of Heaven And indeed this Last does necessarily follow from the other For as St. Paul speaks Rom. 8.17 If Children then Heirs Heirs of God and Joint-Heirs with Christ This is the Perfection of all God's Promises and Favours vouchsafed in the Second Covenant It comes last and Crowns all the rest And it will be the certain Reward of all those that persevere to the end of their Lives in well-doing and in sicere Obedience notwithstanding all Temptations to the contrary to God's most Righteous Commands Be faithful unto Death says our Saviour and I will give thee a Crown of Life Rev. 2.10 And that you may throughly understand the vast Greatness of this most extraordinary Priviledge made over to you by Covenant so as to be excited thereby to render your selves worthy to be Partakers thereof according to my usual Method I will Explain to you First What is meant by the Kingdom of Heaven Secondly What it Imports to be an Inheritour of it And then Lastly I will lay out before you the Vastness of our Priviledge in being made Inheritours of the Kingdom of Heaven And First I am to Explain unto you By the Kingdom of Heaven is meant in Scripture either First the Kingdom of Grace in this Life or Secondly the Kingdome of Glory in the Life to come what is meant by the Kingdom of Heaven The Kingdom of Heaven is an Expression we do meet with above Thirty times in the New Testament and I think we may safely say That we are constantly to understand by it either First The Kingdom of Grace in this Life or Secondly The Kingdom of Glory in the Life to come By the Kingdom of Grace in this Life The Kingdom of Grace the Gospel State mean that Happy and Blessed State of us Christians now under the Gospel wherein we Enjoy the Happiness of Living under a Government wholly made up of manifold Graces and Favours having a most Gracious God governing us by most Gracious and Reasonable Laws affording us a plentiful Measure of Divine Grace and Assistance to perform these Laws and proposing to us most Encouraging Rewards in Heaven to stir us up to a diligent Observance of ' em It is this happy State of Things under the Title of the Kingdom of Heaven whose near approach John the Baptist foretold in the Wilderness saying Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand that is the Kingdom of the Messiah or the State of the Gospel whose Great Fundamental and Gracious Law is this that all Sinners must Repent 'em of all their former Sins and upon their Repentance they shall have most Eminent Mercies bestowed upon ' em And it was this State also concerning the undue Entertainment of which by the Scribes and Pharisees our Saviour complain'd Matth. 11.12 saying that From the days of John the Baptist even till then the Kingdom of Heaven suffered Violence so that the Violent took it by force that is the Publicans and Sinners and Gentiles who were look'd upon by the Jews as those who had no right to the Messiah and so as violent Persons as Invaders and Intruders did croud into the Church at the Preaching of the Gospel whilst the Scribes and Pharisees ungratefully and proudly stood off So again Matth. 13.24 The Kingdom of Heaven is likened unto a Man which sowed good Seed in his Field that is the State of the Gospel or the Success of our Saviour's Preaching in the World is so resembled And so likewise in several other Parables of the like Nature by the Kingdom of Heaven is to be understood the state of the Gospel here on Earth which sure does shew the exceeding great Dignity Worth and Excellency of the Gospel State far beyond any other Dispensation either Patriarchal or Mosaical which the World had ever Receiv'd from Heaven before â—he reason 〈◊〉 the Gosâ— State â—ld be digâ—'d with 〈◊〉 Title of 〈◊〉 Kingdom 〈◊〉 Heaven And indeed upon a near View of the Nature and Design of the Gospel Dispensation we shall see sufficient reason why that State above any other should be so honourably Entitled the Kingdom of Heaven And the reason is not only because the same God governs us and that by the same Laws of Eternal Unalterable Righteousness and Goodness as in Heaven but also because this Blessed Government of God over us by the Laws of the Gospel does directly tend to render us so exactly like the Blessed Saints Because 〈◊〉 directly â—s to renâ— Men so â—tly like 〈◊〉 Blessed â—ts the â—bitants â—he Kingâ— of Heaâ— those Inhabitants of Heaven for where the Gospel of Christ does so far prevail upon Men as through the Grace of God to make them diligent and careful to Obey him according as they have Covenanted with him it does bring in such an excellent State of Things as makes a kind of Heaven here upon Earth for where the Gospel does so far prevail as to be sincerely Obey'd it causes that The Wolf shall dwell with the Lamb and the Leopard shall lie down with the Kid and the Calf and the young Lyon and Fatling together and a young Child shall lead them and it causes that they shall not hurt nor destroy in all the holy Mountain for the Earth shall be full of the Knowledge of the Lord as the Waters cover the Sea as was long time since Prophecy'd Isa 11.6 7 8 9. concerning the State of the Gospel that is it files off the roughness and sweetens the cruel and savage Humours of Men so that instead of tearing and tormenting one another like Beasts and Devils it makes Men Gentle and Kind and good Natur'd like Angels like Gods to one another A State certainly which may very well deserve the glorious Title of the Kingdom of Heaven being so contrary to the Kingdom of Darkness and the State of Hell where there is nothing but Malice Rancour and Rage do reign among those unhappy Beings that do inhabit that Place And thus you see that in Scripture by the Kingdom of Heaven is sometimes meant the State of the Gospel the same God governing us therein and by the same everlasting Laws of Goodness as in Heaven and so as to render us of like Tempers and Dispositions with the Saints in Heaven A State so nearly resembling that of Heaven that the Condition of the meanest Christian now under the Gospel is for that reason prefer'd before that of the greatest of Prophets under the Law Verily I say unto you among them who are born of Women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist notwithstanding he that is least in the Kingdom of Heaven that is the Gospel State is greater than he Matth. 11.11 But tho' this be very frequently the meaning of the Kingdom of Heaven in the New Testament and for that reason This is not the meaning of the Kingdom of Heaven here in the Catechism I have took such particular Notice of it that so you may know how to
understand that Metaphorical Expression in those many Scriptures where you will meet with it in that sense yet it is not the proper and immediate Meaning of the Word in Scripture nor is it so to be understood here in your Catechism But Secondly the Kingdom of Heaven does if not most frequently II. The Kingdom of Heaven signifies the Kingdom of Glory at least most properly signify in the Scripture the Kingdom of Glory and accordingly here in your Catechism it is solely to be understood of the glorious and happy State of Angels and Saints with God in Heaven For Instance In this sense it is to be understood Mat. 5.3 where the Kingdom of Heaven is promis'd as the Reward of the Poor in Spirit And so ver 20. where it is said that Except our Righteousness shall exceed the Righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees we shall in no case enter into the Kingdom of Heaven that is into the State of Glory And in this sense only it can be understood Mat. 7.21 where our Saviour declares that Not every one that saith unto him Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but he that doth the Will of the Father which is in Heaven that is not only those who barely profess Christianity but those who sincerely Practice according to such a Belief and Profession shall be received into Glory The Profession alone will gain Admittance into the Visible Church here on Earth but nothing less than a Living up to it will give an Entrance into the Kingdom and State of Glory with God and his Holy Angels and Saints in the Highest Heavens And a most Noble and Glorious State we may be sure this is This a most noble and glorious State as being dignify'd with so honourable and glorious a Title as the Kingdom of Heaven or else it would not be Dignify'd with so Honourable and Glorious a Title as the Kingdom of Heaven a Kingdom being the Top and Height of all Earthly Glories as Heaven is a Place which comprehends all future Excellencies To denote therefore that most exalted State of Bliss in Heaven it is that this State is call'd the Kingdom of Heaven And truly there is nothing in this World wherein we can imagine the greatest Glory and Happiness as a Kingdom a Crown a Throne a Marriage a Feast but are set forth as Emblems to represent to us the Joys and Glories of our future State And yet as if a Kingdom a Crown a Throne were infinitely too short to set forth the Joys and Glories of Heaven and those infinite Blessings Hence all â—ose things 〈◊〉 this world â—herein we â—nceive the â—ghest Gloâ—â— and Hapâ—ness are â—'d as Emâ—ems to set 〈◊〉 our future â—lory that do await the Sons of God Saint John tells us It doth not yet appear what we shall be 1 Joh. 3.2 Beloved now we are the Sons of God and it doth not yet appear what we shall be only this we know says he that when he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is Nay and as if the highest Contentments and Satisfactions of this Life were but meer Nothings as to any thing in 'em whereby they may represent the Joys above St. Paul tells us 1 Cor. 2.9 That Eye hath not seen nor Ear heard nor hath it enter'd into the Heart of Man to conceive the things which God hath prepared for those that love him Nay and tho' he was caught up to the Third Heaven into Paradise and so did both see and hear the Glories and Triumphant Joys of that Place All which â—ings come â—â—rt of exâ—essing it yet the Things which he saw and heard were unspeakable he tells us which it is not possible for Man to utter for so it may be render'd 2 Cor. 12.4 So that in short the Kingdom of Heaven does import a State of the most excessive Glory and Happiness that our Natures can be capable of receiving A State so unspeakably Honourable and Delightful that tho' the choicest Things of this World those Things that yield the vastest Contentments are made use of in Scripture to represent them to us yet they are but the meer shadows of the Glories and Joys in the Kingdom of Heaven and after all there is abundantly more than can be Express'd or Imagin'd by us And therefore this must suffice here for the Explication of what is meant by the Kingdom of Heaven the particular Character of whose Joys being what more properly belongs to that Article of your Creed The Life Everlasting shall there be given you And now 〈◊〉 Inheritor 〈◊〉 the Kingâ—m of Heaâ—n What Secondly Let us next see what it is to be an Inheritour of it An Inheritour or Heir both in Scripture and in common Language does import something of Priviledge more than ordinary Thus Gen. 21.10 we find that Sarah would not endure that the Son of the Bond-woman should enjoy the Priviledge to be Heir with her Son And as to common Account every Body knows that an Heir has a considerable Priviledge above the rest of the Children and what it is I shall define as follows An Heir is â—e who has â—egal Right â—d Title to 〈◊〉 Possession â—â—de over to 〈◊〉 An Heir among Men is one that receives from Parents or Predecessors either by nearness of Blood or by Adoption by Entail or by Will or whatever other Method of Conveyance a sure Right and Title to a Possession And here perhaps it might not be difficult to shew how that an Inheritour of the Kingdom of Heaven is made such by something that bears a near Resemblance at leastwise to all these Ways and Methods whereby Men become Heirs to Temporal Possessions But not to insist upon any nice Comparison in these Matters it is sufficient to Ensure unto us the Benefits of Heirship even to the Kingdom of Heaven that those who are in Covenant with God are frequently in Scripture styl'd Heirs and particularly Heb. 1.14 Heirs of Salvation and that they are in like manner and to all Intents and Purposes as much Heirs Such who â—ve Enter'd â—o the Coâ—nant of â—ace are in â—e manner Heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven as Children are Heirs as Children are Heirs for thus the Apostle argues If Children then Heirs Heirs of God and Joint-heirs with Christ Rom. 8.17 And if a Son then an Heir through Christ Gal. 4.7 So that we may safely say That as an Heir is One whose Estate is not precariously depending upon the meer Will and Pleasure of another but so setled and secur'd to him as to give him a Legal Claim and Title thereto so long as he does not forfeit his Title by not performing the Condition on which his Title depends so an Heir of the Kingdom of Heaven is One who does not depend meerly upon the Vncovenanted Goodness of God for his hopes of Heaven and Happiness but he is One to whom God through Christ has vouchsafed to
and Churches for the convenience of Government and Worship but holding Communion with one another in One and the same necessary and fundamental Points of Christianity necessary to constitute the Church under Jesus Christ their superiour Head â—hurch â—ist a â—der'd 〈◊〉 â—n some â—overâ— some â—ed And First The Church of Christ is the Society of Christians consisting both of Lawful Governours and Pastors and of the People of God committed to their Charge The Church of Christ is not a Confus'd an Undigested Headless Multitude but a Regular and well-order'd Society Hence it is so often in the New Testament call'd The Kingdom of God as Matth. 21.31 The Kingdom of Christ as Rev. 11.15 and The Kingdom of Heaven Matth. 11.12 and the Members of it Children of the Kingdom Matth. 13.38 And Eph. 2.19 20 21. The Members therefore are styl'd Fellow-Citizens Members of a Houshold and Parts of a Temple all which Expressions speak the Church of Christ to be a Regular Society of Men combin'd and knit together by Laws derived from some supreme Head and Governour A Society I say wherein some are Superiours some are Inferiours some Governours some Governed and who altogether make up a well-compacted Body of Men. This last cited place out of the Ephesians speaks the Thing out Now therefore saith he to those who are call'd into the Church ye are no more Strangers and Forreigners but Fellow-Citizens with the Saints and of the Houshold of God and are built upon the Foundation of the Apostles and Prophets that is Governours and Teachers Jesus Christ being the the chief Corner-stone in whom all the Building fitly framed together groweth up into an Holy Temple in the Lord. Here in this Description of the Church you have Jesus Christ the chief Corner-stone or Head of the Building and Body the Apostles and Prophets Foundation-stones next unto him and all the rest of Christians Fellow-Citizens depending upon Jesus Christ their supreme Head and Others his subordinate Governours and Teachers next under him and the Whole represented a well-compacted Building Or to make it yet more clear to you Eph. 4.11 12. it is said that He gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers for the work of the Ministry for the Edifying of the Body of Christ So that upon the whole Matter you see that the Church of Christ is a well-order'd Society of Men. And I do withal say that in the Constitution of Christ's Church it is requir'd that the Governours and Pastors thereof be Lawful Ones that is such as Christ has Commission'd to those Offices because if they Usurp the sacred Offices of the Church without being lawfully Ordain'd to the same by the Successors of Christ and his Apostles there will be very great danger of a Nullity in all their Ministerial Acts and Offices You must all needs understand this That those who shall pretend to act in any Office by the King's Authority without a true Commission the King will be so far from reckoning himself Oblig'd to Confirm what they shall pretend to do in his Name that he will punish the Presumption of such Officers and those that adhere to ' em And what reason have those to expect better Treatment from the King of Heaven who shall either take upon themselves the Ministry or recieve an Ordination to it from those Hands who have no Power to Confer it or shall Adhere to such Usurping Ministers To put the case as Favourably as possibly we can it does not appear that God is under any Promise or Engagement to hear the Prayers that such Ministers shall put for the People to convey the Graces of his Holy Spirit by the Sacraments they shall Administer or to Ratify the Pardon of those Penitents whom they shall Absolve whereas he has assured the Church with respect to his lawful Ministers that whatsoever of this Nature they shall do on Earth shall be Establish'd in Heaven Matth. 16.19 And we are farther told by St. Paul Heb. 5.4 That under the Old Law No Man took the Honour of the Priesthood unto himself but those who were called of God as was Aaron And as to the Ministers of the Gospel St. Paul does sharply demand Rom 10.15 How any shall Preach the Gospel except they be sent So that it does extreamly concern all Christian People that the Governours and Pastors of the Church be lawful Ones such as are Sent Ordain'd and Commission'd thereunto And now if you would be well satisfy'd who are certainly Sent An Episcopal Clergy undoubtedly such Ordain'd and Commission'd to Govern and Teach in the Church it is beyond all doubt that Bishops are lawful Governours in the Church of Christ and that those who are Ordain'd by their Hands have Commission to Preach the Gospel and Administer the Sacraments because they do undoubtedly derive their Power by an uninterrupted Succession from Christ and his Apostles for our Saviour when he sent forth his Disciples into the World to Preach the Gospel and to gather a Church he told 'em Mat. 28.20 He would be with them or stand by 'em in giving Authority and Success to their Ministry to the end of the World and yet for certain for 1500 Years he did Authorize no other than those Episcopally Ordain'd as the Histories of all Ages of the Church do testify so that it concerns you who have not that Necessity to plead for not Enjoying Bishops and an Episcopal Clergy as our Sister Churches Beyond-Sea think they have It concerns you I say as you would be secure of being within the Pale of a right Constituted Gospel-Church not to separate your selves from this wherein you are undoubtedly under a true Gospel Ministry But to proceed â—e Church â—he univerâ— Society of â—istians â—ng in men â—all Natiâ— as well of 〈◊〉 Gentiles 〈◊〉 of the â—â—s Secondly The Church of Christ is the Vniversal Society of Christians The Christian Church is not now confin'd to one particular Place or Nation as the Jewish was but is Catholick and Universal spread over all the Face of the Earth and taking in all Nations of Men as well those who were Gentiles as those who were Jews For Christ is our Peace and hath made both One and hath broken down the middle Wall of Partition between us Eph. 2.14 The Synagogue of the Jews consisted of one Nation and the more solemn Parts of their publick Worship were confin'd to one Place as you will see Deut. 12.5 6. So that it was rightly said Joh. 4.20 Tho' the Woman of Samaria did Schismatically question it That Jerusalem was the place wherein men ought to Worship For the Temple was the only place in which the Sacrifices could be Offer'd and wherein the Priests could perform their daily Ministration so that the Church under the Law was an Inclosure divided from all the World besides But our Saviour at the opening of the Christian Church assures the Woman who demanded of him Whether in
Member and cut off from the Body for so doing And so much was mutual Kindness and Charity to be the distinguishing Character of Christ's Church that our Saviour declar'd Joh. 13.35 That by this should all men know his Disciples that they had love one for another â—hurch 〈◊〉 into â—â—dy â—esus â—its suâ— Head And now Lastly It only remains to compleat this my Explication of Christ's Church to shew you That this whole Society of Men call'd forth out of the World to such Duties and Priviledges as has been spoke is to be United into one Body as has been declar'd under Jesus Christ its supreme Head Every Society of Men must have some supreme Head to keep it both in Being and Order and Christ is so much to all Intents and Purposes the Head of the Church that there is no respect in which any thing is the Head of the Body in which Christ is not in like manner the Head of the Church 〈◊〉 Poâ— Head â—â—urch And First There is the Political Head in every Kingdom which is the Prince that gives Laws to his People and Heads and Protects them against their Enemies And such a Head is Christ in that Spiritual Kingdom the Church of God Whom the Father having Raised from the Dead did put all things under his Feet and gave him to be Head over all things to the Church which is his Body Eph. 1.20 21 22 23. And therefore pursuant to this Power which was Given him in Heaven and in Earth to give Laws to Mankind did he Commission his Disciples and send them forth into the World to Proclaim his Laws to Teach all Nations Baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever he had Commanded them assuring them withal that Lo he would be with them always even unto the End of the World Matth. 28.18 19 20. that is That he would be ever with 'em to Head and Protect 'em against their Adversaries Secondly There is also a Domestick Head viz. the Husband in respect of the Wife and so likewise is Christ the Head of the Church and he is the Saviour of the Body Eph. 5.23 And indeed the Holy Spirit does love to Represent him as such a Head as also by the Title of a Shepherd over the Flock to signify the Gentleness of his Government and the Sweetness and Goodness of his Laws tending all for the Good of those he Governs And Thirdly There is the Natural Head of the Body which is the Fountain of Life and Spirit from whence it is deriv'd into all the Parts of the Body to enable and enliven all the Members thereof to discharge their several Offices and Duties And in Allusion to this â—ist the â—al 〈◊〉 of the â—h is Christ said to be the Mystical Head of the Church from whom all the Body by Joynts and Bands having Nourishment ministred increaseth with the Increase of God Col. 2.19 And thus I have at length sufficiently in order to my Design of Explaining this Article Wherein I was made a Member of Christ shew'd you What kind of Body the of Church of Christ is And by the By from what has been said it does appear That the Church of Christ is a Spiritual Kingdom put up in the World by God The Church of Christ a spiritual Kingdom on purpose to reduce Man to his due Allegiance to his Maker and to destroy the Dominion of Satan which he had so long Usurpt over Mankind It is a Kingdom as it consists of inferior Governours and Subjects combined together by special Laws of Allegiance to the Sovereign King of Kings and Lord of Lords and by Priviledges granted by that Supreme Head and Governour to such his Subjects and therefore it is so often in the Scripture call'd a Kingdom But you see withal it is a Spiritual Kingdom by the Nature and Design of which God is to Rule in the Hearts and Spirits of Men and therefore it is all over the New Testament call'd the Kingdom of God the Kingdom of Christ For Christ does Reign and Rule therein by his Gospel as the Laws of that Kingdom over the Spirits of Men and those are the People or Subjects of this Kingdom who own him for their King and his Gospel for the Laws of this Kingdom and who do give themselves up wholly both Body Soul and Spirit to be Governed by those Laws And the Church is also often call'd in the Holy Scripture the Kingdom of Heaven for indeed it is not a Kingdom of this World supported with outward State and armed Forces in order to promote and to secure from those who would Invade 'em our temporal Interests If my Kingdom were of this World then would my Servants fight that I should not be deliver'd to the Jews Joh. 18.36 but it is a Kingdom or Society of Men associated together and Listed to Fight under Christ the Great Captain of our Salvation against much more formidable Enemies than any Earthly Potentates Even against Principalities and Powers against the Rulers of the Darkness of this World against spiritual Wickedness in high Places Eph. â— 12 that is against the Devil and his wicked Angels who would despoil us of our Heavenly Inheritance Listed I say to fight under Jesus Christ the Great Captain of our Salvation for so he is call'd Heb. 2.10 and to our Comfort who are to fight under him he has already Spoiled these Principalities and Powers and has made a shew of them openly upon the Cross triumphing over them in it Col. 2.15 So that our Work is in a great measure already done under his Conduct for he himself has divested the Devils of much of their Power he has thrown 'em out of their Temples silenc'd their Oracles and does daily by his Assistances enable us to Foil ' em So that the Church of Christ you see is a Spiritual Kingdom But yet notwithstanding that this Society the Church But yet notwithstanding a Visible Society is a Spiritual Kingdom both as its Laws are Spiritual reaching to the Government of the Inward Man and also as it is a Body Listed under a Spiritual King to fight against Spiritual Enemies Yet however from what has been said it does appear that the Church or Kingdom of Christ is a Visible Society of Men consisting of such who make an Outward and Visible Profession of Allegiance to Christ having visibly by an Outward Sacrament Enter'd into Covenant with him and being such as do visibly Communicate together in his Holy Ordinances And therefore it is not only of such who by an inward real and true Faith are United to Christ that the Church and Kingdom of God in this World does consist but of all those outward Professors of Christianity who by the Sacrament of Baptism have Enter'd into Covenant with God Such indeed as besides an outward Covenanting which is certainly necessary are Renew'd withal to
yet Eph. 1.3.5.7 Forgiveness of Sins is there specify'd as the distinct Priviledge of Adopted Sons in these words God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ having predestinated us unto the Adoption of Children by Jesus Christ unto himself according to the good pleasure of his Will in him we have Redemption through his Blood the Forgiveness of Sins according to the Riches of his Grace And Thirdly which is an Appendage to this same Priviledge III. To the Children of God is granted an easier Access by Prayer to the Throne of Grace for Pardon of Sins and other Mercies A Child of God upon the Score of such his Relation is permitted to have an easy Access to the Throne of Grace and is admitted to Address himself in Prayer to God as for whatever other Mercies he stands in need of so for Pardon of Sins when he has Transgrest with a full Assurance of a gracious Answer The Gentiles who serv'd no Gods but what their own Imaginations created did it after a Slavish manner for how could they be sure the Offended Deity was to be Entreated when he had Reveal'd no such thing unto ' em And so did the Jews also who serv'd the True God it was in a Servile manner too for when they had committed an Offence against the Law they were to provide their Sacrifice and bring it to the Priest and he was to Offer it for 'em whilst they stood at a distance But now the Veil of the Sanctuary being broke upon the Death of our High-Priest We have therefore the Liberty to enter into the Holiest by the Blood of Jesus by a New and Living way which he hath Consecrated for us through the Veil that is to say his Flesh And having him our High Priest over the House of God we may hence-forward draw near with a true Heart in full Assurance of Faith having our Hearts sprinkled from an evil Conscience Heb. 10.19 20 21 22. that is Every Christian provided he comes not with the guilt of any unrepented Sin upon his Conscience may himself now Offer up his own Prayers to God through Christ without the Mediation of any other Priest or Sacrifice and that with a full Assurance of being graciously heard and answer'd And that this Faith and full Assurance with which we may Approach unto God to Pray to him for the Forgiveness of Sins is our Priviledge only as we are the Sons of God by Adoption is plain from St. Paul Rom. 8.15 Ye have not received the Spirit of Bondage again unto fear as under the Law but ye have received the Spirit of Adoption whereby we cry unto God Abba Father And again Gal. 4.6 Because ye are thus made his Sons God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts crying Abba Father And now Lastly If there be any other very considerable Priviledge Lastly A Child of God is more surely instated in the Inheritance of Heaven than others accruing to a Child of God from such his Relation it is That God will more surely Instate him in the Inheritance of Heaven than he will do others that have no such Relation to him And indeed if Children of God then Heirs we are told Heirs of God and Joint-Heirs with Christ Rom. 8.17 But the Vastness of this will be best consider'd by us when we come to the Explication of that Third and the last of those Priviledges made over to us on God's Part in the Covenant of Grace viz. What it is Inheritor of the Kingdom of Heaven â—he infinite â—sen we â—son we â—veto praise â—d for these â—dvantages And now upon the Review of what has been said in the Exposition of this present Article In what Admiration of God's Goodness may we all of us cry out with St. John 1 Epist 3.1 Behold what manner of Love the Father hath bestow'd upon us that we should be call'd the Sons of God And what infinite Reason have we â—he infinite â—â—son we â—ve to praise â—d for these â—dvantages with St. Paul thankfully to Praise him for it Eph. 1.3.5 Blessed le the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath Blessed us Christians with all Spiritual Blessings in and concerning Heavenly Places and Concerns of the World to come through Christ having Predestinated us to the Adoption and Priviledges of Children by Jesus Christ unto himself according to the good Pleasure of his Will He Adopted us to be his Children according to the good Pleasure of his Will This Priviledge that we should be his Children is Attended with very rich Advantages all which have accru'd to us not from any Merit and Desert of ours being suppos'd Enemies unto him but only from his free Goodness towards us which was pleas'd so to determine it And as it is both Great and Free we ought certainly with all possible Acknowledgments to Magnify and Extol both his infinite Condescension and Goodness and our owa unspeakable Priviledge and Dignity therein Indeed for God to be a Father by Creation and Providence as One observes tho' it be a Mercy yet it is no Priviledge for in that Sence he is Parens rerum the common Parent of all things But that God should be thy Father by Adoption that he should make thee his Son through his only Begotten Son that he should rake up Dirt and Filth as thou art and lay it in his Bosom that he should take Aliens and Strangers near unto himself and Adopt Enemies and Rebels into his Family Register their Names in the Book of Life make them Heirs of Glory Co-heirs with Jesus Christ his Eternal Son as the Apostle doth admiringly re-count it Rom. 8.17 This is Mercy and Miracle both It is indeed an invaluable Grace and Favour that we should be Adopted his Children were it only for this that he will be ready to Pardon our Sins and Infirmities and will Admit us favourably to Address our Selves and Prayers to him But this Priviledge of being his Children will farther appear to be beyond all Expression Great since if Children as the Apostle infers Rom. 8.17 then Heirs Heirs of God and Joint-Heirs with Christ If a Child of God then which Crowns all the rest of his Covenanted Mercies Inheritors of the Kingdom of Heaven which yet it is said we shall be But what and how Great that Third and Last Priviledge of the Covenant is I am in the Explication of the next Article to declare unto you THE Eighth Lecture And an Inheritour of the Kingdom of Heaven HAving hitherto spoke to the Two First Priviledges made over to us in the Covenant of Grace that thereby we are First made Members of Christ and Secondly Children of God Having both Explain'd to you the Meaning and Importance of those Two Articles and laid out to you the Vastness of those Priviledges and Advantages contain'd therein I come now in like manner to Explain to you the Third which is that we are made thereby Inheritours of the Kingdom
grant a Legal Claim and Title thereto by giving his solemn Promise and engaging his Truth for the Performance that he will infallibly bestow upon him the most unspeakable Joys of Heaven provided he swerves not from his Allegiance and Obedience to him but Renouncing all God's Enemies the World the Flesh and the Devil will Believe in him and Obey him truly and faithfully all the days of his Life I do say and pray mark it That God through Christ It is through Christ alone not owing to the Merit of our Obedience that we are Intitled to the Inheritance of the Kingdom of Heaven has vouchsafed to grant us a Legal Claim and Title to this Inheritance for so it is said that we are Heirs through Christ Gal. 4.7 And far be it from any to imagine that there is any thing of Merit or Worth in our imperfect Obedience whereby of it self it should deserve such a precious Inheritance It would be an Arrogance and Presumption in the highest Saint that ever liv'd and such as would render him more liable to be punisht for his Pride than rewarded for his Vertue should he pretend to Claim Heaven meerly upon the Score of his own Sanctity or should he pretend a Claim and Title to the Inheritance of Heaven at all otherwise than through Christ and because God has promis'd it However since God has been pleas'd to Ensure it to us by Covenant we may safely call it a Right which God who is Faithful in all his Promises and Just in all his Dealings will never debar us of except by our Disloyalty and Disobedience to him we forfeit all Right and Title to it Which brings me to my Third Proposal The Vastness of a Christian's Priviledge in being made an Inheritour of the Kingdom of Heaven which was to lay before you the Vastness of our Priviledge in being made Inheritours of the Kingdom of Heaven And if we do but consider it it will soon appear to be both in it self very great and in Comparison of what the rest of the World enjoys a very singular Priviledge this of being made Inheritours of the Kingdom of Heaven I say In it self very Great Indeed what can be greater than to have the invaluable Possessions of Heaven I. It is in it self a very Great Priviledge to have the invaluable Possessions of Heaven so setled and ensur'd as to have a legal Claim and Title thereto made over to One. so setled and ensur'd to us as to have a Legal Claim and Title thereto made over to us in Christ We see as to those Earthly Possessions how an Heir does value his Condition above the rest of the Children not only on the account of a greater share commonly in the Estate than the rest but because of the greater security he has of Enjoying those Earthly Possessions An Inheritance being an Estate for which he does not so precariously depend as has been shew'd upon the meer arbitrary and uncertain Will and Pleasure of another but a Right which without breach of Justice cannot be detain'd from him It is the Priviledge of an Heir that he has all the Security that the Engagements of an Honest Person and the Solemnities of a Covenant can give him to make him a Title but when the Kingdom of Heaven is the Possession and when he who cannot deceive has solemnly setled this Inheritance upon us this is a Priviledge so much beyond what Words can express that it is far easier to be Admir'd than Utter'd II. If compar'd with what oâ—hers enjoy â—t is a singuâ—ar Priviâ—edge An as it is in it self exceeding Great so it is if compar'd with what Others enjoy a very singular Priviledge This of being made Inheritours of the Kingdom of Heaven To be made Inheritours of the Kingdom of Heaven I say is a very singular Priviledge which those who are without Christ and who are Strangers to the Covenants and Promise do not enjoy True it is a few of the more Contemplative and Thinking amongst the Gentile Philosophers did raise to themselves some faint Hopes The best aâ—ongst the Moral Heaâ—hens could have but â—aint Hopes built upon unâ—ertain Conâ—ectures of a â—uture Hapâ—iness and doubtful Expectations of a future Happiness after this Life They consider'd the noble Nature of the Soul of Man to be such that nothing in this Life is of that Excellency as to give it a full Satisfaction and as to the Body they look'd upon it more as the Prison of the Soul than any Advantage to it and therefore they did hope to be deliver'd one Day from its Incumberance that the Soul might be at liberty to Act freely without such a clog of Flesh washing it in all its noble Flights and Operations But then all this was in them but Conjecture what possibly might be not what certainly would be their Happiness And being but a faint Hope And their Hopes being â—aint they could not in the Strength â—hereof overcome great Temptations and uncertain Expectation built upon doubtful Reasonings of their own and more their Wishes and Desires than what they could certainly promise themselves they were not able to support their drooping Spirits under any great Difficulties and to overcome in the Strength of such an Expectation the greater Temptations and Tryals of their Vertue But did generally shrink from their Vertuous Professions when to Act honestly was become dangerous But the Christian's Expectation of an Inheritance in Heaven being founded upon the Express Promises of the God of Truth But the Christian's Hopes are sure and stedfast being founded upon the express Promises and Covenant of the God of Truth and those Promises given in Covenant and so Confirm'd by an Oath as it were For God willing more abundantly to shew to the Heirs of Promise the Immutability of his Counsel Confirmed it by an Oath that by two immutable things in which it was impossible for God to lie we might have a strong Consolation These things being so the Christian has a hope which as an Anchor of the Soul is both sure and stedfast Heb. 6.17 18 19. And his Hope being thus built not upon uncertain Conjectures but upon the express Promises of God who cannot lie there is no Temptation so alluring nor Suffering so great that such a Hope will not be able to overcome And being such there is no Temptation so alluring nor Suffering so great which he may not overcome But he that hath this Hope purifieth himself even as God is pure 1 Joh. 3.3 And may with St. Paul be perswaded That neither Death nor Life nor Angels nor Principalities nor Powers nor things present nor things to come nor Height nor Depth nor any other Creature shall be able to separate him from the Love of God which is in Christ Rom. 8.38 39. Thus certain are the Christians hopes of Heaven it being Instated upon him as an Inheritance And having his Hopes so well grounded there is no difficulty
in the way of Duty so great which he may not overcome by the Strength thereof Whereas the best of the Moral Heathens had but uncertain Conjectures to ground their Expectations of future Happiness upon and their Hopes thereof being so Weak they presently yielded to the Assault of every great Temptation But besides whatever certainly an honest Pagan And whatever certainly an honest Pagan might have that God would reward his Vertue yet depending only on the Vncovenanted Goodness of God he could promise himself no greater a measure of Happiness than what his good Deeds did of themselves deserve which must fallvastly short of what is meant by the Kingdom of Heaven that liv'd up to the Light of Nature and the Dictates of Right Reason if any of 'em can be suppos'd to have done so might have that the good God would reward his Vertue Yet having only the Equity and Vncovenanted goodness of God to depend upon he could promise himself no greater a Measure of Happiness than what his good Deeds did of themselves deserve which considering the Imperfection of the best Actions of the best of Men whoever liv'd how short must that fall of what is meant by the Kingdom of Heaven * But a Christian to whom God has Covenanted to make sure a Crown of Glory may without Presumption rely upon him to make good the same But the Christian whom God has Covenanted withal and to whom he has condescended to Oblige himself to make sure a Crown of Glory that fadeth not away 1 Pet. 5.4 may without Presumption rely upon God's both Truth and Goodness to make good to him the same notwithstanding when he does all that he can consider'd in himself he is but an Vnprofitable Servant as the best are I have fought a good fight I have finished my course I have kept the Faith henceforth says the Apostle and so may every good Christian say the same there is laid up for me a Crown of Righteousness which God the righteous Judge shall give me at that Day and not to me only but to all them who love his appearing 2 Tim. 4.7 8. Such is the Christian's Priviledge above a Pagan in being made an Inheritour of the Kingdom of Heaven in that it is his Inheritance he may assure himself of it tho' his imperfect Vertues consider'd in themselves could never Entitle him to such an Eternal and Exceeding weight of Glory In short It is Jesus Christ alone who hath brought Life and Immortality to light through the Gospel 2 Tim. 1.10 As Life and Immortality is brought to light through the Gospel so by Embracing it and by coming into Covenant alone Salvation can be expected And as he only has brought it to light that is made a clear Revelation of that Life and Immortal Happiness laid up for Righteous Men in Heaven which was not before so certainly Reveal'd so it is only through him and by Believing and Embracing and Coming into his Covenant the Gospel that Salvation must now be hop'd for by any for so we are also Assur'd Acts 4.12 and that there is no other Name under Heaven given among Men but Jesus only whereby we must be saved so that this Invaluable Priviledge this exceeding great Advantage of being made Inheritours of the Kingdom of Heaven is made over and certainly Ensur'd to such only who are in the Covenant of Grace and is the Third and Last of those Excellent Priviledges and Advantages contain'd and held forth therein But then the Kingdom of Heaven is the certain Inheritance of the sincere Christian who in the Exercise of Mercy Meekness Piety and all other Christian Vertues And to a sincere Chrstian who is faithful in the Covenant the Heavenly Inheritance is certain which he has Covenanted with God to perform does faithfully discharge his Part of the Covenant as is most solemnly declar'd Matth. 25.31 32 33 34.46 with which I shall conclude this Point Says our Blessed Saviour there When the Son of Man shall come in his Glory and all the Holy Angels with him then shall he sit upon the Throne of his Glory And before him shall be gather'd all Nations and he shall separate them one from another as a Shepherd divideth the Sheep from the Goats and he shall set the Sheep on his right hand but the Goats on the left Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand to his Charitable and Pious and Faithful Servants Come ye Blessed of my Father Inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the World And as the Wicked shall go into everlasting Punishment so the Righteous into Life Eternal A summ of â—hose invaluâ—ble Priviâ—edges made â—ver to us â—n God's â—art in the Covenant of Grace And now to summ up those infinitely Gracious and Invaluable Priviledges made over to us on God's Part in the Covenant of Grace hereby we are made First Members of Christ that is are made Members of that Body of which Christ is the Head viz. The Church and so have together with a most excellent Body of Religion and Laws all necessary Grace and Assistance Convey'd and Communicated to us Members from Him the Head to Enliven Support and Enable us to go through all our Task of Religious Duties and Christian Performances requir'd at our hands The Second Priviledge is That we are also hereby made Children of God that is having Embrac'd Christianity and being Incorporated into the Church of Christ we are thereby Adopted and Chosen out of the rest of the World by God to enjoy this grand Priviledge of Sons to have Pardon granted us when with the Prodigal Son we return Home to him to our Offended but Gracious Father by Repentance And we shall find him not over-severe in respect of our lesser Failings and the unavoidable Infirmities of our Nature but shall always have him ready to hear our Prayers for Mercy both in respect of our greater and lesser Transgressions And Lastly The Third Priviledge you have been now told is this that to compleat All We are made Inheritours of the Kingdom of Heaven that is have secur'd to us a Right and Title to the unspeakable Joys and Glories of Heaven A Priviledge which consider'd in it self is exceeding Great and as all the rest if compar'd with what Others enjoy is a very singular One These now are the inestimable Priviledges made over to us in the Covenant of Grace Priviledges which as they are of infinite Advantage to us so we shall never fail of obtaining 'em if we will but take care to perform the Conditions requir'd on our Parts and so First Renounce the Devil and all his Works the Pomps and Vanities of this wicked World and all the sinful lusts of the Flesh on Condition Secondly That we will Believe all the Articles of the Christian Faith And Thirdly Obey God's Holy Will and Commandments and walk in the same all the days of our Lives Which Conditions and what they
or a Charmer or a Consulter with familiar Spirits or a Wizard or a Necromancer for all that do these things are an Abomination unto the Lord and because of these Abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee For these Nations which thou shalt possess hearken'd unto Observers of Times and unto Diviners A Second sort of those Diabolical Sins II. Such as express more of the Devil's Temper than others viz. Pride which may be more particularly stiled the Works of the Devil are those which Express more of the very Natural Temper and Disposition of Satan than others And such are Pride Envy and Malice That Pride is the very Temper of Satan may be gather'd from 1 Tim. 3.6 He was Tempted by that Glorious Condition in which he was Created to conceive highly of his own Dignity and Greatness and Merits and to have tow'ring and ambitious Thoughts of Usurping to himself a greater Power and larger Province perhaps than God had given him and for this his Pride and his Rebellion the Effect of it he was cast out of Heaven and Excluded the Blessed Mansions of the Poor in Spirit whose is the Kingdom of Heaven Matth. 5.3 And it does therefore concern every One of you to take care of harbouring in your Breasts the least Degrees of Pride and Vanity and of being Exalted in your own Minds upon the account of any thing you Enjoy above others whether a more flourishing Condition in the World or greater Success in your Affairs or upon the account of your greater Skill and Knowledge Lest being lifted up with Pride you fall into the Condemnation of the Devil as it is in the now cited Place of Timothy And indeed Pride in whatever ways it shews it self ought most carefully to be Subdu'd and Mortify'd as a Sin most truly Diabolical for it is to be consider'd That tho' the Devil be the first Author of all Sin and instigates to every Kind yet there are many which Satan himself cannot commit As for Instance He cannot be Drunk nor commit Lewdness and the like himself because these are committed only in and by the Body whereas he is a Spirit but yet he is Naturally Proud and Ambitious And therefore tho' those other as being more visible and sensible are more Scandalous in the Eyes of Men yet this more Spiritual Wickedness Pride and Ambition and a Pharasaical Censoriousness and Thinking more Highly of One-self and more Disrespectfully of Others than is meet are more truly Diabolical and have more in their Nature of the Devil's Temper And as Pride so Envy Envy is another of the Devils Qualities The Devil through his Pride and Rebellion having lost that high Station and Dignity he once enjoy'd in Heaven and seeing Man exalted to a Capacity of obtaining a Share in that Glory and Happiness from which he is excluded He is possest with the utmost Envy both towards God and Man Envying God the Service of us his Creatures and us both the Happiness of serving so Good a Master and those infinite Rewards which will be given us for our faithful Service and Obedience to him And from this his Envy proceeds that Rancourous Malice Malice also wherewith he is ever since Acted so as to be continually Contriving how to do us the greatest Mischief from whence he is called our Adversary the Devil 1 Pet. 5.8 Envy and Malice are indeed the very Natural Temper and Disposition of Satan so that he seems to be wholly made up thereof 'T was Pride as One said made him Envious his Envy that made him Spiteful and Malicious all which together make him a Devil And therefore as you would not appear to have something Diabolical in your very Natures Let all Bitterness and Wrath and Anger and Clamour and Evil-speaking be put away from you with all Malice and be Kind one to another Forgiuing one another even as God for Christ's Sake hath Forgiven you Eph. 4.31 32. III. Such as are more the practice of Satan himself than other Sins viz. Murder Lastly There are some Sins more the Devil 's own Practice than others and do therefore deserve to be more particularly Styl'd the Works of the Devil And there are these Three Apostacy Murder and Lying which are expresly mention'd as his own Sins in that One remarkable Place of Scripture Joh. 8.44 The Devil was a Murderer from the beginning and abode not in the Truth because there is no Truth in him When he speaketh a Lie he speaketh of his own for he is a Liar and the Father of it He was a Murderer from the beginning He delights in humane Gore and no doubt the vast Slaughters of Men which have been made in Bloody Wars have been through the Instigation of Satan stirring up Ambitious Princes unjustly to Invade their Neighbours Countries that he might Glut his Appetite with Blood And for the same Reason he Oblig'd the Pagans his Worshipers to offer Men in Sacrifice to him And there is no Duel fought but he is first at the making of the Challenge and then at the Murderer's Elbow to direct the fatal Thrust In these last sort of Murders he hopes to do Two Works at once to destroy both Body and Soul in one instant and to be sure he will never fail being present where he can to all Intents and Purposes so effectually do the work of a Destroyer as he is styl'd Revel 9.11 Apostacy He abode not in the Truth Hereby is denoted his Apostacy and Falling off from God and his Service another of Satan's principal Works of Sin And if any of you who have given up your Names to Christ to be his Disciples and Followers should hereafter instead of Renouncing the World the Flesh and the Devil as you have solemnly Professed in your Baptism give your Selves up to the Service of Satan of Mammon and of your filthy Lusts why you will be reckon'd amongst those that are Apostates from God and are turned aside after Satan 1 Tim. 5.15 Nay and if you should fall off from the Truth as it is here Profest in this Church of which you are Members to any Heretical Doctrines you will Imitate Satan in his Apostacy who abode not in the Truth â—â—ng and â—â—â—ially Caâ—â—iating and Evil-speaking When he speaketh a Lie he speaketh of his own for he is a Liar and the Father of it A Lie was that whereby he deceiv'd and ruin'd Man at first 〈◊〉 shall not surely dye said Satan Gen. 3.4 So contrary to what God himself had Threaten'd our First Parents in case they should Eat of the forbidden Fruit And it is by erroneous and false Doctrines which as Tares he sows in the Field of the Church whereby he has undone so many Souls ever since You must therefore Abhor a Lye or Speaking that which you do not Know to be exactly agreeable to the Truth of Things as you will not make your Selves Children of such a Father the Devil
the â—onscience â—nd have â—ffled all the Methods of â—od's Grace 〈◊〉 Reclaim â—m these are â—metimes eâ—en in this â—ife abanâ—on'd by God 〈◊〉 be acted by â—â—e Devil who seem to be wholly abandon'd by God and yielded up to Satan to be Tempted by him at his Pleasure and they are such Who in a long Course of many damning Sins that lay wast the Conscience have baffled all the Methods of his Grace to reclaim them and have resisted and grieved his Holy Spirit so long till Grace be wholly withdrawn from them Such are called Children of Disobedience Eph. 2.2 which in the Phrase of Scripture does signify Persons extreamly Disobedient and of such it is said in the same Verse that the Evil Spirit worketh in them He does act them as the Soul does the Body and does hurry them into such vicious Extravagancies and to commit such outragious Impieties that they seem to be Devils Incarnate Thus did the Devil enter into Judas Luk. 22.3 after he had formerly Baffled all the good Admonitions of our Saviour to reclaim him from his Thievery and other Villanies and at length spur'd him on to commit the Blackest Crime that ever was heard of even to Betray the Lord of Life into the Hands of his Enemies And there are many ungodly Wretches now a-days who do seem to sin with so much Enmity and Despite against God that it is hard to say whether they are not Devils in Humane Shapes But it is the same thing they have sinn'd themselves to that Degree that God has given them up and the Devil seems to Animate them And lastly so â—e Witches Magicians â—nd Conjuâ—rs who â—ave Coveâ—anted away â—th Body â—oul to the â—evil on â—ondition he â—ill be for â—me time at â—eir Beck to â—ecute their â—ile and maâ—cious Purâ—ses A Third sort of Persons abandon'd by God and that utterly to the Power and Management of Satan to actuate them as he pleases Are Witches and Magicians or Conjurers such as was that Woman of whom we read 1 Sam. 28. And these are a sort of miserable Wretches so far forsaken of Grace and the Fear of God that they have expresly Covenanted away both Body and Soul to the Devil on Condition he will be at their Beck to Execute their vile and malicious Purposes For Envy Malice and Revenge seems to be the Soul that animates these Children of the Devil or else the Pride and Vanity of doing Wonders and an insatiable Curiosity of knowing those secret Things to come which belong to God alone to know has put 'em upon making such a Contract with Satan And these wretched Miscreants sure must be suppos'd to be utterly shutout from the least Glimpse of God's Favour and cast out of his Protection and to be wholly under the Power of the Devil The thing is self-evident so as not to need any Pains to make it appear And in all Probability they have also their Eternal Damnation seal'd in this World Even before they go hence and be no more seen And thus I have at length shew'd you as before Who the Devil is and what are his Works of Sin and how you are to Renounce both him and them So I have now laid open before you as fully as I could not indulging meer Conjecture but fetching my Discoveries from the Holy Scripture from which alone we can learn any thing of Certainty in such a dark Subject I say I have fully laid before you those manifold Methods of Temptation whereby he did and does still Attempt First The whole Race of Mankind Secondly The Church of Christ Thirdly The most Considerable and Leading Persons therein and Lastly Every single and individual Person indifferently amongst us Vpon the geâ—eral View of â—he Works of â—he Devil both of Sin and Temptation it does appear his Drift is no less than to usurp God's Throne and to draw the whole Race of Mankind into the same Cursed Rebellion against the Majesty of Heaven with himself And upon the general View of what has been said it does appear that the whole Drift of that wicked Spirit and of all his Works both of Sin and Temptation is no less than to Usurp God's Throne and to put up a Dominion in Opposition to his and to draw the whole Race of Mankind into the same Cursed Rebellion against the Majesty of Heaven owning him the Devil for their Lord and Master 'T is indeed a thing almost incredible that a Creature could possibly be guilty of such impudent Pride and Ambition as to justle God as it were out of his Throne and to Arrogate to himself the Homage of all the Creatures but yet it appears to be plainly so by his Tempting even of the Son of God himself to Worship and Adore him and in his Plying him so diligently with one Temptation after another never letting him rest till he saw there was no Hopes He perceiv'd that his Coming into the World was to Destroy his Kingdom and therefore he first Attacks him in the Wilderness thinking he had him at an Advantage after a long Fast of Forty Days and that in his Hunger he would do any thing to get Bread And when our Saviour alledg'd his sufficiency in God alone without material Bread he then takes him up into the Holy City and setteth him on the Pinacle of the Temple bidding him if he were so confident of God's Protection and Preservation of him to cast himself down from thence and no doubt he would order his Holy Angels to receive him And when in that also he was Repuls'd Satan try'd him farther yet and taking him into an exceeding high Mountain where he gave him a Visionary View of all the Riches Glory and Splendor of the World and proffer'd him that if he would Fall down and Worship him that is Desert the Service of the God of Heaven and coming over to him would Propagate and Promote his Kingdom and do Homage himself and cause all others to do the like to him This if he would do Satan Promis'd him all these Things would he give him Thus like a Politick Prince who would Bribe with Riches and Honours and Preferments the General of another's Army to come over to him and to Betray into his Power all his own King's Subjects So did the Devil Tempt our Saviour the Great Captain of our Salvation to Revolt himself from God and to bring over the whole Church along with him So infinitely Bent is Satan upon the Dishonour of God and our Slavery and Ruine which as it is enough to rouze us up to make a most diligent Enquiry till we fully discover all the Arts and Methods whereby he would Accomplish it So it will I hope sufficiently Justify my having been so long in laying before you Who the Devil is and what are his Works both of Sin and Temptation Lastly And now it remains only to shew you What it is and how we must renounce this great Work of the Devil his
As to Riches these are not in themselves Hurtful but Good and are bestowed upon us to good Ends and Purposes to the Relieving the Poor and Distressed to the Encouragement of Industry and in many other ways which the Laws of Piety and Charity do direct * And those who enjoy 'em have great Advantages of doing Good therewith to others Comfort and the Benefit of their own Souls And those therefore on whom God has bestowed Wealth have admirable Advantages put into their Hands to do Good therewith to the Comfort of others and to lay up to themselves Treasures of Reward in Heaven by their good Works Nevertheless it was no hard Censure our Saviour pass'd upon Riches in saying That a Rich man shall hardly enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Matth. 19.23 For both Scripture Nevertheless Riches are a mighty Temptation whether we conâ—â—er Men as â—etting Posâ—ssing or as â—arting with 〈◊〉 Losing of â—em and daily Experience tells us that Riches are a very great Temptation to manifold Sins and Offences against God and that whether we consider Men with respect to their Getting Possessing or their Parting with or Losing of them First Consider Men in the State of getting Riches and St. Paul tells us 1 Tim. 6.9 That they who would be Rich fall into a Temptation and a Snare and into many foolish and hurtful Lusts which drown Men in Destruction and Perdition And our own Experience also gives us to see I. In the over-â—â—ger Pursuit 〈◊〉 Richesmen 〈◊〉 run themâ—lves into â—any grievâ—â—s Sins how many horrid and black Crimes and into what miserable Snares so as never to be able to disentangle themselves out of 'em do Men run themselves into by an over-eager Pursuit of Riches A dividing betwixt God and Mammon is the lowest Degree of Sin that is occasion'd hereby which yet God will not endure as you will find Matth. 6.24 The Neglect of Religion and Contempt of Heavenly Things is the next And it is not seldom we see that Men to raise themselves Estates in this world will not stick at Oppressing the Poor at Cheating of Orphans and Widows at Corrupting of Witnesses and Juries and Forging of Evidences and to add Impiety to Injustice to get but a small Pittance of worldly Wealth they will Rob God in his Tythes and Offerings by Sacrilegiously detaining those Dues which were allotted both by the Laws of God and Man for the Maintenance of the Worship of God and his Ministers a Sin compar'd by St. Paul with Idolatry it self Rom. 2.22 As also into â—any miseraâ—le Snares so â—s to behardâ— ever able 〈◊〉 disent angle â—hemselves â—ut of ' em And then as to the Temptations and Snares into which Men by the unjust acquiring of Riches do often Entangle themselves it is indeed Terrible to consider how they do frequently thereby run themselves into such a Condition that like a wild Beast entangled in a Net they cannot get out For when once Riches are got by any methods of Wrong or Robbery there must be an entire Restitution of all that has been unjustly gain'd or ever the Man can be said to Repent or hope to Recover the Favour of God And yet this Restitution after many and repeated Acts of Injustice becomes almost Impossible to be done For why the Love of Money is so near to the Miser's Heart that he can sooner spill the Blood thereof than part with it And if that which he has Ill-got has not Thriven with him as seldom it does why then he has not where-withal to Restore to every Man his own without reducing Himself and Family to extream Beggary which how hard a thing it is to bring himself to and in Practice how seldom heard of I leave it to your own Observation to Inform your selves So that you see into what a miserable Temptation and Snare Men do Entangle themselves by grasping after unlawful Gain For as Restiâ—ution is necessary to Peace with God so it is â—xtreamly difficult to be willing or â—ble afterwards to make it They have it not in their Will or if in their Will not in their Power to make Restitution and yet without Restitution they can have no Peace with God and therefore such at length do usually fly for Refuge from their upbraiding Consciences if not into utter Atheism as is usual with other great Sinners At least-wise they 'll shelter themselves under some lewd Anti-nomian Principles which teach Men to rely upon Christ and to roll upon his Promises notwithstanding any Extortions Oppressions or other unrepented Sins they may be at the same time Guilty of for which Reason perhaps your Dealers and Men of Business are so apt to be found at the Feel of Fanatick Teachers Such Temptations to Sin are Men liable to in the Getting the Riches of this World Secondly And no less also are those subject to who do Possess them II. And no less Temptations are those subject to who do possess ' em Experience tells us that a great Estate is a very great Temptation to Idleness and Luxury to Pride and Insolence to Irreligion towards God and a Profane Idolatrous Trust in Riches And in a word to Commit the highest Offences towards God their Neighbour and Themselves I say to Idleness and Luxury the former whereof is the Rust of the Mind the latter is a Canker that devours and destroys the Body And how great a Temptation to Idleness and Luxury Riches are is eminently seen in the Case of the Rich Man in the Gospel Luk. 12.19 He had no sooner got his Barns and his Coffers full but he Sings a Requiem to his Soul Soul thou hast much Good laid up for many Years take thine Ease Eat Drink and be Merry And so likewise they are a strong Temptation to Pride and Insolence and that in Respect both to God and Man As to his Behaviour towards God how apt is the Rich Man in the midst of all his Successes to Sacrifice to his own Net and to Burn Incense to his own Drag as the Prophet words it Hab. 1.16 that is to Attribute all to his own Wit and Policy and Conduct exclusive of God's Providence And then as to his Carriage towards Men how often do Riches make those that have 'em to carry themselves with a most unreasonable Haughtiness and Disrespect towards Persons of lower Fortunes to look upon Men of little or no Estates as the Cattle only and Vermin of the World and to treat 'em as their Slaves and Vassals as if they were not Creatures of the same Kind with themselves and had not Souls as Precious in God's sight as their own And then as to Irreligion and Insolence towards God The impious Contempt of God and of all that is Sacred which Men in the midst of their Abundance do cast upon that Bountiful Benefactor who Gave 'em all things Richly to Enjoy cannot be more exactly describ'd than in the Case of the Israelites Deut. 32.13 14
15. He made him ride on the high Places of the Earth that he might eat the Increase of the Field but Jeshurun waxed fat and kicked thou art waxed fat thou art grown thick thou art covered with fatness then he forsook God which made him and lightly esteemed the rock of his Salvation But as to that Profane and Idolatrous Trust in Riches which is so Detestable before God this is so much the natural Effect of Wealth that very good Men will be apt to slide into that very sinful Temper of Mind if they do not take care In my Prosperity I said In the Possession of Riches Men are Tempted to the highest Offences against God their Neighbour and Themselves I shall never be removed Holy David confesses it of himself Ps 30.6 So great you see are the Temptations which do also arise from the Possession of Riches They Corrupt both Body and Mind by Idleness and Luxury They cause Men to Insult over their poorer Neighbours and sometimes even God himself too by Pride and Irreligion And in Confidence of their Riches Men Idolatrously put their Trust in their Wealth instead of the All-sufficient God of Heaven But Lastly The great Sins of all But Lastly the great sins of all are occasion'd by a Lothness to part with a Fear of Losing ' em which Men are in danger of Committing on the account of their Riches are those which are occasion'd by their Lothness to part with or their Fear of losing ' em By a Lothness to part with their Riches is all that Niggardliness and want of Charity and Good works occasion'd which many Rich are most guilty of and sometimes none more so than those who have most to spare and who are to look upon themselves as indeed but Principal Stewards under God 〈◊〉 a lothâ— to part 〈◊〉 Riches 〈◊〉 Vnâ—â—ifulness â—â—en the sovereign Benefactor and who must give an Account to him of their many Talents of Riches how they have distributed 'em in doing Good therewith This was that Tenacious Temper of Mind for which the Rich Dives will be for ever Infamous as long as the Gospel that is as long as the Sun and Moon endureth and for which he is for ever irreversibly Doom'd to Hell-Torments He would not spare so much as the Crumbs which fell from his Table to Relieve the Poor Lazarus his Heart was so much set upon his Wealth â—rom the â—of losing 〈◊〉 Apostacy 〈◊〉 God But the great Sin of all which the Rich are in most danger of Committing is occasion'd by their Fear of Losing their Riches and is no less than an Apostacy from the Faith and a Denial of the Truth Our Blessed Saviour tells us that Whosoever he be that forsaketh not whatever he hath for his sake and the Gospels he cannot be his Disciple and to leave Houses Lands Possessions and whatever worldly Enjoyments if you will not Renounce the Gospel it self or those Truths contain'd therein and will not embrace Errors contrary to it is always the hard Condition that Christians are put upon in Times of Persecution But how hard a Thing is it for a Rich Man to do this A poor Wretch may be content to leave his uncomfortable Mansion and to Resign this laborious tedious Life in hopes of gaining Rest and eternal Glory thereby rather than strain his Conscience But for a Rich Man to take a Farewel of his stately Houses delightful Gardens his silent Grots and shady Walks his rich Furniture goodly Farms and his heaps of Silver to leave these and fly into Banishment endure Poverty labour with Hunger and starve with Nakedness all this to preserve a good Conscience It is a hard Saying a shrewd Temptation He will be apt to desire his Settlement may be on this side Jordan rather than he will pass over the Flood into the Land of Canaan He will be very apt to build his Tabernacle on this side Heaven The Temptation is indeed Great and many have fallen under the Power of it Several have past very shrewd Brushes in their way towards Heaven and yet have not been able to withstand the Shock of this Temptation We have a famous Instance of this in the Young Man in the Gospel Matth. 19. This Person came to our Saviour with a mighty Desire to know what he should do to Inherit the Kingdom of Heaven and reckon'd up a many extraordinary Acts that he had done already in order to it insomuch that in another Gospel it is recorded our Saviour Loved him very much But the Holy Jesus told him that if he would Be perfect he must go and sell what he had and give to the Poor and he should have Treasure in Heaven and that he must in Poverty and Affliction come and follow him When the young Man heard that saying he went away sorrowful for he had great Possessions says the Text ver 22. And thus you see what Temptations Riches will give you whether you consider your selves as Getting as Possessing or as Parting with or Losing of them â—n what sence â—nd how far Riches are to â—e Renounced And now the great Question will be In what Sence and how far you must Renounce the Riches of this World in all these respects And in the General I can safely tell you that Riches are not of that Evil Nature in themselves that you must absolutely Renounce or Reject ' em We read of a peevish Philosopher In General being they are not Evil in themselves they are in Cases only to be renounced by us wherein we cannot without Sin Pursue Possess or retain them amongst the Grecians one Crates who threw all his Wealth into the Sea he would have nothing to do with it And there are a sort of Men amongst the Romanists those whom they call Begging-Friars who Vow Poverty and place a very great Part of their Religion in that very sinful Trade if there be not a very great necessity for it of Begging But Riches are not of that Nature that they need be so absolutely Renounced and Rejected by us They may be Innocently enough both Sought Possest and Retain'd And it is only in such cases wherein you cannot without Sin Pursue Possess and Retain 'em that you are oblig'd by your Baptismal Vow to Renounce and Reject 'em and that is in these Cases following And First as to the Getting of Riches As First Riches considered in the Getting no Man must so put his Heart upon 'em as to esteem 'em his chiefest Good and Happiness you must not set your Heart upon 'em so as to esteem 'em your chiefest Good and Happiness for this is an eternal and an unalterable Rule both in Reason and Religion That the chiefest and most absolute Good deserves our chiefest Esteem and choicest Affections And that lesser Goods to be less esteem'd and lov'd And therefore God and Heavenly Things being our chiefest Good and the Riches of this World being Good only by derivation
the Apostles Creed does but in these Creeds many Articles of our Christian Faith are express'd in the full Sense and Importance of 'em in opposition to those Heresies which did and do still pervert or restrain the Meaning of those Articles And thus you also see how you are to Believe All the Articles of your Christian Faith that you are not only to Believe every one of 'em but all that Divine Truth which is contained in each And so as I have before laid before you how you are to Renounce the Devil the World and the Flesh so now what it is to Believe all the Articles of your Christian Faith And so it only remains and then I shall have fully Explain'd to you all the Conditions of the Covenant of Grace that I shew you next what it is to obey God's Holy Will and Commandments and to walk in the same all the days of our Life THE XXIII Lecture Thirdly That I should Obey God's Holy Will and Commandments and Walk in the same all the Days of my Life I Hope I have sufficiently explained unto you the Two first Conditions bound upon you in your Baptismal Covenant as indispensibly necessary to your obtaining the Benefits of it which Conditions are First That you should Renounce the Devil c. Secondly That you should Believe c. And now I come to the Third which is That you should Obey c. And that I may fully and to the purpose explain this to you I will First Lay before you what it is to Obey God's Holy Will and Commandments or how far you must be obedient to the Holy Will and Commandments of God as ever you will hope to obtain Salvation or to be Inheritors of the Kingdom of Heaven Secondly I will shew you what it is to Walk in the same all the Days of your Life or how long you must persevere in such Obedience which must be to the end of your Lives And Thirdly I will clear the Doctrine of Evangelical Obedience as so stated from those Doubts that may be raised against it And First Because nothing can be more necessary for you to be Instructed in than the Measures of that Obedience now under the Gospel or Covenant of Grace upon the performance of less than which you cannot expect to be made Inheritors of the Kingdom of Heaven I will with what clearness I can shew you How far we must be Obedient to God's Holy Will and Commandments 1. What it is to obey God's Holy Will and Commandments as ever we 'll hope to obtain Salvation or to be Inheritors of the Kingdom of Heaven And that Evangelical or Gospel-Obedience which now under the Covenant of Grace is the indispensible Condition of Man's Salvation to give it you according as it is most exactly stated by the Learned Author of The Measures of Christian Obedience The Nature and Measures of Christian Obedience for it is impossible I do think for any one to do it more exactly therefore I shall give you an Abstract of that whole Work Is a sincere and entire Obedience to all the Laws of the Gospel Sincere it must be by being a true and undissembled Service of God opposite to all Hypocrisie or a false and feigned Pretence of obeying Him when in reality we only serve our own Selves or our own Lusts and Interests Entire it must be by being the Obedience of the whole Man to the whole Will of God and that at all times with this abatement of Rigour That all our unwilling and involuntary Failings which through Ignorance and Frailty we commit shall upon our Prayers to God and Charity to our Neighbour be forgiven us and even our wilful Transgressions when we repent and forsake 'em through the Mediation of Christ and the Grace of the Gospel shall not be imputed to our Condemnation Such is the Obedience which every one of you must carefully pay to the Holy Will and Commandments of God as ever you hope to be Inheritors of the Kingdom of Heaven But for your better understanding the Nature and Extent of your Christian Obedience I will a little farther unfold each Part of this Description of it And I. Our Obedience to all the Laws of the Gospel must be sincere by being a true and undissembled Service of God opposite to all Hypocrisie or a false and feigned Pretence of obeying Him when in reality we only serve our own selves 1st Our Obedience must be sincere by being a true and undissembled Service of God opposite to all Hypocrisie or a false and feigned Pretence of obeying Him when in truth we serve our own selves This is a certain Truth That our Gracious God for the most part hath made such Things the Matter of His Laws and of our Duty as really make for our own Interest Reputation or Profit to perform for so it really is to be Temperate and Chaste and Contented and Humble to be Vpright and Charitable and Peaceable c. But then our Obedience is sincere and done as unto God when we observe His Laws for His sake and because He commands it for otherwise we do not observe God's Will but our own His Commands had no share in what we did because it had been done although He had said nothing And thus sincere must our Obedience be unto God as ever we expect that God should Judge us at the last Day to have obeyed Him I say it must be done as unto God and sincerely from our Hearts to please Him and not only our selves And this is plainly expressed in the very Words of the Gospel for it accepts not an heartless Service nor accounts it self obeyed by what was never intended for it The Lord thy God requires of thee to serve him with all thy Heart and with all thy Soul Matth. 22.36 37. And therefore St. Paul does pray that the Philippians may be sincere in their Profession being filled with the Fruits of Righteousness or Good Works to the Praise and Glory of God not themselves Phil. 1.10 11. God indeed has not forbidden us all intending and designing of our own Advantage in the performance of his Commandments God does not forbid us all intending our Advantage in the performance of his Commandments When He requires us to obey Him He doth not forbid us all Love of our Selves and Regard to our own Self-interests For why He does propose to us in Scripture the greatest Rewards possible as Motives to us to persuade us to obey And the Blessed Saints in the Scripture so Eminent for their Service to God are said to have had an eye at the Recompense of Reward But then our Intention of our own Advantage in God's Service is forbidden and renders our obedient Performances corrupt and insincere when together with our Intention of serving God we either join first another Intention of serving Sin Or secondly when we design some temporal Ends as much or more than we design God's Service First I
his Name to all Nations Thus has God provided us of means which will most certainly restore us to his Favour He has not left us in a forsaken state but has prescribed us this Method of Repentance to recover us out of it and to be the great Instrument of our Pardon and Reconciliation And our Repentance through the Mediation of Christ will be accepted for our Pardon whatever our Sins have been whether known or unknown whether they have been wilful or involuntary Sins Repentance will be accepted to our pardon for our known or secret Sins whether wilfully or unwilly committed but now forgot though generally repented of 2. For our most known and wilful Sins if particularly repented of First Our unknown or secret Sins which whether wilfully or unwillingly we have committed but now we have forgot shall be forgiven us upon our hearty though general Prayer to God to forgive us such as was that of David O cleanse me from my secret Faults Psal 19.12 and upon our diligent care hereafter not knowingly and wilfully to transgress any of God's Laws And Secondly Our most unknown and wilful Sins even they shall also be forgiven us if for every particular Sin we know our selves to have committed we particularly repent of it by confessing it to God and by taking care to amend and forsake it for the future 'Till we are reclaimed indeed from our former Sins and are become God's dutiful Sons and faithful Servants for the present and for the future it is not consistent with the Honour of his Justice and Holiness with the Authority of his Laws and with the Wisdom of his Government to receive us into his Favour But as soon as ever we are conscientiously reform from our Sins he will be reconciled to us if we are heartily sorry for what has been past and amended for the future and in case of Injury and Wrong done to God or Man we undo as much as in us lies what has been done amiss by making amends and reparation for what we have injured either We cannot be said to repent of a Sin unless we undo And in case of Injury to Man if Restitution be made as much as in us lies what has been done amiss Therefore if any one has offended his Neighbour and given him just cause of Anger against him he that will truly repent and expect that God will hear his Prayers for his Pardon must go and acknowledge his Offence endeavour to appease his Neighbour and be reconciled to him for so our Saviour has ordered Matth 5.23 before he offer his Prayer to God And he that has injured his Neighbour either by taking away his good Name by Slander or his Goods by wrong Dealing must take off the Slander and restore what he has unjustly got and so did good Zacheus upon his Repentanee we find Luke 19.8 when he embraced the Gospel And so likewise towards the Reparation of God's Honour I must needs add as a necessary part of Repentance Of high Dishonour to God and Religion if that be not repaired by an eminent Repentance that he who has formerly liv'd a very notorious and scandalously ill Life to the great Dishonour of God and Religion must now towards the Reparation of God's Honour be as famous for his eminent and exemplary Piety that his Repentance may be accepted a private Sorrow for publick Scandals falling vastly short of undoing what has been done amiss in which consists the restitutive part of Repentance The necessity of this we have exemplified in the case of the Woman who washed our Saviour's Feet with her Tears and wiped them with the Hair of her Head Luke 7.44 She had formerly it seems been a very vile Woman but the reason why her Sins which were many were forgiven is said by our Saviour to have been because she loved much vers 47. And thus if we do repent our Sins shall not be imputed to us but through the Merits of Christ's Death and the Grace of the Gospel they shall be looked upon as if they had never been And thus I have shewed you that other great Difference betwixt that Obedience required now under the Covenant of Grace and the Obedience required by the First Covenant That whereas the Obedience required by the First was a Perfect Exact Vnsinning Obedience the never Offending at all Now not only our involuntary Sins and Infirmities but also our most voluntary and and wilful Transgressions when by Repentance we bewail and forsake 'em and take better care to avoid 'em for the future they also through the Mediation of Christ according to the Terms he has obtained for us in the Covenant of Grace shall be forgiven us and not prejudice our being Inheritors of the Kingdom of Heaven And upon the whole I have now shewed you The sum of Evangelical Obedience as to all that Obedience required now under the Gospel to make us Inheritors of the Kingdom of Heaven that there is not required indeed a Perfect Exact Unsinning Obedience the never offending in any one part which was the indispensible Condition of the First Covenant but there must be a Sincere and Entire Obedience paid to all the Laws of the Gospel Sincere it must be by being a true and undissembled Service Obeying 'em not only because most for our Health and Interest as generally the Laws of Religion are but even where they are contrary to our Inclinations and Interest because God commands us And entire it must be by being the Obedience of the whole Man of our Understanding our Wills our Affections and our Actions to the whole Law of God and that at all times And this if we endeavour the best we can to do that our unwilling and involuntary Failings which through Ignorance and Frailty we commit shall upon our Prayers to God be forgiven us and that our wilful Transgressions when we repent of and forsake 'em through the Mediation of Christ and the Grace of the Gospel shall not be imputed to our Condemnation In a word That Obedience to speak also in the Words of the Learned Dr. Hammond The sum also thereof according to Dr. Hammond which is the Condition of the Second Covenant and of our being made Inheritors of the Kingdom of Heaven Negatively it is not a Perfect Exact Unsinning Obedience the never offending at all in any kind of Sin this is the Condition of the First Covenant Nor secondly is it never to have committed any deliberate Sin in the former course of our Lives Nor thirdly never to have gone on or continued in any habitual or customary Sin for the time past But it is positively the New Creature or Renewed Sincere Honest Faithful Obedience to the whole Gospel giving up the whole Heart unto Christ the performing of that which God enables us to perform and bewailing our Infirmities and Frailties and Sins both of the past and present Life and beseeching God's Pardon in Christ for all such and
into Moses or Initiated into the Religion of Moses The Heathens were initiated into their Mysteries by Purgations or Washings in the Cloud and in the Sea And indeed the very Heathens likewise they were initiated into their Mysteries and Worship by some solemn Rites or other and that frequently by Purgations and Washings And now agreeably to both the Rite or Ceremony whereby our Saviour appointed that we should be Initiated into the Covenant of Grace or the Christian Religion was Baptism or Washing As our Blessed Saviour out of his Infinite Wisdom and Goodness did ordain That agreeably to our Humane Nature which is most sensibly touch'd with Outward Things the Covenant betwixt him and us should be transacted by Outward and Express Solemnities Our Saviour chose the latter as what would be acceptable to both Parties so he was not scrupulous of having it done by such Outward Rites as were more generally known and acceptable both to Jews and Gentiles Circumcision the Rite of Initiation into the Legal Covenant he would not adopt into the Covenant of Grace because it was detestable and had in abomination by the greatest part of the Heathen World but Baptism or Washing none could accept against it either Jews or Gentiles It was used by the Jews as well as Circumcision to initiate their Proselytes into Covenant as was before said and the Gentiles did as often use it in a Sacramental Manner when they were entred into any of the Heathen Mysteries of their Pagan Worship especially when on any extraordinary Occasion they professed their Innocency as appears from Pilate the Roman Governour 's so solemnly Washing his Hands when he would declare himself clear of shedding the Innocent Bloud of the Holy JESUS Especially as more significative of Christian Purity Mat. 17.24 And indeed as on the account of its agreeableness to all Parties so chiefly no doubt he chose it for the Sacrament of the Christian Religion on this last score viz. it s being so significative of the Cleanness from the Pollution of Sin of the Purity and Holiness that all Christians are to practise As Washing purges and cleanses the Body from Dirt and Filthiness so our Saviour chose the Washing of Regeneration as the Apostle calls Baptism Tit. 3.5 to be the Rite or Ceremony whereby all his Disciples should be initiated or entred into his Covenant or Religion to signifie that all his Disciples must be Pure and Holy not polluted with the Sins and Wickednesses of the World And this he has enjoined as indispensibly necessary to our initiation into the Covenant of Grace And so indispensible a Rite of our Initiation or Entrance into the Covenant of Grace did our Saviour make it that he did not only Command his Apostles and all the succeeding Ministers of his Church to the end of the World to Baptize those whom they did proselyte over to his Religion Go says he Matth. 28.19 and teach or disciple by Baptizing 'em all Nations and lo I am with you always to the end of the World But he excludes all others froâ— having any Interest in his Covenant of Grace which he vouchsafed unto us and from having any claim to the Promises of it who are not Entred into it by the Outward Rite and Solemnity or Ceremony of Baptism Thus he tells Nicodemus with a Verily verily that is with a solemn Asseveration which amounts almost to an Oath That Except a Man be born of Water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God The Kingdom of God is here meant the Church of Christ which is a Society of Men in Covenant with God enjoying certain inestimable Privileges under Christ their Supream Head and is often in the New Testament called the Kingdom of God as Matth. 21.31 So that it is plain from hence that there is no admittance to the Privileges of the Gospel or New Covenant which are Grace Pardon and Happiness nor to the Enjoyment of those infinite Rewards in Heaven the chief of all the Mercies of the Covenant without being first entred into the Church by Baptism which is the Oatward Seal and Confirmation of those Mercies to us Except a Man be born of Water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven And agreeably to this Doctrine of his Lord and Master did the Great St. Peter hold Baptism so indispensibly necessary that he ordered even those Persons upon whom at his Preaching of the Word the Holy Ghost had fallen which one would have thought might render Baptism unnecessary yet he ordered even those to be Baptized withal as you may see Acts 10.46 47 48. Then answered Peter Can any Man forbid Water that these should not be Baptized which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we And he commanded them Commanded whom why those on whom the Holy Ghost had fallen vers 44. and who had received the Holy Ghost as well as he vers 47. he commanded even those to be Baptized in the Name of the Lord. Thus is Baptism you see an Outward Rite or Ceremony of our Saviour's own Appointment for the solemn admitting of Persons into the Covenant of Grace Secondly And thus our Saviour appointed us to be entred into the Covenant of Grace for the better Confirmation and Assurance of its Terms the Promises on God's part and the Conditions on ours it being thus mutually and interchangeably as it were Sealed to betwixt God and us Baptism appointed the Rite of Admission into the Covenant of Grace for the better Confirmation and Assurance of its Terms the Promises on God's part and the Conditions on ours it being thus mutually and interchangeably Sealed to betwixt God and us As in this sacred Rite of Baptism there are two Parties concerned God who by his Minister or Ambassador and Agent as he is called 2 Cor. 5.20 does admit the Person Baptized to Covenant and does by him promise and engage to conferr upon him particular Blessings and Favours and the Party Baptized who presents himself or is presented by others and does solemnly engage to Renounce GOD's Enemies the Flesh the World and the Devil to Believe in God and to Obey him As there are Two Parties I say God and Man thus transacting a Covenant together so the Minister God's Agent his Receiving the Party and Baptizing him in the Name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost is the Sealing to it on God's part who has promised to confirm in Heaven what they in his Name and by his Commission shall bind on Earth Matth. 16.19 And the Party presenting himself or being presented to Baptism and therein expresly vowing to perform the fore-mentioned Conditions and in token of that his being washed or sprinkled with Water is the putting to as it were his Seal to the Counterpart of the Covenant And farther as this mutual Covenanting and Sealing does give unto God besides his Right of Creation a farther Right by our own express Engagements to our Obedience
will punish Faults as well in his Children as others if you profess your selves the Children of such a Father pass the time of your sojourning here in fear is the Inference the same Apostle makes from this Relation of being the Children of God And indeed except we do give up our selves sincerely and faithfully to obey God and in all Points to discharge our Covenant with him we are in effect not the Children of God however Baptized and so in Profession but in reality are the Children of the Devil and from him must expect our Reward So St. John assures us 1 Epist 3.8 9. He that committeth Sin is of the Devil that is he that committeth any act of known Sin is in that so far from being a Child of God that he is a Child of the Devil of whom and not of God he is an Imitator For whosoever is born of God doth not commit Sin for his Seed remaineth in him and he cannot sin because he is born of God That is as the Learned Hammond does Paraphrase upon the same place whosoever is a true Child of God keeps himself strictly from every deliberate Act of Sin and the reason is Because that contrary Principle of Regeneration or Sonship from which he is said to be born of God if that continue to have any Life or Energy in it is utterly contrary and incompatible with Sin And then does follow that Characteristical distinguishing Mark he does give of a Child of God and a Child of the Devil shewing the grand difference between one and the other In this the Children of God are manifested and the Children of the Devil whosoever doth not Righteousness is not of God v. 10. In a word to conclude this Argument also As it is almost natural and therefore ever expected that Children should imitate the Life and Manners of their Parents and if they prove dissolute and of loose Behaviour it does usually redound to the Parents disgrace as generally supposed to proceed from slackness of Government so should we who are Children of God be Covenant-Breakers prove lawless and dissolute Livers it will extreamly tend to the Dishonour of our Heavenly Father whose Name is then hallowed amongst Men when we his professed Sons and Servants do dutifully and sincerely fulfill our Engagements to Him but on the contrary is then blasphemed when we live ungodly Lives So that this grand Favour and Privilege of being the Sons of God is another most powerful Argument to render us faithful in our Covenant with Him And so likewise it is Thirdly To be an Inheritor of the Kingdom of Heaven 3. As Inheritors of the Kingdom of Heaven What restraint will it put upon a young Heir and how careful will it make him to please his Parents when a great Estate is like to descend upon him but yet so that he shall certainly be disinherited of it except he behave himself soberly and regularly and dutifully to those his Parents And if so how infinitely more circumspect and wary and diligent should we all of us be to please our Father which is in Heaven by discharging our Covenant-Engagements to him inasmuch as the Heavenly Inheritance is of infinite more value than an Earthly one can be I shall not stand now to give you a description of that Exceeding Weight of Glory and of those Vast and Immense Treasures of Happiness which are laid up in Heaven for those who shall faithfully perform their Covenant with God I shall only in short shew you that such is the Nature and Constitution of the Covenant of Grace that there is no Hopes nor Expectations of ever obtaining it without a faithful discharge of all our Covenant-Engagements to God and if so then certainly there cannot be greater Obligations possible to the performance of ' em And as to the Nature of the Covenant of Grace surely one would think it were needless to prove that the Conditions of it must be performed or we cannot expect to inherit the Promises This is of the Nature of all Covenants whatsoever which consist of certain Promises and Benefits to be made good on one part not without certain Conditions to be performed on the other And why then should any so fondly expect Justification and Happiness to be conferred upon 'em except they do Repent heartily Believe practically and Obey sincerely the only Conditions of this Covenant Kingdom of Heaven not to be expected but by those who are faithful in their Covenant as has been often shewed Why sure none that look into the Gospel and see and consider how that all along Happiness is only promised to the Obedient can ever expect it upon other Terms But so it is that a sort of Antinomian Hereticks do spread abroad their pestilent Doctrines teaching that Christ by his Sacrifice and Satisfaction for us has purchased Justification and Happiness without any Conditions to be perform'd on our part and that what he has done will wholly excuse us from Duty and Obedience But this is one of the most Antichristian Errours in the World as undermining the whole design of Christ's Coming and his Preaching the Gospel amongst us which was to tie us up to higher Rules of Righteousness than were before given to the Sons of Men. It was infinitely far from the Design of him who came to save and deliver us from the Power and Dominion as well as from the Guilt and Punishment of our Sins to do any thing that should encourage us in Sin and render us secure when at any time we commit it But that which Christ has done for us amounts to this that he has purchased by his Blood-shedding an Abrogation of the First Covenant wherein was no Happiness without an Unsinning Obedience and then has procured for us this most gracious Covenant with these abatements of rigour That we shall have all that unspeakable Bliss and the Inheritance of Heaven conferred on us on condition we shall repent of and forsake our Sins and knowingly and willingly not offend him for the future And a most encouraging Argument this will be to all considering and serious Persons to make 'em faithful and diligent to perform their Covenant No People either Jews or Gentiles ever before us had the like The Jews by the Law of Moses or the meer Covenant of Works had plainly and expresly the Assurances only of a temporal Canaan and the Promises of a peaceable and prosperous Possession thereof to encourage their Duty And the poor Pagans had little Inducements to vertuous living more than the present Tranquility of Mind which arises from the meer exercise of Vertue neither of 'em Considerations strong enough to bear us up against great Temptations to sin and the difficulties in the way of our Duty But this one Consideration of an eternal Weight of Glory an Inheritance laid up in Heaven a Crown of Life infallibly ensured to those who shall be faithful unto Death This is enough to encourage us in Well-doing and
of Christ's Church pag. 60 Scandalous Members to be suspended from the Lord's Supper First Christian Ordinances are a singular Favour which Aliens and Unbelievers do not nor have any Right to enjoy Secondly they are excellent Advantages consider'd in themselves pag. 61 First as conducing much towards our Edification As most comfortable to the Souls of those who enjoy them pag. 62 They are seldom sufficiently valued till most wanted The Second general Priviledge belonging to the Members of Christ's Church is a sufficient measure of Divine Grace and Assistance derived from him the Head and convey'd by his Ordinances to enable us to conform our selves to his Religion and to obey his Laws pag. 63 By the same means that Christ is united to his Members is Grace conveyed down from him as Head to those Members The first Medium of Union betwixt Christ and his Members must be each Member's Union to the Catholick Church Secondly its Union to the Lawful Governours and Teachers of the Church pag. 64 Thirdly the use of Christ's Institutions and Ordinances First Divine Grace a most singular Priviledge if compar'd with what others enjoy of this Nature pag. 65 Secondly an exceeding Advantage consider'd in it self All the Members of Christ have Supplies proportionable to their Station in the Church pag. 66 And also in such Measures as according to different Times and Occasions in the Church are wanting pag. 67 LECT VII â—hat is meant in the Catechism by a Child of God First Not the Son of God by an Eternal Generation Secondly Not every Son by Temporal Creation which is a Sence too wide pag. 68 â—hirdly Nor such only who are Children of God by spiritual Regeneration which is a Sence too narrow pag. 69 â—uch indeed are in a peculiar manner and in the highest sence the Children of God But every Child of God is not actually Regenerate either in the sence of Scripture Or of your Catechism But Fourthly a Child of God as meant in the Catechism is every one who is so by vertue of a Covenant Relation This was the Notion of a Child of God before the Law Under the Law pag. 70 Under the Gospel Also a Child of God as meant in the Catechism is every one who is so by vertue of Adoption Adoption what The use of it amongst the Israelites and the Priviledges it gave them The use of it amongst the Gentiles and the Rights it conferr'd upon them pag. 71 How we Christians especially such who are descended from the Gentiles are according as has been spoke the Adopted Children of God To the Israelites did once pertain the Adoption But that Covenant by entering into which they were his Children was only Temporary To last only till the Publication of the Gospel After which they and all Christians were to be Children of God by faith in Christ pag. 72 But the Jews adhering to their Law and refusing Christ and his Gospel in whom God had predestinated all to be his Sons the Apostles turned unto Gentiles preaching Christ and Salvation to them and to as many as received him to them gave he power to be the Sons of God What are the Priviledges which do belong to the Children of God as such In general such as an indulgent but wise Father may be supposed to allow his Children beyond Aliens and Strangers Particularly First Pardon of all Sins upon hearty Repentance pag. 73 Secondly by being his Children he will not be so severe as to mark what is done amiss as to Sins of Infirmity pag. 74 Thirdly to the Children of God is granted an easier access by Prayer to the Throne of Grace for pardon of Sins and other Mercies Lastly a Child of God is more surely instated in the Inheritance of Heaven than others pag. 75 The infinite reason we have to praise God for these Advantages pag. 76 LECT VIII By the Kingdom of Heaven is meant in Scripture either first the Kingdom of Grace in this Life or secondly the Kingdom of Glory in the Life to come The Kingdom of Grace the Gospel State pag. 77 The reason why the Gospel State should be dignifyed with the Title of the Kingdom of Heaven viz. Because it so directly tends to render Men so exactly like the Blessed Saints the Inhabitants of the Kingdom of Heaven pag. 78 This is not the meaning of the Kingdom of Heaven here in the Catechism Secondly the Kingdom of Heaven signifies the Kingdom of Glory This a most noble and glorious State as being dignify'd with so honourable and glorious a Title as the Kingdom of Heaven pag. 79 Hence all those in this World wherein we conceive the highest Glory and Happiness are used as Emblems to set off our future Glory All which things come short of expressing it An Inheritor of the Kingdom of Heaven What An Heir is one who has a legal Right and Title to a Possession made over to him Such who have enter'd into the Covenant of Grace are in like manner Heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven as Children are Heirs pag. 80 It is through Christ alone not owing to the Merit of our Obedience that we are Intitled to the Inheritance of the Kingdom of Heaven The Vastness of a Christian's Priviledge in being made an Inheritour of the Kingdom of Heaven First it is in it self a very great Priviledge to have the invaluable possessions of Heaven so setled and ensur'd as to have a legal Claim and Title thereto made over to one pag. 81 Secondly if compared with what others enjoy it is a singular Priviledge The best amongst the moral Heathens could have but faint Hopes built upon uncertain Conjectures of a future Happiness And their Hopes being faint they could not in the Strength thereof overcome great Temptations But the Christian's Hopes are sure and stedfast being founded upon the express Promises and Covenant of the God of Truth And being such there is no Temptation so alluring nor Suffering so great which he may not overcome pag. 82 And whatever certainly an honest Pagan might have that God would reward his Vertue yet depending only on the Uncovenanted Goodness of God he could promise himself no greater a measure of Happiness than what his good Deeds did of themselves deserve which must fall vastly short of what is meant by the Kingdom of Heaven But a Christian to whom God has Covenanted to make sure a Crown of Glory may without Presumption rely upon him to make good the same As Life and Immortality is brought to light through the Gospel so by Embracing it and by coming into Covenant alone Salvation can be expected And to a sincere Christian who is faithful in the Covenant the Heavenly Inheritance is certain pag. 83 A summ of those invaluable Priviledges made over to us on God's Part in the Covenant of Grace pag. 84 LECT IX Whereof the First is to Renounce the Devil the World and the Flesh pag. 85 The Devil his Names and their Importance He was once one of the highest
â—feriour and bodily Powers viz. The Affections Lusts and Appeitites to be renounced as they â—ebel against right Reason pag. 239 Business of Religion vs to reduce Man as near as possible to his primitive State of Innocence â—nd Integrity To this purpose of keeping under our Fleshly Lusts it was that our Reason was â—ven us pag. 240 To renounce ALL the sinful Lusts of the Flesh what There must be no one Fleshly Lust suffered â—o reign in us Our business is particularly to oppose Lusts of Temper and Constitution This beâ—ause it is a hard Doctrine to the Carnal Man is much evaded pag. 241 Objection from Rom. 7. cleared We must renounce the Flesh and all its sinful Lusts so as to have an Aversion an Antipathy in our hearts thereunto This the hard Part. pag. 242 243 The reason of having enlarged so much upon this one Article of renouncing the Devil c. pag. 244 LECT XXII Articles of Christian Faith of what Nature The whole Bible the Object of a Christian's Faith both the Old Testament and the New pag. 259 Some Instances of such Truths What it is to believe those Truths so as to make us capable of Life and Happiness pag. 261 Our Belief thereof must be operative and practical Such was the Faith of Abraham and of all the Saints And such an operative and practical Principle is Faith whenever the Things believed are of great Importance or Concernment to us pag. 262 263 2. To believe savingly we must apply our selves to Jesus Christ to interceed with God the Father for our gracious Acceptance What to believe all the Articles of the Christian Faith 1. To believe them All does import that we must assent to all and every one of those great Articles of Christian Doctrine contained in the Apostles Creed pag. 264 Such as tend to destroy a good Life and send us to other Mediators than Christ to interceed with the Father for its Acceptance no Articles of Christian Faith 2. To believe all the Articles of the Christian Faith is to be fully perswaded of all and of every of those single Truths contained in each of those Articles pag. 265 A Heretick may be such by believing only of one of those Truths contained in the Article pag. 266 LECT XXIII 1. What it is to obey God's Holy Will and Commandments The Nature and Measures of Christian Obedience pag. 267 1. Our Obedience must be sincere by being a true and undissembled Service of God opposite to all Hypocrisie or a false and feigned pretence of obeying Him when in truth we serve our own selves does not forbid us all intending our own Advantage in the performance of his Commandments pag. 268 But 1st that Man's Obedience is insincere who together with his Intention of serving God joins another Intention of serving Sin 2dly When he designs some temporal Ends in the practice of Vertue as much or more than he intends God's Service 2. Evangelical Obedience must be entire viz. 1st The Obedience of the whole Man that is In the first place of the Mind and Vnderstanding Secondly of the Will Thirdly of the Affections pag. 269 270 This the distasteful part And therefore endeavoured to be shifted off pag. 271 2dly It must be an Obedience to the whole Law This endeavoured to be evaded by Excuses But in vain 3dly What it is to walk in the same all the Days of our Lives pag. 272 God will not endure a constant Revolution of Sin and Repentance pag. 273 The difference between Evangelical and a Legal Obedience This difference not so great but that our wilful and chosen Sins will put a Barr to our Salvation pag. 274 Some Sins are directly and expresly wilful Some indirectly and interpretatively pag. 275 But the difference is 1st that those who sincerely and entirely obey shall not be called to an account for unchosen and involuntary Sins The first cause of an innocent Involuntariness Ignorance of our Duty Provided it be not wilful 2d Inconsideration Inconsideration excuses 1. When through surprize pag. 276 2. When through natural weariness and the length and strength of a Temptation Lastly When by the violent discomposure of our Thinking Powers our Minds are so disturbed that we cannot think what we do Ignorance and Inconsideration excuse not those Sins 1. Which we have time to understand and observe nor 2. Crying Sins nor 3. Those we do not endeavour against nor lastly Which we are not sorry for pag. 277 The 2d Difference between Legal and Evangelical Obedience That our wilful and more heinous Sins when repented of through the Mediation of Christ according to the Terms he has obtained for us in the Covenant of Grace shall be forgiven us Remission of Sins upon Repentance the great Doctrine of the Gospel Repentance will be accepted to our pardon for our unknown or secret Sins whether wilfully or unwillingly committed but now forgot though generally repented of 2. For our most known and wilful Sins if particularly repented of pag. 278 And in case of Injury to Man if Restitution be made Of high Dishonour to God and Religion if that be repaired by an eminent Repentance The sum of Evangelical Obedience pag. 277 The sum also thereof according to Dr. Hammond pag. 278 LECT XXIV â—t in the Covenant of Grace we are restored to a state of Salvation How we brought our selves â—nto a state of Misery before How by the Covenant of Grace we are put into a state of security â—f we please pag. 280 â—t by the Mediation of Jesus Christ it was that we obtained such a gracious Covenant whereby â—e are restored to a state of Salvation pag. 281 〈◊〉 infinite Care of God the Father to call us into it pag. 283 〈◊〉 Ever-blessed Son of God no less intent upon this blessed Work How mightily he importuned us â—o come into this state of Salvation He has left a succession of Ministers behind him to do the â—ike This matter of Thankfulness whether we consider 1. The extraordinary Advantage of â—aving God in Covenant with us pag. 284 285 〈◊〉 2. Our singular Happiness therein above the fallen Angels or the rest of Mankind pag. 286 LECT XXV â—ptism what 1. An outward Rite of our Saviour's own Appointment for the solemn Admission of Persons into the Covenant of Grace pag. 288 〈◊〉 have some outward Rites and Solemnities in Religion agreeable to the Frame and Constitution of Humane Nature as being most apt to receive Impressions from sensible Things This especially requisite in the admission into Religious Societies and Covenants The Israelites were initiated both by Circumcision and Baptism pag. 289 â—e Heathens were initiated into their Mysteries by Purgations or Washings Our Saviour chose the latter as what would be acceptable to both Parties Especially as more significative of Christian Purity And this he has enjoined as indispensibly necessary to our initiation into the Covenant of Grace pag. 290 â—ptism appointed the Rite of Admission into the Covenant of Grace for the better Confirmation and Assurance of its Terms the Promises on God's part and the Conditions on ours it being thus mutually and interchangeably Sealed to betwixt God and us pag. 291 〈◊〉 gives great Assurance of mutual Performances barely to be in Covenant together pag. 292 LECT XXVI â—he vast Obligations lying upon us both from the Mercies of God and our Baptismal Vow to perform the Covenant of Grace The Obligations thereunto first as Members of Christ's Church pag. 294 â—he Jews chose from amongst the Nations of the Earth to serve God pag. 295 â—hristians chose both from amongst Jews and Gentiles to a more peculiar Holiness pag. 296 〈◊〉 As Children of God Children are bound to the strictest Obedience to their Parents as owing to 'em their Being pag. 297 â—hildren of God as owing both Being and Well-being pag. 298 〈◊〉 As Inheritors of the Kingdom of Heaven Kingdom of Heaven not to be expected but by those who are faithful in their Covenant pag. 299 〈◊〉 As having promised and vowed in our Baptism accordingly to discharge our Covenant with God The matter of a Vow sometimes not a Duty 'till vowed pag. 300 â—ometimes antecedently incumbent upon us and such is the matter of our Baptismal Vow 'T is a provoking Sin to rob God of what has been once Vowed and Devoted to him tho of the former Nature Gods Anger observable upon such occasions pag. 301 â—Tis much more provoking to violate Vows to perform which we are antecedently obliged by the Law of Nature A Vow is much of the nature of an Oath and therefore to violate it is Perjury pag. 302 FINIS
him But this is such a hateful way of performing Obedience as God will never endure nor accept of for He scorns to be served by a slavish Fear and an unwilling Mind No Man as our Saviour says Matth. 6.24 can serve two Masters for if he loves the one he will hate the other Ye cannot serve God and Mammon By this he lets us know that our Love and Obedience must go together and be paid both to one God Lastly As we will give God the Service and Obedience of the whole Man an Entire Obedience such as he will Accept of to our Salvation we must Obey him with all our Strength and bodily Powers That is we must not only Inwardly Approve of God's Commands as good in our Minds and Judgments bear a Love to 'em with our Affections and chuse 'em with our Wills but we must proceed Outwardly to Act and do the Will of God in the Outward and Constant Practice of our Lives we must put to our Strength and bodily Powers and work the Will of God in our Lives and Actions Little Children saith St. John 1 Epist 3.7 let no Man deceive you he that doth Righteousness is righteous That is you will be deceived if you suffer others to persuade you or vainly flatter your selves that there is any thing less than doing and acting vertuously and righteously for which you shall be rewarded as vertuous and religious Persons These Texts besides many others shew you the necessity that our Inward good Motions proceed to Outward good Operations that you must go on to do good Deeds before you are fit for the Great Reward that we must work as well as desire and not only will and like but do our Duty because on nothing less than that we shall at the last Day be accepted This indeed is the severe Service This the distasteful part and the distastful Part of our Duty A secret Wish or a sudden Desire of Obedience may start up in our Souls unawares and there is not much opposition made to it because our Lusts receive no great hurt from it And therefore they will allow us to think of Good to spend a faint Relish a sudden Inclination or fruitless Desire upon it but if once we would go on to do our Duty and to begin Obedience then begins the Conflict our Lusts then bestirr themselves with might and main and set every Faculty on work to resist and defeat it for our Thoughts then begin to argue and to pick Quarrels with our Duty our Wills then begin to be averse and our Affections to cool towards it And because in this Obedience of our Works and Actions And therefore endeavoured to be shifted off there is so much of difficulty therefore are most People so desirous to shift it off and so forward to take up with any thing which will save them the labour of it They persuade themselves that God will admit of easier Terms and build their Hopes on cheaper Services as particularly that it will be sufficient to Salvation that they Believe the Gospel and that Jesus Christ died for them that God will accept of the Will for the Deed that God will excuse their Disobedience because when they fall it is by reason of strong and violent Temptations And lastly that it is not without Reluctancy and great Unwillingness that they disobey But all these are deceitful Imaginations for howsoever we are against Sin in our Thoughts and Minds and Desires the working Wickedness will make us in God's account Sons of Sin and Disobedience and will be sure to render such Children of Wrath and Destruction If you live after the Flesh saith St. Paul you shall die Rom. 8.13 And whatever Men think in their Minds or desire in their Hearts or profess in their Words to the contrary if for all that they continue to commit Sin in their Actions Christ has told them plainly That he will pronounce when he comes to sit as Judge Depart from me all ye that work Iniquity Matth. 7.23 And thus you see what is in the first place necessary to make up an Entire Obedience that our Obedience might be that of the whole Man and that it may be such we must have our Minds our Wills our Affections and lastly our outward Actions in Obedience to the Laws of the Gospel that all these several Powers must unite in God's Service before it will be Upright and Compleat such as at present his Law requires and such as at the last Day he will accept of and reward us for 2dly It must be an Obedience to the whole Law Secondly As it is necessary to the Integrity of our Obedience that we Obey his Holy Will and Commandments with our whole Man with our Minds our Souls our Wills and our Strength so that we Obey his whole Law and Conform our selves to every of his Commandments We must not think to pick and chuse in the doing of our Duty for if we do not Obey all we Obey not right in any because all the Laws of God are bound upon us by the same Power and enjoined by the same Authority So that if we fulfill any one upon this account of his having required it the same reason holds for the fulfilling of all the rest This indeed is very hardly believed because it is so hard to practise for almost every Man has some Sin or other which he can as well die as part with It has got his Heart and is become the Master of his Affections and since he loves it so dearly he hopes God will bear with it too And when Men are thus desirous to Obey God by halves and would hope that this might serve the turn they take to themselves false Grounds and Confidences under which they shelter themselves in the allowance or indulgence of such Sins as they are resolved to practise and when they do wilfully continue in the practice of any Sin they usually plead one or more of these Things in excuse This endeavoured to be evaded by Excuses First That they sinn'd for the preservation of their Religion and themselves in times of Danger and Persecution Or secondly for the supply of their Necessities by sinful Arts Compliances and Services and in times of Want and Indigency Or thirdly for the satisfaction of their Flesh in Sins of Temper Age or Way of Life But in vain But whosoever would Obey God's Laws to the Salvation of his Soul must Obey in every Instance and continue wilfully to transgress in none he must never hope to please God in nothing but what he lists himself For the Obedience of the Covenant whereinto Christ commissioned his Apostles to Baptize Converts is nothing below an Entire Obedience Go says he Baptize all Nations teaching them to observe all Things whatsoever I have commanded you Matth. 28.19 20. And threatens Matth. 5.19 That he who breaks the least of these Commandments shall be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven
or none at all which is the sence of the Hebrew Phrase So that the Obedience upon which alone we must expect to be Inheritors of the Kingdom of Heaven must be a Faithful and Entire Obedience to all the Laws and Commands of the Gospel Thus we must Obey all God's Holy Will and Commandments which brings me III. To my general Proposal which was to shew you What it is to Walk in the same all the Days of our Lives 3dly What it is to Walk in the same all the Days of our Lives we must continue in such a Sincere and Entire Obedience even to the End of our Lives We must not think to please God by an Obedience that comes and goes by Fits or by serving him only at such times as we are in Humour and have no Temptation to the contrary but our Service of Him must be Constant and Vniform we must obey Him in all things and wilfully transgress in none Some indeed there are who parcel out their Time and divide it betwixt God and their Sins they observe a constant course of Transgressing and Repenting of Sin and Sorrow for they are always won when they are tempted and they are always sorrowful when they have done And others there are who wholly fall off at last and sin against God for altogether But now as for such a broken Service as this is God will by no means accept of it For when Christ comes to Judgment God will not endure a constant Revolution of Sin and Repentance he will pass Sentence upon Men according to what they are then and not according to what they have been formerly If the righteous Man turn away from his Righteousness and commit Iniquity and do according to all that the wicked Man doth Shall he live No by no means For all his Righteousness that he hath done formerly shall not be mentioned but in his Trespass that he hath since trespassed and in his Sin that he hath since sinned in them shall he die Ezek. 18.24 And it is they which by patient continuing in Well-doing seek for Glory and Immortality that shall inherit eternal Life Rom. 2.6 7. But as for all those who fall off from a good Course and turn Apostates from Obedience their Case is desperate and their Condition extreamly damnable For if after Men have once escaped the Pollution of the World through the Knowledge of Christ's Gospel they are again entangled therein and overcome then is the latter End worse with them than the Beginning 2 Pet. 2.20 So that the Obedience which God will accept and which will render us Inheritors of the Kingdom of Heaven must be as of our whole Man and to all the Laws of the Gospel so it must be perform'd to 'em at all times We must persevere in it through all Seasons and take care both to live and die in it for our Reward will be dispenced unto us according to the nature of our Service at the time of Payment and he only as our Saviour says that endureth to the End shall be saved Matth. 10.22 And thus I have shew'd you first What it is to Obey God's Holy Will and Commandments or how far you must be Obedient to the Holy Will and Commandments of God as ever you will hope to obtain Salvation or to be Inheritors of the Kingdom of Heaven And secondly I have also shewed you What it is to Walk in the same all the Days of your Life or how long you must persevere in such Obedience even to the End of your Lives In short I have also shewed you That the Obedience which is the Condition of our Salvation even now under the Gospel must be a Sincere and Entire Observance of all the Laws of Christianity Sincere it must be as I have shewed you by being a true and undissembled Service opposite to all Hypocrisie or a false and feigned Pretence of Obeying him when in reality we only serve our own selves our own Lusts and Interests And Entire it must be by being the Obedience of the whole Man to the whole Law and not for some short but for our whole Time and to the End of our Lives Object But here it will be demanded That if this be that Obedience which now under the Gospel or Covenant of Grace is required as the indispensible Condition of our being made Inheritors of the Kingdom of Heaven wherein lies the difference between this and the First Covenant or Covenant of Works which Christ came to purchase our Freedom from and to establish this in its room The Condition of the First as I have told you was no less than a Perfect Exact Unsinning Obedience the never offending in any one Point and if our Obedience now must be so Sincere and Entire an Obedience of the Whole Man to all the Laws of the Gospel and this to be performed at all times as has been now described wherein does this come short you 'll say of that Perfect Obedience required of us in our State of Innocency or that Legal Obedience required under the Covenant of Works And now therefore to clear the Doctrine of Evangelical Obedience Answ The difference between Evangelical and a Legal Obedience as thus stated from any such Doubt as if there were no difference betwixt the Covenants in matter of Rigour I shall shew that there is a very material Difference and such as makes this we are now under deservedly be styled a Covenant of Grace And the difference is this That whereas under the First the Obedience was to be so perfect that there was no Mercy upon the least Transgression but the Offender became immediately liable to the threatned Punishment Now under the Second as Sincere and Entire as our Obedience must be yet no more is required at our hands than what by God's Grace and our own honest Endeavours we shall be enabled to perform And therefore since the Weakness of our Nature is such that we cannot continue in an unsinning Obedience though all our wilful and chosen Sins indeed if persisted in will still put a Barr to our Salvation yet all our Unavoidable Infirmities and Involuntary Transgressions shall be constantly forgiven us and even our Wilful and more Heinous Sins when by Repentance we bewail and forsake 'em and take better care to Avoid 'em for the future they also through the Mediation of Christ according to the Terms he has obtained for us in the Covenant of Grace shall be forgiven us and not prejudice our being Inheritors of the Kingdom of Heaven True it is the difference betwixt the Covenant of Works and the Covenant of Grace is not so great but our Wilful Chosen Sins if still persisted in will put a Barr to our Salvation This difference not so great but that our wilful and chosen Sins will put a Barr to our Salvation A wilful Sin is when we see and consider of the Sinfulness of any Action which we are tempted to and after