peccatum summe odit Les. or not at all Psal. 96. 9. there is no pleasing him without it and none that ever had it in truth but pleased him Obi. We are justified What need we then care for sanctification Christ hath redeemed us therefore now we may live as we list we may sing and be merry for Christ seeth no sin in us c. Ans. We must shew the truth of our justification by our sanctification for Frustra de fide gloriantur qui fidem sanctitate non ornant Sibel where the one goes before the other alwaies follows they are inseparable When the tree is good it cannot but bring forth good fruit Where Christ is Obedienta Christi non tollit obedientiam Christianam Thesit Cantab. 1652. See seven Arguments for this and al objections answered by M. Ant Burgess in his last Sermon Ser. 9 10 11 12 13 14. M. Bedford ag Antinomians Chap. 5. p. 41. M. Baxter S. Rest. p. 20. made righteousnesse to them he is made sanctification 1 Cor. 1. 30. Where he forgives sin there he cleanseth from sin 1. Iohn 1. 9. 1 Cor. 6 11. Where he pardons sin there he gives power against sin he first drowns and then subdues them Micah 7. 19. according to those promises Jer. 31 33 34. with 33. 8. Ezek. 36. 25 26. As the effect alway followeth the cause light the sun and fruit springs from the root so sanctification ever attends on justification Where Gods Spirit dwels it is never idle but is alwaies changing us into the image of God from glory to glory working in us a detestation of sin with a love and delight in newnesse of life This is matter of singular Consolation to many gracious souls who doubt of their justification and yet they shew it by the fruits of sanctification they walk humbly with their God they have respect to all his Commandments they hate every false way they are fearfull to offend carefull to please they desire not only pardon for sin which a carnal man out of self-love may do but also power against sin they would be sanctified as well as justified they desire as freely to forgo their sins as they desire God should forgive them and to part with them as to have them pardoned they would be freed not only from the evil but from the filth of sin not only from the damnation but also from the dominion of sin When we see a man walk and move we conclude he lives when we see a tree bear fruit though it be but small we conclude there is life in the root it is not yet dead and therefore who ever thou art that findest the graces of Gods Spirit wrought in thy soul though they be but weak yet if they be there in truth and sincerity thou maist with comfort conclude that thou art justified for though works of Sani hominis act ones non sunt sanitatis causae sed indicia sanctification be not meritorious causes of our salvation yet they are signes and evidences of it so love and good works are not causes of our justification but * Non à Parte ante sed à Parte post signes of a man that is justified Christ only is the way by which we come good works are signs that we are in that way Hence the Apostle exhorts us to give all diligence to get assurance by doing the things named 1 Pet. 1 5 6 7. with 10. and blessednesse is pronounced to the doers of Gods commands Rev. 22 14. Psal. 15. 1 2. and the sentence at the day of judgement of absolution or condemnation will be pronounced according to our works because they best show our faith or infidelity Matth. 25. so 1 Iohn 3. 14. 2 Tim 2. 19. The foundation i. Gods decree of election stands firm and sure so that his elect shall never fall away But how shall we know that we are such By the effects if you be such as call on the name of the Lord and 2. depart from sin these may be a foundation evidentiall as 1 Tim. 6. 19. Though Christ only be a foundation fundamentall So that I conclude It is a safe and sure way to labour after assurance of our interest in Christ by the fruits of sanctification it is safe reasoning from the Effects to the Causes Here is heat therefore there is some fire the trees flourish therefore the spring is come here is light then the sun is risen here is good fruit growing therefore the tree is good here are spiritual desires spiritual affections spiritual ends and aims spiritual acts and operations therefore here is spiritual life These marks may See 20 Arguments for this Baxter cc. p. 74 75. contribute much to our Consolation though nothing to our Justification Obi. The Spirit will witnesse assure us of our salvation though we want these Marks Ans. It is a meer delusion to talk oâ—… the Spirits witnessing when men live remisly walk contrary to the word The spirit of the devil and the spirit of delusion may speak peace to them but Gods Word and spirit never will they never speak peace to presumptuous sinners nor to unmortified carnall loose professors Away then with those prophane Libertines Familists Antinomians c. These would be wiser then James or John who make works of sanctification evidences of our justification Iames 2. 1 Ioh. 2 3 4 5. See twelve convincing Arguments for the Necessity of works of holinesse Mr. Ant Burgess Vindic. Legis p. â—…0 11 c. Ruâ—…erf ag Antinom 2. part ch 38. p. 30. 61. 77. 81. See Ruthers ag Antinom 2 part ch 43. p. 46. of our times who under pretence of crying up justification do cry down sanctification They would have Christ for a Saviour but not for a sanctifier they would have him for a Jesus to save them but not for a Lord to rule them as a Priest to mediate for them but not as a Prophet to teach them or a King to â—…eign over them They separate what God hath joyned but they must know that he will not be Jesus to save where he may not be Lord to rule Heb. 5. 9. He will not justifie the persons when he may not sanctifie their natures It is therefore a very dangerous error to separate or confound justification sanctification as our Antinomians do whereas they are two distinct things differ in many particulars as you may see in B. Ushers Body of Divinity p. 202. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rem ag Satans Devices p 205. c. We must not expect our Rest here Baxter Saints Rest p. 559. and Sibelius on Jude v. 1. p. 40. 2 As for your singing comfort joy and merriment you are too hasty we are yet but in the fight the warfare is not ended he that puts on his armour must not glory as he that puts it off We are but in the way we are not yet at home and therefore let none be mistaken
Effectu super omnia desiderabilia desideremus eum Les. above ten thousand worlds We may and must love holy men and the better any man is the more we must love him but there is none holy as the Lord therefore we must love none equally with him We may love the drop and love the sea but our love to the drop must not be equal with our love to the sea We must love God simply for himself and other things in relation to him The more excellent any thing is the greater object it is of our desire now Gods excellency is infinite therefore he is an object worthy of our choicest See more Burrouâ—…s Gratious spi. p. 285 286 c. love and veneration 3. Dost want purity thou seest whither thou must go for it even to God who is the fountain of holinesse Whither should we go for water but to the sea or for light but to the sun All purity is in God and none to be had out of him So that what James 1. 5. saith of wisdom is true of sanctification If any man lack it let him ask it of God who giveth to all men liberally and upbra deth none either for present defects or former failings Go not to men go not to creatures who are cisterns broken cisterns but go to God who is a fountain a living fountain having all excellencies in himself originally and abundantly The diseased woman spent all she had upon Physitians yet remained uncured till she came to Christ Mark 5. 25 26. Hence the Lord to encourage us to the work hath promised Ezek. 36. 25 c. that from all our Idols and from all our filthinesse he will cleanse us But we must not then sit still and think to have such a jewell without some pains we must beg it and beg it earnestly at Gods hand who hath said he will be inquired of by the house of Israel to do it for them v. 37. Spare to speak and you shall never speed You must ask for holinesse before ever you can have it if asking will not do you must seek more earnestly if seeking will not do Matth. 7. 7. you must knock with violence till God hear you it is a gradation and implies fervour of spirit it is not a simple repetition Hac vis grata Dâ—…o est Tertul. God loves to see his people imporâ—…unate for spiritual blessings 4. Dost finde any purity wrought in thy soul Know to whom thou must ascribe it even to the God of holinesse James 1. 17. Every good and perfect gift Naturae depravationem no potest reparare nâ—…sae author naaturae Fabritius comes from above Purity grows not in natures garden we do not gather such grapes of thorns and therefore if thou finde any measure of sanctification in truth begun in thy soul praise the holy One of Israel for it Psal. 71. 22. 99. 9. He hath given thee that which will stand thee in more stead then if he had given thee all the Kingdoms of the world 5. Dost see holinesse in others Oh let not thine eye be evil because Gods is Omnes plurimi 〈◊〉 eâ—…s qui luâ—… cent luce haâ—… mundana quanti igitur faciendi qui lucenl caelestiilla luce Rol loc in Ioh. 7. 36. good but love it prize it honour it for the givers sake we should be so farre from envying that we should wish that all the Lords people were holy Hast thou a son a daughter a servant a neighbour that begin to make conscience of their waies do not censure them vex them hinder and upbraid them like the Pharisees that would neither go to heaven themselves nor suffer others but pray for them comfort quicken and encourage them in the way and work of the Lord it will not repent you when you come into your Kingdom To rejoyce in the holinesse of others makes us like the Angels of heaven when envying at the graces of others makes us like the devils in hell 6. This may humble us in all our approaches to this high and holy One Dei cognitio gignit in nobis humilitatem videt hic quantum distet a Deo quam parum imo quam nihil sit A Lap. when we seriously consider his absolute purity and our impurity his righteousnesse and our unrighteousnesse his Majesty and our misery this will make us little in our own eyes and to come with fear and trembling before him Many when they come to pray hear c. they come as to a Fair or to a Market to see and to be seen they sleep when they should hear they dresse and pray wash and pray work and pray durst they do thus to a Prince Did people but consider into what a presence they come when they come to Gods Ordinances they would quake and tremble when they come And if so holy a man as Moses did exceedingly quake and tremble when he came near the Lord Heb. 12. 21. And when the Seraphims proclaimed the thrice holy God Isaiah cries presently Wo is me for I am undone though he were an holy man and free from the grosse sins of the time yet the sense of his originall uncleannesse made him faint when he had but a glimpse of this most holy God Oh then How dreadfull will the sight of this Holy Holy Holy One be to such as lie still in the dreggs of nature meer lumps of sinne and masses of uncleanness 7. Do not murmurre at his dispensations towards thy self or the Church of God for he is perfectly holy in all his waies and righteous in all his works he is holinesse it selfe and can do no iniquity Hence we are commanded to praise him for his holinesse Psal. 99. 3. Let the people praise thy great terrible Name Why for it is holy q. d. Though the Lord be great in power and terrible in his dispensations to us yet they all call for praise because in them all he doth manifest himself to be holy just and righteous in all his waies and works towards us Upon this account we ought to exalt him Psal. 99. 4 5 9. Exalt the Lord. Why so for he is holy in all his administrations to his people and therfore when thou art brought low do not murmur but let thy soul keep silence to Jehovah for he is the righteous Lord and can do no iniquity Carnall fathers may chastise according to their pleasure but he for our profit that we might be partakers of his holinesse Heb. 12. 10 Say then in the midst of all thy trials with David Psal. 119. 137. Righteous art thou Lord and iust are thy iudgements for though they may be secret yet they are alwaies just And this upheld David when he was in distresse and cried night and day but the Lord heard not Psal. 22. 1 2. yet v 3 But thou art holy thou art righteous and just in thy dealings with me therefore I submit to thy dispensations chearfully 8. Beware of offending
at Ephesus Corinth Collosse c. And'tis observed that the godly are called Saints in Scripture at least fourscore times And theyare called Saints in this life for three respects 1. Segregatione 2. Imputatione 3. Inchoatione 1. By segregation God of his free grace hath separated them for himself from amongst the wicked and prophane of the world Christi sanctitas impuritatis nostrae est ope rculuÌ„â—… Innocens affligitur ut noxâ—…us liberetur ut reâ—… dimatur servus occiditur filius Sib. 1. 2. By imputation Christs absolute holinesse is imputed to them for holinesse and their sinnes are imputed unto him 1 Cor. 1. 30. By his blood we are cleansed from all our sins 1 Pet. 3. 18 3. By inchoation that sanctification which is begun in thee here shall be perfected in heaven and though we cannot be holy perfectly yet if we can be holy sincerely in desire and endeavour tisacceptable with God who measures Voluntas 〈◊〉 est homo nihil aliud sumus quà m voluntate Aug. us by our wills and sincere desire rather then our deeds The will is the man that we are which we desire to be Let us then strive after perfection in the use of all holy means as fasting prayer hearing meditation selfe-examination c. and then in Gods due time he will bring forth judgement into victory and make the work of sanctification prevalent over corruption 2. You must know that there is difference in Saints to some God gives ten talents and there he looks for ten again to some but one and there expects no more then he gives where he bestows much he looks for much Some ground brought forth an hundred fold some sixty some thirty yet all good ground Some God cals forth to greater service and more eminent imployment and to these he gives a greater measure of sanctification Paulus infirmos non excludité numero sanctorum q. opus suum Deus bic inchoat tantum in uobis paulatim vero per gradus inrementa perficit Calvin 3. Know for thy comfort that there are degrees in sanctification as well as in faith and other graces as faith hath its weaknesse and infancy so hath sanctification It is graduall and grows by degrees from a weak and low degree to a strong perfect man Weaknesse holinesse may well subsist together the Disciples were willing yet the flesh was weak And David oft begs for quickning Psal. 119. In the mean time thou hast a perfection of parts though not of degrees and measure as a childe is a perfect man in all the parts of a man though not in the quantity of any part Be thankfull then for what thou hast and still seek after more and then all thy imperfections shall be covered with the perfect righteousnesse of Christ c. we must indeede strive endeavour and aspire after the greatest perfection Psal. 119. 5. O that my wayes were directed to keepe thy Statutes but since in this life we cannot attaine it we must Suspirare groane and grieve The Law saith thou shalt not lust now when we find that we do lust we must sigh and say with the Apostle Wretched man that I am who shall deliver me Rom. 7. an Heroick spirit wisheth it could do more then it can and gieves when it cannot do what it ought to do Quest. But why doth not God sanâ—…ifie us perfectly but by degrees purâ—…ing out our corruption by little and â—…ittle Ans. God could cure us perfectly of â—…ll our sins and purge us from them in a moment but for good ends he will not doe it 1. For the greater exaltation of his free-grace to make us more sensible what he hath done for us that we might have no cause of glorying in our selves but might give all the glory unto God from whom we have all 2. To humble us and keep us low in our own eyes He could have driven out all the Candanâ—…es before the people of Israel but he left some still amongst them to vex them to humble them and make them more watchfull The Lord could free us from all those remainders of sin that are in us but in his wisdom he sees it best for us to have these clogs of corruption still about us to wean us from this world and make us long for heaven where we shall be for ever free from these fetters of sin and Audeo dicere superbis utile esse cadere 〈◊〉 aliquod aperâ—…m pâ—…eatum uâ—…ae sibi displicâ—…ant qui iam sibi plaoendo ceciderant Aug. de Civil Dei 1. 14. c. 13. to keep us low 'T was better with Peter falling and watching then presuming and therefore Saint Austin concludes that fals into sin are good to humble proud persons 3. To out us of our selves and to make us fly unto Christ for help The sight sense of Pauls native impurity drove him to Christ and made him so thankfull unto God for him Rom. 7. The Lord is pleased to distill his grace by drops into us that he may often hear of us as Paul that had a messenger of Satan to buffet him prayes oft God loves to have us come with new prayers and praises to him Obj. I fear I have no purity say many weak Christians because I have not those parts and abilities that others have I cannot pray nor speak for Religion as such and such can c. Ans. Grace is one thing and gifts are See more a fully M. Ant. Burgess late Ser. p. 110. Ser. 20. Ser. 65. another the least measure of grace is better then the greatest measure of gifts many have grace who cannot define it and many that can define it have it not Parts though they are ornaments and not to be despised yet are they but common gifts are probate a Judas Demas may have an excellent memory singular elocution a quick wit a nimble invention c. He may be able to prayfor outward expression farre beyond a child of God The Devil hath parts and natural abilities beyond all the men in the world Christianity is a matter of grace rather then of gifts of obedience then of parts those may be allotted to wicked men but purity in sincerity is a speciall gift of God We have more gifts then formerly but lesse grace abundance of Ignis qui in parentibus fuit calidus in nobis luciâ—… 〈◊〉 knowledge but where 's the zeal the piety the practice We have more science but lesse conscience we have the light of former times but not their heat Most of our Professors are all for parts and gifts these bring applause and praise but grace and piety humble men make them contemptible in the eye of the proud world And this is that great root of pride division and errour that so much abound amongst us men are all for gifts thesâ—… puff men up make them censorious self-conceited and enemies to the power of godlinesse Who greater enemies to Christ then the Scribes