sense of sin begun in the afflicted by Gods mercy and that the afflicted cannot now be hindered from repentance nor be keeped in his former snare doth change himself as if he were an angel of light and setteth all at nought the measure of sorrow which the afflicted hath already and shews unto him how unanswerable the proportion of his sorrow is unto the multitude and hainousnesse of his sins and so spurreth him on to mourn more and more that if it be possible he may distemper and distract him or make him pine away and perish in his sorrow without faith or consolation in Christ this is one evil Another evil is this the affectation of such a degree of sorrow smelleth of seeking some sort of expiation of sin and compensation of the pleasure taken in sin by suitable sorrow for it unto which practical error we are by nature too too prone for as by nature we strive to be justified by works according to the covenant of works written in the children of Adam so when we see our selves come short of the righteousnesse of works we go about as is to be seen in Papists to supply the defect of works by some one sort or other of our sufferings and satisfactions for sin in special that by sorrow and tears in abundance we may wash away the guilt and pollution we have contracted by sin And in this course we run on naturally after wakening of the conscience to exact pennance and punishment on our selves till the deluded heart say it is enough And then as if all were well the deceived sinner resteth himself which deceit of the heart the oftener it hath place and prevaileth without being observed it is the more dangerous A third evil following on this practical error is by it the free grace of God and merits of Christ are greatly obscured and both the mans consolation and sanctification are marred the loss that the afflicted sustaineth on the one hand and the drawing on of new guiltinesse by such a course on the other hand is covered under the vizard of humiliation A fourth evil followeth this error which is this the afflicted person so long as he continueth in this mistake he giveth way to the tentation and doth of set purpose foster his own misbelief that he may thereby foster and augment his own sorrow and afright himself with dreadfull imaginations what shall become of him that he may augment his affected heavinesse of spirit and make the fountain of his tears run the more abundantly A fifth evil is the afflicted so long as he suspends his going to Christ because he hath not mourned sufficiently for sin he fosters another fault unawars to wit a purpose to lay down any more sorrowing for sin if once he had overtaken his imagined measure of sorrow and had his accesse so made unto Christ. This deceit of the heart is brought to light in the practice of some Antinomians who allow themselves once to mourn for sin that their mourning may make way for faith in Christ but after they apprehend they have once repented and casten their burthen on Christ and do number themselves among believers they scorn to mourn any more for sin they harden themselves against all remorse of conscience and do reject secret challenges as groundlesse and make themselves merry with their own fancy and reckon all penitents to be under the spirit of bondage which evils if the afflicted person would perceive to follow upon his error which as a net is spred before his feet to keep him from going to Christ and following the course and exercise of repentance all the dayes of his life he would take heed better to his steps 4. The afflicted must be informed or called to mind concerning sorrow for sin that it is not commended from the quantity or measure of it but from the quality or sincerity of it Now sincere sorrow for sin is best discerned by the hatred which the mourner hath against sin by the mourners humiliation of himself before God by his abhorring himself both for his sin and for the hardnesse of his heart under sin by his purpose to strive against all sin by his flying in unto Christ for relief from sin by his entertaining and renewing of godly sorrow after he hath believed in Christ according as he findeth the inherent roots of sin to be springing up in him This is indeed sincere and godly sorrow which causeth repentance never to be repented of 5. Fifthly and last of all the afflicted must be exhorted not to linger any more but flye to Christ and let him be humbled so much the more as he is not so humbled as he should and would be let him call to minde that Christ came not only to comfort mourners for sin but also to call sinners unto repentance for Christ hath not put such a measure of sorrow whereof we are speaking to be the condition of the covenant of Grace he doth not fell his precious wares nor his gifts of grace for the price of mens tears but let him remember that whosoever is so destitute in his own sense of all good as he finds neither the sense of sin nor repentance nor faith nor any other good thing in himself which may commend him to God but by the contrair much evil of all sorts and yet cometh to Christ is no doubt the poor in spirit whom Christ hath pronounced blessed Matth. 5. 3. and that the sense of his sin and misery in the measure which he hath of it is the evidence of eye-salve already bestowed upon him to encourage him to buy of Christ all the riches which he holdeth forth to the poor in spirit Revel 3. 18. CHAP. VII Wherein the Christians doubt whether he be regenerat because he findeth not his righteousness exceeding the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees is answered THere are some regenerat persons who in the sense of their sins and acknowledgment of their unworthinesse and inability to help themselves are fled unto Christ and have given over themselves to him by faith and are endeavouring to bring forth fruits suteable to repentance who for all this fall a doubting whether they be renewed whether their faith be true and saving faith and the reason which they give of their doubting is because the reformation of their life whereunto they have attained appeareth unto them not to exceed the righteousnesse which may be found in some Pagans or in Scribes and Pharisees of whom Christ hath said in the Evangel Matth. 5. 20. I say unto you that except your righteousness exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven This doubt is followed with grief anxiety of mind and fear least all vertues in them be found nothing but counterfeit and this case except it be speedily cured cannot chuse but draw after it heavy and hard consequences For curing whereof we must confesse that many Pagans and Infidels
may be found in humane Histories who from the principles of nature and civil education have led a more innocent and blamelesse life than many who glory in their Christian profession for whose conviction and condemnation Pagans and Infidels shall arise in the day of judgment and be brought forth for a witnesse against many called Christians and who shall be beaten with fewer stripes than many who are counterfeit Christians and do disgrace the profession of Christian Religion But we have here to do with these that are indeed regenerat and indued with saving faith who endeavour to be holy and do lament their imperfections and do not give over the use of the means whereby they may profit in holinesse albeit with grief and fear they go on heavily suspecting they meet at last with disappointment and be excluded from the kingdom of heaven for their coming short of Scribes and Pharisees in the point of righteousnesse 2. In this case first the complaint of the afflicted concerning the imperfections of his life and fruits of faith in as far as it is true and just must be admitted granted and confirmed and the afflicted must be taught upon this consideration to be seriously humbled in the presence of God that he may profit in self-denyal and more and more renounce all confidence in his own works or inherent righteousnesse To which purpose let him consider yet more the body of death and original sin not yet throughly mortified in him let him look upon and acknowledge in his present case the bitter roots of infidelity and inclination to depart away from the living God even then when he is most called and hath most need to draw near and adhere unto him upon the sight and consideration whereof he shall perceive a necessity daily to renew the acts of repentance and faith in Christ. Secondly let the necessity and timeous use-making of the imputed righteousnesse of Christ be shewed unto him which righteousnesse if the Lord had not set before us for a refuge what should become of us in the examination of our works and felt imperfection of our inherent righteousnesse And here the afflicted must be exhorted in the sense of his own un-righteousnesse to run alwayes toward Christ to have his nakednesse hid by the garment of Christs imputed righteousnesse and exhorted to apply and imbrace more and more straitly the righteousnesse of Christ our Cautioner who is judicially by the Father adjudged to the believer fled unto him for righteousnesse 1 Cor. 1. 30 But of him are ye in Christ Iesus who is made unto us wisdom and righteousness and sanctification and redemption And here let the friend comforter of the afflicted insist that he may consider the value of the ransom paid for us and of the righteousnesse purchased unto us for the only garment able to hide our nakednesse Thirdly let the afflicted person understand that it is righteousnesse with God to be displeased with his children when they esteem little and make little use of the dear bought righteousnesse which Christ hath purchased and that in wisdom and righteousnesse Christ doth not increase the inherent righteousnesse of those who slight him in the mater of his imputed righteousnesse for we are not justified by the perfection of inherent righteousnesse which in this life is impossible but by the perfection of Christs righteousnesse imputed unto the believer in him Fourthly when the Pastor or prudent friend perceiveth the afflicted now convicted of his mistake and error and to be brought to acknowledge that the justification of a sinner doth come by the imputation of the righteousnesse of Christ alone without respect to the works of the law and that the justified man must set himself to bring forth good fruits in the gracious furniture which Christ hath promised to the believer Now I say let him enter upon the comparison of the righteousnesse of the penitent believer in Christ with the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisees and then shall it be clear to the afflicted person that the righteousnesse of the weak Christian shall far exceed the righteousnesse not only of Pagans but also of Scribes and Pharisees of the highest pitch and that for three reasons the first is this the Pharisee cutteth short the interpretation of the law unto the measure of his own external obedience lest the law whereby he seeketh justification should condemn him but the Christian acknowledgeth in all things the spirituality and perfection of the Law and doth not reject any duty which the Law doth command but finds himself bound to obey the Law in all things and to aim to be perfect as his heavenly Father is perfect The second reason is because the works which the Pharisee or Scribe doth are all counterfeit and corrupt in regard they arise from the strength of the natural man and are done for his own glory and carnal ends and not for the glory of God but the works of the Christian exercising faith in Christ proceed from the power of the spirit of Christ in him and are done to the glory of God by him The third reason is because the righteousnesse of works which the Scribes and Pharisees did affectat is altogether impossible and maketh void the grace of God for if righteousnesse be by works it is no more of grace it overturnes that heavenly way of justification by faith in Christ for the righteousnesse of the Pharisee by works cannot consist with the righteousnesse which is by faith of grace but the righteousnesse and justification of the Christian by faith in Christ is possible and ready at hand to every one who renounceth all confidence in his own worthinesse and slyeth unto Christ for grace and this is a most perfect way of righteousnesse which dependeth upon the obedience and satisfaction of Christ imputed to the believer in him Which righteousnesse only can stand in the judgment of God as perfect which only doth open the fountain whereby the power of the holy Ghost runneth down upon the man justified by faith in Christ to enable him to bring forth the acceptable fruits of new obedience By this comparison it doth easily appear that the righteousnesse of the weak believer in Christ doth far exceed the righteousnesse of the Scribes and Pharisees and thus may the afflicted be solved of his doubt arising from comparison of his righteousnesse with the righteousnesse of the Pharisees 3. If these grounds of satisfaction laid before the afflicted do not satisfie but his wounds do break up and bleed afresh let us examine his reasons O! saith he what I have been aiming at in the way of new obedience I suspect is not accepted of God because I find not these fruits of the Spirit which the Apostle speaketh of as evidences of a new creature Gal. 5. 22. love joy peace long-suffering gentlenesse goodnesse faith meeknesse and temperance the defect and little feeling of these fruits doth argue that God doth not approve my works For answering of
the present And in this sense an unrenewed man is said to be in a better or worse condition for the present in comparison with other unrenewed men or with himself at another time In which sense Mark 12. 34. Christ speaking to the Scribe who answered him in all things discreetly saith thou art not far front the kingdom of heaven The condition for the present of this Scribe was better then his fellows and better then his own at another time and yet his person was in the state of wrath because he was not entered in the state of grace or in the kingdom of heaven howsoever he was not far from it In this more strict sense the judicial state of the mans person is fixed so long as the judicial sentence of the Judge binding the unconverted to the curse that is pronounced in the Law or in the Gospel lousing the converted from the curse doth stand But the morall disposition and the condition of the man whether in the state of grace or nature is variable and changeable to the better or worse in comparison with others or himself at another time Whence it is that one and the same person may be in a better or worse condition his state remaining the same to wit good if he be renewed and evil if he be still in nature unrenewed 2. But here we are about the condition of the renewed man only which may be better at one time and worse at another time as his disposition and caâ—â—age in order to the duties of religion and righteousnesse falleth out to be better or worse according as his actions and behaviour are more or lesse conform to the revealed will of God and as his conscience doth its duty more or lesse commendably Sometimes his conscience upon good grounds speaketh good to him while he studieth to walk before God unto all well-pleasing and then he may say with the Psalmist Ps. 26. 12. My foot standeth in an even place in the congregation will I blesse the Lord. To this good condition we need not say much because there is no present disease which calleth for cure of this case Only it is for the child of God in this case necessary to observe dyet and exercise to maintain his good condition and to watch over his heart and wayes that he may continue and go on therein All that we have to deal with is the ill condition of the true convert when his conscience doth deceive him or doth not discharge its duty for in this case only remedy and cure is called for 3. As that condition wherein the convert is best pleased with himself is not alwayes the best So neither is that condition wherewith he is worst pleased alwayes the worst But that is the best condition wherein the holy Spirit doth most bear down the power of sin and advance the work of sanctification of the man and that condition is the worst wherein sin most prevaileth And as the goodnesse of a mans condition is is not to be estimat by any eventual accident but by its own nature and proper effects So the illnesse of a mans condition is not to be estimat by any eventual accident but by its own nature and proper effects as God in the Scripture giveth grounds of judgment of a good or ill condition for otherwayes by the default of the renewed man the best condition may degenerat in a very ill condition As when a man doth abuse divine consolations and after receiving of the renewed earnest of the inheritance from the holy Spirit groweth carnally secure and negligent in his duties or when after some grosse pollution of himself in body or soul having grieved the holy Spirit he doth not humble himself as became him but by Sathans suggestion of wicked thoughts against God and his former work in him doth fall in suspicion of all former gracious operations of the holy Spirit in him and mis-calleth all these former experiences and in his tentation esteemeth and nameth them among Sathans delusions or else at least suspecteth and feareth they shall prove no better then such On the other hand the worst conditions of the renewed man by the wisdom mercy and power of God may be turned to advantage in order to Gods glory and the renewed mans salvation as the experience of the Psalmist doth shew us Psal. 116 3 4. c. 4. An evil condition is so called either 1. in respect of the evil which the convert not only feeleth really but laments it seriously or 2. in respect of the converts estimation only who laments his good condition without cause or 3. in respect of a reall evil which the convert lamenteth not at all but lyeth under it securely Of the first sort is the condition of the convert when he seeth his own blindnesse nakednesse and misery the hardnesse of his own heart and the deceitfulnesse of it and doth flye for remedy thereof to Christ the true Physician to cover and cure all his diseases This condition is evil only in respect of felt evil but in respect of the converts making the right use of the discovery of these evils and flying unto Christ for relief therefrom it is a good condition because the diseased convert carryeth himself well and wisely in this exercise Of the second sort is the converts condition when his faith is put to tryall by manifold afflictions and tentations and he conceives himself to be in a very evil condition wherein he ought not to afflict himself but to judge this condition to be a good condition according to the Apostles exhortation Iam. 1. 2 3. My brethren count it all joy when ye fall in divers tentations knowing that the tryall of your faith worketh patience Of the third sort is the condition of the convert who when for example he feels himself unapt and unable to pray or praise or discharge any duty heartily doth not trouble himself with this his ill case but either layeth-by the doing of the duty or doth the work negligently and perfunctoriously and pleaseth himself in so doing for a time This condition is evil indeed both in respect of his spiritual diseases and of his sinfull slighting the duty of seeking relief thereof 5. For rectifying the judgment of the conscience in any or all of those conditions first let difference be put between the sinfull diseases and distempers of our spirit which are evil indeed and the discovery thereof unto us which is a benefit in it self and a gift of eye-salve bestowed by Christ upon us and the right use of that discovery by flying unto Christ which is yet a greater blessing even the work of God drawing us to the Saviour of souls the remedy of every evil Secondly let difference be put between tentation or tryal of faith and yielding to tentation under affliction The observation of tentation offered to make us depart from the truth in tryal is a matter of joy but yielding is a sin and mater of