had there not been many that had been guilty in the very same kind before him having as great a hand in opposing and persecuting of Christ as ever he had What say we to Herod who sought to murder Christ in his Cradle upon which account to make sure of him he caused all the children in Bethleem and the coasts thereof from two years old and under to be slain Mat. 2. 16 And so to those others probably his Instruments who are there said to have sought the young childs life vers 20. And what say we to the chief Priests and Scribes of whom we read that they sought how they might kill him Luk. 22. 2 And what to Iudas who as it there followeth communed and bargained with them for a sum of mony to betray that his Lord and Master into their hands which being ingaged in he sought opportunitie to do v. 4. 6. and afterwards did it And what say we to Herod and Pilate who had a hand in condemning him And what to the Iews who used him so inhumanely and barbarously as they did putting a Crown of Thorns upon his head reviling and spitting upon him buffeting him and afterwards Crucifying him which however some of them did it ignorantly as our Saviour making the most charitable construction of it saith of them Father forgive them for they know not what they do Luk. 23. 34. yet can it not be so thought of all Some of them doing what they did out of implacable malice And what were not these as great nay greater sinners than Paul was who did what he did ignorantly How is it then that he here chargeth himself so deeply that he was the chief of sinners To this I find diverse Answers returned Some in the first place look upon Pauls sin as more general reaâ—…hing further than theirs did Iudas his sin in betraying and theirs in Condemning and Crucifying of Christ it was more particular extending only to his Person but Paul's reaching to the whole Church Others in the second place conceive that Paul might be more zealous more active and stirring more fierce than any of them Besides thirdly he had more light at least greater means of knowledg then the most of them But as Aquinas notes upon it all these will not resolve the doubt in asmuch as Pauls sin was still a sin of ignorance but some of theirs of malice Aquinas himself therefore in the Second place he would evade it thus Paul here calleth himself the chief of Sinners that is saith he not of All sinners but of Saved sinners Of such it is that he here speaketh Christ Iesus came into the world to save sinners of whom of which saved sinners I am chief As for Iudas and Herod and Pilate and other of the malicious Iewes they had not found the like Mercy that he had done They were sinners but damned sinners not saved by Christ. Now of all such saith he Paul here reckons himself the chief But neither can this be looked upon as satisfactory in as much it layeth too great a restraint upon the words of the Text which must be understood indefinitely of all sinners Christ Iesus came into the world to save sinners tendring and offering Salvation unto all And of all these sinners Paul here acknowledgeth himself to be the chief More genuinely then in the Third place Paul was the greatest of sinners in his own apprehension Being best acquainted with his own sins and most sensible of them Peccata mea certius scio gravius pondero saith Carthusian well He did more certainly know and more sensibly feel his own sins than the sins of others 1. More certainly know them As for the sins of others he looked upon them at a distance a far off knowing them onely by Hear-say In the mean time not knowing all the circumstances accompanying them which might either aggravate or extenuate them But for his own sins these he was well acquainted with his eyes being fully opened and having a great measure of Light which breaking forth into his Soul he had now a full discovery of them so as he was powerfully and thorowly convinced of them hereby he was made throrowly acquainted as with the Streams so with the Fountain as with the several Acts of sinne which he had perpetrated and committed so with the fountain of corruption from whence they Issued And both these he took notice of in himself which he could not do in others As for the outward acts of sinne in others these he might either see or hear of but as for the fountain of Corruption that mass and body of sin in them that he could not be privy to Thus was he better acquainted with himself than with others and with his own sins than theirs having a more clear and full sight of the one than of the other So he had whilest as I said he beheld the one near hand the other afar off Now things which we behold near hand we behold them in their full proportion whereas things seen at a distance seem much less than they are As a Hawk flying a high pitch her shape is lessened being seemingly far less than when she was upon the Fist or Pearch Whereas the Moon though one of the least of Stars yet seemeth far to exceed them in Magnitude because not so remote but nearer to the Earth than they So was it with Paul's sins they were nearer to his eye than the sins of others and therefore seem'd greater to him than the sins of any other Besides they were set off as I may say by the greatness of that Grace and Mercy which he had tasted of Contraries they do mutually illustrate each other as that common Maxim tells us Contraria juxtà â—…e posita magis elucescunt White and Black being set together make each other appear the more And surely Paul having obtained Mercy tasted of those exceeding riches of Grace which God had shewn to him in his kindness towards him in Christ Iesus in the Pardoning and Forgiving of his sins receiving him into so great Favour this made his sins to appear unto him so much the more sinful Even as it is with a Traytor having plotted Treason against his Prince against his Person or Government and being Convicted of it and condemned for it if his Prince out of his special Grace shall please not only to pardon his Crime but to receive him into Grace and Favour admitting him to some place of trust and nearness about his Person certainly if there be any ingenuitie in such a person this cannot but make him see the foulness of his Errour and make the Treason seem more horrid unto him than ever the Rigour of the Law if Executed upon him would have done Thus was it with this our Apostle Paul had taken up Arms against Christ and against his Church shewing himself a Rebel an enemie to his Person and Government exercising all the Acts
some to those Elders which were to be sent for of whom he speaks in the verses foregoing or as others more generally look upon it to them or any other faithful Brethren This are Christians to do as I have showen you in two cases 1st When they feel sinne lying heavy upon their Souls and find no ease by other endeavours And 2dly when any sinne is charged upon them by others by way of Christian Admonition or Reprehension In these cases Christians are to deal freely and ingennously confessing their sinnes unto others such as may be fit to have them Communicated to them being Wise and Faithful By which means they may come to have the benefit as of their Counsels so of their Prayers Confess your sinnes one to another and pray one for another as it there followeth 2. And as Privately so also Publickly and Openly whether it be in a regular way if justly required so to do by Lawful Authority or in a Spontaneous and Voluntary way Such as have been open and scandalous Sinners sinning before others to the offending or endangering of them let them be as occasion is offered ready to confesse their sinnes before others That so 1. They may give Glory to God as Ioshua in the Text fore-cited requires Achan to do the glory of his Iustice acknowledging him to be Just and Righteous in what ever he hath done or shall do against them though it were in their everlasting condemnation O Lord righteousness belongeth unto thee so Daniel begins his Confession Dan. 9. 7. And so the glory of his Grace and Mercy in sparing them receiving them to Mercy Upon this ground it was as I have shown you that Paul was so forward and frequent in his Confessions 2. And secondly that giving glory to God they may take shame to themselves O Lord Righteousness belongeth unto thee but unto us confusion of face so Daniel there goeth on This as I have showen you true Penitent sinners will readily take unto themselves and upon this account they are so ready to make these Open confessions That which deterrs and keeps off others from it brings them off to it Carnal men out of a carnal respect which they have to their credit and reputation in the World they are averse to it And hereupon they will stand upon their Justification Denying Excusing Extenuating Evading what they can as you have heard But upon this accompt the penitent sinner is forward in it that whilest he gives glory to God he may take shame to himself This is God's due and his and so apprehending it he is willing thus to give the one and take the other 3. And again thirdly This let them do for the satisfaction of those whom by their sinnes they have scandalized and offended or endangered 4. As also to set a Patern unto others who stand guilty of the like sinnes All these let them be as so many inducements to draw them to such free and open Confessions Wherein let them take heed that they deal sincerely and uprightly Not doing this out of any base sinister respects as thinking thereby to gain credit and repute from any which is odious Hypocrisy But doing it as in the presence of God Thus did Paul preach the Gospel of Christ as he tells his Corinthians 2 Cor. 2. last And thus no question he made these open confessions against himself Not as many who deal deceitfully but as of sincerity as in the sight of God And such let all our confessions and acknowledgments be to whomsoever they are made whether to God or Man See that they be not meerly verbal and formal much less Hypocritical but Sincere and Cordial And that we may attain to be such true confessors to give you some directions briefly Let our first work be to get a true sight a right knowledge of sin a speculative knowledge of the nature and kinds of sin to know what sinne is and what is sinne Now this knowledge is not to be attained but by and from the Law By the Law is the knowledge of sinne saith the Apostle Rom. 3. 20. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a clear distinct effectual knowledg such a knowledg as bringeth forth an Acknowledgment So much the word in the Original is conceived to import which we find sometimes so rendred by our Translators as 2 Tim. 2. 25. Tit. 1. 1. Acknowledgment Now such a knowledge of sinne as I said is not to be attained but by the Law from the Word As for the light of nature that may and will discover unto man some sinnes but this light is insufficient and defective For 1st it will not discover all sinnes Sinnes against the Second Table it may but not so many of them against the First Table which are indeed the greatest sinnes Grosse sinnes it may not other Actual sinnes it may which are the Branches but not Original sinne which is the Root of all sinne This through-discovery of all sinne is onely by the Law And therefore saith the Apostle I had not known sinne but by the Law Rom. 7. 7. Non ita exacte nossem saith Grotius I could never have known it so exactly and fully as now I do Many sinnes there were that the light of nature could not have discovered unto him Specially that Mother-Sinne the Root of all Sinne that sinful Concupiscence of which he speaks in the words following I had not known lust 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Concupiscence except the Law had said Thou shalt not lust Besides sinnes against the Gospel such as Pauls sinnes were which here he confesseth the light of Nature cannot discover them this must the light of the Word do And again discovery of sinne by the light of nature is not an effectual discovery It never so enlightneth the eye as that it rightly affecteth the heart affecteth it with true sorrow for sinne so as to drive the sinner unto God to seek and sue for Mercy in such a way as he may obtein it This is proper to the Word And therefore make we use of this Light labouring to get a true understanding of and insight into the Law of God that so we may attain such a knowledge of sinne to know as I said what sinnâ—…s and what is sinne Without this there will be no true Confession 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 must go before 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cognitio before Agnitio Knowledge before Acknowledgement 2dly Having attained some measure of this general knowledge the next work must be to get a particular Conviction Paul had not onely a light shining round about him as you heard but he also heard a voice from Heaven saying unto him Saul Saul why persecutest thou me Act. 9. And so it is not enough for a Christian to have the light of the Word shining round about him to have a general knowledge of sinne but he must be particularly convinced of his own sinnes To that end therefore bring we our selves to the
assurance of the pardon of them 4. To get them throughly healed Q. 2. What benefit redoundeth from this practice A foursold Benefit 1. To make and keep the Soul humble 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rebellionis meae Montan. Transgressionis meae V. L. 2. To make Men thankful 3. To make them watchful over themselves 4. To make them pittiful towards others Caution Christians not to pore too much upon their sins so as to give way to inordinate dejections Sins to be remembred in a special way at special times Ian. 22. 1661. A day of Solemn Humiliation 2. Branch The Pe nitent sinner forward in acknowledging his own Sinnes Reas. 1 His Heart is full with the sense of Sinne. Reas. 2. The Bed of Sin is broken in him Two Questions resolved Q. 1. To whom is he so ready to make this acknowledgement 1. Unto God Both publickly and privately â—… 2. Unto men 1. Secretly or Privately 2. Openly and Publickly 1. In a Regular way 2. In a spontaneous way Upon their Conversion 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 est aperta clara voce Conliteri Paraeus ad loc Declarat palam profiteri Beza Ever after Three Eminent Confessours David Solomon Paul Q. whether all Christians be bound to follow these Paterns A. 1. In some cases they are as where the sins have been open peccantes intellige cum publico offendiculo Beza Gr. Annot. in loc 2. Where Gods glory the publick good require it A. 2. Penitent sinners though bound yet ready to make open confessions Q. 2. What kind of acknowledgement it is that the Penitent sinner maketh A. Five Properties of a true acknowledgement 1. It is Voluntary and Free 2. Ingenuous and Full. â—… Particular A good Confession made in general words but with reference to particular sins 4. Cordial and Affectionate True Confession accompanyed with Sorrow Shame With a serious purpose of forsaking the sin confessed 5. Filial Use 1. By way of Conviction Many discovered to be no true Penitents not being true Confessours 1. Such as were never convinced of sin 2. Such as being convin ced will not be brought to confess Not unto God Much less to Men. 3. Such as confess but not truly False Confession tried by a five-fold Touchstone They are not voluntary but extorted Not ingenuous but partial Only general Verbal and formal In a despairing way 4. Such as in stead of Confessing make Profession of their sins boasting in them Damned Souls far from such boasting Use. 2. All Exhorted to be such Confessours as Paul was 1. Confessing unto God Auricular Confession not necessary See that it be a right Confession suiting with that fivefold Property Voluntary Ingenuous Particular Cordial Filial Motive This the only and sure way to obtâ—…in Mercy This the ready only way to eaâ—…e the heart 2. Confesse unto Men. Privately Openly Scandalous sinners to make open Confession That they may give glory to God Take shame to themselves Give Satisfaction to those whom they have offended or in dangered Herein to deal sincerely â—…ir 1. Get a general knowledg of sinne 2. A particular Conviction 3. Compunction and Contrition 4. Some apprehension of Mercy 5. Begg from God his free Spirit Branch 3. The Penitent sinner a severe Censurer of himself Quest. Resp. 1. He is best acquainted with himself With his own Heaâ—…t With his own liâ—…e The pe nitent sinner weigheth his own sins Resp. 2. He feeleth them Resp. 3. His heart is tender Resp. 4. He hath tasted of Mercy Use 1. By way of Conviction divers â—…ensured to be no true penitents 1. Such as are â—…tterers of themselves whilest they are censorious of others 2. Such as are sparing in their censuring of themselves Diverse Pleas made use of by such for the extenuating of their sinnes 1. Others greater sinners than they 2. They are but as others 3. They have sinned through infirmity 4. They could not resist Sarans Temptations Paul sar from making use of any such Pleas. Use. 2. Exhortation Let all Christians be such self censurers of themselves Yet not being rash or over-rigid in these censures Mot. 1. This the way to prevent God's Censures Mot. 2. To ease the Soul of the burden of sinne and to procure the pardon of it Directions These words looked upon in reference to the former Obser. The Doctrine of Salvation by Christ to be particularly applied Resp. 1. This is true justifying saith 2. Hereby a Christian liveth upon earth 3. Hereby he shall live here after Use 1. The Doctrine of the Church of Rome confuted Use 2. Christians to bring home Christ with his Merits to themselves Q. How Christians may know that Christ came to save them A. By being truly Penitent Sinners Let not such Despair of Mercy though the chief of Sinners
Law Behold we our own faces in that Glass Bring our lives thither bring our hearts thither comparing the one with the other laying both to that Rule that so by the straightness of the one we may discover the obliquity and crookedness of the other Thus did Paul he brought himself his heart and life to the Law and by that means he came not onely to attain the knowledge of sinne in a general way but to see his own sinfulness the sinfulness of his Nature and the sinfulness of his Life as his former sinnes acted before his Conversion so the Body of sinne which still remained in hiâ—… In the sense and apprehension whereof he so passionately cryeth out in the close of that Chapter Rom. 7. 24. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 O wretched man that I am Who shall deliver me from the body of this death Thus seek we after such a Conviction which till we attain we will never be brought to a right confession and acknowledgment of sin Thence was it that Nathan taketh this course with David First convincing him of his sinne which he doth by propounding to him the Parable of the Ewe-Lamb and so by that means brings him to that Confession which there he made 2 Sam. 12. 3dly Being convinced of sinne then in the third place seek after some measure of Compunction and Contrition that so we may not onely have a sight but an inward sense and feeling of our sinnes and so be humbled in the sense of them Paul did not only see a light shining about him and hear a voice speaking unto him but he was also struck to the ground as you have heard And so must a poor sinner be before ever he will be brought to a right confession of his sinnes Seek we for this also in measure This it was that drew Iohn the Baptist's and Peters and Pauls hearers to those open confessions which they made they were pricked in the hearts for their sinnes 4thly Being thus humbled for sinne and feeling some measure of Compunction now labour in the next place to get some apprehensions of mercy to raise up the Soul if not in the sense yet with the hope of Mâ—…cy Till this be done our confession will never be such as it ought to be It will never be Voluntary and Ingenuous till it be Filial Fear slavish fear it straitneth the heart causeth the spirits to retire and run inward as it were Apprehensions of Mercy will melt and inlarge and dissolve it as it were and so draw forth the Soul to free and ingenuous confessions and acknowledgments 5thly In the fifth and last place seek we unto God for that his free Spirit as David calleth it Psal. 51. 12. that That may be in us a spirit of confession It is that which the Lord maketh promise of to his people Zach. 12. 10. I will poure upon them the Spirit of Grace and Supplications His Spirit which is the gift of his Grace and therefore called the Spirit of Grace should so inwardly affect them with the sense of his Mercies as that they should freely poure out their Souls before Him in true penitent confessions of their own sinnes whereof formerly they had not been sensible And this Spirit seek we from God Even such a Spirit of Grace and Supplications which may put our hearts into such a confessing frame and temper as that they may be ready upon all occasions to break forth into humble and hearty confessions and acknowledgments of our sinnes both before God and Men. By this means it was that Paul was now become such a forward and ingenuous confessor of his own sinnes Which confessing he also censureth and that severely acknowledging himself not only a sinner but a great sinner yea the chief of sinners That is the third particular Branch of the general Observation to which I now come THe Penitent sinner as he is a frequent Remembrancer and a forward Confessour so also a severe Censurer severe in censuring of his own Sinnes and himself for them An Observation which I find the learned Grotius taking up from that parallel Text Luk. 5. 8. where Peter maketh the like Confession that Paul here doth Having seen that Miracle which Christ had wrought in blessing his labour beyond all expectation giving him such a draught of Fishes as the like he had never before seen or heard of he thereupon falleth down at his knees saying Depart from me I am a sinful man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Peccatosus a sinner a great sinner So much that word as you have formerly heard imports as we may take notice from that Text of Saint Peter 1 Pet. 4. 18. If the righteous scarsly be saved where shall the ungodly and sinner appear 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Where the word sinner being opposed to a Righteous person it imports a wicked and ungodly person with whom it is there joyned an habituated sinner So we find it used by our Apostle in the ninth verse of this Chapter whereof the Text is part Where he saith that the Law was not made for a righteous man but for the lawless and disobedient for the ungodly and for sinners for unholy and prophane Where by sinners we are to understand such as the rest there spoken of are wicked and ungodly unholy and prophane persons such as make a trade of sinne as Beza there expounds it Veluti aliquam peccandi artem exercentes such as the Poet Hesiod saith he calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 such as made sinne their work habituated and notorious sinners Now what Was Peter such a one Nothing lesse he was then a truly pious and godly Man as appears by his Demeanure to his Lord and Master Christ his readiness to do what ever he should command him which he professeth and practiseth in the verses foregoing vers 5. 6. How was it then that he should passe so severe a Censure upon himself that he was a sinner such a sinner a sinful man Why thus it is none are more ready to pass censures upon themselves than those that deserve them least Probi animi vel maximum â—…st indicium severissimam in se censuram exercere saith that Author There is not a greater Evidence of a Pious and Gracious Soul than to be severe in Censuring of it self Such a one was this our Apostle Saint Paul as the same Author there taketh notice of it paralleling him with Peter in this confession which here he maketh Notwithstanding that before his Conversion he was morally blameless in his life and conversation and now an eminent Saint yet he passeth this Censure upon himself that he was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the first the chief of Sinners And such Censurers shall we find other of the Saints of God to have been severe in censuring of themselves Hence is it that in their Confessions and Acknowledgements we shall find them aggravating their sinnes to the heighth indeavouring what they could to express and set
censure upon our selves as Paul here doth That we are sinners great sinners even the chief of Sinners But I shall not proceed any further in the prosecution of this useful Observation which hath taken me up a great deal more time than I intended to have bestowed upon it when I first took it up There is yet one thing behind wherein I shall be Brief I have hitherto looked upon these words of the Apostle as simply considered in themselves It yet remains that I should look upon them in a relative way This I gave a touch upon and but a touch in my entering upon them Let me now do it a little more fully looking upon them as relating to what went before to the words immediately foregoing Christ Iesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am chief That is One and a chief one of those sinners whom he came to save Thus doth he bring home that general Doctrine as before I shewed you making it his own by a particular Application Therein teaching Christians what they are to do not to rest contented with a general and Speculative knowledge of the Doâ—…ine of the Gospel the Doctrine of Salvation by Jesus Christ to know and believe that Christ came into the world to save sinners but thus to bring it home to themselves making it their own by a particular Application This are they to do as you have heard before by all such Truths as they meet withal in the Book of God Precepts Prohibitions Exhortations Comminations Consolations that they may be usefull unto them they are in such a way to bring them home to themselves And this they are to do in speciall by this saving Truth upon the right knowledg whereof depends their everlasting Salvation This is life eternal that they may know thee the onely true God and him whom thou hast sent Iesus Christ John 17. 3. That it may be saving to those that hear it it must be brought home by such a particular Application Such an Application doth this our Apostle make of it as here in the Text so elsewhere as Gal. 2. 20. The life which I now live in the flesh I live saith he by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me Not onely who gave himself for us as elsewhere he speaketh Tit. 2. 14. and Rom. 4. 25. Who was delivered for our Offences and rose again for our Iustification that is for us men in General us believers in Special but for me in Particular Thus doth he apply the benefit of Christs death and passion to himself in particular and the like are all true penitent sinners to do This is true Faith that faith whereby a sinner cometh to be justified before God Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by â—…aith saith the Apostle Rom. 3. 28. And what faith is this Why faith in Jesus Christ The faith of the Son of God as he calls it Gal. 2. 20. believing in him on him Such a faith it is that Christ calleth for at the hands of his Disciples Ye believe in God believe also in me Joh. 14. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Believe on me And such a faith it is that God commandeth at the hands of all This is his Commandment that we should believe on the name of his Son Iesus Christ 1 Joh. 3. 23. which is done by applying his merits to our selves And again as a Christian is hereby justified so it is hereby that he liveth That he liveth here upon earth The just shall live by his faith saith Habukkuk cap. 2. vers 4. His faith in God's word and promises This is the Anchor which he rides by in all storms and stresses which here come down upon him his Faith resting upon the promises of God specially upon this great promise the promise of Life and Salvation by Christ. So Paul lived as he there telleth us The life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God Whilest he lived in this frail mortal body for so are we to understand that his living in the flesh not his living after a carnal and fleshly manner but his living a natural life here upon earth this life he now lived by the faith of the Son of God resting and relying upon him in all estates and conditions committing himself unto him and by his Faith drawing Ver tue from him whereby he was inabled to live unto him to live a spiritual life whilest he was yet in the flesh And as a Christian liveth by this faith here so it is by this faith that he shall live hereafter Understand it rightly Not that he shall so live by it in Heaven as here he doth upon Earth No here we live by faith there by sight as the Apostle tells us 2 Cor. 5. 7. seeing and enjoying what now by faith we hope for But this is the onely way and means to bring us unto Eternal life thus to believe in and on Jesus Christ. God so loved the world that he gave his onely begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him or on him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 should not perish but have everlasting life Joh. 3. 16. This is the true and only saving faith Believe on the Lord Iesus and thou shalt be saved saith Paul to the Iailour Act. 16. 31. But I shall not enlarge upon it Briefly by way of Application Where I might take occasion to cast a stone at the dangerous Errour of the Church of Rome which maketh faith to be onely a general assent to the truth of what is revealed in the Scripture and held forth by the Church And so for justifying saving faith they look upon it as no more but a believing of the doctrine of the Gospel concerning Jesus Christ as that he was the Son of God made man and that he came into the world to save sinners c. In the mean time as for such a particular Application this they make to be the work not of Faith but of Hope But them I shall pass by only chargeing that upon them which our Apostle did upon some Hereticks in his time who dâ—…nyed the Resurrection of the Dead 2 Tim. 2. 18. That concerning the Truth they have erred and have overthrown the faith of some of such as hearken to them whom they teach to trust in a broken Reed Which let not us do Let not us rest in such a general faith but as we desire to receive any benefit from Christ bring we him home by such a particular Application of his Merits to our selves Q. But how shall we be able to do this when as Christ did not intend that the Merit of his Death should be effectual to all how shall we know that we are in the number of those whom he came into the world to Save As for Paul he might know this having a speciall Revelation for it but how shall we come