Pride as if we were more than Angels or else to be torn with Discontent as if we thought God's Servants were no better than Gally-slaves To conclude thus saith the gracious Man I believe in God the Father and in the Son and I believe in the Holy Ghost also The Father worketh hitherto and the Son works and blessed equally be his Name the Holy Spirit worketh By his ASSISTANCE through Christ's MEDIATION is my access unto GOD. Mark 4. The Covenant of Grace is Spiritually entred Sacramentally confirmed and Practically observed by him He knows no Religion but what is Federal and by Covenant He is one fast-bound to all three Persons of the Godhead undividedly and unto each of them distinctly And this by the BOND OF THE COVENANT as Ezek. 20.37 Even the COVENANT OF GOD'S PEACE as Isai 54.10 He hath learned the first Covenant of Works He hath been Convinced of his breach of it in his first Parents and in his own Person And of his becoming thereby first a Runnagate from God and then an Exile or Banished Creature and one remedilesly miserable without a NEW and BETTER Covenant He hath been wounded by this his said breach of the first Covenant and that unto Death it self The death of all his Comforts in any thing under the Sun and of all his Hopes of welfare in the next World He hath cried in the anguish of his Soul O that I had never been born Nor ever could he change his Mind or desist from that cry or come to any life of Peace and Hope till he had got knowledge of this Covenant of Grace By the balm hereof his Wounds that stank and were corrupt were healed He Revived when he heard that God being by Christ appeased had made and offered a NEW Covenant A new Bond to bind again unto himself those that had run from him To bind himself to bless and save the Penitent and that as strongly and more than ever he bound himself in the first Covenant to bless and save the Innocent He cannot forget the sweet feelings that he had in his heart when he first heard what this Covenant was What it 's Promises and what it's Demands Indeed at first he exclaimed in his haste Away away this is too good to be true Indeed if Light and Darkness and Fire and Stubble were possible to be made Friends this were a way to make them so If GOD and a SINNER were possible to be united and reconciled this New Covenant is one that would unite them But how CAN this be Nevertheless being by and by brought to himself and not daring to give the Lye to Him that CANNOT Lye he ceased to Doubt and began to Wonder and Bless Uttering words to this purpose HEAVEN HEAVEN HEAVEN here 's HEAVEN on Earth Here is a BEATIFICK VISION Why here shine all the astonishing Excellencies and attracting Beauties of God of the whole Trinity I never saw before some of them I never before knew the ten thousandth part of the rest of them Is this the COVENANT OF GRACE 'T is of GRACE indeed and of GLORY too I think O that I had known it sooner That I had asked after it as soon as I could speak That I had given my Parents Ministers and God himself no rest till I had been made to know this Covenant of Grace This HEAVEN HEAVEN HEAVEN upon Earth Briefly he hath admired the exquisite suitableness of both the Privileges and Duties of the Covenant of Grace Their suitableness to the state wherein he lay That was a state of Sin and Misery He did therein nothing but dishonour God and destroy himself Now comes this Covenant of Grace and as to his Sin preacheth Repentance and return to Duty as to his Misery preacheth Remission and return into God's Favour It gives as well as requires Repentance and freely for the sake of Christ not for any Merit in Repentance giveth Remission The Promised Privileges of the Covenant of Grace are such as our Nature craves for and all it can desire To wit PARDON and SALVATION comprehending all Blessings In these God respected our Want The demanded Duties which also are promised in the use of means are such things as our Corrupt Nature doth loath and turn from To wit ENTRANCE and PERSEVERANCE in the Obedience of the Gospel comprehending all Duties In these God respected his own Honour And of equal Wisdom and Grace by the former which are craved by our Nature he allureth us to these latter which are averted from by our Corruption This the gracious Man hath observed much and blessed and magnified God in the observation of it By the former his Spirit Soul and Body have been strongly and sweetly drawn into the latter He hath a true heart that is a heart resolved upon all the Duties of the Covenant and that because he hath also full assurance of Faith that is a heart trusting in God for all the Promised Blessings of the Covenant Thus is he a Spiritual Covenanter with God His Heart and Spirit taking truly the Blessings of the Gospel for his Happiness and as truly taking the Duties of the Gospel for his Work and Business Be it added the Man whom we describe is one that neither Thinks nor makes Light of any Ordinance of his God He knows that God's Positive Laws do bind the Conscience as well as his Moral ones And he remembers that the effects of the first Sin though it were a breach of a Positive Law were tremendous He considers that under the New Testament the Number is but Two the Observation not difficult and if Piously observed exceedingly Beneficial And he infers that the disuse or abuse of Baptism or the Lord's Supper must therefore greatly incense God and injure a Soul He rests not in the foresaid spiritual Covenanting with God though good necessary and of greatest necessity The bare word of the Covenant of Grace as it is in the Scripture he highly prizeth but the signified sealed and engaged word thereof as it is in the Holy Sacraments he most religiously useth and justly prefers He Useth it because he is Commanded and he Preferreth it because in it's use he hath the word of the Covenant with extraordinary Advantages Among Men any Covenant made is first expressed by Words then by Writings then by Hands and Seals mutually added and this last is the highest strongest and utmost Confirmation that Men can give to each other The Covenant between God and Us made is first expressed by his Spirit unto us and by our Spirits unto him in spiritual Language Nextly by Words or Confession with our Mouth we alledging God's part of the Covenant and professing our own restipulation Lastly By Sacraments which are Rites in their outward appearance contemptible but ordained by God for both Signifying Sealing and Engaging Ordained to be Signs and Seals on God's part and to be Bonds and Badges on our part of the Covenant And in this last way is the most noble and
Ames in Sciagraph Cateches It is his perpetual Soliloquy How shall I that am dead to sin that am Baptized and have solemnly Vowed Death unto all Sin how shall I live any longer therein I that am in the import and signification of my Baptism Risen with Christ what shall become of me if I do not seek the things that are above If unbaptized Infidels be damned without mercy of how much sorer punishment shall I be thought worthy if I Forget though I do not verbally Renounce my Baptism If I become blind see not far off and FORGET that I was washed from my old sins If I bear my holy Baptism but as an empty Formality If I use it not as daily Food for the strength of my Faith and as my ordinary Physick for its Health If under Temptations I do not advance the Considerations of it for gaining Victory over them and if at other times I do not advance the same for keeping my Conquest Better may a Servant forget that he was Hired a Souldier that he was Listed a Wife that she was Married than I forget that I was Baptized Their Folly would be less their Sin would be less their Loss and Shame incomparably less And the rather because I consider my Baptism was Infant-Baptism it self Other Baptism is like the Tower of David builded for an Armory wherein there hang a thousand Bucklers and Shields against our spiritual Adversaries But of Infant-Baptism it must be said There is none like that None like it for numerous and powerful enforcements unto Faith and Obedience Being Baptized in my Infancy upon the account of God's Covenant with my Ancestors I am thereby given to see that Sin is a Herod that sought my life from the very womb That it was In me before ever it proceeded actually From me That it is an earlier Enemy of mine than they dream of who disown Original Sin For what need of the holy Washing if I was not then it self Unclean And being that I was surely so methinks I am the more engaged to contrive and endeavour the death of so early as well as deadly Foe as my Sin is Being in Infancy Baptized so early entred into league with God against it and encouraged extremely unto holiness and righteousness the date of my Obligation addeth weight unto it I cannot but think that of all Men living the so early bound had need exquisitely and entirely to obey Being in Infancy Baptized I am thereby certified God is not only my God but he was the God of my Fathers before me And I cannot but much the more promptly trust in him as it 's Usual with all the World to trust the most readily of any Men their own Friends and their Father 's before them For this also have I the Example of God's Saints on Scripture-Record who often strengthened their Faith on their Father's Covenant Exod. 32.13 c. Yea good warrant from God I have being he tells me he shews mercy to thousands of them that love him and Children are beloved for their Father's sake Rom. 11.28 Being baptized in Infancy I can and shall often plead the Covenant therein sealed with special Advantage The Object of my Faith is not only God in Covenant but God in Covenant with the Seal of Baptism administred to strengthen that my Faith And this whenever administred is a strong Plea But as all the World will acknowledge Experience and long Acquaintance do make a mighty inducement to Trust and Confidence in any one that we Plead with Now this Inducement I have by the means aforesaid And thus do I humbly Plead with my God both for Spirituals and for Temporals Lord when I could only Want and could not Know Desire or Ask for the good things that I wanted whether Initial Graces or After-supplies of Grace whether Necessaries or Convenient Comforts of this Life then most freely of Grace visibly and without question free thou didst Seal a Promise of all of them unto me Forbid the unbelief in my heart I meekly beseech thee And let me not doubt but thou wilt faithfully bestow them all on me now that I am daily in thy dear Son's Name an earnest Supplicant for them Now that of thy own Grace whereof thou art as constantly the Rewarder as the Author I ask seek knock and pray without ceasing O what will the People say the People of the Congregation that saw thee solemnly seal Promise of all unto me when I was carried in Arms if they should see that sealed Promise fail me now What will the Minister be tempted to say he who in Christ's Name and Place did then solemnize the Covenant betwixt thee and my soul What will he say should he see me now at these years coming to thee and yet cast out and cast off by thee O be it far from me to distrust thee and especially then to distrust thee when I consider 1 that thou art my God in sealed Covenant and 2 that thou art my God in sealed Covenant from my Mother's belly By thy Grace assisting I will never forget or less than Practically remember my Infant-Baptism for therewith thou hast quickned me And therewith I trust thou wilt always quicken me When of old thou didst promise Life to Hezekiah his query was What shall be the sign that the Lord will heal me But I am past that doubt Thou hast promised me Life and all good things in Christ Jesus and holy Baptism is the Sign and Witness between Thee and Me. The sign and seal of the Righteousness which is by Faith even of all the Grace promised to me in Christ Amen and Amen! It must be added the gracious Man is one that doth not use to forget that he is a creature Weak and but Imperfectly fanctified and during his abode in this World always miserably Tempted And therefore one that had need to make use of all the means of grace by God provided To have a due respect unto ALL the Covenant Word of God and unto BOTH of the Sacraments or Seals thereof He forgets not that the Word of God is a Covenant word and that the Covenant of God is a signed sealed Covenant and that the signed sealed Covenant of God for our more abundant Instruction and Consolation hath two distinct Seals ordained for it Baptism the first for our Initiation the Lord's Supper the other for our Confirmation Baptism once to be administred for our one Entrance into Covenant the Lord's Supper often to be administred I think always on Lords-Days for our Continuance in Covenant for our Perseverance and Progress in grace Baptism in which God constructively saith Come thou and obey the Gospel as thus Encouraged and Engaged by the Sign and Seal on my part and by the Bond and Badge on thy own part And the Lord's Supper in which God saith Forasmuch as thou hast Vnderstood and Consented unto and Professed thy consent unto the Covenant sealed between me and thee in Baptism Come thou and
Father and the Son breathe forth this blessed Spirit with one and the same Spiration or Breathing This they do Eternally Inconceivably Naturally by the Perfection of their Nature not by any Arbitrary Decree And this said Spirit is a distinct Person acting according to the counsel of his own will He is called one Spirit and That one and self-same Spirit which are very particularising terms 1 Cor. 12. he is a Person declared to be the EQUAL of the Father and Son by his equal Titles and Attributes equal Works and Worship And accordingly the gracious Man that we speak of doth EQUALLY both Honour Worship and Obey him He is not of them that have not so much as heard whether there be a Holy Ghost or no. He knows there is one one Proceeding naturally from the Father and Son in respect of Substance as hath been said And also Proceeding from them dispensatorily in respect of the work of Grace One that in the former respect is their EQUAL and in the latter respect is their INFERIOR Vicarius Christi Tertull. With reverence and godly fear be it written and read that here followeth No occasion is given and I hope none will be taken for any blaspemous thought of Inequality of Essence between the Father and Son and their holy Spirit Inequality of Office it is which the Scripture declareth and which the gracious Man believeth It is a very Maxim and granted by all that Inferiority of Office doth very well consist with Equality of Essence And it is exemplified in our blessed Saviour who is expresly named God over all and the Servant of God God EQUAL in Essence Servant INFERIOR by Office Now be it observed this eternal Spirit did freely condescend to take an Authoritative Delegation or Commission from the Father and Son unto the work of Sanctification Even as God the Son did condescend to take an authoritative Delegation from the Father unto the work of our Redemption Joh. 14.26 The Father will SEND him And Joh. 15.26 I will SEND him saith Christ And frequently this glorious Spirit is said to be SENT GIVEN POURED forth c. Namely to TEACH his People to BRING ALL THINGS TO THEIR REMEMBRANCE to QUICKEN them to COMFORT them to RESTORE them Eph. 2.13 He is named the Spirit of the Promise that is that is promised in the Covenant of grace unto all the blessed purposes of Grace aforesaid And is indeed the grand and principal Gift of all promised therein in the New Testament day The main thing promised by our Saviour unto his Church at the time of his withdrawing his bodily Presence from the same So that it is most evident this Holy Spirit doth not come unto us or act within us only in his own Name but in the Name of the Father and of the Son from whom and by whom He is Promised and Sent. Upon which account it is thought by many excellent Divines to be that the Sin against the Holy Ghost is Unpardonable which no other Sin is Even because Sin against him is Sin against all the Authority of God and all the Love of God and the uttermost condescention of all the three Divine Persons to the work of our Salvation And to come to the Mark that we would give let this be attended The gracious Man is one that payeth unto the Holy Ghost his double Honour the honour of his Essence and the honour of his Office Considered as in his Essence he believes in him worships him and obeys him as God EQUAL with the Father and Son Considered as in his Office he Values him Prays for him Grieves him not but industriously Pleaseth him Delighteth in him Dependeth upon him Thanketh the Father for giving him and the Son for purchasing him and the Father and Son for sending him as the great APPLYER of all the Benefits by the Father given and by the Son purchased As one whose Presence is incomparably more profitable and serviceable to the application thereof than the bodily presence of Christ it self And is as freely vouchsafed by him for the Sanctification of the Elect and for the Consolation of the Sanctified as ever Christ's Presence was vouchsafed for the Reconciliation of God unto thâ—m by his Blood Freely our Redeemer CAME to do that Will of his Father And as freely this our Sanctifyer and Comforter PROCEEDED to do the Will of the Father and the Son For of his Oeconomical and dispensatory Proceeding unto it and not of his personal Proceeding is that Text to be understood Joh. 15.26 He PROCEEDETH from the Father Now unto this glorious Spirit in whom all the New Testament Promises are fulfilled as in Christ all the Promises of the Old Testament were unto Him who as Jesus Christ thought it no robbery to be EQVAL with God yet was Promised as Christ was Promised by God and is said to Come to be Sent and to be Given as Christ is said to Come to be Sent and to be Given and may not be esteemed a less GIFT of God than Jesus Christ himself was unto this ever-blessed Spirit descending from the bosom of the Father and the Son and residing among the needy Children of Men unto this Inspiration of the Almighty what deferences doth the gracious Man make Sciunt qi fiunt Gracious hearts do very well know what deferences They know and feel it a gracious heart would rather be no heart than be void of this Spirit It accounteth every heart that is not his Holy Temple to be no other than Satan's hideous Dunghill In short it thus testifieth concerning that Spirit that is the Soul of its Soul the prime and principal Spring of all its Motions Heaven-ward The Son of God's Work in Redemption had been in vain without the Spirit of God's Work in it's Application Without this Almighty Work as well as that most Merciful one the Work of the Father in Freation which Sin spoiled had never been repaired never restored Without this blessed Spirit never had I understood a Truth or possessed a Grace or performed a Duty or enjoyed a Privilege in hand or in hope I was Ignorant even Darkness it ' self and he was unto me the spirit of Wisdom and of Understanding I was Unconvinced of my Sin and Misery and in a feavorish Dream of the clean contrary and he convinced me making it plain to me that I was a Child of wrath by Nature and of Disobedience by all my Life I was stupid and senseless of the wrath I believed coming and he brought me to my feeling and made me cry out I am grievously tormented with the guilt of my Sins and with the power of my Lusts He brought me into that bondage without which I had never looked out after liberty Under my Conviction and Compunction I was even totally Despairing one while and going about to set up my own Righteousness another while and he it was who came and perswaded me there was a Rock of Salvation for such as I but my
most complete Confirmation that can be given For in these said Sacraments God doth as appears from his Institution of them most sensibly unto our selves and most publickly in the face of the Congregation TESTIFIE his Engagement to fulfill the Promises of the Covenant expecting our fulfilling of the Demands which he had before Testified unto us by his Word and Spirit in our hearts And we in the Sacraments do as appears from our very Celebration of them besides our verbal Declarations most solemnly and openly TESTIFIE our Engagement to fulfill the Demands of the Covenant expecting God's gracious fulfilment of the Promises which we had before testified with our Hearts and with our Lips In a word the good Man learns that though it be an amazing Condescention of which God disposeth his Grace in way of Covenant yet it is a further and vastly greater Condescention of which he addeth Seals and such Confirmations There was on his part no need of them nor did he add them to help his own inviolable Faithfulness but meerly to help our weak Faith and to give us the more strong Consolation Particularly 1. The more to express his sincere and earnest respect unto our Salvation as a King expresseth his Zeal for a poor Subjects Satisfaction when he saith Come I am not satisfied my self to give thee my bare word though it be a royal one I will unto the same add my broad Seal 2. To Apply more particularly and closely unto every individual Soul this foresaid Covenant I say more particularly than in the Scripture it is applied Like a King who being desirous more abundantly to comfort reconciled Rebels though he hath in common declared their Pardon in an Act of Oblivion and Indemnity doth further Sign and Seal particularly every one's Pardon For in the Word God speaks indeed the same things as in the Sacraments but in the Word he speaks unto all generally but in the Sacraments unto every one particularly Therein his Language by his Minister uttered is I Baptize THEE and Take and Eat THOU 3. To invest Believers solemnly and as by formality of Law into a right to the good things of the Covenant As Men use when having consented to a Bargain they have made those that deal with them a right unto a House or Field they do make that right more explicite by the delivery of it to them by some formality of Law that of a House by the delivery of a Key and that of a Field by delivery of a Turf of Earth So Acts 22.14 Arise and be Baptized for the washing away of thy Sins that is Receive Baptism as a livery and Seisin of Pardon and of all other benefits of the Covenant of Grace which are inseparable from it 4. To set Christ and all his benefits before Believers in the way of greatest force to Instruct and Comfort them And that is by Proposal of them unto our Senses in visible Rites and Ceremonies For who knows not that Knowledge comes into our Souls through our Senses And both most powerfully and pleasantly through our Eyes Now the gracious Man dares not receive this overflowing of God's Grace in vain Holily to God exemplarily to Men beneficially unto his Soul he doth by the holy Sacraments of the New Testament 1 Profess his Christian Religion 2 Testifie his Union to Christ and to his Members 3 Distinguish himself from Infidels 4 Encourage and Engage his Soul to the Obedience of the Gospel He thinks it worth his while to contemplate and to praise the wonderful extent of God's grace in this signed sealed Covenant of his For the most part he is one that considers it is extended as to the PERSONS so unto the SEED of Believers And that as God said to Abraham I will be thy God and the God of thy seed so upon us Gentiles is that blessing of Abraham come Gal. 3.13 14. And we are told that our Children are Holy that is with a Covenant-holiness and such as entitles them unto Baptism the entring Seal of the Covenant 1 Cor. 7.14 They are holy by their Parents Dedication and by God's Acceptation for when the Parents dedicated themselves they dedicated their seed also unto God and when God Promised to be their God he Promised to be the God of their seed also No Man hath yet shewn us where God hath said I will no longer be the Covenant-God of my Peoples Infant-seed Or though I do admit them into my Covenant I will not henceforth as of old seal my Covenant unto them Now as before Baptism they are Holy by Spiritual Dedication after Baptism they are farther Holy by Sacramental Consecration And as the Circumcised of old were debtors to the whole Law to do it so are they being Baptized by new Obligation debtors to the whole Gospel to obey it To wit when they come unto years of capacity and cease to be accounted by God as Parts and Pieces of their Parents which in their nonage they are accounted A blessed Privilege And such as if it were but duly improved by Parents and Children we should soon see blessed Effects of it The gracious Man of whom we speak laments much his Parental and his Personal non-improvement And is one that sets himself to make it appear he thinks the past time of neglect to have been too too much One that now having received his sight in the Matter addicts himself to improve it so much the more unto Faith and Obedience He perceives that Baptism is another kind of thing than the generality of People take it for And of all things to be named God will not hold him guiltless that taketh his Baptism in vain Take it in vain they do who mind their Covenant with God never the more for it Who believe the Pardon of their Sins never the more who confide in God for the bestowal of all the Promised good things of the Covenant never the more who are bent to die unto sin and live unto righteousness never the more for their Baptism But he conceives of it as a Baptism of Repentance for the Remission of Sins And makes the same use of it as a Servant doth of his Covenant with his Master as a Souldier doth of his Covenant with his Captain as a Wife doth of her solemnized Marriage-Covenant with her Husband He constantly bears it in Mind as his true and greatest Encouragement to expect the recompence of reward without doubting and as his like Engagement to Serve the Lord Jesus Christ to fight under his Banner against Flesh World and Devil and all days of his Life to Honour Love and Obey him As Warriers are not dress'd but are naked till their Swords are girded to their Sides so is it with him in a Morning he thinks not himself up dress'd and ready to stir till his Soul hath put on the Sword of the Spirit which is the Covenant-WORD of GOD as in holy BAPTISM SIGNED and SEALED Ubi VERBUM nominatur SACRAMENTA fere subintelliguntur
another To conclude this Mark of a gracious Man he thinks of the Lord's Supper as it was said he thought of Baptism The Lord will not hold him guiltless that takes the Lord's Supper in vain And he accounts that they do in great measure so take it who do not as is said in the Lines foregoing He knows that the strongest man in Christ doth need it and is not above it and that the weakest Babe in Christ is habitually qualified for it and the Ordinance is not above him No but is even chiefly for such as he is As Holy as Adam was in his innocent state he wanted a Sacrament And as imperfectly Wise and Holy as Christ's Disciples were before his Ascension and Mission of the Spirit they had this holy Sacrament that I speak of He is therefore one that valueth the holy Feast above his daily Bread And not without cause It is said of the Egyptian Youth whom his Master left sick in the Field that being brought to David and having eaten and drank his spirit came again to him The gracious Man can tell you that he hath often been sick and faint in his inner Man and being brought unto David's Son and Lord and having Eaten and Drank at his Table his spirit also hath come again unto him If every Lord's-Day he hath not resorted unto this Banquet yet ordinarily he hath tasted of its twelve manner of Fruits every Month if I may allude unto that in Rev. 22.2 And virtue hath come forth from Jesus Christ into his Soul and done mighty Works there even in despight of its Unbelief and deadly Fears foregoing Though he doth not think the Lord's Supper a Converting Ordinance as from a state of Sin into a state of Grace yet he doth experience it to be a Converting Ordinance as from lower degrees of Grace and Peace unto higher ones He pitieth in his heart every Soul of each sinful Tribe both those that prophanely keep away from the holy Table and those that do but come and prophane it And he spiritually hears God saying to those vilifyers of holy Bread and Wine as it is Isai 65.13 14. Behold my Servants shall Eat but ye shall be Hungry behold my Servants shall Drink but ye shall be Thirsty behold my Servants shall Rejoyce but ye shall be Ashamed Behold my Servants shall sing for joy of heart but ye shall cry for sorrow of heart and howl for vexation of spirit I will here Publish the words of a Judicious and Pious Author which have been useful to me and may be so unto some of my Readers Even these of Mr. Daniel Rogers which I find in his Treatise of Sacraments Part 2. p. 241. I mourn to speak it divers Ministers neither Unlearned nor Unpainful in their kind nor Ungodly yet in Point of the Sacrament do little acquaint either themselves or the People with it almost through the Year except in a passage afar off I dare not boast my self but if I might draw any to Emulation I durst say that whereas my poor Labours for TWELVE YEARS were more upon this than any other Point I am not ashamed to say I found the Argument more FRUITFUL at the end than all the while And doubtless many good People there are who mourn for the barrenness of their Ministers in this kind So in his Preface to his Reader he harmoniously eenough saith I could not see wherein I could do greater honour to God than to enhanse the Knowledge of CHRIST SACRAMENTAL And to incite others to do it whose learned Abilities can better perform it It hath been said who is the good Man's KING and FATHER who is his ADVOCATE and FRIEND in the Court of his fatherly King who is his GUIDE and COMFORTER on Earth sent down unto him from that Court And also what are the BONDS and COVENANT TRANSACTIONS that have passed betwixt them and him Wherefore our last Mark is this Mark 5. Assurance of Saving Grace is sweetly possessed or painfully sought by him By Saving Grace I mean ELECTION REDEMPTION VOCATION JUSTIFICATION and GLORIFICATION By Assurance I understand Certainty of Mind such as is Proper tho' it be Imperfect No man living is Perfectly Assured of God's Love or is so certain that he cannot be made more certain But many a man is Properly Assured of it and hath more than a guess or a conjecture that he is a Possessor of it For many a man's Assurance is built upon proper rational assuring grounds Many a man's Assurance hath proper real Victory over his doubts and against his fears Many a man's Assurance hath proper genuine Fruits of Assurance Peace Patience Joy c. Many a man's Assurance hath the name of Assurance given it by God himself who always giveth things their proper Names St. Paul's is called a sure Perswasion Rom. 8.38 St. John's a sure Knowledge 1 Joh. 2.3 The Faith of all is called an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or evident proof of things not seen Heb. 11.1 In a word many I say have and enjoy the comfort of this proper Assurance of God's Grace And the good man that hath it not that either never attained it or having attained it hath lost it he knoweth that it is ATTAINABLE that it is DESIRABLE and that it is NECESSARY And therefore dares not to desist from seeking it or to be remiss in seeking it He knows it is Attainable For the H. Scriptures are Revelations of God's Grace and that Free indeed as to any Merit of ours but most Engaged as to the Promises and Covenant of God They are a Revelation both Full and very Plain and Intelligible yea and given of God for this very end that we thro' comfort of the Scriptures might have hope Rom. 15.4 Besides this he knoweth the Nature of Man and the Power of Conscience too well to dream that Assurance is unattainable The Scripture is a Lamp to see by and Conscience is an Eye to see with what then should hinder Assurance Conscience is we know an inner Judge and justifies or condemns us at its Bar. It is also a Witness in our selves as to the matter of Absolution or Condemnation It is likewise a Rewarder or a Punisher of us a good man is more than a little satisfied from himself and a Cain and Judas more than a little tormented in themselves Moreover the good man knows that what hath been full often attained even under the Old Testament it is not to be thought unattainable under the New Especially that thing which under the New Testament very many have attained and all are commanded to seek and consequently have a promise that in the due use of means they shall find To conclude he knows that it is possible to attain assuring Evidences and therefore possible to attain Assurance it self Those said Evidences are Demonstrative ARGUMENT Credible SENSE and Infallible TESTIMONY The inseparable and distinguishing Effects of Grace do demonstrate the being of it Preference of Christ and his Spirit
come to the Lord's Supper desiring God to seal unto him the Promise which he layeth hold on and to promote his cravings for Christ as a fountain of both Pardoning and Purifying grace They that rashly deny this do audaciously and most barbarously exclude from the Lord's Table all Christians under desertion and doubting all bruised reeds which it may be are the sittest as well as neediest of any Souls for the holy Banquet I will be the shorter in the remaining Duties because in a manner all are comprehended in this first A second Duty which the Holy Ghost doth often make a means of working Assurance in Believers is Self-Examination Not all that Men will call by the name hereof but that which really is so that which is strictly managed and is as constantly issued That wherein a man sets God before him and having beseeched his gracious Conduct and Counsel falleth to compare what he Hath done and Doth do with what the Gospel Requireth and he Ought to do Examineth his Actions and especially the sincerity of the same q. d. Have I Repented or do I and is my Repentance sincere Have I Believed on Jesus Christ or do I so and is my Faith sound and unfeigned Have I begun or am I beginning a life of Repentance Faith and New Obedience and is it in truth and integrity that I do so Speak out Conscience for judge thou must and conclude one way or other And I will not sleep till thou tellest me what thy Sentence is At least what it is that thou inclinest to believe of my Actions of the soundness of them and of my state thence to be judged of If thou dost say I do not Repent Believe and Obey the Gospel or that I do not sincerely so do I will not build upon a present rotten title I will beg for God's Spirit and a new Heart by him wrought and new Acts by him excited and a new Claim will I make e're I stir out of this place If thou O Vicegerent of God within me if thou sayest that upon thy utmost search things appear better unto thee and that by the Scriptures judging thou believest me to be a true Penitent sound Believer sincere Obeyer of the Gospel I will not give way to importunate scruples and refuse all comfort and be afraid to bid my Soul bless the Lord and all that is within me Magnifie his Name I will humbly Hope in his grace and loudly Praise him in that hope Vncertainty or somewhat worse must be theirs who will not thus Examine themselves But of Souls well informed about the Covenant of Grace and qualified for Self-Examination and much Exercising it in this manner they are few if any that do long endure tormenting uncertainty Vain are all Trials indeed that are not brought unto an Issue and utterly unqualified they are for trial of their states who are unacquainted with the Covenant of Grace the Law and rule of Trial. A third Duty is Putting our one Talent to use with Thankfulness for it and without murmuring against God for want of Assurance Repent as much as thou canst Believe and Obey so and it is more than probable thou shalt soon discern thy self to Repent Believe and Obey Especially if thou art thankful for the little light that keeps thee from very Distraction and Horrors as bad as Francis Spira's it 's very like that God will encrease it unto the light of Noon-day A fourth Duty is accumulated diligence in all Ordinances Fervence in Prayer loosed Peter's Bonds it made Hannah's Countenance to be sad no more c. Accurate Reading and Hearing the Word hath done as great things and so has holy Conference of which I have lately Printed much in a little room Spiritual singing of Psalms is notably commended by devout Ancients and our Modern Divines for this purpose A fifth Duty is Abounding in such acts of Obedience as do most singularly thwart flesh and blood e. gr Full often doth God hasten to make known his Mercy to them who resist carnal temptations and exceed in mercy towards men Isai 58.7 to the 11th To them who run the hazard of their Names and Estates in reproving Sinners To them who bring their bodies into most subjection and make least of carnal Pleasures for the sake of God's spiritual Consolations To them that unweariedly promote Peace though ill requited by the Parties differing Mat. 5.9 To them that resolutely and painfully against the grain of corrupt Nature do love their Enemies and pardon their Injuries and pray for their Salvation A sixth Duty is a most peculiar War against that one sin which above any or all others causeth a Man to doubt of the love of God Some one such there is And when once that capital Make-bate is with a due specialty of care and pains resisted Assurance may be soon expected God useth to command a Calm as soon as such Jonah's be cast overboard A seventh Duty is Bearing in Mind the many Arguments which we may Plead humbly with God before we get Assurance of his Love e. gr 1 His Names Long-suffering Of great Mercy Forgiving Iniquity Transgression and Sin 2 Our own Extremities these Heman did Plead and we ought to Plead Psal 88.14 15. 3 Our Readiness to forgive others their offences against us Luk. 11.4 4 Our Ministers and Friends Compassions and Prayers Alas shall Men's iron Bowels yern and shall the Lords gracious ones be restrained Psal 80.4 5 The ill use that ill men and good ones too are like to make of our horrors and tremblings Psal 69.6 6 Lastly and principally The universal offer of Grace by Christ Jesus made and of all sinners unto heavy laden ones and weary of their sins and of such lives as sin do make them In a word The gracious Man layeth up these things in his heart Indeed he finds not in his Bible that God hath promised that every one that is a sound Believer shall some time or other in this World be made sure that he is so And he thinks it possible that a man may be saved without Assurance Nevertheless he cannot be content with the Possession of Godliness without the Assurance and certain Persuasion of it As we see Men use not to be quieted with Bread and Water though they be enough to keep Life and Soul together no but all do employ their thoughts for further Provisions He is one that wou'd be able to do the things which without Assurance cannot be done To Despise the World to Bear its Reproaches to Die for Christ's sake to be Bold at the Throne of Grace to have the Word and Sacraments as honey to his Taste to be enlarged in Thanksgiving and Praise to be furthered in Repentance to be fortified against Errors c. And in order to these if he hath never gain'd Assurance he is seeking it if he hath it he is diligently maintaining it if he hath lost it he is at work to regain it And one Cordial he hath
it from his Children in a way of Soveraignty or unprovokedly by their Sin that they be so oft at a loss concerning it We all know that God may if he please so with-hold or withdraw comforting Light But none I think hath proved or can prove that God doth ever so do Generally and very agreeably unto the Scripture we determine that Saints uncertainty of their Grace is meritoriously and also efficiently brought upon them by their Sin That they do 1 Permit their Lusts to domineer 2 Admit Temptations to egg on those Lusts 3 Commit Sins which are the issues of them 4 Intermit the Acts of Grace and 5 Remit and abate in the Degrees of Grace and so both Deserve and Work their Doubts So cast themselves down into the Valleys of Sorrow and the very Deeps of Despair for a time But more distinctly and plainly be it observed There are two principal Causes of gracious Souls uncertainty of the truth of their Grace 1. Some do not seek after Assurance 2. Others do seek amiss and not as they ought to do Some silly Babes do most absurdly argue That they may be saved without it and therefore they need not take much pains for it And they have been wretchedly hardned in their too common conceit That their want of Assurance is no Sin at all As if we were not bound to have peace in our Consciences as well as with our God And hereupon they do most wildly presume That all Endeavours to gain Assurance be at best but acts of Liberty and not of necessary Duty They are Ignorant or Forgetful of this unquestionable Truth that though a Child of God may be under Uncertainty of his being so yet he cannot long sit satisfiedly under that uncertainty He cannot think it a light evil and a burden easily to be endured He must needs be restless under it David's be troubled when their Evidences be obscured Psal 30.7 But of this some are not aware nor do they therefore spend an hour in a day or a day in a week month or year in seeking Assurance Alas How many Prayers have I heard made without one Petition for Assurance expresly put up And we need not wonder that they do not find who do not seek it But Secondly Many there be who seek Certainty but very faultily And though their faults be too many to be here fully enumerated I will recite briefly some special ones I mistake if I shew not a great World of them in a small Map 1. They seek Assurance that their grace is true with a sinful content in its being Small As though small things were not and would not always be hard to be seen And as though it were likely that God would discover the Truth of grace for their Comfort while they crave not the Growth of it for his Honour 2. They seek Assurance without due Diligence As if our Calling and Election were more easily to be ensured than the Scriptures of truth have suggested 3. They seek Assurance without sound Judgments and free from such mistakes as will naturally cause fear where no fear is e. g. Mistakes about the demands of the Covenant of grace Conceits that God hath made more necessary unto their acceptation than he hath indeed so made Mistakes that Faith justifying is a Perswasion that one is already Justified That if one be Converted one must needs know when God did Convert us That if ever we are Assured that Christ is formed in us we must have a vocal or immediate testimony of God from Heaven about it That if once we be Assured we must presently be rid of all fears and be filled with rapturous Joy c. 4. They seek Assurance without the help of Spiritual Teachers and Guides by God provided for them As if God would pour contempt upon the Ministry of his own Institution and harden them in their Sin who will not own and honour those unto whom he giveth the Tongue of the Learned to speak a word in season unto weary Souls And unto whom he hath said Receive ye the Holy Ghost whose Sins ye remit they are remitted and whose soever Sins ye retain they are retained Joh. 20. 5. They seek Assurance over-hastily and with sinful Impatience not submitting unto God the choice of the Time of it and of the Means As if God would allow Beggars to be Chusers or might be expected to give us our own Wills until they be subjected unto his Will 6. They seek Assurance without holy Confidence that God will give it to them in the faithful use of his appointed means Yea with a strong and setled perswasion that their Labour whatever it be shall be in vain And that they shall live and die upon the Rack without any relief by the means they use 7. They seek Assurance without a just and full renouncing of all worthiness in themselves of so inestimable a favour They over-value themselves even while they most suspect themselves which one wou'd think impossible and do harbour conceits that the Labour they take for Assurance doth in a manner earn it 8. They seek Assurance without a due and full respect unto the Merit of Jesus Christ our only Propitiation and Advocate As they do not thoroughly Abase themselves so neither do they throughly Exalt their Saviour For which cause it is that they so long continue to be as the troubled Sea 9. They seek Assurance without a due fore-acquaintance with the Office of the Spirit toward Believers and the Duty of Believers toward the Spirit And consequently without congruous Honour paid to him who is the Witnesser as well as Worker of grace And without congruous proper Prayer made for those Operations of his whereby alone we can be Assured And without congruous Trial and Examination of our selves 10. They seek Assurance without any Appearance of Thankfulness for other Mercies enjoyed Over-looking and despising them all as though all were but Cyphers without Assurance to give them virtue and value 11. They seek Assurance without an universal respect maintained unto ALL and EVERY one of Gods Commandments Some ORDINANCE or another is slighted some DUTY or other is omitted Reading is much disused Or Hearing is less frequented Or Prayer is restrained Or Conference is let down Or Sacraments be rarely minded Or Psalms be seldom sung Again either Charity to all men is grown cold or Brotherly Reproof is unexercised or true Love of Enemies is expired or the work of Mortification is at an end or that which one would judge should of any be kept up Choice of wisest and most holy Company 12. They seek Assurance without due regard to the Rules whereby and to the Season wherein they do examine themselves To the Rule for this is the Covenant of grace and this they do not understand well and will not go ask instruction about it But concluding rashly that its terms be higher than ever God made them they do accordingly condemn themselves as Hypocrites for that which
spoke for by the least Child it hath 12. The Twelfth is Valuation of one's self by the Execution Repetition and Propugnation of the Suggestions All Men do glory in somewhat or other There is some one thing or other by which they do rate and value themselves Determining they are more or less blessed in themselves and to be esteemed by others as they have more or less of the same Unregenerate Men's estimate of themselves is by their Executed and Repeated and Propugnated Sin and what that Sin has gained them Even the Profits Pleasures or Honours of this World which they have compassed by those their Sins The Regenerate do try themselves by another Touchstone and weigh themselves in another Scale They count the Idols of this world very Nothings And do believe in their hearts and confess with their mouths that in them dwelleth no other good and they are at no further distance from Misery than the Grace of God in them and the Grace of God toward them doth set them They are Happy and Honourable more or less as they Glorifie and Enjoy God more or less Enjoy him according to the Promises and Glorifie him according to the Demands of the Covenant of Grace Brethren It shall not repent you if seriously and frequently you do Examine your selves in reference unto these twelve Particulars If these Acts are passed in your Souls on the right side Rejoyce and be exceeding glad for great is your reward in Heaven whatever be your Scar-crows and Disquietments on Earth Indeed as long as you live you may be one while in tears of grief crying God be merciful unto me a Sinner But you will be otherwhiles in tears of joy exclaiming I know that my Redeemer liveth One while combating with fears asking Will the Lord be favourable unto me But by and by triumphing over your fears saying I am perswaded that nothing shall be able to separate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus One while falling down on your Knees praying I believe Lord help my Unbelief But another time clapping your hands and thankfully proclaiming it Christ hath loved me and gave himself for me One while as Hester If I perish I perish But another as Mary My Soul rejoyceth in God my Saviour He that doth not willingly grieve the Children of Men will not let his own Children have nothing but grief for any long time together if they use the diligence he requireth for his sweet Consolations However I charge that you do not overvalue Comfort that you do not forget that a little Grace is more worth than much Comfort And that Comfort is desirable only for the sake of Holiness I am wholly of his Mind who hath said Happier a great deal is that man's case whose Soul by inward desolation is HUMBLED than he whose heart is through abundance of spiritual delight LIFTED up and exalted ABOVE MEASURE Better is it sometimes to go down into the Pit with him who beholding darkness and bewailing the loss of inward joy and consolation cryeth from the bottom of the lowest Hell My God my God why hast thou forsaken me then continually to walk arm in arm with Angels to sit as it were in Abraham 's bosom and to have no thought no cogitation but I thank God I am not as other men it is not with me as with others Ri. Hooker pag. 546. as quoted by Mr. H. Hickman in his very excellent Discourse on Eph. 4.30 I do remember and still adhere unto what I have written in my Call to Sinners Marks than which I cannot find better But variety and store is no sore It repents me not that I have here proposed these And I will farther commend unto your use Six excellent Questions of blessed Mr. Henry Scudder as they are contracted by our worthy Mr. Samuel Lee who with him well saith these words You are in God's favour and in a state of grace if you can answer yea unto ALL or unto ANY of them Q. 1. How stand you affected to Sin are you afraid to offend God and dare not sin wittingly Is it your Grief and Burden that you cannot abstain from it nor get out of it as soon as you would Q. 2. How are you affected to Holiness and the Power of Godliness to know God's Will and do it to fear and please him Is it your Grief when you fail and your Joy when you do well Q. 3. How to the Church of God are you glad when it goes well and grieved when it goes ill and sit trembling with Eli to hear how it goes with the Ark of God however it be with your own Particular Q. 4. How towards Men Do you dislike wicked Men and love those that fear the Lord because they are good Q. 5. Can you endure your Soul to be ript and your beloved Sin to be smitten by a searching Minister and like him the Rather and can yield an obedient Ear to such a wise Reproof Q. 6. Though you have not Evidence always or can scarce tell whether you ever had it yet resolve and desire and will as you are able to cleave to God in Christ for Salvation by Faith and in no other Person nor by no other means to be saved But that my Epistle is already swollen beyond my purpose I would here have shewn you more largely these Particulars 1. Strongest Grace and weakest do agree in many things e. gr 1 Both have the same Original Giver God the Father Both are from his Electing Love Unto which are owing the smallest sparks as well as the brightest flames of spiritual-life 2 Both have the same meritorious Purchaser Jesus Christ Both are from his Redeeming Grace Thereto are we beholden for our very Entrance into the State of Holiness as well as for our Proficience and final Perfection 3 Both have the same Efficient Worker the Holy Ghost Both are from his regenerating Work Thereof it is that the Babe in Christ is what he is as well as that the grown Man in Christ is what he is 4 Both are wrought by the same Instrument also the New Covenant Word of God And in short 5 Both have the self-same Nature They have the same Nature and Being though so different sizes of Strength and Power of working A drop of water is as truly water as the vast Collection of water in the Sea is so And the Soul in whom Christ is formed but this hour is as truly an holy one as any of those who are with him in Paradise 2. Strong Grace and Weak do differ in their Measures their Strength and their Comforts and Troubles As grown Men do differ from Sucklings Having no more Limbs than they but every one larger and stronger and more capacious of Pain and Pleasure Weakest Converts have Knowledge of the Gospel-Covenant but not so Extensive or so Intensive and clear as stronger ones have They have predominant and practical Consent to it's Demands but not so free from Hesitations nor so