peace of your souls only untill you come at some full fountaine of these waters where you may quench your thirst throughly I shall be willing to give you a taste of one maine difference between that kinde of Faith and dependence on God which will open the doore and lead you into this blessed Sanctuary here promised and that which will leave you without naked and exposed to the wrath of God in every kind That dependence on God which is raised in the soule by the help or means of that ignorance of God or of the minde and counsells of God which is within a man is a dependence which God will reject and with which the creature may perish as on the contrary that which either springs out of a true light of the knowledge of God or is accompanied and attended as it were in the production or birth of it with such knowledge is that great and sacred dependence which ingageth the Almightie to his creature and carrieth Heaven and Salvation before it This difference is built upon the sure foundations of the Scriptures This is life eternall saith our Saviour to his Father in that solemne Prayer of his a little before his death Joh. 17. 3. That they know thee the only true God and him whom thou hast sent Jesus Christ This is life eternall that is a certain means of attaining salvation or life eternall it is a figurative expression very frequent in Scripture wherein the effect is put for the cause or means of such an effect as Deut. 13. 5. Because he hath spoken apostacie or revolt so it is in the originall that is because hee hath spoken that which may be a cause or means of your revolting from God So John 3. 19. This is the condemnation c. that is the means of the condemnation So againe Rom. 14. 20. Destroy not the worke of God that is take not a course use not the means to destroy him In this figure of speech Christ is called our peace that is the Author or means of our peace Ephe. 2. 14. The resurrection Joh. 11. 25. The Lord our righteousnesse Jere. 23. 6. that is the Author or cause of our rising againe and of our righteousnesse or justification besides many like expressions Now then if the true knowledge of God and of Christ for the one cannot be knowne aright without the other be an unquestionable means of eternall life it must be this means thus as it produceth and worketh a true and living Faith in men according to that which David affirmeth Psal 9. 10. They that know thy Name will trust in thee Because without such a Faith or trusting in God eternall life is not to be had or obtained Marke 16. 16 c. Therefore that faith or dependence on God which ariseth from such a knowledge must needs be the true Faith which is accompanied with the favour of God and with salvation otherwise such knowledge could not be the means of either inasmuch as neither is to be enjoyed without such a Faith 25. And for those instances and examples cited from the Scriptures of some mens relyings and trustings on God without acceptation as Psal 18. 41. 42. Matth. 7. 22. 26. c. It were easie to demonstrate that they were assisted and strengthened in their raising and production by the ignorance of God found in the hearts of those who are said so to have relyed or trusted on him It is evident that those spoken of Psal 18. who were there rejected in their prayer and consequently in their dependence such as it was on God were men destitute of the true knowledge of God For they are said verse 40. to have hated David a dear childe and faithfull servant of God Now the Scripture teacheth expresly that he that hateth his brother is in darknesse and walketh in darknesse 1 Joh. 2. 11. that is is in a worse condition then he thinks or is aware of and knoweth not how to doe any thing to perform any work or service in a holy and right manner as hee ought And again 1 Joh. 4. 8. He that loveth not knoweth not God for God is love that is God truly known alwayes fills the heart with love towards men So for those Mat. 7. whose soules miscarried under a kinde of hope or trusting and relying upon God or Christ as apparent it is that neither had these any right knowledge nor due apprehensions of either Because it is said that they were workers of iniquitie verse 23. and that they heard the words of Christ and did them not verse 26. that is they lived in knowne sinnes Now concerning such the Scripture also speaketh plainly That whosoever sinneth willingly and against light and knowledge hath not seen him that is God neither hath knowne him that is hath not had so much as a cleer sight or enterview of him much lesse any setled experienced or more profound knowledge of him The sight of a man wee know is but the first degree of the knowledge of him 26. So that the rule is universally true that that Faith or dependence on God which either ariseth out of a true knowledge of him or is accompanied with such knowledge in its arising alwayes prospers triumpheth in its acceptation as on the contrary when men will claime friendship and acquaintance with God and will needs depend upon him for favour out of ignorant and fond imaginations and perswasions of him such claimes and dependences are still rejected and cast out by him The reason hereof may well be that which the Apostle delivers and laies down Rom. 11. 16. as a ground or principle upon which God builds many other of the wayes of his providence and dispensations in the world If the root be holy so are the branches As on the other hand Job reasoneth and demandeth Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean Job 14. So if the root of our dependence on God be holy that is if this dependence springs and shoots as it were out of righteous thoughts and apprehensions of God and of Christ it cannot but be holy so accepted with him As on the contrary if it be any common unclean or polluted conceit or notion of God that gives the raise and advantage to our trust or be the basis and bottome of our dependence on him it is no marvell if such trust or dependence be profaned by him and rejected with disdaine and indignation As for example the wicked of whom David speaks Psal 50. 16. is said verse 21. to have this conceit or thought of God that hee is altogether such an one as himself that is that he likes and approves those wayes and practises of sin wherein hee was ingaged and hardened as well as himself did Now if such a thought or opinion of God as this that hee should approve of or any wayes comply with sinners in the evill of their ways be the reason or ground or els gives any assistance furtherance to
doubtlesse it is most lawfull for him to depend upon him yea as lawfull altogether as it is to seek to deliver himselfe from the curse or to escape the wrath which is to come If God denounceth every man accursed for not relying not depending upon him this is a sufficient ground and warrant yea and more then either for every man and woman under heaven to do both the one and the other to rely and depend upon him without asking any further question for conscience sake For certainly God would never pronounce any man accursed for not doing that which he hath no right or warrant to doe It were rather a ground of praise and reward from God to a wicked man if he should refuse to depend upon him in case hee had no ground or warant for the doing it That which makes it a sinne of that high provocation in the sight of God with whomsoever it is found in all persons whatsoever that are guilty of it is the commandement of God together with the abundant righteousnesse and equitie thereof lying upon all men for the doing of it So that there is not the least scruple or question to be made but how sinfull and unworthy soever thou conceivest thy self to bee thou hast as much right because as great a necessitie to depend and cast thy selfe upon God as the most righteous person under Heaven Therefore 14. In the fourth place I answere yet further and desire it may be well considered that a mans trusting and depending upon God is both the first and the onely effectuall means or cause of every mans repentance and hath a necessary infallible and universall connexion with it so that no man can depend upon God we speak now of a true and unfained dependence but ipso facto as we say in the very act of his dependence he repenteth neither can any man truly repent but he that truly depends upon God and that by the power and native propertie and influence of that his dependence For we are to conceive of God and sinne as of two contrary terms or two points in the heavens diametrally opposite or directly crosse one to the other as the East is to the West and the North to the South c. So that whilst a mans face is towards sin that is whilst he remaines impenitent and unconverted his back is towards God that is he sees not that in him why hee should trust him or depend upon him as a man whilest his face is towards the West his back must needs be toward the East And the reason why any man remaines in an estate of impenitencie is not so much as happily we conceive the pleasure or profit or contentment of sinne in any kinde as the ignorance of God of that infinite goodnesse sweetnesse mercie bountie truth power c. that are in him though it be true also that there are bands and snares and cords of vanity in sinne which bind men heart and hand to it and so keepe them fast making them listlesse and carelesse of inquiring after God and his wayes till God by a high hand of grace prevants them with such a light of the knowledge of himself as doth deliver them For if there were not the hundreth part of that pleasure profit and contentment in sinne which impenitent persons conceive there is yet they remaining ignorant of God and without knowledge of those riches of his grace which expose him in all his greatnesse power and all-sufficiencie to every creature under heaven that is but willing to come unto him and depend upon him without any other condition or qualification whatsoever would never repent of their sins 15. If God should grind the face of the creature as it were and take out all the flower and pith of it and leave nothing but husks and shells yet men would not give over feeding upon these unlesse they were perswaded of finding better intertainment with God If covetousnesse were nothing so pleasing or sutable to the corrupt hearts of men as now it is if the heat of the pleasure of drunkennesse idle company uncleannesse and the like were abated and taken down never so low yet the covetous would be covetous still and the drunkard would follow drunkennesse still and the adulterer would be an adulterer still except hee saw in God an effectuall dore open unto him by which he might enter and finde grace acceptation with him Againe notwithstanding all that sin doth or can doe to prevaile with the heart of a man to deteine it in the love practise and approbation of it notwithstanding all the strong allurements and effectuall bewitchings it hath attending upon it to keepe men in bondage and subjection to it nay if sinne were more sinfull in this respect then it is I meane more alluring and more tempting and more bewitching then now it is yet upon the shining of the light of the knowledge of God in the face of Jesus Christ upon the soul upon the appearing of the bountifulnesse and love of God our Saviour towards man as the Apostle speaketh Tit. 3. 4. the heart of a man would breake loose from sinne and cast all the cords of it from him he would turn his back upon it immediately and come about with his face towards God By both which considerations which are both cleere in reason and might be sufficiently confirmed by the word of God if it were necessary it is fully evident that the main and principall reason of any mans continuance in his impenitencie is not so much any thing he finds in those wayes of sin wherein he lives no nor yet in those corruptions of nature which make those wayes of sin so pleasing above measure unto him as his not depending upon God Which conclusion being granted as it cannot with any colour be denied it necessarily follows that men must begin and make entrance upon their repentance by way of trust or dependence upon God 16. A man must not think that either hee ought or câ—n first repent and then trust and depend upon God no all that a man can finde or feele or feare in sin will not raise the soule so much as to the first and lowest step of a sound and true repentance till he hath taken some hold on the covenant of grace and begun at least his dependence upon God In the raising and framing of which act of dependence in the soul the heart falls off and comes about from sinne which is the substance and nature of a true Repentance So that howsoever To beleeve and to repent are things much differing in consideration and also in respect of their objects it being God that is beleeved on and sinne that is repented of yet are they effected and wrought by God in or by one and the selfe same work or motion in the heart or soul of a man For by that act of the Spirit of grace by which the soul is turned and acted upon God in beleeving by the
the services of his creature may be because he desires to manifest and make knowne both these gracious dispositions of his to the world He rewards his servants both because hee loves them and is bountifully disposed as likewise because he desires to make a discovery of both these properties in himselfe As a man may build partly because he hath skil in architecture and so building is a naturall kind of exercise or imployment to him and in that respect delightfull and againe hee may build too to expresse and shew the skill and insight sight hee hath into that art So God may reward those that serve him partly because the goodnesse of his nature his love and bounty leades him thereunto in which respect it is sutable and delightfull to him to doe it though hee had no further end or intent in doing it partly because hee desires to make knowne unto his creature how he is disposed both those wayes both in point of love to his creature and bountifulnesse of nature also And this discovery or manifestation of these two natures or properties in God may bee called their perfection in such a sense as Christ himselfe 2 Cor. 12. 9. saith that his strength is perfected through weakenesse And Abrahams faith is sayd to have beene perfected by workes lames 2. 22. Any thing that is excellent and glorious whilst it is kept secret and remaines invisible suffers a kind of imperfection and wants something that belongs unto it and which would in some respect in an externall consideration better the condition of it that is to say discovery or manifestation As the Sunne when it is in the eclipse or a candle when it is in a darke Lanthorne or under a Bushel though there be nothing internally defective or wanting to them no more then when the one shines in his might and the other is put on a Candlesticke yet they are in a kind of suffering condition the native inclination or tendencie in light being to be seene or to inlighten others So the excellencies and vertues and glorious perfections in God love bountie power wosedome c. though they be internally perfect and intire and wanting nothing of their perfection in that kind whilst they remaine unknowne and undiscovered to any but to himselfe yet it is a kind of improvement to them which the Scripture calls a perfection when they are brought forth into a further light when the knowledge of them is communicated ad extra For that doubtlesse is the full and direct meaning of our Saviours words mentioned my strength is perfected in weakenesse that is that absolute strength and power I have to support my creature receives perfection such a perfection as it is capable of that is to say discovery or manifestation in and through the creatures weakenesse In such cases it is best discovered and consequently made perfect or rather perfected 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The like may be sayd of all the other divine perfections in God their manifestatiō is their perfection in this sense so then this may well bee another reason of the point why God should reward the services of his people viz. to manifest those two excellent properties of his his love to his creature and the bountie of his nature Fourthly a fourth reason may be the love that God beares to the righteousnesse or obedience it selfe of his creature the desire he hath or the delight he takes to have his voyce and his Lawes obeyed by men The Lord takes a pleasure and holy contentment to see men walking in wayes of righteousnesse to see their hearts and hands lift up to his Commandements And because hee would fill the world with righteousnesse if it might be he would have all the plants all the vines in his great Vineyard the world laden with clusters of these Grapes he therfore strengthēs the hands of men hereunto by propounding and promising them large rewards for such works The Scripture speakes much of this disposition in God also his love to righteousnesse his delight in the obedience of men The righteous Lord loveth righteousnesse saith David Psal 11. 7. meaning in men or in his creatures and that with a love redundante in personam as they say that is with a love flowing over and redounding to the persons working it as it followes in the latter clause of the Verse and his countenance beholdeth the just that is to say with favour and acceptation he takes a pleasure to looke upon them in the wayes of their uprightnesse So 1 Sam. 15. 22. The Prophet informes us of the same disposition in God Hath the Lord as great pleasure in burnt offerings and sacrifices as when the voyce of the Lord is obeyed Behold to obey is better then sacrifice and to hearken is better then the fat of Rams implying that the Lord takes a holy and solemne contentment in the obedience of his creature for being of a holy and righteous disposition himselfe hee cannot but sympathize be affected with the same wayes and courses wheresoever hee findes them as David implyed in the words before mentioned the righteous Lord loveth righteousnesse intimating that his owne righteous disposition is the ground or foundation of this his affection to righteousnesse in others Now then as no man but will use meanes and seeke to have and injoy that which hee loves and takes pleasure in yea and if it may be will seeke to have it in aboundance So God loving righteousnesse and obedience in men layeth out for it in the world holding forth rewards and ample considerations to those that will accommodate and pleasure him therein Gods promises are as it were the seede of obedience to his Commandements CAP. V. The Doctrine further opened and established by an addition of three grounds more AGaine in the fift place God promiseth rewards to those that serve him happly for this reason also because this is the most proper and naturall way or method to deale and treate with his reasonable creature man for that commoditie of righteousnesse it is a course most agreeable to the principles of his nature and being and likewise to the termes of his condition It is a knowne commendation of the wisedome of God and sweetnesse of his providence disposing and governing all things to comply and follow to goe along and fall in with the severall tempers frames natures and properties of his creatures so as to act and move every of them by wayes and meanes peculiarly fitted to them When God made Balams Asse to speake to reprove the madnesse of the Prophet as the Scripture speakes he did not effect it in such a way or by such meanes as hee used to move his Prophets as for example Isaiah or Ieremy to speake to the like purpose to reprove the false Prophets amongst them Hee did not enlighten the phantasie of the Asse to know or understand the weight or intent of what shee spake neither did hee move her by way of cöscience or reverence of
may sometimes glorifie or sanctifie God as the naturall or unreasonable creature doth that is to say without any knowledge or intention of any such end in their actions The heavens saith David Psal 19. declare the glory of God and in that respect may be said to sanctifie him So Caiphas when he prophesied and Iudas when hee confessed he had sinned in betraying innocēt blood glorified God but this glorifying or sanctifying God was not their end in what they did this end set them not a work to do either and therefore they glorified God without any reward 6 But this for the externall sanctifying of God which though it be not the principall sanctification here intended yet is it included and intended as well as the other which is the internall and that which is in the heart And what this is may readily and clearly be understood by what hath beene already sayd concerning the outward for looke what worke or effect it is which by the externall sanctifying of God when this prospers and takes place in the hearts of others is wrought there when we worke act or doe the same in our selves and in our owne hearts this is our internall sanctifying of him And this worke or duty of sanctifying God internally and in the hearts we may well place in these foure things First in a right apprehension or understanding the attributes or properties of God and that not onely in their severall natures and qualities but some wayes also in the height or excesse of proportion which they have above all perfections in the creature of the same kinde or that goe under the same name As for example a man must understand and apprehend what love meaneth that is what the nature and propertie of such an affection is and so what goodnes wisdome truth power c. meane and import and likewise what an infinite love infinite goodnes wisedome truth power c. import at least indefinitely and by way of negation that is that by an infinite love is meant a love more intense large and fervent than by any created and finite understanding can be comprehended Secondly in a true and unfained beleeving that such perfections even in that height and surplussage above all that is found in the creature are truly and really in God and in him alone Thirdly in deliberate and serious contemplation or consideration of these infinite perfections rightly apprehended and firmly beleeved to be in God Fourthly and lastly in framing the heart and composing the affections and shaping and fashioning all a mans purposes intentions and resolutions in an answerable decent and comely manner thereunto that is to these attributes of God so apprehended beleeved and considered upon though if wee speake strictly and properly the duty wee speake of stands precisely in the last of the foure the having the heart and and all the counsels and purposes of it tamed and set in a just and sweete proportion to the Name or Attributes of God so that every thing which is in God as Mercy Truth Power Wisdome c. not only so but that the proportion of every thing of all these that is that fulnes or overplus wherin all these the like are found in God above what they are in any creature may have a peculiar proper distinct effect sutable to every of thē in the heart soule of man Even as we see a seale that is well cut or graven when it is applied to wax well tēpered soft doth not leave an impression or likenesse of it self in a generall or confused manner upon the wax but you shall see letter for letter point for point and every part of the incision in the seale will have its peculiar and distinct effect upon the waxe so is the great God then sanctified in the heart of a man or woman indeed when there is no attribute in God but you may finde it there and that not only in the nature or kind of it but in the proportion or dimension of it too as when not onely the goodnes of God is found in our love to him but the proportiō of his goodnes foūd in the measure degree of our love so not onely his truth and faithfulnesse found in or dependance upon him but the unquestionablenesse or infallibility of his truth and faithfulnesse found in the freenesse willingnesse strength and intirenesse of our dependance upon him and so in other his attributes 7 Not as if we were able to draw the full proportiof Gods Attributes which we know are all infinite in the narrow compasse of our hearts or affections there is no roome or space for any thing that is infinite to stand there in its positive and proper Notion As for example a creature cannot love God with any such infinitenesse of affection as Gods goodnesse is infinite in him but yet the infinitenesse of the goodnesse of God may be thus represented in our love and affections to him wee may love him with a love stronger and greater then any love wee beare to the creature or know that wee ought to beare unto any creature whatsoever and this is interpretatively infinite that is it is such love as plainly confesseth and acknowledgeth the object of it to be infinite The same is to be conceived touching all other holy impressions dispositions and inclinations raised in the heart or soule by a due consideration of the attributes of God As for those other three things mentioned right apprehension of the nature and infinitie of these divine perfections or attributes the settled beliefe or perswasion of their being in God together with an effectuall consideration of them as united and seated in him these I conceive are not parts of this dutie this sanctifying of God but rather acts of the minde or soule precedently requisite and necessary thereunto A man cannot possibly sanctifie God with that internall and speciall sanctification which this Scripture principally requires and which hath in part beene described without somewhat done more or lesse in all these Hee that either knoweth not what infinite love infinite wisdome power c. meane and import or beleeveth not that such natures are indeed in God in their infinitenesse or lastly doth not affectuously contemplate or consider these things in him can never worke his heart to that close and intire dependance upon God which is the speciall sanctification of him required there elsewhere in the Scriptures 8 For that in a word is further to be considered that howsoever the phrase and expression of sanctifying God in the Scripture be indifferently used for the sanctification of him in any kinde that is for them agnifying of him in any one of his Attributes whether love mercy goodnesse wisdome power c. particularly yet it is in speciall manner and with greatest propriety and as I take it more frequently used for that sanctification of him which is by dependance or reliance on him This of all other acts or kindes of