Selected quad for the lemma: heart_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A86070
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A discoverie of truth: presented to the sons of truth.
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P. H.
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1645
(1645)
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Wing H103; Thomason E1176_1; ESTC R208086
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31,573
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89
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Law and Gospel But we are to consider the law thus that the Law is that wherein God discovers his authority as a God over us requiring duties of us and although wee have lost that ability to answer Law yet the Law continues to declare Gods authority but not our ability And for such expressions in the word you must work yon must doe this and that it is not to declare our abilitie but left to declare Gods authoritie and this is the first rule to judge of the expression of the Law so as they may not contradict the Gospell Object This seems not to be a truth because that such expressions in Scripture are not few but many it is not onely at one time but often to which I answer Answer Had God withdrawn and made out these discoveries which manifest his authoritie it would have been conceived that when there was an alteration in the creature that this alteration wrought an alteration in God And so it might be apprehended that some thing below God had the power to cause an alteration or change in God which the Holy Ghost will by no expression admit of such a construction Second Rule God was pleased from his infinite love to give a Christ not onely to fulfill the Law for us 2 Cor. 3.15.18 Heb. 12.18.22 but also to be a light as in us so also a light held out to us in which light we are to see the Law For we are not now to see the Law in the valid light of Moses but in the uncovering light of Christ and if you thus see the Law you shall see that which in the hand of Moses was required to get life in this light of Christ you shall see it held out as actions to be done by or as begotten of life in the other to work that we may be loved here to work in that we are beloved and this presents the Law lovely For dear friend know this that nothing is injoyrd by us as it is in its self unlesse it be apprehended by a light sutable to it self for if wee looke upon a white object through a red glasse the object is not white to us as it is in its selfe but red according to the light through which it is apprehended by us So God in the law if judged by the bare expressions of the Law and not in the light of love he appeares rough and not lovely but when we being led forth by Christ and sweetly gathered up in Christ and there see the Law wee shall then see the Law lovely Rom. 7.12 and say as the Apostle the Law is holy iust and good And so we shall not see such a contradiction betweext the Law and Gospell When we thus see truth in truth we shall then see an one-nesse betwixt truth or rather the truth to one and that onely one which was which is which shall be But I say no more of the Law but come to give an answer to your Scripture in particular according to your desire And first of the first being the 14. of John and the first Let not your hearts he troubled ye beleeve in God beleeve also in me In which Scripture in generall it holds forth these two things First a dehortation Let not your hearts be troubled Secondly a direction Yea beleeve in God beleeve also in me But that wee may understand the meaning of the words before we come to draw conclusions consider these things First the party speaking Christ Secondly his ends of his thus speaking which was this he being to depart from them in his bodily presence and knowing what evill disposition there was in them knew well at his departure they would be full of feares through much trouble and so sin against God Doct. The Doctrine from thence observed is this that it was the way of Christs care in all his teachings to keep his Disciples from sin-full fear Ioh 16.33 Luk. 12. Luk. 1 74. contrary to some mens teaching now which preach obedience to be drawn forth from the terrours of a Law and not from the power of love which teaching produces directly such effects as these First it rather drives men from God then drawes men to God for men are drawn to love onely by love and God is love Secondly the creature to help it self rather sets upon that which is properly the work of God then for it to worke from a power of GOD seeing all come from GOD. Thirdly Such teaching teach men rather to live upon the creature then GOD which wee doe first when we live upon the actings of God to us and secondly when we live upon the acts of God in us towards himself This condition is full of feare and whether this be a sinfull feare ye or no I leave you to judge which I hope have other waies learned Christ And so much of the party speaking with the end of his speaking Now of the matter spoke and first of the dehortation Let not your hearts be troubled The nature of a dehortation implies sin and in this do not onely consider the dehortation but the parties dehorted which was the Disciples that were possessed with Christ Luk. 8.24 25. Mat 6.30 from whence observe their conclusion That not onely other but even the members of Christ through want of knowledge of Christ are apt to be troubled with such a trouble that is condemned by Christ I shall speak nothing of that trouble which is lawfull and approved of by Christ nor of that trouble which is sinfull and contrary to Christ because I have spoken of it in the conclusion before only from one terme in this conclusion I will draw one Corrolarie that is this that all trouble that is a sin against Christ doth directly arise from ignorance of Christ Mat. 16.8 9 11. and so much of the dehortation For the direction Yee beleve in God beleeve also in me First Ye beleeve in God in which words is not onely a direction but an acknowledgement ye beleeve in God implying thus much which shall be as a conclusion from the words which is this that beleeving in God is the onely way to remove sinfull trouble from the hearts of the people of God Sinfull trouble ariseth in us from the not living upon God but from a living upon some thing below God now so soone and so far as a man hath power from God to beleeve in God so soone and so far is he really taken up in God and from thence made able to live upon God now because it is not a bare beleeving but a believing rightly rectified Christ ads this expression ye beleeve in God beleeve also in me Before we draw any thing from these words we will first consider the meaning of them when he saith beleeve in God beleeve in me not that he intends God one object of faith and himselfe another as being two for they are one Therefore he saith in that same Chapter He that
place Hos 10.12 Sow to your selves in righteousnesse reape in mercy Which words seem to hold forth so much according to the language of the old covenan as though we were to act righteousnesse before we receive mercy but beleevers under the covenant of grace are not so to observe it but we are now to observe it so that we act righteousnesse in that we have received mercy For Christ and his Apostles still drawes forth duty from a power of priviledge as appeareth by such expressions as these blessed are they that hunger and thirst the blessednesse is not placed in the future tense as a thing to be got by hungring and thirsting but it is placed in the present tense as that which is the producing cause of it So the Apostle saith seeing we have these promises let us cleanse our selves According to these rules are we to understand this Verse Sowe to your selves in righteousnesse reap in mercy And understanding these words according to the former rules this conclusion will arise Doct. That acts of righteousnesse are fruits of mercy If you aske me in the first place Rom. 2.1 Luk 7.47 2 Cor. 7.1 what I mean by acts of righteousnesse I answer by that I mean the acts of sanctification If you ask me in the next place what the righteousnesse of sanctification is I answer it is a conformity to the will of God produced by the power of God in which the soul is carried out to live to God in perticular acts If you in the next place ask me what I mean by mercy that the acts of righteousnesse is a fruit of I answer by that mercy I mean the sweet glorious commings in of God by which the soul becomes really possessed with God and is made able to live in the light love of God and so is made able from thence to bring forth acts of righteousnesse sutable to God and therefore thus I desire to speak to all that love God act righteousnes sutable to God in that you have received mercy from God The reason to prove this point is this No soul can act a living act without a living power but no soul injoys a living power till he hath received mercy from God therefore no soul can act acts of righteousnesse which are living actes till they have recived mercy from God which is a living power the use of this same is to shew the folly of two sorts of people First those who teach men to work to get mercy and not to act from a power of mercy received they may as well say to a dead man act living acts and I will give you life Secondly it serves to shew the folly of those who say they have received mercy from God and yet walk loosly with God I know not what they say For that heart that really hath received mercy from God in being possessed with God they are so overcome with God that they love to live to him and look upon the duties they are to performe as a high priviledge but no more of this conclusion And for the next words break up your fallow grounds which is an explication of the former or a direction for a right performance of the former for as it is a foolish thing to sowe in unbroken ground so it is an impossible thing to act righteousnesse with an unmelted or unbroken heart from whence observe this conclusion Doct. That a heart is changed and broken by God before he can bring forth acts of righteousnesse to God an old principall cannot bring forth new fruite when I say God breakes the heart I do not mean breaking the heart by the terrours of the Law but a melting of the heart by the commings in of love but I say no more of of that conclusion For the next word It is time to seek the Lord. Iplying that is some speciall times of seeking God or that it is a a speciall thing to seek God thence observe this conclusion Doct. That it is the duty of all souls possessed with God to seek God The ne next words are till I raigne downe righteousnesse upo you implying thus much That that soul that hath power from God to seek to God for the powring down of his mercy shall surely have answere From thence observe this conclusion Doct. That God is not nor God will not be a forsaking God to a seeking people This is cleer if you look upon the promise of God consider the love of God God cannot will not forsake a seeking people Why because it is alone from the enjoyment of God that we seek God and under that sence we may as well say God can as well forsake himselfe as forsake those that seek him from an injoyment of him Vse First to informe us of one corolie that naturally ariseth from the Conclusion and that is this that no soule can seek God til he is found of God the reason to this corolie is this Because the power of our seeking is the fruit of Gods finding then this shewes the folly of those men which stirred up people to seek not from a power of being found but stir them up to seek that they may be found The next use is a use of comfort If our seeking be a fruit of Gods finding this should comfort Gods people thus that there is no sear of failing to finde God when we seek him because the power of seeking God flowes from the priviledge of being found of God and so much of this conclusion and of this verse And for that place in Jer. 4.3 and beginning of the fourth verse which words are these For thus saith the Lord to the men of Iudah and Ierusalem break up the fallow grounds and sow not among thornes Circumcise your selves to the Lord and take away the foreskin of your hearts and had I time I should speak to this Scripture as I have spoken to that in Hosea which is to be understod in the same way and according to the same rules before laid down but at this time I shall speak no more Dear friends according that smal ability I have given me by God I have given an answer to your desires if I had more time more light I should speak more fully and more spiritually but I must needs confesse that it is but a little of God I do yet know but may desire for you and my self is that we may know God from God that we may rather live upon our being known of him then knowing of him so at this time I say no more but leave you to God and the Word of his grace who is able to build you up and to give an inheritance among all them that are sanctified Your loving brother in Christ P. H. DEar friend and brother in Christ my indeared love presented to you giving to you thanks for all your love to me this is to put you in minde of your promise in sending me a leter in the letter I beseech