he revealeth it to Angels 8. And it is certain that at the day of death and judgment God will thus by an irresistible light lay open every man to himself and to the world which may be called his sentence differing from the execution and that Christ in our nature will be our Judge and may express that sentence as aforesaid 9. And it is certain that Gods actual taking off punishment and giving the blessing which sin had deprived us of is a declaration of his mind which may be called an executive sentence and might serve the turn if there were no more And that in Scripture the terms of God 's judging the world doth usually signifie Gods executive Government rewarding and punishing And that God doth begin such execution in this life and that his giving the Spirit is thus his principal pardoning and justifying act and yet that this is but part and not the whole of our present executive pardon and that glorification in this sense is the highest and noblest Justification or Pardon when God giveth us all that sin had forfeited But yet we deny not that Glorification is somewhat more than an executive pardon so far as any more is then given us than we did forfeit by our sins I must desire the Reader not to forget all this explication of the nature of Justification because it will be supposed to the understanding of all before and after Errour 10. That the justified or regenerate never incur any guilt or obligation to any punishment but only temporal corrections and therefore need no pardon at all of any sin at least since regeneration as to the everlasting punishment because Christ dyed to prevent that guilt and consequently the necessity of any such pardon Contr. This is before explained Christ died to procure us that pardoning Covenant which on its own terms will pardon every sin of the Justified when they are committed but not to prevent the need of pardon Otherwise Christ should not satisfie for any sins after regeneration nor bear them in his sufferings at all For his satisfaction is a bearing of a punishment which in its dignity and usefulness is equivalent to our deserved or to be deserved punishment Now if we never do deserve it Christ cannot bear that in our stead which we never deserve As the preventing of the sin or reatus culpae proveth that Christ never suffered for that sin prevented because it is terminus diminuens and is no sin so is it in preventing the desert of punishment And as for Correction Christ doth inflict so much as is good for us and therefore did not die to prevent it But of this Controversie I have said more at large elsewhere Errour 11. That Justification by Faith is perfect at the first instant though Sanctification be imperfect Contr. Against this Errour read Mr. George Hopkins book of salvation from sin shewing how Justification and Sanctification are equally carryed on It is granted that at our first true faith we are pardoned all the sins that ever we committed before as to the eternal punishment And so we are converted from them all But as our Sanctification is imperfect so our Pardon is yet imperfect in many respects For 1. We are still liable to death which is the wages of sin though it be so far conquered as not to hinder our salvation Henoch and Elias went to Heaven without it Rom. 5 12 14 17 21. Gen. 3.16 17 19. 1 Cor. 15.21 26. 2. We are still liable to many penal chastisements in this life which though they do us good by accident are yet the fruits of sin no father chastising a faultless child but doing him good in another way 3. There are many sins yet left uncured which though as sins they are our own only yet as an evil not cured are also penal I am sure that the not-giving of more of his Spirit and Grace is penal Therefore till our grace be perfect we are not perfectly delivered from the penal fruits of sin and therefore not perfectly justified and pardoned 4. That Pardon and Justification is not perfect which hath so many conditions and of such a nature for its continuation as ours now hath As to say you shall lose your justified state unless you fight and overcome in mortification sufferings perseverance c. He that hath a title to an estate which is held by such a tenure and would be lost if he should fail in such conditions hath not so perfect a title as he that is past all such conditions 5. That pardon which is only of sins past while there are thousands more hereafter to be pardoned or else we should yet perish is not so perfect as that Pardon and Justification in the conclusion of our lives when all sin
and some among men are meritorious And with God every act that is chosen by him to be a condition of his gift is pleasing to him for some special aptitude which it hath to that office This is the full truth and the plain truth about conditions Errour 18. There is no degree of pardon given to any that are not perfectly justified and that shall not be saved But the giving of the Spirit so far as to cause us to believe and repent is sâ—me degree of executive pardon Therefore we are justified before we believe Contr. There is a great degree of pardon given to the world before conversion which shall yet justifie and save none but Believers Gods giving a Saviour to the world and a New Covenant and in that an universal conditional pardon yea his giving them teaching exhortations and offers of free grace and his giving them life and time and many mercies which the full execution of the Law would have deprived them of is a very great degree of pardon God pardoned to mankind much of the penalty which sin deserved even presently after the first transgression in the promâ—se made to Adam Gen. 3.15 Many texts of Scripture which partial men for their opinions sake do pervert do speak magnificently of a common pardon which must be sued out and made particular upon our believing The world was before under so much impossibility of being saved by any thing that they could do that they must have procured all to be done first which Christ hath done and suffered for them which was utterly above their power They that were actually obliged to bear the pains of death both temporal spiritual and eternal are now so far redeemed pardoned and delivered that all the merit and satisfaction necessary to actual forgiveness is made for them by another and no one of them all shall perish for want of a Sacrifice made and accepted for them and an universal conditional pardon is enacted sealed and recorded and offered and urged on all to whom the Gospel cometh and nothing but their obstinate wilful refusal or neglect can deprive them of it And this is so great a degree of pardon that it is called often by such absolute names as if all were done because all is done which concerneth God as Legislator or Covenant maker to do before our own Acceptance of it Suppose a Prince redeem all his captive subjects from the Turkish slavery and one half of them so love their state of bondage or some harlot or ill company there yea if all of them do so till half of them are perswaded from it that they will not come away It is no improper nor unusual language to say that he hath redeemed them and given them a release though they would not have it That may be given to a man which he never hath because he refuseth to accept it when the Donor hath done all that belongeth to him in that relation of a Donor though perhaps as a Perswader he might do more This is the sense of Heb. 1.3 When he had by himself purged our sins or made purgation of our sins he sate down on the right hand of the Majesty on high that is when he had become a sacrifice for sin and sealed the Covenant by his blood For actual personal pardon was not given by him before our acceptance This is the plain sense of 2 Cor. 5.18 19 20. God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself not imputing to them their trespasses that is purchasing and giving them a pardoning Covenant and hath committed to us the word and ministry of reconciliation Now then we are Embassadours for Christ as though God did beseech you by us we pray you in Christs stead to be reconciled to God John 1.29 36. Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world that is as a sacrifice for sin As Heb. 9.26 Once in the end of the world he hath appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself Though the sacrifice as offered only doth not actually and fully pardon it The same as Heb. 10.12 After he had offered one Sacrifice for sins for ever sate down on the right hand of God So Matth. 18.27 32. He forgave him the debt I forgave thee all that debt viz. conditionally and as David forgave Shimei Psal 78.38 He forgave their iniquity and destroyed them not that is he forgave the temporal punishment and suspended the execution of eternal punishment giving them yet more time and offers of repentance and of further mercy And so he forgave Ahab and Nineve upon their humiliation Numb 14.19 Pardon I beseech thee the iniquity of this people according to the greatness of thy mercy and as thou hast forgiven this people from Egypt until now So Psal 85.2 3. Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people thou hast covered all their sins thou hast taken away all thy wrath Turn us O God of our salvation and cause thine anger to cease wilt thou be angry with us for ever So that they are two palpable errors here asserted by the objecters viz. that there is no degree of pardon to such as are not saved and that we are justified when ever we have any degree of pardon We may be so far pardoned as to have grace given us effectually to believe and yet our Justification or the Covenant-forgiveness of eternal punishment is in order of nature after our believing and not before it Errour 19. That our natures are as far from being able to believe in Christ as from being able to fulfil the Law of works and to be justified by it they being equally impossible to us and as much help is necessary to one as to the other Contr. To be justified by the Law of works when we have once broken it is a contradiction and a natural impossibility as it is to be at once a sinner and no sinner But so it is not for a sinner to believe in Christ The impossibility is but moral at most which consisteth not in a want of natural faculties or power but in the want of a right dâ—spâ—sition or willingness of mind And to fulfil the Law of God and to be perfect for the future is surely a far higher degree of spiritual grace and excellency than to be a poor weak sinful believer dâ—siring to fulfil it Therefore our sinful natures are much farther off from perfection than from faith 3. And though the same Omnipotency do all Gods works for all Gods Power is Omnipotency yet it is not equally put forth and manifested in all his works The moving of a feather and the making of the world are both works of Omnipotency but not equal works or exertions of it 4. And it is certain that in verum natura there is such a thing as a proper Power given by God to do many things that nâ—ver are done and that necessary grace which some call sufficient which is not eventually effectual for
such Adam had such Power and such necessary grace or help to have forborn his first sin which he did not forbear And no man can prove that no final unbelievers have had such power and help to have belâ—eved aâ— Adam had to have stood But it is certain that we 〈…〉 such powers and necessary grace to have perfectly 〈◊〉 all the Law Errour 20. That Faith justifieth as an instrument and only so Of this I have written at large heretofore An instrument properly so called is an efficient cause Faith is no efficient cause of our Justification neither Gods instrument nor ours for we justifie not our selves instrumentally The known undoubted instrument of our Justification is Gods Covenant or deed of gift which is his pardoning act They that say it is not a Physical but a Moral instrument either mean that its morally called an instrument that is reputatively and not really or that it is indeed a moral instrument that is effecteth our Justification morally But the latter is false for it effecteth it not at all and the former is false for as there is no reason so there is no Scripture to prove that God reputeth it to be what it is not All that remaineth to be said is that indeed Faith in Christ is an act whose nature partly that is one act of it consisteth in the Acceptance of Christ himself who is given to us for our Justification and Salvation by a Covenant which maketh this believing-acceptance its condition And so this accepting-act in the very essence of it is such as some call a receiving instrument or a passive which is indeed no instrument but an act metaphorically called an instrument And in disputes metaphors must not be used without necessity and to understand them properly is to erre So that such an improper instrument of Justification Faith is as my trusting my Physician and taking him for my Physician is the instrument of my cure And as my trusting my self to the conduct of such a Pilot is the instrument of my safe voyage or as my trusting my Tutor is the instrument of my learning or rather as a womans marriage-consent is the instrument of all the wealth and honour which she hath by her husband Indeed marriage may be better called the instrument of it that is not her own consent which is properly the receiving condition but the consent and actual marriage by her husband For he is the giver And so the Covenant is Gods justifying instrument as signifying his donative consent and Baptism is the instrument of it by solemn investiture or tradition as the delivering of a Key is the instrumental delivery of the house The case then is very plain to him that is but willing to understand viz. that Faith in its essence is bâ—sides the assenting acts an accepting of an offered Saviour for our Justification Sanctification and Salvation and a trusting in him That this act of Faith being its essence is the most apt for the use that God in his Covenant hath appointed it unto because he will give us a Saviour freely but yet not to be refused and neglected but to be thankfully and honourably received and used That this special aptitude of Faith or its very essence is the reason why it is chosen to be the condition of the Testament or Gift That this same essence and aptitude is that which some call its Receptive or Passive Instrumentality That this essence and aptitude is not the neerest reason why we are justified by it for then Faith as Faith and as such an act or wâ—rk of ours should justifie and that ex opere operato and that without or against Gods will For if Gods will have interposed the signifier of that will must needs be the chief and nearest reason Therefore this act so apt bâ—ing by God made the condition of the Gift or Covenant iâ—s nearest and chief interest I will not call it causaliâ—y in our Justification iâ— this office of a condition Therefore in a word we are justified by Faith directly as or because it is the conditio praestita the performance of the condition of the Justifying act and it was by God made the condition bâ—cause it was in its nature mâ—st apt thereto which aptitude may be metaphorically called its Receptive Instrumentality And that thus as it accepteth Christ for Justification Adoption Sanctification and Glorification so it is first the metaphorical instrument of our part in Christ and but consequently the metaphorical instrument of our title to pardon the Spirit and Heaven and in no tollerable sense at all how figurative soever is it any instrument of Gods sentence of Justification which yet is all the Justification acknowledged by the usual defenders of Instrumentality saving as it may be said to give us a right to it by giving us constitutive Justification in the pardon of our sins And the Scripture never saith that Faith justifieth us nor calleth it Justifying Faith but that we are justified by Faith and most commonly of Faith for the usuallest phrase is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ex fide as it is ex operibus when Justification by works is denyed which is not the meer Instrumentality of works So that here is a double errour 1. That Faith justifieth as a true and proper instrument 2. And no oâ—her way Errour 21. That Faith causeth Justification as it causeth Sanctification as much and as properly Contr. Faith causeth not Justification at all but only is the condition of it But Faith causeth the acts of other graces by a proper efficiency believing is a proper efficient cause of the wills volition complacency consent though but a moral efficient because the liberty of the will forbiddeth the Intellect to move it per modum naturae And the wills consent produceth other acts and physically exciteth other graces Because to love and desire and fear and seek and obey are acts of our own souls where one may properly cause another But to justifie or pardon is an act of God and therefore Faith equally procureth our right or title to Justification and to Sanctification and Glorification but it doth not equally effect them 2 Cor. 7.1 Let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness of flesh and Spirit perfecting holiness c. Not let us pardon and justifie our selves James 4.8 Cleanse your hearts you sinners c. Isa 1. Wash you make you clean put away the evil of your doings not your guilt and punishment So only Christ cleanseth us from all sin and unrighteousness 1 John 1.7 9. Jude 21. Keep your selves in the Love of God John 15. Abide in me c. 1 John 5.18 He that is begotten of God keepeth himself c. Errour 22. That the Faith by which we are justified is not many physical acts of the soul only but one Errour 23. That it is only an act of one faculty of the soul Contr. The contrary is fully opened before and proved at large elsewhere and through the Scripture Faith
the consideration of final despisers of his Antecedent Love But of that Antecedent Love it self which he hath shewed to lost mankind in Christ And note also that I do not deny but that Love of God in some men may be true where their own presumption that God hath elected them and loved them above others before they had any proof of it was an additional motive But this is mans way and not Gods Errour 43. That trusting to any thing save God and Jesus Christ for our salvation is sin and damnable Contr. Confusion cheateth and choaketh mens understanding In a word to trust to any thing but God and Christ and the holy Spirit for any of that which is the proper part of God of Christ of the Spirit is sin and damnable But to trust to any thing or person for that which is but his own part is but our duty And he that prayeth and readeth and heareth and endeavoureth and looketh to be never the better by them nor trusteth them for their proper part will be both heartless and formal in his work And I have shewed before that the Scripture the Promise the Apostles the Minister and every Christian and honest man hath a certain trust due to them for that which is their part even in order to our salvation I may trust only to the skill of the Physician and yet trust his Apothecary and the Boy that carryeth the Medicine for their part Errour 44. That it is sinful and contrary to free grace to look at any thing in our selves or our own inherent righteousness as the evidence of our Justification Contr. Then no man can know his Justification at all The Spirit of Holiness and Adoption in our selves is our earnest of salvation and the witness that we are Gods children and the pledge of Gods love as is proved before This is Gods seal as God knoweth who are his so he that will know it himself must depart from iniquity when he nameth Christ If God sanctifie none but those whom he justifieth then may the sanctified know that they are justified Hath God delivered in Scripture so many signs or characters of the justified in vain Object The witness of the Spirit only can assure us Ans You know not what the witness of the Spirit is or else you would know that it is the Spirit making us holy and possessing us with a filial love of God and with a desire to please him and a dependance on him c. which is the witness even by way of an inherent evidence and helping us to perceive that evidence and take comfort in it As a childlike love and a pleasing obedience and dependance with a likeness to the Fâ—ther is a witness that is an evidence which is your child Errour 45. That it is sinful to perswade wicked men to pray for Justification or any grace or to do any thing for it seeing their prayers and doings are abominable to God and cannot please him Contr. Then it is sinful to perswade a wicked man from his wickedness Praying and obeying is departing from wickedness He that prayeth to be sanctified indeed is repenting and turning from his sin to God We never exhort wicked men to pray with the tongue without the desire of the heart Desire is the soul of prayer and words are but the body We perswade them not to dissemble But as Peter did Simon Acts 8. Repent and pray for forgiveness And if we may not exhort them to good desires and to excite and express the best desires they have we may not exhort them to conversion Isa 55.6 10. Seek the Lord while he may be found and call upon him while he is neer Let the wicked forsake his way c. You see there that praying is a repenting act and when we exhort them to pray we exhort them to repent and seek God Object But they have no ability to do it Ans Thus the Devil would excuse sinners and accuse God Thus you may put by all Gods commands and say God should not have commanded them to repent believe love him obey him nor love one another nor forbear their sins for they have no ability to do it But they have their natural faculties or powers and they have common grace and Gods way of giving them special grace is by meeting them in the use of his appointed means and not by meeting them in an Ale-house or in sinful courses However a soul may be met with in his persecuting and God may be found of them that sought him not yet that is not his usual nor his appointed way Can any man of reason dream that it is not the duty of a wicked man to use any means for the obtaining of grace or to be better nor to do any thing towards his own recovery and salvation Nature and Scripture teach men as soon as they see their sin and misery to say What must I do to be saved As the reâ—â—nting Jews and Paul and the Jaylor 〈◊〉 Acts 2.37 Acts 8. 16. The prayers of a wicked man as wicked are abominable that 〈◊〉 â—oth his wicked prayers and his praying to quiet and sâ—rengthen himself in his wickedness or praying with the tongue without the heart The prayers which come from a common faith and common good desires are better than none but have no promise of Justification But the wicked must be exhorted both to this and more even to repent desire and pray sincerely Errour 46. It is sinful and against free grace to think that any works or actions of our own are rewardable or to say that they are meritorious though it be nothing but rewardableness that is meant by it Contr. The Papists have so much abused the word merit by many dangerous opâ—nions about it that it is now become more unmeet to be used by us than it was in ancient times when the Doctors and Churches even Austin himself did commonly use it But if nothing be meant by it but rewardableness or the relation of a duty to the reward as freely promised by God as many Papists themselves understand it and the ancient Fathers generally did he that will charge a man with errour in doctrine for the use of an inconvenient word is uncharitable and perverse especially when it is other mens abuse which hath done most to make it inconvenient The merit of the cause is a common phrase among all Lawyers when there is commutative meriting intended I have fully shewed in my Confession that the Scripture frequently useth the word worthy which is the same or full as much And a subject may be said to merit protection of his Prince and a scholar to merit praise of his Master and a child to deserve love and respect from his Parents and all this in no respect to commutative Justice wherein the Rewarder is supposed to be a gainer at all but only in governing distributive Justice which giveth every one that which by gift or any way is
his due And that every good man and every good action deserveth praise that is to be esteemed such as it is And that there is also a comparative merit and a not meriting evil As a Believer may be said not to deserve damnation by the Covenant of Grace but only by or according to the Law of Nature or Works But to pass from the word merit which I had rather were quite disused because the danger is greater than the benefit the thing signified thus by it is past all dispute viz. that whatever duty God hath promised a Reward to that duty or work is Rewardable according to the tenour of that promise And they that deny this deny Gods Laws and Government and Judgement and his Covenant of Grace and leave not themselves one promise for faith to rest upon So certainly would all these persons be damned if God in mercy did not keep them from digesting their own errours and bringing them into practice Errour 47. God is pleased with us only for the righteousness of Christ and not for any thing in our selves Contr. This is sufficiently answered before He blasphemeth God who thinketh that he is no better pleased with holiness than with wickedness with well doing than with ill doing They that are in the flesh cannot please God Rom. 8.6 7. but the spiritual and obedient may Without faith it is impossible to please him because unbelievers think not that he is a Rewarder and therefore will not seek his reward aright But they that will please him must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him Heb. 11.6 They forget not to do good and distribute because with such sacrifices God is well pleased Heb. 13. And in a word it is the work of all their lives to labour that whether living or dying they may be accepted of him 2 Cor. 5.8 9. and to 〈◊〉 â—uch and to do those things as are pleasing in his sight Nay 〈◊〉 add that as the glory of God that is the glorious demonstâ—â—â—ion or appearance of himself in his works is materially the ultimate end of man so the pleasing of himself in this his glory shining in his Image and Works is the very apex or highest formal notion of this ultimate end of God and of man as far as is within our reach No mans works please God out of Christ both because they are unsound and bad in the spring and end and because their faultiness is not pardoned But in Christ the persons and duties of the godly are pleasing to God because they have his Image and are sincerely good and because their former sins and present imperfections are forgiven for the sake of Christ who never reconciled God to wickedness Errour 48. It is mâ—rcenary to work for a reward and legal to set men on doing for salvation Contr. It is legal or foolish to think of working for any reward by such meritorious works as make the reward to be not of grace but of debt Rom. 4.4 But he that maketh God himself and his everlasting love to be his reward and trusteth in Christ the only reconciler as knowing his guilt and enmity by sin and laboureth for the food which perisheth not but endureth to everlasting life and layeth up a treasure in Heaven and maketh himself friends of the Mammon of unrighteousness and layeth up a good foundation for the time to come laying hold upon eternal life and striverh to enter in at the strait gate and fighteth a good fight and finisheth his course for the Crown of Righteousness and suffereth persecution for a reward in Heaven and prayeth in secret that God may reward him and alwaies aboundeth in the work of the Lord because his labour is not in vain in the Lord and endureth to the end that he may be saved and is faithful to the death and overcometh that he may receive the Crown of Life this man taketh Gods way and the only way to Heaven and they that thus seek not the reward being at the use of reason are never like to have it Errour 49. It is not lawful for the justified to pray for the pardon of any penalties but temporal Contr. The ground of this is before overthrown Errour 50. It is not lawful to pray twice for the pardon of the same sin because it implieth unbelief as if it were not pardoned already Contr. It is a duty to pray oft and continuedly for the pardon of former sins 1. Because pardon once granted must be continued and therefore the continuance must be prayed for If you say It is certain to be continued I answer then it is as certain that you will continue to pray for it and to live a holy life 2. Because the evils deserved are such as we are not perfectly delivered from and are in danger of more daily And therefore we must pray for daily executive pardon that is impunity and that God will give us more of his Spirit and save us from the fruit of former sin Because our right to future impunity is given before all the impunity it self 3 And the compleat Justification from all past sins is yet to come at the day of Judgement And all this besides that some that have pardon know it not may and must be daily prayed for Errour 51. The Justified must not pray again for the pardon of the sins before conversion Contr. What was last said confuteth this Errour 52. No man at all may pray for pardon but only for assurance For the sins of the Elect are all pardoned before they were born and the non-elect have no satisfaction made for their sins and therefore their pardon is impossible Contr. Matth. 6. Forgive us our trespasses c. These consequences do but shew the falshood of the antecedents Errour 53. No man can know that he is under the guilt of any sin because no man can know but that he is elect and consequently justified already Contr. No infidel or impenitent person is justified Errour 54. Christ only is covenanted with by the Father and he is the only Promiser as for us and not we for our selves Contr. Christ only hath undertaken to do the work of Christ but man must undertake and promise and covenant even to Christ himself that by the help of his grace he will do his own part Or else no man should be baptized What a Baptism and Sacramental Communion do these men make He that doth not covenant with the Father Son and Holy Spirit hath no right to the benefits of Gods part of the Covenant And no man at age can be saved that doth not both promise and perform Errour 55. We are not only freed from the condemning sentence of the Law but freed also from its commands Contr. We are not under Moses Judaical Law which was proper to their Nation and their Proselites Nor are we under a necessity or duty of labouring after perfect obedience in our selves as the condition of our
in their Ordination which is a Consecration and their self-dedication to God And it is high sacriledge in themselves or any other that shall alienate them unjustly from their sacred calling and work Or of things to holy uses as places and utensils may be sanctified Or it may be a dedication of persons to a holy state relation and use as is that of every Christian in his Baptism and this is either an external dedication and so all the baptized are sanctified and holy or an internal Dedication which if it be sincere it is both actual and habitual when we both give up our selves to God in Covenant and are also disposed and inclined to him and our hearts are set upon him yea and the life also consisteth of the exercise of this disposition and performance of this covenant This is the Sanctification which here I speak of And so much for the name The doctrinal Propositions necessary to be understood about it are these more largely and plainly laid down in my Confession Chap. 3. Prop. 1. So much of the appearance or Image of God as there is upon any creature so much it is good and amiable to God and man Object God loveth us from eternity and when we were his enemies not because we were good but to make us better than we were Answ Gods Love and all Love consisteth formally in complacency God hath no complacency in any thing but in good or according to the measure of its goodness From eternity God foreseeing the good which would be in us loved us as good in esse cognito and not as actually good when we were not When we were his enemies he had a double love to us or complacency the one was for that natural good which remained in us as we were men and repairable and capable of being made Saints The other was for that foreseen goodes in esse cognito which he purposed in time to come to put upon us This complacency exceeded not at all the good which was the object of it But with it was joyned a will and purpose to give us grace and glory hereafter and thence it is called A Love of Benevolence Not but that complacency is the true action of Love and Benevolence or a purpose to give benefits is but the fruit of it But if any will needs call the Benevolence alone by the name of Love we deny not in that sense that God loveth Saul a persecutor as well as Paul an Apostle in that his purpose to do him good is the same Object God loveth us in Christ and for his righteousness and not only for our own inherent holiness Answ 1. The Benevolence of God is exercised towards us in and by Christ and the fruits of his Love are Christ himself and the mercies given us with Christ and by Christ And our Pardon and Justification and Adoption and Acceptance is by his meritorious righteousness And it is by him that we are possessed with Gods Spirit and renewed according to his Image in Wisdom and Righteousness and Holiness And all this relative and inherent mercy we have as in Christ related to him without whom we have nothing And thus it is that we are accepted and beloved in him and for his righteousness But Christ did not die or merit to change Gods Nature and make him more indifferent in his Love to the holy and the unholy or equally to the more holy and to the less holy But his complacency is still in no man further than he is made truly amiable in his real holiness and his relation to Christ and to the Father The Doctrine of Imputation is opened before John 16.27 The Father himself loveth you because ye have loved me and believed c. And 14.21 He that loveth me shall be loved of my Father As God loved us with the love of benevolence and so much complacence as is before described before we loved him 1 John 4.10 Ephes 2.4 so he now loveth us complacentially for his Image upon us and so much of his grace as is found in us and also for our relation to his Son and to himself which we stand in by this grace But as he loveth not Saul a persecutor under the notion of a fulfiller of his Law in Christ so neither doth he love David in his sin under the notion of one that is without sin and perfect as having fulfilled the Law in Christ But so loveth him in Christ as to pardon his sin and make him more lovely in himself by creating a clean heart and renewing a right spirit within him for the sake of the satisfaction and merits of Christ Prop. 2. Holiness is Gods Image upon us and that which was our primitive amiableness Col. 3.10 Prop. 3. The loss of Holiness was the loss of our amiableness and our state of enmity to God Prop. 4. Holiness consisteth in 1. Our resignation of our selves to God as our Owner and submission to his Providence 2. And our subjection to God as our Ruler and obedience to his Teaching and his Laws 3. And in Thankfulness and Love to God as our Chief Good efficiently and finally Prop. 5. Love is that final perfective act which implyeth and comprehendeth all the rest and so is the fulfilling of the Law and the true state of sanctification Rom. 13.10 Matth. 22.37 Mark 12.33 1 John 7.16 Prop. 6. Heaven it self as it is our ultimate end and perfection is but our perfect Love to God maintained by perfect vision of him with the perfect reception of his Love to us Prop. 7. Therefore it was Christs great business in the world to destroy the works of the Devil and to bring us to this perfect Love of God Prop. 8. Accordingly the greatest use of Faith in Christ is to subserve and kindle our Love to God Prop. 9. This it doth two special waies 1. By procuring the pardon of sin which forfeited the grace of the Spirit that so the Spirit may kindle the Love of God in us 2. By actual beholding the Love of God which shineth to us most gloriously in Christ by which our Love must be excited as the most suitable and effectual means John 3.1 4.10 Prop. 10. Our whole Religion therefore consisteth of two parts 1. Primitive Holiness restored and perfected 2. The restoring and perfecting means Or 1. Love to God the final and morâ— excellent part 2. Faith in Christ the mediate part Faith causing Love and Love caused by Faith 1 Cor. 12. last 13. Rom. 8.35 Ephes 6.23 1 Tim. 1.5 2 Thes 3.5 1 Cor. 2.9 8.3 Rom. 8.28 James 1.12 2.5 1 Pet. 1.8 Prop. 11. Repentance towards God is the souls return to God in Love and Regeneration by the Spirit is the Spirits begetting us to the Image and Nature of God our heavenly Father in a heavenly Love to him So that the Holy Ghost is given us to work in us a Love to God which is our sanctification Rom. 5.5 Titus 3.4 5 6
the Attributes of God are the seal which must make his Image on us so the apprehension of his presence setteth them on and keepeth our faculties awake Direct 13. Be sure that Faith make Gods acceptance your full reward and set you above the opinion of man Not in self-conceitedness and pride of your self-sufficiency to set light by the judgment of other men That is a heinous sin of it self and doubled when it is done upon pretence of living upon God alone But that really you live so much to God alone as that all men seem as nothing to you and their opinion of you as a blast of wind in regard of any felicity of your own which might be placed in their love or praise Though as a means to Gods service and their own good you must please all men to their edification and become all things to all men to win them to God Gal. 1.10 11. Rom. 15.1 2. Prov. 11.30 1 Cor. 9.22 10.33 yea and study to please your Governours as your duty Titus 2.9 But as man-pleasing is the Hypocrites work and wages so must the pleasing of God be ours though all the world should be displeased Matth. 6.1 2 3 5 6 c. 2 Tim. 2.4 1 Cor. 7.32 1 Thes 4.1 2 Cor. 5.8 9. 1 Thes 2.4 1 John 3.22 Direct 14. Let the constant work of Faith be to take you off the life of sense by mortifying all the concupiscence of the flesh and over-powering all the objects of sense The neerness of things sensible and the violence and unreasonableness of the senses and appetite do necessitate Faith to be a conflicting grace It s use is to illuminate elevate and corroborate Reason and help it to maintain its authority and government The life of a Believer is but a conquering warfare between Faith and Sense and between things unseen and the things that are seen Therefore it is said that they thâ—â— are in the flesh cannot please God because the flesh bâ—ing the predominant principle in them they most savour and mind the things of the flesh and therefore they can do more with them than the things of the Spirit can do when both are set before them Rom. 8.5 6 7 8. Direct 15. Let Faith set the example first of Christ and next of his holiest servants still before you He that purposely lived among men in flâ—sh a life of holiness and patience and contempt of the world to be a pattern or example to us doth expect that it be the daily work of Faith to imitate him and therefore that we have this Copy still before our eyes It will help us when we are sluggish and sit down in low and common things to see more noble things before us It will help us when we are in doubt of the way of our duty and when we are apt to favour our corruptions It will guide our minds and quicken our desires with a holy ambition and covetousness to be more holy It will serve us to answer all that the world or flesh can say from the contrary examples of sinning men If any tell us what great men or learned men think or say or do against Religion and for a sinful life it is enough if Faith do but tell us presently what Christ and his Apostles and Saints and Martyrs have thought and said and done to the contrary Mat. 11.28 29. 1 Pet. 2.21 John 13.15 Phil. 3.17 2 Thes 3.9 1 Tim. 4.12 Ephes 5.1 Heb. 6.12 1 Thes 1.6 2.14 Direct 16. Let your Faith set all graces on work in their proper order and proportion and carry on the work of holiness and obedience in harmony and not set one part against another nor look at one while you forget or neglect another Every grace and duty is to be a help to all the rest And the want or neglect of any one is a hinderance to all As the want of one wheel or smaller particle in a clock or watch will make all stand still or go out of order The new creature consisteth of all due parts as the body doth of all its members The soul is as a musical instrument which must neither want one string nor have one out of tune nor neglected without spoiling all the melody A fragment of the most excellent work or one member of the comliest body cut off is not beautiful The beauty of a holy soul and life is not only in the quality of each grace and duty but much in the proportion feature and harmony of all Therefore every part hath its proper armour Ephes 6.11 12 13 14. And the whole armour of God must be put on Because all fulness dwelleth in Christ we are compleat in him as being sufficient to communicate every grace Epaphras laboured alwaies fervently in prayers for the Colossians that they might stand perfect and compleat in all the Will of God Col. 4.12 James 1.4 Let patience have her perfect work that ye may be perfect and entire wanting nothing We oft comfort our selves that though we want the perfection of degrees yet we have the perfection of parts or of integrity But many are fain to prove this only by inferring that he that hath one grace hath all but as to the discerning and orderly use of all they are yet to seek CHAP. XI Of the Order of Graces and Duties BEcause I find not this insisted on in any Writers for the peoples instruction as it ought I will not pass over so needful a point without some further advertisement about it I will therefore shew you 1. What is the compleatness and the harmony to be desired 2. What are our contrary defects and distempers 3. What are the causes of them and what must be the cure 4. Some useful Inferences hence arising I. He that will be compleat and entire must have all these Graces and Duties following 1. A solid and clear understanding of all the great the needful and practical matters of the sacred Scriptures 2 Tim. 3.16 And if he have the understanding of the Scripture languages and the customs of those times and other such helps his understanding of the Scripture will be the more compleat Acts 26.3 If he have not he must make use of other mens 2. A settled well grounded Belief of all Gods supernatural Revelations as well as the knowledge of natural verities 3. Experience to make this knowledge and belief to be satisfactory powerful and firm Especially the experience of the Spirits effectual operations in our selves by the means of this word Rom. 5.4 8.9 Gal. 4.6 4. The historical knowledge of the Scripture matters of fact and how God in all ages since Scripture times hath fulfilled his Word both promises and threatnings and what Christ and Satan Grace and Sin have been doing in the world Therefore the Scripture is written so much by way of history and therefore the Jews were so often charged to tell the history of Gods works to their children 1 Cor. 10.1 2 6 7
our duty towards them to do to them as we would have them do to us which is partly meant by loving them as our selves 12. That we love all mankind even Gods enemies much more our own as they are men for the dignity of humane nature and their capacity to become holy and truly amiable 13. That all means be chosen according to the end which is to be preferred before other ends and their suitableness and fitness for that end as they are to be preferred before other means III. And the order of practice is 1. That we be sure to begin with God alone and proceed to God in the creature and end in God alone It is the principal thing to be known for finding out the true method of Divinity and Religion that as in the great frame of Nature so in the frame of Morality the true motion is circular From 〈◊〉 the efficient by God the Dirigent to God the final Cause of all therefore as God is the first spring or cause of motion so the creature is the Recipient first and the Agent after in returning all to God again Therefore mark that our receiving Graces are our first graces in exercise and our receiving duties are our first duties and then our returning graces and duties come next in which we proceed from the lesser to the greater till we come up to God himself Therefore in point of practice the first thing that we have to do is to learn to know God himself as God and our God and to live as from him and upon him as our Benefactor from our hearts confessing that we have nothing but from him and shall never be at rest but with him and in him as our ultimate end and therefore to set our selves to seek him as our end accordingly which is but to seek to love him and be beloved by him in the perfection of knowledge and dâ—light 2. The whole frame of means appointed by God for the attainment of this end must be taken together and not broken asunder as they have all relation each to other And 1. The whole frame of Nature must be looked on as the first great means appointed to man in innocency for the preservation and exercise of his holiness and righteousness 2. And the Covenant or Law positive as conjoyned unto this 3. And the Spirit of God communicated only for such a meer sufficiency of necessary help as God saw meet to one in that condition And though these means the Creatures and the Spirit of the Creator in that degree be not now sufficient for lapsed man yet they are still to be looked on as delivered into the hand of Christ the Mediatour to be used by him on his terms and in order to his blessed ends 2. But it is the frame of the recovering and perfecting means which we are now to use And in this frame 1. Christ the Mediatour is the first and principal and the Author of our Faith or Religion and therefore from his Name it is called Christianity He is â—ow the first means used on Gods part for communicating mercy unto man and the first in dignity to be received and used by man himself but not the first in Time because the means of revealing him must go first 2. The second means in dignity under Christ is the operation of the Holy Spirit as sent or given by the Redeemer which Spirit being as the soul of outward means which are as the body is given variously in a suitableness to the several sorts of means of which more anon 3. The outward means for this Spirit to work by and with have been in three degrees 1. The lowest degree is the world or creatures called The Book of Nature alone 2. The second degree was the Law and Promises to the Jews and their fore-fathers together with the Law of Nature 3. The third and highest degree of outward means is the whole frame of Christian Institutions adjoyned to the Book of Nature and succeeding the foresaid Promises and Law Every one of these hath a sufficiency in its own kind and to its proper use 1. The Law of Nature is sufficient in its own kind to reveal a God in his Essential Principles and Relations and to teach man the necessity now of some supernatural Revelations and Institutions and so to direct him to enquire after them what and where they be 2. The Promises and Jewish Law of Types c. was sufficient in its own kind to acquaint men that a Saviour must be sent into the world to reveal the Will of God more fully and to be a sacrifice for sin and to make reconciliation between God and man and to give a greater measure of the Spirit and to renew mens souls and bring them to full perfection and to the blessed fruition of God The Jewish Scriptures teach them all this though it tell them not many of the Articles of our Christian Belief 3. The Christian Gospel is sufficient in its own kind to teach men first to believe aright in the Father Son and Holy Spirit and then to love and live aright When I say that each of these is sufficient in its own kind the meaning is not that these outward means are of themselves sufficient without the Holy Spirit for that were to be sufficient not only in suo genere but in alieno vel in omni genere not only for its own part and work but for the Spirits part also But other causes being supposed to concur it is sufficient for its own part As my Pen is a sufficient Pen though it be not sufficient to write without my hand Now the measure of the Spirits concourse with all these three degees of means is to be judged of by the nature of the means and by Gods ends in appointing them and by the visible effects And whereas the world is full of voluminous contentions about the doctrine of sufficient and effectual grace I shall here add thus much in order to their agreement 1. That certainly such a thing there is or hath been as is called sufficient not-effectual grace By sufficient they mean so much as giveth man all that Power which is necessary to the commanded act or forbearance so that man could do it without any other grace or help from God which supposeth that mans will in the Nature of it hath such a vital free self-determining power that sometimes at least it can act or not act when such bare power is given to it and sometimes doth and sometimes doth not But the word necessary is more proper than sufficient The latter being applicable to several degrees but necâ—ssary signifieth that degree without which the Act cannot be performed That there is such a thing is evident in Adams case who had that grace which was necessary to his forbearing the first sin or else farewell all Religion And there are few men will deny but that all men have still such a degree of help for many duties
greater than heart duties only because in the outward duty it is to be supposed that both parts concur both soul and body And the operations of both is more than of one alone and also because the nobler ends are attained by both together more than by one only For God is loved and man is benefited by them As when the Sun shineth upon a tree or on the earth it is a more noble effect to have a return of its influences in ripe and pleasant fruits than in a meer sudden reflexion of the heat alone 18. All outward duties must begin at the heart and it must animate them all and they are valued in the sight of God no further than they come from a rectified will even from the Love of God and Goodness However without this they are good works materially in respect to the Receiver He may do good to the Church or Common-wealth or Poor who doth none to himself thereby 19. As the motion is circular from God to man and from man to God again Mercies received and Duties and Love returned so is the motion circular between the heart and the outward man The heart moving the tongue and hand c. and these moving the heart again partly of their own nature and partly by divine reward The Love of God and Goodness produceth holy thoughts and words and actions and these again increase the Love which did produce them Gal. 5.6.13 Heb. 6.10 Heb. 10.24 2 John 6. Jude 21. 20. The Judgment must be well informed before the Will resolve 21. Yet when God hath given us plain instruction it is a sin to cherish causless doubts and scruples 22. And when we see our duty before us it is not every scruple that will excuse us from doing it But when we have more conviction that it is a duty then that it is none or that it is a sin we must do it notwithstanding those mistaking doubts As if in Prayer or Alms-deeds you should scruple the lawfulness of them you ought not to forbear till your scruples be resolved because you so long neglect a duty Else folly might justifie men in ungodliness and disobedience 23. But in things meerly indifferent it is a sin to do them doubtingly because you may be sure it is no sin to forbear them Rom. 14.23 1 Cor. 8.13 14. 24. An erring Judgment intangleth a man in a necessity of sinning till it be reformed whether he act or not according to it Therefore if an erring person ask What am I bound to the true answer is to lay by your errour or reform your Judgment first and then to do accordingly and if he ask an hundred times over But what must I do in case I cannot change my Judgment the same answer must be given him God still bindeth you to change your Judgment and hath given you the necessary means of information and therefore he will not take up with your supposition that you cannot His Law is a fixed Rule which telleth you what you must believe and chuse and do And this Rule will not change though you be blind and say I cannot change my mind Your mind must come to the Rule for the Rule will not come to your perverted mind Say what you will the Law of God will be still the same and will still bind you to believe according to its meaning 25. Yet supposing that a mans errour so entangleth him in a necessity of sinning it is a double sin to prefer a greater sin before a lesser For though no sin is an object of our choice yet the greater sin is the object of our greater hatred and refusal and must be with the greater fear and care avoided 26. An erring Conscience then is never the voice or messenger of God nor are we ever bound to follow it because it is neither our God nor his Law but only our own Judgment which should discern his Law And mis-reading or misunderstanding the Law will not make a bad cause good though it may excuse it from a greater degree of evil 27. The judicious fixing of the Wills Resolutions and especially the increasing of its Love or complacency and delight in good is the chief thing to be done in all our duties as being the heart and life of all Prov. 23.26.12 4.23 7.3 22.17 3.1 2 3. 4.4 21. Deut. 30.6 Psal 37.4 40.8 119.16 35 70 47. 1.2 Isa 58.14 28. The grand motives to duty must ever be before our eyes and set upon our hearts as the poise of all our motions and endeavours As the travelers home and business is deepest in his mind as the cause of every step which he goeth 29. No price imaginable must seem great enough to hire us to commit the least known sin Luke 12.4 14.26 28 33. Mat. 10.39 16.26 30. The second great means next to the right forming of the heart for the avoiding of sin is to get away from the temptations baits and occasions of it And he that hath most grace must take himself to be still in great danger while he is under strong temptations and allurements and when sin is brought to his hands and alluring objects are close to the appetite and senses 31. The keeping clean our Imaginations and commanding our Thoughts is the next great means for the avoiding sin and a polluted fantasie and ungoverned thoughts are the nest where all iniquity is hatched and the instruments that bring it forth into act 32. The governing of the senses is the first means to keep clean the Imagination When Achaâ— seeth the wedge of gold he desireth it and then he taketh it When men wilfully fill their eyes with the objects which entice them to lust to covetousness to wrath the impression is presently made upon the fantasie and then the Devil hath abundance more power to renew such imaginations a thousand times than if such impressions had been never made And it is a very hard thing to cleanse the fantasie which is once polluted 33. And the next notable means of keeping out all evil Imaginations and curing lust and vanity of mind is constant laborious diligence in a lawful calling which shall allow the mind no leisure for vain and sinful thoughts as the great nourisher of all foul and wicked thoughts is Idleness and Vacancy which inviteth the tempter and giveth him time and opportunity 34. Watchfulness over our selves and thankful accepting the watchfulness fault-findings and reproofs of others is a great part of the safety of our souls Mat. 26.41 25 13. Mark 13.37 Luke 21.36 1 Cor. 16.13 1 Thes 5.6.2 Tim. 4.5 Heb. 12.17 1 Pet. 4.7 35. Affirmative Precepts bind not to all times that is no positive duty is a duty at all times As to preach to pray to speak of God to think of holy things c. it is not alwaies a sin to intermit them 36. All that God commandeth us to do is both a Duty and a Means it
How ill they bear the least contempt neglect or disrespect How abundantly they overvalue their own understandings and how wise they are in their own conceits and how hardly they will think ill of their most false or foolish apprehensions and how proudly they disdain the judgments of wiser men from whom if they had humility they might learn perhaps twenty years together and yet not reach the measure of their knowledge and what a strange difference there is in their judging of any case when it is anothers and when it is their own And among how few is the sin of flesh-pleasing sensuality mortified abundance take no notice of it because it is hid and can be daily exercised in a less disgraceful way If they be rich they can enjoy that which is their own and they can cleanlily do as Dives did Luke 16. and take their good things here Having enough laid up for many years they think they may take their case and eat drink and be merry without rebuke Luke 12.19 10. They that are the most zealous in strict opinions and modes of Worship can live as Sodom did in pride fulness of bread and abundance of idleness and use meat for their lusts and make provision for the flesh to satisfie those lusts and yet never seem to themselves nor those about them to offend much less to do any thing that is grosly evil Ezâ—k 16.49 Psal 78.18 30. Rom. 13 13 14. They drink not till they are drunk they eat not more in quantity than others they labour as far as need compels them and this they think is very tollerable And because the Papists have turned the just subduing of the flesh into hurtful austerities or formal mockeries therefore they are the more hardened in their flesh pleasing way They take but that which they love and that which is their own and then they think that the fault is not great and what Christ meant by Dives his being cloathed in purple and silk and faring sumptuously every day they never truly understood Nor yet what he meaneth by the poor in spirit Matth. 5.3 which is not at least only or chiefly a sense of the want of grace but a spirit suited to a life of poverty contrary to the love of money and of fulness and luxury and pride When we are content with necessaries and eat and drink for health more than for pleasure or for that pleasure only which doth conduce to health and when we will be at no needless superfluous cost upon the 〈◊〉 but â—hâ—se the cheapest food and rayment which is sufficient to our lawful ends and use not our appetites and sense and fantasie to such delight and satisfaction as either increaseth lust or corrupteth the mind and hindereth it from spiritual duties and delights by hurtful delectation or diversion nor bestow that upon our selves which the poor about us need to supply their great necessities This is to be poor in spirit and this is the life of abstinence and mortification which these sensual professors will not learn Nay rather than their throats shall not be pleased if they be children in their Parents Families or Servants they will steal for it and â—â—ke that which their Parents and Masters they know do not consent to nor allow them And they are worse thieves than they that steal for hunger and meer necessity because they steal to satisfie their appetites and carnal lusts that they may fare better than their superiours would have them And yet perhaps be really conscientious and religious in many other points and never humbled for their fleshly minds their gluttony and thievery especially if they see others fare better than they and they quiet their consciences as the most ungodly do with putting a hansome name upon their sin and calling it taking and not stealing and eating and drinking and not fulness of bread or carnal gulosity Abundance of such instances of mens partiality in avoiding sin I must omit because it is so long a work 6. Yea in the inward exercise of Graces there are few that use them compleatly entirely and in order but they neglect one while they set themselves wholly about the exercise of another or perhaps use one against another Commonly they set themselves a great while upon nothing so much as labouring to affect their hearts with sorrow for sin and meltingly to weep in their confessions with some endeavours of a new life But the Love of God and the thankful sense of the mercy of Redemption and the rejoycing hopes of endless Glory are things which they take but little care about and when they are convinced of the errour of this partiality they next turn to some Antinomian whimsie under the pretence of valuing Free Grace and begin to give over perâ—ileâ—s 〈◊〉 and the care and watchfulness against sin and diligence in a holy fruitful life and say that they were long enough Legalâ—sts and knew not Free Grace but lookt all after doing and something in themselves and then they could have no peace but now they see their errour they will know nothing but Christ And thus that narrow foolish soul cannot use Repentance wiâ—hout neglecting Faith in Christ and cannot use Faith but they must neglect Repentance yea set Faith and Repentance Love and Obedience in good works like enemies or hindrances against each other They cannot know themselves and their sinfulnâ—ss without forgetting Christ and his righteousness And they cannot know Christ and his Love and Grace without laying by the knowledge or resistance of their sin They cannot magnifie Free Grace unless they may have none of it but lay by the use of it as to all the works of holiness because they must look at nothing in themselves They cannot magnifie Pardon and Justification unless they may make light of the sin and punishment which they deserve and which is pardoned and the charge and condemnation from which they are justified They cannot give God thanks for remitting their sin unless they may forbear confessing it and sorrowing for it They cannot take the Promise to be free which giveth Christ and pardon of sin if it have but this condition that they shall not reject him Nor can they call it the Gospel unless it leave them masterless and lawless whereas there is indeed no such thing as Faith without Repentance nor Repentance without Faith No love to Christ without the keeping of his Commandments nor no true keeping of the Commandments without Love No Free Grace without a gracious sanctified heart and life nor no gift of Christ and Justification but on the condition of a believing acceptance of the gift and yet no such believing but by Free Grace No Gospel without the Law of Christ and Nature and no mercy and peace but in a way of duty And yet such Bedlam Christians are among us that you may hear them in pangs of high conceited zeal insulting over the folly of one another and in no wiser language than if you
to the proud to take them down and make them stoop The rich answereth roughly but the poor useth intreaties Prov. 18.23 So much of the Marks of Pride Direct III. Overlook not the odiousness and peril of Pride I will name you now but a few of its aggravations because I have more largely mentioned them elsewhere 1. It is the most direct opposition to God to set up our selves as Idols in his place and seek for some of his honour to our selves 2. It is the first born of the Devil and an imitation of him whom God in nature hath taught us to take for the greatest enemy of him and us and the most odious of all the creatures of God 3. It is madness to fall by that same sin which we know was the overthrow of our first Parents and of the world 4. And it is sottish impudency in such as we who know that our bodies are going into rottenness and dust and think in what a place and plight we must there lie and that those daies of darkness will be many And who know that our souls are defiled with sin and if we have any saving knowledge and grace it is small and mixt with abundance of ignorance and corruption and the nature of it is contrary to Pride 5. It is contrary to the design of redeeming grace which is to save the humble contrite soul 6. It betrayeth men to a multitude of other sins as vanity of mind loss of time neglect of duty striving for preferment quarrelling with others upon matters of reputation or precedency c 7. And it is a sin that God is specially engaged against and the surest way to dejection and self frustration 1 Pet. 5.5 James 4 6. Isa 2.12 Prov. 15.22 16.5 21.4 Psal 138 6. 31.23 Job 40.11 12. Luke 14.11 18.14 II. After these three general Directions I shall briefly name a few particular ones Direct 1. Remember continually what you are and what you were what your bodies are and will be and what your souls are by the pollution of sin and how close it still adhereth to you and from how great a misery Christ redeemed you He neither knoweth his body nor his soul his sin or misery nor Christ nor grace who is a servant unto Pride Direct 2 Remember the continual presence of the most holy dreadful God And can Pride lift up the head before him Direct 3 Look to the example of a humbled Saviour and learn of God incarnate to be lowly Matth. 11.29 From his birth to his ascension you may read the strangest Lecture of Lowliness that ever was delivered to the haughty world Direct 4. Turn all your desires to the glorifying of God remembring that you were not made for your own glory but for his Direct 5. Think much of the heavenly Glory and it will cloud all the vain-glory of the world Direct 6. Think what it is that is your honour among the Angels in Heaven and what is most approved and honoured by God himself and therein place your honour and not in the conceits of foolish men Direct 7. Lastly Make use of humbling occasions to exercise your self-denyal and lowliness of mind I commend not to you the pious folly of those Popish Saints who are magnified by them for making themselves purposely ridiculous to exercise their humility as by going through the streets with their breeches on their heads and other such fooleries For God will give you humbling occasions enough when he seeth good But when he doth it be sure that you improve them to the abasing of your selves and use your selves to be above the esteem of man and to bear contempt when it 's cast upon you as Christ did for your sakes though not to draw it foolishly or wilfully upon your selves He that hath but once born the contempt of men is much better able to bâ—ar it afterwards than he that never underwent it but thinketh that he hath an entire reputation to preserve And he that is more sollicitous of his duty and most indifferent in point of honour doth usually best secure his honour by such neglect and alwaies best undergo dishonour CHAP. XVI How to scape the sin of Fulness or Luxury by Faith THE second sin of Sodom and fruit of abusrd Prosperity is Fulness of Bread Ezek. 16 49 Concerning which having also handled it elsewhere more at large I shall now briefly give you these general Directions first and then a few that are more particular Direct I. Understand well what sinful Fulness It is sinful when it hath any one of these ill conditions 1. When you eat or drink more in quantity than is consistent with the due preservation of your health or so much as hurteth your health or reason For the use of food is to fit us for our duty and therefore that which disableth and unfiteth us is too much But here both the present and future must be considered 2. When you have no higher end in eating and drinking than the pleasing of your appetite Be it little or much it is to be judged of according to its end A beast hath no other end because he hath no reason and so properly hath no end at all But we are bound to eat and drink to the glory of God and to do all to further us in his service 1 Cor. 10.31 The appetite may be pleased in order to a higher end that is 1. So far as it is a true directer what is for our health and will be best digested 2. So far as by moderate and seasonable exhilaration it fitteth us by cheerful alacrity for our duty and therefore it hath been good mens use to have holy feasts as well as holy fasts But the appetite must be restrained and denyed 1. When it is against health And 2. When it hindereth from duty Or 3. When it would be the ultimate end of our repast and there is no higher reason for it than the appetites delight It is not said that the Sensualist in Luke 16. did eat too much but that he fared sumptuously every day and that he had his good things here that is that he lived to the pleasing of his flesh It is not said of him in Luke 12.19 20. that he ate or drank too much but that he said Soul take thy ease eat drink and be merry that is that he preferred the pleasing of his appetite or flesh before the everlasting pleasures The sin of the Israelites was that they were weary of eating Manna only so many years and desired flesh only to please their appetite and therefore is is said that they asked meat for their lust Psal 78.18 that is to gratifie their flesh or sense And the terrible threatnings thundered out by James against the rich are on such accounts James 5.4 5. Ye have lived in pleasure on earth and been wanton ye have nourished your hearts as in a day of slaughter And we are commanded to make no provision for the flesh
the Air and compass the Earth and tempt the wicked and work in the children of disobedience Ephes 2.1 2. Job 1. 2 Tim. 2.26 And that Satan is called the God and Prince of this world Joh. 12.31 14.30 16.11 2 Cor. 4.4 Ephes 6.12 But if it be not the place of final execution it is the place where they are kept in prison till the great Assizes and where they are reserved in chains of darkness to the Judgment of the great day and where they are tormented before the time 2 Pet. 2.4 Jude 6. Matth. 8.29 Look then from this Dungeon to the glorious incomprehensible mansions of the holy ones and judge by them and not by this prison of the goodness and infinite benignity of God And if he will give so many obstinate despisers of his grace a place with those Devils that did seduce and rule them think not God to be therefore unmerciful but behold his mercy in the innumerable vessels of honour and mercy that shall possess the higher mansions for ever CHAP. XXV How to live by Faith in the love of one another against Self-love Direct 1. LEt Faith first employ you in the knowledge of God and when you know him who is Love it self you will best learn of him to love You will see that that is best which is likest unto God and that is worst which is most unlike him And when you consider how universally though variously he loveth his creatures and how he expresseth it and how he loveth benevolently because he is good and loveth complacentially because also the thing is good which he loveth you will learn the art of love from God Rom. 9.13 Deut. 4.37 7.8 23.5 33.3 1 John 3.16 17. 4.7 9 11 12 19 20 21. Direct 2. Study Jesus Christ aright and you will also learn to love of him There you will see Self-denying Love which stooped to earth to reproach to sufferings to labours to death and spared not life or any thing to do good It is the chief Lesson which you go to School to Christ to learn And it is as proper to go to him to learn to love as it is to go to the Sun for light Rom. 5.8 John 13.34 1 Thes 4.9 John 11.36.5 13.1 15.9 Ephes 5.2 25. John 15.12 Direct 3. Know God in his Works and Image and then you will see him in his natural Image in all men as rational and in his moral Image in all his Saints and then you will see what to love and why He that cannot see God in a glass in this world cannot see him at all and cannot love him Remember that it is in his servants and creatures that he exposeth himself to be seen and known and loved 1 Joh. 2.10 3.10 14. 4.7 8 20 21. 5.1 Matth. 25.40 Direct 4. Abhor that proud malignant censoriousness which is apt to make the worst of others and to deny and extenuate and overlook Gods graces in them as the Devil did by Job and which can see no goodness in them that are not eminently good For this is but the Devils artifice to kill mens love to one another Though he pretend the honour of Godliness and the hatred of sin when he telleth you such an one is an Hypocrite and such an one hath nothing but a form and no power of Godliness I can see nothing of God in him alas they are poor carnal people all is but to destroy your Love And thus he mightily prospereth in the malignant spirit of separation by which he can make you unchurch whole Churches and unchristen whole Towns and Parishes and all because that you that are strangers to them and see not their godliness or hear of nothing eminent in them But the world of dividers will take no warning any more than the world of the prophane Satan doth deceive them all Direct 5. Abhor therefore the sin of backbiting and evil-speaking and when you hear a malignant censurer thus unchristen and unchurch men without proof behind their backs if gentler reproofs will not serve the turn frown them away and say Get thee behind me Satan the accuser of the brethren and the spirit of hatred maketh it his work in the world to destroy mens love to one another and he hath no such way to do it as by making them seem unlovely to one another And he that perswadeth me that my neighbour is not good perswadeth me that he is not lovely and so perswadeth me from loving him Prov. 25.23 Rom. 1.30 Psal 15.3 2 Cor. 12.20 Rom. 14.3 4 10 13. James 4.11 12. Matth. 7.1 2. 1 Cor. 4.5 Direct 6. Above all seek to mortifie selfishness which is the great enemy of love to God and man A selfish man can faithfully love none but himself for he loveth all others but for himself His own opinions interests and ends are the disposers of his Love Therefore he never heartily loveth his enemy no nor the best that do not honour him but seem to slight him If any should neglect him or speak hardly of him or do him any real or seeming wrong or be of another side against his party or his cause no censures are too sharp nor no love too little for such a one And yet these that can love none heartily but themselves will find that they had no greater enemies than themselves and that Hell and Earth did not so much as themselves against them Direct 7. Subject your selves truly to Gods authority and his commands will further Love For it is the summ of them all and the fulfilling of his Law both old and new Gal. 5.14 Rom. 13.8 9 10. John 13.34 15.12 17. Matth. 12.30 32 33. Direct 8. Remember that Love is the bond and life and interest of the Church and of the world Without Love the world would have neither unity peace or safety What were a family without it Were it not for Love men that were not kept fettered in Jayles or Bedlams would be as Robbers or Wolves or mad Dogs to one another Were it not for Love the Church would be crumbled into malicious Sects that would spend their time in prating and militating against each other and preach and talk down Love to one another and would call this devilish work the preaching of the Gospel or the worshipping of God while they blaspheme him by offering him a sacrifice of hatred and reviling as they do that offer him a sacrifice of mans blood Ephes 4.15 16. But speaking the truth in Love you may grow up into him in all things which is the head even Christ From whom the whole body fitly joyned together and compacted by that which every joynt supplyeth according to the effectual working in the measure of every part maketh increase of the body to the edifying of it self in Love Yea their own Sects would turn to dust and atoms if Love which is there confined did not soder them together when it is dead in
will understand Pauls charge Phil. 2.3 4. In lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than themselves Look not every man on his own but every man also on the things of others Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus You will learn of Christ to take your neerest friend for a Satan that would perswade you to save or spare your self yea your life when you ought to lay it down for the Glory of God and the good of many Matth. 16.22 23. SELF and OWN are words which would then be better understood and be more suspected And the reason of the great Gospel duty of SELF-DENYAL would be better discerned Therefore set your selves to the study of God especially in his Goodness study him in his Works and in his Word and in his Son and in the Glory where you hope everlastingly to see him And if you once love God as God indeed it will teach you to love your Brethren and in what sort and in what degree to do it For many waies are we taught of God to love one another Even 1. By the great and heavenly teacher of Love Jesus Christ 2. And by Gods own example Matth. 5.44 45 3. And by the shedding abroad of his love in our hearts by the Spirit of Love Rom. 5.5 4. And by this actual loving God and so loving all of God in the world Object But by this doctrine you will prepare for the Levellers and Fryers to cast down or cry down Propriety Answ 1. There is a propriety of food rayment c. which individuation hath made necessary 2. There is a propriety of Stewardship which God causeth by the various disposal of his talents and which is the just reward of humane industry and the necessary encouragement of wit and labour in the world None of these would we cast down or preach down 3. But there is a common abuse of propriety to the maintenance of mens own lusts and to the hurt of others and of all Societies This we would preach down if we could But it is Love only which must be the Leveller In the Primitive Church Love shewed its power by such a voluntary community Acts 4. And all Politicians who have drawn the Idea of a perfect Common-wealth have been fumbling at other waies of accomplishing it But it is Christian Love alone that must do it Unfeignedly love God as God and love your neighbours really as your selves and then keep your proprieties as far as this will give you leave I will conclude with this considerable observation that though it is false which some affirm that individuation is a punishment for some former sin for how could a soul not individuate sin And though sensitive self-love which is the principle of self-preservation be no sin it self nor doth grace destroy it yet the inordinacy of it is the summ and root of all positive sin and an increaser of privative sin And this inseparable sensitive self-love was made to be more under the power of reason and to be ruled by it than now we find it in any the most sanctified person even as Abrahams love of the life of his only Son was to be subject to his Faith And holiness lyeth more in this subjection than most men well understand And the inordinacy of this personal self-love hath so strangely perverted the mind it self that it is not only very hard to convince men of the evil of any selfish principles or sins but it greatly blindeth them as to all duties of publick interest and social nature Yea and maketh them afraid of Heaven it self where the union of souls will be as much neerer than now it is as their Love will be greater and more perfect And though it will not be by any cessation of personal individuation and by falling into one universal soul yet perfect Love will make the union neerer than we who have no experience of it can possibly now comprehend And when we feel the strongest Love to a friend desiring the neerest union we have the best help to understand it But men that feel not the divine and holy love are by inordinate self-love and abuse of individuation afraid of the life to come lest the union should be so great as to lose their individuation or prejudice their personal divided interests Yea true believers so far as their holy Love is weak and their inordinate sensitive self-love is yet too strong are from hence afraid of another world when they scarce know why but indeed it is much from this disease which maketh men still desire their personal felicity too partially and in a divided way and to be afraid of losing their personality or propriety by too neâ—r a union and communion of souls CHAP. XXVI How by Faith to be followers of the Saints and to look with profit to their examples and to their end THE great work of living in Heaven by Faith I have said so much of as to the principal part in my Saints Rest that no more of that must be expected here Only this subject which is not so usually and fully treated of to the people as it it ought being one part of our heavenly conversation I think meet to speak to more distinctly at this time As we are commanded first to look to Jesus the Author and perfecter of our faith Heb. 12.2 3. so are we commanded to remember our guides and to follow their faith and consider the end of their conversation Heb. 13.7 And not to be slothful but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises Heb. 6.12 To which end we have a cloud of witnesses set before us in Heb. 11. that next to Jesus whom they followed we should look to them and follow them Jam. 5.10 My Brethren take the Prophets for an example The Reasons of this duty are these 1. God hath made them our examples two waies 1. By his graces making them holy and fit for our imitation He gave them their gifts not only for themselves nor only for that present generation but for us also and all that must survive to the end of the world As it is said of Abrahams Justification Rom. 4.23 24. It was said that Faith was imputed to him for righteousness not for his sake alone but for us also to whom it shall be imputed if we believe So I may say in this case their faith their piety their patience was given them and is recorded not for their salvation or their honour only but also to further the salvation of their posterity by encouragement and imitation If all things are for our sakes 2 Cor. 4.15 then the graces of Gods Saints were for our sakes For the Churches edification it is that Christ giveth both offices gifts and graces to his Ministers Ephes 4.5 12 14 15 16. yea and sufferings too Phil. 1.12 20. 2 Cor. 1.4 6. 2 Tim. 2.10 I endure all things for the elects sake 2. By commanding us to follow
fully shew so also shall the Saints And it is not likely that this is wholly deferred till the resurrection but as they have a Glory before that with Christ and his Angels so they have now their part in this Superintendency before though both will be greater at the Resurrection If any say what use will there be of our superiority after the world is destroyed I answer 1. The Apostle Peter plainly telleth us though some would force his words into the dark that we according to his promise expect a new Heaven and a new Earth in which dwelleth righteousness And the Creation groaneth to be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the Sons of God Rom. 8.21 And the Heavens must contain Christ till the times of Restitution of all things which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy Prophets since the world began Acts 3.21 2. And he that said the Saints shall judge the Angels seemeth so intimate that the Devils with the wicked will be in a state of subjection or servitude to them hereafter Certain it is that Michael and his Angels shall be the conquerours of the Dragon and his Angels Rev. 12.7 9. And that the Serpents head shall be bruised by all the womans seed though chiefly by the Captain of our salvation But this shall now suffice concerning their employment 3. Behold also by Faith what the departed Saints are now enjoying And what is said of their place and work will tell you that They enjoy the fight of their glorified Head Joh. 17.24 They are with him in Paradise and therefore also enjoy the sight of the Glory of God Being absent from the body they are present with the Lord 2 Cor. 5.8 They see not as in a glass as here they did but with open face They enjoy the pleasures of a more perfect knowledge of God and all his wondrous works than this world affords They are happy in their works in the perfect Love and Praises of God and they are filled with the pleasures of his Love to them This is their fruition 4. Let Faith also behold what evils they are delivered from 1. From a heavy drossy body which since the fall hath been an enemy a prison and fetters to the soul and therefore they here groaned to be better cloathed 2 Cor. 5.4 5. Rom. 8.21 2. From the worlds temptations 3. From wicked mens malice and persecutions 4. From sickness pain necessities labours weariness and all the troublesome effects of sin 5. From all troublesome passions desires anger discontent disappointments griefs and cares and fears of evil 6. Specially from the fears of Hell and the doubts of their own sincerity and salvation and from the desertions of God and the terrible sense of his displeasure 7. From the troubles and errours of ignorance and all our natural imperfection 8. From the fears of death which now is more painful than death it self 9. From the suggestions of Satan and his malicious vexing disquieting temptations and from his flattering allurements which are much worse 10. From the company and the tempting or grieving examples of ungodly men 11. From all sin it self and all our moral imperfections and defects 12. And finally from all danger and fear of ever losing the felicity they possess These are the immunities of the blessed 2. When Faith hath seen the Saints in Glory look back and think next what they were lately here on earth that it may help you to compare your state and theirs And here you will see 1. That they were lately in flesh as we now are They had bodies as drossie as vile as frail as burdensome as ours are It cost them as dear not as it doth the sensual but as it doth the temperate person now to keep them up a while for the service to which they were appointed 2. They had pains and sicknesses as we have The souls in Heaven have escaped thither from bodies which have lain as long tormented with the Stone with Stranguries Collicks Gripes Convulsions Consumptions Feavers and other the most tedious painful and lothsome diseases as sober men on earth now feel 3. Satan was as malicious to them as he is to us and to many of them as troublesome he haunted them with as ugly temptations to the greatest sins to unbelief and pride and despair and self-murder and horrid blasphemy as he doth any of us Yea he did so by Christ himself Matth. 4. 4. They met with as many allurements to worldliness sensuality pride and lust in the worlds deceiving baits and flatteries as now we do and were fain to proceed every step towards Heaven by conflict and conquest as we must do 5. They were in as many wants and straits in as poor and low and despised a state as we are now They were tempted to cares and murmurings and discontents through their wants and crosses as well as we 6. They have been in dangers and in fears and many a time at the brink of death before it came and put to cry to God for deliverance in the terrours and anguish of their hearts Their flesh and heart and friends have failed them and all the creatures cast them off 7. They have gone through far greater persecutions for the sake of Christ and righteousness than ever we did So persecuted they the Prophets before you Mat. 5.11 12. Which of the Prophets did not your Fathers kill and persecute even of them for whom their posterity erected Monuments Matth. 23.36 37 38. We have not resisted unto blood as many of them did Heb. 11. The same and greater afflictions which we have undergone were accomplished on our brethren in this world 1 Pet. 5.9 We go through the same conflict as they did Phil. 1.30 We are no more falsly nor odiously slandered in any of our sufferings than they were Mat. 5.11 12. 8. They were men of like passions as we are for so James saith even of Elias that was carryed to Heaven without our kind of death They had their ignorances uncertainties doubts mistakes their dark thoughts of God and that world where they now are Many of them knew as little of it till they saw it as we do now Many a fearful trembling hour many a thought that God had forsaken them and that the day of grace was past have many of them had as well as we 9. Yea they were imperfect in all their graces they had an imperfect faith an imperfect hope an imperfect Love to God and man and many an hour in such groans as ours now are O when shall we be saved from our darkness and unbelief when shall we better love the Lord 10. They had their actual sins also Though none that were regnant after conversion their obedience was imperfect as ours now is Many of their faults and falls are left on record for our warning There is not one humane soul in Heaven besides our Saviours that was not once a sinner They all came thither
of the soul in God and the highest praises and thanksgivings with the readiest and chearfullest obedience And what kind of Religious performances are most excellent which we must principally intend Groans and tears and penitent confessions and moans are very suitable to our present state while we have sin and suffering But surely they are duties of the lower rank For Heaven more aboundeth with praises and thanksgiving and therefore we must labour to be fitter for them and more abundant in them not casting off any needful humiliations and penitent complaints but growing as fast as we can above the necessity of them by conquering the sin which is the cause So ask what is it that would make the Church on Earth to be likest to that part which is in Heaven Is it striving what Pastors shall be greatest or have precedency or be called gracious Lords or Benefactors Luke 22.24 25 26. 1 Pet. 5.3 4 5. Or is it in making the flock of Christ to dread the secular power of the Shepherds and tremble before them as they do before the Wolf Or is it in a proud conceit of the peoples power to ordain their Pastors and to rule them and themselves by a major vote Or in a supercilious condemning the members of Christ and a proud contempt of others as too unholy for our communion when we never had authority to try or judge them Is it in the multitude of Sects and divisions every one saying Our party and our way is best Surely all this is unlike to Heaven It is rather in the Wisdom and Holiness and Vnity of all the members When they all know God especially in his Love and Goodness and when they fervently love him and chearfully and universally obey him and when they love each other fervently and with a pure heart and without divisions do hold the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace and with one heart and mind and mouth do glorifie God and our Redeemer Leaving that Church-Judgment to the Pastors which Christ hath put into their hands and leaving Gods part of Judgment unto himself This is to be like to our heavenly exemplar and to do Gods Will on Earth as it is done in Heaven Ephes 4.2 3 4 11 12 16. 9. And we must also look back to the examples of their lives while they were on earth and see wherein they are to be imitated as the imitators of Jesus Christ which way went they to Heaven before us 10. Lastly We must give God thanks on their behalf for making them so perfect and bringing them so near him and saving them from sin and Satan and the world and bringing them safe to Heaven through so many temptations difficulties and sufferings For making them such instruments of his glory in their times and shewing his glory upon them and to them in the Heavens For making them such blessings to the world in their generations and for giving us in them such patterns of faith obedience and patience and making them so great encouragements to us who may the more boldly follow them in faith duty and sufferings who have conquered all and sped so well For shewing us by faith their present state of glory with Christ for our confirmation and consolation Thus far in all these ten particulars we must have a heavenly conversation with the glorified by Faith Direct 8. Consider next wherein your imitation of the example of their lives on earth consisteth And it is 1. Not in committing any of their sins nor indulging any such weaknesses in our selves as any of them were guilty of 2. Nor in extenuating a sin or thinking ever the better of it because it was theirs 3. Nor in doing as they did in exempted cases wherein their Law and ours differed as in the marriage of Adams children in the Jews Polygamy c. 4. Nor in imitating them in things indifferent or accidental that were never intended for imitation nor done as morally good or evil 5. Nor in pretending to or expecting of their extraordinary Revelations Inspirations or Miracles 6. Nor in pretending the high attainments of the more excellent to be the necessary measure of all that shall be saved or the Rule of our Church-Communion Our imitation of them consisteth in no such things as these But it consisteth in these 1. That you fix upon the same ultimate Ends as they did That you aim at the same Glory of God and chuse the same everlasting felicity 2. That you chuse the same Guide and Captain of your salvation the same Mediator between God and man the same Teacher and Ruler of the Church and the same sacrifice for sin and Intercessor with the Father 3. That you believe the same Gospel and build upon the same Promises and live by the same Rule the Word of God 4. That you obey the same Spirit and trust to the same Sanctifier and Comforter and Illuminater to illuminate sanctifie and comfort your souls 5. That you exercise all the same graces of Faith Hope Love Repentance Obedience Patience as they did 6. That you live upon the same Truths and be moved by the same Motives as they lived upon and were moved by 7. That you avoid the same sins as they avoided and see what they feared and fled from and made conscience of that you may do the same 8. That you chuse and use the same kind of company helps and means of grace so far as yours and theirs are the same as they have done And think not to find a nearer or another way to that state of happiness which they are come â—o Phil. 3.16 Walk by the same Rule and mind the same things and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded God shall reveal even this unto you If any preach another Gospel let him be accursed Gal. 1.7 8. Mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which you have learned and avoid them Rom. 16.17 Heb. 6.11 We desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope to the end that you be not slothful but followers of them c. 9. That you avoid resist and overcome the same temptations as they did who now are crowned 10. That you bear the same cross and exercise the same faith and hope and patience unto the end 1 Pet. 4.1 Arm your selves with the same mind c. In brief this is the true imitation of the Saints Direct 9. Never suffer your life of sense to engage you so deeply in sensible converse with men on earth as to forget your heavenly relations and society but live as men that unfeignedly believe that you have a more high and noble converse every day to mind If you are Believers indeed let your faith go along with the souls of your departed friends into glory And if you have forgot them by an unfriendly negligence renew your acquaintance with them Think not that those only that live on earth are fit for our
very brief I. For the first Case before sickness cometh Direct 1. Be sure that you settle your Belief of the life to come that your Faith may not fail Direct 2. Expect Death as seriously all your life as wise Believers are obliged to do That is as men that are alwaies sure to die as men that are never sure to live a moment longer as men that are sure that life will be short and death is not far off and as foreseeing what it is to die of what eternal consequence and what will then appear to be necessary to your safe and to your comfortable change Direct 3. All your daies habituate your souls to believing sweet enlarged thoughts of the infinite Goodness and Love of God to whom you go and with whom you hope to live for ever Direct 4. Dwell in the studies of a crucified and glorified Christ who is the way the truth and life who must be your hope in life and death Ephes 3.17 18 19. Direct 5. Keep clear your evidences of your right to Christ and all his Promises by keeping grace or the heavenly nature in life activity and increase 2 Pet. 1.10 2 Cor. 13.5 John 15 1 c. 1 John 3. Direct 6. Consider often of the possession which your nature in Christ hath already of Heaven and how highly it is advanced and how near his relation is and how dear his love is to his weakest members upon earth And that as souls in Heaven have an inclination and desire to communicate their own felicity to their bodies so hath Christ as to his body the Church John 17.24 Ephes 5.25 27 c. Direct 7. Look to the Heavenly Host and those who have lived before you or with you in the flesh to make the thoughts of Heaven the more familiar to you as in the former chapter Direct 8. Improve all Afflictions yea the plague of sin it self to make you weary of this world and willing to be gone to Christ Rom. 7. Direct 9. Be much with God in Prayer Meditation and other heart-raising duties that you may not by strangeness to him be dismayed Direct 10. Live not in the guilt of any wilful sin nor in any slothful neglect of duty lest guilt breed terrour and make you fly from God your Judge But especially study to redeem your time and to do all the good you can iâ— the world and to live as totally devoted to God as conscious that you live to no carnal interest but desire to serve him with all you have and your consciences testimony of this will abundantly take off the terrours of death whatever any erroneous ones may say to the contrary for fear of being guilty of conceits of merit A fruitful life is a great preparative for death 2 Tim. 4.8 2 Cor. 1.12 c. Direct 11. Fetch from Heaven the comforts which you live upon through all your life And when you have truly learned to live more upon the comforts of believed glory than upon any pictures or hopes below then you will be able to die in and for those comforts Matth. 6.20 21. Col. 3.1 4. Phil. 3.20 21. 1 Thes 4.18 Phil. 1.21 23. Direct 12. The Knowledge and Love of God in Christ is the beginning or foretaste of Heaven John 17.3 1 Cor. 13. c. and the foretastes are excellent preparations Therefore still remember that all that you do in the world for the getting and exercising the true Knowledge and Love of God in Christ so much you do for the foretastes and best preparations for Heaven 1 Cor. 8.3 If any man love God the same is known of him with approbation and love II. In the time of sickness and near to death Direct 1. Let your first work when God seemeth to call you away be to renew a diligent search of your hearts and lives and to see lest in either of them there should be any sin which is not truly hated and repented of Though this must be done through all your lives yet with an extraordinary care and diligence when you are like to come so speedily to your tryal For it is only to Repenting Believers that the Covenant of Grace doth pardon sin And the impenitent have no right to pardon Though for ordinary failings which are forgotten and for sins which you are willing to know and remember but cannot a general Repentance will be accepted as when you pray God to shew you the sins which you see not and to forgive those which you cannot remember or find out Yet those which you know must be particularly repented of And Repentance is a remembring duty and will hardly forget any great and heinous sins which are known to be sins indeed If your Repentance be then to begin alas it is high time to begin it And though if it be sound it will be saving that is If it be such as would settle you in a truly godly life if you should recover yet you will hardly have any assurance of salvation or such comfort in it as is desirable to dying man Because you will very hardly know whether it come from true conversion and contain a Love to God and Godliness or whether it be only the fruit of fear and would come to nothing if you were restored to health But he that hath truly repented heretofore and lived in uprightness towards God and man and hath nothing to do but to discern his sincerity and to exercise a special Repentance for some late or special sins or to do that again which he hath done unfeignedly before will much more easily get the assurance and comfort of his forgiveness and salvation Direct 2. Renew your sense of the Vanity of this world Which at such a time one would think should be very easie to do When you see that you are near an end of all your pleasures and have had all except a grave to rot in that ever this world willd o for you may you not easily then see whether the godly or the worldly be the wiser and the happier man And what it is that the life of man should be spent in seeeking after Matth. 6.33 Isa 55.1 2 3. Eccles 7.3 4 5 6. Direct 3. Remember what Flesh is and what it hath been to you that you may not be too loth to lay it down Of the dust it was made and to the dust it must return Corruption is your Father and the Worm is your Mother and your Sister Job 17.14 Drought and beat consume the Snow-waters so doth the grave those which have sinned The womb shall forget him the Worm shall feed sweetly on him Job 24.20 Flesh and blood shall not inherit the Kingdom of God but this mortal must put on immortality by being made a spiritual body 1 Cor. 15. And this flesh hath cost you so dear to carry it about so much care and labour to provide it food to repair that which daily vanisheth away and so many weary painful hours and so many fearful