call him Father yet I will come to him as a Sinner who may in time call him Father Object 11. But thou hast made many vows and promises and resolutions and broken them all Ans This O Satan is true yet but a sinner and promises are made to sinners Object 12. But thou hast had many motions from the Spirit of God to forsake thy sins and come to God which thou hast sleighted Ans Yet but a sinner and promises are made to such Object 13. But thou hast been an open opposer of the wayes and people of God thou hast been a and jâ—erer a scoffeâ— at goodness Ans Yet I am but a sinner though my opposings were never so great for which I ever desire to bee humbled and to lye low before God that I should be such a wretch yet can they made me but a sinner and the promises are made to such Object 14. But thou hast sinned presumptuously Ans Yet but a sinner still and the promises are made to sinners Indeed were I to come to God as the least of Saints I should not dare to come but however I can come to God as a sinner and though as the greatest yet but a sinner still Object 15. But thou hast been a great neglecter of good as well as a committer of evil Ans Yet but a sinner and promises are made to sinners Object 16. But thou art an Hypocrite Ans This Satan is worst of all if true yet however I am but a sinner for an hypocrite is but a sinner and the promises are made to such I will therefore come to the promise that now I may be sincere Thus by holding this principle thou shalt more easily speedily effectually anâ—wer Satan than any other way The Life of Faith 2 Cor. 5.7 For wee walk by Faith not by Sight THe Text although included in a Parenthesis yet hath it relation to the foregoing verse being a reason of the latter part thereof Knowing this c. As if the Apostle should say This is the reason why we beleeve that whilst we are here at home in the body wee are absent from the Lord because the present life that now wee live is a life of Faith Now this wee know and are sure of that were wee present with the Lord wee should live by sight see him as hee is in the beauty and perfection of his glory but this being wanted here we conclude That whilst we are at home in the body wee are absent from the Lord. The words are a brief description of a Christians life here and hereafter here by Faith hereafter by Sight WE WALK the terme of walking in this Text is of equal extent with that of living Rom. 1.17 The just shall live by faith Gal. 2.20 And the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God I grant indeed in strict propriety of speech it is of larger extent because a man may live which doth not walk walking denotes not onely life but life in exercise but when these termes are applied to Faith as walking by faith living by faith they are of equal extent because the life of faith consists in exercise which is a mans walking by faith If a man do not walk by faith i.e. carry faith along with him throughout all that hee does or suffers doing and suffering by faith hee doth not live by faith for thus to do is properly to live by faith and take this away you take away the life of faith though a man may have the habit of faith in him yet doth hee not live by faith unless faith be active carrying him out either in doing or suffering for God which when it doth as he lives so likewise he walks by faith Doct. 1. The life of Faith is the proper life of Saints in this world 2 The proper life of Saints in the world to come is a life of Sight Of the first viz. Doctr. That the life of faith is the proper life of Saints in this world It was even in the times of the Old Testament Abraham lived by Faith See that notable place Rom. 4.17 to 22. who against hope beleeved in hope that hee might become the Father of many Nations vers 19. And being not weak in faith he considered not his own body now dead when hee was about an hundred years old neither yet the deadness of Sarahs womb vers 20. Hee staggered not at the promise of God through unbeleef but was strong in faith giving glory to God vers 21. And being fully perswaded that what he had promised he was able also to perform Here the Holy Ghost makes a Divine Comment upon the famous story of Abrahams beleeving and sets forth that life of faith which was in that holy man who against hope when nothing was left for Abraham to build hope upon in a way of sense but all things were at that pass that they made against his hope and endeavoured to destroy it yet then Abraham beleeved God comes to Abraham when that he was now about a hundred years old and his Wife Sarah near as many and promiseth him a Son by his wife Sarah and that in his seed should all Nations be blessed well might Abraham now say God hath promised me a Son and that in my seed shall all Nations be blessed How shall this word ever be I am now a hundred years old my body is dead to the begetting of Children my wife Sarah near as many her wombe is dead to the conceiving of Children how shall this promise be brought about But saith the Text Abraham considered not these things here was the life of faith hee did not suffer his minde to run on these things hee did not ponder them in a way of reason and sense but against hope beleeved in hope kept up his hope in a way of pure beleeving when all things to sense seemed to destroy his hope and so was strong in faith giving glory to God Hebr. 11. the Apostle reckons up throughout the Chapter many of the Worthies of the Old Testament Abel Enoch Noah c. recording their good Works and attributing all to their faith by faith they did thus and thus Abel offered Enoch was translated c. the Old Testament mentions only the bare work in many of these the Spirit of God in the New looks further into the nature of them not only the matter done but the manner of doing it records they were Gospel work and done from faith though wrought in Old Testament times so that the Saints of the Old Testament did live by faith yea Habbakkuk Chap. 2.4 saith expresly that the life of Saints or justified persons it is a life of faith so that this was the proper life of Saints in Old Testament times Come to the New we shall see still it is if in the Old when the Covenant of Grace by which this life of faith is begotten cherished was more dark and lay wrapped
and its fruit both in the soul together and though every soul which lives by faith hath not the other i.e. a perswasion that Christs righteousnesse is certainly its own yet every soul which lives by faith so far as it lives by faith hath this that possibly it may bee mine so far at least as that it dares not conclude the contrary as the Ninevites Jona 3. v. 8 9. Repent from such a consideration Who can tell if God will turn and repent And as Job offered sacrifice for this children from an It may bee my Sons have sinned And the four Lepers ventured into the host of Assyria from an It may bee they will save us alive So a poor soul which lives by faith goes to the promise and takes hold thereof and though it cannot say this is certainly mine or shall certainly be mine yet it saith It may bee mine however I will not conclude the contrary 5 Faith in the point of Justification causeth the soul that lives by it to shun all disputes either with the Devil or a mans own carnal reason as to the question whether it bee justified or no Satan comes and layes heavy charges upon the soul thou art such a sinner hast so often been proud unbeleeving worldly minded so many sins thou hast committed against the love and free grace of God against thy own light and conscience so many duties thou hast neglected so many been formal hypocritical in and therefore thou art not justified Carnal reason that comes in and sayes its Amen to the Devils arguments saith Carnal reason the Promises are true I know them to bee so and therefore surely the conclusion must bee thus I am no childe of God I am an unjustified person Faith now that comes forth and encounters the furious charge of both these raging Lions who would at once swallow up the peace and happiness of the poor soul and saith Faith you enemies Satan and my own reason if from all your charges you had concluded against my Sanctification reason would that I should bear with you but if the question bee about my Justification I will bee no disputer in that matter because it is not for mee to meddle with that business or to take the work out of anothers hands who is intrusted with it I grant I am as vile as you have made mee and viler too yet were I ten times viler than I am yet would not all this touch my Justification because that is wholly without mee and in the hands of another so as that no good or evill within mee or done by mee comes at that Yea O yee my enemies saith the soule you are much beside the question which fain you would affirm and prove when from these charges you would assaile my Justification for Sanctification and Justification are two things and all you charge mee with in your premises is some defect in the matter of Sanctification and in the conclusion you run into Justification which is to raise another question and therefore saith the soul had you concluded thus thou art not sanctified I would freely without dispute have concluded with you for this I do acknowledge that I am a poor sinner a wretched man in my self often captivated with a body of death I am not indeed so sanctified as I should bee but I see something in my self which I desire to mourn for and to walk humbly underâ—â— and which I see daily need to go to my Father about which also I do beseeching him and waiting upon him for the healing this filthy puddle of my nature but because of this that I am not justified that I will not conclude neither are you my enemies untill you have proved that there is a defect or want of righteousnesse in Christ as in mee till you have proved that there is not righteousnesse enough in Christ upon whom my justification lyes as it is my duty I shall still desire notwithstanding all my weaknesses and imperfections to beleeve my Justification Sixtly and lastly Faith looks strictly and narrowly to the conscience Conscience is the strong hold and castle of the soul whilst that is quiet free from tumults the whole man is at peace let there be a tumult there and the whole man is at war and put into distraction therefore faith in the business of Justification makes the soul to use all diligence of secure that hold out of the hands of the enemy by securing which the whole man injoyes peace and truly this looking too and securing of conscience is a business of greatest concernment in living by faith for justification For the Devill and Sin do the soul more mischief when these get into conscience than they do or can do any where else Now there are three wayes by which Faith secures Conscience 1 By putting a strong garrison into Conscience and keeping it there This strong Garrison is the Righteousnesse of Christ which faith brings into conscience and keeps there Faith knows that nothing else can defend conscience when Sin and Satan storm it but Christ Righteousnesse Hence 1 Pet. 3.21 wee are said to have the answer of a good conscience towards God by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ for the Resurrection being the time wherein Christ did appear in all his Righteousnesse and shew forth himself as one that had now fulfilled all Righteousnesse and upon the very same account was now risen from the dead when hee had been acting the last part of that sad Tragedy as to himself but glorious work of Righteousnesse as to us is put for the whole Righteousnesse of Christ both active and passive and so it is as if the Apostle should say The Righteousnesse of Jesus Christ being put into our Consciences is that whereby they are secured and kept peaceable so that instead of tumults and insurrections in conscience our consciences are in peace instead of accusing us wee have the answer of a good conscience towards God 2 By clearing the conscience of all those enemies who formerly have done or do disturb the peace thereof As faith brings a strong garrison into conscience so it ejects all malignants or disturbers of consciences peace these are those dead works Heb 9.14 which creep into conscience i. e. the guilt of all sin whether of omission or commission which get into conscience and disturb its peace Now faith garrisoning conscience with Christs righteousnesse ejects all these the first thing this garrison doth being entred is the clensing of the place where it is from all such as are enemies to the peace of it Whatsoever guilt of sin past or present which lyes in the conscience and wrangles all is cast out the Righteousnesse of Christ being made governor of conscience and the conscience injoyes abundance of peace whereas before it had not quiet an hour in a day many times for a month together now it is full of peace Sin which before lay gnawing and tormenting it is now cast out and everlasting righteousnesse
than another experience teacheth as if there were a flaw in our justification so soon as there is a flaw or slip in our conversation I shall come now to speak a few words to the third thing Quest 3. What is it that hindreth the soul from living by faith in justification Ans 1. Our being ignorant of the nature of that dispensation we are under through grace ignorance of the nature of Gospel Dispensations therefore it is wee live so little by faith The Gospel is an administration of Grace there is nothing in the Gospel but grace pure grace all in the Gospel is grace from first to last Now wee being ignorant of this Gospel Dispensation we are led by the Principles of old Adam within us to look upon the Gospel as a Covenant of works or at least as partly grace and partly works and when we look upon it so we think wee cannot have justification by the Gospel unless we bring something with us and this hinders living by faith beleeving for justification The principles of old Adam do so agree with the Covenant made on Sinai that we can seldome go out to God for justification but are ready to look upon God as standing upon Mount Sinai and standing upon that Covenant and then we see an angry God a terrible God a God cloathed with Thundrings and Lightnings and that makes us think wee must bring something to God to pacifie him and so wee are hindred from living by faith in justification Whereas a poor soul when it cometh to understand the nature of the Gospel that there is nothing in it but grace but pure grace then the soul can act faith for justification and go out to God for it as a poor nothing-Creature when it seeth all is received in a way of grace 2 Fear we should presume if we should go to God for Justification as poor nothing-creatures O thinks the soul If I should goe to God as having nothing I should presume this maketh him afraid to go to the Promise Whereas indeed wee do presume in not going If a great man promise a poor man a hundred pound and tell him he shall have it if hee come for it if this poor man should be so mannerly as to say I will not go if I had it I should bee glad but for such a poor man in my rags to go to such a great man I should presume would it not bee presumption for him not to go So it is a great presumption for a poor sinner not to go to God for justification by faith Is it not high presumption to pull down that God hath set up and set up that God hath pulled down When a superior Court sets up a Law for an inferior to repeal it When the High Court of Parliament hath repealed a Law for an inferior Court to go and enact that Law were it not presumption This is the Law God hath set up that all should have justification by grace that is repealed to have justification by works When I shall go seek to bee justified by something within mee or done by mee I doe goe and set up that Law that God hath abolished and is not this high presumption 3 The old Adam sticking close to us When wee speak of old Adam sticking close I do not so much mean the Evil old Adam as Good old Adam Moral righteousnesse which was in Adam That Liquor that is first put into a vessel the vessel will hold the sent of that longest Now man was righteous before sinful old Adam was made first righteous therefore it is more natural for a man to think to bee saved by his owne righteousnesse than to sin Though to sin be natural the other more natural for it is more rooted in nature than sin And it plainly appeareth that it is an easier thing to bring a man off from any sin than from the opinion of his own righteousnesse To bring a Drunkard from his drunkenness a Swearer from his swearing easier than from an opinion that his own righteousnesse should save him And it is clearly shewed many a man is brought off from his sin that is never brought off from his righteousnesse therefore that sticks closer And this wee may see if wee look on the Scribes and Pharisees and Publicans and Harlots The Scribes and Pharisees were those that stuck close to Good old Adam to walk exactly and righteously The Publicans and Harlots were those that minded neither good nor evill but swimmed in all the evill of old Adam Now when Christ came they imbraced and entred into Heaven but the Scribes and Pharisees the righteous men that were following the good of old Adam they reject Christ and run headlong to Hell And this likewise is clear if you look to the Jews and Gentiles in the Apostles time The Jews followed after good old Adam The Gentiles they went on in sinful old Adam The Jews they rejected Christ opposed Christ The Gentiles they come in and imbrace Christ So that the good of old Adam sticks more close than sin and there is many a man is come off from his sin that wil be damned for his righteousness trusting to that neglecting Christs Righteousness The Scribes and Pharisees were come off from sinne and the Jews did not live in that unrighteous way Publicans and Harlots did yet these goe headlong to Hell and the other imbrace Christ This is that which hinders from living by faith in Justification The life of Faith in Sanctification I Come now to the Second The life of Faith as it relates to a Christians Sanctification Justification and Sanctification are inseparable companions where there is the one there is the other in some measure either habitually or actually Whom hee justifieth hee also glorifieth Grace is Glory begun Now in this business of Sanctification wee are to live by faith and the Proposition shall bee this Propos That a Christians Sanctification is to bee carried on in a way of faith or beleeving Or A Christian is to exercise faith in his Sanctification I shall shew 1 Wherein faith is to bee exercised in our Sanctification 2 How Faith acteth 3 Why wee are to live by Faith in Sactification 4 What is the difference between that Sanctification which ariseth from natural conscience enlightened and that which ariseth from faith and beleeving Quest 1. Wherein is Faith to bee exercised in our Sanctification Answ Sanctification consists of two parts Mortification and Vivification Mortification is the destroying of the old man Vivification is the quickning of the new man By Mortification wee are transplanted from the stock of the old man by Vivification wee are transplanted into the new Adam 1 Mortification consists of two branches There is the mortification of the outward and inward man Of the outward man that is of all those things that please the carnal outward sense and appetite and of the inward man of all the faculties and powers of the soul will and affections Col.
3.5 Mortifie therefore your members which are upon the earth fornication uncleanness the mortification of the outward man And in vers 8. Put off all these anger wrath malice blasphemy There is the mortification of the inward man 2 For Vivification that likewise lieth in two things There is the vivifying of our Graces and the quickning of our Duties or our hearts to obedience The last comes from the former Our Graces bring forth our Duties and our Duties are but the actings of our Graces So that the things wee are to live by faith in in our Sanctification are the mortification of all sin whether in the outward or inward man the vivification or quickning of all Graces and of our hearts to every duty Quest 2. How doth faith act or put forth it self in this business of Sanctification Answ Here according to the two parts wee shall proceed and shew how faith acts in the business of Mortification and Vivification Quest 1. How doth faith act in the business of Mortification Ans 1. Faith doth discover to the soul that the old man the unregenerate and unmortified part that is in every one of us was carried up by the Lord Jesus upon the Cross and there did receive a deadly wound And that Jesus Christ our Redeemer and second Adam did take upon him that nature in which the first Adam fell and so did give a mortall blow to the body of sin and death by suffering in that nature Therefore the Apostle saith Rom. 8.3 What the Law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh God sending his Son in the likeness of sinful flesh for sin condemned sin in the flesh Christ took the likeness of sinfull flesh and by death condemned sin in the flesh that is did give a blow to sin in the flesh in the humane nature that hee took upon him therefore the Apostle saith Rom. 6.6 That our old man is crucified with him Christ took it up upon the Cross with him and gave it a mortall wound Now faith doth discover this to the soule when the soule findeth sin strugling and striving within then saith Faith this sin striving is a part of that body of death that is in the Saints now O my soul look up upon the Cross and see that body of death dying therefore O my soul go out against it and so faith encourageth the soul to go out against sin 2 As Faith shews the soule sin crucified with Christ so it shews the soul that the design of the Lord Jesus in giving a mortal blow to the old man and body of death upon the Cross it was this the weakning of the power of sin and the subduing of it in the Saints that sin might bee so dispowred that it might not reign nor rule in the Saints but bee continually in a declining languishing condition therefore it is said Rom. 6.6 Our old man is crucified with him that the body of sin might bee destroyed hee doth not say It is destroyed presently Christ took it up upon the Cross gave it a mortal wound that it might bee destroyed in order to the destruction that having the power broken the Saints might the more easily get power over it As an enemy that is already wounded though a Gyant is easily overcome So though sin bee strong as a Gyant Jesus Christ hath wounded sinne therefore his strength being taken away is the more easily subdued Faith shews the soul Christ saith Faith What did Christ give sin a mortal wound that it might bee destroyed O then let not sin live O then sin shall not live in mee 3 Faith shews the soule that there is a continual streaming forth of vertue and efficacy from the Lord Jesus Christ for the killing and subduing sin within Faith doth as it were set open the Fountaine of the Bloud of Jesus Christ streaming out towards and upon it for the healing of the Leprosie of Sin and this is that which faith layeth hold upon when it strugleth with sin Paul when hee was contending with this Old man when he cryeth out O wretched man that I am Rom. 7.24 presently he casts his eye upon Jesus Christ and saith I thank God Faith sheweth the soul the efficacy and vertue that is in the Bloud of Jesus Christ for the killing sin 4 Faith is much in calling out the soul to the promises of mortification we have a promise of mortification Rom. 6.14 Sin shall not have dominion over you for you are not under the Law but under grace The soul that lives by faith when it findeth sin strong it taketh hold of the promise and goeth to Christ and saith Lord thou hast said sin shall not have dominion over me behold here is such and such a corruption too hard for me Lord behold here is thy promise look upon thy promise remember thy promise subdue my corruption it first goeth to the promise and armeth it self with strength in the promise and then cometh and fighteth against sin and that is the matter wee are so often foyled with sin because we try to combate with sin before we go to the promise When a soul lives by faith for the subduing of sin there is first a going to the promise and then it encounters with sin with success 5 Lastly Faith doth beget and maintaine in the soul a secret perswasion though for the present it is compassed about with a weight of infirmities yet God will support it under all and in Gods time it shall be a conquerour over all Though I be for the present molested with sin yet a day will be I shall be a Conquerour and all these my enemies shall be under my feet I shall set my feet upon the necks of all my sins one day and this carries the soul couragioussy out to fight against sin for the present Quest 2. How doth faith act in the business of vivification Ans 1. Faith eyeth much the Resurrection of Christ and maketh the soul labour much after knowing Jesus Christ in his Resurrection Phil. 3.10 That I may know him and the power of his Resurrection and Fellowship of his Sufferings being made conformable to his death Here are the two great things we are speaking of for hee is pressing after perfection of Grace which consists in these two to have fellowship with Christ in his death for mortification and to know Christ in his Resurrection for vivification and quickning As mortification comes by a dying Christ so vivification cometh by a living Christ 2 Faith that sheweth the soul how that in the Resurrection of Christ he was raised up and quickned with Jesus Christ Faith sheweth the soul that in Jesus Christ it is quickned already as its common person therefore the Apostle Paul speaking of Jesus Christ as this common person saith Ephes 2.5 6. Yoâ— who were dead in trespasses and sins he hath quickned with Christ and made to sit together with him in heavenly places Faith shews the soul how that in
the Resurrection of Christ it did revive and hath quickning already Saith the soul though I am dead my graces lye as though dead affections dead heart in duty dead yet I have quickning in Christ I have a stock of life in Jesus Christ Coloss 3.3 Yee are dead and your life is hid with Christ in God though it do not for the present appear it is hid with Christ 3 Faith in this business of vivification sheweth the soul that there is a streame of vertue and efficacy comes from the resurrection of Jesus Christ quickning of it and this is that Paul presseth after That I may know him and the power of his Resurrection Phil. 3.10 That I may have the power of his Resurrection raising and quickning of mee The Resurrection of Christ though but one act yet hath a continual stream of vertue flowing from it for the quickning of souls 4 Faith taketh hold of any word of promise in the book of God that may bee any ground of encouragement to beleeve his quickning it as that word of Christ Joh. 10.10 I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly See saith Faith Jesus Christ is come that I might have life And because I live yee shall live also Joh. 14.19 because there is life in Christ shall I live then I will go to him for life Quest 3. Why is a Christian to live by faith for Sanctification Answ 1. Because our sanctification is altogether of grace therefore the Spirit by which wee are sanctified is said to bee given of God and the blood of Jesus Christ which hath such an influence into Sanctification that is of Grace It was of Grace that Christ shed his blood of more grace that this blood of Christ should bee applied to thy soul for the washing away of thy sin So Faith which is a help in our Sanctification that is of Grace therefore Faith is said to bee the gift of God Eph. 2.8 And to you it is given to beleeve Now if Sanctification bee of Grace wee are to live by faith for it 2 Because our Sanctification as well as our Justification is primarily in the Lord Jesus Christ Jesus Christ is made Sanctification to us 1 Cor. 1.30 and so wee are to live by faith for it for whatsoever is in the Lord Christ I am to partake of it by faith 3 Because wee have promises of Sanctification What I have a promise for I am to live by faith for because the promise is the ground of faith but wee have promises of Sanctification of MORTIFICATION Sin shall not have dominion over yon Rom. 6.14 of VIVIFICATION because I live yee shall live also Joh. 14.19 therefore wee are to live by faith in it 4 Because we are to pray for Sanctification and therefore we are to beleeve for it What is my duty to pray for I am to beleeve for because Prayer must bee in faith Every Petition I put up to God in Prayer it is my duty whether I do it or no to act faith in the thing desired If I am to pray for it I am to beleeve for it But I am to pray for it Jesus Christ teacheth us to pray for it when hee himself prayed for our Sanctification Sanctifie them through thy truth thy word is truth and Jesus Christ teaches it in that Prayer we call the Lords Prayer the three first Petitions respecting in a great part our Sanctification Hallowed be thy Name It is as much as that God would help us to honour and Sanctifie his great Name Thy Kingdome come It is as much as to pray that God would set up his Spiritual Kingdom in our hearts that we might bee ruled and guided by his Spirit having all corruption mortified and grace quickned Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven This is as much as to pray that wee poor creatures here on earth might do the will of God so freely fully and cheerfully as the Saints in Heaven So that wee are to pray for Sanctification and then wee are to beleeve for it because our Prayer must bee in faith Quest 4. What is the difference between that Sanctification which ariseth from an enlightned conscience and that Sanctification which ariseth from faith or beleeving There is a Sanctification which ariseth from the meer dictates of the Law of Nature and that Sanctification the Heathen Moralists attained to a great deal of And there is a Jewish Sanctification or Legal and that is such a Sanctification as is begotten by the terrors of the Law But there is another Sanctification and that is a Gospel-Sanctification that is such a Sanctification as is wrought in the soul from the beholding the love of God in Jesus Christ such a Sanctification as is wrought from beleeving his Justification Now there is a great difference between this Sanctification and the other which arises onely from an enlightned conscience for both arise from an enlightned conscience the one from conscience being enlightned by Natures law the other from the written Law but there is a great difference Answ 1. That which ariseth from natural conscience is something of the more gross part of Sanctification but a piece and doth not take in any thing of the finer part of Sanctification A forsaking some sins that are outward and gross his conscience cannot but flye in his face so that hee shall not rest quietly night nor day such as Drunkenness Adultery and the like It is in respect of those duties that are more apparent such as Prayer hearing the word such if a man should let alone hee should have no quiet nor peace in conscience But that Sanctification that cometh from faith that is in respect of the inward more secret evils of the soul the secret rising of pride unbeleef and passion and so for more inward duties that Sanctification teacheth a man to deny himself to submit himself to Gods will to be content with Gods disposal 2. That Sanctification which cometh from an inlightned conscience onely raiseth a man to bee more self conceited but that Sanctification that cometh from faith and beleeving throweth a man down in respect of all self-conceit it maketh a man more mean and low in his own eyes As the Scribes and Pharisees and Jews in our Saviours time they had a great deal of this outward holiness and Sanctification but see how it puffed them up how they stand upon tip-toes and crow over poor Harlots and Publicans as not fit to come in the company of such as they were But that which cometh from faith maketh the soul more humble What abundance of Sanctification Paul had hee did press after perfection did walk more like one in heaven than on earth yet hee could look upon himself as the least of Saints concerning acting for God labouring in the work of God hee preached the Gospel from Jerusalem to Illiricum laboured more abundantly than they all yet how humble Yet not I but
Six Severall TREATISES 1 The Promises made and fulfilled in Christ 2 Absolute Promises made to sinners as sinners 3 The Life of Faith and in particular In Justification Sanctification and Expectation 4 The Saints Anchor rightly cast 5 Christs New Command 6 Of Offences By the late worthy and faithful Servant of Jesus Christ John Tillinghast Published by his own Notes LONDON Printed by R. I. for Livewell Chapman at the Crown in Popes-head-Alley 1657. To the Reader IT is a matter of Lamentation to those who are left behinde that so many Sons of Sion are transplanted to eternity whose Counsels Praiers Experiences might have been very useful if the Lord had seen it good to continue them on earth towards the directing helping and comforting may weak doubting and despondent souls in their journey towards Heaven And amongst others in our day the death of that gracious and sweet-spirited man Mr. Tillinghast deserveth much to bee lamented But there it matter of rejoycing in the midst of our mourning for the Saints in that death bringeth them to the possession of those Promises which before they were but heirs under age unto As Christ said to his Disciples John 14.28 If yee loved mee yee would rejoyce because I said I go unto the Father for my Father is greater than I. So if wee rightly loved the Saints wee would rejoice when they go unto the Father for then they receive the End of their Faith and then they injoy the chiefest object of their hope even eternal life And it is our great mercy who still remain that although the Author of the ensuing Treatises was plucked away like a blossome in the prime yet hee hath left us so many useful Instructions about the Promises the life of Faith and hope c. that it may bee said of him by these hee being dead yet speaketh Wee forfeited all our mercies in the first Adam by sin and could never have attained unto grounded hopes of grace or glory if the Lord had not vouchsafed to enter into Covenant with us in and for the sake of Christ the second Adam But now there are given unto all that are in Christ 2 Pet. 1.4 exceeding great and precious promises that by these they might bee partakers of the Divine nature Promises are divine Engagements wherein as with reverence wee may speak it the Lord doth pawn his own faithfulnesse for a security to our saith and hope Oh what matter of admiration is here that the God of glory should condescend so far as to come under Engagements to poor sinful and unworthy creatures and still there is more matter of astonishment if it bee considered what glorious things are put under Promise to the Saints even God himself Heb. 8.10 This is the Covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those daies saith the Lord I will put my Laws into their minde and write them in their hearts and I will bee to them a God c. Christian what wouldest thou have more is not God thy all in all is there not enough in God to answer all thy desires to satisfy all thy longings to supply all thy wants behold thou hast him in the Promise hee hath made over himself to thee in the way of a Covenant hee hath engaged himself to bee thy God If the Lord had promised only earthly injoyments health wealth though it had been in great abundance and mountains of gold and heaps of Pearls c. yet it had been nothing in comparison of this to say I will bee thy God Thou art rich indeed who art in Christ all the Promises are thine and so God thine and therefore all thine Thou mayest in all straits exigencies and necessities go to God in the way of the Promise for the improvement of any of his Attributes that thou standest really in need of the use of for they are all engaged for thy advantage When Satan useth his policy against thee then thou mayest say Lord thou hast promised to bee my God and so thy Wisdome is engaged for mee O! let mee finde that improved for the defeating my subtil enemy in his enterprizes When thou art assaulted with strong temptations which thou art no way able to withstand or haste some great difficulty in the way to hinder thee in comming up to any duty or to obstruct thee in the exercise of any grace as faith patience humility c. Then thou mayest say Lord thou hast promised to bee my God and so thy Power is mine O now let it bee improved for my help and assistance against these difficulties which are too strong for mee to overcome and so for all other Attributes of God thou mayest in all times of need claim an interest in and by the Promise plead a laying of them out for thy good I am perswaded that many of the fears doubts disquiets c. of many Christians about their eternal conditions and their great distances from assurance take their rise hence because they do not clearly understand or are not throughly perswaded that the way of Gods making over himself unto souls is the way of a Promise that a Covenant is that whereby the Lord giveth us hold of himself in this life and whereby hee giveth us assurance of all the blessings which are to bee injoyed in another and a better life Were they heartily and explicitly convinced that the injoyments of God which they are to look for here must bee by Faith and so through the glasse of a Promise then they might finde that they have had many such injoyments of God which they have overlooked The great temptation of this age is to look more to a life of sense and feeling than to a life of Faith to look more to a Christ within than in the way of a Promise to a Christ without Many will own none as injoyments of God but inward feeling of supports quickenings enlargements consolations c. It is no longer than they injoy these that they think they injoy God whereas they ought to let out their hearts in the way of a Promise to God through Christ for such mercies when they are under the deepest sense of the want of them and there are as real injoyments of God in such out-goings of the heart to God as in those sensible incommings of joy and comfort c. For the life of Faith consisteth in such an out-going of the whole heart in the way of a Promise Christ-ward hence Faith is called a comming to Christ John 6.35 Hee that commeth to mee shall never hunger this is expressed by beleeving in the latter end of the verse hee that beleeveth on mee shall never thirst So that Faith is the motion of the whole heart Christ-ward Faith doth not consist so properly in beleeving that Christ is thine or that thy sin is pardoned as in the letting out thy heart to Christ in the way of the New Covenant for his righteousness and the remission of thy sin
c. And if this were duly considered souls would never in their lowest saddest and most deserted conditions bee shy of beleeving for who can question at any time whether they may thus let out their hearts to Christ or no and yet the doing this is beleeving yea the properest act of Faith consiseth therein and if at any time a soul bee inabled by grace to this then it hath a sweet injoyment of God and Christ in the Promise though sensible quickenings c. bee wanting for no act of Faith can bee without an injoyment of God If thou bee'st inabled with thy whole heart to take hold of Gods Wisdome and Power c. in a Promise thou dest as really injoy God so long as thy soul sticketh close to him there whilest the sensible improvements of those divine Artributes ars denyed thee as thou dost afterward when these are granted And the same may bee said for any promised Mercy if the heart bee throughly drawn out Christ-ward in the way of the Promise for it in its proper season as when that mercy is sutable to the present condition c. there is as real an injoyment of God in such a waiting for it as in the after fruition of it for there is the life of Faith before it is afforded and Faith cannot be without a fruition of God The Proper time of Abrahams acting Faith for Isaac was before Isaac was given Rom. 4.19 And being nor weak in Faith he considered not his own body now dead vers 20. Hee staggered not at the Promise of God through unbeleef but was strong in Faith So that injoyments of God by Faith may be as well before as when a promised mercy is afforded I do not speak against looking for sensible feelings of Christs presence within in enlargements and quickenings c. but against judging these the only injoyments of God and against looking more for these than for out-goings of heart to Christ by Faith whereas the best way to attain more of these is to act Faith on the Christ of God who is without us in the way of a Promise for them The Lord would take care of Christians comforts if they were more careful to own his faithfulnesse in his Promise And if you would bee successful in any of your dealings with the Promises then bee sure that your souls do clasp hold of Christ therewith for all the Promises in him are yea and in him Amen And seeing the faithfulnesse of God is ingaged for the accomplishment of all Promises Oh what sweet incouragement doth this afford to exercise hope on him for all those mercies which are promised and which wee are yet without Christians are exceedingly backward to the exercise of this grace of Hope which might bee of admirable use to them and most averse to exercise it about eternal life which is the highest and chiefest object of it Some hope not only for temporal but also for spiritual mercies necessary in some conditions they are exercised in as under deadness of heart they hope for quickenings under streightnings they hope for inlargements under witherings they hope for flourishings of grace but where is the soul that is hoping for the glory of God Rom. 5.2 A hoping for Heaven and the life to come it is the casting hope within the vail that rendreth it of use as a Soul-anchor that secureth against the storms of affliction and temptation which are met withall in this World A great reason of the sinking of many under these is because they cast away their anchor the hope of eternal life when the tempest riseth highest and when they have most need of it It is very sad to observe that carnal men are so high in their Hopes for heaven who have no grounds for hoping and on the other hand that Christians are so low in their hopes who have such firm grounds for them There is 1 A hope of desire 2 A hope of Assurance or Confidence Christians you may sometimes bee under such doubts and questionings about your conditions as you may not be able to conclude with a hope of confidence and Assurance that you shall injoy God to all eternity But a Hope of Desire after the injoyment of God as the chiefest good as reckoning nothing such a matter of Hope as a full fruition of him and Jesus Christ to all eternity this Hope of Desire under the saddest desertion you may keep up and sinne if you do not Cant 3. v. 1 2. Cant. 5.6 The Spouse sought her beloved when hee had withdrawn himself As under the hidings of Christs face the saints may have a Hope of Desire to see his face again on earth so as well may they then long to see him face to face in heaven The Saints should say when will the bridge-groom of our souls come when shall wee have full fellowship with him when shall wee have full imbraces in his armes when shall wee injoy the Promised everlasting rest when shall we have a full freedome from all sinne and suffering thus Paul had a Hope of Desire to bee dissolved that hee might be with Christ Phil. 1.23 and Rom. 8.23 wee groan within our selves that implyeth a weariness of the present Condition but the inducement was the hope of Glory waiting for the adoption the redemption of our body but where is the soul that is under a wearinesse of its present Condition not barely to be freed from burdens and afflictions but out of a want of heavenly glory and a full communion with Jesus Christ O Christians you can never want a ground thus to hope and therefore put on your Helmet the Hope of Salvation cast forth the Anchor and that within the Vail that your Lord may finde you looking for the blessed Hope of his coming We shall add no more but this that the Lord graciously granted us the priviledge to be ear witnesses that diverse of the Sermons in these Treatises for the substance of them giving allowance to such defects of the Emanuensis which cannot but bee expected ordinarily were Preached by that Servant of Christ Mr. Tillinghast and others are as they were found in his own hand-writing Some Sermons are wanting but could not be gained yet these being so useful we were unwilling the World should be without them so desiring that the blessing of Christ may accompany these labors We remain 10 Month 24th day 1656. Thy Servants for Jesus sake Samuel Petto John Manning The Contents The Promises made and fulfilled in Christ from 2 Cor. 1.20 The Text opened from page 1. to page 3. Doct. That all the Promises of God made to sinners in Jesus Christ shall most certainly bee fulfilled and accomplished ibid. That all the Promises of God run in Christ or are made to us in Christ ibid. The Promises distinguished into absolute and conditional 1 Absolute Promises p. 4 2 Conditional Promises ibid. Pro. 1 That all the Promises of God whether those that are absolute or such as are
time it is humbled and admiring God and cryeth out What shall I say What shall I do O what shall such and such corruptions lodge within mee When there is a purging the soul then the evidence is true 2 If thy evidence when it is lost bee out of thy power to recover it again when it is injoyed out of thy power to keep it When it cometh in at first by an Almighty power throwing down all before it and thouloosest it and canst not regain it it is a sign it is no evidence of thy own making for if it were of thy own making thou mightest get it up again Nor it is no evidence of the Devils making to humble the soul to make God all to make the soul more watchfull If thou wouldest clear up thy interest in Christ then entertaine nothing that may go against that interest Some things do darken it as 1 Groundless fears and surmises give not way to such fears for the further off you will be from God they drive you from God 2 Giving way to reason against thy faith Some souls will dispute out the case to the utmost not to mee and not to mee and so stand reasoning out faith It is faith whereby thou must see thy interest if thou blindest the eye how shalt thou see I speak not to loose livers 3 Vnstedfastness in the doctrine of Christ As a mans principles are so is his faith if his principles be uncertain so is his faith If his knowledge bee too and fro hee is not setled Do not change opinions as men do fashions I mean in the principles of grace foundation truths of the Righteousness of Christ Justification c. for if thou dost thou shakest all for thy evidence being from thence this being taken away thou fallest Use 6. To all that are without Christ Are these things so that all the promises are made to us in Christ then Come to Christ How should the consideration of this provoke every poor beggared soul now to make a close with Jesus Christ Thou poor soul which if thou wert to dye to morrow hast never a promise to run to to take comfort in to bear thy poor dying soul upon O come to Christ and all shall bee thine for all the promises are his they are all in him and by having him thou shalt have all O souls did you but know the worth of Christ in this respect I mean considering this that all the promises are stored up in him you would not go quietly out of this place you would not sleep one night more without hearts breathing after Christ and rowling your selves on him Saith Christ to the woman of Samaria Joh. 4.10 If thou knewest the gift of God and who it is that saith to thee give me to drink thou wouldest have asked of him and he would have given thee living water So say I poor soul if thou didst but know the gift of God Jesus Christ if thou didst but know the worth of Christ If thou didst but know what precious promises what multitudes of them and what transcendent worth is in every one the meanest of them are in Christ thy heart would not contain without breathing thy tongue would not be silent any longer without asking the Father to give thee this Christ O how many poor souls now here which did they but know the worth of one promise would now cry out to God O Christ Christ Christ Lord give this Christ to mee and to mee Were the worth of promises known then the worth of Christ in whom all the promises are would bee better known Put case man woman thou wert sure thou shouldest dye to morrow and hadst now all the sins that ever thou hast committed from thy cradle to this day lying upon thee and burdening of thee and thy conscience tormenting thee for them and thou wert at hell gate and hell fire ready to receive thee and swallow thee up for ever what then in thy account would a promise of pardon and remission of sins a promise of heaven and eternal life bee worth What Why all that I have in the world saith the man yea a whole world ten thousand worlds were there so many or had I so many But it may bee some of you are so blockish and senseless and regardless of things of this nature that by this that I have said you are so little acquainted with such things you would not know the worth of a promise therefore to speak in a more familiar way and to shew you the worth of a promise a little from things you do know Put the case now man or woman thou wert condemned to dye some cruel death full of the greatest tortures that can bee imagined such a death as some Histories tell us one Ravillac which traiterously murdered the King of France was put to who had first one of his hands cut off then the other then was carried to the place of execution where hee had the flesh of his body plucked off with burning red hot pincers and then incisions and holes were made into the fleshy parts of his body and there they poured in scalding melted lead and so kept him alive some dayes torturing of him in this and a more cruel manner till in the end hee dyed Now suppose thou wert condemned to dye such a death as this was and this were to be executed upon thee to morrow if so bee the Prince should come to thee over-night and give thee a promise of pardon that hee would pardon thee and save thee from this cruel death what thinkest thou suppose the case were so in thy account would such a promise bee worth O I am perswaded if the case were so thou wouldest not know how thy heart would bee so extraordinarily taken to speak the worth of it the very hearing of a word of pardon at such a time would so overcome thee as that thou wouldest be ready to dye for joy And poor soul know it that such a promise as this is but a poor promise not worth the being called a promise in respect of the promises of God in Christ the meanest the least of which are far greater and of more invaluable worth than hundreds of such as this This is onely a promise of temporal life and of deliverance from a temporal punishment which may last three or four dayes but the promises of Christ are promises of an eternal life and of deliverance from eternal torments and if one of these promises of Christ are of so great and of such invaluable worth then what is Christ himself in whom all the promises are in whom there are innumerable promises of such great value every one of which sinner shall bee thine Christ being thine O sinners sinners did you know but the worth of a promise and so the worth of Christ your hearts would presently fall in love with him and you would run about as the Spouse in the Canticles who having lost her beloved and
as thou hast done what say you to Paul and others Object 5. But Christ doth not belong to me Answ 1. Thou shouldest not hearken to an objection which tends to drive thee from Christ when he commands to come to him 2 If God gives thee a heart to come then is the matter out of doubt Christ belongs to thee for beleeving gives thee a right Gal. 3.22 That the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might bee given to them that beleeve 3 Whether Christ belong to thee or no it s better to cast thy self upon him and dye in obedience than to run from him and dye in disobedience 4 Whatsoever makes against faith is assuredly from the Devil and not to bee beleeved this doth so Object 6. But I am not elected Answ 1. Election is a secret secrets belong to God I am not to question Gods secret will whether or no I am elected but to obey his revealed will which commands to beleeve 2 The way to know election being a secret is not to question the same but beleeve in hope against hope Heb. 11.1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen 3 Upon this ground thou shalt never beleeve for if thou canst not know thine election but by beleeving and wilt not beleeve till thou knowest thou art elected thou shalt never beleeve 4 By this thou wrongest Gods intention in revealing it who never revealed it to keep souls from coming to Christ but to strengthen their faith being come 5 Thou hereby settest one part of Gods will against another that which discovers election against that which requires beleeving 6 Thy questioning thou art not elected proves not the thing if any thing the contrary because Satan the father of lies tells thee so Object 7. But I have no power to come to Christ Ans Seek a power of God see a Promise for encouragement Isa 40.29 30 31. He giveth power to the faint and to them that have no might he increaseth strength vers 30. Even the youths shall faint and be weary and the young men shall utterly fall vers 31. But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength they shall mount up with wings as Eagles they shall run and not be weary and they shall walk and not faint Obj. 8. But I have not a heart to seek Ans Hast no tongue neither seek though with thy lips God may give a heart whilst thou art speaking Hos 14.1 2 Take words and turn to the Lord say unto him take away all iniquity and receive us graciously Obj. 9. But alas I have a long time sought a power and finde none which hath made me weary and to give over seeking Ans 1. God is a free Agent and therefore will not be limited to time or ways in working but will work when and how he pleaseth and likewise an infinite being and therefore a Creature may not comprehend him in time which destroys his infiniteness but leave him all time to work in his own It was Israels fault to limit God Psal 78.41 Yea they turned back and tempted God and limited the holy one of Israel 2 Thou hast not sought perhaps in faith therefore not found what thou seekest for Jam. 4.3 Yee ask and receive not because yee ask amiss Israel sought righteousness yet obtained not why Rom. 9.31 32 with Chap. 11.7 Israel which followed after the Law of righteousness hath not attained to the Law of righteousness vers 32. Wherefore because they sought it not by faith So 3 Wilt thou say because thou hast not thou never shalt this conclusion follows not 4 God works all for the glory of his grace which as yet may be more magnified in denying than giving when a soul can live no longer without a mercy it comes with a welcome and grace is exalted hence God oft seems to deny a mercy not because hee wil not give but because the extreamity is not so great as may stand with the advancement of his grace in giving Isa 30.18 And therefore will the Lord wait that he may be gracious unto you and therefore will he be exalted that he may have mercy upon you Isa 33.10 Now will I rise saith the Lord now will I be exalted now will I lift up my self Isa 63.12 13 14 Where is he that put his holy Spirit within him that led them by the right hand of Moses with his glorious arm dividing the water before them to make himself an everlasting name vers 13. That led them thorow the deep as an horse in the wilderness that they should not stumble vers 14. As a beast goeth down into the valley the Spirit of the Lord caused him to rest so didst thou lead thy people to make thy self a glorious name 5 The longer a thing hath been sought the more sweet and satisfying when found long seeking will make Christ sweeter Mercy sweeter 6 Thou faintest and art weary see what God saith to one in this condition Isa 40.28 to the end Hast thou not known hast thou not heard that the everlasting God the Lord the Creator of the ends of the earth fainteth not neither is weary There is no searching of his understanding 7 Adde to thy seeking waiting if inferiors wait on Superiors much more should creatures on the Creator seeking shews want and desire this may have self-love in it waiting shews subjection to God and submission to his will this is true Self-denial to such a blessing is pronounced Isa 30.18 Blessed are all they that wait for him Object 10. But I am filled with fears as I think none that I am a rejected person a cast-away and therefore in vain to come Answ This ariseth onely from Israels mistake Isa 40.27 My way is hid from the Lord and my judgement is passed over from my God Yet see her folly vers 28 29 c. Hast thou not known Yea Sion from the same mistake saith as much yet false Isa 49.14 15 16. But Zion said The Lord hath forsaken mee and my Lord hath forgotten mee vers 15. Can a woman forget her sucking childe that she should not have compassion on the Son of her womb yea they may forget yet will not I forget thee vers 16. Behold I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands thy walls are continually before mee It can be nothing but sin can make thee think thus See what God saith to it Jer. 51.5 For Israel hath not been forsaken nor Judah of his God of the Lord of hosts though their land was filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel Object 11. But I have been with Christ and since am a notorious backslider and dare not come again Answ Though it hath been thy sin to run from him yet now it is thy duty to come again to him thou hast not been so ready to run away but hee is as ready to receive thee Consider but one example of God to Israel Jer. 2.3 both Chapters 1
and from such considerations they are to Repent so that the Gospel comes first before the word of Repentance and therefore it is to them as they are Sinners for it findes them such Obj. 2. But in Matth. 11. vers 28. Christ bids such as are weary and heavie laden to come to him therefore men must first be weary and heavie laden before they come to Christ or the Promise and therefore it is not made to them as sinners Ans 1. When Christ bids those that are weary and heavie laden come to him doth it therefore follow he excludes all others I grant such are to come and such are most backward and affraid to come and therefore called but doth it follow therefore that no other must come and that these and only these are called If a Prince send forth Proclamation to a company of Traytors to come in and he will pardon them and because hee knows that there are some few among them that are so sensible of what they have done and brought themselves into by their rebellion that they will never come upon this general Proclamation but for fear will run away he therefore sends particularly to these by name you and you who dare not come for fear of being hanged come I will pardon you and you doth it therefore follow because these have a call as it were by name therefore now all the rest who have a general call are excluded So here but 2 This faine would I know what is the state and condition that souls are then in when they are thus weary and heavie laden Are they in the state and condition of Sinners or not righteous or unrighteous persons one they must bee If you say they are not Sinners but righteous persons then I ask how came they thus is it by their being weary and heavie laden barely or is it by their applying of the Promise if it be by their being weary and heavie laden then what need you press them to come to Christ for Justification when as they have the same already by this their qualification If it be by applying the Promise on having it applied to them then it will follow that notwithstanding this their qualification that they are Sinners and so remaine until they apply the Promise or have it applied to them so that the Promise though we should say it is made to them as such yet of necessity it must bee made to them as Sinners still i.e. persons in a stare of sin and misery for until the Promise is applied unto them though they are such yet they are in no other or better condition than sinners Obj. 3. But faith it the condition of the Promise and the Apostle tells us Galat. 3.22 that the promise is given to those that beleeve now a person beleeving is not a Sinner therefore not to persons as such Ans 1. Faith is not the condition of the Promise but it is the fruit of the Promise if it be the condition I ask then whether or no is it a condition to be wrought by us of ourselves or doth God give it us It it be to bee wrought by our selves then is the Promise of Grace worse and harder than the Covenant of Works for though it were required of Adam to do and live yet he had then a power of doing but so have not wee now of beleeving Yea no more was required of him than what was put into his nature for the Covenant of Works was written in his nature but so is not faith in ours nay that faith with which we go to the Promise for Justification never was in our natures for Adam had not this in innocency neither was it necessary lie should have it till after the fall If it be given us of God as these Scriptures prove viz. Ephes 2.8 For by grace are yee saved through faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of God Phil. 1.29 then it is given by vertue of some Promise for God gives nothing but by vertue of some promise which promise can be no other but the free promise the promise of grace and therefore the promise of grace is made to us still as sinners and faith it self is but a fruit thereof 2 As for that place Gal. 3.22 That the promise which is by faith of Jesus Christ might bee given to those that beleeve I answer Beleeving is not the condition but a designation of the persons to whom the Promise is given i.e. to beleevers or a declaration of the way in which the promise is given i.e. in a way of beleeving Object 4. But if the promises of grace are made to persons as sinners then to all sinners for that which belongs to any as such belongs to all as such Answ When I say it is made to Sinners as Sinners the as is not to bee understood as noting a causality i. e. that their being Sinners is the cause why the Promise is made to them for were it so then the promise of grace being only an effect of such a cause should extend to one as well as another where there is the same cause to produce it and so it should by necessary consequence reach all and every man all being Sinners but wee are to understand it onely as a designation of the present state and condition that those persons are in to whom the promise is made they are for the present in a state of sin and misery though not this their condition but the free love of God and the riches of his mercy to poor souls in such a condition is the cause why the promise of grace is made to them and so it follows not that it is made to every man As for example If a man dye and give a hundred pound a year for the use or the poor and put such a clause as this is in his Will I will have onely such poor as have nothing in the world to live upon but are forced to beg to partake of this my charity Doth it hence follow that hee gives this hundred pound yearly to all the poor which beg all the world over Not so it shews that it is given to such as are in the state of beggars but it follows not that all those all the world over who are in that state have a right hereto So likewise suppose a thousand persons were condemned some for Treason and some for other misdemeanors the Prince or Judge sends a pardon amongst them to bee given forth to many of them and therein is such a clause that none shall have benefit by it but such persons as were traitors against him and condemned for treason it doth not therefore follow that every one which was condemned for treason should have the benefit of the pardon No it onely shews that persons under that condemnation are the subjects of it but it doth not follow all shall enjoy it because there may be more persons condemned for that offence then the pardon
doth extend unto but those to whom it doth extend are persons under such a condemnation So when we say the Tromises of Grace are made to persons as Sinners i. e. as they are in such a state and condition it doth not now follow that they are made to all sinners no but it onely shews that they are persons in such a state and condition which onely shall have benefit by the promise of Grace Object 5. But thus to tender the Promises of Grace to persons as they are sinners is the only way to make men presume and to harden them in their sins Answ 1. Not so The grace of God teacheth a quire contrary lesson T it 2. v. 11 12. For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men teaching us that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts we should live soberly righteously and godly in this present world Rom. 6.14 For sin shall not have dominion over you for yee are not under the Law but under Grace 2 Cor. 7.1 Having therefore these promises dearly beloved let us cleause our selves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God 2 I grant some from the preaching of free Grace take occasion to presume yet is not the fault in the grace of God nor preaching thereof but in themselves and the naughtiness of their hearts As when a Magistrate proclaims pardon freely to a company of persons in actual rebellion if they from the grace and clemency of the Magistrate shall take occasion to persist or others to rise up in rebellion the fault is not in the Magistrate or his so doing but in them it is in him an act of grace and clemency it is their wickedness doth abuse it So in this case 3 Jesus Christ is set up as welt to be a stumbling stone and a rock of offence to some as to be salvation to others God hath laid Christ in Sion for these two great ends 1 Pet. 2. v. 6 7 8. Behold I lay in Sion a chief corner stone elect precious and hee that beleeveth on him shall not be confounded Unto you therefore which beleeve hee is precious but unto them which bee disobedient the stone which the builders disallowed the same is made the head of the corner and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence even to them which stumble at the word Rom 9.33 Behold I lay in Sion a stumbling stone a rock of offence Wheresoever the Gospel is preached there are two great designes on foot together the greatest that ever were in world viz. of the eternal salvation or condemnation of poor sinners The one glorified Justice the other Mercy what if some hearing the word of grace do presume it may bee God may have a secret design that some in hearing the grace of God should presume and stumble at that to their eternal condemnation which had they in love and sincerity imbraced would have been to their everlasting salvation The presumptions therefore of some men should not hinder the declaration of the grace of God 4 So long as a man in holding forth the grace of God doth really aime at the bringing in and building up of souls knowing no better way to effect it than preaching of grace abhorring from his heart the thought thereof that any should abuse this grace and turn it into wantonness if any do hee is free from the guilt of their sin and the danger will fall on their heads 5 The primary care of a Gospel Minister should bee to give children bread if they cannot have it but dogs will be snatching shall children be starved 6 If the grace of God should not bee held forth untill wicked men will not abuse it it must not whilst such are in the world for so long they will 7 Wee are not so much to look at the consequence of an action as whether the action it self bee according to the will appointment or institution of the Lord Jesus Christ Ill consequences oftentimes may and do follow the best practices as the bringing of some notorious Traitor or Murderer to his trial may occasion others to rise up in rebellion in his behalf yet doth not this make the act it self evil nay it is very good and the neglect or omission of it would be evill 8 If because sin takes occasion by the doctrine of grace it must not bee preached then must not men preach the Law neither because sin takes occasion from that also Rom. 7.8 Sin taking occasion by the commandement wrought in me all manner of concupiscence Upon this ground therefore neither Law nor Gospel must be preached Vse 1. Hence wee may see the mistake of many persons who look upon the Gospel and all the promises thereof as made to Saints whereas they are to sinners A sinner quatenus a sinner is the proper object of the grace of the Gospel Now looking on it thus there are these inconveniencies follow 1 They never come whilst they walk by such principles to any stedfastness in the faith for whilst they can look upon themselves as Saints they think grace is theirs and the promise theirs but when the contrary then they conclude they have no part in grace no right to the promise thus they are to and fro Saints to day to morrow Hypocrites to day in Gods favour to morrow out like a loose bone sometimes in joynt sometimes out 2 They injoy but little of the Spirit of Adoption which is a sweet child-like frame which makes a man come running to God and cry Abba Father Now they injoy but little of this being in continual doubts whether or no they may call God Father when they cannot see themselves Saints they are afraid to do it and when they can they speak it but faintly as fearing they may be deceived God is not their Father 3 They do God but little service whilst they can see themselves Saints they pray c. but when they cannot they are sullen and mopish and will do little or nothing for God 4 They know not how to bear afflictions for let but an affliction come and they have not faith to beleeve themselves Saints and then presently they cry out This is out or wrath now God meets with mee for such and such sins the affliction will undo me c. 5 Their very comforts and assurance are but seeds of doubting afterwards For will the soul say If I may conclude my self the childe of God when I see my self a Saint can pray c. then when I cannot see my self a Saint but the contrary why should I not conclude the contrary yea ought I not so to do 6 They are led back to an Old Testament faith It was very usual with the Saints of the Old Testament to conclude their condition to bee good or bad accordingly as they found themselves to bee thus and thus qualified or not as will appear if you look into many places in the Psalms And hence it is
that wee read of so little faith excepting some eminent ones and so much fear and doubting in Old Testament Saints Now when Saints conclude their condition in such a way though they live in Gospel times yet do they go back to the Old Testament and have an Old Testament faith Use 2. Then here is ground of encouragement to the vilest of sinners to come to the Promise Thou poor soul which hast been a Drunkard a Sot a Swine an Adulterer Blasphemer of the holy name of God ten twenty thirty forty years what sayest thou to this free Grace What hast thou to object why thou wilt not receive it why art thou not a sinner and is not all this to sinners Why why then wilt thou bee a Sot and go to hell at the last when heaven and salvation is to bee had if thou wilt but come to the promise O you great Sinners thinke I beseech you when you are at your cups with your Queans your oaths in your mouths O doth God make promises of Grace to mee doth he proclaim heaven life salvation to me and shall I bee such a wretch and such a villain as to go on in my sin bee drunk and swagger and swear and whore and what not No no out upon these courses and practises I will never more since the Father is so loving and Jesus Christ so willing to do me good walk as I have done I dare say the serious consideration hereof would make your hearts more to hate and abominate such wayes and practices and bring you sooner to leave them than all the terrors of hell will or can do When a poor soul shall reason the case with himself thus What have I been a rebel against the good God these ten twenty thirty forty years and is hee so gracious notwithstanding all to proclaim life and salvation to me what to mee O then shall I still bee a wretch and sin against this gracious God and trample under foot all his love No fie for shame Object O but you will say Indeed now whilst you are speaking my heart is inclinable to what you say and I have now a good minde to leave off my former courses and practices but alas I have not power to do it Ans Come to Christ in the promise and hee will give thee a power hee can and will overcome thy corruptions it thou waitest on him Thou poor soul lookest upon it now as a hard and difficult thing to forsake such and such courses as are according to the Proverb bred in the bone and thou all thy life time hast been accustomed too but Christ can make this thou lookest upon as hard and even impossible easie to thee Many a soul at his first conversion hath looked upon it as a hard and even impossible thing to forgoe such and such sinnes and lusts which in his natural condition were his Dalilahs and his heart was addicted unto and hath verily thought hee should never do it who yet afterwards hath found it easier by far than hee imagined yea so easie he hath stood in admiration thereat when God hath once turned his heart hee hath found as much yea more pleasure in the wayes and service of God than ever hee sound in his old courses For when God puts a new nature into the soul then all things go another way now there are new principles new apprehensions new motives and all the wheels of the soul run another way when there was nothing but an old nature then all things ran sin-ward and hell-ward but now God having put a new nature in there are new motions and all run holiness-ward and heaven-ward O therefore pray to God to change your hearts and you shall see how easie that will bee which now you suppose so hard and how pleasant and wondrously sweet those wayes of godliness will bee which now are so grievous Vse 3 Is it so that the promises of Grace are made to persons as Sinners then I am loath to speak it how exceedingly just and great will the condemnation of all those sinners be which reject these promises of Grace 1 How just will the condemnation of such persons bee you that hear all this and yet go on in your old wayes you are drunkards and will bee so still swearers adulterers Sabbath-breakers scoffers and will be so still how just will your condemnation bee I will appeal to your own hearts and consciences what think you of it It God makes promises to sinners promise Life Salvation freely to sinners though as vile sinners as any breathing in the World and notwithstanding all you will be drunk swear c. will it not be just you should be damned speak sinner speak out sinner what doth thy heart and Conscience judge of this Will it not bee just 〈◊〉 God send thee to Hell to morrow shouldest thou do thus If the Magistrate should send forth a general Pardon to Traytors in rebellion and they notwithstanding all should persist would it not be a most just thing that never a man of them so doing should be spared but every one should be hanged drawn and quartered what say you So in this case I have read of a godly man who being in the presence of a professed Atheist which beleeved neither God nor Devil Heaven nor Hell and opening before him the glad tidings of the Gospel and the riches of Gods Free Grace to poor Sinners the worst of Sinners in conclusion plainly asked him What think you O man will it not bee just you should bee damned if you reject all this grace and love if you will not beleeve this yes saith the poor Atheist I confess should I not beleeve and receive this I deserve to be damned without mercy Poor Sinners I have now opened to you the riches of Gods Grace in his free promises made to Sinners let me now put this question to every one of you What think you would it not bee just you should be damned if you hear all this and reject it all what thinkest thou soul what thinkest thou speak Sinner will it not bee just 2 As just so also how great will your Condemnation be if you hear and reject all this Hence saith Christ It shall bee more tollerable for Sodome and Gomorrah Tire and Sidon in the Day of Judgment then for Corazin Bethsaida Capernaum they had heard of the glad tidings of the Gospel and yet went on in their sins but the other not Every Sin hath a proper weight of its own but to sin after the Declaration of Gods Free Grace to the Sinner this doubles trebles the weight of every sin for a man to be a Drunkard c. is a grievous thing this alone will damn him such shall not inherit the kingdome of God 1 Cor. 6. vers 9 10. but to continue a Drunkard Swearer c. after hee hath heard the Gospel and the Proclamation of glad tidings to poor sinners this doubles trebles the weight of his Sin
manifestations of the love goodness power of God c. So long as these remain they adhere to the promise but so soon as these are a little decayed or the sense of them withdrawn they are off the hinges and cannot adhere to the Promise any longer so that it is but now and then rarely when and whilst affections are up that these rest on the Promise they are five times more off than on they live ten days in unbelief for one of faith Some others will adhere it may bee though they finde none of these to the Promise for a little moment and then they look that the thing for which they cleave to this promise should instantly bee theirs but finding the contrary they faint and give over adhering both these are hereby distinguished from living by faith 2 Quietly i. e. It rests upon the Promises without murmuring or repining though the thing promised be delayed and every day it is looking for and desiring the coming thereof O when will it come yet it is quiet it doth not speak evil of God nor of the Promise though it thinks long every day to have the Promise fulfilled yet doth it not think it too long though the fulfilling thereof bee delayed for a good time but contents it self herewith I have a promise though when or how I shall have it fulfilled I know not when God will give this do this or how I know not only here I have a promise this I adhere to Yea sometimes the soul may say Whither God will give this to me I do not certainly know only here is a promise and I have no reason to think the contrary and therefore I will wait upon him let him do what seemeth him good Lament 3.26 It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. This Habakkuks Vision teacheth us chap. 2.4 Behold his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him hut the just shall live by his faith He whose heart is lifted up swolne with pride and impatience cannot bear Gods delay but the life of faith teacheth quietness under this Now this distinguisheth living by faith from that impatient waiting of many souls accompanied with murmuring and repining if the promise be delayed which was the fault of that wicked King 2 King 6 33. And he said behold this evil is of the Lord what should I wait for the Lord any longer Of Rachel though a godly woman Gen. 30.1 When Rachel saw that she bare Jacob no Children Rachel envied her sister and said unto Jacob Give me children or else I dye And of Israel for forty years together whilst they were in the Wilderness if they wanted any thing Bread Flesh Water presently they murmured which murmuring of theirs is described wherein it lay Psal 78. vers 17. to 23. They tempted God in their hearts by asking meat for their lust yea they spake against God they said can God furnish a table in the Wilderness vers 21. therefore the Lord heard this and was wroth vers 22. Because they beleeved not in God and trusted not in his Salvation And we are bid beware of it 1 Cor. 10. vers 1 2 c. 3. Orderly it rests and relies on Gods Promise in Gods way using means those means which he hath appointed it should wait in the use of as Hearing Reading Prayer Meditation Christian Society c. Isaac had a promise he should have seed and yet seeks God for his wife wait but wait orderly The Spouse in Canticles Chapters third and fifth when her Beloved twice had with-drawn himself and was gone she waits for him but in an orderly way she doth not lye still sleeping and slugging upon her bed and say Well my beloved is gone for the present but he will come again but up she gets her and about the streets she goes and enquires of every one she meets with Saw you him whom my soul loveth shee runs to the Watch-men O! saw you him whom my soul loveth from them to the Daughters of Jerusalem O! saw you him whom my soul loveth thus she waits yet is active using means Now this distinguisheth living by faith 1 From a careless waiting and resting upon the promise as to say Well God hath promised such a thing it matters not what I do God will fulfill his own promise and so neglects and throws away all means and Ordinances this is not living by faith but a carnal presumptuous and secure frame of spirit 2 From a disorderly waiting a waiting upon God for a mercy but a going out of Gods way to obtain it by following some way of my own or anothers invention which is not Gods Saul was twice in this and it cost him dear once when he offered a Burnt-offering 1 Sam. 13. and when he went to the Witch of Endor 1 Sam. 28. As in living by faith I must rest on the promise so in Gods way or my resting is nothing 2 The second thing in living by faith is the ground of faith A man stands as hee hath his footing so faith I shall here shew in order to the other 1 VVhat is not the ground of faith 2 VVhat is Q. What is not the ground of faith A. 1. Not duties Some beleeve that God loves them because of such and such things done by them this is not the ground of faith in living by faith 2 Not affections Some others though they will not ground faith upon a bare duty done yet if they have had affections therein they will ground their faith upon those or these and the duty put together Many a poor soul thinks this duty is accepted this prayer shall be answered ask the reason they can give no other but their hearts have been warmed affections up therein they wept much c. and sure such a duty cannot but speed and hence poor souls when they finde as mostly it proves so their great expectations of this duty come to just nothing they are ready to cast off not only their hope but duty and every thing else the reason of all being this they go upon a false and mutable ground and therefore are so mutable in their opinions of themselves and what they do This is not the ground the soul which lives by faith goes upon nay a soul will never live by faith but beleeve one day and call in question the next till he is got off this ground 3 Not Graces Some do not make duties the ground of their faith and knowing the deceitfulness of affections are shie of them also who yet upon sight or discerning of the graces of the Spirit in themselves will beleeve If they finde in themselves a sweet heavenly frame of Spirit an humble frame of heart hearts full of love to the brethren c. they will then beleeve and make these things a ground of their faith but whilst they do thus sure enough they never live by faith for how ordinary a thing is it
to see these to day or in one duty and to have them out of sight to morrow or in another It may bee to day I have a sweet heavenly spiritual frame of heart but if I ground my faith upon this perhaps to morrow I shall bee as cold and carnal as now I am spiritual and where then will my faith bee to day my heart is humble to morrow as proud as now humble to day I can love my brother let him do what hee will with me or against me I can forget all and pass by all to morrow I cannot do thus but my heart will be full of wrath grudging and revenge against him if I ground my faith on these things where will it be when these are wanting yea when instead of finding them I finde the contrary These things may encourage faith whilst it is acting but I must make none of these neither Duties Affections or Graces nor any thing within me or done by mee the ground thereof Quest What is the ground of faith in living by faith Answ Two things are laid down in Scripture as the ground of our faith viz. The promise of God and Gods power to perform the same both which together make up a full and compleat ground for the faith of the beleeving soul 1 The promise of God the word of promise is the word of faith or that which our faith first pitcheth upon in living by faith Faith must have a word or it is not able to keep up Now the word or promise that faith pitcheth upon in inabling of the soul to live by faith is 1 The naked or bare promise or to speak better the Promise nakedly considered without any thing of ours joyned with it If I would live by faith I must do thus whensoever I would act faith set by all my duties affections graces and go to the naked Promise as though I had never performed duty in my life had not any affection to any thing good nor one dram of grace in mee As Abraham as Luther saith when he went up the Mount left the Servants and Asses at the foot and carried onely Isaac the Son of the Promise with him So when any would go up to God by faith we must leave all our righteousness beneath and carry onely the promise up with us for whilst I joyn any thing of my own with the promise making the promise as it hath this of my own joyned with it the ground of my faith so soon as ever I find a want of these things and have them not to carry I faulter in beleeving Therefore in living by faith it ought to bee the special care of every Christian to keep to the bare and naked promise looking to it that hee do not joyn any thing with the promise which to do as it is a great evill in it self so hath it this evill attending of it it throws down faith and hinders the soul from living by faith 2 The free or unconditional promise There are in the Book of God two sorts of Promises 1 Some Absolute and without condition made to the worst of sinners as such 2 Some Conditional made to the Saints duties and the graces of the Spirit in them Now in living by faith I am not to make these latter sort of promises the ground of faith because the conditions required in them being in mee but weak and imperfect and at sometimes only discernable faith cannot take hold of them at all times as it ought to do to the end I might live thereby The former sort of promises then viz. those which are Absolute and without condition such as are all the promises of the New Covenant to us are the promises which I must make the ground of faith in living by faith I mean those promises which are made to sinners as such these are they I must ground my faith upon for these faith may alwayes take hold of but of the other but sometimes only because onely sometimes the conditions and qualifications required in them are discernable in the soul though there be alwayes sufficient ground for my faith in the promise made to sinners yet not in that which is made to Saints I can see and acknowledge my selfe a sinner alwayes and under that notion come to the promise but so I cannot a Saint 2 The power of God to perform the same is another part of the ground of faith If any ask why I joyn this viz. The power or ability of God together with the promise in the ground of faith I answer 1 Because the Saints in former ages in acting faith and living by it have alwayes had a special eye unto and been much upheld by the power of God Wee have two notable acts of Abrahams faith mentioned by the Holy Ghost in the New Testament the first is that wee spake of before Rom. 4. which was an act of faith Abraham put forth in reference to a Son which God had promised him hee should have by his wife Sarah in his and Sarahs old age when now in reason they were past hope of having any his own body being dead and Sarahs womb dead and this was before or about the time of the conception of Isaac Gen. 17.15 16 17. The other was an act of faith Abraham put sorth in reference to Gods fulfilling of this his promise in Isaac at that time when the promise seemed to bee dying God commanding Abraham to offer up Isaac the Son of the promise which wee have recorded Gen. 22. and repeaâ—ed Heb. 11.17 18 19. Now in either of these wee finde Abrahams faith did ground not onely on the promise but power of God also Rom. 4.21 And being fully perswâ—ded that what he had promised hee was able also to perform Heb. 11.19 Accounting that God was able to raise him up even from the dead So Paul 2 Tim. 1.12 I am perswaded that hee is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day And the three Children Dan. 3.17 Our God whom wee serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace 2 Because I finde not onely Saints grounding their faith on the power of God but the Holy Ghost oftentimes laying down the power of God as a great ground of the faith and comfort of Gods people as Eph. 3.20 when the Apostle had put up many spiritual petitions in the behalf of the Ephesians he concludes Now to him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that worketh in us Pitching their faith for the obtaining of these things on the ability of God So Heb. 7.25 Hee is able to save the ability of Christ to save is laid down as a ground for our faith in coming to him the last words of the verse Hee ever liveth to make intercession are but the reason of the ability Jude v. 24. Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling Saints are comforted against
the grace of God in me and so hee saith in nothing hee came behinde the chiefest Apostles yet saith I am nothing So concerning uprightness of conversation hee walked before God in all good conscience knew nothing by himself yet how humble yet hereby am I not justified and not that I can do any thing of my self yea hee saith hee was the chiefest of sinners hee seeth it is not wrought by his own proper industry but by the grace of God therefore he giveth him all the glory 3 That Sanctification which is wrought by natural conscience is grievous and irksome because it is against the will it is a forced holiness hee is constrained to it It is his will to sin but conscience will not suffer him his will is to do nothing at all in the service of God if hee might go to heaven but his conscience puts him in hell if hee doth nothing and so it is grievous to him But that Sanctification which is though faith that is pleasant to the soul That that is natural is pleasant God puts the New nature within and then it is in some measure natural to bee holy to avoid sin to do the will of God Therefore see how differenly wicked men and godly men speak of the wayes of God Job 21.14 Sec the language of wicked men they say to God Depart from us for we desire not the knowledge of thy wayes Here is the language of wicked men they cannot help it for their lives but they shall have some knowledge of the wayes of God the Law of Nature teacheth something of Gods wayes and they have his word and that tells something more O say they Depart we desire not the knowledge of thy wayes we are troubled at the knowledge of such things it torments us this is the language of wicked men Then again Jer. 23. v. 33. we read of a generation of men that heard the word of God but it was so tedious that they call it a Burden they come to the Prophet and ask What it the burden of the Lord It was grown into a Proverb the wayes of God were so tedious and irksome But now do but see how Godly men speak of the wayes of God See what David saith Psal 19.7 8 The Law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul the testimony of the Lord is sure making wise the simple the Statutes of the Lord are right rejoycing the heart vers 9 10. The judgements of the Lord are righteous altogether more to be desired than gold than much fine gold sweeter than the honey and honey comb They do not cry Depart we desire not the knowledge of thy wayes they do not call them a burden So Psal 119. vers 72. The Law of thy mouth is better to mee than thousands of gold and silver vers 130. How sweet are thy words to my taste sweeter than honey See how David speaketh of the will of God the wise man telleth us Prov. 13.19 It is an abomination to fools to depart from evill It is an abomination to depart from sin it is that hee hates The fool that is the wicked man It may bee hee doth depart from some sins his conscience makes him depart from some sin fear of Hell the terrors of the Law but it is an abomination hee may depart from it but hee hates it with his very life not sin but the departing from sin that hee must part with his drunkenness the Drunkard would fain have his cups and the Adulterer his Quean but his conscience so terrifieth him that he dares not have them but departs from them but hee hateth the departing from them But see a godly man it is his delight to part from them Psal 119. vers 143. Trouble and anguish have taken hold upon me but thy Commandements are my delight vers 47. I delight my self in thy Commandements which I have loved A hundred and twenty times in this Psalm the Psalmist useth such phrases as express his affection unto the wayes of God I delight in thy Law I love thy testimonies 4 That Sanctification that ariseth from natural conscâ—ence that is most when conscience is most unquâ—et Wee read that Ahab humbled himself but never but when his conscience was troubled But that Sanctification which ariseth from faith is then most when the soul is most quiet If at any time the soul is least in duties of Sanctification it is when the conscience is most unquiet 5 Lastly That Sanctification that ariseth from natural conscience makes a man an enemy to all these that are truly and spiritually sanctified Ishmael the son of the Bond-woman persecuteth the son of the Free-woman So all the stock of Ishmael they that are sanctified with an outward Sanctification will persecute those that are truly sanctified Therefore there were none such great enemies to Christ as the Scribes and Pharisees that had outward Sanctification they were they that stirred up persecution they were the great and worst enemies to true Sanctification But that poor soul that is truly spiritually sanctified is a friend to all those that are truly sanctified they love them the more the move Sanctification they can see in them the more of the Image of God they can see upon any souls the more they love them The life of Faith in expectation 1 Cor. 5.7 For wee walk by faith and not by sight THe observation that we are upon is this That the life of Faith is the proper life of Saints in this world We are speaking to this question What those things are which a Christian is to live by faith in I have told you that the phrase of living by faith is taken in Scripture in respect of Justification Sanctification Expectation and Perseverance we have spoken of the two former now of the third the life of Faith relating to a Christians Expectation a Christian is to live upon God in way of expectation to wait upon God he is to expect much in way of faith That wee are to live by faith in this respect is clear from that testimony of Habakkuk in the second Chapter and the third vers For the vision is yet for an appointed time but at the end it shall speak at the fourth vers But the just shall live by his faith by his faith the time whilst the Vision is delayed he lives by his faith expecting much while much is delayed expecting the fulfilling of the Promises while it is delayed all the time that much is delayed all that time of a Christian he is to live by faith the Scripture tells us that Abraham beleeved God he had a promise and it was delayed year after year hee looks for the promise and for the performance thereof and yet delayed Abraham looked for the mercy in way of faith and the fulfilling of the promise was made to him but hee must first wait for it In the handling of these things wee shall shew you 1 What those things are that a Christian waits for
expectation for him my soul waited for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning Psal 130.6 How doth a soul watch for the morning a poor soul that is tired out and hath felt the pains and afflictions of the night and could not get a wink of sleep now hee waits with great expectation for the morning so a soul waits with great expectation and earnestly waits for God Why now is it so that a Christian is to live by faith even in respect of his Expectation wee may see a necessity of this in our Justification not any comfort of that without it in our Sanctification and Expectation we must exercise faith in all That which I would speak is to put us on to wait upon God in faith let us in all our waitings wait in faith my poor soul hath been waiting for such a mercy and for such a mercy and it comes not O wait in faith Take some few considerations for this 1 It is better for a soul to be kept up by faith in a waiting frame for a mercy than it is for a soul or would be for a soul to enjoy that mercy waited for it is better and many times a greater mercy to be kept up in a waiting frame of heart for the mercy than to enjoy that mercy waited for if you did enjoy it you would rest upon the enjoyment and so our life is turned into a sensible life and is it not better to live by faith than by sense and better to wait upon the Lord for the mercy than to enjoy it 2 Again There is more of the Power of God put forth in your condition of waiting than in the other a great power pâ—t forth to support a poor soul to wait upon the Lord to wait upon him what great power is put forth to inable us to beleeve Ephes 1.10 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us ward who beleeve according to the working of his mighty power power and great power and exceeding greatness of power and working of mighty power to inable a soul to beleeve that is that power that inables a soul to hang and wait upon God and hence it is that Paul does close with this when that mercy which he had been seeking of God for that the Thorne in the flesh and die messenger of Satan might depart from him was denied he said he should have more experience of the power of God though I would gladly bee out of it so long as God will bee with me in it and his strength made perfect in my weakness most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities that the power of Christ might rest upon me 2 Cor. 12.8 9. so in Isa 40. ult They shall renew their strength there is a continual communication of power to inable a poor soul to wait to the soul that waits upon God and so it is better because it hath more experience of the power of God 3 Again it is better then there is in enjoying because there is more exercise of grace than in the condition of enjoyment the grace of enjoyment is chiefly joy but in waiting there is abundance of grace faith exercised and humility and patience and contentment and submission to the will of God and Self-denial exercised if the Lord will not give it it will deny it self there is a great deal of the exercise of grace in that condition therefore you cry out O I have not such a mercy and the exercise of such a grace as I would have I have not such strength against corruption and such parts and gifts and abilities now may not this very condition that by faith you wait upon God in be better to you than the condition that you would have that condition you wait upon God in than that condition that you wait for if you did enjoy it 2 Again consider if so be that by faith you do wait upon God for a mercy you shall assuredly in Gods time have the mercy you wait for Isa 44. those shall not be ashamed that wait upon the Lord vers 23. They shall not be ashamed that wait for me saith the Lord that wait for him the Apostle Paul grants this in Rom. 10.11 Whosoever beleeveth in him shall not be ashamed teaching us that our waiting must bee in a way of faith now a soul that waits upon God in a way of faith shall not be ashamed what is that it is that hee shall not miss of what he waits for as one that trusts in another and makes a boast of him is ashamed of his trust if hee fail Now if a soul should trust in God and make a boast of God God hath promised and if it should fail and not bee given in the soul should bee ashamed now he that waits upon God shall not be ashamed they that trust in Aegypt and Ethiopia shall bee ashamed of it but God will not fail them that trust in him They that wait upon the Lord shall never be ashamed what though it do not come in in thy time it will come in in Gods time there is a waiting time and a fulfilling time a time to wait upon God for the fulfilling of the Promise and that waiting time goes before the fulfilling time in Habakkuk 2.3 For the vision in yet for an appointed time but at the end it shall speak and not lye though it tarry wait for it because it will surely come it will not tarry a double tarrying it will not tarry it doth tarry and though it doth tarry it will not tarry all that time a soul is to live by faith waiting upon God waiting for it and in its time it will surely come and not tarry when the fulfilling time is come it will not tarry So have you been waiting upon God for such a mercy and a great time it is that you have waited for it and it is not come why this is the waiting time when the fulfilling time is come it will come you have been waiting for strength against corruption for the performance of such duties the exercise of this and the other grace why though it tarry it will not tarry As God will have thee to wait all the waiting time so hee will come in the fulfilling time God is very exact and punctual in observing the appointed time in fulfilling of his Promise God will not lose a minute when the time is come he will come in Exodus this is very clear Exod. 12.41 And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years even the self same day it came to pass that all the Hosts of the Lord went out of the land of Aegypt now see how punctual God is in the self same day God takes notice of a day God will not lose a day in four hundred and thirty years he will not lose a day so exact is hee in observing his day and time it is twice noted therefore in the
not cast Anchor within the Vail O bee more in the exercise of this Grace of hope It is one thing I have observed of all the three great Graces Faith Hope and Charity wee are least in the exercise of the grace of Hope wee look to exercise Faith to goe out to the Promises and to exercise Charity but Hope which is the middle grace wee are apt to neglect if hope bee not exercised in some measure faith will bee dead and charity dead Now the work of hope is to look to the glorious Inheritance to the reward which one day wee shall enjoy be much in the exercise of the grace of hope look upon the reward God would have us look to it hath left one grace to bee exercised about it look at the mark of the price of the high Calling I do not say you should work altogether for it but look on it for incouragement what a glorious Inheritance you shall possess one day after you have done the will of God here for you shall receive the Promise and what is this Promise the promise of an eternal Inheritance O how doth this incourage a poor soul it is but a little while and I shall receive the Promise that glorious Inheritance Exercise this Grace of Hope which lyes in Expectation let us not lay by our Hope and thinke it enough to exercise Faith and Love and let Hope lye by that should help on both It is the Anchor that holds us fast and makes us steady it grasps the Inheritance before hand and holds us to it Labour that this Hope may bee cast within the Vail take heed it bee not pitched upon this or the other thing upon any thing without the Vaile But let your Hope bee grounded upon the Covenant of God therefore hope because God hath made a Covenant therefore I lay hold upon this Covenant because Jesus Christ was given out to dye for poor sinners his Blood was powred out for ungodly ones I come to him as a poor ungodly one to him that justifieth the ungodly therefore hope O ground thy hope upon Jesus Christ therefore I hope because the Lord hath been pleased to make free Promises of Grace to mee to blot out my sinnes for his Names sake Doe not ground your hope upon any thing besides for that is to ground your hope upon something without the Vaile and then such hope as this cast within the Vaile will make you blessed for ever The Lord give you and I to pitch our Anchors of Hope there Christ's New Commandement Joh. 13.34 A New Commandement I give unto you That yee love one another THE words read unto you are a part of and indeed the very beginning of that sweet and heavenly Sermon which our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ made to his Disciples when hee was taking his farewell of them to go to his Father Two things there are which Jesus Christ seems now upon his departure to have a deep sense of 1 Lest his Disciples in the time of his absence should bee bereaved of their inward peace and consolation to prevent which hee layes them in in this his last Sermon many sweet and precious soul-strengthning Cordials 2 Lest through their weakness they being as yet but little children as hee terms them in the foregoing verse amongst whom wrangling and jarring is not onely natural but a custome should in the time of his absence fall at oddes and variance within themselves For prevention of which he no sooner minds them of his departure but hee layes a streight charge upon them that as they did love him or regard his honour before men they would be especially carefull that there might be no division or want of affection among them when he should be gone Which charge of his that it might sinke deep into their memories he gives it over and over as in our Text and again Chap. 15.12 and again vers 17. Yea that they might see how exceedingly his minde did run upon this and how the fear of their failing herein did as it were stick in his heart considering they were as yet but little children and therefore very liable to fall together by the ears he layes down this as the first and great thing of all that he would have them to minde in his absence A New Commandement first Commands as in the Commands of the Moral Law are greatest as if he should say Little children a little while I am with you and then I am to leave you and O it fears mee exceedingly that no sooner shall I be gone but you will be together by the ears and therefore as the first thing of all and one main thing that I would have you alwaies to remember I beseech you yea I command you minde this to love one another I am extreamly afraid of the contrary and therefore I charge you Love one another Love one another A NEW The onely Query necessary for the explication of the words is this why the Command of Love is here called A New Commandement seeing it is ancient as ancient as the Law of God the whole Law being comprehended in this word LOVE To omit the various reasons which are given of the thing that which I conceive to bee most consonant to Truth and most agreeable to Scripture-language is this because This duty of love is more clearly revealed more fully discovered and more frequently pressed in the New Testament than ever it was in the Old Though it be certain the Law in the second Table thereof required love to the Brethren yet did it not so clearly and particularly reveal and presse the same as wee have it revealed and pressed under the Gospel And thus in respect of more clear revelation it may be called A New Commandement as the Covenant of Grace which from first to last is one and the same in respect of the more cleare administration thereof is in Scripture called A New Covenant Doct. It is the Command one of the great Commands of Jesus Christ that Saints should love one another None I suppose will question the truth of this if they doe let them read over the place fore-quoted together with Heb. 13.1 and the Epistles of John where this is plentifully urged One place for all may serve 1 Joh. 3 23. where the Apostle summes up the Gospel into two Great Commands whereof the first is faith in the Son God the second is love to the Brethren In prosecution of this I shall shew 1 What great ground and reason there is why Saints should love one another 2 How Saints may have their hearts brought up to the practice of this duty to love one another 3 Answer some Objections which lye in the way of many as obstacles and impediments whereby they are hindred from the exercise of this precious grace and so great and necessary a duty of love For the first I may say That there is all the reason in the world why Saints should love one another
my brother injures me speaks evil of me I cannot forbear him I do so to him and he cannot forbear mee were there but that forbearance should bee in any one it would heal the difference of either side O Saints would you love forbear one another forbear one another Obj. But such a one hath injured me and I have given him no cause Ans Why then forbear him thou wilt have the more comfort and peace in so doing Again now thou art like a Christian in forbearing him a man may from natural light forbear another who hath injured him if he himself gave the other cause to do so but now if thou canst forbear another who hath injured thee when thou hast not given cause this is to act like a Christian Thus did Christ he gave no cause to any to revile him or Crucifie him yet when they did it he forbare them when he was reviled he reviled not again 1 Pet. 2.23 Isa 53.7 innocent as a Lambe yet led to the slaughter and opened not his mouth Obj. But if it were once I could bear it but it is often Ans The oftner it is the more noble spirit shalt thou be of to forbear him a Childe can forbear a thing a while but a man can longer Again hath not God forborne thee often when he might have poured his wrath upon thee and when thou hast dealt as injuriously with him as thy brother hath with thee and wilt not thou forbear thy brother often Say with thy self O how long has God forborne me Obj. But wert it a small injury I could forbear but it is a very great one Ans Let me ask thee one question Is it greater than ever thou didst commit against God if so then indeed it were much to forbear him but if otherwise wilt not thou forbear him as God thee Again the greater injury the more grace exercised in forbearing and the more comfort in it Obj. But I were not a man if I should bear every thing and put up all tread on a worm and he 'l turn again Ans Thus flesh and bloud will reason and thus Centiles reason but it must not bee so amongst us Hear the Exhortation of Paul Rom. 12.19 20 21. Dearly beloved avenge not your selves but rather give place unto wrath for it is written Vengeance is mine I will repay saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger feed him if he thirst give him drink For in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head Be not overcome of evil but overcome evil with good 9 Consider all are but men Thou seest something in thy Brother which possibly might provoke thee to with draw thy love from him he sees something in thee which might provoke him to the same now let each consider of my brother why my brother is but a man and therefore he hath his failings as other men have indeed were he an Angel I might expect other actions and other carriage but he is but a man and I must look upon him as a man subject to failings as I my self am Yonder I see weaknesses but they are the weaknesses of man a poor man 10 Acquaint your selves with one anothers spirits more Strangers have not that affection the one to the other that intimate friends have so whilst Saints are strangers one to another there will not be that love and communion amongst them that there should be and were they more acquainted with one anothers spirits would Whilst the Disciples were unacquainted with Pauls spirit they were affraid to own him into their company though he assayed to joyn with them but when by Barnabas his relation they understood something of his spirit and the work of God thereupon Paul and they sweetly closed so afterwards a long time the Apostles at Jerusalem were affraid to own Paul as an Apostle through some suspicion or doubt they had of him but afterwards when through Conference and communion one with another they perceived the grace that was given Paul they then owned him and gave him the right hand of Fellowship acknowledging him an Apostle as well as themselves so that we see what comes by acquainting our selves with one anothers spirits Christians which before stand aloof off the one from the other and will not speak to each other may come when they know one anothers spirits sweetly to close and embrace one another yea many a Saint upon this instead of falling foul upon his brother as before hee did now falls foul upon himself What a filthy wretch was I my cursed heart would not close with my brother but I was ever full of suspicions jealousies surmisings thinking and speaking the worst and now I see blessed bee God I see it at last that my brother is a true Childe of God and there is more grace in him for ought I know than in my self O Saints let us get acquaintance with one anothers spirits I may know Master such a one and Mistris such a one well for outward acquaintance yet a stranger to his or her spirit and assure your selves of this that there is nothing in the world will more beget and maintaine love amongst you than this as I shall by being acquainted with my brothers spirit see the grace of God in him which will much draw my heart ten times more than any gifts or parts which I behold outwardly can do so likewise by near familiarity with him and acquaintance with his spirit there will bee twenty things which through my mis-interpretation of outward actings or some such thing did hinder love and beget dis-affection in me to my brother prevented as for instance Suppose I see my brother occasionally walking and dis-coursing now and then with a prophane man presently whilst I look barely upon the outward action my heart is ready to boyl with strange jealousies Now that we may get acquaintance with one anothers spirits 1 Bee much in communicating experiences and the dealings of God with you one to another 2 Be much in finding out and knowing the reasons of thy brothers outward actings this will bring to much acquaintance with thy brothers spirit and how and in what manner it usually works 11 Improve one anothers gifts and graces more as get acquaintance with one anothers spirit so improve them Hath God given thy brother a spirit of prayer improve it get him much to pray for thee hath God given thy brother more faith then thou hast improve it desire him in thy wants and streights to beleeve for thee now in so doing love will be abundantly increased thy brothers love will work more towards thee whilst he is improving of his grace for thee and thine to thy brother whilst thou seest that such and such mercies thou hast through thy brothers faith and prayer This is a certaine rule the more I do good to any in a spiritual way the more I shall love him the more any receive good will hee love mee And I take it this
through that offence that I received from such an one O my heart was hardned against the Word and all means of grace whilst I lived and I am now in Hell and I dye I dye for ever through that offence which my heart took up through the walking of such a one Q. But you will say what shall I doe how shall I walk that I may not fall and offend the world Ans 1. Be oft in blessing God that hath kept thee from such falls unto this day 2 Censure and judge thy self when thou seest another fall say Lord I might have fallen I have as justly deserved to bee left of thee to my self as ever any such a one is fallen but Lord why not I why was not I the man why was not I the woman how comes it that I stand what hath kept me all this while 3 Deal gently and tenderly with thy Brothers wound doe not cruelly and mercilesly rake in it lest God make a wound in thy sides in thy conversation for others to rake in Gal. 6.1 4 Hearken to the voyce of offended conscience an enlightned man ever first offends himself If thy right hand offend thee cut it off Conscience is first offended and if men did but hearken to the voyce of conscience when that is offended and labour to nip the offending monster in the head it would never grow to that height as to be seen of others and to offend them 5 Walk with fear and trembling be not high minded but fear is a needful word in this case he that creeps on the ground gets no falls but he that will soar in the air let him look to himself You know what the Wise man saith A haughty minde goes before a fall when Peter had ceast fear and had most pride and carnal confidence then was his fall 6 Act faith much in the promises of perseverance as I will put my fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from me Jerem 32.40 and renew the actings of faith in such promises so oft as thou seest others fall 7 Nourish no Dalilah in thy bosome Sampson played with his Dalilah in private a while but at last his Dalilah brought him upon the open stage So 8 Do not while thou bearest thy self upon the grace of God allow thy self in the practise of any known evil God will bear with much in his Children rather than he will shame them before the world but hee will never bear with that that I should make his Grace the Patron of my Sin because he is free and will pardon me and never damn me therefore I should bee more ventrous to wound Christ grieve his Spirit dishonour his Name shame his ways and people than otherwise I durst be 9 And lastly Play not upon the borders of any sin The fly that plaies about the Candle is at last burnt in it the Childe that wil be ever playing upon the pit side at last drops into it It is a dangerous thing and that man or woman is not far from some shameful fall whose heart is come to that that they will goe as near to sin as they can The wise man knows the further he keeps out of the Lions reach the safer he is and none but children and fools will play with his paws Obj. But put case I have fallen and offended the world what shall I doe Is there now no hopes for me no remedy for such a disease Ans Yes all things are possible to him that beleeveth though this sin be a mountain faith will remove it But wouldest thou know what to doe First Humble thy self before God for this thy sin labour to clear thy self before him that so though wicked men in Hell should accuse thee hereafter yet God may have cleared thee before they accuse thee Secondly Labour to make the fence strongest where the gap has been broken if pride has cast thee down begge above all things humility if earthly-mindedness above all things heavenli-mindedness if extravagancy in words above all things keep a watch Thirdly Pray to God that others may bee kept Thou hast been lavish of Gods honour and it is now too late to remedy that labour now to fetch God in honour by endeavouring to prevent others from the like Fourthly Take all well and thankfully whatever shame or loss God casts upon thee for it Fifthly Let thy words as well as thy deeds be a warning to others Sixthly Labour now by all ways to doe all the good thou canst to poor sinners thou hast done them a mischief it is too late to help that only thou art to mourn for it and leave the issue with God labour to make it up by doing others good Matth. 11.6 And blessed is he whosoever shall not be offended in me THe words naturally hold forth these two things to us 1 That there is an aptness and proneness even in good men to be offended 2 That it is a blessed thing for a man or woman to get over this evil Either of these will afford us many necessary Questions but I shall not strictly tye up my self to either but I have fixed upon this Scripture to speak somewhat to the subject of Offences more in general as it is a case of Conscience OFFENCE is two-fold either offence given or offence taken Offence given is when by somewhat trans-acted done or spoken an occasion of stumbling and being offended is laid before others An offence taken is when at the occasion of the offence the other is offended Of either of these there is an offence good and bad 1 There is a GOOD offence given and a BAD offence given 1 A GOOD offence given is that offence which hath no evil in it in respect of the Giver though yet it proves an offence to some and this is 1 When by instructing of the weak in things necessary to be known I doe offend the superstitious Thus Christ offended the Pharisees Matth. 15.10 11 12. Hear and understand not that which goeth into the mouth defileth the man but that which cometh out of the mouth this defileth a man Then came his Disciples and said unto him knowest thou that the Pharisees were offended after they heard this saying 2 When by maintaining of my Christian liberty against those who would infringe it I doe offend the obstinate Thus Paul Gal. 2. the beginning 3 When by the light of Christian Doctrine and conversation I doe offend the world by discovering and destroying their deeds of darkness thus the Apostles when they went forth with the Gospel did in all places offend 4 VVhen by following of God in somewhat which I am really convinced is my duty yet dark to another I do offend that other Thus Peter by going unto Cornelius's house 2 A BAD offence given is when an offence hath evil in it in respect of the Giver which is 1 VVhen by compliance with some that are Superstitious I do endanger the faith of such who are free from superstition
up in Types and shadows then much more is it in the New wherein the Covenant of Grace is clearly revealed and Gospel Truths unvayled Hence in the New Testament we have three times for Habbakkuks once that golden sentence The just shall live by faith as Rom. 1.17 Galat. 3.11 Heb. 10.38 And Paul whose example take for all the rest to shew what every one should do verifies this in his life and practice Gal. 2.20 And the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God In the carrying on of which I shall shew 1 What it is to live by faith 2 What are the principal differences betwixt the life of faith and the life of sense or a souls living by faith and by sense 3 Wherein this life of faith is to bee exercised 4 The preciousness and excellency of this life of faith Quest 1. What is it to live by faith Ans I shall only describe it to you and that with shunning of curiosity as much as may bee and so it is For a soul constantly quietly and orderly to rest upon the Promise and Power of God for the obtaining of all good expected or hoped for the removing or turning to good all evil present or feared In which description are these things considerable 1 Here is the act it self with the manner of acting which the soul that lives by faith puts forth it is an act of rest and reliance and that constantly quietly and orderly For the act it self the nature of it it is not an act of assurance but an act of reliance recumbence dependence or adherence the act of assurance is not so properly faith as sense for when my soul is assured I do see and behold the love of God and my own salvation and I do feel the same within me and this is sense Indeed I grant it that the soul which lives by faith hath oftentimes assurance and more constantly than another he puts forth more acts of assurance than a weaker beleever doth which lives by sense yet are not these the differencing acts which do discover him to live by faith rather than another Thomas put forth an act of assurance when Joh. 20.28 hee cryes out My Lord and my God yet by our Saviours own testimony vers 29. he lives by sense Because thou hast seen thou hast beleeved as if hee should say Thomas thou art such a beleever as dost live more by sense than by faith thou beleevest but it is because thou seest thy faith can go no further than thy sight but blessed are they that have not seen and yet have beleeved As to say A Christian life there is whereby a soul though hee see nothing feel nothing yet beleeves and this is the blessed life and those the most blessed which live this kinde of life Christ here puts beleevers into two ranks the first are those who though they beleeve yet live by sense grounding their faith upon something seen the second are those who beleeve and live by faith grounding faith upon things not seen Thomas is a beleever of the first rank who lived by sense and yet had assurance so that the act of assurance is not the distinguishing act betwixt that soul which lives by sense and hee which lives by faith Yea more a weak beleever or a beleever at first conversion may and it is usual for such to have acts of assurance God coming in sometimes in a word or an ordinance perswading and covincing their souls of it that hee is their Father and Heaven is theirs yet do not such live by faith for so soon as this fit or rapture is over though whilst it was upon them they would have affirmed it against all the Devils in Hell they call into question and begin to unsay whatsoever before they said Yea further as I said before these acts of assurance though it bee by beleeving I come up to them yet are they more properly sense than faith for when I have assurance I cannot so well bee said to hope for beleeve c. as I may in some sort to see injoy and possess and therefore though the soul oft puts forth such acts which lives by faith yet are not these they whereby it lives by faith nay more properly hee lives by faith when these are wanting for then and onely then I put forth pure acts of faith when I have no sense at all The act of assurance which goes along with that of adherence is not the act whereby the soul lives by faith but rather a fruit or consequence of its living by faith it lives by faith in adhering to the promise which is the first act of faith and then from this its adherence as a fruit thereof there is an assurance of Gods love maintained in the soul So that it is clear that the act it self which is put forth in our living by faith is not an act of assurance whereby I am assured of the love of God c. but an act of adherence or reliance whereby though I see or feel nothing at all in mee why I should conclude God loves mee yet finding that God hath made promises to sinners such as I am and knowing no just or sufficient ground why I should exclude my self I adhere to the word and promise of God Now for the manner of acting it is 1 Constantly The soul which lives by faith doth not for a fit and away rest and relye on the promise but constantly By constantly I do not mean that hee doth so rest upon the promise and adhere thereto as that hee never at no time or in no case starts aside Abraham himself did not so cleave to the promise but once or twice hee did a little step aside so a soul which hath attained the life of faith and lives the same may at some times and in some particular case step aside and act too much in a way of sense But by constantly I mean thus That in the general course of his life and actions he is carried on by faith and acts in a way of faith setting aside now and then some particular acts and the whole of his life and actions is guided by faith Or if you please you may restrain it to the morer part though sometimes and oft hee acts sense yet mostly hee is in beleeving and so takes this denomination of living by faith from the greater part because hee doth more live by faith than by sense So that by constantly I do not understand every particular individual act but the general course of a mans life when once hee comes to live this life or the morer part of his actings are in a way of faith Now hereby hee is distinguished from all such as rest and relye upon the promise for a fit onely and away Some there are who will adhere to the promise for a fit whilst they finde themselves so and so qualified or have such and such experiences